No More Cry

Mood:

By D-51. It's also the theme song for Gokusen's 2nd season. A touching and upbeat song. Has a slight reggae feel too. D-51 is a 2 member band from Okinawa. Their music is usually upbeat and has a summer feel to it. They tend to mix pop with reggae and Latin-like influences. Their name was taken from the steam locomotive type D51, which was invented by Japan National Railways and was built in 1936. This is the ending sequence to Gokusen's 2nd season last episode:

This my wallpaper for the month.It's Gintoki from Gintama. Has a matsuri or festival flare to it. Kind of fun. I've heard Gintama might be coming back soon, after a movie is put out. Can't wait!

My herb calendar has a lot of vinegars with different types of herbs in them. Interesting. Not sure if I've tried a vinegar like that.My Jewish calendar has 3 different parochets. Parochet literally means curtain, or veil, or screen. It's used as a curtain in front of the Torah ark, that holds the scrolls, in a synagogue. Not every synagogue has this. (Ours doesn't, for example.) They usually change them during big holidays, especially for this time of year. Speaking of that, there's only about 13 more days until Rosh Hashanah or our New Year.It's coming up so fast! Anyways, the main one's from Lyon from around 1760-1765. Another's from Germany in 1728. And the last one's from Amsterdam from around 1840-1855. Kind of cool to see such old ones.And they don't look damaged. 

Here's the month-long holidays: Apple Month, National Bourbon Heritage Month, Chili Peppers and Figs Month, Happy Cat Month, National Chicken Month, National Honey Month, National Piano Month, National Rice Month, Passion Fruit and Peach Month, Whole Grains Month, World Animal Remembrance Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Biscuit Month, National Breakfast Month, National Potato Month. Some are important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun. Interesting mix this time.

Dad goes back to work tomorrow, and I can tell she's getting really nervous. I would be too, with all that's been going on. But, it gets a bit weird on my end. So, I felt a bit funky earlier because of it.It was a nice summer with her, though. Got to do a lot of things together. Anyways, I read about a really cool event that'll happen on the 22nd, called Seattle's Night Market and Moon Festival. It'll be at Seattle's Chinatown. There's going to be tons of Asian stuff. Not just Chinese. Some from the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, and more. There's food, music, shopping, performers, and other stuff. Also, read that they'll have a 'JK Pop Dance Night' thing. Apparently, that group meets once a month normally. Sounds like so much fun!

Dad and I had our portraits done on Friday. Haven't had a portrait 'session' since senior year of high school.So, it was interesting. Dad wanted some for her dating profiles and her book cover. I did it also for my dating profiles and maybe for the 'about the author' section for my book. They made us do really weird poses. A lot of them seemed to be geared towards the dating theme. There were some somewhat cheesy ones. They took a lot of pics, but I only liked 7 of them. Interesting to see the reaction to them on FB. Gotten a lot of likes and comments. Funny how the ones people told me in a comment were their faves, didn't have many 'likes'. The ones that barely anyone commented on, had a lot of 'likes'.So, I went with the one with the most comments for my profile on there. As soon as I changed that pic, I had even more people 'like' it. I didn't think I looked that great.Also, changed my cover pic to the one I took of the Russian Charlotte Apple Cake I made a while back. Looked interesting for it, and now I'll be hungry everytime I look at it. No one seems to have seen it. Oh well, still cool. FB kind of feels like an experiment sometimes. Let's see what people like/comment about...

Went back to our local DOL on Friday, too. They were confused as to why I never got my 'official' plastic driver's permit card. So, they took my pic again, and said we'll send it out again and see if it gets delivered. Turned out to be a better pic of me, anyways. So, that was kind of a plus. Only downside was waiting for about an hour to talk to them 'in person'.

We got a couple of new cookbooks on Saturday. Dad got an Italian one for herself. And, I found an Asian one for me. It's huge! Has recipes from China, Thailand, India, Japan, and more. Went through the whole thing, and found a bunch of new recipes that I might want to make. 

Friday night, I had horrible nausea.Felt like I'd throw up multiple times. On Saturday, I was fine for a while when we went to the mall. Towards the end, I had that same nausea crash down on me. I was very dizzy and sweaty too. Found out later, that it probably was because I haven't been eating very well lately. I thought, whenever we eat out, the next day I'll barely eat anything.Not good. As soon as we got something at Hale's Ales in the mall I felt much better. Had some root beer and a chicken pesto calzone. Not drinking much of anything during the day may have contributed a bit to it too. So, I have to be more on top of that now.Don't want to go through that again. 

Also, during Friday night, I had this weird thing with my ears. Had my earplugs in, and occasionally they ring. Well, this time one had a continuous ring, and the other ear sounded like a loud mournful choir all night long. It was disturbing.As soon as I took my earplugs out, it was gone. Didn't have it the last couple of nights, so I guess it's ok. 

Yesterday, we had another night of, as Dad calls it: Cheesy Lobster night. Again, I try to keep a somewhat kosher diet, and she hates cheese. So, we each get something we really love and the other doesn't eat. She had mussels and some clam spaghetti, I had a deep dish 4 cheese 'personal' pizza. It was so good!And, she said hers was good too. We had mini eclairs for dessert. 

In Ghost Mama, they tried to find a home for Miko, a stray cat that lives in a box next to a local hospital. This cat seemed far too docile. At times I thought it was dead...Besides that, it was a pretty good episode. There was a girl that was very sick who liked to play with Miko while she was at the hospital. When she died, she looked after her. Her parents agreed to take in the cat, without knowing she was actually in the room with them. And without knowing it was the cat she played with. In the end the girl was at peace and went to heaven. Choko's starting to think that maybe she too will leave soon. Feeling that maybe Tonbo is growing up so fast, he might not need her to look after him. After all, he still has his father and sister.

Baka to Test was weird. Funny how on youtube, they consider it 'mature' and block out people who are younger than 18. It's not that 'mature'. There's really nothing graphic, besides the constant nosebleeds from the guys. There's less 'ecchi-ness' than most regular shows that aren't restricted. So, I find it odd. (Unless the series later on gets more mature.) Anyways, this one was about fulfilling Shouko's wishes of some day having a wedding. Just to have the 'experience'. It was cute in a way. Disturbing for her 'groom', Yuuji. He didn't know what was going on through most of it. Since it was a surprise. He suspected something was up, though.

deviantART fave: A Slice of Life I did not make this! It's an amazing pic from Jaffa, Israel. It looks surreal to me. 

Cupcake Day

Mood:

Yay for cupcakes!I like them, just don't have them too often. There's such a variety out there. It's also Lemonade Day. That's always good, and easy to make. 

A few days ago, it was really hot. Now, going back into the 70s, feels a bit cold.The forecast says it'll go down into the 60s Wednesday through Friday. That's not very summer-ish weather. Although, it's a lot more bearable than around 90.

Couldn't go to the cafe the day the group decided to play mahj, since it was too hot. We went the day before, and since there isn't any air-conditioning, it was really hot. Almost like an oven. That next day was hotter, so I'm glad I didn't go.

Friday night we went to an outdoor Shabbat service and potluck at someone's place. It was beautiful.Lots of people came, so there was plenty of food. Dad made koushari, and it seemed to be a hit. I always love that stuff!It's an Egyptian dish. It's mainly made with lentils, rice, elbow noodles, onions, and garlic (lots of it!). Got to catch up with a lot of people. Some I haven't seen since last year. And, some I met for the first time. Had a lot of positive comments about my hair. There was a ton of awesome desserts too. Barely could see what was there, because of the lighting. But whatever I grabbed, most of it was really good.There was some whitish-green plums that looked like candy. There was a berry cobbler, lemon tart, brownies, and more. Had a lot of fun! Only downside, was finding out later that my arms were attacked by mosquitoes. Now I have red splotches everywhere. They seem to always attack me during the summer.

Also, while I was there, I was reminded that the High Holy Days (or Days of Awe) are coming up soon. Just started the month of Elul, which means we have one month according to the Jewish calendar until it starts with Rosh Hashanah. Or our New Year. (It's literally 'Head of the Year'.) I can't believe that!It'll be my first High Holy Days without Mom. Of course, I did go on my own to High Holy Day services while I was in college. But, we were still able to compare things. So sad.Although, we're supposed to be happy on Rosh Hashanah. So, I'll try my best to.We usually make something for it, too. Maybe my shoulder would be healed by then, so I can. I've made teiglach before. (These little dough nuggets cooked in honey with orange or lemon rind. Really, a sticky and sweet candy. I love it!) In the past, Mom's made honey cake too. Eating honey on Rosh Hashanah symbolizes a sweet New Year. So, we tend to eat a lot of it. Maybe I'll try making both? We'll see.

Started playing Grand Fantasia. I was a bit bored with Ragnarok.The style was very old school, and I wanted something a bit more. Plus, the quests were tiring, and seemed like they were all the same. Wasn't sure if my computer would run Grand Fantasia very well. But, it runs pretty smoothly. The characters/scenery seems a lot more 'real'. The quests are interesting and a little challenging. (It'd be boring if it wasn't challenging.) The only problem I had was the fact that the girls start off with such a short skirt.But, that changes a bit. You can buy longer ones in-game. Had a creepy guy keep following me asking if he could marry me. He stopped once I boarded a ship. Managed to find a shirt (looks more like a corset), that will poison any enemy I'm attacking. That's pretty cool. My current sword looks awesome too. And, I'm only at character level 11. Decided to be a warrior this time. I like fighting with swords in these type of games, so why not? We also get a sprite. They can find rare materials, research sword techniques, eventually learn how to fight with you, and more. 

Watched Ghost Mama. I think Tonbo is a really cute kid. And he wants to please everybody. This time he was able to help his mom reconcile with his grandfather. Baka to Test was pretty funny. (Still not as funny as Gintama! I miss it!) They were sent on a scavenger hunt to find special 'treasures'. Like tickets to an amusement park, tickets for a lifetime of desserts, etc. Kekkaishi was actually kind of interesting. Yoshimori has to take care of a swamp god. He looks a bit creepy. His bed broke, and it's up to his family to fix it. Once he fell into the lake, where the bed is, he forgot entirely what his 'mission' was. Looked a bit like he was Alice from Alice and Wonderland. 

Managed to get some writing done. Started posting the chapters to a new forum I'm apart of. They seem to really like it. I'm not exactly sure where my current chapter is headed.I like it so far, though.

Worked a bit more on my kanji. 強 has a lot of compound words. There's 3 very long columns of the most used ones. It means strong, but there are some compounds that have it, that seem like it has nothing to do with strength. Good that I'm doing this then. Also, still practicing the previous kanji I've worked on. 組 (くみ or kumi) is the 'new' kanji that I went over today. It means set (of items), group (of people), class (of students), company (esp. construction), team. Translated a part of that You Maga article on American life and learning English. Went over a lesson from my book. It was slightly confusing this time, but figured it out in the end. Read an article in Japanese on Asahi's website (Asahi's a popular newspaper), about an earthquake in Indonesia.

Finished part of the original character drawing meme. Tried to draw a tornado, but I'm not sure if it ended up right.The person who made the blank meme said to throw in a unicorn somehow. So, it's being sucked up into the tornado. The next one should be interesting. My main character and I trapped in a room with a lifetime supply of Twinkies and a gun. We're there for a week, and they ask what happened. There's many ways that can go down...

Tsurezure Monochrome

Mood:


By Fujifabric. It's the opening song to Tsuritama. This just seems so laid back, and fun. In fact, the English title of it is Lazing Around, Monochrome. (Tsurezure actually means tedium.) The lyrics really fit the series. Fun, yet has a dark tone. The anime has an interesting dance to it. Fujifabric is a rock band that formed in 2000. Their name's an homage to the textile company which a former member's father owned. They have an interesting sound. Might look into them some more.

The weather's finally warming up!I actually went for a walk today. Hope to get back into doing it everyday. Now that I have comfortable jeans, it's easier.


Got a Japan guidebook that looks pretty good so far. Also, got a bilingual atlas book of Japan. So, I can see both the Japanese and English names of places. Kind of nice.I think these will be useful in the future as well. The guidebook has its own map, but it has different info, oddly. 


Went back to Furano on my 'trip', to see what the guidebook said about it. And to continue with what it had, for interesting spots in Hokkaido. Also went to the cheese factory in Furano (saw some interesting youtube vids, Google Earth had interesting info on it, and I went to their website), Farm Tomita (famous for their lavender fields), an Ainu village (interesting looking shops and stuff there), saw some Marimo in Lake Akan, and I'm now in Utoro. They say Utoro is probably the most remote place in the book. Yay!There should be some interesting things there. 


I also wanted to try a new toothpaste, because the one I was using wasn't doing much. (It was also running out, but didn't help with my sensitive teeth.) So, I tried a Crest 'Pro-Health' one. It has weird crystals that make it gritty. (The grit goes away after rinsing a bit. So not bad.) I think I felt clean afterwards, though.


Also, I had a no alcohol listerine as a mouthwash. Thought it was ok for a while. But, I got this weird white globular slime coming off my teeth about an hour after using it.Then, noticed I had some slight burns to the roof of my mouth. So I decided to do away with that one, and try another. (I've been using listerine for years, so this was weird.) I'm trying out another no alcohol version, which is also a Crest product. It makes weird purple chunks right away, but after spitting it out, it's gone. Not sure if I like it yet.I think it's better than the listerine was, though.


Found a lot more songs on Sunday.Some from the first Bleach soundtrack, some I'm rediscovering, and a couple of Jpop songs. Even though I took just about 2 days away from playing my clarinet, I felt rusty today.I have to stay on top of it! Played a couple of klezmer tunes, and some Mozart pieces. 

Watched 26 Years Diary last night. It was a pretty good movie. It was a joint Japanese and Korean project. Based on a true story, too. Although, they also made it more 'dramatic' than it was in real life. But, it wouldn't be a movie if they didn't do that. It's about Lee Su Hyon's life and death. It shows his life from when he was a 26 year old Korean student in Japan. Including school life, and a developing romance with a Japanese student. He died in 2001, along with a Japanese photographer (Shiro Sekine), who were both trying to save a drunken man who had fallen onto the tracks at the Shin-Okubo Station in Tokyo. I looked up his story, and both Japan and Korea regard him as a hero. His father said he always worried about others more than himself. He seemed like a real mensch to me. 

Started watching Sword Art Online on Saturday. I was surprised at how good it was. The art was amazing, and so far the characters are interesting.In 2022, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), called Sword Art Online (SAO) is released. With the Nerve Gear, a VR helmet that stimulates the user's 5 senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. An unexpected event occurs, when the creator prevents the 10,000 players from logging out. If they wish to be free and log out of the game, they have to make it to the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, should their in-game characters die in the game, so will their bodies in the real world. Kirito's a skilled player who tested the beta version of the game, and he's determined to make it to the top, and be free.

Started watching Ghost Mama Sousasen (Ghost Mama Investigation) today. Has a couple of actors I really like, so that's already a big plus for me. Seeing her die, and her family react, was a bit close to home for me.But, it seemed more 'real' than a lot of dramas try to do. It does have a touch of goofiness, but there's definitely a serious side. First grader Tonbo, is the type that's easily scared. One day, he decides to try on his deceased mother's glasses, and he ends up seeing her. She died 3 months ago. His mom, Choko Uehara, was a police officer. Even after her death, she likes to investigate things. She now solves cases with her son, Tonba, as a partner. She died in a house that was targeted by a serial arsonist. She was trying to save a kid. She succeeded, but died in the process. After death, she investigated, and in the end was able to catch the serial arsonist. So, that's nice they got that taken care of right away, and she knows who killed her. I hate when it takes like the whole series for that kind of thing to be solved.

Posted another chapter to a couple of dA groups and mangafox. They weren't new, but those groups hadn't read them yet. I'll probably start writing chapter 17 soon. (Either tomorrow or Wednesday.) Kanji for today is: 声. Or, こえ (koe),  こわ (kowa), しょう (shou), せい (sei). It means voice. 

Worked a little on the meme. It's harder to draw a chibi-ized character than I thought. I plan to have Ravel as a chibi in a cow costume. I think being mistaken for a cow might humiliate him. He's usually mistaken for a devil, but this seems worse to me. Plus, I'm trying to make it look ridiculous. Not sure if I'm succeeding.

Typed some more of that You Maga article up, went over a Japanese lesson, and read an article about an orchestra having a farewell concert in honor of a music critic who recently died. He was 98 years old.