J A Dare

Toonz: I have to admit, the photo of the 2 girls on the balcony was taken in Guangzhou, just a bus ride over the border. I figure it would grab your attention. VF-1S Alpha: No Cantonese required. Just about everyone in HK speaks English, of course ranging in fluency. By the way, have you ever heard an HK girl speak British English? I have... Blackaces: The Eva figures photo was taken at the Temple Street Night Market in Kowloon. One of these days I should organize my HK photos. I love HK as a city destination...it's up there with Kyoto and Jerusalem IMHO.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

speechless. love the head-on shot!

For what it's worth, I was in Tokyo last December when the first Macross Zero OVA was released. The attached photo was the typical advertisement M0 got at any number of AV stores. Oh, and when I went to a Mandarake manga store, 1/60 Yamato Valks were plainly visible in the toy section, didn't notice any Bandais though. BTW, I couldn't resist picking up all the Macross records (half a dozen) they had, instead of a 1/60. I guess I'm more of a vinyl rather than a plastic nut. BTW, in case you didn't noticed, that's M0 playing on the big screen TV...which I stood and watched of course.

hmmm...the first one...too young...the second one...too old (would make a great Emilia IMHO)...and no Mylene cosplay is complete without the little furball...Gubaba of course.

Well, the Animeigo set has the audio mode with sound FX and music only. Maybe at one of these MW Cons we can make our own dub?

hmmm...I thought the purpose of the JSF was the keep the politicians' constituents happy? Anyway, speaking of an F-16 replacement, what ever happened to the F-16XL? Larger wing area = more payload/weapons. Crank-arrow wing = proved just as manueverable, if not more. Longer fuselage = more fuel, thus more range. Retro-fit existing planes = more cost effective than a new design. Might I add, a wicked cool looking design to boot! I guess the only things it lacked was pseudo-stealth and STOVL. But how important are these really? Oh I take that back. Very important for the Brits, with their tiny aircraft carriers.

I second that motion. I'm not a modeller (no money, time, or talent), I'd just like to ogle at them.

Hey folks, some info from an independent budget traveller, ME. AIRFARE: Current airfare from San Fran (SFO) to HKG for January are around $600 USD at travelocity: http://dps1.travelocity.com/airgchoice.ctl...8282003&LANG=EN Ooops! The link is not working? OK, here's the hard way: 1) go to travelocity.com 2) click on the top Flights tab 3) From: your airport code (e.g. SFO); To: HKG 4) make sure roundtrip circle is selected 5) scroll down to my dates are flexible 6) select Show me lowest coach-class fares for travel during the period circle 7) Starting: December; Through the end of: January scroll down page and select Search Now 9) when you find a flight you like, be sure to check the Rules for restrictions, i.e. blackout dates, travel durations requirements, etc. May not fit into your schedule, so look at the others. I recommend looking around the other websites. In the backpackers community, travelocity has a reputation of giving current "average" prices. However, sometimes it has deals that are a steal. For example, last year, I did a multi-destination trip from San Fran to Tokyo, then Tokyo to HK, then Beijing back to San Fran....for USD $1000 after all taxes and fees! If you are a uni student I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go see your student travel agency (e.g. STA, Council, etc) on campus. They usually have really good deals! ACCOMMODATIONS: If you are on a tight budget, you can't get any cheaper than Chungking Mansion or Mirandor Acrade. They are basically old high-rise buildings with about 60 or so hostels/guesthouses intermeangled with shops, restaurants, and private residences. Both are spitting distances from each other in central Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon Peninsula. Think the "Bladerunner" setting and that is what TST kind of looks like IMHO. Where as HK Island, which is wicked easy access by ferry from TST, is all shiny and pretty. Anyway, for a dive single room without a bathroom (BR/shower are shared in the hallway) either at Chungking or Mirandor will run you about HK$120-150 (USD $15.60-19.50). Note: 1 USD = 7.7 HK. However, I recommend that you BARGAIN! Trust me, it pays off. For example, last year I got into HK way late at night (2am!), even at that time I was able to bargain down to HK $70 (USD $9.10) for the first night, and HK $100 for the following nights. Locals told me you should NOT spend more than HK $120 per night, otherwise the owners know that you don't know jack-s..t and just looking for a place to stay. Oh, and you don't have to look for each hostel/guesthouse...they will come to you (especially if you have a backpack)...it's a very competitive market...so use it to your advantage. Now, if you are looking for ROCK-BOTTOM prices on accomodations and security (for your valuables, baggage, clothing, etc) isn't really an issue, then you can stay in dormitories at some of the hostels/guesthouses for HK $60-70 (USD $7.80-9.10), again these are published rates. I'm guessing if you bargain you can get it down to HK $50 (USD $6.50). I did not try it, since the single room rates were reasonable for me. Finally, if you are serious about travelling to HK, I highly recommend Lonely Planet's Hong Kong Travel Guide book for all info and things! You can get it at any bookstore, amazon.com, lonelyplanet.com. Retail price is USD $16.99. Trust me, the book pays for its self on the money you will save on accomodations, food, transportation tips! One more item: If you are thinking about yor visa situation, EU, USA, Canada, NZ, OZ can stay without a visa for 3 months. UK citizens up to 6 months! If you are planning to go into Mainland China, you can buy a visa in HK no problem. Good luck folks! Me? Well...I might...but other places in the world are calling me too.

I might consider it since flying to HK is so damn cheap now, post SARs. Didn't spend as nearly as much time as I wanted to last time. Anytime in January would be perfect, i.e. winter break. I'll let you know when January nears. Sebastian, since when did you become an Aussie?

I can't remember, did the VF2SS also have the Patlabor-ish head too? I like it.

Kim rules...as aways!

What he said. DYRL was made for SDF fans and popcorn entertainment for non-fans.

For me M7 was a mixed bag. The story/plot was lacking, never really got into it, until the very end. On the otherhand, D7 OVA, Movie, Encores, FOTSW were wildly entertaining! Now for the music...which is a big factor in my enjoyment in anime. At first, I was like WTF? But it slowly grew on me...that's Basara's songs. I mean, I'm an 80s rock fan after all. As for Mylene's songs, don't really care for them other than "Sweet Fantasy", sort of like a J-Pop version of a dreamy Cranberries song. See...no references to SDF or M+.

Aye Caramba! I come back from Germany and I see there has been a little bit of belated Spring cleaning. oooo...here's my chance to become an old school member!