I’m always impressed when I see Cardcaptor Sakura [Season 3] as my top post. It’s always there, no matter how many amazing posts I write, Sakura is always the reigning queen. It’s amazing. When I wrote that post, I got very few views, but then it suddenly exploded into the Top Posts list one week later and has remained there ever since. Every time another post snatches her crown, it’s a real feat… It doesn’t happen too often, and even if another post does get more views, the weird thing is that she’s still on the top of the Top Posts list. She’s that hesitant to lose her place. Not even the STRIPPER SONGS COUNTDOWN I prepared with .nodame was able to snatch her spot even though it gets more views than Sakura’s post on certain days.
Over the 1-year time period it’s been up, it managed to collect over 7,000 views and currently makes up around 15% of the views of HEART STATION. I’m very thankful for that, because it is an anime that I enjoy very much and have very sweet memories of. I used to watch it a lot when I was very small (Like in first and/or second grade), so re-watching everything last year was very surreal. Especially because I was watching it in Portuguese, the language I used to watch it in when I was a 1st/2nd grader. It was truly a surprise that a simple review that I wrote about the anime was able to grab so much attention. If I ever start watching another anime that I really like, be sure that there will be more reviews!
One thing that I like very much about Cardcaptor Sakura is the cheerful, feel-good quality of the soundtrack. Not only in the opening and closing theme songs, but also in the actual soundtrack of the anime. The instrumentals picked to set the mood through the show are just right and take care of their task so well. I really like the opening and closing themes for the second season, though! (Especially the closing) I didn’t like the opening before, but it grew on me:
Cardcaptor Sakura [Season 2 Opening]
Cardcaptor Sakura [Season 2 Closing]
I’m not sure, but I think these themes weren’t available for the Portuguese version of the anime, so the fact that there wasn’t a translation for the theme songs kind of helped, because translations have the tendency to slaughter original songs. Especially when it comes to TV shows.
The Portuguese version of Catch You, Catch Me is a guilty pleasure of mine, though. I don’t think it’s that bad!
Catch You, Catch Me [Original Japanese Version]
Catch You, Catch Me [Translated Portuguese Version]
I think they’re both really cute.
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite episode because the show is pretty much surrounded by many mysteries that don’t seem like they exist until they’re actually solved, and this is great, because you don’t feel lost, and yet, you’re involved with the story line. The first season is my favorite, though.
I remember when there used to be a special set of shows called Toonami in the Brazilian version of the Cartoon Network channel, and it was on right when I came home from school, so I’d turn on the television and keep watching anime from 3 to 6. The ones that I most remember are Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon, (Probably because they were the most successful) but there were more and little by little I start to remember random ones that I only watched for several episodes, like Corrector Yui, Super Pig (Even though Super Pig wasn’t from Toonami) and a few others. But Cardcaptor Sakura will always have a special place in my heart.
I used to collect several volumes of the manga (In Portuguese) when I was younger and had all the Clow Cards (Which came with a special Sakura Club magazine), but I don’t have them anymore (The manga and the cards), and in the peak of my Sakura drive, I really wanted to get them back. The first volume, though, is out of print and I’d have to auction it off. The auctions were unsuccessful so I ended up buying the first 3 American volumes of the first season. I guess that’s the equivalent for the first 6 volumes of the Portuguese version:
My 3 Volumes
I’ve read 3/4 of the first one, but put them aside because of school and everything else, but I plan on restarting my graphic novel reading and not waste my super cute American version manga.
Because this week I’m setting up a fantasy mood of memories, who else better to feature other than Lorraine, Carole and Bhavya?
Sakura & Syaoran
They’re the oddest, most hilarious group of BFFs. It’s really hard to describe them because they’re like a mixture of dreamers with an edge that each of them have in a different way. I think it’s better to break them down individually.
Lorraine: Lorraine is so sweet and bitter at the same time. It’s a good mixture, definitely, if you’re on her bright side. I’m so thankful that she stops by every once in a while to comment on my poems and posts, because it surely means a lot! We had some conflicts in the past, but she was also really careful with her words whenever she was involved, and this shows how she really cares about the people in her life! She’s like bubblegum, and you need to chew your way to the fruity interior, and once you’re there, the added flavor will make it worth it!
Comparing someone with bubblegum is so weird. But I think it’s good enough! It makes sense, doesn’t it?
She’s very respectable and knows how to have a good time. She still has a dreamer side to her, and was my anime partner when we were small! We sure have many stories to share from back then and now! And I love it! She’s truly special!
Carole: Carole is more on the cute little friendly side. She makes friends very easily and is also someone to go to when we want to have a good time, especially through conversation. She’s also very careful with her words and this quality makes friendship last so much longer! Because I’m so dramatic and unpredictable, I might end up with a conflict with her as well, but it doesn’t last long because she’s just that social and cute.
It seems like she likes to exercise her creativity because she loves to write stories and drawing. She shares a blog with Bhavya, entitled
“Even though we’re far apart, our friendship lies in our heart..”
and they both write about their experiences, Carole in Brazil and Bhavya in Singapore!
Bhavya: I think that her MSN nickname says it all: Magic Dreamer. She moved to Singapore, but still keeps in touch with us through her blog and whenever we see her online. She’s a sweet Indian girl with a big heart and a naughty side, that’s right Bhavya, we all know it, very open-minded, friendly and supportive of all her friends. She changed a lot since the last time we saw her (It has been 4 years) and we have hilarious conversations.
Just like Carole, she loves writing and drawing and they’re like partners in crime in that area. They have book-long stories together and I admire that, because it’s something I surely don’t have creativity enough to keep up with! Her sense of humor is hilarious and her exotic manners make our times together really funny.
I really appreciate all the support they gave me through these 2 years, and HEART STATION wouldn’t be the same without their kind words! Thank you!
Filed under: About Me
I’ve been writing a lot about some of the history of HEART STATION and some of the times I spend with my friends, but at least when it comes to other people, I love to know about the tiny little random things that make them who they are, not only what they like to do.
I think I’m one of the people with the most pet peeves and habits. People think they know me so well in such a short time because they know what drives me crazy (In good and bad ways), but I can still be very unpredictable sometimes. Randomness is in my O-type blood, it’s unavoidable to me.
Even my blog is proof of that. I have nearly everything I like here, and there could be more, but I do like to write longer posts, so some details are better left unwritten, so my blog doesn’t turn into Twitter.
Here are some random facts about me so you get to know the Alvy behind the blog better:
Top Pet Peeves
- When people answer page-long conversations with a single word.
- When people tell me to calm down, label me or think I’m part of some stereotype.
- When people stutter while they’re talking to me or don’t look me in the eye.
- When people go after people on my friends list or my blogroll so they can have the same friends as me.
- When people go around copying what I do and don’t put enough effort into originality to turn it into their own.
- When someone tries to censor me in some way or another and act hypocritical.
- People who think they don’t make a difference in my life and ignore their importance to me, putting me down as much as themselves and hide what they feel towards me.
- When people don’t want to talk problems through with me and change the subject into something that won’t spawn arguments.
Top Turn-ons
- Cute people who know how to have fun.
- When people appreciate me for who I am and I appreciate them for who they are.
- Respect for difference and genuineness.
- Sense of humor.
- When people put my needs above their own and don’t want me to know.
- When people make me something special just for the sake of making something for me and see me happy.
- When people put on a fresh attitude when I need them to and respect my dramatic outbursts.
- When people care for me and keep asking me if I’m alright even though I tell them I am.
Top Adjectives To Describe Me
- Passionate.
- Perfectionist.
- Observant.
- Sensitive.
- Bitchy.
- Picky.
- True.
Top Habits
- I can speak very quickly without stuttering.
- Start singing when there’s no music playing around me.
- Start shaking my right leg when I don’t move for too long.
- Not putting the pieces together until it’s right on my face.
- Creating a bunch of nicknames for a single person.
- Using either ‘cute’ or ’sexy’ as adjectives for everything.
- Being inconvenient at the worst times.
Hidden Talents
- I’m able to find music on the internet really easily.
- I can lift my left eyebrow.
- I speak in Korean with a Japanese accent (Go figure).
- Tripping on flat surfaces.
I think that the people who know me the most are my friends. I think it’s funny that each of my friends knows things that the others don’t. That’s why the quiz I made about me was so hard. Some are more aware of my habits, others are more aware of my interests, and others are able to absorb everything I tell them, interesting or not. I don’t judge anyone for what kind of information they’d like to absorb about me or not because I understand that I can be a bit in-your-face 24/7, so I completely understand. That’s why I value my friendships so much, and ~12 weeks~ wouldn’t be complete without Laura, Pam and Alice!
Full Circle
I’ve certainly mentioned Pam, Laura and Alice before on HEART STATION, Alice for her vivid, fun personality, Pam for her humor and her writing and Laura for being the romantic little dreamer that she is.
Alice: Alice has been my friend since 5th grade and I love the kind of relationship that we share until today. We don’t have contact daily, and we can still keep a fresh, sweet friendship. I think we have the exact same concept for what friendship is, and that’s why we can nourish it still being far from each other. Every second spent with her is pure fun. It’s incredible. From her witty, humorous remarks, to her sweetness, everything is awesome and I love to got with her to parties and have a good time. Because she’s certainly the one to do so!
We have a series of inside jokes and stories we could share forever and they’re the warmest proof of friends that are too close for distance to take its toll. Of course, we don’t see each other as frequently as before, but when we do, it makes up for everything. Alice is my little sweetheart with a bitch’s heart, and I love it!
Pam: Pam is that friend you can always run to because she’s always there for you, with patience and full of suggestions to make everything better. She has sense of humor, sympathy and maturity enough to keep me in line whenever I go too far, and always eases the process. She’s amazing.
She’s like the ideal human, actually. She’s social, respecting others and always making an effort to include everyone in any sort of place. She’s a vegetarian, lover of all cultures and who’s always trying to be as fair to others as possible. Even though she has all these uncommon, strong opinions and qualities, she can still be the best friend ever. That’s the best about her.
She always gives everything a chance and never judges something without being completely sure of what she feels. Pam is so independent that even we get a bit scared with her. But that’s part of her awesomeness.
Laura: We haven’t been friends as long as I’ve been friends with Pam and Alice, but we have so many inside jokes and stories that time doesn’t really matter when it comes to her.
Laura is that cute little ballerina dreamer with an edge that catches you by surprise. She can be a little autistic sometimes with her little habits, but these moments are so much fun. We have good times, certainly.
Laura is so intelligent. That’s why she’s so witty and that’s where her edge comes from. She’s not afraid to speak her mind because she’s got everything else to support her ideas. She’s a feisty one when she’s after something, she’s also very passionate, and that’s a quality that makes a great friend!
They’re a very eclectic group of friends, but I get along with all of them so well! Maybe it’s because I’m an eclectic group of human being? I love it, though.
Like I had announced before, Cary and I were planning to have a webchat with you guys! Cary seems like she really wants to use Stickam for this, so we’ll be on it tomorrow (August 21st) at around 5 p.m. (UTC -3 time)!
We hope to see you there! I hope you come up with some really interesting topics and questions for us! We’ll try to make it worth your while, but sometimes we might need some help because it is the first time we do this.
Webcams aren’t required, of course, but if you do stop by, be sure to chat with us through the text window so we know what you want to share with us or so we can answer any questions you might have. We plan on being on for 1 hour or so, but this can change depending on the topics and how many of you want to spend some time with us!
Keep up with the updates from my Twitter page, because I’ll be putting up the link for our space there, but I’ll put it here as well, as soon as we’re on.
Hope to see you there!
EDIT: WE’RE LIVE
EDIT: We had a lot of fun with the people that joined us. Thank you! We really appreciated your visits!
Filed under: About Me
It hasn’t all been about fun and joy when it comes to HEART STATION, starting from how it came to exist. Even though the times you made me smile to the computer screen are countless, there are still some times that I write with my heart hurting, and I think the times my heart hurt the most were when I knew I wouldn’t be seeing someone I care for in a long time or when there’s a really big change in my life for the worse.
It’s weird to label my posts as joyful or melancholic, because one way or another, it will end up with bipolar undertones that come from the way I write, but off the top of my head, two posts I think were very sad for me to write about were the ones about my cat’s death, Xuxa, and when Cassie had to leave Brazil. I don’t write goodbye posts as much as I should, maybe only once or twice, and I certainly do more complaining than anything else, so HEART STATION has very few examples of sad posts, it’s not something voluntary, though… Maybe sadness is too much of a soft thing to feel for me to publish it.
But sadness doesn’t last as much as joy, at least not when it comes to me, so I made a list of feel-good songs for whenever any of you are in a bad mood!
Alvy’s Top Feel-Good Songs
1. Keep Tryin’ – Utada Hikaru
2. COME WITH ME – Koda Kumi
3. Time (Clock Of The Heart) – Leah Dizon
4. Give Me Just A Little More Time – Kylie Minogue
5. Rainbow – DBSK
Most of these songs have melancholic lyrics, but they always happen to bring up my mood in very different ways, and I love them. I never get tired of them, so they’re like comfort songs. I’m not a masochist so whenever I feel like I need to upbeat it up, I put on these songs.
Being in an American school, it’s really common to see people come and go, not only students, but teachers as well, so the end of the year is usually filled with farewell parties as our class gets smaller and smaller, but I think that the person who will cause the most impact with her absence is Xy. So I’m dedicating this post to her!
That's right, Xy! This post is for you!
Xy used to be the quiet, exceedingly intelligent Korean girl of the class when she came in for the first time, and kept that image for a whole year. Until she met us.
Xy and the letter I wrote her before she left.
Unfortunately, Xy had to leave back to Korea, but we didn’t let her go before a series of sleep overs (Or wake overs, like we decided to call them, because we didn’t really sleep at all) and some reconnection to make sure we wouldn’t stay out of touch with her when she returned. She sends us sweet little e-mail updates every now and then about her time in Korea and I hope it continues like this because I love reading from her and it makes the distance between Brazil and Korea the shortest possible.
As she was preparing to get to the airport, she called me and put words to my feelings that were all over the place. She told me that she wasn’t as sad as she thought she’d be because it doesn’t seem like the end, like we’re still going to see each other and still have fun like the old days, and I still feel that way. I think that her goodbye was the only one that wasn’t painful to me because we have so much fun together and learn so much from each other that nothing that can come out of our relationship could possibly be negative.
I love Xy to death, from our lengthy, hour-long conversations on MSN to her uber cute pronunciation of “dude” (She says it “djude“) and her adorable laugh that is unmistakable. She’s the friend everyone wishes to get to know once in a lifetime. She has the cute and naughty all wrapped in one cute little Korean bod that is so dear to us! ‘xy’ is half of ’sexy’ after all.
She’s been trying to convert me into a K-Pop lover all her stay here in Brazil, and she got me into BoA, but it’s only now that I’m really listening to this genre and I’m loving it, so it’s so bad that she has left already and couldn’t even enjoy some K-Pop in school with me. I know she won’t miss my endless conversations about J-Pop, though.
She was amazing even when she was leaving Brazil, and turned the situation into the best possible, not trying to make us cry and finally inviting us into her home (which we never got to see before) for a sleep over. It’s amazing how lucky we are, I think finding a BFF who happened to come from Korea to Brazil is harder than finding any other sort of BFF, and we certainly won’t find anyone else like her. 8th and 9th grade wouldn’t be the same without her and it’s sad that she only stayed for 3 years. I wish she’d be here for 10th grade as well.
Xy was able to turn something so sad into something fun, enjoyable and connected us 110% more! It’s not easy to say goodbye with a smile on your face, but she did it, and now we only have the best of memories to remember from her.
Love you, Xy! Hope your having fun in Korea! ♥
Because this is a shorter post, I made up a little special quiz with questions about me and things I posted up either on my Twitter page or right here on HEART STATION. I wanna see how well you know me and who can make it to the first 3 places of the rank! It is kind of difficult, but I tried balancing it up as much as possible so it’s equal for everyone!
Have fun!
Filed under: Pop Culture
If any of you have been checking out .nodame’s blog, 「♥」asian pop attack 「♥」 (Which you should, because it’s one of the best blogs ever) you might’ve noticed her Top 15 Reviews post, where she recommended some really amazing songs! One of them was Set It Up Now by Lee Jung Hyun. I became immediately addicted to the song and I loved it how .nodame described it as an awesome Stripper song. Now what makes a good stripper song according to .nodame?
To me, a good strip song doesn’t necessarily need lyrics for seduction, only a seducing beat. If it has that underlying beat to it that makes you think of dark and deep recesses, makes you swing your hips and toss your hair, then it’s a good song to strip to.
That’s when we decided to join our A-pop addiction, our writing skills and our inner strippers and make a super hot countdown of the best stripper songs! Here’s .nodame’s very accurate (And entertaining) review of Set It Up Now!
Lee Jung Hyun – Set It Up Now
.nodame Stripper song. Seriously. But an awesome stripper song. It’s very ethereal sounding, with a water drop and this weird acid trip like quality. Lee sings with this light, breathy sound to her voice, one not normally heard when listening to her music.
The song starts out light, but then explodes into the the strip happy track that it is. (”Explodes” is a little strong, but I honestly couldn’t think of a better word). Even then she’s not singing, just whispering and going “oooh.” Her youngest sister wrote the song, and if this is what she comes up with, then she needs to write more.
Certainly one of the best (Stripper) songs out there, really addicting and just awesome! It’s what started it all for this countdown so we hope you enjoy as you listen to our very eclectic mix of this wonderful non-genre that will get you stripping in no time!
Tila Tequila – Stripper Friends
Alvy Obviously, Stripper Friends was made for the strip club, but not because it’s dark and liquid like most songs under this non-genre, but because it’s strong and fierce with fun lyrics. It still has a certain dark quality because of the energy of the instrumentals, that are just made for dancing to… just not the normal kind of dancing. Tila’s vocals are really simple and alluring, and matches the synth of the instrumentals really well. This song is by a girl who used to take her sister’s ID just to get some money in the strip club, so it certainly has the stripper quality we look for, with obscurely fun lyrics as a plus.
Stella Soleil – Runaway Crush
.nodame There’s just something ethereal about this track, from the light beginning to the piano at the very end. A lot of it can be contributed to the synthesized orchestra, and some to the light guitar, but a lot of it has to do with Stella’s high, breathy way of singing. There’s a definite hesitation that works with drawn out melody, and those two combined with Stella’s little “oohs” and “aahs” makes for a great track that has you getting in touch with your inner stripper. Not a beat goes by that doesn’t have me rolling my shoulders, hips, and softly bopping my chest.
Britney Spears – Breathe On Me
Alvy Breathe On Me is a lot more obscure and a lot sexier when compared to Stripper Friends. It’s a mixture of hypnotizing beats, Britney’s breathing and soft vocals with that edge that seems to be present in Set It Up Now as well. The lyrics are pretty much sexual and simple, making the listener blush or want to follow Brtiney’s orders. It’s pretty slow-paced, breathy and it lacks the energy that Stripper Friends has to spare, but that only sets the mood to the song, making it perfect for this countdown. In The Zone and Blackout both have pretty good songs for this non-genre that are worth checking out.
Kyoko – ENAMEL
.nodame You know, this song sounds kind of scary when it starts out, but the beat! Oh, the beat! This is the type of song that has you on your knees wiggling back and forth.
I think the highlight of this song is when Kyoko starts the chorus. The drums, guitars, and synth with her not quite but almost raw voice will make you swing your hair with a prompt follow up of your fingers running through it.
Koda Kumi – JUICY
Alvy This song is pretty different from the others because it doesn’t have that full stripper quality, but it’s one of Kumi’s most sexual songs and one that people can certainly dance to.
It has a bit of a dirty vibe to it, with playful yet raunchy instrumentals and Kumi’s sexy vocals. She proves this song is undressing material on the PV, where she’s teasing the dancers with her moves and the naughty atmosphere of the song and setting, it’ll certainly get you in a naughty mood.
Kalafina – serenato
.nodame Kind of surprising, huh? If there were an instrumental version, I would have used that. But alas, I shall use this one.
The bongos, bass, and instrument that I can’t remember the name to give this a renaissance sound that reminds me of belly dancing. Belly dancing = body rolls. Body rolls = sensual seduction.
First listen of this song will have you doing said body rolls, right out of your clothes. (That’s right, I said that XD)
Christina Aguilera – Nasty Naughty Boy
Alvy Nasty Naughty Boy is metaphorically VERY naughty. Even though Xtina uses metaphors to replace what she’s really trying to say, we sure know what she’s talking about quite graphically. This song is more cabaret-styled, like her whole Back To Basics album, with that vintage, old school sound. This song will surely make you blush as Christina sings out the lyrics with her beautifully strong voice. I see The Pussycat Dolls presenting something like this in their lounge, just like Xtina when she was featured with them.
Annie Lennox – Money Can’t Buy It
.nodame There’s a reason why Demi Moore danced to this in “Strip Tease.” Get yourself a pole and BLAST this song!
There really is no way to describe how this is a great strip song. It’s one that you have to experience.
I could go on about the piano, the bass, or the way Annie rips into the chorus at the end. Or I could talk about the very ending when the song reaches it’s climax. But I believe it’s best to hear for yourself ;)
Chocolate (Radio Edit) – Kylie Minogue
Alvy Out of the whole list, this song is my #1. I love it to death. The album title says it all: Body Language. Chocolate (Radio Edit) is very sexy, and not as explicit as other songs on my list, and that’s what brings a naturally sexy song. The beat and Kylie’s voice set the whole mood, leaving the lyrics as detail. It’s that good. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it and it’s perfect for this countdown. Kylie is known for her sex symbol image, and she surely lives up to that with this song. This song just melts you down like chocolate.
Bennie K – HI-EXPLOSION with DJ HIGH-KICK
.nodame Pretty surprising, listing a fast song on here. But that’s the beauty of it. It gets you jumping, and the next thing your know your clothes are off!
The way the girls go about dragging out the notes in a very lazy manner (during some parts of the song) really makes your (or at least, my) inner stripper take notice.
The music is fast, but there’s this underlying beat that screams “wiggle to me”, and during the rap your hips will definitely wiggle. This is definitely a pole song, one meant for swinging fast and hard. I like to think of this as a 60s stripper track.
Caution while you listen to the songs and be sure to hold on tight to your clothes! We hope you enjoy our recommendations and have lots of fun, because we had lots of fun compiling them for you!
Thank you so much, .nodame! You’re the sweetest! ♥
Filed under: About Me
Like I mentioned before, when I started HEART STATION, I was involved in a very shallow level with Japanese music, but my interest started to grow the more I listened to what I had, but Utada was the artist that got me into Japanese music and she’s still my favorite. She’s the only artist I know that I can put on shuffle and love every song I’m listening to.
Hikki is just a genius. She can turn pop music in the most poetic genre you’ve ever listened to, with intricate instrumentals, breath-taking vocals and an R&B quality anyone can relate to. 1 in every 2 Japanese citizens own an Utada Hikaru album. That’s how amazing she is. She’s American, but is yet to breakout in the States, so maybe it was an easy transition for me into J-Pop because she does have her own American music. Her music is universal, though and I love everything about it. She’s also so humble and sweet. She does have a little bit of a diva within, though because she’s been in the industry since she was 16, but it’s part of her charm.
Hikki is labeled as the Japanese Mariah Carey, which I think is an accurate label for her because of the record sales and the genres she covers, but before Hikki, there was Christina Aguilera, and I couldn’t help but look for a Japanese equivalent of hers.
Koda Kumi was exactly what I was looking for. I remember I had the Final Fantasy X-2 game (Which included her song, real Emotion as the main theme), but it wasn’t what brought me to her music. It was just a really awesome coincidence. The first album I listened to by Kumi 24/7 was Kingdom. It’s an amazing album, full of variety, emotion, and the best introduction for her work.
Very different from Utada in a very good way. I simply loved her style and her voice. I think that out of all the J-Pop divas out there, Kumi is the most relatable to people who aren’t familiar with Japanese music because of her variety.
I remember that on the first post of On Our Way, Sofy was the drunk one, Cary was the musician and I was simply the Xtina addict. Is that even descriptive of me? It didn’t matter because Xtina is amazing, her personality, her career and her music are all incredible and she was simply born to be a singer. She does take her time, though. In 10 years of her career, she only has 4 official studio albums (Only 3 in the English language), but even so, we forgive her, because when she does come out with something, it’s mind-blowing.
I guess she set me in the R&B/Pop mindset since I was a child, and I love it, because I don’t know how my musical taste would be without Xtina’s influence, I still love her to death, though, and I’m hoping her next album is just as edgy and perfect as Stripped. She’s the true incarnation of diva and she’s hella good at being so.
I discovered Maki only recently, through her recent avex works, but she’s already at the top of my playlist. She’s that good. She has used to have that sweetheart idol image, but now she’s grown a lot career-wise and the dance-like genre she decided to pursue is perfect for her. Fly away rocks my world even now. It’s that atemporal.
By the time she releases her first mini-album, SWEET BLACK, she’s probably going to be at the top of my playlist. The secret behind her music is behind her beautiful voice and how amazing her instrumentals are. I hope her mini-album is a hit and people get to see how she matured and how amazing her collaborations have been!
DBSK is like my non-guilty guilty pleasure. I used to completely ignore boy bands and male singers until @junniorkopke recommended DBSK to me. I got addicted as soon as I listened to MIROTIC. Their music is so good. I guess I knew I was going to get addicted to a boy band, that’s why I felt the need to remove the “All-female music library” detail on my “About Me” page. This is a huge deal for me, not only because it’s a boy band but because it’s a Korean boy bad. Before, I didn’t listen to K-Pop at all, let alone boy bands.
DBSK is currently tied with Utada Hikaru in my newly created Last.fm account (That’s one more 1-man exodus right there). That’s how addicted I am to them. Junsu is my favorite one of the group (The first one to the left). He’s too hilarious.
If HEART STATION was to have a song by each of these artists in a playlist right now, it’d be the following:
Utada Hikaru – HEART STATION
Utada – Animato
Koda Kumi – Someday
Christina Aguilera – Stripped Intro
Maki Goto – Fly away
DBSK – 무지개
I love all these artists above and I’m sure they’re not going anywhere for a while if not on my Last.fm page. Speaking of divas, I can’t help but mention my favorite one, Brener, and if it weren’t for him, ~12 weeks~ would probably not even be in session anymore. He rocks, and he can uplift us just as far as he can depress us. So here’s a shout-out to him!
Another member of UB that is really dear to me is Mr. Rapha-chan!
Rapha-chan/Rapha-cat/Ahtka-chan
I call him Mr. because I think I always did, not because he’s older than me, because he’s about 20 days younger. But there was a certain time I thought he was older than me, he just sounded very mature.
Rapha-chan and I have history, seriously, and we’ve known each other for months, only. Before it was a very love-hate relationship and I thought he was bipolar or something because he loved telling me that he didn’t want to talk to me anymore and that nothing that I say will ever bring him anywhere, so we might as well stop talking to each other. He got me really down at times, but deep inside I liked the bipolar Rapha-chan just as much as the normal one.
He had a reason for treating me that way, though, and I totally understand where he was coming from after he came clean to me and I’m so happy we’re beyond that now and that the reasons why he was upset are really so miniscule, we have a really similar mindset so we get along very well. I am his ‘defective alter ego’, after all!
I talk to him nearly everyday about all sorts of stuff and I get surprised how we’re so natural. When I talk to some other people on MSN, I still have communication issues (It makes it so much worse when the other person doesn’t take time to understand), but with him it’s like I’m talking face-to-face, I know nearly everything about him and so does he about me.
His English is also the cutest little language, I never get tired of it. It’s a habit saying this every time I mention him, but you might know him from his work as Ahtka-chan as well, if you’ve ever listened to his amazing mash-ups.
I love to hear from him every time he’s on MSN, every time he comments or every time he sends me a tweet, he’s always so friendly. He’s also another person who makes me feel so good when I’m down. I always have him to talk to and share my feelings with whenever and it means so much to me, I hope he knows I’m here for him too.
I started thinking he was older than me, then he went to the bipolar image, then the sweet image, and now he’s one of my best friends, who I argue with and make-up just like anyone else. Even when we fight, I miss him, it’s weird because I’m usually the reason why we’re arguing and yet, I’m the first one to give in. He always understands me and doesn’t want me miserable, and that’s the best quality in a friend, and I’m so happy that sometimes he puts my happiness above his own and there are some things that he might think I don’t notice, but I do, and that’s why I value him so much.
I don’t have enough words to describe him, he’s just amazing! Like he puts it, “Someday we’ll rule the world!” Yes we will, Rapha-cat!
This is nothing new for Twitter users, but every friday, Twitterers from all over the world join in for the Follow Friday (#followfriday), where you recommend users you really enjoy to other users, but I’m really picky, so if I were to #followfriday, I’d keep recommending the same people, so this week I decided to work on something different and collect some of the best replies/tweets I’ve read recently from some of my favorite Twitterers, of course, the list is huge for my favorite Twitterers and some don’t show up now, but they’ll certainly show up later when I put more thought into older tweets and as time brings me some really hilarious moments to share with them.
Yesterday, a friend that used to live here in Brazil was online and we were talking and she brought up her project about food and asked me if I had any snacks. I thought my response was too random and awesome to be left out of Twitter, and this is how it went outside of the MSN window and onto the Twitter screen:
These random statements generate the best responses. @HeyCameron is a follower that I have since the Utada event and he’s always been helping me out and talking to me when I need someone to talk to. Utada fans are so the best. Lucky bitch.
Of course, it’s not all about the laughs, sometimes I get really sweet tweets from others that really make me happy, so it’s also about the smiles:
and I also get the sweetest compliments every once in a while, and it makes it so much better when they’re from people that I have a great time with but who I don’t know personally:
Here, @junniorkopke says:
I was checking out your blog, wow very cool, I drooled about your English. I wanted to write posts in English for my blog as well, but my English is awful
I thought that was so sweet of him. We have a bunch of random conversations every once in a while, he’s great!
Sometimes I also get people describing my tweets randomly, like @adoniasjunior:
#atoron is equivalent to ‘loves it’ in English, and #perigon is similar to ‘dangerous’. I love these ‘-n’ ending words, they’re hilarious to me in Portuguese.
The friendly shout-outs I receive are also the cutest things. Some of them make me smile so hard that I can’t even think about what to reply (Like in the case of @Raphachan’s tweet), they’re seriously just too cute for words.
Of course, there’s a bunch of sweet little friendship tweets around, but I’d go crazy if I were to post them all here. I’ll be getting to them on the next volumes, though, so be sure that if you’re really sweet and cute and you love me just as much as I love you, you’ll be up here in no time!
Speaking of love, every now and then I also get little ‘I love you’ tweets that I think are so cute as well. ‘I love yous’ do have a certain limit, but I love to read it, so if you wanna make me happy, tweet me something special!
So cute. But the first person to tell me something like this on Twitter caused a little bit of controversy between some of my friends, I thought it was so cute. Thank you, @TheDannyNoriega! It was so much fun looking at people’s reactions. I love you all, you know it.
And then, of course, are my lovely, super cute and fun random conversations with my boys:
That’s why #followfridays are so monotonous for me. I have the cutest people already! So happy #followfriday and be sure to check out some of these super awesome Twitterers!
SWEET BLACK feat. MAKI GOTO
「SWEET BLACK」
2009.9.16 Release!
【CD】
01. Queen Bee with BIGGA RAIJI
02. Lady-Rise
03. Candy
04. TEAR DROPS with KG
05. Mine with KEN THE 390
06. Fly away
07. Plastic Lover
08. with…
【DVD】
01. “Fly away” MUSIC VIDEO
02. “Lady-Rise” MUSIC VIDEO
03. “with…” MUSIC VIDEO
04. mixiドラマ完全版
Lately, my tweets have all been about how Maki’s music is amazing and about all the wonderful things that are coming out about her lately. Just today, the cover art for her first avex project, SWEET BLACK, came out. At first I wasn’t liking it at all, it was too random, especially because I was expecting something pink and black (Because of the whole theme behind the SWEET BLACK collaboration), but now I’m really loving it just for that same reason, it’s beautiful and unexpected and I think it’s really cute for her first mini-album.
I’m really excited about it! It comes out next month with 4 brand new tracks (Since Fly away, Lady-Rise, with…, and Plastic Lover have all been released previously) and the DVD comes with 3 music videos. If you pre-order it, though, you’ll get a deluxe 64-paged booklet with a special cover and a bonus documentary/drama.
I want to pre-order it so bad, I love every single song that came out by her recently and I’m sure this mini-album is going to be amazing. Some radio rips have leaked into the internet but they’re still not enough to quench my thirst for more Maki.
Plastic Lover (Club Mix) was released yesterday as part of HOUSE NATION’s new compilation, Aquamarine. I’m still crazy looking for it and I can’t find it anywhere, but I think it’ll come up soon.
Filed under: About Me
Throughout these 2 years, I haven’t thrived in too many other places other than HEART STATION. I love it how I can write about anything here, because, lets face it, I’m one of the most random people you’ll ever get to know, and here I can show you my many sides all in one place:
The J-Pop Lover
The BFF
The Bare Naked Melancholic
The Heartbroken Jammer
and many more, of course. But every now and then I find a way to expand my writing to other places outside of HEART STATION.
This started on November of 2008, and I really wanted to expand the Hikki part of HEART STATION somehow, or at least finding a better outlet for it. I was aware that a new Brazilian fansite for Utada was starting out, entitled UtadaBrasil.com. The fact that it hadn’t gone online yet was quite alluring, and the homepage looked really promising. I sent them an e-mail immediately, making myself available to translate Hikki’s messages and anything else they might need relating to translations or news. It was then that I discovered that it was an inexistent e-mail. They probably created it in the spur of the moment and didn’t have much patience to continue on with the project, so the URL is completely vacant now. There was no other way I could contact the team (If there was, I’d probably be a part of their staff by now), so I gave up on that website and finally remembered another Utada Hikaru fansite that I went to several times and was quite fond of its history, I remember there being a boy who discovered the Movin’ on without you single at a family’s member house and it was that single that made him fall in love with Asian music.
Back then, its URL was UtadaHikaru.com.br, and, unlike UtadaBrasil.com, it had a valid contact address. I noticed that they were lagging a bit behind on Utada’s blog posts and the news, so I thought that it’d be a good idea to join them even though they appeared to be well on their way. I sent them an e-mail and a couple days later, got the response. I’d be helping them out with Hikki’s translations (This included interviews, news and blog posts) and would post news too. I was really eager to begin!
I hate to admit this, but if there was one thing that I completely controlled in my life was the people I let take part in it. I wouldn’t allow anyone to get near me unless I knew that person personally. I was lucky to have Adonias Junior be the first person I let into my life without having any idea of who he is. He’s the boss over at UB, and I had no idea that when I joined the Utada Brasil team, I’d be going through so much. In just 5 months that I had joined them, I got to see and ‘talk’ to Utada in person! It was such an amazing experience and I have them to thank, because I don’t think I would’ve had all that effort to go if not for them and all the Brazilian fans who wanted me to deliver her the fanbook we prepared.
That’s when I decided to venture even further and start out my own Twitter account. I love it to death until today. I created it 5 months ago and I already have over 1,400 updates. All 100% random and every single thing I don’t put up here is there. It’s like a partnership that I like very much. I love reading what others are up to and writing what I’m up to as well. I got to read up on some really amazing people (@junniorkopke @latinramen @cucupan@heycameron @cutebutdeadly, and recently, @niiwa) and I love this type of connection! It’s fun, random and so heartwarming sometimes! I also got some tweets from my favorite icons Danny Noriega, Onch, Arika and CuteButDeadly! They made me so happy for replying to me.
But even before there was Twitter, there was a²fiction, my first review blog. It’s always on a periodical, constant hiatus, but I write on it every now and then. I also got to know some really cute people through my reviews and partner up with a few more to post up amazing cover art (courtesy of cucupan) and the incredible header (courtesy of Adonias). Even though it’s a bit neglected, I still like it very much and whenever the mood strikes, I come back to it. We have such a painful on-and-off-again relationship.
I’m off to a slow progression regarding expansions to other spaces around the internet, but I’m happy with what I have now and everyone I got to meet through the internet. I have nobody else to thank for that if not Adonias.
Boss/Twitter Hottie/Web-designer, my BvFF
There have been so many ups and downs since I joined Utada Brasil that I have to start by apologizing. I’m so passionate about everything that sometimes I end up bringing people with me wherever I’m at emotionally. I hope I don’t bring you guys down as much I imagine I do.
He was always the friendliest person I could meet online. Ever since day 1. The first time I got to talk to him was over MSN when I was wondering where he’d be at because I couldn’t find him anywhere. I found him at midnight and I felt so welcome. It’s so weird how he caused so many impressions over me as I got to know him better. Before, it was the boy from Movin’ on without you, but when I first talked to him, I thought he was married, but with time, I got to know him better and now the only impression I get is that of himself.
I wish I had known him before because I love to observe just how far he came since he started creating numerous accounts over the internet, but I know he always stuck to being the friendly, sweet person that he is. I felt extremely welcome when I joined Utada Brasil because of him, and never asked about the other members before because I thought it was enough that I had met him.
Every now and then he says the cutest little English phrases. I keep smiling at the computer screen when I read them because they’re so adorable, for example:
Do not forget that u catch a friend.
and
My BvFF.
BvFF is a term he came up with for ‘best virtual friends forever’ which I thought was so cute. It doesn’t even seem like we’re BvFFs, he knows a few of my friends and I’m sure all my friends have heard about him, so it’s like he’s a normal friend. Especially because we argue (occasionally, but it’s completely my fault) and make up like we know each other since forever.
I remember when our friendship was still in that first stage and he was always trying to show me all his little spaces through the internet like his fotolog account and everything else. It was just a really sweet beginning and I kind of miss it.
He’s always there to help, so I love to help him out as well, as kind of a ‘thank you’ for him being able to stick with me even though I’m so moody and unpredictable. It means so much to me and I don’t take it for granted when somebody wants to spend time with me.
I learned so much from our friendship and from the best person to learn from because he’s so understanding, patient and amazing. I feel like I’m talking to someone my own age and I love it. It was also him who brought me to make a Portuguese version of ~12 weeks~.
He’s the sweetest, cutest friend (and boss) and I’m so glad I got to know him, all through an inexistent e-mail! I hope he’s always there for me because I’ll do the same for him. I feel very lucky that he started all of this for me, basically, and if it weren’t for him, I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to ‘talk’ to Utada herself.
We love ya, JUNIOR! (aka Dondon/Juninho/Adoninhas)
