Putting Stuff Down; Recklessly Assigning Meaning

(I thought I’d put this on my own personal blog rather than my JET blog, since this is more related to what think more than what is going on with me right now…so yeah, this stuff is gonna sound different, but different can be fun huh?)

Two main things I’ve been watching for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been wanting to watch the Ghost in the Shell series, starting with the Stand Alone Complex anime, since that was the one I was the most familiar with. I just finished the first season today, and I’m glad I went back and gave it a full watch. The characters, the gorgeous animation, the different scenarios, it’s all pretty damn amazing. However, I think one of the strong points of the series is the issues that it tackles, like the line between being human and machine. When I watched one of the episodes, from the beginning, it was meant to be more of a “lighter” episode. For those who know the series, Ghost in the Shell is pretty heavy and can get violent at times, so having a “breather” episode was nice. For that reason, I didn’t expect too much out of it, but once I watched the whole episode, I think it’s one of my favorites in the series. It raises some interesting questions and brings up some interesting problems like escapism, and how to deal with the loss of a loved one. There is a 2nd season for the series, plus like 4 other movies. I think there was another movie that recently came out…so I’ve got lots to see. We are never gonna run out of things to watch huh?
The other thing I’ve watched, on YouTube, is Henry Rollins. I don’t remember how I managed to stumble upon him, but when I watched his spoken word “Provoked,” I was like “whoa…this guy has seen and done some shit.” Before this, I’ve only heard of Henry Rollins from a little game called Def Jam: Fight for New York…where me and my brother would play it on the Gamecube (so it was a while back). In essence, it was a fighting game, except all the players were real life, and popular rap and hip-hop artists. Like no joke, Snoop Dogg is the antagonist. Despite how crazy that premise sounds, is was a fun game to play, even with the long loading times. I still have a couple of songs stuck in my head from that game.
When I was playing that game, you train your character up and whatnot, and your “trainer,” the gym guy, is Henry Rollins. I’m like…this guy doesn’t look like he should belong in the game at all. Once I started watching this guy, and learned that he started in a punk band called Black Flag…I started to realized why he was placed in that role for that game. I also realized how amazing this guy is. If you had to describe this guy in one word, it’ll be “intense.” Another word I’d give him is “relentless” because he will tell you what is on his mind, and won’t give a shit what you think of him. He goes to places that people dub has “too dangerous” and he comes back alive and well saying “hey they were pretty nice.” He’s got some strong opinions, some that people might be opposed to. For instance, he defends the right for gay people to get married. It shouldn’t even be called “gay marriage” it’s just marriage. I whole heartily agree with this notion of course. He has traveled a lot, and he has done a lot (artist, writer, actor, activist, he does a lot). So I highly encourage people to check him out.
This is my own opinion, I’m no expert on this, just to let you know. My brief take on equal rights for marriage is that why are people so fussy about it? From what this stupid mind knows, wouldn’t there be lots of benefits to this? People may not know, but the world can only support so many humans, and once that threshold is reached, we better have some kind of plan to take care of everyone by then. Gay couples can’t exactly “reproduce” so that solves that problem. They can live with content with their loved ones and not increase the world population. IF gay couples do want children, hey they can adopt! Not only gay couples can take these poor children to a good home, they can be raised in a loving household while giving the child a unique insight on the world by their parents. If we want to continue and grow in this world, we need to expand our horizons, and not just have families be “mom, dad, and children,” because that’s where stereotypes comes from. Of course, there are many kinds of families, I think that some people are opposed to the whole thing having gay parents, and that isn’t right. Why can’t they raise children? They aren’t going to hound you for child support, or begging for a place to stay, they are gonna do that by themselves! So not only gay people can live with who they love, and help slow down the population from exploding, they can stop children from being orphans, from being lonely, and give them food, a roof over their heads, and a loving home. Wow I went off more than I thought…and that isn’t the main thing I wanted to cover.
I wanted to go back to mentioning about masculinity versus femininity that I wanted to talk about last week. If I had to put it simply, masculinity and femininity is full of bullshit. I LIVE to break stereotypes, so here you have someone who goes to the gym regularly…and also enjoys watching My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, various Japanese dramas and anime (some that are tear-inducing, some that are meant to kill you with cuteness). SO, where do I fit on that spectrum of masculinity and femininity? Answer is nowhere, because I don’t want another category conveniently smacked on to my name. I know there are numerous people out there with different tastes, and yet there are probably some people who are afraid to show what they love simply because it doesn’t fit the “mold” society has given them.
It might still seem old-fashioned that we give boys certain things when they grow up, and certain things to girls when they grow up, because well…that’s what the “mold” dictates. Cars, trucks, “manly” things for boys and dolls, playhouses, “girly” things for girls…whatever these things are. These “things” are merely “things” and only should be that way. It’s the meaning WE have smacked onto it is what perpetuates that meaning to everyone else. It’s kind of like the words we use. Words are only sounds, packets of info meant to transfer info from point A to point B. It’s the meaning we attach to words that gives them the potential to cause damage, albeit physically or mentally.
I’m merely just spewing out these thoughts…since I just want to put them down somewhere. Can never have enough thoughts coursing through my head. I’m not saying to go out and have a revolution of some kind, no. I know that some people’s minds cannot be changed, that’s just how it goes. All I want to point out is that we should be cautious on what actions we take based on what we thought. Sure we make mistakes, and learning from those mistakes is necessary for growth. It’s the repeated misgivings of arrogance and malice and gets people hurt is what one of the more truly depressing things in life. Some people just wanna live their life, love what they love, and not have to deal with other people’s negativity.
Thought I’d put in my two cents for now. I’ve got lots of pennies to give from this noggin of mine, but I need to let my head cool off. Like literally since I’m still having that slight fever (haha). ‘Til then, keep on thinking on.

 

Catching Up on Nostalgia Trips

Before I set off to Japan land, I should put down a couple of things that have happened since the last time I’ve posted. Due to lots of stuff happening, prepping for Japan, it’s nice to recollect and put my thoughts down. Going way back when, I think it’s been about a month now, I went up to Seattle to hang out with my oneechan (Sagojyousartpage). We went to a karaoke place for 3 and a half hours (released my inner Elsa, for both English and Japanese versions XD), got some awesome food from Uwajimaya (wish there was one down here, Seattle has all the cool stuff), and went to go eat some Thai food. At the time, my oneechan seemed pretty stressed out with her teaching life. I’m glad I got to have seen her and at least try to relieve some of that stress. I know I’m heading down that teaching road, so she’ll be someone I’m going to when I’m gonna lose my mind with the teaching xP I know she’s alright though, as seen with her manga series, she ain’t going down without a fight 😀 Let’s just say, karaoke for hours with your oneechan leads to a really, REALLY fun time that I know I needed. An odd side note, that night it we had a lunar eclipse! She pointed it out, and the moon was really red, and I’m like “isn’t that what they call a strawberry moon?” or something, but it was a friggin eclipse! From where we saw it, it was pretty bright too, so we got to see the moon it it’s bloody glory. We sung so hard, the moon turned red…is that a good thing? XD
Since I’m departing next Monday, I’ve been visiting a couple of my old friends in the past month, meeting up face to face before I go. It was great reliving kind of the “old times,” go through the nostalgia, and just having a great time. It’s just…kind of amazing how many things have changed…and how some things haven’t changed. I won’t go into details since that’s more on my friends part, and that the “haven’t changed” part involves drama that I don’t know and don’t want to get into xP That was one thing that my circle of friends shared, and ended up going to Western Washington University, and that is we don’t want to stay in Lakewood forever, no matter how funny it is.
Annnnd now yes, heading over to Japan land next Monday. It’s gonna be a long flight, but I’ve done it before. It’s just all the prep, and the waiting. I swear, I shouldn’t drive myself on waiting, but it’s the WAITING that’s gonna get me one day, not the actual event. I already know having to leave and being away from my family and friends is going to be a bit heartbreaking (okay not ONLY a bit but ya get the picture). I’ve already gone over in my head that I’m going to miss my own mother’s wedding. It. Just. Sucks. Punctuated. On. Purpose. I know my mom is very understanding though, and I know she is proud of me for going out and making a living with what I want to do (at least having a much better job). I may be a bit biased, but I have one of the strongest, and most dedicated mom’s around. Just sayin…nope just SUPER sayian…this is why I’m not the pungeon master in my group.
I did enjoy a good couple of days off of work. What did I do besides see other people? Sit at my computer and watch a couple of series that I wanted to catch up on. After my friends got me to watch Shokugeki no Soma (for non-anime watchers, imagine a typical action show, and replaces all the fighting with cooking, it’s actually pretty amazing), I went back to 3 other series; Red Vs. Blue, RWBY, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (one of these aren’t like the others huh?). It’s amazing how long RvB is still around, but I gotta give them credit, they are in it for the long haul. RWBY was and still quirky amazing animated fun (totally rooted for Yang in the Yang vs. Tifa Deathbattle). What really surprised me is MLP…and how their shows have stepped up on what they are talking about. Let’s just say…the pilot episodes, to older members of the audience…these episodes look like they are dealing with cults and socialism. I was thinking…this is still a kids show right? It was BLATANTLY addressing these topics (it’s a kid’s show) but I’m like…wow, this is getting intense. It just seems like the theme of this season is finding out who you are, figuring out who you want to be, and the struggle of dealing with the struggles on what you are going to do with your life, that includes your passion. It may just seem like I’m overthinking it…but man, if any season has hit it home with a theme, it’s gotta be this one, and they are doing it pretty damn well. Of course, like any other medium, this show isn’t perfect. However, it’s great to see a show delve into such topics, while at the same time, appeal to a children’s demographic.
Enough with the ponies though (for now xP). I know I’m going to start a blog for my adventures in Japan land, so future posts on here will more than likely be about all of that fun stuff. I’m going to make a separate blog site for it to make things a little easier (and to separate all the random thoughts in my head…if I can). Annnnnd yup, flight is next Monday. Feelings? Excited, nervous, eager, wired, trying not to overthink things…tl;dr lots of feelings xD
I do really want to keep up this blog, and keep it going strong, so I want to place this now so I set a goal for myself. At least once a week, busy isn’t an excuse, losing one of my arms….yeah that would qualify as a “justifiable” excuse though xD Alrighty, see y’all on the next block of jumbly words.

An Unexpected Miracle; A Whole New Journey

Feels weird to have time every once in a while, so now I can actually do one of these! I know I’ve already posted this on my FB, but I was called by the JET Program, and they need someone to fill in for them, and I so happened to be high enough on the waiting list to be called back. For those who don’t know the JET Program, it’s a program (if not THE program) that sends people to Japan to teach English as ALTs (Assistant Language Teacher), and I went through the whole process for getting in this program (which was like 10 months in total). After a certain amount of time, I just had to find other ways to get to Japan. However, by some sheer dumb luck, they call me back, and of course I accepted! I’ve been studying (and still read) Japanese for over 7 years, majored in Japanese, volunteered teaching English for about 3 years, sooo I think I might be a little qualified for the position xP

It’s just odd how this came to be. I knew I wanted to take Japanese back in high school since, well, I am part Japanese myself. Having no background knowledge of Japanese or Japanese culture whatsoever, and sounding more interesting than Spanish and French, I dove into it wholeheartedly, and thank the heavens I did. It was one of the few subjects I actually enjoyed, instead of just getting an “A” in a class. I went with taking Japanese in college because, well, I enjoyed taking it, learning it, immersing myself in it. Along the way, I’ve met many people that I’ll never forget; that I still keep in contact with to this day. I thought that volunteering with helping Japanese students learning English would be a wonderful idea, since I’m learning Japanese, it’s like “You teach me, I teach you” (Pokemon!) kind of deal. Who would have thought it would have such a profound impact on my life, having that amazing feeling of being a part of other people’s lives by bettering their understanding of something they work so hard to achieve. That of course is helping understand English and American culture. It’s…pretty hard to put in words, trying to describe the sheer joy when you know you helped someone else understand something that they couldn’t before. That they wanted to reach that level of understanding, and they appreciate the help that you put in to get that person there.

And now, me becoming an English teacher, in one of the most prominent programs Japan has to offer. It’s insane to think about. Now I’ll have to get used to being called “sensei,” which is an odd thought within of itself. For those who don’t know, “sensei” isn’t just used for teachers, the term is used for all kinds of professions like doctors, lawyers, artists, that sort of “title.” It can really apply to anyone who is an expert in their respective field. Teachers are held in high regard in Japan, much higher regard in American culture (at least with my opinion and understanding). I’m not putting down any teachers in America. Hell ALL teachers are practically heroes within their own right, it’s HOW they are viewed and treated is what’s different, which teachers are highly respected in Japan. So to get such a prominent position, it’s pretty daunting to think about.

Like, when my mom called me at work telling me the JET Program wanted to call me, I was like “no way, they possibly couldn’t be calling me for an open position,” but here I am now telling this unbelievable news. I’ve already started sorting all of my belongings, thinking of what to take, and thinking of what I have to leave behind. So many thoughts and feelings rush through my brain, like thousands of simulations firing simultaneously.

What should I bring? What do I need to do? What about money issues? How am I going to teach for such and such? Will I become an effective and engaging teacher? How well will I adjust? What kind of students will I be teaching? Will I have a good first impression on the students? I need to do this before I go. I need to meet these people before I go. Should I get this before I go? (Or do I just want to buy it?). It’s just a thought overload, it makes me want to sit down before I get overwhelmed. Thankfully I have some time so I’m been trying to take it piece by piece, a little checklist of things to do before I go, and what to consider when I go. I know that the real work is only getting started, but I think that’s one of the exciting parts about it. Of course, I got in, and that is enough for celebration in its own right. Considering the thought that I am going to be part of an influence that will benefit the education of students minds and assist their futures in ways I can’t think of yet, it’s pretty exhilarating. Even if it’s a small influence, it’s still a small ripple that can cause a wave affect that at least, one person out their will be affected and be thankful for my efforts. Being able to provide that kind of support, that kind of educational assistance, that kind of backing saying “hey it’s difficult, I know, but I know you can do it.” Despite Japanese and English being vastly different, I’m practically living proof that, learning and understanding another language completely different from your own, is totally feasible. I don’t describe myself as being really “smart” in the broad sense. I take time to study, and I have to take time to memorize and practice material just like any other person. I don’t pride myself in being “smarter” than others or getting better test scores than others, I pride myself of bettering myself every day. I take pride in the fact that I can have such an amazing ability as being able to condense difficult concepts in order for other people to understand said concepts in a simple matter. I take pride in the fact that I can help people find another way of expressing themselves, and help them understand more about other human beings on this planet.

I take pride…well too much pride is hubris…and if anyone knows Greek mythology, hubris WILL come back around to haunt you…seriously the gods don’t mess around. Getting off topic. I will definitely be blogging about my experiences and happenings while I’m over there (I’ll make a separate blog on my wordpress, if anyone is interested in that). Which means I know I need to keep up on said blogging. Which means I need a good camera (darn…something else to buy xP).

I think I’ve said enough for now. “Til next time…I wonder where I’m actually going to be placed XD (I’ll find out sooner or later, just gotta wait for a little bit longer)

Knowing Thy Name…and Middle Name?

Alrighty, I’ve wanted to just put down this odd little thought that I had stuck in my brain for a while. It’s about something that is stuck with you for your entire life, it’s something that is tied with each person’s identities, it’s what we use to address people. Yup, I want to bring up the topic of names, specifically people’s names. I’ve always found people’s and character’s names fascinating. The name is imbued into the person’s character in a way. I’m not saying that certain names have this kind of “pre destined” power over people who haven’t existed yet, but it’s still interesting how we use names to convey these kinds of ideals. Like looking at the roots of names, there are little nuggets of information and meaning behind all sorts of names throughout history. There are reasons why certain names have a certain “feel” to them, and that they bear some sort of significance. I bet when parents have to come up with names, it can be a pretty tough process to come up with something that they like, but knowing that will be part of their child’s identity for the rest of their life. You can change your name too, but you still had to change the original name, so it still holds some ground.

Let’s take middle names for example, which seems to be more of a Western thing I believe. I find them pretty fascinating. It’s like a “hidden” meaning behind the person you know. I don’t know why, in my head, I wonder what middle names people have. It could be just another name, like a first name put in the middle. It could reveal a sort of ethnic identifier with the person, passed down by the parents. Okay, I think my middle name is pretty neat because, since I’m Hawaiian, I got a Hawaiian middle name. Of course, my siblings also have Hawaiian middle names (except for my brother, since he got a Samoan one). My middle name is Nu’ulani, and according to my mom, it means “highest of the heavens.” I know the “lani” part means heaven, and that is a name within itself, which it’s also a popular name in Hawaiian (at least I think xP). Apparently, my mom got this name from a Hawaiian priest, but somehow…I don’t how to believe that statement. Makes me wonder what my mom was thinking at the time, giving me such a grandiose name (for such a simple man as myself). Regardless, I still find the name…awe-inspiring, for a lack of a better explanation. I don’t want to project that I really am “higher than anybody” or any kind of that superiority bull, I just think it’s a neat name. I would know a thing or two about being humble, studying a culture that puts modesty and humility as one of its top treasured virtues. I’m talking about Japanese culture btw 😛 xD Speaking of Japanese culture…

Now the real meat of this thought is that I had been stewing in my odd noggin is comparing naming schemes between Western and Japanese cultures, and it’s actually an intriguing thought process once you give it some time. See, in Japanese culture, Japanese people don’t have middle names. What they have instead is the characters that are assigned to their names. For example, let’s take the stereotypical “Tanaka.” This name can be divvied up into two parts, the “ta” part, and the “naka” part. Both of these parts have their own character assigned to them, which give them the names meaning. The “ta” part gets translated to “rice field” or “rice paddy” and the “naka” part means “in the middle of.” So, you get “in the middle of a rice field.” The neat part is that with Japanese names, they don’t have to follow the same characters to come up with the names they have. Some names have the same sounds, but they have different characters assigned to them, making that name unique to that individual, and that is in large part of the parents own doing.

I wanna show more “flashy” examples, if you will, so I can somewhat convey how cool this kind of naming mechanic is, yet how this makes it insanely difficult to read Japanese names. Let’s take a name like “Misaki” (me-saw-key). Here are three possible names that I’ve found can be pronounced “Misaki” 美彩姫, 心彩希, 魅咲. They all can be pronounced as “Misaki” but give entirely different meanings.
The first one (美彩姫) is made up of “beauty” + “color, hue” + “princess.”
The second one (心彩希) can be broken down as “heart (spirit)” + “color, hue” + “hope.”
The last one (魅咲) can be divvied up as “charm, allure” + “to blossom.”
Ain’t that pretty neat? So with the first one, you have “The color of a princess’ beauty.” The second one can be “the color of spirit and hope.” The third one can mean “blossoming charm” or “ever-blooming allure” (if you want to get all fancy). I just made those meanings on the spot with the meanings I’ve found, so don’t take those made up meanings too seriously xP  To ones that don’t understand the meanings behind the characters, they might perceive this name all the “same” based on sound alone. However, with these characters, they imbue a certain depth into the meaning behind the sound; the “wishes” of the parents if you will. The crazy thing is these characters have multiple ways of being read, and can totally change based on what it is paired up with, or just based on context alone!

See, when I first found out that Japanese people don’t have middle names, I thought “awww how sad is that, it must be a bummer to have names that sound similar with so many other people’s names.” Then I thought “isn’t there some sort of equivalent to a “middle name” in Japanese?” “How would the names differ if there are so many similar sounding names?” As I studied more Japanese and learned more about the characters, it came to me that the “equivalent” has been in front of my face the whole time, it’s just a whole different scheme to comprehend.  I compared these schemes to our “middle name” scheme because, I think in Western culture, our middle names isn’t something we normally put on display for the world to see. Our first names are there sure, so people can address who we are. Our last names are there for other reasons, like family traditions and document-related topics. On the other hand, middle names have this sort of “mystery” surrounding them, no matter how “ordinary” they are. They are chosen, or made up, by the parents (or even grandparents or guardians, etc.) to give the one they are taking care of, a special meaning that they only can understand. Of course, I’m not denying the power and significance of first names, but a first name is out there, meant to be seen by the world, being constantly used by other people, some that you may only meet once in your life (and never again). Having your name used so often, it sometimes can loose it’s “kick” ya know? It’s like when you say a word so many times, or do a task so much, that there isn’t much thought process with what is going on. There isn’t any sort of critical thinking, it’s been made into an “automatic” process.

Sooooo, in a nutshell, TL;DR -> middle names and naming schemes are awesome across cultures. Compare them, find interesting revelations.

Didn’t expect that one to be THAT long…but that idea has been sitting around for more than a month, so I guess I should have saw that coming. Still…names, fascinating topic to me. What about all y’all? Don’t you feel a little special knowing someone’s middle name or hidden meaning behind their name?

‘Til next time, names aren’t labels, they mean something to someone.

Reality Update: Keep Dreaming Keep on Biking

Reality update! Life…time? I don’t know, it’s been a while. First off, for those who didn’t know, I just got done with a Skype Interview with a company that teaches English in Japan. I believe the interview went well. I thought I was going to actually conduct my lesson with two “makeshift” students on the camera, but thankfully, I only had to demonstrate a little bit of it, and explain what I would going to do. It felt more of a “Q&A” than an interview. Sure, they asked me why I wanted to work there and what experience do I have related to the field, but I’ve already done that like 3 times over it’s pretty much ingrained in me (as if 3 years of volunteer experience and going to Japan being a part time English tutor didn’t already do that :P). I’m glad that I had some questions prepped for them, and they pretty much answered all of them. They also suggested some things I can work on and whatnot, and it’s good to hear some advice like that. I’ve been so out of the game, it’s comforting (in a way) to hear some feedback and improve on something I know I can do. All in all, I think it was a pretty neat experience, for my first Skype interview   Relating to if I will get the job, I won’t know about that in 1-2 weeks soooo more waiting x.x but I expected it. Gotta keep my head high and, like a certain fish said, “just keep swimming.”

That Skype interview was pretty much the most interesting thing I had going on…  Just keeping on working, trying to stay afloat, not go insane, the usual 😛
I did buy my own bike so I can get to work without the need for someone to drive me. Getting a ride is nice, but having to ask for a ride, and the…”complaining” to put it lightly, was driving me up a wall. I have to leave earlier to get to work on time, but at least I work up a good sweat huh? I think I’m actually loosing weight because of it, go figure   Plus better for the environment right?…Right? xP

Going back to possibly working in Japan, I know there are other jobs than just teaching English. However, I think this is just the easiest, and straightforward path, since I have experience actually teaching Japanese students. A couple of days ago, I mentioned to a woman that I majored in Japanese and whatnot, relating back to Costco (there is a Costco in Japan apparently, and I WANTS TO GOES TO ITZ    ). Paraphrasing what she said, in this globalizing world of ours, I shouldn’t have any trouble finding a hiring paying job or a job that is related to my field. It honestly did make me feel a little better, but it made me think, do I have to broadcast myself out there more? How the heck do I do that? Anybody got any ideas? Wouldn’t being fluent in Japanese be a plus for trying voice acting too? xP I know becoming a voice actor is a long shot, but I think it’ll be an amazing experience to at least try and dabble in it. However, it’s such a niche market still…so the road in becoming a voice actor really isn’t set out there. I’m just trying to get to work in Japan at this point, improve my Japanese, learn a ton of new things, meet new people, hang out with old friends, is that too much to ask for? (Apparently yes  )

Side note, being able to just sit down and play a ton of Fire Emblem Awakening is pretty satisfying xD Especially since I’m masochistic and want to get as many support conversations as I can (it involves a lot of saving a restarting). Buuuuut the writing and dialogue is just too good to pass up. I know I can just look this stuff up on Youtube, but I’d rather earn it and see it on the game myself. I might cop out sooner or later, but for now, this game is definitely worth the hype (if 70 hours on just the 2nd run through isn’t proof enough xD)

Not really good with transitions…I should work on that probably…since that was one of the feedback things I got from the Skype interview….but it’s just easier just to dive right in!…Okay maybe not. I want to try and make more of these entries, since there are a bunch of ideas that get stuck in my head and I’m like “you need to write that down! Just write the darn idea down!” So, if I say it on here, maybe my brain will be like “oh you said it, now you gotta actually write it down, instead of putting it in this metaphorically file cabinet in your brain.” Sooooo look forward to the next entry, because this idea has been in my head for like over 2 months, and I want to get it out! xP Until then, just keep swimming!

Ups and Downs…and Karaoke!

Well….my life has been a bit busy. So much that I haven’t done this in almost 2 months! Welp, this will be a fun entry won’t it?

Let’s see, where to begin. To the album I’m listening to right now, I bought Breaking Benjamin’s new album “Dark Before Dawn,” and it is just…it has done its share of carrying me through these past couple of weeks. It is truly wonderful to see (and hear) Breaking Benjamin back in action, and the 6-year wait is worth it. I’m still kind of baffled how short it is…it’s like around the 40 minute mark, but it’s like that good amount of length just to go back and keep listening again and again, and again…….and again   but don’t just let me ramble about it, I suggest to go give it a listen yourself! (Youtube is a wonderful source for this kind of stuff xD)

Recently, like last week, I was let go from one of my jobs. The main reason they shoved at me is that they thought I was going to have open availability, but they took too long to actually get me working, so I started at my other job (like 2 weeks in before I started this one). This job that I was let go from did give me a good amount of hours, but just…the management could use some work.   Hence why, I don’t feel as bad for leaving that job. In a way, I kind of expected it to happen sooner or later, but not in such a weird way (bringing me in the middle of the day, do a 3 hour shift, and tell me I don’t have the job anymore  ). Welp, at least the other job I still have treats me…a lot better (like a human being) and let’s leave it at that (I’ll keep the negativity away, since I know my friends have heard enough of it). It’s like a giant weight has lifted of off my shoulders. I may not have many hours to work, but at least I don’t feel so pressured and trapped by them. 

For those who know, I’ve been trying to get a job in Japan by teaching English over there. Mainly, I’ve been waiting on the JET Program for the past couple of months. The scheduled departure date was yesterday, and I still got nothing. They say they do late departures, but at this point, I’m not gonna hold my breath. I started thinking this last week, like, I have to find other avenues to get there, because I WILL do this. I WILL get to Japan, even if I have to search the depths of the deepest parts of the Internet to do it. So yeah, being fired from that kind of job left me to have this kind of “week vacation” so I’ve just been applying anywhere I can. Just getting some sort of accomplishment when I send the information to the company that might be my ticket to my dream job. What I didn’t expect is that one of them actually sent me an email back…asking me to schedule a Skype interview in the future, for an hour block…and during that interview I’m gonna have to do a teaching demo (30 minute teaching demo). Once I got this email, so many feelings surged within me. Excitement, anxiety, fear, anticipation….so many things going at once, trying to logically process this entire thing. So what should I do? Sleep on it of course!   This is going to take a lot of time and prep, but I’m no stranger with these kinds of interviews (I’ve already done it like 3 times in person). The Skype element is certainly different, but at least I don’t have to go anywhere! However, I know I gotta put my heart and soul into preparing for this interview, trying to do better than the last. I do have some material left from one of the greatest professors I’ve ever known, and I know it’ll guide me through this.

Now for the highlight of what has happened so far. Last Friday, I went up to Seattle to meet my oneechan  (Sagojyousartpage) so we can have some awesome fun doing some karaoke!     The journey getting up there…wasn’t so great. I know how to get up there, I just didn’t know the details on how to get around to where I wanted to go. I end up around a hour and a half late, and I was walking around so much and stuff. I finally get there though, and thankfully she said she had a lot of fun singing by herself. I don’t like being late, especially for things like this, and her not being angry about it made me feel less stressed about it. So we karaoke’d for a good 2 and a half hours (which went by too quickly), and it was super fun. Since she is Japanese, she mainly stuck with Japanese songs, while I stayed with my favorites (in English of course). However, since I am a Japanese major and all, of course I had to sing a couple of Japanese songs. Akira-oneechan responded with singing a Spanish song (which she spoke, and sung really well btw), that kind of caught me off guard. Then I remembered…ooooh yeah she took some Spanish XD I sang some Green Day, Journey, Queen (which I think I need to do some more Queen, Freddie is just too fun to sing). One of the crowning moments was when we were trying to think of a song to do together…and choices were running thin pretty fast….well it was really more of a split second decision. The song we choose, the popular Disney song that took the world by storm? None other than “Let It Go” from Frozen. I think we rocked the hell out that song 😛 (even though if anyone else heard that, I would have been overshadowed by Akira pretty easily xP)
Besides volunteering with her, I haven’t had much time to hang out with my oneechan, and going up there to hang out with her was something I needed…badly xP Now I definitely want to do it again! (hopefully not be late the next time :P). It gave me the chance to get to know her more, to hang out, be ourselves, do random shenanigans like siblings would do. It was definitely refreshing to hang out with someone I know is a dear friend of mine, and is practically a sister to me       You don’t come across siblings like these so easily xD

Sooo yup, these past couple of weeks has had its ups and downs, but I know to look on the brighter sides of things, and keep a positive outlook for now and for the future. Now I have another memorable day that I’ll treasure, enjoying the time I had with my oneechan 😀 Here’s to another karaoke session! (hopefully we won’t completely blow out our voices either )

‘Til next time, treasure the time you have with your family and live life like no other.

“Time will not take the life from me” – Breaking Benjamin, Dark Before Dawn (from the song “Never Again”)

“The Defender” A Type of Personality

Too bad there are only 16 types with the Myers & Briggs, or else I’d make some Pokemon references (only two types short!), but alas, it wasn’t meant to be XD As curious as I am, and I’m sure a lot of people are curious as well, I’ve taken a little bit of the online Myers & Briggs personality tests. I think most of them describe your personality result with broad overarching strokes. However, there is one that I’ve found that is…shockingly specific and accurate. It’s pretty scary even. Of course, like any generalization of personalities (and just people in general), not every word is going to ring true. However, considering what this quiz had to work with, it is pretty impressive. Here is my result if anyone is curious on what kind of person I’m like: http://www.16personalities.com/isfj-personality
You can go take the quiz yourself and see what type you get! Of course, at the end, there is a “premium profile” you can buy (which is like 40 bucks) soooo I’m content with what they give me already XD

There are sections about your friendships, romantic relationships, even what parenthood would be like. It’s just kind of funny how in my group of friends, I’ve been dubbed the one who would be like the most “reliable” or “competent” father. I know my friends would be great fathers in their own right, so I find it a bit funny when they all agree on this type of idea. Of course, when it came to the “romantic” department, my hopeless romantic self is like “OOOOH THIS’LL BE INTERESTING, LET’S READ”  

Jesting aside, that section pretty much affirms when I was once called “husband material.” I don’t know if that is a compliment or not, but I’ll take whatever I can get 😛
To sum up what the sit said about my romantic relationships, it says something along the lines of taking time with building the relationship, and what will stand out and what other partners would find attractive is with every day interactions. In essence, I think more on the lines of a long-term relationship, instead of just going around dating a bunch of girls at the same time (which makes me feel kind of sleezy, which says something).

Of course it mentions how this personality type is very humble, even to the point of downplaying one’s accomplishments (which that was one thing I saw was like…man, how do they know that!), and being shy, holding in lots of feelings, all that great stuff. I do see the tendency of these things pointing out that this personality’s kindness may be used to someone else’s selfish gain, hence why I choose my friends, my conversations, and battles carefully…well most of the time   I do value honesty as the highest virtue, so if you want me to REALLY say what’s on my mind, I don’t pull any punches, I go straight for it xP

It’s strangely introspective on how much this site gives what it says about you. Of course there is a lot more to a person than just words on a webpage, but with what this site had to work with, it’s spooky how much they can narrow down and be specific of such personality types.
I don’t know why, I find it fun delving into these kinds of things. If anyone out there is (actually) reading this, and is feeling bold, why not try it out and I’ll go read up on your personality type, because I’m Curious George! XD (you can start the quiz here: http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test)

Which this reminds me of another interesting site that lays out this entire “plan” on to get someone to fall in love with each other, but that is a subject for another day
‘Til next time  I’ll put down a quote that is very dear to my heart (bonus points whoever knows where it’s from)
“I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”

Awakening in Reality

WOW, just holy cow, I haven’t done an entry for over a month! Since I have these two days off, might as well take advantage and put down what’s been happening with my life up ’til this point. First off, now I’m working at two jobs, one of them giving me over 30 hours next week so I’m gonna be busy (making money yo! XD). It has taken me some time to get used to, but I think my body has been adapting well now since I’ve got some hours under my belt. Now I can start saving up money for important stuff (i.e. paying off college loans….ewwww).

Before the 2nd job came in though, I went out and bought Fire Emblem Awakening, since I don’t really get much for myself, and I figured since I’m getting some money rolling in, why not? Plus one of my good friends said to “BUY IT,” and the reviews I saw online were like “Own 3DS? BUY THIS GAME.” So I did, and man, I’m glad I did. It’s nice to get sucked in a brand new game, a brand new world, that you can have fun, explore, and challenge yourself. Since Fire Emblem is a strategy game, I was unsure if I’d like the difference with gameplay that I’m used to, but it turns out that I love playing this game with this kind of style. I guess it helps that I watched my friend play an earlier game of the series for a bit, but it just makes you feel so smart and accomplished when you play your cards right. This game isn’t just great for gameplay though, the characters, OH MAN, the abundance of great characters. There are so many of them that you can’t expect to use them all in one playthrough. The interactions, the dialogue, it’s friggin wonderful. You get to play matchmaker and seeing character relationships build is such a journey to experience. For those that are big fans of the 4th Super Smash Bros. game, you’ll definitely get to learn more about Lucina and Chrom. It surprised me that Lucina was not what I expected, and Chrom is such a BAMF…jeez. Don’t want to give any spoilers away though so I’ll stop talking about this game…that I know I’m going to sink in more hours that I should XD

I know my family from Hawaii are coming over to visit soon (like my nana, a couple of aunts and uncles), so things are probably going to get pretty hectic quickly, on top of my hour spike with my jobs sooo this will be an interesting experience. Makes me wonder about the JET program and if they’ll get back to me. I really would like to know if I’m going to be participating in the program so I can deliver some great news all around, especially if my family is coming up. It’s a bit nerve-racking at this point, since the end of next month is when participants are supposed to depart, but I try not to stress myself out. No use in stressing myself out, since it really messes you up in the long run.

Just gotta concentrate on what I’m doing now, and how awesome I can be with myself and with other people. ‘Til next time, don’t panic, and always bring a towel! 😀

One of Those Odd Brain Projections…

It is rare for anyone to remember what happened in their dreams (well at least it is for me). Considering that we apparently multiple times during our sleep cycles, and considering the possibilities of just super odd dreams, I think it’s good not to remember EVERY single dream. However, there are some dreams that you do manage to remember, and there are some dreams that are too good to pass up. I want to describe one such dream I had last Saturday. I put some notes down about it so I wouldn’t forget. :3

I’ll try to describe the events as they “occurred” in order. First, I ended up being ultra tired. Like so tired, I was barely cognizant. I sat on one of these long, rectangular cushions that you can spread out your legs and have one foot on both sides. I was in that position, with my face in the cushion since I was dead tired. The next thing I know, I’m hearing “Mr. Brightside” by the The Killers (great song btw) playing in the background. The kicker? Someone was playing Rockband to that song! Next thing I know, as the song begins, still in the super tired position, I start air drumming the song. As enthusiatic as I am with Rockband, I air drummed that song like no tomorrow (those hi hats are something to behold in that song).

But wait! It gets more interesting. I hear someone telling me to stop air drumming the song. It wasn’t like a mean “stop that,” it was more of a like “oh you, stop that” playful kind of voice. I look up and there is “M” (I’m calling her that because…well it’s the internet, permission and stuff and, ya know she’s a girl so that’s enough to know). She is actually playing the drums with the drum set that comes with the Rockband games. I think she tried to tell me to stop playing because “I’m too good.”

Then it skips forward to the end of the song, and then I end up air guitar-ing it (rocking it mind you, since I play this game like no tomorrow). And boom! End of the dream. Let’s just say I had to jot some notes about this dream because…it’s just too good to not remember.

Dreams are such an odd phenomenon. There are multiple theories on the purpose of dreams, like they are meant for memory encoding (long-term memory to be precise), or making different “simulations” as to prepare yourself when something like that actually happens. Since there is such a thing called nightmares…well let’s just hope they stay “simulations.” I think we all have dreams we still remember and store in our memories for safekeeping. You don’t know what they exactly mean, but they are a product of your own brain, your imagination, so there is some fascination to them. Of course, there are the types of dreams that you don’t want to end. Those dreams that feel you up with so much happiness, so much ecstasy (don’t use that word often :P) that you wish you could sleep in with those types of dreams, at least for a good day or so.

I wouldn’t say the dream I described is one I would want to live out again. However, if there is one thing this dream has taught me is that the brain remembers the most particular things. From hobbies that you enjoy by yourself and with your friends, to unattainable love interests. I guess in this case, it’s a sort of bittersweet cruelty huh? (or am I just being dramatic? For funsies?…nah thinking too much :D)

Playlists for Your Karaoke Experience

I came up with this idea before I went to sleep about two days ago, and I want to have some fun, so why not? The idea: themed karaoke playlists! I put down a theme, and I make a “playlist” to perform for karaoke. I’ll provide some subtext to each song, so each song can have its own flavor in the theme. These playlists are meant to be performed in a karaoke setting, so keep that in mind. It’s a funny trip to think about it to sing for different groups of people (i.e. friends vs. coworkers, or one certain group of friends vs. another group of friends). I think the minimum per playlist would be about five songs and just so long as it fits in the theme, that is a playlist. I think that’s enough yammering, let’s get vocal!

Straight to the Heart (Love themed playlist) (in parenthesis: artist)
The one that you can belt out: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (by Journey)
The one that describes your love life: Instant Crush (by Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas)
The cheesy one: Can’t Buy Me Love (by The Beatles)
Out of your comfort zone (singing a genre that you don’t usually like): Long Time Gone (by Billie Joe and Norah)
The funny one: What Is Love? (by Haddaway)
The one with angst/The edgy one: My Curse (by Killswitch Engage)
Kata Omoi (Unrequited Love)/ The one-sided one: Mr. Brightside (by The Killers)
The one you hope everyone joins along: Somebody to Love (by Queen)
The upbeat one: Treasure (by Bruno Mars)
The left-fielder (the one that no one expects): When It’s Time (by Green Day)
The showstopper (the one you want to end with): Billie Jean (by Michael Jackson)

Favorite band playlist – Favorite Band: Green Day (in parenthesis: album)
The one that makes you scream your lungs out: She (from Dookie)
The devilishly fun one: Christian’s Inferno (from 21st Century Breakdown)
The one everyone knows: Basket Case (from Dookie)
The one that no one knows: Paper Lanterns (from 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours)
One for the long haul: Homecoming (from American Idiot)
The oddly fun one: King For a Day (from Nimrod)
The slow tempo one: Give Me Novacaine (from American Idiot)
The left-fielder: Makeout Party (from Dos)
Your ohako (signature) song: Before the Lobotomy (from 21st Century Breakdown)
The showstopper (going out with a bang!): Nuclear Family (from Uno)

Good ol’ Disney (because I know lots of people out there want to do this one)
The one that you rediscovered from your youth: Why Should I Worry? (from Oliver and Company)
The one you still need practice on: Son of Man (from Tarzan)
The guilty pleasure: Let It Go (from Frozen)
The heartwarming one: You’ve Got a Friend In Me (from Toy Story)
The one people WILL sing along with: Make a Man Out of You (from Mulan)
The showstopper: I 2 I (from A Goofy Movie)

Speed Demon (songs where the singer sings really fast)
The one that makes you feel like a BAMF: Ryu vs. Ken (by Starbomb)
The fun one: One Week (by Barenaked Ladies)
The cheesy one: U Can’t Touch This (by MC Hammer)
The one that no one will understand you: Chop Suey (by System of a Down)
The showstopper: White & Nerdy (by Weird Al Yankovic)

Video Game Central (because video games have awesome soundtracks too)
The one you always sung to: It Doesn’t Matter (from Sonic Adventure)
The one that should have been it’s own single: Escape from the City (from Sonic Adventure 2)
The one no one knows: Regal Ruin – Back in Time (from Sonic R)
The genre maker (the one that created its own genre): Still Alive (by Lisa Miskovsky, from Mirror’s Edge)
The snarky one/the game you never played: Still Alive (from Portal)
This is from a video game?!?: Dive Into the Mellow (from Sonic Adventure 2)
The showstopper: Snake Eater (from Metal Gear Solid 3)

ROFL (the ones that could possibly make the audience burst with laughter)
The lovable nerd within you: Luigi’s Ballad (by Starbomb)
The cautionary tale: Boombox (by The Lonely Island ft. Julian Casablancas)
The sexual one: 3-Way (The Golden Rule) (by The Lonely Island ft. Justin Timberlake & Lady Gaga)
THAT sexual one: Gay Bar (by Electric Six)
The one that no one knows: Bow Chicka Wow Wow Wow (by Jeff Williams ft. Jason Saldana & Lamar Hall) (from the popular web series Red vs. Blue)
The tragic relationship: Come On Carolina (by Jeff Williams ft. Sean Duggan) (from the popular web series Red vs. Blue)
The wannabe song: Pretty Fly For a White Guy (by The Offspring)
The showstopper: Horse Outside (by The Rubberbandits)

Power Hour (those songs that drive your vocal cords to the ground…and then some)
The one note you wish you could get: Take On Me (by a-ha)
The one you and your friends do anyway: Bohemian Rhapsody (by Queen)
The emotion-fueled one: Helena (by My Chemical Romance)
The one you dream you can sing: Dream On (by Aerosmith)
The showstopper: More Than a Feeling (by Boston)