Re-ment Lovely Chocolate

for a while now, i have gotten hooked on re-ment figures, and finally started collecting them! so first of all, i started with the Lovely Chocolate series from the Puchi Petite Collections~ *heart* re-ment, like gashapon, items are random and you will not know which set you are getting until you open it. but unlike gashapon, re-ment allows picky people like me, to control their luck! (hahah~) each set is sealed in a box, and that means you can shake and squeeze, and judge the weight and how many moving parts in there!

anyway, the first two sets were randomly bought from Action City (hobby shop) in 1Utama after DaiCon/EMiNA Roadshow recently. they were the Nostalgia Chocolates and Truffle Bears (as you can see, both are boxed - thinking that it was what i wanted).

Re-ment Lovely Chocolate: Truffle Bears

Re-ment Lovely Chocolate: Nostalgia Chocolates

but of course, my first choice was definately the Jewelry Box Chocolates! i had been so intent on getting my first choice, that i was willing to fork out RM110 to buy the FULL SET of ten, but kept holding back (thanks to financial restraints).

then guess what? recently when i went back to Action City in The Gardens, where i first saw the Lovely Chocolate series, it has been restocked up to around eight boxes! so of course i bought the one with a very fat box, which obviously MUST be what i wanted and true to my luck - i pried it open and i found the Jewelry Box Chocolates!

Re-ment Lovely Chocolate: Jewelry Box Chocolates

i am so happy i could die. but wait, i still have more things to buy! XD (i'll take actual photos of my re-ment collection next week~)

a K-ON inspired day out.

*refer to K-ON episode 2*

this morning i was at minori's place to watch her play the piano and her beloved ESP electric guitar. (black and glossy!) after that, we had a "test drive" around her housing area and back. if the car was mine, no prizes for guessing who was taking the test drive. XD

once we were in the carpark of mid valley, we went many many times around for a parking lot. strangely, we bumped (NOT physically, mind you!) into a big white car aka the same person. guess what? the third time we saw him, he was walking to the escalator - which means he found a parking lot first and we did not! and the fourth time... i'll save it for later.

akiko and minori were here!

our purpose in mid valley today was to:

• window shop for particular musical instruments and get the best (aka cheapest) price.
• shop for some unnecessary things to buy.
• have lunch.

to our surprise instead, our day went like this:

• make first purchase! (mine totalled RM2, hers RM2.50) lol.
  
• sweep floor by floor for any gashapon/figures and music instrument shops.
• take note of prices (for guitar, bass, and drums).
  
• withdraw money from ATM. (RM50~)
  
• have quick lunch. (onigiri bento and apple juice~)
  
• buy gashapons! (ultimate action evangelion 1.0 series)
  
• play taiko (my first)!
  

onigiri bento~ (the staff forced us to choose fork&spoon OR chopsticks)

for your information, we spend a splendid amount in jusco... both the supermarket (lunch actually) and arcade (gashapons and taiko). we went to McD for free tissue and straws (for our drinks). then, i managed to roll out the evangelion fourth angel (which probably contained the most parts i ever saw in a gashapon)!

its like fixing a gundam kit! how is the above to look like the below...!

Evangelion 4th Angel SACHIEL.

speaking of "fourth"... the fourth time we saw that man from the big white car (we noticed he was wearing a pinstriped white shirt too) was in Yamaha - while we were browsing for the prices, he was sitting in there testing a classic-looking electric guitar and repeated asked the Yamaha staff, "are you sure cannot give me another 5% discount ah?" i thought, mister you can drive a big fat car in the OPPOSITE direction at the P2 carpark, you want further discount at Yamaha?

anyway, that was our K-ON inspired day out. (except the number "4" which appeared a few times.)

urusan seri paduka baginda...

yes, i do understand that i am turning 20 years old soon, but i had not expect that today i would be receiving any sort of government letter to inform me about paying tax! i do not even earn enough to spend, did they think i had enough to spare for tax? (apparently, i thought the only reason to receive an envelope subtitled "urusan seri paduka baginda" is for income tax.)

well, thank goodness it was not. because when i flipped to the other side, the envelope had a Traxx.fm stamp on it! i quickly ripped it open, quite neatly too, and found this - PCD Doll Domination album!

Pussy Cat Dolls: Doll Domination (album)

it seems that Traxx.fm decided to take a few months before posting the album to me, from a call-in album-giveaway contest featuring Pussy Cat Dolls (PCD) i won a few months back... erm, i mean october 2008! next monday, kilmenyanne and i shall reap our sow (which means we will be driving back to college and listening to the CD lah).

past cosplay & acg events of 2009

i was just wanting to remove the past events (in chronological order top to bottom) that have graced the whole first half of the year 2009 from the sidebar list, so i thought i had better place it somewhere else... for instance, here. XD

• jan 10-11: Youth09 @ PWTC kuala lumpur (10.30am-9.30pm)
• feb 14: MINI ANIME FAIR @ UKM kolej keris mas, convention room (11am-3pm)
• mar 5: BUNKASAI FESTIVAL @ UCSI north wing campus (1pm-11pm)
• mar 6: Anime-Me II @ FAHRENHEIT desa sri hartamas (8pm-12am)
• mar 15: SEALONLINE LAUNCH & BY2 @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE lower ground floor (1.30pm)
• march 19-22: Hotlink Games & Anime Festival @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE
• mar 21: JRockのTamashii @ REPUBLIC BAR sunway pyramid (6pm) Entry RM25-30
• mar 21-22: ACGC @ TROPICANA CITY MALL (11am-9pm)
• april 14-16: GACC lite @ MMU main hall, melaka (10am-10pm)
• may 16: C2AGE @ HELP UNI bangsar (10.30am-6pm)

events that i have attended from the list above are:

1. march 15: SEALONLINE LAUNCH - cosplay: ryomou shimei (ikki tousen). but i have to say i was more of working instead of a visitor to the event, and my booth was passed to ywsmokona's members.
2. march 19-22: HGAF - cosplay: none. i have to say i was not very excited about this event. i only went to have a peek on friday, i never actually 'attended' the event.
3. march 21-22: ACGC - cosplay: tsubaki (soul eater). the reason that i was not at HGAF was because i paid full attention to ACGC instead. joined the cosplay competition with skypegasus and opened Unicornz booth as usual.
4. march 21: JRockのTamashii - cosplay: n/a. the other reason i did not have time for HGAF was because i also attended a j-rock music event on the same weekend! i was with minori and we drank this huge glass of alcohol. hahah~

apparently i have been attending events in march only so far in 2009; as for may and june, i'm afraid i have to say i wont be able to attend any events (especially because they are all on the weekends) as i will be working again. its been so long.

けいおん！[K-ON!] ED

this season, there has been a musical fever that spread worldwide about four girls forming a band in their high school's Light Music Club (kei-on bu). wait - its from this anime called K-on.

before k-on we have several other music-related anime such as nodame cantabile, la corda d'oro, violinist of hameln, beck, gravitation, lemon angel project, and nana. disney's high school musical has nothing to do with this.

from left: ritsu, mugi, mio, and yui.

whats interesting about k-on are the mismatched members (main characters) of k-on bu:

• hirasawa yui - like me, she does not play a particular music instrument, nor able to read music notes (at first), but somehow thought she'd join k-on bu to play the casta- harmonica. no, sorry!! i cannot play that either! yui is the guitarist.
  
• akiyama mio - for somebody deemed the "dangerous queen" <---spoiler, but you wont know the difference she seems to have a tendency to cower in a corner as to being overly sensitive to a lot of things, like me. hahah~ mio is the bassist.
  
• tainaka ritsu - like haruhi (suzumiya), trademark headband included, she is the president of the club and is the most crazy-slash-active member who always come up with big ideas like working part time to raise funds as club activity(!) and performing live at the school festival. ritsu plays the drums.
  
• kotobuki tsumugi - the fine, graceful and down-to-earth hime-sama (TL: princess) is the sponsor of k-on bu's delicous supply of sweets and tea at club meetings, including club vacation/training's lodging, studio and instruments. mugi plays the keyboard.
  

k-on bu members go to the music store to buy yui's new guitar.

i have been following the series from episodes 1-6 (subbed by chihiro), and i am quite disappointed to find out that the version i am watching, 4:3 actually leaves out some pantsu scene in episode 6, as opposed to the 6:4 version. people, remember to watch the hi-def version if you want mio's pantsu scene! hahah~ XD

overall, i think k-on is like your coming-of-age anime where the girls find their passion and friendship through music in high school. if you miss school days, watch. if you like music, watch. if you play any music instrument, watch. if you like pantsu, watch 6:4 version. hahah~ XD

anyway, what is a good music anime if without a good music compilation? apparently songs from k-on have been chart-toppers in japan, and guess what? i love the ending theme too! so here i'll share with you:



"Don't Say 'Lazy'' Lyrics

Please don't say "You are lazy"
datte hontou wa crazy
hakuchoutachi wa sou
mienai koto de BATA ashi surun desu
honnou ni juujun chuujitsu honrou mo juujuu shouchi
zentoyouyou dashi
dakara tama ni kyuukei shichaun desu
Please dont say, You are lazy,
Because Im really crazy,
Just like how the swans
Kick their legs out of sight.
Faithfully obeying my instincts, I'll accept being tossed around.
Hey, my future is promising -
Thats why I take rests sometimes.

kono me de shikkari misadamete
yukisaki chizujou MAAKU shite
chikamichi areba sore ga oudou
hashoreru tsubasa mo areba joutou
I'll make sure with these eyes
And mark the destination on the map.
If theres a shortcut, thats the best route.
If I had wings to skip over it all, that would also be great.

YABA tsume wareta GURUU de hoshuu shita
sore dake de nanka tassei kan
daiji na no wa jibun kawaigaru koto
jibun wo aisanakya hito mo aisenai
Crap, I broke a nail! I fixed it with glue.
Somehow, thats enough to give me a sense of achievement.
The important thing is to love yourself.
If you cant love yourself, others can't, either.

Please don't say "You are lazy"
datte hontou wa crazy
nou aru taka wa sou
mienai koto ni PIKKU kakusun desu
souzou ni isshokenmei genjitsu wa zettaizetsumei
hatten tochuu dashi
dakara fui ni PICCHI hazurerun desu
Please dont say, You are lazy,
Because Im really crazy,
Just like how wise falcons
Hide their talons out of sight.
I try my best in my imagination, but reality pushes me into a corner.
Hey, Im still growing -
Thats why I go out of pitch unexpectedly.

sono me ni utsuranai dake datte
yaru ki wa MEETAA furikitte
itsudemo zenryoku de yume mite
sono bun zenryoku de nemutte
Its just not reflected in those eyes,
But my willpower breaks out of the meter.
To always dream with all of my energy,
I sleep with all of my energy.

YARI choi yaseta choushi dzuite kutta
sore dake de nande? haiboku kan
sukasazu ni mokuhyou kahou shuusei shite
juunan ni rinkiouhen shichi henge ga kachi
I lost a little weight, and I enthusiastically ate.
With only that much, why? I feel defeated.
I immediately lower my goal.
Im flexible and I adapt, so my dance will win.

Please don't say "You are lazy"
datte hontou wa crazy
kujakutachi wa sou
koko zo toiu toki bi wo miserun desu
gozouroppu manshin maishin ganbou wa soushin reijin
yuuwaku tahatsu dashi
dakara yake ni ishi kudakechaun desu
Please dont say, You are lazy,
Because Im really crazy,
Just like how peacocks
Charm at the moment they show their beauty.
My entire body works hard to become a slim beauty
Hey, temptation comes often -
Thats why my will breaks down.

YABA masaka Red Point!? iya GIRI KURIA!
sore dake de nante zennou kan
daiji na no wa jibun mitometeku koto
jibun wo yurusanakya hito mo yurusenai
Crap, did I fail!? No, I just cleared it!
With just that, I feel like I can do anything.
The important thing is appreciating yourself.
If you cant forgive yourself, others can't, either.

Please don't say "You are lazy"
datte hontou wa crazy
hakuchoutachi wa sou
mienai koto de BATA ashi surun desu
honnou ni juujun chuujitsu honrou mo juujuu shouchi
zentoyouyou dashi
dakara tama ni kyuukei shichaun desu
Please dont say, You are lazy,
Because Im really crazy,
Like how the swans are
Kicking their legs out of sight.
Faithfully obeying my instincts, I'll accept being tossed around.
Hey, my future is promising -
Thats why I take rests sometimes.

Note: original song by Sakurakou K-ON Bu (Yoko Hikasa, Aki Toyosaki, Satomi Satou and Minako Kotobuki), translated lyrics by unknown. akiko (yours truly) did not edit the translation this time.

the full song can be found here on youtube.

Air Gear photoshoot (sneak preview)

event: air gear photoshoot (another outdoor version - first outdoor AG shoot here)

date: 9 may 2009 (last year was around june~)
time: 10am onwards
venue: putrajaya (exact location unknown lol)

cosplayers:
Ikki - Wen
Buccha - beatbox84
Onigiri - mamoru_sama
Ume - Akira
Ringo - Mizuki (not sure if i got your name right)
Agito/Akito - Space-chan
SpitFire - Reno-san
Simca - akiko.wolf (this time not a lame con makeup artist)
Nike - Rayray0211
Nue - sky_pegasus

*extra* - DeidaraGS (thank you so much for staying with our bags and whatnots while we shot at the location)

photographer: green (not sure if i got your name right)
extra cameras: sky_pegasus, DeidaraGS, mamoru_sama (whose photos are used in this preview)

*slap self* i forgot simca's hair has center parting at the back. (shhh... reno dating dei in the background. XD jk lah.)

anyway, although the shoot was in the morning, i went to bed half past 4am coz i was still coloring and printing the AG team emblems (which reminded me of those days nights chatting with guki until the crack of dawn).

i met up with rayray opposite IOI mall around 8.30am, and then joined by sky about 9am, and then convoy with beat and his fancy carful of boys around 9.30am, and reached alamanda putrajaya before 10am to meet space and the rest of the members. after we got changed in the toilet (where there was a curious male cleaner who stared at us girls changing into our colourful wigs) near parkson, we all continue the journey at 11am to our shoot location which was located at... somewhere after the landmark putrajaya bridge. which bridge? beats me.

wait. you have to listen to my explanation. simca's boobs were D-cup that day, but yours truly wore C-cup (coz i dont have D-cup bras). so the upper part of my costume may be *quite* tight (would explain the creases at the side seams).

since we were running short of time, and the camera gal was running out of shots, space kicked into her well-organized director mode. our shots had been pre-planned so no slip ups or "oops we forgot to shoot this character or that scene" or whatnot. for our final shot we had to skip the ever glorious "jump shot" as we were running out of shots, so nue/sky decided to do a "water shot" which half of us took a dip in a shallow pool of water! (my boots were bloody wetful of water going slosh slosh slosh.)

anyway, photos here are courtesy of mamoru who allowed us to take some funny photos with his camera. XD

all sticker emblems are proudly sponsored by yours truly.

make-up assistance was also proudly brought to you by yours truly.

wig styling by myself.
srsly. the wig kept falling back, so that explains why my fringe look so short. grr.

dei, why so cool at the back there!

*continues to wait patiently for the photoshoot pix from green*

Daiso @ IOI mall

ta-dah! im back to blogging since my internet has returned to its usualy speedy state, however i had to vegetate at home for the past three days (not to mention the connection broke down on the day that i returned home from my last exam for the semester).

as a celebration, i shall introduce you to the quirky stuffs that you can find in Daiso, a "livingware supplier" which sells "all kinds of daily necessities and convenience goods" and apparently all items are said to be imported from japan. at one price: RM5. only.

yay! that means i dont have to feel so sad for Hot Market to shut down (also in IOI mall) coz Daiso will now take over. and i can take the whole day to list out everything that you will be able to find in here.

kitchen wares: japanese style plates and bowls (like those tempura plates and miso soup bowl in japanese restaurants), onigiri/sushi mould (to create triangle, round, sakura, heart-shaped rice), and plastic containers (double decker, onigiri/triangle-shaped, bento-style). oh, and an entire aisle dedicated to different brands but the same foil/saran wrap.

bathroom: i dint pay attention to this section.

pet toys: other than dog bone and scratch post, mozzie swatter is available here! (probably much cheaper than pasar malam ones.)

clothing/fashion: no clothes here but you'll find belts, socks, stockings, underwear, hats, bow ties, apron, and fancy-design face mask (the kind to wear to avoid influenza A H1N1).

stationeries: i dont know how they can price everything at RM5. files/folders/pencil case in every color and design and purpose and size, kawaii keshigomu (erasers in any color, scent and shape), plus origami paper.

cosmetics: nail polish/accessories, powder/foundation, eye shadow/liner/mascara, brushes, *lose concentration to list*

there are too many generic things which you can find in your neighbourhood hypermarket like tesco and jusco and giant (except that Daiso dont sell any clothes and food/snacks). anyway, the point of this post is to write about the wacky things that you can find such as:

repellent for slugs and bugs - in that particular species!

something for the pigeon and stray dogs too! omg.

thats how extensive and specific the products that they sell there. you have to see it for yourself. fret not, there are also more "normal" things but uncommon in local stores:

eyepatch (at the bandage aisle)! good find for cosplay. XD

bottom-frame (reading) glasses (with power)! yay~ another fine item for cosplay.

i have to return again. if you want to visit Daiso, they are available at these locations: (in Malaysia of course)

• IOI Mall, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Selangor *newest*
  
• Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall, Melaka
  
• The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Selangor
  
• Borneo Hypermall, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

DaiCon @ EMiNA Roadshow

i went to 1Utama for daicon/emina roadshow on day2 (saturday), and guess what? i spent a lot of money. (so im broke again.) ;_;

for those who did not know, here are more details:
date: 1-3 may 2009
time: 12noon onwards
venue: 1Utama highstreet
activities:

• mini photoshoot with cosplayers
  
• manga, anime, magazine, figurine display
• merchandise giveaways from Animax
• Minorin appearance *early bird* ticket sales:
  

Tickets to be sold:

AWSM Tickets = RM250

• Specially numbered AWSM seats for Miss Chihara Minori's Q&A Panel on Day 1 and Mini-Concert on Day 2
• ONE Autograph Pass for Miss Chihara Minori's Autograph Session.

ELITE Tickets = RM150

• Specially numbered ELITE seats for Miss Chihara Minori's Q&A Panel on Day 1 and Mini-Concert on Day 2.
• Lucky Draw chance to be upgraded in to AWSM tickets. (limited to 15 people only).
  

as far as i know, there are 100 seats allocated for AWSM tickets, and 400 for ELITE tickets. so, minorin fans, you know what to do. XD see you at DaiCon, with or without awsm/elite tickets.





anyway, after meeting fellow cosplayers (potter, wedraven, yuan, cheryl, yumi, sakurai, dxhikaru, beatbox, azreal, sweepingbutler, shawnkazu, andrew, wen) and EMiNA crew (fazri, ganesh, kurogane, pauline, and a few more) and picked up a free Fruits Basket poster (YAY!) and RM5 voucher from animetech, clow and i stopped at comic paradise (OMG they still sell Death Note BM manga!), animetech (but did not spend the RM5 voucher), action city (their outlet that sells outdated re-ment, which is a good thing!), pasta zanmai (expensive desserts), and pay less books (50% discount on top of already cheap books!) before heading home.

[ insert photos after i get home from exam ]

crab shell gratin with cheese (potato!)

mushroom spagetti with egg (honestly, i couldnt be bothered with its fancy pansy name.)

same thing as above, but with grated cheese! served with miso soup and fresh salad.

macha pudding (green tea pudding is not my thing.)

chocolate fondant (nomnomnom yum! chocolate cake with chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream.)

aisare choko (love chocolate?) series: Truffle bears & Nostalgia Chocolate!

well, see you at the actual event of Daicon ne~