Digital colouring? Me? Yep, thought I'd get my digital techno fingers on so I can get with the kids these days. Me as an Earthbender, my most favourite of the Avatar nations ^_^
Now to finish watching 'Wayne's World 2', I have seen this movie so many times, but I don't care!
Sunshine 60 Street. Last night hanging out on the Sunshine City strip in Ikebukuro, a combination of arcades and karaoke with a little dash of tasty treats, I SO did not want to leave this place. The atmosphere, the people, the FOOD, I was in love. A restaurant in Ueno. A very, very tasty restaurant in Ueno, which was run by a family it seemed. Such a tradtional setting - very clean, pleasent and daaaamn tasty. The main square/cross road in Ikebukuro. I remember thinking while taking this "I'll miss you". Bamboo at the Imperial Gardens. I don't think I have ever seen bamboo this tall before! One of the many beautiful sights within the gardens. Imperial Gardens. I am in Total. Peace. The Imperial Palace. Surrounded by police and an awesome moat, this place was untouchable. I did ask a very nice policeman standing outside if we could go inside, which he then directed us to the gardens ^_^ Giant Sky Wheel, Palette Town. A fantastic way to welcome the evening, watching the sun set over the city from above. Best point about the gondolas we were sitting in, was not only the view, but the air conditioning! Venus Fort, Palette Town. A very commercial area, but very beautifully decorated. Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, Hamamatsucho. An amazing tranquil sight directly centre within the city. The perfect break. Shimbashi at night. A very upper class part of Tokyo, crammed full of large glowing buildings and high street fashion. My friend and I used it for it's main purpose, which was of course 'Big Echo' Karaoke :D I really wish they had them over here in England, I'd spend many happy hours in those booths singing Limp Bizkit and Michael Jackson, just like I did whilst over there! XD View from my hotel in Ikebukuro. After a day of downpour, the skies cleared for the evening and revealed not only a burning sunset, but the mountains on the boarders of Tokyo. My friend and I sat and watched this until the sun passed over the hills whilst eating Krispy Kreme donuts ^_^ A set of lanterns coming to life as we walked home to our hotel. Old style restaurant in Ueno. A family run joint sitting very cosily underneath the Ueno subway, some daaaamn tasty food sold here - but that shall be explained in another entry :P Takadanababa. Just outside of the subway, you're greeted by this amazing detailed wall mural of any animé character you can think of and more! Katsura Studios, Harajuku. In the midst of my Meiko make-up session. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went for the Meiko dress-up, besides the fact I love to Cosplay and knew I'd enjoy it. A truely AMAZING experience and gave me an idea as to how hard it is to become an actual Geisha. The outfit itself was formed of many layers and became very tight around my chest after the many wrappings D: Once the dress-up was over, I was informed that Dita Von Teese had worn the same gown I had just a few months before! 'Ani.mate' store, Ikebukuro. The first moment I stepped in this store and was greeted by 'Gurren Lagann' and 'Lucky Star' merchandise, my eyes gleamed with some kind of animé styled joy. Eight floors of manga, DVDs, CDs and cuddly things, was certainly too much for me to handle in one sitting. I'm not sure how much I bought, I couldn't help myself and went a little crazy with buying everything and anything I could get my paws on. Oedo Onsen Monogatori in Odaiba. This was a very unusual experience, even all the animes in the world could not have had me prepared for this. Once you have safely secured your shoes in a locker, you have the choice between several different robes (I picked a dark red one, of course ;) ), which you change into in the locker rooms. My friend and I had already had problems of trying to tye the robes from the inside, we were assisted by two very polite Japanese women who showed us how to do so. Thanks ladies! We were then free to reign over the many foot spa areas and massage parlours (Massage areas were extra charge), it was then we decided to head to the main onsen. When my friend and I entered, we were given two sized towels one small, one large. It was then we turned around to notice we were surrounded by many naked women, which were walking into the spa area, nude. My friend and I turned to each other and had the feeling we had more than what we had bargained for with this expedition. I curiously asked the towel ladies if we could wear towels into the spa area and they explained in hand gestures that we simply hold the smaller towel infront of your lady areas. I shuffled back to my friend and explained what I had just been informed. We stood still for a few moments and then decided to brave it and go with it! So, we got nude XD You'd be surprised how comfortable you can be with nudity when everyone around you is in the same dress! Awkward at first, but then hella relaxing.
H'okay, so turns out the £750 worth of private house gym schtuff was a complete con. I already had an inkling since, ya know, nothing is free without some kind of trick behind it. First of all, the guy I was meant to talk to (A mysterious 'Dave') about the offer wasn't in and I instead talked to some macho, pumped up, schovanistic "What are doing here? You're A WOMAN." dude. Who gave me the most smarmy of attitudes for asking simple questions like "Could I speak to dave please?", answering with a very quick and short "The offer has ended!". He began to explain that the offer had expired the day previous and I "should've been here yesterday!", so I was told to ring a number to enquire further. As he was writing down the number, he then informed me, or rather spoke AT me, if I knew that there was a registration fee of £350 for the first week. I stumbled back and replied that I wasn't informed of this, taking the number from his hand making sure not to loose eye contact with his MACHO STARE. I took the number, left and didn't say thankyou. Because that is how I roll when I get spoken down to because of my sex. Pfft, ass.
ANYHOO. The good news is, I finally own a PS2 :D Yesh, yesh - it has taken me sometime to finally purchase it's wonder (Even through the temptation of many DDR games and 'Okami'), but how could I refuse an offer of £35? Bargain, says I! So along with a 'Buy five games for £10' offer, I even had games to play when I arrived home with it's wonder. GTA has got some major play, but I still have time to try out the DDR game I purchased; since I was silly and ate waaay too much home made spaghetti with rice pudding to follow. Stomping to DDR + full stomache = :(
Amidst all this nonesense, I have actually been applying to jobs here and there, already recieveing four rejections mind you (I'd rather actually recieve a negaive reply than nothing at all), but it shall not dampen my spirit.
On the discovering the world front: Here is the vlog from my recent trip to Mr Disney himself, london zoo = HOORAY!:
My sibling and I are still planning events for when we head to Edinborough in April for the Beltane Festival, cannae wait! Especially since we have just discovered that there is a 3D LOCH NESS ADVENTURE, not-to-mention midnight ghost walks that lead underneath Edinborough castle, how awesome can a ghost walk get? :D This wedged together with zoo (They have giant pandas!), gardens and random sites, it sounds like funtimes ahead already :)
Dude....I have just found an amazing nature reserve in China known as Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, which just looks breathtaking. Thanks National Geographic for making my urge to travel even further.
Did I mention I miss Tokyo? I think it's beginning to become a problem when I found myself researching into cheap apartments/hostels. I really need to return there, seriously, if not for the food, then to discover more sites, such as the Ghibli Museum and the National Science Museum. I shall return, one day, if not soooon, please. And now, I give to you, Tokyo photos. In this selection, I thought I'd be best to cover schweet sights, then I'll probably cover food and purchases in some other blog.
View from my hotel window. This was the first day we had arrived in our hotel at Ikebukuro, (After having a brief nap after 24hours of travelling) and this was the first sight that just made my eyes water in complete gratitude and joy, a sight I didn't think I'd ever witness in my lifetime. Walkway in Namja Town. This place was awesomely INSANE. I think this was one of the first instances when culture shock finally got to me, walking through the different Namja lands available and trying to understand how to play each of the games was not simple task! Even when having them explained in English, it was totally over my head. A lot of hand gesturing and giggling at how silly the language barrier really was, I finally began to become accustomed to this new lifestyle. Main shopping street in Harajuku. So many clothes shops, such little time! Of course my eyes were automatically searching for the infamous 'gothic' fashions that grace the streets of Harajuku, I wasn't expecting to spend so much money either. I just couldn't get enough! Also home to the best banana and chocolate crepes I've EVER tasted - but we'll save that for another journal ;) Torii leading to the Meiji Shrine. A gorgeous structure. The actually Meiji Shrine was further up the path, but I thought this image was the most striking, powerful, but not threatening in comparison to other spiritual temples I have witnessed. I also managed to witness two weddings during my hour or so visit! (Also wedged within another blog) Kitsune shrine in Shinjuku. A complete surprise when walking through one of the parks in Shinjuku; A quaint little temple that had mini shrines surrounded by kitsune and vegetable offerings. There was also wedding happening here too! Hachiko Statue outside Shibuya station. A faithful doglie I couldn't miss *salutes* Shibuya crossing. Hella busy, hella awesome! Shortly after this photo, I saw a chestnut stall and thought it'd be a good idea to purchase them (because they are delicious). The dude running the stall offered me a taster nut, but me being me, forgot you had to remove the shell and eat the tasty innards and just ate it whole. I can say I choked for a while, laughing at myself, as my friend and the man on the stall laughed right along/at me XD Ueno, the remenance of the original black market. Full of any fresh produce you could think of and anything extra! Tower in the centre of Ueno Zoo. Great zoo, with some wonderful little extras, such as the mini monorail that leads you from one side of the zoo to the other. This was the main monument that overshadowed the exit to the zoo, I'm not sure what the history of it is - all I know it was resbuilt after some war? D:A mini shrine walkway, just outside Ueno Zoo. You find mini shrines all over the place, which is great because theres always more to discover in Tokyo - which makes it fun to get lost, because you always find something badd ass.
Hmmmm, since this picture inserting business is pretty time consuming, I'm starting afresh in a new blog.....
Here we have some drawings (Which I was obviously very proud of back in my days of short and chunky) many generations ago. With one of the rooms going under redecoration for the Springtime on it's way, my Pa came across a few drawings that I had created during my time at Junior School. I think I must have been atleast seven or eight years old?
I do not remember ever attending a comic making class on the theme of Egypt, but here is the evidence. You may also notice the teachers have not corrected my spelling mistakes. For a little explanation of the characters involved, Hector and Tyler were the two family hounds when I was younger, Hector was the older and more sensible doglie, whereas Tyler was the young and cheeky dude. Man, I miss those guys. The cat 'Mirage' was a rip off from the character that featured within the 'Aladdin' television series from the nineties, let me see if I can find a screen cap...
Ah-Ha! There we go. Not much of a likeness, but I know for certain that she was my inspiration.
And now for some more recent art pieces I created during my time away from the internets. This piece was inspired after viewing 'Gingersnaps', I think the quote that inspired me was "It feels so... good, Brigette. It's like touching yourself. You know every move... right on the fucking dot. And after, see fucking fireworks. Supernovas. I'm a goddamn force of nature. I feel like I could do just about anything." This combined with listening to the song 'Low' by Foo Fighters. Just linework scribbles for now, but this will be coloured.
A random doodle page.
A skull piece I'm working on and hopefully will finish at somepoint, I'm kinda stuck on it for the meantime, but I will return to it when I feel inspired once more.
And for the blockbuster of the Spring, I give you 'C.H.U.D.'
Now off to Londonia tomorrow to celebrate a fellow Disney fanatics birthday, involving such activities like THE ZOO. With the infamous GORILLA KINGDOM and anteaters too :D Bad news is, a wake-up call at 5am, but it'll be worth it. *ka-cheer* Expect photos!
For one moment I actually convinced myself that I had spent the past several days in some deep sea adventure, but alas, something better, my computer is up and running - now with vast technologies of the INTERNETS ^_______^
Now I can have free reign over whatever information I need at whatever time of day OR night. Of course, the obvious addictive factor of 'WoW' still has it's grip on me, especially with clawing myself to level 70, opening the gates to Northrend with all of it's Walrus people delights. I haven't tried it yet with my new router, but we shall see what it holds tomorrow. I am too le tired to try it at this present time.
I won't bore you with the details of what was actually wrong with the computer itself, but let me just simply explain it as three easy steps:
1. DELL Graphics Card fizzled, got a new one. New one works, but caused my computer to blue screen.
2. Three Trojan Virus' had infected my system.
3. Old BT Modem was REALLY causing my computer to blue screen. Got a router to fix this problem, the old BT fixed IP address was stopping me to get onto the net.
All of this was solved over a matter of just, ya know, THREE WEEKS. Totalling £120. The good news was, the computer people who dealt with all of this madness of technological proportions were kind and very helpful. Major kudos for their time and patience spent on this machine.
Managing to get away for a week at a lovely gentlemen's parlour during this time helped my sanity, eating éclairs, viewing 'Bolt', and playing 'Shadow of the Colossus' was how we decided to spend our time ^_^
Run the train tracks back into the present.
I have seen 'Bolt' twice, shedding a tear at both intervals, as I think to myself "DISNEY, I LOVE YOU", (Vowing making to return to Disneyland for the 11th time possibility later this year, please, thankyou).
I have applied for jobs, discovering two of them are in the works of processing and one never "actually existed".
I won £750 worth of a private house gymnasium membership, on whatever course I choose, ranging from cardiovascular related activities, complete gym use and POLE DANCING, which one shall I choose? HMMMM. Just the other day I was pondering to myself that it's time to bring out my inner skank. It's surprising what you receive when you fill in an NHS survey.
On my recent beep beep lesson, my instructor informed I am ready to take my theory test and if I wanted to, book my actual driving test (As it takes 6 weeks to process). I sense major reading/research on the beep beep theory-ness! This was even after I declared to him that "My sense of perception was shit.", which is what happens to my mouth when I wake-up at 9am and can't recognise if there is a T-Junction ahead of me or not.
My sibling and I have booked a trip to Edinborough for the annual Fire Festival that is held there towards the end of April, featuring castles and zoos too! This is how I found out that flying to the North was far more cost effective than heading via rail. I'm talking half the price here. Screw you FAT CONTROLLER and your PRICES.
I have become fascinated with Tokyo/Japan once more and will upload my favourite photos from my last trip in my next entry. Right now, it's past 3am and I have a strange pain on the back of my head.
Since I have awoken with this song in my head for the past week now, I will infect it onto you....
Life is feeling pretty schweet at this time in the morning.
Ok, so, my computer went into the techno shop to get it's technos fixed. The techno problem being that it kept blue screening with a butt load of viruses following hand in hand. When the situation had been analyzed by peeps who had more knowledge than I do, I was informed that my computorb had three virus' hanging around on it's system, which was causing it to blue screen.
Skip to some time later, £70 lesser in my pocket and the computer going back and forth for more analysis twice over - I have the computer still blue screening everytime the modem is plugged in and I try to set-up a network with my sister's laptop. SO, at this point I am using my sister's WORKING laptop, temporarily, and taking my computer in again tomorrow. We shall see what results return this time round, I'm guessing a complete reformat is in order.
ANYHOO, lets type about something interesting.
On Saturday I went with my sister and chumlings to attend the final night of 'Distortion' at Rock City, a local rock club that dedicates it's Saturday nights to nineties rock/nu metal. Some good tunes played there, says I! Unfortunately, this night is to be replaced by 'Hey hey hey', a crappy alternative indie night. PFFT. So, we all rocked it old school style, I salute you DISTORTION - ROCK ON!
Today I celebrated one of the same chumlies from that night birthday. It begun with viewing 'Revolutionary Road'. LOAFY REVIEW TIME: I can only explain this film as painfully true, finding myself completely overwhelmed with emotion by the end of it. Not because I can relate on anything involving the "repressed woman of the household" role, but probably more or less hoping I never get wound into the daily drum of default nuclear family life. The last twenty minutes hit me like a speeding ice cream truck, I mean dang.
This was followed by a delicious Chinese meal, chow mein/prawn toast/sweet and sour forever please! Then chilling at the homestead watching old school Ed Sullivan Show 'Muppets', with some Disney Princess Aurora and homemade birthday cake. Oh, kitty petting may have been involved too, since the ladies birthday in question has two adorable black and white kitties - I love kitty paws! Watching them attack a bottlecap and diving behind the couch is too adorable for me to handle ^_^
So, in review, despite never ending computer problems, my weekend has been fruitful. With completely based and finished Tau armies, followed with many sketches and in the process of being coloured drawings. When all this computer none-sense is over, there will be plenty of arty things for me to upload.
In the meantime, treat yourself to some Foo Fighter songs I adore. 'Low' is hella hot. 'Walking After You' is delicious, can anyone say SUITS?
At this present time my computer has yet again gone in for whatever repairs it needs, so I am typing on my sisters more reliable laptop.
All I can say is that DELL suck at building computers.
I was planning to fill out a an incredibly long entry on my journey of computer mayhem, but it is already past 2am and instead I will say that all will be revealed as to what is wrong tomorrow. Hopefully all is easily fixed and that is the END of the bad computer times, for a reasonable price.
IN OTHER NEWS
Schnooooooooooow! The white gold has landed and settled, bringing much playtime happiness to moi. I have built snowmans, igloos and giant rolling balls, woo! Photos and videos when I get my computers back :D
Digital colouring? Me? Yep, thought I'd get my digital techno fingers on so I can get with the kids these days. Me as an Earthbender, my most favourite of the Avatar nations ^_^
Sunshine 60 Street.
A restaurant in Ueno.
The main square/cross road in Ikebukuro.
Bamboo at the Imperial Gardens.
Imperial Gardens.
The Imperial Palace.
Giant Sky Wheel, Palette Town.
Venus Fort, Palette Town.
Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, Hamamatsucho.
Shimbashi at night.
View from my hotel in Ikebukuro.
A set of lanterns coming to life as we walked home to our hotel.
Old style restaurant in Ueno.
Takadanababa.
Katsura Studios, Harajuku.
'Ani.mate' store, Ikebukuro.
Oedo Onsen Monogatori in Odaiba.
View from my hotel window.
Walkway in Namja Town.
Main shopping street in Harajuku.
Torii leading to the Meiji Shrine.
Kitsune shrine in Shinjuku.
Hachiko Statue outside Shibuya station.
Shibuya crossing.
Ueno, the remenance of the original black market.
Tower in the centre of Ueno Zoo.
A mini shrine walkway, just outside Ueno Zoo.
Ah-Ha! There we go. Not much of a likeness, but I know for certain that she was my inspiration.
This piece was inspired after viewing 'Gingersnaps', I think the quote that inspired me was "It feels so... good, Brigette. It's like touching yourself. You know every move... right on the fucking dot. And after, see fucking fireworks. Supernovas. I'm a goddamn force of nature. I feel like I could do just about anything." This combined with listening to the song 'Low' by Foo Fighters.
A random doodle page.
A skull piece I'm working on and hopefully will finish at somepoint, I'm kinda stuck on it for the meantime, but I will return to it when I feel inspired once more.