成功にさせてやるぜ~

Lazy weekend last week saw me and Mabel cooped up at home because she was pretty beat from the usual work routine. We stayed at home, packed more baby stuff and also made room for Rena. I unpacked her playpen, and also played around with her stroller, car seat, etc. There were so many new things in the house I would figure we've already spent a mini fortune on her.

Don't be decived by the clothese here. This is like perhaps 20% of the entire wardrobe that Rena already has. Definately more than me as this was originally the place to put my clothes. Now, it's all full of baby stuff, and most of the clothes are actually not pictured here. Thanks to the friends and family members who have been giving us lots of pretty clothes, though. We really appreciate it.

I had a long weekend and so proceeded to Chinatown, wanting to pick up my SIC Ryuutaros figure, but it hasn't arrived yet. Instead, I got myself the Kamen Rider Agito head display set, followed for the Boukenger figures. I didn't watch the show, but got them for completeness sake, since I now have almost all the series from Magirangers onwards. I really really need to get the contractor to make more roon for my shelves soon.

Being stuck at home means that I need to spend my time doing something fun/productive. Mostly, I'm in the living room with my laptop while Mabel's surfing the channels on cable. I'm into my 4th chaper of the 3ds Max book I bought, and I've also been spending quite some time on Metal Gear Online. Still getting owned, but I'm getting better these days.

The video above is the dance shot version of the PV from the song "Gachinko de Ikou!" (ガチンコでいこう!), by Buono! (ボーノ). I posted the original PV on this blog a few weeks ago. I still like this song alot, and it's still on my current playlist. Well, I've found this youtube page of a little Japanese girl called Cuca who's really talented. She's 6 years old and loves dancing to songs by H!P groups. She has her own youtube page and blog, and is getting pretty famous recently. I've already suscribed to her page, actually. Check out her video here of the same song by Buono here, and her youtube page for many more other dances (some with her little brother).

The GotWoot forums recently just concluded its first ever photography contest. Organised by the mods, the participants were given a different topic for each round within the different groups, organised in a knock out manner. Of course, I was eager to join in the fun.There were 24 particpants in all, and the rules were simple:

1) No photoshoping

2) No outside help

3) The subject/object can be portrayed in any manner of your choosing

4) Action shots, black & white, artsy pics...its all fair game.

5) Final judgment will be based on how interesting the picture is, not necessarily how 'good' or 'professional' it is. Forum goers are the ones voting for the picture they like the most each week.

For round 1, the topic I received was "Hand". I decided to take one with my Naruto figures and this was my entry:

Dug out my old forehead protector, a Sasuke figure and the intent was to depict a fallen Konoha ninja. Thanks to the voters I got to round 2. The next topic I received was "Water".

Again, I wanted a anime related picture. My idea was based on the training Naruto received from Jiraiya, which used water balloons. Instead, my picture showed a hand with the symbol Naruto used to help him concentrate above a toilet bowl, trying to reverse the flow of water. This is my fave entry from all the rounds. Well, I advanced and the next topic was tougher. "Light".

The bright side was that I felt it was easier than the other group which got the topic "darkness". Again, I submitted something anime related, but not Naruto this time. Using a pun on the word Light, I took a photo of L holding the Death Note up. The title was "Light-kun?"

With that, I reached the final and was among the last 4. The final topic was "Time". For the first time, I was stumped and took over a few days thinking over my photo. In the end, I decided to finally go with my feelings and stray away from anime themes. I grabbed Mabel and some props, and submitted this photo titled "Counting Down." I didn't win, but this was Mabel's favourite picture. :)On the whole, the contest was really fun, and I'm already looking forward to the next event at GotWoot. Do check out the forum & the awesome folks over at http://forums.gotwoot.net.

じゃね、ミサ、キキ

This week, I sent Misa and Kiki, our 2 guinea pigs over to my mum's place. They're going to be staying there for an indefinite amount of time, due to Mabel's concern over their co-location with our soon to be due baby. Of course, I was pretty sad by the departure of them, since I've been taking care of them for over a year, and we've got a bond which only pet owners can experience. Well, I'll still see them on a weekly basis, so it's not too bad. Mabel's really happy though, by the fact that she has more space in the living/dining area now.

On Rena, she's getting bigger by the week now, and it's just 2 more months to go before she's ready to meet us. We're really excited now, and have more or less gotten all the preparation stuff ready. We've already spent a mini fortune on all the baby stuff, and it seems that she has already gotten more clothes than me, mostly gifts from friends and family. Mabel's getting more tired these days, and I really need to ensure that she gets maximum nutrition and rest on a daily basis. Well, it aint easy but we're still really looking forward to December.

Attached here are some pictures of the recently released in Japan 1/72 Macross Frontier VF-25F Messiah, which will be coming to our shores very soon. As highlighted by Adrian, there are actually 2 versions of the model. One is of 1/72 scale from Bandai, and another in 1/60 by Bandai as well, to be released in December this year.

The photos you see here are from the already released smaller 1/72 version, which is also transformable but of a lesser degree than the obviously larger 1/60 version which will most likely come with additional bells and whistles. There are actually 2 versions of the kit, one for Alto and another for Ozma. So far, I've only seen the pics for the Alto version, so I'm not exactly sure of the differences in the 2 kits.For this kit, it doesn't really come assembled like those Yamato series, so you have to get ready your clippers, paint and air brush sets if you really want to make it look as good as these pictures. I'll most likely pass on this set, since I've not done any air brushing in ages and that I'll wait for the possible Yamato series in the future.

The full teaser trailer for Dragonball have finally been released. Check out the video below and see whether it meets your expectations. For me, I'm just happy that the show is well on its way. As a fan of the original manga, of course I would like to see a faithful transition from anime to movie, but then again I also realise that this is next to impossible. But as long as the feel of the movie retains the magic of the original, I'll be contented. We're expecting Goku to use his Kamehameha on Piccolo, so hopefully this will make it on the official trailer due mid this month.
As mentioned in the last post, Morning Musume's latest single is a remake of Pink Lady's debut single named Pepper Keibu. After a few more listens, the song has started to grow on me, especially when I've compared the new version to the original over 20 years ago. The new version sounds retro and yet evolved from the old version, and definately has a disco theme to it. Here's a live performance of the song:

More news have been released about the final Den-O firm, which is the 3rd in the series. This is a new record for most number of movies for any rider, but that is of course due to the immense popularity of the show. 2 new riders have also been announced, of course to cash in on the sale of toys and other products. The new Den-O is shown in the picture above, and is actually the grandson of the series protagonist Ryoutaro. Looks good enough, so hopefully we're see more of him on upcoming trailers.

This week's Engine Sentai Go-Onger presented us with one of the most WTF moments in Super Sentai history. In one I believe to be a bid to release yet another album for the series, the 3 girls of the show, Keigareshia, Saki (Go-on Yellow), and Miu (Go-on Silver) teamed up to form G3 Princess, an idol unit which apparently saved the Earth from destruction. In a nutshell, the 2 heroines and Keigareshia were trying to create "beautiful music" in order to reduce the size of a monster, which came from another planet and ate the noises created by Earth.

Keigareshia, an unlikely ally like the rest of the Pollution ministers, teamed up with the Go-Ongers because their goal was to dirty the Earth, and not destroy it. The end result, G3 Princess. I thought Miu was really hot, Saki cute, but Keigareshia a little too old (even for an ex-porn star whom I though has an amazing turn-around since doing shows for children). Check out the WTF moments here:

On Kiva, one thing I really hate on the show is how random the scenes actually are. It seems that the episodes thrive on twists and turns in the series regardless of whether it sounds probable or not. Characters show up for convenience too many times, and the amount of misunderstandings rivals that of even Faiz. I also dislike the main character of the series, Kurenai Wataru. He doesn't act or look like Kiva, and is too weak at times. Even Kengo or Nago looks more like a rider than him. At least the plot in the 1986 timeline still has Otoya and the 3 other support characters to make it more interesting. Additionally, the new rider Saga and Mio's relationship with Maya is still shrouded in mystery. Hopefully, the series will pick up for a grand ending. News of the new Super Sentai and Kamen Rider for 2009 have started spreading, and in my opinion they look pretty good. More information will also be posted here when they are cast in stone.

I've gotten my books on modelling back out, and hopefully I'll be able to pick up some skills in this area. I'm still a novice in 3ds Max though, but friends have recommended me to stick with it as it's one of the easier and more powerful applications for modelling. My aim is to be able to model a Gundam or a Valkryie in around half a year's time. Yes, I'm taking it slow because I still have my JLPT 2 to get ready for. And of course, Mabel and Rena to take care of. :)