In: active’s Neighborhood

hey all how are you doing? I hope you are doing great!

I got a fever, its not that bad but I'm always tired :< , anyway I'm not going to update my blog until I get better can't even sit so tired      

my throat is sore :| I just wanted to tell you thats all ^^

anyway todays weather is so nice here take a look, I love the clouds @_@

nice weather

Hi!!!

sooo everyone knows already, right?? :D

I actually got the news a little later cuz I was taking a nap when all the flailing started -_-

anyway, I'm super excited!!! *runs in circles*

and heee hee there's not much excitment about Shosus' drama :(

poor Shosus!!  *hugs*

besides that *what can I say that you don't know by now?*

today I finished watching my DVD :D

HOORAY!!!

why today?? cuz yesterday I was watching *OMG I don't remember Lucky man being that bright!!! oO* , but my dad called to tell me he was gonna pick me to go to the hospital for the x-rays

luckily this time there weren't a lot of ppl waiting and the machine was working fine :D

it was sorta different, this one has a screen where you can see the actual x-ray, pretty cool but I was having a hard time cuz I was trying to see, and at the same time trying to stay in position for the thing XDDD

good thing is that the one of Neurodoc's associates was there; so we handed him the uh x-rays and he would give it to him :Db

so hopefully soon we'll know if I need the famous blockade or not

ok, ok, DVD

today I woke up quite early so I had time it finish it before I had to leave so I kidnapped Matsufancat to watch with me... *but shhh you know nothing cuz he's not allowed in the bedrooms, ok??*

so he was like *la la laa* till the Hero review thingie started so he was :)  and then uh well that happened *does anyone care if I spoil the reviews part?? oO*

hmmm I guess yes, since there's nothing new

anyway... that happened and he just looked at me like *he did that on purpose, right?? oO*  that or *is he ok??* sorry, but I haven't perfected my fancat language XD;;

seems Matsufancat likes Hero cuz he was really concentrating XD

and theeeeen theeeeen a revelation

I think everyone who is owned by a cat knows this slight movement were they kinda grab you with their paws?? is gentle but is like... like... when you're excited and grab your t-shirt to try to hide it?? something like that

Matsufancat usually does it when something pleases him *like a gooooood belly rub*

he did it a little when he saw Squishy...

...and even more when he saw Shosus

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OMG

Matsufancat now likes The Shosus??!!! oO

so I was *naaaaah, maybe he was thinking that he will make a good pillow*

*...ohhh Sakupillow!!! I deserve one cuz I'm his follower, failures and all!!! *_________* *

...yeah

well, what do you expect??!! it was early!!! XDD 

however... he did it a few times more when either him or Squishy were on

<<  >>

*suspicious*

I asked him and he just moved into *rub my belly and shut up* position

...

...

I wanna know!!! D:

XD;;;

oh oh and he likes Truth *must be the Maou effect* and Beautiful days too cuz he was happily purring during those ><v

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and he gave me a weird look when I started to yell *melon balls!! melon balls!!* during Kaze no mukou e
XDDDD;;; joy and yummies

and he left when Believe animation started... guess he's not interested in non real Arashi XDDD

oh and I finally synced THE MOM'S itocuh cuz she hasn't listened to the umbrella song nor super fresh, but I don't know her opinion cuz I woke up just a few hours ago and everyone was already sleeping XD;;;

ghol  right?? first time I saw I was like... *who's that?? looks like a female Ohba <<  >>  this isn't real, right??*  it was actually the day before it was announced that the uh woman was supposed to be their mom XDD

See ya!!!
 

Art Brut - Alcoholics Unanimous Art Brut Tour Dates 11/11/09 Oberlin College IL 11/12/09 North Star Bar Phila, PA 11/13/09 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY 11/14/09 Ottobar Baltimore, MD 11/15/09 Bowery Ballroom NY 12/08/09 Mono Pescara 12/09/09 Circolo degli Artisti Rome 12/10/09 Live Forum Milan 12/11/09 Spazio 211 Turin 12/12/09 Bronson Ravenna Read More Art Brut http://weheartmus... It was quite a few years ago I first heard Art Brut. I do believe I was not overly impressed with...

I arrived late to the Triple Rock, in Minneapolis, so I had already missed some of Surfer Blood (myspace / twitter). However, I did get the gist of the band, who seems like they are going to be a hot new buzz band - like Vampire Weekend. Highlight of their set was the last song, in which the guitarist brought the solo drum into the audience as everyone on stage went monkeys. (Sort of feels orchestrated to me, like they didn't really put much effort in trashing their equipments). The audience seem to welcome Blood Surfer, so it's all good.

Art Brut

Loads of Art Brut fans were in the audience that night. You can tell by all the t-shirt and their eagerness of being in front and center. When the band came on, doing "Formed a Band", which singer Eddie Argos turns to the audience and said, "you ought to try it, it's brilliant!"

Eddie looks like a guy that doesn't take himself too seriously. He seems to like to drink a lot and talk a lot (but with his thick British accent, it's not like we could understand half what was said). He seems to swagger on stage a lot, often using his left arm to illustrate the songs.

There wasn't enough room on stage for Argos to do his infamous microphone skip, but he did manage to sing half of "DC Comics" by the bar section. Speaking of which, I think it's cool that Argos is a huge DC fan - since UK comics are usually, you know, 2000 AD/Judge Dredd sort. During the song, Argos spouted out what I hear as "Christian Bale", "Booster Gold" (if I can remember, I think he was basically a janitor from the future with future tech and a Legionaires flight ring), and something about "Metropolis".

Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, they did a mix of new and old songs. The setlist also doesn't reflect what was played, for instance, I know "The Passenger" was played well after "DC Comics". I suppose the setlist was more of a rough guideline than actual instructions.... which actually fits the way Art Brut operate.

The thing about "The Passenger", from their latest album Art Brut vs Satan, is that it got this great introduction. Eddie explained how he thought the Iggy Pop song was about taking the subway, "Iggy doesn't seem to me to be the driving sort." It wasn't until later did he discovered that Iggy's song was about taking heroin in back of a limo with David Bowie. Too funny.

Oh the other thing, the way Eddie sings, if you can call it singing, is quite interesting. It's more like rambling, it definitely feels at time like The Fall - only with a lot heavier backing band.

The band left and came back with three encores. I thought I heard Eddie saying "we don't normally do this", which may have been said in an ironic kind of way. I really couldn't tell, all I know is that the encores were met by the fans' demands.

Art Brut's funk sole brother

PS, They only had T-Shirts and CDs for sale at the merch table. I was hoping to see some of their awesome shoes. It's £20 online, which is about $40 USD, but totally worth it if you are a massive Art Brut fan. Get those shoes, and also their latest album, Art Brut vs Satan, at the usual online stores.

 11/11/2009 00:00:22 ♥ vu () ♥ artbrut.org.uk ♥ myspace.com/artbrut 

SubNoize Souljaz - Mama Said Knock You Out (Featuring Judge D) SubNoize Souljaz Read More Suburban Noize http://weheartmus... Suburban Noize Records, also known as Subnoize is an independent record label based in Burbank, C...

Taking a break from the usual live reviews of late, I will be doing some much-ignored reviews this week. Today's theme is all from the same record label.

Suburban Noize Records have been around since the mid-90s, catering to a very certain market of young hip hop, herb culture, and punk fans. We have a few items from them for review.

For starter, SubNoize Souljaz (myspace) is like the all-star supergroup, consisting of 15 or so Suburban Noize artists, including members of Kottonmouth King, Big B, and Jared Gomes (singer of Hed PE).

Their third album, Blast From The Past, just dropped late last August. While I am unfamiliar with some of these titles, I almost knew all the cover songs from hearing them on the radio. Except this album are all done in the style of that only Subnoize can deliver. With the variety of rappers and lead singers - the music is somewhat uneven, but at least the vocals stands out from each other. Particularly, I was impressed with Judge D's cover of LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out" and a funky The Dirtball's cover of RATM's "Microphone Fiend" (the bass is really good on this song) and Slick Rick's "Children's Story" by Daddy X.

It's evident that these guys owe a lot to influential bands that came before them (NWA, 2Pac, Snoop, Dre), so this album is a tribute to them. If you like old-school rap, particularly Death Row Records, as much as anyone that grew up in the 90s, you will definitely do yourself a favor and check out Blast From The Past.

Tour Dates 11/15/09 El Corazon Seattle, WA 11/16/09 Satyricon Portland, OR 11/17/09 DNA Lounge SF, CA 11/18/09 Boardwalk Orangevale, CA 11/20/09 Starline Fresno, CA 11/21/09 Modesto Virtual Modesto, CA 11/22/09 Chain Reaction Anahiem, CA 11/23/09 Karma Victorville, CA 11/24/09 Roxy Los Angeles, CA

Brokencyde, or seemingly nonsense caplock problem, brokeNCYDE (myspace), is also under Subnoize's screamo/punk label, BreakSilence Recordings. This sub-label also houses Eyes Set To Kill and Kill Paradise.

Anyway, Brokencyde is a "crunk"-core band (apparently this genre is a fusion of hip hop and electro, and possibly other genres like punk and rock). The band embrace the brand, and even have a song called "Get Crunk!".

The album actually did chart on the Billboard 200 at #86, which kind of impressed me, considering that many of the artists I hear about, they never chart. I think the high debut might possibly be due to their presence on this year's US Warped Tour. However, despite the success, the album was critically condemned. My favorite is (name redacted) review from NME: "even if I caught Prince Harry and Gary Glitter adorned in Nazi regalia defecating through my grandmother’s letterbox I would still consider making them listen to this album too severe a punishment." Critics who hates them, I don't think they understand that the album was meant for them... certainly the album is not meant for me. I am curious what the band will sound like when they've matured a bit. Although, I will have to confess that I did smile a bit when I heard "pee pee" sung on "Sex Toys" and "let's get retarded" on "Rockstar".

They look and sound very young (hey, FYI, their singer is called Se7en), which makes their debut album I'm Not a Fan... But the Kids Like It even more-so ironic. I did feel that despite their youngness, that some ALL of their songs with messages of drinking and sex, might not appeal to everyone. Then again, perhaps that's why "the kids like it". The real irony is that with all the cursing, you may have to be over 18 to purchase it.

Stronger songs on the album are: "Freaxxx" (with the catchy "let's get freaky" lyrics), and "Yellow Bus" (boasting about sex with groupies like Miley Cyrus??? WTF!).

If you don't mind the naughty messages, some autotune, some screamo, some electronica, check out I'm Not a Fan... But the Kids Like It at amazon.

Tour Dates 11/13/09 Budweiser Event Center* CO 11/14/09 Mid America Center*, IA 11/15/09 Uptown Theater* Kansas City, MO 11/17/09 Val Air Ballroom Des Moines, IA 11/18/09 Aragon Ballroom* Chicago, IL 11/19/09 The Fillmore* Detroit, MI 11/26/09 Grove of Anaheim, CA * with 311

Kottonmouth King (official / myspace) should need no introduction for any fans of Hightimes. The group found success in that "green" niche market, and is the flagship band on Suburban Noize label - possibly due to the record company being started by member Daddy X, and their manager, Kevin Zinger.

Their latest release is Hidden Stash 420, an epic 2-disc album. This is basically a collection of unreleased tracks, b-sides, remixes, demos. The packaging is also nice, it's a fold-out digipak. Hardcore fans will want to purchase the album directly from Subnoize Store or Best Buy stores, as that comes with a bonus DVD called The Lost Adventures of the Kottonmouth Kings.

While it's easy to just dismiss the band as pot smokers, that all their songs about weed, and although it's true, I believe they also deceptively paint a vivid picture of what their lifestyle is like. Check out tracks like "Take a Ride", as it describes California and family, all under a catchy chorus of "west coast is the place for me, never know what you'll see". But it's not all serious, there's a goofy song called "Late Night Call" with cultural reference of "me so horny", "facebook" and "myspace".

The collection is mostly older songs, and it's interesting to see some of their experiments. One song, "Tangerine Sky", seems like it's paying tribute to the Beatles LSD song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". "Tangerine Sky" comes off as being more melodic and slower than most of their songs. The other non-conventional KMK is a poppy song "Let the Music Play". I wish I knew the story behind this song, but what I can tell you that it sounds very happy and 60s love. Perhaps Jackson Five?

Anyway, my favorites are usually the faster-constantly rapping songs with a loopy DJ backback, like "Evolution" and "Got It Get It". The later is a new Kingspade (a division of Kottonmouth King's rap duo, Johnny Richter and D-Loc) venture, which may be important for fans, as they haven't released anything under Kingspade in the last two years.

The Lost Adventures of the Kottonmouth Kings

The DVD portion is a Best Buy exclusive. The two hour DVD featuring the band on tour, music videos and various miscellaneous. The audio and video quality can sometime be quite poor (night-time shooting is always an issue) to quite good (see image capture of a great quality), and I think sometime the director overuses the fisheye lens. Still, can't complain too much since it's added value.

Hidden Stash 420 is out now. A perfect Christmas gift for any stoner in your family.

 11/10/2009 18:05:38 ♥ vu () ♥ suburbannoizerecords.com ♥ suburbannoizejapan.com 

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks Peter Bjorn & John 2 comments Tour Dates 11/11/09 Phoenix Theatre* Toronto 11/12/09 Metro* Chicago, IL 11/13/09 Gargoyle Club* St. Louis, MO 11/14/09 House of Blues* Dallas, TX 11/15/09 La Zona Rosa* Austin, TX 11/17/09 Rialto Theater* Tucson, AZ 11/18/09 House of Blues* San Diego, CA 11/19/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/20/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/21/09 Club Nokia* LA, CA with El Perro Del Mar Read More Peter, Bjorn and John http://weheartmus... Speaking of solo album, Peter Morén (you know him as Peter from Peter, Bjorn and John) will also...

PB&J and El Perro del Mar ♥ photograph by Michelle

At Webster Hall, the perils of sitting in the VIP balcony often outweigh the perks. True, it’s the ideal place for a certified midget like me, and there’s a private bar and quasi-comfortable seating – but one must also put up with being asphyxiated by the many fog machines, the not-so-subtle orgies taking place on the couches, and that one skeezy guy who keeps trying to offer you a flask full of absinthe. (“It’s the nectar of Satan!”)

But last night the VIP balcony was the place to be since it was the location of a historic fist bump between me and Andrew W.K.

I already knew he was set to make a cameo during PB&J’s set, along with a slew of others, but I did not expect our paths to cross. I don’t know what compelled me to lamely offer him my fist the moment I saw him, but all that matters is that he returned it and all was right in the world. Then he left, and I immediately texted my 13 year-old brother, who soon lapsed into an envy-induced coma.

El Perro Del Mar - Gotta Get Smart

Anyway: PB&J. I have to admit, I was really there for opener, El Perro del Mar. I’ve become obsessed with her latest LP, Love is Not Pop, as it is the perfect soundtrack for long nights of procrastination. Although the crowd didn’t seem too familiar with her work, she won them over with her peculiar brand of melancholy dream pop. She stuck to songs mostly from her new album, including her mind-numbingly lovely version of Lou Reed’s “Heavenly Arms.” The absinthe guy next to us dismissed her as “vagina music,” but I was too distracted by my estrogen-fueled state of euphoria to care.

Swede-fest ’09 continued with PB&J, who announced that this was their 10^th anniversary tour. It was easy to distinguish who was who, as Peter was the one in the pink shirt, Bjorn was the one not in the pink shirt, and John was the drummer. It only got slightly confusing during the smorgasbord of cameos that took place throughout their set. Some made perfect sense (El Perro del Mar on “Young Folks,”), some not so much (an L.A. rap duo who remixed an unrecognizable song off of Living Thing). The final cameo was Spank Rock, who seemed like a solid addition to “Nothing to Worry About” but his appearance was much too brief and almost abrupt.

Obviously the most dramatic cameo of the night was Andrew W.K.’s “interpretive” dancing during “It Don’t Move Me.” He didn’t utter a single word the whole time, yet he left the audience virtually speechless. It was spastic and random but ultimately the best moment of the night.

As for the band themselves, they were in top form as usual. Since the last time I saw them in March, people have warmed up considerably towards their newer material and seemed to enjoy it equally as much as anything off Writer’s Block. The band eschewed slower stand-bys for faster, upbeat songs from their first two albums, and they ended the night with the infectious “Objects of My Affection.” I was kind of hoping they’d play the slow burning track, “Up Against the Wall,” but my friend told me not to be greedy. After all, one paradigm-shifting fist bump was good enough for one night.

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

Peter ♥ photograph by Michelle

Andrew W.K. ♥ photograph by Michelle

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

 11/10/2009 02:13:56 ♥ kateg () ♥ peterbjornandjohn.com ♥ myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn 

Hey all finally the scans <3 the magazine is awesome lots of pictures :D

Credit : Ryuik @ livejournal credit her if you want to use them ^^

The scans are in my library ^^ ENJOY~~~~~~

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J Tillman - Year In The Kingdom J Tillman 1 comment Tour Dates 11/10/09 Pike Room  Pontiac, MI 11/11/09 Horseshoe* Toronto, ON 11/12/09 Motore* Montreal, QC 11/13/09 Space* Portland, ME 11/15/09 Middle East* Cambridge, MA 11/16/09 Bell House Brooklyn, NY 11/17/09 First Unitarian* Phila, PA 11/18/09 9:30 Club* Washington, DC 11/19/09 UVA Chapel Charlottesville, VA 11/20/09 Grey Eagle* Asheville, NC 11/21/09 Earl* Atlanta, GA 11/23/09  Bottletree* Birmingham, AL 11/24/09 One Eyed Jacks NOrleans, LA 11/26/09 Walter’s* Houston, TX 11/27/09 Mohawk* Austin, TX 11/30/09 Modified Phoenix, AZ 12/01/09 Casbah San Diego, CA 12/02/09 Troubadour* Los Angeles, CA 12/04/09 Great American Music* SF, CA 12/11/09 "The Crocodile"* Seattle, WA 12/12/09 Mississippi Studios, OR with PGM Read More Fleet Foxes http://weheartmus... Fleet Foxes are a five-piece Seattle-based band signed to Sub Pop and Bella Union. The band came ...

J. Tillman @ The Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 11.6.09
+ abridged album review

J Tillman ♥ Music Box

Despite his minor fame with unpopular, critically-ignored Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman has been active in the music scene since 2004.  This past September he released Year in the Kingdom, a 9-track odyssey through stoic mountain towns by way of moderate folk sensitivity.  Merely 28, Tillman evokes an image of timeless worldly servitude that befits his preferred musical genre but also confuses.  He acts the part in person—bearded, casually nondescript, a man of few words; yet once he hits that first note, it’s obvious there’s something judicious beneath the weathered layers.  For one, the quality of his voice is beautiful.  There is simply no masculine way to describe it.  The probability that Tillman drinks and indulges like a big boy is high, but you wouldn’t know by listening to him sing.  Perhaps the impressive facial shrub is actually a clever disguise, masking a sweet, even-tempered fellow who rescues kitties and bakes things for charity.  Doubtful, but my point being Tillman’s ambiguity—it’s equally believable that he wandered into town from the wide blue yonder as it is that he stumbled on stage from the local, artist-packed watering hole.

Year in the Kingdom remembers a simpler era that Tillman was not alive to experience.  Softer tracks cite 60s folk influences like Joni Mitchell, had Mitchell penned her songs in a humble log cabin, without basic comforts save for canned beans and a faithful canine companion.  The sparse “Age of Man” is a few twangs/few stringed instruments short of Americana territory, while “Though I Have Wronged You” reminds us that Tillman isn’t seriously concerned by FF comparisons.  At times matter-of-factly somber (“There is No Good in Me”), the album lulls its listeners into a false feeling of peace (albeit reflective, disquieting peace) that does not prepare the ears for the sheer force of Tillman’s live rocking.

Kingdom-the-album clashed awesomely with Friday night’s show at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis.  I now have a physical point of reference for the expression “it blew my mind,” as I’m pretty sure I lost a piece of my skull when Tillman blew my mind.  Similar to the structure of the studio tracks—gentle start, build-up, full instrumental progression—the show began as one would expect had they listened to Kingdom:  Tillman + band = traditional 3-dimensional engagement.  Then, maybe a third of the way into the set, all hell broke loose.  Cue roar of full instrumental capacity, skin-tingling whine of amped slide guitar, psychedelic transformation, and crazy apeshit thrashing.  On top of everything unholy, we, the audience, bore witness to grown men playing plastic recorders and finger cymbals. Surely I wasn’t the only one to lose some head mass by the end of the night.

Cerebral hemorrhage notwithstanding, strong tracks like “Though I Have Wronged You” sounded ridiculously swollen with intensity and deliberate flair.  Not showy, per se; rather, phrenic but perverted by foggy invention.  It was like walking into the Louvre for the first time—extraordinary but strangely unfocused, as if the senses were forced into overdrive.  Had I lapped a taste of Tillman’s sweat*, the experience would’ve been complete.  Unfortunately, there was no exchange of bodily fluids; there wasn’t even an encore (a mumbled “thanks” and the musicians made their hasty exit).  It didn’t matter.  How do you follow an act like yourself?

J Tillman ♥ Music Box, Minneapolis (11/06/09)

A few random thoughts without homes:  in high school, Tillman visited Crown, a conservative Christian college in St. Bonifacius, MN; Miracle Whip is the default condiment of Fargo, ND, this according to the band; Josh’s younger brother, Zach, opened the show and also played bass for the elder Tillman’s set.

J. Tillman is currently on tour in support of Year in the Kingdom.  Upcoming shows include stops in Chicago and New York.  For more information or to listen to select tracks, visit his Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/jtillman. 

* I’m not a creeper, promise.

 11/09/2009 03:26:24 ♥ lara (/lara206.vox.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ myspace.com/jtillman

wonderful scans thanks to Ryuik @ Livejournal for them<3 love all the pictures ^^

Credit ryuik if you want to use them please!

Enjoy~

because it was so messy I deleted the pictures from this entry of course you can find them in my photo library<3

double click on the pictures so you can have the real size!

B.Pass Dec.2009 COVER

Gackt ~Smile~

The singer GACKT has finally revealed his real age. It happened during the press conference held in Tokyo for the stage production '眠狂四郎無頼控 / Nemuri Kyoshiro Burai-hikae' in which he plays the lead role for the first time. At the beginning of a video segment introducing the outline of the project, his age was given as 'to turn 37 years old in 2010'. Afterwards during the Q&A session reporters asked if it was the first time GACKT told how old he was. He smiled wryly while replying "A long while ago at a concert, on a whim I said I was born in 1540. Somehow that became my official year of birth. Since then I couldn't find an opportunity to correct it. I wasn't keeping my age a secret or anything."

As the main character Nemuri Kyoshiro of the 'Nemuri Kyoshiro' series GACKT will appear in various media. The stage production written by Koyama Kundo is the first in line of the 'NEMURI�GACKT PROJECT'. After the theater version of 'Nemuri Kyoshiro', the combined character 'NEMURI�GACKT' will be featured in manga, anime, video-games and film.

From summer GACKT has been in the process of losing 10 kilos for his role. "Up until the summer I had been building up my body in order to stay healthy during the tour. But I've put on too much muscle for my role, so I've since shed 5 kilos. I'm trying to lose 5 more kilos to make a body sharp as steel, one that will hurt you if you touch. Just like a swordsman [Nemuri Kyoshiro is a master with katana]."

uhh Gakkun you told us before about your age don't worry ^^ we really know that 1540 wasn't your real year of birth <(^_^<)

no matter how old are you! we will still be your Dears we will support you FOREVER!!!

GACKT FOREVER IS THE BEST

BTW he'll be in another movie~ I guess lol thats going to be on 2010! Can't wait to hear more from GACKT~

here read this!

Gackt has been given the lead role in a theatrical version of the jidaigeki story "Nemuri Kyoshiro." This will be his first performance in a stage play.

Originally a series of novels by Renzaburo Shibata, "Nemuri Kyoshiro" has been the basis of more than a dozen films and several television dramas. The story revolves around a sleepy-eyed swordsman born from a Japanese mother and a foreign father.

Performances are scheduled to begin at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo next May.

Credit: Asianfanatics