A Self-Indulgent Self-Reflection Post by a Self-Centred Blogger

So it's been 2 months into this anime blogging foray of mine. Whoopee. I'm only a day away from boarding a plane for Osaka, and in between being nervous as hell about it and finalizing packing, I'm still GIVING IT ALL I'VE GOT trying to catch up with the Winter Season finales before Spring comes in full force. Unfortunately, that hasn't amount to much when I'm still waiting for subs and being a naturally slow watcher, so this isn't the Final Winter Season Impression post I thought of doing before I leave. Instead, I thought I'd just share what I've learnt about myself as an anime blogger over the past two months.

And in a rather shoddy attempt to make this look more like an organized post than a spur of the moment one, I've decided to number them. Oh, what do you know, it's now a Top 10 post! Well, in no particular order:

1) I take too much time on posts. Some of these take actual hours to do and it's often I actually spend more time here than actually watching anything in a day. Even something like this will probably take me a good hour. Or three. *sigh* I'll probably have to adopt a less is more stance later when things like studies come back into play.

2) Ever constructed a decently intelligent post in your head only to have it completely wiped out of your memory once you sit down and start staring at a 'Create New Post' screen? This is actually an everyday affair for me, and most of the hours spent on 'blogging' that I take is mostly used up trying to pick up the fragments of ideas "I could've sworn I had a minute ago...". The end result? Half baked ideas being presented in a half baked fashion for the critical masses to see. Or ignore. Thankfully there are commenters who fill in the blanks where my one-sided rants often fail to touch upon.

2.5) Note to self: Start scribbling thought on paper

3) Wait a minute, this blog's actually has readers and the occasional comment now??? *pinches self* A Big Thanks goes to AnimeNano (and again hung for listing Tondemo Nothing on the site) for this (I'm guessing I'm not the only one who doesn't actually subscribe to specific blogs and just read posts from any blog that has an eye-catching enough title :P)! Oh, and also to the random people who Google for random things like 'manly Japanese' (trying not to think what the actual context is) who end up here as well. Well, I suppose I should also apologize to this blog's irrelevance to most of those searches. It happens =P

4) There are times I let my somewhat pessimistic outlook on life affect my blogging. Trying to be funny in posts (and failing) doesn't quite make up for that.

5) I need to be reeducated on the proper use of emoticons and memes. ORZ (Assuming there's a 'proper' way? :P)

6) I have a tendency to reference too many other anime and seiyuu in posts, especially when I run dry on content. Wish I could be as 'subtle' about it as that SHAFT show with Nonaka Ai or that one with the butler that's getting another season...

7) I seem to reference other blogs a whole lot too. Not as much as Author of course.

8) Not only am I slow to the point that I may conveniently 'lose track' of what I'm watching at times, the same happens with what I blog about. Oh and btw, Haruhi won March Madness on Derailed by Darry after all. Surprised?

9) I fail at episodic blogging. Takes too much time for me anyways.

10) Finally, I can't believe I've not done a single actual post on Animal Yokocho itself!!! For a start, I'll just lead you to hung's post and this one from Yuribou. And Matthew seems to be far far ahead than where the subs have stalled early last year... (Animal Yokocho concluded in what? 2004/5 ?)

In conclusion, I'm obviously still at a learning stage (and will likely be stunted at this stage for as long as I continue doing this) when it comes to blogging and there's certainly much to copy learn from other more established anime bloggers out there, blah blah blah. I seriously doubt I'll ever be as witty or funny or intelligent or scathing or bitchy (in a fun way :P) or influential as some of them are, nor will I ever be involved in dorama like the whole ABC fiasco (god forbid anyways). But you know what, it really doesn't matter as long as there's fun to be had on this side of the trapdoor, and as long as I'm still watching anime and reading people's views on them, I might as well be tossing in my two cent's worth.