Panda

I enjoyed watching Noir. If you are looking for high action, lots of explosions and the like this is not the anime for you. I like the series because of the drama, music and the overall feel of the storyline. It is more of a mystery/drama than anything else in my opinion. My favorite episode is the "mad tea party" that the girls have. It is not full of action, I felt it was a good character developement episode. As for starter animes I would tailor it to fit the tastes of the viewer. If the person you are introducing anime too enjoys action/adventure then find an anime that fits that theme. If you have a theme they like, they may be more open to watching (and enjoying) the anime.

I think at times our PC society is getting a bit carried away. When in doubt if something is appropriate to say, don't say it. That is usually the rule of thumb I go with. I don't feel an overbearing sense of trying to stay PC, but I do watch what I say. When with my friends we will talk in a not so PC way, but that is because we all know that what we are saying is not meant in a bad way. Does that make sense? For instance one of my girlfriends will say "What! Are ya yella?!" like an actor in a cheesy western. I, being Japanese will say "Yes!". Or making jokes like- I am like the drug Nuprin...little, yellow, different, better! Some of you guys may be too young to even remember that commercial for the pain reliever Nuprin. That joke isn't offensive to me or my friends since they know I am not saying it like I am better than they are because I am Asian. I wouldn't say those things to someone I didn't know. I work with honored citizens, which use to be senior citizens, which use to be the eldery, which use to be old people, which sometimes I have heard them referred as grey hairs....it makes you wonder when the PC-ness is going to stop.

My user name is my nickname. I use some sort of panda-type name online. I love giant pandas and collect all things panda. I've had this nickname for several years and only my closest friends call me Panda in real life. It is a nickname my hubby started to call me when we first met. One of his favorite things to draw is me as a panda. It's a really cute panda too. If you want to see me as a panda check out my website. He made the opening dancing panda animation for me. All my online friends call me Panda. There are alot of other people online who love pandas so getting Panda as a s/n is very difficult. I was very happy to get Panda as my user name here. Lucky me!

Music is a major part of my life. I love to listen to music and perform music. I knew when I was looking for my soulmate he would definately have to love music like I do. I don't think I could spend my life with someone who didn't feel the same way about music. Music has always been a great form of personal expression. I would find songs that would express how I was feeling in a way that I couldn't do on my own. Finding a song that expressed my feelings always made me feel better about whatever was going on in my life. Breaking up with a boyfriend, finding a new one, songs about friendship.....it made me feel better knowing that there was someone else out there who understood how I felt. I was in band in school, marched in a Drum and Bugle Corp and I can play several different instruments. Currently I am learning the piano with the help of my hubby. I was told when I was little that I could never play the piano since I had a finger amputated due to an accident. I know now that I can learn, I just need to modify alittle. I still feel a bit bitter towards that music teacher who told me I couldn't. It really crushed me to hear that when I was in grade school. As for what I listen to on the radio, it's a little bit of everything. I think if a song is good, no matter what type, I will listen to it. I love rock, pop, classical, jazz, opera, jpop/anime and even country! I am not opposed to listening to any kind of music if it has some musical integrity. Music is life, life is music.

I am like Seraph, I have been watching anime for as long as I can remember. My family in Japan would send us video tapes of tv shows and anime for us to watch here in the states. I have been watching anime in Japanese for many years. The very first would be Doraemon. As for dubbed animes there were the animes that came out in the 70's/80's like Robotech and Transzor-Z. I thought they were great since they were in english! Anime in english AND on television here in the United States! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I guess for a specific age answer as to when I started to watch anime I would go with 9 years old since that is when I really, obsessively, started to watch anime. Before then it was just something that was on tapes that I would watch because it was there. I could take it or leave it before Robotech came out when I was 9 years old. Started when I was 9, still going at 28, I don't think it will end anytime soon. Hey, there are worse things to be obsessed with!

TMBG is one of my favorite bands. My Siamese cat is named Ana Ng, which is my favorite They Might Be Giants song. "Her voice is a backwards record, it's like a whirlpool and it never ends." A song they have done that some of you may recognize is the theme song to the show Malcolm in the Middle. Some of their other more popular songs are "Don't Let Start", (She's A) Hotel Detective, Birdhouse in Your Soul, Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and Particle Man. If you are interested in the band they have recently released a DVD called "Giagantic: A Tale of Two Johns". It has interviews and some of their videos on it. It is a definite must see for any TMBG fan. The very last concert I went to was a TMBG concert in Seattle, Washington. It was so much fun since it was in a smaller venue. I did get to scream "I love you John!" and John Linnell said "I love you too." Mind you my husband was there with me, and lucky for me his name is also John. LOL They definately have a unique sound and style. They do have a Dial-A-Song number which you can call and it will play a song for you. There is no charge for it if you are in New York. Otherwise it is a long distance charge. It is really hard to get though since it is only one line. It is totally worth it since you can hear what their concert schedule is and sometimes they have songs they haven't released yet. Very cool. If anyone wants to chat about TMBG be sure to PM me. I have My favorite quote listed in myO...which is also the title I put on this post! "Memo to myself, do the dumb things I gotta do, touch the puppet head..."

I have moved a total of 5 times in my life. I don't know about you guys but when I move I think there is a black hole that follows me. This is the black hole in which items have fallen into, never to be seen again. Each time I move I lose something. Nothing major, just things like the bathmat or one of those small garbage cans. I really have no idea where these things disappear too. When I would leave one place I always did a walk through to make sure things weren't forgotten....yet these odds and ends of items aren't at the new place when I unpack. Bizarre! As for an interesting moving story, besides the Moving Black Hole, would have to be moving with my Siamese cat across the state. We were driving from one end of Washington state to the other. It was going to be a 5 hour drive as long as we didn't hit any traffic jams. I get her in her carrier and we are off! She is howling...or should I say screaming at the top of her lungs. If any of you have heard the sound of a Siamese cat "singing" you will feel really bad for me. For you who have not been blessed with the melodious sound of Siamese singing...think about the sound a regular cat makes when you step on it's tail and then double that. It truly is a wonderful sound. :rolleyes: The first 1/2 hour I thought...Hmm, she should be getting tired soon and quit. After 2 hours I thought....Hmm, anytime now she will quit. FIVE HOURS LATER....I get to the new house and pull in the driveway, with her still screaming, and guess what. She make one last scream as I turned the car off, then quit. :mad: At this point I understand how some parents snap when their baby won't quit crying. I was sooooo tired of her screaming I was almost at my breaking point. If I had to be in the car with her for any longer I think I would have just pulled over and walked the rest of the way! Just for that reason. I am not going to move again until she passes away! I can't do that again!!!

I really don't watch tv that much anymore because it is all the same stuff. It seems like they are just going for the lowest common denominator....reality shows. I am sick of it. I don't want to watch shallow people vie for the attention (and money) of some supposed wealthy person. I don't want to watch Extreme Makeovers. It seems like the majority of people just want to be shocked by what other people are willing to do. Temptation Island, The Swan, any of the marry someone shows....they just don't have the intellectual stimulation I would like to see in programming. Mind you, I love being entertained, but not like that. I would much rather watch a great anime series with a good storyline than little people competing for a mate. My hubby and I went 3 years without televistion. The only thing I missed watching was the news. But I could get that off the internet. There are a some good shows still left on television but they are few and far inbetween.

Just kidding. My favorite card games are more along the traditional playing card games. I love playing Poker and silly games like War. Uno has always been one of my favorites since I have lots of wonderful memories attached to playing that game. As for the newer card games the only one I might think about getting into is Magic since my hubby's best friend is Senior Art Director for Magic the Gathering. I have only gone through his Magic stuff and enjoy the art, never played the game though. I might have him teach me one of these days. All in all, I really don't play with card games much except for Poker. Other than that, just solitare on the computer at work when I am bored. :)

I never did understand why hazing was so popular. I am not sure if it is one of those "this is the way it's been and I went through it too." sort of things or what. To me it seems like if you are on a team, you should support your fellow teammates, not bring them down by pouring paint and smearing them with fecal matter. I don't know about you guys, but I would find it very hard to respect anyone who was willing to do that to me. I think it is stupid. If you really are a part of the group, you should be supported not disrespected like that. I would much rather be apart of a team that looks out for each other than breaks your spirit. As for the party/drinking hazing. That is just wrong. Why force someone to drink enough to kill them. I know my friends wouldn't want me dead. If someone is making you do something that could kill you, are they really worth it? I really don't think so.

I had my first introduction to "how things work" by growing up on a farm. Didn't really talk about it with my parents, but I knew that the boy and girl animals doing certain acts resulted in babies. I knew there wasn't a stork that brought babies to their mothers. As for actual education, I would have to say it was in 5th grade at the Mother/Daughter Tea when they took all the girls aside and you learned about your reproductive system. It was a bit embarrassing to go to since your mom had to be there. We watched a movie and they showed us all the different hygene products. After that they talked about pregnancy and the mechanics of how that happened. To this day I have never had the traditional "Birds and Bees" talk with my parents. I guess after you get married your parents figure you don't need that talk. :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=ReFlux]I would suggest you read Ranma 1/2 for its sheer comedy and slight action and good, funny, love story. Its just really quirky and I loved it from the moment I picked it up. [/QUOTE] I agree with Ranma 1/2. Rumiko Takahashi is one of my favorites. She does an excellent job expressing that ackward tension between guys and girls who have feelings for each other. A little bit of humor, some drama and some great characters. It is a great manga to read. I really enjoyed reading the series. What it comes down to is that it really depends on what type of storyline you enjoy reading. Do you like love stories? Mecha? Adventure? What one person loves may be pure torture to someone else. :wigout: Best of luck finding the manga series you will love!

I definately don't go to the movies as much as I use too. My big brother use to work at the local movie theater and I would go in for free to see movies all the time. Then when I turned 16 I got my first job there. When the movies were free, you could afford to see them all! Now I only go to movies I really want to see. LOTR I feel needs to be seen on the big screen. The only draw back is sitting infront of LOTR otakus. I swear, the guys behind me looked like the comic book guy off the Simpsons and all they did was talk about how this and that was different from the books! This is the main reason I don't go to the movies much anymore. I perfer seeing movies in the comfort of my own home. I hate people who feel the need to give commentary during the film! When a movie comes out that catches my fancy I will go see it in the theater. Movies that seem like they need to be seen on the big screen (lots of special effects and such) or if the storyline looks really interesting then I will go. Otherwise, I can wait for the DVD to come out. Which actors are in it very rarely plays any role in me deciding to see a film in the theater. Unless of course that actor is really, really bad then it is a definate no. In summary, I go to the movies because there is a film that I really want to see. I am not willing to pay for an overpriced ticket to sit in the dark with a bunch of strangers giving commentary on a so-so movie. I better be entertained!

The very first time I saw The Exorcist was at a Halloween party I was hosting. I was in 8th grade and there was about 20 kids over at my house. Many of the guys were making jokes about the "pea soup" and keeping the atmosphere really light. Some of girls were really scared. I didn't find it really scary and I think that could be since I was in a large group of people, some of which were making fun of the movie. I think I need to see the movie again to really give it a fair review. The parts that I did see, when jokes weren't being told, I enjoyed. It was a bit graphic and disturbing when you think about it being based on a true story. It is an interesting topic. It makes you wonder if possession could really happen. As for the people dying durning filming, I don't know. I hadn't heard that urban legend. If someone here has, please post what you know, I am interested in hearing about it. I think when a movie has an urban legend attached to it, it just makes it more interesting.

There are so many to choose from. Some are very profound like the quotes given by other people in this thread, while others are just in good fun. The quotes that I am going to share are just in good fun. Why just fun quotes instead of something profound and life altering? I decided that we all get enough real life in our real lives that once in awhile we deserve to just have a bit of a giggle. I am not copy/pasting this so if it isn't word by word correct, sorry! My first set of quotes is from Ren and Stimpy's "Space Madness": "Oh my beloved ice cream bar, how I love your creamy center. You like the same things I like...wax paper, boiled football leather...dog breath! Why are they always trying to take you from me? Why won't they leave us ALONE!!!" "We're not hitchhiking anymore, we're riding!" I love that section of the show since it was just bizarre. That and it is funny to watch Ren eat the bar of soap! Ren and Stimpy's "Rubber Nipple Salesman" Mr. Horse quotes: [I]Mr. Horse answers the door wearing nothing but a ton of rubber nipples, Ren and Stimpy stand there on the front porch with case of rubber nipples...[/I] "Did my wife send you?" "No we are just here to sell you rubber nipples." "You're not from the FBI are you? "No, we just want to sell you rubber nipples." [I]Pull's out box of rubber nipples to show Mr. Horse.[/I] "Don't shoot! Oh, what you must think of me! You really are selling rubber nipples! Can't say I have any use for rubber nipples, but do you have any rubber walrus protectors?" [I]Mr. Horse pulls out walrus, walrus says...[/I] Call the police! This was wrong on sooooo many levels. Obviously Mr. Horse is holding a walrus against his will doing who knows what to him. Mr. Horse is being tracked down by his wife AND the FBI. Why is Mr. Horse covered in rubber nipples and I really don't want to think about what you do with a rubber walrus protector!?!? ewwww! All this going on in a cartoon that was shown to kids! And people think anime is bad! I will leave those quotes with you to decide what to make of them.:laugh:

I think the paranormal is an interesting subject. I think many of the "ghost" stories can be explained by scietific means. Many times you find out the pictures of ghosts were set up, camera malfunctions/double exposures and the like. For the ones they (science) can't explain I find very facinating. The Bermuda Triangle is another one that there are many theories on but nothing for sure yet. Some say it is something magnetic so it throws ship/plane instruments off so the vessel becomes lost. I am not sure on that one. My hubby use to fly in that area alot and he never had anything weird like that happen to him (thank goodness!) so why is this phenomenon pick and choose? It's very interesting. No matter what, whether it is a true story or some persons vivid imagination, I enjoy it for what it is....a really good story. The closest I have had to a ghostly experience was one night I was in the office by myself and the photocopier in the other room, turned on, made 2 copies (that came out blank) then turned off. I was the only one here and I hadn't used the photocopier all day! Don't know why it did that but I am just really glad that the photocopies didn't have something bizarre on them like a picture of a clown or something....creepy!! :eek:

Of course being tall for my family really doesn't mean much. I am 5'2" and very happy being this height. I agree with everyone who said that height doesn't matter. Who you are and how you present yourself is what is important....not how tall you are. I am lucky being my height and looking younger than my age. I know you are only 11 but as you get older it is really a great compliment for people to think you are younger than your actual age. My old boss (who is a guy) is only 5'4" and has found many advantages to this height. One of the great advantages to his small height has been that he is able to crawl into smaller spaces to rescue animals! When he was in high school he was a state wrestler. He is married to a great woman who is 5'10 and they are so cute together! He never let his height hold him back and he is a very successful Veterinarian. My advice, be happy with the way you are. I love being short. If you have ever been in an airplane, you will LOVE being shorter! ;)

[quote name='Rokuki']spending so much money for scholarships and graduation packs, class rings. (if I'm missing anything someone tell me).[/quote] When I graduated I also had the cost of the cap and gown, Senior pictures, Senior Frolic (Senior class all night party) and Senior class t-shirts. The shirts had our class motto, graduation year and signatures of the class printed on them. I am not a Senior this year, in fact this year is my 10 year class reunion! Eegah I am old compaired to many people on this message board! I do have very fond, and not so fond memories of my Senior year. I remember being stressed out about this and that and complaining the entire time that I couldn't wait to get out of there! I am glad I don't have to do that again! There was also a part of me that was sad. I had gone to school with many of the same people since Kindergarden. That is a very long time to spend with the same group of people. Many of which I haven't seen since we graduated and that is sad. Some of my classmates have gone on to become successful in their careers while others are in prison. It is very strange where life will take you. My advice is enjoy all of it. Work through the stressful times but don't forget to take some time out to spend with your friends. You never know what life with throw at you and you don't want to have any regrets about not doing something or telling someone that they are important to you. Congrats on your Senior year and hope you have some wonderful memories from this crazy time. I know I have some great ones from my Senior year....10 long years ago....man, I'm old.

The biggest portion of my "beauty budget" goes toward my hair and clothing. I spend about $200 (including tip) every 5 -6 months on a shampoo/color/cut/style and product. My color is just red highlights in my black hair so it grows out very well. I don't have to get it colored as much as those blondes with dark roots. My product would include hairspray, mousse, shampoo and conditioner. I figure I make up for the amount my hubby doesn't spend on his hair. He bought some clippers about 8 years ago for $20 and shaves off all his hair. He keeps it super short. That was the last time he spent money on his hair. My clothing budget is much higher than that of my hair. I spend about $500 every 6 months. I am the office manger for a medical office and need to look "professional". Lots of suits, slacks, skirts, blouses.....very conservative adult clothing. Today I decided I would go for a bit of a "hitman" look. I have a red button up shirt under my pinstriped suit. All I need now is a flower on my lapel and a violin case. :laugh: As for make-up my budget is $0. I don't wear any make up. No lipstick, cover up, eyeshadow...nothing. I have a tube of chapstick for the winter but I don't really consider that make up. I have never been into make up and from what my friends and family tell me I don't need it. Plus, I have seen too many people who don't know how to put make up on correctly and look like clowns! I definately don't want to be that person! I have never had my nails done or gone to a spa. When I was working with the animals as a vet tech you couldn't have long nails since they would get in the way of restraining animals. Plus long nails have a tendency to poke out of surgery gloves! Can't have that! I haven't had long nails in ages because of that. My husband says he is very lucky to have a girl like me. Compaired to his friends' wives I spend very little on "girl" stuff like hair, clothes, nails and make-up. Oh, I do wear contact lenses. I am not sure if that is a "beauty" type item or more like a medical appliance since I have to have vision correction to see? That part of my budget would be approximately $100 a year. That would include solution, cleaning kits and case. Lucky for me my insurance covers the cost of the lenses. That about sums it up for me. I am pretty much a no frills kind of girl. Just hair and clothes for me!

[I]How long have you been using my otaku?[/I] I set up my account on January 24, 2004. I am a newbie! I have never been a member of a community quite like this before and thought having something like myO was pretty interesting. The main message board community I am apart of only has a very small section for your profile information and it doesn't include a blog area. I love myO! [I]How frequently do you work with my otaku?[/I] I started out very slowly since I am still learing the ins and outs of this site and it's links. I am feeling more comfortable now so I have been putting updates on myO every other day to everyday if I have something I feel I need to say. [I]What all of you do with my otaku?[/I] Sorry, but I had to chuckle. When I first read this question I could hear Shampoo from Ranma 1/2 saying it. "What all of you do with my otaku?". :laugh: I just had to mention that, it was too too funny! I use it as myO as my blog. I have my own personal website (which you are all welcome to visit!) but doing updates on it are much more time consuming than myO. It is much easier to add a little rant here and there on myO versus my website. Using myO as my blog is probably my number one use for it. Other than that it is my profile so other members here can learn more about me. Not that I am a very exciting person but it gives you a quick overview of who I am.

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting something that has William Hung's image plastered on it. Magazine covers, television spots, radio, music video, album (that was the #8 most downloaded on iTunes yesterday!) and even pop up ads on the internet. When will we get the William Hung action figure with off-key singing action?! I have some mixed feelings on the subject of Mr. Hung. Part of me feels like the millions of people who think that it is great how this no talent, but full of spirit guy can become more popular than the really talented people out there. Of course another part of me is taken aback by the fact that a no talent, full of spirit guy can be more popular than those who have talent. But at this point I would have to say that I am getting tired of seeing (and hearing) him. I will not be buying his album. I think the guys who are making money off of him don't need my dollars to pad their wallets anymore than they already are. This kind of makes me think of Biz Markie back in the 80's. He sang that "Just a Friend" song. He sang off key and was a novelty act. He had his moment in the sun and now is done. I see William Hung in the same light. His 15+ minutes of fame will be coming to an end soon.....but what we need to really be worried about is what is going to replace him? Perhaps another dance craze like the Macarena!?! The horror.....

I would have to go with one of the first bizarre episodes I remember. It is from Genesis Climber Mospeada's episode "Sandstorm Playback". Rei goes out into a sandstorm to find some water, falls into a sandpit and has this crazy hallucination. Mecha, dragons, flying jeeps and the characters in clothing that looks like they mugged some opera singers. It was just weird. It always made me wonder what in the world possessed the writers to come up with this storyline? What were they hallucinating on when writing this episode down? Just plain bizarre.

I have never really had one of those secret (or not so secret) crushes on a celeb. I was never one of those girls who would plaster pictures of whatever cute boy was featured in Bop magazine. I never understood that scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-crying-then-passing-out obession that some girls had for their dream guy. Think boy band fans then you know exactly what I am talking about. I think the closest to a crush would have to be back in high school when I was obsessed with Pearl Jam's lead singer Eddie Vedder. I love his voice and the lyrics to his songs spoke to my heart. I just love his voice! He could have been reading the ingredients to my breakfast cereal box and I would listen to him. :love:

[quote name='AzureWolf']To those of you who are going: what are you looking forward to the most? Is there a particular reason you are going, or just want to enjoy the convention in it's entirety? There's got to be one thing that outweighs all the other events for you.[/quote] What I am looking forward to the most is being surrounded by other anime fans who understand the fandom. In my hometown there isn't a big anime fandom. I am sure everyone here understands that most people just don't get it. They think anime is just "cartoons for kids" and that is it. I love going to cons since I get to around others with the same love and appreciation of the art form. I also love being able to meet people I have met online and finally get to put a face to the screen name! The people I guess would have to be my number one reason. The panels and everything else is just the cherry on top! [quote name='AzureWolf']I can understand video game things happening out west, but why are all the big anime conventions over there as well? [/quote] I can answer part of this one. The cost. One company, Harmony Gold (they made Robotech back in the 80's), only does California based anime/comic cons because that is where the company is based from. They don't have to spend the money on airfare, hotels and the like. Many of the employees can drive home every night after Anime Expo instead of getting hotel rooms. This includes many of the voice actors aswell. Voice actress Rebecca Forestadt (Metropolis, Robotech and A.D. Police to name a few) lives in California and just drives to AX for that day. In a business sense it is much more cost effective to stay close to your base of operation. In addition, flying in panelist from Japan is more cost effective on the West coast. This is something I am making an assumtion on since my dad works for Japan Airline's flight training operation based in Washington state. It is just cheaper to fly from the West Coast to Japan than anywhere else in the country which is why they chose to base the training facility here in Washington state. I am going to Anime Expo again in Anaheim, California again this year. I can't wait! Anime Expo is 4th of July weekend is definately an excellent con to go to. I highly recommend it to everyone. If you OD on anime you can go across the street from the convention and go to Disneyland! :p If anyone is going to AX, I'll see you there!

I do not believe that your star sign will tell people what their personalities are like or what your future will be. I think if you look at all the descriptions of what traits a particular star sign has it is pretty broad and could apply to most people. I do like reading the horoscopes and seeing what matches up with people I know, but I don't make life decisions by it. I just use it as a form of entertainment. Now on to the fun stuff! I am a Capricorn (the goat) and here are some of the stats for Caps! Traits: Practical and prudent Ambitious and disciplined Patient and careful Humorous and reserved Pessimistic and fatalistic Miserly and grudging Likes: Reliability, Professionalism, Knowing what you discuss, Firm Foundations, Purpose Dislikes: Wild Schemes, Fantasies, Go-nowhere jobs, Ignominy, Ridicule Ruling Planet: Saturn Starstone: Black Onyx I think I fit some of those stats, but not all. Like I stated at the begining of my post, many of the descriptions are so broad that they could fit anyone. For instance, under the dislikes is "Ridicule". Who LIKES to be ridiculed? I am pretty sure that one would be a dislike for many star signs! :rolleyes: All and all, I see it as just a bit of entertainment and not much more than that. :)