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Self - Janice [real] : Kylara [alias] Blog Theme - Fallen Angels, in honor of Lucifer and Alexiel from Angel Sanctuary. karenai means "unwithering" or "undying", usually in the context of flowers. Layout - The impossibly lovely Alexiel above; in b&w is her and her lover, Lucifer, finally together. B&W from Project OManga. Creation - Layout designed by me, put together by my sister, Joan. Profession - Officially, high school student : unofficially, fanfic writer. Writing - Xairiva: progress = bad Reading - Tokyo Crazy Paradise : Inuyasha : DN Angel : Good Morning Call Watching - Princess Tutu : Get Backers Quote - Fruits Basket, 'For Fruits Basket' [OP] "We can't be reborn - but we can change as we go on - let's stay together forever..." This particular quote was chosen because I thought it was so damn ironic considering who I have as my layout now. Want to backtrack a bit into the past? (Jeez, why?) Archives Powered by - greymatter : haneoka.net! Fellow Bloggers - Haneoka : Queen : Lorik : Spencer : Augusto : Andrew : Sarah : Christina Sites : reiryoku [personal site] : fanfiction profile @ ff.net : Haneoka-neechan! 
Friday, January 31, 2003
Subject | "Children's Books"
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You know, today, I was in Waldenbooks (buying a present ^^) and I overheard a man talking to the cashier. They were discussing Harry Potter, and well, being a fan of the books, I'm always curious to hear what others say about them. He said, "Well, I read them, and they're great for kids but just okay for adults, and I think that they're not worth it Well, [chuckle], all books are like that!" I was somewhat annoyed. There are just some books that are good for kids and adults. Certainly, to be appealing to children, there has to be certain elements that aren't always in books for adults - simpler language helps, as does simple humor. But when there are books that have themes and lessons that are certainly beautiful at any age, why should anyone be denied them? Case in point: Bridge to Terabithia. For reasons that are beyond me, Kristin had this book today at the mall - she was apparently reading it as a break. I read this book for a book report in 5th grade for Ms. Henry's English class, and when I picked up the cover - the memories, god. It is written for children. It won the Newbery Medal, and for those who don't know, that's a prestigious children's book award. I don't like every book that wins it (I hated the one for 1998, that stupid dust bowl book), but this one won it years and years ago. And it deserved it. My god, it deserved it. While the others were talking, I took Kristin's copy and sat down and re-read half the ending, and I ended up crying and remembering how it was to hold that book and weep and weep and weep until I just grabbed a towel because I was running out of Kleenex, because I was eleven, but I had never felt something like the ten year old Jess had felt, and yet it was so easy to understand. And nearly six years later, I picked up that book again, a book less than a hundred twenty pages, and cried again, because that beauty wasn't something that just changed or became cold with age. It was even more beautiful than before, because I hadn't appreciated so much in that book when I was eleven, and when I picked it up today and looked through it again, I had missed so much, and it hadn't gone away and lost its magic. Terabithia had grown, if anything. The lessons in that book are strong and sweet and beautiful. How is that childish? How is that something that is best only for children? Written so children can understand, written for children, but not neccessarily only or even best for children, is it? How can something so touching be so restricted? I don't like that "only children have the innocence to appreciate beauty" best thing, either, no matter how pretty it sounds. ^^; I'm not saying if that's the way I'll feel about Harry Potter in another five years, another ten, twenty. I don't know, after all, even as much as I love these books. But how can one apply such a generality? There are certainly books that have no appeal to me any longer, when they did when I was younger, but that doesn't apply to all. It makes me angry, and it makes me a little sad, because these books and others deserve to be loved. Such a loss, to the books and the people who won't read them. The people who read this are probably friends of mine, so they're not the type that will remark, "Well, they're just books, so stop obsessing!" because books are never just books, and I think that shouldn't be forgotten. And I am the type of dork who pulls out a book to read while walking to the mall, so I should shut up. (Well, come on. It's not hard... you can pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time, can't you?) Well, I am done with finals. Got a B+ on my Chemistry final, which equates to a B in the class, blech. Dunno about my other classes. We'll see. Um. Purchased Mars 8, Stacy has it. We're both getting fed up with it, surprise, surprise. A little sleepy. I want to watch "Chocolat" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Possessions: A Romance" even if I know that the last of those three was a wonderful book and a horribly translated movie, because, I'm sorry, I don't think it's possible to take a wonderful book that of which a third is a subtle and delicate romance woven through letters between two Victorian poets and translate that just as subtly into the movie without taking five hours and making half the audience get bored to death. I want to buy that book, actually. And Bridge to Terabithia, while we're on the topic. "Chocolat" I want to see because I remember the preview, and the little boys saying, "I heard she's atheist!" "What's an atheist?" in hushed voices. It looks like a good movie, and I heard it was fantastic. I also want to re-watch Serendipity. If you noticed, those are all (except Possessions) MGM stuff. ^^ I went to Ally's today and watched "Kate and Leopald", and it had those previews on the DVD. Didn't like Meg Ryan in it, but jeezus, is Hugh Jackman ever hot (I didn't like him in X-Men with those sideburns... except for on Colin Firth, I generally don't like them), although the ending was a little iffy for me, and, well, the whole thing sounded like a sci-fi romance novel, the kind my sister hates. But it was a good chick flick ^.^ I look forward to X-2 and M:Reloaded in May. I turn sixteen then, yay. ^.^ I love Skip Beat! a manga done by the same artist as the one who did Tokyo Crazy Paradise, the one I was obsessing about a week or two ago. Really cute ^.^ I like Kyoko's demons... they're highly amusing, especially when they start to strangle someone. It's really quite cute. I'm a bit tired, and this was a nice fat entry, and I feel like reading the whole of "Bridge..." tomorrow. When I go to the library, to pay off lots of fat fines. Oh, joy. Final note: read this this LOTR spoof linked from my sister's blog. BUAHAAHAHA. Although my friend told me that Aragorn is really the protagonist. Well, then. Posted by Kylara @ 12:07 AM PST Saturday, January 25, 2003
Subject | "Treadmills."
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1184 -- 7.1 -- 1:44:50 Do you know what those numbers are? The first is how many calories I burned off, just right now. The second is how many miles I ran. The third is how long it took me. Treadmills are killer. I feel tired, exhausted, and fat. I wasn't studying. Now I feel like I want to study. And, well, sleep. -.- Oh, yeah. And die. [note: yeah, I know this is nothing to be proud of, but I'm happy anyway :P goway.] [the rest] Posted by Kylara @ 08:52 PM PST
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Subject | "Hm."
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"Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.”
Posted by Kylara @ 09:34 PM PST
Friday, January 17, 2003
Subject | "::deep breath::"
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Okay. It's been two days since the announcement, and I've known for these two days, and probably everyone has known for these last two days. But I still can't resist saying it: HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX IS COMING OUT JUNE 21ST! ::shrieks:: mugglenet.com was very useful. And they calculated that this book will be about 950 pages long. ::shrieks more:: See, I was generally pretty "mm-hmm" about this because there was no release date. And now that there is, I am OFF THE WALLS AND BOUNCING UP AND DOWN AND in general, quite scary. I think I freaked even Tanya out, but then she started screaming with me, so it was really good, actually. :) I'm going to try to lure Janine down her on the 20th. How neat would that be, if she could come down here and then go with me to Barnes and Nobles that evening to go hit the midnight sales (Barnes and Nobles has already announced that its stores will remain open late that evening, no surprise). She doesn't read this, though, but I'm still going to lure her. It's apparently two days after school lets out, whoa, and June 21st is my oldest sister's birthday ^.^ I think this is pretty neat. Excerpts that were released (more like teasers): The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive.....The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four. Later in the novel, J.K. Rowling writes: 'It is time,' he said 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'" ::shrieks again:: Sorry. It's compulsive. At any rate, Tanya and Taleen and I have all promised to be at the bookstore that night ^^ it looks like it'll be one big party - and I mean big. It was reallllllly crowded as it was when book 4 came out, and the popularity has only grown since then. I can't wait :) How about you? (Whoever "you" is, anyway.)
Posted by Kylara @ 08:27 PM PST
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Subject | "*gurgle*"
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My stomach just gurgled rather loudly. At any rate. I am a tired, tired soul. Went through all 108 translations (well, not quite all, since I'd already read the first sixteen or so) of "Tokyo Crazy Paradise", which is my new favorite manga. Ran for nineteen volumes, from '96 or so until December 2001 in "Hana to Yume". Damn ^.~ I was worried that since this thing was running for so long that it would become so cheaply (or at least somewhat repetitive) characterized like Hanazakari no Kimitachie [For You In Full Blossom] did, but actually, it didn't. I read the translations at "Tokyo Crazy Paradise's Kuryugumi", which has the type of layout that I really and truly detest, but the content itself is wonderful. At any rate, my conclusion at the end of nineteen volumes is Wow. And Wow, and Wow, and oh-my-god, and a little bit of YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (a good one). For good reason. Tokyo Crazy Paradise had some lovely action scenes - Tsukasa is a pretty neat fighter - and the characterization, although once it bordered on cheesy, was really good ^.^ I was really happy, because what often happens with shoujo fighting manga is that if the girl starts off the story, the guy has to come in to save her butt near the end >.> with much drama, mind you, but a fun and intriguing plot, if not the type that makes you think about your existence on this mortal plane. And besides, damn it. Ryuji is HOT. Tsukasa's one lucky girl. For my dear friends who don't know what this is about, they can download it here: http://lovehina-party.org/, along with "Good Morning Call", which is VERY shoujo and I can't imagine any guy I know liking it even in the slightest bit unless estrogen was flooding his body in massive amounts. Warning: TCP has some light nudity - topless female shots scattered here and there, nothing worse. ^.^ I am probably going to write a fanfic about this tonight, since I'm in a very Tokyo Crazy Paradise mood. Who knows, it might kickstart my Inuyasha fiction. Got a review recently: "HEY!!! Um, when will come out with part four? It's been 4 months...?" >.> Hm. That fic is nothing compared to the one that was updated a year ago. Or how about the one that was last updated in March? Oh, yeah, that's real good too. I really do want to work on Tadaima, but the reviews I got on that were so -- well, NICE -- that I'm afraid of flopping. (So maybe I should work on Hojo-kun - that damn thing has 65 reviews, it seems to recieve love no matter what I do.) At any rate. :) School sucks, as usual. I got home, starting reading, then got so tired I just crashed, right in bed, and woke up when I thought I heard my mother come in my room and call me for dinner. (Turned out she did.) Sleepy, but, well, I want to write a fanfic, and I haven't written one in a REALLY LONG TIME, so I'll risk being a little sleepy at school tomorrow. And blogging cheers me up, and lets me access friends that I don't talk to often ^.~ Just heard my dad snarl at the dog to shut up. Guess she was barking. Couldn't hear, though, since I'm listening to the Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky). I heard Swan Lake in history class, though, and it was really pretty *_* I desperately want it now, so I guess I'll hunt it down. It seems my group - myself, Sarah, and Justin - got a 100% on our Baroque project. Yay? I dunno, I kinda thought my report sucked. I confused MYSELF, for god's sake - if I use big words, does the general public think I know what I'm talking about? HA. Man. I'm gonna go write about Ryuji and Tsukasa now. Oh, fudge, chemistry!
Posted by Kylara @ 07:12 PM PST
Thursday, January 9, 2003
Subject | "SoujirouxYuuki"
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Soujirou and Yuuki. From hana yori dango. That's a couple I am still having problems with. Except, of course, for the fact that they're "just friends" because Soujirou said Yuuki is someone "very dear" to him but they can't be anything more. So they just sleep together. And giggle. As the translator put it, "Friends with fringe benefits?!?" http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1159689 Was a very nice SoujirouxYuuki fic that summed up my thoughts on it nicely. By Tin, whom my friends know I am in awe of in fanfiction, even if I don't like present tense. And I go to Spencer's site and I thought it was a freaking AD THAT WAS TALKING TO ME AND I AM HIGHLY UNAMUSED since I was listening to the Nutcracker when that broke in, you weird weird boy. (Clever, but weird.) And I am sorry about our phone conversation the other day, apparently we got cut off and I couldn't call you back when it was past one (we were talking for an awfully long time). We need to talk again sometime, though :) Been so busy with school and my pornbooks (romance novels, dearies - that's just my sister's affectionate term for them) that I haven't been blogging lately, shame on me. It's a comfort to write, though, since I haven't been writing any stories lately although rest assured that I surely have been thinking about them. Am slightly terbed that the fanfic that I spent the absolute least time, energy, and blood & tears on has the most reviews - what kind of reflection is that of the people who read IY fiction, anyway? ;_; Tadaima got more meaningful reviews, though, which is nice. But 64 reviews on a three chapter fic that's a spinoff parody? My heart breaks, even as it flutters. So smushing little fluttering pieces. And that's not an oxymoron, and no, Merrick, "Good Morning" is not an oxymoron, although I admit it's damn close, and thank goodness Beidelman isn't reading this, because I couldn't find much of anything in the Odyssey and it made poor little me's head hurt oh so very much. Click 1138 on the THX symbol in the Star Wars DVD. Very neat. In my original novel, which will likely be completed when I am twenty or so (and no, that is not an exaggeration, since this thing is moving backwards instead of forwards), I keep debating on whether or not I should let these characters know or not. Girl is married to guy, after all, and then she erases his memories (don't laugh :) and ditches him, has kids. Fast forward another thirteen years (this is in a fantasy world if you couldn't tell), and she meets him again and they begin traveling again. Do I let her kids know that This Slightly Odd Guy Is Their Father And Not The One Art In Heaven or what? Does she lie to her children - her own CHILDREN, for heaven's sake - or does she tell them? That just feels awfully sticky. And what's this thing I have for magic and memory, anyway. Somebody get a Magnum and end my misery. Oh, and should - ah, fudge. On a prettier note, Stacy, Sarah and I are going to the Glendale Galleria this Sunday to do the following: It sounds very enjoyable and a very all day sorta thing ^^ I look forward to it. On Saturday, I'll be going to Rose Float deconstruction and smash the float to little itty bits. Poll: What looks and/or sounds better? And do these three names: Make you think of the KKK? Please tell me no. Why do I like K names? It's not good, especially when they come in three's ;_; Like my homework. English - three Odyssey (which I'm beginning to despise) assignments - three history assignments - and three other random stuff for different classes, dang it. Bleck.
Posted by Kylara @ 11:00 PM PST
Friday, January 3, 2003
Subject | "Vacation"
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Was reading someone's blog and got that. I was highly amused, although somewhat disappointed that I didn't get "When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you", which I'm sure many friends of mine can attest to the fact that it fits me nearly as well. As it is, I do like the one I got ^^ I even took it three more times and.. got the same answer. Man, I'm in a rut. You know, I noticed that I blog more times during the school year - when I have less time to blog - and then during vacation I just sorta slug around. Can't believe it's already friday..... -.- my vacation is seeping away from me. Oh, well, at least there will be more blog updates then. Got $190 on New Year's... am very happy because that's nearly 2oo bucks, am somewhat annoyed that my older sisters, again, get more than me :P The unfairness of it all. Hope everyone had good holidays, and I'm gonna go eat breakfast now. [Note time of entry.]
Posted by Kylara @ 02:13 PM PST
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