Thursday, December 27, 2007

Ski Trip Break

I'm going to the Ski Trip in Nagano today, so I won't be updating this blog for a while. Sorry! and Chiao~

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas,Santa Claus,Jesus Christ

Happy Christmas everyone! Late 1 day coz my friend ask me to 'party' a bit with him last night.. haha.. (こんなに長くなっちゃってごめんよ。頑張って! ^ー^)

Hmm, so we all must have said "Merry Christmas" countless times to our friends and family and people we don't even know.. but what is the real significance of Christmas? Have you actually thought about that before you say "Merry Christmas" to someone? The other day I went to church, the pastor was saying something about "merry" coming from "Mary", the virgin mother of Jesus. Hmm.. don't really understand what significance that has.. hehe.. In English, "Merry" generally means being happy and cheerful. And Christmas could probably mean the birth of Jesus Christ.

So, now, what has all that have to do with Santa Claus? Is Santa Jesus' uncle or something? heh. of course not. The legend of Santa Claus told in modern times is that he lives in the North Pole and is assisted by his green elfs and reindeer to give presents to children during Christmas. However, this legend, which has been told for a long time to children all over the world, Christian or not, is of course only a legend. And the tradition of passing on the story is also slowly becoming irrelevant because kids find out about it easily nowadays and refuse to believe.

And as shocking as it may sound, I think one of the most Santa-believing kids are actually in Japan. When asked by my teacher in class, most of my classmates say they only found out that the presents were not from Santa at around age 8 or 9, and some even believed until they were 11! Do you notice that the way I'm saying this implies that every one of my classmates believed in Santa? ^^ If you were to say that you believed in Santa in Malaysia, you would be laughed at like an idiot by the other kids for sure.

Well, the reason for this might be that we were not lied taught by out parents about Santa that way. In Japan, parents buy presents and put it beside their bed or Christmas tree to make it look as if Santa came and dropped them the present. This is how strong-going the Christmas legend/tradition is in Japan. Many times, when kids find out that Santa do not really exist, they become distrustful for being cheated and some even come to hate Santa and legends they were told when they were young. Well, I believe that every legend told comes from a true story some way or the other. It might have been someone great and admired, so the people write about them, adding a bit "zest" to the stories and making everything ideal.

As for Santa Claus, it was a Christian bishop who lived in the 4th century by the name of Saint Nicholas.
Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus. He was a 4th century Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity.
Source : Wikipedia


Another version of this story is that Saint Nicholas dropped 3 gold coins through the chimney into the house of the daughters mentioned, and coincidentally they were drying up their socks at the fireplace, so the coins fell straight into the socks. This is where the tradition of giving presents in a sock come from. So, you're asking how a Christian saint became our great magical uncle in the North Pole? Well, all I can say is, humans have really great imaginations. ^^

So, what about Jesus Christ? Well, to start with it, in the Bible, Jesus is said to have been born of the Virgin Mary. The night Jesus was born is said to have been a very holy night, bringing joy to the hearts of people. Jesus himself was said to have not cried when born, despite of being born in a stable and laid in a manger. I believe that it is undeniable that Jesus' birth fulfilled the prophecies made by Jewish prophets long before His birth of a Messiah who would be a Saviour. This day is what is now officially called Christmas Day, generally accepted to be on the 25th December.

However, the real date is actually unknown. The date was actually decided by the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine.
There are numerous reasons why Constantine may have chosen the date of December 25th to celebrate Christmas. On that date also was celebrated the birth of Mithras, the Persian god of light.
Source: Wiki
You might ask why Constantine had this wild idea of replacing a pagan holiday with Christ's birthday. However, during that time, it might have been the wisest thing to do, because the nations he ruled all believed in the pagan Gods, and by replacing the pagan holiday, people would thus be celebrating Christ and not pagans. It was also easier for the people to celebrate a holiday on the day they were familiar with.

However, in conclusion, December 25th needs only to be seen as the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and not the birthdate of Jesus Christ. Many churches seem to forget this fact (or uninformed) and proclaim that the birth of Jesus Christ is on this day. You might ask what does that matter? Well, when you think of it in a spiritual way, the day Christ was born is a Holy Day and a day full of joy and power. It is the day that the Son of God was born in flesh and blood to the world. Now you see how significant it is?

During the Reformation, some Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as "trappings of popery" and the "rags of the Beast". The Roman Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in an even more religiously oriented form. Following the Parliamentary victory over King Charles I during the English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas, in 1647.
Source: Wikipedia
To think that the Protestants actually banned Christmas, and are now celebrating it vigorously is kind of weird. Well, either ways, Christmas is a happy day on which we should all celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, Son of God who saved our souls with His own innocent blood. And it is also a day to remind ourselves that He is coming again. We do not know when, but it is imminent that we prepare ourselves for it.


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Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve!


Still quite early, but a very Happy Christmas to everyone! And A Super Merry Birthday to Satomi Ishihara! haha. Yup, Satomi's birthday is on Boxing Day.

Hmm, just now I found out that Satomi has an Internet Log too! Satomi Nikki! However, it's not updated that much. But it's quite nice to be able to see her personal pics. =) Actually, I thought she was absolutely Internet-illiterate before this. Haha. But then again, it's a high probability someone else is helping her to update the Diary. ^^

Okay, I should stop talking about Satomi and putting up more of her pics.. lol.. Anyways, I bought a KFC party bucket kind of thing today and ate it with 2 foreign students from Sri Lanka and Mongolia here. Got about 12 pieces of chicken and salad and a Choco Cake.. Ho ho ho.. A small Christmas party, but quite fun! heh.. Would've been more fun if got more ppl, but.. nvm.. (To tell the truth, I'm a bit disappointed with the thin layer of friendship between us foreign students here..so thin and could break any time.. sighs)

Well, anyways, I was actually planning to send a postcard to the family whose house I went for the homestay in Saitama, but unfortunately the post office was closed.. I think should be open on Boxing Day, but maybe not open because it was the Birthday of the Emperor yesterday(Sunday). sighs.. nvm lar.. a bit late also nvm kua.. heh.

Hmm.. some people must be curious about how Christmas feels and looks like in Japan.. I don't really know coz I'm not going anywhere for countdown tonight.. But this picture up here is a picture of the decorations in Ueno Park which I took 2 weeks ago. Quite pretty..

And these penguins were really cute! heh.. =) Okaylar, that's all tonight..

HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyoneeeee.. and a Merry New Year very soon!

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Saturday, December 22, 2007

お出かけ

I went out to ka-la-o-kay today with my classmates. Yea, the first time I go ka-la-o-kay with my classmates. The first time I went ka-la-o-kay was with Calvin far off in Aomori. Haha.. so out of place, right? ^^
今日クラスメート達とカラオケ行ってきました。そう、初めてのクラスメートとのカラオケの打ち上げ。初めてカラオケに行ったのはかるびちゃんと一緒で、青森にいたときでした。まあ、それは泊まるとこなかったから。。。

Well, to tell the truth, I'm not good at ka-la-o-kay at all, not o-kay at all. Messed up all the keys and lyrics.. lol. Well, that's mainly because most of the English songs are quite old.. no new ones for me to sing.. sighs.. and the Japanese songs that I know are all a tempo too fast or more.. ^^;;
正直言って、僕カラオケむいてないっすね。。歌詞も音声も全部間違えまくりだった。(笑) まあ、注文できる英語の歌あんまり新しいのなかったのもあるけど。で、僕が知ってる日本語のうたはほとんどテンポがはやいアニソンだから。。一番よく歌えるの「太陽の歌」かな。。^^

Hmm, but it was quite fun, and cheap.. Sang 7 hours for 810 yen. and it's usually 1000 yen per hour in Tokyo. well, just to be prepared for the next time, I'll try to listen to more Japanese songs and practice a bit.. haha..
でも、結構楽しくて、なによりも安かった。7時間で810円。本当はフリータイムで9時間だけど、途中帰った。東京だったら、一時間でも1000円ぐらい。。フリータイムもそんなに長くないと思う。うん、今度のカラオケに備えて、もうちょっと日本語の歌聴いて練習しようかな。(勉強の方もしっかりしてないくせに。。笑)

I left early coz the free time course is actually for 9 hours, and I couldn't possible sing that long. I was looking for somewhere to eat nearby the Karaoke when I saw a book/dvd shop.
僕には9時間はさすがに無理だったんで、先に帰った。その前に、近くに食いもん探して夕飯済まそうと思って。。そして、このつたやのような店を見た。

From the outside, it looked like every other book/dvd shop, something like tsutaya.. So, thinking of burning some time, I went in to see.. And what did I get? A whole archive of... those things that I would rather not announce publicly. ^^; So, those guys who are prepared to make reservations, you're in luck. haha.. kidding.
外からは普通の本屋さん・DVD屋さんみたい(見分けとかあるかもしれないが、僕なんか分からないから)。。時間の余裕もたっぷりあるからと思って、入ったんだけれども、なんとなかにはアレばっかりだった。アレの大きなアーカイブらしく、本当にびっくりした。日本の本屋さんって、ちょっと危険だね。。気をつけないと。。(笑)

Well, after making a round in the shop and getting sick of the air inside, I went back to finding my dinner.. I found a TonKatsu(fried pork) shop nearby and decided to try one of the popular food here. Yes, TonKatsu is Maebashi's specialty.
まあ、そのまま出ちゃうのも変だから、店内一週して、中の空気に苦しまれて(8歳とか9歳のに何する気?こんなのだけは勘弁してくれ)、出ていってまた食いもんを探し改めた。そして、とんかつ屋さんを見かけた。一応前橋の名物で、食べてみようかなって思った。そう、不思議に思う方もいると思うけど、本当です、前橋はとんかつ!(間違いでしたら、せめてくるといい)

It might sound very common, but it's true.. It's the specialty here. Anyways, this was my dinner today, which cost me 990 yen (around RM30) >.< The fried pork was succulent, juicy and sweet. And I'm always amazed how Japanese can fry their food and yet it's unoily. Quite worth it lar.. ^^
とんかつって、一般過ぎると思われるくらいだな。。さすがに名物とは思われないイメージだね。ちなみにこれが僕の夕飯セットだった。990円で日本ではこんな感じかな。まあ、マレーシアのスタンダードと著しい段差があるけど。>。< このとんかつは食感がとってもやわらかく、ジュウシーで、ちょっと甘いかんじ。とにかくうまいっす!それと、日本人がどうやってものを揚げながらも、絶対油濃くならないのが不思議なんだ。

That was all for today.. and this last picture is a picture of the sky which I took yesterday.. notice the cloud which looks like a bird in the blue sky? I love the winter sky in Japan.. heh
今日はこれで終わり。そして、この最後の写真は昨日撮った日本の冬の夕暮れの写真。鳥みたいな雲おっきいの一匹ちっちゃいの一匹見える?日本の冬空って、本当最高!大好き!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Bowling

Today after school, I went bowling with 4 of my classmates. It must have been 5 years since the last time I played bowl. That was the time we went to war with our solar pasturizer in KL(err.. I only went to receive the cert tho, i think..) lol.. and had some fun at Sunway Pyramid. heh.. the good old times, eh..

Well, anyways, my first time playing ball in five years, everyone were just beginners, so it was a bit silly and funny, but still quite fun. heh. I had two strikes(I think I had more at Sunway.. heh) today. After that, we went to eat ramen.. All in all, it was kind of fun. Just that they have been classmates for 3 years, so there are memories and stories that I don't know about.

Tomorrow is Karaoke. Err, I have no confidence at all in singing, but I guess it should be okay, coz there will be so many people there too.. heh. Just sing a few off-tunes and laugh it off. ^^

今日放課後クラスメート4人とボーリング行ってきました。僕ボーリングやったのは5年ぶりだろう。皆初心者みたいで、ちょっとばかばかしところもあったが、楽しかった。僕はストライクが二つ。ほかの3人は五つくらいだったかな。。その後はらめん食べに行った。みんなもう3年間クラスメートだから、当然僕には知らない思い出や話があるが、今日いっぱい話し聴けて皆のこと少し分かってきて良かったと思う。

明日はカラオケか。。うん、僕は歌うのに自身ないけど、人数も多いから、なんとかなるかな。

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Merry Christmas


It's still early, but I've received my first Christmas greeting card. ^.^ It's from the homestay's host family. I actually wanted to surprise them with a Christmas card first, but now they surprised me by sending an early card. >.< Well, either way, it's still nice to receive greeting cards. heh

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Itadakimasu!


今日某氏からケーキをいただきました!前に約束されたものですが、忘れたかとおもったら、本当に作ってくれて、ちょっと驚きました。ごちそうさまでした!おいしかったです。僕手作りのケーキもらうの初めてです。本当にありがとう。

I received a cake from someone today. ^^ Hmm, how to explain ler? Err, basically, she said she'll make some cakes during december after the exam, and asked if anyone wanted to try.. But I thought she already forgot, so when I received it today, I was a bit surprised. heh. It was a chocolate cake and it tasted great! =) This is the first time I received a handmade cake. ^^ Thank you so much!


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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Mega Egg!!


The Japanese McDonald has introduced two more new products! This is one of it, the Mega Egg! Before this, I tried the Mega Mac which is a two-pounder version of the Big Mac. And now, they've changed it to an egg and a piece of bacon on top! Tasted great! The McWraps are also quite nice.. Soft succulent flour baked to perfection and the sweet aroma of chicken/shrimp.. Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!! lol.. Oh yea, the Mega Mac is 380 yen, and is guaranteed to fill your stomach up and turn you into Santa Claus by Christmas next year. haha..
これはマックの新品メガたまごです!写真では一口噛まれたってわかる?なんちゅうことだ。。食べる前に写真撮れっつの。。まあ、おいしそうでたまらなかったってわけだ。(笑)これはまさにメガマックをはるかに越えてますね。肉の代わりにたまごとベーコンとはすばらしい発想だな!しかも、単品で380円だぞ。こんな低価格でおいしくて「栄養満々」の食事ができて幸せだな。。^^


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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Your Life Tag

Rules: Do this tag and answer all the questions into your own blog. Delete one question from all the questions and add one of your own questions, make sure it is 20 question. Tag 8 persons.

Questions:
1. What was your dream when you were a small kid?
.: To be a lawyer? lol

2. What is the happiest thing in your whole life?
.: Hmm.. May I say that I forgot? lol.. Well, don't have a thing that I can say is happiEST, but God and friends and family and Scholarship is very happy indeed. ^^

3. What do you wish to have now?
.: A video cam and a super shinkansen ticket to travel the whole Japan. ho ho..

4. How should the world be seen?
.: It's actually Hell on Earth if you really look at it. =P But other than that, it's just a physical world you need to get over with until you meet God.

5. What have you realized recently?
.: I didn't realize but some people are saying I've slimmed down. haha..And also that I'm really crazy.. >.<

6. Do you think a day which consist of 24 hours is enough for you?
.: Oh, you'd rather live on Mars? right.. I waste too much time so 24 hours might be too much for me.. lol

7. When you have something which you are unhappy about, what will you do?
.: I might kill someone
.: Can I cry? lol
.: Just walk past it as if nothing happened? That's usually what I do.

8. Are you afraid of losing?
.: Not really.. But nobody likes losing, right?

9. Do you think that you feel helpless, or useless sometimes?
.: Err.. most of the time.. haha..

10. When you meet someone that you like, will you profess or hide your feeling?
.: Err, usually I tell when I feel the time is right. But most of the 'feelings' are just feelings, not love, so who cares? heh

11. List out 3 kind of people you hate the most.
.: backstabbers
.: liars & playboys & playgals
.: people with strong prejudice

12. What is loneliness?
.: When you forget that there are still people who actually know your name.

13. Are you satisfied with your life now?
.: I waste too much time.. >.<

14. When was the most recent time you felt touched?
.: At church?

15. Where is the place that you visited and you felt the most beautiful?
.: Errr.. Lavender farm.. beautiful and smells good too.. heh.. and Oonuma in Hokkaido.. nice place..Well, actually Oonuma is one of the Japan New Top 3 Scenery, so yea.. ^^

16. Use 5 words to describe who you are.
.: Mata Juling? haha
.: Kid?
.: Son, Brother, and stuff..
.: Dull? er.. heh
.: Student.. very bad student.. >.<

17. If you have one wish that’ll come true, what is it?
.: err.. I would love to die and meet in Heaven now.. heh

18. Do you have anything to worry or to be scared about recently?
.: Future.. right.. well, more like if my name's on the Book of Life or not.. lol

19. If the World is going to end, what will you do?
Oh, I would most probably not be taken up during the Rapture, so I'd be running for my life from the anti-Christ.. hahaha..

20. Your biggest fear now?
.: My presence in the Book of Life.. (hmm, since there are so many people with the same name in the world, how does God keep record? I could be Jonathan Number 2,352,972. lolz..)

8 Persons that i’ll tag..
If you've already done it, it's fine
- Fabian Moa
- Keith Kueh
- Calvin Ong
- Cedric Chin
- Ming Rong
- Kelly
- Chern Lyan
- May I tag a Japanese? OBATA lol..

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本当に頭に来た!

Damn i'm really angry and disappointed now.with someone of course.i don't know if it's because of stress but always having that type of attitude towards me.i know i'm not good at talking,but at least i try.now i don't even know if that person really treats me as a friend.that person most probably would not read my blog but i just can't stand it la.just have to write..sighs.

本当に頭に来た!マジないわあいつ!いつも僕に対してそんな冷たい態度取ってさ。。自分は話すの下手なの分かってる。でもそれでも頑張ったんだから。。なにもそんなに冷たくなくてもいいんじゃないか?あいつ,本当にそれでも友達か?某氏はこのブログ読まないと思うけど書かないと心が癒されないから。

もう本当に嫌になっちゃった。。

Friday, December 14, 2007

Of a poem

君は誰?
俺は君の事を知りたい
知りたくてたまらない
そして、いつの間にか
君の瞳が恋しかった
でも愛じゃない
俺はそれを知ってる
なのに止められない
放したいの
でもずっと
見つめていたい
その瞳を
ずっと

Hmm, haven't written poems in ages.... This is just a random thought, so don't take it too seriously.. heh
詩書くの久しぶりだ。。まあ、ただ漠然的な発想だから、あんま気にしないでくれ。

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A Japanese Weekend


You must be confused by the title.. I'm in Japan, so everyday is Japanese right? Well, not really.. Since I stay in a single room, I can shut out the whole of Japan if I wanted to. But when you stay at a Japanese house, what can you do but spend a VERY Japanese time?

Well, actually, I went for a Homestay to a Japanese house last weekend in Saitama. The home I went to was the house of one of the students in my college, in a city in Saitama called Hiki(比企郡).Actually, I've never even met the guy before.. haha.. Thanks to the college's Homestay Program, I was able to go.

So, what type of house was it? well, obviously a Japanese house.. No, I'm not going to post a photo of it.. I don't even have a photo of it. Well, generally, Japanese houses are small and cute.. and the first time I went into the house and looked around, my first impression was that they are very good at using 'space'. For those who have played the sims, you would understand this basic in house building. A Japanese house may be small, but the way they use 'space' makes all the difference. Actually, the house felt quite wide to me.

Okay, so what about the family? Well, obviously a Japanese family, but mixed with Taiwanese blood. The father is from Taiwan, probably migrated to Japan with his own family. On the other hand, the mother is Japanese, which makes the family a Taiwan-Japanese mix. Ho hO Ho. They are a family of 6. The one studying in my college is the eldest son. And 3 younger sisters at home. Err, right, I know what you guys are going to think after reading that short sentence. Please do not draw to your own conclusions. ^-^

Well, honestly, it was kinda fun, suddenly having 3 little sisters for a weekend.. hehe.. Watching Kitarou, playing weird Japanese card games, making an incomplete origami, and "Ka!" and "Hei!" and "Yahhoo" and all that.. Heh.. I don`t expect you to understand that, but anyways, it was not too bad at all.. Just that I`m not really good at talking to girls and don`t really know what to say, especially in Japanese.

And about the place I went to, Hiki, it is called the town of Washi(Japanese paper) 「和紙の里」 hmm.. so, what did I do in the town of pulp? I made postcards with the Washi.. will upload later when I get back to my own computer.. Other than that, I also bought a sake to bring back to Malaysia. And I also went free-sliding down a slide.. My first free-sliding! I`ll explain later after I upload the picture.

And I also ate lots of nice food made by the girls and their mother.. Shiawase... Heh.. Well, in a nuts shell, a normal Japanese meal consists of miso soup, Rice, and any style of cooking you can think of.. Italian, Chinese, anything! well, except Malaysian, of course.. heh..

Well, all in all, it was a nice trip.. the line`s going to be cut in a few minutes so until next time.......


This are the postcards I made at the paper factory. A bit hard to see, but there are flowers embedded into the postcards..


This is the free-slide.. Why do I call it a free-slide? Well, I think by the picture you would expect something like a roller-coaster, right? But notice that the poles are very thin, which are only built to support the riders. Yes, it's a super tall slide on top of a hill. You slide down with a box cutting as a sled.. Well, actually just so that you don't burn your pants. It gets hot when you slide down because of the friction.

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Monday, December 10, 2007

Earth-Set and Earth-Rise

Have you seen the photograph of Earth taken from space? If you have, you would know how beautiful it is.. but nothing until now could beat the photos taken by Japanese lunar satelite Kaguya (SELENE, Selonogical and Engineering Explorer).

Picture Source: JAXA

This picture was captured by the satellite from the moon. The earth here is seen setting into the horizon of the moon's surface.The sky-blue colour of the sea and white of the clouds and green earth are such a good contrast against the horizon. What a beautiful planet we live on.. なんと美しい星ですね、我等の地球よ。

The full video of both the earth-set and earth-rise can be watched on Youtube. Please do watch it if you have the time. Afterall, it is our beautiful planet.


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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Just Great.....

Sorry for the long drought of posts on my page.. I'm not really that busy(although I'm busier than usual), just don't feel like blogging much, and waste too much time on other things.. heh..

Well, anyways, this morning, I had a very weird dream(which is very rare) which caused me to skip the morning call at the grounds..

Usually, everytime I have a dream, I immediately forget what it was about when I wake up.. But this morning's dream felt so real and yet so weird and irritating that I couldn't get it off my mind..

So what was that weird dream? Like I said, it felt so real.. I really felt myself walking out of my room, heading to the ground after hearing the announcement of the morning call.. And along with the morning exercise music, everyone danced moved their body vigorously..

And remember I said it was weird?? Oh, yes... suddenly, there was a scene of us practicing the "Rasengan"*.. It was like, everyone had a blue wave of energy in the palms of their hands.. That was kinda cool.. like Wushu or something like that.. ^^;;

But when the music ended, I woke up to find myself in my room, still under my futon(blanket).. I was like.. "What the heck?? I'm supposed to be at the morning call?!?!" By that time, I knew it was too late to head to the grounds already....

Must be some dream demon's fault.. >.<"

Rasengan- a ball of energy produced from chakra which appears in the "Naruto" anime..

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Friday, November 30, 2007

Who am I? I am Me. Who is me?

「私はだれ?あなたはだれ?」「私は私。私はあなたの心の中にいる私。」「あなたはあなた。あなたは私の心の中にいるあなた。」"Who am I? Who are you?" "I am I.I am the I who is inside your heart." "You are you.You are the you who is inside my heart."

「ここはどこ?ここは私の心の中にいるあなたの心。そして、あなたの心の中にいる私の心。」"Where is this?This is my heart which is inside your heart. And your heart which is inside my heart."

「あなたは何が怖い?」「自分が嫌われること?そうだ、捨てられたんだ。嫌われたんだ。嫌われたらどうしよう。どうしたらいいんだろう。」"What are you scared of?" "Of myself being hated? Yes, I was thrown away. I was hated. What should I do if I'm hated? What do I have to do??"

「なぜそんなことをやるの?」「みんながやれっていうんだから。みんなのためだ。みんなのためだからいいんじゃないか?そうすればみんなにほめてくれる。大事にしてくれるんだ。」「それは結局自分のためじゃないか?みんなに認められるためにやってるんじゃないの?幸せになるために、偽りの幸せを得るためじゃないの?」  「あなたも同じでしょう?」"Why do you do these things?" "Because everyone asks me to do them. It's for them. It's okay because it's for them right? If I do them, everyone would praise me. Everyone would be good to me." "In the end, isn't that for your own sake? Just to be recognized by everyone? To be happy, to gain a false happiness?" "Aren't you the same?"

「他人の中に自分を求めているのね?一人になるのはこわいんでしょう?他人と一緒に自分もいなくなるから、怖いんでしょう?」"So you're trying to find yourself in other people? Because you're afraid of being alone? Because you are afraid that when they disappear, you would disappear too?"

「私はだれ?私は私。私は今までの時間とほかの人たちの繋がりによって今の私になったの。人とのふれあいと時間の流れが私を変えていく。」「いいえ、それは本当のあなたじゃない。あなたはほかにもいるの。ただ見たくないだけ。いなくなるかもしれないから。ほかの人の心から消えてしまうかもしれないから。消えてしまうのが怖いんだろう?」"Who am I? I am me. I have become me through the time spent and the relationship I have build up with other people. I am changed by the flow of time and the communication I have with other people." "No, that is not the real you. There is more than one you. You just don't want to see it. Because they might disappear. Because you might disappear from the hearts of other people. You are afraid of disappearing, right?"

「そう、私が必要だからここにいる。ほかの人が望んでいるからここにいる。でも、私は死にたい。欲しいものは絶望。無へと帰りたい。でも、みんな返してくれない。みんなは必要だから返してくれない。私、みんなに捨てられるの?いなくなるの?今は怖い。」"Yes, I am here because I am needed. I am here because people want me to be here. But, I want to die. I wish for despair. I want to go back to nothingness. But, they don't let me. They don't let me because they need me. Would I be thrown away? Would I disappear? I am afraid now."

「認められようと演じている自分は本当の自分ではないのよ。私はこうして幸せなの?幸せなの。幸せなの?いや、幸せなんかじゃない。本当の自分じゃない。そう思い込んでるだけなの。」「そうしなきゃ、私たちは生きていけないのか?一緒にいないと怖いんだ。不安なの。」"The me that is always acting to earn recognition is not the real me. Am I happy like this? I am happy. Am I happy? No, this is no happiness. It is not the real me. I'm just under the impression that I'm happy." "We can't live on if we don't do that? We are afraid when we are not together with someone else. We become uneasy."

「現実って何だ?」「あなたの世界よ。時間と空間と他人とともにある君自身の世界のことだ。」「君がどう受け止め、どう認めるかは君自身が決める世界だ。」「今ただ与えられるあなたの世界よ。」「どうしようもないあなたの世界。」「いや、もう全て決まりきっている世界だろう?」「違うわ、あなたが決めた世界なのよ。君の心がそうと決めている世界なのだ。」"What is reality?" "It is your world. It is your own world where time and space and other people exist mutually." "It is a world in which the way you accept and respond to things decide the way things are." "It is your world which is simply given now" "It is your world that no one can do anything about." "No, it's a world where everything is already decided, isn't it?" "No, it's not. It is a world that you have decided. It is a world that your heart decides."

「生きることも、死ぬこともあなた自身が決めることなのよ。自分の弱い心を守るために。自分の快楽を守るために。閉塞された空間では、あなた一人の世界では他の人は生きていけないもの。でも、あなたは世界の、自分を取り巻く世界の閉塞を願った。嫌いなものは排除し、より孤独な世界を願った、あなた自身の心。それが導き出された小さな心の安らぎの世界。」"Living and dying is your own decision. To protect your weak heart. To protect your own pleasure. In a closed space, your own world, other people can't live. But you wished for the closure of the world surrounding you. You remove the things that you don't like, and wished for a more lonely world, which is your own heart. That is the peaceful world of a small heart that has been guided by yourself."

This is some of the "interviews" in the 2nd last episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion which makes you think a lot about yourself. I'm sure everyone can find themselves in one of these passages. If you can't, that means you are free of the chains of modern civilization. If you don't understand it, you should watch the anime for yourself. But I don't really recommend it lar.. not that nice an anime.. Overall, I give Eva a 7/10. The best part is only the part where it makes you think a lot about yourself at the end. Well, I haven't watched the movie, End of Evangelion though. There should be more answers in that movie..
これらはエヴァンゲリオンのアニメの25話にあった「面談会」の一部。自分によく考えさせた、自分のことをね。皆は必ずこれらの言葉の中で自分が見つけられるはず。見つけられなかったら、それはあなたが近代文明の考え方から抜かれているということを意味するだろう。分からなかったら、自分でこのアニメを見るべきだと思う。でも、お勧めというほどではない。そんなによいアニメではないと思う。全般的には、エヴァには7/10しか点をあげられないね。まあ、自分に考えさせたことはとてもよかったと思いますが。でも、映画の End of Evangelion はまだ見てない。多分それには答えがもっとある。

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

アイドルマスター無敵


アイドルマスター超はまりました。どうしよう。。うん、機会があったら、是非アイドルマスターのアニメ見てください。超お勧めですよ。僕なんかもう何回も何回も再生しちゃった。好きなシーンを見るたびに元気になっちゃう。僕、もうだめです。。だれか助けて!天海春香から助けてください!

うん、また日本語でアイドルマスターのレビュー書こうか。まずは、アイドルマスターってなんだろう?ふん、XBoxでは確かにアイドル育てのようなゲームですよね。グラビアとかデビューとかやって。。でも、僕が話してるのはそのアニメ、アイドルマスターゼノグロシアのことだよ。このアニメではアイドルという重力を操れるロボットが登場する。そして、これに乗ってるパイロットというのがアイドルマスター。ただ、アイドルは女性だけを乗らせる、それにきちょうめん。。

ここで、ちょっとアイドルという外来語の使い方を話させてもらう。元々アイドルという言葉は崇拝された神以外のものをいうのですが、最近、芸能人のことを示すようになった。まあ、人気の芸能人は崇拝されるとも言えるか。。でも、とにかく意味が外れてます。別にそんなに気にしなくてもいいけど、本当の意味を知っておくべきだと思うね。

はい、アイドルマスターの話に戻る。アイドルマスターが好きだと言ったら、多分なぜと聞かれるだろう。インターネットでもあまり画像ないし、プラモデルなんかも売ってない。全然人気アニメじゃない。。まあ、僕なりには一番好きなところはゼノグロシアの歌。始めの歌とAMVを見るともうわくわくする。そして、最後の歌もぴったりのタイミングに入って、緊張感が上がる。

二つ目はゼノグロシアの全人物のそれぞれの成長と暖かい関係。主人公のセリフ「必要なの
はほんのちょっとの勇気と強い気持ち」はもう僕の心に刻まれてる。他にセリフはいくらでもある。。まあ、春香ちゃんはともかく、他の人物も面白くて、性格が強い。それに、アイドルもそれぞれの性格と心を持ってる。ポイ捨てのガンダムよりは何倍も強い印象をもたらす。

感動的なところもギャグのところもすごく自然で、心に直接伝わる。前にも言ったように、日曜日にアイドルマスターの最終回を見た。エンディングはとても満足だった。そして、この26話を2回も見終わって、いまだに文句なし。確かに戦闘シーンとかはあまり激しくないが、ゼノグロシアはそれを面白くて、思いがけないプロットで補う。空から始まったわりにはこんな豊かなプロットってちょっとがっかりだった。サブの供給者もこのことに驚嘆した。

今まで見てきたアニメは15個ほどありますが、このアニメが僕に一番強い印象を残した。単な
る言葉ではとても伝えられない。多分他の人にはあまり面白くないかもしれない。でも、僕にとってはとてもよいアニメだと思う。

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Monday, November 26, 2007

Idolm@ster Xenoglossia

Idolm@ster Xenoglossia.. This anime has officially entered my best animes list(Eh, I had a list?)! It's not a very popular anime actually. It's more popular as an Xbox game, in which you guide the girls to become top idols.. Right.. But in the anime, it is a whole different story. It's about girls piloting robots! What's so special about that, you ask? Well, first of all, the name of the robot is Idol(shows how ignorant Japanese are of native usage of English words), an armored mecha which is built around a Core capable of controlling gravity. Ah, I revealed too much..heh..Secondly, the robots only let girls pilot them(eh, cheeky robots? lol). But not just any girl, too.(Picky robots) The pilots are called Idolmasters(as the title suggests) So yeah, girl power! ^^;
Well, to be truly honest, the main attraction is of course the girls.. The girls are fun and cute, and their pure friendship is just plain beautiful. However, somehow I feel that in this anime, this very special anime, the robots are not left out(unlike in Gundam Series). You feel like you know them very well and understand them. In Gundam, I feel like they're scrap metal.. once defeated, they're just thrown away and replaced.
My personal favourite (Idol) robot, Prometheus 4, codename Tempestas, who only managed to show off his mecha body in 1 episode and got his whole armor fried trying to protect two girls. It is true that the battle scenes are not as cool as in Gundam and other mecha animes. The best battle scenes I have seen yet is in Eureka Seven. However, Idolm@ster covers it well with many unexpected twists and makes you want to see more. Everytime I watch the next episode, just the opening prologue and Opening Song(which is the first one on the player on the right) is enough to get you high with tension and ecstasy.I personally like the Ending Song and First Opening Song, but overall, all 3 songs are very nice and encouraging.
And the main Idol and Idolmaster, Prometheus 1(first Idol found), Imber, and Haruka Amami(the one on the right). Haruka's character is interesting and delightful. A very true and honest role model of an imperfect person who strives to do her best. The other girls are also very fun and cute too.. and the very few guys also do very good jobs supporting the anime. The anime also features lots of laughs and some tears, which is very good for mental health. heh

The last episode was just released on Anime-Eden yesterday. I was sooooooo happy when I saw it.. and after watching it, I have so far no complaints for this anime whatsoever.

The fansub community left this message at the end of the anime, "And life goes on in the most unique game spin-off for the past years. We were all amazed at this wonderful series that created a strong story out of nothing."-Serin Staff(subtitle providers)
You might not understand the last sentence.. Usually, anime series are made according to a manga series, which means it follows the storyline and drawings in the manga. But in this series, there is no manga, no storyline, no art. And yet it was an excellent production nevertheless. I have seen a lot of animes which are based on mangas and yet fail to impress me. But Idolm@ster receives a full, honest 10/10 from me.

Note : I am now watching Evangelion in the Japanese version. It's worst than I expected. The opening song just doesn't get you expecting anything, and the main character is just dull..The only saviour might be Misato.. Well, we'll see how it turns out..
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Sunday, November 25, 2007

あぁあぁ

木曜に聞いた友の言葉を思い出す。「これでもうテスト終わったんじゃないか」って。あぁあぁ。ぜんぜんそんなどころじゃないぞ。むしろ、今週からが本番じゃないか?しかも、レポート二つ完成しなきゃだ。それに、日曜に一級の日本語能力試験の決戦が。。マジ困った。。金曜と土曜に遊びばっかしてた俺はまさに馬鹿だな。。

っていうか、日本語で悩み事?「まあ、いいっか。。」このセリフなんか魅力的。。アイドルマスターの天美春香と弥生ちゃんのセリフですが。。今日アイドルマスターの英語サブ付の最終回ついに公開されました!もちろんインターネットよりダウンロードしてます。そうですね、海賊版かな?でも、そのウェブサイトは合法だと思うね。。まあ、せめてアメリカではね。。サブされたアニメはほとんどサブ供給が許可もらっているし。大丈夫じゃないかな?

「ジョも日本人の彼女作ろうよ」また某氏の言葉の思い出。ふん。。クラスの九人、どうかな?。。なんて。冗談は止そう。確かに日本語を勉強し始めたころには作文で日本で何をしたいかって問題に彼女作りたいって書いた覚えがある。。でもそれはあくまでも他の事が思いつかないからそう書いたんだろうな。

あぁあぁ。。こんな雑談になっちゃてごめんね。。最後にアイドルマスター最終回を見る前に。。「好きな人と一緒になるってそういうことじゃないよ。好きな人と一緒になるって、その人と同じになるんじゃない。。きっとちがうところをお互い見つけていくことなんだよ。だから、わかんないことも、嫌いと思うこともいっぱいあるかもしれない。だけど、きっとそれでいい。」そう、それでいいんだ。


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Thursday, November 15, 2007

日本語お上手ですね!(Wow, you speak very good Japanese!)

初めてこういう表現を聞いたのはおそらくクラスメートの一人か先生(アベちゃんかMr.やまもと)からだろう。それは4月の初めて群馬高専に踏み始めたころだった。それから、デパートで服を見たりしようとしたら、店員が声をかけてきて、ちょっと返事しただけで、「日本語お上手ですね」とほめてきた。「僕の日本語からすぐ外国人だとわかったのに、日本語が上手って本当?」。僕はまだまだ日本語に自信がなかった。だから、それを日本人の建前ということにしておいた。それで、「いいえ、そんなことないですよ。」といったら、「いや、むしろ日本人より上手だと思いますよ」と。。

それだけではない。夏休みのあいだ、北海道へ行ってきた。いく手はたぶん馬鹿に思われるかもしれないが、青森まで電車でいって、青森からフェリーで函館まで。。本当は新潟から函館までいった方が安くて、ましだったんだけど、新潟がどこか実は知らなかった。でも、そのおかげ、普通電車の乗り換えの長い時間を東北でちょっと散歩ですごせて、よかった。そんな旅で、青森でりんごを買ったんですが、八百屋のばあちゃんと話し合って、友達も自分も「日本語上手だね」ってまたほめられた。でも、それは青森の方言にも関係するのだろう。関東の日本人の日本語たぶんわからないから。。北海道に行っても何回かほめられた。全部建前としてしておいたんですが。。

今はまたるうさんにほめられて、考え改めた。1回目は建前だと思ってたんだ。。本当ごめん。でも今回はうれしかった。この7ヶ月間で確かに日本語が成長してきたと初めて思った。うん、日本語の勉強を始めたころからずっとアニメを見て日本語を覚えたと思っていた。しかし、実際に人と話して、一人一人の話し方に慣れなきゃ、日本語を覚えたとしても意味はない。だから、クラスメート達や、先生方のおかげさまで、日本語がだんだんよくなってきたと思う。

ところが、ときどきクラスのみなと話しているとき、とまどうことがある。それはちょっと悔しい。でも、自分はもともと話すことが苦手な方だから、自分の母語でも。。だから、これからもがんばる。みなさんとよく話せるように。。最後に、るうにちゃんと礼を言いたい。ありがとう!これからもよろしくね!


るうへ。。そうですね。。日本のブログはだいたい次の公開であいとうするよね。。るうの英語上手って言いたいものの、言えなくてごめんね。でも、実は他の高専の学生よりは上手だと思うよ。他の高専の英語の授業の話聞いたら、びっくりするよ!まるで幼稚園みたい!飯野先生の授業まだましだ。マレーシアでは女は英語が直されたら、嫌がるらしいんですけど、るうはどうだろう? "I am glad that I heard your opinion" か "I am glad that I could hear your opinion"が正しいと思うね。。でも頑張ったからとりあえずほめます。 ^。^ 宗教は難しいよね。。今は正直宗教に自信がなくなってきたの。宗教はいつも戦争とか争いのため利用されて、とても悲しいものだ。結婚はずっと先だから、いいっか。はい、あいとう終わり。。

Okay, so I won't be translating the whole thing.. I'll just rewrite the post in English..
The first time I heard a Japanese tell me "Wow, you speak very good Japanese!" was probably from one of my classmates, or one of my teachers.. Other than that, there was once when I went to a departmental store and was window-shopping when the shopkeeper came and talked to me. I answered with a few words of Japanese, and then came the words..*rolls eyes* Although he knew that I'm a foreigner just from the way I speak Japanese, he still spilled those words.. I mean, if my Japanese were that good, he wouldn't notice that I'm a foreigner, right? That's why I remembered my teacher's saying that Japanese like to put on a show and praise people even though they don't really mean it.Everytime I try to humble myself, they say "Nah, I think your Japanese is better than most Japanese". What kind of irony is that?

That's not all.. During the summer holiday, I went to Hokkaido, and it was the same..We took the long route, and when we stopped at Aomori to buy apples, the auntie selling the apples praised our Japanese too..Well, they do have dialects up there, so maybe she just didn't know the way the Japanese near Tokyo speak.. When we were travelling in Hokkaido, it was the same.. A lot of Japanese praised our Japanese.. The irony..

And now, again, my Japanese friend praised my Japanese. The first time, I put it off as their habit of praising again.. I'm sorry about that.. But this time, I felt happy to be praised..For the first time, I thought, my Japanese has indeed improved ever since I came in April. Since I started studying Japanese, I have thought that watching animes has been the one thing that made my Japanese better. But then again, I realized, if you don't speak to anyone and get used to their way of speech, in the end, it doesn't mean a thing.. So, thank God that I have my classmates and teachers who always patiently listen and talk to me..

But still, sometimes when I talk to them, I become lost and can't find the words.. That hurts me a bit.. Well, actually, I'm not really good at talking anyways, even in my own language.. That is why, I will continue to fight on to improve my Japanese and speaking skills to be able to talk to them smoothly. Finally, I would like to thank little Miss Ruu who kindly praised my Japanese.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

恋って?愛って?

友達のブログでコメントを書こうとしたら、こんな長い文章になっちゃった。恋って話ですが、やっぱり僕は理想の恋なんてちょっと無理だと思う。一生ずっと一人をすきでいるというのは難しい。

それから、恋ってなんなんだろうってこともある。僕はそれについて考えて、キリスト教の中で探って見た。恋は三種類に分けられているそうです。一つ目は両親や家族への愛、2つ目は恋人同士や夫婦の愛、3つ目は一番純粋で、永遠の神の愛(英語では agape という)。この中では永遠に続く愛は一つしかない、いわゆる神の愛。そして、変なキリスト教らしい本を読んで、その神の愛を得たという人たちがいるそうだ。それに、その愛が世の中全てを見通す力を持ってるそうだ。しかしこの愛を得るため、自分を見捨ててただ全世界を愛するようにならなきゃならない。これが理想の恋かしら。でも、その本にはちょっと違和感を感じた。キリスト教と全く違うものを教えている。でも仏教か道教の瞑想にも似てるかな。全は個、個は全、という。ごめんね、わけのわかんない話しちゃって。。

まあ、そういうわけで、僕はもう愛か恋が何なんだろうということもよくわからないの。でも、僕はこう考える。好きというのは自分が決めること。心も体も自分のものだから。恋もそうだ。気持ちだけで何もうまない。行動して、ちゃんと「好きだ」って気持ちが伝わらなきゃ意味はない。でも、気持ちももちろん重要。難しいですね。。

結婚するんだったら、条件は自分がずっと彼女のそばにいられることに自信があるのが前提。結婚後はどきどきとかラブラブの気持ちが衰えるのは当然。だから、好きでなくても一緒に死まで歩いていける、ラブラブでなくても互いのぬくもりで心が安心できる、そういう関係が欲しい。

僕には永遠の愛とか理想の恋なんて要らない。僕の手には届けそうもないのだから。ただ、一人ぼっちで寂しいのは嫌。だから、いつか、そんな僕がずっとそばにいてあげられる相手を探したい。


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Sunday, November 11, 2007

秋ですか?Is it autumn?


Yes, it's autumn..The temperature is around 12 to 15 degrees celsius and the maple leaves and watever leaves are all turning red and yellow and orange and falling down like crazy..
Unlike Calvin who had to steal a picture from Ming Rong, I post my own picture.. This is a picture of the small road beside my hostel.. Like the red? heh..

Like I said, I would be updating.. this is a picture of the road going out of my school through the main gate.. I think you notice the yellow-leaved trees.. I think those are 唐松, larch trees. My senior said the yellow leaves are Gunma's specialty.. not that sure about that, but usually ppl see red leaves nia.. heh.. yellow is nice too.. =)

Oh, and because it rained a bit yesterday, the sky is sooooo blue today.. heh.. Never saw such a blue sky in Malaysia, as much as I remember..

Conclusion: You don't have to go to a park to feel autumn!

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Saturday, November 10, 2007

A Crazy-Long tag

LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR
1. The new Ipod Touch
2. A Mitsuoka Orochi
3. A free return ticket to Europe
4. A free return ticket to Australia
5. Lots and lots of Kyoho grapes!! >.<


THE PERSON WHO TAGG-ED YOU IS
Sharon Chong, etto.. chotto uzai shoujo... ^^ soreni, cosplay zuki de, a, mou hatachi da ne.... hehhe


YOUR 5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER
1. yappa uzai
2. a bit hyper for a girl (which is nice)
3. easy to like (nobody wouldn't want to be her friend)
4. lovesick (like most girls are)
5. cute/pretty (really? dono.. depends on ppl..)


MOST MEMORABLE THINGS HE/SHE HAS DONE FOR YOU
err.. umm.. etto.... I think we played "chat" with pieces of paper in maths tuition, like, 5 years ago?? heh.. that was funny.. ^^;


THE MOST MEMORABLE WORDS HE/SHE HAS SAID TO YOU
hmmm.. i have bad memory.. >.<


IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , YOU WILL
err.. dowan.. i might run to Hokkaido and never go back.. ^^


IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , THEY HAVE TO IMPROVE ON WILL BE
er.. that's her choice, but like i said, DOWAN.


IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , YOU WILL
try to be friends with her again. Cause i think we do not deserve to be enermies.(same as her answer) but if she had a gun pointed at me, I think I won't hesitate pulling out my own Desert Eagle.. heh..


IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , THE REASON WILL BE
hmm.. I'm a jerk, so the reason could be anything.. hehe


PASS THIS QUIZ TO 1O PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU
1. Fabian Moa(no need to write twice tho)
2. Keith Kueh
3. Elissa Ing
4. Chern Lyan
5. Aricka
6. Calvin Ong
7. Lim Ming Rong
8. Chang Yuan
9. Cedric Chin
10. Tang Yii


1. WHO IS NO.7 HAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH ?
wahhhhhhhh so chun i put his name..... haha.. bikkuri shita.. I no need to say everyone also know lar.. hehe.. Jong Kai Ning .. wooohoooo


2. WHO IS NO.9 HAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH ?
Aiya should have put Calvin there.. haha.. Cedric ar.. i think he said he broke up with his m'sian gf.. so now i donno lar he got or not..


3. IF NO.9 and NO.10 ARE TOGETHER , WILL IT BE A GOOD THING ?
HAHHAHAHA... I don't have anything to say.... lol...

4. WHAT ABOUT NO.1 and NO.5 ?
Err.. I wouldn't forgive Fabby if he did the same thing again.. ^^


5. WHAT IS NO.3 STUDYING ?
Etto.. Unimas? arghhh sorry if it's wrong.... wahhhhh.. lol..


6. WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOUS CHATT-ED WITH NO.6 ?
last week i think.. he visits my blog quite often i think.. anyways, he's too lovey dovey to care about me lar.. heheh


7. DOES NO.4 WORK ?
err.. she likes to work parttime to get money for shopping and stuff.. hehhe..


8. DOES NO.8 HAVE ANY COUSIN IN HIS/HER OWN SCHOOL ?
Haha.. this tag is too personal.. u think I stalker ar??


9. WILL YOU WOO NO.8 ?
I'm not gay


10. HOW ABOUT NO.5 ?
Err.. maybe? haha.. kindergarten friend.. so long din see her lor..


11. DOES NO2 HAVE ANY SIBLINGS ?
Like I said, too personal.. he has a little brother.. I think that's all.. err.. that's all I've met anyways..


12. HOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW NO.3 AND NO.4 ?
No 3 was friendly at high school, so got to know her through badminton and internet..No 4 was my classmate at primary school.. actually didnt remember her.. lol..

13. WHERE DOES NO.1 LIVE AT ?
Kuching! Cat City!


14. HOW YOUS GET TO KNOW NO.2 ?
High school classmate.. Why are we jumping? ^^;

15. IS NO.5 SEXIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD ?
er.. no.. but she's quite sexy.. heh

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

あなたの怨み晴らします。 She will take revenge on your behalf

Do you hate someone now? Do you wish for he/her to be gone from this world forever? Send him/her to hell. Just type his/her name in, and the Jigoku Shoujo, Enma Ai will help you take your revenge.

いっぺん死んでみる? Would you like to know what it's like to die?

Okay, so you must be thinking I lost my mind. Hehe. Nah, I'm just too addicted to anime and manga nowadays.. not a good habit, but it's quite fun.. haha..

Like I mentioned, I watched this anime, Jigoku Shoujo a while ago. Finished watching the two seasons last last week in fact.

Basically, it's a very simple anime, which talks about Enma Ai, the Hell Girl who has the power to send people to hell, and she does this at the request of the people who access her website, the Hell Hotline.


Please look at her carefully.. Her eyes, her face expression. What do you see? I see pain and loneliness, and an insecurity.

As the story develops, we see more character in Enma Ai. What would you feel if you had to send people to hell for all your life? Well, without aging that is..

It is interesting to know that the beginning of the Hell Girl history as an urban legend in Japan can be traced to the end of the Azuchimomoyama Age (1568 to 1598) till the Edo Period (1603 to 1867). Before the internet was used, it was said that there was a blank white space in the newspapers' missing person corner. A person with a strong grudge will be able to see on that blank space a pre-addressed letter, and write the hated person's name and send it by post. In this way, the person is able to make contact with the Hell Girl.There were several other ways to make contact with the Hell Girl too.

Whether she really exists or not, I don't really care. I just like the anime. Enma Ai is cute and attractive in a way.. Probably it's the insecurity and mystery that wraps around her.

I particularly liked the first season of the anime, because in the second season, she doesn't feel that mysterious anymore.. haha.. the drawing was nicer in the second season though.. And the second season also has more variation in the storyline, which actually made me laugh. haha..

Her appearance with her long silky hair in a kimono is also quite refreshing. Usually, a Japanese woman wears a kimono with her hair tied up, in order to flash off her white skin on the back of her neck.

And I love the soundtracks too! They sound kind of sad, and yet full of hope.
I end my review with a 9/10 rating for Jigoku Shoujo.



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