Time to continue clearing my award debt! Actually, as some of you may have noticed, I have fallen into a lazy blogging spell, hence the lack of posts recently :p Its a result of being addicted to Chinese web novels for two weeks straight. To be honest, being addicted to a novel is somewhat worse than being addicted to an anime series for me, because when I start to read everything just flashes by and it gets too hard to stop. Whereas for anime, I know at least there’s an end to every episode, and when that time comes, I usually think more about whether to click on the next button.
I was nominated by TwiceAlive for the Liebster Award on 29 July 2015 in this post right here. Once again, I apologise for my lateness, but as you can see, I am trying to finally repay all of your kindness over the past year and continuing.
And because its TwiceAlive, I expect to enter the realm of dreams, hopes and wildly imaginative questions with this post that require probably a lot of my creative juices. So here we go!
Ahem. So, I decided to finally clear my award debts. Even if they are like 23278436247826372 months late. And that the people who nominated me probably forgot they did. But its okay. I owe all of you guys messages of gratitude anyway since I neglected to do shoutouts of any sort. Besides, more and late love is better than less and never love. Even if its virtual. Right?
Seeing that this award hasn’t been going around for some time now, I have decided to revive the appearance of this icon on WordPress Reader yet again by …. clearing my award posts debt!! I apologise that I have taken 1.5 months to do a reply post on this, but I always save these posts for times when I feel more restless and less focused on studying, and I need some therapeutic, informal writing to save me from going gradually insane. Hence, you guys just saved me! xD
This also reminds me … I also need to return to reviews because I also realised that I haven’t been doing reviews for A VERY LONG TIME. Its ironic because this blog was supposed to be dedicated to that.
Its time for another award post! I know I haven’t been the fastest at doing posts like these, but that certainly does not reduce the amount of gratitude and appreciation to those who have nominated me for this blog awards. This time I would like to thank Lovely from Words & Rhythm as well as Joe from The Reviewers’ Corner, both my seniors in the blogging community here on WordPress given the time they have been on here and the voluminous amounts of posts they have already written, compared to what I have currently 😀 What these two bloggers have in common is that they blog on a variety of topics and there is a vast amount of content available on their blogs, so do check their blogs out! 🙂
Truth be told, I really pushed doing this nomination back as long as I should, simply because of the nature of what I am supposed to write in this post: my dreams.
I don’t really consider myself to have any dreams.
The statement above is a little ironic given that having dreams and working for it is possibly one of the core life lessons that anime and manga strive to bring across all the time, and in every genre possible (with the exception of the psychological and the dark, of course.)
One problem is, however, that ‘dreams’ inevitably connote a goal with the lifespan of a bubble. A dream also undeniably means a scenario or a story that starts when your head hits the pillow at night and ends when your alarm blasts through your reverie, signalling the start of a new day. Years may have passed in your story then, but in actuality it has only been about 7 to 8 hours.
Another problem is that given my inherent way of thinking i.e. to lockdown on any thoughts that stray beyond a foreseeable future, I have tried in vain to come up with anything that constitute dreams for the purpose of answering this award.
Hence, I am going to bend the rules a little and write about 7 goals instead:
So… I was nominated for the Sunshine Award by three amazing bloggers (or four, since the folks at The Animeted Critics are a pair). I would like to give my thanks to you guys as well as the blogging community in WordPress, for being so supportive of my posts thus far 🙂 This is actually a way overdue post ever since the first slew of Sunshine Awards on WordPress Reader, which I apologise for.
And it also seems the time has come for me to return my award nomination posts debts, so to speak! I was really saving up these posts for a rainy day i.e. when I am so busy that I have no time to blog any new content. And the rainy day has come: I am saddened as a self-proclaimed anime lover to say that I have yet to have any time to check out the current Summer Lineup at all! *anticipates a round of gasps across the room* I feel like I am missing out a lot by seeing the number of episode impressions of my fellow aniblogger friends on WordPress, but my schedule has really been catching up to me in the most frantic way possible. I hope this state of things would change soon, but it seems unlikely till the 25th of this month, for I have two upcoming exams so I am studying for them, and I am also working at the same time. What a way to spend my summer holidays -sigh- (though I guess, I am totally asking for it because I didn’t actually have to take those exams, oops.)
But anyways, enough of that! Let the curtains raise and the questions begin!
1. What have you found blogging has bought to you?
Blogging has brought me a bunch of friends – is the first thought that comes to mind. Yes, I started blogging here because I wanted a platform to air my thoughts. Having people who read what I write is a plus. Having people who periodically read what I write is a double plus. Having people who comment meaningfully is a triple plus. But most of all, meeting people over here who have spilled on to getting to know each other in person and being friends beyond the confines of this platform .. that’s something that I am always always thankful for. You know who you are when you read this :>
As for the rest of my readers and followers, I really appreciate it that you are giving me a reason to write, and you have enabled me to find joy and motivation to write where I never thought it was possible. 🙂 Incidentally, I am open to getting to know blogger friends offline so just drop a comment if you want to do that! 😀 (though yes, I don’t have Twitter haha) 2. What was your favorite childhood show growing up?
Can I say Teletubbies? They are the adorable chubby little things ever 😀 I think they still make me smile when I see them. (I don’t actually know which country they originate from lol, but they were my favourite evening show!) 3. Ramen or Sushi?
I am absolutely in love with authentic Ramen; though I have tasted two of the top ramen in Singapore (recommended by a plethora of online food blogs and critics) and my palette can’t really accept anything lesser nowadays. Its a beautiful mistake, really. *stomach rumbles*
Having said that, high quality sushi is heavenly, though I have had close to zero opportunity to try these things, for obvious reasons. Maybe if I am rich I would eat it once a week. (That is an ‘if’, not a ‘when’.) 4. What is the most typical anime genre you end up watching a lot?
Going by my anime list, I would have to say psychological. No particular reason, I just like most of my anime more towards the intellectual side. Another possible one is mecha, though in recent months I haven’t been watching too much of those. 5. What anime character do you feel you relate to a lot?
Ah well, that would be Kaori Miyazono from Shigatsu no Kimi no Uso. It has to do with her attitude and motivation towards the way she behaves, which I find really hard to elaborate on here without going into spoilers. Having said that, I will be writing a commentary (or review) on it soon, so look out for that! 🙂 6. What ending of an anime would you change if you had the chance to?
Nothing actually comes to mind at the moment, oops. I am probably more accepting than I thought. But ask me this another day, and I would probably have a better answer than this 🙂
7. What do you love to see in a blog?
I love seeing and reading personal posts. Ironic really, when I don’t actually write too much about myself though more about what I think about certain topics. But it all boils down to the principle that I believe that writing is a form of art and self-expression, so its impossible to think of segregating who you are as a person from the content of what you write. You are inevitably bound to leave a little piece of you somewhere in your content, especially if you are particularly passionate about writing 🙂 Personal posts offer a snapshot into a little piece of the blogger’s soul, which is really precious because you and I know that the soul tends to be buried if we were having a real-life conversation instead of an online one.
1. What got you interested in the things you blog about?
Hmm well, what got me interested in anime was the way that it had the ability to flesh out so many imaginative, creative ideas which I had always dreamt of but have never seen in most other entertainment medium. I had always known anime existed for a long time; but I never got attracted to it even when it was a fad amongst my peers, classmates and friends. It was after trying all kinds of other things that I chanced upon anime and realised this was the thing I was looking for all my life.
2. Favorite food?
Bread and cake. Despite being Asian, I can survive on bread the whole day while my family and friends have to consume rice or noodles at least once a day (or they would complain. A lot.) They often tell me that its best that I marry a Westerner and migrate to the West because of this.
3. What are your hobbies outside of blogging?
Reading. My entire being revolves around words, especially with the degree I am doing. And of course, watching anime and certain other random entertainment as well (like TV series, movies). Thinking about random content, some of which you see on this blog and some of which you have yet to see, because me being me I often too busy to do more than two or three posts in a week.
4. Random fact about you?
Uhhhhhhhhh. I decided to take said exams (see above) because I was bored. My friends said I was crazy to do this to myself when it was the summer HOLIDAYS and when people all over Facebook and Instagram are flying everywhere around the world. Maybe I am.
5. Favorite animal?
Ooooooh chipmunks. Cos of Disney’s Chip and Dale, they are my favourite.
6. Ice cream or cake?
This is tough. Really tough. Its a dilemma. But answer goes to cake. 😀
7. What got you into anime?
Code Geass got me into anime. I actually watched a few before that but I wasn’t interested enough. And for the record, I have never watched a single series in my childhood (with the exception of Pokemon, which my pea-sized brain registered as a cartoon so I have to honour my five-year-old self and go with that definition). I only watched my first anime when I was about 18. Code Geass happened a year after. I was so overly stimulated that I decided this was what I have been looking for my entire life. I can’t really explain it without writing a full length post on this, but I am pretty sure this is a very watered-down version of how exactly I got into anime (i.e. after trying literally everything else).
1. When did you get into anime and what was your first anime?
See answers above for ChibiMajo’s numbers 1 and 7 🙂
2. If you could travel anywhere with no restrictions (money, time etc.), where would it be and why?
Are you kidding me? Japan of course! In fact, I would be in Hokkaido for a month at least, and if I felt more adventurous instead of lazing around in the heaven that is Hokkaido, I will travel south slowly. Why? I have been in love in Japan waaaaayyyyy before I even knew anime existed.
3. What do you like most about blogging?
I like having a place to air my thoughts, and the fact that people actually read them. I have realised that, even though this may appear rather shallow, its really important to have people reading my thoughts given that just liking to write isn’t nearly sufficient at times.
4. Do you prefer subs or dubs?
Never watched dubs in my life, haha. I love the sound of the Japanese language too much. xD Besides, English is not very pretty a language (though too bad for me; its the language I am most proficient in xD)
5. Do you have any hobbies besides blogging/anime/manga?
My hobbies include playing the piano & violin, running and eating. Yep, eating. What? Don’t judge me.
6. What’s your favorite anime genre?
If its a favourite I would have to go with psychological for sure. I love the intellectual stuff, and that actually applies beyond anime to any other thing in general: books, movies, TV series.
7. What type of music do you listen to and what is your favorite song?
Well damn, music is another area where I have loads to gush about. In fact, I am more open-minded about music than my visual entertainment. I listen to all kinds of genres: pop, rock, instrumental, classical, some metal, acoustic just to name some. Nowadays though, I mostly listen to Japanese songs (anime and non anime related, ONE OK ROCK and Kalafina are my favourite bands ever) because I find that out of everything, they have the most creative melodies and richer harmonic texture even for their pop songs. I listen to Chinese songs mostly for emotion and the most beautiful lyrics ever to grace music.
As for favourite song, let me see if I can put up an AMV here – I don’t think its possible for anybody who generally loves music to have a favourite, but this is currently what I am listening a lot to now 🙂 this also contains a lot of romance anime recommendations which are worth checking out.
I am aware I still have a few award nomination posts to do for now, but all those will come in due time 🙂 I don’t have anybody to nominate for this award, but rest assured that I will be doing some nominations if I find that there are still some worthy candidates not nominated yet when the time I get to those posts 🙂
Thank you for reading, and do check out LitaKino, ChibiMajo and The Animeted Critics if you haven’t; LitaKino is already a well known name in the community I believe, ChibiMajo really deserves more followers because her very direct way of blogging is certainly refreshing to the eye and she is also very humourous ^^ The Animeted Critics are relatively new to the scene but they have some awesome content already put up by the blogger pair running it 😀
And that’s all for now! Thank you for reading, and leave a comment or like if you have dropped by! 🙂
So … I was nominated by Lovely of Words & Rhythm for the Sunshine Award! Thank you so much for nominating me 🙂
I admit I am secretly excited that I have yet another excuse to do a semi-personal post because I don’t do that very often ^^ Because I started my blog as an anime blog and I initially didn’t want to write anything too personal, but now that conception is slowly changing for me ^^ And of course, its always fun to do questions-and-answers with the WordPress community so with no further ado, I’ll dive straight in!
The Sunshine Blog award is an award given to “bloggers who are positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”. (I googled that, hehe) Its really nice to have awards like these going around because it serves as a pat on the back to many deserving bloggers in the community for doing such a great job blogging!
The Guidelines:
Thank the person who nominated you.
Answer the questions from the person who nominated you.
Nominate a few other bloggers.
Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you nominated.
Notify the bloggers on their blog.
Put the award button on your blog.
Lovely’s questions and my answers:
1. If a zombie apocalypse would happen right this very minute, are you going to tweet about it? But seriously, are you going to fight or run? Why?
I don’t actually have Twitter, but if I had an account I probably will ^^ but it must come with an image so that people will actually believe me, haha! Well, I guess I am not much of a fighter; I bet I am a lot better at running away lol. I am quite cowardly in the face of such adversities I believe HAHA.
2. How would you spend a million dollars?
I am afraid my answer won’t probably be too interesting here oops! I’ll probably invest most of it instead of merely keeping it in the bank. Though that also means I have to study first on what makes a good investment hehe. I’ll use 10k to travel the world on a backpacking basis 🙂
3. What thing would you want to change yourself?
I think at this point in time, there’s only one thing that pops into my head: I want to be and look more confident and be able to speak well. No seriously! Currently its kind of obvious I lack that when I speak to certain people especially those whom I know to be more senior and intelligent than me, though I presume I have a brain and all but when I open my mouth it tends to freeze. 😦
4. What’s your chinese birth year sign?
This is easy cos I am Chinese! I am born in the Year of the Rooster, and Roosters are really …. hardworking. Haha!
5. If you could invent something, what is that? why?
Hmm this would have been slightly harder to answer a few months ago but now my answer is clear as day: I would invent a time machine that where you can travel back in time or to the future, and change certain decisions you make. It must also have the capability to produce more time if I want it (lmao) so that I have lots of time to do everythinggggg I want to do!
The reason is that time is the best resource a person could have. It gives you an edge above people, it enables you to learn things, every relationship has to withstand the test of time. So time triumphs everything. Now if time is the ultimate victor, what better than enabling time to be manipulated in favour of what you desire? 😉
I realise this could open up a topic of discussion especially for those who have watched Steins; Gate and all and realised how potentially disastrous it might be … but well I still believe the benefits outweigh the costs, if you aren’t greedy of course xD
6. A gift that you would love to receive on your birthday?
Honestly, this is a really tough one. I don’t really celebrate much of my own birthday because it always falls during exams (yeah, sucks to be me) and whatever gifts I receive are usually not on my birthday. It can be anything from a robotic boyfriend (HAHA, Absolute Boyfriend reference) to a song or a heartfelt written letter or actually even any material gift (like earrings or a bag or whatever, I know precisely how tough it is to choose such gifts for a friend’s birthday). Its the thought that counts, really ^^
7. What is wordpress’ effect in your life and your message to me as your fellow blogger?
WordPress has enabled me to meet people I would never dream of meeting and to be immersed in a community who share the same interests I do. I am really glad I decided to set up this blog ^^
As for my message to Lovely: Your blog’s awesome – you have all sorts of things on it and a variety of interests! I wish I had so many types of interests like that 🙂 I like the way you blog about photography, even certain events and food and of course, anime! I enjoy reading your posts and I hope you love and will continue blogging for a longgggg time! 😀
Blog nominations :
CoffeeHipster: This blog contains plenty of long & intellectual anime reviews, which I love because I love reading long posts. There are some essays on academic topics of interest too, mainly history related but very interesting as well. I personally like his style of writing and its a great recommendation to anybody who likes reading posts which dig deep. I am still waiting for more posts on Shinsekai Yori, an anime which I am too afraid to go about blogging myself for fear of screwing it up, haha!
Just Geeky Stuff: A variety of anime, TV series, movie reviews (and etc.) which are very concise but to the point. I enjoy reading his posts because I feel that they illuminate what the anime is about in not too many words (a skill I should pick up, hehe)
Just Something About Lynlyn: I like how she has many anime, book, manga reviews and they are very short and sweet, a breath of fresh air and a very good source of shoujo manga recommendations. 🙂
Takuto’s Anime Cafe: Many many reviews that are also analysed in depth; always a very good read for me! I like the way his blog is structured and we have had some good conversations as well.
LitaKino Anime Reviews: One of the first people I have followed on WordPress and has been an inspiration in terms of blogging ideas 🙂 Her positive and upbeat style of blogging is very fun to read as well!
OtakuRui: If we are talking about inspiration, the content of what Otakurui writes has always been a constant inspiration to me. We think alike and we have had so many, countless interesting conversations. I am so happy to have found her and I have WordPress to thank for that!! 😀
My questions for the nominees:
1. Do you think you’ll ever stop blogging? If yes, why and if no, why not?
2. How do you juggle between real life and blogging commitments?
3. Do you let people you know in real life read your blog? If yes, why and if no, why not?
4. What anime / manga / movie / TV series character do you resemble the most, in terms of personality?
5. What is the biggest concern you have right now?
6. Name one virtue/value that you think is extremely important and why.
Okay that’s all from me for now~ hope you guys would have fun answering the questions, thank you for reading and please spread the love ❤
How fortunate I am to be nominated again by two lovely people, Otakurui and Takuto’s Anime Cafe, within a span of weeks from my first nomination! 😀 Thank you for the nominations, and I am really honoured that you guys find my blog worthy of this award. 🙂
I’ll just be doing the questions and not be doing any nominations this time around 😀
Otakurui’s questions:
1. How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
I have answered this before but no mind I shall answer it again 🙂 I have been blogging about anime since around 2 years ago, but this isn’t the first blog I have. My other blog is still in existence in some other corner of the Internet though it contains many juvenile reviews which I am shy to refer to here hehe.
I started because I had too many thoughts running through my head whenever I watch or read something and I thought it would be a waste if I didn’t write them down somewhere.
2. What is your favourite colour?
I don’t actually have one; but I would have to go for blue. My bedroom wall is painted blue, my bay window cushions are blue, my curtains are blue, my bedsheets and pillow covers are blue. Must be a special colour for me to obstinately choose to splash the same colour palette over everything else, huh.
3. What is your favourite place and why?
This place is in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan. I absolutely love this quaint little town not only because it has a gorgeous music box museum, but also I have really good memories running down the streets clad head to toe in thick winter wear, exploring the really interesting shops on the side of the canal, and eating freshly grilled Hokkaido scallops topped with melted cheese at only 100 yen at a roadside stall 🙂
Otaru’s music box museum!
I have all plans to revisit this place in the near future!
4. Can you describe yourself in 3 words?
Daydreamer, shy, short. 😀
5. Favourite film?
I put the Red Cliff the other time I believe, but now I want to draw your attention to The Pianist this time 😀 Its a really good movie about WWII atrocities, and I daresay its quite well known.
6. Can you tell me a story of an event from your memory?(Recycled from thelimitlessimagination because I loved the question)
Didn’t expect myself to end up having to answer my own question! Hmm I’ll just recount a story from my travels.
My friends and I were on board this Swiss train that circled the Alps which I have forgotten the name of; and we decided to order this bottle of wine just to splurge a little. We had previously paid for everything including train tickets, surcharges with my friend’s dad’s credit card but we didn’t buy any included meals with the train ride (We brought our own food, which consisted of bread at least a day old and some spread/dip to eat it with, because Swiss meals are REALLY expensive) so the wine was extra charge.
As we are travelling along the railway admiring the Swiss mountain scenery, we had initially planned to get off at this certain tourist stop. So a few stops before that, just before the train stopped at an interim stop, I decided to go to the washroom. Just as I was in the middle of relieving myself, one of my friends came banging on the door of the restroom telling me they made a mistake and we had to get out there and then. An unpleasant shock it was as I scrambled out of the restroom, grabbed all of my backpacks and tumbled out of the train before the doors closed.
We then just realised we were literally in the middle of nowhere deep in the mountains. (We were also the only ones who got off which an entire train staring at us through the windows). Unsure about whether to go up the train again, which had stalled, we just sort of hovered around the station. My friend whispered to us “Were they not gonna charge us that bottle of wine?” We spotted the waitresses and conductors running within the train itself but we just stood there and waited to see if anybody came out. Nobody did and the train chugged off.
So .. in the end we didn’t pay for that bottle of wine. When we got back, my friend also said there wasn’t any sudden surcharge on her dad’s credit card (which the train company had the details of).
(This story isn’t supposed to be funny or anything, but it was the first time nobody asked me to pay for something I was supposed to.)
7. The sea or the countryside?
Countryside. I already live surrounded by the sea so the sea isn’t that special to me 😀
8. Do you have a favourite character? If so who are they and why?
Oh man I know my answer to this without even having to think. Naturally, its Lelouch Lamperouge fom Code Geass. Mandatory portrait follows:
Why? Lelouch is the most morally ambiguous and complex character I have ever seen. He’s extremely intelligent (Light Yagami level), plans out the most daring, risky strategies to outwit his enemies, has certain very strong and questionable ideals about justice that he acts on. With a theatrical flair and flamboyant gestures, his charisma and ability to garner followers is unrivaled, which makes him really entertaining to watch. Yet, he is actually the most vulnerable to the most human of emotions of love and care for his friends and family, and he suffers because of the decisions he has had to make. He is in fact, an extremely flawed character who makes mistakes and tries his best to make up for them. His ultimate decisions will simply crush you once you know what he is trying to do and when you see the sacrifices he makes. This is also my most admired character of all times.
(ugh, what I have written here doesn’t even do him justice :()
JUST WATCH CODE GEASS IF YOU HAVEN’T. The story is unique enough to blow your mind, not even counting the characters who make up part of the charm, including C.C my first girl crush ever. 😀
9. What do you like to do when you have spare time?
What does an otaku like to do in her spare time? Watch anime. Read manga. Repeat. 8D
10. If you were an animal, what would you be?
An eagle 🙂 This may be just my weirdness showing itself but I think eagles are handsome and cool. 😀 They also have nicely coloured feathers and they have extremely good vision. And they are strong. Not to mention eagles are birds which means freedom 😀
11. What are you doing right now (apart from answering these questions)?
Trying to read a journal article about regulatory compliance in banking.
Now for Takuto’s Anime Cafe’s questions!
1. What is your favorite Japanese animation studio?
Statistically speaking, according to my MALgraph, it says Production I.G. which of course has produced and animated many awesome, impactful anime like Shingeki no Kyojin, Eden of the East, Fairy Tail, Haikyuu!!, Kaleido Star, Kimi ni Todoke, Honey and Clover, Kuroko no Baske and Psycho Pass.
But … I would have to go with BONES for its consistency in delivering quality animation and for choosing the right light novels and stories to bring to the big screens. Thank you for Zetsuen no Tempest, Darker than Black, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Ouran High School Host Club. 🙂
2. What do you do for fun besides anime stuff?
I read fiction; mostly Chinese for the crazy ideas and English general fiction for the psychotic protagonists and weird stories. (American Psycho, Flowers in the Attic anybody?) I have a lot of YA fiction on my to-read list but I generally don’t like to start those unless I get titles personally recommended to me.
3. Cats or dogs?
A dog person through and through. I want an animal friend, not another human-like creature 🙂
4. Yaoi or Yuri >.< or none!?
I am strictly not for any, though I am more tolerant of yaoi than yuri.
5. What was the first anime you have watched?
I believe it was Vampire Knight. I was enamoured with the manga’s art and went right onto the anime. But it didn’t get me into serious anime watching because I really dislike Kaname (and I still do.)
6. What do you like most about anime?
How it made me realise that I still had so many emotions untapped inside me. I used to think I was cold and almost dead inside, until I watched Code Geass, which made me feel more alive than I ever did.
7. Do you see yourself still with anime ten years down the line?
I am actually afraid to answer this question because I am not sure whether it is a yes or a no. I love anime a lot but anime comes with a lot of social stigma and I am not sure whether I will be scorned at if I still watch it at 30. But if I still love it I don’t really have a choice there right?
8. What do you think of fanservice in anime?
Fanservice is a funny thing. You could throw me the same amount of fanservice in two different anime, and I could be either downright irritated or straight up enjoying the visuals (even if its boobs and panty-shots). So it probably depends on the anime.
9. What anime made you scratch your head for a while?
Neon Genesis Evangelion. I am still scratching my head as of now 😀 There’s a way of finding out the significance and symbolism of everything but I just haven’t gotten around to researching either ….
10. Do you recommend anime to non anime fans around you, or do you keep it to yourself?
I don’t because its hard to recommend it to people who just plain don’t like Japanese culture, or who have tried anime before but didn’t like it. And when I appear to excited about it, it achieves the opposite effect on people so I try to play it off cool. Its hard though ><
11. If this café served actual beverages/food by an anime character to you, what would you order and from whom??
Ooh I would want a Maid’s Parfait (if these things actually existed). I would prefer my server to be .. Mayuri from Steins; Gate (I like her cos she’s really cute! :D)
Thank you again for the nominations and that’s all from me for now! 😀 I have had immense fun writing this post yet again hehehe. Do remember to check out Otakurui and Takuto’s Anime Cafe for their insightful anime commentaries and posts! 🙂
Thank you so much LitaKino and Chibi Majo, both awesome anime bloggers and wonderful people <3, for nominating me for the Liebster award all in a single day! 😀 I feel very touched and honoured to be recognised by people like you in the anime blogging community; and I would think that its every blogger’s dream to have people reading what they have to say :’)
So as part of the rules, I will answer 11 questions posed to me by the nominator(s), and I’ll start with LitaKino’s one first!:
1. What made you start your anime blog?
I have been watching anime for some time and with each anime I watched I had a thousand thoughts swirling in my head. I thought they were useless for a long time until one day there was this EUREKA! moment (lol) where I thought: hey, why not put these things down into words? Otherwise no one would know what you are thinking because your thoughts are never gonna be said, spoken or written.
So here we are 🙂
2. Ice cream or pie?
T.T can I choose both?? Especially vanilla ice cream eaten together with New Zealand apple pie fresh from the oven? Pretty please with a cherry on top? 🙂
3. What is the most expensive thing anime wise you have bought?
I’m so sorry!!! For such a big anime fan I have yet to buy any merchandise except for two badges. My parents are really strict on me owning anything physical that is anime related so I confine my love for anime things to online ;_; here’s my two badges on my pencil case though!
4. What other hobbies do you have?
A lot; I barely have time to do anything argh. Anime and manga are at the top of my list, followed by watching TV drama series (usually American, or Chinese historical), reading novels (mostly YA and general fiction for English novels, web novels for Chinese novels), gaming (RPGs, otome games). Writing can be considered as of now 🙂 Also, playing the piano and violin, jogging, daydreaming 😀
5. What is your current opinion on how the world is?
Two words: messed up. Especially with too many negative things happening in the world right now (I just need to read current affairs to feel depressed). There’s too much to say on this topic in my honest opinion
6. Do you have a favourite genre of anime you like to watch?
This is a really tough question for me; because I basically try everything and I like anything that has a good story and relatable characters (though I tend to avoid ecchi and harem types). Looking at my MAL statistics page, however, I think my favourite genre is mecha: yes, giant robots. Why? I like the action, and it almost always involves themes like war and military. (Yes Gundam, looking right at you here.)
7. Is there an anime character that you would really like to cosplay?
Hmm tough one. I am not really into cosplay, but if I ever did I would want to cosplay as somebody that I can reasonably say I look more like 🙂 So it would have to be Uni from Katekyo Hitman Reborn – she’s adorable and one of my favourite ‘little girl’ characters. She also has a hairstyle I would love try out and I daresay I am small enough to be able to pull it off 😀
8. What is one anime thing you are stalking to buy currently?
At this point in time, I really want either a figure of Tobio Kageyama from Haikyuu! or any poster/display related merchandise pertaining to Strobe Edge, HIrunaka no Ryuusei or Kuroko no Basket.
9. Do you think wordpress is an easy blog site to use?
Definitely easier than blogspot! Plus it has the wonderful feature of Reader and tags so I can easily find posts I want to read 😀
10. Do you have any favorite anime reviewers you love to follow?
Basically anybody who writes their own opinions is potentially a favourite for me xD not to mention the blogs of the lovely people who have nominated me and whom I am currently following! A special shoutout to otakurui because she writes really insightful stuff and her tastes really mirror mine 🙂 I also check out http://www.reverseharem.blogspot.com regularly since it has the most comprehensive information and reviews relating to reverse harem anything 🙂 And ultimately Entravity (who does hilarious reviews) and Randomc (perhaps the most famous anime review site on the net?)
11. Do you have an anime crush?
Omg, this is probably the hardest question to answer when you have multiple anime crushes xD. Currently its Tobio Kageyama from Haikyuu!! and Kuroko from Kuroko no Basket 🙂
Whew xD now on to Chibi Majo’s questions!
1. What made you start blogging?
I actually started out writing personal stuff on another blog; but gradually I kind of grew out of it and that blog stagnated. I actually wrote many anime reviews over there but they are rather juvenile I am afraid. I actually answered this question above (check out no. 1) but generally, I really want to improve my writing skills as well 🙂
2. What are your hobbies?
Answered this above as well 🙂 (check out no. 4!)
3. Favourite food?
Japanese mille crepe cake 😀 Japanese flavoured sweets have a lighter and more refreshing taste to it 🙂 tried the French one before but it was ultimately too rich for me!
4. Favourite movie?
My all time favourite is a Chinese one called Red Cliff; its based on historical events in China during the Three Kingdoms era (the anime Kingdom is also based on this story). But currently its really the Imitation Game 😀
5. How long have you been blogging for?
I started this blog only in Dec 2014, but to be honest I have been blogging on another blog since 2 years ago. Even in secondary school I had been blogging in a private one. So um, at least 7 years? But I blogged very little last time and its all personal and angsty and full of teenage mood swings 🙂
6. Favourite song?
Zomg. HOW DO I ANSWER THIS. There are too many! But I would have to go for To the Beginning, the OP for Fate Zero Second Season, by Kalafina. Its the only song that manages to move me to tears even now, 1.5 years after I finished that anime. The feels of that anime are strong :’)
7. Best ice cream flavour?
AHAHAHA. I can’t answer omg I am too fickle minded xD I would have to go with mint chocolate chip because it always cheers me up 🙂
8. Favourite celebrity?
Kevin Cheng, he’s a Hong Kong actor and he’s really good at acting. There are plenty of people like him who are good looking and have superb acting skills; but I like him the most because I feel that his personality is really close to mine 😀
9. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
JAPAN JAPAN JAPAN I WANNA SEE CHERRY BLOSSOMS especially Akihabara I think its the anime capital !!!
10. Do you like playing sport?
I am actually quite bad at sports. I am pretty short even for an Asian so nobody ever wanted me in their teams especially when I also don’t have much hand-eye coordination. I like swimming and jogging; but they are solitary sports 🙂
11. How often do you go on social media?
How about everyday? I am perpetually on Facebook all the time because that’s how I communicate with my real life friends. I have a like-hate relationship with it though.
Okay now 11 random facts about myself:
1. I am Asian, Chinese actually. (but I am not from/a citizen of/reside in China)
2. My ultimate guilty pleasure is to read true blue reverse harem Chinese novels for young adults (menage a trois English/American ones have too much sex and hormones; not really for me.)
3. I am a very shy and socially awkward person.
4. I find myself unable to let myself truly loose, wild and crazy with even people I am closer to in real life; mainly because I am only crazy over anime/manga and these people don’t watch anime/manga.
5. I was accepted into a couple of UK and Australian universities including LSE and ANU to study Economics after I finished my A levels, but I didn’t go overseas to study in the end due to many reasons including financial ones. I am still sincerely apologetic to whoever who didn’t get a place because of me
6. I am a girl (LOL) and 22 this year.
7. I am a worrier; I am afraid that the job that I would get after graduating falls far below the worth of my current degree.
9. I technically do not belong to any religion; but I am closer to Taoism/Buddhism (I always pray at these temples)
10. I am just at 5 feet (152 cm) because I stopped growing at around 13 years old I believe.
11. I have very few friends lol. PLEASE BE FRIENDS WITH ME IF YOU AREN’T YET :>
Now for the Official Rules of the Liebster Award:
If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:
Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!).
Here are the people I nominate for the award. Since I actually follow and know very few bloggers I am just gonna put some of you who have already been nominated cos you guys do deserve to be known more! (you can choose to not answer the questions if you have already been nominated; but of course I’d be very happy if you did :D):
LitaKino: I like her very warm and happy way of blogging and her content is really nice to read after a long day!
Otakurui: Really refreshing content and some really great insights! 🙂
Chibi Majo: really good content! Just recently followed her as well 🙂
Anime Ataraxia: just recently followed! wide coverage of content!
Baka Thoughts: this person really needs more recognition! Her reviews are insightful and I like the way she writes 🙂
Wakuwafu: gem of anime reviews; and a really pretty web design and layout!
Questions that I am providing:
1. What is your definition of happiness?
2. What is more important to you in an anime that you would call good: plot or characters? (assuming you can only pick one)
3. Favourite novel?
4. Favourite drama or TV series?
5. Favourite anime OP or ED?
6. Favourite male and female seiyuu?
7. An interesting story/event about yourself?
8. What Japanese custom/tradition/event would you like to try the most?
9. How important is writing to you?
10. Most beautifully drawn anime/manga character you have ever seen?
11. What kind of scenery do you love the most? (e.g. rivers, mountains, Aurora lights etc. best if you could also put a pic here! :D)
And that concludes my first personal post ever as a shoutout to all my followers! ^^ Thank you for taking your time to read this, and thanks to the two bloggers once again for nominating me 🙂 I had so much fun writing this ❤
the limitless imagination 