Loads of things to write these days...

First, Iphone software update! The night I updated, I practically shrieked about how every single new function is so cool! Haha. It can multi-task! I can create folders (which I am so thankful for, because I have too many pages on my phone)!!! I can access itunes!!!! (though it's only podcasts in there) I can download videos from the net!!! (Haven't tried that yet, though) And I can't remember what else there are... But anyways, the whole night I was checking out all the fantastic new features, and my favorite is the multi-tasking and folders. :P Oh, and, the home screen has a wallpaper too! Was really excited when I saw Nino on home screen, but well, almost the whole face was covered by the apps. ^^;

Next, Knight and Day. The movie. I hadn't planned to watch it, but my mum wanted to watch it (because of Tom Cruise. :P), so we watched. I was not too interested in action movies, but this movie is really good! From the start to end, I was cracking up the whole time. It's just hilarious. And Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are really good at acting. They're really natural with each other, and their interaction was really funny. It's pretty fast-paced and you can never get bored at any part. At the start, I was kinda confused though... hehe. Oh, and there really an overuse of drugs. They just drug each other too many times. Nevertheless, it's a really good movie.

Last weekend, I attended my Basic Theory Lesson for driving. Totally forgot about that. Yeah, the lessons weren't boring, because the man who taught us was quite funny. He made us laugh quite a lot. It's quite enriching, and serves a review of the driving theory. And of course, we have to watch incidents of driving accidents. One was extremely serious... argh... *cringe*

I cannot attend the Computer Engineering camp because of my Japan trip. It clashes. Sigh. But oh well.

Speaking of my Japan trip, it's become anticipating and intimidating at the same time. It's my first time to Japan, so I'm really excited about it. But that is a country that uses a totally different language from what I speak. I'd have to meet many people and try to converse with my pathetic broken Japanese. And there might not be many people who can actually speak English. I expect being extremely lost in my trip. Thankfully the ticket machines have English functions too. But still, in restaurants? Looking at menus? I bet most menus don't have English words on it. Oh no! And some restaurants come with rules of how to order their food and all... And loads of things... Scary....

But I'm still excited!!!! I'm gonna take loads of photos!!!! ^^ And I'll have fun! Totally! I'll just have to be like Aiba, and not worry about getting laughed at. Haha.

Arashi new single will be released on Tanabata! ^^


Why does Starhub Tv have KBS and not TBS? I didn't even know I have KBS. Must be a free channel. I did watch a tiny bit of "The Lucifer" on it once, and ended up comparing every single scene with Maou. Mwahaha. Evil me.

And why must that Kdrama be so freaking frustrating? Last week I was watching one episode, and I feel like punching that stupid male main character... that fickle two-timing idiot. Why must plots always be like that? Somehow, I always end up siding with the pitiful side character. I really cannot stand frustrating storylines. :(

Is it me or is one episode of Kdrama longer than one episode of Jdrama?

I am so bored. Sigh. And it's raining heavily outside, so my laptop here runs the risk of blacking out in the case of a power trip. Sigh.

Oh well.

I am addicted to listening to some Japanese female singers nowadays. Of course Arashi will still be number 1, but these female singers are really good. Not that they can sing a large range of notes or are super pro, but I really like their voice and the way they sing songs.

First, Otsuka Ai. Maybe people might find her voice annoying when she sings those cute songs like Peach or Sakuranbo. But I don't really listen to her cute songs. I really like how she sings ballads. I think she has a voice fit for ballads. The way she sings with so much emotion, and her voice really makes you want to cry while listening to it. She's got a great voice, and she really sings well, especially when she sings while playing piano.

And Otsuka Ai definitely sings better during live than the cd version. Few people are able to do that. She does it so well. I recommend Daisuki da yo and Planetarium. Live versions. I nearly cried while listening to Daisuki da yo live.


Next, Ikimono Gakari. I am so addicted to their songs nowadays. They have the nicest songs, really. Their songs suit those love dramas or movies... like Koizora and all. And the female vocalist has a great voice. The songs' melodies are all really nice. She can sing high notes well. I heard the live version, it wasn't as good as cd version... maybe she was nervous. But I heard another live, and she sang that one really well. She's got a really strong voice that carries very far. Beautiful songs, really.

I recommend Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushii and Futari... and many others.


Another one is Ayaka. Mizushima Hiro's wife. She is really good at portraying emotion when she sings. It's like she can really get into the songs she sings, and she sings with so much emotion it seems like she could break down anytime. (But luckily she didn't) She has a really powerful voice, and can pull off high notes wonderfully. She does several people's covers too, and I think her version is even better. There really are no flaws in her singing. She's an amazing singer. And she's humble about it too.

I recommend I Believe and I Love You cover.

On a side note: Ayaka and Hiro always wash their dishes together. Sweet. :)
I think they really suit each other, because Ayaka seems like a really nice person, and Hiro is really a gentle person who cares about others a lot (which thus makes him a brilliant actor, because he pulls off gangster and punk roles excellently). That's what I learnt from their appearances on Domoto Kyoudai. Haha.


Other really good singers are Shibata Jun, Yui, Nakashima Mika, FictionJunction YUUKA, Mizuki Nana and all those female singers who sing anime theme songs. :P I thought Stereopony was good after hearing their songs, but the female vocalist didn't sing that well in live version. She can't really reach her high notes somehow.


Yup. So all these are my favorite Japanese female singers. Male singers are harder to judge, because, well, it's just harder. Somehow I don't really like male singers who sing with too much emotion. In terms of great voices, Nagase Tomoya, Domoto Tsuyoshi, Katori Shingo and Ohno Satoshi have one of the best voices in Johnny's. I hardly ever listen to non-Johnny's male singers, but Hyde and Gackt have really sexy voices. :P

Oh wait, there are some really good male bands too. I recommend Mr. Children and Yuzu. I like these two bands a lot. :) I like Mr. Children's Shirushi and Yuzu's Aitai yo.

Yup, yup. That's all.

I don't read fanfics about real people, as in when people write about pairings in boybands and all, so Jdrama fanfics are close enough. Today, I happened to stumble across a My Girl and Yamada Taro crossover. I liked it so much I decided to re-read the My Girl manga right now. I realise I like reading My Girl fanfics, because they leave me with a smile. It's so sweet and full of happiness, and at the same time, it's so mild. Just like the drama. Just like the manga.

I will write a My Girl review next time. Hehe.

I watched the Behind the Scenes of My Girl and decided that Aiba will probably be a much better father than Masamune-kun in future. :) I think Aiba's great with kids. And he fails so many times he doesn't fear failure anymore. He dares to do things that are embarrassing, and he laughs it off.

When Aiba decides to do something, he puts in his all into it. Not that Masamune doesn't, but Aiba doesn't think too much. He's simple-minded. I've seen Arashi's Childminder shows, and Aiba's really good with kids. Maybe because Aiba's a kid himself.

Haha. Here I go blabbering about Aiba because I like him too much. Aiba is too adorkable. Too lovable. And too popular with beautiful female celebrities (like Maki, Inoue Mao, etc.).

And I adore Sakuraiba. Okay, this is so random. XD

Now I feel like doing a review on Aiba too. XD


P.S. Koharu-chan loves Arashi!!!!

P.P.S. I love how Aiba always fails at kanji. Loves how he misread Kuroki Meisa's talent of "Tate" (Swordfighting in a play/On-stage swordfighting) to become "Satsujin" (Killing people). XD Aiba, you genius. But because of him I learnt a new kanji.

On Friday night, I went to the PC Show. It's crowded, but not extremely. Still I kinda got tired quickly because there were so many people. Bought the Canon IXUS 130 camera. It's pink. :) I wanted a camera with a nice colour. I didn't really like the orange one. So when I saw the pink, I'm like, "Yes, I want that." The camera came with free gifts, including these cute red speakers. ^^ I like the speakers a lot. I plugged into my laptop and watched Arashi, and suddenly their pv turns clearer. Haha. Imagination?

We walked to the laptop section at the PC Show too. I think Acer laptops are nice. There's one with 8 hours battery and is very slim too. Perfect for university. But I didn't buy. Haha. The Sony ones are pretty too, but they're thicker and heavier. Oh wells. Didn't buy any laptops.

Went Kino on Sunday. :) Great trip. Found the Japanese section of Kino really nice. I actually bought a Japanese book. Haha. Out of desperation. I had to get Tokio somehow. I wanted to read that so badly. And this cute little Japanese boy was squealing about Arashi and Ohno-kun! ^^ Cho kawaii!

Even those scary gangsters in Japan know about Arashi!!! Wow. And some even watch HanaDan and cried over it, and decided MatsuJun would be real cool if he became a gangster. Haha! So cool! I'm looking forward to more rankings! Seriously, I think a lot of people in Japan of all ages know Arashi. Makes me happy. ^///^

Waterproof, solar-powered, now the new AU KDDI phone can change keypads to your own liking!!! Seriously, how high-tech can Japanese phones get now?

Yesterday night I downloaded this thing that can watch live Japanese Tv online. Hehe. It's really cool, but sadly the quality isn't very good and it kept lagging. But I'm still happy watching it and I don't mind the lag. No subtitles, as expected, so I had to try to understand what they were saying. But the lag and quality was quite bad, it's really hard to understand anything.

Thankfully yesterday was Thursday. :) At 9pm (10pm in Japan), it was playing Himitsu no Arashi-chan! ^^ The latest episode. Haha. The guest was this female who played in Yankee to Megane-chan. Quite cute. She called Ohno "God". That is exactly what I thought! Ohno is a god! Haha. Kami-sama! I love all the impressions she made about Arashi members. Jun has a face that can be easily created by Wii. Haha! Even though I couldn't understand most of it because of the lag, there were some parts where they had Japanese subtitles to emphasize the stuff that person said at that time. So I read that and it's usually really funny. Haha. I could at least understand that.

And then Arashi had to wear clothes that the girl co-ordinated for them. Some were really weird. I liked Nino's most. Sho's was super funny because he had to wear this gray suit which covered him whole, including his face, so you can't see his face at all! Haha! And then the girl made him wear bunny ears and piled loads of stuffed animals on him. Haha. But in the end, she chose him to be the most attracted member of Arashi. The gray suit helped! Hehe.

I stopped after VIP Room, because Doubt Action wasn't that fun. Sometimes it annoys me. But Nino in Doubt Action is really cool, because he really knows how to mislead people with his acting. :P

I'm gonna watch more of this next time. :) It's so cool. Hope there'll be a Tv in the hotel room when I go to Japan.


Gonna work until end of August, right before school starts. Wah, busy busy busy! Time is so tight.

I will change to wordpress soon. Haha.

Now I keep watching Code Geass on my phone. :) Why is it called Code Geass anyways? But it's a cool name. And Lelouch rocks. But I have a feeling it's becoming like Gundam Seed, where two good friends fight each other. Sad, isn't it? Why can't they adopt a Gundam Wing plot, where all the friends unite against each other? Hope it gets better. Lelouch is evil. I like.


Gonna go to PC show later! Hope to buy a new camera. Think I still stick to Canon. I can't bear to spend too much money on a camera. And I don't think I need loads of effects. I'm not really all that artistic, and I don't really edit photos (I don't know how to). So yeah, a camera that has good photo quality is fine. :)

I'm so tired... and I shouldn't be blogging now... haha.

Okay, I am so gonna change to wordpress soon.

I'm gonna watch Kaibutsu-kun once I get home! Haha.

And aren't forums scary? I'm kinda scared, but I still joined anyways. Hope I'll have fun.

My computer here keeps hanging on me... then the stuff I'm checking will disappear. It happened two times already... Nooooo...

I will work hard at work!!! (even though I'm blogging now... haha.) Ganbatte!

Okay, I'm being random.

Can't wait to go to Japan!!! Yay! :)

Okay that's all. I dunno what to write, so random things popped into my mind. Haha.

I take back my words on saying there's nothing much going on in my life in my previous post. Yes, there is something to blog about, now that I think of it. The Pixar Exhibition.

I went with Say Hwee there last weekend, and it was really cool! The price wasn't too bad, because it included the 3d movie (which was Toy Story 2 that day) and the entrance to Science Centre as well.

Once we went into the Science Centre, we got lost. At the entrance. Haha. We were like, "Hey wait, isn't this the Science Centre? So where's the Pixar Exhibition?" There were no signs and we were foolish enough not to grab a map before we entered. So we debated on whether to exit, grab a map, and come in again. In the end, we decided against that. Luckily we did, because we found the exhibition inside later. We explored the souvenir shop first because the movie was half an hour later, and we didn't want to go in the exhibition yet, in case it'll take a long time. The shop was filled with all the usual souvenirs, so we just walked around and I spammed Say Hwee with loads of Arashi news... Haha.

And the 3D movie. I realise I've never watched Toy Story 2, but still had a vague image of Jessie in there. So I'm not sure whether it was the original Toy Story 2, or they remade another one for the 3D version. Haha. Neither did Say Hwee. It was a hilarious movie, even though the 3D glasses were heavier than the usual ones at Westmall cinema somehow, and it kept slipping off. So I had to constantly push it up if not I'd be viewing the movie half 3D and half non-3D. But it was a really fun movie, and now I'm tempted to watch the Toy Story 3D movie coming out soon. Haha.

After that, we went to the exhibition. The exhibition was so amazing. It was about how the Pixar artists go about producing a piece of work. They talk about the plot, characters, animation and stuff like that. And there are loads of artwork, such as backgrounds of certain scenes in different forms of art. (I still have no idea what digital media is... is it printed out?) I love the pencil sketching style the most. They even have figures (made by some... resin or something) of characters of their movies displayed. There are also early drafts of ideas of characters, so you can see loads of different ideas for 1 character before deciding on finally using that idea. It's really cool. And I really like the approved drawing from the director. Haha. (It's the cartoon version of his face)

I really cannot believe how gifted all these people are. I do have friends who can draw professionally and one is actually studying under people who work for Pixar. But this is just amazing. I don't get tired of looking at all those drawings at all. I can never be able to draw the same character twice, but all these people have drawn thousands of drawings of the same character (and in different perspectives too) and it just really awes me. The background drawings are extremely good too. They really take into account every single detail. And I'm sure they did a lot of research, such as the ant's structure and perspective in A Bug's Life and the different types of fish and what lies in the ocean in Finding Nemo.

My favorite part must be that turning thing. Okay, only those who's been there will know what that is. Haha. I can't really explain that in words. It's this technique (I think) which inspired by the Bouncing Totoro by Miyazaki Hayao (that's the only thing I could remember from that entire long introduction). It's something like when you draw a character doing something in a book with slightly different actions on every page, and when you flip the book real fast, it becomes a continuous action. In this case, the figurines of one character (in there, there are loads of characters) are positioned in a circle, so when it spins really fast, it's like they become animated (with the help of the flickering light above). Okay, this is confusing. I give up. Just go to the exhibition to view the thing. (Tan Min's blog has a better description. Haha.)

After viewing all those exhibitions, I got really tempted to go to Japan's Studio Ghibli museum, namely the works of Miyazaki Hayao (which has Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, and all sorts of others). I really want to go there right now. Haha. It's truly amazing.

I feel like I could really spend the whole day in the exhibition. I'm sure you'll like it, if you're interested in art and animation. They have a lot of art pieces over there, so it's really cool.

And we saw the 3D TV, without 3D glasses on. It really is 3D, like it'll pop out and all that. Haha. It'd be cool if families in future will have that, because they wouldn't need to worry about their children sitting too near to the TV. Haha.

After the exhibition, we got hungry, and Macdonald's there was really crowded. So we went off without even visiting the Science Centre itself. Haha. But anyways, that entrance fee plus the movie is only $4. So we just went off to IMM to eat. Pepper Lunch (for dinner)!!!! I got Say Hwee addicted. Yay.

That was a great experience. Now I really want to go to Japan. Haha.



I hope I finish everything by tomorrow...

P.S. I want to change to wordpress now because blogger does not accept my Japanese kyaa emoticon. Because they think it's a html opening brace. That's unfair. And wordpress is so much more organized. But wordpress cannot put multiple line breaks. Sad. And I forgot where my livejournal account went. I love wordpress now. Haha.

Why do I hear someone's cellphone ringtone and think it's Spiral by Arashi? Even though it's not. But it sounds like.

I have only Arashi news and nothing much going on my life now, so I'll only blog about Arashi. :P

Arashi is moving too fast! The way this group is progressing... is TOO FAST. Seriously. It seems as if every day there are news about them, and new job offers every single day. It makes me happy, but sometimes I feel like they should rest more. Let's see...

July 7: Release of new single "To Be Free" (when their previous single Monster only just released last month). On the same day, release of Ohno's solo single of the Kaibutsu-kun anime opening theme.
August 4: Release of new album "Boku no Miteiru Fukei" (definitely buying this, don't think can get Limited Edition...:/ But I want.)
And there's also an Arashi concert tour late this year, I think! ....

And more job offers:

Aiba: Musicals. Sad he doesn't get drama/movie offers, but musicals are tiring too.
Nino: Is crazy because last year he already has 2 movie offers for this year and next year, namely Gantz (which will show in Singapore!!! Maybe censored though...) and Ooku (with Horikita Maki!).
Ohno: Has Kaibutsu-kun drama filming... and rumored Kaibutsu-kun movie coming up!
Jun: Has new drama AGAIN. (His previous drama just finished in April this year) It's with Takeuchi Yuko. Title is long so can't remember. (I realise he gets at least 1 drama offer every single year from 2001 onwards.)
Sho: I just found out today, he has a new movie! (This year, he has a drama with Maki, and a documentary, and now a movie?!) He'll be acting as a doctor with Miyazaki Aoi (another famous actress). First lawyer (sort of), now doctor, huh?


Busy busy Arashi. They don't have time to rest, do they?

And I've really begun to respect Nino a lot. For his terrific acting skills and the things he say in magazine interviews. Complex Nino.

Now what Arashi news will I get tomorrow? XD

I was watching Arashi videos, and realize that their new single "To Be Free" will be released on July 7. And since I'll be in Japan from 10 July onwards or so, this means there will be loads of Arashi new single posters out there in Japan! Which means I'll be taking a lot of Arashi pictures! Haha... Mwa... I got excited for a while. Hehe.

The songs sounds really cool and nice... very hopeful song. (Style's like Pika**nchi Double) Probably a motivational song. Suits the title a lot. I like it already. :)

Today's Sunday. The weekend really ends so quickly.

This is totally Jpop and a bit of Kpop... don't read if not interested. :P

I know I've said this before but Super Junior is coming to Singapore this Sunday. They'll probably be screamed at (in a good way) by loads of their fans on that day. Haha... I'm not all into Kpop, so I won't go stalking them at the airport like what other fans would probably do (the ones who don't get the tickets)... But I expect the showcase to be real short like the others... (my mum's been to one of them)

Now I keep thinking that Kat-tun has 5 members... So when people online comment on how there're only 5 members in Kat-tun now, I start wondering, "Isn't Kat-tun always made up of 5 members?" Then I think... "Oh wait, there's 6..."

But it's as if Akanishi Jin was never there, because they just naturally release a single without him. And then the sales drop. I don't know whether it's because it's the cheerful/motivational/Arashi style the song has, or the missing Jin. But either one, I didn't like the song very well. Kat-tun is always all rockish, and when they start to sing Arashi style songs, it seems weird... The tune's not very easy to recognize too... I think I've already forgotten the tune...

But Arashi singing rock is another issue... :P They have sung Jidai before... (I wouldn't say it's hard rock though... if it's hard rock, I wouldn't listen.)

I think Kat-tun is better off with cool songs that have loads of rhythms and beats, and raps and beatboxing (they have so many talented members!). Like Don't U Ever Stop. ^^ Or something startling and dramatic like Taboo. Okay fine, they're my favorite songs. I feel like hearing Jidai in Kat-tun style sometimes. :P

I have no idea what NewS style is now... They have all the weird songs (not very distinct-sounding, nor easy to recognize or remember) coming out. I didn't like their songs ever since Summer Time... or was it Happy Birthday? (The one after Taiyou no Namida) Sakura Girl was so Arashi style again... (everyone's following Arashi!!! :P)

Arashi's style has always been motivational and happy, but once in a while, they release cool songs like Truth and Monster. Then fans get awed by their coolness...

So it's better to go from cute and happy to cool, rather than cool to cute and happy. Mwahahaha.



Oh, and people should go read Fairy Tail. It rocks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAWN ENG!

Haha... this is so random. Hope she has a great day.

I'll be alone in working these few days, because Tan Min is off on vacation. Haha. Oh wells...

...This is so random.

I dunno what to write about.

Oh, Amirah got tickets for the Super Junior showcase... haha. She must be so happy. Lucky girl. Sad that Arashi would never come for any showcase, because they just don't sell Japanese phones here. Gah. I would love to get a AU KDDI phone (the ones that Arashi is promoting)... they can be waterproof, solar-powered, and some can even take 20 shots in 1 go... And you can use all those cute emojis! And they can work in Singapore!!! It has been proven!

Oh yeah, Matsumoto Jun is one lucky guy! He gets all the best acting offers... First he gets to act in Hana Yori Dango (which becomes such a great hit that he became real famous), then he gets to act with Horikita Maki, Nagasawa Masami, Eikura Nana and Shibasaki Kou (all the popular cute girls) in one drama. He also gets to act with a Kuroki Meisa as a couple. And NOW, he will be acting with Takeuchi Yuko in a love story as a couple! Ohmygosh, Takeuchi Yuko! She's like one of the best and most famous actresses ever. She's acted with Kimura Takuya before! That'd be such an honour to act with her, wouldn't it, Jun?

And which Arashi member is Maki acting with next? There's 2 more left to go. XD