it's sem break! day 23

oh dear! look at how the time flies! my new semester will resume next week, and i still have so much things i want to do! and look! i'm so hyped up i cannot stop typing exclamation marks! today! tomorrow!

oh, before i go on, an announcement:

this is a scheduled post written in advance of published time~

because i was afraid i might be so tired and forgot to update my blog for today, i decided to schedule one. why tired? well, i am busy tonight. why busy? i am at an event tonight. what event?

Arthur's Day in Malaysia!

the bizarrest of events

two nights ago i was climbing up the stairs to the first floor and it faces a window directly. that night, there was a surprisingly bright source of light from the sky outside. i walked up to the window, looked out of the window, and i thought the sun had replaced the moon - for the moon was as bright, as white and as round as ever!

the next night, or yesternight, i peeked out of the window again and i saw that the moon was a quarter percent less bright, a quarter percent more yellow, and a little less than a perfect circle. little did i know, i hope now, it could have been lady luck shining on me!

(warning: seriously long stretch of text.)

God Knows

this is the original japanese song which has an english version that i performed as Haruhi Suzumiya in bunny suit at DaiCon. very meaningful lyrics, so do listen to the real song by Aya Hirano. <3

i thought i'd share it here since i still have not publish a few blog updates which are still in draft. orz. so, here is a teaser!


"God Knows" Lyrics

kawaita kokoro de kakenukeru
gomen ne nani mo dekinakute
itami wo wakachiau koto sae
anata wa yurushite kurenai
I run past you with a thirsty heart.
Sorry, I couldn't do anything-
you won't even let us
share our pain with each other.

muku ni ikiru tame ni furimukazu
senaka mukete satteshimau
on the lonely rail
In order to live purely
I face your back and leave without turning back.
on the lonely rail

watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless...
I'll follow you.
No matter where you are in the darkness of this bitter world
you will shine,
and exceed the limits of the future.
To prevent your spirit from being broken because of your weakness
you converge with my way.
Now, God bless us...

todokete atsuku naru omoi wa
genjitsu tokashite samayou
aitai kimochi ni riyuu wa nai
anata e afuredasu Lovin' you
I send my now passionate feelings-
they melt reality, then just hover there suspended.
There's no reason for me wanting to see you.
I pour my feelings into you, lovin' you

semete utsukushii yume dake wo
egakinagara oikakeyou
for your lonely heart
Let's at least imagine only beautiful dreams,
as we chase after them
for your lonely heart

yamete uso wa anata rashikunai yo
me wo mite kore kara no koto wo hanasou
watashi kakugo shiteru
kurai mirai datte
tsuyoku natte unmei kaerareru kamo ne
my wish kanaetai noni
subete wa God knows...
Stop it, lying isn't like you.
Look into my eyes and let's speak of what will be.
I'm prepared-
even for a bleak future.
Become strong and you might even be able to change fate, you know.
Though I want my wish to be granted,
God knows everything...

anata ga ite watashi ga ite
hoka no hito wa kieteshimatta
awai yume no utsukushisa wo egakinagara
kizuato nazoru
You're here, and I'm here-
all the others have disappeared.
By sketching the beauty of our fleeting dream,
we're just tracing our scars

dakara watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless...
So, I'll follow you.
No matter where you are in the darkness of this bitter world
you will shine,
and exceed the limits of the future.
To prevent your spirit from being broken because of your weakness
you converge with my way.
Now, God bless us...

Note: original song by Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya), translated lyrics from animelyrics.com. akiko (yours truly) did not edit the translation this time.

wgfai as Kyon; akiko as Haruhi.

ONE week until Animangaki 2009!

i believe you must have heard about the upcoming event of the month (June is VERY special yes) - Animangaki which is organized by the committed members of SUAC. you can check out their website for the event here:
http://suac.x-tenshi.com/

recently i have received an email from SUAC:

We from Sunway University College's Anime Club would like to cordially invite you and your friends to join us in our power packed anime event, Sun-U AniManGaki 2009 that is going to be held in two weeks time; 27th-28th June 2009 in celebration of Japanese anime and its culture.

dont worry if you did not receive the email, the invitation is open to ALL! what you have to do is prepare RM8 per day entry, or RM5 if you are a cosplayer in costume, and send yourself to the venue between 10am-6am!

what to expect from Animangaki:

• anime movie screenings
• art competition
• cosplay competition
• doujin booths
• karaoke competition
  
• lucky draw
• omatsuri
• others (local J-Rock band performance, solo piano performance, DDR game)
  

you can find out more about the programme flow for the day here (with general rules and regulations to adhere to while you are in the event venue yeah).

so, do you want to see a page of the event booklet? (i'm leaking information. oops!) so you really? yes? well, i will not reveal to you the front cover or how many pages, but i'll show you just one page:

the sponsor's page!

congratulations to ywsmokona and her team for getting their hands shaken with these sponsors of theirs! (gosh, even i'm impressed for a first-time event!) so, go prep yourself to visit Animangaki next weekend!

btw, after the weekend at Animangaki, do check if you have been captured by their photographers in the gallery!

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).

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.

David Archuleta Showcase photos!

since we are all interested to look at david archuleta's photos, here is a brief chronicle of how we (nqw and i) got our fantastic tickets to watch the showcase:

mid march - Hitz.fm announced DA showcase, but no set date yet.

26 march - Hitz.fm DJ rudy phoned (to win four tickets to DA showcase)!

27 march - attempt to win Sony+TheStar's contest to interview DA!

8 april - collected four tickets to DA showcase from DiGi!

10 april - collected four tickets to DA showcase from Astro!

next, lets have a look at what happened on david's showcase LIVE:

date: 11 april 2009
time: 3pm onwards
venue: sunway amphitheatre
twitter updates:

10.23am - going to sunway now!

10.43am - attention to DA concert goers: park at sunway medical hospital!

12.26pm - more people coming in after 12noon. gate opening for bag check!

1.44pm - have got my seat in sunway amphitheatre now. Hitz.fm DJ (on air) reports that DA is taking a shower in hotel room now!

3.05pm - DA fans are screaming as they (stage staff) play with the lighting. Hitz.fm DJ Ean is here!

3.22pm - Hitz.fm DJ JJ is here - fans singing crush. DJs are stalling time. srsly. cloudy at sunway. may rain.

4.01pm - JJ and Ean giving out prizes. opening act by astro talent quest choo hou ren.

4.24pm - two more opening acts by one in a million winner alif and malaysian idol winner daniel lee.

4.40pm - david opens with a little too not over you at sunway amphitheatre!

5.01pm - david continues with touch my hand, dont let go and crush!

5.07pm - david's keyboard rendition of thousand miles and angel!
The End.

finally, all that you have been awaiting for! photos of david performing at his showcase with my camphone:

parked at sunway med hosp.

hitz.fm and era.fm cruisers stationed at the entrance.

the first few in queue (reportedly arrived at 8am!)

the bag check station and rules at the entrance.

this is the queueeeee behind me (and theres more until the end which was a bent-U end)

DA showcase security staffs (dont you want a piece of that tshirt?)

temporary mini booth selling DA merchandise (album, postcard, poster, lyric book)

our beloved sponsor-aka-#1fan nqw very hot by noon. XD

ATV rides! (no lah... just cruising staffs.)

mizuiro and i at our very-the-proud seats.

just want to show how the amphitheatre stage looked.



food there was expensive; choice between KFC or pizza hut. drink lagi expensive; choices of bottled water, 100plus, coke.

half of the massive crowd turn up. yeah, half (coz it was shot from where i was seated, quite centre-middle).

well, of course we had pizza for lunch! background top-left: not with us. XD

in pic, bottom-right: free DA paperfan for the first hundred or two in queue.

well, the photos above were apparently all about DA showcase as i doubted my camphone's ability to focus on such a faraway subject. and the below here are all the (hopefully better) photos i shot with my digicam!

my orange jacket and freebies~ (they still try to brainwash us until the entrance)

the (still empty) stage!

wee~ our view.

big ass dslr. thestar photgrapher (coz his telescope lens got label thestar).

who is he?! i think ive seen him somewhere before! (television?)

8tv interviewers & the blonde and brunette.

jj reading the DA placards made by fans in the crowd~

ean giving out prizes directly to the fangirls! (can you spot him? i wonder if he got groped in that sea of people.)

hou ren sang two songs. (but i dont pay attention to chinese language songs.)

alif performed two songs. one was (please) jangan nakal; and the background light created an accidental heart!

daniel lee also performed two songs; one made famous at malaysian idol mimpiku.

david archuleta enters!

david archuleta playing the keyboard as he sings~

photo sequence of his first song performance a little too not over you.

[ editing video clips from DA showcase ]

that's all from yours truly, akiko! (sorry for the delayed report, but still) i hope you enjoyed the photos (though there werent many).

[scheduled] David Archuleta Showcase in Sunway Amphitheatre!

hello fans of David Archuleta! i am now in sunway amphitheatre, awaiting the appearance of David himself! i dont really know the programme as of press time, but it has been speculated that our 2nd Malaysian Idol winner Daniel Lee is doing the opening act!

this is only HALF the tickets my friend and i have received (coz we have eight)!

you can follow my real-time updates live on Twitter! also, here are my friends' blogs who have blogged about David Archuleta in Malaysia:

nQw - main sponsor of the 8 tickets!
Dniz - fellow reporter of David's arrival in KLIA!
mizuiro - imouto-san who will be tagging along for his showcase!

David Archuleta in traditional baju melayu!

some of you may remember (a few months ago) that the local otaku scene speculated Hirano Aya was in Malaysia; they stalked KL down to her hotel and whereabouts, and incidentally, found her dressed in the Malaysian traditional baju kurung. expect no less from the next idol in Malaysia!

David Archuleta in Malaysian traditional baju melayu!

very recently at david archuleta's press conference, he appeared to have donned a lovely green baju melayu, and he learnt how to tie the kain samping live on stage too! here is a photo sequence from sultanmuzaffar's blog.

*still editing the post for more information - stay tuned!*

decided to post the rest in a new post. come back at 3pm! (yes, that's when the concert starts! i'll report live from sunway amphitheatre! you want, dont cha?)