Japanese Karaoke-ドケ！
Posted by terri | Filed under tunes, video
One of my favorite hobbies whenever I can find the time, the money or the companion(s) is Japanese Karaoke. When I lived in Japan, Karaoke was one of the few pieces of entertainment that I thoroughly enjoyed, and it is always a fun challenge trying to read Kanji and Kana off of the screen while singing along. I certainly am not a great singer, but I think I possess a spirit that makes it fun every time — no matter how bad I sound.
This past week I went with 友也 who is the only one I know who enjoys Japanese Karaoke as much as I do (and it doesn’t hurt that he knows the “old school” songs I know.) We set the camera and just let it roll. Instead of taping the usual “Random Karaoke Pick” segments that I normally do, I decided to retry a song that I really effed up on the first time around. “真赤な太陽” (makkana taiyou) by 美空ひばり (Misora Hibari) is probably the only song I can dare to attempt from the famous singer, and it has turned out to be one of my most favorite to sing.
And if you’re wondering how that song is supposed to sound, there are lots of videos on YouTube including this performance by Misora Hibari:
And this one by African American enka singer Jero:
I don’t know how many more songs I can add to my repertoire as I am not exposed to Japanese music much lately, but I think I’ll be singing Japanese Karaoke for many years to come with the few songs I know. I think I’d have no other reason to retain my Japanese reading skills otherwise.
Fangirl Renewed.
Posted by terri | Filed under tomodachi, tunes
I’m pretty stoked to be finally be writing in my blog. At any given time, I can think of about a dozen topics I can cover, but I never get around to making the entry. There’s a bit of added pressure for me to write this entry because of a wonderful deed a good friend did for me.
Over a week ago, I had twittered about making my way to Hakubundo after work so that I could see if they had Ryuichi Kawamura’s newly released single, “ヒロイン” (Heroine). I wasn’t entirely expecting them to have the CD single in stock, but I thought that maybe they could special order it for me and I could just add more points to my membership card with them. Since coming back from Japan in 2000, I had pretty much bought all of my Japanese CDs from them and my purchases accumulated a bit over the years. After so many purchases, you can get a free CD single, and even an album (limited to the stock on hand when you decide to redeem, of course.)
Upon arriving at Hakubundo that day, I was distressed by this sign they had posted:
I could understand that times that are hard, and the nature of their business probably had changed quite a bit since starting that program whenever they did. I should have been surprised that the program lasted as long as it did. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel a bit shafted. I was able to tolerate paying the high prices they charged me when I special ordered items from Japan, because I thought as a loyal customer I would be rewarded with at least the recognition that I had spent so much money there over the years.
And when I realized that they did not have RK’s new single, I walked out and decided that my 8 year old customer relationship with Hakubundo was over.
I did my little whine on Twitter and then on to iChat to the one person who knows my RK fanaticism more than anyone else, my “good friend” whom I refer to as “ii.Tomo.” I expressed my feeling to Tomo that I should just stop with this ファンガール business of needing to get any new CD single or album that RK releases. I’ve known for a long time now that I don’t connect so much with what RK releases now than before when he was full of angst and raw energy. I did feel though that buying RK’s work was my way of connecting with an artist that I greatly and deeply admire. Isn’t that always the case?
A week later, I got a slip of paper in my mailbox telling me that there is an Express Mail package waiting for me at my local post office.
And so, you can see where this is going. My “good friend,” who is currently in Japan for an extended stay bought me RK’s “ヒロイン” single along with LUNA SEA’s “真夏の野外” DVD and their “真冬の野外” DVD. As happy as I am to add more of Ryuichi’s stuff to my collection, I was more stoked that Tomo got the stuff for me just to surprise me and to make me bounce off the walls in glee!
In the package, Tomo wrote a note telling me that I owe him an blog entry to be all ファンガール about Ryuichi and LUNA SEA, but I decided this should be an entry about how I should be all ファンガール about having such a thoughtful buddy.
This has made my day and then some, you will not believe:
Thank you, 友也君.
ファンガール post about RYUICHI/RK in progress…
Working It Out.
Posted by terri | Filed under chub chub, digital life, tunes
It’s been over month since I got my new iPod Nano, and so I guess it’s about time I write about how that’s working out as well as how I have been “working out.” As I mentioned, I got the Nano with the intent of taking it with me when I take a walk around my neighborhood or wherever else my legs take me (while sparing my iPhone.) It has been rather successful as I have been putting some exercise into my day. It was a little scary that a man that got stabbed to death near my house on my walking route, but nonetheless, I’ve been trying to go whenever I have an evening alone. My energy levels have been pretty good lately and I think taking regular walks has mitigated my stress levels a little bit. Unfortunately I just haven’t been entirely motivated to do it everyday, but I guess I can celebrate the baby steps.
And in the spirit of trying to improve my wellness, I recently obtained a Wii Fit. It was actually a gift from a friend who remembers me from a time when I wasn’t so pudgy. I guess you could call it a “Wow, you got fat” gift, which I can definitely appreciate. I think it’s a rather fun motivator for fitness, though it can be useless if you do everything half-assed. I do wish it had better aerobic exercises, but it’s fairly good for the yoga and strength training exercises, not to mention for being a very expensive scale.
The Wii Fit, like with any “fitness program,” helps you set goals. Without much motivation, I really have difficulty achieving goals, but I suppose I should give this one a shot. I think it’s a matter of really taking advantage of the fact that I have a set work schedule, and that I need to stick to a routine. I guess it’s a matter of being motivated and not so easily distracted by the million other things I want to do. (And most of them involve sitting on my ass at the computer.)
Ha, well let’s see how THAT goes.
If anything, I’ve been able to listen to some fun music and some interesting podcasts while taking my Nano out for my walks. I’ve been tweaking with my playlists and I came up with these 10 songs that I think are the best for moving to. (I’m afraid to say that I haven’t used the Genius feature as much as I would have liked.)
- “Just Dance” - Lady GaGa
- “Little of Your Time” - Maroon 5
- “Gotta Get Thru This” - Daniel Bedingfield
- “What You Waiting For” - Gwen Stefani
- “My Sharona” - The Knack
- “Shake It” - Metro Station
- “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” - Daft Punk
- “Technologic” - Daft Punk
- “Step By Step” - New Kids on the Block
- “Fascinated” - Company B
And so the question for you is, do you have a favorite song you like to move to?
A new member of the family.
Posted by terri | Filed under geektech, shiny, tunes
What a pleasant surprise on a day off that I had to spend sick at home:
I got my iPod Nano delivered 3 days earlier than expected!
Feeding the Useless Information Junkie.
Posted by terri | Filed under blogmeta, geektech, tunes
iPhone 2.0 has been so awesome. It’s kind of like being in a relationship that is mostly good, but you wait around hoping that the other would change for the better, and then by surprise, they actually do. I think I’ve fallen in love with the iPhone for real this time instead of just saying, “Oh yeah, I have an iPhone.” Not to say that should provide an insight in my personal life right now… (Life is pretty awesome for me right now, by the way.)
Right now, I have about two full pages of apps and so far only paid for two apps: Scrabble and Bomberman. Scrabble is fun but a major crashbag, and Bomberman is kind of boring. I have to say that the free apps have been what have impressed me the most. It’s all been said and done, so I won’t go over what they do. I guess I can mention some fun facts I learned from having iPhone 2.0.
- Thanks to some random playlist in Pandora, I realized that “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On” by Robert Palmer was actually a cover of an R&B song by Cherrelle in 1984. My only reference of Cherrelle is that duet she did with Pebbles in the early 90s. Interestingly enough, Mariah Carey did a non-imaginative cover of Cherelle’s song for that bombed album/movie Glitter. The song was written by Jam & Lewis, who also produced Cherrelle’s and Mariah’s versions. (And in case you are under 15, everything Jam & Lewis produced in the late 80s and early to mid 90s was GOLD.)
- It’s amazing how addicting something like Loopt can be for many people; and even more so, people are willing to give their bosses access to their most currently available location…heheh, including me…but, but, it’s fun!
- There are lot of two letter words that I had no idea were in existence. Now I can see how one really can be “hardcore” in Scrabble. I prefer the friendly game than the competitive one.
- The very first song on the playlist currently featured in the Apple Store is called “Silver Lining” by Rilo Kiley I am in awe of Shazam for doing what many Google Searches could NOT do. I got to discover the rest of their music on their 2007 album, Under the Blacklight, which is now downloaded to my computer from iTunes.
- You can pick an app out of several only because it has your name in it. I love Twitterrific!
And of course, I’m excited about my newest app, Wordpress! I first had to upgrade my Wordpress before being able to set it up on my iPhone. I guess I’ve been more excited about getting the upgrade out of the way than actually having the app on my phone, but I am hopeful that it will actually allow me to make use of this blog, which is now hitting its 3rd year. Hooray, hooray…
Regurgitate.
Posted by terri | Filed under tunes
Eight years ago, I remember going through the tough time of having my favorite band break up. I kind of felt like a child of divorcing parents (yet again) when LUNA SEA decided to part ways due to creative exhaustion. From the sound of their last album, I could understand why it was time. And though I started out as a fan of Ryuichi Kawamura, the band’s lead singer, I found it sad to hear his solo work come at the expense of the my favorite band. Out of pure fangirl-ism, I had purchased every album Ryuichi Kawamura released following the breakup, but I still missed LUNA SEA.
Aloha!
- Hello from the island of O`ahu in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I am terri, a local girl who looks 13, but is actually going on 30. This blog is about my personal development as I deal with life after college, being single but happily attached, and finding and taking opportunities that come along in life.
- Check out my photo blog at visually.aspiraling.
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