~~Eat Fresh~~! 「Site News」

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~Guest feature: AKB48 @ Anime Expo 2010 and Mano Erina @ Club Nokia, my LA experience~

~IW Charity Auction collaboration for aid to Japan♥ now posted~

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Please idol♥ responsibly

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～眠いそう．．．

I find that seeing one of our cats in a sleepy state magically makes me feel a bit sleepy as well and it doesn’t matter the time of day it seems….and just how many hours of sleep do cats like to get each day one has to wonder….??!!! They’re sometimes nocturnal but they do love their sleep for sure lol understatement. ( 」´０｀)」Zzzzzzz…..always in the cutest~♥/most creative of sleeping positions.

I’m now in the process of going wireless….never gone wireless before wish~* me luck that I can set this thing up correctly ＾＾。

~Final Fantasy♥ trumps

To commemorate 25 years (can you believe it’s been that long??..i only began playing since VII =O) of role playing fun a special playing card set is set to be released on April 30th in honor of the longstanding series Final Fantasy~. Aka: 25 years of getting us addicted to rpg all~nighters spent powering up, collecting necessities & solving riddles till the wee hours of the morning all in the name of fighting evil and making our rpg world a better place…one experience point @ a time~. I think a lot of us have done this right?…you know find a convenient save sphere which is in the vicinity of the juicier enemies in order to power up even quicker =)..and proceed to spend hour~after~hour camped out in said succulent abode. I always found it enjoyable to play through the first time “blindly” and then only upon initial completion then go back and re~play with the help of one of the wonderfully thick and informative guides so as not to miss a single thing, item or event which these enormous rpg worlds have to offer. I no doubt have found the most replay value in FFVII not only going back for seconds but also thirds and fourths~♥. Those perfectly intermittently timed mini~movies which seamlessly move the stories along also eye opening and often enigmatic in their images all leading up to the reward of the movie finale always kept you inspired~* and endlessly playing, at times unknowingly shutting the outside and real world out and perhaps much too often for our own good but who really cared then ^ ^. The well drawn out characters becoming like real acquaintances, comrades and friends with life stories dating back to childhoods become endearing and rich as the FF series truly has touched and moved so many fans worldwide within this wondrous span of fantasy~. Excuse me while I take care of this Tonberry =P…..

..somehow he appears so cute in plush form o(*´∀｀)o゛♥！

~The fave list~

Got a favorite character or characters?…click all that apply…

All of your favorites are here in trump form and you so gotta love the old~world style art depicting each character and thing which the series has long be identified with~.

Pre~order yours today!

Can your idol do this?…♪♪

谷村有美

Tanimura Yumi “Ai wa genki desu” (album cover scan).

Some of the most prominent idols of yesteryear went on to become accomplished musicians & songwriters which is something that for the most part, today’s idols are perhaps still striving to accomplish. Two of my favorites~♥~ that come to mind readily are Moritaka Chisato whom actually shed the idol tag quite early! and Tanimura Yumi whom i’m in the continued process of re~upping her media here which was previously lost.

Sometimes in music♪♪ the very best kept “secrets” are right under our noses or in my case high above eyesight if they happen to be on a top shelf in your local shop!…(^q^). But in any case searching through second hand shops for musical treasures can be most rewarding at times a lot more frequently than you may think~!

Now at 15 albums my Tanimura Yumi collection began with humble beginnings with the album cover scan you see to the left…….very nostalgic! My very first Tanimura Yumi purchase! =) First impressions here paid off for me the listener as “Ai wa genki desu” turned out to be an amazing album and while it’s much more indicative of her earlier works which were much more “idol” like perhaps..or cutesy like at times……Yumichan by even this early stage of her career was already penning both lyrics and music for numerous compositions on her own albums. ^ ^

谷村有美

Tanimura Yumi “Feel Mie Special Live Live Live” DVD

Fast forward just a few years and Tanimura Yumi was already composing all of her music & lyrics as well as had developed as a premier pianist who can truly hold her own in a virtuoso crowd~!

However please don’t take my word for it~ and witness just how far an idol can develop in the music world if only inspiration were so great amongst ours today. The first clip below is from Yumichan’s ’97-’97 “Feel Mie” concert tour and while Yumichan’s instrumental works only appear sporadically throughout her career this one really displays a breathtaking virtuoso♪♪ at work~!

This untitled work of live improvisation is of the contemporary jazz genre and throughout this seven minute + performance you’ll experience several movements of sorts which are often associated with classical music although this is *pure* jazz heaven on stage~! Tanoshimi kudasai~.

~谷村有美…”Inst. Ver.2.17″ (live)~

…..it sort of has a “Snoopy” feel to it’s main reoccuring melody……..think of the classic “Linus and Lucy.”

“HALF MOON” is truly one of Yumichan’s most beloved compositions and below she gives a most heartfelt performance~. The vocal improvisational break after the middle bridge is really sweet as it leads up to the song’s final perfect vocal note held here beautifully by Yumichan………lyrics..beautiful and moving……..melody..most memorable………vocals..immaculate~.

~谷村有美　”HALF MOON” (live)~

~♪♪~

Tanimura Yumi ♥ continues…

谷村有美

…just adding a few more clips including both live clips and a couple of pvs….

For a somewhat more informative and structured post on Tanimura Yumi see just south of here or you can click~* here…(as i’ve been gradually adding back lost videos and mp3′s to posts recently which were lost during my move from Vox to WordPress)….as today is all about performances and visuals~♥.

Go #48~! #24~! 88~! #5~! (sorry I lost my focus for awhile there…XD) Now just hours away from the new season and the Shootout =D.

Tanimura Yumi’s vocals are so immaculate and she makes it look so effortless in concert…..Yumi~chan really embodies all that is possible for any idol who aspires to a much more involved career, one that will leave a lasting impression for years to come. As noted previously Tanimura Yumi’s career went from pure “idol” to songwriter/lyric composer really early in her career and she’s so accomplished on the piano making her concerts appear at times more like recitals in a sense. Her vocal control and range is breathtaking also as will be seen in the following live clips but her pvs are so cute as well~! ^ ^ I’ve included two below and they really expand on her already endearing qualities as a musician/songwriter/performer as such a wonderfully quirky side to her personality can be seen….and when it comes to quirky I’m all for it~ as in the quirkier the better! XD She’s so cute in them!!….enjoy~~!

Tanimura Yumi visuals

Tanimura Yumi releases can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

~Tanimura Yumi “Semete mono I LOVE YOU” pv~

~Tanimura Yumi “Shiawase no katachi” pv~

~chu~

~♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪~

~Tanimura Yumi “Koi ni ochita” (live) “Feel Mie Special” tour~

Simply breathtaking!!…one of the best live performances ever! ^o^♪♪

~♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪~

~Tanimura Yumi “Shiawase no katachi” (live) “Feel Mie Special”~

This is such a fun and energetic performance and watch for Yumichan to engage in a bit of extra curricular activity with her keyboard player toward the end!!! ＼(^o^)／☆!!

~♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪~

♪♪Tanimura Yumi “Umare kawaru kimochi” (live) “Feel Mie Special”

It always hits me when I remember that this composition is one of Yumichan’s earliest…
…to hear it on solo piano though…..
..amazing~.
♪♪

~♪♪~

~The Ayaya connection…Tanimura Yumi in focus.

I’ve been meaning to post a few songs by Tanimura Yumi, the artist/writer that penned both the lyrics and music for Ayaya’s single release “Egao” and its coupling with track “Anata ni deaete.” Dating back to 1988, Tanimura Yumi has amassed quite a music collection over the years and even as far back as the early nineties she was already active in writing her own lyrics and music on select tracks. I was so happy to see Ayaya get a chance to showcase her vocals on a Tanimura Yumi composition…well not one but two!…and as I’ve already gushed over “Egao” and “Anata ni deaete” in that previous post linked above I’ll try to refrain from doing so again here. :P I wonder if Ayaya has any writing aspirations of her own and if perhaps she may tap into that in her post H!P career. Nothing’s for certain but I’m already assuming that she’ll no doubt continue on in music elsewhere in a new home or at least those are my upmost hopes!

~Tanimura Yumi “Umarekawaru kimochi” (live)~

This is such an awesome performance!!! “Umarekawaru kimochi” gets a new spin on it as this track was originally released way back in 1991 (on her album “Ai wa genki desu”) and here years later Tanimura Yumi does a great updated rendition solo on the piano!! Subarashii! The video and audio’s timing seem to be just a bit off though…but nonetheless an immaculate performance.

~Tanimura Yumi “Semete mono I LOVE YOU” mp3~

Tanimura Yumi’s writing skills even at an early age were quite remarkable and through the years she’s honed those skills creating a diverse tapestry of musical expression touching upon a well rounded scope of styles and genres. The track above “Semetemono I LOVE YOU” is a great example of her later development and it showcases a nice touch of a contemporary jazz element and by this point all of her songs were exclusively written by herself…lyrics and music. Just hearing this track may give you a strong connection to the two tracks that Ayaya was given to record as well as what her later style of writing entailed.

And here’s a wonderful live performance on solo piano of “Semetemono I LOVE YOU”…oddly the timing of the audio and video seem to be a tick off here as well…fushigi ne. While Tanimura Yumi’s earlier concerts were more like that of an idol, these later performances are amazing as the atmosphere is somewhat like a concert hall. No wotas jumping around out there! :P

~Tanimura Yumi “Semete mono I LOVE YOU” (live solo piano version)~

~Tanimura Yumi “Ai wa genki desu” mp3~

“Ai wa genki desu” was the very first song that I heard by Tanimura Yumi as it served as the title track of her album by the same name. Tanimura Yumi wrote the music and what’s immediately remarkable about this is that this release was not far from her debut as an artist as this track dates back to 1991. Really a cute and catchy song and note the very well composed song structure while considering how young she was back then! Plus listen for the toy drums which are cutely also credited in the liner notes! ^o^ Tanimura Yumi is so amazing live too and she projects her vocals so strongly and with such feeling that I’m always in awe whenever I hear her sing.

~Tanimura Yumi “Koi ni ochita” mp3~

Here’s one more of her later compositions which she penned herself. “Koi ni ochita” is more on the dramatic side with a melody which showcases her vocal strength and range. Something to take notice of, as both “Egao” and “Anata ni deaete” really compliment Ayaya’s strong vocal range perfectly which UFA producers must’ve no doubt taken note of when they chose it for her to perform as they both share this gift of natural vocal strength. The degree of difficulty of a song like “Egao” really requires great range and vocal control…both of which Tanimura Yumi and Ayaya possess. Tanimura often performs live on the piano while singing and I’m always so impressed by anyone who’s able to project such feeling into their performance while accompanying themselves on an instrument.

My Tanimura Yumi collection.

In all I’ve collected 14 of her albums most of which were found at a local Book Off while the latter releases here were purchased through Japan’s Tower Export divison. ^-^ It’s amazing what gems you can find while browsing the shelves and to think that it all started with a chance purchase lead on by curiousity as I picked her “Ai wa genki desu” album release…..and what attracted me to it? I was amazed that it was a first press edition with special slipcase and booklet included…funny how I chose this but it truly led me to find some really exceptional J-Pop compositions. ^-^ Tanimura Yumi is one of Japan’s notable and exceptional talents.

~Our SExual Generation

As generations transcend culture, sometimes I think our very own values and beliefs can become blurred or even reinvented in time. Such is a point brought to my attention by the closest of friends in Couscous and after doing a bit of research amongst a group of girl friends it seems to be much more of a dating turn~off than guys of this generation realize. First though let’s be honest about how we “got here” in that maybe the guys aren’t so much to blame but rather some images and stereotypes came into play and over time blurred the whole “what a girl wants” idealism through what I can’t describe in any other way than it being the YouPornTube generation~. Just imagine you’re dating a guy (rather Couscous is dating a guy…) and let’s call him Zak (as I know of no one named Zak and neither does Couscous =) ) and by your fifth date and after all of the rated PG~13 stuff presents the night where you think it’d be okay to take things to the next in consummating your relationship♥ he thinks it a good idea to try to reenact a visual or maybe an “act” from one of his favorite porn scenes upon you =O. If you’re a guy and you’re reading this you so know exactly what I’m speaking of and in today’s generation and unlike those of the past where maybe guys were maybe lucky enough to find a copy of mom’s Sear’s catalog with lingerie models modeling your basic underwear to stain or then there’s well…National Geographic I hear if you go back even further, in today’s generation (and I shudder to think of our youth already knowing the use of the term “money shot” by early grade school) there’s the internet age where there’s most likely a near infinite supply of online videos showing the aforementioned “money shots” to chests and faces really??..all dated back to the age of dial~up so we’re talking about a lot of minds out there thinking this is like sex education for them and it equating to what girls like or want. And to think that technology and its advances are idealized to mean exactly that, advancement in our lifestyles and culture for the better of mankind…..wait that’s always said as ‘mankind’ but what of ‘womankind?’ Seriously.

Some girl friends say that at times they feel so surreally as if suddenly transported into a porn movie during lovemaking and all after things were gooooiiiing so great!!!! with the in~and~out and sweet notions and caresses. Of course I think at times the amount of alcohol involved on a date deafens better judgment but still if he manages to remember protection and further get it in then why does this act of porn suddenly embody the one you thought you were so close to? And it doesn’t end there as if asking for anal sex was so much the norm as it isn’t….so isn’t reaLLy!!! And imagine the shock to the guy who up to that very moment thought it so enjoyable to every girl on earth and likewise how she just can’t wait to feel him between her breasts as well =O. They’re actors/actresses in the very basic essence of the meaning..for one you can act like you absolutely love♥ natto and cuddle it, drop some drool on it and massage it all around in front of a camera when you’re getting paid and laid to do it~. I think if you paid me enough i’d show natto a good time~* too ー(*￣Ｏ￣)ノ！～！～！

It’s almost as if I would consider the guy who comes in you considerate and just how desensitized have we become? I mean with social media and clips being uploaded non~stop it’s like the best isn’t even good enough anymore as sensationalism has got the upper hand on us in that we can no longer just view a triple lindy as being awesome as someone’s already uploaded a triple lindy involving skis, a ramp over Caesar’s Palace and two cases of Red~Bull and a giant panda bear juggling cucumbers while a certain Justin watches. And likewise with the “analogy” to sex, is sex with a guy coming in you no longer enough….I mean not with the gia~normous elephant in the room aka: the gia~normous elephant w/ wi~fi porn on his iPad thinking is that all you’re going to do? And getting back to the it’s not the guy’s fault theory, who can blame a penis who’s been raised since the dawn of dial~up porn availability into believing that the act of coming somewhere else besides in her is the normal thing to do? In some ways I think porn itself has transcended social conduct beyond what it used to be, you know it used to represent what the lonely guy used to use for sex but now it’s become like his enlightenment into how he thinks he can enhance it. Really guys it’s so not a roadmap or a tutorial or anything of the sort. You see when you push fantasy* beyond what it’s meant to be in its media/ entertainment stature you’re blurring the lines beyond naturalism~. And I’m not a prude, far from it but rather than guys taking the preordained notion that we’d enjoy a facial acting like we haven’t had anything to eat in weeks and that your penis is about to miraculously produce a meal….just consider exactly how you’re finishing. Yes. With your hand and that itself lends to what I imagine to be countless times you’ve done it before but y~es before your very own pixelated screen and not on us~. Just give girls the opt~in or op~out opportunity first and please don’t spring it upon us like a surprise birthday party where the guest has no idea of what she’s about to receive~ (・_・)。

(post header cap courtesy of “Fred Flinstone”as he remarks his porn upbringing to the stone age so yes he comes in our biologically correct place*and hasn’t considered otherwise without consent =) ).

~Happy Valentine’s chocolat♥

~Happy Valentine’s~♥~Day!!!  And being that today’s holiday is for us I thought it a good idea to share something for the guys too o(*´∀｀)o゛♥ｘ♥ｘ♥～。And who doesn’t love chocolate?…well besides me？ (。ーωー。)笑！

Remember collecting cards in your youth? There was always just something so wonderfully suspenseful with the opening of each individual packet of cards all wrapped inside its foil just waiting to be discovered~. I haven’t purchased any trading card sets in quite awhile now but with Koike♥Yui releasing a set I surely jumped at the chance and I’m just loving how those vendor countertop boxes which flipped up with a sign/backing is still present today!…so so nostalgic!

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I ended up receiving box set number 810 out of 1400 and silly me didn’t even know these were limited?? At 6000 yen per box there are 12 card packs included with a couple of bonus cards adhered to the outside of the wrapping which was a nice surprise =). And at 7 cards per pack the backing of the box tells you outright that it’s not possible to receive every card in the set =/….still that’s quite a bit of cards and yes!! there’s always the possibility of receiving a few special and very limited cards as well.

Either I’m incredibly lucky or incredibly naïve =P (most likely the latter!!) but out of the complete available 72 regular cards I managed to collect 71 of them….really really surprising as I ended up with only 3 doubles of cards =O. And just a last tidbit of that childhood card collecting nostalgia I earlier spoke of in the form of thhhank goodness no more of those incredibly hard gum sticks =/!!!!! Those pink ones which would inevitably leave a bit of sugar powder residue on one of your cards…you remember the very last one in the stack although I did love♥ the scent of those pinkish gum sticks so they did serve somewhat of a wacky “purpose” for me still……=D.

And now this all brings me to The Beatles……(lol you so know where this is going or hmmm??…..)…..

…well above are the four lucky special clear plastic cards which I found scattered in the random packs and they’re quite pretty as they’re completely see through so they’re kinda like tinny tiny clear files which actually haven’t a pocket to speak of so actually they’re nothing like clear files =P. Anyway.

It seems that this type of thing has been going on forever or at least as far back as the sixties as an entrepreneur (or maybe not as they’re was surely no risk involved..) thought up the idea of cutting up the bed sheets which The Beatles had slept on in a hotel or something of the sort and then went on to sell these many many cuts of bed sheets to the Beatlemania generation! Talk about your personal memorabilia!!!..and just below is the modern version of Beatlemania bed sheet mania in the wonderful form of cut up pieces of the very clothing in which Koike♥Yui wore for some of her photo shoots~. Genius I tell you as it reads: “this is (from) the costume I have on”….one card I received is a “single” wardrobe piece while the other is a “double”…who knew such things existed even today =)? The card to the upper right is a bit puzzling as it’s called a “double truth card” and I’ve no idea of what that actually means as it’s supposed to prove the photo within is the true photograph taken for the card…..huh? Anyway it’s still cute and it’s like a mini frame (card)~.

~my 71/72 regular cards~

I did these front and back as the two sides seem to hold exclusive photo shoots and wardrobes from one another. And after getting them all in order and into those acid free card protector sheets I just noticed that Yui’s♥ binder is a four ring binder…who knew?? as I’ve only got the tree ring binder type sheets (/∇＼*)！！

(;゜□゜).  . .. …….。

Happy ~♥~ Day!!