It's getting SO COLD!!!!!!!!!!!! *teeth chatter* hahaha!..... I'm laughing but it's really not funny.

Things are still going great here! For the most part I go along day-to-day as usual, but then I have a moment every once in a while where it hits me... I'M LIVING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY!!!!!!! O.O Then the moment passes and I'm fine again. Right now I'm the poorest I've ever been because I spend way too much money and travel around too often. I've only been here for almost four months and already I've been to Tokyo twice, Osaka twice, Nagoya once and Kyoto too many times to count..... >.>.... I need to start being more responsible!......
Teaching is still fun and I am still loving my students. Some of them are so cute and bright. Some are total turds, but even they aren't SO bad. haha!

I hope everyone is doing well! It's been a while since I've checked back at imeem, but I still think about you, I swear!! haha!

Enjoy the new m-flo that dropped a month or so ago. I've been all over this CD. Just a tribute album and covers of previous stuff, but still awesomeness.

Xoxo,
Omni

PS-What's with the ads that play before songs on people's profiles sometimes??? REALLY imeem????? Boo.

Woooooooooosh.

So I have been living in the Japans for a little more than a month now and life is pretty swell. The kids at my junior high school are SO CUTE it's ridiculous, my teachers are super nice and helpful and my apartment is FAB. I really can't complain. Well.... I will complain about the humidity. That much I don't appreciate.

So today I am going to lunch with a friend and then hitting up my first festival! Wooooooo!! I'm excited! It's supposed to be some sort of traditional dancing, complete with fireworks and food. I mean.... could it get any better???

So I hope everyone is doing well! Stay strong out there!

Xoxo,
Omni

Hmmmm yeah.... sooo...... yeah.

I really have nooo idea what I'm doing these days. I just kind of feel like I'm in a constant scramble to do something... But I'm not really sure what. I feel like I need to sit down and just freakin organize my life right now. I need a huge, master list of tasks that I need to complete before I move in August... That's what I need to do. HEY! Maybe I'll do that right now! I need to get my mind in order, what better place than right here, right now to do it.

Omni's Huge Master List of Things to Do:

1) Organize all clothes/shoes/accessories/coats/jackets into four categories:

A) Things I want to keep, but not have shipped to me
B) Things I want to get rid of, period
C) Winter/summer stuff that I want shipped to me
D) Summer stuff that I want to actually take with me

You would think that this would be just two categories: stuff I want versus stuff I should probably get rid of. But when you're a pack rat like me, you pull something out of your closet--even though you haven't had it on in probably two years--but you look at it and still think, "Hmm, this is cute. I could probably wear this at some point... Even though I haven't had it on in two years. *keeps it*." Yeah... I'm that person...

2) Call the insurance company and have them fix my car again. (not such a fun thing on my list)

3) Call all the effing bill people and tell them I'm moving. (again, not so fun)

4) Buy stickers, treats and various fun things to give my kids as treats/rewards/omiyage. (this = awesome fun)

5) Buy at least 5 omiyage for various superiors once I arrive. (this actually = fun too)

6) Call the bank and have them stop the automatic transfers to my savings account, cause soon there won't be any money coming in there! hahaha!..... That's actually not funny...

7) Go over the 100 or so kanji characters that I'm supposed to know, but have all but forgotten how to read and write in the past three months. (seriously, that "use it or lose it" phrase is the gospel truth)

8) Practice Japanese in general.

9) Buy a map of my state. (to show the kiddies I guess...)

10) Buy two new pair of jeans.

I think that's honestly about it. I can totally handle that. I just have to stop being so effing lazy...

Anyway, hope everyone is doing fine and dandy!

xoxo
Omni

So it would seem that I am not as dedicated to changing my profile monthly like I did last year. I think I'm just preoccupied with other things. This isn't a bad thing by any means. But I do miss changing my profile all the time. It was fun!

So for Lent this year, (for those of you who do not know, Lent is a Christian practice that consists of fasting--or sacrificing something--for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday in mid-February and Easter) I gave up meat. No chicken, hamburger, steak, shrimp, crab, turkey, none of that. I usually really try to challenge myself during Lent, so this isn't an unusual thing for me to sacrifice, (in the past I've given up desserts, music, candy, chocolate, buying things I want versus what I actually need--that was a hard year--etcetera). This whole no meat thing though.... Easy as pie! I didn't think it'd be this great to give up meat! I'm learning that meat is kind of like a crutch that I relied on. Now that I can't just slap a sandwich together with some turkey and mayo, I have to get more creative. I've come up with some really yummy things and tried out some great recipes--I've even lost a few pounds! One recipe I'm particularly enamored with at the moment is a recipe for crispy black bean tacos. If you're interested, you can find the recipe by clicking here. SUPER easy to make and soooo delicious!

Other than that, I'm still dancing my salsa (moving up to intermediate class this month! Woo hoo!!) and I recently booked a two-week trip out West to visit some old friends and my mom. Looking forward to that at the end of the month as well.

Speaking of old friends, this month's music yet again comes from my favorite Japanese hip-hoppin' duo, m-flo. This music is actually from the second CD included in their Inside Works Best II album. Would you believe that I've probably had this CD for almost two years, but I never even listened to the second disc!?!? What the heck!? I've been missing out on these great tracks all this time! Haha. Ah well, better late then never I always say! The playlist will sound choppy when you listen to it, but each song actually flows into the next flawlessly if you listen to it on the CD. It's a great CD to just let play as you do whatever you do (while stopping to dance every so often, of course).

Hope everyone is well and happy spring!

Omni

WINTER SUCKS! Hahaha! I hate it. I am sooooo tired of being cold. So, so tired. Anyway...

In an effort to rise above my obvious winter blues, I've been taking various classes at my local fitness club (pilates, kick-boxing, cardio dance, etcetera). I'm also taking salsa lessons at a nearby dance studio and am thinking about taking guitar lessons.... Hahaha! I have to distract myself from this crappy weather!!! I swear I don't just have ADD.

This is an oldie but goodie that I stumbled across the other day. Love this song. It's really upbeat and makes me feel cheerful. Like, you know, rockin' all my troubles away. This song is also--to me--the best opening theme for Naruto.

Enjoy!!
Omni


Seishun Kyousoukyoku - Sambomaster

Okeeeee.............. This is going to be a VERY long post.... *takes a deep breath*.....

First of all, Happy Christmas and New Year's! It's that time of year again.... Seriously, where does the time go?? I have been insane lately with Japanese finals and crazy work schedules and traveling and this and that, so I apologize to those who have sent me messages/comments and I haven't responded yet (I will, I have not forgotten!!). This is the time of year where I always pull out my most favoritest Christmas CD, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. I love, love, love this CD! Something about the mellow jazz makes me feel all calm and Christmacy. I also greatly enjoy Nat King Cole and A Rat Pack Christmas, in case you want some good CDs for the season. My theme this month is a bit of an... well... Abstract take on a poinsettia. Very weird, I know, but this is how my mind operates...

SO, here is where the post gets long (or long-er). I'm going to take a young lady by the name of Poine's advice and post all of my profile themes for the year. This, you see, is no easy task, which is why I have not done it up to this point. But I figured, hey, for the end of the year, I'd even find it amusing to take a look back and reflect on the crap I've pulled together. Haha! OK, here goes:

December 2007/January 2008: Blue Leaves Glow Theme
Music Featured: "Pony Ride" by The Crash



This theme was a lot of fun to create and I was really happy with the results. I wanted something fall/winter-ish, but I was totally on a high from meeting and going out with a super hot boy, so I wanted it to be really energetic and happy too! lol! Then I found "Pony Ride" by The Crash and this disco/fall/winter/day-glo theme came to fruition! It all worked out pretty perfectly!

February 2008: XXX Theme
Music Featured: "River's Edge" and "Pink" by Shinkichi Mitsumune



Hmm, this theme was inspired by xxxHolic, because I had just started reading the series at that time. I was particularly enamored by Zashiki Warashi, who is this cute spirit girl with a crush on Watanuki in the xxxHolic series. I just thought she was the cutest and sweetest thing! So this theme is pretty much derived from that. Looking back, it's pretty so-so. I could pull something better together now I think.

March 2008: Yuugure no Aka Theme
Music Featured: "Yuugure no Aka" (The Red Twilight) by Asian Kung-Fu Generation



This theme is special to me for two reasons. One, I LOVE the song that inspired it. It's one of my all-time favorite Ajikan songs. Two, a very good friend of mine designed the background for it. She did an amazing job and I was superly grateful for her creativity and efforts. I also loved the icon I did for this theme. It was kind of a happy accident the way it turned out, so that was pleasing.

April 2008: Corinne Mellow Theme
Music Featured: Songs from Corrine Bailey Rae's self titled album



This is another theme that, looking back, I am really happy with. This brings back good memories because it was my birthday month! Yayee! I spent many days during that time listening to Corinne’s CD, so it inspired this profile—kind of earthy and springy, yet light-hearted. Yeah, this totally makes me remember the pretty spring days and going for jogs and what not. *sigh* Initially, I uploaded another theme for April called "Harajuku Kitty Theme." Ugh. But I hated it so much I quickly changed it to this. lol! I'm not even going to bother showing it to you now.

May 2008: Travel Log Theme
Music Featured: "Toraberogu" (Travel Log) by Asian Kung-Fu Generation



WHEEEE!! This is the profile theme featured during my most epic trip to Japan! This is one of my favorite songs (if not THE favorite) from Ajikan's 2008 World World World album. I love everything Gotoh is expressing in the song about going places, traveling and experiencing life. That song totally drove my inspiration for this theme.

June 2008: Okawari Theme
Music Featured: Songs from DJ Okawari's 2008 album "DIORAMA"



This is my second favorite profile theme for the year (we haven't gotten to the ALL-TIME FAVORITE yet, lol!). I have this weird obsession with adding little tiny details to the stuff I throw together, so with this one, I just kept adding and adding and adding. The album cover for the DIORAMA album is what inspired me here. I just think it's absolutely beautiful in an ethereal, mother nature-y, "Midsummer Night's Dream" kind of way. lol! This is the first theme after my Japan trip, and also the first CD I listened to once I got back home. Everything about this theme and the music that goes with it just brings about all sorts of great memories for me.

July 2008: Astromantic Theme
Music Featured: Songs from m-flo's 2004 album "Astromantic"



This theme was also a lot of fun to me. Not a favorite, but I'm happy with the way it came together. So by this time I started listening to m-flo's Astromantic album and wanted to emulate it visually. The album is so upbeat and fun with that "spaceship" feel to it, so I wanted to create something like that without coming off too cheesy. Haha! I like the way it came together.

August 2008: Hachigatsu no Suga Theme
Music Featured: Songs from Suga Shikao's 2007 albums "All Singles Best"



This theme was primarily inspired by the song "Hachigatsu no Serenade," which is my FAVORITE Suga Shikao song. *sigh* This theme is weird to me because it's the first time I used actual photographs I'd taken to create it. The song totally makes me think of a warm, sunny summer day, and what better way to express that than through actual pictures taken on a warm, sunny summer day? lol! I think it turned out OK. It's probably my least favorite theme of the year (aside from the horrible Harajuku Kitty experiment that I'm still not going to post), but I don't know if I would have done anything differently here.

September 2008: Metaphorical Disorder Theme
Music Featured: Songs from Nujabes' "Metaphorical Music" album



Now THIS is my favorite theme of the year. Hands down. I just love, love, love the way it turned out. I was inspired by a picture I saw in an issue of Giant Robot. It was the cover of a Brazilian art book. It was so abstract and cool to me, so I tried to interpret it here. I also love the song that I choose to play with this theme--which actually took me a couple days to come up with. Usually I'm inspired by the music, and then comes the theme. But in this case, I was inspired by a photo, so I had a hard time finding the right music to coincide. I eventually settled on "The Final View" by Nujabes, and it really all just fit together perfectly for me. I almost thought about putting this theme up again for December, but decided to do something new.

October 2008: Eri Kamijo Theme
Music Featured: "Bird's Element" by Aicube



This is the only theme that I actually did way in advance before posting it. I did this one sometime in August! I never plan ahead like that with these themes, but I bought this great postcard by Erika Kamijo while I was in Japan and wanted to use it in a theme at some point. I had the same problem here as in the September theme, where since I was inspired by a picture, I didn't have any music to go with it. I really struggled with this as well, but eventually I think it turned out well enough. It was a fun theme.

November 2008: Snow Flower Theme
Music Featured: Songs from the Aicube album "Beautiful Field"



Alright, so this brings us to the end... like anyone is still reading this. lol! I can probably say whatever I want here!!... OK, seriously. It started snowing SUPER EARLY this year! I mean, freakin-A?! It was kind of a bummer! But at the same time, it totally made me feel all snowy and dreamy, and thus, this theme was born. You can't see it, but I actually really liked the bottom of the wallpaper I used as the background, but it's hard for me to configure the exact size I'd need in order to fit the imeem page properly..... Translation: I'm too lazy to figure it out. lol!


OK, so that's it!! A year's worth of themes! Yayee!!! *is exhausted* If anyone wants to see the entirety of any background, just let me know and I'll post it.

Again, happy holiday's everyone! Stay warm out there!

Now that I am not feeling quite so lazy this month (in this exact moment anyway).... Well, it's not even that I'm lazy, it's just that I'm freakin' busy man. Argh! Being busy sucks! I am NOT one of those people who tries to keep themselves busy all the time. I'd much rather take it fairly easy. Life passes busy people by and before they know it, they're old and gray. That's my motto anyway......... I have no idea how this turned into a rant, but whatever, back on track here...

We had our first snowfall today. Call me a kid, but I still get excited during the first snowfall of the season. Granted I'll be sick of snow by January (which is when it really gets started around here), but for now, there's a whimsical wonderfulness to it. It never ceases to amaze me. And today's snow was the kind where if you looked really closely, you could see the intricate little shapes! Not all snowflakes fall like that, I don't think. Sometimes it's just wet and heavy. But today, it was light and airy and pretty. It's almost refreshing.

Anywho, to welcome the season, new profile and more music from Aicube Presents "Beautiful Field." I like this CD a lot. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite tracks as well.

Stay warm!!

Omni

So, I'm not sure if you've heard, but we just elected the first African American president of the United States of America..... Um.... Wow. Even now it doesn't seem real to me. When they called it last night, I just kind of stood there with my mouth open. I just can't believe it. It's a wonderful thing.

I think more than anything, I'm happy. I'm happy because around the world, people have such a negative perception of Americans after the Bush administration. The tension between our government and those across the globe was running so high, it really felt like it was only a matter of time before someone tried to strike us down! It really seemed as if the world saw American's as a bunch of loud, rowdy, uncaring and unsympathetic war-craving cowboys. While there are SOME people like that, I think the large majority of Americans are nothing like that at all, and I think this appointment of Obama shows that.

I am sincerely hoping that this momentous event will truly send ripples of compassion, tolerance and change across the world. Reading a story on Yahoo! news earlier, it already seems to be having that impact.

When I think about the tasks that Obama has ahead of him, it's truly daunting and a bit scary. Our country and the world are in flux. I feel overwhelmed when I imagine how HE must deal with not only the issues at hand, but also carry the hopes, beliefs and aspirations of all those who voted for him! Talk about carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Despite this, though, I am someone who sincerely believes in prayer and faith. Because of that, I am confident that everything will really be OK. I would ask those of you out there as well that are praying people to send a few up for Obama and his family. Pray that they will be blessed with wisdom, capability, tolerance and compassion, so that this really will be a historic change for the better.

Love and peace,
Omni

Happy Halloween everyone!! Wooooooooo!.......

My profile is all Lolita'd out for halloween! The artwork I'm using is by Erika Kamijo. Her artwork is pretty neat. In real life though, I'm going to be a ninja! Yeah, that's right. I've been practicing my stealthy moves and everything. I've gotten really good at sneaking up on people. I've even got my ninja stars to throw at random, unsuspecting innocent bystanders. It's going to be awesome. lol! Halloween is really one of my favorite holidays. I love autumn and harvest time in general, and Halloween just adds a fun, mischevious element to it.

Sheesh.....I'm really feeling blank here. I struggled with finding music for this profile theme, and it's never really that hard for me. I'm off my game this month. My mind is being spread in too many different directions I think. I've already changed the music in this blog four times because I seriously can't commit to a song..... Bah. I give up. This is from a CD I have by Aicube called "Beautiful Field." There are some nice tracks on it.... I'll upload the rest next month if I can get my act together by then... I'm so ashamed right now. lol! Anyway...

Be safe out there everyone and have a wonderful Halloween!!

Omni ♥

So I was playing volleyball the other day and fell on my ankle. I didn't break it or anything but it did swell up to where it looked like there was a golf ball inside of it. Sooo weird. I had sit with my foot on my desk at work with ice on my ankle. I felt like a total moron. Hahaha! I'm fine now, by the way. ♥

With that bit of randomness out of the way, I saw the picture below online on the Giant Robot Web site. Giant Robot is an Asian pop culture magazine (there are stores too) that highlights art, music and all other things eccentric and awesome. It's pretty weird and cool, which is why I love it. Anyway, so the picture inspired me a bit in my profile theme this month.



The image is from an art book called "Disorder in Progress." The art book was initiated by Brazilian designer Nando Costa and compiles original works by both unknown and internationally renowned designers.

You are listening to the sounds of Nujabes' Metaphorical Music. This CD is pretty old, but it took me forever to find it, so it's new to my collection. I've uploaded my favorite tracks, including F.I.L.O (which never gets old for me), Lady Brown (love the words), Beat Laments the World (sound familiar Samurai Champloo fans?) and a host of others. Enjoy! Happy Fall!