Blog 234 > Heavy Metal to Babymetal

Konnichiwa, my Titanium Toyboxers, if you’re still out there! Can you believe it’s been nearly 2 and 1/2 years since my last post 233? And nearly 10 years since my first post 001? So what’s the momentous occasion? Babymetal! Of course, it’s very possible that many of you have already discovered their music years ago. But, as for myself, the inevitable event finally smashed into me on March 25th, less than 2 weeks ago, as I’m writing this on April 5th-6th. Luckily, I discovered them in time for the release of their headbanging second album, Metal Resistance, on April 1st. Nice! But wait, what if you’ve never heard of them before? Well, if Metallica represents the metal gods, then Babymetal’s Su-metal, Yuimetal, and Moametal represent the metal demons. Or maybe the metal fox (kitsune) spirits!

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Blog 229 > J200XC, P90X2 & Body Rock

Welcome, my Tweeting Toyboxers! Now that I’ve regrouped and reintegrated my abandoned Twitter and WordPress.com posts into the Toybox, I can now relax with a shiny new entry. This time, we’ll curl, crunch and focus on extreme workouts! From my hybrid “J200XC” to the web-based “BodyRock.Tv” to the highly-anticipated sequel “P90X2”. So, without further ado, let’s rock the show…

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Blog 228 > I Have Moved to Google+

Haha, no, my Tumbling Toyboxers, I’m not leaving the Toybox. However, I must say…

R.I.P. WordPress.com. R.I.P. Facebook. R.I.P. Twitter. Thanks for the short but sweet memories, March-July 2011. Follow me on Google+.

If you remember in my Blog 225 several months ago, I wrote: “… To explore the bright blue bubble… I feel it’s time to move onto the next phase of my extracurricular life… I no longer have the blocks of time and energy to spend. The days of pulling a heavy wagon have drawn to a close. And the days of carrying a simple backpack have begun. In other words: a new WordPress, a new Facebook, and a new Twitter… By freeing myself from a heavily-centralized self-hosted ‘wagon’ of computer files and folders, I can leap lightly from site to site with a simple but liberating ‘backpack’ of ideas and expressions. Free to pursue and explore exotic new territories along my technical path. At least, that’s the theory. We’ll see what the bright blue bubble offers…”

Unexpectedly, all three paths led me to the same sparkling destination: Google+. See you there.

Blog 226 > From Angels to Devils

Ah, from Angels to Devils! More specifically, a 5-day Utah hiking trip that conquered (1) Zion National Park’s strenuous “Angels Landing”, (2) Bryce Canyon National Park’s breathless 8000-foot elevations, and (3) Arches National Park’s dehydrating “Devils Garden”. Wow, such an awesome, inspiring and unforgettable trip! Here’s the day-by-day breakdown…

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Blog 221.1 > From P90X to Insanity

What’s up, y’all? Insane yet? For my latest Toybox installment, I’m going to switch it up with a mini-cast follow-up of my last mega-broadcast. We’re going to leap over “P90X”, dig under “Insanity”, and jump into my own hybrid hysteria of “J200X”, haha. Yup, it’s going to be short but sweet. So let’s turn it on, tune it in, and pump it up. Let’s go!

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Blog 220 > Live Action, Asians, Aki & Me

Aww, thanks, Aki-chan! Happy Belated Birthday to you too! Sadly, Aki-chan’s message is genuinely fake, hehe. But yup, 5 days after Aki-chan’s March 14th birthday, on March 19th, I climbed another year higher, wiser and more tuned to the ways of live-action J-drama, K-drama, Asian gravure idols, and Japanese onigiri. Not bad, huh? On that note, my Tender Toyboxers, let’s step away from “fake” 2D anime and animation this week, and instead, sit back, relax with a bowl of sticky rice, and enjoy a refreshing bottle of “real” 3D entertainment. Ready? Then let’s do it. Let’s start the show…

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Blog 219 > Sayonara 2009 to Onigiri 2010

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…

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Blog 218 > Endless Jumong, Autumn & Me

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!

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Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight

Despair! Devastation! Delight! Can you truly distinguish one without the others? After all, one girl’s pain may be another girl’s panic may be another girl’s pleasure, don’t you think? Haha, welcome back, my Traveling Toyboxers! Welcome to yet another deliciously disturbing taste of another marvelously mad mega-cast! A mega-cast of classroom-crashing desperation, triple-pistolled typhoons, purse-lipped pianists, lunar-licking digestion, and hardware-clashing relaxation! What am I talking about? Well, buckle up, pipe down, lean back, and let’s figure it out, lol. Ready? Three, two, one, let’s start the show!

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Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die

Time. Space. Grace. Rock. Death. Life. Love. Welcome, my Tragic Toyboxers to yet another timeless mega-cast! Time for another revealing look at our otaku outlook, another animated moment to read or die, another intricate instant to travel through a temporal labyrinth, another warmth embrace in the arms of an autumn night, and another screaming rush of the rock-band spotlight! Fair enough? Foul enough? Well, then, ready or not, worthy or not, crazy or not, it’s time to kick-off the show!

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Blog 214 > Traps & Treks to New Worlds

Traps! Treks! Seks! Oops, I meant sex. But you get the idea, lol. Welcome, my Trapped Toyboxers, to a strange new mega-cast of unleashed-and-untamed lady bloggers, deviously lady-like high-school boys, perfectly-convincing adult-rated lady-boys, fantastically-futuristic interstellar trekkers, and frighteningly-fantastic warp-speed starships! Will I answer last week’s “Question of the Week”? Maybe. Maybe not, lol. In any case, let’s push gender prejudices aside, launch another pride-less ride, and slide to Warp Factor Nine. Engage!

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Blog 212 > Clubbers, Sisters & Butlers

Konnichiwa! Guten Tag! Buenos dias! Hello, my Tumbling Toyboxers! What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day? Oops, wait, wrong post, lol. Nevertheless, it’s that time again. Time for yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your otaku soul! Assuming you know what an otaku is, lol. But why wouldn’t you know? If you’re here, your otakuspheric spirit will be subject to the pitiful plunge of Pandora, the daring departure of Disney Choo, the chaotic catapults of Clubber Dan, as well as the melancholic charisma of Kyou-chan, the graceful corruption of Ciel, and the shadowy seduction of Sebastian. Don’t know whom I’m speaking of? Well, don’t worry, you will. So let our broadcast assault your shame, slice open your pride, and repair your despair. Whatever that means, lol. Now on with the show…

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Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People

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…

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Blog 209 > Keion, Krypton & Destruction

Are you? Are you ready, my Tyrannical Toyboxers? Ready to get wet with a brand-new blast of mega-splashes and mega-smashes? A brand-new weekly tidal-wave of keionic lolitas, kryptonite rivals and nomadic roommates? With another drenching downpour of 100-plus pics? Haha, well, I guess you don’t have many choices, do you? Time to weather the rainbow-colored lightning, feel the ground-pounding thunder, or get out of the rain! But whatever you do, it’s time for another mega-cast attack to begin!

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Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure

What’s up, my Tangy Toyboxers? Ready for another weekly mega-cast of Japanese live-action comedies, pretty lead actresses, and former gravure idols? Ready for another massive 100-plus photo onslaught? If not, better get back to sleep. But if you are, then lean back, turn on the frequency, pump up the volume, and plug in your otaku-lobes, haha. Okay, let the mega-cast attack begin…

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Blog 207 > Angels, Badasses & Cyborgs

Heyyy! Hello, my Ticklish Toyboxers! What’s up? What’s been going on? As a few of you might already know, I took a mini-break to rest, recharge, and most importantly, let my elbows recover and ring-and-pinky fingers relax from an irritating twinge of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. So like I told Kris-chan last week: “I don’t think a planned 70-100 pic post would be in my best interest right now, lol. Besides, gave me stuff to think about. Hence, a new experimental post.”

Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed my experimental Blog 206 > Anime Adrift. Not only an experiment, but it transformed into quite an intriguing Toyboxer test, haha! Congratulations to those of you who commented poetically and passed! But enough about last week. Just because I took it easy last week, doesn’t mean I won’t launch a massive 7-part 120-image cybernetic “mega-cast” or “giga-cast” this week. Including a deadly barrage of Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, angelic cyborgs and otaku bloggers for every taste. So I hope you’re healthy, ready and willing enough to withstand the light-speed onslaught. Well, then? Let the battles begin…

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Blog 206 > Anime Adrift

 

When anime arcs drift towards earth
Like spiraling sakura petals
Do you sift for the prettiest dance?
Or do you embrace the orchestral trance?

When anime flames ignite into dust
Like twinkling firework sparks
Do you blink at the fiercest light?
Or do you bathe in the fountains of flight?

When the anime waves finally wane
Whispering in the sunset mist
Will you sink beneath the soulless shores?
Or will you soar beyond the moonlit stars?