Update about the whole internet situation. I ended up coming home this weekend since I needed to find my start-up disc (which I did, to my immense relief) and then back up all of my stuff with the help of evildrew's external hard drive. (Thanks again for that, Andrew!)

So tonight I'll go back on the train and then I'll take my computer in tomorrow and it'll hopefully be all reformatted by Tuesday. Then I should be around a lot more. I'm glad this seems to be working out, since I was beyond frustrated about it for a while.

Anyway, here's a meme that I was tagged for by lady_angelina:

FIRST: If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new, original question.
SECOND: Tag eight sexy people. Don't refuse to do that like a pansy.

( snip snip. )

I apologize if I tag someone who's already been tagged: bondofflame, continuum, endless_abyss, evildrew, famira, nest, otakara, and wyna_hiros, you're up!

AHHHHHHHHH saying goodbye is hard. :( Especially when people start crying and then I don't know what to dooooo except hug them and say nakanai de!! I don't cry easily, so I feel bad -- but just because I'm not crying doesn't mean I'm not sad.

Being back in America is going to be weird, but I'm excited to see everyone and to give them the souvenirs I got them and all that. It's just... I don't know, that sense that a chapter of my life is ending and things will never quite be like this again. I guess it was the same with high school, but this is somehow different.

BUT WOW, I just make myself sadder if I put it into words like that.

I'll see a lot of the friends who I made here back in California, so it's okay, but... gaaah.

Anyway, yeah, going on a jetplane tomorrow. It sucks, though, since we have to be out of the apartments by 11, but my flight doesn't leave until 5:30PM, meaning I'll be stuck at the airport for a while before I even get off the ground. I'll have one friend with me (we happen to be on the same flight), but he was totally despondent tonight so I don't know what that'll be like. D:

But I'll post again when I'm on the other side of the Pacific! ♥

VICTORY!!!

Yes, that is me and my friends at the top of Mt. Fuji. \o/ I am the one in the red sweater, in case you didn't know. Pardon me looking like crap -- I had just climbed a mountain, after all. Overall, it was very difficult and painful, but I'm glad that I did it! I mean, I just gained like... a bazillion badass points, right? And that's probably one of the crazier things I've ever done. It was quite the experience, so I'll give a recap (with a few more pictures) under the cut.

( Mt. Fuji Adventure )

Tomorrow will be spent packing, maybe souvenir shopping, and then going to my class party.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I successfully obtained a PSP! It is red and amazing and I can't want to get games for it.

Speaking of which, I played a ton of Pokemon on the trains during the trip. Finally got back to my Pearl game, and it was a lot of fun. The sad thing is that I spent all that time leveling up. I finally decided that I want one Pokemon of each element/type to be up to level, although some Pokemon cover two categories (my Monferno is Fighting and Fire time, for instance). Anyway, going to be playing the shit out of that on the flight home.

Two days down, three to go. Today I have to study even more material, augh augh augh.

Still, the time I'm not spending studying is spent with apps, zombies, and Star Trek, so it's not all bad. THAT BEING SAID:



Had to share this. This is going to be what's running through my head as I attempt to climb Fuji.

I really need to switch some of my icons around when I have the time to.

Anyway! One day of finals down, four to go. This week kind of sucks, but I guess I'm just sort of in the study mindset at this point, so whatever. I just want to get through it and be done already.

After finals I only have nine more days in Japan. Saturday will be spent with murasaki_kaze in Osaka, buying a PSP (AWWWW YEAH) and seeing fireworks. Sunday will be spent getting up to Mt. Fuji area, which I will climb Sunday night, getting to the top by Monday morning if all goes well. Monday will be spent dying after the climb and resting in a hotel, and then Tuesday I'll come back to Kyoto area. Wednesday is my class party, and I'm hoping to go to the Osaka aquarium on Thursday if I can find someone to come with and if I'm not too busy packing. Friday is my friend's birthday party, Saturday will be spent finishing up packing and seeing whoever I need to see for the last time, and then Sunday I head to the airport.

Yeah, it's weird to have the end in sight like that. Part of me is excited to be going home, but at the same time I'm going to miss this place. I guess that's always how it feels, though. I do look forward to resting up, though. The plan is to watch a ton of shows and play a lot of video games before I start up at UCSB again.

That being said... I have a question for you, flist! I wanted to buy a few volumes of manga in Japanese to try and read when I go home so I can keep practicing. Does anyone have recommendations? I want it to be something I haven't read before, but it also has to be something that probably wouldn't be too impossible to read. I was thinking about Pandora Hearts because it looks interesting, but I'm open to suggestions. Please rec me!

One of my friends who is on the same program as me here in Japan is obsessed with Harry Potter, and so we ended up seeing the movie today. We even put on tattoos beforehand like lametards. I ended up with the Slytherin snake on the back of my left hand.

Anyway, I thought the movie was really damn entertaining. My memory of the book isn't that great, though, and so I was able to enjoy it without nitpicking too much, although some things still stood out to me. Still, I know that it would be impossible to include everything in a movie, and overall it seemed like a good adaptation.

( Further thoughts. )

P.S. I want a Harry Potter scarf. And I really want to reread the book now. TOO BAD IT'S IN AMERICA. :(

Okay, I have to share this because it is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen, no joke. You don't really need any prior knowledge whatsoever other than the fact that Kirk and Spock had been separated for a while before this.



THEY ARE SO AMAZING, THESE TWO. I am a convert, I think.

Additionally, this here picture makes my life. I'd like to just go ahead and admit right now that I find forty-odd-years-ago Shatner hot. KIND OF ASHAMED, but it can't be helped. It, uhh, doesn't help that pinstrip suits are kind of a kink of mine.

As should be obvious at this point, I am getting dragged into the land of Star Trek: The Original Series. THIS IS ALL nest's FAULT. I have seen three full episodes (with plans to see all of it eventually), watched way too many clips on YouTube, and scoured devart for both TOS and 09 fanart. How did my life end up like this.

In other news, I bought this month's ガンガン (the monthly publication that Fullmetal Alchemist chapters come out in) because the free item that came with it was a Fullmetal Alchemist pencil case. AWWWW YEAH. It is red and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had Ling on it. No Hughes, Kimbley, Greed, or Havoc, though. But man, I am way too excited for something like this. Honestly, this stuff is made for Japanese middle school boys to buy and then show off to all their friends so that they all go buy it too -- and here I am, a 20-year-old college student getting all psyched about a pencil case.

Life is strange.

Lastly, BRB GOING TO TOKYO. The whole gang (aka evildrew, endless_abyss, lacidiana, and pandaheero) is coming to visit me and to sightsee, so I'm going with nest to meet up with them there. VERY MUCH EXCITED FOR THIS, it has been too long without my nakama. :(

All right! So I went ahead and got a dreamwidth account (thanks to the lovely mirror) since it seemed neat that you could crosspost and I was curious. Uhh, it also had a lot to do with the fact that court wasn't taken, and I've always wanted a simple name like that. I guess I could have gotten something that sounded cool, but... I wanted my name. Or the shortened version, at least. SO YES, please go ahead and add me and I'll try not to fail at figuring out how this site works. I'm testing the crossposting right now.

Also, I know I have a ton of memes that I need to fill out, and I'll try to get to that tomorrow. I'm pretty tired now after chilling with Kaze for the past two days, which was a blast and I bought way too much stuff, but... worth it. Yes. I should really post about it on my Japan journal, mrrr. I also played a little bit of Crisis Core and pawed at Zack and his improved hairdo.

I hope everyone is doing well!

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IS ON MY TV RIGHT NOW

THIS IS AWESOME

So... is it normal for taking either a multivitamin or a calcium pill to cause vomiting? I've been trying to take them while in Japan to make sure I stay healthy and all that. Usually it's been fine, but this morning I ate a banana (since it says you need to take them with food) and then took the pills... and as I was heading out the door for class, I suddenly felt very, very sick. Annnd you know how the story ends.

I'm thinking it's either because I needed to eat more or because I did it in the morning, since I generally don't eat too soon after I wake up.

I felt totally fine afterward, so I'm just kinda confused. Also sadfacing because I haven't thrown up in years and I didn't want to break my streak.

But yeah, if anyone has an explanation for a random onset of nausea from mainly harmless(?) pills, please let me know. 8D;;

As promised:


japanspam!!


Friend at will! It's all open, so if you want updates on what I'm doing in Japan (with pictures), feel free to check it out. I made my first entry, finally, so that's here.

Pokemon is on TV right now, HAHAHA. How is it that it seems like nothing has changed even though it's been on for years now. Meowth is impossible to understand. AWWW PIPLUP SO CUTE.

Second day in Japan was successful!

I need some suggestions for a username idea for the journal where I'm going to talk about of all this Japan stuff. If you have any ideas, please let me know! I love you, flist. ♥ TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT'S UP WITH YOU. I want updates about what people are doing since I haven't had the chance to chat with people online too much yet. Or just comment with random stuff! Spam is tasty.

As promised, here is the announcement that I am in Japan safely and stuff! I'm in a random hotel in Kyoto, and I'll be moved into my apartment by tomorrow night. Some more explanation and pictures should be coming soon (probably going to make a journal dedicated to my trip abroad), once I'm not dead after that flight. I don't even want to think about how long I've been awake and how little sleep I'm running on.

Hope everyone's doing well!