Early morning thoughts
I don’t normally blog about such trivial stuff, but I’m bored, so forgive me.
I’ve been snoozing my alarm for 40 minutes now, I hope my roommate’s not annoyed. She’s a heavy sleeper, so I don’t think she minds.
I’m meeting Brinks and some Flickr people later tonight. I’m excited … sorta. Imean I am, but I’m really homesick too. I have to stay one extra night here in the city so I can meet up with them. But at least Brinks will be sleeping over, so I’ll have someone with me tomorrow when I head back to LB.
I have to stay for 5 days here in my apartment again next week. Stupid SEM. We weren’t able to finish our exercise last Wednesday because it wasn’t calibrated properly, so we’re going to try again next Wednesday T__T I’m secretly hoping it remains uncalibrated by then, so I’ll have a reason to not go to UPD then. But …
Also, Ckloy texted me (thru Kuya Thirdy) that he can’t use his old number anymore. Na-PUK ang sim nya! How am I supposed to contact him now? And I was gonna ask him to go with me to the Flickr meet-up tonight (and tell him about my bad dream).
Yes, I had a nightmare last night. Its been a while since I had one so bad that I woke up in cold sweat. Come to think about it, it’s not even that bad (compared to other dreams I’ve had). What makes it scary is how realistic it is, and how it can really happen in real life. Maybe it’s a warning? I gotta be careful today I guess. (Which is why I want Ckloy with me tonight!!~ Must find a way to reach him!)
Also, I think Yamapi looks best when he’s running. (Watching Code Blue right now. Pi as a doctor, naysu~)
Anyway~ I think I should start getting ready. One hour till my class starts. Jya~
EDIT: Brinks texted me to tell me to tell me to bring my stuff with me so we can go back to LB tonight, weeeee~ She’s sick so she probably shouldn’t be commuting. Which means I get a free ride home, mwahaha~ (Get well soon Kup!)
Also, I HATE THIS TIME OF MONTH! I’m so irritable! Grrrrrr~
(EZRA) 4/52: Flying To Your Soul
Ezra’s week 4 
I lent her my hat for her portrait this week, hehehe.
Digitally composed image. I shot the helicopter first, then Ezra. Then I put the two images together in Photoshop (which explains the perfect placement of the helicopter XD).
Here’s Ezra’s description:
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I finally watched the first episode of Code Blue’s second season and Yamapi looks really good with his new hairstyle.
Code Blue is a Japanese tv series about four flight doctor trainees starring Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi). They ride the helicopter a lot in the series, that’s why when I saw a remote control helicopter flying around in the mall it made me want to buy one. My sister found it really weird when I said I wanted one of those because she thinks I’m too old for one, hehe. She figured that I’ll probably get tired of it after playing with it for a few days. I was actually deciding whether to buy the remote control helicopter or a pair of boots. They were pretty much the same price, but I decided to buy the helicopter even if it’s a little bit more expensive than the boots. I’m so glad I bought the helicopter because it’s a lot of fun watching it fly around my room, hehe.
I got the title from a song in the playstation game “Bust a Groove 1.” Thanks to my sister for taking my picture, editing it and lending me her hat!
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Week 4/52: KUPO!
I bought this moogle beanie at Otaku Expo last Saturday. (Blog entry about that to follow as soon as I finish sorting the pictures)
In case you’re wondering, moogles are creatures from the Final Fantasy series. Their appearance changes during the series, but generally they’re small creatures with white fur. They have wings (which can be purple, red or pink) and a red “pom pom” on top of their head. They also love saying the word “KUPO”
Back in highschool (or was it college? I can’t really remember), Brinks and I played FF9 at the same time and got addicted to the moogles. We’ve been calling each other “Kupo” since then ^___^
I ordered the moogle plushie I’m holding from Japan (c/o Kurt, hehe). I also got one for Brinks as a birthday present last year (Sorry I wasn’t able to get you a beanie Kup~)
Another shot:
I actually shot this first (and edited it already) when I decided it looked too plain. So I decided to add the plushie ^___^
Coffee Mugs : Fun with clay
I’m really enjoying my GEOL297 (Clay Mineralogy) class. It’s an elective being taught by my adviser, so I decided to sign up for it. It’s the same subject that I had to go on a fieldwork for.
I like how the course is being taught, its a lot different from my other classes. There’s only six students, so instead of meeting in a boring classroom, my professor suggested that we hold classes in the conference room. Since there’s so few of us, we feel more confident when we participate in the class discussions. My professor is also open to suggestions made by the class.
One of our classmates, Ma’am Rita, is a faculty at the College of Fine Arts. She’s a ceramic artist who wants to learn more about clay. Since she has access to the ceramic studio, we decided to let our artistic side go wild for a change. So today, instead of holding regular classes, we headed off to Ma’am Rita’s studio and made our own coffee mugs ^___^
First Ma’am Rita taught us how to knead the clay (which was a lot harder than it looked when she did it). Then she taught us two methods on how we can make our mugs. She also taught us how to use the potter’s wheel, which was crazy. It looks so easy when you see someone use it, but it’s a lot trickier than I thought. I couldn’t make anything, my clay kept wanting to go in different directions. In the end, I just gave up. At least I got to experience it.
Anyway, here are some pictures I took during our workshop. Low quality since they were taken by my phone. I only got a few shots since my hands were covered with clay most of the time.
Some of the tools we used for making the mugs
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My mug, finally starting to take some shape
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I added wings instead of handles, hahaha. I added a heart in the middle later on as well <3
(ang kengkoy daw ng gawa ko sabi ni Ckloy, hahaha)
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Having fun at the potter’s wheel
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I also made some pendants and keychains with my excess clay, but I wasn’t able to take pictures of them. We’re letting them dry right now. Ma’am Rita will put them in the furnace when they’re ready. Then after that we can add a glaze to make our mugs shiny. I hope we can paint them too
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
I’ve been addicted to this anime lately. Its just so refreshing and funny. The plot’s different from most of the highschool anime I’ve seen (not that I’ve seen a lot, just ones recommended by friends).
The story revolves around a girl named Nakahara Sunako, and four (incredibly handsome) guys:
Takano Kyouhei (the violent hottie that girls worship)
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Oda Takenaga (the intellectual prince)
Touyama Yukinojo (the cutie pie often mistaken for a girl)
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and Morii Ranmaru (the playboy who can win over any girl … except Sunako)
The four boys live together in a mansion that is ran by Sunako’s aunt. The mansion’s amazing, so the rent is expensive, but she offers them a deal. If they can turn her niece into the perfect Japanese young lady, then she’ll allow them to live there for free. The four boys instantly accept the deal, not knowing that Sunako is a strange girl who loves the darkness, horror movies and anything that can be considered “scary” (such as her anatomy models, which she named Hiroshi, Akira and Josephine).
Of course the combination of the four “dazzling” boys and the “gloomy” girl leads to all kinds of comedic scenes. I especially love Sunako’s exaggerated nosebleeds whenever she’s exposed to the “dazzling” creatures XD She’s so cute~
Normally the anime shows her as a chibi character, to emphasize the comedy I suppose
But occasionally she becomes this cool beauty that can fight for what she wants:
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There’s also the semi-love story between Kyohei and Sunako. I like it since its different from other love stories out there. Their relationship is far from romantic (more on comedic). But they do have their moments:
Weeeeeee~
I started watching this anime years ago, but I never finished it (I found the story a bit weird at first). When I heard that they’re making a live action version (with Kame, Tegoshi and Uchi from JE) I decided to continue watching it. I’m on episode 16 right now
My sister and I watched the first episode of the live action earlier today and we loved it 
They changed some parts of the story and added some new characters, so its not exactly like the anime, which is actually a good thing. This way, people who’ve seen the animated version won’t be bored when they watch it.
(I’m a bit unsure about the casting though. Although I love Kame, I wasn’t sure he would be able to pull of Kyohei. Kame’s cute, but I don’t really consider him “hot”. I always imagined Ikuta Toma or even Uchi for that role. Kame would have been better of as Ranmaru. But after seeing the first episode, I decided he’s alright. He’s a good actor at least.)
Anyway, I hope the live action will do the anime justice. I can’t wait for episode two! ^___^ (The raw file is out, but we’re waiting for the subs)
Catanduanes Trip + Week 3/52: “Here in the shadows I am pursued. Until the ends of the earth.” – HYDE
(First SP using my Sony digicam, hahaha!)
I spent the last week being terribly homesick. I had to go on a fieldwork so I couldn’t go home over the weekend 
I had to go to Catanduanes for one of my classes (Clay Mineralogy) to collect some samples for testing. I didn’t want to go at first (10 hours by van plus 3 hours by boat, not my idea of fun), but it turned out alright. Plus I didn’t get seasick, so yay! (I closed my eyes the entire time and kept my headphones on. The three girls in front of me kept throwing up nonstop, eeek~ “Inspiring” nga daw sabi ni Ma’am Rita, hahaha. Muntik na rin daw sila bumigay ni Sir.)
It felt sorta like a vacation, except we would stop every once in a while to collect bags of clay. There were only 6 of us in the class, so it was easy to talk to everyone. One of the faculty members from the National Institute of Geological Sciences used his connections with the governor, so we were able to get free food and lodging at Twin Rock Resort. It’s lovely over there, they have their own private beach. Plus I love the weather, nice and cool. The breeze felt amazing.
On the way home we stopped by Mayon Volcano. I was able to try their Zip line, hihihi. It was fun, but I wish it was longer.
My self portrait this week was taken on our first day there at one of the sites we went to for sample collection. While my professor was busy collecting clay, I asked Amie to help out with my SP for this week. Thanks Amie! (I look a little tired in this photo. This was right after 13 hours of travel, so you can’t really blame me XD)
Overall, I had a great time. Some things to add to my list of memorable experiences:
1. First MS fieldwork, weee~ I hardly went on any field trips during college, we spent most of our days in the lab doing experiments. I only had one fieldtrip during my entire 4 years of college.
2. Not getting seasick on the boat while the people around me kept throwing up. It was my first Ro-Ro experience too! Thank goodness for Bonamine. As we were getting off the boat, the I saw that the ground was filled with plastic bags filled with vomit, gross~ *shudders*
3. I had my first tequilla and vodka shots on this trip (with my adviser pa ha! hahahaha). Ma’am Rita taught us how to make tequilla slammers.
4. Going night swimming at the (extremely dark) beach while slightly drunk/tipsy. Probably wasn’t the best idea, but it was fun
5. Having to pee really badly with no public restrooms in sight (we were collecting samples on the field). We had to ask a random stranger to let us use the bathroom in their house. Thankfully the people there were all really nice and hospitable.
6. Walking around the resort carrying my laptop, trying desperately to find a place where my SmartBro could connect to the internet. Unfortunately, the entire resort was a dead spot. Even my cellphone was useless at that place. But I guess it’s good since it gave me a chance to really appreciate the beach and the place around me (since I had nothing else to do).
7. Trying out the Zipline they had at (near?) Mayon Volcano
Anyway, here are a few photos from the trip that I’d like to share with you guys.
In the van with Amie, preparing for the 10 hour drive ahead of us. Still all smiles, hahaha.
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With Ma’am Rita. Finally arrived at Twin Rock resort in Catanduanes.
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Our rooms/cottages. That’s my adviser standing on the terrace, hehe. Hi Sir!
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My adviser taking photos of the landscape.
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Members of the class. All girls kami, wala kasi si Russel e, hehehe. It’s extremely windy over there
L-R: Yojh, Flo, Amie, Carmi, Ma’am Rita
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rocks, rocks, rocks
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The beach at our resort
(EZRA) 3/52: Impractical Dreamer
My sister’s Coraline-inspired portrait for this week
Here’s her description:
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I recently watched “Coraline” and I really like it a lot especially the soundtrack. It’s about a girl named Coraline who dreamt of a better world. She then discovered a parallel world where everything is like a dream come true by going through a small door hidden behind the wallpaper in her house. However, Coraline later discovered that all the good things in the alternate world come with a price.
I’m actually wearing a (black) wig in this picture because I tried my best to copy Coraline’s hair (but failed because that’s already the shortest wig that I have, hehe). Thanks to Photoshop (and my sister) for making it blue, hehe. In the movie everyone in the alternate world had buttons for eyes.
I’m really hooked on this Japanese band called “Sid” right now. I love their music music video titled “Sweet?” (released in 2005). My pose was inspired by that video.
Thanks to my sister for taking the picture and editing it!
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We borrowed the buttons from my grandma. She has a lot of them, hehe. Initially we tried to make it so that Ezra would have one normal eye, and one replaced with a button. But I couldn’t get it right in Photoshop (it always ended up looking fake) so we gave up.
Week 2/52: People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet. -Sa’Di
First dippy for the year
Played around with makeup again the other day. I’ve been obsessed with shopping for makeup lately. Most of my allowance last month went to random beauty products. I think I just like looking at the pretty colors and the cute packaging. I don’t really wear that much makeup when I go out. Normally I just put on eyeliner, concealer, powder and some lipgloss.
I’ll be away next week. I have to go on a fieldwork for one subject. We’re taking the Ro-Ro, I’m so scared I get seasick easily. I bought a pack of motion sickness medicine earlier today.
Ezra’s week 2/52: A Hunter at Heart
My sister’s 2nd SP. She made me pose like this and took pictures of me to show me how she wanted the shot to look like, hehehe.
This is the description she wrote:
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I’ve been recently hooked on the new Wii game “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010.” It’s a shooting game that I first played when my family went to my boyfriend’s (Kurt) house in Palm Springs. We all got addicted, even my dad.
When we went to Toys “R” Us there was a sale on video games, buy one get one 50% off. We bought the new Wii Sports Resort and got the shooting game at half the price. However we had to buy the gun accessory separately. (When Kurt bought his game, the gun was included.) The gun we bought is shorter and smaller which is good for us since we’re also small.
It feels really good to play the game especially if you’re frustrated or mad, hehe. It’s really fun playing the game together with my sister, even if she sometimes makes me laugh while I’m playing which causes me to miss a lot. It’s also way more fun to play the game when there’s another person hogging the gun, hehe. Thanks to my sister for taking my picture and editing it.
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Note: I wasn’t trying to make her laugh. I was trash talking her, which she found funny for some reason XD
Textures from http://www.textureking.com
New camera!
Say hello to my new techie baby, my Sony Cybershot DSC-W220. My parents got her for me this Christmas, yay~
Yup, she’s a girl. She still needs a name though.
Its nice to finally be able to upgrade from my old digital camera. I don’t use my old point and shoot that much, most of the time I rely on my DSLR. But during those rare moments when I’m too lazy to carry a big camera around, I bring my Casio Exilim Z75.
I’ve had my old digicam for about 2 1/2 years now. I bought it in Singapore back in July 2007. I had just started working and earning my own money, so I rewarded myself with a digital camera. I wanted to buy a Canon or a Sony camera, but they were a bit too pricey for me, so I settled for the Casio.
My old camera served me well over the years I had her. I was able to capture many memories with my Casio, and for that I’m grateful. I suppose I should have treated her better, she’s all scratched up and dirty now. I always forget to put her back in her case after taking pictures, I normally just throw her back in my bag or stuff her in my pocket T__T
(My old Casio was also pink. Some people probably wouldn’t be able to tell I’m using a new camera since they look similar)
Anyway, the only thing I don’t like about my old camera is how much it fails in low light conditions. Also, the colors aren’t as vibrant as I want them to be (especially when I use the built-in flash). But other than that, I actually love it. However, who am I to say no to a new camera? XD
This was actually an unplanned purchase. I did plan on getting a new camera, but it was a choice between these two:
I decided on the Canon Powershot SD1200 in the end. However, it seemed like the universe didn’t want me to have it (dramu, lol XD). It was out of stock at every shop we went to, except for one. Fry’s at Anaheim had it, and we were already thisclose to buying it (I had the camera box in my hands), but the sales assistant was a major dick, and we ended up yelling at each other. Needless to say I didn’t get my camera there.
Then one day, we were waiting for my cousin to pick us up at Americana (an open-air shopping mall). It was freezing outside, so we stepped into the Sony shop nearby, where I found my new baby. I was just tinkering around with the cameras they had on display when the sales assistant approached me and asked if I needed any help. He was really friendly and helpful, and he answered all my questions. Then I noticed that the Sony W220 was cheaper than the Canon SD1200, and the quality seemed to be better, so my mom talked me into getting the Sony instead (I think she just liked it because it was cheaper and she had to pay for it, mwahaha, j/k).
Unboxing my new baby:
Weeeeeeeeeeee
Ezra’s 1/52: The Last Cold Day
My little sister (Ezra) has decided to do a 52 week project too!! YAY!
Well, actually I talked her into doing it XD All she has has to do is model for me (and come up with the themes), I’ll take care of the pictures and the post processing.
I told her to make a Flickr account, but she’s too lazy. So I’ll just post her stuff here on my photostream (with her permission of course).
This is the description she wrote for this picture:
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This picture was taken on my last day in America. I really like the cold and this black trench coat. I tried to enjoy my last cold day as much as I can because it doesn’t get that cold in the Philippines. I also probably won’t see my trench coat for a long time. My sister was actually the first one to buy the coat, but since I loved it so much I begged her to sell it to me. The scarf and boots I’m wearing are hers too.
Thanks a lot to my sister for taking and editing my picture. She made a photobook of her 52-week project and I thought it was really amazing. Seeing it made me want to do the 52-week project too, but I’m not really good in handling online accounts that’s why I asked her if it’s alright post my pictures in her account. It’s really nice that she agreed, but I guess it’s because she can’t stand to say no to her cute little sister, hahahah (joke). Let’s do more fun things in the future Ate!
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(I find it funny that she’s wearing my clothes in this photo. Usually it’s the other way around, hehehe)
Etude House
I dropped by the Etude House again this afternoon. (I was there the other day, but I wasn’t in a shopping mood so I didn’t buy anything.) I only planned on purchasing the BB cream since I’ve heard good stuff about it, but I decided to try out their “Lip and Eye Remover” (or lip and eye MAKEUP remover XD) as well. I always have trouble removing waterproof mascara, hopefully this will do the trick. I also bought eyebrow shapers since a pack of two only costs P98. The eyelash curler was a freebie.
I was a bit disappointed with the service there though. From what I’ve heard, the sales assistants are supposed to treat you like a princess. Instead they all looked bored and unwilling to help. They didn’t offer any information on the products unless I asked them specific questions (some of which they weren’t able to answer). Aside from carrying my basket for me and calling me “Princess” (twice), they were your typical Filipina salesladies. I’m sorry if you’re a saleslady who does your job well, but you have to admit, most of the salesladies in Filipino stores always look bored and irritated whenever you ask them for help. I find it really annoying. Of course there are some sweet ones out there too, but they’re hard to find.
Anyway, I haven’t tested any of these products since I just got them today, but I’ll probably do a review of them soon sometime next week.
EDIT: I’ve been to Etude House (megamall branch) a couple of times now and I must say that their service has improved a lot. They have a new batch of salesladies (I used to have a favorite one in the first batch, but I don’t see her anymore), and they seem nice. There’s a new girl there that’s really friendly and helpful, she managed to sales talk me into getting a bunch of stuff, hehe. Service still isn’t as great as I would like, but much better compared to my first few visits. (Though that could also be because they’ve noticed that I’ve become a regular customer and have decided to be friendlier because of that?)
Week 1/52: The sandglass starts for another time’s beginning from within
ROUND TWO!!!
I enjoyed my 52-week project for 2009 so much that I decided to do another one for this year
My first portrait for this year was shot in my Aunt’s house here in California. I just love her deep red walls. If you’re from the Philippines, you’re probably familiar with the big box in the photo, hehe.
Tomorrow’s our last day here, so we’ve been packing since yesterday. We’ve already shipped one “balikbayan”; box ahead so we’ll have less stuff to take with us on the plane. We have three more balikbayan boxes here that we’re checking in. This one was still empty this morning (it’s full now) so I decided to use it in my SP this week.
Thanks to my sister for the shot. She’ll be starting her own 52-week project this year too, yay!
Title is from Steve Conte’s song “Living Inside the Shell”. I really should stop stealing lines from that song, but I just love it so much <3
HELLO 2010
Happy New Year everyone!!
I don’t have much time to blog right now, so I’ll just answer this new year’s meme. I’ve been answering these same questions since 2006 (and posting the answers on different blog sites). So I might as well do it for 2010 too ^___^
(Although I edited some of the questions. I removed some that didn’t apply to me and added new ones)
1) Was 2009 a good year for you? Yes!
2) What was your favorite moment/s of the year? celebrating Christmas with our relatives here in the USA, visiting Macau with my family, 4th anniversary with Ckloy, seeing snow for the first time, starting (and finishing) my 52-week project on Flickr, staying at my condo with Brinks, Raffy and Ezra
3) What was your least favorite moment of the year? stressful problem sets (and exam) moments!! Also, “I feel light-headed!!” (inside joke there, sorry, haha)
4) Where were you when 2009 began? At home (in LB), watching fireworks
5) Who were you with? Mom, Dad, Ezra, Ckloy, Gilbert, Lance, Ninong Rey, Tita Mil and Lola
6) Where will you be when 2009 ends? (I answered this late so it’s already over XD) I was in church, attending (a Spanish) midnight mass
7) Who will you be with when 2009 ends? (again, 2009′s over) I was with Mom, Dad, Ezra, Kurt, Ate Maryann, Ate Xenia, Ninang, Bam Bam and Mommy Darling
8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2009? I can’t remember my new year’s resolution, so probably not
9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2010? To be more focused on my studies? (yeah right)
10) Did you fall in love in 2009? I stayed in love <3
11) If yes, with who? Ckloy of course
12) If yes, do they know? Haha, I sure hope so
13) Are you still in love with them? Very much!
14) You regret it? Of course not
15) Did you break-up with anyone in 2009? No
16) Did you make any new friends in 2009? Yep!
17) Who are your favorite new friends? MS friends, Flickr contacts, plurk buddies
18) What was your favorite month of 2009? December!
19) Did you travel outside of the Philippines in 2009? yep
20) How many different places did you travel to in 2009? Thailand, Macau, California and Nevada
21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2009? Thankfully, no
22) Did you miss anybody in the past year? of course
23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2009? Up, Harry Potter 6, The Proposal
24) What were your favorite songs from 2009? Rescue (KAT-TUN), Love Story, You Belong With Me, White Horse (all by Taylor Swift), Bon Bon (Hey! Say!), all the Glee OST (especially Defying Gravity and the Confessions+It’s My Life mashup), and a few others I can’t remember right now
25) What were your favorite shows from 2009? BUZZER BEAT! Atashinchi no Danshi, Zettai Kareshi (I only saw it this year), Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, Lovely Complex
