I’m having a hard time doing the writing for this week. A Tale For The Time Being was extremely emotional for me, and I’m afraid that none of my writing will do justice to the connections I’ve been making. Suicide is a raw spot for me, a person who holds great significance in my life killed themself in January of last year. This was someone who was at one point my partner, and also someone who was extremely violent. Suicide humanized this person to me, and completely changed the ways that I think about our actions within structures of violence. I spend a lot of time wondering about ghosts. About hauntings. They’re contagious. Aokigahra, the suicide forest that is mentioned in A Tale For The Time Being used to be a regular forest. It wasn’t until the 1960s that Seicho Matsumoto wrote a novel where the main characters killed themselves in Aokigahra, and ever since it’s been a popular spot for suicide. Once the thought got into peoples’ heads it just spread and spread. Nao gets the chance to speak to the spirit of Haruki #1, but i believe that it’s not only ghosts of humans that can haunt you. A phrase, a painting, a video, an idea can haunt you. It gets in you, and changes you. How do you think Seicho Matsumoto felt after realizing that his book haunted so many people? His idea dispersed until it changed the narrative, even the name of the forest. I can already tell that A Tale For the Time Being is going to haunt me for awhile, and I think i’m ok with that.
Music: More Deerhoof
Yes I decided to post some more Deerhoof tracks because this band is great and I’d like to show some variety in their sound. I’m still exploring their discography as they have many albums and, thanks to procrastination, it’s taken me years! The band itself is an acquired taste to be sure and I don’t expect everybody to get into Satomi’s vocal style. It took me a while to get into this band at first, and sometimes I still have to be in the mood for it, but once it clicked it really clicked. They are a bit of a weird band, but that’s what makes them great in my opinion. Deerhoof is a band that embodies different approaches to recording depending on the album at hand. Their early stuff was more “lo-fi” and felt like band in a room, playing the shit out these songs. An earlier record called Apple O, which introduced me to the band years ago, displays this rougher side. The song Dummy Discards a Heart is like a punch to the ears, but is one of the classic Deerhoof songs. The video I found of the song has some dude dancing in it, so look pass that. Instead you could watch a couple Japanese kids jam out to this song in a little room. It’s really up to you!
Deerhoof began to expand their sound with 2004′s Milk Man, but really became more studio-centric after 2007′s Friend Opportunity. I already posted The Perfect Me, but another track that demonstrates Deerhoof’s studio playfulness is a song called +81, which sounds so angular you can feel the crunch. Another favorite is The Galaxist, which recalls a drifting sound that reminded me of old 1970s prog bands. In 2011′s Deerhoof vs. Evil, the band took a poppier route, creating an album that was more accessible. They started moving steadily away from the simple guitar/bass/drums/vocals combo to pursue songs and ideas outside their usual make up. A song like Super Duper Rescue Heads is much catchier and immediate than past deerhoof material, but still feels like it’s from the same band. There’s also track on the record in which Satomi sings in spanish which makes it pretty unique and it’s just a great song – Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia. It this kind of cross cultural influence that makes Deerhoof pretty unique compared to their peers. There’s also a playfulness and experimentation that defines Deerhoof and reminds me of groups like Pavement in that they never make the same record twice. Hell, they have two songs named “Flower” and both sound completely different from one another. Compare the “Flower” (2003) from Apple O and the “Flower” (2012) from the most recent record Breakup Song – there are definite differences of course, being a decade gap, and you can see the evolution in the newer track. However, there’s still a common thread that still makes each song sound like Deerhoof – the sporadic drumming, angular guitar playing, Satomi’s unique vocal style, as well as the odd song structures bring it all under one banner. So I’ll end this post with another track from Deerhoof vs. Evil. It’s called Behold a Marvel in the Darkness and it’s a catchier song, not to mention a favorite of mine.
Week 8 Notes; Asian Pacific Islander News, Ozeki pages 109-403, and Class Notes
Asian Pacific Islander News- Easter Island News:
Article Title: “Easter Island Diet Consisted Of Rats But Not Seafood, New Study Shows”
“To determine the diet of its past inhabitants, researchers analyzed the nitrogen and carbon isotopes, or atoms of an element with different numbers of neutrons, from the teeth (specifically the dentin) of 41 individuals whose skeletons had been previously excavated on the island. To get an idea of what the islanders ate before dying, the researchers then compared the isotope values with those of animal bones excavated from the island. [Photos of Walking Easter Island Statues]
Additionally, the researchers were able to radiocarbon date 26 of the teeth remains, allowing them to plot how the diet on the island changed over time. Radiocarbon dating works by measuring the decay of carbon-14 allowing a date range to be assigned to each individual; it’s a method commonly used in archaeology on organic material. The research was published recently online in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
(Polynesian Rat)
The researchers found that throughout time, the people on the island consumed a diet that was mainly terrestrial. In fact, in the first few centuries of the island’s history (up to about A.D. 1650) some individuals used Polynesian rats (also known as kiore) as their main source of protein. The rat is somewhat smaller than European rats and, according to ethnographic accounts, tasty to eat.”
(Read full story at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/easter-island-diet-rats-seafood_n_3997363.html)
(Picture taken fromhttp://thewebsiteofeverything.com/img/Polynesian_rat.jpg)
Ozeki pages 109-203:
“That life with my family if the dream” he says. He gestures toward the ruined landscape. “This is the reality. Everything is gone. We need to wake up and understand that” p. 112
“From so high up, the whales looked small. They used them for target practice. “It was fun,” the man told Callie over the phone. “What did we know?” p. 117 Similar to kids bullying Nao.
“When he ran out of cigarettes, he would walk back again and sneak into the apartment. I always heard the clank of the bolt on the front door, because I waited for it. The bolt in the latch broke the spell. I couldn’t move until I heard it” p. 128
“In the shadows of the bathhouse, watching her pale crooked body rise from the steam in the dark wooden tub, I thought she looked ghostly- part ghost, part child, part young girl, part sexy woman, and part yamamba, all at once. All the ages and stages, combined into a single female time being” p. 166
“Feeling is the important part. You don’t have to make a big deal out of it” p. 167
p. 178-179: different versions of World War II.
Ozeki pages 204-304:
“The world of the diary was growing increasingly strange and unreal. She didn’t know what to make of the girl’s ghost story. Did Nao really believe what she was writing?” p. 227
“Well, maybe that’s the wrong way to put it, but I’m thinking that if everything your looking for disappears, maybe you should stop looking. Maybe you should focus on what’s tangible in the here and now” p. 232 -Quantum element
“Missing things upset her. Missing price tags. Missing memories. Missing parts of her life” p. 222
“Jiko says that this is an example of the time being. Sound and no-sound. Thunder and silence” p. 238 -Drum playing
“Falling Man” a time being p. 268
p. 272- What was waitress afraid of?
“Now, you did you say we are at war with?” p. 273- Ruth’s mother.
“They could break my body but they wouldn’t break my spirit. They were only shadows, and as I listened to them arguing, I felt my face relax into a gentle smile” p. 277
journal causing tension between Ruth and Oliver p. 295
Ozeki pages 305-403 (and appendices):
“know what?” “About why her dad got fired! She doesn’t know that he’s a man of conscience. We have to” p. 314
“My last thoughts, measured out in drops of ink” p. 317- Haruki #1 one letter for show, the other for truth.- Reminds me of how Ruth paces herself when reading Nao’s diary.
“Like her, we must keep our studies even as civilization collapses around us” p. 317- Haruki #1- I totally agree
“At one point in my life, I learned how to think. I used to know how to feel. In war, these are lessons best forgotten” p. 319- Haruki #1- Reminds me of how my grandfather would talk about World War II.
‘When I woke, my body must have hurt, but I couldn’t feel the pain. Instead, I was enveloped in a warm sensation of peace, which comes from the knowledge of inner power” p. 321- Haruki #1 -Similar to Nao’s sexual assault coping.
“I write this in the shadows. I write this in the moonlight, straining my ears to hear beyond the cold mechanical clock to the warm biological noises of the night, but my being us attuned only to one thing, the relentless rhythm of time marching toward my death” p. 322- Haruki #1
I have always believe that this war is wrong. I have always despised the capitalist greed and imperialist hubris that have motivated it. And now, knowing what I do about the depravity with which this war has been waged, I am determined to do my utmost to steer my plane away from my target and into the sea. Better to do battle with the waves, who may yet forgive me. I do not feel like a person who is going to die tomorrow. I feel like a person who is already dead.” p. 328- Haruki #1- waves part is similar to Nao beating up the waves.
Are Ruth and Nao somehow the same person?
“In the superimposed photograph, the tiger would appear to be a blur or smear. In a microscopic quantum universe, governed by the principle of superposition, the tiger is the smear” p. 414. -Like the “Falling Man”.
“The Moon and the Finger” p. 416- seen in Enter the Dragon film.
“Please burn me and Don’t File Me” p. 418- interesting…..
“I mean, if she stops writing to us, then maybe we stop being too” p. 344…”His voice seemed farther away now. Was it her ears or the storm?” p. 344- I don’t think Ruth’s world is real.
Did Ruth travel through time in dream? p. 353. Talked to father and put Haruki #1 letters in Haruki #1 box. Letters ended up there for real. Why did Nao’s ending go blank/her fate? Why was Ruth in charge of changing Nao’s fate?
Harry creates the Mu-Mu obliterator p. 382. Was Harry really in charge of Nao’s fate then, and he used Mu-Mu obliterator? Or maybe both Harry and Ruth were in charge somehow.
Was pesto meant to die as well?
Maybe answer to book is quantum mechanics?
“Maybe it’s possible that in one of these worlds, Haruki #2 figured out how to build his Q-Mu and get objects in that world to interact with this one. Maybe he’s figured out how to use quantum entanglement to make parallel worlds talk to one another and exchange information” p. 395. – Oliver talking to Ruth
“(For one crazy moment, I thought that monograph I found online might even be yours, but it vanished before I could discover who wrote it)” p. 402
Class Notes:
Halving the Bones: Narrator- Ruth Ozeki: “Over the years she had forgotten how to be a daughter”- Sounds like Nao with her father.
“In Japan people think I’m always American, and when I’m in America people always think I’m Japanese” -Ruth Ozeki
Ozeki interview: Doesn’t think of issues in her book as “issues.” “It’s not like you set out to write funny” -Ruth Ozeki-author of A Tale for the Time Being
Uganda News:
Uganda passes Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014. Death penalty proposal dropped in favor of life in prison. Signed by the President of Uganda on February 24, 2014. The bill even makes renting an apartment next to an LGBT person and not informing on them to authorities a crime punishable up to five years in prison. (Information found from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/20/uganda-anti-homosexuality-law_n_4478602.html)
Significant black population in Nova Scotia and England due to blacks escaping slavery and aftermath of fighting in American Revolutionary War. During War more blacks fought for British side than American side. British lost and many blacks went to Canada and England.
Mississippi Masala
I’m surprised I never saw this movie, but I found it to be very enjoyable especially after My Name is Khan which I didn’t really like at all. Mississippi Masala just felt more endearing and I enjoyed the message of the film. I like the pairing of African American and Indian American at the center of the film as it’s a romance hardly seen on the silver screen. Setting it in Mississippi as well, considering the history of racial tension, was a good choice for setting because it contrasts greatly with story of the film, creating conflict. Mississippi Masala shares a ton of similarities with other films we’ve watched and the themes it conveys are what we talk about often – identity crisis, generational conflict, etc. It seems to me that the conflict between parent and child is perhaps the strongest theme throughout all the films we watched. Both Demetrius and Mina are held back by their rigid family values, but ultimately decide to say “screw it” and make a life for themselves.
I also thought it was interesting how the film portrays racism but in a way you never see very often, in terms of it not being white/black or American/Japanese. The division between Mina’s father and Demetrius only emphasizes this aspect, which is why I like when Demetrius confronts Mina’s father about the color of his skin, basically saying that there’s really little difference between us, and that this categorization of skin color is superficial at best. His past history in Uganda and getting expelled from his home country gives him reason to feel as he does, but I’m glad that Demetrius and Mina decide to stay together despite the pasts of their families. Someone in our class said that they kept expecting something crazy to happen, and I have to agree considering some of the other films we’ve watched (Better Luck Tomorrow for example) have dipped into the darkness, so the fact that this did not happen in this film makes it more unique in my opinion – this is about other things.
A Tale for the Time Being: Communication
At the crux of the novel, it’s the communication between Nao and Ruth which carry the spirit of the story and, of course, give us something to read. Communication, or lack of, is a HUGE component of A Tale for the Time Being. There are many forms of communication throughout the story, such as the diary, talking or texting, but also more abstract forms of communication. For example, diaries are typically very personal things, but Nao’s is different – it’s inviting, mysterious and yearns to tell a story in itself. She is directly talking to whoever or whatever is in contact with her diary, be it the reader or the dustbin on the street. Nao is very determined to share her tragic point of view with anyone who is willing to read. It’s in my experience that depression or sadness often results in a “cry for help” even if it’s not apparent. It seems to me that due to the lack of communication between Nao and her parents, this diary is exactly that – a cry for help, a way to make sense of bad circumstances.
I view it almost as a psychological case-study, looking at an individual who suffers from bullying and neglect. I also find the visions Nao seems to have – such as Haruki #1′s ghost – to perhaps be extensions of this? Viewing it from another angle, Haruki’s ghost could be an extension of her feelings for her father considering she goes to great lengths to compare the two Harukis. And if it’s a real ghost, than perhaps communication from the afterlife is a valid answer. Ruth’s own memoir also serves a form of communication, as I interpret it as a much more “official” form Nao’s diary, albeit unfinished. Ruth’s dreams of Jiko, like Haruki’s ghost, serve as an otherworldly form of communication – perhaps it’s Ruth’s subconscious communicating with her. Maybe it’s Nao’s spirit making connection with Ruth? I mean if Nao’s fate is left unanswered, than we could theorize that perhaps Nao did die and maybe this is her way to reaching out to Ruth? I have no idea, but I like to speculate on these kinds of things.
My Feel Better Soup :3
A recipe for what I call, egg-drop ramen. This recipe changes based on what ingredients I have on hand.
This time it includes:
- 1 pack of Ichiban Ramen, Chicken Flavor
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Roasted Garlic
- 2 eggs
- Turkey Luchmeat
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
- Red Pepper flakes
- Thyme
- Black Pepper
- Cut your vegetables! Cut the carrots into rounds, cut your cabbage to your preference (I just tore it into pieces), and chop your garlic to however fine you want it!
- Fill a pot with enough water to immerse your vegetables and noodles (don’t put them in yet), and heat it until it boils.
- Add your vegetables, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, turkey, thyme, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Let this boil for about 5ish minutes. It won’t take long.
- Add in your noodles, seasoning packet, and oyster sauce. Let it cook for three minutes.
- Your noodles are almost done! You just need to add in the eggs. You will have to stir based on how big you want your egg bits to be. For bigger egg bits, wait for a moment then stir slowly. For smaller almost nonexistant egg bits, stir quickly and immediately after you add the egg.
And voila! You’ve successfully created my version of Egg Drop Ramen (aka Feel Better Soup, aka Broke College Student Who’s Tired of Plain Ramen’s Delight)! This is a very filling meal and the best part is, you can interchange ingredients based on your needs! I make it like this when I’m feeling sick or if I have friends over because it’s easy to mass produce.
Enjoy~! I know I will!
My style???
“Control yourself, let others do what they will.This does not mean you are weak.Control your heart, obey the principles of life.This does not mean others are stronger.”
Rules:
- Focus to train and condition the body.
- Be righteous and uphold your honor.
- Respect your parents, honor your teacher.
- Treat others with honesty, treat your friends with loyalty.
This is the way of the Dragon style. I feel I relate to this style most due to the fact that I try my best to live my life the way a practitioner of this style would. I have a bit of trouble with the focus and my type of training is most likely different. While researching this subject I found it interesting that this was the style that the firebending style in Avatar: The Last Airbender was based off of this particular martial art. The series has been a major part of my life, and I have actually had to represent the element of fire using this style for a previous class.
Click here to view the embedded video.
There are two forms of the Dragon style, a Northern (as mentioned in the video) and Southern.
“In both the Northern and Southern Dragon Style systems, leg work is characterized by a zig-zag motion that mimics the imagined movement of the mythical Chinese dragon. In Southern style, smaller strides are emphasized to complement the system’s short range combat style. In the Northern system, the strides are greater, utilizing the strength of the legs to move in and out of the opponent’s range of attack with speed and force.”
Based on this description, I would be best fitted for Southern Dragon Style.
Sources:
http://www.americanshaolinkungfu.org/shaolinAnimalStyles.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Shaolin_(martial_art)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Dragon_Kung_Fu
– My obsession “FOOD”
As my last obsession post, I’d like to talk about Kobe Beef. As I said in Hello Kitei page, one of the things which I was surprised since I came here was that everyone knew the word; “Kobe” as “Kobe Beef.” “I’m from Kobe in Japan.” When I introduce myself, most people look like they don’t know the name. So, I add to say “do you know Kobe Beef? It’s from Kobe.” To do so, everyone say “oh, I know Kobe Beef!” and I can keep conversation with them. This is one of my way to talk with new people. However, today I have to apologize for them because I told a lie. I found that the Kobe Beef which everyone knows is not from Kobe in Japan. All of Kobe Beefs which we can have in America are from here!!!
According to American business magazine; Forbes, “The single most important element of my original piece was the fact (as in fact, not opinion) that no beef from Japan, not one ounce in any form, was allowed to be imported into this country by the USDA, starting back in 2009. ” Nevertheless, some restaurants say “Kobe Beef” in their menu. The fact is very interesting, because if I see the word when I go to restaurants, I must be proud of it. “Oh, my home town is here!” However, the beef isn’t “神戸牛(Kobe Beef).” It is Kobe Beef which is new brand basing on 神戸牛. So, if you want to have the original Kobe Beef, I recommend you to come to Kobe. (Actually, I’d like to say it. Please visit me after you have it, or we can go there together…)
In this quarter, I’m glad to research about foods as my obsession. First, I told about Japanese Sushi culture, and when I compared with American Sushi culture, I found that there were a lot of differences between Japanese foods and Japanese American foods. I could find Japanese American foods still had Japanese traditional foods culture even though they looked like different, and they were changing as new foods culture. Before I researched about foods, I had thought Japanese foods in America shouldn’t have said Japanese foods. However, now I change my mind. I’m glad to have Japanese foods here, because it’s amazing that Japanese culture has come to America and many people love it.
Jhene Aiko
Jhene Aiko (full name Jhene Aiko Efuru Chilombo) is a mixed raced up and coming recording artist who has worked with Drake, Big Sean, Childish Gambino and several other artist. Yes, her music drew me into but I couldn’t see her name and relate it back to our pop culture class. Her mother is Japanese, Spanish and and Dominican. Her father is African American, Yaqui, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, and German Jewish.
But don’t take my word for it, listen to it yourself
Loss
Hi Kayla, 
Hi, do you remember me? I know it’s been a while since we’ve emailed each other but I wanted to open up to you and honestly tell you about how much I miss you and Sunnyvale and how hard life has been since I moved back to Japan. I decided to be honest with you because I know that although you might read this, it probably won’t sink into your head or you’ll probably just ignore it like you had been doing with the last few emails I sent you a while ago. I don’t even know if this is your email address anymore to be honest.
I know before I told you about Japan’s crazy fashion, but to be perfectly honest, I really don’t have the sort of money to afford those sorts of clothing, as a matter of fact, as cute as you may have found my school uniform, I actually get made fun of a lot because my classmates think I look weird in it. They tease me a lot. They say I smell like a foreigner so I thought it would be best if I didn’t send you a “manga style” uniform because I think you’d probably get made fun of for wearing it a lot and you would probably smell like a foreigner like me.
I really miss Sunnyvale and I think Dad misses it too. I am feeling so lost right now because I don’t have any friends here like I did in Sunnyvale but even then, lately I’ve been questioning the sort of friendships I had back home and have come to realize that maybe I never really had any real friends there either but still… At least people pretended to be my friend there and didn’t harass me all the time. I’ve been trying to be strong about it but sometimes it’s really hard. I feel like I am constantly at battle with not only my classmates but within myself. Maybe you were only my friend because I was Japanese but I felt like you still listened to what I had to say, we would both just bitch about things together and that felt nice.
This is going to be my final email to you by the way, sorry I should have mentioned that earlier. I’m going to be gone soon but I don’t really want to define what “gone” means just in case you worry (which I doubt you will). I guess all I really wanted to say to you was… Well… I don’t really know. I think I just felt like reaching out to you because you were a special person in my life for a while and maybe you should know that.
Friends, not friends, that’s same thing right?
-Nao