Chalte Chalte

Some links to my other sites ^_^

Today is Sunday, September 26, 2010. Today, my little brother is 14 years old. He is the object of affection of many young girls and the friend of only a lucky few. But I have the deepest of pleasure of being his one and only sibling. I only vaguely remember when he was born. I doubt I was extremely aware of the fact that I was soon to have a playmate, because it came as a big of a shock to me when my grandma picked me up after school when I was 6 and drove me to the hospital. I wasn’t so sure about this new person taking a portion of my parent’s attention, but as I got older, it became apparent that this new little being was someone to take an offensive position against. Yes my friends, it was war. He would scream at the top of his lungs, I would tattle. He would poke me repetitively and I would dress him up in a snow white costume and show him to the world. He would stare over my shoulder as I drew, and I would convince him that it was a good idea to dance in front of the window naked. It was a brutal, and yet somehow enjoyable relationship. Though I would have denied it at the time, I began to enjoy the time I spent with my brother, after school, on Sunday afternoons, and otherwise. Luckily for me, instead of resenting me for all the terrible things I’d done to him when he was young, he treated me with nothing but kindness. Even when I dressed up as Snow White for homecoming, which should have surfaced repressed and painful memories, he told me I looked beautiful. Over the years he has become one of my life supports. A best friend. Someone I want to share the most memorable parts of my life with.

So here’s to you brother for being a great person, a wonderful brother, and most importantly my best friend (not counting the years I hated you)

I love you and have a great birthday!

Ok so I have a very short attention span and honestly am surprised I have kept up with it for this long... So I am going to take a break for a little while. I think eventually I will post another one though. I'm just not feelin' it this week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PNRP9ODgXk

Name: Chillarmy

Of three things I was absolutely positive. First, Chillarmy was a Japanese species of the Chinchilla. Second, there was a part of it-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be- that is extremely adorable. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably going to catch it the moment it appeared on my gameboy screen.

It is absolutely “chillarming.” And by that I mean charming and not alarming. Sorry, I suppose that wasn’t quite clear…It was more of a milky clear. Which is in fact not clear at all. (Those of you who have ever gone swimming in milk will know what I’m talking about)

The actual Japanese pronunciation is “Chirami.” According to my Japanese contacts (mainly jisho.org) this means “glancing look.” Which makes perfect sense really, because Chillarmy is so dang kawaii! Anyway, there’s also the onomatopoeia interpretation. Chirachira is a fluttering sound. Kind of like the fluttering sound my heart makes everytime I look it up on GoogleImages.

So go out there. Go out there and make this college student proud- go catch yourself a Chillarmy mo-fo’s! *single tear

Award for Least Original Pokemon

Name: Gear

Ok so I lied about Mamepato being the least original pokemon. So sue me. No, don’t sue me. That is opposite the point I’m trying to make…

Whether or not you are filing a complaint at this moment, you’ve got to agree with me- this pokemon… It’s just… yeah. Gear? That’s great pokemon creators. Way to get an award for creativity. I think these weekly drug parties going down at Nintendo really need to stop. Only a group of high, unimaginative adults could possibly come up with this.

Yet, I asked myself, why “gearu” when Japanese for gear is “gea”? The answer is clearly one of these three. Number one, it is literally ru meaning exile, as in this pokemon should be annihilated from the world of pokemon. Penultimately, it is shortened from rui meaning trouble or evil influence; as in, this pokemon is going to cause nothing but trouble and is clearly a work of the devil. The devil tells lies. This pokemon is a lie I tell you. And third, it is shortened from the Japanese word rui meaning weak; weak as in the creativity utilized to create gear is weak.

Therefore, if you are in need of spare parts for your pokedex or radio or maybe something that actually uses gears, go ahead-capture this pokemon. Could be useful I guess. This makes me wonder where you could find such a pokemon- a hardware store maybe? Yes indeed…

8 legged freaks

Newsflash! Pokemon takes radioactive spiders to a whole new level! Looking for a Peter Parker-esque experience? Look no further than the pokemon frontier!

So! Wordology right? Best guesses: shortened from denchuu meaning telephone pole, electroforming (the act or process of forming a metallic object by electroplating are movable mandrel or matrix-don’t ask- this definition is a product of copy and paste and has no actual meaning to the author of this blog), or in the palace. Just what we needed. A radioactive spider invading the palace. The palace that has no definite location and, in fact, has not been established yet. (Eventually the world of pokemon will see the flaws in democracy and turn to a government ruled by monarchy. Just you watch.) Another interpretation-den shortened from denka meaning last resort. A translation that explains itself-much like a guilty child-and at the same time, vastly different. And, of course, there’s the obvious explanation that den is shortened from denbu meaning buttocks. By “sheer” coincidence, denpu (extremely similar to denbu-one accent mark away) means peasant.

Hoorah for the peasant tarantula with buttocks.

Have a good weekend, eh?

In contrast, please do not have a good week

Name: Mamanbou

I love this pokemon! Sure it’s not very original, but… Honestly, I don’t really have a good reason to like this pokemon. I just think it’s super cute. In any case, it’s more fun to make fun of these guys anyway, so here I go.

Take a look at this:

Horror Film Pokemon



Name: Rankurusu

Now this is a scary picture. It’s like it came straight to the pokemon world from the gates of hell. Either that or it’s a ventriloquist dummy surrounded by a body of blue jell-O. This pokemon is absolutely horror novel material. I really ought to be the first to write about it. Let me start my story with “It was a night like any other… until.” No that’s not right. How about “Now rankurusu was dead. Dead as a classroom of teenagers at 7 in the morning. But that night, as Ebenezer opened the door to his 5th floor flat, the long extinct pokemon inexplicably appeared to haunt him. And from that day on, rankurusu walked the world of pokemon once again.” Now, were you wondering about the name? So was I. Not much substance to the name. It’s just garbage really. No, really. Garbage is in the name. Kuzu is the less common Japanese word for garbage. (for the ku in rankurusu). Or I guess you could say that this pokemon displays a complete absence of brilliance, since ran=brilliant, ku=section, and rusu=absence. On the other hand, it could just be that the Japanese have no idea what a Toyota Land Cruiser looks like (rankuru=land cruiser).
If I were you, I would look in this pokemons black, beady eyes and refuse to capture it.

Squirrel of Lightning!

Horse of the Gods



Name: Shimama

I have mixed emotions about this new pokemon. I definitely like the concept of a lightning horse and the idea fits especially well into a zebra-like pokemon. It’s almost the type of steed I’d expect Zeus to ride in old Greek mythology. But…Yeah, um props to Japanese people for a really original name. After all, shimama sounds nothing like the Japanese for zebra (shimauma). I guess for the English version, we may as well translate it to Zeba. Or maybe, as a cousin to the giraffe pokemon giraffarig, we should call it Zebrarig (just watch-they’ll probably actually name it something stupid like that.)
Next please take a look at this pokemon’s strange multi-colored eyes. Seriously, why is it that all these new pokemon are being heavily drugged? Maybe the pokemon creators are getting bored. Seriously, like I said-I like the concept of this pokemon, but as far as appearance I’ve seen much better fan drawings of Shimama while google searching.
Now, how about its name? Shima means stripe, and ma? Evil. Obviously true. In light of this, I think we can all agree Zeba is a striped demon. Possibly even the antichrist (step aside Obama!)
On the other hand, give the guy a break. After all, Shima could also mean ‘territory of an organized crime gang.’ Clearly that would be preferable to a zebra antichrist! Yes kids, as long as you’re a criminal and not the antichrist, everything will be okay. Ma could be a shortened form of Maa which is basically “Oh!” or “Wow!”
“Wow! This pokemon is a bad example for children!”
Still, I like the idea of this pokemon-it just needs a new name and a different appearance.

The Legend of Zorro(a)



Name: Zoroa

According to my main resource, cerebii.net, this pokemons name is supposed to be a Zorua. However, the Japanese text for the pokemon is clearly ZorOa with an O. So there! Assuming the rest of the site’s information is correct, Zoroa is an ‘evil fox pokemon.’ This statement seems a little redundant. Aren’t all foxes evil? Sure they’re cute, but think back to those beloved childhood stories-foxes are ALWAYS evil. Ok, except for the fox and the hound, and yeah, the Disney Robin Hood-but whose counting those? And you could definitely say Zoroa’s appearance lives up to his description. He does look pretty evil… But I must say- I really like this new pokemon. It has all the makings of a 1st generation or 2nd generation species. In Japanese, Zorori (similar to Zoroa) can either mean “dressed sloppily” or “overdressed for the occasion” (oh those Japanese and their faulty logic). Indeed, the Japanese were right-apparently Zoroa didn’t get the notice mandating the appearance of all new pokemon to be cheesy and/or strange.
And, of course, there’s Zoroa’s secret identity. Imagine you’re Team Rocket, minding your own business, stealing pokemon, just the usual. And out of nowhere, a masked hero (although by the look in his eyes, he could also be a thief-then again what do you know? You’re just a member of Team Rocket-and everyone knows all members are required to be extremely stupid. Oh no, wait, that was the whole pokemon world) slashes a Z on your back. It’s Zorro! I mean, Zoroa. Yes! Believe it! Our beloved Zorro is actually a pokemon. Which makes perfect sense really. After all, Zorro is Spanish for fox.
Please sword fight a Zoroa at your own convenience. It should prove to be a challenge. All this pokemon needs is some boots, a cape, and a hat. Zoroa! In Boots!

Puberty Pokemon



"Kaiba: By the way did you find out what’s wrong with Mokuba?

The Closet Ballerina Pokemon




Name: Swana
Etymology will come first today. I’ll tell ya- I had a really tough time with the etymology of THIS pokemon… I mean- Swana. What could that possibly mean???
Swan dive! Into the worst joke of your life! Look at Swana, now look at your favorite pokemon, and back to Swana. Thankfully, your favorite pokemon is NOT Swana, but if your favorite pokemon participated in too many productions of Swan Lake it could BE like Swana. Look down, now back up. You are now surrounded by a herd of Swana you rejected for the swan lake ballet you’re producing. What’s that in your hand? I’ve got it-it’s your EYE now detached from its socket due to the Swana’s inability to take rejection. I’m on a Ponyta.
Anyways, I’m going to bet there aren’t any male versions of this pokemon. And either way let’s just say we’re going to have a very hard time continuing this species. Unless they create Swana sperm banks or genetically engineer themselves or something. However, pray they do not discover this advanced technology in order to accelerate their extinction.

Award for Least Original Pokemon So Far



Name: Mamepato
Congratulations pokemon creators. You have a grasp of the obvious. Mamepato is no more than a pigeon with a nickname. I mean, maybe pigeons are strange, foreign animals to the Japanese, but in America, they infest every inch of park, statue, and phone line.
Though I have been referring to this pokemon as a pigeon thus far, I am now going to blow your mind. Due to completely unreliable sources, I now believe this pokemon to be a small duck disguised as a pigeon. Its name directly points to this fact. The ‘mame’ in mamepato in this case is likely to mean small. Now, I suppose it could also be the food group legume, but I’m going to guess not. Pato proved to be harder to interpret. After setting my trusty hound dog, Google, on the loose, I sniffed out that pato means ‘duck’ in Spanish. Please don’t ask me to explain why the Japanese would decide to use Spanish in a pokemon name, or why in the world they would classify this creature as a duck when it is clearly a pigeon. That’s just what I found. And besides, the Japanese word for bread, which is ‘pan’, borrows from the Spanish language in which the word for bread is also ‘pan.’ So there!
So you still refuse this argument huh? Fine. I also decided to explore the possibility that pato could in fact be shortened from it’s original meaning. Closest match ended up being ‘patosu.’ In Japanese, ‘patosu’ means ‘pathos’ (it’s one of those Japanisized American words), and do you know what pathos means? According to the dictionary: 1 something that evokes feelings of pity and compassion 2 pity 3 suffering.
This pokemon 1 evokes feelings of pity and … ok maybe not compassion… (I mean, who wouldn’t pity this poor, useless, and hopelessly unoriginal pokemon? Not to mention his creator who may have already lost his job?)
2[this pokemon] is really pitiful;
and 3 merely looking at this pokemon is causing me to suffer.
Note: only capture if you are over the age of 50 and searching for a companion to throw bread at.

So Much Kawaii!



Name: Munna
Holy crap! Did I just have a kawaii* enduced ceisure?! Oh wait, no-that was just the new pokemon named Munna. Remember the embryo pokemon in last week’s post? Well,… I am sorry to say this is its pre-evolved form. I have yet to understand why this pokemon would EVOLVE into a fetus. I guess it’s just a Benjamin Button thing. Whatever. In any case, I am happy to say that this pokemon is a couple of large steps up from its fetus, but I’m also not going to seal it with complete approval.

*kawaii means cute in Japanese (not to be confused with kowai, which means scary).

Moving on to etymology. Just to get us started, ‘na’ (used at the end of ‘munna’) is used to indicate emphasis in the Japanese language. Therefore I will be adding an exclamation point at the end of every sentence, starting now! Munna could possibly be a play on the Japanese word ‘munmun!’ In one sense, munmun could be the onomatopoeia for stuffy; as in ‘this pokemon is so dang cute it’s suffocating me!’ Just look at the thing! It is abnormally and overbearingly adorable! According to specialists, the kawaii factor is way off the charts! In another sense, it could also mean ‘woman’s desire!’ This pokemon is, after all, a dream pokemon! Atleast that’s what I thought until I reread its description! It is in fact a “dream-stealer” pokemon! And ladies, it’s coming to eat all your desires! Therefore do not be fooled by its kawaii appearance-it is here to take your happiness! And according to its name it doesn’t care about the men! What a sexist pokemon! What are the Japanese trying to teach their youths for God’s sake?!?
Whether you decide to catch this cross between a piggybank and an anteater is up to you. Personally, I am thinking of boycotting it. Even if it is almost too cute to resist…

It's been a long time since I've really played any pokemon games and I surprise myself with the sudden interest, but let me just say-it's all my little brothers fault.

Perhaps you didn't know this about me, but I'm an avid Sailor Moon fan. While I was running around yelling ‘Moon Prism Power!’ and ‘Moon Spiral Heart Attack!’, my brother was throwing pokeballs. Not that I wasn’t a pokemon fan in my own right. I loved the games and the show, up until the dawn of Hoenn in the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games. For no apparent reason, pokemon began to look less like pokemon and more like regular animals, or poorly reconstructed animals from a 5-year-old’s imagination. Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. One region, two versions, the destruction of a beloved game series in the minds of children everywhere.

My brother, being the dedicated fan he was, and still is, stuck with the games and continued to stick with the series beyond it’s popular death. It is only because of him that I learned about the new game to be released in Japan in the fall and America sometime next spring. The name of the region is Isshu, the game versions black and white, holding significance because of it’s yin and yang theme. In fact, like the actual symbol, the black version contains a white legendary pokemon, and conversely, the white version contains a black legendary pokemon. It actually sounds kind of interesting, as it’s one of the first metropolitan based regions and HELLO, it reportedly has an airport. Finally we don’t have to fly from town to town on the backs of freakishly large birds.*

However, upon seeing the pictures of new pokemon for the series, I couldn’t help but dedicate a series of posts to critiquing these new species.

*It has not yet been firmly established that you can fly on the planes, but there is an airport, so it’s fairly likely-cross your fingers

Award for Second Least Original Pokemon Yet (1st to be revealed next week)



Name: "Minezumi" -please keep in mind there are not yet any English names- all posted names will be the Japanese ones
Okay so first of all, whoever in the world designed this "thing" has been watching one too many Looney Tunes episodes. In fact it's highly likely that instead of being designed, it jumped out of a television one Sunday afternoon in pokemon world, mistakenly classified as some new strange pokemon. Pokemon experts believe the new being to be on heavy drugs.
Can I also point out this strange "pokemon"'s name? Minezumi... Minezumi... Hmm where have I heard that before? Oh yeah! Nezumi means mouse in Japanese. I can't be sure about what mi would mean, but the most likely meanings include beautiful, the number 3, and -ness. Obviously we can rule out the first theory since we all know that meth addicts are almost never "beautiful." Meaning three also seems unlikely unless this pokemon is somehow able to multiply itself (not such an unlikely theory considering the animal jumped out of Looney Tunes). But personally I prefer the third theory which is "-ness" meaning the creature's full name in English would be "mouseness." And as we know, anything with '-ness' on the end automatically makes it ten times better (sadly not compensating for the drugged animal's appearance). Hear that American translators? Minezumi has already been named-no need to go to any further trouble.
Everyone, please welcome "Mouseness" into the world of pokemon. After capturing the beast, be sure to drown him and tactfully destroy the evidence.

Best Pokemon for “Seasonal” Use



Name: Shikijika
First of all, I apologize for the terrible pun (This statement will make sense in a few minutes). Shikijika was a pleasant contrast to the other Isshu pokemon freaks I’ve witnessed in the last 24 hours. It is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. I love deer, and though this pokemon might not be completely original, it has distinctly unique qualities. The picture of shikijika above is actually only it’s “spring form.” As it turns out, the new game will feature different seasons every month or so, and shikijika will change it’s coat according to the season. Given, this isn’t much of a surprise considering ‘Shiki’ means ‘four seasons’ in Japanese.
Disclaimer: please do not confuse this pokemon with the high end hotel and resort chain. Shikijika is a pokemon, and will not provide free rooms after capture.
It will, however, change colors, which is pretty darn amazing.
Be nice to any Shikijika’s you may find on your pokemon journey as they have received a pass in my book.

This Pokemon Should be Banned



Name: Musharna
Um, what idiot decided that a fetus would make a great pokemon? I mean, sure, most kids won’t recognize it for what it is, but I can’t help feeling this pokemon could bump the rating from E to M. Pokemon creators, please stop taking it upon yourself to educate kids in the ‘wonders’ of life. Concerning the pokemon’s name, Sharna means bodhisattva, which is apparently some type of enlightened being in Buddhism. Siddartha Gotama,, for example, achieved bodhisattvaism (I am not sure if this is even a word, but you get the idea). As far as the first part goes, I’m not so sure that it has much of a meaning, but if it did, it could be a play on the word mushuku, which means Homeless. Let’s hope that it stays that way and you don’t decide to capture it.
All in all, this homeless, enlightened fetus of a pokemon is most definitely a fail.

More pokemon to come next week :)
~Ashley Q

Current tune: Genie by SNSD (Girls Generation)

Well, summer’s almost over. It was a fun summer but I am very excited to go back to school. What did I do this summer? Mainly I got my left foot operated on (right to be done during Christmas break), and I have been recovering from that for a majority of the summer. More importantly though, having so much free time this summer has allowed me to explore myself. Mainly my talents and what I want to do with them. It’s taken me nearly the whole summer, but I’m in the process of creating a 20 page manga. Something that I would have normally given up on after a week has been a huge part of my days. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m so determined to finish something for once in my life. And not simply to finish this one short manga- but to continue doing this for the rest of my life. Supplies for this have definitely drained down my bank balance, but following through with something for once is worth spending any amount on. Future mangaka? I can only hope-and work my butt off.  In any case, I’m going to see this through to the end, no matter how many times I try to change my mind.

Whether the reason for pursuing a life as a mangaka, or the outcome, I’ve also been spending a lot of time submerged in Japanese culture. I’ve been watching quite a few animes, reading quite a few mangas, and my Japanese has been slowly improving. And so, I can’t stop thinking about going to Japan-living there for a while. And whenever that is I’m really looking forward to it. Especially Japanese baths which are absolutely amazing.

Anyway, so like I said, summer’s almost over. I’m a little worried that I won’t have time to work on mangas, but still, I hold a lot of hopes for the coming semester. I think it might be the best one yet. Can’t wait to be with all my friends again and resume an exciting college life in Southern California.

Even if I STILL don’t have a car… haha oh well

Happy last days of summer,

Ashley Q

:)

I found this this morning and thought it was pretty interesting and thought I'd share ^_^
You've probably heard of the harvest moon, but what about these?
Moon after Yule
Snow Moon
Sap Moon
Grass Moon
Planting Moon
Honey Moon
Thunder Moon
Grain Moon
Fruit Moon (or Harvest Moon)
Hunter's Moon (or Harvest Moon)
Frosty Moon
Moon before Yule
It turns out that, just as a Harvest Moon, people decided to give names to other full moons throughout the year. Every individual lunar epithet (not meant in a derogatory manner...F*** you moon! I mean... uh...) corresponds with a month out of the year. "Moon after Yule" is the full moon of the month of January, "Snow Moon" in February, etc.
I was born in the month of the sap moon-how about you?
info source: http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/

My name, Ashley, means ‘From the Ash Tree Field.’ When looking up my name I came across something called numerology. http://www.meaning-of-baby-girl-names.org.uk/first-name-meanings-a/meaning-of-ashley.htm According to that, I’m an organizer, but I don’t believe in that kind of stuff so I thought I’d keep searching. I don’t know much about ash trees, so thank God for the internet. Ash is well known for having tough wood that is very strong, but also flexible. Because of this, ash is widely used in sports and sporting equipment, including baseball bats and bows. It is also used for some musical instruments, like electric guitars and in the past, even as car frames. In China it was widely used in medicine for awkward reasons I would prefer not to share.

Ash is mentioned in mythology quite a bit too. In Norse mythology the first man was created from an ash tree. It is also suggested that the sugary substance the tree emits could be fermented to create the Norse ‘Mead of Inspiration.’ This Meade of Inspiration is said to be a “mythical beverage that whoever "drinks becomes a skald or scholar" to recite any information and solve any question” (Wiki). In Greek mythology, the Maliae were nymphs of the ash. It is also said that ash leaves or a circle drawn with an ash branch would repel snakes.

On a darker note, Irish folklore claimed that shadows from an ash tree would damage crops. In Sussex, the ash tree was known as the Widow Maker because large branches would often drop without warning.

So ash is strong and flexible. Metaphorically I hope people view me like that. I’ve definitely always viewed myself as a strong, independent person that takes time to enjoy life, and I hope that is what others see. Ash is widely known for its uses. Similarly, I hope that someday I will be widely known for my talents. After all my own identity is largely defined by my talents.

~Ashley Q

So: what does your name mean, and do you want to embody that definition? Does your name describe you? Do you want it to?

Now pass it on and make your own blog post!

So, according to my inner conscience, I’m an butt-kickin' alien-hunter!
Let me explain…
My dream the other night started out in a large stadium. I left my seat to go to the back of the stadium where various animal stables were located. Apparently I had volunteered to watch over one of the animals. I was assigned to watch the calf, which I was ecstatic about at first. However, when I got in the stable, I realized just how tall the calf was in relation to me. To make matters worse, the calf began playfully kicking. I was terrified enough at this point when the calf started full-out bucking and three aliens appeared. One was a big purple blob that looked like Jaba the Hut. The other two were orange imp creatures with webbed hands. The imps ran around creating havoc as Jaba slowly came towards the calf, swallowing it into it’s Grape JELL-O body. Soon after, a dirt tunnel covered in plants appeared in mid-air. Then for no apparent reason, the aliens grabbed me and slipped away through the tunnel. Somehow I managed to escape and get back to the stadium. I ran to the Catalina RD (the Resident Director of a dorm at the university I go to), Rachel, to tell her about the aliens. Just then I remembered I’d left some stuff in the locker room. When Rachel asked me to check where the aliens had gone while I was out, I stupidly agreed. I stepped inside the floating tunnel to get to the locker room. I was surprised to find alien tracks upon entering. There was one long, purple snail-like track and two sets of circular orange footprints that seemed to have no certain destination. Instead, the footprints lead from one side of the tunnel to the next, then back and around, but rarely straight. I followed the three sets of footprints through the locker room and into the mall. I then ran back to the locker room and through the tunnel to tell Rachel. Once I’d informed her that the aliens had headed into the mall, she quickly appointed me a member of her alien hunting squad. (Cue cheesy super hero action pose!). Shortly after, I became aware that my brother was hanging out with the same three alien scum I was destined to destroy. Still believing in the side of my brother that was just and alien-hating, I attempted to resurface his sanity by drawing his portrait. In the picture, his back was facing forwards and his head was turned to look at whatever lie behind him. A wide-brimmed detective hat sat on his head, covering his face in shadows. Somehow, when my brother looked at it, he saw a large-eyed, kawaii (cute) anime character. I kept trying to alter the picture to no avail. Needless to say, I didn’t succeed in my mission to keep my brother from spending his time with alien scum. In fact, it may have had the opposite effect.
Super-Awesome Alien Hunting Squad forever!!!!
C:

Hello! My name is Ashley :)