New Skin

I spend the whole Saturday watching online drama and tweaking layouts. And venturing into Hatena. Not something productive physically I tell you, but lazying around do give me some blissful feeling.

I am not sure whether it is the sign of aging or maturity that get me thinking I am getting lazier and lazier, day by day. I used to have habit in diligently drilling into html or xml codes to get what I want for the layout, sadly, I am no more near that feeling. Just upload the downloaded templates from the Internet, add some Blogger gadgets and Twitter/Facebook widgets, gotcha here I am. Simple, I don't even have blogroll now.

I remember I signed up with Blogger service since 2002, and have been blogging ever since although I changed URL few times and lost my early archives. This blog has seen my ups and downs in life. I have been tempted to switch to WordPress and Movable Type, for reason that they have cooler features and designs, but true what people said, first love remains forever. I first fall in love with Blogger and for that reason, I decided to keep blogging in this platform.

Even after I found Hatena and their cool features like Diary(the blog service, with some cute layouts to drool), Fotolife (replacement of Flickr and so on), Haiku (similar like Twitter), Ugomemo(you can create your own drawings and scribbles; normally by Nintendo DS, big thing in Japan) and Bookmark(like you share links on Facebook), I keep with my decision, to stay blogging in English, in Blogger.

As a non-native English speaker, I used to suck in English (in fact I still do), mispronouncing words is my common habit, when I was in elementary school, I cannot understand any English fiction I read and I don't score much in my high school English exam. I started blogging initially just to share my own thought, and like others do, to improve my writing skill in English. Without realizing it, blogging does improve my English skill.

When I come to Japan, one problem that I have to face is the challenge of maintaining the English skill (which already broken prior coming here, unfortunately) and yet at the same time, improve the skill in Japanese. I bet it is common challenge to all foreigners here (who interested to learn Japanese and has not gave up yet, obviously).

So I decided to start blogging in Japanese, for the same initial reason when I start blogging in English. It is the same feeling, embarrassed by limited vocabulary and broken grammar rules, but learning is never an easy process. It's like climbing the mountain, they said, you stopped to take your breath, then continue walk up the path.

My Hatena user ID is groover58. Yoroshiku.

p/s- One of Hatena blogger that I love.

小さな恋のうた/Chiisana Koi no Uta by MONGOL800


作詞:Kiyosaku Uezu
作曲:MONGOL800

広い宇宙の数ある一つ
青い地球の広い世界で
小さな恋の思いは届く
小さな島のあなたのもとへ

あなたと出会い 時は流れる
思いを込めた手紙もふえる
いつしか二人互いに響く
時に激しく 時に切なく

響くは遠く 遥か彼方へ
やさしい歌は世界を変える

ほら あなたにとって大事な人ほど
すぐそばにいるの
ただ あなたにだけ届いて欲しい
響け恋の歌
ほら~ ほら~ ほら~
響け恋の歌

あなたは気づく 二人は歩く
暗い道でも 日々照らす月
握りしめた手 離すことなく
思いは強く 永遠誓う
永遠の淵 きっと僕は言う
思い変わらず同じ言葉を

それでも足りず 涙に変り喜びになり
言葉にできず ただ抱きしめる
ただ抱きしめる

ほら あなたにとって大事な人ほど
すぐそばにいるの
ただ あなたにだけ届いて欲しい
響け恋の歌
ほら~ ほら~ ほら~
響け恋の歌

夢ならば覚めないで 
夢ならば覚めないで
あなたと過ごした時 永遠の星となる

ほら あなたにとって大事な人ほど
すぐそばにいるの
ただ あなたにだけ届いて欲しい
響け恋の歌

ほら あなたにとって大事な人ほど
すぐそばにいるの
ただ あなたにだけ届いて欲しい
響け恋の歌
ほら~ ほら~ ほら~
響け恋の歌

English translation:

In this wide universe, there is
A big world in a blue earth
A small memory of love will reach
You who are living in a small island

Time has passed since I met you
The letter with my piled up feelings increases
Without us realising, it is already echoing between us
Sometimes we’re full of intensity,
sometimes we’re full of sadness

These feelings echoes distantly
This gentle love song will change the world

Look, the person who is important to you
Is right beside you
I just want you to receive
This echoing love song
Listen, listen, listen to this echoing love song

You’ve realized even when we walked
In the dark, the moonlight will shine on us
I won’t let go of you hand
I swear that these strong feelings will last for eternity

In the depths of forever, I’ll definitely say
These same words without any change of feelings
Even if it’s still not enough, it’ll change into tears
And it’ll change into joy that I can’t put into words
I’ll just hold you, I’ll just hold you

Look, the person who is important to you
Is right beside you
I just want you to receive
This echoing love song
Listen, listen, listen to this echoing love song

If it’s a dream don’t wake up, if it’s a dream don’t wake up
The time I’ve spent with you will become an everlasting star

Look, the person who is important to you
Is right beside you
I just want you to receive
This echoing love song

Look, the person who is important to you
Is right beside you
I just want you to receive
This echoing love song
Listen, listen, listen to this echoing love song


Original live version:


Cover by anonymous Youtube user, slower guitar version:


The Sony Walkman Play You CM (this song is a background song, but sing by Aragaki Yui):


I know it's winter and depressing, but enough with melancholic songs for now. Headbanging in winter not feel that bad though.

Resume.

No. It's not suppose to be read as resume as in curriculum vitae, but as resume or continue.

First. It is hard to resist all the laziness feeling during winter since coldness will only help you gain some fat due to excess in sleeping and eating activity (unfortunately the theory does not work for me).

Second. The pilates class in my campus ended yesterday and the next session will only started next spring semester. Since the class basically just cater the needs for general attendees without considering the level of each student, it can be said that it's pretty basic and refreshing. Nonetheless, some of the movement did hurt my abs muscle.

Third. Am also done with JLPT Level 2. Don't wanna talk more about it since I didn't read the question properly (due to my slow kanji reading :p). I'm pretty much sure that I will fail it, but hey yeah, I still believe in lady luck and hope some miracle will still exist next February (when the result is announced).

Fourth. This week I've become a proud owner of Karrimor Flyer 55L backpack.


Now I'm ready to hit the road for backpacking! Backpacking plan so far:

1. Hong Kong stopover for 3 days this coming February! I know it's a bad timing since my travel date will coincide with Chinese New Year celebration, but I hope the festive season would do me some cheer moments (looking forward to the spectacular fireworks and pyrotechnics show). Any supportive advice for Hong Kong would be much appreciated.


2. Istanbul! This city always in my travel list and there is no way I'm gonna skipped Istanbul in my whole lifetime! Hopefully the plan with Dolly next coming Golden Week goes well.


3. Snowboard trip to Nagano. One of my lab friends, Nishiiri hails from Nagano, famous for its mountainous area and ski (Nagano once hosted Winter Olympics) and hope I can go there this coming January!


4. North Japan summer backpack trip. Initial plan is Tokyo-Sendai-Hakodate-Sapporo-Furano-Akita-Tokyo. Options so far is Seishun 18 Kippu or Hokkaido Pass. Really wanna try hitchhiking in Hokkaido (heard it's pretty popular there, but dunno whether I have enough guts to show my thumb and stop the stranger's car for a lift, somehow it feels scary yet exciting)


Anybody here is a member of Hostel International? or Japan Youth Hostel? Wanna apply for their membership card, but dunno how it gonna benefit my trip plan.

Fifth. Drooling over Docomo Smart Series phone. But still wanna keep my Softbank number and iPhone. Geez, temptations people!

Sixth. Going to reactivate Flickr and start using hatena.

Till the next post people.
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