arisha: (Default)
2009-10-06 07:18 pm

just wanna think about

Last night I learned of the K-pop group Kara through a random comment someone made in a MoMusu forum, and today I have had their song "Wanna" on REPEAT. I have no idea why I love this song so much, but omg, I kinda do. (Even if the video uses that "hey let's go destroy my ex's stuff" trope that leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.)

Anyway, I am only letting myself get into K-pop if I can put on hold my desire to study Korean. (That writing system just seems like the coolest thing to me!) I'm supposed to be passing the JLPT in two months!!! And somehow keeping up with my Spanish as well, somehow ... Studying multiple languages was so much easier when I had classes in both of them. I was looking at the list of language tutors on the UVic web site today, but before I get a tutor I should probably decide what I'd want from them, haha. Because I mean, it's not like I have specific homework they could help me with or anything. :/ Or maybe I should just start making use of all those language-learning sites I've signed up for in the past, hahaha, oh man I'm so disorganized.

I did study some JLPT grammar yesterday, though! So. There's that. :) Oddly enough I've been doing better on this workbook's kanji pages than on its grammar pages, something I definitely did not expect! I am a grammar fangirl, hahaha.

In other news, I find this fandom!secret kind of sad but also amusing, because it's so different from my life! Pretty sure when [livejournal.com profile] the_wykydtron and I go see a play, as soon as intermission hits we're already discussing gender. Especially when we went to see "The Fantasticks," which was ... interesting. D:
arisha: (Default)
2009-09-21 02:18 pm
Entry tags:

sarah pretending to be deep

So I have been spending this afternoon rediscovering the gorgeousness that is Nelly Furtado's "All Good Things (Come to an End)." What do you think is the difference between an artist you're a fan of and an artist you only like? I was thinking, even though I like most of her songs and even own all of her albums so far, I wouldn't consider Nelly Furtado one of my favourite singers, and I'm not sure why that is.

In other news, today when I was walking to the library, two snakes slithered across the path in front of me. I have seriously never come across snakes randomly in the wild before!! This was a new experience for me, lol.
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2009-09-17 01:47 pm

hoshi no you ni

Today is CI's made-up holiday! Happy Special Hug Day, everyone! xD; I got a letter from one of my sponsored kids today, yay. <3

Anyway, I am really just posting to say that I cannot stop listening to the preview of Morning Musume's new single, "Kimagure Princess." I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to chipmunkify the girls' voices, but other than that I love it! Although that's nothing new, there's only ever been like three MoMusu singles I don't like. xD

I was thinking the other day about how there was a long while where I was really embarrassed to be a MoMusu fan, to the point where I actually stopped listening to them for a year or so. Actually, I guess that happened around the time the MoMusu forum I'd been visiting closed, and so I felt like I was the only one continuing to like this group that everyone else thought was awful. Eventually I just decided WHATEVER, I love MoMusu and I don't care what anyone else thinks!! I feel like this is an attitude I need to take up in other areas of my life. Like, I continue to be embarrassed when people ask me what my hobbies are (answering with "Writing" or "Studying languages" always ends with my conversation partner asking, "... And??") or what kind of music I listen to (lol, my vague answers to this question have my managers on a constant quest to find out - although they definitely know I like Miley*), and I have been putting off telling my parents what I want to go back to school for for fear of being teased. :/ So ... yeah. I gotta stop being so embarrassed of my interests, I guess.

Okay, time to study!

* The lobby's Top 40 station has "Party in the USA" in its rotation, and there are two of us who have to constantly defend this song from everyone else who is hating on it. During one such discussion, one of my co-workers accused me of having a girlcrush on Miley. Well I guess I can't deny it, lololololol~ xD
arisha: (Default)
2009-09-06 02:38 am
Entry tags:

a summer's disregard

So I'd totally forgotten that I once forced my mom to listen to BoA's Best of Soul for like a month straight until she came home from work yesterday all "Someone on my bus was talking about BoA!" hahaha awesome!! Today I lent her my copy of BoA's English album and she said she's going to put some of the songs on her iPod. brb, turning my mom into a J-pop fan! xD (Uh, because somehow BoA's English album counts as J-pop in my head?)

Driving lesson tomorrow. After this one, I'll only have two left. Ugh, I'm still so bad though. D: And I still don't enjoy it. [livejournal.com profile] the_wykydtron is on a quest to find the one thing that will spark in me a love for driving but I don't have high hopes. I do kind of get a kick out of picturing me driving my friends around and in this way forcing them to listen to my favourite music, haha, but still. That's not quite enough to keep me motivated here. :/

Anyway! I'm sure a lot of you have seen this already, but just in case, I am posting it again. I feel confident saying that this video is pretty awesome even if you aren't a fan of Michael Jackson. A one-man a capella group who manages to layer like six songs on top of each other without it turning into a huge mess? This will always and forever be one of my favourite YouTube vids, hahaha. <3

arisha: (vampire productivity)
2009-08-30 12:28 am

jinsei wa bouken da chizu wa nai keredo

In the middle of a lolarious conversation about a certain manager who likes to move everyone around to different tills for reasons no one else understands--

Co-worker 1: "And so by the end I was looking around and all I could think was, 'This is not where I belong!'"
Co-worker 2: "'Not where you belong'? You sound like a Disney movie."

Ahaha. x) I continue to adore my co-workers despite the fact that I seriously need a new job. On Wednesday we Slytherins got our prize of mini-golf and dinner. The mini-golf was really not exciting but the free dinner was so worth it. I definitely ordered more expensive things than I would've if I'd had to pay for it. >xD And now we're about a week away from paintball! I'M ACTUALLY GOING THIS TIME, unlike last time when I decided sleeping in was the preferable option. I've already made a financial commitment to this round, so. xD;

Anyway, I guess it's time for me to answer the questions from this post! (Which you are still allowed to contribute to, if you'd like!) Read more... )

Quick! Two fun facts!!

One! Now that it's past midnight -- today is my mom's birthday! :) Why yes she is indeed one day younger than the King of Pop. I think I always remember this fun fact so well only because it is perhaps the only semi-positive thing she has ever said to me about MJ. ^^;

Two! The first time I heard any of the songs on Pink's Funhouse album was on my flight home from Tokyo. That whole flight felt like such a neverending visit to a strange parallel universe that when I was flipping channels the other day and caught the music video for the title song, my first reaction was surprise, like This song exists here, too??
arisha: (Default)
2009-07-07 03:13 pm
Entry tags:

There's no such thing as being as famous as Michael Jackson.

As I'm sure you all know, Michael Jackson's memorial was held earlier today. So hopefully this is okay timing for me to post this long, disjointed and YouTubealicious entry in which I try to explain why I have been so upset over his death.

I was thinking the other day that if I hadn't sought out his music for myself, I might only have ever heard four or five of his songs. So if one of you, through this entry, finds and enjoys a song you've never heard before, then I'll feel like my job is done. :)

a man should be faithful / and walk when not able / and fight till the end but I'm only human )
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2009-06-28 04:16 am
Entry tags:

and fight till the end but I'm only human

So I've watched "Smooth Criminal" about a hundred times over the past two days. That he's gone still feels so unreal to me. Longer letter later, when I find the words; I never thought I would ever be this affected by the death of a celebrity.

(Odd request, but: if anyone hears of any memorial/tribute events going on in Victoria, let me know. I feel like either I have missed them or we never had any, even though all the cool cities are doing it. :( )
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2009-06-26 06:25 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

Oh my god, look at Amazon.com's Bestsellers in Music list right now. Nineteen of the top twenty-one bestsellers feature Michael Jackson. I expected to see some interesting trend going on there but to see Invincible in the top ten??? Blood on the Dance Floor in the top thirteen?? Did this even happen when they were released?

Sorry guys, but I'm going to be the one annoying person on your friendslist who takes forever to get over this.
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2009-06-26 12:44 am
Entry tags:

no one wants to be defeated

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If I may be so bold, I think I'll just link back to my MJ entry of a year and a half ago.

I am actually really depressed about this, guys. :(
arisha: (twilight get out of my head)
2009-01-06 04:33 am
Entry tags:

I have been looking up train schedules all night.

All right everyone, it is 4:30 in the morning which means it is ridiculous confession time! Today's ridiculous confession: I cannot hear Kanye West's "Stronger" without thinking of Rhett Butler. I know, WHAT THE HECK, right? I think it's mostly just because one of my movie theatre managers had this song on her iPod, so I ended up listening to it fairly frequently at work during the summer when I was rereading Gone With the Wind, and somehow the two got entangled in my brain. But at the same time, come on, look at these lyrics:

That that don't kill me can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now, 'cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now, 'cause I can't get much wronger
Man, I been waitin' all night now
That's how long I been on ya
...
Don't act like I never told ya


Let's all just agree with me that those lyrics suit Rhett and Scarlett to a T.

(Man, it sure would be nice if I could get this interested in a novel that didn't come complete with a whole encyclopedia's worth of Issues. :P )
arisha: (reina)
2009-01-04 02:25 am

地球の男に飽きたところよ

I am doing this meme again, because I can. x)

List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal along with your seven songs. Read more... )
arisha: (scarlett o'hara)
2008-12-30 06:24 pm
Entry tags:

I might even be a rock star

I'm not going to fill out the end-of-the-year survey that it seems everyone on LiveJournal is doing (because I am contrary), but the last question is "Quote a song lyric that sums up your year" and so here is my answer to that:

Out of the fire and into the fire again
You make me want to forget
And start all over
Here it comes straight out of my mind the words
Another chance to get burned
And start all over
I'm gonna start all over


It's doesn't really sum up the events of my year, but, besides being one of my most-listened-to songs this year (yes I'll admit it), to me it kind of represents the new ways I've been trying to think this year. I always love the combination of energetic, happy music with lyrics that aren't quite that; I love that the line "another chance to get burned" is sung with a huge smile. It makes me feel like failure can be awesome, taking risks that don't work out can be awesome, speaking your mind and being totally disagreed with can be awesome. And maybe that's not always actually true, haha, but even so I love these lyrics because they make me feel like I can look forward to anything, even if it means "getting burned." Like ... life can be difficult but amazing at the same time. Sort of thing. Something I need to remember. x);

I don't think that actually explains anything about why I feel these lyrics "sum up my year," hahaha, but ... that's okay with me. x);

(... haha, as if you guys need to be reminded that you're friends with someone who would choose the chorus of a Miley Cyrus song to represent a whole year of her life. xD )
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2008-12-19 01:46 am
Entry tags:

you'll get the legs and the lungs and the prince all I get is the voice

What is your favourite Disney song? I mean if you are only allowed to pick ONE. xD

Mine, believe it or not, is The Little Mermaid's "Poor Unfortunate Souls." I love how theatrical it is, I love its tongue-twister lyrics (this is one of the songs that convinced me of Howard Ashman's brilliance), I love that shot of Ursula popping through Eric's head, when I was younger and less self-conscious I used to wander around the house singing the tune Ariel sings at the end, and of course I love the shot of Ariel emerging from the water (how typical Disney fan of me xD; ). I also love the analysis of this scene that can be found in From Mouse to Mermaid - basically, gender is a construct and this scene is Ursula the drag queen teaching Ariel how to be a woman. SO INTERESTING!! Definitely this scene is one of the reasons I think gender in Disney is a ton more complicated than most people give it credit for. (aha, the feminism-in-animation essay I wrote in second year was titled "She Who Holds Her Tongue" because of this song. xD ) ((And speaking of that essay, yes I am still working on my hardcore awesome Mulan entry! I just had to get over my Disney bitterness first. :/ ))

Hahaha, you know what is weird? I can remember watching this movie and being too young to be able to read the writing on Ursula's contract. xD;

What is your favourite Disney song that didn't make it into its movie? xD Herein lies the answer to that mysterious comment I made in my last entry, because if we are allowed to count songs that got cut, my most very favourite Disney song is Aladdin's "High Adventure." they're playing music while we're fighting )

Okay that's it for now! Hopefully soon I'll write a real entry. :P
arisha: (Default)
2008-12-18 12:05 am
Entry tags:

(no subject)

Ahaha okay so I lied. xD; I had another go at the song lyrics meme from this entry, only this time I used the last lines of the songs instead of the first lines. This one is hilarious to me because it's basically a list of the most embarrassing MP3s I have, but as a poem it makes more sense to me than my other one did. xD;; Read more... )
arisha: (vampire productivity)
2008-12-13 07:21 pm
Entry tags:

and this is why I'm not a poet.

Stolen from [livejournal.com profile] shadoweddestiny: Put your music player on random, and create a poem from the first lines of the first twenty songs that come up. The first line of the twenty-first song is the title. Read more... )

In other news, if you ask Google Maps for directions on how to walk from Victoria to Tokyo, it puts you on a ferry to Hawaii and from there tells you to "kayak across the Pacific Ocean." ETA: 91 days later. hahaha amazing. xDD
arisha: (aladdin someday <3)
2008-06-12 02:11 am

(no subject)

child sponsorship update! :) )

~ Round-up of other news: later this month I am going to Calgary to meet my cousin's baby boy, and in preparation I bought him a baby-sized shirt that says "I [heart] UVIC"; this fandom!secret makes me stupidly happy only because of the Cate and Jude characters in my novel (this is the only reason why I ship it, too xD; ); this article about the phrase "the customer is always right" makes me happy because it's someone outside the customer service world recognizing how much it can suck to be inside it; and, after hearing it on my manager's iPod last night, I am now rather obsessed with Kelly Clarkson's "Haunted," despite the fact that it's exactly like every other song she's ever released. :D
arisha: (snow white <3)
2008-06-03 03:01 pm
Entry tags:

自分の定めを拒めるのだろうか

Ahaha, as much as I hated working on my résumé before, I am finding it is even worse when you are working on it in an attempt to get a job you really want. :P Stress stress stress .......

Also I am obsessed with this song all over again. xDDD
arisha: (Default)
2008-05-09 02:14 pm

Part of the ship, part of the crew.

So I don't know if any of you are even interested in watching this, but here is a video I made while frustrated with the other video I am making x) :

Pirates of the Caribbean - "Chain"

Escaflowne BGM + the end of AWE + minimal (but still kinda obvious) editing = YouTubey goodness?

And just so this entry isn't totally useless, I shall link you to a charming French music video I stumbled upon yesterday (there's a subtitled version for those of you who don't pretend to be Francophones x) ). Well I only call it "charming" for lack of a better word; I think I often underestimate the power of the short subject but man, the ending of this thing gives me shivers. xD;
arisha: (potc3 liz)
2008-02-28 03:32 am

(no subject)

SEE GUYS I'M NOT A FREAK AFTER ALL I KNEW IT!!!

Apparently there is some speculation regarding a possible sequel. SO IT COULD STILL HAPPEN!!!

(Waiting for this DVD is kind of gnawing at my soul.)

Also: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA and how fantastic is it that I recognized these guys right away? hahahahahaha oh the lulz~. xDDD

Okay I am actually kind of ashamed to be reading fandom!secrets so let's pretend I'm not.

(HAHAHAHAHAHA oh gosh why??!!)
(I very much agree.)
(And I am totally guilty of this.)
(And maybe I have to agree with this one too?)
(Ahahahahaha!! Now I really want to watch Muppet Treasure Island. D: )

So ... now for something completely different?

child sponsorship easter presents )

I'm sorry that there is nothing much of interest in this entry. D:
arisha: (Default)
2008-01-31 12:27 am
Entry tags:

if you tell me I'm wrong, then you gotta prove you're right

When I was nine years old I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson. I was absolutely obsessed with his music, I read his autobiography at least twice, I kept every newspaper article about him, I watched his music videos over and over and over ... I feel as though in typing that out I am revealing some deep, dark secret that I should forever keep hidden lest I be ostracized from the community, but whatever. It's true.

Today while flipping through channels I learned that Thriller is going to be rereleased next month, in a twenty-fifth anniversary edition complete with new versions of a few of the songs. In a way this makes me kind of sad. Like ... Michael Jackson hasn't had a truly successful release in a good ten years, and his life has been steadily falling apart on international television. Is it going to take another Thriller rerelease to get people to focus on his music again? Is that even possible anymore?

Every time another bad piece of Michael Jackson news breaks, my dad sort of sighs and says, "You know, I still like him." And you know what? I do, too. He used to be insanely popular (maybe he still is, in other countries?) and I can definitely see why. Thriller remains the top selling album of all time because it has some amazing songs with amazing videos to go with them. And he's an insanely good performer, whose influence on current pop artists is, I think, undeniable. (Obvious example: Rhianna's "Don't Stop the Music" uses the chant from "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.") So, if you will allow me to be so bold, here are five of my favourite Michael Jackson songs, one from each of the albums that were the basis for my crazy nine-year-old fandom. x)

1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
2. Billie Jean (if you think this song is anything less than awesome, then I dunno if we can even be friends anymore!)
3. Smooth Criminal
4. Black or White
5. Scream (the most expensive music video ever made! ^^; )

ahaha and now I feel really embarrassed and shall just sit back and wait for you all to defriend me. x)