xJAYMANx_toybox > Never forget how to play... http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx Never forget how to play... Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:17:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Blog 218 > Endless Jumong, Autumn & Me http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/11/15/blog-218-endless-jumong-autumn-me/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/11/15/blog-218-endless-jumong-autumn-me/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:15:35 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4407

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.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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?

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 w Allie downstairs. Mmm, fettucini! She liked my Spicy Tomato & Basil, but I think I like Italian Sausage better. Hehe, while we heated it up, NaTasha was surprised when she heard 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.

 

Observation. Hmm, the following 3 photos were taken with the iPhone. Is it just me? Or do girls prefer the iPhone more so than guys? Not only Allie, but Melanie, Michelle and even Autumn-chan all own the irresistible iPhone, lol. Hmm, the iPhone shape. Do I detect a hint of Freudian penis-envy?

 

 

 

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?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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”!

 

 

 

 

 

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!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, Allie, NaTasha, Haruhi Suzumiya, Song Ji-hyo, Anna Tsuchiya, Kris-chan, Duckie-chan, and of course, the adorable Autumn-chan.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/11/15/blog-218-endless-jumong-autumn-me/feed/ 47 Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/16/blog-217-despair-devastation-delight/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/16/blog-217-despair-devastation-delight/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:40:03 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4317

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


Part 1 of 5 > Despair, Here, There & Everywhere

To fall or *not* to fall into despair? To fire or *not* to fire your weapon? To perform or *not* to perform your music? Those are the questions of the next 3 anime titles. Yup, 3 more anime titles-or-seasons: “Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” [33], “Trigun” [34], and “Nodame Cantabile – Paris” [35]. Yes-yes, for a total of 35 completed anime titles-or-seasons in just about 8 1/2 months so far! Well? What do you think? Despite work, play and live-action films, can I hit my typical target of 50 anime by the end of the year? Ahhh, the despair!

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Season 2, 2008) [33]. Ahhh, yes, the despair! But let’s see, where to begin? Well, about 17 months ago, back in mid-April 2008, I finished the first season of “Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” (2007). And I was utterly blown away! In fact, I gave it a 4 of 5 stars maximum for a half-season. Plus an Honorable Mention for 2008! So from 27 July 2009 to 23 August 2009, when I finally completed “Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” (2008) last month, I couldn’t wait for more! Yup, my 33rd anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 13 episodes. Haha, just as mind-alteringly and mind-frakkingly uproarious as Season 1. Especially with its psychological cocktail of over-analytical despair-torn classmates plus teacher! Whoa, by combining Season 2 with Season 1, the series earns a desperately impressive 5 of 5 stars!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did you fall *in* or fall *out* of despair, huh?

 

Part 2 of 5 > Guns, Dunes & Humanoid Typhoons

To fire or *not* to fire your weapon? That is the next question. Ahhh, the guns!

Trigun (1998) [34]. Ahhh, yes, the guns! Once again, where to begin? Man, I’ve seen and heard about this classic anime for years! Ages! Yet I never got around to watching it. Why? Who knows? Maybe because there always seemed to be other better titles to watch? In any case, from 20 May 2009 to 06 September 2009, with the help of Netflix, I finally completed “Trigun” (1998). Finally, after more than 10 years later! Yup, my 34th anime title-or-season of the year. Original season with 26 episodes. While some of the wandering tales fly as dry as the sand they’re drifting in, there’s a certain mythical gust to the scenes, shots and characters. Even the shadow of tears may have flickered across my eyes toward the final showdown. But in the end, the series earns a decently wind-blown, sand-torn and bullet-bitten 4 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, aiming carelessly from 1500px-to-3400px resolution, here are 10 wallpapers and other images to vent your vengeful heart, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Ahhh, bathe in the hail of bullets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did you fight, flee, fall, or fire your weapon, huh?

 

Part 3 of 5 > Pianos, Paris Trips & Pursed Lips

To perform or *not* to perform your music? That is the final question. Ahhh, the pianos!

Nodame Cantabile – Paris (Season 2, 2008) [35]. Ahhh, yes, the pianos! And yes, this will be my third time featuring “Nodame”, hehe. First, my Blog 178 (Dec 2008) when I gave the first season of “Nodame Cantabile” (2007) an extraordinary and unforgettable 5 of 5 stars. Second, my Blog 207 (June 2009) when I gave the live-action drama (2006) a sublime 5 of 5 stars. And third, this Blog 217. Need I say more? Sure, why not? This time, from 26 August 2009 to 08 September 2009, I completed “Nodame Cantabile – Paris” (2008). Yep, my 35th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 11 episodes. While not as focussed, driven or intense as the first season, it is still an irresistible ride through the romantic-comedic world of classical music. Yet another shining and inspiring 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, soaring melodically from 1024px-to-2500px resolution, here are 25 wallpapers, vectors and other images to inspire your orchestral spirit, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Ahhh, soak in the shower of rainbow sounds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did you push, pull, pretend or perform your music, huh?

 

Part 4 of 5 > Another Autumn Embrace – August Moons & Noodles

Despair! Devastation! Delight! Which one will it be this time? After falling into “Zetsubou” despair, firing “Trigun” weapons, and performing “Nodame” music, let’s skyrocket beyond the anime atmosphere into the starry embrace of our surrealistic reality. Whatever that means.

Hey, remember my first weekend with Autumn-chan? Back in my Blog 215 > Embrace of an Autumn Night (Aug 2009) mega-cast? Well, on 17 August 2009, the following Monday morning after that weekend, as I let Guiness out into the backyard to do his duty before my getting ready for work, I noticed the prettiest sight in the eastern sky. Not just the morning Moon. But, correct me if I’m wrong, I believe Venus as well! As always, feel free to enlarge the shot.

Another shot. Are the Moon and Venus smiling at my Autumn embrace?

A zoomed shot. Check out the enlarged version.

Another zoomed shot.

Aww, wasn’t that pretty? Then, two Mondays later, on 31 August 2009, or two weeks ago, Autumn-chan and I decided to have lunch at “Jollibee“, lol. Haha, yup, the same Filipino fast-food place that I visited with Vanessa back in my Blog 060 (May 2007), more than 2 years ago! On Opening Day! Crowded! Crazy! But two weeks ago, it wasn’t so crazy. Well, not as crazy as me, lol. I know you want to enlarge the shot of those noodles, right?

Nahhh, not as crazy as me.

Mmm, Pancit Palabok!

Another inexplicable shot taken by Autumn-chan.

Hmm, wondering what she’s aiming at?

Ahh, another painfully posed photo.

Concluding with yet another delightfully deranged Jollibee-eyed composition.

Mmm, I think I’m getting hungry again. Damn Jollibee.

 

Part 5 of 5 > Another Autumn Embrace – September Hardware & Foosball

Despair! Devastation! Delight! Can you predict which one it will be next? After some surrealistic Autumn moons and noodles, let’s catapult across the chaotic chasm into the concrete embrace of materialistic reality. Is it truly real?

Real or not, guess what? The following day after Jollibee, on 01 September 2009, my ex-sister-in-law and ex-roommate Lisa decided to thank me for watching Guiness the Menace all these months since she moved out this past July. Thank me how? Well, with more than a dozen Asian DVDs! Wow, nice! Thanks again, Lisa! But don’t mind the “True Blood – First Season” box set. Yeah, I know it’s not Asian. I just borrowed it from my coworker Mary because she recommended it, lol. Still halfway through it. Not spectacular, but not utterly bad either. So I thought, why not toss in the DVD box set along with the rest of the DVDs? Yeah, why not?

Ah, Satoshi Kon’s “Millennium Actress”! Breath-taking anime film. But haven’t seen Jet Li’s “Red Dragon” or Tony Leung’s “Flowers of Shanghai” yet!

Still haven’t seen the Korean animated film “My Beautiful Girl, Mari” either!

Haha, can’t wait to see the Thai comedy “Iron Ladies” about transvestites, transsexuals and homosexuals! LOL! Or Beat Takeshi’s “Taboo”. Man, so many I haven’t seen yet!

Ahh, here’s the full DVD spread.

Here’s the reverse angle.

Finally, here’s a close-up of one of my favorite Hong Kong female-fighting flicks “So Close”! Delicious spy-girls and cop-chicks! Watched it again just last week, lol.

Haha, makes you wanna grab and enjoy another Asian film, doesn’t it? Well, not just yet. Because the following Saturday, on 05 September 2009, Autumn-chan visited me in another unforgettable installment of my adorable “Autumn Embrace” series, lol. Yup, first my Blog 215 > Embrace of an Autumn Night mega-cast. Then my Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die mega-cast. Now, this Blog 217, including “Operation Laptop Fan”, lol. Essentially, she surgically opened up her main laptop, as I assisted, so we could find the serial number on her malfunctioning boot-stalling fan.

I suggested taking photos to help her remember how to put the bits and pieces back together. Yup, she insisted on taking it apart herself! Again!

Hmm, probably the trickiest part was remembering how the fragile wires snaked around the various curves and crevices.

Even more wires, curves and crevices.

Plus a weird wire with a gooey bit of newly-detached tape.

Finally! The surgically detached laptop fan!

Yet oddly enough, despite the “7701A”, there was no sign of a proper serial number! Gahhh. Oh well.

Ahh, food! After consuming a couple of hours to disassemble, rest, then reassemble her laptop, it was about time for a sushi break in the sunny relaxing front-door breeze. Quite relaxing. Hehe, and yeah, the same sushi party tray of California rolls, surimi, shrimp ebi, and edamame, as last time. Plus baby carrots, a can of Diet Sunkist Orange, and a can of Diet Sunkist Lemonade, lol. Why not?

Yeah, as always, the soy-drenched sushi hit the spot, lol. But to make a long story short, despite the lack of Guiness the Menace and his attention-starved antics, Autumn-chan and I settled back and cuddled against the pillows and cushions to watch, smile and laugh at my embarrassing family videos taken during my East Coast Vacation (Blog 067) in 2007, lol.

Sadly, and all too soon, it was time for her to leave. So to soothe the momentary heartache, I decided to go to the 7pm Rock Band Party of another coworker Michelle’s house. Once again, I sang a ton of rock tunes on “Hard” difficult without any problems, lol. But when Michelle’s friend Nick noticed my elbow support, and listened to its foosball origin, he challenged me to a one-on-one foosball match, while inviting me to his barbecue party set for the next day. Haha, why not? Besides, as the Foosball Ninja (Blog 189), I need an occasional foosball challenge, right?

Fast-forwarding to the next day, on Sunday, 06 September 2009, we find ourselves at Nick and Vicki’s 2pm Barbecue Party! Whoa, so many young pretty people and their alcoholic activities, lol. Not only that, the birthday boy Zack on the far right is the spitting image of Lex Luthor as portrayed by “Smallville” (Blog 209) actor Michael Rosenbaum! Uncanny.

Here we go! Getting ready to make a toast! Hehe, I believe the blonde holding the bottle is Irish-born.

Making the toast to the birthday boy!

Cheers!

A-ha! Nick’s foosball table.

A closer view. Looks just like a Harvard-brand foosball table. Like mine.

A random kitchen view.

Another random kitchen view, lol.

Well, to make another long story short, despite the lack of familiar faces, I was more comfortable playing some fast-flying foosball with Nick, Paul, Zack and Kyle in various two-on-two combinations. While Zack and I won twice as a team, Kyle and I lost twice as a team. But let’s not forget Nick’s original one-on-one challenge! In between the food and beer sessions, I lost the first game by a score of 5-to-10. But later on, despite the tight foosball rods and the sloped corners, I still managed to adjust, defeat Nick on his own table, and win the second game by a score of 10-to-7. Awesome. A worthy opponent indeed. In fact, while I genuinely complimented him, “You’re awesome”, he wasn’t smiling too much when he replied, “You’re not half bad yourself.” Hmmm.

Fast-forwarding once more to the next day, on Monday, 07 September 2009, we find ourselves on the Labor Day Holiday! Yup, on this day, I finally decided to clean my salvaged foosball table. The same old foosball table that my next-door neighbor abandoned on the street curb for garbage pick-up, back on 06 June 2009. Ugh, that solidified soda puddle on the playing surface was the worst! But wow, luckily, the degreasing cleaner I bought slowly-but-steadily dissolved that puddle. So, after 3 months of sitting in the garage, my foosball table has finally been cleaned up. Not perfectly. But decently. All that’s left to do is to cover the bare and torn spots with some new wallpaper, reattach new 10-point score markers on either end, and add 3 shiny new foosballs. Hehe, I can’t wait! For now, here’s my newly-cleaned Harvard-brand foosball table.

A closer view.

An even closer angle.

Zooming back out.

A reverse angle.

A closer reverse angle.

Much closer, lol.

Reversing the reverse angle, lol.

Finally, an on-the-field perspective. Feel free to enlarge the view.

So, from DVDs to laptops to foosball, was it truly real? Which one was it? Was it despair, devastation or delight? Is it time to play foosball yet?

 

Despair! Devastation! Delight! Depth! Descent! Delicacy! Destiny! My Tragic Toyboxers, did you distinguish one from the others? Yeah, right, lol. You didn’t even try, did you? Unless you think one girl’s pain and another girl’s panic and another girl’s pleasure, are all the same thing? Nevertheless, didn’t another deliciously disturbing taste of another marvelously mad mega-cast dissipate into the darkness? Didn’t another mega-cast of classroom-crashing desperation, triple-pistolled typhoons, purse-lipped pianists, lunar-licking digestion, and hardware-clashing relaxation all dissolve into despair? They didn’t? Then I thank you. Just as we should thank the glistening girls who graced our glittering mega-cast. Thank you, the girls of “Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei”, Nodame-chan, Lisa, Mary, Michelle, Vicki, and of course, the adorable Autumn-chan. I still think I’m falling for her…

Can I hit my typical target of 50 anime by the end of the year?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

To fall or *not* to fall into despair? Ahhh, yes, the despair!

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/16/blog-217-despair-devastation-delight/feed/ 37 Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:15:09 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4246

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


Part 1 of 5 > Time for Another Otaku Outlook

Time! Anime! Otaku! Well, it’s finally happened! While it took a month or so longer than anticipated, the question I posed back in my Tales (May 2009, Blog 202, Part 2) mega-cast, and in my recent Watchmen (July 2009, Blog 211, Part 1) mega-cast, has finally been answered. The question: Will “Sankaku Complex” finally double the theoretical value of “DC”? The answer: Yes, without a doubt. As always, feel free to enlarge the graph.

In our next graph, if we focus the estimated theoretical values upon the $0K-to-20K range, you’ll notice a slight decline across most of the listed otaku blogs. Ah, yes, including my own “Toybox”. No excuses there, lol. Just the embrace of an autumn night, right?

Beyond that, in our final graph, if we focus upon the $0K-to-3k range, our newest winner is: Rhythm Emotion, a.k.a. Lene-chan! Congratulations, Lene-chan! Like with our first winner Duckie-chan (in Blog 207, Part 7) and second winner Coco-chan (in Blog 211, Part 1), we don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but we’ll figure it out eventually, lol.

So what have we learned from all this? Hmm, not much, I’m afraid. But if indeed you’ve learned anything new, feel free to let me know what it is!

 

Part 2 of 5 > Time to Read or Die

Time! Read! Die! If you haven’t learned anything new, here’s a bit of overdue anime to mend your merry way. From merry blogging to merry reading. Now read and learn something new, dammit! Or else, lol.

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) [32]. You know, I first started this series quite a while ago. Years ago! But after a handful of episodes, I had given up. Why? Well, the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Luckily, over the last couple years, I’ve learned to finish what I start. And “Read or Die” was one of the titles that popped back into my primary memory. So, on 05 May 2009, I finally restarted the series via Netflix. And a couple of weeks ago, on 14 August 2009, I completed my 32nd anime title-or-season of the year. Sequel to the “Read or Die” OVA (2001). Full season with 26 episodes. Yup, I finally finished it! And I gotta admit, it’s really good! From the heart-breaking sisterly relationships to the imaginative paper-cutting battles, wow, the series earns an unexpectedly impressive 5 of 5 stars! Who would’ve guessed?

To celebrate, ranging from 1024px-to-3500px resolution, here are 30 wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to satiate your paper-based soul, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did we waste enough paper yet? LOL, okay-okay, forgive me, it’s animated paper.

 

Part 3 of 5 > Time Traveler’s Wife

Time! Travels! Wives! So after our first weekend (15-16 Aug) at the mall, Autumn-chan and I decided to try our second weekend (22 Aug) at the movies, hehe. Namely, The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) which opened just a few weeks ago (14 Aug). Autumn-chan had heard from other sources that it was better than what the critics thought, but I had no expectations whatsoever, lol. My only reference was that my ex-wife loved the original 2003 novel. Which may or may not translate well onto the big screen. Nevertheless, we were intrigued enough to take a chance. And I must admit, both Autumn-chan and I thought it was pretty good! Very good! Despite the intricately-interwoven paths of time, the story was still impressively clear, convincing and mesmerizing. Including a few teary-eyed moments for me, lol. Wow, a heart-breaking yet heart-warming 4 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, ranging from 1280px-to-3000px resolution, here are 11 posters, wallpapers and related photos to both shatter and soothe your fragile heart, lol. Awww. First off, here’s my favorite poster from the film. Feel free to enlarge!

Here’s the cover of the book as “National Bestseller”.

Next, here’s the cover of the book as “International Bestseller”.

Aww, here’s one of Clare’s earliest magical meetings with Henry.

Here’s one of Henry’s earliest meetings with Clare. Confusing yet?

Another magical moment between Clare and Henry.

Here’s a close-up view.

A wallpaper version.

Another wallpaper version.

A more heart-breaking wallpaper.

Finally, a wallpaper version of my favorite poster above.

So did we waste enough time yet? LOL, okay-okay, forgive me, it’s fictional time. Or is it?

 

Part 4 of 5 > Time for Another Autumn Embrace – August 22

Time! Autumn! Embrace! After Autumn-chan and I enjoyed “The Time Traveler’s Wife” at the “Sunset Station” cinema, we decided to take a lazy stroll to the “Sunset Cafe” at the other end of the smoky casino. While she didn’t feel hungry enough to order more than a cup of tea, she was content enough to watch me devour my hot turkey sandwich, lol. And to capture some embarrassingly random moments of me doing so!

Why, thank you for the half-eaten view! Again, Autumn-chan’s too shy to appear on camera, lol.

Come on, are you sure you don’t want some processed turkey?

Not even some semblance of gravy paste?

Ah, forget it! The cranberry-based substance is mine!

Faster than a speeding gullet!

Heyyy, watch where you point that thing!

After dinner, we strolled back out to the sunset-lit parking lot. Damn, that palm tree is huge!

After a quick stop to rest at my house, she drove back to her place. But an hour later, we were crazy enough to video-chat, lol. For the next five hours! Here’s a screen-cap sample of my insanity from Autumn-chan’s point of view. Don’t pay attention to the time. It’s set to a different time zone, lol.

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Umm, “heading” into some trouble?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Okay, who’s making sense?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Where were we “heading” again?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Are you talking to me? Are you sure? Because I’m not available, am I?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Haha, another three hours of video-chat insanity on the following night.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

Yup, she’s trying to capture my Diet-Coke pose, lol.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

What? Okay, Autumn-chan, this isn’t a Diet-Coke commercial, lol.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

Yeah-yeah, I know. Can’t leave Guiness out of the fun, can we?

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

So yeah, that was our second weekend! What else can I say? Hours flew by like minutes. Minutes like seconds. Yet the following weekend, some moments felt timeless.

 

Part 5 of 5 > Time for Another Autumn Embrace – August 29

Time! Another autumn! Another embrace! Most recently, for our third weekend (29-30 Aug), we decided to just relax at home with Guiness, lol. Including a sushi party tray, some chocolate lava, and a mini-marathon of the live-action films “Death Note 1″ (2006) and “Death Note 2″ (2006) on my 24-inch iMac!

Of course, let’s not forget the intriguing-and-intrigued Guiness the Menace, haha.

After our random sushi party tray of California rolls, surimi, shrimp ebi, and edamame, Autumn-chan revealed her decadent lava-centered “Heart of Darkness” chocolate cakes! After 20 or 30 seconds in the microwave, the lava centers were perfectly melty, lol.

A decadently tempting close-up!

Hmm, I was skeptical. Are they really that good?

Umm, yeah, not bad…

Well, not quite life-shatteringly mind-blowing, but tasty nonetheless!

Come here, Guiness. Wanna taste?

Come a little closer!

Here ya go. Come on.

Come on, Guiness, can’t you smell the decadence?

Mmm. See that? Mmm, mmm, tasty!

Come on, Guiness… Bahhh, I give up.

What? Not even the chocolate crumbs?

Ahh, there you go! Finally!

Yeah, finally! What took you so long? Hey, wait, is that Autumn-chan’s arm?

So after lunch and dessert, Autumn-chan and I finally sat in front of the iMac, settled back against our pillows and cushions, and began our “Death Note” marathon. For those who have no idea which films I’m talking about, here’s a “Death Note 1″ wallpaper from my Blog 210 (13 July) mega-cast.

Then after “Death Note 1″, we leaned back into the inseparable sequel “Death Note 2″. Similarly, here’s a “Death Note 2″ wallpaper from the same Blog 210 (13 July) mega-cast.

Wow. While this was my second time enjoying the films, Autumn-chan was surprised at how much she actually liked watching them for the first time! That’s pretty cool! Hmm, and I think it helped to have her head on my chest, and my arm around her shoulders, hehe. Awww. Here’s Guiness the Menace still resting in Autumn-chan’s spot during the “Death Note 2″ closing credits, haha!

Ah, see Guiness stretch.

See Guiness snore.

See Guiness fart. Ewww, lol.

After her six-hour visit, Autumn-chan poked and prodded me to hurry up and attend the “Rock Band” party of my co-worker. Even though she didn’t feel brave enough to join me, she also didn’t want me to miss out on all the rock-and-roll fun. So after some hesitation, I finally took her advice and got ready. Haha, she even waited for me to leave, so I wouldn’t chicken out! Awww. So at about 6:30pm, we left my house in our respective cars.

I gotta admit, I enjoyed the party! Not only the “Rock Band” room, but once I ran out of tunes to sing, I hopped over to the “Guitar Hero” room too. Ah, there’s Charlene on the microphone! And there’s “Trinity”, the wild-and-crazy Australian goth-chick-in-blue on the drums!

“Trinity” rocking the drums!

Here’s a shot of the “Rock Band” screen.

A reverse angle.

Another reverse angle.

Oh yeah, “Trinity” rocking the mic! There’s co-worker Dave rocking the drums!

Something wrong? You guys didn’t fail out, did you? Haha.

Let’s try it again!

“Trinity” rocking the mic once more!

Yup, “Trinity” truly-truly-truly rocked. Second to me, of course, lol. During the four hours I was there, I probably sang at least 20 of the 30 songs across both “Rock Band” (on “Hard” difficulty) and “Guitar Hero” (on “Medium” difficulty). Without failing. Most in the 90% range. Nice! I think I found my calling?

So yeah, that was our third weekend! What more can I say? Another timeless weekend of food, films and fun. Too bad that Autumn-chan couldn’t share in my spicy helping of fist-flying rock-and-roll!

 

Time. Space. Grace. Rock. Death. Life. Love. So, my Textless Toyboxers, another timeless mega-cast has spun and gone! Did you miss another revealing look at our otaku outlook? Miss another animated moment to read or die? Another intricate instant to travel through a temporal labyrinth? Another warmth embrace in the arms of an autumn night? Or another screaming rush of the rock-band spotlight? If you didn’t miss a beat, then I congratulate you! And thank you. Just as we should thank the gracious girls who glittered across our gleaming mega-cast. Thank you, Lene-chan, Duckie-chan, Coco-chan, Yomiko-chan, Nenene-chan, Michelle-chan, Maggie-chan, Anita-chan, Clare, Charlene, Trinity, and of course, the charming Autumn-chan. I think I’m beginning to fall for her…

Fair enough? Foul enough?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Read or Die! Well, it might help to write a bit too, wouldn’t it?

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/feed/ 27 Blog 215 > Embrace of an Autumn Night http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/19/blog-215-embrace-of-an-autumn-night/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/19/blog-215-embrace-of-an-autumn-night/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:40:05 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4225

Fate. Destiny. Coincidence. Whatever the term may be, when the frantic follies of life begin to play more fairly, there’s no better time to let your heart beat freely and your soul flow boldly. Especially when that fumbling fairness is embodied in the subtle charm of a gentle girl. To alleviate her blushing embarrassment, let’s conceal her identity beneath the code-name “Autumn Night”, lol.


Part 1 of 1 > Embrace of an Autumn Night

Ah, 15 August 2009, Saturday afternoon at the Galleria Mall. Our search begins! Yup, the search for (1) the perfect necktie to match a recently purchased pink shirt, (2) a few good socks, and (3) a windshield shade for my Nissan Murano. Haha, “Autumn Night” manages to capture my fumbling facial expression!

Hey, not bad! Something must’ve amused me, haha. But I wonder. From this low angle, you could probably calculate Autumn-chan’s relative height, couldn’t you?

A nice far shot! Since I like angled shots (for both anime-figure photoshoots and real life), I told her to try more angled shots. Not bad!

Ah, looking down upon the oblivious mall masses.

Hmm, trying to look cool. But not *too* cool.

Haha, can’t go to the Galleria Mall without visiting the friendly neighborhood “Suncoast”. Couldn’t avoid the “Ryuk the Shinigami” (Death Note) plushie!

Umm, I forget. What the heck was I explaining to Autumn-chan? Manga? Figures? Anime?

Oh no! Not the “Absolute Boyfriend” (Zettai Kareshi) manga! Run away! I’m sure Kris-chan will have something to say about this, lol.

Oh yeah, this was funny. Here’s an early screen-cap from the amusing 12-second video that Autumn-chan accidentally recorded on my Sony digicam. But she won’t let me post the video, lol.

Then here’s a screen-cap from the final moments of the 12-second video. Aww, she was too cute apologizing for her video accident.

Ahh, trying out the Tempur-Pedic, lol.

Wake me up in an hour, okay? Haha.

This is a pretty cool photo. Especially with the motion blur. Nice!

Ehh, not as nice. But still ain’t bad. Didn’t buy it, of course, lol. What are you thinking?

Hahaha, the perfectly stereotypical “tourist” photo! Why, thanx, Autumn-chan!

So after several hours at the mall, we found a few pairs of socks to replenish my supply. But we couldn’t find a decent neck-tie for my pink shirt! Despite looking at hundreds, if not thousands, of ties across several clothing stores within the complex! Bahhh. So then, we headed off to “Target” to find a windshield shade. Nothing. Next, we stopped off at “Borders” to check out some books. Peeked at some manga and Japanese dictionaries. Hehe, amusing discussions. Then finally, “Wal-Mart”. At long last, we finally found a proper 27-inch “Jumbo” windshield shade for my Murano!

An unnecessary close-up of the “Auto-Shade”, lol.

Ahh, I was too hungry to avoid the “McDonald’s” within the “Wal-Mart”, lol. But Autumn-chan couldn’t avoid capturing the “Now Hiring” sign behind me. Yeah-yeah, thanx again, Autumn-chan!

Staying awake amidst the soothing aroma of cheeseburgers.

A random but unique angle. What were you thinking, Autumn-chan?

Well, that’s it for Saturday afternoon! Yup, those 5 hours (from 2pm-to-7pm) flew by in the blink of an eye. I gotta admit, I don’t think I’ve laughed so much, or talked so much, or had so much fun shopping or browsing, in years! Of course, that didn’t stop us from having a 4-hour video-chat via Gmail later that night, haha. And it didn’t stop Autumn-chan from visiting my house the next day! Here’s a shot of the milk-flavored “Pocky” and tomato-flavored “Pretz” she bought on the drive over. Awww, thanx, that’s so sweet.

Here’s another shot including the chocolate-standard “Pocky” from “Suncoast” on Saturday, lol.

Gahhh, the unavoidably melted mass of milky messiness!

Awww, Guiness the Soccer Menace in the gentle embrace of Autumn-chan.

I think Guiness likes her, lol.

Hey-hey-hey! Some arm wrestling with the Menace!

Come on, Guiness! You got nothing! You got nothing!

Is Guiness getting tired already?

Ready for more soccer yet?

Awww. Guiness hardly looks like he’s 8 years old, does he?

So that’s it for Sunday afternoon! Yup, just like Saturday, these 6 hours (from 12:30pm-to-6:30pm) flew by in another blink of an eye. Once again, I gotta admit, the weekend with Autumn-chan was one of the most enjoyable, yet also comfortable, weekends in years. If not my entire life. I mean, when the frenzied foibles of fate decide to smile more kindly upon you, you’ve gotta smile back, right? With your entire heart and soul. Even if it means sacrificing the complexity of a mega-cast. Even if it makes Autumn-chan feel guilty for my sacrificing it, hehe. Of course, I seriously doubt that Duckie-chan will mind my lengthy string of xJAYMANx photos! Will you, Duckie-chan? You’ll have to thank Autumn-chan for that, lol. ^_~

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

This is a pretty cool photo. Especially with the motion blur. Nice!

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/19/blog-215-embrace-of-an-autumn-night/feed/ 26 Blog 214 > Traps & Treks To New Worlds http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/10/blog-214-traps-treks-to-new-worlds/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/10/blog-214-traps-treks-to-new-worlds/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:07:54 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4120

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


Part 1 of 5 > Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Sexy. Who’s sexy? Well, apparently, I am, lol. What? Wait-wait-wait, really? But first, before we dive deeper into this theory, let’s rewind back a few months to May-June 2009. Specifically, let’s revisit “One N Only” Jem-chan’s post “Forgotten Hauls #3 and #4 [Part 2]” (22 May 2009). Feel free to enlarge the screen capture.

Now, if we scroll down to the bottom of the May post, we’ll see some fascinating June comments and replies.

Here’s the text reprinted below.

xJAYMANx @ Jem-chan: Awww. This is only a guess based on my limited experience. But my guess is that your brand of crude vocalization, stubborn intimidation and paranoid cynicism is flashier and more fiery than most. Like a hypnotizing display of blinding fireworks at night, oooh, aaah. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to couple such display with physically appealing features in the eyes of men (see Dogs) either, haha… In those cases, my strategy would be to not get blinded by her light or burned by her fire. To keep a cool head. To keep a sharp ear. But also to challenge her in return. Ah, the play of the Devil’s Advocate. Because when executed cleverly, a challenge can be quite fun. ^o^

Jem @ Jay: Sexy is all I have to say.

Yup, “sexy”. If I interpret this accurately, I’d say that Jem-chan called my strategy “sexy”, lol. In fact, I think this was the first example in recent memory, to catch a lady blogger referring to me or my methods as “sexy”! But it gets better, lol.

Next, let’s fast-forward to August 2009, and visit Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Hosting a Foreign Exchange Student” (05 Aug 2009). Feel free to enlarge the screen capture.

Again, if we scroll down the post, we’ll find a most-revealing comment!

Here’s the text reprinted below.

Lovely Duckie @ Angry Mimi: I don’t think it’s a big deal to post pics of yourself on your blog…hell look at Jayman! I think his face has been burned into my memory forever! Although if I were as sexy as Jay…there would be no stopping me from averaging 3 pictures of myself per post either. I would know that it was my DUTY to share such a visage!

Basically females just can’t win when it comes to pictures of themselves on their blog. Your dammned if you do, and damned if you don’t. If a girl doesn’t post any pics SOME people try to suggest it’s cause she is butt ugly. If she does, she is just trying to get attention and shallow compliments. I don’t bother defending myself to either type because those people are hopelessly idiotic.

When I used to play World of Warcraft (WoW) certain members of the guild would constantly ask for pics to have a face to go with my voice but I always declined those requests. WoW was not a friendly world for females at the end game stage of things. I wouldn’t hide that I was female but I didn’t over emphasize it either because losers liked to assume I was the “token female” and didn’t deserve to raid and get the gear I got. Even though I don’t care what they think it’s hard to deal with their scathing remarks that can land at any time during the 5-6 hours a day thath I’d do instances with them.

xJAYMANx @ Duckie-chan: Awww, wow, Duckie-chan. I’m speechless! But I think I just found something new for my next mega-cast, lol.

Yup, that’s right! This time, Duckie-chan described me as “sexy”. Haha, I’m almost speechless. Almost. Oddly, this might actually support my next point. Which point is that? Well, it might indirectly explain the “longevity” of my blog.

Consequently, let’s visit Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Misunderstood?” (06 Aug 2009). Feel free to enlarge the screen capture.

Once more, if we scroll down the post, we’ll find my answer to Mimi-chan’s question.

Here’s the text reprinted below.

Angry Mimi @ xJAYMANx: How did you do it Jayyyyyyy your blog living for so long i mean ^^

xJAYMANx @ Mimi-chan: Awww, lol, I won’t bore you with my epic “Blog 200″, so I’ll repost something I told Otaku Dan back in April:

Ultimately, I think I came to the decision to go on, not only for myself, the love of writing or the love of anime, but also for others in the community who love anime too. Maybe not a million or even 100 others, but for those few who’ve become familiar names or faces. Like u or Blowfish or Panther or Mimi-chan. Those who make me think or laugh or yell “WTF?”, lol. Not only on my blog, but on theirs as well… I think that’s the best form of self-promotion of all.

P.S. But especially for the lady bloggers. That’s no secret, lol. They represent about 50% of the comments I get!

Yup, like I said, “for the lady bloggers”! To be clear, as I write this mega-cast, if we total up the number of comments from “Blog 200″ through “Blog 213″, the Toybox has collected 507 comments. Subtracting my own 180 comments, this leaves 327. Of these 327 comments, 170 were written by lady bloggers. Which yields a stunning 170/327 or 52% of the comments represented by the ladies. Stunning!

Switching gears, if we scroll up the same post, we’ll find one of the ladies, Duckie-chan again, poking at me, lol.

Here’s the text reprinted below.

xJAYMANx @ Mimi-chan: {Raised eyebrow} Hmmm, I have a sneaking suspicion that Duckie-chan found you through my last few mega-casts, lol. Right, Duckie-chan? >_<;

Lovely Duckie @ xJAYMANx: Jay…butt OUT we’re having girl talk! J/K ya I found her through your blog, you mentioned Mimi so often and other females into the same stuff as I am intrigue me so I had to pop by (pokes Mimi like someone observing a rare specimen).

Heyyy, one moment, Duckie-chan theorizes I’m “sexy”, then the next moment, she kiddingly commands me to “butt out”? Haha, I’m just teasing you, Duckie-chan. It’s still flattering to see one cute girl talking to another cute girl about me behind my back. Especially if it’s positive, lol. Doesn’t happen every day!

Switching gears yet again, here’s a Gmail conversation (spanning 06-07 Aug 2009) with yet another lady blogger, Kris-chan, discussing the possible titles for her new weekly otaku column! Pretty cool!

Kris @ xJAYMANx: Hey! I’m going to be writing a weekly otaku oriented (meaning manga, anime, video games, news, industry, whatever) column for a website, and I’m trying to come up with a snazzy title. All I’ve got so far is “Otaku Corner,” which is kind of cheesy and cliche, I think. I’m looking for something nerdy and obscure. I was wondering if you had any ideas? I think I am going to dig into my anime, looking at episode titles, and try and find something there (and I just did inventory today; with about 35 different series that I own, not including what I d/led and burned onto DVD, surely I can find something) . I thought about Toys in the Attic, which is a Cowboy Bebop reference (which itself I think might have been a reference to an Aerosmith album), but I decided that would be better for something centered on figures (it was also the name of a local, short-lived anime store). But that’s the sort of thing I’m looking for.

Please send me any ideas you might have! The more choices I have, the better.

xJAYMANx @ Kris-chan: Hey congrats! Hmmm, Otaku Corner already exists plenty on the net… So why not go Japanese?

> The Bento Bako (The Lunch Box) or combine the Jap+Eng = The Bento Box, etc.
> The Himitsu Bako (The Secret Puzzle Box)
> Or other combinations, etc…
> I think Gangu Bako would be “Toy Box”, haha.

You get the idea, lol… Hey, besides these ideas, I could also ask the question in my next mega-cast (Mon-Tues). When did you need your title?

Kris @ xJAYMANx: Um, I think I have two weeks. What about…. Sakigake! Otaku! (As in, Sakigake! Cromartie High School) Which I think is, Charge! Otaku! I kind of like the word/phrase “Sakigake.” But maybe I’m not using it correctly? I really have noooo idea, lol. But you’re right that something like “Otaku Corner” is overused, so I don’t want to use that. But I did like your idea of putting Japanese into it, I just don’t know much Japanese. How would you translate: Weekly Engagement, Your Weekly Recommendation…. Weekly Lunch Box might work. [weekly] Bento Bako. I kind of like that, but how would “weekly” translate? Or should I just leave it in English?

If you don’t mind putting it into your post, I certainly don’t mind you doing so! I didn’t realize this would be so complicated. : )

xJAYMANx @ Kris-chan: Hey, Kris-chan! Interesting… “Sakigake!” is kinda cool too. Let’s see, looks like “Isshukan” means one week, this week, the week… So “Bento Bako no Isshukan” might read “Weekly lunch box”, “Lunch box of the week” or “A week of the lunch box”, lol. Or maybe remove “bento” or “bako”? Either way, gets the idea across I think. I mean, is this supposed to be grammatically perfect? Then again, the sounds of “k” in “Bento Bako Weekly” might work too.

Of course, “Sakigake! Bento Bako Otaku!” has an insane ring to it.

Kris @ xJAYMANx: Bento Bako Weekly sounds good! Or would it be Weekly Bento Bako? Does the placement matter? As for it’s grammatical accuracy…enough that I don’t look silly for using it. : ) It’s why I was a little hesitant to use Japanese terms, because I know people will tear you apart if you get it wrong. I think Sakigake! Bento Bako Otaku! might be a bit of a mouthful, lol. But if I called it “Weekly Lunch Box,” then I could start off posts with something like “It’s time for you weekly lunch box!” Or “Let’s open the bento bako!” Of course, these bento boxes would contain anime and manga, not rice and omelets.

I kind of like that. What do you think? Er, well, it was YOUR idea, lol, so I assume you liked it enough to suggest it.

xJAYMANx @ Kris-chan: Let’s go with Bento Bako Weekly, simply because TONS of boring titles start with “Weekly”. Instead, starting with “Bento Bako” seems more eye-grabbing. Doesn’t it? Exactly! A lunch box of anime and manga to satisfy your otaku palate!

You sure you don’t want “Otaku Corner” back? Hahaha.

Kris @ xJAYMANx: Bento Bako Weekly it is, then! Thank you so much for you help! I think that’s going to be perfect. I’ll make sure to credit you for the idea when things get going. Now to ask some graphic designer friends to create a banner for me. : ) It’s nice to know creative people when one is not a creative person in the slightest.

Now I need to finish writing next week’s blog post. Live action movies, ahoy! Triple feature!

xJAYMANx @ Kris-chan: Haha, you’re welcome! I hardly did anything, but feel free to exaggerate my role, lol. Looks like I might have something bento-related for my next mega-cast!

Good luck with the banner! Heyyy, live-action FTW!

Congratulations once again, Kris-chan! Good luck with your “Bento Bako Weekly”! I know it won’t be easy, because I used to write less-than-weekly articles for a “Las Vegas Otaku” webzine a few years back. Tougher than it sounds! So good luck! Gambatte!

So, my Tumbling Toyboxers, what have we learned? Well, this is only a theory, but looking back at the various comments and conversations above, if a few fun-loving lady bloggers somehow find you physically or intellectually or socially attractive or even “sexy”, and you reciprocate with an equal measure of intelligence, confidence, humor and a bit of respectful flirting, then it can’t hurt your blog’s appeal, lol. In fact, it might help it. Of course, this is only a theory. Two cents, please?

 

Part 2 of 5 > Strange New Traps

What? You don’t have two cents to spare? Ahh, I understand, gotta save up for anime figures, right? Especially, in this penny-pinching global economy. Hehe, in any case, let’s leap over some tall building from fun-loving lady bloggers to some cruel-minded gender-confusing traps!

Maria+Holic (2009) [31]. Well, a couple of weeks ago, on 26 July, I completed my 31st anime title-or-season of the year. Original short season with 12 episodes. Yup, I finally finished it! And I gotta admit, it’s hilarious! While not as mind-alteringly or mind-frakkingly uproarious as the heavily-referenced “Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” (lol), it definitely holds its own weight in blood, lol. Also, while it didn’t tug my emotional strings too tightly, it finally tugged my psychological cocktail with its introduction of the over-analytical despair-torn priest! LOL, classic! Now if we could toss that Father Toichiro and Zetsubou-sensei into the same series, that’d be gut-wrenching, hahaha. So, in the end, not quite the maximum 4 stars for a short-season. Instead, a blood-spewingly short-but-solid 3 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, ranging from 1440px-to-5400px resolution, here are 11 scans, vectors, wallpapers and other images to tickle your “Maria+Holic” gender confusion. More of our inevitably fake captions, please?

Mariya-chan {in blue, in thought}: “Damn, these outfits really pinch my p@#%$.”

Mariya-chan {in white}: “Hey sis, ever seen my p@#%$ up close?”

Mariya-chan {in red}: “Hehehe, what? Blue? Wench, I never ordered you to wear blue today, did I?”

Mariya-chan {in red}: “Wench, this blue doesn’t even match that cheap bra!”

Mariya-chan: “What the f@#%? Wench, this cheap bra doesn’t even match your dumbass face!”

Matsurika-chan: “Mariya-sama, never ever, ever, ever, do that again. Understood?”

Mariya-chan: “A-ha, let’s go. It’s time to confuse Father Toichiro again!”

Mariya-chan: “Tee-hee, Father Toichiro, can you help me find my lost panties?”

Mariya-chan: “A-ha, Father Toichiro, why are you blushing?”

Mariya-chan: “Oh no, Father Toichiro, do you think these panties fit me okay?”

Mariya-chan {in thought}: “F@#% you, Father Toichiro, you perverted bastard! Suck my p@#%$!”

Well-well, my Tickled Toyboxers, whattaya think? Since Kris-chan doesn’t think it’s a real spoiler since we all pretty much know the premise of the series, we should all know that Mariya-chan is *simply* a transvestite. Now, I say *simply* because he clearly retains the body of a boy, without any physical breast enhancements or hormonal treatments. He’s simply wearing female clothing and female hairstyles, nothing more that we know of.

The reason I’m clarifying this is because according to Wikipedia, a gender “trap” is the following.

Trap is a slang term for a male to female pre-op transsexual, specifically one with female secondary sex characteristics but retaining a penis.

Which is clearly beyond a simple transvestite. Therefore, according to this definition, Mariya-chan is not a “trap”. Perhaps the definition of “trap” is inaccurate? Shouldn’t it include non-transsexual transvestites as well? Meanwhile, beyond transvestites, there are also the terms “newhalf” (female-bodied transsexuals with only male genitals) and “futanari” (actual hermaphrodites) as follows. Haha, thanx, Jenn-chan for bringing the “futa” slang to my attention (in Blog 212), lol.

Futanari, along with “newhalf”, are more polite terms having come into recent use, with futanari tending to refer specifically to actual hermaphrodites and “newhalf” tending to refer specifically to characters with female bodies but only male genitals.

Once again, isn’t the definition of “trap” too restrictive? Not only should it include non-transsexual transvestites, but shouldn’t it also include hermaphrodites? So to summarize, (1) a male “transvestite” simply wears the clothes and hairstyles of women, (2) a “newhalf” refers to male-to-female pre-op transsexuals with female bodies but retaining a penis, while (3) a “futanari” refers to hermaphrodites. In effect, *all* three cases may look like stunningly feminine “traps”. If we expand the definition of “trap”, that is.

My recommendation: Since Mariya-chan is already stunning as a girl, he-she should aim higher, towards “newhalf” and beyond, lol.

 

Part 3 of 5 > Strange New Halves

Speaking of the term “newhalf”, do you remember my “Question of the Week” last week? The question was: What type of Asian porn girl do you like? Did you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

For one last time, here’s an example of the “Starlet A” type.

Next, here’s an example of the “Starlet B” type.

Finally, here’s an example of the “Starlet C” type.

Well, according to the hesitant replies, including my own comments, it looks like “Starlet C” is the winner! The cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type!

If you also remember, I hinted at a “hidden test within the test”. I also added: “So if you know what it is, don’t reveal it. Or you shall be banned! Okay, maybe not banned, but we’ll see.” Sorry, I guess Blur-man shall be banned! Okay-okay, maybe not. But he was the closest one to reveal the hidden test.

So what exactly was the hidden test? Basically, to see if you could tell that *all* three porn starlets are actually male-to-female pre-op transsexuals. Yup, “shemales“. Or more politely, “new halves”. That’s right! Hard to believe? I mean, if you’re perversely curious, here are a few hardcore XXX links, haha. Danger! Danger! NSFW!

Starlet A – Megan, also known as Moo.

Starlet B – Marin, 19-year-old from Osaka, Japan.

Starlet C – Hime Tsukino, 24-year-old from Osaka, Japan. Born March 25, 1985 (another Piscean!) and one of the biggest newhalf superstars in the adult-video industry in Tokyo.

To celebrate our “Starlet C” winner, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door-type Hime Tsukino, here’s a set of 14 “safe” photos from Shemale Japan, lol. Feel free to enlarge the shots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn. Double damn. Triple damn. I don’t know about you, but if Mariya-chan from “Maria+Holic” can be defined as a gender “trap” in the anime world, then Hime-chan definitely qualifies as a “trap” in the real world. With boldly flying colors, lol. I mean, doesn’t she? Seriously, whether you’re a hetero guy or girl, would you mind falling into her trap? Not even for a split-second? Hahaha.

 

Part 4 of 5 > Strange New Worlds

Wow, that was wild! Now, leaping from strange new halves, let’s warp towards strange new worlds! About three weeks ago (yeah, it’s been a while), on 21 July 2009, I finally watched the re-imagined “Star Trek” (2009) film. And as a fan who’s already watched every “Star Trek” television episode, with the exception of the last “Enterprise” series, and almost all of the “Star Trek” films, I gotta say, this 2009 film is amazing! The most perfect “Star Trek” film to match the current 21st-century movie-making styles. Simply put, my speed-review is 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate the interstellar achievement, here are 37 of the nicest 1900px-resolution “Star Trek” wallpapers I could find! No fake captions necessary, lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn, that was fast! If you haven’t seen the film yet, watch it now, lol. Sadly, my copy of the file was a bootlegged recording. Impressive but still bootlegged. So whenever I finally grab a high-definition version, in DVD, Blu-ray or video-file format, I get the distinct feeling that I’ll be totally blown away!

 

Part 5 of 5 > Strange New Ships

Finally, while we’re trekking towards strange new worlds, let’s gaze at some strange new ships! Okay, well, maybe not so strange. But definitely some of the most breath-taking fan-made computer-generated masterpieces by German CG-Artist Tobias Richter. Before the recent “Star Trek” (2009) film was even released! For more on Tobias, check out these links.

Tobias Richter – German CG-Artist.

To celebrate these computer-generated masterpieces, here are 19 of the slickest 1900px-resolution “starship” wallpapers I could collect! Once again, no fake captions necessary, lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow. Double wow. Triple wow. Simply. Breathtaking. Almost makes you forget about transvestites and transsexuals, doesn’t it? Okay, almost, lol.

 

Traps! Treks! Strange new sexes! Did you get the idea? Get the point? I hope not, lol. Nevertheless, did our strange new mega-cast reveal a strange new world of unleashed-and-untamed lady bloggers? Deviously lady-like high-school boys? Perfectly-convincing adult-rated lady-boys? Fantastically-futuristic interstellar trekkers? And frighteningly-fantastic warp-speed starships? I hope so! Plus, I think I answered last week’s “Question of the Week”, didn’t I? If not, I’m sure we pushed gender prejudices aside, launched another pride-less ride, and slid to Warp Factor Nine! Thank you, my Transparent Toyboxers. Let’s not forget to thank the glittering guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast. Thank you, Jem-chan, Mimi-chan, Duckie-chan, Kris-chan, Jenn-chan, Mariya-chan, Matsurika-chan, Megan-chan, Marin-chan, and Hime-chan!

So what exactly was the hidden test?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Mariya-chan {in thought}: “F@#% you, Father Toichiro, you perverted bastard! Suck my p@#%$!”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/10/blog-214-traps-treks-to-new-worlds/feed/ 28 Blog 213 > Guys, Gals, Gravure & Ganguro http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/03/blog-213-guys-gals-gravure-ganguro/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/03/blog-213-guys-gals-gravure-ganguro/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:45:26 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3937

Greetings, my Titillating Toyboxers! Welcome to the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul! Assuming your fragile fingers can survive the infinite click-and-scroll. Hey, that rhymed, lol. Imagine that! Nevertheless, there’s no more room for imagination when you must witness the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers, the heartfelt tug of high-school reunions, the soothing smile of bikini-clad idols, the seductive glance of adult-video starlets, and the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances. Like I said, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for entertainment, right? So lock yourself inside, peel away your pride, and enjoy the ride. Let’s go!


Part 1 of 5 > Zettai Kareshi – Absolute Boyfriend

Heyyy, let’s start our glorious ride with some Japanese live-action! Do you remember my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago? If not, let me refresh your memory cells, lol. On that mega-cast, Toyboxer Kris-chan commented how a few of the “Gokusen” actors reminded her of “Absolute Boyfriend (Live Action)”. That’s because two of the actors are on both shows!

Consequently, because of my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008), I downloaded “Zettai Kareshi” (Live Action, 2008) plus its extra “Special Ending” (2009). And the rest is history! I enjoyed the first episode, finished the series and the special on 24 July 2009, and finally added the title to this week’s mega-cast! And I gotta tell you, while the pace seemed more relaxed than other J-drama or K-drama series, when I reached the final episode, the tears were literally blurring my eyes and streaming down my cheeks, both cheeks, more tears with this episode than with any single episode of live-action “Gokusen” or any other Japanese or Korean drama. Yup, it was that intense! Yup, no doubt, 5 of 5 stars! Afterwards, the “Special Ending” was a nice bit of closure to tie up the loose strings. But satisfying as well. Amazing. To celebrate, here are 40+ “Zettai Kareshi” screencaps from Design Chronicle to offer a tangy taste of the title. Even more fake captions anyone?

But before the fake captions, here’s the title sequence.

Yup, both lead guys are from “Gokusen 2″! Okay, next, the fake captions…

Gaku: “We’ve done it. We’ve turned the Terminator into the Lovinator!”

Gaku: “Yes, the Lovinator!”

Riiko-chan {in thought}: “Hmm, I need some lovin’.”

Gaku: “Did you say ‘Lovin” as in Lovinator?”

Soshi: “Hmm, I think I need some lovin’ too.”

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? What’s a Lovinator?”

Gaku: “Behold! This is my Nightly Lovinator!”

Gaku: “Nice, huh? I tested his Nightly Lovinating myself!”

Gaku: “In fact, I tested his Nightly Lovinating all day and all night!”

Gaku: “Ah yes, Riiko-chan, don’t forget to read the instructions.”

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? My own Nightly Lovinator?”

Riiko-chan: “Hmm, this’ll never work.”

Night {activating}: “Armpits… 1… 2… 3…”

Night {still activating}: “Hmm, something smells like armpits.”

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Who are you? Are you a Terminator?”

Night: “Terminator? I’m not a Terminator.”

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! A Terminator is gonna kill me!”

Night: “I’m not a Terminator. I’m a Lovinator. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

Night: “Don’t wanna smell my armpits? Wanna have sex?”

Gaku: “Sorry about that. I forgot to use deodorant.”

Night: “Hey Riiko-chan, wanna buy some deodorant?”

Riiko-chan: “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t smell too bad.”

Riiko-chan: “But what am I gonna do with a Nightly Lovinator?”

Night: “I’m a Nightly Lovinator. Can I buy some deodorant?”

Night {deactivating}: “I think my armpits still smell bad.”

Riiko-chan: “I’m so sorry, Night. Your armpits smelled bad after all.”

Night {deactivating}: “Armpits… 3… 2… 1…”

Night {testing}: “Armpits… Smell… Deodorant…”

Riiko-chan: “I’m sorry. I couldn’t get the new deodorant in time.”

Night: “I can smell Riiko-chan. I can smell the new deodorant. Where?”

Night: “Ahhh, the deodorant. There it is.”

Night: “Hmmm, this deodorant is heavier than I thought.”

Night: “Must repair. Must deliver deodorant to Riiko-chan.”

Night: “Here, Riiko-chan. The new deodorant you wanted.”

Riiko: “Why? Why did you deliver the deodorant?”

Riiko: “Wow, I can’t believe they loved the new deodorant fragrance!”

Riiko’s friend: “Oh no, I gotta tell Riiko-chan, they didn’t like the deodorant fragrance after all!”

Night: “I’m sorry, Night. The new deodorant didn’t work out.”

Night {reacting}: “Deodorant… Smell… Bad…”

Riiko {waking up}: “What? Who’s there?”

Night: “Good morning, Riiko-chan. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Riiko: “Nooooo!”

Hahaha! But I wonder: Would *Nightly* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *Daily* Lovinator armpits? Would *female* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *male* ones? Okay-okay, forget I asked. Because now, it’s time to hike from one Japanese live-action drama to another!

 

Part 2 of 5 > Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special

Yup, my Telltale Toyboxers, more “Gokusen”! Why? Well, why not? I mean, I already mentioned my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008) above, and I recently speed-reviewed the “Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special” (2009) in my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago. So why not?

In fact, after finishing “Zettai Kareshi” plus its extra “Special Ending”, I decided to watch the two-hour “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (Sept 2005) that same night, on 24 July 2009. And once again, all of the memorable emotions bubbled up to the surface. Like I’ve said before: “It’s simply incredible how after its 3 seasons and 7 years, the series can still take me from out-loud laughter to sniffling eye-blurring tears.” Just like the “Gokusen 3″ special, this “Gokusen 2″ special took me to the edge of tears too. Hehe, another 5 of 5 stars! Was there any doubt? To celebrate, here are 40+ screencaps from the “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special”. From only the first 5 minutes!

Since the screencaps already include subtitles, I won’t bother with fake ones, lol.

Isn’t Yukie-chan mesmerizing?

Tonight, “Gokusen 2″ (2005) returns!

Hehe, scenes from the dramatic comedy.

Which aired from January through March 2005.

A record-breaking 28% average rating!

Six months after its last airing…

The passion has never ceased!

We want to see it again!

The requests are unimaginable!

Heyyy, the tall guy raising his arms. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

Aww, Yukie-chan will always be our “Yankumi”.

Yup, Yankumi-sensei of delinquent Class 3D!

Emotional! Exciting!

Haha, never-before-seen scenes?

What? Actors-turned-singers too?

The “Gokusen 2″ theme sung live?

Heyyy, the same tall guy in the back. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

You shall understand the entire story!

And now, the “Gokusen Reunion Special”…

Ready? Set? Gokusen!

The “Gokusen Reunion Special” is finally here!

Welcome back, Kurogin High School!

A reunion like this is almost never done, right?

Eh? Were you talking to me?

But something is missing…

Then let us call her…

Let’s call in Yankumi-sensei. Is everyone ready?

Yankumi!!!

Awww, Yukie-chan returns!

Closer…

Even closer…

Her hair twirls in captivating grace…

Yukie-chan, it’s been half a year!

Yup, half a year!

Already?

Because “Gokusen” has so many viewers…

Hence this “Reunion” program…

Awww…

Now, it’s time to recap the first episode!

The first episode of “Gokusen 2″!

Let’s begin the show!

Awww, and that was just the first 5 minutes of the two-hour special! But I think it’s safe to say that Yukie-chan is the undeniable reason why “Gokusen” is the fan-favorite phenomenon it was back then, and still is today. To further our celebration of Yukie-chan, let’s rewind even further back in time, back 6 years, from 2005 to 1999. To her 20th birthday!

 

Part 3 of 5 > Nakama Yukie-chan – Revisiting Idol

Ahh, ready for more Yukie-chan? Of course you are! According to Wikipedia, she was born in October 1979. And according to Channel Gravure, the following “gravure” photo sets come from (I’m guessing from the Korean text) her “20th Birthday Photo Book”. Which should be 1999, a full 6 years before her “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (2005) appearance. Remarkably, like many Asian women, she has hardly changed at all!

Having said that, enjoy these 14 stylish photos of Yukie-chan! Feel free to enlarge them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well? Did you enlarge them? Haha, or maybe you’ve enlarged something else? Still, can you tell the difference between Yukie-chan in 1999 and Yukie-chan in 2005? Because it’s pretty tough, even for me, lol. But now, it’s time to ride the waves from Japanese gravure idols to Asian porn starlets!

 

Part 4 of 5 > Question of the Week – What Type of Asian Porn Girl?

Wow, it’s been ages since my last “Question of the Week”. When was the last one? Maybe in my Blog 188 > Kanons, Pirates & Bloodbaths (08 Feb 2009)? Six months ago? If any Toyboxer can verify this, please do so, lol. But why do I bring this up? Well, it’s time for my latest “Question of the Week”!

The question: What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Here’s an example of the “Starlet A” type.

 

 

 

Next, here’s an example of the “Starlet B” type.

 

 

 

Finally, here’s an example of the “Starlet C” type.

 

 

 

To repeat, of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Haha, I look forward to your answers! Can you guess mine? By the way, depending on your preferences, there’s also a hidden test within the test. So if you know what it is, don’t reveal it. Or you shall be banned! Okay, maybe not banned, but we’ll see. Ahh, I just realized this! Funny how all 3 types have bleached their hair in one form or another, lol. Finally, it’s time to ride the rippling waves from the international shores of Asian entertainment to the local shores of the xJAYMANx stage, lol.

 

Part 5 of 5 > Angry Mimi-chan, Allie-chan & xJAYMANx

Huh, the xJAYMANx stage? What the frak is that? LOL, ahh, be quiet. But a couple of weeks ago, on Tuesday, 21 July 2009, I met a few of the seven new employees fresh out of college. And guess what? One of them was a cute Japanese girl named Allie. Well, over the course of that week, and since their cubicles were in the same area as mine, I managed to organize a Friday lunch at “Chipotle” (24 July 2009) with her and Martin, another employee-in-training who happens to be half-Korean. Both are awesome! Not just funny and intelligent, but both are quirky enough to match my comedic wavelengths, lol. Although married, Allie’s giggling reactions to my Japanese phrases are still too cute!

Oddly, on the following Wednesday (29 July 2009), one of the trainers was sick. So while I was waiting outside the training room for Allie and Martin to join me for lunch at “T.G.I. Friday’s”, I decided to take a few pics of Allie “leading” the training class, hahaha.

This was only their second week learning the software, so the scene is quite amusing!

I think she’s wrapping up the video session…

But I think that chair is set a bit too high, lol.

Then a couple of days later, on Friday (31 July 2009), I was asked to proctor the training class during their exam, lol. Yup, since I’m part of the Training Department, I managed to monitor the trainees from 7am to 10am. Allie arrived first at 7:30am. The others followed till 8am. Next, the 8am study session. Then the 9am exam. Pretty painless.

Haha, Allie tries to avoid my digicam around 9am!

Here’s the empty training room around 7am.

And here’s a fake but amusing composite with Angry Mimi-chan, hahaha.

Here’s the original photo of Angry Mimi-chan from her post “80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness” (14 July 2009) as well as my “Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People” (21 July 2009). Rather stunning, huh?

Finally, here’s an original “sign” prize by Angry Mimi-chan to myself from her post “A Small Liszt of Thank-You’s” (27 July 2009), after I correctly guessed the composer of her piano recording. Awww, thanx again, Mimi-chan!

Well, I guess that’s the xJAYMANx stage, huh? From Allie-chan to Angry Mimi-chan. Not too bad. Not bad at all, lol.

 

Guys! Gals! Gravure! Ganguro! Well-well, my Tentacled Toyboxers, how was the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul? Did your fragile fingers survive the infinite click-and-scroll? Did you escape the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers? The heartfelt tug of high-school reunions? The soothing smile of bikini-clad idols? The seductive glance of adult-video starlets? Or the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances? Like I said at the top of the mega-cast, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for our thanx, lol. Thank you. Once again, let’s not forget to thank the gushing guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Kris-chan, Riiko-chan, Yankumi-chan, Yukie-chan, Starlet A, Starlet B, Starlet C, Allie-chan, and Angry Mimi-chan!

What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/08/03/blog-213-guys-gals-gravure-ganguro/feed/ 22 Blog 212 > Clubbers, Sisters & Butlers http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/28/blog-212-clubbers-sisters-butlers/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/28/blog-212-clubbers-sisters-butlers/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:06:04 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3813

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


Part 1 of 3 > Pandora Fail, Disney Choo & Clubber Dan

Pandora Fail. Let’s begin the mega-cast with my last look at Pandora.com, the internet-radio site. The story began more than two years ago, in May-June 2007. I discovered Pandora, and it was good. Here’s a screenshot from my ancient Blog 081 > Opening Pandora’s Box (15 June 2007).

Here’s the shining review I wrote.

Hey, ever heard of Pandora.com?… Just a few weeks ago, I heard about it for the first time by overhearing a co-worker. Within minutes, I visited the site and tried out the online radio. And now, a few weeks later, I can’t go online without listening to my randomized “Quick Mix” of customized artist-based stations! In fact, the first tab in my Firefox 2 browser automatically opens to Pandora! If you search for “Linkin Park”, that station will configure artists along that genre, and songs which you can individually “approve” or “decline”. I think I’ve tried another online radio in the past, but I don’t remember it, lol. The thing is: It’s hard to believe that I hardly open my Winamp MP3 player anymore!… So for those sitting at a computer all day, who are open and willing to try out new music that fits one or many artist genres, without the clunkiness of transferring MP3 files, this may be a welcome addition to your musical day!

P.S. If you’re interested, here’s the main page and here’s my profile.

Yup, it was good. It was good for two years. Until a couple of weeks ago. Most probably due to a struggling economic climate, Pandora introduced a monthly limit for the first time. That’s right, a monthly limit. Just 40 hours of free listening each month. Then after 40 hours, you have to pay. True, it may not cost much, but compared to two years of zero, it’s still a lot. Ugh, reminded me of the ancient days of AOL and 40 hours of free internet per month. Oh well. Here’s what the Pandora “monthly limit” message looks like. Enlarge the screencap if necessary.

So can you guess what I did? Yup, on 15 July 2009, I left Pandora and switched to Last.fm, another internet-radio site. A little bit different, but overall, nearly identical. The best thing about it? It’s free, lol. Here’s what my Last.fm page looks like. Not too bad!

There it is! So will Last.fm follow in the steps of Pandora.com? While it might be a tiny fee now, is there any guarantee that the fee won’t rise in the future? With this economy, who knows? But I guess we’ll see. Till then, crank up the free volume!

Disney Choo. Next, let’s take a scrutinizing gaze at DannyChoo.com. While I can’t begin to imagine the high competition necessary to earn the “Best Japan Blog”, it’s also quite revealing. Is it fair to say that “Danny Choo” is no longer an anime or otaku blog, but rather, a general Japan-life blog? Has “Danny Choo” finally made its choice? Has it finally left the ecchi-paved anime-and-otaku path?

Hehe, if you aren’t already familiar with my complicated “Danny Choo” history, it has seen the sunny artful skies of Blog 070 (Kako & Mirai) and Blog 130 (Mirai in Battle), the ambivalent analytical comedy of Blog 153 (Deconstructing Danny) and Blog 160 (Danny Clone), as well as the eroge-layered dismay of Blog 177 (Mimi’s Zazzle), Blog 198 (Bloggers & Battles) and Blog 204 (Otakulypse). So when I see Danny tell us he’s been “cleaning up the ecchi stuff quite a bit which is why you may be stumbling across dead urls to previous ecchi content”, it’s both disheartening and alarming. Why?

True, I may not be the most hardcore otaku by any means. Not at all. But from an otakuspheric perspective, doesn’t his list of high-profile corporate giants give the impression that “Disney” Choo has sold out to the corporate universe? Is that bad? Is that good? Obviously, there’s no clear answer. But by choosing the financially and commercially kid-safe path, Danny risks losing the poorer ecchi-and-eroge fan communities who supported him and his rise to fame over the years. If he hasn’t lost them already.

Yup, ever since his early days of pursuing the delectable Kylie Minogue and befriending her sister Danni, Danny has always seemed to gleam in the spotlight of fame. Or glimmer in the Imperial blaze-and-glory of a Stormtrooper uniform, haha. But I don’t mind that. I don’t mind his objective to “clean up the ecchi stuff” from the present day onward. From the present blog-post onward. In fact, that’s commendable. But to go back in time, rewind his blog history, and rewrite or “whitewash” his past? Deleting old memories? Isn’t that more offensive? After all, ecchi or not, they’re not just his old comments and memories, but they’re ours as well.

If the definition of “otaku” is forever intertwined with “ecchi”, then it’s safe to say that Danny has finally graduated from otakudom. Not unlike Melonpan and his fake graduation. But with a memory drill instead of a physical one. Another sign of the oncoming otakulypse? Is Danny really being true to himself? To his ecchi self? To his eroge self? Or even his otaku self? Does the understandable corporate and family-oriented allure outweigh all this? I mean, Otaku Dan recently told me that he had “grown out of DC”. Which fits the kid-safe concept. I guess we’ll see how Disney Choo evolves, won’t we?

Or we can forget everything I said, lol. Gambatte, Danny-san.

Clubber Dan. Speaking of otaku, I enjoyed an intriguing chat with another prominent otaku earlier this week. Yup, Otaku Dan. Or as I prefer to label him, “Densha Dan”, in honor of his recent romantic development. Yeah-yeah, a reference to “Densha Otoko” (Train Man), lol. Here’s a screencap of his blog.

Consequently, catapulting from laptops to eroge to blog hits to blog fame to Jack the Ripper, here’s our unedited otaku-to-otaku discussion on 23 July 2009, lol.

Otaku Dan: yo

xJAYMANx: hey

Otaku Dan: whats up?

xJAYMANx: replying to blog comments of course, lol

Otaku Dan: now that I have a computer again, I should start interacting with the community again

xJAYMANx: no worries. yeah, congrats on the new Dell

Otaku Dan: thank you

xJAYMANx: i think that’s the first time u “shouted” so loud lol

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: u didn’t mention transfer data from the old to the new?

Otaku Dan: the mother board for the old one is dead
I found it burnt

xJAYMANx: not even a backup drive?
external?

Otaku Dan: nope, i was always saying “I will buy it later” but a cute figure or a DVD would come up ^_^;

xJAYMANx: as long as there wasn’t any data too important to lose

Otaku Dan: there was important data, my eroge

xJAYMANx: didn’t burn those on DVDs?

Otaku Dan: nope. the old computer RW was not working

xJAYMANx: ahh

Otaku Dan: I’m surprised it lasted that long

xJAYMANx: lol, when the “surprise” starts to kick in, that’s when I’d start backing things up!

Otaku Dan: I should invest in a external HD

xJAYMANx: even archive DVDs will work too

Otaku Dan: The only thing I did lose was important was my pictures but thank goodness I uploaded them to flickr

xJAYMANx: true
you’re talking about blog pics? or just pics in general

Otaku Dan: blog pics

xJAYMANx: yeah, i was just replying to someone that I lost an old figure photoshoot from Oct 2007, but fortunately I did upload them for a blog post
too bad still

Otaku Dan: I know

xJAYMANx: now it’s a new “era” then

Otaku Dan: I know
this has been a good year for me
so far

xJAYMANx: true, does Kururu enjoy the eroge too? lol

Otaku Dan: i dont know but she does like h-doujin(yaoi)

xJAYMANx: ahh, i think that’s pretty much the same category, tho it might depend how graphic the yaoi is

Otaku Dan: i dont want to know

xJAYMANx: lol, why not, i wouldn’t mind, especially to share her perspective on it
does she avoid yuri then too?

Otaku Dan: idk
i should ask her that

xJAYMANx: haha, u should!
start of an interesting conversation

Otaku Dan: like this “what are your opinions on lesbian sex?”
lol

xJAYMANx: haha, just use the yuri term, easily to handle
*easier

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: is she the type to reply “why do you ask?”

Otaku Dan: not really, she is very honest

xJAYMANx: then should be no prob, like “i saw your yaoi, what do you think of all my yuri?”

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: assuming u can tolerate yaoi without throwing up

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: if girls don’t vomit, why should I?

Otaku Dan: I hope I dont go blind

xJAYMANx: nah, from a girls view, can’t be so different from girl-girl to a guy
now trans sex girls with maleness, now that’s quite different

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: ask her about that, lol
there’s 6 days till her next post anyway

Otaku Dan: thats a good idea

xJAYMANx: lol

Otaku Dan: do you know how to become the next big thing in the otaku/anime community?

xJAYMANx: no, how?

Otaku Dan: i dont know, I’m asking you because you are well known and everyone likes you

xJAYMANx: well known?
you’ve got 2-3 times the number of regular commenters than i do

Otaku Dan: I dont thing so. it feels like my blog is not growing

xJAYMANx: explain the “feeling”
(oops, it’s kararu not kururu, isn’t it)

Otaku Dan: my stats are not going up.

xJAYMANx: depends on which stats, the stats u care about, and those u don’t

Otaku Dan: both
lol

xJAYMANx: well, did i mention this already? I try to reply to everyone’s comment as best as I can, leaving out nobody… but it’s tougher if you have dozens of commenters and less time to do it

Otaku Dan: I’m talking about daily hits

xJAYMANx: ahh, well, the only “stats” that amuse me are the website outlook theoretical value $s, lol… i mean hits can mean anything
i think my “hits” dropped recently compared too, but it could mean anything from geographical school trends, etc…
*compared to previous months
are you losing the passion because u see fewer hits?

Otaku Dan: no

xJAYMANx: that’s good

Otaku Dan: the thing is I dont see any change to my hit when compared to last year

xJAYMANx: what are your expectations?
(i don’t have many, lol)

Otaku Dan: I should have double the views but when goggle bought feed burner, it screwed it all up
it was around the start of the year when my hit dropped to nothing

xJAYMANx: are u saying u should quit feed burner? i tried it once but then quit it

Otaku Dan: it felt that i was starting all over

xJAYMANx: i just don’t see how feeds affects hits

Otaku Dan: ping sites

xJAYMANx: meaning what

Otaku Dan: http://pingomatic.com/

xJAYMANx: maybe i should say how “changing feeds” affects hits
so if i use this, what should happen

Otaku Dan: it send out a signal to search sites like google and yahoo that an update has been update on your site

xJAYMANx: but RSS readers like Google Reader already update posts without me using Pingomatic
seems redundant, more for company websites not blogs

Otaku Dan: but it does work

xJAYMANx: true, redundancy isn’t wrong
but i’ve never used it or even heard of it before… that really explains the fewer hits?

Otaku Dan: it helps but I dont use it anymore like I use to.

xJAYMANx: hmm

Otaku Dan: i have not used it in 3 months

xJAYMANx: lol, so why worry about pingo
i mean, Jusuchin85 recently commented “I don’t think I can compete with the big guns like yourself, Danny, Mimi and Otaku-dan just yet. Still a long way to go!” So you’re still perceived as a “big gun”.
though i wouldn’t place myself in the same league as Danny

Otaku Dan: since when was a big gun

xJAYMANx: i think a while now

Otaku Dan: i just work hard at what I do

xJAYMANx: exactly
maybe just overthinking things?

Otaku Dan: maybe
i think that big gun are gordon, mimi, dancing queen and DC

xJAYMANx: ahh, true… though i must admit, even tho I don’t frequent DC anymore, Mimi-chan has probably helped my blog quite a lot

Otaku Dan: i have not visited mimi in a while

xJAYMANx: tough to access? Aprilius20 has mentioned that about her blog

Otaku Dan: and i have grown out of DC

xJAYMANx: i see, i don’t even visit gordon or howagirlfigures, lol

Otaku Dan: really?
i thought you did

xJAYMANx: i used to, but not so much, ever since I stopped collecting… and the storm trooper thing gets old, lol

Otaku Dan: am i the only person who is not predictable in the community?

xJAYMANx: what do you mean exactly

Otaku Dan: example:
dancing queen: figure
gordon: trooping

xJAYMANx: ah, i see… well, that’s not “predictable” as much as “specific”, but i see what u mean
well, in that case, the Toybox isn’t “predictable” either
i hope

Otaku Dan: it’s not

xJAYMANx: so there’s two of us, lol

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: but there’s nothing wrong with “specific” either, certain fans love that stuff
but for me, it can be restricting or boring perhaps after a while
for them, maybe not

Otaku Dan: part of me wishes to be the greatest blogger in the otaku/anime community
the other part does not care

xJAYMANx: that’s quite a split personality!

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: of course “greatest” is quite subjective, you mean “famous”? like DC? or notorious? like Mimi-chan?

Otaku Dan: better than DC

xJAYMANx: but what do u mean “better”? in fame?

Otaku Dan: that part does want fame but the other side does not want that
im a very conflicted individual

xJAYMANx: apparently lol

Otaku Dan: I going to flip a coin to decide

xJAYMANx: well, one thing is common with DC, Mimi-chan, and the Toybox, even HowaGirlFigures and Gordon is that we post pics of ourselves
i think putting a “face to the otaku” might be a key

Otaku Dan: I want stay ingornitp
incognito*

xJAYMANx: ahh, then the fame is tougher
unless u wear a trooper mask or something lol

Otaku Dan: but its a mystery and people like a good mystery
I don’t do masks

xJAYMANx: good
and the coin flip?

Otaku Dan: fame

xJAYMANx: too bad lol

Otaku Dan: oh well. fame, here i come

xJAYMANx: lol gambatte
i don’t know who the most famous “incognito” person is in history, but Jack the Ripper comes to mind, lol

Otaku Dan: maybe i should start stabbing some hookers then

xJAYMANx: O_O

Otaku Dan: fine, club them on the side of the head

xJAYMANx: then post them next to figures?
*pose

Otaku Dan: lol

xJAYMANx: could work!
Clubber Dan

Otaku Dan: LULZ

xJAYMANx: Or “Club her, Dan!”
sounds same
okay man 11pm, think it’s time for me to end the day

Otaku Dan: 2:00 am for me and my next post has not be started

xJAYMANx: ah well, you always think of something… copy/paste this chat, in fact i might… maybe, lol

Otaku Dan: lol
dont make me look crazy or demented but if you do, clubber dan will get you
lol

xJAYMANx: magic of editing, right? … c ya round

Otaku Dan: c ya

Hahaha, a rare but revealing peek into the random minds of otakus. Well, I hope you enjoyed my leaps from Pandora Fail to Disney Choo to Clubber Dan. Because it probably won’t happen again, lol. But now, it’s time to leap into another world… and corrupt ourselves with 2 more anime series I’ve managed to finish in the last 3 weeks: “Clannad After Story – Another World – Kyou Chapter (2009)” [29] and “Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler, 2008)” [30]. Yup, a total of 30 completed anime titles-or-seasons so far this year!

 

Part 2 of 3 > Clannad – Those Twin Sisters

Clannad After Story – Another World – Kyou Chapter (2009) [29]. Two weeks ago, on 12 July, I completed my 29th anime title-or-season of the year. While Anime News Network lists it as the 25th episode of “Clannad – After Story”, it also states that it is being released as an OVA. Consequently, as an OVA with an alternate storyline, I guess I’ll treat it as another title. Nevertheless, here’s my glowing speed-review.

Once again, the “Kyou Chapter” typifies the breathtaking sparkle and shimmer of splashing and searing emotions we’ve come to admire throughout the “Clannad” (2007) and “Clannad – After Story” (2008) series. The twin sisters Kyou and Ryou break our hearts with a maximum 4 of 5 stars for such a short OVA. Breathtaking. As potentially one of the final installments of the entire saga, let’s reminisce and celebrate with a few old stops along memory lane.

From my Blog 182 > Year of Anime, Rock & Otaku (27 Dec 2008), here’s my speed-review for the first “Clannad” series.

April 2008

[13] ++++ Clannad (1-23) – Finished 04/30. Satisfying 4 of 5 stars!

From my Blog 168 > Crows Zero & Clannad Two (06 Oct 2008), here’s my speed-review for the “Clannad” film.

Now let’s talk about the girls… Based on the Japanese visual novel, the 2007 anime film Clannad is breath-taking! Directed by Osamu Dezaki, Clannad reveals the same stylistic elements of blinding sunlight, dramatic silhouettes, split screens, and continuous motion ~ birds, trains, bicycles ~ which permeates Air, another equally breath-taking film he directed. Wow, a swirling tear-inducing odyssey through nightmares and dreams towards a sparkling promise of hope, 5 of 5 stars!

In addition to the film, the 2008 anime series Clannad After Story continues seamlessly where the 2007 1st season of Clannad left off. While I rated the 1st season with a “satisfying 4 of 5 stars” because I couldn’t forgive their out-of-tune opening theme (argh, cover your ears), the 2nd season premiere is already sparkling with all the elements of 5 of 5 stars! Humor, dramatic motion, and piano-laced emotion. The opening theme is not only as inspiring and emotional as Air’s opening theme, but the singer is actually singing in tune (much better)! Go figure! Can’t wait for the next episode! In the meantime, here are a few more Clannad wallpapers to warm your heart. >_<

Most recently, from my Blog 195 > Propaganda & Pop Anime (29 Mar 2009), here’s my speed-review for the “Clannad After Story” sequel series.

Clannad After Story [11]. Having said that, I finally finished one of the most-perfectly-crafted “pop anime” series of all time. At least in my opinion, lol. The “Clannad” and “Clannad After Story” series! Yup, yesterday, I watched the 24th and final episode of “Clannad After Story”, completing my 11th anime-title-or-season of the year. Here’s my quick-and-easy speed-review.

Aww. Wow. Double-wow. Triple-wow. Such an incredibly awe-inspiring, breath-taking, heart-breaking and soul-warming ride, followed by a cute yet fateful flashback bonus-story, and concluded with a still-gripping recap finale. An ever-resounding 5 of 5 stars! My #1 anime title of the year thus far!

I mean, what else can I say? If you’ve seen it, you definitely know what I mean, hehe. Thus, in celebration of the final conclusion of “Clannad” and “Clannad After Story”, here are 11 high-res wallpapers for your otaku consumption, lol. Enjoy!

Finally, let’s celebrate with 15 shiny wallpapers of the star of “Kyou Chapter” herself. I mean, from the very first episodes of the first season, Kyou-chan was my favorite tsundere girl in the series. Still is today, lol. So without further ado, ranging from 1600px-to-6100px resolution, here’s Kyou-chan! Fake captions anyone?

Kyou: “Hehehe, I’m finally buying the latest issue of Death Loli after school!”

Kyou: “Dammit, someone stole my Death Loli issue.”

Kyou: “Sunohara-san! Did you steal my Death Loli?” Huge 4100px version.

Kyou: “Sunohara-san! Did you steal my Death Loli?” Slight color change, 1900px version.

Kyou: “Gahhh, I need to find out who took my Death Loli.”

Kyou: “Tomoyo-chan! Did you take my Death Loli?”

Kyou: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Kyou: “But I really need to find out what happens in the new Death Loli.” Huge 6000px version.

Kyou: “But I really need to find out what happens in the new Death Loli.” Enhanced sunlight, 2600px version.

Kyou: “Wait, Botan, you know where my Death Loli is?” Huge 6100px version.

Kyou: “Wait, Botan, you know where my Death Loli is?” Brighter lighting, 1600px version.

Kyou: “Dammit, I’m too hungry to think right now. Itadakimasu!”

Kyou: “Wait, what was I looking for?”

Kyou: {Yawn} “Mmm, I’m too tired to remember.”

Kyou: {Sigh} “Hehe, it figures Tomoya-san would take my Death Loli!”

Awww, such a nice ending to a fakely-captioned story, lol. Now, from a purple-haired world, it’s time to leap into a black-hearted one…

 

Part 3 of 3 > Kuroshitsuji – That Black Butler

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler, 2008) [30]. Earlier this week, on 25 July, I completed my 30th anime title-or-season of the year. Original season with 24 episodes. Yup, Kris-chan, I finally finished it, lol. I searched your blog, but couldn’t find your review. Did you write one yet? Nevertheless, here’s my speed-review.

Despite the hype, the first half of the season felt like a watered-down cocktail of more-impressive titles like “Blood+” and “Hellsing”, with a sprinkle of “Vampire Knight”, a sparkle of “Code Geass”, and a touch of “Nana”. In fact, the titular “Kuroshitsuji” character, Sebastian felt like a recycled hybrid of Haji (from “Blood+”) and Alucard (from “Hellsing”). Meanwhile, Ciel felt like a prepubescent replica of Lelouch (from “Code Geass”). So the first half was heading towards a lackluster 2 of 5 stars. Luckily, the darker more-twisted machinations took hold and raised the unimpressive story to an overall 3 of 5 stars. Not spectacular. But respectable.

To celebrate, ranging from 1000px-to-6000px resolution, here are over 60 scans, vectors, wallpapers and other images to slice your soul. Let’s begin with 29 of the best “vertical” images I could find. More fake captions anyone?

Sebastian: “Ah, didn’t you know? I wrote the latest issue of Death Loli.”

Sebastian: “Just $5.99 USD per issue. And comes with these lovely flowers.”

Sebastian: “But Ciel-sama is the only Death Loli for me.”

Sebastian: “Hehehe, see what I mean?” Ciel: “Grrr, stop it!”

Sebastian: “I despise this magazine. But don’t I look smashing?”

Sebastian: “Yare yare. Such inferior lighting.”

Sebastian: “Magnificent skulls. Magnificent.”

Sebastian: “White roses? Or white carnations? Can you guess?”

Sebastian: “Ghastly magazine. Can you please fit more text?”

Sebastian: “Yare yare. Time to buy a new shirt.”

Sebastian: “Good day. Care to have your temperature taken?”

Sebastian: “Ah, Ciel-sama, don’t you look enchanting tonight?”

Ciel: “Put me down! Sebastian, put me down!”

Sebastian: “Now why would I want to put down such an elegant creature?”

Sebastian: “You are such an adorable Death Loli, hahaha.” Text version.

Sebastian: “You are such an adorable Death Loli, hahaha.” Huge 5700px vector version.

Ciel: “To be or not to be? There is only one solution.”

Ciel: “Shut up! Everyone, shut up!”

Ciel: “Beware. Beware of the violet violence.”

Grell: “Hehehe, don’t you love my dolls?”

Sebastian: “Stay in tune, everyone!”

Sebastian: “Yare yare. Why couldn’t I wear the Death Loli dress?”

Sebastian: “Ciel-sama, look at the camera please.”

Madame Red: {Sigh} “Why is nothing ever red enough?”

Madame Red: {Sigh} “Why is nothing ever red enough?” Black and white version.

Prince Soma: “Did someone say Death Loli?”

Agni: {Sigh} “No Soma-sama, I said ‘Steamed broccoli’.”

Lau: “Death Loli? Do you want to borrow mine?”

Sebastian: “Ciel-sama, your fetish is my command.”

Next, let’s continue with 36 of the best “horizontal” wallpapers I could find. Here’s a wallpaper based on the same “fetish” above.

An alternative background design.

This time, a vectored version.

Another inexact yet stylish interpretation.

Undertaker: “Ciel-chan, you’ve been a Death Loli before, eh?”

Sebastian: “Ciel-sama, I believe the Undertaker is bisexual.”

Ciel: “Haha, Sebastian, please. I already knew he was.”

Sebastian: “Ah, of course, you did.”

Ciel: “Sebastian, why does everyone think I’m a Death Loli?” Original 3300px version.

Ciel: “Sebastian, why does everyone think I’m a Death Loli?” Enhanced 2000px version.

Sebastian: “Good day. Beware of the violet violence.”

Sebastian: “Agni-san! Get your hands off my dessert!”

Sebastian: “Yare yare. Why does our cosplay always turn out like this?”

Sebastian: “This way, Ciel-sama. Please ignore the red-headed peasant.”

Sebastian: “Good day. Please buy our DVD on sale. Or else.”

Sebastian: “White roses? Or white carnations? Can you guess? Too late.”

Ciel: “Shall we dance? Haha, as if!”

Sebastian: “Father Sebastian at your service. Do you wish to commit any sins?”

Ciel: “Hmm, white roses or white carnations? Why not violent violets?”

Sebastian: “Ah, there-there, my sleepy Death Loli. You’ve had quite a long day.”

Ciel: “Sebastian! Why the hell are they here? Why am I dressed like this?”

Ciel: “Why does our cosplay always turn out like this?”

Sebastian: “Ah, Ciel-sama was right. Our cosplay sucks quite royally.”

Grell: “Hehe, did someone say ‘Suck?’”

Sebastian: “Ah, didn’t you know? Rosaries are meant to be crushed.”

Ciel: “Crushed with the elegance of a Gothic Death Loli.”

Sebastian: “Like I said. Ciel-sama is the only Death Loli for me.”

Ciel: “No doubt about it. Our cosplay sucks quite royally.”

Ciel: “Jesus Christ. As if one set of thorns wasn’t enough.”

Sebastian: “Don’t worry, Ciel-sama. Our cosplay hasn’t scratched the surface of sucking yet.” Huge 5600px text version.

Sebastian: “Don’t worry, Ciel-sama. Our cosplay hasn’t scratched the surface of sucking yet.” Textless 2000px version.

Ciel: “Sebastian, should I be worried yet?” Large 2500px text version.

Ciel: “Sebastian, should I be worried yet?” Textless 2000px version.

Ciel: “Sebastian, why is he staring at me? Are my stockings showing?”

Sebastian: “Yare yare. Forget a new shirt. Time to buy a new character.”

Sebastian: “Ciel-sama, did you forget your high heels?” Ciel: “I’m wearing them now.”

Coincidentally enough, I happened to stumble upon scans of the “Kuroshitsuji” figures, based on the same fashion designs as those in the wallpaper immediately above! Found via Google on the otaku blog of Fruit Juicy, lol. Not bad.

Sebastian: “Are you sure? Those heels look quite worn down.”

Ciel: “I’m sure. These high heels show off my legs quite well.”

Haha, so what do you think? Do shorts and high heels befit the style and grace of Ciel Phantomhive? In other words, do they show off his legs? Haha. Yet I wonder in the light of last week’s question: What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day? If Ciel was rewritten as a girl, would the series have the same stylish impact? And you know what? I’d probably say, “No, it wouldn’t.” In fact, I might go so far as to say that the “ultimate tsundere girl” could possibly be a boy cross-dressing as a convincing girl against his will, lol. Don’t think so? Well, if you remember Ciel’s cross-dressing scenes, then you know what I mean!

 

Clubbers! Sisters! Butlers! So, my Tyrannical Toyboxers, how was this week’s mega-cast attack upon your otaku soul? If your otakuspheric spirit was wicked enough, you would’ve felt the pitiful plunge of Pandora, the daring departure of Disney Choo, the chaotic catapults of Clubber Dan, as well as the melancholic charisma of Kyou-chan, the graceful corruption of Ciel, and the shadowy seduction of Sebastian, slashing your shame to shreds and your pride to pieces, leaving nothing but deconstructive despair! Having said that, thank you. As always, let’s not forget to thank the glittering guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Kyou-chan, Ryou-chan, Tomoyo-chan, Kris-chan, and cross-dressing Ciel-chan, lol. Does our cosplay suck yet?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Kyou: {Yawn} “Mmm, I’m too tired to remember.”

 

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