Woo hoo! It's been another jam packed week, but at least I have some time on Sunday nights to do an update. We were on our way home from Chinatown after a dim sum lunch with my family, when a car beside us pointed out that our front left tyre was almost flat. I was definately surprised, and promptly headed to a petrol station to have the problem rectifield. The cause of the flat tyre: a metalic screw stuck in the tyre. We had it taken out and the puncture mended, and had the rest of the tyres inspected as well. Just in case, you know.
I've started watching the Death Note anime series earlier this week. It started its run in Japan earlier this month, and is currently at its 3rd episode. Based on a popular manga, the series has since spun into a live action movie on top of the anime series. I caught the movie yesterday, and like the anime, it shows a lot of promise and I must say I'm hooked onto the series. I'm contemplating on whether or not to get the manga, but after downloading the 1st volume, I've decided to keep to the anime due to its fantastic animation. But this way, I'll have to steer clear of the manga to avoid any possible spoilers.
Light Yagami is a brilliant, but bored, high school student who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground in the year 2003. The Death Note's instructions claim that, if a human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the Death Note's genuinity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit the Death Note is real. After meeting with the true owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become the "God of new world" by passing his judgment on criminals. Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira", is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill a person just by knowing their face and name. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a race to prove mental superiority between the two begins.
As many of you know, GAM is the group comprising of Matsuura Aya and Fujimoto Miki. Since GAM's debut, Tsunku has decided to make this group a solid unit, instead of a one-time deal. On 13 September 2006 their first single "Thanks!" was released in Japan and made its debut at #2 on the Oricon Daily Ranking chart. The single made its debut - and peak - the following week at number 5 in the Oricon Weekly Ranking chart. The song has so far stayed in the top 200 for 5 weeks. It's also the theme song to Ayaya's movie, Sukeban Deka (see last post).
Their second single, "Melodies" (メロディーズ, merodīzu?), was released 18 October 2006. The single made its debut at number 5 on the Oricon Daily Ranking chart the same day. The NINKI weekly singles chart ranked "Melodies" as the 4th most anticipated new release of the week. "Melodies" features a more mature theme and contains several scenes implying a more intimate relationship between the two singers. Worth mentioning is the near kiss sequence featured in the televised form of the PV; just as the two of them are about to kiss the video comes to an abrupt end. As of late October, it has been speculated in the press that the Single V version of "Melodies" may include the full sequence, although not much information has been disclosed.
No it's not attack of the Spider-women, but rather the girls of Morning Musume in their new outfits for their latest single, called Aruiteru (歩いてる), which means "Taking a walk". It's their 31st single, scheduled to be released on the 8th of September. To be honest, MM has been going downhill ever since the departure of key members such as Mari and Rika, and with the recent departure of Konno and Ogawa, it's going to be hard for them to match up to the popularity they once had. Still, they can safely say they are still the number 1 group in H!P, although other groups such as Berryz Koubou, GAM, Def Diva are going to outshine them if nothing spectacular happens soon. At least the 8th Generation auditions are coming, so we can expect some new members pretty soon.
I've completed watching Kamen Rider 555 this weekend, and I must say I've pretty much enjoyed it. Kamen Rider 555 (or Faiz), is the 2003/2004 installment of the popular Kamen Rider franchise, and since I wasn't a Kamen Rider fan until the Hibiki series, it's taken me this long to realise how good some of the Kamen Rider series were. These shows ain't for kids. There's a lot of drama and suspense in the story, and the plot was pretty much interesting till it began to go down hill near the end of the series. Some of the key story elements fell apart, and many of my hopes and predictions were wrong (it would have been much cooler if they did came true). The ending seemed rush, but at least the character development still existed. I liked the suits in the show, and hopefully I can still find some good figures to start another collection. Well, maybe not a big one, but I must get myself a Kamen Rider Kaixa figure soon!
I was impressed by another Ultraman fan's car this week, and so I wanted to design a logo for my own car as well! Chris's car had so many Ultra stuff inside it was incredible. He even had a picture of Dark Zagi on his fuel lid, which I wanted to do design a decal for too. My first design was of Mebius in his normal pose, but feedback from Chris was that it didn't scream "Ultraman". I agreed, and sought out another design. This time I found something which definately shouts out "Ultraman fan", and it's one of the designs from Coop, our American friend in the Ulltraman Lah forums. You can see more of his fantastic decal work here.
Now what's left is just to find time to head on down to the decal shop and have it done. Expect pictures to be up soon! Originally, I wanted to add an Autobot logo to the back of the car, but it seems that many cars have already done that, and since I didn't really want my car to be named Bumble Bee I've decided to go back to my Ultra roots and make myself known as an Ultrafan where ever I go. Chris is also in the midst of designing a set of car decals using the Lah logo, so hopefully it'll be ready soon. And thanks for your help in helping to vectorise my files!
Renovations work for our flat has finally commenced. It was previously delayed due to some HDB requirements for hacking of walls. Nonetheless, the whistle has been blown and all forces are working on giving us our home in within 5 more weeks. Just slightly over a month before we can finally move into our new place. Too bad I'll still have my Australia trip to contend with before we can finally have our own house warming party. But preparations are already ongoing, and there is still much to do before we can celebrate. We've yet to get some of the furniture although most of the appliances have already been settled.
Here's a view from our apartment of the playground that's just below our block. The theme, like you've guessed, is marine life. There's pictures of seafood every where, and even the training sheds, erm I mean multi purpose halls have sea shells as rooftops. Pretty colourful sight, and certainly better than that of a busy road if you asked me. I still stand by my decision to take an apartment which faces the inside of the other blocks. Sure we might have a little less wind, but I believe the view is worth it.
Another week, another post. Do feedback on what you think I should include in my entries. It's getting a little tedious trying to think of what to update amidst my now hectic schedule. Until the next post, keep your head on your shoulders! Here's a clip which made me ponder.... well for a few minutes at least
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