From the Malebolge,

reeking poets steeped

with the sullen and slothful

in their stygian swamp

simper

worthlessly.

The rancid dragon milk

will be late again Hihihihihi.

High on the heady

heroes of Antenora

Malpoet hugs

the ragged fur of Lucy Fur

to the centre

to the glory.

Transition of hell

consumption of heaven

dilution of cats eyes

transcendence of the eartha

kitten woman new

fashioned zillionaire.

Fu taka catacomb

monkeying with

capuchins.

Good gig

skulldiggery

Pin tang.

Las mezclas de colores en Delacroix son las que han fascinado a muchos pintores. Leo en su Diario  (Centauro, México),  en la entrada correspondiente al 11 de junio de 1856: "Los claros de la Medea, de su mejilla, de su garganta, del torso, etc, basados en el tono de tierra de sombra blanca y laca amarilla con blanco y laca. El cadmio con tonos quebrados domina en la localidad; pocos tonos rojos, sin embargo, algo de tonos de marrón rojo, blanco con laca amarilla y tierra de sombra y blanco (Esta última combinación es excelente para muchas localidades un poco oscuras).

Para el tono verde rosa caliente de la mejilla en una mujer fresca y morena: cadmio y blanco, amarillo zinc claro y verde esmeralda, blanco y laca o bermellón y blanco, según el efecto;el blanco y verde esmeralda, que es un verde frío, se une bien con éstos. Sustituyendo el ocre y blanco al cadmio, se tienen localidades de sujetos más oscuros: el bermellón y blanco concierta con el zinc amarillo y verde. Una mezcla de todos estos tonos hace una localidad de carne excelente".

Un año después, en 1857, la gran sensibilidad de Delacroix  descubrirá los matices del color en un día cualquiera. "Una de estas mañanas -escribirá en su  Diario el 4 de noviembre -, mientras estaba al sol en mi galería, he notado el efecto prismático de la cantidad de pequeños pelos de tela de mi vestido gris. Todos los colores del arco iris brillaban en ella como en un cristal o en un diamante. Cada uno de los pelos, por ser brillante, reflejaba los colores más vivos, que cambiaban a cada movimiento mío; cuando no hay sol, no nos damos cuenta de ese efecto".

Pero los colores no permanecen en sí mismos en el caso de Delacroix. A través de ellos el pintor medita sobre el sentido de la vida. A los 24 años, en 1822, escribe el 12 de octubre: "Acabo de ver brillar a Orión en el cielo, en medio de nubarrones negros y de un viento tempestuoso. He pensado primero en mi vanidad, en comparación con esos mundos en suspenso; después he pensado en la justicia, en la amistad, en los sentimientos divinos que se hallan grabados en el corazón del hombre, y sólo he encontrado grande en el universo a él y a su creador. Esta idea me llama la atención. ¿Es posible que no exista? ¡Qué!, el azar, combinando los elementos, ¿habría hecho que naciesen las virtudes, reflejos de una grandeza desconocida? Si el azar hubiese construido el universo, ¿qué significarían conciencia, remordimiento y abnegación?".

El Diario de Delacroix mezcla continuamente colores y pensamientos. Esta mezcla le lleva a audacias en el arte y a reflexiones como ser humano. Acaso por eso muchos pintores han quedado atrapados en sus combinaciones y a  muchos lectores  ( que jamás pintarán) estas páginas les han hecho pensar.

(Imágenes:Delacroix,"Autorretrato a los cuarenta años", Louvre.-foro artehistoria.net/"Mujeres de Argel en habitaciones", Louvre.-flickr/ "La barca de Dante", Louvre -flickr)

The flag is on fire!

That Habeshas greatly admire

When woyanes tried to conspire

The “flag day” turned into disaster

Woyanes burned down villages in Oromia and Ogaden

Because Meles Nazi’awi is an Ethiopian Bin Laden

For all the crimes against Humanity

And for depriving us of our Liberty

This is the least that they deserved

By Oromia’s youth justice to be served

Students engaged in flag desecration

As a form of political expression

Induced by century long oppression

And what followed Abyssinian exploitation

International Criminal Court is looking for Al Beshir

For all the genocide he committed in Darfur

Meles Nazi’awi is next on the list

To be knocked out by Justice’s mighty fist

Sooner or later, they will come down crashing and fell

And they will be thrown to burn in Dante’s inferno hell

Meles once said, the flag is just a “piece of sheet”

Now it is burning, he would act like he gives a shit

Even our athletes are waving another flag

Because the old guard’s “piece of sheet” has become a drag.

Burn woyane Burn!

(OLF news 10 July,2008) - Several Wayyane-invented "Ethiopian flags"

For more on this story, visit OLF's site.

За какво говоря ли? Хайде ще почнем с трейлър:
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1388705&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

Мда, четвъртата игра от поредицата Devil May Cry (DMC). Преди да продължа нататък, се чувствам длъжен да уточня, че до сега не съм имал досег с DMC игрите. Е пробвах се с DMC3 - но по-онова време нямах джойстик, а играта с клавиатура ми се стори доста тежка и така и не напреднах особено. Другото важно уточнение, е че въобще не съм фен на "Hack and slash" жанъра (а за първата игра от поредицата се твърди, че го е предефинирала).
Та подходих със сериозна доза негативизъм и недоверие ;)

Няма да ви губя време с твърде дълги описания на персонажите, но ще спомена че през 2/3 от играта играете с младият "Nero" \нов е в поредицата, също като мен\ :D а през останалата част, ще се подвизавате като оригиналния герой на поредицата - "Dante". Най-общо казано "Nero" има три вида атаки - меч (Red Queen), Револвер (Blue Rose), и новия за DMC игрите - Devil Bringer (демоничната ръка на Неро).

Меча е ясен - ходиш и кълцаш, с револвера стреляш, а с Devil Bringer-а можеш да придърпваш врагове към себе си (или ти да се придърпваш към тях) и още купища неща и комбота. По късно в играта се отключва и още един меч, който се активира по-специален начин, но това е друга песен.

За мен най-уникален беше факта, колко лесно (и ултра забавно) е да комбинираш различните атаки и да правиш ултра невероятни комбота :)
Например: Врагът се затърчава към тебе, ти го изчакваш да се приближи, и секунда преди да те удари му правиш "ъперкът" с меча. Гадината излита във въздуха и докато той е там, започваш да го обстрелваш с револвера. Като ти омръзне да го стреляш, се "придърпваш" към него (във въздуха) с помощта на Devil Bringer-а и отново започваш да го налагаш с меча. Когато ти омръзне, отново с Bringer-а, сграбчваш жертвата (както сте си във въздуха) и го забиваш в земята! От там можеш отново да го придърпаш при теб, да го застреляш, или пък да се сгромолясаш върху него с насочен направо меч ;) И това е съвсем малък пример, за огромните възможности който играта предоставя.

Просто бях изумен от факта, че с малко трейнинг и подходящата екипировка, можеш да се биеш прехвърляйки се от враг на враг, без въобще да докосваш земята.

Когато се докопах до Dante се втрещих още повече защото той има 3 вида огнестрелни оръжия, 3 вида мечове (+1) и 4 бойни стила (+1) като всеки един боен стил променя действието на копчето с което активирате Devil Bringer-а на Неро.
При него огнестрелните оръжия са значително по-мощни от Blue Rose-а, а едно от тях - "кутията на Пандора" е може би най-нечовешкото оръжие на което съм попадал във видео игра \с изключение на Land Shark Gun-а и Vindaloo Rocket Launcher-а от Armed and Dangerous\ ;)

Въпросното оръжие е толкова смахнато, че се чувствах все едно съм намерил някакъв ултра мощен сикрет в играта :D
Ето няколко от формите който въпросното може да приема:

Какво, защо и как ще ви оставя да откриете сами ;)

Та продължавам с бойната система (ако не съм казал, за нея говоря). Въпросната е така направена, че можете да минете играта като просто се набирате на едно две копчета, но ако решите и се заиграете ще откриете, че е ужасно дълбока и комплексна и предлага толкова много варианти и комбота, че свят да му се завие на човек.
От делно всяко едно от споменатите оръжия може да бъде ъпдейтнато и към него да се прибавят още и различни... неща. Аве файтинг системата е просто перфектна, и може да бъде пригодена за всякакъв тип играчи ;)

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Вразите в играта не са много (като видове, като бройка могат да бъдат ужасно много), но пък за сметка на това са доста интересни и различни като подход който е добре да приложите срещу тях. Босовете поне според мен, са доста оригинални и е истински фън да се биете с тях... Поне първите 2 пъти :(
Тук идва една от първите ми сериозни забележки към играта... Повтаряемостта. Значи бих се с босовете веднъж. Бих се втори път (което леко дразни, но поне има известна логика), но когато играта за трети път ме постави срещу същите босове ми стана лееееееко досадно. Не се шегувам, срещу почти всички ще се наложи да се бието по тамън 3 пъти.

Ако това беше някой друг а не Capcom, сигурно щях да ги обвиня в липса на идей и въображение, но предполагам, че тук случая е доста по-комплексен - времеви и финансови ограничения и мързел :D

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Локациите из който ще се мотате са доста интересни, и като цяло изглеждат повече от добре, си изключение може би на горите

където определено имаше нещо гнило в сенките (не проблема не ми е от видео картата). И понеже играта ползва MT Framework енджина (изграден на основата на Unreal Engine 3), искрено се надявам да си оправят "мазалото" за да не останем много неприятно изненадани от задаващият се Resident Evil 5. Но да не се отплесвам - като цяло, играта изглежда доста прилично и върви леко и неусетно, а локациите са интересни. Проблема обаче е, че в един момент въпреки многото пътища из нивото, ще откриете, че те в същност са УЖАСНО праволинейни. Верният път, по всяко едно време е само един! И ако това не ви се струва страшно, почакайте да разберете, че ще ви се наложи да минете по един и същ път ужасно много пъти. За капак ви гарантирам и, че поне веднъж ще се затриете много сериозно из някое от нивата, и ще минете през една и съща местност толкова много пъти, че чак ще ви се додрайфа. И така, до след две мисии когато с прискърбие ще откриете, че пак трябва да минете по същият път. Та така нареченият backtracking наред с повтаряемите босове, правят играта страшно... да повтаряема! Което е напълно достатъчно да откаже човек като мен от каквото и да е преиграване на играта. А преиграването тук играе важна роля, защото нямате никакъв шанс да си развиете уменията на мах от едно изиграване ;)

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Другият голям минус на играта е ужасната камера. Седяли си Capcom, и си мислели. Ние сме интелигентни! Нека да дадем право на камерата в нашата игра да си прави каквото си иска, когато си иска. Е НЯМА ТАКЪВ УЖАС ПРОСТО! В играта например, има няколко джъмп енд рън местности. Та както се досещате, джъмп енд рън елементите са от типа - "скачай ся, по тез въртящи се витла" и принципно не са нещо сложно... докато не се появи камерата. Честно ви казвам, тази камерчица успя да превърне абсолютно всички подобни местности в пълно изпитание за нервната ми система. А това с витлата, дето го споменавам по-горе не искам да си го спомням никога вече (камоли да го преигравам).
Толкова ли беше трудно, да направят нормална камера? Очевидно да!

Също така има и няколко доста леки пъзели който в поголямата си част са по-скоро изнервящи от колкото интересни. Това със зарчетата например, беше ултра отегчително!

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Като верен PC геймър, ми се ще да понахраня Capcom и по-адрес на контролите.
Сега, то е ясно че тази игра с клавиатура не е много безопасно да я играете (и за клавиатурата и за нервната ви система). Също така е ясно, че въпросните принципно не им дреме много за PC периферията, а неща като поддръжка на мишка са им повече от чужди (заради RE4 си купих джойстик). Та включвам джойстика и отивам да го конфигурирам. Още преди да пусна играта, имам такава опция тъй, че смело се насочвам натам. За съжаление конфигурацията се изчерпва с това да изберете различни лейаути на копчетата, който обаче са нагласени единствено и само за Xbox контролер, и нямате вариант да ги променяте. В играта също има място от където можете да настройвате бутоните, и от там пак ви се хили джойстика на кашона. Още по-якото е, че в един момент откривате, че всякакви комбинации там са нерелевантни, по простата причина, че изборът ви преди да пуснете играта тотално овъррайтва всичко останало. В крайна сметка след около 30 минути мъки, използвах софтуерът на XFX (който си идва с джойстика ми) и си мапнах копчетата към тези от клавиатурата. Така успях да ги наглася да са ми що годе удобни. Аве не знам дали някой разбра нещо, ама най-общо казано Capcom просто са фърлили някакви опции там, колкото да я има.

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Историята не е най-уникалното нещо евър, но е достатъчно интересна. А и честно, дори да беше най-тъпото нещо на света, пак щях да я следя с интерес по 2 основни причини:
- невероятни кът сцени! Казвам ви, Холивуд има какво да научат от филмчетата в играта. Няма толкова много кулнес, няма толкова изключителна хореография. Трудно ми е да ви го опиша с думи, това просто трябва да се види. Точно за това, ще ви покажа синематик пролога на играта:
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1388966&w=425&h=350&fv=]

и това е само една съвсем мъничка частичка от синаметиците. За да сме по-точни, това е едно от най-спокойните и не динамични филмчета в играта ;)
- изключително озвучаване на персонажите. Някъде четох, че репликите им били тъпи, но аз се забавлявах страшно много с всяка една реплика която героите изтърсваха, а Данте просто ме събаряше от стола с тоталният си непукизъм и начин на изразяване.

Разбира се, и тук си намерих за какво да мрънкам: Jason "Shyboy" Arnold of Hyonogaja - The Time Has Come. Мда, това е песента която ще чувате ВСЕКИ ПЪТ, когато влезете в битка. Не че парчето е лошо, или не надъхващо (точно обратното) но когато го чух за 100тен път, си зададох въпроса - е не можеше ли да свири и пее и нещо друго де!?

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Дължина на играта, и финални мисли. Ако може да се вярва на сейфовете ми, минаването на DMC4 от началото до края (на най-лесната трудност) ми е отнело 10 часа и 15 минути, което ме кара да задам въпроса - ако не трябваше да се бия с всички босове по 3 пъти, и не ми се налагаше да се връщам през една и съща местност "n" на брой пъти, колко дълга щеше да е играта всъщност?! Моят отговор е 4, пряко сили 5 часа... което не е добре :(

Въпреки всички минуси обаче, няма да отричам, че ужасно много се забавлявах с това заглавие. Бойната система определено го вади от калта, а перфектните кът сцени така ми замазаха очите, че съм склонен да забравя всичко лошо :D
Всичко това, и най-вече заради факта, че след като приключих с играта се чувствах удовлетворен и доволен, играта получава едно 8,5 от 10 от мене ;) с пожелания Devil May Cry 5 да удари поне 9,5 ;)

PS: Твърдо съм убеден, че съм пропуснал нещо много важно но твърде много ми се спи, така че ви оставям в компанията на тез двамцата и си лягам да спя ;)

For those with hearty hard drives, you might want to try one of the higher-tech versions at the film's website. If any version of the trailer tantalizes, Ovation TV has posted a 4-minute excerpt that portrays the Flatterers as congressional lobbyists (no bias here - liberals and conservatives alike are toast). If this isn't in the spirit of the original epic poem, I'll take my 8th circle punishment right now. Oh, what the hell, here's the 4 minute excerpt:

Ever wonder exactly what's going to happen to you after you die? Well, you can find out exactly which of the Nine Circles of Hell in The Inferno you will be consigned to if you simply take this little survey.

Perhaps this is all just much ado about nothing. Maybe you are looking to improve your knowledge of the classics or just impress the occasional date? Here are some of the more traditional print renderings of The Inferno, both classic and modern, if you would dare abandon all hope and enter there:

• The Inferno of Dante, a new verse translation by Robert Pinsky.
• Inferno, translated by Michael Palma.
• Dante's Inferno, translations by twenty contemporary poets, edited by Daniel Halpern.
• Inferno, illustrations by Barry Moser, translated by Allen Mandelbaum.
• The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and the Paradiso, translated by John Ciardi.
• Dante's Inferno, Illustrated and text adapted by Sandow Birk.
• The Inferno, translated and edited by Anthony Esolen, with illustrations by Gustave Dore.
• The Inferno of Dante Alighieri, a new translation by Ciaran Carson.

All of the above have something to recommend them; many have been translated by well-know poets (Ciardi, Carson, Pinsky, plus the Halpern edited version with each of 20 poets translating a different section) and three are heavily illustrated (Birk, Moser, and Dore). My personal favorite is the translation by the Irish poet/novelist Ciaran Carson, who manages to anachronistically sneak in words like "jabberwocky" while producing an extremely readable version that manages to preserve Dante's original terza rima rhyme scheme.

Since the recommended list of Infernos above only had 8 versions, I tried very hard to find a ninth to round things off nicely, considering the Nine Circles and all. Then, I thought about all those high schoolers and exactly where their teachers would consign them for faking their way through the assignment and the ninth version came to me in a yellowish, sulphuric flash:

- Don

La nueva campaña de imagen de MTV Latinoamérica 15 Días en MTV durará un año y es la evolución de lo que fue la campaña de imagen de MTV Estados Unidos en el 2007 llamada 52 Weeks/52 Artists, creada para promover música nueva en el canal. Sean Saylor, Vicepresidente de Creativo de MTV/Vh1 Latinoamérica junto a su talentoso equipo de creativos de la región, tomaron el concepto y lo reinventaron para adaptarlo a la audiencia Latinoamericana.

La nueva campaña cuenta con la participación de talentos internacionales, pan-regionales y locales que protagonizan sus propios spots promocionales por un periodo de 15 días cada uno. Algunos de estos artistas locales incluyen a Panic at the Disco, Ximena Sariñana (México), Dante (Argentina), Daffy, Lupe Fiasco, Zoe (México), One Republic, Massacre (Argentina), Francisca Valenzuela (Chile), Vampire Weekend, Árbol (Argentina), Austin TV (México), Leo García (Argentina), entre muchos más.

La nueva imagen de MTV Latinoamérica fue producida de forma interna por el recién estrenado equipo creativo de la cadena, ubicado en Buenos Aires, Argentina y con el trabajo de varios estudios y agencias que incluyen: La Comunidad, agencia que realizó la paquetería de Los 10 + Pedidos; Pepper Melon para la paquetería de Noticias MTV; Rock Instrument Bureau para la paquetería de los programas musicales Videorama, Videosomnia, Top 5 y MTV Live y Estudio Ronda para la paquetería de Asterisco.

The poet maudit is a sensitive soul who has lost in life and love. But his or her losses have been turned into the seeds of a grand love of something absent, or unknown. Pain, the raw material of much poetry, speaks of the great sensitivity and courage of the poet, his or her love of the fragility of all things and the wish to convey sorrow that might speak to another who reads it and who finds a parallel in his or her own life experiences. Sharing loss, pain, feelings of despair, with others creates a kinship, a private connection of self and other which creates a bond of, dare we say, love? Why do we like certain poets and not others? Is it because there is a similarity in thought and emotion between the reader and the poet that makes us resonate with this other person?

True poetry is unreachable. It scales the sky and even moves beyond it. It is, as Elizabeth Bishop says, “Hundreds of things coming together at the right moment,” and one of those subtle things is love.  

As a part time devil hunter, one must listen to this OST during work.

Track listing:

My oh my, Lady has gotten sexier than before!

For those who do not follow the Devil May Cry (DMC) series, it is an uber hack and slash series developed by Capcom that follows Dante (DMC1-3) and Nero (DMC4). I've recently gotten my hands with the PC version for DMC4 and I can fairly say that it's been addictive with the wicked combos and Nero's constant sarcasm. ^^

Nero in action.

Well, as you can see from the track list, the DMC4 Special OST only comprises of chosen tracks from the game, some PVs and the vocals as well.

Direct download for the DMC4 Special OST available here.
Happy hunting!

And what a cause it is. Since "Idol" is a defiantly non-union show, the producers routinely break California and Federal labor laws by forcing many of their workers to pull 36 hour shifts with no breaks, no overtime and worst of all, no health benefits or residuals for the work they do on the show.

One former "Idol" production assistant revealed to the crowd on Wednesday that after factoring in all his time spent working on the show, he averaged about $4 an hour. That's less than half the California minimum wage!

And as several of the Teamsters in the crowd pointed out, "Idol" is also one of the only shows in Hollywood to use non-union drivers. I think WGA Vice President David Weiss said it best when he scolded Fremantle for preying on the starry-eyed new-to-Hollywood crowd when hiring and then systematically using these people up and spitting them out at the end of each season.

Not only is this practice morally wrong, but it's also illegal and with scores of pending lawsuits and labor board cases against Fremantle and several other producers of so-called "reality shows", the heat in this kitchen is about to get pretty damn unbearable.

I guess the thing that really galls me -- and I am a huge "Idol" fan by the way -- is the fact that Fox and Fremantle spend so much time and money touting their massive "Idol Gives Back" charity each year, while at the same time denying their own workers the most basic of benefits. It's just kind of mind-boggling that the same people that raise millions of dollars every year for charity could be so goddamn greedy when it comes to paying their own workers. Insanity!

So, though I did not get my act together in time to get on the Truth Tour bus to San Francisco -- the site of this year's first round of "Idol" auditions -- my friend Patty and I did attend the early-morning press conference on Wednesday to show our support for our WGA brethren.

And I mean to tell ya, that crowd was fired up, baby! Slipping on our new Truth Tour t-shirts, swapping war stories with my fellow WGA strike veterans...man, it was like old home week at the WGA. And even though I didn't bring much more than a camera with me to the press conference, I have to admit, I was pretty tempted to jump on that bus at the last minute and call it a day.

But to the hardy souls who did get on the bus and staged a rowdy protest at the "Idol" auditions yesterday at the Cow Palace, I say, rock on, writerly soldiers! Here's to showing the world what really happens behind the scenes at the top-rated show in America!

All we can hope for now is that the press actually covers the Truth Tour events -- stories about the press conference were virtually non-existent on the local news last night -- and that maybe, just maybe, the soulless bastards at Fremantle will do the right thing and go union.

I know it's a tall order, but hey, sometimes a little bad publicity is all it takes to make these corporate robots quake in their boots...so, for now, que viva la WGA Truth Tour!

RECENT UPDATE - Adding the Indonesian translation of INFERNO, one of the greatest poem in Renaissance (correction, please) by Dante Allighieri of Italy. The poem is a story about Dante himself who was taken to 'visit' HELL along with the poet Virgil. Worth to read. (Was translated from English translation by Longman)

NB: if you want to copy it for yourself, give me credit, okay?

dkn29 edit:  Before you read any of this, go to Amazon.com who recently raised  their price by $20 or Play-Asia.com who has it on sale for $33.67 until Saturday, and purchase this masterpiece before it is too late for probably the last time.

As the PS2 era approaches a close we here at Mediarahan wanted to talk about the best game you probably never played, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Nocturne, a Japanese RPG, was released in 2004 to little fanfare and almost no hype, and despite being the latest installment in the extremely popular, at least in Japan, Shin Megami Tensei series it failed to make a big splash. This is truly a shame as the game had a profound impact on both the Mediarahan editors and even provided us with our namesake. So as an act of community service and our very first review here is Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne.

Gameplay:

The game is truly unlike any other RPG you’ve ever played, barring any other Shin Megami Tensei games. The first thing you’ll notice is the extremely high level of difficulty, which in this case is a huge plus. Nocturne spits in the face of all those extremely easy RPGs, we’re looking at you FF12.

This guy will kick your ass

Nocturne also employs a very unique battle system that rewards the player with extra turns for attacking with the enemy’s weakness. This can flipped on you as you will lose turns by attacking with the enemy’s strong points. These rules apply to the enemy as well so mixing and matching party members is more important than ever.

Assembling a party is made even more fun by the ability to recruit any monster in the entire game, even bosses. You can breed any two, or in some cases three, of these monsters to create a new one at the cathedral of shadows.

The hero is also customizable with different avatars called magatama. Each magatama teaches a unique skill set and carries with it a set of strengths and weaknesses that must also be accounted for.

As a final incentive you can recruit Dante from the Devil May Cry Franchise. The resident B.A.M.F. makes you jump through hoops to get him to join but believe me, it’s worth it.

This is still one of the scariest things ever

Story:

The story, while a tad bit unique, is definitely the weak point of the game. The game opens with the protagonist, I named mine Sleepy Brown, going to visit his hospitalized teacher. Once there he learns of a plot to destroy the world, pretty standard stuff right. Except instead of forming a party and saving the world the world is destroyed two minutes later. In the aftermath the hero must choose how to rebuild the world based on several paths. These paths, however, are only be affected by a few yes or no questions and don’t yield any side quests so they are not as cool as they could have been.

Sound:

The overall sound is solid and at times can jump to spectacular. All the themes, be they simple dungeons or the battle music are really infectious and fun to listen to. The tracks all subscribe to a rock and roll type style which fits nicely into the overall product.

There is no voice acting but that seem to fit the game, especially given the immense amount of characters present.

Conclusion:

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is one the most complete packages you will ever find in a game, great music, great graphics, and an extremely fun and innovative battle system. While the story is a bit lackluster the pluses more than make up for it. If you haven’t played it yet head over to playasia and grab it right now.

La lectura del Fausto de Goethe no me produjo el agrado que creí que me aseguraría una obra tan encumbrada en la historia de la literatura universal.

Creo que la Segunda Parte de la obra desmerece a la Primera. El afán de erudición clásica aburre y entorpece la lectura. No es mi ignorancia como lector lo que me desalienta (ya que para algo uno compensa su ignorancia consultando una edición anotada); es el tufillo a alarde lo que vuelve insufrible el relato e impide disfrutarlo. ¿Por qué todo parece una exhibición, una abundante y barroca pedantería? Es porque no parece que las referencias clásicas sirvan a la narración, sino que es ésta la que se moldea y fuerza para poder incluir cada nueva cita.

En este sentido, puedo pensar al Fausto en oposición a otra obra clásica donde también abundan las referencias eruditas: me refiero a La divina comedia. No es un problema de densidad de notas al pie. Creo que la gran diferencia reside en que, en la Comedia, el cúmulo de referencias —mitológicas, religiosas, históricas— se encuentra bien encastrado en un sistema, en una superestructura argumental que lo contiene (viaje por los círculos del Infierno, las cornisas del Purgatorio y los cielos del Paraíso). La historia puntual de un personaje puede extenderse, pero el lector nunca pierde la noción del contexto (hay un camino, hay niveles, hay simetría formal). En cambio, el Fausto —en especial en su segunda parte— parece forzar el derrotero de su argumento con el único fin de poder nombrar a este o aquel personaje mitológico: se inventan carnavales, festejos o desfiles con el sólo fin de provocar escenas o diálogos entre personajes secundarios que se apartan de la historia de Fausto y Mefistófeles. Cuando eso sucede, uno se pregunta: “¿adónde vamos con esta digresión?”.

No soy enemigo de la digresión; sé que, bien usada, ésta puede convertirse en una de las principales herramientas del narrador (me lo enseñó Salinger en El guardián entre el centeno). Lo que sucede es que, en el caso de Goethe, mientras uno lee, teme —y luego comprueba— que las digresiones no aportarán nada a la historia general. Como ejemplo, baste señalar, en la primera parte, la llamada “Noche de Walpurgis”. Los mismísimos responsables del prólogo de la edición que leí —González y Vega (Cátedra)— quieren elogiar a su héroe literario a como dé lugar, pero no pueden hacer nada para disfrazar estos meandros inútiles. Cuando resumen el argumento, en cierto punto dicen:

“[La historia] va, sin embargo, desarrollándose en un moderato, con leves respiros para el espectador —dificultosos por otro lado, porque interrumpen la continuidad de la acción, rompen el hilo argumental y retrasan el desenlace de la tragedia”.

¿A eso llaman “leves respiros”? Son todo lo contrario: esos pasajes son toda una pileta bajo el agua, sin respirar, hasta que por fin uno llega al otro lado y la historia sigue… ¿Necesita el lector “respiros” así? Poco a favor y mucho en contra.

Los sesenta años que Goethe tardó en componer su obra no me parecen más dignos de admiración que el plazo destinado a la consecución de cualquier otra obra literaria. Es cierto que las demoras suelen mejorar un texto, pero no creo que una obra necesariamente mejore si su ejecución se prolonga por tanto tiempo. El Fausto se parece más al producto de una obsesión crónica que al refinamiento logrado por un trabajo prolongado (por supuesto que no nos referimos aquí a la versificación —ya que no leemos en alemán—, sino a la construcción del relato en sí). Suele sucederle a ciertos dibujantes: no saben cuando parar de dibujar, nunca dejan de agregarle detalles al dibujo y así terminan arruinándolo. La segunda parte del Fausto me produce esa misma sensación: está sobrecocinada. El Fausto se me hace una manía de un autor que llegó a viejo sin atreverse a soltar su obra más ambiciosa (para insistir con mi arbitraria comparación: Dante fue publicando su Comedia por partes, de a una cantiga por vez, a lo largo de quince años). Goethe no permitió que su Fausto volara lejos de su lado; pretencioso, vivió retocándolo, agregándole detalles aquí y allá, volviéndolo barroco e irrepresentable en el teatro. No fue Goethe sino la muerte de Goethe quien le puso punto final a la obra.

De todos los desvíos místicos o eruditos de la Segunda Parte, es el del acto tercero —donde aparece Helena— el único que llegó a cautivarme, quizá porque poco antes había repasado la Odisea y terminado de leer la Ilíada (además de Áyax y Electra de Sófocles). En este acto también hay una oposición —en boca de la Fórcida, o Mefistófeles transfigurado— entre la Belleza femenina y la Honestidad, que recuerda a la planteada por Shakespeare en Hamlet, en el diálogo entre Ofelia y el príncipe de Dinamarca. Más adelante, es conmovedor el pasaje en que Helena lamenta las desgracias que le acarrea su belleza. También me agradó —en el quinto acto— la alegoría de las cuatro mujeres canosas: en la casa del rico, no entran ni la Escasez, ni la Deuda, ni la Miseria; sin embargo, la Inquietud (es decir, la Preocupación) sí consigue colarse al interior.

Es notable cómo el espíritu grave que Goethe busca imprimirle a su obra cumbre aparta a ésta de cualquier forma de humor (del que un clásico universal no tiene por qué estar exento, tal como lo demuestra el Quijote). Uno de los pocos pasajes del Fausto que me arrancan una sonrisa es aquel en el que Mefistófeles dialoga con un Estudiante y se mofa con ironía de los estudios universitarios. También están, claro, las referencias veladas a autores de la época (en la somnífera “Noche de Walpurgis”), pero ésos son chistes privados que se han perdido, aunque los editores nos informen de ellos. El humor se resiente cuando su comprensión depende de una nota al pie.

Los responsables de la edición de Cátedra resumen la obra de la siguiente manera: “Fausto es la encarnación del alma humana fluctuando entre el ideal inalcanzable y la realidad insatisfactoria”. En efecto, es en los pasajes en los que la obra se resuelve a hablar claramente sobre el tema de la insatisfacción donde más he disfrutado de la lectura. El eje satisfacción-insatisfacción es la cuerda floja sobre la que camina Fausto; la caída que lo espera es la eternidad infernal a la que se ha comprometido si algún día declara ser un hombre satisfecho. I can't get no... satisfaction, cantaría Fausto si escuchara a los Rolling Stones, ya que él también cree que conseguir satisfacción es imposible, y por eso piensa que le ganará la apuesta al diablo.

El final de la obra es, propiamente, un clásico Deus ex machina. El recurso, usual en el teatro griego, hoy no nos simpatiza, no convence. Aparecen los dioses —o, en este caso, los enviados de Dios— y salvan al que parecía condenado. Mefistófeles ha ganado el juego, pero el Árbitro del encuentro, desde el cielo, le anula el gol en el último minuto. A joderse, diablito. Si se acepta que el hecho de que Fausto vaya al cielo es argumentalmente un arrebato mayúsculo —aunque sepamos que perdonar todas las iniquidades del mundo por algunas buenas intenciones tardías se corresponde con el ideal de la Iglesia (recordemos que en la Comedia los pecadores arrepentidos sobre la hora zafan del Infierno y marchan al Purgatorio)—, entonces hay que admitir algo insólito: que el diablo resulta el ganador moral del partido, tal como el equipo que hace todo bien durante ochenta y nueve minutos pero pierde por un gol tonto en el minuto noventa. Mefistófeles es el gran estafado, el que merecía ganar, el que hizo todo bien excepto una cosa: desconocer que con Dios no corren las apuestas. Dios no juega a los dados pero, si juega, gana sí o sí.

_______
También en Fausto hay muchas “citas para el bronce”. Sobre la construcción goetheana de este tipo de pensamientos, ver mi artículo anterior referido a Las amarguras del joven Werther).

It is unbelievable, and yet it is true.

Censorship is part of Italian politics, media and people’s DNA, they rise scandalized and terrify at the first sign of freedom of expression and thought.

On Tuesday in Roma, Piazza Navona, there has been a crowded demonstration against Silvio Berlusconi’s Government and his legislative masterpieces.

Intellectuals, artists, journalists and comedians attended it. The leader of Italia dei Valori Antonio Di Pietro, who strongly supported the demonstration, was the only politician to get on the stage and talk. The Partito Democratico, the other opposition party, was absent and criticized those gathered in that square decided to shout their own indignation against the present actions of the Government, despite there were several PD flags waving in Piazza Navona proof that not all electors share their opinions and political choices.

Walter Veltroni, leader of PD, and his “Shadows-Ministers” decided to demonstrate in Fall. Mr Berlusconi is working really hard to pass every sort of unconstitutional and ad personam law (5 in a month) right now, but the biggest Italian opposition party will demonstrate against it after a couple of months. A tortuous logic.

After the demonstration in Roma, censors from every political front, starting from Walter Veltroni, rose for what had been said on that stage and, above all, for what two comedians had said. Besides Italian media simply forgot or just hinted at the reasons why all those people had gathered in square.

During the last days Italian newspapers whispered and hinted at presumed “strong erotic content” wiretaps between Berlusconi, who was leader of the opposition at the time, and the showgirl Mara Carfagna. According to the newspapers during the phone calls they talked explicitly about oral sex.

During the demonstration comedian Sabina Guzzanti, citing the article appeared on El Clarín, stated that Mara Carfagna has been appointed Minister for the Equal Rights thanks to her “presumed” sexual favours. And, being a comedian, clearly she used satire to said it.

Besides, criticizing Pope Benedetto XVI for his interferences in the Italian social and political issues, she said that the Pope will be in Hell soon. As, maybe censors have forgotten it, Dante Alighieri had written about Pope Bonifacio VIII in the Divina Commedia.

While, calmly without the impetuosity that usually distinguishes him, comedian Beppe Grillo criticized President Giorgio Napolitano for keeping on signing unconstitutional laws.

The Italian moralists and rash defenders of prim damsels who broke out during the last days had probably become deft, deft to the thunders of applause that flooded Sabina Guzzanti and Beppe Grillo while talking.

The criticism made by the two comedians can be shared or not but they are allowed, in a democratic Country.

The Italian intolerance against freedom of expression and thought is surprisingly growing. And it is increasing thanks to the fact that the Italian Prime Minister owns or controls media and he can set or put out the fire on political issues whenever he needs to.

Among journalists and intellectuals there is already who submits himself to a preventive censorship. Guzzanti and Grillo are a good example of independence.

title: DMC (dante may cry) dante's dazing
author: takao
editor: Akito a.k.a Kitto a.k.a K
staring: dante of course, larc, gaku, dan bbrp figuran
genre: fanfic uhm... Action kali ya.. Atw adventure?

see too : dmc dante's dazing part 1

Angin malam berhembus dengan kuat. Begitu dingin hingga menusuk tulang. Dante duduk terdiam, di sebuah gang yang kotor. Mata nya menerawang ke atas. Pikiranya kosong...

Saat masih terdiam, tiba-tiba saja dante mendengar suara langkah kaki. Dante cuek, ia sudah tidak peduli lagi pada segalanya. Tetapi, langkah kaki tersebut terdengar begitu banyak, dante pun menyadari kalau ada lebih dari satu orang yang datang. Dante mulai waspada. Ia memasang kuda-kuda menyerang. Apalagi saat langkah tersebut terasa semakin dekat. Dante bersiap-siap dengan ivory dan ebony nya...

Terlihat bayangan seseorang, dante menarik nafas panjang. Kemudian, datanglah seorang pria berkacamata hitam dengan terburu-buru. Ia tampak agak terkejut saat melihat dante. Tetapi, dengan segera ia bersembunyi di balik punggung dante.

"sembunyikan aku" pinta pria tersebut.

Dante, yang merasa kalau pria tersebut tidaklah berbahaya, langsung menegakan badanya agar pria tersebut terhalangi.

Langkah kaki yang di takutkan dante terasa semakin mendekat. Lalu datanglah sekelompok orang yang terlihat membawa-bawa kamera sedang mencari-cari sesuatu. Mereka melihat dante, namun tidak memperdulikanya.

Dante berpikir kalau mereka mencari-cari pria yang sedang bersembunyi di balik punggungnya. Merasa harus menolong, dante pun menyapa mereka...

Dante: "jika kalian sedang mencari-cari seorang pria, ia lari ke arah sana" ucap dante sembari menunjuk ke sembarang arah.

Tanpa banyak basa-basi lagi, mereka pun bergegas ke arah yang telah di tunjuk dante. Setelah mereka tak terlihat lagi, dante pun segera memberi isyarat pada sang pria agar keluar dari tempat persembunyianya.

Dante: "kau beruntung. karena tempat ini gelap, kau jadi tak terlihat"

pria tersebut melihat ke sekelilingnya, memastikan kalau sudah benar-benar aman. Setelah menghela nafas panjang, ia pun memperkenalkan dirinya kepada dante...

Gackt: "thanks karena sudah menolongku, namaku gackt" ucap pria tersebut sambil melepas sunglass nya.

Dante: "Aa? Gak??" tanya dante. Ia merasa kalau nama itu sangatlah aneh. *gomen dears~*

gackt: "ya... Aku tahu kalau kau sudah mengenalku, tapi tak ada salahnya kan kalau aku memperkenalkan lagi diriku?" kata gackt kepedean sambil menulis di sebuah memo.

Gackt: "ini, sekali lagi thank you sudah menolongku" ucap gackt sembari memberikan tanda tanganya kepada dante.

Dante menjadi semakin bingung. Pasalnya, ia baru saja kenal pria ini. Tetapi, ia bertingkah seolah-olah ia adalah orang penting.

Dante: "errrrr... Sebenarnya, kau ini siapa sih, apakah kau orang penting di sini?" tanya dante ragu-ragu.

Gackt: "eeh? Kau tak mengenal ku?" gackt tidak percaya dengan apa yang baru saja di dengarnya.

Dante: "uhm.. Kenal sih, tadi kan baru banget kenalan. Tapi, kau ini sebenarnya siapa sampai-sampai memberiku tanda tangan segala?"

gackt: "harusnya aku yang tanya! Kau ini siapa sebenarnya? Kalau kau sampai tidak mengenalku, berarti kau bukan orang jepang kan?"

dante terdiam sesaat, kemudian ia menjawab

dante: "...... ya, aku tersesat. Sebenarnya aku tidak begitu yakin, tapi sepertinya... Tempat asal ku bukanlah di dimensi ini..." jawab dante lesu.

Gackt terdiam sesaat. Ia berusaha mencerna ucapan dante barusan.

Gackt: "jadi, kau sudah menembus wormhole ya? Wah, seperti di cerita-cerita fiksi saja sih ^^" *emang ini cerita fiksi kan?*

dante: "aku juga tidak tahu..." jawab dante sambil merapatkan coatnya karena udara terasa semakin dingin.

Gackt: "lalu, bagaimana caramu pulang kembali ke dimensi mu?" tanya gackt iba.

Dante hanya menggeleng perlahan. Matanya menerawang ke bawah.

Gackt: "kau pasti bingung harus menetap di mana. Ikut lah dengan ku. Aku juga bosan sendirian terus di apartemen ku." ajak gackt.

Dante: "eh, tidak usah repot-repot" jawab dante. Ia trauma karena bertemu orang aneh terus seharian ini.

Gackt: "jangan malu-malu..." kata gackt sambil menarik paksa tangan dante menuju ke mobilnya.

*di dalam mobil gaku*

gackt: "kencangkan sabuk pengaman mu, aku mau ngebut"

dante: "ah... Gak, kau tidak perlu repot-repot sampai membawaku ke apartement mu" kata dante. Sebenarnya sih ia sudah muak bertemu orang aneh terus menerus.

Gackt: "tak apa, aku senang ada teman ngobrol. Oh iya, siapa namamu?"

dante: "da.. Dante..."

gackt: "allrite dante, bersiaplah! Aku tancap gas!" ucap gackt sambil menginjak pedal gas mobil tanpa melihat kiri kanan dahulu.

Karena cara mengendarai gackt yang seenaknya, ia berhasil menabrak tong sampah, menyerempet kursi taman, membentur tembok beberapa kali, melindas papan peringatan dan membuat dante kejang-kejang dengan sukses...

Tapi, positif nya mereka bisa sampai ke apartement gackt hanya dalam beberapa menit.

Gackt: "selamat datang di apartement ku. Anggaplah rumah sendiri"

Dante: *masih berusaha menyadarkan diri* "gelapnya~" pikir dante

gackt pun langsung merebahkan tubuhnya di kasur.

Gackt: "aku lelah, aku tidur duluan ya..."

dante: "eh!? Aku kan tamu!!" protes dante.

Gackt: "and... so?" gackt tidak mengerti.

Dante: "di mana-mana, tamu di perlakukan istimewa! Harusnya aku yang tidur di kasur!"

Gackt: "hei hei... Harusnya kau lebih menghormati tuan rumah, jadi akulah yang berhak tidur disini!"

Dante: "Tidak mau! Lantai rumahmu kan dingin!" lalu, dante menarik paksa gackt dari kasur.

Gackt pun tidak tinggal diam. Ia balas melawan dante. Dan akhirnya merekapun bergulat di atas kasur...

Gackt: "aah! Sudahlah, ayo kita putuskan dengan janken!

Merekapun melakukan janken. Setelah 5x janken, dante pun keluar sebagai pemenang...

Gackt: "takao... Masa, gakuto kamui yang ganteng dan berkharisma ini harus tidur di lantai sih? Ga mau... Dingin... Kalo sampe masuk angin gimana?"

takao: "kalo masuk angin ya kerokin aja! Gitu aja kog repot? Lagian kasian dante seharian ini menderita terus..."

gackt: "prince charming like me?! Di kerokin?? Are u kidding?"

takao: "ga apa-apa. Klw ada yang tanya bilang aja itu tattoo khas indonesia. Okay, back to the story!"

dante pun kemudian melepas coat nya, lalu menjatuhkan tubuhnya yang sudah sangat kelelahan ke atas kasur yang empuk dan hangat. Sementara itu, gackt, karena tidak rela tubuh indahnya di beri 'tattoo' merah, ia memutus kan untuk tidur di sofa. Dan mereka pun terdidur lelap...

IN DA MORNING...

Sinar mentari pagi masuk melalui jendela kamar gackt yang terbuka lebar, menyinari wajah dante yang sedang tertidur lelap. Dante pun terbangun. Ia mengusap-usap matanya. Setelah sadar sepenuhnya, ia pun memperhatikan sekeliling ruanganya. Tidak ada lagi gackt di sofa. Yang tersisa hanya bantal dan selimut yang berserakan.

Dante: "07.20..." gumam dante sambil memperhatikan jam meja yang terletak di atas meja kecil di sebelah kasur gackt. "kemana dia pergi pagi-pagi begini?" pikir dante sambil berdiri dan memakai coat nya.

Dante pun berkeliling apartemen gackt. Mencari apa yang bisa di makan. Tetapi, sesampainya di dapur ia melihat sesosok gackt yang sedang menata meja.

Gackt: "ah, baru saja aku mau membangunkan mu. Ayo sarapan bersama!" ajak gackt.

Dante pun duduk di sebelah gackt, dan kemudian ia langsung menyantap telur goreng buatan gackt.

Dante: "kurang garam ya.." gumamnya.

Gackt: "huh! Kau ini protes melulu sih?" omel gackt.

Dante: "aku nggak protes! Aku kan cuma ngomong, 'kurang garam'. Bukan berarti nggak enak kan?"

gackt: "kau menyebalkan! Padahal, aku sudah susah payah berbaik hati padamu. Tapi kau malah tidak berterima kasih!"

dante: "okay! Okay! Thank you very much!!" ucap dante menahan emosi.

Mereka berdua akhirnya duduk saling membelakangi satu sama lain. Dante merasa agak menyesal sudah berteriak kepada gackt. Padahal gackt berniat baik padanya.

Setelah beberapa menit mereka terdiam, tiba-tiba saja datanglah seseorang...

Hyde: "gackt, kenapa aku ketuk pintunya tapi kau... *melihat dante* dante kun!?" haido terkejut.

Dante: "ah, kita bertemu lagi"

gackt: "kalian sudah saling knal ya?" tanya gackt.

Hyde: "ung, ia datang ke studio tempatku latihan dalam keadaan yang menyedihkan!" ungkap hyde. "padahal ku pikir kau sudah pulang ke tempat asalmu.."

dante: "maunya sih begitu. Tapi aku... Tidak tahu jalan pulang..."

mereka bertiga pun terdiam sesaat.

Gackt: "dante, bagaimana kalau kau ceritakan awal mula kenapa kau bisa sampai di sini?"

dante pun menceritakan awal mula kejadian sampai ia mendarat di negri asing ini.

Dante: "... Terus, aku bangun pagi, lalu di bikinin sarapan sama si gak, lalu karena masakanya si gak nggak enak, aku lalu..."

gackt: "eh! Udah! Udah! Bagian situ nggak penting!" T"T

hyde: "bagaimana kalau kita ke tempat yang sudah membawa dante ke sini?" ajak hyde

gackt: "nice idea, mungkin ada petunjuk di sana."

dante: "percuma saja, aku sudah kesana kemarin." jawab dante lesu.

Hyde: "begitu ya..." kata hyde hopeless

gackt: "kita coba sekali lagi! Kemarin kan kau cuma sendiri. Mungkin kalau kita ke sana bertiga akan ada hasilnya!!" Kata gackt memberi semangat.

Hyde: "ung, coba sekali lagi. Gimana?"

dante pun menuruti permintaan mereka dengan perasaan ragu dan tidak yakin.

Dan atas permintaan dante, di putuskan bahwa yang akan menyetir adalah hyde.

Mereka pun sampai di tempat tujuan dengan selamat. Tempat itu ramai,

tapi tidak seramai saat dante pertama kali datang ke tempat itu.

Dante kemudian mengantar mereka ke jalan buntu yang sudah

membawanya kemari.

Dante: "aku datang tiba-tiba saja dari sini..."

gackt: "bagaimana bisa ya? Ini kan jalan buntu?!"

hyde: "apakah kau menembus tembok?"

dante: "kalau aku tau bagaimana, aku tidak akan berada di sini lagi.."

mereka bertiga pun terdiam sesaat, memikirkan cara yang mungkin

untuk mengembalikan dante. Tiba2 saja terbesit ide gila di benak

gackt..

Gackt: "mungkin kau harus berlari kencang untuk menembus tembok itu!"

dante: "Eeh~"

hyde: "patut di coba!" kata hyde bersemangat.

Setelah di paksa, dante pun menuruti saran mereka. Dante mengambil

ancang-ancang untuk berlari dan, dalam hitungan ke tiga dante pun

berlari sekuat tenaga ke arah tembok tersebut.

Namun... Di saat yang tepat, beberapa inch di depan tembok dante

mengerem mendadak...

Gackt: "kok berhenti??" tanya gackt agak kesal.

Dante: " kalau nanti nabrak gimana?" dante khawatir.

Gackt: "memang itu kan tujuan kita?!"

tanpa ragu lagi, gackt pun menarik dante kemudian menghempaskanya

ke arah tembok

"BUAAAGH.."

dante: "aouch! What are u fuckin doing?" protes dante sambil

memegangi hidungnya yang berdarah.

Gackt: "nothing has been? Try again!" gackt pun kembali menarik dante

dan menghempaskanya lagi ke arah tembok.

"BUGH..!"

dante: "ouch!! Gak, please stoped!" dante meringis kesakitan.

Tetapi karena tetap tidak terjadi apa-apa, gackt mengambil ancang2

kembali. Ia berniat untuk mendorong dante lebih kuat lagi.

Dante: "hei! No no no no no no!!" perintah dante.

Tetapi gackt tidak peduli. Ia tetap menarik paksa lengan dante.

Hyde: "that's enough, gackt" ucap hyde sambil menahan lengan gackt.

"kita sudah melihat kalau hal itu tidak berhasil. Jika kau teruskan

dante kun bisa mati!"

gackt terdiam. Ia merasa kalau ucapan hyde itu benar adanya. *ya

iyalah!*

hyde menyandarkan tubuhnya di tembok yang kotor dan lembab.

Sememtara itu, gackt berjongkok sembari menatap langit dengan lesu.

Mereka kembali berpikir...

Dante menatap mereka. Ia menyesal sudah merepotkan kedua orang

baik ini. Dante kemudian menghela nafas panjang, ia membuat keputusan

besar...

Dante: "hyde, gak... Terima kasih banyak kerena sudah membantuku.

Tetapi.. setelah ini biarkan aku berusaha sendiri.." ucapnya sambil

tersenyum pahit.

Hyde: "a~ kenapa begitu? Maaf kalau kami payah, tapi kami tulus ingin

membantu mu!" jawab hyde khawatir.

Dante: "tidak, aku sangat berterima kasih atas bantuan kalian selama

ini, tapi aku tidak mau merepotkan kalian lagi"

gackt pun bangkit dan menatap dante dengan tajam.

Gackt: "apa kau yakin?" gackt khawatir.

Dante mengangguk yakin. Dan karena keyakinan dante yang kuat itulah

mereka merasa tidak akan mungkin untuk menahan dante. Hyde dan

gackt pun masuk ke dalam mobil. Hyde menatap dante dengan sedih.

Hyde: "mulai sekarang aku hanya bisa membantu mu dengan doa.."

dante: "terima kasih, kau baik sekali.."

gackt pun menjalankan mobil nya perlahan. Meninggalkan dante yang

menatap kepergian mereka dengan miris..

Dante berpikir kalau ia harus memulai petualangan barunya. Ia pun

berjalan tak tentu arah. Ia hanya mengikuti kata hatinya saja.

Kemudian...

"toloong!! Tolong!"

teriak seorang wanita paruh baya. Dante menghampirinya untuk mencari

tahu apa yang terjadi.

Dante: "ada masalah apa nyonya?"

"tolong! Ada pejambret!" jawab wanita itu, panik.

dante, yang memiliki jiwa sosial yang tinggi itu pun mengejar pejambret

tersebut. Ia mengejar pejambret itu hingga masuk ke dalam

terowongan yang sangat gelap.

Dante: "sial, ini lebih gelap dari kamarnya si gak! Tidak terlihat apa

apa!" keluh dante sembari menghentikan larinya. Percuma saja ia berlari

jika tidak bisa melihat.

Meski tidak terlihat apapun, dante tetap waspada. Ia membalikan

tubuhnya, memutuskan untuk menyerah saja mengejar pejambret itu.

Betapa terkejutnya dante begitu mendapati pintu keluar terowongan

tersebut telah hilang. Dante terdiam. Berusaha mencerna apa yang

sedang terjadi..

Di saat seperti itu, tiba tiba saja ada yang memukul dante dari

belakang. Dante meringis kesakitan, ia memutar pandanganya. Mencari

sang pengecut yang berani memukulnya dari belakang.

Dante: "bastard.. Kalau berani, ayo berhadapan dengan ku!" tantang

dante.

Makhluk itu pun kembali menyerang dante. Kali ini bertubi-tubi. Dante

yang tak dapat melihat sama sekali ini pun menjadi tak berdaya. Ia

jatuh tersungkur...

Dante berusaha bangkit, ia mengangkat kepalanya. Tempat tersebut

mulai remang-remang, sehingga memungkinkan dante untuk melihat.

Tetapi, betapa terkejutnya ia.. Ternyata yang sedang di hadapinya

saat itu adalah seekor monster...

Monster tersebut menggeram keras. Tanpa banyak berpikir lagi, dante

langsung mencabut pedang besarnya dan dengan beberapa tebasan,

dante berhasil merobohkan monster tersebut...

Dante mengangkat kepalanya dan melihat sekeliling... Ternyata sudah

banyak monster-monster serupa yang sudah mengincarnya. Dante

tersenyum licik. Ia pun memulai aksinya, menumpas para monster yang

menghalangi jalanya...

~~~

Dante membuka matanya. Ia menghela nafas panjang sambil melihat ke

sekelilingnya. Bangkai monster ada di mana-mana. Ia pun duduk

bersandarkan tembok. Tersenyum, Menatap bulan sabit yang terlihat

begitu besar dan angkuh...

"hyde... Gak... Terima kasih... Aku sudah sampai di rumah..."

END...
aneh bgt ya part 2 nya? T____T bodo ah...

see too : dmc dante's dazing part 1

Att förbereda sig för en extraordinär restaurangupplevelse innebär naturligtvis seriösa förberedelser. Inget överdrivet nattsuddande dagen innan, försiktigt (men ändå medvetet) frukosterande, man får inte vara vrålhungrig precis innan för då tappar man de fina nyanserna och börjar tugga i sig för mycket av de goda kuvertbröden - allt måste få ta tid. Och mycket tid.

Vår lunch på Arzak började vid pass 13.30 och vi kom iväg i taxin tillbaka mot Parte Vieja i San Sebastián, någon gång vid sjutiden. Precis som det ska vara.

 Juan Mari Arzak mötte mycket hjärtligt upp i receptionen.  Jag övergav ganska snart pidginspanskan till förmån för franska som han talar mycket bra, och sedan tog han över och började entusiastiskt att planera vårt besök.

"Du ville se köket, eller hur? Förberedelserna?"

"Ja, tack!"

"Vinkällaren? Laboratoriet, också?"

"Ja, gärna!"

"OK, bra. Jag föreslår att ni guidas runt av Igor här och tar lite bilder först. Sedan kommer ni tillbaka till baren för en apéritif. Sedan äter ni lunch. Och vi kan ta kaffet efteråt tillsammans och prata lite mer. Är det OK?

(You bet, Jeanette!)

Vi började med att följa Igor Zalakain, som tillsammans med kollegan Xavi ansvarar för "laboratoriet" på Arzak - det ställe där de experimenterar med nya smaker, texturer och kombinationer. De byter nämligen aldrig ut hela menyerna, utan lägger till det som är i säsong, och tar bort det som inte längre är i sin "blomning". Men alla råvarorna de serverar är hämtade från området runt San Sebastián, land som hav.

Igor som arbetat för flera av de stora kockarna i trakten, men de senaste tio åren för Juan Mari, anser sig mycket lyckligt lottad. "Kan du tänka dig ett jobb, där du får leka på arbetstid?"

Leka fram de nya rätterna, alltså. Det är faktiskt även så det känns runt Arzak. En slags vänlig, men intensiv, lekfullhet. Något som verkligen smittar av sig.

Vi visas det berömda kryddrummet med 2500 olika kryddor från hela världen ("men de allra flesta från den spanska halvön!"), och vinkällarna - som inte ligger i källaren - modernt specialinredda rum med konstanta temperaturer, kallt ljus och som dessutom rymmer 100 000 flaskor.

Apéritifen då; vitt vin med apelsintouch, och en elegant touch av Amaretto och ett limeblad, serverade i glas med is. Vad heter den?

Juan Maris generositet matchades av hans dotter Elenas minst lika stora vänlighet. De delar numera ansvaret och ledningen för restaurangen, men att gammal är äldst, framgick med all tydlighet när jag sedan trängde mig in bland de över 30 kockarna och kökspersonalen i det allra heligaste (associationerna gick snarare till Vergilius berömda guidning av en annan mycket "het" plats för novisen Dante).

Väl i köket tog Juan Mari omedelbart kommandot och började peka, smaka, ropa ut instruktioner och råd. Elena har en mjukare framtoning i köket, men att hennes roll är viktig för att formulera sin generations rätter och smaker vittnade de båda om vid flera tillfällen.

Att dessutom "mis en place" inte bara är en slags snobbig kockkliché på franska utan en av de viktigaste förutsättningarna för att ett förhållandevis litet kök som Arzáks, med världens högst ställda krav och världens sannolikt mest nöjda kunder (jag absolut en av dem), ska fungera, framgick med all önskvärd tydlighet.

Att min närvaro dessutom tolererades var ett under - varje halv kvadratmeter var någons station, någon som utförde ett viktigt arbete i den gastronomiska kedja som till slut leder fram till den väntande gästen ute i matsalen. Att försöka vara en fluga på väggen i Arzaks kök, påminde starkt om mitt lika omöjliga som traumatiska våtdräktsäventyr några dagar tidigare vid Zurriola. 

Jag tryckte mig in i varje ledigt hörn (finns inte många) för att sedan snabbt skynda bort när jag såg att någon skulle dit - och det tog endast några sekunder. Men Juan Mari bjöd generöst på all den tid han ansåg jag behövde för att få en bra insikt i det baskiska supergastronomins födslokammare.

"Steven, titta på det här", sa Juan Mari och stannade upp vid en av de många spisarna. "Den här rätten är mycket, mycket viktig för det baskiska köket."

Merluza en salsa verde, con Almejas.

Elena stod vid spisen och vände försiktigt den musselkokta kummeln under sous-chefens noggranna övervakning. 

"Min sous-chef är Baskiens bästa kummelkock" fortsatte Juan Mari Arzak. "Världens bästa! Jag är mycket lyckligt lottad."

Vi fortsatte vidare vår vandring genom de två köken och den febrilt arbetande personalen tills vi kom fram till en annan av de baskiska läckerheterna - torskskäggen.

"Mycket viktigt hos oss", sa Arzak och visade på sin egen hals var skäggspetsen satt på torsken. "Och endast en enda per fisk. Du får prova det under lunchen."

Det var nu dags att lämna intensiteten och hettan i köken för lugnet, lyckan och totalupplevelsen vid det väntande bordet. Från infernot till paradiset.

Hasta luego, Vergilius!

Tremei! Sacolejai! Dai bafão! E, dessa vez, nem adianta chamar a Nasa, que tá fora da alçada dela...

O providencial Dante's Inferno Test - Impurity, Sin... and Damnation dirá para que círculo dos infernos de Dante você será enviado quando bater a caçuleta.

Baseado nas respostas que você der a uma penca de perguntas como estas aí acima (em inglês, pegue seu dicionário), o teste faz a gentileza de nos dizer a danação que nos espera (são 10 opções para nosso conforto e comodidade), sempre com um textinho muito bonito e desesperador sobre as aflições eternas.

Não leve mais do que 10 minutos para responder, ou terá de recarregar a página e fazer o teste de novo. É que tem tanta gemza desesperada pra descobrir onde irá passar a eternidade que, se demorar mais que isso, o site não dá conta de tanto pecador e fica esse inferno.

Nós, daqui da nossa lan house do purgatório, ouvimos diariamente os gemidos, os gritinhos e o tuntz tuntz de buatchy que nos chega do inferno, que funciona bem aqui embaixo. O inferno é mó inferninho memo.

Já que é assim, sijoga!

Aleléx

PS.: A xuca todos os dias não está contemplada no teste, mas essa falha não prejudica o conjunto.

.

1.  First rested nights sleep in two weeks (to be honest the bed and i were not compatible and i may have gotten two phone calls in the middle of the night/morning)
2.  Work on my tan…i’ve actually got a base tan started woohoo!
3.  Did i mention peace and quiet
4.  Tan, tan, tan. (i ended up spending too much time on #3 to get this one done)

When i returned home to the lovely ATX i was greeted with the most wonderful thunderstorm ever which allowed me to finally knock out #1 on the above list in my very own comfortable bed, mmmm memory foam.  And of course, this great weekend was followed by a short work week which ended in what i like to call "early release," because lets face it, not much has changed since elementary school.  We still have our cliques at work....i think i might actually have evolved to be in the cool clique though! partly because we're all the same type of people....but i assure you the other departments feel the same way, lunch is still the best part of the day, and we all still count down to quiting time, the only difference is it's two hours later.  

4th of July weekend proved to be a much needed long weekend and an adventurous time was had by all.  I'd like to note that mine started off with a bang and ended with a new furniture adventure and the righteous feeling of accomplishment when Ash and I got the stupid draw to fit.  In between was A) 3 amazing diet cokes, 2 of which were bought by very thoughtful friends of mine, thanks Austin & Ash, B) a trip to Kyle to get fireworks... here Austin and I met "firecracker"....the James Avery clad young man wouldn't even speak to me...just had to point that one out C) explosions in the sky...not the band, actual explosions over Town Lake (I refuse to call it Ladybird Lake) that lit up the city in such a way my soul danced D) sparklers and "The Circle of Trust" in my backyard E) i finally crossed off #4...woohoo for completing my list! F) mmm BBQ and discovering what level of hell i'd be on...thanks Dante, Travis and i will spend eternal damnation on the river, i hope our property taxes aren't too high...Jake you'll have to come visit, i hear the water is actually hot spring fed so the temperature should be absolutely perfect year round G) Actually owning at pool... perhaps you can learn through osmosis! and finally H) "You like doughnut?"--- if you have to ask, you'll never know...unless we force you to come with us the next time we go to the best kept secret on Airport Blvd.  It was wonderful.

With all this going for me something was bound to turn up sour.  I could list all the little things that really started to rub me the wrong way leading up to Monday, including how the new additions to my curtains didn't work out, but i'm making a real effort to be more positive, so i'll just mention how i got into a minor car wreak leaving work today and it really kinda pissed me off.  Yeah, Yeah mutual fault, but the douche bag was driving too fast on the easement to the station...not even a real road and when getting out of his vehicular wouldn't even look at me and the only thing he said was, "i can't stay here, i have to go get my son..."  Oh, well maybe you shouldn't drive like that...and i have to go let my dog out before his bladder explodes so don't look at me like you're more important...you didn't even ask if i had a kid!  Thanks for messing up my car, ruining my streak of greatness, making me stay at my office longer than needed and assuming i'm barren!  Basically, SCREW YOU!  Now i'm spending tomorrow's lunch hour on the phone with my insurance company...looooooooove talking to them, love it! 

But, in the spirit of sending out positive energy into the universe in hopes that it will once again find it's way back to me i will say no one was hurt, except ya know my pride...i'm not a horrible driver i don't care who says i am...because most likely they're from Dallas anyways...and my car is still drivable.  I've come to realize it's just an Eagle Vs. Shark kinda world.  (If you haven't seen the movie i recommend it for a short summer flick, not award winning but just odd enough to catch my attention, and i kinda like it.)  I would like to say that everyone is an Eagle or a Shark, but that's too absolute...instead i think we have all been an Eagle or a Shark at some point in life.  Right now i'm most definitely a Shark.  With that being said i continue to bide my time in the water waiting for the right moment and promise to have pictures for you with my next post, along with my thoughts on WALL-E, because i'm going to see that tonight in hopes of turning this whole douche of a day around.  Deuces.

I am in the fix of all fixes. Even my sister who has known me from the moment she was born is at her wits' end. Of course, she did kick ass this afternoon and asked me to get on with it. Meanwhile, and I can't begin to tell you how much I despise myself for it, I have fallen into the trap of using my blog as a confessional. It's awful. How could it have happened to me, of all people?

I blame the fly for my current state of mind. There is a massive fly buzzing about in my - pretty large - study. It's elusive. Both cats have been creating havoc among all my papers trying to catch it, unsuccessfully. I can hear it but I can't see it. Then it goes all quiet, so you forget about it - until it starts up again. It's torture; particularly as I like quiet. What do you think? Is it the ante chamber to my private Dante's hell? Am I going mad? Who planted the fly in the first place? (Sorry, I have been involved in too many other people's conspiracy theories in the last couple of days or so).

I marvel at how fragile yet resiliant the brain is. Holding onto the plot as best as I can.

U