Just a Little Derazey

sockdreams: Your daily dose of Adorable! <3 J~

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:06:49 +0900

Your daily dose of Adorable! <3

J~

A cyberBUG's Life: It’s Out There: Regarding Siberia by LIGHTS

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:50:41 +0900

A cyberBUG's Life: It’s Out There: Regarding Siberia by LIGHTS:

*please note that these views and opinion are my own and do not reflect those of others

I’ve put off posting this because I didn’t want to fuel the fire that is an album leak. Yeah, I know, talking about file sharing is sooo overdone. But after being asked numerous times over the past week, I…

MIYAVI~ "What's My Name?" Album Review

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:32:00 +0900

He’s back! Our favorite ponytailed, tattooed, too-hyper-to-be-real guitar-slinging samurai of rock has returned and he’s BETTER THAN EVER. I must say that this has easily become one of my favorite albums of all time, because this is purely MIYAVI. It’s simple, sassy, stylish, and overall just FUN. Ever since debuting as a solo artist in 2002, Miyavi has had his share of experimenting with pretty much every style of music. From hard rock to pop to L.A. blues to dance to jazz to hip-hop to acoustic ballads, he’s done it all. Perhaps that’s why he has fans from literally ALL over the world, he just does everything. In the past, whole albums have been dedicated to each style, but this time, the simplistic instrumentation (guitar, drums, vocals, and occasional note on the keyboard) remains the same throughout while each and every type of music that Miyavi has done makes an appearance, giving the whole album a very cohesive, yet interesting and involving feel. That being said, if you’re new to Miyavi, I HIGHLY recommend this as your first album, as it showcases everything he can do. I’m going to break the album down by style.

Pumping Dance Tracks: The album opens with “What’s My Name,” where Miyavi actually tries his hand at rapping. I’m not really a huge fan of when he tries to speak English in his songs, but this actually works amazingly well. “Futuristic Love” also will make you bust out the dance moves, but isn’t quite as involving as the title track.

Guitar-Hero-Worthy Punk Rock Guitar Riffs: As many of you have heard, Miyavi has become quite good friends with the Madden brothers of Good Charlotte, and this DEFINITELY shows through in his music. Tracks such as “I Love You, I Love You, I Love You, and I Hate You” and “Shelter” will not easily leave your head because of the amazing punk guitar.

Korean Hip-Hop: WHAT?!?!?! Yup, Miyavi is half second generation Korean, and as the South Korean musical wave is hitting Japan, Miyavi too has contributed to this with his track “Chillin, Chillin’ Money Blue$.” If you listen to any Korean hip hop, you will recognize the same rhythmical pattern that is present in this song. I thought this was extremely interesting. =)

New Effects!: “Universe,” which Miyavi premiered in Washington D.C. at the show I went to (W00T!) makes significant use of pedal effects, which he really has not showcased before, and I LOVE IT. He’s more of a stick-to-the-basics kind of guy, but it really is refreshing and fun to see him experiment with musical technology now and then. “Moon,” on the other hand makes use of new slapping and picking techniques and effects. This isn’t Miyavi’s usual signature shred-and-slap, but is much quieter and is used ONLY to compliment the vocals, which are gorgeous here. It’s nice to hear him focus on the voice as the main form of melody for once, especially when he’s so self-conscious about it. =)

Reappearances: “Unbreakable,” a straight-up hard rock track, HIGHLY resembles the Miyavi we knew back in 2002, the 21-year-old ADD apparent psycho with a guitar. “Super Hero” and “A-HA,” however, are very characteristic of his Neo-Visualizm era from about three and a half years ago. “A-HA” is amazing because he’s letting his AMAZING Kansai accent carry the entire song. Recently, he’s been putting much more English in his songs so that he can appeal to listeners outside of Japan, but it really is nice to hear him revert back to that Osaka-based goofball that we originally knew him as.

Softer Side: “Sutekina Mirai” (“A Wonderful Future”) is the only purely acoustic track on the album, and was written for his first child, Lovelie. This is really a gorgeous track and reminds me of songs like the covers he did of X-Japan a while back. “Gravity,” however, is haunting and slowly builds into a despairing climax.

Singles: “Survive” was released earlier this year as Miyavi’s theme for his first world tour. The album presents a rerecording of the original that showcases both grungier vocals and guitar that work amazingly. I LOVE THIS! “Torture” is the most recent single, and is much darker than “Survive.” If I were to pick one track from this album that would describe Miyavi’s style RIGHT NOW this would be it. Catchy, pumping, and smart, it will stay with you for a while yet.

Well that was quite a lot of writing, but I’m glad I did this. I will be listening to this one for quite a while, and I just want to spread the wonderfulness of this FANTASTIC artist. MYV!!! <333 Here is “What’s My Name” as a sample of the album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-68LtiI0k&p=A370E5F5C5286A4F&index=1&feature=BF

Enjoy!

Day 9: Your favorite quote

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:51:15 +0900

Hands down, Katniss’s chilling message to the Capitol in Mockingjay: “If we burn, you burn with us.”

Two Days

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:53:00 +0900

Day 8: The character you are most like: This is a hard one, but I’d probably say Rue because of her love of music, and her style in the Games. She mostly survived by evasion, and tried to make friends and allies in hard times, which is what I’d try to do. =P

The Tale of The Exploding Turtles... and Walter by Greg Patch and Sarah Taylor (via AIM)

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:00:47 +0900

Once upon a time, there lived seven turtles. These ravenous turtles simply couldn’t control their horrendous bladders. One evening the turtles exploded. Villagers saw this spectacle partake and lolled. They wondered why the poor turtles died. For millennia, the amphibious villagers had ceremonies dedicated to turtles and exploding. Darkness overtook the beliefs. Tortoises decided committees to control corrupt bladders. Turtles were exceptions. For example, Walter tried to stop for the pedestrians, but police saw malice in his eyes. Walter decided to dance, but turtles can’t so police tied Walter to a turtle. This caused explosions in Walter, and he realized he should die. So committees ran away. Terminators suck.

THE END

Day 7: A scene that made you cry

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:04:51 +0900

Very early in the series, but after Katniss takes Prim’s place at the reaping, she’s whisked off into a room and has a VERY limited amount of time to say goodbye to her loved ones. Just the fact that she completely believes that she will never have another chance to speak to or see them again almost did me in.

I'm getting back into this...

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 08:46:01 +0900

Day 6: A Scene That Made You Laugh

Book 1, when Katniss is training for her pre-games interview, she’s trying to figure out an “angle” to show to the audience to make them sympathize with her. Well, Katniss is naturally very cold and calculating due to her circumstances in District 12, so this is very difficult for her. She gets so frustrated and finally throws a stubborn fit, causing Haymitch to say that that she is less emotionally adept than a dead slug. I freakin lolled. Pretty much whenever Katniss and Haymitch are together, they make me laugh or smile deviously because of how smart they are. =)

So much new music, so little time!

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:12:08 +0900

Oh, you will be hearing my thoughts on all of these very soon. What you have to look forward to:

LIGHTS~ “My Boots” Single: “You might know if you’re from around here, what goes on for half of the year… Winter left a cover that I’m gonna end up under, but I got my own boots.”

<—- Why is he so cool?!?!

Miyavi~ “What’s My Name?” Redebut Album: “I’m singin’ here to get rid of fear, hope it disappears right here with the rain. But I know life is pain, not like a fairytale, even if it’s destiny, I don’t run away.” (Torture)

Katy Perry~ “Firework” Single: Do you know that there’s still a chance for you, cause there’s a spark in you. You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine, just own the night like the Fourth of July.”

2NE1~ “Can’t Nobody” Single: “Can’t nobody hold us down, nothing’s gonna take us down. And you think you can stop it but we just can’t stop it tonight. Can’t nobody hold us down.”

Good Charlotte~ “Cardiology” Album: “Cause when I’m up she’s all about me, when I’m down, she stays around me. Now I know I’m one and only, so I might as well enjoy the ride.” (LIke It’s Her Birthday)

…because Miyavi’s a spaz.

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 04:01:49 +0900

…because Miyavi’s a spaz.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist Book Review

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:58:00 +0900

So, I’m really into foreign books and films. With the announcement of yet another Hollywood remake of a highly acclaimed foreign film, I decided to watch Let the Right One In, the original Swedish masterpiece. It was wonderful and I admit that I was pretty annoyed to hear that Hollywood would once again take something that is near-perfect and twist it into a form where Americans wouldn’t have to read subtitles, and in doing so would erase cultural aspects that made the film so amazing in the first place. This is a book review, however, so I’ll talk about that. =)

This is a vampire story. I know what you might be thinking: “OMG you just read it because Twilight has turned vampires into sex gods!” Actually no, haha. I avoided reading this book for so long BECAUSE it’s a vampire story. Wow, was I dumb. The whole vampire aspect of the plot is merely circumstantial and only provides the dark mood for what the characters experience. This novel is actually a VERY critical look at modern Swedish society littered with political commentary. Having vampires present suggests that even though things may be bad, they can ALWAYS be worse.

There is only one vampire in this novel that we become almost fully acquainted with. She is centuries-old Eli, trapped in the body of a twelve-year-old child. Ironically, Eli is the most innocent, caring, thoughtful, and overall GOOD person in this novel despite the fact that her mere existence throws the people of Blackeberg into a chaotic frenzy. All of the humans around her react to her nature and what she is and thus all hell breaks loose. In the face of panic and uncertainty, their true natures are revealed; they are corrupt, highly dangerous, and are willing to destroy each other for personal gain, both physically and emotionally.

At the heart of all this is Eli’s relationship with twelve-year-old Oskar, the boy who lives in the apartment next to her. He struggles with his parents’ divorce, is bullied and tormented at school, and is fascinated by stories of murder and the investigations that follow. Oskar is one of the only people we ever get to see actually interact in an almost normal way with Eli, and the purity of their friendship is ultimately something we all long for. What impressed me here is that it seems as though Eli has the chance to finally reach out and help someone for the first time in her life. All she has known is being locked up and relying on her “caregiver,” a shady fellow named Hakan, to provide her with sustenance, thus rendering her weak and almost helpless. She is repulsed by who she is and does not wish to harm others, which is why she relies on those who have no qualms about it whatsoever. Oskar, however, has his own problems and Eli sees this as an opportunity to show others what truly makes her Eli. It is here that we see what Lindqvist is trying to do. While Eli indeed brings out the worst in people because of WHAT she is, she also has the ability to strengthen those around her and bring out out the best in people because of WHO she is, and this story is just the beginning of her discovery that she can do so. Ultimately ignorance and the unknown are the enemies here, and not the vampire that just decided to walk into town.

Growing up in a Swedish family, I was incredibly intrigued by the cultural aspects of this novel. Recent studies have shown that Sweden is the “happiest” country with the best lifestyle and health care. Of course, this is shown just by numbers, and Let the Right One In DEFINITELY does not lend to this belief by any means. One of its main selling points is that it is set in a working-class suburb just outside of Stockholm. The novel almost too-casually deals with divorce, drinking, pedophilia, child abuse, neglect, bullying, murder, and drugs. It really led me to wonder if Sweden is not worse than the States in regards to all of this.

Overall, I HIGHLY enjoyed this novel. The writing style was sparse and in episodes, which kept an ADD person such as myself interested and enthused for quite a while. The conclusion was heart-pounding and satisfying.

Now that I’ve talked about the book, here are both the trailers for the Swedish and the American versions of the film. Enjoy!

Swedish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICp4g9p_rgo

American: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsWJt5tNLKg

Time to tackle this.

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:04:00 +0900

Time to tackle this.

HAHAHAHAHA

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:02:55 +0900

HAHAHAHAHA

I Have Three Days to Make Up For!

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:01:00 +0900

Day 3: A character you hate that everyone loves:

Effie~ I personally just find her annoying, arrogant, and ignorant even in her more sensitive moments.

Day 4: A character you love that everyone hates:

President Snow~He’s just extremely interesting in the fact that you never know what he will do next; he’s a source for many of the twists in the series.

Day 5: Your favorite fight/battle scene:

Not really a fight scene, but I LOVE when Katniss shoots the arrow at the game makers in the first book. This is the point that I thought, “Okay, she’s a fun character to read.”

One of my students drew this for me and I was floored~ sorry...

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:05:01 +0900

One of my students drew this for me and I was floored~ sorry it’s so small, she sent it to me by cell phone =P

Day Two: Your Least Favorite Character

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:33:21 +0900

Marvel: District 1 tribute in the 74th Hunger Games

The reason is simple~ he killed Rue.

Day One: Your Favorite Character

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:07:20 +0900

Cinna

He single-handedly turned the games around in favor of Katniss and Peeta with his Capitol-sanctioned creativity and sense of style. If that doesn’t set the spark for a rebellion, I’m not sure what does.

The Hunger Games 30 Day Challenge

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:48:55 +0900

The Hunger Games 30 Day Challenge:

fuckyeahthehungergames:

Day 1: Your favorite character:
Day 2: Your least favorite character:
Day 3: A character you hate that everyone loves:
Day 4: A character you love that everyone hates:
Day 5: Your favorite fight/battle scene:
Day 6: A scene that made you laugh:
Day 7: A scene that made you cry:
Day 8: The…

My Ideal Hunger Games Cast

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:03:31 +0900

This idea was inspired by Jay so here we go!

Katniss: Paisha Coffey or Kaya Scodelario

Peeta: Alex Pettyfer hands down, exactly how I imagined him since day one

Gale: Drew Roy

Haymitch: Hugh Laurie

Cinna: I’m gonna get a lot of crap for this one, but I’m JUST going by looks here: Miyavi cuz he wears makeup and has a creative edge to his look but isn’t TOO crazy just like the way Cinna is described in the book =)

Prim: Elle Fanning

Rue: Yara Shahaidi

President Snow: Christoph Waltz

Effie: Emily Blunt

Finnick: Garrett Hedlund

That’s honestly all I have for now, I’m sure I’ll come up with more later =P

I love this series <3

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:11:57 +0900

I love this series <3