An Adventure

Abandon Grass All Ye Who Reads Any Further,

I've been reading so much these past few days that I'm convinced I've touched more (dead) trees than anything since the Summer break started. Yesterday, however, I went to Minato Mirai with a friend (someone who likes to sleep in the center of the room) and watched 20,000 fireworks shoot up into the sky. Needless to say, it was stunning.

The walk on the way home? Uglier than a troll's soiled knickers.

In other news, I started watching The Hobbit with my friends! While I've been enjoying it so much that I've been so inspired to write for the past few days, I'm also pissed with my older brother for keeping me from growing up with the series. I remember being so terrified of Gollum as a child and I distinctly remember my brother just... being a menace, and constantly playing his scenes over and over and over and over and over. Like, damn, imagine naming your trauma after a hairless little guy. However, watching the Hobbit made me realize... how ridiculously pathetic and funny Gollum actually is. It's just so unfortunate that hates Bagginses forever.

Anyways, I love Thorin Oakenshield. He's so... Tee-hee-hee. He's just so... built different, y'know? He's son of Thrain, son of Thror... I love him. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgg hh HH hh...,,.. ,.

Also!? I think it's funny how An Unexpected Journey is pretty much a musical. It's so funny and cool, like, the songs are genuinely good, too? Bro, what have I done to live without this series for nearly all my life. I've been missing out. Oh, and another thing I think is really funny (not funny Ha-ha, funny weird) is that my friend loves Azog the Defiler, the Pale Orc, for reasons I cannot state on this blog.

g-gowwumses needs pwecious owo

Anywho, until I remember about this blog.

Goodbye.

I have a long lost sister

BIG NEWS 

I just found out that I have a family member in our IE class?!?!?!?!

We have the same HALF BROTHER!!!! He is in the band RADWIMPS? they're very niche and underground indie? You should take a guess in the comments who he is!! So many new discoveries every day! (Does that mean were related?)

Anyways I hope you all have a nice day! <3 

the Civilian

 it is only fair when it is not

and yet they bound as thou

to be afraid of shadows but to face them in fear

the black and white filtered with colours

never seem to run out

the life of chaotic energy

mordern, ghotic, or medieval

never surrender

sings lullaby for young teens

thou shall known as they/them

Game

 Today I went to school to study for the upcoming exams and to do the final touches of the presentation. It was all going well until lunch time. I met up with my friend and we ended up playing this rythm game for an hour. I don't know if that was a sensible choice but I had fun so I guess it was alright. Thanks friend!

A Can of Wiped Cream

     I got hungry and was thinking of Starbucks. But I thought about it and decide that it was too expensive. So, instead I went to the nearest supermarket and bought a can of wiped cream. I passed some people who were handing out leaflets. I ignored them on the way there but once I had my can I decide to listen to what they had to say. 

    They were talking about the Doctors Without Borders (国境なき医師団). The person explained to me about how they could get  to any place in need within two days. She also explained why they could get there so fast. It was because they are a private, non-profit medical and humanitarian aid organization, meaning that they don't need to wait for the government to give them permission to move. It was interesting to listen about how they worked. 

    When I got home I made some tea and put some wiped cream on top. It tasted like a cheaper version of the drinks at Starbucks. But I was satisfied.

A lovely word

Hello!

It's a rainy week but I hope you're doing alright. 

Rain can be romantic so.. through this blog, I wanted to convey my feelings of gratitude.

Why? 

That's because thanks to everyone, I feel to have improved my English to a substantial degree. It's so lovely to interact in English in Japan. I mean there are not so many occasions to actually use English here unless there are English-speaking people, so I sincerely thank you. 

What's more, I really like the way in which gratitude is conveyed in Italian. Grazie is the direct translation of thank you, but it has a deeper meaning. 

Grazie is the plural of the word grazia, which derives from the Latin word gratia, meaning lots of things: grace, elegance, favor, friendship, harmony, consideration, gratitude, et cetera. 

Perhaps the direct translation of the "verbal ambiance" is graces?  

It's lovely right? 

I think there is no shortage of grace in life. Even the slightest encounter offers ineffable beauty in life. 

That being said, 

thank you and good night.

Summer vacation

    I haven't gone back home since I got here in March. My mother came to Tokyo to meet me one time but I haven't seen my father for a long time. I am looking forward to going back home. The first thing I want to do is go out to eat because I have been eating too healthy for too long. I am going to stay in my home town for about a month and work four days a week and hang out with my friends. 

    My goal is to make as much money as I can while I am in my home town. I was thinking about working five days a week but my mother said that I wouldn't able to handle it. She is probably right. But I am excited to go back and work at the factory. I hope I still remember everyones names and I still have the skills I mastered the last time I was there. It is a small factory that consists of only 20 workers and is in the middle of ricefields, basically the middle of no where. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the heat and we might have to do the rajiotaisou from 8:30 in  the morning. But the pay is good so I will do my best to keep the negative emotions inside.

Criminal

 Have you ever stolen anything before? If you have, consider this, what if it happened to you HUH? How would you feel?? Bad, you should feel bad, and if you steal..That should also make you feel bad!!!!! 

pUnPuN 

You may be thinking why are you bringing this up well listen here guys I have lost my faith in humanity. (mainly Kawasaki) why do people steal other people's umbrellas on a rainy day... a rainy day >:( I'm actually so mad I don't know how to write this blog because it's just going to be a rant at this point. 

The crime occurred in broad daylight, this rainy Wednesday before my hair appointment. Being the dumb blond I was (I'm a dumb pink now 💅) I forgot to bring money so I went to the ATM building.  I had used my umbrella before going into the building and they had an umbrella rack, so innocent me, not wanting the rainwater to get all over the floors causing someone to slip, gently set aside the umbrella into the rack.  I had my money and I was on my merry way to get my hair done yay~ But no, I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom and the closest one was underground, a couple mins away from the bank and I decided to go there because it was on the way to my hair appointment. I go and I finish my business, everything sounds okay don't you think? 

WRONG that's where it all began. I realized my super cute black frilly gothic lolita umbrella was nowhere in the bathroom with me. I backtracked and remembered I left it in the rack at the ATM building, it's fine I was only gone for like 8 minutes. 8 MINUETS, the crime happened somewhere in between because when I went back, from the window I could see that the umbrella rack was empty. Funny. How could that be if my Super cute black frilly gothic lolita umbrella isn't in my hand hmm? it only meant one thing, IT WAS STOLEN?!?!?!?!? Criminal. 

Fortunately, it wasn't raining at the time but like that wasn't the problem, it was such a good umbrella guys. I'm in a state of grief right now. It was a new umbrella I bought because I've been using my old one since middle school. hear this, It also could be used as a normal umbrella and a parasol !!!!! The golden handle was so smooth and the curve was at the right angle ya know? It was a little thin to hold on to for my liking but the aesthetics! BRo and the best part was the frillies cri cri the frills on the edge of the umbrella were such a cute touch when you had it open and when you closed it. Such a vibe. I miss it so much. I went back after my hair appointment and sadly no return. WHY WOULD YOU STEAL IT. like, come on at the (pretty much) bank?!?!? Criminal. 

I'm never leaving my umbrella in the racks ever again. yall can slip ig 

Good night i'll be dreaming of my gothic lolita fashionista runway show with my UMBRELLA grrrrrr 

Rain x indigo la End = emoi

Halli-hallo.

It's raining but it's alright,

because indigo la End rocks when it's raining. 

I saw that they're selling new T-shirts. I want 'em but I don't know how to get them. 

Kanashiku narumaeni,

Oyasumi-nasai. zz

Metamorphoses of Written Birds

My bookshelf, the sanctum 

Where there lay dormant gems

Embracing hundreds of worlds. 

Unfolding one world 

Gazing at the letters

Masquerading as words, phrases,

Sentences and paragraphs.

Don't run around, 

I'll chase you throughout. 

Words of worlds knocking my imagination

Letting them join my world with approbation.

Grasping yet not grasping 

Withering and blooming

Every new facet I discover

How delicious, I shiver. 

plans for summer

What's up

Next week is the exam week and I'm already exhausted about it. I'm anxious about 英語音声学 & コミュニケーション概論 since it's super duper difficult for me and I have a lot to memorize. But if I get over with it, I have a lot of fun things coming my way this upcoming summer.

Although I have golf tournaments and training camps prior to that, I'm also going to Fukuoka with my family and Nagoya with my friends. This would be my first time in Nagoya and I will be staying there for 3 days so please let me know if you have any recommendations on where I should visit!

Can't wait for the summer break😎

Upcoming exams

 We have a lot of exams coming from this week. I know I gotta study and I'm studying but I just started to watch new K-drama and I'm really into it. I decided to study hard and then watch the drama, but it turns out that when I finished studying, I get exhausted and feel like nothing to do. What should I do with the feeling? Any ideas???

By the way, I met my friend from high school's club today, and I feel a bit better now. But the rain make my body tired as well. I hope it will not rain on the exam days. (Train gets delay as well... Being late on the exam is the worst thing...) I hope all of you do great on the exams. Let's pass the classes together.

Story Time: We Were Scammed

If you use the Shibuya station when coming to school, you would know that there is a Family Mart on the way. It's located near a cross-bridge, on the opposite sidewalk of Aogaku. I went in there the other day before going to school, just so that I can avoid the lunchtime 7/11 rush.

I grabbed two onigiris and a snack, then lined up to pay. In front of me was a short, tanned-skin Japanese cashier with a smile on his face. He scanned all the products, handed them all to me, and gave me back my change. Everything went smoothly- or so I thought. I looked down at the palm of my hand and double-checked the change he gave me. And oh- a 100 yen was missing. I went up to him and told him the issue, as a normal person would. He handled it professionally and immediately, apologizing and handing me the missing coin, without even checking how much I was holding in my hand. 

I didn't think much of it at the time, because things like that happen. I've also been a cashier once and I know that sometimes when you're rushing and everything, you make mistakes. It's human nature. He was also really polite about it, so it wasn't that big of a deal. 

A few days later, a friend of mine (who happens to be in our IE class) went into the same Family Mart to buy a bottle of water. I followed her inside. When she finished paying, she noticed that she was 100 yen short of her change. When I looked back at the cashier, it was the same man that was at my cash register a few days ago. She confronts him, and he gives her the 100 yen coin. Again, without checking how much he gave her prior. See the pattern? We put the two stories together and realized that this man is doing this intentionally. He leaves out a 100 yen coin. On purpose. 

This explains why he doesn't check our palms to see whether or not we're lying because HE's the one that's lying. He KNOWS that a 100 yen coin is missing. 

Later that day, I used the same Family Mart again to confirm our theory. And he does it AGAIN. I don't know if I should be proud that I spotted his lie, or be offended that he thinks that we're dumb enough not to check our change. At the same time, I think he does it to everyone. So maybe I don't need to be offended.

The moral of the story is, don't use the Family Mart near the school. Or do if you want to. Just check your change and you'll be good.

Running pt.?

The past few Running blogs have been blabbing on about long-distance runs. But today, I wanted to write about intervals. 

For those of you who's never heard of the term, it's a type of training where you alternate between sprinting and resting. Last week, I tried running 16 km per hour for a minute and walking 6 km per hour for another minute. That went on for about, 20 minutes? I mean... pretty impressive if you ask me. 

Intervals are great if you want to change up your routine. If you've been running long distances for a while, and you're either tired of it, or stopped seeing results, incorporating them once in a while can help you both mentally and physically. 

Even if you aren't that big of a fan of running long distances, try intervals! It's super fun. You can customize it to your liking, you don't have to spend a lot of time training, and most of all, it's fun to see progress. It doesn't have to be intense, either. Sprinting for 30 seconds and walking for 2 minutes can be just as effective and fun.

A Pizza Slice of Life

Hey sterling, starlight, starbright, starshine sisters *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

I love taking time for myself after a stressful week. And yes, this also applies even on days when I know I shouldn't take a breather because of deadlines. I've been meaning to read Nana for a while now, so I started it today! I also read a few recommended manga like Lvl. 999 Yamada-kun, #DRCL, and Hirayasumi.

Well, to keep my unsolicited review short (A LIE. A LIE. A LIE.)... Nana is pretty nice. I love how it tells the story of two girls with the same name but totally different lives. For the longest time, Nana has been one of those iconic you-should-read-this mangas and I can definitely see why. It feels very much like it was written for girls with the experience of 'coming of age' in mind. It's delicate and has this distinct way of characterizing relationships between people, how difficult it is to move forward in life, and how life is just--how it is. I haven't finished it yet and I just started so I don't know what else to say but I can tell I'll continue enjoying it. Lvl. 999 Yamada-kun was just an indulgent romance-comedy manga, there's not much to say about it but I did catch up to the latest scanlations--so, I guess that's something. #DRCL, on the other hand, was really... striking. It's supposed to be inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula. The art was really dramatic and its storytelling is so? Captivating. Like, the way it unfolds and the way you get to know more about the characters... It's very interesting. It's a bit winky-wonky but I thought it was really unique. Also, Dracula in the manga also looks like Michael Jackson. (HIIEEEE...!!)

Okay, however... Hirayasumi... might actually be my favorite read right now. It's a sweet slice-of-life manga, and it's just so? Mundanely delicate.

Well, since I'm already raving about it, let me give a quick backstory on the author of Hirayasumi. During the pandemic, the mangaka was admitted to a hospital for cancer; he described his life, at the time, as boring and uneventful and that he missed being able to just live freely. It was after recovering and during his way home from the hospital that Keigo was inspired to write Hirayasumi. The manga's theme centralizes around the idea of enjoying the present. The moments he illustrates in the manga the most are the moments we wouldn't think twice about; like taking a stroll, enjoying the scenery, and breathing in the fresh air. Moments where you look around and think "I'm glad I'm here right now in this very moment."

Shinzo Keigo lost those moments when he was hospitalized, and after learning how lovely these fleeting yet mundane experiences were and how he took them for granted, he wrote and illustrated Hirayasumi.

Honestly, there's something about Hirayasumi that just makes me feel at ease. The art style is so simple yet pretty. The characters feel relatable and realistic. The story isn't too complex nor does it have unnecessary drama. Hirayasumi perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a slice of life. Hirayasumi carries this vibe that makes reading each chapter more and more enjoyable than the last.

Hirayasumi is so far very wholesome and just relaxing to read after a long day of work. It makes me thankful that I'm still alive, still able to exist on this planet with others and it reminds me to enjoy the present while it lasts. Hirayasumi silently screams to me to slow down and enjoy the little things you walk right by every day.

Sincerity be damned, there's just something about Hirayasumi that puts me at ease. The artwork is simplistic yet lovely and endearing to the heart and eyes--it's like opening a box of seashells from your childhood, a pack of gummies, eating ice cream by the sidewalk on a hot summer day, playing hopscotch with the neighbor, chasing your rabbit through the garden... The characters are all so authentic and sympathetic that it just... feels so comfy and perfectly captures the essence of a slice of life. It just deadass exudes this vibe that makes reading each chapter more delightful, and it makes me grateful that I'm still alive, and that I can experience the little happy things in the world. To me, Hirayasumi serves as a gentle reminder to savor life while it lasts, to slow down and take in the little things I pass every day as I walk right by them.

Okay, as much as I'd like to talk about how happy I am to experience life--these reports that I've been putting off are making me Very Unhappy. Gooba.

As a bloggerist

Hi, 

let me get straight to the point, have you all done the error logs that are due today? As a bloggerist I'm prioritizing writing blogs instead of doing my HW <3  

I want to rant, being a procrastinator is not an aesthetic, I mean it was before the consequences of my own actions started to creep up behind me but what I want to say is I have so much stuff to do. Will I start tonight? Probably? Possibly? Maybe? no lol but the question is why? Why do I do this to myself? I do not have the answer despite taking the Self-Understanding class (which by the way is doing the absolute opposite, I don't even know who I am and what I'm doing anymore), one thing I know is that I'll probably never stop.

I think this week before testing starts is getting to my head ya know? let's keep it positive, what are yall's favorite colors ( must include an adjective or verb ig e.g. livid red) Mine is sorrowful blue. 

Kawasaki Drift Out 

Why

 Today I was working on my error log. My friend was helping me the whole time but he also had to do it. Why wasn't he doing it....? 

It was about to rain today. 

Tired

How I felt after 2 long days of being outside playing golf

Btw, the guy in the picture isn't me and I had fun playing golf. It was just way too hot outside💦

 

The blond

The colour yellow shines

with the sunshine is glows 

golden it turns

the vibes of a procrastinator

the scent of summer

takes a small hint of vitality

and yet vibrates hand gestures

that Kawasaki Drift

 :D

Exam weeks

 So, hey guys it's been a while. I know I have not been around that much but I wanted to share what is happening inside the complexity of neurons releasing chemicals which generate electrical signals that forms into something called thoughts. Being a full time university student has reached maximum capacity and I am no longer functioning in a way that I used to be. Which can be both good and bad at the same time, but hey that's how life works right? I am not mentally prepared to face exam week, nor am I physically ready for it. I am drowning in work loads of studies that I have yet to grasp the formula of how things should make sense when in reality it does not. Please guys, send help. 

The Fundamentals of being a Uni Student

Why do we study? Why do we pay expensive tuition just to attend university, get a degree and getting a job until we take our last breathe? Why do we do it? 

A question I have been yearning to find an answer ever since I came to realization how the world revolves around Green Power, which most are familiar to as "money". 

I keep on struggling with the basis of how important having an education really is. It is funny to think that many people are just attending university because their parents told them to. The very society we live in today have transcended consciousness to the minds of the parents convince them that without an expensive degree, they will never succeed in life. But I beg to question, what does it mean to be successful in life?

I guess we just question all and try to give meaning to everything because if we don't we may be stuck in an endless loop of psychiatric mental failure, in which i am in. Yes, a friend told me to worship the very understanding term of nihilism. Thank you classmate. 

Opposites attract, but make it platonic

Here’s a fun little question: Have you ever taken the MBTI test? And if you have, what’s your personality type?

So this past weekend, my friend of about 7 years now stayed over at my apartment. And for some reason, around 1 a.m. on Sunday night (or Monday morning), we found ourselves lying on my bed, taking the MBTI test together. I’m not sure how much you know about the test, but I’m an INFP-T; basically speaking, the artistic, emotional, existential, self-conscious type. I’ve taken it several times and always get the same result, except for the very first time I took it, back in the US, age 10, when I got ENFP. I know what you're thinking. Me? An extrovert??? Well the reason for my personality change probably has something to do with me falling into a deep sea of depression and self-loathing and having my soul crushed as I moved back to Japan and had to -and failed miserably at- adjusting to my new life at around the age of 12, buuuut that’s a story for another time. 

Anyways, me: INFP-T. And guess what my friend got? ESTJ-A. The COMPLETE OPPOSITE. So…opposites attract…I guess? We’ve both always been pretty well aware that we’re two very different people, but to have it in writing, a super-duper-official 10-minute-online-test result, it’s pretty interesting. Especially since I’ve always been intrigued by psychology. Like, why do you like this and I don’t? Why do you believe one thing and I believe the complete opposite? Why do you enjoy conversing with large groups of people at a loud party while I’d rather be shipped to Antarctica in a freezer box? Fascinating stuff, really.

All this made me wonder if the “opposites attract” thing really does have some truth to it, perhaps even in a non-romantic context. Or maybe it’s just by chance and circumstance that she and I turned out to be good friends, and our personalities have absolutely nothing to do with it. Who knows?

What do you all think? Are you pretty similar to or different from your closest friends?

Humor

    Sometimes I think about how I can be funnier because I can't really stray far from my original personality. Being serious, quiet and subtle really doesn't help, it's the whole UNhealthy set from Mc Donalds(But I bet it's from that Logorama film). 

    With the recent things happening to me and my family, I literally just cannot sympathize with people. I still can, it's just that it gets harder for me to filter my emotions when something irritates me. But if I say anything that gets on your nerves, just brush it off and think "she's grieving, she's scared" because I really am and I literally probably will not focus on looking at people for who they really are and more of how they are in the heat of the moment. 

    Anyways, back to the topic of humor. 

    What kind of humor do you guys like?(Since there's different types, like dark humor!)

Stress? Will I be able to talk normally again?

     So. biggest, stressful thing that happened to me today is being told my dog can only live for 2~3 more months. At the longest, half a year. 

    If you guys really know me, you probably know that I boast about my dog a lot. I call her my little sister and there isn't any other dog that could replace her. She was my first companion as a first child, then my brother became my second because he was born a year after we got her. Everywhere she goes she's adored, and I want to say that I love her the most in this whole entire world. 

    There was a time when I was sick that my parents were busy and didn't pay attention to me, but they told me that petting my dog would help me feel better. She was therapy for me my whole life and to think that she's possibly going to die at 12 years old extremely stresses me out. 

    I was told this at dinner time, but I was the first to burst into tears and I'm still crying, almost midnight at the time I'm writing this. I was the one to give her medicine this past one and a half years after her health really got bad. To think that just when things were getting better, the doctor drops the bomb.. 

    Another problem is that all this crying, though I was really used to it as a kid, is really straining my throat. It hurts to talk in long lengths so I'm starting to worry if I can say my lines in my presentation.. I'm probably not going to try and talk as much as I used to, so I'll be really quiet. 

    The love of my life who took up 12 years of my 19 year old life, the only being that kept me from running away from my family. I don't want her to leave me just yet so I'm going to do what I can, even though my mom already said that we can't do anything about it..

Book

 I just finished reading this book called satsujinki by Yukito Ayatsuji. I usually don't like reading fictional books but my friend said that it was good and that I would like it so I gave it a try. It was good. Although, I was expecting the novel to be a bit more gruesome but it wasn't that bad. The thing that got me the most though was where this one guy was getting hung upside down and he got his eye ball stabbed out. That part was a bit gruesome but all in all it was good. I also reccomend it to whoever likes horror novels. 

Light bulb

There’s this stupid little book series I use to read over and over when I was a kid. It’s a childhood I wish I had. What if I took the books and add in stories of my childhood in between. It’ll be a little bit sadder but I think it’ll be a pretty cool art piece. 

Yay or nay

Shopping

     I went to a high school where we had uniforms. So I didn't think about what I would wear everyday. But now I have to think about it and I came to realize that I mostly have white T-shirts and blue jeans. I like that coordination of the two but I didn't want everyone too think that I wore the same kinda clothes everyday. So, I decided to go shopping with my friend after school. 

    We went to ZARA and at the time most of their clothes were on sale. There were many colorful clothes but they were all slightly off. After that we went to a different ZARA but the results were the same and I bought nothing. My friend knew another place so we went there too but I still couldn't  find anything I wanted.

    Finally we went to GU. I was trying to avoid GU because it is a common place and I'm in the big city, Tokyo. But we didn't have a choice due to financial problems. We went to GU and I was immediately hooked with several clothings. I really liked the color that is a kind of a reddish brown. In the end I bought five clothings. I hope I didn't make the mistake when I sometimes buy stuff that I will never use.

What I thought yesterday

I saw my friend from high school yesterday afterschool. We enjoyed having pancakes and bobas! Although we have tests next week, that was great to have refreshing time.

Oh,  I saw the post that we are no longer need to write blogs, its kinda sad  but also happy because the first semester will end!! I cannot even remember what I did in first 2 or 3 weeks in uni. Time flows so fast, isn't it? When I saw her, we surprised we haven't seen each other for 4 months! I guess we need to use our time wisely...

Let's finish the test and enjoy the summer guys!!✊

I wanna sing but I can`t!!!

 I really want to sing aloud but I`m on the subway :( 

If I were at home right now, I would sing to the point of traumatizing my neighbors :D 

 What`s this sudden urge to sing?

Is there anyone capable of psychoanalyzing my mental state? Help muaa hehe :)) 

Excuse mua for the high tension. Cheers!

My mystical experience

Don't worry, I didn't take any suspicious mushrooms.

By the way,

Hello.

It's Friday, finally. 

I wanted to share a touching experience I had when I was around 2 or 3. I was at a park with my mother, playing with sand. The sun was setting, radiating the "Yuuyake" color (I still don't know the color of the sun). I do not know why but I asked my mother what that splendid sphere was. Then, she responded by saying that it is the sun, a burning star. As soon as I heard this, I fell in awe; it was the feeling of reverence towards nature, mixed with ineffable fear. 

I think that children have an unbiased instinct, so I believe that exact feeling of AWE to be the answer as to how to conduct ourselves towards nature, or life, the vitality itself. It is beautiful yet terrifying at the same time.

I believe that the immensity of the beautiful facet of life renders any form of suffering bearable.

That is mysterium tremendum et fascinans to the core.

Post scriptum:

If I were a writer, I'd be a hopeless romantic. 

Have a delightful weekend. 

the last bus i ride before i go

During my last year of high school, around late October, my Modern Literature teacher egged on me to enter a writing contest. I ended up writing four short stories but two were turned into poems, while the last two never saw the light of day. This is one of the stories I never thought I'd have to read again until I saw it in my little folder. It's nothing special and it's not my best work, but I thought it encompassed the feeling of being a stranger to yourself very well. So, here's an unedited piece of an existential crisis :D

baito

Something that’s been in the back of my mind lately: “God, I really need to get a part-time job.”

Currently, I’m paying for all of my non-tuition and non-rent expenses with my own money saved up over the years, from my minimal high school okozukai of 1000 yen per month, from my otoshidama that I’d get from my grandparents at New Year’s and immediately hide away in my Totoro “piggy” bank, and from my little spurt of work that I did last year, at a small soba restaurant and at a local ramen chain’s main kitchen. 

I thought that by the time I ran out, I’d have long gotten another part time job and started raking in some cash, but sadly, it seems as though I guessed wrong. 

I haven’t run out yet, but I am dangerously close. And you might be saying, well, Noyu, if your parents are paying for your tuition and rent, what else is there to spend money on? That’s where I say to you, how about FOOD, huh?? Shampoo?? Toilet paper!??? Can you imagine if I ran out of money and stopped being able to afford toilet paper? I’ll have to go against that “please don’t steal our toilet paper” sign I see plastered all over the place.

I’m sure that if I just asked, my parents would be more than willing to lend me money for toilet paper, but the thing is, I don’t come from a wealthy family. They’re already paying a private university tuition and rent for a single room apartment in Tokyo for me, which I know is far more than they can comfortably handle(despite what they tell me). I want to pay for at least some things myself for once, you know? I feel bad.

Either way, though, with tests and finals coming up, I reaally don't have time to be getting a job right now. So let’s just pray to the gods that my current toilet paper stash lasts me til the end of the month!!

I Lied

Okay so I lied don't entirely hate summer, defo hate the heat though, but I love the sunsets in japan during the summer!! Call me basic if you will but I love looking at the sky in general but I also love sunsets! I love sunrises as well but I no longer wake up at 4-6 anymore, ya girl needs her beauty sleep after finishing the work due the next day because she is a procrastinator.  

Summer is the best season for sunset pictures in my opinion because I'm pretty sure there are more pink and purple sunsets during the summer compared to winter or any other season. I haven’t taken too many sunset pictures because I'm never satisfied with the colors that show up on my phone camera because it never fully encapsulates what my eyes see. Did I use the word correctly?? I don't know how else to say it but what I mean is it's not what I actually see so I get disappointed and end up not taking pictures. I liked this one picture I took a while ago so I will share it. I took this at school! The pink and blue were such a nice hue, although it looks orange I think it still looks really pretty.

*sigh*

 I haven’t been on the blog for so long, which is weird because I am a self-proclaimed bloggerist <3

( I don’t know if that's an actual word or not but let's leave it as it is…) 

I love reading through everyone's blogs,  one caught my eye though, it said how we won't have the blogs anymore because we won’t have this class next semester and the realization just hit me! I'm almost as sad as Hikari in her blogs  :,( I really like this class so I'm going to miss everyone if we get separated, also I’ll miss reading and writing on the blogs… or whatever 

…gotta keep up the nonchalant cool college girl image. (as if I had the image in the first place, please laugh) 

Putting all the cheesy sad stuff aside, how is everyone already thinking about their summer break?!?!?!? I have no idea what to do mostly because I hate summer, yes I hate summer. The heat is not it, the humidity is never an ally, and I can’t wear black. How am I supposed to enjoy going out when all I do is melt. I sound so pessimistic so I would like to say, at least the summer aesthetics of eating watermelon and watching fireworks at night by the river is appealing to me. 

Running pt. 3

Me being an idiot, I thought it was a good idea to leave the house at 10 am to go for a jog outside. Honestly, a power move. Because who in their right minds thinks that running when it's 32 degrees out is going to be a refreshing experience? Well... this girl over here. I got myself ready and had gallons (I don't know how much a gallon of water is. But I chose that word instead of 'liters' because it just seemed fitting) of water and a light snack beforehand. 

The first 15 minutes went pretty well, actually. Legs were moving at a pretty nice speed, and no side stitches yet. Well... my happiness didn't last for a while. Because surprise, surprise... I was attacked by a heatstroke.

I mean... we all knew it was coming... But I somehow made myself believe that I was stronger than that. Just one of my many toxic traits...

Even after I walked home and drank another gallon of water, the headache was still there. In fact, it lasted for a good while, perhaps, 3 days? I'm all good now, but it was a pretty traumatizing experience. I was so exhausted that practically did nothing for the rest of the day. I took a 2hr nap twice, with meals in between, and went on my phone while laying down. Not the most ideal way to spend a weekend, but it's alright. 

The main point of this blog is that I hate summer. How disappointing is it that it won't be running season for another 4 or 5 months? 

I don't know, maybe, just maybe, it's a sign for me to move to a colder country...

Sleep

I've been waking up at the weirdest times recently. Doesn't matter if it's a school day or the weekend, I've been waking up at 6:13 every morning for the past two weeks. I'm assuming that the weather has something to do with it. As in, the raging heat wakes me up. It's actually not so ideal, because it messes up my already messed up sleep schedule. I usually stay up until 1 am or 2 am working on assignments, so waking up at 6 means I only get 4 hours of sleep. Obviously, I try and force myself to go back to sleep to get at least another 2 hours of rest. But it's just not fun, you know? Waking up when it's not time yet.

I guess the universe is telling me to go to bed earlier. Perhaps at around 11pm. That'll give me 7 hours of sleep... Maybe I'll train my body to do that. 

Shopping for summer

 Last weekend, I went to shopping mall and bought some clothes and accessories to wear this summer. Although I do not have that much plan on this vacation, buying new things was a bit refreshing.

I'm the person who usually love to clean up, but recently I don't do that much... I should clean up my room (my parents told me that you don't need to do more though 😅) I am thinking of purchasing new vase which is made of glass. It reflects light and looks beautiful when the lights came in. I will look for some good stores to buy it.

That's it for today. This week is a bit cooler than last week right? We should use our time wisely when temperature is not so hot.

Any song recommedations?

 In my last vlog post, I wrote about the college song that I had to sing by myself in club. The sad fact about it was that it was just the practice version. The real thing is coming up in just a few month, where I have choose a song and sing a cappella. So, I would like to know if you have any recommended songs that I should sing! It could literally be anything, but I want it to be somewhat easy to sing lyric wise.

Why

A few weeks ago, I went to ガスト. I ordered something spicy according to the menu. I was sad because it wasn't spicy. It didn't rain that day. 

Why

A few weeks ago, I went to a cat cafe. The cats were cute, but they seemed to not like me. I am sad. It didn't rain. 

mad

today i present to you another attempt at poetry; a...strange one to say the least. interpret this as you would like:)

mad

Am I alive?

away in my mind

a question, it irks

curiosity lurks

it killed the cat

now the one in the hat

won't listen to me

"I’ll do as I please"

he says and sets ablaze with glee

my fantasy 

my reality

they’re crumbling

and shattering

as I fall of the ledge

the glinting edge

of the looking glass

it flashes past

I peer inside

and catch my eye

I’m not alive

Am I?

WHY

Today I went to court to watch a trial. It was interesting and I enjoyed it. I recommend you guys to go watch it if you have free time on weekdays. Also, it rained again. 

A Midsummer's Dream

 And, ere a man hath power to say “Behold!”

What are your plans for the summer? Yes, yes... I know it's a bit too soon to talk about the summer. However, I simply want to lay in my bed and sleep. There's nothing more dreamy to me right now than the idea of spending the summer in the comforts of my room. Think about it. 

Also, I didn't do anything throughout the weekend except enter the gates of Genshin hell. :D Please play the circus music at my funeral, thank you.

 

Chaos

 Today is the day my most absolutely adored favorite loving group debuts. I cannot wait. At the same time, it's 30 minutes before I have to go to Gospel, should I go? 

□Yes

▷ □ No✨

Do you guys know the "college song"?

 Yesterday, I had club activity and played a round of golf. After that, all of the first grade students had to introduce oneself and sing the college song one by one in front of many senpai.  There was also a strict rule that even if you make a small mistake, you have to restart all over again.  Thankfully, I passed the first time around but about half had to do it several time😅

SUPER UNREASONABLE!!!

The Beauty of Failure

Failure is the prerequisite for the ideal which perishes upon its completion itself. 

No failure without glory, no glory without failure. 

Yin and Yang, Apollonian and Dionysian, intellect and affection, the harmonious duality of the universe. 

Failure the gateway to the realization of the minuscule dimension of my frame of reference in comparison to the vast reality. 

Hopeless romantic in the journey of the monomoyth, stumbling upon the abyss, dying and resurrecting, transforming, atoning, and returning. Dancing with the known and unknown, chaos and order; for I had lost the path that does not stray ( che la diritta via era smarrita), as Dante transcribed. 

Now I feel relieved after releasing my impulse to write a chaotic order of birds flying in the forest of the transcribed babbled songs of the harmonious amalgamations of alphabets. 

Have a nice week. 

Stars

Summer is nearly here! What are you all doing for the summer? Are your holidays already packed with things to do? Anyway when I was in New Zealand I liked looking at the stars at night. Aren't they wonderful? It's also interesting that the stars we see on the earth may already be gone. What I mean is that  the distance between the earth and the star is so large that the light is still coming to earth even if the star was gone. Anyway since I liked gazing upon the stars I study a little bit on constellations. Currently in Japan you can see the 夏の大三角形 or the great summer triangle(?). It cosists of vega, altair and deneb. It is said that the stars that make up the triangle are so bright that you could still see a glimpse of it in a city. Also, since its nearly tanabata day lets talk about it. The vega is the Origime and the altair is the hikoboshi. If you look carefully you can see the milky way going through the triangle. If you want to find the great triangle look to the east at night. Other stars you maybe able to find is the scorpio and the libra. Hope this encouraged you to go look at the night sky.

My free weekend

     It feels like a long time sense I had no part time job to worry about on the weekends. When you have plans from the afternoon, it is hard to make yourself do something before that. It feels like you lost the hole day. But today I was free all day. 

    My mother sent me a lot of blueberries and the moment they arrived I devoured one bag. I have been starving for the past week because I didn't have time to go shopping last week. While I was starving a friend offered me some fish in my dream. Too sense then I have been wanting to eat fish. I was trying to buy the same fish he offered in my dream but I'm not that good with telling which fish is which so I think I bought a different fish but I am satisfied. 

The Strangest Things

Bam... Bam... Boom!

How are you? I didn't have any classes today, so I took a break from doing anything that required the sacrifice of my brain cells. I just wanted to be kind to myself for a change. I mean, I've been ahead most of my assignments these past few weeks so I kind of deserve it, y'know? I think we all deserve it, to be honest. I just finished watching all the episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 and... There is so much to talk about. Anyways, while I didn't do anything that was productive in the academic sense, I think a day that was well-spent on rest and relaxation is as productive as any other day, too! 

With the weather suddenly deciding to compete with the environment of Hell, it's been really hard to get through these past few days with a straight face. Like, honestly, it's hot as hell--literally. I lived in a pretty hot country myself, and I can confidently say that it's always hot in the Philippines. The thing is, unlike Japan's silly, stupid, unique Wet Hot... Philippines is Dry Hot. Japan's summer is the kind of weather that sticks to your skin, that makes you feel so dirty and sticky, that makes you want to hang your skin by the open freezer and just... Never go back. Maybe that's just me, but Japan's summer is just so, so cruel... and for what? For what?!

Anyways, weather has been ridiculously hot. So this is your obligatory reminder to drink lots of water, to get yourself an ice cream, to get yourself an ice cube, or--I dunno--to indulge in the technological advances of humanity and turn down the airconditioning to 16 degrees. Just take care of yourself, my dude. Take it easy and reward yourself. Summer is almost here and regardless of how university has gone for each and every one of us, we've done very well. Bottomline is that I think you're pretty cool for pulling through, so why don't you lay down for a bit. :]

Anyways, what's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is cookies n' cream and strawberry! I had a Yukimidaifuku awhile ago and I think it's pretty b!tchin'. I really love vanilla ice cream biscuit sandwiches though... They're so... good. 

What if?

what if we went far away?

see that star beyond the clouds

what if we were there instead?

not a trace of life around

what if we could be happy?

wouldn’t that be nice?

our sadnesses are cured for good

no more lost goodbyes

let’s leave now, why don’t we?

what left is there to wait

leave this world and come with me

like this we’ll change our fate

what if we left everything?

the rain the pain the past

we’d be happy wouldn’t we?

life in peace at last.

(inspired by that feeling that I mentioned in my last blogpost)

Logorama

What is the conversation. The message.

Well, there are countless companies that each manufacture something. In this case the companies produce so much that rival companies will have to consider the same thing. As a result, it ended the world with too much environmental damage. Leading with our no.1 fast food chain, Mcdonalds. So come to your nearest store and get your free toy with every happy meal. Enjoy!

Company names.

Pringles. Walkers. Energisers.  McDonald’s. Pizza Hut. Hot wheels. Nintendo. Ghost busters. Blockbusters. Taco Bell. Dominos. Heinz. KFC. Crunch . Dr Pepper. Haribo. Paramount. Big boy. Pink floyd. Nickelodeon. Starbucks. M&m. M tv. Levi’s. Lacoste. Dunking donuts, Marlboro. Windows. Jack Daniels. Evian. The north face. Leto. HBO. Seiga. Animal planet. Epsom. Samsung. Walt Disney. Apple. Nike. Tropicana. Dortitos. Pepsi’s. internet explorer. MasterCard. NASA, universal studious. Milky Way. Benz. 

Another poem yes

 I really liked this poem I wrote and I wanted to share!

Guess what it's about? maybe?  

Spotify

I have recently come to a realization that I rely on Spotify too much. I'm constantly listening to some sort of artificial audio. That is music, podcasts, audiobooks... This might not seem like something I should be concerned about, but it actually has a lot of side effects. 

For example, I've been so used to having some sort of audio in the background that it feels weird when I'm not listening to anything. I feel slightly uncomfortable in silence... and I don't know about you but that sounds pretty psychotic. 

Also, it's not like I'm actually paying attention to what is being played/said. I mean, I am listening. But I start zoning out every 3 seconds. It's like I'm subconsciously listening to the audio, but my thoughts aren't related to the topic at all. 

What's more, I've been less aware of my surroundings when I have my headphones in. Not only is that unsafe, but it also sounds depressing. 

One last thing, I found out that it has been kindly making a contribution to my daily headaches. I've always been prone to headaches since elementary school, but recently I've been getting them like no other. Obviously, having a messed-up sleep schedule along with my bad posture is one thing, but constantly having noise in the background is just as exhausting to the brain.

That being said, my goal for the next few weeks is to live without headphones. Or Spotify in general. Obviously, desperate times call for desperate measures. So don't punch me in the face if you catch me crying to Matilda by Harry Styles.

Shower Thoughts pt.3

This might not be considered a 'shower thought' but I came up with an interesting question the other day and wanted to share it here.

The question is: would you rather live a life where your mental state constantly fluctuates, in a way that for a month straight you are having the time of your life, but the next month you are fighting for your life to be mentally stable, or a life where everyday life feels nonchalant and apathetic, your mental health is mediocre, and everything is decent and dull at the same time?

I haven't come to a conclusion quite yet but wanted to see what everybody else thought. 

Hope you had a good day :)

Last part time job

     Last Sunday was my last time working at the izakaya. I usually go to the place near my house but this time I went to a place near Tokyo Sky Tree to help a different store. I was enjoying walking in a new place and I was using the map on my phone to get to the place. He asked me if I could come in early so I thought that the store was open and the first wave was coming around 5 o'clock but when I got there around 4 o'clock there was no one there. There was only one worker there and he had me help him get ready for a banquet that was going to stare around 5 o'clock. 

    I only knew how to work in the kitchen but he wanted me to take orders from drunk people. I had never done anything like that so I was nervous but everyone was very nice and it was actually very fun. It was fun watching people have a good time. 

At the Library

At the library,

Pretending to be awake.

In fact, I delved deep into my dream, surrounded by books, dancing with my assignments, hearing the exotic bell singing from Aogaku Senior High, lost in the stillness of the bibliotheca, along with the typing melody, with the scattering papyruses, yearning for a harmonious stasis, in the midst of a subliminal tempest, of the courageous hero, lost in the monomyth, in the belly of the whale, in the ouroboric cycle, in the heroic journey.   

Here is the translation for the idiosyncratic text above in case you can't grasp my way of flirting with language:

My production increased a lot in the library. 

Yes,

I LOVE to write in an artistic way. Life needs romance. I am in love with the aesthetics of language. I LOVE language. 

I wrote love twice. I love love. Hehe! I read Herman Hesse last week hehe :)

I need a good sleep. 

Life is romantic.

Good night. 

Universe_

So recently I got into this Korean band called Onewe. And one of their songs which I can’t stop listening to is a song called Universe_(yes, the underscore is supposed to be there), and apparently the lyrics were inspired by The Little Prince.

The chorus goes, (translated to English)

“What if we went far away? What if we went even farther? What if you and I landed on that star?”

I’ve actually never read The Little Prince before (though I really want to) so I don’t exactly know what this song was intended to be about, but the music video seemed to center around the loss of loved ones, so that’s how I decided to interpret it.

This song reminded me of one specific feeling. That feeling of wishing you could just escape, wishing you could take that person who’s suffering with you to some far away universe where none of the hardships and sadness matter anymore and you can just be happy. That’s how I saw this. A final, desperate wish as the finish line stares you in the face.

I’ll spare you the details, but I’ve dealt with my fair share of loss these past few months so I know a bit of what this feels like. 

But then, as I was writing this, I found myself thinking, “Wait, isn’t that just heaven?” 

That faraway place that you can run away to, where none of your worries matter anymore. An endless utopia... heaven. I guess that’s where I want to go right now. I’m not even religious. It’s crazy how a few things happening in your life can have you thinking in ways you never would’ve even imagined.

LOGORAMA

 Logos I found

Mcdonald, Lego, burgerking, sprite, pizzahut, domino pizza, nintendo, wendys, Kfc, oreo,fanta, JAl, NAsa, haribo, mercedez benz.

I think that they wanted to tell us that there are many companies around us , and we can easily remember what comapany it is by looking the logo. The image of the company is important and so the logo does.There also might be a lesson that how important the logo is. 

Logorama

 What’s the discussion / what’s the message

I believe this video wants to tell us how we are surrounded by advertisements now in the modern society and how much we are affected by it. Logos have a tendency to be eye-catching and but itself is superficial and we overlook or miss out the benefits of the products. 

The logos I was familiar with. 

Domino pizza, Lego, Pizza Hut, Pringle’s, Champion, Seven eleven, Ghostbusters, Heinz, KFC, Fanta, Crunch, Diesel, McDonald, Taco Bell, Haribo, Jaguar, Nikolodeon, M n m, MTV, Levis, Nintendo, Dunkin’ donut, Bmw, Hardrock, Windows, Apple, Panasonic, Evian, Hollywood, Marlbolo, National graphics, HBO, IKEA, Sega, Animal planet, Walt Disney, Nike, Universal studio, Pepsi, Mastercard, Dole, NASA, Milky Way, Pioneer, Benz. 

Logorama

 The message of the video

Logorama was to convey how brand logos are everywhere. It was to show how our everyday lives are bombarded with brand logos and advertisements. I thought that maybe all the action that happened and gripped our attention (or at least mine) was a symbol of how logos do the same. 

Why was the video made?

I thought that the video was made to show how many logos and brands we knew and how they are unconsciously engraved in our memories. I think it was also to make others realize how logos are great marketing techniques and that they leave a big impression in our everyday lives. 

logos I knew

malibu, pringles, home depo, Lego, sega, pizza hut, Esso, best western, dominos, crunch, sprite, KFC, in-N-out, taco bell, wendy's, yoshinoya, ghostbusters, seven eleven, Levi's, best buy, oreo, Nintendo, hot wheels, Hbo, Kmart, Mc Donalds, Heineken, hard rock cafe, Haribo, big boy, m&m, Mr.clean, Fanta, burger king, masters card, Mercedes, Adidas,Apple, Nike, Nickelodeon,Xbox, movie lion, playboy, Lacoste, Discovery channel, carls jr, Evian, windows, Disney, animal planet, north face, seven up, mountain dew, universal studios, NASA, milky way, internet explorer, Doritos 

Logorama

What is the message

Logos are everywhere.

What is the logorama trying to convey?

The impact of company logos.

Companies in logorama

Master card,7-up, Doritos, Universal Studios, Nike, Toyota, Rolex, Nespresso, Starbucks, Honda, Burger King, Fanta, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Adidas, National Geographic, BMW, M&M’s, Haribo, Google, Wendy’s, Oreo, Lego

Logorama

The Message

Our world is full of brands and this video makes us realize how recognizable the logos surrounding us are. I thought the conflict that was shown in the video is representing how each brand is concerned about their own success, and that the competitions between them are happening all the time.

Logos that I noticed

McDonalds, LEGO, KFC, Burger King, Pringles, Fanta, Coca Cola, Levi's, MasterCard, Haribo, Craftsman, Pizza-hut, Sega, Hard Rock Cafe, The North Face, Adidas, Evian, 7 eleven, Yahoo, NASA, M&M, Nintendo, Yoshinoya, Milky Way, Champion

Logorama

Theme: The theme is that.. there is no theme(Kidding.)

I believe the theme is that the logo is only a face of a company, and the true intentions when they were made may have been different to what we think. We've never imagined our favorite Ronald to be that evil, right? Hopefully he really isn't, but the shock of it made me think that there are hidden sides to anything even if the visible side seems welcoming and positive.

Irony: I think the irony is that one criminal caused the destruction of the whole island the video takes place in. The video started off as a normal world with news of a clown, but in the end the island sinks, and the camera zooms out to outer space. 

Symbols: 

Logo: Basically the citizens in this video. Although they are what represent their company, their personalities are all of criminals or potty mouthed people. Some are also incorporated into the buildings.

(Dio)rama: The diorama represents the way the story is made. It is a work of art that's in 3D, and in this story all the characters were logos made in 3D. There isn't a single bit of 2D like in animation. 

Logorama

Logos that I recognized

Broan, Pringles, McDonalds, Best Buy, Kmart, The Home Depot, LEGO, Randy’s Donuts, wendy’s, Pizza Hut, NESN, Dominos Pizza, Oreo, KFC, Taco Bell, Fanta, Burger King, Sprite.

 

The message

I think it is a satire on American culture. They don't like how commercialized America is. They see it as leading to chaos and evil. It shows the victory of the creative against the rational, where nature and human fantasy triumph.

Art of Writing

 Art of Writing

 

Holding the Pelikan pen, gazing at the papyrus     

Wandering through the immense forest,

Where there babbles my mind without rest.

 

Whence comes this ephemeral voice

Which assists my writing

As if words were divine entities

Longing for a paradisal harmony.

 

There are no genuine occasions to write poems so it's so satisfying to compose dozens of them. I think we all are artists in one way or another. It's so fascinating to discover a new facet of language. 

Good night. 

Logorama

 What is the message? I think the creator wanted to tell us that logos are surrounding us and is everywhere.

What do they want to convey? I think logos are what we imagine how a certain company is like. For example, in the video Ronald MacDonald, from MacDonald is portrayed as a phyopathic killer clown and the michelin man is portrayed as a detective or a police. This means making a logo without thinking about your companies characteristics may lead to a misunderstanding of people looking at it.

Logos I recognized

MacDonalds, pizza hut lego,evian,haribo, michelin,JAL,mercedes benz, pringles,nickelodeon,KFC

Woe Is The Consequences of My Actions

Salutations,

As I sit in my desolate room, with no lights, no music--just anger; I contemplate and ruminate on how immensely foolish I am as a human being. The faculties of the mind are terribly interesting, you see. And in the many moments of my ephemeral youth, one must realize that I cannot just simply stop being silly, stupid, unique, funny, 𝓌𝒶𝒽𝑜𝑜. I am just coded to be batsh!t stupid ★

So, to give context, let me rewind back a little. A few months ago, I had the lovely honor to be part of a visual novel project as one of the writers. It was a major success and we reached thousands of downloads, people streamed the game, and it was just generally well-received. Now, riding on that high, I decided to keep up my productivity by joining projects where I can contribute as a writer. And so I found a project, quickly auditioned, and then waited like a sitting duck until the moderator reached out. Miraculously, I got in after weeks of waiting. I must have forgotten at some point though since I was already so busy with school due dates and what-not. I quickly made plans to write as soon as I can, but as I mentioned before--school due dates.

This is why I've been trying to finish my work a few weeks in advance, and this is why I've been drinking from the two-liter bottles of water so I wouldn't have to end up drinking copious, unhealthy amounts of coffee because of the workload. Who knew that the consequences of my actions would simply be in the form of myself wring past!Me by the neck? Funny. :]

Anyways, yeah. Have been writing for the fanzine project. I hope I can finish it before the week is up. Here's a small snippet...

Logorama (2009)

Message of the Short Film

 In my estimation, the director intended to convey that our surrounding is a playground for big corporates; they are literally everywhere around us. The fact that the director put so much emphasis on the signs (I spare to refer to them as symbols, and I’ll explain later) might suggest that in reality, we are unconscious of their omnipresence of them. It was strikingly interesting for me to note that logos had a vivid nature. They literally are, since they hold sway over the mentality of the ordinary citizens.  

 Footnote: According to Jung, although meaningless in themselves, trademarks have acquired a recognizable meaning through common usage or deliberate intent. Such things are not symbols. They are signs, and they do no more than denote the objects to which they are attached (p.3).

 (Retrieved from Man and his Symbols by Carl G. Jung, M. -L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, Aniela Jaffe. 1964, Pan Books.)

 

What is the ongoing conversation?

 The discourse must have to do with the overwhelming power of global players within our capitalistic system. The pressure of competition among big corporates, the vulnerability of Los Angeles (or California) as a headquarter for companies, and the conflict of civilization versus Mother Nature must be of ineffable importance. As the ending shows, California seems to be devoured by the abyss, resulting in a great flood. Perhaps the creators of the film intended to allude to the great peril of the San Andreas Fault which could devastate California, the wealthiest state in the US. According to Bull Oak Capital, if California were a country, it would be the 5^th largest economy in the world, more productive than India and the United Kingdom. Therefore, capitalism might tilt into a disaster if environmental issues are not faced in a serious manner. 

 

Logos I am familiar with

 French’s, Malibu, Cruise America, Lego, Haribo, Liberal Party, Audi, Nespresso, Pringles, Nickelodeon, Lacoste, Pizza Hut, Duckin’ Donuts, Leica, MasterCard, BMW, Republican Party, Levi’s, Walt Disney, Dole, Explorer, Nasa, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Telecom, dm, McDonalds, Aston Martin, KFC, DrPepper, Sprite, Fanta, Paramount, CNBC, Colgate, Heinz, Nintendo, Apple, Nike, Dole.

Works Consulted

Hugher, A. R. (December 28,2021). If California Were a Country.                        

    Bull Oak Capital. 

Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and his Symbols.

    Pan Books Ltd. 

 

Logorama Video

 Some logos that I noticed

Yoshinoya, McDonalds, Comfort Inn, best buy, The Home Depot, GMC, Wendy's, Pizza hut, Nomura, Champion, Seven-Eleven, Ryobi, Avis, SEGA, Taco Bell, Randalls, Haribo, Pringles, Colgate, Burger King, Levi's, Walmart, Walt Disney, Domino's, Hard Rock, Oreo, Nike, M&M's, T-mobile, Chicago Bulls, Marlboro, Chevrolet, evian, Hollywood, Epson, Heinz, Dole, Pepsi, Universal Studio, Master Card, Subaru, Milky Way, KFC, The North Face, In-Out-Burger, Nasa, LEGO, Randy's donuts, sprite, Fanta, Dr. pepper, Subway

The message of this video

It reminds us that the world is bombarded with logos. We don't really think about logos in our everyday lives but the ones that I was familiar with were iconic and unique. I even noticed some that I didn't know what kind of industry they do. It teaches us that whenever we create something, it should be eye-catching so that more people would be aware of it. 

Why was this video made?

To showcase art creativity along with the belief of freedom in creative works. The creator wasn't permitted to use these logos and mascots, but this straightforward conflict between Ronald and Michelin men enables viewers to keep its attention on the video.