Archive for the ‘Scrumptious’ Category
Round like a circle in a spiral
April 28th, 2010
I have always found horror fiction interesting although I prefer psychological horror over the visceral variety (gore and violence). While the splatter genre of horror presents the frailties of the human body, psychological horror, on the other hand, plays upon the frailties of the human psyche.
I have learned recently of yet another subgenre of horror, Lovecraftian horror, which emphasizes the fear of the unknown (or the unknowable). I was reading about this at Wikipedia when I came across the article for mangaka Junji Ito, whose works are said to have Lovecraftian influences. One of his works intrigued me: a story of a town haunted by a pattern, the spiral. I looked it up and slowly I was drawn into the vortex that is Uzumaki.
In Uzumaki, we follow high school student Kirie Goshima as she witnesses the strange occurrences that befell upon the small town of Kurôzu-cho. First, her boyfriend’s dad develops a morbid fascination towards spirals, to the point of contorting his own body into that shape. Things soon become more and more bizarre: his wife mutilates her own cochlea, people turn into snails, and a typhoon falls in love with the protagonist. It’s as if life’s banality is slowly being stripped away, revealing a reality so sinister it defies all logic.
Uzumaki does not rely on traditional horror elements (demons, monsters, aliens and what-have-you’s) and although there are some body horror, the manga evokes fear through the unknown and the unexpected. After all, who would’ve thought that the simple spiral could bear a curse?
No related posts.
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Because There’s Nothing Wrong With Working [Too] Hard
April 23rd, 2010
Ended up rewatching the last two episodes of Hataraki Man after reading the comments in our recent Anniv post, which brought me back to the time I started out blogging [we started out blogging, fellow chefs and I]. Was it fun? Spending hours writing episodic summaries, rewatching each episode about 3-4 times to catch almost all the details, reading the novel side-by-side the anime and jotting down the discrepancies and what fans are missing out on, or taking up days to come up with thoughts on a particular episode (which, by then, have already spanned a couple of eps due to delay). The struggle was definitely not, but during those times the drive to blog was so strong that I barely noticed it. And seeing at least 1 person appreciate what you wrote (even if you never really expected it), or having been given the otsukare! pat in the back by your co-blogger and/or commenters, is enough to make you feel that it was all worth it.
Did I do it simply to pander, for the hits and comments? What if I really loved what I was doing, I was just too absorbed to realize it then — dwelt too much on what I’ve lost realize that I was doing it out of love after all. 3 years of blogging, half of which was spent on a wandering journey, and perhaps all I really wanted was for someone to tell me…
And that perhaps…
(enclosing the next pic in a spoiler tag, just in case~)
Show ▼
orly now? 
ok, that last pic is a joke And it’s not like I ended up drifting away from blogging because of that. I was just a coward, I guess; tried to find the easy way out of things, the easier way to blogging. When in fact, many times, the thorny path of toil is the more fulfilling one.
I remember back in high school, I spent this one Christmas vacation doing almost nothing except play Thousand Arms and Legend of Mana. Proud as I was that I beat these 2 games in one vacation, the overall feeling I had was that of guilt, shame, and emptiness over not having done anything substantial throughout that 1 month. It happened again in college when I chose the easy path of cowardice on that fateful 3rd trimester of my Frosh year (oh Rat-in-a-Maze I will never forget you); Boy did I regret that. But what’s done is done, no use sulking over the past, have to keep moving forward. Besides, if not for what happened, I wouldn’t have met one of the closest friends I have now 
Then there’s translating, which I’ve turned my back on since I started blogging. I always used blogging as my excuse, my escape. I’m not good at multitasking! I can’t translate well with this level of Nihongo and English!, I told myself. But perhaps I was just trying to run away from the daunting task of translating, a chapter of which can take me hourssss or daysss or even months to finish unless we’re talking about sappy shoujo romance stories. So yeah, I’ve been pretty much a quitter, and when the going gets tough I usually find myself on twitter. And for some people there’s also the Shared Items Society of Google Reader But now I realize that fulfillment lies in working harder, because it’s only then that I become better and stronger. Now until forever. Bow.
But I digress. Just recently I’ve been assigned as the sub-lead/module leader of our team, and while I’m still a little lost–haven’t been much of a leader even in my student days–I figured one of the best ways for me to cope with my lack of confidence is to work harder than anyone else. And I like it that way. When I’m not giving my best effort at work it feels like I’m cheating myself. I want to work hard in my job, in blogging, in translating… I hate quitting, I’M NOT QUITTING.
Blogging and translating are two of my creative outlets, so to speak. So there’s no way I’m giving this up without a fight. I’m still struggling in translating; very much, thank you. But this is something I have to go through if I want to get better. Same with blogging, though my dilemma here is quite different. I get plagued by a lot of post ideas, and even if I want to, there’s no way I can write all of them. Even when I should be sleeping, I end up unable to because I want to finish writing my darn post! Like right now. This is why I kept mentioning balance in the previous post. I want to manage my time well so that I can juggle work, blogging, and translating without burning out. Perhaps I should set some sort of schedule for myself: Spend my MWF free time translating, TTH on blogging/writing down drafts, and sleep no later than 12MN! Keep my notebook like I always do, to write down post ideas and drafts during my commute or anywhere else.
「仕事で失ったものそれを想い泣いた夜でも仕事に救われる朝もあるから」
“There are nights when you cry, dwelling on the sacrifices you make for your job. But… There are mornings, too, when your job is your salvation!” –Hiro Matsukata
;_;
Speaking of Hataraki Man (and omg finally we talk about anime!), some people might probably find the protagonist Hiro’s super workaholic nature to be absurd. As pp says, “No such thing as working that hard for a company you don’t own. No?” And while yes, working until the wee hours of the morning everyday is suicidal, but what can we do, Hiro likes her job so much she’s even willing to sacrifice sleep for it! Who are we to argue? And more importantly, THAT IS NOT THE POINT OF THE SHOW! I’m not sure if pp was really serious when he mentioned that Hataraki Man is full of lies, but I think there’s more to gain by looking beneath those “lies” (unrealistic aspects) and see the truth that lies within. Cheers!
so without further ado, *HATARAKI MODE ON!* *flashes Matsukata’s signature pose*
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State of the Scrumptious: Birth, Death and Rebirth(?)
April 18th, 2010
It’s been a while since there’s been life here in the blog, but fear not, for we have come to rectify that! or so we hope. Springtime has come, now it’s April, a month dear to me and my co-bloggers because it’s the month our blog was [officially] born. The same goes for Totali, Owen, CCY and… oh wow that’s it?! I don’t know any more April blogging celebrants ;_;
Anyways, we figured we owe you guys some explanation for this long absence, especially on this Special Day (I’m pretending that it’s still the 17th). I myself am very curious about the sentiments of my co-bloggers–why they drifted from blogging, why they started out blogging (because they started out this blog, and I was the foreign specie that ruined their habitat), how Scrumptious was born, and ultimately, whether or not they have joined the ranks of people who turned their back 180° from blogging, never to come back. So without further ado, a word from the Scrumptious chefs:
What made you blog?
I love to write and I love anime. Anime blogging is the perfect marriage of these two things, but before I became a blogger, I was a reader. Reading about anime became a daily part of my life and the more I read, the more I convinced myself that, “Hey, I can do this. I have worthwhile things to say and it looks fun.” Thus, I jumped into the world of anime blogging and, consequently, the creation of Scrumptious.
Wanted to have an outlet for my thoughts about anime. Got so much stuff in my head and I just want to share it with people.
I already had a personal (non-anime) blog even before scrumptious and I’ve been running it for around ten years already (though it has moved from one host to another a few times). Blogging, for me, is a way to express my thoughts on different matters.
As for scrumptious, Seleria, who was an officemate of mine, invited me to create an anime blog. I’ve been into anime since high school and I thought it would be interesting. She also introduced me to usagijen, who’s also an officemate of sorts, and thus, there was Scrumptious.
The desire to fangirl and connect with fellow fangirls. Specifically, to fangirl over Kin-iro no Corda. Hence, this, back when it wasn’t merged with Scrumptious. I was so gaga over this otome game way back college, more so when the anime started airing, and I somehow wanted to make the most of that Kin-iro no Corda passion (read: fangirl freak). And make money while we’re at it, so the stuff I’ve been buying on amazon won’t go to waste!
But things changed; what started out to be a not-so-noble inspiration to blog propelled me to heights, introduced me to this Whole New World, reunited me with writing, and got me in touch with my artsy side (however little). Thanks to this I’ve come to like blogging / writing because it allows me to express my innermost thoughts, connect with people, and gain perspective on a lot of things, my life and this hobby.
What made you stop blogging?
After starting Scrumptious, a desire to reach a wider audience started to grow, hence the transfer to animeblogger. From there, my ambitions for the blog only grew bigger and bigger and what started as a hobby slowly turned into an obsession (I tend to do that to other things as well, call it a personality flaw). I fell into the constrictive trap of timely episodic blogging and burned myself out keeping up with airing schedules, raw and translated episode releases, news and updates, and a myriad of things that was not writing. Posting a single entry took me hours to finish because there were so many things to accomplish aside from content. I had to worry about screen captures, formatting, timeliness of my entries, and self-imposed deadlines. Even after posting an entry, I still had to think of how to peddle my posts.
The commercialization of blogging took away the fun of it. Blogging became a chore and nobody likes doing chores.
First, episodic blogging takes up too much time especially with work and life and all that. I still want to write but it’s either I’m too lazy after a full day of work or I just can’t seem to manage my time properly with all the stuff I want to do. Anime is just one of my hobbies, I got LOADS MOARR!
Second, anime for me just went downhill after Code Geass. Since then, I’ve never really gone past 1-3 episodes and most of the newer titles just doesn’t bring any excitement whatsoever anymore. The barrage of harem and explicit fanservice (you know what I’m talking about) animes ain’t helping either.
I don’t see myself drifting away from my personal blogging but scrumptious is a different matter. Before, I never updated myself with the latest anime broadcasts but thanks to scrumptious, I started to follow the shows that come out every season. I tried to do episodic blogging. It was fun at first but it became too tedious. For one, I blog from the subs and sometimes, subs are slow. And when the subs do come out, I have to find the time to watch the episode and blog about it. Most of the time, my to-blog-episode queue would get quite long and I’d only be able to completely blog a series long after it is over. In some cases, I’d have to drop some shows. I am happy, however, for my coverage of Mononoke since the show was mostly ignored by other anime bloggers at the time of its broadcast. I think scrumptious was one of the few anime blogs that provided detailed synopsis and analysis for Mononoke. ^^
When Mouryou no Hako came out, I attempted to blog from the raws but the show proved too difficult for my Nihongo skills. In the end, I stopped blogging about it.
But I guess the biggest reason why I drifted away from anime blogging is that I haven’t been watching much anime lately. Been very busy at work (and that is even an understatement) and even when I do have some free time, my anime resources are limited. Also, the shows I decide to watch aren’t those from the current season. Most of them are old and I thought no one would be interested if I blog about them. Sometimes, I do have some posts in mind but I’d never get the time to write them.
Twitter. NOT Google Reader Shared Items is the more likely culprit because it made me narcissistic. Sometimes I’d find myself checking people’s Shared Items just to see whether someone shared my post. Oh the shame. But no, it’s not you GRSI, it’s me.
Seriously, the [self-inflicted] pressure, the obsession, as the case with Seleria. Obsessed with the hits, popularity (if there was, ever), the attention. Wow I never felt so alive! But you know, as with most problems with insecure people, I got lost, and woke up one day, confused, not knowing why exactly I’m here. And the lack of co-bloggers, the lack of Seleria–my Kamina–simply made it worse. I have been wanting to take a break from all things blogging to search for my voice, but the attachment was too strong, and I ended up stuck in a limbo. Thanks to my recent Japan trip (and my laziness), I was finally able to do that, giving me some time off to really think things through.
A lot of the habits I’ve acquired in the recent years came about because of blogging. They weren’t natural to me before this. Unlike Seleria and absolute0, reading blogs–anime-related or not–was not part of my lifestyle. So is following anime season after season. I kept myself updated with the latest animes, to see if there’s any series that piques my interest, or whether one of the mangas I’ve read or the games I played will get an anime adaptation, but that’s it. I followed manga and otome game releases more than I do anime. But blogging changed that; It shifted the course of my anime/manga/J-related habits, and I ended up too focused on anime & blogging, at the expense of others.
I got into blogging with the wrong mindset, and I got into it prematurely. I say this because I started blogging when I still haven’t found the voice that commands me to write, in the words of Rilke. But when exactly is the right time to blog? Should you get into writing even if you haven’t found your voice? While you’re in search for it? Or after you’ve found it?
This dilemma might seem foreign to other people, in the same way the plight of the insecure lost sheep is foreign to people who have been confident and secure throughout most of their life, or how the struggles of the normal person is foreign to a genius. But each and every people are different. For some people, blogging is a walk in the park, so naturally and smoothly ingrained in their lifestyle that they can just sit and come up with a post without much of a struggle. I envy these people, but just because it’s no walk in the park doesn’t mean we should quit either. Perhaps the reason why other people can write so easily is because they’ve already found their voice, and I’m still struggling. Perhaps struggle is necessary to get better in writing, or that I just need to continue searching for that voice.
In the end, I chose to distance myself from blogging, to see how far I can go without looking back, perhaps? Getting lost on purpose so I can find my way back. My life needs readjustments, more balance, with blogging still in the picture. And in order to do that, I needed to “reset”, to distance myself from the things I used to love, to fall in love with it again–fall in love with anime, with blogging, with the community, with reasons far more lucid, clear, and pure 
and I like how my interests are expanding as of late–getting into musicals, TV series (Big Bang Theory! Glee!), JDramas, and finally, books!–enriching my perspectives in the process
yes, I know, being succinct has never been my forte.
What would make you blog again?
My love for writing still remains and anime is still fun. Sometimes I just feel so compelled to articulate my thoughts and share how a certain show or episode has entertained or moved me, because in the end, isn’t that what anime blogging is? Wanting to share what you find enjoyable, so that others may have the chance of enjoying it as well.
(But as of the moment, she’s lazy and busy with real life, or so she says 
)
“a blog where we are not constrained by time, seasons; where we can write about any anime, manga, jdrama, and movie we want. we don’t even have to be connected to the ’sphere… just, write~” That right there is reason enough for me. I still keep up with the industry, just not the shows itself though. And if shows the likes of kimi kiss, boys be, H&C, code geass and shows similar to cooking master boy and skip-beat’s genre (what do you call that genre anyway?) would turn up then color me interested. hahahah
Well, I am sure lots of cash would be motivation enough for me to blog. Seriously, time and anime resources, I guess. And a fresh perspective too. If I blog again, I want to do something timeless, something that isn’t constrained by the latest shows of the season. I want to do some quiet blogging, one that doesn’t mind if the post gets read or not. Something like Iwa no Hana or Ha Neul Seom.
a change of perspective, definitely. And more confidence! Shoo my inner demons! I don’t want to be constrained by seasons (who wants to be?!), but it’s not something I can just ignore either. In the end, it’s up to me to find a way to balance things out–keeping up with the current season, remembering/discovering love for older series, blogging, translating on the side and reading more books. I have yet to find the blogging/writing style that suits me best, in terms of reflecting my personality and something my limited time can accomodate. Maintaining a certain focus in blogging would help, perhaps. Or I should just discover the ‘best time to blog’, brew post ideas in my mind, until they’re finally ready to hatch (complete with outline, or at least plans on how I want it to flow and end). Most of the time I write my drafts will only bits and pieces of ideas, and that’s probably why it still takes me hoursss to finish the post.
If I’m going to blog again, I want it to be purer and more innocent, not tainted by the “pressure to blog”, or the desire to pander to an audience (there’s nothing wrong with giving readers what they want, but that shouldn’t be the primary reason for blogging). Quiet blogging, as absolute0 says, “one that doesn’t mind if the post gets read or not”. I’d like that. Blog as though I’m talking to a friend, not to seek attention or validation, contented simply with being listened to. If we can sit and talk awhile, then it’s fine too~ *sips a cup of tea with her pinky raised*
I’m leaning towards the blogging style of bateszi-sempai, schneider, Iwa ni Hana, gaguri, ghostlightning, OGT, Martin, ETERNAL, 2DT, and sdshamshel (more like my “[How I] Wish List”) Whether or not I can actually come close to what they do is another story. The aforementioned bloggers seem to have that certain zen and zest balance in the way they consume and produce (blog posts, etc), a stable space with their own pace, with balance and stability that will keep them going strong in this game.
non tl;dr version: I’ll blog once I found my voice, gained the necessarily [rhetoric] skills to express that, and found that right balance. And of course this will only happen after I fall in love with anime (and manga!) and blogging again.
These are questions I’d also like to ask other people who seemed to have drifted away from blogging. Any chance that the “retirement” will turn into retry-ment?
Related posts:
- Dealing with Death
- A Koushien-esque Cross Game Blogging Ambition Once Forgotten
- Beyond the Blogging Crossroad II: The Woman on the Mirror
My Noughties in Anime
January 8th, 2010
I was originally intending to write about my top favorite shows from the passing decade but as I was listing down those that I have seen, I realized that there are still plenty of shows that I haven’t watched completely and there are also some shows that I might like but still haven’t seen. So I have decided to change my decade post’s format.
In case you don’t know, “noughtie” is a term for the 2000s . It is derived from “nought” which is “zero” in some English-speaking countries. With regards to anime, the noughties would be a significant decade for me. At first, the anime I have seen were limited to those shown on TV but during this decade, I have met new friends who helped me in broadening my anime horizons 
. And then usagijen, Seleria and I collaborated to create this blog. Since then, I have attempted to follow every season for shows to watch although lately, my anime watching has significantly slackened and I am still in the midst of catching up. まあいいや. Here goes my lists.
My top favorite shows
I am by no means proclaiming that these series are the best of the decade. Some of them might be on your list, some of them might not. Whatever the case, I definitely enjoyed these:
Natsume Yuujinchou
Natsume Yuujinchou is about a quiet boy from a quiet town. Oddly enough, for a series that deals with youkai, it is heartwarming. And I think Nyanko-sensei is definitely the cutest anime critter of the decade!
Seirei no Moribito
Uehashi Nahoko, being an ethnologist, has excelled in building for us the world in which Seirei no Moribito is set. And Production I.G. takes us to this world by providing stunning visuals. The fluid fight scenes might lead one to believe this is an action series (only to be disappointed later) but Seirei no Moribito is driven by an engrossing plot and interesting characters, all the while immersing us in it’s world’s culture.
Mouryou no Hako
An intricate whodunit set against the backdrop of superstition and religious beliefs. Much of Mouryou no Hako might be dialogue but this provide insights into the mystery, like pieces slowly being added to a puzzle. When all the pieces have been collected and set, the ghastly and mindblowing truth is revealed.
Honey and Clover
Honey and Clover is probably one of the best shows of the decade. It is an emotional ferris wheel ride. We laughed at the comedic moments and we cried along with the characters as they experienced heartaches, from insecurities to unrequited love. A friend once said that Honey and Clover is too heartrending to watch, and yet it is from the bitter that one gains a better appreciation for the sweet.
Mononoke
For an anime, Mononoke is avant-garde. From its art, an extravagant fusion of Japanese folk art and Western art movements such as Symbolism and art nouveau, to its direction, Mononoke pulls unconventional stops to deliver tales of horror, not so much from without, but from within. For me, Mononoke is not only my top favorite anime of the decade but also my top favorite anime of all time.
Other memorable shows
Other shows from the decade that I also like (or find noteworthy) but fell short in some areas.
Gankutsuou
Truth be told, I haven’t read Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo prior to watching Gankutsuou. In fact, it was the anime that led me to read the novel. Gankutsuou’s portrayal of the characters was deeply convincing that while reading the book, I could not help but imagine them as they were portrayed in the anime. Gankutsuou though is not a straightforward adaptation of Dumas’ work. It is set in the future and yet it still looks like the early 19th century (the overall feel is steampunkish). Also, instead of focusing on the Count’s revenge, it deals more on his relationship with Albert de Morcerf. Aesthetics-wise, Gankutsuou is a brilliant eye candy, employing a play of rich textures and patterns.
Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is to hip-hop as Cowboy Bebop is to jazz. Samurai Champloo might be nonsensical at times but there are some emotional moments too. The interaction between the three main characters is amusing and the fight scenes are a creative mix of different fighting styles, even dance!
Mushishi
I think I have never seen any other anime as atmospheric as Mushishi. It follows Ginko as he examines cases of people being afflicted by the strange primordial creatures called mushi. As the series progress, Ginko learns more about the mushi and about human nature as well. Most of the stories are haunting and some are tragic but the series in general evokes a feeling of emptiness. It is from this emptiness that Mushishi draws its beauty.
Red Garden
I think the first few episodes of Red Garden portrayed raw fear and panic quite well. This is largely due to the fact that the voice acting was done before the animation, allowing the actresses to express emotions without restraint. Much of Red Garden’s visuals are anachronistic, combining several elements (such as fashion) from different American eras seamlessly.
xxxHoLic
Anime that deals with Japanese folklore interest me and xxxHoLic is one of them. However, xxxHoLic focuses more on Watanuki, his maturity and destiny. After all, isn’t destiny the theme of most, if not all, of CLAMP’s works? Production values may be average and Watanuki’s antics may be formulaic at times but xxxHoLic provides an engaging blend of comedy, the supernatural and even some drama.
Moyashimon
“Quirky” is the adjective that a lot would use in describing Moyashimon. The concept of a boy having the ability to see microorganisms with the naked eye is an original. The depiction of these microorganisms as kawaii is even more so! Moyashimon is both fun and educational. And I think the opening scenes with the 3D-rendered microbes on live background is a gem.
Shows that I like but have yet to finish
Here are some shows that I found interesting but due to some reasons, I was not able to finish watching them. There are other unfinished shows but unlike the ones here, it would not hurt to drop them.
Casshern Sins
After a long conflict between men and machines, machines have triumphed but it is a deceptive victory as they too suffer from the fallout. Casshern wanders this bleak landscape in search of his identity. Casshern Sins combines old-school anime art with excellent animation. Never mind the abundance of robotic cannon fodder.
Michiko to Hatchin
Props to Manglobe for creating the hypothetical Latin American setting of Michiko to Hatchin. Initially, my complaint was that they should have refrained from using Japanese names (although majority of Asian Latin Americans are Japanese) but oh well, Michiko to Hatchin is an entertaining watch. Get a naive femme-fatale, add an innocent and sulky little girl, shake well and observe!
Shows that I might like but have yet to watch
Just because the decade’s over, it does not mean that I can no longer watch these shows. Call it an epic fail if you like but these are still in my backlog. Looking forward to watching them someday. (I might have forgotten to add some anime to this list though.)
Haibane Renmei
Juuni Kokki
Kino no Tabi -the Beautiful World-
Kemono no Souja Erin
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********
So there goes my noughties in anime. I wonder what anime the new decade will bring. More moe? I hope not. One thing is certain though: a bigger backlog!
Credits to tono, サツキ, マヤタ, 漂泊, 保坂しのぶ, ? and ? for their images.
Related posts:
Thou Shall Not Mess With .htaccess
January 3rd, 2010
Oops I did it again…
(Credits: 器用さは幻想郷でも随一 by 猫車)
If you visited the blog recently, then you would’ve been plagued by 404 errors all over the place. But rest assured, people, the situation is under control. The blog wasn’t hacked (though I thought of the possibility, and panicked a little, until I realized what really caused it) it was just uhh– messed by yours truly. Been working on the new buggy theme for the last couple of days, and thought I’d tweak the .htaccess file to load the post images on my local server– and forgot to bring it back to the way it was.
So yeah, Golden Rule: don’t mess around with your .htaccess file. It might be < 1KB, but it holds the power to mess up your entire blog, sorta.
Oh and Happy New Year everyone!! Though I won’t consider this officially a New Year until I’m done with the theme revamp *shakes fist* Or until after I’ve posted my 2010 resolutions. Better late than never, right?
Ja ne!
Related posts:
Of Love & Food, Honey & Clover: A Teaser
December 25th, 2009
While I’m still not done done with my Honey & Clover rewatch (Gonna ‘restart’ it after I’m done with Midori no Hibi, since that’s the one with a deadline) and also not done deciphering this interview with Umino Chika in Manga Kitchen, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to bear with this little teaser:
usagijen: I just read this “Manga Kitchen” book/mook/whatever
usagijen: which features various manga series wherein “food” is a motif of some sort
usagijen: or that food, in some ways, had a significance in that series
usagijen: thought it’d be soo relevant to scrumptious!
usagijen: and it so happens that H&C is featured in that book, the very first one too.
usagijen: ever wondered why the opening of H&C is the way it is?
Seleria: nope
usagijen: apparently, food was like one of the main motifs in the show. there’s no one episode where you don’t see the characters eating something
usagijen: then in the interview with umino chika, she likened love to food.
Seleria: uhuh
usagijen: you eat it, becomes part of your system… gives off different flavors. can be sweet, bitter, sour, etc
Seleria: if you have too much you’ll get fat?
usagijen: that too
Seleria: and if you don’t, you die?
usagijen: hahahaha
usagijen: but hey that could be too!
usagijen: thought of other analogies as well
usagijen: depending on whether you ‘let go’ and move on from a bitter experience, you end up letting it out of your system completely (excretion lolol), or it becomes a poison that’ll make you rot
usagijen: now I’m making things up haha. but it could still be possible
usagijen: it was also said that for takemoto, food was there when he fell in love (first encounter with love), coz he had these croquettes morita gave him that time (he asked hagu if she wants to eat it with them).
usagijen: then it was also through food that he saw the ‘end’ of the said love… the honey&clover sandwich
Seleria: lol
Seleria: you’re reading a lot into this
usagijen: nonono. these came from chika umino herself (except the food-love analogy bits that I added)
usagijen: so it’s.. official!
Seleria: ahahaha
Seleria: ok
usagijen: which explains why the opening is the way it is
Seleria: so that’s why there was scary food there 
)
usagijen: oh, something was also mentioned about the weird foods that hagu and yamada were into
usagijen: something about… the perception of women re: food or what.
usagijen: like, girls can see food as ‘cute’ (moe? lol)
usagijen: but guys can’t understand it
usagijen: how food can be cute
usagijen: somewhat like guns are for men, according to umino chika-sensei haha
Seleria: huh
Seleria: food is cute
Seleria: …….
usagijen: food can make us feel moe. for guys, not quite so
Seleria: maybe i am a guy
Seleria: )
Seleria: im pondering on
Seleria: what makes food cute
Seleria: coz i cant see it
usagijen: lol
Seleria: but i love pudding
Seleria: )
Merry Christmas everyone! Till I come up with a coherent post out of this ‘Food Motif in H&C’ topic, ja~!
Related posts:
- Life Goes On… with Honey and Clover
- Remembering Love On Halloween: Daa! Daa! Daa! and Aka-chan to Boku <3
- Beyond the Blogging Crossroad Part 1: A So-called “Love Affair” with Animes
Life at 25: A Series of (Un)Fortunate Events
December 15th, 2009
On the 13th of December my true love sent — rather, I turned 1/4-of-a-century old, a ‘Quarter Centurian’ according to j1m0ne. Might not be much, but it’s still zOMG 25 freaking years living on Planet Earth! Just another 25 years and I’ll be an obaasan! (or a MILF, we’ll see) Hello quarter-life crisis?
Birthday, by itself, isn’t anything special. Bluntly and unpoetically speaking, it’s just ‘the day you got expelled from the birth canal’, in Leonard of Big Bang Theory’s words. But year after year we celebrate it. What’s the deal? Is it because our parents are soooo happy to have given birth to us? Is it because we are soooo awesome, and that our very existence is enough of a reason to celebrate? Whatever the reason might be, growing old has certainly changed my perspective on birthday. More than just the ‘time I get a birthday cake and gifts from my parents, aunts and uncles’, it has now become my Annual Life Checkpoint.
Each year, we grow older; ideally, not simply age-wise but holistically. One year would’ve passed since our last birthday (with the exception of Feb29 people), and what exactly happened since then? Did anything exciting happen? Did we get to achieve our dreams, short-term and/or long-term goals? Did we make someone happy? Did we grow in wisdom?
Have you ever taken some time off, just to look back at life, count your blessings, see that Awesome Power at work (I consider it His fingerprints, but that would differ depending on our beliefs) through the circumstances that happen in your life, discover the gem that lies in the sh*ttiness of circumstances? Looking back allows you to see things from a different perspective, and in the end make you realize, that indeed, everything happens for a purpose. Let’s do a ‘What Ifs’ / ‘A Series of (Un)Fortunate Events Looking Back’ exercise, shall we?
Had I not entered the company I’m working in up until present, then I wouldn’t have met Seleria. If I hadn’t met Seleria, then I wouldn’t have gotten into blogging at Scrumptious. If I hadn’t gotten into blogging, then I wouldn’t have met all these wonderful bloggers and readers and become part of this awesome community. I also wouldn’t have realized that I can actually write, and be read!
But then somewhere along the way I lost contact with Seleria, and if I hadn’t drifted apart from her, then perhaps I wouldn’t have gotten close to this one guy. Had I not gotten close to that guy, then I wouldn’t have experienced how it was like to have a really close male friend who I can even call my ‘best friend’. But, as they say, there’s no such thing as a platonic friendship between a guy and a girl.
Had I not burst my bubble and acknowledged the possibility of turning the said friendship to something more, then we wouldn’t have been sorta coulda ambiguously MU (stands for ‘mutual understanding’, probably only used in the Philippines). Had we not been sort-of MU, then I wouldn’t have gotten hooked into this game, and started acting as if I’m in a relationship when I wasn’t really in one.
Had I not started acting relationship-y, then things probably wouldn’t have turned sour. Had things not turned sour, then I wouldn’t have realized that it wasn’t meant to be, he wasn’t into me and obviously wasn’t meant for me, and I deserve something much better. Had I not realized that, then I probably wouldn’t have opened the door for another guy to come into my life. Had I not not gotten close to that guy, then I wouldn’t have gone out on a date with him. Had I not gone out on the said date, then I wouldn’t have realized that I’ve been seeking my own selfish ways up until then, not seeking guidance from people who should know better, and ultimately realizing that I wasn’t where I want to be in (and that I need the Almighty Father’s guidance). I personally thanked guy #1 for breaking my heart after this realization, and actually thought we were OK again, that the friendship was restored.
Had I not been in Cebu when this happened, then I wouldn’t have found my way back into church and the fellowship. Had I not been part of the fellowship and met my friends in church, then I wouldn’t have joined the Christian Youth camp this year. Had I not joined the said camp, then I wouldn’t have had a Spiritual Revival and meet even more wonderful people who share my belief.
Had I not joined the Camp this year, then I would’ve been sent to Japan for Hell Work and I wouldn’t have had enough time to prepare for JLPT1. Had I been in Japan for that business trip, I wouldn’t have been transferred to another project group, from whom I learned of the Japan Bridge Engineer seminar which I’m attending now.
As for ye ol’ personal life… Had I not convinced myself that me and guy #1 are good, chums like before but without the ‘more than friendship’ feelings complicating things, then I wouldn’t have had the painful slap of reality and realize that “no, things can never be the same again, woman. it’s difficult to restore the close friendship after all that happened (especially when you’re still not on the same wavelength; balance is still disrupted and all that). and you shouldn’t continue giving him the opportunity to hurt you more, BAKA”. Had this not happened, then I wouldn’t have been completely freed from the chains around my heart. Couldn’t have felt lighter and stronger like I do now! His existence is right where it should be, back to the background of my life. “Never make somebody a priority if they only consider you an option” …and balance is restored in the universe~!
So many what ifs, the ‘little changes in a series of events that can change the entire course of our lives’, as my friend says. But I don’t want to live in What Ifs, in that Woulda Coulda Shoulda Alternate Universe. I’m right here, right now, ‘this is real, this is me, this is where I’m supposed to be’ Whatever happened in my life, both good and bad (and even the unfortunate ones turn out fortunate if you look at it from another angle) shaped me as I am now. Had all these not happened, I wouldn’t be here talking about this right now
Life is too short to be taken for granted, look back and see the wonders of life at work! 2009 was quite a roller-coaster ride for me, Life’s Ups and Downs, boy. But thanks to that, I grew in wisdom, much more than I expected (no pain, no gain).
Thank you dear friends, readers, those who were part of the series of (un)fortunate events in my life, from the catalysts to positive changes in my life to the cause(s) of my misery. Thank you for being part of my life and allowing me to grow.
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JLPT Shackles, Begone!
December 11th, 2009
I AM FREE!
well, sorta. JLPT is over since last Sunday, and while I’m still not 100% sure that I’ll pass (50-50 chance, could also be 60-40), I’m happy to say that it wasn’t as frustrating (exciting?) as last year. I had the same proctor (who didn’t seem to have recognized ‘The Girl Who Haggled For Time’ — aka me — from last year, or so I hope!), but thankfully enough what happened throughout the exam wasn’t a deja vu of my Great Booboo.
We’re not allowed to talk about the exam, they say, because our test will be invalidated if the Japan Foundation finds out we spilled the beans. But what do you know, gaijins are pretty cool people and doesn’t afraid anything, so they talked about it anyway, specifically these two items in the JLPT1 listening section which pandered to the otaku audience — there’s the Evangelion-esque question which I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of by now, and also a Dragon Quest parody question, where this one loli was asking her beloved oniichan how to get this special Ice Necklace item. THANK GOD FOR OTAKUS. I was so amused by the Eva-esque question that I almost didn’t catch the question being asked (and it’s the last one too). The whole GAR talk between the Captain and Asuka still replays in my head LOL.
That said, I still don’t think I did well in the listening. After all those practice drills… *sigh* Might be too early to say, but doubting the answers I have to about half of the listening items sure isn’t a good sign. I’d be jumping for joy if I get about 70% or higher!
Reading & Grammar is pretty safe, though I didn’t ace it like I hoped (damn!). Ran out of time to thoroughly read the last two short essays and ended up doing some [semi-founded] guesswork. I got 148/200 last year despite my booboo, and my semi-conservative estimate for this year is 150/200.
The kanji section was a breeze (thank you Kanzen Master!), with just a few mistakes (at most 5, if not, I’m not going to forgive myself!), but the vocab section… I weep for it. I’ve already noted 5 mistakes, which is likely to increase (x2 = 10++ points), though I am hoping for a 75%. Please?
If all’s well that ends well, then I’ll get that Highly Coveted JLPT1 certificate (and my additional monthly allowance!), if not, then I’ll just have to let it go and move on, move forward and continue studying. In fact, I have to do a bit of studying right now because I have an exam for our Business Nihongo crash course tomorrow!
How did everyone’s JLPT go? absolute0, cuteproxy, kritik, 0rion, double… who else took the challenge?
Credits to crowdesu for the above pic.
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How to ‘Dissect’ 101, feat. Guinea Pig Code Name: 03G
December 8th, 2009
The verdict is in: Scrumptious is eliminated from the Otaku Elimination Game, like Oh Em Gee. Was hoping they’ll check out our blog after I’m done with the site renovation, new theme, plugins and all that, but what do you know, they’re more excited than I thought! :3
(awesome fail badge c/o otou-san)
We Proudly Failed the Otaku Elimination Game, JUST AS PLANNED.
One thing though, OEG said they dissected our blog. Really now. Allow me to do my own dissection of their evaluation, if you will:
What can we say about this place, well. When we first saw it we liked it a lot. The continual food-related themes running throughout were a nice touch, especially when it came to the rating system. We’ve seen so many idiotic fangirls now we were really glad to see some that actually had some common sense and could construct a decent blog about anime.
:3
But who exactly are these idiotic fangirls you speak of, OEG? Are they really idiotic, or just idiotic in your own standards? I don’t really like how we’re used to trample on them fangirls like that.
Unfortunately it seems that whoever is running the place has a real problem with PR.
PR, like Page Rank, Pattern Recognition, Performance Review, Progress Report, Personal Reflections, Prayer Request, Power Rangers? Given the context (or the lack thereof) of what’s being said here, I can’t really tell if we have the same PR in mind.
But go on…
The blog is a pisspan of childish, immature name-calling and pathetic arguments.
It was a place with potentially a lot of class and a friendliness, but instead it’s a mess.
You mean the opposite of having class and friendliness is being a mess? 
Even messy dishes can be served with much class and friendliness, you’re talking about two different things here. Or let me put it this way: even the classiest and fanciest of restaurants can serve messy dishes, messy yet delectable dishes.
Some dishes/desserts/whatever can be a mess but still be scrumptious — think rocky road, omelette, okonomiyaki, halo-halo, bibimbap. We’re not claiming to be messy AND scrumptious, but we might just be! Or at least, getting there! Who knows, perhaps we can be classy, friendly, and messy all at the same time! :3
And whatever OEG says, if not backed by clear evidence and proof, is all just a miss, just saying.
We’d love to go on but what can we say, the framework is good but the authors are terrible, it’s as simple as that. Throw them out and replace them with people who can actually write.
How can you judge how people write when you obviously fail at reading? I’d love to go on, but what can I say, the framework of OEG is good but their critiquing skills are terrible, simple as that. Why don’t we replace OEG with people who can actually read, write, and critique well? :3
Then again you don’t even have to replace authors of a blog to see changes in it, because people are dynamic beings and their potential is limitless.
They did a piece[sic] on how they wanted the OEG to end, we think it was supposed to generate humour but we really didn’t understand it at all.
Ohoho-humour~ trying to be British? Oh wait Singapore was under Britain’s rule for quite some time, my bad. As much as I’m tempted to laugh at one little typo they made, I won’t, because they didn’t really nitpick on our grammar and typos either. But that could also be because they didn’t really read our posts wwwwwwww
Then it went on to to talk about sperm. What?
BWAHAHAHA. Nice one OEG, by not getting the humour in our post (and failing to understand Onani Master Kurosawa in general), you have managed to humour me instead. Boy did you make me laugh my arse off. GOOD JOB! d(≧▽≦)b
We rate the Scrumptious Anime Blog a 1.5: Nothing short of fodder. We also saw some misuse of the word otaku too, which we almost overlooked the first few times around.
They overlooked our misuse of ‘otaku’? or did they almost forget they’re checking out our site for the Otaku Elimination Game teehee :3 OH SNAP!
What have you got to say about this, Chu-Chu?
OMNOMNOM~ Should I even care about this sh*t?
* gets back to OMNOMNOM bsns *
Here, treat yourself to some more Chu-Chu goodness~
P.S. Chu-Chu is like the perfect mascot for our blog!
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OFF TO FACE THE FINAL BOSS
November 30th, 2009
and it goes by the name of JLPT1.
still got a heapload of vocabs (語彙) to study/memorize, those with very subtle nuances (like telling the difference between 活気,活躍,活動,活発, and 活用, how they’re used) especially, and re-memorize MOAR kanjis. They’re making my brain bleed 
I’m confident with my reading/grammar, but have to make one last quick review of the grammar patterns just to make sure. My listening skills however, is still poor as ever. I can see myself flunking this right now, but ahh negative thoughts go away. Every bit of point will help, so I just have to do my best.
頑張れ！ファイト！
6 more days before doomsday, may the force be with us all.
Related posts:
- The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday
- JLPT1 Left Me Devastated
- Learning Nihongo, One Sense at a Time