Hitler reacts to SOPA

Hitler's reaction to SOPA, which is actaully quite fitting.

Japanese Hair Bun Tutorial

Omg, I really love this! Another Up do Bun. (Un-Messy lol) :)

Quick & Messy Bun / Up-Do

Here's another hairstyle I like. Messy buns are my 'default' favorite. Meaning, when I'm just too lazy or just can't decided what I should do with my hair, I just end up putting it in a messy bun. lol

This one is nice. I especially like the headband combination. Just perfect! ♥♥

Quick Fancy Side Ponytail

Personally, I hate complicated hairstyles, unless of course its for some big event that I have to attend, or something dressy that calls for the effort. But if its for casual everyday styling, I like simple & easy the best. I guess it's because I have really long thick unmanageable hair lol.

Anyway, I managed to stumble across this one that I really like, and it actually looked really great in my hair so I totally recommend this hairstyle.

Post Workout Fruit Smoothie - Trainer in the Kitchen

Another Yummy Smoothie! (^_^)

Best enjoyed after a good workout!
♥♥♥

Black Friday 2011 Bundle: LittleBigPlanet 2 Special Edition and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

So my PS3 is being a pain in the ass right now simply because its '1st Gen'. So me and my boyfriend finally decided to get a new one. YAY!!!
We've been looking at bundles online and I realize that actually there aren't that many to choose from to begin with.

However, in our search we managed to come across the Black Friday 2011 Bundle, where you get Little Big Planet 2 as well as Ratchet and Clank All 4 One included in the set.





Originally we were going to choose the Uncharted 3 bundle but....since I haven't played parts 1 or 2 yet (shameful I know), we decided to just go for the two is better than one deal.
So as promised, my bf ('Shawn' for future ease of reference) is going to put the order through by the end of the month.
I honestly can't wait. I've just about had my fill of my current system shutting down in the middle of gameplay, annihilating my efforts to sustain my trophy collection lol.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

I don't know why, but I really really love smoothies.
Here's one that Laura Vitale posted recently.
Love all of her videos!♥♥♥


Enjoy...

20-minute Interval Training - Sarah Fit TV

Dedicating yourself to a healthy lifestyle is really important to me. Eating clean and getting regular exercise is a must if you want to maintain a healthy body.

That's why I decided that I'm gonna get serious with my exercise program....despite the fact that I'm lacking in the discipline department. lol

But luckily Sarah's videos get me right back up after a slump.

Here's a great exercise Interval I found on her channel.

Think I'll give it a go...

For more of her videos you can go to SarahsFitTV

Check it out, she's got some good stuff.

Why Dexter Needs to End - TV Feature at IGN

Why Dexter Needs to End - TV Feature at IGN

Idiots (lol)

I totally had to share this link. A very good article by Matt Fowler.

I couldn't agree more with his sentiment.

After watching the latest season of Dexter, I am completely convinced that Showtime is all out of ideas and are desperately grasping for straws.

To me the series ended at season 3 ( and even that's a stretch)

Oh and has everyone forgotten the fact that Quin kinda sorta found out who Dexter is in season 5?

Sloppy...

At this point there are way too many plot holes and anti climatic situations to take in all at once anymore.

Anyway, read the article.

Its good stuff :)

*Oh and beware of spoilers, if you haven't seen the new season yet (season 6) then I suggest you watch it before you read this.

Tora Dora! Anime Review

Type: TV Series, 25 episodes
Year: 02.10.2008 till 26.03.2009
Genre: Romance, Comedy

Ryuuji Takasu has an eventful life: his classmates think he's a delinquent due to his 'killer' eyes; his crush Minori seems ever out of reach; and he’s just had an unfortunate encounter with 'palm-sized Taiga' – a feisty and dainty wench in his class. With different cleaning habits and tempers, the two clash like night and day; that is, except for the fact that Taiga and Ryuuji have crushes on the other's best friend! With school rumors abounding, the duo must now work together to play matchmaker for each other. Who will end up with their true love?

(Source: anime-planet)

So I thought I might as well share my thoughts on this series, since I came across another review somewhere while I was doing some research.

First of all let me point out that I am and always will be a 'romance' fanatic. Don't get me wrong, I love other genres as well as the next person, but Romance, is my all time favorite. ^_^

And so naturally, Romantic Comedies are always a plus for me.

Despite this simple fact however, I can't say that this anime wet my appetite as well as I hoped it would.

There were a lot of things I didn't like about it.

Not that it's a waste of time or anything, I'm not saying that at all. It's just that, in my opinion, it could have been a whole lot better, minus a few annoying aspects.

Let me elaborate:

First:

The Good

Taiga Aisaka

When it comes to female characters, I personally prefer the 'good girl' type. You know, the shy, well mannered, soft spoken ones.

Yet somehow, despite my preferences, I actually liked the 'palm top tiger'.

Her mood swings and mean disposition actually make her, well, kind of cute and likable.

And I like the fact that underneath her exterior she's actually really vulnerable and kindhearted.

Her crush on Yuusaku actually highlights the fact that she's just a regular girl under all that scowling.

As for her design, I love it! Especially her hair :D

Next...

Ami Kawashima

To be honest, at first I didn't like her at all. But as the series progressed I was forced to change my mind.

I love the way Taiga was able to see through her 'good girl' act right away despite having fooled everyone else. (And by everyone I mean mostly guys lol)

For the most part she's kind of a mean person at heart, but I like the fact that she came to terms with what she was and eventually accepted herself after years of pretending.

Also I noticed that she was one of the most, if not THE most mature female character in the entire series.

Her advice was always something that Ryuuji could actually use and not just some useless dribble.

And her fights with Taiga were always hilarious.

All in all, she contributed a lot to what's good about this anime.

Next...

Ryuuji Takasu's 'Killer Eyes'

Lets face it, Ryuugi is hottt! And maybe I think so because I'm into the whole 'bad boy' look.

But a lot of his appeal comes from, well his eyes.

I love the fact that, because of his killer eyes, people usually get the wrong first impression of him. It's the source of most of his high school social issues. But its because of that, he's so unique compared to most of the other male characters that fall into his category.

But its because of that category, I give a thumbs up to his 'eyes', and not to 'him'.

I'll get to that shortly....

Moving on....

The Animation Style and Artwork

What can I say, other than I absolutely loved it. The artwork was clean and fresh, and some of the more significant scenes were very well put together.

A good example is Taiga's fight with Sumire....

The slight change in animation was suitable for what the scene needed to portray...extreme emotion.

Which brings me to my other like...

Emotional and Dramatic Content

This anime focuses a lot on human relationships and explores various levels of love and adoration.

As a whole, its very deep and fulfilling. All of the characters thoughts and emotions are well showcased and you're never in the dark as to what someone is feeling.

The story itself, because of these factors, come together nicely and leaves you feeling satisfied and somehow warm and fuzzy inside :)

So all in all, this series, like I said, is in no way a waste of time.

But, like all good things, nothing is perfect...

Here are some of the things I didn't like...

The Bad

Minori Kushieda

Ok, I don't even know where to start when it comes to Minori. Usually I like ditsy characters but in this case, I have no idea what the hell happened?

Actually I do know...

Minori is just annoying as heck. Simple and to the point.

This girl acts as if she's from another planet somewhere and landed on earth in a space shuttle...on her head.

She keeps acting like a bobble head without a care in the world and totally ignores Ryuuji's feelings for her...

That is until Taiga starts to show interest in him that is.

Ryuuji was hers for the taking from the beginning, yet she totally ignores that until her best friend falls for him. And then acts all hurt and sad that Taiga stole Ryuuji's heart before she could.

WTF?

And another thing I hate is the fact that she's never straightforward with anything. She keeps comparing love to ghost stories and a whole list of other weird stuff.

Is this the writer's attempt at making her so deep that she actually transcends common sense?

Nah, I think its just poor character development.

There's a scene where everyone pitches in to put up a beautiful Christmas Tree and when its finished, Minori completely knocks it over.

Apparently she was depressed over wanting Ryuuji now that Taiga does.

I could go on, but I'm getting a major headache thinking about this.

Actually to me, she was pretty much the main reason I didn't enjoy the series as much as I should have.

She plays a major role in some of the last few episodes which kind of killed it for me.

Her character made no sense and the plot became pointless when it shifted some of its focus on her.

So in short, Minori Kusheida totally sucks!

Ryuuji Takasu

I'm really sorry, but I had to add him to my gripes list. :(

He's not a bad character per say, it's just that, his personality never made an impact on me at all.

He just a little too...'normal' I guess ( minus the eyes and the looks of course)

There's nothing about him that makes me excited or anxious to see who he ends up with.

And I say this because, as I mentioned before, I'm a complete Romance junkie, so I tend to get all excited when love is involved lol. And if I don't even give a damn or bat an eye lid as to who he ends up with, something is definitely wrong.

I watched this anime quite a while ago and I can honestly say, I'm having a really hard time remembering anything significant about him, except for the last few episodes of course.

I'm kind of tired of male characters that don't stand out.  There's lot of emphasis on female characters but I don't see the same effort being put in to their male counterparts.

All us girls get is the same character over and over again with different hair (if we're lucky lol).

'Sigh' such a bore.

So with all that said and done, I think I'll just say in a nut shell...overall this anime was a good watch.

People might disagree with me on a number of things but, this review is just based on my opinion and what I got from watching it. Basically, its Minori's character that contributed to many of the points I found annoying. And that fact in itself is annoying enough.

Its not Shojo material and it definitely won't satisfy the cravings of a helpless romantic but...

I can't say I didn't enjoy it for what it was....so in conclusion...

I give Tora Dora! a whopping 6/10. ******

Some of My Favorite AMVs

I was totally bored at work today and I was browsing through my video folder ( that I secretly stashed away somewhere on a secret part of my hard drive for occasions such as this)....*cough* clears throat....and I came across my small collection of AMVs that I'd completely forgotten about for some reason.

I have to admit, they managed to put a smile on my face after being boggled down by stacks of paper and unrealistic deadlines.

So I decided to compile a small list of my favorites.

They're in no particular order, since I can't decide which ones I like best.

So here they are:

(Sorry about the quality, they were the best I could find on YouTube.)

AMV Title: Good Girl

    Anime: Mezzo Forte

    Song:   Molly

    Artist:  Mindless Self Indulgence

 

   
AMV Title: Jihaku
 Anime: Various
    Song:   Best of You
    Artist:  Foo Fighters

AMV Title: Magic Pad
Anime: Various
    Song:   Arise
    Artist:  Mike Shiver & Ashkan Fardost

AMV Title: Pure Thrust
Anime: Bakemonogatari
    Song: Tonight (Nostromix)
    Artist:  Yuksek

AMV Title: Hit The Floor
Anime: Naruto
    Song: Hit The Floor
    Artist:  Bullet For My Valentine

AMV Title: Spoil
Anime: Death Note
    Song: The Last Firstborn
    Artist:  Celldweller








AMV Title: Bladebeat
Anime: Samurai Champloo
    Song: Subculture Upbeats Remix
    Artist:  Styles of Beyond

AMV Title: No Title
Anime: Dead Leaves
    Song: Brakkish
    Artist:  Kittie

AMV Title: Pale Sun
Anime: Trinity Blood
    Song: Ghost of You
    Artist:  My Chemical Romance

AMV Title: The Last Time Remembered
Anime: Rurouni Kenshin: Reflections
    Song: Forgotten
    Artist:  Linkin Park

AMV Title: Reflections of Style 3
Anime: Various
    Song: Various
    Artist:  Various

AMV Title: Chained
Anime: She and her Cat
    Song: Lamento OST
    Artist:  Gyoukou

AMV Title: Towards the Sky
Anime: Various
    Song: Complication (Durarara OP 2)
    Artist:  Rookiez is Punk'd

AMV Title: TestosteROS
Anime: Various
    Song: Granite
    Artist:  Pendulum

AMV Title: Smoke
Anime: Serial Experiments Lain
    Song: Smoke
    Artist:  Natalie Imbrugilia

So these are the 15 that I choose to put here.
I have a lot more that I like but, I couldn't put all of them on the list. Not enough time or space for that. lol

Heartbreak & Sunshine OST

I've been writing my beloved HBS Fanfic for a while now and I know I'm a hopeless romantic at heart; so it's no surprise that I would naturally compile a list of songs that go along with it.
Maybe the list could have been better, but, these were the songs I choose among an array of others. The lyrics are important of course, but some of them I added mainly for the emotions that they rip from my heart when I listen to the instruments. Generally, each song contributes to the entire picture as a whole so I'm semi satisfied. :) (Curse of being a perfectionist)
Although I should have completed it much sooner, this story has become rather dear to me over the years and I can't see myself walking away from it. (I love Seto Kaiba waaaay too much) lol

I've read a lot of Seto/Anzu fan fic but I never actually came across one that dove head first  into an actual relationship before, so I said what the heck...why don't I write one myself.
And so HBS was born. :) Yay!!! (^_^)

As of right now, I still have a few more chapters to put in, and I'm trying my best to balance everything on my shoulders between work, my apartment and a full time boyfriend. But as promised, I will get to the end, very soon. Hope my readers stick around long enough lol. I have been putting them through torture spells after all. But I love them...they know that.


Anyway, for anyone interested, here's the playlist....
Heartbreak & Sunshine OST

If I feel like adding anymore songs or removing some of them from the list until I find perfection, I'll make it so.

Thanks guys!

Kpop Spotlight: HyunA

So I recently started listening to a lot of Kpop and I happened to come across ('Wonder Girls ex-member) HyunA. Her single Bubble Pop sort of caught my attention, so I decided to do some digging on her.
I'm all over the Jpop scene but I never actually found the time to delve into much Korean.
Now that I have, I'm super glad I did. (^_^) ***
So here's my spotlight on HyunA:

Hyuna (born Kim Hyun Ah; June 6, 1992) is a South Korean dance-pop singer. She was a former member of  the girl group Wonder Girls but had to leave due to illness .
She Left Wonder Girls just before the release of their 2nd album and returned as part of a 5 member girl group, 4minute in 2009.

Stage name: Hyun A (현아)

Full name: Kim Hyeon Ah (김현아)

Nickname: Sexy Ya Seng Mah

Birthdate: June 6th, 1992

School: Choong Chun Middle School

Height: 163cm

Weight: 45kg

Blood type: O

Duration of Training: 3 years 2 months

Specialty: Vocal, Choreography, Poppin’, Street dancing(?)

Favorite Artist: Beyonce, The Pussycat Dolls, Rain, UN

Favorite Color: Yellow

Tattoo: My mother is the heart that keeps me alive

Although, I liked the video for Bubble Pop, apparently there's a lot of conspiracy over some of the images used. I honestly, think everyone's over reacting, but that's just my opinion.

Discography:

Bubble Pop



Tracklist

1. Attention
2. Bubble Pop!
3. Downtown Feat. Ji Yoon
4. A Bitter Day Feat.Jun Hyung & G.NA
5. Just Follow Feat.DOK2

A Bitter Day


Tracklist

1. A Bitter Day Feat. Jun Hyung & G.NA

Change



Tracklist

1. Change (feat. Junhyung)








Pics:

(Sources: Wikipedia, FY Kim Hyuna, Asian Star Profile, Jpop Asia)

Anime Spotlight: Stein's Gate

When I think of the word 'time machine', I immediately get images of that old movie of the same name back in 2002 or an image of that old novel by H.G Wells with the brown cover floating into my mind.

Needless to say, The anime I'm about out to share, in a nut shell, is about, well you guessed it, Time Travel.

And in staying true to Japan's uncanny talent for twisting old worn out ideas into something completely new and refreshing, they've completely reinvented the age old theory once again...in ways I've never seen anywhere else.

Not that I was surprised or anything....

Geez, what do they put in their water supply over there? Can I have some? lol

So as you can probably tell by now, I absolutely loved it, from beginning to end.

Mind you, it's not for the feint of heart, and one can easily become lost in a web of scientific data if you're not too careful.

But if you're used to anime like say, Ghost in the Shell, Serial Experiments Lain or even Durarara, it should be like a walk in the park.

(And I say this, because I've met a lot of 'anime fans' who don't really like information overload. So if all you're looking for is a lot of action and fight sequences, I guarantee that this is not the anime for you, so don't say I didn't warn you.)

Anyway here's the synopsis: 

Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in Akihabara. Steins;Gate is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN, who has been doing their own research on time travel, tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them. (Sources: VNDB, Wikipedia) ***** And so my answer is yes, I definitely recommend. A lot of time and effort went into making this and I believe they deserve all the credit I can give. RATING: 5 out of 5 stars *****