Sunday, July 8, 2007

Oh GOD
I apologize for the following rant, but I REALLY need to get this off my chest. It is a matter of anime and of language, so of course I'm worked up.

So yeah, I'm on Facebook...*cough* I was looking for some groups to join and was browsing fairly neutrally through the section filled with anime things, ignoring the dumbass ones and so forth. And I came across a group centered around referring to anime not as anime, but as "animated films" or something obnoxiously snobby like that. There was a list of reasons, none of which struck me as sensible. Here are a few, and my responses.

Point: Anime is too broad an umbrella and covers everything from Pokemon to Cowboy Bebop. Because mostly the poor quality anime is popularized in the US, many people develop a stigma against anime of any type.
Response: Are you saying that we, the anime fans, are the ones that have to make a sacrifice to deal with this problem? Because people are assholes, we have to let go of a word that is rooted inexorably in our subculture? We're going to change our identity because some folks are too narrow-minded or dense to bother realizing there's more to anime than poorly dubbed Naruto? I see something wrong here. It's not our problem people suck. If you want humanity to completely comprehend the extent of anime, evangelize to the ones who aren't already converted. Doesn't that make, you know, more sense?

Point: Anime means "animation". It is the only genre of animation classified by its nationality and named as such. French animation is immediately recognizable as French, but it's not called "L'Animacion" or anything of the like.
Response: Well why the hell not? I think that's a fine idea. Animation of a certain nationality is usually recognizable, and I don't see a problem with naming all of them this way. This is not an argument, simply a fact. Try again.

Point: And I quote: "Japanese term. In English. With French spelling. WTF."
Response: You're awfully hung up on the French thing, aren't you? Perhaps you think everything of worth was crapped out by French people? Here's some news, which should be useful for someone looking to mess with etymology.
"Anime" is a romanization of アニメ. When words of a language using a different writing system are written using the Roman alphabet, it's called romanization, or in the case of Japanese, romaji. Unlike with Chinese, romaji has a fairly well established system. In pretty much any J-E dictionary you pick up, there will be a chart of hiragana and katakana and their corresponding sounds or syllables, as they're referred to. They will all match. Spelling it "anime" is not something innovative or creative. It's the way it's done.
So how does French even come into this? You think the French invented the Roman alphabet? Oh dear. No, I'm afraid this is not "French spelling". It's Japanese spelling, and it's pronounced the same, albeit with different accents, wherever you go. You do not need to use French pronunciation rules to pronounce it. So I think you know some French and pulled that French thing out of your ass. Please don't do that ever again, or I will be forced to write another rant. And if I write enough, one day I might crack. And send you a letter or something. But I'd be sure to douse it in horrible smelling perfume (bacon perfume?) before sending it. Just for your snotty little nose.
And Cowboy Bebop is not the epitome of anime wonders. Try watching something other than AS, and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and if I ever heard anyone call Cowboy Bebop an "animated work" I would puke all over their shoes. Twice.
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Friday, July 6, 2007

Guys Don't Know They're Not Padded...
So I got a bra specifically for my Tabby costume for Otakon. It was purchased at [decent bargain clothing store] about a month ago, but I only put it on today, aside from trying it on in the fitting rooms.
So I go to put it on, and I notice this...smell. I've got a t-shirt from [cheap clothing store] in my hand too, so I sniff it...it's not coming from there. So I take a whiff of the bra, and WHOO, I get a noseful of the misplaced odor of...bacon?
I kid you not, this bra smelled like bacon, or maybe bacon-scented perfume. It smelled a bit spicy and perfumy, but mostly it was like opening a package of beef jerky. My mom didn't get what the fuss was about until I took off the bra and made her smell it. She was more shocked than I was by how much it smelled like meat.
So we tossed it in the wash with some dish detergent, and hopefully that will fix it. Makes me a little edgier about trying on bras, though...
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Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Daidokoro, the Greatest Samurai to Walk the Land...
So on ZUG (comedy site I found by accident and loved once it mentioned Whole Foods...even if it wasn't totally complimentary...) there's a new project going on. Readers are asked to submit suggestions for single-character Chinese tattoos, ones that mean something you probably wouldn't want tattooed to your arm. And then there'll be a compilation of them, with false translations like "peace", "friendship", etc.
Reading this I instantly thought of the scene in Moonchild where this Australian guy is bragging about the tattoo he got. He doesn't know what it means, or even what it was supposed to mean (probably got it when he was drunk, the loser; he dies soon after you meet him). But he's still saying it's awesome. Then there's a close-up of the tattoo, and the subtitles helpfully supply that it reads "kitchen". Gackt reads it and assures the Aussie, "It's the name of a fucking famous samurai in Japan." Pardon the French, Gackt said it, not me. Anyway, since theni have actually wanted to geta tattoo of the word "kitchen". It would be a nice tribute, I think. And of course, when anyone asked me about it, it would go something like this...
Person: Cool tattoo. What's it mean?
Me: Kitchen.
Person: Wha?
Me: It means kitchen.
Person: That's...cool... *wanders away with a dazed look*

Of course, people do that when meeting me anyway.

PS - I'll bet nobody noticed. "Daidokoro" means "kitchen". HAHAHAHAHA...
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Fake Wings
That's Yuki's favorite song from .hack. *sigh*

Well, I know going from rants to emotional outpourings is less than entertaining, but I didn't drag you here and force you to read my blog. Mnyeh!
Anyway, I'm missing Yuki. She left yesterday. It's not so much to fall-to-your-knees-and-sob kind of missing her, more like... there's an empty spot in the house. Like a vacuum. It's pretty much a total downer.

But things are also good too. Tina and Emily started work today so my job is more exciting. Seamus IMed me with an invite to a get-together with friends who've gone off to college. And the best part is the email from DES... Hee. Yeah, it's hard to have a bad night when a long-lost and well-loved friend gets back in touch.

So I'm just hoping happy things keep happening so I don't feel too sad about Yuki. We will get together again, no matter how much a trip to Japan costs... ^_^U GO TEAM!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Don't Shoot the Bisexual!!
I'm back. Eek. I just wanted to give a little bit of personal input on the "reverse of Engrish" as I call it, which is the practice by fangirls of inserting random Japanese words into English sentences or in correctly using Japanese.
See, I do use some random Japanese myself, but usually in the same manner I use chatspeak--to add emphasis or because it's more fun. I do try to use words correctly, and I have to say my pronunciation is VERY good (I can say this cuz Yuki says so).
But sadly, fangirls and even fanboys use Japanese incorrectly. For instance, give it some thought before you call yourself an otaku, because it's not a complimentary or even neutral term. It's basically calling yourself or someone else a shut-in geek. Me, I feel fine using the word, because that's how I think of myself. I take "nerd" as a compliment. But this is not true for everyone, and you may want to stick with "anime fan". Also, please please PLEASE study up on Japanese grammar and speech patterns before you attempt to make sentences!! There was an example I wanted to use, but I've spent half an hour looking and can't find it. BUT. Often you'll see stuff like "baka blah blah", like I used to call Kage "baka inu"... Guess what, that's wrong! I found out from Yuki the proper arrangement would be "blah blah no baka". Also, "blah blah baka" would mean someone who's crazy about whatever blah blah is (like the manga Inu Baka--crazy about dogs).
Finally, please, please, for the love of Pocky and sexy boys doing it, pleeease learn how to pronounce Japanese before speaking it out loud. Every time I hear "chibi" pronounced as "chibby" I die a little bit inside. Japanese pronunciation is very simple to follow, a million times easier than English, and you can find pronunciation guides in lots of books and online, so I beg you, do not desecrate the Japanese language with your Americanism. It hurts me just as much as words like "tortilla" or "quesadilla" being pronounced phonetically does, and it makes you really hard to understand for people who know the proper pronunciation. Also, "chibby" sounds like "shibby" and reminds me of Boy Meets Boy. So, you know. I'll forgive you for "karaoke" though, most people don't even know it's a Japanese word to start with!

That was supposed to be short too. I'd punish myself for this post, except that my therapist told me not to do that anymore.
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I Need Some Cheese Puffs
It must be hormones, because I've thought of something else to bitch about. I'll be brief though.

STOP LYING AROUND IN THE MANGA SECTION READING STUFF WITHOUT BUYING IT!!! Point 1) You are taking up space on someone else's property and obstructing the flow of people actually perusing the manga. Get up off your fat ass and let me through so I can support the business of my favorite bookstores. This is not a slumber party, so heaven forbid I catch you lying on your stomach while reading. Point 2) Stop ripping the plastic off the mature manga! There are several reasons it's it there. One is so that some melodramatic mother won't pick it up and proceed to claw her eyes out. Not everybody loves explicit gay butt sex as much as you and me, darlin'. Another reason is so that little kids don't do the same thing and take those "lessons" back home, from whence angry parents will come tenfold. My personal reason for appreciating the plastic wrap is so I can quickly identify "good" yaoi. Because let's face it, yaoi without sex just isn't yaoi at all. So for the sake of easy reading, leave the packaging on. (It also reminds me of Kinokuniya, which is a happy memory!)

Shoot, I said I would keep it brief. Um. I HATE EVERYBODY BUT I LIKE NAKED MEN!! There. That sums it up nicely. :D
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A Most Ingenius Paradox
Y'know what's weird about America? We want our people super-skinny, like <100 or you're FAT, HAHA FATTY... But then the portions in restaurants are HUUUUGE! Even healthy food comes about 3 times bigger than you need it. The only places where I think the portions are good are Temari Cafe, which is an authentic Japanese cafe near us, and Benjarong, which is a Thai restaurant. Benjarong is kinda fancy so it's somewhere you'd take a group of people, so you can each get something different and then share, and it turns out to be the right amount. Even Niwa No Hana, another Japanese place nearby, gives a lot of food. Most restaurants I can't eat more then about 2/3 of what I'm given, and even that is pushing it sometimes, like at Red Lobster or Cheesecake Factory.
In Japan portions are much smaller. They have Starbucks there, and Yuki says the "tall" size (they call it small, I assume) is maybe half to two-thirds of the tall here. Burgers are usually smaller too. It's funny, when I order ramen at Temari, I get a big whopping bowl of it, but I can still finish it because it's not TOO big. It's the perfect size for a large meal like dinner or late lunch. That and it's mostly liquid and has a variety of things in it--naruto, bean sprouts, egg, pork cutlet, seaweed flakes, etc.
I ran across a copy of the food pyramid today, and thought that was unusual as well. The stuff it tells you to eat is all healthy, to be sure, and I'm sure the proportions are right, but 6-8 servings of carbs? That's the equivalent of 6-8 pieces of bread in one day, one top of all the other food groups. 3-4 sandwiches? Wtf? Who eats that much, aside from people with professional trainers? Good lord. I would gain weight if I ate according to that...
So, in summation, American portions are too big!! It's tempting to order things off the kids menus just so don't get overloaded with food. I eat prudent amounts of food at each meal unless it's something really special, like on Yuki's birthday when I made myself sick eating so much rich food at that steakhouse... But that was not a regular occurrence! Anyways. Aside from American foods being generally unhealthy, which I think is debatable, there is too much.

I'm sad because I gained 6 lbs after school let out. T_T And I wanted to lose weight this summer...
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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Erm
I feel like such a schnook, skipping work today. >_< But I was SO tired this morning, I don't even know why. Jane will be mad at me, but oh well. I slept in, so I feel good physically at least.

So yah! I'm 17 now! Whoop-dee-doo. Not much happens at 17. 18 will be the big revolution. But it's a step in the right direction. To modify a quote from Good Omens (a lot), every year is taking me farther and farther from 13. Thank god. Get that year away from me, blargh. It was 90% embarrassment, 10% dependence... The only good thing is how close I got to my friends. BUT enough dwelling on the past. I'm 17, yarr.

Let's see, I got a really interesting manga yesterday. Love Pistols. Has nothing to do with pistols. It's yaoi, of course, published by Blu (good old Blu!! Thanks for G&J!! <3), but it's very...different? I dunno. But I love it now. The art style is pretty unusual for a yaoi manga too. Yay. Oh, and I probably mentioned it already, but I'm reading Emma now. It's the Victorian-ness... It's great, I love it. And I might cosplay as Emma for Katsucon if I can make the costume on my own. My mom refuses to make me any more costumes after the stress over Kino. That collar drove us both insane!

I like to ramble, whee. But that's all for now. Ciao!
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Saturday, June 9, 2007

And Now for Something Completely Different
So, ESP. Now, I'm no huge fanatic or anything, but I do think it's entirely possible that some people have certain abilities beyond the normal scientific scope. I've always thought my mom probably has psychic abilities, though most of the time it's a joke. But I have kind of felt that maybe I had some ESP of my own, but had no idea what it would be.
So, haha, I took a Tickle test to see what my ESP would be, and it came out to be precognitive. This made as much sense as anything, so I decided to keep an eye on my dreams and such to see if I really do have precog abilities. Well, I do have occasional moments of precognition, but nothing too crazy. I can't think of any right now, nothing really drastic I don't think, and you know how dreams are. They slip away gradually even if you manage to remember them right off the bat.
SO, if anyone has weird ESP-related moments to share, please do! I love stories. ^.^
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Friday, June 8, 2007

Vol. 2
Oh man, I am a metaphysical mess right now. Last night I found this webcomic (or "electric manga", if you will) called Kagerou. It comes with a warning at the beginning... It didn't really take effect until much later on in the story though. "There is also a chance that, if you have psychological issues, it may 'trigger' you." Well...that's not how I would put it for myself so much... But it really did affect me pretty heavily. Atone page, that had a single sentence on it, I just broke down and cried. I'll grant you, it was late, and of course it wasn't just the one page that did it, but everything leading up to that, but it's very rare I do that. Sure, I cry over books and movies and stuff, but mostly because of what's in it alone, not because of what's in it that 'triggers' some of the more painful bits of me. I think, after several encounters with it (they're often hidden), that my greatest fear is my loved ones being ruled by an inner madness. I'm not brave, but I think if a friend was threatened by something on the outside, like abuse or an oncoming train, or even something on the inside, an emotion like sadness or anger, I could probably do something, however ineffectual. But something subconscious or even unconscious, like depression or schizophrenia or whatnot, I can't do a damn thing about. I can't even manage my own demons. On junior retreat, during large group, I told everyone, "I feel weak, and helpless. I don't know what to do when my friends need me most. They're always there for me, but I don't know how to be there for them." And I still feel that way. I'm not sure if it's ingrained or if it had a start, but if it had a start I would say it'd be DES.

Something very strange happened between us, though I don't know if she ever felt it. It was like a near-instant bond, like she sensed what was about to happen to me (peak of depression) and we shared that together. We really were yami and hikari, though I sometimes think DES was the hikari. She became a part of me, a daily thought, like most distant friends. And that thought of her is what pulled me down and dragged me up again in my depression. When she left, that was the first time I felt really, really afraid that something would happen to her and I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing. She was able to give me comfort, but I was too late to give her any. By the time I knew somewhat how to give it, she was long gone. For the first few months, maybe a year, I thought of her constantly and worried, which augmented my depression with anxiety, insomnia, and therefore apathy and exhaustion. Now the guilt and helplessness just come flooding back to me at certain moments, like when I was reading Kagerou.

I...don't really know how to end this post. Um...
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