So as you may know.. there is actually like… 5 writers.. wait 4 writers on this blog. Toshiyuki has retracted himself as he focuses on his school work. Also Toshiyuki smells like eggs. Having 4 writers on board doesn’t mean we actually have a lot of content though. We have a very relaxed kinda style around here. There are no deadlines, no topics of the day.. nothing. We just exist together. Like some freakish symbiotic anime/manga consuming organism.

There are winds of change blowing towards mellowSPACE however. Currently underfoot is a rather large construction of not only a new theme but many new features. This theme will most likely stick for the whole of 2009 but will be able to be altered by users. At least the colour scheme that is :P! There will be openings for writers on mellowSPACE to either a dedicated topic or just whatever they want to post. Writers will share in any success mellowSPACE might experience financially as well. It’s not just the writers that will benefit though, readers and members of mellowSPACE will be able to take advantage of new services and features as well as promotional offers from sponsors.

So in light of this mellowSPACE is moving away from being just an anime blog. It is moving towards becoming a provider of otaku content. As tj_han pointed out recently the anime blogosphere isn’t that anymore. Otakusphere does indeed seem to fit better. More and more blogs are either merging or partnering together. They aren’t always blogs either. Some sites are more resources for images or show information. But they fit under the larger umbrella of an otaku realm as such. As a good pal Ryan said er…. it was something like… “bloglomerates are forming” but he said it with more dramatic impact. These bloglomerates are providing more then just anime content.. they have seiyuu posts, merchandise posts, blog on blog posts (maybe I should have just copy-pasta’d tj’s post lol).

One question I want to know the answer to is if the same type of online Otaku community exists in Japan. Do they have blogs like ours? Do they gather in forums and IRC channels?

Anyway… I can’t remember what my aim was with this post. Enjoy a picture.

GCA08

I’ll be providing some event coverage for the Games Convention Asia 2008 thats happening tomorrow till saturday at suntec city singapore. Sadly, i only can attend the last day of the event; so i hope not to disappoint people this time with what i can soup up for it. Hope to see YOU there!

Post mirrored on mellowSPACE, Reinforce Network and noticed at AnimeConnex

A Moment Of Thought

So in a moment of clarity last night I came to some conclusions about my life. In a manner that is easy to read and looks official I will list them below. A numbered list even, that’s how important this is.

1. I spend to much time on IRC.
2. I spend to much time on my computers.
3. I have attempted to invest my time in too many things.
4. I have failed to look after my health.
5. I spend to much money on something that gives no return. (Server .. which is up to $450NZD btw.. darn you exchange rate)
6. I need to have more control over my situation.
7. I need to stop downloading anime to have a clean conscience.
8. This all needs to happen right now.

An Explanation

The amount of time I spend on IRC is huge. If I am on a computer.. I am on IRC. We are talking upwards of 12 hours a day here. RIDICULOUS. As much as I love to converse with fellow bloggers and anime people the fact is it distracts me from my work. It is also mentally unhealthy. The content of some of the conversations can a lot of the time conflict with what I actually believe is right or drops below my normal “out of net” moral standard. All in all it is having a negative effect on my mental health.

As I mentioned before I can spend upwards of 12 hours a day on computers. I spend a minimum of 8 hours at my place of employment and then I logon when I get home. This means that I do not spend time with my family, friends or just time winding down the mind and doing something productive. My physical health does not improve either as I am not spending time on exercise. This has to change now. I have calculated and I kid you not.. of the last 6 months I have been sick for 5 1/2. I have had 2 weeks of good health in half a year.

I love the possibilities that abound in the internet. I love them. There are so many opportunites to create and collaborate with so many awesome people. Because of this interest that I have in making new things and being part of exciting projects, I find myself in a predicament. As of right now.. I am meant to be working on 9 different projects. I should be able to invest 4 hours of time for 3 of those projects a week. At this point it’s more like 30mins. Why? Because I have become exhausted and ill. I have spread myself too far and now i’m stuck in a situation where I am failing to meet the minimum requirements for the projects that really matter.

My health hit an all time low last month. I was told by the Doc that I needed to sleep, eat, work and then sleep again. I am almost running on vapors. As a result my mental health has suffered when it comes to managing stress. Of course this has a flow on effect back to my physical health. What does this all stem from? It comes from stress related to making sure I give my best to all the people I have dedicated my time too. This includes my full time job and the 9 other projects I am part of. This also comes from a lack of looking after my body with exercise and healthy eating. I am now on a managed eating plan of healthy foods. I am meant to be doing exercise daily but that hasn’t started yet.

I currently have expenses monthly that almost exceed my income. The one large expense that is growing with the current market uncertainty is my web server. Here is the dilemma for me. This server is the gateway to me producing online income. The problem is I haven’t as of yet created anything which will produce income. The scheduled upgrade and change of mellowSPACE isn’t meant to begin until the 1st of January 2009. In between now and then my expenses are set to increase with trying to keep myself healthy. I can definitely pay for this coming month’s bill which will see me through to October. After that I do not know.

I really need to take charge of what i’m doing. At the moment i’m drifting in life. Cruising. Just going with the flow and it’s completely pointless. I have goals I want to achieve and I want to make sure they are my priority. So as they become more of my focus then other things will swing around and shift in or out of my life. The end of it needs to be that I have command of what I am doing in my life for the positive.

Being perfectly honest with myself downloading anime is illegal. Totally illegal. Don’t give me crap about “unlicensed content” and stuff. People made the show and do not receive what they deserve when we download it illegally and not through official channels. I don’t want to have that sitting on my head anymore. As much as I love watching anime I cannot justify my actions.

All these things that I have finally admitted to myself are things I need to act on now. In fact this post is more for me then you as a reader. In writing this down i’m having to admit to myself where I am falling short. It serves as a sort of explanation to people too. I guess you’ll hear from me if I have a changed situation for you in regards to projects. At the moment all I can focus on is my full time employment and the web company that I am part of. I apologise if this puts anybody in an awkward situation but such is life and I can do no more.

Why would I not put a picture, seriously.

I couldn’t let this go. Seriously I love music. This song… has to be my most wanted song in an anime ever. I can just see it now @__@! Damn I wish I could make anime magically. Seriously.. sit.. close your eyes.. and envelop yourself in this song.. let your imagination create the scene.

Anyway I found a couple of versions on Youtube. I’m not sure which version I like the most.. they all invoke different ideas.

Nina Simone

Michael Buble

Muse

In other news the ninth episode of Xam’d was again most excellent. Me and Extrange discussed it a bit and damn.. Extrange is following this series closely. There was lots of points that he er pointed out to me. The biggest one being the similarity between Nakiami and Haru (see the episode ten preview at the end of episode nine). This show is QUALITY. True quality, thank you BONES.

Also there are lots of exciting things being planned in the shadowy underworld of anime blogger developers lol. I wish I could say more.. OHH HOWW I WISH. I can let you know that 2009 will be a big year for mellowSPACE. The site is getting a bit of revamp to help it grow. Not only will it get a revamp in looks but there will be a few new features and a lot more content that you want to see ^^!

Anyway. My week at work begins tomorrow.. and ends on Wednesday. Hahaha I took a day off sick today and I have annual leave as of Thursday/Friday. I’ll be online but I have a lot to do over those four days. I’m meeting up with an old friend and hope to discuss my Anime Blog Anthology idea with him. Also i’ll be traveling for a day in total. It will be fun to see family though.

Peace out ladies! Have a great Tuesday!

P.S Does anyone else here get annoyed at seeing Danny Choo feeds on 1 billion other anime blogs? Seriously.. why? No disrespect to the guy… but that’s some sweet market penetration. WHY? It’s not like the blogs that have the feed actually receive anything back.. I just don’t get it :/

So anywho I received all this info on a manga art competion going down in what I believe is Singapore. Seriously it didn’t say Singapore anywhere on it. Anywho you can check out their website here. The press release is in a PDF format which you can find here. I have put in the poster below go check it out!

Aka is back in town. I’m blogging from my handphone right now, using the opera mini browser. I hope this post goes thru fine. And as for what i’ve been doing for the last two months, been stuck on a small military island training to defend my nation. Anyway, now i’m resuming my blogging activities to some extent, and i’m working on my own group of sites, Reinforce Network.. Hope to get it fully up and running sometime soon, and don’t worry, mellow, i’ll still be writing here as well. I actually have a few posts written on paper done during the spare time i had in camp. Hope i get the chance to post it out sometime soon. Anyway, aka out for now.

I was listening to the Kings Of Leon’s new single last night, Sex On Fire. It was addictive as hell and now I want the album when it releases. I find the music really fun and in some ways inspiring (more on this later). However i’ve been told by female members of society that this particular video clip is the sexiest the band has ever looked possibly as sexy as Extrange.

It got me thinking right.. the video clip gives the song atmosphere as such. It helps mould our thinking of that song to recall a certain environment or mood. The director of that clip appears to have set their sight on getting girls to swoon. As a guy.. when I saw that clip.. I was just like “wicked song.. I wish I could play like that … I like the way they shot the clip.. looks cool…. oh hey.. weird.. that guy is almost cross-eyed”. I can imagine however that the aforementioned female’s thoughts were something like this… “zomg zomg &(&@# @#&@()#@ #@*)*0 so @#)*@ hot (*)*@#)(#)#* mmmm mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm mmm mmmmmmmm mmmm mmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm CENSORED* <– ENTER POSSIBLE YAOI FANTASIES?.

So my thoughts trailed on a little more and I thought about Xam’d and the Boom Boom Satellites OP. The OP for that show is excellent. The animation is in sync with the song as such and it evokes an exciting atmosphere. I recall the OP for Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei for both the first and second seasons was excellent also. I know i’m picking exciting songs and action here but the point being that music can have a serious impact on whether you enjoy a show or not. I love both these shows and if an anime has a bad OP then it does make me think twice about continuing to watch it.

Music to my ears~ <3

I often find myself listening to an album and pondering what sort of story it would go along with. Take for instance the song City Of Delusion by MUSE. That song quite simply is awesome. It inspires my mind to no end and I can imagine it used in some sort of epic anime movie. I spent two days once listening to a live album of Daft Punk, as I listened to it I formed a complete story that would run with the music. If I ever get around to writing it down I will be on the way to fame I swear. It was truly epic.. and I thought up the art styles and everything. Geez.. now I want to make it haha. I really will have to write it down.. It’s freakin cool.

TOO CUTE.

When you watch anime normally do you pay special attention to the music? Do you go gaga fanboy/girl over the music? Do you sometimes wish more western music would get in there? Take a look at Appleseed for instance.. they used a collection of well known artists from around the world. Sometimes I wish that would filter down to just the normal anime. It makes it a little more exciting ya know? In preperation for this post I gathered up some headphone pictures. Hikago was telling me there was some sort of artbook out advertising headphones that used anime girls… if anyone knows of it could they perhaps point me to where I could buy it?

ENJOY YOUR THURSDAY PUNKS :D!

Music! Cellphones! Sweet Sitting!