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Wednesday, May 16, 2001 // 07:27 p.m.
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"Mugen no Kaze," GeSANG
Congratulations on surviving your AP exams, neko-chan! ^o^ Isn't it a wonderfully liberating feeling? And best of luck to you and Lili-chan on your Precal tests. Ne, neko-chan, a guy in my Physics class was wearing a Flogging Molly shirt the other day, and I thought of you. ^_^
Thanks for the promise (threat?) about Prom, btw. XD But you don't have to worry -- I'm going with a friend, and he's a really sweet guy. I also got a promise that there won't be a repeat of what happened last time I went to a formal dance. >P
I got my dress, btw. I think. ^_^; It's pretty, and also unique (which is what I was looking for) -- form-fitting, with a thick strap over one shoulder -- but the color bothers me. It's black with sparklies, and while I'm sure that would look great on a blonde, with my black hair, it's somewhere between elegant and almost bland. >P A couple of friends recommended the Jessica McClintock store down in Portland, though, so when we bought the dress my utterly awesome mom said that I could still go there and look. If I find anything that absolutely floors me, I can get that one instead. The one I got was a really good deal, though -- thirty dollars. o.o I paid about that much for my Winter dress, too -- I guess I just have an eye for deals. XD
Buuut ... if I save money on the dress, maybe I can wheedle my parents into getting me the RENT soundtrack, which I've been desperately wanting for some time now. ^_^* It's not that bad, though -- thirty bucks for a two-disc set, which is the cost of a single (legit) Japanese CD. ^_^; And, hey, it could be my reward for the AP tests. XD
I got the new Animerica today, too. ^_^ It features AyaCere, with a shorter article on Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan. >D Next issue's going to be on Mahou Tsukai Tai!, which makes me happy. XD Aburatsubo-sama~~~
Hum. They're having another swimsuit contest. Maybe I should get off my lazy butt and draw something -- the deadline is May 25. I've entered the last two years, though, and never won. _o_
Iyaan! In the AyaCere Character Spotlight, it says, "A major character in the manga, Shuro only appears in one episode (episode 22) of the anime." Hidoooooi ... ;_;
Anyone seen the officially released Fushigi Yuugi OAVs? The cover of the first tape of the second set (actually the second tape of the series, since they combined both arcs >.>) is somewhat frightening. It's Nuriko, Hotohori, and Tamahome/Taka. Nuriko looks like a woman -- to be expected. >D Hotohori looks like a woman -- also to be expected. XD But Tamahome -- sweetie, you should not pull your hair back like that. Not if you want anyone to believe you when you say you prefer Miaka to Nakago. o.o
Something that made me chuckle: in the Physics room, someone wrote on the board, "Do j00 work!" XD
I need a new layout. n.n Perhaps I should use the Esca idea I was toying with earlier ... but I really want a RuroKen one. And since I'm working on a manual for Photoshop in Computer Apps, it shouldn't be too hard to find the chance to make the graphics. XD But what image to use? Ah, decisions, decisions ...
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Monday, May 14, 2001 // 09:03 p.m.
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"Hi no Ataru Basho," Yonekura Chihiro
I got to see the Dalai Lama speak today for the Educating the Heart youth summit. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I think. He was just as I imagined -- humble, insightful, eloquent. And a little silly. ^_^ He spoke so simply and beautifully about non-violence, and not in an idealistic or moralistic way. He made it seem so logical, it was like a "Why not?" for pacifism. And the way he described it -- it didn't seem like a sacrifice or an exercise in self-control. Our desire for happiness is common to -- even shared with -- everyone else on the planet. War is an outdated mode of conflict resolution, because it's no longer a time where the enemy's defeat is our victory. Our interests are interlinked. Our basic human nature is the same ... What we need to make a difference is knowledge, determination, and compassion, all guided by a warm heart. And that gives us confidence and self-worth. There was so much more ... And perhaps the most eloquent demonstration of his philosophy was in his closing -- when he asked those who agreed with what he had to say to think about his meaning, and eventually experiment on an individual basis in order to grow, which would make him happy. Or, for those who didn't agree -- forget what he said and go back to their own way of thinking, which would also make him happy. How much more accepting and selfless can you get than that?
There were some protesters, by the way. Not political ones, as I'd expected, protesting a violation of the church and state boundary or something like that (a valid point, which I've written about previously). Nope, it was your usual batch of fundamentalist ultra-conservative Christians out to denounce a speech on peace and acceptance by the exiled leader of a subjugated country who happened to be of a different religion. Honestly, if they think that hearing the Dalai Lama speak -- on a secular issue, no less -- would lead their children to instantaneously convert to Buddhism, they must not have much faith in the strength of their beliefs. I'd like to have dared any of those protesters to come listen to the talk, and see who was truer to the spirit of religion.
Well, what can you do? There were only a few of the protesters, anyway, and they didn't detract from the event. We got to hear Portland Taiko, an Asian-American drum group, perform at the beginning, which was a pleasant surprise.
Also, I got asked to Prom. ^_^;;
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Sunday, May 13, 2001 // 02:39 p.m.
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"Ashita wa Watashi no Kaze ga Fuku," Maeda Ai
Happy Mother's Day! Go tell your mom you love her. ^_^
I'm tired, but in a good way. ^_^ And the fact that I have no History chapters to read or other AP related commitments hanging over my head improves my mood immensely. >D
So ... the U.S. History exam was on Friday. I think it went well -- the multiple choice was hard, but not nearly as hard as some of the practice exams we took. The essays were intimidating, but I think I actually did them well. The DBQ question nearly made me choke when I first saw it, seeing as we learned lots of lovely information about Truman and Kennedy, but next to nothing about Eisenhower in between. o.o Fortunately, the question was broad enough that I could incorporate outside information about the Cold War and still address the prompt. ^_^; Part B had choices of either the social importance of slavery during the antebellum period, or the Jacksonian era. I chose the latter and ended up using something of an, erm, individual interpretation of the Panic of 1837 to make my point. >D Part C was between the rise of nativism in the 1920s and the role of transportation in 19th century industrialization, from which I picked the last one and BSed a fair amount. ^_^v
And with that, it was over. My AP exams are DONE! XD Best of luck to neko-chan on her remaining test! You will do wonderfully. (And thanks for the information, Lili-chan. It was more interesting than actually applicable, though, seeing as it was a U.S. History test. ^_^;)
After the test, most of the class went to this Mexican restaurant on the waterfront for lunch. This may sound nerdy, but it's fun to go out with my AP class -- I know them better than people in my other classes, and most of my closest friends are in there. Anyway, we got to unwind and had a good time, and the waiters were really nice about having to serve forty teenagers. ^_^v
Following that, a friend and I went to another friend's house to spend the night. We rented "Center Stage" and "Only You" -- good chick flicks for a shamelessly feminine indulgence. >D "Only You" used to be my favorite movie back in sixth grade, and I hadn't seen it in a long time. "Center Stage" was quite good, too, even if the main character did act a bit like a slut for part of the movie. >D My friend, who's a really good cook, made this delicious pasta dish for dinner. ^_^v It was muchly fun, and sufficiently brain-emptying. I have a sore arm now because we went down to the creek for a couple of hours and I learned (or, rather, tried to learn) to skip rocks, but it's all right. ^_^;
After seeing home for the first time in almost thirty hours, I went to anime. Recca no Honou was shown first, since the other tapes hadn't arrived yet; it was the Uruha Oto round, with Mikagami's delicious outfit. ^_^* Also Ogata Megumi and Seki Tomokazu doing strange things with their voices. One of the best parts is the introduction of the Tsurara Mai, the Hyoumon Ken ougi -- or, rather, one of them. Because he apparently has many. Mikagami kicks such ass. XD
Next was Furi Kuri. Moving on ... ~.~
I'm liking Kodomo no Omocha more the more of it we watch. The guys aren't as into it because it's less spastic and more "soap opera," as they say, but I really like it. Good relationship stuff without being cheesy or unusual, given the circumstances. It's too bad I missed the episodes with the explanation of Rei's past, because I like him lots. ^_^ I think I like Hayama best, though. He's so wonderfully sullen and angsty. XD He reminds me of Shaoran right now -- enemies with the girl he likes (I mean, "doesn't hate" ^_~)and fighting competition from an older guy. >D I love Tsuyoshi and Aya, too. Cavity-inducing.
They showed a really funny music video during one of the breaks. It was a crossover with Cowboy Bebop and Trigun -- opening with an episode of "Big Shot," featuring the new bounty, Vash the Stampede. There was a lot of splicing of footage as Spike hunted for, chased, then got into a firefight with Vash. ^_^;;; Included scenes from "Cowboy Funk" and "Toys in the Attic" -- when Spike uses his infrared goggles, he sees an outline of Kuroneko. >D Vash ends up getting away -- only in the last shot, he gets tapped on the shoulder, and turns around only to be punched out by Faye. XD
After that, the Anime Posse went to dinner, then one of the guys' houses for some DDR. He didn't have the pads, though -- they had to play on hand controls. ^_^; At about 8:30, we headed to the dance at school. It was pretty fun, especially since there was a bunch of us together. I did dance -- if you can call moving around and looking stupid dancing. >P They played five slow songs when we were there, and there were five guys in our group, so I ended up dancing with all of them. So I didn't have to stand around awkwardly during any of the slow dances. ^_^;; However, most of my friends like, might like, or are liked by other people, and I felt kind of lonely near the end of the night. *sigh* I shouldn't be wallowing in self-pity like this; I already talked to neechan about this. I just sometimes wish I had a guy -- or at least a guy I was really interested in, to occupy my time. Nyah.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2001 // 08:40 p.m.
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"Someday," Koyasu Takehito
Yes, I'm studying. But I'm also trying to keep my brain from imploding by looking at pretty things. >D
Hot damn! Doki Doki Station is going to be at A-Kon and -- and -- and they're going to have doujinshi from some loverly RuroKen circles ...! Lili-chan, neko-chan, I have no right to ask this of you, but if you go and find some really nice ones ... *puppy dog eyes* (And I know you might find them in Japan, Lili-chan, but if there's a specific title that I've asked for at the con, I figure it'd be better to just get it there rather than try to find it in Japan, no?) I'll pay you back and everything ... I just need my fix. (... Says the Doujinshi Whore. _o_)
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Wednesday, May 9, 2001 // 07:18 p.m.
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"Goodbye Love," Kodomo no Omocha
I somehow managed to close the window and lose my entire entry. X_x
I hear ya, neko-chan. _o_ I'm just glad I'm only taking two of these monsters -- you're too dang responsible, you know that? And what were you saying about taking the multiple choice tomorrow? Not for English, right? Because I believe we had to take it all today -- they were all strict about conformity and confidentiality for us, making us seal the multiple choice packets after we were done and everything.
I think I did ... okay on the test, all things considered. The multiple choice was actually easier than I expected -- instead of focussing on literary devices and the like, it had more open-ended questions on purpose and tone. The essay prompts could have been better, especially the first one -- "analyze how the author uses rhetorical strategies to establish her position on the development of a writer"? XO But I think I passed, though I may not get a 5.
I plan/hope to score a 5 on the U.S. History exam, though. We've just spent so much time preparing for it, that I really feel like I know my stuff. Remembering it for the free response essays is all I'm worried about. >.< But with the practice multiple choice exams I've been taking, I only need to score 6s on the essays to get into the 5 range. So ... *crosses fingers*
My History class is kind of weird, I've realized. ^_^;; We spend waaaay too much time together, especially in study sessions for this last week. My teacher wears a blue cape and an inverted Burger King crown with "AP Survivors" written on it in class. We're all going to lunch together on Friday after the test, and are having a class party at the end of the month. We have a soundtrack. O_o And my teacher told us today to put our textbooks under our beds and pray to the Henretta gods ... Hot damn, we are a cult. XD
I'm in a pretty good mood, even with two days until the exam. Neechan called me and regaled me with CCS escapades to make me chuckle (waaaaai, Yukito-sama! *_*) "Damatte! Kue." XD
My friends are pressuring me to play DDR. >.< I'll watch, but, demmit, I'm just not coordinated enough to dance! :P
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Tuesday, May 8, 2001 // 04:06 p.m.
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"Winter Wish," Yonekura Chihiro
Bleah. Been neglecting this little baby, haven't I? o.o Actually, I haven't been away for that long; it just feels like because I have so much to do this week that I've got to be leaving something out. _o_
AP ... AP ... AP ...
People keep telling me not to stress out. ^_^> In a way, though, I have to; that's how I function. If I don't stress, I don't do it. :P But neechan gave me some loverly Crashers songs to download (and distract me >D) ... and I was going to go to a friend's house today; we were going to watch a movie and veg. But I've got a couple of hours of U.S. History event review, and the English exam is tomorrow, so I wanna get to bed early (especially since I have to wake up at the ungodly hour of 6:00 a.m. >.<). She told me that she learned in her Psychology class that if one thinks too hard, something snaps in the brain and you can spontaneously die. O_o I don't know if that was supposed to help.
Lili-chaaaan! How did your Spanish exam go? What do you have next? And neko-chan, you are far too ambitious for your own good. >P You're taking the Lit/Composition exam tomorrow, too, deshou? o_o By this time tomorrow, it will be over. :/ I wanna go home afterward, but I have an NHS meeting after school, so I think I'll just go ahead and stay. It's only two more classes, anyway.
Friday ... I just have to hold out until Friday, and it'll all be over. *whimper*
*sucks in breath* Be strong! "Namida o miseru hima wa nai!" ne, neko-chan? OSSU!! XO
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Saturday, May 5, 2001 // 09:26 p.m.
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"Goodbye Love," RENT
Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Yes, I realize the "real" holiday should be Dieciseis de Septiembre (or that's what my Spanish teachers always said) but that's ... far away. ^_^;
I feel ... restless, somehow. o.o Maybe it's because I'm home at 9:30 on a Saturday night. >D I was out with Hanne-tachi, as neechan calls them, and it was us two girls who wanted to stay out, and the guys who all went home. And if you know us two, the thought that we were the ones pushing to stay out longer is just wrong. ^_^;;
Anime was good tonight, and quite fun. I went early to catch the DDR mini-tournament they were going to have, but it turns out that they were having it in another hall, and there was some sort of bike marathon thingy in our usual place. ^_^; It was awhile before people actually started to come for the showing. So I hung out for twenty minutes or so with Craig and Luke before the show started. Someone gave Luke pictures from Sakura Con, and I got to look at them -- it was nice to relive some memories. >D
The first show was eps. 3-4 of Phantom Quest Corps, and they had this one line that said: "It's the stupid things that males do that make females cry." Which was rather, erm, fitting for the current situation with my friend. O_o But then, Kodomo no Omocha was the whole storyline with Sana and Rei's "break-up," which was just ... bad. X_x Recca was nice distinctly *non*-lovey dovey. ^_^;;;
But! We're determined to avoid the issue of guys. At least, in terms of relationships. Our "Anime Posse" is almost all guys -- friend and I are like the owners of a harem. XD (But I mean it; if you know us, that would just sound wrong. Because our personalities are just too anal-retentive and goody-goody for that. ^_^;)
I'm purposely ignoring my studying right now, IMing neechan and Lili-chan. >P Tomorrow I'm going in for an AP History study session, though. Other, less ambitious classmates (from the Anime Posse >D) are going to play DDR at Wonderland. _o_
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Friday, May 4, 2001 // 04:51 p.m.
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"You," Hamasaki Ayumi
Erm ... Heh. Well, I guess I didn't realize my post would worry people so much. ^_^> I don't actually have a real problem; my friend and I just each have respective males whom we have ... issues with. The biggest problem was with my other friend -- I don't want to go into it, but she and her boyfriend aren't going out anymore.
*sigh* Saying that just makes it sound so ... trivial, like your typical teenage problem. And I realize that it isn't the end of the world, but ... My friend is a lot like me, in some aspects -- generally introverted, and serious. I worry. Plus, she's a real sweetie, and it's terrible to see her cry. But she was better today; I couldn't say she's "moving on," but she was thinking about other things. She's taking the SATs tomorrow, like Lili-chan, but after that (or, rather, after anime), a bunch of us are going to go out and have mindless fun. (No wild partying, though -- that's going to wait until next Friday after the AP exam. o.o)
So ... yes. I just am currently irritated with/troubled by several members of the male population right now. They're so -- clueless sometimes. My friend always wanted to get flowers; just a romantic little gesture like that. But since some people are eternally oblivious, she never got them. I brought her some this morning, though, and that made her smile. See? It's the simple things, boys. But that was the extent of my troubles. Not hugely major. I didn't mean to sound like a stereotypical female and get all vengeful bitch or anything. ^_^; It's just that doing anything to my friends awakens my mama bear persona, and woe to those whom I target. >_>
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Thursday, May 3, 2001 // 04:43 p.m.
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Guys suck.
That is all.
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