Classes in all levels are suspended here in Manila because a storm has made land-fall, bringing in rain and strong winds. Meanwhile, in Japan, another storm is making headlines, making and breaking records, causing havoc around the world. And this is the one storm I've been wishing would land in the country.

Forgive my attempt at wit. I just wanted to make sure that I at least give a shout out to my major fandom. There are so many reasons why I love them and I honestly have to make a proper list one of these days, but yeah. I will get back to this post to make complete the list.

15 Things I love about Arashi
(in no particular order)
( love )

WAHHH! I am internally fan-girling right now,  because I have no one to share the fandom with. How I wish I could share a cake with someone to celebrate sho's birthday. Eating a whole cake with candles alone is just soooo...well, lonely.

To all the sho wifeys out there, arashians, and the whole fandom, I am celebrating with you, internally. (How I wish I have my own sho picture/graphic/fanart. *sigh*)

I really, really, really, really need to clear up disk space so I can dl and watch more arashi! I want more sho hotness! Give me more shows where his beautiful arms are exposed for the world to ogle! (I really love his arms. and then his lips.)

Last year, I worked for KOMIKON spending money (and spend I did). This time, aside from my gradschool expenses, personal allowances, and other miscellaneous fees, I will work for Arashi merch, My first ever. Wahh! I hope I'd find a regular paying job to do so!

2011 is going to be a good year.

*weird, I actually had a dream about sho. and it was disturbingly...kinky. 

 I am not Japanese, I don't understand Japanese. My Japanese vocabulary is only at the level of basic greetings, jikoshoukai, numbers (not even counters!), and one-word expressions like "kawaii! <3", "sugoi/kakkoi", "urusai", and other expressions one could easily pick up from watching anime.

That is why I am in such great debt to subbers and translators who expend tremendous time and effort, giving time to record, translate, typeset, time, and upload shows and pvs even when they have other important things to do (like study, work, eat, or sleep). They also put themselves at risk by doing this since the big companies, of course, own these shows.

Without their efforts I wouldn't be able to know how funny sho can be, how out of place ohno's comments sometimes are, how sharp nino's tongue can be, how silly aiba is, and how composed matsujun is. I wouldn't know that sho graduated from keio university, that aiba's family has a chinese restaurant, that ohno is a mama's boy, that nino went to hollywood, and that a girl once turned down matsujun, if there were no people to sub them. In short, I would never get to know Arashi.

I could understand why english dubbing companies complain about anime fansubbers since they would lose the market for their dubs. But shows like shukudai-kun or himitsu or shiyagare don't get dubbed. The only way I can be able to watch Arashi, to read about them, to understand each refrain they sing is through translations.

Given all that these groups are sacrificing and risking, is it too much for them to ask not to re-distribute these works? 
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