Hobbies: deep or not?

Oha

This is a simple question that I have for my dear readers out there ^-^
We all have similar interests, sometimes our interests vary but, we can still appreciate those differences.

Just how deeply involved are you with your hobbies?
Do you feel that it takes up a lot of your time, how do you feel about that?

Someone that I care for greatly told me, "Do not confuse your hobbies with your life".

It seems like a simple statement at first but, upon further thought... it is not. Being passionate about something, in itself, is not bad. Having your passions replace your life, is not an event that we choose.
We make it happen.
How one ensures that this delicate balance is preserved is simply the power of the mind. If we are aware of the difference between reality and our passions, we should be able to control it.

Let's hope that we can all achieve this while still enjoying our hobbies!

That ends this post
'Til we next meet
~suki

Otaku and merchandise

Oha!

A slightly different post for today. It's a question to the female Otaku out there though; I don't mind males answering either ^-^

There are a few figurines which are made with the intent of revealing more of the body than others but, there is others which just happen to be revealing in one instance.
Whichever you prefer of the two, if your friends and family do not approve of your hobby, it may be hard to display these types of figurines...

What is your reaction to a figurine that suits your tastes but, you are unable to display it for certain reasons?

Personally, I avoid any figurine that exposes more than a bunny-girl figure would. It is a sad thing as there are many figurines that grab my interest but, cannot be displayed due to their appearance ^^;

That ends this post
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Idle fun

Oha!

It has been quite some time since my last post, I hope that you are all faring well?
I've realised just how sucky my connection can be so, content heavy blogs are ones that I can't visit often. I apologise if anyone reading this is victim to this m(_ _)m

On the Otaku side of things, I have increased my collection a bit ^-^
Having acquired some visual novels a while back and between my art and other gaming, I've been trying my hand at Tsukihime and Kanon.
They're very good games and I'd recommend them to anyone, really.

Do you play visual novels/eroge? If so, what are you playing at the moment?

Waiting for releases are painful and I'm sure you understand this feeling ;_;
In about two weeks or so, my Tohsaka Rin Figma is scheduled to arrive.. so that is my current countdown.

What are you currently waiting on?

Well, that ends this post. Please look forward to more in future.
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Learning Japanese

Oha

It's been quite some time since I first realised just how many Otaku are able to speak, read and write Japanese.
Perhaps the enthusiasm stems from the love of anime or manga but, that alone won't help one to learn another language, especially Japanese.

So, I wondered...

Why do we want to learn Japanese? What keeps us motivated?

Let's share our reason for learning this wonderful language and how we overcome the obstacles that stand in our way.

'Til we next meet,
~suki

Site Cleaning | Air Show | Presidential Resignation

Oha

As you may have noticed, the banner has been changed! It features Takaze Mizuki from the Comic Party game made by Leaf (Leaf-fangirl here)
The banner may rotate every now and then; it's a bit hard to say right now though. The text on the banner hurts my eyes but, for the life of me, I can't seem to get rid of it ^^;
There are simply too many adorable characters out there, don't you think?

How were you able to choose your banner mascot?

The weekend presented a lovely event, the International Air Show!
A full write up as well as a Flickr link is being prepared, though the size of the pictures is a bit concerning ^^;
Please look forward to it!

Not really relating to the site or hobbies...
The president of South Africa has resigned.
Normally local politics would simply tire me out and I'd lose interest but, this is big news.
The elections will most probably be moved closer and this would move my first time of voting nearer.
A daunting task, I think.

Have you had the opportunity to vote? Do you follow the politics of your country?

T_T Been double-checking myblogroll list and somehow, with the changes added... my blogrolls have disappeared! Will add what I can but, otherwise, please comment if you would like to be added m(_ _)m

That ends this post.
'Til we next meet,

~suki

Otaku battle: Manga, novels & anime

Oha!
Just a short little post today. This was inspired after I realised just how much time I spent reading manga this week ^^;

Among Otaku, there are preferences between favoured things, such as anime, novels and manga. There are many debates as to what may be the superior between them but, one rule is imminent. A beautiful, undiscovered world can be found in all of them.

Which do you prefer between those and why?

'Til we next meet,
~suki

Good Smile Company English Site Launched!

Oha!

A joyous announcement, fellow figure-taku! Finally, Good Smile Company has become accessible for the English-speaking community.
A great thanks to everyone at GSC, Danny Choo, Danny Choo translating team and other parties involved.

The English GSC site runs on the same setup as the DC site, not only allowing the DC members to take kindly to the familiar, It also provides a user-friendly layout to newcomers.
The provisions does not stop there, GSC English site provides detailed reviews, archives of older figures, overseas ordering and thanks to Danny's corner, a closer look at the wonderful world of figure-making.

Surely, with all this goodies, even non-figure-takus’ are sure to be interested.
Please check the site out HERE

> I am in no way commissioned to write this. This is merely an article to show my appreciation and spread the word of this event.
Pic is taken by Danny Choo

Till we next meet,
~suki

Otaku are often misunderstood

Oha!

I just finished lucky Star a while back and I often find myself comparing situations in anime to real life, especially if it involves Otaku.

The scene pictured above, is from Lucky Star. I recall on Danny Choo's member news, there are often threads of people discussing experiences of Otaku facing the opinions of 'normal folks'.
Otaku is normally used as a degenerative word but, among those who are hobbyists, it's more like a title of some sort (like a name tag).
Most people refer to problems they experience just because they enjoy their hobby but, has anyone experienced other forms of prejudice?
(Being criticised for liking anime and being a certain race, religion, gender or nationality).

It's quite depressing to read that even among Otaku, there are those who are shunned for being 'DEEP' or uncommon Otaku hobbies.
Stereotypes are probably another bad habit among certain Otaku. As a female Otaku, I don't enjoy Yaoi or Shounen-ai but, if one is stereotypical, I would be a Fujoshi ^^;

There are more stereotypes and bad habits but, listing all of them would allow this post to become far too depressing.
Instead, let's think of ways to avoid stereotypes and bad habits.

How would you educate others about Otakuism and avoid stereotypes?

Till we next meet,
~suki

Tiredness ~_~

Oha!

This is not much of a post, sadly. I have planned and scheduled future posts but, have not made the time to type them up ^^;
The last meetup I had is partially to blame, as I've gotten hold of many anime series. Watching anime til the early hours of the morning may be fun but, sooner or later... those late nights catch up to you.
There's the issue of other tasks as well.. so, essentially this tiredness is my own responsiblity...

On a lighter note, I hope to attend a local Air Show on the 20 September! I have not been able to attend since two years ago and I'm quite excited to see what will be on display. I hope to take pics but, I still can't find my battery charger... I feel like Osaka T___T

Finally, I'm thinking of giving the site a change! since I've been invited ot do a banner exchange, I wanted to change it but, I've been a bit lost.
I hope to find a banner that you'll all like ^-^

Until we next meet,
~suki

Figures | meetups | weird dreams

Oha!
It certainly has been a while since my last post. Sorry about that.
This is simple, life/otaku post but, please enjoy it.

Finally, my figure count of 8 has grown to 12 last week Friday. I placed an order for more Mecha Musume and Strike Witches trading figures, though I failed to mention this on my blog ^^;
Expect pics soon!

The day after, I hosted a little Otaku meet at my house. It was my first tie hosting one and needless to say, I was rather nervous. My parents weren't upset, they seemed to support the idea and even went as far as to buy food and related supplies for the event.
I really appreciate their ability to accept my hobby, even though they didn't at first XD
From the anticipated amount of 9, a total of 4 people were able to make it.
Sometimes smaller events are better. This proved to be true as between all the chatting; eating, trading... a smaller group is able to manage efficiently.
In short, the meetup was a success and hopefully, in future I shall blog our events in more depth.

A more random note, a dream that I had last night. I suspect that this dream is the result of being away form the internet for a while and my thoughts were occupied by it in my dreams XD
In short, the dream revolved around a party held by Danny Choo and all the members were invited, including myself. Here we bought Star Wars models, played Metal Gear Solid 4, solved paths for certain eroge...

A strange dream indeed ^^;

Do any of you get dreams like that? Have you had any strange anime-related dreams?

Till we next meet,
~suki