On March 11th 2011, a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 struck off the east coast of Japan. This triggered a deadly tsunami pummeling the eastern coast causing great devastation in its wake. With the great losses in lives and destruction as well as the environmental threat of a potential nuclear meltdown, Japan is facing a national crisis and could use every little help that we can offer.

Here are some ways that you can contribute to support the disaster relief efforts of the those affected in this tragic event:
Malaysian Red Crescent Society
Mercy Malaysia
GroupOn Malaysia – Red Crescent Society
Milk A Deal – Red Crescent Society

Other international efforts:
American Red Cross
Causes – Help Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Victims
Google Crisis Response – 2011 Japan Crisis
globalgiving.org
Yahoo – Japan Earthquake and Tsunami How To Help
Twitter Japan Official Blog

To the people of Japan, our prayers are with you…

きみでいて　ぶじでいて – Yoko Kanno

Wishing everyone a Prosperous and Healthy Chinese New Year ! May the Year of the Rabbit bring you lots of happiness and increased “productivity” throughout the year !

It’s been an interesting and exciting year for me with plenty of ups and downs along the way. For a start, I’ve tried a number of things which I’ve never done before but I’m glad I did.

I’m a huge fan of Japanese animation and the otaku culture for years but it’s only in the past few months that I’ve decided to enroll in Japanese classes. The classes are still on-going and currently covering the basics and so far it’s been fun.

I’ve also started running marathons and took up swimming. So contrary to popular believe, otakus DO get out in the sun once in a while. Never learnt to swim while I was young, so this is something new to me. My progress ? I can actually sink faster than a rock T_T

Went nuts over Anisong concerts this year. Attended May’N’s concert in KL and Mikuni Shimokawa’s one in Singapore and of course I would never miss the Anime Festival Asia 2010 concerts. It was a blast !

So what’s in store next year ? I don’t know but I’m sure it’ll be another one heck of a year ahead.

Happy New Year Everyone !

Peace On Earth and best wishes throughout the New Year !

Wishing everyone Gong Xi Fa Chai and a Prosperous New Year ! Let us usher the Year of the Taiga Tiger with full of joy and laughter and may your family be blessed with good health and fortune.

And here’s Taiga wishing everyone a roaring new year !

Just a quick shout out to everyone out there. Happy 2010 and may the new year bring you joy and happiness.

Wishing everyone a joyful and merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all !

Danny Choo made an appearance later in the same day to give a talk about his life and experiences as an otaku blogger in Japan. He was also here to promote his Otacool book which showcases some of the most impressive otaku rooms from around the world.
Anime Festival Asia 2009 Danny Choo Appearance Gallery

Kaname, a renowned Japanese cosplayer, was invited as a judge for the Regional Cosplay Championship and also conducted a Cosplay tips and interview session. Kaname cosplayed as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 and Kamina of the popular Gurren Lagann anime series during the two day event.
Anime Festival Asia 2009 Kaname Appearance Gallery

And lastly we have photos of the booths around the exhibition area. Above is the Moe Moe Kyun Maid Cafe where waitresses dressed up as super kawaii maids serve the guests. Sadly no photography were allowed in their premises but as a customer I was allowed to have a picture taken with one of the maids. You can check out more Moe Moe photos from Danny Choo’s site.
Anime Festival Asia 2009 Exhibition Booths Gallery

AFA 09 was a huge success ! May’N and Shoko Tan rocks ! I wasn’t able to post updates during the event because it was a pretty hectic schedule and lugging all my gear around was quite a hassle. Nevertheless I took quite a number of photos during the 2 day event and I’m still halfway through processing them. I’m still pretty excited over the whole event and it was definitely worth every dollar of the admission fee. I will DEFINITELY return for AFA’10 next year ! Be sure to check back soon for the pics and a write up on the event.

I know I promised more updates earlier this year but due to an unexpected turn of events I have become part of a worrying global statistic. It took me a while to settle down and hopefully things are smooth sailing from now onwards. The F91 post was 2 months overdue actually but its better late than never right ?

Many thanks to those who’re still checking out the site.