voice

~ January ~ February ~ March ~ April ~ May ~ June ~ July ~ August ~
~ September ~ October ~ November ~ December ~ archive: 2007

5/31/07 ~ Friday 11:30 pm

Status: happy ~ Listening to: Exodus 04 - Utada Hikaru

LJ restores!

LJ is going to un-suspend some accounts! Yay! The journals for fandoms and fanfiction will be un-suspended...but does that include communities? Either way, the fandom recovers! *dances around the room*

1:35 am ~ Status: pissed off

Semi-wank: money > fandom

Although people were thinking the LJ deletion frenzy was not because of the group 'Warriors for Innocence'...it actually is. Due to time, I won't even bother explaining what WFI really is, though you can probably figure it out by the name. As mentioned in my previous post, although they are cracking down on pedophiles and the like, fandoms are being punished as well even though they're not encouraging child molesters. germaine_pet on lj posted a letter WFI sent to one of the LJ Abuse staff. Their 'upper hand' in this issue is due to their connections with advertisers on LJ. Of course, advertisers don't want anything to do with WTF!incest and OMG!childporn. But have they seen some of the comms they deleted? Fanfiction/fanart sites? Book discussion sites? (aka controversial novel 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov.)

Ever since I got into the Japanime fandom, I have reminded children that they SHOULD NOT go on the internet unless a responsible adult is there with them. Just typing in the words 'Sailor Moon pics' will bring up a barrage of hentai sites. Innocent minds cannot be shielded by eliminating racy topics from the net. LJ should not be the site for the gathering of pedophiles. However, it shouldn't hinder sites that are not about sharing info about where to pick up little boys. It pisses me off that a 'Good Samaritan' type of group is pushing for mass deletion of comms. Ignorant and narrow-minded are words that come to mind.

I truly hope this chaos resolves soon. There are more (and better) wank and internet drama that is sure to come...especially with HP's last book coming out. *goes to bed*

5/29/07 ~ Tuesday 11:55 pm

Status: shocked ~ Listening to: me typing

LJ crackdown!

Apparently LJ started issuing permanant suspensions on comms and journals that contained material "which expresses interest in, solicits, or encourages illegal activity." The illegal activity? Incest. It also includes lolicon and other 'children and sex' groups. On one side, they are cracking down on real life groups that actually solicits such behavior. On the downside, its also shutting down some RP and fic comms that have incest and shota. LJ is being very civil about this since they seem to be shutting down what is being reported in as such. And when asked, they give detailed e-mails. catrinella on lj is giving a running list of all the comms/journal that have been deleted. femmequixotic on lj writes about communicating with LJ Abuse concerning her deleted comm.

I'm minutely concerned since I'm part of a larger fandom (*ahem* Japanime) that have incest and shota/lolicon among other 'illegal activities' as genres of fiction. I mentioned it more than once that although fans may be interested in such topics, that does not mean we condone such actions.

Also, as someone mentioned, what about comms that deal with RL victims of incest and child molestation/sexual abuse? Switching to an '18 and over' site like journalfen might be an idea, but there is also the underaged population.... Also, journalfen has an 'invite only' system to prevent multiple accounts from opening. It's something to think about.

On the otherhand, some comms/journals have ways to go back to LJ. As long as they're not being reported its okay. (My assumptions entirely.) I guess LJ ppl are going to be updating their 'interests' list....

10:30 pm ~ Status: groggy

Arigato, P-chan! ^.^

Got off early from work today (was at court all day) so I headed over to P-chan's for late lunch/supper. Yummy.... Thank you for letting me invite myself over. *bows*

*scrubs cosplay*

Remember I mentioned awhile that my Asuca Hayashi cosplay had something black on it? Well, I've been washing it. More like scrubbing it, washing it, rubbing it...and it's coming off little by little. I least I think so. The substance in question is dried rubber and it's really rubber things from the underside of the keyboard that melted and got stuck on my dress. Kinda like the rubber-stops at the bottom of laptops, keyboards and electronics. Don't even ask how that occured. <.<;

Its killer to get off and weeks later, I'm still doing it. The current treatment plan? Scrub with Ponds and no water. Wash with dish detergent (that can handle oil) and water. Let dry and repeat. >.<; Who came up with the idea? Okaasan...and as said, I think it's working. *stares*

5/28/07 ~ Monday 2:35 am

Status: ready to sleep ~ Listening to: silence

Another meeting

My Gravitation came this past week (when I was with amity and co.) and of course, I was deliriously happy. I also was anxious to get manga covers so that I can keep my manga in the best condition possible. ^-^ So after church today, someone dropped me off at Flushing and I headed to Kismet Books. I actually just found out today that Kismet is actually the location of Bubble Cafe/manga library that was originally across from the parking lot. O.o I never knew.... Of course they don't sell the seafood salad I like so much, but they still have drinks. ^-^ After picking up manga covers, I met up with P-chan for dinner. We had a nice walk and then I headed home. *yawn* I'm going to cover manga for awhile and then go to bed.... No work tomorrow = more sleep for me! ^.^

5/27/07 ~ Sunday 1:55 am

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: silence

Bishoujo week is over!

I hope you enjoyed the lovely ladies that I wrote about this week. ^^; I don't know what I'm going to do next year, but we'll see what happens when that time comes. ^-^ Since these last couple of days have been so busy, I haven't had time to really think about what was stressing me out...until now. So, I'm kinda still stressed. ^^; No big deal, just that my story is again being delayed due to my lack of inspiration. Perhaps I shouldn't try so hard....

Stop walking in the past, ne? P-chan kept on telling me that. I should do that. *is determined* ^-^ I'm also determined to finish my story by the end of this week. I'm also planning to take it easy on Monday since it's a holiday. For now, I'm ready to do some more sleeping. *runs to bed*

12:00 am ~ Status: happy ~ Listening to: RG Veda Instrumental

Kendappa-ou ~ Gakushi no Kimi

One of my favorite characters of RG Veda is Kendappa-ou, Lady of Instruments. She is a harpist at Taishakuten's palace, though her harp is more than what it seems. Not only is she one of the 'six stars', her power is actually alot stronger which is revealed in the last two volumes of the manga. She does not join the group since she sticks to her vow. Her vow encapsulates her determination to follow only the strongest, whom she deemed to be Taishakuten who established himself in power. Kendappa-ou's personality may seem complicated, but it is actually easy to understand. She feels that since fate cannot be altered and she cannot break her own vow to follow the strongest, she sends her friends away in order to delay the inevitable. However, even though it seems that these are contradicting actions, she truly holds on to her integrity and doesn't falter from her goals.

There are contrary moments when she is sweet and cute and others when she is serious and even cruel. Her ability to manipulate the situation through her facade shows an intelligence that is far from simple. However, she does not waver from all the horror that occurs since she knows the promise she made to herself. Kendappa-ou is beautiful and though she uses her appearance to her advantage, she does not engage in petty disputes (like when a lady in court became jealous of her friendship with Taishakuten's son, Ten-ou.) Her own emotions are hidden and she retains a visage of calmness. However, her feelings of sadness and happiness do appear and disappear as she controls herself. Her kindness is revealed with the way she comforts Karura-ou when her younger sister died. Her gentleness is shown as she slowly draws her dear friend out of the coma-like state she fell into in sorrow.

Even though she is a lady of court and a wonderful musician, that does not mean she is unable to fend for herself. Her skills with her sash is dangerous (when wrapped around someone's neck) and her skills with a sword is even mroe deady (as seen in the last volumes.)

Pairings

Ten-ou obviously likes Kendappa-ou. Although it is uncertain if she truly acknowledged his feelings(though she is not wholely unaware of his advances,) she spends alot of time with him, even giving him the private concert of her harp as he asked. Another possible love interest could be Taishakuten, who she admires. She was drawn to him when she was young, making the vow to always follow the strongest. Her vow kept her from her friends when they were on their journey. Taishakuten even acknowledges her strength and is the only one who knew her true power. She is also the only one he could possibly tolerate any request, even if he doesn't grant it. When questioned about her loyalty, Kendappa replied (paraphrasing,) "I like strength and you are strong, Lord Taishakuten." A third possible pairing could be with Yasha-ou. At a young age, Kendappa despised Yasha since her mother fell in love with him, even though Kendappa and him were so close in age. However, they became friends and she enjoys teasing him. Even though she may declare herself his 'sister,' they make an adorable couple. ^-^

Above all, Kendappa-ou has a close relationship with Sohma-ou. Kendappa-ou found the last remaining survivor of the Sohma clan just after everyone was destroyed. Kendappa personally cared for her and Sohma became like a bodyguard and friend to her (though she knows that Kendappa-ou has no need for a bodyguard. ^.^) Kendappa-ou was saddened when Sohma-ou was ordered to go with Yasha-ou. They made a promise to each other that they'll come back together. This promise was signified by a pair of earrings that each held, given by Sohma-ou. Kendappa-ou wears the earring though it is hidden by her hair. Kendappa-ou's vow of following Taishakuten was not broken by her feelings for Sohma-ou and vice-versa. To the end, Kendappa fulfilled both her vows.

Kendappa-ou is from RG Veda, by CLAMP-sensei.

* * * *
* * *

5/26/07 ~ Saturday 2:40 am

Status: tired ~ Listening to: I Will - Sowelu (FMA ED)

And the point of that was...?

Saw the movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' with P-chan and Pearl-chan today. It started out well enough: there were nice combinations of witty exchanges and action sequences. My fav part was their attempt to return from the 'world's end'. (The running around on the ship was a nice idea...no more hints from me. ^-^) The mixture of 'betrayals' and 'I didn't tell you because-' was kinda cumbersome and I didn't really get it. Perhaps it's because I was tired and my mind couldn't function enough to follow such a complicated conspiracy. ^^; The scene with the main fight sequence in conjunction with the *spoiler so I won't write what it was* ^^: was funny in it's own way. But I'm wondering why the Armada and the rest of the pirates didn't start fighting as well.... What were they doing all that time? Staring at the water? *is confused* Overall, an okay movie. Not really a 'must-see at theaters' but okay.

Oh, one last thing if you watch the movie, stay until after the credits. ^.^

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye

Strict and serious are words commonly used to describe the First Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye. Not surprisingly her stern demeanor towards everyone is the same, even to her pet dog, Black Hayate. However, she does spare a rare smile towards does that are close enough to see it and expressionless would not be a term to describe her since she does show her exasperation at the foolishness of her fellow soldiers.

Her backstory is fleshed out more in the manga than in the anime. Her father was an alchemist and her personality was alot softer and more timid than her current behavior. That isn't to say her current actions are from bravado: she gained courage through the years. Her understanding of the situation around her, insight during the Ishbal Massacre reveals her intelligence and ability to stay in the situation and analyze objectively. Her quick thinking is also an asset to those around her. My favorite statement of hers is her comparison between herself and State Alchemists in regards to war. (Paraphrasing) 'The weapon is the gun in my hand. For them, the State Alchemists are themselves the weapons.' My understanding is that she is inferring to her ability to set aside guns be emotionally separated from them (though she is never without a gun ^-^) but Alchemists will always have that connection to the deaths they caused since they are the very tools of war.

Her perfect aim with the gun and focused attitude makes her a formidable opponent anywhere. Her ranking, skill and nature earned her respect and fear. That is not something easy to do in the military that is mostly dominated by men. ^.^

Pairings

Pairings that can come up are Riza with Jean Havoc, Fuhrer Bradley and any of the men in the military. That isn't to say, her small/tiny relationship with Second Lieutenant Maria Ross doesn't bring up yuri suggestions. ^^; However, the most common yuri pairing is of her and Winry Rockbell. In the manga, young Winry confronts Riza of her distaste for the military but later becomes friends with her. Some may say that Winry's frequent trips to Central for Edward's automail repair is a cover for her visits to the military. (Though Riza may not really Winry's first in female relationships. *ahem* Sheska.... ^^;)

It is apparent in both the manga and anime that Riza cares for Colonel Roy Mustang. Riza knew Roy prior to meeting him again in the military. He is the one she is 'willing to protect' with her gun and her life. Her skills with the rifle are helpful to Roy whose alchemy is manipulation of fire and becomes essentially useless in the rain. She is very frank towards him and his shortcomings, but she also trusts him explicity. Though she doesn't reveal her feelings on a daily basis, there are rare moments when those feelings appear. In the manga, there was this intense scene when she thought Roy had died and she literally gave up in tears. She understands his strength and goals and she is willing to protect and support him.

Riza is from Fullmetal Alchemist, by Arakawa Hiromu-sensei.

* * * *
* * *

5/25/07 ~ Friday 5:10 am EDIT

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: Tifa no Theme (Piano Version)

There and back again

Somehow, I am currently back at P-chan's house for another impromtu sleepover. ^^; We finally bought Pearl-chan her ice cream b-day cake and went over to her house for dinner. We watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' while we played Scrabble. I still don't know who won though. ^^;

The evening brought up some serious discussions...mostly about our outlook on life, work and goals. I have only one comment.... Over $900 in Con Edison bill for ONE month? Hell...what have you been doing? O.o It boggles the mind....

Tifa Lockhart

Tifa matures throughout all the incarnations of Final Fantasy VII. Her courage reigned over her actions and revenge dictated her actions towards violence. However, in truth, her single minded goal (of going against Shinra) is initially fought without any regret. Some may say that she was disillusioned by the mission statement of the group AVALANCHE, but she believed she was fighting for those that Shinra hurt in her past. That was why when her/their actions end up hurting others, she was shocked and ashamed by the results. Doubt entered her mind at the suffering they inadvertantly caused. However, her heart to keep their 'family' together, longing to enjoy their moments of 'peace' is more than simple pride. Tifa wanted to continue living happily with those she cared about.

Tifa's heart through all the obstacles and incidents is something I admire about her. She may doubt, feel ashamed and at times be selfish (in her thoughts,) but these realistic reactions are only natural and she handled herself very well. Beyond emotions, her ability to fight is amazing. Hand to hand combat, the speed and precision of her executed attacks are wonderful to watch.

Pairings

Last year, I featured Cloud Strife during 'Bishie Week' and I mentioned that I feel that he was best paired up with Tifa. My feelings haven't changed. Although there are many pairings with Zack and even Sephiroth, I feel she and Cloud are on a similar level. Her understanding of his thoughts, she is able to touch him deeper than others, allowing him to understand who he truly is. Tifa confronts his vulnerability and he slowly opens up to her.

Of course, a popular yuri pairing would be Tifa and Aerith. Both like Cloud deep inside, but they decide to give him up to be with each other. ^.^

Tifa is from Final Fantasy VII, from Squaresoft. Pictures are from Final Fantasy Shrine and Advent Children.net.

* * * *
* * *

5/24/07 ~ Thursday 1:10 am EDIT

Status: good ~ Listening to: Shissou (Ouran High School Host Club ED)

Sashimi, bears and the waters

After work, I met up with P-chan and Pearl-chan at Pearl-chan's favorite sashimi place for dinner. Charlie Brown joined us later on and helped us finish the sashimi boat that we ordered. Oishi! (Delicious! ^.^) We spent a good half hour in the car conversing about various topics that ranged from what constitutes as sex and where we wanted to go next.

Finally, we decided on Ft. T. which is a popular make out spot. (Don't you know we're voyeurs? ^^;) After being startled by a raccoon, we stayed away from the water and just walked around talking. We saw many interesting things...that had nothing to do with the dark cars around us. ^^; Besides the beautiful bridge before us, a large line of police cars pulled up near the front Ft. T. and circled around and left. Strange.... P-chan mentioned that they're probably trying to stop speeders and drag races. Since we're only 3 girls and 1 guy in a car talking, we didn't really constitute a valid threat for the police to come knocking at our window. At the last moment, P-chan convinced me to sleep over her house (upon threat of not driving us out until I agree. ^^;) Such fun...interesting. Though I was unable to get a cake for Pearl-chan, I hope to make it up to her somehow....

Fujioka Haruhi ~ Natural type

Independent is a word that encompasses the nature of Fujioka Haruhi. Since her father is a hard working okama and her mother passed away when she was young, she came to rely on herself. Even being able to enter Ouran High School-an academy that caters to the rich and influencial-she is able to be admitted through her intelligence. Not to mention, she went through the testing and admissions process on her own, always carrying her dream of becoming an attorney. Her resilence and ability to handle any and all situations amazed me. Though she knocked over a vase at the beginning of the series, she is far from clumsy. Instances that shock her classmates don't draw the same reaction from her. What's more, she thinks before she speaks, although she sometimes say harmful things without any ill intent. ^-^

She is not the perfect heroine. Her lack of sense of feminism, her lack of enthusiasm, her frankness unveils a personality of many sides, though these qualities can't be deemed as negative. Her strengths and even faults is what I truly like about her.

Pairings

What I enjoyed most about this series is that Haruhi never 'blushed' from romance in front of any of the guys. Even from Hikaru and Kaoru's attention, Tamaki's 'fatherly love' and even Kyouya's merited advances, she truly didn't feel like she is falling in love with any of them...although she may be inside. That point (however confusing) is also something I admire of her. ^.^

A popular coupling for Haruhi is with Suou Tamaki or with Hitachin Hikaru/Kaoru. Tamaki obviously feels affection for her though he misinterprets his feelings as 'fatherly love.' (However, everyone in the club knows how he really feels. ^-^) Hikaru developed feelings for Haruhi in both the manga and anime, while Kaoru only fell in love with Haruhi in the manga. Although Hikaru is just as dense to his feelings for her as Tamaki, he still knows he cares for her more than others. Haruhi has entered Hikaru and Kaoru's world by being able to acknowledge and distinguish them as individuals.

Haruhi also understands Kyouya's true nature: his motive and actions. This also bring her a step closer to him than any other females. However, I truly doubt Tamaki will be willing to give up his 'daughter' to him.

Haruhi is from Ouran High School Host Club, by Hatori Bisco-sensei. Pictures are from For Richer or Poorer and minitokyo.net.

* * * *
* * *

5/23/07 ~ Wednesday 5:50 pm

Status: happy ~ Listening to: phones ringing

Otanjobi omedatou, Pearl-chan!

8 random facts about Pearl-chan

1:30 am ~ Status: accomplished ~ Listening to: Sakura Fubuki - Kitagawa Keiko (PGSM Sailor Mars)

Bishoujo x5 ^.^

In celebration of Solitary's second year anniversary, I'm going to be posting pic(s), mp3(s) and info of five bishoujos that I admire. (Last year was bishie/pretty boy and so this year is bishoujo/pretty girl.) This is pretty unique (for me) since I mostly stick to BL and rarely type about the girls of my fav series/games. Since the criteria is female characters that I admire, it's a bit harder for me to decide so there will only be five posts rather then seven like last year. Of course, the first female is bishoujo senshi Sailor Mars. ^.^

Hino Rei ~ Sailor Mars

Rei is the first female character that I truly admired. Her strong will, confidence and strength is something I wanted to emulate ever since I knew of her. She is the only daughter of a politician father and her mother passed away when she was young. Growing up at the Hikawa Shrine with her grandfather and going to T.A. Private Girls School, her life may seem sheltered and isolated. However sheltered, she has a strong sense of 'self', knowing what she wants to do and who she truly is. Even though she went to a private school and is known to be well endowed financially, she is not vain or arrogant. My fav part about her is that she is a wonderful archer. Also, the calmness that she exudes shows her elegence and beauty that other girls admire in the story.

The fact that she sings well and plays the piano is another reason why I'm drawn to her. ^-^

Pairings

Rei has a strong sense of friendship. Though it is harder to see in the live action series and even the anime series, she is dedicated to Tsukino Usagi/Sailor Moon. Her alternate teasing and fierce nature towards Usagi reveals the wish for her to mature even more. Since this is a shoujo series, there are alot of possible yuri (girl/girl) pairings. Due to their relationship, one of the more common yuri pairings is Rei with Usagi and Rei with Aino Minako/Sailor Venus. Hetero pairings from the anime include Rei with Chiba Mamoru as well as with Kumada Yuichiro.

However, I am inclined to accept that Rei may not truly have a 'love interest' in any of the incarnations of the series. My fav. possible pairing for Rei would be from her background story from the manga titled 'Casablanca Memories.' It speaks about her friendship with a young man that worked for her father named Kaidou. Rei practically grew up with Kaidou and he knew of her dislike of the isolated family when being a daugther of a busy politician. However, she later learned that he will be married to a girl from a governmental family. Her response to his engagement is (paraphrasing) "If you wanted to marry a daughter of a politician, you should have married me." Then they kissed. I have that picture below. ^.^ It was truly a sad moment and possibly the only chance Rei gave herself to develope any feelings for a guy.

Rei is from Sailor Moon, by Takeuchi Naoko-sensei.

* * * *
* * *

5/22/07 ~ Tuesday 2:40 am

Status: awake ~ Listening to: silence

Happy Belated Birthday, Solitary! ^.^;

I can't believe it, I missed my own site's 2nd year anniversary. lol I was trying to settle down to sleep when I thought about what happened last year for a certain someone's b-day when I realized, my site's 2006 Bishie Week was held during that time. ^^; 5/17...so I almost forgot it. I will still have something special up to celebrate, even if it's a week late. Last year it was bishies...this year...I don't know yet. I'll go back to bed and keep on thinking.

Speaking honestly, I have been very stressed out lately, moreso then usual. It has nothing to do with work or family issues. It doesn't even have much to do with the story I'm working on. However, due to the stress, I'm not able to write much. I guess that is my excuse for forgetting my own site's birthday. ^^;

5/21/07 ~ Monday 9:50 pm

Status: angry ~ Listening to: me fuming

Stony messes up big time

Stony accidentally placed ID#, SS# and names of over 80,000 student/staff/alumni/anyone on the health science website. Even though they took it down, there is a risk that someone had access to the info and now Stony wants everyone to be aware of the situation. Stony sent letters of warning to everyone that was on the list, but you can check to see if you're one of them by calling 1-866-645-5830. Unfortunately, I received a letter and now I have the odorous task of setting up fraud alerts on my accounts. >.<; More info concerning this incident here.

12:20 am ~ Status: contemplative ~ Listening to: me typing

The Wonderful World of Wii

I ended up being able to see my chiropracter after church today. As usual, he cracked and adjusted all of my bones. Itai! X.x I made it back to LI in time to meet up with my friends from church who went over someone's house for video games and fun...not the usual CCGC game hangout at John's, but somewhere else. They have a HUGE projector screen tv and a HUGE screen for a computer. They also have a wii (among other consoles) and John brought over two wii controllers and we had a wii party. ^.^ Glad I didn't miss this....

I ended up being pretty good at billards...though for every ball I sank, I scratched as well. lol I do this in real life as well as in the games. ^^;

Walk into the past

Turns out the house I went to is the cousin of my friends from my old church, TARCQ. They didn't know that I knew (the ppl from TARCQ) and I only knew because okaasan knew and told me on the way there. And I knew them (the ppl from CCGC) for quite some time already.... Small world, ne? ^^; It was a pretty funny way to start the convo.... Me: I knew them since I was in elementary school...or maybe junior high. Cousin: Well, I knew them since they were babies. Me: Well, of course! You're their cousin! Wife of cousin: (laughs) Well, the point is not comparing to see who knows them the longest.... lol ^_^

Wonderful evening, still kinda sore so I'm off to bed!

5/20/07 ~ Sunday 1:25 am

Status: slightly sore ~ Listening to: silence

KND: series finale....

I finished downloading 'Teen Titans' and am halfway through downloading 'Codename: Kids Next Door'. For those of you who are just joining me on my blog, I do like KND. ^-^ I think it's cute and my fav pairing is 3x4. Funny coincidence is, my fav pairing in Gundam Wing is also 3x4 (Trowa and Quatre.) ^.^ Since I'm downloading this bit by bit, I hope to get the entire series.

I just found out that the series finale is in the fall with the episode title 'Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W'. The only hints (from official sites) state that it's KND's last mission and 'one member does not come back.' After more digging, I discovered a scary statement on this KND wikia site which mentions who dies and the KND splitting up. I wonder if it means the entire Kids Next Door Agency or just Sector V (Numbah 1 through 5.) I don't know if this info is official or not, but I hope it isn't true...that someone actually dies.

I think I'll ask someone to copy this when this episode comes out because I want to be able to see it as soon as possible. Anyone offering to help me record this? ^^;

My back...owwie...

I might have to go see a chiropracter on monday. Can't see one tomorrow because he is not open and I have church. So far, I went over my back area with the Homedics massager and covered it with an electic blanket. I think I'm getting old.... >.<

5/18/07 ~ Friday 12:45 am

Status: hyper ~ Listening to: me typing

one mp4 player per year

I bought my mp4 player last year when I was in Taiwan. Since I've been connecting and disconnecting the ear plugs alot, the connection is not very good anymore. (This happened to my previous mp3 player as well...I never learn! Rai no baka! *headdesk*) So, after much research and comparison, I just bought another mp4 player. It's also an Asian no-name brand. The screen and size of the player is slightly larger then my current player, though not by much. That was a major factor in choosing my player: smaller is better. ^-^ I decided that after contemplating the fact that I listen to music more then watch anime on the thing. Also, since I'm learning Japanese, soon (hopefully) I will no longer need to read subtitles. ^^; The memory size is also 2GB since they didn't have 4GB for this player. <.<; However, it does have a miniSD slot so I can add more memory if I wanted to. Hmm...perhaps I can shrink all my fav series and carry them with me in miniSDs.... ^-^

My stuff is not in limbo..but still with the seller....

It will take about 2 weeks for the mp4 player to get here. Hopefully, my Gravitation manga will be here by then. Yes, my manga is STILL not here. According to USPS tracking, the status is 'Electronic Shipping Info Received' meaning they still didn't ship out the books! *fumes quietly* I sent the seller an e-mail already in hopes to get some explanation. I have their cellphone number (which they provided) so I'll give them a call tomorrow. >.<; We'll see what happens....

5/16/07 ~ Wednesday 10:35 pm

Status: calm ~ Listening to: Little Wing - Chieco Kawabe

More than just a manga

Here is a spoiler for manga vol. 14 of FMA...so if you don't want to know, then please don't read this post. ^-^ If you don't follow the manga series, you can continue reading because much of this won't make much sense anyway...though it is still very cool. Confused? Well, I still am....

*spoiler* In vol. 14 of the manga, we discover that Riza Hawkeye has an awesome tattoo on her back, part of which has been destroyed somehow. *ouch* X.x The tattoo itself is a mixture of many things: alchemic, greek symbols, etc.... Some fans have taken upon themselves to decipher each part of the tattoo in order to better understand the meaning. I am totally impressed at the work that went into this. *gives pocky* Hiromu-sensei researched alot for her books since it took alot of searching to actually take apart the tattoo and analyze it. Hiromu-sensei kakkoi des! ^^; How much of the findings is relevent and factual will be shown in future volumes (hopefully) of the manga, but for now, trying to understand the results of the 'research' is interesting enough. *end spoilers*

This is further proof that manga is indeed educational. Kids, read more manga! ^.^

5/15/07 ~ Tuesday 3:50 pm

Status: pleased ~ Listening to: Super Drive (Gravitation OST)

Yaoi and Brokeback Mountain = office topics

There are just some things you don't talk with your co-workers about...but anime and all it entails is not one of them. At least, not in my office. ^^; We can discuss about a variety of things...yaoi and Brokeback Mountain was the topic of today's convo. Since we only have 3 males in our office, they are very close with each other. (They have to stick together to fend off the oppression from us girls. ^-^) They're not homosexuals, but teasing them (and they to each other) is not an uncommon thing. Since one of the guys mentioned that his girlfriend might be worried that he is working with so many girls, I quipped that she should be more worried about working with the guys, since they're so close. ^-^ The guys started saying things like 'Yeah, you hang out with him more then me!' and finally, 'I wish I knew how to quit you.' The last line is of course from the movie, 'Brokeback Mountain.' Though my co-worker tried speaking it with a southern/cowboy accent, he failed miserably. ^^;

We started to talk about the different parts of the movie, and one of the guys noted that he 'cringed' during the first sex scene...since it had buttsex. ^^; lol For the record, I have never watched BBM as a whole and I don't plan on watching it. I know what happens in the movie and at the end and it is too sad for me. Instead, I rather skip around and watch the yummy parts. ^-^ Also, though however 'realistic' it is to love someone and never be able to be with him, I don't like Ennis not being with Jack and Jack waiting all time for him. I feel so sad for Jack. Only having sex with your lover a couple times in 20 years is tough for him. *hugs*

One last thing, I did watch the first sex scene (among the other scenes *_*)...and I felt like cringing as well. That first scene seems like they don't know if they want to smack each other or do each other...though I understand that was not the reason why my co-worker was cringing. ^^; I disliked the scene with Alma noticing them kissing.... She just totally ruined the moment! lol One question though, did they ever do it during their second 'moment' in the tent? I haven't found a clip for that yet.... ^^;

5/13/07 ~ Sunday 1:40 am

Status: melancholy ~ Listening to: Itoshii Hito yo Eien ni Nukumori o Tsutaete - Tetsuya Kakihara & Wataru Hatano (Okane Ga Nai ED: TV Edit)

Surprised or scared? ^^;

Me and my co-workers hid in the kitchen and waited for the bride and groom-to-be to enter the apartment. Someone walked into the doorway of the kitchen and then...BOOM! All the streamers were shot out of the little bottles...kinda like gunshots all at once. ^^; But it wasn't the bride, but the groom who was sent ahead of the bride. Turns out, the bride heard the wind rushing through the blinds of the open window and became worried that someone was in their apartment. (We opened the window because some needed to cook there.) She became scared and sent the groom ahead. lol We were so trigger happy that we didn't even confirm it was her and just yelled 'Surprise!' and popped the streamers. The bride was happily surprise though.

Stargazing = Astronomy 101 = 'How to operate a telescope'

Since it was rainy/cloudy this evening, we spent a looong time learning how to read constellation maps as well as the correct way to view the night sky. There are 88 western constellations and 31 eastern constellations. We spent another 2.5 hours figuring out how to focus and view objects through the telescope. Ano, the speed in which we focus the telescope is a little bit too slow for viewing stars. At such high magification, the stars would have already travelled across the sky before we are able to finally focus on it. ^^; More practice is needed. Hopefully, next time we're out stargazing, there will actually be stars to see. For tonight, we had a great time learning how to operate the telescope correctly, and just relax while listening to the rain.

No more goodbyes

Okaasan knew of my thoughts and gave my fish away in the afternoon. However, she didn't tell me so I'm a bit upset at it. I have already spoken with and planned to give the fish and snails to 140, a friend from church (who is also taking care of the same kind of fish and snails.) She is still going to be taking my container with the snails since her plants are all gone already. *sigh* I hear that Flounder's new owner has more fishes so they can keep him company. Sunao and the others will definitely feel at home since 140 has alot of snails. I'm content to part with them, but of course I am also a bit sad. I'll get over it soon enough though.

5/12/07 ~ Saturday 2:00 am

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: silence

Avi to dvd

After waking up and buying the decor needed for tomorrow's bridal shower, I spent the rest of my evening looking for programs to convert my video files into playable dvd files. Diana, perhaps I should've asked your bro which program to use rather than play trial and error.... ^^; Anyway, I'm still hoping to see if this latest program works without watermarks. Then, I'm converting all of my anime to dvd. ^^V *laughs manaically*

Bridal shower then stars!

I'm suppose to be asleep by now, but I felt an update was necessary. I'll be out all day tomorrow. First is the bridal shower which me and my co-workers were all secretly planning for all week. BTW, all my decorations are white, including the flowers. Okaa-san is worried about the Chinese symbolism of white = death, but I don't think the bride-to-be knows that...I hope not. If so, I'm fully prepared to throw the flowers out the window. ^^; I think this way since she is very ABC. (Her wedding doesn't even have a large banquet! O.o lol)

Afterwards, I will be heading to my friend's laboratory for an evening of stargazing with church friends. *-* I don't know when we're suppose to meet, but I'll find out tomorrow. *yawn* Better sleep or else I'll be asleep before I see any stars tomorrow night. ^^; Oyasumi!

5/10/07 ~ Thursday 12:40 am

Status: impressed ~ Listening to: youtube

It's all done by people!

There is this Japanese show called 'Kasou Taishou' which I saw a looong time ago in Taiwan, never forgot it, but never knew the name (until now.) It's a talent show and you can have as many people on it as you want, one person or a hundred people. I think they had like 50 people on it at some point...perhaps even more. ^-^ Anyway, the team or person has to work together to create an illusion. Not like magic: just illusion done with colors or however they do it.... I'm not sure how I can explain it, so perhaps you should just check it out on youtube. ^-^ Two favs that I found are Kendama's Note and Ping Pong: Matrix style. ^.^

5/9/07 ~ Wednesday 1:55 am

Status: depressed ~ Listening to: silence

and another one....

Ariel, my fish died. I think she was injured and became ill when I was cleaning the waters today. It's stupidity that led to this. I know I'm being over emotional. But for now, I'll let myself feel sad.

5/8/07 ~ Tuesday 11:55 pm

Status: sad ~ Listening to: Romance Way - ISSEI (Okane Ga Nai OP: TV Edit)

It is confirmed....

Sora is no longer in the container. I looked around the dresser (where I placed the container) and everywhere nearby, but came up with nothing. I'd like to think that I washed him down the drain when I was cleaning the water last week, but since I pick up loose stones that fall out...it is unlikely for me to let him just fall like that. But why would he climb out on his own? *sigh*

I have named the two baby snails Kaoru and Hikaru after the Hitachin brothers from Ouran High School Host Club. Of course, the slightly larger snail is Hikaru. I don't know if they came out of the same egg sac, but they're 'brothers' after all. *sigh* I'm going to vegetate for awhile and go to bed. I haven't slept in awhile.

I'm depressed over a snail. Who knew?

4:20 pm ~ Status: anxious/tired ~ Listening to: office noise

I lost Sora!

If you can recall, I have 2 fishes and 2 snails. I named the snails Sora and Sunao (from Sukisyo,) and Sora is now gone! *runs around the room* I can't find him and I don't know where he is. If he is out of the container, then he is as good as dead.... *cries* I spent all of last night awake thinking of where he might be. I'm going to re-clean the container tonight...I'm hoping he is just in the dirt, stuck somewhere...for the last week or so. Why didn't I notice sooner?!? *headdesk*

On an upper note, there are two baby snails that survived the natural statis which is 'snail=food.' They're not fish bait anymore and have grown to a reasonable snail-like size. If I don't find Sora, then they will be fatherless! *cries* No names for the little ones yet, I've yet to distinguish them from each other. Right now, I'm just worried about Sora....

5/7/07 ~ Monday 3:55 pm

Status: amused ~ Listening to: my slurping instant noodles

'I'm impotent! Honest!' <.<;

Of course no names will be given since this is concerning a client's case and I'm only mentioning it here since this is too funny. A guy is charged with rape. In his defense, he claims to be impotent. If he is impotent, obviously he wouldn't be able to rape the woman. Of course, viagra and other methods to overcome erectile dysfunction are being considered...but this the first time I ever heard of a guy claim impotency for any reason. lol ^.^

5/5/07 ~ Saturday 10:00 pm EDIT

Status: happy ~ Listening to: me typing

Downloading youtube...what fun.... ^^;

I've had a really busy day...searching for youtube clips and downloading them off the net. ^^; Besides that, I've been cleaning house and finishing up some minor tasks that have been on my mind...like adding icons into my blog. ^^; If these become a pain to put in, then I'll be taking them out. Lazy me....

I've been updating less since I've been working on the hentai story. It's not even half finished yet, but it's because I'm just trying to write a good sex scene.... ^^; *ahem* This will not be a story where I'll upload as I write it, so please be patient as I try my best. *runs away*

5/1/07 ~ Wednesday 11:55 pm

Status: estactic ~ Listening to: Anata Dake Mitsumeteru - Yoko Kobayashi (Dancemania Anime Speed OST)

*fangirl squeals*

I just checked up on the guest list for Otakon and we have Mamiko Noto and Tomokazu Seki coming! O.O *screams* Noto-san voiced Kotori (X TV and OVA,) Esther Blanchett (Trinity Blood,) and a personal fav, Shinonome Hitomi-sensei (Loveless.) Seki-san voiced Touya (CCS,) Chichiri (Fushigi Yugi,) Shuuichi Shindou (Gravitation) and Kamui (X movie.) O.O What in the world am I going to get them to sign? *runs in circles* I only listed my fav voices for each seiyuu...but there are so many.... Seki-san is a toughie since I want him to sign my Gravitation dvd...but I love the X movie too.... Even though Noto-san was never his co-star as Kotori (since he only worked on the movie while she worked only on the tv and ova series,) but since both worked on X the anime.... *is HAPPILY confused* ^^;

Most importantly, what am I going to give them when I see them? Pocky for VAs...and something else for seiyuus.... Pringles? X.x