Sotsugyou Omedetou
30 August 2006
Feeling kind of sad today. The reason being that I've just remembered Ogawa Makoto (she's the one in the photo to the right) graduated from Morning Musume a few days ago (during the last night of the musical held on 27th August). Makoto was one of my favourite members and I will miss seeing her on Hello! Morning every Sunday. She was one of the most cheerful members of the group and could be relied upon to make everyone laugh. Throughout her 5 years in Morning Musume she entertained us brilliantly with her skit characters. I loved her ability to make Nakazawa Yuko and Iida Kaori burst into uncontrollable laughter with the Ogasaka Rokurou character. Her quirkiness really endeared her to the fans and I'm sure there are many more people who wish she wasn't going. I saw her graduation special of Hello! Morning last night and it was a bittersweet moment. It was nice to see that she had such a nice send off, surrounded by her friends, but at the same time it was sad to realise that it would be the last time she'd appear on that programme. I wish her all the best in studying English abroad and hope she comes back soon to wow us all with her new skills. Sotsugyou omedetou, Makoto.
Well, this is the last update before I reach my centenary post. I've decided that I will make a 'Top 5' of quotes from my previous entries. I have said some very 'interesting' comments in my time and it'll be a nice experience to read them all again. I do have a few other ideas for the update but I'll keep those secret until they're ready to be revealed. Can't hurt to have a little bit of suspense. /laugh So stay tuned, readers (those of you who bother to read this anyway), the next post is going to be the update of the century! (terms and conditions apply)
Posted byHocchan at 10:08 pm 0 comments
Surusumi
29 August 2006
No phone call from Tesco as of yet. Yesterday was Bank Holiday Monday so I guess they couldn't call. They should call me by the end of tonight, if not then I don't think I've got the job. I'll post an update if and when I get an answer. I really would love to get this job though. I need to start saving for the trip to Japan next year and that's not exactly going to be cheap. There's also the rather more urgent matter of credit card debts that I need to pay off. Plus it would be nice to be able to buy things again like CDs, DVDs, books, etc. I've been holding back for nearly a year now, not allowing myself to get tempted into spending money. So please, Tesco, give me that job!
In the meantime I'm wondering what sort of celebration I should have for the upcoming 100th post. It's a big milestone and I'd like to commemorate it in some sort of fashion. Maybe I'll go through all of the entries and pick out some of the more interesting comments I made and compile them into a big list. Whatever I decide to do it's going to be the biggest update in history! I intend to make it a full page essay with pictures strewn all over the place. /laugh
Recently extended my Kuroneko Doumei empire onto MySpace. I'm not really too keen on that site at the moment, it has a lot of problems that need fixing. For one it gets a lot of "unexpected errors" when you try and do something simple like logging in. Another problem is that you can't disable the ads on your page (well strictly you could by messing with the codes but it's a violation of your agreement) and I find it makes it look ugly. Took me a while but I finally managed to make it look pretty decent in terms of layout. You can't edit the HTML coding too much but you can change the basic stuff like backgrounds. I'll give it a try for a couple of months or so and decide whether it shall stay or be deleted. For now you can take a look at the MySpace Kuroneko Doumei at: www.myspace.com/kuronekodoumei. You may wonder why there aren't any pictures of the real me, or even a passing reference but that's just how I'd like to keep it for now. I'm not comfortable with being so public on that site just yet. If I eventually make it permanent then I'll start revealing my true identity. I sound like I'm a serial killer in a quiet American suburb or something...bwahahaha! Where's my knife?
Posted byHocchan at 2:41 pm 0 comments
Zettai Zetsumei Toshi
25 August 2006
Finally got an interview with Tesco after all this time. I was kind of surprised though since they had already sent me a rejection letter a few days before. They called me up and told me that they had some vacancies and would I like to come in for the next day. I was quite nervous about it because I haven't had much experience with interviews but I was determined to make the best effort I could. I may have overdone it with my suit and tie but it can't hurt to look smart. The questions they asked were rather annoying, textbook problems such as, "What would you describe as good customer service?" and the such. I thought I did pretty well on all of them. I got really lucky when they asked me, "What new skills have you learned recently?". I could feel myself laughing inside as I told them about my studying Japanese. I could really sell myself on that aspect. Hopefully I impressed them enough for them to give me a job. They said that they'd ring me back on Monday with a decision one way or the other. Here's hoping!
I've been levelling Ninja on FFXI recently and it's very tedious. Not only is it making me bankrupt but it's one annoying job to play. I can't wait to get it to level 37 and ditch it for good. I should also get White Mage out of the way too. I just want to get back to levelling my Paladin since I enjoy that so much. Can't wait to get to the AF armour stage. Also for the last few days everyone's been busy trying to raise a chocobo. It's been 3 days but my egg still hasn't hatched yet. I can't do much at the moment except take a look in on it from time to time. I hope it's going to be a lot more involving when the chick actually emerges from the egg. Until then I'll just have to keep an eye on it.
Posted byHocchan at 2:07 pm 3 comments
Sou Da! We're Alive
16 August 2006
I was meant to post this yesterday only I didn't have any physical strength left to do so. I was struck down with Flu. Least I think it was Flu. I had terrible headache, dizziness, muscle pains and a fever. Definitely wasn't a normal cold, they don't feel so bad. I'm much better today though thanks to 3 sachets of 'Lemsip Max Strength'. That stuff works pretty fast and it's very tasty to drink. By tomorrow I think I'll be back to full health again. Thankfully it wasn't bird flu. /laugh
FFXII is getting really good. I've clocked up over 20 hours now and it still feels like I've got a long way to go until the end. I haven't played it this week (due to me forgetting my memory card after going round to a friend's house, and getting the flu) but I can't wait to get back to it again. I've got to the point where I've made Ashe (she's my favourite character) use a katana. She looks so damn cool! I wish my Hocchan used a katana like that in FFXI, it'd be awesome. Beautiful girl wielding a katana, can't beat it. /laugh One thing I will say about FFXII is that the boss fights are considerably harder than previous games. It's a good job you have 6 characters to use before you die or else I'd still be stuck on a few of the bosses. I've never fought any HNM on FFXI but I get a feeling it'd be like fighting one of the dragon bosses in FFXII. The sheer size of the thing is amazing and with the camera so close to the character, you get a superb sense of scale to the beast. I just love it, I want to play more!
Posted byHocchan at 9:07 pm 0 comments
Kiss Me Goodbye
07 August 2006
Hurrah! My blackmai... gentle persuasion has worked. I guess I'll have to keep up my part of the bargain and write another entry. I'll employ my patented technique of 'random-writing' (otherwise known as rambling about whatever subject enters my head). In the famous words from 'Kenan and Kel', "Ah, here goes!!".
It's been a few weeks since the new family members moved in. It took a bit of getting used to at first but I think it's all working out pretty well now. Everyone gets along and the atmosphere is quite calm. It hasn't been as bad or scary as I imagined it would be. I probably get a little less privacy now than I did before but it's not too bad. I would still prefer to move out and get a place of my own soon though. It's not because I don't feel comfortable in the house, it's just something I think I would like to do. It'll help prepare me for the future years when I'll have to rely on myself more and more. For the first time in years I've actually believed that I can make it in this world. Now I have to take care and nurture this courage growing inside of me and one day, hopefully someday soon, I shall become the person I have longed to be.
With the dramas over for the time being I've had a lot more time to play games again. I can't remember if I wrote this down already but I recently went back to FFXI after a months absence. I currently levelling my Paladin and it's making a nice change from the usual melee affair I'm so used to. I would like to try and get some of those nice new merits for my Samurai but I really can't be bothered to get the 30-40,000 limit points needed. Maybe once I hid a rut with Paladin then I can go back to it. It feels very much like a transitional phase in the game at the moment. Lots of the people who I had grown so used to in the past have gone their seperate ways. It's not like it hasn't happened before though so I'm coping pretty well. I still see and talk to them on occasions.
I've had the chance to play the Japanese version of FFXII and I'm absolutely loving it. The graphics are even more astounding than FFX and border on 'Advent Children' quality. It fully deserves its 40/40 score in Famitsu magazine. Although I can't really understand too much of the story it's still a great game to play. The maps have an icon showing where you need to go next so it's hard to get lost. Plus the limited Japanese vocabulary I know is helping me to translate key parts of the text. I really can't wait to play the English language version when it gets released, though I really can wait to hear the voice dubbing for it. No doubt they'll mess it up...
Posted byHocchan at 1:31 am 0 comments
Jankenpyon
04 August 2006
Tada! A brand-spanking new update for all you people out there. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be writing just yet, but whatever it is, it means that a certain someone (you know who you are) will need to update their blog. Bwahahahahahaha! Wonderful...
Lets see... since the whole World Cup event ended I've been watching a few Japanese dramas. First was 'Densha Otoko', a wonderful story about an otaku (probably best translated as nerd, geek) who falls in love with an attractive, young woman on a train. After he saves her from a drunken old man she sends him a pair of Hermes cups. After that it's a tale of how Densha (his nickname given to him by the users of the bulletin board) tries to make Hermes (nickname for the young woman) fall in love with him. This is no easy task, however, as otakus are looked down upon in Japanese society. The residents of the bulletin board, 2channel, all go about helping Densha woo Hermes. They give him advice on practically everything from fashion, to where to take her on a date, etc. Based on a novel of a true story (apparently) it's a very funny and heartwarming drama about love. I was pleasently surprised to find that Itoh Misaki played the part of Hermes. I very much enjoyed watching this drama series and I can't wait to see the special episode that is due for release very soon.
Next up came 'Lunch no Joou' (Lunch Queen). This drama was quite different to the usual affair as it centred mainly around food. Lots of delicious looking food. From pork cutlets to omurice, it all had your mouth watering as you watched each episode. The plot centred around a heroine named Natsumi who one day, while eating lunch, gets dragged out of her chair by a man (Kenichiro) she doesn't know. Eventually when they stop he explains that his Father is dying and he would like Natsumi to pretend to be his fiance. This is because he hasn't been home in a few years and would like to make his Dad happy before he passed away. At first Natsumi declines but she promptly gives in when the offer of a free lunch is given. When they make it to Kenichiro's house it turns out to be a small, family run restaurant. All is not well, however, as the family seems to have a problem with Kenichiro turning up out of the blue. Apparently he ran away with the store's money a few years ago and hasn't been back since. After much persuasion by Natsumi to let him return they agree, provided that Kenichiro pass a test. The test involved picking out the famous Demiglace sauce that is made by the Father. Needless to say he fails and does a runner once again with the cash. Feeling slightly guilty about what has happened Natsumi decides that she will stay and help in the restaurant until Kenichiro returns. I haven't quite finished this drama yet, there are still 2 episodes to be released. I almost enjoy this series as much as 'Densha Otoko'. It's not so much a love story as a tale of life and how you can change yourself for the better. It's very inspirational to watch.
Finally there was the last few episodes of 'Attention Please'. I felt that after the trainees went onto the OJT the series slowed down a bit. The early episodes had more of a fast, reckless pace about them which I feel the middle section lacked. The ending, however, provided a nice finale and close to the drama and I was pleased with how it turned out. All in all, a very enjoyable series to watch and Ueto Aya did a fantastic job of playing the headstrong, Misaki. Plus it also had the most catchy ending song ever. A cover of 'Pretty Woman' by Kimura Kaela. Not nearly as bad as that sounds it's very funky and deserves a listen, even if you don't like the original.
There we go, update complete. I've laid my cards on the table now. Lets see you match that! /laugh
Posted byHocchan at 7:57 pm 0 comments
