fancymusume

I received a postcard from Megu yesterday. ♥ For someone who says she's not the older sister type, I feel like I'm being spoiled a lot.

She wants to send me her postcards and posters. I feel glad, but whether I say yes or no, I feel like I'm not being polite enough. D: And I'm putting somebody else in the same position. (I haven't replied to you properly yet. I will in a bit.)

I luck out on many things, but I sure am blessed when it comes to friends.


PS. I was half-awake when my mom handed me the postcard yesterday, and when I opened my eyes to see what I was holding, the first thing that came to my mind is, "Ah, AKIHIDE is taking a dump." Hahaha.

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

YASU.
EVEN IF YOU SCARRED ME FOR LIFE WHEN YOU RAPED AKIHIDE, I DO HAVE A LOT OF LOVE FOR YOU, Y'KNOW.
WHY'D YOU HAVE TO BE ALL DRAMATIC AND GET SICK ON US?
YOU CAPRICIOUS ^&*^&*(^%%$*^&!!

I read about this on the website, and fortunately, somebody translated this for reposting. This is what I received in my inbox:( Please get well soon. )

I knew there was something fishy about this and that blogging about the Budoukan final. If it were only DAIGO, it would have been a mere fanboy post. But yasu invited quite a lot of people...

yasu also had to stop his blog... I hope they don't take it down, though. More than that, I pray for his speedy recovery. yasu, come back soon, please?

A few months ago, around the start of the first semester, I blogged about writing this academic paper on boys' love. A lot of people extended their help, and because of that I managed to get a 1.0 (the highest grade my university gives) on both the paper and as my final grade. This is my very first paper as a student pursuing a master's degree, so I'm really very happy that my hard work earned a good grade. I'm now more confident in applying for a scholarship. :)

As to why I chose this topic, there was a time in my life when I consumed boys' love media as if it were oxygen. ^^;; I am somewhat glad that's over. Before I wrote the paper, it had been a long time since I read BL manga, and it only came to mind because of well, Eiki Eiki, who piqued my interest for being an ojousan and a BL mangaka at the same time. It was rather strange for me to see the grandchild of a former prime minister to choose that which is queer as her subject of expertise. It made me think of how Japanese society views this phenomenon. At the same time, I had lingering unresolved issues about BL, particularly about its difference from gay literature. My main objective in writing this, therefore, is neither to promote nor problematize, but simply to create in its readers self-aware consumers of popular culture.

As a way of showing my gratitude, I uploaded my paper entitled Exploring the Female Consciousness in Boys' Love Manga: The Real, The Ideal, and the Despised Self to the websites linked below. Feel free to send me your comments and criticisms -- they will help me become a better writer. I also hope that this might be of some help to scholars who would like to take on the subject in the future. Again, thank you very much!

Google Docs or Data Nest

I'm back from my short vacation in Baguio! I'll prolly post pictures later. I love that place. ♥

This is what welcomed me when I got back home:



Today (yesterday, rather) was their Budoukan live, and Akki was wearing that hairstyle again.

I like the shy Akki who, instead of partying with everyone, goes home right after a concert.
I like the cocky Aki-sama who knows his place on stage and is proud of his own sound.
But really, at the core of it all, the one I really adore is... AKIHIDE minus all these stage personas; the one who speaks when the music and words start playing. ^^;;;
If one day I get to one of their concerts, I hope I meet him.
Not Akki, not Aki-sama, but just AKIHIDE.
I won't complain about meeting the other two, though. They're a lot of fun as well. :D

aiyatheydidnt
The Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

wendylady2
Designed to rescue fashion victims everywhere, this Brit-based community reads like a rag-ezine. Published once or twice weekly, you'll view bizarre highlights of the global fashion scene through captivating photos and delightfully snarky editorial. Sit tight for a virtual fashion tour from the runways of New York to Milan to Paris and back home again to London in homage to the adage: you can't buy good taste.

soldiers_heart
A passionate community for veterans of all ages (mostly American), plus families, friends, and supporters. View poignant snapshots detailing life in combat and back on civilian soil in the form of original artwork, personal narratives, poetry, and photos. Be forewarned that members don't shy away from describing their disappointments, disabilities, and struggles.

EDIT: If you're reading this, our maintenance is OVER! The problem was not found on our equipment, which means we'll have to work with our ISP to fix this small problem -- which also means another maintenance window in the future -- but at least we have eliminated our side.

Thank you everyone, and a special shout out to rekoil for giving me a great suggestion AND also the opportunity to feel like I've just called in to a local radio station.

Have a great day, night or afternoon wherever you may be.

---

Hi everyone, sorry for the late notice but I'm going to have to do some testing on 1 of our 4 internet circuits TONIGHT; Friday night or Saturday morning depending on which time zone you're in.

Most of us shouldn't notice any impact, though there may be some slowness or lag when I switch traffic on to our other ISP circuits and then another hit when I stop the tests. If a page won't load or times out, try hitting refresh 1 or 2 times and it should load then. If it doesn't work at all... trust me, I'll be typing really really really fast to try to undo whatever I just did. Hopefully you'll have some Halloween candy (if you're in the USA and celebrate that kind of thing) nearby to take away the bitterness of a small site outage. :(

Here's the handy-dandy Website That I Always Use to get a feel for when the maintenance will start in your area. Our site traffic historically dips on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning which is why we tend to pick this time for maintenance work.

( tech details )

status.livejournal.org will, of course be updated before and after the maintenance window. Or else marta will get mad at me. :D

bt

In response to user comments from last week, we want to let you know that we'll remain LJ cut-free for the next month in order to get more eyeballs on our evolving newsletter. As for product coverage, that continues to be our top priority. For more granular detail, however, we recommend you join lj_releases.

Super-tweak for Yandex search

Some of our beta testers expressed privacy concerns using the Yandex search engine. Here's why: Last week, when you ran a search, you could see the usernames (and only the usernames) of everyone who commented on an entry, even if that entry was switched to Private or Friends Only after it was originally indexed. You could NOT see the actual comments from Friends Only or Private posts. In response to your input, we've implemented a fix to keep all user activity currently marked Friends Only or Private completely hidden. If you'd prefer your public content not to be indexed by Yandex, click here and use the settings labeled Search Inclusion (this covers your entire journal) and/or Comment Search Inclusion (which covers comments only). To test drive Yandex search now, click here.

Postcards from the edge

Several years ago, we asked LiveJournal users to send postcards to help us decorate our dull, white-washed offices. Since a good idea warrants repetition, we're at it again (same issue, new address). We hope you'll surround us with LiveJournal love by sending your postcards to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. We'll post snapshots right here. Be sure to include your username, since we'll randomly pick 10 lucky recipients to win free paid account time.

Conquer Writer's Block

Here are some excerpts from this week's most popular question of the day:

If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up?

1. I find it easier to stand up for other people, and i wouldn't let it slide if they made a rude or hurtful comment.
2. Usually if a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, I tend to let it slide. I think that while i would not say such things myself, I have no right to censor those around me.
3. This happens all of the time. I confront some relatives, but I refuse to if they are drunk or watch Fox News.
4. I'd let it slide if it was just a private remark... As much as I despise bigotry and intolerance, I know that you can't change people-they have to change themselves ...
5. Confront! confront! confront! Politely, but without equivocation.
6. SPEAK UP. Always, always, always speak up. Letting something slide lets ignorance win. No matter if it offends me directly, or someone else, I will confront the speaker and let them know that's not ok.
7. I don't get offended personally. As an immigrant, woman, gay and person of color if I took every single potentially offensive remark seriously I wouldn't get anything done.
8. I punch them in the balls. With my mind.
9. I do speak up, but often very timidly because I feel that I'm white and therefore I don't really have any authority to lecture someone on what's racist and what isn't...
10. Generally speaking, I do not let this shit fly, because it reduces me as a person, to this non-person and it replicates the destructive discourse that makes sure that sexual minorities, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, trans people and every intersection thereof into something other than human... And sometimes... I'm just too tired to deal with it, so I roll my eyes, make a sarcastic remark and hope the conversation moves on quickly.

For more daily questions and user comments, join writersblock. FYI, we don't want to invade your privacy, so we haven't credited individual users for their responses. We'd appreciate your feedback on this!

Spotlight community of the week

We can't resist making one last midnight trip to the ol' pumpkin patch. If you adore crazy costumes, fiendish festivities, and bottomless candy consumption as much as we do, this community has just what it takes to light up your jack-o-lantern.


halloween_fan

Photos of the week

We received so many incredible photos, we had to close our eyes and point. We uploaded a selection of awesome images at our new lj_photophile community. Please join and start posting (try to keep the width at around 625 for the sake of consistency)! We'd love for you to tell us more about your photos! You can help us select spotlight photos by commenting on your favorites. Once again, we thank you for making our online world more beautiful!

shutter	pancetta	ilya_gorokhov

Curtains

Thanks, again, for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you next week.

It was only a matter of time. It's my song, after all (lol).

In truth, I wasn't supposed to translate this until later. But when I read the lyrics, the words just started typing themselves. AKIHIDE's works always do this to me. I'm probably a slave of his art, lol.



The kanji and romanized lyrics of Ningyo Hime can be found here. Below is the translation:

Mermaid Princess
Words & Music: AKIHIDE

Swimming in the swill of man,
In days of endless tedium,
Like a lonesome mermaid,
She writhes her way out

( Read more... )

---

And since we're on my favorite subject, here's a trivia:

Hans Christian Andersen wrote the Little Mermaid, after the love of his life, Edvard Collin, got married to a woman. :D The Little Mermaid is a manifestation of Andersen's attempt to preserve himself, while suffering the woes of a disappointed love.

As you may already know, the prince in the original fairy tale, married another woman. The little mermaid's only chance to save herself was to thrust a dagger into the prince's heart, which she was unable to do. Because the spell of the sea witch was temporary, she ended up losing her human form and life, and became seafoam.

But do you really believe that the little mermaid was solely after the prince's love?

Let me now offer you my own reading. Even before the little mermaid met the prince, she was already fixated on the world of humans. The prince just happened to strengthen her resolve to exchange her fish tail for human legs. When she found out that the prince was to marry another girl, she became fixated yet on another thing: obtaining a human soul. In fact, she was so obsessed about it that she couldn't bring herself to kill the prince. She didn't want to go back to being a mermaid, after all. She wanted to be human.

So my question is, was the little mermaid's quest one that was for love, or was it for vanity?

*grins*

Oh yes, I love the little mermaid, much like I love the Greek goddess Selene, who, in "falling in love" with a shepherd king, put him into an eternal sleep, that she may keep him for herself forever.

halloween_fan
Here at LiveJournal, we never balk at an opportunity for high drama, wicked costumes, and gluttonous sugar consumption. But this community takes it one step further: Here, everyday is Halloween. Of course, the hallowed eve is particularly sacred to this spirited crowd. If you're looking for last-minute costume ideas for your black cat, faux eyeball candy, or stand-out haunted houses, dive in for a splash of pagan merriment.

picturing_food
Designing gourmet? Feast your eyes on these pixel perfect dishes with an accent on presentation. A visual smorgasbord of eclectic cuisine, ranging from fusion to down-home comfort foods. If the way to your heart is through your stomach and the way to your stomach is through your eyes, you're sure to leave with a good taste in your mouth.

bookish
Passionate readers share well-penned reviews on a broad sweep of genres, including fiction, YA, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, and good ol' pot-boiling suspense. Those of a lit crit persuasion are invited to introduce themselves before posting. And for the silent majority who prefer to bask in our neighbors' labors, there are thoughtful reviews, book list suggestions, and even great gift ideas to keep your library card and dowtime filled.

じゃ～ん！ My new stylist's card. I'm posting this because I've never really liked any of my stylists before, but I like Hani. I've had my share of salon horror stories (I think I blogged about that stylist who strongly implied I was a liar before), so I'm really happy that I found one I'm comfortable with.

Anyway, I had my hair styled yesterday, pretty much because the sem is over and I want to look a bit more decent. I still can't believe I survived a suicidal schedule. How suicidal are we talking about? Let's just say that there were moments when I fell asleep while trying to click the next button in my player, or while I was trying to put on earphones. There's also this time when I woke up while riding the train, and I asked myself if I was going to work, school or home. And then there's my rather alarming subsistence on coffee. ^^;;; I lead a very unhealthy lifestyle.

As for what my hair has become, here's the ( before and after )

I'm missing two inches of my mermaid hair, but I'm pretty satisfied with how it looks right now. I do hope it grows fast, so that I can be all mermaid~y again... Oh who am I kidding? I'd probably say mermaid stuff even if I sported a bob. XD

...And if you've reached this part of the entry, congratulations! Your precious brain cells have just died. I still have a lot of things to catch up with, so until then!