Banner Update - Momohime

Just in case you haven't noticed, I changed by banner from cute C.C. to the beautiful Momohime. d(^_^)b She arrived 2 weeks ago, and you can see more of her from my figure.fm post.

Book Arrivals: Cordwainer Smith and MOG

Last week was supposed to be a 1-week summer vacation. Instead, it became 1 week of overtime work. And like all overtime work, it took it's psychological toll. Mine came in the form of an order for a Kindle, and, in the process of looking through Amazon.jp, 2 new books.

Unfortunately, the Kindle will not arrive any time soon. The first time I checked, it was due to be shipped on the first week of October (plus shipping time from US to Japan).  The last time I checked, it said I will be notified by e-mail. It's now time for the long wait.

Meanwhile, the 2 new books already arrived. I ordered them because they didn't have Kindle versions. At least not yet. And besides, they've been in my wishlist for so long already. I couldn't order them because they were always out of stock here in Japan. I saw both become available, and one of them was marked "only one left in stock" (yes, I checked after it arrived, and surely, it was out of stock again).

The first book is The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith. It is a collection of classic short stories from science fiction's golden age - the late 1950's to the 60's. According to all the reviews, Cordwainer Smith was not really popular, but he wrote some of the best stories, and this omnibus (read: tome) comes highly-recommended. And also as recommended, I will read it in parts.

The second book is Reinventing Gravity by John W Moffat. It is a book about modified gravity (or MOG) theories - essentially, alternate working hypothesis that try to explain the current leading mysteries (and inconsistencies) in physics and astronomy. Lately, I've been finding the prevalent dark matter / dark energy explanations becoming more and more whimsical, especially as the evidences are not coming in. MOGs seem to be a refreshing take on the subject, and I want to understand more about them. However, save for an article in Scientific American some time back, I haven't  found any other sources, until this book came to my attention. Apparently, people really do have a hard time letting go of cherished theories*, and relatively fewer researchers are pursuing this direction.

Along with my other ongoing books (and the soon-to-be-in-my-possession Kindle and Kindle books), I am looking forward to great insightful and enjoyable reads in the near future.

Btw, it's the Obon period this weekend, so I have 4 days to enjoy them before work interrupts life again. I have no plans of rushing through the books. I am going to slowly savor and enjoy them for quite some time.

Oh yeah, Reinventing came with the first 2 pages torn! Torn! I had to wait 1 week (i.e. today) for a new copy to be delivered. The damaged one also got picked up late this afternoon. So everything's fine  and dandy now. They're now both wrapped in book plastic covers and ready to be read. On a side note, I'll probably be finishing Imago, the third and last story in Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood before continuing with The Rediscovery.

* From the first chapter: historically, the Ptolemaic earth-centered view was so entrenched that it persisted for 2000 years... until Copernicus came by. Wow, 2000 years! In comparison, Einstein's Special and General theories of relativity are just a little over 100 years old, while Darwin's theory of evolution just turned 150 last year. 2000 years indeed!

My Memorable Anime Openings and Endings

Somehow, I just suddenly felt the urge to blog about my favorite anime openings (OP) and endings (ED). I noticed that really good OP/ED helps a lot in determining what I decide to watch and how long they stick in my consciousness. In a lot of cases, I decide to find and watch the anime simply because I saw their great OP/ED preview! It's usually the catchy song that appeals to me, but on some occasions, the animation blends so well with the song and my life that I find it unforgettable. These excellent (and personally relevant) OP/ED's make me pause and recollect when I suddenly hear them outside.

And among all I've watched (and I have seen many), here are my most memorable anime OP/EDs arranged in chronological order starting with the most recent. I included links to any information I can find. Enjoy!

1. My Soul, Your Beats (Lia) from Angel Beats OP  
Video Lyrics Full
This song just flows so beautifully. I loved this song so much (along with #2 below) that I was compelled to buy the album brand new. (Usually I'd wait for a second-hand one from Book-Off.)

2. Brave Song (Tada Aoi) from Angel Beats ED
Video Lyrics Full
Life can be so sad and yet so wonderful.

3. Friends (Aiko Nakano) from Dance in the Vampire Bund OP 
Video Lyrics Full
I like the song, animation, and artistic touches of this OP so much!

4. Paradise Lost (Chihara Minori) from Ga-Rei Zero OP

Video Lyrics Full

I never tire of this song. Something about it gets me going. It rocks, yet it's also sad, and at the same time hopeful. Did I mention I completed all the manga because I loved the characters and story so much? ;P

5. Vanilla Salt (Yui Horie) from ToraDora! ED
Video Lyrics Full
Favorite part: Tenori Tiger!

6. Diamond Crevasse (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
Brings back memories. T.T

7. Northern Cross (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
A really stylish blend of animation and real-life performance! ^_^

8. NEXT LEVEL (YU-KI) from Kamen Rider Kabuto OP
Video Lyrics Full
Now THIS is how Kamen Rider should be. Cool. The airing of Kabuto marked the 30th anniversary of the Kamen Rider franchise.

9. Unmei no Yoru (Fateful night) (Kawai Kenji) from Fate/Stay Night
Video Lyrics Full   
This is not really an OP/ED, but it was what made me look for Fate/Stay Night. The teaser for the series had this enigmatic and alluring song as BGM.

10. A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Yoko Takahashi) from Neon Genesis Evangelion OP
Video Lyrics Full
Classic. 'Nuff said.

11. Moonlight Densetsu (DALI / Moon Lips) from Sailor Moon OP
Video1 Video2 Lyrics Full
Is there any anime-lover who hasn't seen/heard this?! I was surprised to hear this song recently being played in a MiniStop store near my office. ^_^

12. Cha-la Head Cha-la (Kageyama Hironobu) from Dragonball Z OP
Video Lyrics Full
The first time I saw the OP was during an uneventful afternoon, while channel surfing for anything interesting. Then I stopped at channel 9, caught by the powerful music. I watched as Kuririn and Tenshinhan fire an impressive blast, and then I saw Goku charging, and boom! Sparking! I didn't know who they were back then, and what the show was, but right then and there, they got my attention. Next thing I know, I was following the series. Coincidentally, they were airing the first episode of Dragonball Z!

Btw, this does not mean I don't like other anime's OP/ED's. Mind you, I love a lot of others. However, these are so far the most sticky and memorable. (^_^