I hate weddings. The tradition, the crappy music, the crying, the lovey-dovey sentiments . . it's like watching an 8-hour romantic comedy. >_<

Thankfully, I've managed the avoid them for the past 20 years . . until now. >_< My cousin has sent our family an invitation and engraved in flowery font . . was my name.

( My initial reaction )

If *that* wasn't bad enough, my cousin just had to choose MY LEAST FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN ALL VANCOUVER for her reception. My family has dragged me there a dozen times now, and each time I could barely eat anything without feeling sick. In fact, my parents went to a wedding reception last year at that restaurant and all the guests got sick from food poisoning!! Does this not validate my intense fear??

Now I'm frantically trying to find an excuse to get out of this!!! If anyone out there can think of something, ANYTHING, I can do on August 18th that doesn't involve jumping in front of a large moving object, pleeeease let me know ASAP!!! Saving souls = good karma!!

---

( Hello, my name is Ken. )

---

J-Music Video ticker: A fan's interpretation of Utada Hikaru's Addicted to You. It's been awhile since I've laughed this hard. (Thanks surgingshark!)

Film festival news ticker: The results from Cannes are in and CNN reports: "The movie lineup for Cannes was weighty, with recurring themes like death, abortion, loss and aging." In Richard Roeper's fantastic report on this year's Sundance Film Festival, he reported the same recurring theme: lots of death, lots of despair, lots of angst. While I've liked many dark movies, I think I echo Roeper's message to filmmakers: LIGHTEN UP!

Something has been really bugging me recently, so I went out armed with my camera so I could share it with you.

( They couldn't afford the rent and died . . )

---

Links Ticker: Watch chicken eggs hatch live! (Thanks neonnurse!) The new eggs actually started hatching yesterday and here's an adorable picture I took last night:


Quiznos Ticker: The BBQ Smokehouse Chicken: A sandwich created by the "12 Chefs of Quiznos." Aaand . . it's a good sandwich, just expected more with all the hype. ^_^ Not really a fan of BBQ sauce, the main reason I tried it was that it was a Limited Time Offer. :P Grade: B+

An unsaid New Year Resolution of mine was to avoid ranting about my family, but 3 months later and I already can't stands no more! I mean, I just got hit by a yoga mat!! A yoga mat!!

( The Build-Up to said-Yoga Mat -- )

---

J-Music Video ticker: Kokia - The Power of Smile: More like The Power of Time Manipulation. ;)
Wrestling ticker: The Giant vs. The Great Muta: I used to find WCW Muta boring, but this match is surprisingly fun. The ending's when the real fun begins though. :)

For all the four-eyes out there, do you ever put your glasses beside your pillow before you go to bed? I do, aaaand you can probably see where this story is going. I woke up in the early morning to take out the trash, then as I was falling back into bed, I inadvertedly knee-dropped my glasses.

Surprisingly, when I put them on, they were still fine! . . that is, until later that night. While I was teaching my student, one arm suddenly slid off. o_O When I got home to try to fix it, the other arm fell, too. I tried holding it up to my eyes like a monocle but that made my own arms sore. :P

( And it doesn't end there . . )

---

I. CAN'T. BELIEVE. Entertainment Tonight is *still* devoting 90% of its programming to Anna Nicole Smith. She's been headlining every episode for months, and they even managed to spread a one-time interview with her lawyer-fiance over 3 weeks! Unfortunately, I can't avoid the show because my mom leaves the TV tuned to ET during dinner. >_< If that's not enough, Access Hollywood is next with its obsessive camera-moving-and-zooming-in-and-out at stationary people. Do we really need to see that many different angles of the same coffin?

I mean, I *am* interested in entertainment news, but nowadays, I prefer TMZ.com where I can skip over stuff I'm not interested in (seems like TV entertainment programs are getting lazy and taking all their news from TMZ anyway ;) ).

SEGUE: Speaking of Anna Nicole, her Wiki has **73** citations!! That's even more than my 30 page final thesis!! There's like a citation after every sentence!! This seems like a pretty common problem on Wiki's celeb pages . . Britney Spears is up to 78 and she's not even dead yet. >__>

---

J-Music video ticker: Otsuka Ai - CHU-LIP - Early every year, Otsuka does a crazy music video, and this one's her craziest yet. I attempted to translate it to figure out what the heck was going on . . but it was too crazy. I assume it has something to do with wanting to become a toilet?
Wrestling ticker: "Worst Wrestling Promo Ever" even Mean Gene loses it. XD
Links ticker: "Wild Hogs" was difficult to write - says Disney execs.

P.S. RIP Bad News Brown. Another of my favorite pro-wrestlers. ;_; Is this going to be a monthly thing??

Hey I just realized, I've now followed pro-wrestling for 20 years! It started in 1987 with a TV match involving Iron Mike Sharpe of all people. o_O

Very belated due to work and jdrama. So do me a favor, close your eyes and imagine it's the end of 2006 again. Snowballs, snowmen, snow angels, snow cones . . got it? Good, now open your eyes and read on . . IF YOU DARE!! Mwahahaha.

★ The Best Japanese Music I-M-O of 2006 ★

Unlike 2005, I actually watched more than 10 videos this year. Way, way, waaay more. Of course, my eyeballs have their limits and I didn't watch all of them, so if I missed a hidden gem somewhere let me know. ;)

( Best Music Videos )

( Best Song )

IYO: I'm also really curious as to which music videos and songs you liked the most from 2006 . . Japanese, English, German, Swahilian, your armpit, whatever, just let me know. :)

Sadly, I don't think there'll be a Best of 2007 because JASRAC GET MAD! I just don't get it. Sure, Youtube needs to be controlled for movies and TV series, but music videos are made for the sole purpose of marketing songs. JASRAC is getting free international advertising here, but they're still mad. I mean, all these Western media companies like Warner and CBS are realizing its potential and joining the fun. *sigh* I kinda get an impression that the animosity partly stems from some kinda xenophobic paranoia, or "Crap! Everyone's gonna find out our music is crap!" but in any case, I just wish everyone could get along. And if not, we could just ban Japanese IPs like what happened to Brazil? >:)

---

Music Video Ticker: On the other hand, Chase - Chase Me! is the Worst Song and Video of 2006 and likely all time. These girls make William Hung sound like an angel. Luckily, the producer must be dead by now from whatever he was smoking when he signed them to a contract. Someone needs to lock Chase in a karaoke room forever; I'll personally volunteer to swallow the key!!

CNET has always been one of my favorite sites, and for the past few months, I've been using it to find a good Portable Media Player. On nearly every single page I checked out was a video review by Senior Editor of Digital Audio, James Kim. He quickly became my favourite CNET reporter because, unlike the rest, he never sounded bored, never sounded scripted, never made any corny jokes (like I would've) -- he just told the facts with a smile and really knew his stuff. I'd go as far to say that James Kim was my favorite on-line reporter because he was the only reporter whose name I could remember. :P

Well, my favourite online reporter is dead. He was driving home after Thanksgiving, got lost, and apparently fell into a creek and froze to death while trying to find help for his wife and kids. The family miraculously survived the 10 day ordeal, and if Kim had just stayed with them for another day rather than head out on the 9th, he would've been alive. The full tragic story.

This is one of those deaths that really bums me out. Some of my favourite celebs died this year but I wasn't as affected. Steve Irwin - shocked, but not bummed. Don Knotts - shocked, but not bummed. Everyday citizen James Kim - shocked AND bummed. I dunno, maybe it's the fact that he wasn't a celebrity and just an everyday dad trying to protect his family.

Or maybe it's really just, "Of all the reporters in the world, why my favourite? And at 35? And while he was trying to save his wife, his 4 year old kid and 7 month old baby?! Wazzupwitdat, God?!"

Having trouble putting my thoughts together for this one, so let's just say it was one of those "There is no God" days.

Before I start making fun of all the movies you love again, I just wanted to rant a little about DVD Menus. I've ignored it for awhile, but it's finally starting to get on my nerves. When DVDs first came out, you'd pop in the DVD, instantly arrive at a static menu, hit play and your movie started.

But NOW(adays) you often have to sit through long UNSKIPPABLE commercials (ex. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Shrek 2, the Bournes, etc.) before getting to the menu. And when you finally do reach the menu, you have to wait for all this pre-menu video to play before you can start the DVD!! Offenders include Shrek, Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan . . Wedding Crashers was the worst of the worst with 45 seconds of pre-menu waiting. >_< Then there's the ADDITIONAL wait between menus . . if I want to flip to chapter 16, I don't want to see Obi Wan's light saber duel every time I press the ">" button!

Still, nothing will ever top the evil unskippable John Lasseter intro to the Disney's Ghibli DVDs where upon pushing play, John pops up and basically spoils the whole movie for you before it starts. And what does Ghibli do to protest this annoying outrage? They make a Thank You, Lasseter-san DVD in his honor. >_<

In short, cut the crap and just let me watch the movie, people!!!

( Mr. and Mrs. Smith )


( War of the Worlds )


( The Bourne Supremacy )


( My Big Fat Greek Wedding )


( Wedding Crashers )

One year removed and I really shouldn't bother getting mixed up in Japanese news as if I still lived there, but this one's been really bugging me lately. Here's how the story goes in layman's terms . .

When Emperor Akihito dies, by Imperial Law, his first-born son (Prince Naruhito) inherits the throne.
.
.

BUT when Naruhito dies, what then? By Imperial Law, only MALES can inherit the throne. And Naruhito only has a daughter (Aiko). How about the rest of the Imperial Family's kids? Nope, maleless since 1965.
.
.

Newspapers are calling this A CRISIS!! But to me, it just takes a VERY simple, obvious and overdue change to the law = ALL HAIL EMPRESS AIKO!!
.
.

So now with the public pressure, the government's going nuts and Prime Minister Koizumi's panicking like a cornered bull stingray: "Great Shades of Elvis-sensei! What do I do?? I don't wanna be the guy that changes a million year old tradition! Taihen dattebayo!"
.
.
.

Many, many years later, FINALLY, the government says, "OK OK, we'll change the law!" but SUDDENLY, second-born son Prince Akishino says, "WAAAITT!! My wife is pregnant!!" and Koizumi yells: "STOP!!!! KILL THE BILL!! Let's wait a little longer and see if THIS BABY IS A BOY!!"
.
.

-_-#

Today, Prince Akishino's wife gave birth to a BOY, so Japan breathes a sigh of relief, Imperial Law stays and Koizumi's rockin' away to "Love Me Tender" at a Shibuya karaoke bar.

I've always rooted for the underdog, and in Japan, the greatest underdog is women. Sure, it's not as bad as some other Asian countries, but it still could use some improvement . . I mean, it's a democratic country, it's the 2000s, and inequality was so 30 years ago. So, what's up with all this male-only stuff?

Yes, I really wanted it to be a girl, because maybe it takes a female leader to change an archaic perception. I'm not talking some crazy reform of getting rid of pin-up girls and Morning Musume (Hey, I love Goto Maki!!) What I mean by perception is that with a woman in power, perhaps more women will feel empowered, too. Perhaps they'll realize that they shouldn't have to quit their job when they get married, or be the only cook for the whole family, or be required to serve tea by default. Or be the pink ranger instead of the red one. ;) There were many strong girls in the generation of students I taught, and I just want them to stay that way.

In short: screw tradition and ALL HAIL EMPRESS AIKO!!

Being a stickler can be a gift and a curse. Working on the high school newspaper, it was a gift, as I could spot mistakes in an article with a brief scan. But since leaving high school, it's been a curse. I notice mistakes every day, and I no longer have the power to correct them. Reading myspace and youtube gives me a headache. But hey, I'm human, I make writing mistakes all the time, too, and I'm still not sure how semi-colons work. So while I wish more people would proofread before posting, I'm pretty tolerant.

Not this time. An ALT on the FuJET mailing list posts more times on there than anyone I've ever known, and he also has the worse English I've ever known. Some of his recent post headlines include: "FRi Nite. Drty 30s coktail prty," "hey do any of U know an online site to buy habu-shu," and "oI MEGAN. iVE LOST YA EMAIL ADDRESS." How can a guy that's job is to teach English be so bad at English? But the thing that really set my head a-fire was his most recent announcement: he has been chosen as the new publisher for FuJET!! o_O Dudes, this isn't the guy you want editing anything!

As further proof, his post included this cryptic message about the annual FuJET ski day: "Also It wont improve your sexuality, although ski day is a proven there. any injuries sustained during the consumption of this message are entirely the readers personal fault. Bwa ahahahahahahaha." I have studied Shakespeare, I have studied Beowulf, and I still have no idea what he's trying to say. >_<

Segue . .
Tell me I'm not the only wrestling fan who notices something wrong with pro-wrestler Randy Orton's proposed new t-shirt:



( Two more World Wrestling Entertainment t-shirts that bug me . . )

Again, it's not really the bad English alone that annoys me, but it's the fact that here you have a multimillion dollar company that apparently only has enough money to hire elementary kids to type its t-shirts. -_-;

In short, thank you everyone on my f-list for knowing how to spell. ;)

Wikipedia is a good source of up-to-date, immediate information . . sometimes. Its advantage and disadvantage is that it's open to everyone to edit, and not everyone knows how to write an encyclopedia article. I often find a lot of generalizations, a lack of citations, heavy use of informal voice, and many, oh so many typos. Some articles are so poorly written that it makes myspace look like Encyclopedia Britannica. x_x

So the other day, I was looking around Wikipedia for information on "Japanese TV" and "Golden Hour" and here's three articles I came across:

Article 1: In this article, someone wrote up a long list of "Japanese television programs well known in English speaking countries." Um, well, I agree that everyone knows Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Pokemon and The Iron Chef. The rest of the list though would probably get a big "HUH?" from most of my non-anime watching friends and family -- heck, even I don't know some of them! So this theory calls for a poll . .

Poll #773965
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 28

Which shows do you know?

Article 2: Now this was much more insightful and well-written . . until the end. Under Examples, they write "An example of a highly regarded Japanese TV drama is Nobuta wo Produce." Now Nobuta was a good drama, it was popular, but highly regarded? I mean, I love SekaChu, it won even more of those TV awards, but even I wouldn't call it highly regarded.

I dunno . . when I think highly regarded jdrama, the only thing that comes to mind is NHK's year-long historical dramas, which have all the big-name stars, consistantly high ratings and appeal to all ages. I could be wrong though . . maybe luxvesperis or some other jdrama expert could shed some light? What's an example of a highly regarded drama?

Article 3: Finally, a well-written article about jdrama! Actually, while I found the article through Wiki, it isn't on Wiki itself so maybe that explains why. ;) Even though I often defend jdrama, I gotta admit, this is the most well-written criticism of jdrama I've read so far and recommended reading for anyone interested in pop culture trends and differences.

Yesterday, I had my first interview for an ESL teacher position and I completely bombed it. As soon as the interviewer sat down, my hands started to shake and I could barely answer a single question. Even hours after the interview was over, my heart was still racing, I was short on breath and my throat was still dry. It was a terrifying experience, I had never felt this nervous before! But this was really a typical interview, nothing unusual about it at all. So now I'm just gonna ramble a bit as I try to figure out why I was so nervous because it's driving me nuts.

( What's to blame? )

It really, really frustrates me because my cover letter says that I'm a passionate teacher, and in my head I'm a passionate teacher, but I just can't seem to convey that I'm a passionate teacher when I'm a nervous wreck. And it's also embarassing when everyone I know has a job except me. Even all these convicts that make the news have jobs! People with criminal records and little education can pass job interviews, so how come I can't??

I hate breaking promises, but all bets are now off as far as getting a job within two weeks go. Instead, I think I'm going to meet up with some friends this week for some social rehabilitation. I think I've been trying to avoid meeting people for so long because I hate being the only one at the table who's still unemployed and careerless. >_< Job = confidence.

EDIT: Ah ha, I think my new goal for the next two weeks is to regain that confidence I had in Japan, or at least be more confident than I am now!! ;)

Please note that I don't have any problem with Angelina Jolie. While I've never watched any of her movies, she's a good humanitarian and donates lotsa time & money to the third world, so it's all good. :)

But 5 straight days of hearing about her baby is another story.

( Click here for this another story )

This incoherent ramble was brought to you by Entertainment Filler Tonight. Now sleepzzZzz . .

At the start of school, I vowed to be the best student in Geology, the best student in Geography, and the best student in History!!!bbbbut, I soon ran into the snag known as keeners. Yes, each of my classes had a couple of these super-energetic know-it-alls, and eventually I just gave up trying to top them and blogged more than studied. ^^; Well, the results are finally in, and I'm shocked very much:

Physical Geology: 92% (1st!)
Geography of BC: 88% (3rd ;_; )
History of Canada: 90% (tied for 1st!)

Eh, 2 outta 3 isn't bad. :) Plus, I had a 70% average at UBC, so it feels really good to be above-average for the first time in my post-secondary studies. Anyway, I'm glad these teaching prereqs forced me back to school for awhile -- it kept my brain busy and was mostly enjoyable.

One grudge I did have was with the textbooks. They were big, they were bad, they were expensive, etc, as usual. I've been thinking about a solution for awhile, and here's the result of my brainstorming.

( The solution: E-books, and 4 reasons why )

---

In other news, the animal from two entries ago is saved! The mother finally came back last night to carry it away. I sure was getting worried, it wasn't looking too healthy when we found it, and both the SPCA and Wildlife Rescue Centre refused to take it. What kinda animal shelter refuses to shelter an animal?? -_-;

If you're curious, it was most likely a baby raccoon according to my dad. We've seen raccoons in our area before, and from the pic, there does seem to be black patches developing around its eyes. So congratulations hiroe_chan, caithion, chibi_pink and cipster! You win . . um, free journal plugs! ^^b

I just wrote a 4686-word essay using 92 references . . for an assignment that asked for 2000 words and 5 references.

"You wanna keep your message to the point and simple. When you make it too detailed, too complex, it goes over the head of the people." - Donald Trump's Business Lesson 3.20

I think he was talking to me. ><

Segue: Canadian fired -- because you're too ugly?
The Canadian was fired on Monday's "The Apprentice." Even though he didn't have the total package to win, I was DISGUSTED by how his teammates treated him throughout all four episodes. And it's not hard to see why . .


This is The Canadian. Atypical male contestant.


In contrast, this is the Tall British Guy. Typical male contestant.

This week, the Tall British Guy stuttered and screwed up the team's corporate presentation. What happens to him after the commercial break? He's in bed, being consoled by two of his female teammates, talking about what an embarassment THE CANADIAN was today!!

But how can you blame The Canadian? This week and EVERY week, he tries to help, he brainstorms a ton of ideas, but everyone ignores him.

. . EVERY week, he was ostracized by his teammates by being assigned solitary tasks that wouldn't interfere with their plans
. . EVERY week, his teammates have a little get-together to complaint about The Canadian and what an embarassment he is to the team
. . EVERY week, they would mock and laugh at him during meetings
. . And even when he gives the winning idea to the team in Episode 1, his efforts STILL go unacknowledge and they STILL keep calling him a moron behind his back!

And when he finally snaps and confronts his team on how he's being ignored and mistreated, they call him dangerous and a loose cannon. Everyone else on the team is being treated as an equal, except him . . so why shouldn't he get mad?

The Canadian had so much energy, so many creative ideas, and was so entertaining to watch. I had never seen anyone like him on the show, and maybe that was his downfall. Because he was physically different, because he didn't look like Max Steele like all the other contestants, he was considered a disgrace, the weakest link, and everyone couldn't wait to get rid of him. *sigh* It's just crazy how these contestants have the BEST education from the BEST schools across the globe, yet they still act like children.

Bleh, I could go on, but instead, here's two quotes that sum it up nicely . .

"It is very common for people to focus on the faults of others to divert attention from their own shortcomings."
- Bill Ransic, Season 1 winner

"Life is full of different people. Sometimes you'll see a person -- They dress beautifully, they look great, they're sharp, they speak well. Everything's perfect, but they're losers. Then you'll see somebody that doesn't look as good. They don't have the right clothing, they don't have the right face, they don't have anything right. But they turn out to be winners. Time shows that they turn out to be winners. You can never judge a book by its cover."
- Donald Trump's Business Lesson 3.6

Well, with The Canadian gone, I'm gonna start rooting for The Russian. He has this no-nonsense, brutally honest straight-forwardness, and is really the only entertaining guy left on the show. Unlike The Canadian, Donald seems to like The Russian, and I seriously think he could really pull it off.

In his rare second appearance in one day, Kevin explains the NOOOOOOO!! above.

( Spoilers for those with NBC only )

P.S. I really miss the old style of scoring. It was just so exciting when the announcer going "5.6, 5.9, SIX!" and everyone would cheer. And you could see how the countries were scoring, complain about country-bias, etc. ^^ The new system, they just flash two numbers quickly, and you get only one chance to cheer or boo. :P Plus, from the looks of this (spoiler), it doesn't look like the judges are agreeing any more than before. Are they gonna apply this to other subjective sports like diving, too?

Just finished exam week, school going fine so far except . .

( My teaching program application is majorly screwed ;_; )

---

Some other news that's bugged me lately . .

Last week, everyone was going nuts over that Cheney incident, but I'm Canadian so I really couldn't care less. EXCEPT, through some God-awful Cheney flash game I refuse to link to, I was forwarded to this interesting article about the QUAILS. Everyone's been talking about Cheney & the lawyer, but no one cares about the quails. ;_;

And student goes missing in the U.S. but no one's looking for him because he's too ugly. -_-;

Bleh, gonna watch some figure skating to cheer me up. But if Slutskaya doesn't win . . ;_;

I like Japan, heck, I am certified goodwill ambassador, but feeling more ill than good will after reading this (discovered by shingomama)

( A long complementary rant for people who like to read ^^; )

That aside, let's get lighthearted. Tonight's "Top 10 Good Things About Winning a Gold Medal" was classic. Click!

I started writing a paragraph about how bad today was, but I decided to delete it since I think I want some time to calm down and reflect on it. In a nutshell, I can't believe it was my final day in Hirono, and my JTE is still acting like a jerk towards me. >< Ima made, honto ni arigatou for nothing.

But my biggest problem of the day was that all my stuff that I sent home on July 25th HAVEN'T BEEN SENT HOME!! They're still in Hirono Post Office!!! The office workers explained that I sent them home on the day the ships in Canada WENT ON STRIKE!! WAZZUPWITDAT?!! Right now, I'm Google-ing "Canada strike" but I'm getting nothing. Has anyone heard anything about this? ><

Arg, so much stress. The ships are striking indefinitely, so the post office says they cannot keep my stuff in storage. Meanwhile, my boss and the JTE jerk who happened to be dropping something off were pressuring me to send it by air. The 7 boxes already costed me 74,000 yen . . and by air would've been about another 100,000 yen apparently. >< I made another suggestion about leaving it with the boss at AiAi, but my JTE kept telling me, "No, this is your stuff, don't bother other people about it." AiAi is like a 30 second drive from the post office, and I tried to explain to my JTE how close I am with that family, but he didn't seem to believe it. So eventually with me not budging to pay and my JTE not allowing me to leave it with AiAi, the post office caved in and will keep my stuff for awhile longer, after which my boss is gonna store it . . in the garbage an undisclosed location. ><

Stupid shipping company . . I'm not buying Highliner fishsticks anymore . .

It's 2 am and I'm 90% sure I won't be on that bus going to Fuji-san in 8 hours. As I unsuccessfully tried to fit some extra clothes into my backpack, I looked around at the mess of my house and realized I still haven't packed, I still haven't finished my big school project, I still haven't written my speeches, and I still haven't started on the final update for the English bulletin board.

I'm just not ready. I had no idea when I reserved my seat in June that I would be this busy in July. I will climb one day, as a tourist who doesn't have to worry about job deadlines, but as for now, it's just not the time.

The 10% of me still wants to go badly, even if it was just halfway. But the amount of work I have to do needs the full long weekend with me at 100%, and I have no time to wait for FuJET in the bus. I feel like such an assclown. >< Dammit, what was I thinking, why is this happening, ARRGGGG!!!!

Looks like it's Calorie Mate and Wieder Energy Drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow . .