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. 

how do i poetry?

greetings.

So I noticed that a lot of people are posting poetry here.

And me being me, I see people doing something cool and wanted to try it myself. Monkey see, monkey (try to) do, you know? But as I was trying my hand at my own little poem, I quickly came to the realization that I know absolutely nothing about writing poetry. 

I’ve read poetry before, certainly. I love it. Especially song lyrics, they’re my favorite. Sometimes they’re simple and sweet and perfect and sometimes they’re so strikingly powerful that they stick with you forever.

But, as amazingly skillful as I am at reading it, I’m not very good at writing poetry, as I mentioned. In fact, I don’t think I’m very good at speaking or writing in general. In BOTH Japanese and English. Even things as simple as these blog posts, I take far more time than I should to write them, usually rereading and revising them over and over again until I’m somewhat pleased with how the sentences sound.

I’ve always admired people who “have a way with words”, as they say. Poets and authors who write sentences that silently etch themselves into your mind, public speakers who passionately get their points across to listeners, those people who somehow always manage to say exactly the right thing off the top of their head… how do they do it? How do people just know what to say? Some of you here too, you’ve practically mastered the skill of writing or speaking and I admire you so very much.

Me specifically, I’ve always wanted to be well-spoken. Because I’ve struggled with speaking for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it has to do with the rush of horror and anxiety I get when multiple people(or frankly even just one person) are focused on me at once, or maybe it’s just a lack of academic skill, but I cannot talk. I mumble, I stutter, I say the wrong things… and far more often than I’d like, I totally embarrass myself. 

So I guess it’s not a problem with me not knowing how poetry works; it’s a problem with me and producing words in general. I guess that’s why I’m here. At Aoyama. Studying English. Besides, what would be the point of me learning how to write if I’ve already mastered it, right? 

P.S. I might(emphasis on MIGHT) try to post some weak attempt at poetry here later. Constructive criticism only please, okay thanksss:)

logorama

Names of companies I recognize:

T-Mobile, Pringles, McDonald’s, Comfort Inn, Best Buy, Kmart, Home Depot, Lego, Sleep Inn, Energizer, Wendy's, Dolby, Stussy, Gorillaz, American Cancer Society, Pizza Hut, Esso, Hot Wheels, Nintendo, EMI, 7 Eleven, Nationwide, Best Western, Quinta Inn, Slim Jim, 吉野家, Santa Cruz, Diet Dr Pepper, Oreo, Kohl’s, Blockbuster, U-Haul, Marlboro, Avis, Domino’s, National Car Rental, Best Buy, Hard Rock Cafe, Sega, Pyrex, Revlon, Skippy, Michelin, Days Inn, Lucasfilm, Taco Bell, Ghostbusters, Heineken, Obey, Green Day, Heinz, Piggly Wiggly, KFC, Picasso, Budlight, Fanta, Crunch, HP, Burger King, Sprite, Nascar, Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Zoo, Mr. Clean, Big Boy, Paramount, Republican/Democrat, Oscar Mayer, Haribo, MGM Grand, NBC, The Discovery Channel, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Green Giant, Evian, Master Card, Hertz, Audi, Burberry, Levi’s, Univison, Pink Floyd, Nespresso, Starbucks, Pillsbury, Planters (Mr Peanut), Cleveland Indians, Diners Club, Coke, Nickelodeon, Lowe’s, GMC, Subway, Yamaha, M&M's, Louis Vuitton, Snapple, Holiday Inn Express, In-n-Out, Chevrolet, Street Fighter II, Penske, MTV, Tim Horton's, Mobil, Yahoo, Mercedes Benz, USA Today, Carl's Jr, Nintendo, Rite Aid, Ralph's, Lacoste, Rubbermaid, Colgate, Walmart, Dunkin Donuts, Batman, Bluetooth, BMV, Sex Pistols, Xbox, Wells Fargo, Windows, The Clash, Weight Watchers, Volvo, Oxford, Vaio, National Geographic, The North Face, Apple, South Park, Kodak, American Express, Bandai, HBO, Snickers, Dell, Durex, Ikea, Animal Planet, Epson, Chanel, Adobe, Casio, Mitsubishi, Visa, Toyota, Exxon, Google, Ray Ban, UPS, Rolex, Walt Disney, Denny’s, Samsung, Nike, Universal, Doritos, Tropicana, Dole, Sun Chips, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay, 7-Up, Pepsi, Internet Explorer, Nasa, Subaru, Milky Way

What is the message?

I think that the message that the filmmakers wanted us to take away from this video is that we are affected by marketing much more than we realize. The fact that we are able to recognize so many of the logos featured in the video proves that in our day to day lives, they appear to us repeatedly, and in the end, they sear themselves into our memories without us even knowing it. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I believe is up for debate. 

There also seems to be a commentary on the excess of movies featuring the kind of language and plot shown in the short film; how, like the logos, they have been engraved into our minds so deeply at this point that despite their shocking characteristics, we almost feel a sort of familiarity when seeing them.

edited ver Pledge of Allegiance

Pledge of Allegiance 

A connection; the pledge

 a bridge; of silence, 

Disconnected by whispers 

of children, indifference 

Running my mouth with 

Esl teachers and at home;

Opened my mouth,

Children stare but without a glare

Hashtag never forget,

how I dared to bear.

Logorama, Altshuler (2017)

Why was 'Logorama' created?

    It was to portray the development of brands and how commercial advertisement creates opportunities for practical and lucrative ends in companies. Logorama includes parodical elements from the action and crime genre, creating an engaging and intriguing narrative that captures the attention of the audience but also illustrates and goes against the censorship of brands. It does not only critique brands and is singularly an anti-capitalist manifestation, but it also represents the freedom of creative works and speech.

What does 'Logorama' try to convey?

    The influence of logos and slogans, how graphic design has helped create iconic branding for companies like McDonalds, 7-11, Sega, LEGO, and the like. The cliches in media and life (eg. Michelin Man as the cop, Ronald McDonald as the crazed clown, etc.). Consumerism and capitalism. 

Logos: Burberry, Malibu,Yoshinoya, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Lego, Levil's, McDonalds, 7-11, Sega, LEGO, Pringles, Michelin, HBO, Ikea, Oreo, Home Depot, Wendy's, Nintendo, Hot Wheels, 7-Eleven, MTV, In-N-Out Burger, Taco Bell, Google, Northface, Dolbu, Lucasfilm, Hard Rock Cafe, Mastercard, BIC, M&M's, National Geographic, Adidas, Lion thing that roars, Apple, Nike, Bentley, Playboy, Lacoste, Discovery Channel, Fanta, Dr. pepper, Burger King, Nestle, Starbucks, Nickelodeon, Pink Floyd, Dunkin Donuts, Sex Pistols, Jack Daniels, Evian, Microsoft Windows, Hollywood, Adobe, Samsung, Walt Disney, Animal Planet, Universal Studios, Doritos, Pepsi, 7-Up, Internet Explorer, NASA, Milky Way

Not enough time

 It's hard to return to the blog when you have so many things happening... I just came back from another concert that I had to be in Saitama for. Singing seven songs 21 times, some songs in which required tests for hand gestures and repeats depending on the mood of the conductor had to be done even more. My throat feels like it's absolutely *dying* right now so if I'm really quiet next week it's because I want to save my voice for when I have to go to help out at a daycare NEXT Saturday before having a sleepover with my friend.

To-do list

Book report

Logorama report

Tattoo age report

timeless delight

Ciao! 

Last Monday I went photo-shooting around Omotesando.

It was so mesmerizing that I had that very sensation of forgetting the existence of time. I realized that photography fulfills the contentment of my soul. Capturing reality with my own eyes and interpreting them with my full-frame camera. Not that I am good at it whatsoever, but.. what a delight!!

I hope you'll find your ultimate passion! I am on my hunt too. 

Enjoy your Weekend :) 

Logorama

 Short film - “Logorama” 

1.Messages they wanted to convey

The message they want to convey is how logos are embedded in our everyday life. The logos appeared in the animation were seen more than once and even we can imagine it by hearing the name of the brands.

2.What they want us to think about

They made us think that many logos are around you and advertising their services and products. We might be manipulated by those advertisements. From now on, we have to think wiser to consider what services are worth paying for.

 

3.Company names

There were Malibu, American Family Insurance, Amtrak, Cruise America, French's , ICI , Stop and Shop, The Home Depot, Ghostbusters, Pringles, Heineken, McDonalds,WAL, Best Buy, Fina, GMC Track, LEGO, Sleep Inn, Randy's Donuts, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, American Cancer Society, Wendy’s, Esso, Air France, Kohl's, SEGA, Oreo, Michelin, KFC, World Wildlife Fund, Heinz, Taco Bell, Fanta, Rockwell, McCain Snacks, Burger King, Sprite, Bud Light, McDonalds, 7up Seven-eleven, Yoshinoya, AVIS, UHaul, Nomura, and  Blockbuster Video.

Brownies and Milk

I baked brownies last night. (I wrote this 2 days ago.) This doesn't happen very often, because I'm not that huge on baking. I prefer cooking over baking. One of the reasons being that I'm extremely impatient, and waiting for the batter to fully bake is a process I would like to avoid. Speaking of cooking, feel free to drop your favorite cooking channels in the comments. Or baking channels. Both work. Preferably ones you can watch on youtube. I find them to be very therapeutic and have been on a look out for a new channel to binge watch.

Anyway, back to the brownies. They were pretty good for a first timer. It had the perfect ratio of soft and crispy. It was going well until something tragic happened. I finished the entire batch in one sitting. ONE SITTING. It's not that I used a smaller tray or something. There were like what, 20? 25? medium sized ones. And I somehow managed to finish the entire thing. 

Despite feeling full, I reached out for a glass of milk. Which was weird, because I never drink milk. It was very out of character. I liked it though. It felt so refreshing that I ended up pouring myself another glass. It also felt slightly nostalgic, because whenever I see whole milk, it reminds me of school lunches in elementary school. Weird times. I liked them though. 

Ever since that happened, I've been feeling super nauseous for the past 2 days. I still kind of do. The amount of sugar I consumed in that day was truly concerning. 

This is exactly why I don't bake. Once I'm done with the baking process, I will start stuffing my face like there's no tomorrow. 

Logorama

The Logos:

Cruise America, Lego, Randy's Donuts, Pizza Hut, Esso, Energizer, Quota, Pringles, Sleep Inn, Nintendo, Ghostbusters, Taco Bell, Dr Pepper, Diesel, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Fanta, Hp, Nestle, Sprite, Burger King, Skippy, Lowe's, Big Boy, Haribo, Mr Clean, Mastercards, Evian, Yamaha, MTV, Wendy's, Coca Cola, KMart, USA Today, Dollar Tree, National Graphic, Adidas, HBO, Ikea, Dell,  Marlboro, Michelin, Energizer, Nespresso, Pillsbury, Nickelodeon, GMC, Subway, M&Ms, Levis, 7/11, Domino's Pizza, Perry, Craftsman, Yoshinoya, Oreo, Mr Peanut, Lacoste, Philips, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Paramount, Carl's Jr, Bluetooth, BMW, Cisco, WWF, Colgate, Microsoft, Hollywood, Adidas, The North Face, Snickers, Pacific Horizon, Heinz, Samsung, Rolex, Nike, Walt Disney, Apple, Adobe, Universal, Tropicana, Dole, Mountain Dew, Explorer, Pepsi, Nasa, Subaru, Milkyway, Pioneer, Bents

Why they made this video/message:

The main point of this video is to show how materialistic the world is. Everyday as we look at the billboards on the street, or the screens on our phones, we are bombarded with millions and trillions of advertisements. Shopping has become easier than ever before, and we feel the need to keep up with recent trends all the time.

It also covers the incredible evolution of marketing and brands. Many of these logos that were mentioned in the video have an eye catching appearance. As the representation of the brand, they have to be easily recognizable, yet unique. The use of the color palate, as well the shapes, fonts, and everything in between seem to be very well thought-out.

I definitely enjoyed the way the creators were exploring in the making of the video. The fast paced, violent and adrenalized world was truly captivating, and had all of us hooked from beginning to end. It very much reflected the current state of the world.

Why

 It rains every time I go to Disny. My friends hate me because of this.

Burger Report #2

Good morning 

This is going to be my 2nd burger report and I would like to introduce another great burger house in Shibuya.

Yesterday, my golf senpai took me to The Great Burger Stand. It's located on the first floor of Shibuya Stream besides the huge stairs with lightings.

The picture below is mozzarella burger. It costs ¥1,530 (if I remember correctly) so it's little bit expensive, but I feel it's worth it after a long week of school.

The mozzarella cheese matches with the meat so well and you should definitely try it.

 

Disney Store at Shibuya

 Today I went to Disney Store in Shibuya to buy tickets. I did not know we cannot buy tickets in Shibuya now. The shopper asked me to go to other flagship store. But it turns out that I can buy it on the app, so I finally got it on app. 

It have been long since I last visited Disney Store in Shibuya, I looked around what they have now. There were many cute things and I saw small plate which can put accessories. I tried to afford one, but it was too expensive for me to buy...So sad... Staying there was pretty short time but I felt like I was actually in the Disney Land. That was very fun. And when I get out from the store, the shoppers waved hand at me and saying thank you! I'm surprised to hear that because I didn't even imagine it. 

If you have some time, visit the "wonderland" so you can forget the reality!!

That's it for today. I have nothing more to write so I will end up in here.

Get me a taxi

Lost in Tokyo

Where I was born around 8:23pm 

That Kanban uttering Omotesando

That electric pole muttering Jingu-Mae

Where am I, dreaming in Tokyo. 

Every new facet I discover

Oh how splendid, I shiver.

Passion knows no time

that shutter my third eye

Tracing magical light trails 

My natural eyes can't trace.

Get me a taxi,

To Omotesando St. 

Sugar

As some of you already know, I can't eat sweet things. This is weird as I used to like and ate sweet things like cakes. In fact I used to love eating カントリーマーム but now I get sick every time whenever I eat it. I also absoultely hate chocolate now. Sweet things make my throat all fuzzy and weird. I thought this sensation was just me but I happened to find an article somewhere that said that the osmotic pressure causes peoples throat to go dehydrated and makes the throat go all weird. I think my hate for sweet things started when I was in NZ as their confectionery are super sweet. But funily enough, I can eat ice cream like ガリガリ君 with peace. So its really weird. Maybe my brain does this because of my heavy thought of hating sweets causing a placebo. 

If I don't say Hi

 I don't like to be where there is a lot of people. So when I'm walking around campus I tend not to look at people and kinda zone out a little. If I didn't notice when we pass by just know that I'm not ignoring you or don't like you or anything, I'm just sick of the crowd.

Frying stuff

 It was my 7th time at my part time job and I had to go to help another store. It was on a Sunday and when I got there the orders were flooding in like crazy. By now I was confident in the frying era so they let me take care of the frying orders. The thing I hate most in frying is squid. It pops when I'm frying it and the boiling oil will sometimes burns me. All the thing they tell me to be careful I alway some how end up doing them at one point and get my finger cut or something. The people there were all very nice and it was fun working there. 

The Pledge of Allegiance

 The Pledge of Allegiance 

The time I learned the pledge of allegiance 

first time feeling connected to English

Before…

Children whisper why I never cited with them

English was new to me I felt Disconnected 

Practicing so many times 

Esl teachers and at home 

Opened my mouth…

Children stare but not in a bad way

So proud 

I felt very proud 

Never forget 

About h×ｈ

Did you know guys　that Togashi has come back and starts writing the manga.

It is really a popular Anime and it is a good one so pls try to read it.

i am them, always

A poem that I've written in my English Education class
that I wanted to share since it is the fruity season.

Gott ist tot

During my long 5 hour of simple labor, I like to think about things. Things that are abstract and hard. For example yesterday I was thinking about the start of everything. The big bang. Isn't it weird to think that a thing like the big bang happened? There was nothing. No time, no space, no substances just plain emptiness. So how can an explosion so big happen and how did the first element, hydrogen appear? There is no way to explain it is there, or no explanation that could grasp my heart. I don't no if I should say this at a christian school but i'm an aetheist or am a shintoist as I like visiting shrines. I don't believe in a god but maybe a god like being created the hydrogen causing the explosion. Maybe god is real? But the antithesis for this is, in physics, an object is not existing unless an observer has observed it. Also, all the things in the universe has and needs to have mass as I said in a past blog about the Higgs boson.  

What do you guys think? Is god real?

Rejection, Redemption and Reflections

Halli Hallo! 

Rejection hurts more than a slap on the face.

(No one dared to slap my face yet so don’t worry (or you’re deluded perhaps, who knows). I imagine it hurts to a certain degree. Let me know if you know. I don’t know.

(Ha, rhymes!! HEHE)

#irapsowell

#thatwaslegitness

 

Putting aside my cheap jokes,

 

I used to work at a law firm before I came to Aoyama. It was pretty devastating to be honest, but the devastation as such turned into salvation for me.  

 

At the law firm, I had to make hundreds of phone calls every day to prompt and negotiate the repayment to severe debtors. Believe me, almost no one answers your phone call; thus, although they are indebted to other companies, namely real estate companies or even cosmetic companies (I spare to mention them because they are very famous), some (many) of them make ridiculous excuses to evade reparations or court cases.

 

Of course, it was arduous to work in such a rigorous environment where no miscalculations are tolerated. Perhaps this has amplified my innate hyper-alertness to a great degree, draining my energies to this day (I might seem apathetic at times, I’m sorry). However, I could derive a great lesson from those arrogant adults (I don’t like to swear) lacking responsibility, which is that there is nothing in life that you can escape from.  

 

There is no freedom without responsibility, and without responsibility, there would be no order; only mayhem.

 

What’s more, because I encountered so many rejections in my former job, I became more stress-tolerant. At first, of course, I took it personally when clients said something banal or vulgar. However, with time, I learned to be bold enough to embrace rejection and take further risks.

 

What else, I am too stiff. Yes, I am aware of that, and I am progressing to evoke my innate craziness little by little. Before coming to Aoyama, I had no genuine interactions with people of my generation in Japan. It is paradoxical that I had more acquaintances and friends who are older than 40. But now, thanks to you guys, I am getting back in my niche.

„But where the danger is, also grows the saving power.“

-        Friedrich Hölderlin

This wonderful poem concludes my blog.

Thank you for reading!

 

I wish you the best.

Ciao ciao

Why

 

I have a weird friend. She sent me a Christmas tree today. Last time it was 10 alarm clocks.　

Best friend

I don't know what y'alls line of going from friend to best friend are, but mine are being together for more than a year and being able to share what you like. 

The reason I'm speaking about this is because my best friend of possibly 13 years messaged me yesterday that she's been back in Japan for a while now and that she was going to leave at the end of July! (She's half Japanese and American, and we met in our Japanese school) So I was extremely shocked to see that message. 

We absolutely LOVE each other! Going on hangouts, eating with our families together, having a whole secret base at a park, everything 🥺❤️ I missed seeing her because the last time she came was around two or three years ago.. Especially since I was conflicted about making friends. She came at the right timing! I know I have another Gospel concert on Saturday in Chiba but I might schedule a hangout in Shibuya during this week after Uni ✨🥰 

160km

 Today I went to batting center with my friends from high school. As some of you already know, I am a big fan of baseball, so I wanted to try it at least once. This was my first time going there but I've been feeling that I can do well. (That's kinda funny though)

But when I tried it by speed of 90km, I cannot even see the ball. Well, to be honest with you, it was very scary to stand besides the base to wait for the pitcher to throw the ball.

I have seen some pitchers throwing 160km and every time I see it, I wondered why batters cannot hit it, but now I can understand why. That IS scary.

This is my little story from today. If you want to try it, I recommend you to go there once so that you can understand the awesomeness of baseball players.

The G

So a couple of days ago I saw a G. It was the first time in 2 years as I had never seen one in Japan since I came back. It appeared underneath the seats at a station. It was 22:00 and I was tired from the 5 hour labor. As I plunged my gluteus maximus on the seat it happened. It came out of nowhere and I was caught by surprise. But at the same time I was kinda happy to get to see one as they are common in New Zealand and I kinda missed seeing it. Don't get me wrong I hate them and hate insects in general. Don't you find it surprising how nearly every human being hate seeing G's? Well, let me tell you a theory that I heard of awhile ago about why humanity hates them. During the stone age, the chochroaches were super huge and people in those days were getring attacked by those huge chochroaches. Therefore because of this, the fear and the need to flee when encountering them were engraved into our instincts. This is why we're all scared of them. So its perfectly normal to scream your lungs out when seing a G.

Yuohmawcooshi Rhyeiquoh

 My name story is really boring so i'll spare you a boring read by telling you how it was having a Japanese name in America.

In one word it would be described as interesting. 

Interesting is such a vague word don't you think? It can be interpreted as good or bad and you'll never know which one it would be unless you elaborate further. Anyways where should I start…

Ah, for starters I can relate with Noyu. 

Having people pronounce my name right was always a pain. Even some of my closest friends still pronounce it wrong because I just stopped correcting people. They would call me “RayKo” or “Lei-ii-kou” no matter how many times I would say that you pronounce it like “lake-o” 

People would find it unique, and honestly, I thought that was nice but at the same time I'm Japanese, and it's a Japanese name. The name Yamaguchi was widely known because there was a famous Olympic figure skater named Kristi Yamaguchi. People would ask me all the time if I was related to her because they thought it was such a rare name and I was a mischievous little brat and would say yes, because what's the fun in saying no. There are so many people who think they have met Kristi Yamaguchi’s cousin at a YMCA pool in the suburbs of Newyork. 

In America, they love to take your name instead of numbers when you order foods and when I say I despised it I absolutely wanted to destroy that system after this one particular incident. 

Now…I want you to Imagine being an 11-year-old in a busy Taco bell on a weekend ordering for your family because your mom hated speaking English, you go up to the counter like you have done many times before, EASY,  finish ordering and they ask for your name, you reply over the busy noise in the background,

 “Reiko”.

 They smile ( was that a snicker?) and say thank you. You wait patiently on the side as they get ready for your order. You see the employee packing your food into the bag and about to call your name so you step up. Then, on the intercom and from the movement from the employee's mouth you see and hear them say and mouth the word  

“LEGO?!?!” 

I was that 11-year old stood there completely frozen. The once loud background turned silent. I had to walk all the way to the counter and retrieve the bag as a girl named lego. 

I have so many more stories but i'll shut up now because I just relived trauma. 

Getting That Bread 🥖🥐🥔🍞🥯

Good afternoon carbohydrate-consumers,

First, a question... Are you a rice-haver, or a bread-haver?

While I'm as Asian as I could get, I love bread so much that I think I eat it more than rice. Scandalous, I know. Please don't revoke my Asian privileges... if I have any (ﾉ≧ڡ≦) Teehee~! Don't get me wrong, rice is F#%k!$* banger. If you've had Filipino cuisine before, you would know what I'm talking about. Adobo with rice? Sinigang with rice? Tapsilog? Yo, actually, I should write about Filipino cuisine next time.

Okay, before I go down another silly tangent. Let's go back to bread. Bread is amazing, and I think the reason why I even love bread so much is also because of this Filipino bread called pandesal. It's a soft and airy flour roll that's subtly sweet but interestingly, pandesal (or "pan de sal") is actually Spanish for "salt bread."  This bread is a really popular breakfast choice in the Philippines, and we would break it in the middle to put eggs, or coconut jam. When I was back in the Philippins, I would binge on twenty of these rolls in one sitting and would sometimes chase the person selling them in our subdivision to buy some more. It was that good.

But, yeah. I love bread. Croissants are one of my favorites. Garlic bread is bussy bussin'. I want to go to Germany someday to try out their bread, too. So the point of this blog is for you to tell me all about the good bakeries in Japan. Help me get this bread. Thank you.

Drink water, gooba.

The Books On My Bookshelf

 Howdy, partner 🤠

Thank you so much to Ken for giving me something to write about. Genuinely started to think I didn't have a life because I had Nothing to talk about. Thankfully, I was reminded of my small love for reading. So, here are a few loved titles from my shelf!

• A Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schwab
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
• Monster series by Naoki Urasawa
• Monsters of Verity series by V.E. Schwab
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
• Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• The Darkest Part of The Forest by Holly Black
• The Folk of Air series by Holly Black
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
• The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• The Secret History by Donna Tart
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake
• Villains series by V.E. Schwab

Ever since I was a child, I would often choose reading a book over going out to play with the neighbors' kids. While this might have been because I was sickly and had asthma, therefore barred from any strenuous activities... I actually did enjoy reading a lot. My mother had even commissioned and built a bookshelf for my sake because all I would ask for is for more books--does anyone remember Geronimo Stilton? Yeah... Good times, good times... Well, anyways, moving to Japan meant I couldn't bring my books with me. Which broke my heart because I had annotated some of them. Now, my darling books sit in the shelf of our house in the Philippines, collecting dust bunnies as time continues to touch their spine and inked pages. 

Now, one of the few things I learned to hate when I moved to Japan was how I had to prioritize learning Japanese... over reading. Ridiculous, I know! Like, imagine having a life? Cringe. 

Eitherway, I hardly had any books with me, so I obviously wasn't going to be doing any kind of reading. Except that also soon became the bane of my existence... To make things easy to understand without going through a whole tangent, it meant that I had to buy books while only having 10¥ to my name. Clearly, I need someone to financially support my obsessions. But at some point, with whatever pocket change I would find scattered across the house, I managed to quietly buy books for myself. Before this, I would actually visit the local library--has anyone read The Night Circus? I really love that book. I loved it so much that I sacrificed my 20/20 vision for it by reading it in the dark... With a flashlight. 

I've always had a strong love for fiction, and maybe it started with me binge reading my 365 Bedtime Stories book as a child, or from my Reading class in second grade, or because of the library club I was in for four years back in elementary... Or maybe it started with my asthma. (Shrugs) But I've been trying to broaden my genre selection for awhile now, so if you have any book recommendations please let me know!

I personally recommend greek mythology lovers to read Madeline Miller's works, like The Song of Achilles and Circe. If you like a little more dramatic mystery in academia, I recommend If We Were Villains and The Secret History. If you like fantasy and power dynamics, any of V.E. Schwab works are an amazing read--my favorite works of Schwab's is the Villain series and The Monsters of Verity series. Finally, if you want to feel a bit devastated, A Little Life and The Song of Achilles.

Okay, I gotta write another blog. Goodbye, xoxo. 

About my recent tournaments

The last few times I was absent, it was for my golf tournaments. I belong in athletic golf club and I had a lot of tournaments this past one month. ( I'll apply some of them to be official absence once all the tournaments are over) 

To give you my scores, I shot 74,72,72,73,81,70 for the last 6 tournament rounds. It wasn't all that bad except for the time I shot 81, which was one of the important ones so I was sad👉👈

My next one is tomorrow, which is a head to head match versus Tohoku Gakuin University. It's a match play doubles style and I'll be teaming up with our club captain to take on their top 2 players. 

Today's just the little practice day so I'm gonna enjoy the day off and get ready for tomorrow🔥

Reply to Destiny

I was planning on replying to Destiny through the comment section, but realized I could make a whole blog entry out of it. Just a heads up though, none of this touches on physics. Anyway, here it goes.

My opinion shifts pretty frequently. I never get to settle on one thought. It just kind of depends on how I'm feeling that day. It can be exhausting being me sometimes.

30% of the time, I believe that everything has a meaning. Every tiny decision that I have made in the past is what makes me, 'me'. (sorry that sounded very corny) It might not seem like a huge component in the moment, but it will most definitely have an influence on how I behave and think in the future. This point of view is probably the most productive, as it motivates people to always strive to be a better version of themselves. Yet at the same time, if they have the tendency to be hard on themselves, this thought may be very anxiety inducing. For instance, if they catch themselves relaxing, they might beat themselves over it because they should be 'working on themselves constantly'. 

35% of the time, I go in with a little bit of a nihilistic approach. More specifically, I believe in optimistic nihilism. Optimistic nihilism is the acknowledgement that life has no meaning, which makes life feel more liberating. Because think about it. We're living on a floating rock. Why on earth would that need a definition? Why do humans feel the need to find meaning in everything? Why can't things just be the way it is? At the end of the day, we'll all die someday. Yes, we've had many people who have left a mark in the past, and their life 'meant' something. But so what? 1000 million years later from now, that probably won't even matter. So it's just much easier to think that we just so happened to be here by coincidence, and we aren't here to serve any purpose but to live.

Although, I do understand that putting meaning to the unknown feels comforting. Us humans don't like it when they don't understand something. 

Some people argue that optimistic nihilism can be toxic because it is an 'inconsiderate interpretation of nihilism'. I'm not really sure what that means, though. 

Then 15% of me believes that everything was already decided since birth. By whom? I have no idea. I wouldn't say God, because I'm not religious or anything. But something that holds a bigger power than us. I don't know, maybe the universe? 

There's a famous verse in a bible, which may sound similar to this way of thinking. In Ephesians 1:11, it writes that "All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the beginning" In this case, the 'bigger power' = God, since it's Christianity. 

The other 20%? I'm not so sure where that went. But I wanted to keep it open because there's definitely other ways to look at it. Gotta be flexible.

To be completely honest, I have no idea what I just talked about. I may or may not have gotten the terms wrong, and if I did, feel free to correct me. Anywho... goodnight!

Coconut Water

Recently, I've been obsessed with coconut water. It's weird that I'm saying this, because I used to absolutely despise them. But now that my taste buds have matured a little bit, I have grown to love them. 

I picked one up at a Lawson last week for the first time in a couple years, and everything about it felt magical. It's sweet, but not too sweet, it's refreshing when it's cold, and it has a nutty flavor. You probably don't need me to explain what a coconut water tastes like, though. I'm pretty sure everyone's tried it at least once in their lives. 

Anyway, that's all I came here to tell you. It's basically summer, so it's fitting to be holding a bottle of coconut water in my hand. I have a feeling they will become a trend sometime soon. Who knows, maybe it'll be the boba of 2022.

Burger Report #1

What's up

Recently, I've been really into burgers and been discovering a lot of burger houses around Shibuya and Omotesando. I've been to several places like the 3rd burger, KUA`AINA, TGI Fridays, but this might be the best of bunch so far.

It's the Whoopi Goldburger. It's located in near Miyamasuzaka only about 5 minutes from school. It's pretty big in size and the meat is absolutely delicious. They recommended mashed potatoes instead of french fries, but I felt like the french fries were the better version of McDonald's and it was very good. All the set menus costs around 1,500 yen, but it's totally worth it.

I want to make this a series and I'll post whenever I go to new burger places.

Dat bloke in class

Dear bloke in class

You are European but also Asian

To mingle yet never plan for an occasion

Dialect of the south never divid, all the same even with cross borders

The tales of folklore never weary as they are still common

Wine rises becoming the centre of unpigmented blank

The fundamental essence of awareness, authenticity, and universe intrigue you as if they were puzzles that never fit into a satisfy that transcends

 

A theory of the cosmos no moment travels 

Interest may vary but never limited

The finite things become limitless in your means

Wonderers in Limbo, but you voyage through life

You are many things but also all in one.

Goddess of Whisper

Your gentle whisper 

Evanescent, a butterfly 

Gazing at my houseplant

Longing for answers

Mesmerizing is your whisper

Withering and blooming 

Whispering after you, 

Whe-when you're lost and you're searching for meaning

Hope you find all the things you've been needing

Let it go, it's behind you

Know I'm beside you if you go

Alina Baraz - If You Let Me