It’s time to move my blog from sanriotown. I like it here & the other bloggers are great, but while the sanriotown blogs are wordpress based, I just don’t have the flexibility that the real wordpress offers. Also, the security here at sanriotown is quite bad as far as spam goes. (That goes for both email & spam comments) Until that gets remidied, I’ll be taking my blogging elsewhere.

Thanks everyone, &  check out my blog over at

http://arcsis.net

I’m moving some posts over, some will be new, it’s a surprise!

I got a Msg from Kim @ KittyRlues about a contest that’s being run there…

The deal is You gotta make a blog post, add the pic & link back & then leave a comment saying you did so.  More contest details here.

 www.kittyrulez.com

So here it is!

Due to the huge influx of disgusting spam comments I’ve been receiving nearly everyday,
I’m putting an approval period on all comments until further notice.

[Various curses to spam robots go here. YOU CAN ALL DIAF!]

はじめまして、

わたしは　キャシ　です。

ニューヨーク　しゅうりつ　こうかだいがくの　そたすぎょせい。

じゅうにがつうに　そつぎょ　しました

せんもんは　コンピューター　じょうほうシステム。

わたしは　しごとを　みます。

にじゅうさんさい　です。

どうぞ　よろしく。

(Feel free to respond… in Japanese!)

I just found the coolest thing for learning Japanese- it’s called I know!
http://www.iknow.co.jp/

At “I know” it seems you can learn almost any language,  or enhance one you’re already fluent in.
Here an intro video that kind of shows what they do.

http://www.iknow.co.jp/intro/overview/

Here’s my user page if you wanna check it out.

I’m just so excited right now, I’ll get a better review up later once I’ve calmed down lol.

I hope whatever you’re celebrating this time of year goes wonderfully & you enjoy this time of peace & light.

Merry Christmas from Arcsis!
(Send an ecard!)

I’ve finally broken down & joined twitter.
You can see my updates here:

I’ve been a fan of the anime series Slayers for many years. Hell, I have the whole 1st series in VHS. Recently I have discovered that my favorite series has been revived in DVD form! Last summer, funimation had re-released the original series onto dvd, digitally remastered & all that jazz. So now  that I have a chance to get back into the Slayers groove, I need to go over what’s out there to absorb.

It breaks down into 5 areas of entertainment:
TV Anime, Movies, OVA’s, Manga & Novels

TV: 5 Series (seasons)
Slayers - 26 eps (1995) (Watch official stream on YouTube!)
Slayers Next - 26 eps (1996) (Watch official stream on YouTube!)
Slayers Try - 26 eps(1997)
Slayers Revolution - 13 eps (2008)
Slayers Evolution-R 13 eps (2009)

Movies
Slayers the Motion Picture - 65 min (1995) Original storyline
Slayers Return - 60 min (1996)
Slayers Great - 60 min (1997)
Slayers Gorgeous - 60 min (1998)
Slayers Premium - 35 min (2001)

OVA’s
Slayers Special - 90 min total (1996) Based on Slayers Special manga.
Slayers Excellent - 90 min total (1999) Based on Slayers Special manga.

Novels (the basis for the series- later converted into anime & manga)

Manga
There’s quite a few different “series”… I don’t know where to stat that list, but on manga fox there’s a few to read:
Slayers Revolution
Slayers: Light Magic
Slayers: Suiriyuuou no Kishi (Knight of the AquaLord)

As of 12/13/2008, I’m a college graduate! I’ve finally finished my Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems. Although it took me a year longer than normal, I’m both happy & scared. (I switched schools & majors, it put me behind a semester or two :P) I’m the only one with a bachelors degree on my Dad’s side & the 3rd of my 15+ cousins on my Mom’s side. I’m taking the next few weeks to chil & get my ducks in a row before I start working for good.

EEEK!

The ceremony was like the one at my community college. We weren’t in any particular order, when we got up to the stage, we handed our card to the speaker & they read our name. Some lady gave us our diploma case & shook our hands. Because of this, I was first one called for my major. One of only 2 girls in the whole department that was graduating. I’m almost always last if they call us alphabetically.  I was stuck sitting next to one of my professors (he talks/acts/looks alot like the Doc from back to the future, hehe) I really wanted to play sudoku on my cell, but I couldn’t given my company

It just weird, I don’t feel like it’s a big deal. When I was a little kid my parents always said “You’ll go to college, you’ll do great, you’ll be successful.” So I’m just doing what I’ve always been told to do, just another step in life. Neither high school or college felt like a huge achievement- but just another thing to check off on my to do list. But it not that I’m not proud of myself, I am. My family & fiends are too.   /shrug

But yay! Go me!

A few weeks ago, my class & I went to the Japanese restaurant called Sumo.
Most of us got べんとのとんかつ.
Tonkatsu is a running gag with our class. In one of the dialogues from our textbook, they’re ordering food, and the girl asks what tonkatsu is. (It’s basically a think sliced pork chop with a breading much like shake & bake. It’s served with katsu sauce. My description does it no justice.)
とんかつ　おいしい　ですや。

I took this with my cell… so it’s kinda crappy.

I love tonkatsu! I LOVE gyoza. Gyoza are fried pork dumplings, and are sooo good. My favorite Chinese restaurant at home makes them, and so does Ruby Tuesdays, but these are SO GOOD!

せんせい　was explaining all kinds of things to us about eating in japan. Normally, they wouldn’t give you a spoon, so you just sip from the bowl. Also, it’s ok to slurp. When eating soup or noodles, it’s almost expected.

If you go to a restaurant and they give you disposable chopsticks, many people take the wrapper & tie it in a knot to make a chopstick rest to you don’t set them on the table. (I put mine on the bento in the pic so they could bee seen.)

Before you eat (especially in someone’s home to which you are a guest) you say いたでます （itadekimasu- Thank you for this meal.) After the same meal you say ごちそうさま （Gochisoosama- Thank you for this meal.)

When ordering you’d say おべんとのとんかつおねがいします　（Bento no tonkatsu onegaishimasu -　I’d like a tonkatsu bento box please.)

My bf & I have been back to sumo several times since & we’ve tried a few other things. Tempura is good also; it’s a different breading than the tonkatsu, and comes with a different dipping sauce. The breading tastes alot like fried dough, it’s very sweet. I liked it, but it’s too much sweet for a whole meal. Worth a try if a friend orders it & you can snag a bite

So the moral of the story is: IF YOU HAVE A JAPANESE RESTAURANT NEAR YOU GO EAT THERE!

~Arcsis