Kuruma

It's been 7 years since I got my drivers license but from august 2006 till august 2007 was actually the first year that I've really driven a lot. When I bought my car last year it had 12.500KM on the counter and when I was driving to my Japanese course in Utrecht it passed the 20.000 KM so I guess I've done my part in polluting the enviroment ;)
The years before I think I might have driven a car 4 or 5 times [under supervision though] so this year was really a boost for my confidence as a driver :D

Nowadays I'm in a traffic jam about twice a week [to Utrecht and to Rotterdam] and the most annoying thing I've come across are those Audi, Beamer and Merc drivers. If they're they are that rude at home as they are on the road, I feel sorry for their wives [yes, 95% of those pigs are male]

Driving on the freeway is not difficult at all.I kinda like the speed [120KM/H is still max], but some people just have to pass me with 150KM/H... May they all crash against a tree... Saves the world a lot of trouble and makes the traffic jams decrease, ne?
So freeways are ok, but in the city can be a disaster... pedestrians and bicycles coming from every direction and then there are annoying traffic-lights :S
But as you can see, I still live and so does my little blue car [I won't mention the "Iron Maiden" accident, because none of the people that were there are reading this anyway :D]

I finished playing Resident Evil after one day or so and now I'm trying to get an S-Score on every level while waiting for my WII-Zapper [release december 7th] That scorpion [lobsters look different, you know :P ] will be the least of your worries. Just wait until you get in Part 3 [that is the Resident Evil 3 part]... Ok... Time to be quiet or I'll spoil the game ;)

Mata ne :D

Naraka 19

I just finished watching a movie called Naraka 19 [dei yuk dai sup gau tsang]
and although I usually watch either Japanese movies or some Korean ones, this one was Chinese. Oh well, subtitles work miracles. Chinese is still a weird sounding language and Japanese has a much better sound anyway :D

The movie was about the 18 gates of hell. It's supposed to be in the Chinese culture and they have a gate for every sin. I really thought there were just seven sins [gluttony, greed, lust, wrath, envy, sloth, pride]
Anyway it was a nice movie, nothing special but entertaining enough to watch.

I also got a package today. It contained Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles for my Wii [which is to be released on November 30th]. I'm not complaining, but as usual I couldn't help myself so I played it for hours and hours and hours. I kinda had something else to do, but I'll fix that tomorrow [hopefully]

As for my comment on last post's comment [sounds weird]: I know there are several places here in Holland to study Japanese. I do mine in Utrecht which is like an hour by car, but I think there were also courses in Den Haag. I just chose Utrecht because I heard some positive reactions and I like Utrecht better than Den Haag anyway... If you don't have the time [or just want to do it on your own pace] try self-study. I did that about 1 year ago and I'm amazed the words that come popping back up now that I'm learning Japanese again. Somewhere in my mind I guess some of them were still there...

Some things

Today we met our new teacher for Japanese 2. He will be taking over because Kibuchi-san would have had 4 classes next term and that was a bit too much for her I guess. [so WE were sacrificed :O ]
Anyway, Japanese is going fine at the moment [good thing that SOME things ARE going fine, ne]

I seem to have [at least] one curious reader [!] and I just wanted to say that I have no problem explaining my story, but it would be a bit much to put it on here. I also said that the hobbies post was the last one for a while [until I have more stuff to write about that]. And yes I DO have a car [kuruma ga motte imasu! -> sorry just came back from Japanese course]. It's a blue Suzuki Swift with a cute Naruto doll inside :P

Something else I want to mention is a movie called Suicide Circle. I recently gave that movie to a friend of mine and he found it disgusting. Sure it is a bit gory, but I remember I was in a half-shock-state all morning [gory movies first thing in the morning is a no-go] and really made me think... Unfortunately I can't say anything about it, cause that would spoil the movie. If somebody decides to watch it, I wanna have a chat with them [and if they can't find the movie I'll share mine]

That is all... おやすみ　なさい　[oyasumi nasai -> good night]

Hobbies vs Passions vs Addictions (3)

Ok... this will be the last post with this subject for a while because I don't know what to write about it anymore...

Putting all this time in my addictions is the only way ATM for me to feel happy I guess. Maybe not happy, but content. I think I made a wrong decision somewhere along the way to end up here and I can't seem to get out of it [or I don't see a need to it, because I'm doing all those things to get my mind off it]
It's not that doing all these things is hurting my social life, cause it's more like filling up a space where there could be a social life [or used to be like 5 years ago]

It's not like I live completely isolated [although I do think I could live as a hermit as long as I have an active internet connection :O ]
I sometimes miss the days where I would do stuff in the weekends and just have fun with others, but there's so much I wanna see now, that it doesn't really bother me.
Enough pessimistic thoughts already... Next subject!

About that anime marathon. I have been wanting to have an anime marathon with someone but she lives near Groningen nowadays and that's a looooooong drive :S

So if anybody else wants to volunteer just comment with a place and an anime :P

Sonata Arctica

Finally a concert in Tilburg again :P
013 is actually next to a big parking space and although I was there 30 minutes before it began, the L shirts were already SOLD OUT!
Not that it's a big problem, cause I've worn XL shirts for a long time so I'm used to swim in my shirts a little bit [maybe I just need to work out more]

Anyway the bands that were playing were Ride the Sky, Epica and Sonata Arctica
I don't think it was sold out, but there were a lot of people [in groups of 2+ and me being alone as usual]

Ride the Sky made me think of the band Jorn, although Jorn sounds better. They didn't really get the crowd going, so Sonata walked across the stage a couple of times. I never saw something like that before, but it was nice :D

Epica was up next and I love Epica :D They always have really heavy listening songs and deep lyrics compared to the new After Forever [Epica was a band formed by the lead guitarist from After Forever, if you didn't know] I've seen them several times now and every show I've seen is great!

Finally I could see Sonata playing! I've bought the first album back in 1999 and this was actually the first time I've seen them live. They played about 3 or 4 songs from their new album Unia [which is a lot softer than their earlier releases] and fortunately a lot of their old stuff :P
There was a sort of intermission where the singer divided the crowd in 3 groups and assigned a drum component to each. He called it drumming in public and it was really fun to see.

Next concert will be uhm... Nightwish on March 21st 2008, but I also want to go to Apocolyptica [December 10 2007] and Helloween [January 7 2008] but I'm not sure about going yet [mainly because I have to go by myself again]

Hobbies vs Passions vs Addictions (2)

Since somebody actually read the previous post with this title and wrote a comment with a question in it, I guess I have to answer :D

I searched wiki for a definition of addiction:
"An addiction is a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life."
~wikipedia

So knowing this, are my "addictions" harmfull for my health?
- the things you watch are probably bad for your eyes and music probably bad for my ears [all long term]
Mental state?
- I'd go mad with boredom is the power should be off more than 1 day :O
- Maybe I'd start reading or start zazen [which I have to do for Iaido anyway]...
- OH! Iaido [ -> katana ] practice outside [only in summer though, cause now it's to freaking cold for my shinigami outfit]

Social life?
- You mean I'd actually have one if I'd stop doing all those things?! :O
- Write that one down for my new years wish 2008

I'm gonna write my Sonata Arctica review tomorrow, cause right now the red bull effect is sooo gone...

More tests...

nice... more tests...

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

Extraversion |||||| 30% Stability |||||||||||| 50% Orderliness |||||||||||| 50% Accommodation |||||||||||| 50% Interdependence |||||||||| 36% Intellectual |||||||||||| 43% Mystical |||||||||||| 43% Artistic |||||| 30% Religious |||| 16% Hedonism |||||||||||| 43% Materialism |||||||||| 36% Narcissism |||||| 30% Adventurousness |||||| 30% Work ethic |||||| 23% Self absorbed |||||| 30% Conflict seeking |||||| 23% Need to dominate |||||||||| 36%

Romantic |||||| 30% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 63% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 50% Wealth |||||||||| 36% Dependency |||||||||| 36% Change averse |||||||||||||||| 70% Cautiousness |||||||||||||| 56% Individuality |||||||||||||| 56% Sexuality |||||||||| 36% Peter pan complex |||||||||||||||| 70% Physical security |||||||||||||||| 70% Physical Fitness |||||||||||||| 57% Histrionic |||||| 30% Paranoia |||||||||||| 43% Vanity |||||||||||| 43% Hypersensitivity |||||||||| 36% Indie |||||||||||||| 56%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
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trait snapshot:

does not make friends easily, secretive, introverted, reclusive, observer, dislikes leadership, somewhat socially awkward, does not like to stand out, dislikes large parties, values solitude, solitary, avoidant, ambivalent about fitting in, not dominant, unassertive, suspicious, prudent, unadventurous, worrying, weird, intellectual, frequently second guesses self

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISTP - "Engineer". Values freedom of action and following interests and impulses. Independent, concise in speech, master of tools. 5.4% of total population.

Main type	Variant

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test
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Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||| 43% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||||||||||| 53% Type 3 Image Awareness |||||| 30% Type 4 Sensitivity |||||||||||| 50% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||||||||| 66% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||| 53% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||||||| 40% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||||||| 36% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||||||| 53% Your main type is 5 Your variant is self pres

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seeing all that... what a wonderful life I have...

Her eyes...

It's been a couple of months since I started watching some J-drama and it's been fun so far :D
I watched a drama called "Hana-zakari no Kiimi-tachi e" [which was on TV in Japan from July through September 2007, so fairly new] and the girl playing the lead role [Maki Horikita] did a great job in my opinion. BUT that's not all! Maki has such AMAZING EYES! She can put up a really really really REALLY かわいい [kawaii] face and with those eyes it would be enough to make any healthy male fall to his knees :P

Ok... so I searched for some more acting work done by her and she's done a lot of movies and dramas [for a 19 year-old girl anyway]. I've found 2 more series with her in it [Nobuta wo Produce & Kurosagi] and I've seen Nobuta wo Produce already [NOBUTA POWER CHUUNYUU!!!].

Conclusion: MAKI HORIKITA is とても かわいい [TOTEMO KAWAII] and is probably my favourite J-drama actress forever :P
GO MAKIMAKI!

Hobbies vs Passions vs Addictions

I've been thinking about this for some time now...

Everyone is used filling these things in when you have one [or more] profile pages, but what is the difference between those 3, really?
I guess hobbies are things that you like to do, but can live without if needed.
Passions are things that you are into with all your heart and it would hurt [mentally] you'd have to stop doing those things... And... most addictions [except for drugs etc] are also mentally, aren't they?

When I think about it, I have 4 major addictions/passions at the moment:
1) Music [a life without music would be... quiet and even more boring]
2) Anime [the addiction comes and goes, but has been there for some years now]
3) Gaming [same thing as for anime I guess]
4) Drama [newly found and very VERY addictive indeed]

So... are these things a passion of mine or are they addictions?

To anyone reading this, please comment on this :)

Dir en Grey in Amsterdam

*ANGRY MODE*
Ok... This was the last time I'm going to Amsterdam!
I wanted to go to an Dir en Grey concert in Amsterdam, so I usually would've gone there by car.
The big problem in Amsterdam is where to park your car, without risking a ticket or worse [getting it towed away]
Knowing that, I parked my car in a city near it, so I only had to travel 15 mins by train to get there.
I arrived late because I had to find a spot to park my car in that neighbouring city and I couldn't find any trams going to the place I wanted to go in Amsterdam.
So I walked, and I walked and I walked some more...
End of the story was that I couldn't find the place the concert was at and I am really pissed about that.
I think I passed itm but there weren't any signs...

Mr. Ticketmaker, wouldn't it be a good idea to print the address ON THE FREAKING TICKET NEXT TIME?!

And why did it have to be Amsterdam?!
Normally J-Rock bands perform in Utrecht, which is WAY better!
This was the 2nd chance I had to see them, and I blew it AGAIN!
Damn I hate Amsterdam....
*/ANGRY MODE*