For those who still follow me: It's where I've been hanging out lately. No hard feelings. But livejournal has a special place in my heart still. I'll come back when I'm ready.

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

- Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

It's warm.
I mean it's been warm as all mind-numbing hell for over a month now, hasn't it?!
Oh. The "?!" was supposed to express my fragile sanity.

D:

So when I haven't been studying for organic chemistry, I quietly dismantle my head from its neck and rattle the marbles in my little noggin. "WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY SPARE TIME, DAMNIT??!!!"


( i can't pick them all up, umma~ )

Have you all seen/heard about the Free Hugs Campaign?

Free Hugs in Japan




The Japan campaign is awesome and there are numerous videos on Youtube of others who've done the same. But this particular sign-bearer girl is something else; people are drawn to her, some run eagerly, others lift her in the air. My favorite parts: When the girl has to coax the young man in the beginning into a hug. And when the girl in the green skirt does a running leap into the sign-bearer's arms. And LOL at all the gaijin in the park~! The use of Mr. Children's song, "Sign", is also a major plus :3

( Free Hugs in China and Korea... )

Anyway, I leave you all with this until I return again, sometime in the future. This is my last post until final exams are over and I fly back home on the 14th. There are so many things to attend to, things I had wanted to say. But, ara, it's time to go.

Take care and remember to find something in life to be happy about.

Yours devotedly,
Pearl

OH MY...............I HAVE TO SEE THIS I MUST, I MUST.

It's an anime about a guy who can communicate with microorganisms. Not only is that the nerdiest and most illogical plot concept for an anime, but those bacteria are DAMN cute.



Oh my god I want to hug them. And then eat them O-o;

I'm not a big fan of AMVs, really, but I found this the other day and really liked it.

It's a music video for one of my favorite films, Millennium Actress.
There aren't many spoilers, don't worry~

When Chiyoko runs down the covered passage in the blue kimono, and she pounds on the closed door, that scene is still my favorite and it still makes me cry.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

is one of those books that, after reading it, I thought: "What a load of shit."

I read it when I was about thirteen, an age when I was a most ravenous reader, when I would frequent the library every week. Indulging in the tragic mores of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, finding myself in gray countrysides imagined and lived by a British authoress, and finding time to sniffle wearily for the sake of Steinbeck. My literary tastes today pale against what they were back in those days. But probably for the better. I was quite a snob back then (my seventh grade teacher professed JE to be her favorite book. And I balked).

But for English class this quarter we were required to read it once more. And things have changed. I like it. I do. Have I softened? Become more sentimental in these few years? Or have I merely become less jaded--have I matured?

I once reviled Rochester's confession in Chapter XXVII, but now it did bring tears to my eyes.

“I resumed my notice of you. There was something glad in your glance, and genial in your manner, when you conversed: I saw you had a social heart; it was the silent schoolroom—it was the tedium of your life—that made you mournful. I permitted myself the delight of being kind to you; kindness stirred emotion soon: your face became soft in expression, your tones gentle; I liked my name pronounced by your lips in a grateful happy accent. I used to enjoy a chance meeting with you, Jane, at this time: there was a curious hesitation in your manner: you glanced at me with a slight trouble—a hovering doubt: you did not know what my caprice might be—whether I was going to play the master and be stern, or the friend and be benignant. I was now too fond of you often to simulate the first whim; and, when I stretched my hand out cordially, such bloom and light and bliss rose to your young, wistful features, I had much ado often to avoid straining you then and there to my heart.”

...“You see now how the case stands—do you not?” he continued. “After a youth and manhood passed half in unutterable misery and half in dreary solitude, I have for the first time found what I can truly love—I have found you. You are my sympathy—my better self—my good angel. I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wraps my existence about you, and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.

I am such a corny old woman on the inside.
No. Worse, I think I am more like a middling-aged Japanese man who drowns out his sorrows in cans of cold Sapporo and enka ballads.

-p.

Today, they are taking apart
the Santa Monica Ferris Wheel.

When I return home its lights will not greet me from my window at night.

Twice in life I have ridden it, fearful of the shaking aging gondola in the wind. Were they supposed to be so unstable, I worried. The fluttering at my heart erupted into panic. Oh my god, I quailed in utter melodrama, could we die? The hard plastic seat would not be clutched comfortably in my hands, so I cowered as my friends laughed freely, but not without kindness. Then finally I dared to look out at the world, with a heart beating timorous tattoos within my chest.

The ocean from that height and proximity, the gem-blue sky and briny air were things at which to marvel. At last, the nerves eased back into my body and I smiled.

Suddenly and very quickly, things are changed.

When I return home there will be a replacement. A new whirling wheel with four times as many lights bleeding into the night sky. It will be fitted with new metal and ready for hundreds more people to travel its cyclical itinerary.

I probably won't really notice the difference.

It's bigger, I'll think absently. It's brighter and safer too, perhaps.

In a day I will forget and forget I ever cared.

Soon, the old Wheel will make its way to Oklahoma, a place far different from where it has been. Can I say--I am sorry for it. There is no ocean for it to look towards. And it will surely be missing its fobs. Perhaps it will remain static and unhinged in some lot for a while, waiting mutely for the crowds to come back and clamber into its floating gondolas again someday.

Santa Monica Ferris Wheel,

good bye & good luck

I hate them.

God I just hate airports.

Especially Los Angeles Int'l (LAX). Of course most anyone is bound to think that their local airport is shit. But LAX owns up to that special nadir of shit, founded upon filth, overcrowding and incompetence, which I think many other airports would be hard-pressed to challenge.

I could write about my angry feelings towards LAX forever, compile an angry poem-book, publish it, and give it away as a Christmas gift.

Ho ho ho.

Sorry for all this hate spilling forth-- a byproduct as I wallow in the miseries of "Fuck-I-lost-my-ticket". Having lost the ticket for my flight home in June (from Seattle to Los Angeles), I have to go to SeaTac sometime soon to fill out a lost ticket form. Aside from the tremendous waste of time involved, it shouldn't be so bad. We'll see how it goes. Only, it reminded me of LAX and how much I hate that stupid place and, in a sense, how much I dislike traveling.

Don't get me wrong I love going to new places. It's the act of traveling that kills me. It's that between-time, as you're about to leave one place and just before you're to arrive in another. The whole thing agitates me, with the people, all the people there, and the pervading sterility of such places. The feeling is almost like being in limbo. Like a body doesn't belong in any damn place at all.

Going to new places is still a thrilling experience. That I will confess gladly--I love it.

Sometimes I wish that I lived in a country as wonderfully, economically-sized as Japan. A place where everything is perfectly and terribly on time. Where one may take a magical bullet train from city to city. Where, if necessary, the flight to China and Korea would be mere hours away.

Sometimes I think of these things, lying in my bed quietly, and think that someday this may actually become true.

~~~

In other news.



I bought and began reading China Mieville's The Scar this week, and it is one of the most magnificent, terrifying books I have encountered yet. Absolutely fucking fantastic. His writing style is gravid with sinuous, living meanings that appear immediately in my mind. I swear I have skipped no words yet in The Scar. It makes me want to clutch a stuffed animal and drink some tea, to read more slowly, carefully. Makes me think of monolithic steamships, burning oils, vast oceans, scarab beetles, and beautiful broken people. It opens my vision beyond myself, and I see things unfolding I never would have imagined before.

It is recommended, from me to you.

And one last bit I should say:  This is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I want it.

I finally purchased my own copy of Laozi's Tao Te Ching. Back at home there was one on our bookshelf, translated by Jane English, that my parents owned. But I always wanted my own to read and think upon! The one I now have is The New Translation by Jonathan Star. After comparing the copies at the bookstore, I chose this one, a small book which was only $10.00. (Haha, I know, but hey, I'm the girl who only buys shirts at Urban Outfitters if they're in that price range too)

When I compare the Tao Te Ching to other religious texts, I'm always in wonder. Its brevity, quietness, and depth of interpretation distinguish it from any other literature, and have produced numerous translations. 'An old Chinese man really must have written this', were my thoughts when first reading it. Yet my own heart chimed to its words. Unconsciously I felt that I understood, so much more so than I have when studying other religions and philosophies. Simple yet completely fathomless, I felt comforted, remarkably, by how vast it was.

Jonathan Star's translation is very personal, and I really appreciate that, for it offers a sort of compromise to the vague and solitary nature of the words. I read it and read it again, always new. Tao is ultimately an individual's path, yet is free for all to walk upon, and finally that which we all return to.

Become totally empty
Quiet the restlessness of the mind
Only then will you witness everything
        unfolding from emptiness
See all things flourish and dance
        in endless variation
And once again merge back into perfect emptiness
        Their true repose
        Their true nature
Emerging, flourishing, dissolving back again
        This is the eternal process of return

To know this process brings enlightenment
To miss this process brings disaster

Be still
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity
Eternity embraces the all-possible
The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness
A vision of oneness brings about universal love
Universal love supports the great truth of Nature
The great truth of Nature is Tao

Whoever knows this truth lives forever
The body may perish, deeds may be forgotten
But he who has Tao has all eternity

(Verse 16)

Dude.



I knew that Romantic-era composer Hector Berlioz reminded me of someone...


AFRO KEN!


(I ♥ you Kate)

Okay. I know this meme has circulated everywhere in the past month (nearly my entire f-list had done it at one point!), but I am going to sink in and do it too. Because I... just want to know.

Post anything that you want, and post it anonymously. Anything. A story, a secret, a confession, a love, a fear, anything. If you want, and perhaps this is what I'm asking for really, you can say something about me-- to me. Be sure to post anonymously and honestly. Post twice or thrice if you'd like. I only want to hear what you wish to say. Thank you.

------------------

Hey, you know. Life is so much better when there's good music to listen to, and good people to be with. I love knowing that there are always friends to be made, people to become shy and eager over, to laugh with. Tonight I am going out to a Korean restaurant with a few of my new friends and we will dine as kings. These are girls I met from the Asian Christian group a couple of weeks ago, and they are some of the dearest people I have known in a long time. I am so happy that I opened my world to others, regardless of religious alignment or any preconceived prejudice.

Surely, no day passes when I have not lived more greatly as a human being because of the innate and complex resonation I feel with music, and because of the myriad people I have met, who so easily share their happiness with me.

I am so thankful.

-pearl

I'm back from my stay in Seattle for the UW orientation~ :D

( brief snippet-listing-what-have-you about the trip~!...ASIANS! )
AND NOW. For your enjoyment. A trailer for YANBIAN BOX ~A CHINESE BEATBOXING DOCUMENTARY~

It takes place in Yanji, in Yanbian prefecture, which is in the north east, right along the Korean border. It's a region where the street signs are written in both Chinese and Korean, and where people switch easily from one language to the other. It's also where my grandmother is from XD! Here, hip hop is the norm, and with it: beatboxing. Check it out! This doc looks like it'll be a lot of fun :D



-p!

These are my latest obsessions, which have taken over me~

3. Book: EEEEE EEE EEEE by Tao Lin.


Holy fuck. It's the funniest, most nonsensically written book I've read in a while. And I haven't even finished it, because I found it randomly at Border's when I had no money D: Tao Lin writes like this :

2. Music: Rin Toshite Shigure


Beautiful, riotous alternative rock. Miyoko is my hero.

1. Series: Dae Jang Geum


The most touching human drama I've ever seen. It is simply amazing.

Now that's done with, I've gotta go! Tomorrow morning we leave for Seattle, where I'll be enjoying the sights and going to the UW orientation~ I won't be bringing my laptop. So it'll be yet another internet hiatus. Everyone, take care! Eat vegetables, exercise, breathe deeply :D

love,
pearl

This is the place-holder for my full-length review of Amuro Namie's latest album, PLAY.
I promise to kick ass with this review, because the album itself is great <3

The album so far, as I am listening to it at this very moment, is hot. Nao'ymt rocked the production, and T. kura/michico are pretty decent too. Haha maybe it's because I forgot what CSCEIS sounded like, so I'm okay with it. In any case, it's a polished album, and hitting that perfect balance of hip hop and pop, which is sure to keep us all happy. Well, me, anyway xD

Proving to us once again that Namie is the Queen of Hip-Pop. OMG I AM SO HAPPY ;_;

First impressions:

"Full Moon" reminds me of Yumi wit' Nao'ymt's Sweet Apple Pie. It's similar, but a hundred times hotter and less annoying xD Hahaha I love the Timbaland-esque synth effects after 3:01! It's brief but made me go: You silly Nao'ymt!

"Top Secret" is hands-down one of the best things on the album. It makes sense that it is the theme song for the Japanese release of Prison Break.

Lord, I am already out of (meaningful) words.

So basicaaallyyy my feeling for the album is summed up in that: I like when Namie says "trippin" because it's f-ing adorable.

... DURHURHURHUR :B

Maybe it's just been too long since we've had a new album from Namie? Maybe I'm just being an overexcited little child, like I always am?

Whatevs. Man, I needa get out of here and just start writing xD

Be back later with a review, seriously!

I had a dream just last night that Gamae from Trademark was the daughter of the Norse god, Odin, and a woman named Iruhain.

Hah, oh wow :'D Probably the long-instilled after effects of reading too much Neil Gaiman. But, you know, it would also explain her non-standard Japanese name that I've certainly never heard of before.

I also dreamt that I managed to find some more pictures of her, other than the measly five I've pulled from the depths of google. It was so cool, because the whole band was on covers of magazines and stuff. Also in the same dream, I went to one of their concerts and I cheered my heart out <333

I wish their damn indie label, Captain House, would pimp them a little more. Just a little more for goodness' sake. Trademark's site is so damn cryptic, geez, it doesn't even have a band profile or anything D: But from what I see, most indie labels hardly do much managing. Lots of indie bands have to secure their own gigs, make their own shirts and stuff. I'm impressed though, because the production on the Trademark albums have always been really high quality. It just makes me feel uncomfortable, because I don't want them to disband or anything like that, like Fra-Foa, before they get more notice.

In my own mind, you know, it's enough to love people who make music just because they love doing so. Not because they want to be famous. But I also wish more people could listen to them, and I'm sure it's what they want too.

*sighs*

It's all right though... They're currently doing a minitour with soulkids and VELTPUNCH, so I think it'll be all right.

And I got bitten something like seven times by a mosquito in my sleep, across my chest and my left arm. Fuck. So, I guess I've got some more things to worry about anyway D:

&& Okay okay okay. I need to finish my homework then leave for class~

-p!

Hahahaha right this was originally meant as a serious entry about my last day of high school (which was Friday), and the night I spent just yesterday.

But it got completely overshadowed after listening to the leaked preview of Namie's new song Pink Key

Produced by Nao'ymt of course! xD;; He really understands how to make the music sweet and r&b-ish, without scaring the Japanese audience with full on hip-hop (No, Kuu does not count ... at all D:) And he knows how to direct Namie's voice, which is sometimes airy and light, other times surprisingly powerful.

Namie sounds great in Pink Key. It's an honestly pretty song. Sweet but not dull, well-balanced by that dose of bass in there (however momentary it is!). And best of all, Namie sounds bright and happy :) *sighs and heart makes weird coo-ing dove sounds xD*

Have you all watched the recent GirlS Fever concert? It's a great performance, and Namie is -beaming- the whole time!
Especially when her pals AI, Zeebra and Mummi-D came onstage. (LOL and of course iA was there MC-ing the event. I love her too :D I just don't know how she gets paid doing what she does...)


-this is part 3-
(Part 1 // Part 2)

Geez. Namie is so giggly and cute in the ending interview with AI <3 xD when she poked AI, it made me squeal x3

That childish, quirky Namie always makes me happy. It's like that time where she was in her dressing room and she wore her extensions around her head like a beard xD LOL.

love you Namie.

I finally figured out what a Gremlin is before it turns all evil (thank you Wikipedia!). It's called a "mogwai."
LOL. And I was by myself earlier today when I blurted out, "OH! Wait, it's called a "Gizmo," isn't it?!" Only to remember that was just the name of the main mogwai, not the actual species. So no, Pearl, the "opposite" of a gremlin is not a "Gizmo." ....... Stoopi'hedd! XD


In other news, this made me laugh so hard.


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