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Here is the last post of what may very well be my last summer vacation (from school at least), ever. At the very least, it’s the last post of summer vacation 2005. It’s about 3:30AM, and I have a meeting at 10. Yeah, a meeting before classes even start. Yay. Anywho, I feel like this is the first time (maybe in my life) that I haven’t prepared for a new semester of classes. When you’re in elementary school, you have all your school supplies and crap packed in your bookbag, ready to go. Then you end up doing pretty much the same thing in middle school, although by then you also have a folder with papers and stuff. Then in high school, you don’t care quite as much but there’s always the binder of papers, and you care about who you’re going to see and talk to at school. College starts, and you have to actually get your books on your own, make it to class (after finding the building) and all that jazz. Usually, I’m pretty prepared, have books, etc by the start of classes. Well, this year, for some reason or another, I’ve done pretty much NOTHING. I haven’t gone to the bookstore to buy any books, I haven’t dug my bookbag from my room, I haven’t emptied out the papers in my binder from last spring, haven’t put pens or pencils in my bag. Heck, the most I’ve done was print out a syllabi and some Powerpoint slides from OnCourse about an hour ago.

There was no reason for that entire first paragraph, just pointing out that I don’t care about classes right now. Maybe it’s not that, just that I don’t care about preparing anymore. Textbook-wise, I’m going to wait until tomorrow night or Tuesday night to decide 1) if I really even need to buy the books, 2) if I should get them here in town or online. I’ve never actually bought textbooks online, but checking out Half.com the other day, it looks like I can get a lot of those big textbooks for much cheaper than the used ones at TIS or the IU Bookstore. Only problem with buying them online is that I think they’re cheaper versions (called “International”), and also it would probably take over a week to get delivered. Not like I ever really read my textbooks anyway.

In other blog news (nothing of importance), I’ve been watching this Japanese drama show lately (thanks to BitTorrent, of course), called Densha Otoko (電車男). It’s pretty sweet, although definitely pretty cheesy at times. It started broadcasting in July while I was there, but I never really have time to watch shows regularly in Japan. Plus this way I can download a bunch and watch them in a row. This show is an interesting story in itself. Apparently, a year or two ago on this huge Japanese BBS called 2ch, there were posts from a huge dork that saved a girl on a train, and the two ended up falling in love and getting together or somat. The “actual” posts from the BBS, which documented this story of them meeting and getting together, posted by the guy himself, was printed into a book, which became a best-seller in Japan. Now there is this TV show, a movie, comics, etc based on this story. Some people say this is all fake, and some that it really is a true story. Whatever, it doesn’t matter, it’s a cool show. Also, Misaki Ito plays the chick, and she is like the hottest girl I have ever seen. So that’s one of the Japanese shows I’ve been watching lately. And since I haven’t posted any pictures in my blog in a while, here is some stuff from Densha Otoko:

And to wrap up this post and this summer vacation up, I leave you with an image of the funniest sight all week: Nick Roberts showing up in my apartment when everyone is over, wearing a huge leather coat with a fur collar and cuffs. Nick truly is a man of style (what kind, I do not know). Laugh, and enjoy the fall everyone. I’m going to bed. Back to being a hard working student!

I don’t know how this started, I think it’s because I have my free cable (uhh don’t read this Insight Communications), but I’m back in some kind of Iron Chef frenzy. I think I first got into this show back in high school, definitely before it was really popular. Heck, most of you probably know (or were even around) for when me and my friends went and made 2 of our own Iron Chef parody films. Good times. Anyways, time for a bit of a rant on how sweet this show is.

I’m not going to summarize the show that much, because by this day in age, I think most people have seen or at least know what good ol’ Iron Chef is about. I’m not sure exactly what I like so much about this show. I like some cooking shows already. I like Japanese TV (sometimes, although those variety shows get on my nerves after a while). I think maybe I just like goofy stuff and the theatrics of Iron Chef. Actually, I’m pretty sure that is a big part of it, because although I enjoy the actual cooking, the whole introduction part is always great to me. Seriously, I think this must be the greatest TV show ever created. Only some crazy Japanese guy could have thought to make a cooking show, make it with all the theatrics of like WWF wrestling or something, give the chefs goofy multi-colored costumes (remember Japan also made Power Rangers), give them rising platforms, lots of smoke, etc. This show is awesome. I could talk for a long time about how sweet the set is alone. It’s enormous!

OK, enough for now, this post is already dorky enough. And also I’m watching Battle Asparagus on TV right now.

This week has been nuts. Sunday night I was at the library til 6:30AM studying for my marketing analysis exam. I guess it was worth only getting 3 hours of sleep though, since I got a 104 on it. Monday night I crashed for about 5 hours in the evening, only to stay up until 6 again doing random stuff (including sending resumes and stuff to places like TokyoPop and Viz). Tuesday night I was doing IUSTV, Z302, and mktg analysis until around 3 or 4AM. Tonight (Wed), it’s 3AM and I’m still at the library, finished with about half of my marketing design work, have a team exam in Z302 at 11AM, and about a million and a half things I need to get done really soon. Tomorrow night will probably entail the least amount of library time all week, meaning I’ll *only* be here for like 3 or 4 hours.

I’d be able to get a few hours of sleep per night extra if I weren’t powering through the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm on DVD. Awesome show, btw. Oh and I got to watch an hour of the Kings (Kangs?) of Comedy last night.

So I was first going to e-mail just Ari this. Then I decided I was gonna e-mail the whole A-Team. Then I decided I’ll just make it a blog entry and everyone will see it eventually. I even went to the effort of taking some screenshots, just so everyone can follow what I’m talking about, also so you know I’m not just making this up.

I downloaded and watched part of the 紅白歌合戦, the music show that they show in Japan on new years eve. (Seth, did you catch it? Or were you studying) It’s like a battle of the singers with guys vs. girls. Well one of the bands on there was, of course, Kishidan, because they are awesome. 2 really important and incredible revelations that must be spoken of though:

1) Ari will be happy to know, that during the performance, they had all these random backup dancers running around the background, including the usual gay-esque American flag wearing guys with the cutoffs on, some bousouzoku, angels, a chick in a bathtub, etc. But the best? 6 Pe Yonjun look-alikes. Oh man it was hilarious.

2) the main singer guy, I think his full name is Ayano Kouji, nicknamed Celonious or something, but you may know him as Dragon Voice. right in the middle of singing One Night Carnival, pauses and whips off the front part of his hair. We knew it was too good to be true. His hair is real, except for the front part (the Ghostbusters cartoon Egon-looking pointy thing). And even better: he has a receding hairline/going bald, so it just looks really weird. I don’t think that anyone in Japan knew about this, and I was pretty surprised (ショック!).

Ah well, they’re still so badass though.

Whoa! Just found out that トリビアの泉 (Trivia no Izumi) is being shown in America. How the hell…. Wow, I’m really surprised. I love this show! Now it’s on in America? Have to download some episodes of the US version. Intersting indeed. It’s basically just a show that tells random trivia facts, and celebrities sit and say “heeeeeh” about how weird or funny the trivia is.

Oh, and it’s on SpikeTV. Here’s the website. Hopefully it’s just translated and not turned into a weird parody like that show with Beat Takeshi (can’t remember the name). It’s also on SpikeTV; with the obstacle courses and stuff.

On Tuesday night after dinner, I turned on the TV and started watching a drama-esque program. I didn’t know what I was getting into. And that was a 2.5 hour long “Fall Drama Special” about a guy who makes Ramen. That’s right, ramen. But not the instant just-add-hot-water kind of ramen, the actual restaurant ramen that I love here in Japan.

In summary, it was a horribly cheezy drama in the way that only Japanese TV can do it. Notable celebrity appearances were by the K1 guy (big bald guy with a mustache, don’t remember his name) and the Chairman from Iron Chef. Both played ramen shop owners. There was also a guy who I think is a comedian, but he was dressed like Solid Snake and gave weird kanji phrases to “describe the taste of” the ramen.

Weird Japanese TV…