Blog 181 > Snowy Vegas & Shining Anime

So is my blog snowing too much? Well, at least Shagh thinks it’s fine, lol. And I’m pretty sure Koshiko, Meimi132 and Blowfish don’t mind, lol. Yup, digital snowflakes, snowy Vegas and shining anime. What could be better? Hmm, maybe more than 40 photos? Including sultry Elwing? Or sexy Xecty? Why not?

Snowy Vegas. Well, as promised in my teaser post, here are even more pics of the Las Vegas blizzard of 2008, lol. If you remember, I also wrote it was “The worst Vegas snowstorm in years, if not decades!” Well, guess what? Officially, it’s been called the worst snowstorm since 1979, or 30 years ago. Damn! Bakana! So while I slipped and slid on the slow-ass hour-plus highway drive home, it’s even funnier reading Mimi-chan’s rants here and there from next-door Utah, lol. But now, here are a few cellphone pics.

Man, I was lucky to ask my manager to leave the office by 4pm. Because by the time I reached home, shortly after 5pm, the snow was being dumped by the mega-ton, lol. If I had left at 5pm, I can’t imagine how long the drive would’ve been. One and a half hours? Two hours? Actually, this kind of storm reminds me of the *normal* snowstorms in New York and Ohio where I used to live, back in the 1990’s. Yup, normal, lol. Okay, switching from my cellphone cam to my trusty Canon Rebel XT. Check out how thick the snowfall is!

The next day. Thursday, December 18th. The rarely-white Christmas season. Plus the lack of road salt, as Lisa noted, lol. In fact, that morning, when I saw a couple of cars still sliding through the turns, I asked my manager to work from home to bypass any chance of another wasteful hour drive to and from the office. What I didn’t realize later was that my coworker NaTasha was wondering why I wasn’t at the office party that afternoon! Apparently, I skipped over that email. I never knew. So she taunted me for missing all the food and alcohol, haha. No worries, I told her to have fun for both of us. Fo sho!

Well, that’s it for the snow. Maybe not a spellbinding once-in-a-lifetime event, but perhaps an amusing once-in-three-decades event, lol. At least, I was amused. Yup, after all the cursing and swearing and freezing, I was amused, lol. Quite amused.


Shining Anime. Ah, okay, enough of the crappy snow. Here are my latest anime speed-reviews. Three more anime titles-seasons watched and completed since two weeks ago, for a total of 54 so far this year (or about 150+ across the last 3 years). With no end in sight, lol.

Blue Drop [52]. Ah, my 52nd anime title-or-season of the year. Not bad. An enigmatic and elegant, but perhaps too elusive, 3 of 5 stars.

Naruto – S3 [53]. My 53rd anime. Hey, despite the filler flashbacks, Season 3 still kicks out some decent drama and action into 4 of 5 stars. Pictured below is one of Naruto’s primary adversaries, the sand-shaping Gaara.

Shining Tears x Wind [54]. My 54th anime. Ehh, not the greatest series, but still a watchably amusing, 3 of 5 stars. Couldn’t escape that climactic yaoi moment, lol. Plus yet another title or character (the 6th I’ve seen in the past couple years) named Zero! This name is getting tiresome, lol. Pictured below is the elven blonde Elwing (Elwyn).


Shining Tears X Wind. Damn, seems like ages since my last figure photoshoot! Almost three months! But since I just finished the anime, why not? While the “Shining Tears X Wind” anime is decidedly mediocre, based on the likewise mediocre “Shining Tears” RPG (if I recall correctly), their figures are pretty exceptional. Despite the annoyingly stubborn plastic wrapping beneath their skirts, the colors and details are mesmerizing. Based on the illustrations by hentai artist Tony Taka, and produced by Kotobukiya, here is the blonde elf Elwing (Elwyn) [my 91st of 92] and the raven elf Xecty [my 77th of 92]. Wallpaper backgrounds courtesy of my iMac, lol.

So whattaya think? Should I make a few wallpapers out of these? Not bad for my first photoshoot in three months, lol. Then again, this is also my 25th anime-figure photoshoot. After all, being amazed by DC‘s figure photos in 2006 is what inspired me to pursue this in the first place. So while I’ve stopped collecting at 92 figures thus far (unlike 132), I still have dozens of figures I haven’t opened or captured on camera. Including snow-themed ones, lol.

27 thoughts on “Blog 181 > Snowy Vegas & Shining Anime

  1. I’m amused too ;3 lol~
    Shame you missed the office party u_u~ who can say no to free food? xD;

    Have you seen Tales of the Abyss? A lot of people have something against anime based on games, but Tales of Symphonia and TotA are definite must sees, animation is superb and storyline engaging. I haven’t seen Shining Tears, but I heard it contributes to the stereotype for game-based anime ^^;;

    Your figures on the other hand are lovely~ <3. I like the wallpaper set up too :3 with the variety of wallpapers available, any scenario for your figure is possible [with a bit of imagination]. They look like they’re flirting a little with each other though, lol~

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

  2. @xJAYMANx: Whoa…. vegas is so snowy… thats insane…. I wish it would snow properly here…. we just get weak pathetic snow… that doesn’t settle cos its too wet….
    And as for Elwing… I do want her… have been toying with the idea of getting her for a while now…. I just hope play.com don’t run out before I decided, probably after xmas. Xecty looks lovely too, great hair.

    And as for the godaddy thing, I didn’t mean I wud host a site there, wudnt think of it. I just was a little confused when u mentioned auto-installing wordpress.org in regards to godaddy.

    So i go for the private but not the business, this is while signing up though, total comes to about £13 with the site name, the privacy and the business. (£6.48 for the site and the rest of the other things…)

    Meimi132´s last blog post > 132

  3. S-so much snow! The palm trees and snow make for a great photograph. What a paradox XD

    I’ve always eyed on the Clalaclan Philias Noir PVC ever since I got it at Comic Con, but I’m not too sure if I really want it or not, since I’ve never seen any of Shining Wind or Tears. It’s still a beautiful figure, though. I’m really fond of the Elwyn figure you have ; ;

    Lene´s last blog post > An early Christmas gift

  4. @Koshiko: Haha, depends on what *kind* of free food. Nah, haven’t seen “Tales”. But then again, I don’t mind whether an anime is based on a game or not, stereotyped or not, as long as there’s a decent story, decently animated. So did u want a wallpaper from these pics? I couldn’t tell if u were speaking in general theory or not, lol. Yeah, could be flirting, I guess, lol. Just wanted them to be closely interacting. Or give that impression. ^_^

    @M132: Yup, for those few hours, definitely insane! But it’s about 70% all melted away now. In fact, I’d gladly trade our snow for yours, lol. Thanx, yeah, Elwing and Xecty are nicer figures than most, though Elwing’s expression still seems a bit on the goofy side to me, lol… Ah, I see. Well, when u host there, it’s a simple click process for them to auto-install WP.org. In other words, I don’t have to do the entire upload-and-install procedure myself, it’s done for you. Besides, I don’t need to upgrade with each-and-every WP version (I waited from 2.0 to 2.6), and I’m not an officially-trained web developer, so I like the convenience. Of course, it might be easier for newbies nowadays… Yeah, my preference is “yes” private, “no” business. It’s up to you. I’m not sure, but u might be able to change them at any time too. Still, £13/year ain’t bad. That’s 1/3 of a PVC figure, lol. >_<; @Miko: Hehe. >.<; @Panther: Yeah, that's what I thought. In fact, I remember an old review somewhere ages ago that "Shining Tears" was the worst game in a poll. I forgot the details, but *worst* is what I do remember, lol. @Lene: Haha, yeah, thanx. But at least "snow on palm trees" isn't as bad as "ice cream on pizza". Don't ask me why I thought of that, lol... Ah, I've seen Clalaclan Philias Noir. Not bad, but crowns aren't usually my thing, lol. To tell the truth, Xecty is what caught my eye before I knew about the anime. Something about her sultry pose, enigmatic eyes and raven hair. I only got the bubbly Elwing to keep the darker Xecty company, lol. Especially for photoshoots like these. For me, multiple-figure shoots are more intriguing or dynamic. Or have a better story to tell. ^_^ P.S. Hehe, "saw" instead of "got"? Hmm, was that a Freudian slip? LOL. >_<

  5. :O WOW, That’s a lot of snow!! And the palms!! “actually,i really like those pics” :) LOL it looks so cool ;__;

    I like naruto but since everyone was talking about that,I stopped watching the anime.
    Haha Rock Lee is my favorite character XD He’s the strongest ninja there “Better than naruto” :)

    Shagh´s last blog post > Busō Renkin

  6. Uwa! So much snow! I’m actually going to Vegas next week on a family trip. (Finally get to see Phantom of the Opera! Heck yeah!) I wonder if there will be any remnants of the storm left.

    I never knew Shining Tears/Wind were bad games. Why did they make an anime out of it if it was so awful? ._.

  7. Heheh, thankies. I had always thought about owning that domain when I was younger, but didnt have the debit card or paypal account before recently. And I only just remembered about it now lol. And I’m soooo glad the redirect works perfectly lol.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > News & Late pick ups

  8. @Shagh: Haha, snowy palm trees seem to be rare… Yeah, I wouldn’t have stuck with Naruto up through Season 3, if I didn’t think it was worth it. At least for my treadmill runs, lol. Hehe, Rock Lee? Weren’t u the one who said u haven’t seen a Bruce Lee film yet? Since it’s pretty obvious Rock is partially based on Bruce, lol. I don’t have a particular fave, since they all have their own personal problems, lol. But if I did, it would probably be the gray-haired Kakashi.

    @Coco: Yep, can’t argue with that, lol. Funny how everyone’s coming to Vegas. Mimi was gonna pass through. Lene is coming next month. Now u next week, lol… Ahh, I’ve seen the New York Broadway version (as well as the film), so let me know how “Phantom” turns out. Point of no return, right? ^_^… Well, I only know about Tears being bad, but I think Wind is a recent sequel. Maybe that’s why the anime appeared about the same time. To advertise the game? >_< @M132: No problema! When the time comes when you're bored of WP.com and make the leap to WP.org, I'll be watching and chuckling, lol. ^o^

  9. @xJAYMANx: Lol no, i never said that XD but i haven’t seen a Bruce Lee film *Shame on me* They look pretty good, so maybe i’ll download one hehe
    M.. well, Kakashi is strong, but i prefer Guy sensei XDD
    Lol, he’s so funny hahaha

    Shagh´s last blog post > Busō Renkin

  10. @Shagh: Ah, sorry! Must’ve been Blowfish, lol. Haha, Guy is definitely funny… well, dorky too… but I hadn’t thought of funniness! If I decided on Kakashi, it’s because he resembles my personality the most. ^^

  11. Oh wow that’s definitely more than 2 inches…. :’O! Nice photoshoot pics! You should post on DC. ^^

    Oh btw i just realized that your roommate’s boyfriend’s SAT student’s piano teacher listened to my audition tapes for MIT. He picked which one was best. So technically thanks to him, I made it in. ^^ This is such a small world!!!

  12. @Mimi-chan: Thanx, I had fun shooting it! Ehh, but posting a semi-duplicate post on DC is a hassle, lol… Yup, definitely a small world! But only because Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are so close to each other, hehe. Snowstorms. Piano teachers. Mountains. So close it was bound to happen. >_<

  13. @xJaymanx: Well if you count the recession… then since last year… I spose a £5 increase wouldn’t be too bad. BUT I’ve found somewhere I can get her and Ayu for £35 each, £48 each including shipping. But they’re from the same place… so I should get a discount on the shipping.

    I loved Kanon to bits too… I wanna watch it again… looking at the Makoto and Ayu figures make me think back…. but I’ve got sooooo many other series to watch… so much backed up….lol 3 weeks to watch as many as I can, before going back to Uni lol.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Max Factory Makoto Sawatari – To get or not to get, that, is the question…

  14. @M132: So I guess u answered your own question: Get it! Yeah, fragile yet powerful series. Like glass. Uh-oh, an idea just popped into my head~ Do a Kanon photoshoot with the 4 figures? Problem is~ it would be snow-themed, lol. Snow. Bahhh, no more snow. >.<

  15. @xjaymanx: Tennant is officially leaving yes. He’s doing 4 more specials during 2009 then thats it for him. BUT we still don’t know who the next Doctor will be. I’m hoping it’ll be David Morrisey, but I don’t know what he acts like as the Doctor yet…(he’s in the xmas special this year, ‘The Next Doctor’ its titled, but that means nothing when its RTD writing… I’m so glad Stephen Moffat is taking over, he always did the best episodes, bar his season 3 episode… Madam de pompaduer… he would not leave Rose like that… stranded in time and space…..(Just a little rant.. sorry… It was unfaithful to the character, thats what struck a chord, my father agrees.))

    Lol that your getting the same camera. It is good, I’m still getting to grips with all the different settings n such, there are way more than my old camera lol. I’m getting there though.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Birthday Haul!

  16. Everyone gets snow these days except me…..
    I hope you had a blast with all that nice snow!

    The figure shots look pretty good! Not too shabby! Especially when im considering that you used your PCs wallpaper as a background.
    Merry Christmas!

    Blowfish´s last blog post > Operation Successful!

  17. @Blowfish: Haha, consider your lack of snow a blessing! And thanx, yeah, it’s been quite a few rusty months since my last photoshoot. But I think the spirits of Elwing and Xecty secretly wanted to get some long-overdue exposure, lol. ^_^

    @M132: Aww, of the Ten Doctors I’ve watched, Tennant is by far one of my faves, if not #1. Hehe, yeah, those Pompadour fireplace robots weren’t particularly impressive, lol.

    But as for stranding Rose, do u mean stranded at the end of S2? Or at the end of S4 with the duplicate Doctor? In either case, *stranding* her is for me, one of the most brilliant moves ever (as well as making the Doctor the *last* of the dead Timelord race). Whether he was in-or-out of character, or whether the predicament was impossible, but to witness another *unwinnable* situation for the Doctor. In the end, never before did we see any of the ten Doctors express such depression, darkness and regret (definitely regret) throughout a series over parting with such a close friend (usually just lasted one episode), and I’ve seen virtually all of the surviving episodes since William Hartnell in the black-and-white 1960s, hehe. It added even more depth and drama to such a profoundly colorful character. Sorry to disagree with your Dad, lol, but RTD took a chance and he was brilliant. Because of it, even now, I can still feel there’s a unbreakable bond between the Doctor and Rose that wouldn’t otherwise have existed, don’t you? ^_^

    P.S. I think I’ll be getting my Sony Cybershot today, hehe. Work ends early at noon!

  18. @xjaymanx: I didn’t mean at the end of season 2 or 4. I meant the pompadour episode, when the Doctor knowingly jump through the mirror with no known way back, he left Rose, and Mickey on that ship. lol. As for the end of season 2, it made me cry, but I didn’t hate RTD for it, he did it well. Best season ending so far. Season 4’s ending, was nowhere near as good… Catherine Tate leaving was sad though… But leaving Rose with a Doctor-copy was a little weird… cos it wasn’t him… I’d have a harder time accepting it than she did… but if he whispered what he whispered in her ear… I probably would have reacted in the same way…lol
    And Stephen Moffat is still THE BEST. He wrote Coupling after all lol. And his Dr Who episodes are the best of the series. The Doctor Dances from the first new series? Blink from season 3? The library episodes from season 4? They are the best episodes from each season. No doubt.
    Do love the relationships that RTD gave the series, more heart, more to relate to. My father also agrees with that lol.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Birthday Haul!

  19. @xjaymanx: Forgot to mention about the Pompadour episode, he did get back, but he didn’t know he could. Betrayal of his character, if he did love Rose. And he did. Everyone knew, but no one said.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Birthday Haul!

  20. @M132: LOL, ohhh, I see. I thought u meant in general, not specifically that episode. I’d have to see it again, but I’m sure we could come up with some excuse. Umm, one of his light-hearted absent-minded “they’ll be okay” moments? LOL.

    Ahh, those are some awesome episodes. But I don’t separate them (or remember them) by specific writer, lol. The Harkness as “Face of Bo” episodes take on so much more meaning when we find out his identity. Any Dalek episode, lol. Or the episodes with the new Master. Don’t know who wrote those, but there’s so many good ones… Need we mention “Torchwood” too?

    P.S. Finally got my Cyberman~ umm, I mean, Cybershot, haha. No black, only silver W120s available. But no worries. The gift card helped. And color doesn’t matter so much as the tech inside. Besides, silver matches my iMac anyway, lol. >_<

  21. @xjaymanx: The only writers I remember are Moffat and RTD lol. Only cos Moffat is an uber-fave. I don’t think any Dalek ep can be hailed as good.. you must not have seen the travesty that was ‘Daleks in Manhattan’ to say that lol. The Face of Bo realisation was awesome. Never saw that coming for a minute.
    As for Torchwood, its had its moments… but more often than not… its alot of bisexual welshpeople getting it on… I’m not counting Tosh(woooo! Though she was bi…)and that irratating Londoner though. I saw Ianto Jones at the Birmingham expo! Cute in real life too.

    lol, nice cyberman wordplay. Mine be silver, I didn’t mind about the colour, long as it takes decent pics, I’m fine with it lol.(I spose mine does match my laptop too lol) I want a decent case now though. Will go hunting later on while I’m still at home. Norwich is the most awesome city. Leicester is good too, but Norwich kicks ass.

    Sucks you gotta wait for the memory stick though. And the spare battery. Hopefully the one I have won’t give out, thought a spare would be useful, then you wouldn’t have to wait for the first one to recharge lol. Speaking of shipping…my Makoto Sawatari was shipped from France on monday, its in transit atm, last spotted at central depot place, going to go over the border soon far as I can tell.(The tracking site is all in french helpfully lol) My parents are gonna wonder why a figure arrives on the doorstep so soon after xmas… If I’m saying I ordered it on boxing day that is… And it arrives the 27th… will be hard to explain the speed lol… I might plead preorder lol, usually works. They don’t know what I’ve preordered lol.

    Meimi132´s last blog post > Figure Tower Update

  22. @M132: Sorry, forgot about this comment too, lol.

    Ehh, must be a guy thing, cuz Daleks are awesome, even if it’s actually a robot prop over a tricycle (old trivia, lol). Must be the Dalek’s screeching “Exterminate! Exterminate!” Much better than the Cybermen’s growling “Delete! Delete!” LOL. And you’re right, lots of Torchwood sex. But that’s part of its *mystique*, haha.

    Oh yeah, I finally got my spare battery and memory stick today (Dec 27th) which is cool. But I’m not worried about your parents knowing your preorders, I’m worried if *you* remember them! >_<

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