Nightwish

It's been a long time since I last wrote in this blog. Frankly it feels like it has been a long time since I actually had the time to do anything. I'm not used to prioritizing my hobbies, because I've always had time to give them all the time I wanted. Now that I'm doing my graduation project things are not going like I want to go (talking about the free time, it's a good thing I'm graduating).

Last night I went to Rotterdam to see Nightwish perform. People told me I only write in this blog when I did some concert/festival or nihongo lesson... I know that I do that... Those are the only things worth mentioning in my soooo active life. Ok it's active now though. Getting up everyday at 5:30 and doing the morning papers until 7. Then I have to be at work (graduation project job) at 8 until 4:30. So I'm working more than those guys at the office... I'm actually amazed how my body is adapting to it... Oh, right... Nightwish!

Nightwish had 2 supporting acts: Indica and Pain. I'd never heard of Indica so while I was waiting for the new shipments of tourshirts to arrive, I listened to them. I first thought they were Irish! They really have a really Irish sound I think. It's not too metally, but hey, my metal only period is ancient history as well. So when I got home I downloaded some of it, which is actually in Finnish :P I'm actually listening to their latest album "Valoissa" (2008) at the moment.

I downloaded some Pain albums about a month ago and listened to it a couple of times. It wasn't until last night that I actually noticed how good they were :) So now I finally know why my nee-chan is listening to Pain that much. Nee-chan always had the same kind of musical taste as I had until she until she was listening more to metal while I was listening more to J-Music. Although we're still between very-high and super. I really love Follow me and I'm going in... More downloading Pain when I have time, and actually put them IN my Itunes this time.

Now something about Nightwish. As you might (or might not) know, they have changed their vocalist in 2007. They've made one new album with their new vocalist, Anette and they had 5 or 6 albums with their previous vocalist, Tarja. I've been a nightwish fan ever since their 2nd album and I have actually bought all of their albums up until now. When the band decided to fire Tarja I didn't believe it would have much impact because the remaining band members composed the music and wrote the lyrics.

I guess it's hard to find a vocalist that has the same vocal style as Tarja does, but I don't really mind the sound that Anette has, UNLESS she's inging old (Tarja) songs. Maybe I'm just loyal but I still think Tarja + band = Nightwish. They should've adopted a new name or if they really wanted to keep the name Nightwish, they should've kept off the old songs. There is no way that Anette can sing in the way Tarja does, so please don't rape the old (SACRED) songs that Nightwish made in the past (in this concert: Dead to the World, Romanticide, Nemo, The Siren, etc).

Good thing I had to go home before the end of the show so I didn't hear Sacrament of Wilderness. Please, just play the new music and let's all have good memories about the Tarja-era. Maybe her attitude isn't too good, but she's a good singer. I still like her solo albums a lot.

It seems I was the only one having a problem with that, so I'll just shut up... It was a good show though with a really cool stage and some pyro action. :)

FEVER!

There seems to be a nasty bacteria going around in here. First my parents became ill, now it seems to be my turn... Today I had dizzyness, an aching back and head and a 39degree temperature! It's been years since I last got a fever like this... I'm going to a doctor tomorrow and see what can be done about it. I can't afford to be sick ATM. I need to do some important things!

Lisago

On my nightly search for new music yesterday [yes for some reason browsing the net at 1:30am seems to be fun ;)] I found an artist named Lisago
She's Japanese/Taiwanese and she's been releasing for like 7-8 years now. I listened to it and it wasn't all that bad. It seems she was dumped by a record company 5(!!) times already, but continues to release cd's. I can't stop wondering why a record company would drop someone like her. As I said the music is kinda nice [it's a special kind of singing IMO] so they wouldn't drop her 5 times because of that... Does she have an attitude maybe? Or maybe she's a bit lazy like me and like to sleep :) Anyway now that I have found some of music, I want to collect more! *sigh* my never-ending urge to collect...

ME vs J.L.P.T. - IV test

Yesterday I did a JLPT4 test [2002] at home and I scored 144 out of 188...

Most errors were the reading part. Although I have finished Japanese for Busy People I and have most words from that book into my head, I still think I'm missing quite a few words that you'd have to know for the JLPT4 test.
7時に　いえ　＿＿　出ます。　[not ni but wo should've remembered the -O-utgoing movement, like のる]
友だちと　電話　＿＿　話しました。　[I thought を, like でんわを　する...　seems it was で]
パーティーに　中山さん　＿＿　よびました。　[what the hell is よびました... Seems I did have to learn that verb... Verbs are not my strong point :S ]
9時　＿＿　えいがが　はじまります。 [the movie starts from 9 o'clock?! WTH! I thought it was starts about 9 o'clock but that would be ごろ　not ぐらい　:'( ]

4 errors in 5 questions [the other 10 questions were better 8/10 correct]
I'll spare you the rest of the questions...
Ok, just one more: きのう、テレビ　＿＿　見ませんでした。　[normally I'd think テレビを　見る, but that wasn't among the answers.
へ　に　は　が　hmmm which one... well looking AT a TV would seem logical... Ok...logic failed, it was は, but the can't see [so it can't "didn't see"]]
Overall I think I would've past it, but I can't help feeling a bit slaughtered here...
when Japanese Conversation classes start at the end of the month I'm gonna take this test to Mana-sensei and ask her to explain some things to heal my logic...

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 ;)

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!!

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...