Tori the Red

New Year Resolutions

2012-01-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

As usual, I have a lot of New Year's resolutions that I'll probably break before the end of this month! I was a pretty terrible person last year, not very productive and pretty useless. My parents were nicer to me and spoiled me a lot more that I deserved. I have to be better this year. I always set really high, sometimes impossible goals for myself, but this is the year the world is going to end! I don't have much more time to prove myself. No more lazy days!

Goal #1: Update my four main blogs at least once a week! Whether it's just a piece of art, an essay, or just a little blurb, I really need to start writing more. As for my deviantART, at least three illustrations updated each week, not counting commissions or comic pages (I have to force myself to color, my dreaded nemesis!) There is a shared blog that one of my friends proposed that I'd like to update once a month (actually, two such blogs now!) Same with my dA journal, once a month. The point of this goal is to keep things updated.

Goal #2: Get at least one graphic novel published this year. Not a little one-shot comic (I do want to get Super Popcorn printed finally this year, too, though), but a full 160+ page book. Granted, I'd like to get a whole lot more drawn, but if I can at least get, say, Hellhoney Volume 1 out this year, that would be an accomplishment.

Goal #3: Get Minervellas finished, rewritten and edited, and ready to be taken around to publishers.

Goal #4: Actually make some reasonable money off of my art. One of my goals last year was to make at least enough money off my art to be required to do taxes. I didn't. This isn't the 1930's no matter how much you compare the recessions. I feel like a bum.

Goal #5: Get a real job. This may interfere with all the above goals, but if I can manage to get hired, then I can start helping out my kind parents, who have supported me all my life. I give them the little I get from commissions, but then they spoil me with that money and more, it seems. I have to make enough to think I'm actually helping out. And then I can actually set aside a small allowance for myself so I can import idol CDs! (And I really need a new laptop, tablet, and scanner. The current ones are not doing too hot after being heavily used for five and a half, four and a half, and six and a half years, respectively.)

Goal #6: Clean out my room. It's not that it's not clean. It's actually cleaner than 75% of the rooms out there. But I have a lot of stuff. When my mom gets mad at me, she calls me an "extreme hoarder" with a "a room full of junk that needs to be tossed." Now, obviously, if I was "extreme," my room wouldn't be as neat and organized as it is. But I do admit there is stuff that needs to go. I accumulated a lot of art supplies during college. I need to use up a lot of them. I have unread books on my packed shelves. Instead of going to the library, I should read them and donate or sell the ones I don't want to read again. Notebooks full of references, old stories, etc.? Type them out and chunk them. Old drawings? Toss or give away or sell them. Half-finished drawings that suck? Toss. Old magazines? Read, clip out DIRE references, then toss (better yet, scan the references, then toss those, too.) Coloring and puzzle books? Use them up or donate them. I think I have a little more leeway defending my plush, figurine, comic, card, CD/DVD/Video Game, and favorite book collections. (Gosh, I'm a nerd.) But a lot of that other stuff needs to go. Besides, I need to make room for more comics and CDs and toys, haha!

Goal #7: Get a basic but better understanding of Japanese. I want to be able to read stuff! I'm studying a kanji dictionary currently and reading books. I already listen to and watch Japanese entertainment, and from over a decade of self-study I have a basic grasp. But I want to be able to fully enjoy Japanese tweets, blog posts, livestreams, etc. It would be nice to be able to import games and comics and understand more than half of what is going on. I don't want to look like a complete fool when my dad tells Japanese people I'm learning Japanese and then they try to talk to me and I just freeze and blush. I also want to brush up on my French, German, and Spanish. I just feel like I'm missing out when I limit myself to just English. There's a lot of awesome people and entertainment out there and they don't all use English.

Goal #8: Catch up on media. I want to finish some of my video games (one a month), get my Pokedexes mostly complete, watch my small collection of DVDs over and keep up with the shows I'm following: Pokemon, My Little Pony, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Thundercats, Hello!Pro Time, Toriko, Gintama, Beelzebub, Doctor Who, and soon, Bodacious Space Pirates and AKB0048 (I hope, if the latter is legally streamed on Crunchyroll, hulu, etc.) I also want to try out some of the shows my friends have recommended and hit up the official YouTubes of music artists and groups I've been meaning to check out.

Goal #9: Get in shape. My cliched resolution of the year! I just sit around drawing, reading, and typing. I need to get more toned.

Goal #10: Get happier. My mood has been blah a lot this past year. I've been spazzing out more. I have nightmares often. Sometimes I wouldn't know the difference between the dreams and reality; they were so real, that I would wake up thinking people hated me or I would be amazed (and glad) that something catastrophic hadn't really happened. But to achieve this goal, I have to make good on the other goals, because I feel depressed when I feel useless and unable to get things done.

And thus, I start out this new year full of hope and ambition!

Onward to 2012!

2011-12-31T19:40:00.000-08:00

I never got around to making a post about my birthday (NANO) and I didn't make a Christmas post. But they were pretty cool. My owl family grew in rank by three over the past two months (the hootlets now have a complete set of grandparents) and I got some other fluffy friends to give personalities to and cameos in my artworks. For my birthday, I got caught up on my Excel Saga graphic novels with volumes 21 and 22. For Christmas I got Pokemon SoulSilver. The Johto series give me lots of fond memories, so I'm glad I now have both versions. And now I can be a boy in this version! The boy is nostalgic and has a better design. I don't really like the bonnet and Mario-overalls on Lyra (her personality in the show is funny, though.) I only chose her on HeartGold because I always choose my gender on the first game of a set I get (since i don't know if I'll get the other one.) Now someday I need to get Pokemon Black, haha!

As for stuff I'm anticipating in the New Year, here's my list:

+ ART-WISE

I'm going to try to keep up with my comics and as many other projects as I can! I say this every year, but hopefully things will actually be mellow enough so as not to sidetrack me. See my art blog soon for my list of projects!

+ MUSIC-WISE

Morning Musume in chicken suits, oh yeah! H!P has become even more exciting to follow this past year. I also want to follow other idol groups more closely, from the cross-dressing Fudanjuku (I fell in love!) to groups I'd like to learn to like more (they haven't grabbed me completely yet, but I find them interesting) like Passpo, Alfia Saga East, and the Stardust groups. I want to follow AKB48 and Idoling!!! more, but the former is both overwhelming and somewhat boring to me right now (my interest rose when I was learning names and watching clips of AKBingo, but fell fast after that) and Idoling!!! is losing Yazapai, which makes me sad.

+ MOVIES-WISE

Phoenix Wright and The Hobbit. I really hope the former gets licensed and put on DVD over here. My mom won't play the games even though I try to assure her it's like a cartoon Perry Mason, hehe.

+ VIDEO GAMES-WISE

I want a reason to buy the 3DS. Sonic Generations isn't enough. Pokemon Grey or BurningRuby/RainingSapphire would be. Pokemon is always a deal breaker. I really wish the second Miles Edgeworth game made it to the U.S. and that Sonic CD was on the DS or 3DS. Looks like I'll miss that last one for another generation. I've wanted to play that game since 1997, when I think I saw it on a shelf at ToysRUs, but I was a poor little 9-year-old.

+ SHOWS-WISE

I'm still watching Pokemon and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And Gintama, Toriko, and Beelzebub (the stupid-funny trio.) And Hello!Pro Time and My Little Pony. I'm looking forward to more Thundercats (Panthro, nooooo!) and also Doctor Who (thanks, Meshia!) As for new shows, Bodacious Space Pirates and AKB0048 are the ones I want to check out most. Maybe the latter will be on Crunchyroll like the former? Pleeease. Although I'm sure it will be hard to license with all the AKB48 songs and voices and likenesses...

+ STUFFED ANIMALS-WISE

I'm looking forward to playing with them! And then Jakks is coming out with a Victini plush... I want it so bad!

+ READING-WISE

The next Excel Saga graphic novel and the next Essential X-Men. I'm also looking forward to reading lots of blogs, webcomics, and stories, particularly those of my friends! *hint hint*

+ OTHER-WISE

I really hope I get to go to the zoo in 2012, too! I think it's been 8 years since I've last been to one.

I'll save more stuff for my list of New Year's Resolutions! Because I am looking forward to keeping those, too!

Snow Cone Season!!

2011-04-04T14:29:00.002-07:00

It's been getting really warm (and stormy) here lately...

but that means snow cone season!! <3

Recently I was out biking, and to cool down afterward, I had a Strawberry and Peach flavored snow cone. I don't know why, but the warmer colored (red, orange, yellow, and pink) snow cones seem to taste best on a hot day. It's not that I don't like Green Apple or Blue Raspberry, but I guess the warm, bright colors make it feel more like Spring and Summer? XD

In other news, I recently made friends with a plush Pelican and a plush Easter Bunny. A friend helped me name them both, since the names I first assume are horrible, like Mr. Dodo and Roadkill. >_>

Okay, there's my monthly randomness. See you in May (or before that!)

March 6th... MY HOLIDAY

2011-03-06T01:16:00.005-08:00

Another update! I really wanted this blog to be a once or more a week updated blog. I'll have to work on that. :|

First of all, today is my goddess, the Pinky Peach Princess, Momoko Tsugunaga's birthday!

And it's also the release date of Pokemon Black and White!

So today is really cause for a celebration for me. The only thing to make this day better (and unite all my main fandoms) would be to have a new Star Wars movie or cartoon premier today. XD Well, and today is also my 1/3 birthday. So I am now 23 and 1/3 years old! *claps and eats banana bread*

I'm so eagerly awaiting Pokemon White. ;_; It feels like it won't come fast enough... I really want to play it all day long today! I'm going to choose Oshawott! <3

In other news, I got a new plush at the beginning of the week... a unicorn I named Miya (haha, yes, after a certain long-faced idol. XP ) She already seems to get along perfect with all my other plush buddies!

(Please humor me, okay guys? >_> )

I love anime and zombie girly men

2011-01-24T20:08:00.004-08:00

Today I was doing the usual plotting, filling up notebooks with crazy ideas that may see the light of day.

... oh wait, it HAS been a while since I last posted here. Sorry.

Reeeow. :3

Anyway.... if you guys like crazy shows, I recommend "Kore wa Zombie desu ka?" and "Mitsudoemo"... !!! The former has a guy that transforms into a magical girl (outfit only) with a chainsaw and the latter is just. . . I really don't know how to describe it (other than vulgar and silly), but it has me giggling all the time. Both are streaming free on Crunchyroll. ^^

So yeah, I'm going to go to bed so I can work on my projects tomorrow. :)

Long time no hear, cool song...

2010-06-23T12:58:00.002-07:00

Today I was reminded of why I love this song so much:

Such an awesome group... GO GO FIGHT, Berryz!!

And now you are reminded why I am a nerd. :|

Edward

2010-06-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today I did yard work and then it was family movie night!

We watched Edward Scissorhands. And yeah, I almost cried. D:

And my sister was reluctant to watch it with us at first, but now she loves the movie. XDD

Pumpkin Bread!

2010-06-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's so delicious. >_< I wish there were more Pumpkin flavored stuff year round. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact the mix was left over from last winter, we wouldn't be having it right now. *sigh*

Busy busy busy...

Chuck E. Cheese Party Time

2010-05-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, not a party. But I did have lunch there with my Daddy.

They gave me free tokens for my good grades at the University!

It's interesting to see how scaled back Chuck E. Cheese now looks compared to the 90's... only one anamatronic figure instead of five and far less games, it seemed. The atmosphere wasn't as great either, but then again, we went during the day so it was full of preschool kids, babies, and their parents and grandparents. I've only been to Chuck E. Cheese in the past on weekends and evenings, when it's a bit livelier. Or maybe I just remember more big kids because I was smaller back then. XD

But I still had fun playing basketball, skeeball, pinball, and this really awesome police chase arcade game. I'm fairly good at racing games (or at least they are one of my favorite genres of video games) but I suck at staying in the lines and such, so I found it awesome that I got points for crashing into stuff. In fact, the point of the game was to ram the police car into the criminal car until the criminal car exploded! Mwahaha!

I love Gin Tama

2010-05-10T12:04:00.004-07:00

Today I picked up my special order at the bookstore! Gin Tama volumes 3 and 8. ^^ I'm glad to see one of my favorite (well, I have lots of favorites) scenes in one of the volumes, and I'm glad they make me laugh as much as the anime. (But I think the anime writers are very good!) Pretty good considering I only picked those books because of my two favorite characters, Hijikata and Kagura. Though now I think I like Zura a little more than Kagura. ^^ Then comes Gin, Okita, and Kondo. XD

It always feels revitalizing whenever I get a new obession! It's just, because I'm trying to get my break in the comic industry, I'm afraid to spend a lot of time on fanart. When I was heavily into Death Note, I drew practically nothing but Death Note in my spare time!

It helped me get into drawing again and I improved by drawing often, but now I don't have the protective cover of school anymore. I'm in the job market now!

Well, please support me by checking up on what I do next! :)

P.S. I love toilet humor so much, so if you were wondering why I'm so interested in Gin Tama...

My half-birthday

2010-05-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

So one day after the birthday of one of my favorite characters in Gin Tama (Hijikata), it is my half-birthday! I turned 22.5 today.

I wanted to make pumpkin bread with my mom, but instead my parents gave me a bunch of other sweets. ^^; But I enjoyed them, so the pumpkin bread can wait till another day.

It arrived!

2010-05-03T13:27:00.002-07:00

My Gin Tama DVD Collection 1 arrived today! ^^ Now I can get the rest of my family to watch it (they don't like to watch stuff on the computer so much.) I kinda wish there was a dub just to make it even more likely that they will watch it with me. :\

But I really want to support the series now because I loooove Season 3 and I want it on DVD. :|

Check it out! But I recommend jumping into the middle first before deciding to collect/watch the whole series. The first season doesn't make as great an impression as the later ones. Well, I haven't seen Season 4 yet, but if it keeps up with the tread of what I've seen of 2 and 3, then it's great. ;)

Graduation

2010-04-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

As far as I know, I'm officially graduated from university! :D I didn't get to go to the ceremony, though, since my parents couldn't come... but the important thing is that I got this far!

Now I can work on commissions faster (there's still one I gotta finish up now~) and work on my independent comics and projects full blast!

Expect a lot more of me in the future~!

10 more days!

2010-04-20T22:20:00.003-07:00

10 more days till I graduate!

Just gotta revise an essay, color nearly a dozen artworks, practice my presentations, and study for three final exams.

And then... freedom!

At least a sort of freedom, where I can impose a lot of work on myself but it's stuff I enjoy. =P

2 weeks left of school!

2010-04-19T19:40:00.002-07:00

I'm so excited~! Well, right now I'm busy with two essays, 11 artworks, and studying for an oral Spanish exam. D: But it will soon be over provided I don't fail! :D (I would have to totally slack off and not do any final exams, though... so not going to happen!)

I can't wait to start working on two comics, my art to-do list, commissions, and help my family out by selling some stuff online. So I'll have two jobs right after graduating, haha! I'll still need to find at least a part-time job later this summer or during the fall, though.

Oh, and I need to catch up on Gintama episodes! Now that the season has stopped for now, it will give me time to ketchup.

Hopefully anyone that reads this blog (or my other blogs/watches my other websites) will see a lot more of me in the near future!

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-13T22:10:00.002-08:00

Heya!

I'm finally on Spring Break, so I finally get some time for relaxation. +^-^+

Knowing me, I'll probably still do some homework, though. I might do more homework during holidays than during school. >_>;

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver comes out here later on today (it's almost 1:30 in the morning here.) It's also Pi Day and Einstein's birthday! So my family's going to celebrate naturally. The release date of any of the main series of Pokemon is like a holiday in my family. I started it with Gold/Silver and now my whole family loves Pokemon, except my mom, who teases us. XD

The Gold/Silver games were my favorite, so I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait to catch a Flaffy and name a girl Hoothoot after my plush owl, Sayu Lilly. <3

I'd better get to bed soon since today is going to be really busy day... o_o

Goodnight! >:D

Ehh?

2010-03-05T19:09:00.005-08:00

I have so many blogs. Whut.

I just accidentally posted one of my role-play blogs to this blog. XD

Stress

2010-01-05T20:28:00.003-08:00

It sucks being a poor college student. But if everything goes fine in the next couple of days, I may change my mind. :)

Arrgh, this first week back at school stress is draining all my concentration!! D<

Last Time to Really Relax

2010-01-04T16:04:00.002-08:00

I'm back at school and the internet works fine! *two thumbsup*

... That's really sad that I get so happy about something like that, but the internet connection here has betrayed me too many times. ^^;

I spent my last day before school officially starts by watching several anime on Crunchyroll. I love Gintama so much, I wish I had more time to watch it. I'm really far behind! D:

Going back again...

2010-01-03T18:20:00.002-08:00

Letter Bee makes me cry almost every episode... I don't know whether I like that or not. XD I usually pride myself in not crying a lot, unless I get frustrated. But Letter Bee makes me cry just because... it's sad and touching! D< Does anyone else have this problem? (You can watch it for free on Crunchyroll.) I mostly watch it because of Niche and Steak and their humorous antics, though. ^^

I have to go back to school tomorrow and I really don't want to... there was a lot of stuff I wanted to finish but I didn't, like a Calendar and a new deviantART ID (the old one is over two years old.) I did get some drawing done and a lot of video games playing time, particularly Pokemon Platinum, so it wasn't a complete waste. =)

Happy New Year! 2010

2010-01-01T21:57:00.004-08:00

With this new year (and decade, according to some), I really want to push myself to be more productive both in school and my personal work. I have a lot of trouble with doing both since I get so caught up with whatever I'm working on at the moment. ^^; School always comes first, but I'm happier when I can makes lots of people laugh through my comics and stories. So I hope you'll get to see me lots in the coming year, whether it's just lots of art or my silliness!! XD;

So, Happy New Year from Derrot and her little owl, Sayu Lily!

She's so adorable!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

This is what she looks like when she's waiting for me to get back from school. XD

She even looks cute when she looks like she's getting eaten my my husky plushie that I got at the end of Fall 2009 semester! Awwww!! <3

See you later guys! ... but not too much later! :D

ONION BAGELS <3

2009-09-20T19:58:00.008-07:00

So this is what I had for dinner last night. It was midnight because my sleep schedule has been a bit off this weekend... I've been getting up in the afternoon/evening and going to bed in the early morning... I need to get back into a less vampiric sleep schedule because of classes. XD

Mixed Berry juice, vanilla pudding, granola bar, and.... ONION BAGEL! I love onion bagels...

LOL KISSIE KISSIE

Thus ends me goofing off while proclaiming my love of Onion Bagels. |D

SEEEEEEGAAAAAAAA

2009-09-16T21:07:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted here in awhile. o_o

Here have a picture from this summer:

I actually have shorter hair again now. XD I'll post pics later.

School's a bit rough again this semester, but I actually spend less time in class because I'm taking an online class in addition to three regular classes (only one of them is a studio class.) But there's going to be a lot of homework and papers this semester! (Maybe taking the literature class wasn't such a good idea, but I liked the book list...) I'll try my best, though! I'll only have Winter Break to rest before the busy-ness that will be Spring 2010 (it would be great if that was my last semester... we'll see!)

The creative writing class seems the most fun so far and it's pretty casual. I like the reading for the literature class, but I don't like the way the participation grade works. You have to say something EACH class, which is so hard when there are people always talking and saying something that is either very similar to what you were going to say or say something that totally discredits what you were going to say. So so far I have a big fat ZERO on participation. :(

Art History would be next best, but I'm not really that interested in the period I picked, which I picked only because it fit my schedule and I needed an art history course. Even if I'm not that interested, it's still interesting and the papers are new to me and look like they might be a challenge. And finally there is Painting, which I still rather dislike. This class even more so because of the still-lives. I hope we get to do something out of our heads at least once this semester! If I'm going to paint, I either want to paint people or my imagination!

And finally, to the topic of this post... looks like a 2D Sonic game is in the works!!!

Please please please be Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and be similar to the Genesis games! It's all right if a new character besides Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles is added as long as they have a cool gameplay element (like Tails' flying/swimming and Knuckles' gliding/wall-crawling/punching.) I just want to collect rings speedily in a cool-looking level and fight Robotnik at the end of each Act/Zone. Let the story develop through visual clues, no voice acting. And please use that awesome Sega logo in the beginning with the "Sega" voice. I miss that.

I don't know what to do!

2008-11-23T14:51:00.004-08:00

I'm about to pound my head into my desk 15.89 times! ヽ(ﾟдﾟ;)ﾉ

I don't know whether I should go to classes on Wednesday! It's kind of unfair that the university is not giving us the day before a major holiday off. I told my mommy that I would come home and be her little helper! D: And my last Tuesday class is canceled, so it's sooo tempting to just go home after my first class Tuesday! I've never missed a class this semester, and all it looks like I'll be doing Wednesday is drawing in my first class (of course XD;), nothing in my second (we finish glazing tomorrow...), and watching a movie I've seen ten times in my last class (which lasts until 4:15pm!). I'm having such a hard time deciding. Mommy tried to be helpful and told me I should do what my heart tells me to. But then she asked,

"Do you listen to your head or your heart?"
And I replied, "My head! That's why I'm having such conflict!" Logically I know I'm supposed to be in class. But I really want to come home and help out and rest... nooooo.... щ(ﾟДﾟщ)

And I'm having trouble editing the essay I want to turn in tomorrow. This is terrible.

Well, at least I found a Koha (Koharu Kusumi) video to cheer me up! Time to get to work!

Spring classes!

2008-11-20T20:00:00.003-08:00

Three weeks till the end of my fifth semester! =D I'm just as excited for the end of this semester as I was for last Spring's horrible semester!

This Spring I'm not going to take a full course load... I'm only going to take four classes instead of five (because my university has a summer course requirement, I'll be able to make up not taking the extra class). I have already registered, and it looks like next year will be a great semester! Two painting classes, a creative writing class, and Beginning German II!! Fun classes! (as opposed to previous semesters, which had mostly prerequisites ... )

This weekend I have to write two essays! It is really hard, because technically one is not due until Wednesday and the other is not due until the fourth of December. I usually cannot get assignments done until the last minute, but I want to enjoy my holidays next week (from Thursday to Sunday). I have a hard enough time tricking myself into getting up in the morning on weekends... if I know I do not have to be anywhere, I'm too merciful on myself... and it's the same with homework!

But I'll try really hard to write one essay tomorrow and the other on Saturday, leaving Sunday as a revision and other homework day. ^^

... and sneak some drawings into my sketchbook, since technically it is homework for my life drawing class...

Hey Guys!

2008-11-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! =D I started a new blog (I know I had one on LiveJournal, but it is a festering haven of rantitude!) I have been pretty busy with school lately, but if you are interested in random happenings in my life (or just want to know that I'm alive!)... here it is.

Let's start with current events!! The Sunday before the last (on the 9th), I went bike riding with my dad. When we got back, we paid our darling goose Honker a visit at the pond in our subdivision. He approached me quite innocently...

... and then tried to eat me!! D=
But I still love him... it's hard to stay mad at his solemn squonking. <3

And then yesterday my dad took me to the beach! I collected several shells, including oyster shells... maybe they will come in handy for an artwork. =)

Later I'll also start some blogs specifically about my art and music interests. Don't worry, though, I'll continue to update this blog on a regular basis, too!