Monday, February 28, 2011

Translation: Galileo Galilei's 僕から君へ

A couple weeks ago I translated this song, pronounced Boku kara Kimi e, from Japanese to English because I loved it so much. I couldn't find another translation anywhere else, so I just did it myself. The song is from Galileo Galilei's new CD, Parade, which was released only a few weeks ago, on February 16th (the single itself was released on New Year's). All the members of Galileo Galilei are really young, about 18 and 19.







 Here is my English translation. It's not perfect but it's the best I could do:
*Note* Since I wrote this blog post, somebody has put subtitles in the music video, and those subtitles are a more accurate translation than mine. I changed the video to the one with subtitles.*

The end of things
Becomes unexpectedly delayed and
So do our beliefs.
They grow, wilt, and end so…

Everyone wants the feeling of walking and to stop turning around.
They are checking what’s piled up.
We can’t become adults.
We can’t give up the train that children rode on.
Well, dreams come and go.

We understand and agree easily and we aren’t able to put that thing into words. Using every trick we begin walking, but the train is the tall sky above me.
Run and go
I wonder where we’ll go…

The untold reason is that we don’t have sturdy boots so we never become used to it. 
Will the theory grow? 
It’s regrettable, and I become barefoot and stand on tiptoes.
They’re stronger than I thought.
With these legs I will try to walk.
In a cloud of dust I found the footprints you left.
From the train car window, the thing we vowed on that day fell.
If that’s the only dream hanging down, we don’t need it.
We are able to stop walking and to stop our excuses.
Walking back to back, the sky above is the same cold...

Continue and go
I can hear the song of our vow.

Fast even faster
My legs move toward the horizon.
You can hear doubt, longing, hope, and complaints that are being sung under the same sky.

As for your far-away back, strongly and largely, it became our belief.
If you turn around you’ll be able to see that you, and I won’t aim for my horizon.

No, we don’t sympathize and agree.
I don’t do what I freely understood.
Somewhere, the train whistle sounded and we casually looked up at the future in the sky above.
I can hear the song of our vow.


Japanese Dramas List

So it's past midnight and I should be sleeping because I'm exhausted...but who needs beauty rest when there's concealer, right? Anyway, this is a list of the Japanese dramas and movies that I've seen so far and what I thought of them:

Dramas
  • Hana Yori Dango (花より男子/ Boys Over Flowers)
           This was the first drama I ever watched, so I'll probably always really love it. The story is basically about a poor girl who goes to a school full of rich kids that's ruled by this group of four guys. The group calls themselves Flower 4 (F4) and if they don't like you you're pretty much screwed and everyone bullies you. So the main girl is having a difficult time and going up against the whole school - and then it becomes even more complicated when a few members of F4 start falling in love with her. Hana Yori Dango is based on a manga and its one of the most popular dramas out there. I liked that it was both funny, dark, and had a really cute love story.

  • Hana Yori Dango 2
          Japanese dramas very rarely have second seasons, so the fact that this does really speaks to how popular it was. I was honestly kind of pissed when I started watching it and it took place a year later (opening in NY) and the main characters weren't together anymore, but it turned out well in the end. Also, I really liked the opening songs for both Hana Yori Dango 1 and 2 (they're both by Arashi, the band that Matsumoto Jun, the main guy, is in).

  • Kimi wa Petto (君はペット/ You Are My Pet)
          I watched this drama because MatsuJun was in it and I like him. It's really different from Hana Yori Dango in that it's not a school drama at all. I liked it, but not as much as Hana Yori Dango. Also, the whole idea of the drama is really strange: An icy, standoffish career woman finds this beat up guy in a box outside her house and takes care of him. He becomes enamored with her and wants to stay at her house but she'll only let him if he agrees to take on the role of a dog. So she names him Momo. Obviously, various issues both comical and serious ensue as people obviously aren't dogs. Duh. 

  • Itazura Na Kiss (イタズラなKiss / Teasing Kiss)
          This drama is actually from the late '90s, but I liked it a lot (more than Kimi wa Petto). The plot is basically about a girl who runs into a guy on the first day of highschool and accidentally kisses him. He's in the same grade as her, but a different homeroom, and she has a huge crush on him all throughout highschool but he thinks she is an annoying idiot. He's even more unobtainable because he's the smartest and cutest and all around most coveted boy in the school. The girl finally gets her chance with him when her house burns down and she moves into his house because their parents were friends in highschool.

  • Smile (スマイル / Smile)
          Another drama that I clearly watched for my love of MastsuJun. A half Philipino, half Japanese man has a troubled life because of the social stigma against him; he faces prejudice because he's not fully Japanese. He meets a girl who can't talk because of emotional trauma in her past, but she falls in love with him because of his beautiful smile and his optimistic viewpoint of life. They go through many serious problems before they are able to lead a happy, peaceful life. This ultimately has a happy ending, but there are many ups and downs throughout. It's pretty good.


  • Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (or Hana Kimi) (花ざかりの君たちへ / For You In Full Blossom)
          An absolutely hilarious school drama with a romantic plotline. A girl who had been raised in California (Maki Horikita) disguises herself as a boy and enters an exclusive all boys school in Japan to try to make a talented high jumper (Shun Oguri) who she idolizes, but who quit jumping, take up the sport again. They become roommates and she falls in love with him, which is an issue since she's pretending to be a boy. BUT she doesn't know that he actually knows she's a girl and he secretly falls in love with her as well...kind of confusing to explain. Watch it. 

  • Stand Up!
          This drama is a classic coming-of-age tale with a lot of humor and embarrassing moments that all teens go through. It takes place the summer before 4 friends' senior year of highschool (if I recall correctly), when everyone around them seems to be dating or in a relationship or just having sex. The 4 friends want to get in on the action (pun intended) but their perspective changes over the course of the summer as they reconnect with a childhood friend who comes back to visit. There was a little bit of a love story, but mostly it was just funny and enjoyable to watch. Also has Ninomiya from the band Arashi and the movie Letters from Iwojima. Recommended.


  • Nobuta wo Produce (野ブタをプロデュース / Producing Nobuta)
          I would say that Nobuta wo Produce is definitely one of my favorite dramas; it's up there with Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and Hana Yori Dango. Two school enemies secretly unite to "produce" an unpopular girl and transform her into a popular girl. The unusual circumstances brings together people who wouldn't have been friends otherwise. Themes of friendship and happiness. It's also hilarious and it made me cry. Anyone who hasn't seen this drama is really really missing out. Okay maybe it's my favorite?
Not the official pic for the drama (which is a cartoon of pigs),
but this has Yamashita and Kamenari in it.

  • Proposal Daisakusen (プロポーズ大作戦 / Operation Love)  
          Another drama with Tomohisa. The character he plays has been in love with his childhood friend all of his life but has never been able to confess his true feelings to her. Which sucks, because then she got engaged to another man. At the wedding ceremony, a fairy came up to the guy and started giving him chances to go back in time, fix his mistakes, and hopefully win her over. This was pretty cute, but not the best thing I've ever seen, as the episodes get pretty repetitive in structure and can be frustrating as Tomohisa repeatedly fails to confess his love to his friend. The ending made me happy though. 

  • Kurosagi (クロサギ / The Black Swindler) 
          I wrote an earlier post about this drama because I finished it recently. I liked it because I have a huge celebrity crush on Tomohisa Yamashita (pretty much just like every girl in Japan and tons of Americans too, sigh). I also think that Maki Horikita is such a sweetie...so anyway you can check out my other post for more info.

Movies
  • Densha Otoko (電車男 / Train Man)
         I actually watched this movie about 2 years ago. It's about an awkward, nerdy guy who defends a woman on the train from some creepy man. He, of course, falls in love with her and enlists the help of a few of his nerdy internet friends in order to woo her. The movie has a lot in it about otaku (お宅) culture; an otaku is a type of person who stays in their house all the time and lives on their computer, video games, etc.

  • Ping Pong (ピンポン)
          I watched this movie in school, oddly enough. It was absolutely amazing, and my teacher told me it was very popular in Japan as well. A movie about ping pong that is funny, entertaining, action-packed...also makes you think about friendship, dedication, sacrifice. That's all I'm going to say, but out of these few movies it was definitely the best, by far. 

  • Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru (ただ、君を愛してる / Just Loving You) 
          Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru was recommended to me by a friend. It's cute but has a pretty sad ending, which was disappointing at the time. Synopsis: Guy becomes friends with a weirdo girl in college who falls in love with him. She tries to convince him that she just looks childish because she hasn't fully matured yet. There's photography. There are nature scenes.

  • Yuuki (ユウキ)
          Honestly, this movie was a little disappointing. I didn't dislike it, but it just didn't capture my interest the way that some other dramas/movies have. Which sucks, since I love Oguri Shun and Kamenari Kazuya. Based on the true story of a guy with a very very rare disease where the bones surrounding his brain disintegrate. Not a happy ending, but inspiring nonetheless. 

  • Kurosagi (クロサギ / The Black Swindler)
          This movie is just an elaboration of the Kurosagi drama, and kind of answers some questions about Kurosaki's future. As a hopeless romantic, however, the fact that the love story between Kurosaki and Tsurara was barely addressed really annoyed me. So beware if you're looking for some kind of conclusion to the love story.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

Review || Jewelmint

I feel like Jewelmint has been getting a lot of press lately and a couple of Youtubers have talked about it too (namely juicystar07 and allthatglitters21) but for those of you that don't know, jewelmint.com is a new jewelry-of-the-month type jewelry line. It's a collaboration between Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter, so buying jewelry from Jewelmint means that you're are buying something really unique that has been meticulously designed by a celebrity fashionista and her award-winning stylist! So cool!

Kate Bosworth (left) and Cher Coulter (right), the designers
More details can be found on the website, but this is basically how it works:
When you sign up, you take a style quiz, and then Jewelmint takes you to your "Showroom" where there are recommendations for pieces that you might like according to the results of your quiz. All the pieces are $30, and after you start buying jewelry the website starts adapting and getting a better idea of what you like and don't like, which is   awesome in my opinion. If you don't like anything that they recommend, you can click the "Show Me More" button and it will show you a lot of other options that you can add to your Showroom. If, after that, you still don't like anything, you don't have to buy any jewelry that month. The website works on a credit system that charges your credit card after the 5th day of the month, so if you don't want to buy anything you just have to log on and pass for that month and you won't get charged. Also, shipping is free. 

So far, I've purchased 3 things from Jewelmint (one of them I bought like 5 minutes ago, so I don't actually have it, but I really like the other two I have). This is what they look like : 

Krishna Diamond Earrings

Sweetheart Ring

Mystic Fall Earrings

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mother Mother Tour

     One of my favorite bands, Mother Mother, is doing  a tour for the release of their new CD, EUREKA. The band is Canadian so the tour is going to be mostly in Canada, but they are doing a few shows on the east coast of the US. I don't know how to describe them, except...amazing. I've seen them live before, and I am definitely not missing their show in DC this time because they are so good live. I also have a picture with a member of the band, Molly (girl with the blunt bangs), and she was so nice. I went with a group of friends last time they were in the States, but their DC show is at The Red Palace and it's an 18+ show...which made me realize that most of my friends are 17. The concert is on March 6th, so fingers crossed that I find a concert buddy before then or I am totally screwed. I mean, I would probably go anyway...but The Red Palace sounds pretty sketchy and I feel a bit like I would be putting myself at risk of awkward conversations with drunk strangers. It would so be worth it though. Check out Mother Mother at their website: www.mothermothersite.com, or watch this vid of their song, O My Heart.



Stolen Uggs!

Just a quick post: I was at practice today and left my chestnut Uggs in the locker room...they weren't there when I came back after practice. I would never steal something of someone else's and I always just assume that nobody else would steal either. Maybe it's bad that I'm so naive? I really do want to think the best of people though...so the only thing that's holding me over until the first of the month when I can buy a new pair is the thought that maybe the person who stole them was really poor and couldn't afford new shoes and they needed my Uggs to keep their feet from getting frostbite. Even though, let's get real, it's not that cold in Virginia at the end of February.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

First Day of Outdoor and クロサギ

Outdoor track started today, and since I decided to focus on college apps/Japanese/school/having a life instead of doing Indoor track I was considerably out of shape. I mean, I am still considerably out of shape, because you obviously can't get in shape in one day, but you know. Hopefully I will get back to normal quickly because my school's new coaches are really intense. I normally do the mile or the 800 in Outdoor, and this season will definitely have less cross-country-esque distance runs and more speed workouts on the track. Which I hate. But if it works...

Switching gears, I finally finished the Japanese drama クロサギ(Kurosagi) and watched the movie クロサギ today, which was exciting. The story is basically about a guy named 黒崎(Kurosaki) whose dad was conned when Kurosaki was 15. His dad then proceeded to kill Kurosaki's mother and sister, and then committed suicide. In order to exact his revenge, Kurosaki becomes a swindler named Kurosagi who is a "swindler of swindlers", vowing not to stop until he has conned all of the swindlers in the world. It sounds really dramatic, but there are a lot of funny parts and a bit of romance provided by the beautiful 堀北真希 (Horikita Maki), who plays 吉川氷柱 (Yoshikawa Tsurara). I was very unsatisfied with the ending from a romantic perspective, though. Which is generally my main perspective, admittedly. I think the title is really clever because くろ(kuro) means black and さぎ (sagi) is a heron, like the bird, but it also means a con artist (or a swindler, as the people who did the English subs translated it). So Kurosaki is the Black Swindler, and there is a lot of bird imagery and such in the drama. 
Horikita Maki, who plays Yoshikawa Tsurara.
She also appeared with Yamashita in Nobuta wo Produce.

Yamashita Tomohisa, who plays Kurosagi.
I got this pic from a Japanese magazine, AnAn.



1st Post!

I'm not in the mood to start my homework yet, so I decided to start this blog instead! I've wanted to start a youtube channel for a really long time (to do makeup/hair tutorials and such) but I'm too lazy and just never got around to it, so I decided to try blogging instead. Literally, I decided like 5 minutes ago after looking at Blair Fowler's blog (juicystar07 on youtube). Also, I think another benefit of having a blog is that I can have more variety in my posts; they don't have to be just about makeup or any one thing, and I can include my other interests (homework is clearly not one though...).

Anyway, if I end up continuing this blog, the posts will most likely be about makeup, fashion, Japan and Japanese dramas/music, my school life, running, and maybe other things. We'll see.