[ost] Dragon Age II

Ahh... Dragon Age. I could go on for days talking about this game (awesome doesn't do it justice), but I will refrain, seeing as I titled it under OST. Muahaha. But this is the track that caught my attention.

Leliana's Song from Leliana's Song DLC.

Intrigued, I went on a google and wikipedia spree. The composer, Inon Zur, has composed for over 40 games, and was the man behind the music for over 360 Power Rangers episodes. (Not that I watched Power Rangers. As a kid, I never understood why heroes always wear ridiculous looking costumes.)

Sorry, I digressed. Back to music. Pieces that I particularly loved were the one above, The Endless Wave of Hurlocks, Battle the Blight, I Am The One (High/Dark Fantasy version are both good, Dark is of course, in the Minor key.)

So, how did Inon Zur fare this time round in Dragon Age II? If I may say so, pretty awesome! The one I can't get myself to stop listening is this one:

My iTunes tells me I have listened to this at least 133 times. I think the reason I am addicted to this is because one, I love it when people sing well in a language I can't comprehend. (They could be singing about the wart on their foot for all I know.) Two, the melody appeals to me. I like tunes that have a melancholy feel to it. Well, it's certainly earned a spot on my top 25 most listened playlist.

Other tunes that are catching up to a 100 runs are:
-Tavern Music (It reminds me so much of Chrono Cross! Ah, how I spent my rebellious phase exploring the 2 worlds!)
-Forever War
-Rogue Heart (This is a upgrade of the romance melody in the main Dragon Age game, and a much better remake. The first one made me wince.)
-Fenris Theme A gentler version of Mage's Pride. I could fall asleep smiling listening to this, but I have to admit, Fenris is much too broody to have this as his theme. Haha!

And to end this post, here's a picture of Inon Zur:

Cheerios peeps!

[anime] 世界一初恋 Episode 1

2011 Spring is seeing a new release of a boys love/yaoi/gay anime called Sekai'ichi Hatsukoi or literally, "World's greatest first love". Based on the manga whose author also wrote Junjou Romantica 純情ロマンチカ (aka obsidian-k's worst nightmare), here are my thoughts on this new work.

While Junjou Romantica was hailed by the covert army of yaoi-loving females as the epitome of love and smex, I didn't really like the main couple (seriously, an 18 yr-old boy living with a 28 yr-old man who has a thing for teddy bears is just weird) though I adored the second couple, Hiroki and Nowaki. Hoping for a pairing like that again, I settled in to watch the episode.

The anime opens to a scene where we see two high school boys in a library, and the shorter one confessing his love to the older boy, Saga. Fast forward to 10 yrs later, the main character was contemplating on how he was so innocent and naive then and he deadpans "I have completely become a jaded adult" (LOL)

Here, we are introduced to the main character, a 25 yr old man by the name of Ritsu Onodera, about to start his first day of work. To his utter dismay, even though he had wanted to work as an editor in the literature department, he was assigned to shoujo manga (girl comics). Miffed, he comments that guys working in the shoujo genre is just a dead end job, the admin told him that under this new boss they found, the department is now one of the best in the publishing company.

(and really gay)

Contrary to the picture of a harem full of handsome young men that the admin painted, this was what Onodera saw:

And his boss, editor-in-chief Masamune Takano is like this:

Of course, Ritsu got pissed:

Boss Takano drags newbie Ritsu to meet up with an artist due to hand in her manuscript for printing:

But....

Artist: *doodles* Something like this?

Boss Takano: No, more like from this angle. ....no, not like that, here. You have kissed someone before right?

Artist: *blushes* Yes, but even if you do it, you can't see it. A ha ha ha....

Boss Takano: That's true. All right, I'll show you an example, so please draw it real quick.

And then....

Ritsu: O-M-F-G!!!!!

Manuscript completed, everyone handed in their work to the printers and Ritsu (the poor dumbo) heads home. (Of course, his first impression of his new boss and colleagues went down into the drain). Next day at work, fresh from the end of the deadlines, his colleagues and workplace transformed into this:

Apparently Boss Takano, in an attempt to tap into the 'maiden mindset', has made it mandatory to girl-ify the workplace into an overflow of pink.

Ritsu: (in regards to why shoujo manga's romance scenes are so plain) I get what you are trying to say, but what I don't get with such scenes, is why everything gets so white and randomly sparkly. And the abundant use of toner, and why the hair and clothing flow even though there is no wind! (Lulz!!)

The episode ends with Takano commenting that Ritsu looks familiar, like he has met him somewhere else before. Ritsu grudgingly replied that since they both work in publishing, Takano might have seen him at the printer's. Takano agrees and walks off. When asked what Ritsu was doing with the company catalogue, Ritsu mentions that he was going to memorize it for work and explained that as a kid, he used to read all the books in his school library. Takano overhears and looks at Ritsu in shock.

No prizes for guessing why. LOL.

Overall, it was an enjoyable episode with plenty of laughs and Ritsu is a much more likeable character then Junjou's Misaki. My thumbs up for Ritsu's voice actor (Hitman Reborn- Hibari Kyouya's seiyuu!) who did an excellent job. Plot wise, it was pretty predictable, but I am looking forward to watching the relationship between the other couples.

Cheerios!

I love Melissa

No, I did not have a revelation and changed my sexual orientation. My spanking-new-but-goddamned-expensive-yet-oh-so-yummeh shoes just arrived this morning, by this not-so-common-brand (back here on our sunny little isle anyway) called Melissa.

I walk a lot for my work as I prefer to hoof it for 15 mins rather than wait for a bus for 20. But maybe it is the way I walk or bad luck in buying shoes, they either give me blisters, or they give out within a month. I have bought Mitju flats (gave out), Charles & Keith flats (blister), DMK flats (blister), Vinci/VNC flats (gave out), BATA flats (blister) and many more with the same results.

I read about Melissa shoes sometime ago in a magazine and there were many fake jelly/rubber shoes in the market once but they gave out also (though at a much slower rate). Fed up, I decided to buy the real thing in hopes I won't have to change shoes for the rest of the year.

Other shoes I am salivating over is the Vivienne Westwood Skyscraper in red and the Cameo Flat in Smoke.

I haven't yet seen a glue/sew line so I shall assume it was made from a single piece of plastic. And there was no plastic smell, in fact, it smells like candy! Lulz!

Planning to break it in by dropping by Bras Basah for a bit for Copic refills. With any luck, I can get back to doodling over the next few weeks. (I love school exam season!)

Cheerios peeps!

Bobs and Ants

I should probably start my first post with something decent but I can't resist. Etsy made me do it. I-AM-CURRENTLY-HATING-ANTS-AKA-BOBS. whirlpooled came up with the name "Bob" for ants one random night back when I had a bunk bed in my room and we sat there watching a line of ants march along my ceiling.

Anyway, this is the picture that made me do it.

Bobs. On a Picnic Cloth. Yum. (Who puts Bobs on picnic cloths?!)

Bobbies have started invading my room again and the strangest thing is, I hardly ever have food or eat in my room. The only thing that would have enticed them is the morning empty coffee cup that I didn't wash before leaving for my morning lessons. They strangely avoid my brother's room, which is a literal candy-haven. Why why why?

Bobby poison is not working either, the bobs are not taking the bait. Maybe my bobs only go for coffee.

I wonder if there are any coffee-flavored bobby-poisons for sale....

stollen, ftw

First dips!

Okay, my auntie Rose, is well-known among us as the preferred baker and confection-maker during holiday season. Pineapple tarts, experimental pineapple briyani, or was it, raisins, er, nvm, and fruit cakes are her specialities, and now, we’ve even got a stollen. When my mum got the sms: ‘Please come to take stollen for fi…’, my mum went: ‘I don’t know if it’s a typo…’ so we went to google it and found out what it was…

Stollen: “a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar” (wiki entry for stollen).

I went: Fruit cakes, again?!

Mum: You better eat it…!

Monday morning and everybody was hungry before work, so guess what was offered on the table… Stollen.

Oddly enough, it was a fantastically tasty loaf of bread with just the right amount of sweetness, fruits and nuts, and sugar (yeah, so, I swiped away some of it) but it was great! My mum took some to work. My sis grew the green eye of jealousy, since she’s an experimental baker herself, and I’ll never say ‘no’ to fruit cakes again!

Thanks auntie Ros! (that reminds me… i haven’t replied that sms yet… i guess the stomach asks for pleasure first too…)