The First BlogDay

Last Friday, September 25th, was officially one year since I started to blog, so Happy BlogDay to me! (^_^) The picture above is done by Minami, artist of Chibi Miku-san.

I wanted to make it official last Friday that it has been one year since I started to blog, but I didn't want to make it a simple photo and text post. So I made Mirai Gundam as my anniversary project. But I think it would be criminal if Mirai Gundam had to share a post with an anniversary post. So now I have to do this post separately after all, lol.

Ideas ideas... Just before I finished Mirai Gundam, I picked up Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 3 from my comic shop, and I think I will base this post on that volume because I love it so much! Looks like this will be text heavy ^^;

But first... why did I start this blogging thing? A lot of people I knew from Anime Figurine Network on Facebook either have a blog or starting out a blog; people like RadiantDreamer, gndynames and Quentin. I contemplated whether I should start one... do I follow the crowd? Do I even know what I want to put on there? From the very beginning up til now, I never had a theme on my blog. There were a lot of variety of topics being covered on my blog. I wanted to make it my online otaku journal. Of course it also stemmed from my constant visit to DannyChoo.com where I've created a lot of works that would've been blog-worthy. So I have to credit Danny for creating a purpose for me as well.

I will also mention a few people here, but a lot of them are already on the side of my blog on the blog list, there are just too many to list. If I don't mention you it doesn't mean I think less of you at all; just blame Zetsubou-sensei for not letting me write you in XD But I thank all of you who have supported me throughout the year and hopefully with many more to come!

Chapter 21: It's Way to Gross in This Sad Town
Itoshiki Rin, Nozomu's sister, comes to visit Zetsubou-sensei and the students for a Gross-Out test.

Oh, I've certainly had my share of gross posts. I don't quite know what would gross me out, but I know slugs, wet pantsu, yaoi and tentacles would gross out a few people... And maybe even that figure with a spiked genitalia having a yuri moment.

Speaking of yuri, I gotta give a shout out to Acesan, who does really great gross yuri 4koma comics, perhaps he is the one who actually inspired me to start my own 4koma? And of course to my other yuri fan comrades at Listless Ink and Blue Blue Wave. Also a big thank you to Wolfheinrich for putting up with me and my collaboration shenanigans. His support of the 4koma really pushed me to create more and more.

Chapter 22: I've Read Books Full of Shame
Zetsubou-sensei encounters a new student who have read many many books and now able to tell stories that touch people's heart... He may even be able to read their hearts!

It's funny that I only wanted to tell a tale of a battle between Saber Lily and Haruhi into 2 parts of the 4koma comic but now it ballooned up to over 20 parts, its own site (so people can link back to the older ones easily) and even got my infamous Lily Panel stolen by Yunamon! And thanks to Blowfish's idea, I even got beaten up by Saber Lily...

I, of course, had my own share of book readings such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and... and... Ok not that many books, but I do read lots of manga... Unfortunately I am behind on a lot of blog readings, but there were a lot of good reads, especially Snark's Taikutsu Remedy. Oh the joys of reading Fruits Basket review from another perspective. XD And I'd love to read more of Kodomut's stories right now but so far behind! Do chek his site for great stories or even just for the photos!

Chapter 23: A Cultured Man was Waiting for the Rain to Stop Under the Rashomon Gate
What a freaking long title... It's time for the usual cultural festival in high school, but Zetsubou-sensei denies his students because they are not cultured enough. Chiri Kitsu, however, argues that they have the right to maintain a minimum standards of cultured living. Keyword here is "minimum".

Obviously my blog is all about anime and lots of things that are Japanese related, posts about my own town is rare however. There is the occasional Vancouver post though... but I really do live with minimum standards of cultured living here, at least about Vancouver XD

Chapter 24: The Namayatsuhashi Must be Burned
Zetsubou-sensei and his students travel to Kyoto to preview their class trip so that they know what to expect when they go to the real trip. But of course they go into other topics related to "previews". Such as: "Some guy playing with [anime] figures. Of course. It's a preview of a woman. Without a preview, if he suddenly saw a real woman's breasts he might have a heart attack! Anime -> Figures -> Large Figures -> Love Doll -> Real Woman's Body"

I have a lot of previews of a woman's body... I did a lot of figure shots which focused on figures with panchira and thigh high stockings, just so I could make a new angle on figure photoshoots. Get it? "Angle," ahaha, I kill me. To this day, Saber Maid is still my favourite figure which had the best combination of panchira AND thigh highs!

I also showed previews of my Gundam Projects. When I first begin to blog, I created my Saber Gundam, but I was very paranoid at the time, "what if someone else is doing this Gundam too at this very moment in time and that someone is going to beat me to it?" That was my thoughts, which made my resolve to finish Saber Gundam very quickly in 3 days time. Though since it was the first few posts I did on my blog I don't think anyone even know what I was up to anyway, lol. I also had similar thoughts when I was building Mirai Gundam, "what if someone beats me to it?" I was egotistical about it XD

Chapter 25: I am Amakudari. I Still Don't Have Any Work To Do
Amakudari means "descent from heaven", but in the manga it means senior bureaucrats who gets cushy jobs with high salary paid by the taxpayers... Basically the whole chapter is about people who is pretty much like a big fish in small pond.

Hmm I wonder if I actually do this sort of thing on my blog. I hope I don't do this sort of thing to my peers... Although I am already like this since a lot of people who likes anime are quite young... I'm not a youngster anymore, but I sure do act like it XD I'm very surprised at a lot of my friends I've made through DannyChoo.com. Argyle just turned 17, while Yamada is still 19 and Coco just graduated from high school last June! I feel so old ^^;

Chapter 26: As Gregor Samsa Awoke One Morning He Found Himself Carrying a Mikoshi
A mikoshi is one of those portable shrines that people carry around. The chapter involves putting things on pedestals because people think they are something that they want to publicize.

I tend to put Danny Choo on that mikoshi often. A lot of people do, even when Danny doesn't really want the publicity. I am glad to stumble onto his site because I'm having so much fun. It was very nice to talk to him as well. In turn he's also put some of my work on his mikoshi like the 2009 calendar and my loot from AnimeBoston, along with one of Rin's Mega Otaku Loot!

I've also put some fanart done by my friend, Yakuri, on the mikoshi as well. Many of her artwork are just very cute and she even personalized a couple of them for me by putting two of my favourite characters together. One of them resides as a part of my blog header now ^_^

Chapter 27: Evening Primroses on Mt. Fuji are a Mistake
Zetsubou-sensei points out all the mistakes in his class... but Super Positive Girl, Kafuka Fuura says, "At the point in time when a mistake is brought to light... It becomes correct." Meaning it's not longer a mistake because people have admitted to their mistakes.

I know I've made a lot of mistakes... a lot of them were things in high school that would have made my high school life so much better. I've always hated making mistakes which is why I always look at consequences... but mistakes and accidents happen. That accident happened this Wednesday. I made a major mistake and I brought it to light to my brother and my parents. I was prepared for them to be angry at me... but instead they showed compassion. I am glad to have my family who've supported me; someone who is born with a lot of mistakes.

Chapter 28: I was Thinking of Proving it this New Year
Zetsubou-sensei's nephew comes to visit... but he doesn't believe he is his real nephew. So he asks him for proof. Which leads to him asking proof if his students are who they really say they are.

Art on the shirt drawn by Chun, which you still can get from Zazzle.com ^^ You can also get my John Smith shirt too if you like, lol.

Am I really who I say I am? I act differently around people a lot. I have very different personalities at work depending on who I talk to. I seem to have put on the same air when I talk to friends though.

I have many that would identify me by my Rei collection, or the room that won Danny's giveaway, or the Saber Lily vs Haruhi 4koma... So many things that I've done in just one year to show proof of who I am. I strive for uniqueness, to be different, but the face of otakudom is always changing... so my proof of identity changes every time. Do I sound narcissistic yet? XD But hey, at least I prove myself, right? :P

Of course there's that other thing that proves who I am... Ecchi Man, a nickname given by the FatBastard. I have no idea how I got that nickname at all...

No... no idea at all.

Chapter 29: Because of My Hereditary Lack of Energy, I Have Been Hibernating Since Childhood
Hibernating... simple enough, right? Sleeping through winter... but also taking a break from something for a long time then continuing it later on.



Sleep is for the weak! I'll sleep when I die... why when it was winter I stayed up to take snow pictures with one of my figures in it! Ok fine... maybe Saber Lily and Haruhi did hibernate for a while... but they've returned with a major crossover! Saber Lily's still hibernating from the looks of it though ^^;;; Either way the 4koma has returned in a major way... seems like my last few posts were the 4komas!

Chapter 30: The Musashino of Today is Shrouded in Darkness
The class is having a stew... but a dark stew! Stew made of the darkness of the heart and when someone picks an ingredient from the pot, it'll be something dark from their past!

My darkness faded away when I become involved with the DannyChoo.com community. Blogging have really brought out my fun side. A lot of my darkness went away when I stopped playing World of Warcraft. There was just too many drama in that game. I don't want to dig to that past again. I wouldn't mind playing it again, but I don't want to involve myself with drama anymore.

So now I look towards the future instead. I hope to create more unique posts in the future. Blogging have also increased my creativity and imagination. It's thanks to all the blogs and members of DC.com who I've bounced ideas. I hope to come back to reading blogs and be active in the community again... but since I do not have a lot of commitment like what WoW used to have, I've begun to spend time with friends and be a little bit more social. I won't stay away from this world of blogging though, but I've learned that I have to live a life as well.

Either way, here's hoping for another year of these fun things that we're doing here ^_^