I became interested in Arabic geometry and zilij around the same time that the “Moroccan trellis” type of quatrefoil pattern started showing up everywhere. I’ve got a camera case, computer screen wipes box, and even a kitty litter mat with variations of this pattern on them. I’m both delighted by the availability of this design, …
The song that most caught my attention on Twin Gate when I first listened to it was “Unforgive You.” It’s such a haunting track, and the specificity of the person described made me wonder who it was written for. Actually, I think that’s how I came to find miko’s blog, as she explains there exactly …
It was a bit hard to keep my concentration up to get through this translation, but I’m trying to do like that one lady told Picard and “Never give up [my] music.” (A gingerbread cookie to whoever gets the reference and can cite season & episode number. Ahaha…) It didn’t help that I recently got …
When I first introduced my project to make an unusual bookshelf, I mentioned that it ultimately was to go in a particular corner of my room. While I’ve already unveiled the finished product in the post about my program’s exhibit this past June, I wanted to show what it looks like in situ. I also …
I had bought issue #44 of Rock and Read back when it came out in 2012, solely for the GACKT article. In 2013 I learned of YOHIO through his collaboration with GACKT on the song “Sakura, falling.” It wasn’t until this year, when I sat down to translate the aforementioned GACKT interview, that I realized …
This interview comes from the November 2012 issue of Rock and Read (#44). The interviewer is Ayano NISHIMURA. Usually, I don’t mind if someone posts a copy to their own site of a fan translation I’ve done (as long as they link back to me), but given how much work I put into this one …
The discussion about regret in this part reminded me of a meme a friend shared on social media recently. To paraphrase, it asked if you would rather go back to being 10 years old but with all the knowledge you currently possess, or wake up at age 45 but with a billion dollars in the … Continue reading
Let’s just get right to it, shall we? ☆ May 9-10, 2003, Nippon Budōkan (First & Second Days) This was Gackt’s first time putting on a concert at the Nippon Budōkan since going solo. It would also be the first time there’s a show at a large Tokyo venue just one week after the start … Continue reading
*Half a year late* Happy New Year, O Readers! ^o^; Time flies when you’re finishing a Masters degree, and then would like to spend a couple weeks doing absolutely nothing, but you have to secure a job first, and deal with other Life things… Anyway, if you need a refresher on the story so far, … Continue reading
With this year being the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII, I used one of my projects in printmaking last spring to pay homage to Mr. Lash Blast by Covergirl Jenova. The assignment was drypoint etching. We had to work the plate gradually, pulling prints as we went. I didn’t really make good use of … Continue reading
It was like 2AM and I had been checking short Japanese compositions on Blackboard, explaining in words that もってくる and もっていく are not interchangeable, and that I think it’s weird that many people seemingly use “take” and “bring” interchangeably in English. What a jumble of words, I thought, and deciding that pictures would make things … Continue reading
The Beginning This little furball came to live with my family near the end of the year 2000. I don’t remember now if he first started coming to our apartment in November, or if that’s when he stayed there for good. Either way, at first, we thought he was really old because he was dirty … Continue reading
It’s time to slowly reveal the products of this spring’s adventures in printmaking. Woo! I’d shown my warm-up linocut letterforms before, but I hadn’t finished the J at that point. When I did, I hand-printed these letters again to practice registration (aligning the paper to the plate properly) because I figured that would be a … Continue reading
