This past week I finished reading Water for Elephants. After sticking to mostly serial stories lately, it was nice to get lost in a great one-off book. I had been wanting to read this book for years, I just love circuses and circus life. The animals, the side shows, the illusion and talents. Possibly because my own family is the “normal” version of a circus (we’ve even had an entire “fake” family side show in the backyard before, hah).

I loved the book, the characters. The first half of the book just develops the barrier between the kinkers (performers) and the roustabouts (working men). There’s a lot of time spent drawing this line, this line that only Jacob walks along, getting to know both sides.

Usually being pulled out the story can sometimes be frustrating, but in Water for Elephants, being removed from the story to visit present-day Jacob in the nursing home is a treat. He lived this amazing, exciting life – but no matter who you are, you’re destined for old age, people who no longer care, nor treat you even as a person. It’s an interesting depiction of the way people treat one another, particularly at old age. These interactions are removed completely from the movie, to keep you in the 1930′s period the entire time, which I can understand from a cinematic standpoint.

The movie was alright, I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as I’d have liked. The actors (Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon) I felt had no chemistry, and part of this is due to how rushed their romance is. In the book, there are a lot of nuanced meetings, developments, learning why you shouldn’t like August, and why he is that way. In the movie, they meet once or twice and somehow are ready to jump trains together. They bond in the book over Jacob’s gentle treatment of the animals, most of which is written off to get right to their time with Rosie the elephant. August goes off once or twice in the movie, but it’s never explained. The first time, you really just think he’s drunk. The second, he skips to accusing them of being together – when they hadn’t had all that many interactions.

In the book, Jacob spends a lot of time with Camel and Walter, whereas in the movie they’re there intermittent for brief minuets – hardly giving the viewer time to even learn their names. So when they’re redlighted later on, it’s hard to feel anything for them, as you hardly even know who they are. My mom didn’t even notice when we were watching why Jacob was mad when they were missing, because she didn’t even realize they were “important characters.”

Since they were selling this as a heavy romance flick, I really wish they spent more time portraying the scenes with Jacob and the animals (like Bobo!) and Marlena falling for him because of this gentleness.

Not to mention… was Uncle Al, the circus owner, even in the movie?! It seemed almost like they combined his character with August…

Next up, I’m going to check out the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, recommend to me by my friend Allison!

This morning I finished the third book of the series, Mockingjay. I can’t even remember the last time I read a series so quickly. This has to be the quickest read out there – I’m still surprised it’s YA reading, since it has such a grisly and dark story. I drank the first two books with my eyes in seconds, the third was a bit slower, but the ending was deserved for Katniss, I think, getting together with Peeta and living back in the Victor’s Village in District 12, having a family. It’s the same ending she was supposed to have before the revolution, only she isn’t with her mother or Prim. The fact that President Coin suggested having another Games with the Capitol children was just awful – how are things ever to get better if you just repeat what you just rose up against to put a stop to? She definitely deserved Katniss’ arrow to the knee.

I wish I knew how Gale was feeling in the end, if he felt Katniss was more important to him and regretted being a part of the bomb that killed Prim, or if he felt the end was more important than the means, as he typically feels about most situations throughout the story. The ending certainly had a lot of loose ends that left me a bit unsatisfied. Gale essentially just disappears. He got “some job” in District 2. Best friend and near-lover throughout the whole book, and he’s written off that lazily? Not to mention the entire point of the revolution – the new government isn’t discussed whatsoever after Coin and Snow’s death.

The part that probably clawed at me the most was actually from the first book, toward the end, when the wolf muttations chased Peeta, Katniss and Cato to the Cornucopia. The moment where Katniss looks into the eyes of the muttations and realizes they are the eyes of the dead tributes is such an intense scene. It’s revealed that they’re just genetically created creatures, but Katniss isn’t sure if they used the real eyes of the tributes or not. I think part of the draw to this whole story, in a sick way, is what kind of sick and twisted muttations and pods/dangers President Snow and the Gamemakers will come up with next.

Next up, I’m (finally) starting Water for Elephants! Now the movie’s long out, too, but I can easily erase Robert Pattinson’s image from the main character. That’s the beauty of books – you can make them look as appealing as you like. :)

Earthborn. Sole survivor of the battle on Akuze. Adept.

I’m introduced to the crew of the Normandy – Joker, Chakwas, Captain Anderson, Kaiden – as we set out for our mission on Eden Prime to secure the beacon, a key discovery of Prothean technology (who have disappeared for 50,000 years). Most of the crew is wary about working with Nihlus, the turian spectre, who will be joining us on the mission and watching Shepard in action in consideration for the future of humans: humans on the Council, the first human spectre. Cue an image of a Reaper in the footage of the current attack on Eden Prime.

On Eden Prime, we meet Ashley. I’ve decided she’ll die in this playthrough, despite how droll Kaiden can be. A newbie crewmate named Jenkins is killed off in the first few minutes of landing on Eden Prime.

Saren shows his mug for the first time in a stand-off with Nihlus, which is when Nihlus bites the bullet nice and early.

Shepard pushes Kaiden out of the way of the beacon and experiences a vision unexplainable just yet. Saren makes off with whatever technology or information the beacon contained.

To the Citadel, for the first meeting with the Council!

(720P video upgrade is an option ♪)

Kinda crazy that 95% of them are handheld titles when we’re constantly being told that the handheld market is waning. It has a chance (as with any console) if it can keep up with worthy software in the long-term. People may be hesitant to buy a new handheld after seeing what the PSP’s library offering quickly dwindled to, but I’m on board for an early purchase because I’m really happy about the software revealed thus far!

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney (3DS)

Siliconera: Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney Has A New Court System, New Screenshots

Gravity Rush (PS Vita)

PlayStation Blog: Gravity Rush for PS Vita: Everything You Need to Know

Andriasang: Gravity Daze Trailer (Japanese title of the game)

Little King’s Story (PS Vita)

RPGFan: Little King’s Story PS Vita Trailer

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (PSP)

Aksys Games: Issue #1: Wolf Rhythm, featuring Heisuke Toudou

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS)

Ology: Neku, Of ‘The World Ends With You,’ Spotted In ‘Kingdom Hearts 3D’

El Shaddai (Droid)

DroidGamers: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron jumping from Xbox360/PS3 to Android

Ni no Kuni (PS3)

GameSpot: Ni no kuni coming to North America early next year

Fire Emblem (3DS)

Ripten: Fire Emblem Announced For 3DS (First Trailer)

Fatal Frame: Shinrei Camera (3DS)

Capsule Computers: Fatal Frame 3DS game to be called Spirit Photography; trailer released for TGS

Genso Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century (PSP)

Wired: Konami Unveils New Suikoden for PSP

More games like Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, Beyond the Labyrinth, Project Draco and Army of Hell have some potential – but it’s definitely too soon to say anything more!

P.S. Not exactly from the shores of TGS, but FFFFFFFF: Hang out with Felicia Day in Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin DLC

I like it because it’s not their standard pattern they ALWAYS do. It’s unique, has some badassery going for it, and … it’s Tokidoki (would be my first designer bag ever). But… I’m starting to wonder if I want it just to feel the satisfaction of owning a Tokidoki bag… Because now I stumbled across this Iron Fist bag (below) and it’s also pretty cute.

CAN I GET SOME WOMANLY ADVICE! Is it ridiculous to buy a Tokidoki bag just because it’s a Tokidoki bag when there are bags just as equally cute out there to be had or not yet discovered?

P.S. Don’t let this weigh in on your advice much, but, the Tokidoki bag is going to be about $172, whilst the Iron Fist bag is about $49.99 plus shipping.

The Hiro Ballroom. Home, sweet, home. Or at least, it felt like the perfect home for the Yakuza 4 launch party the Sega team held last night for both media and several community members. To celebrate Yakuza 4′s upcoming launch next Tuesday, March 15, Sega outfitted the Japanese-themed lounge in New York City to feel like the perfect setting for fans and new players to check out the game. There was sushi, Sapporo, a good ten televisions of the full game set up, a DJ, a pool table, airbrushed dragon tattoos, and a couple of cute Japanese hostess models.

Check out the video I edited together of some of the beautiful ballroom and a few hand-picked snippets of the game I played while at the event. I’ll give you a hint, it involves ping pong, the hot springs, and a pinch of slow motion. Enjoy!

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, the song I used for the video is Home Made Kazoku’s song Home Sweet Home!

I’m not a feminist or anything, but I am most certainly human being. Mass producing and handing out extra large “gamer-sized” shirts isn’t doing anyone a favor but boosting your own company-ego, and making yourself feel like you did a something above and beyond for your fans or the press (who often can give two digletts about swag in the first place). Assuming everyone is an obese man, or a flat-chested, overweight woman who looks like a man, is really hurtful, and a waste of cotton, if anything.

I’ve only ever had one experience at a press event, convention or other sort of awareness display where I was offered a ladies-sized shirt, with… size… options to boot! It was mind-blowing that I was recognized as an existing consumer (should it be? It really shouldn’t, I’m just a marketing geek). At my E3 appointment last year with Bethesda, after I finished up my copious amount of notes, I exited to catch my next appointment, and on my way out I was offered a Bethesda track jacket, in a women’s small. I know it’s kinda silly and trivial, but it felt really personalized and humanizing, and I haven’t forgotten it!

Humanizing via PR, Marketing, or customer service is something I’ve always taken to heart. It’s something I think I’m lucky to be able to take with me whenever I make the transition to that side of the gaming industry.

Well, in January, my PS3 burnt out. I was watching a video off of my Mimobot on my PS3 and suddenly, during the video, my PS3 just froze. I couldn’t power it down, so I had to unplug it and replug it back in, but nothing would get it to boot up. No safe mode, nothing. I put the flash drive onto my computer and it had the strangest data files on it, and all of my personal files had been wiped. I wrote it off as a freak accident, though I was rather suspicious, and a kind friend at Sony offered to repair it for me luckily (because it was exactly one month out of warranty, of course, that’s just how life works).

A month later, I used my Mimobot to copy my Enslaved Xbox save data to bring and continue my progress at Kenny’s house on his Xbox. About the same amount of time in, the data corrupted and it erased all of my save data and any other files I had stored. In the very least, nothing happened to the Xbox this time, but it definitely was a bummer to lose all that data. I put the flash drive on the computer to check it out and the same thing happened: it erased my data and in its place were weird jumbles of letters in unreadable data files.

I got so frustrated and was scared to ever use the drive again, because I had used other flash drives to watch video or copy game data with no issues whatsoever for years. I tweeted my about my experience and people started writing to me, “Oh my god, I was going to buy one for my girlfriend to use, now I’m really wary about buying one,” and just retweeting my message. Mimobot actually wrote to me on Twitter, but I was still upset about all the lost data at that moment so I didn’t respond right away so as not to say anything foolish.

Well, someone from Mimobot got in touch with me via email, and then the following day the CEO got in touch with me, I’m assuming he found my email on Spawn Kill and wrote to me personally. I was pretty surprised. He was very human and understanding, and explained to me that Mimobots are not yet certified for video game console use, and that are certified only for PC usage as of right now. But what I appreciated most was that he didn’t respond saying, “Well how do YOU know if it was the USB drive, do you have proof?” While I’m 99.9% sure it caused both instances, he could have easily just been defensive and motherly over his brand, thinking or saying, “Oh stupid girl, it’s not OUR products, what do you know?” – because many companies actually do respond to their customers in that manner, and I will tell you it’s very off-putting and provides an easy once brand-loyal window to jump out of for a customer. He was really down to earth and even provided helpful information, and also offered to replace my Mimobot and take mine back to study it for science, or so I like to think.

I was incredibly skeptical, at that point, though grateful for his communication, at even owning or ever using a Mimobot again, but I figured now that I knew to only use it for PC, it might be okay. And for PC files I’ll always make backups of backups of backups, for sure, first. Fine. He asked which design Mimobot I had and said to expect a box with return shipping soon.

Well… I received my new Meletta Mimobot today, only it’s been mega-upgraded. It’s a freaking 16GB Mimobot, upgraded from my little 4 giglet. They also tucked in a little note and a cute tank top (that is actually not “gamer-sized” for what is the second time in my life to date, this is very noteworthy and felt personalized). That is  certainly some customer service. I think McDonalds just gives you a hush bribe of a free extra value meal, or two.

My loyalty most certainly can’t be bought, but they’re very kind and a very humanized team, which felt really nice in a sea of roboticized customer service responses, empty apologies, and turn-around finger points. I know nothing’s perfect, especially with technology, but in the very least do right by your loyal customers – you wouldn’t even exist without them. I’m still a little nervous to use my new drive, but feel kind of relieved receiving a real answer about why my problems occurred, and that I wasn’t just accused of being part of some .001% freak accident affair.

So don’t use your Mimobots on your PS3 or your Xbox until they make console-safe drives, but for my fashion friendly, tech savvy friends that need to bring your valuable data to school or work – there’s a Star Wars, Batman, or Tokidoki bot for that.

ANYWAY! So I cancelled today and they still sent me the movie I’ve been waiting on for a while SAW: The Final Chapter (a.k.a. SAW 3D, now not in 3D – boo!). I was gonna rent it on Redbox today, but, I guess I’ll wait till tomorrow. Hate waiting! I had it all planned to rent today.

Redbox is my holla dolla ho.