Blog 178 > Blog Antics & Anime Battles

Holy crap! I’ve got so much crap to talk about that I may not fit in any anime crap, lol. But I’ll try. From old layouts to new readers, from post updates to blog widgets, from shiny iMacs to blazing Zazzles, and maybe some random tunes too. But what else? Anime mascots? Seems like every anime blog is caving in with their own new mascot~ not only Mimi, but Koshiko, Dancing Queen and the latest Meimi132 too~ inspired by DC no doubt, lol. Fortunately, I haven’t succumbed to peer pressure… yet, lol. But we’ll see.

Blog Worth. First off, let’s take care of some impressive updates in blog worth. Remember WebsiteOutlook.com in my last post? Well, not only did Clan Blue Panthers a.k.a. Panther jump from $2664.50 to $5752.40 USD, but Gordonator leap-frogged from $2562.30 to a whopping $7307.30 USD! Both exceeding the $5139.20 value of Mimi’s blog? Ah, now that makes *more* sense, lol. For now.

Welcome to the Toybox. Next, greetings to Blowfish, JennK, and a trio of unique artists~ Lene, Coco and Skulko~ for visiting the Toybox. Although I think Blowfish dropped by earlier this year, and Skulko hasn’t officially commented yet, lol. But to those artists, I’m gonna need a few kicks in the ass to keep my artistic energy afloat. Rivals? Why not? To anyone else who’s randomly cruised by or lurked through the traffic from Far-East to Middle-East Asia, Australia, Eastern-to-Western Europe, Africa, South-to-North America or elsewhere, gracias and arigato.

Immortal Toybox Design. You know what? Even now in 2008, I still get compliments on my “Black Toybox” design, created back in April 2007. As I recall, my original intent was to design an *ultimate* design for both my website and blog, one I wouldn’t get tired of, even after years. So far, so good! Taking a peek back then, the huge header and triple-column structure hasn’t changed at all. Clearly, as internet speeds have sky-rocketed, having a huge rotating header doesn’t matter so much anymore, and lets me add tons of banners, widgets and gadgets like Gravatar, CommentLuv, ShoutMix, LiveTraffic and Zazzle, lol. In fact, if your blog is old enough, you can steal glimpses of your past versions at Archive.org, just like Danny had done back in February. Ugh, before 2007, my past designs were horribly grotesque. Probably worse than yours, lol.

Team & Guest Bloggers. In one recent discussion with Panther about co-bloggers, I had actually considered offering some of my services. Even started a reply. But eventually, I had to consider my own limited time and energy. And abandoned it. Yet something else struck me. After seeing his co-blogger Little Neko’s recent post, I hopped over to check out her blog. But to my dismay, I found that she’d been looking for other writers too, lol. When it began to feel like a “bait and switch” or “musical chairs”, I admitted got turned off. So for me, an originally one-authored blog should *ideally* maintain the identity of its author. Like a sense of brand familiarity or security or loyalty. Or so I thought. Could be refreshing fun. Could be a cheap passing trend. Or both. Toybox co-bloggers? Nahhh.

Though I must admit, back in the “Matrix” fanfic days (2003-2004), it was wildly dramatic, angsty and addictive to write, direct and captain a hovercraft with 3-4 female co-writers (from Israel, Hungary, Great Britain, Spain, etc.) in an international group fanfic. The crew of the hovercraft Nosferatu. Addictive. But then again, blogging and fanfiction are quite different.

Anime Titles. Bahhh, enough with the artsy-fartsy intellectual stuff, lol. Here are my latest anime speed-reviews. Four more anime titles-seasons watched and completed since last month, for a total of 51 so far this year (or about 150 across the last 3 years). LOL, can you top that?

Mars Daybreak [48]. My 48th anime title-or-season of the year. Not bad. An entertaining action-packed dive through the underwater depths, for a sea-soaked total 3 of 5 stars.

Genshiken 2 [49]. My 49th anime title-or-season of the year. Wow! The hilarious yet touching continuation of the first season and OVAs. It’s amazing how faithful the anime is to the manga, sometimes even funnier! While I only give short seasons a max of 4 stars, this second season, combined with the first season and OVAs, finally deserves 5 of 5 stars!

Nodame Cantabile [50]. My 50th anime title-or-season of the year. Oh wow! Now this series is an extraordinary tapesty in the romantic-comedic styles of the classic “Kare Kano” and the rock-and-roll “Nana”, but colored and interwoven through searingly sublime piano, violin and orchestral music. Probably one of the most original, breathtaking, and utterly unforgettable series in a long time. Easily 5 of 5 stars!

Naruto – S2 [51]. My 51st anime title-or-season of the year. You may not believe me, but two years ago, I was so unexpectedly impressed with “Naruto – S1”, that I gave it 5 of 5 stars! However, while the second season of 26 episodes seemed comparatively lacking in emotion or focus, it’s still remains a kick-ass anime to watch during high-energy treadmill runs, lol. Yup, a respectable 4 of 5 stars!

Coldplay Addiction. Okay, enough of the reviews… Gahhh, damn you, Mimi-chan, lol. Ever since you posted that YouTube of the anime Code Geass – Set to Viva La Vida about 2-3 weeks ago, I’ve been addicted to that song! Hadn’t been a Coldplay fan before, still not, but lately I can’t get through the day without hearing that tune once or twice. Just like you said, “seems like this song was made for Code Geass”, lol. And one more time, here it is.


Code Geass – Set to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida

Razzle Zazzle. Ah, finally, now onto the second half of my super-long “better do it now before you forget” post. Well, my Zazzle order finally arrived a couple nights ago. Three items~ two came out great, and one not-so-great, lol.

[1] Here’s the first one~ Angsty Momo on a small forest-green “Basic American Apparel” T-shirt. She turned out awesome! Brighter than I expected. While the background in the print transfer came out *bluer* than the original image file, it probably had a 50% chance of turning *greener* too, lol. No biggie, but now I know what to expect. Other than the image transfer, the shirt material feels smooth and light. Very comfortable. I’m 5′ 10″ and 150 pounds, so the small size fits perfectly. Great choice.

 

 

[2] Here’s the second one~ Property of Mimi’s Rage on a small black “Basic American Apparel” T-shirt. Like Angsty Momo, awesome image transfer. And again, brighter than expected, based on the original image file. But no biggie, since I love how the camouflage effect turned out. Almost shiny in the light, lol. Just like the forest-green shirt, the material feels smooth and light. Very comfortable. Again, the small size fits perfectly. Another great choice.

 

 

 

 

[3] But here’s the bad news~ Property of Mimi’s Rage on a small black “Basic Long Sleeve” shirt. Yuck! Awful! Horrible image transfer. I’m not an expert, but my guess is that because of the difference in fabric between “Basic” and “Basic American Apparel”, a different transfer method was used. And an inferior image was produced. But besides the image, while the material may not feel as smooth, it still feels rather light and comfortable. Especially in colder weather. Again, the small size fits great. But I’d recommend a crisper image with less gradients or shades.

 

iMac Attack. Finally, we come to the fourth and final segment of my entry, as hinted in my previous post. Let’s welcome my brand new 24-inch iMac powerhouse! Plus VMware Fusion 2 software to create virtual machines (hence VM), which allow the parallel installation of Windows XP alongside Leopard, haha. Yeah-yeah, I know, why add XP? Well, so I can install all of the Windows applications my laptop uses, without buying expensive new Mac software, and switch between the Windows OS and Mac OS whenever I want. I’m not sure many people know this Mac ability. But once I found out about it, I definitely turned my eye towards owning an iMac. Besides, “with my aging 3-year-old Dell laptop pausing to take a leak more often these last few months”, I definitely needed a new computer, lol.

 

 

 

 

Haha, Windows XP installation complete! And pretty quickly I might add. First VMware Fusion, then Windows XP. Then within the XP virtual machine, followed by Mozilla Firefox, Trend Micro Internet Security, Adobe CS3, PHP Designer, and of course, Winamp, haha. Over time, the rest of my laptop applications will be added. And hopefully, I can trim down the load on my laptop. But you know what? Lately, I’ve felt that the recent iMacs have been geared towards converting disgruntled PC users, while not necessarily aiming to please loyal long-time Mac users. Especially with those shiny glassy reflective anti-Mac screens, lol. But I don’t care. I can do both.

Smexy Shell. P.S. Oops, edit~ I almost forgot to add that having an XP ghost in an iMac’s shell (haha, “Ghost in the Shell”, get it?) would be like having Bill Gates’ brain in Nicole Kidman’s body. Haha, can you imagine it? Nope, or just barely! And of course, we all know my fascination with European accents (or accents of European origin), hehe. Not only Nicole Kidman or Kate Beckinsale, but Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft and that wondrously-eccentric singer Kate Nash. Maybe I’ll post about Kate’s “Dickhead” or “Shit Song” tunes sometime. Bahhh, why not now? ^_~


Kate Nash – Dickhead

20 thoughts on “Blog 178 > Blog Antics & Anime Battles

  1. 24inchs…. I wish I had a screen that massive….:sob:

    The T-shatsu look so cool! I can’t wait for my zazzle order to arrive, however long that will take…. :sob:
    I wish I could check the updated value of my blog, but its still unable to process. I spose it had to work it’s way through the internet right? lol

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Blog Mascot Ideas

  2. @M132: Haha, I was just teasing about the 3 times per day. But in my case, since my free time typically opens up over the weekend, I just jot down and save all my little thoughts and topics for one *huge* post per week (or so). Almost as huge as my 24-inch screen, lol. Awww, no need to sob over it, lol. I’ll be sobbing over the credit-card payments for the next X years. But no pain, no gain. T_T;

    Hey, thanx! Yeah, Zazzle’s American Apparel T-shirts are awesome. So whose shirts did u get? Puppy-chun’s? And yeah, that WebsiteOutlook has been down for days. But if u look closely, it says “unable to PREcess”. Haha, what’s that? Something *before* PROcessing? I hope my post didn’t create a chain-reaction that overloaded its servers, lol. That’d be crazy. >_<

  3. Haha thanks, I checked the website worth by chance too and found out I jumped, but Gordon will likely always be ahead of me.

    As for the co-blogging thing, not everyone is looking for the same thing in co-bloggers or guest writers, so yeah.

    Panther´s last blog post > AFA Cosplay Part 1

  4. Thank for the warm welcome, Jay! Definitely hope to get acquainted with you more.

    Your post has also reminded me to go and finish up Nodame Cantabile. I put it on hold for a while because of school, and now I have a crapload of manga to catch up on! D:

  5. @Lene: Hey, you’re welcome! Funny about “Nodame”, I’m stubborn when folks recommend anime. So now I finally understand why it’s so good, lol. Gah, forget the manga, anime can’t give u papercuts, haha. >_<

  6. @M132: LOL, I don’t believe u. Gotta add the “www” prefix too. Still takes me to your direct page worth, lol. But like u said, no matter (or rest, for the wicked, lol). ^^;

    @Coco: LOL, *rivals* sounds more anime-ish, doesn’t it? Ahh, hahaha, thanx, I certainly felt “Mimi’s Rage” consuming, flooding and flowing through me. Hope I didn’t offend any lurkers out there, lol. >o<

  7. Hehe I would have gone for a small if I knew it was long enough. Twas all I worried about, the length lol. I don’t mind much about the slight bagginess. And I didn’t really tighten it at the back much, the way I stood meant my arms pulled it a bit tighter anyways lol.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Tare-Danny Tshirt Arrival!!

  8. HolyMoley!
    Now that was alot of stuff to read!
    Thanks alot for the mention.

    First off: Youre an awesome model! Especially the first Mimis Rage pic^^

    Teambased Blogs are a quite dificult thing to maintain.Theres not one character defining the blog but alot of different flavors.Sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt.I rarely read the other authors posts at Panthers Blog since they dont deal with topics im interested in.

    About Genshiken: Awesome!The Yaoi Episode is pretty disturbing tough^^

    I wonder if im the only guy left that has only one monitor

    Blowfish´s last blog post > Another Figure Dilemma!

  9. @All: Sorry everyone for the delay. Just been a bit swamped and drained, lol.

    @M132: Ah, I see. Well, now u know for *next* time, lol. Haven’t worn mine long enough to wash yet. (Too nice to wear?) So if u can, let me know if it shrinks too much, lol. >_< @Rodrigo: Haha, thanx man! Ah, no, not a TV, it's a 20-inch monitor attached to my laptop, lol. Funny thing is, I've got no reason to use it anymore! Heyyy, sure, if u get a "Rage" shirt, tell us so we can let Mimi know about it. P.S. Hope u don't mind, added your link to my blog roll. ^_^ @Miko: Hey, like I said, sorry for the delay. But please don't be rude to my friends. Especially on my blog. I'll get to your other messages when I get to them. ^.^ @Blowfish: Haha, no problem, I think u deserved a mention. You're right, it's unusually huge for a post, but I prefer a single huge post instead of many little posts. Think of it this way~ If a new visitor came to your newest post, what would u want them to see? That's my thought. Haha, thanx, it only took a few minutes, but it was fun taking those *angry* pics. Hope they don't offend, lol. Ahh, I agree about Panther's blog. So far, he's the only author I follow. Maybe I'll follow the others sometime, but not yet. Oh yeah, those Genshiken yaoi were definitely disturbing, but that's why they were among the funniest ever too! Wanna buy my 20-inch monitor? Just kidding, lol.

  10. So much to read~! [and comment on xD;]

    Best place to feel artistically inferior -> deviantart, lol. Seriously talented people there, favourite anime artist is generally Kurot, though I haven’t visited in a while.

    Your blog layout looks fairly simple in terms of layout, but the rotating banner and other touches you’ve added [and not to mention the content], makes it pretty adaptable. Congrats on a lasting layout :3

    As for guest bloggers… hrm, I have thought about it, but I’ll just stick to bugging my brother to post every now and then lol. With my brother things are easier to manage anyhow, he asks me to check if what he’s written looks ok, just had to remind him to reply to comments ^^;;

    Nice shirts~ shame about the basic one though =/ Guess you’ll only offer the american apparel ones. I was working on a design recently, haven’t quite finished the sketch yet ^^;

    And shiny new Imac is shiny~

    Koshiko´s last blog post > Season’s Greetings~! December 2008

  11. @Koshiko: Hehe, yup, lots to write… Ah, DeviantArt. Yeah, I believe u, tons of super-talented folks. Could explain why I never use my account, lol. Plus I’m not a prolific artist, just the occasional inspiration every few months or so, if that… Thanx, I agree, a solid yet flexible *immortal* layout structure. But not only that, a set of colors-and-contrasts that I still like consistently. Some people can’t commit or be patient with that, lol… Hmmm, intriguing direction with family blogging, hadn’t thought of that. Of course, if he and your sister have similar writing voices to yours, that could help in maintaining your blog identity. Quite interesting… Ah, thanx, 2 out of 3 shirts ain’t bad. But I still use the so-called *bad* one since I can just wear it around the house or under a zipped sweater or something, lol. Definitely still comfortable despite the print. Actually, while I front-display the *American Apparel* T-shirts, you can re-select any shirt type u want. It’s pretty flexible but I can only recommend what I see up close… Haha, no worries, no hurries with your sketch. God knows I’ve got 3 or 4 Photoshop projects half-started or half-floating in my iMac or in my brain. Though my brain ain’t as shiny as the iMac, haha. Or is it?

  12. There’s only two of us~ my brother Shin and myself x3;;

    Maybe not your brain, but your head is xD, kidding, kidding~ lol. Yeah, I have a few floating around on paper, my old hard-drives and my head ^^; so frustrating~ but soon as I get my new wacom pen, I’m going try getting back into my old projects [and new ones I want to start =D].

    Koshiko´s last blog post > Season’s Greetings~! December 2008

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