Wednesday 30 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 10

Ah a very fitting song challenge considering how tired I am now.... So without further ado I shall get to it!

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Someday the Dream Will End by Nobuo Uematsu



Not a very cheerful song, but I remember already thinking when I came across this song while playing Final Fantasy X a long time ago that it had a sort of drowsy "heavy weight on your shoulders" -sort of feel to it. Not really that surprising considering how the name of the song is Someday the Dream Will End - it really fits the theme perfectly. I can't say for sure I've ever actually fallen asleep while listening to this song, I do have a hunch that it has very likely happened, but what I am certain of is that if I did listen to this while lying in bed I wouldn't take too long to fall asleep. At the end of the day though, I would fall asleep while listening to any song thanks to my incredible "out like a light in a matter of minutes" -skillz. Oh and btw,  just to be perfectly clear, I wouldn't fall asleep every damn time I listen to this song, I'd need to be tired for that... That'd be kinda bad wouldn't it if that was indeed the case? I mean, I could be walking to uni and this song would come up on my iPod and boom I fall face first on the pavement and start snoozing. O_o

Tuesday 29 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 09 + End of Challenge

Alright so finally, it is time to reveal the right answer to the challenge I set [here in Day 07]. The scene that was being depicted by our conversation is referring to Nana's Justice to Believe music video. The fun starts at around  2:34, enjoy! Also, my apologies - I could only find the actual music video with Indonesian subs...

Monday 28 March 2011

Nana's Charity Program + 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 08

Nana <3
Holy hell, I am stunned - Nana's charity program was just simply amazing. I was expecting the heart-felt 7月7日, since that is one of the usual songs Nana sings accompanied by her harpist friend, Mika, but Innocent Starter and SUPER GENERATION were a surprise and were so very damn beautiful! The program started with Nana offering her condolences to the victims of the disaster and you could really see how sad she was. During her songs you could sense how much she cared and hell I was so touched that I might've even cried if stupid things didn't keep interrupting my lovely experience. Grrr. Anyway - Nana you are so pretty! (*゜Д゜*) I'm glad she ended with a happy song like SUPER GENERATION, as otherwise she probably would've cried herself. At the end of it all she didn't even give us an ending speech, but instead just whispered a very very sincere "Arigatou" which totally blew me away.

Sunday 27 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 07

DAY SEVEN! HOW I'VE WAITED FOR YOU! :D

And I finally have the energy to write something extra as well, hallelujah. So know my good fellows, I shall present you with a challenge. Anyone who knows what is being depicted by  the following conversation gets kudos (and maybe a cookie). Aaron is not allowed to participate as he is also part of the conversation.

R: :O
A: *gets shot*
R: *puts mask on your face*
A: *turns all evil and shit*
R: *gets angry and battles you*
A: *mask falls off dramatically*
R: *is shocked by unexpected plot twist and defends herself with the gun she got as a gift from you*
A: *waits to get shot*
R: *points trembling gun at you and gets the resolve to press trigger*
A: *falls in a stupidly overacted manner*
R: *places trampled rose on your chest and majestically walks away*

End of story. Any guesses? ;)

Saturday 26 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 06

Again just a song post, wanted to write more but my time seems to slip away somewhere...

Day 06 - A song that reminds me of somewhere
Real Emotion by Koda Kumi



I chose this song as it reminds me of my trip to California to visit my dad in 2003. I was really obsessed with Koda Kumi's two songs that show up in Final Fantasy X-2 and also the soundtrack for Final Fantasy X at the time. I mean, we literally listened to her two songs + the short 13 song soundtrack of Final Fantasy X I had back then (now I have the full one of course) the whole way from where he lived to Los Angeles. It was a really nice trip and I enjoyed every moment of it. Definitely brought me and dad closer. It's fun how even now, whenever he hears this song, he will say "347 miles to Los Angeles!" since it was playing while we passed a sign saying that when we were driving there. It's a nice fun little inside joke thing I have with him that has stayed with us all these years. :)

Click to see bigger!


On a random side note, this was the first Japanese song I ever loved.

Friday 25 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 05

So some curious things happened today that I just must mention here before I go on with my song thing.

  1. We were at seminar minding our own business when our lecturer's woman, who also works on the module, randomly came up to me and started talking about Japan. She said that when she heard about the situation she immediately thought of me and was very worried about me. She asked if I had family in Japan and I told her I didn't but that I do have friends there and then we talked about how terrible the situation is and she kept repeating how she had been so worried about me and was relieved now. Quite odd I think, I couldn't even remember telling her about my Japan plans at first, but after thinking about it I came to the conclusion that I must've mentioned them last semester when she came around asking about our future aspirations during 3D Modelling. I wonder if she even knows my name though...
  2. When I was walking out of uni with Aaron and we were crossing the road, these two high school girls walked past us and one of them really happily said "HI!" to me. Eehh?! There is absolutely no way I could possibly know a high schooler, apart from perhaps my Japanese teacher's kids but they look Japanese not British! I think I mumbled a "hi" back in the midst of my confusion... but very very odd yet again.

Thursday 24 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 04

So I'm a bit late with this one, my apologies. I blame an awesome evening for this. ;) 

Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Nobody's Home by Avril Lavigne

Embedding is not allowed on like any of the videos of this on YouTube so [click here to listen to it].

Alright, I have to say that there are many songs that make me sad because the atmospheres in songs really affect me very much. I was very tempted to put Hime Murasaki by Mizuki Nana as it is probably the most touching song I've listened to lately, but since my last entry was a song by her already I decided not to use it. Instead, I decided to use the first song that really awakened sad feelings in me whenever I listened to it. That was purely because my life wasn't very fun when Nobody's Home came out and I could see myself in the lyrics very well. Though just to be clear, I did not feel I was alone at home - my family's always been very amazing, but back then I really didn't talk to anyone about how I felt. My home was actually my only safe haven and I was very much alone elsewhere. So yeah, this song reminds me of that time and that's a shame, because I do like this song a lot but at the same time I really don't want to remember what I went through.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 03

Again too tired to do more than a song entry, but bear with me and my exhaustion... :3

Didn't want to put any of the songs I already had on my happy songs list, so.. Ta-dah:

Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Mr. Bunny! by Mizuki Nana



Oh god this song is just so wonderful. I only added it to my Nana playlist a short while ago, but I've grown to love it a lot. The song is so happy that it just really makes you feel happy as well, no matter what. That effect is boosted by the fact that every time I hear this I also see Nana's smiling face (I mean, look at that [adorable face] - how could it not make you happy?!) while singing and performing this song in my mind. The lyrics are really upbeat as well, as far as I can tell (I always seem to be saying this phrase), and seem to tell you to keep going with the smile someone important to you gave you no matter what happens. The English bits in the lyrics just really make me smile as they're so cute, like Nana English always is. So every days, every smile. <3 Couldn't make it through the bad times without you Nana. :)

Tuesday 22 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 02

So yeah, just the song challenge thing today. I'll hopefully write about my thoughts on Nana's new songs UNBREAKABLE and POP MASTER soon. :)

So anyways, does least favorite song mean a song that is your favorite but not as much as some other songs or a song you just purely dislike? What a confusing way to state the matter...

Day 02 - Least favorite song
She Wolf by Shakira



So, I chose this song because I really used to like Shakira. I mean, she clearly had her own style and it fit her so well. This song really crashed down all the reasons why I admired her so - Shakira suddenly became just another main stream singer with this song, or so I felt and I have to say seeing the video now just makes me think so even more. The energy and drive her songs used to have was gone and it was just like anything else you hear on the radio. Not to mention, it disappointed me even more for the fact that I was expecting something grand from a song that had wolf in the title... So yeah, I really don't like this song - it marks the moment that my opinion on Shakira changed and I doubt I can ever like her the way I used to again. :/ Don't get me wrong, I still do love all her songs that I used to love before as well, but I just doubt she will win me over again with any new material she dishes out.

Monday 21 March 2011

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 01 + List Updates

Okay so, I just had to update some of the Top 10 lists I've done before, as them not being up to date really bugged me and gnawed my insides. The lists that got updated and the new additions are as follows:

 Take a Shot, Love Hina, ミュステリオン and BRAVE PHOENIX / Don't be long were dropped.


And now to the song challenge!

Day 1 - Favorite Song
Goodbye Happiness by Utada Hikaru



This song hasn't been with me for very long, as it was only released last November - but even so I've already sold my soul to it. Already the preview clip I listened to before the actual release date told me that this would be one of the most beautiful songs that I'll ever hear in my life. It creates a very balanced mix of happiness and sadness, and at the end of the day those two things are what life is about. The melody is very soulful and man, Hikki's singing brings across all the emotion so well that it really amazes me every time I listen to it. And this song, like quite many of Hikki's songs to be honest, really makes me think about my life and what is truly important. I know that this is probably at least the 4th time I'm talking about this song in my blog, but what can I do - it is so amazing. Hikki will always be my #1.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

The new single SCARLET KNIGHT

I know I already went on about this on Facebook, but I don't care! I'm going to go on about it here too - it's so awesome. I tend to be very skeptical towards new songs of the artists I like, as quite many of them have let me down, like for example, I used to like the unique style of Shakira and Avril Lavigne a lot, but the way they've been going with their latest albums they've just basically invaded the main stream which really doesn't do it for me at all. Bleh is all I have to say!

But yesh one of Nana's new singles was aired on the smile-gang the other night, and thankfully the radio rip of it can be found on YouTube, hallelujah! I have been saved from an agonizing few weeks (still agonizing, but not as much as it could've been).  Nana, just like Hikki with her batch of new songs in her Single Collection Vol. 2 earlier, has succeeded in impressing me. SCARLET KNIGHT is a very unique and powerful song that just screams Nana from start to finish. Needless to say, I am quite in love. Sadly my Japanese is not proficient enough to make out the whole song yet, but judging from the parts I do understand it seems like a very fitting song to be released at this time. I am sure it getting to hear this song has helped and brought hope to her fans across Japan. They definitely need something wonderful at a time like this, and Nana delivered for sure.

Sunday 13 March 2011

A Candle for Japan.

Well I just felt like I needed to write an entry about Japan.

It's been ripping me apart reading about everything that's been happening there the past couple of days and I've been greatly saddened by the fact that there is nothing I can do to help. It really leaves you feeling so hopeless when you realize how powerless you are against natural phenomena. I've been thinking about it a lot today and wanted to say that even though I cannot go there and help with the rescues and such, there is one thing I can do - and that is to show that I care, that I really do care. I'm going to look into how I could donate something from my limited student budget tomorrow. I think I saw a link for that on Twitter earlier today.

My whole heart and all my prayers go to Japan.

And I also have to say that everyone who says something as stupid as "serves them right for Pearl Harbor" is a retard. Seriously.

Monday 7 March 2011

Kore wa boku desu.

Thought I'd do something fun and this idea of dividing my personality up by using five anime characters popped into my head. Figured it might be an interesting way to tell more about myself and you might learn something you didn't know before. :)

Friday 4 March 2011

Top 10 Seiyuu

This week's list is a bit special, as I decided to do it in picture format inspired by the seiyuu memes I saw on Deviant Art. Enjoy~! I hope I remembered everything correctly. :D

Top 10 Seiyuu


Okay so, since most of the list consists of duplicates, I figured it'd be good if I also listed ALL the animes I've seen these seiyuu in, just to prove that I did have many roles to choose from! I didn't include all OVAs and specials, but included some - just so you are aware. :'D