My last post of the year...although I know the demarcation of a year is simply a human construction, somehow I still feel the change;) When looking back, which is something I do a lot I must say, this year has been very full, of both joy and sadness. Sometimes I wish I could slough off the old me as a snake rids itself of it's old skin, to reveal the shiny new scales underneath. But then I realize, the old me is inextricable from the present me, without one the other cannot exist...and though they may battle, or alienate each other, they must somehow co-exist. But perspective is a wonderful thing, it gives subtle nuances to things that previously were only black and white:)
Sometimes I go visit my old haunts on the net, I have found some of my old pages from however many years ago (somehow they still exist, an oversight of the site I guess;P) and reminisce at the me of that period. It's very hard not to cringe at it:P These pieces of myself that I have set adrift on the net are like the fragments of a mirror, though you may reassemble them the reflection is never perfect again....the delineation between each stage, the infintesimally tiny gaps, what looks back is a jagged, awkward, lonely nostalgia. And yet, I seek them out again and again, because those very same gaps and delineations show me just how far I have come, the ways that my old self was proven wrong (or right;), where I can still improve:3
So, this year as well, I want to do my best to have no regrets! I want to live by the Mark Twain quote: "20 years from now the things you will regret the most are the ones you didn't do rather than teh ones you did":) Life is an ever-changing thing, like the view through a kaleidoscope, what you see depends as much on the viewer as the view=) More love, more happiness, more joy, that is what I will strive for:3
Happy New Year everyone, I wish you all the best!:D Take care, have fun, and enjoy the CountDown!!XDD
Listening to JunStyle is always something I look forward to, Jun's voice is so soothing and warm, and he always talks about the most interesting/weird things;) But this week he blew my mindXD Suddenly in the background I heard Jingle Cats!!XDD I haven't heard it in, oh, at least 10 years, and my adorable Jun plays it on his radio show!XP Is it insane that I love him even more now because of that?:3 ...wait, don't answer that...^^; But hidden underneath that sophisticated sex-symbol facade is still the cute geekiness I find so irresistible<3
It's finally Xmas, although frankly I'm still trying to figure out when that happened...;P Minna, I hope you're together with loved ones, sharing laughter and good times, I wish you all the best:3 Here's my present (although it's hard to shareXD) Aw, he's waiting dejectedly for someone to unwrap him and give him a loving homeXD He won't be waiting long I'm sure...XD Merry Xmas and Happy New Year everyone!!=)
It's been awhile since I had something I felt was interesting enough to post....I suppose it's my blog so I should just post anything, but I get the feeling my life is just not that interesting...;P Although, today was fairly out of the ordinary I guess...I had a craving for sushi after watching this week's MMA (oh Jun, is there anything you can't do?XD) so I went out to get some, but it was 9:25pm when I left and 9:45pm is the last call...so I was really rushing, and I called in ahead to reserve some fatty tuna (it gets sold out fast! They were already sold out of Saba...U.U) but I knew I had to be there fast or they'd just kick me out. When I got there it looked closed from the outside but there were still people inside, and the waitress who knows me was there so I felt better, and I went and sat at teh bar like usual...and one of the chefs came out and saw me and said in Japanese, fairly loudly "You've got to be kidding me! After I got it all nice and clean!"XP I was so surprised I almost burst out laughing, cause he said it in that really rough slangy way you only see in gangster movies or anime (Fusakennayo!)XDD But I ordered and tried to hide my smiles, but then another waitress came to see if I wanted anything from the kitchen and I ordered a croquette and some Agedashi Tofu, and of course when she went back to give him the order, you could hear him yell it again!XD In that really "Aw, come on!" kind of tone....again, it was hard not to laugh, cause I knew he thought none of the customers understood;P But then I heard him say something about how he hoped I would just eat and leave and I started feeling a little bad; the waitress I know said they'd had a really busy day, and I guess they just wanted to go home:S While he was kicking up a fuss in the back one of the other chefs was quietly preapring my food in front of me, and I decided I should work up my courage and apologize...which is no small feat for someone like me^^; I don't deal well with stress, or social situations, so I was super super nervous, but when the quiet chef brought me my order I said (in Japanese) "I'm so sorry for arriving this late", and he seemed surprised and laughed and said "daijoubu, daijoubu". But I didn't feel it was enough, so I said "But...he's mad isn't he?" and he laughed again and said "no no, daijoubu";P It was really cool, that was the first time I've spoken Japanese with someone Japanese before, rather than people who've lived there or people who learned it like me...and boy, was it terrifying. For the rest of the meal my hands were shaking so badly I could barely pick up the rolls, I was having trouble breathing, and my heart was going a mile a minute:S To give a frame of reference, at my work I often have to talk in French with people, and although I'm fluent the first time I did it I got the same reaction...it still happens, but it's much milder now. I know I said it perfectly, but I still can't help second-guessing myself and panicking...it's not fun. But it was worth it to get the chance to use my Japanese for something like that!:3 I wonder if he told the other guy later...;P Ah~, just thinking about it now makes me nervous again, nan de darou...
Anyway, what I originally intended to post was this little collection of comparative pics I made after being inspired by the one that's been kicking around (thanks for posting it SakuraMarsXD) with Jun as Momo=) It was amazing how much he was able to mold himself into that role...and it wasn't just that role, every part he play he does his absolute best to *be* that person, I'm constantly impressed by his amazing aciting abilities:3 So, here's a few more in that vein, a look at some of his most popular characters and how well he becomes them:) First, the one for Momo:
Now, I just can't top that no matter how hard I try, but here are my loving attemptsXD The one that started it all for me, Sawada Shin...<3
That one's terrible quality, but I really think it's a good comparison:3 Also, this one:
Hehe, this grin is so adorkableXD I know, I know, they didn't die his hair purple (would Johnny's even allow that...somehow I doubt it^^;), but other than that it's eerily close deshou?:) Next, the one that's been the most controversial, Yori from BokuImo:
Again, bad quality, but all I had to work with was the trailer after all ne;P But again, very very similar:3 Also:
Hehe, a very "kyaaa~<3" picture this one...XD That's all I have to say, I just keep wishing I was Nana-chan here;P Finally, my absolute favorite of his incarnations, the one that seemed like it was written just for him<3 Mochiron, kono dorama desu ne...;)
You would not believe how hard it was to find what I needed for this one, apparently there's no earthly way to take screen-caps of an .mkv...^^; But it turned out fairly well ne?:) Ahh, it's so perfect~:D Oh, I can't wait, more HYD now!!XDD
Haha, ah the pink suits of blinding...back again;P FNS was a super cute performance (unlike some I'm not yet sick of Kitto Daijoubu, especially after the miserable day I had today), but those suits have got to go...^^; Just like everyone said Jun was ultra-genki, and love love *love* his hairXD So much better than the poodle he was wearing for Ping Pong:3 He really does change like every week, it's impossible to guess what he;ll look like next...itsumo tanoshimi shite imasu:D
At the beginng when GAM (which I at first thought was a reflection on the amount of leg their outfits were showing;P) takes off, Jun says 'It kind of looks like we're the only ones out-of-place here, is this okay?' {he doesn't like the suits eitherX3) The hosts are all 'It's fine, waht are you talking about' but Jun and Aiba both apologize for them sticking out like sore thumbs, so cute;P Then the woman says 'The Asia tour was a great success ne?', they say 'yes thank you' and she says 'how was it Jun-san'?. Jun says 'Ah, it was extremely fresh ne. Um, it was just the beginning, Taiwan, Korea, although we couldn't go to Thailand we went to those two counties and no matter where we went they were extremely excited for us, everyone even sang along in Japanese and conversely it was us who were moved by it ne.' The woman asks 'Were there any kind of mistakes?' and Jun says 'Mistakes?' and looks pointedly at Aiba, the woman says 'Ah it seems like there were ne' but Aiba says 'There were no mistakes at all', Nino agrees, Aiba repeats himself and Nino says 'It was a great success.'
Hehe, here's his mischievous grin after that little bit of fun:D Then the woman asks if they want to be more and more together in this coming year and Sho replies 'Well ne, 2006 was a erally full year, I think we'd like to work hard for an even fuller year.' The man says 'Yes?' and Jun says 'Yes! That's how it is!' (adorkably too:3) and the man asks them to go stand by while GAM (ugh...wasn't there any other acronym available??;P) sings 'Thanks', followed by Arashi's 'Kitto Daijoubu'. Was it just me or did Sho's voice at the beginning of the song sound kind of flat and nasal? I was wondering if he had a head cold or something:S Wouldn't be surprised after all the stuff they're doing...And Jun did his 'too-cool' model walk to the front, the swagger I still can't decide if I love or laugh at;P
I love that part where they say 'Ai ja nai?' and make hearts with their hands...the rest of the choreography leaves me cold for the most part, but I love that bit...so, pretty screencapsX3
Also, it seemed to me that during that part when Jun and Sho are supposed to slide past under the other three's linked arms Jun's part looked kinda awkward, I don't know if it was him being at a funny angle or something with Aiba and Nino's arm bridge, but it looked weird...^^; When Jun sung his little solo line the way he winked was just too cute, I wanted to get a screencap but he kept coming out either blurry or something...and I really wanted a good one too, cause it was so adorable:3 Plus at the end he seemed really hyped up, I just wanted to kiss himXD But poor Arashi, Johnny's couldn't come up with something a little more dignified...? Especially when everyone else was all sequins and satin:S Still, they look good no matter what they wear:)
Tenjo-chan(Tenjostyle) insisted I listen to this week's JunStyle...and now I completely understand whyX3 It was soo funny, I just had to post a short digest/translation here:D
He starts by talking about how there's only one month left till the new year, plays a duet with Eric Clapton and J.J.Kale(?) and talks about how Clapton is in the middle of a tour right now and how surprised he was at the amazing performance he put on at the concert hall. Then he reads another email regarding the xmas memories contest, by someone called 'Penny Lane". The girl says on her 20th xmas she and her boyfriend had a tearful break-up very shortly before, so, to avoid being lonely on xmas eve she went out to an xmas party in Roppongi with some co-workers. But, to get home that night she had to leave the party at 9pm, to catch the last train, and when she left she suddenl found herself in a crowd of rowdy people. Just as she was starting to cry one of her co-workers came after her and walked her all the way to the station, and that co-worker is now her husband (awww...;P). She adds that although since they started dating and even when they evenutally got married he hasn't given her an xmas present, but she thinks what he gave her that night was very precious (I think he's cheap but...that's me;). Jun's all 'it's wonderful ne, a really good story, kind of bittersweet. the fact that the person who walked her home that night became her husband just like that, I wonder what might have happened? If that was the opportunity, if him pursuing her that night was it, or maybe he had been wanting to pursue her for awhile...you can imagine all sorts of things from that;P' But apparently she forgot to include her address...zannen~;P He reiterates that he'll select the winner of the contest on Dec. 23rd, that the winner has not yet been decided but he thanks her for her wonderful email. He says a lot of good and bad (memory) emails have come in, they're very interesting and he wants to introduce them. Then he plays "Window in the Skies" by U2, who are also doing live concerts in Japan right now apparently. (very nice song btw:)
Next he talks about how he's going to NY for filming of HYD2...and there's one thing he really really wants right now...a down jacket;P Cause he says it really seems cold there;) But he doesn't have the time to buy one, so he's been told it would better to just buy one over there, but due to the time change and the fact that his schedule may not allow for him, he probably won't be able to even sleep in NY. He's been told to just sleep on the plane, but it feels like after that he probably won't be able to sleep for the next three days.(That just sucks...jet-lag is the worst, I hope he manages to get some sleep:S) Then he mentions how he went overseas last month for fun, and how he hadn't really spoken about it in detail because it was his private life and he figured it didn't really matter, but the other day he saw his friend Nakamura Shinnosuke-kun on TV saying 'He stayed at my villa"! And he was like 'What the heck's this guys saying?!';P He had tried his hardest to keep from talking about it, and now he looks like a fool;P (baka-mitaiXD So cute when he said that, kind of ruefully:3 I saw that bit too, and I never guessed that Jun didn't know Nakamura was openly talking about it...someone's in trouble;P) But he says it's alright cause he had fun there.
He goes on to say that he mentioned awhile back that he wanted a bicycle, and although he still wants a bicycle, he's found something lately that he's thought would be really convenient if he had it. And that is a TV you can watch in the tub, kind of a wireless thing that you can take with you and view in the bathtub (ii ne~;P) He also says he thinks it woul be great if he could get one that plays DVDs or laserdiscs too, that's what he'd like. And that if it could play DVDs then it should be able to play CDs as well, so he could listen to CDs in the bathtub. A friend of his told him to just buy a combination CD player/radio for the tub, and so he's trying to decide between the two of them. Then he puts on the echo and goes "If Santa-san happens to be listening...I want that~ Santa-san...I want that~" Then he says, 'to the listeners who might be mistaken, it's not Santa-san, but rather God;P There's no Santa-san;P Don't get me wrong...but there's no Sant-san ne;)' {That was the sweetest thing, listening to him say that...and then he has to go and say there's not Santa;P} The he plays Clapton's "Change the World", which is an amazingly good song...*w*
Then he reads another email, this one from "Ai to Yuki to Chashuumen(chinese dish)" who says that it's now the season that smells of winter, and that when they come home late from work the smell of ramen is in the air. Even when their stomach is full from drinking sake they want to eat ramen. And it seems that the number one way to eat ramen after drinking (according to Oricon) is with Soy sauce, but menkui -"And by menkui he means someone who eats noodles ne! {cause menkui can also mean someone vain or attracted to physical looks onlyXD} (to himself) Shut up!"- but what does menkui Matsumoto-san think? He goes on to talk about how drinking influences your liver, changing your blood sugar, thus resulting in hunger...and that while there were times when they wanted to eat ramen after drinking, there were also times they wanted to eat ice cream^^; {ew. that sounds like a recip for nausea to me;P} But both seem like they'll make her fat...{haha;P} Jun says that he doesn't want to eat ramen after drinking, he does eat ramen *while* drinking though. Once he went to have ramen in the middle of drinking and upon returning he felt extremely nauseous, although he didn't notice until he recovered. And when he was drinking at a store he suddenly felt hungry in the middle of the night but they erally didn't have any real food. There were some dry snacks and stuff, some dried white noodles that were made in-store, and so he figured since they were there anyway he ordered some and suprised himself by eating 6 bowls!;P That after he ate 6 bowls he had a look at some of the nutritional info and noticed that, for a 150g serving it was 390 calories!! He was really surprised that the white noodles had that many calories. Although he eats white noodles (soumen) both in summer and winter, whenever he gets the impression he's hungry, he never got the impression the soumen were that calorie-laden. Then he mentions how there was a time when he ate so much ramen he thought he'd die;P When he came back from Korea he went right on-location, and when coming back from the location he was wondering what to do for food, and although they'd had yakiniku (barbequed meat) in Korea the flavor of ramen made him really want to eat it. So he ate a tonne of it with other people, and felt extremely sick, after not having it for so long..;P But strangely enough he's starting to want it again;) He goes to eat Soba a lot, but when he goes to eat ramen it's cause he's really hungry. He likes the northern Hokkaidou version with salt, and Kitakata ramen, not so much the soy sauce version. Then he says 'everyone, since it's winter and your clothes are a little larger, beware of eating too much;P What kind of info am I giving out...?;)' Ooh, and then he plays Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity"...omg, so far the music on this episode has been unbelievably fantastic! (with the exception of the first song...kinda meh:S).
Then he plays Kitto DaijoubuXD Then he talks about the Fuyu Con, and he mentions that they want to keep the setlist the way it was during the Asia tour (omg so lucky...that was an awesome setlistXS) And HYD2 starts the 5th of January, and he says that at this moment he's probably not in Japan but flying to NY, and that as he's heading there, he's probably thinking about how he wants the down coat {I'll give you mine!XD) Also, there's still time to send in entries for the xmas present contest, gives the contact info....and says "it's cold ne, take care not to catch a cold please:)" Aww, such a sweetheart ne;P Let's see, his xmas list so far is...a down jacket, a TV for the tub, and a bicycle...buying presents for him sounds like a nightmare;P At least he's not like some guys who ask for socks...*rolls eyes*. Let's all hope he gets safely to NY and manages to keep warm and get some sleep!:3 Genki de ne, Jun-kun:D
And I made this winter-themed picture for a new icon, but it's so pretty and suits the topic so...I'll put it here too:) Thank you to Tenjo-chan for the unbelievably amazing scans...*w*
I just saw the clip of Arashi's performance on best Artist 2006 (I have no idea who won though...downloading the whole thing would take like 3 days for me^^;) and it was awesome!XD And their outfits were erally good for once, they looked like they might be going out to a club (and called each other too coordinate first;P) First they all came out on stage in their white suit-coats and...oh, it's Doumyouji!:P
It's like deja-vue...sort of;P Ugh, i wish these screen-caps weren't so crappy, forgive me...^^; But such a nice smile ne?;) And then the host asked Jun to be the representative for the group and he talked about how they had done a lot, going to Asia na being received by fans in other countries and cities in Japan, and that they'd work their hardest to keep increasing it in the future:3
Then the host asked Nino for input and he said they'd like to widen their locations for the tour next year as they had this year within Japan, he asked 'Ohno, Riidaa', and he said they were able to do a movie together, and that it was very fresh. Then the host points at Aiba and says 'Doubutsuen'!!XD Aiba's like "I'm not Doubutsuen, I'm Aiba. Ne!' it was hilarious!;P He was kinda upset but Nino's all 'we don't have time so..' so he went on to say that 'this year there were a lot of business trips ne? unusually';P Ahh, Aiba...what can I say?;) Then the host pointed to Sho and said 'the news guest'...Sho said that 2006 was a very full, genuine year, and that they would work to make 2007 the same. Then they got the announcer to talk about the results of the survey that chose the finalists...
Yeah...apparently they're a big hit in the pre-teens and 40-year-old women groups;P Poor Arashi, they need more fans their own age, that's just not right^^; But they do seem to have some women in their thirties, that's close...right?;)
And then they sang Kitto Daijoubu, and it was a really great performance, I had to watch it again right afterXD On a side note, is it just me or is Aiba's hair orange? Like, Hanazawa Rui orange? Haha, if they get Ohno to dress up as a new-half again they'd have 3 parts of HanaDan right there!;P
Jun was ultra-genki again here, very very cute<3 It wasn't like anything physical was different about this performance, it just felt different....more joyful or transcending in a way. Possibly the ebst one yet I'd say:)
I certainly hope they won...they're good enough, they're pretty enough, and gosh-darn-it people like them!;P plus, after everything they've done this year, they must have at least been close....hehe, I saved one screen-cap for last, it's the only one I could think of a caption for:D
Let's see...Arashi; bringing back disco fever since 1999:P
Now, someone please tell me who won!>_<
So, thanks to 嵐's super helpful vox we all know Jun isn't coming to Canada....*sniff sniff*....and I'm not going to Japan (yet!)....ah, they were vain hopes anyway;P Plus, if I had t tell that relative of mine exactly *why* I was going to Japan in the middle of winter I'm sure I'd never be able to attend another family function again;) That aside, life keeps chugging along like some kind of runaway freight train with me clinging to the back, flapping in the breeze...;P
Right now I'm waiting (impatiently;P) for the latest Utawara to finish downloading, those pics Tenjostyle had on her vox look sooo goodXD If Jun has to wear hats, that one's definitely better than the rags and toques he's had lately;P
Aww, look at that grin:3 I have the strangest urge to pinch his cheeks right now...;P I love it when he's glowing like this, you can just feel the energy coming through the screen and it makes my heart acheX3 Sometimes I still find it hard to believe there's a person like him in this world... So I guess they're touring his break room here...hey where's the balance ball?!XP I'm sure we could all do with a little more of that love;P Haha, maybe he's saving it for MagoMago so the others don't get jealous...;)
Now, this one isn't as good as Jun's fabulous art exposition but...I think it's funny^^ If anyone can think of a better caption let's hear it! If I like it enough, I may even change it;P So today's victim is his gorgeous picture from the latest Popolo, with the smile and eyes that make me melt into a little warm puddle*W*.....huh, what? Oh right, the picture and caption;P Here we go: 'Aiba feeds cheetahs, I wear them'
Hehe, I tease because I love:) Ahh, now back to fond meditation....<3
So....when I first saw that pic of Jun in his wetsuit from November Duet, naturally my reaction was to let my jaw drop and spend 10 minutes in Jun-daze*W* After that happened a couple times, the next thing that came to mind was the idea for this, and let me say, I've been toying with it for awhile but I held off because I was certain someone else would come up with a better version first....but apparently not!XD Which leaves me free to try my meagre photoshop skills out and produce...a thing of beauty:3
As if no one else thought about this very thing when they saw that shot?? Maybe I'm just crazy, but it was too good to pass up!XD I'm so happy with the way it turned out, as crappy as it is....it's my new favorite thing:3
So...last night I heard from a relative who does a lot of flying for business that there's some kind of promotion going on with an airline he's in good standing with...get this: from LA to Tokyo...399$CDN!! I was like OMG going to Japan!:P But it ends January 1st, so I can't even go to Fuyu con...*cries* I'm still toying with the idea of going but..I'd rather wait till summer for NatsuCon, and if Jun does come to Canada then it would kind of be pointless....I dunno, we'll see I guess;)
In other news, this weekend's Utawara was pretty darn funny:D Thanks to Tenjo finding the links for me I was able to see it without worrying about my stupud clubbox password, and there's a few bits during the DJ Ozma quiz section that I thought I'd talk about:) So DJ Ozma is the subject of a quiz, and the last question is 'despite how I appear I'm super XX'. So they asked some of the hosts what their 'XX' area would be and MachaMacha said everyone thought she was lying when she said she was captain of the basketball team, so she did a few pivots for them....then the host asked Jun:D He said that, though on the show he appeared really cold to the comics, in actuality he's really kindXD And everyone was all 'what are you talking about?' 'no way';P And he says 'when I'm up here that's how I am, but when we go backstage-' and Ichirou says 'when we go backstage he suddenly punches me!'
They all laugh and he says 'that's not how it is at all. that's no how it is at all is it?!' and gets all scaryXD And of course Ichirou's all 'nono, of course not...';P Haha, scary Jun is just as fun to watch as silly Jun:D
So they get back to the original question and the answer turns out to be 'despite how I may appear I'm super low on friends'. DJ Ozma often has parties and such, but he doesn't really have any friends to just hang out with, go shopping , have dinner, etc..so that's why he has all the parties, cause he wants to see people. Then the announcer says 'is there anyone in particular from the boys' team that you would like to become friends with? From these elite 5?' and they all straighten up and ask for consideration, and DJ Ozma thinks and says 'MatsuZun-san'XP So everyone laughs and Jun's all 'he mangled it! he mangled it!' cause he screwed up his nameXD
And as it's ending Jun says 'I'm not "Zun"!'XD Oh man...no wonder DJ Ozma doesn't have many friends;P Ahh, that was so much fun:D
It's funny how often Jun's hair changes, lately it's almost every week;P Just when I've gotten used to the most recent one he changes again, and I'm back at square one;) When I saw that photo of him with Mao-chan recently I was so excited cause it looked so much better than last year's Doumyouji hair....but then this week's Utawara completely threw me for a loop!
I love him dearly but...I really think it looks like he got attacked by a wheedwhacker or something!>_< I've been thinking the stylist on Utawara might just be slightly strange in his concept of style though,c ause this isn't the first time...maybe I'm the only one who finds it so hard to take seriously;P
And, although the first time I saw it I was in a state of shock for about three days....I really came to love the long hair look...I miss it:3 I wonder if he'll go back to it next summer....he seemed more mature, more intellectual with this look, and when I heard the fans hated it I was a little surprised.
But if it has to be short, I'd much rather it be like this, all sleek and sensual:D Not that anyone listens to me...:P
Ahhh, and when I heard they might be filming in Canada I could barely contain myselfXD NY is a little bit far...but anywhere in Canada, that I can do! Must...calm down...if it doesn't happen I'll be crushed;P Silly, silly me...
