準備完了しました

Sorry for the lack of posts the past month! I know, I promised more stuff since the last post but I've been busy with both work and as well as my JLPT preparations. I've only a month more to go, and I don't have the slightest bit of confidence at all, since I've been flunking the exercises in class. It's really difficult, and I would need to concentrate with whatever time I have left to give it a shot this year end. For Mabel, everything's pretty smooth sailing so far. Both she and Rena are growing well, and have good appetite for almost every meal. Just 1 more month to go, before you get to see her here!

Sometimes when we're sick of having meals outside or didn't have any appointments with family, Mabel will prepare some simple meals for us, such as the one you see above. It's really simple to prepare, and is also healthier than eating out. She also enjoys making breakfast for the both of us, so that I can bring my portion to work. Well, this equates to savings so it's good to spend lesser these days.

For me, I only got like 3 items for the past few weeks for my collection. Firstly, its the next set of SIC in the Kamen Rider Den-O series, this time of Ryuutaro and his gun form. Nice, but I'm really running out of room for the Den-O pieces. Next, are the 2 HG figures of Kamen Rider Kiva and also Kamen Rider Ikusa. They're my first candy toys for the Kiva series, so at least I have something to display for them. Will most probably be picking up my other reserved stuff such as the 1/60 Valkryie VF1J later in the month, and perhaps some of the other figures in the super sentai and the kamen rider line as well. Have already given up on a few select lines due to limited budget, so will only concentrate on those which I really fancy from now on. No more Gundam and Macross stuff from now too. Bad times ahead, although I'm not directly affected, we will still need to factor in the higher costs of living especially when our little one is almost here.

I've been listening to the albums from Maximum the Hormone (マキシマムザホルモン) lately. They are a four-member Japanese metal band. They write heavy music mixed with light pop, and that has gained them mainstream attention. They are also more popularly known for their ED single "Zetsubou Billy" for the Death Note anime. Check out the PV here, but do note that the first batch of people singing the song are not the band members! It's sort of a gimmick, since Kira, you know, hides his identity.....

Another song which I've really enjoyed from them is called "Koi no Megalover," which reached number nine on the Oricon charts during the summer of 2006; their first top-ten hit in Japan. It's a good mix of heavy metal and Jpop, and has a really awesome PV to boot. This song is currently my ringtone, so do give it a try:

I'm still hooked on Metal Gear Online, and will try to get a couple of rounds in before I go to bed daily. Most of the time I still get thrased by the expert players, but it's ok to be a noob since I got a life outside of games. I'm slowly improving, but I don't think I can ever get to the levels which the other players are on right on.

The official Konami Style websites have started to receive orders for MGO related goods, such as the 3 different kinds of t-shirt designs which I have shown here. They look really cool, and although the intended meanings will only be understood by MGO or Metal Gear Solid players, the abstract designs have appealed to me. So much so that I tried to registed a Konami account to have the shirts sent to Singapore, but sadly they also accept Japanese addresses and will not send overseas.

Nevertheless, this will be going to be on my to-get-list when I head for Japan the next time. No where soon of course due to Rena, but I'm sure we'll be heading back as soon as Rena can walk. Back to MGO, I'm anxiously waiting for the next expansion set, which can be purchased online through the PSN network. It'll include more characters, maps, items, and be definately be lots of fun. Here is the trailer for the Meme Expansion. It's nearly the end of the year, and that means we'll be getting teaser shots of next year's Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. Next year's new rider series will be called Kamen Rider Decade, and will commemorate 10 years of Kamen Rider in the Heisei era, from Kuuga to Kiva. It is rumored that the new Rider will either get powers from the past riders, or even meet them and learn their techniques. This is really awesome, though I'm not sure if they can still get the actors to look good 10 years after their series have ended. No other news and images for now, except for the traditional silhouetted picture of the new Rider. With Kiva's finale episode in sight, we'll definately see glimpses of this new rider soon. Sousuke's expression never ceases to amaze. I'm still following the show, but it really needs to get a plot working out right now, instead of just shorts week after week. And 12 mecha to form a robot is really a little too many, no? I'll leave you with a scene from Engine Sentai Go-Onger, and hopefully the next update won't be as long a wait as this one. Ja!