Went to see Avatar 3D yesterday but omgg…. got to the theater too late and ended up in the front row… :S people who have ended up there in a 3D movie would know what kind of hellhole it is. heh -.-;;

In fact, I got so dizzy I ended up having to leave 1/3 into the movie because I thought I was going to throw up. Ha. There goes the movie I have looked forward to for the past, like 2 months… -.-

But anyway, at least I still got my snazzy 3D glasses! 8D yeyeye

Anyway, it is now 2010! 2009 was… okay. Looking forward to the New Year! I’ve already got lots of goals planned out hehe…

Cheers!

- aiko <3

Mysoju.com (Watch Liar Game Online): Here

I went onto dramawiki and after seeing that the genre was a psychological thriller (me and my obsession with psychologically and mystery based dramas and mangas, ie. Death Note, Detective Conan), needless to say popped right onto mysoju.com and began to watch it. About .75 episode in, I had discovered that this drama was manga based and with past experiences, manga>drama based on manga and thus popped over onto onemanga.com to check out the manga.

Onemanga.com (Read Liar Game Manga Online): Here

Damn the manga is good!

Here is the basic plot for both the drama and manga:

(Source: Wikipedia)

Nao Kanzaki, an honest college student, receives 100 million yen (about $1,000,000) and an invitation to participate in something called the “Liar Game Tournament”. When Nao is easily tricked by her opponent, she turns to ex-convict and genius swindler Shinichi Akiyama for help out of desperation to get the money back. Though Akiyama is reluctant, he agrees to help on the condition that they steal Fujisawa’s money as well, and that he takes half the profits as his reward.

Akiyama succeeds in taking all the money and winning the game for Nao. However, Nao and Akiyama’s success at the Liar Game is far from over and each time they think the game is over, they are forced to return again with higher stakes. Though initially unwilling participants, the pair choose to continue in the game in order to discover the true nature of the organization involved and to try to free other participants from the Liar Game.

Crazy, no?

For me, what makes this manga such an intriguing read are the ways that the various games throughout the series are laid out and how simple, yet ingenious they are. One of my all time favorites is the minority game, where your aim is to be part of the minority when asked a Yes or No question. Simple solution, but intricate at the same time.

In detail…

(Source: Wikipedia)

Each of the 22 players is given a jewel worth 100 million yen as “Game Money”. The Minority Rule game is a variation on the El Farol Bar problem: each player answers either “Yes” or “No” to a random question; those who voted on the side of the minority survive and those in the majority leave with a debt of 100 million yen apiece. The game ends when there is either one player or two players left. If one player wins, that player receives 2.1 billion (2.2 billion minus their 100 million), and if two players win each obtains 1 billion (1.1 billion minus their 100 million).

In Comparison to Death Note…

Both are categorized in the genre of “psychological thrillers”. However, I would actually recommend the manga Liar Game more than I would Death Note, in terms of plot and overall story function. Death Note began to disappoint me as quickly as it intrigued as there were just too many “holes” within in the rules of the death note as well as the increasing number of rules in the death note itself. With the Liar Game, the rules are cleanly cut out, and very straight forward and make much more sense on a logical basis. In my humble opinion, Death Note just tries too hard. The author tries to make Light way to epic, to the point where it just comes crashing back down on him. It is like, every time he encounters a crisis, sooner or later, it will just morph out of his way, usually through the means of another way to get around the rules. As well, the other characters in Death Note (apart from Light and L) are just wayy to underdeveloped. You don’t know anything about them. This is one of the other reasons why I prefer the Liar Game. All the characters in the story have a background and their own story, which makes the plot so much more intriguing.

All in all… Liar Game is a awesome read that I would recommend to all manga addicts out there.

Also, Akiyama is hot. Mentally.*__*

with love,

aiko ♥

Recently popped over to Sears as I was running low on moisturizer. Went straight away to my trusty Biotherm counter and asked if they had any new products that were coming out. I had already previously tried a 20 ml sample tube of the Aquasource moisturizer and cleanser in another sample packet and had fallen in LOVE with the texture of both. When the saleslady offered me this gift set. I was in HEAVEN!

Note: The Biotherm green line meant for people with normal-combination skin. The pink line is for dry skin and blue is for oily.

The gift set retails for $49 CAD and contains:

1 tube of the Biosource Clarifying Cleansing Gel 50 ml (Reg. size = 150 ml), retails for $28

1 bottle of the Biosource Clarifying Lotion 125 ml (Reg. size = 200 ml), retails for $26

1 full size bottle of the Aquasource Non Stop Oligo-Thermal Gel 50 ml, retails for $44

However you look at it, I think I got a fairly good deal. -happy-

And here are the review of the products themselves:

Biosource Clarifying Cleansing Gel

Pic of tube… Easy to dispense flip-cap, hole not to big, not too small.

Amount needed to wash whole face = 1 gentle squeez from tube (you don’t need alot of product)

What product looks like after lathering up w/ abit of water. Foamy!

Verdict:

This is currently my HG cleanser! Generally I don’t like cleansers that do anything other than to cleanse (ie. moisturizing, whitening). Because with a cleanser, you are going to wash it off within a couple of minutes anyway so I don’t think there will be any time for effect. Usually, with my past experiences, cleansers that claim to do more than cleanse, fail. haha.

Another pet peeve of mine is that a cleanser MUST foam! I cannot stand cleansers that don’t because it always gives me the feeling that its not cleaning enough. >.>

This cleanser has DEFINITELY helped to reduce the amount of acne on my face (I was seriously breaking out like I have never broken out before due to a bad experience with a sunscreen, another story >.>) as well as balance out my overall skin texture. It removes all traces of makeup without stripping away the natural oils of the face (face does not feel really tight after cleansing). Also, it smells so so so so good! It just smells so fresh and clean! Love, love, LOVEEEE this cleanser! >.<

Rating: 4.5/5 (Took .5 off due to the expensive pricetag)

Biosource Clarifying Lotion

125 ml bottle… 75 ml away from full size

W/out cap…

Verdict:

The toner feels quite moisturizing and the texture isn’t too sticky and sinks in to the skin quickly but, Crap! That’s all I’ve got to say. This toner is definitely one I regret buying. Thank goodness I didn’t actually fork out much money for it as it came in a set. Phew! The toner broke me out! Not too badly, but yes it still broke me out. -sigh- Another bad thing about the toner is the ingredient list. Alcohol Denat. is the second ingredient! -headdesk- and all the good stuff, such as witch hazel, etc. are near the bottom of the list. It also has quite a strong scent (as do most Biotherm products). It’s not a terribly unpleasant smell, it kind of smells like clean babies but yeah, fragrance nauseous people BEWARE! haha

Rating: 1.5/5 (1 for having nice texture and .5 for trying… xD)

Aquasource Non Stop Oligo Thermal Gel Intense Moisturization

Jar, 50 ml for $44 CAD

Separation lid to be more hygienic. Still, personally I think just the fact of dipping your fingers into a jar is UNhygienic. Separation lid, or not. >.>

Jello-like textured gel cuteee!

Amount needed per application. Not that bad, right?

Verdict:

Definitely not a cheap moisturizer, especially considering the amount given. However, this is close to one of the best ones that I have come across and you don’t really need alot of product per application.The texture is jello-like and very easy to spread. It also sinks in uber quickly without leaving any residue or traces behind. Amazing stuff and really moisturizing. This did not cause any breakouts at all. There is a light smell, but it is very nice and refreshing, in my opinion. For my skintype, it is good all year round, even through most of the winter time. Only thing that I’m iffy about for this product is the fact that alcohol is pretty high up on the list. Funny thing is, its a drying alcohol too so I really do not understand why that would be in a moisturizer. -.-Preservative purposes I guess?

Rating: 4/5 (.5 off for high price tag, .5 off for containing a random drying alcohol)

And that’s it!

with love,

aiko ♥