T3-61 タイム・リミット (Time Limit)

I've been reading the blog on the website today.

I love blogs or songs where the artist/writer just had a huge creative break or was pouring out all of their emotions.

Anyways, back to that post. I don't know why, but I felt that I truly understood what that person was talking about, whether or not I actually did. Reading that blog did give me a couple of epiphanies/breakthroughs.

After reading that post, I feel that every word I'm typing here requires so much thought and is so...not fluid. I can't think of a better word.

This morning I was listening to the radio, and a caller phoned in and talked about how the seniors at the senior home where she was working (she was a nurse) were just absolutely full of compassion. She talked about one man who died 48 hours after his wife died, and she attributed his death to 'heartbrokeness'. Obviously, that isn't really what happened, but what she meant was that he lived for her, and how people there do things not out of selfishness, or think about themselves first, but for others first. The radio hosts themselves remarked on how they wish that we could all learn to be compassionate earlier.

Bringing that to MY, there is something going on that very many people aren't happy about. (Also, by the time I'm aware of some gossip, usually more or less everyone has heard of it. I'm the last one on the grapevine.) I'm going to take a step here and say that the reason there is this unhappiness around is because of jealousy and a sense of feeling cheated. If we were truly compassionate, we would genuinely care for the people involved, and try to help them, instead of choosing to be upset (which doesn't help anybody, especially the person who's feeling upset). Instead, this feeling of jealousy is rooted in our selfishness. Now, of course, I'm not saying that everybody that felt upset is a super selfish person, because that's not true at all, because just because we feel jealous about one thing doesn't mean we're selfish overall. How we express that jealousy is also another factor.

Of course though, I can't claim to say that I know every single detail about the issue. No matter what, the underlying ideal is still there, if not for this then for something else.

T3-60

I don't feel like writing much today.

Well, I can't really think of anything at this moment.

T3-59

I have finally reached a point where I'm listening to one Utada Hikaru song for every non Utada Hikaru song.

Except its tipping very favourably for Utada Hikaru.

T3-58 Sweetest Goodbye

I think I've said this before, but I was a Maroon 5 fan once during the summer. Of course, though, it never reached Utada Hikaru-porportions.

T3-57 神奇女俠的退休生活

Another nice Hong Kong song I came across some time ago.

I've been trying my best to listen to music that is not Utada Hikaru related, but its not going very well.

On my list of Top 25 played songs in my iTunes, there are only two songs that aren't sung by Utada Hikaru.

Sigh.

T3-56 曾經太過年輕

If any of you remember, a long time ago I was raving on and on about the Taiwanese drama 'The Hospital', which was absolutely awesome. I still think its the best drama I've ever watched. Then again, that's not saying much, but still.

But the lead song and the insert song are both pretty awesome. The title of this post is the ending song. Pretty nice, I think.

I heard some of the other songs (the best ones) on the OST, and they were pretty good too.

T3-54/55

54

After track, I went home, ate something, played a bit of piano, then slept because I was just so tired.

So, since I don't really have comprehensive to talk about, I'll just blog about some snippets of things I thought about.

The space centre on Wednesday was a wonderful idea to me. Perfect day not to do anything, because otherwise I would have been dead since I slept at 5 the night before. So, I spent some of the time resting, and in general not doing too much. I loved the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Solar System, because the views were just breathtaking and the chairs were absolutely perfect for sleeping in. I didn't really sleep, I just closed my eyes and listened to the speaker talk.

My dad sometime ago mentioned to me how outsiders don't really understand what's happening; therefore, their assumptions and ideas on what should happen don't necessarily apply. I have forgotten about that, and now coming to think of it, I do think its true. A single event or a single thing is different to everybody; everybody reacts and is affected by things in different ways that sometimes other people just can't comprehend. Sometimes I should just let others be, because that in many cases is usually the best thing to do.

I haven't followed my principles as much as I used to; I wonder if that's because the principles don't reflect who I am, or I'm just a different person as time evolves; or that I just don't try hard enough, or is it that I don' think they are so important anymore? I think its a mixture of the above, except the latter two play a larger role.

55

Today was Bunkasai.

Nothing much happened, except it was in general a pretty relaxing day. Last day of debate though.

T3-53

I have some sort of a brain freeze right now.

I'm not thinking straight for the science project.

T3-51/52

51

After I got home from Sun Run, I ate something, then slept and woke up the next morning at 7, so I didn't write a blog.

52

I can't really think of anything to write.

T3-50

Kelly: The festival's on the 24th, I think.


I don't want to go to the sun run. Don't know why.

T3-47-49

47
Slept at 4:30 today because of a combination of (mostly) two essays and a tiny little bit of insomnia.

By the way, the stress hasn't seem to be affecting my sleep much!

48
Went home, ate something, planned to have a short midafternoon nap, then woke up at 8:00 the next morning.

49
I was watching the SMAP x Utada Hikaru medley on YouTube the other day, and wow. SMAP's only purpose was practically to be backup dancers; Utada's songs were WAY out of their vocal range. They did out-sing (I don't htink that's a word) Utada on their SHAKE song, but that was just because it was four against one.

Oh, and you guys can all go to the Japanese festival at lunch now! There is a fee of $1, though.

T3-46

I've reached 300 posts. I do feel an increasing need to switch blogs.

Anyways, we had a debate tournament today.

Actually, it was much more relaxed that usual, cause our only real competition were ourselves. There were 12 Churchill debators and 8 Britannica debators, and that was all. The junior categories were completely dominated by Churchill people, lead by VD and MSa.

Not surprisingly, I didn't place in top 3.

On a good note, there wasn't much stress at all. VD did most of the script, and a couple of us just helped her. Some of the other people did their own too.

So now I have tomorrow to finish both essays!

I'm now contemplating which essay to do first; socials or English.

T3-45

Everytime a debate tournament comes around it gets really stressful

for two-four intense days,

sometimes as bad as science fair (or even worse)

Then it gets better really quickly.

T3-44

I made a schedule today, and I followed it until I opened the computer.

Anyways, looking at what I have to do this week, I'm not very happy.

Tomorrow I'll be working on Mentorship and Debate for teh entire day, on Tuesday I'll get home very late, so won't be able to do anything.

Then, on Wednesday, I have to do both Social and English essays, which I have barely started in one day.

Thursday would just be preparing for French, and hopefully no new homework comes up during the week...

T3-42/43

Makeup blog for Friday!

42

Today was quite busy, I went home at around 3:00 at something and then slept (okay, not very busy), then woke up and went to see the dentist at 5:00 and came home around 6:00, ate something, then left for my piano teacher's house at 6:40, then we went to see a concert by the UBC Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre (for free!)

Then I came home at 11:00, and by the time I finished everything, it was 12:30.

So I never got around to writing a blog.

By the way, to those of you that are sick and tired of reading about Utada Hikaru: sorry, I didn't mean it when I said I won't be talking too much about her after sales of HEART STATION die down.

Because of the Prisoner of Love single and 'Last Friends', there's still going to be lots of promotions left, so I will be blogging about her.

43

Back in MACC, there was a classmate of mine, JN, who demonstrated a very high level of self-discipline. Whenever there was free time, she would sit a bit away from everyone else, and work for the entire period without ever once being distracted. Every single time.

Needless to say, she was a top student.

It's not like she was a one-dimensional academic student either; she still had an active life aside from school.

On another topic, I think it would be nice to keep my blog free of opinions.

Keeps it lighter and not so dreary that way.

And I sort of don't like politics; its too annoying.

I'll worry about that kind of stuff when I don't have anything else to do.

T3-41

To Kelly: Yeah, that and Utada Hikaru always seems to be drunk nowadays.

By the way, my dad, who is in Tokyo, told me that he saw Utada Hikaru drunk on the front cover of a magazine in the magazine's advertisement.

Does that make sense?

T3-39/40

I forgot to make up for the blog I missed on Monday.

39

I feel smug.
But then there's sort of a sting in the tail.
Not good.

Anyways, Oasis has shut down all operations. I'd like to say I TOLD YOU SO!

Well, honestly, everyone that knows a tiny little bit about the aviation business would know that Oasis wouldn't have survived for long. Start-ups, unless backed by huge financial investors (or airlines), like Virgin America, in highly competitive markets don't go well.

People still don't get the idea, and always make start-up after start-up after start-up. And airline CEOs don't get the idea either. They always want to compete in 'prestigious' markets, regardless of actual profits.

For example, United Airlines operates (or operated, I don't know now) one daily JFK-NRT and JFK-LHR, which are two of the most 'prestigious' routes in the world. AA/BA and a couple of other airlines have more than 20 flights per day with the largest equipment on the JFK-LHR route, and UA thinks they can beat them with 1 flight? They probably could make more profit by using those 'prestigious' landing slots for another US-LHR flight.

However, the worst part of this is that my brother had a round-trip flight booked on Oasis, and now its gone. We most likely won't be getting our money back.

40

I've heard Utada Hikaru's songs on the radio here in Vancouver actually. However, it was on the Cantonese Fairchild multicultural radio channels, and it was only a small clip of 'Time Will Tell'.

Also, I heard that there was a picture of Utada Hikaru's knees on the local 'Ming Pao' Chinese newspaper.

What happened was that Utada Hikaru got drunk, and then woke up the next day with bruises, and posted it on her blog. Ming Pao then used that as a story, I guess.

Oh, and the guy on the 'China Drives' show on China Radio International (or something like it) is actually from Vancouver! He's also a Canucks fan, apparently.

The Billboard Japanese correspondent is also from around here, and there was one woman who now works at CBC Radio 3 who used to work at Radio Television Hong Kong.

T3-38

To Olson: Well, there were some exotic sports cars and there were some vintage cars (I couldn't tell really, I was looking at it from a distance) on the sides of the walk leading towards the entrance airlock.

Utada Hikaru is releasing Prisoner of Love as a DVD single!

There's a 'Prisoner of Love -Quiet Version-' on the single.

Apparently Mika Nakashima had something called 'Yuki no Hana -silent version-'. I didn't listen to it though, so I don't know if it was silent or not.

T3-37

I went to the auto show today, and then came home and watched the Junos, so didn't do much work.

It was fun.

I'll talk more later, I'm pretty tired right now.

T3-36 POP STAR

To anon: Haha Oh really? Prove it! When I read peoples blog, though, I don't read for gossip; I read for pure entertainment from daily happenings and events that aren't necessarily classified as gossip.

To Kelly/Vivian: Yep!

For Japanese, we have a Bunkasai Festival on the April 24th, which is apparently a 'cultural festival' that is going to be hosted in the cafeteria.

Basically, we're taking the cafeteria, locking Kozuki and Wakaybashi's Japanese students in there and everybody out, and hosting our own 'fair', pretty much.

Although I understand the purpose is more to enrich ourselves rather than to show everybody what Japanese culture is like, I don't really like that idea.

Personally, I think that such a festival should be open for everybody to enjoy and engage in cultural interchange, but whatever.

Its only Churchill.

And it makes organizing stations and whatnot so much easier, so I shouldn't complain.

Now, back to Utada Hikaru.

I really am obsessed, aren't I.

Its so easy to be a fan of Utada Hikaru, if you understand what I mean.

Okay, I'll explain.

First off, she has such success in the Japanese market that its fun and easy to compare her to other people and point and say 'she's popular! More popular than yours!'. What I mean is that its much easier to convert other people.

I was a fan of Ayaka Hirahara (平原綾香) once, and although she was by no means unsuccessful, she wasn't exactly a chart-topper.

Her debut album managed to reach 2 on the weekly charts, but even her compilation album (and compilation albums sell really well in Japan) just released a couple weeks ago got #4 and sold only 87,292 sold far. Heart Station, released several weeks later, sold 480,081 in its first week.

Ayaka Hirahara's best-selling album:
Odyssey (debut album) Chart: number 2, 720,165

Utada Hikaru's worst-selling album:
as Cubic U (English) Precious Sold 702,060
as Utada Hikaru Ultra Blue chart: number 1, 910,000

Ayaka Hirahara's best-selling single:
JUPITER (debut single) chart: 2, 922,720.

Now, this is a huge hit. Except Ayaka Hirahara only had one. None of her other singles were anywhere NEAR that number.

This single became 3rd best-selling single of 2003 and 42nd best selling single of 2004.

In comparision, Utada Hikaru's COLORS, released earlier in 2003, sold 893,720
Dareka no Negai ga Kanu Koro, released later in 2004, sold 365,206.



Jupiter/Hirahara Ayaka

I'd encourage you guys never to base an opinion of an artist just because of one song.

And now there's Ken Hirai.

Awesome male Japanese singer.

Has had his peaks and valleys.

Valley=debut, peak=Utada's valleys.

His peak was having number 1 album of the year in 2005 with his compilation album Ken Hirai Utabaka 1995-2005 or something like that. It was also the 20th best selling album in the world that year, and hit number 1 on the world charts.

He's also had his share of successful singles, such as Hitomi wo Tojite (number 1 of the year) and POP STAR.



POP STAR/Hirai Ken

He's the guy in all those costumes.

T3-35

I wish our teachers would continue the practice of mandatory blogs after Grade 9.

T3-34 Flavor of Life

(Flavor of Life isn't one of my favourite songs, but I like it today, for some reason.)

To Vivian: Wow...

Now, to work!

T3-33 Lost

To The Dude (Buddy's name for you) : I haven't thought about that...

Work Work Work!

I should stop going on the computer that much.

T3-32

To Vivian: I sort of agree, I think Hung Up and Sorry were both much better. I don't like most of the song, but there are some parts, like when Madonna sings 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' which are awesome in my opinion.

I'm glad there's collaborative day tomorrow.