EPIC! I'd love to do it again. . . I think next time, I'd like to be the singer, though. :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A-Kaiwa and the Juku 'Boys'
About a month ago, I played bass for a band in Kochi called "A-kaiwa and the Juku Boys" (originally comprised of all males). The drummer coulsn't be at the show, so the bass player took the opportunity to jam on the set while I took over on bass. The show went pretty well, considering it was in Kochi City, haha. There was even a good mix of both gaijin and Japanese people! They danced, they cheered, they really enjoyed it. I was really glad to have a lot of support in this as well. Before the show, I got all light-headed and jumpy. A little dancing calmed me down, though!
EPIC! I'd love to do it again. . . I think next time, I'd like to be the singer, though. :)
EPIC! I'd love to do it again. . . I think next time, I'd like to be the singer, though. :)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Inspiration
Have I mentioned Vimeo.com in all my stories of interesting things? I've got my own videos on Vimeo, but nothing special, really. Just things I've caught in Japan. Some day I'll make some special ones, edited and with music. I need my Mac back. . . anywho. . .
I have been so artistically inspired through things I've seen on Vimeo, I can't even begin to explain them all. . . This is definitely one of my favorites, though. . .BLUBLU is a fantastic artist, great and original concepts and fantastic themes. I have been inspired by these things for years, but have yet to accomplish my goal of creating my own animation. . . Soon, I hope!
I have been so artistically inspired through things I've seen on Vimeo, I can't even begin to explain them all. . . This is definitely one of my favorites, though. . .BLUBLU is a fantastic artist, great and original concepts and fantastic themes. I have been inspired by these things for years, but have yet to accomplish my goal of creating my own animation. . . Soon, I hope!
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Things To Keep Me (A Little More) In The Know
I have been listening to the news a lot more lately. Living and working here has made me feel a bit out of touch, so it has been nice to get this information. Usually, news bores the shit out of me and/ or just makes me hate the world. These are some really good resources for it, though!
NEWS
NPR has got to be my favorite site for anything news related. They understand that we have limited attention spans and tend to keep their stories quite terse. There is also such a variety of things they cover that I always end up feeling like I learned so much! It's great, too, because I can listen to them give the stories, read the stories, or look at the images they are discussing. Quite good!
MORE NEWS
This is something I heard about while I was still in High School. Our classrooms had TVs and there were random times that the teachers would put the 'Current' channel on. They gave news in a way that made us want to listen, a little like NPR, but definitely made for the younger generations. There are also great series on here, like Vanguard and 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die which show things that really get me riled up. I like it. A lot. Here's one that really had me going. . .
NEWS
NPR has got to be my favorite site for anything news related. They understand that we have limited attention spans and tend to keep their stories quite terse. There is also such a variety of things they cover that I always end up feeling like I learned so much! It's great, too, because I can listen to them give the stories, read the stories, or look at the images they are discussing. Quite good!
MORE NEWS
This is something I heard about while I was still in High School. Our classrooms had TVs and there were random times that the teachers would put the 'Current' channel on. They gave news in a way that made us want to listen, a little like NPR, but definitely made for the younger generations. There are also great series on here, like Vanguard and 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die which show things that really get me riled up. I like it. A lot. Here's one that really had me going. . .
ID Throwback
These were photos taken of my senior thesis show at the University of the Arts. . . it feels so strange to think back to this time. I won't say I hated my major, but it was definitely quite the trip for me! I was not the typical "Industrial Design student" but I made my way through there. It seemed like every department was telling me I belonged in their department except ID!
I definitely learned a lot, though, especially when I studied abroad at the University of Technology in Sydney. It was strange for them to have an art school student in their classes, and I didn't do as well as I thought I would. Glad to know I'll be taking whatever I learned with me, whatever I end up doing!
I definitely learned a lot, though, especially when I studied abroad at the University of Technology in Sydney. It was strange for them to have an art school student in their classes, and I didn't do as well as I thought I would. Glad to know I'll be taking whatever I learned with me, whatever I end up doing!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oh d-d-d-dear. . .
I'm not feeling my most *genki this week.
We found out that Steven is now an alternate with Interac. They "hired more people than they have positions for currently." BASTARDS! We know for a fact there are at least two positions in Noichi in Kochi Prefecture, but they claim to know nothing about this. He'll start work in mid- to late October, in Tokyo, then go wherever they need him (which means when someone quits or gets fired) whenever that happens. It is good that he will be closer, but so frustrating that we know he could be here. Ugh.
On a brighter note, Monday was my last visit to the Kochi University Hospital for my knee! Great news, right? I'm a little nervous that something will go wrong now, though. I have quite a bit of bad luck in my life. . . I also got the insurance claim back, WOOHOO!!! Even better news! These have been some of the only pieces of good luck to happen to me for a while.
Yesterday, Angela and I took some newbie JETs to Kochi City for some Yosakoi fun. It was pretty nice, just chilling with people, no real stress. The day wasn't planned out the best, but things turned out all right. We even got to meet Captain Jack Sparrow out there! The new Umaji JET, Ben, isn't currently able to drive his car since the paperwork can't be completed until he has his gaijin (foreigner) card all sorted. Who knows how long that might take. The poor guy is pretty lonely and isolated out there in the woods all by himself. Anywho, I drove him home yesternight, since I live the closest. We had quite a late night and we both just wanted to get home, so I was going a little faster than I should have been.
Right outside of Yasuda, my town, a guy came into the street with a flashing triangle and a light wand. It looked to me like some kind of construction thing. But, at 11:30ish at night? I realized the triangle was a stop sign and came to a stop. Then, he motioned for me to come into this area that was pretty separated from the road. When I came around, I saw a big van of cops and two small cop cars sitting in this area. For whatever reason, my first thought was "rape!?" but this was clearly something to do with police, so I figured that was highly unlikely for inaka (countryside) Japan. I also had Ben in the car with me. Perhaps this was a breath test for drunk drivers?
They had me stop the car and I rolled down the window. The officer said clearly "your speed, too much". FUCK! I heard about people going 30kph over getting their license revoked! I'm pretty positive I was going about 85 at some point here! He continued, "This road, 50. Your car, 74." WELL, at least I wasn't 30 above! Still, this scene was waaay too serious and dramatic and intimidating. UGH!
They had me get out of the car and get into the passenger seat in the van. This whole process was eerie and surreal. They asked me about where I lived and what I did for work and where I was from. I felt like this was going to be published in the papers or something! How embarrassing. . . Ben is fluent in Japanese, so he helped a bit. We talked quickly about whether or not we should pretend to be ignorant as far as what they were talking about, but it was all pretty clear. I also JUST got my Japanese license, which was such a pain in the ass! >_< I just wanted to get out of there. ￥15,000 and 2 points off my license later, the time I tried to spare with fast driving was all taken up getting fined and signing forms for the ticket. Today, at lunch, I spilled my somen all over myself. I cried a little. What's going on? Must be a mix of slight financial troubles, trying to get Steven over here, disgusting heat, frustration at the lack of nothing to do at work, and my emotions getting the best of me through it all. **Japanese people use the word "genki" to describe people that are a combination of happy, energetic, healthy, and lively. It's used all the time. It's a good thing to be genki, even though my thought when i hear the word is something more like skinny, awkward and dorky.
We found out that Steven is now an alternate with Interac. They "hired more people than they have positions for currently." BASTARDS! We know for a fact there are at least two positions in Noichi in Kochi Prefecture, but they claim to know nothing about this. He'll start work in mid- to late October, in Tokyo, then go wherever they need him (which means when someone quits or gets fired) whenever that happens. It is good that he will be closer, but so frustrating that we know he could be here. Ugh.
On a brighter note, Monday was my last visit to the Kochi University Hospital for my knee! Great news, right? I'm a little nervous that something will go wrong now, though. I have quite a bit of bad luck in my life. . . I also got the insurance claim back, WOOHOO!!! Even better news! These have been some of the only pieces of good luck to happen to me for a while.
Yesterday, Angela and I took some newbie JETs to Kochi City for some Yosakoi fun. It was pretty nice, just chilling with people, no real stress. The day wasn't planned out the best, but things turned out all right. We even got to meet Captain Jack Sparrow out there! The new Umaji JET, Ben, isn't currently able to drive his car since the paperwork can't be completed until he has his gaijin (foreigner) card all sorted. Who knows how long that might take. The poor guy is pretty lonely and isolated out there in the woods all by himself. Anywho, I drove him home yesternight, since I live the closest. We had quite a late night and we both just wanted to get home, so I was going a little faster than I should have been.
Right outside of Yasuda, my town, a guy came into the street with a flashing triangle and a light wand. It looked to me like some kind of construction thing. But, at 11:30ish at night? I realized the triangle was a stop sign and came to a stop. Then, he motioned for me to come into this area that was pretty separated from the road. When I came around, I saw a big van of cops and two small cop cars sitting in this area. For whatever reason, my first thought was "rape!?" but this was clearly something to do with police, so I figured that was highly unlikely for inaka (countryside) Japan. I also had Ben in the car with me. Perhaps this was a breath test for drunk drivers?
They had me stop the car and I rolled down the window. The officer said clearly "your speed, too much". FUCK! I heard about people going 30kph over getting their license revoked! I'm pretty positive I was going about 85 at some point here! He continued, "This road, 50. Your car, 74." WELL, at least I wasn't 30 above! Still, this scene was waaay too serious and dramatic and intimidating. UGH!
They had me get out of the car and get into the passenger seat in the van. This whole process was eerie and surreal. They asked me about where I lived and what I did for work and where I was from. I felt like this was going to be published in the papers or something! How embarrassing. . . Ben is fluent in Japanese, so he helped a bit. We talked quickly about whether or not we should pretend to be ignorant as far as what they were talking about, but it was all pretty clear. I also JUST got my Japanese license, which was such a pain in the ass! >_< I just wanted to get out of there. ￥15,000 and 2 points off my license later, the time I tried to spare with fast driving was all taken up getting fined and signing forms for the ticket. Today, at lunch, I spilled my somen all over myself. I cried a little. What's going on? Must be a mix of slight financial troubles, trying to get Steven over here, disgusting heat, frustration at the lack of nothing to do at work, and my emotions getting the best of me through it all. **Japanese people use the word "genki" to describe people that are a combination of happy, energetic, healthy, and lively. It's used all the time. It's a good thing to be genki, even though my thought when i hear the word is something more like skinny, awkward and dorky.
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Few Things I Love to Waste My Time With
I have to admit that I, like most other people in this time, have a habit of getting stuck in the internet world quite often. WAY more often that I'd like to admit. HOWEVER useless a lot of it may be, though, there are many things that are incredible, which I am so intrigued and inspired by when I watch them, and I would like to share some of these with you. . .
TED TALKS
These are almost all absolutely inspirational in one way or another. I think anyone could find a topic or speaker that they would love to hear and sit and watch countless hours of TED talks. This is one of my favorites so far. . . My friend, Mia, showed it to me. Both she and this video give me great, positive, and art/ culture-inspiring vibes.
FUTURE SHORTS
I really find that there are so many more talented people in this world than it seems, they just don't know how to get that talent out there. . . This series give them that chance. Again, I really feel that there is a lot of variety and range of talents that anyone could find an interest in. I hope it has made some people really famous,rich, or happy. Here is one of the ones I think deserves a little bit more attention for many reasons. . .
INSPIRING MUSIC
It might sound stupid, but you could go on YouTube, Sad Steve, or Pandora and find some seriously great music that becomes an obsession. You might not have ever even heard of the bands, but there is bound to be something that gels with you. It is rare for me to listen to one song repeatedly (I actually have a pet peeve against people that do this all the time) but this song has become an obsession of mine lately. . . I found it on one of my radio stations on Pandora.
BRAIN GAMES
I am a huge fan of puzzles of all sorts. My favorites include various word games, Sudoku, logic puzzles, and Board Games like Othello. About two years ago, I came across the website lumosity.com and I found a whole world of internet brain games. I am particularly obsessed with "Word Bubbles" where they give you a string of three letters that you have to make into as many words as possible in one minute. GREAT game which sucks time out of this world. It forced me to read a bit of the dictionary, though, which I also enjoyed! (Shh, don't tell anyone!)
CUSTOMIZATION
There are a lot of things online that are there for you to customize a product that already exists. This makes people feel more unique and proud of their creations once they're made. When I was 17, I designed my own Chucks or "Converse". I still have them today, even thought they are falling apart, pretty much. They're purple and black and have a nice skull pattern inside, and are also taller than high tops. I love them. Today, though, the design-your-own thing had gone berserk and there are a lot more options available now.
WEB COMEDY
Who doesn't like to laugh? I find this guy particular funny, of all the comics I've seen online. . . Some things happen to come off as offensive to people, but I really don't think you can take anything this guy makes fun of personally, unless of course he's actually making fun of you (which he does from time to time). Either way, this is one of the funny, non-offensive ones I really enjoy. It was the first "Oatmeal" comic I ever saw, thanks to my friend Naomi.
HAVE FUN!
TED TALKS
These are almost all absolutely inspirational in one way or another. I think anyone could find a topic or speaker that they would love to hear and sit and watch countless hours of TED talks. This is one of my favorites so far. . . My friend, Mia, showed it to me. Both she and this video give me great, positive, and art/ culture-inspiring vibes.
FUTURE SHORTS
I really find that there are so many more talented people in this world than it seems, they just don't know how to get that talent out there. . . This series give them that chance. Again, I really feel that there is a lot of variety and range of talents that anyone could find an interest in. I hope it has made some people really famous,rich, or happy. Here is one of the ones I think deserves a little bit more attention for many reasons. . .
INSPIRING MUSIC
It might sound stupid, but you could go on YouTube, Sad Steve, or Pandora and find some seriously great music that becomes an obsession. You might not have ever even heard of the bands, but there is bound to be something that gels with you. It is rare for me to listen to one song repeatedly (I actually have a pet peeve against people that do this all the time) but this song has become an obsession of mine lately. . . I found it on one of my radio stations on Pandora.
BRAIN GAMES
I am a huge fan of puzzles of all sorts. My favorites include various word games, Sudoku, logic puzzles, and Board Games like Othello. About two years ago, I came across the website lumosity.com and I found a whole world of internet brain games. I am particularly obsessed with "Word Bubbles" where they give you a string of three letters that you have to make into as many words as possible in one minute. GREAT game which sucks time out of this world. It forced me to read a bit of the dictionary, though, which I also enjoyed! (Shh, don't tell anyone!)
CUSTOMIZATION
There are a lot of things online that are there for you to customize a product that already exists. This makes people feel more unique and proud of their creations once they're made. When I was 17, I designed my own Chucks or "Converse". I still have them today, even thought they are falling apart, pretty much. They're purple and black and have a nice skull pattern inside, and are also taller than high tops. I love them. Today, though, the design-your-own thing had gone berserk and there are a lot more options available now.
WEB COMEDY
Who doesn't like to laugh? I find this guy particular funny, of all the comics I've seen online. . . Some things happen to come off as offensive to people, but I really don't think you can take anything this guy makes fun of personally, unless of course he's actually making fun of you (which he does from time to time). Either way, this is one of the funny, non-offensive ones I really enjoy. It was the first "Oatmeal" comic I ever saw, thanks to my friend Naomi.
HAVE FUN!
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