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…

Part 1 of 5 > My 44 Live-Action in 2009

During my last mega-cast, you might remember what I said about “fake” anime.

Fake? Has anime started to feel fake yet? Yup, you heard me, hehe. The reason I ask this is that… 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… 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.

Oddly, despite finishing several more anime titles over the last couple months, I haven’t experienced another “inexplicable sensation” since then. Nevertheless, to highlight my “rising consumption of 3D live-action”, in the tradition of my “annual anime lists”, I now present for the first time ever, my “annual live-action lists”. Yup, to complement My 41 Anime in 2009, here is My 44 Live-Action in 2009. Hey, did you catch that? I wrote “44″ live-action, 3 more than my “41″ anime. Fascinating, huh? From ancient warriors to eccentric pianists to moody lovers to galactic trekkers to insatiable pirates to high-school delinquents to super-rich schoolboys, it’s been a lively live-action year! To be specific, here are my live-action faves of 2009!

Next, here are my complete lists of live-action faves and 44 live-action titles-seasons of 2009. Hmm, while my anime titles witnessed a striking monthly drop after September 2009 through December 2009, my live-action titles witnessed a strong presence during those same months. Whether or not there’s a genuine personal “fall of anime”, it’s tough to ignore a personal “rise of live-action”. And tougher to ignore just by the very existence of this list!

My Live-Action 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] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) > Honorable Mention!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) > Fave K-Drama!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40)
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9)
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20)
• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) > Fave UK-Drama!
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12)
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22)
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) > Fave J-Drama!
• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) > Fave US-Drama!

My Top-5 Films or Specials > 5 of 5 stars!

• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) > Fave Romance Film!
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005)
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) > Fave Sci-Fi Film!
• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) > Fave Comedy Special!
• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) > Fave Action Film!

My Top-2 Adult Films > 5 of 5 stars!

• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) > Fave Adult Film!
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005)

My 44 Live-Action Titles-Seasons in 2009

December 2009

• [--] Tomb Raider 2 – The Cradle of Life (2003) – Finished (again) 29 Dec.
• [--] Tomb Raider (2001) – Finished (again) 27 Dec. Yup, finally finished “Tomb Raider” again.
• [44] ++++ Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Finished 26 Dec. Heyyy, not bad, not bad! Maybe 4 of 5 stars?
• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Finished 25 Dec. Aww, added or extended scenes, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Finished 24 Dec. Ahh, the film finale to the TV series. Should I give 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Finished 22 Dec. Wow, another dramatic 5 of 5 stars!
• [40] ++++ Evanescence: Anywhere but Home (2004) – Finished 17 Dec. Wow, not bad, I’d say 4 of 5 stars!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) – Finished 14 Dec. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 3″, episodes 41-60. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Star Trek (2009) – Finished (again) 13 Dec. Yup, watched the film again, a better version of the downloaded movie file! Yup, 5 of 5 stars again! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [38] ++++ Equilibrium (2002) – Finished 05 Dec. Hey, finally watched this “Matrix” clone. Not bad, I’d give 4 of 5 stars!

November 2009

• [37] ++++ Doctor Who – Planet of the Dead (2009) – Finished 22 Nov. Hey, 4 of 5 stars!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40) – Finished 17 Nov. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 2″, episodes 21-40. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Finished 15 Nov. Wow, dramatic, amusing and emotional 5 of 5 stars!

October 2009

• [34] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) – Finished 24 Oct. Not perfect but not bad at all, 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 218.
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20) – Finished 19 Oct. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 1″, episodes 1-20. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [32] +++ Densha Otoko (2005) – Finished 17 Oct. Didn’t quite pay attention to it, due to some physical distractions, hehe. Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Forbidden Kingdom (2008) – Finished (again) 04 Oct. Not bad for a second viewing! Poster and review at Blog 218.

September 2009

• [--] Jumong – Started 20 Sep. Epic! Even though this was only the first episode, I felt I had to mention when I started such an epic series! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) – Finished 20 Sep. Yup, watched the film plus the DVD extras. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Maggie and Tony remind me sooo much of us! Uncanny! I mean, how did I avoid watching this? Since I already watched “2046″ before, how? After meeting her, must be fate? Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] So Close (Chik yeung tin si, 2002) – Finished (again) 11 Sep. Yup, finally finished the film plus the DVD extras again. I don’t remember what rating I gave when I first saw it, but I’d give it 4 of 5 stars today, hehe. Images at Blog 217.

August 2009

• [--] Death Note 2 – The Last Name (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [--] Death Note (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [30] ++++ The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) – Finished 22 Aug. Yup, watched it with her at Sunset Station Casino. Hey, not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Several moments of near tears. Wallpapers and review at Blog 216.

July 2009

• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) – Finished 31 Jul. Whoa, didn’t tear up, but still emotional 5 of 5 stars!
• [28] +++ Lord of War (2005) – Finished 29 Jul. Just okay, 3 of 5 stars.
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12) – Finished 24 Jul. Watched the 2008 TV series, followed by the 2009 extra episode. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! With the first ending, so many tears streaming down both my cheeks. Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) – Finished 24 Jul. Wow, two-hour reunion! Teared up too, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) – Finished 21 Jul. Yup, finally watched the downloaded movie file. And I’m glad I did, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [24] ++++ Watchmen (2009) – Finished 12 Jul. Wow, finally watched the film-version of the break-through comic, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 211.
• [23] ++ L – Change the World (2008) – Finished 11 Jul. Ehh, nice to see “L” again, but such a poor plot, 2 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [22] ++++ Smallville – Season 8 (1-22) – Finished 03 Jul. Haha, a six-episode marathon till the 22nd-episode finale! Whoa, intense 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 209.

June 2009

• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) – Finished 27 Jun. Awww, wild, wacky yet warm. Yup, no doubt, another 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 208.
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22) – Finished 19 Jun. Wow, the stylistic reverence and cinematic adherence to the original film trilogy is uncanny! An impressive 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 207.
• [19] ++++ Blade Runner – Director’s Cut (1982, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hehe, after “Hard Boiled”, I was then inspired to watch “Blade Runner” again, starring Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos. Still a cyborg-gunning 4 of 5 stars! Posters and review at Blog 207.
• [18] ++++ Hard Boiled (Lat sau san taam, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hey, finally watched this film! Directed by John Woo, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. A bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 207.
• [17] ++++ Nodame Cantabile – Special in Europe (2008, 1-2) – Finished 13 Jun. After the live-action series, watched the two-episode “Special in Europe”. Awww, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) – Finished 12 Jun. Haha, the live-action version of the extraordinary anime! Wow, sublime 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [15] ++++ In July (Im Juli, 2000) – Finished 06 Jun. Ahh, a random non-Asian change via Netflix, finally watched this German romantic comedy. Aww, hard not to fall in love with Christiane Paul. A colorful 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 205.

May 2009

• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) – Finished 04 May. Double-wow! Spectacular 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 201.

April 2009

• [13] ++++ Shinobi – Heart Under Blade (2005) – Finished 25 Apr. Ahh, the live-action film alternative to the novel or anime. Too few ninjas, but not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 199.
• [12] ++++ Police Story 3 – Supercop (Ging chat goo si 3: Chiu kup ging chat, 1992) – Finished 19 Apr. Wow, Jackie Chan’s third police-punching action-packed roller-coaster ride, featuring the dazzling Michelle Yeoh, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 198.
• [11] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – Caprica – Pilot (2009) – Finished 18 Apr. Heyyy, the pilot for the 2010 series! Wow, wickedly impressive 4 of 5 stars!
• [10] +++ Seven Swords (Chat gim, 2005) – Finished 10 Apr. Stunning imagery, but ehh, not bad, 3 of 5 stars.

March 2009

• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) – Finished 21 Mar. Wow, glorious final episode of the final chapter! Wickedly breathtaking, heart-stoppingly mind-blowing, with twists, turns and surprises till the end, haha. For a full 90 minutes too. A galactic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 194.
• [08] +++ Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni piasu, 2008) – Finished 21 Mar. Hmm, a revealing yet startling window into soul-searching underground characters. The plot wasn’t too bad, 3 of 5 stars. Screencaps and review at Blog 194.

February 2009

• [07] ++++ Police Story 2 (Ging chat goo si juk jaap, 1988) – Finished 21 Feb. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching sequel, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) – Finished 20 Feb. Wow, spectacular big-budget adult film, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005) – Finished 10 Feb. Wow, impressive big-budget adult production! Haha, except for the explicit sex, almost like a “real” movie, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.
• [04] ++++ Battle Royale (2000) – Finished 06 Feb. Whoa, with all the bloody violence, unexpectedly complex and layered, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.

January 2009

• [03] ++++ Police Story (Ging chat goo si, 1985) – Finished 28 Jan. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching classic! Even after 24 years, the stunts are still insane, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 187.
• [02] ++++ Doctor Who at the Proms (Special, 2009) – Finished 11 Jan. Heyyy, not bad, pretty entertaining! Such moving and memorable musical pieces for the reimagined sci-fi series, 4 of 5 stars!
• [01] ++++ Sarah Jane Adventures – Season 2 (1-12) – Finished 04 Jan. Ahh, a more child-oriented version of the reimagined “Doctor Who”, but still quite an entertaining 4 of 5 stars!

Part 2 of 5 > Hana Yori Dango to Dae Jang Geum

Congratulations to “Hana Yori Dango”! Although “Nodame Cantabile” stole the prize of “Fave J-Drama”, I couldn’t overlook “Hana Yori Dango” either. So I gave this J-drama an “Honorable Mention”! Let’s take another look why.

• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Aww, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Ahh, 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!

Yup, not just two seasons, but also a film finale. In the same effective “dramedy” style seen in “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213) and “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207), “Hana Yori Dango” likewise dances playfully between exaggerated over-the-top comic-violence and heart-breaking-heart-warming tears. Especially captivating are Mao Inoue (as Makino Tsukushi, 牧野 つくし) and Jun Matsumoto (as Domyouji Tsukasa, 道明寺 司), also a graduate of “Gokusen”. And oftentimes, successfully frustrating too, hehe. But yeah, an undeniable 5 of 5 stars overall, across both seasons and both film versions.

To celebrate, ranging dramatically from 1024px-to-3000px resolution, here are 13 wallpapers, scans and other images. Feel free to enlarge!

Inevitably, following the success of the “Hana Yori Dango” (2005, 2007) J-drama series, the K-drama version “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) was born. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy its slower pace. Especially on the treadmill. So after willfully enduring 7 of 25 episodes from January 13th to January 20th, I finally gave up. Ugh, the 7th was the slowest episode thus far. That’s when I switched back to another K-drama, the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) series, hehe. Nevertheless, here are a couple of images for your idle and idol enjoyment!

Coincidentally, on March 2nd, while Autumn-chan was strolling through the library, she managed to pass by an aisle of manga, thought of me, and snapped some shots on her iPhone, haha. Not just “Hana Yori Dango” (Boys Over Flowers), but “Kare Kano” (His & Her Circumstances) too! Wow, it’s been ages since I blogged about “Kare Kano”. Let’s see, Blog 184? Yup, I think that was the last time!

Speaking of the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) K-drama, I also started it on January 13th. But unlike the “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) K-drama, I’ve stuck with it for over 2 months, enjoying over 40 of 54 episodes thus far! Especially on the treadmill, haha. I can definitely see the interrelated influences with other Ancient Korean K-drama favorites like “Damo” (2003) and “Jumong” (2006). I’ll probably discuss it in more detail next time, but for now, here are several wallpapers for your wondering and wandering eyes.

Haha, got enough live-action J-drama and K-drama to fill your bowl?

Part 3 of 5 > Miss Actress to Aki Hoshino

Once again, Happy Birthday to you, Aki-chan! I didn’t forget your photoshoot, hehe. Ahh, my Tantalized Toyboxers, if you’ve peeked at the Toybox often enough, you’ve already seen a few of my posts featuring Japanese gravure-idol photoshoots. Haven’t you?

• Juri Ueno from the hit J-drama “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207)
• Yukie Nakama from another hit J-drama “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213)

So finally, in the tradition of my previous photoshoots, I present Aki Hoshino (ほしのあき / 호시노 아키 / 星野亞紀) from the Miss Actress Photo Book #070 (2005). Enjoy!

Oh, before I forget, here’s an interesting side note. When I first stumbled upon Aki-chan’s photoshoot months ago, perhaps half a year ago along with Juri-chan’s or Yukie-chan’s photoshoots, I noticed how artsy-and-dark this shoot was compared to other standard bright-and-sunny idol shoots. Very cool. But when I began composing this mega-cast, I somehow lost the link! Fortunately, on February 28th, I found it again! Along with an intriguing interview I hadn’t seen before. Thus, I requested the assistance of Autumn-chan to translate and summarize the text. Thanks Autumn-chan!

Autumn-chan: finally made sense

xJAYMANx: awesome

Autumn-chan: sorry it took so long

xJAYMANx: ohh, no time at all, want to add any comments for those 6 pages?
(for blog)

Autumn-chan: i don’t have anything to add…

xJAYMANx: np, then would it be okay to ask for a brief summary?
or does the english parts sum it up

Autumn-chan: she talks about when she was in middle school and high school, how she didn’t like studying but liked to go to school because her friends were there
she didn’t know how to be friends with boys or go on dates because she didn’t know how to have a relationship with a guy (she didn’t have a father)

xJAYMANx: interesting

Autumn-chan: and then when she was 18 she had a crush on a guy that was 23
she thought he was his boyfriend until she found out that she was only one of his several girlfriends

xJAYMANx: ahh
(sent a final question) [Via email: Here are 2 more without much text. Would they fit better at the start, end or somewhere in between (about being an "all-boys girl").]

Autumn-chan: so he broke her heart and she lost a lot of weight

xJAYMANx: aww

Autumn-chan: then she went to his home to pick up her stuff and when he saw how thin she was, he was kind to her, so she thought if she looked sick he’d like her
she was 35kg which is less than 80 pounds

xJAYMANx: wow

Autumn-chan: but she got over that and started modeling

xJAYMANx: thats super skinny isn’t it?

Autumn-chan: (yes) and she started when she was 24 and no magazine wanted her, but she somehow made it

xJAYMANx: really
that’s late to start modelling

Autumn-chan: yes
very late, she says that’s when girls stop doing bikinis

xJAYMANx: yeah
(anywhere in between, so not start or end)

Autumn-chan: i think it should start with 107

xJAYMANx: i agree
which text page talks about “all boys girl”

Autumn-chan: 107

xJAYMANx: ahh, so you’re right, anywhere in between

Autumn-chan: the second picture is probably in high school which is on 105

xJAYMANx: you mean 102 goes w 105?

Autumn-chan: yes

Without further ado, here’s Aki-chan’s photoshoot! As always, feel free to enlarge the images. You’ll notice the original interview soon enough, hehe.

Hehe, got enough lively bikini idols to fill your cup? But here’s a more intriguing side note. It occurred to my cross-circuited brain: Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of the innocent-yet-curvy Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe?

Part 4 of 5 > Japanese Souvenirs to Birthday Dishes

Okay, my Toasty Toyboxers, enough about live-action dramas and lively bikini idols. Let’s talk about food! During my last mega-cast, you might remember how I acquired my rice cooker.

On Saturday, 09 January 2010, based on Autumn-chan’s advice, I finally ordered my $122 Zojirushi rice cooker for just $9, hehe… 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.

Well, over the rest of January through February and March, I’ve experimented with quite a few variations of onigiri, ranging from plain Calrose white rice, to Calrose white rice with shiso seasoning, to Calrose white rice slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso seasoning, to Calrose brown rice with wakame (seaweed) mix. Thanks Autumn-chan for the shiso and wakame! In fact, here’s a two-month-old snapshot of my Zojirushi. At near-daily use, it’s still going strong!

Back in mid-January, here were my early attempts at oddly-shaped “cubic” onigiri, haha. Calrose white with shiso.

One month later, mid-February, here were my more traditionally shaped “triangular” onigiri. Plain Calrose white.

Ah yes, souvenirs from the “Tokyo Loot Fairies”! After Autumn-chan came back from Japan, she brought back quite a few intriguing trinkets. A stack of tourist brochures, curry and shiso mixes, a shopping guide and other boxes. Unrelatedly yet relatedly, my close co-worker friend Allie-chan also happened to bring back a little gift. Can you guess which one it is?

Haha, first, let’s talk about the orange box with feet on it! This was Autumn-chan’s primary present for the winter season. Any educated guess what it is? Yup, a type of gel-pack bed warmer! Just take the gel-pack, heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, throw it under the bed covers, and you’re good to go for the night. You have the option to stick it in the orange sack to protect your skin from any prolonged contact. But since I wore sweatpants and socks anyway, the toasty heat didn’t bother me. I must admit, it was a nice companion to my portable heaters. But it doesn’t quite exist in the States, does it? At least not on Amazon.

Ah, second, the curry mix! But not just the sauce, the mix also includes the meat, potatoes and veggies. Very convenient! Unfortunately, only enough for one plate. One, maybe two servings. Definitely not something I can find at the local grocery store, even in the “international” or “ethnic” aisle, hehe. Oh yeah, if you look closely, or enlarge the image, you can see the “3″ in the bottom-right corner. That’s a mild or medium “3 out of 5″ in the spiciness range.

Third, the shiso mix! Made from the shiso plant, this seasoning adds a very consistent saltiness to your onigiri. Actually, let me correct that, you can control the density and consistency of the saltiness depending on how you mix up, or don’t mix up, your cooked rice. In any case, mmm, tasty.

Fourth, the “Dessert Pocky”! Why is it called “Dessert”? Who knows? I guess it must be the cheesecake flavoring? Or the very un-dense packing? Haha, I mean, come on, even though they show 12 sticks on the box cover, any reasonable consumer might expect more than that, right? Well, nope. It’s exactly 12 sticks, or 3 sticks in each of the 4 packs. That’s all. Just 12 sticks!

Fifth, the “Super Skinny Pocky”! I forgot what the translation on the big red arrow was, but I think it was something like “Super Skinny”. Is it really “Super Skinny” compared to the traditional standard “Pocky”? Hmm, maybe slightly. But then again, I don’t eat it often enough to immediately notice the difference, unless you told me.

Ahh, here’s another curious side note. I forget who told me, either Autumn-chan or Allie-chan, but “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. I never knew this until last year! How girlie? Well, probably as “girlie” as buying and putting on make-up. Yup, no joke. Which explains why you see only girls enjoying “Pocky” in anime and drama. Which also explains why they came out with a specific “Men’s Pocky” to target male consumers. Like I said, no joke. If I were strolling though Tokyo, I’d probably not want to be seen eating “Pocky”. For example, take a peek at the back of the box. Where Mizuki Kuroda is showing you how to add tiny hearts to your “Strawberry Pocky”. Awww, how cute and sweet. So the next time you have a craving for these chocolate sticks, don’t forget to put on your lipstick and nail polish too, haha.

Sixth, even more onigiri “accessories”, hehe. In the pink packet, sake (salmon) seasoning for mixing into the rice. In the first green packet, wakame (one type of seaweed) seasoning for also mixing into the rice. And in the second green packet, nori (another type of seaweed) for covering an exterior section of the onigiri.

Seventh, the “Japan Shopping Guide”! Covering English, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Hardly any Japanese at all! Including train lines, bus lines, maps and product information for all your favorite shopping sites! Featuring Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Makuhari, Funabashi, Yokohama, even Narito Airport, and bits of Osaka too, hehe.

Ahh, so do any of these Zojirushi rice cookers look familiar? Hmmm?

Well, that’s all of the “Tokyo Loot” souvenirs, folks! Can you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Haha, like a needle in a haystack! Or, hint-hint, like a stick in a pile of chocolate? Meanwhile, speaking of impossibly random finds, one day, while I was flipping through the April 2010 issue of “Reader’s Digest” (yeah, a gift subscription from Dad), guess what I found on page 123? A life-sized android Miku-chan! Imagine that! If you have no idea who or what Miku-chan is, check out Otaku Dan’s post “Miku Hatsune Wallpaper Dump” (24 March 2010). Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either.

Another month later, mid-March, here was another tasty onigiri experiment. Calrose white slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso.

Then another two weeks later, on March 29th, I finally opened the green packet of wakame (seaweed) seasoning above. Calrose brown rice with wakame. Mmm, brown rice definitely makes a difference. Seems to add another layer or texture to the flavor. My favorite onigiri so far!

Mmm, doesn’t all of this onigiri make you hungry? But now, let’s rewind back over the past week to my other delicious birthday dishes! Remember the green box of medium curry mix above? Not just the sauce, but the meat, potatoes and veggies included too? Well, here’s the mix when cooked in the microwave for a minute, and poured over nice and sticky Calrose brown rice, mmm. Doubly delicious when shared with Autumn-chan. Awww.

Afterwards, dessert! Chocolate bread pudding and yummy apple pie! Need I say more?

Mmm, if all of the onigiri didn’t budge you, then the pudding and pie must have! So that was Saturday, March 20th. A few days later, on Tuesday, March 23rd, a couple of my coworkers Melanie (in brown) and Michelle (in black) decided to treat me to a belated birthday lunch. Awww. My choice: T.G.I.F. With some strawberry lemonade, fried green beans, a Jack Daniel’s Sampler platter (packed with chicken, shrimp and ribs), and of course, the final ice-cream dessert accompanied with the universally embarrassing T.G.I.F. staff singing. Bahhh.

Happy Birthday, dude! By the way, my Tempted Toyboxers, if you’re curious about last year’s birthday antics, appetizers and assassins, feel free to take a peek at Blog 194.

Part 5 of 5 > Firefox Personas to Google iGoogles

Are we there yet? Last but not least, here are a few random technical updates on the web browsers and websites I’ve been using. Back on February 18th, I finally installed the new Firefox 3.6, played with its cool Persona skins, and ultimately settled on the “Black Catgirl” browser skin. Nice! Next, on February 22nd, I finally explored iGoogle, configured my iGoogle home page, and ultimately settled with a 3-column “Black UI” theme. Double nice! So on February 28th, with everything pretty stable and set in place, I decided to take some screencaps (Photoshop-edited for content). Yup, very black, very cool.

Yup, my “Black Toybox 2007″ blog design is still running pretty well. Three years sticking with the same design, same theme, same look-and-feel. Not too shabby. Not at all.

Heyyy, thank you, my Trusty Toyboxers, for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed my stumble and climb through live-action drama titles, lively bikini idols, and tasty onigiri. Once again, Happy Birthday, Aki-chan! And thanks to the other gracious gals who glided through this mega-cast. Yukie-chan, Juri-chan, Mao-chan, Autumn-chan, Allie-chan, Miku-chan, Maria-chan, Melanie and Michelle. So did you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Yup, the blue-boxed loosely-packed cheesecake-flavored “Dessert Pocky”, haha.

• Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of Marilyn Monroe?
• “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. How girlie?
• Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either. Miku who?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Aki-chan: “Happy Birthday, Jay… 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!

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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?

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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.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge

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…

Part 1 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Nodame Cantabile

Wow. Comedic. Dramatic. Inspiring. Sublime. What more can I add? What else can I say about the live-action Japanese drama “Nodame Cantabile” (2006), starring the irresistible Juri Ueno, eh? Here’s my speed-review for the anime-version back in my December Blog 178.

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

Nodame Cantabile [50] | 5 of 5 Stars | Enlarge 1024px

So how does the 11-episode live-action drama compare? Well, let me answer it this way. While I watched the first episode on 24 May 2009, I finished the remaining ten episodes from 7 June to 12 June! Less than a week! And then I finished the 2-part “European Special” the next day on 13 June, haha. I mean, the over-the-top physical comedy sets up the profound emotional dilemmas perfectly. And this only works when the actors and actresses can portray the orchestral roller-coaster tale just as flawlessly. Like I said: Sublime. I’m even tempted to give my first 6 of 5 stars ever. But I mustn’t break the rules too often, or it defeats the purpose of the rating system, lol. Very well, let’s go with 5 of 5 stars. To celebrate, here are a series of screencaps from Design Chronicle and a couple of promotional shots from Sony Music Japan.

Hehe, shall I present my traditional fake captions?

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Why am I showing the ending credits first?

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Eh, why not? To give an initial impression of the overall series?

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Ah, Europe!

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Ah, young Shinichi-kun before the terror and the trauma.

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Ah, the college-aged Shinichi-sempai: “Who stole my porn?”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

The next-door Nodame-chan: “You mean, *my* porn?”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “You threw my porn where?”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “I’ll have to teach you a lesson! A bath should do it!”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Ahh, the piano feels like shampoo…”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Is it true? The piano is nothing without porn!”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Hehe, or is porn nothing without the piano?”

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “Take that! You porn-stealing piano-playing fruit-cake!”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Awww, I love it when he smacks me…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “It means he loves me…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Oh no, I can’t find the porn I borrowed…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Maybe a little make-up will help?”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “Ah, porn is nothing without the violin!”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “You’re right! I thought the violin was nothing without porn!”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Nooo, how can I be sick now? I need to find his porn…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Mine-san: “Shinichi-san’s right. Porn is nothing without the violin!”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “Nodame-chan, let’s find the porn together.”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “Hahaha, what do you mean? I haven’t finished your porn yet!”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “But Nodame-chan, you can have it back in exchange for one kiss…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Whah-whah-whah?”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

POWWW!!!

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “Nodame-chan, are you sure you don’t want your porn back?”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

DOUBLE POWWW!!!

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “Ahh, porn is nothing without an orchestra!

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “I have to find it. I have to find it…”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “What? You couldn’t find my porn? Wait! You know where it is?”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “But I want to watch it too!”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “What!?! They stole back my favorite porn!?!”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Shinichi-sempai: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken the porn from you.”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Stresemann-sensei: “You should *all* be sorry! That was mine-mine-mine!”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Hehe, I can’t wait to see it! Can’t wait to see it!”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

LOL, okay-okay, enough of the fake captions. Here’s the cover of what looks like a Japanese TV guide. For the week of 21-27 October 2006. Featuring Juri Ueno and Hiroshi Tamaki from “Nodame Cantabile”. Aww, lemons.

Juri Ueno & Hiroshi Tamaki | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2006) | Enlarge 1000px

Here’s an inside page from that TV guide. Feel free to enlarge the image, hehe.

Juri Ueno & Hiroshi Tamaki | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2006) | Enlarge 1000px

Next, here’s a couple of promotional shots from Sony Music Japan, lol. From the week of Christmas 2007.

Juri Ueno | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2007) | Enlarge 1700px

Here’s another high-resolution shot. Feel free to enlarge the image, hehe.

Juri Ueno | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2007) | Enlarge 2400px

Well, I hope you enjoyed my flurrying musings of “Nodame Cantabile”. It’s definitely hard *not* to fall in love or feel protective of the carefree Nodame-chan or actress Juri Ueno, lol. In fact, according to her Wikipedia page, 2 live-action “Nodame Cantabile” films are coming soon in 2010! Really? I’m not surprised at all. LOL, we can’t get enough of Juri-chan, can we?

Part 2 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Anime Adrift

Heyyy, speaking of Juri Ueno, I mentioned my experimental Blog 206 > Anime Adrift at the top of my giga-cast, right? Well, during my search for some high-resolution “Juri Ueno” pics to accompany my “Nodame” discussion, I stumbled across an online stash of her old pics from her “JURIfirst” (2004) photo book. Which means Juri-chan was 18-years-old when her photo book was released, two years after her 2002 television debut. Which also isn’t surprising, since many famous Japanese actresses began their entertainment career as a gravure idol. Actress Yukie Nakama, from the comedy “Gokusen” (Live-Action Drama, 2002, 2005, 2008), is another name which comes to mind. But some girls start as early as 12 years old, if not younger!

In any case, here are 2 brief photoshoots from her photo book. Feel free to enlarge the high-resolution scans.

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Interestingly, here’s the cover *without* the additional cover flap.

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Then here’s the cover *with* the cover flap, mentioning her fame in TV and commercials (CM), haha. Why not mention it, right?

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Well, that’s all for now. Just a quick 9-page glimpse of the near-100-page photo book. Hmm, maybe I’ll trickle a few more photoshoots in the near future? Who knows? But now, from live-action romantic comedies and gravure-idol photo books, let’s leap 180-degrees into post-apocalyptic cyborg technologies!

Part 3 of 7 > Chronicles of Cyborgs & Terminators

Drama. Desperation. Terror. Horror. Sublime. What more can I add? What else can I say about the American sci-fi drama “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008), eh? Back in my Blog 203 last month, I mentioned that the series had been sadly cancelled before I even had a chance to finish it. But now that I’ve finished it, it’s even more sad. Within one month, I began the first episode of “Season 2″ on 23 May 2009, then finished the final revealing episode just a few days ago, on 19 June 2009. Despite the expectedly heavy atmosphere within such a post-apocalyptic time-shifting saga, the acting amongst all of the actors is top-notch. And the stylistic reverence and cinematic adherence to the original film trilogy is uncanny! An impressive 5 of 5 stars! To celebrate, here are a series of high-resolution promotional wallpapers, photos and other images, many of which come from TV Spoilers Center.

Yup, here are a ton of huge images, including a bunch that are larger than 3000px, and a few that are 4000px! Gotta love the shotgun. A nice reference to the films, lol. Do you want to live?

Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1800px

Sarah & John | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2700px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Ah, here are the leading and killing women of the series.

Lena Headey as Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Lena Headey as Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Summer Glau as Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Summer Glau as Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

Shirley, Summer & Garret Dillahunt | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

And now, here are a stockpile of terminating wallpapers.

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3000px

Liquid Metal | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Liquid Metal | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron & Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron & Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron, Sarah & Derek Reese | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron, Sarah & Derek Reese | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

The Cast | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

Well, do you really want to live? Despite the cancellation, I must congratulate the cast and crew of “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008) for a job well done! After 2 time-gripping mind-bending seasons, it’s sad to see it end. But maybe now, I can finally catch the latest “Terminator 4 – Salvation” (2009) film. Maybe?

Part 4 of 7 > Chronicles of Shirley, Summer & Stephanie

Ah, the deadly actresses of “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles”! Shirley, Summer and Stephanie! Let’s begin with Shirley, lol. Wow, I first remember Shirley Manson when she was the lead vocalist of Garbage, back when I bought their debut album in 1995! Loved their music and especially her voice! Enough to buy their follow-up album “Version 2.0″ in 1998, lol. So when I saw Shirley appear in this sci-fi series, in her first professional acting role, I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised! A 14-year arc, lol. Pretty awesome.

Shirley Manson | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3600px

Next, remember Summer? Haha, like I mentioned a few mega-casts ago, I first remember Summer Glau from her previous sci-fi series “Firefly” (2002). And like I mentioned, this will be her *second* sci-fi axe. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted, right? A 7-year arc, lol. Still pretty awesome.

Summer Glau | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

By the way, here’s a hilarious NSFW-pornographic composite image I stumbled across in my “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” searches, lol. Be warned! Don’t enlarge the image unless you’re willing to subject yourself to some humorous nudity! But still, despite the poor spelling, the Photoshop quality is remarkable, lol. “Cum with her if you want to live”, lol.

Fake Summer Glau | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1800px (NSFW)

Ah, last but never least, Stephanie! My favorite, lol. So why do I say “favorite”? Well, if you remember a couple of months ago in my Steampunk mega-cast (Blog 196, Part 4), I posted about my favorite “Firefly” fanfic character, the Anglo-Asian genius pilot I created and illustrated in 2004, named Akiko “Lucky” Yoshikawa. While Angry Mimi-chan may remind me of Lucky’s appearance and personality, Stephanie Jacobsen, based on her performance in “Battlestar Galactica – Razor” (2007), would be the perfect actress to play Lucky. Not only with her combined Portuguese, Chinese, Norwegian, and British heritage, but especially her Aussie accent!

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

So when I saw Stephanie appear in this series, yet another sci-fi series, I was immediately drawn into her particular strand of the “Terminator” saga. Here’s a still from the “Terminator” set.

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1900px

Next, here’s a still from the “Battlestar Galactica – Razor” set. Impressive.

Stephanie Jacobsen | Battlestar Galactica – Razor (2007) | Enlarge 1280px

Finally, here’s a shot in a softer outfit, from neither “Terminator” nor “Battlestar Galactica”, lol.

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3000px

So that’s it! The quick and dirty “Terminator” chronicles of Shirley, Summer and Stephanie linking “Garbage”, “Firefly”, and “Battlestar Galactica”, as well as linking Scottish, British and Australian accents, lol. Wait, did I mention I have a thing for European and European-based accents? I did? Oh, sorry then.

Part 5 of 7 > Hard-Boiled Cops, Blade Runners & Battling Angels

Oh yeah! Extending the exterminating trajectory of badass gunslingers and gunslinging badasses, let’s take a one-eyed aim at the classic Hong Kong action film “Hard Boiled” (1992), directed by John Woo, and starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Haha, yup, last week on 14 June 2009, I finally managed to watch what many critics consider to be “one of the greatest and most influential action films ever made”! And I can’t disagree! Not only that, Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai are so young, lol. Especially since mentioning Tony Leung in my Red Cliffs mega-cast (Blog 201, Part 3), lol. Consequently, I’d have to award the film a bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars!

In fact, here’s the front cover of the 2007 DVD-version I watched.

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 700px

Here’s a similar cover including both the front and back.

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 1600px

Finally, here’s a famous still from the classic action film.

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 2600px

Now, after watching “Hard Boiled”, and noticing many of the elements that influenced later films like “Terminator” (1984), “Die Hard” (1988) and “The Matrix” (1999), I couldn’t escape one particular motif. After seeing Tony Leung’s paper cranes, I couldn’t help being reminded of the origami figures folded by Edward James Olmos in “Blade Runner” (1982). So guess what? What did I do? Immediately after finishing “Hard Boiled”, I decided to watch my old DVD copy of the classic American sci-fi film “Blade Runner – Director’s Cut” (1982, 1992), starring Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos, for the first time in years. Yup, years! Too funny. Funny how seeing Edward James Olmos’ “pimped” humanoid form and the “skin job” reference to cyborg Replicants, both reminded me of the humanoid Cylons in “Battlestar Galactica”. Even funnier how Harrison Ford’s piano managed to remind me of “Nodame Cantabile” too, lol. Funny how everything I watch is somehow related to everything else I watch! From gun battles to paper cranes to killer cyborgs!

Here’s the front cover of the 1992 “Director’s Cut” DVD-version I watched.

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 1000px

Next, here’s the poster of the 2007 “Final Cut” version.

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 2900px

Finally, here’s the front cover of the 2007 “Final Cut” DVD-version I still haven’t watched.

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 2200px

Coincidentally, in yet another related piece of post-apocalyptic possibilities, just a few days ago, I finally managed to finish the ninth and final volume of the original cyberpunk-splatterpunk manga series “Battle Angel Alita” (Gunnm, 1990) created, written and illustrated by Yukito Kishiro! Damn, after years of delay, I finally resumed “Angel of Chaos” (Volume 7) on 27 March 2009. Three months later, I finally finished “Angel’s Ascension” (Volume 9) on 19 June 2009! An undisputed and masterfully executed 5 of 5 stars! One of the rare manga gems I’ve ever finished, lol.

Here’s the cover of “Rusty Angel” (Volume 1), which magnetically caught by eye all those years ago, and never let go.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 700px

Ah, here’s a cool fanart wallpaper version of the manga cover.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1100px

Here’s another rustier-and-bloodier fanart version of the manga cover.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1600px

Finally, here’s an amazing 3D CG-rendered fanart version of the manga cover. Wow.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1000px

Aww, and of course, here’s a close-up of Alita herself.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1200px

The following day, on 20 June 2009, I snapped a few random photos of my “Blade Runner” DVD, “Battle Angel Alita” manga, and the FUTURO elbow and wrist supports which facilitated (and continue to facilitate) my recovery.

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

A slightly different angel. Oops, I meant, “angle”.

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

A real-life demonstration!

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

Whew, that was exhausting! Hard-boiled cops, blade runners and battling angels! All we need are “hard-boiled cyborgs”, and the circle will be complete, lol. Right, Vader?

Part 6 of 7 > Thankful Fridays & Tasty Sundaes

Okay, my Tireless Toyboxers, time to take a break from Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, and angelic cyborgs, lol. Time to talk about myself! To be specific, on Friday, 19 June 2009, I decided to treat my co-worker friend Michelle with lunch to celebrate her birthday over the weekend. Where did we go for lunch? Since I was treating, I let her decide. And ultimately, she decided on “T.G.I.Friday’s”, of course! I haven’t been there in years!

I have no idea what I’m explaining in this first shot, but that “Park, Ride, Relax” sign is pretty funny.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

A thoughtful pose! Check out the plane taking off beyond my windshield!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Haha, Michelle, nice motorcycle catch!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

A-ha! Wearing my FUTURO elbow support, lol.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

There’s the next airplane! Can you capture that?

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Hehehe, there it is! Just landed on the runway!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Hahaha, whatever!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Hey, Michelle, got enough salad?

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Got enough soup? Umm, could you stop moving?

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

LOL, finally, that’s better.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Mmmm, my delicious salmon pasta!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

My tasty French onion soup!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

And finally, our free birthday sundae! Free! Awww.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Wow, that was too quick! Hmm, I think the lack of killer cyborgs had something to do with it, lol.

Part 7 of 7 > Otaku Outlook & Battling Toyboxers

Did someone say “killer cyborgs”? Nahhh, none here. Just some blog-battling otaku. Same thing? Nahhh, lol. Nonetheless, continuing our traditional otaku-blog coverage from last month’s Tales (Blog 202, Part 1) mega-cast and previous month’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 1) mega-cast, here’s the latest batch of estimated theoretical values in the otaku blogosphere.

As you can plainly see in the first chart (enlarge if necessary), “Sankaku Complex” continues to seduce the otakusphere and reduce “Danny Choo” to a seemingly pilot-less Gundam, lol.

18 June | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

Meanwhile, in the second chart (enlarge if necessary), “Happy Soda” and “xJAYMANx_toybox” continue their irregular rise. However, based on these specific dozen-plus trajectories, the overall otakusphere seems generally stable.

18 June | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

Hehehe, now, let’s have some fun! Until now, I’ve always focussed on otaku-blog trajectories in the theoretical $5K-to-10K or $10K-to-20K range. This time, let’s focus on the theoretical $0K-to-3K range! In fact, let’s turn this into a little “game” or “race”. Why not? Why not wonder who theoretically “wins” next month? Just for fun, of course.

Let’s begin with Girl G33k (Kris-chan) at $876 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – Girl G33k

After her is Furudango (Koshiko-chan) at $1569.50 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – Furudango

Third is Aprilius20 (A20-man) at $2372.50 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – Aprilius20

After him is Rhythm Emotion (Lene-chan) at $2438.20 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – Rhythm Emotion

Fifth is One and Only Jem (Jem-chan) at $2489.30 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – One and Only Jem

After her is The Coco Cafe (Coco-chan) at $2868.90 USD.

18 June | Website Outlook – The Coco Cafe

Finally, seventh is Lovely Duckie (Duckie-chan) at $2905.40 USD. Since her new domain at www.lovelyduckie.com hasn’t fully taken hold yet, I’ll use her WordPress.com blog for now.

18 June | Website Outlook – Lovely Duckie

So who’s the theoretical $0K-to-3K winner this month? Duckie-chan is! Congratulations, Duckie-chan! I don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but I’ll figure it out some time, lol. Remember, my Trembling Toyboxers, once your otaku-blog exceeds an estimated worth of $3K, it no longer qualifies for this so-called “race”. Just to keep it interesting, hehe. Good luck, next month!

Heyyy, how are you doing? Are you okay? Did you survive my massive 7-part 120-image cybernetic “giga-cast” this week? Did you survive my deadly barrage of Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, angelic cyborgs and otaku bloggers for every taste? Well, I hope so! I mean, if you withstood my light-speed onslaught, then you are truly a Trooping Toyboxer! As always, let’s thank the glorious guest-starring girls who graced my broadcast! Thank you, Nodame-chan, Juri-chan, Sarah, Cameron, Shirley, Summer, Stephanie, Alita-chan, and Michelle (Happy Birthday!), as well as Kris-chan, Koshiko-chan, Lene-chan, Jem-chan, Coco-chan, and lastly, Duckie-chan (Congratulations!)… Whew, this was definitely massive. Quite a massive attack.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Nodame-chan: “Maybe a little make-up will help?”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Maria Ozawa | Fake Message But Genuine Number, LOL | Enlarge

Awww, thanx, Miyabi! We haven’t seen you since Hearts and Sevens! Sadly, I know this is another fabricated message, lol. Oh well, a birthday dream is better than none at all, lol. So, my Trembling Toyboxers, what’s in store for this broadcast week? Well, this week, we take another five-lap trek, peeking at ongoing otaku-blog battles, glimpsing at galactic hunters and bountiful assassins, staring through split-tongue serpents and masochistic dragons, digesting a few tasty birthday treats, and blinking at random red-red-red-tinged observations. And maybe, just maybe, Miyabi will say “Hi!” once more. Who knows? With her gorgeous figure in mind, let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 5. Ongoing Otaku-Blog Battles. Ah yes, the battles continue! Since our last exciting otaku-blog update, the theoretical numbers at Website Outlook have revealed yet another new development! The estimated worth of How a Girl Figures is now tied with a new challenger!

Mar 15 | How a Girl Figures a.k.a. Dancing Queen

Oddly, that challenger is none other than my own site! Namely, xJAYMANx & xJAYMANx_toybox, hehe. How wickedly screwy is that? In fact, if you take a closer look, while our estimated values are identical at $12183.70, my site holds a super-slight lead in Daily Pageviews, 5091 to 4897. Crazy. Ridiculous. I mean, who visits my site? Okay, don’t answer that, lol.

Mar 15 | xJAYMANx & xJAYMANx_toybox

Of course, surpassing both of our sites, the estimated worth of Angry Loli a.k.a. Mimi maintains a comfortable $1000+ edge. Again, lol.

Mar 15 | Angry Loli a.k.a. Mimi

A-ha! For the first time, I’ve decided to include a graphical representation of “Blog Worth Over Time” pertaining to the otaku blogs on my “Battle List”, hehe. Based on Website Outlook’s theoretical numbers, this first graph depicts 11 “normal” otaku blogs, plus the “superhuman” blogs by Danny Choo (x10) and Sankaku Complex (x10), lol. To fit these two mega-blogs into the same chart, I simply divided their values by a factor of 10. As you can see, Sankaku Complex still holds a significant edge over Danny Choo. Enlarge for a clearer look.

Mar 15 | Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

This second graph depicts the 11 “normal” otaku blogs by themselves. Without the graphically-crushing effect by Danny Choo and Sankaku Complex, hehe. What’s remarkable to note is the similar trajectories between Angry Loli and xJAYMANx. Quite remarkable. As if a mathematical correlation existed between the two paths!

Mar 15 | Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

So what’ll happen in a couple weeks? Will xJAYMANx overtake Angry Loli? Nahhh, lol. I don’t think Mimi-chan would like that very much.

Part 2 of 5. Galactic Hunters & Assassins. Next, we jump from otaku battles to galactic bounty hunters! Hey you, do you remember the sexy punkish hunter who appeared for a split-second during Anakin’s podraces way back in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (1999)?

1999 Film | Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace” | Enlarge

Well, her name is Aurra Sing. A bounty hunter born in the slums of Nar Shaddaa to a spice-addicted mother named Aunuanna. Here’s her introduction in the Star Wars Wiki.

Aurra Sing, also known as Nashtah, was once a female Jedi Padawan but, following a series of tragedies and misfortunes, left the Jedi Order to become a vicious bounty hunter specializing in Jedi assassinations. Her career spanned over seven decades, from at least 32 BBY to 40 ABY.

So why am I bringing her up? Well, yesterday, upon watching the 22nd and final episode of “The Clone Wars” Season 1, Aurra appeared for the first time in the CG-animated series! Nice.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Ah, the fearless bounty hunter Cad Bane.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

The sharp-shooting assassin Aurra Sing!

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

And her extra long fingers, lol.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Aurra: “I’m in a bad mood.”

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

“Very bad.”

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

“Don’t even get up.”

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

“Because you’re dead anyway.”

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

“Bang. You’re dead.”

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Bane growls in growing irritation.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Bane grins in satisfying victory.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Until he picks up Ziro the Hutt. Grrr.

2008-2009 Series | Cad Bane & Aurra Sing in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” | Enlarge

Haha, splendid finale! Easily 5 of 5 stars! Then coming later this year, “The Clone Wars” Season 2. Definitely expecting more of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing. Nice. Very nice indeed, lol. Not to mention a live-action “Star Wars” series coming in 2010. Amazing. “Star Wars” is taking over the world. Again, lol.

Part 3 of 5. Dragons, Snakes & Earrings. Next, for the main event, we leap from galactic hunters and killers to Tokyo sadists and masochists! Way back in September 2008, fellow blogger Miko-chan recommended that I read the 2003 novel “Snakes and Earrings” (Hebi ni Piasu) by Hitomi Kanehara. Then again in February 2009, she suggested on my Tiger post that I check out the 2008 film “Snakes and Earrings” instead. So finally, a month later, I did.

Lui/Louis (played by the gorgeous Yuriko Yoshitaka) enters the dance club.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The beauty stares blankly until someone catches her eye.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The wildly-pierced punk, Ama (played by Kengo Kora, who also appeared in the high-school comedy “Gokusen 2″).

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The punk notices her.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The beauty notices back.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

He joins her.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

She lets him.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

He wants to show her something.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

She wonders what it is.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

His split snake-like tongue!

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

She reflexively sticks out her tongue, lol.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

While his tongue grabs a cigarette, lol.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Lui is mesmerized: “Sugoi.”

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Ama asks her something else.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Lui nods.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

A wild night of passion between Lui and Ama.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

A night which ignites their journey into the unknown.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Shiba/Shiva (played by Arata) the master tattoo-and-piercing artist.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The master’s intense gaze.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

The introductions, lol.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Lui’s unusual request.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Shiba’s intense curiosity.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Inspecting her tongue! I wonder why…

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Later in the film, a couple of famous actors! Do you recognize the one in front? Or the other one? Yup, Tatsuya Fujiwara! Star of “Death Note” and “Battle Royale” (reviewed in Blog 188), haha! And behind him is Shun Oguri! Star of “Crows Zero” (reviewed in Blog 168) and “Gokusen”, wow! Two big but hidden stars!

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Hmm, I wonder if Meimi132-chan has already seen this film, hehe.

2008 Film | Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni Piasu) | Enlarge

Whoa. Shocking. Almost disturbing. While not as violent or bloody as films like “Battle Royale”, it bluntly and forcefully and painfully explores the darkness and emptiness within the world of body modification and sado-masochism. Definitely not for everyone. Especially if it leaves you even more empty in the end than when you started. Like myself. I’m glad I tried the film for its dark and grotesque realities, as well as Yuriko Yoshitaka’s stunning beauty and arousing sexuality. But not to watch over and over. If ever again, lol. Seriously, Miko-chan, I don’t know how you managed to watch it six times already!

Part 4 of 5. March Birthday Week. Whew. Enough of the dire and depressing. Let’s move on to the weird and wacky! As many of my Tricky Toyboxers already know, last Thursday, March 19th was my birthday. So here’s a stack of photos taken at work and at home, with that light-headed state of mind, haha. Ah yes, here’s my awe-inspiring cubby hole! Do you like my plastic light-diffuser (white trashbags) hanging above? It’s probably been there for at least a year!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Why three computers? [1] Well, the left-most desktop is physically wired to the network. While it’s the oldest machine of the bunch, the network printing and Pandora.com music are best, lol. [2] The center laptop is my wireless work laptop, primarily and temporarily for my Tiger Team projects. It has the most-advanced Microsoft Word, but not Adobe Acrobat. [3] While the right-most laptop is my wireless home laptop, primarily for chat and non-work emails. If it had more memory, I’d also use it for Pandora. But it doesn’t. Plus it has the most-advanced version of Adobe Acrobat. Simple, eh?

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Haha, yeah, on Wednesday, March 18th, our CEO and his admin assistant joined a game of foosball! And believe it or not, they won! Pretty embarrassing for the other team, lol.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Later that night, Lisa decided to cook a dinner consisting of whole-wheat farfalle pasta in garlic tomato sauce, Texas Toast garlic bread and asparagus, mmm!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Not necessarily for my birthday. But it was nice nonetheless, lol.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Extreme closeup!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Mmm, garlic and asparagus!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

My first plate, hehe.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Lisa, I’m not ready!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Eh, not bad. Super-tilted, but not bad.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

I don’t know what the heck Lisa did!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Playing dead.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Acting surprised!

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Guiness the Menace is not amused.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Don’t you hate cellphone interruptions during dinner?

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

I guess not.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Guiness (at bottom) takes a peek at Lisa’s dinner, haha.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

My second, and less artistic, plate.

Mar 18 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Ah, the next day, Thursday, March 19th! NaTasha (from my Blog 191) and I decided to have my birthday lunch at “Outback Steakhouse”. Well, actually, I decided and she couldn’t refuse, lol. Mmm, coconut shrimp!

Mar 19 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Ah, my favorite! Strawberry Smoothie! Sweeet! Yeah, I forgot to take photos of the actual steak and fries, dammit.

Mar 19 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Then the following night, Friday, March 20th, I finally found time to take photos of my random gifts. Three birthday cards, two M&M eggs (from Lisa), and a Dairy Queen Blizzard (from Lisa’s mom), haha. The real cash wasn’t bad either!

Mar 20 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

A better shot of the pile.

Mar 20 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

Finally, here’s Lisa’s amusing collection. “A universal remote control does not, in fact, allow you to control the universe. I did not get you a universal remote control for your birthday because, believe me, you’d just be disappointed. [Then she added:] I did not get you a remote for your new T.V. either because there is no new T.V. Happy Birthday! Lisa & Guiness, too!”

Mar 20 | March Birthday Week | Enlarge

LOL, that’s an inside joke since I planned to buy a new 46-inch wide-screen LCD HDTV this year. Sadly, the recession delayed that plan. Hence, no new TV yet. Just the same old 30-inch tube TV. But fear not! If not this year, then next year!

Part 5 of 5. How Random Ran Red. Last but not least, the inevitably random portion of the mega-post! Red, red, red! Ladies in red! First, if you’ve never seen an episode of “Battlestar Galactica” (2003-2009), here’s my glorious review from Blog 149.

Lastly… “Battlestar Galactica”, Season 4 (mid-season 10 of 20 episodes), treads a darker more-twisted road between post-apocalyptic machines and the last surviving remnants of humanity. Technology, terrorism, religion, politics, sex, suffering and death are all wrapped in a blood-soaked flag pointing towards possible salvation. Is there any hope? The story lines are wicked and wrenching yet oddly fulfilling in its unrelenting and unforgiving exploration of the human soul. Not to mention the hyper-intense special effects and heart-pumping percussion-oriented music. Breath-taking. 5 stars. Can’t wait for the final chapter. ^_^

Then last night, wow! I finished the final episode of the final chapter! Glorious! Wickedly breathtaking. Heart-stoppingly mind-blowing. Twists, turns and surprises, haha. Maybe I’ll take some screencaps for my next week’s mega-post! But for now, here’s the “BSG” version of “The Last Supper”. Sex, religion, politics, all wrapped into one 1600-pixel wallpaper. Steal it! Steal it now!

2003-2009 Series | Battlestar Galactica | Enlarge 1600px Wallpaper

Secondly, do you see my “Live Traffic Feed” in the second column? Well, recently, I’ve seen quite a few visitors from Google Sweden linking to this “Lisa as Lolita” photo below. Yup, the same Lisa as the Lisa who cooked the garlic dinner above, lol. So I thought I’d mention this odd note. Sweden? Why Sweden? Hehe, in any case, here’s the original Blog 124 from January 2008. From Frumpy to Loli!

Jan 2008 | Lisa as Lolita | Enlarge

Finally, yeah-yeah, I know I know, “Angry Momo” again. This will be the last time, I promise! Yeah, I know she didn’t win the Final Round, hehe. But last night, Saturday, March 21st, during our random chat, Mimi-chan gave me permission to share Momo-chan as my Toybox mascot. If I choose to do so! Because, in her own words, “sharing is caring”. Aww.

Mar 2009 | Angry Momo | Enlarge 1680px Wallpaper

I’ll say it again. Aww. That’s so sweet of her. I haven’t 100% decided yet. But if I choose to go ahead with Momo-chan as my Toybox mascot, I’ll actually be “un-breaking” one of my “Seven Broken Rules”. Yeah, un-breaking! Here’s the original list from my Blog 189.

Seven Otaku-Blog Rules Broken by xJAYMANx_toybox

[1] No official blog mascot.
[2] Not a participant in the e2046 banner exchange program.
[3] Not a member of a blog club or coalition, such as Team Blue.
[4] No major design change since April 2007.
[5] No up-to-date support of Internet Explorer 6, 7 or higher since July 2007.
[6] No blog-linked Danny Choo Member News posts since September 2008.
[7] No daily-post or holiday-post schedule. Specifically, no more than 1-2 posts per week.

LOL, so should I fix what’s already broken?

Well, that’s all for this week, folks! Sorry, my Tempted Toyboxers, I couldn’t bring back Miyabi (Maria Ozawa) for a final hello or goodbye. But I’m sure she’ll be back with another update in my estimated blog worth, hehe. So how was it? What’d you think of this week’s five-lap mega-post? Did you get enough? Peeking at ongoing otaku-blog battles? Glimpsing at galactic hunters and bountiful assassins? Staring through split-tongue serpents and masochistic dragons? Digesting a few tasty birthday treats? And blinking at random red-red-red-tinged observations? Thanx, Aurra, Louis, Yuriko, Lisa, and Mimi-chan! Thanx for the assassins, serpents and wishes! Peace. Out.

Code Geass R2 | Click to enlarge wallpaper

Ah, finally caught up! Yup, over the last 5 days, caught up with the last 18 weeks of “Code Geass R2″ (scheduled for about 26 episodes). Still such an ambitious and wide-sweeping storytelling scope! And just like the supernatural chess-match strategies in “Death Note”, still one of the most-intellectually engaging 5-star series in recent years. But if there’s any downside to such a broad tapestry of characters, it’s the relative lack of any resonating emotional depth among specific characters… so far. Thankfully, now that I’m caught up, the threat of spoilers has been drastically reduced, hehe. ^_^

However, while “Code Geass R2″ and Lelouch have been magnificent, a half-hour anime can’t compete with the best one-hour live-action sci-fi dramas on television.

Doctor Who 2008 – S4 | Click to enlarge wallpaper

Firstly, “Doctor Who” 2008, Season 4 (13 episodes), was absolutely and breath-takingly incredible! Not only in its advanced special effects, but with off-beat intergalactic story lines which weaves through people and planets from each of the previous 3 seasons! On top of that, a talented cast of actors who can convince you to both triumph and tears. Just brilliant. 5 stars.

Battlestar Galactica – S4 | Click to enlarge wallpaper

Lastly, while “Doctor Who” follows a leapfrogging path among both quirky humans and colorful aliens, “Battlestar Galactica”, Season 4 (mid-season 10 of 20 episodes), treads a darker more-twisted road between post-apocalyptic machines and the last surviving remnants of humanity. Technology, terrorism, religion, politics, sex, suffering and death are all wrapped in a blood-soaked flag pointing towards possible salvation. Is there any hope? The story lines are wicked and wrenching yet oddly fulfilling in its unrelenting and unforgiving exploration of the human soul. Not to mention the hyper-intense special effects and heart-pumping percussion-oriented music. Breath-taking. 5 stars. Can’t wait for the final chapter. ^_^

In other news…

(1) Failed to obtain my first-choice funding for house reflooring. But that’s okay, since that’s money I don’t have to spend or pay back. A second-choice option is still possible. So the dream isn’t dead, it’s just gonna be delayed for a while. After all, I still have a home mortgage and car loan to pay off, lol. Besides, there’s no hurry.

(2) Secondly, while I didn’t expect much from this week’s company-wide employee evaluations, I still managed to get a $1000-USD salary raise today. Considering the economy, that’s not bad. About $83-USD per month more to spend! Nope, not on anime figures, lol. ^_~

Battlestar Galactica | Image from Google Search

My speed review: “DOUBLE-WOW! Unparalleled sci-fi drama, depth and power!” 5 of 5 stars!

Holy frak! Last night, after finishing the 20th and final episode of Battlestar Galactica Season 3 in three weeks (almost once per day), I was totally blown away! At the end of Season 2, the series radically fast-forwarded the story one full year later, and Season 3 continued from there, a wild and turbulent roller-coaster ride colliding with intense flashbacks to fill in bits and pieces of the past year. Ground wars, clashing loyalties, boxing matches, ancient temples, surviving babies, radioactive tragedies, supernatural visions, crumbling marriages, legal spectacles, and scattered destinies! Then in the season finale, not one but TWO mind-fraking twists involving a missing comrade and revealed identities!!! But damn, Season 4 won’t arrive till 2008! Frak!

Image by xJAYMANx | Click to enlarge

Faster & More Flexible [Wednesday, April 4, 2007] Cool! You know how I was going to PHP-reconstruct my website with the SAME design? Well, maybe NOT the same, lol. Last night, I started tinkering with a new template: 1000px wide, triple column, WITHOUT tables! Yup, no rigid table tags, but faster more-flexible CSS (stylesheet) “div” tags instead. Here’s the new test page. (Looks best in Firefox or IE7.)

(1) Next step: Finish up template. Convert HTML to PHP. (2) Following step: Figure out how I want to organize my old content. Transfer the content. (3) Ideal goal: Apply the new template to either my WordPress “Toybox” blog or Blogger blog. Incorporate blog into website. (Instead of working the website around the blog, if possible.)

Busy Weekend! [Sunday, April 1, 2007] Whew! Lots of stuff done this weekend! Nope, no April Fool’s joke, lol. But late last night, finished PHP/CSS-coding the header for my website. The test page looks almost identical! Then later today, Sunday, finished re-coding the footer. Looks pretty good too! Next is the main page with sidebar. Once I re-code that, then I can transfer the page content to the new template. Whew! Here’s the PHP test page.

Well, beside this project, also cleaned up much of the house. Dusted, wiped, even scrubbed much of the kitchen countertops, cleared off the table, emptied the trash. Sweeped the garage, tried to scrub away as much I could, the old oil stain on the concrete. Vacuumed the TV room and Jen’s old bedroom and bathroom. In fact, moved the four-post bed and dresser. Still need to do more, but a little later this week or weekend. Double whew!

And of course, hit the treadmill and bike for another full episode of “Battlestar Galactica” Season 3. Damn, that “boxing” episode #9 was incredibly powerful! So much effing emotional drama, both cheering and choking. Plus, the “Planetes” anime is getting more engaging and unexpected as it nears the end. Damn, do I have to go to work tomorrow? LOL :)))