R.I.P

well after a long time.

nice journals

Hey how have you been? Forever ago you said you felt like you were getting too old for K-Pop.. Do you still feel that way? Because that's where I'm at lately >___< Or maybe I'm just finally realizing how much of K-Pop is crap..

I am very happy thank you reply words.!(^^)!

hi lethal_bottle ,nice to meet you! thanx.!(^^)!

Y'alright mate, how's it going?

Hey! I'm terrible at keeping in touch. Not all that much to speak of, other than that I'm currently in the US on vacation, to celebrate the holidays with my wife's family. Have you got any interesting news? :)

beautiful photos you have in your tumblr!

parappa? cool game i used to play years a go

I'm listening to your track on Soundcloud and I really like it. It's definitely very "she." Also, I've told you this before but I fucking love your photography.

I've tried to make some dancey stuff like she on occasion, but I'm really not a great producer yet. I don't know much about making decent sounds from softsynths or mixing or anything. :\ Also, hardware is great. Just having a physical interface to directly interact with instead of using a mouse and stuff is a totally different experience.

For software I use Ableton Live. That's all I use for my regular music. For hardware I have a Korg R3 synth that can make all sorts of fun noises.

Your avatar brings back some sweet memories～ ^^

As for dubstep, it's never going to be a favorite genre of mine, I think. Electronic music has never really appealed to me, anyway, and the "harder" it is, the worse I tend to find it. Speaking of syncopation, give this song a listen. It is supposedly the most relaxing song in the world, and I truly recommend you listen to it with your eyes closed in a silent, calm environment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CySNhHVAokQ By the way, sorry I took so long to reply, I've been having computer issues, and I've been a bit busy and also sick this weekend.

There are certain micronutrients that are only available to us humans through eating animal products, the most prominent being Vitamin B12. Like I said, vegans can cheat and get B12 through supplements, but to me, that's just a perfect indication that we are meant to eat animals. However, you are right when you say that different people have different needs, and if being vegan helped your mom, all the more power to her. Still, in general, I think humans are meant to eat animals. I have rather strong opinions on food after having done a whole lot of research, but I won't bore you with most of it unless you show a lot of interest, because looking up all my sources of information is a bit of a hassle. (^_~) Still, if you truly are interested, I strongly recommend you read the book called "Good calories, bad calories" by Gary Taubes. It's a powerhouse of nutritional information, and among other things, he completely debunks the "saturated fats are bad for you" myth.

While there are problems with the meat industry, I see absolutely nothing wrong about eating animals in and of itself. We are predators, we are omnivores, and as you say, we evolved eating meat, and the current theory is, we evolved BECAUSE we ate meat. I also see nothing wrong about using by-products of meat eating (such as leather clothing) in and of itself; if we didn't, we'd just take the meat of the animal and throw the rest away; what is the point of doing that? Again, the meat industry is terrible, but if I owned a farm and kept my animals in a humane way, I would see absolutely nothing wrong about eating them and using their parts for clothing. When I said not eating meat is unhealthy, I included seafood in that, so since you eat seafood, you won't suffer any problems. It's also possible being lacto-ovo vegetarian and being healthy. Being vegan and staying healthy, however, is entirely impossible without cheating.

So hey, I'll tell you what I've learned so far in my Korean class. So far we've learned the following: Introducing oneself; 저는 알렉스입니다; 저는 노르웨이 사람입니다, asking questions; 이 책은 누구 책입니까?, stating the negative; 저는 일본 사람이 아닙니다, answering; 네, 가수입니다; 아니요, 가수가 아닙니다, some greetings; 안녕하세요?; 안녕히 주무셨어요?; 안녕히 주무세요; 안녕히 계세요; 안녕히 가세요; 안녕히 다녀오세요, the "this"/"that" forms; 이; 그; 저, using adjectives; 날씨가 나쁩니다, how to say "also"; 문이 있습니다. 창문도 있습니다, how to ask "then what about" (은/는 in question after negative answer); 잡지가 있습니까? 아니요, 없습니다. 사전은 있습니까?, positions; 안; 위; 밑/아래; 앞; 뒤; 옆; A와 B 사이; 물고기는 상자 안에 있습니다, location; 친구가 미국에 있습니다; 저는 학교에 갑니다, counting; 일/하나; 이/둘; 삼/셋; etc., how to join nouns (-하고); 가방하고 구두를 삽니다, and of course, a whole bunch of nouns, verbs and adjectives, some of which I've memorized, some of which I haven't. Despite having learned all this, I still feel like I can barely say anything. XD

I remember I used to be more like that back when I started middle school and trying to fit in, but I abandoned that notion around when I was 15-16, and since I've just listened to what truly catches my fancy. My two most favorite genres in music are symphonic/orchestral metal (Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Evanescence, Within Temptation, and others) and k-pop (a bit of a broad term, but you know which kind of k-pop I like), although my focus these days is clearly on the latter. The two styles may not seem to have much in common, but actually they do, both styles have a strong focus on harmonic, melodious music. To me, that's what matters the most, which is why I usually don't care about the language spoken in the music I listen to, because to me, the lyrics of a song is a second-class citizen. When it comes to Korean music, though, I got so interested in not only the music, but the girls in Soshi; eventually, I got a general interest in Korea, and now I'm trying to learn the language.

Eh, people can have whatever ideas they want. I'm very unpretentious when it comes to what music I like. I only pay attention to whether it actually appeals to me musically or not. At least initially, I don't care one single bit about a group's or artist's image. I first came across SNSD due to somebody linking to the Oh! music video on YouTube (although their link was meant to be negative, like "man, listen to this crap" kind of context) and no matter how cute they were, if the music hadn't appealed to me, I wouldn't have stuck with them long, at least not for their music. I know I can't speak for others, but I'm still certain I've come across people more than once who only listen to the music they do because it fits a certain style or mood that they are trying to fit into, either socially or for its own sake, without their actually enjoying said music much for its own sake.

Mm, I'm pretty sure I've seen DJ Krush mentioned here and there, so I'll probably check out some stuff eventually. Btw, if you like what you've heard from Nujabes, I recommend NOMAK and Michita. NOMAK's like Nujabes, but really heavy on piano melodies in his work and Michita collaborates with Japanese emcees rather than Americans. I always find it hard to choose a favourite in Soshi, but since I'm re-watching Invincible Youth these days (while waiting for the second season!) I'll have to say Sunny. She can be disgustingly adorable, but also pretty handy and reliable. She just simply fascinates me. xD

Haha, it makes me wanna try some stuff out, but I'm pretty fickle, so I better just leave my profile as customizable as it is, text-based. But yeah, I was sort of in a musical rut after a short-lived burst of sudden interest and concert-going, and I spent a few months not listening to anything because I just didn't feel like listening to the same stuff over and over again. So in May I did some back-tracking and remembered this one girl group video that was all the rage on the internet in 2009, which of course was Gee. I've checked out a few other songs by a few other groups etc, but I try to stick to just liking SNSD, their discography and TV appearances. I'm not sure I wanna invest the time that goes into getting to know other groups and KPOP isn't really my favorite genre, so yeah. Nowadays I also explore the musical landscapes of jazz and instrumental hip hop to balance out all the rock/metal and anime soundtracks I've been listening to these past 5 years, haha.

Hey, I like your profile! I haven't seen really seen people make PS(?) stuff for their profiles on here, the format is like 300px wide, haha. I also like the little I've seen of your photo-blog, so I'll probably check it out some more later.

Oh, don't get me started on how few hours there are in a day. I go to work and I come home and have dinner, and after that, I have about 4-5 hours a day to actually do something I'd like to do. Assuming my fiancée doesn't want my time, in which case I have even less time to do things like read. Recently I've spent most of that spare time practicing my Korean vocabulary, but that's just it, I only really have time to do one thing per day. I just happen to know a thing or two about alternative energy because it's something I've had an interest in in the past. Hydrogen, at least the way it is today, is something that has to be produced. Ideally we would be producing it using a renewable resource, like water power, wind power, solar power or wave power. Nuclear power can also be used, but it has the nuclear waste as an unfortunate side-product. I think nuclear power, if the waste is handled properly, is a safe and environmental choice for power, but there's so much fearmongering going on.

Well, of course it's about the girls and their hit songs. That is how every successful artist and band in the history of time got popular. You think even a timeless group like the Beatles would have succeeded the way they did if their music hadn't been so good or if they were a band of really ugly, repulsive guys? I, for one, do not believe that for a second. Success in music is all about hits and looks. If you lack both, you're very likely not to get very far. You can make it on only having one, but it's far less likely. I'm not going to deny my nature. I'm very attracted to the girls in Soshi (God, are they pretty...), and I would most certainly be lying if I said that their looks has nothing to do with how much I enjoy their music. I don't see this as a problem though, it is human nature to like attractive people, and I see no reason to try to fight that. :-P

I think I like most of Soshi's songs. Of course I have my favorites, which is their featured songs, plus a few others, but I don't think there's any of their songs that I don't like much. I've grown a little tired of their older music, since I've listened to it a few times too many, heh. If you look at my top tracks overall, the 7 top ones (skipping over the Sunny one) have been my favorites in the past. For some reason Genie isn't among them, and I can't really explain that one. It probably is my least favorite among their featured songs. I know that Soshi aren't musicians. After all, the definition of a musician is someone who plays an instrument or composes music professionally, and these girls don't play or compose their own music. I'm not sure I have a favorite musician, although I do like Regina Spektor quite a lot.

All right, I gave the dubstep song a listen. It is one of the better ones I've heard. In fact, it even grew a little on me. (^_^) However, I still feel like it would work best as background music in a fighting vido game, or some other kinds of action video games, as well as for an action movie scene, but not really something you would listen to as music in and of itself. This is just my opinion though, I do not mean to place objective judgement on any music; most people I know of would poke fun at my k-pop addiction, ESPECIALLY because I tend to favor the light "bubble-gum pop" style. It seems the accepted mainstream music today is r'n'b, hiphop and certain kinds of western pop. Of course, I don't give a crap what people think of my taste in music, I'm just saying I don't fit the template.

Okay, if that was plain gimbap, what is a mixed gimbap like? Right, right, you're a meat-avoider... I forget, was it because you simply don't like meat, or because you find eating meat to be morally wrong? Based on my knowledge, I believe not eating meat is unhealthy in the long term, but we don't have to have that discussion; it tends to get polarized and ugly, lol. Bibimbap looks and sounds delicious. I just hate how hard Korean food is to come by here. There's pretty much only one single Korean restaurant in this city, and ironically, they serve mostly Japanese dishes. I am pretty sure they did not have bibimbap there, but for all I know, their menu could have changed AND they may still make it if I ask for it, even though it's not listed as a menu item.

So you're saying SNSD is your favorite band, but you don't actually like their stuff that much? Seems just a little bit contradictory there, haha. I too hope that technology can advance in such a way that we can have our cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, the cynic (and perhaps realist) in me says there's no way it can be. The amount of energy the sun brings us is very limited, and let's face it, the energy we get from crude oil is like "concentrated sun", and we're using it up much much faster than it's being generated. If we could reduce our energy requirements while still keeping our lifestyles, that would be a different story. I especially like those hybrid cars, and I'm hoping they can make useful advances with hydrogen power. Also, if we figured out cold fusion (dunno if it's even possible) we'd be pretty set. Haha, I think it's fun that we have such diverse topics of conversation. I take it as a sign that we're global and intelligent persons. (^_~)

The gimbap had cucumber, ham and one more thing that I'm not sure what was in it, heh. Cheese, maybe? Or corn? Something yellow, anyhow. I don't know if that's a mix or plain or what? Well, I'll at least feel confident that if I have bulgogi (which is still my most favorite Korean food) it's grain-free. If only I could trust they cooked it in good oil as well... :-P Feel free to direct me at some of your favorite dubsteb, and I'll give it a listen. Maybe I've just not heard any of good quality. I don't like having preconceived notions, although I must admit that since all my encounters with dubsteb so far have been negative, I don't exactly seek out the stuff. Assuming I don't become a convert, I sure hope k-pop doesn't gravitate towards dubsteb, or if it does, that it's merely a short, temporary visit. I like k-pop just the way it is. (^_~) Yeah, I too hope they keep dubstep away from SNSD entirely.

hey, sorry to stalk you again, but i really have to say i love your current picture and about me ;>

Well, South Africa is probably the "whitest" of the African countries, having almost 10% whites. Yeah, you are probably right, I don't think there's anywhere in the world where there's an institutionalized racism against whites. Speaking of which, I'm just really sad there's racism at all. In danger of sounding like a hippie: Why can't we just all get along? Oh yes, we are lucky. We grew up and are living in a time of globalization, major technological breakthroughs every year, we have plenty of food, plenty of resources, there's the Internet, no world wars to speak of, everything is peachy. Not for everyone, of course, but definitely for us. I really do wonder if there will ever be something close to global equality. If the entire continent of Africa were to start living like we do, the Earth couldn't possibly keep up with the resource requirements. Man, this is what happens when I get started... now I've written you three shouts at once, haha. (^_^)

When I finally get to visit Korea, I will most certainly try the local cuisine. I'm mostly worried that I can't properly make it clear that my food must not have been made using grains. It's too bad you don't like The Boys like I do, but our tastes in music are decidedly different. I find dubsteb to be an awful genre of music, while you seem to like it. My most favorite SNSD albums are Oh! and The Boys. You seem to like their mini-albums, I seem to like their major albums. (^_~) I don't really take time to keep up with the girls. I pay attention to their new releases (I've pre-ordered every album since Oh!), but I don't watch the TV shows they have, or have been in, nor do I watch their TV performances or concert videos. I don't find it worth my time. Maybe I will find it more worthwhile when my Korean has gotten good enough that I can watch without subtitles. I hate having to rely on subtitles.

Avatar is... pale. (^_~) Yes, I have tried new Korean foods! One of the Korean classes was replaced with a small Chuseok celebration, and all the Korean teachers and management made Korean dishes for us students to try out. I brought the chopsticks you sent me a while ago, and ate using those, haha. (^_~) Don't ask me to name most of the dishes though, I have a very bad memory of what their names were. However, I know I had bulgogi and kimchi for sure. Then, something that people referred to as "Korean sushi"... I think it was called gimbap? Also, a kind of "pancake" made out of potatoes. There were also other dishes, but since I have given up grains (although I still occasionally have rice and corn; as they are almost innocent), I think most of them were not an option for me. May have been too spicy last time, but this time I was fine. (^_^)

Yeah, no point in thinking much of that incident. While it is human nature to focus on a single negative aspect among a multitude of good aspects (such as caring much more about the single criticism someone gave instead of all the praise you instead got from others), the fact that you've only had one bad experience in two years speaks volumes. I didn't have any preconceived notion about the degree of racism in Korea. I was merely curious about your experience, because here in the West, if you're white, you're never the recipient of racism, at least not commonly, whereas I imagine if you travel to places where whites are the minority, the possibility of receiving racism increases quite substantially. Best of luck with telling Yelim's parents. (^_^)

hey how have you been? :D have you heard you-aholic by snsd? *_*

I love your music taste~ <3

nice music taste ^_________^

Nice music collection!

Yeahh.. it is very interesting music in my ears :)

Thx accepted.. SUPERR..

Hey bro it's Josh. As my old computer got a virus I had to start my music collection again, so I thought I might as well start a new last.fm too. Looking forward to Sunday!

you're welcome

your tumblr is amazing, js.

hmm, i wonder if you still remember me. i bet you don't, but how are you anyway? :3

do you know any other korean artists like 한희정? how was her concert btw? oh and have you heard 이효리 new single? it's soo pretty *_*

good taste; beautiful blog; carry on.

now you're just way too modest, the fact that a photo is technically great doesn't necessarily make it stand out, yours just got this special something, every single one tells a story i'm totally absorbed in <3 you should totally make an official fb page, i'd like (love, there should be an additional 'you can't love anything better than i love this' button on such occasions) it immediately and spam all my friends with it x] gosh, once again i flooded your shout box, i definitely talk too much, sorry >_>

*lol, now i'm probably being intrusive, but that shout over there needs an update, the photos are obviously stunning, but so is everything you write, so unpretentious and simple, yet warmingly amusing, you've got a gift ^^ and you totally made my day with the lubricant story, i laughed so hard that everyone around wanted to kill me (oh, ok, apparently people sleep at night, good to know that :p) anyway, thank you so much and keep it up, you've just made a new follower, who's really really excited to hear more <3

i'm sorry to bother you, just don't pay attention to me, but i just have to say how much i adore your photos, i just can't get enough of them, i was supposed to go to bed like a few hours ago, cause it's getting 4am in here, but i simply can't , korea seems to be too fascinating to leave it ;)