Winter 2008

comparing to last winter where i only picked up 4 series, the current winter season looks so much more promising.

1) Shikabane Hime Kuro

direct sequel to the previous Shikabane Hime, one wonders why they even need to give a new last name to it.

initially, it had all the makings of a great series. somewhere, somehow, it wandered off into the land of boredom. i got through the 1st season, i'm just not sure if i can stay through the 2nd one. give me another couple of episodes to decide.

2) Maria Holic

psuedo-yuri romantic comedy. male-phobia girl enrolls in an all girls school only to find out that the "love-of-her-life" is a cross-dressing younger boy.

unlike most cross-dressing anime, the cross-dresser here is actually the one in control. that's already a freshing take from the usual. hopefully, lots of laughter ahead.

3) Zoku Natsume Yuujin-Chou

Natsume is back to free more spirits from his grandma's Book of Friends. and to gather more tears and heart-warming moments from everybody else. one of the best slice-of-life series i've watched. =)

4) Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo

space colonies, girls with mechas, artifical intelligence.

does anyone think it's similar to Vandread yet? the only interesting thing that made me continue watching this, was when Fukuyama Jun's voice came out as the AI of an abandoned colony.

i'm sure it perked the interest of most 1st episode viewers too, since most of us are more familiar with putting Fukuyama with a face, compared to a machine.

5) RIDE BACK

ballerina girl gives up ballet after hurting her ankle, but finds new inspiration in life after getting involved with the latest mecha craze in her university, called Ridebacks.

think mini-transformers on wheels, only cooler.

talk about girls with mechas. this had me way excited even after watching the trailers. the animation for this series is fantastically beautiful. add that to loads of heart-pumping racing scenes and load of politics (obviously), and you have yourselves a winning combi.

6) Chrome Shelled Regios

koyasu-sama, koyasu-sama, koyasu-sama.
that's my main draw to the series. plot-wise, there's nothing much out of the ordinary.

emo male lead (who obviously knows how to fight) hides as a normal course student instead of going to the battle course.
he gets found out (of course) after saving a girl on his 1st day at school.
he is then promptly transferred to a platoon which is ("surprise surprise") one man short.
continue on as he and platoon mates defends their city from gigantic bugs.

it's really not all that interesting, but hopefully, the animation quality will be able to make up for the rest. as long as there's no drop in quality that is.

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

so that's the 6 new titles i'll be picking up. i did watch Kurokami and Akikan!, but nothing good enough to spark my interest.
Kurokami was because I couldn't stand the male lead.
Akikan! was just plain stupid. ultimately ridiculous. i can't believe Fukuyama Jun even voiced the male lead.

anyway, i still have my hands quite full with the other series from Fall 2008. the whole Christmas season, WII parties and going out almost every other night had me backlogging many of my series.

i haven't touched G00 since ep9 and i'm dying to know what is happening.

i need to run an anime marathon soon.

thankfully, CNY is just around the corner.

Sogeking

had a hard time deciding what to put up.

i was gonna put up another funny Usopp clip, but Sogeking won me over with his ultra-funny song.

i'll post the other clip in future.

anyway, that's the end of my One Piece withdrawal.

for now.

One Piece is back in its regular sunday slot after a week's break.

i can't wait to get my OP dose.

heehee.

ビンクスの酒

the song that was the core of the Rumbar Pirates.

Binks' Sake.

i shall be posting the last One Piece post for the week tomorrow.

Chopperman

Hero of Justice!

His weapon is his cuteness!

KYUUN SPARK!!

His special attack, Kyuun Spark, causes any enemy to pass out!

~~KYAAA!~~

~~KAWAI~~

仁義ない TIME

part 4 of the Mugiwara Theater that ran after the end of episode 282.

wanted to upload Chopperman instead, but this is just too funny.

even if the joke was on Sanji.

Luffione: Sanjino, a man like you without your hair all back has no reason to be the boss.

Sanjino: I did have a reason, and I did put one side back!

Luffione: "Only half?! Does that mean you only have half your balls too?!"

mwahahaha.

Chopperman in the next post.

One Piece Soccer King Special!

not cos it's soccer per say, since everyone knows how much i actually hate soccer.

i'm just suffering from slight One Piece withdrawal, since there was no new episodes of OP this week.

so instead, i'm scouting around youtube, looking for short OP clips.

my favorite cos sanji is all so drool-worthy here.

ahahaha.

will be posting 1 short clip a day this week.

enjoy~

2008 Top-Selling Manga

news from ANN,

the Top 10 best-selling manga by series in japan are,

01) One Piece (5,956,540 copies)
02) Naruto
03) 20th Century Boys
04) Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
05) Bleach
06) NANA
07) Soul Eater
08) Nodame Cantabile
09) Rookies
10) Gintama

as for the Top 10 best-selling manga by volume in japan,

01) One Piece #50 (1,678,208 copies)
02) One Piece #51 (1,646,978 copies)
03) NANA #19
04) One Piece #49 (1,544,000 copies)
05) NANA #20
06) Nodame Cantabile #20
07) Nodame Cantabile #21
08) Naruto #43
09) Naruto #42
10) Fullmetal Alchemist #19

somehow, i'm surprised that Nodame and Nana got into Top10 for both lists.

hmm.

maybe i shouldn't be surprised, since both series had anime and live-action adaptations that were immensely popular.

but all in all,

ONE PIECE (still) RULES!!

WOHOOOOO!!!

^_^.``

2008 Anime round-up

thinking of a creative way to start my 1st post of the year.

though i am tempted to do it like the other anime blogs i read, by doing up "Best-of-2008", i realized i can never choose an ultimate favorite.

so instead, i decided to list down all the anime series i've followed through for the entire 2008.

Winter 2007 (jan-mar 2008)
01) Ah! Megami-sama! Tatakau Tsubasa
02) ARIA The ORIGINATION
03) Hatenkou Yuugi
04) PERSONA -trinity soul-
05) Spice & Wolf

Spring 2008 (apr-jun 2008)
06) Allison & Lillia
07) Amatsuki
08) Bus Gamer
09) CODE GEASS Hangyaku no Lelouch R2
10) Junjou Romantica
11) Kyou Kara Maou! 3rd Season (on-going)
12) Macross Frontier
13) Nabari no Ou
14) Neo Angelique Abyss
15) Special A
16) SOUL EATER (on-going)
17) Toshokan Sensou
18) Vampire Knight
19) Wagaya no Oinarisama
20) xxxHOLic Kei

Summer 2008 (jul-sep 2008)
21) Antique Bakery~
22) Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~
23) Natsume Yuujin-chou
24) Neo Angelique Abyss -Second Age-
25) Xam'd: Lost Memories (on-going)
26) Zero no Tsukaima ~Princesses no Rondo~

Fall 2008 (oct-dec 2008)
27) Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka
28) ef - a tale of melodies
29) GA-REI -zero-
30) Gundam 00 S2 (on-going)
31) Hakushaku to Yousei
32) Hyakko
33) Junjou Romantica S2
34) Kannagi
35) Kuroshitsuji (on-going)
36) Kurozuka
37) Mouryou no Hako
38) Nodame Cantabile Paris
39) Shikabane Hime Aka
40) Skip Beat! (on-going)
41) Tales of the Abyss (on-going)
42) Tentai Senshi Sunred (on-going)
43) To Aru Majutsu no Index (on-going)
44) Toradora! (on-going)
45) Vampire Knight Guilty
46) Yozakura Quartet

let's not forget those that have been on-going since forever,
47) Bleach
48) Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn
49) One Piece

WOW!

it's only after listing down that it dawned on me how much anime i watch in 2008.

O_o

i'm 1 series short of hitting 50.
OVAs and movies not included.

2008 has been pretty good to me.

so, here's to a fruitful 2009!

^_^.``

Winter 2008 coming up soon.

Rabbids Christmas

Merry Christmas minna~

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!!

One Piece #378-381

in which they did Brook's past and finished up the Thriller Bark arc.

gosh, these 4 episodes had my tears running more than when i was reading the manga.

i think it's the music.

u need the music to bring out the whole effect. and the talented people who does the BGM for One Piece always manages to get the right music across.

~~yo ho ho ho ho ho ho ho~~

~~yo ho ho ho ho ho ho ho~~

next week is the start of another filler arc, which is pretty much expected by most.

One Piece usually have better fillers comparatively to the rest like Naruto or Bleach. although for the last filler arc, i only remember macho twins ice-skating like mad.

hmm, wasn't all that entertaining really.

this time, they brought back Foxy! remember him, the fox look-a-like who can slow down people's movement? well, i'm not the biggest fan, so i can only hope the filler arc wouldn't screw up.

*prays earnestly*

AU-WACS

from madam (formerly known as birdy), when i told AU to welcome me to the WII club.

---------------------------------------
Welcome roar roar for officially joining Animals United WII Association Club of Singapore (AU-WACS: pronounce as 'O'~wacks ).

- Free membership for lifetime
- No monthly subscription required
- No cards required
- Free loaning of Wii buddies for your Wii training
- Enjoy 0% Interest-free loaning of games from your Wii buddies
- Festive seasons enjoy special deals like gift exchange with your Wii buddies and WIN a trip to changi broadwalk on the 27th Dec (tour guide provided) (subjected to weather conditions)
- Get a chance to recieve personal training on your Wii games from your Wii buddies (subjected the pro-level of your Wii buddies as well)
- There is also a weekly promotion, to savour your favourite drink @ your favourite coffee house with your Wii buddies (drinks and cakes are not included)
- For more promotions please stay tuned to our e-meow Animals United news group.
---------------------------------------

trust her to come up with these kind of creative ideas.

but anyway, the main point is...

~i got my WII~

~~WOHOO!!~~

and we, me and my sis each paid half, got it at a very good bargain too. well, at least better than what donny had for his. heehee...

but of course, still must thank him, who did all the negotations with the seller and setting up of the whole set in my house.

finally had the 1st Wii party at my own house last night.

i might have overdid it while playing Mario Olympics cos my arms are aching like mad now...

though i doubt i'll have much time to play these next week or so, with all the busy-ness of Christmas programs, but at least i have my Wii set now.

which reminds me...

10 days more days to Christmas!

i can't wait to go on leave after that...

WOOHOO!!

if there was...

...a big kinokuniya store at the new JP extension (now known as JP2), there would be no need to go down to Orchard.

seriously.

the new extension is not juz HUGE, the amount of shops inside can rival 2-3 other heartland malls combined.

seriously.

to name a few, there's Aussino, Four Leaves, Burger King, Challenger, Blum, Joop, M)phosis, Ding Tai Fung, Adidas, Hur, Pretty Fit, etc.

even as of now, there are still some shops that aren't opened yet. so when everything is really up and running, probably within the next week, JP is gonna be packed with loads of people.

not that it ever lacked people in the first place.

it helps that the it is also easy to walk around. no winding passages like VivoCity, just long straight rows of shops that are easy to walk about it.

so seriously, if there really was a kinokuniya in JP2, who needs to go down to Orchard.

i can't wait to go through all the shops soon!!

Post AFA08

for a first time ever anime convention, i thot AFA08 was a big success.

i wouldn't say it was a huge success, cos obviously there was much more things that can be improved. but regardless, in trying to draw the crowd in, they did a pretty good job.

of course, with a finale ending of May'n on stage, it HAD to end with a huge bang. the turn-out of fanboys, and fangirls, was enormous. everyone was pushing around trying to get closer to the stage.

and as darkmirage had mentioned, her vocals were fantastic! it was great hearing her sing live, even though i had to stand all the way at the back. i may be a fangirl, but i still wouldn't pay the money to get the VIP access. *coughs*cheapskate*coughs*

thank goodness for moo moo and her 12x zoom camera! i'll probably post some of the nicer photos when i have time to go through them.

i was slightly disappointed with the variety of cosplayers too. too many people as bleach, naruto, gin-tama and vampire knight characters. or maybe i'm juz grouchy cos there was not even one who cosplayed as anyone in One Piece.

or could they be reserving their energy for next month's EOY08?
hmm...

as with singaporean culture, here's some suggestions to how it could've been better:

1) better lightings; it was really difficult to take photos of the figurines and posters cos the lighting was all wrong. you'll get what i mean when i post the photos.

2) better sound system; it wasn't all that bad. or at least, it wasn't all that bad from way back. but i heard from others that it wasn't all that great up front of the stage.

3) more guests; i want my seiyuus! and maybe some mangakas?

4) proper screenings; when they said anime screenings, the least i expected was that they would screen one episode (eg. Ep1) of each series they were promoting. definitely NOT just the OP on replay mode.

5) lesser power rangers & tamagochi; seriously, i know they wanna reach out even to the kids, but still! despite having to sound like a total b*tch, i wanna stress that this is an ANIME convention, not family convention. families, please go to sentosa where it was grandparent's day on sunday, or Bookfest on 6th level.

all in all, the success of AFA08 will most likely guarantee that we will have AFA09 next year. let's hope things will be bigger and better then!

Countdown AFA08

TWO days to AFA08 at suntec city convention halls 403-404.

except for Ichirou Mizuki's performance on sat 7pm, the cosplay competition on sun 2pm and May'n performance at 7pm, non of the other program schedules is up on the website yet.

WHY IS THE SCHEDULE NOT UP YET??!!

i wanna know what i will be missing in the mornings of both days.

another to the bimbo collection

my mouse died on me this morning.

although i had been thinking of changing mouse recently, i didn't actually think it would die on me so soon.

ughhhhhh.

in any case, i bought a new mouse from Courts.

TA-DAAA!!!



ohohohohohohohohoho....

pretty pretty crystals adorns my new PINK mouse.

now my laptop and the accessories match perfectly.



PINK laptop - CHECK!

PINKish-purple speakers - CHECK!!

PINK mouse - CHECK!!!

whole set - COMPLETE

Birdy's poem to the Cow

A special day for you
Our dear moo moo
We name you "Ah Gu"
Hope you like it too

17th Oct is a day to remember
Where your family had a new member

The cute baby has turn 26 today
Wish you a blessed life is every way

Being your friend is really great
All times where we sing, play and ate

A lyrist I may not be
But at least I can do a poetry

Posting for the bird who has lost her password..

Fall 2008

i haven't had such a swarm of anime for ages. and i reckon i'm following more than half of the season's shows. most of which, if not all, i'm quite reluctant to drop after the 1st ep.

for a most comprehensive guide, you'll have to head down to RC. you'll just be hearing very biased opinions of some of the shows i'm watching. and i've also decided to categorize them into my own genres, beginning with...

the comedies...

1) Nodame Cantabile Paris
obviously, there's no need for any introduction to this one. like the live-action drama special, it picks up exactly where season 1 had stopped, with our crazy duo heading to paris for more great music, nodame antics and finally, the romance we've all been waiting for.

i'm still disappointed that it's only a 11-episode series, cos that meant they wouldn't cover all the way til where the manga is now. but at least, they should cover up to where Chiaki and Nodame finally get together as a couple. =)

2) Hyakko
for once, a show that has an all female main cast, without any wimpy male lead. ep1 was not bad, since it was an introductory episode to the main characters. hopefully this no-brainer will be fun and entertaining to watch. if not, there's always Kannagi (see below).

3) Toradora!
i really was gonna stay away from another Kugimiya-Rie-voicing-spoilt-brat show, but i couldn't help liking this after ep1. boy and girl help each other win the hearts of their respective best friends, which probably will turn out with them getting together eventually. Ryuuji reminds me of Kasanoda (yakuza guy that likes Haruhi) from Ouran High, and it's not just their intimidating eyes that's similar.

4) Kannagi
my Wagaya no Oinarisama replacement for Fall. so instead of a fox spirit, we have a local deity goddess that came alive after the male lead, Jin, craves out a statue of her from the recently chopped off holy tree in the local temple.

Nagi didn't come off as a total dork who doesn't know anything of the real world, which is a nice change from how other series always portray their deities (think WnO, Ah! My Goddess), though her purification method (sailor-moon-styled magical wand) had me rolling my eyes for an instant. i'm gonna assume that if Hyakko fails to amuse me, i still have this to hang on to.

5) Tentai Senshi Sunred
the ultimate no-brainer show of the season, sunred is a gag comedy that has the "hero" in a red mask (hence the name sunred) going around (supposedly) to take down the bad guys (who recruit other bad-asses from the sideline). in reality, sunred seemed more like the bully as he goes around kicking the bad guys for turning up late for their "battles".

i waited very long for this to come up on tudou and it was well worth it. though only 15min long per episode, they made it so funny, you'll wished it went on for a good 30min.

for romance...

6) ef - a tale of melodies
i did a S1 marathon of ef - a tale of memories when i was sick at home last week. i probably could have ignore S1 and just watch melodies, but principle-wise, i always need to watch everything in sequence. (which is why i'm still stuck at S3 of Sex & the City although everyone said i could've just watched the movie by itself.)

i have no idea why the hype over it though. other than the beautifully animated scenery and character designs, the story was quite draggy (i fast-forwarded alot in every episode) and boring. thankfully this time, the focus is on the other couples that didn't get much screentime in S1. and i am interested to know what is going on between Yuu & Yuuko, so i probably will do a marathon run instead of watching it every week.

7) Skip Beat!
because of the not-so-fantastic drawing, i was never tempted to pick up the manga even though i always flipped through it in Hana to Yume mag. i thought i should give it a chance and watch the anime instead.

but the real reason is that Miyano Mamoru, Inoue Marina (Yoko in Gurren) and Konishi Katsuyuki (Komui in D.Gray-man) are voicing the 3 main leads. i'm still skeptical of whether i will follow it to the end, but i found how the characters switch personalities from serious to funny amusing to watch. so maybe, maybe, it will grow on me like what Special A did.

a magical interlude...

8) Hakushaku to Yousei
9) Yozakura Quartet
10) To Aru Majutsu no Index

i've decided to mesh all 3 shows together and give a general idea. obviously, all of them have some form of magical involvement, be it in the form of a "fairy doctor" in Hakushaku, a group of teenagers battling against youkai in quartet, or a girl who stores the entire collection of the church's sacred books in her mind in index.

among the 3, index is the one i'm most interested in, where as i might boot Hakushaku if the story doesn't pick up over the next few episodes.

for the fantasy lover...

11) Tales of the Abyss
Koyasu-sama and Yukana are voicing characters in this PS2-game adapted anime. but way before that, i'd already seen the trailer. it just helps that my 2 all time favorite seiyuus are in the cast.

ep2 was aired back-to-back with ep1 on MBS and CBC, and the pace seemed to be set exactly as if you were playing the RPG. i get the distinct feeling that the end of each episode is a particular save-point in the game. haha, maybe that was the feel the producers are aiming for.

the slight creepy...

12) Kuroshitsuji
kinda like xxxHOLIC, where they mix in a little bit of humor with loads of supernatural stuff. it is supposed to have much more blood and action, though not much blood was seen in ep1 yet. but the creepy index is high so i probably will refrain from watching it too late at night as like what i did with xxxHOLIC.

the definitely creepy...
(new category cos it can't fit into "slight creepy"!)

13) Mouryou no Hako
i got freaked out 5 mins into the show after seeing the head-in-the-box scene. definitely way way way up in the creepy index, i'm just glad i watched the show in the morning. i probably wouldn't have slept well if i had watched it at night.

the only reason why i even ventured into this was cos CLAMP was doing the character designs. after ep1, i'm so creeped out, i wonder whether i should continue on cos it's definitely not doing good on my heart. however, there's still the pull with many of my fav seiyuus (Morikawa Toshiyuki, Suwabe Junichi, Kuwashima Houko) in the cast list. i might just watch another episode or 2 before deciding whether it's worth creeping myself for CLAMP.

vampires lovers...

14) Vampire Knight Guilty
this is probably the closest i could find to a male harem series this season, what with all the yummy-looking bishonen vampires. our favorite vampires are back in S2 which will probably wrap up the story seeing that the manga looks like it is might be nearing its end as well. but they might use an original anime ending, cos i doubt the manga will really end before the anime finishes in 3 months' time.

15) KUROZUKA
i was hoping for a more romantic love story between a (maybe) star-crossed vampire lovers, instead it looked much more like blood-fest than anything else. there's so much blood being used, possibly the bloodiest yet this season, it makes Shikabane Hime looks tame.

i'm still hoping for some form of romance, since the lovers are supposed go through a 1000-year long journey.

for the action dramas...

16) Gundam 00 S2
fantastic start to a hopefully fantastic S2, ep1 was all action with Setsuna trying to retrieve Gundam Exia from its holding point on some remote colony. i would've thought that Saji was already integrated into Celestial Being, (i blame all the trailers) but it seemed that he's still unhappy and angry at the gundam fellows.

anyway, they will probably dedicate at least another episode or more on how Setsuna is going to restore Celestial Being along with Tiera, with Saji probably joining somewhere in the middle. i'm still not happy with them bringing Lockon back though. can't they just introduce a new character? i'm getting kinda bored with the whole revival-from-the-dead routine.

17) GA-REI -zero-
i almost thought i was watching the last episode when all the main characters were killed off in the last 5min of ep1. a big "HUH??" resounded in my head, with loads of question marks on what is heck is going on. thankfully, this only piped my interest, plus the action scenes are really great, with good bgm that helped to enhance each scene. by right, this should put this under the "slight creepy" section, but it's not even remotely scary, even with the evil spirits involved.

18) Shikabane Hime Aka
this was initially the show that could have won the award for largest-amount-of-blood-used, but now it's just been overtaken by Kurozuka. supposedly categorized as horror action, which it probably should be since the main protagonist is a corpse princess hunting other evil corpses.

though other than that, nothing else seemed really "horror-ish", unless of course, they haven't begin to pack it in ep1 yet. well there's still tons of action, and it always looks good to have the female protagonist weaving a set of killer machine guns.

and last but not least, for the BL lover...

19) Junjou Romantica S2
i probably don't have to say much about this. i love junjou to bits and i can't wait for more Misaki-Usagi and Hiroki-Nowaki interactions. *grins* S2 will continue where S1 left off, and hopefully we'll see more characters like Usagi's brother and father.

somehow, tudou has removed all the links for S1 which just irked me to no end cos that meant i have to wait for the eng subs to come out on veoh. i'm just hoping aarinfantasy will do the subs fast enough so i don't have to wait so long. >_<.``

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

if Fukuyama Jun was Spring's hottest seiyuu, Miyano Mamoru has gotta be Fall's favorite. from brooding (G00's Setsuna), to arrogantly cocky (Skip Beat's Shou), to emo guy (VK's Zero), or just downright cranky (Soul Eater's Kid), this guy is practically everywhere!

here are the shows he's in currently:
Sun: Gundam 00, Skip Beat
Mon: Vampire Knight, Soul Eater
Tue: Hakushaku to Yousei, Kurozuka

ok, i probably shouldn't put Soul Eater in, since that was from Spring, but you get my drift. like Koyasu-sama, he has a very versatile voice which is great cos you get to see him in all sorts of different roles. i still love him the most as Tamaki in Ouran, but his Death the Kid character in Soul Eater is also fantastically funny.

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

so there you have it. all 19 shows that i will be watching for Fall, together with the on-going shows like One Piece, Bleach, Soul Eater, Reborn, Maoh and Xam'd.

that's 25 series in total!!

wow! i think that's a personal record.

and i'm still itching to watch another few more on crunchyroll that have had good reviews, but i'm trying to restrain myself or i might just go overboard.

i probably have already done it anyway.

*shrugs*

anyway, more good news for all.

seems that Bleach is finally coming back to the Hueco Mundo saga. thank goodness.

i basically skipped the whole filler arc. cos even reading the summaries on RC was a torture.
ugghh.

May'n for AFA

OH MY GOSH!!

remember how i said i was hoping they'll bring people i'm interested in for AFA?

well, they've really done it!!

MAY'N IS COMING TO AFA!!!!

WOOHOO!!!

and she's going to sing at least all the songs from Macross Frontier. which is just great!!

i am so so going for AFA now!!

now i only have to know which day she'll be attending.

i can't wait for the finalized schedule to come out!

it's gonna be a great great convention!

End of Summer

my summer ended with 12 series wrapping up, following the last episode of Allison to Lillia airing last week.

actually, most of them started during Spring, so it had been a good 6 months of great anime, along with a few others that i really did pick up in the Summer season.

what was definitely great was of course Macross Frontier and Code Geass R2. i'm gonna miss watching both of them, macross cos of all the fantastic music and great mecha scenes, and geass for all the suspense and plot-twists that had my head spinning.

i was quite surprised that D.Gray-man ended with ep103, especially since they were getting to the good part in the manga. but i guess they didn't have enough materials to last for another season.

but i thought i should mention abt Someday's Dreamers S2. surprisingly, i didn't drop this after the 1st episode. in fact, i look forward to watching new episodes on crunchyroll, probably cos it reminds me of ARIA. (both are slice-of-life styled anime)

the 2 other series i picked up along the way was Natsume Yujinchou and Xam'd: Lost Memories. i almost didn't watch natsume cos the video quality of ep1 was so bad on tudou that i thought the series was bad. thank goodness i decided to give it another chance on crunchyroll.

you can basically sum up the plot in Xam'd with this equation:
(another) confused boy being thrown in the middle of a war + he gets ingrained with a seed that gives his body a super armor + mysterious girl who apparently knows what is going on + boy goes on trip of self-discovery with mysterious girl's nakama.

it's a sure-proof plot that you probably have seen before (think Dragonaut, RahXephon, Zegapain), but at least the character designs are better than Dragonaut. and although i'm still very confused about what is happening, it's still keeping me interested enough to continue watching.

as for the other series that ended, you can check out the side-bar under the completed list.

and just for the record.

i'm NOT going to pick up any 4th season of Zero no Tsukaima.

this is a reminder to myself.

DO NOT going to pick up any 4th season of Zero no Tsukaima.

as much as many others enjoy this show, it (or rather, Louis) is really starting to annoy me.

with that, i'm still frantically watching the new Fall anime series. for the 12 series i've finished, i've another 12, and probably more, that i plan to watch over the next 3-6 months.

watch out for my next post on the new Fall season.

Gurren Lagann DVD

i've decided to purchase the Gurren Lagann DVD from ZoomMovie.

the bad thing about watching it on tudou previously was that the quality is just not good enough to justify the show.

so after much deliberation, consideration and careful thoughts, i decided it was best to own my own personal DVD. just so that i can watch the fight scenes in non-fuzzy resolution.

of course, this being my 1st purchase from ZoomMovie, i was praying that i'm not cheated out of my money for low quality DVDs.

thank goodness the DVDs turned out fine.

or, as fine as you can get from Malaysia.

*shrugs*

well, at least now, i can enjoy gurren any time of the day, and i don't need to wait for each episode to stream.



PS. loads and loads of new series have been popping up over the Fall season. i could hardly keep up with most of them, and the ones i'm waiting for haven't even started!!

stay tuned for what RR is gonna be busy with over the next 3-6 months...

ohohohohohohohohohohooo....

Moo <- Roar Roar

please sing along with me to the tune of Unforgettable by Nat King Cole.

"unbelievable~~ in every way~~"

wah lau...

and i dun even get a replacement envelope, or even some form of trying-to-cover-up-for-the-mistake sticker.

sadded...

bigger is better

TA-DA!!

lovely photos of my new cupboard.


obstructed view with the doors closed


unobstructed view of everything with the door opened


top few shelves. 2nd and 3rd ones are mainly OP


sunny-go with more OP gashapons


angled-view


close-up of the 1st shelf


close-up of the 3rd shelf


well, i'm still not completely satisfied with the arrangement yet, but this will have to do for now.

now, i'll have more space for new manga, AND new gashapons.

i can't wait to fill it up with more stuff.

ohohohohoho....

サンジ 万歳!!

from episode 370.


(screencap from Kaizoku Fansub)

i just love watching him go wild. haha.

here's the actual scene.

One Piece Happy Set

another reason why Japan is great.

they have One Piece play toys for their MacDonald's Happy Meal, or Happy Set as they call it.

it's so cute!!

how i wish i have friends in japan that could've bought it for me.

argghh!!!!

yuuko

i've been meaning to put Yuuko up as the blog pic for ages but have always never found the best picture.

not that it's difficult, mind you. but it's hard to find a good decent manga scan that is sort of going on borderline creepy, cos that's the impression she always gives me.

but i decided to give up and use this picture instead.

the cover picture from Tsubasa RC Chapter 103.

though it's nowhere near creepy, it's simple while still maintaining that mysterious air around her.

and i even managed to mess around with photoshop enough to give it a nice purple hue to blend in with the color theme of the website.

not bad for someone who just uses photoshop to edit the size of any given picture.

ahaha.

hmm.

maybe i should go take some lessons on editing.

AFA08

okie, i'm the ultimate slowpoke.

i just found out from darkmirage's blog that there's gonna be an anime convention in sg on 22-23 Nov!!

Anime Festival Asia. aka AFA08.

check out the official website here. (i'm gonna put it on the sidebar just in case.)

judging by the various local blogs that had covered the press conference last week, it looks to be quite a promising event.

i'm very excited to see who are the other guests, aside from those already mentioned, that will be gracing the event. (yes, anime directors and project managers are important people, but i'm really not that familiar with the background works of anime.)

hopefully, they'll bring in the people i'm more interested in.

for example, well-known seiyuus (Koyasu-sama? Fukuyama Jun?! Miyano Mamoru?!!), or mangakas (Clamp?! Odacchi?!), or maybe even some singers (Sakamoto Maaya? May'n??).

well, one can hope and pray.

i'll definitely be going for at least one day, since admission is cheap too. $5 for 1-day pass, $8 for 2-day pass.

anyone interested??



PS. there will be limited edition mecha and collectibles for sale during the convention. what better way to fill up my new cupboard. ahahaha...

PPS. new cupboard is still "under renovation". will post up some photos once everything is sorted and in place. ^_^.``

army daze @ crunchyroll

someone just uploaded army daze onto crunchyroll.

if you've never ever seen this movie before, please go ahead and have a good laugh.

it's totally hilarious.

if you're lazy to wait for it to finish streaming, you can always borrow it from me.

i found this little treasure (the army daze vcd) when i went pioneer mall to buy dinner a few months back. =D

new furnitures

my new bookcase and table is coming from IKEA this coming sat...

you have no idea how long i've been waiting for the right time to get them.

as it was, i was flipping through the latest IKEA 2009 catalogue after i came back from taipei a few weeks ago and thought,

"wow, i think i really need another bookcase for my manga."

especially after i lugged 27 books of manga and 5 SaiMon novels back. i bought so much manga, that i actually got the VIP card from the 1st bookstore i went into where i bought 24 of the 27 books.

yes...

a VIP card...

for a bookstore in taipei...

i couldn't stop laughing at it myself...

so if anyone going to taipei is interested in getting any books from 垫脚书局, please do not hesitate to get the VIP card from me. haha.

anyway, back to my IKEA bookcase.

so i showed mom some of the cheap bookcases available. seems she was already planning on going down IKEA as she was looking at a new cupboard (for sis) and a new table to replace my current one.

i swear, my table has been with me for so long, i wouldn't be surprised if it was already rotting away inside. plus, juz imagine how dirty it is after so many years. not that i never clean it, but cos it's been so long, the dust is already embedded into the table top.

anyway, the plan was for her to go IKEA with dad, get the bookcase, table and cupboard. den claim whatever it is she needs to from me.

the new furnitures are coming in on saturday.

i can't wait! ^_^.``

Olympic History

MICHAEL PHELPS HAS DONE IT!!!

ONE (1) OLYMPIC RECORD!
SEVEN (7) WORLD RECORDS!!
EIGHT (8) GOLD MEDALS!!!

my gosh!
he has become one heck of an Olympic champion!

thought i couldn't catch his last swim, 4 x 100 medley relay, on Sunday, i had it all down on tape.

it was a great win but it still wasn't as fantastic as his 7th win on Saturday, in which he out-touched Milorad Cavic by 0.01sec.

an utterly unbelievable win. any slower and the 8-gold dream would have been out of his hands.

but there you have it.

he won Mark Spitz's 7-gold record.

he had 7 new world records.

his name, MICHAEL PHELPS, will go down in history.

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

last Saturday was also the day in which the Men's 100m run had a new world record by Usain Blot from Jamaica.

another unbelievable win, where he run a record 9.69sec!

9.69sec!!

i don't think i can even do 50m in that time, much less 100m!

now it's a matter of whether Blot will win the 200m on Wednesday night, in which he is the current world champion.

back-to-back golds in the sprints?

he will try and accomplish it.
and maybe, just maybe, break Michael Johnson's 12-yr old record. (!!)

anyway, i've spent all of my last weekend's nights watching the athletics.

i will still continue to do so for the rest of the remaining Olympic days.

i'm so glad most of the track finals are in the evening rounds.

ohohohohohoho...

Olympics 2008

while i may not keep up with the world of sports most of the time, Olympics is the only time you'll see me glued to the TV screen watching events you'll never expect me to watch.

my all time favorites, Women's Volleyball and Track events.

mainly due to influence from my secondary school days when i spent that one week trying out volleyball when i was in sec1, i am all for women's volleyball.
(just don't expect me to watch the men's event cos i juz think it's weird to see men playing volleyball.)

i'm hoping for Brazil to win their gold medal after a very very long draught at previous Olympics. they're off to a pretty good start at the prelims, winning their 3rd straight game (as of today) and being placed 1st in Pool B.

as for track, though i like the short events like the 100m and 200m, the long events (1500m, 10,000m) are the ones i usually love to watch. basically cos i'm such a bad long-distance runner that i prefer to juz watch them on screen. ahaha.

then there's the gymnastics and diving competitions that you'll watch to wonder how there's actually people out there that can do those difficult twists and turns when you can barely even touch your own toes with your legs out straight.

but this year, i'm especially excited to watch the swimming finals. as is every other Olympic spectator out there.

one reason.

Michael Phelps.

you really can't ignore this guy even if you want to. if you thought Ian Thorpe was great, Phelps is fantastic!

11 Olympic gold medals under him. (as of now)

add that to the multiple world records he's broken in just these 6 days alone.

but you really don't need me raving about him. cos everyone else is doing it. (i shall do mine in the comforts of my own home)

so will he get his 8 gold medals to overthrow Mark Spitz's 7 gold medals win in one Olympic meet?

we'll find out on Sunday.

GO PHELPS!!

Wrap-up of Spring and start of Summer 2008

what has ended in Spring 2008...

1) Toshokan Sensou; so it might not be a winner hit like Honey and Clover, but i still enjoyed it. and yes, Dojou still reminds me of Sousuke, maybe more. even meow meow thinks so!

2) Amatsuki; total waste of time. i am so disappointed with how it turned out.

3) Angelique; still good enough for another season in summer 2008. still love the ED song. though that might change with the new season.

4) xxxHOLIC Kei; i always wondered why they never do more than a 12-episode season everytime. but judging from how slow CLAMP is reproducing, i guess i can't be greedy.

5&6) Junjou Romantica and Vampire Knight will both be airing part 2 in fall 2008. i have no idea why they're all following the footsteps of Geass and G00. especially since i'm so hooked on both.
total cliff-hanger endings. well, more for VK than JR, but still! they were juz getting to the good parts in JR!

surprisingly, i only dropped druaga and crystal blaze. or rather, i didn't manage to pick them up after the 1st episode.

so whatever is left of Spring 2008, that you've seen me write about, even a little bit, i'm still watching.

and omg, CLAMP is seriously going all out on Geass. just check out the latest OP & ED. instant drool-fest. i can only dream-wish for the same quality of artwork in Tsubasa RC. (CLAMP hasn't done a proper RG Veda since Chobits)

the story, as usual, is twisting as much as it can. as much as i don't like Shirley (ie. she's fan-fare), i was totally taken by surprise when they killed her off after making her relationship progress so much with Lelouch during the last few episodes. but then again, there were other surprises in Ep13 (credits as usual to RC).

Macross Frontier will definitely be getting my votes for best Anime OST 2008. with the way they keep churning out great songs, i'll be surprised if they don't. they have great mechas, and all the good songs. if they could just keep their animation quality consistent, it'll be a total joy to watch.

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

with the end of such a great Spring, i'm not surprised that Summer 2008 had little to offer me. especially since there's still so many series that are still on-going from Spring. so the ones i'm planning to watch are...

Someday's Dreamers S2
alright, alright, i admit it. i am the ULTIMATE sucker for sequels. even if they might be terrible. frankly, ep1 was wayy boring. yet, i'm still gonna continue. at least, i'll stick around for another episode or two and see if they'll kill me with boredom. =\

Antique Bakery
now this, i'm looking forward to. many many many years ago, i bought and watched the live-action j-drama cos it had both Hideaki and Naohito. after watching ep1, you realized how much they down-played the shonen-ai aspect in the live-action, seeing that Naohito's character Yusuke is like totally gay!

anyway, this is as close as i can get to getting some BL action this season. i've actually checked out how the manga looks like, and the drawing seriously wasn't that fantastic so i didn't buy it. but who knows, i might change my mind after watching the anime. i'm most definitely not buying the manga, the drawings really aren't worth it.

Zero no Tsukaima S3
like i said, sucker-for-sequels. hopefully, this time they would really round up the story. it was interesting at first (S1), then it got slightly tiring and irritating (S2). but if they're really going to give it a good finish, i guess i can stick around for another 12 episodes or so.

so, that's just 3 shows, one of which has a high probability of getting the boot. well, at least that means i'll have a more fruitful Fall 2008 since there's much more sequels coming up then.

especially...

NODAME!! WoHOO!!
S2 is all about London! and hopefully, they'll follow the manga closely. as much as i liked the live-action interpretation of the London-arc, it was only two 1-hr specials, in which they tried to cram as much stuff in as possible.

so, as joey would say it, "it's London baby!"

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

and i have to say this.

bleach is terribly terribly boring again. i can't decide what's worse, the Bounte filler or this current one.
seriously! what is wrong with juz stopping the series for a season? they did it for all the other shows!

i miss you like crazy

you know how important this means when your sis comes back from dinner and proclaims this...

"I ate LuNCHeON MeAT today!!"

and to all those that don't think that it is a big deal, well,

IT IS A BIG DEAL!!!

the other alternatives in the market does not even COMPARE to previously.

*sighs*

i miss Ma Ling.

サンジ 燃える

from episode 355



there can only be one thing that gets him burning...

actual scene here.

more thoughts on Spring 2008

finally, the continuation on my previous previous post on Spring 2008...

it seems that now, everyone wants to redefine the job of a shinigami, including soul eater. isn't it not too long ago that the only job a shinigami does is to lead people's spirits to the other world or something like that? now, they're in-charge of fighting all sorts of creatures and capturing evil souls to level-up their deathscythes.

the first 3 episodes were used to introduce the 3 pairs of shinigamis-deathscythes. we shall see how the story officially starts from ep4 onwards. if they continue all the action, plus the comedy side, it'll definitely hook me 'til the end.

if anyone is looking for another ninja anime to pick up, beside naruto, nabari no ou is for you. more drama, more ninja history, and definitely more "ewwww" factor. ep3 already had limbs twisted and blood gushing scenes. aside from the male lead being voiced by Kugimiya Rie, which i'm not used to since she has quite a very childish voice, everything else seemed good enough for me to continue watching.

toshokan sensou came from the same people that gave us Honey and Clover, so you can expect fantastic production quality. the story plot is alittle hard to take in, since it's set in a (futuristic?) japan where the government is controlling the media and there's an library army that is opposing them. somehow, the male lead, Doujo, reminds me of Sousuke from FMP. hmm...

if you like to watch some boy-love anime this season, junjou romantica is just for you. similar to soul eater, it has 3 couples, all interlinked, and the story will be each couple taking 1-2 episodes each before changing to the next. as it is, ep3 has introduced the 2nd couple, which is my favorite among the 3.

i've read the manga. it is explicit, but if you can push that aside, the story is actually very good. of course, as much as they're showing this after midnight, they had to downplay most of the BL scenes. which is fine, since i'm more interested in the story plot. it's a long show, 26 episodes, so i'm think they'll probably stop very near to where the manga is still serializing in the magazine.

monochrome factor, crystal blaze, druaga are the last 3 on my list. which also means they don't take much priority within the week as i'll prefer to just watch a few episodes in a single sitting. and the probability of dropping them half-way through the season is pretty high too.

well, i'll see as it goes.

and please allow me rave again about Geass.

AGAIN.

it is really, truly a fantastic show. every week just leaves you suspended with so much excitement. Sunrise really outdid themselves and hopefully they'll continue to entertain us throughout the entire series.

i need to emphasis again on the wonderful drawings in the ED. yes, i know i already did, but seriously, if there's a CLAMP-only Geass artbook, i'll definitely buy it! it's just too pretty!!!

Fukuyama Jun and Sakurai Takahiro are THE most sought-after seiyuus for Spring 2008. Both of them have 3 or more main lead roles (FJ as Code Geass' Lelouch, xxxHOLIC's Watanuki, S.A.'s Kei, Amatsuki's Rikugo Tokidoki; ST as Code Geass' Suzaku, Maoh's Yuuri, Junjou's Misaki) in the new series.

and that's not even counting them as supporting cast in the new shows and those that are still on-going currently.

did anyone try to count the number of times i used the word "fantastic" for Spring 2008. i bet it's way past its usage limit.

so sue me. =p

Saiunkoku Monogatari withdrawal

you know that you're suffering from SaiMon withdrawal when you:

10) constantly look up "saiunkoku" on search engines and Wikipedia, hoping to find more pictures and latest news on SaiMon.

09) check out the SaiMon LJ every other day for more news and updates, at the same time reading fandom and checking out the drama/character CDs.

08) have a SaiMon wallpaper on your laptop/desktop, your mobile phone theme is SaiMon related, and you even bought a SaiMon mobile strap.

07) watched S1 &/or S2 at least twice over, and random favorite episodes at least 3-4 times.

06) managed to get your friends addicted to SaiMon, causing them to suffer from slight withdrawal too.

05) know all the character names off the top of your head, even the bad guys and super minor characters.

04) swoon everytime you find new pictures of the guys in SaiMon, and share it with your SaiMon friends.

03) are reading EVERYTHING (the light novels and manga, even though they essentially are the same), and ANYTHING (you buy all magazines that contains more pictures of SaiMon) SaiMon-related.

02) want Shuurei to end up with, and ONLY with Ryuuki, regardless of the fact that there are many other prospective suitors like Ryuuren, Ensei, Seiran and Kouyuu.

01) have finished S2 and the latest book, is suffering from withdrawal symptoms cos you're dying for the next book to come out, AND though you should be asleep at 1am, you're still wide awake typing a SaiMon withdrawal list.

arrrgghhh..........

SaiMon withdrawal!!!!!!!!!!

RYUUKIIIIII!!!!!!!!!

thoughts on Spring 2008

oh my gosh...

the new season is just fantastic, and it had only just started. let's really hope it will continue on for the entire season.

so here's my personal, and somewhat biased (of course!) commentaries on some of the shows i'm definitely watching.

Geass was great. season 1 ended with a dramatic cliffhanger and yet, when R2 started, there was no overtly long recap session while they introduced new story plots and twists. of course, i still wanna find out what happened to that cliffhanger since it's still unresolved. but, that's what makes R2 so exciting.

the artwork is still fantastic, as our lovely CLAMP ladies are still working on them. loved the picture of lelouch in the ED, which reminds me of Kamui from X.

now, here's something i never expect.

Macross Frontier.

this is the 1st time i'm watching any macross series, even though it's been around for almost as long as gundam. and i only picked it up cos random curiosity (my fav anime blog site) gave great reviews for it. well, it's really fantastic. THE mecha series for Spring 2008! two-thumbs up!

as usual, xxxHOLIC is something i really shouldn't watch at night if i can help it. apart from the fact that i'm frightened at anything remotely ghostly/horror, this show really gets to me at night cos it's so spooky sometimes. other than that, it's still great to see a CLAMP show.

Maoh S3 is off to a slow start. i almost wished i didn't know about it until it is nearly over. i'd forgotten how slow the show can be, since i chanced upon S1 and S2 last year and basically finished all 78 episodes in a span of a few weeks. oh well, it's not off to a bad start, and i get to see more of Conrad for another 39 episodes.

for the period drama fan in me, Amatsuki is as Seirei no Moribito was to me last year. it also helps that it's set in the whole Edo-era cos i love all the olden days clothings. many mixed reviews about this show, but i'm still hopeful. since it's only gonna be 13-episode long, i'll probably be watching til the end.

Wagaya no Oinarisama seemed ok enough to continue watching. i may not like ghostly/horror shows, but throw in some spirits and demons and i'll be hooked. maybe cos i'm more into folklore and mythology. the tenko can give Ranma a run for his money, considering it can change gender as and when it likes.

and i know i probably shouldn't watch this, but Neo Angelique Abyss always have the "bishonen-galore" that can rival even Saiunkoku. looking back, i never did finish Koi suru Tenshi Angelique cos as usual, the story got really boring towards the middle. but this one caught me cos there were much more fighting scenes in the 1st episode.

though i did squirm when they did the ultra cliché female-lead-saves-everyone-with-magical-power routine. anyway, did i mention the ED is fantastic? would never have expected such a nice song on Angelique. if all else fails, meaning if the story gets way boring, at least the ED was great.

almost immediately after watching ep1 of Vampire Knight, i was searching through online manga sites for online scans. after BLOOD+, it's been quite some time since i've picked up a vampire show, so i'm looking forward to enjoying it. now i just have to decide if i should pick up the manga from kinokuniya.

i wouldn't say i was too disappointed by Special A, but neither was i particularly impressed. i thought it tried too much to follow the style of Ouran anime and failed to bring out its own flavor. but then again, when i first started reading the manga, i didn't really started liking it until 3-4 books down too. so there might still be hope yet for the anime.

...TBC...

no more ARIA

just finished watching the last episode of ARIA The Origination.

and sadly, unless they're going to slot in another OVA, there's little chance there will be a fourth and final season. which i was hoping so much for.



they pretty much wrapped up everyone's lives, giving a short epilogue of such at the last 3-5mins of the show.

but of course, if they really really wanted to continue *super cross fingers*, i'm sure they could do something about it.

i guess nobody ever expected the runaway success of ARIA. and yet, it had entertained many others like me who haven't read the manga, with 3 successful seasons and an OVA.

watch ARIA minna!! you wouldn't regret it!

Spring 2008

i love spring season. the good shows always comes out during spring seasons. here's the list of what i'll be watching for the next 3-6 months.

the "definite-will-watch-til-the-end" shows:
1) Special A
2) Junjou Romantica
3) Kyou Kara Maoh: Season 3
4) Code Geass: Season 2
5) xxxHOLIC: Season 2

the "have-to-watch-a-few-episodes-before-deciding" shows:
1) Vampire Knights
2) Nabari no Ou
3) Monochrome Factor
4) Soul Eater
5) Toshokan Sensou
6) Crystal Blaze
7) Wagaya no Oinarisama
8) Allison & Lilia
9) Tower of Druaga
10) Blassreiter
11) Amatsuki
12) Neo Angelique Abyss
13) Kyouran Kazoku Nikki

the start of Spring also marked the end of Gundam 00, Aria the Origination, Dragonaut, Spice and Wolf, and Hatenkou Yuugi.

personally, i only wished for Aria to have a longer season, since G00 is gonna come back for its 2nd season in fall 2008 anyway. my fingers are still crossed, hoping they'll have a final season to wrap up the manga serialization that just ended in feb.

with last week's MC, i've finally caught up with the anime for D.Gray-Man and Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn, both of which are at exciting parts now.

especially Reborn, since they've just started the Future Arc and we get to see the grown-up versions of Hayato and Yamamoto, amongst other characters. i should really continue to buy the manga for both series.

remember how i was commenting on Gurren Lagann a few months back?
well, it is really truly the best anime series of 2007.

the adrenaline rush was throughout the entire 27 episodes. i haven't seen an anime so intense before. the story pace was fast, yet it still managed to capture even the smallest emotional scenes well.

and guess what?
there's gonna be a movie in fall 2008!
WOHOO!!


wisdom tooth: the aftermath

went to take out my stitches today. bloody hell, the dentist was super rough. it took him 2-3 tries before he could remove the stitches. i'm never going back to him again!


super random quirks:
read this somewhere yesterday, and in case u're asked not to curse, eg. "what the hell??!!"

"hell" is not a curse word. it’s a place.

heehee. thought it was a rather creative answer.

wisdom tooth: the end

the minute i sat on the dentist chair, the jolt of fear clung on to me.
my hands started trembling slightly.

and it didn't help that 3 LA needles were sitting on the tray beside me.

thankfully, aside from the initial LA, my mouth was already numb as the dentist cut opened my gum and started yanking my tooth out.

although, he had to give me another LA cos i could still feel pain after the first few yanks. but all in all, it was a rather short procedure. and he didn't even have to use the drill to split my tooth.

anyway, i left the clinic heavily-laden with antibiotics and painkillers, with a numb half hamster-liked face (only the right side was swelling), and the inability to speak properly.

it's been 2 hrs since the operation. the LA is wearing off and the pain is coming back to me. intensely.

and i'm still waiting for the area to stop bleeding.

ughh....

wisdom tooth

3 years ago, on 8 Mar 2005, i went for an extraction for my lower left wisdom tooth.

horror of all horrors, it is happening to me again.

3 years later, on 24 Mar 2008, i'm going for another extraction.
this time, for my lower right tooth.

incidentally, it was also in the same month.
why is it that everytime i start a new job, i have to christen it with an extraction. (i had just started work in jan 2008)

3 years...

short enough for me to remember the extraction procedure.
yet long enough for me to forget the pain, sensation-wise.

albeit, i think my 1st time was much much worse cos my gum infection was really very bad.
(i had waited quite long before i convinced myself i needed to see the dentist den.)

ughhh.....

hope this time will not be as painful...
*cross fingers*

crap...

as usual, this morning as i was hitching a ride from my dad to work, the radio was tuned to FM93.8.

and like any other mornings, i endured it more for dad's sake cos he wants to hear the traffic updates. i mentioned it all the time, but he doesn't believe that other radio stations actually do update more frequently than FM93.8.

anyway, today's Talk Back session was about motorists and the latest news about them being all over the place in the CBD, on the pedestrian walk-ways, how they're being a general pain-in-the-ass on the road, blah blah blah.

general bashing from the callers of how sg authorties should deal with them and the likes, many other complaints, and some suggestions to curb the problems etc etc.

while i don't fancy motorists any more than the average driver, sometimes i just can't help feel that singaporeans really don't make sense at all.

hello, if the motorists are on their motorcycles, what makes you think they're even listening to the radio in the 1st place?

i doubt you can even hear yourself through a helmet talking to the pillar driver, much-less stick an earphone into your ear under the helmet (which seems rather uncomfortable to me) and listen to Talk Back while dodging the nearest car on the expressway.

i refuse to believe that anyone would wanna listen to FM93.8 if it weren't for the news coverage, and somewhat lacking traffic reports.

in reality, the Talk Back sessions only serve its purpose to allow (mostly) ignorant singaporeans to call in, majority of which just sprout nonsense from their mouths, completely with no helpful comments at all.

what crap is that?!

my mission: to make my dad see that he's wasting time on FM93.8 every morning. they don't even give that much traffic reports compared to class95, where they do it every 15min intervals.

or maybe, just maybe, dad gets a kick out of listening in to what other crap singaporeans can come up with.

ughh...

crap.......

Oscars 2008

the one thing i got out of watching the Academy Awards every year.

the want to watch all the nominated films for Best Picture.

this year, No Country for Old Men won.

after seeing the trailer, i can see why.
and that's just from the trailer.

gosh, the movie is gonna be good.

i've already listed down a long list of films which i'm gonna try to rent and watch. all of which, were taken down while watching them recap all Best Picture films for the past 79 years.

past Best Picture Films to try to watch. (eventually)
1) Gone with the Wind
2) Casablanca
3) Ben-Hur
4) Lawrence of Arabia
5) My Fair Lady
6) The Godfather Trilogy
7) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
8) Kramer vs. Kramer
9) Chariots of Fire
10) Driving Miss Daisy
11) Dances with Wolves
12) Unforgiven
13) Schindler's List
14) The English Patient
15) American Beauty
16) Crash

add the 5 films from this year, and a whole lot of other films, let's see what i can accomplish this year.

=/

a month after...

Winter 2007

after a very disappointing Fall 2007, i'm very glad the winter series had much more better series.

ARIA the Origination

ARIA is back!! as with Taiho in the previous season, i am ecstatic with joy. really really happy for the new season of ARIA though there are also rumors that they might end with this season since the manga serialization is ending soon.

but in any case, i'm still happy there's more akari-chan and friends to look forward to every week. this anime is also the reason why i'm dying to go venice.

lucky meow meow, she gets to go there for work. >_<.``

Persona -trinity soul-

would it be biased to say i'm watching this cos koyasu-sama is voicing one of the main leads?

yeah?
*shrugs*
oh well...
*deep breaths*

KOYASU-SAMA IS VOICING ONE OF THE MAIN LEADS!!
WOHOO!!!

*coughs*

not that i dun appreciate him currently in Bleach, but hello, he's like the ant-like hollow thing in Bleach. he is so much cooler in Persona as the police chief who also has his own persona.

this series reminds me of RahXephon, in terms of how the mechanics is connected to the user. unlike Rah, at least separation of the persona from the user doesn't kill him/her, even if they do end up in a comatose-like state.

Hatenkou Yuugi & Spice and Wolf

i'm pairing them up cos i haven't really much to say about them except that their storylines are interesting enough for me to stay on them.

Hatenkou has the guys and magic, while Spice has the wolf-god. remembered me saying i like shows with magic and mythology? well, these 2 has exactly that.

so there you have the 4 new anime series that i've picked up in winter. and i picked up another two along the way.
Dragonaut, which is still showing, and Gurren Lagann which i am watching to see what the big deal is with this series and why everyone loves it.

Dragonaut is another mechanic series. but unlike persona, it's the whole plot that reminds me alot of Rah. i think it's the whole fighting against alien-beings thingn that is similar in Dragonauts and Rah.

Gurren Lagann on the other hand, juz made me think of SD Gundam. at least, that's what the impression the 1st episode gave me. i haven't gotten past the 3rd episode, so i'm still reserving comments. thank goodness the series is finished anyway, so i could watch alot all at one go. *thinks CNY period*

and finally, in between everything else, between every other months, there is the occasional OVA that is definitely worth waiting for.

so for those that are so lost and out of touch, please go and watch:
1) the 2 episodes of Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations (ep3 will air on 17/3), the artwork is bee-you-ti-ful;
2) the 3 episodes of Kyou Kara Maoh R (ep4 airing on 29/2), with the usual bishonen galore.

if you see me on the bus or train reading a chinese novel, please do not be afraid.
that just meant i'm over-obsessing over Saiunkoku Monogatari. season 2 is coming to an end in in mar, i am so not prepared for it. ~_~.``

another actor...

Heath Ledger is dead.

which i'm sure lots of people in sg will go, "Heath who?"
cos that was basically the type of reaction i got when i told people on msn 2 days ago.

and this is how people will remember him:
Me: OMG! Heath Ledger is dead!
Somebody: Heath who?
Me: did u watch brokeback mountain... gay cowboy... the blond one...
Somebody: ohhhh... brokeback... yeah i know him...

it's quite a sad thing that people only remembers him cos of brokeback. but then again, every other movie he starred in wasn't quite that big a success either. a knight's tale, cassanova, teen flick 10 things i hate about you.

it was either brokeback, or the patriot. but who will remember him in the patriot when everyone juz associates that with mel gibson.

basically the only person i got a significant amount of response from was my sis. and i didn't even need to mention brokeback.

but then again, my sis reads yahoonews.

and she's concerned with how britney spears is going with her life.

oh well...

she also reminded me that he is the new Joker in the upcoming Batman movie. how freaky is that gonna be.

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