Perfume World Tour 2nd
06 May 2013
Perfume will be performing live in London this July at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire and I've managed to get tickets to see them! It was a good job that I took the initiative and ordered my tickets early because they've already sold out. And this is the second round of tickets that they put on sale! Originally the concert was going to be held at the much smaller O2 Academy Islington (where Kyary Pamyu Pamyu recently performed) but the tickets sold out within hours of them being released for sale. So they changed the venue to Shepherd's Bush and released some more tickets but they sold out again really quickly. This was really surprising to me - I didn't know that Perfume were that popular here in the UK.
Posted byHocchan at 1:03 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
Time To Get Serious
23 April 2013
Ah, time flies when you're... not really doing much in particular, actually. I can't really believe that it's been nearly a year since I last updated! That's maybe because not much really happened in the latter half of 2012; at least nothing worth writing about. Although, 2013 seems to be shaping up to be quite an interesting year so far. I must admit, there were times these last few months when I considered discontinuing this blog. It seemed kind of cruel to leave it in a state of limbo so I thought about calling it a day on Kuroneko Doumei. I mean, even the word 'blog' seems like such an old-fashioned word now. These days it's all about status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter. In fact, the very idea of having to write a properly articulated sentence or paragraph after all this time scares the bejesus out of me. But I've come up with a plan that will both encourage me to revive and maintain this blog and hopefully contribute to my self-improvement over the coming months.
The idea is quite simple. As I'm hoping to get a job as an assistant language teacher of English in Japan (will probably elaborate on this matter in a later post) I thought it would be best if I were to brush up on my, well, English. Since graduating from university last June, I have had very little need to actually use any of the writing skills that I picked up during the four years of my degree. As such, I think my ability to use the language in an academic context has suffered. I doubt very much that I would be able to write a very good essay (or even blog post for that matter) any more. Therefore, I need to get back into the habit of writing again. Not only will this help me to revive my flagging language skills, it will also ensure that I regularly keep this blog up-to-date. At least that's the plan... In the meantime, here's a picture from my trip to Japan - the subject of my next post.
Posted byHocchan at 10:27 am 0 comments
Labels: Administration, Daily Life
Lollipop Lollipop
27 June 2012
Well, what do you know? I've only just gone and completed my bachelor's degree! It's been a four-year journey, full of ups and downs (arguably many more downs than ups, but such is life). I haven't strictly completed university yet as the graduation ceremony isn't until 12th July, but my grades have been confirmed. I finished my final year with a 65.8% average mark which earned me an upper second class degree. I was a little disappointed at not being able to get a first class degree, I'll have to admit, but an upper second is still perfectly acceptable. I was very surprised and pleased with the 75% I got for my final year dissertation. I really didn't have any confidence in being able to write a decent dissertation at the beginning of the year. As daunting as it was, looking back on it now I might even say that I 'enjoyed' writing it. I might even go as far as saying that I wouldn't mind writing another one, hahaha!
With university done and dusted, I've now got to start contacting people in Japan about the possibility of going back to study there. I would really like to return to Yamaguchi University and do a master's degree there (or even another bachelor's degree) but that all depends of whether I can get funding for it. I'm not very keen on the idea of going to Japan to teach English (as many of my classmates have gone on to do) but I would consider taking that route if it was the only option available. In any case, I'm determined to get back to Japan as soon as possible. One thing is for sure - I can't imagine being stuck in the UK for the rest of my life.
With all the free time that I have now I've been playing lots of games, watching lots of Japanese variety shows and dramas, and enjoying the Euro 2012 championships and Wimbledon. In terms of games I've been playing a lot of Battlefield 3 recently. It can be a very frustrating game at times but it's undoubtedly very addictive. I'm looking forward to the upcoming expansion pack that centres of armoured warfare. I'm very fond of driving tanks in the game and I would love to see a lot more large-scale tank battles in the new DLC. Another game that I've been playing is Lollipop Chainsaw. I'd been looking forward to playing this game since it was announced. I really enjoyed Grasshopper Manufacture's previous game, Shadows of the Damned, so I was very interested in seeing how this latest release would turn out.
If I'm brutally honest, I would have to say that I'm a little disappointed with this game. Certainly, I like the presentation and concept of it, but there are just too many little annoying elements to the game-play and the audio that detract from the enjoyment. The combat can be a little frustrating, especially on the harder difficulties and the camera can be really awkward to control at times. Moreover, the English dubbing for the game is bloody awful. Full of really (and I mean REALLY) annoying voices that make you want to rip off your ears. I've no idea why they decided not to include the Japanese audio on the disc. I've had a listen to it on YouTube and it's so much better than the English dubbing.
All in all, it's a fairly enjoyable hack-and-slash game but because of the numerous little niggles I would have to rate it much lower than Shadows of the Damned. Verdict - 7/10.Posted byHocchan at 11:28 am 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life, Games, University
Faulty Goods
10 May 2012
All seemed well when I opened the outer packaging, it was nicely packed and the box didn't appear to have any signs of damage. However, when I went to open the main packaging itself it I noticed that the plastic seal covering the tab appeared to have signs that it had been opened before (the edge was slightly crumpled). Inspecting the inner packing, I noticed that there were further signs of imperfections on the cardboard. When I looked at the headphones themselves I saw that there was a tiny bit of damage on the corner of the padding on one of the ear-cups. It wasn't that big a deal and I could live with it, but still, it was a little disappointing.
The main problem arose when I plugged them into my computer speakers to test the sound quality. I started the music track on 50% volume and immediately noticed that there was something not quite right about the headphones. It seemed as though the volume on the left side was slightly lower than on the right, but only by a little bit. When I turned the volume up a little bit more to try and confirm my suspicions, a horribly noticeable distortion materialised from the left-hand driver. This pretty much confirmed it - I had a faulty pair of headphones.
I was really disappointed as I had been looking forward to using these new headphones. They look really good and feel comfortable when wearing them. It's just a shame that they're faulty. I've sent an e-mail to the online retailer that I bought them from requesting a replacement, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how they reply. I probably won't get a new set until next week now which is a shame. I just hope that the exchange process goes smoothly and there aren't any delays.
Posted byHocchan at 3:56 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
So Near And Yet So Far
07 May 2012
I've been meaning to write an update for a little while now but I've been too busy stressing out over my Japanese portfolio to actually find the energy to do it. I swear, the Japanese module this year has been so much more stressful than all of the other modules combined; including the dissertation! I don't know what it is but I've seemingly lost all confidence in Japanese. I don't feel like I've progressed very much at all this year, even though we've been studying some fairly high level material.
I guess it just seems like there's not been any sort of structure to the teaching. Apart from the few weeks of keigo practice we had, the lessons seem to be jumping about from topic to topic without giving us enough time to soak it all in. Plus I'm in effect taking seven modules worth of classes this year so the workload has been higher than before, meaning that I can't put as much energy into Japanese as I did in the first or second year. I've had to prioritise my other subjects since they're worth more marks in the overall scheme of things.
There are only a few weeks left to go now before I finish my undergraduate degree, but it still feels like I've got a small mountain of obstacles in front of me. I just hope I can somehow make it to the finishing line. After that I'm going to have to work out what my aims are for the next few years. I know I definitely want to go back to Japan for the long-term, but I've not figured out exactly how I'm going to achieve that. That's something I'll have to seriously think about in the next couple of months.
Posted byHocchan at 3:04 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life, University
Mighty Morphin' Tsunku Rangers
30 April 2012
Posted byHocchan at 7:28 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life, Music
Toshi Densetsu, Kita~!
22 April 2012
There's not really much to report today but I wanted to write an entry anyway, just so that I don't get lazy about updating this blog again. I haven't been doing much besides taking it easy and watching dramas and films. I'm really enjoying the drama Toshi Densetsu no Onna. Partly because of Nagasawa Masami's sexy legs (I can't get enough of them, hence the last two pictures ^^) and partly because it's such a fun and enjoyable drama to watch. Plus I'm quite fascinated by all the urban legends that exist in Japan as well, so it's indulging my curiosity at the same time. I just wish that I could find a 1080p source for the episodes. 480p just doesn't cut it any more now that I have a better monitor.
As for the films I've been watching, my favourite so far is definitely 13 Assassins (2010) directed by Miike Takashi. It's a brilliant samurai film - maybe one of the best that I've seen. I rate it almost as highly as Kurosawa Akira's Seven Samurai (1954). The storyline is simple but it's all about the characters and their motivations. It's also beautifully shot and directed with a 45-50 minute long battle scene that rivals anything I've seen before.
Another film that I've enjoyed watching is Jackie Chan's The Shinjuku Incident (2009). In a completely different role to that which he has been previously cast in, Jackie Chan portrays a Chinese illegal immigrant who arrives in Japan searching for his girlfriend. It's a dark, gritty film about the criminal underworld that exists in Tokyo. It's also story about how power can corrupt even the purest of people. It's a really worthwhile film to watch, even if it's just to see Jackie Chan in a new light.
Posted byHocchan at 11:14 am 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life, Film, Review
Can You Keep A Secret?
20 April 2012
Good news! I've finally finished my dissertation! The final editing and binding was completed on Wednesday and I submitted it that afternoon. I was really pleased with how it came out in the end. The content might not be the best but at least it looked the part. It's a relief to have finally gotten that big assignment out of the way. Now I'm only a few essays, presentations and exams away from graduation. It's been a long road getting here but I'm nearly at the end and it feels good. Only a couple of months left, got to make sure I don't get complacent.
Since I have virtually no work to do now that the dissertation is finished I've been watching a lot of dramas in my spare time. I'm currently watching through the 2001 drama HERO which stars Kimura Takuya and Matsu Takako, as well as a plethora of other well-known actors. It's quite an old series but I've heard so many good things about it over the years and I can see why it has such a good reputation. It's a drama about a group of district prosecutors and the cases they deal with. Although it concerns the law and court cases, it's really a light-hearted drama which has lots of funny scenes in it. Funnily enough, there have been quite a few law dramas on recently. There's one currently airing which stars Aragaki Yui and it's done in a similar sort of fashion (albeit a lot more up-to-date).
Speaking of the current season, I've seen a few which have caught my interest. The law drama Legal High that I've just mentioned, a detective drama called Kagi no Kakatta Heya which stars Toda Erika and Ono Satoshi, and Toshi Densetsu no Onna which stars Nakagawa Masami (and her captivating legs). It seems like a good season for dramas this spring.
Edit: It's been a long time coming but I've just noticed that this is my 400th post. "All right! Way to go dude!", as someone once said.
Posted byHocchan at 7:42 am 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
Blog Renewal Project 2012: Phase 2 Complete!
01 April 2012
I did a little bit more housekeeping on the blog today and I think I've managed to finish doing everything I needed to do. I've added a few more links to the sidebar and adjusted the number of posts that appear on the homepage. I don't think I've got anything else left to do now so I should be able to start making proper updates from tomorrow. That is if I haven't gotten absolutely sick of typing by then. You see, I'm currently in the middle of writing the dissertation for my Bachelor's degree in Modern World History. I've managed to make a start today but I've still got a lot of research and several thousand words to complete before the submission date of 19th April. I'll probably be stuck in the library for a lot of the time during these next couple of weeks. Whether I'll be able to drum up enough energy or enthusiasm to update this blog remains to be seen but I'll try my best.
Posted byHocchan at 5:43 pm 0 comments
Labels: Administration, Daily Life
Happy New Year 2012
02 January 2012
Happy New Year! May this year be a lot better than the roller coaster ride that was 2011. This year will be the year of Kashiwagi Yuki from AKB48!
Posted byHocchan at 9:26 am 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
I'm turning nocturnal (again)
27 November 2011
For some strange reason I can't seem to be able to sleep at a reasonable time any more. I feel really awake at night and utterly exhausted during the day. It seems to happen a lot when it gets nearer to winter. I wonder if my ability to get a good night's sleep and have a regular sleep schedule is affected by the season? It would certainly explain why I feel so messed up right now. I hope I can sort it out soon or it's going to affect my ability to complete assignments. Not good when so many deadlines are looming...
Posted byHocchan at 6:28 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
I should be so busy, busy busy busy!
22 November 2011
Alas, just as I want to continue the revival of my blog I end up knee-deep in assignments that are due in this week. It's like the forces of evil are conspiring against me to prevent the comeback of Kuroneko Doumei. You shall not win! I'm going to keep posting, even if it's going to be crappy little posts with no content like this. At least until I have time to write a proper post.
Posted byHocchan at 7:56 am 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
Happy New Year!
20 November 2011
Oh wait... it's almost the end of 2011 already. Never mind.
It's about time that I revived this blog from its extremely long hibernation. In an effort to motivate myself to restart blogging again I've decided to move Kuroneko Doumei onto WordPress and give it a new look. It's still got a little bit of tweaking before it's complete but I'm quite happy with the result so far. Hopefully this will encourage me to keep updating. I've said that before, though, and look what happened there... But I'm quite optimistic about my prospects this time!
Posted byHocchan at 12:11 pm 0 comments
Labels: Daily Life
