My Blog Turns 1 + Official Facebook Page

Today is a very special occasion because today marks the anniversary of tamandeggs.blogspot.com!

First and foremost, thank you so much for reading my past 74 blog "fandomized" blog posts. And sorry if I do not have anything awesome to talk about today. However, I do have a very important announcement.

When I started blogging, I didn't really expected anything. I created a blog simply because I wanted to. I've always loved writing and I thought I needed an outlet from my real life, and this blog was my solution. It may seem small compared to most, but I am very happy with what I have accomplished the past year. Even if its quite insignificant right now, thank you for the views.

So, to make things a bit more convenient, I have decided to open up... yup, you guessed it. A Facebook Page! That's right. My blog now has now an official cliched FB page, for the social media addicts in the world. It is now up and running, but so far, I shall be posting only the past five posts I did. But I shall guarantee you that once you like the page, expect my future posts to be featured there.I will also be posting other random things in there, such as the usual memes, announcements, and articles from other blogs or websites.

You may now log on to www.facebook.com/tamandeggs and start viewing it. If you're viewing this from an actual laptop, you can now click on Facebook, which is located on the right side of this site alongside the rest of my social media accounts.

And that is it, please visit my page. Give it a like, And till the next post~

Separate Blogs?!?

Yay! New layout! 

But a new layout certainly means new changes! 

I just fixed my brand new blog on Wordpress.com and I realized...I can't just blog about beauty (and possibly fashion), lifestyle, anime, DC (or other comics), books (which I barely started with), games, movies, and many other stuff all at the same time. It might be all too much and it can get pretty confusing.

So I decided to handle another blog which will handle my beauty reviews, fashion (if possible), my random lifestyle, travels or adventures (if any), and random thoughts. This blog will still be up and running, and it will mostly focus on Anime/Manga, DC or Marvel, Games, Books, and Movies. You know... fandom-related stuff. 

My brand new lifestyle blog is tamaaachan.wordpress.com. A link will also be available at the sidebar along my list of other social networking sites. It remains blank for now, but expect a brand new entry next week! So that is it, and I will post again very soon! 

Fangirl Moment: Arrow Season 3: High Speed Chase Trailer

youtube link

I do not know where to begin...

Multitasking... 

Arsenal...

Ollicity...

Black Canary's Return...
Brandon Routh???

OH MY GODS MY HAPPINESS CANNOT BE CONTAINED!!! 

Yes, I just watched the trailer for the first episode of Arrow, which is called High Speed Chase. I know, better late than ever, Tama. Well what can I say,  I was too busy with catching up on Season 2 to even look at it. So now, I've seen it...I am not sure if I will be able to make a comprehensive statement about how I feel right now. I feel excited, I have this sudden urge to bite and strangle anything. I want to scream around the streets like a crazy person, and I want to dance to the background music this trailer has (seriously, what is the title of this amazing song???). So far, Arrow has not disappointed me and each season/episode gets better and better. The previews look very promising and I'm not saying this because I am DC-biased. This series is a whole new level of awesome and if I have to explain why it's so amazing, I would end up writing a novel thicker than the Bible itself. So yeah, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...hoping this season will not flop. DC has certainly found its place in television series (alongside Gotham and Flash). And that's all I can say for now... why? Simple. I am going to watch this trailer again. 

Let's Review! EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm

Once again, mom has introduced me to new beauty products and it is the ever famous Eos lip balm! She had five in her possession and she was generous enough to let me have two of my choice. So I got the Honeysuckle Honeydew (Green) and Sweet Mint (Blue). 

First Impression

As usual, what got me was the packaging. When I first saw them, they reminded me of eggs. Yes, EGGS. Colored Easter eggs with very smooth shells. I'm not even kidding, the surface of cover and body is so smooth!  It makes me want to keep it in my palm forever. However, my only concern was keeping it away from any surface because it looks like it can get easily filthy. 

The Reveal

It tastes so good! Every time I put it on, I become so tempted to eat my lips. The flavor of each balm is just so sweet and refreshing, it made me want to apply more than necessary. Plus, it is not that difficult to use. Just pucker up and apply the lip balm (doing it the old fashion way is fine, too). And it definitely makes my lips even smoother and much more moisturized compared to most balms I've tried in the past. 

This is the Sweet Mint one and I just love the cooling sensation it gives after you put it on. Unfortunately, the minty freshness does not linger too long as compared to the other one. But I still like it, though.

And this is the Honeysuckle Honeydew one. The taste of honey will linger on your lips a little longer and I think that's what I love about it. The sweetness is very strong and it tempts me to chew off my lower lip so bad! Hahaha! 

Overall

Basically, it makes your lips not only well-moisturized, but it adds sweet flavors. Its simple, cute, and very handy. The effect may not be as long-lasting, but its size and appearance makes it convenient enough for anyone to bring along when they go out. It can fit in your bags, grooming kits, or even your pockets. And all you have to do is just pucker up and you are done using it! And most of all...it looks really cute. How can you not say no to this? 

Four eggs for you! Awesome job, Eos! 

For more information about Eos (Evolution of Smooth) and their products, click here. You will be able to find their famous lip balms (and yes, there are more flavors available). See you on my next post! 

Let's Review! Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Anime became a big part in my life. I grew up with Pokemon, Clamp, and other classic Anime shows. Today, I would like to share one of my favorite shows growing up, and it's Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. 

Note: The following review contains spoilers and will be focused on the Anime alone. Discussions on manga or it's anime/manga crossover, XXXholic, will not be included in the post. 

Plot

Syaoran's hand grabbing Sakura's feather

Okay let me break it down for you; Syaoran and Sakura have been best friends ever since they were kids. They were supposed to have a beautiful future together but Sakura got in trouble and it has something to do with her powers (which was not fully explained at all). And her powers could change the world. Because of her complicated magical skills, she was succumbed into a deep sleep and her memories, which are in the form of feathers, were scattered across different dimensions. Not countries. DIMENSIONS. Then Syaoran, being the caring person that he is, goes to the shop of Yuuko Ichihara (the powerful and sexy witch who can grant wishes) and begs her to save Sakura. She grants him the power to cross dimensions so he can grab all the feathers and save her life. And that's what he basically does for two seasons. 

The manga and OVA has already revealed a much more complicated plot than this, but I will just stick to the two seasons this anime already offered before it was canceled. 

Each episode is dedicated to finding the feathers with a little bumps along the way. Some worlds or countries are dedicated to one entire arc, meaning it would take them at least three to five episodes before they could get the feather in that certain world or country. Sometimes they find a feather, sometimes they don't. Even if they don't get a feather, they have to move on to different dimensions and they have no control on which way to go. So basically, their style of traveling is kind of like a game of chance. This world may have one or more feathers, this one may have none. The entire plot itself is pretty interesting but it was never given another season, so I never saw the real end of it. It ended up looking like a plain series with no serious plot whatsoever. Then again, collecting feathers can be really tiring. Since they are traveling across different worlds, it would take them at least a millennium to finish the task.

Characters

From left to right, we have Fai, Sakura, Syaoran, and Kurogane. Mokona is the little white thing jumping from behind with joy.

What makes the entire series ultimately interesting were the characters. Most of the characters found in this series were just recycled. In other words, they all came from different anime shows (i.e. Clamp Detective School, Chobits, X/1999 or X) that Clamp created. Sakura and Syaoran came from Cardcaptor Sakura. Not only that, this anime also has a crossover with another anime called XXXHolic, featuring Yuuko (the same witch Syaoran encounters in the first episode) and Watanuki as the leading characters. So if you read or watch XXXHolic, you will find similar scenes from Tsubasa (i.e. The episode where Syaoran asks Yuuko for help). 

Apparently,  Sakura and Syaoran did not have to go through this challenge alone. They were accompanied by three more memorable figures and two of them are original characters. First is Fai D. Flowright (commonly known as Fai), a happy-go-lucky wizard from the country of Celes. He wanted to travel across dimensions because he wanted to run away from a certain someone. Next is Kurogane , who is a war freak ninja from Nihon and was exiled from his own home by Princess Tomoyo. He wanted to cross dimensions so he can return back to Nihon. Finally, we have Mokona Modoki, the magical mascot of the team and the one who transports them to different dimensions. Mokona is another recycled character, and the little manju bun came from Magic Knight Rayearth. These three companions are at the highest level of their expertise, be it magic or combat skills. So every time they go to different dimensions, people can immediately tell that they are not ordinary travelers. Other than that, they're basically like anime Powerpuff girls, sticking to one color when it comes to clothes. Sakura loves pink, Fai is always seen in anything blue, Kurogane pulls off black and red, and Syaoran wears green clothes (Mokona doesn't really need to wear anything). But they learn to change it up in season 2.

In the first season, they remain consistent with their characters. But you'll only see more development from them in season two, and they were just getting started. Although the story started with Syaoran and Sakura, the one who was more of an open book was Kurogane. In season one, he started to change, and in season two we get a glimpse of his past and we immediately understood why he's...like that. So if you ask me who my favorite character in this anime is, it's Kurogane. He's just awesome. The rest, I'm afraid, are a little too flat (I would love to go through each character in detail, but that would take up too much time...perhaps another time). Again, they weren't given enough time to develop even more. How disappointing.

Music

I think what made me enjoy the anime so much was the music. Let's start with the opening and ending theme; personally, I liked all the songs they showed. It was quite consistent. They will start the anime with an awesome rock number. Then they will end it with a sweet and sentimental song by Maaya Sakamoto. As for the music within the anime itself, I find it impressive that they would use the song, "A Song of Storm and Fire" for one of the characters' intense moments. It definitely heightens up the suspense!!! It's perfect for battle, perfect for highlighting a plot twist, perfect for revealing something, perfect for a "Oh my god!" moment. I also appreciated the fact that they would translate some of their Japanese songs into English, namely "Yume No Tsubasa"  and "You are My Love". I grew up with these songs, and I love how they sound sincere and meaningful. Their songs are great choices if you want to woo a woman, if you ask me. The soundtrack is just amazing. It can calm you, it can make you cry, it can make your heart fly, and it can even make you bang your head. They complement the anime very well. 

Art

Tsubasa Tokyo Rebellion. From left to right are Subaru and Kamui (X), Kurogane, Fai, and Syaoran

Syaoran and Sakura separated.

What is an anime review without mentioning the art style??? Well you can tell very well that the anime is created by Clamp because one of one detail: thinness. Everyone in this anime is really, really thin. I think there was only a small percentage of "plus-sized" people in that show. Apart from that, I give kudos to the design. Everything was absolutely detailed and well-drawn. The way they draw facial features are beautiful, and I love how they draw cute things (i.e. Mokona, Fai's drawings of cats and dogs) with minimal and simple details. Even when they draw different kinds of clothing (be it casual or formal or traditional)... let's say they look great visually but they seem impossible to sew in real life. The details are just that grand. 

Overall

Basically, I had mixed feelings about this anime. I love Clamp for being a creative bunch, but out of all their works this one went a little downhill. I decided to give this anime three eggs, which is Scrambled. Well I guess that's an easier way to describe the entire series... scrambled. 

I am definitely doing this again very soon. It's either I will share my opinions on each character or I will review more of their OVAs or hopefully, their movie. But I will definitely review another anime very soon. 

Singapore 2012

I considered Singapore as my home during the summer months. So peaceful, incredibly homey, what more could you ask for? The last time I've been there was almost two years ago, and I miss everything about it. I hope fate will allow me to see it once more. But for now, I'd like to share you the wonders of this beautiful country. 

So this is my very first photo on my first day in Singapore. I still looked slightly haggard because the flight was incredibly stressful and I didn't eat much the other day. 

This somewhere in Pasir Ris, where I stayed with my family for two weeks. Kind of a lovely place to live in for the rest of your life, don't you think?

I could not get over the cuteness of these trash bins! I just had to take a picture of them! 

One of my favorite parts in Singapore is their train station. Everything is mostly neat and organized and you barely hear any ruckus going on there.

The bridge we passed in Pasir Ris is simple, but I found it very fascinating. Below is a body of water where you can see other amazing creatures like turtles, fishes, and many more! And as you can see, it just recently rained when we passed the bridge. At least it wasn't so slippery.

The place made me felt like I was Princess Mononoke wandering around a beautiful forest!

We spent our last few days in Singapore, exploring Orchard Road. It's definitely every shoppaholic's paradise. It has all the high-end brands and yes, it becomes crazy (but fun) around the area when sale season arrives. The only downside is to walk along the road because it's pretty long and it will be a complete hassle for you if you do not enjoy walking too much. But hey, I got to lose a few pounds and I had a really great time!

Seriously, the architecture of each mall are just so glamorous. It's like they all came out from a futuristic novel or something.

Here you can see a sneak peek of Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands Hotel. 

And the Ferris wheel

More amazing malls!

People walking along Orchard Road...

I wasn't sure what exactly this was, but the details on the glass was what captivated me to snap a photo.

Like I said... high-end.

I forgot where this was, but this is where we had our lunch, and anywhere else seemed okay at the time because we were extremely starving.

"It's not just a bag. It's Prada." -White Chicks

And here is Gucci, our very last stop.

Mom took a really long time shopping in Gucci and food was not allowed inside the store, so my brother and I decided to goof off around the entrance.

The sign was so beautiful. I couldn't help myself.

And that's the last of my photos from Singapore. I apologize if my photography skills were sloppy. This was taken a few years ago, anyway. I just felt sharing this because I simply miss the place. For those who haven't been there, I suggest that you should give it a shot especially if you adore shopping! I am definitely coming back here, and I will take much more better photos. I hope I will be able to do more travel blogs in the future, because it is something that I would love to do once I'm finished with my studies. Seeing the world is possibly the greatest privilege that anyone could ever give me. And I'm determined to see it through.

"Adventure is out there!" -Ellie, Up