My Favorite Room by myautofocuslife

My Favorite Room

Not quite the kind of room you'd expect a middle-aged woman to have but I love this room! I spend most of my waking hours in it when I'm not doing my chores, cooking dinner or sleeping. Every now and then, I'd consider putting up some more posters and The Kid would shake his head at me.

Me: What? I have newer posters.
The Kid: You're like a kid.
Me: You're like a parent. And stop already with that look of disapproval.
The Kid: If my friends saw this room...
Me: They'd think it's yours?
The Kid: They'd be shocked to find out it isn't.
Me: Just don't tell them about the BL manga.
The Kid: *shakes head*

And if you don't know what BL manga are, trust me, you don't want to know.

Elsewhere in this room are custom built bookshelves. They hold my anime DVDs, figures, CDs and artbooks as well as over 800 manga. My desktop wallpaper is Genjo Sanzo from Saiyuki. He's a foul-tempered, chain-smoking, trigger-happy, badass monk. He's been my wallpaper for many years. I will never change it. I can't explain it but I just love having Sanzo point his gun at me every day. (At this point, it's okay to doubt my sanity. I do it sometimes myself.) On top of my black-and-green CPU you might be able to make out Danbo and Brook, who is a pirate from One Piece. Brook is a skeleton with an afro. He's awesome. You can see Zoro ( http://365project.org/myautofocuslife/365/2012-02-02 ) between the CPU and the clunky old Microsoft keyboard. To the left is a pile of manga I am reading.

Posters you can see are (clockwise from top middle) Angel Sanctuary, Rurouni Kenshin, Hellsing, One Piece, Trigun and Saiyuki. There are more on the wall that you can't see. Heh.

What's ~your~ favorite room like?
Very cool room and shot! Livia! I like it! It says so much about you! Some day maybe I'll have a nice space to shoot but, no way now!
February 28th, 2012  
We should all embrace our inner child, don't you think. I love this as it is so personal to you. I currently do not have a fav room; It used to be my very small conservatory as that was where the cat sleep on his sofa, all my cat bit where there too but now he's gone and so is the stuff.
maybe my fav room is my porch in Spain:0) Yes definitely my porch in Spain I am happiest there:0)
February 28th, 2012  
Very colourful and organized! I thought your kid would be proud to have a young-minded mom :-)
February 28th, 2012  
Wow Livia, my favourite room is far more conservative than yours!! My study/home office is a jumble of books, camera gear, work stuff etc. I've got an Ansel Adams print, an original painting of Pendle Hill, and some cricket memorabilia. I do have 2 screens though!! Tell your kid that the middle aged guy from England thinks you're cool, and that it is sooo funny that you embarrass them with your love of Manga. Not sure I could do BL Manga though...:)
February 28th, 2012  
Love this! And my favorite room is not nearly as cool! Your kid is lucky to have such a cool mom :-) Wonderful shot -- the colors in the posters really draw me to them.
February 28th, 2012  
Love it!.....Cool shot of a much loved & very cool room!! ; )
February 28th, 2012  
It's funny how, no matter what the parents do, their children will always find a reason to be embarrased by them. I think you have fascinating interests and thank you for sharing them here.
February 28th, 2012  
Wow!!! Thats awesome! One of my friends is a cartoonist/artist in Portland Orgeon!! She would love your room!
February 28th, 2012  
oh wow...i want my own room now!
February 28th, 2012  
You are one cool mummy!
February 28th, 2012  
You are out there!!
February 28th, 2012  
Nice pic. Art is ageless.
February 28th, 2012  
Great shot...great room! Now I feel downright boring.
February 28th, 2012  
Very cool art!
February 28th, 2012  
We should surround ourselves with things we love! They are very colorful!
February 28th, 2012  
I want one!! hmm, maybe I'll just get a room like this of my own :D, thanks for the idea hehe. Needless to say I loooove it!!
February 28th, 2012  
Cool room & shot! I love all the vibrant colors in the art.
February 28th, 2012  
A fav. Totally love this shot and its FAB having wonderful art - creativity around you :-)
February 28th, 2012  
eva
Super cool room! Mine is different (books and orchids) but I still like yours a lot!
February 28th, 2012  
This is such a great shot shows all the things you like, its totally your space. I have a room that is my space too. I have a desk of wood which is tactile. My computer is here and all my scrapbooks, and relevant materials. My albums containing my poems with photos. It overlooks my garden. My living room and the extension from it are also my favourite rooms. They are full of sun and look out to the garden. They both have a great feeling of peace and calm, one of the reasons we love this house.
February 28th, 2012  
Your room is very cool. I love the colours !! My favorite room is called 'raining strawberries' by me as a pet name. I love strawberries and I collect strawberry things to put in it - especially fine china.
February 28th, 2012  
Love all the bright colours and it looks like a fun filled room.
February 28th, 2012  
Very cool room! It really shows a fascinating side of you (and good onya for embarrasing The Kid)!
I'm lucky I guess, my favourite room is my whole house! Or it will be when it isn't so messy! Not having to share it with anyone but the pets, it can all be the way I want it (well, funds, space and energy permitting)!! :-)
February 28th, 2012  
Thanx for sharing with us some of your very personal stuff! I like this alot
February 28th, 2012  
If I had been asked to describe Livia's room, I would have said simplicity . . minimalist. Wrong!! Your room is full of life and color and lots of "wow factor!" It is YOU! I wonder how you would describe my room if someone asked you to. :) Well . . I have a desk and a chair. Nothing on the walls. The only piece of art in here is a small statue of a cat. I do have my Bose headsets and my ipod. I am a minimalist. :)
February 28th, 2012  
What a fantastic room you have! I love the colour and vibrancy and that you've been able to make it all your own! I need a room like this, it was my study, but it has been taken over by my hubby...ooh...this gives me ideas for the spare room maybe?! lol! My favourite room is whichever has been most recently cleaned!
February 28th, 2012  
Fantastic room, great insight and your creativity and art permiate the whole space. What a fantastic inspiration. Love all the colour. My favourite 'room' is the outdoors but I spend most of my time inside in front of a computer.
February 28th, 2012  
It's a fabulous room! Lots of color and action - very cool. My favorite room is currently filled with plants and books and two Ninja hamsters which sing "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting" when the batteries aren't dead. I've been known to post pictures of them on my Facebook page after a few too many glasses of wine.
February 28th, 2012  
You are a really neat person! This is a neat room and your conversation with the kid made me laugh! My son always thinks he's older and more mature than us, and he just might be!
February 28th, 2012  
Thanks for sharing it all with us. Of course I know what is `` Manga `` I read them to . The last I`ve read was `` Barefoot Gen `` Is this a manga .? It`s the story of a boy that have survive the atomic bomb on Japan.
February 28th, 2012  
Sweet room, Livia. You know secretly the kid thinks that you rock. I love your creativity!
February 28th, 2012  
love it! thanks for sharing. the kid loves you i'm sure
February 28th, 2012  
LOl! I was wondering when this Livia was coming back! nice one!
February 28th, 2012  
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your favorite room. I've thought of doing the same...perhaps you've motivated me to actually DO it!
February 28th, 2012  
haha what a cool room you have Livia.
February 28th, 2012  
A parent's job is, in part, to embarrass their children. Interesting room.
February 28th, 2012  
Awesome room and cool shot! Also love the internal dialogues you have with yourself lol!
February 28th, 2012  
Amazing room, so much colour and character!
February 28th, 2012  
Absolutely sane. And awesome. I always tell people that I had kids so I can continue being one. Get to play with all their stuff, and when people ask me what I'm doing...I point at my nearest son and say "HE STARTED IT!"

On a side note...love One Piece, though haven't had a chance to read or see it in a long time. Ever get a chance to read Hellboy? Mike Mignola is a brilliant artist and writer. Oh...and thanks for a glimpse into your world.
February 28th, 2012  
Great Room .. Love it... We all need our own room...Thank you for sharing .. :)
February 28th, 2012  
I think it is cool. It's not just the posters but your style is all your own and it is you. Tell the kid to keep his friends away from your room. He probably secretly loves it.
February 29th, 2012  
Cool
February 29th, 2012  
Great room...I love your anime collection so colorful and fun!
February 29th, 2012  
Livia, your room is wonderful! I love the character it shows in you!
February 29th, 2012  
Hmmm I don't really have a fav room but this really gets me thinking about what I would want in a space just for me! I think yours is so cool!
February 29th, 2012  
Love it! Makes me feel right at home. My husband's office looked like this until we moved recently. Actually, I'm just getting ready to watch Xam'd as we speak. I think this just makes you cooler! :)
February 29th, 2012  
@karenann Karen, your room sounds like a place I'd love to be! This is my "play room" so it has all my toys. Haha. But, for the other rooms in the apartment, the decor is pretty much minimalist or, like my sister-in-law said, "simple". My bedroom, for instance, has nothing on the walls. Just furniture: a bed, a dresser, a cupboard and a wardrobe. Oh, and The Husband's guitar. I like stuff to be kept out of sight because clutter gets in the way when I clean! 8P

@pyrrhula Barefoot Gen is a well-known manga series. I've not read it myself. Ever since I watched Grave of the Fireflies, an anime movie about two orphaned siblings in Japan at the end of WW2, I've decided to avoid war stories. I cried so hard at the end of Grave of the Fireflies. I don't like tragic stories. I always feel like I get my heart ripped out and torn to pieces and I can't help but bawl like a baby.

@losthorizon *LOL* That's a great strategy! There are now over 60 volumes of One Piece and over 500 episodes of the TV series. As far as I'm concerned, it's the greatest story in the world, still being told! I've only watched the Hellboy movies. Loved them! I hesitate to read it because I have such a great backlog of reading material already. I used to collect and read X-Men, Wolverine and Crimson. I like Humberto Ramos' art style. I have Preacher, the entire set of graphic novels by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. I greatly enjoyed that one. As one reviewer put it: "Preacher was vulgar, violent, appalling, bloody, frequently disgusting, and blasphemous. But it had its own strong sense of genuine truth and justice, and I think that’s why it was so successful." I would love to pick up The Walking Dead but I'm content watching the TV series. (We get the new episodes from next Friday! Can't wait! 8D )
February 29th, 2012  
Lol! I love your story! This room is so inspirational! Awesome place to hang!
February 29th, 2012  
LOL! I want a room like that too! I think it's really really cool!
February 29th, 2012  
love those posters on your wall!
February 29th, 2012  
I love the conversation. Looks like you would have lots of fun in this room. My husband wants to turn my sons room into a flight sim room....see we all have our passions!
February 29th, 2012  
I'm so jealous! I want my own room. You've got me thinking...I could so do it. I love the skeleton with the afro! Nice shot!
February 29th, 2012  
What a great spot - love the colors and the way you made it your own. And there must be a place where we don't have to be too grown up (the sock monsters next to my computer seem to nod agreement :-) ).
February 29th, 2012  
Love your room and a nice photo your space. If it is what makes you happy then it is how you should have it set up especially if you spend a lot of time there like me. I have a messy area with my computer, a non functioning printer, (the one that I use is by our kitchen table) pretty photos of places that look like Tuscany (from the dollar store), Tweety bird in a photo frame and family photos framed but sitting on my long table as I do not have a desk or storage, as I face vertical blinds, so very little wall space in this tight area. Soon I have to figure out how to organize it or where to put everything that I have accumulated. Sounds wonderful to have minimal things in other rooms. I would love that.
February 29th, 2012  
My room is a work in progress - read blank canvas at present - but I spend a lot of time thinking and dreaming. Thanks so much for sharing yours. I love your 'tude dude! You are an inspiratin to 30-somethings everywhere! :-)
February 29th, 2012  
Great picture
February 29th, 2012  
Fav. I want your work space, and so does my son
February 29th, 2012  
Cool arrangement in this room, Livia. Very nicely arranged and captured.
February 29th, 2012  
What a very cool room! My favourite room is less outspoken, it's my living-room, I love to sit in front of my large window and look at the garden. But this room is so very you, love it!
February 29th, 2012  
Great shot ...love the conversation you shared...you have got me thinking what my room will like!!
February 29th, 2012  
Haha ... what a cool room, so much character. Love the conversation you shared and you have got me thinking about my favorite room ...
February 29th, 2012  
What a great shot it tells so much about you. You are an awesome mom! I love manga too but sad to say I stop watching it because one time I watched it the whole day i have a severe headache from reading the translation. My favorite room is my bedroom where I can lay down and have a restful sleep. In my room I have full of kid's books such as fairy tales, winnie the pooh children's bible stories and x-men comics. lol!
February 29th, 2012  
I think it's great. You're never too old to enjoy what you love. Kudos to you for doing just that!
February 29th, 2012  
Thank you once again Livia for your kind words. I love the colours in this picture. I think anime is an amazing artform not just drawing wise but the soundtrack are epic, I have sampled lots of it for use in my music production. I am at work and haven't had time to read your whole story. But I would say good on you, I like to think by being intouch with the kid in ourselves it helps us understand and aid our own children in growing up. My son is much like yours in that he will tell me to stop being so silly dad. In our house it is bakugan that is the anime of choice. :)
February 29th, 2012  
Oh my word, you are one coool mom and 'middle aged woman' - just realised I'm probably considered to be in that category too! I think all of this is fantastic. You will never grow old, what a priviledge!
February 29th, 2012  
I think you`re great you can (and tell you can ) cry. Nothing wrong with that. It means that you can feel/ empathize . i do read those stories because in all the bad that`s happen in this world , there also great deal of hope and humanity in it. That`s is what gives me hope.
February 29th, 2012  
So creative and ur only as old as u feel~
February 29th, 2012  
Love your room Liv! Very colorful and cool!
February 29th, 2012  
mag
WOW...you sure have a lot of people loving your room...very cool it really shows your love for manga....stay young
February 29th, 2012  
Love the posters on your wall~ I'm sitting in my favorite room, my computer and table are off to the side of the living room with the dining room and kitchen off behind me and to the right. I can be part of everything if I want, or absorbed in my computer if not....
February 29th, 2012  
My daughter and her boyfriend are into anime stuff. Everybody has to be into something or life would be very boring. Go for it.
March 1st, 2012  
@myautofocuslife Had no idea One Piece was that extensive. Got alot of catching up to do. I'll have to check out the Preacher. Sounds good. Huge Walking Dead fan. Amazing show. Same as you, would like to get into the graphic novels. See the difference in storyline.
March 1st, 2012  
A great, big, anime-energized, colorful, manga-influenced, poster-plastered "THANK YOU!" to everyone!

Thank you to all of you for your comments. I enjoyed reading about your favorite rooms. I hope I get to see some photos of your rooms sometime! Thank you for putting up with my rambling and wordy descriptions and thank you for stopping by again. I am very grateful!

Again, thank you so much!
March 1st, 2012  
What a fabulous room. I too love the colours & the energy it exudes!
"Middle age" is a state of mind....other peoples ;)

My favourite room is my studio - sadly it's in the midst of being packed away for an international at the moment, but I'll see what I can do when I can get past the boxes & cartons.
March 1st, 2012  
I don't have a favorite room, only a favorite corner in our home. You're one cool mom, Livia! What a cheerful, whimsical room!
March 1st, 2012  
i looooove your room!! Those posters are so cool and colourful....enough to brighten anyones day! A happy person is surrounded by the things they love......great shot!!
March 1st, 2012  
very artsy and colorful!! this says so much about you in one shot. i like it!
March 1st, 2012  
I love it! Great artwork!
March 1st, 2012  
my husband would have been happy in this room; it's quite wonderful
March 2nd, 2012  
I agree to Myrna. Everybody has to be into something or life would be very boring. I'm sure your children think that their mom is really cool.
March 5th, 2012  
Love this picture, and the great story!
March 5th, 2012  
lol...i really thought it was junior's room....guess we r all stil 15 at heart. God knows how many times i hv wished to be 15.....
August 27th, 2012  
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