Appa's Thoughts

Still enjoying Shin Angyo Onshi a ton. I'm about 15 volumes into it, and I just finished the giant flashback to explain Munsu (and almost everyone else's) past. And... WOW!! o___o That was a whole lot more than I expected out of his back story. I'm very impressed with it.

In any case, I'm still really enjoying these characters and how they're based on real or legendary Korean heroes, and the writers' shorts about the differences between Korea and Japan are very interesting.

My main gripe is that one of my favorite characters doesn't mind not wearing clothes. >_< Just leather straps... the whole time. Doesn't she get cold!?! And I'm actually a bit of a fan of the evil villain.

In any case, this has inspired me to at least learn traveler's Korean. After getting stuck in Yanji for a night, being asked at work to translate part of a Korean document, and seeing all these articles about a certain ballistic country I feel it's time to finally get at least a little bit of an understanding. I really, really like the writing system--it's so much more simple than English, Japanese, or Chinese. As for grammar, I haven't touched that yet, but I've heard it's similar to Japanese. Haha, granted, that's the hard part with Japanese.

Though I still need to keep more of my focus on Japanese (planning to take Level 2 of the JLPT this December! >.<;;) and Chinese (hoping to do post-grad Chinese study, which will require an interview process this fall that I'm getting nervous about).

Ah ha ha ha. ~__~ Foreign language is my bliss. I've been listening to French music lately, too, though I don't understand a word of it.

A page of one of my thesis drafts must have been on my bed, because I woke up with a big block of my abstract imprinted on my leg.

What really makes me a dork is that the first thing out of my mouth when I notice text all over my leg was "Well, that's certainly not a mark of Suzaku."

I have been all tied up reading Shin Angyo Onshi since I discovered it on Saturday morning.

Now I want to learn Korean.

So! My friend had her annual anime party yesterday/today. A smaller group this time (11, including my 2-year-old nephew), although it's still bigger than the original seven or eight at her first which was just a simple sleepover. It's just feels smaller after a couple times when there were 20+ people in attendance.

Anyway! We watched anime. I got to sample some I had been curious about but never saw, but what I really enjoyed was Hetalia. XDD Another of mine hadn't seen it before and we were roaring in laughter as any little joke. Granted, I fear how this might be received in certain countries, but as an American who has spent the last two semesters revisiting and revisiting and revisting the last effects of World War II... well... I can't help but find it hilarious.

Also, it wasn't cosplay but I dressed up.



( You want to see more of this thing on my head )

Ah, the Hetalia theme is so stuck in my head.

I also have some art to talk about. It was neat seeing people's coloring renditions of the lineart I made, and while I was watching anime I drawing drawing at random things that seemed stereotypically "anime", and then I told them to think of a plot for it. I'm curious what, given an anime group shot, people would come up with for a synopsis. I'll post the picture at some point and give people a go at it, and maybe make a little contest (with a prize) for what people come up with. It'd be interesting to read.

Ow, my head. Not enough sleep.

I was just thinking this morning, "man, out of all the scanlations I'm following, I'd really like to see how Bokurano ends".

And then the last chapters were put up today. ;___;!

I liked the ending. I really, really liked how the manga went. I LOVED the first half of the anime, but the manga was just... wow. It's different, but I was really into it.

And totally off-topic, I've been drawing hyper-shoujo pictures on sticky notes lately. If only I had the courage to throw away my potentially succesful future to chance everything on trying to become a mangaka. XD Ahhh, it's still my dream. One I've had almost every day for the last seven years.

Anyway, my friend has her big anime party tomorrow. :DDDD *ssoooo excited* I get to be a dork and sing karaoke!@!! And I'm only working on a few hours of sleep since I was up so late last night re-finishing a thesis...... I should try to get some of the little sleep I'll get this weekend. XD I am setting myself up for a huge migraine.

(Yes, we've been calling each other that for the last six years.)


Dear Oneechan,

I don't really know how to tell you this, but our romance is over. I think I realized it that night you picked your nose outside of your office and I saw you sit on my boyfriend. I'm sure you're shamed enough to understand I'm allergic to your earlobes. I'm returning your toe ring to you, but I'll keep my virginity as a memory. You should also know that I told in my confession today about the moose poaching and you ruined my attempts at another world war..

Go milk a cow,
Tohru

-----

Dear Tohru,

I don't really know how to tell you this, but our romance is over. I think I realized it when your dwarf bit me in your apartment and I saw you sit on the elephant in the corner. I'm sure you're frostbitten enough to understand that your driving sucks. I'm returning your toe ring to you, but I'll keep your glass eye as a memory. You should also know that I told in my confession today about the moose poaching and you should stop picking your nose.

Go drown yourself,
Oneechan

( What is all this about!? )

So much for getting any editing on my thesis done this week. -__-;; I've made three minor changes. I must hurry up, especially if I want to color that mermaid pic this weekend. It occured to me a couple days after drawing the lineart that it would have had the right busy-ness and feel if I had added FISH. Hindsight now... she just happens to be a mermaid in a sea with coral and sponges and seaweed... but no fish.

Songs I'm enjoying lately:
"White Lies" - Princess Ai
A whole bunch of Rainie Yang
"Tori ni Naru Toki" - Satsuki
"Ash Link Snow" - The Beautiful Green
"Swing of Life" - YUI

I've been trying to listen to my music with my sister. She and my brother seem to get very bored with my tastes... well, meh. I like melodies I can distinguish from a beat. (Or rather, I like songs which are fun to sing to.)

Ahaha... this computer can't read the Chinese on my music files. -.-; I should sleep. I should sleep so that tomorrow evening I might be able to work on this paper which should not be taking this long to edit.

I love summer, I love summer, I love summer...

I so, so lucky to have an internship which is such a better place to work at that my last job and actually gets me using my language skills. But I man, I love weekends too. I love downtime. This weekend I got to read a bunch of manga, go to a few bithday parties, get a terrible sunburn despite having lathered up in sunscreen, and do the sketch and lineart for this piece:



( and another one! )

Oh, right... I still need to color the mermaid pic. ;_____; That's why I scanned a copy now in case I ruin it with the watercolors. *nervous* But that is a project for next weekend! Starting today, I must use my free time to revise my samurai thesis to submit to an academic conference later this month. *determined face*

And... uh... there are undo buttons for editing a paper. That's makes the thesis a little easier than the coloring. ;__; Oh gosh, what if I ruin it!?!?

Boldface TV shows you've seen at least three episodes of. Italicize ones where you're certain you've seen every episode.

( TV meme... this will be sad. )

*scratches head* I used to watch a lot of TV in elementary school, but...

I was about to submit this when my sister came by and started going through the list. "Three episodes... all of it... all of it... three episodes... three episodes... all of it... no... no... all of it... all of it... three episodes... three episodes... three episodes... no... all of it..."

Meh. I'd rather go read more Sketchbook to let my mind melt.

I finally started reading Sketchbook.

It's like Azumanga Daioh, only with some male characters, fewer flying cats, more characters, pretty much the same kind of teacher, and... an art club. Art club people are always interesting. XD I was already thoroughly enjoying it and relating to all of the characters in little ways (particularly Hazuki!) and thinking of how it reminded me of the high school I attended for one week in Gifu and then they brought in Kate.

*dies laughing*

We foreigners who are enthusiastic about Japan are so easy to portray sometimes. XDDD What makes Kate so funny to me is that she's so true to life. But I guess that's part of the appeal of slice-of-life manga, you get to sit back and say "I do that exact same thing!".

This was all after reading some Ribon manga again and getting those "I must write shoujo manga!!" vibes. Oh Ribon, how do you do this to me!?!?

More manga babble: I'm eager for a new Haruka volume but don't see one yet. >_< Volume 16, where are yoooouuu....

*reading Sakura Hime Kaden* Aaaw, as I'm reading this I'm finding just how much I missed Tanemura's art. She was one of my very first shoujo manga exposures--one of the artists which stuck with me most when I discovered those Ribon magazines I was not yet able to read. Sakura would be tons of fun to cosplay as.

Ah ha ha. Speaking of cosplay, I'm not doing it for my friend's party this year because I don't have much money, but I am going to throw together some kind of costume with items I mostly already have on hand. It will involve a sword... and samurai-style garmet... and bright, shiny pink.

What makes this all even funnier is that my friend always picks out a neat anime illustration to personalize the invitations for her guests every year. It amazes me how she can find so many, I go to some of the same sites she does but I never find ones that cool! o__o They're typically just random anime girls, but today I opened invitation and it was a CG of Nozomi from Haruka 3 (she isn't familiar with Haruka and didn't know that's where it was from).

XDDDD It fits the girls-in-pink-with-swords theme I suddenly have going on. I'll have to think of a girly Japanese name to use for that costume. Not Sakura (over used!!!) or Nozomi... Sakomi? XD *dork*

-----

At work today I was reading through a Japanese patent website. And it figures it was illustrated with adorable chibified people. It made me want to burst out laughing, gushing with love for a little island country which can get away with making anything cute.

Oh, wow. It's late already. My eyes are red. I've got this getting up early thing figured out again, but not the going to bed early part.

-----

Whoa... lately I'm getting sudden flashbacks to being in Nanjing. Usually I get Kuzuha flashbacks. To bed with me...

*collapses*

The Haruka translation... it's done.... *weakly points finger to http://community.livejournal.com/harukana/161317.html *

Ahahahaha... I actually finished it before starting my internship. o__o;; With about 11 hours to spare...

Oh. I received a shock recently. You know how funny I found it that my birthdate and time could, when using military time and the Japanese year keeping system, be expressed entirely in 0's and 1's? 0101100001? I looked at my birth certificate while I was looking for something else. My mom told me I was born as 12:01am, but my certificate says 12:12am.

There's a two. It's not binary code anymore, it's 0101100012. ;____;

Now I can totally understand how Sana felt in Kodocha felt when she was worrying if she should have been named Samu. At least this doesn't mess up my Chinese birth chart.

The Haruka translation is aaaaalmost done. Today I found myself flipping back through volume 9 and I realized that I've been to the place where the Nishi no Fuda was kept! If I had remembered a little detail like that when I stumbled on and looked around Matsuotaisha, I would have been totally excited at the time. :D

mippa's drabble request from this drabble meme (SPOTS STILL OPEN UNTIL JUNE).

Title: Messages
Series: Please Save My Earth
Characters: Issei, Sakura
Prompt: none
Rating: G
Word count: 590

( It disturbed her how undisturbed he was. )

Title: Yangoto Naki Mune no Uchi: "Yangotonaki Mune no Uchi"
Author: Ayumi Hashidate
Illustrator: Tohko Mizuno
Translator: appaku
Editor: vraieesprit
Warning: *SPOILERS* for volume 10


( Unstoppable Things of the Heart (1) )


((((Continued at Part 2))))

Started typing up the Haruka translation at every spare moment today. It feels so long.... ;__; Drabble time instead.

siskinsplace's drabble request from this drabble meme (SPOTS STILL OPEN UNTIL JUNE).

Title: Things left buried
Series: Fushigi Yuugi
Characters: Hotohori, Miaka
Prompt: secret
Rating: G
Word count: 592

( Did you tell him that I kissed you? )

Finished the initial Haruka translation this morning. Meant to type it up. Things were crazy instead. But at least I have a drabble!

six_crazy_guys's drabble request from this drabble meme (SPOTS STILL OPEN).

Title: Hiding Spot
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Characters: Iori, Armadimon, Mrs. Hida
Prompt: closet
Rating: G
Word count: 537

( I should just be glad you’re not evolving any more inside my bedroom )

This was my first time writing anything from MKR... or anything CLAMP, for that matter! It was surprisingly fun, though I can't even remember the series well enough to remember if there were any characters in Cephiro who had eyeglasses.

banditscribe's drabble request from this drabble meme (SPOTS STILL OPEN).

Title: Senses
Series: Magic Knights Rayearth
Characters: Ferio, Fuu
Prompt: eyeglasses
Rating: G
Word count: 577

( Some kind of magical device )

Today, I translated 27 pages almost nothing but Eisen, Eisen, Eisen... only 16 pages to go! To celebrate today's accomplishment, I'm posting btamamura's drabble request from this drabble meme (SPOTS STILL OPEN).

Title: Sleeper
Series: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 1
Characters: Yasuaki, Eisen
Prompt: sleep
Rating: G
Word count: 548

( Four days )

My DS suddenly started working right today!! :D

That meant I could get translations as I went instead of doing a first read-through if a few pages, then focus on all the volcab I need to look up, and then go back again through it. No, with my DS being agreeable, I could use my kanji program I went.

I got 17 pages done today and it's only 3:15~~~! *dances* I'm just giving my poor hands a break and then I'll---erm... nevermind. Little people need some attention. In any case, yay! Hopefully it'll stay working for the final 27 pages.

((Aside comment on the scene I had been working on: Fried Hachiyou, anyone?))