Reactivated

Man, has it been a loooong time since I posted. After the birth of Seb back in October 2006, life hasn't been the same. I started a new job back April 2007 and only now feel like I've acclimated. All of my general interests took a back seat.

I feel like this is a good time to start posting again. While the posts won't be consistent, I'm hoping this will at least pass the time by on days I'm bored or when I am compelled to share some new info.

So as an update on what I've been doing lately here are some things I have been following/reading/watching/learning about:

Last Completed J-Drama
Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi E -
Given the large amount of reinterpreted mangas adapted as j-dramas, the only reason why I watch them is to see what has changed in the live-action version. I HATE the ones produced in Taiwan because they literally follow the mangas event for event. So boring. I saw the Taiwan version of HanaKimi and it was very long and drawn out. The guy who plays "Quan" is cute enough but his awful Mandarin made it very hard to watch. The Japanese version is much better. The story is about a girl who masquerades as a boy and enrolls in an all-boys high school to get closer to her high jump idol. She ends up in the same dorm room as her idol and you can imagine all of her precarious situations.

Last Completed Manga Series
W Juliet-
Loved this series. One of my absolute all-time favorites. I have a soft-spot for cross-dressing, mistaken identity mangas. I think it all relates back to my Robotech/Lancer fetish from back in the day. This is a boy/girl high school love story set around theatre/acting. Tomboy befriends very feminine female classmate only to discover by accident that female classmate is really a boy. As part of an agreement with his father, boy must finish high school masquarading as a girl in order to emancipate from taking over the family business. If his identify is discovered, he takes over the business and must discard his acting dreams. This manga series is fun and includes much tenderness and affection between the two main characters which generally seems absent from a majority of the mangas I've read.

Current Manga Reading List
Fruits Basket -
This is getting quite endless but I feel the end is near. I already know who ends up with whom. I had to read the spoilers because this series just didn't seem like it was going to end. Now, the only thing I don't know yet is, how the curse is broken. An ophaned girl is taken in by a family whom various members are inflicted with a curse. These cursed members turn into animals of the Lunar Zodiac when held/hugged by anyone of the opposite sex. This story follows our heroine and her journey in uncovering the secrets of the family and her determination to break the curse.

Cipher-
This title was printed back in the mid 80's and completed in the very early 90's. I have the complete Japanese language graphic novel set. This was back in the day before manga/anime exploded in the US. 15 years later, they decided to license this for US release and imagine how overjoyed I was when I held the first English translated volume in my hands! Story is completely different now that I can read it in English. Before it was just guessing by looking at the art. LOL. It's about twin brothers who share a single identity to the public - two people taking turns masquarading as one. A fellow female classmate and fan befriends them and the story follows her love relationship with one of the brothers and how the brothers themselves discover/change/live their lives as separate individuals.

Her Majesty's Dog-
This one is quite interesting. It's sort of occult but with humor. Lead female character is a powerful leader of a small clan with the gift of hypnotism through the power of words. This story follows her life as a high school student as well as her personal/family trials. She is accompanied by a guardian spirit (a ghost dog with a very hot human form) who helps her along the way.

Of all of the mangas I read, I am quite discening as to which ones I like. I tend to gravitate toward the shojo titles, especially the high school ones with the plain Jane and hot guy in school. But not just any old story will do. The art has to have "hot bishounen" appeal and the story can't be about blackmale, incest, or sadism. I'm quite picky!

Last Asian Movie
Lust, Caution-
OMG, if you ever want to watch an Asian movie with a lot of graphic sex (not good sex either), then this is the movie for you. If you ever wondered what Tony Leung's butt looks like, this is the movie for you. If you ever thought Lee Hom Wang was somewhat cute but couldn't quite make up your mind if he was or not, this movie will seal the deal that he is a hottie after you watch it - this is the movie for you!

New Things I'm Trying
Acupuncture-
This has been working wonders on my stiff shoulder. I go every 2 weeks to a massage therapist/licensed acupuncturist.

No Dairy-
I am on a non-dairy diet these days. I found I was eating it a lot and my digestive system really couldn't handle it. I am feeling so much better without it but I do miss the taste of cheese and those lattes. When I do have a little dairy, my GI reacts to it more - usually not in a good way. One thing I noticed about my life without dairy is that I get hungrier faster. Dairy is very filling. No wonder babies love their formulas.

Food Scrap Recycling-
There has been more eco-awareness in my office and therefore I've decided to incorporate it into my personal life. We have been recycling all of our organic/biodegradable foods at home but the fact is most of the packaging that comes with your food is still pretty unrecyclable. Our garbage can doesn't have any less trash but seems to fill up slower.


Reading Blogs-
I have been reading other people's blogs here and there. I especially enjoy the ones by artists/cartoonists who share their art. Neil Gaiman's blog is also interesting. Go Fug Yourself and Perez Hilton are sort of my general staples.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass-
I try to play this DS game whenever I can. It's one of the best games I've come across in a long time. Fun, innovative and very engaging. Only thing is, I'm so tired on most days and don't get to play it as much as I would like and this game needs some dedicated time in order to advance further.

Can't think of anything else to add at the moment. I'll be checking in soon.