Finally! : )

I'm sorry for the waste of internet space but I already gave up on this blog and exported all my posts here: http://essiehime.blogspot.com/ Hope you can find the time to add me to your links again. Sumimasen..

Hime mada nai.. Y__Y (baka jap strikes again..-_-;)

My pride won't allow me to show my fears to anyone else but you ----------------------------------------------------------------- But you're also turning your scared eyes towards me ----------------------------------------------------------------- So I should be strong, take the tiara off and replace it with a helm ----------------------------------------------------------------- But who would hunt the clowns that are after me?

THIS BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

This is me!!

Ugh, I'm at my wit's end here! I'm ready to dash out the room and take a crash course on Illustrator, CSS and HTML! Depending on these blogger templates drives me nuts, I'm telling ya, nuts!! I lost all my links, my widgets, my headings are all in spanish, my posts got scrambled and my migraine's not helping at all!! Tasukete kudasai!! ------------------------------------------------------------ See?! It won't even start a new paragraph!! Ugh!

たそがれ - part two..? :p

I've been reading the Twilight Saga these past few days and I'm still stuck on the 3rd book, Eclipse. I can say it's really, hmm, what's the right term, catchy..? Yon has been recommending the series way back 24/ 7 training days but I never got the chance to purchase the book because it's priced as much as a Murakami book. I thought that it was not worth it and somehow, by reading the e-books I felt I was right. Don't kill me if you love Twilight. Let me explain. The book was written in the female protagonist's point of view and of course, it has it's pros and cons. Readers were given full blown details about what Bella sees, feels, and thinks on every situation which is good because people get to understand her every intention, get to feel all her pain, love and "kilig" thoughts about Edward. But please, spare me the overflowing details. We were taught way back in college that in writing, never underestimate our audience's intellect. I think the author broke this rule. But the credit still goes to Miss Meyer since I <3 style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);" size="2">*OK, fangirling can stop now* .. and also, she's got credit for making Arvin want to read her books! Haha. But for the meantime, the guy's contented with my spoiler stories. :p For those who want to read the e-books, you can download here: http://www.mediafire.com/hoshikuzu Enjoy! ^0^/"/ ===== Ah, and before I forget, one of my favorite japanese word is "tasogare" which means "dusk" or "twilight".. Jeeez, I never thought it would be over-used, I even used it as a title of one of my previous post (in hiragana, like the title of this post)..-_-;

Nyaaaaa~!

I haven't slept for almost 48 hours already. My head's in a blah but I think I can still post something. This day's too.. eventful (?) to miss putting it up here. Me = my drink My drink = hazelnut green tea frappuccino, blended whip (onegai) So that means.. Me = blended whip Ugh. Nonsense. I had too much caffeine. I blame the two barrista I was with for this. Too much green umbrellas and sparkly people. Tsk, i missed what Rai's suppose to say, i owe her big time. *Big hugs for Rairai* I really wanted to work (really!) But.. The scene when the guy carried our Shinichi-kun like he's a piece of paper is burned in my retina. More of, I wanted to burn the guy who carried hm away with my retina. Think cyclops. Pzzzzzt. Sakana furai. *glomp* Yuck. Also, <3 my tumbler she's Kirameki She twinkles like the stars .. ^0^ An appropriate present-o from Hoshikuzu.. :) arigatou na.. ^3^

蛍

Curse you, Yano! Curse you! After weeks and weeks of anticipation, this is what I read? Gah. Bokura Ga Ita's really bad for my heart. Y__Y

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ On lighter side of things, I celebrated my twenty fourth birthday last week for three days, November first (my actual birthday), second and third. Three days full of "Happy Birthday!"s, three days full of family and friends, three days filled with laughter and fun. Oh no, I'm not bragging that my birthday celebration lasted longer than most people, I'm only telling you one thing. I'm broke. Haha.. -_-; But hey, I've always loved the fact that my birthday is on the first on November because of many reasons. • It's the first day of the month, meaning a lot of people got their paychecks the day before that. *wink wink + evil grin* • It's a holiday, so that means my friends don't have any excuse why they can't attend the celebration. Unless, of course, they work in a call center like me. (Which is the case for most of my HS and college friends) *sigh* • Everybody in the family always remembers my birthday. (Kahit pa kalayu-layuan ko pang pinsan, bumabati ng Happy Birthday! Haha.. ^0^) • The expression of people who learn that my birthday is on the first of November is priceless. (Parang 'yung mukha ni Harry Potter nung sinabi ni Hagrid na Wizard siya.. [sorry, kababasa lang kasi uli ng HP7 eh..-_-;]) Funny, funny.. :D • I never run out of candles to blow on that day, they're just everywhere! (I'm so loved.. :p) Haha.. But as a kid, I remember loving the last reason because I thought candles are equals wishes. Mama would usually light up two candles by the stairs (I guess for my Lolo and cousin, Aika) but I always urge her to light up 2 more. I would say: "Para mas maliwanag daanan nila, di ba?" (because it was believed that the candles light up the way for souls in their travel to heaven.) So she would light up two more candles and I would wait for them to melt, bark at my cousins that would try to take any of the wax balls I've done and finally, when the candles were almost gone, I close my eyes and make a wish. For world peace. Haha, seriously. I once wished for world peace. *blush blush* Anyway, back then I was thinking that if a soul heard my wish and he goes to heaven, he'll pass the message on to God and God will make my wishes come true. The creepy thing is, it didn't cross my mind that the soul may end up somewhere that also starts with the letter H, but only with four letters..>__< Kahit late na, happy birthday pa din sa 'yo daph^-^, ....daph..., Iorie, Iluar, Neera, pmela2, Hotaru, Ashley, Erin, Ester Ann Nove, Essie, Ann, Pangga, Essiepots, .. and Essie-hime.. ^0^

Hanaji no hanran!

(again, i hope my baka-jap grammers is correct..-_-;) Mood: honto ni ureshii! Cosplay Mania '08! Reason for posting this: Ranting..

RL (real life) bishies, almost-the-real-thing cosplayers and my deviantart idols El-sama (~rosiael), Miguel-sama (~merkymerx) and Jin-sama (*behindinfinity) were the actual reasons why my nose wouldn't stop bleeding yesterday.

Tsk, this was the reason why I filed a two day vacation leave. I just knew I'll be overwhelmed once I see Jin-sama.But heck, I also saw El-sama and Miguel-sama.. It was too much! Kyaaaaaaaa.. *dies*

For somebody who's been following Tuxedo Team's work on DA, my REAL goal that day was to come up to their booth, say: "Hi, I'm a fan!" and then maybe buy a shirt or two to show my adoration (Just like a prayer, geeeez..). So I have made up my mind, I'm gonna introduce myself! So we started to roam around the semi-packed Mega Trade Hall 3. I suddenly had a 20/20 vision and spotted their booth almost instantly. OK, here goes nothing. As we slowly approached the table, I could see ~yaoiangel14 texting somebody. Okay, anytime now, just say "Hi, I'm a fan!". OK, just a couple of inch more. Yes! Here we are. Yes! Yes! I made it! Huh?! Hey, why the hell does my feet wouldn't stop moving? Wait. Wait. Waaaaaaiiittt!! Yep, you guessed it right. I chickened out. Sheesh. Kill me now!

I saw the booth attendant ~yaoiangel14 and I just froze. I kept on thinking "Shit, they're really here! Usooooooooo!!" So I just kept on walking. You might be thinking "What's the big deal?! They're just cosplayers." Heck, for somebody like me who don't watch TV that often and for somebody who stays in front of the computer, on the internet, watching subbed animes, THEY are my celebrities. Rai-chi knows that I always look at their pictures in between calls even though we are prohibited to browse non-work related sites. Maybe seeing them in flesh was too much for me. Gaaaaah! Anyway, I was able to took a picture of Jin-sama and El-sama. True to my word, I cropped my office mates out of this picture. (Just this picture guys, just give this one to me!)

Aren't I the most demure creature you've ever seen? Thanks to Rai-chi, Jules and Lalabelles for pushing me to take this picture and to Lizzie-chan for making way so I can stay beside Jin-sama! This is the part when I almost died. (Soul-chan, get back in here!)

Everybody has a shift that night except for Lala and me who really filed a leave just for the event. After they left, we positioned ourselves in front of the stage, ready for the cosplay catwalk. But a little while later, I noticed a pair of boots in the Maxicollector booth behind us. Shemay, I knew she would be there since she's the endorser of Maxicollector. So I stood up and confirmed. She's really there! So I told Lalabelles (I guess in a loud voice) "Sheeeeet, si Alodia!" Then everybody darted their eyes towards me and people started pouring on the booth. Gomen. Me and my big mouth. -_-; This is the only picture I can manage while Lala, on the other hand, managed a picture beside her. To think that I am the one who adores Alodia.. T__T .. and my big mouth caused us to lose our spot (a good one too!) and I ended up being molested by this guy who kept on poking his thingy on my butt! The girl beside me was irritated already because I keep on shifting my weight and moving forward or sidewards to avoid his advances and to make sure i'm not being paranoid but, shimatta, he keeps on following. I patiently waited for the cosplay and for him to stop but he didn't.#$#%$!!! So I called his attention. When he tried to ignore me, I gave him a finger uppercut (because I thought a real uppercut would be too harsh, aren't I nice?) and said: "Kuya, Kuya, umusod ka naman." That stopped him. Then I asked Lala loud enough so everybody could hear if she's OK and she's not being hentai-d. The nerve of the guy, he shifted his advances towards the girl beside me. Good thing the guy beside her noticed the ecchi things he was doing and switched places. And finally, the catwalk started! ^___________^

Yey! ^0^ /"/ But I won't post any picture anymore.. Check my FS acct: http://profiles.friendster.com/capricciosocantabile Anyway, after the unbearable heat inside the trade hall Lala and I decided to go home with the catwalk unfinished. On our way home, I spotted someone with short hair and braided extensions, red rimmed glasses, blue female seifuku with a katana at hand and realized it was Miguel-sama! We literally ran our way back into the crowd, hoping we can take a picture with him. Unluckily, he had his friends around him.He is less popular (but not less good looking, woot~!) than Jin so nobody took his pictures that much but I was still too shy (gaaaaah!) to ask him. He and his friends stopped to talk to somebody yet I still can't gather enough courage to ask him for a picture. So out of frustration, Lala and I took a picture of ourselves. (and this is to commemorate my chickenship, cluck cluck coo coo!) All hail our oily faces!! Being an otaku sure is hard.. o.O

Miguel-sama is somewhere there. T__T No! No! Not on Lala's boobies, somewhere outside the picture! T__T BTW, this is Roadfill, not Miguel-sama. My real aim was somewhere there.

Still not him. Somewhere there. *sigh* I ended taking up pictures of the people surrounding Miguel-sama but not the actual person.

Well, better luck next cosplay con.. ^__^ *~ 0 ~* But the whole day was still very enjoyable. When I got home, I can barely take my shoes off, without showering or anything, I dozed off with my one true bishounen hugging me.. Sweat and all. Ew. Haha. Ureshii! Banzai! \"\^0^/"/

More gyaboooo and mukyaaaa to come!

Mood: Ureshiiiiiiii! :D Reason for posting this: More more more more Nodame updates!

At long last! Nodame Cantabile- Paris is out! It's been so long since I heard Nodame's anime voice.. *sigh* Ureshii! ^__________^ Some caps from the OP credits: Daijobu, no spoilers here... :)

J.C.Staff Co.,Ltd. The same people who animated Honey and Clover Aw, the same hard-to-get-but-loves-Nodame-none-the-less Chiaki-senpai.. ^___^ Haha, you're gyaboooo and mukyaaaaa worked, Nodame! Teehee.. xD From the Ending credits.. ^__^ So there.. There isn't much happening yet. Whatever we have seen on the Live Paris version, so far, was also shown in the anime. It was just fun hearing Chiaki and Nodame's voices again.. ^__^ Can't wait for the subbed version and the manga releases! For those who want to watch the raw version, you can find the links here: http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-300185/Date-Annouced-for-2nd-Season.html Thanks much to DevilWing from crunchyroll.com for posting the link! Enjoy! ^0^/"/

Jikan yo tomare..

We celebrated Enil's birthday yesterday. It was like watching our old, self-made movie except that the characters were all pregnant with fast food and were stretched horizontally. It was a day full of deja vu to the point that it almost made me dizzy. It was like in an animation, seeing two angles at the same time then playing back something while recording. I was scared and amazed with myself. Then I thought, it's not an animation. It's time travel. They were my time machine and they bring me back to my most treasured high school days.

The ranting never ends,, :p

Nobody can stop me from posting spoilers!

Spoilers, spoilers. La la la la spoilers! Here they are: Aw, the new mom.. :) Who would've guessed? xD She definitely took after her father. Maybe not. Aw.. ^__^ Omedeto, Kotoko-chan, Irie-kun! ^______________^ Kotomi-chan, honto ni kawaii! She's definitely Kotoko and Irie in one!

Gyaboooooooo.. ^o^

Nodame Cantabile Season 2 will start on 2008.10.9!! ...and the manga has left me on the edge of my @#$%ing seat! Mukyaaaaaaaaa!! *~*~*~*~*~*~* NCIS, onegaishimasu! my heart's health is in your hands.. T__T *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

spoilers: • OMG, Nodame's debut! I can hardly wait.. Good job Milch-san! • Ha, you've got the nerves to reject Nodame's wedding proposal Chiaki! Grrrrrrrrr!

• ... and now, she'll be out of your reach, gyahahahaha! OMG, Nodame's driving me crazy!!

On Cat Street adaptation, etc, etc..

Mood: Happy (Just met up with Chingyorakugan and others the other day! ^__^) Reason for posting this: More ranting! :p Upon visiting http://www.mysoju.com, I stumbled upon Cat Street! I never knew that there's gonna be a Live of the manga I <3.. SPOILERS: • I :heart: Kouichi's character and I love how the manga is progressing. Sadly, he wasn't as quiet as he is in the manga. No more telephaty between Keito and Kouichi.. T__T • Rei's character was already well defined.. *sigh* Why, why, why, why do they have to turn him into a dancing mute? (oooh, no puns intended for the handicapped) He was suppose to be *tooot* and *tooot*.. Agggghhh!! T__T • The girl who played Momiji was the one who played Mouri Ran (as corrected by Nellie.. :p) with Oguri Shun in Detective Conan.. (never liked her, gomen -_-;) • The one who played Aoyama Keito and Mine Kouichi? Never heard nor seen them anywhere.. Waaaaa.. T__T (maybe it's just me who haven't seen them anywhere else..) Here they are: PS. Every time I look at Kimura Ryo (far right), I still imagine him playing Takahashi Noriyuki, the gay Violinist, in Nodame Cantabile Live.. *ROFL* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In the future, I hope they do a Live of Parfait Tic.. BUT!! Only Oguri Shun is allowed to play Daiya!! Ahahaha.. :) Oooh, but then again he can also play Ichi since he's always been casted as the 'silent' type.. Chigau, chigau!! He's MY Daiya! ^____^ Kyaaaaaa! <^O^>

Happiness like white elephants? Not.

I got a chance to meet up with Wywy-sama the other day. I scolded her a bit about this and that and infused some optimism in her zetsubou-ish* perspective. We talked just like the good, not so old, days and I really hope I was able to somehow shake her strong idea that the dude+dudette pair will end. Ganbaru yo Wywy-sama! ^____^/"/ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Well, somewhere in the middle of the conversation, she told me the story that made Mari-chan go into Takemoto mode*. I'm gonna tell it like how I understood it (w/ a little bit of my story telling), OK? It was a story of a beautiful orchid. You know orchids right? They were always the perfect example of Commensalism in Biology class. They hang on a tree so that they can enjoy the sunlight and wind without doing harm to the host. Anyway, back to the story. This orchid has always wanted to fly. She envied the bees and the butterflies that passed by. She would always ask them: "How come you can fly?" And they would answer, "Because we have wings." Then the orchid would ask her self "What's the purpose of my existence if I cannot fly?" Knowing that the only thing that she would love to do in her life is fly. One day, she came across a bird. She asked him, "How did you learn to fly?" "I tried and tried. At first, it was really hard but I never gave up. I made sacrifices, got a couple of bruises but in the end I learned how to soar." said the bird then he went back to the skies. One day, a hurricane came. It brought chaos to the garden. All the flowers grabbed hold of their branches, unwilling to be swept away by the strong wind. That time, the orchid was also scared but she keeps on remembering the words of the bird. Bruises. Sacrifices. She was willing to give everything up, just to soar to the blue sky. All the flowers tried to stop her but she just gave them a smile as she slowly let go of the tree that sheltered her. And so, there she went. The other flowers bade their farewells to the beautiful orchid, flying on the wind. The End. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* So I asked her: So.. What happened to the orchid? Nobody knows. I bet she died. Yeah. But the thing is, she was able to fly. How happy she might have been. Yeah. She was happy.. *smiles* Then I thought: What a lonely orchid. She will be on the wind, flying. But she has nobody to share her happiness to but herself. So I thought, she must learn how to comeback and share her flying stories to her flower friends. What she saw, how she felt. Because if not, then she was just one selfish orchid who never thought of anybody else but herself. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Well, I guess I matured. Somehow. Not? :p Legend * zetsubou-ish: negative-ish * takemoto mode: soul-searching mode

Me + You = Twisted

Mood: Down in the dumps (read: feverish) Currently watching: Sayonaro Zetsubo Sensei Intentions on posting this: More randomness.. xD *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I'm still a little dizzy from the fever I had last night but I can no longer stand the feel of my back on the bed so I got up and continued watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Goodbye Mr. Despair). It's about a super pessimistic teacher whose name is read as 'Zetsubou' (despair) when written horizontally. The anime's so twisted that it borders to reality. So I guess everybody's twisted, in one way or another. -_-; (As I've said before, I'm not good at writig review so I won't go into details. I will only end up giving spoilers.) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Speaking of twisted, I came across Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu's series called Mars. I remember the show being plugged on one of the local networks but never got the chance to watch it until the the other day. Vic Zhou reminded me of Joe Cheng from It Started With A Kiss but I think Vic Zhou is more, uhm, manly, if I may say.. xD Anyway, the story's twisted in a sense that it touches phsycological and emotional burdens of a person. Suicide, rape, bullying and all those good stuff is packed in this show. Aaaaagh, help, it's really heavy.. T__T Kira, a very shy girl, wonders how child-like Rei, the very popular guy, is when he is asleep. Yes, yes, it's very touching. Until I noticed the statue's ass in between them. Aw, talk about angle booboos.. xD Teehee.. :p I was watching the show intently until I dropped it and switched to the manga instead. No, it's not because of the butt-stealing statue. It just became too heavy to be watched. I preferred reading it instead.. :) And oooooh, my picture has told everybody that I was watching from crunchyroll.com. xD *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ... and finally, Twisted = Wywy-sama + Essie-hime - Them. No, no. I'm not a math genius nor a literary connoisseur. I don't have any quotes to spare here, I'm too lazy to memorize all the good ones I've read and share it with anybody.. -_-; So the truth is, I just want to say how amazed I was when I received your call yesterday. I was amazed because (let me list it down) 1. You called. 2. You called. (Sorry, I can't get over that fact) 3. You were crying your heart (and eyes) out. 4. You called... Me. You were wailing like some ambulance with a cardiac arrest patient inside. I was really serious of recording the conversation so I can make fun of you later on. Nah, kidding.. ^__^ (You know I love you, ayt?) But then again, I kept on wondering all through out the conversation "Is this really Wywy-sama?" Oh, the crying was only natural, you were hurt, you were betrayed, you felt like the world turned their back on you so I really can undertand the siren-like wails. But what I was surprised on was how pessimistic you became. It was really funny when you said you were also watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei because I was on the verge of telling you that somehow he reminded me of you. Now I can imagine you squinting your eyes on me again and saying in a curt voice: "Essie-hime, yamite kudasai! Daikirai!" But hey, think about it. Maybe you really are seeing the world through his eyes instead of yours. As I've said, it's a two-way responsibility. It always has and will always be. So why keep on saying 'I" and "He".. What about the "We"s? Again, take a step back and see the larger picture, ne? ^__^ Remember this? chocolates = love + cavities - emotional pain This was his promise. Oh no, This IS his promise. Have a little more faith. You are experiencing all these now because: Emotional pain = Love + Yakimochi - Chocolates Get it? Tsk tsk, better admit it. Yakimochi comes in different forms. :) http://www.eudict.com/index.php?lang=japeng&word=yakimochi *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Hey, Wywy-sama, sorry if I posted it here. I was really glad you called. ^__^

Here, there and everywhere! ^o^>"

Name Game *~*~*~*~*~* Birthdate: July 30, 2008 Originally, we wanted to name him (yes, a 'him, not an 'it'.. ^__^) Rain because it was raining when we went on our first ride. But we dismissed the idea. We didn't want him to be associated with the Taiwanese actor plus the shampoo.. xD The next name I suggested was Shiro. But Arvin declined the name before I could even explain the etymology. He said he saw a lot of black motorbikes with the name 'Shiro' on them. So I asked: "Should we name him Kuro instead?".. -_-; In Japanese: Shiro = white, Kuro = black Aside from colors and weather, we had lots of ideas for our bike's name. We thought of rockstars' names such as Axel (Rose) or Scott (Stapp). Name him after seasons like Winter or Summer (but I told him that Ady wants to name her future baby Summer so it's definitely a no-no). Winter was OK, since he's white, but I wanted it to be more original so I suggested Snow or Yuki. But we really think our bike's a 'he' so Snow and Yuki are out because they sound feminine (at least to us). After wrestling over the names, Arvin finally said: "I want it to be a name that has 'first' in it.." and I said "OK.." I couldn't be happier. Haha, fate's scheme.. xD Meet Shinichi, our first born.. <3 Shinichi = beloved first born Noda Megumi won. Ne, {my.chiaki}? {my.chiaki} - Arvin's name on my phone. Chiaki Shinichi - Chiaki senpai's name.. .. But my brother thought it was from Detective Conan's Kudo Shinichi. Oh well, Oguri Shun played Shinichi-kun, so I'm still happy.. ^___^ Also meet Megumi, my helmet.. ^O^/"/ *-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-* I miss these guys.. T___T Hope to see you soon! :)

Banzai randomness!! x D

SPOILERS ALERT! Play this first: (Then i realized They Kissed Again, the Taiwanese version, really copied everything. Almost word per word.. -__-;) -o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Manga updates: Nodame Cantabile left me hanging.. Doushite Shinichi-kun, doushite?! T__T Koukou Debut made me smile.. ^__^ I'm not done with the following: Bleach Vampire Knight Claymore Must finish! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o On a happier note, I think it'll be my first time of buying something from Ebay.ph.. I wanted Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen badly that I was ready to dash into the nearest Power Books right after I confirmed this cut-off's pay.. (Teehee.. :D) Good thing Marnellie, my bibo Ebay Agent, showed me her Ebay account and voila, there it was. The hot pink-u book.. :D Yeah, I know, it's no longer spanking brand new. There wouldn't be that "newly opened book" scent that I love but hey, when I saw the picture of the book I imagined it screaming to me: "Kyaaaaaaaaaa, tasukete, tasukete!" So there.. I'm buying it.. For p200.00 when the brandnew one would cost me p459.00.. :D Arigatou, Marnellie.. ^___^ Next: Murakami and Gaiman's books.. ahahaha.. xD There she is! :) jarethshop's photo of Kitchen I'm still waiting for the bidding to finish.. ^__^ -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tagged.. ^__^

Found this on my desktop, i forgot who I got it from though.. :D -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- The Rules: 1. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves. 2. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules. 3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names. 4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling they're tagged, and to read your blog. 1. My hair is unkempt, most of the time. When I introduce myself, I sometimes say, "Look for the girl with the messy hair, that's me." 2. I love Japanese culture. I'd love to dress like a Geisha, meet a samurai, meet an actual ninja, watch the sakura, wear a yukata and a kimono, go to a festival, see the fireworks, ride bulle trains, etc etc. The list can go on and on. 3. Of course, when you love Japanese culture, chances that you're an anime lover and you're learning Nihongo are bigger than life. I'm guilty. 4. I love hats and caps. Boys' cap, baseball cap, bonnets, fisherman's hat, driver's hat. My collection is still growing. 5. I know how to touch-up photos in Adobe Photoshop. I also do and exhange wallpapers and lay-outs with my friends. One of my frustrations is to learn how to airbrush and do vectors in Illustrator. I'm drooling for a pen tablet! 6. My greatest frustration is my career. I never wanted to be stuck as a call center agent. Don't get me wrong, it has grown into me, taking calls that is, and I am very grateful of the financial stability it brings. But if given a chance, I'd really really love to write scripts and produce/ direct an Indie film with my friends. 7. Green tea has gotten into me. My favorie scent is Green Tea from Bench which I've been using way back college, my favorite drink is Hazelnut Green Tea Frappuccino (i have Mari to give credits for this though :D), my room smells like Green Tea from Glade (though it's messy ALL THE TIME). 8. You'll never see a piece of paper that is considered mine (so that leaves books and notes i borrowed safe!) that doesn't have a doodle of a flower or a four-leaf clover. When my mind wonders off somewhere, my hand seems to automatically draw them. 9. I admire people with beautiful hands more than people with beautiful eyes, hair, nose, lips, etc.. I honestly don't know why. 10. If I do baby-talking with you, don't be upset. That only means I find you really really comfortable to be with and I think of you as a friend. Otherwise, it's just the normal talk. Tagging: Arvin, Ady, Jen, Nellie, Wywy, Mari, Ria, Rai, Enil, Nathan

むらかみ (Murakami, in hiragana..)

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo's fashionable Harujuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl. Tell you the truth, she's not that good-looking. She doesn't stand out in any way. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn't young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a "girl," properly speaking. But still, I know from fifty yards away: She's the 100% perfect girl for me. The moment I see her, there's a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert. Maybe you have your own particular favorite type of girl - one with slim ankles, say, or big eyes, or graceful fingers, or you're drawn for no good reason to girls who take their time with every meal. I have my own preferences, of course. Sometimes in a restaurant I'll catch myself staring at the girl at the next table to mine because I like the shape of her nose. But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl correspond to some preconceived type. Much as I like noses, I can't recall the shape of hers - or even if she had one. All I can remember for sure is that she was no great beauty. It's weird. "Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% girl," I tell someone. "Yeah?" he says. "Good-looking?" "Not really." "Your favorite type, then?" "I don't know. I can't seem to remember anything about her - the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts." "Strange." "Yeah. Strange." "So anyhow," he says, already bored, "what did you do? Talk to her? Follow her?" "Nah. Just passed her on the street." She's walking east to west, and I west to east. It's a really nice April morning. Wish I could talk to her. Half an hour would be plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about myself, and - what I'd really like to do - explain to her the complexities of fate that have led to our passing each other on a side street in Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981. This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets, like an antique clock build when peace filled the world. After talking, we'd have lunch somewhere, maybe see a Woody Allen movie, stop by a hotel bar for cocktails. With any kind of luck, we might end up in bed. Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart. Now the distance between us has narrowed to fifteen yards. How can I approach her? What should I say? "Good morning, miss. Do you think you could spare half an hour for a little conversation?" Ridiculous. I'd sound like an insurance salesman. "Pardon me, but would you happen to know if there is an all-night cleaners in the neighborhood?" No, this is just as ridiculous. I'm not carrying any laundry, for one thing. Who's going to buy a line like that? Maybe the simple truth would do. "Good morning. You are the 100% perfect girl for me." No, she wouldn't believe it. Or even if she did, she might not want to talk to me. Sorry, she could say, I might be the 100% perfect girl for you, but you're not the 100% boy for me. It could happen. And if I found myself in that situation, I'd probably go to pieces. I'd never recover from the shock. I'm thirty-two, and that's what growing older is all about. We pass in front of a flower shop. A small, warm air mass touches my skin. The asphalt is damp, and I catch the scent of roses. I can't bring myself to speak to her. She wears a white sweater, and in her right hand she holds a crisp white envelope lacking only a stamp. So: She's written somebody a letter, maybe spent the whole night writing, to judge from the sleepy look in her eyes. The envelope could contain every secret she's ever had. I take a few more strides and turn: She's lost in the crowd. Now, of course, I know exactly what I should have said to her. It would have been a long speech, though, far too long for me to have delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with are never very practical. Oh, well. It would have started "Once upon a time" and ended "A sad story, don't you think?" Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl. The boy was eighteen and the girl sixteen. He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others. But they believed with their whole hearts that somewhere in the world there lived the 100% perfect boy and the 100% perfect girl for them. Yes, they believed in a miracle. And that miracle actually happened. One day the two came upon each other on the corner of a street. "This is amazing," he said. "I've been looking for you all my life. You may not believe this, but you're the 100% perfect girl for me." "And you," she said to him, "are the 100% perfect boy for me, exactly as I'd pictured you in every detail. It's like a dream." They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told each other their stories hour after hour. They were not lonely anymore. They had found and been found by their 100% perfect other. What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It's a miracle, a cosmic miracle. As they sat and talked, however, a tiny, tiny sliver of doubt took root in their hearts: Was it really all right for one's dreams to come true so easily? And so, when there came a momentary lull in their conversation, the boy said to the girl, "Let's test ourselves - just once. If we really are each other's 100% perfect lovers, then sometime, somewhere, we will meet again without fail. And when that happens, and we know that we are the 100% perfect ones, we'll marry then and there. What do you think?" "Yes," she said, "that is exactly what we should do." And so they parted, she to the east, and he to the west. The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other's 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met. But it was impossible for them to know this, young as they were. The cold, indifferent waves of fate proceeded to toss them unmercifully. One winter, both the boy and the girl came down with the season's terrible inluenza, and after drifting for weeks between life and death they lost all memory of their earlier years. When they awoke, their heads were as empty as the young D. H. Lawrence's piggy bank. They were two bright, determined young people, however, and through their unremitting efforts they were able to acquire once again the knowledge and feeling that qualified them to return as full-fledged members of society. Heaven be praised, they became truly upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer from one subway line to another, who were fully capable of sending a special-delivery letter at the post office. Indeed, they even experienced love again, sometimes as much as 75% or even 85% love. Time passed with shocking swiftness, and soon the boy was thirty-two, the girl thirty. One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking from west to east, while the girl, intending to send a special-delivery letter, was walking from east to west, but along the same narrow street in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They passed each other in the very center of the street. The faintest gleam of their lost memories glimmered for the briefest moment in their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest. And they knew: She is the 100% perfect girl for me. He is the 100% perfect boy for me. But the glow of their memories was far too weak, and their thoughts no longer had the clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. Forever. A sad story, don't you think? Yes, that's it, that is what I should have said to her. On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning by Haruki Murakami -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- I am deeply in love with Murakami. *sigh* I'm definitely buying my own copy of his books. All of them, if I may say. Next will be Banana Yoshimoto and Neil Gaiman (wow, haha!) .. ^__^ Nyuuuuuuu~!

Laika...

The first few words I uttered after putting Sputnik Sweetheart down were: "What the...?" Imagine it. Me, saying those two words, hanging in the air, with my eyebrows furrowed, soft and almost whisper-like exclamation. I was surprised. No. Not surprised, I was more shocked than surprised for what happened was something that I haven't experience in a while. Thinking. I was in awe for something that I think, for now, is more than what my brain could handle. Murakami. Darn, my head might have been hibernating for eons (aside from time to time stimulation brought by Ady's brainstorming sessions) that it took a fatal blow upon opening Mura-kun's book. Shimatta. It left this gnawing feeling inside me that lingers even now that I'm hammering away on my keyboard. See? Even my writing style is somehow nostalgic.. Shhh.. I'm reading it one more time.. :) Read! Read!

I'm eating Apples again! ^___^

I miss the smell of book pages. How long has it been since the last time I buried my nose in the aroma of ink and paper? Weeks? Months? Years? I can' recall, it's so sad. I know I don't have anybody else to blame but myself since I over indulged with shoujo mangas and anime in my spare time instead of finishing Age of Innocence (hontou ni gomen, Kaoru! I'm still not done with it.. T___T) I got so used of reading mangas online that when I open a book, my eyes automatically fly to the right side of the page. In short, the monitor replaced the ink and paper. But it looks like I would start smelling pages again because somebody's artwork caught my attention. Neil Gaiman. Rai, a new friend from the new office (^___^/"/ hello Murasaki-chan!), introduced him to me. Isn't he the guy who wrote Stardust? Yep, that's him. (I remember Wywy-sama laughing at the title of the movie adaptation because it was so cheesy while I, on the other hand, was pleased because Stardust is one of my pet name for Arvin. Though it's a secret why! :p) Anyway, Rai told me about his novel which involved a Fox, a monk and Morpheus (from The Sandman). I immediately got curioused because it was based on a Japanese folklore and it was drawn by Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy) and when she showed me this: It literally took my breath away. ... and after reading it. I fell in love with the artwork and with the story. Arigatou, Murasaki-chan for lending me the book and introducing Gaiman! ^_________^ ... and thus, it triggered my decision to collect graphic novels. I know, it's impossible at this point but hey, we'll never know! xD -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Also, I finally bought one of Murakami's books. This one: It cost me a LOT. I sacrificed the new shirt and jeans that I've been planning of buying for months now in exchange for this book. It's worth it, I can still manage with my current clothes but my brain couldn't take its hunger anymore. I have to feed it. Haha.. xD Another friend from the Office, Ron (haller, Ron-kun! ^___^/"/) , and I will be exchanging books next time because he has Norwegian Wood. Yey! Finally! What can I do, I'm becoming the bookworm that I was again.. So happy.. ^___^ -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- I'm not very happy with DeviantArt though. They keep on deleting my wallpapers, saying that I commited a copyright infringement. WTH?! I try to put credits on my work as much as possible. *sigh* ... and worst, they took my most "Favorite" -d work, Itazura na Kiss.. T__T Hate them! Grrrrrr.. To think I've encouraged so many people to sign up in deviantart.. huhu.. T__T

[chuu~

I look stupid, I can't stop smiling. ^_____^ No matter how many times, how many versions, how many episodes, whether it's on print or in tube, I still get this stupid smile on my face every time I watch Itazura na Kiss (It Started With A Kiss) and it still has the same effect on me: Lovebug. Haha.. :D As I've said on one of my posts on DeviantArt, Irie-kun (or Zhi Shu in ISWAK) is somehow my ideal guy. Come to think of it, he almost have the same attitude as Chiaki-senpai.. (sorta cold, teehee.. xD) Sheesh. And then I like Kyouya Ootori from Ouran.. Jeez, am I a masochist subconciously? >__< SPOILERS!! Muahahahaha! Omedeto Kotoko-chan! It's been a long journey! I kinda like the manga more though and ISWAK.. :D Joe Cheng did a good job portraying Shi Zhu (Irie-kun), although he's a bit, uhmm, soft (?) at times.. xD Kyaaaa, more, more, more! ^___^ If you're curious why I love this series, you can watch it here: http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/CRSeries_-_Itazura_na_Kiss_-_Anime Enjoy! ^___^v

たそがれ

I wonder if the person who crossed my mind today also thought about me. Even just for a minute, a second, a millisecond, a nanosecond. Did you miss my smile, laughter, smell, eyes, stories, conversations, as I miss you, in all your entirety, on that split second you entered my thoughts? I wonder.. (But then again, you'll just tell me I have too much time to laze around that's why I can still think of these things) No. You don't understand. Memories, it leaves a lingering bittersweetness for the soul to feed upon.

Updates lang.. ^o^

I'm borrowing your line, Nathan.. Updates lang.. :) There hasn't been enough time to write lately. I'm in the 10pm to 6am shift, so it's either I stay up until 12nn out of the house or get home and be asleep by 8am. I miss my friends, I miss my Cabal Online Wizard (Akong, we're yet to play together! Wait for me! \"\ ^___^/"/), I miss going to Divi, I miss... A lot! Hay, I haven't been producing wallpapers either. Just this one: I made that after taking some time to do a marathon of Parfait Tic (read chapters 1-103, all in one sitting!). I should be glad because it's my first decent CG in PS but instead, I'm kind of down. I feel like my creativity (if there has been any to begin with xD) is slowly seeping out of me. No, I don't blame the job, I think I matured (just a bit!), and I finally understood some things. -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o I want to finish my romance novel but after giving it another run through, I trashed the idea. One word came to mind: Plagiarism. I'm sorry Tada Kaoru, I got carried away by Irie-kun.. :) I'll make my own hero next time.. -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o I think I'm getting along pretty well with my new officemates. Nobody calls me Essie-hime anymore (I miss Wywy-sama, Patty-chan, Ria-chan, Mari-chan and Joanne-chan! Not you, Anselmo, daikirai!! Hmpf! :p) but I'll be forever using that nickname, arigatou.. ^__^ My new officemates make fun of my name Ester. It's because they've known me as Essie since Day 1 and when it was my chance to report, my name was flased on the projector. Sheeeesh. :p =-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o I'm pretty sad and hopeful both at the same time. Sad because: 1. Nobody likes anime in my team that much 2. I don't have anybody who I can learn Japanese with Hopeful because: 1. I can see A LOT of people onemanga.com at the lobby! Sad because: 3. But I think they are just a bunch of Narutards or Bleachmaniacs.. Haha, don't get me wrong, I meant that in a good way. I, eherm, like Naruto and Bleach too but I just can't stand people who says "I love anime" and then when I ask them what they've seen they would tell me all the animes that were shown in either GMA or ABS-CBN only. Well, I kinda want to have an anime conversation away from those two animes because I dropped Naruto and Bleach as well as One Piece from my must watch list because of the sole reason that those series were too long. (oh, and maybe because they were too commercialized.. @__@) Hopeful because: 2. I did make a bunch of new friends.. :) hontoni shiawase da! ^__^ -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o On Ouran: 'Atta boy, Hikaru-kun! You did it! Next: Go go go Tamaki! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o T___T Still no Nodachi.. *sigh* and just about when Chiaki is giving his carrot to Nodame.. Gyabooooo! (Haha, that didn't come out right. It was waaaaay too ambiguous. Oh well, Nodame fans would know what I'm talking about.. :D) (.. and does that mean Chiaki only has a ... carrot?! Buahahahahahaha.. xD sorry, it's already 5 in the morning, I'm no longer thinking right.. :p) -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o and also, I got this from Nathan. I was curious so I took the "test:

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

hmmn, the Empress huh? So I'm no longer a hime? :p -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o Speaking of being a hime, I had a weird dream last night. It's giving me goosebumps just by remembering.. I was standing in the middle of a garden (think period gardens e.g. Ever After, The Man With The Iron Mask), some people were busy preparing for something. I get the feeling that it was for a wedding.. Uh-oh, lemme turn the lights on first, I'm getting scared.. @_____@ Then suddenly a man in an equestrian costume, the Prince, approached me. He seems to be looking for some sort of treasure. He asked me if I know where the lake is and I said I know where it was. He wanted me to take him there and I said "We can only get there by horse" (Alam nyo 'yung paraan ng mga Kastila noong araw ng pananakop ng lupain? 'Yung tipong "hanggang matatanaw ng mata mo", ganoon kalaki daw 'yung tatahakin namin..) So he whistled then two horses came, one brown then one white. I remember him riding the white one but when I'm about to ride the brown one, it was white!.. So there, we rode until we reached the border of his land which turned out to be the sea (think Baywalk, with all the trees and bench). At that point, I got scared because I realized that the lake he was looking for was actually the sea! Then he disappeared and I got really sad because I was sort of in love with him (I was in love to a Prince in tights? Ek! :p).. Then.. It was cut-off, then suddenly I was with Arvin, Besh and Enil somewhere in Imbiernes (dito sa may Pandacan) and I was asking them to join me in my search for the treasure because my self then knew I was a Princess and I need to search for that treasure. I had one clue, the number 25.. So we moved forward but then suddenly We were in a tunnel with intersections and then I was in a procession. No creepy long black robes or whatsoever, just ordinary humans but when I looked around I got separated from them and I can't find neither Arvin, Besh or Enil and when I looked around, I can see graves! No particular name on it, just graves, just like the one my Lolo have. Then I woke up. Really weird. I told Arvin about the dream and he was worried so he told me not to sleep again, yet. (He actually slept over, so it was a good thing he was with me when I woke up.. ^__^) Then he said he remembered reading in a newspaper that there was a prediction about a very strong Earthquake on July 25. ... then last night, we had an earthquake. Twice. God, am I becoming a psychic or what?! Now, I can't sleep.. @___@ It's 6am already.. Maybe I'll wait for Mama to wake up first, then I'll go to sleep.. @__@ -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Another broken promise..

Nah, it's nothing serious. I'm just kind of down in the slump lately since there hasn't been any update recently on the mangas I reallly really love.. No updates yet on Nodame Cantabile, Nana, Ouran HS Host Club and Itazura na Kiss, so sad.. T___T I miss Chiaki-senpai badly and yet there's no shirt to smell (haha, only Nodame enthusiast will understand the joke, gomen!). I've watched Nodame Cantabile's Paris Night Special for the nth time. It doesn't sate the thirst for more Nodachi update, but it fills my senses with Noda spirit! Gyabooooooooooo! \^____^/ See? I'm already intoxicated by the Nodame spirit, I'm no longer making any sense! xD -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Bukol was disappointed when ABS-CBN suddenly decided not to air They Kiss Again while I, on the other hand, was relieved. There's really something about Xiang Qin and Shi Zhu (or Naoki-kun and Kotoko-chan in the original version) that really makes me stay put and watch them. The manga's incomplete because Tada Kaoru died of a disease before she was able to finish the manga. I'm currently up to date with the animated version of the manga. I'm done watching the live version and God, the Taiwanese version almost just literally translated the whole deal into their language. Well, my point is, I still can't get enough. Why did you leave us, Tada-san? T___T =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- OHSHC, I'm still waiting for Tamaki and Haruhi to realize their #%$#%# feelings! Haha, they're so naive. Cute! ^__^ o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= I'm back in the call center business and I can say that I'm enthusiastic about my job again. But.. I wanna change some things this time. I want to focus on my job, no more half hearted attempts and lame excuses for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still holding on to my dream. But Arvin said something to me that made me decide in favor of BPO industry again. (No, Hun, it's not the "I told you so" speech.. It's the "Let's compromise" talk.. ^__^) Anyhow, my CCT (Cultural and Communications Trainer) in 24/7 was really good. He's so observant of what my flaws were and was able to pin them out individually. But then again, I noticed, since I started working with 24/7, I got scared to speak and write in English again. I feel like there's always something wrong either with my S-V agreement or with my tenses.. Ugh. See? I won't edit this post anymore, I'll end up redoing everything, just tell me if I have any errors, OK? :D ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* So there, another senseless post.. But Paula's right, this is my blog so I can choose whatever is in it.. xD maybe I can write a more thoughtful post next time.. Teehee.. xD Jaa! d^___^b

Hisashiburi, blog-kun! ^___^

Maa, maa! Write, write, write, something with sense! Yosh! Hajimeru!

My Top 5 Shoujo Anime! ^__^

5. OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB 桜蘭高校ホスト部（クラブ）, Ōran Kōkō Hosuto Kurabu

Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at Ouran High School, a fictional school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Because of the superlative cost of the school uniform, Haruhi resorts to wearing long slacks, polo shirts and vests. Combined with her large glasses and tousled short hair, Haruhi's look causes her to be confused for a boy.

Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, the working place of the Ouran Host Club, a group of six attractive male students (Takashi "Mori", Mitsukuni "Hunny", Kaoru and Hikaru, Tamaki, and Kyouya) who spend their time charming and entertaining the school's girls for profit. During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and break a vase valued at ¥8,000,000, estimated to be US$80,000.

In order to pay off the large debt, Haruhi is employed as the club's "dog" and constantly ordered to do menial tasks like serving food or cleaning up. The Club president, without knowing she is really a girl, promotes Haruhi to "host" as soon as he discovers her potential. Even after the truth comes out in the Club, Haruhi continues the charade and is allowed to pay off the rest of her debt working as a host; in order to accomplish this, Haruhi conceals her true identity/gender from the customers. -Wikipedia

There are LOTS of reason why I love Ouran. One of them is the well developed characters. From Renge to Tamaki, everybody has their own story. Two, the humor. I find the antics in OHSHC very funny. Seriously! :) I actually did a marathon of Ouran High School Host Club manga last night. Too bad there still aren't any news about a second season of the anime because there were major changes in the manga that any OHSHC fanatic would love to see animated. Don't worry, there are no spoilers here.. :D Just like in Honey and Clover, I can't decide which of them is my favorite character.. *sigh* Before, I love the Hikaru x Haruhi tandem but then again, in the manga.. kyaaaaa.. @_____@ I was turned into a Tamaki x Haruhi fan.. Omg.. :D Hope they never ever ever ever ever do a Live of OHSHC, I'm gonna kill them if they do! >:-) This is the ever famous opening song Sakura Kiss by Chieco Kawabe Now this is also the same artist, but they did some hocus pocus and turned 'her' voice into 'his' voice.. :D cool! ^__^V Now, I fell in love with that 'guy' version of Sakura Kiss. I can imagine Tamaki singing, haha.. xD 4. LOVELY COMPLEX ラブ★コン, Rabu★Kon

Lovely Complex is a love story between a boy and a girl. The girl, Risa Koizumi, is 172 cm (5'7") tall—much taller than the average Japanese girl. The boy, Atsushi Otani, is 156 cm (5'1 and a half") —way below the height of the average Japanese boy. Because of this, they are called the "All Hanshin Kyojin" after a popular comedy duo that has a similar height difference.

During summer school, a very tall student (from another class) shows up and Risa immediately falls for him, as she has had bad luck with boys in the past because she is tall. There is a girl that Atsushi likes as well, so Risa and Atsushi decide to put aside their differences and help each other get their love interests. But as they get to know each other better, Risa's feelings for Atsushi begin to blossom, and her love life gets complicated from there. -Wikipedia

I watched the anime of Lovely Complex again the other day. I still laughed and cried on the same scenes.. :) Koizumi's facial expressions still made me laugh and Otani's idiocy still got on my nerves. Overall, Lovely Complex still pulled my heartstrings even though I've seen it for, 3 or 4 times already.. :D I'd say it's an all time favorite.. :) XS: I wasn't that impressed with the Live version of LC, uhm, I guess it's with the girl who played Koizumi. I really don't like her acting, waaa.. Gomen.. T_T Bon Bon by Hey! Say!, my favorite ending theme.. ^__^ 3. NANA ナナ

Nana Osaki is a punk singer who wants to debut with her band as soon as possible to leave her ex-boyfriend, Ren Honjo, behind. Nana was the lead vocalist in their old band with Ren, and they lived together as lovers. When Ren is offered a chance to debut in Tokyo as a replacement member of the popular band Trapnest (T-Nest for short), Nana chooses to cultivate her own band, Black Stones (BlaSt for short) instead.

Nana Komatsu, the other Nana, is called Hachi (after Hachikō) as she has weak mental characteristics that resemble a puppy. With a habit of falling in love at first sight, Hachi has always depended on other people to help her. When her friends and then boyfriend leave for Tokyo, she decides to join them a year later after having saved enough money.

Nana and Hachi meet in a train by chance, both on their way to Tokyo. After a string of coincidences, they come to live together in an apartment numbered 707. Despite having contrasting characters and ideals, the Nanas like and respect each other.

While the Black Stones begin to gain popularity at live gigs, other issues need resolving, especially in the areas of romance. The story of Nana revolves heavily on the romance and relationships of the two characters as one seeks fame and recognition while the other seeks love and happiness. -Wikipedia

The story line was amazing, the OST was fantastic and, again, the characters were well developed. After I watched NANA, I can barely see. My eyes were swollen, haha.. xD A manga scan I edited.. ^__^ The song where I got my shout out "You will find me where it's quiet. Listen closely, listen closely." My fave.. ^__^ 2. NODAME CANTABILE のだめカンタービレ, Nodame Kantābire

Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy (namely Prague), he is trapped in Japan because of his childhood phobia.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Along the way, they meet some crazy people (like Masumi, Mine, and Stresemann) and make lasting friendships. Because of Nodame, Chiaki gets the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible. -Wikipedia

This anime made it to my top 3.. ^__^ I am really thankful to Paula for suggesting it to me. I saw a very good review of this anime in daisuki.com.br but I forgot to check it out, it was Paula who sent me a message regarding Nodame. Pau, thanks uli! :) This is the outcome of me, watching Nodame Cantabile for the nth time. Hehe, one of my favorite scenes. And my fave song on Nodame: 1. HONEY AND CLOVER ハチミツとクローバー, Hachimitsu to Kurōbā

Yūta Takemoto, Takumi Mayama and Shinobu Morita are three young men who live in the same apartment complex and are students at an art college in Tokyo.

One day, one of the art professors, Shūji Hanamoto, introduces his cousin's daughter, Hagumi Hanamoto, who has come to live with him and is a first year at the art school. Upon introduction, Takemoto and Morita fall in love with her. Morita expresses his love for Hagu in ways that scare her, especially calling Hagu 'mousey' and constantly photographing her, while Takemoto hides his feelings and tries to be a friend to Hagu. Hagu herself, though initially timid and afraid of company, gradually warms up to the three.

The group also includes another female: Ayumi Yamada. She is a master of pottery, and is well known by her name "Tetsujin" (Iron Lady). When not at school or hanging out with friends from the college, she helps run the family liquor store. She is very popular with all the guys, whether they are from the shopping district the liquor store is in or the other male pottery students, but Mayama is the only man she is in love with.

Unfortunately, although Mayama considers Yamada a friend, he does not return Yamada's love and is busy chasing an older woman, Rika Harada. Rika runs an architecture studio which she used to run with her husband, Harada before he died in a car accident which also left Rika disabled. Rika Harada and Shūji were very close friends and roommates in college. Mayama is sent by Shūji to help Rika, who has a hard time taking care of herself and running her business.

The story follows these five characters in their love triangles, graduating from college, finding jobs, and learning more about themselves. -Wikipedia

Great animation. Superb storyline. Unforgettable characters. The best soundtrack. I don't have enough words to describe how wonderful this anime is.. ^___^

Listen to Waltz by Suneohair, one of my fave song. Reminds me of Takemoto.. ^__^ Also, a wallpaper I did when I was in Takemoto mode.. :p There. my top 5.. Nothing much, just wanna share. I'm currently watching some series: - Itazura na Kiss (yep, the anime and original version of It Started with a Kiss starring Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng) - Vampire Knight (I'm so into vampires right now, Kaname-senpaiiiiii! ^__^) - Saiunkoku Monogatari II (it's a bit dragging, but then again, I like Shuurei-dono's character. Woman empowerment to the highest level! :p) Do send me a message if you have any news about these animes..