How I ever did sit through this entire J-drama is a mystery. Okay, so it's not a very big mystery considering that Kashiwabara Takashi is in there. But the stupidity of the two lead characters, especially the woman, makes me want to throttle them. But I guess they deserve each other. *sarcastic*

I mean, imagine you are the girl, Ibuki. On the one hand, you have Koushin, your boyfriend of 6 years who tries to skirt the issue of marriage, claiming that he doesn't have a proper career. Then he embarks to become a popular male model/singer/star, and proceeds to neglect you because he doesn't have the spine to stand up against his draconian manageress. You wait patiently time and again while he stood you up at your dates. And when he does turn up, hordes of teenage fangirls and reporters stalk your every movement. You don't have a moment's peace. His family doesn't have a moment's peace. And he blames you for not being more understanding of him, even when you hardly raised a whimper of complaint.

Then on the other hand, there's this nice sensitive guy, Reiji, whom you meet every morning in the office elevator. He's smitten with you, but he never tries to force you into a relationship, knowing fully that you have a boyfriend. But every time you have a problem with Koushin, Reiji is there to lend a patient ear. And even when you decided to stay with Reiji after leaving Koushin, he knows you're still in love with your ex but he tries to win you over patiently. When you did a stupid thing like trying to search for the ring your ex gave you (after throwing it out of the window the night before to "prove" to Reiji that you've forgotten that man), Reiji shook his head in silent exasperation but helps you to find the ring without a word of protest.

Guess who Ibuki chose in the end. Koushin. Yeah, he has quit showbiz by then (partly forced into the decision), but I don't think that he had really matured that much, if at all. And the thing is, she didn't even have the courage to choose Koushin if Reiji had not advised her not to force herself to marry him out of gratitude. They were supposed to fly off to England for the wedding, but before the plane took off, Reiji told the stewardess that Ibuki was not feeling well and to let her get off the flight. The phrase "Love, and Be Silent" was used throughout the final eps to represent Koushin's patient love for her, but I thought it was a better description of Reiji's actions throughout the entire series. I guess the moral of the story is that good guys always come out last, even if they're well-to-do, gentle and good-looking (and wears Sei-chan's snazzy dark suits).

-- The future changed at 11:02 a.m.(Monday, September 9, 2002)

Yume: E'S

There's probably another year and a half at most, before X reaches its final conclusion. And unless Clamp has another great epic up their collective sleeves, there'll be E'S left to satisfy my cravings for a well-done story. Yes, E'S is getting better with each volume. Sometimes it pains me to see it being overshadowed by its flashier cousin, Saiyuuki. But then I tell myself, better that it's being appreciated by a small fandom who loves the story, than be destroyed by hordes of invading fangirls who are only interested in slashing the guys.

-- The future changed at 09:23 p.m.(Friday, September 6, 2002)

Yume: SA-BISU

The chinese version of E'S 7 and Mikan no Tsuki 6 (final volume) are available at CC now.

-- The future changed at 01:01 p.m.(Friday, September 6, 2002)

Yume: Antihistamines

Maria, I hope you're feeling better. Anyhow, there are antihistamines out there, like Clarinase and Clarityne, which do the clearing up job just as well without the drowsy effect. My doctors usually prescribe those for me in the day, and give me the drowsy types for the night. Presumably so that I can rest better.

-- The future changed at 12:24 p.m.(Monday, September 2, 2002)

Yume: Plushie

Kerianne, someone is auctioning Aoki's UFO plushie on eBay.

-- The future changed at 11:08 a.m.(Thursday, August 29, 2002)

Yume: New homes

Ammie, you are certainly enjoying yourself at the new board. *grin*

Well, I won't be moving into my new apartment until November at least. Since you're offering to get me pressies, I expect a new plasma panel TV.

Kim, don't think Seishirou counts. He barely qualifies to be a human. Nataku probably felt more emotions for Karen than Seishirou ever felt for Subaru. He might not even understand the concept of death, except as perhaps a mild inconvenience. Besides, his true wish wasn't really to die. He just wanted to give Subaru his eye. I suppose Fuuma neglected to tell him that the eyeball could be removed without killing him.

-- The future changed at 12:40 p.m.(Wednesday, August 28, 2002)

Yume: Wallpaper download

Kerianne, the wallpaper download site is undergoing some revision, so downloading has been temporarily suspended. So I think it should be up again soon. Perhaps the TB fans nearly crashed the server for the three latest wallpapers. ^_^;

-- The future changed at 12:35 p.m.(Wednesday, August 28, 2002)

Yume: Asuka!

Asuka October updates are in. 34 pages to make up for the disappointing fact that X is going to be on a long holidy for two months, returning only in the January 2003 issue (in November)

-- The future changed at 12:39 a.m.(Wednesday, August 28, 2002)

Yume: Trouble Chocolate

I loved this anime. Wonderfully crazy parody of all anime genres.

-- The future changed at 11:05 a.m.(Tuesday, August 27, 2002)

Yume: Hunter x Hunter OVA

Fellow Singaporeans with cable TV, Variety Vision will be showing the Hunter x Hunter OVA at 6pm from tomorrow evening onwards. It's a Chinese dub, but beggars can't be choosers. Kurapika-sama!!!

-- The future changed at 04:12 p.m.(Sunday, August 25, 2002)

Yume: TB Trio

The Bandai wallpaper site for the X playstation game has a new one featuring the Tokyo Babylon trio of Hokuto, Subaru and Seishirou for download for a limited period only. Sei-chan looks a little plump in yellow. o.O;

-- The future changed at 01:14 p.m.(Sunday, August 25, 2002)

Yume: Sakura Board has moved!

Due to the demise of Beseen, I am forced to switch the location of my X forum.

The spanking new Sakura Board is now located here instead. Hope to hear from all the regulars soon. And do inform me of any hiccups. I haven't got a chance to test out all the options.

-- The future changed at 03:09 p.m.(Friday, August 23, 2002)

Yume: Eye Candy!!!

Courtesy of Clamp's recommendation, visit this site and drool at the beauty of Kaneshiro Takeshi, my dream Subaru-kun.

-- The future changed at 10:43 p.m.(Thursday, August 22, 2002)

Yume: Oedipus Complex

Seishirou's wallpaper is up, and shall we say "incest"?

I suppose the XTV/PSX game guys are trying to tell us that Sei-chan's true love is Setsuka, and that, somehow, that sounds better than being gay. o.O

-- The future changed at 08:51 a.m.(Wednesday, August 21, 2002)

Yume: Devil's Trill

Realised something after rewatching (anime) and rereading (manga) Yami no Matsuei's "The Devil's Trill" arc. Hijiri did not save Tsuzuki from the demon's control. I remember getting a little confused the first time I read that part because Hijiri obviously does not possess any special powers, so how could he possibly break through that barrier to reach out to Tsuzuki's soul, especially when Hisoka couldn't do it?

The fact is, the "Hijiri" that Tsuzuki saw was actually Enmadaiou himself. The demon said as much too. So yes, good ole' Enma has been keeping a close watch over Tsuzuki all along. I wonder if he might even be the one who arranged for the cursed violin to be brought into Japan so as to show off Tsuzuki's powers, and manipulate events in Hell.

-- The future changed at 04:17 p.m.(Friday, August 16, 2002)

Yume: Arashi no Ceres

Watching Ayashi no Ceres while discussing Sorashi is not good. I keep thinking of Arashi as the Tennyou, Ceres, trying to kill Sorata because he, possibly, made her lose her special Miko abilities.

Incidentally, I think AnC sucks. It's basically Fushigi Yuugi with older (but not necessarily more matured) characters, and less screaming. The latter effect is an improvement but not by much. Moral of story: avoid Watase Yuu like the plague.

-- The future changed at 10:45 a.m.(Friday, August 16, 2002)

Yume: Asuka archives

Oh yes, I've archived some of the old summaries on my x shrine. Much thanks to Rachel's help.

-- The future changed at 09:51 p.m.(Wednesday, August 14, 2002)

Yume: KLEZ

I have lost count the number of Klez-infected files that have found themselves into my mailbox today. From a previous average of three per day, I have received at least 10, a third of which were wishing me "Happy Assumption Day".

Oh, please do update your virus definition files and scan your computers regularly. I know that Norton is a pain and require you to pay subscription. Get McAfee then. This is all about protection. And please stop being promiscuous. Do NOT open every attachment that comes into your inbox, even if the mail is apparently from your best friend. The reason the worm virus got there in the first place is because either 1) your best friend's PC is infected, or 2) a mutual friend who has both your addresses in his/her PC is infected.

-- The future changed at 09:42 p.m.(Wednesday, August 14, 2002)

Yume: Chi no Ryu no Arashi

I do have a problem with Arashi switching sides, namely her kekkai-making ability. So far, we've assumed that only a DOH can create a kekkai. Unless this rule isn't iron-clad, what exactly happened with Arashi's? If she still wants to protect Sorata, that ability shouldn't disappear in order for her to become a DOE. And if losing her virginity meant losing all her Miko powers, including kekkai-making, then she wouldn't be of much use to the DOE either. She'd just be a normal human. Unless...we're all wrong about Arashi, and all she really wanted to protect was her virginity. And since Sorata obviously took that away from her, she wants to kill him now. Makes sense...I think.

-- The future changed at 08:48 a.m.(Wednesday, August 14, 2002)

Yume: Chii...

Was at Parco Bugis during lunchtime. Saw a shop selling tiny figurines of Chii, as well as the Saiyuuki characters. I prefer the Studio Ghibli character plushies, and might get some for my new home once it's ready. Unfortunately, I don't think I saw any Kohaku-sama.

-- The future changed at 01:56 p.m.(Tuesday, August 13, 2002)

Yume: Theft

*indignant glare* How dare you say I stole your ideas? Down into the tentacle pit you go!

-- The future changed at 01:53 p.m.(Tuesday, August 13, 2002)

Yume: Ueda Shinshuu

Picked up a random two-volume manga, Eikoo no Te, by Ueda Shinshuu (or Shinshu or Shinsyu, depending on which publisher is spelling his name). Interesting story that should have been given an extended treatment. Especially since there isn't exactly an ending here. But I suppose Kadokawa didn't extend his contract. I wonder how's his stuff with Enix and Issaisha.

-- The future changed at 09:40 p.m.(Monday, August 12, 2002)

Yume: Urgh!

Somebody stop the hurting please. Making Kamui straight is one thing (after all, he used to kinda like a girl named Kotori, before things got messy). But to set up an AU where the other twin died so as to pair him with a Subaru-lookalike female, i.e. Hokuto, really makes my head ache. Come on, if Hokuto were still alive, she'd be frolicking with either Arashi or Karen for yummy yuri moments.

-- The future changed at 05:51 p.m.(Monday, August 12, 2002)

Yume: CC vs. Kino

It has been my experience that the prices of Taiwan-printed titles sold at Comics Connection, after the 20% membership discounts, are still more expensive than the same titles sold at Kinokuniya at regular price. Therefore, one only goes to CC for the more obscure stuff (e.g. random yaoi mangas) not sold at Kino.

-- The future changed at 10:36 a.m.(Monday, August 12, 2002)

Yume: Wallpapers

Bah! I didn't notice the line about the limited period for downloading the X TV wallpapers on this site. However, you can still temporarily download Kamui's and Fuuma's wallpapers by replacing the target filenames of the available characters with their respective names. In any case, Subaru's will be offered on the 13th of August, and by then, Sorata's will be "gone".

-- The future changed at 09:38 p.m.(Thursday, August 8, 2002)

Yume: Kino sale

20% off storewide at all Kinokuniya Singapore branches for this National Day weekend. Went down to place orders for the X and Yami no Matsuei calendars. The place was madness. I don't want to imagine what tomorrow might be like. What I do know is that I've blown my book budget for the month and I didn't even get Lawful Drug 2.

Oh yes, lots of X fans were snapping up copies of the telephone-sized X compilations in Chinese.

-- The future changed at 02:05 p.m.(Thursday, August 8, 2002)

Yume: Purple vestment

Thanks, Audrey. Anyhow, I did a little google hunting and found this page. Apparently the purple robe is ceremonial vestment for a bishop. Now, if only someone could explain to me what's the difference between a Cardinal and a Bishop (other than the spellings).

-- The future changed at 01:44 p.m.(Wednesday, August 7, 2002)

Yume: Wonderland

Judal's Homepage!! *squeals* Vampire Game has nine volumes at least? Why, oh why, is the Taiwan Chinese version still stuck in volume 1 for the past two years?! *waves Fist of Death* But I would much prefer that she follows up on Chimaera. Pretty boys...beautiful demons...psychic powers...wings...shounen-ai UST triangle...MMmmmmmm...

On an unrelated note, I find the idea of a Beast x Kakyou slash oddly fascinating. Kakyou is used to all kinds of wires and tubes running under his skin for over 9 years anyway.

-- The future changed at 01:01 p.m.(Wednesday, August 7, 2002)

Yume: Yahoo

Maria, I used to get many people from the Indian subcontinent messaging me on Yahoo Messenger. Then I found out that they were actively searching for Singaporean girls on the Yahoo Messenger directory, which I didn't know existed till then. I quickly took my id to private and the problem stopped. Some people just have too much time on their hands.

Today is the anniversary of the great disaster that brought forth this girl unto the Earth?! Have a smashing birthday!!! And go easy with the tentacled games. *grin*

-- The future changed at 01:11 p.m.(Tuesday, August 6, 2002)

Yume: It never rains but...

Trust the Fates that on the very week that you are supposed to spend 75% of your working hours to attend an important in-house training course, your boss wants you to prepare a series of complex reports for a sudden (but critical) meeting. And your colleague, who might have been helpful, is away for the week, and you have to cover his considerable duties as well. Then, at the end of the week, you'll have to go through the thick training notes on your own (since you were forced to skip the classes), because you still need to know what your boss expects you to know. There must be a Dilbert lesson somewhere in there. I think I'll go hide in the restroom and scream while practising my Fist of Death.

-- The future changed at 11:43 p.m.(Monday, August 5, 2002)

Yume:

Kerianne, about this, you should look at it this way. If Karen and Aoki were in the game, none of the DOEs (with the slight possible exception of Fuuma) would stand a chance. Karen didn't successfully protect two kekkais for nothing. ^_^

-- The future changed at 01:13 p.m.(Monday, August 5, 2002)

Yume:

So Kinokuniya Singapore has started order collection for the X 2003 calendar. Time to pay a visit.

-- The future changed at 12:08 a.m.(Sunday, August 4, 2002)

Yume: >_<

Kurot-chan, PCs don't naturally reformat themselves. Usually, the hard-drive just drops dead. I suspect you might have contracted some nasty virus by the sound of it. I hope you get it fixed soon. *hugs*

-- The future changed at 10:18 p.m.(Thursday, August 1, 2002)

Yume: Clamp-net SA-BISU

Clamp-net made some changes on its site. A new feature, the birthday calendar (updated at the beginning of each new month) for Clamp characters has sprung up. This month features birthday babes from August, naturally. I suppose we'll gradually find out when Kamui is supposed to turn 16...or should that be 18 in year 2002? Hmmm... Incidentally, I only recognised MKR's Hikaru and CCD's Utako in there.

Also, there's a good news and a bad news for November Asuka. The good news is: Lawful Drug will be making a return! Now for the bad news, X takes a break for that month. Given the psychologically-scarring December X instalments for the previous two years, I don't have a good feeling about this. And given any luck, the October issue is probably going to end with Kamui screaming a lung-busting "SUBARU---!!!", just so that the story could go on the long break with a cliffhanger.

Anyhow, remember that half-pic of Pope Seishirou that came with one of the X DVDs (think it was volume 2)? The other half has been revealed. The pic on Clamp's site is a little small, but it should very definitely be Subaru. I suppose purple is a cardinal's colour? As you can tell, I'm no Catholic.

-- The future changed at 09:51 p.m.(Thursday, August 1, 2002)

Yume: SA-BISU

Public service announcement: AXN Asia will be showing Yami no Matsuei next Monday at 10pm Singapore time. Incidentally, Ayashi no Ceres starts tomorrow.

-- The future changed at 10:56 p.m.(Wednesday, July 31, 2002)

Yume: White tiger

Dad got me a large white tiger plushie. I think I'll call it Byakko. Yes, I have no imagination sometimes. Though I could still name it Hyde.

-- The future changed at 10:04 p.m.(Tuesday, July 30, 2002)

Yume: Manga uke alert

I love my MTV. The teenaged trio of W-INDS has got to be the most feminine Japanese boyband without the use of glam make-up.

-- The future changed at 11:19 a.m.(Tuesday, July 30, 2002)

Yume: Punishment

I suppose I ought to lock you up in the basement with Seishirou-san (yes, he's alive and living in my basement -- the eyeball was a fake, courtesy of a really humongous tuna fresh from the Tsukiji fish market). He's good at breaking the wrists (and arms) of naughty little girls and boys.

-- The future changed at 01:49 p.m.(Monday, July 29, 2002)

Yume: Hyde's Shallow Sleep

In a shallow sleep I dreamt I was seeing you
Just how I remembered
Brimming with tenderness
And somewhere in the calm
A feeling that nothing had ever changed
Your presence close beside me till I wake

I know I've been repeating that yume for the third time. But I simply can't get the song out of my brain. It doesn't help that I keep associating it with Kamui dreaming of his missing Sakurazukamori.

-- The future changed at 08:53 p.m.(Thursday, July 25, 2002)

Yume: SA-BISU

Kira, as promised, here is the source picture for my layout. It's a little cropped at the toes, but the original picture had lots of letters there too.

Anime fans in Singapore should be aware that AXN has started their broadcast of Gensoumaden Saiyuuki today. Come August, it will also be showing Ayashi no Ceres. All English-subbed of course. And if you're not too picky about Chinese-dubs, Variety Vision will be showing One Piece next week, and the Hunter x Hunter OVA in late August. KURAPIKA!! KURORO!!! I'm in HxH fangirl heaven now.

-- The future changed at 08:44 p.m.(Thursday, July 25, 2002)

Yume: Social blogging

Maria, the main plot of Gestalt is about the priest, Olivier, who is trying to find out the truth about G, a land to the south which name has been forbidden by the Church to speak. G is naturally the short for Gestalt, also the name of a fallen god. Along the way, Olivier meets up with a few people who joins his party, including a spirited girl with special powers named Ouri. There's a long subplot involving Ouri and her 6 siblings. Seems that all 7 siblings came from G with instructions to fight each other, with the winner gaining the promised power of the Super Beast, whatever that is. Ouri is in fact the eldest son, but because his powers are so strong, he was transformed into a mute girl to level the playing field for his siblings. Somehow, a kiss from Olivier removed the mute spell but left him still a girl. Of course this begs the question whether his relationship with Olivier and Shazan should be considered yaoi in light of his feminine assets. o.O

There is also another more interesting subplot about Olivier, who seems to have a powerful dark side lying dormant within him, kinda like Fuuma/Dark Kamui in X.

Sat-chan, where are the promised photos? And my DJ??

Kira, I do have a bigger pic. I'll try to upload it when I get home from the office. The Big 4 looks delicious ne? ;)

-- The future changed at 12:35 p.m.(Thursday, July 25, 2002)

Yume: Hyde's Shallow Sleep

Need to clarify something about this month's Asuka. Kakyou and Hinoto weren't talking to each other at all. Hinoto is pondering over the events of Ginza, totally unaware of Kakyou watching her. While Kakyou is talking to himself.

Anyhow, all the wishing is giving me a headache. Does, or does not, Kamui have a wish? Somehow, I have a suspicion that the wishes of the two Kamuis are similar, if not the same. Perhaps, in order to save the world, the two Kamuis must not fight each other, but must merge into one consciousness, like in Shurato.

-- The future changed at 09:38 p.m.(Wednesday, July 24, 2002)

Yume: Hyde's Shallow Sleep

Time for a layout change. Ah, if only my two boys would stand a little closer. ^_^

Talking about the latest Asuka, Subaru didn't fail me. Sakurazukamori or no, he is still Subaru. No major personality change. He may make stupid decisions, but he's ultimately a gentle, caring person. As Seishirou had noted, Subaru never really changed.

-- The future changed at 09:20 p.m.(Wednesday, July 24, 2002)