Hello there. 
Thanks for stopping by my journal. 
My journal is currently friends-only, 
although there are occasional posts that I keep public.
I'm always happy to make new friends, so feel free to add me.
Just keep in mind, that if you do randomly add me, 
I might not add you back if we share no common interests 
or if you have nothing posted in your journal. 
(Sorry for the precaution, but I don't like adding dummy journals)
But just drop a message and I'll be happy to add you back.
Bye. And take care!

~ Vera26

[March 6th, 2007 01:54] I've finally gotten to finish scanning most of Shirota Yuu and Kaji Masaki's photosets from D-Boys, Tenimyu, Cinepuri, and Musical Air Gear. Once I've gotten all the photosets that I have scanned, I'll post these images in their respective communities ^^ I've got the images all organized by month/musical because I'm anal-retentive like that xD
[March 11th, 2007 10:34] I've finally finished uploading the rest of Shirota and Kaji's musical photosets that are in my possession. I'm still waiting for SMJ to finish sending my other photosets that I bought.
[June 20th, 2007 17:23] I've finished scanning all the photosets that arrived to me on Saturday. I've uploaded a couple new Kaji photosets and a ton of Shirota's photosets.
[July 29th, 2007 14:27] I've uploaded all of Kaji and Shirota's photosets from May to July 2007.

Gomen on some of the images (actually, it's probably on most of them), but there are little bits of lint on the images which were picked up from my scanner. I really tried my best in getting rid of them, but they're persistent little buggers. There's gotta be a way to get rid of them.

*Notes: Coming Soon means I have the photosets, but I just haven't had time to scan them and Not Available means I don't have the photosets in my possession, because I haven't bought them, but the photosets have been released and I've uploaded the ones that have been scanned by others (credit given of course)

( Shirota Yuu: D-Boys Photosets )


( Shirota Yuu: Tenimyu Photosets )



( Kaji Masaki: D-Boys Photosets )


( Kaji Masaki: Tenimyu Photosets )


( Kaji Masaki: Cinepuri Trading Cards + Bromide )

I love the concept of this website, FreeRice, which is helping to contribute to end world hunger.

All we have to do is play a word game and for every word we get right, the website will donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations. While that's not much, if we can spread the word and play the game as many times as possible, you'll soon be able to donate a bowl of rice or more!

I think it's ingenious, so take a stab at it, I promise it's really addictive. Plus, we finally can put to some good use all those SAT words we memorized back in high school.

It's good to know that I haven't lost my enthusiasm for the Harry Potter series. If you're planning to watch the sixth movie and don't mind being spoiled, then continue ready, if not ... read at your own peril.

Midnight showings are always crazy. People are tired, cranky and ready for the movie to start. They wait in line for 7 hours plus. That devotion to a fandom is always impressive.
It's why I love going to the Harry Potter midnight showings. I was lucky to go a second time (the last being for Order of the Phoenix) and except for a few lame guys, the audience was really receptive to the movie.

We arrived at 5pm to get in line, by that time, the line was already pretty long, which is insane when you think about it. I had my brother camp down while Haritha and I went around the complex buying food for him. We were fully stocked and armed to kill time with food, card games and music.
By the time they let us in theaters, around 10pm, we barely noticed how fast the time had flew.

The movie started at 12:02 and it was a HUGE upgrade for the past few movies. Stylistically, the movie was gorgeously directed, I just loved all the camera angles and color schemes. Absolutely beautiful. The opening scene, was probably the best opening scene in all of the Harry Potter movies. They used scenes from Order of the Phoenix (which could have been used for the fifth movie) but instead used it to show the transition from Sirius' death, the aftermath, to Harry being the "Chosen One." It's really a gorgeous set up because I had almost forgot how heart-wrenching Sirius' death had been, David Yates does a terrific job highlighting Dan's eyes and how "empty" of emotion they were after Sirius' death.

Besides me loving the entire art direction, I love love love the casting in this film. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen was hilarious. He couldn't have been casted better (I have to admit, I thought he was hot). In the books he's such an ass, but in the movie, even though he was still a cad, you couldn't help appreciating what an ass he was). Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini was hot too. Frank Dillane as the 16 year old Tom Riddle was bloody creepy and hot at the same time, he did a really good job. In this film, without a true baddie ala Voldemort, I'm glad Tom Felton had been cast as Draco, he did a good job filling in the role of "bad guy" and keeping us interested in what his "task" was. Oh, I need to mention too that Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas needs a bigger role in these films, he's another hottie.

I think my favorite part of the movie though was all the comedy and romance aspect. It was kind of nice to have a Harry Potter movie not be so action packed, but focused more on developing the characters and just letting the audience relate more with the characters. Comedy Quidditch was just absolutely hilarious, Rupert Grint was so fantastic as Ron. His relationship with Lavendar was just so sickeningly funny. And then there's Harry, my favorite, I don't think they could have done a better job at making Daniel Radcliffe even more endearing than he already is. The Felix Felicis scenes with Dan were my favorite. One word: Pincers. You have to watch that scene, Dan was just too cute. He was all tripped out, it was fantastic. Dan should do more comedy, he's terrific at it.

Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn was terrific. I have to admit, I had my initial reservations about his casting (I think I wanted Bob Hoskins for the role - who btw, really needs to be in a Harry Potter movie asap) but he proved me wrong. The kids in the movies improved so much in their acting, but if there are three performances from the adult actors that were the best they would be Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, and the one and only Alan Rickman as Snape.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince achieved the perfect balance between humor, romance, mystery and action. Beautifully directed, it is my favorite Harry Potter film and in my opinion, the best in terms of adaptation, acting and direction. As far as sequels go, I love how the Harry Potter movies get consistently better every outing. It's very rare for film franchises to keep striving for the best in their sequels. For that, I appreciate what the film crew has tried to do over the years, no matter what was left out from the books or what was changed from the books, Harry Potter fans should count themselves lucky that the WB studios haven't fucked up the franchise like so many other studios have done to countless book to movie adaptations. Sure all movie studios care about the commercial and economic aspects of movies, but it's so evident that everyone involved with these movies, treats the HP universe with care and respect. They truly strive to make the best adaptation of the books as possible. It's why I keep going back to the movies - I treat them as a separate entity - a different interpretation of the books and I enjoy them - and I think book loyalists should start doing the same. Appreciate these films while you can - it's not often movie studios make it right when it comes to book/movie adaptations. We're the lucky ones.

Redemption. Sweet redemption.

Sweet sweet victory.



The Los Angeles Lakers completed their year long odyssey, their road to redemption.

Their defeat of the Orlando Magic in four games out of five, has revived the city of Angels.

Starting from last year's 2008 Finals, when they lost bitterly to the Boston Celtics in 6 games, the Lakers sought redemption and attained it this year, on June 14th, 2009.

The bitter taste from last year's Finals hasn't completely washed out, but in all honesty, last year's Lakers surprised everyone, including themselves, for making it to the Finals. It was a cake walk, with no real challengers in the Western playoffs. But the Finals stage, with its bright lights, was overwhelming, and the Lakers just weren't ready for the championship or Boston's defense.

But they learned. They took last year's bittersweet disappointment, used it as fuel, and improved.

Pau Gasol, his trade to the Lakers mid-regular season changed them from first-round exits in the playoffs to instant contenders, blamed for being "soft" in the Finals, heard the criticism, strengthened himself, and became the defensive presence he wasn't last year. His defense on Dwight Howard was the key to stopping the Orlando Magic, a team that was dangerous on offense and was strong defensively.

Lamar Odom, blamed for being inconstant, showed his versatility, and that he was ready to sacrifice for the team's victory, even if it meant coming off the bench. Through injuries, constant trade rumors, LO showed even though Kobe Bryant was the leader of the Lakers, LO was their heart. Through thick and thin, he is their glue guy, the one that leads the huddle chants, the one that hires a personal chef to cook team dinners. Through personal struggles and personal tragedies, he pulled through for the team. Without LO, the Lakers would not be the same.

Derek Fisher was accused throughout the regular season and the playoffs for being a step slower, for shooting the ball terribly, and for being another year older, for being left in the dust by his opposing point guards, but as this Lakers title run proved, redemption was there for the Lakers. D-Fish's calming veteran presence, his experience, was vital to a young Lakers team. If LO was the heart, than D-Fish is their soul. He is the one man, Kobe Bryant has fully trusted and respected over the years. They came together into the league 13 years ago as rookies to the Lakers and they've won four championships together. There is no one else that can challenge Kobe, but D-Fish and there is no one else that Kobe trusts than D-Fish to take the big shots. None other than the two biggest three pointers D-Fish made in Game 4 that won the game for the Lakers. He had missed all his previous 5 three pointers, before he made those last two three pointers.

Trevor Ariza was traded to the Lakers last year from, ironically, the Orlando Magic. He was seen as a offensive liability, despite his overwhelming defensive skills. Redemption was on his side, as he proved to his old team that they would pay the price for seeing him as a offensive liability as he drained three pointers after three pointers in Games 4 and 5 while hounding Hedo Turkoglu defensively. Stumped by a broken ankle last year, TA was not in game form during the Lakers run in the playoffs, but with no injuries to hinder his play this year, he made the right defensive plays every time the Lakers needed it.

Phil Jackson, for winning his 10th championship for the most championships ever won by an NBA coach. He proved all his detractors wrong that he couldn't lead a young team to win at the Finals. He will go down in history as the best coach ever. We are all witnesses to his incredible achievement.



And then there is Kobe Bean Bryant. Last year's regular MVP, he proved all his detractors and critics wrong. He won his 4th championship, as the unquestioned leader of a young Lakers team. This championship was his redemption, as much as the team's. With so many critics ready to pass his title as the best player in the world to Lebron James, Kobe showed his reign, was far from over. Beginning from his defeat least year in the Finals, to the gold medal victory in the Olympics, Kobe repeatedly proved that his hard work and dedication to the game of basketball was what separated from everyone else. His first Finals MVP award validated everything he's achieved and cemented his legacy amongst the greatest basketball players to ever play. 81 points. 4 championships. 1 MVP. 1 Finals MVP. 1 gold medal.

Let's just say it's been an honor and privilege to watch Kobe play for 13 years, through his ups and downs, from when he was a cocky 17 year old rookie freshly graduated from high school, to where he is now.

I was lucky to see Kobe play in person and I'll never forget it. But it was ever better to see the sheer joy of this young Lakers team when they did complete their search for redemption. It's been an amazing journey, I only hope the Lakers will re-sign Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, and Shannon Brown, keeping the Laker core intact and insure many many championship runs for many years to go.

And now, I must continue packing. Forgive my long rant about the Lakers, but my family is moving to a new home this weekend and having the Lakers is keeping my mind off of the stress of moving and packing. I graduated last week and I'm still not sure how I feel about that. Amongst everything, I'm also planning a trip to Europe. Should be a fun and relaxing summer. I hope everyone has had a great 2009 thus far, because I have.

I visited Big Bear for the very first time a couple weeks ago. I know I haven't had much time to write about it, because I've been studying for midterms this week (last one tomorrow!). It was a retreat with my advertising club that I was initially hesitant to go on, but looking back, I'm really happy I went.

( A stroll through Big Bear )

I have to admit though, I could never live in the mountains. While the snow, the mountains, the trees, were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, I don't think I could stand living up in the mountains, cut off from the rest of the world, putting chains on my tires, dealing with not only snow, but rain, heavy fog, bad road conditions, when I drive.



But, Big Bear, is a great vacation destination that I'd like to visit once a year, for the snow, the scenery, and the food at Mill Creek Manor Tea Room.

For my brother's 18th birthday party I baked him a bunch of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for him and his friends to share.



I wanted 18 candles on 18 cupcakes, after all, it's a pretty momentous milestone, right?



I only wish I had a prettier platter to serve the cupcakes in, it was kinda lame how I presented it. My favorite was the chocolate cupcakes, sooo good, it was pretty much like red velvet, minus the red food coloring. I was surprised by how it turned out. The vanilla cupcake, on the other hand, kinda reminded me of cornbread, but that's what I get for using a different recipe than the chocolate one.

Here's the recipe I used for the chocolate cupcakes (again, it's more red velvet than an actual chocolate-y chocolate cupcake):

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces or 1 package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
approximately 1/4 cup of strawberry sauce
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes:
Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk with vanilla extract. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes). Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Mix cheese with vanilla extract. Then beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

And this was my birthday card to him :D

bwahahaha

I was invited to attend my school/workplace's Academic Affairs luncheon for Staff holiday party today and got to participate in a gift "stealing" game with the rest of the staff from the Executive Vice Chancellor's Office and the Academic Affairs Office.

The game was so much fun, we could either pick from the gift pile or steal other people's gifts they chose but after a gift had been stolen 2 times, it was safe from being stolen and the person could keep it. I brought wine as a gift for the gift pile and ended up "stealing" a 5-in-1 power blender from my coworker. Pretty cool. My mom's going to love it. Alcohol was one of the big gifts that kept being stolen. Everyone wanted the Bailey's :D There were like three Bailey's that were circulating. One of them included a Bailey's with Liberace cut-out dolls and a Scientology DVD, seriously, it was awesome, I couldn't believe what I was looking at.



The food was pretty good too. My boss ordered a steak dish for me, her veggie pasta dish looked pretty good too. All in all, I had a blast, and I just feel really lucky that I've been able to work at my school's administration building with the Chancellor and the Executive Vice Chancellor's office since April.

I'm thankful for all the opportunities I've been given.

My Batman: The Complete Animated Series DVD collection arrived in the mail!
All 109 episodes episodes at my disposal. $75.99 well spent, yes?

Ah memories ... This is like my childhood wrapped in a box. I used to watch the Batman: TAS cartoons everyday after school. To me, Kevin Conroy will always be my Batman and Mark Hamill will always be the Joker.

The box set collection is a beauty. The 40-page Collector's book that comes with it has beautiful production artwork from the series.









If you love Batman, this is definitely an amazing collection to have. Purchase it here.

(and yeah, I'm currently addicted to Britney Spears' "Circus." It's the only song I've liked so far from her new album.)

At my workplace we hosted a welcome reception for new women faculty. As part of our goody favors to the professors that attended we handed out these cute little "Jars of Happiness" as I call them. Really simple to make and it brightens up people's day when they get these. Who doesn't love chocolate or candy? And the great thing about these jars is that you can decorate them however you want to, fill them up with whatever you want and they'll still be amazing gifts, especially with the holiday season coming up. So I just wanted to share how I made them:

Materials:
The jars are spice jars bought from IKEA
Colorful twine (or any pretty ribbon)
Gift tags (Printed on stock paper)
Candy (In our case, it was M&M's)
Single hole puncher
Scissors

Like I said, this is a really simple project to start on.

The only difficult part was the making of the gift tags. You want a nice simple design that is effective in portraying the message you want for your recipient. So if it's for a birthday, or whatever, a simple "Thank you for coming, Jane Doe." We kinda went with a Fall theme since the event was being held in November. Set up a template in Word, print your template out on to nice card stock paper and cut your tags out on a paper cutter.

Next, you want to use the single hole puncher to punch holes in your tags to thread the twine through.

Once you have all your tags hole-punched, start measuring out and cutting out the twine you need to tie around the neck of the jar.

Thread a tag through a piece of twine and tie it around the neck of the jar with knots you prefer. Repeat this for all the jars you have.


The really cute thing about these jars is that they can be tilted to their side.


Fill the jars with the candy of your choice, we chose M&M's.


And there you go! Lil' Jars of Happiness.

Of course this post isn't complete without some pictures from the event. ( Read more... )

Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America. Absolutely historic. I wanted Hilary Clinton to win, but I'm also equally happy that Barack Obama won.

Obviously race issues are still very prominent in America, racism still exists, in our social institutions, social hierarchies, social structures, but hopefully with Barack Obama as president, a lot of social structures like house equity, education, tax property, health care, can be changed to benefit poor communities of color. The idea is hope and that is what he's generating for most citizens in America. In all likelihood, the radical changes I'm hoping for under his tenure won't happen. Politics, unfortunately, is a long and arduous process, with different interests and agendas conflicting.

I'm stunned that voters in California would pass Prop 8, I honestly thought people in California would be ready to fight for human rights (the freedom of choice) and not fear the idea of gay marriage. But the supporters of Prop 8 played a brilliant trump card and that is, the instillation of fear. Fear, is a powerful tool in politics and it always works.

It just doesn't seem right that we have taken one step forward, but also one step back.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

I have two midterms next Tuesday. That same day, I need to turn in three audio projects. And I still need to finish my sculpture. Yay. The good news is that my professor really likes the sculpture I'm working on, so that's one less to worry about.

Then I still have to worry about the Advertising Club's tryouts, grad applications, internships, job offers...

Thank GOODNESS it's Friday.

The NBA 08-09 Season started on Tuesday. Glorious NBA, how I have missed you. Even though I promised I would not invest anymore emotion in watching these games, the NBA just keeps drawing me back in.

Go Lakers!!

Hot damn Kobe. You Rock. Period.
Why? 2:00 minutes in. Kobe's message for UCI. How awesome is that?


The new Guitar Hero 4 commericial featuring Michael Phelps, Tony Hawks, A-Rod, and who else, but the NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant:


I missed my chance to meet Kobe and see Three Six Mafia last Friday. Three Six Mafia were coming to UCI to perform, I heard Kobe went to see them too, and I had gotten a free ticket for myself and everything, but I wasn't in the mood to go.

Then there's the Backstreet Boys concert that I really want to go to. Tickets just went on sale, but I don't think I want to drive up to Hollywood to see them. I went to the Never Gone tour in 2005, which was a blast, but that was in my city and I really wish they would perform here again. I'm still contemplating whether or not I should go, but with the crappy economic conditions, it's probably better that I save my money.

Lastly, have I mentioned how much I love T.I.? Addicted to Paper Trail, which is such an amazing album, ranked right next to Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. There are so many good tracks on his album. "Live Your Life," "Whatever You Like," "My Life Your Entertainment," "Porn star," "On Top of the World," "Dead and Gone," to name a few.

Countdown to the NBA. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but I can't wait for the 2008-2009 season to start. This is the Laker's year right? I hope so. I don't need another repeat of last year.

How awesome is this? I received my free Kashi cookie yesterday in the mail :D



I saw an advertisement on TV so I went online and signed up for one. It came in practically no time at all, maybe a month or so. It usually takes these kind of "free" sample items to come in like half a year, so I was really surprised to see mine in the mail so soon.

You can get your own free Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chewy "Tasty Little Cookies" from Kashi too!



Aside from my free cookie, YAY it's the weekend ^__^ I really want to watch a movie and go out window shopping or dining, or SOMETHING .... but, I'm watching how I spend my money. Need to start saving up since I have no idea what's going on with the economy these days, everything is just free falling.

And here is a photo of my mum's birthday cake from her 48th birthday, it was Blueberry Mousse from J.J. Bakery, and surprisingly, really good, since I haven't like anything from there anymore. But nothing trumps the Fruit Tart that we usually get for birthdays from Viktor Bene's Continental Bakery in Gelson's Supermarket. So damn good. (or ice cream cake, ice cream cake is good too).

One of the best Olympic basketball game ever played: Team USA vs. Spain, 118-107.



Spain put up one heck of a game, but ultimately, Mamba, the 2008 NBA MVP, Kobe Bean Bryant, closed the game out and got himself the best birthday present: the gold medal. He scored 13 points of his 20 points, including a crucial 4-point play, in the fourth quarter.

Dwyane Wade was phenomenal off the bench and both he and Kobe were the reason why Team USA won in such a close and intense game. If anything these Olympic games have shown is that when Kobe wants to close out a game, he's the best clutch player there is, but a healthy Wade is going to make a world of a difference for the Miami Heat next year.

Pau Gasol showed so much heart, effort and ferocity in his play against Team USA, I can't wait for the NBA season to start again, because the combination of Pau, Kobe and Andrew Bynum is going to be dynamite!! If only Pau had been on Team USA, because as much as I *heart* Pau, there's no way I would want Spain to win the gold over Kobe and USA.

It was an emotional gold ceremony, especially seeing Kobe, giddy with happiness, sing with the National Anthem and kiss his gold medal. He's an gold medalist, an MVP, and an three-time NBA champion. I couldn't be prouder to be a Kobe fan, a Laker fan or a Team USA fan.

I love the Re-Deem Team so much more than I do the 1992 Dream Team, for the pure fact that the Re-Deem Team was about USA solidarity, supporting each other and being proud to be teammates and Americans.

So Happy 30th Birthday, Kobe! Congratulations to Kobe, you're an Olympic champion!!

WHAT the bloody Mary?

I go to Vegas, come back, and I find out that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince isn't being released THIS November, but NEXT June?!

Thanks for bursting my bubble.

Warner Bros. has epically failed on this by pushing the movie back.

The reason they give is also an epic bs. Who cares if the 6th movie is going to be closer to the first part of the 7th movie?! The release date was November 2008, they've had one and a half year to edit and film this movie (it's the same frame time for all the previous movies) so what gives?

Corporate greed. Damn you Warner Bros. Damn your greediness. It's not cool to do this to the HP fans that have stuck through the movies. Damn you for teasing us with a teaser trailer. Damn you for depriving me of Harry Potter and damn you for your crappy excuse.

I want my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in November back where it belongs.

I may be a huge Lakers fan, but living in the OC, I also support the often overlooked Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Baseball isn't my favorite sport to watch, but rooting forthe Angels year after year, has been a joy to watch.

The Angels won a championship in 2002 and have made the playoffs in 3 of the last five years. Despite this, they're often overlooked and scoffed by the "expert" pundits of East Coast biased Sports Networks like ESPN.

The Angels don't get the respect they deserve and even now, as the best team in baseball with the best record and best road record, the Angels are often overlooked and pushed to the side while teams like the Red Sox and Yankees are always in the national limelight because networks like ESPN just love groveling to them and any other east coast team.

But it doesn't matter. As crappy sports networks like ESPN, always have a east coast bias, even against established franchises like the Lakers, it's only to be expected that they would give the Angels the shaft. And that's fine. The Angels have played solid baseball for the last five years and they're going to keep playing solid baseball under Mike Scioscia.

One game at a time.

Also, how can anybody hate a team that has THE AWESOME Rally Monkey?! (yes ironically I'm using a clip of ESPN firing the Rally Monkey) 

OI! The first teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is OUT!

My Potter-loving days has died down lately, but after seeing that trailer, I'm excited again.
I think a midnight showing is in order.
Hello, Fandango.

Dan Rad!
Young Voldemort!
A Hallow (the ring) sighting!
Ginny!
Ron!
The cave scene (which looks awesome by the way)!
And best of all, this trailer contained absolutely ZERO Hermione.

THANK YOU, WB!

Although I'm sure the full length trailer will not be so.

I'm thinking of giving my parents something special for Christmas or their wedding anniversary.

Quality Canvas Photos.

Or something similar to that. Probably find an ancient photo of them together and have the company mount it on the canvas for me. Someone at my workplace showed us her canvas photo from the company and I thought the company did a pretty good job with her photo. I haven't been exactly giving my parents awesome gifts lately (then again, we don't really do the whole gift thing) but I suppose twenty three years of marriage warrants consideration from the kids. Either that or a cruise? Everyone at my work raves about going on cruises.

It's a little early to be thinking of gift ideas, but just thought I throw it out there as a suggestion.

I have to admit, I haven't been keeping up with the D-BOYS or Shirota or Kaji as much as I would like, nor have I blogged about them as much as I would have liked, but Shirota leaving the D-BOYS warrants an entry.

I remember liking the D-BOYS because of Shirota (and Kaji through 2nd cast Tenimyu), with his graduation, the cornerstone that was Yanagi-Endo-Shirota just won't be the same anymore. This comes as a huge blow, a shock just like when Adachi graduated from the D-Boys.

I don't know what to say except that Shirota will always be a D-Boys to me, but at the same time, I can't help but say I felt it coming. It's surreal, but I guess for Shirota, it was time to move on? Being in the D-Boys kinda tied him down? Maybe this means that Shirota will finally be able to release a solo CD, go on tour, etc.

On one hand, I want Shirota to do well, I want him to have tons of fans and love and adulation, but did it have to mean leaving the D-BOYS? No doubt the camaraderie built between the D-BOYS and Shirota over the years has been like brotherhood. It'll be hard not to see Shirota participate in D-BOYS events, at the same time, I want him to do well on his own. He's made a name for himself through, so the big question is, who does he sign with? Does he stay with Watanabe, or go with a completely different agency?

Whatever he chooses, I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to seeing his future projects.