Sup dawgs!?

Umm, Happy New Year's to all yew. I was just thinking yesterday and today about vacation and the "holiday season" and what it meant to all of us. That's when it occurred to me that the holiest holiday of them all is today, January 1st, the Day of the New Year. Why?

Is any other holiday a totally new beginning? New Year's Day succeeds a solid week of vacation, repenting for the year's losses and gloating for the year's gains. A New Year, while not always successful, represents a clean slate, the chance to restart everything and anything. Weaknesses from before no longer apply in this fresh world of ours. Here's your chance to win every moral victory, redeem yourself in your own eyes, and perhaps even in the eyes of others. Commercialism only surrounds the weak and helpless, as opposed to being the dominant driving force of the season. I blame not only the commercialism, but the timing of the other holidays themselves.

In school, Christmas and Hannukah are massively anticipated. Yet as you stride down the halls, listening, or sit at lunch, observing, you notice that people don't approach these holidays with religious fervor or respect for their races; it's all about what they're getting, or where they're going with the break provided. It's rather sad to see holiday spirit meant for so much being reduced to mutterings of carols and black guys singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer forty million consecutive times on the radio. Admittedly, I am but human; often I succumb to the so-called "Spirits of Christmas".

Comparatively, there is very little such hype for New Year's. Aside from First Night ball-dropping traditions, New Year's is a time for partying, accepting a holiday, and in general, actually appreciating the new chance. I approach New Year's with a feeling of hope, of freedom. A new chance for everything. Confidence at all corners. The year is fresh; nothing can stop me but myself. Inner demons of past all fall away as we break free, if we give them the chance.

That said, I'm sure you're all desperate to discover what I've resolved to do this year...

I resolve to not put off important things till the last second.
I resolve to be more honest, if the opportunity presents itself.
I resolve to be more considerate toe the feelings of others, unless they're really asking for it, in which case I will be scathing, rude, and anything else called for by the situation.
I resolve to use all of my controlled time effectively for entertainment, education, or satisfaction.
I resolve to finish what I start.

Now, you're free to go. Because I'm pretty sure that should you continue reading, this rant will degenerate into more incoherent ranting about MGS3, a veritable diary of my progress. You have been warned.

Despite all my complaints about long cutscenes, the cinematics of the game really help to enhance the experience; never since the beginning has long movie-sequence disrupted the flow to the game. Characters are fleshed out. Since my starting the game, I have played for more than 16 hours, enjoying every minute of it. I've plowed through about five bosses now, each of which had his unique feel. The Boss, Volgin, and Ocelot each contribute to the eerie, massive feeling of game in general. Blood flows beautifully when a knife slits the throat of an enemy; sound effects are topnotch and accurate. Voices are suprisingly realistic, and even more surprisingly, none of them are massively irritating, a feat few games accomplish upon me. Overall a truly divine experience. The last game of 2004. The first game of 2005.

School resumes in two days, following an Asian party and a boring-as-hell Sunday. I'm ready... Are You?