Season Shocker



I just watched the Second Season Finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and all I can say is... Whoa.

Once again, this TV kid's cartoon demonstrates why its fans are dedicated to the extreme. No other show is this mature, this deep and unconventional. Going into the Finale, no doubt countless fans thought they knew where the story was heading, what certain characters would do or wouldn't do, where black was black and white was white. Well. That was pretty much wrong. The Book of Earth ends with a truly shocking cliffhanger... by the end of the 40th episode, the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se is under enemy control and Aang the Avatar himself is barely alive.

If there's one thing that threw viewers for a loop, it was the choice a certain character made which was opposite to the direction that had been the apparent obvious choice to make. However, the unexpected (or perhaps undesired) happened and that was that.
It's a gutsy move, but then again, Avatar has always been a gutsy show- once again demonstrating this in one of the finale's most striking moments; when an opponent starts charging up for a super-duper power attack, one does not just stop and stare... You strike first. And strike hard. Ouch.

Unfortunately, while the action-packed finale was certainly intense (perhaps the most intense yet), it does not satisfy. There are plot threads left flying free all over, and the enemy has swept the board but for a couple of pieces. It's the proverbial "Empire Strikes Back" chapter for Avatar, and it just leaves me craving more. I need to see the next episode NOW. I want to know what happens next NOW.

NOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW.

Damn it all. It's going to be a long frickin' wait till Season 3. Damn it.cas

Time Flies

Days seem to fly by fast these days... either it's a sign that the earth is spinning faster as it steadily builds towards it's inevitable cosmic end... or I'm just getting older and sleeping longer. In any case, I'm glad that the hours seem to tick away faster. There are things I want to come quicker and sooner, and my hatred of waiting flares unabated.

With this coming weekend comes as well the END of the Second Season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Book of Earth ends with a one-hour special (2 episodes back-to-back) that airs in the US on Nickelodeon this Friday, December 1. The buildup towards this climactic finale has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I can very well assure you that every single Avatar fan will be perched like vultures on TVs and computers everywhere come this weekend. Thank goodness for the Internet that I have access to this incomparable show. After this, one more season of Avatar Awesomeness to go. Fans willing though, this series should go on indefinitely. Sigh.

Just a couple more days. I can wait a couple more days. Darn it.

Toys for the Big Boys

Yesterday, me and my college bud Pot went over to Megamall to check out a couple of things. One was the Playstation 3, which we speculated was already available at the mall's Toy Kingdom. Well, it was... for a frickin' 59K for the deluxe 60 GB version (the 20GB version is available as well for a slightly less scandalous 45K). Luckily, I was pretty prepared to just shrug the thing off, though deep inside a voice was screaming for me to bust out my ATM card and blow all my savings on this expensive black toaster. Nah... the only games that were available were a two Gundam titles (zzzz), Ridge Racer 7 (zzzzzz) and Tales of Genji 2 (zzzz). Hardly compelling games. And so, after a slight longing glance, I turned from the temptation and resolved to return when the games were better and the price cheaper.

Right next to the PS3 on display was a Nintendo Wii, starkly contrasting to the black PS3 box with its white packaging. Although much cheaper than the PS3 at 30K (which is quite affordable for a brand-new console), I wasn't really interested in it since I didn't like NIntendo's game lineup, or their 'kiddie' mentality when it comes to their general gaming content. Still, it was interesting to note. But I didn't fall for the Gamecube, so I probably won't go with this one either.

After that, we headed off to the fourth floor to the Megatrade Hall, where a Gun Show was being held. Pot is a total gun freak and sad to say, it was catching. Of course, I have always been fascinated with guns (you can't be a gamer with all these shooters and war games without at least being curious about the real thing), and in this case I was kind of interested to acquire a fire arm, but strictly for home defense. The Gun Show was packed- it was crowded to the extreme with all kinds of people, all united by one thing- they were all gun owners. Guns were on display, and available for browsing (though safely neutered), and I couldn't resist taking one up and feeling the weight. So... that's how heavy a human life is. I walked down the aisles and looked to the booths, the sight of bullets in big bottles reminding me of candy in a candy shop. Everyone was looking over guns, buying guns, handling guns. Honestly, I felt like I was in some kind of foreign nation, deep in some weird culture. Still, it was something that one couldn't totally dismiss in these dangerous times.

Despite a slight gnawing which was the Impulse Buyer in me, I decided to put off getting a weapon for now... perhaps someday, if I really feel the need for it, or when I can afford spending several thousand and hope to never use it.

Afterwards, we were off back to home, dinner and winding down to the next work week. That was different, to say the least.