grown-up christmas list

my best friend just had to give me the best christmas present this year...

check this out!!!

OMG!! it's the FRIENDS ten-years series!! seriously, i've never even seen this book before in sg...

and though it has been 3yrs since the season finale, it still remains as the best comedy sitcom ever... well, at least for me...

i mean, i can still quote lots of things from Friends. things, only someone like my sis would be able to get cos we were always sitting down at 7.30pm everyday watching Friends reruns on Starworld...

i actually teared as i was reading the last part of the book about how they did the last season, and especially, the last episode...

shit... it gets to me all the time...

i love FRIENDS!!!

odex hacked!

just when you think the whole odex situation is starting to cool off, in comes news about the odex website being hacked.

you can probably guessed the reaction of most netizens. (i.e. ultimate glee and celebration)

either it's in response to how BayTSP accidentally sent warning letters to other foreign country users, or the person had already been planning it for ages.

those interested can visit darkmirage's blog for further details here and here.

but i wonder how the hacker thinks he/she is gonna get away with this, since odex has filed a police case to track him/her down.

or, maybe, just maybe, hacker-san is already prepared to go for jail for this. another wait-and-see situation.

man, this whole odex saga is getting uglier and uglier.

onto other happier topics,

i just found a chinese website, similar to youtube and veoh tv, BUT has its anime episodes in chinese subs and is very up-to-date.

HOORAY!!

the quality is not very good, but at least i'm still getting chinse subs!!

HOORAY!!!!!!

first week @ IMB...

... and i'm already doing nothing...

i seemed to have started work on the same week in which they're starting to pack to move the labs over to the next building. according to the given schedule, we're doing very minimal packing per day.

since everyone stopped doing any new experimental work, i'm basically stuck doing not alot everyday too. except for helping to pack, there's really nothing much for me to work on.

which is killing me with boredom really.

i can't stand not doing anything when i'm at work...

other than that, i've met some of other people working around me. maybe it's the new environment, which will change again once we move to the new building, with still-not-very-familiar people, but i'm feeling quite lonely without my usual kakis... >_<.``

oh well, that's to be expected in a new working environment. i'll need plenty more time to loosen up with the people there. plenty more time.

my "lady boss" AKA the scientist i'm working under, seems like a very nice woman. and collegues says it's good to work under her cos you can really learn alot.

so, i'll juz take this as "honeymoon period", or so waisum says. when i start work in the new lab, there's probably so much to learn i might even need to stay late.

and though it's nothing to be proud of, i'm so happy to finally have my own workspace. with my own desktop PC, drawers, telephone, and shelves to put my own things.

after working in the hospital lab for so long, where everything are all common-use between everyone, it feels so new and exciting to get your own workspace.

and, i'll have my own work bench with my own set of pipettes, instruments and equipment. not bad right...

heehee...

i know... cheap thrill...

indulge me...

=P

-----------------------------------------------

currently watching Proposal Daisakusen which i borrowed from joreen. not a bad series, cos it's quite comical. too bad i'm not on break, or i would've liked to finish it within a day or two...

heehee...

random gundam musings...

it's been 12 years since Gundam Wing aired on Japan TV in 1995.

gosh, it didn't seemed that long ago... has it really been 12 years??

and maybe because it was my first Gundam series, but i still think comparing to the other series that was released after that, Wing still has the coolest gundams.

especially Wing Zero.

12 years.

wow, i suddenly feel very old...

bleh...

new job

it really feels very good to accomplish one of the resolutions i've made for 2007.

though it came very late seeing that it's already the last quarter of the year, and not to mention that my year-end bonus will be forfeited, i still made to decision to accept the new job.

so starting from 5 Nov 2007, i'll be at my new workplace at biopolis, where i'll be starting an entirely new chapter of work life as a research officer at one of the institutes of A-STAR.

no more shift hours, i'm going to have a normal 5-day work week like regular people, sleep in more on sat, and most importantly, where my weekends wouldn't be affected cos of work.

it is definitely worth giving up my bonus for. not that i wouldn't be feeling the pinch. having bonus at the end of the year is always good, since i always use the money to do a little shopping indulgence. but if i were to reject the new job just so i could get the bonus, i would definitely have regretted it.

and though i feel slightly guilty for leaving at a time where our headcount is very low and almost everyone is overwork, i can't always be thinking about that or i'll never be able to leave cos there'll always be not enough people working.

anyway, things in the lab is not looking very bright too. i'm already anticipating at least another 3 people to leave next year. i'm just the first one to go.

let's see...

*counts calendar days*

2 more weeks to my last day... ^_^.``

MOO MOO...

おたんじょうび　おめでと！！！
(happy birthday)

もしもし．．．きこえましか？
(hello... can you hear me?)



heehee... well, juz a little greeting to moo moo who is still enjoying herself in japan right now...

happy birthday moo moo... from all of the envious souls in sg...

Fall Anime 2007

well, the past week had been the start of Fall 2007... as usual, fall season usually has lots of new series but somehow, looking at the preview list from randam curiosity, there's only 2 that caught my attention immediately.

No.1 Taiho Shichauzo Full Throttle
(aka You're Under Arrest Season 3)
i was jumping for joy when i heard the announcement for season 3 about 2 months back. my favourite police duo is back for more action and laughter after a very very long 5-year break. and yet, they still managed to get all the voice seiyuu back which means i don't have to listen to natsumi or miyuki sounding like totally different people.

No.2 Gundam 00
this marks my 4th gundam series after GWing, GSeed and GS Destiny… i am still hoping for Koyasu Takehito to voice someone in this series knowing he’s such a gundam vetern, but he doesn't seemed to be in the cast list...

mixed reactions to the 1st episode, judging from the different blogs i've been to, but since i've yet to watch it myself, i shall keep my own opinion open... as all gundam series, there's definitely relation to the story and current world politics... which is good, seeing this is how we can use anime to relate to current world affairs...

and finally... juz wat the other 3 animals need... a maple story anime in fall 2007.

http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/maplestory/

i'm not too sure how this is going about, but thought i should just informed the rest about it...

in the meantime, i'm waiting (very slowly) for the end of all my spring anime series... or rather, i'm waiting for the episodes to be available on veoh and/or crunchyroll...

this is a test of my patience... which, i gotta admit, has gotten slightly better since i can't download anymore... well, not that i have a choice either...

*shrugs*

Toy Protest

This is seriously cute. I'm tempted to stage one with my toys.. hahhahhah...

Figurine protests

Its in Reuters, dun play play

no more backlogged letters

according to darkmirage's post today, no more backlogged odex letters will be sent out.

Mr. SS wrote in the odex forum that they would not be sending any letters to anyone that stops downloading from 3 Sep onwards. so unless someone continues to do so, they will use the evidence collected before and after said-mentioned date and use it to question and take legal action.

RR's interpretation:

possibly, there is something very wrong with the "evidence" they've collected from 5-6mths ago (probably unable to equate the money amt they're extorting pple for) and they can't use that in their letters now, especially with the PacNet case still not won yet. (which i hope they don't.)

or,

odex finally falls under netizen's peer pressure and is doing as much as possible to try and salvage their business. moreover, they juz revamped their bloody website and they need more than just their employees in the forum boards.


when i went in to check wat SS wrote on the forum board, i'm surprised he didn't get worser backlash. BUT, he did lock the forum thread (abt the backlogged letters) after only 5hrs?? makes u wonder why he need to do that.

not sure what is gonna happen to the people that had already gotten the letter. moo moo, think u have to get ur bro to call odex or something. see if they still wan money.

and i guess this also means i probably will not get the said-mentioned letter.
thank God.

Anime News:
oh my gosh! random curiosity juz posted on ARIA the OVA - ARIETTA, a one episode OVA which they will be releasing on 21 Sep on DVD. i'm planning to get a hold of the DVD once the taiwan version is out.

and, 3rd season of ARIA is airing next yr too! which is juz great cos i love the series. more akira and co..

^_^.``

Pote-tan once again

OH MY GOSH!! i can't stop myself from looking her up all the time on youtube.com and veoh.com.

this is the episode half-way mark insert.

*swoons*

Guchiko

heehee...

for moo moo...

from ep5.

Potemayo Dance

ok, for those not interested, pls juz ignore this post...

i couldn't comprehend why i think it's cute and hilarious either...

but, i juz need to get this out of my system,

"OMG!!! she's so cute!!!"

will odex get it?

super backdated news, since i had no chance to blog since friday.

PacNet wins court case against odex to NOT reveal names!!

all hell breaks lose...

again...

forums and local bloggers are going crazy... reading only a few forum threads and already, pple are thinking of ways to counter-sue odex...

however, odex still has its 2 weeks to appeal against it, which it intends to do so. so we will only know the final outcome in 2 weeks time...

will the odex case be another durai case? will they get it from the anime fans?

we'll have to wait and see. my fingers are crossed...

*cross fingers*

>_<.``

Down with odex

i think all sg anime fans should read DarkMirage's blog post on odex, posted 19th Aug.

not that we should agree with everything he's written and juz throw away any letter sent by odex, but at least it cleared up alot of things i've been puzzled with myself.

personally, i'm waiting to see if i get any letter since starhub had been given the court order last week.

somehow, i'm exceptionally calm about the whole matter. many thanks to non-anime friends who've been concerned with whether i've been hit by the bomb.

but as i've said,
"if i get it, i get it... there's nothing i can do now to stop them anyway..."

i mean, they're using backlogged 'evidence' gathered from a few months back (eg. downloaded code geass from mar??!), when i haven't even heard a hoot of what they were intending to do.

and that's about implies how much people know/heard of odex anyway.

if (positive thinking), or when (negative) i eventually get the letter, i intend on asking them to break down every single dollar i 'compensate' them.

why should they be making any profit out of us?

licenced or not, the fact is odex can't even produce the same good quality as fansubs, not to mention how unmeasurably SLOW they are in getting to the stores.

so what's the use of buying their products if they can't measure up to fansubs?

anime fans wants their episodes fast. like within the week after its broadcast in japan, which can be given to them by fansub groups.

and for otakus like me, who watches all sorts of anime, we also want variety, not juz popular series like bleach or naruto.

so how about those less popular anime airing now?

are, or the question should be will, they ever licence series such as Potemayo or Over Drive? or even Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn?

eventually?

it doesn't help that the odex website is virtually non-existence.

1st time i went in, it was an "under construction" page, blue page with odex logo swinging around, + an email address for enquiry.

2nd time i went in, it was an empty page with the "under construction" words at top left corner.

now, it became this...

clarification?

yeah rigghhtttt.... (<- all sarcasm included)

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(back after blogger.com lost connection for the last 2 hrs)

anyway, i've juz read thru all the comments on DM's post, including all the links and stuff. apparently, someone managed to meet the most-hated-man-on-sg-cyberspace, odex president Stephen Sing.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=179331#Scene_1

quote from the last part of the post,

"Currently, Odex is holding on to all letters until a better solution can be implemented. But please be informed that these letters ARE ready as and when it is required. I have suggested to Stephen Sing that a nominal fee be implemented rather then a huge amount of S$3000~5000. Probably for students and working adults. Stephen Sing has given me a positive feedback on this as the intention is not to anger the people but to sound out a strict warning."

hmm...

seems like i might have to wait a while for the letter...

*cross fingers*

well... thank goodness there's still crunchyroll and veoh videos...



P.S. rr is currently watching all anime from above 2 websites, in addition to looking into parallel imports from HK, taiwan (for the chinese subs) and/or USA.

P.P.S. she will never buy from odex ever again. but she will still keep the few she has cos she can't bear to lose her RahXephon and Kiddy Grade.

Potemayo

i love cute things...

and juz like how the rest of us don't understand moo moo's infatuation with Bottle Fairy, they're probably gonna say the same about my infatuation with Potemayo...

but... "oh-my-gosh!-she's-so-cute!!!"


(taken from official website)

and all she ever says is "ho-ni", or a cutsy version of "su-na-o" (her owner's name)... no other vocab, watsoever...

but still... very cute...

anyone interested in potemayo, go to crunchyroll website and check her out...

surprisingly, crunchyroll is up to date with all her episodes (latest being ep6) and almost up to date with the rest of the anime i'm following...

meow meow, i tried checking for yamato nadeshiko, but cos it juz got licenced, they've taken it down from the website... i'll lend you mind as soon as i get it back from my friend...

881 (摇啊摇啊摇...)

oh gosh... totally did not expect how good this movie is...

the trailer for 881 got me so excited about the movie, and i was thinking it was more towards a no-brainer type of show.

the glitz and glamour of a getai... the flamboyant costumes which looks like those worn by some "guys" in thailand... and hokkien... lots and lots of funny hokkien...

but yet, beneath it all, there's still much more to the story... i want to say more, but it'll juz be spoiling it... so everyone, u have to watch it yourself...

anyway moo moo, i was juz very very red-eyed after the movie... i even stopped crying before the movie ended... that wasn't me being an emotional wreak yet...

the last time i was an emotional wreak, i fell sick and had that eye ulcer...

that, is how bad i can be if i was an emotional wreak...

this movie?
its's juz normal waterworks...
=p

fever

remember when i was complaining about having sore throat and i said i'll rather have a fever instead...

well... i take back my words...

having a fever sucked the whole life out of me...

the fever is still running on and off... i'm cold inside, yet hot on the outside... my head hurts...

add that on to, i'm still having a sore throat (which was what i initially had) and a runny nose...

i'm basically so weak that i can't even walk properly...

once again... i take my words back...

having a fever sucks...

~_~.``

Mayday concert...

2 words to describe...

SUPER HIGH!!!!

but of course, that is what you would expect from any Mayday concert...

by the end of the night, our ear drums were ringing (cos max pavillion's sound system sucks), throats were hoarse (we were singing way too loudly to even be in tune), but we were all still very very high...

never brought any camera... cos i know moo moo will definitely bring her "dua ling long" along, so i could just get the photos from her... and true enough, her 12x zoom dua ling long really proves to be worth the price it was paid...

mwahaha... pls go to her blog if you wanna view some of the photos...

next time, i hope they can get the licence for an open air concert (like Linkin' Park @ the Padang) just like those they hold in taiwan... max pavillion does not hold enough people to justify a Mayday concert...

^_^.``


PS. moo moo, the dolphin came out in the opening MV, where 阿信 gave the dolphin pendant to the little girl... my fren supposed to have something to do with the 为爱而生 song... not that i know the meaning myself... *shrugs*

movie month

starting from POC: At World's End, the whole troop of summer movies are officially here...

here's the blockbuster movie of each week in may-june...

24/05 Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End
31/05 Shrek 3
07/06 Ocean's 13
14/06 Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
21/06 (nothing interesting this week)
28/06 Transformers

and to add to it, it seemed that NANA2 is coming to sg too!! (release date: 14/06)

moo moo, HOORAY!!

we can get to see NANA2 on the big screen... (though reviews aren't very good)
but still! it's NANA...

and amazingly enough, i have someone who dun mind watching Shrek 3 with me at the cinemas... thank you dear lydia...

review on POC 3,
well, it's not that bad. and they did try as much as possible to wrap up the story.

i juz dun like how they promote the "welcome to sg" when chow yun-fat had only less than 30min of screen-time. he's not even that big a role in the movie.
BLEH!

Prince Charming to the Rescue

so this is from shrek 2, but nontheless, my most favorite 5-10secs in the entire movie is in the later half of the clip...

prince charming can give all the pantene ladies a run for their money... all that wishy hair...

mwahahaha....

Spring Anime 2007

i know i know.. i'm very very late... i'm also very very lazy... =P

well, much thoughts (in italics) put into summaries...

disclaimers: wat i feel is wat i feel. do not flame me for criticizing any series u may or may not like. most summaries are based on wat i know from the 1st few episodes, any wrongs is entirely my fault for not watching til the end.

Hayate no Gotoku (sun)

boy, in order to pay off a massive debt incurred by his parents, becomes butler of a super rich girl after he saves her from hooligans. story shows his (weird) adventures as he learns to become a good butler.

well, not bad for a harem-based anime. funny, with lots of references to other animes such as Kamisama Kazoku, and even One Piece. and i like how they always use a cute face to cover up the "bloody" scenes.

Seto no Hanayome (sun)

boy nearly drowns in sea and is saved by a mermaid. as is the custom of the yakuza (japanese 101: japanese mafia) merpeople, he has to either marry her or face the death penalty (family included).

obvious answer is definitely to marry her. but not that it matters anyway, since the girl's father literally hates boy for "stealing his girl" away from him and has made many attempts to kill/chase away boy.

this show is very comical, and u really laugh out loud at many parts. male lead's (indirect) first kiss was from right-hand man of yakuza father (when he was performing CPR on him), and there's a shojo-manga scene everytime they meet. very very funny.

El Cazador de la Bruja (mon)

about a female bounty hunter protecting mysterious girl who is on the run from other hunters. lots of unrevealed secrets, from why is the hunter protecting her, why mysterious girl is on the wanted list, what is the past she had forgotten blah blah blah...

ok, i'm only watching this cos it reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Coyote Ragtime Show. and the texas-western style theme helps too. story is slow though, as they only reveal very little every episode. hopefully, the plot will be interesting enough for me to stay on.

Claymore (tue)

youma rampaging throughout the world (sounds like saiyuki already), and the only soldiers capable of defeating them are the Claymores. genetically engineered, they are half-human and half-youma, and wield a huge sword with which they are named after. much blood and violence galore.

i only picked this up after meow meow said it's good. 1st episode was good, but subsequently, each episode gets pretty repetitive and seemed like the same old fare all the time. only good for a one-off watching. not really for keeps.

Overdrive (tue)

sports anime about boy joining the cycling club because of the girl he likes. of course, like all shonen manga plot, he finds that he really likes cycling and proves to be the rookie star of the team.

first thoughts was that the guy is a total wimp. he hangs around with the school delinquents who just treats him as their personal slave and ATM machine, and tries to be fashionable but instead is a total fashion disaster. the other characters, his team mates and other school competitors, are the ones i'm more interested in watching for.

Saint Beast ~Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan~ (tue)

prelude to the previous 6-episode Saint Beast that aired 4yrs ago, this tells the story of 8 angels, and why 2 of them rebelled against the gods.

filled with loads of shonen-ai moments, i'm watching only for the bishonen eye candy. plus, i did watch the 1st part, so just to complete the story...

Romeo X Juliet (wed)

Romeo is the son of the terrible dictator. Juliet is the last surviving member of the Capulet family that was massacred by romeo's father. story goes about showing how Juliet (or rather her faithful knights) seeks revenge against the Montague family, yet at the same time, falls in love with the very person she shouldn't be with.

in which they basically keep the star-crossed lovers part, but totally changed everything else in the story. they still kept the 16th-century feel about it, but set the story in a aerial city called Neo Verona. it strangely reminds me of Laputa (Studio Ghibli), though they have flying horses instead of airplanes.

i love this series! GONZO is gonna out-do itself with this alone, nevermind the other current series like Seto no Hanayome, or even previous ones like Trinity Blood (my personal fav). hopefully, it lives up to expectations. not that i expect a happy ending. in fact, it better not have a happy ending if they're gonna follow the story like wat Shakespeare intended.

Darker than BLACK (thurs)

guy with psychic/telephatic powers and girl whose power streams from water, works for organization that is trying to uncover the secret behind Hell's Gate, which is some kind of force-field that landed in Tokyo. other psychics also around to interfere, but male lead seems to be the one of the stronger ones.

not bad. the character designs are good, and episodes are fairly paced. but they're also not into revealing alot of information per episode. well, this is the show that is replacing Geass, so i'll be expecting more from it. at least much more interesting than Kaze no Stigma (reviewed below).

Saiunkoku Monogatari (sat)

2nd season already, so not much to give an introduction to. continuation from where the 1st season left us, Shuurei continues on her journey as she learns that being an official is not as easy as it seems.

hopefully, more ryuuki-shuurei moments... aahh, i can't help it. i really like ryuuki, and he's not getting alot of screen-time. the story is getting more and more complex, and more characters are being introduced. i wonder how they would end this...

Lovely Complex (sat)

a too tall girl and a too short boy. can love blossom between them? that'll have to come after they stop biting each other's heads off and end the competition of "who will get a boyfriend/girlfriend first".

main draw in watching this: the kansai-ben. the seiyuu for One Piece's Nami is voicing the female lead and i really love her kansai-ben. the exaggerations reminds me of Nodame, with the arrows, ship sinking and all...

Seirei no Moribito (sat)

another bounty hunter becoming protector series. this time, it's set in olden japan, where a young prince is on the run. apparently, he has some kind of evil spirit in him that will cause his father's (the king) downfall.

like el cazador, it's another female hunter turned protector. however, it's not as interesting compared to the earlier. i actually wanted to drop it at ep3, but something happened that made me want to watch ep4, so i'm still gonna keep watching. let's see if i'll drop it after another few episodes.

--------------------------------------------

well, that sums up the 11 new spring anime i'm gonna be watching for the next few months...

and now, for my rejects...

once again, my above disclaimers applies...

Nagasarete Airantou

only because moo moo say i'll do the summary...

guy run away from home and gets stranded onto an unknown island that is over-populated with girls. mayhem guaranteed with all the girls fighting over him like they've never seen a guy before. nose-bleeding scenes that can rival that of yamato nadeshiko.

duh... i mean, how is it that the girls are always the ones being flipped over ships... i can only take this much female harem series in one season. too ecchi for my liking...

Heroic Age

1st mecha series (i watched) of this season, and very disappointed with it. character designs by same guy who gave us Fafner and Gundam Seed, which should really give a hint of how the story will go. i.e. not very good. well, at least for the previous 2 series, i finished them, but the current one is much lacking in good solid plot.

Kaze no Stigma

guy from family of fire arts was chased out by his dad cos he's not gifted. returns a few years later as a wind arts master by signing as a contractor. and now, he's framed for murders in the fire arts family.

this is wat i say about Gonzo producing not-so-good works. story not strong enough to last more than 2 episodes. can't say wat else, but juz not appealing in general...

Touka Gettan

terrible... dun even wanna give a plot summary... in fact, no plot watsoever... i was so blinded by the beautiful character designs... this show sucks...

Kiss Dum -ENGAGE planet-

aliens, some in the form of huge mosquitoes, are attacking the people. enters mecha pilot that had to be broken out from detention barracks to save his girlfriend who is framed for abandoning the organization they work in.

2nd mecha series i picked up, hoping would be good, but another disappointment. i dun like unknown alien-like creatures. too much of the story would be based on discovering the reason for the existence of said unknown aliens and why they wanna invade earth blah blah blah... boring...

--------------------------------------------

finally, as a closing to this super duper long post, here's not forgetting the anime series that are still carrying on strong...

One Piece, D.Gray-Man, Bleach, Nodame Cantabile, Katenkyoshi Hitman Reborn...

and as u can see, i've officially given up on Death Note... it's super super boring... too much crap...

so, how many of the new spring series have u already picked up?

vizards

as i was watching this week's bleach episode, as with the daddys a couple of months back, i'm like,

"WOW!! the vizards are so cool!!"

the last part with hiyori summoning her hollow mask was the only good, and cool, part...

the rest of the episode was quite melodrama really...

a brooding ichigo is so not fitting of him...

phantom of the opera

OH MY GOSH!!!

i only have that to describe my whole phantom experience... it was really really fantastic...

watever i've spent on my ticket, i think half of it was used to manage the set and the props... but it was really worth watching... not to mention that i've got very very good seats! (right foyer, very close to stage)

and not those that u can only barely see the faces too... just too bad i wasn't seating at the stalls or the chandelier dropping would have been right above me... but it was still good seats...

music-wise, while it can't compare to the michael crawford and sarah brightman originial phantom cast, it was still quite good... i actually quite like the Carlotta in this cast compared to the OST one (which was the one i had been listening to since sec sch) as her voice wasn't the overtly screeching type...

of course, my favorite scene has got to be the masquerade scene... fantastic music, and quite the highlight of the whole musical... though the phantom disappearing part at the end was quite cool too...

all in all, i am so glad that i managed to catch it...

after 11yrs of waiting that is...


next entry... my take on spring anime 2007... once i've watched ep.1 of most of the anime i've wanted to...

^_^.``

hugh grant

truthfully speaking, i'm actually not that much of a hugh grant fan in the first place...

the guys he portray are almost always the classic British snob. the i-know-all-the-ladies-love-me, and yes i know i'm-the-guy-at-the-top type of guys...

think two week's notice and bridget jones and you'll probably get my drift...

the main attributes (as mentioned above) to why i'm not a hugh grant fan, and yet, the female population still loves him...

as for me, i went to count, and from the first romantic movie that made him famous (four weddings and a funeral), i've watched 10 of the 17 movies he'd acted in since then... that's more than half of them!!

given, I’m also a huge sap and loves romantic comedies, and he is without a doubt, the king of that genre...

so u can understand why i watch so many of his movies... nevermind that i dun like love actually as do most pple who watch it and say it's one of his best movies (¬_¬)...

but i stress... regardless of my ranting here...

i am NOT a hugh grant fan...

truthfully!!



ps. music and lyrics (his latest with drew barrymore) is still fantastic by the way... i love the music!!! ^_^.``

300

no, i'm not talking abt the spartan movie 300.

rather, i'm talking abt One Piece passing the landmark episode 300 last week!!

wow... i can't believe i've watched 300 episodes of One Piece already... was it really that long ago since i started watching it??

well, it has now joined the ranks of other long-standing anime, most famously of course is Detective Conan... who knows how many episodes that is...

anyway... in other anime news...

many of the fall 2006 anime should be finishing up within this few weeks, in which the start of april will be the new spring 2007 season...

can't wait... hopefully, there'll be many new anime series to look forward to... especially since saiunkoku monogatari is starting season 2 in april too... heehee...

will be posting up summaries soon of potential anime-to-keep...

oh! and the chinese subs for the new HaruToki movie that was released last year is finally out!!! can't wait to finish downloading it soon... ^_^.``

chinese new year and stephen chow

just as christmas isn't without the Home Alone series, so is chinese new year (CNY) incomplete without a movie or two of Stephen Chow.

i dun think i've ever passed any CNY without watching at least one of his movies.

this year, i managed to catch (once again) Kung Fu Hustle, and one-third portion of Lucky Star, also starring Sammi Cheng.

and it's alittle late to strike me, but i found an uncanny similarity between the landlady from kung fu and sanji!!

the way they always have a cigarette at the side of their lips.

the lighting up of one after a fight.

all so so similar!

here's the comparison to show how even their poses can be similar.
(photo of landlady taken from kung fu hustle official website)


ahahahahaha.

it had me quite amused by the whole thing. i mean, it's not a bad thing since i like the landlady and all, but i never really thought of putting them together until now.

this goes to show how watching a movie many times over can get into your head. =P

PS. oh! i'm going for my long awaited cruise trip this sunday!! WOHOO!!!! 6 meals a day!!!

Nodame Cantabile

since this will probably be the only winter 2006 anime i'm picking up, i'll give a more detailed write-up...

Nodame Cantabile is a story about a guy, chiaki shinichi, who inspires to be a orchestra conductor. though he's talented in both the piano and violin, he is also very arrogant and offended the piano lecturer in the music university that he's studying in...

as revenge, the lecturer transferred him to the rejects class where he meets the female lead, noda megumi (who insist everyone calls her nodame), a pianist who prides herself on her ears, more than the music score, for her good piano skills...

slowly, indirectly due by nodame, he starts to gather people around him which i'm guessing will start to form his little orchestra... nodame herself, is smitten with him, and almost always hangs around his apartment after school... especially when she only lives next door to him...

i really love all the music that they're playing, though i'm not a classical music person myself... very interesting and funny... in the 1st episode, chiaki had to clean up nodame's super messy and stinking room when the odour actually drifted over to his apartment... and the part where he starts washing her hair because she hasn't washed it in 4 days was hilarious...

all in all, i think this will be a great anime to keep... pity non of the other winter anime seemed to interest me much... oh well...

in other anime news,

saiunkoku monogatari will be ending in 5 week's time... however, the 2nd season will start in the coming spring, so i would still be able to get my saiunkoku fix... i hope the focus will be more on the relationship between ryuuki and shurei in the 2nd season though...

the latest PoT OVA episode 10 & 11 will be coming out this friday... more fuji and gang to look forward to...

Bleach 110

finally finally FINALLY!!!

the stupid bounto filler arc is finished...

as i was watching last week's episode, i finally had the excitement of catching bleach every week all over again...

my 1st thoughts after the episode was,

"shit! all the daddys (ichigo's and ishida's) are coming out!"

and it hit me more than when i was reading the manga...

not to say that i was all surprised and shocked when both dads came out in the manga as shinigami-in-hiding (ichigo's) and quincy extrodinare (ishida's)...

anyway, looking forward to every new episode now...

hohoho... today (wed nite) is episode 111, i'm all excited to see if kurosaki isshin is gonna come out in his shinigami garb...

^_^.``

death note 2 movie

if i thought the 1st movie was terrible, the 2nd one was worse!

omg, thank goodness we din watch it during the weekends or i would have cried for my $9.50...

halfway through the show and i had already rolled my eyes countless times, and wishing for it to end asap... it was much more draggy compared to the 1st movie that i nearly fell asleep towards the end... at least, i knew i was yawning so much i think pple might be irritated with me...

yes, brilliant as Light is with his clever ploy up to the end of the show, i wasn't all that impressed really... i think i was too disgusted by the end of the show to care...

and sorry to sound really singaporean here, but...
"wah lau, wat is his (Light) problem? die also take so long...
要死就快点死，讲这么多话干吗?!"

the only thing commendable about the movie is that both L's and Misa's characters were quite well portrayed... kenichi did a good job as L... i can't say much abt misa, since she juz came out in the anime, but she had the "whinny-ness" of the character right...

anyway, after the movie, i've decided i'm not gonna read the manga... i'll still finish the anime, since i'm quite sure they'll follow through the manga storyline and that'll be the end of death note for me... i might juz die of boredom if i read the whole thing again...

*sighs*

1st post of 2007 and i'm already ranting abt a bloody lousy movie...