Overall the day was fun but since being inactive in photography for a long time my skills have sort of become worse. I think I’ll need to go do some training to get my skills back. Well the next convention will be SMASH and I’ll probably look at doing a lens hire for the day. Just not sure what lens just yet.

The whole idea of setting a goal had actually started last year when I set only just a single goal: to lose weight. At the start of last year I moved into a new job and I thought I should change my lifestyle to suit it. So by going on a diet and eventually joining a gym, I did manage to lose quite a bit of weight, even though I put in only 60% effort. But seeing the results of achieving my goal I realised how important it is to set a goal to improve my lifestyle. So this year I shall do the same. This year there are 4 main goals!

1) Continue to Lose Weight

Even though I am not as heavy as I was this time last year, I still have a little way to go until I reach my goal weight. At this moment I still have a good 8 kgs to go (would have been only 6 kgs if it weren’t for the Christmas holidays and Chinese New Year). Although recently I have been slacking off but I should fix that very soon.

2) Improve my web development skills

So far I’m in my 4th year as web developer, but entering my 3rd year as a PHP developer, and I thought I was pretty good. Since joining my current company I realised that I’m still quite junior in my skills. My coding style is still vanilla style coding as only last year I started to develop in an object oriented fashion. Being exposed to the open source e-commerce platform Magento it was quite a steep learning process but what I gained was all the stuff I was taught at uni about object oriented programming (which I actually did fail the first time). Though to go down to a further level this is a brief list of things in mind:

• Learn to develop in an MVC pattern
• Learn to use a framework such as CakePHP or Zend
• Learn another programming language like Ruby (as well as Ruby on Rails) or Java
• Learn more about SEO

In my current company, I’ve come a realisation that a developer really needs to know more than just the programming language they specialised in, since my job requires me to do both PHP and C#. However I’m not a fan of learning/using Microsoft technologies hence why I would rather learning Ruby on Rails or Java.

3) Learn Chinese and/or Japanese

Now this may seem like a long shot but having gone to Hong Kong and Japan again last year it’s a shame that my speaking ability in either language sucks. More shameful for Chinese since I am Chinese myself. But since I have dreams of working overseas in Asia I figured it’s best that I should at least learn one of the two languages. For Chinese, my family speaks Cantonese but I think I will learn Mandarin. MrOptic tells me I should learn Mandarin as then Cantonese will be easier later.

4) Save money for my own house

I actually had grand plans set out for me to head to China for some business opportunites. However things did not work out and thus I am once again stuck in Australia. Since it has come to this and realising I am edging towards the big three zero, it’s time to start some serious saving. I now no longer buy anime merchandise, in fact I’m trying to sell some at the moment, and I am already off to a good start. If I am still here in Australia, I look at buying at the end of 2012.

So those are my 4 main goals for 2012. Lets hope I can achieve most of them!

Happy New Year!!!

Gosh, 2011 has been one of the most busiest years to date. Reflecting back, there has been many ups and downs and while there has been many rewarding experiences, there was also many difficulties I had to tackle though to succeed to where I am now.

First off, apologies for the lack of post on my end. If you have known me from the Disjointedzone.com, you would have noticed my life changed dramatically over the past 2 years with a new job and being a homeowner.

It was about the same time last year, I was made aware, I was going to be made redundant because the company I was working for was closing down. I saw this coming before the Christmas break but there was no official announcement until the start of the New Year. I guess this was the right move as nobody wants bad news over Christmas.
With this, the journey in finding a new job has started and after 2 months and 3-4 interview attempts, I successfully landed myself in a IT role for a Marketing Intelligence Firm.

The view from my desk. I call it the ‘million dollar view’.

Best thing about this job is the hours. A day job from 9-5, no late shifts and no weekends is the best working lifestyle I could ask for. The 10hrs shift work from my last job was starting to affect my health and while I had the extra day off during the week, I couldn’t keep it up forever.
The level of demand and productive is a lot less now. In my previous job I was constantly on the phone and had to meet a lot of SLA but right now, I can work at my own pace and pick up new skills as well. But what’s most rewarding is being my own boss (in a way) since my boss is not situated locally and I only need to report to him when needed. The downside is the level of interactivity from my work colleagues. It can get very lonely at times and support level can be very minimum when needed so one thing I will miss a lot from my previous job will be the level of interaction amongst colleagues and the support provided. If any of my previous work colleagues are reading this, it was a fun ride while it lasted.

As a proud owner of my first home let me just say, it wasn’t a walk in the park. A lot of hard work and sacrifices had to be made and as many have noticed, to cut in figure and otaku related miscellaneous spending  was one of them. I had to look at the bigger picture and with the amount of space in my room, it wasn’t practical to continue this hobby in the long run. Once again, it was fun while it lasted. In the next month or so, I do plan to sell off more figures and make the sale more bigger and available here. My last figure sale was a private one since it was a lot easier to organise so I will need time to setup this one.

With the house refurbished and getting decent income from the tenants, life is a lot less stressful now. As a mortgage owner, having a 2nd line of income sure helps eases the pain when your forking out money from your own pocket to keep up with repayments. With interest rates on the rise and many families unable to keep up with their repayments which leads to selling their own assets and even their own place altogether just to payoff their mortgage, I reckon I’m doing a pretty good job so far.

Another highlight from 2011 was being able to make another trip to HK and for the first time, to Japan. One of the reason in making my 2nd trip there was to visit Q and his mates. 4 Years ago on my last trip, I just missed him by a day since he was returning to HK the same day I was leaving. Fate didn’t want us to meet but this time round, it didn’t get in the way.

The summit of the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Japan on the other hand was a whole different experience. The cultural and lifestyle was very different from here and I had a lot of fun exploring and enjoying the food. Being able to visit Kyoto was a great experience as well as you can see the lifestyle changes between Tokyo and Kyoto. Not many people can go to 2 cities on their first trip to Japan so I consider this as a privilege.
Hopefully another trip to Japan is not too far away as I would love to go back there and visit Osaka.

Wrapping things up, a late Happy Birthday to me. Turning 25yrs old has some significant in your life as you have reach the 1/4 mark of your life. While the next milestone is 50, I’m not thinking way too ahead as the world ends at the end of 2012 right, AM I RIGHT PEOPLE!!!???
Sarcasm aside, I’m looking forward to many challenges ahead for me this year.

As Adun has mentioned, I hope you enjoy continuing reading Moé Moé Rabu in 2012. I on the other hand will try and post more whenever I get some free time. ^^

There are a few conditions in regards to this sale so please keep note of them before placing a comment:

• International buyers will be considered depending on the item as well as the number of items. If you only want one item then I will not consider shipping them overseas.
• Figures will be sold to Australian residents ONLY due to the size of the boxes. If there is no local interest in these figures then I will allow international buyers.
• There are a number of adult items for sale and these can only be sold to those over 18 years old. These items will also be restricted to those who are Australian residents ONLY. If you are an international buyer and I know that you are over 18, then you will be considered.
• All prices are listed as Australian dollars.
• Australian residents will be taken over international buyers.
• If picking up, payment is cash upon pickup. If shipping within Australia then direct deposit would be preferred. Internationals will be paying via Paypal.
• When placing a comment. Please indicate whether you are a local or international buyer. You can contact me via Twitter or by emailing me at adun [at] moemoerabu.net as well.

Figures

Alter Exelica – Price: $160AUD
(Unopened. Hobby Search)

Alter Fate Testarossa – $50AUD
(Figure in good condition. Box is slightly damaged and dusty. Hobby Search)

Alter Fate T-Harlaown (Shin Sonic Form) – $120AUD
(Opened. Figure in good condition. Only displayed once. Hobby Search)

Alter Yagami Hayate – $100AUD
(Unopened. Hobby Search)

Plushies

(list starts from top-left)
Oryzae – $20AUD
Shana – $25AUD
Domo-kun – $20AUD
Izumi Konata – $20AUD
Hiiragi Kagami – $20AUD
ME-tan – $25AUD (note this plushy has a drawstring that will make it vibrate)

Sawatari Makoto – $10AUD
Minase Naiyuki – $10AUD
Tsukimiya Ayu – $10AUD
Hello Kitty – $10AUD
Tohno Minagi – $15AUD
Dejiko – $15AUD
Puchiko – $10AUD
Kuroneko-sama – $15AUD

Tokyo Mew Mew set – $40AUD
(this will be sold only as a set. Will not sell individually)

Posters

Clannad 2008 calendar – $10AUD

Dragonball Z Wallscroll – $5AUD

Rurouni Kenshin Wallscroll – $5AUD

Little Witch clear poster – $5AUD
(well I think it’s Little Witch)

Hatsune Miku doujin poster (top-left) – $5AUD
Hatsune Miku doujin deskmat (bottom) – $10AUD
Hatsune Miku mousepad (top-right) – $2AUD
(if both are bought together, the Tamarket mousepad will be thrown in for free)

T2′s (Tony Taka) Sengoku Nadeko 2010 calendar – $15AUD
(slightly crimpled due to storage but never opened)

Planetarian wallscroll – $20AUD (Hobby Search)
(Only opened to take a photo. Brand new)

Shana Clear Posters – $25AUD
(Will only be sold together)

Doujin Stick Posters – $10AUD each
(Stick posters are generally 18cm x 60cm in size)

All Age Doujinshi

All doujinshi shown here are $5AUD each. The Hatsune Miku in the 2nd photo includes 2 stick posters.

Adult Only Doujinshi

Price – $5AUD each
Remember, this will only be open to Australian residents ONLY, unless I know who you are, and you MUST BE 18 years old. I also have 2 ero stick posters of the Hiiragi twins.It will be included in the bottom middle Luck Star doujinshi.

Random Items

Furukawa Nagisa Desk Mat – $15AUD

Clear files – $6AUD each

Inukami and Fate/Stay night document holder – $6AUD each
Clannad Postcards – $25AUD each (Unopened. This is a KyoAni store exclusive. Meaning I bought this in Kyoto)
Doujin heart shaped fan – $3AUD each

Sendo Erika iPhone4 case – $12AUD each (unopened)

Sendo Erika Desk Mat – $12AUD each (unopened)

Katsura Hinagiku Towel – $40AUD each (Opened and taken out once. Hobby Search)
Ibuki Fuko – $40AUD each (Unopened. Hobby Search)

Phone Card case – $5AUD each (A binder that holds phone cards. Can be used for other phone card size items as well)
Air fan – $5AUD each

Shuffle Character Box Collection – $50AUD for the set
(These character boxes contain a trading figure, drama CD, pencilboard, booklet. Only opened to check what contents were. Mint condition)

Tomoyo After visual novel + towel – $50AUD
(This visual novel is Adult rated and therefore can ONLY be sold to an Australian resident, unless I know who you are. This towel came with the visul novel when purchased brand new in Japan only.)

Well that covers all the items I have gathered to sell off so far. There may be more in the future but right now these are the ones I can find in my room. In most cases these prices are not negotiable as most are in mint condition and most are pretty much sold out as well. If you buy a large amount I may consider a reasonable flat price.

Year 2011 I think would have to be one of my most busiest years yet! Hence why the lacking of posts throughout the year. The year started off well with me moving onto a new job after being stuck in a dead end job that gave me no opportunity to expand my skills in web development. This new job gave a insight into how fast a company can grow in terms of business and it’s capacity to meet the demands of the business. At a personal level I think it has taught me so much about how crap my development skills were. In my quest to further develop my PHP skills I was also introduced to the Magento e-commerce platform. From there I also started learning so much about frameworks and performance optimization. But I think the bigger benefit is that I work with a team who actually know their stuff. It’s actually good to know people who actually know what jQuery is!!

One of the goals I set for myself in 2011 was to lose weight. After going to Hong Kong in 2010 and being told I’m quite fat for an Asian, I decided to do something about it. At the start of the year I was coming close to being in the obese range according to BMI calculators. So the first thing I started to look at was my diet overall and cutdown on a lot of bad foods that I was eating. So this meant no more takeaway foods, no soft drinks, drinking more water, eating more fruit and vegetables etc. Trying a new diet, at first I didn’t see results and it was getting tough. But with sheer willpower I continued on this diet plan for 10 weeks and I could see the results. I also joined the local gym and started to do more exercise, something I haven’t done since 2009. So over the course of 2011 I have managed to lose 12 KGs. I feel much better than I did at the start of the year and I have managed to maintain my current weight as well. Though I still have another 6-8 KGs to go until I reach my ideal weight but 2011 will be a good one to remember.

Last year we saw the decline of anime merchandise purchases. 2011 however was a major change in my spending habits and I can be glad to say that I have given up the anime merchandise purchasing. I no longer purchase figures or random toys that I see online. The only thing that I continue to buy right now is manga as they are the only things that stave off my boredom on the train rides to work. I’ve also come to the realisation that I have too much stuff in my room and in storage. At the moment I’m sorting through a lot of it and plan to sell some of it off so do look forward to seeing a For Sale post in the coming weeks.

Although my anime merchandise spending has been cut completely, it doesn’t necessary mean I’ve stopped buying stuff. The year 2011 has also converted me into an idol fan!! Or to be more specific an AKB48 fan. Since seeing their theater performance in 2010 I was instantly hooked. But throughout 2011 I started to learn more about the idol group, listen to their songs on my iPhone, and watch a LOT of their TV shows thanks to help of my friend acq128. Kinokuniya has also started to stock a lot of the girl’s photobooks and magazines that I started buying those as well. Having went back to Hong Kong and Japan back in October this year, my entire merchandise budget was dedicated to idol goods. All I can say is that I spent quite a LOT on photos of AKB48 when I was in Japan in the space of 5 days of shopping. It would be close to $500AUD. It was at this point I can understand why Moyism is #foreverpoor.

With so many girls in AKB48, it was hard to choose a favourite. But as I started to learn more about the girls and seeing various shows, I finally found my favourite: Sashihara Rino!! I even bought her 2011 calendar and have stuck the posters up on my bedroom wall:

Being a Sasshi fan, and heading to Japan for the 4th time with comrades MrOptic and M, I did something that is quite out of my characters. I wrote a fan letter. I’m the type to usually keep my hobbies within boundaries, but given that I was heading to Japan in hope of seeing a theater performance again, and hearing about fans giving letters and presents, I thought I would give it a shot. So not only did I write a letter, translating to Japanese with the help of acq128, I also bought a present that represented Australia; a kangaroo plush toy. I managed to submit my letter and present at the theater, but whether Sasshi has received them I will never know.

I have been driving for a good 12 years now and I have good confidence in my driving skills. I have never had an accident even though I can drive quite spiritedly at times. But that clean slate came to an end after I had my first car accident. It was a bit of a shock and I can only guess this happened due to my lack of driving since I now take the train to work. But all is well and my car is now repaired!

Hitting 27 this year as well has made me rethink my priorities in life as well. I had a friend from China stay over with me earlier in the year, I came to realise a few things about myself and living here in Australia. For starters I’m starting to find living here in Australia very boring, not to mention expensive. I guess in a way I’m also having a very negative perception of Australia. From things such as public transport, Australian politics, and even our Australian society and way of life. Though I think it all starts with public transport, and for those who know me personally have heard my arguments about public transport which one day i will do a post about. So over the year I have been considering moving overseas for work to get a better understanding of the world and for my future. But more on that in another post.

As for both Mini and MrOptic, well they both have changed jobs and are busy with their own lives to post about anything really. Like me, they still watch anime and play games, but the BURNING PASSION would be a mere flame now compared to 2 years ago. Though one major acheivement by MrOptic is he is now a proud homeowner!! Something I should really look at doing soon in the future.

Well that mostly sums up the main points of 2011 for me. With the new year approaching it’s also time to again rethink a lot of things and what I should be doing. As for the state of Moé Moé Rabu, I can’t say for sure. I have considered just closing the blog off when the domain registration came about, but now it’s registered for another 2 years. I can only hope that I can post more in 2012, but if I do, it would be more life focused, or idol focused. At this point I don’t think you’ll be seeing anymore anime related posts now that my hobby focus has moved to idol groups. Still I do hope you continue to read Moé Moé Rabu in 2012, even if the posts come infrequently.

So have a Happy New Year and lets all wish for the best in 2012!!