We got short notice that we should move from our current apartment, so I've been frantically packing while Jun's dying all over his studies and deadlines. Wherever we go - right now we have literally no idea yet - it'll likely be smaller and it's such a shame to see things we've amassed and still have use thrown down the chute.

M&J's Massive Move Sale!
So here's a massive list of items we're hoping to sell before our move! If you could perhaps have a look and see if there's anything you're interested in, that would be fantastic. There's some awesomely nostalgic things in there [a good lot span 2003 to 2007 thereabouts haha] and hopefully they can go to good homes! We'd be really grateful.

Also, if you have any idea where would be good for sales posts (eg. the Pinky Street, so on), please let me know. All in all, apologies for the spam and thank you for looking! Fingers crossed I might hear from you! ;)

A 'table of contents' for review:
SERIES
Tennis no Oujisama / Prince of Tennis: Merchandise, Doujinshi, Manga
Naruto: Manga, Guidebooks, Doujinshi
Ragnarok Online: Fanbook, Doujinshi
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Manga, Fanbooks
xxxHolic: Manga, Art/Guidebooks
Air Gear: Manga
Get Backers: Manga
Shoujo Kakumei / Revolutionary Girl Utena: Soundtracks
Cowboy Bebop: Soundtracks
Weiss Kreuz: OVA soundtrack, Ja! Weiss doujin
Lagoon Engine: Manga
Bus Gamer: Manga
Yakumo Tatsu / Eight Clouds Rising: Manga, OVA VCD

ITEMS
Pinky Street: Tenjo Tengex3, Sakura Taisen
Nendoroid (parts): Mashiro, Takagi, Kyon, Ouji
Merchandise: Gakuen Heaven, Fruits Basket
Games: Silent Hill 3, American McGee's Alice, XIII, The Partners, Keepsake, Spongebob Squarepants, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (Blue), Scribblenauts
Artbooks/Guides: CLAMP Kiseki (Card Captor Sakura & CLOVER), Pokemon, Trigun, Cyborg 009, Aquarian Age, Lucky Star
Manga
     Japanese: SWITCH, DOLLS, Color, Lucky Star, Death Note doujinshi anthologies
     Chinese: GTO, Ouran, Comic Party, Hale nochi Guu, Yami no Matsuei, Flippers, Gestalt, Megami no Kouhousei, Saiyuki, Komisch, Antique Bakery, 21 Seiki Tantei Jimusho, GET
     Chinese Shounen-ai/Yaoi Manga/Doujin: HunterxHunter, Hikaru no Go, G-DEFEND, various BL one-shots
Mooks:
     Cosplay: early Cosmode and Dengeki Layers
     Dolls: early Dollybird and DollyDolly
     Goth-Loli/Gosurori sewing mooks
CDs:
     English-Language Artists: Brixton Academy collection, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Dashboard Confessional, Stereophonics, The Calling, Kurt Nilsen, Maroon 5, Madonna, The Corrs
     English-language OST: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King OST
     Japanese-language OSTs/Artists: Ryuichi Kawamura, Ayumi Hamasaki, Two-Mix, DNAngel, CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan, NOIR, Houshin Engi, You're Under Arrest
Video:
     VCDs: Fushigi Yuugi Season 1&2, Sakura Taisen OVA
     DVDs: Dude, Where's My Car, Spiderman, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Books:
     Children's Novels: Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, Michael Owen's Soccer Skills
     Star Trek: New Voyages 1&2, Planet of Judgment, The Vulcan Academy Murders, Mindshadow, Strangers from the Sky, Memory Prime, The Kobayashi Maru, Renegade
     Fantasy: Well of Darkness, The Cup of Morning Shadows, Travelling with the Dead, Warrior Fantastic, Count Scar
     Urban Fantasy: Born to Run, Knight of Ghosts and Shadows
     Science Fiction: Stargate 1: The Price You Pay, The Gate to Women's Country, Illium
     Horror: Black Oak: Hunting Ground, E-Branch: Invaders, Darkside: Horror for the Next Millenium
     Suspense: Raymond Chandler in The Marble Orchard, The Innocent Man
     Gay fiction: A Density of Souls
     Standard School Literature: Pride & Prejudice, Animal Farm, Emily of Emerald Hill, The Crucible, The Joy Luck Club
     Classic Literature: Wives and Daughters, The Moonstone, The Changeling, King Solomon's Mines, George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets
     Asian/African/etc culture-focused Fiction & Poetry: Tales from Firozsha Baag, Disappearing Moon Cafe, Jasmine, No Pain Like This Body, Kim, The Book of Secrets, A Small Place, Song of Lawino & Song of Ocol, The Woman Who Fell From The Sky, Jejuri

I just updated my direly outdated flickr, apologies for the flickr spam folks-who-have-me-as-a-friend! D8 On the other hand, some of my flisters seem to be having a bit of a rough time so if it might make you feel better, here are ridiculously pukey photos of a Singaporean mama cat and her two kittens, which I took last year after going to a deserted cake-decorating shop in the boonies - we found them on the way back to the MRT. I hope this doesn't make anyone feel really emotional or something D8 I'm sorry just in case.

I don't know how they're doing now. Cute animal photography isn't really my thing, but I can never pass up a really good photo op and the mom actually tolerated me quite close-by [no telezoom, only the kit on hand]. I got to taking photos because other pedestrians were doing the dialling and assuring us they'd be fine, but really, we had to stop some crazy lady from attempting to feed the kittens processed milk. Not. A. Good. Idea. But anyhow, uh, cute photos?



( Momma Cat and her Crew. Journal frame-break is a-go! )

There we are.

Not sure whether anyone on my flist is still interested in BPAL enough to buy imps, but if you are, you can check out our several year stash with oldies from '05 onwards. I finally sorted those buggers out, thankfully, and there're GCs for half the terrifying price they are direct from BPAL now. D8

Last week of freedom and blessed constructiveness. Momentarily relieved from pre-1st week work, since there's a new school website and I bet the professors are probably going out of their minds having to learn a new system (I hope)...

So our second proper concert! The fantastic Blonde Redhead concert was a real indie, alternative, cozy affair. In silencestation's words, it's like watching an arthouse film - you sit, stay, and just gawk at how it unfolds and bask in how artistic and amazing their performance is. Suede, however, is like watching Hot Fuzz.

We adore Hot Fuzz.

Summarised, Suede was fucking amazing! Every single note, instruments and vocals alike, was clear, on-point and expert. They're all still ridiculously capable and very well preserved. Brett Anderson was so incredibly charismatic, he worked the 1/3 capacity crowd with ease and graciousness. They were so perfect throughout the entire concert despite the really sad lack of people in the Indoor Stadium. We had such a fucking good time I need to swear about it.

( Un-summarised... )

( Suede's Singapore Setlist )

So SUEDE! So worthwhile. I'm really glad we've been placed to receive some alternative bands in SG and I hope there's more to come. My top three are Elbow, The Frames and Stars, but seeing as their tours usually revolve around the UK, Canada and sometimes Australia [grgh] it's unlikely. I would really love to, and I suspect this may be a little more probable, see Metric or just Emily Haines. But really, I'm just thanking the stars that I've gotten to see two more concerts that I loved than I thought I would ever.

If you're feeling up to some raegface today, I'd like to direct you to ESPN Asia's ridiculously sexist commercial for Sportscenter.


Summarised, it features the two news anchors, and depicts the lady, Colette Wong, who has decades of sports news experience and her own opinion column, as NEEDING her indulgently patronising male colleague's handholding help to fill in a crossword puzzle of insultingly simplistic proportions. The commercial was tailored to even the most ignorant of fans (Nadal, Schumacher...), and it's shocking to imagine a commercial portraying that, of all people, Ms Wong is ignorant about such matters. It's hard to imagine that ESPN Asia would have done this commercial the other way despite Ms Wong's obvious experience; the entire painful commercial points to the fact that it was conceived because she is a woman.

I've sent two feedback forms to ESPN Asia requesting they remove this commercial from airplay on behalf of female sports fans and Ms Wong. No response, and the ad is still on air. Help out and send feedback to have this backward commercial pulled, and/or pass this video link along. This ignorance should really cease.

Hiho hiho, it's off to work we aaaagh some help needed! I've been fiddling with Chibi Unoa shirts and considering making a few for sale. I'm largely wondering about your opinion on little details, the collar in particular:



Front view! These shirts aren't meant to be buttoned up all the way. The strawberry one on the left has a collar band with the collar. The car one on the right has the small bjd-general standard of no collar band, just the collar sewn in.

( Back view! )



Here're close-ups of the collars, again, the strawberry has a collar band, the car evidently does not.

Please help me out and answer this poll honestly. I have no feelings to hurt!:

Poll #1761196 Chibi Unoa Shirt Opinions
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 4

1. Would you theoretically [being you possess a U-Chibi & are financially able] buy one?

2. Which collar style do you prefer, the STRAWBERRY's collar band or the CAR's simple collar?

3. If the STRAWBERRY collar-band style cost MORE than the CAR collar style, which would you buy?

4. What's your acceptable price difference for a collar band?

5. The cuffs are done up with real buttons and buttonholes (see pic 1). Would you pay more for buttonholes, or would you rather pay less for snap fasteners?

Please comment if you have any other opinions on the shirt(s) too, it would be super helpful. Thanks loads!

I think it's been a year since I've taken an actual photostory of the Tangled gits, oh my God. Fuelled by the wee mornings I'm up with silencestation while he's going nuts over his hueg academic thing and I'm getting restless about not having done enough. It's silly (idiotic even), it's mostly Sei and Tsuki and therefore vintage, I guess!


Click for classic stupid!

It also features the new photostory layout we've been waiting to use. If things go as planned, we'll be able to shove in stuff that happened eons ago [vox_veritas don't get your hopes too up though haha] and get everyone unintro'ed introed. That's ambitious. And would be so fantastic. D'8

Question 1 -
Maxx: a big fecking Hot Wheels set.
Jun: a microscope.
Question 2 -
Yes.

Quick - somebody MUST know; how do you get a photo into someone else's gallery [eg. in the Photos & Videos of NAME] on FACEBOOK. Tag? Share?

Goddangnabbit. The road etc paved etc good intentions etc. We finally finished Ren's arc, the one I took in 2009. 2009. That said, at least we can move on with our lives [sorta] now.



Read through Ren's arc again for (slightly more coherent) drama! Oh the drama!!

And come back and tell me how you feel about it, if you feel like! 8D A few of the people on my flist seem to like Ren [even if just the big version haha] so...[Sorry re: Ren in advance.]

In the case that you're not keen on reading the dramu, I must make you see this from our behind-the-scenes bloopers, because I was so darn proud of this when I finished it. And to be fair, I'm still finding it quite funny. If that doesn't make me lame, I don't know what does:



Much to my sadness it looks like some frames freeze on YT. So it'd be awesome if you check out the original flash version on the blooper page instead.

In other news, I really want to post about my birthday [thank you Emera, Kimmy for the birthday wishes on LJ!] but I've got a bit of art editing to do [guess]. That will probably come around shortly...

Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire. NOT WHAT YOU THINK

For ages I thought Forever 21's only crime was having consumers who were definitively no longer 21 shopping there. After all, if you were to indict a clothing company for looking cheap and being cheaper, there wouldn't be a lot left. Turns out that Forever 21 is in reference to their belligerent mental age concerning intellectual property. Forever 12? I don't usually go to Jezebel (read: never, actually) but it's worth it for this article's title alone: Forever 21's Bizarre Knockoff Empire.

Otherwise - oh man I'm so boring during termtime. Sorry.

LJ is back for me after almost a week! [Cautiously announced.] I'm slightly concerned but if it goes away again then I'll kick up another fuss again. Funny how I'm not all here [and not all there either, wherever there is] but it did bother me anyway, enough to occasionally creepily catch up with you guys via an American IP. Anyway, thanks loads for the comments and the info, it really did help.

I promised myself to post an infinitely useless LJ post to share things I enjoy and one thing I don't enjoy.

Things I'd love to share:
1. Bad Machinery
I've talked about John Allison's ridiculously cheap-ass commissions before - reading that his current series Bad Machinery isn't gaining traffic is fucking breaking my iron heart. His writing is engaging, his characters are engaging, his art is engaging; replace 'engaging' with 'freaking amazing' and it stands, I tell you, it stands. I love this Brit's stuff and I hope you'll be happier reading Bad Machinery and that he'll be hopefully happier at some point with his work's attention.

2. Sims 3 Silent Hill Machinima
Works best for Sims (ex/)enthusiasts and Silent Hill folks. Not a only ridiculously well-done 15 minutes - it contains Simlish and the hilarious slo-mo movement of Sims with zero urgency whatsoever. Also, a very pretty lady sim.

Things I never want anyone to see and would love you to boycott:
1. Teen Titans and their introduction of a NEW! TOKEN! EXOTICISED! INDETERMINATEORIGIN FEMALE CHARACTER! Well, I suppose I exaggerate her indeterminate origin, I mean how can you not tell she's Indian by her stilted speech and her multitudes of Bollywood bling but then she also has a transparent poncho, which by the way, is not Indian. I can't believe the hordes of comic fans eating this up. Exoticism is racism. Ascribing any generalised characteristics for an ethnicity is racism. Even the font was changed to 'exotic font' on her introduction page. One word: disgusted.

Alright! Now that LJ has surprisingly loaded it's time to switch away and study for my exams next week. So close yet so far. Lots going on, but the group work is finished and....

Any Singaporeans able to see this?

I haven't been able to access Livejournal for three days on my St**hub connection, changed its DNS, and only managed to get in via a change to an American IP. Very, very odd stuff. The last time I saw a SGean post on my flist was mushrooms, so Singaporeans - tell me if I'm paranoid and you can see this just fine. And which Internet provider you're on...

I have an intimation that my fifty-something y/o intarwebs media professor will fail me for a blog post regarding an identity on the Internet. Frankly, I feel about as genuine online, if not more, as he is, since he so chooses to lock the personal parts of his life on Facebook. Both Maxxes are disarmingly honest, both will say the same things on and offline, both of them act the same. He isn't the only one saying all that, naturally - as far as I can tell, it's a whole bunch of other people from this generation getting on the Internet and getting blogs who insist anyone who uses an alias is lying, unfulfilled scum.

So...when this generation's insistence that "people hiding behind anon names are cowardly because they use it to make mean comments" is untrue - as is in my case...well, how now? I've not even trolled Yahoo news articles once. I feel like that may be missing in my life. Excuse me for a sec...
I've primarily kept them separate because I have no inclination to connect parts of RL to online, especially since I have far more close friends online than offline, and find connecting educational institutions and/or other RL institutions to my identity on a whole completely unimportant considering I have never held anything but a situational connect to them. In fact, I don't even go around in person telling people what schools I was in, now that I think about it, and I have zero inclination to. More importantly, I'm not inclined to make it easier for someone to rob me on the Internet. :| Between a person with full name and location out versus someone with 90% RL anonymity, which target looks more appealing...

And the other "a false name to hide you as an accountable person", again to make mean comments - well, but online I'm a person. Offline I'm the same person. I have a complete identity online with reputation that can be similarly destroyed offline. Am I less of a person online than offline if my real name isn't spelt out somewhere? Is it really my problem if you think I'm less of a person? If the Internet is all that empowering, why are we not evaluating the worth of a comment, of the written text, but instead measuring it by the 'realness' of someone's apparent real name? I love the idea of putting "Maximillian D. Tang" somewhere instead of Maxx and writing something completely idiotic, while putting "Maxx" or "stereophilic" and writing something measured and reasonable, and these people are going to find Maximillian D. Tang far more credible than myself by virtue of name itself.

In any case, this is a short, really ridiculous rant while I was trying to search - of all things - the terms for roles in a mob. Trust my credibility on this, I'm putting my real name here.

- Maximillian D. Tang

PS: Still nobody wants a Threadless coupon for $5 no strings attached from Maximillian D. Tang? Make me feel less silly about filling in a survey, please!

I kind of feel obliged to talk about the Japan crisis, but I lack expertise/aren't in a proper position to say anything worthwhile about it, except that the ring of fire has been acting up recently and hope that severe damage can be prevented in the future. It's been very interesting and lovely to see how my flisters are talking and helping the issue. You guys are fantastic.

Nothing of note on my side except a lot of project deadlines, of which of course I have complaints to register. But before that, anyone wanting to get stuff from Threadless before the 31st of March? I've got a $5 coupon that I've no use for, and it's such a waste if it isn't redeemed.

Otherwise, complaints to register:
"This is not good/new/different enough"
Read: I got 4 Cs last semester and I suck, but I want you to think of something different.
Maxx: Okay, deadline's in two weeks. What do you propose.
Answer: SILENCE

"I'm freaking out omg omg let's meet"
Read: I got 4 Cs last semester and I suck, but I have done nothing! There's nothing in the project! Let's meet so I can make you do it!
Maxx: We allocated the work, it'll be fine, calm the fuck done, have you and everyone done what you're supposed to
Answer: SILENCE

I am obscenely excited for the semester to end.

IS ANYBODY LOCATED IN GERMANY RIGHT NOW? I NEED TO BUY A SPORT BILD PLEASE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP!

You know times are bad when I need to buy an anything BILD.

I would say that Blonde Redhead on the 15th was our first proper concert. The mom when she was alive had pulled us to various company functions [most notably the 5 minute appearance of Mayday (五月天), 阿信 haphazardly pronouncing Esu Be Esu] but those don't really count, the uncle's sister-in-law got free tickets to Michael Learns to Rock [most notably the loud, beng-like emotional wails of my favourite beng uncle singing "I DON'T EVEN HAVE MY OWN CAR" and waving his hands in the air] but that doesn't really count either.

For years I have stared at the sites of our favourite bands, mostly wishing we were in the UK/Canada/Germany [wat] and once, sending hate mail to the Esplanade for failing to notify me... Blonde Redhead is not the highest in our hierachy but they're pretty high, they're very good, but and even if their lyrics are inexplicable mostly. [An American band made out of a coupla Italians and a Japanese lady, I'll let them slide...] Besides, we adore electronica and dreampop, no way things could go wrong. Plus, I checked out reviews and they seemed to be pretty good live.



Good Jesus, were my expectations and mind blown or what? ( TL;DR - holy crap. )

( Setlist )

( Jun is always a little bit psycho but it makes a great souvenir!! )

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I did horrible things like sneak a few photos, duh. [There were people using FLASH downstairs, can you imagine?!] I actually brought my camera for OTHER purposes, and I didn't bring my telephoto because I was being good, something I regretted VERY MUCH. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have a couple of shots to remember the day by. And autographed stuff!

So if Blonde Redhead ever comes by and you like dreampop and electronica, do go see them by all means. They are freaking brilliant live and it was utterly fantastic. I haven't had more than 2.5 hours of sleep as a consequence [college the next day] but I think it's worth it, as I'm typing this entry nowzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz