Espadrilles

(UPDATED: July 25, 2011)

Espadrilles are casual shoes that are fun for warm weather. They range from flats to wedges. The espadrilles I am most accustomed to are modest wedges that have a lovely ankle wrap to them. Some espadrilles have slingback designs and even peep-toe and open-toe designs. The base of most espadrilles are usually straw, cork, or something like that. I like to think of espadrilles (especially wedge espadrilles) as a casual alternative to dressy pumps. Because espadrilles are casual, it isn't really a good idea to go with espadrilles for a semi-formal or (especially) formal outfits. These days, more flat espadrilles are popular. These are simple slip-on shoes almost like a pair of low-top sneakers.

Believe it or not, espadrilles can even be stylish for men. I'm more used to feminine espadrilles, like these:


^ from: realsimple.com - These are the espadrilles I am most used to.


^ from: leadingshoes.com - Fully-enclosed espadrilles with a platform wedge design and a stylish ankle strap.


^ from: shoesoftheday.com - This is an example of flat espadrilles.



Or check out this video to see how to tie up espadrilles:




For some video insight on traditional espadrilles, check this video out (in Spanish with English subtitles):




So how do you wear espadrilles? Almost with anything casual. One such look would be to go with a lovely pair of high-heel espadrilles with skinny jeans. To me, I LOVE espadrilles worn with long dresses. A maxi dress or a lovely long sundress would go great with a pair of espadrilles. A skirt or dress that extends just below the knees or to mid-calf would also be lovely with espadrilles. So almost any casual look would go well with these shoes.

Want some espadrilles? Please use this widget below to check out espadrilles on Amazon. I would appreciate it if you can find a pair of espadrilles you'll love. With this widget. Look through the pages to find a pair of espadrilles you'll enjoy. Take a look:

Espadrilles on Amazon...

I have also set up a blog post on John's Shop Space, where you are free to shop for other espadrilles on Amazon, including espadrilles for men. Click on the graphic below to get started!







How do you like espadrilles (or do you like them)? Feel free to comment away, and thanks for reading!

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Male Perspective on Female Fashion

The one thing I realize from fashion bloggers is that it's different to see a male try to conversate and interact with feminine fashion. I've always been fascinated with female fashion since the mid-1990s. Part of that reason is because fashion is much more versatile for females than it is for us males.

For most of my own guys, many guys don't care about female fashion. The only thing they do care about is that their girls look good for their men. :) I was semi-inspired by the popular fashion blog, Fashion by He, regarding a masculine perspective on female fashion. I was also inspired by a loyal reader who commented on my blog post regarding florals in fashion. She was interested in how I discussed florals in fashion. Many things are always more interesting when told from a different perspective.

I do see myself a bit unique in the blogosphere that I am a male actively discussing and critiquing feminine fashion. I can appreciate many elements of feminine fashion- cute, chic, sexy, fierce, tough, stuff like that. I have my own likes in fashion. Conversely, I have things I'm not really into or dislike. One of the first ones long ago was on tucking jeans into boots. I eventually got over that. Same went for gladiator sandals, but to an extent- got over that as well. I know this will probably offend some of my female readers, but I've never liked the combination of cut-off denim short-shorts with tights and pumps/boots/sandals. It's usually light-washed denim shorts paired with black tights with black shoes or pumps. I'm sorry- I've never liked this look. I have also never really liked denim shorts with the front pockets hanging down. I've always seen this as trashy. Just never liked this look even though so many other females do.



Regardless, I have a healthy like and healthy dislike of certain fashions and styles. You can name any style- rompers/playsuits, peep-toe boots, boyfriend fashions... whatever floats your boat. I have my own ideas and opinions on certain fashions. I've sometimes avoided discussing certain fashions in my blog even though my primary blog is my breakaway from a proper fashion forum. This is because I may say something I know would easily infuriate my fashionable friends. All because my thoughts would be much different from what mainstream thinking or popular culture says about such looks and fashions. It was my motivation to shy away from discussing fashion on a certain message board, primarily because I felt completely not qualified to discuss fashion there. You wonder why I don't have my own fashion blog? It's because I am just not qualified to discuss fashion professionally. So I moved my fashion discussions here. While it may sound strange speaking as a male, I feel more comfortable discussing feminine fashion than I do masculine fashion.

How do you feel about a male like myself mostly engaged in discussion of feminine fashions? By the way, if you are interested in feminine fashion from a masculine perspective according to Fashion by He, take a look at "Fashion by He" here on Blogspot. I salute all the many fashion blogs I follow. To see certain fashion blogs I pay tribute to, check out my other blog posts:

• Fashion Blog Shoutouts! - all fashion blogs I salute
• Plus Size Fashion - features all Plus Size fashion blog posts I salute to; blog post on plus/extended size fashion
• Sweet Petite! - all petite fashion blogs I salute; blog post on petite fashion





Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
• Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)

1,000,000 Views!

John's Blog Space has surpassed 1,000,000 views today since Blogger/Blogspot introduced its own statistics engine! These 1M views are based on Blogger/Blogspot statistics. Reaching this many views means that over one million people even cared to visit your site. Especially if you continue working on your website or blog regularly, reaching one million views all-time is a tremendous accomplishment.

It was July 2010 or so when Blogger/Blogspot introduced this stat system. All of the views I was able to get were done by all of you for the most part. I hate viewing my own blog because I think of it as cheap views. It's almost like on YouTube where someone says something like "thumbs up if..." I specifically set my settings to where my own views don't count. Sadly, Internet Explorer is poor at not saving the "Don't Count My Own Page Views" feature. I guess if there is one thing I am proud of, it is that I got to 1,000,000 views in one year since the stat system was introduced for Blogger/Blogspot.

My Thanks to My Readers; Thoughts.

I would like to thank everyone who even bothered to look at "John's Blog Space" for the past 12 months. The biggest key for me was when GTPlanet linked to my blog post about my first impressions of the Gran Turismo 5 kiosk demo. I got hits from around the world and back for my efforts. At one point, my blog started losing regular views. There was a point where I really thought hardly anyone cared about my blog anymore except for my loyal readers. There was even a point when I would get suspicious blog comments. Like, imagine people only visiting your blog just because of the commenting system your blog uses or on certain keywords. I had to crack down on that, and I think it put a hurt on my view counts.

Final Thoughts.

All I can do is just post blog entries for all of you. The rest all relies on my readers (yourself included). I am thankful that over a million views from as many as about 170 different countries and territories have visited John's Blog Space. You all cared even when I thought people DIDN'T care about my work. I still wish I could return to regularly getting 3,000 views or more; but I will surely take the fact that more than 1,000,000 people even cared to visit John's Blog Space. So thank you very much to all of you the world over.





As a bonus note, "John's Gran Turismo Space" got 10,000+ views all-time (Blogger/Blogspot statistics) a few days ago. So thanks to you GT fans for supporting JGTS in addition to JBS. Thank you for reading! More blogging goodness from JBS to come in the future!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
• Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)

Fashion Blog Shout-Outs!

UPDATED: April 5, 2012
ORIGINALLY POSTED: November 18, 2010 at 10:39 PM PST

Here is something I've always wanted to do. This blog entry is just a shout out to all Blogspot blogs devoted to or about fashion. I will add and comment on several fashion-themed blogs and offer my own comments to each. You are invited to click on each of the headings to see the blogs in question. This is my own personal way of saying thanks to all of the many people who find my blog in the realm of fashion. I will virtually take you around the world to show you many different fashion blogs from fashion bloggers all over the world. There are MANY fashion blogs I salute here. This is to showcase the international appeal of blogging.

To avoid any kind of copyright issues (or potential copyright issues), I will not post any pictures featured from certain fashion blogs. If I am a fan of your blog and didn't include your blog, DON'T WORRY! I will try to include your fashion blog in future edits to show my extended support. I may even add in more blogs just to show extended support.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

FEB 21 2011 - added multiple blogs


Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow!

--- John's Fashion Blog Shout-Outs! ---

Because this blog was mostly dedicated to Blogger/Blogspot blogs, I will mostly feature blogs under this interface. The blogs are all listed in no particular order.

(ADDED: November 30, 2011) Personal messages from me to any of the represented bloggers will be noted in highlighted text.

Fashion in General

General fashion blogs. Again, listed in no particular order (I may even list some blogs more than once, since I almost haphazardly just include blogs without proofreading much)...

Glamour Blog..

Cindy Van Dyck to some people is better known as Glamour Bbey. The beautiful Belgian blogger showcases some of her lovely outfits. I made mention of Glamour Bbey in my blog post called "Short Hair." She smiles sweetly and has a boyish, yet chic short hairstyle. Some of the items she offers to others can be found in her alternative blog, Glamour Bbey Shop.. She found my blog and liked it. Thereafter, I have been more than appreciative of the Belgian teenager becoming a fan of my blog. I greatly appreciate and enjoy her blog posts.

Cindy, I have long appreciated your work. Keep up the great work with the fabulous Glamour Blog.

tuolomee.

The beautiful Tiffany created the blog tuolomee to showcase many of her modeling shots and a multitude of her looks. The American-Belizean native of California also shows pictures of certain fashion shows and runway shows highlighting certain collections. Her pictures are nothing short of breathtaking. Her hair is styled beautifully along with a very angelic face. She is very diverse in her fashion style. If you haven't already, feel free to check out tuolomee's blog.

fallie.

From a country as beautiful as she is, Tuuli is the creator of "fallie's scrapbook." This blog is from a beautiful and very young teenager who has been featured in Teen Vogue magazine. The beautiful girl hails from the beautiful Northern Europe nation of Estonia. To read more about her from Teen Vogue, check out this Teen Vogue article on her.

For someone as young as you are, your creativity is incredible. I enjoy your artwork.

tANDREss.

Swiss blogger, Andrea, has her own arrangement of nice outfits along with various fashion digest pieces. Feel free to check out some of her pictures by visiting her blog.

spoken love song.

A beautiful young teen girl is the creator of "spoken love song." The super-cute fashionable teen from Norway is hot with fashion even in the cold of Norway.

Chekka Cuomova.

Chekka Cuomova is a beautiful fashionista from Indonesia. She has a lovely sense of style with her many outfits. Chekka showcases some of her own outfits as well as some various fashion show shoots.

Glisters and Blisters..

Voted "Blogger of the Year" by Elle and yet another beautiful young Indonesian lady, Michelle Koesnadi is eye candy with a tasty sense of fashion. Her beauty captivates in a multitude of ways ranging from her sweet face and smile to her lovely hair. She even mixes things up by providing artistic and beautiful modeling shots showcasing some impressive visual effects. You will fall in love with and become captivated by her immense beauty.

Michelle, I always enjoy seeing your pictures. Your sense of style is incredible.

Miss Kwong.

Class is in session, and Miss Agnes Kwong is the stylish Hong Kong high school teacher offering lessons in style. She believes that teachers can look every bit as classy and as chic in the classroom as they can outside of the classroom. Miss Kwong also does some fashion illustrations apart from her usual outfit posts. You are getting a little of everything from this Hong Konger. Meet one of the most stylish teachers in the world by visiting Miss Kwong today!

Miss Kwong, you are a beautiful woman with beautiful style. Your blog is incredible, and I enjoy visiting your blog to continually see your latest lovely looks.

Hottest Heels - Heels Are Hot! Anything Else Is Not!.

Because flats and low-heel shoes aren't sexy, this blog highlights on some of the sexiest high heel shoes, boots, and sandals in the world. The young creator of this blog even showcases some heels the blog's creator wears. The creator even showcases those high-heel beauties being worn. Believe it or not, the creator of this blog is a young man. He is certainly one who feels that high heels can be just as attractive on males as they can be for females.

Amy A La Mode.

(UPDATED/ADDED: February 21, 2012)
Amy is both a fashion lover and a solid actress. As a friend of hers on Facebook, I want the California native to reach the highest-possible summit she can aspire to. Perhaps an Emmy-award winning actress.

Chloe Dao.

Chloe Dao, as in the same Chloe Dao that won "Project Runway" season 2, has her own blog right here on Blogger/Blogspot. Her fashion store is right here in Houston (obviously makes me proud to have a high-end dealer in my hometown). Check out her material and her musings if you love fashion.

Fafinettex3.

If you follow YouTube, you might have heard of a beautiful lady named Aubrey who is the creator of fafinettex3. Well, the Virginia girl brings her beauty advice and fashion tips to Blogger/Blogspot. Check out her blog (as well as Fafinettex3 on YouTube) for more.

COUTE QUE COUTE.

A professional-type blog featuring various fashions. I don't read this blog often, but I do have it among my followed blogs.

My Capacious Bottega.

Mulika (also known as "Milly") is a fashion blogger offering her own sense of style. The Nigerian-born London, England girl is a beautiful lady with a keen eye for style. Visit her blog to check out some of her many fashions. And if you have Facebook, join her Facebook fan page if you love her work.

tiny sailor.

Tiny Sailor is the blog of a young lady named Nicole (but nicknamed Niki) from Arkansas. Niki, then, features some of her unique fashion styles and many different looks. She is very much into beach-inspired and nautical fashions. In addition to many beach-inspired fashions, she does some alterations to some of her clothes to come along with unique looks. For example, one of her most recent looks feature her taking a floor-length prom dress from the '70s and cutting it to make a fun short dress. Then, she paired them with black tights and a very popular pair of lace-up ankle boots. Check out the petite lady's blog to see her many styles. Enter this beachy diva's paradise of fashion by visiting "tiny sailor" today!

"Tiny Sailor" is one of the coolest blogs online. I always find joy in reading your content and seeing your pictures. Take care and have a great day, Niki!

Only the marvelous.

Rich with content and unique looks, Joanna Ladrido of "Only the marvelous" is a beautiful young fashion blogger from the Philippines. This Pinay princess has no shortage of style. She has a beautiful face and lovely hair, but a lot of what makes her beauty shine is in her various pictures posted. She has been featured in a number of different publications and websites. It is a very photo-intensive blog, so take this into account if you have a slow connection. You will have no problem falling in love with the many fashions and styles exhibited by Joanna in this blog.

My Own Private Xanadu.

Enter the realm of one Xiomara von Glindmeyer as she takes you on a fabulous tour of her sense of style. Her blog, however, is about much more than just fashion, though most of her material involves fashion. Xiomara introduces her own unique sense of style in her pictures. You're not going to find anything super-chic or worthy of fashion shows, but you will see a young lady with a distinctive style all her own. A visit to "My Own Private Xanadu" is definitely worth your time.

My Silk Fairytale.

A newcomer to the blogging scene, Alina F. started "my Silk Fairytale" starting in April of 2011. The beautiful young Romanian fashion blogger has a variety of fashion styles expressed in her blog including a look at fashion stars. Get a feel for Alina's amazing sense of style by visiting "My Silk Fairytale."

Alina, your blog is a great one. Your sense of style is great whether it's a casual look or some sort of cute look. You are surely a lovely lady with lovely style.

.a little princess..

You're never too young to be a fashion star. Just ask Veren Lee of ".a little princess." This very young Indonesian fashion blogger has her own playful and unique style. Have a look at this little princess' blog, and you'll see why this princess rules like a queen with style.

keiko lynn.

One of the most beautiful women in blogging is Keiko Lynn. The style of this Florida-born Brooklyn girl is beautiful in her many blog posts. Let her showcase her chic sense of style in her many blog posts. Keiko Lynn will captivate you in a multitude of ways. Just pay her a visit at www.keikolynn.com, and you too will be drawn into her immense allure! And in case you wonder, she is 25% Japanese.

missingavenue.

When you take a trip down Missing Avenue, you will find a lovely Singaporean beauty named Melody (also known as "Meow"). This young fashion blogger may have a musical name, but her fashion is truly in perfect harmony. Visit her blog and get to be awed by her sense of style.

*~ HitomiNeko ~* * * Lovely Things in my life * * * .

If kawaii is what you crave, HitomiNeko might just be for you. This beautiful young blogger is very much into beauty and accessories. Besides fashion, HitomiNeko is about various other fashion and non-fashion posts. Check out this kawaii cutie's blog to see what all HitomiNeko has to offer for you!

HitomiNeko, you are a beautiful young lady. I enjoy both your posts and your videos. I wish you the best all aspects life has to offer. Thank you for supporting my work!

Finishing Touches.

(ADDED: Sep. 2, 2011) Finishing Touches is a fashion boutique featuring various lovely fashions for women. This blog highlights on some of the many styles offered by FT. The blog's creator hails from both Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and also London, England, UK.

Deconstruction.

(ADDED: Oct. 7, 2011) Mackenzie is a young Florida-based fashion blogger. As Florida is the Sunshine State, Mackenzie is a lovely ray of fashionable sunshine with her many different looks. What is different about her is that she does her fair share of making some of her own clothing. Mackenzie boasts the looks of a goddess. She is a long-haired beauty with diamond blue eyes and a very sweet smile. Mackenzie's goddess-like looks only make her various outfit posts spectacular. Feel free to say hello to Mackenzie by visiting "Deconstruction" today! If you have Facebook and want to keep up with her blog, visit "Deconstruction Fashion Blog's" Facebook Fan Page.

You are immensely beautiful. I have nothing but respect for a young lady like yourself. Even more so considering how far into the realm of fashion you are working towards. Mackenzie, you are a beautiful lady with an equally beautiful blog. Keep up the great work!

indie.electronic.alternative.

The edgy wild child behind this blog is a lady named Danielle. If you can't tell by the name of her blog, it is a fashion blog that is far away from the mainstream. It is not just fashion, as you can tell. It also features music from non-mainstream artists and groups. This Philadelphia, PA, USA blogger has just about everything to suit your tastes. Check out Danielle's blog and become inspired.

I've always admired and appreciated your respect, Danielle. Please have a great day and thanks for your continued support of my work.

Modemoiselle.

(ADDED: October 25, 2011) Myriam is an Italian fashion blogger. Her blog and its posts are both in Italian and English, but her style translates beautifully in any language. Have a look around Modemoiselle today and see the short-haired lady's sense of style.

Make your own fashion show.

Hailing from Ukraine but residing in Hungary, this blog showcases the style of a lovely young Ukranian fashion blogger. Named Asya (also known as StaceyKo), she showcases outfit posts as well as various insightful fashion posts from fashion shows and such.

Asya/StaceyKo, I have been very pleased to meet you here in the blogosphere. You are an amazingly beautiful young lady. Your blog is as awesome as you are.

Koltunovskaya.

This Russian beauty named Natalie is the creator of "Koltunovskaya." She shares her sense of style with many different outfit posts. Natalie has many different looks to catch your eye and capture your heart. Visit the Russian's blog to check out her style.

the autumn castle.

"the autumn castle" is a blog run by Princess Aelie. This Australian blogger showcases her style in a number of lovely blog posts. Let Aelie share with you her style in her many posts.

Give Me Bows.

A pleasant viewing experience is offered when you visit "Give Me Bows." Elyse is the vintage-type lady behind this blog. What you will find is a handful of beautiful vintage-style outfits, mostly vintage skirts and dresses. As mentioned, her style is elegant and vintage. Her beauty is very easy on the eyes. See for yourself by visiting her blog.

Maytedoll.

(ADDED: February 21, 2012)
Mayte is a beautiful young Mexican based here in my home state of Texas. Her fashion style is deeply inspired by the Kardashian sisters, and her looks were even blogged about by one of the Kardashians themselves! Maytedoll is a style blog featuring many different looks and pieces sure to leave you breathless... or at least, wanting MUCH more of her lovely pictures and looks.

Glam and Fab Chameleon.

(ADDED: February 21, 2012)
Jelena runs "Glam and Fab Chameleon." This blogger was born in Serbia but is based in Greece. There is no doubt her style is charming. She boasts a number of looks and styles ranging from casual to classy and even with swimwear.

miouprincess loves pink!.

(ADDED: February 21, 2012)
While she may love pink, she also loves fashion; and that's what you're going to get when you visit Marina's blog. This Greek blogger has a myriad of posts featuring various beauty touches and outfits. Check out "miouprincess loves pink!" to enjoy her many lovely styles.

SAZI'S TOP SECRET.

(ADDED: February 21, 2012)
Sazi is from Nigeria and is a fashion blogger. This African blogger will welcome you into her fashion world once you visit "SAZI'S TOP SECRET." Outfit posts of hers are posted on SAZI'S TOP SECRET.

Thank you for your support and kindness, Sazi. Hope all is well with you.





Now on to some of the more specific categories of fashion blogs...

Plus Size Fashion:

Blogs featuring or devoted to plus size/curvy fashion...

Pearls, Lace, and Ruffles.

A beautiful young plus size girl from Ireland named Dee followed me on Twitter. As I learned of her blog, I began to instantly fall in love with her blog. "Pearls, Lace, and Ruffles" is a blog about fashion for curvy women. The creator of the blog herself is absolutely beautiful herself. She has done a few videos on YouTube, and my goodness... she has a BEAUTIFUL voice! You can see her YouTube channel at pearlslaceandruffles and join her Facebook Fan Page.

Dee, your blog is always a great one to read and so are your outfit posts. I hope nothing but the best for you always. You are an amazing young Irish beauty with great beauty and charm.

SELECTIVE MEMORY.

Emmy is a beautiful curvy Mexican lady proudly representing Houston, Texas. Her blog posts are bilingual- she posts in both English and Spanish. Her beauty, however, is understandable in any language.

Principessa Gabriella.

Principessa (Italian for "Princess") Gabriella is a very beautiful curvy fashionista. Gabriella has a beautiful face and equally lovely hair. Her sense of style can range from purely casual to cute and girly. Her touches of makeup only makes her already beautiful looks even more beautiful. In addition, she has a host of lovely accessories to compliment her looks even more. Her beauty will captivate you. Besides fashion, she even discusses recipes of hers. So there's a little of everything from Gabriella. Don't believe me? Check out some of her lovely outfits and makeup pictures.

Gabriella, I have always admired your blog and your pictures. Meeting you online has been a tremendous pleasure and joy. Best wishes to you in all aspects of life. More than ever, thank you for your continued support of my work!

GabiFresh (formerly "Young, Fat and Fabulous").

Gabi Gregg (or "gabifresh") is the beautiful curvy blogger of "GabiFresh" (formerly "Young, Fat, and Fabulous"). Her blog was featured in the most recent Seventeen Magazine as one of their favorite curvy fashion blogs. Gabi's blog also has been featured among many other different publications. It's easy to see why when you visit the Chicago (or Detroit?) native's blog. Gabi also has some videos, and if you think she looks cute, you should hear her speak because she has a beautiful voice. Visit Gabi's YouTube Channel and Gabi's Facebook Fan Page in addition to her lovely blog!

Curvy Girl Chic.

Sweet as candy with delicious fashion sense, Boston native(?) Allison is a cute, curvy Asian (Cantonese and Taiwanese) girl. As she smiles, it's like flowers bloom and butterflies flutter. She is absolutely cute, and her outfits are purely fantastic. Even Seventeen Magazine shown "Curvy Girl Chic" as one of their favorite curvy fashion blogs. You can see why by checking out the young beauty's blog.

ANGY'S TEA ROOM.

You are welcome to have tea in Angy's Tea Room- a blog about a Russian plus-size blogger who resides in Italy. Her style is purely casual as you can see in a lot of her looks.

Cupcake's Clothes.

One of the cutest blogs you'll ever come across is plus size cutie Georgina Doull's blog called "Cupcake's Clothes." Her style is very girly and cute, and she is often very imaginative as well. She has cute hair. Trust me- this blog from this British cutie is very lighthearted and cute. She is a beautiful young plus size lady. Georgina also has her own accessories store called Dolly Mixx. Feel free to visit both her blog and her online store, Dolly Mixx.

Georgina, your blog is very cute and fun. I love the positive and lighthearted energy you bring to your blog and its posts. I enjoy visiting Cupcake's Clothes.

Sugar and Spice.

Georgina has a younger sister named Charlotte, and her blog is called "Sugar and Spice." This young British blogger is just as cute as her sister. Various insight on fashion and life are offered in this lovely blog.

You are as beautiful as your older sister, and I enjoy your posts. Great blog, Charlotte!

The Woolen Mitten.

The Woolen Mitten is the blog of a plus size British lady named Sara. Her posts range from outfit posts to beauty posts and all things in-between. I salute Sara since she respects my blogging work. Go visit "The Woolen Mitten" and check out her style.

Curves Ahead.

Curves Ahead is both a blog and a makeup line. This blog and Curves Ahead Makeup is run by a sweet plus size lady named Candy. Candy couldn't be a sweeter name for this lovely lady who mostly specializes in beauty-related topics. However, she does share with you some outfit posts of hers at times, usually referred to as her "girlie looks." She even extends her style discussions on YouTube. Candy is a candy-sweet curvy fashionista with great looks and exceptional charm. Make your visit to Curves Ahead and check out her exceptional style!

Candy couldn't be a more appropriate name for you because you and your style are incredibly sweet. I hope you continue providing your incredible insight and style in your posts.

Style 4 Curves --For the Curvy Confident Woman

However, Style 4 Curves highlights various fashion insights from a lady named Venessia. This curvy beauty from Mississippi highlights on some of her own outfits and the various inspirations they are derived from. It is a fairly new blog, since its first post was created in October 2011. I am sure she'll appreciate it if you Follow her fairly young blog.

Venessia, I appreciate your kindness and support of my work. Thank you for visiting John's Blog Space. Best wishes to you in all aspects of life.

Fofoleca (Portuguese).

Vanessa (or "Vanny") Ferreira is a plus size fashion blogger. Though the blog is mostly in Portuguese, the curvy Brazilian beauty is very cute in looks. She has a sweet face and a sweeter smile. Equally sweet is her sense of style. One of the main purposes of her blog is to discuss not only plus size fashion, but also in losing weight and being healthy. Even if you don't speak or understand Portuguese, just know that her beauty is understandable in any language. Scope the full gauge of her style by visiting Fofoleca. Vanessa tells me that "Fofoleca" is not a real Portuguese word. It's a combination of "fofo" (meaning "cute," which she is VERY cute) and "moleca" (meaning something similar to "a witty girl"). So she is cute and witty. Cool, huh?

Vanessa (or Vanny), your blog is always a real treat. While I am poor at Portuguese, your beauty translates well in any language.

Viva Voluptuous!.

ADDED: February 21, 2012)
The plus size blogger named Marisa is unafraid to showcase her curves and her style. It shows in a number of her posts. Most of her posts consist of inspirational posts and some basic commentary on being curvy. However, Marisa also shares outfit posts as well as some photo shoots she's taken part in.

Petite Fashion:

Petite fashion, petites, or at least blogs focused on petites (5'4" (168 cm) or shorter)...

PetiteLittleGirl.

Sydney of "PetiteLittleGirl" is a cute Asian lady from (or lives in) Ohio. The Vietnamese cutie showcases her sense of style through mostly casual and some chic outfits. Sydney boasts a cute smile and face along with lovely hair. As the name of her blog suggests, she is a petite. The one thing I really respect about Sydney is that she keeps is real and honest. She is completely down-to-earth. Visit this sweet petite's blog to get a feel for her sense of style.

You are surely one of the sweetest bloggers online. Sydney, your style is lovely whether classy or casual. Reading your posts is a great pleasure. I wish you continued success in all aspects of life.

Extra Petite.

While you might find some lovely fashions for everyday wear from PetiteLittleGirl, what about more classy fashions? Jean of "Extra Petite" is dedicated to finding classy and professional fashions for petite women. Let this lovely Asian petite help you to find some lovely professional fashions if you yourself are a petite.

I am Khatu.

Khatu is a beautiful petite blogger from Boston, MA, USA. This Vietnamese lady showcases her style with many different chic and classy fashions. She stands all of 4'11". Despite her small frame, she's BIG on style. As her blog suggests, "big style comes in small packages," and her style is as huge as any average-height, average-size woman.

Really Petite.

This beautiful petite named Annie of Really Petite is the blog of a beautiful young Vietnamee petite who wants to help petite women make better decisions when shopping for petite clothing. The petite princess is very beautiful and stands 5'0". She's big on style and wants you to look your best if you're a sweet petite yourself. Annie also has a YouTube channel, and if you think she looks lovely, she has a lovely voice as well. She is really a beautiful lady. Check out her blog!

Annie, I've had the utmost respect for your blog and its content for the longest. You are a beautiful lady with beautiful style. Keep up the great work with your fine blog!

cute and little.

Kileen (pronounced KAI-leen) is a very sweet petite. This Taiwanese petite Asian from my home state of Texas showcases her style in a variety of outfits. Her most popular feature to her blog is her "Color Brigade" series. The Color Brigade series of blog posts honors fashionable girls who play with color in a beautiful way. Petite cuteness. That's what you'll find from the petite who's cute and little. She can also be quite silly and funny in her posts. So when you visit her blog, you can expect to have a fun experience. Kileen posts often, so make sure to subscribe to her if you love her blog. Check out "cute and little" today to check out her style!

You are one of the coolest personalities in the blogosphere, Kileen! You have a variety of lovely looks showcased in your many blog posts. Keep up the great work in all that you do.

Little Petite.

(Added: August 17, 2011)
This beautiful young petite named Adriana is a divinely beautiful lady. Most of her blog posts showcase some of her outfits and even offer some fashion advice. There is no shortage of material she has to offer for those who visit the California-born, Arizona-based Latina's blog. Have a look at this petite's immense charm and style by visiting "Little Petite" today!

Adriana, I always appreciate your comments. Your blog is a lovely one. You smile sweetly, look great, and have some amazing blog posts. Nothing short of spectacular. You are a little petite with big time beauty. I wish you continued success in all aspects of life.

The Fancy Teacup | a style diary.

"Having a sip of the darling demure and the curiously coy" is the tagline to Jamie's blog, and it is perfectly fine to have one sip too many of her style. Her style varies from very casual to very chic. While her blog is not overly about petite fashion, Jamie is a petite. Let this little lady share with you how big on style she is by visiting The Fancy Teacup!

Lucy and the Runaways.

Natalie is a New Zealand-born lady based in Australia. She is fairly big on vintage chic, and it shows in a lot of her posts. A diverse array of styles are offered by this young blogger. Visit "Lucy and the Runaways" to get a feel for her style. Her various styles can range from cute and girly to fierce and tough. Her style covers a broad spectrum of styles. To see them all, just visit Lucy and the Runaways.

Lucky Packet.

Lucky Packet is the blog of a young South African fashionista. This petite has charming style. The posts in her blog are mostly outfit posts of hers in a variety of outfits. She has one of the sweetest faces and sweetest smiles of almost any blogger. That is complimented with a cute hairstyle. While she may be a short girl, she's big on style. Lucky Packet itself, however, is not a blog devoted towards petite fashion.

Males in Fashion

Why should girls have all the fashion fun?

Fashion by He.

The unique thing about this blog is that this is commentary on fashion from a male perspective. It's all done by He. Who is He? Well, it's as much of a mystery. He loves fashion. He discusses fashion the way only He can. Visit this blog and get a guy's taste on feminine fashion.

FASHIONpaak.

Hong Kong's Paak is a male who has a unique sense of style all his own.

The Art of Avant Garde.

At first, you wouldn't think that the creator of this blog is actually a male. Eli is an andorgynous fellow who will astound you with his amazing sense of style. He has no problem sporting a pair of pumps or a lovely dress. His androgynous beauty may not be to the likes of Andrej Pejic, but his looks will amaze you. Definitely worth a visit if you want some fashion outside the box.


Last, but not least...

The Sartorialist.

The Sartorialist represents the summit of what any blogger wants to aspire to. A blog that is about or past five years old, this blog has garnered over 38K+ followers and is updated often. It has been critically-acclaimed by fashion lovers. And... it's a Blogger/Blogspot blog. Any blogger who looks to be great (at least here on Blogger/Blogspot) needs only visit this blog.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Blogs of Honorable Mention...

high heels for men (Honorable Mention!).

Funny that the only male-oriented fashion blog I am shouting out to involves males wearing feminine clothing (still a popular topic these days), even including androgynous males wearing feminine heels and feminine clothes. What you will see will really make you think. This is more of a digest of pictures rather than anything really fashion-related. That is why I have given Honorable Mention to this blog.

TJ Petite (Honorable Mention!).

I am giving Honorable Mention to TJ Petite because it was this blog that loevd my "Sweet Petite!" blog. "Sweet Petite!" was my blog post about petite fashion, and TJ Petite has been nothing but loyal to my work.

Hello Lucie! (Discontinued Blog - Honorable Mention!)

Plus-size beauty Lucia runs this fashion blog of hers called "Hello Lucie!" She is undeniably very cute with such a sweet smile and a cute hairstyle. Equally lovely that this lovely young lady from El Salvador kindly represents my hometown of Houston, Texas. She doesn't post blog entries regularly, but what she does come along with on her blog is golden.

She must have deleted her blog, so that's why I'm paying Honorable Mention to her.

--- If You Are Any of the People I Shouted Out To... ---

...I just want to say thanks and give thanks to you for providing so much quality content! I honestly never did a single fashion topic until about October 30th, 2009. Since, I've done over 100+ blog posts of or related to fashion. People like all of you that I shouted out to (with perhaps many more to come) represent some of the many fashion-related blogs that I follow online. So it is my great honor to read and enjoy your material.

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3D Dot Game Heroes

(UPDATED: September 6, 2011)

In this era of action Role Playing Games, anything less than what is considered the norm is substandard. So a game like "3D Dot Game Heroes" would have no place in today's realm of RPGs. It doesn't have impressive voice acting, beautifully immersive worlds, or anything even remotely close to what today's RPG is supposed to be. Then again, Atlus and From Software basically said... "who gives a f***?" I bought this game at a store and decided to review this game for your pleasure. I came across "3D Dot Game Heroes" curiously as I was looking up Minecraft videos. I saw a YouTube video and quickly became curious about this game. Then... I bought it. What did I think? That's what you're about to find out here on John's Blog Space!

BY THE WAY...

This is my first-ever review of a PlayStation 3 game besides Gran Turismo 5, which you can read in my other blog, "John's Gran Turismo Space!"

LATEST UPDATE:

Because of consistent and persistent spam comments to this post, including spam searches, comments have been disabled for this post. Just read this post and enjoy my content.

--- 3D Dot Game Heroes ---

^ from: amazon.com - 3D Dot Game Heroes.

3D Dot Game Heroes is a game which pays homage to old-school NES RPGs. You would hate this game if you are not anyone experienced with classic RPGs. However, this game lends a great deal of its appeal and character to the very first Legend of Zelda. The entire game is a throwback to what the first Zelda game provided to gaming and to RPGs. In addition, it also has a few elements of the very first Dragon Warrior. Unlike Dragon Warrior, this is a game with all Zelda-type action.

Some people online say that "3D Dot Game Heroes" is a Zelda rip-off. I disagree entirely. How can a game that pays tribute to old-school RPGs be a rip-off? I'm a Final Fantasy fan, but even I know classic RPG action when I see and play one. So don't give me that crap about this game trying to be any kind of rip-off.

--- 3D Dot Game Heroes at a Glance ---

The Kingdom of Dotnia faced a Dark King who reigned with terror over the land until a hero slain him. This hero utilized the power with help from six sages who confined to a Dark Orb. He returns the sword to where he got it from as his work was done. A lot of time passes since this ancient hero defeated this cruel villain. Now, a new foe has brought a reign of terror to Dotnia named Fuelle. This Dark Bishop wants to become the Dark King. If he does, then Dotnia will be doomed forever. That is... unless YOU can stop him! Accomplishing this feat requires you to obtain six orbs and rescue the six sages to help you to defeat Fuelle.

--- 3D Dot Game Heroes: What You Need to Know ---

I think this game is primarily inspired by these two games:

• The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES/Famicom)
• The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (1990, SNES/Super Famicom)

A lot of the game's mechanics and actions are mostly influenced by Zelda games of the past, but it also includes some elements of Dragon Warrior in the sense of visiting towns (because there are no villages or towns to visit in the first Zelda game). The ability to move in all four basic directions including diagonally is something you can certainly do in "The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past." Unlike "The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past," however, there are no diagonal walls in "3D Dot Game Heroes." Everything is grid-like just like in the very first Zelda game.

Heroes/Heroines.

When you start a new game or continue a saved game, you may elect to choose a character. I recommend you use a template to serve as your hero/heroine. Give your hero/heroine a name, and enter information on gender and class. Your character's class defines their HP and magical ability. There are three classes of character in this game when you select your hero/heroine. According to what I've read online, there is a difference among the three classes:

• Hero - more HP than magical ability.
• Royal - equal in HP and magical ability.
• Scholar - more magical ability than HP.

The character I use is a male with in the Hero class. In case you're wondering, all characters you can create are in 16 × 16 dimensions. You may actually want to practice designing your own character using a Paint program to help build your character in 3D Dot Game Heroes.

Swordplay.

Just like in Zelda games, you are at your greatest level of offense when at full health. Full health in a Zelda game allows you to fire beams from your sword to deliver offense to enemies from a distance. Your level of offense is absolutely criminal in 3D Dot Game Heroes at full health! Your sword can deliver some intense offense from a distance. Each sword (except the first one) has Potential. This Potential marks just how powerful your sword can really be when fully powered up. So as you can imagine, your sword can live up to its full potential when fully powered up. A number of aspects can be upgraded by going to the blacksmith in Raejack Village (the first village in the game).

• Length - makes your sword longer.
• Width - makes your sword wider.
• Strength - makes your sword more powerful.
• Spin - adds the ability to spin slash your sword.
• Beam - fires an additional beam from your sword.
• Pierce - your sword can go through walls and obstacles.
• Special - swords with special abilities can be enhanced when equipped.

As a side note, not every sword can be upgraded fully. Remember that your hero/heroine must be at full health to experience the full power of each sword. When not at full health, the upgraded potential of your sword will be dumped until you return to full health.

Camera Play.

3D Dot Game Heroes gives you four camera views when in the Overworld. The primary camera view gives you a nice view of the land. There are three other camera views you can use to view Dotnia. When you go into dungeons, caves, and houses, etc.; these views do not work. The camera views only impact the overworld view.


If I think of anything else, I will make more edits if need be to this initial blog post. These are just a few basic things to know about the game. Most everything else you need to know has to be done on your own.

--- 3D Dot Game Heroes: Overall Review ---

Atlus has done themselves justice in providing a throwback to Zelda-type action RPG gaming. Even with its fancified graphics and touches, this is modern retro at its absolute best. The kind of gamer who will truly appreciate "3D Dot Game Heroes" are those who are just classic, old-school gamers. Even if you don't hark back on the glory days of gaming constantly, you still have plenty to enjoy with this title. Those who know almost every nuance of classic Zelda games will find many hints of old-school Zelda in this game. It is also very funny and creative.

The only negatives (if any) to this game are maybe the name of the game and the fact that some of the fights and puzzles can be tedious.

Video Preview.

So you read the review and want to see this game in action? Allow me to show you this video. This is how the game plays and what it looks like. Enjoy!



Did you like it?





To say it respectfully, this is the best Zelda-type game... that isn't Zelda. It will provide hours of nostalgia for those who are veterans of classic Zelda games.



Oh, and if you do get this game, I ABSOLUTELY recommend you bookmark a website, because you might need this to help you get through "3D Dot Game Heroes." Find walkthrough and Trophy information on this game by visiting "3D Dot Game Heroes" FAQ by EgHeadFool on gamefaqs.com. Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 5 - First Impressions

I had spent a good amount of time playing Gran Turismo 5 now. I feel I have enough experience to chat about this game professionally to all of you. I'm personally sorry it has taken this long for me to evaluate Gran Turismo 5 after having played it recently. This blog post concerns my first impressions of Gran Turismo 5 after having played the FULL version for a few days. Please note this is not about the kiosk demo. This blog post is my own evaluation of Gran Turismo 5 after playing the full game. Having said this, you deserve to read my first impressions.

NOTE: As of this blog post, I have not yet prepared my review of Gran Turismo 5. I am actually torn between posting the review on "John's Blog Space" and/or "John's Gran Turismo Space." I prefer posting the review on John's Gran Turismo Space, but I haven't yet decided from this initial blog post.

My review of "Gran Turismo 5" can be read here: GT5 Review on "John's Gran Turismo Space"!

--- Gran Turismo 5: Setting up the Story ---

While it took me some time to get my PlayStation 3 and Gran Turismo 5, I eventually got both this past Saturday. Most of what I've experienced with GT5 was in YouTube videos and other online material. I must say I have been fairly pleased seeing content posted online. I've even made a habit of looking at YouTube videos featuring songs from GT5.

With a game that's been released since November 2010, it's taken me nearly seven months to finally join the PS3 brigade. I felt that this long wait has hampered my ability in making YouTube videos, blog posts, and more. Any and all comments I may make regarding Gran Turismo 5 were reserved until I had actually played the game. Now, playing this game since Saturday, I feel I have played just enough to professionally discuss this game.

Believe it or not... I actually had doubts with Gran Turismo 5 based on how the general public reacted to it. Most of what I heard/read was more along the lines of "good, but not great." Many others were disappointed with it. Some others even fancy the Forza Motorsport series and leave behind Gran Turismo 5. I still remain a GT fan no matter what Forza (which I vastly respect) throws out. I still needed to play the game myself before thinking ANYTHING of GT5.

So let me share my first impressions at long last.

--- Gran Turismo 5: First Impressions ---

^
My first Race Modified car- a 2002 Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero painted in Eternal Blue Pearl (the car) and Gran Turismo Yellow (the wheels).

Gran Turismo 5 comes across as a title which provides a new experience for most GT fans. Online play, which was to be promised in GT4 before eventually being scrapped, was a real talking point for GT5. It has played a real role in enhancing GT5 for what it is. The fact the PS3 is basically both a console and a computer means that GT5 can be upgraded and enhanced.

Even before I downloaded the Version 1.10 update, most of what I have played was very good. The experience only got better after downloading the Version 1.10 update. It was worth the three hours for all six parts of the download to be complete.

Playing the Game.

Most of my time was spent in GT Mode. I could only choose one entire outfit prior to the 1.10 update. This meant I had to pick something I'd have to be with and live with through my career in Gran Turismo 5. After the 1.10 Update, however, you could choose between a vast array of suits and helmets. to compliment you and your drivers.

Driving and Racing.

GT4's driving model never allowed you to really get aggressive. GT5's model is much different and much better. In fact, I would say that this is the best driving model in any Gran Turismo game. There is actually greater challenge in racing cars than in any GT game. Cars just felt too heavy in GT4. Not so much in GT5. It used to be that there was an Standard Model and a Professional model in handling a car. That's gone. All cars are on the Professional level. Front-wheel drive cars handle much better than they did in other GTs. Rear-wheel drive cars can be better pushed to the limit than in any other GT. Four-wheel drive cars do a fairly great job of handling whether on-road or off-road. In addition, it is much tougher trying to keep high-powered cars on the road. Even an elementary school kid could race a Jaguar XJ220 to the limit in GT4. However, try wrestling a Pagani Zonda R or a very fast Ferrari in GT5. It is NOT easy!

Another element of the driving model are the new damage and collision models.. When you crash, impacts can range from simple whacks to vicious 360° crashes as well as rolling your car over. Only Premium cars can suffer extensive damage.

New to GT are time cycles and weather. You begin to notice the sun go down on select tracks as day gives way to night. You actually notice falling rain and snow at times in certain locations. It is the first time where falling precipitation has been featured in any Gran Turismo game. Let this be said- night racing is HARD in Gran Turismo 5! You'll know how hard it is when you can barely see the road ahead of you in the dark. Having said this, it's the best night racing ever in a Gran Turismo game. It's real night racing compared to the somewhat dark racing you're used to in past GT titles.

The Cars.

A big part of any Gran Turismo game is cars, and GT5 has plenty. There are about 200 Premium cars and some 700+ Standard cars. What you are looking at for GT5 is mostly Premium cars that you can go get right away. Among Standard cars, however, you basically have to be lucky to find one you really like. So it's almost like you HAVE to buy Premium.

The Premium cars feature interior views and are modeled much better than the mostly carryover cars from GT4 (Standard models). The Standard cars, however, have all been re-touched for GT5. Many people are going to complain that more Premiums can be made. Considering each car took about six months to create and with 200 or so of them, it's understandable why so many Standard cars were carried over. Just because they are Standard, though, doesn't mean they can't be fun to race. Some of them you can even race in GT5 when you couldn't race them against others in GT4. For example, I did a practice One-Make Race in GT5 with the Caterham Fireblade. The Caterham was a "Special Model" in GT4, so you couldn't race it against five other cars in GT4. You can race these in GT5 against many others. In addition, you can race them with fully animated visible drivers!

The Tracks.

When preparing this blog post, I absolutely FORGOT to mention the tracks. There are tracks both new and old in GT5. Cape Ring is one of the newest courses along with more variations of Eiger Nordwand (apart from Gran Turismo HD). There is a new Special Stage Route 7 which will make you fans of illegal street racing in Tokyo happy. Some tracks, like Rome and Chamonix return... but with configurations different from their classic tracks. The Rome track is now a punishing street course with more elevation changes than the classic Rome Circuit. Chamonix is wider, but is a completely different deal from GT4's version of the narrow nightmare known as Chamonix. Each track is done very nicely and features some great scenery.

Tuning and Maintenance.

More than ever, there are more ways to make a car much better than stock. A few new options are now available apart from past GT titles. New items such as Exhaust Manifolds, piece-by-piece weight reduction, and more can be equipped to cars. There are also new options in tuning your cars. One of the biggest ones is the Engine Limiter. This can be helpful in tuning down powerful cars to meet performance limits for races. Races can be restricted by horsepower or Performance Points (PP). Make sure you meet these restrictions to be eligible to compete in certain races and championships.

GT Auto returns for its third-ever installment. The funny thing about GT Auto is how lighthearted it is. You will hear "The Entertainer" from Scott Joplin as the GT Auto song. It is not the kind of music you'd expect to hear for something like an auto goods store, but it is a nice song to fit the mood of the lighthearted appeal of GT Auto. Racing Modifications return for Gran Turismo 5 after being M.I.A. in GT3 and GT4. Sadly, only 17 or 19 cars (all Premium) can take advantage of this. Many cars can still take advantage of aero parts (especially Premium). You can now paint over cars with Paint Items you find based on cars you acquire. You can use these color items to re-color cars. If you have a Premium car, you can even change wheels and be able to re-paint them too using Paint Items.

Sounds and Music.

Sound quality is vastly improved. There are more throaty growls even though some cars could have had better sounds. The weak link in sounds are in collisions with other cars. Human voices are also added to a few applications. When you win a license or get some insight from real racers (Jeff Gordon and Sebastien Loeb are featured), you'll hear human voices. It's the first GT to feature actual human voices since Jay Leno's voice was heard in Gran Turismo PSP.

Let me just say this about the music... it's great! Most of your time spent in this game will be listening to the 189 different songs included. If you don't care for the music included with GT5, you can always go with music stored on your PS3's hard drive. This is music you can listen to in races as well as Menu Music. Gran Turismo 5 boasts the classiest music of all. Listen to songs like "Passion" from Yuki Oike, "Like a Bird" from KEMMEI, and songs like that. There are seven genres of music in GT5: Alternative, Bossanova, Classical, Dance/Electronic, Jazz, Lounge, and Rock. Songs selected can be played in races, in the menus, and/or in slideshows.

Other Elements.

I like the new kind of character GT5 has. The usage of cut scenes in some of the Special Events give the game a different kind of character than past GT titles have exhibited. Actual material like this has helped to make Gran Turismo 5 a bit more indulgent than any other GT. • Racing Modifications, while few cars can take advantage of them, are great to see when complete. Even more so considering you can color up cars so that you don't have to have the plain white colors. Cars that may not take advantage of Racing Modifications may still have certain aero kits to help dress cars up. Always interesting to see what parts are available and how they look when added. This is more beneficial to Premium cars. And of course, ONLY Premium cars can have Racing Modifications. The most you may get with a Standard is just a simple rear wing. This system in GT5 is more advanced than simply adding a rear wing in Gran Turismo 4.

Online (based on the V 1.10 Update).

You can share your material with friends in GT5. You can even send/receive items to/from friends to help enhance your GT experience. Online lobbies allow you to compete in special competitions specifically set up by others. Seasonal Events are an extension of the in-game championships and races. This way, you never feel like you've raced everything. There is even an Online Dealership where you can get some of the more unique and rare cars. You never run out of things to do and see online through GT5.

--- Gran Turismo 5: Final Thoughts ---

There may have been two or three Forza Motorsport games between GT4 and GT5. There may have been people who were pleased with GT5 for the most part, and then those disappointed for the most part. In no way do I have high expectations or believe in high expectations. I don't believe in expectations. Not once did I think that five years to enhance a game means it better be unworldly awesome. My only expectations- to have a PS3, to have GT5, to be able to know how to operate both... and then let the game tell me what it's about rather than read/hear from other people.

My first impressions of Gran Turismo 5 are excellent, especially after downloading the Version 1.10 update. Everything about GT5 is just wonderful in my estimation. I do sort of wish the whole Standard and Premium issue was better sorted. I truly understand the whole deal regarding Premium cars. So therefore, I am not going to protest that all cars be made Premium. I do find myself racing more Premium cars because (I admit) I'm drawn to Premium more than Standard cars. The biggest disappointment for me with this game... My Chemical Romance and the intro. Let me just say this- "Moon Over the Castle" is the intro and SHOULD be the intro to Gran Turismo. Don't stick in My Chemical Romance just to please certain "fanboys." I'd rather hear "Moon Over the Castle" than whatever song My Chemical Romance came up with to be the opening song.

Other than that, only minor complaints for a game I've wanted to play for seven months. I hope this game gets better with more content and various updates. Oh... there is maybe one more disappointment with the game- some of the short championships make it seem like everything is over too quickly. Maybe that's one thing I'm real disappointed about in the structuring of GT5 races. Otherwise, I am vastly impressed with GT5 after having to wait so long to finally play and enjoy this game.





My review of Gran Turismo 5 will be posted on "John's Gran Turismo Space." My own thoughts and commentary on GT5 will be posted on JGTS. It will be a proper review of various elements of GT5. Once it is complete, a link will be provided below this paragraph.

Read my review of "Gran Turismo 5" on John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

For now, thank you for reading! :)

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No Need to Riot

I don't watch hockey much, but I'm probably sure you've heard by now that the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the 2010-2011 season with a convincing 4-0 victory. How did some fans take it? Not very kindly, to put it mildly. I did not see a single second of the match last night. All I do know is that it was completely unnecessary. The Canucks lost; not the fans. So why did some fans insist on rioting in Vancouver? To be honest, the fans who decided that rioting was better than cheering on their hometown hockey team are even bigger losers than the Canucks. It makes absolutely no sense to start such a riot.

Here is a video for you to check out, courtesy of ABC News International:




The frustration is understandable- "why did my team lose like this?" You win some, you lose some. If your team loses, why take your frustrations out by damaging city property and causing a ruckus all because a sports team loses? My Houston Astros of today seem to fail almost every time they take the baseball field, but do you see Astros fans rioting after losing game after game? People just need to chill out.

I get blog hits from Vancouver and the Vancouver area, but I just have to say that it is truly terrible of certain Vancouver fans by showing your frustration of your team losing by rioting. Rioting after a loss like Vancouver took to Boston only makes things worse. It is perfectly fine to cheer on your team to your heart's content. It is okay to show your passion for your favorite team however you please. However, there is a difference between passion and just being a knucklehead. Passion in being a sports fan means that you cheer for your favorite team as much as you can regardless of the final outcome. Being a knucklehead sports fan means that when all is going wrong, you feel your best option to voice your true feelings is by taking your frustrations out on property, other people, and things like that. Did you play in the game? Are fans responsible for a loss when the actual team just didn't show up? Fans are there to cheer on a team to victory, not tear up the city just because a team loses.

When you go thinking it's okay to riot just because your team loses, not only does the sports team lose, the fans and the city show themselves as losers. It only makes a team losing feel even worse. Unruly sports fans only make a loss seem worse than it really is. You win with class; you lose with class. Why give a beautiful city like Vancouver such an ugly image by voicing your displeasure with your team losing by rioting? It just doesn't make any sense.





All congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup for the 2010-2011 season. What do you make of fans rioting like Vancouver did? Feel free to comment. Thank you for reading!

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PlayStation Home

LAST UPDATED: July 2, 2011 - edited material

Part of my maturation with the PlayStation 3 is in getting adjusted to the many features the PS3 offers. One such thing I downloaded for the PS3 is PlayStation Home. PlayStation Home is the work of Sony Computer Entertainment London Studio and has been around since December 2008. PS Home is a social networking gaming medium where PSN users can connect to this virtual city with all kinds of features and things to do. It's almost like (though I have NO experience with it) Second Life, but it is for gaming. You are able to connect with other PSN users and check out some of their avatars. PlayStation Home is completely free (just like a PlayStation Network account is free), but there are items in the game that can be purchased either with your own money or with funds from a PlayStation Network gift card. This is a little blog post talking about my PS Home adventures so far and how I feel about PS Home.

NOTE: PlayStation Home is still a Beta as of the date of this initial blog post (June 15, 2011). The current version of Home is Version 01.50 as of this initial post.

--- PlayStation Home ---

^ from: thedriverid.wordpress.com - SCE London created PlayStation Home. Since its creation, many PlayStation Network users worldwide have connected through Home to play, interact, and have fun.

PlayStation Home is all about connecting and having fun. In case you're wondering, yes. This is the first blog post on Home since mentioning Home in "Avatars and Virtual Reality." Home allows you to communicate with others and have fun. You can play a variety of arcade games as well as real ones. Get yourself noticed by playing games. You can download extra items to help enhance your Home experience. Of course, you can also meet many new people worldwide through Home. Feel free to chat with others either by text or by voice chat. People online say that if you do voice chat, there are those who recommend you do so with a USB headset.

Here are some of the finer points of PS Home...

Getting Started.

When you have downloaded Home to your PS3, you will be presented with your own room. It's called your Personal Space. The living quarters for you is Harbour Studio, a beautiful contemporary room where the view of the water and all the boats are in the distance.

PlayStation Home starts you off with an avatar. This will be the avatar you use as your public image. Dress yourself up however you please. Re-create yourself or come up with a totally different person online. It's all up to you. More on the finer elements of avatar creation will be discussed later. What about your personal space? You are free to modify or add furniture to your personal space. Make it as fancy or as cool as you like.

Playing games and receiving items will allow you to enhance your image to a great deal. You can use items you've earned in games or in purchases to dress yourself up or your avatar up. Just downloading or visiting certain spaces can net you some items to dress up yourself or your Personal Space.

Basic Controls.

The majority of your actions are dependent on your pad. Press [Start] to access your Menu Pad. This is kind of like your iPad that allows you to access a variety of options. This includes things like Wardrobe, Navigation, Options, Alerts (when available), and more. Use your left analog stick to move your avatar around the area he/she is in. When you come across something that can be accessed in a menu, press [X] to pull up a menu with all sorts of options for you to access. Go back or cancel certain items by pressing the [Circle] button. Create your own text to use as a message to someone or to the chat room by pressing the [Triangle] button. Press [Left] on the D-pad to access the text chat, or press [Right] on the D-Pad to access the voice chat. Remember to hold down [R2] to initiate speaking. When you're done, release the R2 trigger to stop the voice chat.

Press [L1] to access your quick reactions. Whatever you select in this menu will show up in the Chat Room window. Press [R1] to access your menu of avatar actions and status updates. Who knows? You might put on enough of a show to get noticed by somebody!

Finally, press [Select] to access your safe menu. This can allow you to re-enter your personal space, or more importantly... submit reports about suspicious people on Home.

--- PlayStation Home: Avatars ---

^ Myself in PlayStation Home. I tried to re-create myself as best as I could. I was unfortunately unable to find a decent pair of glasses for my Home Avatar.

From the previous section, I will discuss more on the finer elements of Home. This section focuses in on your avatar.

PlayStation Home allows you to change up your avatar to whatever you like. You have four options when starting out:

• Presets - Can't decide on how to customize your avatar? Choose from a set of preset characters.
• Character - edit the non-aesthetic elements of your avatar. You can even choose whether to use a male or female avatar.
• Clothing - edit the avatar's clothing.
• Load/Save - Store or save your characters for future usage. You can save as many as 24 different characters.

Avatars » Presets.

Choose from one of 18 different pre-made avatars to help you get started. If you are using an existing character, all of the changes you made to it will be lost. So it's best you save your current character before using a preset. The preset models include both male and female avatars.

Avatars » Character.

The key physical attributes of your character are contained in the Character menu. Those attributes include:

• Gender - choose between male or female
• Structure - choose the structure for the avatar's jawline, nose, eyes, etc.
• Face - precisely frame your avatar's face.
• Body - adjust the width and height of your avatar.
• Skin - change skin features as well as skin color.
• Hair - choose between a number of options for hairstyle, eyebrows, and facial hair (MALE only).
• Makeup (FEMALE only) - edit options for makeup. Options include eye shadow, eye liner, blush, and lipstick. Only for Female avatars.

These options help define the physical attributes of your avatar. Re-create yourself or make your own public face on Home. It's up to you.

Avatars » Clothing.

As anyone even remotely into fashion would know, clothing is what helps you make your statement to the world. This is your chance to dress yourself up however you choose.

• Head - put on various accessories for your head including caps and hats.
• Hands - you can wear gloves or other items for your hands.
• Torso - clothes for your upper body. Choose from a variety of tops to wear.
• Legs - clothes for your lower body. Choose from a variety of bottoms including jeans, pants, skirts, and more.
• Feet - give your avatar some shoes to wear, or even go barefoot.
• Jewelry - your avatar can wear jewelry. Items can either be worn on one ear, or on both ears.
• Accessories - for your avatar, this adds items to your avatar's face and head. Face items include glasses. Head items include headphones.
• Outfits - complete outfits are available for your avatar. Whatever your avatar is wearing prior to an outfit being worn will still be available even when he/she wears the outfit. All past changes prior to the new outfit will be saved and re-accessed once you stop wearing the outfit.
• Storage - put aside old items to be used again in the future.

I made two avatars- one resembling me, and a female avatar. It doesn't really make a difference how you go. It's your avatar- do what you want and dress as you please. To get more items for your avatar, you'll need to do some shopping on PS Home.

Avatars » Load/Save.

This section is self-explanatory. Save your characters (you can save up to 24) to your PS3's hard disk drive, or load your characters you've already created.


I touched up on it in the Avatars » Clothing section- if you want more clothes, you'll need to do some shopping. That brings me to this next section...

--- PlayStation Home: Game Spaces and Personal Spaces ---

What you have starting out is good, but you can do a lot more. You need to download other spaces to be able to enjoy your Home experience. They can be downloaded to be part of many more experiences. Download these spaces to your heart's content. Extra items you explore from the Navigator can be downloaded to enhance your Home experience. I will explain a few of them to you.

Central Plaza.

Personally, I think Central Plaza is the best way to meet new people and connect with new people on Home. It is also where you can chat via text or with voice chat. Consider this the living space for many people within the PS Home universe. This is where many people among the PlayStation Home universe converge and interact. If you turn around behind you, you can re-access the Harbour Studio.

You can run around the Central Plaza to access many different items in the area. Some of them will be explained later in this blog post. You can head over to where a lot of people hang out at and dance at the "Listen@Home" area (explained later). Songs are chosen as you're able to groove to the music.

The big fountain in the center of Central Plaza can be used to play any number of available games.

Mall.

Visit the Mall to shop for items to dress yourself and your personal space. Items purchased will be available to you to access and use per your request. There are many stores to choose from with all sorts of items. Make sure to drop by often to check out the latest items available for download and/or purchase.

Theater.

The theater allows you to check out many different videos. Want to keep tabs on the latest videos to a variety of shows and programs? Want to check out the latest podcasts? You can through the Theater.

Bowling Alley.

Just chill out and go for some bowling here. If you don't fancy bowling, however, you can play games like pool or any of the arcade games. Ice Breaker and echochrome can be played among others. Not sure if games rotate or if different games are offered at different times, but this zone is all about having fun.

LOOT Launch Pad.

Enter this zone complete with many different things to see and explore. Plus... you'll go outer space!

Listen@Home.

It's an outdoor dance party, and you're invited to check out the cool music bumping with the Listen@Home feature. You can listen to a variety of tunes as well as vote on the next tune to be played. This is where you will commonly see avatars dance the day/night away.


Here are some more items:

Gamer's Lounge.

Connect with other gamers and even take part in special gaming meets with the Gamer's Lounge.

Home Mansion.

Let's face it... you may never be rich and/or famous, so leave it to PlayStation Home. Live the rich lifestyle.

The Playground.

It may be an urban jungle resembling Brooklyn, but to the urban set, this is a paradise for dancing and playing basketball. Enjoy your stay in the ghetto when you download the Playground! :)


As I mentioned earlier, the way to make the most out of Home is to access other spaces. The best way to see these places is to go to Explore from the Navigator menu. All of these extra places can be downloaded to your PS3. Many of them take anywhere between 15 MB to 30 MB to download. More complex ones may run you by about 40 MB in size or more. For what I know, these extras are completely free.

Personal Spaces can only be bought, though some may be offered for free. That leads to the next section...

--- PlayStation Home: Store ---

Shop for items for your avatar and your personal space. You can also purchase games from PlayStation Network. There are a lot of items for which you can access online. An array of items can be bought even in other spaces by accessing the Store feature. For example, the Central Plaza space has an item that looks like an ATM. By accessing this one, you can check out all available items for you to purchase through the Store.

No Money? No Problem!

PlayStation Home's store allows you to shop for items for your avatar and your Personal Space, but what if you don't have any money or funds from a PlayStation Network gift card? No worries! Look for "100 Free Items." This is an assortment of items offered for free to customize your avatar and your personal space. I am not sure how often 100 Free Items is updated. Not sure if it's weekly, monthly, or whatever. Take advantage of this opportunity if you are able to access the 100 Free Items deal for PlayStation Home store.

--- PlayStation Home Review ---

I really want to try to make my PlayStation Home fun and meet people. If Home is still a Beta (as of this initial blog post), then I'd like to imagine how it will be like when it is no longer a Beta because Home is a great way to connect with other users in a virtual space. You can receive more items either through playing games or by buying them at various stores within the PlayStation Home spaces. There is no shortage of places to visit or things to do. So go download PlayStation Home for your PS3 and have fun!

Besides friends of mine on GTPlanet, I have failed in meeting more people. I have failed to successfully chat with someone on Home (whether by text or by voice).



Feel free to connect with me on PSN if you like. Connect with me by checking out my PSN portable ID:


Get your Portable ID!

"JMarine25" is my PSN ID. Feel free to connect with yours truly.

Recommended Reading...

I mentioned avatars and virtual reality before. To read up on that, check out "Avatars and Virtual Reality" here on John's Blog Space.





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