International Wota Cupcake

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(This was supposed to be posted days ago on the 23rd. Right now, I'm trying it with Everyone's Favorite Browser, not the Browser Everyone Hates).

I don’t know how the title should be read… call it a play on words, maybe? “Futatsu Tsuki Kinenbi,” maybe? While I’ve been teaching myself Japanese for almost a decade, I don’t consider myself an expert but it may be that. It can still be read in two ways (in English) though. (Even if it should be “Ni-ka (no) Getsu Kinenbi” (2カ月（の）記念日) in proper Japanese!)

That (poorly made Ai Otsuka reference) aside, this post shall commemorate my second month as a blogger, the second month “Morning Meteora” has been on the air! *blows a party favor*.

Starting out with a meek self-introduction, followed by mild PV reviews and a spew of connection crash-inducing Hello! Ranker posts, “Moni-Mete” has become one of the more promising (I hope) upcoming Hello! Project blogs, special for the fact that (as its name suggests) some focus will go to Agoura Hills-based rock band Linkin Park (among other things but I digress…).

Just days after the blog’s silent opening, as said many a time, Goto Maki left… eh, I’ll get more into detail with an upcoming post. Besides, you’ve seen it all before anyway so why bore you, my readers?

The first “real” post was a mini-essay about the Hello! Project’s “voice(s)” (because they are all such wonderful idols that, while we respect their individuality, we salute their solidarity), closing it with an unanswered question: “Is there a Hello! Project idol you sound like? If so, who and why?” Following with that post was a review post of the Mikan PV that was more, well, “review-like” (but I still think it could be better).

Now, it was until the Monday after Thanksgiving (November 26, more than a month since this blog opened) that one of my dreams a blogger came true: being featured on International Wota. It’s even more honorable since I didn’t recommend myself (but I almost did). You can read more about it on the post. The accomplishment came at a time when I was becoming more comfortable with blogging and it had just happened like magic.

What made my blog noticeable? Was it the fact that adding MorningBerryz to my neighborhood and him noticing it gave it that little peek (he commented only on one of the rankers though)? Was it adding other fellow H!P bloggers to my neighborhood and making my sparse comments on their blogs (probably part of the reason why my blog has less comments than laura’s, which was started a little after mine “apparently“)? Was it the fact that I took Ray’s little post from AmericanWota and turned it into a questionnaire? (That was what interested him the most, according to his introduction). To this day, I consider the feature a milestone and to that, thank you.

Following the thank you message was the first “Ping Pong Pinpoint,” a series of my little “pinpointing” of various issues within the blogosphere that I just don’t really have the time to make long-arsed entries about. (The “Ping Pong” part came about in my mind as I pinpointed everything. Then again, when I “hit” every event on a bullet-point, it could be similar to a paddle hitting a ping pong ball on a table back and forth). Magi-Kat, you fool! You just gave away your next post! Next paragraph!

The post I was dying to make, the one I had circulating in my mind for weeks… originally made to commemorate my first month as a blogger (even had a different file than the final product!), the ill-fated post came: “The Why of the Kawamoe of KusuBeni,” my missed shot at explaining Koharu Kusumi’s kawaiiness and Chester Bennington’s “moeness.” Even if Andra and quietmonth reassured me in my response post, I still think the entry could’ve been better. Even I knew the post was a disaster… I’ll let the post itself speak for itself (which Vox kept giving me heckell about when I posted it, resulting in the duplicates and the bad formatting -I tried to fix it but it still gave me problems- ¬¬*).

The latest post before this one was a fun one to write and is a fine example of my capabilities as a blogger: They said "Goodbye" and I said "Hello!" A tribute to Maki and W, I touch on the topic we know so well about as H!P fans - getting into acts after they’re gone. While I was a W fan since the unit was formed, I loved them then but I fully appreciate that group after they’re gone. Maki… I feel bad for not giving her a chance sooner (maybe the fact I considered listening to her again around September/October was a slight omen). Well, using a clever Beatles reference, I salute the past of Hello! Project so while they and others have said goodbye, we’ll say “Hello!” to more acts (and I had no idea Aibon messed up lines to get cake. Her Mini Moni depiction was accurate!).

And look, it’s time for a commercial break!

W - sushitaro CM

Now that Morning Meteora has hit two months with growing success, what’s in store for the future of this humble little blog? Your guess is as good as mine. Will real life get in the way? Yes, of course, why not?! Will there be more Linkin Park and rock-related posts? Big possibility. Will there be more Hello! Project coverage? Hell yeah! Will Magi-Kat rewrite that “Kawamoe” post? Of course. Will “Morning Meteora” defy gravity? Who knows?

Anyway, closing off this edition of “Moni-Mete” are some specially-made pictures!

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Happy All Saints Day, nonexistent audience.

Speaking of saints, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard about the news about Maki Goto and her graduation. To tell you the truth, I was only a minor fan of her and yet I’m still sorta shocked about this. I had more to say but I pretty much forgotten it. Then again, why should I make a speech about someone I barely care about, even if she's one of the patron saints of the Hello! Project.

So, like most Hello! Project fans who wrote their opinions on time and later, I wish Maki the best in her endeavors no matter where she goes. (It's kinda funny since I was sort of considering getting back into her. Oh well, c'est la vie).

A few things too:

• I too think her brother's scandal had little (if not, nothing) to do with her "graduation." Then again, it was mentioned that she wanted to go in a different direction anyway.
• Due to Goto's graduation, the fate of the Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai is "uncertain." Then again, I had already put the unit in that category since Kaori's pregnancy.
• One bright side: At least we know the reason for Goto's "scheduling conflicts," which leads credible evidence that the graduation was planned.

I think it's time to let this sleeping dog lie, especially since no one seems to be talking about it anymore.

In other news, reviews of the big "All Singles Complete" compilation are popping about the H!P blog circles and Morning Musume continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary full blast with an upbeat single around the corner to boot. According to Wikipedia (English and Japanese) and Wiki.theppn, the indies single ("Ai no Tane") was released on November 3, 1997. Now, I dunno if it's true (which is most likely not or most likely so depending on your point of view and/or your sources), that would make this coming Saturday the 10th anniversary of the release of said single.

All in all, happy anniversary, Morning Musume and laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)

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