http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:ryoko251&section=today deviantART RSS for by:ryoko251 en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:03:34 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/28425482/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/28425482/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:14:18 PST
I guess it makes sense that only people who use the roads pay for the upkeep of it, but that's enough of that.

We absolutely rocked at the Taikai! Helping all the other kendoka out with the tatsuki was really fun, and I got to meet plenty of people from around the midwest who share the kendo fever. I even got some helpful advice from other sensei who were in attendance!

Watching the sensei fight each other at the end was so thrilling too! I've never seen people move that fast and strike with such determination!

Wish you guys could've seen it I uploaded a few pics there so you could see us in all our glory (Melly's the other guy not in our keikogi. We were in it for warming up but changed out so as to not get confused with the actual competitors!)

Peach

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/28138485/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/28138485/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:46:09 PST
Tonight I'm going to ask sensei if I can start coming to the dojo all three days (Wed., Fri., and Sat.) to get some extra help with my kendo. Apparently my back's not been straight enough, even though I always thought it was just fine. Being in the mindset of hitting with your strikes is so difficult! You have to push, stomp, swing, kiai shout, and keep your body focused. I'm getting the hang of it, but it's difficult when you're only able to focus on one thing at a time.

My midterms were pretty tasty: 3 Bs and an A-. I hope to keep it up.

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27790495/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27790495/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:41:18 PDT
This lesson is important as it's following weeks of doing nothing but accounting, marketing, and management & organization work. I hardly have time to game anymore, but it's then I realize all the free time I spend doing (comparatively) nothing at all until the last second. I used to pride myself on being that last-second thinker. When I clear my head, however, the order falls into place like dominos. Do you work, and do it to the best of your ability. When it is time to rest and relax, enjoy your games. Don't let them become work as well. When our form falters as we're striking sensei, he'll whack us on the shoulder or head with his shinai. I've quickly learned this doesn't mean give up. It doesn't mean to sigh and walk away defeated. You stop, pull back to collect yourself, and strike again. You do it because you have respect for the man and his art, but you also do it because you respect yourself and the art growing within you.

I've had some pretty in-depth talks with Dr. Kelly. Some of them are a bit too juicy for here, but many are relevant. He's a bit of a portly man, but his mind is very sharp. I think my favorite part about him is he's like me: he's not just going to sit back and wait for you to solve your own problems. He'll badger you and badger you until you come to some sort of conclusion on a problem, then have the balls to bring up another of your problems and tell you to apply that thinking to it. It's so annoying, but fucking effective. I'm trying to argue this shit about killing being necessary in certain circumstances (think like SG-1 having to kill Goa'uld to keep humans safe) but then you have to question yourself further (their goal is not the death of the Goa'uld, but an eventual elimination of the parasites so their Jaffa can stay free. Hell, not even all the parasites are evil!) FFFFFFFF

Anyways, any more'll probably bore you. Mom sent me a package on Oct 5 and I just got it yesterday. It had delicious fudge brownies (Yeah, I dunno why I like them either...) which were somehow still good. I should ask her for a cookbook next time. Mom and Dad were curious how you guys were, and I told them as far as I knew you were liking the new place and the independence, just like me!

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27503747/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27503747/ Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:13:03 PDT
Where everywhere in the business field there are sectors looking for progression (marketing looking for someone new to sell to, administration looking for new ways to manage people, sales looking to improve the company's bottom line) Accounting stands alone, saying to themselves "Okay, cool, we bought that company, moved this equipment, sold this shit. How the hell did we do that?" It's a science built around complexity, so if someone messes up (which people inevitably do) we can say "Yep, there's the error! GOOD THING WE HAD SOMEONE MAKING NOTES OF ALL THESE HAPPENINGS."

I just feel bad for the person who has to keep track of all that.

In other news, I have a meeting scheduled with my new therapist, Dr. Kelly (Unfortunately no relation to Melly) this next Saturday morning, meaning Saturday has been absolutely crushed out of existence for me for free time.

Also, I've submitted an idea for my future MBA thesis topic to Professor Maloney (she's that cool adviser I may have told you guys about who went to Japan back in the 80's working for the government to try and keep our companies afoot of how they were being so successful). It's something of a long idea, and I need to keep it a trade secret until I write the paper about it, but she's recommended me two good books to read on the subject! Very excited

Blah blah blah, My Kendo gi's coming, I'll look really baller...blah blah blah, mom's making me a bag for my shinai (all two of them!)...Oh! The move went really well. They're set up at a temporary house in the suburbs of Portland and are coming back to visit on the 30th (The plane's annual inspection will be in Grand Marais, so I guess it's a good excuse?)

OH YA, I FOUND MY APPLEPOD, SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYONE STEALING YOUR iLIFESTYLE, ~HELLZGRANNY.



]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27330597/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27330597/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:18:59 PDT
School's been kinda boring so far. Most of our homework for the Business College is groupwork, so everyone only has to do bits and pieces to contribute to the whole.

Matt's been really getting on my nerves, because he and I share the same goal-oriented psychology. This really comes out when we're playing Civ 4, because I'm Japanese (Military and expansion oriented) and he's Chinese (Industrial and I think Financially oriented??). Every time I'm about to capture a city from whatever civilization we happen to be fighting, he'll try and sneak some riflemen in there to get it at the last second so he controls it. So whenever he does that, I whack him with one of my swords. He's gotten a lot better at holding off now

I haven't forgotten about the therapist! I'm just kinda busy because I'm also helping mom prepare for the move to Portland. She and Dad complete the move on the 31st, so after that I'll start going. I'll even tell you when I'm going and what all rolled on through

I miss talking to you guys. I know you're busy but could you at least comment on stuffs?

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27150495/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/27150495/ Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:24:09 PDT
]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26671112/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26671112/ Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:35:32 PDT
Actually...you may have to not have my submission count towards the contest, as to look upon it is to gaze into the essence of insanity itself!

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26631334/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26631334/ Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:02:59 PDT
I'm going to ask sensei next Saturday about it, but the group also convenes on Wednesdays and Fridays (Though these are mostly our senpais, he did mention that we beginners could come and receive instruction (our senpais are usually the ones who teach us, with oversight by sensei))

Anyways, we're pretty excited by the idea because Melly (the only one of us in Kendogi status) is about to buy his bogu, and once we catch up to him, we can literally spar in any large-enough flat surface, indoors or out.

I'm impressed how well our group follows tradition, as well. Our sensei is very firm and he's the kind of man who'll poke fun at you if you're doing something wrong, but you know the way he's saying it he wants to see you improve. When the guy teaching our n00b group of 3 wasn't doing a very good job, sensei came over to us and pushed me back EASILY with one push of his arm on my collarbone. "Matt (not our Melly) do you think he'll be able to effectively defend with a stance like this? C'mon now, you know better than this. Let's teach them right the first time so they don't have to relearn it. Osu?" "Hai, sensei" (We learn to do what he's telling us in Japanese (He's not Japanese, but spent a great deal of time there, enough to be fluent in the language))

Later on we were taught by one of sensei's favorite students, a lady who was maybe 35-45 yo. She was in full-on bogu, however, including face mask. The sport of kendo is very interesting because you learn kiais and ways of order and discipline. With her face mask on (a metal-ribbed faceplate, google the bogu to see it) she could just as well be a man, and she knew how to give orders like any trained commander. Anyways, I liked her instruction because it felt like she really gave it her all, and wouldn't let up on us if we were doing it wrong (And believe me, doing the SAME slide right foot forward, bring left foot up as you chop and shout a hearty "MEN! (lolheadstrike)" for almost 3 hours, until you are sweating like crazy with blisters on your hands and feet leaves a lot of room for error)

I am absolutely staying with this sport. From the ritual bows at the end to our sensei, and then to the "dojo"'s head, to the staying in a traditional seated pose while he sums up how our practice went, as a shogun would have addressed his underlings. From literally working your ass off cleaning the floor tengu style (you get one tiny damp mop, as do your peers. You line up one after each other and eventually clean the entire floor by running from one side of the room to the other), to the dedicated practicing and bettering yourself. This is kendo, and I can do this.

]]> *ryoko251 http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26545648/ http://ryoko251.deviantart.com/journal/26545648/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:29:29 PDT
In other news, when we're moving out mom and I are spending the 5-day interrim (between us moving out and me moving into the new place) at Mystic Lake. That'll be good, because I can earn some grocery dollars at poker.

And to further clarify things, I'm not gay. I would let you know if I was. Although the interaction between males does fascinate me at times...

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