January is National Bath Safety Month - reminding you not to drown to death in the bathtub, after nearly drowning to death in alcohol, on National Hangover Day.
I know this is only covering the month of January, and yet I already feel inclined to say that some of my new favorite holidays are in the first month of the year. I know it is subject to change, but it certainly sets the bar rather high for the rest of the year.....especially if you are of the female variety (such as myself). We will get to that later.
January 3rd
First up, we have the Festival of Sleep Day. Calling it National Sleep Day would have been fine. However, the creator of this decided to go the extra mile and call it a festival, which just makes it exponentially awesome. It is not every day that one associates "sleep" with being festive, unless you are a college student who has just finished finals. All the same, it is befitting that Festival of Sleep Day falls when it does. Who wouldn't want to go into hibernation by then?
If you are a special brand of crazy and chose not to sleep on the Festival of Sleep, I hope you were at least able to partake in the other celebration on the 3rd of January, Fruitcake Toss Day. The preferred way to celebrate this occasion is to hold a tournament to see who can literally toss the heavy mass the farthest. I offer my condolences to anyone who was severely injured. But next time, play it safe with the mound of fruits, sugar, and flour that has been baked at critical mass.
January 6th January 6th is Bean Day. That is really all I have to say about that.
January 9th So, I mentioned earlier that January has one of my new favorite holidays...ever. The ninth of January is Male Watcher's Day. If you had to go back and read that awesome fact again, I don't blame you; savor it. Just as the name would imply, it is a holiday for ladies to watch men. But I seriously have to question why this day is in January! Not all women are blessed to live in a place where they can oggle shirtless men in the winter! Nonetheless, to all my fellow females, this is for you. Happy Belated Male Watcher's Day.
Those who are not attracted to men still have a far worse coming. Not only do they get to be stated at by women (which I guess could be a good or bad thing), they have to decided how to handle the other holiday on January 9th - Play God Day. This along with Male Watcher's Day is a pretty dangerous combination, now that I think of it.
January 10th I hope all my followers felt appreciated on Peculiar People Day. I know I did. It is reassuring to know that us quirky people have a day to be remembered.
January 12th If you thought the that Male Watcher's Day is the most wonderful thing to happen since the internet, try to wrap your mind around the monumental occasion that falls on January 12th...Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day! Let it sink in. Let it sink... Yes, who wouldn't love the chance to revel in feasting their eyes on wild men? Not long before this day comes around again; mark your calenders, girls!
January 23rd The 23rd of January is Measure You Feet Day. I would come up with something witty, but you have caught me in the act of cleaning the drool from my keyboard. ....Mmmm wild men... Oh right...feet. I trust you all had fun measuring them. I hope your are at your desired foot measurements this time around.
I am burying my head in shame that it has been over a YEAR since I have blogged. Well, I suppose that isn't entirely true. I was lured away by tumblr and twitter...which I neglect from time to time too. Why is it so hard for me to remain faithful to one or another? I know I have brought this up before, but I really do feel like I am cheating on them with each other...which makes me bury my head further in shame. It won't be long now before I run out of oxygen.
Anyway, hello my followers! Please allow me to virtually glomp you! Despite the paragraph above, I assure you that I am not some zombie who has crawled out from under a rock or anything. So, I am not carrying some kind of plague, nor will I fall to shambles at your feet in a feeble after a feeble attempt to eat your brain.
Though I suppose it is true that college students are the closest thing to zombies one would hope to find in the real world.
...Perhaps they are distant cousins. You know, the ones whom you have never met before. The very same ones that you are stuck awkwardly sitting next to at the children's table on Thanksgiving, segregated from all humanity. Yes, there is no denying it; I am a bit resentful. And it's not even over and done yet.
and they are heavily armed with Christmas cards and fruitcakes!
Since it has been a year, it seems that I have a lot to catch up on. I suppose I could start by making up for all the holidays I missed. Then again, you get enough of that from the aforementioned family members. So instead, I will pay homage to all the dear holidays that have been overlooked by many. They may be obscure (ok, lets not sugar-coat it, they ARE obsucre), they may be stupid. But have you eve known me to be phased by such things?...Don't answer that.
I think I'll start with January, and work my way through the other months in the days to come.
These are coming back to haunt me. I nearly forgot what number I am on.
Anyway, recently I have had way too many hours between classes to contemplate deep and meaningful questions in life. The most recent on that struck me was "If you were a criminal, what type would you be?" I know this could indicate many things wrong with my brain, but I have given it much though and in the very least I can provide you with an answer (perhaps another indicator that something is wrong).
It is simple. I would be a hacker. Serial killing is too messy, and drug dealing seems to be too obnoxious. Perhaps I have read one too many of Simone Elkeles' novels...or volumes of the Dengeki Daisy manga. Both actually. I blame Ashley. Rather ironic given this whole situation that she is going into forensics. She has created a monster.
Speaking of Simone Elkeles, I don't know why, but I am somehow it with an inexplicable desire to play "panty discus"....It isn't dirty, I swear! It is a ghetto game crated by brothers...fine I admit it, fictional brothers who had no money to play games when they were young. In a stroke of pure genius (more or less) they cut the legs off of their mom's pantyhose, filled them with rocks, and whoever threw them the farthest one. Hopefully, being as "white as Wonderbread" wouldn't have any impact on my skill. So, I need to plot how to convince my friends to start a panty discus tournament. This is quite a challenge.
A good quote from yesterday "Mexicans love the Virgin Mary as much as they love tacos". Funny how it reminds me of the quote from Rules of Attraction - "putting tofu in a shell and calling it a toco is an insult to my people!". Ah yes, Kiara and her tofu tacos, that she thinks are Mexican. So by this I assume that it is safe to say that Mexicans love the Virgin Mary as much as they love tocos....that are not filled with tofu or some other non-mexican food. Unless you are Carlos. But he is a fiction character.
Again, I have been reading too many of Simone Elkeles' novels. So I ame going to to read Inheritance now. After all that fluffy goo I need to balance it out a bit....with dragons, swords, and...manly things.
As my followers, you are all invited to see one of my most ridiculous ideas unfold. My friends and I are going to try fandubbing. The experience thus far has made my love/hate relationship with my computer reach a whole new level, but that's a whole different rant.
Anway, I started a separate place on blogger to keep track of everything. All I've generated so far are a few commentaries with a friend, and a mass of chaos. Hopefully tomorrow, we will be starting on the Black Rock Shooter movie. I will keep you guys updated. Wish me luck.
I know the last thing I should do after not updating this is type a long rant. However, the temptation is far to great and I can't help myself.
I am sick of not having a major. The sooner I find one, the sooner I can claw my way out of my accursed fate of living life curled up in my friend's attic, nibbling on stale Pop-Tarts while rewatching Clannad After Story for the 101st time - during the few hours when I am not sleeping the day away. That's if I am lucky. Hell will probably freeze over the day Hari has to explain why she is housing a hikikomori.
My friend said that he could see me as a novelist. Had I not finished my hot chocolate, he would have witnessed the greatest spit-take of all time. I don't think I could write fiction. If I had any inclination that I could, I sure as heck wouldn't be here, blogging such useless things every now and then. And maybe, just maybe, I would actually be participating in NaNoWriMo.
If only I had such talent. Instead, I am a very confusing human being. All the things I am interesting in, I am not cut out for. And all the skills I have are very limited. They are limited to the point of falling short of any career goals. In other words, there just isn't a fit for me. Since we are preparing for the inevitable, it may be wise to re-stock those Pop-Tarts. Cookie Dough is my favorite.
Today marks three consecutive days at trying to make up my mind. A few minutes ago, I figured that I should just take one of those "aptitude tests". I have reached a point where answers generated online should decide my future, the makers probably know me better than I know myself. Or so I thought anyway.
The first time around, I ended with nursing. How was this conclusion reached? Something is seriously wrong here. I have a phobia of needles. Case closed.
I had no choice but to take it again. I changed some things here and there. That time I got culinary. Should I just stop everything now? And I thought we were looking up from the bottom of the barrel before.
Well, you know what they say. Third time's the charm right? Depends on how you look at it. I suppose since my results got progressively worse, it is quite befitting that the worst of the worse would come up. It did. The final result read cosmetology.
Hari, if you are reading this, would you mind telling me how much space you have in that attic?
Is it possible to fangirl myself to death? In the very least, excessive squealing has caused a deadly lack of oxygen.
The reason for my condition you ask? Well, it all began while watching the Japanese drama for one of my favorite anime series, Ouran High School Host Club. I thought I would survive with just a mild case of fangirling induced fever.
But then...I saw this picture in the sidebar of recent additions:
Curses! Why?! Someone must be conspiring to kill me. They know my weakness. So just what is this exactly? Well, it is a newly released drama called Ikemen Desu Ne. I could just leave it at that and let those who know me well infer the rest. But for those lucky ones that don't. This is the Japanese remake of "You're Beautiful"...my favorite k-drama. Ever.
So this is it. The day has finally come that I wish I had even an ounce of skill at doing reviews. Honestly, I don't. And I feel like sharing my ideas on how this remake stands in comparison to the original Korean series. If you want to succumb to the madness of fandom with me, welcome :)
If not, feel free to miss out on the fun; I won't hold that against you.
Summary (with he entire purpose of this comparison, is this even necessary?):
The management company of the idol group A.N.JELL insisted on adding a new singer to the group as the lead vocal, Ran's voice was hurting. However,the new member, Mio, had to go to the States to repair a botched nose job just before signing the contract. His agent came up with the idea of having his twin sister, Miko,to stand in for him and pretend that she was her brother. The two of them grew up in an orphanage and Miko, who was all set to become a nun, agreed to this charade as she didn't want to spoil her brother's chance of fame which would make it easier to look for their mother, disappeared when they were very young.
I have seen a lot of people complaining that the cast isn't nearly as attractive as the korean one. I personally agree (most of them actually grew on me as the series progressed...except for Jeremy. That will take some getting used to. Amazingly enough, there are times when Miko's actress looks frighteningly similar to Park Shin Hye).
But the acting is great. Good enough to win me over. As far as acting goes, I don't have any complaints, though it really isn't my area of expertise anyway.
I find the president and manager to be even more entertaining in this version too.
They never ceased to amaze me; the actor who plays Ren has his own signature smirk and displeased pout face. Ah if only he put it into practice as much as Tae-kyung did. That is part of what won me over - his facial expressions.
Ren's Expressions
(On another irrelevant note, Tae-kyung in the K-drama has my permission to wear eye liner. I never thought that I would grant that to a man but...*swoon*)
Tae Kyung is a complex character that Jang Geun Suk nailed in a way that would be impossible to replicate. But honestly, the actor who plays Ren does a fantastic job as an actor for a very convincing Tae Kyung...Ren. Or whatever. (Found an awesome article of his charater...down to his 10 hair styles. Don't believe me? CLICK HERE NOW!)
It is plain and simple. Tae-kyung is bad at being badass. He is genuinely compassionate, and there is no hiding it, even with being terse. I worried that this wouldn't be portrayed well in the J-drama remake, but I was happily surprised.
For one, they kept the scene when Nana is hit with a basket ball just after threatening Ren with revealing Miko's secret about her identity. Once people start snapping pictures of the bloody nosed actress, he still intervenes.
He isn't exactly thrilled about it. He knows that it is more trouble than its worth, probably being an act that will cause him more grief later on. But that is just who he is. He will do the right thing, even if it means dealing with unfavorable consequences, such as requiring to put up an act, pretending to love someone that he actually hates with a burning passion.
I was probably most impressed by the fake kiss scene in front of the reporters. It is typical to have the whole fake kiss witnessed by the "true" love interest. I liked how in the original series, such a generic asian drama cliche moment was twisted to have more meaning behind it. I was clutching my pig-rabbit in suspense, wondering if they would do the scene right. They did.
Ren turns to Miko and asks if she has to stay in the band, disguised as her brother. Her answer is a definite yes.
I don't know why, but I dreaded that they would cut this crucial part out for some reason. But they preserved it with the same degree of dire intensity. For if she had said no, he could have let it be. Ren wouldn't have to play the part as Nana's puppet. He could simply tell her to skrew it, and let her carry on with her worst.
The kiss itself is purely a sacrifice on Ren's behalf. One that is entirely for Miko's well-being, especially since he doesn't have a clue as to how she feels about him. He feels the need to protect what is important to Miko. And he will do so even if it turns his life into a living hell.
There were a few things that got to me though. The first being the scene with the ring.
Tae-Kyung - “Do you think you can find your mother if you stick around?”
Mi-Nyeo - “If I search for her earnestly, I believe I can.”
Ren does the same thing, throwing down the gauntlet, pretending to toss her mother's ring into the water. But the dialogue is changed in a way that I think only takes away from the main point. I hope that it was just the subtitles, but I do know enough Japanese to believe that it wishful thinking.
In the Japanese translation Miko says something more along the lines of "If I sincerely believe, than my dreams will come true". To me, that just destroys the whole concept of the challenge to let her stay in the band. Finding the ring is where the double meaning of finding her mother came from. At first I let it slide thinking about how maybe by believing that she could find it. But her reaction when he pulled the ring out was thanking Ren for finding it for her. What the heck?! In the original, she had said "I found it" therefore winning the challenge. I don't know. Maybe I am reading to far into things.
The second part of that scene that bothered me was how Ren's reaction to her spontaneous hug was cut short. I mention before that Tae Kyung's pount and sneer are a huge part of his character. Because it is so prominent in the series, his look is priceless.
He is not comfortable with the situation because he is upset that he does care about her, just the same as he is upset about caring about his mother. He tries so hard to maintain his cold exterior as a coping mechanism. Both Tae Kyung and Mi Nyo have mother abandonment issues. He takes his self loathing out on her because the alternative is the possibility that he is a kind person with feelings. But he doesn't want to allow himself to be venerable and wind up hurt again.
Again, maybe I am reading too much into things. Perhaps it was fine in itself and just got pushed aside with the highly comedic touch of Ren fainting from the shock of being in a filthy pool with a frog on his head.
Ok OK. I am sure that you have all grown weary of my complaints. I really do look forward to what they will do with the whole pig-rabbit thing. Pig rabbit is an integral part of the series. Actually, questioning it is like opening a Pandora's box of worries. As all fans know, its origins are rooted in the infamous pig chase scene....
1.) Tae-kyung goes to the country, flails in the fields in the middle of nowhere and gets chased by a pig
2.) Also in the country, Mi-Nyeo brings up how cute she thinks rabbits are. This brings back memories of him being bitten by one as a young child. Rabbits are dangerous...so is she. So, she is like a rabbit to him.
3.) The manager tricks Mi-Nyeo into thinking that her nose is a pressure point used to relieve feelings of love for someone
4.) Tae Kyung views the gesture as mocking him for being chased by the pig, attributing her to another animal he disapproves of.
And thus the Pig-Rabbit is born!
So, all of these factors have to be in place for there to be the pig-rabbit. The whole reason for him to be in the country is because of Mi-Nyeo's aunt. Are we to assume then that Miko's aunt is welcomed as well. If so, will she be as enamored with grabbing Tae Kyung's butt, much to his horror, as she was in the Korean series? In the country, will Nana fall in cow poop? I am not saying that all of these events have to take place, but it does raise some interesting questions.
I am not saying that the Japanese re-make has to be a carbon copy of the original, in fact, I think that would be the worst thing possible. The drama should make it its own. Yes it is an adaptation. But the more they play around without taking away from the original, the better it is going to be. For example, I really do like the comedic part of Ren fainting in the lake, the president threatening to drown the manager, and all their own unique quirks added so far. But if they take Pig-Rabbit out of it...that is just unforgivable. It is somehow an integral part of the series. If they take it out....it will be a very dark day indeed.
Now, some Jang Guem Juk as Tae Kyung pics...because I just can't exercise self control.
Why yes, I do have an extremely hard time containing myself.
Last night, my friends came to pick me up at my new current dwelling for Bible study.
It appears that the iPhone doesn't even have the capacity to find the place; only by getting lost did they find me.
Thankfully, Caleb was forgiving.
"Its all good. On the bright side, terrorists will never find you."
Now, I highly doubt that I am anywhere near the top of any terrorist's most wanted list. As I was thinking this to myself he added, "unfortunately, your knight in shining armor probably won't either."
What I am about to say may surprise you; that struck a nerve.
Let me get this straight... so he has to have an extensive array of large projectile weapons to show up at my front door in one piece?! His shining armor better consist of a bullet proof vest.
If my only alternative is living all alone, without even with a myriad of cats, I think I will risk the off chance that the terrorists will knock down my door at the same time.
Quickly! I am in need of cannon fodder.
Prepare the signal flares!
There are two primary reasons why I haven't written anything this month. The first is that I have been on a mission trip with my youth group. The second is that during the time of my absence (less than a week mind you) my roommate ate my box of cereal - all of it. And yes, lack of Lucky Charms does indeed play into that; my brain is powered by food. Modified corn starch and high fructose corn syrup send it into overdrive.
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I spent most of my time on the mission trip alone and in deep thought....some thoughts more fleeting than others.
I was really sad that I didn't get to see my cat Mayhem before I left. He is living with a neighbor across the street, for the time being because Kay is allergic, but at least I can visit him whenever I please.
He is still planning world domination to my knowledge; once he escapes through the front door he can really put his plan into motion. Until then, I can only pray that his farts are not nearly as horrific as before. Heaven forbid I have to write about that again!
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One of the things I didn't miss was living in constant fear that I have failed my house-wife lessons. I didn't have to remember all the steps of operating the laundry machine, or dreading that the dishwasher would flood the kitchen in a sea of bubbles.
Kay is a professional at keeping her house spotless. But I myself do not have a sixth sense that allows me to see dirt on a molecular level. However, my friend's father can. Their whole family inherited an innate dirt radar. And when I go to their house, I am made to do chores. It usually begins with dusting, most often in areas that look perfectly fine to me. If it was allowed, I would be content with eliminating all the unseen dirt with a leaf blower.
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I discovered that my desire for others not to spend money on me even when it comes to buying me food is causing for me to be at war with myself yet again. Half of my brain resides in my stomach. But for months now, I have resisted the temptation to ask for food.
The result is most perplexing: the vast majority of my pants no longer fit. Should I be happy that I am approaching a size 10 in the children's section? I don't know what would be more burdensome to all those who have taken on my living expenses, food or pants.
I can't choose between 99 cent jeans found on 99 cent Mondays at Savers, or a multitude of 99 cent bags of Flaming Hot Cheetoes. It is quite the conundrum.
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There is a truck that drives around Tokyo, lined with concrete slabs. For as little as 200 yen, customers can buy dishes and smash them, writing the worries on plates and hurling them against the wall lined with swear words. It is a form of therapy...and I really wish something like that existed where I live.
That is why Hari and I might just come up with our own. I hope it is a plan that works out - building our own wall in the middle of the desert with all our favorite fictional cuss words scribbled on it. I can't help but wonder if constructing it is even legal...
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If I were an animal, I would be a seagull. I discovered this while eating dinner alone on the beach and watching those pesky creatures try to steal my lamb (we had ethnic foods every night....lamb is heavenly by the way).
I steal food. I am the definition of annoying. People want to throw things at me; most resist the urge because it would be seen as cruelty.
Such is my fate. They are most socially awkward animals on the face of the earth.
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I really enjoy that song "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. If some guy sang that to me, he would earn a lot of points.
I think I am ok with admitting it because this will never happen. As I have said before, I am man repellent. And about as appealing as a broken doorbell.
I really have no idea why I came up that that as an analogy, but I think it works. It was difficult to narrow it down. I have limited knowledge of the male species. So I couldn't come up with many inanimate objects that wouldn't amuse them.
If you still don't get the idea, they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I have two pictures. I am about as desirable as this:
Pardon my Tumblr moments. That site is really rubbing off on me and severely killing the writer in me. How sad it is that I can no longer write anything remotely good. Yes, I do blame Tumblr.
I feel like I am stalking myself. Kay knows that I write a lot on my blog and she told me that I could view my "stats".
I figured that it was worth looking into. I have few devoted followers. And being a bit narcissistic, I would like to think that people check this blog out.
Most of it wasn't too surprising. I already know that the vast majority of the pageviews come from myself, doing something like verifying that my love for star tipping has registered as an "interest".
But something caught my eye that made me cringe a little. The site "refers" my blog the most is, in fact, a diet site. I have not the words.
I feel as though I have lost all dignity. My rants about food have caught up to me, and now I probably have a reputation on dieting sites as being a fatty. Surly I am their motivation; every morning they wake up thinking, "if I don't stick with this diet, I am going to turn out like that girl on the blog".
I don't feel that this is my calling in life.
The Little Things I Miss Just Because I am Selfish
-A stash of flaming hot cheetos on the top shelf of the pantry, left there just to torment me
-Anime nights whenever I had a crappy day; sneaking out at odd hours of the morning to make ramen.
-Sleeping in my loft bed, surrounded by my plushies and starting up at the glow in the dark stars that I had so much fun putting up (and writing about).
-Mayhem (my kitty) waking me up because he is trying to eat my hair.
-Mayhem in general. Just having him around to talk to.
-Building forts in the front living room to hide in, and actually having them go unnoticed thanks to all the clutter.
Things That I Never Thought I Would Miss
-Randomly playing my viola just for the heck of it.
-Crazy Grandmother dragging me into her silly plots to hide her meds.
-Falling asleep outside during tough times, under real stars. As long as it wasn't cold or dark (say a pretty full moon or something) it could be oddly relaxing.
Dad?! Shocking I know, but it is Father's Day, he was acting like a jerk (putting it nicely), and I am depressed.
-Being told to wake up my dad for dinner. I was always happy to have an excuse to playfully tackle him, even though he would just tell me angrily to get lost, and then make his own dinner hours later.
-Maybe once a year, he would tell me that I looked nice. Simple. But the fact that it was rare just makes it better.
-Being told that no one will ever marry me. Is it laughable that I am actually posting this? Well, since I am a hopeless romantic at heart, I pray that this is not true. I do not miss being told that I am just like my mother (and not in a good way). But strangely I do miss this. It was fun calling his bluff, pretending that he is totally right. So in other words, I guess I miss being downright mean in retaliation. Going along with his insults instead of being hurt by them was a failing plot of bruising his ego. It is Father's Day and I am being the evil daughter from the depths of hell.
-This is the weirdest one yet, the apologies. They were seldom. And it was as if he was reading off a script, half-assed at best. But it somehow gave me hope.
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And then, Dora reblogged this on Tumblr:
Dad, Thank You For Being There For Me. :)
:/ Right...thanks for that guys. I think that I am just gonna go cry myself to sleep now.
Since I moved out, I was drowning in a sea of Japanese homework. I even stayed up until 5 in the morning trying to finish it all. The extra credit alone made me want to kill myself.
Anyway, on one of the worksheets, it was asking to me to write sentences about what I wanted as I child and what I want now. I suppose I was once a dreamer, but somewhere in adolescence, those dreams were squashed... like a grape. Goodness, how my standards changed. And I have not the words.
As a child, I wanted to become a writer and go to Japan.
Now, I want to eat lots of food and sleep for as many as ten hours.
As a child, I wanted books and a cute puppy.
Now I want cheap ramen, too many strawberries, and a handsome, good-at cooking boyfriend with a ton of money.
Remember how I said that I am now on Tumblr? Well, it is kinda addicting. This could end badly.
I keep finding little things like this picture below. And I realize that now that school has ended, I will go back to having even less to write about. Such a tragic existence.
Dear Lord, save me. I have fallen victim to a beach-scented candle...
