Still in vacation mode

Yes my mind is still in vacation mode.  I can’t concentrate at work, and all I can muster right now is this update.  What have I been up to?

This picture shows where I’ve been.

Ferris wheel

As for the loot, not much that is anime-related.  The vacation was only 5 days and I totally forgot to research/ask where to get anime goodies.  (Though I’m sure that if I had a bigger budget I wouldn’t have forgotten to do so.)  But I did make my pilgrimage to Kinokuniya.  I wanted to explore the place fully but time was not on my side, so I just asked one of the staff for the book that I wanted.  And good thing they really had Natsuhiko Kyogoku‘s The Summer of the Ubume.  I want to read it right now but the fact that I haven’t even written about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao makes me hesitate.

How did I find the place?  It was OK, lots of malls and parks/gardens and of course, Kinokuniya/Takashimaya.  I went to the usual tourist spots-the zoo, the safari, the bird park, etc.  The only downside was the weather–most of the time it was hot just like in the Philippines.  I think I lost some weight with all the walking (and sweating), but I bet I’ll gain that all back before November ends.

My other regret is that my schedule (and budget) doesn’t allow me to attend Anime Festival Asia.  Yoshiki Fukuyama and May’n are scheduled to perform.  It would’ve been a new experience for me.  Maybe next time in 2010?  I better save up!  =p

That’s all for now.  Ja!   🙂

My Top Anime for 2008: Final Version

Happy New Year everyone!  This post was delayed because I was waiting for Mouryou no Hako’s last episode, and while waiting I was not in the mood to write any ‘thoughtful’ description about each anime on my list.  But now it’s finished, so enjoy!

So unlike in 2007, I feel perfectly fine now.  I don’t have headaches.  My room is a mess though, but blame it on the cold weather.  It creates the perfect mood for blogging because you become too lazy to do anything else like cleaning, organizing, washing–the mundane stuff.

Another more important difference from last year though, is the use of the watchlist and the matrix.  Before I had to research again on the shows that aired for that particular year, and it was such a bothersome task.  Clicking search result links like a zombie isn’t a fun way to be spending the last days of the year, right?  Another equally tedious task was how to rank the shows better, which got solved when one boring day at work the gods of anime gifted me with the matrix.  It’s not truly anything groundbreaking for me but it is a great help when sorting out what I think about each series.  Now the only thing left to solve is how the post writes itself lol.  Actually the description for each series is the only remaining problem now, because sometimes I forget what happened with a certain series.  2008 was a busy year for me–I had to study for JLPT 2, plow through my pile of books, try living a healthier lifestyle, think about my career, blah3x and other things in between.  So this could be my new challenge for 2009.  🙂

Now enough with the boring talk, and on with the list!

Mouryou no Hako 13

Best anime series for Fall 2008!  Yeah!  Some spoilers ahead(or the little points that I could understand from the conversations).

Fall 2008 Anime Rankings

I know it’s a really, really late post.  But clearing the post backlog just makes me feel so better.  😀

After the storm that was JLPT…

…my room is still a mess.  I haven’t had the chance to do major cleaning because of the various things that come during Christmas season here in the Philippines–the Christmas dinners, going round and round in malls to look for the gift that matches the wishlist, or just plain wandering around to celebrate the new-found freedom after months of agonizing study for JLPT.  So the mock test papers, books, and other stuff are still lying around waiting to be stored somewhere else.

However these past two days I’ve been downed by a cold–so I haven’t done my intended shopping and all I could do was just catch up on the shows that have backlogs.  I’m still behind on Casshern SINS, Mouryou no Hako, and Gundam 00 though.  As if to inflict more self-injury, I decided on starting on To Aru Majutsu no Index.  Every now and then my head aches, but it’s still better than lying in bed all day doing nothing.  The cold is annoying me, but perhaps it’s just my body reminding me to rest after everything that I’ve been doing?  Though when real vacation starts next next week, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to rest, or blog if I get better.

My next post is still a draft–dunno if I  can finish it today.  But before I forget, how was my JLPT test?  Listening exam was where I think I made the most mistakes, especially the part where there are pictures.  I think I did OK with the vocabulary, but the grammar and reading part, I’m not so sure about my answers.  All I made sure was that I finished shading everything before the test ended.  So a lot of my answers were guesses.  It isn’t very comforting, right?  But I’m glad it’s over–I can now watch anime till I drop! lol   🙂

Mouryou no Hako 03

More groups should sub this show.  It’s getting more interesting.

Mouryou no Hako – 02

I have to admit, I am smitten with Mouryou no Hako right now.

Dark twins of fall 2008: Mouryou no Hako and Kurozuka

In a break from my usual fare, I decided to take on two shows with ‘dark’ themes.  With most of the shows that I finished from 2008 of the more lively kind, it would be ironic to call these two shows a ‘refreshing’ experience.