Sakusen Time!
31 August 2008
Right! I'm not going to do anything else until I've written a new post. No more procrastination! I've wasted enough time these last few days, sitting here, staring at the never ending blink-blink-blink of the cursor. It's really frustrating not being able to construct basic sentences because your brain feels like it's in a coma all the time. I've already had to delete several lines of text because they didn't sound right. I can see it's going to be an uphill struggle all the way. The anger and frustrating is beginning to well up inside me. I'm not going to give up this time though. No matter what, I will finish this post!
It will be two weeks until the start of university tomorrow and I'm starting to get quite nervous about the whole thing. It's a little different from the excitement of a few weeks ago. Back then I couldn't wait for the start of term. Now the reality of it is kicking in and it's making me a little worried. But it's all right, I know what will keep my mind focused - the thought of finally having enough money to buy Horie Yui's latest album and concert DVD!
The CD won't cost me too much but the DVD might make a big dent in my bank account. Not only is the basic cost of the item quite high, I've also got to get it specially ordered (which means paying a handling fee), get it delivered from Japan, and pay any customs and excise charges that might be levied on it (highly likely due to the value). In preparation, I've worked out a rough estimate of the costs involved for each item:
Horie Yui - Darling (Limited Edition)
Price (incl. tax): 3,000 yen (£15.20)
Shipping (Express Mail Service): 1,800 yen (£9.10)
Foreign Currency Conversion Charge: £0.70 + £1.50
Total Cost: £26.50
Horie Yui - Christmas Live (First Pressing)
Price (incl. tax): 6,615 yen (£33.50)
Handling Fee: 2,000 yen (£10.10)
Shipping (Express Mail Service): 2,000 yen (£10.10)
PayPal Fee: 414 yen (£2.10)
Foreign Currency Conversion Charge: £1.60 + £1.50
Import VAT: £9.80
Total Cost: £68.70
The price of shipping for both items is based on the most expensive option (EMS) so I can save some money if I choose a cheaper alternative. Also, the price of the DVD could be more or less expensive depending on how easy it is to find the first pressing edition. But if things work out like I've planned then I'll be spending close to £100 on those two items! Ouch...
Posted byHocchan at 4:35 pm 0 comments
Kawaranai Mono
22 August 2008
The piece of news that I hoped would never materialise has finally arrived. Due to poor viewership ratings, the Haromoni@ show will be cancelled. The last episode will air on 28th September. To be honest this is something I thought might happen sooner or later. It's still a bit of a disappointment to see it in black and white. In spite of all the criticism about its content I was a staunch supporter of the show. For all of its weaknesses and apparent lack of substance it was still something to look forward to every Sunday morning. To imagine it not being there after September is quite a depressing thought. There's no news as to whether there will be a replacement programme involving Morning Musume but it's not looking hopeful. What will it mean for the future of the group if their final bastion of their once mighty television kingdom has finally come crashing down? Only time will tell.
On a happier note, I watched Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo after a recommendation from Michael. I remember seeing the promotional poster for it when it was released in 2006 and thought it looked quite interesting. It's known as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in English and was based on a popular novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka published in mid-sixties. It centres around a high school girl called Konno Makoto who discovers one day that she can travel through time. It's a bit of a novelty at first as she uses her powers on things like 8-hour karaoke sessions. As the film progresses, however, her actions begin to have undesired consequences on the people around her.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film but I was pleased with how it turned out. The artwork is on the simple side but still pleasing to the eye. The voice acting was decent, although I did find the sound of Makoto crying to be rather irritating. I don't know what the voice director was thinking but I'm sure high school girls don't cry like 2-year-old babies (do they?). Apart from that little aspect the rest of the film was perfect. Especially the amazing soundtrack and insert songs sung by Oku Hanako. Kawaranai Mono has been on repeat for three days now and I haven't grown tired of it. Fantastic song.
Posted byHocchan at 11:36 pm 2 comments
Asobimashou
14 August 2008
I bought Asobi Seksu's second album 'Citrus' from eBay a couple of days ago. I managed to get it for only £0.99 + £1.50 postage and packaging, which I thought was pretty good. It arrived this morning and for the most part it was still brand new. The only minor problem that it had was a massive (and I mean massive) sticker on the back of the cardboard sleeve. If there's a sticker on a CD/DVD case I usually leave it alone but only if it's an original sticker. This one looked like it'd been stuck on by some third party advertising their website. I managed to peel most of it off before it decided to screw me over and rip part of the lamination off. You can't really see it unless you angle it into the light so it's not too bad. I freaking hate stickers that don't peel off easily!
The reason for buying this CD is quite an odd one. I'd never even heard of the band prior to a couple of weeks ago. I saw their name being quoted on a forum and noticed it was Japanese (incidentally the name translates as 'playful sex'). I didn't think much of it but about a week later I saw 'Citrus' in HMV. I became intrigued and decided to listen to a few of their songs on Imeem. Thought they were pretty good and found their album at a great price on eBay so I bought it.
I can't really describe their style of music. A lot of the tracks have an ethereal sound to them. My favourite tracks are 'Goodbye' and 'Mizu Asobi'. They are different to the rest of the album in that they're more lively and have more of a J-Pop sound to them. I would have preferred it if they'd made the lead vocalist's voice a bit louder on some of the songs. It felt like she was being drowned out by the music. It's a decent album but nothing that makes you go "wow". I have no regrets in buying it though. Not when it only cost me £2.49!
Posted byHocchan at 1:32 am 0 comments
Wow! Wow! Wow! Party! Party!
12 August 2008
Although I'm very excited about heading off to university, I'm also slightly worried; even more so now that it's only thirty-three days until the start of term. My biggest concern is probably to do with how I'm going to 'fit in' with the people in my flat and on my course. More than likely I'll be a few years older than the vast majority of university students and I don't feel like I'll have much in common with them. Too be honest, I don't have much in common with people my age either.
I'm certainly not one for going out clubbing or drinking myself silly (I don't drink at all). I'd much prefer staying in and watching a film or playing a computer game. I really don't see the appeal of spending hours getting drunk in a place that plays shit music far too loud. I've tried it before and really didn't enjoy it. It might be awkward turning down invitations for things like that. People will probably reel back in horror at the thought of someone not enjoying the taste of alcohol!
I really hope that the people in my flat aren't going to be massively noisy and untidy. I don't want to be kept awake at 3'o'clock in the morning by bloody parties. People are entitled to have their fun, just as long as they don't go overboard. It's not all about partying in university you know (despite what the vast majority think). I also don't want to have to clean up the bathroom/kitchen every time I need to use it. I'm praying that I'll end up with considerate flatmates.
I won't actually know how it's going to be until I get started. I could be worrying about nothing but at the same time, I could be right to be concerned. I'll try my best to be open to new experiences and not shut myself in my room 24/7, but I will not compromise my own ideals for the sake of being 'popular'. I'd rather be know as the boring loner than the 'life of the party' (whatever that is).
Posted byHocchan at 1:08 pm 0 comments
Kuroneko Doumei Ver. 5.05 Alpha!
11 August 2008
I've done away with the ancient HTML template and joined the XML revolution! As a result my blog now looks 37.8% cooler than it did before (scientific fact). I wouldn't call it a completely new design (hence the ver. 5.05) but it has been made more streamlined and efficient. The main reason for the change was to improve the archive list. The old one listed every single month as a separate link and wouldn't allow you to view individual posts within it. The new template, however, does let you see individual posts and also has the advantage of being collapsible which saves a lot of room on the sidebar.
There are other changes too. The link list has been simplified and moved to the top, underneath the header. It gives me a handy 'home' button that takes me to the front page straight away. The old template didn't have that feature. The new font is a lot smaller which allows for more text in the same amount of space. Plus I think it looks a lot tidier than the last one. Amazingly, I've written a short paragraph for the profile section; something I didn't do for the last 3 years! There are also a couple of lists for me to mess around with below the blog archive. Nothing massively important but they fill the space in the sidebar quite nicely.
There we have it, the new Kuroneko Doumei is up and running. It was quite a struggle trying to get the code to do what I wanted it to but I managed it in the end. Not bad for someone with zero XML knowledge! There's still a slight issue with the spacing on pictures but it's a minor problem. I'll sort it out later if possible. For now, I'm going to marvel at the sheer magnificence of my creation (OK, someone else's creation, but I perfected it).
Posted byHocchan at 1:06 pm 0 comments
Natsu Love Romance
04 August 2008
I recently purchased Petit Best 4 and Petit Best 5 from dora ts17 on eBay. There are usually a few copies of Petit Best on this seller's store and no one bids for them. Most of the time I'm the only bidder and end up winning them for their starting price. Since they're so cheap I've decided to try and collect all the Petit Best compilation albums. They give me the opportunity to listen to some songs from Hello!Project that I wouldn't normally bother with. As a result I've discovered some very good songs that have become favourites of mine.
I'll start with Petit Best 4. The only song on the tracklist which really stood out for me was 'Uwakina Honey Pie' from Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto. I've become addicted to that song recently so I kind of bought it just to listen to that. However, the other songs on the album are pretty good too. In particular, 'Haha to Musume no Duet Song' has become my favourite track from the album. It's just so jolly and easy to sing along to. 'Natsu Love Romance' is also another great song that really suits the summer season. Overall, I think I prefer this album to Petit Best 5, just because it has a more consistent feel to it.
Petit Best 5 starts off good but dips in quality during the second half. There are just too many remixes on this album. I didn't mind 'Robo Kissu' or 'Roman ~My Dear Boy~' but I hated what they did to 'Piriri to Yukou!'. My favourite song on here was probably 'Good Bye Hello' sung by Abe Natsumi and Ishikawa Rika. It was the ending theme for a short TV drama they starred in a few years ago. That and 'All For One & One For All!' were the only great songs on Petit Best 5. A bit of a disappointing album in general.
Posted byHocchan at 7:59 pm 0 comments
Kakeba Naruhodo Pairotto, Pairotto
01 August 2008
Further to my last post, I have come up with an initial checklist of stationery that I'll be getting for university. The items in bold are what I consider the bare essentials for the first few weeks. Anything else is just shameless frivolity on my part. I'll probably split the list into two shipments so that customs and excise don't levy a tax on me for shipping so many pens into the UK.
1 x Pilot Petit 1 fountain pen - Black
1 x Pilot Petit 1 fountain pen - Apple Green
1 x Pilot Petit 1 fountain pen - Apricot Orange
1 x Pilot Dr. Grip G-Spec White mechanical pencil - Green
1 x Pilot Dr. Grip G-Spec White mechanical pencil - White
1 x Pilot Dr. Grip G-Spec Flash Colour ballpoint pen - White
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25mm gel ink pen - Black
1 x Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock 0.3mm gel ink pen - Orange
1 x Pilot G-3 0.38mm gel ink pen - Black
1 x Pilot Spotliter VW 2 colour highlighter - Yellow/Orange
1 x Pilot Petit 1 refill capsule - Black
1 x Tombow Mono eraser - Medium
1 x Tombow Mono Zero eraser - 2.3mm (round)
1 x Sura Kura pencil case - Blue/Black
As you can see, most of them are Pilot pens for a couple of reasons. Not only are they colourful and a pleasure to write with, but more importantly they use Aibu Saki in their television advertisements. In my book, anything that Aibu Saki endorses must be worth using!
Posted byHocchan at 4:37 pm 4 comments
This Is A Pen
As I will be heading off to university in just over 45 days time I've started to think about what I'll need when I get there. One thing every student needs is stationery. But I don't want any old crap stationery. I want the best. And who makes the best stationery in the world? Japan of course! I was a little worried about where I would procure them from but then I found this website. It has everything I could possibly want. I can't wait to put in a massive order come the start of term. And the great thing is I won't be spending too much since; A. pens don't cost much; and B. the exchange rate is so good.
It sounds really stupid but you wouldn't believe how excited I got when I saw all the awesome pens they had for sale. I have a massive fondness for bright coloured things from Japan. Is it a little bit weird to get so excited about pens? Probably, but I'm going to have the best stationery collection in my class, so there!
PS. Sorry about the mass amounts of expletives in my last post!
Posted byHocchan at 2:42 am 0 comments
