Life, Travel, Anime, Writing, and Relationships and not in that particular order...
Hello cruel LJworld, how ya doin'?
My last two weekends have been totally busy and all encompassing. The weekend of the 21st I finally did my young engineers training seminar and it went very well. The open bar at the Flying Saucer helped greased the wheels a little too. Overall I impressed everyone within the engineering society from the Prez to the Board of Directors, so I'm glad my crap shot worked. I had a feeling it would have. Actually for how much stress I put myself through with this thing, I hardly felt much during the actual event itself. With the exception of the attendees bitching at me because I didn't order enough pizza for them (even though we weren't suppose to and I paid for it out of my own damn pocket, ungrateful bastards). I was almost numb the entire time, heck, I feel numb about it right now. I haven't gotten that satisfying feeling of accomplishment like I usually do whenever I complete something like this. I wonder what's up with me.
Then I got busy this weekend with IFest, which was fun for the most part I just wished they had more stuff on the country they were suppose to be featuring. Heck it looked like they had more stuff devoted to Jamaica than China itself. The Shaolin Kung Fu demo was probably the highlight of the day. I also had a chance to hang out and go drinking with Dan which was a blast. Not sure if he could say the same though.
Anyway, that's just a quick update of things going on in my life other than a few trips I'm planning on taking in the next few months, but then again I've been taking them so often it's almost fruitless to keep mentioning them. Ugh, anyone want any extra responsibility I can dump off on them?
On to what was on my mind today. Anime. After attending the trainwreck that was Anime Matsuri on Sat, I began to wonder what it is that I like about anime. I mean honestly I'm not sure what it is about it that just attracts me. During the con, I couldn't help but feel rather detached from the rest of the con goers' enthusiasm. I mean I like it, but I don't *like* it like most of those fans do. I don't think it's the exotic aspect of it that I find intriguing because there are a good number of anime that annoy the worthless fuck out of me and there are a few, after having a good handle of the culture that was producing it, were awfully cliché. Also, I don't think it's the rather perverted nature of most anime (though I admit, they have the boob jiggle down to a science) since well they don't add anything to a plot (BUT I wouldn't put it past the Japanese to try) and it feels gratuitous. And I mean come on; there are only so many minutes in a show you can devote to boob jiggling. Again yes, if you were to tell me they tried, I would believe you.
Really, I think it's the fact that Japanese produced anime isn't afraid to touch on more 'adult' themes or totally limit themselves to the status quo as shows that are produced here. I guess what it is I like about anime and really animation in general is the freedom of creativity. Literally, there are tons of new anime shows coming out every year and with all the competition the creators of these shows try to find anyway to make their show stick out and get noticed. So what you get are pretty imaginative storylines that take you all over the place with its own rules it abides by. That's not to say everything they do is 'full of win' as the kids like to say, but it's much more refreshing than seeing the same damn thing done over and over again because it fits the general demographic like you see here in the States. However I would be the first to admit I think that's changing and for that I'm grateful. So I guess that explains my interest in anime and why I keep my ears perked for what's going on with it.
That's all. I just wanted to get it out of my system since the anime con left me feeling... odd. It just made me get reflective and question what it is I was doing there in the first place. Feel free to taunt and jeer. I'm used to it by now.
But anime does segue nicely into another topic that's been on my mind for awhile. As most of you know I love to write and it just so happens I like to write anime fanfiction (again with the taunting and jeering). At first it started out as a way to see more good stories involving characters I liked, but gradually it grew into an exercise into the whole creative process. Now I'm more interested to see how another author interpreted certain aspects of a story or character or to see how an author can reinvent a fictional world. Many of you would say, why don't you just read the stuff they have in book stores? Well, because this is cheaper and the other thing I like about fanfiction is the availability of the writers themselves. The one thing I absolutely love about it is the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other writers. If there's any part of the creative process I like the most in writing is the initial brainstorming and structuring of a story.
Also another thing that's fascinates me about writing is the realty vs fiction of relationships. I find it particularly interesting to see how other authors tackle different relationship or even how they develop. Same for anime and shows though it's not quite as in depth as you would see in prose. Also, in my own writing, it's interesting to explore the what's and why's two characters get along or become something even more intimate. It's funny really, what's considered cliché when it comes to relationships? I mean in real life they can and do develop the way some stories portray them (I said some not all) so it's hard to put your finger on a general situation and say it's cliché. Sometimes I would accuse an author of being lazy with some relationships, but even in some of the more preposterous scenarios, I'd have a hard time shooting it down completely.
So what's to say you can't hold you suspense of disbelief for a relationship? Usually it boils down to personal preference which has been driving me crazy lately since I've been exploring this concept in my own writing. What's to say a relationship is totally unbelievable if you've got enough lead up to make it work? For some reason that just doesn't seem right like there should be some kind of natural law that governs what we deem as rational or irrational and not something left to the whim of the author themselves. But then again that’s the ultimate expression of the creative freedom. Plus, we're talking about people and their emotions and those are two things we in the analytical world have a hard time coming to grips with. So maybe that might be what I'm coming to grips with in my own writing as well as my fascination with anime. Huh. Funny how that works.
Welp at this point, I think that I'm writing this more for myself than for general consumption. So, I think for the benefit of everyone out there I'll put this under a cut and save most of you the trouble of scrolling past this long rambling juggernaut of a post. Anyway, I'm not expecting many comments on this post but if you want to chit chat about anything I said above go right on ahead.
One last thing, since this has been so popular amongst all you cool LJ kids. I'll do a song quote, but I won't attach a YouTube link to said video. That's just ghu-heyyy. ;P Anyway I was going through my old CDs I haven't listened to for awhile and rediscovered this song. It's one of the few songs I like both lyrically and rhythmically. Enjoy folks.
5 Years by Bjork
You think you're denying me of something
Well I've got plenty
You're the one who's missing out
But you won't notice
'Til after five years
If you'll live that long
You'll wake up
All loveless
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
I'm so bored with cowards
That say they want
Then they can't handle
You can't handle love
You can't handle love
You just can't handle
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
What's so scary ?
Not a threat in sight
You just can't handle
You can't handle love
You can't handle love, baby
You can't handle love
It's obvious
You can't handle
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
I'm so bored of cowards
That say they want
Then they can't handle
You can't handle love, baby
You can't handle love,
It's obvious
You can't handle
I dare you, I dare you
I dare you, I dare you
My last two weekends have been totally busy and all encompassing. The weekend of the 21st I finally did my young engineers training seminar and it went very well. The open bar at the Flying Saucer helped greased the wheels a little too. Overall I impressed everyone within the engineering society from the Prez to the Board of Directors, so I'm glad my crap shot worked. I had a feeling it would have. Actually for how much stress I put myself through with this thing, I hardly felt much during the actual event itself. With the exception of the attendees bitching at me because I didn't order enough pizza for them (even though we weren't suppose to and I paid for it out of my own damn pocket, ungrateful bastards). I was almost numb the entire time, heck, I feel numb about it right now. I haven't gotten that satisfying feeling of accomplishment like I usually do whenever I complete something like this. I wonder what's up with me.
Then I got busy this weekend with IFest, which was fun for the most part I just wished they had more stuff on the country they were suppose to be featuring. Heck it looked like they had more stuff devoted to Jamaica than China itself. The Shaolin Kung Fu demo was probably the highlight of the day. I also had a chance to hang out and go drinking with Dan which was a blast. Not sure if he could say the same though.
Anyway, that's just a quick update of things going on in my life other than a few trips I'm planning on taking in the next few months, but then again I've been taking them so often it's almost fruitless to keep mentioning them. Ugh, anyone want any extra responsibility I can dump off on them?
On to what was on my mind today. Anime. After attending the trainwreck that was Anime Matsuri on Sat, I began to wonder what it is that I like about anime. I mean honestly I'm not sure what it is about it that just attracts me. During the con, I couldn't help but feel rather detached from the rest of the con goers' enthusiasm. I mean I like it, but I don't *like* it like most of those fans do. I don't think it's the exotic aspect of it that I find intriguing because there are a good number of anime that annoy the worthless fuck out of me and there are a few, after having a good handle of the culture that was producing it, were awfully cliché. Also, I don't think it's the rather perverted nature of most anime (though I admit, they have the boob jiggle down to a science) since well they don't add anything to a plot (BUT I wouldn't put it past the Japanese to try) and it feels gratuitous. And I mean come on; there are only so many minutes in a show you can devote to boob jiggling. Again yes, if you were to tell me they tried, I would believe you.
Really, I think it's the fact that Japanese produced anime isn't afraid to touch on more 'adult' themes or totally limit themselves to the status quo as shows that are produced here. I guess what it is I like about anime and really animation in general is the freedom of creativity. Literally, there are tons of new anime shows coming out every year and with all the competition the creators of these shows try to find anyway to make their show stick out and get noticed. So what you get are pretty imaginative storylines that take you all over the place with its own rules it abides by. That's not to say everything they do is 'full of win' as the kids like to say, but it's much more refreshing than seeing the same damn thing done over and over again because it fits the general demographic like you see here in the States. However I would be the first to admit I think that's changing and for that I'm grateful. So I guess that explains my interest in anime and why I keep my ears perked for what's going on with it.
That's all. I just wanted to get it out of my system since the anime con left me feeling... odd. It just made me get reflective and question what it is I was doing there in the first place. Feel free to taunt and jeer. I'm used to it by now.
But anime does segue nicely into another topic that's been on my mind for awhile. As most of you know I love to write and it just so happens I like to write anime fanfiction (again with the taunting and jeering). At first it started out as a way to see more good stories involving characters I liked, but gradually it grew into an exercise into the whole creative process. Now I'm more interested to see how another author interpreted certain aspects of a story or character or to see how an author can reinvent a fictional world. Many of you would say, why don't you just read the stuff they have in book stores? Well, because this is cheaper and the other thing I like about fanfiction is the availability of the writers themselves. The one thing I absolutely love about it is the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other writers. If there's any part of the creative process I like the most in writing is the initial brainstorming and structuring of a story.
Also another thing that's fascinates me about writing is the realty vs fiction of relationships. I find it particularly interesting to see how other authors tackle different relationship or even how they develop. Same for anime and shows though it's not quite as in depth as you would see in prose. Also, in my own writing, it's interesting to explore the what's and why's two characters get along or become something even more intimate. It's funny really, what's considered cliché when it comes to relationships? I mean in real life they can and do develop the way some stories portray them (I said some not all) so it's hard to put your finger on a general situation and say it's cliché. Sometimes I would accuse an author of being lazy with some relationships, but even in some of the more preposterous scenarios, I'd have a hard time shooting it down completely.
So what's to say you can't hold you suspense of disbelief for a relationship? Usually it boils down to personal preference which has been driving me crazy lately since I've been exploring this concept in my own writing. What's to say a relationship is totally unbelievable if you've got enough lead up to make it work? For some reason that just doesn't seem right like there should be some kind of natural law that governs what we deem as rational or irrational and not something left to the whim of the author themselves. But then again that’s the ultimate expression of the creative freedom. Plus, we're talking about people and their emotions and those are two things we in the analytical world have a hard time coming to grips with. So maybe that might be what I'm coming to grips with in my own writing as well as my fascination with anime. Huh. Funny how that works.
Welp at this point, I think that I'm writing this more for myself than for general consumption. So, I think for the benefit of everyone out there I'll put this under a cut and save most of you the trouble of scrolling past this long rambling juggernaut of a post. Anyway, I'm not expecting many comments on this post but if you want to chit chat about anything I said above go right on ahead.
One last thing, since this has been so popular amongst all you cool LJ kids. I'll do a song quote, but I won't attach a YouTube link to said video. That's just ghu-heyyy. ;P Anyway I was going through my old CDs I haven't listened to for awhile and rediscovered this song. It's one of the few songs I like both lyrically and rhythmically. Enjoy folks.
5 Years by Bjork
You think you're denying me of something
Well I've got plenty
You're the one who's missing out
But you won't notice
'Til after five years
If you'll live that long
You'll wake up
All loveless
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
I'm so bored with cowards
That say they want
Then they can't handle
You can't handle love
You can't handle love
You just can't handle
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
What's so scary ?
Not a threat in sight
You just can't handle
You can't handle love
You can't handle love, baby
You can't handle love
It's obvious
You can't handle
I dare you
To take me on
I dare you
To show me your palms
I'm so bored of cowards
That say they want
Then they can't handle
You can't handle love, baby
You can't handle love,
It's obvious
You can't handle
I dare you, I dare you
I dare you, I dare you