Reading Satoshi Kon’s 2008 ANN interview was bittersweet; reading his final message was heartbreaking. My Japanese is very limited, but the basic gist came through – the pain that the cancer wrecked on his body and family; regret about unfinished work; gratitude to his family and friends.

Millennium Actress is and always will be one of my favorite anime films of all time – the story was profound, and exquisitely told. It moved me in a way that few other films have. Watching Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers cemented my status as a Satoshi Kon fan; watching Paprika renewed my love for this director’s incredible creativity and ability to tell stories that grab the imagination and take on lives of their own.

Satoshi Kon’s works will stand as lasting testimony to his unique vision. The world has lost a masterful storyteller – he will be sorely missed. My thoughts go out to his family and friends in the days to come.

Quote Seiho Takizawa:

ご冥福をナントカなんて書きたくない。

なぜ死んだバカヤロウ

I’ve tried hooking my long-time boyfriend onto anime by starting him with a couple of my favorites – the Cowboy Bebop movie, Millennium Actress, and I may have also tried a Ghibli movie with him too. None of these worked, so I’m resigned to being the open-closet otaku in this relationship. We’ll camp out on the couch to watch Bones or Australia’s Greatest Athlete, but any anime will have to be watched on my spare time (and usually when he’s not around). Certainly I won’t be getting any cool Ponyo cupcakes from HIM anytime soon, sigh…

I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter for the ingredients, but I figured you should be able to put whatever you want in fried rice. For mine I pan-fried ground pork, bits of cabbage, onions, frozen peas/corn/carrots, and added in the mixture of ketchup, cooking wine, and a bit of salt and pepper for flavoring. Then I added leftover rice to the mix, set the finished fried rice aside, and started on the “omu” part of the omurice, by frying two beaten eggs (on medium heat) for each serving.

The trick to making pretty omurice that “looks like the ones in restaurants,” per my awesome cookbook, is to put the fried rice on the eggs when they’re half-cooked through and still a little runny – turn the heat to low if needed – then slide half of the omurice on the plate before flipping the pan over. This was a bit tricky, but since I’m not an experienced cook by any means and I did get the hang of it by the third try, I’d say it’s very doable.

Omurice is one of those ultimate Japanese comfort foods that I’ve always wanted to learn to cook, so this was a fun cooking venture for me. That it got the thumbs-up from my boyfriend and his cousin was an additional plus, even though we were having omurice for dinner instead of breakfast ;D

Damn you, yummy-looking takoyaki!!

And don’t get me wrong. I like Kris Allen – although I like Adam Lambert more xD – but I just find the original dude’s voice more soulful. Sorry Kris. Thanks for bringing such a great song to my attention though I’ll have to check out the movie where this song came from too – “Once.”

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – Falling Slowly

I don’t know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can’t react
And games that never amount
To more than they’re meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ve made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I’m painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I’ll sing along

Anyways… On the awesome character that is Urahara…

…was anyone else utterly disappointed to discover that his eyeshadow/eyeliner thing wasn’t “real”, and that it was just his hat’s shadow?!?!

(Original image courtesy of onemanga.com)

Instant drop in coolness and respect points from me. Although I still love his character, I loved him MORE when I thought he had some sort of funky Johnny Depp thing going on. Urahara looks awful without his hat anyways so it’s a good thing he will eternally be The Hat Guy. I guess Yūkyūzan Anji from Rurouni Kenshin will just have to continue as the cool eyeshadow/eyeliner guy for me… *sniff*

(Courtesy of http://users.skynet.be/aoshihomepage/)

When I first got into Aria I was in senior year of college, when I was again going through tremendously stressful times. I found watching Aria to be a really soothing viewing experience, since the stories calmly drifts through slices-of-life vignettes to beautiful settings and really perfect music that fits the Venetian setting to a tee. Aria tends to transport me to a quiet cozy mood I sometimes get before sleep – and in fact I’ve definitely come to think of Aria as great bedtime watches

This episode had a really lovely moment that’s probably going to go down as one of my favorites ever. Akari had woken up before her usual, and so she dresses and then steps into the gondola for some early morning practice. You see the gondola dip gently into the water, and then the paddle pushes off against the wall. My words fail to do it justice, but it just struck me as a slow, perfect moment that’s totally slice-of-life and absolutely beautiful.

I’m going to have to remember this feeling of zen from my Aria viewings and try to keep it in my mind as work craziness starts anew.

Two days ago Ilaria Graziano’s “I Do” came up on my Pandora station and I found myself clinging it like second skin. I’ve loved this song ever since crap gave it to me, not only because it’s beautiful, but also because I thought Ilaria Graziano just sounded like an angel singing this song. Senior year in college whenever I got stressed I’d put on this song and another PlanetES song that crap gave me, and I’d immediately feel calmer and somehow soothed. Listening to “I Do” two days ago had the same effect on me if not more, just thinking about the lyrics and such… I’ve been looping it uncontrollably since. I ended up MySpace-stalking Ilaria yesterday, and I seriously hope that she does more collaborations with Yoko Kanno because that combination is just pure win.

*potential GITS 2nd GIG video spoiler*

Ilaria Graziano – I Do

nell’illusione ho creduto alla mia forza inesorabile
e inevitabilmente sono diventata debole
ora sento gli eventi si transformano e so già
di emozioni che aprono ricordi lontani

Deluded, I have believed in my unrelenting strength
And inevitably I have become weak
Now I feel events changing, and I already know
The emotions which unlock distant memories

nell’anima ritrovo la speranza che nel corpo stanco ormai
ha smesso di vibrare come un fuoco spento dal mio pianto
tra le mani un filo d’acqua porterò con me e
nel deserto un filo d’erba sopravviverà

From my soul I retrieve the hope which in my tired body now
Has stopped beating, like a fire quenched by my tears
In my hands I take with me a trickle of water
And in the desert a blade of grass will survive

i do, i do emergere dal fondo per lottare e poi
salire in alto più che mai
i do, i do guardare nel futuro e sorridere
senza temere nulla più

I do, I do emerge from the depths to fight and then
Go higher than ever before
I do, I do look to the future and smile
Not fearing anything anymore

in un instante nuove aspirazioni anche se davanti a me
si apre uno scenario di conquiste e smarrimenti,
nel silenzio, riflessi de epoche lasciate via
respirando ne avverto il moto circolare e poi…

In an instant, new aspirations are also ahead of me
A scenario of wins and losses unfolds
In the silence, the reflections of ages leave a path
Breathing, I notice the circular motion, and then…

il tempo si è fermato per tracciare nuovi confini, ed io
mi spingerò lontano raccogliendo le mie forze nel vento
tra le mani riflessi di epoche lasciate via
camminando ritrovo le tracce indelebili

Time has stopped to outline new borders, and I
Press further on, gathering my strength against the wind
In my hands, the reflections of ages leave a path
Walking, I retrieve the indelible trail

i do, i do gridare contro gli occhi spenti e gelidi
per essere sempre di più
i do, i do oltrepassare mondi inespugnabili
senza temere nulla più…
i do, i do emeregere dal fondo per lottare e poi
salire in alto più che mai
i do, i do guardare nel futuro e sorridere
con una nuova identità
fino a quando il sole sorgerà…………

I do, I do rail against the cold, extinguished eyes
To always be the best I can
I do, I do go beyond impregnable worlds
Not fearing anything anymore
I do, I do emerge from the depths to fight and then
Go higher than ever before
I do, I do look to the future and smile
With a new identity
Until only it rises…

- from LyricsAndSongs.com and AnimeLyrics.com

• Listen to Ilaria Graziano on MySpace

Flickr Meme
1. Go to www.flickr.com
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

1. What is your first name?

Not telling

2. What is your favourite food?

Too many to list really, but… mom food most of all!

3. What school did you go to?

Brown

4. What is your favourite colour?

Blue

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

Jay Chou. Yes.

And HOMG…

…wow.

6. Who is your favourite Disney Princess?

Ariel, ’cause I can remember singing Part of Your World/doing the dolphin kick around the pool trying to be like her when I was little

7. Favorite drink?

…bubble tea? I also really like the green bean slushie that you can get at most good bubble tea places.

8. Dream vacation?

Argh too many!

Greece…

Vienna…

Venice for the gondolas…

Japan…

I’ve been to Alaska before, but would love to go again with my boyfriend some day… especially if we can brave the cold and see the northern lights.

9. Favorite Dessert?

Um…

Strawberry Haagen-Daz I guess. I also adore chocolate fondue/chocolate-covered strawberries.

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I wish I knew, but I really don’t.

11. What do you love most in life?

My boyfriend,

family,

and creativity.

12. One word to describe you?

Sleepy.

13. What do you dream about?

Figuring out what I want to do in life…

Flying would be pretty cool too.