Archive for the ‘General Trends’ Category

As of late, I have been undergoing through thorough training along with the rest of our department regarding the very popular and important concept of environmental sustainability. First module from last week we learned about the world as of today, its conditions, and all the problems that caused all the pollution and the signs that the earth would be dying out of its resources. For next week we’ll be covering industrial ecology and biomimicry.

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• Current Location: Work (Levi Strauss & Co.)
• Currently Eating: Sobe Lifewater Cherimoya (Atis) Punch
• Currently Listening: Pandora Radio Doo-Wop Channel
• Mood: Sleepy

PRECAUTION NOTICE:

If you are sensitive to direct rant blog entries in general, the door leading to the exit is at that red X button at the top right corner or at the browser tab itself. If you are sensitive to a direct rant blog entry that may possibly be directed at you (though all of my rants are always general anyway), you can do the same with that X button. If you are looking for a good laugh, you can proceed to reading this, but I doubt if it would make you laugh.

But if you have an open mind, then please feel free to read. It may somehow be directed at you, maybe not. Either case, keep in mind that I’m not out for blood for this one, but rather, just another person writing her own opinions based on observation. I’m not hating on people, therefore I’d like to hear your opinions too and share your words regarding the subject matter. Good discussions and debates are always welcome, but please do not take this personally.

Lately in the Japanese entertainment industry there have been many foreign talent, or gaijin tarento to some people as of late. I’m not talking about Japan-born and/or U.S. military brats like Crystal Kay or may-j or BENI, but I’m talking about the ones who were born outside Japan that happened to have the opportunity to succeed in the Japanese entertainment industry. It’s only natural for many of us as Hollywood always has a lot of foreign talent making it in the American entertainment industry from year to year, but when it comes to the industry in other countries, most notably Asia (in this case, Japan), it seems that foreign fans (who are NOT from Japan) seem to get negative comments about these gaijin tarento.

So I ask myself, why? In fact, I ask myself more of a so what? rather than why are so many foreign fan(girls) are being haters towards foreign (as in non-Japanese or non-Japan-born) talent? Now, I will have to admit something that’s quite factual that many (and yes, many) fan girls around would want to have their chance to be on the Japanese entertainment spotlight for God knows what reason. Most likely, they want to get close to their favorite idol or something, but if you think about it a bit further, Japan (or just Japanese showbiz in general) have some kind of an invisible charm that ensnares the foreign eyes in to something new, something cool.

That’s just how it is, people. Japan, or rather, the people in the industry, are very predictable when it comes to recruiting foreign talent and make them famous in the industry. Not all minds are the same with each other. It’s like in Hollywood where someone gets “too” popular and the “general public” (mainly girls… again) start to do the hating on that someone simply because that someone is becoming a lot successful in that person’s career. Sure, each person has their own preferences, but now it would be like if one person is hating on that particular personality, then everyone else starts hating too. I mean, really. We may not like what we see, but this is reality. It’s just how things go, sadly.

I mean, really. Why not use whatever time you’ve got to spend actually flailing over something you like instead of leaving hate comments on some community journal on a news article about a particular foreign talent? Apparently the industry has seen something special within these individuals and the haters didn’t.  Seriously if you’re annoyed by seeing all these foreign talents in news articles, seriously, just ignore them. Those who are getting annoyed with all this hating going on would truly appreciate it. Everyone’s different as well as their opinions, but jeez louise, the hating is really unnecessary.

It’s late night here and I’m not thinking straight. Maybe I’ll do a bit of editing with this entry when I get to it. If not, I’ll just move on and leave it as is.

Eh.

• Currently Drinking: AriZona Peach Iced Tea
• Currently Listening: Blame the Other Duck by SNRG
• Currently Reading: Badass by Ben Thompson
• Mood: sleepy

If I ruled the world (wide web), one thing I’d like to do as one of my part-time “eh”’s is creating some guidelines regarding (J-)idol fansites. Why? Because the new/current generation of (male J-)idol fans in general reminds me of how pop music in general became today in comparison to the pop music back in the days.

Right. I don’t need to elaborate. You get what I mean.

If I seriously ruled the world (wide web), I shall enforce a list of guidelines for those budding fan girls with a major interest in building a fan site to their 3F Idol (Forever First Favorite Idol), as well as the group/band in which that particular 3F Idol is a part of. Why? Because for one thing in general, when someone builds a website and published live on the world (wide web), it usually means, this person wants to share to the whole world something they want to share. If that person’s reason to build a website is to show off how elite that person is compared to the rest of the world (wide web), then obviously this person is wasting his/her time, money, and web space altogether. Why bother?

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• Current Location: Home
• Currently Drinking: Iced Mandarin Red Tea (yeah baby~!)
• Currently Eating: Tim's Cascade Style Potato Chips (Sour Cream)
• Currently Listening: It's Raining by The Echoes
• Currently Reading: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Mood: Giddy

For those who know me very well that I am an addict of literary works. That particular statement means reading novels, short stories, story anthologies, blogs, original fiction in progress, and yes, fanfiction. Depending on my mood, my inspiration, and my usual “what the heck” mode, I do end up writing a form of fanfiction. One-shots aren’t really my thing, though I write them occasionally, but what I find most enjoyable in being a fanfiction (or original fiction) writer in an online literary community is that you also get to read work in progress writings from others too.

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• Currently Drinking: Coke Classic
• Currently Reading: The Weblog Handbook by Rebecca Blood
• Mood: Hungry

In one way or the other, each of us will always be a fan of something… or someone. As fans altogether we do what we can to show our love and support for this something (or someone), such as buying the actual products, spreading the word regarding how great this something (or someone) really is, and even attend events that involve that something (or someone). Although this is a good thing for both the consumer and the producer (or presenter), there would always be a time where one or the other is just way too much to handle or to bear. This usually appears in the case of a fan of someone. There should be a limit as to what defines as being too much.

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• Current Location: Home
• Currently Eating: Auntie Nel's Plum Scones
• Currently Drinking: Diet Dr Pepper
• Currently Listening: That's the Way by The Honeycombs
• Currently Reading: No One Cares What You Had for Lunch by Margaret Mason
• Mood: Still in pain but happy
• Quirky Sidenote: My folks across the bridge are here. I can't believe I still couldn't remember how to play Mahjjong...

While writing out my Koizora review and talking to my friend about cellphone novels (keitai shousetsu if you prefer the Japanese), I stumbled upon this particular site that provides cellphone novel writing services for English speakers. I had a slight look-around of this particular site but I still haven’t signed up for an account yet. Nevertheless, the name of the first English-language keitai shousetsu service is TextNovel.

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• Mood: Insomniac