New layout coming right up
4:08 a.m. x 23.12.06
yawn...I'm gonna sleep liao..lol its already 4.oo am! Been doing the layout coding..super sleepy now..but the coding's almost done...I'll just have to do the graphics and add certain pages and you'll get to see a brand new layout! (I'll get the taggy fixed asap!) So have a good look at my current layout while you can! LOLLLL
yay! 2 more days to Christmas eve...2 more days to Aiba's birthday! I'll ppost my bdae card for him then! I've posted it in the forum long ago! =)
------------------------Selfish? NO WAY
10:47 a.m. x 19.12.06
I was reading through arashi.vox and there was this loooooong entry about Nino. Something about fans not wanting Nino to get big in US (since he's getting quite alot of attention due to Iwo Jima), because they don't want to share him with even MORE fans.
*rolls eyes*
Whatever. I totally agree with the vox girl. totally. That kind of thought had never came to mind. I mean, if he has got it, why should we stop him? In fact, isn't it better that he gets big and MORE people come to recognise his talents? Then you can say "Oh..Nino-kun. I've 'grown' with him since the very beginning! CoOl eh? Come on let me share some interesting facts with you!"
His 'rise' in US didn't make me feel jealous or worried that I'll have a 'smaller' slice of the cake. Instead, I felt really proud. Isn't that how we should feel? Our idol has made it BIG! And instead of me answering, "Oh he's a member of a Jpop group called Arashi. Singer cum actor." when my friends ask me about this cute guy in my wallpaper, I can say, "Nino! He acted in Letters, directed by Clint Eastwood! And it got loads of nominations!!!"
Yes that has been my reply ever since I found out about the movie. And Sho-kun is the only University graduate amongst the Johnnys, can speak English and is aiming for a Masters next! Aiba-chan is the funny dude who carries out the weirdes acts a the weirdest time (I've got laods of videos to prove it!)! Jun is/was the 'bait' with superb acting capabilities...and alot of dramas to prove that! Ohno...ok..haven't really won me over >i>yet
But yes, I'm really proud of the 5 and the bigger they get, the happy I am! The more fans they have, the better it is for me! More people to share my fandom with! Isn't sharing a irony? When you share your happiness with people, you get double the happiness.
So, don't be selfish!
Ok..on a lighter note, I finished watching My Girl, the Korean drama. Yes, yes...I know it has been out for ages. But haha! I'll make you jealous for buying the vcd that early. I bought the set for S$19.90! Half-price!!! MUAHAHAHAHAH that's really cheap for a KDrama. As usual, I 'previewed' it on cable and eventually bought it the next day. Pretty good, I'll rank it within the top 5 Kdramas I've watched not many aniwaes). Maybe below Full House and MNIKSS...but somewhere on par with Goong. I dunno..it didn't make me go gaga over anyone, but it wasn't too slow and there was good eye-candy. Not the lead...he kinda grows on you but...when there's another cuter guy...muahaha. Yup I'm talking about Lee Jun-ki who plays Seo Jeong-woo.
Not only he's cute (he looks girly in some scenes, hot in others and weird in few), he's also a good actor. I didn't cry (I nearly did..) during the 'heartwrenching' scenes between the lead actor (Seol Gong Chan played by Lee Dong-wook) and actress (Ju Yoo-rin played by Lee Da-hae). I did when Jeong-woo cried and he managed to make me feel really bad for him during the many scenes in which he 'missed' Yoo-rin just by a bit. It help that he's in the '3rd person' position. I.e. He likes the girl but the girl likes another guy. Despite that, he gives her his everything and helps her out whenever she needs it. Jun-ki brought out the character. Great job there!
And I just need to mention that Lee Dong-wook's facial expression sometimes really resembled Rain's in Full House, especially his lips! lol..I'm not a pervert. Its just something I caught by accident. And best still, Lee Da-Hae looked like Song Hye Gyo in Full House at certain angles, especially when she has her hair up in a bun thingy. Serious!!! She doesn't really look pretty and sometimes, I find her acting too exaggerated...I would have liked it better if..say...the girl who acted as Chaegyung in Goong did her role. (sorry I'm bad at remembering Korean names) But whatever...its still a pretty good drama and she managed to win me over a bit at the end. Good acting there haha plus, at the very end, during a short 'interview', she said that if it was her, she'll choose Seo Jeong-woo, Jun-ki's character. LOLLL
------------------------Poster-making day
2:44 a.m. x 16.12.06
*yawns*
I'm exhausted...woke up at 2pm today (or should I say yesterday?). LOL..and then it was an entire day of photoshop-ing. Did two posters for Aiba-chan's bdae and 3 for Aibakaland's Christmas wishes. The first one for Aiba-chan was the most challenging, with a lot of major editing to do..I had to erase away things and cover up..touch up on the pics and stuff..Haven't done that in a while but when I finally completed it, muahahah...
Oh! I've finally decided on the Christmas prezzie I want!
Haha..it has something to do with Arashi. again.
I want their Calender 2007-2008!! I asked gf to help me preorder them liao..I guess it'll cost around...S$60=S$70, including shipping costs. =/ But its Christmas prezzie ne? So I guess he'll agree!
BANZAI!!!!!!!!!!!
oyasumi.
------------------------Last day in Tokyo
8:44 p.m. x 13.12.06
hihi!
Today's most probably the last day you'll see me updating so frequently, because I'll be returning to S'pore tomorrow morning. Time flies ne? >.< This year's trip to Japan was a bountiful one. ^^ Bought ALOT of great things..hehe you know what I'm talking about! I watched the C x D x G no Arashi yesterday. OMG so funny! Some of the them (the food ep) were a little boring, but many others were super duper hilarious! Of course there are many more ep which I wanted to be included, but I guess I'll just have to depend on Youtube! (JE please release more volumes!)
So aniwaes, its home sweet home tomorrow and...wow! Alot of things to do..
1. Prepare for the driving test
2. Sort out the stuff I bought
3. Wrap the prezzies! (hehe I bought many! Santa Claus time!)
4. Start on the new layout (argh)
5. Find pictures for the Aibakaland contest
6. Do a bdae card for Aiba-chan (ok..its just another fangirl thingy)
7. Pack my room (Its just too full and too messy)
Something heart-warming from JunStyle, as quoted from here"I read about this lovely story of a very sweet friendship between Jun and his 10 year old little friend. It was mentioned on this week�s junstyle.
Jun has this little friend whose birthday is really close to Jun�s.
On the kid�s 10th birthday this year, Jun gave him a Narnia DVD.
Then on Jun�s birthday (Aug 30), the kid sent an e-mail to Jun wishing him Happy Birthday and asked him what kind of presents he wants.
Jun never expected he would be getting a birthday present from a 10 year-old; thinking the little kid probably wants to show his gratitude for the gift from Jun earlier, Jun told him: When you see a T-shirt that you like, get one for me too!
Things got a bit buzy for Jun since his birthday, so he only was able to meet up with his little friend again recently in November.
That�s also when Jun got his present.
The Tee from kiddo to Jun is paid by the kid himself, and the kid�s mom paid for the matching kid�s Tee.
Then the two of them wore the matching and took a picture together.
This picture is now the wallpaper on Jun�s cell phone ne!
Jun said that picture is really kawaii too <3<3<3
Then Jun said he just got off the phone with the kid�s mummy earlier.
And the mummy told him that lately the kid has been cutting out all HYD2 reports from the newspaper.
When the mummy asked the little boy what he is doing, he said �Don�t spy on me� ^^
Jun thinks the kid is very very kawaii and wants to be his Santa-san ne!
He mentioned once again how happy he feels whenever he sees that picture on the cell phone."
quoted: Tokki.vox
------------------------TV mania!!!
12:55 a.m. x 12.12.06
YATTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Totemo tanoshii ne, kyoo wa.
I watched the Gokseun special dvd earlier this evening and omg!!! Although I've watched it before, I was still very engrossed in it. Lol..heng I've watched it with eng subs before...hence, although I could only catch certain dialogues, I could understand it. In fact, I was part explaining the plot, part translating the dialogues for gm! And, she said that MatsuJun was HANDSOME. She said that he had perfect features, nice hair and good dress sense...well, only those shirts worn under the uniform. =D MatsuJun cho kakkoi desho!
And then, the best bit came later...After watching the dvd, I had my bath and when I came out, I started surfing channels. OMG. I saw what I thought was Ninomiya. And I stopped for a second.
Yes it was Nino. In fact, it was Arashi.
It was "Arashi no Shukudaikun" aka "���̏h�肭��". OMG. OMG OMG.
It was written in the newspapers as "Boys Idols Talk Variety", and hence I didn't pay attention to the slot. But alas. It was in fact an Arashi's variety show! I have to say that I prefer * no Arashi much more than Shukudaikun. The only part where I was really laughing during the latter was the part featuring Aiba-chan and Sho-kun.
The two were in an ice-skating rink and had to carry out certain tasks. One of which is to ice-skate using different skates. Aiba had one with banana skins attached to the base of the skates. Sho had one with bars of soaps. And there was a third person with abacus attached. The third guy won the race. Sho and Aiba didn't even reach the finishing line. They kept falling. LOL...was really pretty funny!
And then the next task was by Sho, who had to skate across different veggies and try to cut them. He tried to cut some celery and only succeeded in his second try. It wasn't even a real success, since he actually stepped on it instead of skating across it. And next up was a raddish. It was REALLY thick, about the thickness of a normal 1.5 litre bottle. o.O He skated towards it and then stepped onto it. Tada! It was cut! But poor Sho..he fell right after that. XD Kawaii.
Jun had a cap thingy on, I guess to hide his Doumyouji hair? diao..And Aiba was looking as kawaii as ever..although I didn;t really understand what he was saying. his actions and expressions were funny enough. rabu rabu! This time, I found Nino looking the best. Very shuai. Very shuai indeed!
I saw the CM for Kat-Tun's new album...there were only 5 people. >.< Hope that Arashi will always remain as 5!!! Even as Sho comtemplates getting a Masters, Arashi is only Arashi with all 5 of them- Riida chan Ohno Satoshi, Fumi chan Aiba Masaki, Rapper Sakurai Sho,MatsuJun Matsumoto Jun and Nino chan Ninomiya Kazunari!
And I saw another program just now which was recorded at "Hot Fantasy Odaiba". It was at the place I mentioned before..where the cab dropped us off wrongly the last time, where I saw the huge SMAP poster. Omg, there was an exhibition on SMAP there too! And then, on the day of recording, BoA turned up and sang Winter Love. Yup! I love that song. Very sweet!! I think that recording took place on that rainy day two days ago!! argh. It was so near yet so far! >.< Whatever...at least it wasn't Arashi. I would have killed myself if it was.
haha..nah...just kidding. Jodan desho, Jodan.
Oh ya...while coming back just now, I saw this huge billboard with pictures of some guys and it read Club Ryugujo. o.O I think its a host club. One of the 'lengendary' host clubs! lol!!
Today's entry's all about tv ne? I'm gonna talk about yet another tv show. I watched NANA! The first one, but nvm that..And I saw Hiroki Narimiya (who played Nobuo Terashima in NANA 1 & 2, and Noda Takeshi in Gokusen 1) and Kenichi Matsuyama (who played Shinichi Okazaki in NANA 1, Mouri Kenichi in Gokusen 1 and L in Death Note). OMG. Matsuyama is sooo handsome in NANA 1, just like he was in Death Note. Loved his white hair and the lip ring.
And I realised something! Many of the actors in Class 3D of Gokusen 1 made it big. MatsuJun, Oguri Shun, Kenichi Matsuyama, Kiroki Narimiya...Sugoi yo!
ok lah..gonna go catch up on the forums liao..cya tmr!
(Btw Meteor Garden, the tw version, is on tv now. o.O sugoi.)I saw the 2 HYD 2 CMs just now (actually I saw it many times today! yay!)!!! ahhh can't wait!
------------------------Tokyo Disneyland! An adventure
12:14 a.m. x 11.12.06
OMG today's simply sugoi. o.O
Went to Disneyland today...yup as usual, its the 'eat at the fastfood restaurant, wallk around, take some photos, sit 1 or 2 rides, shop for cookies, go back' routine...sianz...
But today has a little tinge of excitement infused into the short trip. I nearly got lost! We were heading for the exit at around 5.30 pm...and it was really dark already..imagine 7pm in S'pore. And the scariest thing is that it got dark really quickly...the change in the brightness of the sky from that of 6pm to that of 7pm in S'pore took place within less than 20 mins. Sugoi ne? You'll have to experience it yourself to understand. XD And so, I stopped a while to take a photo, but when I turned back about 7 sec later, they were gone. I couldn't spot them amongst the crowd (Its a Sunday, therefore the park was really crowded). In the end, I decided to stay where I was, where I lost them, and remain in that spot since it was the least crowded in that area and hence I can be spotted more easily. And finally, after almost 15 min, I spot gf looking for me. =D I spotted him, and not the other way round. lol..somehow I feel proud of that. It turned out that they were back in the fastfood restaurant right opposite me, but there were people walking around and this huge pillar blocking. Plus, they were sitting rather inside. -___-" But aniwaes if I couldn't find them, I'll just take a cab back to the hotel. I have the key. =) That would be a worse senerio, but something more exciting, isn't it? ^^ Diao..ok..I'm weird.
I came back from Disneyland with loads of cookies and biscuits, all very yummy. But what's so attractive about them isn't their taste, but their containers. The containers are very very very kawaii...And can be used to contain stuff after you finish the cookies. ^^ I bought quite a few to give to my darlings back in S'pore!!
Well, other stuff that are worthed buying are the cho- kawaii~ hats and hairclips that takes the shape of the Mickey's ears...Disney characters and such. I'll take photo of them and upload them for you to see when I;m back in S'pore! Perhaps will go upload all the other photos I've taken too! (I took a photo of the Kat-Tun billboard ad too. The one I passed by in the cab thrice this holiday.)
After dinner at the Chinaroom (omg the crabmeat and corn soup is totemo umai!!), we went to the Foodmagazine and got some fruits and drinks. Then, I went to Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi again! muahaha...I came across a few great Arashi webbies yesterday and there was one which gave a list of magazines Arashi appeared in. And yup, I went in search of them. Got a few of them...but there're still many more! Maybe I'll go have a look at the Konbinis nearby another day! They're in Japanese, but no worries! I've got alot of time on hand...and will try reading them when I get back. While, actually the photos themselves are attractive enough.
OMG There were soooo many pictures and articles on Nino!! Cho Kakkoi. Its because of his "Letters From Iwo Jima" "aka ����������̎莆". Boy oh boy..I went to the cinema in the shopping centre next to the hotel...didn't have a good look because I don't want to get scolded for staying out too late. (It was 11.30 pm) But I spotted the poster...and the NANA2 poster too! NANA2 opened yesterday, together with Letters!! There were alot of NANA2 merchandises sold at the cinema. LOL..If they were of BokuImo or KCE, I would definitely buy! diao! Oh btw here's a picture of the movie tix for Letters, courtesy of Arashiland. Isn't it really pretty?! I want it. *dreams up a weird thought*
Other than the magazines, I got some videos!! Guess what?! I bought the Gokusen special!! neh neh neh neh neh! Wanted to get the Gokseun anime and MatsuJun's Kindaichi no Jikenbo dorama...but...nah...nvm... =) I bought the some Johnny's dvd too. Yup, you may have guessed it. It was mainly because of Arashi! And..Kinki Kids...SMAP... Takky & Tsubasa.. =D Ok...crazy fangirl's back! Well just let me be neh? I can only be like this for another 3 days or so...back in S'pore, I won't be able to find the magazines..the dvds..cds.. And even if I can, most of them would have been out dated already. Somehow, being in Tokyo made me feel much closer to the Jpop world. ^^
Closer to Arashi...lol..I passed by Chiba earlier while going to Disneyland. Aiba-chan!!!!!
I bought the Chronicles of Narnia dvd too..and right now, the entire family's watching it, just in front of me. I'm multi-tasking. =) There's a choice of Eng/Jap subtitles and Eng/Jap audio. Yay! That means I can go learn Japanese from the movie...listening to the Eng audio while reading the Hirangana and Kanji. YAY! Maybe I'll go find a few more nice movies for this purpose.
=) Alright...that's it for now.
Ciao.
And do go to the two websites I mentioned in the previous posts. The bg music is really really touching!!!
------------------------Letters From Iwo Jima
1:07 a.m. x 10.12.06
Ok. Go here. The bg music can really work up your emotions, just like the BokuImo one I recommended in the previous post.
Read the section "The Flim" and feel that tug at your heartstrings. I don't know about you, but I had tears well up. Go watch the trailer as well. *weeps* I kinda cried while watching...it has got a different feeling compared to Flags...The latter is more about the 'misuse' of symbols..in this case the photo. In contrast, based on the triler, I feel that Letters is more about the Japanese's loyalty towards their Emperor and much more, compared to Flags, on the cruelty of war..that it ruins families and people's lives. I do hope that there won't be much gruesome scenes like that of Flags. That didn't get me emotional...the scene in Letters of Saigo (Ninomiya Kazunari) saying "This letter will most probably not reach you." did.
Ok I really wanna watch this...
And when I saw Nino's name just after Ken Watanabe's in the credits part, I felt really touched. You did us proud, Nino. You did Arashi and us fans proud. =D
And if you're more adventurous, go visit the Jap website for the movie here! There're more video clips...CMs and trailers..
------------------------YingMa the crazy Arashi Fangirl...
11:57 p.m. x 09.12.06
Do visit here, the official website for BokuImo. The bg music is superb.
Oh my..there are certain aspects of living in Japan which I'm soooo envy.
First off, the tv shows. There are SO MANY tv stations that there's SO MUCH to watch! I discovered (yes, a little too slow..) the 'tv programs listing' section in the newspapers today and picked out some programs which I want to watch. Hehe..in case I forget, I'll type them out right here! So skip it if you wish!
Sat:
Channel 4 (NTV) 9pm ::Dorama:Tatta Hitotsu:: (Starring Kame from Kat-Tun...he actually looks good there! W/o much makeup...)Sun:
Channel 4 (NTV) 11pm ::Variety: SMAP::
Mon:
Channel 6 (TBS) 7pm ::Variety: Tokyo Friends Park:: (OMG HYD 2's gonna appear on this program...but its only at the end of dec!!! >.<)
Channel 6 (TBS) 9pm ::NANA movie::
Channel 8 (Fuji) 9pm ::Dorama: Nodame Cantabile:: (Super nice! But its ending liao..)
Channel 8 (Fuji) 10pm ::Variety: SMAP x SMAP::
Channel 4 (NTV) ::News Zero:: (Sho-kun! lol kawaii)
Channal 6 (TBS) 1.25pm ::Drama: Meteor Garden:: (LOL!~)
Yup! Well, while I may only be able to watch one episode, I'll treat it as a preview. =)
And another thing good about living here is the currency of Jpop and entertainment! Just today, I saw the CM of NANA2 OSTs, of Nino's Tekkon Kin Kurito and of Nino's Letters From Iwo Jima (Iwo Jima Kara no Tegami). It seems like I'm making a big thing out of something so insignificant, but honestly, I feel very fortunate! diao...weird eh?
And talking about Letters From Iwo Jima, It opens in Japan TODAY!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!! And I think there's a cinema at the shopping mall next to the hotel. Man..should I go watch it?? Should I? Should I? That's a once in a lifetime thing!! And it'll only show in S'pore on 1/2/07!!!! Although I may not really understand it completely since I doubt there'll be subtitles....I really really feel like watching...because I think I can understand it a little (YAY) and its a kind of movie that can touch a person without words...I read that some fans actually cried and felt that the actors really acted well. (Ninomiya-kun!!!) LOL...I'll see...busy busy....
And the third thing great about being in Japan is that you get to buy magazines at much cheaper prices compared to buying in S'pore and you get the most recent issues!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shopping at the Konbini tomorrow! There're many..Lawsons...am/pm...many in the Roppongi area, but then I have to convince gm to let me go...and the movie too...eks...*keeps my fingers crossed*
Its just kind of sad that I'll leave before Arashi's new single is released!! Ok...VERY sad According to arashi.vox, their new single "Love So Sweet", the theme for Hana Yori Dango 2, will have THREE versions!! (OMG)
There will be versions A,B,C,
VERSION A - 1500YEN (~S$19.50)- special DVD
VERSION B - 1500YEN (~S$19.50)- special DVD
VERSION C - 1200YEN (~S$15.60)- additional song
But there's no news about the actual release date. Rumours has it that it'll be in spring next year. Whatever it is, I'll surely NOT be in Japan when it happens. *Cries* If I am, I'll DEFINETELY buy 2 of them...Ver A/B and Ver C. sighz...But I guess by the time S'pore sees the single, it'll be like weeks after...and there'll only be the normal version C. And I don't want to buy them online...argh!!! The price of the special edition seems to be a little steep compared to those of other albums...there's no wonder why! Arashi's gonna be the next big thing..well, they're very big already! Nino's stint in Letters is propelling Arashi towards the international stage. Nino's solo concert. Ohno has got a new butai. Jun's HYD2, movie BokuImo (CHO Kakkoi!) and the proposed Kimi wa Petto 2 (according to arashi.vox). Sho's Honey and Clover Life Action movie. Arashi's recent Asia Tour (lol..only Taiwan and Korea...so...asia tour seems....), their upcoming Victorious concerts and their movie Kiiroi Namida (Yellow Tears)!!! Boy oh boy...it's gonna be a great year for Arashi!! Yappari Arashi wa sugoi yo! Yatta!
lol...I sound liek a crazy fangirl. Ok wait. I AM a crazy fangirl. The only thing which I have not quite done but feel like doing is to hunt down the JE store and buy a truckload of Arashi merchandise. But then...to find it..and to buy them ...and to pangseh gm and gang...and to go out alone...are the many barriers I have to surmount...and its not easy, given gm's character. (She got a little mad with me for staying out for an hour at the music store, which is only 5 mins' walk from the hotel. It was only 9pm then and there were still many people around...)
Sigh.
------------------------HYD 2
12:01 a.m. x 09.12.06
Hana Yori Dango 2 News
* 12/25 is the Tokyo Friends Park special. 2 hours with F4 & makino
* 01/03 is the special about Makino going to New York with her family. it will start at 3:00pm-4:24pm* the first episode of HYD2 will about about how F4 has graduated and makino is in her 3rd year of high school. it has been 6 months since domyoji has contacted makino. while she is wondering if she should give up or not, yuki drags her to their jr high reunion. at the reunion she meets a former classmates younger cousin, junpei (toma). junpei says he's always liked makino. then makino meets junpei at their school and junpei wants to date makino. she is being obsessed by junpei and one day makino gets another one of though infamou red notices. the ijime starts again. (outcasting) once again makino becomes the target of the students and the rumors say that it was the work of domyoji, but makino isn't able to believe that. with rui helps makino goes to new york in order to confirm how domyoji really feels about her.
Credits: arashi.vox
OMG can't believe it. HYD 2 is gonna air on the 5th Jan 2007 in Japan!!! I'll usually wait for the vcd, but this time round, its gonna be Youtube!
------------------------Happy hour at Roppongi
1:05 a.m. x 08.12.06
�R.
�R! �R!
Kyoo wa totemo tanoshii yo!
I went to VenusFort at Odaiba today...yup. Just as before, I had a great time shopping there! There were some new shops, especially the pushcarts, and I discovered many funky accessories and clothes. =) Cho kakkoi.
But there was a little hiccup before that. The taxi driver (a pretty friendly one. I like him.) dropped us off at the Fuji TV building, which is located near VenusFort. And then, I saw this HUGE board with SMAP photos on it. I think its some performance or something. There were many school students taking photos of the board and I wanted to do so too (with gm's phone, which has a 3 megapixel cam.) but as expected, gm and gang hurried away...Can't blame them. Even I myself sometimes feel weird being a fangirl at my age. haha sound old don't I?
But that's not what I'm soooooo very happy about.
My "Uso. Uso Uso!" refers to something else. Something which happened in at night.
During the taxi trip back to the hotel, I saw this bookshop/cd shop. I saw it the last time when we were in Tokyo and went grocery shopping at a 24/7 mart futher down the street but was really interested then. (I wasn't that into Jpop at that time.) But this time round, I was pretty excited, mainly because I wanted to find the Ayashi no Ceres OST for yy and partly because I wanted to find some Arashi stuff.
And then...
I came out of the store (a two-storey store with a floor area of maybe 3/4 times that of Heren's HMV's highest level per storey) with:
:: WaT's < Ready Go! > Limited Edition cd ::
:: Arashi's < Single Collection 1999-2001 > cd ::
:: Arashi's < C x D x G no Arashi Vol. 1 > dvd ::
:: Arashi's < C x D x G no Arashi Vol. 2 > dvd ::
::Arashi's < 2004 Iza, Now Tour > dvd ::
Had wanted to buy more, but I was worried that people will think that I'm crazy or something... Now do you see why I'm soooooo satisfied?!! I like WaT's and to have the limited edition is Sugoi for me. Back in Singapore, there's only the normal edition (HMV NEVER shipped in the other edition), which is priced much higher than the special edition I just bought. (The special edition is only about S$2.60 more than the normal one.) I don't know why, but I just feel happy. Weird eh? Ah! I also saw WaT's new single, available in both normal and limited editions. But haven't heard about it yet, so...not buying...(?) =) And KaT-Tun's new single, also in two editions. And the songs that "Nana" and "Reira" sang in NANA 2 movie...But then, the only disaapointment is that Arashi doesn't have any new singles out at this time...ah...what a waste!! sianz...they're going to release a single soon (Next Jan maybe?) called 'Love so sweet', the theme song for Hana Yori Danga 2. ARGH!!!!
Still, at least I found their singles collection. The cover's great. Love it to bits. Plus, it has got their debut song A.RA.SHI, which I quite like. Nope they don't have it back in Spore....And the greatest buy is their C x D x G no Arashi dvds! Yup, they're dvds, so I'll have to go to my gm's place to watch. >.< And they're all in Japanese, so I'm prepared to check the dictionary after every few sentences!
Talking about Japanese..haha! I'm pleased with myself! heh the hours of watching Japanese variety shows, Jdoramas and anime and of listening to Jpop didn't go to waste. I was able to convey simple messages to the shopkeepers when I was shopping and also roughing understand them. =D I caught some of the words which often appeared in the shows! muahahaha
And oh back to the music store. Its does not only sell cds, but also vcds and dvds. AHHHHHH
Its crazy. Its paradise!
Half the floor area of the 2nd storey is dedicated to these vcds/dvds. Most of them are for rental...well, I'm not really sure whether they can be bought. So anyways, there was practically EVERYTHING. From concert dvds to Japanese movies to overseas (English/Chinese/Korean/Foreign Lang) movies and tv series (Even Friends/MNIKSS etc) to Japanese cartoons and animes to Jdorama. They have everything. OMG!! Yes I'm excited still! I saw the Gokusen anime. I saw it!!!!!! But...sighz...
Its good that the place is English friendly. There were English signs here and there. =) ok I'm gonna go watch bokura ga ita already. hmm...if you have any cds you wish me to buy, drop me an email and I'll help find (whatever genre/country of origin). If I can find it, I'll get it for you! (haha if you have my email, you'll most probably be someone I'm willing to get a Christmas present for!)
Cya!
------------------------First day in Tokyo!
11:05 p.m. x 06.12.06
Konbanwa!
I'm now in Tokyo!!! wohoo.
Feeling all dried up already. >.<
Arrived here in Tokyo at around 5.30 pm local time (4.30 S'pore time) and took a longgg black limo to the hotel. Yay second time sitting in a limo. Feels good, because its really big and spacious, and no one can see what you're doing from the outside, so there's no need to worry about how unglam you look! heh.
Man...the first thing I noticed when we reached the city area was the huge billboard advertisements. So all the talk online wasn't too exaggerated. Kat-Tun is indeed everywhere. I saw two of their huge billboard advertisements! And then saw them again on tv...and Hideaki...Kimura T. and many others..but NO Arashi! =(
I sms-ed Nick when I settled down..and he said that he saw Arashi live on tv. Damn it. And he went to the JE store I think...and saw this pencil case with MatsuJun on it. GROWLS. I'm gonna go find the shop. Ok...go try find it. =D I doubt I can...you know, tuo shen. But there's at least ONE thing I'm happy about! I saw the trailer for Letters From Iwo Jima on tv!!!!!!! Ninomiya Kazunari's name was right after Ken Watanabe's. Nino does look different in the movie. Man...can't wait! =)
Aniwaes, gotta go watch youtube le! Yea bokura ga ita. I'm kinda starting to like it! Especially the manga!
Oh btw, prom was...so-so...whatever...
Oyasumi!
------------------------A BUSY week!!
9:12 p.m. x 02.12.06
lalalala....ok..so I haven't exactly started on my new layout..But I've set the dateline as 2006. Yup a brand new look by 2007!! *crosses fingers*
My other 'project' is going pretty well, and I'm proud of it! I've added another 4 pages to the fanfic wohoo! Ganbarimasu!
I went with yayun to watch Flags of Our Fathers last Thursday. It was quite alright, save for the numerous scenes during which the both of us were covering our eyes. No wonder its rated NC16! yikes! I'm looking forward to 1/2/07! Letters From Iwo Jima opens then. Not only will I get to see my dearest Nino-kun, but also see the war in Japan's perspective. It was a little trumatising, the American one, but I believe that the Japanese one will be more touching, since the soldiers were really patriotic and would even commit suicide in honour of their emperor! I suppose it'll be a more emotional movie. =)
Oh and yayun's crazy about this manga called Bokura ga Ita (�l��������). I hade seen it in Kino like several months ago, but the chinese version only appeared about a month plus ago. I was quite attracted to it because of the drawings. Really good! yy got to know about it from Youtube-she watched the anime and now she's trying to make me read it too. To tell the truth, I do feel like reading it, especially since the latest installments of the mangas I'm waiting for are still in the making. But then I think I'll feel very sad for the manga's supporting character, Take. =( As Usual, right? I hate that kind of feeling. Like in HYD...argh! I'll see lah...maybe I'll pick it up one day. Who knows?
Prom's the coming Tuesday. It seems that there about 3 other schools holding their proms on that night. ??? o.O Honestly speaking, I don't feel like going. I really don't, and I'm gonna bring a manga there to read...how anti-social eh? I think that's the kind of message I've been sending to others. But I'm not trying to be ant-social. It's just that I have this feeling that its going to be bored, especially when there's only 9 people at my table, including Miss Carol. sighz....I feel so totally different from Graduation Night in sec 4. =(
And then, the next morning, I'll be jetting off to Tokyo! yup! This time round we're getting a tour guide...a student tour guide! He/she's a university student who's studying English at the U. And other than food and transportation fees, we don't have to pay him/her! Weird eh? I heard that its because he/she wants a chance to practise speaking English. Well, after experiencing really bad English in Japan, I do hope that this trip will change my impression slightly. ^^ Looking forward to it!
------------------------A levels are OVER. Yes, OVER.
12:50 a.m. x 25.11.06
Sorry about the tagboard thingy..I'll get it fixed together with my layout asap!
Yup. The As are....
I dare say it..
Finally Over
Now that I've got so much time on hand, I actually feel a little lost..
After mugging for almost 2 months, its kind of weird to have nothing to do...And regarding prom..well, I don't know, but I might not be going...Just...don't feel the urge to go. sighz...
Oh aniwaes, I'm jetting off to Tokyo on the 6th of Dec, one day after the prom. Not a big surprise huh? This will be my...third time there. muahahah... I can do my Christmas shopping over there! And if time allows, some JE shopping. =)
Yes yes yes..I'm still very much into JE. And I'm going to FINALLY change my layout. No prizes for guessing what the next layout will be on! I'll try to get it done before 2007 comes..kinda lazy to tranfer all my data and stuff. o.O I just wanna do some 'brainless' stuff right now...And talking about 2007, it'll be an exciting year! Not only before I've got a ~6 months break (shuckz...gotta go think about how to spend the time wisely) but also because its a GREAT season for dramas!
So next years, I'll have...
1) Hana Yori Dango 2!
Its starts airing in Japan in late Jan till March I think...so...SIGHZ...perhaps the vcd will reach S'pore shores in June. growls. But I'm keeping my hopes high, because I spotted Sapuri in TS barely 2 weeks after it finished airing in Japan. (Not that I wanted to watch Kame) YAY!! Matsumoto x Inoue...Doumyoji x Makino
2) Goong 2...
I don't know about this...The new lead actress will have big shoes to fill up. She has to be just as likeable as Chaegyung, but distinctly different from her, otehrwise, critics will start critisizing her...as for se7en, well he can dance pretty good, so this would be a great opportunity for him to gain more fans overseas.
3)���݂̓y�b�g (Kima wa petto) remake!
I read that Korea is going to do its own version of the Jdorama feat Matsujun. Initially I was like..yucks...but then, that Lee Shin guy from goong is gonna act in it..so now its more of a "you better NOT screw it up". He needs to win the Momo matsumoto jun fans over...which I feel is a pretty large group.
4) Spiderman 3.
The trailer is GREAT and I've been waiting for ages for it to come out!!!! But alas...its not due till..May?
5) Boku wa Imouto ni koi wo Suru.
I don't know if it'll be screened in S'pore (PLEASE let it be!! Since Waters aka Gigglo Wannabe was) or if the vcd will be sold here..but please let it be the case! I don't care about that E. Nana girl..she's pretty cute, but I heard that her acting is...so-so...but let Jun save the day!! yay! It'll open next Jan in Japan I think.
6) Letters from Iwo Jima.
This is confirmed. It'll screen in S'pore coming Jan. I guess its because its directed by Clint Eastwood (Yes Shuwen, I didn't make the mistake this time!) and stars more established actors like Ken Wantanabe. Plus, its a sister movie of Flags of Our Fathers, also by Clint Eastwood which has opened in USA. I've always liked this kind of historical movies, so this is a must-watch. The Plus point is that it's Nino's first Hollywood movie! YES YES! Ninomiya Kazunari from Arashi! (I'm so proud..I've kinda rmbed all the Arashi members' names without knowing it!)
7) E Zuo Ju Zhi Wen.
Isn't it an excitng year ahead?!
OH and I nearly forgot!
Death Note 2: The Last Name, opening on 28th Dec! Really slow, compared to Jap, hk and tw (in that order). But at least its screening! I came across this spoiler..and got to know how L died. Pretty different from the Manga though..but at least he managed to catch Light. Poor Light..I do pity him, but he IS one villian..Damn Ryuk, he shouldn't have dropped the note. GROWLS. I think I'm kinda obssessed with Death Note. I was watching a tvb series just now and there was this scene where this creepy looking person (only her eyes are shown) was looking out from this 'hole' in the door...its the kinda hole you see on letterbox where they dump the letters in from...she had thick, black eyeliner on and I was like...its L's eyes. -___-" Sugoi. And then, haha. When I first saw the live action Raito, I thought he beared some uncanny resemblance to Ohno chan. -___-" USO!!!
Speaking of Manga, I've been reading quite a lot..like..
1) Death Note
SUPER DUPER wttty. Its the kind that will make you go "Oh..so that's why.." But then, its a little exhausting because you have to read it in detail or else, you make not get the plot...
2) Goong
3) Gokusen
I was hesitant about it because the cover pictures were not quite attractive. But the plot's really funny, so funny that I kept laughing out loud, even when I'm on the train. lol...so baka-ish..Its something brainless that can keep one's mood up!
4) Hana Yori Dango.
8 down, 2 more to go! But its captivating!
5) Honey and Clover.
I first came across it through Sakurai Sho (;P) and was looking for it for the past month when I finally found it at Kino while searching for a Manga for yayun. Eh..the drawing's pretty good, and rather cute at times, But I'm not yet hooked on it..maybe after I'm done with HYD!
Yup! lol..And I complained that there wasn't anything to do...Seriously...I want to do some meaningful. Something that will value-add...to my personality, experience or qualifications. As for what exactly, I'll go figure it out after I've finish my brainless period..XD
So far, its driving lessons, baking class, perhaps setting up a pushcart booth...and writing a fanfic! Finally! After almost 2 years, karened is back in action. This time round, its not longer EG..Its gonna be Arashi. No suprise here. I've got half the plot out in draft already...once I complete it, I'll have to put them all in decent writing. Hate that! Still prefer the 'let-your-creativity-go-wild' phase. Maybe I'll just post it in script form lah...whatever...
And so, if you've reached here, this means that you're either really bored, or you're super bored. XP Whatever it is, if you're a student here in Singapore, its the hols for you so enjoy this brief break and do what you want! But remember to do your holidays hw IF you can. ;)
And lastly, HAPPY BDAE to riida chan aka Ohno Satoshi. His birthday is tmr, 26th Nov. Go get yourself a license! Don't be the only one in Arashi not to have!
Take care guys!
------------------------Aiba's top 5 dangerous acts + Ohno and Aiba's attempt at English
1:03 a.m. x 29.10.06
Ok...I know I ought to be sleeping, if not studying, since The 'A's start next thursday with GP...but well, this should be my last post before my "Shao Shu Ri"!!! muahaha
Here's a pretty funny clip starring Aiba-chan of Arashi, my top JE Group, if you didn't know.. The best part comes at about 2/3 into the clip, where...even if you don't know what he's talking about, you can laugh like hell..especially the last 3 'acts'.
Basically its about the top 5 most dangerous acts Aiba did previously...and while they are dangerous, they are super entertaining as well! (Alright, maybe I'm a little sadistic..) So have a look!
[edit] The video's too huge liao..so, click here to watch it!
And if that didn't tickle your funny bones, try the fllowing...its on Aiba and Ohno having English lesson. I have to applaud the teacher..her English is brilliant, and superb if compared to most Japanese, like Riida and Aibaka. haha! I guess I'm a little mean laughing at their attempts at English, but its really laugh-out-loud hilarious! Something like us non-japanese trying to speak Jap to a native speaker! Enjoy!
[edit] Click here to watch!
------------------------Death Note
9:44 p.m. x 22.10.06
I've only got one thing to say.
Go watch Death Note. if you haven't already doen so.
It is witty, intriguing and with 2 cute guys to boot.
The Manga's pretty good too, although I hate the fact that Light is so super scheming but yet so super smart that you can help but woo at his plots...and that L dies in book 7. =( L!!!! Ryuzaki!!
Am looking forward to part 2- Death Note: The Last Name.
For more infor, visit this website
------------------------Closure to JC life
10:34 p.m. x 14.10.06
Maybe Baby by w-inds
(as usual, change your encoding to 'Japanese (Shift-JIS)')Navy Blue�́@��� ����
(Navy Blue no sora takaku)
�l���悹����
(Boku wo noseta tsubasa)
���Ɍ�������
(Yume ni mukau yo)
Ever No More Tears,
(Ever no more tears,)
No More Fears
(No more fears)
�Ⴄ�����M���Ă�
(Chigau asu shinjiteru)
...Baby Maybe
(...Baby maybe)
High into the navy blue sky
The wings that carry me
Go towards my dreams
Ever no more tears
No more fears
I believe in a different tomorrow
...Baby Maybe
This is part of a song by w-inds which I found pretty encouraging...although the context of the song isn't so much about finding your goals, but more on leaving your love behind to go fight for your goal, it is nonetheless motivating. To all the JC2s taking the 'A's in about 3 weeks time, ganbarimasu! Fighto-oh!
sighz....just had our farewell assembly last Thursday, and that somehow marks our 'graduation' from JC, although we've not recieved any graduation cert. Time does fly...just a while ago, I was still typing my entry on whether to stay in SA or to leave. And now, here I am, writing about the closure to school life. Its another step towards the brutal working world and a step away from the relatively carefree and simple lifestyle I had enjoyed in my 18 years on earth.
I'm really going to miss all these.. While I may be constantly complaining about lecturers, tutors, people I don't get along with, unreasonable school rules and such, I can't deny that these are what make school life more interesting, and most of all, memorable. I miss them all, ironically, as well as those time spent in the library, in SSC meetings, camps...
I'm sure anyone who's graduating would feel the same way...a bittersweet feeling I think. I thought of not seeing all those familiar faces that filled my past 2 years with joy and agony is depressing...especially when half my class is from overseas and I bet I won't ever get to see them again. (Plus I haven't got the second button from ** yet! argh. hamji)
Maybe I'll do a full 'write-up' on this when the 'A's are over, which is pretty soon. (shit my revisions are getting nowhere!!) For now, I better go have my weekly dosage of Arashi to cheer myself up! heh. I've be won over by...MatsuJun (HYD & Gokusen 1), Ninomiya (His 10,000 word interview), Aiba-kun (A no Arashi) and Sho (Dorama: Yoiko No Mikata)...Riida-chan, you're the last one left!!
I was reading the papers the other day when I came across this article about some Sporeans being arrested for illegally dl-ing music or something along that line...And that got me thinking. I seldom download music because I believe that if I like a particular song, I should show my support and pay for it. Call me too moralistic or anything, but that's something I firmly believe in. Maybe its because I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford them...But then, at times, I do come acorss one or two songs which I feel like downloading because I don't want to spend the money buying an entire album. And its especially so when I'm not exactly a fan of the artiste, making it even less attractive for me to spend the money. And legal downloads are just quite impossible for me because I don't have a credit card. There's this Soundbuzz website I think, which allows you to buy credits from I think Popular with cash and use the credits to download songs. That's a pretty good idea, but then again, I tried looking for songs which I want but to no avail..and so, the next best choice is to go dl them..
So, my advice for the industry is, if you want to make use of the Internet and fight back, you ought to make the means of payment more user-friendly to teens and to increase the variety of songs (not only the most popular Mandarin songs and English ones).
------------------------Yayun's bdae bash
11:20 a.m. x 08.10.06
I went for yayun's birthday bbq yesterday, and while I had initially thought that I'll feel a little uncomfortable, I was soooo wrong.
It was kind of grand, because almost her entire extended family was there. There were altogther 6 familes, including yayun's. Yes, that much...and there were 13 'kids', including shuwen and I. lol...the kids were great!! Super fun and easy to get along with. I think they're the ones who made me feel more at ease at the chalet.
Well, they may be a little noisy, especially Ee Jan and Ee En, and when you put all the kids together in the room, blast some "Crazy Frog" or the "Mai-a-he" song (which they somehow pick up real fast), you get a disco filled with crazy kids doing crazy dance moves. Its simply infectious, their spontaneous display of excitement. Kids are great to be with. They make you feel young and to do crazy things you used to do. But of course, when they argue....that's another matter altogether!
And so, in the end, we had great fun and great food!! Its a wonder how different bbq food can turn out under our hands and under the adult's hands... yum yum!
Thanks yayun for inviting shuwen and me to the bbq!! And thank you to all the xiao didis and meimei for making us feel so included. And lastly, thank you to the adults for for making us feel welcomed, especially yayun's mummy and mama!!!! Its so heartwarming to see such a large family!!!
Happy birthday yayun!!!!!!
------------------------
Oh.no