Oblivion

Mood:

By 30 Seconds to Mars. I hadn't heard this until I watched a Gintama amv (anime music video) that featured it. This was from their debut album in 2002. I think I had heard about the band, but didn't really listen to their music before. I know a couple of my friends are into them. I might look more into their music. They're an American alternative rock band that formed in 1998. They've been compared to Pink Floyd, The Cure, Tool, and U2 for their lyrics, concept albums, and experimental music. They've won several awards. The song fits perfectly with Gintama. Which is really cool.The video itself was pretty good, too. Here's the amv that introduced me to it:

Didn't get to my morning walk, but hopefully I'll get to the evening one. Got up a little later than I wanted.At least I got last night's and this morning's sit-ups in. 

Got another email from my gastroenterologist today. She said that all my test results were normal (even though I remember one thing was a bit low and even had an L flagged next to it), that she wants the next blood draw to be done next month, and she asked how my abdominal pain is. It's nice she asked about my pain, but the last time I responded to her email, she said ask me more during our phone appointment. She even wrote out (this time) that I could email her again if I have any questions...That's weird. So, if I have questions, should I wait or email her?Puts me in a weird position. I'm trying to learn as much as I can on my own, and I have a family member who said I should ask her questions. At least I have those going for me right now. I've read some pretty scary stuff so far.

I looked up/added more to the easily digestible foods list. Some I already knew about, but it's good to see them combined in one list. Fruits and vegetables are more digestible without their skins and cooked. I like fresh/raw fruits and vegetables...Rice is one of the most digestible foods. Very interesting to look through.

日本語

Studied the kanji: 結. If pronounced as 結ぶ or むす.ぶ (musu.bu): to tie, bind, link; to close (e.g. a deal), confirm, conclude; to connect (2 different places); to close tightly, purse (e.g. lips); to unite (with), ally, join hands. As 結う or ゆ.う (yu.u): to do up (hair), braid, fasten, fix. As 結わえる or ゆ.わえる (yu.waeru): to bind, fasten, tie up. It's pronounced as けつ (ketsu) or けち (kechi) in compounds. けつ (ketsu) seems a lot more common. 結晶 or けっしょう (kesshou): crystal, crystallization. 結構 or けっこう (kekkou): (it's usually written out in kana instead of kanji) splendid, nice, wonderful, delicious, sweet; sufficient, fine (in the same sense of "I'm fine"), (by implication) no thank you; well enough, ok, tolerable; reasonably, fairly, tolerably. 結婚 or けっこん (kekkon): marriage. There's a few more common compounds for this one that I'll go over next time. 

Practiced a bit on JapaneseClass' site. Just did the attendance and regular practice stuff. That quizzes you on kanji, expressions, vocab, etc. Next time I'll try to go through some of the chapter tests. Haven't done so in a while. 

Started translating a new part of an article in You Maga. This one's about answering some parents' concerns about what life will be like in kindergarten and elementary school for their kids. Most of the main article or special is about parents and kids that have recently moved to America from Japan. There are several sub articles in it. The last one kind of made my skin crawl with talking about what to do with lice.Before that it was on inner ear infections. There's another one coming up that looks like it's about a kid's oral health. There's also one on ESL, and trying to learn the language along with the kid. Very interesting stuff. 

Read some articles in Japanese, too. A couple from NHK, and a couple from RocketNews24. NHK's main headline was on the explosion in China. And, RocketNews had something about Comiket or aka Comic Market. It's the world's largest doujinshi fair, held twice a year in Tokyo. It's a DIY effort for selling doujinshi, or self-published works. Usually those works are magazines, manga, or novels. Items sold there are considered very rare, so some can be found later in shops or online at prices more than 100 times what they were originally sold. It's become extremely popular, and is incredibly crowded. In order to beat the crowds, many people wait in line for at least a day before the event outside. This can pose a security risk. Let alone a health problem for the people waiting. It got so bad one year that officials said that waiting too early outside is prohibited, yet it still happens. This article was about someone recently getting critically injured after waiting for days at a bus stop near the event. An ambulance came and took them to the nearest hospital. They're not sure if he'll pull through. Another one of their articles was just a goof-off fluff piece on their antics around the office. 

Tried to look for more manga to add to my 'to read' list. Found one interesting one called Hyde and Closer. I'll look for more to add to the list again, soon. That's the only one I have on there at the moment. I want a variety to try.AnimePlanet has a special section where they recommend manga to you. So, that might come in handy.

La La La, It's Love!

Mood:


By The Melody. At first I wasn't sure what to make of this one. But, it's grown a lot on me. And, now I love it! It's also from the Coffee Prince OST. Which is a Korean drama. This is the opening theme. I've looked at some info on the show, and it looks interesting enough to watch. Even though, I'm mostly interested in J-drama for obvious reasons. 





Well, I went to services again! Wahoo! It's becoming a habit again. (I used to go every time we had services, years ago.) This time our cantor led it. She told us about what she learned at a conference for Jewish musicians. She met some really famous people, sang all day long everyday, and came up with some new ideas for our congregation. New songs, saying the Birkat Hamazon more often (prayers after we eat, to give thanks), getting the kids more involved through teaching songs at the school, and more. I like Birkat Hamazon, so that would be really nice. I'm surprised the kids at the school haven't learned very many songs. We had them drilled into our heads when I was in Sunday school. But, then again, I've heard the school's been pretty messed up lately. It was a pretty nice service. There was barely a minyan. In order to have a full Torah service, we have to have at least 10 Jews show up. We can't count the non-Jews who come every once in a while. We can count the Torah itself as one Jew, if it gets close. Some communities object to that though. I find it kind of funny, but a nice fail safe. 


It was also my dad's b-day. In case you didn't know, he's transgendered. (And will be living as a woman full-time soon. It's a bit complicated.) So, we got him a vanity mirror. Then, we went out shopping. Went to Old Navy for the first time. I heard their clothes were good, and they looked nice in their ads. The clothes were ok, but the decor... It looked like someone puked up bright colors everywhere.I felt like I was going to throw up. It was so intense and the music was blaring, I had to get out of there pretty quickly. Next, we went to Sears. I started feeling a lot better there, seeing the more 'subdued' colors. Nice break. 


Next, we went to Hakata. Which is an awesome Japanese restaurant! I think this one and Maneki's are the only ones I like in this area. The others are just horrible. We ordered a sushi sampler for an appetizer, like we sometimes do. I only like the tekka (tuna) and kappa (cucumber) ones in their sampler. With every dinner, you get pickled bean sprouts and miso soup. I love their bean sprouts! Their miso soup isn't the best though. Very bland. Tastes like there isn't any dashi, and very little actual miso. I got my fave, the chicken teridon. Chicken teriyaki rice bowl. So good! I love their rice too! Oh, and I used chopsticks for the first time on the chicken. I can't believe I actual got the hang of it finally! When I was much younger I just hated the idea of chopsticks. Plus, I wasn't very patient. So, it was nice to finally get it. Now, I have to practice with more things. For dessert, I had fried icecream Japanese style. It's vanilla icecream enveloped by cake, and that's fried in tempura batter. It's good stuff! I also like it Mexican style, which is slightly different. I love how you can watch the head chef as he works. That's always fun. He's not flashy about it, but it's nice to see. 


After that, we went to Joanne's. I got a wooden male mannequin or model for drawing. It will help me see the proportions in 3D. I can bend him in different directions to see what certain poses look like too. I thought he was way too twisted at first, and that there might be something wrong with it. But, after getting used to it and working with it, it was fine. The only thing I don't think it can do is have the legs wide apart. So, if I want my character standing with his legs wide apart, I'll have to figure that on my own. I really think it's a good tool though. I also got a cool pencil sharpener for my colored pencils. I tested it already, and it works great.


We also saw the Lovely Bones. Very trippy, but a good movie. I liked the artistic elements in the 'inbetween' world. Really cool looking.The idea was interesting too. Had a pretty good ending also. I like movies where the murderer gets his comeuppance. They made him extremely creepy, too. 


Today, I watched part of NHK's Gymnastic's Cup. It was amazing! Mom went to the annual meeting for our congregation. People want things run a bit differently. After hearing a little about it through her, I'm thinking maybe I should be even more active. Maybe even try to plan things. I don't think I can be on the board, since I'm not a paying member, but I could do other things. I don't know, we'll see. We also went to Joanne's and picked up the stuff I talked about before. We didn't have the coupons yesterday, so we had them hold everything and came back today. 


Youtube:
Hilarious Japanese ad:

A funny Chinese Mentos ad:

A weird, and oddly funny game from China:

Poor corn cobs:

The Eastern European Funk music video. This was the song entry from Lithuania by InCulto for Eurovision this year. I'm starting to really like it. Maybe more than the song that won the contest from Germany.

So much like how Buster used to play:

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:

Birthday

Hi! We went to a brunch for my Birthday at a place called the Oak Table. I decided to get an apple pancake. This is no ordinary pancake! I guess it's more like what my mom described it as a souffle. It's about 4 inches tall, has apples baked into it, very eggy, lots of different spices in an apple syrup drizzled over it and cooked into it, and I think brown sugar bits all over it. It's really good! I couldn't even eat half of it. Everytime someone orders this, they ring a bell. Of course, when I couldn't eat anymore, they came out with another thing they give to people who are celebrating their Birthdays. This was an icecream stuffed crepe with chocolate drizzled over it and whipped cream on the sides. I could only stomach a bite of it. So, we had a lot of food to take home. :D Just means I can have a couple of delicious lunches this week. ^_^

I also got a makeup kit. It has 9 good eyeshadow colors, 6 lip glosses, and 3 lipstick colors. Awesome, since I didn't have much variety in colors for eyeshadow, lipgloss, and lipstick. Another thing I got was a book called A Jewish Woman's Prayer Book. I forgot I wanted this a while ago. So, that was really nice.

Last night, we also watched a very good movie called Defiance. It's about these group of Jews that hide in the forests of Lithuania during the Holocaust. They also fight against any Germans that walk into the forest. I like that they fight back against them, since there aren't too many stories being told about them. They always paint the Jews as a bit weak and not wanting to fight for their rights. Kind of an uplifting story to me.

Today, I slept in a bit, because I was still extremely full. I also had a hard time falling asleep, but once I did I was out like a light. I mostly watched TV Japan.

The first thing I watched was the tail end of J- League Soccer. It was Kawasaki vs. Chiba. Kawasaki won, but it seemed like a really close game. Both sides were very good.

Then, I watched Children Around the World. They followed a Malaysian girl's day. She's Muslim, so she has to put on a burka. (I think, but it doesn't cover the mouth.) She wants to become an English teacher. Her family's all for it, as long as she's successful. The morning announcements for the school was interesting, they always end it with a prayer. A lot of the time the girls take their burkas off, and are told by the teachers constantly to put them back on. :P Once she's home, she doesn't have to wear it though, which is nice. Was a very interesting show. ^_^

Next, I watched some of NHK News: Good Morning Japan. Similar to Good Morning America. (Really interesting how many similarities there are.) They had the weather, a thing on a scam that targetted seniors, in Hokkaido there are people still missing after an avalanche, and other topics. Very interesting to see what's going on over there. :D

Next was a program on hot springs (or onsen). It was about the owner of one. She took over after her mother died. It looked so relaxing to see when people were using them. The people who work there went through a ceremony where a Shinto priest blessed them and I think the spring, too. They also showed that they grow their own vegetables there, and showed some of the food they serve. It looked so good! XD

Then, there was a show called Nature Wonderland. The animal they showed this time was an Osprey. They showed them hunting for fish, where they nest, taking care of their young, where they are found, etc. It was cool to watch when they used slo- mo to show how the bird attacks a fish. Kind of scary for the poor fish, but still looked cool! Their talons are huge too! They also go by the name 'Sea Eagle'.

Lastly, I watched Pets Pochi and Tama. It's a show where they talk about people's pets. The longest story was about a little kitten. The kitten along with its siblings were abandoned. A person found them and took care of them. After a while they decided to sell them. The kitten (I think his name is Pachi?) found a nice family in the end. Showed them playing with him, holding him, taking pictures, and just spending time with him. It was a nice story. :D So, it was all incredibly interesting today. ^_^ Tonight, I think I'm going to watch a thing called Cool Japan. I've heard it's one of the best shows on this channel, so we'll see how good it is. :P