Scott

If a Scott has a LiveJournal and he never bothers to post on it, does he really have a LiveJournal?

Not that anyone should be reading it at this point, but I figure that it would be nice to leave at least some kind of archive of the world of Scott to be read by said Scott in the distant future.

If the last six months of 2007 blew by for me last year, than the entire year of 2008 blew by even faster.

Major developments? I'm still at the same job as before. No promotions or anything, but the company did move to a new office building in September. The new building is only 3,000 feet away from my apartment, so my previous 10 minute commute is now only a 5 minute commute.

The new office building also came with a new personal office for yours truly. Sure, it's small and doesn't have any windows, but hey, it's better than a cubical. I brought in a small TV and my Xbox, so I have a cool little Rock Band setup in the corner of my office. It's awesome for taking breaks through out the day.

My anime website has really taken off in the past year. I started going to conventions as a member of the press. This allowed me to go to more conventions, get exclusive information, and start holding interviews with artists and voice actors. It's actually pretty fun, and I did consider changing my career to be a journalist or writer of some kind. But after talking to a couple of freelancers in the field and seeing what kind of salary they're making, I think I'll just stick to technology and do the writing on my free time.

Also started getting back into the dating scene. Nothing serious, just the occasional date here-and-there. I thought I would be rusty, but it turns out that girls haven't really changed so much in the time I've been gone. The only difference is that now I've got money to throw around, so I've been doing a lot of dinners in NYC lately. Really bling-bling'ing it. Why? Because I can. ;-)

But despite that, I have tried to save my money lately. I think the only major purchases I've made in the past year was a PS3 and a Macbook Air. But still, my expensive tastes have meant that my bank account is still lacking the proper funds considering how high my salary is. I'm still committing myself to building up a saving account and not touching it, so hopefully I won't feel so bad about spending big in 2009.

Also started hitting the gym towards the end of the year. Mostly for stress relief, but also to finally get myself in shape. However, I tend to do a lot more weight lifting than cardio workouts, so I've ended up bulking up more then slimming down. I've still lost three pounds in the month since I started, but I've must have added ten inches to the diameter of my upper body.

I guess that's about it for myself. As adulthood goes on, time will pass much more quickly.

Goals for 2009:
1) Get in shape.
2) Take an overseas vacation.
3) Advance my career after I hit the 2-year mark in June.
4) Get into a serious relationship

Well, I figure I owe this live journal at least one post every few months, so why not make it a New Years reflection? I know I'll at least have two friends who will still be reading this, so I might as well. 2007 was probably one of the most important years of my life. It was the year that I finally graduated from school, started my professional career, and moved out of my parents place into my own apartment. I guess it's the year that I finally started adulthood...

The change to post-graduation life is a lot like the change to college life four years ago. The adjustments are very difficult to get a handle on, and sometimes it can become too much. But at the same time, it's also very exciting. I would much rather be where I am right now than any time before graduation.

The hardest change has been the passing of time. The past six months have blown by me so quickly that I often forget what month I'm in. I could tell myself that I'm going to do something tomorrow, and than realize that it's been weeks and I still haven't done it yet. I think this is because I spend all day at work. When I come home, it's already dark so all I can really do is just relax. My only free time is during the weekends, which end up becoming so booked and busy that even those days pass by quickly.

I'm told that this is a good thing. If my time at work seems to pass by quickly, then that must mean that I'm enjoying the job. I guess that is true. I never find myself bored at work until maybe the 7th hour or so. I enjoy being on the computer so much that it's good to be making a living doing it. And it's good to get all that computer time out of my system this way. I'm no longer on my computer at home as much as I was before. I usually just watch movies or read a book.

But still, this lack of free time has made it very difficult to be social... not that I was really the most social person to begin with. My friends Jason and Greg visit me every other week. I've occasionally gone to Karaoke with my Rutgers pals, and I've done other activities like New York City trips and going to anime conventions. But this hasn't given me a chance to go out and meet new people. I am the youngest person in my company by at least 10 years, so I can't really relate to my coworkers. I'm living in Princeton, and there are a bunch of really smart young people around here. I've just never had the time to go around and explore the place. Maybe that will change in the New Year, I hope.

But one very positive change in my life is becoming financially independent. I'm making a really good living, and for the time being, I get to spend it all on myself. This is a huge change from growing up middle-class with a stingy father. Not only do I get to pay off rent, utilities, car loans, and other living expense, but I even have enough cash to pimp out my place with electronics. I've spent thousands of dollars on my entertainment system alone.

I did go a little crazy with the cash at first and I ranked up a bit of credit card debt. But now that debt is going away, so I'm going to start saving it up instead of blowing it all like I did. Right now it might just be me, but sometime I'm going to have to start providing for a wife and family. Might as well start saving for that now while my living expenses are the lowest they will ever be.

I don't know anyone my age who has achieve this kind of independence yet. Most of my friends are still finishing college, and some of them are not even close to be finished after four years! Other friends who did graduate with me are holding off their professional careers for grad school. And pretty much everyone is still living at home with their parents.

I really don't try to show off my wealth to my friends. I don't want to be a jerk or snob about it, and I don't think anyone would accuse me of being one. The only people who know about my actual salary are my parents and brother... and honestly, I didn't even want to tell my mom, she forced it out of me! But it's hard when my friends tell me what they're making every week, and I know that I'm making much more than that each day. What can I tell them? All I had to do to get to where I am was pass all my classes and look for a job afterwards. I don't think it was all that hard to do.

But still, life is good for me going into the new year. I'm living a peaceful and relaxing existence while I try to get a grip on my new lifestyle. I've got my two loyal cats now to help me through it.

What do I hope for 2008? Being able to make new friends and hopefully start finding myself a wife. Having enough money saved up to never have to worry about debt again. And using my natural talents to further advance my career.

When it comes to setting goals, I'm usually very determined to meet them. ;-)

BONUS SURVEY!!!

1) Where did you bring in 2007?
I think at home with Chinese food, a rented movie, and my linux project

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Single, but still able to give a gift to a special someone.

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Up until early May, then I was done for good.

4) How did you earn your keep?
Living off my Colgate money followed by getting a full-time job.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope.

6) Did you encounter the police?
I think an officer gave me a hard time about my driving speed through a construction area, but other than that, no.

7) Where did you go on vacation?
Nope, but I'm already planning my biggest vacation yet for next summer. ;-)

8) What did you purchase that was over $500?
iPhone, iMac, Mac Mini, HDTV for myself, HDTV for my parents, and I started leasing a 2007 Chevy

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Not that I can think of.

10) Do you know anybody who passed away?
Not this year

11) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
Not accidentally, but I will hang out with some of my high school friends.

12) Did you move anywhere?
Yup! To Princeton! ^_^

13) What sporting events did you go to?
None

14) What concerts did you go to?
Rutgers Fest

15) Are you registered to vote?
Yes, but I should change my address soon for the next elections...

16) Where do you live now?
my own apartment in Princeton

17) Describe your birthday.
Out the day before with marathon karaoke and Beuwolf, took it easy on the actually day and than hung out with my friend Greg

18) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2007?
Earn and spend so much of my own cash.

19) What is one thing you regretted this year?
Nothing, everything always works out for the better

20) What's something you learned about yourself?
I can actually attract the ladies when I wear a fancy business suit.

21) Any new additions to your family?
Yup! My cats, Tiger and Nekomimi!

22) What was your best month?
July, when I moved out

23) What from pop culture will you remember 2007 by?
the new Red Hot Chili Peppers songs

24) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (shitty) to 10 (excellent)?
9

25) How's next year shaping up?
Very good. I've got some big things planned for it.

Before:


After:



46-inch LCD HDTV, full 1080p resolution
XBox360 Elite w/ HD-DVD player


Heh, heh, heh. Building up an awesome bachelor pad. Better enjoy being rich, unmarried, and without children while I still can. ;-)

Bye-bye, Somerville.

Hello, Princeton. (^_^)

For one of the jobs I'm applying for, I have to submit a sample website for an anime company using one of there titles. So here's the flash animation I'm giving to them. Since it's just a sample, and since it looks like I'll be taking a job somewhere else, I'm keeping it very simple. But the "falling sakura leaves" was something I've always wanted to try out.

( Flash after the cut )

Have you been wondering, "Where is Scott's Live Journal posts?"

Well, the truth is that since January 2007, this blog has been "Friends Only" and containing some information not open to the public. This blog is now officially my form of updating my friends on what is happening with my life.

If you are a friend of mine, please leave a comment and I will quickly add you to my list. Otherwise, please check out my other works online that are open to the public:

My Twitter Page - Updated many times through out the day with witty comments and observations.

The Anime Almanac - My blog about all things anime related in America. Add it to your Live Journal here!

Facebook - my preferred social-networking website.

So it was a long trip to NYC yesterday, and we had to wait for hours to finally get into the studio... But in the end, we got to see a pretty funny show. Also, I ended up being shown on TV.

It's amazing, I've only been on the job market for a couple of days, and already things are happening. I'm in talks with a local programing company here in NJ, and a Japanese GPS car navigation company in San Francisco.

If I end up getting a programing job with a Japanese company, then I will be able to continue learning Japanese after graduation. True, I won't be living overseas, but hopefully I get to go on plenty of paid business trips. And I will be making at least twice as much money as I would have with JET, maybe even three times as much.

I'm thinking that things will work out for the better after all...

But back to the current time, my club held its first meeting the other day, and it was a major success. We were able to get the word out about the meeting with my "Welcome to the JCA" campaign, so there was quite a nice turn-out. It wasn't really packed, but it was still a good attendance.

But I think the biggest success with the meeting was that everyone enjoyed themselves. Many people came because we were giving away free prizes, but I was hoping that they would decide to come back to the club because they want to be there. We showed two series that night, "Genshiken" and "Welcome to the NHK". After we finished each on, the crowed demanded to watch more episodes. They were really digging the shows. Then afterwards, most of the club stuck around to go out to eat together.

If we end up retaining most of those members next week, then the campaign would be a huge success. And once word gets out on how enjoyable the club is this year, then we will have even more members show up through the rest of the semester.

I also find myself getting a little closer with some of the female members of the club. Two of them in particular, since we we're also in the video game club together. That night for some reason, they started calling me "senpai", which is an honorific title given to upperclassmen. While it is an appropriate title to give to me in that situation, actually being called one is so novel and cute that I secretly love it to death.

After the meeting while we were all having dinner, one of them drew a sexy anime picture in response to her criticisms over the breasts featured in one of the comics we gave away. Afterwards, the other suggested, "Why don't we give that to Scott?" She wrote "Senpai! <3" on it, and gave it to me. I generously took the sketch, and now have it hanging on my wall.

I managed to lose a lot of weight over the break because we never ate at our house. Now that I'm back to school, I get to eat normal meals again, but I'm still trying to become more fit. I have a lot more time on my hands this semester since most of my classes are only on two days out of the week. So I've worked out a workout schedule (heh, that's a clever pun) this week, and I started it today.

I'm amazed at the kind of machines they got that that gym over here. I got on a bicycle machine with a large screen, and I discovered that I could surf the internet or watch TV on it while working out. So I spent 20 minutes riding that thing while watching "Back to the Future II". Got off, lifted some weights, then got back on for some more. It was fun.

On a related note, my whole body is going to be extremely sore tomorrow. I better enjoy tonight, cause tomorrow morning is going to suck.

So the results of the JET applications came back today, and sadly, I did not make the cut. That's means that Scotty-boy's going be to staying State-side for the time being.

Am I disappointed? Yeah, but I'm not depressed about it. JET would have been a wonderful opportunity for me to continue my Japanese education while still making a decent living. Without JET, I feel that I am not going to be able to become as good with the language as I wish to be. Sure, in post-graduation, I will still be learning the language through my popular media, but that will hardly be enough resources to get me fluent in the subject.

But I'm not going to let it discourage my chosen career. In fact, this early rejection allows me to jump ahead of the curve in securing a job. My goal is to be working for a software development team in importing Japanese hardware and software to the US. Now that I know I will be available, it's time for me to start looking for that job.

With in the past two years, I have learned very painfully that life doesn't always work out the way you planned it to. But with each rejection comes the opportunity to try something that was never an option before. Who knows what the next few months will bring to me. But one thing's for sure: I will not stop trying until I am satisfied with what I am doing and what I have accomplished.

and sleep every day.

Damn crazy sleep schedule. Starting on Saturday I have to actually follow a regular schedule. But considering it's 6:30 am right now and it's almost time for me to go to sleep, I have no clue how I'll be normal that soon. (>_<)

So tonight I got the Linux box working. It's still very unstable, and could very well break down at any minute, but for now it's okay. It acts just like a Tivo. It downloads the program guide off of the internet, and I can set it to record anything I want. So now when I'm at a club meeting on Thursday nights, I can have my computer record Scrubs for me to watch when I get back.

Crazy thing is that I can control the machine over the internet. I just open up a web browser, type in the name of my Linux box, and it pulls up a website with the program schedule. I click on a show, and the machine will record it for me. I might be able to access the video over the internet as well. o_O

And I didn't have to pay much for it. The computer was my old one that was just sitting around my house doing nothing. The TV card was something my brother bought a while ago and has no use for. And the Linux OS and software were all free. The only cash I had to spend was 20 bucks for a wireless network adapter.

Oh, and weeks of frustration with getting this damn thing to work. But at least it gave me something to do during the break.

So my first server project is finally complete. Just like a network administrator, I've decided to give the machine a cute name to go by. I went with the name Shinobu, the girl from Love Hina. Though maybe it's not the most appropriate name to go by. Unlike her anime counterpart, this Shinobu has been nothing but a stubborn, uncooperative bitch.

Hmm... maybe I'll rename her after that Eva chick Asuka. Yeah, that name suits this machine just fine.

Anyway, after the Linux box comes my new project. It is an advertisement campaign I'm doing for my club. We're starting off the semester by screening this weird new show called "Welcome to the NHK." The NHK is Japan's version of PBS, and the show's main character believes that this network conspires against him. I'm betting that this show will be a hit with our members, so I'm using it in my campaign.

The campaign is called "Welcome to the JCA" since my club is called the Japanese Cultural Association. We're going to be giving away a shit-load of prizes during our first meeting, and in order for our members to win anything, they need to do things like sign up for our email newsletter, or join our facebook group.

So far I have only changed the club's logo on facebook. I had my brother replace NHK with JCA in the show's logo, and I'm taking an image from cover of the series' first comic book. I'm very please with the result:



I'm planning on using similar images for the club's flyers. I want this NHK girl to be the unofficial mascot for the club this semester. She kinda sets the attitude of what my club is about. I think she'll attract many new members.

Stupid, goddamn, muthafucking Lunix!

There are only five things I went this thing to do:

1) Play / Record TV Shows.
2) Share files with my laptop.
3) Share files over the Rutgers network with direct connect.
4) Do this over wireless.
5) Output onto a TV, not computer monitor.

Every time I try to accomplish one thing, everything else blows up on me. I was able to do 1-4, but as soon as I plug it into a TV, BOOM!

Now I gotta start all over again... (-_-)

There is a Linux club at Rutgers. I feel like going to one of their meetings, and screaming at every one of its members for supporting this piece of shit worth of software.

And oh yeah, I just found out today that I'm going back to school a week from today. Ahhh! I gotta get all my club stuff in order! (>_<)

To be honest, I was pretty nervous over the past two weeks. See, even though my Japanese professor loves me to death, she kept on threatening me about my grades. She was saying how she had “connections” with the JET program, and how performing poorly in her class could effect my chances in getting accepted to the program. She also would make announcements to the class that “the grades you receive are the grades you deserve, so don’t come complaining to me when you get an F.”

So this gets me really nervous, because I have not been getting good grades in her class. So I study extra hard for her final. I even pulled an all-nighter for it. But she even found a way to threaten me even when the final was in my hand. She actually wrote on the exam sample sentences that echoed our conversations through out the semester, so I know she had written them specifically for me. Student: “Sensei, I didn’t go so well on that last quiz.” Sensei: “Well, you need to do better next time or you will fail the class.” And then there was “If you do not pass this class you will not graduate.” Sadly, that was true. This is a required class, and if I was to fail it, it would be very difficult for me to make it up in time to graduate this spring. :-(

But the final was hard. Even though I did my best studying and taking the exam, I knew that I didn’t even come close to passing it. As I turned it in, she asked me how was the exam.

“Muzukashi…(difficult)” I respond in a sad tone.

“Muzukashikatta? (It was difficult?)” she asks in a playful mocking tone.

“Hai… (yeah)” and then I slowly walked away. At this point, sensei was in shock. This was the first time she has ever seen me depressed. I was always so happy and cheerful in her class. That’s probably the reason why she likes me so much. But I had just screwed up a major exam, and the consequences could mean that I don’t graduate. And if I don’t graduate, and that means no JET program even if I’m accepted.

Two weeks… two weeks had passed since that exam, and she still didn’t give me my grade! I spent this whole holiday being nervous over this class! But today was the deadline for then they had to turn in their grades, so I immediately checked my computer when I woke up today.

I got a C.

Holy shit, I passed the class! She gave me a C!

Scott is still graduating this spring! (^_^)

But besides for that C, I also got my first A ever at Rutgers. It was in one of my Computer Science classes. I also got an A- in the other computer course and a B in J-pop culture. This was actually the best semester I’ve had, performance wise. I really worked hard to make up for the disaster that was Korean. And if I really do good in the spring, I might be able to pull myself above a 3.0 for graduation.

In other news, I have turned into a vampire these days. That is, I stay awake all night and sleep all day. The reason for this is because I’m working on a project. I’m turning my old desktop computer into a Tivo-like device. The plan is to have my old computer record TV shows for me when I’m not around, and then play them back to me later. I also want to have this machine be a file server, and share my anime collection on the Rutgers network 24/7. To accomplish this, I’m trying out something new: the free operating system Linux.

If you have never experienced linx, then let me tell you that it is the most frustrating piece of crap you will ever encounter on a computer. Nothing works. I mean it, not a single thing works with this damn system! Sometimes I just consider going back to windows with this thing, but it’s too late now. This Linux is taunting me… therefore I must conquer it.

So we’ll see if I ever finish this project in time for next semester. In the meantime, yay for good grades, and goddamn this fucking Lunix.

So I've been really out of it lately. The week of finals really took a lot out of me. I am also nervous over my grades for this semester, since I'm still waiting on three of my classes to post them. I've also been really sleepy lately. I haven't talked to Lily in a while, so I started to write her an email this afternoon. But I got so exhausted that I fell asleep, and by the time I woke up, it was time to go to my Aunt's house! (>_<) So it looked like I would have to wait until we came back in order to finish my letter.

Well, when I came back, I had found an email from her already in my inbox. She had decided to write to me first. (^_^) It was a pretty long email, but she ended it talking about the Christmas present I had given to her earlier. It was a copy of the Japanese Shounen Jump magazine.

By the way, thank you for the gift u gave me. (^_^) I (really)^3 like it. I'm glad the semester's over. I finally have the time to fully enjoy my mangas. (^_<) I was surprised when you gave me the present. Thanks a lot. It's the best present in the world. (^-^)

She then wrote out that words "THANK YOU." using only my name. Needless to say, this sweet comment was a very nice surprise Christmas gift to myself, so now I'm just really happy and in a cheerful mood! (^_^)

So to everyone out there, Merry Christmas! (^_^) And here's hoping that next Christmas, I will be sending my cheer from a far off land.

Here is the essay I need to hand in for tomorrow's final in Japanese Pop-Culture. The topic was "Give one example of how Japanese pop-culture has recently influenced American pop-culture." Enjoy!

Mac vs. PC : America's Attempt at Tsukkomi-Boké Comedy

There has been a popular series of commercials recently for Apple Computers. The ads are simple 30-second dialogs between two men. One of the men is the personification of a normal personal computer running Windows software. He is dressed like a businessman, and give off the impression of being dull and boring. The other man is the personification of his rival, a Mac computer running Apple's software. He is dressed in causal clothes and look young, hip, and cool.

All of the commercials follow the same routine. The PC tries to boast about what he is capable of, which mostly consist of simple, boring, and tedious tasks. The Mac then retorts that he does the same tasks, but in a more fun and hip way. The PC tries to defend himself, using outlandish reasoning to prove that he is just as good at the Mac. The Mac criticizes these stupid remarks with sarcasm and mock understanding.

In one commercial, the Mac boasts about how fun it is to present a family vacation using his software. The PC defends himself by saying that it's just as fun to use his pie-charts to talk about a family vacation. The Mac doubts this claim, but the PC attempts to prove that he is right by presented a dull pie-chart in which the “light gray area can represent 'hang-out time' while the dark gray area represents 'kicking it'.” The Mac responds to this with sarcasm and pretending to agree with the PC's foolish logic.

In another commercial, a Japanese woman appears and begins talking to the Mac in Japanese. The Mac talks back to her in Japanese while the PC becomes surprised. "You can understand her?" he asks.

"Oh yeah," the Mac says nonchalantly. "She is the new digital camera from Japan. I'm able to communicate perfectly with her." He continues talking to the Camera in Japanese while the PC attempts to join the conversation by saying, "Boungiomo!" This Italian interjection makes the PC look stupid for believing that he was speaking the same language as the Mac and the Camera.

And in another ad, the two exchange Christmas gifts with each other. The Mac gives the PC a photo book of the two of them together. The PC gives the Mac a boring book about programing. While the Mac is very visibly disappointed over what he got, the PC proudly boast that this is exactly the kind of gift he would want for himself.

These simple comedic dialogs are very similar to the tsukkomi-boké formula in Japanese comedy. In this method, a straight man, the tsukkomi, criticizes the outlandish remarks and behavior of an idiot, the boké. The pairing of the PC and the Mac fits perfectly into this. The Mac always looks like the smarter, cooler one, so he is playing the role of tsukkomi. The PC continuously acts like a fool, so he is the boké. Like in Japanese comedy, the tsukkomi (and the viewing audience) is well aware that the boké is acting stupid, and he responses to it appropriately.

However, one very big difference between these American commercials and the Japanese concept is that the tsukkomi does not become aggressive when criticizing the boké. Instead, the Mac passively deals with the ridiculous comments by using sarcasm and mock understanding. The harshest criticism happens in a more recent advertisement, when the Mac completely belittles the PC and his misuse of the word "touché".

"I don't think you're using that right," says the Mac.

"Touché," repeats the PC.

"No, you can't use 'touché' unless you make a point and I make a counterpoint. You see, you haven't made a point yet."

"Touché," the PC faultily says again. After that, the Mac gives up on the PC. But his direct criticism about PC's stupidity is almost identical to that of a tsukkomi-boké skit. One would almost expect the Mac to hit his partner over the head with prop after that last “touché.” However, the writers are well aware that they cannot make the Tsukkomi too aggressive. Even this kind of behavior was enough to create problems for these ads.

While it is true that American audiences find these commercials to be funny, there have been many negative feelings over these ads. Even though he is very passive in his actions, many viewers feel that the Mac's constant criticisms of the PC are too mean and spiteful in nature. They believe that the tsukkomi is a real jerk, and they actually empathize with the boké. With the reasoning, if a passive tsukkomi is not accepted in America, then it is likely that an aggressive tsukkomi would be hated more.

And while is not unusual in Japan, Americans feel that this “boké-sympathy” is creating the wrong impression for Apple and their computers. After all, the purpose of these ads are to get people to like the tsukkomi Mac, not hate him. But the unique style of comedy in these commercials have out-weighed the negative responses, and the Mac vs. PC skits have become one of the most popular advertisements this year.

However there is something more interesting with these ads in Japan than in America. Apple has recently remade these commercials for the Japanese audience by using the konbi group known as the Rahmens to play the parts. The Rahmens have already established themselves as a popular duo in Japanese comedy, and they have preformed traditional tsukkomi-boké routines. However, these Japanese ads are almost identical to their American counterparts, include the passive criticisms of the tsukkomi Mac. This modification to the traditional formula left many to question if the Japanese would also enjoy these ads like the Americans did. By judging the number of Japanese websites dedicated to the Rahmens version of the ad, it appears to also be a success over there as well.

So the Apple “Mac vs. PC” commercials have borrowed the Japanese concept in which a tsukkomi criticizes the antics of his idiotic partner, the boké. The advertisements have changed the reactions of the tsukkomi so that he is better liked by the American audience. However, this form of comedy is still unique enough to because very popular in the US, and has even been spun-off to return back to Japan.

Take a look at this book-cover:



Looks like one of those comics that I'm always buying, right? Even if you are able to read the title, "American High School Students," you would still assume that this was just some kind of manga.

However, if you open it up, you will see that it is a non-fiction Japanese novel that looks at the unique characteristics of the US education system. That's because this isn't a book by some manga artist. It was written by a college professor.

My professor.

This is Kojima-sensei's book. She is the woman who has been really nice to me this whole semester. She's given me a lot of extra help when I visit her office hours with material for the class. She was also the Rutgers professor who wrote me a very nice letter of recommendation for the JET program.

So I was very surprised to find out that she had published her own book not too long ago. Even more, she had chosen to write about her experiences with teaching language in a foreign country. I haven't mentioned this before, but if I'm accepted into JET, that was exactly what I was planning on doing. I am going to write about my experiences with teaching in Japan next year, and I'm really going to observe the differences between the culture.

They have a couple of sample pages on the Japanese Amazon website, so I read a little bit of it already. I wanna try to read the whole thing. I'm going to ask her for a copy of the book.

For some reason, that damn video I made with the Wii Saber the other day has gotten way over 10,000 views, and is making its way up the "Top Viewed Videos of the Day" list.

Crazyness.

Vincent, I know you will get a kick out of this.

Well, it looks like the worse is over for the semester, so let me just post some random shit going on:


The JCA Officers

So after so much work, the JCA had its final meeting for the semester tonight, and god, have we come a long way! We completely changed the club from the snore-fest it was last year, and we built up a good membership of freshmen and new students. We have our very own equipment, and know we know how to use the school's resources to our advantage. We had a fun time tonight with Christmas-themed anime, and the general feeling was very positive. I'm proud of what we accomplished this semester, but I'm already anticipating a tremendous spring semester coming up.

So far I've only bought one Christmas gift, and I gave it to that person already already. Lily and I are planning on being in the same J-Pop class next semester, but she had to meet with the professor in order to bypass the prerequisites. The professor said okay, but he suggested to Lily that she prepare for the class by reading manga over the break. So I decided to go to New York and get her a new copy of Weekly Shounen Jump magazine. I gave her the present all wrapped up as she was leaving the club meeting tonight, and she seemed very surprised. (^_^) I can't wait to hear if she liked it or not.

I handed in my JET application last week. Now I have to wait to hear word if I get interviewed in February. In the meantime, I'm going to start working on my resume in preparation for finding a real job.

As you might have noticed in the new photos and videos, I've started putting up anime posters again. I had promised not to do it this year because I didn't want to scare away my neighbors or the ladies with my otaku-ness. But as it turns out, I don't give a damn about my stupid freshmen neighbors, and all the ladies in my life right now are otaku themselves. So I've been getting all these Japanese magazines in New York with fold-outs and pin-up posters, so they've been starting to accumulate on my walls.

I got my replacement DS yesterday, and I've been totally digging the last level in the Phoenix Wright video game. I can't wait for the 2nd game to come out next month.

But I've also been having a lot of fun with the Wii. I've become a pro at Bowling, and had an epic battle with Sai-Kit last night in it. He won by only a little... (-_-) I need to get some new games for it.

But in the meantime, I can have a little fun with the Wii using my laptop. Enjoy! (^_^)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldY7srvHNCI

Took this from Emily:

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? I began to understand the lyrics to some of my J-pop songs.

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I guess that my resolution was "Let the one be better then the last." It was. So I'm hoping for the same next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My cousin Cindy

4. Did anyone close to you die? No one outside of my immediate family.

5. What countries did you visit? none, too busy to travel this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A serious job and a girlfriend.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory? Probably my birthday.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Decoding that programing language at Colgate.

9. What was your biggest failure? Korean and its impact on my grades this semester.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I seriously screwed up my toe when I moved back in last August. The thing still hurts from time-to-time.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My Mac laptop.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Myself for pulling through.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? The freshmen on my floor, one of my bosses from work.

14. Where did most of your money go? The laptop and comics.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Being with Lily again. (^_^)

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2006? Probably the Haruhi ending theme song.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? much, much, happier
ii. thinner or fatter? thinner, but not by much
iii. richer or poorer? richer, but that's slowing going away.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Nothing. I did everything that I could

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Being depressed at the beginning of the year.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Probably at home doing nothing.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? Well, I can just that I was very happy because of someone.

23. How many one night stands in this last year? None.

24. What was your favorite TV program? New discoveries: Scrubs and The Office, Old favorites: Daily Show, Family Guy, My Name is Earl.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes. That bastard Vishard. He turned anti-otaku sometime in the middle of the spring semester, and started looking down on me.

26. What was the best book you read? Probably the ending to Tuxedo Gin. It was a 15-volume comic that I had been reading for over four years, so it was amazing to finally come to a conclusion with it.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? http://nipponsei.minglong.org/

28. What did you want and get? success at work, school, and personal life

29. What did you want and not get? love

30. What was your favourite film of this year? Borat

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Went to NYC to buy some manga, Japanese magazines, and a Wii! (^_^) I'm now 22.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not taking Korean.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Business casual until I stopped working. Since then, it's only been t-shirts and jeans.

34. What kept you sane? My success.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? John Steward

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I did get pretty pissed over that dude going to jail for anime porn.

37. Who did you miss? My ex.

38. Who was the best new person you met? New person? Probably my club's secretary, Victoria.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. Impressing others is the key to success in the corporate world. Don't let others take credit for your work.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? Ain't no song can sum up this year for me.

So I turned on my DS last night, getting ready to get a little bit of Phoenix Wright in, and I encounter something very wrong. The bottom screen worked fine, but the top screen was just white.

"Just white?" asked the tech-support on the phone today.

"Yeah, pure white. Nothing on it."

"Wow... that unusual... hold on." Five minutes later, he comes back to tell me that this is the first time he has ever encountered this. So they're going to send me a replacement right away.

I didn't do anything to turn it this way. It was working just fine the night before. But for some reason, I was able to find a way to kill this system...


The Anomaly

Since then, two lines have appeared on the screen, but it's hardly enough to be able to play Phoenix. But fortunately, most of "Elite Beat Agents" takes place on the bottom screen, so I can still play one of my games while I'm waiting for the replacement.