May 14

May 14th... why May 14th. To date, my birthday has been nothing but an inconvenience. As if May wasn't already a busy month to begin with, my ever so fortunate birthdate just so happens to always fall either during finals, or the week just prior. In the past I have had to schedule a party for myself either the month before or the month after so as to be convenient for everyone's schedules. For some reason it was really important to me that everyone I wanted to be there was there. But still, one shouldn't have to plan that much just to have a birthday party.
I blame my parents. I don't know what was so special about late summer that year before, but their timing was horrible.
At least I have a pretty good birthstone. Emeralds are nice.

Among the Places I Hope to See Before I Die

Yakushima! Thanks to my host dad for telling me about this place. This is where Hayao Miyazaki went before he made Princess Mononoke; thus inspiring that great forest. Almost impossible to get to go to tho. The government strictly regulates the amount of people allowed to go to this beautiful Island.

S.Y.M.Phones!!! Get yours today!

Hello! My name is Luke, and I'm here to talk to you today about a great new device I've invented called the "Share Your Music Headphones" or just S.Y.M.Phones for short. Tired of having to keep your music all to yourself when you know that clearly what you listen to is the best thing out there? Tired of having to be so exclusive with your iPod? Do you wish you had some way to listen to your music while thrusting it upon everyone around you? Well if so, then I have good news! The wait is over!! Finally we have invented a device that enables you to blast all that good sound into your head while letting everyone around you enjoy it too! With the Symphones, we took a basic concept that most of you were already employing (cheap earphones) and CRANKED UP THE VOLUME!!!! the poor quality of the earphones inhibits them from retaining any sound within the desired field and pumps it out just as loud to everyone around you! Add unbearably loud volumes to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for annoying the hell out of EVERYONE!!!!! Call in the next 20 min. and we'll send you two pairs of Symphones (that we swiped off of the airplane) Absolutely free!

The CaucasianSensation, yo!

Yeah....... I don't like to admit this, but something has to be done.

I know far to many Asian-Americans who, bless thier hearts, have decided to embrace their ethnicity a little too much. It's tacky. "Asian Sensation", "Amazin' Asian", "Blazin' Asian", these are just some examples of the nicknames we come up with.... 'cute' aren't they?!!?!?!?

That's why, from here on out, I'm referring to myself only as The Caucasian Sensation!......Ladies.

Drawing Lines in the Sand

Within the category of friendships/relationships there is one thing that really annoys me. It's an impossible fantasy to believe that everyone can always get along with everyone else. Differences, whether large or small, force us into groups of those we get along with and those we do not. The lines between these groups can shift and change over time, but the lines are always there. Problem comes when you have someone like *yours truly* who can cross over just about any of those lines. It sucks to be close to several groups of people that don't get along with eachother at all. Sooner or later you have to pick sides and step on toes. Even if it is just for small and trivial things. The road where appeasing one friend means pissing off another is never a good place to be. It is a road I am well aquainted with.

Just one class....

If at all possible, Never never NEVER schedule just one class on any day (especially if it is in the afternoon). You will never want to go. Most likely you will just skip it every time. It's useless. Even if it's your favourite class you will make any excuse possible to avoid the pointless commute for that one lousy class.

Japanimaniacs

Apologies.
This first post is a vent.
BG: I love my Japanese class in Japan. A couple of the people in it were.....[insert expletives], but other than that, it was great. Most of the people in it were down to earth, genuinely interested in learning the langauge, and fairly normal. The problem is the kind of students that study Japanese in the states.
The class I am enrolled in now is disgusting. Full to the brim with the kind of people that embarrass the U.S. when they take their little prepackaged lunchbox of U.S. adapted manga and anime culture, and their overly dramatized "Japanese" accents and go to Japan in their own little dream world. Can't someone learn Japanese without being completely socially inept or having no sense of actual reality, or both? It's unbelievable.