Ok. So turning 23 isn't a milestone like reaching 21 and finally being legal to drink in the United States. But it is my birthday. I was able to get a day off in order to chill on Sunday. I hope to get out and see that new Narnia flick. As far as gaming goes I've been playing GTAIV. The single player campaign has been pleasing, and I've enjoyed everything so far. BUT! Since my ISP isn't working correctly to provide me with a constant connection, online gaming has been a drag for the past few months. So I haven't been able to play much of GTAIV online. I finally beat Crisis Core which has been a goal of mine ever since my work hours increased. I wish there was a better replay value; the best reason to replay CC is unlock the DMW at 100%. Oh yeah! I found Knockin' On Heaven's Door and Finding Forrester on DVD! I also bought the Great Debaters.

Well, I've been playing Bioshock and I just got out of Arcadia. Man. This game is awesome! It's very open ended in terms of being able to take down your opponents. It also has the right amount of thrill to it as well. When I first picked up the shotgun and the lights turned offI immediately said, hell to the no; this isn't happening. I ended up entering a room, and while going through the cabinets I fail to realize a splicer was behind me. So when I go to turn around this ugly thing is stairing at me. I think hit him 25 times with the wrench to make sure he was dead.

There's this new splicer introduced in Arcadia. They have the ability to randomly disappear leaving behind a burst of falling embers, and they like to reappear behind you to shoot flames. The first time you see one it's a scripted event. You hear this voice yelling for help, and you end up looking for the sound. At first I thought the person was in need of some help, but he kept moving from one place to another really fast. I'm getting concerned. During that time I decided to search the area, and I found this weird looking mask. Again, immediately when I turn around this splicer wearing a similar mask says "surprise" and disappears right in front of me. Ok, time to load the shotgun.

Besides Bioshock I've been playing Oblivion, but not often. Why? I just got Crisis Core, Final Fantasy VII and it took upall my time Wednesday afternoon. Read my hands-on experience exclusive to the Final Fantasy Experience Union and see what I have to say so far about Crisis Core!

I just purchased a Xbox 360. It took me awhile to actually make up my mind. I ran through several situations where I saw a Wii, and it was available. But I have remained skeptical of the games. I know Metroid Prime, and Twilight Princess are two great titles. The thing is, I couldn't bring myself to buy the console just yet since I wasn't to sure about the library. Now the Playstation 3 was heavily considered simply because of Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4. The problem was that those games aren't released yet. Warhawk was hard to turn away from as well. But since EA's Skate is one of the biggest games for me this September(and not Halo 3) it influenced my decision to get the Xbox 360. Even though the game is multi-platform IGN.com have reassured me that the Xbox 360 version is the one to get.

I spent about $390 on the system with a 10% discount on the entire sale. My purchase was a Xbox 360 Premium System, a Charge and Play Kit, and a 1 year warranty. I still believe that the RROD does exist and I don't trust Microsoft's 3 year warranty. I've heard people waiting for weeks just to get their console back from the company. And because of all this I don't appreciate the failure rate of the system. But at the sametime I like what the Xbox 360 has to offer. I'm still a big PC gamer as well, and because I am apart of the Final Fantasy Experience Union the Playstation 3 will definitely be around the corner. But at the moment I've been enjoying Bioshock, and Xbox Live.

The PS3 and the Wii launched finally. For awhile now I've been saving up money to get myself a Playstation 3, but after watching some of the Wii Experiences at Nintendo's website for its new console, I made a quick decision to try, and get a Nintendo Wii. A lot of the extra money I had to purchase a Playstation 3 went to Christmas gifts for the family. But I still haven't found a store that carries the console. I work at Sears part-time and we did get some in stock. Of course first shipments were not available to associates. What a shame.

Anyway. I manage to use some of the extra money to purchase my sister one of Microsoft's new media players, the Zune. We only have the black and white one available. I wasn't sure if I should have purchased a video iPod or the Zune. But I think am pretty sure that she won't be disappointed. And after making sure the product wasn't a brick, I know it was a good purchase. The interface is much easier to navigate, and in my opinion better then the video iPod. Not to mention it has a larger screen to display your video. It comes with headphones, USB/Charger adapter, 14 day trial to Microsoft's Marketplace, and 30Gb worth of storage space. Hopefully the wi-fi function will be expanded upon; there is a lot of potential for that with the Zune. But the radio works fine, and has great sound quality.

I manage to change the registery in our computers so it recognizes the Zune as a external hard drive allowing my sister to put anything she wants on her media player. Kudos to me!

I'm so stoke right now. I gotta co-worker who is getting me in the business of designing some shirts for an upcoming QM Clothing. What an honor eh? Not only that but everything regarding my "special talents" seem to be coming into play recently. I been slaving over BlackJosh.com and I've been designing CD cover art for a band based in the UK. I am definitely getting my work cut out for me!

For anyone who want's to get into the game all I have to say is practice your skills with Adobe Photoshop's pen tool; you will not regret it at all. It is God's gift to anyone who's willing to take the time and design something special. I mean, if you don't have a graphics tablet then the pen tool won't fail you(YOU HEAR THAT PAUL, THE PEN TOOL). But, if you also have smooth hands and know how to use a ink pen[and scanner] then more props too you(since I am horrible with ink). My friend Paul and I in high school use to debate on using a ink pen or the actual pen tool which was kind of funny.

But anyway, if you're a friend of mine and would like to randomly start something big just give me a call or a message.

It has been awhile since my time chilling in Front Royal over the summer and in VA Beach. Lately, I've been craving pizza like a pregnant woman. It's been something I've been eating a lot lately; I hope it doesn't give me a heart attack. I was with the family today; almost the entire family! Grandma, Aunts, Uncle..you name it. I was able to meet the new girlfriend of my cousins. I swear, my cousin Vinnie has a girlfriend every week. That's more then what I can say for myself.

SOME GOOD NEWS! Well, regardless I've always felt like Northern Virginia was home. My dad recently got a job interview in the Stafford area. If he takes the job, you know I don't mind moving with the parents. But if so, I would have to look at the schools in the area to continue my education. Speaking of that; have you ever been really sure about what you wanted to do, but finally realized that you might be on the wrong path? That's how I feel. As many of you know I wanted to be a graphic designer, but I'm taking a new route towards a different type of commercial art. My other talent is web design, and I've been encouraged to take the oppuritunity. Thanks to Myspace, I was able to get in touch with other web designers[in the DC area] and speak with them about a career path and the job itself. I've been praying hard about it, and now I know my answer.

Oh yeah! Wild Wings; the best damn place for wings...period! My first time there was with a co-worker named Jackie, and it was awesome. Live bands, drinks, and of course the ladies. But ya'll know me and women; shiness will always be my enemy when a chance rises. But I've gone back a couple of nights; it's awesome!

Vacation, vacation! July has definitely been my favorite month this year. A lot went down, and I had fun. My time in Front Royal was kind of odd at first but it turned into a good time. After some technical difficulties I manage to stay with a friend of mine named Kristin and her family. I am quite thankful that they took me in.

I went to visit Ms. Nemo on her birthday. I kind of regret not seeing her more then twice that whole entire week. But she kind of scared me on the 1st of July; it's her birthday and she can cry if she wants too. Let's just put it at that. But I saw her on July 4th, and she looked nice!

Speaking of July 4th; black people run when they see other black people run! We're walking along, walking along, walking along to see the fireworks. Then my friend Joel starts screaming like a little girl and starts to run. Shoot, Vinnie and I immediately decided to split. It turns out, Joel was running from a blasted frog. My friend Shannon acted as if she had the frog in her hand, and chased Joel around the parking lot for a good two minutes.

One of my best friends Paul, and his sister Shannon took me tubing. What a day! It started out as a simple trip down the river, and all of a sudden rain clouds appeared. We floated about 5 miles down the river. The bad thing was that we never parked a car at the end. So we had to trek back in the woods and up stream; it felt like Jurassic Park. But most of the time I hung out with my friend Vinnie. Haha, that girl is a trip!

I went camping with Kristin, and it was really odd at first. I guess because it was so unexpected and unusual. They had some jungle juice, but I honestly did not get drunk..I think. Unless I'm a mellow drunk; or perhaps I just got tipsy. But the end result of camping was me coming down with something terrible because of the cold weather. Doh!

BUT! Later that same month I paid a visit to VA Beach! I actually was there for a family reunion which was country as hell! Can you people tell me what the hell is a Bojanx? OH! You mean it's a Bojangles. Anyway, the day I arrived in VA Beach, I was able to hook up with an old friend of mine. My friend Okeem had been living in the area for awhile. This boy is my negroid! I actually met him in middle school when our parents were stationed at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. So it's been a long time since I've seen him; I'm 21 now and middle school is back in the day. Man, we didn't skip a beat! It was just like old times. Not to mention I felt right at home with his crew. I definitely plan to visit again!

So, finally Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children made its way into the United States on the 25th of April. I was so excited, I really couldn't sit still during my classes. After leaving college I made my way over to Gamespot to pick up my preorder of Square Enix's long awaited CGI film. Putting down $19.99 total, I purchased the DVD version.

Even though I had it in my hands, I still couldn't watch it because of certain responsibilites I had to uphold first; more importantly working at Sears. I got off at 11pm and decided to devote my night to Advent Children and it's two disks. Of course, I have a import version of this movie that released in Japan last September. But watching the English version as a whole felt like watching the film all over again, and it made me smile for the second time at the ending.

Anyway, soon I'll review it[for the second time] so don't miss it!