In Touch With My Inner Artist

The camera blurred the lines quite a bit...but I still like it. It is much sharper up close. This is the first drawing I have done in four years!

This is the Kits Beach, which overlooks English Bay and the mountains just outside Vancouver city. Canada is very beautiful.

I sat on the beach and drew this at about 2pm, which apparently is the time when the tide is out. There was a lot of seaweed and some birds were searching around for food. The barges were coming and going, as well as the sailboats. No kayaks at that time. I particularly like looking at the layering color of mountains. I didn't do a great job with that, since I never used watercolors before. The watercolors I used were my grandfather's before he died; I hope to one day say that he has passed his talent on to me. I need much, much more practice.

[And besides my grandfather, Ohno Satoshi is my artistic-inspiration. I want to be half as good of an artist as he is. Yay Riida <3!]

10 minute walk away from me

Settling In

I've slowly been settling into Vancouver.

My new roommate is super nice and her friends have been welcoming, so I am not as worried as I originally thought I would be. I am still super nervous about starting classes, but that's another problem in itself.

I got my student card and student bus pass, which is awesome. All you have to do is show it to the bus driver and you can go almost anywhere in the city. It is $25 (2,500 yen) per month, which isn't cheap, but it isn't so bad either, especially if I use the bus a lot.

I really, really miss my family, and I also really miss Japan. I think I will try my best to live there when I get older and then my family can move there with me when they retire (which mom says will never happen...crazy lady).

Today, Christine's friends are taking us to a Japanese Ramen shop and I am looking forward to it very much! I never had Ramen that wasn't a package from a store, so I am hoping it is delicious.

I also found I love a lot more Arashi songs than I thought! Right now I really like "One Love", "How to Fly", and "Song for Me" (Ohno's solo). I listen to them on repeat for hours at a time!

Okay, I'd better get ready for ramen now! Will post soon!

Shinpai!

I am so nervous! Permanent butterflies!

I didn't think I'd be so nervous moving across countrry, but it's probably the fact that I am moving out of the country that is causing me to freak out.

Now I am just going to listen to happy Arashi music on repeat. Arashi is my anti-drug (^0^)!!!

Kanji Update!

In the past week I have worked my way up to learning to recognize/write first grade-level Japanese kanji (80 characters total). Took me a week!

Total Count: 80/1,006 (essential kanji characters)

So...this is going to take a while ^_^***

And yes, I will start updating this less once classes start...right now I am kind of bored, but in a good way.

Jpop Rec - Arashi

As far as my musical tastes are defined, I am kind of a classic rock/indie rock kind of girl. I used to do that pop music thing back in the 90's with *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys like everyone else (yes, even you did it, so embrace the shame). But most things that sound remotely pop-esque kind of make me feel like I am 12 again and that is never a fun thing (such an awkward age), so I tend to abhor it.

But now comes my new musical interest: Arashi.

Arashi is a Japanese five-member group of the Johnny's Entertainment variety and while there are elements of R&B/Rap (Sho-kun!), it is undeniably, most ostensibly, a pop group.

Some of their music makes me cringe and wonder when a Backstreet Boy is going to suddenly pop in with one of their ugly nylon tracksuits, but there are three Arashi songs that are right up my alley and that I would recommend without shame. There may be more music of theirs that I might like, but I have only listened to songs with music videos. In anycase, I recommend (especially the music videos):

Truth (dark, beautiful color scheme in music video, excellent orchestra)

Happiness (cutest music video ever!!! boys just being happy!)

Sakura Sake (real you-can-do-it song! about college acceptance letters)

Overall, I have enjoyed watching clips of the boys in tv shows and interviews. I especially love when they tease their appointed "leader" (Riida), Ohno Satoshi, who also happens to be my favorite Arashi member. He's got such a pretty singing voice, is a talented actor (he is so scary in Maou), and is such an air-headed momma's boy that you can't help going "awwww, I just want to take him and put him in my pocket!"

I also wish to firmly declare my support of Ohno not only because he has such an awesome name, but for the fact that he is having a hard time with a scandal about something that allegedly happened three years ago. No reason to go into details because I completely believe him when he says he is innocent of the charges, but I do believe he should get as much support as possible because it is still stressful and many fans are acting quite irrational. Each to his or her own I guess, but really, this little air-headed kid is too sweet to just abandon at the first sign of potential human weakness. But enough fangirling from me.

Well, actually I will end this rec post with a picture of Ikuta Toma because Johnny's hasn't debuted him yet (WHENGODWHEN?!) and everyone loves an underdog.

Here's to Ohno and Toma, the underdogs/downtrodden of Japan's (mainly musical) media industry. May they continue to surprise us all with their talent and tenacity in the face of adversity [aka, low ratings for Maou (;_;)].

~Owari!~

Lucky Day

Yesterday was my lucky day (^_^)!

My mom found my ring for me! I lost it at my aunt's house the day we went crabbing. After dinner I fell asleep on the couch and sometimes I fall asleep and take my ring off in my sleep. The circumstances are so mysterious! I am so happy I have the ring now because I feel it is my connection to my grandfather and my grandmother and Japan.

Also I am typing on my new HP laptop! It is a Pavillion dv2000, energy efficient (energy star product), the screen is so crisp, and Window's Alta Vista is not as slow as everyone was freaking out about. It has a really nice interface.

I have also started up my writing again. This time I am doing a fandom piece, but I might start back up with my short story for children again soon.

Mom doesn't like Honey and Clover (Hachimitsu to Clover) very much because Ikuta Toma's character keeps getting beat up and his hair is weird. I don't care, since I support Ikuta Toma in everything he does. Maybe one day I will get a chance to see one of his stage plays!

My parents are getting used to me talking about going to Kyoto next summer for the exchange study program in Japan. And guess what? My parents are going to Japan next spring break (April 10-17) and I get out of university April 8th.....we might end up in Japan at the same time!!! Then we can all help Atan pack and I will get to see my family even though I will be abroad all summer. How fortuitous!

Okay time for walking the dogs. Osampo ni ikimashyo?