Monday 31 March 2008

Muggle Quidditch for Harry Potter Fans or Nerds?

Harry Potter nerds fans anyone? Ever wished you could play Quidditch like Harry Potter? Well now you can with MUGGLE QUIDDITCH! That's right, quidditch for muggles like us.


"In Muggle Quidditch, as in Wizard Quidditch there are four positions on a team. In Wizard Quidditch, all positions are played in the air on magical flying brooms; however, due to the non-existence of such devices, Muggle Quidditch is played on the ground, with game play confined to a playing field comparable in size to a soccer field."


When I first read about this over at Strife's LJ, I thought to myself 'Hey that's awesome, we can all live out our fantasy dream now!' HOWEVER, after reading and watching how it was being played, I have to take back my words.

So this is how the game goes. First of all, just like Wizard Quidditch, all players have a broom between their legs. The only difference between that of the Harry Potter world and reality is that you have to support the broom and not the other way around. Yes, the players have to hold the brooms. You still have the positions of the "Chasers" whose job is to get the quaffle through the hoops , "Keepers" to defend the hoops, "Beaters" who throws the balls called Bludgers at the opponents and to defend their team mates from them, and last but not least, the "Seekers" (Harry Potter), yep they are ones who catch the snitch.



In case you still haven't figured out where the snitch was in the above video, well its the yellow guy who keeps jumping and running around with a sock ball attached his back. In order to score, you need to tackle the guy and get the ball that's in the sock.

You would be surprised to know that there are actually associations and leagues for this so called sport! And schools such as Princeton are actually taking this sport up! I don't know whether to feel amused or sad.


Unbelievable!

Sunday 30 March 2008

Dead Fantasy I & II

OMG!! I was browsing Gametrailers.com when I came across these!! Ok perhaps I'm like one of the slowest person who have not seen these, but better late than never! XD

The following animations are done by montyoum who has brought the ladies from Final Fantasy and Dead or Alive together in a battle against each other! These wonderfully done masterpieces are a MUST watch, with stunning graphics and action, along with super hot and delicious babes! I guess its like a dream come true for every fanboy. (and fangirl like me! XD)

Dead Fantasy I



"I've got another movie here. I had this one in my mind awhile ago and I finally got the chance to get to it after all the hubbub surrounding my previous movie and what it did for my life.

I started this one about last July and gradually worked into it piece by piece. First thing I usually decide on when I make a movie is the "why is this cool?" And as far as this movie goes, the coolest part about the movie is how it ends. Which is what you'll see after watching it, and why I'm really REALLY excited about getting started on Dead Fantasy II-V. But more on that later.

Balance

I hope it's noticable. The subtle signs of me trying to become a better animator. Having a movie with humans instead of humanoids I wanted to portray less broader more precise movement. Though still with the anime stylings of movies such as Final Fantasy Advent Children. I spent a lot more focus this time around on making those sequences better in terms of movement & character weighting etc. It's nowhere by any means near professional animation quality. Just a step up I knew I should be taking. But doing so made others things fall back a tad. More obvious than the things I did better at, were where I fell short. My choices as the Director of this movie suffered in a way due to my effort as an animator. I knew this would happen, but I still don't like seeing the faults I made including camera work and pacing. It's a pretty simple formula too. I'd spend a good several hours/days getting a really good sequence done, then when it comes to the camera work, I don't want to lose any of those frames, even if it's a responsible choice to cut it out.

The imbalance of animator vs director this time around effected the overall movie, and I will know better next time."

....the rest here.



Dead Fantasy II




"The first thing that comes to mind about the production of this vid is how much I wanted to give you the viewer more. I've described it heartfully many times as "bang for buck" or "giving the viewer their money's worth." What's that you say? "Oh silly Monty, why worry about giving me my money's worth for something that totally free? You so crazy!" Wellllll, I find it funny these days, how it seems that free still isn't quite free enough anymore, things like time and attention is a value that's hard to give up to just anything. And just as I learned (with Haloid) that making a good movie isn't enough for the viewer, but also making a good movie that they want. The relationship between filmaker and viewer of what you want and what I want to give you. One could hope someday I'll be in the position to make that video game motion picture that fully pays tribute to what the fans wish for while making the reasonable comprises of established filmaking.

You should know that I wasn't much a fan of Dead Fantasy 1. Not that I'm not proud of some moments, but in the listed episodes of this series it was the one I wanted to do the least. But obviously the only one that could come first because of what it established. When that one was done an over with, really the fight was only beginning. It should also be mentioned that this episode wasn't meant to happen, the original plan was for Tifa to show up and split them up into the three respective pairs following with Dead Fantasy II begin Yuna Vs Kasumi, Dead Fantasy III Tifa Vs Hitomi, Dead Fantasy IV beign Rikku VS Ayane. But to to the immense response of how much you all were looking forward to an even fight between the two teams, it wouldn't have been fair to the viewer to take something away just as soon as it was introduced. I thoroughly glad I opted to go this route, it just goes to show that you really can't be certain about what you do without considering who it is you making this for".

....the rest here.


I've never seen Rinoa this powerful before! I loved how she made her entrance! Descending from the sky and all.. it was really grand! I thought it was supposed to be a Final Fantasy thing, so I hadn't really expected Kairi to appear. Being a huge Paine supporter, I was hoping it would be Paine who would join the girls in this fight. But nonetheless, as stated by the film maker himself, he wanted unpredictability so I guess it goes too. =)

Being an avid fangirl of Final Fantasy, you won't have to guess who I am rooting for in this showdown between the sexy ladies!! XD

Saturday 29 March 2008

That's Amore!

Remember this guy?

I'm sure you will if you have watched A shot at love with Tila Tequila, MTV's bisexual reality dating game! Domenico Nesci, the cute, funny and lovable italian, who was one of 32 contenders to vie for the affections of Tila Tequila now has his own show called That's Amore!



Miyavi Señor Señora Señorita dance lesson!

I was doing some housekeeping on my computer when I found this super cute video of Miyavi which I had ripped from Miyavi's Señor Señora Señorita(セニョール セニョーラ セニョリータ) single. I have to say that the single is one of my most favourite single! On top of that, it came with a castanet and a poster!

Miyavi was absolutely adorable in here and I cannot help but laugh at his silliness XD
Here we see him dancing with the flamenco (?) dancers!





[edit] Download the file HERE!

Friday 28 March 2008

Love Picasso? Be Picasso!

Ever dreamt of becoming Pablo Picasso? Now you can over at
Mr Picasso Head!


Check out my Picasso inspired works of art below!

Emotions
by
yours truly =)

Suspicions
by
Yours Truly=)


hehe love it or hate it? Be my critic!

Thursday 27 March 2008

Final Fantasy Banana Chronicles

Presenting...
FF Banana Chronicles
in Osaka

B1 - Reiko
B2 - Amanda


Tuesday 25 March 2008

Superstar Virgo adventrues!

Superstar Virgo adventures!


(09/11/05-11/11/05)

Starring:

CLARICE as Ms Virgo

Socialites:

AMANDA as Ms Decadence

HOIMAN as Ms Mantou

LEOK SI as Ms Alldressedup

Setting:

Superstar Virgo

Written by AMANDA

Illustrated by CLARICE (illustrations still pending)

-Nov 2005-





One lovely Wednesday evening, Ms Virgo and 3 most famous socialites, Ms Decadence, Ms Alldressedup and Ms Mantou embarked on their ever first adventure together on Ms Virgo's cruise, the one and only biggest cruise - SUPERSTAR VIRGO!!

Personally escorted by the owner Ms Virgo herself, the 3 VIPs headed to the ship. Along the way, however, they were stopped by a strange looking life-sized bird! Well, due to the four's popularity, it was the bird's dream to take a picture together with them. Despite the many protests made by the 3 socialites and even Ms Virgo herself, they were forced into taking a picture with him. (He had a vice-like grip).


Phew, after that disturbing encounter, they finally checked in into their wonderful suite 9569. In order not to have a repeat of what happened earlier, the 3 girls decided to keep a low profile and disguised themselves as commoners with the help of Ms Virgo.

“Aha! The first step in becoming a commoner is to dine at our Mediterranean Buffet,” said Ms Virgo.


Although the Mediterranean Buffet was a commoner’s place, it was well known that the standard of food was still high as Ms Virgo is a lady of high standards and cares for the welfare of her passengers. A highly respected woman.


When they arrived, the three girls were shocked to see so many darker-skinned foreigners. Not accustomed to finding a table by themselves, they still managed to do so with the help of Ms Virgo. To make matters worse, the uncivilised darker-skinned friends were a turn off.

It was time for the tour around the cruise. The three girls were greatly amazed by the construction of the ship and listened intently to Ms Virgo’s explanation. In all their excitement, the four girls took many pictures.


Enough with the commoners’ pretense, they decided to head to the Galaxy of the Stars for a drink and a night of Cuban music.


Thankfully, the girls were able to relax and enjoy their evening with no disturbance. Ms Virgo, the bravest among all four, ordered her flaming Lamborghini while Ms Decadence and Ms Alldressed up had their cocktails. Ms Mantou, not particularly fond of alcohol, ordered a smoothie.


“Cheers!” all cried out in unison to celebrate their first night on board Superstar Vigo.





At exactly midnight, the ship’s horn sounded. With much awaited eagerness, Ms Virgo and her guests made their way to the top deck to wave good bye to Singapore.


After saying their sad goodbyes, Ms Virgo announced that she had a welcoming party prepared just for the 3 famous socialites and the whole Celebrity Disco had been reserved just for them! Their moods immediately lightened and all headed down to Celebrity Disco for a night of fun and partying!


As the three girls were still very shy, Ms Virgo started the party going by showing some of her suave dance moves. Ms Decadence started getting the rhythm and was soon dancing along with Ms Virgo. Ms Alldressedup and Ms Mantou were still very reluctant to step onto the dance floor. Ms Virgo and Ms Decadence concluded that it was due to the music and requested for a change. The DJ, with this expertise, chose the right song and Ms Alldressedup finally got the groove and was the next one to join them! Not feeling high enough, Ms Virgo and Ms Decadence downed a Tequila Pop each while Ms Alldressedup ordered a glass of Gin tonic. Ms Mantou was then pulled to the dance floor by all three and was soon dancing the night away!


They were having the time of their life until a group of Indians entered the disco, choosing to ignore the “RESERVED FOR MS VIRGO AND HER GUESTS” sign at the entrance.

On top of that, they forced their way onto the dance floor and infested the whole place. Furthermore, they dampened the party mood with their rowdy behaviour. Not knowing their place (they were on board Ms Virgo’s ship after all...), they even dared to push Ms Virgo and the three girls to a corner. Ms Virgo, sticking to her righteous principles regarding the welfare of her passengers decided not to pursue the matter and all four left for their next destination. (All not wanting this incident to spoil their fun.)

Much to their horror and surprise, a swarm of flashlights blinded the four girls as soon as they stepped out of Celebrity Disco.


It seemed that word had spread around that the three famous socialites and Ms Virgo was on board the ship. Their secret identities as commoners were now exposed!

Being totally surrounded, they had nowhere to run or hide. Thus leaving them with no choice but to succumb to their fate. From socialites to commoners and now camera whores.






After an hour of posing, the girls were exhausted and were let off to retire in their rooms.

“Phew, that was tiring!” exclaimed Ms Mantou.


“But it was kinda fun too. Hee” Ms Alldressedup giggled.


A few rounds of “Ninety-nine” and “Bridge” wee played before all girls hit the sack.





Later that morning, the girls headed for Brunch as they had missed the early breakfast. Fortunately, they were early and were thus able to escape the paparazzi as well as the Indians. They had a pleasant and sumptuous meal.


Having some time before their awaited arrival at Port Klang, Ms Virgo brought the three girls to the Captain’s room for a brief introduction.


“What lovely and pretty friends you have Ms Virgo! I hope you girls will enjoy your stay on Superstar Virgo!” with that, the handsome and charming captain flashed his heartwarming smile and kissed each girl’s hand.





Slightly after 2pm, Star Virgo docked at Port Klang and the girls were pleasantly surprised to see a huge crowd welcoming them! Each girl received a garland of flowers.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, the pesky paparazzi appeared again! This time, the girls were prepared and made their getaway on a personally hired cab. Driving along KL highway at a speed of 130km/h, the paparazzi continued to hound after them.

With the fast reflexes and skills of Shawari, our driver otherwise known as “killer proton” the ex-champion of Proton annual racer competition, they managed to lose them.

After and hour of chasing, the girls were dropped off at “SUNWAY PYRAMID”. Each girl, being an investor of “SUNWAY PYRAMID”, decided to check out the shopping mall. Furthermore, Ms Alldressedup was the shopping queen of the group and she would never miss any chance to go on a shopping spree!


After rounds of shopping, they took a rest at Dunkin Donuts. Immediately recognized by the staff at the counter, they had complimentary donuts and coffee. =)



It was close to 7pm (time of pickup) and so the girls rushed off to do their final lat minute shopping. Ms Virgo ended up buying 2 shirts and a cap, Ms Mantou and Ms Alldressedup a shirt each and Ms Decadence, an earring.

Just before boarding the ship, the four girls purchased a bottle of Martini Rosso from a duty free alcohol shop.







Next, they prepared themselves for a night of fine dining and pleasure. They started off with a 4-coursed western meal at Bella Vista, followed by a special performance “SOPRESA” (which in Italian means “surprise!”) at Lido. The show was spectacular, with balancing and acrobatic acts, cabaret dancing, singing and appearance of “Joey”, the world’s smallest midget who is 26 years old.


Next, the girls revisited Celebrity Disco. Not feeling as high as before, Ms Virgo, Ms Alldressedup and Ms Decadence ordered a flaming Lamborghini each. This time however, Ms Mantou and Ms Alldressedup were more reluctant to dance than the night before. With much more persuasion and pulling, all finally joined in.


This time, they were spared the company of the rowdy Indians but there was an “ang moh” couple dirty dancing. They were grinding against each other as if they were the only two present in the disco. The guy then got too caught up in his own desires and started roaming his hands all over his girlfriend’s body. And the next thing he did, he pulled her top down her body! *gasp* and yes, talk about modesty! After several more incidents and acts displayed by these two (the guy touched an Indian lady’s butt), Ms Virgo and her girls were disgusted and decided to return to their room for their own fun.


The girls finished off the Hoegaarden from the night before and opened the new bottle of Martini Rosso! Having the time of their life, they even invited the two staff who delivered the ice to join them. Rounds of “Bridge” were played and it was drinking, eating and playing the whole night.


The night ended with Ms Alldressedup being drunk, constantly repeating “I’m drunk! I’m drunk!” and Ms Virgo complaining that her soul was leaving her body, leaving it behind. Ms Decadence, being a glutton, continued stuffing her face with Lays potato chips and offering everyone peanuts. Ms Mantou, although being the most sober (she did not have any alcohol), played her cards as if she was drunk!




The next morning, the girls surprisingly woke up in time for morning breakfast. They returned to Bella Vista for their International buffet. They were treated like royalty once they stepped inside (well they were socialites and the owner after all) and had their fill.

Sadly it was time to go. The girls packed their stuff and said their goodbyes to the dashing captain and his staff. Before leaving the ship, they went to The Lido and bid their farewells to their fans.


At exactly 2 pm, the socialites hugged their wonderful host Ms Virgo goodbye and each boarded their limousine and went home.





The End

The adventures of Ms Virgo, Ms Decadence, Ms Alldressedup and Ms Mantou have come to a temporary end, till their next new adventure, STAY TUNED and GOODBYE! (For now)

Japan trips Part II - 2006

29th May - 6th June 2006 - Tokyo with Elainey & Reiko


Day 1
detailed report done HERE



Day 2
report found HERE



Day 3
report found HERE



Day 3 & 4
Having exhausted ourselves for the past few days, we decided to take things slower the next couple of days. We covered places mainly for us otakus (reiko & I). One of the stops was Aqua City's Shounen Jump Shop, which is basically a shop that sells manga merchandises. It was followed by a vist to Square Enix's shop. I was really looking forward to this shop because of the life sized sephiroth model that was supposedly in the shop. True enough, there he lay! Lying inside this glass casing underneath the floor boards. It was like a dream come true to finally see him! A Final Fantasy fan should definitely go there, its a final fantasy haven!! Even the staff at the counter dressed up as the Turks from Final Fantasy 7! How cool is that!

We ended day 4 with a trip down to Ecole for the 3rd time and treated ourselves to delicious desserts and cocktails. Ecole is this themed cafe where Kanata (a superb cosplayer) worked at. The reason why we patrnized the cafe so many times in a single trip to Japan was because Reiko and I are super huge fans of her and we really wanted to see her! we didn't in the end. =( BUT we still managed to take pictures with a few of her best friends! ^_^



Day 5
The whole day was spent at Harajuku, where we visited the harajuku street, the meiji shrine and Takeshita Street. It was our lucky day because we managed to see 3 ceromies taking place when we went to the Meiji shrine! I'm not sure what the first ceremony was about but it involved the priest hitting huge drums. The second ceremony wasn't a ceremony but my friend told me she was going through the Seijin shiki (成人式) which is the Japanese coming of age, and thus her kimono. The 3rd ceremony that we witnessed was a wedding procession! We even managed to take a photo with the bride and the groom! =)

At night, we visited another themed cafe at Ikebukuro, B:lily-rose, a BL cafe. BL also known as Boy- Love is a genre that focuses on male/male relationships targeted towards females. Another term would be Yaoi (やおい). So at this cafe, really good looking girls dressed up as guys, would serve you food, desserts and cocktails with additional fanservice. It is difficult to imagine if you are not an otaku. haha but just imagine them being similar to hostesses at a bar where they entertain and talk to you.



Day 6 - Final Day
Visited the Tsukiji Fish Market very early in the morning, hoping to catch the auction. Unfortunately we were too late and completely missed it. We, however, managed to try our very first authentic and fresh sushi from one of the sushi bars inside the market! No words can describe how fresh and awesome the sushi was! It was like our very own Japan Hour!!

After our satisfying meal, we headed down one last time to Ecole, in hopes of catching Kanata before we leave Japan. well, lets just say, fate wasn't on our side. =(

Lots of last minute shopping till we were broke and headed back to our hotel to prepare for our trip back home the next day.

Japan trips Part I - 2005

7-12th Feb 2005 - 6 Days Scenic Shirakaba by ANA travels

2005 I would say, was one of the most exciting year because I got to travel to Japan for the first time! Being an 'everything-must-be-japanese' fanatic, this was practically a dream come true! Since it was the first time for the whole family, mom decided to book a tour with ANA travels.

One good thing I like about tours is that everything is planned for you, so all you gotta do is sit back and enjoy the trip. =)

On the first day, we arrived pretty early in the morning at Narita airport and boy was it cold! ok I'm not sure if it was because I was so excited that I couldnt help shivering/shaking or that it was super cold, or even both! hahaha! soooo after layering ourselves with super thick clothes, we boarded the tour bus to head to our very first destination in Japan - Tokyo!! XD

To summarise the trip:
Day 1 - Asakusa Temple and Ginza Street

Asakusa was a very touristy place with tons of tourists crowding up the entrance to the temple as well as the shopping lanes. The streets were lined with old buildings and shops, carrying traditional items from kimonos to hand made combs and of course, many kinds of souveniers.


Ginza street has got to be one of the cleanest streets I've ever seen! The street was lined with expensive and branded boutiques and BIG cars with chauffers in black suit next to them.


Day 2 - Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakaba

Having spent the night at Kanazawa ANA hotel, it was time to move off to Shirakawa-go Village, which by the way is designated as part of the World Cultural Heritage in 1995! The village was beautiful. I really liked the "Gassho-zukuri (Joined-hands)", which were basically quaint farmhouses that ahve thatched roofs with about 60 degree gradients. They actually look like those mini candy house on logcakes from far in the snow! Lovely scenery and a must go place during winter I must say. Just make sure you don't get lost like my sis and I. >_<

Takayama, our next destination, is an ancient, tranquil city called "Little Kyoto" ( or as the Japanese calls it). We did lots of shopping and tried many different kinds of sake. A place you should go if you like to see traditional Japanese houses.


Shirakaba, which is often called (apparently) "Switzerland of Japan", was where we were going to spend the night and the following day. It was a very long bus journey up the mountain but the view along the way was breathtaking. I had never seen so much snow before in my life and it was simply gorgeous and white! XD



Day 4 - Shirakaba and Tokyo

We went up the ski area first thing in the morning and played with the snow boards. It wasn't as cool as skiing (yes we were very disappointed) BUT do not underestimate these snow boards/sleighs, there were acutally very fun!! haha.

The closest we got to skiing was at Mt Tateshina, where we took a gondola ride all the way up. It was amazing because we got to feast on the breathtaking "juhyo" (?) trees glazed with ice on the way up! It was really funny though because everyone around us were dressed in full ski gear!

It was then back to Tokyo. Unfortunately, we were only given like 3 hrs of free time and that sucked! you tell me, how is 3 hrs enough to go shopping in Tokyo?! Anyway making the best of it, I rushed through all the places I really wanted to go and at least managed to get a few things before heading to Odaiba.


Day 4 - Odaiba

Odaiba was pretty much more for shopping and of course the ferris wheel, but we didnt get the chance to ride on it cos it was super crowded. Odaiba is a very pretty place all in all. The rainbow bridge, particularly, looks amazing all lighted up at night.

Day 5 - Home
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. =( Having experiencing my first time in Japan, I somewhat returned back happy!