I’m a WHAT??

Ok, I normally don’t believe in these Cosmopolitan-style tests of personality/philosophy/sleeping habits, but I saw this online, and was way too curious. Seventy-four questions later, it spit THIS out:

Read My Result
Take the Test

That’s a load of crap!! I’m not like that at all…

Now, I remember why I don’t do these stupid tests…

[Ed. This goes way deeper. In my "results", it says to PURSUE: The Stiletto, The Peach, The Nymph
But, in the profiles of each The Stiletto, The Peach, and The Nymph... it says: ALWAYS AVOID: The False Messiah
I feel like I've been ostrocized!]

BumpTop

So, I finally remembered to sign up onto the mailing list for BumpTop.

People, if you haven’t seen this, you should. It presents an entirely new paradigm of desktop design. Plus, it looks uber-cool!

ZS4

Wow.

I think I’ve found a suitable replacement for my Windows laptop use – ZS4.

In case you’re unaware, I basically need to keep a Windows laptop in use for all my video editing; home movies, 3D animation splicing/editing, etc.

I need to try this sucker out, ’cause it touts:

the new incarnation of Zwei-Stein Video Editor, is advanced video editing and compositing software with over 150 built-in video effects.

…and it’ll run on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.  They have quite a few tutorials at www.zs4.net.

Tweeze’s Aphorisms

The following is a list of Tweeze’s aphorisms. These are aphorisms, because they aren’t rules; they are astute observations that seem to be self-evident and require little proof, but should act as guidelines.

In no particular order:

• Live in the moment. That is, don’t live carelessly, but savor each moment as if it is the last moment of its kind — usually, that particular moment will not occur again — so enjoy it to the fullest. (Photography helps in this area, because people are usually candid when they have camera lenses pointed at them.)
• Remember only the good moments; try to forget the bad moments. (Photography helps here too. Just try to remember to toss out the bad photos, and photos of bad memories. They aren’t worth holding onto.)
• Plan only as far into the future as you can remember into the past. If you can’t remember what you had for dinner last night, you shouldn’t be planning weeks or months in advance. If you can’t remember ANYTHING, then you shouldn’t plan anything either — you’ll forget your plans anyway.
• Don’t write anything down. The days of requiring Maxwell Smart’s secret messages to self-destruct in 10 seconds were a nightmare. A huge ridiculous joke. You don’t need to write anything down in order to remember it — you’ll forget where you wrote it down anyway. Commit to memory the things that need to be kept in your brain, and take photos of the rest (see other rules above).
• Respect yourself, but employ a large dose of self-depricating humor. Everybody loves a person that can laugh at himself/herself. Just don’t make it sound like you’re always down on yourself, lest other people (at least the people that get your jokes) will begin to view you in a dark light.
• Learn something every day. It could be a word you’ve never used before, or it could be a lesson in life — like never eating Pop-Rocks while drinking Coke.
• Hold friends in high regard. The trick, here, is first determining who your friends are. You could also like your enemies, I guess… but if you loved everyone, you’d get weird looks and there is probably something seriously wrong with you.
• Avoid making lists. This is a valuable lesson. You’ll always forget to add something to the list, and you’ll later read the list thinking its complete when it really isn’t ’cause you forgot to add something. Ok, maybe that should be don’t read lists, thinking they’re complete all-inclusive lists. Wait… it should be … Don’t make lists unless they’re complete lists, so that when you read it later, you’ll have the complete list to reference. No, hang on. Its…
• Explain things clearly. If this doesn’t happen, you’ll look like a complete idiot, and people will keep their distance. Of course, if you really do explain things badly you’re probably not alone. [Disclaimer: I am a member of the Explaining Things Badly group in Orkut. The description of the group is as follows: In which some of us may talk about explanations in an unhelpful way, that is, trying to explain things, or talking about explaining things, but not doing it well - that is, the explaining - but sometimes doing it well when we're talking about explanations rather than actually explaining, except that even when we're doing it well the aim is to do it badly at a later date, except perhaps outside of this forum, in an advice kind of way. I think. Hang on, I've got it in a book somewhere.]
• Go with the flow. If that doesn’t work out, then make your own flow. Well, don’t make your own flow, but follow the flow that you think is going in the right direction. And, if the flow isn’t going in the right direction then go in the opposite direction until it becomes the right direction… and… then follow that flow.
• Avoid making lists. There will always be something you put on the list more than once, and then you’ll seem redundant. And repititive. And dumb.

Its a good thing these are only guidelines.

Say Yes

Chage & Aska, one of the most wonderfully beautifully singing and lyrical duos in the world, has popped up again on my playlist.
I figured I’d post kana/romaji and English translations here for one of their best and most popular songs: Say Yes.

Download Here: Chage & Aska – Say Yes.mp3

Say Yes – Chage & Aska

余計な物など　無いよね
yokei na mono nado nai yo ne
すべてが君と僕との　愛の構えさ
subete ga kimi to boku to no ai no kamae sa
少しくらいの嘘やワガママも
sukoshi kurai no uso ya wagamama mo
まるで僕 を試すような
maru de boku wo tamesu yoo na
恋人 の フレイズになる
koibito no fureizu ni naru
このままふたりで 夢をそろえて
kono mama futari de yume wo soroete
何げなく暮らさないか
nanigenaku kurasanai ka

愛には愛で感じ合おうよ
ai ni wa ai de kanji aou yo
硝子ケースに並ばないように
garasu ke-su ni narabanai yoo ni
何度も言うよ　残さず言うよ
nando mo iu yo nokosazu iu yo
君があふれてる
kimi ga afureteru

言葉は心を越えない
kotoba wa kokoro wo koenai
とても伝えたがるけど　心に勝てない
totemo tsutaetagaru kedo kokoro ni katenai
君に逢いたくて　逢えなくて　寂しい夜
kimi ni aitakute aenakute samishii yoru
星の屋根に守られて　
hoshi no yane ni mamorarete
恋人の切なさ知った
koibito no setsunasa shitta
このままふたりで　朝を迎えて
kono mama futari de asa wo mukaete
いつまでも暮らさないか
itsumademo kurasanai ka

愛には愛で感じ合おうよ
ai ni wa ai de kanji aou yo
恋の手触り消えないように
koi no tezawari kienai yoo ni
何度も言うよ 君は確かに
nando mo iu yo kimi wa tashika ni
僕を愛してる
boku wo aishiteru

迷わずに SAY YES 迷わずに
mayowazu ni SAY YES mayowazu ni

愛には愛で感じ合おうよ
ai ni wa ai de kanji aou yo
恋の手触り消えないように
koi no tezawari kienai yoo ni
何度も言うよ 君は確かに
nando mo iu yo kimi wa tashika ni
僕を愛してる
boku wo aishiteru

English translation

yokei na mono nado nai yo ne
Ah, subete ga kimi to boku to no ai no kamaesa
There is nothing that is redundant about our love
which is made up of everything and completeness.

sukoshi kurai no, uso ya wagamama mo
maru de boku o tamesu you na
koibito no fureizu ni naru
A little lie or wilfulness,
as if to try me,
are only games played by lovers.

konomama futari de yume wo soroete
nanigenaku kurasanai ka
Shouldn’t the two of us place our dreams side by side,
and without thinking deliberately, live a life together?

ainiwa aide kanji aou yo
garasu keesu ni narabanai you ni
You should use love to feel the presence of love.
Please do not enclose your love inside a glass case.

nando mo yuu yo nokosazu yuu yo
kimi ga afureteru
I will say it no matter how many times. I will say it without reservation.
My heart is filled with you.

kotoba wa kokoro wo koenai
Ah, totemo tsutaetagaru kedo kokoro ni katenai
My words of love just cannot get beyond my heart.
No matter how much I desire to let you know,
my heart cannot get the upper hand.

kimi ni aitakute aenakute samishii yoru
hoshi no yane ni mamorarete
koibito no setsunasa shitta
In this lonely night when I wish so much to see you
and yet cannot see you, watching under the roof of stars,
I understand the sadness and anxiety of a man in love.

konomama futari de asa wo mukaete
itsumademo kurasanai ka
Shouldn’t the two of us wake up to our mornings together,
and until eternity, live a life together?

ainiwa aide kanji aou yo
koi no tezawari kienai you ni
You should use love to feel the presence of love.
Please do not let this feeling of love be lost.

nando mo iu yo kimi wa tashikani
boku wo aishiteru
I will say it no matter how many times.
You are really in love with me.

SAY YES mayowazuni…
Don’t be perplexed any more. Say Yes.
Don’t be perplexed any more.

Yojijukugo (四字熟語)

I think I’ve found a new pasttime… studying Yojijukugo.
No, its not some sort of funky martial art that you do while sitting on a pillow, or trying to stretch your butt cheeks apart…
Yojijukugo is basically a form of Japanese literary art based on four character phrase or idea. That’s more or less the dictionary meaning of 四字熟語, or yojijukugo. Texts will try to have you think of it as a compound phrase of characters to form an idea. I prefer to think of it as a compound idea. Not actually more than one idea, but a merge of ideas to form a completely new concept.

The reason I say this…? Glad you asked.
A particular yojijukugo has caught my attention lately.
風鈴火山

Now, taking these four elegant characters alone don’t really mean anything deep.
風 = fu, kaze = wind.
鈴 = rin = forest.
火 = ka = fire.
山 = zan, yama = mountain.

Perhaps a little background on this, to help better understand.
In 12th to 16th century Japan, the country was in civil unrest. Civil war. Families and clans were fighting for land and power while the ruling class was fighting for security of the country from invaders. There were warriors roaming the countryside (named ronin), and warriors employed by prefectural lords. All of the warriors followed a particular discipline — bushido. The law of the samurai. Europeans had a similar set of rules; chivalry. However, bushido was much more than simple kind acts or gestures. It was a way of life. A way to survive, even. A samurai’s most prized posessions were his sword, and his honor. Remove a samurai’s honor, and he is no longer fit for service by his employer — a discrace, for having broken one of the values of bushido.

“When is he going to get to the point?”, you’re probably wondering… humor me a bit more. It won’t take long.

Now, since a samurai values honor such that he may further fulfill his employer’s wishes, it also means that he values glory. After all, what’s a battle with no glory? So, he must distinguish himself in battle, to gain more glory, to gain more honor…
In battle, a warrior must know when to act aggressively, and when to retreat. When to remain passive, and when to simply observe. The simple ability to know when to do the right thing saves the warrior’s life, gains him points in society, which gains him glory, and also more honor in the eyes of his countrymen. Thus, our four-character idiom, 風鈴火山 (fuurin kazan).

The idea behind furrin kazan is “the key to victory is to judge the situation correctly, and act accordingly”. This same idea (using the same idioms) has evolved into the modern meaning “acting appropriately to the given situation”.

For ancient samurai, fuurin kazan had even more meaning. It literally meant:
“As swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unmovable as the mountain.” Each of the elements to guide a warrior make up the yojijukugo “fuurin kazan”; wind, forest, fire, and mountain.

This, I believe, is a fabulous concept to live by.
When I really think about it, and looking at the characters… it truly is beautiful. Simple in appearance, yet so full of meaning and feeling.

Midsummer Fruit

K, one more then I’m out.
This song has been covered by many artists, but only the original singers do it full justice.
Southern All Stars. My boys!
This one will always be my favorite by them, no matter what else they can come up with (and they have come VERY close!).
Thanks to Meg-chan for the translation.

Southern All Stars – Manatsu no Kajitsu [fileHo!]

Manatsu no Kajitsu / Midsummer Fruit
Southern All Stars

namida ga afureru　kanashii kisetsu wa dareka ni dakareta yume wo miru nakitai kimochi wa kotoba ni dekinai konya mo tsumetai ame ga furu koraekirenakute　tameiki bakari ima mo kono mune ni　natsu wa meguru shirokujichuu mo suki to itte yume no naka e tsurete itte wasurerarenai heart and soul koe ni naranai suna ni kaita namae keshite nami wa doko e kaeru no ka toorisugiyuku love and roll ai wo sono mama ni mainasu hyakudo no taiyou mitai ni karada wo nurasu koi wo shite memai ga shisou na manatsu no kajitsu wa ima demo kokoro ni saite iru tooku hanaretemo　tasogaretoki wa atsui omokage ga mune ni semaru shirokujichuu mo suki to itte yume no naka e tsurete itte wasurerarenai heart and soul yoru ga matenai suna ni kaita namae keshite nami wa doko e kaeru no ka toorisugiyuku love and roll ai wo sono mama ni konna yoru wa namida misezu ni mata aeru to itte hoshii wasurerarenai heart and soul namida no kajitsu yo

Tears overflow in a sad season I dreamed that I held someone The feelings that make me want to cry are the words I can’t say Cold rain is falling tonight, too I can’t take doing nothing but sighing Even now summer is returning to my heart Saying I love you all the time, too Taking you into my dream I won’t be forgotten – heart and soul My voice won’t become the name I wrote in the sand that was erased Where are the waves returning to? They’re just passing through – love and roll Love in that way I’d like to turn down the sun to -100 degrees My body’s getting damp from making love Dizziness is the ideal summer fruit even now blooming in my heart Even from far away, at dusk, remnants of heat are drawing near to my heart Saying I love you all the time, too Taking you into my dream I won’t be forgotten – heart and soul Night won’t wait for the name I wrote in the sand that was erased Where are the waves returning to? They’re just passing through – love and roll Love in that way I can’t show my tears on a night such as this I want to say I’ll see you again I won’t be forgotten – heart and soul Oh fruit of my tears

Romanization credit: Meg-chan

Tweezipateration in Action

So, what’s the deal?
Well… its… complicated. It always is, it seems. Nothing is ever easy or at least easy to cope with.
Go figure.
You find someone, you have fun and cherish it, and it gets … complicated. Frustrating. Maybe even ugly, but you do your best to avoid that.

So, what’s the deal with women?
Easy. They don’t really know what they want. And, if you’re lucky enough to find a woman that does know what she wants… she loses all focus of everything else until she gets what she wants. Then what? What do you do if you have your dream? Ya come up with another far-fetched dream, that’s what..
I guess its human nature to want things we don’t have. Its really beginning to appear to me that the more things prevent you from having something/someone, the more you want it/them.
If there really is an omnipotent being running the show, He/She has a twisted sense of humor, and I ain’t likin it. Not one bit. I mean… what, we’re all here for some supreme being’s amusement? ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

So, what, you gonna just give up?
No. Well… maybe for a little while. Oh, eventually, I’ll come around and give it another shot. But, that won’t be until I can gather up enough courage to deal with the subsquent stuff that comes afterward.
*sighs* We’ll see. I’m not one to just give up. But I have been known to take breaks. Alot.
Just takin it day by day… tomorrow is a different one, and you can only really focus on one day at once. We’ll see.

And now… a moment of zen… B’z – Gekkou [fileHo!]

GEKKOU
Moonlight

All Words by Koshi Inaba | All Songs by Tak Matsumoto
Album: RUN (1992)

Nemuri ni ochiteyuku sono yokogao
Musaboru youni mitsume
Mune no hibiki saterarenu youni
Aoku somaru heya wo nukedashita

Subete wo nusu mitai kasuka ni moreru iki made
Nano ni itsuka wa hanarete yuku to otoko wa sasayaiteru

Nani ka wo kitai suru koto de toki ni surechigau keredo
Mushin ni atae ai tsuzukeru koto wa
Yume no michibata ni saku hana no you da
Dare ni dekiru koto nano darou

Hitotsu no omoi dake wo tsuramekou to sureba suru hodo
Ai to wa hodo tooi chikara ni hageshiku yusaburareru

Nami no uneri no youna shoujiki na wagamama wo
Motto butsuketekure gomakashi wa shinai
Anata wo dakishime you

Togireta usui kumo ga me no mae wo mata yokogireba
Hisoka ni mo ooki na kesshin ga konya mo boyakete yuku

Yami no naka kara yawaraka ni tsuki wa terashi tsuzukeru
Sukoshi zutsu zure nagara mo tesaguri de yorisoi aruku kokoro wo

TRANSLATION

Your side profile while falling asleep
I’m watching with burning desire
The beating of the heart that seems to not understand
Coming out of the room dyed in blue light

I want to steal everything, right to the faint breathing that escape from you
Because someday we shall be parted, the man murmuring

While expecting something, we have passed by the time
But continuing to have this godsend innocent love
Is like a blooming flower on the sideway of a dream
It’s not something that just anyone can do, right

Only one thought seems to be getting through
Love is the distant strength that is strongly swinging along

Just like the heaving motion of the waves, this selfish honesty
Please hit me more, there is no deception
I’m embracing you tightly

When fading broken clouds once again pass by my eyes
Tonight this secretive big decision has also become blurred

From the centre of darkness, the gentle moon keeps shining down
As there’s a small gap, this fumbling heart is inching to lean closer

Interuendos

Internet + Sexual Innuendos = Interuendos.
So I’ve got a gutterbrain. Big deal. Shyuddup.

Things I’ve seen on the Internet that could be read as having a sexual reference, but was probably meant as innocent and harmless, in no particular order:

• “Download this”.
• “I’m going to Google myself”.
• “I want to hug my Yahoo”.
• “Microsoft”.
• “Flickr”.

This is by no means a complete list, but I’ve only started keeping track and no others come to mind.

Strong Bad!!

Strong Bad!!
God, I love this guy. In case you don’t know, Strong Bad is a member of the Homestarrunner group. He’s a short-ish, masked luchidor-ish funny-as-hell kinda guy… with boxing gloves.
His fanbase is large. His ambition is larger. His head is the largest. Literally!
Its been F-O-R-E-V-E-R since I watched any of his work, but… I’m BACK, BABY!!
Catch Strong Bad every Monday or so, to see him answer his viewer e-mail.

Oh, and ladies… in case you didn’t know, Strong Bad is quite the ladies’ man!
Catch his romantic advice here.

TROGDOR!! TROGDOR!!! Trogdor the Burninator….

By FAR my mostest and bestest favoritest episode?
The one with Ali. And Ali’s sister.

You should see the link in the margin on the left, but in case you don’t… here it is.