Gear Shift

Dear Readers,
For the past two and some years, Blogger has been my online home. I believe it is now time to do a little growing up and a little moving on. It's been a veritable jumble of all things from aesthetics through music to techy goodness. Here on Blogger I've ranted, reviewed, and posted photos of all things cool, funny, and emo. Now, I think it's time I migrated to a different host, much like how a student must graduate. Enter WordPress.com, a service that some friends have been using for some time now. I'm not ritzy enough, for the life of me, to pay out for hosting, so in keeping with my free hosting traditions (Blogger, I won't easily forget you!) I'll be on WordPress' online services. thankfully, I can (and will) import all my Blogger posts and comments onto WordPress' servers, meaning you'll be able to go back and read all the P.Pole v. 1.0 posts you want. For your information, the new page can be found at larker.wordpress.com and I've named it the P.Pole v.2.0 in loving memory of this place. Anyway, without further diddle dawdle head on over and bookmark away (unless something insane happens, I won't be coming back here to post, as sad as that is for me to say). As far as I know, Blogger has no "Import Posts" option meaning I will not be able to make a reversal migration from WordPress if things should go awry. And it just seemed like the other day where I was going on about not changing to the new Blogger template format... Fly-out menus, I will miss you.
Blogger, you and I had a great run. You were fun while we lasted. I've grown to know you much better. You were my first real blogging host and now, to borrow words from Christ (simply for linking purposes and not for blasphemy), "Where I am going, you cannot come." - John 13:33.

With love,
Carl

P.Pole's [Custom] Template

I'm quite proud of my template for this blog that I've slowly created and altered over the years. It started out as a generic, one-size-fits-all kind of template that most blogs run on but I didn't want my page to look exactly like all the others. Okay, to say that it's completely groundbreaking in its layout is a huge exaggeration, but for someone without any actual knowledge of how to code (apart from some very primordial HTML), I think I've done quite nicely for myself. I mean, I had to pretty much move, shape, shift, and shapeshift by trial and error. Here's how I "coded" the stuff on this page (which, by the way, looks proper only on Firefox so far, by my testing, because of my "coding"):

1. I imagine something cool I want to achieve and catalog it away for a rainy day.
2. I take note when I see something I cataloged on another site I happen upon.
3. I press Ctrl + U (read: "View source").
4. I sift through to the good part and see if it's something done without javascript (which I don't know how to use).
5. If it's javascript, I sigh and move on. Otherwise, I move on to step six.
   
6. I go to Google.ca and look up something along the lines of "HTML (or CSS) [tag] tutorial" where [tag] is whatever the hell tag or function or whatchamacallit I saw the other page using.
7. I then read through and try to understand how the tag and its parameters work.
8. This is the fun step: I spend hours and hours typing in stuff mostly haphazardly, clicking "Preview", and then going back to make the appropriate (i.e. guess and check) corrections.
9. When this is all done I marvel at what I've created for a few moments before I check its rendering in Internet Explorer (explosion) and then in Opera (assplosion).

If I had any idea whatsoever how to code this all properly without relying so much on guess and check, I'd be able to make changes so that my page would render decently across all forms of web browsers. Sadly, I do not have the patience to sit down and really learn this stuff as it bores me. And anyway, I think I sort of enjoy my current way of doing things too much to give it up. Firefox tricked me into thinking it kept web standards before, but now I know that the developers took a few liberties with it (or so I've heard from watching videos of conferences with web standard discussions). Apparently they decided that some rules were better kept and others bent/broken. I don't know what that means in detail but hey, I don't think I'll need to know all that to be able to enjoy my Webernets.
Nevertheless, I thought maybe since my current template is running a bit cluttered I would consider upgrading my template to Blogger's new way of handling templates that much resembles Xanga's styling pages. This would mean pretty much wiping my entire template settings (even though I simply love my fly-out/mouse-over menu things). And so, I decided to check out Blogger's version of the template designer on my other "blog" (which is just there to reserve the domain and for testing such as this). I wanted to see if I could make it work towards my needs, whether it was worth the switch, and whether there might be a chance of my reworking my menus (again, my favourite part of this template) to work there. So far, no luck. I mean, it's convenient to have them do kind of what I've done with the hierarchy look that now comes default but it's not a mouse-over fly-out.
It's got auto-adding and -sorting of new stuff (like links, archive links, etc...) whereas I update my template every month with the new links myself (every month I add a new list item linking to the new month's posts). Still, I'm not convinced. It looks as if the new template designer thing is great for adding page elements and quickly editing them but it doesn't do much in terms of allowing me to really tweak stuff with the HTML/CSS editor and that's what I need to be able to do above all else. It's either that or I just don't know enough to be good at manipulating (the right bits of) code. Sigh.
Anyway, I'm going to stick with my current state of affairs until I really find a reason to switch over and get rid of/recreate my mouse-over menus. I love that thing. Mouse... over! Mouse... over! Wee!

A "Do Whatever the Hell I Want" Badge

I went and saw Transformers the Movie today with Allen at the Famous Players/Cineplex at... I don't know exactly, but I think it was around Yonge and something to the north. Anyway, it turned out to be a rather good movie for someone who is a fan (but not hardcore fan) of the stuff. Al had lukewarm thoughts about it all but that's because he was more of the die hard fan. Anyway, I didn't do anything else much today except go home afterwards and just relax in the comfort and the companionship of my trusty radiation bombarding computer set up. I chowed down on a few Bagel Bites and they weren't half bad so I'll have the other ones tomorrow for lunch. I'm still looking forward to practices for LoaH and retreat this Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Speaking of movies, I got around to watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last week and there's something about Emma Watson's look that I just can't place. She's definitely not ugly or anything, but I just can't decide conclusively whether she's got a delicately amiable or ever so slightly annoying face. I mean, her character's hair (I'm not even going to attempt spelling the actual name for you off of memory) Hermione is, by nature, quite a put-off, what with being long-ish and frizzy. But the rest of her (as in the way she looks, acts, and speaks) doesn't really bug me all that much (I'd always imagined her character Hermione to be a real know-it-all while reading the book). At least, that's how I felt until near the middle or so of the Goblet of Fire. That one shot of her all dressed up for the ball settled it for me: not annoying looking.
I also spent a good chunk of my evening listening to a lecture/workshop given by John Piper about living by faith in future grace. I regret to say that I had been slightly distracted while listening for the latter half of the message so I didn't catch all the little gritty bits as I normally like doing but the general gist was quite stirring to say the least. I'm not even going to attempt paraphrasing or summarizing the message. If you've got the longing and craving for it, check it out for yourself here (whereas the larger set of links and pages of his work can be found here). It's cool stuff to me, but in random bursts at best. Too much of a good thing (in this case, over-saturation with new ideas on divine matters) too fast is probably not the best--cramming such things all at once proves to be a bad way to really reflect, consider, discern, and internalize well and properly.

Blueprint

...was the name of this year's edition of the Vic Park yearbook. It was a long year of hard work and to be frank, I'm not sure it payed off. Before I go headlong into a rant about all the things wrong with it, I want to at least give congratulations to Amreet in particular since his sports section was nuts (in the good way). I also want to mention that the cover is pretty neat looking and some other pages (few and far apart) are pretty nice too. Now, let's get into the heart of things: why does this yearbook suck?
First off, let's just get this out of the way: not everyone on the committee/team was cut out for the job in the first place. When working on pages that are going to go into a yearbook, graphics and a good sense of design is very very necessary. I'm going to come right out and say that nearly everyone on the yearbook committee this year, honestly, had little to no experience working with Photoshop/digital image manipulation software. This isn't coming from having to field questions about how to do things (which I did) or from having them admit the fact (which no one did), but from just looking at the kind work put out by some of the members.
Designing a page around the theme of "blue prints" is a little more than tacking on a graph-paper background and throwing text on top (well, at least not for every single page). I did that once, but the idea of the page was to keep things clean and simple (the page was titled "Basic Principles" and it was the principals' page). This also happened to be the page I had to rush because the head editor "forgot" n times over the course of 6 months (while being reminded by me quite often) to get the photos and write ups I needed, not to mention losing the write ups once after finally getting them.
Lesson #1: Only take people onto the yearbook committee who actually have Photoshop experience. The reason those people (mostly Indian girls, not that that has anything to do with anything) even got on the committee was because they all happened to be Sheliza's friends. Therefore, the blame falls mostly/completely on Sheliza for this one.
Next we've got the fact that many simple things went completely catastrophically wrong for no good reason apart from negligence on the part of people doing administrative work. The way we do things is as follows: first, pages are mocked up and then created as semi-roughs which are sent for "proofing" to the plant which sends us back what the page would look like in the book so that we can make corrections and send back the good copy with changes and extra info (such as spot colour hue and positioning). For one thing, I had pages with spot colouring that I didn't even want to be coloured (thus effectively wasting the colouring we payed for) since it'd look better without it.
Whoever was on admin decided for me that these pages would receive spot colour treatment anyway. To make matters worse, the tones of blue chosen for my pages were completely off. For example, let's take an example of graph-paper blue vs. a dark but not quite navy blue. Those two are both blues but the latter makes black text placed on top completely illegible and reading painful to do. To make things even worse, the positioning/shape of the colour (which is printed separate of the first B&W printing) was totally off/not quite enough, leaving blank white bits all over the place. Ugly.
Another thing that admin screwed up on was the submitting of corrected pages. After getting the proofs back, we make corrections and then send the plant finalized versions. I remember correcting and resubmitting a candids page (basically a page with loads of photos) to be resent to the plant. Well thanks to the awesome admin people we've got (who are still remaining nameless until I finish ranting about this) the plant never got the updated/fixed page because of, well, nothing. I'm guessing the person doing the collection and distribution of corrections just... never got around to it and sent out "corrected pages" (the same pages we got back with all the mistakes) without actually repackaging the final pages. Way to stay on task.
Lesson #2: Make sure your administration staff/person is reliable and knows what they are doing. I do believe this year's admin person was mainly... oh that's right, Sheliza again, the head editor. Thanks for screwing with my pages Shez, you're the best.
One thing that was told to me and everyone else on the team by both Ms. Leung (the staff supervisor) and Sheliza our head editor was to make sure not to put loads of photos of ourselves in our own sections since that is generally frowned upon. I actually got told off for putting three photos from the yearbook camp/retreat of not only myself but other members too on my candids page (which had at LEAST 100+ small thumbnail sized photos). Then lo and behold, we find about a zillion pictures of certain people on yearbook in the final section of the book (which is devoted to messages from the yearbook executives). That wouldn't be a problem since those pages ARE to recognize the committee members, but when 99% of the photos include either only the head editor (who is responsible for the section) or photos of the head editor and her friends, then we've got a huge problem. Can you spell hypocrite?
The messages themselves were all written up and handed in, but some people were given much more page space than others for no reason. Sheliza had tons, but she's the head editor so she's supposed to have lots of stuff to say. Mona, on the other hand, was just another editor but also had an ass-load of space to write up, whereas other people--who, in my opinion, did much more work--had to settle with very little. Simply astonishing.
I wouldn't have too much of a problem with hypocrisy (since we are all tempted into doing it from time to time) if the rest of the messages from the committee were at least typed up properly. Scanning through the messages written, I found a few people's messages (including mine) were completely screwed up. This screwage includes double typing some sentences as if the copy+paste went completely berserk or something, irregular text formatting (e.g. making some letters within a word black instead of white when failing to highlight the entire paragraph for formatting), and even cutting messages short, in mid-sentence! It's almost as if... hm... the pages were done in the final minutes before the due date. Great work ethic, whoever was responsible.
Lesson #3: What can I say? Teams can only work as well as the heads. And when leaders are petty, sloppy, incompetent slackers who play favourites, well, you can guess at the kind of final product you'd get from it all. This year's head editor was... Surprise! Sheliza! Let's have a round of applause!
So all in all, I'm pretty angry about how this yearbook turned out (especially at how some of my pages look). The spot colouring was off completely--in my defense, I mentioned not having it on those pages because they'd look better than way but Sheliza ended up doing it anyway because "we paid for it" and what kind of reasoning is that by the way? The corrections I made weren't even submitted. My message at the end of the book was one of the ones that were completely raped, hands down on the ground. This whole year's worth of working under Sheliza has been by and large a huge hassle. At this point I'm pretty much miles past the line of diplomacy and I'm just bashing her but really, find one argument I've made that wasn't valid. I'm sure I haven't nailed everything in this one post but I doubt we need anymore to work with. This rant is ending here and I hope I never have to do this kind of thing again.
Final Lesson: Get rid of Sheliza. Really, just, do it. Get her gone. That is all.

NOTE: I'll post some photo evidence/examples after Mediamax gets back online from maintenance.

EDIT: Here are the pics of what I've been ranting on about.
The Good:

• Alexander's Cover
  
• Amreet's Sports Collage
• Amreet's Sports Pages
• Mustafa's Division Pages

The Bad:

• the numerous "ZOMG HAND IN SOMETHING!" Filler Pages
• the botched Yearbook Committee Messages

The Raped:

• Candids Page
• Grade Nine Day (1, 2)
• Principals' Page

I think that about sums it up. I've only got one or two pages that I am proud of in the entire yearbook, and one of those is the World Events Spread (click here for my original digital render). I'm pretty sure the only reason that one turned out the way it was supposed to was because I didn't leave any part of it to anyone else to take care of. Sorry, but that's how I'm saying it.

ObjectDock 1.9

Lately I've ditched my XP partition almost completely (I haven't used it for a month and the last time I did was yesterday to try and open a corrupted file). I'm not missing the clutter and crap of XP. Now I've got the clutter and crap of Vista! I got curious today and checked the List to see which docking programs were compatible with Vista and to see whether my (favourite) ObjectDock by Stardock was on the List. Luckily, it was and I promptly downloaded version 1.9 (some previous ones don't work w/ Vista). I spent the next hour or so tweaking, making icons, disabling Windows functions (such as the standard taskbar) and just having a fun time with my new dock. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out (click the thumbnail for a full view of my desktop... in full resolution too!). I'd rather be running on 1280 x 1024 but my new monitor/my dad's old monitor (I switched to a newer LCD monitor when my old one started showing ugly-coloured spots of pink and green...) doesn't support that high of a res. Anyway, that menu collapses into the bottom of my window and the Vista icon/start menu button doesn't show unless I press the Windows key (pretty neat actually). I still have all the functionality of the taskbar AND start menu, but a more clean look. The only downside to this all is that I can't view my system tray icons unless I go into object dock's preferences and un-check "Hide Windows task bar." Then again, I don't use my tray very much anyway...

EDIT: Rocketdock is part of Punk Software brand wares. There's also Uber Icon (

Sunday Afternoon

What better way is there to spend such a wonderful afternoon than to take a quick nap as I wait for my F.E.A.R. Combat download to finish? Don't worry, I'm getting it legit this time off of their official site (free multiplayer version up for download here). I just nabbed myself a not nearly as legit copy of pzizz and I'm going to be testing it out momentarily (it's an app that's supposed to help you sleep). This seems a bit sci-fi to me, using a computer to make my body do stuff, but if it works, I think it would be very useful for someone like me who doesn't get enough natural sleep. I'll keep you updated on its effectiveness in a wink.

EDIT: So it's a pretty cool idea that actually kinda worked. I feel more energized and awake after pzizzing but it's only been the first run. I'll probably do it again soon (to rest up between... "study sessions" since exams that actually matter are coming up).

Disturbingly Cool

I've had a PSP for awhile now. Most people don't believe me when I tell them that my dad was the one to want it first--I just have fun with it whenever he's not using it--but it's true.
Having played with it on and off for many months now, I think I can give a pretty good summary of the sweet package. My PSP is a white one which hails from Hong Kong. Before you write it off as a fake, I assure that it's the real deal. It's made in Japan and thus, has a Sharp screen (as opposed to the Samsung screens used in models made in China--that is, the ones available state-side). I remember it cost my dad about $150 CDN when he bought it a month or so after it was released here in NA.
My favourite part about the PSP is its screen. The screen's beautiful. It's sleek, wide where it counts, and views beautifully even from the side (I'm still talking about the screen you pervs). I remember having brought it to some event night at church and watching Advent Children on it while almost four children crowded around to join me. Everyone go a piece and no one go the dreaded side-glare that some devices (like the backlit GBA SP) give off. And all this is important, especially if you don't buy into Nintendo's BS that graphics don't matter, and if you plan on watching movies off your PSP. Really, if I'm going to shoot a zombie's head off, I want to see ALL the splatter effects you can conjure up.
Anyway, without going into any more detail, here are a few pics of my baby running Tekken and her pretty backside.


For the more... gadgetsexual ones out there, here's a pretty interesting picture I found on Kotaku the other day. I've been dying for a chance to post this.
NOTE: I think today I accidentally stumbled upon a second (that's right, a second) PSP in my dad's room. That's just like him to go buying electronics without anyone else knowing (I'm sure my mother would go nuts if she found out... He pulled this same stunt with GBA SPs too, which explains why I have two). But get this: this fabled second PSP is neither black nor white, it's silver. I'll sneak some shots of it the next time both my mom and dad are out. >_O

Debatable?

While perusing my usual online haunts, I came across Kotaku's post on IGN's Top 25 PS2 Games of All Time. Needless to say, I was immediately interested. Here is how their top 25 played out with respect to my library:

• I "own" 10 of the top 25 titles (explanation for quotations to come)
  
• Suikoden III was one of the first PS2 games I beat completely and thoroughly
• Kingdom Hearts was one of the few games I actually asked my dad to go out and buy, sounds like a stupid/childish idea but hell is it fun to smash those Heartless with my Ultima Weapon keyblade...
  
• I own Devil May Cry, but not DMC 2 or 3, but seeing as how they're the same series and approximately the same gameplay-wise, I claim to "own" this entry... freakishly badass game/series IMO
• Resident Evil is a series I've literally grown up with (since the days when my uncle would be killing zombies with a 6 year old me in tow), so I'm a fan of RE4, I'm in the process of beating it but it freaks the hell out of me so... I'll beat it when someone else comes over
  
• I own Dragon Quest VIII but have never actually played it (it was a purchase of my father's, not mine), though I've heard nothing but win for it so perhaps I'll tackle it once I'm done with FFXII (that's Final Fantasy 12, not the disgusting 10 part 2)
• I own Gran Turismo A-Spec (GT3?) which is again, the same series as a mentioned title (GT4) but not it exactly, I actually really got into it for awhile but I got bored of attempting (and mostly failing) licenses... I guess I'm just a sucky driver
• I own 4 of the top 10 titles
• ICO I have but haven't played (see Dragon Quest VIII point)
• I own MGS3 but not Subsistance, but the heart of the game (actual story, single-player gameplay) is what I'm in love with (extras are fun, but they can't compare with the actual game itself), and oh how I <3>
• Final Fantasy X was another one of those first few PS2 games I beat through and through just because I loved the game so much, I actually beat half of the game, put it down (and accidentally deleted the save file), and beat all over again from scratch
• And finally, there's my God Of War sitting at freakin' #1 at the top of the list, Kratos, you've done me proud, I'm still thoroughly pleased with this game and I'll be busting it out again very soon (once FFXII is over) to bash some more Greek baddies on God Mode... oh blasphemy...

And there you have it. Some interesting mentions on that list (that I don't own) include Twisted Metal Black (what were you thinking?! top ten? is this a joke?!), Shadow of Colossus (I actually really wanted to buy this one but never found the motivation/money), Okami (see Shadow of Colossus comment), and Tekken Tag Tournament (I loved Tekken 2 and 3 so it beats me why I don't own a PS2-gen Tekken title...).
I also would consider buying the game Rez, but... well... seems like it'll only be worthwhile to get/play it after I get hitched... It's more of a two-player type game... O.o

info @ the P.Pole 03.12.07-03.13.07

5 things that happened at TC '07:

• a captain from another team recognized Canti on my t-shirt and asked me whether it was really him (I nodded offhandedly but I moaned a deep and satisfied moan of "Oh yes, yes that is Canti!" on the inside)
• my entire team (totally the best team a captain could hope for) performed Brian's peanut-butter jelly time dance (with maracas and thrusting!) with Raf (the greatest co-captain ever) and I
  
• Steven Hawkins' (not Stephen Hawkings, by the way) speaking was completely amazing to listen to; hearing his life story, you'd expect him to be either dead (he mentioned suicide and insane abuse), bitter, insane, or an atheist but the man's great at what he's been assigned
  
• Michelle (a fellow Emu-mate who happened to be Vietnamese) and I won the TC Talent Search (talent show/contest) by doing an improvised rap (her) and dancing the Emu dance (me), scoring a duct tape wallet and a Whoopee cushion (signed by the AV team and REC team respectively)
  
• all of team Emmanuel got to perform our cheer on stage after having came in third overall and second for spirit (doing the peanut-butter hump to all 600+ people in the audience felt satisfying... almost gratifying)

So this TC turned out to be many many times what I'd expected. Sure, I'd hoped to get some recognition for our team since, well, it leaves the team with a particularly good feeling, to know that we accomplished something together, but I didn't really expect to get as far as this. Personally, I wasn't hell-bent on owning. I even prepared an entire "Alright, it's okay if we don't win tonight, as long as we have fun" speech that we never had the balls to use. Raphael and I had joked around about dominating and blowing away the competition but most of that was just to get ourselves pumped. I sure was surprised when they called us out for third place overall. Seeing our entire team light up (screaming oh so passionately) made it all worth it. I doubt any of them will ever read this, but man do I love the Emus. Greatest. Team. Ever.
It was a privilege and an honour to lead such a wonderful group of energetic, amiable, and unique youths. And with such an awesome pair of coaches! Firstly, Caleb's been to every single TC since his first in '96 (he's 24 y.o. at the moment, yeah, old), so he knows his stuff. The man's done it all, attending, captaining, worship team, coaching, etc... He was wholly dependable and Raf and I would often go to him whenever we weren't sure of what to do. Caleb served as our veteran who knew exactly what to say to our team and when to say it. Joyce, a complete n00by at all things TC (this was her first time!), was equally encouraging to work with. What she lacked in experience she more than made up for in cheer and energy. I found that personally, joking around with her about whatever (usually making fun of Caleb) served as my refresher at TC. She was that little bit of crack in my routine that got the good times rolling and the juices flowing. All in all, our coaches were amazing, giving us the guidance as well as the energy that we needed.
And finally, we come to my co-cap, Raphael. Now, I've known Raf since we were but unicellular organisms (that might be stretching it, but you get the point), we know one another. We communicate and just feed off of one another's spirits. It's actually quite beautiful what we got going. I love him (not the BBM way) and I can totally feel his love. The guy is mellow and honest. What I love about Raf is his incurable sense of ease about him. He rarely (if ever) gets agitated and never ever does he lose his cool. It was great to work with him since he was always so agreeable. What happened to me last year was that I would be the main one leading team volleys of cheering (Hannah's a quiet girl, and I don't blame her!). This year, Raf and I shared that task, which explains why my voice isn't completely mauled by the end of TC like it was last year (another factor would be the fact that my team was loud yet smart--cheering only when REC leaders were around >_O). Raf was always looking out for the team. It was wonderful captaining with such a solid brother.
So with all this mushy gushy stuff coming out of me at the moment, what I'm trying to say is that what we achieved as a team is all good and whatnot, and we should be happy for being blessed with "success", but the real blessing of success is found in the countless souls who came to know/recommit themselves to Christ at TC this year. After all, who cares about all the competition or points or winning, if God is nowhere to be found? You can have all these, but without love, it's meaningless (see Bible)! Oh, but was God ever here! On the first night alone, there were 54 people who made decisions to either accept Jesus into their lives or recommit themselves to a life worthy of our calling. Though this has nothing to do with quantity and everything to do with quality, it's still important to realize when God moves powerfully.
Teens Conference was a fun time this year 'round and captaining was a total blast. There are TC haters out there who call it nothing but a sugar-coated fun-fest and not anything with real, spiritual content, and to a certain extent, they're... half right. It IS full of energy and hyperactive teens. But a lot of people actually come to know Christ through TC and so with that in mind, what's a little fun along the way if we are serving God's will?
With sleep growing in my eyes and for lack of anything more to say, I bid all thee farewell and fortune in all your ventures (until the next post anyway). God with us indeed.

Listen up, we're loud and clear!
[We'll] Show you all that God is here!
E-man- u-el! E-man- u-el!**
Ev'rybody clap and shout!
[We'll] Show you what we're all about!
E-man- u-el! E-man- u-el!
Comin' down from heav'n above,
To show us how to live in love!
E-man- u-el! E-man- u-el!
We are here to show you all,
That our God's Emmanuel!
E-man- u-el! E-man- u-el!

Cause... it's...
Peanut-butter, jelly time!
Peanut-butter, jelly time! (x2)
Peanut-butter jelly, peanut-butter jelly,
Peanut-butter jelly with a baseball bat! (x2)
Emu. [strike a sexy emu pose]
-Team Emmanuel of TC '07, The Emu Chant

**We actually had this refrain line down as "E-mu! E-mu! E-mu! E-mu!" before but we changed it to really push our team's whole/actual name. You've also got to note the awesome pumping action done while reciting these lines.... Maybe I'll show you sometime.

EDIT: Added links to photos of the entire team and Caleb + Joyce.

EDIT2: Here's a link to Team Emmanuel's Facebook page (yes, I finally got a Facebook and only for my beloved team).

info @ the P.Pole 02.01.07

I'm currently blogging to you guys from my Windows Vista Ultimate (partitioned with XP) Firefox. I've been fooling around with Vista all day long and I've got some preliminary feedback on it.
Firstly, I don't want to come off as fanboyish, since, well, though I've never thoroughly used anything other than Windows for my day-to-day computing needs (I did have a brief Linux stint way back when my dad liked to play with that stuff), I use computers enough to spot stupid programming/design (like when I have to terminate and restart explorer.exe every time I want to see a registry change take effect in my taskbar). I'm not overly tech savvy but I think I know my ways around a computer. Anyway, I thought XP's defaults were ugly and navigation was boring. From a purely aesthetic POV, XP was quite bland. Vista's default settings, on the other hand, are quite pretty looking and it runs quite smoothly on my machine.
I've yet to run into any errors while just trying to get the hang of the OS, and I suppose that's a good sign. Did I mention how I also had a brief experimental period before with OS X Tiger? Well I did, and I found that Vista's got quite a few similar features... as I'm sure the more nerdy of my readers have already heard about from various geek blogs (Gizmodo, anyone?). Really, the "gadgets" sidebar, the program search field in the start menu, the window switching application: this all reeks of smart ideas on Apple's part and smart business by Microsoft.
Nevertheless, it's looking good and I'm not going to hate on it just yet. For now, Vista, you're on my "kinda cool but slightly rip off" list. I do have one complaint, however, and it's that Vista refuses to play my House episodes (or any other video files I've got loaded on my drives). I'm guessing that this is that dreaded copyright protection crap that was tattooed into the OS, so I'll be patiently awaiting someone to crack this... Unless it's already been done. Guess what I'll be Googling for the next little while.

EDIT:
Firstly, thanks to Herm for pointing out that it might be missing codecs (I feel retarded now). I hadn't thought that my father had not installed the necessary codecs when installing Vista (yes, I let him take care of it because I was too busy entertaining my lady friend, or maybe because I've not had to set up an OS in awhile). Now that I've found and installed the necessary codecs, House plays wonderfully.
Secondly, after a little bit more Vista-ing, well, the OS is lovely. It was lagging before and I couldn't figure out why. That's when I decided on grabbing CCleaner again and installing it on my Vista partition. I ran it, cleared 100+ megabytes of trash and deleted 60+ obsolete/useless registry keys. I also ran the disk defragger on my drives and cleared up more trash. Then I cleaned up a gigabyte of hibernation system files (useless) and that cleaned up even more trash off my drives. Now it's running swimmingly and with no lag. Sweet deal.
Lastly, I reinstalled my usual apps and reconfigured everything. I actually had to reconfigure Firefox twice (takes a long time if you run a lot of extensions like me) because my dad wiped my configuration the first time when tweaking the Vista after the first day. I would've just copied my settings over from my Windows XP application data for Firefox (like I did with Gaim) but that turned out to not work as nicely as I'd have liked (Vista uses three separate folders to do what XP's "Application Data" did). Dumb. Either way, I'm slowly integrating my needed apps into Vista (installing as I find the need for them so I avoid installing an ass-load of stuff I don't actually use).

Smash!

In 2005, SCEA released one bad mother of a game called God of War, representing what was their liberal yet convincing take on Greek mythology. This game would later receive ranting and raving reviews from all of the gaming industry scene. I personally have a natural affinity for such nerdy ventures as video games and the like, so it amazes me that it took me almost 3 years to finally purchase and play this game for myself. Before I go any farther, I must admit that the rest of this post will mostly be verbal nerdgasmic fun.
Now, normally, one would write a review about a game to rant about how it excels in every aspect imaginable, but I realize that whoever reads the P.Pole on any kind of regular basis is probably not a nerd and will have lost interest in the topic at hand about two sentences ago. Nevertheless, I'm going to do a brief summary of this game (not unlike a review) minus any quantitative (haha, that's a dirty word) judgements--I'm not qualified to decide whether the noise the minotaur makes as it dies is quite worth 5 nail clippings out of 5 or not.
God of War has a story revolving around a man's insatiable thirst for power. There are a hell of spoilers in here, but I doubt anyone reading this will care or be the type to play games anyway. I just want to discuss the story a bit, so if discussing video games sounds too nerdy for you, treat it as if I were doing a movie review or something.
I found the pacing and flow of the game were quite brilliantly done. I found myself sitting there and gaming my time away (hours at a time) not because I had nothing better to do (I did have other things to do, believe it or not) but just because I was so thoroughly engrossed in the matter at hand. This is one area where I do believe the gaming industry has a serious upper hand over the television or film industries as entertainment substitutes. Video games, by definition, involve their audiences. I don't consider myself someone particularly easy to fascinate and I don't consider myself picky either. From smashing monsters to solving puzzles to scaling cliffs, Kratos (the tragic hero of GoW) does it all. Never did I find myself tired of repetition or annoying tasks (like having to speak with every single person in the town before one damn bartender will give me a quest... if you're giving me a "WTF?!" look, it's a video game/RPG nuance).
The plot of God of War is basically this: Kratos, a mortal man, is saved by Ares (the god of war according to Greek myth) from his enemies, and becomes his servant/weapon. After pillaging a village with his loyal army in the name of Ares, Kratos enters the village's temple and massacres everyone in it. Only after killing a woman and a girl does he realize that these were his own wife and daughter (see? spoilers). This, of course, was planned by Ares who wanted Kratos to become the strongest warrior ever, to "become Death itself." Bad move. Kratos vows that from that day forward, his only enemy would be the one who saved his ass ages ago, Ares the God of War.
As you can see, this Kratos character must be one messed up guy, a real "product of the system" if you will. I will. I'm telling you, this character is a beast. He spends most of his journey amputating limbs, breaking bones, smashing skulls, busting spines, gouging eyes, and basically eviscerating everything between him and vengeance for his wife and kid. Isn't that sweet? Well if that isn't, the graphics showing him doing it are. Having two blades on chains helps this process of not-so-systematically destroying stuff. Freaking awesome.
So after having beat this game twice (once on normal difficulty and once on hard), I reassure you, this behemoth of a game is just as amazing as people have said. If you ever need anything to get you to bed, this game's not going to do it. What it will do is give you a place to be as violent, gory, and disgustingly brutal as you want. Oh, and enjoy the wonderfully tragic story behind Kratos. Lovely stuff, really. My favourite part about this game must be upgrading my swords to max level about 10 minutes into a new game and exploding everything else in the remainder of the game (yeah, I'm one of those gamers....).

Hybrid Theory

remember the time i overview'd the FUCT -- love the way that acronym sounds, btw -- lyrics? well, here's my tribute to my very first record bought, Hybrid Theory by the Linkin Park boys. i realize they are emo, but that is quite alright by my standards.

Why does it feel like night today?
Something in here's not right today.
[...] But I know just what it feels like
To have a voice in the back of my head.
Like a face that I hold inside,
A face that awakes when I close my eyes,
A face watches every time I lie.
A face that laughs every time I fall,
And watches everything.
- Papercut

I cannot take this anymore.
I'm saying everything I've said before.
[...] I find the answers aren't so clear.
Wish I could find a way to disappear.
[...] Nothing seems to go away.
Over and over again.
- One Step Closer

A little taste of hypocrisy,
And I’m left in the wake of the mistake; slow to react.
Even though You’re so close to me,
You’re still so distant; and I can’t bring You back.
- With You

Forfeit the game, before somebody else
Takes you out of the frame, puts your name to shame.
Cover up your face, you can't run the race.
The pace is too fast, you just won't last.
- Points of Authority

Fear is how I fall.
[...] This lack of self-control I fear is never ending.
[...] Discomfort, endlessly, has pulled itself upon me.
Distracting, reacting.
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection.
It's haunting how I can't seem...
To find myself again, my walls are closing in.
- Crawling

All my talk of taking action, these words were never true.
Now I find myself in question. They **I point the finger at me again.
Guilty by association,You **I point the finger at me again.
- Runaway

If I turn my back I’m defenseless. And to go blindly seems senseless.
[...] If I let them go, I’ll be outdone. But if I try to catch them, I’ll be outrun.
If I’m killed by the questions like a cancer,
Then I’ll be buried in the silence of the answer, by myself.
- By Myself

It starts with one thing; I don’t know why,
It doesn’t even matter how hard You **I try.
[...] I had to fall to lose it all.
[...] Remembering all the times You fought with me.
I’m surprised it got so far.
Things aren’t the way they were before.
You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore.
- In The End

I watch how the Moon sits in the sky, in the dark night,
Shining with the light from the Sun **Son.
The Sun doesn't give light to the Moon assuming
The Moon’s going to owe it one.
It makes me think of how You act to me.
- Place For My Head

A little piece of paper with a picture drawn floats
On down the street till the wind is gone.
The memory now is like the picture was then:
When the paper’s crumpled up it can’t be perfect again.
In the memory You’ll find me, eyes burning up.
The darkness holding me tightly,
Until the Sun **Son rises up.
- Forgotten

Everything falls apart.
Even the people who never frown
Eventually break down.
[...] The sacrifice is never knowing...
Why I **You never walked away.
Why I **You played myself **Yourself this way.
- Pushing Me Away

good stuff. good, hard, emo stuff.

Leaves from the Cork Tree

Yeah, I dig Fall Out Boy. People say From Under the Cork Tree is not quite as yummy as their older stuff, but it's still really good. Here are a bunch of lines from the album:

"It's just past 8 and I'm feeling young and reckless
The ribbon on my wrist says, 'Do not open before Christmas.'"
- Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

"You only hold me up like this
'Cause you don't know who I really am.
Sometimes I just want to know what it's like to be You.
We're making out inside crashed cars.
We're sleeping through all our memories.
I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive;
Now I only waste it dreaming of You."
- Of All The Gin Joints In All The World

"She says she's no good with words but I'm worse.
Barely stuttered out
A joke of a romantic -- it's stuck to my tongue.
Weighed down with words too over-dramatic:
Tonight it's, 'It can't get much worse.'
Versus, 'No one should ever feel like...'
I'm two quarters and a heart down,
And I don't want to forget how Your voice sounds.
These words are all I have so I'll write them,
So you'll need them just to get by."
- Dance Dance

"Is this more than you bargained for? Yet...
Oh don't mind me, I'm watching you two from the closet,
Wishing to be the friction in your jeans.
Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be Him?
I'm just a notch in your bedpost,
But you're just a line in a song.
Drop a heart, break a name.
We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team."
- Sugar We're Going Down Swinging

"I keep my jealousy close,
'Cause it's all mine.
And if you say this makes you happy,
Then I'm not the only one lying."
- Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

"Joke me something awful,
Just like kisses on the necks of 'best friends'.
We're the kids who feel like dead ends,
And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses.
I took a shot -- and didn't even come close --
At trust and love and hope.
And the poets are just kids who didn't make it,
And never had it at all."
- I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)

"I'm sleeping my way out of this one
With anyone who will lie down.
I'll be stuck fixated on One Star
When the world is crashing down.
I keep telling myself (I keep telling myself)
I'm not the desperate type,
But you've got me looking in through blinds."
- 7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen)

"Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out.
Take our tears and put them on ice.
'Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light.
There's a drug in the thermostat to warm the room up,
And there's another around to help us bend your trust.
I've got a sunset in my veins,
And I need to take a pill to make this town feel okay."
- Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year

"You are a getaway car, a rush of blood to the head.
But me? I'm just the covers on top of your bed.
You steer away in a rear view mirror. You make my head swim.
I keep you warm and won't ask you where you've been."
- Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

"They call kids like us vicious and carved out of stone,
But for what we've become, we just feel more alone.
Always weigh what I've got against what I left.
So progress report: I am missing You to death."
- I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me

(this next one is a long one)
"And you're just the girl all the boys want to dance with.
And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances.
I'm sleeping on your folk's porch again, dreaming.
She said, 'Why don't you just drop dead?'
I don't blame you for being you,
But you can't blame me for hating it.
So say, 'What are you waiting for?'
Kiss her! Kiss her!
I set my clocks early 'cause I know I'm always late.
Write me off, give up on me,
'Cause darling, what did you expect?
I'm just off, a lost cause.
A long shot, don't even take this bet.
You can make all the moves, you can aim all the spotlights,
Get all the sighs and the moans just right."
- A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'

(this next one's a spoken free verse poem at the end of the song)
"From day one I talked about getting out,
But not forgetting about,
How my worst fears are letting out.
He said, 'Why put a new address
On the same old loneliness?'
When breathing just passes the time,
Until we all just get old and die.
Now talking's just a waste of breath,
And living's just a waste of death.
And why put a new address
On the same old loneliness?
And this is You and me,
And me and you,
Until We've got nothing left."
- Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part To Save The Scene And Stop Going To Shows)

"To the love, I left my conscience pressed
Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer.
"What did it ever do for me?" I say.
It never calls me when I'm down.
Love never wanted me,
But I took it anyway.
Put your ear to the speaker,
And choose love or sympathy,
But never both."
- XO

Man, these guys are so emo! Not quite as emo as Bright Eyes, though the both of them have a lot of lyrics to do with sex... These guys don't make you feel sad though... not me anyway. I dunno.

EDIT: Um... Happy new year to everyone (though I wonder how people can be such idiots about it). People hate getting older -- women and men (just look at mid-life crisises where husbands have been known to leave their beautiful wives for younger, more 'pretty' wives, which I find a pretty bad testimony towards faithfulness unto death) -- yet can celebrate a new year by, of all things, staying up late, getting drunk, and being hung-over in the morning. (=_=) Anyway, to all you people who really aren't afraid of getting old and dying, me included, I wish a for an actually happy new year.

Plans - OVERVIEW

"Plans" by Death Cab for Cutie as reviewed / analyzed / commented on by me, Larker.

1. Marching Bands of Manhattan (Gibbard)

If I could open my arms and span the length of the isle of Manhattan,
I'd bring it to where you are, making a lake of the East River and Hudson.
And if I could open my mouth wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing and bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings.

I wish we could open our eyes, to see in all directions at the same time.
Oh what a beautiful view, if you were never aware of what was around you.
And it is true what you said: that I live like a hermit in my own head,
But when the sun shines again, I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in.

**
Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole,
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound.
But while you debate half-empty or half-full,
It slowly rises: your love is gonna drown.

Comments: Proclaiming love and faith; Accepting enlightenment; Drowning in a pool of pessimism. The debut track on Plans does the album as a whole honour as it aptly presents the band's style and sound within its 4 minutes and twelve seconds of glory. DCFC shows itself to be emo without being wussy, mellow without being dawdlingly slow and boring. Marching Bands sets the stage for (what will now be expected to be) an awesome album.
Feel: Positive and chill.
Love: Bass.

2. Soul Meets Body (Gibbard)

I want to live where soul meets body.
And let the sun wrap its arms around me.
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing.
And feel, feel what it's like to be new.
'Cause in my head there’s a Greyhound station,
Where I send my thoughts to far-off destinations,
So they may have a chance of finding a place where they’re far more suited than here.

And I cannot guess what we'll discover,
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels.
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another's,
And not one speck will remain.

I do believe it’s true that there are roads left in both of our shoes.
But if the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too.
So Brown Eyes I hold you near, 'cause you’re the only song I want to hear.
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere.

Where soul meets body.

Comments: Looking forward to something better; Hoping in the unknown; Friends helping one another; Persevering. The first (so far, only) single off of Plans is Soul Meets Body. As expected of a single, SMB continues the positive wave of emotions from Marching Bands. With a driving beat and optimistic lyrics, DCFC paints a picture of brighter horizons for the listener. Definitely single-worthy.
Feel: Upbeat and cheerful.
Love: Lyrics.

3. Summer Skin (Gibbard / McGerr / Walla)

Squeaky swings and tall grass.
The longest shadows ever cast.
The water's warm and children swim,
And we frolicked about in our summer skin.

I don't recall a single care.
Just greenery and humid air.
Then Labor Day came and went,
And we shed what was left of our summer skin.

On the night you left I came over,
And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders.
Our brand new coats so flushed and pink,
And I knew your heart I couldn't win.
'Cause the season's change was a conduit,
And we left our love in our summer skin.

Comments: Love lost to winds of time. Summer Skin stands in stark contrast to the first two tracks. Plans now slows down for some melancholy reminiscence of good times had in the past. We'vc now gone from hoping in the future to mourning after the past. Contrary to most conventions, the bass - the quiet, reserved, and resonating murmur of a band - plays the main riff of this song. The rich and sonorous tone of the bass I found quite fitting of the depressive mood of my beloved Summer Skin.
Feel: Forlorn and nostalgic.
Love: Needless to say, bass.

4. Different Names for the Same Thing (Gibbard)

Alone on a train aimless in wander.
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket.
But I didn't care where I was going,
'Cause they're all different names for the same place.

The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun,
And I knew no words to share it with anyone.
The boundaries of language I quietly cursed.
All the different names for the same thing.

Comments: Weakness of the human mind to understand the thoughts, not words, of others. Slow and moody, Gibbard's glum vocals and gloomy piano slowly give way to a more lively second half of the track, bringing in the bass and the drums. I'm still quite undecided on this song's standing in my mind, mainly because of the drastic change of tempo about a little less than half-way through the song. It's, nevertheless, amazing.
Feel: Depressive and cheery. O.o
Love: Lyrics.

5. I Will Follow You into the Dark (Gibbard)

Love of mine some day you will die,
But I'll be close behind and I'll follow you into the dark.
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white.
Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark.

**
But if heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied,
And illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs,
If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks,
Then I'll follow you into the dark.

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman Rule,
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black.
And I held my tongue as she told me, "Son,
Fear is the heart of love," so I never went back.

You and me, we've seen everything to see.
From Bangkok to Calgary and the soles of your shoes,
Are all worn down: the time for sleep is now,
But it's nothing to cry about.
'Cause we'll hold each other soon in the blackest of rooms.

Comments: Sticking with friends through it all; Fear, Love, and Hurt; Waiting for the right time. Perhaps one of the best songs on Plans - if not the best - is I Will Follow You into the Dark. The most beauty can be found in the simplest of things and this track reeks of simplicity: it's completely acoustic. The lyrics are poetic and charged with meaning, yet direct all at once. The bare bone vocals and acoustic guitar blend nicely to warm the heart of the lucky listener.
Feel: ... : )
Love: Everything.

6. Your Heart Is an Empty Room (Gibbard)

Burn it down 'til the embers smoke on the ground,
And start new when your heart is an empty room,
With walls of the deepest blue.

Home's face: how it ages when you're away,
And spring blooms and you find a love that's true.
But you don't know what now to do,
'Cause the chase is all you know and she stopped running months ago.

**
And all you see is where else you could be when you're at home.
And out on the street are so many possibilities to not be alone.

The flames and smoke climbed out of every window,
And disappeared with everything that you held dear.
But you shed not a single tear,
For the things that you didn't need,
'Cause you knew you were finally free.

'Cause all you see is where else you could be when you're at home.
And there on the street are so many possibilities to not be alone.

Comments: Primary succession (>_O); Restlessness of mankind's heart. This song reminds me of U2's Crumbs From Your Table, mainly because of the electric guitar parts. This song gets back to the happier aspects of life, such as second chances and starting over.
Feel: Consoling and hopeful.
Love: Lyrics.

7. Someday You Will Be Loved (Gibbard / Walla)

I once knew a girl in the years of my youth,
With eyes like the summer: all beauty and truth.
But in the morning I fled, left a note and it read:
"Someday you will be loved."

And I cannot pretend that I felt any regret
'Cause each broken heart will eventually mend.
Just as the blood runs red down the needle and thread.
Someday you will be loved.

**
You'll be loved you'll be loved
Like you never have known
And the memories of me will seem more like bad dreams.
Just a series of blurs: like I never occurred.
And someday you will be loved.

You may feel alone when you're falling asleep,
And everytime tears roll down your cheeks.
But I know your heart belongs to someone you've yet to meet.
And someday you will be loved.

Comments: One sided love; Choosing what's best for the beloved over happiness. Quite possibly the saddest song on Plans, Someday talks of the tragedy of unreciprocated love. As can be expected, the song is slow and Gibbard's hapless vocals sing out the heavy-hearted mood. There's a sense of self-pity to be found in the lyrics, as if the heart were torn between its desires for its own needs and the joy of a loved one. Awkwardly enough, I found that his act of sacrificing one's own desires and leaving her so that she may be happy - i.e. finding love with someone else - is in fact what love should cause: a selfless form of care for another's well-being. Therefore, he does love her and she is loved, in the present. It's just that neither of them know it.
Feel: Emo-like-there's-no-tomorrow and depressive.
Love: Ideas / themes.

8. Crooked Teeth (Gibbard / Walla)

It was 100 degrees, as we sat beneath a willow tree whose tears didn't care,
They just hung in the air and refused to fall.
And I knew I'd made horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin wall,
And there was no doubt about which side I was on.
'Cause I built You a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start.

Cause you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along.

I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed.
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all.
'Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both.

You're so cute when you're slurring your speech but they're closing the bar and they want us to leave.

And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along.

I'm a war of head versus heart and it's always this way.
My head is weak and my heart always speaks before I know what it will say.

And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along.
There were churches, theme parks and malls but there was nothing there all along.

Comments: Saving one's heart for special persons; Spirit Vs. Flesh; Dealing with failures and resulting consequences. At first glance (or listen) crooked teeth is cheerful and uplifting (especially considering the previous track), but this, I found, turned out to be almost sarcastic in nature. I looked at the song's lyrics to find that they actually talk about being isolated by one's own actions/failures. They tease and mock, stating the obvious and sad truth in a buoyant voice. I think that this song is also single-worthy, if DCFC were to release another.
Feel: Cheerful yet sardonic.
Love: Bass and lyrics.

9. What Sarah Said (Gibbard / Harmer)

And it came to me then that every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time,
As I stared at my shoes in the ICU that reeked of piss and 409.
And I rationed my breaths as I said to myself that I'd already taken too much today,
As each descending peak on the LCD took you a little farther away from me.

Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines in a place where we only say goodbye,
It stung like a violent wind that our memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds.
But I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose than to have never lain beside at all,
And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground as the TV entertained itself.

'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room.
Just nervous pacers bracing for bad news.
And then the nurse comes round and everyone will lift their heads.
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said:
That "love is watching someone die."

So who's going to watch you die?

Comments: Love is faithful, even to death. I think this is one of the more... expressive (?) songs of Plans. The deep lyrics probe the soul, stirring up questions and provoking thought. It's heartfelt and meaningful, questioning the authenticity of love. Who truly loves you? More importantly, who do you truly love? Would they be found beside your death bed? Would you be found taking their place in theirs? I know of only One that would do such a thing. Guess who. *looks up*
Feel: Thoughtful and solemn.
Love: Lyrics.

10. Brothers on a Hotel Bed (Gibbard / Walla)

You may tire of me as our December sun is setting 'cause I'm not who I used to be.
No longer easy on the eyes but these wrinkles masterfully disguise the youthful boy below,
Who turned your way and saw something he was not looking for: both a beginning and an end.
But now he lives inside someone he does not recognize when he catches his reflection on accident.

On the back of a motorbike with your arms outstretched trying to take flight, leaving everything behind.
But even at our swiftest speed we couldn't break from the concrete in the city where we still reside.
And I have learned that even landlocked lovers yearn for the sea, like navy men,
'Cause now we say goodnight from our own separate sides like brothers on a hotel bed.

Comments: Inescapable humanity; Changing and aging, for better or for worse; Dealing with being who you are. Another slower, pretty song. Gentle piano and vocals lull and calm. For me, Brothers coaxes me to accept that we really are all human, regardless of our efforts to break away from our evil, earthly natures - for now anyway.
Feel: Contented and peaceful.
Love: Piano.

11. Stable Song (Gibbard)

Time for the final bout.
Rows of deserted houses.
All our stablemates highway bound.

Give us our measly sum.
Getting the air inside my lungs is heavenly.
Starting out with nothing but crippling doubt.

We'll rest easy, justified.

I suffered a swift defeat.
I'll endure countless repeats.
The gift of memory is an awful curse.
With age it just gets much worse but I won't mind.

Comments: Learning to live on in spite of the ever-deplorable past. The final segment of Plans isn't a bang of a finish. Stable Song is a retrospective song, fittingly placed at the end of the album. Effortlessly flowing from one to another, this last song is marginally harder than What Sarah Said and Brothers. A great way to end off a great album.
Feel: Pensive and reflective.
Love: Progression.

Plans is definitely one of my favourite albums as of date, as are most of the albums that I would pay dearly to own. I don't really believe in spam-buying of CD's, but Plans was and is a must own. Of course, this overview has been but a fumbling in the dark for me to try and describe in written text what can only be properly understood and appreciated when heard and experienced first hand. Like any good story, good music should explore and examine man's internal being, stimulating the mind towards insightful meditation and thought, and Plans does this.