Friday, December 23, 2011

The Meme Proposal

I don't know about you guys, but that proposal is certainly one for the books. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside~ ♥

Best wishes to Tim and Audrey~ I hope you both have a happy married life~ ♥

But it makes me wonder, what if Audrey said no? Did he have something prepared for that scenario as well?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

梁文音: 還是朋友

I’m currently in Hong Kong with my sister and brother-in-law, and I’m disappointed that there’s been a ton of changes with the selection of anime and manga here. Five-something years ago, I can buy anime figures everywhere. Now, Sino Center looks so bare, with only a handful of anime stores in the whole building!

Oh well, at least I’m getting to update my Chinese mp3 list. Here’s one from 梁文音, “Still Friends After Breaking Up”. It’s so cute and it gives you a light-hearted, happy feeling. She’s saying that maybe one day, the guy she broke up will remember that silly girl… Well, I’m not qualified to translate this, so I’ll ask my sister later. :D

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Sweets & Bitters

I don't really "ship" any of the Vocaloids, but in this particular song? I support the Kamui Gakupo and Megurine Luka pairing. >: Just read this lyrics translation of the chorus:

Turn spoiled behavior and jealousy both into joy
Because doing nothing but seeking is boring
I'll give you unending tenderness
SO I'm not sending you back

I love how their relationship in this music video is serious yet playful. Isn’t this how love’s supposed to be like? What ever happened to those kinds of princes anyway? Did they all die out in the 18th century?! ;o;

Saturday, October 22, 2011

A Lady and Her Butler

kuroshitsuji / black butler - sebastian michaelis iconI've had some creepy dreams about Kuroshitsuji after the first season of the anime ended… In fact, Sebastian generally creeps me out, even though I find this character to be quite “handsome”. I mean, who would want to have their souls eaten, right?

Well, the other night… rather, Sunday afternoon, I took a nap because I barely slept the night before, trying to fix my printer. I wanted to print some test panels for my independent comics for Komikon, but one of the gears cracked and I had to have it fixed the next morning (my only chance of getting out of the house, if you know what I mean).

Afternoon naps generally give me vivid dreams, but this one is still stuck on my mind.

In the dream, Sebastian was my butler. I wasn’t Ciel, because he called me “my lady” and I’m pretty sure… Ciel wasn’t there at all. It started out… familiar, because I told him I was tired- because of the same reasons that I was tired in the real world. He basically let me sleep and carried me to my room.

But in the next instance, I was going to meet my father for dinner. Now, I generally do this in the real world too, every Sunday, but it’s usually with the entire family. In the dream, Dad looked much older than his real self, and mom wasn’t with him. But it didn’t feel as unnatural as it should have been. I had the distinct feeling about a divorce of some sort, but I didn’t talk about it and neither did he.

I sat down, but refused to eat and let him finish whatever it was that was on his plate, when we overheard the people from the table beside us talking about some wealthy bachelor from a prestigious family marrying someone. My Dad, as usual, wanted to hear the details even though he couldn’t hear well anymore, so Sebastian whispered to me what it was about. It turned out that the bachelor wouldn’t refuse the arranged marriage because the girl was quite beautiful.

Dinner ended, and I left. I didn’t leave with my Dad, and went home to my own manor. I went to the garden that evening and felt like dancing in the moonlight. And who else would be my dancing partner but Sebastian himself. Smiling, like he does in that icon.

All of these details in a matter of a little less than 2 hours of sleep. It was rather intriguing. Nothing felt unnatural, even my being very emotionless. Hm…

Now I think I’ll make it a habit to write up about these. :3

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Grandfather is Watching…

juvenile orion icon - tsukasa amouI-if this isn't a scary encounter, I don't know what is.

It’s common knowledge to my family that the warehouse in our complex is “haunted”. My mother claims it’s the spirit of her late father, because he died before everything could be settled properly.

I’ve never seen this “ghost” so I never believed these stories. My dad always asks me to accompany him when he needs to check something in the warehouse at night. And he always, always tells me not to wander too far away from him.

Well, because I need to take care of my parents in the morning until evening, I only have time for myself after dinner. Usually, from 8 pm – 1 am, I would either be working on Mist, updating Cosplay Holic, or just recently, walking and/or jogging inside the warehouse. It’s the largest open space I have for my bi-weekly exercise, so at 8:30 pm last Friday, I went for a walk.

Some time around 9:00 pm, I heard footsteps. His pace was much slower than mine, in a sort of hushed steps. I was confused because I had my mp3 on, so how could I be hearing a second pair of footsteps behind me?

I decided to stop walking… I could still hear the steps.
Then I took off my headset… the footsteps were a little louder.
The footsteps stopped. I turned around-

No one was there.

Then I told myself: “C-chill, Rei! It’s probably someone… maybe dad or your nephew’s playing a trick on you! Yes, that’s it! J-just have a look around… you’ll find someone hiding… somewhere!”

But I checked everywhere, including the locks on all the doors.
No one was there, and everything was locked up tight.

Needless to say, I finished the last 1000 steps faster than usual and went home. This is the first time I “heard” something without seeing it. It’s usually the other way around! You could say I’m kind of glad I sprained my ankle yesterday (another story for another time), but I really would like to get to the bottom of this… encounter.

…huh. I guess I’ll be taking that walk tomorrow evening after all.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Club Punta Fuego

Some time last summer, my brother decided he was going to invite himself to his friend’s rest house which included a private beach; at least, that was what he told me.

punta fuego's amazing scenery

He decided to drag me along for the trip, because he wanted a navigator to help him find his way and keep him awake. It’s pretty far from Manila, but I guess that’s the whole point seeing only the rich people can afford to live here.

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Sorcerer and the White Snake

Looks like Jet Li is coming up with another film~ I thought he was done with these ancient, Chinese martial arts films, but I guess he changed his mind!

The film is based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake. I haven’t heard of this until now, so I might check out some of the books we have in the library to see if I can find out more about it. The film was also shown out of competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival last 3rd of September, so I’m guessing there are a lot of nifty effects to look forward to~

Can’t wait until the 28th~ Please show this in the original Mandarin dialect with English subtitles! I’m begging you Philippines!!!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Flip. Flop.

Summer’s officially over and the tropical storms are ~blowing~ me over. You know that, and I know that, but why in the world am I shopping for flip-flops at this time of the year?!

flip-flop sandals from toeberries - skullcandy

Quite possible because I can't resist skull candies like these. The only thing I hate about these cute designs is that they don’t last very long. >.>;;; You’d think they can come up with better printing by now! But oh well… All things must come to an end. =/

flip-flop sandals from savannah - butterflies

And then there’s this one.

What? The butterflies were cute so of course I had to get them. >.>;;;

Monday, July 18, 2011

Kozui Green Tea Cafe

kozui anmitsu

Kozui is well-known for their Green Tea soft-serve ice cream, especially their Japanese version of Halo-Halo known as Anmitsu. I mean, look at that gorgeous, green swirl and tell me your mouth doesn’t water. And with taro, green tea jelly, red bean, sago, a fruit of your choice, and mochi? How could anyone resist?

…I did last week, and it was because of this:

kozui tokyo sakura milktea

If you've hanged around with me enough, you’ll know that I have a weak spot for milk tea. Whether it’s hot or cold, I love having my teas with milk~ Now Kozui came up with a medley that I will forever love: Cherry Blossom Milk Tea. They call it Tokyo Sakura, and it is a must try. :D If you don’t like sweets that much (like yours truly~), then ask the server to make it less sweet. The fragrance of the blossoms in the tea is always more than enough for me to ask for more.

I have tried the rose version though, which is what I plan to have next time I go to Kozui~ Which will be very soon, since I’m already dreaming about it while I’m writing this~ ♥

On another note, why does it feel like summer again? ;x;

Friday, July 15, 2011

Butterfly Comb

I finally for my bluetooth working on my new PC! I have so many photos in my phone that I want to post here that I don’t know which to show first!

However, I am currently swamped with work and drawing and manga, so I will start with something simple:

butterfly comb from hua mulan

This is a hand-carved, pine wood comb I bought from Hua Mulan in SM Annex. Apparently, natural materials such as wood, ox horn, and goat horn make excellent combs because the mainstream, plastic types will cause hair static.

I’m not sure what else the girl was saying, but my sister swears by their product! I wasn’t really interested in buying one until I saw this.

<_< >_> What? I really like butterflies long before I met Yuuko-san!

So far, it does make my hair more manageable than usual. My hair is very hard to tame, so that says a lot! Plus, I comb my hair more often now, because I like poking the butterflies on the comb. ;u;

Simple pleasures… we must treasure them daily~ Just like my lovely Kaname-sama layout~~ ♥

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Lunar Eclipse

By luck and plurk, I had the opportunity to see the full lunar eclipse that occurred earlier this morning… This photo was taken by my phone’s camera. However, it’s not what you think!

lunar eclipse - june 15, 2011

It was around 3am when the moon turned into a nice, glowing red ball. The maximum lunar eclipse was around 4:12am, but by then, the moon was too low in the sky for me to see or take a proper photo!

I then turned to Slooh for the live feed. Only Dubai and Cyprus had available feeds, but you know Slooh, they won’t let you take a screenshot of what you see on your monitors!

What did I do?

I took a photo of my screen. Literally.

Then with the magic of photoshop, I have this “clear” photo of the lunar eclipse~ ♥

Oh, and I changed my signature for my photos~ If this better than the old one?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Nendroid Crazy

Admittedly, I never thought I would get into Nendroids from Good Smile Company. For one thing, there are rather large for chibi figures, and having changeable parts isn’t really a good incentive in my opinion…

nendroid / good smile company - hatsune snow miku, sebastian michaelis, and saber lily

I say this while owning 3 Nendroids already… and I’m still searching for other characters I might like to add to my collection. It’s all Sebastian’s fault. Him and his cute cat.

Oh, and I did find a reason to like interchangeable parts:

nendroid / good smile company - saber lily in sebastian michaelis' body

Saber Lily looks like she stepped out of Fate/Zero when she’s in Sebastian’s body. Roflmao~ xD Guess I can go without buying that figure anymore!

Friday, March 25, 2011

DBSK: Why Did I End Up Falling For You?

DBSK’s どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう?or "Why did I end up falling for you?" has been stuck on my playlist on continuous repeat that I think I need to post about it again.

The moment I heard this song, it made me think that the lyrics sounded so sad despite the beautiful melody. Mind you, I’m not fluent in Japanese at all, so I was surprised when I read the translation of the lyrics…

それでも君が僕のそば離れていっても
永遠に君が幸せであること
ただ願ってる
たとえそれがどんなに寂しくても
(切なくても)

But, even though I say that I need you close to me
I just pray that you will be happy forever
No matter how lonely that makes me (or how sad)

Translations and lyrics from DBSKer

For those who don’t follow my art blog, I drew a fake screenshot of Vampire Knight’s Kaname and Yuuki. Please check it out too when you have time!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Baguio: Oh Mai Khan!

genghis khan vs. oh mai khan

Mongolian barbeque is not something I’d actually crave for, but Oh Mai Khan in Baguio City is an exception to that.

oh mai khan dishes

They have one dish in particular that never fails to blow me away, and that’s “Taste of Asia”! The beef is somewhat crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside. That’s not the most accurate way of explaining it, but you really have to try it!

The down side was their salad… I didn’t really like how it tasted, but their other dishes made up for that nicely! The strawberry sorbet is also very good, but it’s not your typical sorbet, it’s a drink! Think fresh strawberry with ice shake… absolutely heavenly! But if you’re not a fan of sweet stuff like me, better ask the server to separate the syrup.

I tend to do that nowadays when it comes to fresh fruit shakes… I guess I’m losing my sweet tooth?

Overall a good place to go to when you’re in Baguio. Just be sure to ask around for where it is, because the streets can be a little confusing… don’t be shy, the locals are quite friendly~ ♥

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sword Dance and Shadowgraph

I never would have thought doing a kata on stage would look this cool.

Alright, alright, so it’s not than just any simple series of sword slashes, dodges, and tumbles… It has animation to go with it. But however came up with this is pure genius, ok? Ok.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Mario Karting in the Real World

I would totally play this game if it weren’t for the cops. Seriously.

Friday, February 4, 2011

A Christmas Package on a Magical Journey

dai's christmas package

Soubi’s Dai’s package finally arrived the other day… which made me curious because for one thing, it took a lot longer than usual, even for something coming from the USA.

package arrived in pakistan package missent to malaysia

Upon closer inspection, it arrived in Pakistan on Christmas Eve. Normal enough, until I saw the front, which was stamped “missent to Malaysia”.

…my gift got to see Malaysia before I did.

And did I mention the post office asked me to open the package in front of them? They were probably curious to see what I was waiting for since last Christmas. Then again, when I said I was expecting a card and they received a package instead, I guess they were concerned? That or all packages must be inspected by the post office or something.

…needless to say, I squealed like a little girl when I opened the paper wrapped gift inside.

golden butterfly earrings

Golden butterfly earrings that my camera phone refuses to take a clear picture of! ;_; They’re so cute and pretty and-

…now I feel that itch to have my ears pierced again. T_T

dai's christmas card soubi's message through dai

I’m not about to show you what Dai wrote in my card… but I thought I’d share this P.S. because for the love of me, my Soubi fangirlyness is showing. And besides, Dai has cute handwriting~

Now to think about whether or not I should pierce my ears. ;x; I’ve always wanted to, but the pain involved is making me run the opposite direction.

THANK YOU DAI~♥! I love my gift to bits and pieces! ;o;

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Surreal Serenity

Because of my current job as a scientist science blogger for WeaselTech, I’ve been researching a lot on Astronomy, Health, and other scientific findings that are worth mentioning.

I’ve come across APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) and found a beautiful photo that I can’t use for my work… so I thought I might as well blog about it here.

switzerland sunrise with venus and the moon

That is Venus hovering above the moon as seen Sunday morning in snowy eastern Switzerland. You can see the peaks of the Alps just below the rising sun, but the huge mountain on the right is Mittlerspitz. You can also see the light from the village of Trübbach the small town of Balzers, Liechtenstein far below.

And why did I post this photo, you ask?

Because I saw something similar along Marcos Highway during my trip to Baguio two weeks ago. I wasn’t able to get a proper photo of the cloud blanketed valleys, so I might as well settle for this instead.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Tagaytay: The Lake Hotel

lake hotel 1

Because my brother had some business to do in Tagaytay last weekend, my sister and I decided to come along and enjoy the cold air.

Surprisingly, it was much colder in Tagaytay than it was in Baguio the week before. I’m not complaining though; I love the cold weather much more than the humidity of Quezon City.

lake hotel 2

Brother’s acquaintance is currently working in the Lake Hotel. I must say, the accommodations were lovely, but the prices are way too much… much more than Taal Vista, which is very surprising. I guess since it was newly built in November 2009 that they could jack up the prices, but unless I’m earning more than I can spend, I don’t think I can stay there.

Good thing it was only a day trip though, because I don’t think my wallet can afford any more abuse. xD;;;

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Baguio City: The Good Shepherd’s Garden

good shepherd veranda

My brother has a sweet tooth for Good Shepherd’s Peanut Brittle, Strawberry Jam, Ube, among many other confectionaries this brand is well-known for.

I don’t like sweets very much, aside from the occasional Strawberry Jam on buttered toast. And I didn’t need to buy anything for anyone since no one really knew I went to Baguio in the first place. :D So I decided to walk around the gardens to enjoy the cool air while I still could. :3

good shepherd garden walkway

good shepherd wishing well good shepherd garden fence

For the record, even though I was alone during my walk, I was not emo tripping. Ok, maybe a little, but that doesn’t count! I’m actually glad I had a camera phone with me, since these will make very good art references some day.

good shepherd main garden

Note to self: Buy a DSLR when you get the chance. I bet these photos would have turned out much better with a good camera. *A*;;; Ah well, such is life…

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Good Taste: Cafe and Restaurant in Baguio City

When people tell me not to judge a book by its cover, I now think about this particular restaurant, opened 24 hours in Baguio City.

good taste cafe and restaurant - buttered chicken and bihon

Located in 8-9 Lapu-Lapu Street, Good Taste may be a little hard to find, but well worth the trip. The setting and crowd in itself is not exactly “fine dining”… actually, it’s more like a chaotic, fast food place that’s jam-packed with hungry people all waiting to be served!

But I have to say, the serving sizes are huge, the price is affordable, and the food is absolutely delicious! Looking at this very bad photo of their famous buttered chicken is making my mouth water while I’m writing this. *o*;;; Their crispy pata and bihon were quite something as well.

I wouldn’t recommend to dine in this place at night though, because we did have some trouble with drunks along the side streets to find our way back to our car. Next time we’re going back, we’ll be ordering some take out and eat back in our hotel. I’m not sure if they have delivery service, but you can try calling them at (63 74) 444-2201.

…I should not have written this blog post so late at night. Now I’m craving for that buttered chicken. *A*;;; Mmm…

Monday, January 17, 2011

Camp John Hay: the Manor

It took me a while to get them together, but here are a few photos from Camp John Hay’s Manor where my siblings and I stayed in Baguio last weekend.

camp john hay: the manor

The Manor itself is quite huge, and the rooms are comfortable enough that I wouldn’t mind if I had to stay indoors all day. Prices are slightly higher than the hotels you first get to when you enter the city proper, but it’s well worth the extra few hundred pesos when you want peace and quiet at night and a breathtaking view.

camp john hay: the manor garden

Both the facilities and the staff make you feel like you’re one of the richest people alive. I really liked the garden with this small waterfall because there were koi fish in them! None of them were significantly huge or pretty, but they were obviously well-fed. Too bad they swam too quickly for me to snap a photo of them.

camp john hay: the manor's outdoor cafe

We had a breakfast buffet on Sunday morning, and I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind going back there to eat again. You could probably tell from the lack of photos that we were all too happy to finish our meals that we forgot all about taking pictures!

The weather is excellent this time of the year too. It’s quite cold compared to Manila, which is a welcome change for many I’m sure, but it’s better to pack those jackets just in case your body can’t take the cold!

camp john hay: tha manor lobby

Overall, the Manor is a very nice place to stay in when you visit Baguio. I believe there is another facility within the area call "the Suites” which is similar to the Manor but is still under going construction. Same prices and accommodations, but less people stay there since only a few rooms are available. I wouldn’t mind trying that out once I get back to Baguio though~ ♥

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Manor at Baguio

kuroshitsuji - sebastian michaelis iconMy siblings decided to go to Baguio this weekend while the parents are away. :3 It's just an overnight stay, but I have to say, Camp John Hay is really quite something.

The Manor makes you feel like a million bucks. xD All of the staff wear white gloves and the gardens are amazing. :3 I could just stay in this hotel and I'd be satisfied, but of course, my siblings get bored easily, so we'll be heading out in a few minutes to see Ibays for some silver then off to the market for some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Speaking of vegetables, I've never tasted vegetables so sweet. I guess what they say about Baguio having the freshest vegetables is quite true. :3

We ate a lot of good food at the most unlikely places too. I wish I brought along my bluetooth dongle for my laptop, but I doubt I'd have time to edit the photos.

I'll post more later... for now, I'm going to go get some strawberries and fondue~ ♥