I only spent a week in Japan, but it felt like years.

( Memories of a week of summer in JapanCollapse )

It's funny, thinking back to how it all links up. If I never got into Arashi, I wouldn't have gotten into translation. If I didn't get into translation, I would never have thought of working in Japan. If I didn't think of working in Japan, I wouldn't have applied for JET. And if I didn't apply for JET, I wouldn't have met so many wonderful people and fallen in love with Kurayoshi City. And if I hadn't fallen in love with kids, with the idea of working with kids, caring for them, and helping them, I would never have applied for counseling and be where I am today.

It all links up and you know what? It all began with Arashi. So thank you, my gay rainbow boyband. I may have opened up spots of my heart for some manly K-pop boys, but you'll always have a special place that will never fade. ♥

As one of my third-year students said to me:

"Just because I'm a third year doesn't mean I'll be gone. I'll always be at the school festival when you come back. You'll see me cooking up a batch of takoyaki in one of the food stands, like always. And like always, I'll cook one just for you."

Arashi, Japan, kids... they say/do the darndest things, but they damn sure do touch your heart.

( Arashi's Waku Waku Gakkou (Exciting School) - 26 June (Sun); 17:00Collapse )

I hope you had fun reading this report! I'm sorry if it's all over the place; my notes were kind of scattered, and so was my brain while I wrote this. *sheepish*

It's 2:40am in the morning but I have to write these down before I forget them in the mor... ning... uh. W-When I wake up.

ANYWAY I went to a cozy little bar with a friend after dinner today, and the barmaster and his two bartenders were absolutely hilarious. The Master on his own was just downright whack. XD Have a compilation of the conversations we had:

( BARMASTER: Also, say you poop, right? Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't say 'poop'. Po-ee-p.Collapse )

Sob golden

Thank you, Hatori-san, for your many years with Zoom-In, for giving me motivation to work every morning, for bringing a smile to my face with your lovely Bird-Watching segments. It's so fitting that your beloved Arashi came to say farewell to you, and even more so that they managed to put in one last dig at you before they left. The last few days dedicated to your farewell, especially the one that looked back on your past Bird-Watching segments, made me laugh and cry at the same time.

朝の顔といえば羽鳥真一さんだと、たくさんの人がそう思っているんじゃないかと思います。

バードさん、今まで本当にありがとうございました。

[A boy, who looks no older than eight, stares at the donation box on the wedding reception counter]

AKI: Hey there. Can I help you?
BOY: Why does this box only say Tohoku? What 'bout the Kanto people?
AKI: I think it's donations for both regions, even though they only wrote Tohoku.
BOY: Really?
AKI: Yeah.
BOY: Mom, mom, there's a donation box for the earthquake!
MOM: What, what?
BOY: Put some money in.
MOM: What for? I already donated to your school's fund-raising compaign!
BOY: So? We should help as much as we can.
MOM: Honey. Mommy has already donated.
BOY:
BOY: [takes out 50 yen coin] I only have this much, but is this okay?
AKI: Of course, every bit counts.
BOY: [drops in the coin, beaming]
AKI: Thank you, sweetie.
BOY: Uh huh.
MOM: [suddenly looking very embarrassed, takes out her wallet]

Considering that 50 yen is probably a large part of his allowance, it was the sweetest gesture I've ever witnessed. I, too, am guilty of donating to several campaigns, and then looking at others and thinking, "I've already made my donation." Even a child knows this better than me.

On that note, i-it's been a while since I've contributed to Arashi fandom and I can't help feeling a little guilty about it, but to spread a little more joy and laughter around: I'd like to translate & screencap the recent Himitsu no Arashi-chan/Arashi no Shiyagare for everyone as soon as I can.

It's not really an offering for the Arashi community's amazing fund-raising campaign - please donate if you can! - as many awesome people/communities have already made their offers, but more of a way to just... share some of the boys' love. As Ninomiya has expressed in Arashi's earthquake message, "The only thing we can do for you now, is to be ourselves."

Because who else can spread joy and laughter like Arashi in their natural state, right? ♥

Japan Red Cross Donation
Might not be new information for most of you, but for those living in Japan who would like to make a quick and direct contribution to our friends in the Tohoku/Kanto regions, you can send your donations by filling in a 振込 (furikomi) sheet at your nearest post office.

口座記号番号 (Account no.): 00140-8-507
口座加入者名 (Account holder): 日本赤十字社　東北関東大震災義援金
取扱期間 (Donation period): 平成23年3月14日～平成23年9月30日

※郵便局窓口での取り扱いの場合、振替手数料は免除されます。 (If you pay at the counter, there will be no handling fee.)
※郵便窓口でお受取りいただきました半券（受領証）は、免税証明としてご利用いただけますので、大切に保管してください。 (Please keep your receipt as it can be used as tax exemption.)
※通信欄にお名前、ご住所、お電話番号を記載してください。 (Please write down your name, address and telephone number in the message section.)

You can also send money via bank transfers or through the convenience store ATMs. Details can be found here.

Aiba fail
On a lighter note, last night's Himitsu no Arashi-chan was a glorious episode of unaired footages, and the one thing I recall best is Sho's story of Aiba's stage fail.

Apparently, it was time for the next number and four of boys were already on stage, standing in a cool pose.

Yes, that's right: four.

Meanwhile, the entire time, the boys hear a panicked voice in their earpiece, shrieking, "WHERE IS IT WHERE IS IT WHERE IS EVERYONE--" and then, "OH THERE IT IS I FOUND IT I FOUND--"

The next second, Aiba appears on stage, slips, and falls.

I haven't laughed so hard in a while. ♥

Thank you very much for the messages. ♥ It's just heartwarming to see how everyone is rallying together for Japan.

Current update: it seems to have calmed down in the Kanto/Tohoku region, but there are over 350 deaths and countless injured. The Chugoku region has only had Tsunami warnings so far.

My prayers are with everyone in the regions that were struck. I hope you're all alright.

Total votes: 185

Disclaimer: The pool of participants are people who visit this blog, so it's safe to assume that the vast majority, if not all, are into J-pop. With that in mind...

( The J-pop vs K-pop poll results as of Oct 24, 2010, w/ commentsCollapse )

Thank you so much for participating, guys! ♥♥♥ I'mma read and reply to comments properly after dinner tonight. This message to you comes from the bottom of my heart:

So I've f-finally noticed that a good number of you have also very sneakily joined the Hallyu wave, and with the endless animosity going on between Omona and Arama, I just got curious:

If you have the time, fill in this quick survey? <3



( J-pop VS K-popCollapse )

Results are closed to the public, and the poll will be up for a week or so.

Also: how is everyone doing? Traveling and studying eats up so much of my time lately that I have tons of catching up to do. m(_ _)m

Back from the trip with lots to talk about, but... exhausted. orz I'm slowly going through the f-list, but there's quite a bit to plough through so:

Lovelies, what have you been up to this past week? ♥

PS: A virtual cookie for you if you can make out the Arashi pairings in the photos.