My Favorite Generation I Pokémon

Recently, I've been getting back into Pokémon in more ways than I ever imagined.  I always played the games, but with no 3DS, I had to find some other alternative, which is why I've been getting into the trading card game. As a child, it seemed complicated with all of its coin flips and damage counters, but now, I know it's a pretty simple game to play.  Yesterday, I bought some cards online (showing my addiction to the game), but like all card games, it gets expensive because I always want to buy collectable/older cards.  Sure, I could buy newer cards (and I have), but I grew up with the first two generations of Pokémon the most, so I want those cards in my deck.  Plus, I just like/know most of the Pokémon in general.  That got me thinking though, when it came to the first generation, what were my favorite Pokémon?  I looked back on my main party from those games, but those weren't accurate, since they just represented Pokémon that were there for convenience.  Let's be honest, we all had a Pidgeot, but it was never one of our favorites; it was there just because we didn't want a Fearow or legendary.  So with this question on my mind, I thought long and hard about which Generation I Pokémon were my favorites.  It took awhile, but after thinking about it, I think I have my answer.

Criteria for my favorite Generation I Pokémon is judged by a mix of variables.  I chose some of them based on my use of them in the video games, card game, and my sentimental memory of them.  It's safe to say if I could ever have a main party with these 6, I would.  Without further ado, my favorite Generation I Pokémon are...

Honorable Mention

• Scyther: My friend Phu is going to kill me for this because he loves Scyther to death, but here me out.  I love Scyther now as a Pokémon, sometimes even more than Scizor, but back as a child, I couldn't stand Scyther.  It was a bug Pokémon, which I don't even really like, since like Misty, I just hate bugs.  And back then, it was so hard to get because you could only get it in the Safari Zone or the game corner, which took forever.  Sure, it might have been worth it, but back in Generation I, it didn't have a great move set, and its only real use was to cut trees, which is why it's an honorable mention.

6. Porygon: You'd think Porygon would be in the same boat as Scyther since it could only be gotten at the game corner, and it cost even more coins, but unlike Scyther, I was never afraid of Porygon.  Yes, it had the unfortunate seizure incident in Japan, but that wasn't its fault; that was because of high flashing animation.  Porygon might be weak, but I always thought it was cool that it was made out of cybernetics/technology, and I loved its annoying move set with the Conversion moves and Tri-Attack!

5. Snorlax: Snorlax is here because it's fat, eats, and sleeps a lot just like I used to.  And while I'm not that way anymore, I still remember those days.  They weren't always good times, but they were simpler because I wasn't always worrying about my health the way I do now.  In the old games, Snorlax was the sleeping Pokémon that you had to wake up using a PokéFlute, which I always thought was awesome.  It might not be the best at any specific stats, but I think it has an equal balance of everything.  Not to mention, it's versatile enough to learn HMs like Surf, and it's hard to knock out with its high HP and Rest move.  Considering I didn't like many water Pokémon besides Blastoise, Snorlax was a lifesaver.  

4. Marowak:  There's not much I can really say about Marowak.  In the original Generation, its main preference was that you had to kill it in the Lavender Ghost tower, so you could get by.  It was creepy, but an interesting plot to say the least.  Besides that, I love Marowak because it's different.  It has a skull on its head, always making me wonder how it looks underneath, and it throws a bone, which I always thought was cool since I liked boomerangs.  Its card in the trading card game leaves something to be desired, but there is one version I like that I want, so it still has a special place for me.

3. Pikachu: Being the mascot of the entire Pokémon franchise, Pikachu seems like an obvious choice here.  It has a lot of supporters, but it has a lot of detractors as well.  And I can understand why.  It's not strong, is the main Pokémon of Ash (who sucks as a trainer), and it always loses to other Pokémon in the series, but I like it because it's cute, and a Pokémon my dad and I really connected with.  Not to mention, once it has the light ball and Volt tackle, it's pretty awesome!

2. Dragonite: Dragonite reminds me of the cryptozoology I follow, which has to do with mythical creatures, folklore, etc.  There's stories about it, but you never really see it, unless you capture one.  That's never more relevant then in the anime series when Ash and the gang see the giant one, but in the game, you can't capture one unless you raise a Dratini all the way up to level 55.  I admit, that is tedious, especially since you don't get it until later in the game, which by that point, you probably already have your main party.  But if you're like me and love dragons, you have to love Dragonite; its look, moves, and strength, what's not to like?  Plus, you can fish for it or get it at the game corner, which is always helpful.

1. Charizard: Do I even need to explain this one?  Charizard is the best!  I know a lot of people who hate it because of its popularity, and stat and card game wise, it isn't the best, but I don't care.  I was always fascinated with it as a child because I always thought it was a dragon.  And even though I learned later on it was a lizard, it doesn't change the fact there's so much to love about it.  It's strong, it's orange (which used to be my favorite color), and it breathes fire.  You can't get much better than that, and I really want its EX card, so if anyone wants to give me a near mint one, let me know.

Coca-Cola Commercial Controversy

In my Sociology class, we talk about people for the most part, but on Tuesday, we broke the norm when we talked about the Super Bowl.  I honestly had no idea why we were wasting time on it because the game was disappointingly a blowout, but we focused on something other than football.  We focused on the commercials, two in particular.  One was the GoldieBlox commercial about girls being able to play what they want, which I thought was awesome being a Gender Studies minor.  The other one though, was the "America The Beautiful" Coca-Cola commercial.  I wasn't surprised by its content since Coca-Cola always has interesting commercials, like their Simpsons one, but I was more surprised that it was receiving controversy for the reasons it was.

One of the obvious reasons the commercial was receiving controversy was because it had a homosexual couple in it with their daughter.  I can understand the shock seeing it since we aren't used to seeing homosexuals in commercials, but it isn't a big deal.  Homosexuals are people just like everyone else, and they just want to be accepted.  No matter what your beliefs are, I think you have to at least respect that.  The other reason it was controversial, which I didn't understand, was because it had different people singing "America The Beautiful" in different languages.  It was a beautiful and patriotic thing, but a lot of people didn't like it because they think we only speak English in this country, or they believe it's hypocritical.  I think disliking the commercial for the first reason I stated is ignorant since English isn't the official language of this country, and there are lots of different people who live in our country.  But I understand the thinking that it's hypocritical.  The commercial paints America as something idyllic, yet we all know it isn't like that.  There's still racism, and the very homosexuals in that commercial can't even get married in most states, which is a shame.  Not to mention, Coca-Cola is the one that made the commercial, so while it's great and sends a message, we all know they just want to sell soda.  I understand being angry, but at the end of the day, it's just a commercial.  There are more important things in life than that, so let's just enjoy it for how beautiful it is.

The Coca-Cola commercial.  Do you think it's controversial?  You be the judge...

Olympic Sham

The Olympics opening ceremony was a few hours ago, and from what I was told, it was a spectacle to behold.  It was civil, patriotic, Boston was represented well, and so far, nothing terror related has happened (to my knowledge).  It's good to see sports of any kind getting attention, but in all honesty, as much as I love sports, I don't care about the Olympics!  Does that make me a bad person?  Many would say yes, but I don't think it's a bad thing.  Let me explain.

On the surface, I understand what the Olympics are.  They're a sporting event where the best athletes in the world compete against each other for medals, and for the honor of their country.  That to me, is noble. But lost in that, is all the negative stuff that gets swept under the rug; the controversies, the bad sportsmanship, etc.  Although, this year, it's been no secret how Russia has handled the Olympics.  They've taken controversial stances on homosexuals, killed stray dogs, and even given opposing athletes/people terrible living conditions.  And yet, people still care?  They still watch?  I understand watching if you love sports and competition of any kind, but as I learned in my Psychology and Women class, sometimes when you want to make a statement, you need to boycott something, which I've done with the Olympics practically my whole life.  Maybe it's wrong and unpatriotic, but at least it's honest, which matters to me.  There are people I know who watch the Olympics, but I feel like they're not being truthful because they don't follow any of these sports fully, play them, or know who any of the athletes are.  They're just "pink hat" fans or people who jump on the bandwagon. To truly care or be passionate about something, I think you need to show that and a lot of dedication to it, which many don't do when it comes to the Olympics.  They just watch, without ever really putting much thought into it, which is a shame because if they did, they might appreciate it more for what it is.

So that's how I feel about these Winter Games.  They may be a great spectacle, but I'll be watching the Sacramento Kings take on the Boston Celtics because that's something I truly know and care about.

Snow Day

With 8-12 inches of snow currently falling down in my area, school was canceled, as expected.  I'm always happy for a snow day because, like everyone, I always enjoy the time off.  But today is one of the few times in my life when I can honestly say I didn't want one.  I only had one class today, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to go, and the teacher was going to go over a very important essay that's due in a few weeks.  Along with that, I was planning to go to the library and study, but now, I'm stuck at my place.  That's usually a benefit, but with a computer, I'm obviously going to be distracted.  Hopefully, I can just get enough time to make a study sheet and study for my test tomorrow (unless school is canceled).

Of course, the main reason I didn't want a snow day is because I'm sick of this weather.  It's alright during Christmas when it's the holidays and I'm home and able to enjoy it.  But when I'm at school, it's a bother, especially since I have to walk everywhere, which makes everything I do take longer.  It's supposed to stop tomorrow, but if it's really that bad outside, we should just have another snow day.  I don't want one, but anything is better than going outside.

Young Adult Film Trailers

"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" trailer

I just saw a trailer for "The Fault In Our Stars", a film adaptation of the novel of the same name.  I enjoyed reading the book, so hearing it was being made into a film was a welcome surprise for me.  Once I saw the trailer for the film though, I shook my head.  It wasn't bad, but I didn't think it looked promising either with its characters, sappy music, and terrible lines.  You probably think I'm being harsh, but I'm not.  I just hate the way Hollywood promotes films from young adult books.  Everyone knows that the book version of something is usually always better because of the content you get from it, so when it becomes a film, from the trailer, they all look the same because they all have similar attributes.  I know every film is going to be different because of the author, but that still doesn't change how I feel about trailers from films based off young adult books.  They look stupid, so when I see them, I'm not surprised why they're criticized the way they are.  

Of course, I know how it feels being a author/fan of film, so I hope these films do well.  I don't know everything; this is just an opinion.

"The Fault In Our Stars" trailer, with many of the same qualities

No Love

My past few days have been a train wreck, trying to deal with things at home and at school.  At times, it can be overwhelming, so I do what I always do when I'm feeling stressed now and listen to some 2PM.  I love all their songs, regardless of language, but their new Japanese album stands out a lot to me.  Not just because it sounds different than their last album Grown, but because of the solo song by Jun. K called "No Love".  I wish I had/knew the English translations, but I don't, so I'll just enjoy this man's great song and talent. Can't wait to see what 2PM has in store this year.

Hottest <3