Saotome Kote
23 January 2006
Quite a lot to report in this action packed episode... er, update. Firstly some FFXI news. During Dynamis-Bastok last Sunday night, after about 5-6 kills a pair of Saotome Kote dropped! I was stunned into disbelief. That was the first time this piece of relic armour has dropped since I started attending Dynamis runs. Luckily I was also the only person allowed to lot on them so they were guaranteed to be mine. Finally, I've been blessed with some Kote. Now my Meditate will do anywhere from 140-180% which is a massive help. I'm so happy!
I would confidently say that this was the most successful run of Dynamis that we've had. I say this because shortly after the first Kote dropped another one fell! /laugh There were also two drops of the 100 Byne Bill currency which costs upwards of 12 million gil. On top of all that I ended up with ten pieces of the 1 Byne Bill currency (currently retailing for 100,000+ each) to net myself 1 million gil. Superb Dynamis run!! Got Beaucedine Glacier on Wednesday so I'm hoping it'll go as smoothly as Bastok. Come on Saotome Domaru...
Also in FFXI, my NPC, Nanako, reached level 61 and attained Cure V! This helps out a lot when I'm levelling her up. It means that I'm not in so much danger of dying when fighting all them damn Weapons in Garlaige Citadel. They can be a right pain in the arse sometimes... But anyway, only 4 more levels until I reach the level cap and... Tachi: Gekko!!! I can't wait for that. It might take awhile though because each time she levels she'll get less experience points for the stuff I'm killing. Oh well, I'm building up a nice stack of Kindred's Seals by doing this so I don't mind so much.
Had a film bonanza today. Started off by watching a Korean film (my first one) called 'Tube'. I didn't know what to expect from this film but I enjoyed it immensely. As expected of an action film there were lots of fights (guns and hand to hand) and explosions. However there were some nicely placed moments of comic relief coupled with some sad, thought-provoking scenes. I am seriously considering seeking out some more Korean films as I'm very impressed by their cinematics.
Second on the menu was 'Blade: Trinity'. This film was a more straight forward, comic book action affair. I would say that this was better than the second film, but not as good as the first (isn't that always the case?). A fun film to watch if you just want to space out and not have to think too hard.
Last film on the list was 'I, Robot'. I had been wanting to see this film for awhile now and it exceeded my expectations. Very interesting story which had me engaged from beginning to end. I did feel it was maybe filled with too much computer animation but the end result was good so I'll let them off. The plot wasn't quite as corny as I'd expected and I'm glad they didn't go down the traditional Hollywood robot film route. Definitely worth a watch, if only for what I consider to be a genius one-liner from Will Smith. I think it'll make a nice ending to this post so, take it away Will -
"Atchoo!! Urgh, sorry, I'm allergic to bullshit"
Posted byHocchan at 3:45 pm 0 comments
Kaze Wo Ukete
19 January 2006
Had a very enjoyable time today taking a leisurely walk around Beacon Fell with a friend of mine. Despite it being very overcast, the weather actually made the whole experience even better. The clouds were very low down, lingering in the tops of the trees near the summit of the hill. Walking through the fairly dense tree sections meant you were in a cinematic atmosphere, with the mist enveloping the whole area, creating an eerie spectacle in the dim light. It looked just like a scene out of the film 'Dog Soldiers'. We did a short loop around the area - hiking West to the tourist centre, then heading North and climbing to the summit before returning to the car to the East. Earlier on in the morning we had visited a supposedly haunted house called Chingle Hall. Took a little bit of time finding it as it wasn't signposted along the way. When we finally got to the location we were surprised to find that the building was a lot more modest than we had thought. Mike knocked on the door to enquire if they still accepted visitors. After some rather spooky creaking and clanking a lady opened the door. Unfortunately they no longer allow tours within the house but she did say that there was indeed paranormal activities in the building. We'll have to take her word for it but while we were there it didn't seem too bad. 'The truth is out there' as it were...
Posted byHocchan at 6:55 pm 0 comments
Shoukanshi Ni Narimashita
18 January 2006
Just a small post. I did a couple BCNM30s with Ardel and Cata just before and on the 2nd attempt a pair of Leaping Boots dropped. I think we really deserved this because it's been a long time since we've gotten anything good from this BCNM. It's the second pair that have dropped, but it's the first pair I've been able to keep as I gave the first pair away to someone. I hope we have some more good luck when we come to do it again this weekend.
PS. This is the 50th post!! My half century! /cheer
Posted byHocchan at 2:01 am 0 comments
Ai No Tame Ni
17 January 2006
Seems there's a maintenance on FFXI at the moment so I can't play that. On the plus side it does mean I've had time to watch episode 7 of Ace Wo Nerae (Live Action version). I don't think I've mentioned this JDorama on here before but it's a fairly decent series. Based on a Manga/Anime of the same name, it follows a young girl named Hiromi on the road to becoming a professional tennis player, and the trials and tribulations that come with it. The episode I've just watched is probably the best one so far in the series. It had lots of emotional moments (the ups and the downs) and had a very dramatic cliffhanger ending.
You may recognise the actress who plays Hiromi. It's none other than Ueto Aya, the star of Azumi. She does have a very pretty face and is very popular in popular in Japan, not only in films but also her singing. The ending theme for Ace Wo Nerae is done by her and it's a nice upbeat song that makes you feel good. I think I'll try and listen to more of her stuff, it's pretty good.
Posted byHocchan at 6:32 pm 0 comments
Sakasama No Chou
Well, no sooner than I start complaining about how FFXI has become annoying to play I have 2 days of good old fashioned fun. First one was helping Rhiana out with a few quests and helping with her AF. It's been a long time since I did that and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so again. The second one was partying with Ardel and Cata again. I actually got a phone call from Ardel on Sunday which kind of freaked me out at first because I never gave him my number. /laugh But it was a good night, over 20,000 EXP and an enjoyable party (ignoring the dumb Red Mage and Samurai). Can't wait until the next one.
Saw the first episode of Kashimashi last night. I've been wanting to watch this anime since hearing that Horie Yui was voicing one of the characters. It was actually only just aired on the 11th of January in Japan so whoever did the torrent was quick on the draw. I didn't have any idea of the story but I have to say, the first episode was quite dramatic. The basic premise is that Hazumu confesses his feelings to the girl he likes, Yasuna (Horie Yui), but gets rejected. Feeling extremely depressed he climbs the mountain close to the town while his friends desperately search for him. Meanwhile, in orbit above the Earth is a giant spaceship which begins to have problems and ends up crashing into the same mountain, at the same spot as Hazumu was standing. It turns out that Hazumu was killed by this accident, but because of an interstellar convention, the mysterious beings are required to remake him via some sort of cloning process. They announce to the world on giant projected screens that they are truly sorry to have killed this human and that they will return him. Only thing is they've (for some unknown reason) changed him into a her so that Hazumu is now a girl. This sets up a very interesting second episode which will be shown on the 18th. I can't wait, this series looks like it will be fun to watch.
Posted byHocchan at 12:43 pm 0 comments
Karinui
15 January 2006
Spent a lot of time last night redoing the title for the blog. I had to make several versions of it since I'd been playing around with the spacing of the headers and main content. I am pleased with how it looks now though, feels more like 'my' blog again which is good. I've put my personal touch to the pre-fabricated template. I do have to thank Rhiana for some advice concerning the HTML, I'm not too good at that stuff. Arigatou desu, Rhiana-chan!
Almost up to my half century post since starting. I'm quite pleased that I've managed to keep this blog going for so long. When I began writing in Kuroneko Doumei I didn't really believe I would continue to keep it updated. I did neglect it for awhile towards the end of last year but my vigour has been renewed. Long may it continue!!
Posted byHocchan at 4:30 pm 0 comments
Ippen Shinde Miru?
14 January 2006
Jigoku Shoujo is getting good now. They've mixed up the episode format a little so that each one isn't exactly the same. I'm getting very addicted to the opening and ending songs. They're both very suited to the atmosphere of the anime.
Posted byHocchan at 4:23 pm 0 comments
From The Other Side Of Twilight
13 January 2006
Remind me never to cycle when it's windy again. Severe pain in the arse... Annoying thing is that when I was riding North along the promenade it was calm as the moon. Soon as I turn around and decide to head back home a Force 10 gale starts blowing. My head is still hurting from the bloody cold chill. I think I might wait until it warms up a bit more before I go for another bike ride.
On the anime front, I'm watching Jigoku Shoujo. It's quite a dark anime but I like it so far. There's a website that can only be accessed at midnight. You type in the name of who you'd like revenge on and the Jigoku Shoujo will enact your vengeance for you. However, your soul will also be sent to hell for eternity when you eventually die. This makes a interesting dilemma for the various people who call on Enma Ai (voiced by Noto Mamiko). Very cool series.
Posted byHocchan at 4:09 pm 0 comments
Shiranui Mai
12 January 2006
No more Shiranui Mai pictures! You'll all think I'm a pervert or something. What? You already knew?...
Posted byHocchan at 3:57 pm 0 comments
Taiko No Tatsujin
One thing I must do next year in Japan is play that Taiko No Tatsujin drumming game in an arcade. Looks like superb fun. Although by then I'm betting there will be hundreds of equally crazy games available.
Posted byHocchan at 2:00 pm 0 comments
Super Deadly Ninja Bees
11 January 2006
Been having lots of trouble getting a good night's sleep lately. I've been waking up at 4am-5am every night which has been annoying. I'm dead tired when I get up, and I'm dead tired a few hours later. I can't figure out why I'm having such restless nights. Just to have uninterrupted sleep for 8 hours right now would be fantastic.
On a brighter note, I'm more motivated to update this Blog more regularly. I changed the template of it yesterday, I felt it was about time for a new look. It does mean I no longer have that custom header picture but I'm willing to sacrifice that since it looks so good.Posted byHocchan at 10:18 am 1 comments
Ichigo Pantsu
10 January 2006
Almost finished watching Ichigo 100% now. I've watched through the original 12 episodes, the special, plus the 5 OVAs so all that's left is the Jump Fest one that they made. I liked the series as a whole but one thing that disappointed me was that it didn't really have a proper ending. Still feels like there are another few episodes to come yet. Manaka doesn't seem to make up his mind which is slightly irritating. I was hoping Aya would end up being the girl he picked (since she's my favourite) but it didn't really happen. Oh well, despite all that the anime as a whole had some funny moments (and a plethora of panty-shots /laugh) so it balances out.
I've been thinking it's maybe time for me to take a break again from FFXI. I've managed to stop playing for the past 3 days now and it's not been too bad. I really should use this period to find a job and start saving some money. I really, really want to be able to visit Japan next year. I also would like to get hold of a digital video camera (inspired by Ichigo 100%) so I can film the trip. I want to make 2006 a productive year instead of wasting it. Gambarimasu!! Osu!!
Posted byHocchan at 12:27 pm 0 comments
Ike Ike
05 January 2006
Posted byHocchan at 6:09 am 0 comments
Akemashite Omedetou
03 January 2006
Happy New Year! 2006 already. I felt I needed to make a few new year's resolutions in order for me to sort my somewhat stagnant life. Here they are:
1.) Get a job of some sort, fulltime or part time;
2.) Pay off all credit card debt;
3.) Start saving up for trip to Japan;
4.) Apply for Japanese course at university;
5.) Start riding my mountain bike again and doing more exercise in general.
Probably the main reason I wanted to make these resolutions was because of watching Kanon. I didn't like the series much at the very beginning. The first few episodes gave a very unpromising feel about them, like the story would be very shallow. But I found myself starting to get into it as the episodes went by. Horie Yui plays a very cute Ayu in this. I enjoyed her voice acting in this, although it wasn't her normal voice, more of a "acting cute" type of voice, but it was nice nonetheless. There's a lot of emotion through Kanon, with the conclusion episodes tugging at your heart strings. But in spite of all this sorrow, there was an underlying sense of hope and happiness. The ending was very satisfactory and gave a nice feeling of well-being. I wanted to feel like that permanently again. That's why I'm going to try my hardest to achieve these goals.
Posted byHocchan at 10:41 am 0 comments
