new banners. =)

i hope everyone likes the new banners. =)
thanks to Marser again 4 letting me use the pic!

it really brightens up the blogs! it's the summer banner. i'm gonna change the picture for the banner each season at least, or each time i see a really nice picture...i got the idea kinda from ellen's tv show, where she'd change the bg pic of the big screens behind her onstage, and partly from igoogle's theme where each day, it's a different background.
it would make the blogs look nicer, right? and cuz i'm not so good at making banners with toma's pics, this is a good way of changing the banners once in a while & also sharing with you all some beautiful photos of nature! i went thru A LOT of pics at flickr, too many... to find the one that i'm using now. a lot are pretty, but they're either too small or not the right season. FINALLY, this was 1 of the last pics i found.
AMAZINGLY, only after choosing this pic did i notice that that cloud looks like a HEART!! what a wonderful coincidence, right?? xD (btw, *Sakura* has got some of the most amazing (and colorful!) flower/nature photos i've ever seen!! u gotta check them out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sakura-kame/)

To Our Leaders: Give Us 100% Clean Electricity in 10 Years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydOPBL5iO2Y

Everyone!

pls watch this cool new wecansolveit.org ad!

Everyone! (especially those of u in the USA)
pls favorite, and share with your friends & family, this groundbreaking new ad to help FREE US from an addiction to expensive fossil fuels.

Thank you!

kate`*

Summer, the moment I fell in love.

[summer! pic taken by: j-n-t, http://www.flickr.com/photos/txjenn/2450577109/]

♥ toma-ism #41:
Toma-chan,
AISHITERU!
I LOVE YOU.
~_~ yoroshiku!

♥ toma-ism #42:
Toma-chan...
I think i know
...what love is after meeting you
In my eyes, only you
On my lips, only laughter,
This feeling
...that fills my heart
This is love, right?
[muzikluvah07's translated lyrics of
Younha's song, A perfect day to confess my love]

These R all great titles that i wanted to use for this post~

♥ summer night fairy tale (edison song),
♥ it started with a kiss (taiwan drama title),
♥ Kate Falls In Love Tonight at 11-ish! (slightly altered Monk newsletter title. xD),
♥ Love Story~ First Chapter (eric suen song),
♥ Summer, the moment I fell in love (slightly altered Hachikuro ep. 1 title),
♥ The perfect day to say i love u (younha song)
♥ A love to be proud of (Hachikuro's ep.11 -last episode- title)

[this is the surprising kiss that helped lead me to toma!! credit: 16nightsmoon]

yes, this is why i've been acting a little mysteriously. haha~
Ureshii!!!! (I'm so happy!) ~__~

today is the day!
it all started today last year.
the day i discovered toma. ♥
the day i became his fan. ♥


well, u can go here for my long explanation about how i discovered toma!
http://ikutatomalove.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-i-found-out-about-toma-kun-timeline.html
(and here for why i'm tomaddicted!
http://ikutatomalove.blogspot.com/2007/10/why-im-addicted-to-toma-chan.html)


[1 of the first times i saw toma, he was running/breathing hard. he wasn't doing anything cute or funny, but right away, i started to like him!]

let's start from the beginning.... probably at 3something pm of aug.30 [cuz i checked on my computer-- i saved the Ikuta Toma Memories MV about him at 3.13pm] i first saw toma in the super short hana kimi scene that sano kisses nakatsu. then i saw him a little more in an MV a fan made about hana kimi (featuring mizuki and sano, very little of nakatsu).
1 of the first times i saw toma, he was running at the end of the marathon, in this mv. =) i remember thinking, this guy really seems genuine and hard-working! and it's still these reasons that makes me like him a lot!! that night...maybe 11-ish pm, i looked for more hana kimi video clips and the more i saw of toma as nakatsu, the more i liked him. =) in fact, i wrote at the hacken forum, at 12:30am on Aug 31 2007, recommending ppl there to watch the japan hana kimi cuz it seems really good and: "i'm gonna try watching it for Toma Ikuta, who REALLY looks cute + cool ---like he belongs in a manga!! haha."
THAT NIGHT...i saw THAT MV still featured at my kate6002 youtube page now, that instantly started my crush on him, i was completely smitten! so at that moment, late that night, that was when i started to love toma, u could say! ma, it wasn't exactly love at first sight, but very close to it ne! =)


on aug. 30 of last year, i had no idea how my life was about to change. all because of him, ikuta toma! all thanks to him... he's lit up my life and made me happier in so many ways. and that time, i was feeling really down, too. but then toma appeared, and he completely brightened up my life and also helped me stay positive & strong!! he really saved me, in a way! TOMA'S MY HERO and the prince charming i've been dreaming of all my life!! ^_^ i really hope i can meet him one day and tell him all this...how he's made a huge difference in my life. u know, i've never felt this way about any of the stars i've had crushes on before...
seriously, there was a moment while watching hana kimi that i just wanted 2 immediately fly to japan and find a way to see him!! it was when nakatsu politely rejected komari and ran to find mizuki. and then he yelled at sano, then ran out and stopped her. and said "i need you!" And i was so touched by his passionate acting!! he is so amazingly talented & awesome!!! i just wanted to go to japan ASAP and tell toma, "you are so amazing in hana kimi!! you're a brilliant actor!! thank you for your hard work!!" ...and "i need you!!" *__* i don't know what'd i'd do without him!! ARIGATOU TOMA-CHAN!! even though u don't know me at all, but i'm happy just supporting you from far away. =) like you said, sometimes unrequited love is also good..."To constantly watch over someone is a form of love." (f/teacup@LJ's translation of his interview: http://teacup79.livejournal.com/3805.html#cutid1 )
Ah~ the invisible red thread of love has linked us together!!

though it's often quite time-consuming to be a toma fan and spread toma love, but i'm extremely happy and proud to be his fan! i'll even shout it from the mountaintops and shout it to the sea if i get the chance (and no1 else is around. haha!): "I LOVE YOU, TOMA-CHAN!!", "toma, daisuki!!", "I'LL ALWAYS BE YOUR FAN AND SUPPORT YOU, TOMA!!" xD
And toma's got this kinda power over me, so i just can't stop...ah~ it's cuz he's so irresistible and charming and incredibly cute!! he's crazy talented, too, of course! he's got this power over me, i can't stop watching him in dramas/shows / reading about him / looking at his pictures,etc. .... it's like he's a svenjolly (svengali). cuz "he's got like a, cheerful mental hold on [me]." lol~! (u'll get this if u're a seinfeld fan. it's what jerry said to elaine in The Wallet episode. find it at www.seinology.com!)

oh, i wanna say a SHOUT-OUT to all toma fans: YOU ROCK!!
i'm proud of u! and u should be proud of yourselves, give yourself a pat on the back now! better yet, give yourself a hug and clap enthusiastically! xD especially the Tomalicious staff, THEY ARE ALL EXTRA AWESOME & SO HELPFUL AND GENEROUS AND HARD-WORKING AND JUST MADE OF AWESOMENESS!!!! ^_^ ***AND ALL THE TOMA FANS THAT TRANSLATE/ SHARE SCANS/ GO SEE TOMA'S PLAYS/ BUY TOMA STUFF, u are all SUPER COOL and AWESOME! *** really, being an overseas fan, i wouldn't be able 2 watch toma's dramas or see his pictures or read his news or do much of anything without the help of other toma fans, especially those at Tomalicious and the Ikuta Toma LJ! really, toma fans are all so great, cute, funny/witty, passionate, devoted/loyal, hard-working, friendly, and COOL.
i'm so happy to be a member of this international team of girls (ok, mostly girls/women. haha~ toma's guy fans, i'm proud of u too!!) that love and support toma, 24/7. ♥

ah-hh, it's so perfect, how 1 of the first times i saw toma, he was running! cuz he's always saying he's trying his best and he'll keep fighting. =) and when i think of him running, i think of him continuing to fight, to dream. i think of all the obstacles he's been able to overcome...all his hard work, determination and courage! and all the things he says or does that inspires me and gives me energy!! ma, TOMA LOVE gives me a lot of energy!!! and i'm sure many of his fans feel the
same way i do! he really is our hero ne!
If life is a journey, i'm happy that, in a way, toma is walking beside me on this long road ahead. in a way, he supports me just as much as i support him. Life is also like a marathon~ a long and difficult race. toma helps me hang on, stay strong, and have the courage to continue running! toma, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!♥ let's keep running!! we definitely won't lose!

ja, till next time!
(ESPECIALLY THANK *you* FOR
READING THIS SUPER LONG ENTRY TILL THE END! ~_~)

so, i'm signing off.
feeling happily chaotic!

kate`*

♥ toma-ism #43:
Toma-chan...
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart's shooting stars
You're holding heaven in your arms
Have you ever been so in love

Have you ever walked on air
Ever felt like you were dreamin'
When you never thought it could
But it really feels that good
Have you ever been so in love

...have you ever been so in love, so in love
You could touch the moonlight
You can even reach the stars
Doesn't matter near or far
Have you ever been so in love
[lyrics f/Celine Dion's Have you ever been in love]

.........................................


here R some songs that kinda express how i'm feeling/how i feel about toma-chan!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bYqcuLKedU
[yappari, Ikenai Taiyou!! ah~ the red thread of love has tied us together!! ;)
after all, this is the MV that made me a toma fan!!! and i love this song & the lyrics!!!]

----------------

Have u ever been in love -celine dion
http://www.imeem.com/groups/SfSMa7Xd/music/QzyLO9gE/celine_dion_have_you_ever_been_in_love/

[the lyrics so accurately describes how we all feel about toma ne! it's as if u're in a dream...]

-----------------

the perfect day to say i love u -younha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5P-VAZZ84
[not an actual MV, but it's got a slideshow w/the song & translated lyrics!]

http://www.imeem.com/seraphimcall/music/FAYwAbj3/younha_a_perfect_day_to_say_i_love_you/
[i also posted the lyricss here!! THIS IS SO CLOSE TO HOW I'M FEELING!!!!]
------------

tong but lut (sweet and sticky / like candy)- fiona sit
[not sure what this song is about, but it's certainly a sweeeeet love song.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBkTJjzJqSs
[Fi robot! haha. a little weird, but kawaiiiii. i'd love 2 have a fi robot friend! heehee~]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh8hVCyNKiA&feature=related
[Fiona Sit - Sweet And Sticky - MV , Karaoke version. it's a little weird... there's 2 versions of her... innocent and dark(?). but she still looks cute either way!!]
---------------

L-O-V-E -nat king cole
http://www.imeem.com/popmusic11/music/WHNX3kuR/nat_king_cole_love_1992_digital_remaster/

she's a star - will.i.am
http://www.imeem.com/william/music/hjeoRnxo/william_shes_a_star/

the reason - hoobastank
http://www.imeem.com/dwk1/music/JgHqTsV0/hoobastank_the_reason/

everywhere - michelle branch
http://www.imeem.com/michellebranch/music/c7N7bzNb/michelle_branch_everywhere/

if only i'd seen him in LV then!! / yada yada yada (randomness)

toma-ism #40:
toma-kun...
you sexy little thug!
[lyrics f/Beyonce's In da club]

[screencap from the Two Princes MV i mentioned in my last post. a super kawaii moment that i haven't seen in any nakatsu/hana kimi MVs, i think!! ah~ he just makes me MELT!! when he looks straight in the camera, straight at me~ this way!! ~_~]

[a tomadorable pic of him w/a puppy in the rain that just makes u wanna HUG him! & i like rain/umbrella pics! scans here: thanks to bleahzzz, http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/157345.html#cutid1]

[toma, you sexy little thug!! THIS COOL POSE OWNS & LOVE HIS COOL LOOK! u can find this scan somewhere here: http://community.livejournal.com/boys_paper/tag/ikuta+toma,
**lots of high quality, BIG magazine scans, recent and old**]


heeeeey!

new version of the TOMA BIRTHDAY POLL results is up now, HERE! i think i did a good job of managing the space... it should be enough 4 for the 37 days left, cuz not much new votes coming in. unless 4 some unforeseen reason, tons of new ppl show up here and vote, i should have no problem of fitting it all in. =) it's cool 2 see all the hearts there now! each stands for 1 vote from a fan, some love from a fan sent to toma. ^_^ i was hoping to get hundreds of votes, actually, but then again, when u think about it--- if toma actually could get 48 kisses or 41 hugs-- that's already a lot, not 2 mention the other stuff! if u wanna picture it, it'd be like 2 classrooms' students (each with 25 ppl, let's say) crowded around him to give him hugs/kisses. hahaha!

oh, just found out, toma said in his latest blog entry that hana kimi SP will air *OCT. 12*!! i'm actually happy with this airdate, cuz it gives me something 2 look forward to after maou has ended & toma's birthday has past...

happy maou day/friday!
what ep. aired hours ago...up to ep. 9 now?
wah, already only 1 ep. left!!
ma, all good things have 2 come to an end.
i'm happy that the ratings increased to 12 and 11!! yeah~!

hope u'll like these toma pics.
some toma cuteness 2 brighten up your friday/saturday! =)
i don't have much to say today,
but i will---
tomorrow.


BECAUSE TOMORROW IS...!!!


TOMORROW IS...!

you'll see~ ^_~



...........try posting an encouraging message to toma here!


http://johnnys.cosotto.com/jboard/jboard298.html

315 messages posted! (0nly 2 other guys/groups got more than 300 messages)

i only noticed fans were posting messages here 4 toma and posted a message myself recently. haha~ u can see toma's fans f/ all around the world posting!

i'm happy 2 see some HK fans!! =P cuz though i'm f/the USA, lots of times i feel like i'm half f/HK, cuz i love all HK stuff (artists, dramas, music, food, scenary, piers, architecture, malls, cheap but great public transportation, language, LIFE!, CULTURE!) & i grew up watching HK tv series & wishing i lived there (well, i still do wanna live there, actually!). lol~ except for the too fast/stressful pace of life & bad air quality & crowded-ness & it's expensive 2 live there & the typhoons & i can speak/understand very little canto & it gets so damn HOT in the summer & they're gradually losing some freedom after they've gone back to china, HK is my DREAM place 2 live. ~_~ plus, it's so close to JAPAN, visiting japan/toma would only be a short plane ride away!! *__*

sorry, went off-topic as often happens when i think of HK, which will always have a big claim on my heart. ^_^


...........we could have met in LV!!

[Las Vegas scans here: thanks to bleahzzz, http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/157345.html#cutid1]

was looking thru some old toma magazine scans.
he and the others went to LV in oct. 2000!! ehhhhh???!!!
i was there in xmas 2000!! if only he had gone 2 months later,
we
MIGHT
HAVE
MET!!

somewhere on the streets!
maybe in a casino's arcade!
or even went on the same elevator together!
i was 18, he was 16.

HOW EXTREMELY COOL WOULD THAT BE???
to have seen him then,
and then many years later,
become his fan??!!
then it'd also be like we were destined 2 be together!! *__*

ok ok, enough daydreaming......toma-kun, when will u be in the usa again?? =(
i saw some HK stars including my beloved hacken (got his autograph!! was in the same picture as him!!) at LV cuz they had a concert there...but i almost never hear of japanese artists coming to LV. mostly just american comedians/singers or HK singers/actors.


................look what i found!!

http://hpswf1.livejournal.com/78623.html
[Endless SHOCK, dload links!!]


...................his blog entries

well, u've seen translations of tomagoto, but have u actually seen pics of his actual sms (text) message on a subsriber's cellphone? no? well, just search for it online, i just recently found a place that has some images of it!! *__* but u know who is really strict about posting up their artists' pics/other stuff, so i won't post the link here. sorry. but u should be able to easily find it if u google it. =)



...so, see u tomorrow! *_*

(btw, miriam's new song is called "ming yut joi wui", which means "meet u tomorrow". i like this song, and the MV is (bitter)sweet too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X6wYQY1Pt8 i like the shots of her top that looks like a skirt flowing in the breeze at the start and end of the MV!! this must be what's so pretty/attractive to toma about "floating" skirts that girls wear that he loves 2 see. xD i like flowing skirts too, toma! ah~ she's gone back to purple colered hair now! i swear, i will dye my hair a cool purple like fa (mir's nickname) or at least get purple highlights some day!! just like toma wants 2 dye his hair pink like Hide someday. lol~ )

P.S. i've noticed in recent days, i've my visitor count has increased! i dunno if it's cuz of the b-day project or ppl R back f/vacations or what, but i appreciate more ppl coming here!! =D thanks, everyone-chan! i hope you'll keep coming back, too.

cool Maou MV / the (crushed!) dream of living with toma / what to call toma...

toma-ism #39:
toma-kun...
If there was a cuteness or awesomeness competition in the olympic games,
you would definitely win gold!!!
[lol~ i wish i had thought of this be4 the olympics ended!]

hi there!
i'm getting excited!!
not just cuz i'm working on the stuff 2 send away 4 toma---for the 1st tomalicious b-day project, but cuz of...
something else!!!

you'll know in a couple days! fufufu.
ah-- but cuz of all this, i'm getting behind on Maou.


anyway, the other day, watched this REALLY COOL *angst* OPV, "Opus Dei" (work of god?) about naoto and naruse (learned a new word! OPV = Original Promotional Videos (or sometimes Other People's Videos), unofficial music videos usually produced by anonymous fans, using the official audio version of a song but substituting alternative video footage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPV) that Argentumfeles made!
u can go here to get the link 2 watch/dload and the video's description.
=) http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/244026.html

(there's also a link to the Two Princes MV featuring toma & yamashita! the 1st time i've seen such cute clips of yamashita. ^_^ he & toma (well, i guess most of the JE guys!) have a lot of similar cute/funny gestures/faces! haha~ but still, toma's nakatsu is unbeatable!!)

and now i'm hooked on that song!! haha~
viva la vida (live the life?)!!

btw, this song also reminds me of Maou. the title translates to something like "no escaping fate" (or no flying from fate), by jordan chan. here's the MV. i think the main point of the song is about how, some things, u just can't avoid. if it must happen, it will happen. and how you can't run from fate... i like this song! though the MV is really dramatic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuZf03VZwkc

..................


[toma will kick u if u say anything bad about riko (hagumi)!! pic can be found @ one of the download links given here: http://community.livejournal.com/boys_paper/tag/ikuta+toma]


did i? i don't think i did.
post about this magazine interview where u can see what it would REALLY be like if u were living with toma / you were his girlfriend/ his wife. it's not as romantic/magical as u imagined!! hahaha~

ano...i'm glad he's straightforward and tells it like it is, though. now a lot of us can-- not feel so bad that we have no chance of being his girlfriend ne! and i take back what i said before, about how his future girlfriend will be the luckiest girl on earth. =P
she would certainly have to be a good cook! and gentle! (i gave up on the dream of being toma's girlf long ago, but even more so after reading this article....x_x i am SO not gentle!! well, i'd be happy just being his friend, then!) ANYWAY, THANKS TO TEACUP FOR TRANSLATING THIS!!

IN FACT, MUCH LOVE TO ALL THE TRANSLATORS OUT THERE!!! ♥ ♥ ♥
i know it's hard and very time-consuming work!

http://teacup79.livejournal.com/3805.html#cutid1

..................

btw, if u're still unsure about what to call toma...
i was really confused at first, when i first became a fan.
and so i asked at the tomalicious forum. and kipani_mariko so kindly helped me out a detailed explanation of the different ways to address toma...

basically, in japan (and a lot of other asian countries), ppl introduce themselves with their surname then first name, so toma is known as ikuta toma there, and of course, toma is his first name. (though it seems like sometimes ppl call u by your last name even if you are friends with them?? that was what confused me when watching hana kimi...depends on which name they like more i guess...or it could just seem cooler this way, like with Mulder and Scully. haha~) From most formal/respectful to least formal/most casual is: Ikuta Toma-san, Ikuta-san, Ikuta-kun, Ikuta, Toma-san, Toma-kun, Toma, and any nicknames (such as Tomasu). Toma-chan is a cute way of doing it...and i learned from the Lonely Planet Japanese phrasebook that shortening last names and then adding -chan to it is a cute way of nicknaming your girlf/boyf. so that would be Iku-chan? hahaha~
[EDIT: no no, i remembered wrong, it was shortening their first name and adding -chan. so it would be toma-chan. can't make it to-chan, right? toma's name is already short. but then toma & the others called hagumi, hagu-chan. so i guess besides being a nickname 4 your honey, it could be just a nickname for a friend too...this issue of what to call other ppl in japanese is too complicated 4 my taste!! o_0]

but really, she says it's not really important, so don't worry about it... but if i were toma, i suppose i'd get annoyed if ppl called me something too casual...but then he's a celebrity after all, he's probably used to ppl addressing him in a casual way as if they know him personally...

i like how toma-kun sounds, and i've heard other ppl that work with him call him that, so i'm sticking with that, though of course it's not really the correct one...i don't think toma would mind too much?? well, i call him just toma, anyway, most of the time! but i talk about him in eng. anyway. so...

but i think when writing 2 him for the b-day stuff i'm sending, i'll call him ikuta-san. =)
better 2 be formal, 2 be sure.


P.S.
these pretty pics~
found them at flickr.com~

it has something to do with what's gonna happen in a couple days!

but you'll have to wait and see.

cuz it's~ not~ time~ yet~

(yes, toma said this. =)
well, he wrote it.
i mean, typed it in his blog-- u know what i mean.)

*** TOMALICIOUS'S 1ST TOMA B-DAY PROJECT *** / what's on toma's playlist? ~_~

♥ toma-ism #38:
toma-kun...
i want to see you now, but i can't fly through the sky.
if i were to become a comet
i would shed an overflowing light
and whenever u were sad, looking up at the night sky
i'd shine even brighter, so that u would smile. ♥
if i were to become a comet
i'd always be next to you.
[translated lyrics of Younha's "Comet" (houki boshi) song,
translated by LYRICS FOR ALL AGES]

my apologies, everyone!
certain things prevented me from posting yesterday!
so if u left, pls come back!
there IS a new post!

so let's pretend it's still friday.
so it's red text on a black bg again.

first things first,

TOMALICIOUS'S B-DAY PROJECT HAS STARTED RECENTLY!
FANS CAN START SENDING LETTERS/POSTCARDS TO REPRESENTATIVES OR SCATTIE, THEN THEY'LL ALL BE BINDED TOGETHER, AND SOMEONE WILL PERSONALLY GIVE IT TO TOMA WHEN THEY WATCH HIM IN THE GREASE PLAY!
YOU CAN GO TO EITHER OF THE LINKS BELOW FOR INFO/TO PARTICIPATE!
http://z11.invisionfree.com/Ikuta_Toma/index.php?showtopic=2123&st=0
http://community.livejournal.com/tomalicious_frm/12794.html

PLEASE DO PARTICIPATE IF U CAN,
IT WOULD BE NICE IF TOMA COULD GET LOTS OF LETTERS/POSTCARDS FROM FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD!!
(you don't have to be a member of Tomalicious to take part!)
REMEMBER THE DEADLINES ARE SEPT 12/SEPT 25, THOUGH.
THIS IS REALLY EXCITING...I'M SURE HE'D BE HAPPY TO GET SUCH A BIG PRESENT LIKE THIS!

btw, my current fav song is this old A-Mei song. it's so cool/soothing,
it can really calm me down!! I LOVE IT. it's also the perfect song 2 listen 2 as u drift off to sleep ne~
i think the title translates to something like "release" or "let go". watch the MV here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv7Tn5Qn-Tw

of course, u know this is me @imeem...most of my fav songs R here. =)
http://www.imeem.com/people/7xamYb
but i haven't been there lately, cuz it's still summer and my computer often heats up when i'm there. haha~ i'll be there more starting in the fall, probably...

as usual,
i hope you'll like this post. =)
brought to you by
kate`*,
who wishes... she could be a comet.
mostly cuz she'd love 2 be able to fly freely in the sky like a bird.
but even faster! haha~ wait, actually, comets R in space.
i'd rather be a bird and fly in the sky, but on earth!

anyway...
bye bye for now!

kate`*

[in the rain, sleet, or snow, toma keeps listening 2 his music. =) pic credit: www.fans.com.cn]

Yappari our toma-chan really LOVES MUSIC!! (me too!!) besides x-japan (he loves Hide!) and backstreet boys, toma also likes a lot of other singers/bands. michael jackson is another singer he really likes... it's cool that toma likes such a wide variety of music and he listens to a lot of american music too ne! but i guess it's no surprise, cuz american pop/rock/rap is pretty popular most places in the world anyway... but i'd like to think that if he listens to music in english more, it might help his english improve, right? haha...now if only he could also watch american tv shows with subtitles he'd learn even more!!

[a pic of toma's ipod, credit: mottomotto7@LJ. ah-- toma's really into skulls stuff! 0_o]

below R artists that he mentioned he liked/was listening to in his Tomagoto entries from 2007.
[*** go here to read Helen's tomagoto translations, toma talked about music he's listening to in some of the entries. http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/91327.html ***]
i've searched for their songs on imeem, and also posted a link to their wiki page, so u can check them out for yourselves and see why toma likes them. =) do u and toma like the same kinda music?? there's some overlap for me & toma, but i tend to not like the hard rock stuff.

yappari, many of them are (hard)rock bands. haha. toma loves rock 'n' roll!! he even knows how to play an electric guitar!! so cool, right? ;) i'd love 2 see him play a whole song on one! or just see him play the guitar, period! that would be cool eNOUGH, 2 see him rock out! *__* hey, conan o'brien, my fav late night talk show host, also plays some guitar! xD i've only seen him play a little of Smoke on the Water and Creep on it though...

[casual toma... just taking a walk, of course he's got his earphones on, his music with him. hehe~ doesn't he look so smart & cool in his glasses & white shirt?? ~_~ pic credit: tomalover@flickr.]

oh, also, go here to get links to listen to 3 of toma's fav songs from May 2008. i found the songs @ imeem. =) http://kll-tcs.livejournal.com/1448.html?view=9128#t9128

http://www.imeem.com/zerocoolz/playlist/XVIm0Y9L/xjapan_music_playlist/
[some X-Japan songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Japan]

http://www.imeem.com/people/xZR21cN/playlist/XLGO4qMS/6_shibata_jun_music_playlist/
[some Jun Shibata songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun_Shibata]

http://www.imeem.com/people/htwkrUX/music/XwXW6qTa/velvet_revolver_let_it_roll/
[velvet revolver song f/Libertad album, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolver]

http://www.imeem.com/people/SYnjqy-/playlist/_FRbuOAO/vocalist123_tokunaga_hideaki_music_playlist/
[some tokunaga hideaki songs]

http://www.imeem.com/backyy/playlist/PBtXu1hA/william_songs_about_girls_music_playlist/
[Will.i.am's album, Songs About Girls, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will.i.am]

http://www.imeem.com/people/8ZqK35c/playlist/O9zn0Ht1/boowy_music_playlist/
[some Boowy's songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B8wy]

http://www.imeem.com/people/uxB16P/playlist/tyHVIvXT/kinki_kids_music_playlist/
http://www.imeem.com/people/VVBCawc/playlist/fK5aqbQe/kinki_kids_39_music_playlist/
[some kinki kids' songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinki_Kids#Albums]

http://www.imeem.com/domotoiceko/music/cWqRfiQu/kinki_kids_1999cnatural_thang/
[toma really likes this song from their 39 album! it was even playing in his manager's car. haha.]

http://www.imeem.com/people/erTTqy/playlist/aRDM3jZL/judy_and_mary_music_playlist/
[some judy and mary's songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_and_Mary]

http://www.imeem.com/people/D_c0p3N/playlist/RP0s1PUF/kuroyume_music_playlist/
[toma says this song makes him reminisce about his youth! some Kuroyume's songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuroyume]


..............he mentioned these 2 singers in his tomagoto entries from 2008:

http://www.imeem.com/people/1bTL3T/playlist/rMYQ8wwV/fergie_music_playlist/
[some fergie songs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fergie_(singer)]


http://zephyris87.livejournal.com/15052.html
[he really loves elephant kayashima's song, Egao no Mirai e (something like: To future of smiling face)! this song is so great it almost makes him cry!! check out what he wrote about it & dload the song here (check the comments).

i think the song is about a father's love for his daughter or parents' love 4 their children in general?? that's what it seems like from the title, MV and the parts in eng....
watch the MV here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kVph4T637A

http://www.imeem.com/people/GA_F-sB/playlist/BU12WxE9/elephant_kashimashi_music_playlist/
[some elephant kayashima songs, *can't find his wiki page*]

2nd b-day poll results! it's up!!

whew!

it's done!
it's up!

each heart now represents 1 vote!!
*** go to Dear Toma... now to check it out! and the marquee w/fans info/messages! ***

we have 207 votes total, and 99 ppl voted.
just 1 short of 100. hahaha~

i added japanese translations of all the text...it might be a little off, but i think toma would be able 2 understand what i'm trying 2 say.

i just thought up the globe w/hearts~ toma love all over the world~! pic while editing my post there! hahaha~ look closely, u'll see lots of tiny pink dots that represent toma fans all over the world! ~_~ i know there should be more, but that's about all i can fit on there.

ja, i'll post something new here later...

just a quick post--

hi hi!
my fellow toma fans!

i just remembered 2 post up the countdown clocks 2 toma's b-day!! yeah~!!! it looks pretty cool, huh? took a while 2 find a good one! geez... and i couldn't find any nice ones that countdown to a specific time of day, so i had to make them countdown to oct. 6 in my timezone, so it's gonna be 8 hrs early, but i'd rather that than be 16 hours late!

a reminder: PLEASE KEEP VOTING FOR TOMA EVERY MINUTE OF EVERYDAY HERE!
http://johnnys.cosotto.com/ranking/johnnysranking0808.html
lol~ ok, that's asking too much, so how about just whenever u can each day, and try to vote for at least 50 times (that'll take u about only 1 hr!) a day?
OK? awesome! =P toma's almost 3rd place now!!

(i was confused earlier cuz somehow i got redirected to the link below, which is for general ranking (thanks to flo_oni 4 the explanation and the link above...i got lost. haha~):
http://johnnys.cosotto.com/ranking/johnnysranking.html
toma is in 8th place here.

hana kimi SP pics/ toma's pics from his school days / a favor to ask....

toma-ism #37:

toma-kun...
Love me love me
say that you love me
fool me fool me
go on and fool me
love me love me
pretend that you love me
leave me leave me
just say that you need me.
(lyrics f/the cardigans' Love Fool)

[pic credit: teacup79@LJ]

i found this place recently:
http://onlyfrh.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=free&action=print&thread=296

saw some pics there of toma that i've never seen before!!
well, cuz i have not finished catching up to all the posts i missed at the toma LJ yet...
so maybe for some of u, u've already seen these. but i'll post them up anyway. =) nakatsu & mizuki, back together again!!! ~_~ ah-hh, i missssss hana kimi!!! really hoping the hana kimi SP will be really special and funny!! oh, some fans there were saying nakatsu's hair is different from before, it's not as styled, it resembles takemoto's hair more. haha~ i actually like his hair like this! be4 his hair looked really...manga-like, but i think he looks just as cute/cool with this hairstyle!!
there's also some links to youtube videos (some of them already deleted though!), pics of toma's ad poster for KFC, some really cool pics of toma from his student days here, etc.!! he really does look awesome all the time, even from back then!! even/especially with glasses on!

[pic credit: nomanymore]

[pic credit: currynana]

ano...
i've got a favor to ask...
i wonder if any1 here could translate from english to japanese a short message i want to write for toma on the b-day card i'm sending to him....i just want to write maybe a short paragraph, cuz even if it's in japanese, i figure i'll keep it short and simple for toma. if some1 can do that, pls comment here with your email, or u can email me (check my profile below).
if no1 can can help me here, i guess i can try requesting at AF or ask at http://answers.yahoo.com/. i'm gonna try to send the b-day card(s) (thinking of sending one to each different address i found?? hmmm.) by the end of this month, but we'll see how things go.....

P.S. i know, i know. today's post was quite boring. haha~
as usual, i will save the more interesting/longer posts for
fridays~Maou days,
so pls look forward to it!
also, pls look forward to the new toma b-day poll results!!

ja.

kate`*

2 new gifs (keep shining toma-chan! / secret crush boy!)

toma-ism #36:

toma-kun...
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do...
You know I love you so.
(f/coldplay's Yellow lyrics)

doumo!
kate des.

1st of all, i'm so HAPPY ^_^ that so many ppl voted and many of u also commented with your name, etc. info!!! it went from 34 to 80 votes now! (btw, if u're confused about the #'s: this means 80 ppl have voted. but though each person can vote 5 times (choose all 5 options), the # on the bottom will only show it as 80. but on top, of course, each vote counts, so that's why the #'s on top add up to more than the "votes so far" shown on the bottom.)

THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH, everyone-chan! (baka, mimicking toma again) seeing lots of toma fans taking part in my toma b-day project and all your comments 4 me...
all this GIVES ME ENERGY~! *__* also, i want to thank improve43 f/malaysia, once again, 4 your really sweet comment from the other day!!

if you haven't voted/given me your name, etc. info (u can also post a short message 2 toma!), please do so SOON! onegaishimas!!

i really should have~
i really wanted to~
watch ep.s 4-5 of Maou today.


but i couldn't resist!!

i just had 2 make an animation of toma sleeping f/ those TOO TOO CUTE AND ADORABLE screencaps i have f/hachikuro. maybe u're wondering why now, why not sooner... well, i just recently wanted 2 make a new toma avatar, and i still love his look in H&C the most! and i love the gentle, sweetly sleeping toma!! ah~ it's been said a million times, but: HE'S JUST SOOOOOOOOOOOOO UNBELIEVABLY KAWAII.
even when he's sleeping.
especially when he's sleeping.

his sleeping scenes in H&C~
doesn't it just make u wish u could jump in the tv/computer and give him a B-IG H-UG?? *__*


i also made an animation of toma's SWEET SWEET moment from hachikuro that i suddenly remembered. (funny, cuz i didn't capture it at all when i first watched!) when he secretly glances at hagu-chan and then quickly looks away. thanks 2 the gom player's screencapture tool, i can make much better, fluid animations of video clips like this!! toma's facial expressions R sooooo great/adorable. i love the subtle, special moments like these in dramas!

awwwwww~

secret crush boy!!
tomaaaaaaa.
i wish u'd look at me that waaaaay ne!

ah-hh.

i've uploaded them here. also the stills of the first one, cuz all the caps R so cute and in case u have trouble reading the text. http://s508.photobucket.com/albums/s322/ilovetoma2/

tomapi love~ GUY LOVE~! (pics/videos/song)

[pics above & below: some of the cutest tomapi pics i've seen...sorry, i don't remember where i got these pics! it's from searching at Google or from the fans that posted it at the toma LJ. especially this collage, if it's yours, u can comment here so i can credit u! actually, i'll look 4 this @ the toma LJ...maybe i can find the person's post...

(edit: i think it came from a post at
http://community.livejournal.com/pretty_boy_love/,
a post to encourage fans 2 vote 4 toma in the winter pretty boy thing or something...]

toma-ism #35:
toma-kun...
You a star, baby you a star
You a sta-ah-ah-ar, you a sta-ah-ah-ar
Cause when you shine, baby when you shi-ih-ine
When you shi-ih-ih-ine, when you shi-ih-ih-ine
You be lightin up my life (OHH!) Light up my life (OHH!)
Light up my life (OHH!) Light up my li-ih-ife.
[lyrics f/Will.I.Am - She's a Star]

[arrgh. dunno if it's just me, but sometimes the heart flying emoticon shows up, and sometimes it doesn't. if u can't see it, go here: http://www.yahoofreak.com/animated%20emoticons/Love%20Animated%20Emoticons/heart%20with%20wings.gif I had 2 get rid of some of the other emoticons at the toma b-day poll post at Dear Toma... cuz of this. gomen!]

[ i wonder if tomagoto's fluttering heart is kinda like the emoticon above?? hmmm... gomen, today's post is really late! this is a long post, so i'm breaking from the rule i made up
of posting all in red text on fridays. i'm sure u don't mind, right? =) ]

hi hi!
did u check out the b-day poll results yet?
pls check it out *NOW* at Dear Toma... if u haven't! thanks! =)

sa sa it's friday, Maou day again!
*fingers crossed* Maou's ep. 7 ratings must go up!!

today's post is about tomapi (toma + yamapi [yamashita's nickname, AKA yamapink] love!)

if u're toma's fan, no doubt u know how toma and yamashita tomohisa R very very very good friends. they have been since they were little kids! of course u also know that they're so close, lots of fans think of them as/want them 2 be a couple! it's funny to me, cuz here in the USA, girl-girl love is more acceptable/appealing (remember the madonna/britney/christina kiss?), and guy-guy love is pretty much considered repulsive/effeminate. though in recent years, it has become more acceptable and guys in sitcoms even sometimes joke about liking each other/being gay.
now, i'm a very open-minded person, and i don't mind whether a person is gay, bi, straight, whatever...in fact, my fav american female celebrity is ellen degeneres. =) i've heard she's getting married to portia this weekend! CONGRATS!! xD i've even been to see an episode of her talk show a couple years back!

but still, i've gotta admit, i felt a little weird about it when i found out this "Pi" that the fans all wanna see toma date is actually a guy. hahaha~ not that there's anything wrong with that, if they are secretly a couple, but, i would be upset cuz this means that 1) i would go from having a miniscule chance to having zero chance of being toma's girlfriend, and 2) i don't feel like toma and yamashita match (looks-wise. sorry, yamapink fans, this is just what i think, cuz toma is just too cute, i find it hard to think of any girl or guy that really match him, actually!!).

it's not just yamapi, of course, being the loveable and flirty guy that he is... who loves to hang out with other guys... toma's also been linked with shun and yusuke.
toma even encouraged the rumors by calling shun his "husband" after shun started calling him his "wife". lol~ they spent a lot of time together while filming hana kimi and also, toma often slept on the same bed as shun at shun's apartment! but toma pointed out in an interview that they're just joking and that it's only a guys friendship, nothing more. recently, shun has lovingly announced he has a girlfriend on the air, on ANN, and so toma's off the hook. hehe~ about yusuke...toma said in one of his tomagoto entries that he was very cute 4 being so happy that toma mentioned him in a previous entry. toma said something like "what, do i have a pink aura right now?" in this entry. hahaha~ yusuke has said in his own blog that toma is like a cool big brother that he looks up to and wants to be like.
ano... toma is a really friendly, caring guy, he gets along well with so many guys and he's always hugging/got his arms around all the guys he hangs out with, whether while singing onstage or during photoshoots. so i can understand why ppl would think he likes guys. but i've heard toma have to clarify several times that HE LIKES GIRLS (lol~, he's just like Nakatsu, right? xD). to me, i think of tomapi of just really really close friends. ppl can say/want to think they're brokeback, but i think they've got a platonic bromance (complicated love and affection shared by two straight males).


actually...
a better way to describe it is...


it's...


it's...


GUY LOVE. ^_^


Scrubs is such a funny show, and i love how they describe turk and J.D.'s special bond in this way. hahaha~ when i saw this rerun on tv recently, i immediatedly thought of tomapi! it's a pretty good song, no? haha~



also, this is a pretty good song and it also reminds me of tomapi's relationship (if they R indeed boyf-boyf!) and how they were broken up, they couldn't sing together anymore:
http://www.imeem.com/bryceeeemeee/music/SDm7NUU/yellowcard_you_and_me_and_one_spotlight/

more cute tomapi moments here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjf6_toma-blowing-on-pis-ear
[toma blows on pi's ear]

----------------

http://www.crunchyroll.com/media-295848/NewS-Silent-Night-ft-Ikuta-Toma-Live.html
[toma rubs his head against yamapi's]

-------------------

i saved the best for last. =)

BELOW ARE MUST-MUST-WATCH TOMAPI MV'S!!!
charlo03 made them, but they've been deleted from youtube and her/his account has been suspended. luckily i was able to watch them last year and i also saved them to my computer!! i've re-uploaded them here to share with everyone. IT'S GOT ALL THE SWEETEST TOMAPI MOMENTS FROM WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG UNTIL INTO THEIR LATE TEENS, PROBABLY... u see how close they R when u read about their relationship, read their interviews, read their blog entries, or see their pics together, but u can only TRULY see how much they love each other when you WATCH them having fun/singing/working together laa!!! especially, definitely, toma. he really shows how much he cares for yamapi more than yamapi does for toma...well, yamapi seems like just that kinda guy who is more quiet/hidden than toma ne? he doesn't show his feelings much or as freely as toma. i'm actually similar to yamapi in this respect......

http://www.mediafire.com/?u41zx1oarzd
[toma_yamap_grow.flv (14.21 MB) ]

http://www.mediafire.com/?9dc2cil4dkd
[He_and_he_--TOMA_YAMAP-1.flv (8.74 MB)]

http://www.mediafire.com/?2jwty2hocin
[He_and_he_--TOMA_YAMAP-2.flv (12.22 MB)]

http://www.mediafire.com/?ins4gkzommw
[He_and_he_--TOMA_YAMAP.flv (8.61 MB)]

(u need to download the FLV player or GOM player to watch these MVs. maybe the newest realplayer also plays them.)

P.S. MY APOLOGIES if i got anything wrong about tomapi...i only became a fan of toma's last summer, and i still don't know much about yamapi. i'm still kinda neutral about him. but any friend of toma's, especially his best friend, must be just as AWESOME as he is ne! haha~ i just haven't got room in my heart to like anymore ppl, i guess, cuz toma's already taken up 90% of my heart. ~_~ it's all your fault toma!! kidding! =P