Just a fleeting visit tonight with some things I feel are slightly worth mentioning.

1) I went to London on Tuesday to see Miyavi. Again. Eee!

I will post about this in great detail soon but for now let me just say that it was AWESOME. This is to be expected really - it was Miyavi after all! And I apologise now for the fangirling but... I HELD HIS HAND! This is important to me. Do not mock me for it! ;)

The Smidge also managed to paw at his chest, for which she was truly thankful. And he sang kimi ni negai wo. I was not expecting this at all. It's one of the two songs that Smidge never thought she would hear on a live DVD let alone live in her own ears (the other being Dear my friend - still waiting on that one, Miyavi. How about on next year's world tour...? :D) so it was quite amazing and emotional.

It was a really intimate gig, actually. He spent a lot of time talking to the crowd, and with the crowd for that matter. The interaction was lovely and I honestly think he really enjoyed himself.

Oh, and the security this time round were fantastic. Take note, Astoria 2, that's how it's meant to be done!

So yeah, bloody amazing day.

2) Smidge and I went to see Disney's UP today. SADDEST FILM EVER. We cried like girls. Really loudly. In front of other cinema-goers. FOR THE WHOLE FILM.

Just warning you guys to take tissues with you. You must all see it though because it's just... glorious. And I want a Dug. And a Kevin. And a Russell and a Carl and a floating house. Plz. I <3 it!

3) I still love Power Rangers RPM. Have I mentioned this yet? I've already imported a ValveMax Megazord from America... Haha. I'm so loserish. :D

4) uBuGoe. Performing at the same festival with the likes of Plastic Tree, La'cryma Christi, Angelo, BREAKERZ (Sweet Trance 2009?!), as well as Alice Nine, The Gazette, Kra, Kagrra... This makes me so happy. And they're having a One Man Live. Yay. Although I'm irrationally annoyed that people like a band I believe exist solely for my own adoration. They are MY band, people. Like I said, irrational... ^^

So yeah, this post has been slightly longer than I intended but it has been a damn good week. Miyavi, people! In my country. Again. And I saw him. Again. I never thought this would happen once let alone twice. Just... thank you!

I am not dead. Just thought some of you might like to know that. :D

Um... I have a Daily Deviation on deviantART. <3

Words fail me.

Well... to be honest, they don't, they're just not coming out in the right order or in any way at all that makes sense because...

THINGS LIKE THIS DO NOT HAPPEN TO ME.

Plus, I'm an idiot and really quite useless and use the word 'chuffing' far too much in silly ways. I'm scared they'll discover all this and take the DD off me for ruining the integrity of the feature. But I also feel like telling them all this because clearly they have made a mistake because I just live in a tiny village in England and doodle a bit and can't possibly deserve such an honour - and because I am useless at EVERYTHING.

So... yeah. WOW.

See it here: scroll down to gasara

Sorry for breaking my recent silence with such badly written nonsense. I am just amazingly excited.

Also, my copy of Mugeno (the artbook I have two pictures in) came this morning and it is the first day of this year's NaArMaMo event so today has been amazingly, artily brilliant. <3

Has anyone been following the USoE treasure hunt that Muse have been holding? My soul is literally being sucked out by this thing.

It has been the most epic, amazing, enjoyable, frustrating week ever. And now this last wait is actually killing me. No one actually has a clue whether USA should recognise the United States of Eurasia or not, but there has been an extension of the deadline and Zane Lowe has mentioned he's waiting on the resistance to get the last part of USoE but... The urge to resist is incredibly strong.

Muse must have expected something like this to happen - after all they couldn't possibly have ignored all of the calls for resistance on their site, forums and Twitter - so they must have a back-up plan in action, or at least be prepared to turn around and say No, actually, you all fail!

There's so much paranoia and hype going around, and everyone has spent the last week thinking and overthinking things, so what was a simple concept has turned into notihng short of chaos.

In the end, though, right or wrong, you can't knock the unity in the fans that this has created. Matt truly has inspired a resistance. Whether that was truly his intention, or whether his own love of conspiricies and politics has backfired, I don't know. But it's been bloody fantastic.

Just... Thank God I'm not the one who has to make the choice.

Matt, Dom, Chris... Thanks so much for such another bloody brilliant treasure hunt. Fellow members of the Resistance... Well done for sticking to your guns. Right or not, it's been an epic event and you guys are awesome.

Had a bit of a strange moment about an hour ago and did this:

FAIRY FORE ★ NEVER LAND ★ MUSE ★ JJ72 ★ MIYAVI ★ CAST ★ PLASTIC TREE ★ PSYCHO LE CEMU ★ THE ROMEO ★ THIRTEEN:13 ★ DUE LE QUARTZ


+click to enlarge +

( The random awesome that is the majority of my CD collections; just how many copies of Jet do I really need? )
I is a happy Oog. :D

I've just watched the English dub trailer for Final Fantasy XIII and I don't think I've ever been so horrified by anything in my entire life. I am actually sickened by it.

I'm going to cut this for ranting and possible spoilers about and for EVERYTHING Square have ever done... and for its EPIC LENGTH. Enjoy.

( Here be disgust, disappointment and daftness in equal measure )

And, finally, a quote this rant inspired:
If you make that a little less coherent, people might think you were drunk - the Smidge.

Tuesday 10th November 2009: Birmingham NIA

MUSE

Mashing the refresh button for half an hour after the pre-sale tickets went on sale was horrifyingly tense. Thank you, Smidge, for continuing on after I had to go to work. I'd actually already phoned in to say I'd be late after I accidentally slept through my alarm. I thought that sounded a bit better than I'm buying Muse tickets, work will just have to wait. So chuffin' excited. :D

I had to go for an interview for my passport today and after all the questions I was asked and my sometimes rather faltering answers, I'm not even convinced I am me anymore.

Oh well, guess I'll have to wait and see if they let me have one.

Really, though, it's daft. I am me. I have been me for 24 years now. It's just... trying to convince someone of that fact is really kind of peculiar.

I stole this from arachne1. Couldn't resist.

**Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It's harder than you think.**

Pick an artist: FAIRY FORE

Are you male or female: Lady
Describe yourself: CHILD OF WIZARD
How do you feel about yourself: Even
Describe where you currently live: Shangrila
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Missing
Your favorite form of transportation: You Can Walk
Your best friend is: Mr.BADMAN
What's the weather like: CHAOS
Favorite time of day: Hostile period
If your life was a tv show, what would it be called: Not' gonna LOOSE
Feelings on high school: School Days
Feelings on college: an ultimate hole
What is life to you: LIFE
What is the best advice you have to give: Boys, be ambitious
If you could change your name, what would it be: Darling
Your favorite food is: SWEET-ness
What did you do last night?: FEEL MY SONG
What're your plans for tomorrow?: Romance
How you would like to die: Tenderness or Betray
Your present condition: LOVE SICK
Your thoughts on your love life: VIVID
Your motto: I feel love you,but Ill forget you

On one of the poorest weeks of my life, Muse have just announced their new tour dates. Tickets go on sale on Friday so I know where all my wages are going to go... I'm determined to go the Birmingham gig on the 10th October - providing, you know, I can actually get tickets - with the Smidge. It'll be nice to not have to travel all the way to London for a gig (not that I mind for you, obviously, Miyavi).

Speaking of, he posted a new song on his MySpace yesterday and, my god, it's amazing. It sounds similar to what he was writing for This Iz the Japanese Kabuki Rock, which was a bit of a surprise as I felt he might have gone back to his indies roots and done something a little heavier. Either way, hearing his voice again was... mind-blowing. I still can't get over the fact that I have actually seen him live. Seriously... I have no more words.

Also, x_g_revo_x seems to have accidentally turned into a Muse-only graphics community. I'm really terrible when I get caught up in a love of mine. My obsessive personality can be slightly debilitating at times. I'm having so much fun with my Muse love that To the Soul (of which there is now two pages sketched out) is sitting there, just looking at me with a disappointed look on its face. I promise you, dearest comic of mine, I am getting round to drawing more of you. It's just... I want to draw a Muse doujinshi so bad. I doodled Matt and Dom earlier - looking nothing like themselves to be honest but, as I've always said, I can only draw youths, not actual men - and it's really made me want to draw something a little more... epic. Belldom, obviously. Perhaps a period AU piece. Matt in a Victorian tailcoat. Mmm...

Okay, completely going off on a tangent. I think I'd better leave it at that.
Night x

I finally have broadband.

I cannot tell you how much this excites me.

The reason I haven't been around much recently is because of complete and utter Internet death. My mobile phone, which used to act as my modem, refused to cooperate anymore so I've been stuck without it for the last couple of weeks. Luckily, I was already in the process of getting broadband so the transition hasn't really taken that long.

It's really fantastic to be able to sit here and download a 150+MB file in a matter of minutes. It's sheer heaven. But the amount of time I've been wasting on YouTube frightens me. It doesn't help that I'm in the throes of Muse obsession so I've just been watching loads of live clips and interviews and random videos of Matt giggling in that wonderfully endearing way of his...

And speaking of, I have a new layout. Oddly enough, it features said band and said man. I've become quite fond of graphics-making recently (x_g_revo_x), this layout being my favourite. Matt Bellamy is just... Guh.

I can't remember what swept me up in Muse-adoration this time. All I know is that I've loved them for ten years and that seems really weird to me. It doesn't feel like they've been around that long, or that it's been so many years since I first heard of them and fell in love with Matt in the video for Uno. All I know is that I cannot wait for their new album and that I will be going to see them when they tour this Autumn.

Oh, and that leads me in nicely to say that the tickets have arrived for the Miyavi gig in October. I really can't believe he's coming back to the UK already. I thought that, especially with how things are in his life / career at the moment, if he did decide to come back at all, it certainly wouldn't be this year. In any case, I am so excited. I really can't believe that I've seen An Cafe (twice), Plastic Tree and Miyavi already, and now I have the chance to see the man himself again. If you'd said to me a year and a half ago that this would happen, I would have laughed in your face. I am really quite disappointed I missed Mucc playing, though. I managed to pick up a copy of shion in Nottingham on Friday, which was a fantastic experience. There's something amazing about being able to go into a record shop in England and buy a Japanese band's album. Though it did make me all the sadder that I missed them when they played here. If they come back, I'll be straight there.

In other news, my older sister's coming down with her family for my dad's 60th birthday in June so I'll get to see my adorable baby niece again. I'm not broody, I've never been the maternal type, but since she was born I've discovered that babies are actually really cute. I'm sorry, though, nature - I fail.

So there we go, a little update for you. Not very exciting, I admit, but really the rest of my time has just been taken up with work, lots of work, doodling, listening to music, going out for lunch with the Smidge, day trips, laughter, silliness, Resident Evil 5, family, rain and chocolate cake - which is fun, but not really worth writing about in great, eloquent detail. I guess I'll just have to find something amazingly exciting to do that I can regale you all with. Oh, now that's a shame.

I'm going to catch up on my f-list now and see what people have been getting up to. You don't realise how many posts you read until you miss a couple of weeks and have to go back pages and pages to catch everything. LJ, or rather all you guys, are really awesome.

Happy St. George's Day!


England's Mountains Green by *Gasara on deviantART

HAPPY AWESOME BIRTHDAY doodlesama!! <3

Last Tuesday the Smidge and I traveled down to London to see An Cafe again at the Carling Academy, Islington.

I can't do the gig justice with simple words, it was just... outstanding. It was a different experience seeing them for a second time, no less exciting of course, but it seemed that I half knew what to expect from them. This actually raised my anticipation levels and, my god, they did not disappoint.

Their energy was amazing, Miku and Yu-ki especially. The crowd were really good too - the chorus was so loud during Cherry Saku Yuuki that I actually flailed with joy. I came away with a handful of bruises, ruined feet, a bagful of merchandise and some of the best memories of recent years.

Stand out moments for me definitely were:

- Chocolate cake countdown in the queue
- Dancing to My Heart Leaps for "C" in the queue
- Cherry Saku Yuuki
- Kawayu's Rock
- Miku: "Which do you like? Paddington bear or... Duck?"
- Miku: "This one is... member signed."
Crowd: "AAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!"
- Kanon: "GIVE ME POWER!"
- Miku bopping the security guard on the head with a plastic mallet
- Bonds
- Smile ichiban ii onna

And so much more. Really, the whole thing was just perfect. Just... epic.

I'm really going to have to write a better report for this gig, and I really should type something up for when I saw Plastic Tree, too, but it'll probably be nearer the end of the week when I do that. For now though...

An Cafe, thank you so much!! o(≧∀≦)o

o(≧∀≦)o

It's my birthday tomorrow! I shall be a very old twenty-four. Hands up who here thought I was still a teenager?

Haha, one day I promise you I will grow up into an actual adult.

For now though, I am so stupidly excited. :D

While there are still some things to add and fix, I'm pleased to announce that SLEEPING-b e a u t y* now lives!!

It's a site dedicated to the awesome Japanese band, uBuGoe.

Even if the subject of the site isn't your cup of tea, I'd appreciate it if you could take a quick peek around to make sure links are working, menus aren't dying - my first time using scripts - and all that. I don't want to start promoting it only to discover that it links to some kind of Disney fansite or something. ^^;

---------------> SLEEPING-b e a u t y* <---------------

Sorry, no snazzy banner yet. Enjoy!

* Please, dearest and wonderful f-list, do not spoil RE 5 for me. I just have to wait a little longer...

* Why did mixi have to go all 'No, you cannot join, dirty foreigner!' when I finally decide I'd quite like an account? Lol. How very typical.

* I am r e a l l y bad at betting on the Football. Bristol Rovers, stop scoring!

* uBuGoe own my soul but it's really boring typing out all of their setlists and live dates... I can haz a new single now? I would be terrifyingly overjoyed if you would put fuusen on it. :D

* Speaking of, I have to go update ubugoe now with news of their mini 'coupling tour' with DieS. Yay. \(^o^)/

* omnomnom

I've just saved myself $61 by not winning an h.NAOTO bunny bag on ebay. This is somehow a success, right?

Also, Sasabuchi has suddenly left Plastic Tree... D:

But at least I've seen him play live with them, right? Right?!

Ugh, fail, you will not defeat me this time...

Right now my face looks something like this: D:<

I really, really hate game companies' attitude to Europe. Not only do we get everything months, if not years, after everyone else, what we get is usually watered down and crappy.

Take, for instance, Resident Evil 5.

I adore the RE series with all my heart and soul so that's why I wanted to get the Collector's Edition. Chris figure, Tricell bag... Awesome.

Only, that's only for the US.

The European Collector's Edition? A bonus disc and steel case. WTF?! Pathetic.

Still, no matter, I thought, I'll just import it. Except every US website I've found so far refuses to send RE5:CE out of America. WHY DAMMIT?!

Why can't I get the Chris figure?! Why can't European gamers get the same awesomeness as Japan and the US?! Is it because of the view of English people? We'd prefer a steel case because it reminds us of the engineering feats of Isambard Kingdom Brunel?! Fuck no, I want to play about with a Chris figure and go to work with my Tricell bag!

Just... gah! Bloody hell.

I want to be American all of a sudden.

Help?

Thank God I've finished it! There's nothing more boring than recoding an entire website. Blah. But it's done now and I like it. :D

Here's a new picture of Munryeo from To the Soul. It's was all done digitally and the watercolour look was completely by wonderful accident.


>> click to enlarge



My website is coming along painfully slowly. I've still got most of the pages to edit but I keep getting distracted by drawing, Resident Evil, Onimusha and Katamari... I've got until next Friday off though so I should be able to get most, if not all of it, back up. I think I need Bernard's watch (was that what it was called?). Or William's wish wellingtons... Haha. That's going back a few years...