11 September, 2013
.. at 3AM while waiting for my shift to end.
No, I wasn’t slacking on the job. There are times when there’s nothing to do. So, to avoid falling asleep you need to do something. I chose to practice my Hiragana writing. I don’t know how much will stick to me but its better than nothing.
18 January, 2013
“Rurouni Kenshin” the live action movie was amazing. This was one of the most beautiful adaptations that I’ve seen in a very long time. Dare I say it’s way up there with Watchmen.
Normally when I hear that a movie will be made after a certain anime, I get this bad feeling that they will ruin everything for the fans. A very good example is the Dragon Ball movie that appeared a couple of years ago.
But then again, this is not an American adaptation of an Anime.
I was really hipped about this movie because Rurouni Kenshin holds a very dear place in my heart and childhood memories. Not only was Rurouni Kenshin one of the first anime movies that I’ve seen but the anime series (Samurai X) was on TV every weekend morning. It was something that we could all watch on those lazy weekend mornings. Heck I still have Bonnie’s Pink song “It’s gonna rain” on my MP3 player.
So, watching the movie took a lot of guts from me since I didn’t want to ruing those feelings. Well, I must say those Japanese know their stuff because the movie was awesome on so many levels.
Basically, the action of the movie is exactly what happens in Samurai X first season. They managed to cram in the action of one entire season in a 2 hour long movie and it was amazing to watch from start to end.
Another thing that I liked about this movie was the casting. They actors were brilliant and it’s like they were meant to be apart of this movie. Their manners, the way they spoke, everything was so similar to the anime characters.
Talk about fan service…
When I actually looked them up on Google I was really amazed how much different they look in real life compared to their characters. I don’t think that it was all down to make up and a good wardrobe, I do think they were able to bring to life the characters with their acting talent.
Truthfully as a fan of the series I was really pleased with this movie. I was so pleased with it that I actually gave it a 9 on IMDb.
15 January, 2013
Believe it or not I actually convinced Johnny to watch a Japanese movie with me. All that I had to say was “It has lots of blood” and he was settling in to watch.
So, this is the very short story on how we watched “Battle Royale”.
This isn’t a movie for kids, but then again the amount the blood the movie has is childish compared with other movies. I mean, its not the blood that shocks is the main idea/story of the movie: kids killing kids.
I was planning on reading the book first (“Battle Royale” by Koushun Takami) but it was much easier to find the movie than the book.
The story is basically simple, Japan is going through a bad phase. Adults are losing the respect they once had and kids are basically running wild. So, a new law is introduced. This is called the “Battle Royale” law where each year a class of students is chosen and they are taken to an island/remote place where they have to fight and kill each other in maximum 3 days. There can be only one winner or else everyone is killed.
At first, the kids think this is a big joke but soon they realize it’s not. Some of them kill themselves, some start killing just to stay alive, others just kill because they want to blow some steam.
The main focus of the story is on Shuya and Noriko. Shuya tries to protect Noriko for his dead friend Nobu who was in love with her. Then Kawada comes in the picture, since he’s been in the “game” before and he knows exactly how things work. And Kawada actually helps Shuya and Noriko to survive the game.
It’s basically the older version of the Hunger Games. It might not be as complex as the Hunger Games but its worth watching.
I am thinking of looking up and the second part of the movie, but a quick peak at the reviews and I have mixed feelings about it.
6 May, 2011
I am an avid fan of blogs.
I find that blogs are better than any other social media on the Internet. Facebook or Twitter might be cool and an easy way to see stalk what friends or others might be doing, but they aren’t as personal and are very restrictive.
I have over 300 blogs bookmarked and I am finding more and more each day. It might sound much, but I do keep up with the majority and even if I don’t comment (sorry about that) I do enjoy reading them.
Blogs are, at this time probably the only thing that keep me motivated with my own hobbies.
Some of my bookmarked blogs are related to stitching, some with photography, but lately it is the interior designers and foreign language blogs that are captivating me.
I recently accidentally stumbled upon Hello Sandwich. And it just fascinated me with those beautiful pictures and just great content. Her crafts are really cute and very much into the Japanese cute (kawai) culture. It’s no wonder especially since she is currently residing in Japan (and living my dream life).
What did got my full attention was her posts about learning Japanese. In one post she mentioned something about attending a 5 hour long class every Saturday.
5 hours?
Yesterday I couldn’t even sit still for 15 minutes while practicing my hiragana character “wa”. 5 hours? I doubt my attention could last that long. But, I’m making progress slowly and surely. I recently noticed that if I want to be patient I first need to drain all my energy, meaning I have to dance like crazy, clean or just do something that will exhaust me. Otherwise I won’t be able to sit down, let alone focus on what I am doing.
Restraining myself also helps. If I want to stitch (the hobby that eats all my free time) I first have to do one hour of Japanese.
Simple yet effective rules, and my room has never been cleaner. I know mom is proud of me.
I also loved that Hello Sandwich also offers a lot of good links to other sources so I can only say “Thank you”.
1 November, 2013
Work doodles
cre-cre doodles, drawing, Free time, fun, Hiragana, Japanese, Work Drawing, Free time, Hobbies 0 Comments
It is cold again. No more sunshine and no more spring like weather. It’s time for winter to take its place, after all it is November. Somehow that doesn’t depress me.
I am hoping that I will take my drivers license before the snow comes and for that I need to study for the exam. It’s not going to be fun at all.
Other than that, what can I say. Nothing new, same old things. I’m just more tired than usual and I’m guessing my brain needs a break. Especially from work, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. I can only say that I am happy towards the persons that invented the pen and paper.
Doodles are a lifesaver for me.
I might not be the greatest artist in the world, but somehow I feel proud after I finish one of these. It’s like my inner child is giddy with joy that I can still draw something. I still regret not keeping up with drawing like I used to, but that’s life. You can’t do everything, and I am focusing on studying … besides doodles, there are the eternal hiragan characters that I still can’t remember.
I will get there, I won’t give up. After all I have all my life ahead to learn this language.