Welcome! Irrasshai!
You have reached the journal of one Laura H. aka Areea aka areea-chan. This journal is totally dedicated to fangirling with a few non-fangirling things thrown in for good measure. I mainly blog about mah main JE boy, Toma. If there's anything you want to know, look around, send me a comment, look at my profile page, or just ask!
If you, for some crazy reason, want to know more about me, please read my Laura!Fail intro post.
You can also follow me on Twitter because everyone has one and it's so dang addicting, and we can have crazy conversations about fandom.
FRIENDING POLICY:
1. I want to be your friend, but let's PLEASE have something in common. Makes the talking thing a whole lot easier.
2. Leave a comment on this post or send me a message telling me why you are adding me. I really do hate it when people randomly add me and don't tell me why. Pretty much all of my posts are public anyway, so why not just lurk like most of the people around here?
3. I DO NOT ADD YOU BACK UNLESS YOU ASK ME TO OR LEAVE ME COMMENTS. Again, my posts are public, so why add me when you could just lurk?
I <4 you guys a lot (it's one better than <3)
Thanks to
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
princess_rei09 for the wallpaper from which I made this header. Isn't it purty?- Location:Dorm
- Mood:
bouncy - Music:Love and Peace--4 Tops
- Location:Park House
- Mood:
busy
As much as I've been annoyed at the state of the world lately what with people being haters and decepticons and things seeming like they haven't changed much in the past 60 or so years, it only takes one majorly awesome thing to remind me that the world is, indeed, full of awesome.
The song references this xkcd comic, which, if you're not reading, you really should be. A lot of wonderful nerdy stuff goes on.
Full credits list (courtesy of olganunes.com):
01. We love momentum - Elaine Doyle & Olga Nunes
02. I love to engineer - David Beaumont & Google Zurich
03. I love this bakery -- Hank Green (Brotherhood2.0, Nerdfighters)
04. I love the blogosphere -- Cory Doctorow (BoingBoing)
05. I love the whole world - Phil Plait (Bad Astronomy)
06. And all its messed up folks -- Lawrence Lessig
07. Boomdeyada Boomdeyada -- Miss Cellania (Neatorama)
08. I love your suffering -- Allan Amato
09. I love cryptography -- Bruce Schneier
10. I love entangled sheets -- Olga Nunes, Belinda Casas, Chuck Martinez, Jeremy James, Joanna Gaunder, Lee Israel
11. And kite photography -- Charissa Gilreath
12. I love the whole world -- Jason Kottke (kottke.org)
13. I love a mystery -- Neil Gaiman
14. Boomdeyada Boomdeyada -- Mr. Toast
15. Boomdeyada Boomdeyada -- MC Frontalot
16. I love elections - Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden (Making Light)
17. I love transistors -- MC Frontalot
18. I love weird pillow talk -- Team Genius
19. I love your sister -- Neil Gaiman & Maddy Gaiman
20. I love the whole world -- Octavio Coleman Esq.
21. The future's pretty cool - Wil Wheaton
22. Boomdeyada Boomdeyada - Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden (Making Light)
23. Boomdeyada Boomdeyada - Team Genius
Ja ne!
- Location:Dorm
- Mood:
crazy - Music:We Love xkcd--awesome people
Or rather, make me do homework. Yes, yes, it's homework I'm running from (what are you doing on LJ, B-chan?). But there's so much to write about! So much spazz! So much flail! So much show-stopping extravaganza-ness that will knock your socks off into next month!
Okay, I'll stop, I promise.
( Click Here for Boringness and Embarrassment )
Zanzou. ZANZOUUUUU. IT'S OUUUUUT. The song and PV are already out for "残像," and it's
just...sigh...wonderful. The song, that is. The PV leaves something to be desired unless you simply looooove Ryuta like nobody's business and like flying clothes at the ocean. The song, however, is rather beautiful and sad, and that last chorus always gets to me: "Aishiteru, aishiteru, aishisugita.." Ahh, it's so nice. I haven't heard it on Bloody Monday yet because, well...I haven't...quite...seen Bloody Monday...yet.The second song on the single, "Birds" is a lot like a cross between "星に願いを" and "今年の桜" with a bit of "回転木馬 (メリーゴーランド)" thrown in. I love my boys, but they can get repetitive sometimes. Kazuki, love, can you please come up with something different than anything you've ever done before? The third song is a remix of "今年の桜" for graduations. The song is slower, but Ryuta's vocals go the same tempo as the regular version. I think they simply reused his vocal track. If they had re-recorded and made it a bit slower, it would have been so much more powerful. As it is, the vocals go almost too fast for what could be considered a graduation song. When I think of graduation songs, I think of ones that people can easily sing en masse. Like GReeeeN's "涙空" (as they showed in the PV).
The bonus track is the live version of "Over the Rain~ひかりの橋~" from the Budokan performance. It's basically "Over the Rain," but live. It sounds similar to the non-live version, except Kazuki seems to really be putting it on the guitar. I seriously don't think I could forget the lyrics to this song if I tried (so much karaoke QC, it was unbelievable). I'm not sure why they put this as a bonus track because it's really not super-spectacular. It may just be a pimp for the upcoming Budokan DVD.
SPEAKING OF FLUMPOOL, they're coming out with a photobook (different than the ones they sell at concerts) and it's only about $22US, and it's tempting me greatly. I really want to start getting Pati Pati, as it regularly has their photoshoots and posters. Ah, 金がないよねえ。。。
SPEAKING OF THE BAND OF FOUR LUMPED IN A POOL, THEY PERFORMED AND HARUMA AND TAKERU WERE BOTH THERE!!! Unless I haven't found it yet, there's no performance of "Over the Rain" with Haruma there, and I was really interested to hear his thoughts on flumpool's music and the theme songs for the drama.
Due to school, I've slacked on fandom, so there are only random thoughts left of things. So it's list time.
I want to buy:
1. Ningen Shikkaku photobook
2. flumpool's photobook
3. Something I saw coming out the other day, but now I forget, but it doesn't matter anyway since I have no money anyway. Seriously, how do people afford fandom?
Things to rant about:
1. The world
2. Actually, no, that's pretty much it.
Things to poke fun at:
1. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
2. KAT-TUN's "Love Yourself" and "D-MOTION" songs. Oh, such lulz from both. And Koki totally says, "Don't be shy--kiss the girl" at the end of his rap! XD
People You Shouldn't Hate:
1. Kame (Seriously, people, please stop hating on Kame. He has never done anything to you except dress in drag and look like the madam of a bar or possibly date an older woman)
Things We Should All Do:
1. HAVE A BIG TRENDING TOPIC ON FEBRUARY 20TH FOR NINGEN SHIKKAKU. Who's in?
2. Not hate on Kame. Seriously, what did I just say? I'm serious here.
3. Work on having better grammar.
4. Stop saying "tl;dr" when we post a lot. Isn't it bad that we live in a world where people apologize for writing too much?
On one last note, I have way too much to catch up on watching. Dramas from several seasons ago are finally getting finished (thank you, sub groups, by the way, for finishing), so I'm trying to finish those while getting into new dramas. I also started watching a few older dramas like Kita no Kuni Kara (oh my gosh, it's amazing the difference in quality between then and now). There's just way too much to finish, but hopefully I will.
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood:
sick - Music:Love yourself ～君が嫌いな君が好き～--KAT-TUN
That's all I have to say.
No, no, I'm just kidding.
It also didn't show him buying CDs. Dang. And that's all I have to say about that.
....
Oh, come on, you know I have way more spazz than that.
Despite the fact that my brain wasn't working--or it was, it was just screaming, "TOMAHOMGIT'STOMAHE'SACTINGLOOKATTHEPRET
Ahem, pardon the stupid.
Back to Toma. Even though it was a short 24 minutes without commercials, it was really amazing. Seeing Toma being so serious with acting, you can really see his passion and work ethic. I've said it before, but by doing these films, it's like he overcame a wall in his acting. Back when he was in Majo Saiban, it felt like he was the same Toma. He had a lot of the same habits and quirks that he's had before, but now Toma has made a great leap in his acting. It'll be exciting to see how he handles TV again--Cam is right now yelling that she wants a new Toma drama LIKE NOW XD--and what will be in store for him next.
( Requisite Screencaps With Commentary )
Sorry I've been MIA, but I went back...back, back to school again this week and not much has happened. However, I have been watching Yamanade, and I have become addicted to it. Even the theme song grows on you after awhile. For some reason I've taken to listening to pretty much anything lately, even the new song from Becki Cruel and the Cruel Angels and some stuff from Story of the Year. Why? I don't know. Everything amuses me lately.
J-Club is on the move! First meeting is tentatively on February 9th. Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and good wishes for the club. I'll definitely keep you guys updated on its developments.
Also, B-chan and I have found haikyo in Kentucky. Like super-awesome motel haikyo last Sunday when we drove out to the middle of nowhere to find a non-existent Asian store. We did, however, find an Asian grocery and furniture store on a backroad that looks like it's yakuza-run.
Ja ne!
- Location:Dorm
- Mood: proud
- Music:Ray--lego big morl
WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN LOTS OF EXTRA EXCLAMATION POINTS....LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!
1. 1159 page views. I don't know what happened January 18th, but that's insane. Result of lots of interesting links about crazy Japanese ruins, perhaps?
2. askajd;waidnajndaj.dna.fanfjafnaflumpool
This boy right here ----------------------> 
has a movie out on February 20th. We know this already. He's doing promos right now.
HE'LL BE ON FRIKKING PASSIONATE CONTINENT JANUARY 31ST. Mark your calendars, Crazy Lovelies, cause this is the legal way to stalk Toma.
I hope they show him buying CDs because we know the boy loves to buy CDs. Plus, I have this weird thing where I like to know the artists that other artists listen to.
Ningen Shikkaku website has also been updated with lots of purty photo thingies of the boy.
It's a general consensus that if Yamapi does not go see this film and then write about it in his nikki and say that Toma is an amazing actor, he will be the worst best friend in the history of EVER.
Yes, we are watching you, Yamapi. 0_0
3. Dareka ga Watashi ni Kisu wo Shita needs to premiere in America. It just does. With so many awesome movies coming out this year and having to wait so long for them to come out on DVD, we need SOMETHING. Come on, Hans. I'll give you a cookie.
Gabby has also revealed some awesome music on the official soundtrack, and darn it, why can't I be rich? Oh, right, the whole education thing.
4. JOHN GREEN IS THE NEW PAPA OF HENRY GREEN! Congratuate him by ridding the world of Malaria. No, seriously.
5. I got my 5 Ningen Shikkaku movie posters in the mail the other day!!! What can I do with five posters? I'm thinking about it...it involves possible auctioning three and donating the money to Haiti. Good idea?
6. Dr. Ishii in the Communication department agreed to be the advisor for the Japanese Language and Culture Club at my university!! YAY!! This is what I'm excited about more than anything. I know, what could be more exciting than Toma being a dork and going, "Ahh uma-II" on television? Well, the fact that I've been planning and thinking this over for months because I'm tired of searching for people at school who like Japanese stuff. Sure, there are a couple of Japanese classes, but since I don't actually know anyone in them this year, it's been sort of "Uhh, who is this chick crashing our Japanese class?" with no one talking to me whatsoever.
...I just had this random taste for yakisoba...
Anyway, the idea also stemmed from my intense desire to hold a contemporary Japanese film series at school, and I figured it would be easier if we actually had a club for Japanese stuff that's not just anime, manga, and games. Some of us like other stuff, ya know. Dr. Ishii actually said she watches Japanese TV on her computer at night.
I wonder if she watches dramas...or knows of Johnny's...important questions...
So the club is almost official. I just have to organize the whole thing. Dr. Ishii also told me that she's trying to organize an exchange program with her alma mater Kyoto University to bring Japanese students over here. I'm really hoping a lot of different people will attend the club. If not, well, we can always sit around watching YouTube videos and/or dramas. Freedom of Usage Act (I think) says as long as you introduce and talk about what you watch, you don't have to get permission to show stuff. Thank you, Dr. Hovet, for that awesome tidbit of info.
And...
That's it.
Ja ne!
- Location:Danny's House
- Mood: excited
- Music:虹--ELLEGARDEN
( Do not read if you are c0rin or princess_rei09 )
Clearly, the 30 Day Blogging Challenge failed.
Oh well. Must press on. HELLOOOOO to the new friends
lemoned_x and angellybeanzz from the friending meme! Hope I don't bore you guys too much. Also, a BIG HELLO to those lurkers out there, some of whom I now know because of the wonderful My Stats which chelshock mentioned in her LJ and which is probably one of the coolest things LJ has come up with. Now, if you have a paid account, you can stalk your stalkers! That is, if they haven't turned their privacy settings on. So yes, I do see you guys there. Especially you, booksandsarcasm. Hey, want to just go ahead and be friends since we're stalking each other? Anyway, getting back on topic, if any of you want to know more about me (heaven knows why), you can read my intro post of utter fail. Link up there in the first post on the entire blog. Also, just ask.Looking into Gunkanjima and reading other people's posts on JapanSoc about haikyo or ruins in Japan has peaked my interest in ruins and old buildings. There's something incredibly haunting about old, abandoned buildings that were never fully cleaned out and just left to rot. It's like capturing a moment in time. A place used to have life in it, and suddenly the life was gone leaving the remnants of other people's lives. Sometimes the ruins are surreal, like abandoned theme parks.
Theme parks, above all, are places that we associate with life. After all, they're built for people to enjoy. When we think of them, we think of tons of people riding rides, enjoying popcorn, and playing overpriced games for toys they could buy at dollar stores. But when it's abandoned, it's sort of...creepy...and kinda cool. This picture reminds me of the tunnel at the beginning of Spirited Away.Michael John Grist (who took this picture) has galleries full of pictures and information on ruins in Japan. From ghost towns like Gunkanjima and Ashiodozan to abandoned love hotels to old schools to the sometimes strange theme parks, Michael has taken a lot of photos of said places. Ruins aren't something you'd think of when you think of Japan, but like Chihiro's father explains in Spirited Away, a lot of those places had to close in the 90's after the collapse of the Bubble Economy. They were never dismantled, and so they just stayed there, decaying. It really says a lot about the state of the world and our penchant for consumption and throwing stuff away.
There are tons of these places all over Japan, and if you like old stuff, it may be worth looking into. But as anyone who is familiar with urban exploration will tell you, it's not always safe. After all, these are old structures that are falling apart. Cool as they may be, it's not worth getting tetanus over. Plus, it's not always, well, LEGAL to go see them. So if you plan on making a special trip, take someone with you and just pretend you don't speak Japanese. Okay, no, be careful, seriously
Interestingly, while I was pondering this entry, my coworker Rose made me watch the "Blink" episode of Dr. Who, in which Sally Sparrow goes urban exploring to an abandoned house and stumbles upon some creepy moving angel statues.
Some other cool Japanese haikyo pictures:
Mysterious abandoned volcano museum (Gakuranman, who is ubercute, by the way): Seriously, you wonder why it's abandoned? It's a volcano museum near an active volcano. This is clearly a HUGE safety hazard.
Random Japanese ghost town (Hamusoku): This town reminds me of those episodes in the first season of "Trick" where they go to that abandoned village where everyone has mysteriously disappeared...*shiver*
Nitchitsu Mining Town (Tokyo Times): My favorite picture is the last one with the room slippers sitting there as if someone is expected...creepy indeed.
Ruins in Gunma and Saitama (Escape from Tokyo): Oh, such foreigners, taking pictures with their shirts off in the snow...muaha.
If anyone has done urban exploration or has links to share, bring it on! I'm thinking of getting into this because it seems really cool, albeit Supernatural-esque creepy and possibly deadly-disease bringing. Must remember to get my Hobo-Stab Insurance.
Ja ne!
- Location:Home
- Mood:
sugoi - Music:Zanzou--flumpool
ME: Are you seriously attempting to translate Bloody Monday 2?
HIM: Is the Space Pope reptilian?
ME: You're insane, you know that?
HIM: ....Awesome! Bring on the straightjacket and give me some Jell-O!
ME:....Oy....
I think I mentioned before, but one of my friends ("Call me...the Black Heron" he says) is going to try softsubs for Bloody Monday 2. He really should be put away for this undertaking. You blithering idiot, you.
Lurking around YouTube--I saw someone put that they were listening to flumpool's new song "Zanzou" on their music status and I wondered if there was a leaked version floating around somewhere--and came across an awesome new preview for Bloody Monday season 2.
I know I'm not the only flumpool fan who is tired of ballads and slow songs for singles by now. Even though "What's flumpool!?" had several new faster songs, that's just not enough. This will make three slow songs in a row for a single, not counting "Calling" because it's not technically a single. It came with the CD. Okay, if we're splitting hairs here, then "フレイム" and "見つめていたい" aren't really singles since they were individual digital download songs. Thinking about it, flumpool hasn't had a single since summer. That one was a fast one. In fact, I want to make a MV for "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Picaresque" for Bloody Monday season 1 since it fits so well.
Anyway, "Zanzou" will be an actual single, but...and I know I shouldn't complain, but...THREE SLOW SONGS IN A ROW. Pick it up a bit, boys, please? I luuurrrrrvvvveee you crazy guys. Come on, Ryuta-sensei, Kazuki Yo-yo Dieter, Genki Who Falls Off Stages, and Seiji the Cat Lover.
By the way, if I'd had Ryuta for a teacher, I would have totally aced that class.
I mean, HELLO.
The song you hear in the preview is none other than "Zanzou" from the new single and the theme song to Bloody Monday. One thing I really like about J-dramas is that they're pretty good with continuity. Especially with the theme songs. Unless the drama is a remake (a la Mukodono or Quiz Show) or there is a considerable amount of time between the two, then they'll usually use the same artist, maybe even the same song. Continuity makes me INSANELY happy. That's one thing I hate about American shows. Continuity usually sucks eggs.
I'm excited for Bloody Monday 2, though. It seems like next season won't have much going for it. I really like the overall plot of Bloody Monday, and it'll be interesting how Haruma approaches the character after a year of not being Fujimaru. He's just coming off Samurai High School, so it'll be fun to watch him. And then NARI-KUN WILL BE THERE, YAY! Except he has crazy white hair now, so...sort of not yay. Still, it's FRIKKING NARI-KUN being his hot and awesome self. You know the Fog Bar commercials with Haruma, Shun-kun, Eita, and Satoshi? Add Nari-kun in there, and it would be beyond perfect. I want a super awesome mega-drama with all five of them in it. That's my uber-dream.
But yes, Bloody Monday. The story is about a nuclear weapon instead of a deadly virus, so it's picking up right where it left off. I'm sure Lanee will be happy *winks*. Maybe we'll actually get some closure this time.
Ja ne!
P.S.: I promised there'd be Toma.
- Location:Work
- Mood: hyper
- Music:Kimi Iro--flumpool
Day 3 of the 30 Days of Blogging Challenge.
What? I didn't say they would be 30 CONSECUTIVE days of blogging. Okay, yes, I'm cheating. This challenge has been harder than it seems. What can you possibly talk about that's both of interest to yourself and entertaining?
Oh, right.
A lot of people on my flist are studying Japanese and probably a lot of
Please watch the video above which will help you pronounce the "r" sound in Japanese. It's not like the English "r" sound, which we make more with our lips. The Japanese "r" sound is pronounced more with the tongue, and Koichi gets it just right in the video. This is how Joe-sensei taught us to pronounce it, but Koichi goes one step further and explains the combination of sounds between "R," "L," and "D." It irritates me when I hear people pronouncing Japanese like they would in English. Makes me wonder if I'd feel the same way if I spoke Japanese and was studying English. Would I feel irritated by the blatant and common use of English spoken they way it would be in Japanese? IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. If you're just starting out, it's understandable, but please learn proper pronunciation (or as close to it as you can get) as soon as possible.
BUT WAIT, THAT'S NOT ALL!!!
Koichi, who I frequently refer to for free Japanese lessons, has created his own textbook! Yep, he made a Japanese textbook called Textfugu that you can subscribe to and get all kinds of free goodies and help along with it. You can find it here at Textfugu website and get a free sample of the lessons, which are pretty interesting and helpful. The regular price is $99, but until January 15, 2010, it'll be 50%. Yeah, it's pricey, but if you're serious about learning Japanese and are not able to take a class and want something online, then it could be a good resource.
Just in case anyone's interested, I'll tell you what I use to study Japanese. I have taken the equivalent of one and a half years of formal Japanese study in addition to studying on my own. Some people don't like classes, but feedback and correction are needed in some form from some kind of instructor if you ever hope to learn enough to have a conversation with a Japanese person.
Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese : Meg recommended this textbook when I first started studying, and it has been a great help to me. The lessons are constructed in sections that explain one specific aspect of Japanese grammar. Each lessons starts off with a vocabulary list and dialogue. The dialogues often involve an exchange student named Mearii-san, so they can be pretty funny to read out loud. One thing I really like about it is that it makes you learn hiragana by lesson 3. Everything is in hiragana by then, so you have to learn how to read it. Learn how to read and write hiragana at the same time at the very beginning, and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble later on. I also have the workbook and answer key for the Genki I to supplement my study.
An Introduction to Modern Japanese : This is Joe-sensei's book, and, well, it's old. It was published in 1975, so a lot of the dialogues are outdated. It also doesn't have much in the way of explanation. No pictures, just a lot of text. A lot of HOW to pronounce things as well. It has emphasis on the parts of words and so forth. It has everything in romaji, hiragana, and katakana, but it really is a rather boring book. It's mostly good for reading practice.
Heisig's Remembering the Kanji : The Heisig method is the only one I've tried so far that actually helps me remember the meanings and how to write the kanji. The first volume only deals with meanings and writings of the 2,300 most general kanji. It uses a systematic way to build kanji starting with basic elements. It doesn't discriminate easy kanji from hard kanji. All kanji are equal. I tried looking some up, and the kanji in the first few lessons ranged from first grade kanji to high school kanji to rarely used name kanji. It doesn't matter how often they are used, as long as you know their meanings and writings. The second volume deals with the Chinese and Japanese readings or on and kun readings. The third volume has another 1,000 kanji for upper-level reading and writing. While you may be able to read and write at a high school level, if you plan to do any serious scholastic work or high-level job in Japan, you should learn that extra 1,000 kanji. It seems overwhelming, but kanji can be fun to learn if you find the right method for you.
Japanese Dramas, Films, and Television : A lot of teachers and classes and even students will tell you not to learn Japanese from television. Well, I disagree to a large extent. I don't think you should learn Japanese from anime because then you'll end up sounding like yakuza unicorns. But dramas, variety shows, and the news are great for learning how people speak in certain situations. It's also great for listening practice. The more Japanese TV you watch, the more your ears will become accustomed to the sounds and inflections. Plus, watching Japanese TV is a great way to learn about Japanese customs and everyday behavior. Of course, not all teachers have classes full of miscreants that they help graduate from high school, but you'll be able to see how people greet each other, apologize, and act both at home and in public. Dramas in particular are good for vocabulary. If you can find one word in a drama that they repeat a lot, you'll be able to learn that vocabulary word, especially when you encounter it in your study.
Japanese music : I used to think I'd never like Japanese music. Meg, who is my initiator into this whole thing, started me off on Arashi, and not being into boybands at the time, I couldn't get into it for awhile. She didn't give up, though, and eventually I started asking for songs that I liked. It's really frustrating to listen to songs and not be able to sing along to them or understand the lyrics. The syllables are always cut up in different ways depending on the song so you might here -nai or -na-i or that random -n in the middle of a word. Listening to music and learning to sing the song help you learn pronunciation and how words fit together. Japanese music isn't all bubblegum jpop and sparkly boybands. There are all kinds of genres available in Japanese. I'm a big alternative/indie/grunge/punk/epic rock fan, and there just happens to be an abundance of that kind of music from Japan. There's also hip-hop, reggae, dance, techno, enka and tons of other genres. There's some rap, but from my experience of it, it's not...that great. Please correct me here if I am sadly mistaken.
I also use a lot of online resources just by Googling "Japanese language resources." Koichi always recommends a lot of great websites you can use, too, and those usually lead to other websites. However you want to study and whatever works for you.
NEXT TIME ON HONEY AND CLOVER:
--TOMA!!!!!! Because what else is there to life? Fufufufufu.
--Uh...you know what, I'll figure it out later. Thinking about Toma short-circuited my brain.
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood: working
- Music:二十歳の戦争--LANDS
Day 2 of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. Yes, it still counts as Day 2 even though it's technically Day 3. SO THERE. NO FLAG, NO COUNTRY. These are the rules that...I've just made up!
Please pardon me for any crazy that occurs in this entry.
So, it's about time I caught up with dramas. Since I'm...sigh...still working on Spring dramas...*facepalm*....it's hard to get a good grasp on where I am. Hence that entry you may have seen up there below the intro post called "The Neverending Drama List." Because it is neverending and probably will be until the world ends (2012, apparently, so I better get to work on that falling in love thing) or dramas end or I die. Whichever comes first. By the way, now that I think about it, will I have this blog forever? It's sad to think about not liking things anymore, but I do have a habit of going through obsessions.
Lord of the Rings, for example. Spent a good two years of my life on that. Of course, I still like it, I'm just not crazy into it like I used to be. Especially PJacks got skinny and lost his hobbit-like demeanor...and started making films in the same style as LotR. Ever seen Heavenly Creatures? He directed and co-wrote the film in 1994, and it's amazing. Uses none of his newer high-budget techniques. Simply a good plot and superb acting from Kate Winslet and Melanie Linsky.
Oh, I'm rambling. Back to dramas, then.
( Read more... )
It's snowing now, and I have to go...well, I'm not sure I can go back to where I'm staying what with snow on the road. See you guys later for Day 3 of the 30 Days of Blogging Challenge.
Spam ahoy!
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood:
cranky - Music:Futatsu no Kuchibiru--EXILE
On the bright side, this helps me figure out how to stay warm which will come in handy someday when I move to Japan.
I am addicted to B'z's "My Lonely Town." Not only is the song amazingly cool, but the video is soo awesome. When I first saw it, I thought the island was Alcatraz. After all, it's an island full of abandoned and derelict buildings, and it's not computer-generated. Plus, I've never been to Alcatraz, so how do I know what it looks like?
Well, a Google search of Alcatraz quickly debunked that theory. So I Googled "abandoned islands in Japan" and found Hashima Island, also called "Gunkanjima." It's an island off Nagasaki that was used for coal mining from the Taisho to Showa eras. It's called "Gunkanjima" because a sea-wall is built all the way around it, so from the mainland shore, it looks like a giant battleship. At it's prime, an estimated 5,000 people lived and worked on the island. The coal mines were shut down and the city abandoned around 1970 when Japan moved to cleaner-burning fuels. Since then, the buildings have been left to decay and collapse, although a lot of people want to see it become a World Heritage site. Travel to the island was prohibited until June 2009, and now they have tours to the southern part of the island. Which seems boring, actually, because it's the northern part of the islands that has all the buildings. It's dangerous, though, because of the state of the buildings.
There are some really cool pictures from people who have been there (ahem, secretly) on urban exploration expeditions. If you go to Japan or happen to be there now, I recommend taking a trip to Nagasaki and seeing the island. Even though you can't go to the buildings, you can still see them pretty close up on the tour. Or you can do like one guy did and go around asking various fishermen if they'll take you out to the island for an hour or two so you can walk around and get creeped out.
Getting back to B'z, the whole My Lonely Town single is pretty darn good. The B-sides are "綺麗な涙" and "イチブトゼンブ -Ballad Version-" both of which are excellent. In fact, combined with B-chan's influence from "ultra soul," I think I'm becoming a big B'z fan. It's hard to deny their awesomeness, especially when the lead singer looks kind of like David Bowie in a way and often runs around in speedos during concerts. Great fun.
On an unrelated note, today I'm starting a 30 Days of Blogging challenge. Why? Because I'm bored. You guys will be sick of me by the end of the 30 days. I'll try and make it interesting, though.
You've been warned.
Muaha.
Ja ne!
- Location:Home
- Mood: bored
- Music:I DON'T KNOW--Mica 3CHU
How awesome was the Johnny's Countdown this year? TOTALLY AMAZING, RIGHT? It made up for the boredom of last year's countdown, although SMAP still wasn't there. Yes, some people thought it was boring, but I thought it was just short. Too much with the juniors or groups who should still be juniors aka HeySayWhateverTheirNamesAre and N.Y.C. Boy I Hope They Don't Debut or I'll Kill Myself. Everytime they sang, I just groaned and looked away from the computer. I was watching at my aunt's house at the time, and I'm surprised they didn't think I was dying or something.
I died inside. Everytime they sang, I died a little inside.
Very nice collaboration from Tokyo Dome, Imperial Theatre, and Osaka Dome, I thought. TAKKITSUBA ONSTAGE AND SINGING TOGETHER AND LOOKING LIKE THEY WANT TO GRAB EACH OTHER AND NOT LET GO!!! (By the way, I've decided the only pairing I can ship without feeling weird is Takki and Tsubasa. Clearly, living with someone who wears slash goggles is not helping). Takki's "Ai Kakumei" was too much talky, not enough singy. Loved "Sha La La" and someone basically making sure Takki was totally drenched by the end.
There seems to be a certain point that Johnny's boys reach where their stage outfits get slightly better. Takki and Tsubasa and V6 to some extent have not quite hit that point. Everyone else's outfits? Terrible and sparkly. So, you know, the usual. Koki, Go, and for some strange reason Junno are the only three who can really pull off blonde hair.
A squirrel must have died on Tsuyoshi's head, and he was too emo to notice. By the way, did Koichi forget the lyrics at one point? Also, GARASU NO SHOUNEN. Was I alone in wondering if Toma was down there dancing to it like he did in Domoto Kyoudai?
TOKIO tried to sing, God bless them, but they looked so relieved when they finally got back to their instruments for Matchy's songs.
Matchy is a vampire. The man never ages. ALL OF THE KOUHAIS BACKDANCED FOR HIM!!! Even SMAP would backdance to Matchy if they had been there. Perhaps that's why they weren't. They couldn't be upstaged by him.
Arashi should sing more K8 songs. K8 should NEVER sing Arashi songs. Or maybe they should, because they failed so hard it made me fall out of my chair with laughter.
KATTUN seemed bored the whole time. I've never heard Kibou~Yell sung with such little enthusiasm. Please, KATTUN, never do that again. EVER.
Frikking SMAP wasn't there yet again. Of course, Nakai was off hosting Kouhaku, and SMAP had a performance there as well, but even Arashi made it to Tokyo Dome on time!
I was a bit disappointed because I thought Shuji to Akira would actually be hosting which would have been mad fun seeing both Yamapi and Kame fail at talking. Also, Seishun Amigo just isn't the same without RyoJin there to back them up. Is it weird that I enjoyed this moment more than the JunTomaPi moment?
HOLY CRAP, TOMA WAS THERE THIS YEAR!!! I caught every single moment they showed him. It was like playing Spot the Toma, which I recall playing a couple of years ago at the 2007 countdown. His hair is good. All is right with the world.
So much daisempai love!!! I got the feeling, though, that everyone has sung these songs so many times they must have been required at Johnny's Boot Camp. Like, as soon as you enter the jimusho, you're handed a book of daisempai songs and told, "Learn these songs for next week's Shounen Club." I seriously don't doubt that's how it is.
Now to answer a few questions that people somehow didn't quite get.
Why is Ryo with K8 and not NEWS?
Uh, he was in Osaka for K8's countdown concert? He couldn't just teleport to Tokyo without ripping a hole in the space-time continuum. Then again, he's Ryo-chan, so anything's possible.
How did they get from Osaka to Tokyo so fast?
Magic! *pah!*
How come HeySay7 were not there?
They were. Almost everyone was. Only SMAP can get away with not being there.
Am I the only who thinks that Jin looked bored?
My question is when does he NOT look bored?
Is Toma a debuted?
You mean has Toma debuted? No, he..sigh..sadly has not. But I don't think any of us think of him as a junior.
What is Chinen?
What? Wait a second, how did this question get in there? Well, since you asked, Chinen is the blood sacrifice to Nino. His young, virgin blood keeps Nino looking continually 12 years old. Ohno does not know about this as Nino uses his super vampire powers to keep Ohno in a daze and have no thoughts on food except that everything is "Umai."
Muahahahaha.
Ja ne!
- Location:Home
- Mood: crazy
- Music:MY LONELY TOWN--B'z
5 HOURS UNTIL MIDNIGHT!
What better way to say goodbye to 2009 than with a recap of stuff that happened this year? Oh, wait, that's what I did last year. And it was long. And took a long time. So let's do a couple of things from each month.
JANUARY: Toma got a getsuku drama, "VOICE" and a huge ice storm rocked Kentucky and caused major power outages.
FEBRUARY: Mah birthday, Coraline movie
MARCH: Utada's (second) English debut, announcement of Toma's first starring role in a drama "Majo Saiban," new NEWS single info, and 100 Dramas!
APRIL: Koi no ABO, Mizoshima Hiro announces marriage to Ayaka forever endearing him to females everywhere, Toma's appearance on Shounen Club Premium
MAY: Toma actually kisses a girl...then gets a movie...then all of his sempais try to figure out if he has a girlfriend...in an unrelated incident, Kusanagi returns to SMAP
JUNE: My first move in over 15 years (almost killed me)...and oh, who cares? It was summer, too much stuff happened. I worked at the Academy camp, okay?
JULY: More work, more living at the park, more summertime *cue music* THIS IS THE SUMMERTIME! *pah!*
AUGUST: Haruma, Eita, Tsumabuki Satoshi, and Shun-kun team up to form possibly the most awesome alliance of hot actors in the history of ever, Pi and Keiko are clearly MADE FOR EACH OTHER and HELL YES YAMAPI CAN KISS, and Arashi begins plans for world domination alongside giant jellyfish
SEPTEMBER: The beginning of the reign of flumpool, Toma gets two more movies, two year fandomversary celebration, and we move yet again
OCTOBER: Announcement of the upcoming NIECE, Ningen Shikkaku teaser trailer, Jin acts like Jin in his film BANDAGE
NOVEMBER: I actually got to work for Fuji TV for like, a day, and contribute to a TV show. Toma and Pi practically GOT MARRIED at Pi's solo concert, and all became right with the world.
DECEMBER: Finals hell, Ningen Shikkaku full trailer, and flumpool's first full album.
And guess what?
We're moving. AGAIN.
I wish so much I was kidding.
Anyway, 2009 has been...mm, not a great year. Not bad, but not great. I've moved twice, started my very last and final year of college, been up, been down, been bored, been nostalgic, and been here. Next year is supposed to be the Year of the Tiger, which is my year (except I'm a Fire Tiger, not a Metal Tiger) so maybe things will go better this year.
Usually I make resolutions. I thought about not doing that this year, but there's something kind of fun about writing down stuff you probably won't do anyway.
So here's to the new year, 2010. We'll finally be entering the teens of this generation. People born in 1995 will be 15 next year. Holy crap, I'm getting old.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and/or commenting on this blog. It's kind of cool knowing that people actually listen to me flail about in a crazy way about things I love. I do wish people would comment every so often (I know, I know, I don't comment nearly enough, so I shouldn't say anything), but like I've always said: this blog is an outlet for me. Because I have few real-life friends who really understand why I like these things or who actually bother to try understanding. It makes me happy knowing there are other awesomely crazy people out there who also have real-life friends who don't "get" what they're into and that we're all connected by this thing called fandom.
Wherever you guys are, whatever you're doing, hope you have a good New Year's Eve.
これから、 よろしくね？
One last note, tell me what was your favorite part of 2009? It can be fandom, real life, alien life, whatever you choose. Let's have a good outlook on this year as we leave it.
Ja ne
- Location:Home
- Mood: complete
- Music:Goodbye 26 year old Me--Hank Green
My parents (while they say they have Christmas spirit) aren't really into Christmas this year, so our Christmas has been kind of low-key. We're supposed to go to the grandparents' later, which I'm not really looking forward to because I don't want to have to deal with some crazy family. Plus, once they see me, I'll end up sitting around doing nothing anyway. And eating cheeseball because it's awesome.
The haul was fairly good this year, even though I actually didn't ask for much. I got a 2GB video player (yes, not a lot of storage, but it'll do), some Bath and Body Works cherry blossom stuff (smells soooo good), a big white board for the dorm room, and a hardcover notebook that I can lug around for practicing kanji. I also got Coraline on DVD from my aunt and uncle. And then of course, hopefully tomorrow, my Christmas gift to myself: the Album of Utter Awesome, 'What's flumpool!?'
LATER: Just got back from the grandrents' place (not so bad...Ojiichan and I both agree that snow would be awesome while pretty much all of the womenfolk complained about it being too cold) and I'm coming down with a cold.
Special thanks and sparkles to
arinde87 , stomponfrogs , and c0rin (who has decided to delete her LJ for reasons unknown, but better not be gone for good) for their virtual gifts! Super special thanks and cookies to murderwinks for getting the flumpool Budokan con goods for me. I've been carrying the tote bag around everywhere. So, in celebration of Kurisumasu, here are some nice fandom-related videos:
Toma's White Christmas...er, Kurisumaaaasu...whatever, he's pretty, right? Toma really does have awesome Engrish skillz as well. He should learn English.
Toma's so hot, he makes the snow melt. PADANG!
Possibly my most favorite HappySlip video EVER. Reminds me of my aunt sending all of us a box of Happy Meal toys from where she used to be manager of a McDonalds.
One of the best Christmas presents I got today?
NINGEN SHIKKAKU FULL TRAILER!!!!! JSNALWDHA;DWIADIWJDW;D0I9WAJDWANDALJNENL
Excited? That's an understatement. Toma in a bathtub, Toma with geisha, Toma making out with an older woman...what's not to like?
The trailer is absolutely beautiful. I mean, it's an actual FILM, not just a manga/anime with real people. Not that there's anything wrong with that style, but this movie needed to be an actual film. It has stylistic elements that make sense. The tone is good. It's dark and somewhat garish, like the cherry blossoms falling down. They're too bright and almost surreal, and it just adds to the discomfort you're supposed to feel.
Also, just from this trailer, I feel like Toma has overcome a wall in his acting. When he was doing Majo Saiban, it felt like the same old Toma. Sure, he had some new quirks, but he was still very much the same. Then during Yomino Kimyouna Monogatari, he did seem different. Somehow it was different. And now with Ningen Shikkaku, Toma seems to have really grown in his acting.
This film is going to be amazing, and I really hope it makes it to some international film festivals. Earlier this year, Villon's Wife (also written by Dazai) made it to a couple of international festivals. I hope it makes it somewhere here. I'd be all over that. Also, I'm still whining about how unfair it is that this film is coming out THE DAY BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY, and I can't go see it. This would be the second greatest birthday present for my 24th birthday. The first will undoubtedly be the birth of my new niece (February 24th!). I'll be a happy obachan.
Well, I'm feeling worse by the hour, so I'm going to go watch Nodame Cantabile and pray my CD comes tomorrow.
皆さん、 メリークリスマス and 謹賀新年！！
Ja ne!
NOTE: What? 15 more people from Japan visited here since a few days ago? What the heck happened?
Oh, you lurkers. You're so cute. ^_^
- Location:Home
- Mood: sick
- Music:Calling--flumpool
ME: So what are you doing over winter break?
B-CHAN: Watching dramas, immersing myself in fandom...
ME: And learning DBSK's "Mirotic" dance, right?
B-CHAN: Yep. I'll come back from winter break crying and saying, "I know the answers to life! I know everything!"
ME: "The answers to life are in the Mirotic dance!"
B-CHAN: "This is an amazing discovery!"
I'm back, me hearties! Where have I been? School. Like always. I had two 10-page research papers, countless film journals, several smaller papers and homework, and then finals. Then I got the brilliant idea to apply for the Critical Language Scholarship for Japanese and was pretty much told during a meeting discussing my essay answers that I have no shot at getting it. Depression ensued for like an hour in which I almost gave up learning Japanese altogether before deciding the scholarship was dumb anyway. They don't let you do any outside activities while you're there, which would have meant no going to the Fuji TV building to look around, find the president's office, and beg for a starting job as an Engrish checker. Not that I would have done that, but uh...never mind.
Way too much things happened all at once, and I couldn't post! Aghhh! So I'll have to break up a few things over the next week in smaller posts, because who actually reads the long posts anyway? List time!
MOVIES
--SUNA NO ONNA or WOMAN IN THE DUNES: Very good 1960s Japanese film that will make you hate sand for the rest of your life.
--BRANDED TO KILL: Craziest 1960s Japanese film that you can MST3K to death
--AMEMASU NO KAWA: Tamaki Hiroshi is in this film? Could have fooled me.
--LIAR GAME FINAL MOVIE: Holy crap, I want to see this film so much.
--NODAME CANTABILE MOVIE: It's like playing Where in the World is Eiji Wentz? Oh, there he is!
--DAREKA GA WATASHI NI KISU WO SHITA: Tegoshi with good hair. Ah, the good old days.
MUSIC
--FLUMPOOL: New albums!!!!! Because what else is there to life?
--B'z: "My Lonely Town" totally matches up to John Green's Paper Towns
--LANDS: I cannot believe I actually want that album. Chalk it up to the love/hate between me and Jin.
DRAMAS
--WINTER SEASON: Ending...so sad. It's been an awesome season. Time for recaps.
--BLOODY MONDAY 2: I'm excited! I actually get to watch it this time! Also, an acquaintance of mine (who says if I post his name, he'll deny me cookies) is planning to try softsubs. Ganbatte, mis tomodachi...you have no idea what you're getting into.
--CODE BLUE 2: Crap! I haven't watched the special yet! Ahhhh--ooh, look Yamapi has good hair again.
The holidays are upon us. I am in the process of printing out my holiday cards and sending them to everyone who requested one last year. Yes, I'm sorry, guys. Color ink is expensive and my printer died last year. They won't get there by Christmas, and it may be in the first weeks of 2010, but they will get there.
Tune in tomorrow for another exciting adventure!
Ja ne!
- Location:Home
- Mood: busy
- Music:どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう？--Tohoshinki
B-CHAN: I realized our room is like, fandom central.
ME: Exhibit A *points to various Asian artist posters on walls*
B-CHAN: It's not productive at all.
ME: I know. Last night when we were down in the study room, I kept getting urges to get on the internet which I had to quickly supress.
B-CHAN: That's bad. We're addicted to the internet.
ME: Sigh...yeah...ooh, look a pretty picture of three members of DBSK!
B-CHAN: Oooooh....but, no, really, turning the wireless off on the computer is actually productive.
ME: You don't have immediate access or have to spray yourself with a squirt bottle to stop the habit.
B-CHAN: Fanfiction is my heroine................
ME:..............
B-CHAN: Tourniquet it up.
*based on true conversations*
flumpool. flumpool. flumpool. FLUMPOOLFLUMPOOLFLUMPOOL AHHHHHHHHHKLJDA;OIDWA;IAJNJNALALFUANFANN@
The new PV for "Calling" has finally been released to the net! Well, sort of. At least, someone at Clubbox had it, and now I have it and I am a happy little schizophrenic fangirl. Kazuki knows what's up.
Not only that, but WOWOW aired their entire Budokan performance (which I totally MISSED but it got leaked onto the net and was subsequently ripped from the annals of YouTube) which included live performances of two new songs, "Calling" and "Hydrangea" in which HOMG GENKI SINGS. Mr. I-Always-Keep-My-Hair-In-My-Face-To-Look-C
Speaking of their album, the same day, Red Dracul Scar Tissue will be releasing an album. It's basically a mix of the "What's flumpool!?" album with different titles. Only Tower Records will have it, though...sigh...I may have to bribe Dr. Nemoto to send one to me. She's going back to Japan for a year to write a book. Today during class, she said if any of us happen to make it to Tokyo, contact her, because she'll want to hang out with Americans. Clearly she has been here a long time.
20 DAYS UNTIL "WHAT'S FLUMPOOL!?"
Weird that I'm spazzing over flumpool when TomaPi have practically moved in together. I already spazzed like crazy--there was serious foaming at the mouth and lots of jumping, spinning, twirling and other weird motions--over, well, let's see:
1. Announcement of Toma singing at Pi's concert--THE BIGGEST SPAZZ OF ALL. Thank goodness I was alone at work, because I totally did a Footloose dance when I read everyone's entries.
2. Papparazi pics of said event--At first just the singing and awesome "Yokubou no Rain" performance.
3. Various news clips with a million different camera angles of the performance--Just a bit of the performance, and even though I was dead tired and pissed off, my inner fangirl was jumping with glee.
4. HQ Papparazzi pics, this time with the EPIC HUG--Pi is totally glomping Toma. It looks almost like Toma wants to let go, but Pi just holds him there. It seriously does look like Pi kisses his neck.
5. FANCAM, BOOYAH!!--By this time, we all kind of knew every single detail of the concert, so this was just icing on the OTP cake. SUPER YAY for EPIC HUG and a big HOMGKYAA to the actual performance of "Yokubou no Rain." I was so happy to read the thing about them making the "Ikemen Unit" (confident, aren't we, boys?) and then flailing on their nikkis and being such girls. But seriously, to have Toma and Pi together on the same stage after all these years performing a song they are well known for is just amazing. Both of them looked so happy, and it's like they were a real group equal to KinKi Kids or TakkiTsuba (whom, by the way, will hopefully be getting back together soon).
I cried. We all did.
Not much going on lately, though, or rather, not much of great interest. Honestly, I'm trying to actually pass my classes despite having a cripping case of senioritis as well as applying for a Critical Language Scholarship and trying to create a Japanese Language and Culture Club here on campus. No one wants to do any work, dag nabbit. But I did manage to read an article I printed off for a project/paper/presentation over J-dramas I want to do outside of school when I have free time. This scholarly article was all about (get this) KIMURA TAKUYA, the main JE boy himself. The guy I seriously think is a vampire because he hasn't...really...aged...
The article is called "Male Bonding and Female Pleasure: Refining Masculinity in Japanese Popular Cultural Texts," and it's written by Fabienne Darling-Wolf. Sounds fun, right? I found it on EBSCOhost for free, so if you have access and are interested, I highly recommend it. The article was pretty interesting as she attempted to deconstruct KimuTaku and analyze him. Several things, though. The chick should check her facts or at least give a footnote as to where she discovered this information.
Page 77, second paragraph says, "He can be heard on the radio talking about his consumption of pornography, his masturbating habits, or his favorite sexual positions..."
Really now? Where can I find said clips? Anyone have something where KimuTaku talks about masturbation?
On page 78, she claims that "Johnny Kitagawa, Kimura's manager, is homosexual." Um...correct me if I'm wrong, but we don't have any proof that Johnny is actually gay, right? Sure, there were the allegations, but has anyone or even Johnny himself come right out and said that he's gay?
One more thing. On page 79, she says that shojo manga are "comic books on the theme of boys' romantic involvement with each other..."
....
Uh, did I miss something? Cause I've read plenty of shojo manga where there was no boy love whatsoever. That's shounen ai or even yaoi. Shojo manga is "girl's comics" and while it can sometimes have some shounen ai, that's not usually the main focus.
Ugh...I have to finish my history paper tonight. Off to bury myself in the sand for another week or so.
Ja ne!
- Location:Dorm
- Mood: moody
- Music:Calling--flumpool
OH MY GOD.
*angel chorus*
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALELUJIAH. HAAAAAAAAAAALELUJIAH.
TOMA SANG AT PI'S CONCERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AKDNA;DAW;HLIUF.KAJNFLJIAUDJ;omnA>Kdp; m0iqw9[0chqw l9f hyqwlfobqwn; pr[qyr hjahjd;ahda;l
I'm having a major spazz attack right now. Just...no way. NO WAY. OH MY GOD, THIS IS BEYOND AWESOME. THIS IS AWESOME TIMES INFINITY.
There had better be fancams and papparazi pics and then a DVD with this particular performance. I NEED TOMAPI LOVE.
IDWU;FOAWFANF.AJFA
*dies*
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.........................
- Location:Work
- Mood: jubilant
- Music:Kanashimi wa Kitto--UVERworld
Just because I like looking at Toma first thing: 
ME: Okay, let's see...formula for good ratings...
B-CHAN: JE boys.
ME: Declining ratings...
B-CHAN: Chinen.
ME: Ratings have been declining since 2000 due to--
B-CHAN: Chinen.
B-chan and I get up to all kinds of snark when we're just hanging out in the room, both on LJ like the addicts we are. Last night, because of various homework-y things, we were both up pretty late. I was working on my presentation for Sociology of Modern Japan over J-dramas. Yes, indeed, I did my presentation over J-dramas! In PowerPoint form. We have this ongoing joke about the Ohno/Chinen/Nino thing, taken fromjournalist_anon and her cracktastic journal. Nino is going to assassinate Chinen with cupcakes.
Aaaaaanyway, iroirona things have been happening this week, and honestly, it's COLD. I don't want to do any work. Everyone's been this way. We're all stretching ourselves because this semester has been insanely disorganized. I somehow realized that I forgot to put Buzzer Beat on my drama list, and now I don't remember when I finished it. It was before Orthros, but I don't remember if it was before or after Tokyo Story...mm... 
The whole segment was really cool, and I just want to say thanks to Miyakawa Naoki-san for letting all of us participate here on LJ. We actually got to work for Fuji TV for like, two days! Sigh...this makes me happy. Although, I still want to work for Fuji TV in the future. Keep that in mind, Fuji. You can totally use a person who obsesses over finding something so much that she stays up late into the night researching until she finds it. Thus is the life of a fangirl.
Been actually studying Japanese this week (another procrastination method), and, as a result, I discovered another JE fangirl on campus. SERIOUSLY, MAKE YOURSELVES KNOWN. I sat in on Joe-sensei's Japanese 101 class for a quick refresher. He explained the various historical periods in Japan and asked what period we're in right now. Mochiron, it's the Heisei period. This girl in the back answered, and then she said, "I only know that because of my favorite band."
Cut to me swiveling around in my seat. "You like HeySay?" She looked a bit sheepish and replied, "Yeah..." I meant to catch her before she left, but I had to talk to Joe-sensei about writing a recommendation for this government scholarship which I will now proceed to pimp since probably a lot of people out there will be interested in it. First, though, it just shocked me that there would be another person in the entire state of Kentucky who would actually know about JE. Amazing. Not only that, but after my presentation today, a girl from Soc emailed me, and she has actually SEEN dramas. I love how I keep finding random people who love Japanese stuff more than just sushi and anime. B-chan said she found another Miyavi fan who just went to the Dir-en-Grey concert in New York.
CRITICAL LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP. The government is offering a fully paid trip to a country of your choice to study what they consider a "critical language" in this day and time. It's for 8 weeks during the summer and open to U.S. residents ONLY (sorry, international peeps) who are currently enrolled in a degree program at a university. Japanese is on the list, but you have to have at least two years of study to be considered. There are other languages, too, where you don't have to have any experience, so I encourage everyone to apply if it sounds good to you. Keep it in mind for the future, too. If you get picked, you get an all-expenses paid trip to a foreign country to study, in-depth, the language and culture. It's intensive and you're expected to be in class for four hours a day and study for another four. The deadline is DECEMBER 18, 2009. SO GET YOUR APPS IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Where was I? Oh yes, Japan-loving people...makes me want to start a Japanese culture club here on campus so we can congregate en masse.
Fandom? What? Who has time for that?
....
Yamapi broke up with Seira...guess he's really "Loveless" now, huh? Hehehe. Wait, no, he's going out with Keiko? Huh? That's the big news in fandom at the moment. Also, the success of Operation #deadfisheyes. Well done, everyone. I just hope Pi doesn't find out what the title means. 
So many drama rumors circulating and dramas confirmed. Bloody Monday 2 has been confirmed for January. If TLS takes it up again, good luck to them. I've been enjoying their releases of Samurai High School this season (this show is pure CRACK). I've heard from Various Sources Who Shall Not Be Named that Toma's up for a Spring drama. Whether that happens or not is still up in the air. He'll be done with Ningen promos and not yet doing Hanamizuki promos, but who knows when the Seaside Motel promos will begin? Plus, it's not like he can't do both. Yes, the boy should rest (omg, when the heck is he going to be in New York? Is he? Has he been already? WE NEED PEOPLE TO STALK), but then again, he might get too bored.
I really hope the Gokusen 4 rumor dies soon. A very quick, painful death.
Tomorrow, B-chan and I are embarking an 9-hour journey of Epic Fangirlness in which we will hijack the big screen in the TV room all afternoon while everyone's out watching New Moon *shudder* and watch Liar Game ep 1 (major spazz coming about it soon), My Girl ep 4, Samurai High School ep 1, Hana Yori Dango Final Movie, Tokyo Tower movie (hawt Okada Junichi lovin'), and an episode of Supernatural. It will be awesome, oh yes. It will be awesome.
This entry fails. Oh, by the way, HELLO PEOPLE WHO ADDED ME. I didn't add you back because you didn't tell me why the heck you added me. Those who did, I added you! Seriously, why add without saying why, especially when my entries are public anyway? HELLO THERE, LURKERS!
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood: busy
- Music:Kiseki--Takki
From the latest Georgia Nicolson book, Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?:
"Why can't everyone just speak English? I mean the Americans give it a go, so why can't the rest of the world?"
Whaddaya know, I actually started reading again. What? READING? Preposterous! Absurd! Third exclamation! No one reads anymore with those old-fashioned things printed on PAPER of all things, even though apparently reading from print is better for your eyes. Pish posh!
Ahem. 
Neil Gaiman's latest children's book and actually latest book-book Odd and the Frost Giants is a short novella about a small runt of a boy named Odd who lives in an ancient Nordic village. After his father dies, Odd becomes crippled while trying to cut down a tree. At the end of one winter, Spring never comes. Frustrated with everyone in the village, especially his stepfather and stepsiblings, Odd takes his father's best ax and goes to their woodcutting cabin in the woods. While there, he encounters a fox, an eagle, and a bear who don't seem to want to hurt him. In fact, they can talk. They're actually the gods Loki, Thor, and Odin who were turned into animals by a Frost Giant. Together with Odd, they make their way back to Asgard to face the Frost Giant and turn themselves back into gods.
It's odd (no pun intended), but while reading this book, I didn't feel like I was reading a Neil Gaiman story. The Odin in this story isn't similar to the Odin from American Gods, neither Mr. Wednesday or the old guy at the end. Neil really seems to know his Nordic legends, though. Is it true that Loki was actually a frost giant to begin with? Neil's humor permeates the story wonderfully, however. He maintains a nice balance between contemporary humor and what ancient characters would say. There's a lot of humor about Loki turning into a mare and luring a male horse away...you get the picture. It didn't feel like a typical Neil story, whereas The Graveyard Book felt very much like Neil.
Right now I'm in the middle of the last Georgia Nicolson book that I mentioned above. It's sad, really, that there won't be any more hilariousity from Georgia and her bestest pallies. My favorite has always been Rosie because Rosie is insane and has an equally insane boyfriend named Sven. Of course, who can forget Angus, the half-Scottish wildcat and his cross-eyed son Gordy? Georgia has always been one of my favorite characters because she's hilarious and has a crazy life. She's a good person, but very self-absorbed. I'm glad she ended up with...oh, can't spoil it. I'm sad that it's almost over. First Princess Diaries and now Georgia Nicolson. Sigh...
At this rate I'll run out of good book series to read.
No, I refuse to read Twilight. Keep it away from me at all costs if you value your knees.
Before I get to the juicy Toma stuff, I have to mention that B-chan and I decorated our dorm room door for Halloween. She posted pics up at her journal. We both kind of designed it and created it, and we were the ones who suggested a door decorating contest in the first place and WE DIDN'T WIN ANYTHING, DAG NABBIT. Not even a candy bar.
Okay, three, two, one...
*deep breath*
OOOOOOHHHHHMMMMMYYYYYGGGGGOOOOODDDDDDD
Ningen poster--Hanamizuki--promos--my birthday--ditheryspazzyblitheringfoamymo
The film release date is the DAY BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY. How unfair is life? Also, how awesome because there will clearly be tons of promos in February.
In all seriousness for a second, very nice, Toma. I'm interested to see Toma's interpretation of Yozu. To me, Yozu is a complicated character, and it's hard to get a grasp on him. While he says that he doesn't understand humans and is often consumed by his loneliness and depression, he still lives on and continues to manipulate people and play the game. There's a part in the book where he becomes this leader of a revolutionary movement without even trying. He just has fun playing at revolution. If they included this part in the film, I wonder how Toma will handle the dual nature of Yozu who is at once both human and non-human.
Hanamizuki promo, woo! THEY ARE FILMING IN CANADA AND NEW YORK? WHEN? I HAVE FRIENDS IN BOTH PLACES WHO CAN STALK FOR ME. I mean, New York? That's like the closest Toma may ever come to here. Oh, I want to go to New York so badly when it happens. Toma is still...in Tokyo...maybe? He said he'd go to Pi's concert soon, so he has to still be there right? I fully an advantageous pairing and singing together in such concert. Isn't it odd lately how the 4Tops have been mentioning each other? Hmm...curious...
Still been watching dramas and movies. I've become addicted to both Japanese films as well as Samurai High School and Shokojo Seira. I was feeling so crappy the other day (I seriously thought I had swine flu...turns out I just felt bad), and I really wanted Samurai High School episode 4. It was the only thing that could make me feel better. I ended up downloading Clubbox and somehow managed to get the episode even though I don't understand a lick of Korean. It worked after several tries, and I got the episode. I was a very happy little monkey. But that's how addicted I am to that show. I will wait for five hours for it to download and painstakingly search for it in Korean if I have to.
Time to do the major drama recap. Cut for your viewing safety.
NO WAY! The sempais will actually all be together for the Johnny's Sports thing? YAY! I love some sempai craziness. As much as I love NEWS and Kanjani8 and Arashi and various other Johnny's from this era, they can't compare to everyone from KinKi Kids up when they get together. The craziness that ensues when sempais get together is beyond wonderful. It's almost like they forget they're not juniors anymore. This I have got to see.
I'm on the fence on whether to get Jin's "BANDAGE" single and subsequent album. Sigh...love/hate relationship continues.
Off to watch more sempai craziness at Johnny's Sports Day.
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood: silly
- Music:Mitsumeteitai--flumpool
*sniffle*
*nose runs*
*coughsputtercoughhackhack...lung*
Oh my god, I'm gonna die of swine flu.
Okay, not really. But I am getting a cold/allergy thingy that's bugging me. The weather is being contrary and not deciding if it wants to be on the side of summer or winter. Whoever said that America does not have individual seasons has never been here. This is what WKU looks like currently (well, not right now, as it is 4:18 in the morning):
Anyway, the leaves are all pretty-like and golden-orange-red. I can only imagine what the drive home looks like. Half the way home is through a kind of main backroad that takes me past fields--there's some kind of farm where some guy has a small herd of buffalo--and lots of trees and at one point a good-sized lake that is probably almost drained by now because they drain it before it winter every year because...oh, I don't know why. Old guys still go out there and fish, though.
Enough rambling about the Kentucky countryside.
Remember how I said once you stop posting, it's easy to get into the habit of not posting? Well, the reverse is true. Once I started posting, now I can't stop. But personally, I like my posts to have a point--I've been desperately trying to find critcisms for things other than "it's awesome," but oh, thinking is hard sometimes--and yes, this post does have a point somewhere in here.
This semester, Joe-sensei continued the study session for us people who finished all of the Japanese classes WKU offers (in other words: 2), and it was fun during the summer and even at the beginning of school. Nowadays, though, I don't feel like it's helping much. Even though I learn some new words, Joe-sensei still has it structured where we're getting more INPUT than actually giving OUTPUT. What I mean is that we're still listening most of the time instead of actually talking. Sure, my listening comprehension isn't perfect. Far from it. But I already get tons of input from dramas, movies, and music on a daily basis. My listening and reading comprehension is way above my speaking and writing abilities.
I don't know how to remedy this. It feels like there is a wall in me that's preventing me from being the Japanese language learner I could be. If this wall could just be removed or broken down or climbed over, I feel like suddenly everything would open up. But what can I do? It doesn't help that there are awesome Japanese speakers like this girl out there. She's mostly kidding in this video, by the way.
*falls down* Sigh...負けた。。。
I've been collecting interesting Japanese resource websites, though (which I should utilize more, I know) like Japanese for the Western Brain, which explains some of the basics of Japanese, even some they don't cover in detail in Japanese classes. David Hallgren's Japanese Page is pretty good for hiragana and katakana practice, and he has printable sheets that you can use to practice writing. He even has vocabulary practice for different stuff like the Genki textbook and the JLPT. Probably the website that has most influenced my Japanese study is All Japanese All the Time, which is a blog/website written by a guy calling himself Khatzumoto. It's got a lot of great articles about motivation and how to change your thinking as well as methods for practicing Japanese. His method is a little extreme, and he says to learn kanji before learning anything else. I even managed to find a link to an online version of volume I of Heisig's Remembering the Kanji. There are other fun websites out there, too, like Tofugu.com, who also makes videos. He's constantly pimping EduFire and Lang-8, too, which are good resources if you either want to pay or have time to practice writing.
It's been hard to keep up with Japanese, anyway, due to the workload I've had this semester. Even though it's been fairly interesting, the amount of writing I've had to do is insane and some of it rather pointless. But, it did give me an idea to start a Japanese culture club on campus. All we have right now is RSO (Rising Sun Otaku) which focuses on anime. They also have an aversion to dramas and occasionally find unfunny things funny. We need an actual Japanese club for those of us who like more than anime and want to talk about stuff with other Japan lovers, not just random weeaboo (plural like carabou). I need some suggestions, though. Like what the heck can we do in our first few meetings? What do people talk about in Japanese club?
Ah, work is almost over. Maybe I won't go on a posting frenzy. But oh, I am so addicted to Samurai High School. Haruma pulls off the double role so well.
Ja ne!
- Location:Work
- Mood: bored
- Music:哀しみはきっと--UVERworld
