Blog On Hiatus

As of late, I've been having some trouble finding inspiration, both for my life and for this blog. I'd rather not force myself to write half-interesting blog posts for you, my readers, so I'm going to put this blog down for a little bit. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff that would really worth putting in the blog. But I feel that it's too soon to put all these words down where anyone could read them. Maybe I'll write a new post here and there from time to time, but for now the posts are going to be few and far between. I'll definitely start writing new posts in a while, so don't think this is the last you'll hear from me. Enjoy what I've written so far, and if you'd like to hear from me further about something, feel free to leave a comment. I'll check back every now and then.

Today, I'm Thankful For Air Conditioning

Today, my dad called me to make sure my apartment had air conditioning in it. I'm glad it does. I have it set to a comfortable 77 degrees Fahrenheit when I'm up and about. When I'm sleeping or when I'm out of the apartment, I turn it off to conserve energy. I don't particularly enjoy the summer heat, and don't think I'd enjoy not having air conditioning in my apartment.

Today, I'm Thankful For Road Signs

Earlier tonight, I was driving south down Neil Street, coming back with a haul from Meijer, when I became lost in thought about quite a few things: what to cook later, what to post on this blog, the meaning of life, etc. Suddenly, I realized that I had driven too far south. Good thing there are signs with road names on intersections. Do you realize how completely lost everyone would be if those weren't there? I probably wouldn't be here writing this if that was the case. So if you can tell what the name of a road is when you reach it, no matter where you are, be thankful.

Still Breathing

After spending the majority of May either taking finals or in a house with no Internet connection, I'm finally back! I apologize for not being able to post this past month. I'll start regular posts tomorrow, look forward to it ;)

(Sittin' On)

To me, very few pop songs nowadays have soul. You know what music has soul? Soul music has soul. For me, the epitome of soul is the King of Soul himself, Otis Redding. Here's his last single, "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay," which was the first posthumous single to reach at #1 in the U.S.

The Next Month

I have finals next week, and after that I'll be at my parents' until June, and they don't have an Internet connection :P

But it's not like I won't be able to write any posts at all. Certainly, however, I will not be able to post as often, and I apologize in advance for that. Why don't you suggest something for me to write about during what should be the boring but restful period of time after my finals?

Today, I'm Thankful For Freezers

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's past midnight already, so it's not really a post about "today" anymore. Like I care.
Anyhoo, freezers are nice. I had salmon. Wild salmon caught in the northern Atlantic (I think). And I was able to have it today, though I had bought it quite a while ago, because of my freezer. Yep. And also, frozen dumplings > frozen pizza.

One Wish: Let's All Calm Down, Now

So...this whole bin Laden thing that's going on right now...and how he's supposed to be dead now...It all kind of makes my head hurt to think about everything that's tied to that, and I'm still trying to sort it all out as I write this. I guess the best thing for me to do now is to write this all down and hope it makes sense.

Today, I'm Thankful For Right Stuf

Right Stuf is where I get most of my DVDs and manga. They have the best prices on average of any large online retailer, they have great customer service, and they always have a sale of some sort going on. Today, I received some Aria bookmarks as a free gift. I was very pleased and excited when I found them alongside the manga I had ordered.

Today, I'm Thankful For Clean Water

Untitled

Today, I'm Thankful For Fansubbers

Especially all you guys who worked on Ano Hana. You guys are awesome!

One Wish: Stop Ruining Fun, Hackers

If you haven't heard yet, the Playstation Network has been down for several days now due to a security breach. Virtually every user's personal data was open to the hackers who did it, and its a huge blow to Sony and the PS3. I don't even have a PS3 or a PSN account, but seriously, why do such a douche move? Money? Too many people turn into assholes for the sake of money.

Today, I'm Thankful For Pizza

OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM

Today, I'm Thankful For My Bike

I've had it since middle school, and the thing's a rusty death trap. It only has one brake, and that one barely works (it's held on by means of duct tape...). The front wheel is slightly bent. There's rust in every spot that can rust. Oh, and I can't reach the third gear. But on days like today, after a long rainy night, the water has pooled up on a lot of sidewalks. I feel so free, being able to ride over them like I'm skimming over a lake or something. My bike's a piece of junk, but I'm thankful that I have it.

Today, I'm Thankful For Friends Who Can Cook

It really is the key to a successful potluck dinner with friends. I'll have pictures posted tomorrow of what I made.

Today, I'm Thankful For Adblock Plus

I like Crunchyroll.com. They have all sorts of good subtitled anime licensed for web streaming for those in the United States. I personally recommend Time of Eve, Durarara!!, and the new Spring 2011 anime, Hanasaku Iroha. Unfortunately for those unwilling to pay each month for premium membership, they have commercials playing in the beginning, middle (several times), and end of each episode. So greatly did the inconveniently placed commercials inhibit my enjoyment of Natsume Yuchijo this weekend that I resolved to find a way to block them. Thank goodness for Firefox extensions.

Today, I'm Thankful For My Bed

Zzz...

Last Night, I Was Thankful For Ear Plugs

I have these reusable earplugs designed for sleep, but I don't think they're designed that well, because if I have them in for too long, I get a mild pain in my ears. I usually can only wear them for four to six hours before waking up from my ears hurting, but sometimes I get a solid eight hours with them on. However, they do block out all low-level noise, so I can sleep well on the weekends, where there's lots of ambient noise from the bar hoppers and binge drinkers.

Today, I'm Thankful For Soap

Especially the kind of soap that has pumice in it and is made for mechanics, gardeners, and other people who get their hands dirty everyday.

For one of my classes, we're converting a lawnmower to an electric drive for the local park district. We got the motors in a few days ago, and today we drilled some holes into the frame of the lawnmower chassis so we can mount the motors. A couple of hours later, my hands were really dirty. Luckily, I was able to use soap to wash all the grease, rust, and steel shavings from my hands. Later that night, I was thankful that I wasn't ingesting bits of lawnmower with my pizza.

New Label and Bunny Drop

Today I've renamed the "Anime" label to "For MAL" because I've also started reading some manga titles, and because I like puns. MAL stands for "manga and anime lovers," I think. Well, even if it doesn't mean that elsewhere, that's what it stands for on my blog. So for those of you looking for my posts on anime, look for the new "For MAL" label.

I'd also like to share one fine gem of a manga title that I discovered, called Bunny Drop, so hit the jump.

One Wish: A Wish For Peace

It's a wonderful life, but sometimes life ain't always beautiful. I know that I have it good while many others around the world have it pretty rotten. Which is why I'm starting this new segment on Wednesdays, my One Wish segment. It's pretty simple. I'll write down one wish each week on Wednesday. Of course, they can't be selfish wishes (win a million dollars, do good on a test, etc.); they have to be wishes for someone else. It will also be a place where you, the reader, can put down your own wish for the world.

This week, my wish is for the violence in Libya to stop.

Today, I'm Thankful For My Readers

In an effort to increase the amount of times I post, as well as to move back towards this blog's original intent, I'll be adding a new daily(!) blog segment entitled Today, I'm Thankful. Rather than straight up tell you what's been up with my day, I'm doing something a little different. No matter how my day went, whether it was good or bad, I'll try to come up with something that I'm thankful for. I want you, my readers, to see the same beautiful world that I see.

Today, I'm thankful for you all, my readers.

A Dinner You Must Imagine

I made a great dinner Monday, but my camera's acting up, so...I made a 4-course Middle East inspired dinner. I put extra effort into the presentation, and I really wanted to show you all the pictures that I took, but you'll just have to imagine it, I guess.

Thyme And Chamomile Are In My Kitchen

The new In My Kitchen segment of The Beautiful World has now moved to Monday! I know there wasn't a post last week, so this week is a double post. Enjoy!

Clouds: A Second Publishing

Before I started this blog, I posted similar items on my Facebook page. Here's a nice bit I'd like to share (again), about clouds.

Madoka Magica Final Episodes Announced

Finally! After the terrible earthquake that struck Japan, Shaft announced that Madoka Magica would be delayed until further notice. Oh, the cries of fans around the world. The earthquake itself was terrible enough. Sure, Madoka wasn't the happiest of shows, but the whole "self-restraint" attitude that Japan had, especially towards animated medium, had gotten out of hand since that announcement. It just seemed rather unnecessary.

Well, all that is in the past, now that Shaft's finally announced that the last two episodes will be airing back to back on April 21 at 26:40 (technically 02:40 on April 22). Isn't that awesome?! I'm pretty sure that Shaft's taken this time off to make them gorgeous on the technical front. Now I just hope that the story wraps itself up in an epic way.

To celebrate, hit the jump for...

Almonds Are In My Kitchen

Today I'm starting a weekly bit called In My Kitchen. Every Wednesday, I'll write a bit about something you can find in my kitchen, whether it be a certain food, cooking equipment, or other product. This week, I have almonds in my kitchen! Hit the jump to see why you'll always be able to find them in a cabinet somewhere in my kitchen, and why I call the almond the "King of Nuts."

Spring 2011 Anime

Here's the Spring 2011 titles I'm checking out.

Mario Movie Trailer by SXSW

Before you get your hopes up, this is not a real trailer for a real movie. Despite that, it's pretty great. Watch it.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Wallpaper

Today I saw this art of Puella Magi Madoka Magica by an artist called Kariya, and I knew I had to add it to my computer background collection. I took it, resized it to 2240x1400 (weird numbers because I cropped the height and extended the length e.g. no stretching of existing pixels), and added the show's logo in the corner. I also adjusted the contrast a small bit from the original so that it pops out of the screen a bit. Enjoy.

Sport of My Dreams

I literally dreamed of this sport a couple of nights ago. I don't know why I was participating in it, and the exact details of how to play it are now sort of fuzzy to me now. However, I think I know enough to plan out the next great sport. I've modified it a little bit from the dream I had (no one wants rocks thrown at them).

Rie fu

Rie who!? Her real name is Rie Funakoshi. Having not watched Bleach or Gundam SEED Destiny, and having dropped Darker Than Black like a burning, smelly lump of coal, I haven't heard a Rie fu song until I heard the ending of Wandering Son. For a Japanese singer, she has great English, mostly from some growing up in Maryland and college in London.

Here's her single "Life is Like a Boat," which was used as the first ending theme of Bleach.

And here's the ending theme to Wandering Son, "For You."

Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season Episode 9

a.k.a. YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

My Theme Song

I have long been a fan of country music, especially the older stuff. If I had to have a theme song, it would be Keith Whitley's "I'm No Stranger To The Rain." It just...really speaks to me, and it manages to soothe my soul whenever I listen to it.

Management

Stealing the weekly joke from the UIUC AIAA Newsletter:

Pie and Songs

Mm...pie.

Anime Closest to My Heart

As sort of a follow up to my license wish list, here's a list of the top ten anime that I hold nearest and dearest to me. This is the stuff I'd love to show my closest friends whenever I have the opportunity. As well as being personal favorites of mine, all of these shows are great in their own right, and I highly recommend them to anyone who's interested.

The Language of the Stars

Something short by me. Enjoy!

The Language of the Stars

My Favorite Vocaloid

A Spanish university, with funding from Yamaha, developed this software called Vocaloid (an amalgam of "vocal android"). It was eventually commercialized, allowing users to get the application to sing simply by typing in lyrics and melody. The singing voice that the application uses is drawn from a library of phonetic units provided by one person (what a boring recording section that must be). Two versions of the Vocaloid engine have been released, with a third soon to come.

Anime License Wishlist

For those of you who haven't figured it out, I like anime. But anime is made in Japan, and it comes in Japanese. I like to own things that I like, but I can't get my hands on DVDs with (at least) English subtitles or a (good) English dub unless a company in the US thinks they can make money with a US release. I've tracked down most of my favorites that have been released on DVD. But there are still a few titles that are just lingering, and I'm waiting anxiously for news of their release. Here's the top ten anime that I would love to see news of a US release.

Winter Sunrise

Another round of nice words to write down and say every now and then.

Winter Sunrise

Long Lost Love: Lighthouses

I sometimes describe myself as a person who has more hobbies and interests than he has time for. The particular things I've had an interest in haven't changed at all for many a year, but certainly the intensity of each has gone up and down as time passed. I haven't had the time for my photography as in years past, and I haven't taken the time to go the the movie theater at all this semester. Meanwhile, my passion for anime is as strong as ever, while my love of cooking is still beginning to bloom. Some mild interests have yet to take root. My interest in alcohol, which is of a different sort than the uninhibited abandon that most people my age display, has been tempered both by my age and my poor reaction to imbibing even moderate amounts. I've also always been a huge fan of songs about heartbreak and loss, thanks (in part) to my predilection for country music; however, I'm pretty sure my reaction to most love songs is a bit less intimate and a bit more green (not the trendy, Earth-friendly kind of green, either).

Every now and then, however, I'm gently reminded of something particular in my past, something that a younger, less jaded and more romantic me had a particular fondness for.

The sense of Wonder

Click here for the video.

Soup and Cookies

Now I will share will you what I sometimes make when I really don't want to put much effort into dinner that day, as well as MY FIRST TIME...making cookies from scratch. Be excited.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Episode 1

After skimming through some episode summaries on this season's anime shows, I gained an interest in animation studio Shaft's latest, Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Don't let the colorful promotional art fool you. Although it is indeed an "magical girl" show (like Sailor Moon or one of my favorites, Cardcaptor Sakura), Shaft and production staff promise a magical girl show with a dark twist, full of despair and strange visuals. If you hate magical girl shows like Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura, this isn't going to do anything (especially early on) that is going to make you change your mind. However, if you're at all interested, get ready for one hell of a ride. I'm going to talk freely about the show, so be warned about any spoilers.

Lunch to Go

So I don't always carry a lunch like this with me to class. But when I have leftovers from the night before, or when I have a lot of time in the morning, I like to put my lunch in a Japanese-style bento box that I own so that I may have lunch without having to return to my apartment or buying lunch. Hit the jump to see what's my lunch like today.

Crossing Rainbows

Sometimes I wake up and I feel like writing down some nice and simple words. Sometimes when I'm writing things like this, I feel like I'm getting diabetes. But it's nice to write down such words and maybe say them aloud every now and then.

New Name and French Fries

I've changed the name of my blog to "The Beautiful World." It is the subtitle of Kino's Journey, this wonderful anime that I own, and in a way it reflects my worldview. In Kino's Journey, the main character says, "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is." It does not mean that the world is devoid of beauty, nor that it's full of it. It means the ugliness of the world highlights the good things that we experience in life, though they may be few and far apart. Things like compassion, love, and hope still exist despite all of the brutality, loneliness, nonsense, oppression, and tragedy* that we may face.  It is that fact that makes this world beautiful. And with that in mind, I hope you continue to enjoy what I irregularly share from my life.

Once you're done reading all that, hit the jump for a look at my latest culinary creation.

Kimi ni Todoke Wallpaper

Just recently I discovered this glorious Kimi ni Todoke digital wallpaper. I'd like to share it with you now. Click on it for the 1440x900 version.

Two Months Away

After two months of no posts, I am finally back! What did I do today? Walked around the bookstore for an hour. I was trying to find some light reading for lunchtime, but I found no book that particularly caught my interest. Any suggestions?