Starting My Yuri Journey – A Taste Of The Forbidden Fruit

It has been so long since my last post but what else is new right?

Before anything else let me just start off by saying that I am straight and I have a boyfriend (Woah! Defensive!). I know the title seems a bit (REALLY) misleading and if you know me you may have already spat out a drink or two. The title was really just to add that dramatic effect and the “forbidden fruit” refers to the yuri mangas that I’ve been consuming recently. So yeah, get your mind of the gutter. To be fair, I put it there so here, let me help you with that.

Going back to the topic, I wasn’t really into Yuri before, I’m more interested in shounen-comedy-harem types of shows/manga and honestly, I thought yuri was a bit iffy. I didn’t really understand other people’s fascination with the genre. But then the fire nation--- well, not really the fire nation more like Hibike! Euphonium (Sound Euphonium) came and totally changed my whole perspective of the genre. Basically, Kyoto Animation’s yuri baiting did this to me!

I started getting into the whole Reina X Kumiko pair. Yes, this is because of episode 8. There are those who say that nothing will really come of it and honestly I think they’re right BUT if you see the chemistry they have in the show then, dear God! You must be heartless to not see that they BELONG together. It’s such a waste of build-up if nothing comes from it. 


I don’t care if you’ve read the light novels and cheer for Kumiko’s childhood friend. Yes, I do know about the light novels, blah blah blah. I was so into the pair that I did some research that made me stumble into some spoilers which ultimately left me heart broken.

If you haven’t watched the anime yet, YOU SHOULD! It is beautiful and you’re missing half of your life not watching it. I have to say that, in my opinion, Hibike! Euphonium is looking to be one of KyoAni’s best works to date. If you’re not into yuri then don’t worry, the anime isn’t yuri per say but it does have a dash of yuri baiting in it.



So even with that sad reveal, I was still pretty much hung-up with the Reina X Kumiko pair. So what I did was look for something to mend my broken ship-- I mean heart. I then stumbled into Citrus, the first ever yuri manga I've read. I was a bit hesitant to read it because of the themes and the genre but I was captivated by the character designs that I gave it a chance.

The story was interesting, for lack of a better word, and I liked by the characters. When I watch anime, I look at the characters first and then the plot second. I don’t care if the plot goes to hell, if the characters are well done and likeable then 95% of the time, I will end up liking the show. In a way, that’s how I go about choosing my manga. One of the main characters in Citrus, Mei, also kind of reminded me of Reina which was a plus.

After catching up with the latest chapter of Citrus I hungered for more and asked some recommendations from friends. I have been reading yuri mangas for, I think, 2 weeks now and I’m still having fun. So much feels man, so much feels. You have no idea what those girls have to go through.



Sure, there are inner monologues like, “I’m in love with someone and she’s a girl” or “We’re both girls. Is this really ok?” or the classic “You think I’m gross right?” comes up every now and then but it is a given considering the topic. What I like about yuri the most though is that, for the most part, the characters gets a considerable amount of development. Ok, to be fair, like any other medium, there are some exceptions but maybe that’s because I was given pretty good recommendations. There’s also an air of sweetness and innocence that’s tantalizing.

So far, the mangas I read are the following:

• Girl Friends by Morinaga Milk
• Citrus by Saburo Uta
• Shitsurakuen by Naomura Tooru (Yuri harem ftw!)
• Sasameki Koto by Ikeda Takashi
• Prism by Higashiyama Shou
• Hana to Hoshi by Suzukin Kario
• Tamen de Gushi Manhua by Tan Jiu
• Asagao to Kase-san by Takashima Hiromu
• Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako

I’m still new to the genre so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Here’s to my new journey!

Also, Reina X Kumiko fowevaaahhh~!

Facebook Freezing in Google Chrome

For the past few days Facebook has been acting a bit buggy when I'm using the Google Chrome browser. Even when refreshing the page a couple of times it just keeps on loading and then it just freezes. This happens even after reloading the page and closing the browser again and again.

Yes, my flash player and chrome browser is up to date.
I did some searches in the internets and it's actually a bit hard to pinpoint the problem but here are 2 tips that really worked for me. The first tip usually does the trick but if you don't want your cookies, cache or temp files cleared up every time Facebook freezes then I suggest that you try the second one.

Lately I noticed that it still keeps on freezing even after doing the first tip again and again to the point that it's just gotten really annoying. If something similar is happening for you then tip 2 is the way to go.

Tip # 1 Install CC Cleaner and Clean Stuff Up

To do this simply install CC Cleaner. You can download it by clicking here. The software is free and it's very light.

After installing the software go to the Cleaner tab and then run the cleaner for both Windows and Applications.

You will have to close Google Chrome or any other browser in your system to finish the step.

And that's that! If you noticed that even after the clean-up that it's still freezing then you should look into tip 2.

Tip # 1 Disable Google Chrome's Internal Flash Player

You see for some reason Chrome by default has allowed the Flash Player to run internally within the browser and externally.

According to the forums that I've visited (and from personal experience), disabling Chrome's internal flash player should do the trick.

To disable Chrome's internal flash player, type this into your browser's address bar.

about:plugins

And you should see something like this below.

On the upper right side of the page you should see +details button click that and it should show you something like this.

Disable the flash player where you see Google\Chrome in the Location by clicking on the disable link and then simply restart your browser.

That should be it. Tip 2 worked the best for me but if you have any other fixes that you've tried out please do share them.

Let me know which one worked best for you!

I hope this helps!

Cosplayers should STOP being JERKS!!!

Ok so before you flame and write hateful comments let me say this, CHILL!

This is NOT a hate post directed to cosplayers because I am a cosplayer myself; my sisters are cosplayers and most of my friends are either cosplayers or cosplay enthusiasts rather this is a post to point out some of the things that I’m really starting to not like in the cosplay community in the Philippines.

So yeah basically, this is a rant. Lol!

But before anything else, let me just say that I really believe that the cosplayers here in the Philippines are definitely one of the most passionate people that I have ever met, you can see that on how they create their costumes and how they present their selves in cons and competitions as well as in their craftsmanship.

We may not have the same resources like cosplayers from other countries but we make do with what we have.  I’m sure a lot of you reading this post may point out that NOT every cosplayer is like this, yeah, I understand that as well and I think this is where something really ugly stems out off.

As they say (or not) with great passion comes great responsibility.

What I mean is that you can’t really expect other people who are also into this hobby to have the same amount of passion and dedication as you.

In my city, cosplay is actually only starting to get really popular with the general public especially with the help of celebrities like Alodia and Myrtle.

But just like any other cities in the Philippines most people actually have no idea what cosplay is and what it constitutes to. I’m not going to tackle about this that much because you can actually Google it if you want to and this isn’t actually what this post is about.

Going back to Alodia and Myrtle, there are actually cosplayers who definitely hate that some people refer to them as “Alodias” or “Myrtles” and because of this some cosplayers have the tendency to hate these people.

But if you ask me I really have no problems about it.

So what if the general public refers to you as that?

You know who you are and what you’re doing, right?

You know your character and I’m sure your friends also know right?

Do you really need the acceptance of other people or their nods and thumbs up to keep you going?

Are we really that insecure that we feel so threatened for people addressing us as that?

Sure, it would be great if people look at you for who you are and what you’re doing rather than compare you to those famous cosplayers but we don’t live in an perfect world and you have to face the fact that NOT all people understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

People who do not know may refer to you as someone who just wants to be popular or someone who has some screws loose, sure it’s annoying but we have to face the fact that not everyone is willing to listen.

But you know what, instead of acting like spoiled little brats and venting out our anger on those cosplayers and the TV companies for “making cosplay mainstream”, “murdering the hobby”and making a gimmick out of it why can’t we just educate those people who are genuinely interested in what we do?

Educate, rather than humiliate!

Don’t shun people who are interested in cosplaying but have no idea what it is or simply think it’s all about dressing up or gaining popularity. Again, educate rather than humiliate. Teach them what it is, tell them what it is and how they can join in the fun as well.

Because let’s face it, cosplaying is fun! :)

So, if other people see all the fun we’re having then there will be others who may also want to join in the fun as well.

Cosplaying is not just a hobby for otakus but if you look at it it’s also a way for the otaku community to grow. There are different ways for people to get interested or influenced in a hobby.

With that said there’s always the good way or the bad way to tell people about it, let’s be nice and not let those who are interested feel stupid for not knowing. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

How would you feel if you ask someone knowledgeable about a certain thing and he/she answered you in a mean or sarcastic way?

Again there are people who might be interested in cosplaying but just don’t understand it yet, let’s not put a gap or treat them differently for not knowing.

I hear a lot of people saying that they want to better and help the cosplay community to grow but it’s not actually going to happen if we act negatively on all the criticisms or bad press that we get.

Remember those days, when you watched a very awesome anime or movie and you want your friends or other people to know about it too so you can have people to talk to or gush over it?

Why can’t it be the same for cosplay?

I hear a lot of people saying that they don’t want it to be main stream and this really disturbs me big time.

Why? Why can’t it be main stream?

I understand the concerns that comes with it being main stream but I honestly think cosplaying is not for everyone. It’s not for weak of heart.

This has always puzzled me because honestly, when cosplay was only starting here in my city the first few people who cosplayed always wanted to encourage others to do the same.

There were no rules, no complications, nothing!

I honestly miss those times, it was less complicated and there weren't really any conflicts.

They wanted cospay to grow. Way back then, we could only hold cosplay events at our school during the school’s anniversary and every year the number of cosplayers grew. Then a year later, a cosplay event was actually held in a MALL!

I thought it was awesome because people are actually coming out of their shells and exploring this hobby. I was excited to see the number of cosplayers grow every year! Back then I was just a spectator who really admired those people’s guts to present their selves that way which in a way gave me the courage to get into the hobby as well.

If you DON’T want cosplay to be main stream then let’s just hold private events and NOT hold it in malls instead and not make a big deal about it.

As I've mentioned before, you can’t expect others to have the same amount of passion and dedication as you. Don’t push your beliefs into others.

Sure, there are some posers out there and others who only use cosplaying to get attention or fame but why should these people bother you?

In my opinion, if you’re confident about what you’re doing and is doing it to have fun, why mess with other people’s fun?

You see, if these people actually care for this hobby then you will be seeing them learn and be interested in it and maybe even be in this hobby for years! But if not then it’s easy for them to simply leave this hobby with a snap.

I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “you say that but how would you feel if you’re character gets murdered or wasn't portrayed properly?”

Well, I’d honestly feel a bit bad but let’s face it we’re not perfect, right?

Sure, sometimes a little part of my dies inside but there is a difference between constructive criticism and thrash talking.

We also have different tastes, so what others see as good may not be good from our point of view and vice versa.

Again, educate rather than humiliate!

I know that this post may be a bit too idealistic for some but these are just my opinion.

Let’s make cosplaying enjoyable and positive for new or old cosplayers alike.

I’d appreciate any positive and negative comments or opinions feel free to leave them in the comments.

Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures!!!

Yo!

So, it has been a looooonnnnngggg time since my last post but it's a bit rainy and I'm waiting for my sister to help me out with a certain project I have so I got bored and thought of blogging.

Yeah, boredom can make me do a LOT of crazy things!

Just yesterday, I got so bored that I bought a premium account in DeviantArt and I totally have no idea what to actually do with it.

If somebody reads this they may think I could draw or something because I have a DeviantArt account so let me just flat out and tell you my drawing skills is equivalent to a little kid so what the heck am I doing there you ask?

Well, I got into taking pictures! :)

This was something I have always wanted to do but my mom and dad didn't want to risk me destroying our only camera.

I don't actually want to call what I do "photography" because that would imply that I am a "photographer" which I don't actually see myself as because I'm not really that good at it. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love taking pictures! I love it! But I see myself as a hobbyist picture person. Lol!

I especially love taking pictures of cosplayers and my figure collection.

I'm still new to it but it's really cool.

Here's a picture that I took recently with my sister. :)

And this one is my all time favorite.

I know I still have a long way to go but if you're into this stuff too, check out my DeviantArt page and hit me up so I can watch you. :)

You can check me out in DeviantArt below;

http://ranjue.deviantart.com/

Dreams...I Don't Have One

Today, I'm feeling a bit sad and depressed because I think that I just realized that I don't have a dream. I don't know where to go and what the next steps I should be taking with my life.

I don't want to share this with my family or post such things in Facebook because I don't want to worry my family and friends nor hear comments of pity and people trying to cheer me up.

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of things that I want to do and places to go but I don't know how to achieve them. I'm at a loss and I honestly don't know where the heck I'm heading.

I have things I'm passionate about but I can't really see them as dreams that I want to reach. At this point of my life, I don't know my purpose yet, I don' know what I should be doing and I honestly don't even know if I'm good at anything.

It's eating me alive and I just hope that I find my answer soon.

YouTube Has Been Restricted In Japan. A Last Message Sent Out From Man ...

After 3 Years $0.01

 

LOL. Nothing much I just think that it’s quite funny that this blog which I haven’t touched or even checked for almost 6 months generated $0.01 from adsense on its own. Just goes to show you anything can happen.

Maybe in ten years I could finally cash in. Hahaha but seriously, blogging is good and earning from adsense is good. Just make sure that you don’t try to fool google because you know that that’s going to be a losing battle.

There are actually a lot of way to generate clicks and money through adsense but since I’m actually too lazy for my own good my blog haven’t generated anything for almost 4 years.

So, just imagine how happy and amazed I was to see $0.01 in my adsense report.

Justin Beiber is OFF TO NORTH KOREA!!!

I just can't let this news go because this again proves the influence and the power that the image board 4CHAN possess.

I just can't stop laughing about this news this really made my day. I'm not a Beiber fan but I really don't hate him that much. I just enjoyed laughing my ass off when I read this news. 


So, before you say anything bad nobody got hurt because of this prank (not yet anyway). 


Justin Beiber knew what he was going to go through when he signed his contract so this is actually part of his job. Think of it as added exposure LOL! 


 To read the complete click on the link below; JUSTIN BEIBER is off to KOREA! 


 4CHAN ROCKS~!!!



For the record I'm not defending 4chan. 4chan doesn't need to be defended because they can seriously kick some ass and send you to North Korea without batting an eyelash. ROFL.

Laziness Strikes and my Suzuka Hate is Relived

I got work a little overtime today so I'm a bit tired of thinking of a topic to blog about. (~_~) 

 But... 

The good news is my Vash Stampede Revoltech will be arriving this Friday! Yehey! I'm actually quite excited about this figure because this will be my first Revoltech figure. 

Don't worry though because it will be my pleasure to brag--i mean blog about it on firda...I mean sunday (too lazy to think of what to write on friday and saturday). 

I actually like to give my opinion regarding animes and anime figures but I'm not really good in making reviews (I'm a bit bias about my animes) so I will only write about animes that I really like or animes that I really hate.

I'll start with the horrid anime Suzuka (yes that one with the runners and high jumpers) maybe tomorrow or on Thursday.

Kendo in CDO

So, this is the second day of my suppose to be blogging experiment. Last night I though of things that I should write about today and to tell you the truth I almost didn't write because of laziness.

Well, so much for introductions so today I just want to tell you about how one of my dreams finally came true. I finally got to study KENDO.

When I say study I don't mean the internet but to actually be in a class, to wear the hakama (I used to practice Aikido so wearing a hakama is a really big deal for me) and to actually own my very own shinai or bamboo sword. 

Although to tell you the truth the classes held in sports zone Cagayan de Oro is taught by a Korean Sensei (see what I did there Korean and Sensei..hahaha..*cough*) and the classes are only 3 times a week for an hour for 2000Php. Yeah. 

I was actually hesitant to enroll in this class because of the price,etc but after 3 months of trying it out, I actually like it. The master teaches a small number of students (there are only 3 students) so he can really correct and help you erase all those bad swinging habits and posture you're making. And even if swinging the sword, I mean shinai, looks totally easy in the samurai x anime, its actually NOT. 

Swinging the shinai is easy swinging it properly is really difficult. One reason why this is so hard is that in Kendo, you swing the shinai using your left hand. Your right hand is only used as a guide for your left and to top it all you actually don't use your arm to swing but you use your wrist to make swift and fast attacks. 

I even tried sparing which I really suck at but nonetheless really fun and exciting. I actually like wearing the Kendo armor make me feel awesome (LOL). 

Unfortunately, I lost my tenugui or that towel that you put over your head when you wear your men T___T. I replaced it with an ordinary blue cloth.

Seriously though Kendo is a really fun and a very interesting art especially if you're like me who is a great fan of samurais and ninjas. 

But I hope that our master looks for another dojo for us to practice so we can do all those traditional Kendo practices like cleaning the dojo, etc.

Having our own dojo will also mean a more lengthier class (there's only so much we can do with 1 hour) I also hope to continue practicing this art as long as I can (hopefully I don't get bored or lazy practicing it).