I’m a university student who is going to be graduating soon, with the dream of working in Japan. Check out what my journey until I get to Japan and make that dream into a reality is like through this blog. And then when I get to Japan, stick around to hear about my journey in Japan.
Trip to Walmart.
We’ve come to a time where a trip to Walmart is significant enough for its own post. That’s how slow the world seems to be moving around me since the pandemic.
The Walmart near me has designated the set of automatic doors at each entrance as either in or out and they’ve made sure it’s enforced by having someone stand out there, plus have wrapped yellow tape around the poles to have people go in the right direction. Inside, employees are all wearing masks and a voice on the loudspeakers occasionally gives some scripted message about being safe during the coronavirus. It’s eerie…but a good reminder to anyone who just might be starting to get complacent about this pandemic.
But judging by the amount of people wearing masks (nearly everyone from what I noticed) people are taking this seriously! No ones practicing the six feet distance from each other in aisles, but that’s pretty impractical in a narrow aisle. At least it’s being encouraged at the check-out lanes with stickers on the floor reminding people about keeping six feet between each other. Also, the lack of toilet paper also seems to show that people are still hoarding…and the closing time is 4 and a half hours earlier than it usually is.
Working from home.
Well, looks like I’m no longer going to have to leave the house for anything besides groceries. As of today, I can officially work from home.
What did it cost to be able to do so? A lot. Specifically however much this cost (take a guess…I can’t say it without feeling bad for my wallet!)
Movie Review – Parasite [Korean]
A couple months back, I heard a lot about this movie, but I just hadn’t got a chance to watch it. It wasn’t available on any streaming services, but there were some showings in the movie theater that I thought I’d grab a ticket for, but I kept putting it off and eventually I had forgotten all about it. That is until someone mentioned it was available on Hulu. So today I gave it a watch and I’ve got to say, it really was great! The only thing I had heard about this movie was about the Oscars it won (and people’s complaints about subtitles being a bother), so I was luckily going in watching this movie not knowing anything.
J-Drama Review: Busu no Hitomi ni Koi shiteiru (2006), ブスの瞳に恋してる.
Rating: 5/10*
*Personal opinions towards storyline and actors/actresses factor into the rating. Don’t take it too personal if a drama you liked/disliked has a rating you don’t agree with.
I just finished watching another drama a few days ago and it was interesting to say the least. It was much different than what I usually watch and the title of the drama was what caught my eye. “Busu”, according to my Japanese dictionary app, means “extremely ugly woman”. The whole title apparently means something like “in love with the busu’s eyes”.
Weird title would mean intriguing story, right? Well, I’m not so sure that’s the case after having finished this drama. It was a nice drama to pass some time and it does make you feel for the main actress, who is actually playing the role of an aspiring actress who works at a ramen shop part-time, trying to land her next big gig. The thing is though, while she’s got a great personality and is a nice person, she’s not what the Japanese consider conventionally attractive. Thus, the unfortunate use of “busu” is used towards her quite often and it’s such a shame. I understand it’s a drama so I didn’t put much thought into it, but I couldn’t help but wish they didn’t use such a rude word to describe her, or anyone for that matter.
But nonetheless, she’s sadly referred to as busu throughout the drama and we follow her story which includes her trying to get into the acting world, a sudden love interest of a handsome and a bonus love square! (I’m assuming since love triangle is three people, one more added person to the mix would make the complicated situation a square.) Would I recommend this drama? Not really. The main takeaway is that looks don’t matter when it comes to love, and it’s about the feelings between two people. And while that’s a great message, it just wasn’t portrayed in an entertaining enough manner and came off as rather corny. If you wanted something more along the lines of “attractive person falling in love with someone who isn’t considered conventionally attractive”, then I’d recommend Densha Otoko in that case.
Now for the spoilers!
The drama seemed to build a great storyline in my opinion in the beginning, but Osamu (Inagaki) and Miyuki’s (Murakami) relationship could’ve used some more expanding on if possible. Osamu clearly started to grow feelings for her, and he was suppressing them because he didn’t think she was his type, but suddenly getting dumped by his girlfriend and realizing he wants to marry Miyuki seemed too rushed. It’s a drama, one intended to be mostly funny, so of course it was an exaggeration but the other relationships he was in definitely didn’t feel so forced as this! That’s gotta be my biggest qualm with the drama, probably because most of the love stories in the precious dramas I’ve watched have a much better build up to it.
But oh well. I thought it was alright! Don’t go around calling people busu though, it’s rude!!
A reflection of the state of events due to the coronavirus.
Living through a major historical event like this is pretty crazy. One could argue it’s nothing compared to some historical events like the Great Depression, WW2, the moon landing and so on – but, to say this ongoing pandemic isn’t a major historical event that will be remembered years after like the rest of those is naive. Each of these historical events have their own distinct and unique characteristics obviously, and how the nation and people felt throughout each one also differs of course.
The feelings I’ve seen from people on the internet seem to vary. Like everything, this can also be examined from a socioeconomic perspective and by doing so you can see the impacts and emotional well-being of each groups. The well-off, from my time spent on the internet, seem to be enjoying this time with their family and being able to pass time with hobbies they weren’t able to give as much time to. The savings they’ve accumulated have given them peace of mind during this situation, and many in this category have jobs that can be done from home so there’s no worry of a lack of paycheck. This group would be the wealthy and upper-middle class.
The lower-middle class and poor, however, aren’t doing so well. Recent content on the internet seems to be largely filled with the fun that the folks at the top rings of the socioeconomic ladder showing what they’re doing to pass time, but if you scroll far enough you’ll see what those near the bottom are feeling. A week or two ago, celebrities who sang a song about giving up material possessions caused quite a ruckus. Folks who’ve lost their jobs and have been forced to take a pay cut were rightfully angered by wealthy people who are so blinded by their money that they can’t stop to think how this pandemic is affecting what would be the vast majority of Americans.
Right now, essential businesses are still open. This would include banks, pharmacies, gas stations, home repair stores, restaurants doing take-out/carry-out and drive-thru orders only and a couple others I may have missed. Most of these folks are well aware that those with jobs that aren’t minimum wage like theirs are in the comfy confinement’s of their home, away from the reach of the virus. Yet, they have no choice but to work to keep a roof over their head, and ironically are paid peanuts despite being called essential workers. “If we’re essential workers, why doesn’t their pay reflect that?” As an essential worker myself, I agree.
I have no choice but to go to work and risk getting the virus despite the vast majority of the world under lockdown and countries enforcing even stricter measures to keep people inside. Yet I have no choice but to put myself out around almost 50+ people everyday and be paid just a few dollars above minimum wage, and given a letter to show authorities that I’m an essential worker and to allow me to report to work. My work conditions don’t seem to be reflective of that of a essential worker either considering no gloves or masks are given to us despite us being in close proximity and touching objects used by other colleagues throughout our shifts. It’s not just me who’s experiencing this though, it’s essential workers in all fields that are currently open.
Now they’ve told us that a stimulus package will be passed and $1,200 will be given to adults and $500 for each child. $1,200 that some may not even see because they’re college students that are still considered dependents, despite living on their own and providing mostly for themselves. I’m not expecting a check, but I could use it to make sure I’m practicing the necessary measures to ensure this virus doesn’t spread.
The incompetence I’ve seen regarding this pandemic is so disappointing. Right now that’s what I feel the most: disappointment.
J-Drama Review: ブルドクター, Bulldoctor.
Rating: 4/10*
*Personal opinions towards storyline and actors/actresses factor into the rating. Don’t take it too personal if a drama you liked/disliked has a rating you don’t agree with.
On to another drama I’ve completed watching, Bulldoctor! In one of my prior J-Drama reviews I had talked about Unnatural, a drama based around forensic pathologists uncovering mysteries around bodies with unnatural or fishy deaths. I did enjoy that drama and the slightly dark theme with the clever mysteries you get to see solved was extremely entertaining. So when I discovered there was another drama based around forensic pathologists uncovering mysteries behind bodies with unusual deaths, I knew I had to watch this.
For this review I’ll keep the spoilers out and let viewers give it a chance to see it themselves. I’ll start off by saying the drama wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t the greatest. My number one reason for saying that is due to the subpar acting from the main heroine and one of the main male forensic pathologists. The male did have an involved role, but he didn’t do enough screen time as the heroine so I didn’t start noticing him until a few episodes in. Everything from emotion conveyed through voice or through facial reactions to extremely mechanical-looking movement, it felt “fake”.
In addition, there is one relationship plot that they introduce towards the beginning and try expanding on throughout the drama that gets to be somewhat annoying. J-Dramas are known to be notoriously slow for progressing any romantic stories, but this one took the cake. I can’t believe I had to wait as long as I did to finally see one of the characters open up and reveal their true emotions. So if you’re the kind of person who’s inclined to watch dramas for its romantic aspect don’t bother. Also, another notable plot involves another important character and they hint to this unknown plot periodically throughout the drama. And when I say hint, I mean they only acknowledge that there is some sort of story behind why a character is acting a certain way except it they do a poor job in making it seem important. Without giving too much, this involves your classic threats being sent and nervous ticks a character gets when something involving them is brewing in the background. But each and every one of these occurrences remains mild and as a viewer you’ll just go “oh this again” and not give too much thought into why it’s being done since it’s just not presented in an eye-catching manner.
Overall, the drama is decent. It’s nice if you want to follow the forensic pathologist theme BUT I highly recommend watching this first and then Unnatural in order to not be disappointed. Unnatural is an extremely similar drama to Bulldoctor, except 10 times better.
When the world comes to a stop.
A lot has happened since the last time I posted.
- Global pandemic due to Covid-19 declared
- The U.S. has declared a national emergency against the virus
- I’m working a crazy amount of hours at work
- And lastly, although this week was the week we were supposed to return back from spring break, they decided to extend the break into this week. And then starting from next week our university will transition into online classes until the end of the semester
Wow. A few other spotlight worthy things are the unnecessary hoarding of toilet paper and other paper products, although I suppose I could see why people would do this in order to get the goods from the stores before the virus spreads further. However, it’s ridiculous to take 5 or 6 huge bundles of toilet paper. To be honest the internet has been inundated with nothing but toilet paper talk, so I’d like to refrain from talking anymore about that!
Back to the world coming to a stop. Events are being cancelled back to forth, people are losing jobs, businesses are shutting down, and curfews are being implemented and people are being told to stay at home. It’s everything you’d expect to happen during a pandemic so it comes to no surprise since some of my classes have covered situations like this, and movies have even shown stories like this unfolding (albeit, with some extra drama added to it). But, at the same time it’s a bit surreal living through this.
Many people are relating this to the Spanish flu pandemic but I really hope it comes nowhere close to such a tragedy. Currently, Italy has been hit extremely hard and other countries are scurrying to prevent a strain on their health systems and prevent unnecessary deaths. As a healthy, young college student I am not at a high risk of this virus but I still think it’s critical for me to limit my outings and be careful as well. I’ll be fine likely if I contract it, but it’s the elderly who I’m worried about. The virus hit at the worst time possible (spring break) and a lot of college students are taking advantage of this holiday and cancelled classes to get in large gatherings and party at clubs and bars. That’s not my type of scene and I don’t have anything against it, but I really question their priorities if this is what they would choose to do during a pandemic.
As the world slowly comes to a halt, certain businesses (such as my job) are getting extremely busy and actively trying to recruit more people. So while some people will spend the next few days with not much to do, others will be busy their entire shifts and managers will be scrambling to get more people on board. It’s just incredible how drastically this virus affected each person’s lives differently. I don’t mean to imply this virus is impressive or good, of course. It’s just the scope of change in such little time that I find incredible…
J-Drama Review: 拝啓、民泊様。Dear B&B Houseguest.
Rating: 10/10*
*Personal opinions towards storyline and actors/actresses factor into the rating. Don’t take it too personal if a drama you liked/disliked has a rating you don’t agree with.
If you’re looking for a drama that has a nice little slice-of-life feel to it, I’d recommend this underrated drama a lot. (Underrated in the English-speaking J-Drama enthusiasts community at least, I haven’t seen it mentioned before). The situation the Yamashita couple goes through, however, isn’t exactly one that people normally experience. It involves the husband getting duped into a business scheme where he ends up taking a hefty loan to start a bed and breakfast. On the other hand, his wife is an employee for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare so it’s a shock when her own husband gets duped when her whole job is making sure businesses are taking care of their employees and vice-versa.
We get to see how Mr. Yamashita deals with the situation and how he turns the negatives into positives when dealing with the company that manages the property. The foreigners who stay in his B&B learn about Japanese culture during their stay and leave an impression on Mr. Yamashita as well. Not everything is rainbows and sparkles though. When Mrs. Yamashita gets wind of her husband taking out a huge loan (and doing something else that she wasn’t informed about), tensions get high and we see whether or not they’re able to reconcile.
The drama looked like something that could happen to any entrepreneur who wanted to take a risk, and there weren’t any over the top storylines or scenes that were highly unnecessary to the plot. The acting was great and it was nice seeing Hirofumi Arai (Mr. Yamashita) again after I watched him in モテキ (Moteki) several years back! Kuroki Meisa (Mrs. Yamashita) is also a phenomenal actress whom I’ve seen in a few other dramas too and she brings back her good acting to this drama too! So give this a watch whenever you can!
Imagine playing Minecraft (or any PC game) like this.
I’m in awe at the size of this absolute unit of a monitor. This whopping 49″ Samsung QLED gaming monitor had me feeling like I was Steve himself. I sat in the comfortable gaming chair a bit and played around for a couple of minutes and would have been there for hours if it wasn’t a store. It’s fun imagining you’re rich enough to get a setup like that!
Movie Review – Death Sentence (2007)
Disclaimer: I’m not a professional movie critic and my opinions are purely subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt.
I watched this movie with a buddy that swore to this movie and claimed it as one of his top favorites, even having set a personal record of watching it a total of 8 times. Hearing that, I had to search up this movie before we watched it, but the Rotten Tomatoes ratings were one of the first search results and a quick glance would make you think this movie was a horrible flop. I’m not swayed by snobby movie critics very easily so I ignored the ratings and decided I’d give it a watch based off of my buddy’s recommendation.
The following contains spoilers and my opinions regarding scenes and characters.
Journey To Japan 