Dream a little bigger, darling

happy 3-1 Yamochan!

deadtree — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:19:29 GMT

Today is everyone's favourite most adorable asexual robot drummer's birthday :D

Dear Shinya, please always be a huge loveable dork.

Also, keep kicking ass and taking names.

and wearing shiny underpants :B

and, somewhat unrelatedly, a meme:
Guilty Pleasures
Culinary: Americanized Asian food. I love Panda Express, for example, and California Rolls!
Literary: Twilight, of course. I would read it again if I hadn't given my set to Yoshie before coming back to the States.
Audiovisual: Hmmm... probably cartoons. Not anime, but actual cartoons. Like I watch Avatar the Last Airbender a lot, and X-men and stuff.
Musical: KAT-TUN xD Actually I have a soft-spot for really upbeat pop.
Celebrity: honestly I don't really care about celebrities in the least. I can't think of a guilty pleasure >_>

tagging valkyrie_chan, rephemeral, obscure, moviemakerpirat aaaaand anyone else who wants to do it xD

The Nutcracker

deadtree — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:21:24 GMT

day 7, Saturday: wrapping packages!

day 8, Sunday: Going to The Nutcracker! It was really beautiful. The Arabian dancers were especially good (that's my favourite part of the whole ballet, though, so I'm biased) and the Russians as well. Also, it was a really racially-diverse production, moreso than I've ever seen before at least-- Clara was Chinese! Maybe I've just lived for too long in a single-race nation, or something, but I was impressed by that xD The costumes and sets were gorgeous, as well.
I splurged on the tickets and ordered them like 4 months in advance so we got great seats, and the new performing arts center (the Long Center) in Austin is awesome and served cookies and cocoa during the intermission (well, they also served champagne and stuff, but we went to the matinee so it was a little early in the day for that).
I love going to out to the theater and stuff. There are so many shows that I want to see, provided I can find someone to come with me of course! I'd like to see Cinderella at the ballet, and broadway productions of both RENT and Wicked are coming to Austin this season. I want to go to the opera because I've never been, but it's too expensive. I want to see the Chinese acrobats coming to the Long Center too! They're like Circue du Soleil-goes-Shaolin. Cool! *ahem* Anyway.

I wore lolita! :D Yay! I had an outfit planned for months, but it turned out to be too cold (and also I've gained several pounds off these Christmas cookies, so it's not as flattering as it once was), so I went with my old favourite: the Virgin. Sorry if you already saw the pics on d_l, here they are again:

Yay an excuse to use my totally impractical coat!

lol, spam

deadtree — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:08:16 GMT

LOL, Kyo is so Johnny's. Since when is anyone under 30 wearing those headbands? Or rather, under about 27? xD I mean. It's cute. And he definitely LOOKS young enough to dress like that. He just ISN'T xD

Anyway though I am so in love with this guy's work :O I mean just look at Shinya's coy little smile!

(these are from here, of course: http://ishootshows.com/2008/12/07/portraits-dir-en-grey/ )

I swear to GOD I have got to fix my sleeping schedule D: I mean being awake at 4 is fine if I don't have to get up the next day, but the fact that I have been asleep already and then woken up is pretty screwed up.

Dir en grey @ Palladium Ballroom, Nov 26

deadtree — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:48:48 GMT

I haven't updated about Dir because I didn't keep a setlist and I didn't want to update without knowing it. But then I forgot that no one in America keeps setlists ~_~ I tried really hard but without writing them down I just can't remember that much in order xD But I want to at least get something down. If someone comes up with a setlist that I think is right I can edit.

So: The story of my 15th Dir live :D

Anyway though so rephemeral and I set out on Tuesday morning for Dallas and spent Tuesday just hanging out. We had dinner with Sara and her boyfriend and oshima... it was like being in college again. Except, like, with Sly and without a lot of excess drama xD That's the way it should be.

Wednesday was the day of the show but Rachel and I both woke up at like 7 xD So we spent some time around Arlington before heading to Dallas, and then somehow managed to find the venue with amazing ease. There really weren't that many people lined up even around 3:30 when we arrived; I was pretty surprised-- there were surely more when Sly and I went 2 years ago. But there were quite a few when Sly arrived at around 5. Anyway if I thought I was old 2 years ago, I was a grandma this time xD I want to say that American Dir fans keep getting younger, but it's just me getting older. And also my patience with kids is really thin xD

Doors opened at 6:30 and for some reason the show started almost 2 hours later. That's definitely not something I'm used to >_> We were almost asleep by the time the opening band went on, but I think that's due in part to the alcohol and Pink Floyd...

The Human Abstract is certainly not my taste. At least they weren't particularly violent, as a lot of people had reported them as being-- no crowd surfing or anything like that. Although, the ratio of males at this show was shockingly high (or maybe I'm just used to the 10 girls to 1 guy thing in Japan).

Anyway Dir started with Sa Bir and led into OBSCURE, a great opener. Maybe the best thing ever was Kyo screaming "DALLAS!" because he pronounced it so perfectly. If he'd been one of my students I'd have given him a gold star xD They started off heavy as usual, ASOM and the like leading up to TOGURO, which is absolutely one of my favourite songs (and GLASS SKIN is still holding as one of my favourites also). People screamed through Kyo's a cappella as expected :\ But even worse than that is that they don't scream when they're supposed to xD Like during Hydra-666-, you're supposed to scream the "SIX - SIXSIX" part! And go "OI!" in Merciless Cult. I felt kind of dumb but it's too hard to break a habit when you know the right place to shout :B So my lone voice pathetically filled the air. At least they knew someone was trying >_> My addiction to Ryojoku no Ame burns strong, because Shinya was just as graceful as ever. I was surprised-- pleasantly-- with The Final, which I haven't heard live in a while.
One of the good things about an American show is that you don't have to clap your hands and shout for literally 20 minutes to get the band to come back. The encore was really high octane and finished off with The IIID Empire, always good fun to jump around to.

Shinya was amazing of course, as always. Toshiya's hair looks a little strange growing back in-- well, Texas-appropriate I guess, since it looks like a bizarre mullet; but actually it looks great when he's headbanging so I guess it's ok. It's also sort of endearing in that dorky Toshiya way. I certainly wouldn't want to see it on anyone else. Kyo certainly spent a lot of the show doing his sexy dancing. I was a little shocked by the fangirl-squeal/wolf-whistle reaction he got for it, but he did it more than he does in Japan so maybe that's what he wants! xD Kaoru was motionless as ever, Die was really smiley and bouncy. When they left they all seemed to be in good moods :) But Shinya didn't throw a damn thing to my side, which is his side... hope I didn't scare him off >_> He was prolly like, whew, no more death screams until we get back to Japan. And then, oh damn, I was wrong.

Once the show was over and we were all about to die we lined up again for the signing :P I was hoping and hoping for Shinya, but I had already heard that he and Toshiya had signed the night before, so I knew it was unlikely. We ended up with Kaoru and Die, which is certainly not a bad thing, it's just not Shinya xD And anyway I always meet Kaoru :P But this was my first time to meet Die. Kaoru was too cool for much interaction but Dir was amazing, big puppy eyes and a carefully-pronounced "Thank you" for each individual xD He must have learned English the eikaiwa way and had eye contact-eye contact-eye contact! drilled into his head xD

Anyway, the fruit of the labor:

They got my cd booklet all fingerprinty D: But I forgive them xD

Rachel and I parted with Sly and ended up at IHOP for late-night tea. All together a well-balanced day xD

So! That's my really belated report. I wish I could go on another stop of the tour TAT It's a nice way to escape reality >_> But why is it soooo expensive to travel, argh. Or rather, why is everything so far apart. *sigh*
Anyway if anyone got a complete setlist, gimme! ...Or at least wants to work together organizing one, I would be glad to help xD

Dir x Slipknot

deadtree — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:42:29 GMT

I think the coupling thing Dir did with Slipknot is *adorable*, and best of all it's easy to understand! Yey. Anyway WHAT'S IN was released today. I didn't intend to buy it but the photos are priceless so I did. I'm sure someone has already translated it, but I'm going to try to do it anyway.

I dunno what's going on here but it looks sexy.

lol Die and Kaoru playing with the masks.
It says Corey and James are laughing at them here xD

http://www.mtvjapan.com/special/feature/slipdir/
This is also entertaining. Die says, "when we first met Slipknot they were only saying "Fuck!" I was like, why are they continuously saying "fuck!" like that?!" And the answer: "It's our favourite word" LMFAO

Also they brought up touring together and Die was like "Yes. Absolutely. Next year." xD That's where the "Write that down!" at the end came from.

Email from Kyo

deadtree — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:33:57 GMT

I tried hard to translate this email from Kyo, but it's just too difficult for me. I could get the idea, but a line-by-line was impossible. I translated the first part, the most important part, as best I could.

In reality, there are various unavoidable, unforseen problems that arise every day
About our feelings, keeping true to the human's capacity for common sense*, there is something that I want to say to all the honest fans who waited until the release of the album

thank you, from the bottom of my heart

*yeah idk either
Kyo doesn't use punctuation. He also uses crazy Japanese, as we all know-- even with the help of my Japanese coworker we couldn't get a good translation for the whole email. The rest of the mail states that they are really proud of the album and that they are blessed to have such "righteous" fans. He says that "even in America his emotions are attacking" but I have no clue what that means and neither did my coworker.
And he signed it, "in darkness. Kyo" LOL.

Also, I'm disappointed with the Vinushka pv-- I don't like the "radio edit" of the song. It sort of meanders about and then randomly changes for like 3 seconds and then it's over. It seems like a really strange way to have chopped it up. Sure, 9 minutes is too long for the pv version, but I think there must have been a better way to work the song without losing its essence.... However, Megahage has now been captured in PV form and can never be forgotten xD

UROBOROS

deadtree — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:45:22 GMT

I hauled to HMV today to pick up my ridiculously expensive deluxe gold-plated limited edition UROBOROS today. I was worried they'd give it away if I didn't get there soon enough :P But anyway what better way to start the day than with a HUGE ass 10lb Dir album? xD

It's so epic I took keitai pics when I got to work...

the outer shell lol

the lyrics booklet is hardcover and epic in its own right.

the vinyl cover. It comes with a matching sticker... that is also 12"x12" >_> wtf are you supposed to do with a sticker that big xD

I had a few minutes after picking it up so I went upstairs to Angelic Pretty (lol the entry to the escalators was covered with life-size Dir posters that I wanted to steal, which was hilarious because it makes sense that the barrier between a music shop and lolita clothes OUGHT to be Dir. If you ask me. But anyway this story gets better-- I went to AP and the girl I hate, the ringleader of the AP bitches, was actually talking to me for some reason. Maybe cuz I was the only customer? But anyway like, I was carrying my Dozing Green bag and she was like "Oh, do you like Dir?"
>_> Why yes, AP girl, and why are you asking?
So we talked about Dir for a while xD And it was awkward and hilarious. I told her that the huge HMV bag contained the limited version of the album and she was like "woooooooow that's so expensive!" and I mentally giggled because that's sort of like someone carrying a brand new Louis Vuitton whining about a Hello Kitty wallet costing 500 yen (which I have seen, it's a very Nagoya thing).

Anyway I bought some socks (I now have the stupid Wonder Party socks in pink AND black) and I got the cookie ring in white x pink because its adorable. I wish the necklace and bracelet hadn't sold out so fast. When I was checking out I used my point card (win for both items totaling 840 yen!) and told the staff girls that I'm leaving next week, and they were really shocked. The queen was like "please wear lolita in America!!" and gave me a novelty towel just for the sake of being nice >_> Hell hath frozen over.

And then I went to work. My students are all determined to give me gifts also. Its sweet but I wonder where I'm going to put them all >_> Today one of my students gave me a Jay Chou CD, which is hilarious.
Shigeo came back after a several-month absence and was shocked to hear that I'm leaving, and he was like "I'm going to bring you a present! I'll be back! I swear, before Saturday!"
A present from Shigeo is a little scary xD

Ugh. I have to pack. That's all I do anymore :( And I can't even listen to UROBOROS because this computer is such a piece of shit.

edit: Woo, go dying computer. I managed to rip the cds and I even got the DVD to play and LOLed at Shinya's voice for a while. I love my little robot. I wish there'd been an actual PV for Toguro, but they'd already let on that Vinushka will be the next PV so I'm not surprised.
But I have to say this to the "unplugged" Inconvenient Ideal: ._O

Also, I do not understand the moderated posting at the Dir comm ~_~ Like, if people post the same thing several times into the queue-- unknowingly, because you have no way of knowing what has been posted till they are accepted-- WHY do the mods let all of them through?? D: I wouldn't not get my feelings hurt if my post was denied because someone posted the same info before me. Either read the posts before you accept/deny them, or get more mods in more timezones so they don't back up for days at a time ~_~;

okok... really going to bed this time...

Email(s) from Kaoru

deadtree — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:25:31 GMT

Kaoru finally completed the list of songs played as BGM during the tour, so I though I'd share:

「Hells Bells」AC/DC
「Citizens Of The Planet」Alanis Morissette
「Aurora」Bjork
「Iron Man」Black Sabbath
「I Shall Be Released」Bob Dylan
「INCARNATION OF EROTICISM」D'ERLANGER
「Serafine」DEAD END
「Reveal」Death Side
「Killing My Sleep」Dimension Zero
「Twentienth Century Fox」The Doors
「His Majesty The Desert」Down
「Magnified」Failure
「Statues」Foo Fighters
「Sick Boy」G.B.H.
「胎児(SAD)」GASTUNK
「Lust For Life」Iggy Pop
「2012」Ill Nino
「Soft Sculpture」Incubus
「Hive Destruction」ISIS
「Badream」Jakalope
「Highway Chile」Jimi Hendrix
「Electable (Give It Up)」Jimmy Eat World
「Wardance」Killing Joke
「Walk On The Wild Side」Lou Reed
「Lazy」Love And Rockets
「パラサイト(寄生虫)」THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS
「So Dead」Manic Street Preachers
「Enter Sandman」Metallica
「Determined」Mudvayne
「She Loves You No Less」My Bloody Valentine
「Letting You」Nine Inch Nails
「Rape Me」Nirvana
「Wild International」One Day As A Lion
「Eet The Children」Otep
「Judith (Renholder Mix)」A Perfect Circle
「Marooned」Pink Floyd
「Red Earth (as summertime ends)」Rain Tree Crow
「Exploding / Reloading」Scars On Broadway
「Zero」Smashing Pumpkins

Also, the message he added to the second list (mailed this evening):
"Days are passing, huh.
Before going to America I sent a sample [of song titles] but this is the complete list! You were expecting it!
I'm writing this on 11/9, but yesterday we did a crazy violent show in Atlanta.
The print on this t-shirt is really retarded. [insert image of one of the American tour shirts]
There's still a ways to go before the end, but everyone is in good spirits.
At any rate, our off days are too boring."

... THAT was random. Thanks, Kaoru.

In other news, I think I broke my big toe because I slipped on the floor and smashed it into the bathroom door TAT Or at least stubbed it. OW.
... NOW it's bedtime. I shoulda gone while I was ahead.

everyone else is doing it

deadtree — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:27:55 GMT

GO OBAMA GO!

I'm watching election coverage in Japanese. LOL.
Why are Japanese news shows so dark ages? They have, like, big cardboard signs that they put stickers on. It's kind of like how I teach my classes. Why hasn't this country discovered the beauty of digital displays?!

kyaaaa

deadtree — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:01:58 GMT

KYAAAAAAAAAAA Toguro!!!!!!! D:
.... no wait.

KYAAAAAAA TOGURO!!!!!!!!

GiGs 12: Revelations

deadtree — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:26:53 GMT

I am interrupting my own weekend-report to bring you this urgent message:

Megahage is rocking a soul patch.

..well crap, you can't really see it. But I swear it's there. Wait for someone to scan GiGs, you'll see it. Also I guess he figured he'd used up his quota of facial hair on that because he has no eyebrows.
It's sad though, because I am SO USED to seeing people with no eyebrows that I didn't even notice for a while.

Anyway. The GiGs spread is hot. Shinya is hot, Kyo is soft and emotional looking, and there's a treasure trove of information about UROBOROS which is good because I, for one, CAN NOT WAIT.
*edit: Also, I want to do filthy things with Die's guitar D: That thing is almost as sexy as he is. Also they weigh about the same. Together, they are an unstoppable force, or a useful paperweight.

CD journal

deadtree — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:37:11 GMT

What's with this head-tossed-back thing? xD It's not cool if you ALL do it, guys. Actually I can hear in my head, the photographer telling them to do it and Shinya is like, "I KNOW MY ANGLES SHUT UP"

Anyway there's a pretty massive "Dir en grey Special" on CD Journal, with an inteview with Kyo and Die and a biography. It's too much for me to translate but I guess if I can make enough sense out of any of the interesting parts I will try xD It's so frustrating to know just enough of a language that you can get pissed off about not understanding T_T

Kyosus has returned, to compensate for your sins.

email from Kaoru

deadtree — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:24:15 GMT

Reunion

The other day, (I/we) had a meeting with some people that we haven't seen since summer, 2 years ago.
As usual those guys had a lot of (good) things to say.
As for the subject of that conversation, well... you'll find out soon, so look forward to it!

And, in just a bit, UROBOROS! I'm also looking forward to it, so it needs to hurry up and arrive.
Also, Osakajo Hall!

Also, soon there will be a long list of the BGM for before the curtains opened, which people were asking about, so check it out! (about the last tour; they played a lot of interesting music, and different from what they usually play)

Kaoru

My translation is really shoddy to be sure, but hey, it looks like Kaoru is keeping a secret from us! I wanna know I wanna know I wanna know!
Dir en grey is seriously like the gift that keeps on giving these days. TV and radio spots, an upcoming magazine cover, and of course UROBOROS and tours. It's a good time to be a Dir fan!

my personal Dir en grey setlist

deadtree — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:29:16 GMT

I wanted to make a list of all the Dir songs I've seen performed live... but it's NOT COMPLETE because wtf, there's no setlist for Dallas in Feb 07 anywhere TAT And my stupid ass wasn't all that great about keeping up with what was played, either. I don't want to add an incomplete list *sigh* If anyone has it, give it to me ok >_>
I am a little worried that I might have forgotten entire shows. As I realized when I was doing this, I had totally left out one of the Nagoya shows I went to >_> How many times might I have made the same mistake?!

The numbers after the songs are how many times I heard them. This isn't important, it just helped me keep them straight. Songs with no number were heard once, and I didn't separate out the different versions of the lyrics because I didn't properly mark those. Stupid!!

My (almost complete) Dir en grey song adventure, May 2005-present

asunaki koufuku, koenaki asu 2
Agitated Screams of Maggots 8
Agitated Screams of Maggots unplugged 2
audience KILLER LOOP 3
Beautiful Dirt 3
Bottom of the death valley
C 5
CHILD PREY 3
CLEVER SLEAZOID 10
CONCEIVED SORROW 10
dead tree 11
deity
DISABLED COMPLEXES 5
DOZING GREEN 7
fukai 腐海 2
*凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃 gaika, chinmoku ga nemuru goro (possible) 2
GARBAGE 3
GDS 3
GLASS SKIN 5
GRIEF 11
HADES
higeki ha mabuta wo oroshita yasashiki utsu 3
HYDRA-666- 6
itoshisa ha fuhai nitsuki 3
Jesus Christ R'nR
鴉 KARASU 2
KASUMI
kigan 鬼眼
kodoku ni shisu, yueni kodoku 孤独に死す、故に孤独 4
koudou 鼓動 4
LIE BURIED WITH A VENGEANCE 6
MACABRE
Machiavellism
Merciless Cult 10
MR. NEWSMAN 3
NEW AGE CULTURE
艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai Ni Hohoemi 3
OBSCURE 8
Rasestsukoku 羅刹国 3
RED...[em]
REPETITION OF HATRED 9
ROTTING ROOT 4
凌辱の雨 RYOUJYOKU NO AME 11
朔-saku- 12
shokubeni 蝕紅 3
Spilled Milk 3
STUCK MAN 3
THE DEEPER VILENESS 8
The Domestic Fucker Family
THE FATAL BELIEVER 7
THE FINAL 11
THE PLEDGE 4
THE ⅢD EMPIRE 12
*Toguro 蜷局 (possible) 2
ugly
umbrella
undecided (new) 2
wake (also called Riyuu)

...I did not realize that I've heard The IIID Empire at almost every Dir live I've ever been to xD I DID NOT REALIZE THAT. xD Wow. I mean I still get so excited every time I hear it!! And dead tree is only a paltry 11 or 12. And the one song that I would still trade half my soul and some potato chips for: Audrey. *sigh*
Whew. お疲れ様です～

Dir FIGHT!

deadtree — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:07:51 GMT

Deadtree (1:52:05 AM): ... lol. i lost my voice
Deadtree (1:52:06 AM): oops
Xelyna (1:53:36 AM): hmm, did you look in your pockets?
Deadtree (1:54:15 AM): ._.
Xelyna (1:54:39 AM): XD;;
Deadtree (1:55:25 AM): you are SO CLEVER
Deadtree (1:55:33 AM): i might even be tempted to call you a sleazoid
Xelyna (1:55:59 AM): Ooooh>_____>
Xelyna (1:56:27 AM): now that's obscure of you
Deadtree (1:56:49 AM): jessica, jessica, jessica.
Deadtree (1:57:08 AM): that one was a little too easy. lol.
Xelyna (1:57:14 AM): nothing but a repetition... of hatred!
Xelyna (1:57:30 AM): (DIR PUN BATTLE GO!)
Deadtree (1:57:33 AM): you haven't even seen my deeper vileness :P
Deadtree (1:58:13 AM): actually i'm not sure my brain can take something that taxing xD
Xelyna (1:58:23 AM): but you already cause me enough grief
Xelyna (1:59:08 AM): hahaha, but if you have to give up, there's no use crying over spilled milk XD;;
Deadtree (1:59:29 AM): hahahahaha, you are sooooo cute. i just want to put you in a cage and keep you in my garden :P
Xelyna (1:59:50 AM): as long as I'm the only one, or I'll get jealous:P
Deadtree (2:00:16 AM): no problem, so long as you are ok with my ideas about crime and punishment.
Xelyna (2:01:06 AM): that's okay, you know you're my raison d'etre<3
Deadtree (2:02:29 AM): d'aww. let's stop this now, though-- pretty please with a berry on top? i have to get up early
Xelyna (2:03:34 AM): okay, I'll let you go, you're not as R to the core as I am>_>;;
Deadtree (2:04:40 AM): well now that youve said that i have to admit i'm a bit undecided
Deadtree (2:05:38 AM): but honestly i thnk i need to disable my complexes and let go of this conceived sorrow so that i can go relax on my dozing green... or at least my futon
Xelyna (2:05:53 AM): well, I'll let this one be the final then
Deadtree (2:06:02 AM): i hope my dreams won't be too macabre
Deadtree (2:06:14 AM): xD ARGH i can't stop
Deadtree (2:06:16 AM): good night
Xelyna (2:06:20 AM): oyasumi!

.... lol, Jessica and I stayed up waaaaaay too late after the show last night xD

Dir en grey @ KBS Hall, 9/28/08

deadtree — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:39:20 GMT

Tonight was Dir en grey in Kyoto with xelyna, hotarubi, and obscure (new to me :D).
Wow, is all I can say. Just wow. Um. My brain is broken.

Setori from 2ch:
G.D.S.
羅刹国 rasetsukoku
THE ⅢD EMPIRE
GRIEF

DISABLED COMPLEXES
THE FATAL BELIEVER
AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS
audience KILLER LOOP

～お経～ sutra

HYDRAｰ666ｰ
DOZING GREEN
New Song (fans claim it is toguro: 蜷局)
凌辱の雨 ryoujoku

AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTSｰアンプラｰ unplugged

CONCEIVED SORROW
GLASS SKIN
OBSCURE
REPETITION OF HATRED

アンコ１ encore
悲劇は目蓋を下ろした優しき鬱 higeki
undecided (New)

アンコ２ encore 2
孤独に死す、故に孤独。 kodoku ni
Merciless Cult
New song, possibly: 凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃 gaika, chinmoku ga nemuru koro
朔ｰsakuｰ
CLEVER SLEAZOID

Starting with a set like that-- GDS, which everyone was wild over, and then going into Rasetsukoku. Amazing. And IIID Empire! LOVE!
We planned to just enjoy the space in the back and rock out but somehow ended up in the crush... as always! It's Shinya's magnetism, I swear.
Speaking of Shinya, of course it was perfect, superb, incredible. I think that Ryoujoku has become one of my favourite live songs for no reason other than the movements he makes when dancing from cymbal to cymbal are so graceful that you have to wonder if he's human (not that you don't have to wonder anyway). Somehow he reminds me of a butterfly... When he was pitching his drumheads into the audience he had the biggest, most adorable grin on his face. I love to see him happy. It makes my heart feel warm.
MEGAHAGE Toshiya's hair is... interesting. It appears to be shaved into like, a circle? Or semicircle? it's flat on one side and curved on the other. Also, he somehow managed to take off his shirt when it was under a vest, but keep the vest on. I am not sure how that happened but I think it was magic. He was REALLY active tonight and it was so much fun to watch him, especially during the first new song (maybe Dokuro). He was jumping and spinning and just having a ridiculously good time. I think that if my heart didn't belong to Shinya I'd be having a crisis over this man. He was wearing his glasses for the first encore, when he was seated... guess he's afraid they'll fall off? xD
Die has gained weight and looks positively gorgeous. Kaoru was actually not only hiding in a corner tonight, which is really good for him. Kyo was really ON tonight, probably because it was his hometown.

Highlights for me other than the crazy intro would have to be, first and foremost, the first encore. Higeki was absolutely spectacular, and Undecided is... I have no words, actually. The recorded version is amazing but the live version is so much more. Kyo hits notes that seem unimaginable. Also, I loved Maggots unplugged, and audience KILLER LOOP was a treat. GLASS SKIN is easily one of my favourite songs now.

It was a fantastic show *sigh* CAN'T WAIT FOR OSAKA! That's the enthusiasm I needed. When I don't think I can go on, this band reaches out and holds my head high for me.

*sigh*

Dir on NHK

deadtree — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:51:54 GMT

AAAAAAAAAAAH Allow me to fangirl!

Dir was just on NHK performing GLASS SKIN, and...

Kyo's vocals kicked MAJOR ASS! Kaoru was amazing! Die looks fabulous (and snobby)!
Shinya is a little doll!

and Toshiya is now cosplaying Nero from Merry, complete with square glasses! xD People on mixi are calling him Hagemega Toshiya XD (hage = bald, mega is short for megane = glasses)
Those of you who cried when he did The Hair will be happy to know that he's only about 1/3 bald, so if he parts his hair down the middle it prolly looks the same as always.

.... YAAAAY I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
I got my Kyoto ticket!! Can't wait for Osaka's!!!

EDIT: Video!

LMAO.

deadtree — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:19:05 GMT

ZOMBIE DOG WANTS YOUR BRAAAAAAAAINZ

Seriously, Baby.
Baby, seriously.
I love you.
But seriously.

Yeah, I'm probably going to buy that. What better accessory for the Alien Koala Dress than a zombie dog with an exposed brain? :B

This is cute.

deadtree — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:08:22 GMT

So this week's fanmail answers from Dir are pretty dull from my perspective, because most of them are about technical music stuff that I can't understand in my own language. But Toshiya's! It's priceless.

The fan asks him what tv show he likes. Toshiya's answer:
Among American drama I like "奥様は魔女" the best. The complete DVD box-set was released... it's so expensive! But, I want it. It's a problem (lol).

So, 奥様は魔女 = Okusama ha majo. Which is? "Bewitched". Oh yes, the Elizabeth Montgomery one. There was actually a Japanese drama, based on the original American show, on TBS a few years ago, but Totchi does specifically state that it's the American one that he likes.

Which makes me say, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that is ADORABLE.

photo post

deadtree — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:24:49 GMT

On Monday (my last day of vacation T_T) pekifreak and I hung out around Osu and Sakae, primarily to go to Ran no Yakata because there's a "summer lights" thing going on. But see like, I figured they'd darken the inner rooms so the lights could be cute all day, but no :P Apparently the light show is only on after sundown, which means it only lasts for an hour because even now the place closes at 8 ._o Oh well. I still love the orchid garden. It's so peaceful if you ignore the old people that want to talk to you :P

BRAAAAAAAAAAAINZ.
hell yeah, I'm mature.

this is much prettier in person..

If I were really Alice, these would be my friends.

The outdoor area is lovely but I became a feast for mosquitos D: ELEVEN bites!! ARGH

If you're on d_l you'll see these twice, but I don't care :B They're great shots, courtesy of Jessica, who has actual training in photography xD

my sense of irony, let me show you it.

Yeah so like, we walked from the garden to Likea, which is on the same street but is actually like 230915829 miles away, as we learned. But on our way there I thought I spotted someone I knew, so I went in close, and sure enough it was one of my students, waiting to cross the street into Sakae. I'm posting this entry publicly so let's call him N-san. He's my personal highest level student-- the one who knows about invisible pronouns and weird things like that ._o But like, I said, "Long time no see!" without considering that, yeah, I'm in full-tilt Rori mode and he's never seen me in anything except my work clothes (generally, slacks and a collared shirt, though I have been known to over-accessorize).
He was like O___O "Yeah... yeah... you look... you, you, you, you, you look, you look, you, you" -- his walk sign has turned green now -- "you look, you, look, b-b-b-, you look--"
I finally gave him a laughing shove in his merry direction, saying, "BYE, N-san!" and he continued to give me a O___O as he stumbled backward across the street. LMAO. I scared the English out of that boy!

Anyway though. I laughed for like a year. And then went to Likea and bought live tickets, and the staff were surprisingly not being evil racist bitches :o Win all around.

deadtree — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:37:42 GMT

I just de-friended a couple people because they had either tons of youtube/etc videos in their journal or they had videos on autoplay. Even with broadband internet it froze my computer.

PLEASE CUT THESE THINGS. I can only imagine what it would be like to try to view my f-list on the dialup at my parents' house.

Glass Skin sample: my eloquent reaction

deadtree — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:44:03 GMT

OMG GLASS SKIN.

I fell in love with that song SO HARD in Osaka, and even from the tiny tiny clip I can feel the emotion and it makes my heart pound TAT

I LOVE YOU, DIR EN GREY!

love,
Your ~~retarded~~ devoted fan~~girl~~,
Krystin

April Fool's?

deadtree — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:04:22 GMT

Booger is back: Woman receives 5 cloned puppies

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 5, 7:29 PM ET

SEOUL, South Korea - Booger is back. An American woman received five puppies Tuesday that were cloned from her beloved late pitbull, becoming the inaugural customer of a South Korean company that says it is the world's first successful commercial canine cloning service.

Seoul-based RNL Bio said the clones of Bernann McKinney's dog Booger were born last week after being cloned in cooperation with a team of Seoul National University scientists who created the world's first cloned dog in 2005.

"It's a miracle!" McKinney repeatedly shouted Tuesday when she saw the cloned Boogers for which she paid $50,000.

"Yes, I know you! You know me, too!" McKinney said joyfully, hugging the puppies, which were sleeping with one of their two surrogate mothers, both Korean mixed breed dogs.

The team of scientists working for RNL Bio is headed by Lee Byeong-chun, a former colleague of disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who scandalized the international scientific community when his purported breakthroughs in cloned stem cells were revealed as fake in 2005.

Independent tests confirmed the 2005 dog cloning was genuine, and Lee's team has since cloned more than 20 canines.

But RNL Bio said that its cloning was the first successful commercial cloning of a canine.

"RNL Bio is commencing its worldwide services with Booger as its first successful clone," the company said in a statement.

McKinney contacted Lee after Booger died of cancer in April 2006. She had earlier asked U.S.-based Genetics Savings and Clone to clone her dog but the company shut down due to lack of demand in late 2006 after only producing a handful of cloned cats and failing to produce any dog clones.

The Korean scientists brought the dog's frozen cells to Seoul in March and nurtured them before launching formal cloning work in late May, according to RNL Bio.

Lee's team have identified the puppies as Booger's genuine clones, and his university's forensic medicine team is currently conducting reconfirmation tests.

McKinney said she was especially attached to Booger because he saved her life when she was attacked by another dog three times his size. The incident resulted in her left hand being severely injured, and also damaged her leg nerves and stomach. Doctors later reconstructed her hand and she spent part of her recovery in a wheelchair.

McKinney said Booger acted as more than just a canine companion as she recuperated from the attack.

Her dog pulled her wheelchair when its battery ran out. He opened her house door with his teeth and helped her take off her shoes and socks, even though she never trained him to do so.

"The most unusual thing about Booger was that he has a unique ability to reason," she said. "He seems to understand I couldn't use my hands."

McKinney, a screenwriter who taught drama at U.S. universities, said she will take three of the cloned dogs to her home in California and donate the others to work as service dogs for the handicapped or elderly. She said she lives with five other dogs and three horses.

RNL Bio charges up to $150,000 for dog cloning but will receive just a third of that sum from McKinney because she is the first customer and helped with publicity, said company head Ra Jeong-chan.

Ra said his firm eventually aims to clone about 300 dogs per year and is also interested in duplicating camels for customers in the Middle East.

I don't usually post news because, well, everyone reads the same news, but DAMN :O That's bizarre. As an American I tend to think of cloning as something at a standstill, since we can't do it. But here's the rest of the world, forging ahead.
It's still really, really weird. Like, no, they don't know you lady. Memories are not kept in DNA. But still, in a way you can't really blame her.
Anyway though. Sometimes I wonder if I woke up in the same world I went to sleep in the night before.

11.12.08!

deadtree — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:52:16 GMT

Dir, oh Dir ♥ How I love thee.

UROBOROS.
What an amazing ring that has to it. It fits perfectly with Kaoru's explanation that the theme is past and future-- reincarnation-- and guilt. Beautiful.
The "perfect" release is 12,600 x_x Oh Dir. The things I do for you. I hope it comes with a vial of DNA for cloning purposes or something.

I received notice of this in an email from Kaoru:
いよいよや！
全身全霊で創りあげていってるからもう少し待っとってや！

それにしても雪駄でペダル踏むのムズいな…

薫

...and attached a photo of his foot ._.
(The last line says, "at any rate, using the pedal (of his guitar) is hard while wearing setta (a kind of sandal)" Thanks Kao, I always wondered what your toes looked like. But hey at least he mails during the day xD
Let it be known that he sent the exact same mail twice x_x

My new parasol came today.

it looks like an ordinary parasol but

it's actually secretly the most adorable thing ever!
Yay.
LOL.

PS. Dear retarded people who put AUTO PLAY video and audio outside of cuts in their posts-- DIE IN A FIRE D: Its bad enough when people post 6 million youtube videos that all try to load at once. This autoplay crap is nonsense.

WEATHER?!

deadtree — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:39:40 GMT

Right now the heat index in Nagoya is 107F D:
It's raining lightly but turning to a kind of fog before it hits the pavement between the buildings.

WHAT THE HELL D:

But you know, just to prove that your brain controls everything-- I was sucking it up and bearing the weather as "not so bad" because I didn't know the actual temperature. I was like "well it's got to be hotter in Texas". But now that I know its actually hotter (and WAY more humid) here, I feel miserable ._.;