athena's case files

Astronauts and Puzzles

2013-01-20T05:16:07Z

I think I own way too much lotion. This is what it looks like now, but I actually got rid of a bunch of bottles several months ago that were gathering dust so this actually is the pared down collection. The good news is, I've finally discovered a new favorite lotion! Acure Organics mandarin orange. I ran out already though, and I'm trying to prevent myself from buying more of it until I finish these. (Which might take a couple years, lol).

movies

I finally saw Looper today. I thought it was pretty good! But I wasn't really sure it needed the psi element to it, since time travel itself was already a major premise. It had its problems and plot holes, but I guess those are inevitable in time bending stories.

Arbitrage was good too! I think Richard Gere did a decent job in that role, and his interactions with Susan Serandan (who played his wife) were particularly excellent.

I also belatedly watched The Dark Knight Rises. I have to admit, I was entertained while I watching it, but afterward I felt almost insulted by the whackness of the long, plot-hole ridden ordeal. I don't think I'm a very picky movie watcher, but I think the lengths to which Nolan expected his audience to suspend their disbelief was completely ridic. I'm not even sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not...

I haven't seen too many of the Oscar contenders, but I will attest that Lincoln and Life of Pi were both very good. I'm not sure what the standards of Oscar are though, and I usually disagree with their decisions, anyway. xD

space brothers!

I finally caught up to the most recent episode of this today! And oooh my god I cried and cried and cried, it was not to be believed. I have never cried this much watching any anime, ever. I was not expecting that. I was reluctant to watch more after the first few episodes, because it starts out pretty slowly. The pace picks up later, but even then, it interjects with lots of flashbacks and backstories. I thought I'd be annoyed by all the zipping back and forth and changes in POVs, but they execute it so wonderfully that I was completely drawn in. I absolutely love this show. ♥

Right now, it's at quite the cliffhanger, and I'm so nervous about the outcome!! O__o;;;;

liar game &tc

Started reading The Liar Game recently. It reminds me a lot of old school Yugioh, except much more involved. I admittedly skim through it when they get into detail about the various strategies and explanations. But I like all the characters and I love the concept of it very much. It's very cerebral.

I'm told that I should read Hetalia. I have to say I've avoided this series, mainly because I was skeptical about the concept, and I think the art is kind of ugly (I'm sorry!) I went ahead and ordered vol 1 though, just to take a peek. Maybe I'll like it afterall?? I guess we'll have to see.

ds lite

After a lot of hemming and hawing, I finally bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite. It hasn't shipped yet, so I'm still waiting eagerly for it. I mostly got it because I wanted to play Professor Layton, which sounded like a pretty awesome game. A mix between storyline and puzzles? I felt odd buying a console just to play one game, but... xD;;

Hopefully it'll be worth it??

saiyuki gaiden: ants of heaven

I was so incredibly excited when this actually happened! I think MK is incredibly talented at coming up with unique characters in droves. I'm amazed that she did it not just in Ibun but here as well, with a huge cast in both cases. I think she's created enough base material to produce volumes worth of stories! I just worry about her health though, and I hope she doesn't stretch herself out too thin...

Meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing some Ants fanfic. x)

Lastly, I leave you with this link: Things Asians Hate. Actually, I don't hate most of these things, but it mostly depends on my mood?

"You're Japanese? Do you eat sushi at home? Are ninjas real? Has anyone in your family ever killed themselves?"

Hahaha! I almost wish people would ask me these things. ;)

謹賀新年

2013-01-01T03:35:52Z

Still an hour and a half early, but Happy New Year! Hope this year will be better than last, for everyone. ♥

iProducts

2012-12-17T05:18:58Z

Why does it seem like everything keeps getting redesigned? Just when I thought I was getting used to the new changes, LJ goes and implements the new NEW changes. I can still "switch" back to the old-new layouts for friend/profile/posting pages, but I know it's a matter of time before I won't be able to, and we'll be stuck with the ugly. Things keep getting bigger and bulkier looking before, simplified to remove useful functions. It's as though they think users are too dumb or lazy to figure out how to interface with the platform (despite the fact that we've been doing just fine for years). I suppose they're trying to compete with the Facebooks of the world (and I've always found FB to be hideous), but it's irritating. Sure, there's a simplicity to things to Tumblr, and I'll be the first to admit that they're much easier to deal with than the more labor intensive journals. But I can't help but feel pretty sad when a journaling website has to turn into something it's not just to compete with the rest of them.

And also...since we're on the subject of changes, what's up with Photobucket? I just had to go through THREE clicks to get to the direct link for my image. That's just ridiculous. If you're going to redesign something, you should strive to improve upon its functionality, not regress.

/end gripes.

Okay!

On to more happy things...thank you to kispexi2, maeran, golden_bastet, despina_moon and kedi_kedi for your lovely Christmas cards! I was so thrilled to get them. I am proud to say that I have finished my cards as of today. Some are already in the mail, and the rest will be posted tomorrow, so please be on the look out. ;)

I'm also stunned to say that I'm done with my Christmas shopping as well. I was actually done with most of it last Thursday, and I did virtually all of it over my iPhone whilst at the office. I've been eagerly watching my email, and most of the packages have already been shipped. I think I did okay this year. In recent years, I've been very discouraged by how my gifts have been received. We're not a very "it's the thought that counts" kind of wishy washy family. If people don't like their gifts, they make their sentiments known. And I'm apparently the worst gifter. This year, I decided to just buy things that I could use myself, so if they aren't well received, I can always regift them to myself. That way, I won't have to go through the hassle of returns. (One year, I had to return EVERYTHING, which was fucking ridic. Why no one could return their gifts themselves, I do not know, but I was pretty pissed off).

Ah, the holidays. xD I do think it's more stress than it's worth sometimes.

The danger of Christmas shopping is that you're looking at merchandise all the time, and you often end up buying stuff for yourself that you totally didn't intend. One such item was this pictured here: my Shinzi Katoh panda "tea for two" pot. Isn't it adorable? XD I don't even remember where I spotted it first, but I knew I had to get it. I posted a picture of it on Tumblr, and I think Crystal (?) asked me where I got it. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to post a reply on Tumblr because Tumblr is funky like that... So to answer your question belatedly, I got this one on Amazon.com. It comes with two stackable cups and a removeable sieve for making loose tea. It's actually very handy!

My next two buys were more out of need than want, so not too indulgent...

My brother gave me his unused iPad (3rd gen) over Thanksgiving holiday, which was fab of him, and I'd been hunting for a few weeks for the perfect case. After a thorough web search (and watching numerous video reviews - those things are really great!) I decided on the Ozaki iCoat Slim Y+ case in pink. And since I've always wanted to "reviews" of products on my LJ before, I'll post a quick one here. xDD

View from the front, when closed. The cover is like Apple's smart cover, and has magnetic flap that automatically switches the iPad back and forth from sleep mode to standby when you flip it open.

Here it is with the open flap. The iPad snaps into the hard shell case, and it's pretty snugly fit. It's not going to fall out or anything! Love that it's definitely streamlined in design, with nothing covering the front of the iPad screen.

Back view. The case has a slot in the back where you can attach a stylus! The Slim Y+ version comes with a stylus, which is fun to play around with. x) You can see it in the picture here...it's a tiny little thing but does the job. All the ports are nice and accessible, but I do have to remove the iPad from the case to charge it on my speaker dock. Also, the case is hard in the back - nice for protection, but it does add some weight. The bulk isn't so bad.

And here's the defining feature of this case - the flap folds up like origami in a Y formation, turning into a handy little stand. It has several different folds, so you can adjust it from a viewing stand to a typing angle pretty easily. I've found this very useful!

And finally, here's my new iPhone case. I loved my Tenpou case from before, but it was cracking and falling apart, sadly. (;___;) I finally broke down and bought this one, which will be my FOURTH iPhone 4 case I've had. These cases just have a very short shelf life for me! I've never gone through this many. I'm not sure why, but I think they're just not very sturdy. Anyway, I decided to go with this folio type cover, even though it's a little annoying having to flip it open every time. Though...I actually prefer clam shell phones over the open faced iPhone, the flap doesn't open as gracefully as it would on a clam shell.

Still, it's kind of sleek looking, and I love that it has a strap hole! I've missed using cell phone straps so much. I eager attached a few here, including a beautiful little wooden key chain I got in Hakone a few years ago. ♥

Again, I have to remove my phone from the case to dock/charge it, but it slides out pretty easily. My only concern is that one day, the plastic that holds the phone inside will crack, as so many of my cases have been prone to do... Let's hope this time it'll last!

So there you have it! xD

If you guys have some pics of your iPhone/iPad cases, I'd love to see them! ♥

Basketball Boys

2012-11-14T17:35:41Z

Post-election slump?

Hey all! Election is finally over, which is a great relief. I actually voted early this year for the first time, the weekend before the hurricane came through. I thought to get it out of the way in case the storm shut things down. I wasn't the only one thinking this, and ended up waiting 2 hours to vote. (O.o);; I'm so happy we don't have to hear any more campaign ads. I can imagine how tiresome it must've been for swing state residents!

I'm currently taking a brief break to regroup after a long bout of overtime and continuous work. (I realized I hadn't taken a vacation since June 2011!) I think I'm already getting a little cooped up though. Too bad it's so chilly outside now...it makes me reluctant to venture outside.

movies

But I still managed to get myself out there to catch Skyfall last weekend. I thought it was pretty good, if somewhat depressing. I was a bit surprised that they shifted gears so quickly. Casino Royale was more near the beginning of Bond's career, and by Skyfall he was already an aging spy past his prime. It was weird to see Bond not at the top of his game, and it actually saddened me when Q made fun of exploding pens and whatnot, like as though the past Bond movies were irrelevant/worthy of disdain. While I enjoy the more "serious" Bond flicks, I actually love the campy side of it as well, and we've come to expect a little outrageousness from the series. And I was also majorly disappointed by the "femme fetale" Bond girl character, who was flimsy and useless. Eve was amazing though, and I'm rather fond of Ralph Fiennes' role as well. ♥

I found myself reacquiring a Netflix membership (DVD only), much to my chagrin. I thought I was done with that company, but they still seem to have the best selection of DVDs. Tried a couple Redbox movies, but their choices are very limited, and having to go back to return them after one day is annoying. The first thing on my queue was The Amazing Spider-Man, which turned out to be utterly disappointing. I'm not sure what it was about this movie, but everything seemed so contrived and soulless. None of the characters felt real to me, and I was so bored throughout the story. At least with the Raimi movies, I could care about what happened to the characters.

Finally saw Avengers as well, which was slightly better but somewhat shallow on characterization again. I'll see the sequels to these, but not expecting very much. Slowly making my way through the rest of the Marvel series that came out this year (Captain America, Hulk...)

By the way, does anyone have a Letterboxd account? (Mine is here). It's kind of like Goodreads for movies. I like it!

anime

So I watched Kuroko no Basketball. Think tenipuri with basketball. Ensemble cast of good looking dudes with heavy yaoi undertones. How can I resist, right? xD It's only 25 episodes, which breezed by very quickly. I'm trying to resist getting into it further (ie: the manga), since I really have no room in my house for yet another long series of sports manga. We'll see how far that goes. ;) I was quite thrilled to see Suwabe Junichi doing the role that he does best - arrogant asshole with well deserved superiority complex. I'm equally amused that his main teammate is a shifty megane with a Kansai accent! And yes, they're a rival school. I do love how they feature the rival schools - and the anime even ends with a long match between two rival schools, which I thought was unusual.

And if you know me at all, you wouldn't be surprised that Midorima (in the glasses) is my favorite character so far. Cool, calm and collected, he's also kind of quirky and dorky. (Like he carries around his "lucky items" and sneaks into matches to watch them while pretending to not care).

Sort of started watching Space Brothers (semi-future story about two brothers wanting to be astronauts) but haven't gotten too far yet. Mainly going to stick around for Hirata Hiroaki, who can do no wrong, apparently. ♥

summer > autumn

2012-09-07T03:23:22Z

update

Woot, update! How is everyone? I find myself missing being around here. I still lurk all the journals, but it's not quite the same. Things have been tiring and stressful, and I tend to clam up when that happens. But on the other hand, I do find journaling somewhat therapeutic... I should try to do it more regularly. *nods* Do you guys find that it's somewhat quieter in LJ these days? It feels like 80% of my flist updates are from arama lately.

Work has been busy, busy, busy. Draining, to be more specific. But things are winding down quickly and I think I'll finally have a much needed staycation for a little while. x) I think I'll spend that time catching up on reading and picking up yoga again. I used to try to do at least 15 minutes of it everyday, but I've been too worn out for even that little! And then I end up feeling completely inflexible and out of shape for the yoga class I go to once a week..

Classes are so much better than going along with yoga videos, though. I don't have the discipline to do any programs longer than 20 minutes if I'm in the comfort of my living room, lol.

kogoro

Posting a pic of my Chihuahua Kogoro because I haven't, in a while. xD He does this adorable thing where he sits on his back legs when he wants something, and I was able to capture it on my camera phone. I recently took him to his annual cardiologist check-up, where he got his second echocardiogram. Good news! His heart isn't getting bigger, which means his murmur is under control. It was such a relief! Now he can go back to his usual business, barking at squirrels and gutting his plush squeaky toys of their stuffing. (He also recently discovered the deliciousness of flavored lip balm... I have to be careful not to leave those in his reach!)

books

I'm so behind on reading, but have finally picked up Heresy by S.J. Parris, "An Elizabethan Thriller." It's part of a series of mystery novels set in the middle ages. This is the first of the series, though I actually read the second one (Prophesy), first. It's still too soon to tell if it's good or not, but I had enjoyed the second book well enough, so I'm hoping this will be just as fun. x)

I've been listening to the "books" podcast for NPR, and added a bunch of books that sounded interesting, including a mystery set in Honolulu (Murder Casts a Shadow by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl), a book about animal diseases and what it tells us about human conditions (Zoobiquity by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz), and a book by former NY Times "Ethicist" (Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything by Randy Cohen).

What's on your to-read shelf, dear flisters? ♥

manga etc

I recently breezed through a shojo manga called Reimei no Arcana, a pretty-ish fantasy. I like it! There's politics and intrigue, and of course, a little romance. I started out reading shojo as a child, so it's a pretty comfortable place for me to return to. xD And I realize that most of the fandoms in which I've been active are of a different flavor. You can read it here if you're interested. =)

Still reading Hi no Matoi, the Edo-period manga about samurais and fire fighters. The story is progressing a little slowly, but it's a bi-monthly serialization, so it just feels like it takes a long time..

And speaking of long time, Glass Mask is releasing volume 49 this month. This series has been going on since before I was born. Can she please end it already?? ...that being said, I'd like her to really write a nice and satisfying ending. I feel like the fans deserve one, after all these years of loyalty. xD;;

Still buying Are You Alice? but haven't read any volumes since like...vol 3. I understood the drama CDs, but the manga is so whack and confusing, I don't have the concentration to get through it. (o__o)

Poking my way slowly through Kami no Shizuku. I had 15 volumes a few years ago when I first started reading it. I blinked, a couple years passed, and now we're on VOLUME 34. Yeesh. I like this series, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's gonna drag on forever. I haven't purchased the last 14 books or so yet, but I hesitate to do so, if only because I don't have much space anymore on my bookshelves. I wish manga wasn't such a space-killing hobby!

saiyuki

Sharak continues to impress with her fabulosity and kickass skillz. I hope she'll be sticking around for a while, because she's one of the most interesting side characters we've had in a while. (And definitely the most intriguing female character). I love that Sanzo feels validation and comfort in her presence, and that Goku can see how much it means to him. ♥

Is that Kou & Doku on the hill? =DDD

Ridiculously excited about Ants of Heaven!! I was pretty shocked when I saw the advert in the Zero Sum for it. I had no idea she was planning on releasing it so soon! I thought she'd be working more on the other projects (WA, Ibun...) Gaiden has always been my favorite, so I can't wait to see what she comes up with here.

meme

And while I'm usually not too political here, I suppose this is only tangentially so. I couldn't resist adding to the Eastwooding meme. xD

Making time

2012-06-17T05:06:19Z

hanged man

A got a couple new tarot decks the other day on a whim. I go through spurts of deck buying, I think. Several months will pass without a single purchase (or even looking for any new ones), and then suddenly I get an urge to see what's out there again. Come to think, I'm not sure if I posted about the Steampunk Tarot that I got a couple months ago. The Steampunk Tarot was something I was watching as it was being made, because the author (Barbara Moore) was blogging her progress on the project in the months before the release. The artist who drew this gorgeous deck is Aly Fell, whose work I'd seen around before online. (See some of the images from this deck here. Check out the King of Wands especially, as it's one of my favorites! I dunno why, but something about that picture is so striking). I looove this deck. It's really gorgeously done, and the accompanying book is actually very interesting. I read it all the way through, which I can't say for most books that come with decks. If you're a fan of steampunk, I definitely recommend it, as he's got the aesthetic rendered beautifully.

Anyway...back to the decks I got this week! I got the Hobbit Tarot and the Angel Tarot, both of which came out relatively recently. The Hobbit Tarot is cool because most cards have some kind of a scene from the book and it helps tell the story behind what each card is supposed to represent. Of course, prior knowledge of the book helps, and at least for me, it's been a long while. I need to reread the Hobbit and read the booklet as well to get a better understanding on how to read these cards. They don't follow the traditional tarot imagery, which makes it harder.

The Angel Tarot is really lovely. Pictured here is XII (The Hanged Man), the angel Gabriel. I think the artwork is amazing, but the drawback is that they tried to make this into a "safe" deck, which means they rename all the scary sounding cards like Hanged Man to things like "Awakening." I feel like it's a cop-out, since there's really no such thing as "safe" decks. But eh...it's pretty. xD The other drawback to this deck is that it's so BIG. Very hard to shuffle. It might be a little new agey and woo woo, but I try to concentrate on the art instead, and the words written on all the cards are actually pretty insightful.

yoga

As I've been mentioning on my Dreamwidth journal, I've taken up yoga! It's been about a month now since I signed up at the studio down the street from my office, and I've been trying to go to class twice a week. The studio is really nice, with several rooms, all wooden floors, brick walls, fireplaces, and skylights. It's such a cozy space, and none of the classes are more than 12 people, so it feels very intimate and spacy. I like feeling zenned out, though I also work up quite a sweat as well. Especially in the ballet inspired "barre" yoga classes!

Bought up a couple Rodney Yee DVDs and a Shiva Rea one to practice with at home. I don't think I'll ever be doing those crazy handstands and body twisting arm balances, but hopefully I'll be more flexible, fit and calm because of it. XD

fandom, etc.

Fandom wise, I've been kind of frazzled trying to mod an RP. It's pretty much sucked up every spare hour that I have during the week, which isn't a lot, since I work all the time (and then some). This is the reason why I've been pretty scarce around LJ as well, though my fandoms in general seem to be on the quiet side lately. The Hanged Man up there really is kind of what I need right now...a change of perspective. Something needs to give. I feel too pressed for time and stressed out lately.

I have managed to get through a few new fandom things in spite of the above though, and I don't think I've written about them here yet. These are new-for-me, and not exactly new, new. xD

I finally bought Death Note and read it all the way through. I tried reading it a long time ago but never got past the first book. This is most likely because I was reading it on the computer, and I hate reading manga this way. That's especially the case for works that are heavy in text and content. For some reason, I find it hard to keep up my attention span in such cases, for online reading.

I liked it! I can understand why it gets the acclaim that it does, and how it's got such a wide following. I think the characters were quirky and interesting, and the plot was always engaging and moving in some way, which I appreciated. So many mangas fall into a rut from time to time, but in this case, it always felt like the author knew exactly where to take the story. My favorite characters were the minor ones, which isn't surprising. xD I liked Namikawa, the pretty and clever VP of Yotsuba, and Matsuda, the young cop guy who's always jumping in head-first. I watched some of the anime too, amusing myself with the fact that Near is voiced by Kikyo from Inuyasha, while L was voiced by...Inuyasha. Lol.

Also saw the anime No. 6 recently. It wasn't a very long series, and somehow I managed to just marathon it over the course of a few days. The themes and mood really reminded me of Toward the Terra: the backdrop of a false utopic society, and similarities in the themes, like environmentalism, authoritarianism, genocide, and rebellion. I found Terra was more epic in scale and had characters I loved better, but No. 6 was not too bad. I'd like to read the novels sometime, when I get a spare moment. ;)

I still have a whole stack of mangas that I bought but never read. (Do any of you do that? I have tons of them. Why do I do it?) These include: Ooku (the gender swapped period manga), Aruosumente (new manga by Aki, who wrote Olimpos. I inadvertently bought TWO copies for vol 1), Are You Alice? (which I stopped reading because it keeps getting more and more confusing with every chapter), Loveless (also stopped reading midway), Vampire Knight (ditto), and Karneval (read half of book 1 and then stopped, but have like 6 volumes sitting on my shelf right now).

At the end of the day, I think it just comes down to the fact that I don't have the patience anymore. I wish I could read something that was effortlessly enjoyable, but those are probably rare, huh? Tenipuri was always just silly fun. You never had to think too hard about it, and there was plenty of room for imagination when it came to the characters. Somehow, even in the ridiculousness of it all, they still managed to pop off the page and inspire something for me.

These manga probably have cool characters too, but I need to make a more concerted effort to like them, which is...tiring.

One on-going manga that I actually AM excited about is Hi no Matoi, which I've posted about before. That's the story about the firefighters in Edo Japan. x) It's still pretty, and the characters are charming and fun to read. Plus, the plots involve treachery, assassins, ninjas, and most of all: estranged brothers. I am such a sucker for brother stories. ♥

Of course, there's also Saiyuki, which is much love. I'm enjoying this arc with Sharak very much, and I can't wait to see what else MK's got in store for us!

All righty, I should stop here for now~

Hope everyone's doing well and having a relaxing summer! What's been up??

Monktastica

2012-04-03T22:44:29Z

OKAY wow. It's been a while since I updated here! Yeesh. I've been modding an RP and it's been taking up so much of my play time I haven't been able to blog much anywhere (the five other places I have...lol).

Hope everyone's been doing well!

I should do a proper update some time soon. Not a whole lot has been going on aside from work, play, and RP. Not much going on in the fandom front, either. Except of course... Saiyuki Reload Blast~~ ♥! Welcome back, baby! Aaah, I've missed it more than I realized. Even the bad puns. Which brings me to...

"Man, you can sure shoot, with a small gun like that.
How about you go by the catch phrase the bussou bussou?

PFFT!

I knew he used that phrase sometime in a previous book! He has no right calling out Hakkai on the badness of his puns. Ha!

Meanwhile...oooh, female!Sanzo! She's awesome already. I hope we get to see a lot more of this fabulous lady in the coming chapters. Interesting naming. I guess she wouldn't be the 28th of T'ang, since I'm sure they've crossed into another country by now. But then I wonder, why is she an arhat but not Sanzo? And do the other sanzos also have different titles? (And will her successor be the 29th Arhat or the 32nd of something else?) *ponders*

Shin Tenipuri 5

2012-02-02T03:31:05Z

THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!!!

Okay, I was optimistic last week when they jumped straight into Atobe and Tezuka's matches, thinking that maybe they're just shifting around some of the order of the matches. But I didn't think they were going to SKIP SANADA VS YUKIMURA ALTOGETHER. This is so infuriating I can't even think straight.

Instead of the two chapter match of awesome we were supposed to see, they gave us fucking Golden Pair and we're supposed to be satisfied??? Come on, Shinpuri!! What is your problem?? I thought Rikkai had a strong following. Did they think there wasn't a fanbase to bother even animating this bit?? I don't understand!!

This is just so frustrating. It makes me just not wanna continue watching this BS. GUH!!

Shin Tenipuri 3

2012-01-21T20:43:08Z

Hahahaha! I got linked by lucathia_rykatu to this hand drawn Shin Tenipuri OP sequence on Nico video. XDD It's hilarious! I've been watching it all day on and off, I can't seem to stop. The comments are pretty funny too. ("My eyes!!", "Creepy!!", "WTF he looked cool for one second").

Anyway. Shinpuri continues to impress with its beautiful art. Of course, they totally expanded the Golden Pair bit from the manga...I suppose that should be expected. But they took out a line from D1 when Niou tells Yagyuu he's more a con artist than himself. That made me sad. =(

ALSO, WTF, they're skipping SanaYuki match? =U Hopefully they'll give them an episode after the captain matches...

Niou has the most wicked grin. ♥

I love how D1 just got down and dirty. "What, we gotta beat each to move on up? BRING IT."
None of that sissy ass "but I can't play against my partner!!" BS!

I always wanted to know if you can actually hit a passing shot in this form. He makes it look good, though!

Tokugawa is HOTNESS.

COACH LOVE. I might ship them. xD

You tell 'im, Shishido!!

BWaaaaaa Shishido-sannnn!

Was Fuji's hair always this LONG?

Mizuki!!! I wanted to see Inui vs. Mizuki. *sadface*

HOT.

Hyouteimyu Season 2

2012-01-16T04:50:17Z

So yeah. I watched the first half of Hyouteimyu Season 2. Obviously this is gekidasa's fault.

First off, ATOBE. HAHAHAHAHA. I think his acting was a bit exaggerated, with his crazy eyebrows and dramatic speaking, but...this IS Atobe, after all. XD He certainly looks the part. Also, I really really liked their Hyoutei number, with the Latin inspired music! I think over all, the singing quality is very good too!

A few other things, most important of which is:

THEY HAVE A TAKI. Which is freakin' awesome. He was just as bitchy as you'd expect.
Shishido vs. Taki = JCJKDJFKNcnkdkfO$@!

SHISHIDO ♥ He was so Shishido. Fired up!

Tezuka was a hottie.

LOL Kamio! Adorable. X)

He oozes Atobe, for reals.

I have to say I'm not feeling the Oshitari very much, though I think he's got a nice voice. Gakuto is so pretty he looks like a girl. And Seigaku in general seem to be composed of pretty great singers. But Fuji is possibly the worst Fuji I've ever seen, I'm sorry to say. I usually like Fuji's myu players (my favorite is of course, Furukawa Yuuta), but this one is just very weird. His acting is just...off. And it doesn't help that he totally doesn't look the part either.

And that's it for now. XD Might have more thoughts after I finish the second half!

Shin Tenipuri!

2012-01-12T04:12:55Z

Aaaah!!!! It's back!

Didn't get a chance to blog it last week when the first ep came out, but there was just SO MUCH PRETTY in episode 2 I had to post something straight away.

First off: AIBA HIROKI. Okay, I wasn't a huge fan of his Fuji. But WTF his voice is SEXY?? I'm not sure if it's my personal bias of the fact that Irie Kanata is my favorite character of the high schoolers, but wow! He sounds so good!

Actually, maybe the bias thing doesn't really apply, because I was supposed to love Coach Kurobe's voice too by that theory, and I don't. At least, not yet. Maybe it's a bit too delicate for him. I know he's got long hair and he's a pretty guy, but I was expecting something a little more smokin'. ;D

CHITOKURA looked HOT. I don't think they got any lines in episode 2 though. =/

RIKKAI IN DA HOUSE. So cool and under control. Yanagi had no lines either. =/

Nfu nfu nfu....Guess who's been hanging out with Mizuki?

PFFT. Dangerous! Love that glare.

COACH IS HOT.
A friend pointed out that he looks like Aizen with long hair!

HYOUTEI OT3 ♥
WTF Shishido, look a little more put together, will you?

NFU NFU NFU NFU NFU
He had no lines either...I wonder if it cost too much to get Ishida Akira in the
studio for one little "nfu"? ;D

D1!!!!! ♥ ♥
Niou's rat tail is getting LONG1 ...still hate Yagyuu's purple hair...

Aibou Year End Special!!

2012-01-07T03:17:17Z

Fweee~~!! Finally watched the Aibou year-end special episode today. It was awesome, and quite possibly the best special ep I've seen of this show! And I'm not saying that because I'm biased for Saito Takumi, who guest starred... ;) No actually, the story was very well constructed and I was on my toes the entire time. Loved it from beginning to end! Especially since my favorite character got some great scenes as well. ♥

Some screecaps:

Police Inspector Sugishita Ukyou, the main character with a brain like Sherlock Holmes.
Played by Mizutani Yutaka.

His partner, Assistant Police Inspector Kambe Takeru, played by Oikawa Mitsuhiro.
This is his third (fourth?) season on the show~

My fave char is Itami, who's on the phone. I LOVE this guy so much! He's kind of a jerk
but he means well...most of the time. Part comic relief character.

Saito Takumi!!! Playing the badass criminal Hayami Tomoya.

He's even hot in his mugshot.. *amused*

Endo Yuuya also guest stars. XD

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ !!!

First Doggie Pic of 2012!

2012-01-03T14:55:49Z

Good morning everyone, and Happy New Year again! Thanks for all your wishes in return from my last post! I'm hoping everyone will have a better and happier year for 2012. I haven't really done any formal new year's resolutions (I'm not sure I'd follow them, in any case), but keeping up with my online presence is definitely one of my priorities this year.

Speaking of which, I've recently resurrected my Dreamwidth journal. I went through the other day and friended some people (a few of who were wondering who the heck I was, lol...I should've kept my LJ user ID to prevent so much confusion!). Anyway, I've definitely missed a number of you, so if you have a DW account, please do comment here so I can add you. :) I haven't really decided what to do yet, in the wake of the LJ bust-up. I've cancelled my auto-pay but aside from that, I'm wondering whether I can really switch over. Considering the fact that I've made so many friends here and I like the history and connections I've made on LJ, it makes it that much harder to really let go. I'll still post here for the time being. I considered mirroring on DW, but I've decided to keep that one separate for now.

☆ Books

I'm still slogging my way through Prospero Regained by Jagi Lamplighter. (Apparently, her husband is an LJ user? I looked up her book and came upon his blog here). This is the last in the Prospero's Daughter trilogy, and I've been having the hardest time finishing it. I've had it for over 6 weeks now and I'm still on page 300. I think it's mostly to do with the fact that they're trudging through hell - literally - and it's a bit exhausting to read. I'm hoping to finish it up so I can move on to other things.

I was going to read Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy next, but after seeing the movie, I think I'll read something else instead. I liked the movie, but it was so slowly dramatic and ploddingly paced that I feel like I've had my fill of Tinker Tailor for the time being. (By the way, for Sherlock fans - Benedict Cumberbatch's character was great!) My next book will probably be Anno Dracula, a novel about...well, Dracula. It looks like a more interesting and thoughtful take on the vampire genre, so I guess we'll see how that goes.

☆ TV & Movies

Haven't watched the latest Sherlock yet, but my friends who did see it said it was quite good. Can't wait to finally catch up with it!

Project Runway: All Stars will start airing on the 5th, which I'm very excited about!

I saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol the other week, and I actually kind of loved it. I have to admit, I do like Tom Cruise sometimes, even if he is kind of whack. He didn't take himself too seriously in this movie, which is what made it so enjoyable. There was a bit of slap stick thrown into the action (which was amazing, by the way). And his teammates were probably the best I've seen so far in the MI series. Guy-who-played-Scottie on Star Trek (the new movie) was so funny! Loved him. Of course, I will never understand the villains who are all "I'm gonna set off nuclear weapons for no reason at all," but I suppose the crazy is part of the scariness of it?

In comparison, Tinker Tailor was a much more cerebral and thoughtful movie, one where you had to pay attention and get intellectually invested. The slow camera work was actually quite well done, and when it panned deliberately over the four dudes, they ALL began to look guilty to you, lol. I kind of dozed off in the middle somewhere though. It's not a movie for everyone. After it ended, my brother remarked, "That two hours of my life I'm never getting back." I didn't think it was that bad!

And okay, I'll admit it...I watched this year's Kouhaku music show, even though it sucks year after year and I always declare that I'm not wasting anymore of my time. My whole family sat down and watched it, though we spent most of the time fast forwarding through each number. Lady Gaga made an appearance via satellite, which was kind of amusing. There were actually some high points, which included Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (after he finally shut the hell up and started singing) and the cracktastic Hikawa Kiyoshi, who came out in this dazzling Mariachi outfit and jiggled his hips like I dunno what (You can check out his video here - it's not from the Kouhaku, but you get the idea!). And actually, I kinda loved Ashida Mana and her co-star, who sang Maru Maru Mori Mori. It was so adorable!

☆ Saiyuki

And finally, in fandom news...you must check out this fabulous Gojun/Tenpou/Kenren fic that 7veilsphaedra wrote for me for the theme "Year of the Dragon": King Goujun Wishes to Express His Gratitude and Appreciation... It's fabulous. Rated NC-17.

謹賀新年

2012-01-01T06:30:52Z

☆ ☆ ☆ ** Happy New Year!! ** ☆ ☆ ☆

Hope you have a fabulous 2012~!

Downton - Christmas Special

2011-12-26T04:31:50Z

OMGOMG YAAAAAY!!

OKAY so I said I was fed up with Matthew in Season 2 and that Mary SHOULD marry that Carlisle but I admit I was wrong. Carlisle is obviously kind of an ass, and I still love him as a character (don't I always love the bastards?) but I do think he'd make a lousy husband. At first I thought maybe they were well matched in their equally practical natures, but I think in the end, Mary is just too sentimental for him.

Aaah, this scene was so cute!

Also, that Carlisle vs Matthew fight scene cracked me up. AHAHAHAHAHA. And the vase! Sorry about the fucking vase! Don't worry Matthew, Lady Violet has hated that damn vase for 50 years.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:33:44Z

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, whether you celebrate or not. (^__^)/

Thank you to reposoir, whymzycal, kanzenhanzai, kirathaune, chomiji and ladyofthethread for your Christmas cards! ♥

My weekend has been pretty low-key. No huge holiday meals or family gatherings, just a yule log cake and a few presents. I think I was much more successful in this year's gift giving, which I'm pleased with! And even the cake was better than last year's. I got it from my favorite local patisserie, which makes lots of fabulous not-too-sweet cakes.

Next Iron Cheffff and Tenpou

2011-12-20T05:28:15Z

iphone case!

I've actually kind of struggled a bit with cases for my iPhone 4. I initially got a clear one, which was one of those free ones that Apple offered to placate their customers after the antenna placement fiasco. That one cracked. Then I got an adorable "Alice in a Funny World" case with art by Shinzi Katoh...but then the picture on it faded. =( I did a long and tedious search for a new case, and finally decided to do the "design your own" thing with Case-mate. So here it is!

There's something just incredibly sexy about Tenpou splayed out all over his books. This case is pretty slim compared to my old ones, but I'm quite pleased with it. The ink looks like it's really etched in there, so hopefully it won't be fading any time soon!

holiday careds!

Thank you to rroselavy, kispexi2, maeran, helliongoddess, despina_moon, theskywasblue, jedishampoo and sharpeslass for your lovely Christmas cards! My room looks so festive now. X)

I finally got all my cards done yesterday, and put them in the post this afternoon. Hopefully they'll reach everyone soon! (^__^)/

next iron chef: super chefs

This weekend I finally caught up with Next Iron Chef, just in time for the season finale on Sunday.

Aaah, I wanted Alex to make it to the very end! She's the one I was rooting for most, so I was very sad to see her go in the penultimate episode. Still, it was cool to see Chef Faulkner get this far. Pastry is something that seems like such a different animal in the culinary world. I think she has a pretty interesting repertoire, bringing her pastry experience into the savory side of things.

Still, I was definitely more a Zakarian fan. I think Zakarian would've been awesome vs. Alex. But it was cool that they ended up choosing Alex as their sous chef to help out during the challenges. I liked all the little twists the chairman kept throwing their way, and overall, they both did very well! I think the right chef won in the end, so I was pretty satisfied. X)

AIBOUUUU <3

2011-12-19T05:30:27Z

Okay, so Aibou is the only Japanese drama I keep up with. This police drama is currently in its 10th season, and I think it's better than ever. ♥ Of course, my favorite character is one of the goofy side-characters (Itami), but I do love the two starring detectives, Ukyo and Kanbe.

Now, they usually have 3 extra long special episodes per season - the opener, New Year's special, and season closer. For this year's New Year's episode, the guest star is Saito Takumi, which makes me terribly excited! It's so exciting when my fandoms collide like this. XD Last week's episode was followed by a preview for the New Year ep, so I had to take a few screencaps, one of which includes Takumi being a badass and pointing a gun at one of the main characters, played by Oikawa Mitsuhiro. XD

I have no idea what kind of character he's playing, but he definitely looks just a little crazy here. And totally hot. XD ♥

Bollywood star!

2011-12-12T15:40:43Z

Hey everyone!

Hope you've been doing well. I know I haven't really updated in a while, but I've been keeping up as much as I can with your posts-- Lol. You know, I feel like I begin every entry these days with that same blurb. Anyway, I've been definitely trying to update more but somehow I always get sidetracked by other things, even if I'm just on my computer! My poor neglected food blog hasn't seen an update in a while either, and I feel horribly guilty about that. XD;;

goings on

As for things going on personally...not a whole lot of new developments. Just the usual work and play. Last week I went to see Tori Amos with twentystitches, which was pretty darn awesome. She had a string quartet with her, which was kinda cool. But I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of the first violin. He was just SO loud! And there was a lot of dissonance, though I guess that's the way it is with contemporary string music? Anyway, it was really cool to see her live again. It was great to see Tans too, but we were both so exhausted. Who holds concerts on a Monday night, anyway?

Though speaking of Monday night concerts, I'm going to one tonight as well. It's for a band called Pink Martini, which I'd only vaguely heard about. Some friends wanted to go, and it's supposed to be a holiday concert, so I thought it might be fun. They're apparently touring with a Japanese singer named Yuki Saori. My parents are fans, but I don't know her music either. XD;;

I guess the biggest event in the last few weeks is, I went to my friend's wedding in Baltimore. It was a two day affair, a lavish Indian wedding complete with garba (a dancing celebration), the groom's procession on a horse, several hours long Hindu ceremony, followed by an all day gap before cocktails and reception dinner. Needless to say, it was an exhausting weekend, but full of fun and lots of great food. My friend the bride got me a beautiful sari from India, pictured here. It's a gorgeous shade of green with fabulous gold and green sequins ALL OVER. I was blinged out like a Bollywood star. Loved it.

holiday stuff

First of all, THANK YOU to kedi_kedi, rachel_reicheru and velvetina_wonka for your lovely Christmas cards!! Aah, I envy you for being so on top of it! I meant to get some of them out this weekend, but I ended up writing...zero. However, I did print out all the addresses and return labels, so I'm pretty much good to go. I'm hoping to at least get all the international ones out this week.

Holiday time is actually one I rather enjoy, and it's always kind of fun to go to holiday events and concerts. The shopping part can be fun sometimes too, but ever since my disasterous gift giving of last year (everybody returned everything. Actually no, I had to return it all FOR them, which seems kind of messed up, but I did get it all online...), I've been kind of bitter about the whole process and just wanna get it over with as soon as possible. It doesn't help that my brother keeps sending me links for gift ideas for himself for ridiculous items like a $10,000 watch, a $4,000 chair and a $5,000 set of speakers. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Anyway, aside from the holiday cards and shopping...last weekend, I went to my friend's Christmas concert (he plays second violin in a local orchestra), which was a lot of fun. Later this week, I have two holiday parties, a Christmas tea and a (actually non-holiday related) birthday happy hour. Somehow, everything happens all at once.

fannish stuff

I've been watching Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, season 2, and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. I had my suspicions last year, wondering if they could really judge art in this manner, but I think it's just a fun show to watch. I was actually sorry to see The Sucklord go, even though his art was kind of amateur. He was just a ridic and utterly amusing character to watch. I thought last week's "Sell Out" episode wasn't very good though, if only because it did what last season's Project Runway kept doing, to fatal effect: combining challenges that don't go together.

I'm really behind on Top Chef: Texas. I guess it's not as super impressive so far as I expected, but I will catch up eventually. The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs has been pretty cool though, even if I was kind of skeptical that Spike equalifies as a Super Chef... I'm a few eps behind there as well, but I'm looking forward to catching up.

Meanwhile... New Game of Thrones trailer is out! See it here at EW. I'm so excited!

Downton Abbey Christmas special is coming up soon too, but to be honest, I was sorely disappointed by the last season. There was just too much darkness and melodrama and even though I know Downton has always been a little wacky, some of the storylines were just so absurdly soap operatic that I was rolling my eyes. Honestly, I WANT Mary to end up with Carlisle at this point, if only because he's so much more interesting than mopey doe eyed Matthew.

Merlin is finally getting a little interesting, and maybe it's almost breaking out of its cyclic same story thing it's been suffering through for the past few seasons. Queen Anis's episode was pretty awesome, and she was such a kickass character! It's a shame it was only an episodic appearance.

I should...get back to work. XD That's it for now! ♥

Wings of Kyushu!

2011-11-09T05:00:09Z

AAaaah! Another Story OVA II has all my favorites! Rikkai + Hyoutei in one episode, and Shitenhoji (+ Chitose) in the other. There was so much happy ChitoKura love in this episode, I can't stand it. XD ♥

I feel like it's been a while since I've fangirled tenipuri. I've missed it! Okay, so here's the summary rundown after the cut, with screencaps!

Shishigaku in da house!

So Shitenhoji arrives at West Japan Finals and they bump into the two "Wings of Kyushu" - Chitose and Tachibana. They've got some aura. (I think Chitose looks hot in his uniform..)

The stare~

Chitose begins to walk away, but then he turns around and gives Kura a long stare. XD

"...."

In Doubles One: Kura/Ken pair!

vs. Chito/Tachi! Man, those uniforms are fugly...

Meanwhile in the stands..Higa's Kite & Hirakoba look on.

I can't seeeee!

So Tachibana was doing okay with his "Abare Dama" move, but his partner Chitose isn't doing so hot because HELLO, BLIND IN ONE EYE. Chitose can't hit any forehands because he can't see properly. But he's too proud to let Tachibana cover for him, so he keeps bumping into him as he scrambles for the ball.

Dude.

Kura is like WTF is going on?

D'oh...

Chitose misses the ball and slams himself into the pole. He finally tells Tachi he's going to forfeit because he doesn't want to be a burden on him, and he can't stand Tachibana's pity.

Pathetic!

You guys suuuuuck!!

Okay, he doesn't quite say it like that, but he does say he was looking forward to playing them after hearing so much about the Wings of Kyushu, but really, it's not fun to beat down such a pathetic pair.

WTF.

Kura gets all philosophical and says, you're not just blind in your eye, but your mind. You should try and rely more on your partner, that's what he's there for.

Awww. Okay, I'll try. ♥

Wheee~~! Pretty Kenya!

Wheeee~~! Pretty Chitose~!

Coach Osamu arrives out of no where...

Activate Sparkle Tennis!

Tachi covers valiantly but it still looks like a one-sided match. Chitose struggles and finally has a breakthrough - Ah! He activates the Saiki Kampatsu no Kiwami but doesn't really know it. He just knows that he can predict the next point will be won in 4 moves. (Wait a minute, I thought Saiki doesn't work in doubles??? Oh well...) His prediction comes true, but ultimately....

F & D??

Kura clinches victory with what looked to me like "Fake and Drop Shot" or F & D, as Oshitari would call it!

"AAAH, ECSTASY!!!"

Good game!

WTF.

Coach leaves them a victory present - a giant kokeshi doll in their club room.

"....."

One year later, Chitose arrives at the gates of Shitenhoji. ♥

At the end of the episode, Tachi asks Chitose what happened out there (re: that sparkly foresight thing), and Chitose says that what Shiraishi told him, about being blinded by his own mental block, helped him to open up his mind. So there you have it - Kura is responsible for Chitose's Buddha Enlightenment Tennis. XD IT'S OFFICIAL.

Tiger & Bunny ep 24

2011-09-10T21:22:27Z

ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHH.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

I can't believe they keep upping the cliffhanger factor. Just when I think it couldn't possibly end on a more nail-biting moment!

Best scenes:

⇒ Saito trying to figure out the hack for the robot. XD

⇒ Blue Rose~ ♥ So awesome. Not surprised at all that she's the one who understands the "heart of the cards" so to speak. Haha.

⇒ Yaaaay, Kaede! Love her.

⇒ Intriguing peek into what's going on with Lunatic. Hopefully he'll figure in somehow for the finale!

⇒ "I've been practicing making fried rice for you!" *dead*

⇒ "Man, you've got long eyelashes." *dies again*

But seriously, what's up with Rock Bison? We never got a character arc from him, he's the first to doubt Tiger's identity, and he's also the one who keeps getting tempted to save himself in exchange for the others' lives. Why do they make him look so bad/weak?

Anyway...does anyone believe Tiger's really dead? I really hope he's okay! (;____o)

"Welcome (back) to Downton"

2011-09-06T17:22:10Z

☆ birthdays~

First off, Happy Birthday to girl_dissolving! And Happy Belated Birthdays to red_squared, ssjbento and _sabriel. I've probably missed a few others...I keep seeing birthday posts around my flist, but I've failed to note them all! (;___;) Anyway, hurrah for birthdays! I feel like this is a very busy time of year for birthdays...lots of my friends have August and September birthdays..

Speaking of birthdays, I was amused to see that on my official "Song of Ice and Fire" wall calendar, they have "George R. R. Martin's Birthday" noted - it's September 20. I like this calendar, but I'm not very impressed by September's artwork - Casterly Rock. I always imagined the place a little grander than this, since it's the home of House Lannister, who are supposed to be pretty filthy rich. The art makes it look like...well, a giant rock. With a rather phallic looking tower sticking up at the top. Haha. I think there should be more Castlely and less Rock.

☆ downton abbey!!

Second season is coming! I'm so SO very excited. Part of me is kind of worried that it'll be depressing, what with the war and everything. But I'm hoping that the characters will pull through and keep it lively and fun nevertheless. I'm sad that Matthew will be bringing in a new love interest, because I really did think he'd end up with Mary. Maybe he still might?? I was surprised to discover that this is a minority opinion, amongst my friends. They all *hate* Mary!

I dunno, she's done a lot of things she shouldn't have, but I don't understand why they find her so unsympathetic. I think the actress does a fabulous job showing all Mary's vulnerabilities and complexities. She's definitely one of my favorite characters.

Season 2 preview is available here, and first episodoe trailer is here. ♥

☆ project runway

Ridiculous "Avant Garde" episode produced so much fug, none of it remotely avant garde, except for Bert's, surprisingly enough.

I am so utterly unimpressed by this season so far. Too much drama and not enough beauty. I feel like cranky Nina Garcia, demanding to see something fabulous!! Gorgeous fashion...where is it??

☆ links

⇒ Pyramid Car! - Artwork by Scott C. I kinda love the quirky little style he has with his art. This link goes to his pop art, and my favorites are further down the page, featuring various cartoon, movie, and comic book characters engaged in funny activities like Slip and Slides and ping pong.

⇒ Tiny World in a Bottle - These are so cute! He sells them on etsy..

⇒ Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty Exhibit - My colleague went to see this exhibit when it was at the Met in New York (so jealous!) It's apparently headed to London next. ♥

⇒ Sherlock fanart - Saw this on Tumblr. Also saw this ~~titillating~~ interesting photo of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. XD

⇒ [video] Awesome cell phone commercial plays Bach tune with a wooden ball - Nice! That must've taken a lot of work to set up.

⇒ [video] I am Maru - Absolutely adorable home videos of a cat name Maru. Watch near the end - he loves to head-dive into empty boxes. XDD

⇒ ~~Tiger~~ Leopard & ~~Bunny~~ Golden Retriever - Too cute!

EDIT:

☆ where's andrew

Ack! I forgot to write about my friend Drew's trip to Japan! He writes for National Geographic Traveler, and he's called the "Digital Nomad" ... he tweets his traveling adventures from the road. I love how you get a very "live" feeling as you follow his tweets and blog posts. (He's the same guy who bussed to Antarctica a while ago).

Anyway, he just started his first trip to Japan, and has been tweeting at Where's Andrew. He started in Tokyo, where he visited the Tsukiji fish market and the Meiji shrine in Harajuku. He traveled up to Sendai for a baseball game, and then lived it up at a hot spring and ryokan in Hokkaido. He's just taken an undersea tunnel back into Honshu and checked in for the night in Aomori. His blog postings are here.

O Cicero, I have seen tempests

2011-08-27T18:24:04Z

☆ julius caesar

I'm spending the calm before the storm in front of my computer getting as much done online as I can before the inevitable blackout. (I know the electric company around here too well, unfortunately).

So, on Tuesday after the earthquake, I went to see Julius Caesar at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's annual Free for All production. I went to last year's Free for All, but that was on my friend's spare season pass ticket. This was the first year that I put in for the lottery system and actually won my ticket! Was quite excited about the play, since I feel like it's been a while since I've seen one of his tragedies.

Sometime during Act I, there is a scene where it's storming like crazy outside, and Casca remarks, "Are not you moved, when all the sway of earth / Shakes like a thing unfirm?" There was chuckling in the audience. Laughter abounded when the famous line, "It was Greek to me!" came up. But the real fun times occurred in the middle of Act III, at the dramatic moment when Octavian's servant comes in and sees the body of Caesar. "O Caesar!" he said. Followed by a strange wailing noise, then flashes of light. It was quite an odd moment for sound effects and shenanigans, and just as I was wondering if this was really part of the play, an announcement came on saying there was fire emergency in the building, and we all had to evacuate!

As I was leaving the auditorium, I glanced back and saw that Caesar was miraculously resurrected, being helped off the stage. The audience milled around on the street outside for a few minutes, unsure of what to expect. I didn't catch sight of them myself, but I heard later that there were men in bloody togas standing around as well. I'm not sure what the cause of the alarm was, or whether it was earthquake-related, but they eventually let us back in, and continued on without further delay.

Overall, the production was wonderful, with the war scenes being especially enjoyable. I also loved all the flourish, pomp and circumstance. The actors for Caesar and Marc Anthony were particularly good. (*__*)

☆ project runway

From political intrigue to fashion bitchfest...what did you guys think of this week's episode?? Has there ever been THIS much contention and fuckwittage in PR history? Bert could be the biggest asshole ever, right up there with that tattooed guy whose name I don't remember (but he was despicable). And that Josh of the freaky painted-on-eyebrows is Bitch #2. Honestly, I do like some drama with PR, but this is just too much. Especially when the drama overshadows the fashion, and the designers are so distracted they end up producing shit work. Let's face it, there was a whole bunch of crap up there this week...even though the challenge WAS rather incomprehensible. (Make an outfit that goes with sneakers! But not work out clothes! Dresses are okay! But wait, can you work out in that dress? WTF Heidi).

I really hope that the challenges and the designers step up from hereon, because it's getting kind of ridic.

Also...chick who dropped out of PR because she didn't want to be there: Loser.

☆ irene

Went to the gas station to fill up my tank and had to get Supreme. Looks like they're running low already. One gas station I passed was completely sold out of everything.

Meanwhile, the grocery store was jam packed with last minute shoppers that included myself. The hot ticket items that were almost cleaned out included potatoes, canned tuna, instant coffee, bread, bottled water, evaporated milk, instant ramen and peanut butter.

I grabbed a bunch of packets of ramen, a few apples, potatoes, leeks, canned soup, instant coffee and Washingtonian magazine's "Cheap Eats" issue. I ended up getting only one pint of ice cream instead of two, since it'll just end up melting if we lose power.

And speaking of power, I got an infuriating automated message from our electric company Pepco, telling us in essence, "We're gonna fuck this up yet again. Sorry in advance!" Thanks for nothing, Pepco.

At least I'm ready for the inevitable...I have a stack of books at the ready and my iPhone charged up for precious internet connection when needed.

To all of you on the east coast...stay safe. ♥

Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture~

2011-08-23T20:02:38Z

Wow earthquake in DC. Surprisingly enough this wasn't the first time, though it was definitely bigger and longer than the last one.

The building shook. No one knew what was happening, and we thought maybe it had something to do with all the construction they're doing to the outside of my building..

Anyway, they evacuated us and we stood around on the crowded sidewalk for half an hour until they let us back in.

Twitter exploded with earthquake tweets. Clearly it's the most useful thing to have in such a situation! I was trying to read the subtitled new report inside a bar at a nearby restaurant but it didn't give me the most useful information.

After checking in on my friends and fam, the first thing I did was check Shakespeare Theatre. They're staging Julius Caesar tonight and I'd won tickets to see it! (They do free productions every year, and tickets are only available by lottery). They checked the building and the show must go on! I'm very excited.

"Et tu, Brute?? Then fall, Caesar!"

Hope everyone in the area on my flist are okay! I see that many of you have already checked in. <3

Also, RT @JohnnyGWeir : So we just had an earthquake in Jersey. I was in the tanning bed, dancing vigorously and missed it. I'll show YOU a tremor Mother Nature...

Vampire hunters and Thundercats

2011-08-09T02:12:58Z

☆ weekend & something unexpected

Hey everyone! Hope you guys had a fab weekend. Mine was pretty chillaxed. Ran a few errands on Friday, decided to be lazy on Saturday and stayed in, and had brunch on Sunday with the ever lovely girl_dissolving.

Last Thursday morning, I got a phone call from a friend I hadn't heard from in years - "Andy from Germany" as he's always prefaced his phone calls to me over the time I've known him. He was an exchange student (Polish/Russian, but from Germany) at my high school, and we used to be very close back in the day. Our history teacher used to call us "The Axis Powers" ...haha. Anyway, he'd friended me on Facebook a few years back, but we lost touch after I deleted my account. Last week, he called me up because he was in the states visiting his old host family, and he wanted to get together. (^__^) It was just like old times. It's funny how things never seem to change with some people. He's not really great with keeping in touch though, so we'll probably have radio silence for a few more years until we meet again, lol.

☆ super sad true book story

Book club is chugging on, surprisingly enough. I really thought we'd putter out after the dismal last couple meetings, but it sprang back to life in July with The Borrower, by Rebecca Makkai. It was a cute little read, about a twenty-something children's librarian who takes in a young runaway boy and goes on a road trip with him. The story managed to keep itself from being too cheesy, and I thought the ending was just about right.

This month's book is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, a novel that has baffled me for winning the Pulitzer Prize. I'm only about half way through, but I'm really at a loss as to why this book has gotten so much critical acclaim. Clearly this award means nothing anymore. (Although I have to say, I take "award-winning" as a disincentive, ever since I read a book by Nobel laureate Oe Kenzaburo and absolutely, utterly hated it). Back to "Goon Squad" though: I read this line - her "hair collapses onto her shoulders like a shattered window" and thought WTF does THAT mean? The author also describes how the sun "felt like teeth" at one point, which had me equally perplexed. Did she mean it was painfully glaring? I just got this image of teeth clamping down over someone's head or piercing someone in the eyeball. The prose is just infuriatingly pretentious.

Thankfully, the book is not long. And I'm actually kind of looking forward to the "Power Point" chapter, told entirely in the form of a slide presentation.

☆ blade

As you can tell from above screencap, I've been watching Blade - the anime. This is the fourth in a series of Marvel animes, which included Iron Man, X-Men, and Wolverine. I've only seen X-Men and part of Wolverine, but I'm liking Blade better than either of those. X-Men actually started out pretty good, but quickly went downhill when it became clear that they only cared about featuring their Japanese character, "Armor." It felt kind of insulting that they'd center everything around this Mary Sue-ish girl, as though their Japanese audience wouldn't find the X-Men interesting enough.

Wolverine was just okay, but I lost interest part way through and never finished. Of course, his story featured his Japanese wife, but at least that's canon..

Not surprisingly, Blade also somehow takes place in Japan (though right now they've moved on to Sumatra), and co-stars a Japanese girl as his fellow vampire hunter. I actually like this chick though, unlike the annoying girl in X-Men. They're on a mission now to take down Deacon Frost, who is heading up a vampire movement called "The Existence." There's lots of cheesy vampire violence and the characteristic Blade posing, which means it's bloody fabulous. XD ♥

Looks like they're going to meet up with Wolverine in the next episode (ep 7), which should be interesting. Is anyone else watching?

☆ thundercats ho!

The remake of Thundercats is here, and although I still don't like some of the new character designs, especially Cheetara, I'm liking the production so far. It feels a lot more serious than I expected, even though the over-arching "moral of the story" campyness is still there. I thought Lion-O's father was awesomely drawn! Next to him, Lion-O still has a lot of growing to do. =)

☆ tv

New season of Project Runway has begun! I'm excited to have something to look forward to again week to week...despite the disappointing results from last season. It's still too early to say how this season will go, but I'm hoping the judges won't be too utterly ridiculous. But even if they are, at least they're keeping us entertained. Michael Kors is already whipping out his favorite descriptor ("disco"), and Heidi has declared that she'd like to "pee all over that wee wee pad!!" during judging for the "Unconventional Materials" pet store challenge.

Meanwhile, Project Runway: All Stars cast has been announced. Hmm....looking forward to seeing Austin Scarlett and Mondo again. ♥

So apparently they won't be killing off Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. Hehe. Well, I suppose if he ever wants to make cameos in the future, he'll be around. I wonder if they've finally found a regular ADA again...

I was told that I had to see the drama Ouran High School Host Club, so I went ahead and breezed through the first three episodes. Ahahahahah! It's so over the top and ridiculous. I love it. I'm actually not familiar with the manga or anime, so I'm flying into this blindly. It's silly and quirky but in a thoroughly entertaining way. I've liked most of the manga-to-live-action dramas I've seen before, so I'm confident that this will be just as fun.