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World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Cinematic Trailer

It would be the Opening Cinematic of World of Warcraft's next expansion, Mists of Pandaria that knocks me out of my blogging lull.

So effing pumped!

Evolution of Nintendo

Interestingly enough, I stopped playing Nintendo after the 64.  Even more interesting is the fact that it had a big deal to do with the controller.  I was like... WTF is up with this sh!t?  It was just too cumbersome for my taste and wasn't incredibly convenient...

.... there's also a chance I started having sex at that point which is why I gave up video games for a while.

MIA yet again

I wish I could say I haven't been updating this blog cuz I rejoined my guild and have been saving Azeroth, but sadly that is SO not the case.  Work has been kicking my almond-brown ass all over the place!  We're talking up-up, down-down, left-right, left-right, B, A, B, A, select, start, all over the place.

The most Gaymer-esque thing I've done is update a forum signature that I don't even use.  BLAH.  It's cute though.

Just Cuz : Super Silhouettes

 Ummm.... LEET!

Homecoming

I just couldn't stay away.  It's not the game that pulled me back.  It's the people.  At its core, World of Warcraft is a social experience and even though there are maybe 2-3 people in the entire guild I've met in real life, they are my family in very many ways.

I still stand by my decision to leave the game altogether.  I had to focus on me and my goals.  The fact is, I've achieved them.  All but one was in my grasp.  And who did I have to cheer me on and give me a collective grats? No one really.  Those that cheered on my victories in-game and real life, were no longer around.  It was truly sad.  I was really alone.

My greatest regret in leaving and the biggest pull back into the game was to be with my boys: Peter "Rthurian" Salathe and Patrick "Airielle" Dennen.  The 3 of us are spread across the nation, but in game, we've always been this "Triforce of Power" so to speak.  Feels so good to be reunited with them.

So, now I'm back.  I still need to limit my time in-game as much as I can, but it feels right being among these people.  It genuinely feels like home in all the ways that matter.

ENTER: Diablo III

We're mere hours away from the launch of Diablo 3!  I couldn't be more stoked to play this game and I've never even played the other 2.  MMO-Champion posted a great review and sort of introduction to the game and the way it handles.  I'm still torn between being a Barbarian (since I prefer melee) or a Demon Hunter (just cuz it looks so EFFING boss!)

AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Decisions!!!

Iron Man VS Batman

Just cuz there's all this talk with which EPIC comic movie this summer is gonna win, I found this awesome pic online.  I find it funny however that no one is really talking about SpiderMan.  Poor Andrew Garfield.

Which Type of Gamer are You?

I'm in love with this outline of gamers.  I verge more on the Lawful Evil side myself but go neutral at times.... although, that's usually cuz I'm silently plotting my counterattack to make the life of whatever fellow gamer that f*cked up my sh!t a living hell.... or something less ragey.

Source: Funny Mama

Bad BETA! Bad!

Well done, Blizzard!  Well done!

Sunday Brunch : Asparagus & Spinach Spaghettini

Not exactly a brunch item here, but I have this thing when I go to California Pizza Kitchen; I only ever eat one thing and that's the salt-&-pepper salmon with linguini in a lemon caper sauce.  Imagine my shock and disappointment when I discovered that item was discontinued!!!  OMG, full gay dramatic breakdown!  Lucky for me, they have this new item that was also good: The Asparagus and Spinach Spaghettini.  In a sad attempt to recreate the flavor from my old favorite, I opted to add salmon bits.

Didn't work, BTW.... dammit.

Still, like I said, it was yummy.  I missed m lemon caper sauce, but instead was treated to a sort of pseudo-creamy basil sauce as well as having fresh spinach and asparagus in the mix.  I'm of the impression this was probably infinitely healthier than what I would normally order.

So bottom line, I forgive CPK.  Although they took away literally my only reason for ever going there, they replaced it with a very viable alternative.  Yay!

California Pizza Kitchen
310 Los Cerritos Mall
Cerritos, CA 90703
562.865.4547
www.CPK.com

Avengers Assembled Like a Boss!

Holy fricken sock puppets and great jumping jellyfish!  I'm no movie reviewer so I'm not even going to try and sound credible here but the Avengers movie surpassed any and all expectations I had.  Not to mention overcoming some of my fears.  The greatest of which is how they were going to integrate the main characters of all these individual movies who are quite popular and significant in their own right, into an ensemble cast of characters that still comes off like a team without losing the minute details of magic each movie possesses.  I felt for every last Avenger and found myself loving the Hulk more than I ever did even in his own movies.  Joss Whedon and his production team deserve awards... or hookers.... something.

I did have one slightly sad moment during the final battle and found myself pulled out of the moment briefly when I wished the X-Men fights could've been so dang EPIC.  There was so much action happening, I almost went blind behind my 3d glasses.

I can't wait to see it again so I can pay attention to details I missed before.  I also can't wait to get to the theatre faster so I can get a better seat than 2nd row up front.  UGH! My eyes!!

PS: To the fat-ass stereotype that sat to my right eating what seemed to be the better part of the entire concession stand quite loudly through the movie: "REALLY???"

May the 4th Be With You

For the un-indoctrinated (is that a word?) via Wiki:

May 4 is considered a holiday by Star Wars fans to celebrate Star Wars culture and honor the films.^[2]

May 4 is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase "May the Force be with you" is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say "May the fourth be with you" on this day. Current day Star Wars fans were not the first to introduce the line "May the fourth be with you": when Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain's first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, her party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News that said "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."^[3] This reading of the line has also been recorded in the UK Parliament'sHansard.^[4]

Just Cuz : Avengers of Pop

SO in love with this poster.  Comics + Divas = Happy Panda.  This should've been included in the Avengers Mash-Up Posters on Empire, IMO.

Love You Like a Big Schlong Baby

- - - - - - - - NSFW!  NSFW!  NSFW! - - - - - - - -

Hell, this vid is NSF a whole lotta places really.  I seriously am coming to LOVE Willam Belli, the uber controversial Drag Queen who was the first ever to get kicked off RuPaul's Drag Race, for breaking the rules.  Seems she's breaking the rules even more by shooting a parody of Selena Gomez's song "Love you Like a Love Song".  I like this version MUCH better.  You go, Mama!

Special props for using Dante Ferraro from Randy Blue and MUCHO KUDOS to using my favorite Pit Crew member EVER: Shawn Morales.  YUM!

Avengers Mash-Up Posters

OMG!  Are you kidding me with all this EPICness?  (it's a word BTW).  Empire Mag Online has a collection of some LEETSAUCE movie poster mash-ups of the Avengers and some particular fan favorites from movies past... some more recent than others.  There are dozens of them!!!  I only posted my personal favorite but it's worth following the link below to see the rest.   Clearly, I'm only showcasing the handful that have to do with more geek stuff.  It's like... geek-squared to the max integer... or something that sounds infinitely more intellectual.

BTW: Squuuuuueeeeeeeeeell!!!!!!!!

Source : Empire Magazine

Just Cuz : Dark Piggy

I figured I need to start a section of my blog where I upload stuff I find cool just cuz.... hence the name.  Witty, right?

In any event: LOOK!  It's Piggy!  Rising from the Ashes!  Tee-Hee.

Sunday Brunch : The Parisian Crepe

I half-considered not writing anything for this particular place because the food and the pic above sort of speaks for itself... but since this is a blog and requires inane written chatter by yours truly, I must.

La Creperie is easily one of my FAVORITE places to eat at, but it's especially yummy during the brunch hours.  You get to select between a good assortment of breakfast-ie foodstuffs as well as most of the rest of the menu. Being the culinary assassin I fancy myself, I went straight to the savory menu... but not before ordering the garlic fries w/3 dipping sauces.  HEAVEN, btw.

What you have above is one of my personal favorites, dubbed The Parisian. You've got a fluffy, airy, almost non existent crepe filled with chicken breast, spinach, sweet red peppers and mozzarella swimming in a basil and feta cream sauce.  I could NOT get enough of this.  I half considered purging in the restroom just so I could order another one.  Yeah.... I went there... cuz it was THAT good.  If I had to lodge ANY complaint about this it would be that there was not nearly enough spinach for my taste.  Though given how much I enjoy consuming spinach on levels Popeye would be jealous of, I don't really consider that a fair critique.  Extra kudos to the chef for also sprinkling the plate with fresh diced heirloom tomatoes and more feta cheese bits.  YUM!

La Creperie Cafe
4911 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803
562.434.8499
www.lacreperiecafe.net

Xuperboy?

I probably could've come up with a better title for this post.... but it's late.  I'm exhausted.  I just came back from an unexpectedly cool comic book party.  Not just any comic book party, but a GAY, ultra-geeky, comic book party.  Of course everyone had to dress up as a Superhero/villain.  I got to see 3 different green lanterns, Ash from Pokemon, a Ghostbuster, the invariable Catwoman (there's always one at every party) and then there was me as Superboy and my friend Matt as... umm... guy that wore a Superman shirt.  I think of the coolest events of the night was getting to run into an old friend of mine I hadn't seen for over a year.  I actually think that seems to be the trend for a lot of my friends; losing touch with them for an extended period of time and then randomly running into them again.

One very startling revelation of mine is that I'm a lot beefier than I had originally intended when I went on this packing-on muscle kick.  I call it pseudo-bodybilding.  Really it's the thing that's filling up my existence since giving up World of Warcraft.  Thing is, I spent so many years of my life as a dancer weighing in at about 132 lbs, that I have this perma-idea of me being unusually skinny.... like Kate Moss anorexic skinny.  Remember her?  No?  Did I just date myself?

Anyway, I need to stop with the protein shakes and power lifting.  I need cardio like STAT!  I don't think it looks bad per se and some of the mass I exhibit is due to the entirely unreliable convex lens of the iPhone camera, but still... LOOK AT THOSE GUNS!!  Wish my chest would follow suit.  Though I am cleaving just a smudge.  Giggle.  I just feel the need to point that out.

Ru, How Could You?

"OH HELL to the NO" was probable the first words out of my mouth.

- - - - - - - SPOILER ALERT - - - - - - -

So yeah, after a pretty breathtaking finale where the Top 3 Queens had to learn the <cough cough> intricate choreography of Candis Cayne, then endure the direction of that old guy (what was his name again?), they had a Three Way.... well... a Three Way Lipsynche for Your Life, that is.  I actually did get chills during it.  All the Queens showed who they really were and what they brought to the stage.

Chad Michaels was the epitome of glamour and glitz.  To quote "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar": TRY to describe her and NOT use the word statuesque.

Sharon Needles (my personal favorite) rocked the boat and gave you the kind of performance only her mind could dream up... or nightmare up is more like it.  It was Scintillating & Spooky, Sassy & Scary.  That b!tch had my heart.

And Phi Phi was..... anyway.... where was I?

So after the most breath-taking lip-synched throw down as every last mo in America clutched our collective pearls in anticipation of the crowning of America's Next Drag Superstar, RuPaul done issued her very last twist:

"America's next Drag Superstar is..... going to be announced on next week's reunion show!"

So let me reiterate: "OH HELL TO THE NO!!!"

In a ridiculous marketing ploy (although I secretly find it ingenious) viewers need to tweet their votes which will affect the outcome of the competition.  Really, I think they just need more time to fit Sharon's head for the crown, but that's just me.

Felicia Day might be God

I'm thoroughly convinced that I'm addicted to Felicia Day and all that she stands for.  I'm not entirely sure what it may be that she DOES stand for but whatever it is, consider me subscribed.  I've also surrendered to the fact that I would totally be into her if I were not heterosexuallly-challenged.... gay, in laymen's terms.  I mean, she's totally geeky, cute as a button, looks good in a pair of glasses AND she's a redhead.  Granted, I've never had the opportunity to date and/or ogle after a red-headed guy in real life, but I keep putting my red-headed-boyfriend vibes out there for the universe to latch on to.  But I digress.

So Felicia has been doing these video blogs thru the Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube that she's affectionally dubbed a FLOG.  Couldn't get more epic than that. I would do the same, except I don't think I could pronounce XLOG out loud.  It doesn't even look nice to read.  Whereas FLOG comes off calming, peaceful, tranquil and friendly.

So episode 4 of her FLOG is THE best one yet in my opinion.  There are SOOO many reasons I could go into why, but I really only have 30 minutes left on my lunch break so I can't go into it.  BUT!  I do have time to mention the best part of this particular FLOG was that she played the violin while her friend Tom Lenk played the piano to an original score compose by Mr. Lenk entitled "Ode to Carrie Fisher".  And HELLO, if THAT wasn't enough, did anyone not realize that Tom Lenk is Andrew from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?... and like 2 episodes on Angel.  So you have the former would-be slayer, Felicia with former would-be watcher, Tom playing a song for Star Wars!!!

How you're not needing to wipe up after yourself with a moist towelette is beyond me.

At any rate, I'm done talking about this.  There's too much excitement going on.  I feel if I type any more, I may dent my keyboard.  And I don't want to do that.  It was expensive.

 

Shades with Style for Avenger's 3D

Dear GAWD in Heaven WHY?!? Why are they doing this?  What insane person on the marketing team for the new Avengers Movie is over saturating the general public with even more unnecessary stuff to help promote the new Avengers movie.  You'd really only use these shades the ONE time you'd see the movie in 3D.  Maybe 2 or 3 more times if you have the desire and/or (in my case) need to see it again... mostly because not everyone in my circle of friends likes people from another circle of friends... and so on and so forth and OMG it's endless..... wait, where did I go?

Anyway, I ask you:  HOW could this happen?  HOW is this even a thing? And most importantly, HOW do I get a pair?  Giggle.

Sunday Brunch : Miso-Glazed Salmon

Ok, I need to admit that this isn't exactly traditional brunch food but they wouldn't let me order off the brunch menu because I was apparently just past the cut-off time by like, 10 minutes.  DAMN YOU, CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!!  I think that's ridiculous.  Being a former restaurant manager myself (Red Lobster FYI), I know very well they could've busted out the stuff to make the omelette I wanted.  That just means they were lazy.  Did I mention that I didn't even KNOW my table was ready because the dumb-as-a-box-of-hair hostess who looked like a reject from a random Laguna Beach located reality show, wrote my name down as Daniel VS Xander?  I should've used that as my reason as to why they needed to serve me brunch.

Oops.  Tangent.

So yeah this Miso-Glazed Salmon over a bed of Jasmine Rice was really really good.  I could tell though that the glaze the Salmon sat on was definitely not the healthiest thing off the menu.  My other gripe was just how dried out the edamame shoots were that garnished the perimeter of the plate, but that had little to nothing to do with the dish and EVERYTHING to do with the lazy server we got.  Slow service notwithstanding, the dish was amazing.  My compliments to the chef for not overcooking the salmon to the point of the meat being grey.  It was JUST past broiled so the texture was amazing!  I only intended to eat a small amount of the dish given how particularly unhealthy it probably was and also cuz of all the starchy rice.  I failed miserably.  Cuz it was goooooood.

The Cheesecake Factory
7871 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 889-1500
www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Wolverine is Turning Japanese

Ok well, he's not actually turning Japanese.  He's going to Japan.... and ok it's actually not Japan, he's filming in Australia but it's being made to LOOK like Japan.  Not sure how that's gonna work, but hey I'll go with it.  The Hollywood Reporter has the full story.

The Wolverine Origins movie was definitely not anything to write home about.  In fact there were more than a few points that infuriated me. Maybe not X3 levels of infuriation but infuriation none the less.  I still stood behind it for several reasons though... not the least of which involves Ryan Reynolds being in the movie and/or Hugh Jackman nekid in a barn.  Just wish they were actually together for that.... pause for effect.... ok, I feel better now.

My hope for this is that they stay true to the story they're trying to tell rather than just trying to please the fans out there.  The worst part of the Origins movie was the fact that it wasn't even the comic-book geeks they were trying to please.  It was the "fans" that emerged in the advent of the X-Men movie.  So we're talking a whole lotta ignorant would-be fanboys that embraced the commercialized versions of my beloved X-characters.... although I will say the movie version of Mystique was infinitely more RAWR!  But I digress.

In any event, fingers crossed.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

RuPaul's Glamazon

As if I couldn't find more reasons to enjoy the campy over-the-top antics of RuPaul and her Gurlz, the Queen of ALL Queens gives her latest music video a BIG dose of Video Game Chic.  I mean... WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?!?!

I couldn't be more impressed by not only RuPaul's choice of theme for her latest video, but the fact that the nods and little video game are genuinely representative of the gamer culture.

Well done, Mama.  You're serving video-game chic the house down!

Darius Crowley : Undead Hunter

As excited as I am for Tim Burton's special take on Abraham Lincoln, this poster from The Daily Blink, just cranked that up into high gear.  How can you NOT appreciate these guys' sense of humor?  LEET!

Sunday Brunch : Eggs Benjamin

Given the fact that I have more time these days to blog since giving up/limiting my (admittedly seductive to this day) addiction to WoW, I figured I need a weekly post that occurs on the same day.  Every blog I enjoy always has something posted consistent every week.

Now a logical thinker would say this should be something video game or comic book related seeing as that's kind of the whole theme to my blog.  I've decided to rebel against conventionalism (which I am won't to do) and post my brunch every Sunday.  Anyone who knows me knows I love food.  In fact the top reason I even work out as much as I do is pure damage control before even being healthy or trying to look good.  I'm simply trying to keep up with my eating habits.  True story.

All that being said, this is the ever so yummy Eggs Benjamin from Starling Diner in Long Beach.  It's sort of a take off from an Eggs Florentine... which is really just a take off from Eggs Benedict.  There's a whole lotta stuff being taken off here.  Not that I mind things being taken off.  Giggle.  There's no English Muffin here though.  What you see is smoked salmon on a bed of sautéed spinach, then the eggs, and then covered with their pseudo lemon-hollandaise and topped with diced tomatoes and micro-green salad.  There was some potatoes and bread there too, but I avoided it.

As for the Starling Diner itself, it's the smallest and cutest little bungalow-ish restaurant in the middle of a bunch of residential homes.  You could easily mistake it for something else as there's not even an assigned parking area.  Your best bet is to park 2-3 blocks away and walk.  Expect a 20-30 minute wait even during the short hours though, because it is a much loved staple of the community.  It's worth the wait though and you're welcome to help yourself to a free coffee at the bar while you wait.

Starling Diner
4114 E. 3rd Street
Long Beach, CA 90814
(562) 433-2041
www.starlingdiner.com

BETA Blues

So I find myself wondering why it is I was in such a rush to get into the BETA for Mists of Pandaria.

For one, I stopped playing WoW so my excitement here is because?..... yeah, I got nuthin.  I'm assuming that the overwhelming desire was some echo leftover from my hardcore gaming days.

Secondly, HOLY CRAP there are so many people here!!!  I'm actually not surprised that the server shuts down or I get disconnected only every 2-3 minutes.  I'm picturing the hamsters running on wheels that power the servers and grant us with high FPS, are about ready to keel over from exhaustion.  Seriously, I can't even click on an item I'm meant to interact with to complete a quest

Lastly, the level of rage and immaturity in general and trade chat is like listening to the lovechild of LFR and Barrens chat, after it's snorted obscene amounts of crack then washed it down with every kind of liquor known to man or beast.  And those are the good days.  Seriously my eyes suffer excruciating amounts of torture being forced to read some of this garbage these players spew.  The fact that the normal rules governing chat in the game are non-existent here (i.e. derogatory and racial slurs, sexual content, dingos eating babies, etc.), these basement dwelling stereotypes are given carte blanche to do/say what they will.

All that being said... how CUTE is my Panda?!?!?!?  His name is Xandapanda and he has my haircut!  ZOMG, I could squish him to a cute death!  YAY!!!!

PS: I feel the need to point out that although this is an actual screenshot, I did photoshop a very subtle Dazzler'esque effect on him.  It's cute, right?

You Better BETA Me!

800,000 BETA invites later, mine finally comes in.  GEEZE, took long enough.  And now comes the part where I wait another 2-3 hours while I download nearly 20G of data for the BETA client.  /popcorn.

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

Hmmm.  Entertainment Weekly releases this image of the Dark Knight and his pretty kitty, Catwoman.  I feel the need to preface this by saying I LOVE the idea of Anne Hathaway in the role and I definitely appreciate the sort of nod they're giving to the classic Batman series with the look, but I just kind of wanted more RAWR from the outfit.  She needs to look like she can kick your ever-loving ASS from here to Arkham.  It's almost lackluster.

I'll try to pass full judgement until I see it live on the silver screen though.  Maybe she'll drink some magic tonic and call upon the powers of her ancient ancestors and go full-on Anime, Sailor Moon transformation into a HAWT dominatrix kitty thing.... or something that sounds less offensive.

source: Entertainment Weekly

Now, you Shall Deal with Me!

So I didn't even realize that this was something in the works, but now that I KNOW it is, color me obsessed!  Maleficent is, HANDS DOWN, the best Disney Diva there is.... I mean villain.  I also happen to think that Angelina Jolie will be phenomenal in the role.  Thank you NBC, for the heads up!

Angelina Jolie was quoted as saying: "I hope in the end you see a woman who is capable of being many things, and just because she protects herself and is aggressive, it doesn’t mean that she can’t have other [warmer] qualities,"

I'm sure there's no real treatment worked out yet, and clearly the picture above is all just photoshop genius at hand, but still, all of this just makes me one happy panda!

Just for extra funsies, I feel the need to post J. Scott Cambell's version of Maleficent below because he is serving you up some Sex-Kitten realness.

Source: NBC

Gaymers Unite

It seems that the homophobes in denial, errr... I mean family-type groups are waging a war against the LGBT community being able to live out and proud even in video games.  The Florida Association and the American Decency Association (LOLz @ the names) are protesting gravely against being able to choose same-sex relationships in some of EA Games' most popular franchises like Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Really people?  Calm it down and go find a hobby or something.  Pick up your local community paper and go enroll in underwater basket weaving.  Just stop f*cking up my games.

Please take a moment to click here and sign the petition to protest against the protests!  If you do, I will give you cookies!

RuPaul's Disney Drag Race

Ran into some truly imaginative work by an artist who goes by Designjk (real name Justin).  He basically gave a few of the drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race the kind of remix only a gay guy could truly appreciate.  Combining a few contestants from the camp-glam show that's won the hearts and minds of boys, girls and everything in between with iconic Disney toons, Justin does justice to both.

Chad Michaels as Lady Tremaine

Raven as The Wicked Queen

Latrice Royale as Ursela

Manila Luzon as Cruella De Ville

Sharon Needles as Maleficent

(incidentally the best one, IMO)