voice

~ January ~ February ~ March ~ April ~ May ~ June ~ July ~ August ~
~ September ~ October ~ November ~ December ~ archive 2008 ~

1/31/08 ~ Thursday 2:45 am

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: silence

Happy B-day, P-chan!

Since I liked pairing Alby-kun with non-real Japanime characters, I thought to do the same with P-chan. ^-^ Please disregard any age since the shoujo animes I watch only boast characters of highschool age. Anyway, these bishies are cute so who cares?

Youko Kurama is strong, agile and fast. His powers are of an A-class demon (second to highest class) when he is in this form. His past life was a renown thief, but his current form (as human) is a 15 year old student at Meiou Highschool. He is the intelligent and kind. He cares for his mother and has a strong sense of familial relationships. His love for family is something I feel matches really well with P-chan. P-chan has always loved the youko side of Kurama (which suits me well since I favor the human side of him. ^-^)

Pros: Kurama is quick thinking and can adapt to any situation. P-chan has a free flowing mind, but Kurama will be able to easily keep up with her. ^.^ Cons: Kurama decided not to go to college after he graduated highschool. Not getting a higher education (even though he is a genius in his own right) is a negative since P-chan is pursuing grad school. Though he got a job at his stepfather's company, he is not exactly rich. I suppose his intelligence and climbing up the corporate ladder may remedy the financial issue.

Ootori Kyouya is ranked first in his class at Ouran Academy, Highschool division. He is beyond smart, wise in his ability to manipulate situations. He knows how to put up a facade to deal with the highly volatile situations around him. He comes from a family of geniuses and is the third son, thus the chances of naming him heir to any part of the family corporations is next to nil. However, he does not let that stop him, pushing ahead and proving himself a worthy adversary to his brothers and father.

Pros: Kyouya is rich. P-chan likes to buy stuff. lol Beyond that, his demeaner is cool and very stylish. He is well matched with P-chan's fashion and ability to communicate to people. He is also a late riser. P-chan likes to sleep too. ^-^ Cons: Kyouya tends to keep things to himself. Since he is battling against his father, he doesn't show any signs of weakness. That is a thick wall to get through, but I'm sure P-chan will be able to handle it. ^^;

Oda Takenaga is a highschool student. He actually comes from a wealthy family, but would like to live normally, away from the pressures that his family gives him. He is a genius and reads books of many languages and of many subjects. Highly cultured and a true feminist. He is also kind and gentle.

Pros: He is very cosmopolitan and even knows how to have fun. Even in bizarre situations, he is level headed and handles himself very well. His impeccable sense of fashion matches well with P-chan's classy style. Takenaga and P-chan are both feminists. He knows how to treat her well. ^.^ Cons: His family expects alot from him which made him very isolated. He doesn't share his personal thoughts very often. It has also been said that he withdraws from human interaction towards his books. This may be troublesome when P-chan wants some attention. ^^;

I tried to choose guys that are smart, adaptable to many situations and fashionable. Fun-loving is a plus in guys that match well with P-chan since she is a very easy going person and enjoys doing different things. High sense of fashion may also include cleanliness since P-chan's OC trait requires any guy that even goes near her have a certain level of personal hygiene. ^-^ To state that the guy is best rich needs no explanation. ^.^

1/30/08 ~ Wednesday 11:15 pm

Status: head achy ~ Listening to: Musou Uta - Utawarerumono OST

home delivery: food, not sex ^^;

I left work early today so that I can go visit Jenn-chan who is feeling under the weather. Being homebound, she was craving for more substancial (and tastier) food then what her father has been cooking up. The choice of the evening was 66 from Flushing. Oishi! I haven't had porkshop from there in a loooong time. It was tasty, though I still can't determine if it is different from before the changes...but I digress. ^^;

While I was calling Jenn-chan so we could discuss the evening's menu, we had another 'what did you say?' moments. What I said: 'I'm sorry that I won't be able to bring over snacks from HK supermarket.' What Jenn-chan heard: 'I'm sorry tht I won't be able to bring over SEX from HK supermarket.' o.O And I thought I was suppose to be the perverted one. ^^; I guess I still am.... ^.^ lol

Instead of snacks, I brought over bubble tea with pudding and tapioca from Quickly. Yummy! I love their drinks. We talked as we ate and caught up on some things. There is this cute Japanese cafe near Lexington that she wants to hit and I still want to take her to Kinokuniya's Cafe Zaiya for their yummy tea and desserts. It was an enjoyable evening. ^.^

goodies from Taiwan

Arigato, Alby-kun for the pineapple cake from Taiwan. ^-^ I didn't ask for anything so I'm happily surprised with this snack. *hugs package* Pineapple cake.... *drools* My father will be coming from Taiwan next tuesday. I don't think FMA vol. 18 is out in Taiwan yet, but I'm still asking him to check things out. I doubt he'll find 'Night Head Genesis' but I still want him to try. <.<; I don't think I'll ask him to get me anything else since I'm going to Taiwan myself in March. ^^; We'll see if I can think of something though....

1/29/08 ~ Tuesday 9:05 pm

Status: cold ~ Listening to: Love is Only a Game - Vanessa Mae

mp3 love

As mentioned before, the US Team for the World Cosplay Summit is Umi and Hikaru from MKR aka. umister and s0nified on lj. Their performance at NYAF '07 was a dance to a really catchy song...which no one seems to know what the song exactly was and who sang it. Two months later, I decided to ask the girls myself. I e-mailed them and got a reply! ^_^ The title of the song is 'Love is Only a Game' by violinst virtuoso, Vanessa Mae. Now that is why the violin interlude was so awesome, it was Ms. Mae's handiwork. I linked the full song up for downloading and listening pleasure. ^.^

As umister and s0nified mentioned in their e-mail, umister was the one who edited the song for the performance. They included the edited song in their e-mail. That was so sweet and I thanked them profusely and wished them the best of luck during the prep and competition. Ganbarre, Team USA!

12:45 am ~ Status: amused ~ Listening to: silence

*insert yaoi butt joke here*

June Manga pulls through with limited edition dustjackets for their new manga 'All Nippon Airlines' by mangaka Azumaya Kei-sensei. The manga's full original title is 'ANAL ~All Nippon Airlines~' with 'ANAL' in large letters. Of course, US bookstores are not going to want to have a book with 'ANAL' out on their bookshelves. So June smartly altered the cover to be PC and is offering to give away limited edition covers that have 'ANAL' back in the title.

*insert your fav anal joke here* All joking aside, this is awesome. ^-^

You can get the covers 3 ways which are detailed on their site: visiting their booth at conventions, ordering the manga (with LE dj request) or sending them a shipping label with stamps. I'll be doing option 3 tomorrow. ^-^ This was announced last week on 1/18 and today on ANN. Hopefully, there will still be djs left. If not, I'm picking up the cover at the cons. I don't know if I can buy the book right now.... *stares at budget* ^^; Yaoi fans better hurry!

1/27/08 ~ Sunday 7:35 pm

Status: rushed ~ Listening to: my playlist on repeat

The next anime dance sensation: Gundam!

The anime Kodomo no Jikan ending features crazy arm movements and an upbeat song reminiscent of Kodomo no Omocha's ensuing dance rage. I doubt this song will take over the masses like 'Hare Hare Yukai' did in 2007, but it's coming on pretty strong recently. AMV parodies have been popping up like crazy and this recent spin with Gundam 00 is just too cute. Maybe I'm biased but Gundam characters shaking their butts just aren't around everyday. Kawaii! *glomps Setsuna*

1/26/08 ~ Saturday 8:05 pm

Status: happy ~ Listening to: Heavens Not Enough - Wolf's Rain

cosplay question: answered!

Arigato, kawaiibabbit! ^-^ She even had a youtube link to go with her answer, though I haven't seen it yet. (Need to sign up for youtube in order to view private video. ^^;) Kawaiibabbit's features her Tomoyo-hime statutette, with no white strips in the back. The only 'strip' of cloth is the one that goes around Tomoyo's shoulders, aka. her 'goddess' cloth (among the fans.) *hugs kawaiibabbit* Yay!

Bad news is I couldn't find the right cloth for my cosplay so I came home empty handed. *cries* I cheered myself up with ice cream (buy one get one free sundae at Baskin Robins w/ coupon ^.^) so I feel much better. ^-^

Bugs or ice cream? Ice cream onegaishimasu!

Japanator features an article about a diabetic inducing dessert and chocolate covered beetles with the main question, which would you choose? O.o As many people know, I eat everything but draw the line on insects and anything remotely in that category. <.<; The 3800 yen 'Queen Fruits Parfait' sold at the Kijima Amusement Park is huge and yummy (not to mention expensive) but will be my choice over cute chocolate covered larvae. The Japanese sweets shop even add candy colored eyes to the buggy treat. o.o

1/25/08 ~ Friday 9:25 pm

Status: nauseous ~ Listening to: me burping >.<

cosplay planning stages

I'm putting on several layers of glue on my Chun Hyang spearhead so it'll be smooth enough for me to paint. I'm going shopping for cloth tomorrow my Tomoyo-hime cosplay. Now, the main question I have for everyone (and I have asked it through various posts on different sites,) is concerning Tomoyo-hime's outfit. There are two white strips in the front (one to each side.) So far, the only single pic I found of her back was unclear, but it seems like there are no white strips on the back of her skirt. Anyone wanna confirm this? I just want to be sure. *silence* >.< *sigh* Unfortunately, Tomoyo-hime doesn't really turn around in many of the series. My backup plan to to make the strips for the back, but make them detachable. ^^; We'll see how it goes!

1/23/08 ~ Wednesday 9:25 pm

Status: huh? ~ Listening to: For Fruits Basket - Fruits Basket OST

"Doe-eyed girls with melon-sized breasts"

Bloomberg.com wrote an article about manga that carries a few good points, but still falls short of being an accurate description of the medium. I don't really mind the idea of Japanime being filled with 'doe-eyed girls and melon-sized breasts', though that is an overgeneralization. Some corrections are needed is as follows:

Fruits Basket

Zero-chan on Japanator

Some valid points stem from the article, but common misconceptions like the above really make me wish people would really check out what they're writing about. My fav part is the disclaimer at the end concerning the author of the article: "The opinions expressed are her own." Yes, they truly are.

1/22/08 ~ Tuesday 11:45 pm

Status: busy ~ Listening to: me typing

hit by vanity

Inspired by my find on G4tv this afternoon, I sought sources that I haven't looked into yet for press releases for me and Domo-kun. My search was not in vain when I saw my pic on about.com who also did interviews during the con. (I don't rememeber this though.... ^^;)

1:25 pm ~ Status: hyper ~ Listening to: office noise

NYAF...a mini clip

I finally stumbled upon the G4 podcast segment of the Dec. NY Anime Festival. Click here to see the back of my head at time 1:30. No Domo-kun yet, but she might be in one of the pics that was whizzing by.... *goes to check* The con was early Dec., but this was posted on 1/3 and I'm linking it 1/22. There is so much lag....

1/21/08 ~ Monday 12:40 am

Status: accomplished ~ Listening to: Rise - Origa (Ghost in the Shell 2nd GIG OP)

Enzai CG and events completed!

Finally, I'm finished with the game. ^.^ My fav endings are Shion's ending first, Lusca's and Jose's endings for second and third. Vallewida's ending when he bumps into Guys is beautiful since it is a 'chance meeting' and Vallewida's long hair is tied up. Kakkoii! I love Lusca's confession to Guys since it is so sweet and the consummation of their relationship was hot. Fav pairings are still Shion and Guys. The ending with everyone out of jail is perfectly sweet with everyone in the restaurant. I love Lusca's meeting with Evan just so they can talk about 'relationships.' lol For a sec, I thought Evan will get the wrong and idea and think that Lusca is in love with him. Actually, I really like the LuscaxEvan pairing too. ^-^

Fav quotes from Jose's ending.... All are Guy's words.

It occurs to me that I should have done [it] so much sooner. ~ when they finally confessed to each other...

We'll talk about unimportant things, fight over unimportant things and laugh about unimportant things. ~ thoughts about their relationship...

First quote made me lol.

Yaoi companies need proofreaders...at least I think so.

This game has so many blatant grammer/spelling mistakes that I wonder if anyone even bothered to check it before they ran the game out. This game is not the only one with spelling errors such as these...I find them on anime dvds as well as manga as well. The adult line, Kitty Media (who licenses hentai as well as various yaoi anime) has one of the most mistakes in manga. My copy of the 'The King's Lessons' has characters' convos in the wrong text bubbles. You can tell when you're reading it since the response of one character doesn't match up with whatever occured before. Thoughts and spoken text are mixed as well. >.< I have half a mind to contact Kitty Media and offer up my services as a free proofreader. Actually, I just might do that. *looks over resume* Free, since I don't have the editing experiences necessary to go into publishing and I really just want to correct all these mistakes.

1/20/08 ~ Sunday 5:25 pm

Status: sick ~ Listening to: Nocturne for Ochestra - Ouran Highschool Host Club OST

PM to friends

Due to my sore throat, I can't talk right now. Please don't call me because I won't be able to say anything. Gomen ne. >.< E-mail or text me if you want to share something, or just call and tell me whatever it is. I might be able to grunt in reply or something. ^^; *sigh* Hopefully, I'll get better by tomorrow...eating with a sore throat is so painful. Even eating congee hurts! >.<

12:40 am ~ Status: content

Resisted the urge for ice cream ^^V

Iceblueaya, animemiz and I headed out to Mitsuwa first. Since my throat was hurting, I stayed away from fried tempura and had a nice beef soba instead. I also didn't eat ice cream, although I longed for it every moment I passed by the delicious dessert. Me: Should I get ice cream? Iceblueaya: I don't think it is a good idea.... lol Pearl-chan and P-chan came afterwards along with kawaiibabbit and Ananada. We went around the supermarket a couple of times, discussing the merits of different sakes, kitkats and miso. After picking up a load of snacks, the new arrivals had lunch. (Just a small lunch since there was shabu shabu later. ^-^)

No mochi pounding today. *cries* I was happy that Pearl-chan and P-chan was able to finally come with us though. ^-^ We went to Sanseido bookstore to browse and I picked up the two copies of the LE FMA vol. 18 that I wanted. Between that and the two Be-Boy Gold anthologies that kawaiibabbit gave me, I'm really happy. ^.^ Arigato, kawaiibabbit! *hugs* We went around the toystore next where Pearl-chan and kawaiibabbit both bought an ecobag that has a cute mascot container. Kawaii!

shabu shabu! *dances*

Hotpot is one of the worst things for a sore throat (especially since I like to drink the soup) but I couldn't resist eating shabu shabu with friends. ^.^ Ananada didn't come with us so it was just the girls for dinner. The location of the evening was Quickly in Chinatown. I was hungry by that time (mentioning it aloud every 5 minutes or so) so when they brought us the veggie start platter, I immediately started cooking. I sat across from animemiz which proved to be a good spot since whatever she didn't like ending up in my bowl. Shrimp heads, corn, etc. ^.^ I relented and had a taste of Pearl-chan's spicy soup and a piece of fried chicken (Quickly's specialty and my fav dish there.) Can't resist good food. ^^;

Positive point about Quickly: they have hotpot racks where the veggie platters are on the bottom and the meat/whatever platters are on top. P-chan was impressed and so was I. ^-^

1/18/08 ~ Friday 10:35 pm

Status: tummy full ~ Listening to: FFXII on tv

Back to Mitsuwa...

Tomorrow, I'll be meeting animemiz and crew for a nother trip to Mitsuwa. P-chan will be meeting us there. Hopefully, she'll arrive in time for fresh mochi. ^-^ I plan to buy 2 LE copies of FMA vol. 18 for me and Christine-neechan. They should still be around...I hope. ^^; Don't think I can have ice cream this time since my throat still hurts...but we'll see what happens. ^.^

Just 3 more endings to go for Enzai. I'm in the middle of Shion's ending and I love Shion's character. He is so sweet and cute. *hugs* Perhaps I can finish all 3 tonight...um...maybe not. ^^; Sleep is important too.

3:15 am ~ Status: sore throat ~ Listening to: silence

Happy B-day, Alby-kun!

I know this is very late, but I've been planning something different as an online gift so I won't pass this up just because it's already the day after.... ^.^ Since I can't give Alby-kun a date for his b-day (not that he needs any help whatsoever with dates, ^^;) instead, I decided to choose 3 Japanime females that I feel would best match up with Alby-kun. These are the kind of girls I feel Alby-kun should be with, not that my opinion matters in any way.... ^^; FYI, I'm disregarding age since I watch mostly shoujo and not josei or seinen, the age of the characters are usually in highschool. Can't help it, Alby-kun has a youthful personality anyway. ^^;

Fujioka Haruhi, a first year student at Ouran Highschool. Ranking #1 in her class. She is smart and is very observant of her surroundings. She doesn't get flustered and overwhelmed in any situations. Her independence and assertiveness made me choose her as one of my fav female characters during 2007's bishoujo week. Haruhi can take care of herself. She is independent and speaks her thoughts quite frankly.

Pros: She doesn't need anyone to 'take care' of her. Though as Tamaki said in the series, someone should 'keep one eye on her' so that she doesn't have to do everything on her own since she tends to only depend on herself. Cons: She likes expensive foods. Unfortunately, Alby-kun can't afford expensive foods. ^^;

Mikage Aya is thrown into a chaotic world when she turned 16. She was forced to separate from her twin brother when she was revealed to be a 'threat' to the Mikage family. Despite this, she is optimistic, passionate and determined to overcome anything that is thrown at her. She has an impeccable sense of fashion and loves karaoke.

Pros: Aya is a fun loving character and enjoys hanging out with friends. Her sense of fashion matches well with Alby-kun's GQ style. ^.^ Cons: She makes quick decisions, sometimes rash ones. Alby-kun may have his hands full cleaning up after her choices. ^^;

At age 16, Ko Shuurei became a consort of the king. She is smart, wise in dealing with others and sincerely kind. She is very patient in teaching and persistent in defending what she believes to be right. She is not vain and she earned the respect of many people. She is not easily swayed by people's words, allowing her to stand firm and do what she needs to do at key moments. She also plays the instrument, the erhu.

Pros: Shuurei is mature, confident (though not arrogant) and although she is an aristocrat, she is a wonderful cook. Cons: She is not as playful, not having the time to enjoy herself even though she has high social standing. Perhaps she would even consider playing video games a waste of time. Poor Alby-kun, as a gamer his girlfriend best supports his gaming habits. ^^;

These are just my opinions. There are many other girls I can choose, but these 3 popped into my mind as highly compatible with Alby-kun. lol Guys don't really 'fall' for animated girls (unless they have huge assets and loose bodies >.<) but choosing like this is fun. Hope Alby-kun likes it too. ^-^

1/16/08 ~ Wednesday 9:45 pm

Status: amused ~ Listening to: me dying (in the game)

webspeak in 'Enzai'

I've been playing 'Enzai' for a few days now. Still no closer to some of the endings, but I've been dying alot. ^^; Took me until two days ago to figure out that I need to unlock one of the 'love' endings in order to unlock Shion's ending. <.<; I like Shion's character from the drama cd and am looking forward to his appearance in the game. They were childhood friends so maybe the closeness in age and his gentle voice makes me feel that Guys should be with Shion. Although, I'm a big fan of LuscaxGuys and JosexGuys as well. ^-^

So far in the game, the convos are really nice and nothing stands out too much. There are many quotes I can give that have high 'awww' factor, but this convo between Guys and Vallewida made me lol so much. This convo occurs after Vallewida help Guys solve a piece of the murder puzzle to claim Guys' innocence.

FYI, 'having someone's babies' is usually used on the interweb as a reaction that someone did or said something awesome that constitutes high levels of devotion that can be illustrated by the comment to willingly bear their offspring. Or just want to have sex with them. Either way, I never seen an actual character use that anywhere. lol Perhaps Guys really wants to sleep with Vallewida. ^.^

Like some people have mentioned, the GuysxVallewida pairing is more like friends then lovers since Guys never completely understands Vallewida. And they only have one incident of sex and it was when Vallewida was totally out of it and Guys even admits to having taken advantage of him. However, if Guys tops anybody, it is more likely that the person has to be out of it. ^^; I don't mind this pairing (I never really mind any sort of pairing, as long as they look good. BellenotxGuys is out. ^-^) and the ending CG shot of the two was totally awesome. Vallewida with his hair tied up bumps into Guys who is looking much more mature.... *happy sigh* Back to the games!

1/14/08 ~ Monday 5:10 pm

Status: busy ~ Listening to: office noise

back to Inoue-sensei in NY...

Animenewsnetwork posted about mangaka Inoue-sensei in NY in mid-Nov. of last year. I just stumbled up on the article now. Several months late, but it is good to find something of the interviews and pics of the last moments of drawing since taking pics of that day was not allowed. In the pic of the crowd, you can locate Pearl-chan and I: we are standing on the other side of the ladder. ^^;

11:45 am ~ Status: impressed

one man anime band

On guy plays the entire opening theme of 'Tank' from Cowboy Bebop by himself on 8 instruments. O.O That jazz opening has always been tough to play on a piano and has been one of the most popular pieces that anime musicians want to tackle. But all that.... *bows to his awesomeness* E-mailing this to CB since he likes Cowboy Bebop and music and he can't get to my site through the red firewall of hell.

My fav comment was 'The only thing that could make this any better is if he had it all strapped to his back and was marching around down main street.' ~Zac Bentz on Japanator lol ^.^

1/13/08 ~ Sunday 1:36 am

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: me typing

giving up...for now

Damn, trying to kill Scar with low lvl is hard. What is worse is trying to get the crystal when he breaks all the crates that I need. >.< I'm referring to the frustration of playing the FMA game on the second run. I didn't bother leveling up as much as the first time since all I wanted was to grab the cutscenes and the crystals. But since this is taking too long, I'm going to stop the recording/playing...for now. What I want to finish is Enzai. Then I need to concentrate on the more important matters of my life...cosplay.

Theresa-neechan, I give you props for recordings fmvs so well. I don't think I have the patience...but I will try...later. ^-^

I-Con is in April 4-6. I haven't registered yet, but I will do that this week. Cosplay and yaoi...the priorities of my life. Of course, meeting friends and eating ice cream is a close second. ^_^

1/11/08 ~ Friday 10:50 pm

Status: headachy ~ Listening to: Rhythm Emotion - TWO-MIX (Gundam Wing OST)

Gundam = priceless

Some nerds decided to estimate the cost of building a Gundam. o.O Yes, you read correctly...some people in Japan have contemplated the cost and parts necessary of building a weapon of mass destruction...or just a giant robot that could walk. The estimated cost is 79.5 billion yen ($730 million in US dollars.) O.O The results of all these estimations have come to this conclusion concerning the weight of the thing: it would sink into any ground that normally supports human weight...unless it's in a shape of a pyramid. lol I just got an image of a pyramid-shaped gundam. ^^;

In a previous post some time ago, I wrote about an amusement park that would feature a gundam ride. I don't know to what scale that was, but so far, the only 1/1 scale (only upper torso) Gundam is in the Bandai museum in Japan. My only comment for this article is...how in the world did the space colonies in the series afford to build such a thing? The estimated cost of Gundam that only walks with no weapons is already beyond expensive, but one with weapons and boosters that could fly.... *boggles the mind* Oh yeah, in GW, the cost of adding weapons to Gundam Shenglong was the two-headed Altron statue of the Long family. (Ref. Gundam Wing: Episode Zero) ^.^

1/10/08 ~ Thursday 3:45 pm

Status: contemplative ~ Listening to: phones ringing

And so it ends...for now.

I finished reading 'The Virtu' yesterday. (Read most of it at court and couldn't stop grinning.) The yaoi-incest hints are no longer hints but canon. However, the object of his affection is straight (not to mention his brother) so I don't know how that is going to work out. ^^; The story ends with both of them having lovers. Well, as long as they're happy...though I wonder if Ms. Monette (the author) will write the last book (which comes out in 2009 O.O) like yaoi mangas with the straight guy becoming gay for the seme. *grins* I hope so....

I'm going to use 'seme' and 'uke' to refer to the brothers since I don't want to have spoilers of who I'm referring to. (Though if you read the books-or even just the summaries of the books-you'll know who I mean immediately.) My fav yaoi parts include when the uke felt something hard against him.... o.O Uke: "You have the hots for ME?" (Emphasis made in the book.) Seme: *pause* "Yes." Me: So straight forward. ^.^ I totally love this confession from the seme. (paraphrasing) Seme: "I desire you. Even though I think I can make it good for you, I know you don't want to. So I won't do it. I won't rape you." Me: Awwww....then: Seme: "So tell me the truth, do I disgust you?" Uke: "No. You scare the shit out of me, but that ain't the same thing." Seme: "No it isn't." Me: *grins* I love that part.

Concerning character development, I wish I could smack the main wizard. His vanity and pride shows up so much in this volume. His new lover, Gideon (who also appears in the first vol.) is a major improvement over Shannon and he genuinely cares about him. Gideon realizes quickly that his lover dislikes being dominated during sex so he 'negotiates' for equality. (Shannon didn't even try to figure out why his lover froze when they were making love. <.<;) I'm glad they're together. ^-^ Concerning the plot and the incident at the end with the wizard and the thief...damn, I really wish I could slap the wizard. The story ends well, but just not as amiable as the first vol.

The third vol. "The Mirador" is already out, but the paperback edition will not be out until this July. The library has the hardcover edition, but it's about the same size as the first vol....heavy and large. ^^; I don't know if I should wait or not. For the time being, I'll work on my cosplay. What will kill me is the time when the last book comes out which will be in 2009. I wonder if I'll be able to wait until the paperback comes out or will I just end up buying the hardcover. ^^;

I wrote so much about a novel as opposed to a manga. lol Most likely it's because I'm typing about two guys with long red hair and supple bodies.... *drools* ^.^

FMA PS2...again!

I've started playing the 'Crimson Elixir' again. I also started recording the cutscenes on dvd. I give my godsister props for doing this so well, her 'movies' are seamless. I'm halfway through the first chapter and already there are 'mistakes'. ^^; It certainly takes a bit longer to kill the enemies (with the double the normal HPs,) but still having the abilities and items from the previous run is very helpful. Alchemic spikes, yay! I want to achieve A on boss fights since it will trigger an additional fight with Colonel Mustang and a new scene. ^-^ So...trying to level up as much as I can. Ganbarre, Rai!

No, I haven't given up on the Enzai game yet. I'm determined to get all the CGs, even if I must go through the torture of enduring another scene with Jose again! *grins* That may not be such a bad thing....

1/9/08 ~ Wednesday 5:20 pm

Status: relieved ~ Listening to: office noise

Objection! *Phoenix Wright pose* ^-^

I was at criminal court all morning and most of the afternoon. (Just got back to the office.) I testified at 12:40, then lunch, and back to testifying at 2:20. I won't go into detail about what I was asked because that is boring. I will admit (unfortunately) that I couldn't recognize the guy who punched me. True, I was able to deduce who he was in the court room, by figuring out who was who, but because of the small percentage that I could be wrong, I stuck with 'Unfortunately, I am not able to recognize him or point him out.' >.< Sad...thought my memory had improved since I recognized the other victim. I explained it away saying that I was so 'focused on the elderly man that I didn't look at anyone else.' ^^;

Showing pics of my bruised cheek to the jury is another thing I rather blushed at. Me: 'Exhibit 2: this is a photograph of my face taken two or three days after the incident. Please note the bruising on my right upper cheek....' >.< Interesting experience and hoping for acceptable results. Will update on the trial if the DA will call me about what the jury said. Yes, I will finally be able to ask the DA 'Was he drunk at that time?' He is not allowed to answer any such questions since it would influence my testimony, but after me sitting at the witness stand, it should be fine, right? We'll see! ^-^

1/7/08 ~ Monday 11:45 pm

Status: hungry ~ Listening to: me typing

the criminal system is slow...nothing new here

Got punched in June '07, saw my DA in Dec. '07 and the case gets placed on the calendar for Jan. '08. The timing is a bit slow, but that is nothing new. The judge for the case is exceptionally slow (according to the ADA) so it takes one morning and an afternoon to confirm that the defendent does not wish to plead guilty. Jury selection is tomorrow along with any motions (confidentiality issues of witnesses speal) and the first witness is called...not me. I'm going Wednesday in the morning. Saw the victim in over half a year (the elderly dude that I 'saved') and am happy to report that my name to face issues is not that bad since I can still recognize him. ^^V Hopefully, I'll recognize the defendent since I'll be asked to identify him in court. ^^;

Chinatown detour

Stopped by Chinatown after work to pick up mail from P-chan. She had errands to run so I hung around a bit so we could trade info: my trial and her extensive to-do list. Ganbarre, P-chan! *waves flags in encouragement*

back to the story!

Started reading 'The Virtu' today. It's wonderful going back into a story after some time. It picks up right where 'Melusine' left off. The main wizard is still as flirtatious as ever, but no new lover as of yet. Though I know already who will become his next 'steady'. *grins* ^-^ I won't say much but I love the yaoi-incest hints in the story. It was in the first book as well which I caught immediately. I truly hope the brothers become a couple since it's becoming kinda like EdxAl of FMA: caring for each other, knowing what the other one means, holding hands...etc. *happy sigh*

1/6/08 ~ Sunday 11:10 pm

Status: accomplished ~ Listening to: Melissa - Porno Graffiti

FMA game completed! ^^V

I just finished the FMA PS2 game: Crimson Elixir. The scenes were awesome and there were only a few parts that I am dreading returning to. Why returning to them? Well, I'm playing for again so that I can record it and catch the extra cut scenes that only appear in the second run through. ^-^ Of course, the enemies will be harder (have higher HP) but I have all the items I acquired in the first time. ^-^ I will start recording tomorrow since I want to do this while I still have the parts fresh in my mind.

plans come and go

It seems that Thai food at Pearl-chan's restaurant will have to wait until renovations are over...which I can hardly wait. ^-^ A new addition to the place will be a sushi bar. Oishi! Handrolls a la Pearl-chan! (Pimping her restaurant. ^.^) Ganbarre!

The first court date against the retard that punched me will be tomorrow. I'll be meeting my DA at 1pm. I guess I'm getting off work early.... I'll be meeting P-chan afterwards to pick up mail and hopefully grab something to eat.... Maybe? *poke poke* ^.^ We'll see what happens!

12:45 am ~ Status: refreshed ~ Listening to: youtube clips

And we have vid clips!

As promised, animemiz uploaded two vids on youtube from the Mitsuwa outing. ^-^ This clip features the entire process of mochi pounding from the moment they placed the rice into the bowl. You can also see the funny monkey/fish characters playing around while pounding mochi as well. ^.^ The second clip is of the taiko drummers that we saw. *happy sigh* Reminds me of summers in Japan...that I haven't experienced yet. ^^;

just resting ^-^

After waking up at 5pm (yes, you read correctly, ^^;) I had dinner and proceeded to play FMA on PS2 which I stopped halfway on. I played up to the next to last level before deciding to rest (since it was past 12am,) promising myself to continue and finish it tomorrow. ^-^ Hm...sleeping for 12+ hours, eating and playing games only to sleep some more sounds like a pretty good saturday. ^.^

Oh yeah, I also read Moon Child vol. 2 and loled over the discussion about Shonach kissing Jimmy. Paraphrasing the convo.... Old woman: (to Jimmy) Those visions, how long did you see them? One minute? Five? Jimmy: I don't know, as long as Shonach was kissing me. (to Shonach) Was it longer than a minute? Shonach: *blush* Others: You kissed the boy? Jimmy: *happily* He sure did! Oh yeah, I only saw the visions the second time he did it! Shonach: *blushes harder* Jimmy, please stop! Me: *grins* ^___^

Maybe I'll read some more before going to sleep....

1/5/08 ~ Saturday 1:05 am

Status: amused ~ Listening to: No! Virtual - BAD LUCK (Gravitation)

not Thai, but Malaysian tonight ^.^

I slept close to 1pm and went to Flushing for blood tests. After being hungry for a few hours, I finally ate oyster pancake and soup at 66 which I haven't been to in a loooong time. ^.^ Headed to the usual stops at Flushing Mall, Morning Glory, Magic Castle and the manga shop under HK supermarket. (Kismet Books was closed and have been for some time according to Christine-neechan...dunno why. *is worried*) Met up with my godsisters and ate at the Bubble-Cafe-transformed-Malaysian restaurant. The portions were big and yummy. ^.^

Topics of the evening was the usual: BL games (Christine-neechan wants to play 'Enzai' as well, ^-^) conventions, video games (Theresa-neechan is playing something on PS3...yes she has one!) and cosplay. I was finally able to give them their Christmas presents. I gave Theresa-neechan a GW doujin that I bought at the con (adding that I chose a graphic doujin over a shounen ai one. ^-^) I gave Christine-neechan the fourth FMA novel while telling her about my fav part about Roy in the apron. ^-^ Theresa-neechan is currently reading Hikaru no Go and we both agreed that AkiraxHikaru is the best couple. However, Christine-neechan feels that Hikaru should be seme. But Akira is so obsessed over Hikaru...Akira should be seme! *nods* ^-^ They already booked their hotel for Otakon as well, the Radisson near the harbor. Yay! We'll be together again at Otakon! ^.^

reunions...

I saw Anna from TARCQ when we were at the bank tonight. I haven't seen her since the funeral. Her hair grew so long and she looks awesome as usual. *hugs*

PM to Pearl-chan

Gomen ne, I didn't see you called until late. I tried to call back but your phone was off (out of batteries I'm assuming.) Heard from P-chan that you worked late tonight. I hope you weren't too tired. ^.^ Since we weren't able to go eat at your restaurant, lets plan for next week. I want to eat yummy Thai food before your restaurant undergoes renovations...if possible of course. ^^;

1/4/08 ~ Friday 2:00 am

Status: accomplished ~ Listening to: Grandia III fmvs on tv

Calendars completed! *pats self on back*

Both BL and m/f themed calendars are done. I chose Sailor Moon for April (m/f theme of course. ^.^) There are no words on it because the simplicity and purity of Usagi and Mamoru requires no words. I also chose the pic because it is mostly white to commemorate White Day in April.

I know the words for June and November BL months are similar. I'm not going to change them since the words fit the pics so well. Afterall, each month is meant to shine on their own. ^-^

801 = yaoi

Differences between last year's dates and this year's is the inclusion of 'Yaoi day' on 8/01. Here is a copy/paste of the explanation of the term....

Of course, this has been incorporated into cellphone language with 801 as the preferred code for 'yaoi'. Wiki link and manga link for references. ^-^

Now that my calendars are done, I can commence my next cosplay. Busy, busy, busy! ^^;

1/3/08 ~ Thursday 2:45 am

Status: sleepy ~ Listening to: silence

and I'm almost done

I was finally able to modify a pic to use for April. The art I chose is by Zaou Taishi-sensei. Zaou-sensei is also known as Tsuda Mikiyo, the mangaka of Princess Princess. She uses 'Zaou' for her BL manga...although Day of Revolution seems to be BL to me. Afterall, it is about a guy who actually is a girl and ends up going out with a guy.... ^^; Zaou-sensei is also known for crossovers in her manga. Characters from one appear in her other books...BL and shoujo alike. Which is why I must read all her books. ^-^

My November pic is a dedication to the late Tohjoh Asami-sensei. Although her passing was in October, I didn't find out until November. I have two different versions of November, one with her name and one without. The picture looks kind of weird, but it was the best I could do concerning the pic that I had and my lack of PS skills. (As mentioned before, I really need to work on photoshop more.) I chose one of my fav mangas by her, Taiyou ni Nurete, 'Soaked in the Sun'. The story actually has no sex scenes which is O.O since she was famous for her hot/hardcore smex. It is a sweet story and I totally love the interactions between the uke, Takayama and the seme, Kasai. The words on the pic is paraphrasing one of the last lines of the manga. The actual line is "He and I don't match. Because he's definitely the sun. He'd give me warmth in my heart, the sun." Confusing, ne? Well, read the manga! ^.^

I'm only missing September from my BL calendar and then I'm done. The m/f themed calendar is only partially finished. No worries, I'll finish them soon. Finding pretty m/f is alot easier then finding worksafe BL pics...because 'worksafe' and 'BL' hardly ever go together. ^^;

tomorrow's plans

I might be meeting up with Pearl-chan and P-chan for dinner at Pearl-chan's restaurant. I don't know what else we'll be doing, but I can't wait to see them. ^.^ It'll be our first meal together for the new year...kampai! *clinks water glasses*

1/2/08 ~ Wednesday 12:50 am

Status: tired ~ Listening to: silence

mochi and ice cream

New years means mochi pounding in Japan. We were able to experience it for ourselves when we went to NJ today. I met up iceblueaya and animemiz (with family and friend) at the shuttle bus and arrived at Mitsuwa in time for lunch. Note to self: don't eat so much rice next time. ^^; There was a huge crowd around the roped off mochi pounding area, but thankfully, it wasn't as bad as the tuna cutting crowds. We found ourselves at a good spot near the bowl.

Yes, it is a giant bowl. The things on top are two wooden hammers, one larger then the other. The demonstration doesn't start until a dragon dances in with a swordswoman and a drummer in tow. Of course, what is new years without humor and two mochi pounders are dressed up. One has a monkey plush about his head and the other in a full-body fish costume. Of course, I'm only assuming he is suppose to be a fish. They pose and smile for the camera. I'm not uploading their pics for fear that I'll laugh and not be able to sleep tonight due to the humorous imagery and memory. ^^;

Mochi 101: it is made out of rice. It is placed into the bowl and two people start to mash it, mix and wet it with water alternately.

(Kinda reminds me of a human mixer.) Then comes the main attraction: the pounding. One person pounds the rice and the other one wets it and flips it so it becomes a doughy blob of dough.

Very dangerous work as they pound and flip. They also shout phrases in Japanese which I can only assume is to keep the rhythm going so the flipper doesn't get bashed on the head. ^^; BTW, the two strange characters in the background are the funny mochi pounders I referred to earlier. They did some pounding too...with much humor I might add. ^.^ (Hopefully, animemiz will upload the video somewhere so you can see the entire thing. ^.^) After the pounding, flipping and wetting is done, the sticky blob is taken to a table to be divided and covered in red bean and sesame (not together) and given out to the crowds. Of course, we headed to the mochi line. (The mochi pounding demo continued with a new batch for a while longer.)

We get two pieces of mochi, one in red bean and the other in sesame. I like the sesame best. Did I mention it was free? Oishi! ^.^ Afterwards, more of animemiz's friends came and we headed to the market section to try to find ingredients and the special stove so the guy could make takoyaki (octopus balls) in Bufflao where he goes to school. So far away.... *pats poor guy on the head* Even though we circled the market nth number of times, we couldn't find the stove, but the guy got his ingredients. Next, we had a second lunch (for those who were still hungry.) Animemiz, iceblueaya and I munched on taiyaki, fish-shaped red bean pastry. Oishi! A bunch of us also go ice cream...of course mine was green tea. ^.^

We stopped by to watch/listen to the taiko drumming before heading to the Japanese bookstore and toy store nearby. One of the guys bought a gloomy bear plushie which the other guy dubbed 'Pinky' and proceeded to abuse it all the way back to NY. ^^; Our last stop of the day was Cold Stone for more ice cream before we went our separate ways. Of course, I slept all the way home. ^.^

One day into the new year and I greeted it with ice cream and mochi. I'm looking forward to going to Mitsuwa soon with P-chan, Pearl-chan and the rest of animemiz's crew. ^-^

1/1/08 ~ Tuesday 12:20 am

Status: happy ~ Listening to: Under the Darkness - Kichiku Megane OST

Happy New Year!

Time to sleep! ^-^ Oyasumi!