Thursday, April 28, 2011

[Update] All sorts of wonderful people I've been looking up lately

I knew that dude in Spiderman is someone special, coz Harry's never supposed to be that captivating (have you guys read the comics?) and yet next to him, Spiderman becomes almost an insignificant entity. Or maybe that's just coz I hate Tobey McGuire as Peter Parker and it's concentrating on Harry is my coping mechanism. But I never knew how special he is until I accidentally read about him and his academic pursuits that he does in-between his many and various acting and production jobs. Did you know he already has a PhD? Considering how hard it is for me to go on with my study, without having any additional jobs that require me to travel all over the place and presenting me with a gajillion other deadlines on top of my academic ones, he has all my respect.

He's currently taking classes at (gasp) several (!!!) schools with the possibility of pursuing another PhD, all of this while still continuing on with his acting work, and various other pursuits that are too many to list down here. I don't believe it. James Franco, I've always liked to follow overworked celebrities but you are way waaaay up there in that list. Ignore everyone who says you're spreading yourself too thin, a favourite phrase spouted for the purpose of setting limits on other people so they won't get too far ahead. Shah Rukh is kilometers behind you eating your dust, and that's saying a lot. What's more, he gives nice screen-kisses too.


Have you watched the 2011 Oscar Roundtable? How rad is it that we have James Franco AND Colin Firth sitting at the same...well...table and talking about all sorts of things? I want them in a movie together so that afterwards they'd have to do a promo tour where we can hear them talk a mile-a-minute about all sorts of nonsensical things. I think all the other stars are great too... I've loved Nicole Kidman like forever, or at least back when I first caught her in 'Far and Away'. And Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala is the only thing that endears 'The Phantom Menace' to me, although not enough to make me follow the arc to the end. It does seem that they have quite a number of actors (or maybe all of them?) who have previously played real-life people winning the Oscars this year, but I think Colin has played the most real-life people in his dramas as well as in his movies. And who can forget Bridget Jones' Mr. Darcy, where he played a character inspired by his Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy. Who is not a real-life person but still deserves a mention in every blog post that talks about Colin Firth in it. Coz he's teh awesomest, that's why. And for the record, Colin doesn't mind at all that we dredge Mr. Darcy up from the lake all the time.

Oscar Roundtable (part 1 of 7)

I could listen to Colin Firth talk for hours. He doesn't have to do wild antics to amuse me (or the audience), all we need is a good host whom Colin is comfortable with and he'd talk our pants off. I was literally rolling around the floor of my living room listening to their conversation. I was going... what?? what?? and ROFL until I nearly cried when he says, "I think an overly streamlined Scotsman would be very dubious." And that talk show was just beginning.

with Craig Ferguson (part 1 of 2)

There's another awesome person I expressly went on the net to find today, and that is our wee lad from Merlin. I've always been fascinated with the kid who played Mordred, and I just knew that he was also in Nanny McPhee (the sequel). After watching him in the "The Beginning of the End" episode of Merlin, I can't seem to be able to get him out of my mind. Especially that stare... and those eyes. I bet he got a lot of offers without having to audition just by turning that megawatt gaze on the Casting Director. I thought those were contacts, until I watched this interview.


I want to see more of this kid. It's pretty exciting to be able to catch all these talented people so early in their careers and to be able to sort of follow them through their works. I'm not fond of going into their private lives, so I suck at gossiping. But I love to gush about the stuff they do on-screen. Good times.

On the music front, I'm currently listening to Taylor Swift discography. I've got them in my thumbdrive and play them everyday when I commute to and from school. The thing with Swift's songs is they're pretty inspiring. I always find myself listening to them and thinking... hey, this is easy enough. I can write this. Just the lyrics though coz I don't know how to play any musical instrument. They're miles away from my jrock stuff, which get my adrenaline pumping but can never be played at the volume they deserve in polite company. Or in any company, really. Even my friends who are jrock fans would cringe at the volume at which I play them. Swift's songs face no danger of having my friends cringe at them coz they're so non-provocative that I can get even my little sister who can't abide my (loud) taste in music to talk about her songs up to the extent of striking a deal with her to do a little Taylor Swift-home concert once she's good at her guitar (she's recently taken lessons). And I love her music videos... they're so Mills and Boons, aren't they? For a jaded old woman (shut up), the sweet sentiment in them make me go... awwwww, all is probably still alright with the world then.

Monday, April 18, 2011

[Fandom] Yep, still in Merlinland

I'm sorry for flinging this post onto little children. Anyone below 15, please avert your eyes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I do believe that if I go on like this, it is quite possible that I'll flunk my study. Or maybe I'm halfway there.

But all my reading has strengthened my resolve to write. And the ideas in my head have nothing to do with subjects remotely academic. Unless I'm studying anatomy. Which I'm not.

It's rare to actually find myself learning when I'm reading fanfictions, but apparently there's a vast difference... as deep as an abyss (which I have never stared down into, so forgive me if the analogy is unsuitable)... when you're in a jrock or jpop fandom and when you're in a European one. Or in this case, Brit.

Words just flow without the restraint of not knowing much of the culture, the people, the language. Authors are not writing in English about non-English people having impossibly complicated English conversations in a completely non-English setting while drinking something that's made in a country entirely populated by mostly non-English speaking people.... and I relish the freedom.

Also, since I studied in the UK (though I didn't have enough money to travel to Ireland, to my everlasting regret) for a bit and watched hours and hours of British telly in defiance of my busy undergraduate schedule, I do get a bit of the jokes... although not most. But enough to make me howl with laughter and splutter saliva all over my laptop monitor.

However, I have to say that after more than a week of intense reading, I have yet to find a single bondage fic... much less S&M, or any plot that doesn't involve fluffy romance and happy ever after. I was so used to at least finding a story with one of the characters dying. And that's RPS, mind you... not even AU. Hmmm, what does that say about jrock/jpop fandom... IDEK.

The strange thing is, all the stories in the Merlin fandom I found... and I do mean ALL!... were so well-written that I'm not even missing those intense, dark, OTT-menacingly-whispered-professions-of-love-while-being-tortured-with-black-candles, nearly suicidal relationships I was so used to bump into while maneuvering the messy j-ent fanfiction corridors.

Obviously I've been missing on a lot of things. I have Colin/Merlin and Bradley/Arthur to thank for this massive discovery. I've yet to move to Season Two because I'm still determined to explore Season One for a second time. And this time I'm to take my sweet time about it... while reading fanfics, watching interviews, looking up making of clips... taking in everything.

O yeah, this mission must be accomplished while churning out technical papers for supervisors and bosses on time. Tricky, that.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Saturday, April 2, 2011

[Fandom] Merlin


Secrets & Magic [1]: Merlin Time



It feels weird... and kind of special... to fangirl over an actor who is not Asian in this blog. I think Colin Morgan is only the 3rd western crush I pimp here. The 1st being Lee Williams, and the 2nd is the ever evolving Colin Firth (Oscar!!!FTW).

I did catch Merlin when it was first aired in Malaysia...what, a year ago? But at that time, I was all... meh, what's this story about? And why is the title character so thin and bony?? Obviously I had no clue of what and who I was talking about coz a few weeks ago, upon watching this one episode of which I no longer remember what it's all about, suddenly a lightbulb went off in my brain and I went... this show is so gay! LOL. Yeah, I'm a slow learner... ^^;;

The show is full of layers and ...mmmm, layers *cough* ...and what with Merlin / Arthur forever looking at Arthur / Merlin like he's the most delectable dish the guy's ever come across while Arthur / Merlin is always looking back at the other dude (I'm not choosy really, whoever's staring hungrily at whoever is good enuff for me) with this pseudo what, what expression... I'm in BL haven... and for once, it's not coming from a japanese / korean / taiwan / hindi source. Loving it.

(note: They do this off-set too. Don't believe me? Watch that roadtrip video, or the S&M video, or their interview videos... or any videos that have CM and BJ together. Or if you're impatient... just watch this~)

After watching a few incomplete episodes (I promise I'll download the whole seasons later, mkay) I concluded that the Brits do BL waaaaaay better than the Americans can ever hope to do. Is it because of their stronger European connection? I was ready to generalize about the whole western cinema not having a clue about subtlety when it comes to boyxboy content before this drama came along.

I mean, seriously... look at Heroes and weep over the loss of having so many hot-looking guys running around and not giving each other suggestive stares even once! At least not that I'm aware of, and sometimes I can be rather dim about these things. But only sometimes! Anyway, I don't watch Supernatural (have a fear of horror) or Prison Break (don't like convict/war/violent stories much), so can't comment about those. But look at Smallville and imagine how much better it would be for us if Clark and Lex have a more super-charged, electrifying bond.. eh? Clark just keeps on chasing after Lex, and Lex can't get enough of doing bad stuff that will keep Clark eternally chasing after him. And all those gorgeous super heroes and super villains and kryptonite-mutants who can come in and play havoc with their love life. Right, I want to cry now.

It's pretty hilarious how Hollywood gets to be morally upright in TV shows that it makes me roll my eyes every friggin' time like... come on people, we already know, ok?

I found these cast videos. Colin Morgan ish so cute!!! Freaks me out when I got to know that he's 25 years old, though. Why? Because I seem to have a harem of boys born in 1986 (hyung, Kame... and now CM). Furthermore, they're all in the lust/love-at-first-sight category so it's not as if I planned any of this. Am I psychic?? Or is the universe trying hard to tell me something????! (But what?)



ETA: I apologize to everyone who got eye burn after staring at so many bolded words. IDEK what happened. Blame it on the crappy modem connection, but I have to check out of this hotel now (hubby's getting antsy.. any minute now and he's gonna confiscate my laptop) so can't go on an edit spree. And once I'm home, it's a different universe so I doubt I'll ever get around to edit it then. But hey, just think of it as squee-ing with bold rather than CAPS... kthxbye~

Thursday, March 31, 2011

[Fanfic] Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death by derryere [NC-17]

Tell me I did not just flunk almost one whole day of work coz of this fic. And an entire night too. It's all Merlin's fault, really. Well, Arthur too... but mostly it's that guy. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin... why now?? Why when I'm having the mother of all deadlines, which I'm ignoring rather nicely right now.

But seriously, how can a guy look ugly one moment and breathtakingly gorgeous the next. Drives me crazy. I don't even bother knowing his real name... I wonder if this is just temporary?



Is it just me or does Arthur remind you of Jensen Ackles??

Anyway. About that fic "the size of a house". It's so cool and epic and made me go, "Man, I could never write like this. Ever. Not in a million years.." Btw, I've bookmarked the Merlin tag in her LJ... (lol)

I hope she doesn't mind me linking it here in blinking neons. Or maybe bolded and in red font.


...and this just gives more fuel to imagination:


I swear Colin Morgan looks more and more beautiful the longer I watch him smiling in those breeches.

I should go to work and fill up that compulsory 4-hour a day thingy. Absolutely not feeling guilty about this coz.. hey! Long weekday hours and occasional weekends! They'll make up for the hours I'm flunking right now.. *ish in denial*

Happy reading, and welcome to my new obsession! (am planning to scour torrent for past episodes) ...oh! And they're continuing the season! After that scare about Season 3 being the final season. Are they actively trying to give me a heart attack??

I really should go now.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Kamenashi Kazuya is ♥

I miss him, so I went to youtube in search of teh hotness...

Great fanvideo:


My most fave CM of his coz of the extreme yumminess:


...and its making of:


An old video with their senpai that I can't believe still has not been snatched away by the ebil youtube filter:

Saturday, March 5, 2011

[CRUSH] The next generation of Takeshi Kaneshiro

Although Takeshi mostly does movies, is fluent in 5 languages and reclusive like nobody's business.. it's a good thing he's a workaholic and he's popular in Malaysia, so we have a lot of his DVDs/CDs available in video stores here to feed my Takeshi-addiction.

Dean Fujioka has a long way to go before he can even touch the ground Takeshi is walking on, but he's young and hungry. I bet he'll get there and beyond in no time.

Anyway, japanese actors rarely get this big outside of the j-ent circuit (i.e. acting in foreign dramas/movies) or even speak languages other than their own mother tongue this fluently (Gackt, I'm looking at you) so this is quite a find, if I have to say so myself.

The moment I got attracted to him at first sight in "Miss No Good", I knew I have to check him out online. I can't believe it... he's japanese! I thought he's of mixed parentage (coz they bothered to make Si Le's mother a foreigner). Dean Fujioka... will you be my next obsession?



I read that the drama that got him attention is "Corner with Love" ...I'll bookmark that one for later viewing. Right now, I want to finish watching Miss No Good coz it looks interesting.

I don't normally get hooked on dramas I watch on TV.. coz I rarely watch dramas on TV.. or any program on TV (who need TV when you have internet?). It's hubby who usually switches on the TV nowadays. This weekend we had breakfast with the TV on... and coincidentally, this drama was airing right after I finished eating.


View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

It has 14 ep, which is just nice for me... a bit longer than japanese dramas but shorter than korean ones. I normally get turned off by dramas with tens of episodes.. which is usually the case with chinese dramas. Or maybe those usually come out of Hong Kong.

Found this on his Twitter account and went... EEHHHHHHHHH?? NANI KORE????? LOL

By the way... has anyone watched "Perhaps Love" (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jacky Cheung and an actress who looks familiar but whose name I forgot)? Saiko da! It reminds me of Moulin Rouge... hehe. I want to buy the DVD!!! *hunting mode on*

Friday, March 4, 2011

[Drama Upload] Aiba Masaki - Bartender Ep 1


Bartender ep01 A
Uploaded by kkftw2. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

It's definitely not as still as the anime.. there're movements everywhere, and we get to see the Bartender outside of his bar.

Demo, since it doesn't present an arc right in the 1st ep... I don't feel any urgency to watch the 2nd ep. However, if you're an Aiba fan.. his presence is enough to make you impatiently wait for the next story, right? :)

And I'm not happy that it doesn't have a cocktail-making session with recipe at the end of the story, the way it is in the anime. They should get a real bartender making an appearance and make a cocktail in front of the camera. I want to see the honmono no baatenda at work! ^^

Watched the drama up to ep 3 and got curious about the difference between the bar in Kami no Shizuku and the one in the Bartender drama. So there are specific bars catering to specific people/serving specific drinks? Omoshiroi...

[CF] New The Face Shop commercial

He's so mesmerizing.. I can't take my eyes off him when he's on screen, even though it's just for a (too) short clip. I've seen this guy live in front of me, albeit from so far away... and even from that distance, his shining aura was blinding.




I miss hyung... wish he'd take up more TV projects (aside from drama) after his album debut so someone can upload them to the net for KHJ-starved fans like me to watch.

[Subbed] Coupang coupang coupang..la la la la coupang... COUUUUPANGGG!

Looks like that song is gonna stuck... it's currently playing like a broken record in my weird brain... LOL



"What's Coupang?" hubby asked me when I dragged him to watch the clip with me. I told him I have no idea. And this CF doesn't give me much info either (too lazy to Google it right now)... is it like COUPON or something? O hey, there's Mr. Baek being excited about Coupang too! See him? Too bad Clark Eun Jo isn't there with him... I miss the kid.




Finally the interview on hyung's "Smile Project" is subbed! I've waited so long for some kind soul to translate the clip for us... thanks so much, whoever you are! *mmmuaaah*





..can't wait for that album he promised! And then drama!!! or movie? *hyper*

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

[Rambling] All sorts of wonderful updates

I still have a flu and cough despite resting through 4 absolutely work-free days courtesy of MCs and gobbling all sorts of medicine since a week ago. I have to organize a meeting in 2 hours time with another working paper still undone. I have a deadline for 4 papers hanging over my head like the Sword of Damocles and still managed to finish re-reading up to the 21st volume of Kindaichi Case Files (the malay-translated paperbook version). I have a date with all my supervisors to present my progress report and my slide is yet to be done. I bought a stack of CDs and DVDs that I still haven't listened to/watched that include KAT-TUN's World Big Tour, Tamaki Hiroshi's MW, Kame's Gokusen The Movie & One Pound Gospel drama, , Gong Yoo's Biscuit Teacher & Star Candy, SS501's 1st album DVD and Mansai Nomura's Ran.

Overall.... life is wonderful. That was what I felt as I listened to KAT-TUN's songs while I was driving to school this morning. Kindaichi's right. As long as we're alive, we still have something that can turn our lives around again. That 'something' is time. So, I hope everyone who still has some lingering suicidal tendency in his/her heart to... as Kyouhei in Yamnade says... look towards the future and move forward. Everyone is struggling in his/her own way. Never underestimate other people's problems. Even those we envy have problems that can drag them down any second. Appreciate what we have now so we won't have any regret in the future. Okay?

Hope this picture will cheer you up today~~~

Saturday, February 5, 2011

[Investigation File] Detective Academy Q manga


My most favourite manga of all time. No matter how many times I read it, I still feel so motivated by how Q faces life within and outside of his detective work. If I can say a fictional character is my idoru, that'll be Q... a kid much more alive than the real people I have around me.

I've just finished re-reading all the 22 malay-translated volumes I collected a few years ago, despite having a stack of other still unread manga volumes languishing on my shelves. I wonder what sort of life the japanese mangaka face that they can come up with so many stories that inspire and, at the same time, entertain readers from all walks of life from all over the world. Maybe it's because of that magical place they're living in... Nihonland.

Despite knowing the storyline, I still cried and felt the same emotions I felt when I read it the first time. Will I ever be able to write something this good one day? This time I want to write down the things I 'learnt' from the story. One day, when I re-read it for the 3rd time... will I learn something new?
  1. Raja Hades boleh berfikir untuk bermula semula walaupun umurnya dah sangat tua. Q class semuanya muda-muda belaka tapi mereka yg tumpaskan musuh utama En. Dan sedangkan pembantu-pembantu En. Dan yg pro pun tak dapat selesaikan kes-kes yg dirancang oleh Pluto. Umur memang tak sepatutnya dijadikan sebab untuk mengehadkan pencapaian kendiri
  2. Tak boleh sekali-kali berputus-asa, tapi mesti juga tahu bila tiba masa untuk undur diri. Undur diri bukan setiap masa bermaksud kalah
  3. Walaupun dikelilingi oleh organisasi yang hebat dan sahabat yang berbakat, akan tiba beberapa masa dalam hidup perlu membuat keputusan sendiri dan bergantung kepada keupayaan diri sendiri. Tidak boleh sentiasa bergantung kepada manusia lain 
  4. Takut sampai menggigil tapi maju ke hadapan tetap dalam jalan yang telah kita pilih sendiri dan menyelesaikan apa pun masalah yang timbul, itulah keberanian yang sebenar
  5. Walaupun kurang berbakat... walaupun menjadi diri sendiri yang mungkin cuai, suka bergurau, dan kurang berdisiplin tapi walaupun bersifat begini, tanggungjawab yang telah diamanahkan kepada kita mesti dilaksanakan menurut kemampuan sendiri dengan bersungguh-sungguh sehingga selesai
  6. Jangan sekali-kali memandang rendah masalah atau kesusahan yang dihadapi oleh orang lain, walau macamana sempurna pun dia di mata kita (macam Ryu dan Ukon) kita tetap juga perlu bersungguh-sungguh mendengar dan menjadi sahabatnya pada susah dan senang
  7. Walaupun impian kita boleh menjadi bahan gurauan orang lain (macam Q yg nak masuk sekolah detektif padahal keputusan akademik sekolahnya rendah), tetap kena percaya kepada impian sendiri dan teruskan usaha. Bila kita dah berjaya nanti, impian kita tu takkan digelakkan lagi. Oleh sebab tu juga, jangan gelakkan impian orang lain walau betapa tak logik pun bunyinya
  8. Lebih berbakat bermakna kena lebih berusaha untuk menonjolkan bakat supaya dapat mencapai impian (macam Kazuma). Selepas berjaya sekali, mesti nak berjaya beberapa kali, lepas tu mesti nak berjaya setiap masa. Ini lah sifat tidak mahu kalah yang mesti dimiliki
  9. Walaupun dah mencapai kejayaan tahap gaban sekalipun, masih ada lagi kejayaan tahap yang lebih gaban untuk dicapai. Analogi panjat gunung boleh digunakan... dah panjat Gunung Kinabalu, ada lagi Gunung Everest. Jadi jangan melengah-lengahkan usaha. Masa yang berlalu takkan kembali lagi
Even though the malay-translated version I have is complete and can be found in one of my favourite manga shops and can be mail-ordered too, the english-translated online version is still ongoing:


Since I've collected all the 27 volumes of the malay-translated Kindaichi Case Files and several other later Kindaichi volumes as well, I consider myself a fan of Seimaru Amagi sensei's works. But only today I went on the net to know more about him and I found something so shocking that I nearly fell off my chair. He wrote another story I'm interested in under a different pen name. This one:


He also wrote Psychometrist Eiji and GetBackers, the two manga I'm collecting. Is this a coincidence?? I don't believe in coincidences though. I believe that you will always be able to find the things, or people, you're looking for... if you look hard enough. Ma ii ka. I know now that I have to hunt down the rest of sensei's works. Maybe one day if I search hard enough, I'll even be able to meet him face-to-face.... errr, and get his autograph... :P

Other works by sensei I found online are below...


Disclaimer: Please buy his original works. This list is only to introduce you to some of his works so that you'll be interested enough to go and buy them later:
The ones in the wiki list that I couldn't find online (so anyone who have found them, could you please please give me the links in the comment section? Thanks!):
  • Tokyo Eighties
  • Snow Dolphin
  • Gakkou no kowai uwasa
  • Asobotto Senki Gokū 
  • Psycho Doctor
  • Psycho Doctor Kai Kyousuke
I found sensei' profile page.... HERE and HERE!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

[Feature] Najwa Latif - cover songs

Stumbled upon her videos and I just have to spazz about her a bit in my blog. One word... awesome.



The original song by Wang Lee Hom...



There are other cover songs in her channel, the English ones are amazing by the way. I like this one the most (original by Bruno Mars):

[MyAikido] Katate Dori Shiho Nage

Finally.. today sensei taught us beginners our first technique. Okay, since I'm the only beginner in the class (the other girl learnt Aikido when she was younger)... essentially it's MY first Aikido technique.. :P

Found a video of it. Also, I realized at class today that no matter how much you think you can move correctly, it's pointless without a sparring partner. The feeling of being attacked is just different when you're doing it by yourself (just by simulating the attack in your head).




Notes: (link)

KATATEDORI 片手取り means "One hand grab"

SHIHONAGE 四方投げ means "Four-corner throw". It's a technique where defender passes under attacker's arm, then lifts it overhead, pivots 180 degrees and throws. This throw originally included a pin with the arm barred in the shihonage position to complete the technique. It is commonly executed in AIKIKAI HOMBU-style aikido with the arm released after application of the shihonage pressure without a pin.

[Random] Lettuce couple Get Hot on the dance floor

The video I inserted in a post before got deleted... and I found new ones. Hopefully they won't suffer the same fate...



Friday, January 28, 2011

[MyAikido] Basic Attacks

The lessons reminded me of why I stayed away from Aikido at first. But despite my misgivings about sparring with guys at close counters, in reality... most attacks do happen at close counters, and female bodies are usually not strong enough to counter-attack or defend themselves against physically strong intent from men without any martial arts skill. (my sentence sounds weird.. hmmm, ma ii ka)

Thankfully, my sparring partner in the class was a girl. But because it's a girl, I couldn't do shomen properly for fear of hurting her since I'm still very unskilful. I hope to ASAP be good enough to spar properly. Unlike Karate, Aikido immediately puts us in a battle mode practice (this week was only my 2nd class). I had to attend months of Karate class before I was made to spar against somebody.

I learnt 3 attacks and Sensei taught me two types of moves against them: omote (inside) and ura (outside). The first attack taught was shomen. The omote move I learnt is this:



I couldn't find ura.... however, if you watch the slo-mo ura move in this video, what I learnt was only upto 0:51. By watching Tissier-sensei, I found that the footwork will be different according to where we move next... and look at his hands, they hardly form a claw or fist and instead always be open and ready to act for the next move. The way he charts every step is like a go player. Saikou desu.

Sugi wa, yokomen desu. For the omote... I found this video (part 1 of 6). He even talked a bit about the history of Aikido. What I learnt was only upto 3:16, but here I found that the blocking left hand (for a left hand attack) can be in a position to throw someone off-balance.



I couldn't find the ura move but I think the one he showed at 3:14 in this one is it, right?

I wasn't able to learn much on tsuki coz class ended before I could practice further. Maybe I get to learn more next week.

Sensei said:
  • We attack to distract, not to hurt. I like that. It appeals to my non-violent nature.
  • It's all about the way we move. Do not get into the habit of memorizing which foot goes with which hand coz there are too many variations that memorization is impossible.

[Investigation File] 1582 performance in Break the Records 2009 concert (solo for Kamenashi Kazuya of KAT-TUN)

I read someone talked about Kame's performance in Break the Records as if he acted as the man and the woman in the song. Me, I like to interpret it more literally. That it's about the forbidden love of two guys in the year 1582. In fact, if I wanna take this further, I'd say it's a tragic love story between a japanese and a foreigner.. because Kame in the cage wore a western suit, right? But Kame in kimono acted like a warrior... swinging his sword and fighting as if he were in a battle.



If you look up this article, it says that Chapter 2 in the book is about Japan and its Chinese and European worlds (1582-1689) and it's on the foreign trade in East Asia in the seventeenth century. I'm pretty sure kimono!Kame is a taikomochi, or known as otogishu the 16th century, who were 'sounding boards for military strategies and they battled at the side of their lord' (wiki). To further look into my otogishu-european theory, we have to brush up a bit on japanese history.

What happened in the year 1582? The assassination of Oda Nobunaga. From wiki:
Following Nobunaga was Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉), who ruled over Japan from 1582 to 1598. Anti-European attitudes began under Hideyoshi, whose suspicion of the Europeans first began with their intimidating appearance; their armed ships and sophisticated military power produced doubt and distrust, and following the conquest of the Philippines by the Spanish, Hideyoshi was convinced they were not to be trusted. The true motives of the Europeans came quickly into question.

Those who converted to Catholicism were questioned about their loyalty to Japan, and in 1597, Hideyoshi ordered the crucifixion of nine Catholic missionaries and seventeen Japanese converts. This was only the start of the hostility towards European influence and interaction; persecutions, beheading, and forced secessions would all but eliminate the Christian community over the next few decades.

I also looked up the translation of the lyrics. I mean, why else would the person singing this song wish (with love) that he will never wake up if he isn't involved in a forbidden relationship? And the uncertainty of their future together is voiced out (Where will we go tomorrow, I don't like it) that probably if he were to live... they will be torn apart anyway. So he'd rather die than stay alive and be separated from him. 

I'm pretty sure the water fountain and the scroll at the end meant something important too. I remember Gackt made a big deal out of being able to make 'rain' fall on the stage during the Rain live, so the water fountain in Kame's performance was definitely not just for show. Just using my imagination, I'd say him being pushed upwards on an umbrella by water probably means he was on a ship (travel by sea).

Hmmm, donning a disguise (mask), battling a bunch of people, traveling on a ship... maybe he was fleeing from Japan to meet his lover? What does the spinning upwards in the middle of a fireworks display mean then? That he's in China? Or is it a symbol of his elation at having arrived at his destination? The scroll probably was a note his lover left behind with the fountain a symbol of his tears after he read it (must not be good news then). The fountain formed a wall around him... a wall of misery? Flying from scroll to scroll probably means he didn't know that his lover was dead and he waited for news after news about him. Meh, I'm making myself sad with my own rambling.

Anyway, I just realized that the way I interpreted this... it's like... the lyrics are supposed to be the words from the dying european lover's side while the performance shows the actions by the japanese lover's side. Looking at it like that... ish a pretty awesome concept. Well, unless I was wrong about the whole thing, of course.. haha *hides*

I think the most romantic verse in the song is this:

Even this heart littered with wounds
Is healed by watching you
It's not about desire
I know this even unconsciously


...to me, what he's trying to say is that what he feels is not mere lust. What he feels is a love so strong, even the pain of dying becomes healed just by looking at his beloved. I think it's probably not 'unconsciously' ...hmm, maybe it should be 'subconsciously'? I doubt unconscious people can 'know' anything. Or maybe if we want to stick to the translation, 'unconsciously' probably means he's in a near-death state? I wish I could write something this good one day.

The lyrics and the performance immediately reminded me of Winter Cicada, a story inserted in the Haru wo Daiteita yaoi anime. I checked out the year it was set in and it's in the same period (1862–1869). Look it up... it's a nice, albeit a bit depressing, story.

So, the real question is... was the Kame in the cage the same Kame in kimono, or was it all just camera trick? I think it's really Kame doing both stunts... because of the harness, he could move to span the entire stage pretty quickly. This is evident when he flew with the scroll at the end of the performance (by the way, all the stunts he did here were dangerous so I'm happy that he didn't get hurt). And I know that in concerts, they often dress themselves up in clothes that can be taken off with just one yank. The kimono was worn like a robe and the yukata was probably modified so that a waist string was not needed. The obi probably just needed to be fastened. What I think happened was, the moment the light went out, he flew to the platform... changed into the yukata and kimono... pinned his hair... wore the mask... sat down all pretty with a fan in his hands... and still have a second to spare.

Kame saikou~  ...aishiteiru yo.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

[Song] Give Me Give Me Give Me by KAT-TUN

Currently my favourite song from the Change Ur World single. I have to paste it here coz I love singing along to this song and it took me some time to find the romaji version.. so I don't want it to get lost again.



LYRICS

[Feature] 中村 中 (Nakamura Ataru) in Cartoon KAT-TUN ep 37

Kame and Koki interviewed her in the Love Disc segment. I got suddenly interested in the singer when she said she wrote the lyrics to one of her songs, Friend's Song, at the age of 15. And I was stunned too when I looked it up. What was I doing when I was 15? Certainly not writing something this heartbreaking. I was too busy trying to pass my exam with flying colours so my brother wouldn't decapitate me.



I looked up another of her song too.. Dirty Underwear. The lyrics is depressing. Just the kind of emotion I hate simply because I can feel it too well without any need to experience it for myself. Me and my empathetic nature. I'm just glad I was saved all those years ago.

I just finished reading a very long and involved fanfic and the story is by no means finished. Before this, I stumbled on this one and the story (Fragments) is still ongoing too. It's weird how fiction can change the way you look at real people, despite your head telling you the whole thing is not real... that it's all made up. I guess that's why gossips are bad for our mental health. Anyway, the stories make me wonder whether I'm cut out to be a writer. I doubt I can have as much patience as these two fanfic authors have.