random post
Sorry, I wrote a lot again. =P Just skip the sections you don't care about. *shrug*
Family
It's been less than a week since Mom and Rachel left on their trip to China, but I gotta admit, it feels really weird to not talk to them everyday. @_@ I mean, they visit G-ville every few weeks, but they call us every night (usually more than once), so it's strange to not hear my "snow drop" ringtone go off all the time. XD' Can't say I miss Mom's nagging or Rachel's pointless prolonged silences on the phone though. And it's not like I'm missing them either since we've already received two emails from them, informing us that they made it there safely and that they're busy being tourists. =P Still, I guess we sometimes take the comfort of family for granted, you know? =)
That includes Maggie and I, who have been getting on each other's nerves these past couple of weeks. Partly due to hormones, partly due to stress, but it's not that bad. It's certainly been worse. ^^; I think my cleaning up the place a bit will cheer Maggie up considerably when she gets home, and then we can unwind at Steak 'n Shake yay! I've really been craving a good burger and fries (and maybe even a milkshake). *drool*
School
I've been insanely busy with homework lately, but I really don't want to talk about that. >< So I take my mind off of it by fangirling over my favorite bands and by reading comics.
Comics
I've returned to my crack habit,
scans_daily. I've been trying to catch up on the four months of DC comics that I've missed out on. I just got to January, when there were rumors that Stephanie Brown (aka Spoiler, aka Robin IV) might be coming back (!!!), so please no one mention any spoilers. Also, this made me particularly squeeful because I love the Bat-Family, especially Dick Grayson (aka Robin I, aka Nightwing) and his relationship with Tim Drake (aka Robin III). =D The writing and the art are sooo awesome in that issue! =D
Travis
It's official. All the Travis guys are now fathers! *squee* Dougie just announced he and his wife Kelly had a baby boy! Aww! Yay! They named him Freddie Peter Payne. Hehe, isn't that cute? I think that the Peter Pan pun was definitely intended, because this is Dougie. XD He's my favorite. ^^ He is just so charming and funny and cute and has hypnotic hips. And get this, he's the bassist of Travis. I know! tetsu and Dougie! I just can't help myself when it comes to bassists, apparently! XD <3
tetsu
Speaking of tetsu, it's been announced that his and Ayana's wedding will be on May 4th, so EEE! :DDD I am so giddy over that! I love the thought of tetsu as a husband, but the thought of him as a groom makes me SQUEE XD. Apparently, Ayana designed both his tux and her (pink!) wedding dress. Isn't that just so adorable? I am praying that we get at least a glimpse of the wedding!! I wanna see if tetsu's tux is white with matching pink accents and his own skirt because that would be so perfect! <<<333 I wonder how big the ceremony/reception will be. tetsu is known for doing things with major style (cost not being an issue at all), and they're both so outgoing and genki, but then again, they may want to keep it small and private. But goddamn it! hyde, ken, and yuki better be there as groomsmen!! XO I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when I found out that hyde didn't include his bandmates in his wedding! *shakes fist* I mean, L'Arc is like a family!!!!
But anyway, it sounds like tetsu may get another family soon. =) Ayana mentioned she wants a baby by the end of the year. That means she'd have to already be pregnant right now. Could it be? Oh, well, we won't know for a long time. But it's still really fun to imagine tetsu becoming a father. OMG SOSOSO CUUUTTTEEE SQUEEE!!!! XDDD I think he would be such a good father! <3 But I'm also slightly concerned that he'll be too busy or too much of a neat freak to do the dirty work like changing diapers. I'm sure they'll have a nanny, but tetsu better be there for mother and baby! Xo *cough* Course, nothing's been confirmed as of yet, so it's a moot point. >_>
P'Unk~en~Ciel
Ooh! Larc's new single "DRINK IT DOWN" just came out, and you know what that means! What, no! No one cares about the actual song on the single! We've already downloaded it illegally months ago! I'm talking about P'Unk~en~Ciel's b-side, of course! :D We finally got the much-anticipated (or much-dreaded, depending on who you ask XDD) "DUNE 2008"! This is an EPIC attempt at p'unking the sacred classic from their very first album. My personal opinion: Mission Accomplished. *clap clap clap*
I really, really like this p'unk song. XD I liked it from the very first distorted chords. I could tell they were going to take this opportunity to revisit one of their oldest songs and rearrange it to today's standards, like I'd hoped, instead of simply increasing the tempo and adding harder drums like they've done before. The opening made me smile, YUKI P'UNK's obligatory "1-2-3-4," kinda slower than usual, made me giggle, and then TETSU P'UNK starting to sing made me gasp a little and melt like a lot. @_@ <3
His voice is sooo good. It reminded me of "I WISH 2007" when his singing made me go 0_0 for the first time over a p'unk song. Something, I'm not sure what, but something gives the impression that TETSU is totally owning the song. He's not just doing karaoke, he's not covering or remaking it, he is singing it as if it is truly HIS SONG. And I love that. I love the refreshing confidence that's come with these past two p'unk songs. <3 I concede that hyde is better at the high, waily singing in the chorus though. I'm sure tetsu could do it because we've heard him do beautifully high back-up vocals before, but TETSU P'UNK's singing with punkish attitude isn't really suited for that. Nevertheless, I love the vocals in this song! :DD
I can't really comment on YUKI P'UNK's bass (hehe, sorry, yuki! ^^;), but his growly shouting is always very much loved! XD I think KEN P'UNK's drumming has improved quite a lot. =D But omg HYDE P'UNK's guitar!! What a HUGE step up from all the previous p'unk songs! Not just the mind-blowing guitar solo, but the whole thing sounded freakin' awesome, and I am very impressed with hyde right now! lol. Also, I love TETSU P'UNK's throaty "aaaahhheeeeeehhhhhhooooooohhhh" at the end. XDDD
Overall, they did an excellent job of updating the early-90s indie sound and making it feel fresh. As someone who normally prefers their newer stuff, "Dune" has never really been one of my favorites. (I realize that, to laruku fans, that sentence is like sacrilege, but I'm not afraid of them! XPP) To me, making the song sound like new material is an improvement. Don't get me wrong; I love both versions, but I have to say, I think I like "DUNE 2008" a little better than the original "Dune." There I said it. (OMG the fangirls have come with torches and pitchforks! O__O Run awaaayyyyy!!)
In any case, "DUNE 2008" is quickly becoming one of my favorite p'unk songs to date. I've always considered "Kasou 2005" and "Natsu no Yuutsu 2007" to be the best-produced, but "I WISH 2007" and "DUNE 2008" may be added to the list due to the fantastic arrangement and vast improvements in all four P'UNK guys' performance (namely TETSU because I love him! So what if I'm biased? XD). The best p'unk songs are the ones that don't sound like silly covers but actual songs. ^_^
Family
It's been less than a week since Mom and Rachel left on their trip to China, but I gotta admit, it feels really weird to not talk to them everyday. @_@ I mean, they visit G-ville every few weeks, but they call us every night (usually more than once), so it's strange to not hear my "snow drop" ringtone go off all the time. XD' Can't say I miss Mom's nagging or Rachel's pointless prolonged silences on the phone though. And it's not like I'm missing them either since we've already received two emails from them, informing us that they made it there safely and that they're busy being tourists. =P Still, I guess we sometimes take the comfort of family for granted, you know? =)
That includes Maggie and I, who have been getting on each other's nerves these past couple of weeks. Partly due to hormones, partly due to stress, but it's not that bad. It's certainly been worse. ^^; I think my cleaning up the place a bit will cheer Maggie up considerably when she gets home, and then we can unwind at Steak 'n Shake yay! I've really been craving a good burger and fries (and maybe even a milkshake). *drool*
School
I've been insanely busy with homework lately, but I really don't want to talk about that. >< So I take my mind off of it by fangirling over my favorite bands and by reading comics.
Comics
I've returned to my crack habit,
scans_daily. I've been trying to catch up on the four months of DC comics that I've missed out on. I just got to January, when there were rumors that Stephanie Brown (aka Spoiler, aka Robin IV) might be coming back (!!!), so please no one mention any spoilers. Also, this made me particularly squeeful because I love the Bat-Family, especially Dick Grayson (aka Robin I, aka Nightwing) and his relationship with Tim Drake (aka Robin III). =D The writing and the art are sooo awesome in that issue! =D
Travis
It's official. All the Travis guys are now fathers! *squee* Dougie just announced he and his wife Kelly had a baby boy! Aww! Yay! They named him Freddie Peter Payne. Hehe, isn't that cute? I think that the Peter Pan pun was definitely intended, because this is Dougie. XD He's my favorite. ^^ He is just so charming and funny and cute and has hypnotic hips. And get this, he's the bassist of Travis. I know! tetsu and Dougie! I just can't help myself when it comes to bassists, apparently! XD <3
tetsu
Speaking of tetsu, it's been announced that his and Ayana's wedding will be on May 4th, so EEE! :DDD I am so giddy over that! I love the thought of tetsu as a husband, but the thought of him as a groom makes me SQUEE XD. Apparently, Ayana designed both his tux and her (pink!) wedding dress. Isn't that just so adorable? I am praying that we get at least a glimpse of the wedding!! I wanna see if tetsu's tux is white with matching pink accents and his own skirt because that would be so perfect! <<<333 I wonder how big the ceremony/reception will be. tetsu is known for doing things with major style (cost not being an issue at all), and they're both so outgoing and genki, but then again, they may want to keep it small and private. But goddamn it! hyde, ken, and yuki better be there as groomsmen!! XO I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when I found out that hyde didn't include his bandmates in his wedding! *shakes fist* I mean, L'Arc is like a family!!!!
But anyway, it sounds like tetsu may get another family soon. =) Ayana mentioned she wants a baby by the end of the year. That means she'd have to already be pregnant right now. Could it be? Oh, well, we won't know for a long time. But it's still really fun to imagine tetsu becoming a father. OMG SOSOSO CUUUTTTEEE SQUEEE!!!! XDDD I think he would be such a good father! <3 But I'm also slightly concerned that he'll be too busy or too much of a neat freak to do the dirty work like changing diapers. I'm sure they'll have a nanny, but tetsu better be there for mother and baby! Xo *cough* Course, nothing's been confirmed as of yet, so it's a moot point. >_>
P'Unk~en~Ciel
Ooh! Larc's new single "DRINK IT DOWN" just came out, and you know what that means! What, no! No one cares about the actual song on the single! We've already downloaded it illegally months ago! I'm talking about P'Unk~en~Ciel's b-side, of course! :D We finally got the much-anticipated (or much-dreaded, depending on who you ask XDD) "DUNE 2008"! This is an EPIC attempt at p'unking the sacred classic from their very first album. My personal opinion: Mission Accomplished. *clap clap clap*
I really, really like this p'unk song. XD I liked it from the very first distorted chords. I could tell they were going to take this opportunity to revisit one of their oldest songs and rearrange it to today's standards, like I'd hoped, instead of simply increasing the tempo and adding harder drums like they've done before. The opening made me smile, YUKI P'UNK's obligatory "1-2-3-4," kinda slower than usual, made me giggle, and then TETSU P'UNK starting to sing made me gasp a little and melt like a lot. @_@ <3
His voice is sooo good. It reminded me of "I WISH 2007" when his singing made me go 0_0 for the first time over a p'unk song. Something, I'm not sure what, but something gives the impression that TETSU is totally owning the song. He's not just doing karaoke, he's not covering or remaking it, he is singing it as if it is truly HIS SONG. And I love that. I love the refreshing confidence that's come with these past two p'unk songs. <3 I concede that hyde is better at the high, waily singing in the chorus though. I'm sure tetsu could do it because we've heard him do beautifully high back-up vocals before, but TETSU P'UNK's singing with punkish attitude isn't really suited for that. Nevertheless, I love the vocals in this song! :DD
I can't really comment on YUKI P'UNK's bass (hehe, sorry, yuki! ^^;), but his growly shouting is always very much loved! XD I think KEN P'UNK's drumming has improved quite a lot. =D But omg HYDE P'UNK's guitar!! What a HUGE step up from all the previous p'unk songs! Not just the mind-blowing guitar solo, but the whole thing sounded freakin' awesome, and I am very impressed with hyde right now! lol. Also, I love TETSU P'UNK's throaty "aaaahhheeeeeehhhhhhooooooohhhh" at the end. XDDD
Overall, they did an excellent job of updating the early-90s indie sound and making it feel fresh. As someone who normally prefers their newer stuff, "Dune" has never really been one of my favorites. (I realize that, to laruku fans, that sentence is like sacrilege, but I'm not afraid of them! XPP) To me, making the song sound like new material is an improvement. Don't get me wrong; I love both versions, but I have to say, I think I like "DUNE 2008" a little better than the original "Dune." There I said it. (OMG the fangirls have come with torches and pitchforks! O__O Run awaaayyyyy!!)
In any case, "DUNE 2008" is quickly becoming one of my favorite p'unk songs to date. I've always considered "Kasou 2005" and "Natsu no Yuutsu 2007" to be the best-produced, but "I WISH 2007" and "DUNE 2008" may be added to the list due to the fantastic arrangement and vast improvements in all four P'UNK guys' performance (namely TETSU because I love him! So what if I'm biased? XD). The best p'unk songs are the ones that don't sound like silly covers but actual songs. ^_^