The horns

how i miss your ginger hair

Break Over, Am Sad

But this'll cheer me up.

Why I Went to Japan

Right, so I haven't posted on my blog in a long ass time. My friends who blogged, and actually who I made this blog to promote in some twisted way, have long since stopped posting on theirs yet I'm still going. Lord knows why, I suppose I don't feel the urge to get a tumblr, and Twitter is uninteresting to me.

Many of my peers show immense interest in traveling abroad to countries such as France or Spain, desires to jet down for a fake vacation in Cabo surrounded by Americans. These are great destinations, and I love the ones I've been to, but I always wondered why I never heard much interest in checking out Asian countries such as Japan. Sure, there were those few anime heads salivating at the chance to reach the motherland of all that is drawn inproportionately and super kawaii~ but I didn't fit in there exactly. The reason I needed to go to Japan, and thus needed to learn some Japanese, is a little bit different.

I'm writing this entry in order to hopefully encourage some of you non-existant readers to explore what Japanese media and culture has to offer through what inspired my trip.

Let's start with movies. I can remember clearly the days of Middle School and High School that I'd spend hanging out with a good friend Max. His father had an interest in Japanese flicks and would often order them online, meaning that Max's house was a treasure trove of foreign cinema that I was interested in way before I decided on my major here at the University. The few films I remember are:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116015/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328258/

These are a bit on the ridiculous side, so view with caution. It was also at Max's that I experienced Alien, the Terminator series and more for the first time. Truly crucial.

Of course, as kids we all loved My Neighbor Totoro. Miyazaki can be credited for my youthful fascination with Japan, as I wondered what kind of country must inspire such beautiful artwork and fun loving stories. He may be the most consistent filmmaker ever, and certainly proves his genius with each work. I won't bother linking his films, but certainly check them out if you haven't...

Any of you that were glued to the television after 5 PM each day having finished your schoolwork may remember Cartoon Network and, more specifically, Toonami. I must've watched hours and hours of Anime television shows (DBZ, Gundam sup) that I barely understood at my age, wowed by the giant robots and fast-paced action scenes. Sure, it's pretty nerdy to admit, but anime is a partial reason for my trip East. Those quick to dismiss the artform thanks to the minority of very vocal and often strange fans should be ashamed of themselves.

Gaki No Tsukai is a television show hosted by comedy duo Hamada and Matsumoto. Each year, they hold a Batsu Game (Punishment Game), often centering around the contestants being unable to laugh without having their butts spanked by colorfully dressed employees weilding all kinds of weapons. The duo and their friends explore new areas of the workforce each year, spending a day in the life of a police officer or newspaper writer, all along the way being bombarded with funny situations and popular Japanese celebrities in attempts to earn a giggle. The show, which is translated and placed on YouTube, is freaking hilarious, and held my interest enough to make me drop Spanish in favor of starting Japanese my senior year of high school. No regrets!

I've probably taken 30 credits worth of Japanese cinema courses here at the University, and I'm calling quits now that I've finished my Tokyo Cyberpunk and Akira Kurosawa Film classes. I feel as though I've explored this country in film, and have loved every minute. Yet, as someone hoping to work in fiction here in the States, I should probably start focusing on what's moving and shaking here at home.

TL;DR Version: Movies and shows made me interested in Japan. You should check em out.

Ima use this bitch as a tumblr now

Writing Every Day of the Break?

Let's do it! Everyone needs to set productivity goals for a big break like winter break, right? So mine, as of right now, is to write each day as much as I can. I've learned from a friend that writing out things you want to do is a great way to get them done, y'know, create a checklist of sorts. So here is mine, feel free to do yours;

- Write once a day, for at least a couple hours.

- Gym each day, rotate swimming and cardios with lifting

- Eat healthy

- Read

- Work hard on Xmas gifts.

Peaches, babies.