The Secret Life of Bees

I'm reading a book called The Secret Life of Bees for my Reading class' book report(due on July 27). I just finished reading chapter 3, and on chapter 4 right now. I really love the book so far; it illustrates racism in the 1960's when the president was Johnson.
I usually don't like reading, and I don't want to read the other book that is assigned for this class, Little Brother, but I'm thrilled to finish reading The Secret Life of Bees and writing the book report for it.

The Lost Thing- Analysis

Notice how the town that the man lived in looked somewhat sad and dark. (I remember Dr. Armstrong mentioning that it had a sort of "dystopian" feel to it) On the other hand, the hidden world that was the home of the "lost thing"―the robot-kettle-octopus-looking creature―felt happy and warm. I felt that this place had a playground-like atmosphere, and the rest of the "things" there were small children who weren't yet exposed to the hardships and pain of going out into society. Another aspect that caught my attention was the man explaining he gradually stopped seeing things around town that had a similar vibe as the "lost thing". This led me to think that the creature was a symbol for innocence. My analysis is that as the memory of the "thing" started to fade from the man's memory, his hope for a happier world―a world where people can have dreams and be their true selves, without being strapped down to the society's expectations―faded away as well.

Updated blog

The appearance of the blog changed so much! Is this because Dr.Armstrong enabled the comments? I kinda like this theme better. Anyways I'd better work on my literary analysis and book report. I hope y'all have a nice weekend:)

Various Responses

Hey everyone! I am coming in to reply to some things. I always read this but I don’t jump in much because I really try to let this be YOUR forum. It is Too Easy for me to talk and dominate the proceedings so I want to let you guys have this free space. 🙂

Ryota made a good point about “what is a discussable topic?” Yes, an experienced “discusser” can probably find the social debate issue in practically anything. But, not everyone is in that category. It is clear that some issues are more “information” and others are both “understandable” and “opinion diverse”. Those latter are the ones that make the Best Discussions. If you want to present a topic, make sure to Frame the Debate such that varied points of view are clearly possible.

Mai (and others) has been wanting to know about Comments. When I used to have Comments, no one ever read them because they get “buried” in a second level. I’ll tell you what: let’s experiment with Bringing Them Back. OK? I will re-enable the Comments from today and we will see if we can get even better interaction. You should be able to clearly see a “Post a Comment” hotlink at the bottom of each post. Blog on!

The Lost Thing: Symbol; Theme

Symbols:
The things that are lost - creativity 
The dark building where the boy first tried to take the lost thing first - things that limit people's creativeness
The city - the city seemed to be in a darker color than the room the boy opens up later in the video, which represents the coldness and ignorance of the people. 
Colors - The colors seemed to flourish where the lost thing had belonged, the creativeness. 
Bell - connection. By ringing the bell, the lost thing was able to communicate(at least a little) with the boy.

Theme:
I think the theme for this video was to put the focus on the issues that the society face such as the belonging, alienation, conformity and the suppression of creativity and imagination by using colors and unique designs. 
As a child, the boy didn't have as much suppression of creativity put onto him from other people, so he was able to imagine and care for those who didn't belong, or fit in. As he grew older, though, he started to unsee the lost ones, because of the busy-ness of the city and because he is always chased by the clock. 
There was a  border of the world that the boy lived in and where the lost thing belongs.
These colors made me think that the boy cannot enter the world of creativity somehow, perhaps because he will turn like his parents who had thrown away all the thoughts and ideas that they used to have when they were younger.

The lost thing

Symbols:
1.The lost thing--People who don't fit into this society
2.The industrialize society--Our plain boring life
3.Bottle top--the left pure naivety in boy
4.The world behind the door--An idea colorful world with enjoyment and no stress of pressure to live
5.The big gray building--where people used to dump their last pure naivety at because they were told to
Theme(messages):
It's like the book the little price, this is a film for grown-ups who used to have a colorful childhood and then grow bigger and becomes a boring adult who can not afford play but to take responsibility of live.
The little boy used to collect bottle tops when he still has the pure heart and the ability to enjoy the time spend on "meaningless thing", but then he grown up worrying about being found by his parents so he found this place and left his naivety out at that world behind the door and become a adult which he has to.
To be a adult doesn't mean we have to give up the ability of dreaming and playing, even though life could be hard sometimes but don't forget to retract your naivety after all.

I’m dying too

Global warming??? 39 degrees Celsius in Hokkaido is just insane. My mother likes to stay eco-friendly and we try hard to survive with the fan as possible, but this summer, I think I will die without the air conditioner. I hope no more people die because of heatstroke this summer...

Meme

I guess it won't be a lie if I said that I mostly spend my time looking at memes on Instagram. I know that that is a waste of time, but some times they could be really funny. Just the other day, I found a meme where a girl taught herself to run like a horse. It was dumb to the point that I laughed out loud. I've gotta go and learn her skills (jk

Motivation to clean

This morning, I watched some Youtubers cleaning and remodeling their rooms and it motivated me to clean up my room. I had a big pile of clothes stacked in the middle of my room and with that gone, my room feels a lot bigger. (I have to start being able to keep my room clean for more than two days..

Australia

One of my great friends is going to Australia from this weekend for her university. It's not one of the 留学 type. She will spend her whole university life in Australia. Does anybody think of going abroad like next year or something?

I'm dying

The temperature is going crazy. It's still the end of the May, but it's like 32 degrees celcius outside. What is going on!? I think I won't be able to stand this heat in like July or August because it's gonna be much hotter than now... I think I should buy one of the handy fans haha.

Latte art

Yesterday I participated in the barista seminar. I was forced to go for my part time job. It was only 2 hours but having so much to learn and drinking espresso and coffee was tough. (still don’t understand why people like coffee) I never thought that coffee bean, coffee machines, and steamers can be so delicate. Making a latte was the hardest. You have to make the right amount of foam in the right texture with the steamer. A small change in how you hold and move the container totally changes the latte. No matter how hard I tried, the latte ended up looking like coffee with a big white mushroom on top. I guess I need tons of practice to make a pretty latte with a perfectly shaped heart.

Korea

Last Friday, I went to shin okubo for the first time. I was really happy that I finally got to go there because I’ve been into kpop and Korean dramas for a while. And I also love spicy food, so Korea is literally heaven for me. I hope I can visit the country soon! Annyeong!

Again a concert!

I went to a concert yesterday again! It was a concert of « utaite ». From the last concert I went to my friend and I found a person who sung really good so we decided to go to another one where he performs. He sung really really good!! He is in a band as well and they’re going to be in a small concert in July so we’re thinking of going to that one too!

On Saturday

on Saturday I went to my club and we had to perform in front of the whole club members. I got really nervous because we had less than a month to practice it! I started off not badly, but as I was playing I felt like I was going back and forth a lot. At first I thought it was just me because there are some vibrations when playing, but I saw people watching starting to look around a bit. I then realized that there was an earthquake. I was surprised and I thought of stopping but everyone continued so although I made some mistakes because of that I finished the song. It was really surprising.

left my student card on the tray;(

I had a lunch with my friends at school's cafeteria and when I finished I just left my card on the tray. So I have my card washed for an hour until the staff find it for me and clear it up. How nice of them to clear it up for me~
I won't do that again!!

Does this count?

I really think we should ask Dr.Armstrong about this reply system....Is this the link below like this one count as reply?

already 2 months!!

I can not believe June is starting in less than a week!

Already 2 months has past after we started university, and it went by really quickly. I think the first few months of university is very unforgettable because we experience and learn many new things and meet many new people. 

Actually, I don't know if it's 'already 2 months' or 'still 2 months' because we just finished half of the first semester and still have another 2 months till our summer vacation. I'm scared of the projects and tests but also scared of the hot weather and temperature!

LIVE

I went to a live of the band 'flumpool' last Wednesday. I was in the fifth row and it was so close. I went because I was given free tickets, and did not know many of their songs, but I really enjoyed their performance. My friend will take me to the live of 'official 髭男dism' tomorrow, and I will also go to amuse fes this Saturday. No music no life. I like all kinds of music, so please let me know if you have any recommendations of songs:)

“There’s no discussion “

In our class, we often talk about what is discussion-worthy and what is not.
My question is, what makes a topic discussion-worthy?
I mean, is there a single thing that we cannot discuss about?
Say we’re talking about how to take care of pigeons.
We definitely can discuss about this.
Why do we pet pigeons and not other birds? Is it ethical to treat pigeons this way?
Why do we not treat pigeons like dogs? Do pigeons think and feel? Things like that.
I know it takes skill for the presenter to lead the group into these discussions when it’s not obvious,
but can we disregard any topic saying “there’s no discussion “?
I don’t know.

I’m just saying guys please chill out.

what clothes I wear

I mostly wear hooded sweatshirts and skinny pants because it is simple. However, it has getting really hot, so I think it's my limit to wear hooded sweatshirts. I think I am going to wear just t-shirts in summer.

Is it really May?

The temperature is too high recently. It’s still May, but I feel like it’s already summer! It is often said that people who were born in summer season likes summer, but for me it doesn’t match. I would rather choose spring or autumn... I was born in August but I hate summer.

When were you guys born, and do you like the season you were born?

Summer

On Friday after the first class, I went to a shaved ice cafe with my friend. We ordered a milk tea shaved ice and a strawberry ice cream. It was a very very very hot day, so eating the shaved ice and ice cream was a good idea.

After that, I met another friend from my high school, and went to Shibuya's HMV, 109, and MAG7 since our favorite singer, 'Seventeen' collaborated with those shops. There were many posters displayed and musics played all over the streets and shops, and I enjoyed going to pop-up stores, mini museum, and their cafe.

I enjoyed walking around but it was too hot! I'm so scared of summer! 😱

GOT

I started watching the game of thrones series since last Friday as I’ve been hearing lots of good comments about it. I still can’t get a grasp on the whole plot since I’m still on episode 2, but I think I’ll enjoy the whole series judging by the story so far.

Re: Yukino; Mai

I think Mr. Armstrong told us that we're supposed to reply to other people by making a new post as Mai said.
I don't think there's any other way for us to respond to other people's post.

Replying to Yukino

I don't really know if this is the right way to reply, but as far as hearing what Prof. Armstrong had explained in the past, I think this is how we are supposed to reply to the post. Does anyone else know how to reply besides this?   

new partner

I bought a new black laptop. Now I can do my assignments at school, not struggling at home. Writing reports on the laptop gets me more motivated than on phone.

Question

Hey, I'm wondering, how do I comment on other people's posts?? I really want to, (and we're supposed to, right?) but I don't know how to do it.

Random entry about random stuff

Hi. So I really don't have anything to talk about this week so I'm just gonna ramble on about random small stuff. 

It's getting really hot, isn't it? I love wearing simple t-shirts and jeans so I really like how the weather is these days. I'm really weird because my favorite season is winter, but I prefer summer clothes. I can't wait till it gets hot enough to go out without worrying about whether I should take a jacket with me, but I also can't wait till it gets cold again so I can bury myself in blankets when I sleep. 

I think I'm a little sick right now, I keep coughing and my voice is lower than usual. I apologize if I keep coughing during class. I don't like wearing masks, but I guess I should when I'm sitting close to other people. 

Aaaand....that's about it haha. I hope y'all have a good weekend. 

American Lit

I took a quiz on Monday this week at my American Lit class.
I definitely missed a question on the back, and I'm not that confident on other problems either. I hope I can at least get a passing grade, or get a horrible grade on it and get good grades on the next quizzes since the professor said she's going to drop the lowest exam.
I don't hate this class, but I never had a history class concentrating on slavery issues as much as this class, so I'm not sure if I can get through this course. I'm still deciding on whether or not I should take this course next semester. 

Reading class

I can't believe we're reading three books this semester for my reading class this semester...
I thought we were going to read two books and write two book reports, but it turns out we have to read three books and write two book reports and have one test on the book.
I think I'll read The Silence of the Lambs for the first book report because I really love the movie.
I used to procrastinate a lot in high school, and I really regret it, so I want to go ahead on everything this year.

Question about reading

What do you guys look for when you read a book?
Characters? Plot twist? Rhetorics?
I was kind of confused by the last few classes we had on book report.
We talked a lot about plot related stuffs, such as conflict and irony.
But does a good book need to have a good story?
Also, do every book have a clear theme? Do we have to always learn something from books?
I feel like there are good books where the author doesn’t even know what he is trying to convey.
What do you guys think?
I know we’re trying to write a book report and that’s fine, but books aren’t something to be “reported” in my opinion.

So fun!

Yesterday, we didn't have our second part of the IE class. After eating lunch, I returned to the classroom and saw some of my classmates playing card games.

I joined the group who were playing the card game and I really enjoyed it. Even though we meet often in classes, I think it was my first time spending time with a lot them outside class. I really like my IE classmates because everyone is very friendly and fun, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

We have IE classes only in the first semester, so I'm very sad to think that we will get together for classes only for 8-9 more weeks. I wish the IE classes continued in the next semester. I hope we will all keep in touch even though this semester finishes.

Try vegan

Today in class, our group talked about eating vegan.
I didn’t mention this there, but I eat vegan every weekend.
Eating vegan means you don’t eat any animal source food.
Including meat, milk, fish, egg, nor honey.

What do you eat? You might ask.
Obviously, they eat vegetables. Vegetables are actually very delicious when you realize it.
Vegetables aren’t filling, so they eat a lot of beans.
Beams contains a lot of protein, so they are filling and nutritious.
Soy beans are very useful, since you can make tofu, miso and even soy milk out of them.
They provide variety to vegan food.
There are thing called soy meat, which I’m not a huge fan of, but they taste fairly like meat.
Things like avocados, potatoes and mushrooms are also filling and good.

You first feel very limited when you start a vegan diet, but there are a lot of room for exploration, and seeking for a new possibility is actually pretty fun.
Also, vegetables are delicious, in case if you don’t know.

Stanley Pickle

Setting:

Small house in the country side

Surrounded by fields and forest

Modern day

Conflict:

Protagonist vs Himself

Climax:

The girl runs away after seeing the clockwork bird which the protagonist made for her.

Symbol:

Bird- nature/norms 

House- protagonist’s mental cage

Forests- Outer world/society

Clock- routined everyday life

Irony:

Protagonist creeps out the girl even though he was trying to please her with all his abilities.

Theme:

The film depicts a boy who lives inside a house with his clockwork family; who is isolated from the society, and stuck inside his own fanatical imagination. 

The girl appears as a representation of humanity. She moves in a smooth way, in contrast to the machinery way the boy moves. 

The movie conveys that it is wrong to be secluded inside one’s mind. More so than that, it is wrong to force one’s preference to others. 

We all are the boy in some ways; we all have our own unique mindset and is easy to be secluded. Therefore it is important to remember that, so that we don’t disgust others just like the boy disgusted the girl.

assignment everyday

 we have at least 4 assignments for IE class and not to mention the other class's assignment.I'm doing my part-time job fourth a week so I don't have much time to study as I used to do. Maybe I should reduce the time on part-time job and to study more.

Gluttony

I am shocked at how much of a big eater I am these days. I went to a reunion of my high school class last Sunday and spent around 6000 yen on a normal restaurant. I ate 3 servings of steak hamburg, 3 servings of fried rice with mussels, 2 servings of squid ink pasta, 4 plates of large rice, one big whole french toast  and 4 slices of margherita pizza in just a period of 2 and a half hours. I deeply regret eating this many and spending big money on a normal restaurant. I should’ve just gone to an eat-all-you-can restaurant.

stop bullying me!

I hate mosquitoes! Even in this season I got bitten 6 places by mosquitoes. My body was itchy all day long and it was very stressful. I'm looking forward to the day mosquitoes will disappear.

assignment-Stanley Pickle

setting
・small house, rural area, near a forest
conflict
・person vs himself
climax
・When the boy dug up the dead bird and remodeled it.
symbols
・bird- life, journey
・forest- mystery, unknown world, nature
・wind- spirit, power
・purple- death

irony
・When the boy showed the girl the dead remodeled bird, crying and flying as the boy made it, the girl ran away.


theme
・Life is beautiful because it is only once.
・Love is a special thing only living animals and people can have.

Stanley Pickle

Setting:
Small house, countryside, spring, near the forest

Conflict:
Person vs Himself

Climax:
When the boy dig up the dead bird to bring back a smile of the girl. He finds the dead bird from the grave that the girl made, and turn it into a clockwork bird by taking out all the organs like how he did for his parents.

Symbol:
Wind- Freedom
Bird- Living things
House- the boys territory
Toy- Insensitivity
Forests- Pathway to freedom, decision making
Clock- Never-ending routined everyday life

Irony:
When the girl comes to the bird's grave to put a flower, and meets the boy. After seeing the clockwork bird that a boy made flying oddly, the girl runs away to the forest from fear.

Theme:
The theme of this video is that robots, or artificially made products can not give the love and warmness that the livings thing have. The object might move and do the job that it used todo, but their movement is unnatural, and it does not feel the pain like how living things does. Irony became meaningful for the boy, because he noticed that even if his parents exists and does the work he needs because he made them move systematically, he does not receive the love and warmness that he used to get from them. Until he met the girl and made the bird, he had forgotten what true love and warmness he had been received from his parents when they were alive.
This short video's theme is very meaningful to our society that we live now. As the artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and cloning advances, the possibility of human would become infinite. On the other hand we should never forget, how much similar the technology can duplicate a thing a person that we want, they are no longer the same as what it used to be.

looking for work

i found out that it cost many being a university student. Now i am working at convinience store near my house and i normally work there at weekend. But to earn more money , i am looking for work in shibuya where i could work after school. i would be happy if someone tell me an easy, high payment work.

Stanly Pickel

Setting: countryside, old solitated house

Conflict: boy v.s. death

Cliamx: When the boy made the girl run away and realized that robot(fake) won't make people satisfied.

Symbols:
toy- childhood, past
parent- security feeling
house- safety
bird- life
ribbon- memory
robots (dad mom bird)- fake satisfaction

Irony: He thought the girl will be happy to show the robot bird but it made her run away.

Theme- Dead thig cannot be alive again.

Stanley Pickle

Setting- countryside/small house/forest

Conflict- person vs person

Climax- when the robot (parents) broke and he became alone

Symbols-
-bird: chance, motivation
-forest: society
-parents: dream
-house: freedom

Irony- he made the bird into a robot for the girl, but she rejected it.

Theme- isolating people from the society can make them brainwashed.

My weekend

During the weekend my friend from high school came over! We didn’t do much, but on Sunday we went and sang a lot! I love karaokes.But because I played I didn’t have to do any assignments for this week so I have a lot to do!!

Stanley Pickle

Setting; countryside in a house near the forest. Relatively modern

Conflict; person vs himself

Climax; when Stanley buried his parents and went away in to the woods.

Symbols; Forest- life, freedom
Bird/girl- freedom, path to freedom
House- protection
Ribbon- sadness
Clock- repetition

Irony; When the girl ran away after showing the bird he fixed

Theme; even if it is tough there are things you need to get over. There is nothing good about doing the same cycle over and over again to keep the same life. There are better things in life and if you challenge to step forward there will be a good thing that will come.

Stanley Pickle

Setting: Country side, in a house, summer

Conflict: Person vs Himself

Climax: When the boy turned the screw that he attached to the bird, but the bird became wild and violent

Symbol: Girl/Bird- freedom, friendship
               Purple ribbon- sadness
               Locks on the door- fear
               The screw- life
               Forest- peace
               Clock- routine

Irony: How the bird was not acting itself, even though the same operation was done to his parents

Theme: If you love something let it go, You have to face and overcome reality

The Tokyo University Festival

Last Sunday, I visited the 五月祭 at the University of Tokyo with my friends. It was my first time to visit the university. I was so surprised at the size of the campus. It was extremely big because all of the departments are there. There were so many  shops and people. It was very enjoyable!

Sunflower

My favorite song right now is "Sunflower" by Post Malone. I honestly cannot go a day without listening to it. (It's the song used for the animated SpiderMan film that just came out)
Does anyone listen to Post Malone??

Stanley Pickle

Setting:
Countryside, at an old house in a forest

Conflict:
Person vs. person

Climax:
 The boy leaves from the house and his dead parents. He then disappears into the big forest.

Symbols:
The forest - Life, Living
The bird - Freedom
The parents - things that are dead
The girl - something that leads to freedom

Irony:
The boy thought that the girl would be happy by making the bird alive again, but the girl got scary and ran away from him.

Theme:
I think this video clip teaches us that living things give us something important that robots cannot give us. The boy gave her the robot as a present, but she wasn't pleased. At that moment, he realizes that robots cannot become alternative to living things and decides to leave his house. It is important that we understand this point because the technology of the robot has develped these days and they are introduced to our society.

Stanley Pickle

Setting:
A house that is surrounded by grasses and trees

Point of view:

none

Conflict:

him v.s himself

Climax:

The part where the robot of the bird flew and the girl an away.

Symbol:

Morning symbolizes beggining. Smile symbolizes happiness. Forest symbolizes relaxation. Gear wheel symbolizes something important to activate. Flower symbolizes emotions. 

Irony:

The part where the girl ran away even though the boy did his best.

Theme:

Don't be satisfied with just looking at the visual aspect.

Stanley Pickle

Setting
  countryside / future

Conflict
  Stanley v.s. Death

Climax
  When Stanley lets go of his life with his dead, wired up parents and leaves the house.

Symbol
  Girl.. life, freedom
  Bird...mortality
  Parents...Stanley’s desire for eternity
  House... protection from any change

Irony
  Stanley thought that he can please the girl by fixing the bird but he got rejected.

Theme
  I think the theme is the mortality of human and what it means to live. Repeating the same things everyday in your life may be easy and you may feel protected. However, enjoying the changes and challenging yourself to a broader world is what makes life more interesting.

School festival

On Saturday, after my Korean classes, I went to the school I graduated because they had an event called International Culture Festival. This event is held once a year, and was one of my favorite school events. Since I had classes in the morning, I arrived late. However, I was very happy because I got to see my 後輩's band play few musics. I also met a lot of the junior students and teachers and I had a great time there.

Stanley Pickle (assignment)

Setting:
Relatively modern parallel world. The location is in a house in the middle of a forest.

Conflict:
Person vs. person

Climax:
The girl runs away from him, and the boy stops living with his dead family.

Symbol:
Stanley - childishness
Mother and father - Stanley's weakness and will of love
Girl - freedom, attraction
Bird - life
House - Stanley's narrow world, limit

Irony:
Stanley thought the girl will be happy if the bird moves again, but he scared her instead.

Theme:
Death is unavoidable. Overcoming conflicts will make you grow and will take you to a wider world.

clothes

I had a school uniform when I was in high school, so I didn’t have to choose what to wear so often, but now I have to, and I am having trouble. Whenever I go shopping, I cannot find things to buy. Since summer is coming, there are so many clothes that forces you to show your skin (?) I just sincerely hope the stores to sell something that I can actually wear.

Biri biri

Yesterday, I went to dinner with the store manager from my part time job. Our workplace is very close to the Chinatown so we went there, and she introduced me to a restaurant that she always goes to. She knew that I liked spicy food, so she ordered chicken which she named biri biri. I look up to her because she is talkative, hardworking, and down to earth. I can’t express how thankful I am for her thoughtfulness in looking after me at work.

swimming？？

I went swinning with my friends yesterday, even though I can't swim.  So most of the time there I was
walking or in the sauna. I was able to sleep well last night because I was exhausted.

BBQ

Today I went to BBQ for my サークル SHANTI SHANTI (I don’t know how I am supposed to write it on English). For this BBQ, numbers of university from Kanto area came together. What surprised me the most was that I met my classmate from my high school in this BBQ. I didn’t know what university she went and I wasn’t expecting that I would be able to meet her again, so it was an unexpected meet for me. I hope I’ll be able to meet her again through JCC activity.

The second essay in writing class

I just finished writing the first draft for the second essay in writing class, and the word count was 735 words.
It became too lengthy, so I had to erase about 200 words to make it just about right.
I am not very excited about the topic I'm writing about, unlike the first essay, though. I hope I can get motivated later on.

what I do on weekends

I like to stay in my house on weekends because I don't need to move a lot. Back when I was a junior high school student, I used to play a lot of sports but not anymore. Staying at my house makes me feel comfortable.

Literary terms on Stanley Pickle

Setting:
Rural area, far from the city; mostly during day time

Conflict:
person vs. society

Climax:
When the boy shows the girl a dead bird that he had revived by getting its organs out and replacing it with machines as he did with his parents.

Symbol:
Trees(Forest) - something alive
Bird - living
Parents - dead things
Window & Window - a wall that divides the living and the dead

Irony:
The boy thought that the girl would be happy by making the bird alive again, but instead, he made her scared.

Theme:
What's done cannot be undone.

The boy had been fixing things that were dead already, things that cannot return to what they were before. He finally noticed that what he had been doing was useless when the girl ran away from him. In the end, he had returned his parents into the soil and went into the forest, where he can feel living things around him.

R.I.P

I broke my earphones yesterday. It was only about a month since I bought it. I'm thinking of buying a wireless one next.

Book off

I went to BOOK OFF yesterday to sell some books that I used to study in high school. I had about ten books, and I received 1100 yen for selling them. I thought that they were going to be cheaper than that, so I was happy to be able to get some money back.

A Little Question

I thought I heard Dr.Armstrong mention that we didn't need to include "point of view" for our literary analyses on videos, but I see that a lot of y'all are including it in your blog entries. Should I include it?? Also I tend to make my analyses really really long haha. I have a lot to say! Especially the Stanley Pickle one. It's so thought-provoking, and I feel like many of us have different thoughts on it.

Assignment- Stanley Pickle Film

(Everyone in this film look like grown-ups. However, I think the man who appears to be the son in the family represents a boy, looking at the toys in the room, and the way he looks curiously out his window. In this analysis, I will refer to the man as a child.)

Symbols-

Toys at the very beginning of the film- youth, childishness, innocence

Bird girl (not a human)- a life with a limit, sad but beautiful

à  Although the actress is a human, I think the woman with feathers represents a bird, from the way she was crying when a bird died (The bird that died was probably the woman’s special companion or friend).

Windup dolls- a life that can be redone and lasts forever

à  In the video, we learn that the boy’s parents are windup dolls, from the windup springs on their backs. However, there is never a scene where the spring is on the son’s back as well, giving us the idea that the son is not a doll. I also noticed that the bird that the boy falls in love with also does not have anything on her back, so I took it as a sign that the bird girl was something other than a windup doll as well.

Bird that died- sadness and shock of death

Forest- the hardships and decisions that have to be made in life (a forest of decisions)

Setting- 

It seems like the story is set in somewhere that is rural, maybe in the countryside. It also looks like this happened a while ago, because the tools and parts that the boy used to operate on the dead bird have an antique-like feel to them. 

Conflict-

The boy looks out the window one day to catch sight of a girl, and falls in love with her. One day, he sees that the bird girl that he loves is crying because her friend died. Sadness fills the boy’s heart, and he thinks about how he could help her and see her happy again. 

Climax-

The man tries to help his lover by “reviving” the bird―or turning the bird into a doll that can be winded up again and again. My analysis here is that the boy knew the girl was sad because her bird friend didn’t have a life anymore, so he figured she would be happy if her friend simply got a life that would never end. However, when the boy tries to surprise her with the operated bird, his lover screams and runs away in terror.


Conflict (2)-

The man experiences emotional conflict, wondering why the bird girl wasn’t happy to receive the operated bird. 

Irony-

The boy thought the girl would be happy recieving the operated bird, but instead she ran away in horror.

Theme-

I remember there was a scene where the boy stops rewinding the springs on the backs of his family members, and makes a burial for them. I took this as a sign that the boy began to see value in a life with a limit―a life that cannot be restarted again and again like a windup doll. In other words, after the two conflicts that I mentioned above, the boy learned that although it a very difficult thing to do, he must say goodbye to his windup doll parents, symbols of endless lives. In the end of the film, the boy takes himself into a forest. I understood this forest to be another symbol of a life with a limit, because a life that cannot be restarted brings a forest of important decisions and choices. We do not know what happened to the boy after that. However, my analysis is that the walk into the forest was a courageous step forward that the boy made to discover the true happiness and satisfaction real life has to offer.

Ramen

Today i ate ramen with my friend. It is always good when you eat whith your pal.

Horror movies

I've always been a big fan of horror movies.
When I was 5, my uncle used to show me all these horror movies like The return of the living dead series and the old hongkong horror movies like Mr.vampire, and told me how to play the game Biohazard. I guess it's part of his responsibility that my mom sometime called me weirdo when I watch those bloody movies.
But unfortunately there aren't many friends who can watch horror movie with me because it's just too scary for them. Sadly I saw this trailer of SADAKO upcoming film and still couldn't find anyone accompany me.(sad face;(

Literary terms on 「Stanley pickle」

Literary terms on 「Stanley pickle」

Setting：time unknown & countryside

Conflict: Pickle wants to stay whatever it used to be just like when he was a kid,but he also wants to go out,to the outside world to know the girl to be a normal person

Climax:when the boy brought the “rebirth”bird to the girl and the girl was frightened by it and run away

Symbol:

the bird—the living thing/reality

The forest—The outside world

The old house—the comfort zone/the surrounding what we’re used to

 The clock—reminder

The toy—fears of facing the real world

The multiple locks—fears of facing the real world 

Irony:Pickle fixed the bird for the girl maybe thinking the girl will be happy and dance again but the girl got frighten away instead 

Theme:To step out the comfort zone 

To face the problem you have 

Do not afraid of the the reality 

The fan and the flower

Setting: In the rural area long time ago

Conflict: Person vs Nature

Climax: When the fan moved so fast that it broke the roof and flew away.

Symbols:
• Fan- Passion
• Flower- Fragile existence
• Rain- Bad coming
• Water- Life
• Sun- Hope

Irony: After the flower was planted on the soil, it bloomed with a fan like petal which is unusual for flower. This shows the unchanged feelings towards the fan that flew away.

Theme: Nothing can stop a true love.

The fan and the flower

Setting: an old house

Point of view: omniscient

Conflict: fan and the flower v.s. circumstances that they are on

Climax:  when the fan broke the window and fly away

Symbols: fan and flowe=love, bird=freedom, window=possibility, fly =dirtiness, color=joy to live, rain=life

Irony: even though that the fan and the flower loved each other, they never get together.

Theme: impossible love

The Fan and The Flower

Setting- Spring, spare bedroom in a house.

Conflict- person vs person

The fan against the flower

Climax- When the fan spun really fast and it created a hole in the ceiling to water the flower.

Symbol- Bird/Freedom   Grandma/Time   The fan and the flower/Love   Color/Life, Affection   Rain/Life, Sorrow 

Irony- When the flower did not share the same feelings as the fan in the beginning, but when the flower finally liked the fan back, the fan took away his own life. 

Theme- Love. People would do anything if it was to save and protect their loved ones.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!
For this year's Mother's Day, I bought a pink flower and wrote a letter to my mom. She looked very happy with the present, so I was glad too.

Did everyone do anything special for this year's Mother's Day??

The fan and the flower

Setting- A spare room in an old house / 1970-80s

Point of view- Omniscient

Conflict- Person vs person

Climax- When the fan span too quickly and disappeared from the room

Symbol-
  Fan- Man
  Flower- Woman
  Beautiful new flowers- Clothes and make up
  Old lady- Distance
  Rain- Effort

Irony- The fan span very quickly so that he can get close to the flower. He succeeded in getting off from the ceiling, but ended up flying away from the 
house.

Theme- Nothing can destroy a true love

the fan and the flower

Setting:
At an old house
Point of view:
Omniscient
Conflict:
The flower and the fan v.s. nature
Climax:
When the fan flew
Symbol:
Light symbolizes a way to impress itself. Dust symbolizes a sign that something is old. Rain sumbolizes rescue. Roar symbolizes a way of expression. Ceiling symbolizes limit.
Irony:
The fan and the flower couldn't touch each other.
Theme:
Love could be happy and sad.

the fan and the flower

Setting

Spare room in an old house/not long ago, in the 1970s

Point of view

Omniscient 

Conflict

Love between the fan and the flower  v.s. the environment

Climax

When the fan used its last strength to spin his blades and flew away breaking the ceiling

Symbols

fan: a man who falls in love with a woman

flower: a woman who falls in love with a man

old lady: interruption, passing of time

rain: hope, life

flower(with petals which look like the fan’s blade): the love from the fan

Irony

The fan and the flower loved each other but could not get close for their entire life. In the end, the fan sacrificed his life for the flower.

Theme
I think the theme for this animation is the eternity of love. Even though the fan broke after flying away from the spare room, his love saved the flower’s life. The flower embraced  the love from the fan and eventually shared it with a lot of people who came to see the flower.

The fan and the flower

Setting: I think it was during the mid 1900s and it was in a spare room in an old lady’ House

Conflit :Person vs. oneself
I think it was this because the fan and the flower couldn’t reach each other and were doing their best to get closer.
Also I think it’s person vs person as well because the flower was about to die because of the old lady.

Climax:I think the climax is when the fan breaks open the ceiling to allow the flower to get water.

Irony: I think the irony is when the fan started to move and move faster than it’s supposed to.

Symboles: Flower-Woman in love
                  Fan- Man in love
                  Colors- happiness
                  Bird- freedom
                  Rain- sorrow

Theme: I think the theme here is that if for a loved one nothing is impossible. The fan was able to move its wings so fast that it broke the ceiling just to save the flower it loved.

Part time job

I do a part time job as a teacher in Juku. It’s fun and I love it, but this week I have it everyday from Monday to Tuesday. It’s great that I can earn money and also have fun by talking to students. However working every day is a different problem. I come home at about 23:00 and start doing my assignments from there so I won’t be able to get much sleep this week.

Why can't humans be born with perfect teeth

   I have had braces for the past 6 years and I only got them off last month. It took me this many years to straighten my teeth was due to me being scared to go to the orthodontist and postponing my appointments.  Now I that I have gotten them off, I'm told to wear my retainers day and night for the next 2 years. Knowing myself, it is definitely going to take me more than 2 years...
Does anyone share the same struggle??

Stress

It takes 2 hours from my house to get to Aoyama campus. Moreover, I can’t seat on trains as it’s always packed with people. I’ve been really stressed by this fact lately to the point that I’m beginning to become traumatized of trains. I’ve been considering buying a new house near the school lately. If anybody has a safe place to recommend, please inform me.

The fan and the flower

The fan and the flower

POV

Omniscient 

Setting

An old house

Conflict

The fan and the flower thriving for freedom

Climax

The fan blows up itself ‘boom’

Symbols

The fan symbolizes a man in love and the flower symbolizes a woman in love. The bird symbolizes freedom, the light symbolizes love, the gravity symbolizes restriction, the table symbolizes support, the colors symbolizes entertainment, the house symbolizes a cage, and the rain symbolizes sorrow.

Irony

The fan pushed itself to blew up in order to save the flower. 

Theme

There are many obstacles in life and sometimes you have to sacrifice something for someone. It is not always a happy ending.

100 years

I was reading Yuka’s blog and I knew for the first time that sleeping beauty was put to sleep for a hundred years！I thought she was sleeping for only a week or so. But that means the prince is a hundred years younger than the princess, right? There must have been a big generation gap.lol.

The fan and the flower

Setting
A spare house / modern day

POV
Omniscient

Conflict
The flower and the fan vs their environment

Climax
The fan breaks the ceiling with his own will

Symbol
Fan is a symbol of a man who falls in love with a woman, trying to impress her.
Flower is a symbol of a woman who falls in love with a man, trying to attract him.
The spare house is a symbol of society which keeps the fan and the flower apart.
The old lady is a symbol of authority, which also separates two lovers.

Irony
The fan realizes what he is capable of only after the flower was about to die.
The fan sacrifices himself in an attempt to save the flower, making them apart forever.

Theme
Love is not always fulfilled even if a couple truly loves each other.
Love makes you want to do, and makes you be able to do what you always thought was impossible.

Sleepy sleepy sleepy

A week has passed since the golden week ended. I don't know why but I'm just so tired these days. I can't believe that there's no long days off until the summer vacation. We also have the exams on July... How am I supposed to keep up with all days of classes...??

I want to be a YouTuber (kind of)

Do you guys watch YouTube a lot?
I personally do, I think it’s a great way to kill time, much better than TV and other stuff. (With an adblocker, of course)
I always wish I was a youruber. Most of them do look silly. But Don’t you think it’s the best way to make a living out of? Shooting random videos on your own pace?
I think so, kind of.

the fan and the flower

1. Setting

It takes place at a spare room of an old house, sometimes around late 1900s or early 2000s.

2. Point of view

Omniscient

3. Conflict

Person vs. Person
- Although the fan and the flower loves each other but they could never touch each other
- Unfortunately, the flower dries because the old lady doesn't give any water

4. Climax

The fan breaks the house's ceiling and flies away on the rainy night because he realized that the flower was dying.

5. Symbols

The fan - a man
The flower - a woman
The lady - time that flows
Rain - sadness, loneliness
The new family - people who understands about love

6. Irony

At the end, the fan sacrifices himself and goes up to the sky to help the flower but at the same time he loses the chace of being with her in the spare room.

7. Theme

Love. If you love someone from your heart, you don't mind to sacrifice yourself to represent that you love him or her and should not be afraid of it. 

Sleeping Beauty?

Today was Sunday, and I got up at around12:00. I was very surprised because recently I was succeeding to get up early. I went to the sink to wake myself up, looked at the mirror and laughed. My face was like Anpanman. My mother came to me and said “you were sleeping so long like sleeping beauty” but no, I was rather a sleeping anpanman. With my sleepy head, I recalled the story sleeping beauty and realised how unfair it is that the princess stays beautiful with a 100 year or so sleep. But then I also noticed that she was sleeping because of the magic and that magic would have probably prevented her from becoming like an anpanman face. Or maybe its  just me that experienced your face changing while you sleep. Anyways, if you actually read this, sorry for waisting your time lol.

The Fan and the Flower

Setting:
It takes place in a spare room in an old house of the old lady.

Conflict:
1. Although the fan and the flower loved each other, they could never touch each other.
2. The flower was dying because the old lady did not water her.

Climax:
When the fan spins so fast and breaks the ceiling, flies out the house and crashes to the ground.

Symbols:
The old lady - flow of time
Bird - freedom
Fan and the flower - lovers
The room - the small and stiffed world of the fan
Rain - sadness but what keeps you alive

Irony:
The fan was able to fly the sky like a bird and save his loving flower at the same time only by sacrificing himself. Without the flower appearing in the fan's life, the fan wouldn't have to crash, but the fan's life was so much better with the flower.

Theme:
Love and devotion. In the end, I could hear the ending song, and it was singing " Let's never stop falling in love".

Siblings coming to visit

Two of my siblings are coming to Japan this June through July(during summer) from San Jose, California this year.

I have three younger siblings, and two older brothers that have a different mother, and the ones coming this year are the two younger ones.

One of them turned 15 two months ago, and he took an entrance exam for a high school in Chicago, so he's going to live at a dormitory there from this year. He plays ice hockey, so he travels a lot. He became interested in studying at Chicago after visiting there many times for tournaments. He's the only one in the siblings that went to Europe because of this. 

My sister is turning 14 this year, and she loves dancing. She has long legs and arms, and her head and face are so small that I can't believe that she is my sister. I think I'm the closest to her because I used to share a room with her for a few years before I came to Japan.

My youngest brother is turning 11 this October, and he's really a mood maker. He was born in the U.S., and he's the only one that doesn't have a Japanese name. He plays ice hockey like his brother. My dad decided that he can't come to Japan this time because it's too expensive, and because he would just play video games all day long even if he comes here.

Since I haven't seen them for almost a year, I am kind of nervous to see them this summer.

assignment-the fan and the flower

-setting
  ・a spare room of an old house
-conflict
  ・person vs person
     (the fan) vs (the flower)
-climax
  ・When the fan began to spin faster than he was designed.
-symbols
  ・the fan - man
  ・the flower - woman
  ・plant - life
  ・rain - rebirth, loneliness
  ・breeze- spirit
-irony
  ・The fan spun so fast that it crashed tirough the roof  and into the open sky,
      dashed to bits on the ground.
-theme
  ・true love

my family

I have one mother、 one father、 and one big brother. Everyone takes good care of me. I am very thankful to them.

The Fan and the Flower(Literal Terms)

1. Setting:
I thought this was in the days during the early or mid-1900s.
It took place in a room at a lady's house, probably for years. 

2. Conflict:
Person vs. person
The fan and the flower is in love, but can't touch each other because the fan is attached to the ceiling and the flower is not tall enough.
Years had passed, and the lady that owns the house had grown too old to care for the fan or the flower, so the flower was dying.
I thought this was a person vs. person conflict because the flower is dying due to the old lady who isn't caring for her anymore.

3. Climax:
The fan, caring for the dying flower, had used its last bits of strength to save the flower on a stormy day.
It unattached itself from the ceiling and flew away, opening a hole on a roof so that the flower can get water to survive. 

4. Symbol:
Flower - Woman
Fan - Man
Rain - freedom, life
Colors
Black and white - sadness, loneliness
Colors on the flower - happiness
Green leaves that the flower got towards the end - life

Korean Word Test

Yesterday, I had a word test for my Korean class. The reason why I chose Korean as my second language was because it seemed easy to master, however it was not. I struggled for hours trying to memorize the meaning in Japanese, pronunciations and characters in Korean. As a result, I was only able to get 3 hours of sleep (which was better than nothing) that day. I should better learn by now how important it is to prepare for anything beforehand so that I won’t put myself in a dead cliff the night before.

competition

Today, a powerlifting copetition was held at The University of Tokyo.
It started from 9:30am to 4:30pm. However, I did not participate in the competition. I spent the whole time sitting, only watching. There were many other things I could have done if I didn't go. :_(

Assignment- The Fan and the Flower

Setting- The narrator mentions the story takes place in a spare room of an old house. In my perspective, it seems like a rather rural and quiet area.

Conflict- The fan and flower are in love, but the owner of the house forgets to take care of them. The fan, gathering dust, watches as his lover starts to wither.

Climax- On a rainy day, the fan spins as fast as he can in a desperate attempt to save the flower. The ceiling breaks, and the flower is showered with rain while the fan falls and breaks into pieces on the floor.

Symbols- This may sound a little stereotypical, but I think the fan represents a man, from the way he tries his hardest to make the flower love him back, and wishes more than anything for the flower to survive. The flower seems to represent a woman, from the way she shows her love to the fan by blooming flowers in different colors and shapes. I feel that the owner of the house represents a parent. I think this because the woman used to take care of the fan and flower, but stopped doing so. This is similar to how a parent feeds and looks after his or her children when they are young, but gradually starts to distance his/herself from them, in order to allow them to become independent. Although the woman probably didn’t intend for the fan and flower to become independent of her, the owner abandoning them forced the fan to work out the best way in the climax. The rain, in my opinion, represents relief and freedom, for the flower was able to come back to life. However, I think it also means sacrifice, and the loss of something irreplaceable, because the fan had to give up his own life to rescue his lover.

Irony- I feel that the ironic moment in this video is the part where the fan spins as fast as he can and the ceiling falls. When the fan began to spin, I had no idea he was trying to break the ceiling!

Theme- My heart was warmed and broken at the same time when I saw that the fan decided to sacrifice his life for the flower’s happiness. Therefore, I think this video shows us an example of true love and commitment. It can also be said that the theme is “Never give up”, taking that the fan tried as hard as he could to save the flower, and that the flower kept blooming even after her lover died.

New Watch

My father got me a new watch the other day. Before I started attending university, I thought I wouldn’t need one because I would always have my smartphone handy to check the time. I realized, though, that a watch on your wrist could really come in handy when you’re in a rush, or when you have a strict teacher that doesn’t allow smartphones in class.

My dad and I looked at a variety of different watches. I personally really liked the Daniel Wellington series, with its simple and sophisticated designs. However I was looking for one that has numbers on its face, not dashes or dots. I tried on a few other brands, finding out that my wrist was so slender that a lot of the watches in store looked too big on me. We eventually came across one that was perfect―it was small but still easy to see, had numbers on its face, and it even had a tiny golden star on one of the hands that twinkled when you tilted your wrist to check the time. I also loved the way it had a black strap, so it can go well with any type of clothing. My father was happy to buy it for me.

book report on 「The devil wears prada」

  I didn't realized this book has 432 pages I only choose it because I saw the film based on this novel and it's great.So far i've only read 100 pages and I have to say that movie version of it really cut off a lot plots than the book had.
 The film mostly focus on the main characters Andrea and Miranda and the fashion world of how fancy it is.But in the book you can read more details on main protagonist's family and friends related plot which I think it helps you understand the story and the development on the main characters, too.
Hope you guys doing great on your works cuz I have no idea what I'm doing right now;)🌝

Terms#The fan and the flower

• setting:

The spare room in an old house & time unknown 

• point of view:

omniscient perspective

• conflict:

The fan and the flower loves each other but they couldn’t even touch each other 

• climax:

When the fan jumping out the ceiling and leave a hole for the rain to damp the almost dying flower

• symbols:

The celling fan: a person who’s in love

The flower:a person who’s in love

The people:the witness of their love

The old lady:whom brought this love a beginning /stands for how time goes by

The yard:the world without the loving one /the future ahead 

The new family:A person who understands love 

• irony:

When the fan jumped out of the ceiling and win the chance for flower to live he also lose the chance of being with her 

• Theme:

Love is that you want him/her to be happy so you are willing to sacrifice at anytime 

Nebukawa station

I posted that I hadn’t decided what to do during the GW, but eventually I was able to do pretty much. The farthest place I’ve been was Odawara. It took me only like 16 minuets on the bullet train. I went to a hotel there to eat lunch and get into the hot spring. I was tired with the many people and the busy city life, so I was glad to breath good air and see the mountains and the ocean. I was especially excited when I got off at the Nebukawa train station to take the bus. The station was colored light blue, had many flowers, and had no ticket gates but a gentle old man in a white uniform was standing there to collect the tickets. When you look to the left you could see the ocean, and on the other side were the mountains. I imagened using this station everyday to go to school instead of the stressful  station I use right now. Life will be so much easier... Did you do anything special during the holidays?