new winter banners & winter/christmas theme!!

hi!

it's up! the new winter banners!!! yeah~
i'm happy with them. it took me a looooong time to find them too.
surprisingly, there's not a lot of great snow/snowing photos!
they mostly look boring/melancholy...the one at the top was taken at 7am in Ohio, USA. and the DT banner! she's so pretty, right? kawaiiiii. i don't usually use pics w/ppl in them, but this pic is just too cool to not use!! the girl in the photo, which i and others have nicknamed "snow princess", is also the photographer, *zara! sugeeee~~ she looks like she stepped out of a manga, no?

i added a slideshow. =)
201 pretty winter/xmas pics! i started it since november. haha! hai~ u should really see the full-size pics, though! actually~ i'm not really excited about christmas. i might prefer Festivus! lol. u'll understand if u're a Seinfeld fan. ano....if u have watched Honey and Clover...well, i am kinda like takemoto-kun in the way i feel about christmas... but i still love seeing the lovely, peaceful snow scenes and bright and colorful christmas decorations!! ii ne~

soshite, a new bg winter song! enya.
her new CD, And Winter Came, is pretty good. =) give it a listen on imeem~ tranquility~ serenity~!
i've got other good xmas songs...i'll change the bg song here many times this month.

i'll post something new tomorrow.
matta ne.

kate`*

kate's really~ very~ extremely~ late toma BIRTHDAY SCOOP! / a birthday meteor shower especially for toma?!

toma-ism #73:

toma-kun...
un~deniably ka~wa~ii.

koumbawa! minna genki?
ah, sou des ka. (oh really)
(sorry sorry, so late in posting this! i started it early but couldn't finish till night time.)

omatase shimashita! (sorry to keep you waiting)
i should have written something about what happened on his birthday soon afterwards. but it's now exactly 2 months after his birthday (in tokyo time).

sou desu ne. (that's right)

soshite~ (and) it's~
the hk person i love most:
hacken lee's birthday today!
(though it's past in hk time) saang yut fai loh, hacken!! ^_^

sa, today has a real happy birthday feel to it.
with that~ i'll start this post! yeosh!!

ah, before i forget~ yappari, i have no idea if toma has seen our TL! bday project graphic (w/all the hugs, kisses, LOVE, etc. 4 him) or not. but i'm guessing~ almost certainly not! haha~ but at least the cards i sent have not been rejected and returned to me. so i can still hope that 1 day he'll see 1 of my letters and come to DT... and here! =) or maybe he can miraculously find it on his own while surfing the net?

ALSO, gomen, if u already know most of the info i'm posting below.
if that's the case, please come back later for the next update!

[12.7.08 EDIT:
1 of of the fans that that wrote to toma, the letters he read on ANN, called him toma-kun. i was happy to know that it's ok to call him toma-kun. though some1 else called him ikuta-kun. i prefer toma-kun! also, forgot to say toma said ~_~ "iyaa, ureshii nee!" (no way, so happy!) and something else about fans before he said thank you. ]


............. how the Grease staff & cast celebrated toma's birthday / toma's tomagoto entry about his b-day / shun gave toma something on oct.8 @ANN

as expected, toma celebrated his birthday on stage, in the theatre again! the 3rd year in a row!
they surprised him with a birthday cake while rehearsing for Grease. =)
toma was surprised and very happy. also, yaratchi (his co-star in Grease) gave him cool headphones.

(credit for b-day cake pic goes to TOMA-KUN who took it! Other ppl there had bdays in october too, so it's toma & those ppl's bday cake! and info above: toma's Winkup entry that TFS translated. *YOU CAN SEE NICER PICS OF THE CAKE AT TOMALICIOUS'S Latest News section!*)

for his blog entry about his b-day, toma said ikuta toma has turned 24. he will keep doing his best! and he's grateful to his family, staff, and "you" (fans? friends? everyone that he loves/that loves him i guess! ^_^) and then he said thank you. i wish he had said straight out that he's grateful to all his fans, too! but i guess the "you" at the end should cover fans too! mmm...but last year toma-kun wrote more entries relating to his b-day ne.
(credit: TFS's translation of tomagoto vol. 172, http://www.tomalicious.com/)

also, the day after his b-day (or actually, really really late on his b-day, since ANN starts at 1am?), toma was a guest on shun's ANN radio program to promote the hana kimi special. and of course, to just hang out together. hahaha. and shun gave toma something! i dunno what. it might have been a hat? i heard something like "hat-o" ?? shun played yui's "happy birthday to you you" song (and shun was singing along w/the song a little!! heehee), too, while giving him his gift!! ~_~ that was my fav bday song from my toma bday countdown, remember?? also, they also played that song in dec. 2007, when toma did gave shun something 4 his bday 2007 during ANN. =)

I'M REALLY CURIOUS WHAT THEY GAVE EACH OTHER??
IF SOMEONE KNOWS, PLS PLS TELL ME. =)
i tried searching online, i couldn't find the answer. =/


............. about TOMALICIOUS'S BIRTHDAY PROJECT

you can see all the postcards/letters/pictures fans sent in here:
http://www.tomalicious.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=473%3Aikuta-toma-24th-birthday-project&catid=30%3Anews&Itemid=70&lang=en

you can see the 2 boxes that contained all of the above here:
http://z11.invisionfree.com/Ikuta_Toma/index.php?showtopic=2123&st=100

on oct. 12, scattie posted a message at the forum saying the project has been completed, she sent out the 2 boxes (postcards/photos) and letters in red envelopes (all numbered, with a short written explanation). they were all sent to scattie's friend in tokyo who tried to hand it to him while Grease was going on. if she couldn't, she'll send it to an address scattie gave her. Grease is over and no word from her, so i guess it was sent to that address. to JE? can't be, they don't accept gifts!! well, i dunno where it is now, but at least the letters probably reached toma ok!

(screencaps credit: TFS, http://community.livejournal.com/tomalicious_frm/)

i really really hope toma got the 2 boxes! kito~ he would be extremely surprised/happy/hyper/touched if he got it!! i don't see/hear/know of toma interacting with fans much, but i've heard him reading some fanmail/email to him when he hosted ANN at the end of last year, and i remember him saying "arigatou gozaimas!" in such a happy/humble way afterwards. =) and in the shoenen club xmas show 2005 that he was on and was Mr. X and sang White Christmas~~ (1 of my fav toma appearances ever!) ahhh, he was completely, super kawaii wasn't he!!! well, i just watched the TFS-subbed longer version of that show recently (and the screencaps above R from there), and they read a fan letter to him. and the fan was saying how she really really is a big fan of toma's and she really wants him to be on the show, and it's a request truly from her heart. and toma's reaction was so happy/cute/humble!!! with the same reply, "arigatou gozaimas!" ~_~ if that is his reaction from getting just a fan letter, imagine how happy he'd be if he got a bunch of postcards/pics from his fans from all over the world!!!



...............an annual birthday meteor shower ESPECIALLY FOR TOMA??



i came across this info cuz i was looking for info on meteor showers. =) AWESOMENESS!!! so cool how it peaks around the time of toma's b-day! it's called the Draconids, but us toma fans can think of it as the Toma's Birthday meteor shower! next year, if u can, go out at night and see if u can see any meteors!! it's a great way to celebrate toma's birthday ne! and it's cool how this meteor shower is special in many ways, just like toma!! but i have trouble seeing the Draco constellation. i can see the little and big dippers fine, but can't really see Draco. well, it's in the middle of the 2 dippers, so just look towards them! here's a bigger pic to help u locate Draco: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Draco_constellation_map.png

[credit: http://www.earthsky.org/article/earth-skys-meteor-guide-for-2008]

October 7 or 8, 2008 Draconids

The radiant point of the Draconid meteor shower almost coincides with the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon, in the northern sky. That’s why it is best viewed from the northern hemisphere. This shower is a real oddity, in the respect that its radiant point is highest in the sky as darkness falls. The shower is definitely a sleeper, producing only a handful of languid meteors per hour in most years. But watch out if the dragon awakes! On occasion, fiery Draco has been known to spew forth hundreds – if not thousands – of meteors in a single hour. Since the moon is at first quarter this year during the shower’s peak, this hard-to-predict shower is worth checking out. Unlike most meteor showers, more meteors are likely to fly in the evening than the morning hours after midnight. Look northward for Draconid meteors on the evenings of October 7 or 8.

and at http://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/misc/meteor.html, they say the Draconids occur from early october to mid-october. usually peaking on 7-9 October. they're best seen in the northern hemisphere. they're usually slow, faint, and yellow in colour.


.................speaking of stars~
a toma fan wrote a really nice & touching message for him here
http://pub24.bravenet.com/guestbook/1981981592.

hopefully she doesn't mind me re-posting it here. i'm afraid if i only link it, u won't find it later when more new messages R posted there. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH HER!! like the stars, toma shines so much, so beautifully for us!!♥ and that feeling~ that wonderful feeling~ that i got soon after i discovered toma was exactly that...that somehow i like this world more... and it seems more beautiful... because toma exists and makes me realize... that there are/must be still a lot of beautiful/extraordinary people and beautiful/extraordinary things in this world, ne? ^_^ with that, this is her message describing toma:


Marie (Santiago de Chile, 11.18.2008)

Like the infinite stars in the sky ... continues to shine for us ... still giving us such warmth, hope, and talent that gives us the strength to smile and believe that the beautiful things of the world have not yet finished.

changed the layout a little...

doumo!

i removed/added some things. =)
less clutter, more space is always good!
ii ne~

I love akihabara@DEEP!! haha~
i put off watching it 4 so long cuz of watching H&C, Maou & other
stuff kept preventing me from watching....i only finished ep.5 yesterday!!
but i definitely will keep watching and hopefully finish it before toma's new drama starts.
i love the awesomeness/silliness/cuteness of box-kun!! ^_^
and every1 else make me laugh so much too!!

i won't update this blog till tomorrow probably...

see u then~

*__* toma's gonna be in a new winter drama: VOICE~ Voice of the dead!

♥ #72 toma-ism:
toma-kun...
breathtaking, brilliant, brave,
and brings sunshine wherever he goes!!

i wasn't going to post anything today,
but then i saw paige's message!! he's gonna be in a new drama!!! sugehhhhh!!! ^_^
thanks again, paige, 4 telling me. =)
what a good morning, just went online and got this good news right away!!

I KNEW IT!!
I KNEW TOMA WOULD BE IN A DRAMA SOON. =)
he is so popular these days and he's a complete workaholic. haha~

http://www.tomalicious.com/home/
[check in the Latest Updates section for news and a picture of toma in his costume, looking very medical student-y...somehow i still see him as naoto, so it's a little weird to see him as a different character, though....]

here's a very short news article about it:
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?s=2c94d7553d00e7d7d71ddc3c3de3a3bc&showtopic=605517

and thanks to ninchan & teacup for this news:
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/288564.html

Toma's Winter Drama! :)
Hi everyone, I translated Teacup's news posting over here :)

The next Monday9 "Forensics" Ikuta and Satomi casted

In Fuji TV's "Monday9 Drama", "VOICE~ Voice of the dead" showing next January starring actor Eita (25), actor Ikuta Toma (24) and actress Ishihara Satomi were casted, as known on the 3rd. It's Ikuta's first time as a regular cast on Monday9, while it's Ishihara's first heroine role in Monday9.

This is an original story, and the theme is "Forensics", a rarity in serial dramas. The 3 of them act as university forensic students. It seems like it'll be a drama depicting the human side showing "life and death" in a series of murder and serious crimes.

Says Ikuta with enthusiasm "I want to make it a meaningful drama which will make people think about the importance of life." When Ishihara's casting was decided, she started reading up on forensic textbooks and reference materials, saying "it's surprisingly close to heart yet very deep, so it's interesting!" and gives her everything in carving the role. "I have this feeling it's a drama which will leave something behind every week", she says as though with a sense of working through it already.

Together with Eita, these 3 young talented actors will cut into the serial drama world with their sharp "scalpels"!

Ishihara Satomi is a female undergraduate! Eita's close friend is Ikuta Toma

Ikuta Toma (24) and Ishihara Satomi (21) will be acting in Fuji TV's next Monday9 drama. In "VOICE~ Voice of the dead" which starts next January, it depicts the struggle of students belonging to the forensics department in the medical university. It's Ikuta's first time as a regular cast on Monday9, while it's Ishihara's first heroine role in Monday9.

Ikuta plays the close friend of the lead role Eita (25) is playing. In classes he's a playboy and mood maker, but hides his true personality, a difficult role with 2 personalities, but producer Takiyama Madoka explains, "It's a complicated role which combines the light and shadows of Ikuta-san, and has many expressions". Ikuta also says with enthusiasm "I want to make it a meaningful drama which will make people think about the importance of life."

Ishihara is a top student full of passion and knowledge. It's her first formal role as an undergraduate, and comments "I look forward to bringing out the campus life. I've started reading forensic textbooks and reference materials but it's surprisingly close to heart yet very deep, and it's interesting!"

----------- and here are the wiki pages for the drama and the other 2 characters. they both are good-looking =) i don't know anything about them. i hope they're good actors!
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Voice
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Eita
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Ishihara_Satomi


i wonder if they've started filming?

i like murder mysteries! but more the police investigating them kind than the forensics kind. and focusing on the human side of life & death sounds sad. i hope it will not be depressing ne...

but this is still very exciting!! toma's 1st time starring in a Monday9 drama! it must be a good thing, these Monday9 dramas usually more popular or something? though toma is not the lead, but his character sounds cool, another challenging role 4 him! another troubled guy. toma as a playboy who's actually a nice guy?? umm...that kinda sounds like the real toma! haha. well, in the sense that he's popular and outgoing but he's actually a quiet, serious person, too. ahh~ it's gonna be fun to see toma flirting a lot!! haha~ i'm imagining a combination of nakatsu & takemoto, but more toned down... i'm glad toma's playing a college student again. i like seeing him as a student...more carefree, young, and in casual clothes.

i'm also happy it's an ORIGINAL STORY! not based on a manga or another drama, so it'll all be new and no clues to how the story ends! but since he's supporting, i'm guessing it's another unrequited love?? =[

anyway, LOOKING FORWARD TO
2009 MORE CUZ OF THIS DRAMA!!

HURRAY!!

gambatte toma-kun!
i support u!! ~_~

i'll definitely watch it~
as soon as it's subbed!

last comments about Maou's ending (only some *spoilers at the end*) / toma's feelings after Maou ended

♥ toma-ism #71:
toma-kun...
PURE AWESOMENESS.

[this little butterfly~ a gift f/my brother f/a while back. but it makes me think of maou, so i have it on my desk all the time now. and it's white/see through, but when i put it in front of my optical mouse, the red LED makes it look red/pink. ii ne~~]


hi!
it's kate.

i'm typing this with gloves on,
it's that cold!

ummm...right!

i was surprised!
today, checking the cluster maps here and at DT..., they were both updated and they've added a list of countries that my visitors come from!! sugoi! so many! u can check it out yourselves, just click on the map at the bottom. =)

i've finished uploading all the screencaps from the last episode.
yappari~ more caps than any other episode. and i cried even more the 2nd time around, re-watching the final episode, cuz i wanted 2 record some dialogue from it!! =(

aiya, i noticed some of the youtube maou MVs i linked to already got deleted! i have saved some of them, in .flv format, in case any of u wanna watch. i LOVE LOVE the "my world" mv. u can ask me, if i have it, i'll upload it 4 ya.

was so behind on reading tomagoto, and i finally caught up recently. toma wrote a lot of touching words about how he feels about maou coming to an end!! u should read them if u haven't already, there are no spoilers, he just talks about how it's almost finished, in general. remember, u can read translations of his blog at the tomalicious forum or the tomalicious fansite. but u gotta be registered at both places to access it. these entries are from mid-september. toma was saying that it was hard to film the final scenes but he did his best as naoto till the very end (when does he NOT try his best?? haha.)...and he hopes all the viewers liked Maou & will keep a part of it in their hearts. =) i know i will!! really, this drama was really great and so much more deep & sad than i expected....u could write so much...if u try analyzing all the symbolism & morality issues in this drama!! i love how it was like this...it really makes u think ne. anyway, it's much more complicated and heart-wrenching than i expected! definitely my favorite drama of 2008! and i love the music too. i still listen to it these days. arashi's Truth and the main instrumental themes. they really capture this Maou story and help make the drama unforgettable!

toma was also saying how he and ohno are relieved that they can talk to each other normally again after maou ended. =) they were so in character, they didn't really talk or spend much time together while filming... i'm glad toma & ohno could be in Maou together, they really made a great team. =)

ALSO~
if you're wondering what toma's been doing these days,
he's said in a recent entry that he's been watching DVDs, listening to CDs, and watching plays. as expected. ~_~ also, he said the year is almost over, but everyone take care and "let's do our best" until the very end of 2008!!

OK! we definitely will, toma-kun!! ^_^

that's all~ sorry~
maybe next time i can post something more interesting!


_____________________ some spoilers!!! (last thoughts on last episode)

i noticed some more things the 2nd time i watched the series finale!
and i thought i wouldn't cry as much or at all, but i ended up crying almost the ENTIRE episode. hai. i cried with naoto all the while. *sigh* i think it's one of those rare times that each time i watch it, i'll still cry! =(

but at least after all that~
naoto-kun, u don't have to hurt anymore.

so.... i just realized that kasai reaching for the gift was like hideo reaching for his harmonica, right? i know it's so obvious how they did that, but i didn't really notice the first time. haha. really...it's cool how they made everything so similar to what happened on that day 11 yrs ago.

AND! it was so nice/sad to see naoto holding the harmonica in the end, but now that i think of it, it's not just to show that naruse has forgiven naoto! it's also so that shiori could later read that harmonica! since naoto was the last person holding it (though he was already passed away, but i guess that doesn't matter), she would be able to see his memory of what happened on that day!! and see that he didn't really stab him on purpose and then tell every1 what really happened and be able to clear his name for him. wait...IF he wasn't holding it and she touched it, i guess she would still see what really happend. but then she wouldn't know that naoto's father forced him to cover up the truth...or would she be able to see that part??

anyway.....i love the ending!! it was so sad and i wish naoto didn't die, but after everything that happened, i guess it had to be that way. they had to die....it's poetic justice.