silver stands in my pensieve

Japinoy.com Anniversary Pic

For the other anniversary pics, please visit Japinoy.com

Labels: japinoy, japinoy.com

Posted by Unknown at 18:28 0 comments

What's in a name? Part 1

Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina

Ben Affleck + Jennifer Lopez = (the now defunct) Bennifer

Vince Vaughn + Jennifer Aniston = Vaughniston (also over)

Tom Cruise + Katie Holmes = TomKat

Cat + Elvin = Calvin (Mwahahah! Si Jimmy-san ang nagpauso nyan no)

Ogie Alcasid + Regine Velasquez = Ogre!!! Shrek 3 na! Nood na!

Labels: humor, pinoy humor

Posted by Unknown at 17:36 0 comments

Happy 1st birthday, Japinoy.com! ^_^

It's Japinoy.com's first year anniversary this month. Yay! We're one year old! ^_^


It was early May of last year that Schatz and I started building on the concept of an online Pinoy community about Japan: anime, music, TV, Nihongo, culture, even Visa. We eventually came up with the name Japinoy, which is the fusion of Japanese and Pinoy. As a web site, we aim to foster greater interest in anything Japanese through a fun and informative online community.

We got the domain and bought hosting services, and voila, Japinoy.com was born. But it was only in June that we started accepting members because we had lots of little details to fix. Schatz wanted an auspicious date so we officially 'opened to the public' on June 8th.

Being only a year old, Japinoy.com still has a long way to go. But in the past year, we've made good progress in the WWW: 318 members and over 4,000 different discussions. A lot of improvements are about to come soon and I don't want to talk about them yet because we don't have a fixed date for the changes but I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

I look forward to more Japinoy years for our community. I hope that we get more active members, and that we make a bigger difference in promoting Japan in the Philippines.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Labels: japinoy, japinoy.com

Posted by Unknown at 08:35 1 comments

Garrison Pleads Guilty in Fatal Crash

Uh-oh...looks like Tweener is going back to the pokey. No Fish to get him outta there this time. :P

Read the article at MSN.com

Labels: david tweener apolskis, japanese tv, lane garrison, prison break

Posted by Unknown at 08:23 0 comments

Fanzine Reveals Inner Workings of Korean Soaps

Got this from Chosun.com
====================================

The Korean Wave is ebbing, and the backlash is under way. Viewers in the Asian countries that could not get enough of Korean soaps at one stage are now complaining about their monotonous plots and off-the-rack characterization. Critics say the formula is becoming an obstacle to the further development of the Korean pop culture wave. Now, even a Japanese magazine for fans of the Korean Wave has laid out elements of the formula for its readers. "We can predict what will happen in any scene of Korean drama, like fortunetellers,” it said. “Perhaps Korean drama has a mysterious power that enables us to make predictions.” Here are its seven iron rules of Korean soaps.

1. Ordinary girl falls in love with business big shot
This is the standard storyline in Korean dramas. Hero owns conglomerate, heroine is a common office worker or an ordinary woman. How about this: Heroine is trying on clothes in a luxury boutique. Hero watches her, sitting on a chair with his hand on his chin. He smiles at her and slightly shakes his index finger, to indicate “no” for an item she’s trying on.

2. Angry guy
When a male character is angry, his face is always seen in a mirror or window. Without exception, he then proceeds to break the mirror or window.

3. Very young executive
In both Korea and Japan, most executives are over 50. But in Korean soaps, many business executives are young and hunky. Even staffers' girlfriends fall in love with them.

4. All doctors are surgeons
In Korean medical dramas, there are no doctors except surgeons. Internists and ear, nose and throat specialists may not like it, but it is so. If the lead is a doctor, he or she always becomes terminally ill but keeps quiet about it. And you thought early diagnosis and treatment were basic principles of medical service.

5. Fortuitous cabs
The heroes in Korean soaps have an uncanny ability to catch a cab in a timely manner. In any emergency, a cab just happens to pass. Or maybe it’s the cab drivers who have the power of foresight?

6. Weather forecasts are always wrong
Heroine is soaked in unexpected shower due to wrong weather forecasts. Hero appears in front of her carrying -- an umbrella!

7. Mobile phones
No matter how poor they are, the protagonists have an expensive mobile phone. Most cost some W700,000 (US$1=W923).

The list could go on, but the point is made. One pleasure Korean soaps provide is predictability, invariably.

Labels: korean drama

Posted by Unknown at 09:11 1 comments

Career blah

I officially started my new job yesterday (checks time)...on Friday, May 4th. But I already reported to the office on the 2nd and 3rd for trainings. I can't say much about it since I am only a few days old into the job. Will post more probably after my first week. All I can say is that...freedom is so good! We have YM!! And MSN! And iTunes! And a lot more! Wipee! Goodbye proxies. ^_~

Speaking of careers, I had a chance to think about what I really want to do with my life. And that is to teach Japanese. I know that there is absolutely no money in teaching. I know that people actually expected me to be some big-shot banker, economist, corporate planner or a CFA but I am only 75%-80% convinced that I can be happy being any of those. I mean, really happy. I know people will say that if I pursue the teaching path, my economics degree will go to waste and that the cum laude (kung laude?) thingie would mean nothing.

So what?

Right now, I do not care about those things anymore. I am in search of my 'best place' (Refer to the anime Shaman King) and I have a pretty good idea of what it is.

However, I don't have any immediate plans of quitting the rat race. Not yet. I still want to save some money. Maybe work for the next couple of years with the teaching job on the side. I will be teaching anyway starting next year so I have a weekend part-time job too. Before I go 100% into the teaching world and quit the corporate world altogether, I want to move into a decent place of my own, have 'respectable' savings...the loose change I keep doesn't count.

I know that I am heading for the right direction. I am always happy whenever I am involved with something related to Japan or Nihongo. Whether it is something for Japinoy.com or something for school, I never feel that I am being forced.

If I can't logon to Japinoy at least once a day, I'd feel deprived...forget GirlTalk and PinoyExchange. I'm going to channel all my energy and resources into the site I love most in the entire WWW: Japinoy.com ^_^

At school, I am always bibo, enthusiastic. I go over the moon every time sensei says something really nice about me...like that time he called me the 'go-go-go' type of teacher. ^_^

As early as now, I am already trying to come up with things to make my lessons more interesting: great looking visuals, funny anecdotes, Japan trivia, songs, whatever. I (mentally) prepare them for every lesson. Like this one: Ben Affleck to Wentworth Miller to dochira ga hansamu desu ka? Hek-hek-hek.

As early as now, I am already thinking of what I want my students to call me:

• Ramos-sensei - No way. It ages me at least 10 years.
• Catalina-sensei - Nope. Not cool enough.
• Cat-sensei - Pittari!!

As early as now, I am already picturing what kind of teacher I will be...I want to be the cool one. ^_~ Someone like Alfred-sensei, maybe. Someone who's ready to go to karaoke after class. Someone who enjoys pop culture. Someone who is funny. Someone who makes impossible-to-answer exams...not!

As early as now, I am already thinking of how to improve name and face recall. I am bad at remembering names and faces and if I were to become a good teacher, I should at least be able to tell who's from my class and who is trying to stalk me!

So many plans for next year...andI still have eight months to come up with more. ^_^

Ok, this is the part that I say oyasumi and mata ne. I have to rest and catch up on sleep. I just hope my diarrhea has stopped already. I got it from drinking too much coffee...I so badly wanted to stay awake in class!

Oyasumi! Mata ne! (Whenever that is)

Labels: career, j-wave, japanese, japinoy, language, nihongo center, nihongo center foundation, philippine institute of japanese language and culture, PIJLC

Posted by Unknown at 01:02 0 comments