YA example of awesomeness of Japaneseness

Just think. These crazy geometric bow calculations are pre-programmed into all Japanese people {{1}}. [[1]]It’s all firmware man.[[1]] There was no thinking “Oh I messed up. I should bow… 20º lower.” Homeboy just innately knew…”bow this far… BUT NOT TOO FAR”.

The stereotypical Asian wisdom is true: “Don’t Think. Feel.” {{2}}

Denki Groove – Edisonden

[[2]]Of course it was none other than the Little Dragon who said this. No, he is not Japanese. No, Asians are not all the same, but Yes, I am milking a popular meme for all its worth.

Also: If you haven’t seen these Lee flash animations, you’re hella missing out. They’re old school (I saw em back in HS), and in Korean, but the simplicity of it all truly captures the elegance of Lee’s artwork.[[2]]

This has got to be one of the coolest things EVER. IWANT.

PS: I love Japan.

Do not ingest.

…Actually, I’m nooooot. But my is… when she wants to be. Ammy can dress with the best of ‘em and her Rainbow Robot T rivals some of my favorite Uniqlo prints. (I wish I was in Japan for the Grand Prix…)

On another note… Maybe if I get this for her she’ll stop asking me to drive 300+ miles to get her sleepyhead some icecream. Usually between the hours of 12am~4am. Who am I kidding. That’s a 24/7 kinda request. Haha… it’s all love!

…OR IS IT!?

PS: I saw on VH1 (the realicrap station) the other day: “If it weren’t for fashion, I’d be dead. Thought that was kinda dramatic… but I’m sure its true. Fool looked like a fuck-up.

This bugspray commercial (CM) depicts Japan perfectly. Efficient & Ridiculous. And FAST.

Nitro Microphone Underground
“Down the Line”
“Akugidenwa (Prank Call)
”
“10 Muri”
(from Straight From The Underground)

J-rap is an intriguing genre if anything. A lot of the vernacular is taken from the US Rap scene, but according to the wikipedia article
, Japanese rappers are able to “express themselves in a more Japanese style, both in basic language and in regard to themes”. Yet when I went over there back in 2005, I sampled what was current on the Tokyo scene (aka “The Bay Area”). I heard a lot of shit, and everyone wanted to sound like a Japanese DMX—Barks and all.
But forreals though, Japan’s hip-hop/rap scene is developing into its own, and some of that shit bangs! Some of the pop stuff like the Teriyaki Boyz is aight (think Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift), but the real gold is in the underground rap/hip-hop scene.

Nitro Microphone Underground is one of the first j-rap artists who didn’t sell out and pop out their act, and were recognized by the industry for it. With “Down the Line”, the members of the group (Dabo, Macka-chin, Deli, Suiken, Gore-Tex, S-Word, XBS, and Bigzam—its like a Japanese Wu-Tang) take turns passing the mic after 24 bars. Each distinctive flow & swagger is punctuated by a beat the hits the rewind button between each rapper, giving the track a fresh restart each time.

In “10 Muri”, you might recognize some famous samples which are long standbys in the rap producer’s lingua franca. And the memorable, chanting chorus “けっこ、マジ、けっこ、マジ！” (kekko maji kekko maji – “I’m fine. Forreals?”) knocks up the appeal.

“Akugidenwa (Prank Call)” has a lot of the crazy space shit that Japanese producers (and Pharrell) love to include in the background of their tracks. Just as how the Neptunes craft the perfect beat that matches a particular artist’s style, NMU’s hard-hitting delivery matches the repetitive beat perfectly, and shows off the crazy potential of japanese lyricism.

By keeping true to hip-hop (w/o the beats, the MCs are nothin!) NMU makes sure that even if you can’t understand their flow, you can at the very least listen to some high-tempo production with some of the craziest loops since the Neptunes.

Speaking of loops, I also copped some Nujabes shit over there, but couldn’t find anything from Fat Jon or Tsutchie (shoutout to Champloo Fans!). Note: I didn’t look TOO hard.

You see, Japan is a crazy place for hip hop gear collectors. Not only vinyl, but shit from all 4 elements have a strong representation in Japan, whether through special limited editions gear, crazy tech, or bumpin producers. There are even services out there where you pay people to peruse through Japan’s crazy used CD/Book/Video stores to look for that vintage recording/print that you just can’t find anywhere else. I don’t even wanna talk about the shoe/streetwear scene over there. BAPE
is a Japanese phenom after all.

PS: Looking at these
makes me wanna be a sneakerhead. “Anti-Babylon Equipment” Can it get any more “Crazy Engrish Oxymoron” than that!?

(Below: There’s still mistakes though, so don’t get mad at me when old master smacks you on the head for being disrespectful.)

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But round 2 is coming up tomorrow so I hafta make like a good student and do some studyin’.

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What should I do after everthings over… responsibilities are the best

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Oh… and I haven’t said this here but I’m going to Japan this summer. What should I bring?

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Oh well, I’ll think of that after some Kanji cards…

ps????????????
ps: hi doctor claw.
any other posse here?
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oh yeah, yesterd—today, I didn’t end up REALLY studyin till around 4-5am… not today though!

Vis 22 (The Nutty Professor)

Japanese ??? 20B (2nd year, 2nd quarter, 22x harder than before)

ICAM 140/VIS 40 (the MAJOR class)

CSE 11 (“hey, fuck you buddy”)

hey kids! do it while you still can! That means all of you.

So I gotta study for my last quiz this week (5 total, kanji quiz) so talk to you later self.

Apparently that was the song that was on that site previously. Probly the 440 version. Maybe the OG. I dunno. It’s a decent song I suppose. It got me into 440, it got me into buying “Don’t Get High On Your Own Supply”, which I listened to like 3 times before it was STOLEN BY MUTHERFUCKERS.

But anyway.

I’m really bored. I’ve been home for quite some time now, and haven’t done anything. I never knew summer was so short when you weren’t having fun. I’ll do better tho, I promise.

oh yeah, that’s “Frankie’s” blog. He’s a cool self-proclaimed beaner fatass. I don’t think so. I would proclaim him a cool guy. But anyway, he actually writes posts that are readable, and not just random blurbs that make sense to noone but the writer (WHO DOES THAT I DON’T KNOW WHO COULD IT BE?!!?!?!). I respect that.

So anyway, Summer Bridge is in like less than a month now. I still don’t have a place to live, and etc etc. I really wish summer was longer, and I was more productive.

Yesterday I went to the mall. Guess who I saw? You’ll be appalled! It was Ryan Rucker, the notorious Nose Burglar! He triple jumps 46’1″. That is really far for those not in the know. It seems that the triple jumpers at Wood only get better and better each year. I wonder if he took up an aprentice, and if he will 1-Up everyone, much like Bobby Mosier did to myself.

Today I saw Aaron Ray at the Baseball field. It was cool. I went there to see fireworks. They were ok, nothing too spectacular. Other than that, I didn’t do anything today of note. Oh maybe I went to the eye doctor. Oh no, that was yesterday as well. He did hella more tests than usual, and when he washed his hands to take my contacts out (why don’t they ever let you do it yourself?), he still had soap on his hands and it stung. Then he put some yellow eyedrop things in my eye for the pressure or something. Those turned my temporary one day contacts he gave me yellow as well.

That is what I did.

Oh yeah, last night I stayed up all night researching and then making an impulse buy of a 1Gig flash card for my GBA. Set me back like 200 or something I think. I also paid my phone bill (at least I might have, the site said i didn’t, then said i did, then kept on giving me errors. WTF ATT). A couple days ago I went to Todai’s in Concord with mizuki, mom and her friend Mieko. It was alright, nothing too special. Mizuki had eggshell in her fried rice, and the melon sucked (remarkably though, it tasted more like melon and squirting lemon on it, though it also tasted more like lemon). I’ve never noticed how similar lemon or melon were as words, namely cuz I never wrote them in the same sentence, or cared. I had some sushi (for the 1st time ever), some ramen with cilantro in it (yuk), some other stuff too. To the McCall’s chagrin, as soon as we were seated, Mieko gave the waitress her c.card to pay for it all, AND get my dad something too. FUCKER. My mom was still pissed about it when we got back home.

THIS JUST IN
I woke my sister up just now to take her to bed. She then mumbled something about the “big sentence”. “Big sentence?” I asked. “The biggest sentence EVER… mumble…mumble…fireworks…downstairs.”

“Ok, let’s go downstairs to meet the big sentence.”
NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY THING THAT YOU WEREN’T READING

So anyway. At the end of the journey (in which Mizuki amused Mieko-san by looking through the space between the car chair and headrest and saying she was on “TV”), we dropped Mieko-san off at her car. She then gave the chauffer (me) $20. I was like, “OH FUCK NO” and quickly gave it to my mom, who was already trying to give her the cash for the meal. Mieko saw through my mom’s ploy and preemptively dashed into her car and closed and locked all the doors. DAMNIT. We were foiled by this fiend who paid for us and shit. I love being Japanese (I feel so guilty about receiving the 20spot, but didn’t think twice to use it for gas yesterday).

This post is pretty random, and not a joy to read, I know. I’m just to lazy to try/care. Besides, it’s not like this thing is even online yet.

Speaking of which. Fucking .mac service doesn’t let you use scripts. Only pure html. Fucking useless. I thought I was made in the shade, but now I’m unmade, in the sun. Or something.

Remember that hydrolic penises are unethical & cya when I cya.

But its a new year soon. Time to put those fears to rest.

Ooh… that sounds so… decisive. Just some dramatic rambling.

Big-O:
Have you seen it? If you follow the series, then you know how stupid it is.

It has a really cool premise. Mankind exists in a future with no past. 40 years ago, “something” happened, which erased all of mankind’s memories. The hero, Roger Smith pilots an artifact of the past, Big O (typical anime giant robot) and uses it to fight crime and shit. The story goes along, trying to explain what happened so long ago. Blah Blah blah.

Originally ending after 13 eps on a super confusing cliffhanger that explains nothing, Cartoon Network revived the series, creating 13 new eps. The 2nd season builds upon the interesting plot, throwing in clones, mad scientists, misguided visionaries, etc etc. + more staples to sci-fi anime. But what’s the catch? the catch is that it makes no sense. I figure that they original creators left it at that cliffhanger cuz they realized how ridiculous the story would become. Cause the plot just goes crazy and shit starts gettin confusing and doesn’t make ANY sense. Oh. And the 26th ep? Ends on yet another cliffhanger, this time twice as confusing.

Some questions and considerations:
Why ARE giant robots so predominant in anime? Why not in american toons? Giant robos are cool. I like giant robos. I don’t like big o maybe.

I like everything about the show (well almost, the dialogue’s pretty weak/forced sometimes), except for the fact that it makes NO sense. That just pisses me off. Investing all that viewing time and etc into the series, HOPING that at the end I’ll go “OOOHHHHH!!!!! DAMN I GET IT!!!” … but no. I’m just all “DAMNIT!!!!!!” I mean, its cool to end on a such a dramatic (and dare I say cliffhanging again?) note, but having it not make sense pretty much ruined it for me. Imma stick with Bebop. Hell, at least Inu Yasha makes sense. I wish I had the $ to just buy some good anime and watch it in Japanese or something. But thanks to the craze, its waaaaaaay to spensive. But hopefully some kind soul out there’ll buy me the Trigun box set.

Oh yeah, they used to run Trigun on CN. That’s my fav anime. I first fell in love with its wackiness, and from what I’ve seen of the latter eps on CN, its story is rather crazy as well.

Well, I gotta go to sleep. And I don’t feel like posting anything worthwhile. Actually I probably shouldn’t sleep, I’ll never wake up in time. Being nocturnal sucks.

Oh, I’ve been listening to new purchases Bjork’s Telegram and Pink’s Obscured by Clouds. Gotta nice Yellow Sub poster too.

Well, tomorrow’s a big day. I gotta take a family picture (that’s what I gotta “wake up” for), see if I can face my old friends, and oh yeah, New Year’s Eve.

Don’t Drink & Drive.

Bridge is quite fun, and the jobs cakesauce, but by the end of the day, I’m drained. I love it though. The program itself is just a really, really good, happy, fun thing. It really is a family. And seeing all the new kids come on up is really something. Loads of memories and stuff, new and old. Blah blah blah.

I love my girlfriend. She’s everything I need right now, and supports me when I need it the most. It’s hard not being able to see her all the time with work and all, but we get through it, and those moments are blissful, relaxing, soothing, stress-relieving. But girls are evil. Either they do the above to you and cause you torment, or they play mind games, or they tempt you, or you don’t have one. And you can’t live without em. Sigh. Nevertheless though, “Constant over stimulation numbs me and I wouldn’t have it any other way” Or something.

I really love Radiohead too. I’ve been listening to their B-Sides recently and fuck. Its like I fucking discovered the New World. This shit is really good… Bishop’s Robes, Polyethylene, Faithless, the Wonder Boy, etc. Go Go Go! Or Maybe I’ll UL em…

My Dad’s been in the hospital recently. Heart failure and the works, twice around. It really bums me out. He’s doing much better now though supposedly, doctor said so. But shit like that really makes me think about how little time I have left with him. He’s been trying to help me get a G5, but the constant nagging, calling, “did you do this?” “what about this?” “how’s your car?” “blah blah blah”, annoys me like no other. So whenever I get tired of it, I go “yeah, uhuh, ok, yeah” etc. and try to rush things along asap. Afterwards tho, I feel hella guilty. “I shouldn’t be mad, he’s only trying to help!” Yeah. That feeling sucks. I don’t wanna deal with it.

My car’s still got that light on. I just took it in today. Supposedly, its the fuel injektor that’s fucked up this time. WTF I hate that pos car and want a japanese one. Thanks to my dad’s newly found super veteren status or something, my tuition’s free so a new car is a possibility? Took 4 or 5 years to get here but finally here it is. Free-ride city. Yay about that huh?

So yeah I missed EVO. AGAIN. Fuck. I really wanted to go, but I fucking procrastinated on everything and got caught up. Fucking Bridge. But yeah, between my dad getting sick, work, my fucked up car, adry, etc. I couldn’t go. I regret it. But there’s nothing I could do I guess. But yeah check SRK if you care. And if you find any vids posted, hit me up. I already saw Justin Wong get his ass kicked by Soo tho. I love the West Coast!

I like the 1st verse of Rollin’ On 20’s

Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about living in NYC for awhile now. Between always wanting to kinda, Barbara’s (friend) fucking ridiculous love for the city, moovs, chance for something new, Jay-Z, etc., I’ve almost made it a life goal to live there for a bit.

I miss Japan, my brothers, my childhood, my old friendships, my new friends and probly some other stuff too.

Oh yeah, I gotta do traffic school too. Almost forgot about that, I should finish it up soon…

My mind is too full of shit right now. I have this nasty habit that I’ve had for a real long time to procrastinate and then forget shit. I’ve been trying to fix this, but its a slow process. I’m really high-strung right now; I need to get my shit together forreals. And I still gotta start working out. So much for summer of fitness…

I can’t wait for my vacation.

I fucking love SpottieOttieDopalicious. After I finished the above, I started paying attention to the bgm… this song relaxes me. I wonder if its cuz its linked to my babe…