FictionJunction YUUKA (or music you've never heard of before)

I like to pride myself on the fact that I know more about obscure Japanese pop music than even the Japanese. My students used to ask me what sort of J-pop I listened to, and half of the time they had never heard of the bands or singers I liked.

Here's yet another example:


"Kouya Ruten"


"Nostalgia"

Why is FictionJunction not wildly popular? Yuki Kajiura composes the most amazing music and finds the most talented vocalists to work with-- Yuuka Nanri has a voice like honey.

Bath time!

Miroku got a bath yesterday. He didn't love it. But I did >:)

Oh, Japan

I just received an e-mail from "Dolce", Haruno Sumire's post-Takarazuka fan club. Naturally, I had no idea what it said, so I headed over to Google translate to puzzle it out. It happened to be a confirmation for my membership:

This is my name in Katakana!

お名前（姓） : ザラニー
お名前（名） : サラ

And this is my name in Engrish!

Your name (last name): ZARANI
Your name (name): Sara

How cute is that? Phonetically, it's pretty spot on...

The Doctor and the Yanks

Um, if this is for real, then I just peed my pants a little.




Emigrate! Emigrate! Dr's US trip
Two of next year’s four specials to be filmed in America
By Dan Wootton, 24/08/2008

DOCTOR Who is filming two of next year’s four specials in AMERICA—in a move that will boost David Tennant’s career Stateside.

The shows will be the 37-year-old star’s last, then the Doc will regenerate into another actor.


Viewers will see David arrive in the US to save the world with a BIG-NAME American female assistant.


Series chiefs are also planning a Doctor Who movie—but it is not known who will be the lead.


A BBC source said: “Doctor Who already has a huge following in the States. It’s on the Sci Fi channel and is watched by millions of people there every week.


“But two specials in America, with a US setting and a US assistant, will take it to another level. David Tennant is already gaining a huge following and this will make him really hot property.” The four specials will also be the final episodes for show boss Russell T Davies.


He is handing the reins to producer Stephen Moffat for the next series, in 2010. The insider added: “Russell is determined to go out with a bang and the specials will be explosive.


“We’re spending much more money on them than normal.”


Moffat is working on a Doctor Who film—and would love to get legendary director Steven Spielberg involved.


He said: “It would be great to see it in the cinemas—as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the show.”

Trip to Hood River, part 1

The famous hamburger restaurant, "Calamity Jane's"


Beautiful summer cherries (they were delicious!)


Tart green apples


The Doctor takes a John Deere tractor for a spin


Checking out the grapes at a local vineyard


A quaint, run-down old barn at one of the farms


A happy field of sunflowers


Mind the crocs!


The bull we were egging on as a family; he really hated us

Ebay = my anti-drug

Sort of. Or possibly the bane of my existence.

Trippy British DUNGAREE mini-dress

Don't need it, probably won't wear it very often unless I manage to rock the Boho/hippie look, but tonight I just don't care ;p

Easily entertained?

Perhaps just a bit ;)



Sometimes all it takes is something like the above to turn around an otherwise rainy day. This sketch of the Tenth Doctor arrived on Monday, courtesy of the incredibly talented Aimee Major Steinberger, whose artwork I've been following (and purchasing) since I was eighteen! She even drew another Tenth Doctor inside of the sketchbook I ordered! Awww!

If you're at all interested in animation (or art in general), do check her out. She's recently published a wonderfully entertaining book on Japan and is frequently sought out for interviews by variety of magazines, not only for her drawing expertise, but for her extensive costuming and doll knowledge.

Sarah's kind of spontaneity

It's been rather warm the last couple of days and my curls have been sticking to my face and getting in my eyes more than usual. Thursday morning, on impulse, I called up the Dosha salon next to my office to see if they could fit me in for a trim during my lunch break. Lo and behold they could! And whether it was the heat that drove me to such spontaneity or the fact that I had recently seen a photo of Katie Holmes' bobbed cut, I came out an hour and twenty minutes later with significantly shorter hair and...bangs. Brave, huh? Well, for me at least. Which isn't saying much!

Glee!

*wipes a tear* I love that scene.

Tea recommendation

I blame my tea obsession on the British and Doctor Who. Well, all right, so that's not entirely accurate. I've always loved tea, but Kelly's two-year stay in England and the Doctor only added fuel to the fire. As much as I adore green and white teas, right now I'm craving steaming mugfuls of fragrant black teas. Sometimes I can be a baby about trying new varieties, preferring to stick to my staple favorites, but I recently tried Yogi Tea's Sweet Thai Delight and had to share.



Add a little almond milk (or milk, if you're lactose tolerant) and what you have is a small slice of heaven.

But since the weather is a bit too warm for hot beverages, why not try my other favorite: Honest Tea "Peach oo-la-long"? I'm a sucker for peach iced tea, but Honest Tea really does it right!



And now that I've endorsed BOTH of your products, where are my free samples? ;)

I bake, therefore I am (and other bits of randomness)

So, apparently I'm on a baking kick! For tonight's Bible study class, I made a variation of the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. I was feeling pretty spicy when making it, so on a whim, I added a few teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter and frosting. Oh my word, yum! I congratulate myself on my (not so creative) spontaneity!


Doing it up right, two-layer style!

I've also been on a Punkyfish kick lately, ordering three melt-your-eyeballs-sort-of-bright hoodies off of ebay UK. Maybe I'm too old for chavvy, London street wear, but I don't care! They have some cute jackets and "sweat tops" (ew..."sweat top"). And if it's good enough for Rose and the BBC, then it's good enough for me! Even if this one is the one I really wanted. Oh well.


I finally own something red!


Also, this jacket is probably the closest I'll ever get to the gorgeous, discontinued Oasis one :( I hate being a season behind England and Japan when it comes to fashion!

In other news, it's clearly very hard to be Miroku. Sometimes it involves laying around and languishing.


Awww....

The Royal Shakespeare Company presents "Hamlet"

Just in case it really needs saying: I would pretty much give up my left kidney to see one of my all-time favorite actors play the part of my favorite ill-fated-hero-with-a-tragic-flaw. When it comes to the bard's tragedies, Hamlet is top of the list for me (though Macbeth is a close second). It seems a cruel twist of fate that the show should star not only David Tennant, but Patrick Stewart too, as well as be completely sold out...and, you know, in England. Geography is not in my favor. Again.

Ah, well. Maybe they'll release it on dvd...

The official RSC website

Baking with matcha

I go through phases when it comes to hobbies, and now that Doctor Who is over and spending money is pretty much out of the question, I've decided that it's time to take up baking again!

I've been hankering for the strong, somewhat bitter taste of matcha, the traditional powdered green tea that I used to drink all of the time in Japan. It tastes simply wonderful when paired with something sweet, particularly a morsel like wagashi. I began researching the internet for dessert recipes using matcha and found this little gem over at the Talida Bakes blog:

Matcha (White) Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon matcha
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet or white chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
3. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.



If you're worried about the green hue being off-putting, let me put your fears to rest. I made these cookies on Sunday afternoon and there are about eight left. The white chocolate really brings out the wonderful flavor of the green tea without being overly sweet. Definitely a keeper of a recipe.

Tomorrow is my co-worker's birthday, and continuing on with the matcha theme, I decided to bake some chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate matcha frosting. Kami was kind enough to forward on her favorite chocolate cake recipe, which has quickly become one of my favorites as well. My only deviance was with the frosting. I followed the recipe exactly and added matcha according to taste. I wanted a lovely bittersweet aftertaste, which I achieved after adding a couple tablespoons.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.


I frosted the cupcakes and added a light dusting of matcha for a burst of color




On a random note, this may very well be my new favorite song. It was probably the only good thing about the X-Files movie, that and the ending credits...

Intrepid adventurers

Last Saturday, my cousins (Jana, Jeremy, and Nathaniel) and I headed to the always impressive Columbia Gorge for a hiking expedition. I tried to be sporty in my new shorts (ew, I hate wearing shorts of any length), t-shirt, tank, and suede hiking boots. Well, no one bothered to mention that Oneota Falls, while exquisite, wasn't exactly a trail. Rather, it entailed splashing through a freezing cold stream, scaling rocks and a beaver dam, and then plunging into a waist deep pool. No problem, right?


Just starting out


Apparently Nathaniel is a character on Lost


Impersonating the "surprised" lady from SNL


Here we go!


We passed so many gorgeous scenes that looked like the were right out of the Lord of the Rings movies


Nathaniel and Jeremy, pointlessly scaling rocks in order to avoid getting wet, which ended up happening anyway ;)


Oneota Falls in all of its glory


Getting in touch with my inner Pocahontas


Jeremy found me a froggy friend!


Someone save Jana from the perilous waters!


After Oneota, we hit Horsetail Falls


Nathaniel and Jeremy in their "Ralph Lauren ad" pose

Despite being tiring and somewhat painful (we all came back with minor scrapes, bruises, welts, or blisters the sizes of quarters), we had a great time. The Columbia Gorge is one of those places that never ceases to amaze me with its beauty. It really is one Oregon's gems.