The misadventures of a self-confessed power level conscious freak

Wow had it BEEN that long too? It’s been a while since I last goofed around in this blog! LOL! But before the usual excuses of busy schedules, work and “social life” typed in here, I have an announcement to make. Not really a mind boggling announcement but still an announcement nonetheless.

I still am obsessed with power levels.

Not Dragonball Saiyan power levels mind you, just…you know. The whole subculture that goes with it - the lure of being a closet anime freak. Hmm, well maybe I am not a freak now as comapred to like…years ago. LOL. Don’t watch anime too much now. Not that I am not liking it anymore - it’s just that I have no time t sit down, relax and watch anime at my leisure. Mostly it’s devoted to Facebook, browsing through 4chan and other imageboards for my collection, also discovering my “inner fashionista” at Poupee Girl and now, Tinierme. Then probably popping in a few hours gameplay on my brother’s PS3 or my DS. Eagerly waiting for the Asian edition of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron release sometime the end of this month, if it is to be believed. Now I worry that our local games store doesn’t know anything about it - could it be that it won’t be released here? ;____;

Just this Saturday, I snuck out to visit the 10th annual Toy Convention at SM Megamall. Well - it’s my 2nd time at the Toy Convention. No, didn’t buy anything as I was horribly broke by then. But I cried at seeing Blythe dolls being sold there and I don’t have cash to spend. T_T The last convention I went to didn’t have any of those Blythes being sold - or I guess since it was the last day, the sellers already packed up and went? LOL. This year’s convention was rather huge - 3 Mega Trade Halls filled to the rafters with toy sellers, toy enthusiasts (including model makers and diorama makers and what have you), anime curios and fashion merchants, then the ocassional hobby society or two. It was my first time seeing a Sweet Lolita - in the FLESH - walking around in the hot Philippine weather. Well, granted it was airconditioned and all, but still. Wonder if somebody took a picture of her and then post it on 4chan’s /cgl/ or something. It was also my first time to see those Ball Jointed Dolls in person too - the dolls that you probably recall in that Korean horror movie The Doll Master. I wonder if I would cry even more if there WAS a booth selling those. Then again probably not - Blythes are actually pretty creepy being sold there, for the hefty price tags they command I mean. But there are other toys being sold for that much too. BJDs (Ball Jointed Dolls) I see on the internet are probably one of the scariest hobbies to have around in terms of the money and time spent on it - people have said that the cheapest BJD you can get in the market today retails for about $ 300 to $ 400. And I simply don’t have that much money! Plus think of all the security issues that could probably come up if you try selling them at the local Toy Convention. Maybe the Blythes are an indication that they may sell it in the future?     

And the cosplay! There were people walking around wearing cosplays. There also was a cosplay competition going on when I went there. I saw a lot of Vocaloids, some guys wearing Counter Strike or Raccoon City Police Department outfits (there was a rather decent Leon Kennedy strolling through the convention halls) and - get this - the Baker King himself! LOL! No, not Asuma Kazuma from Yakitate Japan - Tak Gu from The Baker King Koreanovela. And he was pretty spot on too! Too bad he wasn’t that tall. I wish I could’ve glomped him, he was too adorable. X3 All in all, it was a pretty awesome convention - makes me want to look forward to the last Harry Potter movie. The awesome Dumbledore and Bellatrix hanging around the convention halls (well just the Harry Potter booth actually) makes me wish July was already here.  

Now, just sit back and then try to understand all the gobbledygook I have just unleashed upon you guys. It’s clear that I still have my power levels intact, and still am pretty much obsessed with it to some degree.  

See you next convention? LOL 

The White Queen 

Of online splurging and DAT Battle Ultimania!

Since learning about the power of online purchasing, I have been using it here and there like powering up some Facebook applications and of course my beloved Poupee Girl. And then Play Asia happened. I had been meaning to buy myself some kind of Final Fantasy memorabilia ever since I played the 7th installment, and had no means to do so until now. 

Of course, getting it was QUITE a story in itself too. And after around almost 2 weeks of waiting, I finally got DAT Ultimania. Well,not the 7th of course but the 13th installment Battle Ultimania. Not getting it because of the damn shipping that plagued the 7th though (that’s quite another story in itself too), but because I just wanted to look at the pretty pictures. @ w @ I want to buy the 12th installment Ultimanias because they have more prettier pictures to look at too. Until I probably backtracked to the 7th I guess.

But then I discovered my love for Persona awakened again, so I probably have to buy those guides too. And then, Bayonetta. oAO and then…maybe I can start collecting a Pullip or 2? Of course, I need more funds to do that. My officemate was indeed right when you get aware of the power of online splurging - you now have more reasons to be highly aware of the fact that you just can’t afford buying them all. ;~;  

The White Queen 

More Poupee madness!

Ahh! I splurged on Jewels lately! And I have to save up for THAT laptop! oAO!!!! Well, why does Katharine have so many events and this new game Piyo Catcher to keep us scrambling to get more and more Jewels and Ribbons? Cruel, Katharine. Cruel.

New kimono! 

Yukata Event

Staple summer Happi bonus!

Tayuu/Oiran Event

Bonus Kunoichi/Shinsengumi

Probably upload my next set of splurges later oAo !!! Who can blame me for my addiction to Poupee for these awesome virtual outfits? Kanya kanyang adik adik lang yan!

 The White Queen

Mommy tales: here, there and everywhere

Blogging just about anything has become the rage nowadays. Not only do we find a lot of blogs dedicated to myriads of hobbies and interests and what have you, we also find saner ones. The saner ones of course include tried and tested topics on a lot of different advocacies such as feminism or even the state of the planet’s ecology. Readers are diverse, and of course, it’s easy to imagine that there are those wide read and game enough to read blogs like that, while others see blogging as a necessary evil, just so they know about things.

And then there are the “traditional” readers. While having an eclectic blog setup is good, one must also think of the traditional readers. The “traditional” ones are so to speak, those who still define having a good read as akin to reading articles in what they would expect and find in a book. Mom Conversations is just like that…what you’d expect in a women’s magazine, filled with details of how tos giving pointers to new moms who would like a hands on experience raising their children. There are also obligatory tips for women, mostly on taking care of themselves and feeling good about themselves as well, and consumer awareness. Because of its traditional structure, a lot of people would not be well pressed to understand everything as one would expect reading a typical blogger’s post (that read like mystical diary entries). The information is all there, laid out for everyone to see, to give readers who don’t even blog that there’s hope finding good reads beyond the library. And maybe even encourage them on to gettting blogs for themselves.

While still relatively young (few entries), Mom Conversations is still an awesome read. With a lot of parenting and mom blogs, this one surely deserves a future spot in the big blog leagues for being one of those unusually sane (traditional) blogs without trying too hard. And yes, we all do like a nice read once in a while.     

The White Queen 

Oh, Seiko!

If you happened to have cable and watched Ellen Nishiumi (way back when), chances are you’d probably understand what the (bad) pun title is all about. As someone who is interested in the Japanese culture (of course anime is just one of the things that endeared Japan to me), I have followed all those Japanese documentaries on Channel 13 relentlessly and even watched Ellen Nishiumi’s show. Romanticized my view on Japan is, I still want to go there just to see the cherry trees bloom.

Seiko’s Diary is, well, Ellen Nishiumi on blog form. Of course, this is not to say that Seiko san looks like Miss Nishiumi - but rather the fact that her blog is very colorful and shows us aspects of daily Japanese life in little snippets and what have you, just like that Oh Tokyo! show. Daily life of being a wife and mom in Japan is a plus, moreso because we have rarely heard from moms from Japan doing so. Most of the stuff I know about being Pinay moms in Japan come from browsing through obentou sites. Cooking and presenting food the aesthetic Japanese way is one thing, and being just a simple woman who loves life and her husband and children is another.This is simply one of Seiko’s Diary’s big pluses, informative and filled with love and laughter a mom could only give, all the way staight from Japan. 

I wonder if I could get that awesome Japan dream someday. 

The White Queen 

Sweet soul review

So what are these new blog reviews I’m doing, you ask? Well it’s a little something that made me interested enough to actually try something beyond the realm of my moon blogging! Check it out here!

I am not really one who’d do shameless promotions or something if I didn’t believe in what I am talking about. Well, this contest is sponsored by one of my frieds back in my old office Kaye, who has decided that being a WAHM (work at home mom for you unsure people out there) was probably the best thing that happened to her since the invention of sliced bread, and second only to her wonderful hubby and daughter of course. Kaye’s really awesome, and her blog is of course lightyears away from this drabble I have here. Kaye’s blog if of course drawn from her experiences as a fulltime mom, wifey and her everyday struggles with her demanding WAHM lifestyle. I have experienced life being a freelance writer, and one could possibly say that a WAHM also has similar trials, except of course the added demands of being a mom and a wife. I admire Kaye, mainly she ended up doing what I have always thought was the impossible blogosphere dream - being well liked, have lots of followers and readers, and yes, sponsoring contests like this. What better way to show the world you’ve made it in the blogosphere than giving awesome contests like this as a big thank you?

The White Queen 

Kulapo See, Kulapo Do

Not everyone is entitled to having a funny blogsite on the internet nowadays. Of course, this is NOT saying that people should stay clear off being funny once in a while. We all have our inner comedian and things we find funny, and we have EVERY right to share it to the world. But then, being funny could also equate to falling down flat. Some bloggers just have that “oomph”, while others are just trying too hard.

Well it seems Buraot has something to counter his “buraot”. Anak Ni Kulapo is the funny side of life, with some of the blog post titles reminding you of “kopong kopong” jokes which really would intrigue drive by visitors to click on them (and without any real connection to the post title whatever). And the ubiquitous, obligatory picture of the day sure to always tickle one’s funny bone, or sure to pique up one’s not so innocent mind. Be warned though - because of its rather raunchy nature, Anak Ni Kulapo isn’t for anybody who has a weak heart or tolerance for that matter. But if one doesn’t mind the “steamy” atmosphere, then be prepared for a wild and funny ride.

Anak Ni Kulapo is a regular blog (a bblog with all the official blog parts such as blog rolls, links, etc.) without being too regular, which is one of its many major selling points to those who come to chance upon it surfing the web. In the battle of the blog funnies, it is not always the one who makes the audience laugh the hardest, make their impression the longest. It’s how they project the funny to those in the humor know which makes them so, which Buraot has done in spades for this one.

The White Queen                  

Jewels, Jewels, Jewels!

Apparently my spending powers increased for now and so I am able to afford Jewels for my Poupee. Imagine my excitement when I managed to (brainwash) ask my brother if he can give me Jewels for my Christmas gift. He did give in, and so I was on my way to spoiling my pixelated self rotten with Jewel items!

Awesomeness!

Kawaii! <3

Just a few of my pixelated purchases. They are not purely Jewels bought items, some Ribbon items are mixed in as well. Also there’s the ongoing Valentine event (as evidenced by my sweet themed lolita). At any rate, I’m looking forward to more events in the future, as long as my means in acquiring Jewels remain secure.

 Check out the lovely Valentine’s event background!

 Of course, why would I like to spend money on pixelated item…it really boggled my brother’s mind. You could probably ask that about any person who would like to spend money on internet necessities like for their MMORPGs ingame currencies and the like. It’s no different. It may be childish in some way, but collecting stuff in real life could also be seen as childish for others as well right? To each their own I guess.

Here’s to more Jewel purchases! 

The White Queen                

Ang blog na di ka mabuburaot

The proliferation of blogging as another alternative to bringing the news and the views to the masses has become so that it warrants its own weight on the national conscience. However, the news and the views could only be stretched so much and made to fit the palate of the discriminating public. Sometimes even, such news and views are oftentimes fashioned to a degree that only a specific reader base will appreciate and take it to heart. It is of course how the blogger pulls his strings should it elicit approval and staying power in the blogosphere.

Enter I Am Buraot. I Am Buraot, despite its otherwise misleading title, is one of the dozens of social and political blogs out there that does not just present news and views. It does not attempt to be THE blog that everyone should read. It is, in the blogger’s own way, the presentation of his thoughts and feelings woven around current issues and philosophy that strives not to alienate his readers. Covering such a wide variety of topics ranging from religion to the environment, there never is a dull moment in Buraot’s blog. News and views are presented to the readers into something that they can relate to, and invite them to think about what they read.

Far from making one feel “buraot” or disenchanted/bored/something along those lines (depending on the situation) with what one is reading, I Am Buraot is indeed a misnomer. Taken figuratively, it may be that the author is already “buraot” with the prevailing news and views people have grown accustomed to. It is a state that we could also  relate to - after all, we also are “buraot” at the current news and views and we seek escapism and other methods of forgetting. But this blog attempts to let us face the “buraot” in all of us and offer a solace from other unhealthy methods of coping. Sinu ba naman mabuburaot pa dito? 

The White Queen 

Bashed tooth

Remind me not to eat too much on another great food spread. About a week ago we went to our relatives’ house in Calamba, where my aunt and uncle had a party going on. It was November 1, Sunday, All Saints Day, so there was the usual get together. There was a lot of food spread around, mostly pork and beef dishes - I think one was some kind of pot roast or grilled pork/beef, and one was covered with a sweet light brown sauce. There were also a lot of noodle dishes, the ubiquitous pancit bihon, some creamed vegetables, grilled chicken, and I think chicken barbeque. For dessert and drinks we have layered cupcakes - with yellow lower chiffon layer studded with choco chips and topped with chocolate and some orange zest, and some punch. I got a little bit of everything on my plate then settled on one side to eat.

When I bit into the sweet sauce dish, my tooth snapped hard on something.

At first I thought it was just ordinary hard meat that wasn’t cooked properly. Last Friday though, my tooth felt like it lost most of its…uh…mass.. o.o;; so I was stuck this weekend nursing a bruised tongue and a tooth that felt like it was smashed to pieces. I think I got ill last Friday or Saturday because of the damn tooth. Anyway I can’t eat or drink well last Saturday and sunday because of my tongue - even liquids and rice hurts it. So I settled having a goto diet for those 2 days - rice porridge.

I went to visit the dentist a while ago to get my tooth (my 2nd to the last right molar actually) checked. So it turns out that my tooth was…REALLY smashed in. It was so bad that only a little bit was left. The jagged edges were really poking against my tongue,probably injuring it in the process. The dentist managed to salvage it though, and cautioned me not to eat anything that looks suspicious from now on. o.o;; 

So now I am stuck with a sore tongue. At least the tooth’s not poking it anymore. ;___________;

The White Queen 

Rainy days~~~

So the rains are…well…raining. o.o;; or should I say, it’s raining outside again. Well after what happened to us during Typhoon Ondoy, what used to be something I really loved experiencing is making me scared right now. Or traumatized. Or whatever. I really love rain, but too much of it…well, it terrified me so much. I can still remember how the floods rose so quickly, making me think that we should go seek an evacuation center or something. My brother was actually suggesting it, or my mother. But then again when it came down to it, even if we tried to get out, the floodwaters were already too deep to wade out into, and we’ll probably get ourselves into deeper trouble if we went to an evacuation center. So we stayed at our house. It reached waist deep (well according to my short stature lol XD)inside our house and ity was surreal. Our furniture started floating around, even our refrigerator and still unused, brand new washing machine my dad got as some kind of present from his kumpare from the US even tipped over. Mind you, it was a washing machine that you’d normally find in a laundromat. o.o;; THAT heavy. Our bedrooms were flooded, and because the floods rose so quickly we didn’t manage to salvage important documents, our dinner things, clothes (except for a scant few things we managed to scrounge out from our closets), and probably a lot of other things. My dad even had a story to tell when he went home that night…because it was already so flooded over at Ligaya, somewhere in the vicinity of Pasig that connects it to Marcos Highway (where Sta. Lucia, Robinson’s Metro East are located), he decided to walk all the way home. By the time he reached Sta. Lucia, it had already flooded the basement. And when he reached Vermont Royale/Filinvest, the currents were already too strong and they had to use a rope so that they could get across. The waters were unbelievably neck deep. Which was unusual, such as our house getting flooded over like that. He had his funny moments though, like how someone had mistaken him for an MMDA enforcer and bemoaned that they sent someone so old to rescue them (his uniform looked like what the MMDA personnel wore), and a group of young people holding on to him through the scary, strong currents of the flood when he’s already so old he could probably have been the first to be washed away if it came down to it.

(more…)

Meromero Park

Isn’t it cute? XD This is my latest obsession! It’s kinda like Pet Society but with cuter items and more chances of getting those cute items! Why does Japan have all the awesome stuff…;A; Meromero Park is a game which lets you take care of fairies called Mero which come in different shapes and sizes. Of course, after they grow up, you have to let them go back to Sky Land or wherever they came from. The cool part about this is you also could dress them up with items bought from shops, and you can furnish their rooms as well, with items that are too cute to be described. Of course you need money to do so, and Meromero Park has 2 types of currency - the main currency Pearls which you get free from the game and Kirarin, special money obtained through paying for it via credit cards and the like. Kirarin items are of course cuter than the Pearl items. Pearls can be obtained by dropping a “Meroci” or a hello to other Meros you encounter, through games, and dressing up your Mero for the day. It’s so popular it even has its own Facebook application (search for Meromero Park). Of course, the Japanese version is a lot more fun to play. XD

Join me on Meromero Park today! XD       

Japan widgets!!

Why is everything about Japan so awesome? ;A; well…most ways, I mean. They have the weirdest/cutest blog parts selections (as seen on my blog) then there are Japan exclusive ones, like online community IDs (like Square Enix Members!!), and of course, my very lovely Poupee Girl blog parts. I found a site that have several cute widgets on display that came straight from Japan. Of course, this does not mean I’m contented with it all. I must find all of them! Wonder if I can find a Japanese widget that makes me have some kind of virtual 3D avatar ID you need to dress up, decorate her home with stuff and all that. Maybe when I get to Japan though. Anyone willing to take me? XD 

The White Queen    

Poupee Addict

These past few days I’ve been saving up a lot fo Ribbons for my Poupee Girl. Ribbons are the currency of the Poupee world. Ribbons yoiu can use to buy clothes/accessories, change the way you look, as well as buying wallpapers to decorate your Poupee home. I am waiting for the day it will allow Poupees to buy stuff for their homes and make it tons cuter. XD anyway as I was saying, I was like a madwoman these past few days collecting Ribbons. And look! XD 

Hmm dunno if you can enlarge the picture, but then if you can, it says I have 469 Ribbons already. LOL. Enough to buy a lot of stuff! Well…almost. Poupee Girl has released a new currency called Jewels…it’s like Ribbons but more expensive than Ribbons. Ribbons you can get for free - there used to be an option where you can buy Ribbons using Paypal and other services the Japanese Poupee owners could use, and it nets the Ribbon buyer lots of cool and nifty rare items, but now the Jewels have taken over this “role”. You buy Jewels using those services and Poupee Girl is seeking to integrate a Jewels buying system with the same rewards you can get from buying Ribbons. Of course, you can get Jewels by exhanging your Ribbons, with 10 Jewels = 25 Ribbons exchange rate. I think it’s OK, but then it becomes reeally expensive when you want to buy really cute Jewel items - items that can be bought by Jewels exclusively. A lot of Poupee owners are still getting used to the idea, but some of them bemoan that it’s too expensive for their taste. I probably will too, but me being a Poupee owner who’d buy stuff if I find it really cute or worth saving up for…I’m safe for now. For now I;m very busy saving up for those REALLY cute yukata at Poupee’s summer festival event. Excuse me while I go do so. XD

The White Queen 

***EDIT***

OK I think I misread the Jewels thing. You can exchange Jewels for Ribbons, not the other way around. >.>;; So there isn’t any Ribbons exchange going on for Jewels. Which makes me really sad. ;A; Well you can get Jewels through buying them with Paypal, credit cards, and services only made for Japanese Poupee owners like sponsor sites and through Ameblog’s Amegold service, among others. I have created an Ameblog account for trying to get my luck with Jewels bought with Amegold, but sadly enough, someone on the Poupee Girl livejournal community noted that the Amegold foreigners could bet on is a travesty upon itself.   

At long last~~~ XD

Well it’s been ages since I last posted in here. I was offline for like about 2 months due to a pressing internet problem that’s now solved. It wasn’t easy trying to juggle my internet social life at all. XD But at least I’m back! Thank God for small favors. :3

The White Queen 

Revisions!!

I am doing some revisions on a current paper I’m “working” on. I must say I’m suffering from a mental “nosebleed” right now…I can’t make sense of it at all…@.@;; oh well, I will try my best to do everytthing that I can so as to make this paper work! Ganbare, me! XD

The White Queen 

New "job"

Ahhhh! It’s nice to post in here again, LOL. XD oh, in case you’re wondering, my new “job” is of the voluntary kind. I’m acting as a moderator in a forum, that’s why I am not that active anymore in otehr forums that I usually frequent. ToT Hmm, well my mom asked me if I was getting paid by this “job” and of course she was “hinting” that I should go get out and find a REAL job. She’s worried about me sedantary lifestyle already…ever since I got those illnesses from my last job, I content myself from just sitting here in front of the computer everyday and either surf or if there are interesting topics around from that online company I work for, write. Blergh. She probably would not understand how tiring it is to try to write different topics every single time I write papers - erm - well, I try to diversify what I’m writing about anyway. I had just enough from that last job I took which forced me to write anything, everything, even when I’m writing something else for something else for something else. I know I am killing myself with just sitting here, but really, where would I want to go where I could have my favorite exercise - walking? There are a lot of places here where I can do walks but then again the nature of my work doesn’t allow me to have that pleasure of walking - probably this is some kind of excuse, but yeah, the clients are somewhat unpredictable. That boss from that last job I had had the temerity to call me up when I was away in the province with my family just so to tell me I have an URGENT rewrite to do. ToT

So, yeah. I can’t just not also sleep early at night because of that. Especially if I just finished writing. Questions, revisions, etc. And I have that moderating job I have to do. I can do walking all in good time, but I’d rather do that when I can be with people or have a change in surroundings. I get bored quite easily if I do stuff all on my own. I am trying to improve the pace of my work, but it’s rather hard to do when uninteresting topics keep popping in, and of course, I’d rather write when I have a good grasp of what the paper is talking about, and if I’m actually interested in doing it. A holdover from my moody artist days - when I am “not in the mood”, everything I do turns out like crap. Maybe my mom knows, or maybe my mom wants me to marry already, so that she couldn’t see me just sit here doing nothing, or maybe my mom misunderstood - or maybe a mixture or a lot of things. In any case, I will try to work harder. 

The White Queen    

Writer’s block 2.0

Erm…was there a version 1.0? @.@;; in any case, I am having a bad case of writer’s block right now, and I think I’m about to have a literary nosebleed. I can’t think or write straight! Best of all, I think this is going to last a long while. ToT I really need a vacatio…orz

The White Queen 

LOL

Wow got myself some new widget for my blog here! It may not be much but I find it cute lol. I am planning to put all those puppets in all my blogs!! Oh, and this just happened after my birthday too…happy birthday me! XDXDXD Gaaahh, on another side note, I think Poupee Girl is becoming more and more expensive…seriously, if I just know how to pay from a Paypal account I will buy Ribbons for more items. It’s not just me that finds Poupee expensive, some Poupees are staging “naked” protests these days…proof that it is also getting on their nerves…too many events, too little Ribbons! ToT

The White Queen

YAY!!!

I think my body hormones have finally normalized. Thank you science!! LOL XD XD XD 

I am still on the 3 jobs spree though. Which is kinda weird, because it doesn’t feel like I have 3 jobs at all. WOOT! But I like it this way.

I also went to Greenhills a week ago or something and bought myself a Haruhi Figma. Now this was weird cause my mom, who was with me at that time, was OK with the whole deal…at long last there wasn’t any comment about how “childish” the anime culture is. I wish there would be a Devil May Cry Figma line so I could adorn my headboard with Nero, Vergil and Dante Figmas doing weird poses, LOL. XD Oh, saw a Dante Revoltech by the way. But Figmas I’d rather have. XD Bought my Haruhi Figma from one of the hobby shops located in the old Greenhills Shopping Center. And man, you really have to find out where those stores are located…they were really idden. Thanks to a fellow figure collector, I found where they were hiding all along… >3  

The White Queen