Long Version

Yeah, so let's get this going, even if the short version got all the important details down, and thus this is a bit unnecessary, so you know, essentially this is the proper grammatically correct version of the last post. Anyways, here we go!

So Wednesday I got up, eating my mainstream mini-raisin loaves of bread that I like oh so much, and go to the anime class, to hear a rant for a hour about how hard the professor hates scoring tests and how tough he is, until revealing that everyone got either B, B+ A- and one person an A, with myself getting a B+. On the sheet, though I only had a couple of spelling errors and a grammitcal error, as I had no time to check as I wrote till the last second. I mean, you gotta make your hands work. Or at least I do. But, you know, anytime the professor says, "yeah, you were one of the unlucky ones" and uh, you have really no mistakes and wrote all that could be asked for, really, you just have to ask WHAT THE HELL! The professor took my paper after class afterwards, and said to review, but he didn't say anything after class today (in which we watched a random clip of some really bad 70's Live Action Saiyuki, DBZ, and Naruto clips--believe it!), so I'll have to ask on Monday. I also have my last paper on the great Full Metal PAnic (yes, the name is inspired from Full Metal Jacket), but, you know, it won't be that hard. I mean, this is a professor who actively supports wikipedia--as long as you try your hardest you'll pass with a good grade. But he's also a professor who it seems it will be nearly impossible to get an A in...which is annoying. But hey, an A- is not the worse thing in the world...

After Anime Class was Japanese and the first part of the midterm--the oral part. Now, this was a bit of a pain. We had to work in pairs, and do a short 12+ line conversation. Ok, memorization. Easy enough. We started the conversation, me and this semi-sketchy guy name Jack, and got it done quickly. But you need to write the conversation in katakana/hiragana--easy enough, but time-consuming. I let Jack go first on Monday (you know how I like getting work done early, right?), but then he finds a third person--Marvis, this also sketchy guy who's as tall as me and has been rumored to say some, uh, questionable things in the past, though he seems alright to me in the few seconds I hang with him. Anyways, I'm rambling on, but essentially, I didn't see the script until a hour before we had to do our thing. PEachy. Admitingly, I was semi-freaking out--luckily, it's only eight lines or so I had to do, they were all easy, and I know I got a fine grade on it, which is always good. I thus rewarded myself with some strawberry covered vanilla ice cream bar. Heh, I always have liked rewarding myself for doing well on mid-terms and finals. Good tradition to start.

After marketing class, I stayed on campus to do some work preparing for my Asian Business Midterm the next day, before attending the TUJ gaming club meeting to play some smash for a hour or so. After the gaming club, which was really mostly uneventful, except for the gun all pokemon matches that we did. Have I mentioned how Squirtle is a fast beast, like Diddy Kong i? Both aerial masters in this game. Anyways, after the gaming club, (I left early) I noticed something going on next door--it turned out to be the panel on the study of nation branding (how a nation tries to affect its own image to help itself) by my international marketing professor. Reading a phamlet for it earlier, it was only supposed to be about 30 minutes, so I figured hey, go to something to get some good favor with a professor, and go to something somewhat interesting. The topic is pretty interesting, and the examples of failure were funny, but overall it was the same old with the professor--gets the job done, but it's nothing too great. Still, there were a TON of professors there. Unlike, say at AU, where an event is mostly students, here it was mostly professors--30 or so. There must have been only 5 or so students which was weird. And the Q&A went on for more than a hour--and was still contining when I left at 9am as I needed to get back to studying again. Still, the professor saw I was there, so I should be good. The rest of the night was spent studiying for my midterm which I was slightly panicking for--it was based on readings that we had no discussed in class at all really, so that's never good. But once you hear this is his first time teaching...everything makes sense.

The next morning, Thursday, was spent doing laundry, watching the Celtics win and studying off the notes. I have a very inefficent time-wise but decent strategy--mainly, gather any notes I have unto one document, print it, and then study, study, and study some more. But how about them Celtics? With tough P.J Brown and the wily veterean Sam Cassel joining, we'll be better than ever. The Celtics, definitely have a shot in this thing. Honestly, I don't buy the Cavs being a legit team, and the Magic don't have the depth. It's all between the Celtics and the Pistons...and whoever wins will be ina good position, as they're playoffs will be mch easier than the West. Still, the Celtics have issues--Garnett, for the intensity, and the defense he brings, isn' that good offensively, and Allen is a much bigger hot or cold shooter than I thought he would be. But we should be fine...because of the Celtics though, it was the first Thursday I hadn't explored some new area of Tokyo. Oh well. I didn't even get to a Pokemon Center for International Pokemon Day! Heh.

In any case, I went to school, studied, play some smash, studied, surf web, studied, until the actula final. And I hate to say, it was the first time in my life that I over-prepared. What I mean is, I knew so much, that I was writing down too much, just to prove I knew and had done my job in studing, and was not using my time effectively. The question themselves were mostly easy, so I'm sure I got a good grade on it, but I was once again writing till the vvery end. There was a lot of material on the test though. Still, as I heard everyone complaining that it was hard, or how they weren't prepared, I must admit it did make me feel good. If the professor slides the scores....I'm a definite A for sure. I rewarded myself later that night with some good old fashioned Japanese style chocolate chip cookies--they're like Chip a Hoy, only slightly burnt and in packages of two for some reason. It's like they're trying to make you think the food quality is good--even if Japan is pretty well-known for its food safety issues. There have been a lot of controversies, for example, of companies lying about when food expires...so you know,

And Ota just fell about 50 stories to the ground to death. See, this is why you don't pretend there's wind when crossing a beam....making you hit your the beam with the wind and elecuting you...
And that's why you don't run across the beam Akikawa! Jeez man!
Oh Kaiji, you and your absurd psychology and trends! (I'm at Anime Club, ok?)

After the midterm, we had to listen to this German VP of this safety company talk about how his company was great and blah blah blah. Oh joy, an informerical! Jeez, and I'm supposed to write a response paper to this guy! Yeah right! So I got to do a paper on the readings instead sometime this weekend...but really, Professor, please make the guest speakers say somethig noteworthy!

After buying the cookies and the class, it was time to study for the midterm part two of the Japanese. Luckily, we had a review session on Monday and a sheet, so everything was told to us in advance. And being allowed to write in Romanji (English), is always a help--so the test itself the next day was not bad at all, and I did fine--which is great. I could use all the good grades I can get for this class, as I have a thinking once we start Kanji it will get real difficult...so I did fine on the test today, which I was rewarded with this nice-sized chocolate-vannilla-strawberry-fudge ice cream bowl for like 150 yen. OH yeah, good stuff.

And Nakayama just fell to his death too. 3 down, seven to go! By the way, you use the word Mo for too. Oh wait, no, make that...jeez, they're dying left and right now! The grim reaper (he's here literally) is having a field day. So after a minute....there's now 7 dead, 3 alive--all the actual named characters with backgrounds are alive of course. But still.....

Anyways, for the rest of the day, I did some Japanese homework (so I could work on the paper this weekend), and played some Smash before going to Anime Club. We've watched the last four episodes of Moyashimon, the germ one, whihc was sad and good, though it did get interesting when they decided to make one of the characters dress as a girl and come out as gay with little warning......yeah. We've also watched the first episode of Black LAgoon, and another Saynorara Zetsubo Sensui--stuff I've seen already. Oh, and I have no clue what happened in this week Naruto's (mostly story focused, and I can only understand a few words) but Zabuza appeared. I mean, really Naruto! Though he did represent some nightmare concept which was cool...Ricepaper!

Still, I'm keeping ahead of my school-work (at least I feel I am), and I'm going to do Kyudo (archery tomorrow) and then see people do horseback archery, which should be awesome. And then on Wednesday I go to Kanazawa, home of the largrest Buddha in Japan....
And Ishida just went down for the count. Oh well. Now there's two left...this anime has convinced me though never to walk on pillars though...

The Pocky, the tradtional Otaku Chocolate-covered pretizel stick, is smaller here than in America I believe, for the random comment of the day--which makes me actually like the pocky here a lot better. Hmm.....Saizerya is after anime club...after we watched the so-so Mushi-Shi and Edo Rocket.....hmm........sorry to say........

OH right, so while I was waiting for my partners for the first oral Japanese mid-term, I saw the end of this presentation on the Black Panthers, and what they did. About how there was a split eventually in the movement between either for milterstic actions or to be more community-stregth based organization. But, apperently, Edgar Hoover called the Black Panthers, "the single greatest domestic threat to society" and the actions they did was a textbook lesson in how to take an organization down. Bribing members, spreading false information about spies, spreading ditrust, using the law, even a couple of assassinations. It was pretty absurd how well the FBI did in destroying the Black Panthers. So what was the greatest weapon the Black Panthers used? Thier free breakfest program. Yep, giving free breakfest (ok, and propangnda) is a sin--at least back in the day. Ok, I'm done for the day. See you all tomorrow! Sayonara!