i. after the legend
Finished watching Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi / The Legend of the First King’s Four Gods a few days ago. After a couple of nights of minimal sleep, we finally finished it. My mom and I started and ended the series on opposite camps---she was empathizing with Kajin / Kiha, misunderstood, victim of circumstances evil girl while I was happily cheering for wild, street urchin Sujini who was the poised, valiant warrior princess Seoh in her past life.

( Cut for spoilers )

Thankfully, Dian came to my rescue with this link about the original script to the last episode. It really makes me feel better and I like to think of it as canon. Even if I can't watch it, it's nice to think that this is what really happened.

ii. ever so busy
We've been so busy at work these past few days. Almost daily overtime coupled with a weekend at the office. So the holiday starting tomorrow will be such a welcome respite. I'm crossing my fingers that nothing will happen to screw it up. Yes, it's that bad. I feel like I can't really rejoice until I'm already on my way home tonight.

Productive to do list:
• Fix up things that need to be fixed up with Kitchen Cow, including layout tweaks, additional plug-ins, and new articles.
• Shoot dollies.
• Get some sewing projects going.
• Bake macaroons. It's very specific since I already bought the dry ingredients a few weeks ago. *laughs*
• Scan some more of Gokusen v11 for our Gokusen scanlations project. Plus, edit my next few assignments.
• Troubleshoot my lighting set-up.
• Do research on possible freelance writing programs.
• Put together a sample work portfolio for freelance writing projects.
• Design and make business cards.
• Get started on 365 Toy Project again.
• Redesign / reconfigure This Doll's Life

What's more likely to happen:
• Start playing Layton again as I have finished (finally!) Apollo Justice.
• Read some of the books I borrowed from Chris.
• Trawl Dollie Mixtures and Flickr for dollie piccies.
• Nap.
• Eat potato chips.
• Snooze.
• Watch anime / jdrama.
• Read manga.
• Be lucky to accomplish at least one thing on productive list.

iii. objection!
I want more Ace Attorney action! Apollo Justice was one wild ride, and I want more! Joining Phoenix, Godot and Iris as my favorite Ace Attorney characters are Apollo, Trucy, Ema Skye and Gavin---Klavier, not Kristoph. So much fun! I hope they release Ace Attorney 5 already. Last I heard, Capcom did a press release about it May 2007. I just hope it comes out soon and is followed by an English language version at once as well. Makes me wonder who'll be in it. A defense-attorney-again Phoenix? Herr forehead Apollo? Or a totally new lawyer?

iv. photo request meme
I've seen Jannie and more recently, Cla do this. Now I want to join in the fun!

Photo request! List up to three things you'd like me to take pictures of. Give me a week to do this, and once I'm done, I'll post your requests.

Just a note, I reserve the right to turn down requests if they're not feasible, are expensive, or is obscene / pornographic.

And Cla, no, you can not request for a Junpei x Seiji yaoi photoshoot.

It was a pretty sedate morning for me as I set about doing my morning things. I started my morning off early, played some Apollo Justice on my way to work. Enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Checked my flist and saw Sakuya Masaki's entry about Zettai Kareshi being turned into a J-drama. Which really was pretty meh news. Zettai Kareshi was a fun read for me. Escapist, a bit dumb (hated Riko!), illogical (but then, when was Yuu Watase ever logical?) but nevertheless fun. Plus, I really, really liked Soushi, even if he was so stupid to like a ditz like Riko. So it wasn't big news or anything.

Until I saw that they casted Mizushima Hiro as Soushi. HIRO! Yes! Remember him? Nanba-sempai from Hanakimi & the ever droolable Tendou Souji from Kamen Rider Kabuto!

So now my brain is totally mush. I've been jumping up and down, fangirling so much. I know Zettai Kareshi's story so I know there will be a lot of cursing from me when I actually watch the series but I don't care. Give me Hiro, give me fanservice and I shall be a very very happy fangirl.

And to end this entry on a happy happy note:

i. holiday accomplishments
Accomplished a couple of things this holiday---unfortunately, none of them were productive.

1. Finished Phoenix Wright: Justice for All. And is it just me or is there so much more Phoenix X Edgeworth love all around? Heeheeeheee. Sorry Maya, but---Nick and Edgey sitting in a tree... And Franziska! I actually ended up liking her. Oh she's an annoying pain in the butt, but she's a cute annoying pain in the butt.

2. Finished watching Yamada Tarou Monogatari. I actually liked it better than Poor Prince. Oh sure, Poor Prince always had me in stitches, and Vic Zhou and his best friend, the guy who plays Mimura, were sooooo damned hawt. But I like how the Jdrama version added more depth and character to the story. I also appreciate how they fleshed out Takako to be much more than the gold digging secondary character she was in the manga / taiwanese drama. Here, I learned to like---even love the character. And I love the actress' dimples. Sooo cute!

3. Almost finished sewing an A-line skirt for Aki. It's pretty okay and I like how soft the fabric is, even if it's not as trendy as some of her clothes. It turned out pretty well for something I sewed without a pattern. The matching top however...was a disaster.

ii. after aki, it's seiji in the spotlight!
So looking forward to Taeyang Quarterly. It's a new photo contest, patterned after Pullip Fabulous, only it's all male. Haven't sent Seiji's application in yet as we're waiting for his new wig, but we're definitely joining.

And since we're talking dolls anyway, head's up! I posted some pics of Aki and Seiji at Westgate and ATC at This Doll's Life.

iii. i should be moping
...because the holiday's come to an end, but because it also means that the Post Office will open already, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. Yay! Yay! Yay! New wig, new wig, new wig!

iv. if you like taking photos of toys
You may want to wander off to Flickr and join the 365 Toy Project. It's basically an exercise where you shoot and upload a toy photo everyday. It doesn't have to be a different toy, but it has to be a new photo each day. I'm on day 16 and am really having. Even if it is a pain trying to figure out how to set up my lights each night since I'm too lazy to put my whole light tent up.

Here's one of mine:


v. positivity project happy thought?
14. No matter how much you hate something, there's always a silver lining. It's like me hating yaoi but making an exception to root for Phoenix and Edgeworth! Now that's OTP.

As a kid, I was never a big tokusatsu fan. Sure, I watched some Bioman, even a handful of Shaider episodes, but the live-action-ness of it all wasn't much of a draw for me.

So why, am I, 20 years later, watching Kamen Rider Kabuto?

Because of HIM!



Ohohohohohoho!

( picspam ahead )

To maedinn: thank you oh so very much for the heads up :D
To 24fps: uwi ka na para fangirl tayo together!

Before I started watching the Hana Kimi J-drama, I was all ready to like, even love Sano Izumi. While I was primarily a Nakatsu fan at the onset of the manga, I eventually switched alliances to Sano because Nakajo-sensei conveniently took Nakatsu out of the picture and made it a Sano x Mizuki manga. Fair enough. I didn't want to get frustrated again so I steeled myself to like Sano for the duration of the J-drama.

But why, oh why, did the drama production make such a fantastic character for Nakatsu? Ikuta Toma's happy happy entertaining acting helps a lot, but a large part of it is also how the plot was pushed. Toma's Nakatsu was given more "moments" while Oguri Shun's Sano was left being an emo-boy in the corner.

Now, I just finished watching episodes 7-9 (taking a short breather) and while Sano's being given more airtime, it's Nakatsu who sparkles. During that pivotal moment in episode 7 (if you've seen it, you know what I mean) while Sano strode in all cool and lead bishounen like, it was Nakatsu who was full of sincerity. He was the one who moved me. He was clumsy, tentative, and so uncool but his few awkward, mundane lines were more powerful than Sano's cool, suave entry.

Sano Izumi is a cardboard cut-out of a cool, broody, strong, silent bishounen. Nakatsu Shuichi is human.

NAKATSU, YOU OWN ME!


ps.
But don't worry Nanba Minami-sempai, I love you too. <3 <3 <3

Post Episode 10 Edit:
I heard my heart break.

i. foodie blogging trumped by hair washing
Was supposed to blog about the food writing workshop I went to yesterday, complete with notes on how terrifying it was to cross that road from Quezon Circle. But a certain needy little lady's announcement that she needed to get her hair washed derailed me.

So, after hours spent letting the conditioner seep through her hair, paired with a fabric softener hair bath afterwards, Aki's hair is much softer. I still haven't totally gotten rid of the traces of box hair, but it's barely noticeable now, probably just to me who's hypercritical. I'm wondering whether I should try that clothes iron suggestion or just let it stand. Either way, I'll have to wait til next weekend. I swear, Aki-chan's taken over my life.

ii. heehee. can't wait for saturday


iii. i like geeky guys with glasses
Heehee.

iv. shuichi nakatsu, i love you!
I swore not to love Nakatsu again. I was always pro-Nakatsu in the manga, but because I know it's just setting myself up for disappointment, I told myself I wasn't allowed to be pro-Nakatsu for the drama.

I AM NAKATSU SHUICHI! I AM A HOT-BLOODED SOCCER PLAYER! I ONLY LIKE WOMEN!

Hahahaha, I love you Nakatsu! Toma as Nakatsu is made of win! Sorry Shun / Sano. But how can I not love a man who makes me laugh so much?

EDIT: Joy's comment reminded me of something...

STRIP SOCCER FTW!

Despite the rains, it feels like the sun is shining right now. My Paypal verification thing cleared today, so I'm just waiting for a final go ahead from Nina's seller and I'm ready to pay. Actually, I'm ready to pay right now but I'm worried about whether Nina's still available because he might have changed his mind after I made him wait.

Crossing my fingers that he responds at once. I'm eager to finish my end of the transaction.

Aki-chan~~~ come home to Nee-san. The girls and I are waiting for you.

In other news, I hope my Yamada Tarou ep 1 download finishes sometime soon. It would be nice to watch how the nihonjin did it, I'm generally a fan of Jdramas more than their Taiwanese versions. Yet, I loved Vic Zhou's The Poor Prince to bits, so I expect to love Nino's Poor Prince even more!

So can't wait!

i. lunchbreak
Now that's what I call a satisfying lunch hour. Food. Laptop. Earbuds. Subbed first episode of Hanazakari no Kimitachi E. Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar! Horikita Maki so puhrtty! Now that's an Ashiya Mizuki I like. And Oguri Shun with black hair! He looks so yammeh! Sano Izumi is luff. While I promised myself to stop being a Nakatsu fangirl this time around (was pro-Nakatsu in the manga) I can't stop but like Junpei as Nakatsu. I'm sorry, I don't know his name. I just know him as Junpei from Hanadan season 2.

Anyway, Hanakimi 01 was pure funz. Mizuki is panneh. Nakatsu is panneh. Kayashima who was uberly annoying guy in Himitsu no Hanazono I like here. Nanba-sempai was not who I imagined looks-wise but he's good.

But most of all...

Oguri Shun! Sleeveless shirts. SHORT SHORTS! Gyaaaaaah! Okeh. Normally, guys in short shorts, big no-no for Kao. But Shun! High jumping. Short shorts. Defined thigh muscles. Huwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Next episode plz...

(Ugh. Microsoft Word is annoying. It auto-corrects my deliberate misspells. Haruump. Ano tingin mo sakin? Bobo? [You think I'm stupid?])

ii. because of rotch's batsupe fixation...
...I found myself googling for more Christian Bale love and Chris Nolan Batman stuff. (We're thisclose, I call him Chris.) Anyway, I stumbled upon this site, which to my shock, was out since May. And I only found out now! Well, if any of you guys are as Bat-delayed as I am, check this out:

Yes girls. It's Heath Ledger. As Joker.

While I was awed by what was presumably a Lost-inspired viral marketing campaign, I was more bowled over by the little bits about the upcoming Batman movie. It makes the Dark Knight movie feel more real, you know? Sigh. 2008 feels so far away.

Ugh. 2PM deadline and I'm barely halfway. Ideally, I should be done writing by 12ish or so since I still need to clear the material with my boss but how the hell can you expect me to work properly when Cla is happily done with her work and is now watching subbed Hana Kimi 01? THERE IS NO JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD.

Uguuuuuu~~~

Today is Chris' last day at work. Because I love her and will miss her when she can't visit us at work anymore (CHRIS IN PUBLIC YAN HA. Ayan, proof of my love na yan), I want to give her a nice send off.



( more youtube vid spammage )

Actually, must confess. This show of love and affection is just an excuse to spam my FList with bits and pieces of the HanaKimi Jdrama starting next season. Waaaaaaaaai! Maki's perfect for the part. Not too hot about her hair, wish they'd cut it closer but she definitely passes for bishounen. Her facial features are lovely. And sleeping Shun. I swear, I never found him this cute. While I loved him in Hanadan, it was his acting which got me, not his physical features. And you have to admit, Shun in Gokusen is not really crushable. But in HanaKimi---*squeeeee!*

Nagi, I swear fealty to you for giving me a heads up.

i. crying is the norm?
So it would seem. Just finished watching Hana Yori Dango 2, episode 2. And yes, I cried again. It seems that it would be so for every episode this season; the pain is just too much. Of course, I don't regret watching. It's just I'm getting so carried away. How can I live like this for the next 2 months or so?

I honestly don't know what will happen next. The timeline's all screwed up. I just hope for one thing. I hope that in the end, it'll all be worth it.

(May I just reiterate, Oguri Shun's looking hawter and hawter.)

ii. this is how vampire fluff's supposed to be written
Spent last night and early this morning reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. I actually managed to sleep a few hours in between chapters since my eyes really couldn't stay open anymore, but still, it's a fantastic book you can't put down. I like the way the book was written. Sure, at times, my eyes would just glaze over but I really think it was because I was very sleepy already.

The lead, Bella is a likeable character, but it's Edward Cullen who captures our hearts. A vampire torn between staying true to his sire's ideals, that is, abstain from human blood, the strong pull of Bella's scent, and lastly, his growing affection for the girl whose mere scent calls out to the monster in him.

Edward is written the way a leading man should be written. He belongs up there in my list of fictional crushies. I remember reading a few of Mary Davidson's Undead series even if I considered it crappy just because I thought Sinclaire, the leading man / vampire was hot. I don't think I can stomach reading it now after having met Edward. It's hard to describe, but he's the kind of character who sashays unapologetically into your heart, with his crooked half-smile and topaz eyes.

Recommended read everyone, whether you like vampire stuff or not. Because at its heart, it's just a love story.

On a sidenote, Chris, thank you for introducing me to Edward. Even if you know I'll go all fangirl on you.

Today marks the start of what I predict to be another tumultuous relationship with the television set. Hot on the heels of my Chiaki Cantabile / Tamaki Hiroshi obsession is an old obsession re-ignited.

Last year, around this time, my week would revolve around new episodes of Hana Yori Dango. Yes. That vile thing that spawned Meteor Garden. While MG never really caught my fancy, last year's Japanese dorama version of Hana Yori Dango immediately had me hooked. Half of it was because I felt that the dorama captured the anime / manga's essence, the other half was because I've loved Matsumoto Jun since the first time I laid eyes on him. (Remember, Jun-san? When our eyes met during Gokusen? *blush blush*)

So this time around, I expected to Matsujun love to return. But instead I'm faced with Rui-love! See, when I first encountered Hana Yori Dango in the anime version, it was Rui I fell in love with. For once, I actually went with Mr. Strong Silent type. But eventually, I grew to love the Tsukasa x Tsukushi pairing because not only do they alliterate, they really deserve each other after what they've gone through.



But now, after watching the dorama's second season---yes, I'm torn. Torn between Matsujun's complex, tormented Tsukasa and Oguri Shun's Rui from the sidelines. How can I not? It's the same manga Rui who was there for Tsukushi in New York. I know down the line, Matsujun's Tsukasa will win me over. He's Matsujun after all. But still, at this point, I want to tell Tsukushi to dump Tsukasa for hurting her and just go with Rui.



And does this episode hurt. It's just the first darned episode and I was weeping. Not crying. Weeping. I had to grab a roll of TP just to contain my tears. Usually, my night shirt neck / sleeves suffice but this was fated to be a TP moment. Makes me wonder how the rest of the series will turn out.

( More opinions, kinda spoilery. Pics under cut. )

Anyone interested? If you know how to bittorrent, the first episode (a 2-hour special) has been fansubbed by SARS.

(Funny how the first part of the post was well-thought of while the rest was incoherent. Blame sleepiness...)

i. earthquake blues
Asia still hasn't recovered from the Taiwan earthquake. We're still posting all time lows bandwidth-wise. My torrent downloads are at a low 10k to as much as just 40k. I who's supposed to be enjoying a 1.5 mbps connection.

Sucks really. I can't start downloading Hana Yori Dango Season 2, that new Kimura Takuya Drama, Goong 2, Lunch no Juou, Gakuen Alice, Ugly Betty and all sorts of stuff I've been wanting to download. I'm way behind on Manga downloads either since I have a hard time keeping up minimum connection speeds on IRC. Hell, I can't even visit LJ from my house, hence the inability to update this blog. And I had so much to blog about. I can make a feeble attempt to encapsulate all the stuff I initially wanted to blog about, but it's still not the same.

I feel so pathetic; yes, I am a net whore. *sob sob*

ii. something to put a smile on my face
On the brighter side, the Canon people have finally called me up and have informed me that the replacement unit for my Canon IXUS II has finally arrived and can be picked up by Thursday. They're giving me a Canon IXUS 55, I assume because the IXUS II has long been phased out.

I immediately googled it, and yay! Happiness. It's a 5.0 megapix (upgrade from the IXUS II's 3.2), 3.0 cm macro (I dunno if this is better than the IXUS II's since I couldn't find the macro info for that cam), a bigger LCD screen, and MANUAL FOCUSING! Yay!

I can't wait to bento! I can't wait to take Pinky pics. I can't wait to take pics in general! I really should make this the year of the camwhore. I just realized how few pics of myself I have. But then, would I really want to remind myself of how much weight I've gained?

iii. pinky addiction
I'm feeding my pinky addiction with something else, other than just buying pinkies. I am now the owner of gajillions of sculpting material (Premo Sculpey and paper clay) from Volty and Chris (THANKIES!). I've also bought loads of craft tools, like an exacto knife, a cutting mat, a metal ruler---all seemingly cheap until I start adding up the costs.

Oh well. At least it's something to feed creativity, and not something to feed my mouth. ^_^;; No weight gain there, right?

iv. resolutions
I made a lot of new years resolutions. Plus I had a lot of ideas on what to blog about for new years. But frankly they've all slipped my mind. All I remember is that I have to lose weight, and try to save money. Maybe I'll get in the mood to do that resolution / recap post again, maybe I won't. Let's just wait and see.

v. what i've been watching / reading
And because I've been spending less time in front of the computer, I've been watching stuff on TV instead. It's something easier to do now since we bought a TV for the room last December. So my mom and I have a TV each; luckily, I get to watch on the bedroom TV since she prefers watching in the living room so she can do chores while doing so. I like the room TV since I moved the DVD player there. So it's a win-win situation.

So far, I've done a Haruhi Suzumiya marathon, and an Arrested Development one. I love Kyon, I love his seiyuu. I love the 5 main characters of Haruhi Suzumiya, so I'll be getting the complete Pinky set, prolly. I like how I don't have characters I detest or feel ambivalent towards in the series. That's surely a rarity.

Arrested Development I really enjoyed watching. I finished the first two seasons in just a few days plus a weekend. I have a teeny tiny crush on Michael Bluth, I guess. Especially when he's so clueless. Must find season 3. (Which I prolly could find online if only the net weren't so wonky -_-;;)

Oh yeah, and I'm now up to date with Japanese One Piece manga releases. Or well, at least the fan translated ones. FRANKY IS UGLY! Hahahaha. But he's likeable in a way. At least he's really reliable when it comes to battle. I still love Sanji, but what else is new?

vi. saving? who am I kidding?
Considering I've spent a large part of the afternoon shopping for manga. I even bought a couple already, only to cancel the transaction when I realized it wouldn't reach my San Francisco aunt in time for her 4th week of January trip to Manila. Now I'm getting my Texas aunt's address instead so I can buy the books in time for her early February trip.

Plus, I'm prolly buying a few additional toys when my mom buys me her promised Christmas gift of re-ments. Aaaack. Must have more self-control.

i. new lows in fangirling
Yes. I have achieved new lows in fangirling. Well, honestly, I'm sure I've gone lower, but right now, none of those memories are surfacing. Why do I say so? If you spend a couple of hours watching something in a language you don't understand and start making up stories along the way, interspersed with fangirly squeeing, I'd say it's pretty bad.

Right now, I'm a happy happy girl, all because I watched Nodame 7 with subs, Nodame 8 without subs, and the SmapXSmap Bistro episode with Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi, also without subs.

The two Nodame episodes were enough to cheer me up. Thankfully, Eilleen was there to clue me in on some of the things she could catch. Yes, we had another synchro Nodame watching session; she in Finland, I in the Philippines. The wonders of technology and instant messaging.

But what really sent me to fangirl heaven was the Smap x Smap episode. Because it had Tamaki Hiroshi AND Kimura Takuya. They were both smiling. And kidding around. Hiro's dimples were showing. Kimutaku was cooking and doing really cute impersonations. Hiro was really digging into his food, stuffing whole lumps of food into his mouth. He's the sort of person who'll make any cook happy. Sigh. Yes. Another senseless entry, compliments of fangirl kaoko. Can you just imagine how worse it would be if I could actually understand what they were saying? :P

ii. tag, you're it!
I forgot that I was supposed to tag five people for the fictional smex meme from my previous entry.

Anyway, I tag:

Chris, ficsation - She's responded already though.
Jan, squickyclean - Because other than Nightcrawler, I'm not sure of her other selections
Lekimumu, jov
Kacy, the_hierophant
Virna

And a bit of russian roulette, a random me-clicking-on-my profile-page tag to innocentlyjaded, innocentlyjaded.

Of course, anyone else who finds the meme interesting should just go and answer it.

Last thing, if anyone's wondering why I'm now making an href link before the LJ username link, it's just because I have cross-posting on multiply enabled and the lj username links die in transit.

iii. reference book question
Watching tv shows I can't understand is making me want to give self-studying Japanese a shot again. I don't have the time to devote to a regular class, not to mention I can't afford it, but I was thinking of getting a good book and trying to pick it up again.

Despite the price, I was considering getting the Genki I book. Until I looked at it again and realized it's just the book. I mean, I have to pay extra for the workbook, the CDs, and the answer key. Which will add up to costing the same as me taking real lessons.

Anyway, I'm posting just to ask if anybody's familiar with the book, and if so, will it be sufficient to just buy the textbook and not the other stuff? I'm not studying with plans to take JLPTs, I just want to learn a bit for conversation and for anime / drama / manga comprehension.

If it's not a good idea, does anybody have other suggestions on what good books I can use for self-study?

i. bobers is me!
So stoopid. I wrote a lengthy, multipart LJ post earlier today. Well, it's lengthy because it's full of memes I've been putting off but still, it was a fun post, especially because it had that "fictional character you want to screw around with" meme. Now I can't post it because I left the file at work. :(

Oh well, at least I remembered to bring my take-home work. Maybe I should start writing. Oh lookie. Manga download's finished. Or maybe I won't start.

ii. i miss bento
I absolutely really truly miss preparing bento boxed lunches. This is the first time in weeks I went grocery shopping and I was going nuts buying chicken, beef, pork, and veggies. All in miniscule portions of course, ("Miss, give me 2 bags of ground chicken, just 100grams each please.")

I'm not sure I can still cut it making quick bentos in the morning but hey, I'm up to the challenge. I mean, today, I packed lunch, and I made a mistake choosing which box to use. I ended up with the sauce from corned beef hash on my jeans. Good thing it was only a small spill, so I was able to scrub it out with a wet wipe.

If only I had my camera back. Well, at least it's been 10 days. The people at the service center told me 14 days, tops. There's nothing like vanity to push me in the mornings.

iii. i'm a sappy girl
Okay, call me a little freak, but I find love stories in the weirdest places. I'm such a sucker for them, hehe. Today, I was reading volumes 17-21 of 20th Century Boys. The prospect of the upcoming movie got me excited again, so I trawled the net for torrents and it worked. But I'm digressing. Back to the story, so I was reading it. It's a story full of convoluted plots, maniacal masterminds, doomsday scenarios, and downtrodden citizens. Instead of that though, the happiest part for me was when I ran into a chapter where Yukiji was reminiscing about Kenji. Bwahahahahaha, I got teary-eyed at the prospective match up. Hwehwe. I'm so corny. ^_^;;

iv. video watching
I've been watching a handful of videos of late, mostly TV series episodes. Been watching Ugly Betty, then started on Heroes the past weekend. But the thing I've been religiously watching is Rurouni Kenshin. I'm up to the Kyoto Arc now, and Kenshin's just about to step into the Aoshi room. Oh joy.

i. thank goodness for fast dsl
Lately, I've been thinking of downgrading my DSL connection to a cheaper plan; one that's half the price. While fast internet is really nice, especially when it comes to downloads, sometimes I wonder whether it's really cost-efficient.

Today however, all I can say is, MY DSL R0xx0rS! The latest Nodame episode in 2 hours and a half? Bring it on! May not be a big deal for people elsewhere, but in the Philippines, upwards of 90kB/s is lurf. And to think I just finished watching Nodame 6 subbed too. Sigh. Sometimes life can be nice to me too.

ii. and more thanks for john's birthday gift
John got me a really really nice Japanese cookbook / encyclopedia of sorts for my birthday. He got me this book: Japanese food and cooking, something I really really wanted the first time I laid eyes on it.

I've been reading it the past few days, a chapter or two at a time. Today, I read up on noodles. And only now did I learn that I have to wash the starch off Zarusoba, if I intend to serve it cold. So I tried it this time and the results wowwed me. The simple act of washing the noodles made a really big difference. Looks like I'll start enjoying zarusoba more often now.

Now if only I can start bento-ing again.

iii. camera lust
Been staring at online pics of the Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi and drooling. Yes, yes. There are better cameras, I'm sure. But right now, it feels attainable for me. Just a few months of hardcore saving, and I think I can buy a kit. Although that means I'll have to forego my planned DS Lite purchase but then, a new camera looks more practical.

Wish me luck!

iv. and because i'm a geek
I'm quoting Judy Sibayan, one of my Com-Arts professors from college on this. I'm a geek. And because I am, I signed up on Shelfari. It's an online bookshelf listing which in a few words is friendster for libraries. Well, that's what it appears to be for me, and while I haven't explored it much, I wouldn't be surprised if that summarizes the service. I created an account with the username kaoko, if you guys are interested in jumping in, or already have accounts, do invite me. :D

v. dollies
My mom encountered Pullips / Blythes for the first time. Remembering my Pinkies, she got some info and the URL from the doll seller she saw at a local fair, then led me to the site. She found the Pullips really cute, and was even suggesting getting me one for my birthday. Then I showed her what I really would like having. I took her to the Dream of Doll site, and she promptly fell in love.

Now we share the same dream. To win the lottery, so we'll have money to waste. Then buy DOD Shall. Hehehe. Like daughter, like mother, huh?

i. proof of mananghood
I guess I'm really full of double standards and crap. I mean, I admit to reading shoujo smut, h-doujins, and the occasional h-anime, but I was totally aghast when I saw a teaser pic from the new Harry Potter movie.



WTF is up with that? I know Harry and Cho kissed. I read the book. But my mind's image of a sweet, mostly chaste kiss was disrupted when I saw the pic. That was far from a sweet little kiss. They had their mouths open! With that sort of pic, you can expect some torrid tongue action happening there. I mean, it's a children's book, for crying out loud! Sure, it's gotten much much darker than the first book, and American young adult books do have teenagers having sex in them, but somehow, my mind just can't reconcile Harry Potter doing that with Cho.

Maybe with Draco...

ii. iconic nodame
Had fun making Nodame Cantabile icons yesterday. Still have a few more in the works, but I've yet to weed through my screenies folder. If you like anything, feel free to grab, though I'd appreciate a comment and credit.

i. pinky ebil
Pinkies are ebil. I was going through the the hlj site and the words November restock written with Sitting Yukata pinky was winking seductively at me. And to think I haven't even paid for Mayura yet. Pinkies, together with a credit card, is truly a thing of evil. Evil along the lines of "kotatsu are the source of evil" to quote Chiaki-sama (Nodame Cantabile reference. Doesn't that sound absolutely interesting?).

Must control self. Must not click buy button. Kao, just because you have cash, doesn't mean you must spend it. Think of future savings. Think of new camera. Think of Coral Pink DS Lite with Cooking Mama & Harvest Moon!

ii. i want to learn nihonggo
You know you're desperate to watch a dorama / anime when you watch it unsubbed and you have 0% Japanese comprehension. The lure of Chiaki-sama was that great that I watched Nodame Cantabile episode 4 without subs. Granted, I still had an idea what was going on because I read the manga. But man, it takes sheer fangirl powers to sit through the thing with only .001% comprehension. The only words I could pick out were ore, atashi, watashitachi, and hajime. Oh yeah. And of course, Nodame's lovely GYABOOO! at the end. Wish I had time to pimp this series more. jov, ubechan and Nao-chan, never fear. I shall share the Chiaki-sama love.

iii. happiness is a mc donald's strawberry milkshake
For two days now, 24fps and I have been trooping off to Mc Donald's Jaka in the middle of the work day to grab milkshakes and fries. We were disappointed yesterday when they ran out of strawberry milkshakes--we had to grab chocolate shakes instead--but today was sheer straw-ber-ry (pronounced Rob-style: strow-ber-y, accent on ber) satisfaction. Of course, I felt guilty, especially when the elevator doors mirrored my thighs when we were on the way back, but sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind and forget repercussions. Happiness in a cup. I'll take it anytime!

Aheehee. Finally succumbed to khursten's pimping and downloaded Nodame Cantabile. Uber happy. Want more and more and more. Considering purchase of Nodame manga. Must sell other manga I plan to discontinue to fund more new manga. Gwaaaah! Or rather, Gyaboooo!!!

Brain turned to mush. Possibly eaten by skele-zmobies out to munch on brains. Mmmm...Zmobie. (Misses KoL.)

Want Chiaki-sama. Unwrapped on a plate. Yum. (Forgive me Kimutaku, Matsujun, Christian Bale!) Throughly enjoyed first 2 eps of Nodame. See?

i. anything for food!
I really don't make sense when it comes to food. Shrimp and crab never fails to give me indigestion. On good days, it makes me rush to the bathroom. On bad days, it's torture. It gives me that kind of throbbing mind-numbing pain that puts me in a daze.

Today, my mom brought home loads of steamed gigantor-sized crab flown in fresh from Mindanao. Throwing common sense out of the window, I grabbed some rice, washed my hands and tucked away, gleefully dipping the crab meat in vinegar before stuffing my face. The fatty coral was rich, red, and delicious. The claws were gigantic; one claw, just the claw mind you, the upper segment not included, was overflowing from my grasp. The rice was freshly cooked; the vinegar lightly salted. Needless to say, I was one happy piglet.

Now, an hour later, I hear faint rumblings in my tummy. Shall it be sheer torture, or will it pass? Ah well. It was probably worth it.

ii. self-control girl is me
So proud. I have better self-control lately. I actually manage to be content with an episode or two of jdrama in the evenings, reinforcing a in bed by 12 policy. Well, right now, it's over my "curfew" but hey, at least I managed to stop watching when I said I will. Let's hope the next episodes aren't dreadful cliffhangers.