Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

First Friday of March, third Friday of Lent. Other than breaking from soda and chocolate, I’ve been truly being a temporary flexitarian. All devout Catholics have to anyway during Lent, unless you’re not that devoted and just don’t care. In other words, my Lenten menu will always be generally the same. Fish, veggies, fruits, grains, all that. Meat, meat products, and poultry meat are not allowed on Lenten Fridays.

That reminds me. Are eggs considered to be a meat product? If that was the case, does that mean we can’t eat cheese, we can’t drink milk, we can’t even use butter or margarine in our breads and crackers, or even eat ice cream or drink milk tea? It seems a lot of Catholics have different interpretations of what is allowed and what is not allowed to consume during Lent. My parents used to eat eggs along with the non-meat-based food for Lent, but our current priest stated that eggs are considered meat products. A lot argued about this thing about the egg. On the other hand, it’s not much of a problem with me, since I don’t eat eggs everyday anyway.

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• Mood: Sleepy

Avatar

Genre: Sci-fi Drama
Release Date: 12/18/2009 (U.S.)
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez (and more…)
More Info: Wikipedia

Plot:
In the year 2154, a private corporation mines for a valuable mineral in a lush, Earthlike-moon known as Pandora with the assistance of scientists and former marine mercenaries to support and protect the exploitation project. What stands in the way of the mineral mines is the population of the indigenous peoples known as the na’vi, blue-skinned and tall humanoids with cat-like features who are resisting human presence in order to preserve their lands and their ecosystem.

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• Currently Eating: Honeybaked Ham
• Currently Reading: Evolution's Edge by Graeme Taylor (homework!)
• Mood: Exhausted

PRECAUTION NOTICE:

If you are sensitive to direct rant blog entries in general, the door leading to the exit is at that red X button at the top right corner or at the browser tab itself. If you are sensitive to a direct rant blog entry that may possibly be directed at you (though all of my rants are always general anyway), you can do the same with that X button. If you are looking for a good laugh, you can proceed to reading this, but I doubt if it would make you laugh.

But if you have an open mind, then please feel free to read. It may somehow be directed at you, maybe not. Either case, keep in mind that I’m not out for blood for this one, but rather, just another person writing her own opinions based on observation. I’m not hating on people, therefore I’d like to hear your opinions too and share your words regarding the subject matter. Good discussions and debates are always welcome, but please do not take this personally.

Lately in the Japanese entertainment industry there have been many foreign talent, or gaijin tarento to some people as of late. I’m not talking about Japan-born and/or U.S. military brats like Crystal Kay or may-j or BENI, but I’m talking about the ones who were born outside Japan that happened to have the opportunity to succeed in the Japanese entertainment industry. It’s only natural for many of us as Hollywood always has a lot of foreign talent making it in the American entertainment industry from year to year, but when it comes to the industry in other countries, most notably Asia (in this case, Japan), it seems that foreign fans (who are NOT from Japan) seem to get negative comments about these gaijin tarento.

So I ask myself, why? In fact, I ask myself more of a so what? rather than why are so many foreign fan(girls) are being haters towards foreign (as in non-Japanese or non-Japan-born) talent? Now, I will have to admit something that’s quite factual that many (and yes, many) fan girls around would want to have their chance to be on the Japanese entertainment spotlight for God knows what reason. Most likely, they want to get close to their favorite idol or something, but if you think about it a bit further, Japan (or just Japanese showbiz in general) have some kind of an invisible charm that ensnares the foreign eyes in to something new, something cool.

That’s just how it is, people. Japan, or rather, the people in the industry, are very predictable when it comes to recruiting foreign talent and make them famous in the industry. Not all minds are the same with each other. It’s like in Hollywood where someone gets “too” popular and the “general public” (mainly girls… again) start to do the hating on that someone simply because that someone is becoming a lot successful in that person’s career. Sure, each person has their own preferences, but now it would be like if one person is hating on that particular personality, then everyone else starts hating too. I mean, really. We may not like what we see, but this is reality. It’s just how things go, sadly.

I mean, really. Why not use whatever time you’ve got to spend actually flailing over something you like instead of leaving hate comments on some community journal on a news article about a particular foreign talent? Apparently the industry has seen something special within these individuals and the haters didn’t.  Seriously if you’re annoyed by seeing all these foreign talents in news articles, seriously, just ignore them. Those who are getting annoyed with all this hating going on would truly appreciate it. Everyone’s different as well as their opinions, but jeez louise, the hating is really unnecessary.

It’s late night here and I’m not thinking straight. Maybe I’ll do a bit of editing with this entry when I get to it. If not, I’ll just move on and leave it as is.

Eh.

• Currently Drinking: AriZona Peach Iced Tea
• Currently Listening: Blame the Other Duck by SNRG
• Currently Reading: Badass by Ben Thompson
• Mood: sleepy

DUDES! DUDES! DUDES! This is for you all, yo~!

I was digging up old files from AMNOS.net when I viewed the content of one of my old mySQL databases that I downloaded for safekeeping and backup. The data that I viewed were content from my first few visitors who visited the first version of the site and left comments in a guestbook that I designed and installed (I even forgot the guestbook script too, but I remembered that it was also a Japanese-made guestbook script). There were two or three visitors who happen to be Japanese dudes (kinda weird, one of them wrote in not-too-fluent English but understandable enough, two of them wrote in Japanese) who actually asked me if I knew the process of becoming a Johnny’s idol. I was a total noob fan of Johnny’s back then, but I did some extensive research and asked a few friends who are general Johnny’s fans if they knew the process. I was able to actually aided those guys, though I’m not quite sure how old they really were.

So for those dudes who wishes for love of the female mass, here is a comprehensive guide that I was able to dig up. I don’t know if this process is still intact today, but keep in mind that the following process was effective back in 2002.

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PRECAUTION NOTICE:

Please see the previous precaution notice. It’s pretty much the same except with a few additions.

In case you are wondering, I have never done any fansubbing work or anything to do with media files. The only “media” that I have done is audio files. I thought of streaming edited audio files on a streaming mp3 player at AMNOSnet as part of our promotional system to get the fans to purchase the CDs. Anyway, that’s just a sidenote.

Here’s Part 2. This would probably be more of a Q&A format rather than a standard article/blog entry.

As fans, sharing is (probably) the prior factor in a general fanbase of something or someone. Otherwise, no fan would ever appreciate their love and devotion to their favorite idol or group. Obviously, if they are foreign, you pine for any subtitled clips that feature your favorite idol or group. Sadly, the only thing that anyone can rely on at this point is clips subtitled by fellow fans who have the skill, equipment, and time to do so.

In the case of J-idols, or to be more specific, Arashi, nowadays it’s pretty easy to gain access to these fansubbed clips, be it via downloads or (yes…) streamlined media. Though it is considered easy, there are also restrictions that fansubbers enforced on fellow fans and users regarding downloads and usage. As a user, you would think that this is all ridiculous and what not and may be thinking that the fansubbers were just being elitist over their projects.

So, I compiled up some possible Frequently Asked Questions for an easier explanation and to have everyone aware as to why fansubbers and fansubbing groups enforce their regulations to the general fanbase.

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• Current Location: Home
• Mood: Sleepy *yawn*

First up to the peeps of the U.S. of A, I want to wish all of you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Second, to the peeps of the AMNOS tribe, let’s all greet the O a (belated) Happy 29th Birthday!

Third, Monday is the last day of NaNoWriMo! Though I already won the challenge, my story is not yet finished! I hoped to finish everything by that day so I can finally rest and move on.

Fourth, TFL approved my application for the Samurai High School Fanlisting! Once after my novel is done I am seriously gonna get down and dirty in building this site. I may make it in to a mini-informational site, so watch out! The more I’m seeing this series episode by episode, the more I feel like I’m getting PWNED. It’s not because of the SURF DUDE or the Senorito, but the overall storyline is really well worth watching. I love the characters— all of them— including the self-centered cop and the bitchy principal.

Fifth, the menu for our Thanksgiving Dinner would be the gobble-gobble bird, stuffing, mashed potatoes, daing na bangus, pancit, lumpia, sinigang, pinakbet, rice, and pumpkin pie and more various Filipino desserts for dessert. Now that’s what I call Filipino-fusion style Thanksgiving!

Sixth, the folks are here. Time for me to sign off.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU’VE GOT and not moan in sadness for what you don’t have.

• Current Location: Home
• Currently Drinking: Iced Mandarin Red Tea
• Mood: Thankful ^_^