Sayonara, 2009! Konnichiwa, my Tirelessly Tumbling Toyboxers! Got onigiri? Are you ready? Ready to endure a tumbling tidal wave of tear-jerking titles, blood-splattering titles, angst-ridden titles, and titles not worth mentioning? Ready to slash and slay another dragon-sized mega-cast of 99 wallpapers? Ready for some onigiri? Hehe, then what are you waiting for? Let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 3 > My 41 Anime in 2009

Fake? Has anime started to feel fake yet? Yup, you heard me, hehe. The reason I ask this is that last week, on Monday, 08 February 2010, as I was watching episode 17/26 of “Madlax”, the unexpected and inexplicable sensation swept over me that: “Anime [is] starting to feel fake”. It lasted for only a few moments. But this was the first time I felt anything like this before, after 4-or-5 years of unwavering anime loyalty. Even during real-life disruptions. Hehe, no, there’s nothing wrong with “Madlax”. I’m pretty sure about that, since it’s actually a rather intriguing anime. Gotta love the music.

But perhaps, over the recent months, my rising consumption of 3D live-action J-drama and K-drama, as well as the growing influence of Asian friends, co-workers, culture and cuisine have collectively caused a greater impact than I realized. An impact both visual and emotional. Perhaps. Thus, for those few moments, 2D anime felt “fake”. It no longer felt “real” to me. Hmm, so rather than an external “downfall of anime” (Blog 201), not only have I outgrown anime as an “escape”, am I beginning to outgrow it as “entertainment” after all? Hehe, who knows? But for now, I’ll try to enjoy the battle between 2D and 3D. Ah, the never-ending battle.

What? Only 41 anime? Yup, I can no longer resist the attraction and distraction of real-life work and play, lol. Nevertheless, the universe continues to be sprinkled with, yes-yes, anime, more anime, and even more anime, lol. In the tradition of My 58 anime in 2006 (Blog 017), My 49 anime in 2007 (Blog 122) and My 56 Anime in 2008 (Blog 182) posts, I now present My 41 Anime in 2009. From shrine maidens to soda-pop girls, from roaming samurais to despairing senseis, not to mention lots of angsty high-school teens, it’s definitely been another vividly animated year. Without further ado, here are my anime faves of 2009!

Next, here are my complete lists of anime faves and 41 anime titles-seasons of 2009. Ahh, notice the striking drop in monthly titles after September 2009 through December 2009? Not only does this coincide with the stunning drop in my Toybox mega-casts, but it also reflects the rising real-life influences of office responsibilities and social distractions. Yup, like I said, real-life work and play. Not to mention, the recent attraction of live-action Asian dramas, lol.

My Anime Rating

• +++++ DOUBLE WOW! 5 of 5 stars! Maximum for full seasons or films!
• ++++ WOW! 4 of 5 stars! Maximum for half seasons!

My Top-10 Full Seasons > 5 of 5 stars!

• [41] +++++ xxxHolic (1-24)
• [38] +++++ Ouran High School Host Club (1-26) > Honorable Mention!
• [35] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Paris – Season 2 (1-11) (With S1) > Fave Romance!
• [33] +++++ Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Zoku – Season 2 (1-13) (With S1) > Fave Comedy!
• [32] +++++ R.O.D the TV (1-26)
• [24] +++++ Tales of the Abyss (1-26) > Honorable Mention!
• [21] +++++ Ef – A Tale of Melodies – Season 2 (1-12) (With S1) > Fave Thriller!
• [14] +++++ Dennou Coil (1-26) > Fave Science Fiction!
• [13] +++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 2 (1-35 or 28-62) > Fave Action!
• [11] +++++ Clannad – After Story – Season 2 (1-24, +2 Bonus) > Fave Drama!

My Top-4 Half Seasons > 4 of 5 stars!

• [19] ++++ Ef – A Tale of Memories – Season 1 (1-12)
• [18] ++++ Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3 (1-13)
• [16] ++++ Akikan (1-12) > Honorable Mention!
• [04] ++++ Kannagi – Crazy Shrine Maidens (1-13)

My Top-1 Film or OVA > 5 of 5 stars!

• [25] +++++ Howl’s Moving Castle (Film) > Fave Fantasy!

My 41 Anime Titles-Seasons in 2009

December 2009

• [41] +++++ xxxHolic (1-24) – Finished 06 Dec. Wow, supernatural 5 of 5 stars!

November 2009

• [40] +++ Gundam Wing (26-49 of 49) – Finished 13 Nov (via Netflix). Yup, finally finished the second half, 3 of 5 stars!

October 2009

• [39] +++ Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Season 2 (New 1-14 of 28) – Finished 27 Oct. Hmm, okay, not bad but failed expectations, 3 of 5 stars.
• [38] +++++ Ouran High School Host Club (1-26) – Finished 19 Oct. Haha, outrageous, 5 of 5 stars! Aww, touching ending.
• [37] +++ Battle Angel (OVA) – Finished 11 Oct. A sentimental 5-star manga, but still a lacking anime, 3 of 5 stars.

September 2009

• [36] ++++ Gundam Wing (1-25 of 49) – Finished 19 Sep (via Netflix). Yup, finished the first half, 4 of 5 stars!
• [35] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Paris – Season 2 (1-11) – Finished 08 Sep. Wow, when combined with Season 1, another 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [34] ++++ Trigun (1-26) – Finished 06 Sep (via Netflix). Hey, a bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [--] +++++ Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex – 2nd Gig (1-26) – Finished (again) 02 Sep. Still a cyber-thrilling 5 of 5 stars! But this time, Japanese audio, English subtitles.

August 2009

• [33] +++++ Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Zoku – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 23 Aug. Haha, when combined with Season 1, hilariously mind-twisting 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [32] +++++ R.O.D the TV (1-26) – Finished 14 Aug (via Netflix). Wow, paper-slashing 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 216 > Rock or Die.

July 2009

• [31] +++ Maria+Holic (1-12) – Finished 26 Jul. Hilarious outrageous priest in despair! Stolen from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, lol. But still a disjointed 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 214 > Traps & Treks.
• [30] +++ Kuroshitsuji (1-24) – Finished 25 Jul. An unoriginal 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 212 > Butlers.
• [--] +++ Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Bonus) – Finished 14 Jul. Whoa, 3 of 5 stars. But since it’s not quite anime, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Wallpapers and review at Blog 211 > Watchmen.
• [29] ++++ Clannad – Another World – Kyou Arc (Bonus) – Finished 12 Jul. Brief yet tearful 4 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 212 > Butlers.
• [28] +++ K-On! (1-13) – Finished 04 Jul. A mindless yet amusing 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 209 > Keion.

June 2009

• [27] ++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 3 (1-33 or 63-95) – Finished 24 Jun. Wow, finally finished, a solidly wandering 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 209 > Keion.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Angel’s Ascension”, Volume 9/9, 1995) – Finished 19 Jun. After years of delay, finally finished the entire 9-volume manga series! Shockingly violent yet heartfelt 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Wallpapers and review at Blog 207 > Angels.
• [26] +++ Chaos;Head (1-12) – Finished 07 Jun. Ehh, not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.

May 2009

• [25] +++++ Howl’s Moving Castle (Film) – Finished 31 May (via Netflix). Finally watched this classic for the first time, in Japanese with English subs (hmm, 4 of 5 stars). But wait, a couple of days later on 02 Jun, watched it for the second time, with English dubs (wow, 5 of 5 stars). Even better, funnier and sadder, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [24] +++++ Tales of the Abyss (1-26) – Finished 30 May. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [23] +++ Karas – The Revelation (4-6) – Finished 27 May. Finally watched the second half of the series. Ehh, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [22] +++ Afro Samurai – Resurrection (Film) – Finished 23 May. Hmm, not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 203 > Samurai.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Fallen Angel”, Volume 8/9, 1994) – Finished 22 May. Heyyy, finally finished Volume 8/9! Another riveting 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [21] +++++ Ef – A Tale of Melodies – Season 2 (1-12) – Finished 15 May. Double-wow, combined with the first season, 5 of 5 stars max! Yup, a near-straight 12-episode marathon till 3am in the morning! Wow, reminded me of “Air” (TV) and “Petite Cossette” (OVA)! Incredible! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [20] ++++ Origin – Spirits of the Past (Film) – Finished 14 May (via Netflix). Another environmental yet decent 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [19] ++++ Ef – A Tale of Memories – Season 1 (1-12) – Finished 14 May. Wow, 4 of 5 stars max for a short season! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [18] ++++ Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3 (1-13) – Finished 02 May. Aww, touching 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 200 > Toybox.
• [17] ++++ Naruto – Season 4 (1-26 or 79-104) – Finished 01 May. Wow, still a mindless yet ninja-powered 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 200 > Toybox.

April 2009

• [16] ++++ Akikan (1-12) – Finished 18 Apr. Wow, mindlessly and unexpectedly entertaining, maximum 4 of 5 stars for a short season! Wallpapers and review at Blog 199 > Melons.
• [15] ++++ Samurai X – Trust & Betrayal – Director’s Cut (OVA) – Finished 18 Apr (via Netflix). Wow, a darker more-intense interpretation of Kenshin, 4 of 5 stars! Review at Blog 199 > Melons.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Angel of Chaos”, Volume 7/9, 1994) – Finished 12 Apr. A-ha, finally finished Volume 7/9. Another riveting 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [14] +++++ Dennou Coil (1-26) – Finished 10 Apr. Wow, spectacular vision, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [13] +++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 2 (1-35 or 28-62) – Finished 07 Apr. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [12] ++++ Tsubasa – Reservoir Chronicles – Season 1 (1-26) – Finished 02 Apr (via Netflix). Pretty but somewhat lacking, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.

March 2009

• [11] +++++ Clannad – After Story – Season 2 (1-24, +2 Bonus) – Finished 28 Mar. Aww, wow, double-wow, triple-wow! Such an incredibly awe-inspiring, breath-taking, heart-breaking and soul-warming ride, followed by a cute yet fateful flashback bonus-story, and concluded with a still-gripping recap finale! An ever-resounding 5 of 5 stars! My #1 anime of the year thus far! Wallpapers and review at Blog 195 > Pop Anime.
• [--] +++++ Genshiken (Volume 9/9, 2007) – Finished 27 Mar. Oops, finally realized that I hadn’t finished Volume 9 since December 2007! Thus, more than a year later, restarted it on 10 Mar and finished it 27 Mar. Still an engrossing 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [10] ++++ Mobile Suit Gundam (25-43 of 43) – Finished 24 Mar. Yup, finished the second half! Wow, the story still holds up after 30 years, 4 of 5 stars! On 25 Mar, unexpectedly watched episode 43/43 again (the English-subbed finale), thinking that episode 43/43 would be the finale. Apparently, I’d already watched the finale yesterday! According to Wiki, the English-dubbed release didn’t include the original 15th episode! So what I thought was the 15th was actually the 16th original episode. The 16th was actually the 17th. And so on, until what I thought was the 42nd was actually the 43rd and final episode! But I’m too lazy to renumber everything in my previous posts. Oh well, lol. Still 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [--] +++++ Star Wars – The Clone Wars – Season 1 (1-22) – Finished 21 Mar. Splendid 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s not quite anime, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Screencaps and review at Blog 194 > Assassins.
• [09] +++ Sol Bianca – Legacy (1-6) – Finished 07 Mar (via Netflix). While the first 3 episodes sucked, the next 3 really improved in drama. Not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Screencaps and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.
• [08] +++ Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 04 Mar. Entertaining but ultimately not-as-satisfying as the original season, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.

February 2009

• [07] ++++ Martian Successor Nadesico (1-26) – Finished 20 Feb. Not bad, more-humorous clone of “Evangelion”, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.

January 2009

• [06] +++ Vampire Knight – Guilty – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 27 Jan. Ehh, not bad, but kinda slow-moving in its over-dramatized soap-opera introspection amongst all the characters, both vampire and human, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.
• [05] +++ Devil Hunter Yohko (1-6) – Finished 23 Jan (via Netflix). Hey, still pretty decent for today’s standards, and for its random nudity, lol, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [04] ++++ Kannagi – Crazy Shrine Maidens (1-13) – Finished 18 Jan. Wow, beautiful animation, hilarious hijinks, and mysterious high-school drama, max 4 of 5 stars for a short season. Wallpapers and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [03] +++ Maria-sama ga Miteru – Season 1 (Marimite, 1-13) – Finished 17 Jan. Gentle but satisfying slice of an all-girl’s high-school life, 3 of 5 stars). Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [02] ++++ Mobile Suit Gundam (1-24 of 43) – Finished 12 Jan. Yup, finished the first half! Heyyy, the action and drama still holds up after 30 years, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [01] ++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 1 (1-27) – Finished 07 Jan. Wow, even now, still a fulfilling tale of a repentant samurai among hoodlums and bandits, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 184 > Rewind.

Want Even More?

• My Anime Ratings 2006-2009
• My Anime Collection 2006-2009

Part 2 of 3 > Zetsubou to Sayonara

[01] +++++ Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – Season 3 (1-13). Ahhh, yes, the despair resumes with Season 3! Yup, my 1st anime title-or-season of the year. Finished 10 January 2010. Season 3 with 13 episodes. Haha, I’ll say it again, just as mind-alteringly and mind-frakkingly uproarious as Seasons 2 and 1. Especially with its brain-bending analysis of Schrodinger’s cat, tail, teacher and anything else you can stuff in a box! Don’t forget Naughty Ms. Kaede and Kiri-chan’s national security blanket! So, by combining Season 3 with Seasons 2 and 1, the never-ending manic and maniacal odyssey into psycho-intellectual minutiae once again earns a desperately indubitable 5 of 5 stars! Here was my previous review back in Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight (Sep 2009).

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Season 2) [33]. Ahhh, yes, the despair! But let’s see, where to begin? Well, about 17 months ago, back in mid-April 2008, I finished the first season of “Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei”. And I was utterly blown away! In fact, I gave it a 4 of 5 stars maximum for a half-season. Plus an Honorable Mention for 2008! So from 27 July 2009 to 23 August 2009, when I finally completed “Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” last month, I couldn’t wait for more! Yup, my 33rd anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 13 episodes. Haha, just as mind-alteringly and mind-frakkingly uproarious as Season 1. Especially with its psychological cocktail of over-analytical despair-torn classmates plus teacher! Whoa, by combining Season 2 with Season 1, the series earns a desperately impressive 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, ranging wildly from 1024px-to-5300px resolution across both seasons, here are over 50 wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to soothe your over-analytical soul, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Ahhh, bask in the air of despair!

To celebrate once more, ranging hopelessly from 1024px-to-4600px resolution across all 3 seasons, here are 90 more wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to add to the 50+ wallpapers from our last odyssey in Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight (Sep 2009). Feel free to enlarge.

Part 3 of 3 > Zojirushi to Onigiri

Ahh, onigiri! Over the months of October 2009 through December 2009, Autumn-chan was kind enough to share her onigiri with me. And over those months, I think it was inevitable for me to embrace the idea of making my own onigiri rice balls for not just myself, but for her too. Unfortunately, the lack of a high-quality rice cooker was a major obstacle. Never owned one before. Well, as my luck would have it, December 2009 witnessed the sending of 3 Amazon Christmas gift cards-certificates — from Amazon itself, my ex-dad-in-law, and my brother Joel — to none other than myself! Totaling over $100!

So several weeks later, on Saturday, 09 January 2010, based on Autumn-chan’s advice, I finally ordered my $122 Zojirushi rice cooker for just $9, hehe. Oddly enough, I found a couple of other bags of rice in the pantry too. Jasmine white rice and Basmati brown rice. Imagine that. Then less than a week later, on Thursday, 14 January 2010, I picked up my new Zojirushi from the office front desk. I opened up the box in the office kitchen and checked it out. Nice. The next night, on Friday, 15 January 2010, I cooked some Calrose white rice, mixed some ume-shiso seasoning into it, and ate half with my leftover sardines, mmm. Then made the other half into two onigiri, hehe.

And guess what? I took pics of both dishes, and resized the best photos in Photoshop, hehe. Shortly thereafter, I wrote a “Thank You” email to my brother Joel and ex-dad-in-law for their Christmas gift certificates, in helping me get my awesome Zojirushi rice cooker. In fact, here are the photos I attached to the email. Not bad at all. The rest is history. One month later, I love Calrose rice.

Well-well, my Tested Toyboxers! Did you survive the desperately dragon-sized battle? Well, if you made it this far, I’ll assume you did, hehe. But amidst the high-flying barrage of wallpapered bullets and multi-starred missiles, you might’ve noticed the plummeting trajectory of monthly anime in 2009 and incoming waves of onigiri rice in 2010. Yup, the battle between “fake” 2D artistry and “real” 3D culture rages on. It’s gonna be fun.

Has anime started to feel fake yet?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Kafuka: “I’ll ask this only once… Got onigiri?”

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Konnichiwa minna-san! Greetings, my Tingling, Trembling and Tumbling Toyboxers! Well, enough of the pompous pleasantries. Let’s get to the point. Are you ready? Ready to withstand another soul-smashing tsunami of spellbinding anime, American sci-fi, Hong Kong classics, Japanese comedies, and Korean epics? Ready to digest rock bands, canine menaces, cute costumes, and mouth-watering waves of food-food-food? Ready to battle an unimaginably monstrous mega-cast equaling fifty or more mere-mortal posts? Not yet? Then please leave the battlefield, hehe. But if you are, better polish your psychological shield and sharpen your cultural sword! Prepare to engage! On with the show!

From Autumn to Halloween

Ah, yes, from Autumn to Halloween, let’s navigate through the next 18 days of September and 31 days of October. Alas, a 49-day odyssey through overstated subtlety and understated ecstasy. Abandon hope all ye who enter here!

13 September 2009
Sunday. Somehow, got up 730am. While doing the laundry, worked on Blog 217. Chat too, lol. Napped 1230-230. More chat, lol. Replied to blog comments. Then back to work on blog. Tread w “True Blood” 5/xx. Even more chat, blog, etc.

14 September 2009
Monday. Home. “Ouran” 1/26 (finally started it). LOL, boy is a girl! Opposite of “Maria+Holic”, hehe. Finally installed the magenta ink I received today. Gahhh, when I uncapped it, it splattered! Damn! Luckily, the lemon degreaser I used on my foos table was able to clean the ink from the carpet and my skin. Gah. Tread w “True Blood” 6/xx. Worked on Blog 217 again. While I chatted till 1030pm, lol.

15 September 2009
Tuesday. For lunch, decided on “Burger King” in the Outlet Center food court. Oops, we parked at the wrong end, so we walked-talked across the mall, hehe. But it was fun! Home. “Ouran” 2/26. Near tears! Already? So soon in the series? Tread w “True Blood” 7/xx. Worked on Blog 217. Then sketched a cute little doodle based on our discussion, hehe. More blog work till 11pm.

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

16 September 2009
Wednesday. Hehe, decided to wear my pink shirt w black striped tie. Why not? Left at my usual 4pm. “Ouran” 3/26, lol. Later, 8:30pm chat. Then skipped my tread-run to finish Blog 217! Hey! Finally done! At 10:45! But we continued to chat till midnight.

17 September 2009
Thursday. Heyyy, visited Kris-chan’s “Bento Bako Weekly“, lol. Left 4pm. Home. Heyyy, Guiness is back! “Gundam Wing” 21/49 w dinner. Napped 6-7pm w Guin, aww. Hmm, Lois’s Facebook comments; offended by my Blog 217 statement about “one girl’s pain, is another’s panic, is another’s pleasure”? Later, tread w “True Blood” 8/xx (still too slow). Then 10pm chat. Till 11pm, hehe.

18 September 2009
Friday. Then after her meeting, 12:30 lunch at TGIF! Mmm, Jack Daniels appetizer sampler and mozzarella sticks! Vanilla cheesecake plus free vanilla ice cream! Haha, photos too, lol. Otsukaresamadeshita! I said it right! Asked her to “Kabuki”? Nahhh, we were still too full from TGIF. And tired, lol. Hugs. Ah, home. Guiness! “Gundam Wing” 22/49. Napped 6-8pm? Tread w “True Blood” 9/xx. WTF? Sam the dog? Dumb. Revealed too late in the series. Should’ve happened in the first few episodes. Forget it. Forget the show. Chat 10pm-130am! Happy Birthday!

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

19 September 2009
Saturday. Wow, got outta bed 10am! Then as usual, let Guiness outside into the backyard. Sunny! “Gundam Wing” 23-24-25/49 (finished [36] first-half of season; 4 of 5 stars!). Ah, groceries! Through her influence, bought tons of fruits (apples: 3 granny smiths, 3 fujis, 3 braeburns; group of 7 bananas, 7 peaches or nectarines) and veggies (celery and lettuce), not to mention, generic low-sodium vegetable juice, lol. Right after that, decided to get a car wash, finally. Napped 3-5pm? Chat, lol. Then 6pm dinner. Since “True Blood” failed, tread w “Trinity Blood” 1/24? (again). Yup, stopped the “True Blood” crap, lol. But wait, after browsing through my Amazon lists with DivX players, decided to check my DivX player. Heyyy, the “Jumong” SRT subs work on my newer (exercise-room) player! Nice. Thank you Amazon! More chat. Till 1am, hehe.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) [36] and [40]. As of 19 Sept, my 36th anime title-or-season of the year. First half of 49-episode series, 4 of 5 stars. As of 13 Nov, completed the second half of the series, my 40th anime title-or-season of the year, 3 of 5 stars. Overall 3 of 5 stars.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 3000px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 1024px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 5300px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 1024px

20 September 2009
Sunday. Whoa, up 730am! Finally applied Soft Scrub Bleach to the shower tiles. For breakfast, had an apple, banana, pecan spinwheel and yogurt, lol. Did more soft-scrubbing to the shower. Then with her hard-drive situation in my mind, decided to back-up my iMac’s Windows XP files (19GB) to my WP Passport portable USB drive. Followed with some blog comment catch-up. From 1-3pm, watched my Netflix of “In the Mood for Love” (2000) plus extras. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Maggie and Tony remind me sooo much of her and me! Uncanny! I mean, how did I avoid watching this? Since I already watched “2046″ before, how? After meeting her, must be fate? Later, chat while she was studying at the library. Meanwhile, during our chat, ordered “Battle Angel”, “In the Mood for Love” and its sequel “2046″ on Amazon, lol. Lunch w “Ouran HS Host Club” 4/26. She finally left the library at 7pm. Watched more extras from “Mood for Love”. Then tread w “Jumong” (2006) 1/81 (started, 1st half hour). Later, study/chat, hehe. Till 12 midnight.

In the Mood for Love (2000) | Enlarge 1200px

21 September 2009
Monday. Home. Dinner. Celery and lettuce for salad, along w my leftover roast beef sub. “Ouran HS Host Club” 5/26. Napped 6-820pm? Tread w “Jumong” 1/81 (2nd half). Afterwards, chat 10pm-12midnight, hehe.

22 September 2009
Tuesday. Heyyy, wore my blue shirt and purple-blue-striped tie! So I left around 4:30pm. Well, at home w Guiness, I got her call at about 5:20pm, while she was at the parking lot, lol. Basically, she wanted to tell me in private what happened at her meeting. Wow, awesome! That’s the news she wanted to share w me. Dinner w “Ouran” 6/26. Then later, 6-645, chatted w her while she was in class, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 2/81 (1st half). Ah, bills bills bills. Hehe, another chat 920-11pm.

23 September 2009
Wednesday. Around 4pm, my car engine slowed way down. Light indicator: “Service Engine Soon”. Damn, maybe the air intake duct again? Damn. So took the local roads from work, down Warm Springs, all the way to Gibson, then Henderson Nissan dealership at the Auto Mall. Like before, tightening the air intake duct took a quick 15-minute fix! Wow! Dinner w “Ouran” 7/26. Napped 6-7pm. Then around 7pm, she called! She finished her exam! Congrats! Told her it was nice to hear her voice. Tread w “Jumong” 2/81 (2nd half). Later, chat from 915 to 11pm, hehe.

24 September 2009
Thursday. Happy Birthday, Joel! Yup, last night, sent him an Amazon gift email, lol. During my morning commute, noticed the 630-640am sunset in my rearview mirror, aww. Yup, early to office, 640am! Home. Guiness! “Ouran” 8/26. Chat, during her class, lol. Sorries over my earlier behavior! Meanwhile, I continued work on my web “triDocs”, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 3/81 (1st half). Chat from 9pm-11pm.

25 September 2009
Friday. Came to work early, at 645am. Because I arrived early, left early, at 3:45pm. Home. Guiness! “Ouran” 9/26. Later, chat 530-6pm. Tread w “Jumong” 3/81 (2nd half) from 830-930pm. Chat again till 1030pm. Hmm, did she fall asleep? So after an hour, around 1130pm, I wrote: “Sweet dreams.” Aww.

26 September 2009
Saturday. Up 6am. Because of air intake duct issue earlier this week (Thurs?), took the car to Henderson Nissan. Also decided to do the intermediate maintenance ($331.99, ouch). Waited from 8-10am, but did some web “triDoc” work. Afterwards, groceries ($108), including tons of veggies (2 celery stalks, 2 lettuce heads, 3 tomatoes, bag of carrots, container of grape tomatoes) and fruits (10 nectarines, 10 fuji apples, bag of 12 granny smith apples, bunch of 10 bananas). Whoa, 40+ pieces! Hehe, chat from 11:30-12:30. Whoa, napped from 12:30-3:30. Three hours! “Ouran” 10/26. Then intermittent chat throughout the day, as she studied. Later, 530pm tread w “Jumong” 4/81 (1st) since I was going out soon. Then 7pm, sent a bye-bye hug and signed off chat to take a shower, get changed and head to Coley’s “Beatles Rock Band” party! Wow, 730pm till 130am! Six hours! Not just Coley in his orange Sgt. Pepper’s costume (as John Lennon?), but also Vu, Bliss, Sam, Thomas, Andres, Edward, and of course, the cute Kate! Not to mention a dozen or so of Coley’s Asian students, lol. Funny that we rotated through the Beatles songs at least 2-3 times before we got tired of it about halfway thru the night, enough that Vu switched it back to regular “Rock Band”, haha! No complaints from me! Wow, I probably sang about a couple dozen songs! Including “I Am the Walrus” a couple times w Kate, haha. Not to mention, my favorite grunge tunes like “Man in the Box” (Alice in Chains) and “Alive” (Pearl Jam)! Loved singing “Wonderwall” (Oasis) too, but failed “Jane Says” (Jane’s Addiction), haha. Too high! My throat was scratchy and dying by then! Luckily, at my desperate request, Bliss and Kate saved me on that “Jane Says” song, aww. Vu and Kate left about 1230am, but I finally left 130am. Wow, home by 2. Bed by 230am. Whew.

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

27 September 2009
Sunday. Somehow got up at 730am, lol. After a mere 5 hours of sleep, lol. Grocery shopping. Tons of fruits (10 bananas, 10 nectarines, 10 oversized Fuji apples, bag of 12-13 Granny Smith apples), lol. Laundry day. Called to tell my parents: “Happy 40th Anniversary!” But left the message instead. Oh well, lol. Put together a new Excel spreadsheet and line chart of my various savings and credit account balances. Interesting! Not great, but not as bad as I thought. “Ouran” 11/26 (aww, almost cried) and 12/26. Napped 1230-215pm. Heyyy, opened my last two-pack wrap of Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts! Wow! While I still have some left at the office, my 3-year Pop Tart phase is drawing to a close! Chat from 230-430pm. Heyyy, Mom and Dad called back! Wished them a Happy Anniversary, talked for a bit. Till 5pm. Later, chatted from 630-8pm. Tread w “Jumong” 4/81 (2nd half). Even more chat, lol. Till midnight. Aww.

28 September 2009
Monday. Heyyy, didn’t wear my elbow pad for the first time in weeks! But then, garage, 7am “Service Engine Soon” again? Headache too. Texted them, asking to pick me up. But they were tied up. In fact, I decided to skip the shuttle and stay anyway, in case it was a quick fix. Which I expected. And which turned out to be the case. Done 830. Work 9am. “Ouran” 13/26. Napped 530-730pm or so. Chat 8-930pm while I uploaded “Rock Band” photos, hehe. Thus no tread.

29 September 2009
Tuesday. Home. Guiness! Texted her: Good grape luck! “Ouran” 14/26. Hey, for easier image-copy-pasting w my web-help project, installed Office Enterprise 2007 on my iMac’s Virtual XP. Also moved files from XP to iMac to make some room for disc burning. Tread w “Jumong” 5/81 (1st). Chat from 930-1030pm.

30 September 2009
Wednesday. Early to work, 645! Chilly for the first time! Got texts from Lisa: She may be picking up Guiness tomorrow night! Home. Guiness! Another huge salad dinner again, mmm, w “Ouran” 15/26. Followed by nap 6-7pm. Tread w “Jumong” 5/81 (2nd). Chat from 845-10pm.

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

01 October 2009
Thursday. Whoa, got to work early, 645am? Then to celebrate Melanie’s b-day, 12 noon lunch at “Kabuki”! Sat in the bright sunny patio, met her friend and Muay Thai fighter Patti, ate colorful sushi “Sunkist” (Patti) and “Firecracker” (Melanie) which made my salmon California rolls look sooo plain, lol. Afterwards, walked two feet away to the “Yogurtland”. I didn’t get anything, but the do-it-yourself process was intriguing! Hehe, took final photos, then about 1:30pm, drove Melanie and myself back to the office. Yup, back to reality. Home. Lisa already at the house to brush and bathe Guiness. Mmm, my 3 Oreo+Cheesecake blizzards! Plus ordered Papa John’s pizza plus Cinnamon Pie! Mmm. Somehow I even took a mini-nap before Lisa inevitably left w Guiness about 7pm. Awww, his last day! Super-brief chat w LovelyDuckie-chan, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 6/81 (1st). Then chat 930-11pm.

01 Oct | Kabuki with Melanie & Patti | Enlarge

01 Oct | Kabuki with Melanie & Patti | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

02 October 2009
Friday. Wore my elbow pad again, bahhh, lol. At 12 noon, lunch at the “Galanga” Thai Eatery. Wow! Tasty Pad Thai and Peanut Curry. Delicious! Finally decided on Outback Steakhouse, since she wanted “quiet and cozy” and hadn’t visited it before. So I suggested it and we got there about 5:30pm, lol. Nice chat. Until the check came. Apparently I lost or misplaced my credit card! I was so flustered! But after calling to ask the “Galanga” place, she calmed me down and reminded me that I used my card to order pizza yesterday! Whew, felt so much better. We finally left 7pm or so. Dropped her off at her car at the office parking lot. Home. The neighbor’s wife found and gave me the foosball score markers for the table, lol. But told her I already bought new ones from Amazon. Then I asked her and her kids to take a look at my cleaned-up foosball table (one kid said “Whoa!”). Later, realized her markers weren’t complete anyway. Oh well. Napped from 7:30-9:30pm. Then we chatted till 10:45pm. Thus no tread. Finally went to bed at midnight or so.

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

03 October 2009
Saturday. Happy Tsukimi (based on an earlier chat), hehe. Up 8am! Somehow felt like searching for “In the Mood for Love” wallpapers and other images. “Ouran” 16/26 (whoa, moved to near tears). Heyyy, a surprise discovery, downloaded “Clone Wars – S2″ episodes 1-2! Grocery time from 11:30am-12:30pm, tons of fruits, veggies, even a couple of Asian DVDs (“Forbidden Kingdom” [2008] and “Memoirs of a Geisha” [2005]), hehe. Chat while having lunch, salad and slices of leftover pizza, hehe. While we chatted throughout the day, each did our respective house-cleaning, lol. I did my laundry, vacuum, washing Guiness’ intensely smelly blanket, the same one knitted by my Mom, lol. Finally moved out the various plastics bins to keep Guiness out! Yup, my anti-Guiness defense walls (around my iMac desk area, and at my bedroom door), haha. Meanwhile, we chatted and chatted all day. Then at around 7:20pm, she decided to call my cell. And we talked and talked. Fortunately, we picked up our Gmail chat at 9pm, lol. And we chatted and chatted all night, as I moved myself and my work laptop from the couch to the kitchen table, back to the couch, then on the floor, lol. Chatted till 12 midnight! Thus no tread.

04 October 2009
Sunday. Hmm, restless sleep. Not really dreaming, but waking and falling back to sleep, thinking about her. Ah, finally found time to replace the ceiling air filter. Dusty! Fiddling and fixed the main light timer. Vacuumed the dust off the exercise-room treadmill and fan. More dusty! Aww, chat during lunch. Napped from 1:30pm-3pm. Heyyy, from 4-5pm, watched my downloaded “Clone Wars – S2″ episodes 1-2 of 22 episodes (?). After that, decided to watch one of the DVDs I bought yesterday, “Forbidden Kingdom” (2008). Not bad for a second viewing! Till 7:30pm. Tread w “Jumong” 6/81 (2nd) and 7/81 (1st) till 9pm. Yup, two half-episodes, but still 1.25 miles treading plus interspersed biking. Aww, followed by chat from 9pm till 11:30pm.

Forbidden Kingdom (2008) | Enlarge 2800px

05 October 2009
Monday. Based on last night’s chat, wore my blue shirt and blue-purple diag-striped tie, lol. Heyyy, radio station FM 107.9, “The Alternative” began its commercial-free Mondays. Sweet! “Ouran” 17/26 w huge bowl of salad again. Ham shreds and ranch dressing, mmmm. Chat. “Jumong” 7/81 (2nd) and 8/81 (1st) till 9pm! Wow, 2 miles, 360 calories! Even more chat till midnight, lol.

06 October 2009
Tuesday. Left eye was a bit red, runny nose, allergy? Left 4pm, left eye bothering. “Ouran” 18/26. Nap 6-8pm. Chat. Tread w “Jumong” 8/81 (2nd). She went offline 1030 (fell asleep?). Resumed till 11pm. Hmmm, Vacation Mondays? Again?

07 October 2009
Wednesday. Left 4pm, eye bothering. Vons, green and red grapes, lol. “Ouran” 19/26 w huge salad & BBQ meat, lol. Nap 7-8pm? Brief chat. Tread w “Jumong” 9/81 (1st). Eye bothering less. Chat till 11pm?

08 October 2009
Thursday. New clock alarm setting at 4:27am. Still somehow got up 4:30-5am. To work 7am. Left 4pm. She says she won’t be online tonight? “Ouran” 20/26. Overnapped 8-9:45pm. Brief chat before run. Tread w “Jumong” 9/81 (2nd) from 10 to 10:40pm. Then chat after run, 10:40-11:15pm.

09 October 2009
Friday. Second morning of new alarm: 4:27am. Early to work 6:30am! Dark and gloomy! Haha, 5:30-7:30pm Outback (appetizers+soup) dinner again! Afterwards, during drive back, she said she liked my voice (so I sang ABC’s), dropped her off at office parking lot. Nap 8:30-10:15pm (?), overnapped. Emails. Replied. Fallen for her. Tread w “Jumong” 10/81 (1st, 2nd). Two miles, from 11:30 till 1am.

10 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9am or so. Thinking of her all night. Laundry. Small bathroom, soft-scrubbed the tiles. Chat 10:30am (?) till noon. Lunch chat till 12:30pm. Groceries 1:30-2:30pm. More chat till 3:30pm. Nap till 4:30pm. Finally decided, Fettucini cooking! My first time! Boiled water, add salt, pasta, oil, stir for 15 min. Classico Italian Sausage sauce in microwave. Pics. Done 5:30pm! Mmm, ate tasty bowl. We chatted briefly till 6pm. Intermittent connection. Tread w “Jumong” 11/81 (all), 7-8:15pm (?). Two miles, 360 cals. Replied to emails. Chat from 9:30pm-12:15am. Wow.

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

11 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9am or so. 8am? 9am? Brief chat 10:45-11am. Bills! Lunch time. Mmm, fettucini leftovers. Saved some for Monday, hehe. Watched extras for “Forbidden Kingdom” DVD I got last week. Till 2:30pm. Chat 3-4pm. Watched “Battle Angel” anime DVD 4-5pm (finished [37]; 3 of 5 stars). Sentimental (manga) but still lacking. Afterward, 5:30pm, watched “Densha Otoko” (2005) film (from Netflix) w my big chicken salad. LOL, funny, condensed version of series! So I stopped after the first 20 min to save for later download, save it to watch w her. Planned to mail it back to Netflix. Burned “Haruhi – S2″ DVD. Added Amberlin and Butterfly Boucher to my iMac’s iTunes list. Amberlin amazing. Tread w “Jumong” 12/81 (all). Two miles = 360 cals. Random biking = 200 cals. So 360+200=560 plus 280 (another 50%) = 840 cals. Chat 9:45pm till midnight.

Battle Angel – OAV (1993) [37]. As of 11 Oct, my 37th anime title-or-season of the year. Two-episode OVA, 3 of 5 stars.

Battle Angel – OVA (1993) | Enlarge 2000px

12 October 2009
Monday. No radio, no 107.9, instead played one of my burned Amberlin CDs in my car! “Ouran” 21/26. Download of “Densha Otoko” film done! Burned to disc. Mailed out “Densha” Netflix DVD in the morning? Then watched first 20 min again, lol. Browsed, searched Amazon. Ordered new Philips DivX player for living room! Tread w “Jumong” 13/81 (all). Two miles, bike, 350+350 cals. Chat 9-9:40pm.

13 October 2009
Tuesday. Left 4pm. “Ouran” 22/26. Napped 6:30-8pm. Tread w “Jumong” 14/81 (all), bike only, 14.5-15 mph = 700 cals. That night, no chat. Tried something new: Set my bill reminders on Google Calendar. Till 11:30pm.

14 October 2009
Wednesday. What the fuck! On my way from my car to office door, pulled out my keys and realized I lost my key fob! Dammit! Fuck! Not in pockets, not in car. Heyyy, the fob was found a couple hours later! Left 4pm. Vons groceries, got more grapes, 6 lbs! “Ouran” 23/26, big salad w turkey coldcut slices. Set up new DivX player, 7pm. Tread w “Jumong” 15/81 (all). This time, something else new: Decided to lower tread grade/slope to 1.5% (instead of 7.5%), in case I run w her in a couple months. Tread 1.25 miles = 200 cals (instead of 225 cals w 7.5%); bike 25 min = 300 cals. Chat 9-11pm. Added more bill reminders to my Google Calendar.

15 October 2009
Thursday. Home. “Ouran” 24/26. Napped 6:30-8:15pm. Tread w “Jumong” 16/81 (all) at 1.5% slope. Tread 1.25 miles = 200 cals. Bike = 50-60 min = 600-700 cals. Bike 12 cals/min. Chat 10-11pm or so.

16 October 2009
Friday. Early to the office: 6:30am! I left 4:15pm. Long day. Crashed into a nap 6:30-8:30pm. Text, pix, chat till 9pm, lol. Tread+bike w “Jumong” 17/81. Two miles! Tread: 1.5% grade/slope, 2 miles @ 7.5 mph = 17 min = 300 cals = 18 cals/min = 150 cals/mile. Bike: 10 miles = 38 min = 500 cals = 13 cals/min = 50 cals/mile. Total time = 55 min over 75 min period, 9:15-10:30pm. Aww, more chat 11:30pm-1:20am.

17 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9:30-10am. Chat. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 26/49 (starting 2nd half; while 1st half, 25 episodes, was [36]). Added Amberlin tracks to my home laptop iTunes, yeah! Awesome band. Groceries at 1:30pm. Removed my closed Borders credit card account from my list, confusing! Wow, at 2:30pm, after her meeting, she visited my house! We watched the Japanese film “Densha Otoko” (2005) while laying on the floor against the pillows and couch. Ate grapes. Sooo comfortable as she lay her head against my shoulder. Sooo adorable when she napped for a few minutes. Or when she sat up and recognized one of the plazas in Tokyo, lol. Watched it from about 3-4:30pm. She left about 5pm. But after she got home at 5:30pm, we continued to chat a bit online, aww. Salad dinner w “Gundam Wing” 27/49. Journal catch-up. Tread w “Jumong” 18/81, from 8:15-9:30pm. Tread: 300 cals = 2 miles = 17 min. Bike: 470 cals = 10 miles = 35 min. Chat from 9:30-10:40pm. Napped till midnight. Dozed off again. Overnapped till 1am, bah. I think I waiting for my Trend Micro to finish updating?

Densha Otoko (Film, 2005) | Enlarge 830px

Observation. Having seen both, I still think that the “Densha Otoko” (2005) TV drama starring Misaki Ito is significantly more entertaining and emotional than the “Densha Otoko” (2005) film. Significantly.

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1430px

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1000px

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1600px

18 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9am. Laundry! Extended monitor! Yup, decided to bring my HP desktop monitor to the kitchen table to attach to my Dell laptop, lol. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 28/49. Chat 11-11:45am. Continued chat, hehe. Mmm, big chicken salad lunch 1pm-1:40pm w more “Gundam Wing” 29/49. Chat resumed, lol. Napped about 4:30-5:45pm, during which she sent me a Pocky pic from her iPhone, lol. Brief 7:30pm chat. Tread w “Jumong” 19/81, from about 8-9:45pm. Tread: 2 miles = 300 cals. Bike = 500 cals. Total = 800 plus 50% more cooling-down burn = 1200 cals. Even more chat from 10pm till 12:30am.

18 Oct | Seafood City Pocky | Enlarge

18 Oct | Seafood City Pocky | Enlarge

19 October 2009
Monday. Up 5:15am. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 30/49. To the office 730am. Home. Dinner w “Ouran Host Club” 25-26/26 (finished [38]; 5 of 5 stars, aww, touching ending!). Tread w “Jumong” 20/81 (all; bike only) (finished my self-defined “Season 1″), from 7:15-9pm, 735 cals. Chat.

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) [38]. As of 19 Oct, my 38th anime title-or-season of the year. Full 26-episode series, 5 of 5 stars!

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 1700px

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 4000px

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 3200px

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 4700px

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 3000px

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 3500px

20 October 2009
Tuesday. Fuck! Woke at 4am the morning because of a god-fucking cramp in my right-leg calf muscle! So instead of 5-5:30am, got up at 4:30am, trying to massage and shake the pain away. Breakfast, shower, dressed, got ready, left 7:45am, arrived 8:15am for our company’s User Conference! UC Day #1. Yup, as greeter and room monitor. Fortunately, my leg ache faded in a few hours. Occasional texts between my cell and her Yahoo IM, hehe. Long but interesting day. Till 5:30pm. Home 6pm. Big salad dinner w “Haruhi – S2″ 2-3/14 (“Endless Eight”) till 7:45pm. Wow-wow, opened my email to see Apple’s brand-new 27-inch iMac! Damn! Worked on journal. No tread, to rest my calf muscle. Wow, watched first 20 min of “BSG – The Plan”! Wow! No chat that night.

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

21 October 2009
Wednesday. Up 5am, dressed up by 6:30am. Breakfast w “Haruhi – S2″ 4-5-6/14 (more “Endless Eight”, lol) till 8am. Then left for the User Conference. UC Day #2. Since I’d be there for only a half-day (half-vacation), actually decided to go with blue shirt (no tie), black slacks, and black blazer w brass buttons. Slick! I mean, both Mary and NaTasha complimented me, hehe. Saw Kelly (from IBM) again, haha. We couldn’t figure out what was so funny during our Training class back in March! Nice to see her again. Stayed from 8:30-11:45am. Then left to pick her up from the office to go to Borders. But first, we visited the Apple Store to see the new 27-inch iMac and wireless touch-mouse, wow. Then walked back to Borders. Finally found an open table. Nice long lunch (with fruits? grapes? plus a couple pastries from the UC, lol). Yup, Apple plus Borders from 12noon-1:30pm. Back home 2pm. Random chat from my Yahoo at home to her Yahoo at work, hehe. Napped 4-4:20pm. More chat till her 5pm class. Dinner w more “Haruhi – S2″ 7-8-9/14 (wow, finally ended “Endless Eight”!). Brief chat. Tread w “Jumong” 21/81 (all; started “Season 2″). Tread: 2 miles = 300 cals. Bike: 500 cals. From 8:45-10pm. Plus peeked at the first 5 minutes of my downloaded “Blood – The Last Vampire” (live action), wow.

22 October 2009
Thursday. Ah, arrived at 7:30am to an empty office building, hehe. Due to the User Conference. Left work 4pm. Dinner w “Gundam Wing” 31/49. Napped 6:30-9pm. Chat till 9:40pm. Tread w “Jumong” 22/81. Tread: 11 min, 1.3 miles, 200 cals. Bike: 45 min, 12 miles, 600 cals. Then chat 11-11:20pm, hehe.

23 October 2009
Friday. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 32/49. Office at 7:30am. Later, Outback w her, 5:30-6:30pm. Mmm, coconut shrimp, French onion soup, salmon! Back home around 7pm. Brief chat. Napped 7:15-9pm. Up a bit. Then napped again 9-11pm, lol. Thus no tread. But some work on typing up journal. Meanwhile, for the past week, still listening to Battlestar Galactica (BSG) soundtracks (since 10/18), Plumb (since 10/18), Amberlin (since 10/17) on all 3 of my iTunes (iMac, home Dell laptop, and work Dell laptop), hehe. Journal-typing till 2:30am. Bed about 3am.

24 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9am. Chat. Breakfast: Bagel, apple and anime. “Gundam Wing” 33/49. Decided to skip Lowe’s (thought of canned air and multiple sockets). Vons groceries (got multiple-socket surge protector). Continued chat 11am-3pm. “Gundam Wing” 34-35/49. Cleared out the numerous blog items in my Google Reader, whew. “Clone Wars – S2″ 3/22(?). Bills bills bills! Tread w “Jumong” 23/81 from 8:30-10pm. Chat till 11pm. Then decided to watch “BSG – The Plan” (4 of 5 stars) from 12-2am! Not perfect but not bad at all! Afterwards, browsed through Amazon for glass L-shaped desks till 3am, lol. Hmm, instead of using the kitchen table (for the past month)?

Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) | Enlarge 1000px

Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) | Enlarge 990px

Battlestar Babes in Maxim (Nov 2009) | Enlarge 950px

Battlestar Babes in Maxim (Nov 2009) | Enlarge 930px

Battlestar Galactica Promo Shot | Enlarge 1900px

Battlestar Galactica Promo Shot | Enlarge 3000px

25 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9:30am or so. Checked Gmail and cleared more from Google Reader. Otaku Dan asked where I’ve been, lol. Chat. “Clone Wars – S2″ 4/22(?). Cooked fettucini! My 2nd time in 3 weekends! From 11:30am-1pm cooking! Ah, saved some pasta for tomorrow’s lunch. Some grapes too, of course. Nice call w the parents. She left about 1:40pm to do her groceries. Meanwhile, did some more Amazon browsing for external hard drives and headsets, hehe. Decided to continue “Haruhi – S2″ 10/14. Chat 5pm till treadmill. Tread w “Jumong” 24/81 (2 miles = 300 cals) from 6:30-8pm. Back to chat, hehe. Till 10:30pm. Hmm, why have I been using my kitchen laptop more often than my iMac?

26 October 2009
Monday. Left 7:05am. But halfway to work, realized that I almost forgot my fettucini lunch! So drove back home by 7:25am. Then drove back to work by 7:45am. Gahhh, annoying! Then 11:20am lunch downstairs. Mmm, fettucini w Spicy Tomato & Basil, but I think I like Italian Sausage better. Hehe, while I heated it up, NaTasha was surprised that I cooked it myself. Nah, not the sauce, just the pasta, lol. Left 4:30pm. Dinner w “Haruhi – S2″ 11-12-13/14. Almost done. Then tread w “Jumong” 25/81 (2 miles = 300 cals) till 9:30pm. Brief chat till 9:45pm. Created her “To-Do List” and my “To-Watch List”, lol.

27 October 2009
Tuesday. Breakfast w “Haruhi – S2″ 14/14 (finished [39]; hmm, okay, not bad but failed expectations, 3 of 5 stars). Whew, getting cold! Left 4:15-4:30pm. Wow, freezing outside! Even texted her, lol. Dinner w “Goong” 1/24 (started; not too bad, Kris-chan recommended it). Tread w “Jumong” 26/81 (2 miles = 300 cals). Hmm, laundry my 80′s shirts for Melanie’s Halloween Party? Chat. Sweet. Warm.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) [39]. As of 27 Oct, my 39th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 14 episodes, 3 of 5 stars! Can I hit my typical target of 50 anime by the end of the year?

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 5800px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 5000px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 5000px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 5000px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 8200px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 8200px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 6400px

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 2000px

Observation. The infamous “Haruhi 2 – Endless Eight” arc. What’s the big deal? When you strip away all the impatient whining and restless ranting of short attention spans, it is incredibly unique. I remember an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” which follows a similar premise, looping through time for 17 days. But with the “Star Trek” episode “Cause and Effect“, you never get the feeling of “endlessness” depicted in this 8-episode “Endless Eight” sequence. Genius? Tragedy? Insanity? Or dare I say, esoteric art? If you’ve seen a favorite film at least 8 times, and have always found something new, then maybe you shouldn’t whine so much, hehe.

28 October 2009
Wednesday. Up 8:30am. Vacation Wednesday! Jaw still sore but okay. Like I said, felt like an over-extended muscle that just needs time to heal. Then 9am chat after I sent a text to her. Around 11am, took out all the house trash! Worked on journal. Needed to catch-up. Hmm, leverage journal for my blog too? Chat. More journal. Lunch w “Goong” 2/24. Still not a great K-drama, but okay. Ahh, Amazon, intriguing DVD binders? She left 4:45pm for her exam. Browsed Amazon for knitted beanies? Ah, ordered the classy-looking leather-ish DVD binders! Since spending $50 to store 150 DVDs in binders is cheaper and more compact than $100-150 of cases to store the same amount! Napped 6-7:30pm. Hehe, her call woke me up. Decided not to tread. Instead, cleared iMac hard-drive space and virtual XP space, burned Asian dramas to DVDs, cleared more XP space by moving these files to iMac space. Ah, she was back 9:45-11pm. Ordered a brown beanie to match my brown jacket and brown moccasin shoes. Plus ordered my 3rd Lasko portable electric heater. Nice.

29 October 2009
Thursday. Happy Birthday, Jeff! Heyyy, found a decent table on my neighbor’s curbside! So why not grab it? I was looking at tables on Amazon anyway, lol. Ah, back to work. Home. Ah, Lisa had already stopped by, took her books and ivory coat. Laundry: olive bed sheets. Dinner w “Goong” 3/24. Halfway through, napped around 7:30-9:30pm. Must’ve finished “Goong” afterwards. No chat. No tread again. But played w my foos stats on Google Docs till 1:11am, lol.

30 October 2009
Friday. Brrr, another cold night and morning. Hmm, should I wear a black outfit for the Halloween office lunch? Matrix style? With my air gun? Nahhh, maybe not. Just blue jeans. Especially when I’m going to be running around and printing. In prep for the office move, extracted my personal 20-inch Dell monitor out of my cube and carried it to my car. Haha, Paul jokefully shouted, “Stop thief!” Noon. Halloween lunch! So I went downstairs to check it out. Pizza! Kids kids kids! I passed out candy. Took photos too, haha. Relaxing after-work chat. Aww. Till 6pm. Home. Cleaned up the curbside table. Moved my laptop and monitor onto it. Chat 8:45-10pm. Done 10:15pm. No tread for the 3rd night straight.

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

31 October 2009
Saturday. Up 5am! Happy Halloween Saturday! Breakfast w “Outlaw Star” 6/26. Readied for Melanie’s math study at Barnes & Noble by Seafood City. Yup, location was my suggestion since I was in the mood for Jollibee Filipino food. Especially if she was paying, hehe. Arrived at Barnes & Noble by 9am. Found Melanie, met Brad. Surprised how much geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus, probability and statistics I still retained! (But not matrices, lol.) Impressed Brad too. Dozens of math problems till noon, wow! Most of which I just looked at for a few seconds, before finding a solution or direction! Afterwards, Melanie paid for our Jollibee lunch. Mmm, ChickenJoy, Palabok, Shanghai Rolls (lumpia)! Lunched 12:15-1pm. Including food photos, lol. Then we finally left. Groceries 1:30-2:30pm. Afterwards, checked emails, torrents and Amazon. Browsed for desk chairs? Napped 4-6pm. Chat till 7pm. Salad dinner w “Outlaw Star” 7/26. Brief chat. Then tread w “Jumong” 27/81 (2 miles = 300 cals, bike = 500 cals) from 9-10:30pm. Wrote an email to Kris-chan about 11:30pm. Another chat till 12:30-12:40am. Started filling my new DVD binders (received them yesterday?), plus DVD burning. Till 1:10am. Stayed up till 3am. But due to Daylight Saving, actually 2am, lol.

31 Oct | Barnes & Noble Math Study with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Barnes & Noble Math Study with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Pocky with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City with Melanie’s ALIAS Fight Wear | Enlarge

From Goong to Jumong and Beyond

Ah, this time, from “Goong” (2006) to “Jumong” (2006), let’s weave our way through my week-long email exchange with Kris-chan, author of her “Bento Bako Weekly” column. Why? So we can see how much I was disappointed by “Goong” yet utterly amazed by the epic “Jumong”!

Goong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Goong (2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Goong (2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 1200px

Anna Tsuchiya, Song Ji-hyo’s Japanese look-alike? | Enlarge 1024px

27 Oct 2009

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: In case you’ve been wanting to buy any of these. They do have Jumong. I just ordered Goong/Palace. ^_^

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Hey, thanx! Actually, it’s a coincidence since I started downloading “Hana Yori Dango” last night. I even peeked at the first 5 minutes of rich kids and limousines, lol. Seems to be very “Ouran Host” like! Hey, I might’ve mentioned I already burned “Jumong” and “Goong” to disc. Oh man, “Jumong” was exactly what I was looking for to continue my “Damo”-style craving for ancient wartime dramas. Awesome, already up to episode 25 out of 81. Makes my nightly treadmill runs sooo much easier, lol.

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Oh, well, I have (most of) it burned, too. But it’s a good show, a fantastic production. And it was on sale. I kind of just wanted to support the distribution company, so they’ll keep licensing that sort of thing over here… By the way, when will you have a column again? I miss them… Speaking of columns, I missed my Girl G33k blog this week, because I ran off to get married. ^_^ I did get a Bento Bako out, though! I made an indirect reference to you, lol. You and your silly Moon Phase.

28 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Haha, Kris-chan, r u crazy? If I’m supposed to believe u got married, I’m also supposed to believe that u still needed to get your blogs and articles out? What kind of priorities do u have, hahaha. Yeah, Skip Beat is still on my list, but haven’t moved in that torrent direction yet. Though I do have a question: I’m planning to download the Korean “Boys Over Flowers” after I download the Japanese “Hana Yori Dango – Season 2″. Have u compared the two Asian versions yet?… Oh yeah, congratulations! I think… ^_^

P.S. Heyyy, Kris-chan, just finished “Goong” episode 1 last night. A little slow, but not bad… Now I see where “Jumong” got some of its locations and archery scenes from, haha. “Jumong” is way cooler, like “Goong” injected with a shot of “Lord of the Rings”, hehe.

29 Oct 2009

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Heh, well, my Bento Bako post I had been working on for over a month (along with the one going up next week). But yeah, I’ve been really busy with getting that together, and wedding crap, and haven’t been watching much anime lately…so I haven’t had anything to review anyway! I just finished the AIR movie though, so maybe I’ll get that up for next week. ^_^ My priorities are…well…. I mean, the wedding didn’t take much work, since it was really small. And I didn’t work on either website during the days we were gone. I did the Bento Bako post well before hand… I tried some Japanese food for the first time. Turns out I don’t like salted plum rice balls (when they say salted, they mean SALTED). I liked the curry sauce (it was actually kind of sweet in a way), and I LOVED the Tamago (egg omelet). I didn’t eat any sushi (I don’t like fish), but I did eat some veggie Maki-Zushi which was really delicious.

I was talking about the Skip Beat manga, lol, but the anime is good, too. I hope it gets another season. I thought there was going to be a live action from Taiwan but…I haven’t seen anything about it since I saw an announcement about it. I wonder if it was ever made, or if it’s going to be? Because I’m ready to drool over some hot Asians again… And I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about Boys Over Flowers; I haven’t seen the live action, or the anime, or anything. It’s certainly something I plan on getting to eventually, though. Just threw the anime on my Netflix list… Yeah, Goong is a little slow at times. It probably could have run a bit shorter and been OK. But the production value is so high, you tend to forget the pacing… I’ll get to Jumong someday, too. I was just way overwhelmed by the number of seasons and discs there were, so it will have to wait some time, until my Netflix clears up… And thank you! I mean, things don’t really feel any different, because we’ve been together for so long, and have been living together for 4 years or so. But now we can get a tax break. ^_^ How is your autumn of Autumn coming along?

30 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Happy Halloween!… Ah, no worries! After 5 years together, my ex and I had a small wedding too. In Vegas. Not as small, but small. Did u eat those onigiri correctly? Just teasing, but when I take a bite of rice, I only bite a little bit of the salted umeboshi to balance the rice. Little bit of umeboshi at a time, not all at once. Otherwise, saltiness can be too intense, hehe. Mmm, onigiri. Simple yet tasty. Especially when Autumn-chan makes them. Hmm, if not sushi, have you tried California rolls? Those are just as tasty too. Yeah, up to “Goong” episode 3. Still pretty slow. Especially when the characters are sleepy after their ceremony, lol. Well, I think the production value simply enhances what’s already there. In this case, it might actually enhance the slowness. Just as high production value would enhance the action in a action-based series. This might be bad advice, but if u downloaded or burned the first episode of “Jumong”, just watch the first 15 minutes to get a taste. Can’t hurt. Then u can drop it, continue, or do what u want after that. I won’t bother u again, lol. Ah, Autumn-chan. She’s been swamped by both work and classes, so I’ve been supporting her as much as I can, while trying not to be selfish with her limited time. Which can be frustrating. But understandable. Not just me, she thinks she’s selfish too. Eventually, when her last semester ends, she should be more free and flexible. Otherwise, we chat almost every night. Plus telling her “Osaki ni shitsureishimasu” (I’m finally pronouncing it to her standards) or telling each other “Oyasumi”. Which is always comforting… Haha, hot Asians… ^_^

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Yes, Happy Halloween! Will you be doing anything? I don’t know that we will, but I have a costume anyway, which I can just wear around the house, lol… No, no! I totally only took a little bite of the plum with some rice. I chewed it for a couple of seconds, then spit it out. It was VERY salty. The rice itself was salty too. I’ve had regular plums before, and I liked them. I guess something about the salt and the tartness of the plum just didn’t work for me… Isn’t a California roll sushi? What I basically mean is, I don’t like seafood… Well, I hope Goong doesn’t disappoint you! I’m afraid it will likely remain at that slow pace. It annoyed me on occasion, but it didn’t turn me off. I still really enjoyed it; it’s a lot better than most of the stuff on TV here, at least… Haha, no…I’m afraid to even glimpse at Jumong. If it’s that good, I might abandon everything else and just absorb myself in it, which would be bad, lol. So I’ll wait until I have the time to devote to it.

When Scott and I were first dating, I was still in college. We only saw each other on weekends. I would drive out to see him (we lived about 40 mins away in different cities) after classes on Friday, and stay until Sunday, then go back to school. I don’t think we talked just a whole whole lot during the week, because he worked all day, and I had classes, then homework, and sometimes theatre crap. So I get the being busy thing… What does “Osaki ni shiklajdiohjdisdi” mean? I’ve heard “Oyasumi” …that’s goodnight, right?… And yes, hot Asians! They make everything better. ^_^

31 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Konnichiwa, Kris-chan! Happy Hallow’s Eve! Still 11pm in Vegas. Nah, too dead tired to do any trick-or-treating. Instead, woke up early to help a software coworker at 9am study for her math exam (her last of several exams, applying to be a teacher when she leaves our company soon). Man, I can’t believe how much trigonometry, geometry, algebra, logarithms, statistics and calculus I still retain from high school Mathletes, AP Calculus and college, haha. Melanie and her friend Brad were shocked at how I could look at a graph, function or equation for 2-3 seconds and guess correctly. Several dozen problems for 3 hours. Flew by. My brain hasn’t been so math-fried in ages, lol. But enough about my math skills…

Maybe it wasn’t the best or typical onigiri? Who knows? Typically, California rolls are made with tasty crab meat. Mmm, unfortunately, I guess you wouldn’t really know. Ahh, seafood. I miss Red Lobster’s salmon and lobster… No worries, I’ll stick with “Goong” for now. While still mixing my Netflix’s of unfinished “Gundam Wing” and “Outlaw Star” along the way. Still treading to “Jumong” episode 27. So while it makes exercising fly by much easier, it never really drowns out all other shows or anime either, lol. I mean, I can ship you a disc copy of the first 12 episodes as an early Christmas present, if you’re willing? Somewhere in Texas, right? Free of charge.

Ah, yes, “oyasumi” is “good night”. A little bit different from “konbanwa” (also “good evening”). While “konbanwa” is more for greeting, “oyasumi (nasai)” is more for departure, like the end of the night, before going home or going to bed. Meanwhile, “osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” (“excuse me for leaving before you”) is typically said when leaving the office earlier than other coworkers. And their reply would be “otsukaresama deshita” (literally “you must be such a tired person!” but translated as “thanks for your hard work!”).

01 Nov 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: P.S. Well, I gave “Goong” another shot w episode 4. While the brotherly intrigue is getting deeper, I think it’s time to switch gears w “Hana Yori Dango” (Japanese version) anyway. Sorry. I’ll come back to it in 3-4 weeks (since “HYD” S1+S2 has 20 episodes plus a film)! ^_^

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Aaaaah! I hate math… I am SO terrible with numbers. It’s funny, because my mother is a math teacher, and my father is all into science (he’s a uh…chemical engineer maybe?), but I’m AWFUL with both subjects. I don’t remember any math from high school or college, and in HS, I went all the way up to AP Calculus, and was taking some Calc in college too (it was a class called uh…business math or something… it was the next one up from Algebra, and I had to take it). Much, much better with books (fortunately my boy is excellent with numbers). ^_^ But that’s awfully nice of you to help your coworker study.

Maybe the onigiri was off. Who knows… Anyway, totally against sea food here. Only fish I eat is tuna fish, out of a can, and mixed with boiled egg, relish, miracle whip, and a touch of mustard. I’ve thought about giving salmon a try, since I hear it’s very good for you. But there’s no way I’d eat it uncooked. Anyway, I had an opportunity to try new food, and I’ve been wanting to try Japanese for a while, so I ordered various things to taste. Scott hates that kind of food, so I can only ever order it in for myself… I’m sad you’re not enjoying Goong like I did. But I can’t deny its slow pacing. Haha, you don’t have to send me any Jumong! I promise I’ll get to it! It’s just that my Netflix currently has 426 DVDs in its queue. I’m going to start the Beserk anime tomorrow morning… By the way, been meaning to say, feel welcome to add me to your Facebook, Netflix, or whatever you’d like.

Oh! I’ve seen “osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” translated in manga and anime. Usually as “I’m leaving first.” It’s one of those funny sayings like “Please take care of me,” when a character visits someone else’s house. Unfortunately they don’t explain those sayings very well, so the cultural aspects sort of pass me by most of the time. I kind of just assume that the Japanese are exceedingly polite (which they do seem to be).

02 Nov 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Thanx Kris-sensei, although I feel bad for Melanie since she didn’t take calculus or probabilities in high school. So she’ll have a really tough time, even if the passing grade is 50% of 50 questions… Ah, as a Filipino, I grew up on seafood. Mmmm. So it’s not a big leap to enjoy Japanese dishes… What?!? Umm, 426 in your Netflix queue? Actually, here’s an idea. In case the 81-episode “Jumong” is too large a main course, what about the earlier Korean TV drama “Damo” as a 14-episode appetizer? Many of the same historical, stylistic and cinematic themes are presented in it. And much quicker to enjoy, hehe. If you enjoy this Korean appetizer, you’ll definitely be ready for the full course, haha.

While I rarely check my Facebook or Netflix pages or friends, there’s nothing stopping you from adding me either. I have an inkling that you’ve already verified the existence of my accounts… Ahh, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of the Japanese culture. For me, after watching anime and Japanese drama on Jap-audio and Eng-subs, almost non-stop since 2006, you can’t help picking up the sayings and holidays and foods. Even the mentality. Both the good and bad. Both admirable and repulsive. Fortunately, it prepared me. As if I was meant to meet Autumn-chan. ^_^

P.S. Would you mind if I reprinted excerpts or entire sections of this email discussion in a future blog post? Anything I shouldn’t mention? That is, if I ever make another blog post, of course.

“Ja ne!”

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 700px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

In fact, due to the overwhelming international success of “Jumong“, not only has Hawaii declared a “Song Il Gook Day”, “Jumong” is aired in Iran with ratings of 70-85%! Unreal. I’ll even make the following recommendation: If you only see one Korean drama in your lifetime, then let that drama be “Jumong”. I mean, if “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy was toned down in special effects, yet stretched out into a day-to-day yet emotionally-wrenching 81-episode epic odyssey, wouldn’t you watch it too?

So my Treasured Toyboxers, did you survive? Did you withstand the soul-smashing tsunami of spellbinding anime, American sci-fi, Hong Kong classics, Japanese comedies, and Korean epics? Did you digest the rock bands, canine menaces, cute costumes, and mouth-watering waves of food-food-food? Did you battle the unimaginably monstrous mega-cast equaling fifty or more mere-mortal posts? You did? Then I applaud your strength and stamina! Likewise, let’s thank the glorious girls who graced our gleaming mega-cast. Thank you, Maggie, Kate, Bliss, Melanie, Patti, Lisa, Alita, Hermes, Misaki Ito, Haruhi Fujioka, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, NaTasha, Haruhi Suzumiya, Song Ji-hyo, Anna Tsuchiya, Kris-chan, Duckie-chan, and of course, the adorable Autumn-chan.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5800px

Hello-hello! Welcome back, folks, friends, and fellow Toyboxers! Are we there yet? Is it time for another weekly mega-odyssey into medieval mayhem? Of course, why else would we be here? This week, our mega-cast catapults us into the far-reaching heights of the blogging otakusphere, ricochets through the wildfiery depths of the watchful anti-hero underground, and crash-lands into a rowdy crowd of indie-film partiers. Yeah, just another normal week, lol. What else is new? So sit back, relax, crack open a can, and let our broadcast take control…

Part 1 of 5 > Moe, Otaku Outlook & Featured Posts of the Week

Otaku Outlook. Moe! Otaku! Posts! First of all, let’s start the show with our latest look at the otaku blogosphere. If you’ve been following the “otaku blog battles” for the last few months, you should be somewhat familiar with the general trends flowing since April’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 1) to May’s Tales (Blog 202, Parts 1-2) to June’s Angels (Blog 207, Part 7) mega-cast. Consequently, here’s the latest “otakuspheric” batch of estimated theoretical values, according to Website Outlook.

As you can easily see in the first chart, “Sankaku Complex” yet again continues to mega-shred the otakusphere while “Danny Choo” continues to float weightlessly in a pilot-less Gundam, lol. Feel free to enlarge the chart. While it’s taking longer than anticipated, my Tales (May 2009) question still remains: Will “Sankaku Complex” finally double the theoretical value of “Danny Choo”?

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

Okay, as always, let’s omit the “Sankaku Complex” and “Danny Choo” paths to get a closer view of the smaller mortal blogs. Again, feel free to enlarge. Luckily, it looks like almost all of the otaku blogs across-the-board have either stayed level or rose in value. Yup, I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, lol. Based on these specific trajectories, the overall otakusphere seems to be generally stable, if not healthy. Congratulations! With special congrats to “Happy Soda” who still manages to reign the theoretical $10K-to-20K range!

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

Ah, now let’s focus on the theoretical $0K-to-3K range. Do you remember who won our little “race” last month? Yup, Duckie-chan won, lol. So who’s our theoretical $0K-to-3K winner this month? Well, if we can trust Website Outlook, our winner is: Coco-chan! Congratulations, Coco-chan! Like with Duckie-chan, we don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but we’ll figure it out eventually, lol.

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

Remember, my Titanic Toyboxers, once your otaku-blog exceeds an estimated worth of $3K, it no longer qualifies for this little “race”. Just to keep it interesting, hehe. So there it is. Good luck, next month! Now from our general otaku outlook, let’s leap to “moe”.

Japanese Moe. Moe! Otaku! Posts! Second of all, what does the Japanese term moe mean? Here’s one definition according to Wikipedia.

Moe (/mo.e/, pronounced “mo-eh” literally “budding”, as with a plant) is a Japanese slang word originally referring to a strong interest in particular types of character in video games or anime and manga. For example, meganekko-moe, “glasses-girl moe“, describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses. “Moe!” is also used within anime fandom as an interjection referring to a character the speaker considers to be a moekko. It is even used in some anime, such as Ouran High School Host Club, Ai Kora, Lucky Star, Kaichou-wa Maid-sama!, and K-On!. There are various interpretations of what moe is today. Joseph L. Dela Pena argues that moe is a pure, protective feeling towards a character.

Hmm, what does the term mean to me? To me, to restate the above definition in my own words, “moe” can be likened to the word “cute”, especially as it applies to cute girls. But perhaps a fonder, more emotional or more protective form of “cute”. Something like that, lol. So why am I bringing up the term “moe”? Well, we’ll see in the following featured posts of the week!

Featured Otaku. Moe! Otaku! Posts! Wow, it’s been a while since my last “Featured Otaku Posts of the Week”! Well, the wait is over, hehe. Here’s my latest batch of “Featured Otaku” since April’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 4), May’s Redheads (Blog 201, Part 1) and Succubi (Blog 203, Part 2), and June’s Shikaku (Blog 204, Part 1).

Let’s begin with Otaku Dan’s post “The Anime That Defines The Decade” (14 July 2009).

14 July | Otaku Dan – The Anime That Defines The Decade | Enlarge 2200px

So what was Otaku Dan’s ultimate choice? Sadly, he chose “Gurren Lagann” (5 of 5 stars), lol. Not that it’s a bad anime. In fact, it’s a great one. But it’s not quite one that “defined the decade”. Inevitably, alternative choices flooded the scene. Here’s a couple by the notoriously Angry Mimi-chan.

Mimi: It definitely has to be “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu”. Haruhi changed the anime world so much, in so many ways. Haruhi was the first to start the online (and everywhere else) dance trend, which now continues on in other anime. She brought tsundere to a different level, and started a religion.

My runner up would be “Code Geass”, which brought Nietzsche and every other type of philosophy into an anime that had sex-appeal, mecha, comedy, and strategy. CLAMP = geniuses.

While Angry Mimi-chan’s choices of “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” (4 of 5 stars max for a short season) and “Code Geass” (5 of 5 stars) are both outstanding contenders, I have to disagree. I mean, “outstanding” isn’t necessary the same as “defining”. Although “Haruhi” undeniably comes close! Alas, here’s my choice.

xJAYMANx: @Densha-Dan: Great question. Although I think you missed the mark. “Gundam” is obviously a contender alongside “Mazinger” for the 70′s. But clearly, mecha ruled. Next, while the film “Akira” definitely caught American audiences, can’t forget the “Robotech” series for that same reason in the 80′s. Ah, then the 90′s saw the likes of Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), Hideaki Anno (Evangelion), and Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaa), so any of their masterpieces could qualify, lol. At this point, it wasn’t simply mecha anymore, lol. But for the 00′s? That’s pretty tough. Was there truly a masterpiece?

Well, if a studio ruled above all else, it would probably be Kyoto Animation. Not only with their “Haruhi”, “Lucky Star”, “Air” and “Kanon” hits, but probably their flagship series “Clannad” as well. Not mecha at all! But rather, based on a dating-sim visual novel. And if any genre defined the 00′s, it wasn’t mecha-related. Alas, if the growth of “Sankaku Complex” is any indication, it would probably be related to moe, an eroge, or a dating-sim, wouldn’t it? In that light, “Clannad” takes the title of “Anime That Defined the Decade”. A decade of moe, eroge and girls-girls-girls, lol. So far.

So what do you think? Does “Clannad” (5 of 5 stars) define the “moe and eroge” decade?

Clannad (2007) & Clannad After Story (2008) | Enlarge 1600px Wallpaper

Next, let’s visit Angry Mimi-chan’s post “80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness” (14 July 2009).

14 July | Angry Mimi – 80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness | Enlarge 2200px

While it isn’t a terribly intellectual post, it’s still a rather adorable one. Oops, I meant “moe”, lol. Here’s our brief exchange. Including my goofy final pun on the “K-On!” ending-theme song.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Heyyy, here’s my 80% congrats!… Honestly, I agree with a couple of comments above. You look like a different girl each-and-every post, especially from each-and-every angle, lol. Boggling. >_<;

Mimi: Thanks!! Yeah I’m tired of looking different :’P Am trying to take better pics recently. ^^;;;

Btw i stored all of my figures, including Haruhi, in my basement ^^;;;;;;;;;;; which is why THAT post is taking sooooo long ;_____;

Stupid lazy me…

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Awww… “Please don’t say you are lazy”, lol.

Next comes Angry Mimi-chan’s post “If You Were a Girl For a Day” (14 July 2009).

14 July | Angry Mimi – If You Were a Girl For a Day | Enlarge 2200px

Hahaha, while the topic isn’t shockingly new, it’s still definitely one of the more mind-boggling (and body-boggling) questions: What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day?

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: LOL, ummm, let’s see… (1) Hire you for some wardrobe advice, then (2) walk into a bar of hot lesbians?

Mimi: Oh i forgot you’d still be attracted to females ^^;

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Haha, interesting point! Would my attraction change for a day too? Gahhh. >o<;

Altair.Hashan: so then when u turn back does it make you gay if you slept with a man? xP

Mimi: lol i don’t think so since you were a girl..

xJAYMANx: That’s why it’d be “safer” to find hot lesbians, lol.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: So now, I think it’s time to turn it around… What would you do if *you* were a guy for a day? Don’t hold back, lol. ^_~

Mimi: I’d win a piano competition and experience the sheer joy of being a man for a day ^^ … nahh I’d just masturbate all day ^^;

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Awww, lol, that’s it? All day? I mean, I can name a couple things that’d probably feel better than that, lol.

Hahaha, next is Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Angry Mimi Dot Com 1st Birthday (+ Q&A)” (17 July 2009).

17 July | Angry Mimi – Angry Mimi Dot Com 1st Birthday | Enlarge 2200px

Congrats, Angry Mimi-chan! Although technically, while your original “Angry Loli @ Blogger” blog was created one year ago, your current WordPress-based “Angry Mimi Dot Com” hasn’t reached one year yet. Just an observation, lol. And now the “Question and Answer” session.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Oops, I better add that note to your “Mimi’s Rage” Facebook group! But rest assured, for the past year, you’ve been one of the livelier colors in the otakuspheric rainbow. Awww. So let’s see. Questions, questions, questions…

1> If you traveled faster than the speed of sound and approached the speed of light, would Mozart’s “Requiem” still be an auditory masterpiece? Why or why not?

2> If a composer could mathematically translate the human genetic code into a symphony of music notes, would that symphony be a masterpiece? Why or why not?

3> If your blog had never survived the first 6 months, where would you be, and what would be doing, right now? If one isn’t satisfactory, then the three most probable outcomes, lol.

Mimi: Oh eff I have to leave seriously right now so uhm Jay those are too confusing I don’t like comprehend fast enough >.< K see you next week. I really have to go (to a far away place for some fun business that’s a secret but will tell when the time comes). : P

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Heyyy, no worries. Though a “confused” answer would’ve been just as illuminating and amusing as a “comprehending” one, lol. Good luck on your secret-spy trip! ^_~

Mimi: Ok Jay here are my attempts!

1) Uhh sure, although I have no clue what Mozart’s Requiem sounds like because I’m less musically adept. :’D

2) Yeah it would, cuz it would be quite popular.

3) Hmm. 1. On Nico Nico Douga. 2. On SanCom. 3. On DC.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hehe, nice!

1> Clue: Ahh, but would you still be able to enjoy music if you traveled faster than music? Double clue: If a tree falls in a forest, yada yada, lol.

2> Really? Isn’t it possible that our “human genetic symphony” might sound like an insane “Nico Nico Douga” video? Nooooo! ^o^

3> So basically, no change, haha. >_<;

Confused yet? Hahaha, finally, here’s Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Angry Mimi Signs” (18 July 2009).

18 July | Angry Mimi – Angry Mimi Signs | Enlarge 2200px

Of course, I couldn’t resist a good musical challenge! After a few listens to Angry Mimi-chan’s masterful piano performance, I wandered a bit through YouTube to try to confirm my suspicions, lol. While I felt good about the composer, I couldn’t verify the exact piece. So I had to go with my gut below!

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hmmm, intriguing game! Will you collect responses before approving them? Or will you let other commenters see previous guesses? Whoa, I gotta admit, when I heard the 2nd half of this “mystery piece”, certain themes felt like Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2! Very similar!

So based on my limited knowledge, I’ll guess Liszt. If I had to guess further, it’s probably one of the 19 Rhapsodies? ^_~;

To my surprise, since she hadn’t moderated my comment as other comments appeared, I must’ve guessed right! Right?

Mimi: We actually have one winner so far. Just fyi.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: {Innocent eyes, feigned surprise} Whoa! What? So soon?

Mimi: Someone here is quite musically adept. ^^ I’m surprised.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: {Tilted head, raised eyebrow} Hehe, I wouldn’t know. But I probably wouldn’t be surprised who the “angry influence” is.

Mimi: Haha.. wait, really? O.o

Mimi: To the person who got it right.. I still can’t believe it. If I hadn’t learned this piece, I never would’ve guessed THAT closely to the actual piece. That was so seriously close! :’O!!

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: LOL, why? I thought you were the virtuoso. Must’ve been a “perfect storm” of passion, perception and coincidence.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hahaha, okay, you don’t have to moderate this comment yet either, since I can see that my first one is still being held, lol. But it’s a pretty winding and amusing story. The 1st seed was back in January when you were trying out for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. I mean, I played some piano as a teen. But somehow I found myself analyzing your “Waldstein” piece, lol. The 2nd seed was probably in April. I don’t know how, whether it was random YouTube searches, or if you mentioned Liszt in your blog posts, but something made me add “Hungary Rhapsody #2″ to my Pandora.com Radio Stations on April 7th, haha. Shortly thereafter, I watched the YouTube Symphony Orchestra performed on April 15-16th. Then the following week, you mentioned Liszt in your April 22nd post “Why why why do you blog?”. So it’s possible that you might’ve mentioned Liszt earlier, between January and April. In any case, it stuck in my brain that he was one of your favorite composers, lol. But here’s the funny thing, when I heard “Hungary Rhapsody #2″ again, it was something I already recognized as a kid! One of those old Looney Tune cartoons with Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry where the occasional story revolved around classical music. But I never knew what it was called or who composed it. I mean, I haven’t listened to classical music in years. At least, not regularly, not since college. Until earlier this year, lol… In other words, if you had never tried out for the YouTube Orchestra, I never would’ve guessed who wrote this “mystery piece”. Hahaha, such a strange world.

Then finally, in Angry Mimi-chan’s next-day post “All Your Mudkips Are Belong To Me! A Mudkip Miracle” (19 July 2009), she announced the winners.

P.S. The winners are Jay and unellmay who both guessed “Franz Liszt.” Jay was closer than even I would have been had I never learned that piece, with a more-specific guess of “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.” I’m impressed beyond words. Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Fantasy (or Fantasy on Hungarian Themes) is actually based on a Hungarian Rhapsody. :’O!! So there you go. Congrats you two! ^__^

P.P.S. I’m gone this entire week but will be back on Sunday to make signs and throw some PMS into this blog.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Gahhh, so damn close I could taste it. And thanx! Yeah, I was hoping it was one of the later “Hungarian Rhapsodies”, but I’d definitely welcome a sign based on a “Hungarian Fantasy”. Who wouldn’t? Especially if it resembles your top “80% Mio” pic, lol. Mudkips and PMS not included.

Whew. That was a mega-ton of Japanese moe, Hungarian music, and Angry Mimi-chan! But enough about anime and otaku, let’s hyper-leap from angry teens to aging anti-heroes, lol.

Part 2 of 5 > Watchmen – 2007 Flashback

Ahh, “Watchmen”. Before we dive into the 2009 film, let’s flashback to my ancient mini-cast “Blog 115 > Who Watches the Watchmen?” (28 October 2007). Here’s one of the first posters that appeared back in 2007.

Watchmen (Poster, 2007) | Enlarge 750px

Here’s what I wrote back then.

Wow. A couple months ago, on August 26th, 2007, an email subscription sent me an eye-popping article on the “Watchmen” movie coming in 2009! For those of you who know the title, you know what I mean! … When I first read the award-winning “Watchmen” comic back around ’87-’89, I was immediately drawn in and amazed by the violence, psychology and complexity of a world where superheroes grew middle-aged and cynical. Not only that, but the symbolism — especially of the watch — within the comic and how frames seemed to meld from one to the next definitely made an impression on me. I think this was the first time I was exposed to such darkness in comics, manga or anime. And coming in 2009, I new “Watchmen” CG film will hope to live up to the highest expectations!… Below, here are 6 photos of the old “Watchmen” comic I’ve kept since high-school…

Awesome, huh? Here are the 6 photos I mentioned.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Ten to midnight!

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

A peek at Chapter IV.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Four to midnight!

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

A peek at Chapter IX.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Another bloody angle.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Now that we’ve flashed back for a tangy taste of the “Watchmen” past, let’s flash forward for a spicier spoon of the “Watchmen” present, lol. Are you ready?

Part 3 of 5 > Watchmen – 2009 Film

Like I mentioned above, I’ve known about the oncoming “Watchmen” (2009) film since 2007. Then in March 2009, it finally premiered. Well, just a little over a week ago, on Sunday, 12 July 2009, I finally found the time to watch it! And guess what? It’s freakin’ good! Once again, I was “amazed by the violence, psychology and complexity of a world where superheroes grew middle-aged and cynical”. If I had never read the original comic, I’d definitely give this film at least 3 of 5 stars, if not 4 of 5 stars (which is my “official” rating, hehe). But having actually read the comic, this faithful film also deserves 5 of 5 stars in the eyes of its comic-book fans! An outstanding and blazing adaptation! To celebrate its epic anti-heroic glory, here are over 30 of the “biggest and baddest” high-res posters, wallpapers, and other images from the “Watchmen” film. Be warned! And enjoy!

Ah, one of the signature scenes from the comic and film.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3300px

An early poster of the intense cast.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3000px

The international poster at 5800px. Notice the muscular enhancement of Dr. Manhattan?

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5800px

Next, the Spanish version. Quien vigila? (Who’s watching?)

Watchmen (Film, 2009, Spain) | Enlarge 2800px

A lone mask in an unmasked city. At 5500px.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5500px

Another version of the city. Notice the replaced “elephant” blimp?

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2800px

The Romanian poster. The same unmasked city. The same intense cast.

Watchmen (Film, 2009, Romania) | Enlarge 2800px

The music album cover. Again, Dr. Manhattan is slightly different from the above.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1400px

An awesome up-close IMAX version.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2200px

The stunning cover of “Entertainment Weekly”.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3100px

Next, here are some vivid 3600px snapshots of the individual characters. The Comedian.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Rorschach.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Nite Owl.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Silk Spectre.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Dr. Manhattan.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Ozymandias.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Next, here are some intense 1920px wallpapers of the cast. Again, the Comedian.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Rorschach.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Nite Owl.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Silk Spectre.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Dr. Manhattan.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Ozymandias.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Haha, even more 1920px wallpapers of the cast. The Comedian at war.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Rorschach on the street.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Nite Owl under the ground.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Silk Spectre under fire.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Dr. Manhattan on Mars.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Ozymandias in the sky.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Finally, some memorable stills from the film. The Comedian is not laughing.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2800px

Rorschach has had enough.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

The Minutemen in their prime. Decades before evolving into the Watchmen.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Wow, and there you have it! A spicy sample of the intensely multi-layered comic-book film. Next, let’s swoop upon the seafaring “story within the story” within the “Watchmen” world. Do you get seasick?

Part 4 of 5 > Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter

So do you get seasick? Haha, whether you do or don’t, we’re not done with the “Watchmen” world just yet! In fact, on Tuesday, 14 July 2009, just a couple days after watching the film, J85-man left a couple of “Watchmen” comments on my Keion (Blog 209) mega-cast, mentioning the “Black Freighter” as follows.

Jusuchin85: @ Jayman: Well, it does follow the graphic novel intensely (minus The Black Freighter story; that was released on BR and DVD days after the premiere). The only difference is the ending. So, apart from that (despite the ending), it really did stick to its customary conspiracy theories. Really a sight to watch!

Jusuchin85: @ Jayman: The film covered every arc perfectly. I think the same way as you. When I watched the movie, I realised that some aspects have to be adjusted to cater for the modern logical sense. Then again, they should make the whole destruction much more…futile. I remember reading the graphic novel, and upon reaching the end, I was having the “Oh shi… That is UBER destruction on a wide scale!” expression. Yeah, they should have done that. But nothing’s perfect, right? It’s still impressive in my books!

Have you watched “The Black Freighter” already?

Well, after reading his comments, I downloaded and watched the “Tales of the Black Freighter” that same night, haha. While the animated feature can never be as impressive as the film, it’s still a grotesquely mesmerizing tale, and a revealing backdrop for the “Watchmen” universe, earning a twisted 3 of 5 stars. To celebrate, here are a few snapshots from the feature.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten my fake captions, lol.

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 2200px

Tales? Plural? Maybe just one tale, lol. Should’ve been “Tale of the Death Loli”.

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Nooo! My ship! I must survive! I must find the Death Loli!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Why has the Death Loli forsaken me?”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Sorry, my dead friends. I must make haste!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Dead Friend: “Find the Death Loli! Find her for us!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Ugh. The birds. The smell. The Death Loli taunts me.”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “But I shall survive her Death Game.”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “I shall survive her Death Game even at the cost of everyone else.”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! I am here!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! Where are you?”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Dammit! Where’s the Phantom of the Opera when you need him?”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Haha, did you enjoy the fake Death Captions? Ahh, of course you did! Especially you, Kris-chan, since I know you “loved” Gerard Butler as the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” (2004), hehe. I think your exact comments on my Angels (Blog 207) mega-cast went something like this.

Kris: I’ve even seen the disastrous movie-musical version they did a bit ago. It was HORRID, but I saw it. I was in agony the entire time though. Gerard Butler should never EVER sing EVER again. The girl (Emmy Rossum) wasn’t impressive either. Actually, Butler should just stay out of movies (and theatre) all together.

Kris: Anyway, I was not entertained by the Phantom film. The singing was atrocious. Some of the set designs were absurd. They threw out Maria Bjornson’s gorgeous and brilliant costume designs from the Masquerade scene and replaced them with these horridly bland gold and white messes. And Butler’s makeup design was pathetic (too concerned with him still being “pretty” I guess). I spent the entire film rolling my eyes and shouting at the TV in anger.

Now, Kris-chan, you didn’t have to hold back, did you? LOL. ^_~

Part 5 of 5 > You People – Revisited – Part 3

Heyyy, you people! Yup, yet another wacky episode in the life of filming “You People” (2010). Continuing the “You People” saga from my Tales (Blog 202) and Gravure (Blog 208) mega-casts, here’s our latest batch of random snapshots, lol.

First, here’s another handful of still photos from 17 June 2009. Yup, Charisma finally found time to post them on Facebook, hehe. In the foreground, that’s Kelly the director, also known as Charisma’s husband. A quick rehearsal, lol.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Remembering what I have to do!

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Waiting for the director’s instructions.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Removing my distracting cell phone, lol.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ah, preparing for the scene. Random pose?

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Staying out of their way, haha.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Then one month later, on 18 July 2009, the “You People” wrap party over the weekend!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, my half-hour drive begins. Beautiful 7pm sky!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Haha, “You People” the cake!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, you got it. The “Race Card” and “Reality Check”, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Another angle of the impressive icing!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

The party is under way!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some food…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some conversation…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some cheese burgers. Some macaroni and cheese…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

My clever mac-and-cheeseburger! Although you can’t really see the macaroni smashed in my burger, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

More conversation…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

More food…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

More burgers. More hot dogs. More slabs of pork!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Another view of the stacks of meat, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Everyone involved in the film, everyone I met, was nice.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, the cast, the crew, the extras, friends and family, even the dogs, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

The stacks of meat continue to grow!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

But if the stacks of meat weren’t enough, here’s some dessert.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Oops, almost forgot the apple pie back there.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ah yes, “You People”, the Game of Stereotypes!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Midway through the party, time for the “You People” bloopers! A full half-hour of bloopers, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Still setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, still setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Introducing it.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Still introducing it.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Kelly the director still finding his seat.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

A-ha! Ready to begin the show!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

I think this dog’s name is Abby?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Abby searching for food?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Kelly shaking hands with Will, the robe-wearing star of the comedy film.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Clearly, Kelly is having a heck of a time, haha.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ah, Mark setting up the “Rock Band” drums for Logan.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Is John Paul ready to go already?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Kelly’s wife, Charisma, is starting to look tired.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, definitely tired, haha.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Trying to look cool with the “Rock Band” guitar.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Clearly, Charisma is an expert blur-ographer. At least, tell me when!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Again, such expert blur-ography! Please tell me when!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Luckily and finally, Charisma manages to take a clear snapshot. Goofy but clear.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

This time, it’s Charisma’s turn to be goofy, lol. Hey, Logan, where are ya going?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, the inevitable mirror shot.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Umm, upon closer inspection, Charisma is indubitably tired. Nuff sed, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

What? Logan is still awake?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

I must admit, the “You People” wrap party was fun after all! After the delicious plates and hilarious bloopers, I managed to play some “Rock Band” with Charisma and Logan. Charisma stayed for only a few songs, including my signature vocals for “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots, hehe. But afterward, Logan and I rocked out for the next 10-to-12 tracks, including songs by Blink-182, Flyleaf, Garbage, Nirvana and The Police. Although Logan took the microphone, it didn’t stop me from singing along too! In fact, if I had worn a headset-mic, I might’ve beat the vocals-plus-guitar for a few of those tracks. After an hour or hour-and-a-half, my throat felt raw! And at 12:30am, I finally hugged and waved my good-byes, lol.

Damn, yet again, that was fast and furious! Yet another weekly mega-odyssey into medieval mayhem ends in a flash. Another mega-cast catapults us into the far-reaching heights of the blogging otakusphere, ricochets through the wildfiery depths of the watchful anti-hero underground, and crash-lands into a rowdy crowd of indie-film partiers. So once again, thank you. Of course, let’s not forget to thank the glowing guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Duckie-chan, Coco-chan, Mimi-chan, Kris-chan, Haruhi-chan, Silk Spectre, Death Loli, and Charisma. What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Sea Captain: “Nooo! My ship! I must survive! I must find the Death Loli!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Photos 2354-2420 by xJAYMANx | Click for all 59

Triple damn!!! More than 2 1/2 months since my Vader Versus Haruhi photoshoot in mid-August! Tied up with work, anime, my brother’s wedding in September, and the completion of my latest Mirai masterpiece in October. But finally, we welcome my 1/6-scale “Saber in White Swimsuit” (Clayz, June 2006) obtained in August 2007, 1/6-scale “Bunny Girl Yuki Nagato” (Atelier Sai, April 2007) obtained in May 2007, and 1/7-scale “Storm Trooper” (Kotobukiya, November 2003) obtained in July 2007.

For this Canon photoshoot, I ended up with 59 shots, taken with various backgrounds. And for the first time, I experimented with the “Auto Levels” function in Photoshop. Wow, it automatically adjusted the color and contrast pretty well!… But what’s the funniest of all is that this looks like a trooper-armored Danny Choo kidnapping Saber and Nagato! Just like he “kidnapped” the easy-on-the-eyes Aya Hirano, hahaha! Enjoy!

Otakurl it! >>
My Anime Figure List >>
Click for Full Photoshoot (59) >>

Exploring New York City | Click to open

Hey folks, I’m back! Sorry for the 2-3 week absence, but I’ve had tons of New York City photos to resize and organize for my website. While the wedding photos are protected behind a login (I’ve given some of you the login info), here are two of the photo sets I can show you, haha! These photos were taken in the morning and afternoon, mere hours before my brother’s wedding, at the Apple store, Nike store, and a Japanese bookstore. So enjoy the NYC sunshine!

Photos 001-028 by xJAYMANx | Click for all 28

Double damn, it’s been 7 busy weeks since my Ghost in the Shell photoshoot. Busy with work, friends, and my Mirai project, lol. But finally, this month, we welcome my 1/7-scale “Darth Vader” (Kotobukiya, July 2005) and 1/6-scale “Bunny Girl Haruhi” (Atelier Sai, December 2006) figures!

For this Canon photoshoot, I saved 38 shots, then narrowed it down to these 28 shots. I must admit, with the huge 13-inch ultra-black figure, the lighting and lack of screen background made the raw shots horrible. Hence the delay in salvaging the shots via Photoshop. Luckily, the final results aren’t half bad. Enjoy!

Otakurl it! >>
My Anime Figure List >>
Click for Full Photoshoot (28) >>

Death Note (2006)

+++++ Death Note (1-37) – Started 08/01/07. Finished 08/12/07. D-WOW! Mesmerizing crime games and aspiring death gods! Mind-blowing and heart-stopping! 5 stars!

Kano, Minagi and Misuzu from Air (2005)

++++ Air (1-13) – Started 08/08/07. Finished 08/11/07. WOW. Amazingly gentle and windblown summer beauty. Tearfully unforgettable. Another masterpiece from Director Tatsuya Ishihara prior to “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and “Kanon“. 4 stars (max for half-season)!

Sora from Kaleido Star (2003)

+++++ Kaleido Star – S1 (1-26) – Started 04/06/07. Finished 07/22/07. D-WOW! Fantastically funny and chilling, yet realistically inspiring and heartbreaking! 5 stars!

Haruhi from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)

[Second Viewing; Chronological] ++++ Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (1-14) – Started 07/15/07. Finished 07/20/07. WOW! Still uniquely, unconventionally and fearlessly entertaining! Even better in chronological order, lol. 4 stars (max for half-season)!

[First Viewing; Broadcast Sequence] ++++ Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (1-14) – Finished 10/26/06. WOW! Uniquely unconventional!