White people who try to be Japanese
24 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Weird
Wow, so many people have visited my blog! Thank so much guys, that’s really awesome. Feel free to leave a comment, I don’t bite. haha.
Anyways. One of the things that drives me CRAZY about being a Japanese major, is the stereotypes. The process of someone finding out my major goes in four phases:
1. Denial: What, you? Nooo, that’s funny. Seriously? But you’re so normal/pretty/a cocktail waitress/listen to good music/don’t seem nerdy/etc.
2. Shock and amazement: Wow, that’s sooo cool! Say something in Japanese/Mandarin RIGHT NOW! Tell me how to hit on Asian chicks! Wow, you’re like, REALLY SMART OMG.
3. Denial pt.2: What?! You play videogames?! Nooo…that’s funny. But you’re, like…a girl. And you’re pretty. You dress nice, and you’re not fat (why this is the stereotype of a gamer girl, I have no clue.) What do you play, Wii Sports or something? WHAT?! You like RPGs/Final Fantasy/Square-Enix/Pokemon/Zelda?! Seriously?! What’s your favorite game? Wow, this is weird. Do you have a boyfriend?
4. Accusations: So, do you like, WISH you were Japanese? Do you like, only eat sushi and listen to Japanese music/watch anime/read manga/do your hair like a Japanese girl (my hair is stick straight btw…I don’t *do* my hair)?? What, you’re okay with being white?? So why do you look so Asian? It’s because you wish you were Japanese right? Oh, so you’ve got Indian blood in you and that’s why your skin is so yellow. Okay. So do you want to marry a Japanese guy?! No? You have a blonde-haired blue-eyed boyfriend? Weird.
I wish this was an exaggeration. I really do. But it’s not. And WHY do people think this way you ask?! Well let me show you a few examples, of white girls who wish they were Japanese. And I’m pretty serious here:
Example 1:
So, yeah. This girl is doing one of my MAJOR pet peeves. I. CAN. NOT. STAND. WHEN. SOMEONE. IN. JAPANESE CLASS. TRIES. TO. SPEAK. WITH. AN. EXAGGERATED. JAPANESE. ACCENT. (Exaggerated is the key word here)
Yes, you have big anime eyes (I get this too, and I HATE IT.) and you are speaking and moving your head like a cute little anime character, but we know that you’re white. You aren’t Japanese. And you’re trying wayyy too hard. -_-;;
Example 2:
So, you don’t know who Magi-bon is? Well, she’s sort of an enigma. You see, she posts hundreds of videos of herself at an angle (creating a “big eyed, small lipped anime-style appearance”) looking into her webcam. The only words spoken (usually) are “Minna-san, konnichi wa, Magi-bon-desu~” and “bai bai~”
The rest of the video you ask? Just her looking into the webcam. The result of these hundreds of videos? Un-justified fame in Japan. Japanese girls squealing with delight over how “Kawaii~!” she is, bemused Americans using her videos to horrify their friends (I fall into this category), and clueless Americans who actually think she has Japanese parents. Seriously? Seriously.
And finally, here’s an example of these oh-so cute Japanese kids/girls that they are trying to emulate, no explanation needed:
Example 1:
Example 2:
There’s just no comparison.
Practicing Kanji
23 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
So, I’m pretty proud of myself. I’ve managed to learn 114 Kanji in half week. It’s a pretty intense endevor, but in reality…once you know what you’re doing memorizing kanji is the easy part.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a cocktail waitress at the MGM Grand. When I’m on break/waiting in my lounge for guests to arrive…I’m practicing kanji. Over and over again on my note pad. I go through my list of English/Japanese words, and write every kanji from memory until I can’t do it anymore.
Seriously, instead of making a flash card with kanji on one side and a definition on the other, try making just one flashcard with 200 words on it, and then just go to town whenever you’re not busy. In a boring lecture, in your cubicle, whatever. It’s so much easier to memorize and recall by writing vs. the whole flashcard thing. Anyways, ganbatte!
Thank you Japan.
21 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Weird
Just, thank you.
(thanks to WTF Japan, Seriously!? -link opens in new tab)
Kafka On The Shore
21 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
So, Kafka On The Shore is actually the most recent Murakami book I have read…but I’m starting with it first because it is my absolute favorite book. Of all time. This title originally belonged to Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov, which stood strong for seven years as my favorite book. Kafka changed everything. Originally, I was hesitant to pick this book up. Something about the title made me think back to a story in “After The Quake” which I loved, but wasn’t ready to continue with. I’m not sure what it was, but the brain works in mysterious ways.
Almost two years after that initial reaction towards the title, I finally decided to pick this book up. Thank God. Kafka on the shore is an amazing blend of two completely unrelated (or are they?) stories about two fantastic protagonists. This novel mixes Murakami’s amazing use of the mundane and surreal, and creates a world so fantastic and unbelievable, you’ll never want to leave. The characters are all fresh, even by Murakami’s standards. Usually we see a huge similarity in his protagonists, and especially in his themes. The theme of vanishing women is very much present here, but is presented in a new light.
I feel in love with both Kafka Temura and Satoru Nakata, a young boy and an old man, respectively. Seemingly complete opposites, Temura is an extremely bright yet quiet individual…while Nakata is not very bright, refers to himself in the third person and is very friendly…especially with cats. Every chapter switches between these two characters, drawing in you in one story, and then quickly out of it into another. Sometimes at the end of a chapter you are left with a cliff-hanger, dying to know what will happen next. Thankfully, the next chapter will have something so engrossing that you soon forget your angst over the other story line and are pleasantly surprised when in resumes again.
All in all Kafka On The Shore is a magical adventure, filled with talking cats, skies that rain fish, Oedipal prophecies, ghosts, other worlds, magical inanimate objects, and the most wonderful, crazy, and often horrifying characters you will have ever met. This novel will take your mind on a ride and will leave you exhilarated. Absolutely, Murakami’s best that I have read thus far.
Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge
21 Jan 2011 1 Comment
So, one of the main reasons for me to start a new blog was to participate in this Murakami Challenge! I’ve already read so far since the BEGINNING OF 2011:
A Wild Sheep Chase
Dance, Dance, Dance
Sputnik Sweetheart
Kafka on The Shore
I’m currently reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World
Next, I plan on reading South of The Border, West of The Sun
And then, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Then I will have read every Murakami novel in publication! That is, until 1Q84 is translated! I just realized today…that 1Q84 = 1984…as in Orwell’s famous novel. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize that the Q is actually Kyuu…or 9 in Japanese. Get it? Man, I am slow.
Anyways, I’ll start on my responses to the novels I have already read soon!
私は。。。
20 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
。。。ステファニ・コープランドです。日本語を話して聞いて書くことが大好きですけど、私の日本語が下手です。毎日は大学に日本語を勉強します。週末はカシノをしごとします。二十二さいです。せんこは日本語と中国語です。ミシガンに住んでいます。このブラグは日本語と音楽と本をよむことでも書きます。
…And if you can’t read that (either because you can’t speak Japanese, or because my Japanese is so horrible you can’t comprehend it) no worries, I plan on writing mostly in English. 
Mainly I just want to keep track of my Japanese/kanji progress, do the Murakami challenge, and post other random things I like here. If you are here and speak English only, you probably know me, and therefore do not need to read the information in Japanese. ^_^
