Around the beginning of the year, I picked up a new hobby and started making plushies. Id on't know what exactly bit me... actually I do, I saw some felt in a crafts store, thought that it would be cool to have a plushie of my favorite Gundam SEED Astray character, Elijah Kiel, and bought the felt and some fabric for his uniform, without having any idea on how to make plushies.

The 'net did help me and I made a rather chubby Elijah Kiel (which some people have seen already)

( Chubby Elijah )

Which not only made me make my own plushie pattern, but made me decide not to work with this type of fabric until I had more experience.

Clothes are now made of felt, but I'm also experimenting with other materials now.

( Want to take a look? )

Current Mood: artistic

Just doing some memes, the 5 Questions meme and the Icons meme (I need to do a real post once in while, don't I?)

Both were asked by misskalloway

( 5 Question meme )


( Icons meme )

On the new VS Astray webpage... why am I seeing people that are supposed to be dead?

Current Mood: mischievous

I usually don't care about sports in general. And I simply cannot understand people's fanatism with football (the REAL football, not the American one).

*Thinks about this for several minutes*

Actually, considering the things that drive me... I guess I'm no different from a football fan. The only difference is what we like. Anyways, when the average Salvadoran is not being a political fanboy/fangirl, they are being football fanboys/fangirls. And, hey, if the spectacle of grown men running around after a ball unites a country usually separated by politics, then I'm all for it.

These past few days, the whole country has been all about the match between El Salvador and Mexico. And even I, a non-fan, decided that since there was no escaping it, I might as well enjoy it, so I ended up wearing a team jersey and watched the last minutes of the match.

I told mom that if the Salvadoran team defeated Mexico, I was going to treat her to a nice, thick, juicy steak in her favorite restaurant... I guess that Flone on the Marvelous Island boxset will have to wait a bit more.

In any case,

( time to do the character meme )

Edit: Stupid Rich Text thing... I can't use it properly...

Follow up to this entry.

From pinaworks:
1. when did you first watched gundam and which series was?
It was Gundam Wing... can't remember when, but it was when Bandai Entertainment first released it on VHS tape. Stupid tapes.. I cdon't have the heart to get rid of the VHS tapes to buy the DVDs. Sentimental reasons is one of the reasons, what I paid for them is the other reason XD.

2. which digimon series you liked the most?
That would be Digimon Tamers. It's the story I liked the best. I liked the fact that it was darker and some Digimon would stay dead. It needed a couple of human casualties, though. I want a Ryo and Cyberdramon plushie...

3. what's your favourite movie of all time, anime or live-action?
Argh... that is hard to answer... I have many movies I love... Ladyhawke, Princess Bride, Neverending Story, Raiders of the Lost Ark... and many more.

4. if you could visit any major city in the world, where would you go?
Sydney. Hopefully before a colony falls on it XD. Brasilia too. My mom went to Brasilia once and tell me about it. Of course, it's has changed a lot since she went in the 70s, but I still want to go.

5. if you could have a superpower, which would you choose?
To communicate with animals. But chances are that after five minutes, I'll be begging my rabbit to shut up  because he'll be endlessly asking for attention. And I don't think cricket gossip is really interesting.


From ancientscripts:
1. What's your favorite anime (series or movie)?
This one's easier. It's the Gundam series. Though Wing holds a special place, since it wah the one that got me hooked, I've loved all the series, from Mobile Suit Gundam to Gundam SEED Destiny... ok, there are a couple of things about Destiny I don't like, but it was bound to happen eventually.

2. Do you want a mecha, a spaceship, or a magical power?
Can I get a mecha that magically transforms into a space ship? Kiddin. Seeing that having a mecha or a spaceship will cause parking problems in my house, in this case I'd take magical powers. Just imagine, waking late, and getting cleaned and to work with the flick of a wand.

3. Who would you like to meet, dead or alive, and why?
Golda Meyer. I think she was a strong, admirable woman who wasn't afraid of using force when necesary.

4. What's the weirdest meal you've had?
Snake with frog legs. I went with my brother to a gastronomical festival in the town of Juayua. I wanted to try deer, but they had run out, so I decided to try snake and my brother ordered frog legs, and we decided to try half and half.

5. Is there a hobby you want to take up?
Photography. I like taking pictures, and ever since I borrowed one of the digital cameras from work I always carry it around. But a professional camera with a decent macro lens is a bit too expensive for me...


******************************************

On other news, I'm probably getting old. I bought a Heidi dvd. I grew up with that series...

Current Mood: amused

1. Leave me a comment saying anything random, like your favorite lyric to your current favorite song. Or your favorite kind of sandwich. Something random. Whatever you like.
2. I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. You WILL update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.

My answers to ajora

Current Mood: annoyed

There's no way I couldn't have gotten off work today, not with my father as my boss. But I don't think that the line will be that long. I hope.

Snacks are ready in my backpack, so that I can just pick it up after work. I'll go as a Muggle! Yay me. Cd/mp3 player and a some reading material is also ready. 

This will be fun. And it feels like a just wrote a telegram XD.

Current Mood: restless

It all started with japanese fish catching game a couple of girls had setup at the Yume no Tsubasa pseud-convention last year. It was as if someone didn't tell them that the net is supposed to break in the water, so they made them of waxed paper, and I ended up with a little swordtail that I named Gefilte Fish.

Then came Sushi, another swordtail, who harrased Gefilte to death. 

So Sushi was all alone until I bought a leopard danio that my brother dubbed Amuro. 

Several months passed until a little enviromental disaster in the bowl killed Sushi. We still don't know what happened exactly.

Then we got a zebra danio whom we called Char. And it is Amuro chasing Char all over the place.

Last week we got a decent fish tank and four new fishes. Two swordtails named Kamille and Jerid, and two other fishies that my mom liked and we named Lalah and Gefilte Fish II.

Two uneventful days have passed in the tank. But it seems Jerid's namesake's Candy-Candy Syndrome affects everything named Jerid and Kamille died by jumping out of the tank sometime last night.

I had read swordtails were good jumpers, but I had never seen it happen. Well I didn't see this happen, I just saw the results.

Now we'll have to get a cover for the tank before we get Kamille II.

I want to put a Gundam in the tank... and I have to take pictures

A phrase we use when explaining the foolish things one did as a child. Because one really does some really stupid things that it's a miracle one has lived so long.

Like... *looks around* climb up and down the high voltage tower... I seriously don't know how I didn't electrocute myself when there was a toast pigeon at least once a week.

Of course, one had a tendency to believe and fear the most stupid things.

So, confession time!

I must have been around 6 or 7 years old. Watching G Force, Mako, Candy Candy and Mazinger Z after school was a must. 

And there was one particular Mazinger episode that I simply couldn't watch nor hear. Everytime it aired, I would run to my room, crying, and cover my head with the pillow so that I wouldn't listen to it. 

Now... what was in this episode that would scare the hell out of your's truly? You might ask. A volcano!

That's right. Mt. Fuji. Dr. Hell and Baron Ashler made a robobeast that would drill into Mt. Fuji's core and make it blow up. 

I was frigging scared of volcanoes for no particular reason, other than on stormy nights I would dream of the local volcano erupting and the lava chasing me until it killed me. I still have those nightmares on ocassion, and right now local volcano only makes me nervous. 

On the january 13 quake, though, I saw smoke coming out of the Picacho peak, and it did scare me. Turns out it was only a landslide inside the craters. But still...

So there you have it. Blackie couldn't watch that particular episode because of Mt. Fuji, and chances are I will never be able to watch it.

I must have been sacrificed to a volcano god in a previous life.

For a movie based on a sunday morning  tv series, Kamen Rider Kabuto - God Speed Love has an extremely high death toll.

Nice movie, though. I particularly liked the scenes in space, Daisuke in rebel clothes, and the fact ZECT officers in the Mirror Universe (or would that be Alternate Present?) have a cooler uniform, complete with side cape.

Keep in mind that Kabuto is just my second Rider series, which makes Super Sentai ManDen-O my third Rider series.

And next time I get fishes, remind me not to name them after Gundam rivals... 

Sushi died (after an enviromental disaster caused by misterious animal that ate the bowl plants. It's a miracle Amuro survived.), got a new zebra danio to make Amuro company (since Amuro's a danio too), named it Char. 

Now Amuro is harrasing Char.

We're now considering just having a beta, since they don't need company.

Oh, yeah. Behold Lame Den-O icon.

Living in Latinamerica, I'm bombarded with telenovelas from Mexico and South America since I was born. I don't really watch them. The only one's I've truly watched were Mundo de Juguete, Carrusel de Las Americas, Amor en Silencio and Amantes del Desierto.

About twelve years ago, your's truly was in Israel in army uniform and carrying around an M-16 in a military program Tzahal had for potential inmigrants and "tourists" (a nickname given to jews who are participating in volunteer, education or inmigration programs, but don't have any intention of yet living in the country). 

One of my companions was from a Russian family that had gone to live to Australia when he was little (Cold War and all). So one day, as we were driven around to one of the various camps and bases, he sat next to me.

Him: So... In El Salvador you got a lot of those Mexican telenovelas, no?
Me: Em, yes.
Him: Great! Do you know one called "Wild Rose" or something like that?
Me: You mean "Rosa Salvaje"?
Him: Yes! That's the one! Did you watch it?
Me: Not really. Maybe just a couple of episodes. Why?
Him: That's too bad. When we left Russia, my grandmother was furious because she wasn't going to be able to see how it ended, so I thought you could tell me the ending.

In a way, I now know how the Japanese volunteers feel when the local anime fans ask them about anime.

And when I wrote about Ruki's grandma and Cyberkitsumon were watching "Betty la Fea" on tv in that Digimon fanfic of mine, I was only fooling around! I didn't knew it really got subbed!! o.O?

Tagged by ancientscripts. I thought it was going to be easier... this is about guilty pleasures, no?

ajora

shadowcell

pinaworks

naoekun

This week was more tiring that stressful. But there were two things that made it better:

First, the news that Shutterbox's 4th volume is on pre-order on Amazon. I put it on my wishlist, though. I like using the free shiping.

Second, 

naoekun

A while ago I mentioned the news that an excavation tunnel was being made at the San Andres site. A feline skeleton was found at that time.

Today's newspapers and tv reported on another finding. As usual, both articles are in spanish and a bit too long to translate. The one from El Diario de Hoy and the one from La Prensa Grafica (this one has a slide show. Click on the text next to the photo of the site with the green protection).

About a month ago, when one of the excavators pulled an abode block and a piece of the mixture used to hold the blocks together fell with it (sorry... I don't know how to call that mixture in english).  On the piece of mixture was a child's footprint, the face of another block had canine pawprints (researchers don't know if it was a dog or coyote), and in yet another block is a man's handprint.

Whether the child stepped accidentally or intentionally on the mixture is still unknown, and will probably be a mistery forever. We can't deny that it's cute, though.

CONCULTURA is considering using the prints as San Andres' symbols.

x-posted on ancientamericas

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I enjoy getting things in the mail. Even if it it's bills. Maybe because junk mail is virtually unknown of in this corner of the planet.

Mailman usually comes in the morning or at noon. And today he came right in the middle of lunch. So off goes Blackie, happily skipping when she hears mailman call her name.

And thus, I received a nice little package from yzak.

Tazumal has a ball game court, just like any other temple sites around latinamerica. But... no one knew where it is exactly. The only reason it is known it existed is because one of the goals was found on site and the other was found being used by as a tomb marker in the old cemetery next door.

The cementery next to the temple site doesn't surprise me at all.

My father had always said that he was pretty sure part of it was under the old cemetery., and the other near the church. Guides in the site (usually local children) would point to another area altogether.

Turns out the court may really where the old cemetery used to be.

The report, from local paper La Prensa Grafica, can be read HERE, in spanish, of course.

It would have been nice to go today... the day is beautiful. But the usual Labor Day marches and protests have closed off the city.

I thought the use of ashes from the Ilopango volcano was strange, until mother told me ashes from Ilopango have been found as far as San Miguel city, and that ashes from the Plan de la Laguna caldera have been found in Honduras.

Current Mood: lazy

I went to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia David J. Guzman just for the heck of it. I enjoy going there. It's peaceful and the garden with the petrogliphs is fresh.

But today I just went to get pictures of my favorite pre-columbian pieces. Entrance is $1.50 for the general public, and $2.00 more if you want to take pictures, no flash please. First time I in my life have ever been charged extra to take pictures in a museum, though I don't really mind.

The temporal exhibits room had a display of Holocaust photos, sponsored by the Jewish community and the Shoah museum. And there was idiot, taking flash pictures, smiling broadly as a girl took a picture of him next to a replica of a concentration camp prisioner uniform. Idiot.

Anyways, I came to post the pictures, so follow the link!

http://pics.livejournal.com/blackthornhiei/gallery/000017fz

I took a photo of the jaguar disk I have as an avatar but... it was awfully unfocused and moved, so I'll have to go some other day. 

I love the wheeled dog.

Current Mood: geeky

Ahhh... Saint Seiya... the bane of my generation and the generation inmediately after mine...

Why am I even remembering it right now, I don't know. Must be the recent news that the Hades saga will air in Cartoon Network LA, not that I have cable to watch it anyways.

Almost everyone this country watched it when it was on local tv. In fact, I bought my VHS for the sole purpose of taping it because I had classes.

Siren Sorrento became my all-time favorite Saint Seiya character (he still is), followed by Phoenix Ikki, and Benetnasch Mime.

And who couldn't resist feral Fenrir and devious Alberich? It's hard to believe that the Warrior Gods story arc, with the whole Ring of the Nibelung plot was just filler episodes before the Poseidon arc. It was pretty well done.

Like the good fangirl that I was, I attempted to write not one, but two fics, in which a mix of mythologies tried to best Athena and her Saints, based on the anime storyline, thus completely ignoring and voiding the Hades arc. At least in my ficverse.

Current Mood: silly

I've been neglecting this place... *sigh*

Anyways, but the Casa Blanca and Tazumal sites have been reopened to the public. From the looks of the photos in this article, and the article itself, it seems like one will be allowed to take a closer look at the excavations that were done at both places.

I'll go on this vacation week.. It will be my first time at Casa Blanca.

Current Mood: excited

Ok... so once again I've fallen into the bad habit of neglecting this here LJ.

I'm a bit bored, so...

Comment and I'll give you a letter (not an obligation, though). Then you have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. After, post this in your journal, and give out some letters of your own.

shadowcell gave me letter O!! So here goes:

1- Orange clouds
2- Ocelotl
3- Out of Time (R.E.M.'s album)
4- Ometochtli 
5- Onmyou Taisenki
6- Ormack, John (character in a Dale Brown novel)
7- Orion constellation
8- Orcas
9- Otters
10- Oldies music

Current Mood: sleepy