25th Dec 2007.

Brrr... It's like friggin' cold this evening, around 14 degree celcius (If my memory does not fail me when I saw the news this morning).

Went around the streets in Hong Kong and bought some clothes, shoes, books, etc. I wanted to buy manga. Wanted. Desired. Too bad I can't find any decent manga shop around. Urgh. And I thought Hong Kong is the closest country to Japan (close, as in, not measured by distance. Close in spirit, atmosphere, people. Blah blah.)

Haven't done much walking lately in Malaysia since I knew how to drive. Heck, haven't done much walking ever since I've moved to Malaysia. My mum practically drives me everywhere. God bless her. And now, I've been doing so much walking I feel should be able to make up for the last few months of inactivity. My legs feel like they're made out of wobbly jelly as of current. Besides shopping, I even went climbing hills and find myself going to Ocean Park (one of those many attractions in Hong Kong), waiting and queueing up HOURS for a few minutes' ride.

By the way, did I ever mention that food over here is simply mouth-watering? Oh my god. I'm willing to risk putting on a few Kilos to have a moment's taste of heaven. Then, I'll regret and lament about it later when I come back to home K.L.

I'll put up the pictures I've taken during my time here when I got back to Malaysia. It's the 25th, so 6 more days to go.

But anywayz ppl, Merry Christmas!!! See you ppl when school starts. Next year. ^_^

Boring Ramblings. Indeed.

I'm bored. Very bored. Extremely bored. So bored I started blogging again rewatched series after series of anime I've already watched for the thousandth time. So bored I'm now reduced to watching Totally Spies and Mr Bean the animated version on Disney channel. Good Grievance. I rewatched Blood+, rewatched Hikaru no Go (Ah, that made me cry again), rewatched mushishi and realised I'm really leading a boring life. Oh, what news.

Well, at least the only thing I'm looking forward to with the exception of the anime Winter Season is that my mum got us a ticket each to Hong Kong for two weeks! We're leaving on the 18th and spending Christmas (Did I ever mention Christmas is the anniversary date for my debut in the blogging world? I can't believe I've been blogging for a year.) in HK. Sounds good for the time being. Being two whole weeks away from my home sweet home isn't exactly without its drawbacks as well. Being in Hong Kong 2 weeks is missing 2 whole weeks of anime. Just great. Why must everything has its ups and down? Oh and did I ever mention I my paternal's side family is all living in Hong Kong. The last time I met them was like when I'm 2 or 3. So, I guess things could get pretty awkward for a while. But nevermind that. I still plan to have a helluva time enjoying myself there. Wish me fun.

Oh and people, I'd probably be not returning to Singapore due to the lack of time. So yah, maybe I'll see you guys during the New Year. Probably.

I was just reading through a post of my friend where she was criticising sharing her comments on my driving skills one day when I offered to fetch her back to college to wait for her mum in my ride.

According to her, she wouldn't sit in my car ever again until I've had at least 5 years of driving experience. Here's how it started.

FULL BLOWN STORM

So, my friend, Chen Yee , who has recently gotten her driving license a few months ago, has always been saying something about she isn't a bad driver as we think she is, and we might just go give her a chance by sitting in her car.

So I, kind-hearted old me, became the first fellow college-goer to sit in her car to go to the Pizza Hut place, and then back to college. Poor fool kind heart of mine.

It isn't the going to Pizza Hut place that's hard. It's the going back to college that took almost an hour to reach, even though going to Pizza Hut took about 10 to 15 minutes.

Why?

Okay, before I got into her car after the LOOKING AND SMELLING BUT NOT TASTING AND EATING DEBACLE of PIZZA HUT, we tried to rescue this kitten who got stuck down the drain. I didn't even realize it was there, but Chen Yee heard it mewing and went back to rescue it, trying to move the metal coverings without even moving the flower pot that was right on the metal steels. It was one of those BIG GIGANTIC flower pots too.
I tried to move it away, and the cat kept staring pitifully at us, but WE JUST COULD NOT MOVE IT. And people kept staring at us like we were trying to steal the pot. Please lo. Want to steal steal nicer one, not those that are put by pavement sides to, I don't know, add more oxygen?

Then we walked into the store that the drain was right in front of, because Chen Yee was convinced they would help, and the old guys said the kitten was rescued many times but still would squirrel it's way back into the drain. It'll be fine, they assured us, and even swore that they weren't lying.

Then we got back out and saw people trying to help the kitten out too.

Awwww. My faith in human kindness for animals is slightly restored, what with all the tales of people catching and eating stray dogs. Yuck.

Anyway, on to the storm.

I, for one, am not afraid to admit, that I am GEOGRAPHICALLY challenged. I am exactly one of those females who can't read maps, except for Disneyland attraction maps.

And Chen Yee, well, let's just say her driving skills and tales of her fearsome driving skill of not putting the car on brake while she was getting out of the car and the car rolling back, plus the fact she does not know the roads of Malaysia, is already reason enough that the both of us are not safe enough to be driver and passenger on the roads, especially maniac roads.

Our guides to Pizza Hut had decided to eat and left the fates of two, poor, defenseless girls driving around the roads of Malaysia, looking for my college because my mother was going to pick me up from there.

From Pizza Hut, we turned left. And kept on going.

For some reason, we ended up wheezing past Eastin, the Star, Mont Kiara, all the way to Jalan Parliament in KUALA FREAKING LUMPUR, before turning around back to our civilization.

That took one hour.

Oh, and not to mention the fact that

A) When Chen Yee reached over to get my Touch and Go card at the toll, her mother called at the same time - and the T& C card fluttered down. A line was beginning to build up behind us at the toll.

B) My hand was grasping urgently for the card, got it, and when Chen Yee tried to put it out the window, she was too far away from the swiping thing, so she had to open the door to get it.

C) When she was done with the swiping card thing, she tried to get ahead, and she kept clutching the clutch, but THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T BUDGE (OH IT RHYMED!)

Frankly, when the car got moving I was ready to start singing Hallelujah and Praising God. Thank God nobody tooted their horn at us for the flustered 30 seconds of stalled car at toll.

Plus the fact my driver was panicking badly about driving ourselves all the way to Timbuktu. The car verve around as she was panicking.

*Starts reaching for my rosary beads and praying*
And as we called our guide to tell him we were lost, all my driver was doing was screaming at him about how lost we were.

*Already praying with my imaginary rosary beads*
*Ah, Mother Theresa, give me some of your strength in being noble, and kind, and loving.*

Then ze driver was also blaming the road for the bump she didn't see, plus etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Then she sent me a msg way way later that night, as I was tucking into my food, something about scratching the underside of her car with the bump.

AND WHAT'S MORE -

1. Her lights weren't on. AT NIGHT. She had no idea how to turn them on, instead the windshield and viper went on.

2. We got lost. Several times. Again.

All I could say, was, stoically, throughout the whole journey, was
"Think of this as an adventure."

to her, even as she backed into the wrong road and had to reverse to get out.

I now know that I can be remarkably calm in the face of adversary and stress. Good to know, I guess.

I was a mite terrified to take out the camera and start snapping pictures of words like Jln. Parlimen, or Mont Kiara, or the road to KLIA, for instance, because we were driving to Timbuktu, after all.

I'm not lying, though. I wish I was.

Then I arrived in dark, gloomy college at around 8 pm ++. It was dark, it was dreary, and I kept thinking of Mr Naasir's ghost stories about KDU.

See. Thanks a lot, Mr Naasir.

Note to self - do not sit in Chen Yee's car again until

a) own self have had driving license to own's name
b) we both KNOW where we're going
c) She has owned her own driving license for at least five years.
d) She has known the FUNCTIONS of her own car, including why the car had STALLED and WHERE TO SWITCH ON THE LIGHTS.

P.S. I am NOT, in any way, exaggerating my note to self part. And don't the driver deny it, too.

YOu know what? I'm glad I had such a great friend who's not afraid of pointing out so relentlessly whatever flaws I had. That's one true friend indeed. Thanks, Chell.

As a side note, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures in HK to share with you guys. So till then.

The ODEX Saga

Was just browsing the net and came across something like this:
Click to enlarge.

After months of silence, ODEX strikes again!!! This time, on a larger, greater, international scale!

Right, they overstepped their boundaries and so their plans backlashed. This calls for a little celebration for the Singaporean anime community, although it still doesn't entitle them the right to download anime. Well, take things a step at a time. At least things weren't going that smooth for that mastermind-company-who's-behind-everything-unfortunate anymore. (They lost the case against Pacific Net, still refuse to admit defeat and continued with its appeals.)

Anyway, here is an interesting mockumentary created by an anime fan in protest of ODEX's actions to prosecute downloaders. It's downright hilarious. Lol, TenGins, Moonhub, rings any bells?



Hehe, got your fun? Somehow, ODEX's persistence to stop anime downloaders reminds me the typical Singaporean behaviour trait of kiasuism. But really, the ODEX saga just doesn't die, does it? If any, I would say it just got even bigger.

Hogwarts - Japan styled.

Just recently came across something like this on the net. Thought you guys might find it intersting (I did), and decided to do a post on it.

Taken from a Japanese programme, Let's Go to School, which is all about entertaining and surprising the visiting foreign celebrity, the few videos below features Daniel Radcliffe visiting a Japanese girls' high school. Although it's a Japanese variety show, you wouldn't really need to understand Japanese in order to understand what's going on. There's some English translation provided, if that assures you any. Just watch, it'll be really fun.

Anyway, you probably would have guessed, it all started with a lot of screaming.


Click and learn that the wierdness of Japan knows no limit.


After the screaming reception, Daniel is taken to a cooking classroom where he's shown a couple of magic tricks that i'm sure even you will be fascinated with.


Then, the next stop of surprises: the music classroom.


And then a 'normal' classroom, where apparently late students came from the closet.


Lastly, a Q & A session where the Japanese girls took great pain to memorise the questions and a last magic trick.


Right, after entertaining you guys, it's time you people return the favour and entertain me back with your comments.

"Courtesy is the first step to adulthood" by Zeepish

Right... To continue where I left off from the previous post... which is like about 28 days later... I retook my driving test. Oh yah, I have two news to deliver to you people today. A good one, and a bad one.

Well, let's hear the good one first. YEAH!!! I passed my test!!! Good riddance, now I can finally drive on the road with a valid licence.

Now, for the bad one. Me passing my test is probably no thanks to my extraodinary driving skills. After all, I did pay quite an exorbitant amount of "coffee money". So people out there who are itching to get into a drive with me, kindly place your good cherished life into my hands at your own risk. Well, don't say I didn't warn you...

If you're in the mood for more senseless gibberish, do continue reading. If you're not, just simply plant a comment before you leave - as an ACT OF COURTESY. Since the people reading this blog is mostly my friends and... well, my friends, which is like about my age, which means that they're maturing into young adults - ladies and gentlemen (let's just assume), courtesy is the first step to adulthood. It seems that the world has been sadly lacking of courteous people, due to a fast-paced, incredibly insane and a so-not-courteous society. The result? The response to my blog is practically zilch. Scratch that, not practically! The response to my blog is zilch. Nada. Goose eggs. Zippo. ZERO!!!

... So says the person who keeps asking for comments and Her Royal Highness doesn't do shit, sits around and only work on a post per month. Well, if you would excuse her, Her Royal Highness is leading a incredibly hectic life everyday. Her mornings consist of trying her best to pry open her eyes and get her brains working - a rather impressive feat for her, I would say . Her afternoons consist of listening to her ministers and state advisors, yada yada and their boring preechings at college. Her nights consist of rushing mountains of paperwork for her ministers and watching videos after videos of japanese anime under the pretense of understanding Japan better and creating a friendlier diplomatic relationship. See, Her Royal Highness is very busy.

Okay, before I got sidetrackked again, let me re-emphasise the topic for today. We're talking about courtesy, not laziness, not indolence. So, my good friends to the ladies and gentlemen who are reading this post now, do remember to drop a comment before you leave. After all, it's all about courtesy.

Anyway, before I continue babbling, it's already time for the 2007 Autumn anime season again. Really, tempus fugit.

Note to all: I'm just posting on the sries of anime that I find interesting. It doesn't mean that the Autumn releases are only slated for the few posted below.


Suteki Tantei Labyrinth
Premieres October 2nd, 2007

This story takes place in Old Forgotten Tokyo where mysterious incidents are beyond human understanding. Challenging these is the only who is not intimidated by the evil underlying these occurances. Hyuga Mayuki, a boy detective with a special insight power that allows him to uncover the real truth behind these occurances.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Premieres October 2nd, 2007

Neuro, a being from the underworld who likes to eat riddles and mysteries, comes to the human world in search of the ultimate riddle capable of satisfying his insatiable hunger. Arriving in front of a girl named Yako whose father was recently murdered, he offers to help her solve the murder of her father in return for enlisting her help to act as a detective in his stead, searching for the ultimate riddle.

Dragonaut: The Resonance
Premieres October 3rd, 2007

Faced with impending doom from a huge asteroid, humanity created a weapon called a Dragonaut after the discovery of a dragon egg under the ocean. After witnessing a murder by one of the creatures, Jin Kamishina gets involved in the mysteries of the dragons and becomes the chosen pilot of the Dragonaut. And when the creature attacks him, a mysterious girl appeared, saving him from falling to his death.

Shakugan no Shana II
Premieres October 4th, 2007

Yes. This is the sequel to one of the most "lengendary" anime of the decade: Shakugan no Shana. If you are an anime lover, you should have at lesat heard of it. Heck, you should have at least watched it. Following from when the previous series left off, Yuji is revealed to be a mystes, a "torch" of nearly unlimited Power of Existince. And now, the Denizens want to capture Yuji and use him to upset the balance of the Realm. You get the drift? Yada yada.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Premieres October 6th, 2007

Not that I'm into Mecha or anything, it's been a looong time since I've watched a Gundam series - the last one being Gundam Seed. The main reason why I chose to watch this show isn't because of the story, the seiyuus, the robots or anything. It's the parade of hotties that are being animated into the picture. *wink* Need I say more?

Rental Magica
Premieres October 7th, 2007

Succeeding his father as the president of a magician employment agency, Itsuki Iba is now in charge of a big employment agency that employs countless magicians and other supernatural beings in order to send them out to help those who need magical assistance. However, being leader is more difficult than it seems, especially if it involves magic and maniacs.

Juushin Enbu: Hero Tales
Premieres October 7th, 2007

Based on the manga by Arakawa Hiromu (of Full MetalAlchemist fame), Juushin Enbu takes place in ancient China and has some elements of Chinese folklore. It features a headstrong boy with special powers who embarks on a journey with his sister and his friend to recover a sword that was given to him after his coming of age ceremony which was subsequently stolen.

Shion no Ou
Premieres October 13th, 2007

At the age of 4, Shion`s parents were murdered at their house. Turning mute after the accident, she gets adopted by the professional shougi player next door. Shion becomes a pro shougi player, believing that walking this path as a professional shogi player might one day lead to finding her parents` murderer.

Ghost Hound
Premieres October 18th, 2007

Ghost Hound has three boys who all experienced trauma in their childhood and have learned a sort of soul escape that lets their spirits enter what’s called the Unseen World. The character designs might look very familiar because they’re done by Oka Mariko of Jigoku Shoujo fame. In any case, I smell mysteries...


Okay I'm done for the day. Another looong post to make up for the lazy days I didn't update. And before you leave, remember, comments ^_^.

Shortest Post Ever.

Grrrh.

I flunked my driving test.

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*Will edit post later if and when my mood's better. Urgh! Just thinking about me made me feel like hitting someone.

4.9kg Ramen Challenge!

Shown here is Japanese mega-eater Tomoko Miyake trying to finish up a 4.9kg (roughly 11 pounds) bowl of ramen.

In this video, petite 38kg Miyake sets a new record. Just look at her go!



Right. I'm just tongue-strucked. Just where exactly did all the food go in that petite body of hers anyway? Besides, this is injustice! How can she still be that slim after wolfing down all the mountain of food down her tummy?

Life is unfair. Period.

OKay, I'll just roughly translate what is being said (just the main points) in the video.

Reporter: The amount will be more than you can imagine!
Miyake: The more the better, actually.

[Sign says "Come to our shop if you're feeling hungry."]

The highest record set before Miyake was a whopping 1.5kg of ramen! (Just 800g of ramen can already satisfy a person with a larger appetite. See that plump guy in white.)

So Miyake, saying she can't possibly lose to that person, decided to go for a 1.6kg worth of ramen noodles.

And of course, as the amount of noodles increase, the ingredients follow suit as well. With 1.6kg of ramen, 1.5kg of bean sprouts, and 1.6 litre of soup, the end result was a moutain slope of food peeking out from the bowl. (Lol, the maths doesn't add up but the rest of the 200g got to have been the pork that rests on top of the noodles)

[After the noodles arrived]
Reporter: Are you able to finish?
Miyake: Can't wait to dig in! I'll finish them up. Everything!
Reporter: Really?!
Miyake: Itadakimasu!

So after Miyake started eating, the reporter introduced the nutritionist and their talk are mostly about nutritional facts. So, I'm not gonna touch too much on that.

According to the nutritionist, the amount of calories that Miyake is taking in now totals up to 130000kcal = the amount of calorie intake for an average male for a week. *woot*

After 40 minutes, Miyake is mostly finished with everything.

Reporter: Is it okay to leave the soup unfinished?
Shop manager: Oh, it's fine.
Narrator: It seems that as long as the customer has eaten his fill, it's ok to leave the soup unfinished.

Naturally, after all that calorie intake, the nutritionist advised Miyake to drink at least a litre of milk for helping to burn away the extra energy and a healthy nutritional balance in her body.

Then, Miyake just smiled and asked, "I feel like grabbing an ice-cream. I still have some stomach left for that! Can I?"

To which the nutritionist answered to, "No."

Lol. Save your stomach for the milk, Miyake. I feel full just by looking at her eat. Still, it's kinda unbelivable how is she able to finish up everything. Below is a picture shown that will unrevel the mystery behind the stomach of professional eaters. People, hold your breath.

The stomach size of a professional eater before and after eating.

Japan New-halfs.

This woman is previously a man... Right, enough said.

The Japanese word "New-half" (ニューハーフ) is a slang term used to describe a man who has made the mental and/or physical transition to being a woman. In Japan, New-halfs are accepted by both the public (- the same way homosexuals are being accepted into their society. I mean, hello! They're even making movies, anime and mangas out of it!!!)and the government, stating that new-halfs are deserving of human rights as well. True.

Below is a video taken from a variety program called "The Best House" and this section is showing off the prettiest new-halfs they can find.



Haha, pretty amazing, when I think about how advanced technology is now. Feats that are deemed impossible can be done now with a snap of the fingers. Anyway, yay! I've learned how to embed a video!! And it's all thanks to my sweetie! >_<

If you have a choice, would you go out with a new-half?

Hogwarts Host Club?!

Surprisingly, Harry Potter ended with a happy ending! Ron and Hermione tied the knot, Harry and Genie got together. Not that I'm very pleased with the latter but at least it was a happy ending. Now that we're done with the books, let me introduce you to another story worthy of your attention! Harry Potter, bishounen versionised. Yes, it's the Hogwarts Host Club!

Without anything being said, you guys should've guessed who's who looking at the image shown. Yes, that's Ron on the left (surprise, surprise!), followed by Hermione then the all-famous character, Harry Potter.

I could swear this is published with Ouran High School Host Club as the main reference!

Here's a brief sypnosis of the Manga:

Harry Potter was forced by his father, the chairman of the school, to join and take up the position of the Host Club's president. (Think: Tamaki)

Ron Weasly, best friend of Harry, joined the Host Club out of loyalty and becomes one of the less popular hosts among the club. Well, he's got Hermione. (Think: Kyouya . Of course not.)

Then, we've got Hermione Granger, the self-appointed manageress who appeared suddenly out of nowhere and made it her goal to improve the business and profits of the host club. (Think: Renge)

We've also got Neville Longbottom and Rubeus Hagrid acting as the other members of the club. Neville, the blushy and Hagrid, the mighty.

And of course, Severus Snape as the professor antagonist who wishes the for the destruction of the Host Club.

Lastly, we have Draco Malfoy, president of the Zuka Club, and arch enemy of (need I say) Harry Potter. (Think: Benibara-sama)

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Now, on to my next favourite! Iisaka Yukako!!! I love her works! Just recently, another one of her books got published and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Finally!!! It's a looong wait, indeed.

Yes, it's shoujo genre. The story goes something like this:

"This is the fantasy mask house where you could ask for a different facial appearance than the one you're having now. Just give the doors a push, and everything could be as you wished..."

For the sake of the person she admired, average High School girl Nanami decided to give her appearance a change. However, little does she knows that there is something more to the surreal appearance she now gets...

Hmmm, intriguing, isn't it? Here's to hoping I could get my hands on the book ASAP. ^_^

Lol, looks like I broke my record! Two posts in a day, and the usual, no comments forever. Seriously, this. Is. Depressing. Ahhhhhh!!!! Urgh! Come on, ppl, I don't bite ^_^

The Driving Catastrophe!

Hey people! Guess what? I've finally taken my driving test, got my driving licence, and experienced my first drive around the town! Hehe, I must say, it was pretty thrilling >_<

I remember speeding on the Malaysian highways at about 80km/h just on my first drive! Oh, the thrill of it! The maximum speed for the highways are at 110km/h and my instructor, who was sitting beside me was urging me to increase my speed, and to step more daringly on the accelerator ('cos I was like going at only 50+km/h that time).

There was also a couple of times where my enginge died in the middle of the road. The first time in a traffic jam. The second in front of the traffic light and the last time while going through the ERPs. Yes, the government is squeezing the life out of us. Why the engine died you asked? That's because silly me released the clutch too fast despite my instructor's numerous reminders. What can I do? He's speaking in Malay.

Oh yah, and before I forgot, my parents bought me a car too! Oh-pampered-me. Well, not that they agreed to it without conditions. Yes, I'm responsible for driving my brothers (not one, but TWO!) to school now. Not that it's too much of a favour to ask but I couldn't be more glad to help anyway. I love driving! I'll put up another post once I get tired of it. *wink*

They bought me a Proton Savvy, known for its fuel-efficiency and AMT (Auto-Manual Transmission) functions. Here's the picture:


I would have prefered another colour, apple green actually but oh wells.

My first drive in my very own car takes place yesterday. August the 20th while on my way to school. Yes, I'm 17 and I can drive! Yay. Lol. I'm bragging all I want. I reached my school campus safely, but not without choruses of rants and beratings from my mum, preeching me to look before I drive, stop at junctions and to improve my steering skills. Yes mummy, I understand.

Oh and because of my magnificent driving skills, a normal 10 minute drive took another extended 5 minutes and I'm late to class. Great.

Just for you trivial knowledge, the last time I checked, Malaysia's ranked top three in countries with the most reckless driving.

Lol, now you know why.

Anime once again! アニメ ふっかつ!!

Gah.

I think it's becoming more of a chore joy now. Blogging.

Yah. JOY. Pleasure, delight, merriment, gaiety and all that if I can at least manage to update once a month. I know, I'm such a sinful woman to make you guys wait so eagerly for my posts. But what can I do? It's such a sin to be busy. Ooh~

May He find room in His magnanimous heart to bestow forgiveness upon me.

Anywayz, enough drama.

So, here I am again, back to blogging for my faithful readers. As usual, comments are welcome ^_^

It's the summer season and you know what that means? Yes. It's that same excitement that goes shivering down your spine when you chance upon a new series that got your heart rushing with adrenaline and left you wanting for more. Yes! It's the time again! The time for a series of new Anime!!!

With that said, I find myself drowned in disappointment with the release of the summer season. Well, not that everything's too bad, it's just that they didn't meet my expectations. Guess my hopes got too high.

Shown below is a list of anime I find myself looking forward to. Honestly, I expected more.

Anime: Summer Season.

Ok. Mushi is bug. Uta is song. That's the name of this series, Mushi-uta. Song of a bug. Lol. Name aside, the plot has got some potential. In the world that Mushi-Uta takes place in, there are insects known as Mushi that eat a person’s dreams, but in exchange grant that person paranormal powers. These people become known as Mushitsuki, and when their dream gets completely eaten, they die. The story revolves around a runaway girl from some mushitsuki secret facility and a mushitsuki hunter whose jobs is to retrieve them back. Kinda reminds me of Romeo and Juliet and the Legend of Basara.

A follow up of the first season, Zero no Tsukaima II: Futatsu no Kishi is one of the most highly anticipated anime this season. With the same tsundereness dripping, I'll doubt it'll become of of my favourite shows but it'll be one I can find enjoyment instead. Something you can look forward to in this show: The appearance of her two noble sisters and another love rival! Spells disasater for Saito.

Now, this is what I call the real stuff. Zombie-Loan = Hot guys. Zombies. Shinigami's eyes. Mystery. Action. Adventure - and perhaps, a pinch of romance. *sigh* This could never get better. The main character here is a girl who possesses the Shinigami's eyes - a gift/curse that allows her to see dark rings that appear around people’s necks before they die. One day, she happened to catch a glimpse of those dark rings on the necks of two of her classmates. And, they're still alive.

Alright, Baccano! is another anime that got my interest. It has a wide and diverse cast of characters that involves alchemists, demons, mobsters, thieves, terrorists, delinquents, murderers, and even a ghost. The back-story involves a group of alchemists who received a liquor of immortality from a demon in the 1700s. Think it could be fun? Probably.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei fittingly revolves around a very negative teacher and the show opens up with him trying to hang himself before he gets saved by one of his very positive-attitude student who thinks he was trying to get taller. I've watched the first two episodes and I still couldn't stop laughing. The show is filled with gags and laughs that I'm sure you would find enjoyable as well.

Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho Tou Dai Ni Maku is another sequel from the Spring season. The first season was not too boring so I might as well continue watching the second. This anime revolves around the usual. Demons and demon-slayers. You get the story.

Right, above is about all the anime I'm watching for the season. 5. Just 5. It's pretty depressing. Oh, and I didn't include the last two episode of Code Geass that was supposed to be airing this July 28. A lot of controversy were generated around it. I'm not that wild about Code Geass but I guess I'll still hold on till the end.

Now, I'll dedicate some of my time to a few of the anime that I felt should be taken notice on.

First up, from the Action genre:

Of course! If one talks about Action, who could ever forget Claymore! With its fast-paced action storyline and intriguing plot, it only left me with bouts of criticisms and complaints for the director for not releasing the episodes earlier.

Seirei no Moribito started out a slow-paced, somewhat dull anime. But after the first few episodes and the plot finally got moving, the plot accelerates like an elevator and action became the stimulant for every heart-racing episode. And guess what? The elevator's not coming down yet.

Urgh people. Forget Bleach and Naruto. God I swear both anime are out to make everyone miserable. Bleach is fighting out with its fillers again and Naruto is dragging even the tiniest of detsils to make an episode.

Next, the romantic comedy genre:

OKay, I know Romeo x Juliet is a shakespear adaptation but the anime is nothing literature-like. I promise. The sweet moments and the 'forbidden love' concept has gotten me stuck on it, despite me being a literature student. Definitely an emotion-jerker. God. I hate tragedies and sad endings.

The romance was cute, with a lot of shying aways, denyings, quarelling, and of course - blushings. Sparks fly when the passive-I-know-I'm-cool man and stubborn-as-hell woman meets. Well, not to forget, Kaze no Stigma is originally an action anime. The romance department doesn't appear all too often.

Honestly, I wanted to add another comedy section to this but there really isn't any good shows I can put up at the moment. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei seems like a good choice but thinking that it's just been into its second week, I would like to watch a few more episodes before coming to a conclusion. Well, either way, do try taking up SZS. My recommendation.

To anime fans in Singapore, I heard the news. My condolences. This time, it seems that ODEX is seriously out to catch every anime fansub downloader in the country. Lol, never knew ODEX has such a tenacious streak in them. I read on wikipedia that if you're caught downloading, you will be called for an out-of-court settlement first. Ignore them and be prepared for a facing off in the court of Singapore. You can be sentenced to a fine or six months behind bar - or both. Brrh, creeps me out just thinking about it.

A little advice: Ppl, you might want to curb your anime addiction a bit.

Okay. This is one looong post. Again, comments, comments, comments.

Rhapsodies.FM

HEY PEOPLE!!! Long time no see!
Yah. It's been I-don't-know-how-many-weeks-and-days since I last posted. Anyway, this time I'm updating you guys on a bit of my personal life. Me in SCHOOL. Hehe, I know. This is some pretty rare information you can get your hands on.

Now that I think of it, college life is pretty much the same everywhere. You meet new friends, get drowned in school work and projects, suffered preechings from the lectureres and of course, have fun once in a while. If you'd ask me, I would say the hardest part of adapting to school life here is getting used to your environment. I still remember the first day of college was the most lonely day for me. Everyone of my friends were back in Singapore and I'm the only one alone here. Pretty imitidating, when I think of walking the college life alone. But now, looking back, I know that's history and only a small fragment of my past.

Anyway, see the logo below? This is the start of my radio crew back in college, Rhapsodies.FM ^_^

Hendersonians, guess where I got the name from? Hehe. (Asumming you got it right) Bingo. Although I'm the DJ for my station, I still participated in some of the miscellaneous work. One of my jobs was to find a sponsor for our radio station. Sounds unbelievable, eh? (Kinda reminds me of a certain someone trying to get hold of Lee Kuan Yew into an interview back in High School days during Social Studies class. Lol. Remember, S.O.H?) No matter how far-fetched it sounded (to me), I faxed a letter over to BMG Sony and Warner Music companies requesting for their sponsorship. Boy, was the process tedious. There were a lot of approvals needed before I can faxed that thing over and a lot of procrastinating and waiting to be done after I faxed it over. Now, I'm still waiting for their replies.

Another job handled by me is to come up with our station's jingle. I got them the music I composed in my lower secondary years (think: E-music with Mrs Ong), edited some parts and viola, we have our very own station's jingle. The end composition came out as a joke, and it's totally hilarious. But still, WE LOVE IT!!! I wish I could post the jingle here but sadly, a cat violently rejected the idea. *meow*

Anyway, this embarassingly stupid video should make up for the missing jingle. Be sure not to miss it. We were practicing for a commercial at that time and laughing so much.

Feel free to make song dedications and games and contests suggestions at our official website - www.rhapsodiesfm.blogspot.com. We will be broadcasting on the 27th June and catch us on-air to win exclusive prizes! The hottest albums and GV movie passes are just a call away!

Beach Bleach Girls Showdown!

I've been wanting to blog about this ever since I saw the latest opening theme sequence of Bleach. The thing is, predictably, I just never got down to it. Just today, a college friend was saying, "It's about time you update your blog, girl. The last time I checked, it has been about more than a month since you've made any updates."

Okay, point taken.

In my opinion, the latest bleach opening took a surprising turn (not necessary for the better) and appears to be quite spoilerish and very Inoue Orihime oriented.

First, you've got a shot of Orihime smiling sweetly down at a sleeping Ichigo - a very obvious IchigoxOrihime hint. (Spoiler: This should be the scene where Orihime confesses to a sleeping Ichigo).

Then, you've got another shot of Orihime flashing passby Ichigo - yet another IchigoxOrihime hint. Then another shot of Orihime falling into the hands of Aizen (although I didn't include that shot in here).

And here, you've got another shot of Orihime alone, her hair waving dramatically along with the wind in the oh-so-desolate desert.

Like I said, very Orihime-oriented. People still watching Bleach, you know what I mean.

Though I'm not exactly a big fan of Orihime (figures), I'm a fan of Aqua Timez (the group performing this op). I give credit where it's due and I've gotta say, their music hardly disappoint me. It was actually quite innovative of the producers to start the op off by making it appear as if Kon was singing the song.

In the previous Naruto post, I mentioned that I'm for the NarutoxHinata pair and against the NarutoxSakura pair. This time on Bleach, I won't hesitate to voice my views again and say "Rukia GOOO!!!Orihime Booo!!!"


Sorry Orihime fans, but that's just me. I would rather Orihime go for Ishida than Ichigo. I get depressed everytime there's a IchigoxOrihime moment and more depressed thinking of the stuff that has yet to happen in the future. In last week's episode of Bleach, we found out that Orihime seems to have an uncanny ability to sense the life force and geographical position of Ichigo and knows where she will be able to find him. What joy.

The only complaint I have is Rukia is getting lesser and lesser screen time this arc. The last time I remember seeing her is she being injured by one of Aizen's force squad, which is like, episodes ago. And I'm like, why isn't there any IchigoxRukia moments, that'll be like so sweet. To date, I still haven't seen anything that will suffice as a romantic hint to their relationship. Sad Devastating, isn't it?

Argh, WHYYY!!! I want my IchigoxRukia opening and ending theme sequences back!

V-Tech Massacre

Again, it has been some time since I've last updated (I seem to have a habit of addressing my posts with the same sentence). The post this time round is albeit, a bit more serious, as you can probably guess from the title. I'm sure this is no news to you, a university massacre has taken place this Monday, April 16, in Virginia Tech, United States. The recent school shooting has the highest body count of 33 killed and a 30 more wounded, making it the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. The gunman? A 23-year-old South Korean, Cho Seung-hui (조승희) .

There has also been some speculation that it's no coincidence that such a thing happened just 5 days before the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre which left 13 killed.

In fact, acording to Malaysia's highest rated paper, The Star (or was it The Sun?), the U.S. schools shooting may be competing for the highest body count. We have the École Polytechnique Massacre, also known as the Montreal Massacre, with 14 females killed (yes, no man. Ahh... anti-feminists...), the Columbine High School massacre with 13 killed, the University of Texas at Austin shooting with 15 killed and now, the V-tech massacre with a body count of 33 currently in the lead.

In the aftermath, many asians, particularly the South Koreans in the U.S., fear that this incident may spark a backlash against them. With their closest ones killed in a senseless bloodbath, they can't help but direct their anger at someone else, so that the sadness of having lost a loved one is not as unbearable. In all honesty, I was left quite shaken by this incident. One of my closest friend here in College, also a South Korean, expressed her disapproval, saying she was quite ashamed that a fellow South Korean was actually responsible for all this.

To the victims of this tragedy, which left not only melancholy and devastation, but also terror and vengeance in its wake, I offer my condolences. I understand the fact that reality spare no mercy. Even if a loved one has passed away, the World still kept revolving, the Sun still rises from the East, and life, still continues.

Now, for something more light-hearted (or not), pray listen to the complaints I have for the Malaysian music Industry. Being a fan of Avril Lavigne myself, I've been eagerly awaiting the release of her latest album, which supposedly, should have been release on April 13, but Noooo!!! The workers in the shop I went to were like, "Is she releasing a new album?" Hah. Nevermind.

I went to visit another music store again on April 16. Here I go thinking, they should have it out by now... The first store I went to disappointed me, they didn't have it. Trying my hardest to think positive, I went off to the next one, no. They didn't have it either. Fine, I'm still not disheartened. I went to the third one, you guessed it, they didn't have it too. Finally getting exasperated, I went to the fourth store, no. The fifth store, no. The sixth store, NO!!! (Yes, the biggggg shopping mall I went to has about 6 music stores.) I mean, What the f***! Normally, I'm qute the mild girl who doesn't swear, this just go to prove how worked up I am over this.

Some might argue that Malaysia is a bigger country, which is why distribution of stocks were less efficient. Mind you, the size of a country does not, in a million years, matter. The bigger a country, the larger the population. Even if there's a lack of workforce (which I'm sure Malaysia don't), there is machines now, to help assist us in our work. Hello! We live in the age of technology!! Therefore, this is no excuse. The blame, I feel, should all lie on the inefficiency of Malaysian workers.

Today, I braved myself for another traumatic disappoinment and visited the music stores again. Thank the heavens, the album is already available in the first shop I went to. Now, the next problem comes in, censorship. Did I ever mention that censorship in Malaysia is a pain in the ass? Well, know that it not only hurts, it irritates the hell out of you as well.

Before I bought the album, I asked for a sampling of the CD. The sample I listened to seem to be Malaysia versioned-free and I'm quite satisfied with it. So, without any delay, I grabbed a new album, paid my cash, and shoots out of the store. Finally... I've got my album. To my unspeakable horror, while listening to it in the car, I found the CD I bought earlier to be one of the 'Malaysian version' albums I fear so much. I know the album has terms like 'motherf*cking' and whats not in there. But the Malaysian government even went to the extent of censoring trivia words like 'shit' with long pauses of silence and totally ruined the whole song.

I. Just. Can't. Believe. Them.

I'm not criticising the Malaysian Government. No, really, I'm not. Really.
I'm just irritated at how the album turns out. I've been waiting forever for this album. So, feeling cheated, I asked my mum to drive back to the mall again and I practically stormed into the music shop. I confronted them about the censorship thing and asked, "How is it that the album I listened to in this shop earlier has no problem with the censorship?" Their answer? "Because that's the sample CD!"

I. Gave. Up.

Without the energy left even to feel angry anymore, I asked for a refund (Luckily they allow refunds) and thanked them for their trouble.

As a result, I may be coming back to Singapore next week to purchase the album. Ahh... The trouble I'm willing to go through for an Avril Lavigne CD. Trust me, it's that good. So while I'm at it, I may go around visiting my friends and be making a trip to Tiong Bahru ^_^.

Sigh... The injusticeness that could happen to an avid fan...

Spring = New Anime!!!

Looking back, I suddenly realised that time really flies. It's been a year since the debut of Ouran High School Host Club and a month... since I've last updated. Lol, I know. Furthermore, the last post has got nothing even to do with anime but incoherent rants of a certain muscular (or not) body.

Kiba is completed with its 51 episodes series. Gintama is starting a new season. And I've finally updated my blog. WOW...

K, fine. I'll get straight to the point and without further ado, here's the much anticipated Anime of the Spring season 2007!!! *Clap, clap*

*Drums roll*


*Drums roll*


*More Drums roll*


*Still More Drums Roll*


FINE!FINE!!!
Here, I've got it! This season's anime list!

Murder Princess
Presenting to you, Pharis: The most merciless bounty hunter... in a princess's body.

OP: "Hikari Sasuhou (ヒカリサスホウ; The Lights Shinin' My Rhyme So Tight)" by BACK-ON
ED: "Naked Flower" by Romi Paku

Premeires 28th March.

Hayate no Gotoku
Hayate isn't your common butler,
he's a combat butler...

OP: "Hayate no Gotoku! (ハヤテのごとく！)" by KOTOKO
ED: "Proof" by MELL

Premieres April 1.



Seto no Hanayome
Presented with only two choices: Death or Marriage
And he chooses the lesser of two evils.
Marriage, to... a mermaid.

OP: unknown
ED: unknown

Premieres April 1.


El Cazador
From the creators of Noir and Madlax, yet another anime filled with suspense, action, and girls with guns.

OP: "Hikari no Yukue (光の行方)" by savage genius
ED: "romanesque" by FictionJunction YUUKA

Premieres April 3.


Claymore
Claymores are a half-human, half-demon hybrid. They fight, defending the society against Yomas, human-lookalike demons who feed on, (need I say) humans.

OP: unknown
ED: "Danzai no Hana~Guilty Sky" by Riyu Kosaka

Premieres April 4.


Shining Tears
This looks like some anime adapted from a game, and it is adapted, from a RPG computer game. Seeing how the number of female characters outnumber the male ones, I really hope this isn't some harem anime.

OP: "Shining Tears" by Souichiro Hoshi
ED: "Hikari no Silhouette (光のシルエット)" by Souichiro Hoshi
Premieres April 6.

Koutetsu Sangokushi
Imagine the use of mechas, during the period of the Three Kingdoms of Chinese History. Regardless, there's some pretty major voice talent here, including Miyano Mamoru (Light of Death Note, Tamaki of Ouran) and Ishida Akira (Athrun of Gundam Seed, Nagi of Mai HIME)

OP: "Nostalgia" by camino
ED: "Kuon" by Mamoru Miyano
Premieres April 6.

Darker than BLACK -Kuro no Keiyakusha-
Here, we have special powers, the Hell's Gate, a hot and aloof looking 'contractor'. Seriously, what more can you ask for?

OP: "HOWLING" by abingdon boys school
ED: "Tsukiakari" by Rie fu

Premieres April 6.



Kamichama Karin
This show simply oozes shoujo to me. It's a story about a 7th grader who discovers that her late mother's ring has the power to tranform her into a goddess. So very shoujo, but what the heck, I'm still giving it a shot.

OP: "Ankoku Tengoku" by Ali Project
ED: "Anemone" by Mai Nakahara
Premieres April 6.

Seirei no Moribito
It is about a female bodyguard who has to protect a boy whose body holds the egg of a Water Spirit, pursued not only by the Imperial Court but also by beings from a parallel dimension.

OP: "Shine" by L'Arc-en-Ciel
ED: "Itoshii Hito e (愛しい人へ)" by Sachi Tainaka
Premieres April 7.

Lovely Complex
A shoujo series about a really tall girl and a really short boy who become known at school as a comedic duo. They help each other with their relationships, but in the process develop feelings for each other.

OP: "Kimi + Boku = Love?" by Tegomass
ED: "Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song" by Tegomass
Premieres April 7.

Sola

A story of a boy who loves the sky, a fated meeting, and... Vampires! ^_^

OP: "colorless wind" by Aira Yuki
ED: unknown

Premieres April 9.



Kaibutsu Oujo
As compensation for resurrecting him, she pulls him into a world of chaos and it's his duty to fight off the monsters that came after her.

OP: "BLOOD QUEEN" by Aki Misato
ED: "Hizamazuite Ashi o Oname (跪いて足をお嘗め)" by Ali Project

Premieres April 13.

Kaze no Stigma

There's not much promotional material for this but judging from the Shana doppelganger, I guess this wouldn't be that bad.

OP: "blast of wind" by Saori Kiuji
ED: unknown

Premieres April 13.


Whew! That's about all the anime that I'm looking forward to this season. I haven't really covered all the anime that's gonna air this Spring, just the ones that i feel it gonna be interesting. On another note, I'm looking forward to their theme songs as well, esp. "HOWLING" by abingdon boys school, "Hikari no Yukue (光の行方)" by savage genius, "romanesque" by FictionJunction YUUKA, "Hayate no Gotoku" by Kotoko, "Proof" by Mell, and etc.

The premiere dates, however, are not confirmed yet. Correction will be made when the release dates are made clear.

Again, this Spring's season is much to be anticipated. So, have you decided what you're going to watch?

Ehh...Hairy Potter?!

Here, something non-anime for a change:

Add in a chivalrous white horse, a well-toned body and a sexy pose and you have Daniel Radcliffe in a way you would never imagine. Some speculation, however, have been raised on this topic, this picture has obviously been photoshopped.

Harry Potter couldn't possibly have this much muscles hair underneath him! How do I know, you ask? Because he's our fantasy prince, that's why. And Fantasy Princes barely have any hair underneath them (what the hell).

Regardless of those hairs, you'll probably have a nosebleed if you know what kind of thoughts are running through my head now. They're all indecent, dirty and *smirk* very very naughty...

Lol. Somebody stop me.

EDIT:

This rumour has been finally confirmed. That poster in no product of Photoshop! It's Daniel Radcliffe! In the flesh! Ahh... Looks like little Daniel's all grown up. Well, not that I care.

Anyway, here's another news flash for you. Rumours has it that Daniel will be showing some skin flashing during the latest Harry Potter movie that's due to come out in May. However true this is, I feel that this should still be taken with a pinch of salt.

Speaking of movies, I can't wait to watch Mr Bean's Holidays. I have a feeling I'll enjoy it. Tremendously.

Battle of the shinobi ladies!

Right, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. After meeting the death god himself and had a narrow escape from his clutches of death, I hereby announce that I've finally recovered from the lazy-to-blog lost-of-inspiration sickness, a fatal illness that has kept me bedridden for weeks, which, goes to explain why the number of posts has been going down. Do note that now I've fully recovered, I can't wait to get this post down.


This week's entry is about the higly aniticipated Naruto Shippuuden, a follow up from its endless fillers. Naruto.S (short for Natuto Shippuuden) is finally doing away its fillers and following the mangaline. God bless the directors <3 Speaking of anime that has began switching to the manga plot, Bleach is another anime that I think is worth mentioning. Currently, both animes are already keeping me to the edge of my chair. They're really something comparable to the Pandora Box, never knowing what will hit you next.

I'm not gonna spoil you for the plot this time round, but here's a little peek into the amazing metamophorsis of some of the characters.


Okay... Now, on to the main purpose of this post. I believe that every hero has a heroine beside him, the problem is: Who should it be?


I would have set up a poll for this but I didn't know how. Yah, I know. Pathetic amateur blogger, that's me alright T_T But anywayz, this will make do. Now, the millionaire question: Who do you think, makes a better heroine for Naruto?

Personally, I like the NarutoXHinata pair. Never have I come across such adorableness (if there's ever such a word) and compatibility between them both. I know of some who would like to argue that Hinata's feelings for Naruto are not really that of real love, but of admiration. That's so-not-true! In fact, Hinata feelings for Naruto magnified during his 2 and a 1/2 years away for training. She became so shy that she dare not even meet him, afraid that she'll do something silly. Tell me, if that's not the usual coyness a female would have while in love, what's that?

Sakura, on the other hand, is not much of a romance partner in my perspective, no matter what the manga says. I feel that she's more like a friend, a really close friend, to Naruto instead of being romantically invovled. Besides, she did said that she likes Sasuke! Period!!!

Lol, point is: I'm all the way for NarutoXHinata pair. They're the cutest!

Please do comment and tell me who you're supporting for. I would really love to know what you guys are thinking. Thanks ^_^ Oh, and before I forgot, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!