Ekkusu no Studio phase 4.1.
Happy 44th birthday, dearest Yoshiki ♥!!
The last time i updated my skin was on Yochan's 43rd birthday, and a year had passed. I'm glad that his surgery went fine and i hope he's recovering well. Don't neglect your therapy, Yochan, and hope to see you next year in China ^^
God bless your abundantly!!
(o^___^o)
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A fan of JRock music and bands. Most favourite band of all time: the legendary band, X Japan.
Loves its leader, drummer, pianist and main composer, Hayashi Yoshiki , usually called Yoshiki.
Loves one of X's guitarists, Matsumoto hideto, or usually called hide, and
one of the best vocalist I've ever heard, Deyama Toshimitsu, or usually called Toshi.
A list of favourite bands and artists/singers:
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet
(members: Kamijo (vo),
HIZAKI (gt) ,
Teru (gt) ,
Yuki (dr), ,
Jasmine-You (ba) ,
Tohoshinki or Dong Bang Shin Ki or TVXQ
(members: Xiah Junsu (mid-high), Micky Yoochun (mid-low), Youngwoong-Hero Jaejoong (lead), Choikang-Max Changmin (tenor), U-Know Yunho (bass))
SKIN
(members: Yoshiki (dr, pi) , Gackt (vo, pi), Sugizo (gt, vi), Miyavi (gt))
Lareine
(members: Kamijo (vo) , Mayu (gt), Emiru (ba), Machi (dr))
Kamijo (vo)
(bands: Lareine, Versailles
HIZAKI
(bands: HIZAKI grace project, Versailles )
Mana
(bands: Moi dix Mois, Malice Mizer)
Raphael
(members: Kazuki (gt), Yukito (ba), Yuki (vo), Hiro (dr))
DuelJewel
Dir en Grey
L~Arc en Ciel
Janne da Arc
Psycho le Cemu
GLAY
Luna Sea
Rentrer en Soi
Siam Shade
Was part of management committee of Endless Dream website and
ScreamingKIAI International forum, dedicated to Yoshiki and his music.
Alumni of the following schools:
Jakarta, Indonesia:
TK Genesis
SD Tarakanita III
Penang, Malaysia:
Chung Ling Private High School
Singapore:
Kent Ridge Secondary School
St Margaret's Secondary School
Pioneer Junior College
St Andrew's Junior College
Sunday 27 January 2008
thank you Sei from ScreamingKIAI for alerting me to this news (even before i opened my MySpace, which has JRR buletin announcement up about the news)
before i'm going into the news please bear in mind these 2 points:
1. when the official news was out regarding the X Japan Reunion Concert on 28th and 30th March 2008, it was said that official sale of ticket would be on 24th February and advanced booking through Yoshiki Mobile was on 23rd january - 2nd february.
2. the capacity of Tokyo Dome as a concert place is around 55,000 people.
now, for the news, all credits for JRock Revolution website:
YOSHIKI MOBILE DROWNED IN OVER 100,000 TICKET RESERVATIONS FOR TOKYO DOME LIVES!
click the link above for the official news. and for those who are lazy, i'll summarise it for you here. apparently, after the X Japan Press Conference on the 20th January, people had started calling YM and started booking that within a few hours more than 100,000 tickets were reserved! hey hey, and this is the 'supposedly' advanced booking, and through YM alone! what about X Japan fans who were not YM subscribers??
so, all in all, the unprecedented ticket sales had caused the management to consider adding more seats to accomodate, well, these YM subscribers alone! they were planning to add seats behind the stage, so the stage will be have 360degrees full view of the audience.
aaand, get this, they are also considering to auction the premium seats, i.e. the seats right in front of the stage, and part of the sales revenue will be donated to a Bone Marrow Donor Bank.
well, until the next press conference is out, anyone wanna bet with me how much will the auction seats cost, roughly? i gues.... no less than 50,000 yen per seat (original ticket price is at 12,800 and 10,000 yen) =P i think once i heard the news (or was it rumour?) about a pair of Yoshiki's drumstick which ended up in yahoo auction hall and yahoo had to take the item down because the auction had gone through the roof xD
oh, let me revise that guess then. how about, no less than 500,000 yen per ticket? xD oh well, we'll just have to wait and see...ne? ^^
and here is Yochan, who's worried about how the concert will go on the 28th and 30th march... well, no matter how the concert will go, Yochan, you can be rest assured that the whole Tokyo Dome will be filled to the brim with fans! just be careful when performing X (assuming that you will) because the X-jump during normal X Japan concert was enough to cause earthquake-like vibration through the nearby city, what more this time? don't bring Tokyo Dome down, X fans!
on one hand i'm truly truly happy about this news, because it shows just how much X Japan fans are still out there, and how they're still so dedicated to X. we rock!! on another hand, i do feel sad for those who weren't in YM... X fans but unable to go to the concert... if i were them, i'd have a broken heart!
and yet on another hand (i have 3 hands!!) i'm extremely extremely hopeful that following this massive success, they will do more concert outside Japan! oh shush, just let me be hopeful and let this be an encouragement to keep on praying...til the good news come out!! xDDDDDD
alright man, i'm very high.... the new year 2008 seems to be even better than 2007! bring it on, The Worldwide JRock Revolution!
*hana: super happy, excited and high mode* xDDDDDDD
6:05 pm
Saturday 26 January 2008
today is the 3rd day of I.V. reign on the top spot in iTunes, and it's been followed by yet another X Japan song on the top 10 list: Rusty Nail at number 10!
but not only that, they are also having a strong foothold on the top album list! here are the pictures from day 1 and day 2 I.V. reign. at that time, Tears was only on the 4th position of the Top Album list.
12:56 pm
12:53 pm
Thursday 24 January 2008
so the song was released yesterday. and behold, today it's at the top spot already at iTunes Japan!
i'll be monitoring the reign of I.V. in iTunes because when Sex and Religion was released i didn't have the thought of doing it =D hopefully they'll stay at top spot for many days to come... but perhaps it'll be hard to maintain their position this time. unlike Sex and Religion which was only available in iTunes Japan (thus inducing fans to wriggle their way one way or another to purchase the card or whatsoever), this time I.V. is available in other 23 different countries. it's very scattered... so we'll just have to see if they'll manage to stay long at the top spot...
3:42 pm
Wednesday 23 January 2008
YOSHIKI Interview 英語版再送
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it's UP!! and i feel SO excited!!! so so SO excited!! okay, i've summarised the interview, listen to this:
Q: congratulations on the X Japanworldwide debut.
Y: thank you so much.
Q: now that you've done that, how do you feel?
Y: well.. i don't know. you know, like 5-6 months ago, i didn't think i was gonna do it. but there has been issue like, pretty much in the past 10 years, it's always on my mind, whatever i was doing. so, i said instead of thinking about it all the time, why don't i just do it. basically i was like, just do it. also, like, i got so many messages... from all over the world, about this issue. also, i started talking to toshi, more than a year ago. i don't know, sometimes it's just time. so, yeah... also, i guess SAW IV, doing the sondtrack over. i could've done it with another project such as Violet UK, or something else. but, i don't know, that time i just thought if i do it with X Japan, that'd be so interesting? i happen to, i had to go to japan around that time. Heath, Pata, i asked them, "what do you think?" "it's very interesting" so then i talked to Toshi. so we were like just do it. so that's when it happened.
Q: Now that you've started again with X Japan, would you like to do something overseas as well? everyone wants to see you in europe and US and...
Y: i'd love to. but you know, again, i don't know how it'll go, X Japan in Tokyo Dome? we haven't even started rehearsing yet. we're just talking about it. for february, first or so, we're gonna start recording X Japan's new song in Los Angeles. so we're gonna know more about it. but there's big possibility we may perform outside Japan. ya, i'm thinking about it.. like Europe, US, Southeast Asia. it's very interesting, but we would (hana: i think he meant "had") never performed outside Japan, at all. we only performed in Japan....
--- at this point, my loading suddenly stopped and it refused to continue playing---
BUT!! did you notice that???? i could've strangled the person who was interviewing yochan for just mentioning Europe and US, i really could! BUT, even without anyone mentioning it, Yochan himself said it!!
"I'm thinking about it, like Europe, US, Southeast Asia" ----> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that's a like BIG clue, like he didn't use the broader term of just "asia" but he zoomed in straight away to "SOUTHEAST ASIA"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*very excited* THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU YOCHAN FOR EVEN TAKING US INTO YOUR CONSIDERATION!!!!!!!!!!!! now, X Japan and Yoshiki fans forces in Southeast Asia, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*went to re-load the video again*
11:42 pm
Labels: yoshiki
in Dixanadu, i can actually hear Mana's guitar better than any other moi dix mois albums. last time the synthesiser was overpowering, drowning everything else other than the drums and the vocals. it's very different from hizaki's (or versailles's) songs in which the guitar is extremely strong, and at times when synthesiser was used to create the gothic feeling, the guitar was still very clearly heard.
4:05 pm
Tuesday 22 January 2008
edit: some fans thought that they know yoshiki better than yoshiki himself knew himself -___- gimme a break. Labels: yoshiki
12:30 am
Monday 21 January 2008
thank you, Danny (aka kazooms) for posting this up at ScreamingKIAI. this is like a record of many news regarding yesterday's much-awaited X Japan press conference at 6pm! location: Tower Records. Labels: yoshiki
oh gosh, i can't describe this feeling of happiness when i saw them all together again. pata's brusque comment and funny-and-swift hand-over to Toshi, which was followed suit by the rest of the members, creating such a laughter in the air, and yochan's commenting about the height of the microphone stand even before he greeted the fans.. so cute!! xDDDDDDDD
and, most importantly, i felt really really glad seeing yoshiki and toshi talking to each other. it's been almost a year since i read Toshi's blog regarding his reconcilliation with yoshiki, the only blog which content made me cry right in front of the computer... and yet it wasn't until last year's 20th october, during shooting of I.V., that i actually saw them talking, side by side, yochan tickling toshi and toshi holding a hand behind yochan's back as a protective gesture when yochan was peeping down the building to see the fans...
... and this time they're on press conference, really talking again...
the sad story about the argument between the two founder of the legendary band X Japan, that continued on even years after their disbandment, which i have known since i got to know since 2002, is finally resolved beautifully. finally someone is there to watch over yochan again. not that he needed any watching-over, nor is it toshi's job to watch over him, but, well...i'm just glad that they're talking again... like, really really glad... since last year until now, everytime i remember that they're no more fighting, and that their fight is actually over, i feel glad, relieved and touched all over again...
if only hide's still alive...
... but, as yoshiki had said, "hide is here with us, in spirit", so i'm sure he's happy that these 2 silly guys had stopped their fight and patched up their 37-year old friendship... ne, hide-chan? ^^
forget whatever jonathan had said about "maybe they eat maggie-mie together at home" and the likes *throws a sheep at jonathan* i'm truly happy and glad for the both of them ^__^
...and let the legend continues...
ps: no, jonathan, i don't hate you, really =p
7:09 pm
they've uploaded one more video this time titled 'yoshiki (JPN) interview, myspace exclusive'. there's a space beside it for the english version, but i don't think i can wait for it to be uploaded, i gotta sleep. so let's just see what he has to say in the japanese interview. Labels: yoshiki
... considering that my japanese is extremely limited, and my listening comprehension is really not on acceptable level, please don't take whatever said here as final -"- words in italics are the words or attempted-translations from the video.
some questions regarding the concert at tokyo dome, which yoshiki's answers i absolutely have no idea what... then it was asked, have you started rehearsing? and yoshiki said, absolutely have not. then he said something about x japan being..something LOL this is getting really silly, but let's preservere on and continue watching the video. yoshiki was asked to tell more about the new song I.V. and he said at that time there were many things to be considered, and then ... *hana slaps face* i really have no idea what he said o.O other than he was mentioning hide and was saying that he's glad... then it was asked something about vocals, and yoshiki said of course something member's recording something something something (oh my gosh i'm gonna laugh like really hard when i'm reading this again and read how silly and stupid and unhelpful this 'translation' is) then he was asked about the japanese best album. then he said something about english version (perhaps, considering doing the english version?) and then he got confused about I.V. and something japanese, and then he said wakaranai and a (really cute and adorable) sheepish grin xDDD
then something about tokyo dome again (i do hate kanji) then yoshiki answered for the time being, promo, eh, music video and something very long that i can't catch. then he was asked this time something in LA too? and i really don't understand what yoshiki answered. then he was asked something about tetsuya komuro's MySpace blog and about V2 and he cutely made non-committal answer (from what i can read from his tone and body language) and followed with (another cute and adorable) donnandesu ka ne? and yet still another wakaranai and then he said something about improvisation and just putting them together, i think. then he was asked about fans in MySpace and what i understood that he was asked to, please, play if he's feeling pressurised. aww that was CUTE!
okay before i re-read the above once again and fall off my chair laughing, let me just say that for this interview, yoshiki looked completely at ease and relaxed, i'm so glad to see him in that state! yoshiki has this cute habit of fiddling with his hair, fidget, kept looking down and averting his eyes (we can't see behind that sunglasses but it's clear from his facial direction when he does that) when he's not feeling too comfortable talking. and when he's very tense, it's even worse, he stoned up and his words and body became very stiff. that's why i'm really happy to see him talking easily like this, especially when he gave those i don't really know answers with that innocent sheepish grin of his..... xDDDDDDDD
well i'm sure one fan or another will be very kind as to provide the translation for us later on. so til then, just make do with my crappy translation xDDDDDDDDDDDDD LOL
2:07 am
well it seemed like there isn't any official news regarding any tours after the concert... the news that Breshiki found was what we already knew, the release of I.V. on iTunes in 23 countries which might also include China and Hong Kong, and also the inclusion of I.V. in DVDs that will be sold later on in the year. there were also comments from each member about their reunification, i think. they also talk about the release of "japanese best album" which i don't really understood what, but it will contain I.V. and also Without You. then there was announcement that was also printed up in JRR website, about the ticket sales date and priority reservations. Labels: yoshiki
credits for Breshiki for posting it up at ScreamingKIAI. thank you Breshiki!
basically, nothing confirmed about possibility of any tours following the concert.
... which, i guess, might be a good thing.
... or a bad thing.
well it's good because i can prolong this hope and keep on praying for a miracle that they may really come.
and it's bad because... well, their non-committal press conference really showed that nothing has been planned currently for such tours, and the chance that it might actually happen is pretty slim...
...unless it's a European tour. yochan had always liked europe. and other jrock acts had previously shown that they like to reach out more to european fans rather than asian fans too (just look at moi dix mois who is regularly holding concerts there, and Versailles which European album release is actually more complete than the Japanese release itself)
well.... we'll keep on praying, shall we? =)
that 'japanese best album' is really a must-have. not so much because of I.V. but most importantly because of Without You. right now i really really want to listen to the vocalised version of Without You, but at the same time i'm scared... i'm already so in love with Eternal Melody II's version of Without You, what if i don't like the vocalised version...?? but it can hardly be the case, right? since it's Toshi who's singing... and this is Without You, which melody is enough to wrench the fans' hearts... not to mention Yoshiki sobbing and sniffing at the background...
arrghhhh!!!! i'm so messed up! the 'be-more-hardworking' habit that i'm trying to set up is messed up because of this press conference thingy. but i'm not regretting it. so far i still can keep up to the goal of starting the week afresh with no undone-homework that will catch up with me near assessment time and strangle me half to death. it's not easy to prise myself away from the net, not with such news on the jrock frontier, but i won't neglect my work either.
i told mimi, "if they come to singapore, i'll be there at the first row! now it's not the place that really bothers me, it's the time! their concert in japan is in week 12! if there's any tour after assessment, it'll be easier for me to go."
then she asked "if on assessment week?"
... well... if they come to singapore, or malaysia, or thailand, or indonesia, i dare to leave on my assessment week to catch them live, honestly. not on the assessment day itself, of course, but on the assessment week, i don't see why not. after all, it will be once-in-a-lifetime chance of me catching the band that had changed my life. i won't miss it just because of a measly assessment week!
but enough of the talk. it still remains to be seen if they will really come... meanwhile, praying is the only thing i can do. that and perhaps a little message now and then at yoshiki's myspace, nudging him to come to singapore xD teehee, just kidding ^^
1:03 am
Sunday 20 January 2008
MySpace is officially one of my favourite network. Now even X Japan is on MySpace!! Labels: yoshiki
X JAPAN 2008 MYSPACE
they have even put up the video for earlier yoshiki's press conference at 11.30am. yoshiki's messages were both in japanese and in english. but the only thing he committed was that "we may even do this concert outside Japan" which doesn't sound too...convincing to me...
BUT! i will not lose hope! 6pm press conference!! come on!!
credits for Violet Rage who told us about it in ScreamingKIAI!
i promised mimi i'll tell her about the result... and i think i'll tell dira too ^^ both of them laughed when i told them about the conference. perhaps i was just too ecstatic...
10:02 pm
why haven't the news come trickling in?? what's going on?? what's happening?? is there or isn't there anymore tours after 28th and 30th march????
it's been more than 4 hours since the press conference, someone SHOULD know something, deshou ne???
-_-:::
9:02 pm
news had just came in from Danny, brought to ScreamingKIAI by Breshiki, thank you both of you!! Labels: yoshiki
current news: it's official that the concert will be on 28th AND 30th March 2008. Tickets will be on sale on 24th Feb, 10am. priority reservations (perhaps for yoshiki.net or toshi's members) starts on 23rd JANUARY til 2nd Feb. tix prices are, quite surprisingly, not that expensive o.O 10,800yen and 12,800yen for A seats and S seats respectively.
now i need to get ready to go to school and finish up my production method homework. afterwards, will continue blogging. no studying today, i guess, i gotta keep up with the news!
*and i'm still praying that they WILL come somewhere to southeast Asia...*
1:35 pm
Saturday 19 January 2008
... not necessarily a bang but, well, if they keep this up, 2008 will be just as exciting as 2007 had been in the JRock world. Labels: yoshiki
firstly, let me announce that tomorrow, 20th January 2008, there will be an X Japan Press Conference!!! Yoshiki's section will start at 11.30am, then everyone will talk again at 6pm. the rumoured thing (as in official Yoshiki Mobile news mixed up with REAL rumours that i can't differentiate already which is which) is that they will be announcing about the X Japan reunion concert (which leakage says that they will be on 28th and 30th march 2008) and about possible hide memorial concert on 2nd may (which rumoured to feature X Japan and Luna Sea as their main performers) and about possible X Japan FilmGig on the 3rd May 2008.
Aaaand, they will be releasing songs on iTunes! I.V. is going to be released on 23rd JANUARY 2008, and Art of Life and Art of Life LIVE version too!
...AAAAAAAAAANNNDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! okay, this one is just a rumour, and considering everything else that is realistic, logical and plausible, i highly highly HIGHLY doubt that it'll be true...BUTBUTBUTTT, i just can't help but hoping that it MAY come true!! what i'm saying is that: there's a rumour that says that...... they're talking about possibilities of worldwide tour after the reunion concert, AAANDD, the tour may encompass Europe and Asia ANDDDDDDDD they may come to China, Thailand............. AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
...............SINGAPORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can you imagine how freakishly ecstatic i was when i heard that????? of course it's just a rumour, and as i've said earlier, it's, perhaps, highly unprobable and highly unlikely that it'd happen but...
...well, i've not felt so much excitement since their I.V. announcement last year, and i've not felt so close to Yoshiki and Toshi since Toshi's announcement that they were talking again last year, so from now onwards until 10.30am tomorrow morning (singapore time) let me just bask in the warm, wonderful, glorious rays of hope that X JAPAN MAY COME TO SINGAPORE!!
even if it turns out to be untrue, which is very much probable and highly highly likely, i won't despair... but, in the meanwhile, let me just enjoy a few hours of pure happiness...
... and IF (and i'm saying a very big, fat, babbonic IF) they come to singapore..........
... someone better be there to catch me fainting!
i'm using the word "possible" because, well, the press conference IS tomorrow. and x japan being the way it is (with fickle-minded, spontaneous, crazy yochan behind the wheel), they MIGHT change something somehow at the last minute. so, until tomorrow 10.30am singapore time, everything shall still be considered a possibility.
the PV of I.V. was up in youtube for a short period of time, as in NOT the fancam of their shootage, but more like an official PV. i've watched it (and hany too o.O) but now it's been taken down, i don't know why. perhaps it's all available only from YM and someone threaten that person not to do it? hmmm.......... anyway the short version of the official I.V. PV is up at JRR (JRock Revolution) website.
everything here is news contribution from ScreamingKIAI members: Danny, Violet Rage and Breshiki. thank you so much people!! SK is still the best place for me to get the latest information and rumours and news about anything yoshiki! banzai SK!!!! =DDDDDDDDDD lately there are so many spammers, melrudin and Ro are pretty busy, i guess, so currently i'm the only moderator around, and everytime i log in, the first thing to do is to clean the board up, sheesh. go to hell, spammers!
by the way!! yesterday the JRock Choice Awards was concluded, and i'm very very happy and proud to announce that Versailles won 2 awards!!! they won the Industry Award for "Best New Artist" and "Best Dressed"!!!!!!!!!! i'm pretty disappointed that they didn't snatch any for the Fan Award, but well, The GazettE and alice nine are so bloody popular, Versailles who just debuted last year stood no chance, i guess v_v and eventhough i'm not really a fan of either bands, i've pretty much enjoyed some songs that they released, so... congratz The GazettE and alice nine!! ^____^ here is the result of the JRock Choice Awards 2007.
honestly, yochan's a genius. if JRock really make a worldwide revolution in the future, i'm sure his name will not be missed. JRock Revolution website is absolutely great! and MySpace too! they're like bringing the JRock world a click away from us, the worldwide fans. thank you so much, JRR, Yochan, and MySpace! ^__^
anyway.... i'm off to Vivo with hany to hunt birthday presentS. i just realised there i have a lot of january babies friends o.O blog again later!
1:53 pm
Thursday 17 January 2008
loading time at night is utterly horrible. that's why now i can't watch more than 2 episodes each day. well, might as well, seeing that i would most probably drag watching the last few episodes so that it doesn't end =P Labels: house
i just finished episode 20 and 21 (season 1, of course) today and, oh gosh, they cracked me up. house is SO adorable! he's a meany, witty old jerk whose sarcasm just put a smile on my face xDDD not to mention he looked utterly cute when he blushed too xDDD can't get enough of him. i hope they'd continue with season 5 =D
oh by the way, i remembered last time i said "i can't imagine anyone, ANYONE, else playing captain jack sparrow other than johnny depp". well now i think i've found someone who COULD actually be another sparrow. only a little meaner. and a little more sarcastic. and he doesn't sway anymore but limp.
bravo, hugh laurie! you should win an emmy or something =DD
1:13 am
Tuesday 15 January 2008
... brand new motherboard.
after about half a year of problems with my computer-restarting-on-its-own problem and one visit to the HP centre with a there's-nothing-wrong-with-your-computer diagnostic, finally today one of the person came to my house. i told him what's wrong and he said he'd change the motherboard for me and if the problem persisted he suggested i call starhub, lest it's really the wireless connector that's causing problem.
luckily, no memory loss, unlike last time when they gave me 'fresh operating system' to solve the 'nothing's wrong with the computer' diagnostic, which really means total memory loss, and no improvement in the condition... let's hope this fresh motherboard solves the issue!
i'm rewatching Bleach from the start, curse hany... with this, the total number i've watched Bleach since the starting is like...3? first time i watched on my own, 2nd time i watched with koko, third time i watch with hany. well i like it, though. especially since i couldn't catch uraharasama in the latter episodes. better feast my eyes while i can =P and with hany in front of the computer, i'm spending more time on my desk to do my work! yay! killing 2 birds with a stone! =D after this i'm gonna convince her to start watching Naruto, teehee ^^
just like when obachan asked for Saint Seiya and the people around her started watching that ancient anime again, this time hany's activities have caused something nearing Bleach-mania among her friends too. hmm, nice to be of influence =P haha...
my schedule is in, have i said? i have wednesdays off and monday, thursday and friday morning class. the good thing is: i'll be used to waking up early again, and my class for thurs and fri ends in the noon so i can have the afternoon free. the bad news is... well, there's no bad news ^^ i still have (at least) a day of break in the middle of the week, and it's right in the middle of the week too! i have friday morning class, means i can go to obachan's house earlier if i need to, and after a full day in school (monday) i have afternoon class the next day which means more time to do homework. this schedule is great! =D
yesh, brand new semester, let's kick off at the right note =)
11:32 am
Saturday 12 January 2008
finally it arrived!! yay! i preordered it many weeks ago, but it was supposed to be released only on 26th December. since i presumed that i won't be back in singapore by 7th jan, i chose the cheaper shipment option, SAL, that'll take some weeks to arrive. i've been waiting for it to arrive since i came back, so now it's here!! Labels: hizaki
well, what can i say? it's HIZAKI after all. though the album is extremely short (even shorter than Versailles's Lyrical Sympathy, oh my goodness) the tracks that are inside are awesome!! i definitely LOVE Aphrodite and Metamorphose (the longer ones, as usual), and i'm very happy that i own an original copy of Race Wish, the song that caught my attention to Hizaki at the beginning. all instrumental, 20 minutes of pure hizaki's guitaring AND bassing, to my surprise! i knew he does guitar and synthesizer, but i didn't know that he knows bass too. awesome!
Race Wish was quite different from the live version that i watched in youtube. i love both version, i guess (=^_^=) the studio version sounded fuller and somewhat darker, and i love it! (hany's friend Zaki (also a fan of Hizaki) played Race Wish and uploaded it, and she let me listen to it. i thought it was pretty impressive! he's got all the notes right, though the rythm is a little bit off, and in the middle i didn't recognise what he was playing hahaha, but it was great! ^_^)
the booklet was not quite what i expected. it contains 6 pages of Hizaki's photoshoot. they're all pretty nice. but, oh sure, it's instrumental, so it shouldn't contain any lyrics or what, but i was expecting like more information about individual song actually. all that i know about the whole album was what printed at the end of the booklet, which basically says that Hizaki plays all guitar and bass and Kamijo helped in the syhtesizer arrangement together with Hizaki himself, and that producer was Hizaki and Kamijo was executive producer.
what i don't really understand is "all composed and arranged: hizaki grace project"
hmm... as far as i know, hizaki grace project members are as fixed as cloud in the sky, i mean they're always changing. juka was once in it, but i guess now he's off. jasmine-you was in it too, but since hizaki had taken care of bass, what does jasmine-you do? and now we have kamijo in the scene too, so does kamijo a member of hizaki grace project too? hmm.....
overall rating: i wish i can give it a 10, but with that price and that length, i can't give it higher than a 9/10. songs wise i'll give it 10/10. not a must-buy, i guess, but fans will be definitely delighted in his new songs, they're great!
oh by the way, today i also received the Cure magazine (Nov07 issue) featuring Versailles that i ordered from Visual Shoxx. was more than half an hour late, so paiseh, so sorry beehar!! >"< but i'm so happy!!! i got that magazine!!! yaaay!!! i have magazine-sized Versailles pictures!!! nyaahahahaha xDDDD
today is Hizaki & Versailles day!!! =DDDDDDDD
*listens to Curse of Virgo again*
4:38 pm
Wednesday 9 January 2008
honest, i didn't know that today's his birthday. and i haven't been to rowling's website for months! it's just a real coincidence that i went there and saw the birthday calendar and it says "happy birthday severus snape!" hmmm, something really connects me to him xDD
anyway, new layout! i thought i should make one before school starts lest i don't have time til chinese new year and later -_-... the pictures were from versailles' new year photoshoot. they still haven't changed their costume, but there were some shocking changes, like kamijo who've suddenly rebonded his hair (and looked like avril lavigne, somewhat xD) and yukisama had gone blonde!! o.O and i thought hizaki looked somewhat chubbier than usual xD teeheee ^^ no noticeable changes from teru and jasmine-you tho ^^
koko's coming back tomorrow. anyone wanting to go home for chinese new year should book their ticket as soon as it could humanely by possible as tickets are draining very fast...
9:42 pm
some lessons i've learnt while watching House: Labels: drama movie, house
1. catching up with tv serials actually takes longer than catching up with anime series since an episode of tv serial takes about 40 minutes without ads and opening/closing song while for anime each episode only takes about 20.
2. don't eat while watching. and since i love watching something while eating, perhaps i'm also learning to increase my tolerance level to disgusting stuff... but honestly? anyone who's scared and terribly disgusted by insect should watch out while watching episode 11 *shudders*
and some lessons i've learnt ABOUT House after 11 episodes:
he's an old, limp, genius, cranky, addicted doctor, who's cranky because he's in pain, and relies on vacodin to relief his pain, which in turn makes him an addict. he hates clinical duties and would evade them as much as he could, which includes making a patient wait while he plays video games to make time pass and undergoing a week of withdrawal symptoms just for the sake of a month off clinical duties. he likes to watch drama especially General Hospital, and carries around a small portable TV which he watches it from anywhere and everywhere he could, which includes the chapel. he doesn't mince his words and sarcasm, perhaps, is one of his best traits, second only after his infallible analytical ability.
it's fun watching him ^^
ps: for the sake of people who got scared or shocked when they come here *coughmarlincough*, i've changed the song to one of my fave from Gackt, and also one which has the longest title: Todokanai Ai To Shitteiru No Ni Osaekirezuni Aishitsuzuketa ^^
3:39 pm
Tuesday 8 January 2008
there was a period of time when i watched TV everyday during dinner. and there also was a period of time when i wasn't watching TV for months in a row. after moving out of burgundy crescent, the time when i watched TV was limited to when i'm back in jakarta or when i'm visiting nat/lin's house. obviously i didn't get 'addicted' to any tv serials, which were getting more varied by the year, month. there were some serials that i wanted to watch, like Prison Break, but until now i still haven't watched the first season in full -_- there was also a serial that i followed almost religiously whenever i can get access to AXN again, the CSI:Miami. later on i was also willing to watch the other 2 CSIs. Labels: house
and yet, i wasn't so hooked up on any of them until i had to find them online so that i can follow every single case every season. but the latest tv serial that i watched made me do it.
House M.D.
when i first saw the advertisement on TV, i thought it was some...home drama involving a witty old man and a family of adults. i wasn't paying too much attention to the ads, because i absolutely didn't connect it with anything medical, which usually able to raise my interest a little bit.
then came a fateful day when my dad took a super-rare holiday off his work and the TV was on while we were waiting for my mom to get ready to leave for lunch. this series was on AXN complete with the indonesian translations for the benefit of my dad (i wouldn't watch translation-less english movies/films when my dad's around, coz he doesn't understand). one film, 60 minutes, was enough to get me craving for more.
and now, i'm a fan of House M.D.
3:58 am
Monday 7 January 2008
yepz, here i am again, in front of my computer back in dear old singapore. just landed about 4 hours ago, and i'm already missing my parents. gee, my homesickness does come waaaay too late -_-;;; Labels: btss
surprisingly, my departure this time wasn't coupled with my usual BTSS (Back To Singapore Syndromme), which was quite...unusual. perhaps it's because of the effect from the chinese-new-year-is-coming-soon-and-i'll-be-back-in-jakarta-in-exactly-4-weeks thought that made the departure this time much more bearable than the last one.
i didn't do much thing during the holiday, nope i accomplished not a thing from the list that i wrote before i went back, (not even the easiest of all: catching up with naruto), except for one: thinking.
just like all people who are at the crossroad in their lives, i guess, i've done a lot of thinking and pondering about my future. most importantly regarding the question "should i continue my studies or not". not a day passed without me thinking and pondering about this question (and a whole lot of other questions related to this one, too) over the shower. in the end i talked about it with my parents, and i met up with yenche and i talked to her about it too.
talking really did help a lot. not only it extracted out the most bitter thought of me about myself and my abilities, it also healed the rotting portion of the mind that had been poisoned with the toxin called perendahan-diri.
just like helene said, most of us killed ourselves by setting up too high an expectation of ourselves and refused to see just how good we really are.
i never realised when was it that i started getting depressed and setting up a goal much too harsh and strict with myself again. actually, when i've calmed down a little bit, i see the world around me and the people in it, especially my generation, they're taking things easy. things come and go, our abilities coupled by fate, luck and courage will determine our success. without realising it, i've pictured out the success that i thought i must get, no matter what, and the road there was blurred and out of vision. as a result i get more confused, and my already-below-average self-esteem sunk even lower.
this is a new year, and the beginning of yet another circle of the chinese zodiac is coming soon. i guess it's a very appropriate time to make a revolutionary change about the way i think.
if i inherit my dad's look, my dad's habit, and some said my dad's brain, why can't i also have my dad's courage? i believe that it's in me, and i just need to extract it out. time to get rid of the cowardice and be more crazy just like what the description of my zodiac says, heh heh! a cowardy gemini-tiger??? people will laugh at me! if there's a time to be crazy and reckless, this is the time!
and finally, i'm going to start loving the school. yep, from the bottom of my heart i may hate the school like i've never hated any institution before, and i may seethe in rage like i've never done for any organisation before, and i may try to find the foulest possible curse-word to dedicate to the school just once, but i will start loving the school and the teachers. i will forget all the mistakes they had done (at least i won't dig it up to the surface without provocation) and forget just how terrible and horrible and angry and disgusted and nauseated and frustrated they had made me felt in the past (especially the incident in december and just now) and paint the school history white in my heart. i'm not going to start this new semester, this new year, at the wrong foot. i know just how much my feeling will affect my work, so i will take some steps to prevent last semester's humiliating and unimaginable history from happening again!
(one day i will find that curse word and use it well for the school's benefit but in the meantime) i will start to love the school for what it is, steal what i can steal from the teachers, gain my knowledge, get my good results, make my parents happy and be a good daughter. (and then get a title in biology-field, or business/finance just like what my dad wanted, and then... and then... and so... to be continued xp)
so, new year's resolution for this year is: to have higher self-esteem and self-confidence, to think more positively, and to be a better daughter v(^^ pretty good huh? i think i managed to do my last year's new year's resolution pretty well (which was to have a healthier lifestyle), so i have confidence that i can pull this off too!
2:17 am
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CD Wishlist
JaeChunSu - The... (preordered)
JYJ - Thanksgiving Live in Dome DVD (preordered)
Tegomasu - Tegomasu no Ai minialbum
Versailles - Ascendead Master (mini movies in Limited Ed singles type I,II,III)
Yoshiki - Eternal Melody 1
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Jubilee (major debut album)
Jejung & Yuchun from Tohoshinki - COLOR~ Melody & Harmony/Shelter Double A single
Tohoshinki - Stand By U single
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Rising Sun album
Tohoshinki - Five in the Black album
Tohoshinki - Heart, Mind, Soul album
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Tri-Angle album
Tegomassu - Tegomassu no Uta album
Tegomassu - Tanabata Matsuri
NEWS - Touch
Tegomass - Miso Soup
Yamashita Tomohisa - Daite Senorita
Hizaki GRACE Project - Ruined Kingdom
Hizaki Grace Project - Dignity of Crest
Within Temptation - Mother Earth or Silent Force
Saint Preux - Concerto Pour Deux Voix
Lord of the Rings Complete Recordings
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Complete Recordings
Raphael (Kazuki) - Forever and Ever
Raphael - Raphael Singles
X - Vanishing Vision Album
X Japan - Dahlia Album
X Japan - Art of Life ~mini album
X Japan - Art of Life ~live
L'Arc en Ciel - Smile
Hyde - 666
DVD Wishlist
Tohoshinki - The Secret Code live in Tokyo Dome
TVXQ - All About TVXQ Season III DVD <--- !
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Chateau De Versailles DVD
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - History Of The Other Side DVD
X Japan Returns Complete DVD 30th/31st December 1993
Versailles - Aesthetics HIZAKI version, with perfume Princess Stairs
Versailles - Aesthetics Kamijo version, with perfume Louise
Hizaki Grace Project - Monsho
Raphael - First
Raphael - Last
Raphael - Raphael Clips
Raphael - Pictorial Poem 2
X Japan - Art Of Life - 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome
X Japan - Dahlia Tour / Dahlia Tour Final
X Japan - Complete Collection II (which, upon acquiring, will cancel the earlier 2 DVDs mentioned)
hide - Film The Psychommunity Reel.1
hide - Film The Psychommunity Reel.2
hide - Seventeen Clips - Perfect Clips Presented By Hide Museum
hide - Ugly Pink Machine File 2
hide - Alivest Perfect Stage 10000 Cuts Hide Hide Hide
CD In Possession
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Jubilee (major debut album)
Tohoshinki - Bolero/Kiss The Baby Sky/Wasurenaide Triple A single <--- !the perfect single!
Tohoshinki - Stand By U single
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Mirotic album (Platinum edition)
Tohoshinki - T album
Tohoshinki - The Secret Code album
Versailles - Ascendead Master (Reg + Ltd Ed. DVD Type I, II, III)
NEWS - Koi no ABO single (Reg and Ltd Ed.) <-- i'm selling the regular edition, contact me if you're interested (only for beijing, singapore and jakarta buyers only)
Versailles - Prince & Princess single
NEWS - Color album
Versailles - Noble album
Tegomass - Ai Ai Gasa single
Tegomass - Kiss ~Kaerimichi no Love Song single
NEWS - Summer Time single
NEWS - pacific album
My Chemical Romance - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
HIM - And Love Said No, The Greatest Hits 1997 - 2004
HIZAKI Grace Project - Curse of Virgo single
Hyde - Faith
Yui - Can't Buy My Love
Versailles - Lyrical Sympathy mini album
Yoshiki - Catacombs Soundtrack
HIZAKI - Maiden Ritual ~experimental edition
HIZAKI - Dance with grace
Raphael - Fumetsuka
Within Temptation - Heart of Everything
X Japan - Blue Blood & Blue Blood Special Edition
X Japan - Jealousy & Jealousy Special Edition
X Japan - The Last Live
X Japan - X Japan on Piano
X Japan - B.O.X (Best of X)
X Japan - X Japan Perfect Best
X Japan - Best Fans Collection
Yoshiki - Eternal Melody II
hide - hide BEST Psychommunity
Malice Mizer - La Meilleur Selection de Malice Mizer "best selection"
Moi dix Mois - Dix Infernal
Gackt - Mars
Dir en grey - Macabre
L'Arc en Ciel - Awake
L'Arc en Ciel - The Best of L'Arc en Ciel 1998-2000
Luna Sea - Never Sold Out
Glay - Speed POP
Glay - Rare Collection vol.1
Glay - Rare Collection vol.2
Glay - Love is Beautiful
Glay - Drive, Complete Best
GLOBE - Level 4
Aikawa Nanase - ID, Best Album
Hamasaki Ayumi - Duty
Every Little Thing - Every Best Single + 3
V6 - seVen
V6 - Very Best I
V6 - Very Best II
My Chemical Romance - Threee Cheers For Sweet Revenge
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
DVD/VCD in possession
X Japan - X VISUAL SHOCK DVD BOX 1989-1992
TVXQ - All About TVXQ Season II DVD Set <--- ♥&hearts♥
NEWS - Pacific Concert 2007-2008 and First Tokyo Dome Concert
NEWS - Never Ending Wonderful Story
Happy Feet Japanese version - Tegoshi Yuya as Mumble
X Japan - Aoi Yoru Shiroi Yoru Complete Box
Yoshiki - Yoshiki Symphonic 2002 featuring Violet UK
hide - Ugly Pink Machine File 1
X - Hamettsu ni Mukatte 'On The Verge of Destruction' Concert
X Japan - The Last Live
X - X Clip 1
Phase 3.2 (2008)
Phase 3.1 (2008)
Phase 2.0 and 2.1 (2007)
Phase 1.2 (2006)
Phase 1.1 (2006)
Phase 1.0 (2006)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/ekkusuphase32c.jpg
featuring: Yoshiki
about: Yochan underwent a surgery to correct his spine, a problem that had persisted since 1995, when he finally started to feel numbness in his fingers. the surgery went fine, thank goodness. hopefully he will recover completely and it doesn't affect his piano playing. as for drums...don't forget your neck braces everytime you drums, yochan!
etc: read below xD i've made too many layouts featuring Yoshiki i don't wish to repeat myself =P
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/?action=view¤t=ekkusu3.jpg
Featuring: Versailles
Background: formed in 2007 by founding member Kamijo (ex Lareine) and Hizaki (ex Sulfuric Acid), they released their debut single Revenant Choir which tells a story about a clan.
Just as like Kamijo's past works, Versailles tells a story through their symphonic metal music and extravagantly elaborate costumes inspired from antique European era.
Members: Kamijo (vocals), Hizaki (guitar), Teru (guitar), Jasmine-You (bass), Yuki (drums)
etc: Versailles beautiful music managed to win my heart totally. saddened by the loss of Jasmine-YOU in 2009, but i hope the 4 of them will still make great music from now onwards. rest in peace, Jasmine-YOU, and watch out for the guys from up there...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/arsenal_x/ekkusu2.1copy.jpg
featuring: S.K.I.N.
Background: Formed in 2007, performed first during Anime Expo at the States in May.
Members: Yoshiki (drums, piano, guitar), Gackt (vocal, piano), Sugizo (guitar, violin), Miyavi (guitar, shamisen)
etc: ekkusu phase 2.0 was lost because i didn't save it in photobucket (because it refused to upload it properly).
and so, from now i'll start my skin from phase .1 instead of .0
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/ekkusunostudio1-3.jpg
Featuring: Hiruma Youichi
Model's background: manga character (Eyeshield 21)
More about the model: quarterback of Deimon Devilbats, The Commander From Hell;
the backbone and the brain behind Deimon High School's American Football Club, The Deimon Devilbats.
Icons: various facial expressions of Hiruma, the maniacal, elven-faced leader of Devilbats ^^
Etc: Eyeshield 21 is a sports manga about American Football and it's one of my current favourite.
My rating for them is:
hilarity 10/10
excitement: 9/10
intellectual level: 9/10
drawing: 7/10
characterisation: 9/10
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/?action=view¤t=yoshiki56trialwithrollovercopy.jpg
Featuring: Hayashi Yoshiki
Model's background: leader, drummer, pianist, main composer of legendary band X Japan (1982-1997); leader, drummer, pianist,
guitarist, composer of band Violet UK, debut coming soon.
More about the model: Yoshiki in the early X Japan era in early 90's when he still has long curly locks.
Etc: YOSHIKI IS MY HERO AND IDOL!
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/th_yoshiki46copy.png
Featuring: Hayashi Yoshiki
Model's background: leader, drummer, pianist, main composer of legendary band X Japan (1982-1997); leader, drummer, pianist,
guitarist, composer of band Violet UK, debut coming soon. Born in Tateyama, Chiba (Japan) in 20th November 1965 and currently living in Los Angeles, California (USA).
Head company of Extasy Records, Extasy Japan and Extasy Records International (now defunct). http://myspace.com/yoshiki
More about the model: the faint background picture of Yoshiki was taken in the recent years when he's already cut his hair short and
started the habit of wearing sunglasses.
Icons: pictures taken from Yoshiki's house in LA: his front door, piano in the middle room, dining room and swimming pool.
Etc: I can write essays on Yoshiki, but let's just keep it simple and straightforward: YOSHIKI IS MY HERO AND IDOL!