I caved in to temptation. I know this Tumblr malarky could well be a passing fad or whatever, but it’s currently a less labour-intensive way of writing that fits in well with everything else that’s going on at the moment. This blog ISN’T dead yet (I know I haven’t been replying to comments as often as I’d like) but there are too many ideas that float around inside my head and never make it as far as becoming blog posts.

Think of it then as my writing of stuff that wouldn’t otherwise get written at all. The name, by the way, is a pun on the title of a song by 65dos combined with a few more layers of double-meanings of the sort that I’m constantly amusing myself with. Self-indulgent but eh, isn’t that what blogging is all about?

I got an e-mail asking if it was okay to include my blog in the running order so after being reassured that I didn’t have to make any special effort I happily agreed. Whatever the point to it is, I’ve made some cool additions to my feedreader thanks to the blogs being featured on that site; win or lose, I guess it’s good harmless fun and shines a spotlight on the contenders. There isn’t much recent material for the online electorate to go on here I know, since I’ve been preoccupied with other things lately…

Uh, this. As in, trying to sort out my ongoing soundcard issues by buying a twin-channel preamp mixer and new headphones. About time too I might add

I’m jumping the gun a bit in publishing an annual retrospective but according to my archives this blog is officially a year old…and I’ve managed to update with some degree of regularity for the full twelve month duration. Sooo…firstly thanks to you, the readers and commenters. I wish there were a way to search through the database and pick out your individual names so I hope you can settle for a “Thank you; you know who you are.”

It’s been an interesting year for a number of reasons, not least world events in terms of economies and finances which led to some sad incidents and a general feeling that the film and music industries are dying a slow and painful death. Granted, things have been rough but I don’t buy into the idea that there’s a Moe Cancer killing the anime industry and as for Japan as a whole…who knows what the political changes can do in the long term. In any case, here are my highlights of Interesting Japanese Things from the year.