I might have an anime addiction...

Yeah...all of a sudden, I've gotten back into watching anime again... -__-"

After watching Sword Art Online and loving it, I started watching (before eventually dropping after the first or second episode) three different anime because I was still in the mood to watch anime. After dropping the three anime, I settled on Kyoukai no Kanata, which is called Beyond the Boundary in English.

I remember someone from anime club mentioning watching this anime when it first came out, so I decided to check it out since it was finished airing already. I really liked it, especially compared to the other three anime I tried to watch before this one, which probably showed since I finished it in only a few days. Then again, it was only 12 episodes. But still, I could have done a lot of my homework earlier instead of procrastinating all weekend, lol.

After I finished that anime, I started watching Tokyo Ravens because an acquaintance mentioned it on Facebook about how he enjoyed it since it just recently finished airing. I also ended up liking it, which is why I finished watching all 24 episodes over the weekend. -__-"

Then, in the span of three days I finished watching both the first and second season of Chihayafuru. -__-" Compared to the other supernatural/sci-fi anime I've been watching recently, Chihayafuru is a character-driven anime about karuta, an old card game that is still played today.

I'm still not sure why I had put it on my to-watch list ages ago, but I definitely don't regret it. It's so good! I think I need to start reading the manga since they aren't making a third season last time I checked.

I started watching La Corda d'Oro: Blue Sky because I friggin loved La Corda d'Oro, so I am all in favor of watching any spin-offs of the anime and manga. It only has four episodes out so far, so I'm regretting on starting it so early and anticipating watching every new episode, lol. But the plot's so ridiculous that I feel like I'm going crazy! XD

I also started watching this anime called Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, which is translated into The Irregular at Magic High School. It's definitely interesting alright, especially with the little incestuous part that makes it both entertaining and cringe-worthy. I also wished that I waited to start this anime since I really want to know the main character's mysterious past and how it ties with the beginning scene in the first episode. Too bad it only has four episodes out. :(

Now, I'm in the middle of watching Accel World, which is an anime based off of the light novels by the same author of Sword Art Online. It's pretty good so far. Kind of similar to SAO, but different enough that I'm not constantly comparing the two anime.

So much anime in such a short amount of time... Random Japanese words keep on popping up in my head nowadays... On the bright side, my Japanese vocabulary is expanding, lol.

Math plus Disney :D

I saw this over at Buzzfeed and couldn't help but share it since finals is next week, and anyone who has math can relate, lol.

Nonverbal communication and IE

A while ago, in one of my classes, we were learning about nonverbal communication, and my teacher sent us a link to this TED Talk about it and made us email her a summary of what we found interesting about the talk.

This is what I wrote. I ended up going down memory lane, lol. (You should watch the video first. It's really interesting!)

Amy Cuddy's TED Talk was both interesting and informative about how our body influences our minds and vice versa. However, what really interested me happened towards the end of the talk when Cuddy explained why we shouldn't fake it until we make it. Instead, we should fake it until we become it, and I think that her personal story really helped make her point, because I could definitely relate to it.

For a while in high school, I decided to do Individual Events (IE) because some of my friends were doing it and persuaded me to try it out after telling me endless, hilarious stories about their topics. IE is considered a separate category in debate tournaments where individuals are given a topic and have seven minutes total to plan out what to say and give a speech about it. The judge then grades and rank people from highest to lowest in their group for each round, with the highest ranked going against each other in the end.

In my first tournament, I ranked second best in my first round. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was nervous and excited, and I guess my enthusiasm and silly speech was coherent enough to do so well overall. It probably helped that everyone else in my group were first-timers, too, and weren't as confident as me.

Because of that first round, I grew arrogant. I thought that I knew how to do IE, that I could give great speeches out of thin air. I was so so wrong, and the second round proved that. Everyone in the second round were veteran IE participants. They were intimidatingly articulate and confident. With each speaker, my self-confidence dropped further and further until I had no doubt that I would bomb my own speech. And it happened. I stopped and stuttered and hunched into myself more and more every time I messed up. It was a brutal lesson of humility.

The next round wasn't as bad as the last, but I realized that I had a ways to go to be even near as articulate as some of the veteran participants because I was still shaken from that last round and doubting myself so much. I was less confident and more hesitant in my speeches for the rest of the rounds, and it wasn't until my next tournament that I realized that the only way to get over my mental block on myself was just to fake confidence in myself until I could make it.

And it worked for a while. Until one day, I realized that I wasn't pretending anymore; I had become confident in myself again. I still had a lot to learn from my peers on how to give better speeches, but I wasn't doubting myself anymore, because somewhere along the way, pretending that I had confidence became reality, just like Cuddy described in her own story. I just wished that I knew about her two-minute technique back then, because it would have helped me get over my mental block quicker.

Cover Lover 39

Erg. I was supposed to study and work on my paper today. I barely finished reading a chapter and hung out with my friends for too long. And looked at cosplay outfits for wayyy too long. XD

Lazy week, busy weekend

It's been a lazy week and a busy weekend. Compared to the previous weeks, this week has been pretty easy since I didn't have any tests or projects to frantically finish, lol. I had a take-home test and a pop quiz, but they weren't so bad and didn't take much time. Plus, I got Friday off since it was Good Friday, so my weekend started early.

So yeah, I basically chilled and watched a lot of anime this week, which I will talk about in another post once I'm done writing everything down, lol. But the next two weeks are going to super busy since I have a test and paper due next week and finals the week after. Luckily for me, I only have to take two finals, and one is just a presentation. 

This weekend isn't even over, but it's already exhausting me, lol. Shena asked me to be a dancer for her school event since they needed another girl, and I agreed because it was the same dance that we did for MViet, so I went to practice with her yesterday to help set up and re-memorize the dance since they changed it a little bit, and that went on from 1:30-6:30. I was so hungry by the end of it since I was too lazy to go get something to eat, lol.

I kind of passed out for a bit a few hours after I got home, lol.

Today is the event, and I've also been strongly persuaded to be a model for the fashion show, so I get to wear a Korean hanbok, which will be interesting. :P After that is the dance, so the other girls and I are going to rush through changing and perform. Hopefully, I won't mess up as much as I did at the MViet performance, lol.

Even though the event is at five, I'm meeting up with Shena in an hour to go look for shirts for our dance before going to the college to finish last minute preparations and hopefully do a final rehearsal. 

Then, tomorrow, my family and I are going to Atlanta to go to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned and see my sis and other family friends, so that's going to take up the whole day when I should be studying or working on my paper. 

All-in-all, even with a three-day weekend, I still have not accomplished any homework. -__-"

The quintessential angsty teenage song

Nigahiga never fails to create hilarious parodies and skits, and after finally getting around to watching his music video, "GTFO My Room!", I love him even more.



This song really speaks to me, lol. It is essentially the angsty teenage anthem of my generation. It even has a Simple Plan/Fall Out Boy vibe to it!

Lol, I just really love it. XD

Anime Review: Sword Art Online

Title: Sword Art Online
Season: 1
Number of episodes: 25
Released date: July 8, 2012
Summary taken from IMDb:

The year is 2022, and gamers have lined up on launch day for Sword Art Online, a hotly-anticipated MMORPG that lets players connect to an immersive virtual reality world with special helmets called Nerve Gear. Kirito is one such gamer who's eager to jump back into action, having spent a great deal of time as a beta tester, and quickly becomes friends with newbie warrior Klein. But soon, Sword Art Online's 10,000 players discover that not only are they unable to log out, the only way they can return to their physical bodies is by beating the 100-level tower's final boss - death in the game means death in the real world. Now, with no one else to turn to, Kirito and the other participants must survive the game as best they can.

5 STARS - I LOVED IT

MY REVIEW: 

I've been meaning to watch this anime for a while because so many of my friends have recommended it and because I remember it being a big deal when it first came out. Now I know why everyone loved it. It's just so good!

Sword Art Online manages to blend a little bit of almost every genre into a riveting plot that just sucks you in with every episode. It's got action, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, romance, comedy, and pychological horror at times. It's great.

Not gonna lie, this anime broke almost every action/adventure anime stereotype I had before I started watching it, and I think this is why I ended up really liking it so much. That, and because I really liked most of the characters.

You've got Kirito, who is a solo player and who actually has a legit reason for being a lone wolf for the majority of the game until Asuna gets him to join her party. There's Asuna, who is a badass fighter who knows what she wants and actually does things. And there's Suguha, who is conflicted and real and relatable. There are a lot of side characters who only show up every few episodes, but they're pretty memorable, too.

Like I mentioned earlier, this anime broke most of my stereotypes. The characters actually had a relationship! One that was believable and incredible. There was none of the clearly oblivious characters or anyone dancing around about their feelings or just vague teasings of a love-line. There was kissing and declarations and heartbreak. What surprised me the most was how early on it all happened, lol.

There were a few other surprises that I wasn't really expecting though. The first few episodes seemed kind of choppy as you started to get used to how the anime is set up, with every episode seeming to be continuing from a previous episode that you didn't see. You really had to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of every episode. Also, I didn't expect the anime to be split into two parts. The first 14 episodes have one plot while the last 11 episodes have another plot. But I wasn't really complaining; I didn't have to wait another year for another 13 episode season to come out!

Though, the biggest surprise for me was the amount of feels I had while watching this anime. I mean, I honestly don't know why I'm always so surprised that I get emotionally invested with an anime, but I never really expect action-y anime to have such sad, touching parts that I actually emote. But man, that first half had me rolling in feels. The second half was more like rolling in anger at the villain.

Do I even need to say anything about the art? I loved it. I'm pretty sure I'll watch any anime with this type of art style; it's just so pretty. The outdoor scenes in the games are gorgeous, and I really liked the character designs.

Also, the music was phenomenal. The background music in every scene went so well together, it really set the atmosphere. I also liked the opening and ending songs. They were catchy and matched the anime very well.

Now I can't wait for the new season to come out in July! Yen Press is releasing the light novel, which the anime is based on, and manga, so I'm thinking about reading those as I wait for the new season.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I'd Like To Own

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

There are so many posters and bookshelves that I want, lol.

Top Ten Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I'd Like To Own: