Ai (Chuuseishin) (Again)

Mood:


From the Excel Saga soundtrack. Funny song, and funny anime.  What could be better?  Well, I got up late again, pretty much for the same reasons as yesterday. Wahoo! At least I got more stuff done that I normally save for the weekend. 


I was looking around the NHK website in Japanese, and found their shows on there too. (Not very many, but some.) It was different than their English site.  Also, I've been looking for Asa Ichi's website for a while, and didn't realize they had their own section on the site. So, that's great! 


Also, on TV Japan, I like to watch something called Today's Menu or きょうの料理(Which literally means Today's Cuisine.) I managed to find their main site called Today's Menu For Everybody. It has cooking tips, recipes, and the basics of cooking. On top of that they have lots of videos on those topics, too.  They had things like the best way to peel a tomato, and how to chop and properly wash Gobo roots or Burdock. Also, I saw a vid on making a chicken saute with garlic and mustard sauce dish. It looked and sounded so good!  I'll have to try it out. 


They had a separate section for people who are members of the site called My Recipes. I thought, oh, why not try to create an account with them?  I thought since I wasn't in Japan, it wouldn't work. But, it did!  I was even able to read their survey and fill it out. It was for improving the site. They asked, how did you hear or find our site? How often do you watch it? Have you bought the books? How often do you cook? The last one helps them figure out what type of recipes to recommend. I like how after everyone's nickname, they put さん or san at the end.  Mine ended up being レイチェルさん. (Rachel-san or in romaji, reicheru-san.) Kind of funny, yet formal at the same time.  I like how they had a section under all the prefectures where you could say you're from abroad or other. I guess that means they know their audience isn't just in Japan. You can search the site by how many calories you'd prefer, what type of meat, vegetables, desserts, different cuisines, almost anything.  It's nice they give you a long list of recommendations too. Once you find a recipe you like, tag it or 'fave' it, and it will go into your personal collection. People can comment about it on your profile too. Also, you can print recipes. This site is another instant fave! 


I also watched an episode of Do! Culture on Women's Karate. I understood most of it.  They were showing how to do the basics in detail. They said that it's a perfect self-defense for women. Looked like it was hard for the host. (Even when they were just stretching.) She also had a good sense of humor about it all.  Eventually, she kept saying it was scary. 


Next, I watched Naruto Shippuden. Which was nice, since I haven't watched it in a while. It was mostly about Naruto finding out about Jiraiya's death. Itachi gave a bit of his power to Naruto so he can defend Konoha from Sasuke; when he had 'bumped' into him before his big fight. Jiraiya had left an encrypted dying message. The only one who might be able to give the key to crack the code is Naruto. Kurenai is very pregnant, and Shikamaru is still looking after her. Since he promised Asuma before he died. Asuma also told him that his baby will become Shikamaru's student. 


I played Flakboy. Which was a great stress reliever, although it was pretty violent. You're a weapons tester, and you're testing them on an alien, who apparently doesn't die. 


Next, I played Hugo Alone in the Tower. It was fun! It's a stick figure tower defense game. I got far in it, too! 


Youtube:
Chiri's crazy hair XD

Cool amv of Gintama with most of the opening and ending scenes:

Another awesome Hetalia tribute:

Maria- the illegal student:

Wonderful Days (Again)

Mood: 


By One Draft. Still an awesome song! I caught up on a lot of things and did some cleaning, it tired me out. Printed off a copy of the 9th chapter of Alliance. Since, sometimes you can see more errors in a hard copy. I'll edit that, and then I will post it either tomorrow or the next day.


I wrote an email to our Hadassah president about quitting the board. I'm a little nervous to see what she replies with.I tried to not get her upset, but at the same time get my point across. I hated to do it so close to the next Exec meeting, but I needed to. I told her I won't be attending it either. I still want to be a member, because I think it's an awesome organization! Hopefully, she'll understand. Hey, maybe they'll be a better person for the job and maybe they'll pay attention to that person, if we really need a secretary. I still feel the group isn't going to last very long now. What with possibly 2 officers off the board. The only other official board member left is the treasurer. Which is a very important job, but she can't be on it alone. We'll see what happens. 


I also wrote back to 2 of my penpals. This time I tried to add a lot more Japanese. It took a little longer than normal, because I was trying to figure out what I should say. I think I did ok. I tried to be very polite in it. They'll probably tell me if it's not right. 


Also, I watched a show called Asa Ichi on TV Japan, again. I'm starting to really like it for some reason. This time, most of it was tips on cooking things in the microwave. One was about this guy who freezes his rice at the beginning of a week so he doesn't have to make it the rest of the time. They showed the best way to freeze it and defrost it. As soon as it's cooked, wrap it tightly immediately in plastic, then put in freezer. When you want to defrost it, wrap a damp towel around the plastic and put in microwave. It supposedly keeps its texture and tastes better this way. I'll have to try that.Next, was how to make apple jam in the microwave. Put diced apple, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and put in microwave. Mix the mixture, and she adds some white wine to it, and calls it 'adult' jam that way. But, she said you don't have to add the wine. You can even make things like a soufflé. It was kind of cool. So watching this combined with emailing my penpals, I considered my Japanese for the day. 


I decided to not color my drawing. I think it will mess it up, plus I think it gives a different feel. I'll scan it and post it today or tomorrow. 


Youtube:
Who's inside the mascot? XD

A very fitting tribute to Prussia from Hetalia:

Happy Passover! ^_^

Mood:


Chag Sameach! Happy holidays!  Well, last night's seder was very nice. We had 3 people attend. 2 of them brought a roasted chicken, potato kugel (similar to potato cassarole), and asperagus. The other person brought a nice salad. We had hard boiled eggs (which I screwed up a bit!) and gefilte fish for the beginning of the meal. Gefilte fish is basically a cold fish loaf. It's got 3 different fish, that's cooked together, mashed up, seasoned, and formed into mounds. It's better than it might sound!One of my fave things for Pesach or Passover! Next, we had matzah ball soup. It's similar to chicken noodle soup, only instead of noodles we have matzah meal (pulverized matzah) formed into balls. They're like dumplings. I also made the popovers we had with the stuff people brought. They're similar to buns, and are made out of matzah meal, margarine, and tons of eggs. Everybody loved these. 


For dessert, Mom made a pudding with whipped cream on top, and mandarin oranges on the bottom in a tall glass. It was so good! We also had the matzah toffee I made the other day. Funny thing is, most of the caramel seeped to the bottom part of the matzah, and it was more chewy than normal. But, everyone, including me, loved it. One person said it tasted sinful. I'm so happy people liked most of the stuff I made! We also had regular and chocolate covered macaroons, and candied fruit slices. 


I was so full by the end of it! But, I also had a lot of fun, talking and singing. We're going to have a much shorter one with my parents and I tonight. We're using the Haggadahs I used in college. I love those! Most things are shorter, but the songs and the after meal prayers are much longer than the other version. Plus, they give you ideas of what you can do for your seder. Like, you can leave an empty plate out for the hungry. Put flowers out, and other things. 


It was very helpful when you're totally on your own for it. All my friends loved it, too. I kept telling them they'll probably get bored, because of how long it is. But, they always enjoyed it. One friend loved the eating parsley part, and every year I had it, she told me she'd be happy to bring the parsley. Everyone in my dorms, especially in the last one (since we actually had a stove), loved when I cooked during that week. It smelled nice, and they always asked me if they could have some. Since I was usually the only Jew on the floor, it was very interesting to them. 


I had the granola Mom made for breakfast. Very good stuff! Also, I had a peanut butter and jelly matzah sandwich for lunch. That's very good too, and what a lot of people have. I had the kosher for Passover chips, too. They're basically the same as regular chips.


I watched a new show on TV Japan called Asa Ichi or One Morning. It replaced another show I liked, but now that I've watched it, I think it may be better. They give lots of tips on things, go to many different towns, show what's new in Japan, and even cook. It's also a much longer program. They have a piglet for a mascot. 


Today, they talked about the new Tokyo tower called Tokyo Sky Tree that's being constructed. It's already quite a bit taller than the original. They just added the elevator shaft. It looks similar to a giant version of our Space Needle. People have mixed opinions about it. 


Next, they went to a town known for their salt production. Watched how they extract the salt from seawater. They had a barbecue with many different fish, and of course the salt was added to everything. 


They later had many laundry tips. It was actually very helpful. Then, they made a potato and ground beef dish. The only thing I didn't understand was what she used to 'power the seasoning up'. I'll have to find it on their site. They also had someone make a juice mixed drink. (That's what they called it.) It had carrot and apple juice, and actually sounded good. They also have quizzes on things, and read out the emails/ letters from people who watch the show. Very interesting.