Monday, December 29, 2008

2008(1): Music

I feel that 2008 was a year of musical change for me. My taste in Japanese music has become so big that it has completely taken over my previous main genre [Metal]. Although I still listen to some metal from time to time, I'm not exploring new bands as I was a couple of years ago...
Still this year brought me some good new metal bands:
- Battlelore
- Delain
- My Dying Bride [don't know why I didn't have this in my list already]
- Paramore
- Unsun

I've expanded the metal music I already had, so if a band which I already had music from, made a new album, I probably added it to my collection.
This year's new J-Music list:
abingdon boys school, Aikawa Nanase, Amano Tsukiko, Angelique, Antic Cafe, Aragaki Yui, Attack All Round, Aural Vampire, Ayaka,
BeForU, Brilliant Green (the), C-ute, Chara, Chatmonchy, Deathgaze, Fiction Junction YUUKA, Garnet Crow, Girugamesh, Hirahara Ayaka, Hirano Aya, Hora, Ishikawa Chiaki, Kagrra, Kalafina, Ketchup Mania, Kitade Nana, Kosaka Riyu, Lamentglace, Luna Sea, MEG, Mell, melody, Minimoni, Mizuki Nana, Misono, Morning Musume, Nakagawa Shoko, Nakashima Mika, Onmyouza, Otsuka Ai, Perfume, Rentrer en Soi, Saori@Destiny, Shimamiya Eiko, Shimatani Hitomi, Shizukusa Yumi, Terra, Tommy febuary6, Tommy heavenly6, Ueto Aya, Utada Hikaru, Yousei Teikoku, Zwei

I also adapted Eurobeat in my collection. It's great music while doing card games like Spider Solitaire or racing games [Need for Speed]. I think I acutally got this from an racing anime [Initial D].

some things that are not in this list but should be mentioned:
Hamasaki Ayumi, collected all her albums and remix albums.
I've Sound, collected all the I've Sound albums [I've Girls compilation 1-6, Short Circuit 1+2, I've Mania, Master Groove, dirty gift and mixed up]
and a lot of other collections are up to date as well ;)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

kanji practice

Ok...
I think I can recognize the first 103 Kanji I'll need for the JLPT4 test next year.
Next thing I'm gonna have to do is memorize how to write them and the stroke order [which will be quite difficult because I'm LEFT HANDED]
Then I need to use them in the words I already know.
after that I'm all set :P

Christmas was the same as usual. Just eat things you normally don't eat... I'm soooo gonna have another cup of hot chocolate tomorrow!!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

BIRTHDAY PRESENT!

YEAH!
I finally got my own birthday present by mail today :) [too late because my b-day was last saturday, but better late than never]
A package containing:
Dir en Grey - UROBOROS (ltd.)
High and Mighty Color - BEEEEEEST (ltd.)
Onmyouza - Chimimoryo
Tsuchiya Anna - Nudy Show! (ltd.)
YUI - My Short Stories (ltd.)

As you can see I'm stil a sucker for limited edition cd's :$

Yesterday I had my last lesson for Japanese III and I got my test back [a whooping 96/100!!]
Although the test had some difficult things in it [and things we never got in class], I think I did ok.
Last question was: make a sentence with ほしい です [hoshii desu -> want]
And what do the people of Japanese III always want?? ->  ビール!yes! BEER!
「わたしは ビールが ほしい です。」 is probably the best way to end the test.
Too bad I was with my car so I couldn't have a toast with beer :'(
Hopefully we'll be having some people continue the course...
I'm currently trying to learn some kanji because I want to take the JLPT 4 test in about a year...

My course of alfatraining also ended today and I was actually a bit sad that it was over...
It's good to have some regular events in your week, right?

Oh well, that's about it for now...

Monday, December 1, 2008

RENTRER EN SOI

While on my eternal hunt for more music, I downloaded the new RENTRER EN SOI album [which was actually a 2CD BEST OF] and when I tried to find the japanese titles [because Itunes of course had some random gibberish in it :S ] I saw that they are going to disband!

DAMN!

I wanted to see them live! Well theory I can still fly to Japan for their last concert on december 25, but in reality that's just not gonna happen...
Grrr...
Another band is to be added to the "I wish I could've seen them live" list :(

This is what my nationality chart looks like ATM...
More than 55% Japanese!
Japanization!