Italian Jobs Should Take Fashion into Consideration

Hmmm...my favorite outfit would have to be...my Indie fit jeans with my purple and black striped sweater, and my old Converse shoes. i would say that sweaters are mostly in style right now because of the cold, and more people usually start wearing scarves now as well.
the most expensive article of clothing i own? no idea. i was stupid and paid $39-ish for those jeans, which i normally would not do. gah. again, i have no idea.
if i could buy anything to wear, right now it would have to be a cardigan sweater! they're classier than just hoodies and not just for old dudes.
i do not really know any big designer names, aside from the obvious Armani and Prada and everything. and i don't know their nationalities....i guess that says a lot about my clothing style....

if i could dress an Italian to fit in here, i would make them wear a pair of darker, smart straight leg jeans, with a plaid button down shirt and maybe a sweet scarf to match, just to make them feel comfortable.

Oh Snap, it's Jungle Jim!

This is still wierd switching from sushi to pasta! oh well

i don't know much about Italy, just that it contains a lot of at and rich culture and great food, but that's true of any European country.

i would love to learn more about the ice cream and other foods, as well as Italy's more ancient history and more sweet phrases to accentuate with emphasis!!!

i'm looking forward to sushi!! right now that's really all i'm concentrating on. except no more rice/egg combos. blech.

Mata ne, Nihon

My overall opinion of this nine weeks is very high. I loved it! The best part was probably today, eating Ramen noodles with fake chopstick skewers and mixing the egg in with my rice. Epic. very, very epic.
Origami is waaayy harder than it looks. Since it took me forever to fold that crane, i will have to practice that outside of class until i can fold one from memory. furoshiki was also great!

I would like to try and squeeze in some Japanese abstract art! it would be awesome!
besides Manga...i don't think that reallly counts....sorry Nihon.
next year, work on....uhm...maybe find a Japanese person online and see what they say! haha the pronounciations were like right on...i think you're good, Senora. lo siento.

this is just awesome! Whale sharks at an aquarium in Osaka, Japan!

The Last Tom Cruise

The Last Samurai was a very moving movie about the end of the Samurai in Japan...but it also portrayed their impact on their country and its leaders.

Japan is rising. It's diplomats are drunk with the brandy of the West, and seek to end the less modern Samurai who still won't get with the program. Tom Cruise plays a Lieutenant Captain...?? Who is captured by the opposing warrior armies and not harmed...for some reason.

He ends up living among the simple villagers, and later finds out that his caretaker, Taka, and her two sons, are the family of the warrior he killed.

"Now that's what you call ironic!" -Ragetti, POTC

This was a great movie to watch, just because we got to see those hakama! Overall, i liked it; it was cool seeing Japanese mannerisms and culture. Plus all the action scenes, spraying blood, and the super cool Japanese scenery, with the paper rice doors! Sam is a fan.

Tres Estrellas.

Bushido is Awesome Unless You're Defeated in Battle

Bushido! the way of the warrior. All Samurai live by this code, even the white ones who are actually Tom Cruise in disguise.

Living by this lifestyle means being totally loyal to the Emperor, even when he's a naive kid who can barely grow facial hair. Samurai are trustworthy and honest, and not interested in material things. Honor dominates everything they do. Oh and they also don't fear death. Sweet.

A less peaceful part of this code includes Seppuku or 'disembowelment.' this involves the shamed slicing a knife into his belly, spilling his guts before a friend cuts off his head. Apparently the disgrace is too much to bear. I will never understand this!

The Samurai creed includes such concepts as "I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents." "I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power." "I have no castle; I make my Immovable Mind my Castle." and " I have no friends, I make my Mind my Friend."

Bushido originated during the 9th and 12th centuries, from a warrior class of Samurai known as bushi. They later became a ruling class but died out. Bushido is not very present in our society today. You don't see a lot of people honoring others for no reason or disregarding material wealth. Okay definitely not that! I think it should be, if only a little. The world could use more quietness and peace and respect, and I think a lot of people today forget the significance of respect to friends, family, and peers.

Who knows? We might be able to benefit from the Samurai....

Everything is Better in Japan

...except for the bathrooms. I am sure they are much more relaxed, but i would not enjoy having to bathe in an ofuro, and walking to the next room to brush my teeth or use the bathroom. Aside from that, i enforce my previous statement (the title)! I would gladly remove my shoes in any Japanese house; I do this in my own house, but I'm sure it's not as significant. But since the Japanese are people of simplicity and order, they remove their shoes before entering the actual rooms. But they wear slippers, and I can identify with that! Americans love slippers!

I am definitely a fan of tatami over boring carpet too. Carpet is warm, and my pampered American feet are used to it, but i would love to walk around on springy rugs all day.

Tea ceremonies? Are you kidding me? I respect that, but Sam is not digging the whole "we-must-first-walk-through-many-rooms-and-perform-many-SILENT-ceremonies-before-we-drink-our-tea" deal. I like to have my tea in a heartbeat, or "kettle boil" thank you very much. Plus I can add las cantidades grande de azúcar. The ceremony is done to appreciate individual interactions with everyday people, and the significance of that meeting, but over here tea is tea. Plain and simple.

I am, however, digging Japanese gardens. In America it just seems as if people throw flowers in a bed outside their house, making sure to make them multicolored for effect. There are, of course, extravagant gardeners who are paid to create beautiful gardens, but it seems as if everyone has some sort of simple but nice shrubbery. In Japan, special care is taken to place these plants in proper order. Plus, if all I had was a Japanese maple, I'd be good!

In the area of doors, I will stick to the standard American style. If I ever visit Japan, I will be running into a lot of doors because I tried to push them open on the go instead of sliding them quietly. And I would break those doors. Again, simplicity rules, and the rice paper and grid pattern does look a TON better than just a wooden door, but I am used to those plain wooden doors, and prefer them.

Many things are different in Japan! Rooms are simpler, houses more open, and things seem quieter. There's lots of noise and cluttered houses in America. Sam wishes to visit Japan.