Thoughts... Jellyfish...

Loving Princess Mononoke suite. Joe Hisaishi is the awesome.
Loving Ghibi movies... want all of them! I even liked 'All Our Yesterdays' which was not my generation and not my culture but still I felt like I could understand her. I loved the ending too. I remember trying to make my Japanese flatmate watch. Haha poor lady. Not everyone loves anime. Or manga for that matter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H82QHiUvY5E
Joe Hisaishi. The man.

Meanwhile, I was in Newmarket (an upscale part of my city) and I went into this bookstore run by a lady who I didn't really like but was okay, and it was all about the money and the promotion and the name-dropping and the right type of cover for the book. Suddenly I was like, 'I don't want to read about other people's lives, I want to read about my own...' And I don't know exactly what that means. But I know that I can't read most books because of the writing style. If it tastes wrong or I feel the author is trying too hard to condescend to the reader or push them instead of lead them gently, then I dislike it.
Also, often for me lately, music gets in the way. If the music I'm listening to suddenly becomes annoying noise that blocks what I am feeling or even thinking, then I must turn it off.
In this generation we treat everything carelessly, we feast on it by taking a bite of this or that and spitting it out to try something else, or we gorge ourselves on the amazing things we have so readily available, the things we love.
But these are not the ways to treat music and movies and words... we treat them so carelessly, and we ignore the beauty of them, and of numbers.
Numbers are so beautiful. Most people hate them.
But we don't really treat words with respect either. We don't respect people's views or their hearts, we don't see what they are trying to say because it is too easy to say whatever we want. We don't have to be careful or think.
I want to be able to say what I mean, but I can't most of the time. Except in regret... why is that? Why?
Well that about wraps that up in a gloomy gray blue ribbon! Translucent!
Ok so apparently a jellyfish is a bunch of organisms together, not just a single weird floating fish thing. COOL!
That almost cheers me up.
I like blue gray. Or blue grey. I want to name my next cat 'Grey'. But I come up with cool names for my next cat all the time and then promptly forget them. So never mind!
I can't really have a cat atm. I move around too much.
:)
God Bless

Alice in Wonderland

I like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the sequel: Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.
I like them a lot. I have two versions, one which is both in one volume, a cheap book but nice, with the illustrations by John Tenniel. The other is a single volume of the first book with illustrations by Tove Jansson. I like her work very much and have read many of her books. I have read at least 6 of her books, including one which is more for adults.
I want to collect her stuff one day.
I think I will use her as my inspiration when I got to art school next year.
Anyway, I dislike how people don't read the books and only watch the movies, the older Disney animated one and then the newer Disney/Tim Burton one. People need to read the books! They are delightful! That is all I have to say about that, for now.
:) Have a good day.

Pirates, Vampires and Zombies

This BBC article is disturbing but we can't ignore these things.
How did piracy become strong again? Maybe it always continued but was less known...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11704306

The East African Seafarers Assistance Program:
They help people at sea including helping people who have trouble with pirates.
http://www.ecop.info/english/e-sap-net.htm
I really hate pirates... The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies are amusing and entertaining but subversive. Pirates are not heroes. They are people who hurt others and steal. They may not all be bad people, merely good people who are desperate but that does not mean they are allowed to do what they do. Making others suffer because you are suffering does nothing to help anyone in the end.

Now: The undead.
Vampires are not sexy. They are gross things that drink blood...EWW!! I don't want anyone piercing my skin with their teeth and drinking my blood! I need my blood to stay with me! Vampires and zombies are essentially the same and yet somehow along the line people decided that zombies are ugly and gross and freaky and always look awful or at best comedic but vampires are hot. Nonsense! One eats, the other drinks, aside from that they are the same!
Real vampires are gross too. Deviants who have unhealthy appetites. In the news lately I saw there was a vampire couple who attacked a man recently and drank his blood but he escaped and now they are in jail.
And real zombies would be cannibals, I guess. Cannibalism is not good. If you eat human flesh you can get ill or go mad. It is unnatural, as is vampirism. Not cool!
So Twilight is ridiculous. All vampire stuff is. In short...I hate the actions of the undead or copycats of the undead. Not cool, guys!
Well, now that I have said that, I feel better.
And yeah, I read Twilight. I liked it at first but I realised it was just so pathetic that I didn't read the others. I can't buy into that fantasy. I prefer better fantasies. Sorry. I also read 'Interview with the Vampire' (or is it 'a'?) and 'The Vampire Lestat'. Didn't really buy into those either, even though I will admit I like Lestat's character. As a person he's cool, but the truth is, being a vampire kinda ruined him. He could've ben so much cooler as a mortal. So in the end it only proves that vampirism is BAD, not matter what.
And you know what? The book was better than the movie, every time. They usually are.

Things I did not really know about...

Cute dogs! >_< hehe!

Anyway, things I learnt about today:

Blauk.com - a social microblogging idea for strangers to critique each other rather than like Tumblr and Twitter where it's usually friends and friends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blauk
Check it out. Launched 2010. I think it's very interesting. From India I think.

I don't do any microblogging usually, no Twitter or whatever.
Facebook is hard enough for me, I prefer plain ol' bloggin'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblogging
According to the Wiki explanation, most of us have microblogged at least once.

One other thing: Pirates. I hate them. I also hate vampires, and think that pirates and vampires have been ridiculously misrepresented and romanticised to the extreme lately. They are both disgusting, they feed off of other people's resources whether it be money or blood.


This article makes me very happy: People in China, netizens... (I kind of dislike that word but hey) are striking out against injustice! Read this BBC article. It's very long, but do your best because it is very uplifting.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11576592
There is only one problem.
In history, when there is a new movement against injustice, it starts off well but some use it to abuse others instead of helping. They just don't know when to stop. I am worried that it will go too far (it has already) and people will be harassed and harried to the point of desperation on the internet. But there is not much we can do, we can only wait for those who are smart to put procedures in place to protect others from abuse. And we ourselves must be careful what we do and say on the internet, so that we don't abuse others.
The internet gives an illusion of total freedom of expression but in the end, people can still find you and so you are not free.
As well as this problem, the internet is easy to access for many people and so misinformation can still be a problem. Make sure important information is correct before you use it. Check more than one source.
And please treat others with care, to protect yourself and them.
:)

Foods that help with beauty

This image from icanhascheezburger.com

Red Capsicum
These colourful crunchy creations are found in most fridge salad boxes because they taste great (as far as vegetables go) and they can be added to so many dishes, from spag bol to curry, or just cut up cold with salad.
Like citrus fruit, "red peppers are bursting with vitamin C," says Fiona Hunter, Simple Nutritionist and member of the Simple Advisory Board, "which is essential for the manufacture of collagen. Vitamin C also helps protect the skin from the damaging effects of free radicals and slow the progress of ageing."

Barley Grass
"Barley grass helps to rejuvenate your skin and slow the ageing process due to its abundant minerals, enzymes and vitamins that revitalise the body's cellular structure," says Nutrition & Health Consultant, Julie Hotchkiss, "It also supports natural weight balance by activating the body's natural fat-burning process".
In short, taking barley grass can help you stay young, beautiful and slim. Not only that, but because of the high level of chlorophyll it contains, it's actually a natural body deodorant, so you'll smell nice too! Barley powder can be mixed with water, juice, or yogurt or sprinkled on cereal.
So you could also drink Barley Tea?

Salmon and other oily fish
The omega 3 fats found in the salmon, says skin care guru, Dr Nicholas Perricone, encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds which help to slow and even reverse signs of ageing in the skin. Salmon also helps to increase muscle tone and prevent sagging skin.
While some dermatologists are sceptical about these claims there are plenty of other reasons why it makes good sense to eat oil-rich fish such as salmon regularly, not least because of the weight of evidence that suggests it helps keep our heart and mind healthy.

Brazil nuts
A lot of people avoid eating too many nuts because they're 'fattening' but according to Fiona, Brazil nuts in particular, could do wonders for your skin.
She says, "Brazil nuts are a fantastic source of the mineral selenium (just four Brazil nuts will provide over 100% of the recommended daily amount) which helps protect the skin against sun damage and age spots. In one study people with the lowest intake of selenium were most likely to develop age spots." Much better for you than a chocolate bar at snack time...

Avocado, nuts and seeds
If you're looking for a healthy snack, you could do a lot worse than an avocado pear. Peel it, halve it and fill with cottage cheese, or simply eat it sliced with a squeeze of lemon.
"Avocado pears, nuts and seeds are all rich in vitamin E," says Fiona, "which helps protect against free radical damage and essential fatty acids keep the skin supple."

Beans, pulses and porridge
Carbohydrate has become a buzz word in the world of diets with the introduction of Atkins and similar low-carb diets, but not all carbs are bad.
In his most recent book, 7 secrets to Beauty, Health and Longevity, Dr Perricone suggests if you want great looking skin you need to choose low GI carbs and shun high GI carbs like biscuits and sugary drinks, which result in the over production of insulin which damages collagen and accelerates wrinkling.

Papaya, spinach and kale
It might seem like a random combination, but papaya, spinach and kale all provide a phytochemical called lutein, which according to experts from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Naples helps to boost the skin's antioxidant capacity thereby protecting against damage from free radicals.

Blackcurrants
Researchers at Hirosaki University in Japan have just completed an intensive study which shows that blackcurrants can actually help reduce dark circles under the eyes.
The tests proved that the consumption of blackcurrants improved the blood flow around the optical nerves and drastically reduced the effect of 'sagging eyes'.
The good news is that it's not just fresh blackcurrants that can help, blackcurrants in any form will do the trick - including in jams and pies!

http://health.msn.co.nz/slideshow_ajax.aspx?sectionid=75129§ionname=healthyeating&subsectionid=7776299&subsectionname=foodsthatmakeyoubeautiful_slide

:) Good! Can't wait to eat! Also apples are good for your skin too (my fave is the Pink Lady apple, hence my choice of colour for the word 'apples'). I think I can eat all that stuff except for fish, but I hope to be able to eat fish soon. It's hard to make yourself try to eat things you don't like. I shall persevere!
X3

Yotsubato!

Well I totally read 9 volumes of Yotsubato! this week, which is by the same person who did Azumanga Daioh (Kiyohiko Azuma, possb?) and I must say I like both.
I prefer Azumanga Daioh slightly because I have seen the anime (and own it, yeah!) but Yotsuba is funny too. Oh man I love her dad and his two friends, they are great! Really immature! Fantastic! And no perverts.
I give it a 5 out of 7 ******* because I didn't really get into the feeling of it. Something wasn't quite as good... probably because he didn't draw Yotsuba properly, always making her too semi-deformed. I feel like I never saw her real face. I know it's supposed to be cute but to me it just didn't work.
Faves: Fuuka probably wins, but all of that family are great. 'Asagi was a mistake.' Best line ever, mum!
Guys: I like Jumbo best ('Gaooo!'). But Yotsuba's dad is also cool, and I love how everyone treats Yanda. Yanda himself is actually kinda funny, being more deadpan than everyone else.
At first I hated him and also Miura but they are just not as generally silly as everyone else, they try to be factual or more realistic. They are great for contrast with other characters.
Well, the only failing in this manga is the drawing style chosen for Yotsuba, and a lack of proper plot movement. But since this genre is slice 'o life, which means that not much is supposed to happen, that's probably a moot point.
Yeah, liked it a lot. Want to buy it someday. I get so sick of manga that's all fighting and fan service, although there is a bit of that for this manga. Thankfully, it's way more subtle than usual types.
Hope there's more. Vol 10 not yet out I think... yay!
Btw LOVE Strawberry Marshmallow by Barasui.
These two manga are similar but not the same.
So if you like Yotsubato! (if you don't know it, look it up) then you will probably like Strawberry Marshmallow too.
If you ever wondered why I don't really give a summary or any real character info, it's because they might be classed as spoilers, and I don't want to ruin anything for people who are still reading or want to read.
Gtg bye
Nice day outside, gonna go for a walk.