learning to breathe

Arashi is in the building yo

2008-07-21T22:37:57Z

No time to sub, only time to fangirl; 'cause that's what I am foremost!! XD
Late late late, but still has stuff to say, about Arashi in Shounen Club Premium of 2008.07.20

First off, sorry for my lousy gif-making / screencap-taking / photoshopping skills ><'

Move Your Body

Ah they all looked quite elegant in black, ne ^__^ Only one is Aiba-chan with those weird trousers ^_^; All in all though, I think Nino was the one that looked best. His moments varied between girly, cool, and flaming hot !! XD

This one gives me an Ai-no-matador sort of feeling XD

PROFILE.. just 'cause XD

And in response to waku_waku-chan's "Perfect" screencap

And some.. hip swingin'!!~~sorry for the small size, but i didn't want to kill your bandwidth ><~~
HIP SIWINGIN' #1

Nino is in the center. Ono is on his left, next to him Aiba-chan. On Nino's right is Sho then Jun. Notice how:
-, Nino & Ono are in perfect sync
-, Ono barely moves though
-, Sho is awkwardly exaggerating his swing, and somehow his knees get more attention than his hips XD
-, Jun started OK, but got lost 2 seconds later
-, Aiba-chan is off doing whatever XD
-, Nino is the best hip swinger!

HIP SIWINGIN' #2

Again, Nino in the center. Ono to his left, then Sho. On Nino's right is Jun then Aiba-chan. Notice how:
-, Nino & Ono are in perfect sync
-, Sho looks like he's in sync too, but again with the awkward exaggeration ^_^;;
-, Aiba-chan is once again off doing his own thing!
-, Nino remains the best hip swinger.

My Answer

Jun got really into this hip swinging thing, and got the hang of it quite good, I must say!!
Trust me, in that bit, no one else was swinging! XD

Clothes!

Look how horrible this T-shirt is, and how adorable it looks on Jun!! O__O

I decided I liked Nino's outfit best. Look how long that shirt is !!

Doesn't he remind you of a little girl, strolling around in a green field full of colored beautiful flowers underneath a clear sky!! XD

JUMP

Now seriously, Sho, Aiba-chan, and Nino gave their all to that jump. Ono barely lifted one leg, Jun didn't bother at all XD

And just 'cause...

I didn't watch One Love or the stage report! (aren't you glad XD) One thing is for sure though; I do NOT like their One Love costumes =.=
I still think Nino looks girly in every performance XD
Were they singing live, or playback?

Sorry for the useless post ^_^;;

Nonsense from my life

2008-07-20T22:37:09Z

So, I signed my new contract like 2 weeks ago and I still haven't handed in some paper work. Why? 'Cause I couldn't find my old contract >< It might not look like it if you walk into my room, but I'm usually very neat about this sort of stuff. Nonetheless, for some reason, I just couldn't find it -in the logical places. Tonight I thought, "Screw it! Gotta look everywhere!" And by everywhere I mean under my desk, 'cause that's the only other possible place. In the process, some papers and photocopies fell. Panic for a second. I looked up. "Oh good, my Japanese books are on the desk. Only maths photocopies fell *doesn't care much if they get ruined*" ... Oh no! My Japanese notebooks were not though >< Ah good thing they didn't get ruined!

Anyho... ATTA~ *tears of joy* I found it FINALLY! Been looking for it for DAYS! Now I can hand in all the paper work. Just in time for my trip to Dublin. Oh, right. Everything booked! I'm leaving next week for 8 days O__O

In the mean time, [Italian ON] ho scoperto Activia al cocco, musely, nocciole, e mandorle. Che bontà! Activia non mi fa niente per l'intestino, però 'sto yogurt è troppo buono! Chi s'è inventato di mettere le nocciole e le mandorle nello yogurt è un genio!! XD [/Italian OFF]

I obviously have nothing much to say. Since RAWs have been a bit slow this weekend, and I'd managed to finish translating my part of Code Blue quite fast, I managed to finish off the Last Friends Special. Now we'll see how long it'll take me to edit all those episodes and make an entire zip for them XD

Ah, there's some Arashi stuff I need to DL *is talking about SCP*! Somebody, please remind me tomorrow, otherwise I'll surely forget ><'

On the drama scene, I watched Seigi no Mikata last night. I really enjoyed it! I don't particularly like Yamada Yu, and her character is kind of annoying in this drama, but the lead girl is fun, and Mukai Osamu (alecsa-chan, I still remember it!! XD) is not bad to look at ^__^

Right. Time to go to bed.

Publicity to subs ^__^v

2008-07-18T09:12:22Z

A quick post to let you all know of the recent updates.

-, nantokanarusa released the Italian softsubs for episode 01 of Yasuko to Kenji last night.

-, Querbeet released the English softsubs for episode 02 of Code Blue last night as well.

-, suketeru (aka me!) released the English softsubs for episode 02 of Mao this morning. TENJO-CHAN I did the preview just for you ^__^ missed a couple of lines though, sorry ^_^;; ne ne ne .. ♥

Wow, I just realized all 3 projects I'm working on had a one-after-the-other release XD
For downloads and information, please refer to this post.

Quick question: I'm having a hard time with .ASS release of Yasuken, since Italian has all those accented letters. When I watch it I see weird symbols, while my friends see it normally. If I save it in UTF-16 encode I see it OK but my friends see the weird symbols. Other encodes work for me, such as ISO15 and Local, but I haven't tried it out with my friends' players. Is it just a matter of font? Maybe using plain Arial would solve the issue.

A couple of minor news:
Fukuyama Masaharu will be singing the Olympics theme for TV Asahi. I like this dude ^__^

Closer to home:
Apparently, yesterday a 50-year-old man started stripping in front of some kids on a bus in my hometown!! He was arrested. I only read the headline. I'm curious as to the reason behind this.

sakuraminamoto, nike_y, and fusei (along with her sister whom I haven't gotten to know yet) are leaving today for Japan. I miss yu guys already T__T have fun, ne~ ((( ^__^)/""

12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix - Spring 2008

2008-07-17T10:33:36Z

12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix - Spring 2008

Best drama:
1) CHANGE
2) Last Friends
3) Around 40
4) ROOKIES
5) Gokusen

Best Actor:
1) Kimura Takuya (CHANGE)
2) Sato Ryuta (ROOKIES)
3) Hayami Mokomichi (Zettai Kareshi)
4) Nakayama Yuma (Battery)
5) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (Ryokitekina kanojo)

Best Actress:
1) Amami Yuki (Around 40)
2) Miyazaki Aoi (Atsuhime)
3) Nakama Yukie (Gokusen)
4) Nagasawa Masami (Last Friends)
4) Aoi Yu (Osen)

Best Suppporting Actor:
1) Nishikido Ryo (Last Friends)
2) Abe Hiroshi (CHANGE)
3) Fujiki Naohito (Around 40)
4) Eita (Last Friends)
5) Terao Akira (CHANGE)

Best Supporting Actress:
1) Uen Juri (Last Friends)
2) Fukatsu Eri (CHANGE)
3) Matsushita Yuki (Around 40)
4) Aibu Saki (Zettai Kershi)
5) Matsuzaka Keiko (Atsuhime)

source: Nikkan Sports

Am I going to Dublin, or not!?!! ><'

2008-07-16T10:03:51Z

The trip is supposed to be for work. Same conference that had me go to Philadelphia last March.
But, because it's more fun this way, we're doing everything last minute. My boss decided to go definitely on Sunday evening. It was July 13. The conference starts on July 27. What do you say, is it still possible to find rooms in the hotel?
This is where the conference will take place

Unfortunately, Alcatel, the organizer, chose this wonderful hotel a long way away from Dublin Downtown. It blocked 1000 rooms only, for a conference that is known to attract over 1150 in down times. So, no more rooms in the hotel. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, so the next closest hotel is the Comfort Citywest Inn

I'm not good with approximations, but judging by the image, it looks, what? 3-4 KMs away >< It's a 3-star hotel, breakfast is not included, but at least they have connection. Thouhg one would probably have to pay for it, whereas the Citywest Hotel has breakfast and connection included. Sure, Citywest Hotel costs more, but why should I care? It's a paid trip! If I go to the Comfort Inn and ask for connection on the other hand, I will probably have to pay for it myself >__>

ne~ I don't feel like going >< And with this extra trouble, I'm getting even less excited about this whole thing.

On another note, I hate air-conditioning! Why should I sit in a place that gives me goosebumps for 4 hours every single day? >< my colleagues don't even wanna hear about turning it a little down.

And since my life is boring, on to some random news
Watch out if you're a lonely girl going to Osaka! It's been declared as the sexual assault capital of Japan, with one in every 4,200 female residents of Osaka being raped or otherwise sexually assaulted last year.

So what steps has Osaka taken to deal with the situation? Well, the prefectural police force has assigned two full-time female police officers to a telephone consultation service called Woman Line.

Feel any safer?

source: Japundit

More bad news, as

AnimeSuki.com website has received cease-and-desist notices from Kadokawa Pictures USA that asked the site to remove links to fansubs for 11 recent anime. [read list]
[...]
As of yet, no American anime licensee has announced plans to distribute any of these anime series. Kadokawa Pictures USA and its Kadokawa Shoten parent in Japan have been making their own in-roads into digital distribution by selling live-action films through BitTorrent's commercial software and testing the file-sharing of anime on BitTorrent. Kadokawa Shoten has also partnered with Google to host anime on Google's YouTube video-sharing service and plans to share ad revenue with selected YouTube uploaders of its materials.

source: AnimeNewsNetwork

This last one was old news really, but I never got around to posting about it.
I'm so behind on reading news >< Ah, Hanadan FINAL topped the box office for 3 weeks in a row, I'm sure you know that by now. And, Shirota Yu "graduating" from D-BOYS? I know nothing of this dude or his band (only know he's one of Yamapi's best friends XD) so I have no idea what this whole graduation means. Especially since they're saying not much change will take place anyway *shrug*

Yamapi x Jin rabu ^__^ 30 minutes on the phone with a friend is a long time. Can't remember the last time I stayed that long on the phone!

Ok, enough random news. Off to ~~fighting against sleepyness~~ do something more serious.

Who would have ever thought!

2008-07-11T20:34:37Z

Cosplay? Comics? Games? Japanese stands? Where?

PISA?!!!!! O____________________O [click click]

this is a first! I just found out and it's this weekend >< The cosplay competition is actually the Italian selections for the European Cosplay Summit O___O Hope I'll be able to go have a look at what they're doing.
In the meantime, I have a Japanese dinner planned tomorrow with my ex-Japanese course buddies ^__^

So, I have a lot to do, and nothing to do. You know that feeling, right? Like, in your head you know you got loads of overdue work, but somehow can't manage to pinpoint one thing to do XD

Scandals!
What's with this Naohito scandal >< The playboy image doesn't fit him at all. I wonder how this will affect his creer from now on T__T

The reputation of actor/singer Naohito Fujiki has taken a serious blow due to allegations of an affair. Fujiki, 35, has been married since December 2005 and had his first child one year later. But now an article in the latest issue of Shukan Bunshun says that he's been fooling around.

According to the magazine, Fujiki's lover is a cabaret club hostess in her late twenties. They apparently met last October while Fujiki was on tour. The woman says they hit it off immediately, and they carried on their affair. After learning that she was pregnant a month later, she says she was urged by Fujiki to have an abortion, and was even given several million yen.

When asked about the matter, Fujiki's agency said they were unable to comment for now due to the absence of his manager.

source: Tokyograph

And the Pi x Yuu rumors have come back again >__> People have nothing better to do (and apparently me neither, since I go around reading that stuff XD)

So... Johnny's. So many solo projects going on this summer ne~ For some reason I got fired up most about Okura's solo concert. Wanna go wanna go wanna go ><

Change of subject: New Dork? New Pork? New York?
When I saw that (I was at work) I was so gonna explode from ROTFLing XD
And apparently some Japanese think that their ability to express themselves vaguely is one of the things that make Japan/Japanese great --> Take a look at the top 20 list.

Summer talk, summer dramas:
So many interesting dramas, so little time. Code Blue yesterday was more interesting than ep01. Too bad ratings dropped to 16% (from a 21.2% for ep01)!
Some people were a little weirded out by Yamapi's character. Is it just me or is Aizawa arrogant? It's not you. That's the way the character is. Yamapi says in one of his jweb entries, "if you felt that Aizawa was irritating it means I did a good job."
Yesterday's episode had 2 outbursts that didn't come out too well. First from the heli nurse, then from Shiraishi. 2 scenes poorly performed. Yamapi was good. But maybe I'm biased. I hope not. I usually cringe when any one of the idols I like sings off key or acts poorly. I didn't cringe yesterday ^__^
Mao. Only watched half of it today 'cause I had to take my granny to the dentist's. Waiting for the RAW -which will hopefully come out faster than the one for CB. But I'm really loving Ono and Toma in this ^_^

Both Mao and Code Blue have great OSTs, and I'm addicted to both their theme songs, especially Code Blue's HANABI by Mr. Children. How can you not like that band. I love their music ^__^ I think I'm gonna buy this single when it comes out, and perhaps with it one of my favorite mista-chiru albums ^_^

Man, laptops are great, but during summer they're like heaters >< especially if you're working with them on your lap while sitting on the bed XD

Personal news: Work
After my sudden lack of work due to paper submission, my boss assigned me something new. Now comes the part I'm not too excited about. Gotta learn new languages.
I was checking out sed and on one site the following was written. I love the dude that wrote that site XD

sed (stream editor) is a marvelous utility. Unfortunately, most people never learn its real power. The language is very simple, but the documentation is terrible. The Solaris on-line manual pages for sed are five pages long, and two of those pages describe the 34 different errors you can get. A program that spends as much space documenting the errors than it does documenting the language has a serious learning curve.

A programmer's worst nightmare is 0 documentation, or documentation written really badly. Well, maybe there are worse nightmares for a programmer, but still..
Anyho.. gotta create some sort of handling of mail logs, and web-based interface for system administrators (and maybe users) to query the logs easily. I'll stop there 'cause I'm sure no one's really interested in this XD

On the other hand, that talk about Dublin .
My boss today was decided. "I've decided that we'll go!"
We'd agreed that, even if we weren't sure 100% we'd go, for today we'd at least book the hotel. When we were about to do that, he remembered he had to check something with the administration. When he came back, not too happy, he said he might not be able to go, but he would gladly have me go on my own O____O I was speechless. He gave me some time to think about it. I have 0 confidence in going alone. The problem is not the trip itself, or being in Dublin on my own -which would not be the case, 'cause I have a friend who's there for work. It's that I'd be representing our group and supposedly discuss the paper we submitted and answer questions. I might have written that paper, but I have never worked with that system. I never had a hands-on experience, so many details are not imprinted in my mind, and I often panic when people start asking me really detailed questions ><' So I don't know. You're gonna say, "Are you crazy?! How can you miss on a chance like this!?" I know. But... self-confidence. Mine is very close to zero ><

Enough already. I've written way more than I thought I would.
Tomorrow is Yasuko to Kenji!! Remember it's at 9pm Japan time (which means 1pm UTC).

Have to start translating CB. Somehow don't feel like it though XD
By the way, I'm doomed XD Now, every time I watch some Japanese drama I start thinking how I'd translate the lines XD

PS. sorry to all my friends. I haven't been around much lately. I get shivers just thinking of checking out my f-page >< If I start going back in time I'll never finish reading XD But I'll try my best to keep up with you guys <3

Maou - announcement

2008-07-09T08:05:10Z

In order to avoid the situation I got myself in with Last Friends (2 softsubs for one drama), I'm gonna be announcing this on d-addicts as well ><'

Maou episode 1 -finally watched. And not only... >_<'

2008-07-08T22:27:40Z

This was so not supposed to happen XD
I was idle yesterday, waiting for stuff.. my mind decided to forget that I could have used my time to do something useful and instead.. found the Japanese softsubs @DA (posted by davidt) and thought, "Oh! The timing is already done. I just put in the translation."
Wrong! Well, the translation took just a little longer than expected. But then what took longer were the styles, and then my head wanted me to add the karaoke, and typesetting, and ugh.. I'm still not happy with the outcome. But yeah..

What on earth am I talking about?
This: Maou01 .ASS english softsubs
Original timing: davidt @DA
Translation, re-timing, typesetting, karaoke: suketeru.

EDIT:
tenjostyle made me notice that maybe not everyone has the fonts I've chosen meticulously for this sub, so I've uploaded a zip with 3 fonts. [ Maou Fonts ]
Here's how it's supposed to look like.
All you need to do is unzip and drag the 3 fonts into the directory "C:\Windows\Fonts"

If you can't see the karaoke effects:
That might be because "Pre-buffer subtitles" option in Direct VobSub Filter is on. Turn it off by doing the following:
- Direct VobSub Properties [you should have a green arow in the system tray during playing movie with subtitles - simply click on it] then go to the "Misc" tab and unmark "Pre-buffer subtitles option). It should work just fine after that.
- OR, if you're using Media Player Classic (it has build-n Direct VobSub) you should go to Options - Subtitles, and set "Number of subpictures to buffer ahead" to 0 - the same effect.
[directions by slaw @DA]

If the video runs too slow when the opening hits it means your PC can't handle rendering karaoke FX in real time. I used simple stuff, but still, not all PCs can handle those. Just open the .ASS file in notepad, hit Ctrl-F for search and look for the string: "Arashi - Truth - romaji". Just delete those lines after that till you reach the "Arashi - Truth - translation" part ^__^

Notes:
If you're new to this LJ, or have doubts on how to handle these subs, make sure you read:
-, about my subs, and
-, how to use softsubs

I don't feel like adding a note everytime one of these pops up, so here's a list of terms you might wanna know ^_^

niisan = older brother.
niichan = older brother, said in a cute kind of way / used by kids to refer to boys older than them, but could be considered their older brother by age.
aniki = elder brother / superior.
oneesan = older sister
neechan = older sister / used by kids to refer to girls older than them, but could be considered their older sister by age.
sensei = title used to refer to teachers and professionals, such as lawyers, doctors, etc.

About name romanization:
After I finally got an illumination on the wonders of Japanese name romanization, thanx to sakuraminamoto, I will be following her example and using the official Japanese system used for passports. i.e. no extended vowels. e.g. Ohno/Oono becomes Ono.

Okay. So, what does this mean?
I really liked the first episode. Subbing it was fun at first, then the fun died a bit cuz I realized it was taking longer than I'd expected (timing needed quite a bit of editing ^_^;). Probably also 'cause it was getting late... like it is now XD

What I wanted to say. I'm already helping out Querbeet with Code Blue (the subs are ready but we're having trouble encoding ><), and as member of nantokanarusa am collaborating for Yasuken in Italian.
Where does Maou fit in all this? I can't be subbing all this ><
I might do this. But, in my own time. No rushing. If I find I'm bored and want something to do I'll do this. ~~I'm not posting the subs at DA. At least not for now. LJ people are patient and understanding. DA people are not ^_^;;~~

edit: To avoid a situation that happened with Last Friends (and went smoothly 'cause seri-san was really nice), I've announced this at d-addicts as well. I hope everyone can understand if it takes some time to have softsubs out. If you ping me too much I'll just get irritated, OK ^__^

If you want to check out status or links, just go to my summer drama sticky post: here.

With that out of the way, as I said I don't like the outcome much. If you have any ideas for the styles or anything, I'm open for suggestions.

PS: Nino! Is that any way to treat your ~~lover~~ senpai!? Who are you kidding anyway, you could never hurt a fly, and no one can touch Ono ^__^

ATTENTION THOUGH:
If anyone is grateful for this, you should thank tenjostyle. Though she did not expressly ask me anything, she said something that made me think... ^__^ ♥

onyuu? It's July desu yo!

2008-07-03T09:06:51Z

July = YAMAPI MONTH! (i already wrote that -in Japanese- on my office calendar XD)

July = Yamapi..
not only because of Code Blue (<3 First ep airs in 4 hours 39 minutes!!), but also because I can FINALLY put the Yamapi discs on my NEWS calendar ^__^ *Tegoshi bump off*

Hanadan SP torrent is up on DA ^__^

Ever seen Totoro cream puffs?

images from Ghibliworld.com

This shop is the only one officially recognized by Studio Ghibli. It opened in May in Tokyo. They make a limited quantity per day, and those sell out quite fast. [store link: Shiro hige]

Japan x Italy
According to the mainichi daily news [1][2], it seems 4 students (from 2 different universities) were given strict warnings by their universities for drawing graffitis (date, name, the usual stuff) on the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The church said it would not demand payment for restoration if it received an apology.
I'm kind of glad for the way the church handled things ^__^

Ah speaking of Japan, it seems the first clashes have taken place in Tokyo because of the G-8 summit in Hokkaido next week. Hope nothing too huge happens. Genova a few years ago seemed like a war-stricken place after those G-8 clashes ><

OK, I'm @work, and I obviously have NOTHING to do >< I finished my task last week, and my boss went on a business trip for a couple of days without leaving me any instructions. I have no idea what I should do ^__^;;

hmm.. does Yamapi month require a Yamapi layout? I just changed my layout a couple of months ago ^_^; I want a new CB banner to replace the LF one XD

Sorry, double post, it's just that..

2008-07-02T21:16:13Z

I'm feeling super sad right now. Just when I thought I was OK and was actually proud of myself for being able to hold it in, memories came back and I started crying all over again.

datte, mama daisuki.

Yappari, getting up so early in the morning. having breakfast with mom n dad. getting to work as early as 8:15 AM just so I could get home earlier and see my brother and his family. It was all me being pampered. Lately I'd become resentful of mornings. I hated getting up to an empty house, though for some reason I preferred that over having breakfast with grandma.
But seeing my mom's fresh face in the morning was such bliss.

I never miss people. if smn asks me, I can go on not seeing my family for years.. and I have. I never missed them.

でも、サヨナラって辛いんだ。母のベッドを見るだけで涙が溢れる。この気持ちが嫌い。
けど、我慢しかないよね。もう涙がやんだ・・・

About more cheerful stuff. We didn't have time for me to show mom some more of the Japanese entertainment world. I really wanted her to check the artistic side, more than just looks. So, I tried to put on some music, but she was always busy, never having time to really listen.
I finally resolved to showing her some printed out pics.
For some reason I can't remember I was telling her about Aiba-chan, when TIME con pix that tenjo-chan sent me came on my mind.

"Ah, mom a friend of mine sent me pictures!"
Looks at Aiba picture during his Friendship solo, "So cute!"
We simultaneously say,
- mom: "Is this her?"
- me: "This is him!"
look at each other. laugh! XD

But she still thought he was cute. Other than that pic there was another Aiba pic wearing that magenta costume (forgot what perf that is ><), and a group pic with the yellow costumes (they were kinda small so she didn't pay much attention to their faces ^_^;). She said they're very colorful (in a positive sense). Gonna have to do with that.. for now.

I might be going to visit my parents in August for a couple of weeks. Sounds like my mom needs some back up ^_^;

Summer jdrama: what would you like to see softsubbed?

2008-07-02T14:54:13Z

So, many of you still don't know this but, it seems I'll be collaborating with Querbeet, along with seri-san, to sub Code Blue. Querbeet does both soft and hard subs, so I won't be doing anything on my own for that.. unless, my Italian buds want Italian softsubs? This is just an idea, I don't know how well I can handle Japanese-to-Italian translations ^_^;;

Yeah, I kind of can't decide! XD And I had so much fun subbing Last Friends, that I feel I wanna do another drama -maybe a little more laid back though ^_^;;
So here's a list of what IMO might be interesting -excluding ones that already have subbers working on them. I still have to check out at least the first ep of each one to decide whether I really like the drama or not. But based on the synopsis, here goes!

View Poll: Summer jdrama

Thank you ^_^

This is just to see opinions ne. I'm not promising anything ^_^; Especially since it seems I'll be gone for a week at the end of July, and probably a couple more weeks in August XD

Mama daisuki ^////^

2008-06-27T17:33:02Z

Ever since my parents got here I've been wanting to expose my mom to the music I've been listening to lately. Not necessarily Johnny's or JPop, but Japanese in general. I finally took the chance yesterday, but I was so curious I decided to show her SUMMER TIME. She didn't understand at first why I wanted her to watch rather than just listen, but that mystery was soon afterwards revealed XD
OK, PV running. Massu comes on screen. She makes a comment I can't remember (something positive though), then goes like, "Wait! Is this a guy or a girl?" XD That was the first time I heard anyone doubt Massu's gender XD
PV goes on a few seconds.. NEWS is on the beach running. "STOP! WOW!! That guy there! He's so cute!!" -mom's favorite NEWS member was decided in just a split second. Who do you think it was?
2 seconds later, "Ah, 2 years ago I would have liked this other guy better", "which one?", "the one who has expressive eyes. you can tell he's different." -my mom's second favorite NEWS member was decided just as fast. Who do you think it was?

"Actually, they all look great. No! Not you!! Go away! Go away!!" XD Hmm someone apparently doesn't win much with mom when looks are concerned. But later she said he was simpatico (and this must be the most difficult Italian word to translate into English XD wordreference says it means nice, cute, but it's more than that *looks at Italian buds for help ><*). Did you figure out who she was talking about?

Another comment was, "This one looks too much like a kid!" -This one is easy XD

Anyway, going back to my mom's favorite. Every time he came on screen, "He's so pretty it's just not fair!". WOWs were pretty frequent too ^_^

She laughed at the bit when Kei-chan turned Tego-nyan's milk-shake into a technicolor show XD

In general they made a good impression on her. She was also impressed when I told her they were actors as well. "IMO you can't be a singer if you're not an actor."
"They look good together. Each one has a special thing about him that makes him different from the others."
"It's not true that the Japanese all look alike!"

Did you guess who mom was talking about? In the end she commented on all but one.

That one was Shige XD
The kid: Tegoshi
The "simpatico": Kei-chan
Second favorite: Ryo-chan
Absolute favorite: Yamapi!!! XD (strangely enough we agreed this time -on the first and second spots. we usually don't have the same taste in men... well, maybe 50-50 of the time).
Now I just wanna intoxicate her with every NEWS clip I have XD but I can't ^_^;; ~~maybe I'll just knock her out with a Gomen ne Juliet performance XD~~

What should I try next? Arashi. I wonder if we'll agree there too XD

Yesterday I read a hilarious post on news_jpop. Misheard lyrics. Did you see that post? I laughed so hard at most of the comments!! I misheard some lyrics at times, but never to the extent of creating such funny sentences! flail flail, ring pajamas, private parts, whack a toilet, beautiful rice, picking up disabled food,.. [more]. Like I was writing this on the train, and just thinking of those sentences made me laugh! I was about to explode 'cause I was trying to keep it inside!! XD

Something about the hands..

2008-06-16T17:51:42Z

I just finished posting Last Friends ep10 subs ne. And yes, while Sosuke was crying his heart out, what drew my attention?

Ryo-chan! You have such nice hands ♥

So, hmmm.. just a few thoughts on this ep cuz i can't help not saying anything.

-, When Michiru left the sharehouse, she was wearing the same dress she had on when she left Sosuke's house.

-, Am I biased if I say that Ryo-chan was so good this time? He finally had a normal side to him as well, ne. And I loved his voice. He had a lot more screen time and lines. When he said, "Stop crying!" and closed his fist.. he was finally able to control himself. That scene was so touching. I was beginning to feel sad for him. And the scene after that. When he put the photos down.. somehow, I got the strongest feeling in my heart. I could understand his feelings, and his crying. When you suddenly realize something that shocks you and hurts you so much, you feel lost, you cry so hard you can't even breathe. I can never forget that feeling. It's complete helplessness and desperation.

-, When Sosuke was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.. he reminded me of Ryo-chan's BOAO shoot XD

-, That ending.. I wonder if it's another Sosuke!lie XD But I don't think so. But, this is not a good message ne. Like, if you have a DV problem within you and you can't solve it, kill yourself? *shrugs*

-, PRISONER OF LOVE!!!!
Notice the matching between lyrics and scenes:
* anata dake tomo to yobu (you're the only one I call friend): Ruka and the people from the sharehouse exchange glances.
* tsuyogari ya yokubari ga muimi ni narimashita (greed and fake courage have become nonsense): Ruka and Takeru exchange a knowing glance.
* jiyuudemo yoyuudemo hitori ja munashii wa (even if i have my freedom and space, if i'm alone it's futile): Ruka notices Michiru's omamori is missing.
* I'm a prisoner of love: Sosuke breaks down.
* zankokuna genjitsu ga futari wo hikisakeba
yori issou tsuyoku hikareau
ikurademo ikurademo ganbareru ki ga shita
(if the cruel reality splits us apart, we will pull each other even stronger. no matter how much I felt we could stand firm..):
Michiru finds Sosuke. I still have to find the connection with this. Sosuke and Michiru will pull each other still? no matter how reality splits them apart? *confused*

Yes yes, Ryo-chan did real well in this episode. Masami-chan too, finally had a whole episode in which I never felt she bugged me XD Juri-chan was awesome as always.

Oh and.. you saw that box with "Eterno Amore" written on it?!! I SWEAR IT GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS! Why?
Just a month ago, someone on mixi was asking me how to say 永遠の愛 in Italian O__O what a coincidence ^_^;;

OMG! My 4.5-year-old nephew just said, DV !! Wonder what he's thinking of XD
He's gonna go do some shima jiro exercises now ^_^

Last Friends manga -prologue- scanlations

2008-06-07T14:17:52Z

The news of a "Last Friends" manga came out some time ago.
The prologue RAWs are available here (thanks to fujii_itsuki).

While you patiently wait for subs, you can read the scanlations ^_^

credits;
translation & editing: suketeru
QC: fujii_ituski (aka ^Yuuki @DA)
scans: a kind soul

disclaimer:
this is amateur work. I have no time to worry about graphics. it is provided solely for the reading joy of Last-Friends ~~addicts~~ watchers.

Please:
don't use these translations to make other scanlations. if you would like to offer the community a nicer looking scanlation, talk to me. we might work something out ^_^

click on images twice for larger view.
reading order follows usual Japanese manga; right to left.
.ZIP file provided below

Download the whole thing: on mediafire

Favor, onegaishimasu

2008-06-06T15:14:03Z

Sorry for the spam. I forgot to add this in my last post -don't want to edit that in case people miss this ^_^;;;

Please go to: http://tools.mrwebmaster.it/work/poll.php?poll_id=10196
and vote for Sant'Angelo le Fratte (4th option)

Thank you ^_^

Writing my CV..

2008-06-06T13:28:14Z

.
.
.
.
do you think I can add fansubbing / translating as volunteer work I've done ?!! XD no? how about I put it in the past work experiences section then!! XD

On another note... I realized...
there's a cute guy working near my office XD
Funny thing is, he's come by often 'cause he's on good terms with my colleague. But I only noticed him yesterday, 'cause it was the first time I saw him up close (we ran into each other in the hallway).

I hurt my tushi the other day XD

It's June. Tegoshi is in my calendar <3 I like his poses ^_^

I've finally been able to continue reading Rurouni Kenshin. For a while volumes weren't available. Now it's taken over me all over again. I'm @ Vol.20 -the story behind Battousai.
I ♥ Kenshin.

I got a wonderful letter yesterday. When I remembered it today while walking to the train station, tears pooled in my eyes and I couldn't help feeling to happy and blessed ^_^
Thank you so much.

I've done a little something in the past couple of days. It's LF-related. Nothing major. I'm waiting to hear an opinion from a friend before I post. Please look forward to it ne ^_^

Oricon's May, 2008 Top 30

2008-06-04T13:38:44Z

Only 2 3 Johnny's in the chart. You already know who, right? You also already know what positions they ranked at, don't you!!!

EDIT: HUGE UNFORGIVABLE IGNORANCE OF MINE!!!! I didn't know of THE Prince's alias ><' (thank you sakuraminamoto)

between (..) is the number of copies sold.
source: Oricon

01. DON'T U EVER STOP - KAT-TUN (381672)
02. Summer Time - NEWS (231421)
03. Shuchishin - Shuchishin (132688)
04. No More - Maizu Tsukasa (125335)
05. Niji - Aqua Timez (88574)
06-1. Beautiful You - Tohoshinki (77883)
06-2. Sennen Koi Uta - Tohoshinki
07. Triangler - Maaya Sakamoto (65674)
08-1. Diamond Crevasse - Sheryl Norm starring May'n (62396)
08-2. Iteza Gogo Kyuuji Don't Be Late - Sheryl Norm starring May'n
09. Burn ~Fumetsu No Face~ - B'z (45122)
10. Anata Boshi - Milky Way (39801)
11. Aishiteru - Ryu Siwon (36038)
12. MOTHER - SEAMO (34734)
13. Umiyuki - JERO (34441)
14. Namida no Iro - °C-ute (33422)
15. Ame Ato - w-inds. (31533)
16-1. Together - MONKEY MAJIK (30527)
16-2. Akari - MONKEY MAJIK
16-3. Fall Back - MONKEY MAJIK
17-1. NEW LOOK - Namie Amuro (29791)
17-2. ROCK STEADY - Namie Amuro
17-3. WHAT A FEELING - Namie Amuro
18. Giri Giri HERO - mihimaru GT (29404)
19. Kiss! Kiss ! Kiss! - Buono! (29305)
20. Kaeritaku Natta yo - Ikimonogakari (27979)
21. Wajima Asaichi - Kaori Mizumori (27816)
22. Double-Action CLIMAX Form - Momotarosu Uratarosu Kintarosu Ryutarosu Denebu (CV: Toshihiko Seki, Koji Yusa, Masaki Terasoma, Kenichi Suzumura, Yoshitada Otsuka) (26615)
23. Toki wo Koete~Fantastic World~ - WaT (25912)
24. Ima - Kiyokiba Shunsuke (24672)
25. NOBODY KNOWS - Suga Shikao (21837)
26. Okaeri - ayaka (21032)
27. Mirrorcle World - Ayumi Hamasaki (20214)
28. Soba ni Iru ne feat.SouJa - Thelma Aoyama (19763)
29. Hotaru - TUBE (18811)
30. Uragiri Gomen - The Three (17558)

I don't know all of them, but I like the first two (duh!), Namie Amuro's single strangely is to my liking this time (I usually don't like her songs ^_^;). WaT is in there too! I haven't heard that single yet. And ayaka with Okaeri~ I like that song ^_^ I probably know other songs, just don't know it yet !! XD I never look at titles, I just stuff them in the player and hit play XD

EDIT:
I almost forgot!!! Today the new T&T single was released.. (恋詩　－コイウター/PROGRESS)
They are currently #1 in the daily chart, with 12887 copies sold ^_^

Another EDIT: ~~cuz i can't keep away from charts~~
Box office in Japan 05.31 ~ 06.01
Kakushi Toride THE LAST PRINCESS (Matsumoto Jun) slides to position #9 after 4 weeks of screening.
On its second week it entered the charts @position #3, then slid to #5 on the 3rd week.

Tackey & Tsubasa on Hey!x3 2008.06.02

2008-06-04T01:08:01Z

Just a few pieces I couldn't keep myself from posting ^_^
Ah, they are so perfect together ♥

Under cut: 3 video cuts
-, Tackey kabuki - onnagata hayagawari (hmm how to say this in English.. Tackey dresses up as a woman and does fast changes of clothes XD)
-, Tsubasa flamenco (that's self-explanatory). tenjo-chan this is especially for you! Though you're not much into T&T, but still Tsubasa ♥ going for 2 weeks to Andalucia to learn flamenco ♥♥
-, Tackey gets a double slap on the head XD and a strange bday gift from an eito renja-

all cuts are short (the longest one is 59 seconds). original video from JPS

Tackey kabuki

..and that's how Prince!Tackey turned into bra!character

Tsubasa flamenco

doesn't he look so cool!! Prince!Tsubasa ♥ chou niau

One day Tackey asks an eito renja-, what bday present would you like?. That renja- tells him he'd like a wrist watch. Tackey thinks that's too plain, so instead gets him.. a wall clock. When it's Tackey's bday, that same renja-, for some reason, gets him the same exact clock!!!! What reason is that? Because they had no pair-goods. Like this, even if they're far away, their hearts are connected thru those wall clocks [insert proper smiley here]

TOTORO!!! XD

Maa.. Prince!Tackey has his goofy moments too, ne.

Tackey: One day, mail.. comp.. umm addre.. ah.. eeeh.. computer..
Mautsmoto: Are you drunk?!
Matsumoto: Are you dead drunk!?

Look how serious Tsubasa was when he slapped his partner!

Well, this year marks T&T's 5th year anniversary ne ^_^

The moment of their debut announcement
This Tackey reminds me of Majou no Jouken

To my Italian buddies - and anyone else into Italian soccer

2008-06-03T12:28:10Z

A friend of mine -a huge Azzurri fan- found a youtube video and asked me: Why is the Italian team singing this song, which seems to be a love song?

The song is Azzurro by Adriano Celentano. Youtube video under cut. I also added lyrics and English translation, just for the heck of it XD

note:
Azzurro is the color azure, or sky blue. For those not into soccer much, the Italian team is called "gli azzurri".

Azzurro
Adriano Celentano - 1996

Cerco l'estate tutto l'anno
e all'improvviso eccola qua.
Lei è partita per le spiagge
e sono solo quaggiù in città,
sento fischiare sopra i tetti
un aeroplano che se ne va.

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va.

Sembra quand'ero all'oratorio,
con tanto sole, tanti anni fa.
Quelle domeniche da solo
in un cortile, a passeggiar...
ora mi annoio più di allora,
neanche un prete per chiacchierar...

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va.

Cerco un po' d'Africa in giardino,
tra l'oleandro e il baobab,
come facevo da bambino,
ma qui c'è gente, non si può più,
stanno innaffiando le tue rose,
non c'è il leone, chissà dov'è...

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va

I look for the summer all year long
and suddenly here it is.
She's gone to the beach
and I'm all alone here in the city.
I hear a rumble over the rooftops
an airplane that leaves.

Azure,
the afternoon is too azure
and long for me.
I realize
I have no more resources
without you.
And so,
I'm tempted to hop on the train
and go, go to you.
But the train of desires
in my thoughts goes on the contrary.

It seems like when I was at the youth center
with a lot of sun, so many years ago.
Those Sundays spent on my own
strolling around in a courtyard..
now I'm even more bored than back then
not even a priest with whom to chat.

Azure,
the afternoon is too azure
and long for me.
I realize
I have no more resources
without you.
And so,
I'm tempted to hop on the train
and go, go to you.
But the train of desires
in my thoughts goes on the contrary.

I look for a little Africa in the garden
between an Oleander and a Monkey Bread
as I used to do as a kid.
But there are people here, it's not possible anymore
they're watering your roses
the lion is gone, I wonder where it is..

Azure,
the afternoon is too azure
and long for me.
I realize
I have no more resources
without you.
And so,
I'm tempted to hop on the train
and go, go to you.
But the train of desires
in my thoughts goes on the contrary.

So yeah, anyone know anything ? Why was this song in particular chosen? Is it just for the word, "azzurro"? ^_^;;

On a side-note, those guys sing pretty well ne, considering they're football players and not singr. ~~some sing better than some johnny boys XD~~

Oh and, sending out some happy and positive vibes to Cannavaro. He hurt his ankle pretty bad in yesterday's training, and looks like he won't be able to play at all in this European Championship T__T Capitano! come facciamo senza di te! ♥

suketeru @ 2008-06-02T16:20:00

2008-06-02T17:07:46Z

FIND OF THE DAY (which was actually yesterday, but details!): the word PES exists!!
from wordreference:

pes:
the foot of a human being

but, maybe.. they were looking for katakana words starting with P? I can't remember (good excuse to go watch that ep again! XD)

Yamapi, please to sing this song for your honey-chantachi m(_ _)m
(thank you alecsa_chan for the tip ♥)
this is just a short version I ripped from a site (the full version is mine to fantasize over XD)

Some images I saw yesterday from Popolo 2008.07 (thanx to trishatorga)

because I'm often biased when it comes to Aiba-chan (but you must admit he does look good!)

and, the past few days have been definitely ON!days for Nino ^_^ (plus he looks so cute here ^_^)

Tegoshi kinda freaked me out when I saw the thumbnail for this pic. His eyes! he looks so tired ><' but when I saw the bigger scan (you can click for a slightly bigger image) it kind of.. looked totally different ~~tries not to drool~~ big puppy eye ♥
His blond hair doesn't look bad here ne. he looks quite.. good actually ^_^

and now, I introduce to you.. some GOOD hair!!! >__>

~~why did they have to have him wear a bush where his cute hair once was~~

And because zsuness is so awesome..
Nino in Gakkou e Ikou! MAX 2008.04.29

chu~ #1:

chu~ #2:

are you jealous? did you know of this? I had no idea Nino went on this show *fail*
when Nino said where he'd go on a date with a girl, I was thinking, Nino, ask me~~ XD yappa, umi ga ii ne, un. ^_^

OK, let's see.. is there any serious news going on these days?

-, there's a new Mai-HiME project going on; it concerns Mao. At first I was excited when I read this but then was like, hmm it might just be another videogame or something >__> oh well..

-, Johnny's: Sho-chan fractures right thumb during Nagoya rehearsal; Nino feels sick; Shige gets a one-man show; and KinKi have a summer tour. [Tokyograph]
All in all, Arashi seem to be having the toughest time, ne ^_^;; Hope things work out fine.
rininjapan is collecting short messages to send physically to Sho-chan Read more and leave a comment.

-, 24HR TV hosted by Arashi and .... Yankumi ><' (yes OK, I don't like her ><). Theme is: "Save the earth". [Tokyograph]

-, Nagoya added women-only carriages in the Subway Higashiyama line at night to avoid gropers. [mainichi]

-, A wankathon in San Francisco witnessed new record breaking. In men's category, 2 Japanese men held the new record. [click at your own risk -source Japundit]

-, Oricon ranking: 白馬の王子様 (Prince on a white horse) - beside looks, consider their overall presence (as in the feel they give others):

Artist ranking:

01) Doumoto Kouichi
02) Oikawa Mitsuhiro
03) Gackt
04) Fukuyama Masaharu
05) Koike Teppei
06) TAKAHIRO (EXILE)
07) Hikawa Kiyoshi
08) Takizawa Hideaki
09) Yamashita Tomohisa
10) Taguchi Junnosuke

Actor ranking:

01) Hiroshi Tamaki
02) Oguri Shun
03) Tanihara Shousuke
04) Fujiki Naohito
05) Mizushima Hiro
06) Hosokawa Shigeki
07) Yamamoto Hironori
08) Miura Haruma
09) Koizumi Koutarou
10) Shirota Yuu

My hype for this post just totally went down ^_^;;
Anyho... CM anyone?

[Japundit]
Actually I kind of like Japanese CMs ^_^ well, not all of them I guess. They're a lot better than Italian ones, and at least they don't take up 1/4 of a show's time slot >__>;;

I'm surely forgetting something.. I know there was something I wanted to write about. hmmm.

Thanks to watchful21 the truth behind all those Johnny's acronyms, etc. has been revealed (at least to me XD).
The BIG CONTAINER is Johnny's & Associates (aka Johnny's Jimusho). JE (Johnny's Entertainment) is ONLY a RECORD LABEL signed under JA/JJ. I've always referred to the whole thing as JE, but that is obviously wrong. JE is similar to J-Storm in concept. So, the official site for all Johnny's related stuff is johnny's net. watchful21 will post further details and a better explanation soon (in her next NEWS/Yamapi update post).

Did Yamapi just call me honey-chan? (^////^)

2008-05-30T22:13:22Z

Ah, I knew it. I just knew it !! ♥ *sigh*

Anyho, the past 2 days have been all rainy and stormy. And yesterday I saw.. an aiaigasa situation!! ah, they were cute (I think they were about 9 years old). The girl was holding the umbrella, but they weren't as close to each other as the kids in the PV, and I doubt there were any hidden feelings there. But still, the whole scene reminded me of aiaigasa, and that was enough for me ^_^

I did some good work today I think. But there's so much I need to fix in the document I wrote and I'm getting all agitated, wondering if I'll make it in time ><;

Ah! Here's a little something that might be more interesting than all this rant: The legend behind the 12 Chinese zodiac signs..

Once upon a time, there was a god living in a high mountain. Around the end of one year wrote the following letter and sent it to all the animals in the country.
「On New Year's Day, gather at my house. I'll make the first 12 animals kings in the order they arrive in」.
There was an uproar amongst the animals after they read the letter. At that moment, the cat that had been sleeping carelessly, opened his eyes and asked the mouse the cause for all the ruckus. The mischievous mouse lied and told him that they should gather at the god's house on the 2nd day of the new year.
The animals, on the night of the 31st, went to sleep earlier than usual, while the ox, who was slow, started out in the middle of the night. The mouse saw that and jumped on the ox's back, and they both got the god's house with the sunrise of New Year's Day. At that moment, the mouse jumped off the ox's back and ran into the god's house. With that, the 1st year the mouse became the king, from the 2nd onward it was ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog. The 12th was the wild boar.
By the way, the cat, not knowing anything, just slept on New Year's Day. On the morning of the 2nd day he realized he was tricked by the mouse. He got mad, and it's seems he has been ever since chasing the mouse.

See, that's why cats chase mise XD

Some Dream"A"Live shop photos from yahoo.jp auctions (pointed to me by tenjostyle)

*siigh* kawaikunai?! (^///^) ♥

I'm so sorry I was selective!! XD For some reason I didn't think of saving Sho's or Jun's XD *goes to surf around the auctions*

BTW, I realized I have no TIME-con shop photos O__O anyone have any? or can point me to some LJ or blog that has them? onegai *pout*

I'm bursting with confusing feelings right now.. I want to write, but words don't wanna come out T__T

arigatou

Tackey & Tsubasa koiuta PV

2008-05-29T09:50:55Z

Remember the mini-drama I mentioned a few days ago? Looks like this is it. 5 minutes long. I just got it, but can't watch it right now 'cause I'm at work.
Have a look. Tell me what you think ^_^ I'll watch later today (like after dinner O__O)

Edit:
I was wrong ^_^;; this is just a normal PV. I heard the beginning was some conversation, so I thought it was the mini-drama ^_^; demo ne, I like baka!T&T PVs better ^_^

hmmm Morita-chan, is this the next subbing project ?!! XD

--side note: while listening to KI.SE.KI quiet version this morning on the train, one single tear was shed T__T this line always gets me:

また出会えるキセキがもしも僕らにあるなら
今度はきっときっと必ず君を守り抜いてみせる

(mata deaeru kiseki ga moshimo bokurani aru nara
kondo wa kitto kitto kanarazu kimi wo mamorinuitemiseru)

if we ever have the miracle to meet again
that time I will surely, without any doubt, show you I'll protect you till the very end ♥

Graphic Preview: howto -take 2

2008-05-28T19:34:20Z

So I'm not the only one to find those a bug XD
OK, so I checked at LJ help, and turning them off entirely (therefore disable them from all websites), or for a single website, is quite simple. I wanted to make screenshots too, but I already disabled them and don't know how to get them back ROTFL (or should I say terawarosu XD ~~a friend suggested gigawarosu XD could that mean LMAO?!~~)

To stop seeing these preview images entirely, click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of any preview and select the "Disable" option. You can then choose to disable previews on "THIS Site" (throughout LiveJournal) or "All Sites" (all websites).

Somebody get me away from here !! XD

2008-05-28T09:55:07Z

As expected, when I say something I totally act in the opposite way ^_^;
OK, this is just a quicky 'cause I just read something that made me kind of.. amused ^_^

Heard of Miyazaki's new anime? Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Ponyo over the cliff) -to be screened sometime late July- talks about a little boy and a female goldfish that wants to become human. What's so amusing about that? The little boy is called.... Sosuke!!! XD Ah, now I feel sorry for every person that has that name ^_^;;

Oguri Shun has been cast for the theatrical play Musashi, along with Fujiwara Tatsuya, Suzuki Anne, and Shiraishi Kayoko. Performances: March-April 2009. [Tokyograph]

In Oricon charts, HSJ are still at #1, Hikki-chan at #2. [Oricon]
After news of sazan going on hiatus, 2 of their albums, Umi no Yeah!! and Ballad 3 ~the album of LOVE~, which were no where near the top 300 last week, climbed to positions #50 and #74 in the album chart!!! [Tokyograph] amazing ne ^_^

OK 'nuff. I'm off to do.. what I'm supposed to do ^_^; (I think I need to learn how to count again ^_^;)

Oh, btw, sorry for the super huge post yesterday. I promise I won't do it again m(_ _)m

Ah, one last thing. This is kind of old, but I only read it yesterday, and thought it was... interesting:

[A] new term is terawarosu, meaning a belly laugh. In proper Japanese, to laugh is warau. But when a Japanese in a blog or chatroom wants to show he finds something to be hilarious, he types warosu, the Net equivalent of "LOL (laughs out loud)."

"Tera" is from terabyte (1 trillion bytes), the next step up in data volume after "giga" (1 billion bytes). So terawarosu — and it's a real mouthful — would be like the English "ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing)."

from Japundit

Yamada Yu - Holla! (kanji romaji English-translation)

2008-05-27T23:00:14Z

OK I lied !! XD I wanted to get this out of the way. It didn't take much to do this anyway, you'll realize right away why that is ^_^;
I changed my style this time; you've got the English translation right away ('cause that's the main reason for this post). Beneath it you'll find kanji & romaji in alteration.

note: holla = A colloquial phrase, slang form of "holler", used as a greeting, can also refer to talking, or flirting. [source: Wikipedia]

Holla!

歌：山田優 作詞：HIRO 作曲：HIRO
(song: Yamada Yu, lyrics and music: HIRO)
from the album MYUSIC released 2008.05.14

Holla! turn the fire on right now
Oh till it seems we're on the verge of flaring up
Holla! it seems I'll burst any moment now
my entire body can't stop the excitement
Holla! if you want it gimme a sign
Oh whenever, I'm ready babe
Holla! this throbbing that's becoming so hot
if you've already noticed it holla at me boy

Though I thought you bothered me
I wonder why, why is it? That my eyes can't detach from your moves
Every time our eyes meet, inside my heart something burns up
Do you have this same special feeling? Just tell me!

(You are so fine)
I can't hide these feelings
(You blow my mind)
A fantasy that has no end
(Feelin' so high)
I'm engrossed by you (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No 'cause I can't wait anymore

Holla! turn the fire on right now
Oh till it seems we're on the verge of flaring up
Holla! it seems I'll burst any moment now
my entire body can't stop the excitement
Holla! if you want it gimme a sign
Oh whenever, I'm ready babe
Holla! this throbbing that's becoming so hot
if you’ve already noticed it holla at me boy

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

A daring night is OK, isn't it?
oh baby you acting so crazy
Your actions really turn me on
If you're going to step over the limit's borderline
baby don't stop at 8
what's important is taking it to the 9

(You are so fine)
I can't put this feeling back
(You blow my mind)
A dream-like fantasy
(Feelin' so high)
I'm engrossed by you (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No 'cause I can't wait anymore

Holla! turn the fire on right now
Oh till it seems we're on the verge of flaring up
Holla! it seems I'll burst any moment now
my entire body can't stop the excitement
Holla! if you want it gimme a sign
Oh whenever, I'm ready babe
Holla! this throbbing that's becoming so hot
if you've already noticed it holla at me boy

I feel the thrill, that's not bad either
Baby it's time to make a move tonight
I wish you'd tell me your feelings by sunrise
Maybe we can be together now

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

(You are so fine)
I can't hide these feelings
(You blow my mind)
A fantasy that has no end
(Feelin' so high)
I'm engrossed by you (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No 'cause I can't wait anymore

Holla! turn the fire on right now
Oh till it seems we're on the verge of flaring up
Holla! it seems I’ll burst any moment now
my entire body can’t stop the excitement
Holla! if you want it gimme a sign
Oh whenever, I'm ready babe
Holla! this throbbing that’s becoming so hot
if you’ve already noticed it holla at me boy

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

kanji from evesta.jp

Holla!今すぐ火をつけて
Oh燃え上がりそうなくらい
Holla!今にも弾けそう
体中が騒ぎ止まらない
Holla!欲しいならgimme a sign
OhいつでもI'm ready babe
Holla!熱くなるこの鼓動
もう気付いているならholla at me boy

Holla! imasugu hi wo tsukete
Oh moeagarisouna kurai
Holla! imanimo hajikesou
karadajuu ga sawagitomaranai
Holla! hoshiinara gimme a sign
Oh itsudemo I'm ready babe
Holla! atsukunaru kono kodou
mou kizuiteirunara holla at me boy

ちょっと気になっていたつもりだったのに
I wonder why何故なの? 目が離せないキミの行動
目と目が合う度胸の奥熱くなる
Specialな感じ君も同じなの?Just tell me!

chotto kininatteita tsumori datta noni
I wonder why nazenano? me ga hanasenai kimi no koudou
me to me ga au tabi mune no oku atsukunaru
Specialna kanji kimi mo onaji nano? Just tell me!

(You are so fine)
隠せないこの気持ち
(You blow my mind)
終わりのないfantasy
(Feelin' so high)
君に夢中 (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No Noもう待ちきれないから

(You are so fine)
kakusenai kono kimochi
(You blow my mind)
owarinonai fantasy
(Feelin' so high)
kimi ni muchuu (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No mou machikirenaikara

Holla!今すぐ火をつけて
Oh燃え上がりそうなくらい
Holla!今にも弾けそう
体中が騒ぎ止まらない
Holla!欲しいならgimme a sign
OhいつでもI'm ready babe
Holla!熱くなるこの鼓動
もう気付いているならholla at me boy

Holla! imasugu hi wo tsukete
Oh moeagarisouna kurai
Holla! imanimo hajikesou
karadajuu ga sawagitomaranai
Holla! hoshiinara gimme a sign
Oh itsudemo I'm ready babe
Holla! atsukunaru kono kodou
mou kizuiteirunara holla at me boy

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

ちょっと大胆な夜もいいんじゃない?
oh baby you acting so crazy
君の仕草がreally turn me on
限界のborderline踏み進むのなら
baby don't stop at 8
重要なのはtaking it to the 9

chotto daitanna yoru mo iinjanai?
oh baby you acting so crazy
kimi no shigusa ga really turn me on
genkai no borderline fumisusumu no nara
baby don't stop at 8
juuyou nano wa taking it to the 9

(You are so fine)
戻せないこの気持ち
(You blow my mind)
夢のようなfantasy
(Feelin' so high)
君に夢中 (Oh oh oh or should I take it show?)
No Noもう待ちきれないから

(You are so fine)
modosenai kono kimochi
(You blow my mind)
yume no youna fantasy
(Feelin' so high)
kimi ni muchuu (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No mou machikirenaikara

Holla!今すぐ火をつけて
Oh燃え上がりそうなくらい
Holla!今にも弾けそう
体中が騒ぎ止まらない
Holla!欲しいならgimme a sign
OhいつでもI'm ready babe
Holla!熱くなるこの鼓動
もう気付いているならholla at me boy

Holla! imasugu hi wo tsukete
Oh moeagarisouna kurai
Holla! imanimo hajikesou
karadajuu ga sawagitomaranai
Holla! hoshiinara gimme a sign
Oh itsudemo I'm ready babe
Holla! atsukunaru kono kodou
mou kizuiteirunara holla at me boy

スリル感じてるそれも悪くないけど
Baby it's time to make a move tonight
日が昇るまでに伝えて欲しいyour feelings
Maybe we can be together now

SURIRU kanjiteru sore mo warukunai kedo
Baby it’s time to make a move tonight
hi ga noboru madeni tsutaetehoshii you feelings
Maybe we can be together now

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

(You are so fine)
隠せないこの気持ち
(You blow my mind)
終わりのないfantasy
(Feelin' so high)
君に夢中 (Oh oh oh or should I take it show?)
No Noもう待ちきれないから

(You are so fine)
kakusenai kono kimochi
(You blow my mind)
owarinonai fantasy
(Feelin' so high)
kimi ni muchuu (Oh oh oh or should I take it slow?)
No No mou machikirenaikara

Holla!今すぐ火をつけて
Oh燃え上がりそうなくらい
Holla!今にも弾けそう
体中が騒ぎ止まらない
Holla!欲しいならgimme a sign
OhいつでもI'm ready babe
Holla!熱くなるこの鼓動
もう気付いているならholla at me boy

Holla! imasugu hi wo tsukete
Oh moeagarisouna kurai
Holla! imanimo hajikesou
karadajuu ga sawagitomaranai
Holla! hoshiinara gimme a sign
Oh itsudemo I’m ready babe
Holla! atsukunaru kono kodou
mou kizuiteirunara holla at me boy

You make me so crazy
I don't know what to do
You make me so crazy
Baby I Just wanna be with you

My own thoughts?
I'll start off by saying I hate the word holla! It gives me a dirty feeling, and having someone holler at me is just an image I can't stand. We're not animals yo!
As you could see, the song doesn't seem to have much substance. Aside from the fact that she repeats the same part (let's call it chorus) 4 times, and in between there's close to no lyrics, there's just no meaning. This is the kind of song that gives pop its bad reputation! I'm sorry for being so harsh, but really; I don't like the melody, and I don't like the lyrics. I'm OK with slightly adult-like songs, but if we're to take NEWS' Bambina for example (and I don't think I'm biased at all here), there's more to the lyrics than just, "I want you, please notice me!". At least the lyrics are more elaborate XD It seems like she can't convey her own feelings through this song, which is understandable since she didn't write the lyrics. Which brings up another sad side-effect to all this: wasn't this supposed to be about Oguri Shun -her current boyfriend? 1) she didn't write the lyrics; 2) this is so empty I feel sorry for Shun XD I thought it'd be a little more romantic -though I should have known, seeing what the title is ^_^;

All in all, this song reminds me of Bioncé. I never liked her.. so, this is understandable.

Do you like the song? Am I being too harsh here?