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*Thanks to Jenna for putting the pic up for me and basically single-handedly making this layout for me!!!!! Sankyuuuuuu---^.^v
Archives
Comments, please ^_^v
Name:
Jamie
Age:
22
Interests:
Japan, Japan, Japan. And reading :P My world revolves around things Japanese
I am also a complete and utter addict of the tv show The West Wing, and a Josh/Donna shipper 100% ^_^v
Ever been to Japan?:
Yup, twice. First time, 6 weeks, summer of 1998, Nagareyama-shi, Chiba-ken. Second time, Fall 2001, 4 months, Nagoya, Aichi-ken ^.^v
Manga:
Okay, here goes, in no particular order:
Mars, Kanata-kara, Hikaru no Go, Inuyasha, Sekai de ichibandaikirai, Hanazakari no kimitachi e, New York New York, Massugu ni ikou, Itazura na Kiss, Gertrude no Recipe, Bleach, Koucha Ouji, Nanji nayamu koto nakare, Hot Gimmick,
and a TON more!
Fav. j-pop groups, in no particular order:
V6!, Yuzu, Porno Graffiti, Spitz, Kiroro, Misia, Something ELse, Fukuyama Masaharu, Chemistry, Gospellers, Kuwata Keisuke, Skoop on Somebody, Arashi, Kinki Kids, SMAP, Matsu Takako, Exile, Panicrew, Tokio
and again, a ton more
Fav. Japanese dramas:
Long Vacation, Virgin Road, Meguri Ai, Love Story, Namida o fuite, Aishiteiru to itte kure, Nemureru Mori, Koi wa aserazu, Bokura no Yuuki, Beautiful Life, Summer Snow, Long Love Letter, Asunaro Hakusho, Perfect Love, Team, PS Genki desu Shunpei, Hitotsu Yane no Shita 1 & 2, Oishii Kankei, Itazura na Kiss, Mukodono etc.
Contact:
e-mail: jun_inohara@hotmail.com
AIM: JunInohara (might still sometimes use old name, HikaShin)
ICQ: 146249241
MSN: sueyoshi03@hotmail.com
Layout: v. 7.0! Done by Jenna, as it says at the top ^.^ On the left is Gertrude, on the right, Sahara, from the manga Getrude no Recipe, which I adore!
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Sunday, December 22nd, 2002 :: Comments []
Change of Heart...Slightly
Listening to:Egao no genki/SMAP
Okay, so I have decided to slightly revise my feelings regarding The Lord of The Rings series. I really, really, really, enjoy the parts of the books that involve the Hobbits (any of them, although I'm partial to Sam and Frodo) but I found myself glossing over a lot of the other parts. Not heavily, I read closely enough to know the story of course, I just didn't find the non-Hobbit parts nearly as entertaining or interesting. (The Hobbit being the exception, it I read with a continuity I didn't the others which is odd, considering I don't like Bilbo all that greatly). Anyway, just thought I'd say that :P
Saturday, December 21st, 2002 :: Comments []
Mou 1 nen?! Shinjirarenai
Listening to:My Gift to You/Chemistry
Well, so this is my self-pity "It's-the-one-year-anneversary-of-me-not-being-in-Japan" date *lol*
It's weird, I thought I'd be sadder, and in a way, I really am. Is it weird to say that I'm tired of living here at home, but living with another set of parents in another country didn't bother me?
It's funny because part of it definietly has to do with having greater freedom, and I don't mean that my parents here try and restrict me. They haven't really ever done that to my sister and I (mostly because we've never done stuff that's warranted restricting :P). But the fact of the matter is, if you live in a city in Japan like Nagoya, or Tokyo or Kyouto, Osaka, etc, it's very very very easy to get around the city and get places you want to go. That and there are actually things to do, places to go, and in my case for my time in Japan, people to see.
Aside from the fact I LOVE Japan, I think the largest factor for me in missing my time there is that I was able to hang out with friends a lot, something I don't get to do enough here. This is not to say seeing Talia, and Jason, and Kira isn't great. I want to stress how great those friends are to me, I just wish we could all hang out more together :P And it's no one's fault at all. Conflicting schedules and distance don't work well when you're trying to get a group together.
So anyhow, this is the thing Miss The Most about my time in Japan: hanging out. Finding each other in the labs, going down to Irinaka together, going to sakae, Animate, Mandarake, to see movies. Having them come to my house, or going to Jason's or Katherine's and just hanging out. Nothing special. Just sitting around and talking and enjoying each other's company.
And I guess that's what I marveled at about my time in Japan. It was so normal! But it was normal in a place I chose to be and wanted to be. I revelled in the normalcy. Of course it wasn't completely normal :P but any of you that have studied abroad in Japan probably understand what I mean. You're there long enough that you establish a routine and a rythym and you know and you get used to life there. I know I was only there 3 months and 3 weeks, but it's long enough to know a place, and to consider it home ^^;;
But I also miss my host parents. Easily the best host parents a student could get. There is no possible way I could have be placed with better people, or been treated better.
I miss hearing Japanese. I miss learning Japanese and being able to retain it because it was reinfornced. I miss speaking Japanese and actually getting better at it. It makes me sad to think how much I'd improved by the time I came home last year, and how feeble it's become again since then.
Well, I'm going to stop complaining now, and say that yay! I got tape 4 of Remote. Apparently it ends with tape 5, so if Akemiya doesn't get it I will be very very upset. I've said this before. This is a stupid drama. It's in no way actually good, but it's helluva entertaining, and dammit, I'm a sucker for angsty Kouichi U____U (see: Wakaba no koro). I want to see him run out of his little underground hide-out and rescue Kurumi (who, for her part, I actually like :P She might complain a lot but when push comes to shove the character puts herself in dangerouns situations), and I want to see Kurumi stop in the middle of her wedding to get a call from Kozaburou >D (see? I told you it was stupid :P). Ah, some days it's just fun to revel in the stupid dramas >D It's like watching Bokura no Yuuki or Muko-dono, etc. It's not good but it's so entertaining you don't care ^^;;
Thursday, December 19th, 2002 :: Comments []
The Two Towers
Okay, I'm going to preface this entry by saying I am not a huge fan of Tolkien. I do not worship The Hobbit, nor The Lord of The Rings trilogy. Nor do I even consider them among my favorite books. Call me weird, as the primary stuff of my literate years has been that of the fantasy genre. I mostly certainly do not lack an imagination, and have been reminded many times in my life that I let it run away with me :P I also hate having to defend myself as a fantasy reader that I am not in love with these books, as they have just never clicked with me. Tolkien has always seemed more in love with his world, to me, than with his characters, and characters are what matter the most to me, above all other things.
Having said all that, and not being tied up with "this happened in the books but they effed it up in the movie", I thouroughly, completely, wholly, utterly enjoyed The Two Towers. The movies are what have made the characters come so alive for me. They're what have made me love the characters, and fret and worry about what will happen to them ultimately (honestly, I never have completely finished The Return of the King), and to really feel the weight of the story.
I hate having to say that, though. I worry that people think I can't understand the "scope", which is complete BS. And I do marvel at the scope of the books. Certainly Tolkien knew how to do it much better than someone like Robert Jordan, who's taken nearly 10 books(or is it 10 by now? I stopped reading around 7 or 8) and thousands of pages to achieve what Tolkien did in so few, comparatively.
Still, call me whatever, but I loved the movie. Especially seeing the relationships and the strength of the friendship of the characters. It's stories like these that make me so angry, as my sister said as well, at slash anything. And just as she said, I've no problem with guyxguy stories. I love a good love story, no matter the relationship, but these books are not that kind of story. Never have been, never will be. I don't think Tolkien sat at his desk and decided in some way that Sam and Frodo were having a good time together, as it were, along the beaten path, or what have you. I am so completely in love with the strength of the friendship of these people, that to see people to reduce it to "Well they love each other so of course they'll have sex" is repugnant. The idea that some people think others can't be so bound to each other and love one another like brothers without sleeping together completely frustrates me. And I hate how some people would accuse me of being homophobic, when that's as far from the truth as you can get. This is such a great story as it is, why anyone feels the need to mess with it in any way is beyond me. It completely escapes me.
Anyway, I suppose that's my two cents ^^ Go out, watch it. It was great.
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 :: Comments []
Bleach Blues
Listening to:Yozora no Mukou/SMAP
Before anything else, I'd like to say, I know exactly how you feel, Elizabeth, as my own "Year Since I've Been in Japan" date is in just a couple days. So you're not alone ^.^v
I'd also like to extend a thank you to Brian for the stuff he sent us for our birthday ^_^ He sent a copy of the dorama of Psychometrer Eiji 2. I actually have this series, but when I bought it, I didn't realize the seller was just burning copies, and the first VCD didn't actually work, so I'm really happy to have a working, legitimate copy of it ^___^ The Psychometrer series (er, both :P) are among my favorites, easily ^_^
He also sent the fanbook/playbook for a 1998 Playstation game called Project V6, in which you as the player are V6's manager for a year ^o^ Meg and I have known of this game for a long, but have never seen any books about it ^^;; Needless to say, I'm not a game person, but I'd love to play this game :P
Okay, so I wouldn't say "Bleach Blues" :P except for the fact I'm impatiently waiting to get my hands on volume 5, and just wish in general that I could read it on a weekly basis. I'm completely in love with this series ^^;; The funny thing is, though, I'm glad I started reading it when I did, because then I didn't have to wait as long for more volumes. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from devouring the first four in a short period of time, and just being back where I started: waiting. *lol*
I'm an idiot though, I spent the majority of my time online last night wandering around an IchigoxRukia webring looking for Bleach fanart to gaze at, specifically IchiRuki fanart. The distressing part is that I see fanart of characters whom I have no idea about, but I don't want to read anything on the pages, as I expect those questions to be answered as I read on. Speaking of fanart, I drew a picture of Ichigo. The face is actually from a picture in vol. 3, but the rest is mine, and of course there's no tracing. That's blatant cheating!
The worst part is, a friend of mine told me a couple of spoilers regarding up-coming events, and I've no way to confirm nor deny it U____U and they weren't happy spoilers either. Worse yet, he refuses to tell me any more, which I see as only fair because he's already spoiled it anyway, so I might as well know. *lol*
Tuesday, December 17th, 2002 :: Comments []
Happy Birthday to Me
That's right, I'm 22 =) THANK YOU BRIAN! For the VCD and the book! I'll elaborate more next time ^_^
Sunday, December 15th 2002 :: Comments []
Tanoshikatta shuumatsuda
Listening to:WGN Radio on the net
^____________^ This weekend was a lot of fun. Really, I had a great time ^_^ Talia, Katherine, Kira, and Amanda came over (between 5-6) and we all had dinner together. Meg, Mom and I made "sticky chicken", which is chicken with this ginger/brown sugar sauce (that has oyster sauce and soy sauce etc. in it) with rice (always Japanese rice), and is one of our family's favorite meals.
I gotta say, I felt a little bad for Amanda ^^ because she was the only with no interest in Japan, and here are the rest of us going on and on about things Japanese and she barely said anything the whole time she was here ^^;; But I can't help it. Usually Meg and I only have Talia around to talk about Japan (Tacchan, this does NOT mean you're not sufficient ^_^v), so when I get together with more people who can talk about it, it'll invariably turn to that topic ^^
So we all ate and talked for a while, and then we did the present thing. Meg and I gave each person a santa ornament. I know it's nothing special, but we wanted to have something to give everyone that would be useful and didn't make it seem like anyone was preferred over anyone else ^^;; cause that'd suck, you know?
Anyway, from Talia we received two books, Good Omens and American Gods, both which I have seen all the time but neither of which I have read. This is good, because I have a month off school and no new books ^_^ Plus she gave us a CD of a mix of songs, which I haven't listened to yet.
Kira got me Hana to Yume 24, which I asked her about last week, because it has the final chapter of W Juliet in it ^.^ and Bleach 4! WOOT! I love this series. I love the characters. And I swear, I read it for more than this, but I'm a complete IchigoxRukia advocate ^^;; I just want to throw up a screen in front of Orihime's sad "something's going on between those two" kind of look. Volume 4 was great. It illustrated completely why reading manga in Japanese is so vastly more entertaining than it can ever be in English ^_^ Because a bit of a deal is made of Rukia and Ichigo calling each other by their first names, which, I'm sorry, just doesn't translate well into my native language :P
Anyway, she got Meg this cute pencil bag and notebook that are really adorable ^^ And the "Story" written on the back of the notebook is...well...completely inexplicable and hilarious at the same time ^^;;
I should also mention that Rachael sent us not only a copy of a computer program to learn to play Go, but the first volume of Kare First Love, which is great because we just got volume two ^_^ So woo! ^_^/
Actually, Meg and I exchanged our gifts first. Everyone who sent a letter (or are still going to send one) I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for doing so. Of course, some of you know how I felt about letters being late, but you have only to answer to Meg and the empty spaces in her album :P But those of you who did get them in on time, thank you!
Katherine thank you for the cookies =) They've been nearly gobbled up today by the members of my family. haha Your reaction to our room was great >D Very similar to that of Japanese girls except w/o the copius amounts of saying "su------------------------------goi"!!!!!" >D I liked hearing "I was there when you bought *insert random manga, poster, etc. here*" ^^;; Always nice to know you're not the only one who remembers certain things, ya know? >D
As for Meg's gifts to me ^^ The first thing was Prisoner of Azkaban in Japanese ^_^ We've had the first HP in Japanese forever, and since they're expensive I imagine that's why Meg only got the one. But Azkaban is our favorite, so it's great to have it in Japanese ^_^ Of course I eventually plan on getting Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire in Japanese as well ^_^
The other thing she gave me is special though. I swear, it nearly made me cry. It was a picture, in this really great frame and a matte of really nice origami paper, of me lying on my bed on my stomach up at the cabin reading a manga, and you can see North, but only his face, and I'm lying there with my head lowered down to his. I don't even remember Megan having taken that picture of North and me. It's probably the second to last, if not the last picture we ever took of North, and it's such a sweet picture that it simlataneously makes me smile and creates a lump in my throat. Oh for a chance to snuggle up next to sleepy North one more time ^^;;
Anyway, for most of the night we just sat and talked, which was fun. We were loud and obnoxious (haha mom and my brother were trying to sleep >D) and I didn't care, because it's so rare I get to have friends over that I'll take the wrath any day ^_^
Today Kira stayed until 5, when the train left bound for Chicago. She burned me a bunch of songs (I do not approve of wholesale burning. I buy the majority of j-pop singles I download) and I was having a blast listening to them in the car. I gotta say, trains impresses the hell out of me! When that Amtrak rolled in I was like "Wooooooooaaaaaaah, the power behind that machine!". What can I say, I'm weird like that. I'm like that way with airplanes, too :P Amtrak trains look so dirty on the outside though. So different from Japan's large windowed, clean looking shinkansen ^^ Not knocking Amtrak, they just need bigger windows and a thorough cleaning on the outside ^^;;
Btw, if you haven't, GO READ the new chapter of Inuyasha at Sengoku o-togi zoushi. ^^;; If you're a SangoxMiroku fan (as all we right-minded people are :P), you'll love it especially ^____________^
I felt like I had more to write...anyway, that's enough for now ^_^
Saturday, December 14th, 2002 :: Comments []
The Sure Thing
Listening to: I Believe/Shin Seung Hun
Meg made me rent the John Cusak movie The Sure Thing tonight, because she insisted that I would like it. That, and we've always heard this quote from it used on Nick Digilio's radio show on WGN (which of course, to Meg's dismay, I insisted on quoting when it came to that part). Anyway, she was of course right, because there are very few movies that we disagree on. It was a fun movie, in which you could see the ending coming from the very beginning, and I enjoyed the ride the whole way. John Cusak looked adorable! I was like "O______________O ....pretty!" (yeah, my vocabulary is vast like that).
Mom, Meg and I made chocolavah (sp?) today. It's a fantastic dessert that involves, chocolate chops, walnuts, tons of sugar, orange juice, honey, and a healthy amount of phyllo dough. If you have yet to figure it out, it's like baklavah but chocolate, it's delicious, and is for everyone tomorrow, so I can't eat anymore until then u.u
Ohhhhhhhhh right ^_^ I downloaded both the Music Station performance and the PV for Tokio's ding-dong (which is a song I love and desperately want the single of....and no I do not mean just downloaded. I want the single). Oh my dear lord, is the PV adorable...and how i wish I were that young little girl, whom Tokio was taking on a shopping spree for Christmas. Oh to be 8 and living in Japan *lol* But really, it's really cute and cozy and WAFF-y all over, as a Christmas themed song should be :P
WOOT! Friends will be over today! I can't wait! God I hope we have a good time O_O And that they won't think we're crazy when they see our room >D
Thursday, December 12th, 2002 :: Comments []
Wakaba no Koro no owari and Other Things Good and Bad
Listening to:Friends/Kinki Kids
I didn't plan to, but I spent much of yesterday watching all of Wakaba no koro. I haven't done that in a long time, just sitting down and marathon-ing through a series, but I had a lot of time and well, aside from Bokura no Yuuki I haven't watched a series with both Kinki Kids in it, and it's fun.
I really have to say, I quite enjoyed the series, even if at times it's kind of cliched. I thought it was an interesting look at believing in your friends, and that even in the worst of circumstances, that belief is something you should hold on to. Although, I was a bit irked that Takeshi got more upset with Kai than Izumi, but I suppose you forgive the one's you're in love with more readily? I don't know, it's just a guess.
I wish the end had been longer, and once again the "watch through the end of the credits" with Japanese dramas holds true. I suppose it ended exactly where it should have, and I'm glad it was Takeshi that was the first to see that Kai (I swear, the more I hear that name, the more it sounds like the name of a guy in a shoujo manga) was awake ^^ It's just kind of "How it should be", you know? ^^
Got two b-day cards today from Saruchan! ^_^ One is silly (har har, plaid cow disease, very funny Lauren :P) and one all mushy and making me feel all "yay friends" *Lol* So thanks Saruchan ^____^ And thanks for the avatar and the sig pic, they look great ^_^
Thanks to you too, Jenna, couldn't have gotten them to work without you either ^_^
So today was pretty good: I got Chinese added to my classes finally, my Word Arts: Music final was pathetically easy, and we finally got a christmas tree and even managed to throw the lights on. But it's all tempered by the fact today is 3 months since North died =.= It drives me nuts, because even 3 months later if I think about it too much I get all teary. -.-;; I miss him sooooo much ;______;
Anyway, on a happier note, Chase was back tonight ^_____________________^ For those of you that don't know, Chase is a dear 'net friend of mine (and of most of the people that are linked on this blog) whom we all haven't chatted with in more than a year, because she's been a Mom, and had to concentrate on that. But she came for a chat tonight, and I swear, we were all more like little kids than we usually were ^^ It was great. I really missed her =)
Wednesday, December 11, 2002 :: Comments []
Soshite, zutto aitsu to ore no koto o kangeita
Okay....yeah...so...any comment I may have made in the past regarding certain fangirl-y aspects (I don't like that word, but *shrug* sometimes you gotta use words you don't like) of the Kinki Kids drama Bokura no Yuuki....yeah, well, THROW THOSE OUT THE WINDOW AND FORGET ABOUT THEM. ^^;;
I started watching Wakaba no Koro tonight (just getting to episode 3) and oh my dear lord....I really like it thus far, but I swear, when Takeshi (Tsuyoshi) and Kai (Kouichi) first meet (before Takeshi gets all "I'm poor and angsty") the doujinshi-worthy material is served like a full course meal!
Normally, I'm not a non-canon advocate. I don't believe in making up a relationship where one never would have existed (go ahead, call me boring, but that's how I am), but lord, you might as well have thoughts like that poured into your head, in the first episode ^^;;
But anyway, on a more serious side, I'm enjoying it a lot. It's a story about two kids with wildly different backgrounds (one who's all but destitute, with two young siblings and an alcoholic father, the other the son of a rich doctor who gets no love from his father) but who find in each other a kind of common ground, and become good friends. I adore buddy stories, even if it's a rather sad, dark one. That's why I prefaced that earlier paragraph with my not normally being a non-canon advocate. Especially with buddy stories I hate people imagining stuff that's just not there. Everyone who knows me knows I love a good douseiai story, but I don't want characters who weren't written gay to be gay, just like I don't want a heterosexual couple being together who never would have been in the original story. Buddy stories are about deep friendship, and for people to think human beings can't hold a deep bond without it being sexual drives me crazy.
Anyway, think I'll go watch more before bed =)
Tuesday, December 10, 2002 :: Comments []
Big 'ol Box 'o Goodies
Listening to:Blade/Exile
LEVI, thank you SOOOOOOOO much for the stuff you sent ^_^ The box arrived this afternoon, just about the time we thought it would. Here's what he oh-so graciously sent to us:
*A Japanese-English dictionary
*a copy of the drama Wakaba no Koro
*a V6 fanbook (not doujinshi, a book about V6 for fans of V6, called Daisuki V6! Kamisen ga Ippai
*a tape of the show (?) Wannai
*Ichigo Channel #3 (for Meg)
*Kanata-kara #13 (for me)
*a magazine excerpt with pics of Tokio ^^;;
*a file folder with....gah what's his name on it...he's in a bunch of dramas, and I'm not sure why Levi sent it, as a joke, I'm thinking :P
*these two little manga puzzles
*a bunch of snacks
*an (empty) Drink! SMAP can =) because it's novel
*and a drawing he did that has a guy on it throwing his arms up that says "Aki ya de!"....
*sigh* I don't want to read volume 13 of Kanatakara though. I flipped through it really quickly, just to get an idea of what's going on, not reading anything, and this volume includes a chapter that I read in LaLa some months back, where Noriko gets kidnapped (temporarily :P) and Lachef (grar I forget his name >D it's been forever since I picked KK up, because it's a year between volumes!) only ends up chopping the hell out of her hair instead of her, so she has to cut it short, like it was way back in the beginning when she arrived. And if I'm not mistaken, I think the series is coming to an end here, if it hasn't already, and I'm terrified that Noriko has this look because it means she'll go home (without Izark) looking just as she did when she left ;__________; This manga has been going since 1992, and although I've only been following it since 1998, I don't want to see it end in a His Dark Materials kind of way =.= I don't want Nuriko and Izark to have some Will/Lyra thing going where they can't be in the same world or something . Grar, I hope to death it ends well *_*
Btw, I gotta say, Levi's one hell of an artist! That drawing is fantastic!!! And don't forget to make us a list Levi. I want to make sure you either get stuff from the US, or paid back for the stuff you bought ^_^v
I'm really looking forward to watching Wakaba no koro, which is a drama starring Kinki Kids from several years ago. Not only did Levi, who's not a huge drama person anyway, say it's not too bad, but my penpal Eddie (er, Eichii really, he worked here in the US for about 5 years, and his co-workers had trouble pronouncing Eiichi, so they called him Eddie) told me about it and recommended it to me a long time ago (at least 3-4). So I can't wait to watch it ^^
Meg and I started writing our christmas cards last night, so people will actually get them on time this year. I think we already sent the first batch of them out, since we had the stamps. I feel kind of bad, because I'm not sure whether or not I should send a card to my first host family, because both Fumi's birthday card and letter came back to me, and I know the address was correct. I have no idea if they've moved without letting me know, and I'm afraid the card will just get sent back. komaru~~komaru~~~
Well, I better get off the comp! Gotta help with dinner and then we're going to find a tree! WOO ^_^
Monday, December 9, 2002 :: Comments []
Feelin' Better
Listening to:Love Me All Over/J-Friends
Okay...I'm not really listening to the single as an MP3 :P But Levi sent me a capture of a performance of J-friends so I'm "listening" to that! I like the song, but I like last year's Always better, I think ^^;; *shrug* Maybe if I see the PV I'll change my mind? (I find Always's PV adorable :P)
Anyway, as the subject title says there I'm feeling much better ^^;; Basically 100%, but I'm trying to shy away from stuff that I think might upset my stomach in case it's still a little unsure of itself (says the cream-filled donut I ate during my break at work this morning ^^;;).
My fingers are killing me! My fingertips are so dry from the constant change between being wet and dry at work, and they look all red *_* It's also making it more difficult to write, and, shocker type :P
Woo~~~ my tutor gave me a bunch of mochi to bring home with me tonight after my lesson ^o^ Actually, right before my lesson started she asked if I liked mochi (of course) and brought me two, wrapped in nori with shouyuu over them....plus a little bowl of "Soup"....which was a base with chicken and a few pieces of shiitake mushrooms. Ah, if only I hadn't already eaten tonight, I could easily have eaten several of those.
Haha Go vote in Kathy & Judy's Hot Guy 2003 Contest. Normally I'm not into this kind of thing, but I'm a devoted, life-long listener of WGN, and Kathy & Judy crack me up, and this contest is very them. So go vote for Denzel Washington, cause I think he beats John Corbett any day!
So we had our Chinese final Saturday morning. Ugh, was that rough. I suppose I could have studied more for it, but it was much more difficult than I expected. Especially because I wasn't expecting the slight changes she made in some of the sentences and was thrown off by it. Also, I know the counting words cost me a bunch of points, because we got a whole bunch this least week before the test and I didn't review them much at all, opting to study other things instead. ~~~wo juede zhongguoren you yi dianr nan, keshi wo xihuan zhongguoren~~~
A belated Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu to Levi! ^_^v Don't feel old, okay? :P
All right, I'm outta topics for today ^^;;
Thursday, December 5, 2002 :: Comments []
Hakitakunai =______________=
I swear to god, now I remember why being sick is so despicable. I was fine up until about 3:30 yesterday....around 12:30 I decided to take a nap (something I haven't done all semester) and slept until around 2:00. Now I know it usually takes me a while to wake up completely from a nap, but I just wasn't feeling well after I woke up. I felt.....really, really full, like I'd eaten way too much (probably had)...and then....at 3:30....well....let's just stay lunch didn't stay where it was supposed to U_________U And that continued until around 8:00 or 8:30.....since then I've just felt achy, tired, and my stomach, while it doesn't hurt, feels, at best "garbly".
And I totally can't take this well. I haven't been sick like this since junior high probably, so I want to be pitied and taken care of *Lol* It doesn't help that sometime around 11:00 p.m. last night, whatever had hit me, got Megan too, and my mom had to leave to stay with her uncle earlier, so no one was left to take care of us *lol* (What about your dad, you ask. HAH, that's a good one).
Anyway, but today I managed to pull myself together and go to Chinese. I'm feeling better...not sick but like I'm in the sick-person-recovering-from-being-sick transitionary stage :P I feel achy still and weak and heavy...ugh, I can't wait till this is GONE!
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2002 :: Comments []
Happy Birthday Dear Blue~~~~
Listening to:Lionheart/SMAP
So in the middle of being busy, we all forgot that yesterday was Blue's birthday! Our puppy is now two years old ^o^/ I was so busy remembering that today is his 3 months anniversary with us that I completely forgot about his birthday ^^;; Anyway, so otanjoubi omedetou to Blue ^_^v
So I've thought for quite sometime that I don't get all that livid over people misunderstanding what Japanese anime is (being used to people misunderstanding it), but then this morning I was listening to my favorite radio station (the wonderful WGN out of Chicago) and they were discussing a front page article in the Chicago Tribune (er, I think so...maybe it was the Sun Times?) regarding it. Now, I didn't hear the beginning of the conversation, nor have I read the aforementioned article, but I have to applaud the radio host, because she had the right idea. But some idiotic moron calls up saying the previous caller who had twin 16 year old daughters should be concerned. Apparently this particular caller gets stuff from his friend that's of the less than desirable variety and I guess he's decided that's all Japanese anime is. Thank god a caller after him (a mother, to boot) called in to disagree with him, and the radio host said she was getting the feeling that it spans all varieties. I was like "Thank you!". I mean, if someone misunderstands that's one thing, but then going on one of the largest radio stations in the country and telling people "It's only like this" upsets me. I didn't think I could still get so upset over it, but apparently I can *lol*
I bought Hakusen Nagashi on Ebay ^^;; *lol* J-ent has a little "awesome" notation by it, which is usually put by series the the reviewer really enjoyed. From the short summary I read on J-ent page, it sounds like a series I'm going to really enjoy, since it's about a group of friends. It just sounds like an overall good series that will be enjoyable to watch. Can't wait for it to get here...but of course I need to go buy a money order first ^^;;
Okay, this might sound a little strange, but as Meg and I were driving to buy lunch a funeral procession came toward us (er, well, you know, the cars and herse invovled). This isn't remarkable of course, but as I was telling Meg I'm always impressed when people move to the side of the rode and stop as it passes. I know that sounds, well, kind of weird, but I think the reason I think this is that we as Americans have so little ceremony in our every day lives, that when people respect things like that, I'm really impressed. It's probably the same reason that even though I have abosolutely no intention of joining the Army or anything, but when I watch them in their ceremonial duties I'm fascinated and impressed ^^;; Wah, I'm strange, I suppose~~~~
Speaking of things that impress me, in my Citizens and Governance class we're watching a documentary called This is what Democracy Looks Like and is about the protests in Seattle in 1999 during the WTO conferance there. Of course prior to this I've heard numerous reports that the media vastly misrepresented what went on at the time, and this documentary really drives that home. It impressed the hell out of me that so many people just sat there and protested via civil disobediance (that is, sitting calmly, arms linked, refusing to move) while being continually harassed by the police. It didn't start out that way, but it became progressively worse. I can understand certain tactics with protestors being violent (and no one discounts that there wasn't a group of people who were) but from what the documentary shows they went way over the line with people protesting peacefully. Plus I find it dispicable that the mayor passed a temporary order banning the selling, buying or possession of gas masks U_U The whole thing pissed me off and made me respect the people that were there, especially the ones (of course) that strived to protest loudly, but peacefully, even in the face of all kinds of harassment on the part of the authorities. I'm sure this documentary isn't 100% accurate either, but the fact of the matter is that some people were wrongly harassed when they were following the rules set up according to that time.
Oh yeah, got to watch Honda Takeshi skate last night ^_^ He's one of my favorite skaters right now, and no not just because he's Japanese. He's a fantastic skater! Actually, I didn't realize until last night that his choreographer is Kurt Browning, a Canadian skater that I've always really liked ^_^ Makes me want to cheer Honda Takeshi on even more. I like him because he's a strong skater that's not too flashy, and his skating outfits usually aren't either :P Although I question last ngiht's ruffled maroon colored shirt *lol*
Sunday, December 1, 2002 :: Comments []
"Dodos can't fly, Alice!
Listening to: ding-dong/TOKIO
I finally got this song downloaded >D I'm so happy. What I really want is to buy the single though, of course ^^;; It's a stupid title for the song, but appropriate I suppose, since they actually do sing "ding-ding" in it. *lol* It's a perfect "happy family" drama theme, though (and is used as thus for Nagase Tomoya's YanPapa). It comes out on Thursday, and sometime next week J-friend's final single will be released....which I want too, of course ^^;;
Anyway, so we went to U-High's Madrigal Dinner tonight *lol* It's quite nostalgiac, because I'm still able to sharply remember who wore what outfit when I was a Mad ^^;; That and I think the songs are what bind all Madrigal singers together, whether you know each other or not. This is because in your career as a Madrigal Singer (2 years for me, in high school :P) the likelihood you learned and sang a song another Madrigal singer from across the country learned and sang is pretty damned high :P I swear, counting the typical Madrigal Dinner songs (which would be Boar's Head Carol, Flaming Pudding, Wassail) I think half the songs on the program my sister and I knew either from being Mads ourselves or from being in chorus during high school. Of course, this is both good and bad. Good because you still feel a nice kind of connection to it, but bad because you're convinced that 1.) your Mad group sang it better and 2.) It's impossible that any other group could *lol*
But anyway, despite the eternally crummy food, it was quite enjoyable >D It made me happy that Tacchan's lines weren't half as corny as some of the others >) and the script was pretty funny, although I wish the audience had laughed at more of the jokes than they did ^^;; I also thought the singing was pretty good...although honestly Tacchan, your sopranos were less than ideal, and I understand why the beginning of O Mistress Mine was cut. To me, as an audience member, it didn't seem like the sopranos had that good of a range, vocally. Good thing the rest of the group made up for them :P
So my poor puppy cut himself when my mom was walking him last night, and mom thought she had the (very) superficial cut taken care of, but I came in from returning Remote to Akemiya and he's bleeding all over the kitchen! Obviously Greyhounds are suseptible bleeding easily....but it was one of those injuries where it's really not that bad but you bleed like hell anyway. I remember those well, from playing soccer. It was kind of gross though, because it made the air smell like blood U_U which is unpleasant enough when it's your own =.= But he's all taped up now, just a matter of making sure he does try to chew at the bandage.
So yeah, Meg mentioned that my brother and his girlfriend have this bizarre idea we "like" our friend Jason. Apprently this is because we have hung out with him sometimes since he came home, and apparently according to their astounding deductive abilities, this means we have some sort of crush on them. They have, apparently completely forgotten, or conviniently ignored, the fact that we spent nearly 4 months hanging out with Jason nearly every single day while we were in Nagoya. I can probably count on my hands the # of days within that 3 month 3 week period that I did not see Jason, and I managed to come away having no crush. He's a great guy, but dear lord, I think I can restrain myself :P
Btw, I'd like to reiterate how much I'm enjoying Bleach, and am really excited to see what direction it's taking (as I only have volumes 1-3). I love Rukia and Ichigo, and Kon >D Kon amuses the bejesus out of me. I highly appreciate Katherine's translations. Not that I couldn't have read it otherwise, but there are details which my all too stunted Japanese vocabulary couldn't hack, and I've been grateful for the opppurtunity to double check *lol*
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This gif of Jamie ddr-ing was made by Amy and it was edited from the ddring bunny. YAY AMY!
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