Interests: Japan, Japan, Japan. And reading :P My world revolves around things Japanese, particuarly manga, anime, j-pop, dramas, etc. I`m a huge fan of all of the above and I have definete opinions on certain parts of the fandom.
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
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
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: Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu, Asunaro Hakusho, Perfect Love, Team, PS Genki desu Shunpei, Hitotsu Yane no Shita, Oishii Kankei, Itazura na Kiss, etc.
Fav. Books: Night of Ghosts and Shadows,His Dark Materials Trilogy,Harry Potter series, Pride and Prejudice,It,Blue Moon Rising,Last Herald Mage Series, The Neverending Story, Howl's Moving Castle (a Ghibli film in Spring 2003!!! ^.^)
etc. etc. etc. I`m a HUGE fantasy fan ^.^/ I`d put my favorite anime, but I guess something should be left as a mystery ^^;;
*Lol* *points to subject line* It's a reference to a movie Meg and I just watched this evening (er, last evening, as it's early Saturday morning now :P) called Art Museum by the Zoo. It's a Korean movie about a man named Chul-Soo who arrives home from a "tour of duty" of sorts to find a stranger (a woman named Chuon-hee) living in the apartment he'd shared with his girlfriend before he left. Having not much else to do, he stays there (for the duration of his vacation away from the army), to find the Chuon-Hee is writing a script to enter in a contest (and she plans on renting and bigget and better apartment with the prize money). Chuon-Hee's day job is as a wedding videographer and she endures a one sided longing for a senator's aide, whom though he officiates at weddings, and she's seen many times, she's never said hello to. Well, with nothing much to do Chul-Soo ends up helping Chuon-Hee to write her script, and as the days pass...what will happen? Hmm?
Needless to say, I loved it ^.^/ Not quite as much as Il Mare, but then again, although both are love stories they are quite different, and there are elements Art Museum by the Zoon had that Il Mare didn't (such as in the character's actually saw one another :P although both movies involve ppl living in the same house) and vice versa. It was just a great, fun, cute movie. Not for deep, soul searching though. Just a nice story, in the way that a movie like While You Were Sleeping is a nice, simple, well told love story ^.^ I highly recommend it!! Now it's on to watching Attack the Gas Station next...or perhaps Waterboys and then Sennen Tabito....but I still need to finished SoraKara, and a bunch of other things...woo, it's piling up!!
Anyway, went to Barnes & Noble Wednesday evening, and I got a book out of the young adults section called Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. I have to tell you. If you want a good book to read, oft times the best place is to look is the "childrens" section of your local big name bookstore. There are some fantastic books there (although sometimes, such as in the case of The Golden Compass and it's sequels, they're in both adult and childrens). Anyway, this book is about a kid who wakes up one day and he's gone invisibile for (apparently) no reason at all. Well, in desperation for some company, he bundles up against the Chicago winter cold and goes to the library where he runs around (yes) in the altogether, and ends up meeting this blind girl named Alicia, and of course a friendship sparks up. Of course, this doesn't solve his problem, but that's for you to read and find out about. But I thought it was a great book, and I'm thouroughly happy that I bought it, even though it cost more because it was in hardback ^.^ I'm really interested in buying Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autoiography...I've heard things about it being really good, although i can't remember where I heard that. But I saw it at the bookstore and nearly got it, until I read the inside cover of Things Not Seen and opted for that instead.
So Masanari called me tonight :P He's my penpal, and I had a lot of fun talking to him, although I maintain I'm an idiot on the phone *lol* I never know what to say and fear I sound sily, and as a result I do, because I tell stupid stories and start rambling :P Ah well! It was fun! Although next time I should speak more in Japanese ^^;;
Katherine wah keigo, eh? I mean, of course you would have to, considering the job, but that still doesn't negate the fact I sympathize. I think it's great that this job is giving you an oppurtunity to practice keigo-ing...lord knows mine's dreadfully out of use, and it was never good even in class...I can understand when I hear it, I would just never produce it :P What a relief that woman had a cheat sheet on her desk, eh? ^^;; Wanna hear something funny XD On this one place I post, a guy was asking about the differences where you use wa as opposed to ga and someone (who's only been studying Japanese a year) tells this guy to not try and learn the differences, because "even Japanese people have trouble with it" U.U he then proceeds to give an example of how to use them. Does that make no sense to you in any way, shape, or form? I wanted to ring the guy's neck.
Declaration of Independence
(Adopted in Congress 4 July 1776)
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America . When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totaly unworth the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levey war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
Honestly, she isn't. I swear, she must have figured out by now that if she answers the phone and it's a guy she doesn't know asking for me, she's not to let him know I'm home because it's very likely my boss -.- She knows Morgan's voice for cripes sakes, and what other male calls me? It's the second time since Saturday he's called me in early, and I can't say no because I was gone for almost two weeks in June. Honestly, mom needs to get a clue. I'm all for making more money, but on my terms *lol*
So I was all ready to record the first couple of eps of Wedding Planner (the Japanese drama, not the movie :P) and turned the tv on to make sure eps 5-6 of First Love were finished recording, and I discover that after them are left-over eps of Houjo Tokimune that were on the "master" tape ^^;; Honestly, you know you're a dork when:
A: Houjo Tokimune makes you nostalgiac for Japan because you remember happening across it while you were there and seeing Watabe Atsuro in it and thinking he looked adorable, and
B: You never get Wedding Planner recorded because you want to get that random ep of HT because of reason "A". *Lol* Honestly though, Watabe Atsuro with a pony tail and that rugged "wandering swordsman" look is kakkoii ^^;;
Yay! Megan caved and bought 3 movies!!! The Japanese movie "Waterboys" (based off a true story) that I really wanted to see when we were there but just never got around to going to, and two Korean movies that have been reviewed well. One called "Art Museum by the Zoo" and the other "Attack the Gas Station" ^__^ Can't wait to see them. Have read about them and are looking forward to watching them!!
U_U So I go in to work at 6 this morning. Fine, I can deal with opening (I work in a grocery store, for those of you that don't know) on my own. I do however, prefer that when I'm supposed to get someone in at 8:00 to help me, that they actually show up at the corresponding time. The jerk didn't show up until 10:00, and this is after Marianne (the store manager) had one of the people at the service desk calling his house every five minutes until he answered. And THEN he has the GALL to bitch to me about having to work! And telling me how he was swimming last night with all these girls in bikinis U.U Christ, do I care who the hell he was swimming with? UGH...it doesn't help that I don't much like this guy anyway. I know I'm not the most normal of people, but I swear, he's either talking about girls or parties or what not U.U Despite what people think, I'm not always talking about Japan, and unless I'm asked about it at work, I don't mention it. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!!! And then he changes my radio station >O *strangles him*
So went to Chad and Jill's reception ^^ They got married in New York, but had a reception here so that other family members could attend it. Lord, I love Chad and Jill but thank GOD I wasn't there for the whole thing ^^ I'm not a very social person when I'm amid a bunch of people that I don't know, and it's worse when Megan's not there, because I have no one to talk to, and I just end up sitting at tables all by myself. Which is actually fine me with, it's the people looking over at me with a "Oh that poor girl sitting all alone" look on their face that irks me :P
So Lauren got to meet Giro today! I got to see pics!! Honestly, Giro, SHAVE THAT MUSTACHE OFF!!! You'd be so much more adorable without it! I hope you two had a good time, and had enough to talk about and entertain yourselves with.
Shorter than I wanted this to be but I'm TIRED ^^;;
It's Always Good to Have a Sister Willing to Spend Money
Megan's going to kill me when she reads that subject line *lol* It's just a reference to her getting yet another Japanese drama off Ebay! Nevermind the fact we still have Narita Rikon and Asunaro Hakusho to get through, and I'm still not caught up with the eps of Sora kara furu ichi oku no hoshi yet! That and Talia and Meg and I are watching First Love, and there are some other spring dramas we haven't bothered to really sit down and watch yet...like Gokusen, Yume no California, Shiawase no Shippo, etc. Gah, the world of drama fandom can get messy, eh? *lol*
I want to extend a very big THANK YOU you to Elizabeth for her great j-pop entry she wrote on Friday, supporting my argument! Honestly, she said it better than I did. My only regret is that the person I really want to read it *coughShaythemoroncough* doesn't read my blog anyway, as far as I know. Maa, shou ga naiwane ^.^
I invaded Talia's house Thursday night and watched the first two eps of Aishite iru to Itte kure with her. I swear...one look @ Toyokawa Etsushi and I'm a puddle :P He looks too good in it...never mind he plays the literal strong, silent type ^^ I can't wait to watch more with her though. It's really in tie with Long Vacation as my favorite drama, so I really hope she enjoys it ^.^/
Finally downloded Panicrew's new single (Fantastic Voyage), as well as Da Pump's (Rain of Pain), Skoop on Sombody's (Tears of Joy) and Matsu Takako's (Clover), so I'm a happy girl ^.^/ For some reason WinMX is being nicer to me now...when before it had always been rather mean! Knock on wood that it keeps being polite.
Speaking of dramas...forgot to mention I watched part of ep one of Golden Bowl, which is Kaneshiro Takeshi's spring drama. Gotta say, doesn't seem like the most sophisticated or thought provoking..but it seems like I could have fun with it. I figured something out about him, too (aside from the fact he really is TOO pretty)....he's what Takizawa Hideaki would look like if Takizawa hadn't gone wrong :P I swear, meg and I are the only ones that think Takki isn't cute...but if you changed his nose and mouth slightly, he'd look a lot like Kaneshiro Takeshi, and believe me, I have no problems with him (god, I really am shallow XD)
Yes, well, that was mostly rambling :P I'll go now XD
Honestly, does anyone see the point of it? ^^;; About a week and a half ago I was reading the TV/Anime board @ Bolt (I dunno why I still go there *shrug*) and someone was commenting on how they'd seen, as they put it, a "boy band" performing to some j-pop/Japanese anime theme song and how disgusted and sick that made them U__U Now, my being a rather big j-pop addict I still didn't really take offense to that. After all, people say it all the time. I'm used to hearing it. It's because some of the following posts that got me irked. THis one in particular:
1)The electronic sounds that I've heard in my J-pop listening sound like something that was produced in less than 15 minutes. The initiative to bring a hint of creativity and intrigue is lost.
2)It's heavily commercialized, marketed, image-driven, and promoted to the point of insanity, much like here in the United States. They're neatly packaged by the corporate record executives solely for mass market consumption. And this is not a good thing, ladies and gentlemen. It's an attempt to exploit something that's 'in' to make a quick buck. It's more like a fashion than it is music. The same thing can be said for the American neo-'grunge'/aggro rock bands(Creed, Drowning Pool), false R&B (Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child), pseudo-punk(A New Found Glory, Blink 182, Sum 41) and bubblegum pop (Britney Spears, O-Town).
3)Not writing your own music. Show some talent in writing everything, not have someone else do the dirty work for you. Have your voice be heard in the artistic expression process. Some groups break that rule by writing a few songs, but still...
From that entry my guess is this person hasn't listened to enough j-pop.
1.) My sister made a good point when she said practically all Japanese popular music, from rock to rap to "pop" could all be classified as "j-pop" because Japan doesn't really have seperate charts like we do, they have the Oricon chart that includes all kinds of music. So in other words, yeah a lot of it has electronic stuff in it, but a lot of it doesn't. I've heard just about everything used in Japanese popular music, from those electronic sounds to strings to winds to steel drums. It just irritates me for someone to make it sound as if "electronic" sound is all that exists.
2.) His #2....very unoriginal. Honestly, if you even know a .000000001% about j-pop the fact that there's a bunch of it that's manufactured shouldn't come as a surprise. Hell, 4 of my top favorite groups are Johnny's groups, and you can't come more manufactured than that. And I know it. But I think a lot of people fail to realize that these people work hard at what they do. They do countless magazine shoots, commercials, dramas, concerts, radio shows, television shows (as in, have their own), plays, etc. It's not as if they just go once into a studio, record the single and their done. I just think it's too easy to say "oh they're manufactured" and turn your nose up. It's not as if we fans are having the wool pulled over our eyes. We know what it's about and you know what? We have fun with it. There's "legitimate" music and then there's just stuff to have fun. I honestly think people get too uptight over all this, and won't let fans just be entertained.
3.) Wah, the same thing goes here. Sure they don't all write their own music or lyrics, but just as many do! And even those that don't occasionally do. *shrug* I sort of liken it to acting. Actors don't typically write what they say and most people know that. But you go to see them and watch them because you enjoy them. Nevermind the fact my favorite groups...I've seen them LESS "singing" than I have doing other things, like their tv shows.
I dunno, I'm not doing a great job of defending j-pop, and I don't generally feel that I have to, but I just hate people who have this "holier than thou" attitude and think every piece of music has to be some soul searching masterpiece to be enjoyable and have fun with. The music industry in Japan is really a vastly different creature than it is here in the US, so you can't really hold it to the same standards. We don't have, with regularity, actors releasing singles or singers regularly becoming actors, and that's not only NOT uncommon in Japan, it's normal. Fukuyama Masaharu is both actor and singer, the members of SMAP, Kinki Kids, Arashi, all do acting both on tv and stage, Fukada Kyouko, Hamasaki Ayumi, Nakayama Miho, Sakai Noriko, Sorimachi Takashi, Da Pump, Fujii Fumiya, to name just a few, and at least 3 of those have their own radio shows. gah, it just irks me to death sometimes :P
Anyway, Tuesday night Meg and I went over to Talia's to watch "V6 Clips III and More" (I think that's what it's called) which includes all the PV's from Believe Your Smile to Dasenai Tegami. I think my favorite is the one for Change the World simply because it's light and cute and they're bowling...so they look all cute and happy and buddy-like *lol* The three of us voted Ai no Melody as our favorite for just....weird :P Well, weird in a good way. Kiseki no Hajimari is weird in a "What the hell???" kind of way *lol* I also like the one for Feel Your Breeze, although that of course wasn't included on that VCD since the single just came out.
Go my pictures back! WOO! Picture with Zach Braff! >D Cost me $30 to get them developed though U.U I knew it wasn't going to be cheap, but ouch!
Woo! Also looks like we just won the auction for Risou no Kekkon! We're starting to get backed up! We still have to get through Narita Rikon and Asunaro Hakusho before we can watch anything else! ^^v
Woo, we woke up early (we being Chad, Megan, Me, Beth, Anna, and Joe) and hopped on the train to Chinatown. Sha-chan went to get her nails done for the wedding. We arrived in Chinatown relatively early, so that not all the stores we wanted to go to were open. Eventually though, and after a bit of wandering around, we managed two of the three we wanted to see (the third one wouldn't open until 12:30, ten minutes after we were supposed to head to lunch ^^). Anyway, the two stores we went into (which I later realized were the same store, just two different locations) Meg and I scoured the CDs and VCDs for just about anything. In the end, I came out with Kinki Kids' D Album, Ao no Jidai's sountrack (a dorama of Doumoto Tsuyoshi's from summer '98), and the VCD of a movie of ToyoEtsu's called Sennen no Tabito, and Meg got Kamisen's "Sky" VCD, V6 Clips III(which includes all the music videos from I Believe Your Smile to Dasenai Tegami), and Sorimachi Takashi's single Poison which, if you've watched GTO, you'll know it's used as the theme song.
In more than one store, we kept seeing these wallscrolls that had the F4 on them XD For those of you that don't know the F4 are the four guys of Hana Yori Dango-BUT, there was also a Taiwanses drama series made of it called Meteor Garden, and the four guys that played the F4 in that became so wildly popular that they ending up as a singing group (don't give me that shocked looked. Doesn't surprise me the least bit when we're talking about asian music ^.^). Let me tell you, those are four extremely attractive guys O_____O Made me wonder which one was Domyouji though. Even Meg didn't know, and she's the HanaDan addict between the two of us.
Anyhoo, from Chinatown we headed back to Times Square for lunch at a restaurant called Chevy's, which is basically Tex-Mex. It was good, although there didn't seem to be anything special about it to me. Still, it's fun to sit there and eat and talk with about 14-15 other people ^^;; Actually, prior to getting there we passed a Sanrio store, which I insisted we go in, and that resulted in me getting a key-chain with Nyago on it (I love Nyago ;.; so cute!)...although I had to wait in line a good 10 minutes, behind one person because....well honestly I'm not sure why O.O But it took her damned long enough to go through U.U
Anyway, from there, we trekked to Rockefeller Center, since we had some free shopping time and Meg and I remembered the Kinokuniya there from when we'd first been to New York. I swear, their music section isn't as good as Mitsuwa's, but I'd trade it for their manga section any day ;.; As in, they actually have one! ;.; Anyhoo, I got a bunch of stuff (Hitsuji no Namida 1, HanaKimi 17, Hikaru no Go 17, Penguin Brothers 4, Flower 4, and issue #26 of Jump because the cover's pretty XD. Meg got Sensei 1, Renai Catalogue 1, I'll 2, Koucha Ouji 17, Ichigo Channel 2. I also bought V6's newest single Feel Your Breeze, which includes two couples songs, one of which is performed with Shoo of SES ^^ And in one of the songs they sing the Korean version! Kya- you know you're a fangirl when you think it's cute that you're favorite group is singing in Korean XD It makes me wonder if they're Korean proununciation is better than their English! :P
With about 40 minutes left before we were supposed to meet everyone to go get ready for dinner (which was dressy) Meg and I decided we had enough time to search for the Book-Off we knew was around their somewhere. Book-Off, for those of you that don't know, is a chain of stores in Japan that sell used books, manga, CDs, videos, etc. and became a second home for Meg and I while we were in Japan. So we were determined to find this New York branch of Book-Off. Anyway, after running up and down 5th avenue and around the New York Public Library, Meg realized where it must be and eventually we found it (it's off 5th Ave. @ 41st Street btw). Of course we had to take a picture XD and when we went in the door we were greeted with an "Irasshaimase!" which, for two girls that sorely miss Japan, was music to the ears. It was kind of scary, in a way, because frankly, the only difference between being in a Book-Off in Japan and one in America is that you see $$ signs instead of Yen and the employees name tags are in romaji (that, and there's a second floor suwariyomi area :P Anyway, there I got Only You 3 and Koucha Ouji 8, and Megan got Gokinjo Monogatari 3-5.
From there we made our way back to the apartment where we had t get read to go to dinner, which was at Italian restaurant near Dan & Jerry's (Jill's gay rich uncles XD) penthouse. Let me tell you, it was fabulous!!! Although aside from Jill's younger sister's I think we were the only ones that ever only had soda XD By the time we were done though Dan was a little...er...drunk U.U and practically fell on a table as we were leaving That was embarassing ^^ Here I am an unsophisticated Mid-Westerner and I have more sense than this rich New York guy not to get drunk in a nice Italian restaurant -.- I don't mean that to sound so rude...it was just unsettling ^^
Saturday, or The Wedding
Woke up early, as with every day we were in New York and headed to Chad's parent's (on 76th st) hotel to get ready (Jill went to the salon to get her hair and make up all done ^^). We stopped to get the flowers on the way, and even by the time we arrived (just after 10) Mike, Chad's older brother, was still asleep, so we had to be quiet for the first 20 minutes after we got there. Anyway, I hopped in the shower (not having taken a shower the previous night as usual, since I wanted my hair to NOT be poofy and looked half-way decent), got dressed, hair and make up in a pretty short amount of time. And, I didn't look too bad if I do say so myself >P Around 12, the limo came to pick us up and take us to Central Park, which turned out not to be too far off anyway, and we all gathered at the stop for the wedding. From then it was hurry up and wait, because the ceremony wasn't until 2, and even after setting everything up we had a bunch of time. We had even actually decided to go ahead and start, and Jill and Chad were just about starting to walk down the aisle when Jill realized her uncles were missing ( *Lol* how faux paus :P or however you spell it) so we had to wait until they arrived :P The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was perfect. You simply couldn't have asked for a better day to get married. Honestly! They took pictures at the pavillion where they were married and then more pictures in Central Park's Shakespeare garden, which took a very long time but will look fantastic, I'm sure >D
From there we took the limo to the restaurant (a Japanese place called Onigashima) and the food was great (I even ate three nigirizushi, yay for me!), the wedding cake was great (which Chad's mom made!) and then we all piled back into the limo (which they'd changed to an SUV limo XD Jill wasn't happy but I thought it was bad ass looking and it fit everyone in it so hey ^^) to go see Aida. We had 2-3rd row tickets, so you could see the show. Overall I really liked it, although aside from Beth I think Meg and I were the only ones that thought it was only so-so. It was a little campy and corny in places (especially the side story about Ramedes' father) but we liked it well enough for me to buy a t-shirt and Meg to buy the soundtrack and enjoy it ^^v It was after the show that the erm...not so fun thing happened. I guess that Joe had too much to drink (water I mean :P) too quickly (it was pretty warm out after the show in Times Square) but half-way betwee the theater and the apartment, he couldn't quite hold his stomach, and I was sitting directly across from him. I actually didn't get much on me, just my right leg and my shoes, but...wah, that's not really the point ^^ The smell was enough that I very nearly couldn't hold my own stomach. Of course I felt bad for Joe, but it was still a horrid experience.
Sunday:
We actually got to sleep in! On our way home in the limo Jill started asking, "Okay, so is everyone willing to give up Ground Zero?" and Megan and I simaltaneously shouted "NO!!" and we meant it without reserve. So it was decided we'd sleep in and skip the Met but see Ground Zero. I didn't feel bad about being so vehement. Aside from Jill's wedding going to Ground Zero was the most important thing for me during this trip. It kind of irked me to hear her referring to it as a "Hole in the ground" U.U Maybe she's more at liberty to say that, since she's lived in New York since shortly before Sept. 11th...but...I dunno, how respectful is that? Who calls Hiroshima "That place the bomb blew things away" or Gettysburgh "That field with the battle" O.o *shrug* Anyway, so we slept in and after lunch at a Greek grill with Chad's parents we made our way to Ground Zero. It's really strange, being there, since I was as far away as about anyone could be when it happened. I remember my first time in New York (on a chorus trip my senior year of high school) and driving past those buildings. Just seeing this enormous hole in the sky was so sobering. We also past the church that's around back of where they used to stand, and it's fence it's just loaded with all kinds of...well everything. Pictures, poems, clother, caps, flowers, stuffed animals, paper cranes, just about anything you could think of. Meg had made a string of paper cranes herself, but in the end forgot them in the apartment. As small recompense Meg and I both folded a crane from notebook paper and left them on the fence, and Meg also left a copy of a poem she'd written about Hiroshima in high school. Meg and I wandered up and down the fence that was open to the public on the south end and just stood there staring. I can't even imagine what it looked like just days after it happened. I'm not even sure how many pictures I took....none seemed like enough. It's still bizarre to think I actually stood there, right where less than a year ago those enormous building filled the New York skyline, where sooooo many people lost their lives simply because some lower lifeforms of humans decided innocent people had to die >_____< *sigh*
Anyway, after that we wandered around a street fair between 72nd and 76th streets until dinner, which was another Italian restaurant. I forget to mention that on Sunday we were all wearing matching T-shirts, which were the "I Love NY" shirts, except on the back it had numbers and said various things like "Bridesmaid", "Groom", "Father of the Bride" etc., depending on who was wearing it. The numbers were to represent a team :P (we were Team Wedding) and each number was one we each chose ourselves, although none of us knew what it was for when Jill asked us what numbers we liked ^^). From dinner we all went to Stand-Up New York, which is a comedy club between 77 and 78th streets. Of course we knew we would be picked on. It's a small place and we were at the front, and just as planned we got picked on :P Over all, the comedians were pretty funny, although even though I have no problem with cussing, I just don't see why everyone seems to think you're only really funny if you use profanity left and right U.U Still, overall it was a very funny show and we all enjoyed ourselves >D
Monday:
Our final day in New York! Hard to believe it all went by as quickly as it did ^^ We got up and got dressed, and loaded our crap into the McKittrick's car. Then as a group we met the Wilson's at Rockefeller Center for brunch. As we were arriving at the spot to meet the Wilson's they came running up saying they'd seen their famous person (Jill's mom had really wanted to see SOMEONE famous before she left) and we asked who? Well, as it turns out Zach Braff and Donald Faizon (of "Scrubs" fame!)were giving short interviews to a bunch of NBC affiliates in Rockefeller Center!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUGOI!!!!!!!!!!! So Meg and I ran over and were able to see them and took a bunch of pictures...but were pretty sure autographs were out of the question! Still! Kya!! I LOVE "Scrubs"!!!!! ^__________________^ It gets better though! We went to brunch which was great and then Meg and I ran back to the Kinokuniya to get Talia's stuff (and more stuff for us, I'll list later) and were coming out when we saw Jill and Chad talking to them! O_____O So we high-tailed it over there, and while neither one of us got an autograph, both of us got a picture with the group (Anna, Jill, Chad, Beth, Meg and I) and Zach Braff!! AHHHHH!!!! ZACH BRAFF!!!!!!! ^__________^ WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! He was this ---><--- close!!!!!!! ^_____^ It was great!!!!!!!!
So there you have it, my trip to New York in as much of a nutshell as I can give. I liked New York and it's not so scary as it once was...but there's just soooo much...concrete ^^ I think I'm a Mid West girl at heart. I like visiting big cities but I don't think I could function well in them. Even Nagoya seems like a sleepy town after New York. Anyhoo, I'd better close here XD
Fwee, so we arrived in New York somewhere around noon Thursday, after driving from 7 a.m. Wednesday, stopping around 10:30 p.m. that night, and driving again from about 8 a.m. Thursday morning until we got here to New York. We got practically run off the road somewhere in Ohio tho (can't you keep track of your truck drivers there, Lauren??? >P) We were driving along side this mac truck when he suddenly decided that we just weren't there! He just started pulling into the right hand lane! O____O It was freaky, except for the fantastic driving skills of Chad's mom! O.O!! Anyway, I like Jill and Chad's apartment, even if it's small ^.^ It feels really homey and comfy, with it's wooden floors ^^ It's really nice XD Anyway, we saw Chad's school (City College) and Jill's conservatory (AMDA -American Musical and Dramatic Academy), then went to see "the spot" (where they'll be married) in Central Park ^^ After which we went to eat dinner at a small Japanese restaurant (yay, I had Unadon!) and finally we wandered around Times' Square as all good tourists must. I gotta tell you, riding the subway here is strange for me XD I'm used to the precise timing and generally smooth ride of the Japanese subway system (at least as I know it in Nagoya) and New York's....just isn't that XD Not that it's bad by any means, but it's rougher and darker and for me, a girl from a town of 100,000 people, a lot more unnerving. Actually, the thing I find really funny is that I think if I stayed here longer I'd have more culture shock here than when I went to Japan (even with the first time ^^). I'm not really sure why that is, but I feel like I would. Don't get me wrong, I find New York fascinating, and this is only the first day I'm here, but wah! Sooooooooooo crazy *lol* That's the best way for me to describe it ^^
Anyway, I guess that's all I can write for now. Tomorrow is Chinatown and Times' Square, although Meg and I are probably heading to the Kinokuniya in Rockefeller Center instead, and then night is dinner with Jill's uncles ^.^ Whom I've always heard a lot about but never met! ^^v I dunno if I'll be able to blog more until I get back on Tuesday though, just so you all know ^_^/
Go hereNOW and download the teaser for Treasure Planet, an Disney animated movie to be released this November. IT LOOKS AMAZING! I have no words! Just go and look!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo, less than 48 hours and Meg and I will be on our way to New York City for Jill's wedding! It'd be even better if I didn't have to work 8 hours tomorrow, but hey I'm not really complaining! We have to be ready by 6:30 Wednesday morning, when Chad's (the the groom) parents pick us up (they're taking us in their car ^^)...we're supposed to get into New York on Thursday morning and from there, I haven't a clue as to what we're doing! All I know is the wedding is Saturday, as well as going to see Aida...but that's it. I know we're supposed to go to a comedy club and they want to take us to Chinatown, and at some point we're going to Ground Zero...but other than that...you have as much a clue as I do *lol* I'm getting Jill to e-mail me a copy of the itinerary though, so I'll be seeing soon!
So I heard a cool thing on the radio last night. For my whole life, or at least as far back as I can remember, my family has listened to WGN, a talk station out of Chicago. When I say listen, I mean it. If the radio were kept on for 24 hours, most likely it's going to be on WGN all day ^^ In other words, we listen to most of the personalities. The overnight shift from Sunday to Thursday is a couple called Steve & Johnny, and for a long time their producer has been a young woman named Denise. Last summer, her boyfriend proposed to her over the radio, with the newsman on duty breaking in as if there was a big news story (it was fantastic! ^.^ Reaaaaaaly reallllllly sweet). Anyway, they're getting married in a couple of weeks, and they put in an application to be on TLC's A Wedding Story and just found out Friday that they were accepted ^.^ It may not seemed very extra-ordinary to you, but for me, who listens to this station all the time, it's almost as if someone I know is going to be on it. So I can't wait until it's broadcast because I'm sure I'll see all kinds of people I usually only hear. It's going to be great ^.^/
So have been watching Long Love Letter with my friend Amanda, who I've mentioned before knows no Japanese but puts up with our quirks about Japan anyway :P Anyway, we got through ep 7, and while there's a lot I can tell her, I realize there's a lot I can't translate for her. The funny thing is, there's a lot I understand, far more than I can explain concisely, so I'm sticking to the most important things ^^ I kind of feel bad for it, but she's enjoying it a lot anyway, and I'm enjoying behing able to watch this series over again (because I love it). Amanda keeps asking me if it has a bad ending...and I ended up telling her, it doens't exactly have a bad ending. It's rather ambiguous...sort of...can't really explain it, and I'm actually quite interested in what she'll have to say about it.
So I'm a tad upset with myself. My friend Joel had a server from which I could download all kinds of Japanese anime, but I've been really lazy about it and only downloaded a few things ^^ figuring that I could just download stuff at a later date. Well, turns out it's all gone now, because he had it on a server where he was working and had to take it off ;.; I'll now have to find other illicit sources of Japanese anime. So any of you out there that read this, if you feel the need to send me anything just go right ahead. I'm really more a manga person now anyway, so it's not a huge deal, other than the fact it was an option ^^;; And there are a few series I really wouldn't mind seeing. Ah well, I'm good with my manga ^.^ I'm a happy girl if I can read my manga ^.^
So I guess I'm an idiot that I didn't even know the Board was on it's way ^^ But low and behold there it was on the front porch when I got home from work. For those of you that don't know what this "Board" is, I'll explain. About a year ago, our friend ("our" being my group of 'net friends) Chase had to stop chatting because she was expecting a baby, and was married and just had priorities (and rightly so) above sitting on her rear for hours and talking to dorks like us. Anyway, while my sister and I were in Japan last fall, we came across this square boards that are used pretty often in Japan when someone's sick or what not, and people will sign this board and right something on it and then it's given to the person. The catch is, in Japan, because they write vertically, it's a little easier for people to have room to write, but we've managed it. It's gone around to all our group of friends (at least the ones he know Chase) and although it has 2 other people to go to, it's going through Meg and I again for some reason >D It was getting that board today and reading all the messages on it, plus what's written on the cardboard we put in with it to protect it, the notes and messages written on the "quotes" pages, and all the stuff Cali and Hilo wrote on the envelope (what the people in the postal system think about us now, I'm sure I'll never know) that makes me so glad it's these people I met and became friends with ^.^ Reading all that stuff, Meg and I couldn't stop laughing, and it just made us realize how crazy but wonderful everyone is :P Even if I get called a cow all the time :P ^_-
So was reading Reader's Digest (and no sniggering. My whole life we've had a subscription to it and I enjoy reading it, so muh :P) and they have this section now called Our America which is a collection of stories sent in by readers just generally about what is to live in and be an American, and I just thought I'd share one of those with you from this month, although I liked many of them:
A Last Blessing
The age of the hero began on September 11th as Father George Rutler ran to the burning Trade Center towers. As New York's firemen passed the priest on the way to the buildings, they wold pause and ask for prayers, for a blessing, for the sacrament of confession. Soon they were lined up to talk to him in rows, like troops before battle, he told me. He took quick confessions, and finally gave general absolution the way you do in a war, for this was a war. When I heard this story it stopped me in my tracks because it told me what I had wondered. They knew. The firemen knew exactly what they were running into, knew the odds, and yet they stood in line, received the sacrament, hoisted their hoses on their backs and charged.
-Wall Stree Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan
Just wanted that to be read. ^^;; I have to say, I am a shameless, hopeless, patriotic American so much sometimes it almost hurts. I can't imagine wanting to be a citizen of any other country. Sure, we have our problems, but if all we ever concentrated on were the bad things, I think we'd go crazy. I think too often people forget what wonderful, incredible things America stands for ^^ Gah, I can't put it into words. I'll just say I love my country, and it's stories like the one above that make eternally gratefull I was born here, and enjoy the freedoms I have ^^;;
On another note, Narita Rikon arrived today! Woo! ^.^/ Just watched some of the first ep, so I can't, as of yet, make any comments ^_^
No More Jury Duty, Adventures in the 10th Kingdom, and Power Outages at Inconvinient Times
Lord, I'm pretty thourough in my topics at times, aren't I? O.O Anyhoo, so I called at practically 5 p.m. on the dot to find out if I had to go in for jury duty tomorrow. Thus far this week I've not had to go because either 1.) my number wasn't called or 2.) it said no one was to report for the next day. Well, what do you think I heard when I called that number? That's right! NO ONE IS TO REPORT FOR DUTY FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right! NO ONE! Zero! Zip! Nada! DARE MO!! YATTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *dances around happily* I was jumping all OVER the place, and Meg even grabbed her camera and caught me in my revelrie U.U But still >D This means there's nothing to interfere with the trip to New York and Jill's wedding!!!!!!!!! ^_____________^ WOO!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But enough about that :P Over this past week Meg and I sat Tacchan down and made her watch The 10th Kingdom which, should you not remember this, was a Japanese drama length (being 10 hours :P ) mini-series shown last year on NBC, that Meg and I loved. I'm not usually a huge fan of fairy tales even though I'm a huge huge fan of fantasy stories, and pretty much stick to fantasy books as reading fodder, but as with Into the Woods, the way the fairy tale stories are interwoven in The 10th Kingdom I just love. Of course, it has it's weaknesses, but I loved the three main characters (Tony, Virginia and Wolf) enough that any weaknesses I can look past. I think Tacchan had a few more problems with it than Meg or I, though >D Actually, there was something kind of creepy that Megan noted ^^ In the very beginning, the opening includes the landscape of New York crumbling and changing into the landscape of the 9 Kingdoms, and in one part, as a giant steps over a bridge (sorry, I'm not New York savvy enough to know which one...mayhap the Brooklyn Bridge?) you can see the World Trade Center behind as they begin to fall and transform. It's only momentary, but it's noticeable and just a little creepy to see O.o
So about 8:45 a.m. this morning the power went out U.U Usually this wouldn't be such an irksome set of circumstances except for the fact Megan and I just went shopping last night, and spent $100 on groceries for the next week. So we were kind of freaking out, thinking that if the power was out long enough that the stuff would go bad. So we couldn't open the fridge for fear of letting the air out, so we went hungry until the power went on. I called the power company around 11 and the woman on the other end said she'd get someone out to fix the breaker. Well, 1 p.m. rolled around with no results, when the woman calls back saying that there had been a misscommunication and she thought someone had already been sent, but had, in fact, not. So she told someone and they showed up about half an hour later, and about 30 minutes after THAT the power came back on and we were all very ecstatic about the results ^^ The only real downside to it is that now Jon can once again turn on his damned PS2 U.U Don't get me wrong, I'm not myself a gamer but though I have no ill feelings toward the PS2 itself...I just have ill feelings toward Jon playing his PS2, especially because he's decided the living room is his bedroom while my parents are gone to the cabin, and has his enormous TV as well as speakers in there, with no intentions of moving them. He plays it so loudly I'm surprised Talia doesn't hear it, 2 blocks away! U____________U God, there are times I just hate him.
On a happier note, Meg got First Love 5-6 (not a great drama but ah well :P) and a tape of Music Station from Akemi-ya, and I just downloaded B'z new single (Atsuki kodou no Hate) which I like a lot, as well as V6's new single Feel Your Breeze, which I love too. Of course I do, it's V6!! Who hasn't had a new single out since last summer! ^_______________^/ I expect that they'll be on the next tape after this one of Music Station so I'm excited to see that. The last time they were on, it was a sort of orchestral/piano version of Dasenai Tegami
.
anyway, if I come up with something more interesting to add, I will ^_-
Katherine XD, I found a nice picture of your boyfriend @ http://hk.geocities.com/cmofanv6/v6/v25.jpg. He looks really pretty! Almost manga worthy >D Sorry for the full address there, but I couldn't get it to work otherwise, being HTML stupid U.U
Found an amusing page about Ultraman Tiga. ^.^This was a series of Ultraman that Nagano Hiroshi of V6 was in, and I've always wanted to see just to see him. ^.^ If you look on the page you can find pics of him, and he looks soooooooooooooo young!!!! ^.^ *fangirl squeal* It was really cute in an episode of Gakkou e ikou once where a little kids pointed him out as Ultraman. It was adorable. ^.^
^_____________________________^ For two weeks starting tomorrow my parents will be GONE. NOT HERE. AWAY FROM THE HOUSE. I am so ballistically happy you wouldn't even believe it! They're going with my aunt and uncle to my family's cabin. Of course, next Wednesday Meg and I will be leaving ourselves, going to New York for Jill's wedding, but still. Sweet, sweet peace shall befall the Thompson house. It will honestly be so nice not to have the pressure that is mom and dad hanging about ^^ I love my parents, but I'm sick to death of the feeling that their obvious dislike of being married to one another leaves all over the house. So it'll be great to have that feeling gone for a while.
Tomorrow will be the third day in a row that I don't have to go in for jury duty! WOO! How lucky am I? Lord, I'm probably jinxing myself by saying that though. Monday my panel # wasn't called, yesterday no one had to go in and my # wasn't called again for tomorrow. I'm worried about the upcoming murder trial though. I hope the defendant's lawyer is smart enough to ask if any of us shop at that store where the guy who eventually died was beaten up at, since I practically live there, I shop there so often (don't worry, stuff like that is FREAKISHLY rare in my town). Keep your fingers crossed for me, that nothing interferes with my going to New York ^^/
So we took North to see the vet again today U.U No matter what we've done in the last two weeks, his limp has gotten worse, not better. The vet ultimately said we have to practically starve our dog for a few days. That is, cut his food in half and give him a lot of "healthy" treats like carrots and other vegetables. Why the cruelty, you ask? Well, he needs to lose the weight so that he'll be willing to put weight on his left hind leg (the one he's limping on) because he needs to get exercise in order to get muscle back on that leg. It's a catch-22, really U.U I'm really worried because the vet says the hind leg's support 60% of his weigh, and because he only is really using his right hind leg, pretty much all of that weight is being supported by that leg. Which, believe it or not, shows the same problems as his left leg, only vastly vastly vastly on a smaller scale. So, if he doesn't start using his left leg again, it's only going to start exaccerbating the problem with his right ;_; My poor puppy.
Although I like a couple series that run in Shounen Jump (e.g. Hikaru no Go) I don't read it often enough to call myself a reader there of...but thought this might be interesting to those of you that do. I got this from Kiripin and it shocked the bejesus out of me. Makes me really wonder what they're going to do with it. Start translating it as it is now? Start over with the series currently in it? Well I guess the article sort of talks about it. Doesn't sound like it'll be Shounen Jump really at all, but simply an American manga zasshi with translated manga in it...Sounds as if it'll be monthly. Wonderful U.U Nothing like making a weekly magazine montly. Although I guess I understand that, considering the limited "audience" here. (on a completely unrelated note, but that I thought about when I use the words manga zasshi....I always find it irritating to hear the word "phone book" used as a description for them...I don't know why...it just bugs the hell out of me O.o *shrug*).
So yesterday was the 6th Anneversary for Meg and I knowing our friend Brian Clark, who is my oldest and and remains one of my best 'net friends. We met in a place called WBS, in the chatroom Lounge D, which was the anti-venom for the, at the time Anime Chat, which was plagued with...well...seemed to be plagued with idiots. :P Those were the days, before streaming chat (at least on WBS), but it was one hell of a fun summer. He was Ranma Rose, I was Sailor Ukyou, and Meg was Natsumi-chan. ^.^/ There was my okonomiyaki shop, Tim's Bar and the JLA (Jello Ice Alliance). *lol*
So sat and watched 2 more episodes of Long Love Letter with our friend Amanda (who speaks no Japanese but humors us all the same). I feel bad though, because there are times we'll be sitting there watching it and she has to go "What'd they say?" because we'll be watching and simply forget to translate for her >D But she's really liking it, which I'm happy about. Personally, I can't wait until we get to the eps where Asami is hurt >D It was amusing, because at the end of episode 4, Asami tells Yuka he likes her but that considering their situation, doing anything about it would be no good, at which point he goes off with Shou to investigate the Shinkansen. The students gather around Yuka and ask what Asami was saying, to which Yuka replies: "Kokuhaku sareta-He confessed (his feelings)-", and they all exclaim how kakkoii that is...but Yuka simply replies "Kirai". It's at this point that Amanda asks if they'll like each other...and of course Meg and I reply that of course they must, doesn't she know us? *lol* Would we like it so much if they didn't? I swear, you think you're friends know the extent of your shallowness, but no! :P
Nothing Like Having Your Mistakes Laid Bare For You Each Week
Just had a frustrating time with my tutor session this week. It's entirely my fault, because I cancelled last week, and didn't do any of my homework until yesterday and today. As a result, I made a load of mistakes I shouldn't have, which in turn frustrated me to a point that I could barely fumble out any Japanese period U.U I swear, there are times I wish that the only key to a language was understanding it, instead of having to be able to speak it as well :P Ah well, "you can't improve if you don't make mistakes", ne? My tutor (the mother of an ex-friend of mine) is really nice, but very strict ^^ Mistakes I could have gotten away with before I went to Japan she simply won't have now :P I probably confuse the hell out of her sometimes....because every once in a while I know I manage one hell of a good sentence...but that's amidst the crap I normally produce :P I suppose I just wish I could have my "voice" in Japanese, you know? I try pretty hard...to write the way I come across in English, but who knows what it really sounds like to her :P Because of my laziness last week, I get to correct my whole entry for May 28th, plus write this week's journal, plus my sentences ^^ So yay, I have lots of homework this week :P
Am re-reading, after many years, The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. I don't even remember how old I was when I first read it, I only remember that I did. So far I'm only on the second book (of five, aptly titled The Dark is Rising), and enjoying it immensely more than Over Sea, Under Stone. I like Will a great deal more than the three children of the first book, although I find all this Old One business somewhat irksome. They all just sound somewhat....self important. And I suppose that they are, but it's still spoken about in a way in the book that irritates me. You'll have to read it yourself to possible understand my rambling.
So most of you who read this have probably heard this story, but I'm going to tell it anyway, so that you can read it again and laugh at me :P I was working today, stocking produce. I was wearing my flannel jacket (because even though it was warm in the store, I'd just come from several minutes in the cooler, where it's very cold) and had my back to the greater portion of the store. All of the sudden I hear a women coming up behind me and before I could turn see if she needed anything I heard: "Excuse me, sir".
That's right, SIR! Not even young man, but SIR! U______U How cruel! Of course she apologized once she realized I was, indeed NOT a "sir" but ugh...the humiliation :P
Enough for one day! At least for tomorrow I don't have to report for jury duty tomorrow! My number's not called!
Katherine, I can't say that I know how you feel, since I've never posted anything on a message board and had it critiqued (translations I mean :P) ...but I know how mind numbingly assinine people in Fandom can be, and you have my complete and utter sympathy. It's guys like that that end up ruining things for everyone, in a vain attempt to show people how Smart They Are. Honestly, I commend you for the restraint you should in your blog >P I'd have gone on for ages and ages!
The Belmont was exciting! It's a shame the Triple Crown is still so elusive, and that I've never seen a winner in my lifetime, but it'll come! It was a great race, and even though I knew Sarava was going to win by the time I watched it (I was at work when it was on and I taped it) I found myself on the edge of my seat, grinning like an idiot at it all. I love horses, but I pay no attention to horse racing. However, I never miss the Triple Crown races: The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. Of course most people know the War Emblem won both the Derby and the Preakness, so he was the favorite for the Belmont. It was fantastic to watch Sarava, who is the longest shot to win the Belmont ever, just storm down the backstretch and win it like it was nothing special ^.^/ Wah, how exciting!!!
Okay, I have nothing further to write....except that my puzzle is done! woo! finally! I'm going off to read my issue of Entertainment Weekly that's about Harry Potter! ^.^/
*sigh* I had a really long entry, but my computer was a muh-head and it went poof U.U So while I had an amusing entry all written, all you get now is Sullen Jamie. I have a sunburn, I spent 7 hours working on a puzzle, and I don't understand the end of Anata ga koko ni ite hoshii.
GTO, Scaring Katherine, Mitsuwa, Ushisuke and everything in Between
So finished watching the last eps of GTO last night. Both Meg and I adore it ^.^ Like Meg said, it goes up there with Long Vacation, Aishiteiru to Ittekure, Virgin Road etc., as one of my favorite drama series ^.^/ Like Meg said, I only have experience of dorama-Onizuka, except for the very first episode of the anime. I agree with Meg that it's very likely that manga-Onizuka is vastly more ecchi, but I imagine they captured him pretty damned well. I can't imagine anyone else playing him than Sorimachi Takashi (I swear to god, he is, and pardon the fangirl Japanese, suggggggggoku kakkoii in this drama. Honestly, it's no wonder Matsushima Nanako fell for him). It's both funny and really sweet and a complete joy to watch, and just downright entertaining ^.^/ I'm a little uncertain about what happened in the very end, although I imagine that's because I wasn't paying close attention to something. But at any rate, it was a happy ending, with a certain kind of good that is important to me and my sister dear, who oh so love the Love Story.
So last night was also the first time I showed Katherine pictures of the room Megan and I share. XD haha, As I told her, makes me glad she met us before she saw those pictures :P For those of you that don't know us and haven't seen them...well...imagine a wall full of Japanese anime/manga/j-pop/random Japanese stuff and then picture it on every wall, including the ceiling...plus wallscrolls over the windows and two noren in the doorway, and you'll get a very vague idea of what it looks like. That plus hundreds of manga, and j-pop CDs and your basic Japanese stuff all over. That's our room....and believe it or not, I consider myself a relatively down to earth, level headed person when it comes to Japan. Honestly I really do get embarassed to show it to say, Japanese people or people that don't know I'm a Japan-o-phile. >D Actually, Katherine sums up my own feelings pretty damned well, about being a Japan enthusiast, despite the kind of person you'd think I am at first glance of my room ^^;; So go read her entry for today, because I think she said it better than I could!
Anyhoo, went to Mitsuwa with mom today, and met Katherine for lunch. She was kind enough to buy a couple things for me, since I had to buy 2-12 of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e for Tacchan and was embarassed by that (not wanting to seem like a silly fangirl XD), because I also had some stuff for me to buy, and for megan and I didn't want to buy everything in one lump XD I ended up getting a random Margaret manga called Orenji no hikari which is just a one shot with two stories in it (one I liked and one I didn't), Utada Hikaru's Sakura Drops and W-inds' Another Days for me, 7-8 of CCS (since we have 2, 9-12) and Matsu Takako's Hana no You ni for Megan. I waited until after the three of us ate lunch (woo okonomiyaki XD) because the first time I went in there, there was a group of half obnoxious fangirls, and I didn't want to buy it while they were there, lest I be confused as being with them (yah I KNOW that sounds anal and elitist...so...er...There's a time and place to be Obvious Fangirl, and Mitsuwa's not it). Anyhoo, it was great to see Katherine again XD And she needs to come down here when my parents go up north! ^_____^
So, arriving in the mail today was a package from Lauren. In it was a very very sweet and endearing thank you card from her just thanking Megan and I for being friends. ^^;; I gotta tell you, in days that not too long ago we finally ended a friendship of 4 years with a friend, it's great to know who your real friends are ^.^v She sent along with it a cow beanie I named Ushisuke (ushi=cow, -suke=generic ending to Japanese male names ex: Daisuke, Yousuke etc.). I wanted to name it Ushiko until I realized it's a bull and not a cow *lol* He's currently sitting on top of my computer monitor, staring at me ^.^
Anyway, so was watching Gakkou e ikou with Tacchan and Megan and they got to the Voice-kei Seiyuu-bu part that's a recent addition to the show. This episode they were doing an audition for the anime of Get Backers. I just find that amusing, if I ever see that and look in the credits and see the guy's name (that they chose) and all I'll be able to think is "This guy started out on V6's show!!!" and it'll just make me laugh and think that probably no one else watching it will realize that :P
What, you actually came here thinking I write about things other than dramas? XD HA! I fooled you then :P
Anyway, today's topics are the spring 2002 drama First Love(starring Fukada Kyouko and Watabe Atsuro) and the spring 1998 drama GTO (starring now married couple Sorimachi Takashi and Matsushima Nanako).
I wanna talk about First Love first, as I'm not very enamored by it :P Megan and I sat through 2 episodes with Talia already and while it's certainly not the worst drama I've ever seen (and it's got a GREAT theme song in Utada Hikaru's "Sakura Drops") but...well 1.) it's a tad creepy and 2.) it's a tad uninteresting *Lol* But it's not so bad if you're watching it with a friend and you can groan and complain about it. Before watching it I thought it was a teacher-student story, so I was somewhat dubious about watching it, but the majority of the story takes place 5 years after and it's this love triangle between Kasumi (Fukada Kyouko), Nao (Watabe Atsuro) and her older sister (who, it turns out, is now Nao's fiancee). It's drama fodder that I would normally fall for completely and utterly..but ah, I dunno what to think yet :P I'm not a big Fukada Kyouko fan in general, and while I like Watabe Atsuro, he seems to play the same kind of character every time I see him (and it worked well in Beautiful Life, don't get me wrong ^.^) ...but we'll see how it goes, and there are still other series to choose from this spring...plus I haven't quite yet gotten around to watching 1-4 of Sora kara furu ichi oku no hoshi yet ^.^
Annnnnnnyyyyyyway, obviously the better of the two is GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) a 1998 spring drama, which I stupidly didn't watch any of when I was first in Japan (ah how I regretted it for so long :P). We're only on the third of fourth ep, but Meg and I both LOVE. It's very funny, and I love the character's Sorimachi Takashi and Matsushima Nanako play >D You can tell that it's based off a manga, but it's a great combination of manga craziness and drama realness :P It's got a great sense of humor ^.^ I really like the theme song too...although it's strange to think "Dear lord, that's Sorimachi Takashi singing that!". Not that I'm not used to the Geinoujin singing (it goes hand in hand with being an actor in Japan)....
bah I had more to say, but I'm gonna go watching something...maybe will write more later ^^
So we left around 8:00 a.m. this morning to go to Katherine's. Stopped @ Mitsuwa on the way, where I purchased volumes 2-5 of Naruto and a one shot called X2 (Kakeru ni), plus SMAP's new single Freebird. Oh yeah, also got the newest Hana to Yume which included a small clearfile of HanaKimi. Meg got volumes 3-6 of Kirai and vol. 13 of Kareshi Kanojo no jijou, plus Doumoto Tsuyoshi's (Of Kinki Kids) new single "Machi". ^.^ It was funny, because as Meg and I were scouring the music section for various songs and I'm hovering, trying to find where W-inds is, this girl says to me:
Girl: You're looking for W-inds?
Me: Yeah O.O
Girl: *pulls one out* They're over here.
Me: *sheepishly* Thanks (yes, ppl, I do like W-inds, so muh :P)
Girl: Do you guys listen to Japanese music? (Anyone else think this is a weird question to ask someone looking through Japanese music? O.O)
Me: I think that's a bit of an understatement ^^;;
Girl: Do you like Glay>
Me: Well, I don't dislike them, we're just more into j-pop...V6, Kinki Kids, Porno Graffiti, Yuzu...that kind of stuff.
Girl: Can you read yen?
Me: ....What?
Girl: Can you read yen? I'm trying to figure out how much this costs.
Me: Well...I'm working on my Japanese...but then yen cost is usually *looks around covers*...somewhere....
Girl: I'm a big Morning Musume fan and I want to buy these but I don't read Japanese. I have $15, can I get both?
Me: Well they usually mark the prices up a bit...you'll definetly be able to get one of them....
At which point I managed to escape the barrage of questions ^^ If it's one thing I find odd...it's buying something in a language you can't read. Sure the pictures are nice...but in the end that's all you have. You don't even have the info to go along with it O.O Of course, I'm guilty myself of buying magazines lies Myojo, Duet, Wink-Up, Junon etc, for the pics, to put on my wall....but the point is if I chose to I actually could sit and trudge my way through the interviews.
Anyway, we finally made it to Katherine's, with me only having to turn around twice (woo!), and yayness ^^ It was great to see you Katherine ^.^ As Megan later remarked, it was as if we'd seen you just yesterday, instead of 5 months ^.^ And I was honestly kind of worried about coming, because your other friends have known you longer than we have, so there's a bunch of history we know nothing about ^^ But I'm very happy to say I didn't feel left out one bit, and I'm really glad I met them all ^.^ I gotta tell you, for the most part our time as Japanese anime/manga fans has been where we usually talk about certain kinds of things and we know a lot about certain things, and not others, so it's really fun to be around your friends and get this insight on this stuff we really haven't a clue about ^^;; And it was fun being around people who love to talk about it but treat it like anything else (looorrrrrdd I'm sick of the "Japanese is high art blah blah blah" ppl U.U). I loved seeing Ewan again...I missed him XD *Glomps Ewan poster* I'm glad I got a picture of that >P Anyhoo, I hope you liked the gift, even tho it was small :P
A couple of other thank-yous are in order:
Julie for burning GTO for us ^.^v I'm extra happy at getting the first ep of S.O.S even though it's a Takizawa drama. What COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY makes up for it is that Kubozuka Yousuke is in it, whom Meg and I ADORE in a freakish manner.
Lauren, thank you for archiving ^.^ I honestly haven't a clue as to how to do it and appreciated the offer greatly ^_^
Giro for finally finishing Long Vacation. I really wish they could somehow explain the the whole significance of the name bit in the end ^^ But I guess they're not concerned with things like that :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
Katherine again, for throwing the "Jamie Smut Tolerance Level" up a crapload of notches by allowing me to flip through a couple of your Gravitation Remix DJ ^^;; I told my mom this, and would like to leave you all with an exchange between the two of us that resulted from it:
Me: Boy, did I look at some smut today! *evil grin*
Mom: Following in your father's footsteps?
Woo, finished watching Mahiru no Tsuki last night (a drama starring Oda Yuuji and Tokiwa Takako). It's a story about two people who meet and initially hit it off, but not long after the woman gets raped, and how they have to deal with repurcussions and results of that. It is not a happy series. At all. It's very very serious, and what's really interesting about it is that it really shows how something so horrible changes people drastically. I also liked that it showed how people aren't perfect. Naoki (Oda Yuuji) isn't the perfect guy, but you still like him. Mae (Tokiwa Takako) isn't without her faults either. Anyway, while it's not one I would say I love with a full heart, it's one I thought was fantastic, and very well done, and would recommend, if you don't mind this kind of story. It does turn out well in the end, and the characters are likable people ^.^
Actually, there was a very cute part that I liked alot, when Naoki and Mae were shut up in a gym (it was part of Mae's treatment to get over her fear ^^) and Mae asks Naoki if she can call him just "Naoki", as she's called him "Naoki-san" up to this point. Of course he says yes, and the next several seconds they spend saying each others names ^^ Fwee~~~ And there I am sitting there, watching it and smiling like a moron because I think it's cute ^^ I feel sorry for someone watching it that doesn't get the significance of the whole name thing in Japanese ^^;;
Was watching Music Station also last night, and am very happy ^^ Got to see Kinki Kids, Chemistry, Exile and SMAP ^^ It was especially nice to see SMAP, who hasn't had a real new single out since Lionheart ^.^ In a way, it's weird to see them actually singing together, even though they do on SMAPxSMAP...I just don't see that very often ^^ The other amusing part was that on the first ep of the tape Alicia Keyes was on, singing "fallin'". I just find it funny when Western singers are on ^^ and wonder what the heck they think of the Japanese music industry, especially when confronted by groups like Morning Musume or other "cute" groups, since we really have nothing like them here ^^
Woo! Going to see Katherine tomorrow! Yay! I really can't wait ^_^ I'm very excited to see her! Only downside is...I gotta get up early >:P *lol*
