- Created By The Mask
The Otaku Teacher
10. It's been a while since I've posted here. So I decided to it "Top 10" style -- in the way it's supposed to be done, saving the very best for last.
9. I managed to finish my first semester as a teacher. It was pretty tough, but I still managed to pull it off.
8. I'm still teaching this semester. This time, it's Developmental Psychology and -- wait for it -- Entrepreneurship for Tourism. And I know, it's odd.
7. The latter course is expected to have a SWOT analysis, a business plan, and a feasibility study. And since I never had this course in my college life, this is gonna be pretty tough. Hopefully, I get through this without sounding very ignorant to students.
6. One sign that you're getting older: You finally have an anime specialty shop in your city after years of waiting, yet you couldn't make yourself buy what you wished you had bought when you were a teenager since you're a freakin' adult already.
5. Detective Conan plushie? Too old for it. Detective Conan figurine? Same thing (but under consideration). Detective Conan poster? Same thing, plus I like my bedroom poster-free. Man, I'm old.
4. There was a Detective Conan watch for sale, which would've been great except for the fact that it could hardly tell me the exact time. And isn't that what a watch is for?
3. So I finally have a scanner at home, after years of wishing for one to scan fan art and stuff. And yet, I haven't even scanned one yet -- unless if you count my childhood painting as a "fan art".
2. The other day, I had a really long walk under the heat of the sun in search for a shortcut. I messed up along the way, causing me to get lost for a brief period of time before finally arriving at my destination. And Google Maps showed that it was a really, really long walk. But that story's for another day.
AND NUMBER ONE...
1. This year marks my 9th year here in theOtaku. Less than a year from now, I'll be marking my 10th anniversary in this site. 
Good grief! It's amazing how time flies.
That's all for today. HAVE A NICE DAY!
I'm Featured!
So I got a pleasant surprise today. My Case Closed eCard got featured in the main page of the site today.
I never thought that would happen, considering that this was intended to be a submission for a Beatles eCard challenge.
But I have to admit, I myself liked this card. It feels warm and the background really gives me that 1960s feeling, which is quite appropriate for a Beatles-inspired eCard. Heck, I never thought I'd be able to produce something like this at all.
I hope you enjoy this card too.
Gold Mine!
So I played around with the Wayback Machine to look at old archives of Internet websites. In particular, I browsed on archived pages of the now-defunct DetectiveConan.com. Back then, it was a fan site that was privileged to have acquired a domain name that made itself look like the official website for the series. (At present, the fan site itself is closed and the URL now redirects to the FUNimation website for Case Closed).
But going back to the web archive. The site had a section wherein you can send your thoughts and messages to Gosho Aoyama, the creator of the series. Being an avid fan who happened to be a newbie of the Internet at that time, I decided to send my own message in the site, hoping that Mr. Aoyama would be able to read it. When I saw my message posted online, I was delighted like the 12-year-old kid that I was back then.
And now, thanks to the powers of the Wayback Machine, I've managed to recover that message that I posted more than 8 years ago, for everyone to see. And here was that message:
Mon, 24 Mar 2003 19:10:02 -0800
Hello Gosho. I'm Jess from the Philippines and I REALLY like Detective
Conan. I like the story, the cases that you make, and the intelligent
and
handsome Shinichi Kudou.
Thank you Gosho for creating Detective Conan.
(Source: Gosho Aoyama - DetectiveConan.com (April 1, 2003 archive))
Admittedly, it was simple. But hey, it brought back memories of how much I loved the series as a young teenager fresh out of puberty. And it just reminded me how much I admired Shinichi for being intelligent and handsome and how I wanted to be like him. I believe I've accomplished the intelligent part; not sure if I've accomplished the handsome part. 
As to whether Mr. Aoyama did get to read it, I don't really know. After all, it was in the English language and this wasn't actually an official website. It would be cool if he actually got to read it. Or who knows, he might be reading it here now. But that would mean he's read the other stuff in this World. Gasp!
Ah, good times. Now, I gotta catch up on the series!
A Decade of Conan
I've been wanting to write this months ago, but I didn't seem to have the time to do it then. Before this year ends, I wanted to make sure that this post is written down.
All of you probably know by now that I am a Detective Conan fan. The question is when I became a fan. Well, it all began in 2001, when I was first saw the anime series in a local TV network in the country. Though it didn't actually impress me at first, I eventually started to like the show, particularly its plot, and grow into a huge fan of the series. That's why when they pulled the plug on Conan during that year, I was disappointed and I hoped that I would be able to see it again soon.
Luckily for me, they brought it back a year or so later. And a few years later, I also learned how to use the Internet, which allowed me to enjoy and express my fandom even further.
I actually gave much detail about my Detective Conan fandom in a lot of my previous fanwords, most notably Why I Admire Conan. So let's fast forward to why I'm posting this now.
As you may have noticed already, it's 2011, and just a few days left before it becomes 2012. This means that I have been a Detective Conan fan for 10 years already. Let me repeat that: TEN YEARS!
This is one reason why this year is special for me. This year marked a decade of my Detective Conan fandom, which is a really significant anniversary for me. And looking back, I'm often amazed at how things have evolved. Just ten years ago, I was an 11-year-old uninspired elementary student who eventually found a new inspiration through this anime series. Now, I'm a 21-year-old psychology graduate with a noble desire to be a teacher soon, while having the most absurd desire of running for President decades from now. And, interestingly enough, these goals and desires of mine was partly thanks to Conan.
If it weren't for Conan, I couldn't imagine what I would have become today. I probably wouldn't have been a psychology graduate, since that was partly motivated by Conan. I wouldn't have enjoyed doing research, which I got from Conan's resourcefulness. I wouldn't have aspired to be a teacher, which was inspired by my desire to impart what I know to others. When I look at today's youth, I don't see a human being incapable of reason; I see individuals who each have the capability to be like Conan/Shinichi, and this becomes my motivation to be a good teacher to them.
If there's one thing that I really need to do at this point, it's to catch up with the series. Seriously, I'm way behind the plot of the series. New characters have emerged and new twists have taken place. And considering that there's over 500 episodes of the series and over 70 manga volumes, I still have a lot to watch or read on.
At this point, I'm just happy that it's been 10 years already. Ten years of being a fan of the Detective Conan franchise. Ten years of having Conan/Shinichi as the imaginary friend and brother that I never had. Ten years of having Conan as a significant inspiration in my life, along with my other inspirations.
Thanks for everything, Conan. I hope that this continues as we approach a new year.
