Thursday, May 8, 2008

How my life is going as proof that I am alive

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Romania.
- Dorothy Parker

Greetings All! After the longest absence since starting this blog three years ago, I have returned. I have a good excuse for the absence too! ^_^ So you know, it has been one of the worst semesters of my college career. It's not because I was miserable either, because life has actually been amazing this semester (as you will read). No, it was the worst semester of my college career because of the way it all played out. I had so very much to do. I was taking 15 hours at the beginning of the semester. By the halfway point that had been turned into 12 hours after I was forced to drop a class. My business communication class kept me on my toes, I had to prepare for and get an internship, and I had to prepare my entire body of work for graduation, even though I'm not graduating until December. That was the most irritating of all. It was the most amount of work and I don't even need it to be done until December. Grrr... I mean, I'm glad I got a head start on it and all, but it caused me to do worse in my other classes, and I didn't even do well in the class it was required for either. But as I said, all in all it was a great but tough semester and now it's time to get on with the rest of my life.

The Rest of My LifeThe rest of my life started on Wednesday after I finished the last of my finals. I then began packing to go home and getting ready for my internship. Now, the internship itself is an interesting story. I was having a bit of trouble getting one. I tried finding one in Chattanooga, Little Rock, Dallas, and even northwest Arkansas area. No real luck. I got very close a couple times, but eventually everything I tried fell through. So, I asked my dad to fish around his international contacts to see if any of them had any possible positions open. I never expected anything to come of that, but figured it was worth a shot. Less than a week later I got a call from my mother informing me that my dad had found a possible position for me in Japan. So, I sent the company my portfolio, and two days later I had the position. So, I will be interning in Japan for six weeks this summer! I'm sitting an airport Stabucks on the way to Japan as I type this. I still can't believe it. I'm going to be working for a company called New Life League. They work on a manga version of the Gospel called Manga Messiah. It's really quite good! If you wanna see some of what they do, go to www.nextmanga.com. I'll be working there with four other designers (only one of whom speaks any english), I'll be living alone, and not getting paid. But, that doesn't matter because I have a job lined up after I get back anyway. It's going to be one hell of a summer! I'll be using this blog every day to keep a journal of the goings on and such. I hope ya like it!

Japan Wan't the First
As if a six-week trip to Japan wasn't treat enough, earlier in the semester, over spring break to be more accurate, my dad and I took a trip to China and Thailand. Ya see, he does a lot of international travel for his job and has accrued quite a milage balance. So, since I'm graduating soon, he wanted to spend one last trip with me. So, since he was going to be in those two countries over spring break anyway, he flew me out there and we hung out for the week! I saw Beijing and all it had to offer. This includes wonderful sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace,Tian Anmen Square (the first picture is me standing in Tian Anmen Square with the Forbidden City behind me), the Chinese opera, an acrobatic show, the Pearl and Silk markets, parks, gardens, and great food! I absolutely loved Beijing! Such a wonderful city with a robust culture and rich history. It was impressive and I really want to go back. Beijing wasn't the end of the trip, but rather just the first half. From there we travelled south to Chiangmai, Thailand. Chiangmai is in the north of Thailand up near Burma. My dad said the culture and atmosphere felt similar to that of Mexico, and I agree. It was very laid back, warm, and inviting. Massaging is something that the Thai seem to pride themselves on, because there were massage parlors on every block. I had never had a professional massage before, so my dad felt it necessary to introduce me to concept. We had a foot massage our first night there, then on our last night we had a full body Thai massage. They were interesting. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, but I liked it anyway. While there we also took in as much of the Thai culture as we could. We took a Thai cooking class, rode mountain bikes up a mountain outside the city, rode elephants, and even went white water rafting! That was a fun thing. It's not every day you ride up a mountain road and have to watch out for passing elephants. HAHA! The other two pictures with this post are me eating the hot and sour soup I just made and my dad and I river rafting. So, spring break was quite the trip for me. 2008 has really begun to look like one of the best years of my life. Whoodathunkit.

Anime Night Evolves
As has been frequently stated throughout the past year, I was the anime club leader on my campus. At the beginning of the year my leadership was fraught with controversy and conflict. That is never a good way to start things off. But, the turmoil on the outset quickly subsided and the rest of the year went more than smoothly. Looking back on it all, I am quite happy with the way it turned out. Everybody seemed to like most of my viewing choices, I introduced many of them to anime they had never seen before, by advertising I was able to double club attendance, and as my last act as leader I decided to give the club official standing with the university. Up to this point we've only been a group of students who convene once a week. We were never officially recognized as a club. Getting official standing would have multiple benefits which include the ability to charge dues, play a wider range of anime, and even advertise more effectively. So, I figured becoming official was crucial to the growth and survival of the club. Fortunately, the student government gave us the go-ahead. So now the club is offical, we've elected officers, submitted a constitution, and I've handed over the reigns. A good year was had and I'm a bit sad to see it end. But, as is frequently proven in my life, the good things come to an end but better things wait to take their place. I look forward to seeing what life has to offer next!

Anyhoo, that's all I'll post on today, but look forward to more later! Have a great day and I'll be seeing you all 'round TheO more frequently for the next couple months!

Caesar1280's Anime Ticker

.hack//Legend of the Twilight, Air, Air: The Movie, Akira, The Animatrix, Appleseed, Aquatic Language, Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, Beck, Black Lagoon, Blame!, Blood the Last Vampire, Bokurano, Burst Angel, Castle in the Sky, Cowboy Bebop, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express, Egao, FLCL, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala, Gankutsuou, Gatekeepers, Genshiken, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, Gin-iro no Kami no Agito, Grave of the Fireflies, Grenadier, Haibane Renmei, Hellsing, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, Hikaru no Go, Howl?s Moving Castle, Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Jyu Oh Sei, Karas: The Prophecy, Last Exile, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Midori?s Days, Milennium Actress, Mushi-shi, My Neighbor Totoro, Naruto, Naruto: The Movie, Nausicaa, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth, Ninja Scroll: The Movie, Other Worlds, Paprika, Perfect Blue, Pet Shop of Horrors, The Place Promised In Our Early Days, Prétear, Princess Mononoke, Read Or Die, Read Or Die: The TV, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Seven, Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal, She and Her Cat, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Tide-Line Blue, Tokyo Babylon, Tokyo Godfathers, Trigun, Voices of a Distant Star, Witch Hunter Robin, Wonderful Days, Wrath of the Ninja, X

Anime I've Seen - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - .hack//Sign - 5 Centimeters per Second - Air - Air: The Movie - Akira - The Animatrix - Appleseed - Aquatic Language - Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror - Baby Blue - Beck - Black Lagoon - Blame! - Blood the Last Vampire - Bokurano - Burst Angel - Castle in the Sky - Cowboy Bebop - Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express - Doorbell - Egao - FLCL - Fullmetal Alchemist - Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala - Gankutsuou - Gatekeepers - Genius Party - Genshiken - Genshiken OAV - Ghost in the Shell - Ghost in the Shell: Innocence - Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society - Gin-iro no Kami no Agito - The Gokusen - Grave of the Fireflies - Grenadier - Haibane Renmei - Happy Machine - Hellsing - Highlander: The Search for Vengeance - Hikaru no Go - Howl's Moving Castle - Innocent Venus - Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade - Jyu Oh Sei - Karas: The Prophecy - Karas: The Revelation - Last Exile - Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi - Midori?s Days - Milennium Actress - Mushi-shi - My Neighbor Totoro - Naruto - Naruto: The Movie - Nausicaa - Neon Genesis Evangelion - Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth - Ninja Scroll: The Movie - Other Worlds - Ouran High School Host Club - Paprika - Perfect Blue - Pet Shop of Horrors - The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Prétear - Princess Mononoke - Read Or Die - Read Or Die: The TV - Samurai Champloo - Samurai Seven - Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Serial Experiments Lain - Shanghai Dragon - She and Her Cat - Spirited Away - Steamboy - Tekkonkinkreet - Tide-Line Blue - Tokyo Babylon - Tokyo Godfathers - Trigun - Trinity Blood - Vampire Hunter D - Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Voices of a Distant Star - Witch Hunter Robin - Wolf's Rain - Wonderful Days - Wrath of the Ninja - X Total: 93

Anime I Haven't Completed - .hack//Roots - Ah! My Goddess - Angelic Layer - Avenger - Baccano! - Bamboo Blade - Basilisk - Binchou-tan - Black Cat - Bleach - Blood+ - Boogiepop Phantom - Case Closed - Le Chevalier d'Eon - Chobits - Chrono Crusade - Code Geass - Coyote Ragtime Show - D.Gray-Man - D.N.Angel - DearS - Death Note - Dennou Coil - Desert Punk - Digimon - Dragon Ball Z - Ergo Proxy - Eureka Seven - Excel Saga - Fighting Beauty Wulong - Final Fantasy Unlimited - Flag - Freedom - Full Moon - Gantz - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Gintama - Glass Fleet - Great Teacher Onizuka - Gundam Seed - Gundam Wing - Hayate the Combat Butler - Hellsing OVA - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Ikki Tousen - InuYasha - Jigoku Shojo - Kage Kara Mamoru - Karin - Kino's Journey - Love Hina - Loveless - Lovely Complex - Lucky Star - Makai Senki Disgaea - Marchen Awakens Romance - Meine Liebe - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Mononoke - Monster - Moon Phase - Mr Stain on Junk Alley - Naruto Shippuuden - Negima?! - Negima! - Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion - Nerima Daikon Brothers - NHK ni Youkoso - Night Walker - Ninja Nonsense - Noir - Peacemaker Kurogane - Pokemon - Prince of Tennis - R.G. Veda - Ragnarok - Rec - Red Garden - Robotech - Romeo x Juliet - Rosen Maiden - Rurouni Kenshin - Saikano - Sailor Moon - Samurai Deeper Kyo - Sci-fi Harry - School Rumble - Scrapped Princess - Shin-chan - Shingu - Shion no Oh - Shuffle! - Shrine of the Morning Mist - So Long, Mr. Despair - Solty Rei - Sousei no Aquarion - Speed Grapher - Spice and Wolf - Super Milk Chan - Tales of Phantasia - Tenchi Muyo - Tenjhou Tenge - Texnolyze - The Third - Tsubasa Chronicles - Urusei Yatsura - Venus Versus Virus - Welcome to the N.H.K. - Winter Cicada - X-1999 - Xenosaga - XxxHolic - Yu Yu Hakushou - Yume Tsukai - Zero no Tsukaima - Zipang Total: 116

Manga I've Completed - Cowboy Bebop - FLCL - Manga Messiah - Manga Metamorphosis - Q*Ko-chan - Saiyuki - Shirahime-Syo Total: 7 Manga I Haven't Completed - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - Black Cat - Blame! - Chobits - D.Gray-man - Darkside Blues - Death Note - The Demon Ororon - Desert Coral - Disgaea - Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl - Fruits Basket - Getbackers - Hayate the Combat Butler - Kamunagara - Legal Drug - Love Hina - Loveless - Megatokyo - Naruto - Negima - Read Or Die - Rurouni Kenshin - Tactics - Trigun Maximum - XXXHolic Total: 26

Anime I'm Currently Watching
Samurai 7, InuYasha, Samurai Deeper Kyo,
Boogiepop Phantom, and Shrine of the Morning Mist

Manga I'm Currently Reading
Read Or Die, Hayate the Combat Butler, and Megatokyo.hack//Roots, .hack//Sign, 5 cm per Second, Ah! My Goddess, Angelic Layer, Avenger, Basilisk, Binchou-tan, Black Cat, Bleach, Blood+, Boogiepop Phantom, Case Closed, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Chobits, Chrono Crusade, Coyote Ragtime Show, D.Gray-Man, D.N.Angel, DearS, Death Note, Dennou Coil, Desert Punk, Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Ergo Proxy, Eureka 7, Excel Saga, Fighting Beauty Wulong, Final Fantasy Unlimited, Flag, Full Moon, Gantz, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Gintama, Great Teacher Onizuka, Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing, Hayate the Combat Butler, Hellsing Ultimate, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Innocent Venus, InuYasha, Jigoku Shojo, Kage Kara Mamoru, Karin, Kino?s Journey, Love Hina, Loveless, Lovely Complex, Lucky Star, Makai Senki Disgaea, Marchen Awakens Romance, Meine Liebe, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mononoke, Monster, Naruto Shippuuden, Negima?!, Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion, Nerima Daikon Brothers, NHK ni Youkoso, Night Walker, Ninja Nonsense, Noir, Ouran High School Host Club, Peacemaker Kurogane, Pokemon, Prince of Tennis, R.G. Veda, Ragnarok, Rec, Red Garden, Robotech, Romeo x Juliet, Rosen Maiden, Rurouni Kenshin, Saikano, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Sci-fi Harry, School Rumble, Scrapped Princess, Serial Experiments Lain, Shingu, Shuffle!, Shrine of the Morning Mist, So Long Mr. Despair, Solty Rei, Sousei no Aquarion, Speed Grapher, Super Milk Chan, Tales of Phantasia, Tenchi Muyo, Tenjhou Tenge, Texnolyze, The Third. Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicles, Urusei Yatsura, Welcome to the N.H.K., Winter Cicada, X-1999, Xenosaga, XxxHolic, Yu Yu Hakushou, Yume Tsukai, Zero no Tsukaima, Zipang

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