Sinful Awakening

Procrastinate's the middle name.

2009-11-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm a liar. I never update.

After months and months of procrastination, I should really register this blog with a death certificate.

(Procrastinators unite!!! Tomorrow.)

*sobs* Fame is short-lived. *sobs again* My blog used to be flooded with visitors. (really?) *blows nose* And now nobody even bothers to drop in and say hi now. *wails loudly*

So, what's the point of updating?

Haha. I'm making you people take all the blame. But I guess I'm at least entitled to that since i'm going through a miserable phase of my life right now. It's depressing to even talk about it. Maybe I'll blog again once I finally settled down in Singapore (did I mention that I'm moving back to Sg?).

Maybe. Don't get your hopes up. (Like anyone is looking forward to my updates.)

And this is Zeepish, signing off.
When life happened, shit happens. (I'm gonna make this my signature phrase.)

Blog Revival: SA back in action!

2009-03-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

I know I said I’m taking a break from blogging till my internship is over. But then again, it never hurts to come back from a break early. Perhaps I just miss you guys too much. >_< Kyaa!

I was just browsing through my camera when I came upon some pictures that brought me back to some of the reasons why I took such a long break from blogging. If my memory serves me right, my last real post was updated around September last year, so these two incidents posted below probably occurred around October to November.

First up is the organising of a Halloween Charity Fair for a PR event for my course. I’m put in the Haunted House and Ghostly Graveyard team and gawd, the preparation part’s hell. Just weeks before our finals, we are forced to juggle between organising the event, designing the props and preparing for our exams. Come to think of it now, given the limited amount of time for revision, it’s a nice surprise to see that I still managed to snatch a few A’s for my papers.

Exams and sleepless nights aside, aside, at least the Halloween Party was rewarding. The Charity Fair gathered close to a 1000 people, making our semester the first batch to generate such a heated response for a PR event organised by students.

Below are some of the pictures taken from the fair. Do pardon the fuzziness of some of the pictures. I have a lousy camera.

This is the graveyard put up by us. Believe me when I said the real thing looks way better than what is shown in the picture.

This is Alicia, my best friend in KDU, posing as a traditional Korean ghost and another one of my friends posing as a Chinese zombie whose name escapes me. Do excuse me, I’m very bad with names.

This is me, supposedly dressed in all dark angel glory, and Michele, Her Royal Majesty of her own fantasy country (See her sparkly crown?).

Alicia, with another two people whose names escape me. I can’t even remember who is hiding behind the Halloween ghost costume.

From left to right, Jonathan the War Freak in his Ninja getup (It is ninja, right?), Michele, Me and Alicia.

I think that’s about all the photos for that night. I was too busy ‘playing’ ghost in the haunted house stall to be going around partying myself away and snapping pictures.

Anyway, here’s the second incident that got me all too irritated and busy to be spending time in the blogging sphere.

So, one day, I was just driving my car as usual when my engine overheated and died in the middle of a road. Imagine my surprise when it did and my exasperation when I have no idea why and how it happened. Basically, at that point of time, I really have no idea about the clockwork and inner workings of a car. The only thing I do know about my car is how to drive it - which isn’t too much of a complication since there is only the brake and the accelerator in an automatic car.

This is my car in the middle of the road.

The heart of my prized baby, which I have no idea how it works.

The magic triangle that gives you the excuse to stop in the middle of a road.

The trident of King Neptune lifting my car and pulling it away.

King Neptune in action. Is it just me or my car looks so miserably forlorn at the back?

Me following my car to the hospital to get his heart back up again.

It’s really a bad idea not to take good care of your car in Malaysia. Once your car broke down, it’s hard to find transport to get you anywhere around town. So, for the entire week, I’m transportless and stuck within the four walls of my house. T_T

Apparently, the reason my engine overheated is because I never bothered to check my temperature meter and add water to the engine whenever necessary. I know it’s my fault that my car broke down but believe me when I said I have no idea what the heck is a freaking temperature meter at that point of time.

But hey, now I do. As they say, “A lesson learnt is an experience gained.” After this incident, I got to know my car a little better. So, I will take note to check my temperature meter regularly and add water to the engine whenever required. See, simple as ABC.

Or is there more to car maintenance than just checking temperature meters and adding water?

I actually intended to blog about these incidents some time ago – hence the reasons for the pictures, but never really got down to it. But now that I actually did - comments, comments, comments.

P.S. You know, with the amount of incidents I have had with my car, I should just create another category named “Car Troubles” and save whatever post I have relating to my cars under that category. Should I?

Taking a break till internship is over.

2009-02-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

I know.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

I'm such a liar.

Much as I would like to make excuses for myself, I won't. However, do know that things have been crazy these months. The last post I did was just right before my finals and right after that, i'm thrown into the challenge of searching for a job and maintaining one for 3 months. This calls to mind one of my favourite quotes from Grey's Anatomy, "Interns are bottom of the food chain. Nobodys. Grunts. Zilch." which currently, explains what the hell i'm doing now. I'm doing INTERNSHIP at a advertising company whose working hours knows no limit.

Here's another favourtie quote of mine.

"When life happened, shit happens."

How true.

Autumn season 2008

2008-09-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

Remember one of my "sleep first post later" entries? Well, this is one of them. The excuse this time? I still do not have enough information at hand to update.

Anyway, i just need a little more time to finish up my data gathering. Look forward to the Autumn anime season!

P.S. I swear, I would definitely update my post in time.

Sleep first, post later.

2008-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Gah.

I want to sleep.

sleepy ~

zzzZ.

The royal decree declared that her royal highness must put her beauty sleep above all things else - and yes, that includes blogging.

So folks, look forward to my post after I've gotten a good night rest tomorrow. Or maybe the day after... or the day after the next.

Well, just look forward to it. I'll get down to blogging sometime later.

zzzZ. Gah. Sleep.

Summer 2008 = Season of the Silly-willies

2008-07-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

Now that exams are over, one might have thought that I would have more time for blogging. But alas! That was not the case. Fate is a funny entity
with a whimsical nature. It is precisely because exams are over that I have lesser time for blogging. Hmmm... Still don't get it?

Let me explain in this way then...

Exams over = more time for anime = more time for mangas = more time for shopping = more time for movies (It is the blockbuster season, what do you expect!) = more money 'magically' disappearing into thin air = more time getting depressed mulling over exactly where all the money 'magically' disappeared to (God knows) = less time for blogging.

Yes, I think that briefly sums everything up.

Now, let's go back to our original topic. The Summer 2008 season Animelist!

Speaking of the Summer 2008 anime, I feel that I should really point out that summer and anime doesn't go well together. Let me tell you why.

First off, I'm a fangirl.

Second, fangirls (as far as I know) hate harem anime. (Because harem = lotsa girls, lotsa boobs and lotsa pantsu.)

Third, summer = sun = hot = sweaty = less clothing = hormones raging mad.

Take this for an example:

Or this,
Or this!See my point, ladies?

Last but not least, the summer season anime is filled with series after series of those detestable anime of said genre that only those ero oyajis watches.

Anyway, before I got sidetrackked again, let's continue...

For those who are looking forward to the summer season, you are in for a let down (for fangirls, at least). And yes, for all reasons I stated above.

The series that are only worth looking forward to this season can be counted on the fingers of your hand. Yes, hand. 1 hand. No hands.

If there's a highlight series in this season, then it has only gotta be this:

Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten: Antique

Tachibana, young, handsome, and son of one of the wealthiest family in Japan, decided to quit his job as CEO of his company and open a bakery shop. In his search for his shop's recruiment, he meets genius pâtissier Ono. He once confesses to Tachibana in high school and got rejected rather cruelly by him. On the other hand, Tachibana is relieved that Ono doesn't remember him and employs him as a pâtissier in his bakery shop. However, Ono has come out of the closet and decides to make his advances on Tachibana…

Needles to say, this anime has some shounen-ai moments, although it is worth noting that it's nowhere near junjou romantica's levels. I've already watched the first 2 episodes of the series and have to give it a thumbs up. The graphics in the anime are calming and very refreshing and the story's light-hearted fun makes it a not-to-be-missed.

Second up on the list is:

Natsume Yuujinchou

Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits.

Besides, Natume's hot. And the cat's cute (I suppose).

Reminds me of: xxxHOLiC

World Destruction

The story is takes place in a world where humans are ruled by beastmen, and the main character - the kind of teenager who wonders if what’s going on the in world has anythiing to do with him - encounters a girl who’s being hunted and is part of a group called the World Destruction Committee. This girl possesses something called the Destruct Code which gives her the power to destroy the world, and so she and the main character embark on a journey.

I decided to give this show a shot mainly because it has 2 of my favourite voice actors in it. The 2 being Sakamoto Maaya and Miyano Mamoru! [Think: Haruhi and Tamaki from Ouran. Yes.]

Slayers Revolution

This is the fourth TV installment of the Slayers series, and since I've already watched the previous seasons, I might as well watch this as well. Following up from the 3rd season, Lina and Gourry continue their journey in search of a replacement weapon having lost the Sword of Light in the previous battle. On the way, the two of them meet up with Amelia, Zelgadis and also Luvinagard's Inspector of the Special Investigative Unit; a man called Wizer in the kingdom of Luvinagard while taunting some pirates.

Before she knows it, a felony charge is being placed on Lina and in the midst of running away from the chasing soldiers, a new character is introduced into the story - a creature named pocota.

And yes, this is about all the series that is worth anticipating this summer. I know, sad. Well, not that I'm complaing (much), some series from the spring season are still running so it's still not too bad (I guess).

Luckily for you guys here, I've got some good news with me. I know you people deserve better. ~~[Don't you people dare agree with me in the comments section. Do note that I said it for courtesy's sake.]~~

According to sources, both Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLiC are getting Original Animation DVD (OAD) releases with upcoming volumes of their respective manga in a new CLAMP and Production I.G project. The first one, an xxxHOLiC episode, will come out with volume 14 of the xxxHOLiC manga in January of 2009, and the subsequent Tsubasa Chronicle episode will come out in February 2009 with volume 26 of the Tsubasa Chronicle manga.

So, rejoice people! Hurray! I. Just. Can't. Wait.
More Syaoran! More Fai! And more Kurogane!!! >_< Kyaaaa!!! And of course, more sakura.

Before I end, if the above contents have offended anyone in anyway, I deeply apologise for my inappropriateness. Surely you must understand, it's the madness of a fangirl at work.

P.s.

This...

and this... is what I call fanservice.

And this...
is just TOO CUTE for words!

Kah. I just love being a fangirl!!!

And some people just don't learn, do they...

An unacessible website, a punctured tire and a law presentation.

2008-06-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

They say June is the luckiest month for brides and marriages, while I say June is the unluckiest, most horrible, AND hectic month for the likes of me. Besides the usual piling on assignments, projects, presentations and 'money-always-seem-to-magically-disappear' daily life, I find myself thrown into further desperation. Just at the start of an early, fresh and rosy JUNE morning, Veoh decided to send everyone in my country love letters.

I thought it might have been a glitch, so I did a refresh. A few seconds later, the same message pops up, and so I did another refresh. Then another one.

For the next 5 minutes, I was just staring plainly at the message and doing refreshes. I mean, what the heck do they mean "Veoh is no longer available in your country"? Is this some kind of tasteless April's Fool Joke? Except We're in freaking JUNE now.

Nevertheless, I hold in my doubts and waited for the next day to come. By tomorrow, I'm expecting to see some kind of message that falls along the lines of "Ha! Gotcha! Happy June's Fool Day!" or something like that. So again, I visited Veoh with a hopeful smile on my face. *grins cynically* Till today, I could never understand how stupidedly positive I was back then.

My face fell when I saw the same message. And today, no number of refreshes could remove that dreadful message from my screen.

I felt anger, I felt sadness and I feel betrayal at the same time. Are they trying to tell me to give up on my weekly dose of Reborn, Gintama and One Piece? Granted, they might sound pretty trivial to some of you guys, but they are what I look forward to most at the end of every week! And they are trying to take this right away from me! And without notice too, to add.

Their brilliant excuse?

Just wonderful.

Aside from my very terrible experience with Veoh, I was in deeper shit today when I found myself with a flat tire in the middle of a busy road. I was driving home from school when I saw a friend of mine walking just beside my car. I honked once, he didn't notice, honked twice, he didn't look up. Tried to honk again and the next thing I know is I ended up on the pavement. If this is a blessing in disguise then the only blessing here is I'm lucky I only end up with a flat tire.

Lesson learnt: Never try to honk and wave at the same time.

EDIT: Fixed my car and cost me a bomb of 350. Aparrently, the rack end, shaft, rim were also busted, along with the tire.

Now, we'll talk about my rendevous with trade mark law. I have a Law presentation this wednesday and though the result is okay, the tedious part is the process. Few days before the big presentation, my group and I were combing through the library to search for Intellectual Property law. After the books are gathered, Cat went and photostated all the necessary material and we had our dicussion.

The problem comes in only after the discussion, when I was trying to do my part of slides. Beside the fact that I'm totally clueless about trade mark law, I was assigned to cover up the introduction of Infringement and the exceptions to it. The thing is, after I'm done doing my part, I felt amissed, like something definitely went wrong somewhere. Turns out I was right when I discussed it again with my team mates. I was doing the wrong law for the wrong contry, and ended up doing trade mark law for Australia, instead of the UK.

That still wasn't as bad as I only have to redo my research and slides again. The worst part is that I have to do all my preparation in the dead of the night, after my brothers went to sleep, which is usually around 1 a.m. and with one hand supporting my monitor's wire which came loose and wouldn't stay in its place no matter how much tape I use. Apparently, after he got his computer back from maintainence, I wouldn't be able to access to the net whenever he's using his com. Being the gaming freak he is, he will allow me to use the net during the day only when hell freezes over.

Hmph. Law and my grievances.

Anyway, to lighten the topic, I found this delightful video when I was YouTube browsing. It was an animation done by a fan on a cross between Reborn and Ouran, and was just too cute for words. >_< Kyaa!

Enjoy.

Oh. Before I end, the next post I'll be working on will probably cover the Summer Anime season. Look forward to it. A month later.

May Panic (Anime, Mangas AND Dramas)

2008-05-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

May has always been a hectic month for me. There's Mothers' Day, Exams, Birthdays, Assignments (Which are only worth 1 mark per assignment and you have to go through hell for that 1 mark), Mall Sales (Reading too much Shopaholic is having an adverse effect on me), Revisions (It's LAW! For God's sake!), and admist all that, I can still find time for my anime and mangas AND indulge in my romance and chick lit novels. Really, I have never been busier (and more broke).

The thing about preparing for exams is, no matter how hard you try to concentrate on the book in front of you, it has never been easier to get distracted. It is always during the exam period that I find myself digging for shows to watch. It's like a phase of denial, where you try to convince yourself that exams are easy-peasy, and that you've got more than enough time to prepare for it.

So, to allow myself to focus more on studies, I came up with this scheme that I'm pretty sure could cure my distractedness. I could study a chapter, and then reward myself with a episode of the (very) few anime I've been saving myself for times like this. It's like all those government policies we learn in school, where there are rewards and punishments for following the rules (or something like that). It's the same concept. The only difference is I didn't come up with a punishment scheme to deter myself from allowing my mind to wonder off again.

So, while I was still priding myself on how smart I am to come up with such a ingenious scheme, I was already through 2 series of anime (Hatenkou Yuugi and Spice & Wolf) before I know it and I wasn't even done with 1/4 of revising! Just imagine, how much revision I could do with all the time I've wasted, then again, not that I'm lamenting much about it as you know saying goes, "The time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted." - which I couldn't agree more. Now that I think back, it's actually pretty silly of me to believe that the plan would work anyway.

During the course of my self-search (and in the middle of exams), I finally acknowledged the fact that (albeit grudgingly) God has abandoned me and left me with no more anime to watch. On second thought, maybe He hasn't really abandoned me. Because in a spark of inspiration, I found myself watching (and actually enjoying) one of those Taiwanese dramas that I've sworn never to touch! Bottom line? God Loves Everyone. Amen.

Here's the plot:
Yuan Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) is a naïve but optimistic high school girl. Ever since she met Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng) at the freshman orientation, she's fallen in love with the genius with an IQ of 200. After two years of having a crush on him, she finally musters the courage to confess to him at school with a letter. Zhi Shu is not impressed, and his cold-hearted rejection immediately turns her into the biggest joke of the school. Misfortune comes in a pair: that evening, the new house she has just moved into with her father collapses in a minor earthquake. She and her father are instantly left homeless. Fortunately, her father's old high school friend extends a helping hand and invites both of them to live at his house. Little did Xiang Qin know that the kind Uncle Li is actually the father of Jiang Zhi Shu! Because of the unexpected turn of events, the two of them begin living their lives under the same roof. (I know, cliched storyline. Again.)

It Started with a Kiss is arguably the best taiwanese drama I've watched (although I've only watched 2 taiwanese dramas in my 18 years of life - the other being Devil Beside You). But honestly, after watching ISWAK, anything else would pale in comparison. It's that good and funny, not to mention all the angst I feel for the first 17 episodes. The last 3 episodes are what convert me into an ISWAK fan. They make up for all the stupidity in the show.

The thing about me not wanting to watch taiwanese dramas is because I've always felt that they are a rip off from anime and mangas. It's like, they've got no originality or something. Technically speaking, ISWAK is still a rip off, seeing as how it was adapted from a manga and although I did enjoy the drama overall, it did kinda spoil me for the anime Itazura na Kiss (See post below). Half the reason why I didn't give the show up has to be Joe Cheng. You've never seen a guy that gorgeous and cute!

That's the scene in the manga where Kotoko was asleep under a tree and Naoki kissed her, which was seen by Yuuki (that's his brother) who realised that Naoki does, in fact, love Kotoko. There's some difference in the drama where Naoki kissed her in the hospital, which was then witnessed by Yuuki who was diagnosed with acute appendicitis.

It Started with a Kiss 2 a.k.a. They Kiss Again follows the story after volume 10, where Kotoko and Naoki got married and they are on their honeymoon. Needless to say, hilarity ensues.

Spring 2008 Anime Hot List!

2008-04-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with the series of anime this season. Rather than the usual booby-pantsu-ecchi-harem series targeted at the male audience, the anime production staff finally remembered that there are female viewers amongst the anime culture. A few shoujo-based anime were thrown into the spring 2008 mix, and to my surprise and (would I say) pleasure, two shounen-ai shows were being animated too. One of them being Junjou Romantica and is probably not recommended for kids. (Heck, did I just type that?!)

Anyway, I'll categorise the Spring series according to their genres, for viewer convenience. First up, the ladies' favourite:

Bishounen Goodness

Junjou Romantica
Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like “Misaki licks every inch of Usami’s hot body”…well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose. (I know, Good Riddance!)
It's pretty ironic, considering that the title literally translates to "Pure Romance", when the storyline and graphics aren't the least innocent. Well, I haven't gave this a go yet, but according to reviews, it could get really explicit. So ladies, do prepare for nosebleed deterrence before you sit infront of your TV.

Monochrome Factor
Nothing too hot for kids to handle, since this story revolves mainly around the Action genre. That's not to say it doesn't have any itty-bitty scenes with the main characters, it does handle a few scenes with light kisses (for no apparent reason) here and there too. I mean, hello?! A bit more character development will be appreciated before the episode closes with a guy smooching with another of his own gender. Kinda reminds me of Yami no Matsuei a.k.a. Descendants of Darkness when they will somehow insert a few skin-showy and feely-touchy scenes in the middle of an intense, heated fight just for the sake of fan service. God, how I hated that. This brings me back to a Japanese saying about Yaoi series, "YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi." - which roughly translates to, "No plot, no climax, no meaning."

Kyou Kara Maou! Season 3
How I love this series! You can just imagine my joy when I heard that the production staff is animating the 3rd season and is ready for release by this Spring. I squealed, twirled, jumped for the moment's worth. Aside from Full Metal Panic!, KKM is another one of my favourite anime series that I find most enjoyable andd humourous. Now that I think about it, I seem to like anime with laughable elements a bit (just a bit) more than anime of the romance genre. Of course, nothing could be better if it's a combination of the said both. But in this case, KKM is a combination of laugh-out-loud funnies and bishounen goodness. And as a bonus, it has got the prince of the most dreamiest voice, Sakurai Takahiro (But of course, he had to sound silly in KKM because Yuri. Is. Silly. He got flushed down the toilet, remember? Cute-oh-Yuri.) in it! Kyaa!!!

Reverse-harems, Shoujo

Neo Angelique Abyss
I can't say I am a fan of its previous series, but looking at the number of eye-candies they have, I braced myself for the disappoinment and gave this a try. Judging just from the first 2 episodes I've watched, they have a bit more of plot development as compared to its previous series. The previous series was so bad and their storyline so insignificant that I can't remember what their plot were about. It's unusual for me to forget about an anime storyline once I've seen it and this just goes to show how uninteresting the previous series were. Trust me, I have quite a good amount of confidence in my memory when it comes to anime. At the very least, this season's Angelique still managed to hold on to my interest at episode 2. That should be some improvement.

Itazura na Kiss
It was love at first sight for Aihara Kotoko as top student Irie Naoki delivers his speech on the first day of high school. When Kotoko finally plucks up enough courage to confess, she got rejected and thus, vows to give him up. Alas, by a strange twist of fate, Kotoko's house collapsed and she had to move in to live with her father's friend, who happens to be Naoki's dad. Much laughter ensues when scatterbrained Kotoko makes her countless advances (supported by Naoki's wacky mum) on cold and aloof Naoki who hates girls and is a genius at practically everything from studies to sports. It's a mystery how girls never tire of the same kind of storyline which got recycled over and over again. It's a mystery that goes deeper than the stars of the universe. It's such a mystery because I could never figure out the reason why even if I am a girl myself. See? Point made.

Special A
Adapted from a manga, S.A. is a story about how an average girl in an avergare family with an average income tries to enrol in an ultra-elite school just for the sake of beating her childhood rival at anything he does. All this, and with a couple more of hotties, weirdos, and a pinch of romance thrown in. This whole "poor girl in rich elite school" just reminds me Ouran and Hana yori Dango. Did i mention about how the same plot just got recycled over and over again? And how girls never tire from it? And how I can never figure out why I still find myself enjoying the same cliched storyline?

Vampire Knight
Again adapted from a manga, Vampire Knight is Hino Matusri's (She's the author and one of my favourite mangakas.) first work to be turned into an anime. Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class and the two need to be kept separate because the former is made up of humans while the latter is made up of vampires. As Guardians of the school, Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu have a mission they must never fail at - to protect the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret. I'm a fan of paranormal stories since... ever since I could remember. Initially, it was first faires, unicorns, elves and then werewolves, shapeshifters and vampires now. Tall, "Dark" and Handsome, anyone?

Comedy, Humour

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki
If there’s one really wacky series this season, this should be it. In KKN, an incarnation of destruction was defeated by humanity, but it had left a curse before dying: its child would awaken in 1000 years and destroy the world. Approximately 1000 years later, mankind is able to use DNA testing to figure out a group of people who could be that child, but they still can’t pinpoint exactly who. What they decide to do is to put all these people together in one family with the hope that the person who is the real child would develop love for their family and would no longer want to destroy the world. The wacky part comes in when you consider some of the characters in this family: a cat-eared loli (who’s the mother figure no less), a lion, a biological weapon, and a jellyfish. That’s got dysfunctional written all over it, so I think this has the potential to be hilarious. There's possibly some romance thrown in too! Reminds me of: Suzumiya Haruhi.

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

xxxHOLiC: Kei
xxxHOLiC continues the supernatural story of the high school boy Watanuki and the dimensional witch Yuuko, and like the first series, it’ll probably be without any Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle crossover references. Anyhow, I still look forward to watching the episodes of Watanuki and his paranormal encounters, and of course his relationship with the vestal spirit (Zashiki-Warashi).

Amatsuki
Based on a manga too, Amatsuki is about a boy who is visiting a high-tech museum of Edo during the Bakumatsu when he gets attacked by a monster and is sent to the actual time period. By coincidence, he meets a classmate who had also been sent there but had arrived two years earlier, and the story follows their adventures. Instead of the usual shoujo anime that involves girl jumping back to the past (think: Inuyasha, Fushigi Yuugi), there's finally one anime that doesn't conform to the norm. Storyline attracts me~ I'm so watching this.

Code Geass R2
Given the popularity of this show, Code Geass's sequel really needs no introduction. Hmm... But if you really need one, mechas, wars, nations at conflict, a desire for revenge and a mysterious power... probably sums it all. The first season ended with a bad aftertaste. I wanted Suzaku and Lelouch to reconcile with each other and looking at the way things are now, I have a feeling that is never gonna happen. One of them have to fall. Hmm... Kinda diminishes my motivation for this show.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama
It's a story about a Tenko (a kitsune that’s lived at least 1000 years) who has been alive for so long that it doesn’t remember whether it’s male or female, so it can be either gender when it changes into its human form (its male form is voiced by Nakamura Yuuichi and female by Yukana). It’s an interesting concept (Ranma-esque even), but it remains to be seen if the actual story, which involves the Tenko being unsealed and called on to protect a young boy who’s being targeted by evil spirits, is any good since I haven’t started on its first episode yet. In fact, I haven't started watching the first episode for the moset of the series.

Nabari no Ou
Nabari no Ou is a story about Rokujou Miharu, who has a very indifferent attitude and becomes involved in the world of ninjas thanks to the fact that he carries a legendary power inside of him. Because of this, his power is sought after by many clans and a war to possess his power thus started. To survive, Miharu must enter the hidden world of Nabari, and become the king.

Soul Eater
Soul Eater is a fun series about a group of Shinigami students who are after 99 human souls and 1 witch soul so that they can change their partner weapons into Death Scythes. I was a little surprised when it was announced that BONES would be animating this because the manga has a very distinct style that can be a bit crude at times, so I had a hard time imagining this being done by almost the exact same team that did Ouran (in fact, both Sakamoto Maaya and Miyano Mamoru are voicing characters here too). There's two versions of Soul Eater. One of them is the normal, edited version which airs on Mondays while other is "Late Show" version which airs on Thursday nights.

Toshokan Sensou
Toshokan Sensou translates to Library Wars. I know the title sounds ridiculous but name aside, the plot has depth. In the year 2019, laws have been passed down to control the media. Now some thirty years later, the government still monitors and controls information, suppressing anything they find undesirable, but opposing this is an armed library group, and the story is about one particular girl who follows "her prince" who saved her and her book in the library one day into the library forces. Hehe, I know. Stange storyline, right? But I have feeling I would love this.

There, Spring 2008 list finally done. Let me stretch myself for a bit.

Anatolia Story - Golden Classic.

2008-03-29T03:18:00.000-07:00

I am quite a manga fanatic. No surprise there, eh? Truth to be told, ever since I entered the world of mangas, I have quite been neglecting my regency romances and chick lit lately. I used to read at least 8 books per week (no kidding) and now I can hardly find time to enjoy my Christine Feehan's and Sophie Kinsella's best sellers. I still read them, occasionally, but not that often anymore. Besides, it's even harder to find a decent library in Malaysia here. Manga rental shops, however, are another story. ^_^

And the purpose of my post today, is to introduce you to the greatest manga of all times. (Yiyou, if you happen to be reading this, do ask uncle for this series. I think - no, I know you will love it. Oh yes, you will.) Anatolia Story, otherwise known as Red River (天は赤い河のほとり, Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: "Heaven by the Red River"), is a shoujo manga series made by Chie Shinohara (篠原千絵). Even at a total of 28 volumes, I still couldn't get enough of the manga series, and of course, especially of Yuri and Kail.

Set in the 14th century, Red River is about a fifteen-year old Japanese girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri's blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia's son as the sole heir to the throne.

The story takes place during the reign of King Suppiluliuma I, at a time when the Hittite Empire was near its peak of power, rivaled only by Egypt, which was then ruled by the young Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Many of the people and events in the story are drawn from actual history, from Princes Kail Mursili, Sari Arnuwanda, and Zannanza, to battles with the neighboring Mitanni kingdom around the town of Kizzuwatna.

The best part of the story is it not only deals with lots and lots of romance, the adventures Yuri and Kail are also not to be missed as well - from conquering countries to fighting lions. Unlike your everyday heroine, Yuri is a strong minded girl who takes everything into her hands and hates to be reliant on others. I hate whiney female characters (Yiyou, I know you hate them too. With a vengence. Think: Miaka.) Kail, on the other hand, is every girl's dream and of course, Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. ^_^

I would love to go on more about how much I love this series but I would hate to spoil you for the story. If you want to know hoe good this series is, it's best to go rent the mangas and experience it first-hand yourself.

Here's a little video I found when digging around for information.

Anatolia Story, satisfaction guaranteed. *winks*

Anime Oldies - They are better than you think.

2008-02-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

Post will be up later. Sleep first. School has been crazy these few days. *shudders just thinking about it*

I have to confess, I'm too lazy to blog. Really lazy. But anyway, I finally got down to blogging, after procrastinating for another month. I know. I'm lazy.

Spent my holiday digging out old classic anime to watch. Believe it a not, I actually decided to give Conan a try. The detective series is the longest anime I've ever come across - and it's still ongoing (500 episodes and up). The best part about Conan is when Shinichi is dealing with the black organisation and trying to figure ways to get his body back to normal (In case you don't know, Shinichi is the main character of the story. He was forced to drink some kind of poison which turned his body to that of a 7-year-old.) ALso, not to forget, I like any episodes that has t o deal with Shinichi and Hattori (another high school genius detective) competing against each other. And of course, being the romantic I am, the ShinichixRan moments. Boy, were they cute. Other than that, the rest are basically filler episodes. But if you guys have plenty of time to spare and nothing to do in mind, you might want to give Conan a try. It's not the best anime out there but it's good enough when you've got time to kill.

Another anime I watched during my holidays were Glass Mask and Marmalade Boy. Glass mask was good. I never thought i would enjoy an anime that was adapted from a manga drawn in the 1970s. That was like 30 years before I was born. I watched the 2005 remake version of the anime - most of them are in RAWs though. No english fansubbing group has completed that series, a pity if you ask me. It came as a surprise to me that I would like Glass Mask not only because of its age but also of its genre. Glass mask is about how a girl struggles to fight her way to the stage and the world of acting. Sounds kinda boring to me in the first place and I watched the first episode with no expectations whatsoever. Before I know it, I was already halfway through the series. It was that addicting (Hayami and Maya forever!). However, the down part of this anime was that it was never finished - just like many other anime. The anime stopped halfway through the manga, just like that. And when I searched for the manga to continue my pursuit of the story, it just turned out that the author of the story halted the story as well - at volume 42. It was said that Suzue Miuchi (that's the author) wanted to do some changes to the story and modernise the plot as back in the 1970s, there's no such thing as computers and handphones. It's just stupid, really stupid. She just have to go enrage and lose her fans like this. It's like we're dying to know the end to the series and she's taking what, 7,8 years to finish ONE manga volume? It really pisses me off. It took me some time to actually get over this.

Marmalade Boy was not for my age. I'm 17 turning 18 and Marmalade Boy proves to be a little to childish for me. The story centers around Miki and Yuu, who came to know each other when their parent decide to "switch partners". It's basically a romance anime and a rather predictable one at that. I started to watch this series for no other reason than I'm bored and I ran out of anime to watch. Like I said, the story's quite predictable, which makes it rather bland. There are not many surprising elements in the story and I have to force myself to finish the anime just because I started watching it. In that sense, it's still not that bad as I could still cope with having to finish the series. There are some anime which I stopped watching at the first episode.

There now, I finish my February post. Finally.

HK Trip - plus the photos.

2008-01-30T05:22:00.001-08:00

I'm just on time before the clock strikes 12 and the last day of January in 2008 is over. Anyway, i'm so lazy lately i'll just copy and paste the whole segment of the speech i did in class talking about the time i spent in HK.

There you go.

It all started one early morning when I was still lying comfy in my bed cocoon when my phone rang. It was my mum. She was calling me early in the morning to ask when am I having my holidays. Since still half-asleep, I answered half-heartedly until her last response stop me short before she cut the line off.

Early in the morning of one of those usual, boring, never-ending days which was supposed to go normal, she told us we were going to Hong Kong.

Now, you must realize, that was big news indeed to me. It was like waking up to find a handsome prince by your side and you’re actually the long lost princess of Atlantic. In other words, it sounded too good to be true. It sounded phony.

The last time I boarded a plane and actually flew to another country besides Singapore was when I’m 5 – when I can hardly remember anything at that age. Ever since then, my mother just make me empty promises every year about how we will go to The states in year 2000 and go Japan in year 2001 and go Hong Kong in year 2002, yada yada.

So after the shock subsided, I continued lying in the warmth of my bed cocoons and stare blank at the ceilings. Then I think, yeah right, Hong Kong, and went back to sleep again.

Forwarded to the day 18th December 2007, I found myself checking in at the airport with my family. Since it’s still an hour away before we could actually board the plane, I went exploring around and snapping at everything with a newly camera I just bought not long ago.

This picture is taken in a chocolate shop in the airport. Prices here really skyrocket and you can’t do any bargaining. One pack of merci chocolates which could be bought at about 7 ringgit here is sold for 21 ringgit there. Just impossible. And ridiculous.

The following are more shots of Malaysia’s airport. After my brothers and I are tired from all those exploring, I gave in to the impulse and bought some ridiculously expensive chips for our journey.

…boarded the plane and before we knew it, we’re in hk.

…captured some more shots of the airport in hk and then think, airports are about all the same anywhere, and then think again, not that I’ve been to many airports.

…took a train to the island of hk.

…we live our 2 weeks to the fullest by indulging ourselves with shopping and all the yummies of hong kong.

…visited my aunt’s restaurant and spoil myself with the food she served.

…famed peak of hong kong which is supposed to cover all of hk land when you looked down. Too bad we couldn’t see anything because it was too foggy.

…tong luo wan – the equivalent of orchard road in sg. All the major and happening shops and malls are there, sogo, times square, blah blah.

…Another thing to note about hk is that wherever you go, whenever you are, you always find yourself surrounded in a crowd. Before you can get anything you want, there’s always this queue in front of you.

…went seeing the lights on Christmas day. As usual, it was very packed and you literally have to squirm through everyone to go anywhere.

…went to ocean park. More people than usual. Hate it when you have to wait 2 hours just for a 2 minutes ride.

…see pandas. Those cute, fluffy, furry creatures.

...more shopping and eating. Were indulging ourselves with dim sum.

…took pictures of the famous bridge of hk when you see in the movies on the tri back home. Brr, was it cold that day. It was around 10 degree celcius that morning.

...took pictures of clouds and scenery.

...landed home and took more pictures of planes and the K.L. airport.

See, I'm so lazy, I'd just "..." everything for my speech. But who cares anyway. ~~I'll upload my photos later and it should make up for everything. Probably.~~ And then I feel lazy again when I think I've yet to post on the Anime Winter 2007 season. Crap, blame my lazy bones.

Urgh, exams are tomorrow and I can't believe i'm updating my blog. Really gotta ciao. Till then, people.

25th Dec 2007.

2007-12-25T05:01:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-12-15T03:35:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-21T04:10:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-11-21T00:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-09-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-08-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

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?!

2007-08-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-20T03:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-03-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

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?!

2007-02-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-02-19T05:04:00.000-08:00

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!!!

More Ouran Fun!

2007-01-31T01:49:00.000-08:00

Woot!. Mid-term's finally over and now we're back to more anime blogging! Hmmm... Well, manga blogging actually, for this post. Do you still remember how much you enjoyed watching Ouran High School Host Club (桜蘭高校ホスト部) last Spring season? Ouran (for short), is without a doubt one of the anime I enjoyed most. Its fun-filled episodes and eccentric characters crack me up without fail everytime. So here is something for you Ouran Lovers, particularly TamakiXHaruhi fans to rejoice over:

So, here you have, a down-with-cold Tamaki musing over his relationship with Haruhi. After the Ouran High Festival and the departure of the Monacco Princess, Tamaki suddenly felt the desperate urge to pull Haruhi into his embrace and gave her a kiss. For thinking such unpure thoughts, Tamaki felt that he may actually be more of a hentai (pervert) than he thinks and thus, is having second thoughts about being Haruhi's father.

And hahaha, the joke here is Tamaki's father telling Tamaki that it's okay to want to kiss your kid, even if he or she isn't a child anymore. So our finally-enlightened-hero, relieved that wanting to kiss your kid isn't abnormal behaviour, goes:

Bam! There you have it! The foolishly cute chronicles of Tamaki's silly but loveable antics. ^_^

Nodame Cantabile

2007-01-22T06:52:00.000-08:00

Yes people! It's the anime of the winter season, Nodame Cantabile! (Lol, dear. Sorry I wrote something anime-related again. Guess I don't have it in me to deny the existance of the ever-so-significant anime in my life. Besides, it's not sinful awakening anymore if it's not about anime :p)

Boy, just a few days ago, I felt like giving up on this season's anime. None of them particularly caught my eye. So while I was browsing through the bittorrent directory for anime, C1 anime (a fan-subbed group) released it's first episode of Nodame Cantabile. Just to let you know, I never had any expectations in this series to begin with. In the first place, Nodame Cantabile is produced by Kenichi Kasai, who directed Honey and Clover, the unartful, lolicon (short for lolita-complex) anime series.

The story revovles mainly around Nodame and Chiaki, the main characters of the story. Chiaki defines the word perfectionist itself, not only is he popular in school and smart, he's the son of famous pianist Chiaki Masayuki as well. However, even the perfectionist himself harbors a few flaws. He's terribly afraid of getting on a plane, due to some hard landings he experienced when he was young. And now, that has become an obstacle in his goal to become an orchestra conductor, which is why he is sill remaining in Japan.

As for Nodame, she's your typical clumsy heroine who has an air of innocence around her. Not to mention, she hates cleaning up as well, which is often an annoyance for Chiaki, a cleanliness freak who lives just next door.

The best part of the anime does not lie in their unique characers, but the plot itself. I'm not gonna spoil the plot for you but there's no doubt the show interest me to no end and it came as a pleasant surprise to me that I'll like this show. Nodame Cantabile is filled with lots of comedy goodness, romantic fun and it has got piano playing as well, since it's an anime with music as it's core.

For those who enjoyed Ouran High School Host Club, This may be just the anime for you this season.

Maid Cafe, anyone?

2007-01-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

Singapore must have been trying really hard to keep up with the anime and otaku (hardcore anime fans) cultures of Japan. Just recently, a maid cafe opened up in Far East Shopping Centre, located at 30 Victoria Street #01-11 CHIJMES, which is within walking distance of otaku and fujoshi’s favourite gathering spot in Singapore.

When I mean maid cafe, I'm not referring to those Phillipino or Indonesian maids that people employ for physical work like cleaning. When I say maid, I mean those cute babes dressed up in a combination of lolita-fashioned and french-styled maid costumes. When a customer enters the café, the maids typically give a flattering greeting such as "Welcome home, Master" (お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様!) in order to play the role of a house servant. People who have a fetish of hearing others call you "Master" or "Mistress", here's where you can unleash your desires to the limit. Usually, when Japanese Otakus think of maid cafe, they usually think: MOE!!! Moe (pronounced: mo-eh) is an onomatopiea of the inner passion of your spirit burning.

CosCafe (name of the shop) is, surprisingly, opened by only a sixteen-year-old girl. But of course, the revenue for the business came from her parents (duh.) Before I go off-topic, service staff in maid cafe do Cosplay too. So in maid cafes, not only are you able to enjoy a delicious meal, it's a delectable feast for your eyes as well.

Here's an article for you to go more in-depth on the maid cafe opened in Far East. Remember to check out the first link as well, as there's an interesting interview with CosCafe done by Channel U.

So yah, maid cafe, anyone? ^_^

Bleach 110

2007-01-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

So after countless fillers, we're finally back to the mangaline. Banzai!!! After the Bounto arc, Ichigo and company went back to their world and reunited with their family and friends. It seems like family play a big part in this arc, but we'll come to that later.

Remember the Shinigami combat license Ichigo have? Well, apparently the combat license itself is invisible to the human eyes - due to various reasons. However, Tatsuki (one of Ichigo's classmates) seems to have noticed it. So while Ichigo was trying to figure out why, the combat license gave off some kind of alert and Ichigo and Co. were out to kick some Hollow's ass again.

The group then returns to class to hear the introduction of a school transferee, Hirako Shinji. Shinji had met ichigo before, intentionally, while he was fighting the hollow earlier. He was seated beside Ichigo in class and introduced himself in a rather weird manner. Ichigo, however, thinks nothing of it and turns his attention back to class.

Later that night, Ichigo is alerted to another hollow. This time, he puts Kon into his body and is confronted Hirako Shinji. Surprisingly, Shinji, like Ichigo, has the abilities of both Shinigami and Hollow. He appeals to Ichigo to join their side, as he is, quite obviously, of the same species as him. Ichigo, of course refuses, and they got into a fight.

At the same time, Ishida and Kon (who's still in Ichigo's body), were faced with two Hollows, one of them being the Grand Fisher (the hollow that killed Ichigo's mum, and was supposedly dead). Ishida who has lost his quincy powers, is having trouble fending off his opponent. When he's about to get hit, someone fires an arrow and saves him. Still reeling from the shock, he looks up at the man and uttered one word: Uryuu... (his father's first name).

Another OST review.

2007-01-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's been some time since I've last updated (As noted by an oh-so-adorable friend of mine. Haha you-know-who, can't you hear the sarcasm dripping :p)

As the title stated, this post is gonna be another OST review. (And I know she wouldn't be interested.) This time, I'm reviewing the Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Soundtrack. I know it's a terribly long name, so I'll just shorten it to Bakumatsu.

The soundtrack is done by Hideyuki Fukasawa. OST lurvers out there, rings any bell? Anyway, the soundtrack has a traditional japanese feel to it, which made it all the more ear-catching. I especially like the theme song [Jidai ~ Douran no Kiza] and the more upbeat [Shinnen].

OST aside, the anime's not all that bad either. Aparrently, the anime is produced by the same producer who did Rurouni Kenshin. The lastest news is that there seems to be something brewing between Akizuki and Yuyama, although it's pretty one-sided. But god, let there be something more, something nice, something sweet, something... romantic ^_^

That's about all for this post. I'll try to update as constantly as my schedule permits. Fortunately or not, I'm having another post prepared on another OST review. Look forward to Code Geass's soundtrack review, people!

P.S. Pardon me for not putting up the cover image of the Soundtrack. I can't find any appropriate scan for that. So, until then, I'm using this.

A little tibit

2006-12-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Oh and by the way, Rejoice yaoi lovers, Okane ga nai is getting animated and ready to be released Year 2007 (I know, some news). Of course, more information will be provided when i got my [Anime 2007] list done. Here's just a little something for you Yaoi lovers to chew on:

Who knows Zoro and Sanji make such a picture ^_^

On another note:

Laugh till you drop

2006-12-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

I randomly came across this really humourous video and would like to share it with you. I had problems uploading the video so this will just have to make do. And boy, that kid must be really nervous, saying stuff like, "This is a pen", the last few minutes when his companions prompt him to ask the last question due to the lack of time. Be sure to check it out ^_^

Morever, I never knew blogging can be such a hazzle. Not only do I have problems uploading a video, I'm having trouble making expandable blog summaries as well. Where the hell is my style sheet anyway?

Birth of a new blogger >_<

2006-12-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

Finally created a blog... After months of procrastination ^_^

First off, it's Christmas today, so Merry Christmas to you folks out there. Here's to wishing you all the happiness this season of joy can bring ^_^

Second, as an anime fan myself, I gotta say the Death note's soundtrack is some hot composition. Just as expected from the genius composer, Yoshihisa Hirano. His compositions for Ouran High School Host Club is still going hot and ringing in my head. The music style for Death Note is albeit, a bit different this time. Probably because this wasn't his solo project. Hideki Taniuchi (He did the Otogi Zoshi soundtrack) is one of the composers for the soundtrack as well. I've never heard or watch Otogi Zoshi before so I can't pass judgement on his skills as a composer. BUT listening to the Death Note's soundtrack, I guess he couldn't be that bad.

Thirdly, School's starting in like, a week's time. Mass Communication seems like a pretty interesting enough course. Wonder if i made the wrong choice in choosing KDU (Whatever the initials stand for) over Taylors College. Both are pretty prestigious, I guess, but I still couldn't get this naggy feeling off me. Maybe it's just me being paranoid. Maybe.

Comments are welcome. And Don't worry, I don't bite ^_^