Almiraswolf オオカミのささやき

Christmas Stuff :)

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:06:16 GMT

A little later than I had hoped to make this update but annoyingly my cold did get worse yesterday; its not developed into full blown flu but it feels more like the tail end so to speak. Im feeling a bit better this morning but Im going to guess that itll take a few days to clear up completely.

Christmas day went okay but unfortunately because my dad dosent really do christmas anymore I hardly saw him at all (he just stayed out the way, either in the garage, conservatory or my parents bedroom) >_> it made the day feel a little blah but I tried not to let it get to me too much. My mum made a lot of effort though and she even made the christmas dinner by herself, I gave her a hand though. I would love to do something different next year though, Im not sure what yet but Id like to get out of the house and maybe spend next year somewhere a little more festive ^^;

We didnt have any extra people over either - just me, my mum and brother. The three of us all opened our presents together around midday which was nice :) everyone liked what I gave to them and I had some lovely things given to me from friends and family alike.

I would like to give a very big thank you to the following people for the lovely gifts they sent ^__^ I am very grateful to all the thought you put into what you sent!

iyeko
dragontattooist
lichiba
neon_ice

And many thanks to the following for the cards and greetings =D

miss_fuu_chan
truekitsune

And a thank you to scavenge who sent gift art :)

A Quick Greeting

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:35:55 GMT

Ive got one heck of a cold, if my immune system were lower it would probably turn into flu x___x

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy christmas and to thank everyone that sent gifts, cards and art ^^ I will type my day/a more personal message up tomorrow when Im feeling less drained. At the moment Im just sat on the sofa drinking hot blackcurrant and watching my brother play modern warfare 2 (everyone just died... by tactical nuke, it was awesome), hes going to be sticking in assassins creed 2 in a mo, I am intrigued to see that....

Avatar <3

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:27:37 GMT

I saw Avatar on Friday with Mike ^^ I have to say it was the most visually stunning film Ive ever seen, and seeing it in "digital 3D" was a totally new experience - it really enhanced the movie but since we were sat kindda high up in the screening room I think the effect would have probably been better if we were sat more in the middle.

The glasses that you wear look kindda like large sunglasses, they can easily be worn over normal glasses (as both of us were wearing them over our glasses and it worked fine). The 3D effect is very strange as it makes your eyes think what your seeing on screen is coming towards you, or very close at least. I did notice a few people move their head to one side as a reflex action a couple of times :)

I would give this film 10/10. If your a fan of sci-fi, fantasy etc I would highly recommend watching this. I dont want to review this in detail as I dont want to give away any spoilers but I think it would appeal to pretty much everyone as the story has a lot of detail and the visual effects are just pure eye candy. And the creature designs are just incredible <3 this is a film I will 100% be buying when it comes out on DVD.

Christmas Tree ^-^

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:14:50 GMT

Took a photo of our Christmas tree this morning ^^ as usual my mum did a fantastic job on it. She also put a few decorations up, so the house feels really festive now!

I am 100% ready for xmas now. All presents are wrapped, everything that needed to be sent out has been posted, all cards are done etc.

I love the blue LEDs

And this is just a cute little Christmas tree pen that I got a couple of weeks ago ^_^

Stuff And Awesome Wolf Puppet

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:21:15 GMT

Not much has happened lately here, Mike is doing very well at his job though :) next week is also my last Japanese class for beginners, Im going to sign up for the next and more advanced class next year which starts around mid Jan.

I also discovered that the candy store next to where Mike works sells American candy now <3 Im going to go load up on Reeses cups and Hershey's bars!

Watch this; its footage of a life-sized wolf puppet. Its amazing, especially the team work between the three puppeteers operating him <3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pHL78653A

Its like they have literally brought him to life =D

Slightly longer version of vid: http://www.vimeo.com/6720994

More puppets can be found here: http://Nectarine.deviantart.com/

Just... wow!

Small Site Updates

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:24:38 GMT

Just a couple of small updates for my website :)

* Artwork and plush page has been updated, added a few new images and have deleted old ones.

* Profile page has had a minor update, including a profile photo.

Tweet :>

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:16:57 GMT

Hah! Wish this was on YouTube so I could fav it XD

http://current.com/items/89891774_twouble-with-twitters.htm

Fail whale = win.

Dinosaur And Moose!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02:07 GMT

Lol, not more plushies XD yes, it is another plush update!

I went to Southampton today, and brought back another Build A Bear Workshop plush. As well as bringing back a new one, I also purchased an unstuffed BABW dinosaur from a seller on Ebay (that was originally from the USA, it was taken back to the UK unstuffed to save space/possible airport costs) a couple of days ago which I also took to Southampton to get his stuffing added :) so technically, that meant I brought home 2 new BABW plush!

You can see more photos of them at my BABW gallery:
http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/almiraswolf/buildabear/

The dinosaur is called an Argentinosaurus, its basically a large sauropod dinosaur. The moose is one of the latest releases at BAB, known as "Hal Moose/Boy Moose". His antlers light up when you press his paw ^^ I named my moose "Mocha" =D I took a short video of his light up antlers in action and stuck it on YouTube, which can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe2Ub1XIwq4

I havent named my dinosaur properly yet as I need to make a birth certificate for him. The seller was unable to find his tags so Ive e-mailed BAB USA to try and get a new code so I can make one. He attracted a lot of attention at BAB Southampton when I got him stuffed as the staff had never seen him before (since he is USA exclusive!) and a couple of passers by also loved the look of him =D its a shame they dont bring more dinosaurs out for BAB UK as people really seem to like them. In fact, there are even dinosaur themed BAB stores in the USA called "Build A Dino" which sell purely dinosaur themed products and stuffed animals.

http://www.buildadino.com/

And yes, my Argentinosaurus is wearing a tie in one of those photos, we put one on him for lolz at BABW and a couple of people said he looked cool, so we stuck with it XD

Talking Cyndaquil ^^

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:22:07 GMT

I posted about this guy not so long ago at the pkmncollectors comm. Hes a talking Cyndaquil plush (these kind of plush oftern retire quickly and then become hard to find). Since he came from the Pokemon Centre in Japan he speaks his Japanese name "Hinoarashi" instead of the English "Cyndaquil" :) I think Hinoarashi sounds cute!

I was unable to resist his cuteness so I ended up buying one ^^;

Cutie! ^_____^ Heres a pic to show the size in comparison to a pokedoll (Cynda is around 11 inches tall).

<3

His flame/fur might look a little odd, but its the softest material =D the material used on his body is also incredibly soft.

Back view.

Unfortunatley I dont have photos of the box because I asked the seller to ship him without it. The box was HEAVY/BIG and made postage and packing an extra $20+ o_____o;

Video showing him talk:

X-posted to pkmncollectors

Help Save NiGHTS

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:05:59 GMT

Click on the banner for more info...

Shiny Get!

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:13:53 GMT

It took me 115 eggs, but I finally managed to hatch a shiny Riolu last night at the GPX plus o__o

New Minami Con Cosplay LOL

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:32:22 GMT

Since I wanted to pick up another cosplay for minami con that wasnt as restrictive as a mascot style costume, I had a look around Ebay for sellers in Japan selling "kigurumi" :)

This is what I decided to go with...

XD Its Godzilla! Ill probably use it as a floor costume since itll be easy to put on/take off :)

Side view, showing the tail.

Better view of the face ^____^

This type of costume is know as a kigurumi. Kigurumi literally means "wearable stuffed toy", they originally started off as full mascot costumes for shops, fun parks and sports events, but have since been embraced by Japanese street fashion, and there is now a growing community of international kigurumi wearers. They are great to wear out to a party or festival, kigurumi are also great to lounge around the house in and make great pajamas.

I picked mine up from a seller in Japan (dominic_ryan_123). There has been a sudden rise in people selling kigus on Ebay and they come in a huge range of styles: tiger, hamster, bear, panda, wolf, fox, boar, disney characters, skeleon etc. I almost brought the pikachu one but then decided the Godzilla one could be used for fancy dress parties and stuff too (plus, it looks more detailed and was £10 less than the pika one!).

Awesome Bioshock Merch!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:44:51 GMT

I found these on play.com o__o do want! Ive pre-ordered both, the EVE hypo is made of win:

Bioshock: Big Daddy Ultra Deluxe Action Figure
"This first series includes the enormous Big Daddy, featuring loads of articulation, removable tanks, and his deadly drill arm. The size of this mammoth figure has to be seen to be believed!"

Bioshock 2: EVE Hypo Prop Replica (Play.com Exclusive!)
"This Play.com exclusive EVE hypo prop replica is based on the in-game models, and features a light-up LED feature for that authentic eerie blue glow!"

If they release any plushies... <3 I also get the hint that more figures will get released next year.

New BloodMoon Studios Online

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:20:54 GMT

My totally recoded website is now up and online for viewing =D many thanks to neon_ice (Mike) for all his help with making the code, for my knowledge is in no way as vast as his when it comes to web design o__o I only know quite basic HTML.

http://www.bloodmoonstudios.com/

If anything dosent work on your browser, let me know. Its been tested on Safari and works fine there.

All I need to do is update some of the gallery stuff through the week :)

Halloween 2009

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:36:26 GMT

So, yesterday I went on a ghost walk called "Crime, punishment and ghosts", it was meant to be around 1 - 1:30 hours but it only lasted for about 45 mins! I was a little disappointed that it wasnt as long as I had been told but it was still fun to do something different. Though next year I think Im going to stick with the classic ghost tour as you get to go around more than one place.

This tour focused on the Guildhall in Salisbury which used to be used as a temporary jail and law court. These days it is used mainly for rental purposes (craft fairs, weddings etc). Ive never been around the inside of the building before so it was awesome getting to look inside at the older parts of the building (like the jail cells and the old law court which is still pretty intact... for now >_> as we hear they are planning on converting it into offices!). The tour guild told us some of the stories of prisoners and types on punishment as well as the ghost sightings that have been reported in the building.

After the tour, we walked back to my house and my mum prepared a huge buffet style spread on the dinning room table ^^ pizza, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, crisps, mini chicken snacks, sweets, hotdogs and a variety of fizzy drinks (though I stuck to cranberry juice as fizzy stuff makes me feel ill). Sadly we didnt have time in the evening for a game of Atmosfear so Im hoping to play that next weekend. We did all start to watch Zombie Land but because I was tired I ended up going to bed before it finished, it was an okay film but for me it was a bit "samey" and didnt haven an interesting enough story/plot to keep me interested.

A little off topic, but I managed to grab my own summoned Giratina in the lab at the GPX Plus on Friday =D Ive had the summon item for Giratina just sat around in my inventory for weeks (too afraid to use it as anyone can take the egg once its summoned) but luckily I picked the right time to release it and managed to snag it after using 2 repels. <3

I am going to name him Wurm when he hatches ^___^ and Ill change his form too.

Build A Bear Photos And Video

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:25:03 GMT

Thought Id make a post to my last visit to the Build A Bear Workshop on Sunday the 25th October! I took Mike there since I wanted to buy him a bear as a thank you gift for re-coding my website :) (hes not done with it yet but the base template is done). Luckily when we arrived it was pretty quiet and I was able to take some photos as well as some video footage.

You can view the photos here:
http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/almiraswolf/buildabear/

They show the outside and inside of the Build A Bear store in Bournemouth as well as Mikes bear when we got it back to his house. As you can see the BABW sells unstuffed bears/animals which you choose and then stuff yourself. It is then optional if you want to buy any clothes or accessories for your new plushie :) though I have to admit that it can get expensive if you buy a whole outfit!

Mike chose the latest release; which was the winter hugs bear. Its a really cute teddy thats pale blue with a darker blue/light blue snowflake pattern all over. The seasonal bears are limited editions and will only be available for a few weeks. You can see the bear getting stuffed at the stuffing machine here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hV49qsi2s8

The guy at the stuffing machine was helpful but he was new and inexperienced so forgot to put the ID tag into the bear before closing up the back! Though it was okay because another assistant took our bear after the tag was re-inserted and then hand sewed him up for us. :)

Web Redesign

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:39:22 GMT

Within the next week or two Ill be completely redesigning my website with neon_ices help with the coding. A base template is currently in the works and Ill need to design a new banner for the top of every page (itll have a transparent background).

Im also going to be getting rid of some older content and making everything look a little more professional looking than the current look :)

Winter Weather

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:50:01 GMT

Its gotten so cold here lately! It feels like its gone from summer directly into winter. I find myself resorting to wearing 3 or more layers to keep myself warm o__o it gets like an ice box in this house (turn the heating on you say? My mum seems to think its too early in the year to turn it on... bah).

I havent been up to much lately; though I have a couple of things planned for halloween and next month. For halloween I will be going on a ghost walk around the city, which will last about an hour an a half. Afterwards Ill be heading back home for a buffet style dinner (pizza, sausage rolls, sandwiches, pie etc) and will be spending the rest of the evening watching spooky films and playing Atmosfear (DVD version) with everyone.

Next month the Psychic Fayre will be in town! Im really looking forwards to it as its been years since it was last held: http://salisburyfayre.ning.com/

Still need to make the last parts of my neko maid cosplay >_< keep meaning to get started but need to get motivated. Ive still got around 6 months till Minami Con so lots of time left; I just like to get things out of the way in advance ^_^; the nidoking kigurumi is still in the planning stages too.

Lastly, I managed to doodle this little guy in the morning :)
http://almiras.deviantart.com/art/Little-Dragon-in-the-snow-140538568

Ive been finding it really hard to do anything arty for the past few months, not 100% sure why but Im betting most of it is down to lack of energy now that Im working again (even if it is part time). I wish I could just drop everything and get on a plane to America or Canada for a week or two - need a holiday ;__; havent been on one for years!

Comment Pic Meme

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:03:59 GMT

"Post a picture in my comments of what you think describes me when you think about what/who I am. No matter how surreal or plain. Give no written explanation. Just an image."

Feel free to re-post ^^

Roboraptor Clip!

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:09:43 GMT

Just thought Id post this here ^^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGf98jq6fwM

Heehee, thanks again Kate <3

October Moon & Forest Walk

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:24:48 GMT

Just a small update ^^ thought Id share some photos that Mike and I took over the weekend. Firstly; a beautiful image of the moon that was taken last night:

When Mike first used the camera however, he managed to accidentally take the same image with what looks like lightning or mystical energy coming from the moon; at first we were all excited and puzzled as to what it was but later we discovered that the camera setting had caused the light in the image to be manipulated with the slow shutter speed ^^; but its still pretty cool.

Today we went for a walk around West Moors Plantation (forest). Its such a nice quiet place, with a very calming atmosphere - Mike took a few photos of the scenery (I took one, but I didnt have my own camera with me so it was harder for me to take shots). I will have to return at some point with my own camera to experiment with different angles and such ^__^ we saw a few squirrels and also heard a deer (we heard it run off as we got closer... shame we didnt get to see it) and we also got to walk through the thicker part of the forest which was very enlightening at this time of year (all the lovely colours, smells and sights). Fall and winter are definetley my favorite times of year =D

You can see all the forest photos as well as the full moon pics here:
http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/almiraswolf/West_Moors_2009/

IE 8?

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:27:06 GMT

Bit of a random question - but has anyone reading upgraded from Internet Explorer 7 to 8 recently? If so - have you had any problems with IE 8? Ive heard a few rumors that it isnt as good as its previous version and would like to get a few opinions before I upgrade.

Thank you ^__^

Glastonbury Abbey

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:23:00 GMT

Yesterday me, Mike and my parents went to Glastonbury to visit the town and the abbey. We set off early since the trip would take a little over an hour to get there by car. When we arrived it was pretty quiet and the weather was very cool. We started off exploring the town and going into all the amazing shops - there were so many! I think I would have bankrupted myself if I had brought everything I had my eye on XD lots of witchy, crystal, gothic and pagan type stores! Ive never seen so many in one place before.

After exploring the town we went and got something to eat from a traditional pasty shop. Goodness; it was the best cornish pasty Ive ever tasted ^o^ I had a traditional steak pasty, and for afters a chocolate chip cookie with I shared with Mike because it was huge =D

After food we visited Glastonbury Abbey; the grounds and ruins were amazing. The place had such a vibe about it (very spiritual and peaceful), I took a few photos of the ground which also included an orchard and a badger set:

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/almiraswolf/Glastonbury_2009/

After taking our time to explore the grounds, ruins, wildlife area and the resting place of king Arthur we headed back to the town and visited a few more shops on the other side of the road. I ended up buying a huge plushie dragon puppet ^^; (see photos) from a little toy store. I must say I really enjoyed the day and would love to go back in the near future - it would especially be a perfect place to go Christmas shopping!

Japanese Course - 1

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:09:48 GMT

So today was my first Japanese lesson - it went pretty well but I felt that a lot was thrown in and it got pretty complicated at points o__o Im really worried Ill end up forgetting everything I learnt by the next lesson (Ive already forgotten how to pronounce a few things) so Ill have to keep constantly going over my notes and practising with Mike. The class consists of about 12 people (including us two) and the teacher is an actual Japanese lady which will make things a lot easier (as she can pronounce everything correctly and can answer any question about the language).

Since the lesson starts as 7pm and ends at 9pm I find I am quite tired by the time I get home; especially considering the Japanese course starts an hour after my 4 hour work shift >_>

Things I leant today included introducing myself, talking about my family, hobbies, my age and my nationality :)

Build A Bear Workshop Plushies ^^

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:07:45 GMT

Just got around to taking a photo of my BABW plushies :)
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Kibami is the wolf, Jonty is the bear and the little purple cat is a "mini plush" which you can just pick up and buy (rather than make up in store like the larger ones) called kooky spooky. Not only can you customize your own plush at the BABW but you also get to use your plushies code online to play games and explore buildabearville.com (its mostly aimed at kids but its still fun, lol).

Jonty was the first BABW plushie I brought, I got him from Southampton. Then a few weeks later I went to the store in Bournemouth and got Kibami =D I cant say Im not tempted to get more but since they are always releasing new designs I dont want to just buy loads then not have more room for ones I really want when they come out ^^;

If you havent been to a BABW store; they have a on-line store/site...

UK store:
http://www.buildabear.co.uk/

US store:
http://www.buildabear.com/