Panda

I will be going to Sakura-con! I went last year for the first time and had fun. It would have been more fun but many of the panelist from Japan canceled because of the SARS stuff going on. Bummer. Sakura-con is held at the Hilton and Marriot near SeaTac Airport. They have put a attendance cap this year of 4500 so if you are thinking of going and haven't registered yet, get there early since pre-registration is already closed. More information can be found at[URL=http://www.sakuracon.org/index.php] the Sakura-con website.[/URL] As for cosplaying for the con, I am dressing as Mitsuko from Kikaider. I have always thought the best cosplayers are ones that look most like the characters to begin with. I have the same haircut at Mitsuko and I am Japanese...I am pretty much her! LOL If anyone else is going, I'll see you there!! :D

I think I can safely say that I am over my cold....mostly. Thanks for the well wishes all, I really appreciate it. I think being sick for over 1 month is a bit much. :flaming: I only have a cough once in awhile. I think it is from all the coughing I had been doing and my throat is still raw. Ugh. I pray that no one here gets what ever evil cold strain I just finished fighting off! Many excellent suggestions on what to do on sick days! [quote name='Theodore']I also watch TV and the best thing when your sick is when your cat/dog/pet is lieing or sleeping with you [/quote] So very true. I think one of the most comforting things in the world is watching my pets snuggled up on the bed next to me sleeping. It also helps if you are freezing and have a nice warm pet on your feet to keep them warm! Definately a benefit of being sick is being able to spend more time with my pets. Now for those of you who are fighting off a cold or just boredom from nothing to do on spring break, I have a few suggestions to add to the list! -Answer all the emails you have been neglecting. I am sure I am not the only one with a bunch of emails I had to respond too! -Update you address book, phone book, planner and the like. I know with my friends getting married, going to college and/or just moving has put my address book a bit outdated. -Cleaned the house. I found a stash of old Newtype magazines and re-read some of the old articles. You never know what buried treasure you will find! -Marathon anime. -Work on your website! If you don't have a personal website, make one! -Sleep, sleep, sleep and then take a nap! My suggestions are some of the things I did to keep myself busy during my illness. I hope they will help anyone else who might need something to do. Best of health to all!

I agree that changing something in the past could have far reaching consequences. All of our past events have shaped us into the people we are today. Great accomplishments and terrible mistakes are apart of our personalities. Definately not a question to make a quick decision on. On a lighter note, it does make me think of that Simpsons Halloween episode when Homer goes back in time with the "time toaster" and he squishes the bug...which changes the future. So he just keeps going back in time to try to make things right. [spoiler]But then he just settles for something that was close enough. LOL[/spoiler] When I asked one of my friends this question he said he wouldn't have passed gas durning PE. The teacher was taking roll and it was dead silent when he let one loose. He said that was definately an event in the past that he could have lived without. :laugh: Thanks for the responses, it is interesting to see what everyone has to say on this subject.

[QUOTE]The Moving Finger writes; and having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. -The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam[/QUOTE] If you were given the ability to go back in time, what event or thing would you change in your life? I have thought about this probably more than I should. I have a few mistakes that I wish I could go back in time to change. Should have studied harder in school, shouldn't have gone on that date with Frank , should have spent more time with my grandparents before they past away...there is a lot of things I would like to change. I would say the number one thing on my list would be helping a friend of mine who commited suicide. I feel like if I would have been a better friend he may not have killed himself. I had no idea that he was having so many problems and I wish I could have been there to help him. I miss him so much. We were best friends in Junior High and High School but grew apart when I went to college. I would see him on breaks, but we didn't have the same relationship when we would get together. I just thought it was because of our time apart, not because he was having problems in his life. He kept it hidden from me, and that makes me sad. If I could go back, I would spend more quality time with him and not just "goofing around" towards the end. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I could go back to let him know how important he was, and still is to me. It makes me think of a quote by Claudia Grant in Robotech: "Don't let too much time go by before you tell him how you feel." I am glad I at least gave him a big hug, said I loved him and to take care the last time I saw him. At least I have that memory since I can't go back in time to try to change things. :) So, if you were given the chance to travel back in time to change something, what would it be?

I am fairly new here on this message board. I come here for visiting and learning about different animes out there that may have gone by me unnoticed. I enjoy the people I have met and love how well the boards are moderated. I am a mod for a corporate run anime message board and I wish we were able to mod like theOtaku.com is moderated. Great job mods, you keep the forums free of spam and meaningless post! I can't even remember what brought me to the boards to begin with. I think I was just looking around the internet and stumbled across the boards. I am happy I did. The boards are friendly and the topics are interesting. I would have to say that my purpose on the message boards is to add to the community with my posts and learn from those posts left by others.

Cowboy Bebop is definately number one in my book. The limited edition box set is my all time favorite. I love all the songs in the set. Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts are truly gifted musicians. I highly recommend the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack to everyone. My favorite track is "Want it Back". It is featured during the episode when you first meet Ein. I love the upbeat nature of the song and I love the lyrics. I never get tired of listening to it. "I want it back, I used up all my money on you baby and I want it back..." The song definately makes me think of a few relationships I wasted too much time and money on. :rolleyes: The title track "Tank!" is a great work of art. From the first time I heard the song I felt it would make a killer Drum and Bugle Corps field show opening song. It has such high energy and as a Soprano bugle player I would just love to play that song out on the field! The jazzy feel of the soundtrack makes it more accessible to a larger audience than that of just j-pop or anime music listeners. The soundtrack contains songs for every mood. Everything from "Tank!" and it's high energy sound to "Blue" for those quiet times. No matter how I feel I can put that soundtrack on and find something to fit the mood I am in. Cowboy Bebop is definately one of my favorite soundtracks.

I agree with those who said to do nothing. When you get out of school times like those are far and few inbetween. Enjoy it now! Suggestions for what to do on spring break (depending on your age, some may not apply) to fight off boredom.... -Read all the books you have been putting off. -Go through your closets and under your bed for hidden treasures! You never know what you will find! -Write to your family, grandparents love to get letters. Especially ones that weren't expected! -Play with your pets. When we get busy with school they get forgotten. You know they would love the attention! -Get a job. A little spending money is always nice! -Catch up on school projects. Do you have any assignments hanging out that could be finished durning break? -Marathon your favorite anime. Sit infront of the tv with snacks and watch every single episode of your favorite anime in a row! -Invite a friend over. Best way to beat boredom is having someone else to entertain you! -Get outside for some fresh air! Perhaps dolJce up around your house! -Take a nap. Take lots and lots of naps. -Post on message boards and/or look for bizarre stuff on the internet. -Get out of town. Go on a mini vacation and see the sites of a different city! -Play video games until your fingers fall off. -Try making something in the kitchen to suprise your work-a-holic parents when they come home! -Try some arts and crafts! Teach yourself how to sew, paint, draw or whatever! Just be creative! -Enjoy every single moment of doing nothing. When you grow up, you will wish for these days. Well, there is my little list of things to do. I miss spring break, summer vacation, and all those other times I didn't have to go to school. Once you get into the "adult" world there is no summer vacation or spring break. Yes, there is vacation time, but it isn't the same. Bummer. Hope you find stuff to do on your vacation!! :)

Yes, I do talk to my pets. And they do understand me. Well, the simple stuff anyway. For example, when I ask my dog Brynner "Who's in the tub?" he will run into the bathroom and jump in the bathtub. My pets seem very happy when I talk to them! Now if I start to tell you guys that they are telling me the meaning of life and what the winning lottery numbers are, please get me some help! :wigout: As for my other little quirks I would have to say nervous talking is one of them. If I feel uncomfortable I find the need to speak. I will find someone to talk to about anything if I am feeling nervous or uncomfortable in anyway. For instance I was on a plane that was having some major turbulance problems. I started to talk to the guy next to me. He was a dentist on his way home from a conference. I was on my way home from a veterinary conference and we just chatted about our conferences. I don't know why, but talking just makes me feel better. Other than those I really don't have any strange quirks. Now ask my hubby and he might say otherwise! LOL

My anime budget is actually fairly high compaired to most who have posted on this thread so far. I spend approx. $500 every other month. I know that sounds like alot but keep in mind this is my one entertainment expense. The budget includes magazines, manga, dvds, anime cons and misc. items like toys and collectables. For those of you wondering why I spend so much on anime it is because I really enjoy it. I worked my way through college so I wouldn't have student loans and work hard at my job today. I don't have any outstanding expenses because of this. Great credit, no debts, good job...it all equals extra money to buy what I want. And what I want is anime. :D My hubby and I could spend our money on going out on a night on the town...dinner, movies, drinks...and that one night would cost us approx. $100. That would be just for one night. Why not spend it on anime dvds that will last a lot longer?!

Here we are, the last day of March, which means only one thing....tomorrow is April Fool's Day! Do you "celebrate" the day by pulling pranks on your friends and family? What was the best prank you have participated in? And finally, are you planing on doing something to someone tomorrow? I usually don't prank anyone on April Fool's Day. Only once and it was a great memory. It was my Junior year in high school and a group of friends and I were out driving around in the country taking turns riding in the trunk. I know, sounds a bit weird, but we were bored and easily entertained. LOL My best friend Kelly had this huge land yacht of a car. It was the kind of car you could drive off a 500ft tall cliff and it would probably only have a scratch on it afterwards. When our friends Erin and Scott were in the trunk we decided to pull a prank on them. We were all going to scream really loud, slam on the breaks, pretend to jump out of the car and wait to see what they did. This is what we heard... Erin: Hey you guys, what's going on? Erin: Hello? Are you guys here? Scott: We all start laughing like crazy once we hear Scott playing his harmonica! We let them out of the trunk and all was fine. They thought it was hilarious. As for tomorrow, no pratical jokes for me. Well, at least I won't be pulling any on my friends. Hopefully they won't be pulling any on me either! Let's hear your stories! What great April Fool's jokes have you pulled on your friends/family and what are you planing for tomorrow! :laugh:

When I was in the 7th grade we had a walk out protest. Our vice principal was being accused of hitting a student and the school council didn't want a scandal so they were going to fire him. The student made up the entire story and there were witnesses who were there during the supposed "beating" of the student. The newspaper was called and banners were made in support of the vp. Because of this they had to investigate the case and found that the student lied (and when confronted finally confessed) and the vp kept his job! After all was said and done the vp thanked the students for their support during an assembly. He was really emotional and he was so thankful for our support. In this case the protesting helped. But as said in a post before by Petey, there is a fine line you have to walk or it could cause a backlash. When you get anyone going to an extreme to get their point across it looks bad. When done properly, a peaceful protest can make a world of difference.

I would pair up Cho Hakkai from Saiyuki and Hyatt from Excel Saga. They are both very kind, soft spoken characters and would suit each other really well. When Hyatt is "sick" Hakkai can use his powers to help her. Since Hakkai has this bad past experience with Kanan he would be able to save Hyatt everytime she was sick! It would be a very symbiotic relationship for both Hyatt and Hakkai. They are both very concerned about those around them it would be nice to have them paired up with each other. They would take such good care of each other!

I am a fan of Rumiko Takahashi's work and really enjoy Inu Yasha. The first time I came to know her work was reading the manga for Ranma 1/2. Been a fan since. I have been watching Inu Yasha since they started showing episodes on AS. I just wish they would show some new episodes! The thing I really enjoy about her work is the strong female characters she adds to the stories. Many times the female characters are weak and helpless....which just gives the lead male someone to rescue. Characters like Sango and Kagome can hold their own, yet are still feminine. The other thing I enjoy in the storyline is the love triangle with Inu Yasha, Kagome and Kikyo. The tension is great! It really does pull at your heart-strings watching the conflict that Inu Yasha goes through being torn between his love of Kikyo and his feelings for Kagome. That underlying tension in the storyline adds so much more depth to the tale. Bad guys who you just hate, strong female characters, comic relief characters, martial arts, supernatural powers, great storyline and wonderful love triangle. Inu Yasha has a little bit of everything in the story for everyone to enjoy.

I agree that being used and/or set up is one of the most annoying, hurtful thing someone can do to another person. I know this is kind of an old story, but it still hurts when I think about it. When I was in the second grade I had a friend who's dad was one of my dad's co-workers. She moved to the States from Japan and didn't speak english or have any friends. So I was her very first friend. I would help her with her homework, introduced her to all my friends, would translate for her....I thought we were really good friends. One Friday she told me that my mom said it was ok for me to go over to her house to play afterschool. I totally believed her and went over to her house. When I got there she told me that I couldn't come in the house and that I wasn't welcome. Her mom wouldn't let me in the house except to call my mom to ask her to come pick me up. I lived 10 miles away so it wasn't like I could just walk home. My mom told me I had to wait until my dad finished work and would pick me up on his way home. She said I shouldn't have gone over to her house without permission! I had to sit on their front porch until 6pm when my dad got off work. My "friend" and her older brother thought it was so funny that I believed her story and laughed at me the entire time. I, to this day, have no idea why she did that to me. Why would someone make up a lie like that to hurt someone that was their friend? I think the worst part was not the lie but the backstabbing that went along with it. It happened many years ago, but just thinking about it still makes me sad.

I think the amount of racism has gone down, but I don't think it will ever be completely gone. My hubby and I are an interracial couple and we don't see anything wrong with it. Many of our friends laugh when we mention it since they don't even think about the fact that we are different races. They will usually go..."Oh yeah, you guys are interracial aren't you!". It is like it's a suprise to them that they didn't even notice. That is a wonderful thing. They see us as human, not races. Education is the key. If people stay closed minded and teach their children to stay closed minded, racism may go on forever. When people are open to learning about each other and teach their children the same, we will be that much closer to ending racism. "I have a dream, that one day my four little children will be judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin."- Martin Luther King Jr. I hope one day that dream comes true. :) edit: The correct quote should read: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." I should double check my quotes before posting. Sorry!

This is very subjective. What one person finds attactive may turn off someone else. I have never bought into that "You need to look like this to be happy!" marketing that advertisers try to ram down our throats. All it does is make women unhappy if they aren't 5'10'', 100lbs and a supermodel. As for guys, you can't be happy if your hair is thinning. That is a bunch of nonsense. I find bald men very attractive. Yul Brynner is one of my favorite actors and when you see him in The King and I with no hair and those great abs....wow! I am also attracted to the "typical American boy" look....you know, blonde hair, blue eyes and taller than me. Which of course is not difficult since I am Japanese and only 5'2". All in all, what it comes down to is personality is what makes someone more attractive to me. If they look great but are as dumb as a rock, there is no attraction for me. I think my hubby is the most handsome man in the world. Other girls may not agree, but they are just wrong. ;) lol

I would have to say that my thoughts on the future are best summed up in a quote by Spike in Cowboy Bebop...."Whatever happens, happens." The only thing for sure I can say about the future is it will dish up the unexpected. Advances in technology moved much faster (and slower) than we thought in the past. A great example of technology moving slower is any sci-fi movie made in the past 50 years. If you watch a sci-fi movie from the 50's we all should be living on Mars and teleporting to where we want to be! lol As for technology moving faster, we now have many advances in pharmacology and medicine that wasn't dreamed of a few years ago. The growth of the internet and computers in just the last 20 years has far exceeded that of those "in the know". I guess to sum up, I would have to say the future is wide open and just take it as it comes. Environmental changes, political conflicts, personal growth...it will all happen in the future. So, whatever happens, happens.

As long as there are tests there will be prayer in school. I think people should be able to pray/meditate as they feel fit as long as their views aren't forced upon others. If it is off campus, on their own time, that is there own business. There was a group of Christian kids who would gather together durning lunch and have bible study off campus. That was on their own time, they had an open invite to anyone who wanted to join, but you weren't forced to go have lunch with them. That was fine with me. I do have a question. The LDS kids had seminary off campus, but got credit towards graduation. No other religion has a course like that. You can't go off campus to study any other religion for credits. I thought was unusual was how the LDS kids got credits for their studies? This was a regular class that they went too. If someone can explain this to me I would appreciate it. Why do they get their religious class and no other religion does? I always wondered about that. I personally don't have a problem with off campus religious studies. I do have a problem if they forced everyone to take time out of the school day to say an organized prayer based on one religion.

It would like to have the ability to do anything and everything perfectly. Translate languages, sing, dance, solve complex math problems, take over the world...oops, did I say the last one out loud? Just kidding about the last part. LOL My second choice would be to never have regrets. To have the ability to make a decision and live with the consequences without regrets. In my life now I seem to have regrets about choices that I have made and would love to be able to just move on. Not saying I wouldn't want to learn from experiences, but be able to stop beating myself up over them. First choice would definately have the ablitily to do all things perfectly since I could do no wrong, thus, never have regrets! Bonus!

I am afraid of letting those who depend on me down. I don't want to be the weak link in the chain. I hate when I make mistakes or have an accident that causes trouble for those around me. I guess it is the perfectionist part of me. I am not afraid of those typical "fears" that people have like death, injury, needles....I guess since I know what to expect from those. When I say I know what to expect I mean needles poke you, injury will hurt you, and death. Well death is something we ALL will have to face. It's the great equalizer. No matter how much money you have, how smart you are, or how evil you have been in life, we all have to go through that last step of life. Back on topic. I am also a bit uncomfortable around guinea pigs. I know, have a good laugh everyone. I have never liked guinea pigs and when one would come into the vet clinic I would find something else to do. Many of the other girls would run when a snake would come in except for me....but a guinea pig...that is a different story. LOL All in all, my biggest fear is letting people down.

I would tailor the anime to fit the personality of the viewer. For instance, I have a friend who loves horror movies, especially vampire stories, so I would show her Hellsing. I wouldn't start her off watching Love Hina. LOL I think the anime you pick to introduce someone to the genre should suit the tastes of the viewer. What kind of movies does your friend like to watch? What is the age of your friend? These are some of the things to consider when picking an anime. If comedies are their main choice for entertainment my suggestion would be going with something like GTO. There are alot of great suggestions in this thread for starter animes. Hope you have fun watching anime with your friend! :)

I am very fortunate that my parents have always like anime. I grew up watching anime with my parents. My mom will borrow my anime dvds to watch at her house when she feels like it. She is in the process of watching GTO right now. Both my parents think Onizuka is hilarious! Both my parents are Japanese and they don't see a problem with it. Like they say, there are far worse things I could be obsessed with! My mom and I watched "Grave of the Fireflies" together and both cried though it. I am very lucky to have parents who appreciate anime as much as they do. My parents will actually buy me art books for the series they know I like. No matter what we do, our parents will find something they don't like us doing. That is just how parents are. LOL Just think about how nice it will be for our children, they will have parents that love anime. Lucky them!

I am sorry to hear about your friend. Truly counceling would be the best step for everyone involved in this situation. Many people don't like the stigma that goes along with seeking help, but why is that any worse than trying to kill yourself? Being pro-active is the best way to make things right. This of course is just my opinion and everyone needs to find their own path in life. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your friend. May she have a speedy recovery and find the help she needs. As for being a friend. When someone puts up a front to hide what is going on inside it is very difficult for anyone to tell what is really going on. I have lost a few friends to suicide and I don't think it is a pain you can ever really get over. I feel like "What should/could I have done? Why didn't I see the problem and help?" but in the end you can only help as much as your friend will let you. Hindsight is 20/20 and wondering about "what ifs" will drive you crazy. Now that you know there is a problem, be supportive of your friend though this difficult time. Having true friends you know you can count on means so much to someone who feels alone. I know, I have had some depression problems that my true friend stuck though with me, and I owe the world to them. Again, my thoughts are with you and all your friends as you go through this difficult time.

Very first song that comes to mind for me is "Think of Me" by Sara Brightman from Phantom of the Opera. Her beautiful soprano voice makes me wish I could sing like her. It always gives me the chills when she hits that high note at the end of the song. It has a wonderful build up to that note. The next two songs that comes to mind is "Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. They are both mellow songs that leave you with a sad feeling, that is what I feel is beautiful about those songs. They make you feel something, they can change your emotions with their lyrics that cut straight to your heart. Truly a sign of a great song. I am sure if I thought about it for longer I could come up with more, but those three songs are at the top of my list. There are tons of beautiful opera songs from Camille Saint-Saenz, Puccini and Leoncavallo to name a few, but I am not sure how many people on this board listen to opera. LOL

In my hometown we had one of the first school shootings to happen in our country. It was years before Columbine. It was a student who went into his math class and killed his teacher, 2 students and seriously injured another. My old PE teacher was actually the guy who wrestled the gun from the kid. It was a really sad situation. He was the "nerd" in the class and his parents were going through a nasty divorce. I knew his dad from him bringing his dog in to the vet clinic I work at. The family use to own a popular sandwich shop in town and he (the shooter) use to work there and helped me on several occassions. When things like that happen in a small community it seems like you know everyone involved. It's a scary world we live in. There was an insane amount of news coverage and the city actually brought in additional mental health care workers to handle all the people who needed help. One of the things the community did to help recover was a nice memorial was made with the names of the victims and those who were in the class that survived the shootings. It has some benches around it so you can sit at the memorial and reflect on the tragedy. I think the biggest change for me personally was realizing that we live in a crazy world and those "big city" problems can happen right in my own backyard.