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It has been a very long time but I won't take up too much time as this post is going to very long and detailed so buckle up and get some writing material. We're going to class for:


Before we continue, let's clear the air for those who might be confused.

What exactly is a 'Proxy' site?


There are possibly hundreds of proxy services out there that will allow you to purchase your desire goods from Japan, South Korea etc. I thought that I could take the lessons I learned from my experiences of the past year using a few of them to assist anyone who is new to using proxy sites and help them narrow down their choices to make an informed decision when picking a service.

Please keep in mind that my list was chosen after narrowing down a much longer list of choices thanks to other lovely people on the internet who shared their experiences. At the end of this entire post I will put the resources and people I used to make my choices and any other proxy sites that I have heard about but have not used myself.

One thing to remember: always do extensive amount of research before plunging straight into ordering from any of these sites as this can cost you extreme frustration and money. I learned the hard way. It might take some time but patience is virtue. Alright, let's start.


I started using proxy sites around late 2017 after seeing a video on YouTube giving a tutorial on how to purchase out of print K-Pop albums through proxy sites. I had gotten a pretty decent job and was being to start my K-Pop physical album collection. However, the albums for most of the groups I love either had been out of print for years or disbanded or both. I was honestly heartbroken until I learned about Proxy service late 2016. At that time I was kinda snobby and didn't want anything second hand. That changed when I started collecting. That tutorial led me to being to now own a lot of the albums for my dear groups that I couldn't purchase when they were initially released.

NB: proxy sites are not only for K-Pop or J-Pop merchandise. They can be used for almost any purchase (these sites also let you know what items are prohibited or not for purchase).

The sites I have and continue to use are FromJapan, Buyee, ZenMarket, Japonica (Mercari). For this first part of this post I will be talking about FromJapan and Buyee, the first and second sites I used respectively.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

News Section

MUSIC:

Artist/Group: Momoland
Title Track: Bboom Bboom



Honestly, this group never truly intrigued me especially since they debuted in that cluster hell year of debuts. But never would I have thought that the girl from the Tropicana commercial, that became such a meme, was a member of this group and literally gave the defibrillator shock and attention that they needed for this comeback. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised at how catchy the song is and how much fun the video was to watch. The instrumental is the star here. It made the song as interesting and fun as it is. The slight rap break caught me off guard because they went kinda hard considering how sassy and fun the song was going. I really like it. It might be one of my favorite transition breaks for a girl group song in a while. The MV was a lot of fun. Instead of your standard 'dance the choreography in a box room', it was an infomercial style program video that had bits of class and sophistication in that rotating circle scene. They definitely wanted your attention and they got it BUT without overloading the senses. Everything complimented each other from the music matching the scenes to the members performance in acting out the infomercial scenes. Definitely is great way for Momoland to start of the year.


Song: 3.7/5
Dance: 3.5/5
MV: 4.5/5
Style/Aesthetics: 4/5

Members that caught my eyes (no particular order):
                     JooE
                     Jane
                     Ahin
                     Daisy
                     Hyebin

To start of the New Year I will be sharing a short but hopefully detailed review of my first order with AmiAmi. Let's get to it.


Item Name: Love Live! Sunshine!! - Rubber Strap Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai? 9 version pack box



Order date: May 5th, 2017
Initial Cost: 4,130 Yen
Shipping Method: EMS
Payment Method: PayPal
As of that date payment was not submitted yet. Basically you are putting in a request for the item before you pay for it. Also, the shipping amount is not included. Only the method.

May 6th: email received with shipping amount and total order cost. Also informed that I had until the 13th to submit payment or order will be canceled.

NB: they send payment reminders via email.

Payment submitted: May 9th, 2017
Shipping: 2, 000 Yen
Cost: 6, 130 Yen

NB2: Costs are in Yen/JPY

Item shipped: May 10th, 2017

Sadly, I lost all the pictures I had taken on my work phone of them. I will try to update this with actually images of the items sometime soon.

Pros:
+ International availability of items (a lot of the series I want to purchase merchandise from are 'Ship within Japan Only' so I'm really happy Love Live items can be shipped overseas)
+ Numerous Shipping methods/ Choices for Shipping Method
+ Large range of Merchandise

+/- User friendly site: this is an iffy for me as initial ventures to this site confused me to no end. But I have since gotten used to the site but still need to master it.
+/- Shipping time: honestly, I'm neutral on this. I don't go out of my way to get a purchase instantaneously nor at snail's pace. To get speedy shipping you gotten pay a bit while cheaper shipping is slower it is also risky due to company's not taking responsibility for lost packages and sometimes damaged packaging. As long as I can get my packages in 2 to 4 weeks from shipping date I'm cool.

Cons:
- Shipping fee initially unknown: this is the biggest annoyance for me. When you place an order, you only have an idea of the price of the item based on the Shipping Method page info they provide and/ info gained from previous purchases from AmiAmi or anything purchases from Asian merchandising sites.
- 'Shipping within Japan only' Availability: this one is something that I have no choice but to accept. That is just how the industry in Japan works. I know there are ways to order these types of items i.e. via proxy services or having someone with a Japanese address to order and ship them to you (personal/business requesting) but I'm personally not comfortable with those kind of services yet.


Overall Rating: Recommended

I would continue to order from AmiAmi for any Anime merchandise but I do suggest doing proper research on any and all (or as many you can find) anime merchandise selling store since each has their own pricing, shipping, range of products and international shipping availability.

If there is anything that you would like to know that I did not mention, don't hesitate to ask.

Hope this was helpful and has made your journey to ordering from AmiAmi easier.

Till next time!

Take care and May the Lord God keep you through 2018!

Chibi J

2017 has come and gone. Honestly, this has been one of the most memorable years to date for me, whether for good or bad.

2017 brought a lot of changes to my life. Some include getting my first job, getting my first credit card for building credit, the ups and downs of working especially as a woman in the technology field, purchasing my first Kpop CDs, finding and going to 2 salons that deal with natural hair, believe or not but finally getting and working out my health insurance to the point that I have some basic understanding of the system and much more.

But some of those changes were, and still are, hard to deal with: dealing and working with people of all backgrounds, actually seeing that I have numbed myself to the Lord's influence and presence in my life to survive, learning that you really are alone regardless of the social activities one does, that being optimistic and positive in a cynical world is physically, emotionally and mentally draining to the point that you want to give up but out of sheer stubbornness you don't, that I have a very weak resolve in regards to my interior design classes and furthering my knowledge in my IT career and some other stuff that isn't coming to mind yet.

I feel like I have been finding myself throughout these few years, this year being the epitome of this: who I am as a fallen human and who I am as a struggling Christian. This year has pushed me to see that I've been favoring and leaning towards one side over the other. It's the side that I should not identify with. I find that the more I strive to learn more about people, their differences and history, I move away from the original reason as to WHY I wanted that knowledge. I wanted that knowledge and form of understanding to be able to reach people in groups that are often ignored, forgotten or demonized for the sake of doing that and due to lack of understanding of said groups. I believe I always need to remember the origin of my desire for pursuing that knowledge or I'll continue to fall deeper into that nonchalant worldly 'Christian' mindset and attitude.

This blog was created for me to express myself. As a Christian. As an Japanese/South Korean entertainment fan. As a student of life and design. As a young black woman who does not fit the stereotypical mold of either category. But during these 12 months my life has been a literal rollercoaster and the ride has not ended. I want to start fresh. To go back to the pure and innocent purpose and reasoning for this blog like journal: to express myself without worry. Not to be the next 9to5 (technically it's 8to5 for me but I digress) that can make it of off blogging full time. Not for clicks nor Fame. But to interact with people who are similar to me; who resonate or can relate to what I say; have similar beliefs, hobbies and whatnots like me; to challenge me to grow in my faith and as a person; possibly one day to create a simple and connected community where we can communicate, share and discuss ideas, opinions without molds separating us.

I want to simplify my life. I have gone out of my way to complicate it for absolutely no reason. I want to work on evaluating what I bring into my life, my space, my mind and my body. I want to make decisive choices. I want to fight against my unhealthy habits. I want to fight against my fears. I want be pushed to my limit so I can create another limit only to push it again. I want to get out of my comfort and fight for what I need to be doing.

I have a lot I want to do but I will not let it overcome me. Take it slow. Breathe. Look around you. Let what you see be your mission for growth and discipline. I hope that this year regardless of what happens, the good, the bad, the joyful, the terrible, that you will not give up. That you will fight for what God has in store for you. That you will live life to it's fullest potential.

Thank you.

Happy New Year.

Happy 2018.

- Jasmine