Showing posts with label Tsubasa Chronicle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tsubasa Chronicle. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

National Potato Day!

Mood:

I love potatoes!:iconinloveplz:I could eat them all day and not get sick of them. There are so many different ways you can eat them. Mashed, baked, French fries, scalloped, shredded, etc. 

Went shopping again last weekend. Got 2 big fluffy and 'firm' pillows. My old ones were ripping apart, and the stuffing was coming out.:iconsoullessginplz:They were also huge, but didn't have any support, so they were pretty flat. These new ones are really nice.:iconsleepygreeceplz:They're so fluffy that I'm down to one for my bed. I usually like 2 pillows stacked up on top of each other, but one seems to be the right amount with these. I think I got the old ones about 8 or 9 years ago. The ones I had before that lasted much longer. The only reason I stopped using those was because the lining was starting to flake off and turn into a powder.:iconchibichinaplz:I thought I might be breathing in something horrible every time I slept with those pillows towards the end. 

I seriously looked through the mall for things like shirts, skirts, pants, etc. But, had to stop at some point because I started to get very dizzy. My muscle relaxer was finally hitting me.:iconusaplz:Saw some interesting stuff though. 

Later, we went to Hale's Ales for dinner. I was super thirsty.:iconhanatamagoplz:Again, probably due to the muscle relaxer. Managed to down 2 large glasses of iced tea, and I think a little more. Mouth still felt a bit dry, though. I got their cod sandwich thinking that since I liked Red Robin's so much I might as well try their's. It was grilled instead of fried. Which normally would be a plus for me.:icontinoplz:I asked for it without onions. It came with onions, and the person who came out with it was very rude.:icongermanyplz:She wasn't our main waitress. I told her that I had asked for it without onions, and she asked if I was allergic to them. She said if I wasn't, to take the onions off myself and hand them to her. As if me not liking them is less important to her compared to someone who's allergic to them.:iconinsultedplz:And, yes I know that's a bigger deal in reality, but you should be able to get what you asked for without having to say anything about it. To them it should be the same. I asked for it without, I should be treated with respect and get it without them.:iconprussiaplz:If they make a mistake they should just apologize, then go back and have them do it over. No questions asked. Our main waitress was very nice. Her only downside, I think, was the bill being late. But, it suddenly got busy at one point, so I can understand. Anyways, the sandwich had way too much tartar sauce in it, and so much fish that it didn't fit in the sandwich.:iconpolandplz:The tater tots were good. And, overall things were pretty good. I don't know what happened to Hale's Ales, but for some reason they don't seem as great as they used to be. 

I decided to stop taking my muscle relaxer yesterday. I haven't had a dose of it since Sunday night. I think it was starting to make me sick.:iconseychelles-plz:I was very thirsty, dizzy, nauseous, etc. I'm feeling much better since I've been off them. And, I'm not really feeling muscle pain in my left shoulder. I was worried that it would immediately spasm again. They gave me enough for about 2 weeks, and I had a week's worth of the stuff. I think it also felt like it was liquefying the rest of my muscles.:iconwtfukplz:My legs were burning every time I moved them. I have very strong and muscular legs, so it wasn't a good feeling. I think my arms were starting to hurt, too. 

Getting back to sticking more strictly to the way I want to eat. Things are looking even bigger than before, and my stomach fills up much quicker. So, I don't think I could eat the way I used to even if I wanted to. This makes a lot of leftovers, and I have to remember that I can eat them during my 'snack' meals as well. I try to eat 5 small meals a day, and divide the calories roughly evenly. So, there isn't really a 'snack' time anymore. I have breakfast, lunch, afternoon 'snack', dinner, and a night 'snack'. I try to range between 1200-1600 calories for the day, and usually the low end of that. I have to remember to factor in how many calories my dessert is. I try to have one a day. If I end up having half of it, that just means I can enjoy it for a longer period of time.:iconheroamericaplz: 

I stopped doing my sit-ups at one point while I was taking the muscle relaxer, so I'm starting over this week. It's 10 of them twice a day this time. Haven't started up my walking again yet, but hope to soon. These shoes have been taking a while for me to really get used to them. But, I guess most new shoes are that way.:iconsighingplz:Found out they might be slightly too big for me. There's a bit of empty space above where my toes are. And, if I don't have the laces tight and double knot them, they feel like they're going to fly off. Makes it kind of comical to walk in when they're that loose.:iconlaughingplz:Maybe I should have tried the 7 instead? But, I'm weary of that. (I haven't fit into a 7 in years, makes me wonder though. I'm usually a 7 1/2.) It might just mold to my foot after making it tight for a while. We'll see...

Finished the 2nd and last season of Tsubasa Chronicle. That left it hanging with barely any questions answered. Almost like they were expecting to make another season out of it, but this season originally aired in 2006. (The first season started in 2005.) That's a long hiatus if it were to come back.:iconnorwayunimpressedplz:Certainly left it wide open. 

I read that the manga was published from 2003 to 2009, so it seems that there's more to the manga version at least. I feel like I'm going through CLAMP shows backwards. CLAMP is the all women manga-ka (manga authors/creators) group. I watched all of xxxHolic first, even the live-action drama. I read a good chunk of that series, too. Loved it, and still do. Tsubasa Chronicle's first volume of the manga came out 3 months after xxxHolic's. They're connected and there is quite a bit of crossover. 

I feel like I'm going backwards, because the anime versions were switched. Tsubasa is older than xxxHolic that way by about a year. Yuko the 'interdimensional witch' is in both. Watanuki had one or two appearances in Tsubasa, as well. Also, there are 2 Mokona (they describe them as rabbit-like creatures. They're kind of like mascots), the white one travels with Shaoran and his group in Tsubasa, and the black one stays with Yuko at her shop in xxxHolic. Also, there are apparently many references to Cardcaptor Sakura. One of the main characters from Tsubasa, Sakura, is based off of the main in Cardcaptor. Shaoran's in that one too. Even Sakura's kingdom of Clow is in Cardcaptor (I think it's used as a last name in that one). They had several other characters from that series too. I think I saw Chii from Chobits at one point.:iconshockplz: 

I'm thinking of watching Cardcaptor Sakura to replace that slot. It's quite a bit older than Tsubasa and xxxHolic, but looks somewhat interesting. (Plus, with all the references to it, I think I should watch it to get the full picture.:iconchibiaustriaplz:) And, if it's by the same people, it might be good. It started airing in 1998, a couple of years after Rurouni Kenshin started. So, I'll be watching 2 shows from that 'era' if I like Cardcaptor enough. 

I'm thinking of watching an OVA or basically special of Tsubasa that might explain some more things. It seems a lot darker, but one of the things it might answer is the truth behind him and his 'doppelganger'. They just barely touched that subject, and the organization who's watching them travel didn't do much. They kept saying they were planning something big, but nothing specifically came up.:iconnorgeplz:They interfered a few times, but didn't actually change anything. We just know that they don't want Sakura to get all her feathers (they hold her memories), they have Shaoran's doppelganger in a weird tank, and they despise Yuko. 

Oh, and apparently CLAMP's going to continue both xxxHolic and Tsubasa manga versions. The original xxxHolic manga had stopped in 2011. xxxHolic was picked up again about a year ago under the title 'xxxHolic: Rei (Return)'. For Tsubasa, they stopped the original run of the manga in 2009. Tsubasa's manga version comes back this month under the title 'Tsubasa: World Chronicle'. (That's an even longer hiatus...:iconawkwardplz:) Maybe I should look into Tsubasa's manga version. It might finally answer things, too. Plus, I know there's more to it if they picked it up again. Probably should go back to reading xxxHolic, too...:iconkikuplz:

Finished the 10th short story to my nightmare anthology. Started the 11th one yesterday. The original recurring nightmare that this one is based on is pretty short, so it should be interesting to see how it turns out. This was the last recurring nightmare I wrote down from my list. So, I'm not sure if it'll be the last one, or I'll add another...:iconswissplz:(I've had many more recurring nightmares. It was the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.) I was thinking of trying to do 13 when I started, but that also sounds cliche.:iconannoyedgin-plz:11 might be good. I guess I'll see how I feel about it when I'm through with this one...

I've been coloring in my drawings of my characters from Alliance's outfits/extras. I really wanted to do something with my colored pencils. I've had them for a while, and don't use them that often, so this was fun.:iconfrancisplz:Most of it is turning out better than I expected. Also, moved onto editing the 2nd part of the 'angry' section of the exaggerated emotions meme in Photoshop. Junko (who's also in my story, Alliance), looks hilarious as being angry. No matter how I drew this section, she looked very funny.:iconspainplz:She's the type of character that hides her emotions well, but looks like she's happy most of the time. She can be blunt and a glutton, though. 

Finished studying the kanji 愛, and its compounds. It's a very popular one for names, too. The next one I haven't come across much (there aren't any common compounds listed for it), but the one after that seems like it's everywhere. That means there might be a lot of compounds for that one...:iconchibiswedenplz:Did pretty well on JapaneseClass' site. I've ranked pretty highly for the last couple of days on the top 20. Overall, my rank is soaring. Yay! 

I'm getting back into Pinterest. It's helping me get more in touch with my 'style' in the fashion sense. I used to be in tune with it for a while, then I guess I became numb to it.:iconohboyamericaplz:Now I'm starting to really get it again. I guess it might be called warm, classic, and rich feeling. Not rich as in wealth, but in colors and feel. (I don't like when something looks like it's just for the super wealthy. That's not practical for me, and makes me feel weird.) Not sure what all of that together would be called.:iconchibinitalyplz:My friends used to tell me that I had my own style. I don't know. I do know that fall colors always look good on me. That might influence it a bit. Sometimes I'll go for a couple days without anything peaking my interest, and sometimes it feels like suddenly there's a bunch of things I like on Pinterest. I look at those and try to find similar things, or even just similar colors, when I go out to the mall. At least, that's what I plan to do more often. It'll help me figure out what interests me so I could focus on that instead. I'm also looking at jewelry on there. It'll also give me ideas.

I might drop Juui-san, Jiken Desu yo. The subs' timing has been very off.:iconlietplz:Plus, the actual show feels kind of flat for some reason. It's funny, but something's missing from it. The stories behind the pet owners are kind of lukewarm. If I do drop it, I'll start another anime to replace its spot. That would mean I'm only watching 2 dramas at the moment. Sad.:iconwtfromanoplz:I like both of them, and they seem pretty engaging. So, at least I'll stick with them.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

National Ice Cream Day!

Mood::iconberwaldplz:

Who doesn't love ice cream?:iconfeelingfullplz:Unless you're allergic to it, but then there are some pretty close alternatives. (Sorbet is an example.) There is such a variety of different flavors. I like rocky road, cookie dough, caramel swirl with chocolate chunks, (occasionally) mint chocolate chip, Dutch apple pie, and many more flavors. Of course, there's also ice cream bars, sundaes, and banana splits...:iconawwwplz:Today's also National Lollipop Day, Fortune Cookie Day, and Moon Day. Quite a lot for one day. I'm ok with lollipops. Kind of have to be in the mood for one. Fortune cookies are always interesting, even if the 'fortune' inside is lame. One of the more memorable ones I've gotten was: "Happiness is contagious, scatter the seed." 

The moon's pretty important, so it's great to celebrate it.:iconyayhanatamagoplz:Although, in Judaism we kind of already do that with celebrating every new moon, which marks the start of each month in our calendar, called Rosh Chodesh. It's a lunar calendar after all. It's also a somewhat important women's holiday for us. Many communities have Rosh Chodesh groups that meet then. They're groups that generally center around women's issues and topics. We had one through our local synagogue for a while. We made our own candles, lit them, sang songs, had intense debates, occasionally cooked, said some prayers, did crafts, etc. It was a lot of fun.:iconthailandplz:Kind of miss it...By the way, we're in the month of Tammuz right now. In roughly a week it'll be the new month of Av. 

The second season of Tsubasa Chronicle has been interesting. I'm finally getting close to the end.:iconheroamericaplz:About 4 more episodes. It seems to be dragging a bit right now. They apparently don't want us to know very much about Shaoran and his 'clone'. Haven't mentioned it much, but showed what seemed to be a cloned version of him. Plus, that 'version' took over his body at one point. They already speculated about who the 'real' one is, but it's just slight hints. Still haven't gone in depth about why they are essentially seeing the same people in different worlds. They touched on it a while back, but didn't talk about the specifics. I've noticed a lot more continuity errors with this season. It didn't really impact the story, though. It seems that Sakura is getting very close to actually remembering Shaoran from before, but Yuko had taken away her memories of him in exchange for Shaoran helping Sakura. I'm wondering, if there are 2 of him, what happens if she does remember a version of him?:iconusaplz:A lot of unanswered questions still. They'll probably answer most of them during the last episode or something. 

Finally got back to writing the 10th short story to my nightmare anthology. I was too nervous and warm to write while I was in Scottsdale.:iconlietplz:This is turning out to be one of the most gruesome/gory stories I've written so far. Kind of hard to sit through, yet fun at the same time. The nightmare it's based off of was super short, but one of the scarier or more shocking ones.:iconitalyishorrifiedplz:So, it's interesting to try and spin it into an actual story. 

Edited more of the exaggerated expressions meme in Photoshop. This is of Junko's most exaggerated sad expression. Kind of sad to see.:icontinoplz:My oc's are like my babies. But, the next section shows different levels of her angry expressions. That one should be more amusing to look at. At least, it's good practice, too.:iconchibinitalyplz:

Drew the rest of my characters' outfits/accessories from Alliance. Even got to the last 2 nameless characters that were introduced towards the end of the story. That was interesting. One's an assassin, but her clothes don't look like what an assassin would wear. At least not in my mind, but it still looks good. The other seems to be the 'bad guy', although you don't really know. Even by the end of the story. His type of 'demon' is essentially a trickster, and loves to mess with people. He's a Dark Healer, and there are Light Healers as well. They don't get along. Anyways, his clothes are interesting, too. I really went with a 'dark' look with him.:iconkikuplz:I just realized one of the main characters who's a Light Healer has a tattoo as well as this Dark Healer. They have them in different places and are different types, but I don't think I really planned it out like that...:iconwtfromanoplz:
日本語
Studied the kanji: 練 and 路. When 練 is pronounced as 練り or ね.り (ne.ri): (suf) kneading, gloss, tempering; paste (e.g. bean paste, mustard paste). When it's pronounced as 練る or ね.る (ne.ru): to knead, thicken into a paste (stirring over a flame); to polish (a plan, etc.), refine, elaborate, work out; to train, drill, exercise; to gloss (silk), soften; to tan (leather); to temper (steel); to walk in procession, parade, march. It's only pronounced as れん (ren) in compounds. Usually not pronounced this way by itself. 練習 or れんしゅう (renshuu): practice, practicing. When 路 is pronounced as じ (ji): (suf) road, route; distance traveled in a day; (with decade) one's..., age...As みち (michi): road, street, way, path, course, route, lane; distance, ways (e.g. "a long ways"); the way (of proper conduct, etc.), one's way, morals; teachings (esp. Confucian or Buddhist), dogma; field (of medicine, etc.), subject; way, method, means. It's mainly pronounced as ろ (ro) in compounds. (There weren't any common ones listed.) Next time I'll be going over the very last kanji for the 'grade'. So, yay! I'm almost done with it!:iconranranruuplz:I can move on to the next 'level' this way. But, that last one has a lot of common compounds listed...So, it might take me a little while to get through.:iconnorwayunimpressedplz:

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

A Song of Storm and Fire

Mood::iconicelandfukkiretaplz:

From the first Tsubasa Chronicle soundtrack. It's one of Syaoran's (or Shaoran) themes. It sounds pretty epic, and goes together with the anime quite nicely.:iconheroamericaplz:Apparently, the lyrics to this one aren't in a particular language, and so they don't make any sense on their own. The composer commented that it was a language of emotion. Kind of cool.

Wrote more of the 9th short story to my nightmare anthology. I can tell I'm getting really close to finishing this one.:la:Played my clarinet. Did some Irish and klezmer tunes. Sounded pretty good. Better than yesterday. 

Also, read some more of the American Jewish folklore book. This time it was on funny Yiddish stories, superstitions, stories about changing names while at Ellis Island, bilingual prank names, etc. It was very interesting. Some of the superstitious stuff is still used today. Like keeping the evil eye away, not naming a baby after someone who's living in the family, etc. Although, some of their meanings have changed. Like the naming of a baby after someone who's alive used to be because it'll bring bad luck, now it's because it will dishonor the one who's still around in the family. Or, their memory will be blotted out, is another.
Chibisan Date has been interesting so far. At times, it is kind of slow.:iconchibiswedenplz:But, it's pretty laid back and kind of relaxing. Seiji has gotten over his 'block' in his painting, and has gone back to it with renewed interest. He was beating himself up all the time, because he thought he couldn't be as great as some of the artists of his time. But, a local artist told him to find his own unique painting/drawing style. Before going to America to study art, he used to do watercolor paintings, but thought of them as nothing but doodles or something just for himself that no one else would like. When he started those up again, people liked them. So, he got back into watercolor. He loves to do paintings of flowers, lighthouses, and other things he finds around him in Nantucket. They just introduced his friend, Fischer, a bit more. He comes from a long line of fisherman, but is really interested in playing his violin. He just auditioned to be in an orchestra, but was told he was too sloppy. Although, they told him he had a unique sound. Seiji's not sure how they really became such close friends. He says it might have to do with them both pursuing creative interests. 
日本語
Studied 3 kanji: 羊, 洋, 葉. Most of the time 羊 is pronounced as ひつじ (hitsuji), but in some compounds it may be pronounced as よう (you). It means: sheep. 洋 is only pronounced as よう (you). It means: ocean, sea; (pref) foreign, Western, European. If 葉 is pronounced as は (ha): leaf, needle, blade. As よう (you): (suf, ctr) counter for leaves, pieces of paper, etc. 葉脈 or ようみゃく (youmyaku): veins of a leaf. 千葉 or ちば (chiba): Chiba (city). Wrote out some more practice sentences. I normally feel like I blank on it, but lately I've been able to come up with things for it. It's really helping me 'grasp' it even more.:iconchibinitalyplz:

Drew more of my characters' clothes/accessories from Alliance. This time I did Max and Ravel's clothes. Those were interesting. Max is a waiter at a fancy restaurant, and Ravel works at the university's main cafeteria. Both are interested in food. So, I basically drew their uniforms. Next time I'll do Nico's clothes and accessories. He has a lot of both, so that should be interesting. Cleaned up more of the 'sad' section of the exaggerated expressions meme in Photoshop. Kind of weird for me to see a sad version of Junko. But, she does get sad occasionally. Just most of the time she looks kind of like a bubbly and happy character. (She does go through a lot in the story.) I guess it's good to see my characters in different ways. Also, started to draw Shadow's head. But, got frustrated with it so much I had to stop.:iconhongkongplz:I also forgot that I wanted to draw the heads (or 'busts' I suppose) of those 2 characters at the end of the story who still don't have a name yet. (They refused to give it in the story so far. Maybe if there's a sequel, they might give it...) I have a pretty clear picture of them in my head still, so that might be a good thing to do.:iconchibiaustriaplz: