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Lunar Eclipse part II
Dec. 21st, 2010 07:15 pmI actually set my alarm for three in the morning, went out of my apartment to look AND DIDN'T SEE A THING BECAUSE OF THE CLOUD COVER.
Thankfully we live in the age of the internet. Video here for those, who, like me missed it.
http://tv.gawker.com/5715592/beautiful-time-lapse-video-of-last-nights-winter-solstice-lunar-eclipse
Thankfully we live in the age of the internet. Video here for those, who, like me missed it.
http://tv.gawker.com/5715592/beautiful-time-lapse-video-of-last-nights-winter-solstice-lunar-eclipse
Lunar Eclipse and Winter Solstice!
Dec. 20th, 2010 06:39 pmJust FYI for my flist; tonight at 1:30 AM there will be a lunar eclipse. It just so happens to fall on the Winter Solstice!
The moon may disappear completely, but also it can appear to change colors to a copper red. For those of you in North America, we won't catch another lunar eclipse until 2014.
The moon may disappear completely, but also it can appear to change colors to a copper red. For those of you in North America, we won't catch another lunar eclipse until 2014.
The latest two Bleach chapters seem to be kicking off a brand new arc, and I'll be darned if KT didn't pull out all the nostalgic tricks in the book to start it off.
The Original Characters! Featured heavily!! In a way that even I can follow despite not reading it for three years!
I know "fool me once...", but I might actually pick this back up again.
The Original Characters! Featured heavily!! In a way that even I can follow despite not reading it for three years!
I know "fool me once...", but I might actually pick this back up again.
Make It or Break It
Sep. 11th, 2010 06:20 pmMost of the shows on tv aimed at the teen demographic do not really interest me (One Tree Hill? How is that still running? And shows like Firefly get canceled...sigh).
But Make It or Break It? I love this show.
In brief, it's about four girls training to be Olympic gymnasts. And yes, there are some cliche teen drama plotlines. But mostly it's about four girls and their dreams and it most definitely passes the Bechdel Test. Also this; Payson Keeler is my hero.
I don't think I've even come across any teen show with a leading teen female character whose story didn't mostly revolve around a boy (I think maybe Rory Gilmore was constructed to be the smart girl with dreams of being a journalist, but most of her storylines consisted on who she would date). Of the four girls, Payson has the most drive to be the best, the most dedication and frankly, her plotline is incredible. Her story is all about her goal and I honestly can't remember the last time a teen show did that. She has the perfect mixture of vulnerability and strength that I wish we saw more often on shows aimed at this demographic.
There are two other main characters; Emily, the poor kid who loads of natural talent but who has trust issues, Kaylie, the poor little rich girl and Lauren, the mean girl. My mileage varies on their plots, but overall the show works well. The whole series is up for streaming at Hulu and I strongly rec it.
Anyone on my flist watch this?
But Make It or Break It? I love this show.
In brief, it's about four girls training to be Olympic gymnasts. And yes, there are some cliche teen drama plotlines. But mostly it's about four girls and their dreams and it most definitely passes the Bechdel Test. Also this; Payson Keeler is my hero.
I don't think I've even come across any teen show with a leading teen female character whose story didn't mostly revolve around a boy (I think maybe Rory Gilmore was constructed to be the smart girl with dreams of being a journalist, but most of her storylines consisted on who she would date). Of the four girls, Payson has the most drive to be the best, the most dedication and frankly, her plotline is incredible. Her story is all about her goal and I honestly can't remember the last time a teen show did that. She has the perfect mixture of vulnerability and strength that I wish we saw more often on shows aimed at this demographic.
There are two other main characters; Emily, the poor kid who loads of natural talent but who has trust issues, Kaylie, the poor little rich girl and Lauren, the mean girl. My mileage varies on their plots, but overall the show works well. The whole series is up for streaming at Hulu and I strongly rec it.
Anyone on my flist watch this?
FMA SPOILERS SPOILERS WARNING SPOILERS
Jun. 7th, 2010 10:34 amI hated when the ending of Half Blood Prince was spoiled for me, so I'm putting this warning here.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER OMG SPOILERS DON'T CLICK IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I MEAN IT.
That being said, you can view the final two pages of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga here.
( My reaction to the final two pages under this cut. Again SPOILERS )
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER OMG SPOILERS DON'T CLICK IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I MEAN IT.
That being said, you can view the final two pages of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga here.
( My reaction to the final two pages under this cut. Again SPOILERS )
(no subject)
Mar. 29th, 2010 10:30 pmWatched the last episode of Inuyasha ever. Although the manga finished ages ago, and there were no surprises, I was still very moved by it. I mean, yes, the plot by this point had long ceased to make much sense and Naruku may in fact be the lamest villian ever. But. But.
I think it's been something like eight years since I first got invested with these characters and apparently my fangirly love for them has never ever died. Inuyasha may in fact be my favorite shounen hero of all time.
I don't even care that Rumiko wrote the fanficest ending. It was an ending full of joy and man do they need to come out with a superset of the series dvds soon.
Speaking of which, epic fail on my part on two things:
1) I swear at some point last year, I know that the final season of Honey and Clover was coming out on DVD this month. However, it seems like between then and now with work, I forgot. FAIL.
2) Rumiko has a new manga out? HOW DID I MISS THIS. AB YOU USED TO KNOW STUFF LIKE THIS.
I think it's been something like eight years since I first got invested with these characters and apparently my fangirly love for them has never ever died. Inuyasha may in fact be my favorite shounen hero of all time.
I don't even care that Rumiko wrote the fanficest ending. It was an ending full of joy and man do they need to come out with a superset of the series dvds soon.
Speaking of which, epic fail on my part on two things:
1) I swear at some point last year, I know that the final season of Honey and Clover was coming out on DVD this month. However, it seems like between then and now with work, I forgot. FAIL.
2) Rumiko has a new manga out? HOW DID I MISS THIS. AB YOU USED TO KNOW STUFF LIKE THIS.
(no subject)
Mar. 21st, 2010 03:10 pmWork has been very stressful and will continue to remain so for awhile, hence my lack of posts.
Also, I feel like I'm running in place and not going anywhere. This may also be because my friends keep getting married and doing other things I associate with being 'a real grown up', and I won't lie. A little part of me is wondering if there's something wrong with me.
But I am reading your posts! Sorry my own posting has been so hap-hazard...I'll try and do better.
Now just a few words on fandom before I try and do my taxes...
( Spoilers for Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor and Amy )
Also, I feel like I'm running in place and not going anywhere. This may also be because my friends keep getting married and doing other things I associate with being 'a real grown up', and I won't lie. A little part of me is wondering if there's something wrong with me.
But I am reading your posts! Sorry my own posting has been so hap-hazard...I'll try and do better.
Now just a few words on fandom before I try and do my taxes...
( Spoilers for Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor and Amy )
Avatar Fail!
Feb. 3rd, 2010 08:53 pmMovie posters for the Water Tribe siblings and Suki here
If I had no clue about Avatar, I would think Katara was the villian. Also, shallow, but Suki's costuming is terrible. They just put her swathes or green cloth?? The only reason I know its her is because of her fan.
Play around with the lighting all you want. Not hiding anything.
If I had no clue about Avatar, I would think Katara was the villian. Also, shallow, but Suki's costuming is terrible. They just put her swathes or green cloth?? The only reason I know its her is because of her fan.
Play around with the lighting all you want. Not hiding anything.
(no subject)
Jan. 26th, 2010 07:44 pmThis is how I started today, by spilling 3/4 of my bottle of "Pepper" from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab accidently down the sink.
Boo.
I still smell it.
Boo.
I still smell it.
(no subject)
Jan. 24th, 2010 10:54 pmThis is one of those posts that have been knocking about in my head for so long that I'm not sure if I have already written it, but here goes anyway.
I have a very high tolerance for cheesy fantasy television. I think this is because growing up, pre LOTR, fantasy movies/minis/television WAS seen as cheesy and low budget, at least the Western shows I watched. Around the same time last year, I discovered both Legend of the Seeker and BBC's Merlin. And while you would think that Merlin would definitely trump LoTS, I have to say Seeker is by far the more enjoyable IMO.
(I recognize that the Seeker books are a very different thing, and I have no interest in reading them, so I'm just comparing apples to apples here).
Crazy right? Because caliber wise, Merlin should be much better. It's much more popular than Seeker for one thing. It's based on a much more beloved story. And actors? They have GILES, and frankly their core cast is so attractive it's almost sickening.
But to me, Seeker has much better emotional and character consistency and I think for me that may be more important than anything going against it. By points:
1) The role of the female characters: Putting aside the fanservice (How does that leather catsuit stay UP? Not to mention how is Kahlan's black outfit any easier to fight in?), Cara and Kahlan are far more fleshed out than Gwen and Morgana. Period. For most of season two, excepting the Gwen romance focused episodes, the women on Merlin get pushed off to the side, with nothing to do but look pretty. Not so for Cara and Kahlan. They are in the thick of the action in every episode and the show is much more enjoyable for it.
2) Female Power: If you go by Merlin's version of events, the downfall of Camelot is completely due to stupidity. Deciding things FOR Morgana, like surpressing her magic and denying her the guidance on learning how to use it, and by allowing her to believe she's completely alone...did they think that would end well? AND they want me to believe that MORGANA is the one who is wrong???
Contrast this to a similar story in Seeker, where a confessor was not told of her power, and the narrative clearly tells the viewer that this is wrong.
3) Love: Ok, I admit it. I love my OTPs. You know what else I love? A show that clearly knows what pairing is end game and let's things develop naturally.
On Merlin it's like they threw every possible pairing together in an effort to be as original!retelling! as possible. First Gwen loved Merlin, then Arthur, then Lancelot, then back to Arthur. And there was definitely a Arthur/Morgana relationship developing before they decided to squash it. Frankly it's a testament to the caliber of actors on Merlin that Arthur/Gwen is still quite romantic if you don't stop and think. At least on Seeker, the OTP has consistently been Kahlan/Richard from the first. They have thankfully avoided any triangle crap too!
4) Friendship: The relationship betwen Arthur and Merlin goes two steps forward and then four steps back. There is no progressional development and consistency.
On Seeker, a similar gradual friendship is growing between Kahlan and Cara. It's been slow, but there's a nice respect between two characters who previously thought very little of one another.
So I guess I have to conclude if it comes to a choice between plot or characters, I go for characters?
This may in fact explain why I'm still watching Grey's Anatomy....
I have a very high tolerance for cheesy fantasy television. I think this is because growing up, pre LOTR, fantasy movies/minis/television WAS seen as cheesy and low budget, at least the Western shows I watched. Around the same time last year, I discovered both Legend of the Seeker and BBC's Merlin. And while you would think that Merlin would definitely trump LoTS, I have to say Seeker is by far the more enjoyable IMO.
(I recognize that the Seeker books are a very different thing, and I have no interest in reading them, so I'm just comparing apples to apples here).
Crazy right? Because caliber wise, Merlin should be much better. It's much more popular than Seeker for one thing. It's based on a much more beloved story. And actors? They have GILES, and frankly their core cast is so attractive it's almost sickening.
But to me, Seeker has much better emotional and character consistency and I think for me that may be more important than anything going against it. By points:
1) The role of the female characters: Putting aside the fanservice (How does that leather catsuit stay UP? Not to mention how is Kahlan's black outfit any easier to fight in?), Cara and Kahlan are far more fleshed out than Gwen and Morgana. Period. For most of season two, excepting the Gwen romance focused episodes, the women on Merlin get pushed off to the side, with nothing to do but look pretty. Not so for Cara and Kahlan. They are in the thick of the action in every episode and the show is much more enjoyable for it.
2) Female Power: If you go by Merlin's version of events, the downfall of Camelot is completely due to stupidity. Deciding things FOR Morgana, like surpressing her magic and denying her the guidance on learning how to use it, and by allowing her to believe she's completely alone...did they think that would end well? AND they want me to believe that MORGANA is the one who is wrong???
Contrast this to a similar story in Seeker, where a confessor was not told of her power, and the narrative clearly tells the viewer that this is wrong.
3) Love: Ok, I admit it. I love my OTPs. You know what else I love? A show that clearly knows what pairing is end game and let's things develop naturally.
On Merlin it's like they threw every possible pairing together in an effort to be as original!retelling! as possible. First Gwen loved Merlin, then Arthur, then Lancelot, then back to Arthur. And there was definitely a Arthur/Morgana relationship developing before they decided to squash it. Frankly it's a testament to the caliber of actors on Merlin that Arthur/Gwen is still quite romantic if you don't stop and think. At least on Seeker, the OTP has consistently been Kahlan/Richard from the first. They have thankfully avoided any triangle crap too!
4) Friendship: The relationship betwen Arthur and Merlin goes two steps forward and then four steps back. There is no progressional development and consistency.
On Seeker, a similar gradual friendship is growing between Kahlan and Cara. It's been slow, but there's a nice respect between two characters who previously thought very little of one another.
So I guess I have to conclude if it comes to a choice between plot or characters, I go for characters?
This may in fact explain why I'm still watching Grey's Anatomy....
(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2009 09:56 pmI'm not a huge fan, but I did like Brittany Murphy's work. For some reason, her death just feels completely shocking.
I know there were rumors about eating disorders and drugs, but so far word is it was from "natural causes". Not that one type of death is better than the other.
Still processing.
Debating on whether or not to post about recent drama at work.
Hope everyone is surviving the snow storm.
I know there were rumors about eating disorders and drugs, but so far word is it was from "natural causes". Not that one type of death is better than the other.
Still processing.
Debating on whether or not to post about recent drama at work.
Hope everyone is surviving the snow storm.
The Princess and the Frog
Dec. 13th, 2009 08:25 pmI really liked this film, and I think it's going to be to the young kids of today what The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were for me (I was totally obsessed with these two movies in my childhood.)
It also made cynical me believe in TEH POWER OF LOVE for the duration of movie, and there uh, may have been tears at some points. But Naveen was suitably dreamy and Tiara was a kickass heroine and I need this DVD like yesterday. And they did a fantastic job of capturing New Orleans. Oh and LOTTE! I loved her and was so glad they avoided any stereotypical moments with her. They did a fantastic job of capturing the feel of New Orleans as well.
Unpopular opinion: I don't think the songs were up to snuff, but I have never been a fan of Newman's work. YMMV of course.
And next up: Snow Queen! One of my favorite stories plus I believe Menken is doing that score!
It also made cynical me believe in TEH POWER OF LOVE for the duration of movie, and there uh, may have been tears at some points. But Naveen was suitably dreamy and Tiara was a kickass heroine and I need this DVD like yesterday. And they did a fantastic job of capturing New Orleans. Oh and LOTTE! I loved her and was so glad they avoided any stereotypical moments with her. They did a fantastic job of capturing the feel of New Orleans as well.
Unpopular opinion: I don't think the songs were up to snuff, but I have never been a fan of Newman's work. YMMV of course.
And next up: Snow Queen! One of my favorite stories plus I believe Menken is doing that score!
(no subject)
Dec. 4th, 2009 08:40 pmI've been mad busy at work, but made the deadline today for the project I was working on. Commense living life again!
...er. So flist..what. Up.
1) How I Met Your Mother: I am done with this show.
Yes, this is after falling crazy in love with it over the summer. Like most thinking people, I was very happy when Barney and Robin finally hooked up last season finale, since Barney had been pining for her for over a season and the show had been building up to it for at least two. This is because I am a fan of strong characterization and STORIES THAT MAKE SENSE.
To repeat, it's not cus they broke up. I could have cared enough to OTP them, but I was too busy most of the time to really get into them. But the way they broke up was a slap in the face of all good writing there ever was or will be. It was bad enough for me to think that the WRITERS HAVE NO CLUE WHERE THEIR PLOTS ARE GOING. And this is a bad bad thing for this show that fundamentally by nature has to have an specific end point in mind. And after being burned far far too many times, I am OUT OF HERE.
2) Merlin, Season 2: Mostly enjoyable. It helps that the cast is very talented and pretty to look at. I am almost forgive the uneven writing because the actors do sell it most of the time.
3) The Princess and the Frog: So excited for this. I have been to the Disney store and the website. The merchandise is selling like crazy and that makes me so so happy. Now if it can just be TOTALLY AWESOME PLEASE so we can get more 2D animated movies again that would be good.
4) Legend of the Seeker: I recognize this is nothing but cheesy fun, but season 2 continues to entertain and I love the additional of another girl to the core group. Plus zombies!
5) The Colbert Report: He's going to the Olympics! I AM TOTALLY JEALOUS OF EVERYONE WHO IS GOING TO THIS BTW. Winter Olympics are awesome. I think I probably enjoy them more than the summer games.
...er. So flist..what. Up.
1) How I Met Your Mother: I am done with this show.
Yes, this is after falling crazy in love with it over the summer. Like most thinking people, I was very happy when Barney and Robin finally hooked up last season finale, since Barney had been pining for her for over a season and the show had been building up to it for at least two. This is because I am a fan of strong characterization and STORIES THAT MAKE SENSE.
To repeat, it's not cus they broke up. I could have cared enough to OTP them, but I was too busy most of the time to really get into them. But the way they broke up was a slap in the face of all good writing there ever was or will be. It was bad enough for me to think that the WRITERS HAVE NO CLUE WHERE THEIR PLOTS ARE GOING. And this is a bad bad thing for this show that fundamentally by nature has to have an specific end point in mind. And after being burned far far too many times, I am OUT OF HERE.
2) Merlin, Season 2: Mostly enjoyable. It helps that the cast is very talented and pretty to look at. I am almost forgive the uneven writing because the actors do sell it most of the time.
3) The Princess and the Frog: So excited for this. I have been to the Disney store and the website. The merchandise is selling like crazy and that makes me so so happy. Now if it can just be TOTALLY AWESOME PLEASE so we can get more 2D animated movies again that would be good.
4) Legend of the Seeker: I recognize this is nothing but cheesy fun, but season 2 continues to entertain and I love the additional of another girl to the core group. Plus zombies!
5) The Colbert Report: He's going to the Olympics! I AM TOTALLY JEALOUS OF EVERYONE WHO IS GOING TO THIS BTW. Winter Olympics are awesome. I think I probably enjoy them more than the summer games.
(no subject)
Nov. 15th, 2009 09:52 pm1) Inuyasha: Despite the fact that I know the story and the pace of the new episodes is a little fast, I'm still enjoying it a lot. There's no filler but most of the story right now is action oriented anyway, and really after all this time what angst has not been milked for all it's worth? Basically if the show can stick the landing I'm good.
2) How I Met Your Mother: ( Spoilers for latest episode. Ranting ahead )
3) Anyone who spoils me for Doctor Who: Waters of Mars will burn. I mean this. There are so few things I go in spoiler free, but Doctor Who is one of them. At least until Tennant leaves.
2) How I Met Your Mother: ( Spoilers for latest episode. Ranting ahead )
3) Anyone who spoils me for Doctor Who: Waters of Mars will burn. I mean this. There are so few things I go in spoiler free, but Doctor Who is one of them. At least until Tennant leaves.
