Every year, TOEI gathers the actors from their hit shows of the year prior and teams them up with the current cast for a very special “VS” episode.  For fans of the series, this is the very final hurrah for the cast of the last season; the very final time that cast will be seen together on screen.

Its that time of year,TOEI’s “Go-Onger vs GekiRanger” is currently in production, and I’m really excited to get my final dose of Jyuuken Sentai GekiRanger. The only reason I’ve even bothered keeping up with Go-Onger is to be better prepared for this very special episode. CLICK HERE to see some additional promotional pictures.

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Technorati Tags: Engine Sentai, Geki, GekiRanger, Go-Onger, Jyuuken Sentai, KaGeki, Martial Arts, Sentai

Having grown up in an “old-school” Latin American family while regularly attending Catholic School and Sunday mass, I was instilled with “good” moral character. The difference between right and wrong, good vs evil, these topics were heavily addressed by my parents, priests, nuns, teachers, and the countless hours spent watching Power Rangers. To this day, I pride myself as maintaining a high moral standard and doing what I think is right thanks to my early childhood mentors and my personal drive.

However, as I’ve grown older and experienced the pleasures of the world, I’ve noticed a very obvious trend among all people…people don’t simply make “bad” decisions due to their lack of information. People make “bad” decisions after attempting to rationalize the “bad” away from their decision. If there is an internal struggle between their beliefs and the decisions they’ve reached, they more often than not, twist the facts, bend their beliefs in order to allow themselves to carry out their decisions. Of course, “bad” is a relative term which, in this case, I use to describe something which goes against a person’s beliefs/morals.

We’ve all done it, myself included! From little things like speeding on the highway by believing it’ll make you get somewhere faster, and that the risk is worth the gain; to stealing a small trivial object claiming you’re just going to “borrow it” or that “they won’t miss it.” The justifications for these “bad” decisions, as trivial as they may appear, seem to be some sort of psychological way of protecting your sense of being a “good person,” and maintaining your ego.

The danger in allowing yourself to rationalize your way to “bad” decisions, is that these rationalizations could eventually alter your beliefs permanently and slowly change you into someone you didn’t think you were, all the while maintaining a delusional self-perspective of still being the “same ‘ol you.”

In quick retrospect, I know I have come a long way from the Catholic school alter boy to where I am now. My beliefs are still very similar, but they have naturally been altered slightly based on the events of my life, and all the rationalization I’ve done as a result.

So, if its natural for your beliefs/morals to be slightly altered by life, where does one put their foot down and make a stand? How far is too far? Unfortunately dear reader, that is a question only you yourself can answer. The only advise I can offer is, if you are unhappy with your life, don’t try to rationalize that unhappiness away. Do something about it!

A bad relationship, a hated job, a bad situation won’t change by simply rationalizing it to make you feel better, take action and stand up for your beliefs before they are warped beyond recognition! We may always rationalize our actions, but we don’t always act rational.

Technorati Tags: Bad Decisions, Cognitive DIssonance, Rationalization

One thing which I’ve never fully understood about people is their fixation on personal titles, ranks, or statuses. People are so engrossed with their ego and place much emphasis on what others think, that often times they loose sight of what really is important.

Its often said that the journey is more important than the destination, but I don’t entirely agree. Its the journey which gives the destination a meaning, and its the destination that gives the journey a purpose. They both must exist in order for them to hold value, and are thus intertwined.

Sure, I understand the need for some people to have a title or a rank, and it may seem like a great goal to strive for a director or VP title, but those people are letting themselves be defined by their titles. It should be the other way around!

Being defined by the title or rank one holds in life is allowing oneself to be defined based on the preconceived notions of that title. They fail to realize that by letting their title define them, they are simply being complacent to the status quo. If President Elect Barrack Obama allows himself to be defined by President George Bush’s blunders, then will the world really be any different? Holding himself to the standards of President Bush’s decision/policy making would truly be a tragedy, so instead he has created his own identity. “Yes we can!” “Change we can believe in.” These are some of the Obama Campaign’s favorite mantras, and words that have helped Obama define himself as someone not willing to accept complacency.

Senator John McCain repeatedly defined himself as a “maverick,” and did his best to distance himself from President Bush. He too is a man who understands that a job title shouldn’t define a person, but his campaign staff simply wasn’t eloquent enough with words to express that and instead opted for the “maverick” title to define McCain. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “maverick” as,

1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.
2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

Is McCain comparing himself to an unbranded calf? How long before someone stepped up and claimed it? Would a dissenter be the best option in a time when our government truly needs to work together regardless of party affiliation? That’s besides the point…

Setting personal goals and expectations are a great way to keep yourself motivated on your journey, but don’t forget to learn and enjoy the journey towards your goals. The most important thing to remember is that by relying on titles, statuses, ranks, or even other people to define you and your emotions, you are merely a passenger on an emotional/ego roller coaster and will never be truly independent.

Technorati Tags: Rank, Status, Title

Almost ten long years after my initial Wasteland adventure to procure a functional Water Chip and years later a Garden of Eden Creation Kit, I’ve once again ventured into the post-apocalyptic remains of humanity. This time, in search of my father, whom inexplicably left the safety and comfort of our home one night, starting a chain reaction which eventually led to me being kicked out of my home.

Drinking radiated water and eating radiated meat while living in a radiated wasteland is obviously a pretty harsh existence which has slowly mutated the world we once knew into a strange, eerie and unfamiliar place filled with killer super mutants, two headed cows, giant bugs, and even walking husks of rotting living humans called Ghouls. I couldn’t feel more at home, and thus is the reason I’ve seemingly “disappeared.”

Technorati Tags: Bethesda, Fallout 3

Hang on to your butts, tonight marks the end of a wild and crazy ride for our nominees and the beginning of four years of non-stop complaining by people who probably wont even bother to go vote tonight.