Posts Tagged ‘list’

Dec

Not-so-uneventful week

Posted by: Ryman in J Culture, Random Rants

I don’t know where to begin with this blog post. I don’t know what to write, but I have a lot of things in my mind I like to share. So instead of thinking what to post, I’ll just write what pops up as I go along…

The music currently playing in the background is Beautiful Girls by Jojo. According to the music history provided by Winamp’s media library, I’ve been playing this song for 115 times since I loaded it in my computer. I liked this song before when I first heard it sang by Sean Kingston.
Beowulf is on the top of my list for movies to watch, but I’ve been passing it off week after week. First it was Hitman, since I knew that Beowulf will still be in the theaters for a couple of more weeks. Then last Saturday my girlfriend and I, watched The Golden Compass, again bypassing Beowulf. I just hope by next Saturday IT is still in the movies.
BTW The Golden Compass is a good movie, well… much like Stardust or The Seeker, since both came from a book. Just don’t be disappointed with the ending because it’s much like seeing a “to be continued” text on the theater.
My girlfriend is planning to buy the new ASUS EEE PC, she showed it to me on sale at the mall for 18,500 php. Although she mentions another shop that sells it for only 16,000 php. I’ve been reading a lot about it in various blog sites. As far as I can say, the specs are not that great, but it’s really portable since its smaller than your average laptop. And since it’s portable one feature that needs to stand out is its Internet connectivity, which unfortunately sucks. It doesn’t have a freaking Wi-Fi so you have to buy a separate Wi-Fi “box” so you can connect to those free Wi-Fi in your area. Or as an alternative you can just subscribe to SMART 3G wireless internet, and I hear 3G is faster than Wi-Fi. It has a modem and Ethernet for connecting your broadband or modem internet line, but what’s the point, since you’re bringing this outside because it’s a portable unit. And if some of you are wondering why it is so cheap, mainly because it uses cheap hardwares and free softwares. It is powered by an Intel mobile CPU running at 900MHz, 512mb RAM, and a 8~16 GB flash drive (much faster than regular hard drive). On the software side, don’t expect and Apple of Microsoft products here since you are getting it at a cheap price. It runs on a customized Linux (free) based OS, don’t worry because it uses a graphical interface much like windows and not your stripped down command line interface like Linux. Your browser is the all powerful and all mighty (I’m exaggerating here of course) Mozilla Firefox, Skype is also included so you can use the built-in webcam. You can chat in AOL, IM, MSN via Kopete (WTF is Kopete??? I mean if you want to use a free all in one messenger use Pidgin, then you can boast to your friends that you have a zoo in your Asus Eee PC, with a fox, penguin, pigeon, and other animals) or just download Yahoo Messenger, Live Messenger, Google Talk, or AIM. It opens Word and Excel docs, it doesn’t have Microsoft so I’m guessing it’s loaded with another free software called Open Office. Every software has a free license and it cuts down the cost. But what about that damn Wi-Fi??? almost all the software included are used online, and they even call this unit a “blogging tool.” BTW, I’m “planning” to get one, why? I don’t know, and if ever I convince myself enough… and planning doesn’t mean I’m getting it… yet… probably… whatever. (I should have posted this at Tambayan.ph)
Most of my free time is spent on watching J-doramas so I didn’t get to blog more often. The list of J-doramas I’ve already watched are:
1. Perfect Woman (ep 1-11). This is your typical love story. It’s a good series with a hint of comedy. I rate it at 5/10.
2. With Love (ep 1-12). A love story brought to you by email. Sounds familiar? My rate for this series is 4/10. But I love the opening song from this series titled Destiny by My Little Lover. And it is currently (as of this post) my phone’s ringtone.
3. You’re Under Arrest (ep 1-9). This is a Manga/Anime adoptation of the same title. Two police woman from Japan’s traffic division. Action, comedy, drama, it’s all here. My rate is 7/10.
4. Great Teacher Onizuka (ep 1-12 + movie + special). Another Manga/Anime adoptation. This is a story about an ex-biker gang member wanting to be a teacher. A little action and too much drama. My rate is 7/10.
5. Gokusen season 1 (ep 1-12 + special). A female version of Great Teacher Onizuka and also a Manga/Anime adoptation. This time the teacher is a heir to a generation of Yakuza. Too much drama here if you ask me. Rate is 6/10. I have yet to watch season 2 of this series this week.
6. Nodame Cantabile (ep 1-11). A Manga/Anime adoptation. This is a comedy with a touch of drama. A story about a guy who wants to lead an orchestra and go to Prague, but unfortunately can’t because of a trauma since childhood. Funny comedy and full of music. If you like music, violins, and piano, this series is for you. My rate is 6/10 because of the comedy.
7. Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (ep 1-12). This is the first J-dorama I actually recommended my girlfriend to watch. Comedy, drama, and sports are the main genre. My rank is 8.5/10 why? because of the comedy and Horikita Maki… she’s so KAWAII (^_^)
8. Liar Game (ep 1-11). Ah yes, the mind-game. My rate is 8/10. I like how this series turned up. It’s full of drama, but the twist and turns of events are what I like most.
9. Kimi Wa Petto (ep 1-10). Hmmm. Rate is 5/10. It good, but not that good. A little bit of comedy, but heavy on the drama. The title is translated as You’re My Pet.
10. Hana Yori Dango season 1 (ep 1-9) and seasaon 2 (ep 1-11). The original Meteor Garden (from Korea). It is based on the Manga/Anime adoptation of the same title, the story is much like Meteor Garden with some similarities. Rate is 6/10.
Watching too many Animes and J-doramas actually helps me learn Nihongo faster. Since I’m usually studying Japanese language by books; watching and listening to Japanese speaking videos taught me faster. Although since I don’t have a formal study in Nihongo and I don’t have someone who I can practice with, I can rate my Japanese speaking skills at around 2/10. And no, I can’t read Kanji or any Japanese characters.
I’m planning to create a website dedicated to Japanese culture specially Anime and J-Dorama’s and probably J-idols. But I will just host it below this domain. For now.