HEART STATION

Onion-Tou is simply the cutest, funniest, adorable-est character ever. Some time ago, Cary sent me an emoticon of him. I fell in love instantly and asked for her permission to take it. She allowed and I tried using it as much as I could. Slowly, I noticed more of his emoticons, only I didn’t know his name, so I decided to do some more research. I’m familiar with asian cartoons, so i knew that he’s an onion (Some other people can have some difficulty in that area).

After I found out his actual name, I looked around until I reached the official website. I got all of my favorite emoticons, (Which are practically all of them) and added them to my messenger. His emoticons are really adorable, and they usually show him in many different ways. One emoticons might show him blushing cutely and shaking his head gently, but another might show him laying blue on the floor with little “spirits” surrounding him to represent that he “failed in life.” But I have to admit, even while failing in life, he’s adorable.

His website is called “ONION-CLUB” and you may read his comics and your horoscope as well while in the website. There are many different things that are accessible, like the “merchandise” section, the “wallpapers” section, and all the section have the cuteness and charisma of Onion-Tou. There are more characters other than Onion-Tou, (Who’s my favorite) but they’re not as popular. He has a girlfriend, and also an archenemy, it’s very cute, and they all are onions drawn in different ways too. It’s interesting to observe how the genius behind “Onion-Tou” could diverse his characters so much, but still in the same simple concept. Onion-Tou was created especially for emoticons and avatars, and then it began growing to many things.

All of the avatars uploaded with this post are courtesy of the “ONION-CLUB” and its section of avatars. If you wish to check the website out and download some really cute stuff, go ahead, just click here. I hope you enjoy it, because all that adorableness isn’t to be wasted!

I have just finished reading Geisha, A Life, written by former geisha, (Or former geiko) Mineko Iwasaki.

The book is extremely captivating from beginning to end and her life is so different from anyone else’s, that it’s impossible to stop reading. So far, this is the best book I have ever read for many reasons.

Rande Brown has done an excellent job translating the book from Japanese to English and the vocabulary is so precise and descriptive and everything is written so well! This was one of the reasons why I loved the book so much. The precision of the vocabulary and the vast word choice makes this book already a must-read.

The book was not only written because Mineko wanted to tell her story since she became a maiko, (Apprentice geiko) but also to cover the lies that Arthur Golden promoted with his bestseller, Memoirs Of A Geisha. In his novel, he writes that geiko sell themselves like prostitutes, (Actually he depicted the life of an oiran, [High-class courtesan] instead of the life a geiko. The mizuage, for instance, in his novel, means the deflowering of a girl, [Just like how the oiran use the term] when it actually means the transition from maiko to geiko.) when that isn’t true at all. After Arthur Golden announced through his novel that Mineko Iwasaki had helped him write the novel, (Geiko have to vow not to tell anyone about their lives) when he sweared not to do that, she was shocked, and sued him for that. The later editions didn’t come with Mineko Iwasaki’s name.

The story is about how Masako Tanaka (Her name before she became a geiko), born to a poor family, decided to help her parents out by allowing them to sell her to an okiya (Or geisha house). She was 6 at the time, and the adult world was new to her. She meets with some older sisters (Who she has never heard of), and we follow her life as she abandons her childhood and moves on to adulthood mentally and physically. She puts every detail of her life down, be it when she hid around in closets because she was too shy of somebody or when men tried to abuse her while she was walking around through the streets of Kyoto. The ending is quite sad, but it’s a true story, and not everything about the world is wonderful.

I felt like the book was so great because tradition and values is all about what the book is about. I learned a lot about traditional Japan reading this book, and I loved every single moment I was reading it. I recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in Japanese culture or in the life of Gion’s greatest geiko. This is definitely the best book I’ve ever read, and if you have the chance to pick it up, go ahead! You won’t regret it!

Next year will already be my first year in high school and I have to begin planning out my life. I’m still not sure of what profession I’m willing to take, but I am sure of what courses I’m willing to take. Sofy and I are aspiring to go to Canada and study at the “University Of British Colombia.” It’s a very neat university and I’m very eager to study there if I can. I want to try very hard to get very good grades and I’m also going to begin 3 extracurricular activities to sum up some credits and to sign up for many courses related to the things I like. To do these 3 extracurricular activities I think I’ll quit guitar (Since the teacher gave me this speech on how if I don’t like playing guitar, I shouldn’t, and if I want to do something, I should either quit or do it right [Because I never practice]) to get me some more time on studying and because I believe he was completely correct.

These 3 extracurricular activities are French classes, (Since the “University of British Columbia” is in Canada, and there they’re fluent in French) Japanese lessons (Because the “University of British Columbia” has a very neat Asian studies center that I really want to be a part of, and who knows if I’ll ever visit [Or live in] Japan?), and piano lessons (Because I think the piano is one of the best sounding instruments of all time and we have one at home because I used to play it when I was 6). My mother just went out to get more information on the teacher and everything. I can’t wait to begin!

Thursday we were dismissed earlier from school, and our day was split in half… we had four classes of 30 minutes each, and as a bonus, one of our teachers (Our percussion teacher) didn’t know of the special schedule, so he didn’t come. The students (Including me, of course) had half an hour to walk around campus and talk and have fun, which is nearly impossible in percussion class. Before we had portuguese class and after percussion we went to art class and then computers. It was a pretty normal day.

When I went home, I pulled out my unwatched Hikki DVDs and watched “Bohemian Summer” and “Hikaru No 5.” They are amazing. You have no idea what amazing means if you haven’t watched these two DVDs. They’re THAT good. Each one of her concert DVDs has a characteristic that makes them completely indispensable. Here are what each one has to offer:

Bohemian Summer 2000: Her first tour, and I think that’s self-explanatory. Here we can see her earlier work before her major hits and admire her beautiful voice even though she was 19 at the time.

Hikaru No 5: This concert has all of her best songs (Not necessarily hits, just my favorites) and her voice is perfect. It’s different from her studio work in a sense its exceedingly better. I love this DVD. Even though its kind of “formal” (In a sense there aren’t any special effects other than the lights), it doesn’t make it less incredible.

Utada United: Even though her voice might not have been at its best, (Since during that tour, her vocal cords were damaged, and I mean VERY damaged. She spent some time recovering from it) it was still amazing. The production of the concert was at its best, with changing sceneries and beautiful and exaggerated outfits. This concert was more turned to the graphic effects and costumes. But you have to admit (If you’ve watched it) that it was an extremely well done concert considering she had an allergic reaction to the cedar wood in the arena and her vocal cords were being torn.

Other than watching all of that, I also slept a lot and this morning I ate half a white chocolate egg (My favorite) for easter and am already full. Today is also my mother’s birthday! And yesterday I gave her a kimono with a matching nightgown and she looks so beautiful in them! Oh, and happy easter to everyone! (With loads of chocolate!)

Today is the release date of Utada Hikaru’s new original studio album, HEART STATION.

It’s pretty much a coincidence that my order got here one day before the release of her next album! These things happen to me a lot, but I couldn’t be happier! Now I just have to wait awhile before I ask for the HEART STATION album. Besides, I already have 5 dollars worth of store credit for YesAsia!

If you wish to download some samples off her latest album or just download some new official wallpapers and the official screensaver, (I know I have!) You may click here.

Here are a few pictures that I really loved of Hikki promoting her new album, HEART STATION. Credits go to U Blog, so if you wish, you may check that website out too! It’s in my blogroll if you wish to.

After I walked into my house and into the entrance, I spotted a very odd package at the front of the door and my mother running at me and smiling to see if I even payed attention to it. I didn’t care and walked on. My mother then leaped at me saying “It arrived, baby, your package, since January! It has finally arrived!” I looked at her face to see her smiling, so I joined her hug and we started to jump and celebrate. I got hold of the package and saw the little blue sticker on it with the little Japanese symbols on it and smiled again. I brought it to the table on the living room and took all the bubble paper from the items as I smiled. I took them from the box, one by one and gazed at their wonderfully packed packages and beauty. I couldn’t be happier or satisfied-er with the way YesAsia packed my items. After I took them from the box, I decided to take some pictures to share this feeling with y’all! Here are my beautiful purchases (Sorry for the quality):

The Box

Utada Hikaru: Albums

Utada Hikaru: Music Videos Collection

Utada Hikaru: Concert DVDs

I couldn’t be happier that my package arrived. Now I’m going to open the items and look at the beauty of artwork! But first, I have to get my homework done…

I’ve fallen in love with “Ugly Betty” since the first time I’ve ever watched it. I remember the first episode I’ve watched was “Queens For A Day.” An episode which Betty gets a make over and ends up looking extremely… well… Not pretty. I have just finished watching the complete first season and I have to admit I have never seen ANY other series that slowly reveal bonds between the characters the way this series does. Not even in “How I Met Your Mother” and it’s basically the whole deal with the show. But I do think that the ending of the season was not an ending… It had no conclusion. Here’s how it went: [Spoilers]

First, Daniel Meade (Editor In Chief of Mode, this super fashion company) crashed his car seriously because his sister (Former brother, but he had an accident and was presumed dead for 2 years, but then shows up as a transsexual. The whole beginning of the show showed this cloaked lady which turned out to be Alex. [Now Alexis]) was driving him to the hospital because he was high.

Then Santos (Hilda’s [Betty's sister] husband) is buying his son a congratulations gift (He’s finally accepting his son’s sexuality and interests) when they store is being robbed and while trying to save the clerk, he is shot. Betty is aware of the news and looks for Hilda at Justin’s musical and tells her everything. The scene is heartbreaking. Hilda screams and cries and the sounds are muffled by the glass door separating her form the auditorium. Just when Hilda and Santos are coming back together and beginning to understand each other, he’s murdered.

Then Betty discovers her boyfriend-to-be, Henry, is in love with her, but he’s got a girlfriend, Charlie, who he broke up with for Betty. She comes to Betty and tells her she’s pregnant. Betty then finds out that it might not be Henry’s, since Charlie was having an affair with Betty’s date, (Her dentist) who she brought to Charlie’s birthday party.

These are the main events that happened on the last episode. There are so many things that need to be answered and nothing is concluded, it’s like a normal episode! Not even the pilot episode was so vague and dramatic.

Even though the whole watch-the-second-season-because-it-contains-all-the-answers deal is going on (And it’s working), I totally rate the series a 10/10 stars! It’s got the adorableness a series needs, the drama, comedy and sweetness. It’s a series you can’t resist.

Sofy and I were looking forward to getting done with science fair, and with so many beautifully and intellectually wise projects, I have to admit I had almost no hope of winning any prizes at all, I didn’t get my hopes up, and we didn’t win anything related to prizes, but I do feel like a winner.

First, I’m very proud to say that all the individual project awards for this year were for 8th graders! In third place came Laura, with her neatness, politeness and superior intellect. Then came our beautiful Christina in second, who is just as intelligent and adorable. The first place made Bo (Sofy) and I feel like proud mothers. Pam came in first place, the beautifully intellectual companion of our lives! The speaker (Vivian) said so many wonderful things about her and I felt bad that I couldn’t go up there and celebrate and hug her, but I know she was smiling so much that I thought she was crying.

The best part didn’t even arrive yet. Pam, showing how much she wants to learn about science, was chosen to go to the United States as an observer of the official ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) event! Bo and I could just cry when we heard the news, we couldn’t be prouder of her!

At the end of the award-distribution presentation, we greeted Baby C and Tooms and as we looked for Pam, we saw her hugging everyone and it looked like she was a celebrity. We came up to her and we exchanged glances, then, knowing how each other felt, we jumped to each other’s arms and jumped around like a crazy threesome and screamed saying that we loved her and congratulated her. It was fun.

My parents arrived yesterday from the United States and they brought my desired “Back To Basics: Live And Down Under.” I couldn’t be happier!

First of all, let me explain that I’m not a cold human, if that’s what you think about me. I loved that my parents got home, since I only knew that they were traveling the day before they actually traveled, and that gave me almost no time to process all the missing-them-for-a-week idea. It made me miss them a lot more, and now I want to spend the most time possible with them!

Moving on, the concert is the most amazing concert that I’ve seen on DVD yet. She changes outfits for almost every song and it’s got many parts to it… From one part to the other, everything changes, the lighting, the outfits, and the greatest part: the songs! They’re put together with other songs that have the same qualities to them and that makes her show spectacular. I recommend everyone to go out there and order your copy because it’s worth every single penny you spend!

Not only did she put on a beautiful show, full of skits, costumes, color, but she also put ever single hit of hers (Except for Beautiful and Fighter) into a format that blended into the whole atmosphere of the concert. She fit new instruments into the songs (And took away others) and made them so good!

For you to check it out with your own eyes, here it is, Ain’t No Other Man, live from her “Back To Basics” tour! Straight from Dailymotion:

After my debut as a poet here, I noticed how terrible the poem was, so I want this one to be the official first poem and I hope y’all like it, it’s called Kamen (Or mask in Japanese).

The porcelain mask placed upon her face
Hides us from her, and exposes us to grace,
Except she’s far from that,
For the mask she wears, hides the face of a rat

The painted red lips,
Are all just an eclipse,
The red ribbons hanging from it,
Are not pulling it off a single bit

The same ribbons she used to her advantage
Was overbearing work that she couldn’t manage,
She tripped on them and fell
And with that, so did her protective shell

As the true person stood up, The mask remained on the floor,
And with that done, the fact was even worse to ignore,
She was free from her curse,
But her soul didn’t change, her goal was still to disperse

Little by little, the shards covered her face again,
She wanted to take them, even though she felt the pain,
The pieces were cutting her face,
But she had already embraced the idea to replace

It was too late, and everybody knew it by that time,
They were just tools of a plan so sublime
What can’t kill you only makes you stronger,
And it made her famous a lot longer

She won, she gained the audience to call attention
People were used as her retention,
But not 1000 words can cure her now,
For to that audience, she did end with a bow

And what’s done can’t be undone,
And she has just begun,
But there are still mindless slaves of her possession
Who contribute to her obsession

Because that’s the saddest of all,
For this way, her mask will never fall,
To reveal the scarred face of a lost soul
Of a weak human with no control