Another World

Links:

Earthquake: 6757 Aftershocks In Japan Since 3/11 The Japan Quake Map will give you more info, should you require it.
My Little Pony: NYTimes Correction And The Story Behind It
Tokyo: First Yamanote Line Station In Forty Years To Be Built [Japanese] It will be between Tamachi and Shinagawa.
UK: Leeds Guide

Here are some reviews of various media I've seen lately.

All of the new Doctor Who

I'm finally up-to-date with Doctor Who -- I figured I should be before I got back to the UK.

Anyway, I liked it (although I prefer the Russell T Davies seasons) and I guess the eleventh doctor isn't so bad, although David Tennant is my preferred doctor of the recent three.

( Doctor Who observations, mainly spoilers )

First four or so episodes of Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei.

This is really patchy. Sometimes funny, sometimes horrible and predictable. Love the anime style though. I don't know if I'll keep watching this, what with My Little Pony and Sherlock currently airing.

Speaking of which...

First episode of Sherlock 2012

I don't like this as much as the previous Sherlock series, but I don't know why. Maybe it's because it doesn't have as much interaction between Sherlock and Watson? I still liked it though.

Tintin

There was a curious mixture of ultra-realism and complete bullshittery. ( Tintin spoilers )

I'm now applying for jobs in Britain. Does anyone have an address they could lend me as I don't have a flat yet? You'll almost certainly never get anything in the post, but I can't put my Tokyo address on there. Thanks if you can help.

Finally, I think I might need a new mod or co-mod for Weiss Day. It's almost certain I will get a flat and internet as soon as I arrive in Britain, but... maybe not, you know? Let me know.

Links:

BGLT: Best LGBT Movie Characters of 2011 ....Really??
England: Darklands Gothic Club Night (York)
Film: Trailer for Ridley Scott's Prometheus Everything from the way the title appears to the alien spaceship screams a connection to 'Alien'. There isn't, apparently.
Japan: The Yomiuri Shinbun's Top News Stories of 2011 [Japanese]
Photography: The Story Behind The Navy First Kiss
Stage Shows: Samurai 7 Makes A 2012 Comeback If this is anything like the show I saw first time around, it's going to be amazing. If you're in Japan, you should definitely go to see it.
Stage Shows: CODE GEASS STAGE SHOW DO WANT. Here are some cast photos from some random blog. This should be epic. But it's almost four months after I leave Japan. 絶望したぁ～！
Steampunk: Steampunk Photo Gallery
Teaching: Preventing Gender Bullying (via nuraya)
Travel: Surprise: There Are Germs On Planes Just when I'm getting ready to fly back to the UK...
Wikipedia: Wiki: Abe no Seimei I think he's an interesting character, part John Dee, part Merlin. Here's his Wiki page.
Writing: China Mieville on Genre-Blending

Here's a 2011 meme stolen from thedogstar, with some questions deleted because I didn't have anything interesting to say.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

Performed comedy on stage. I never considered doing anything other than watching previously, but all my favourite shows/books are either sci-fi or comedy, preferably both. It just took me a long time to realise it.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

This is what I wrote last year:

1. Send out more query letters.
2. Work on my photography.
3. Write more, read more.
4. Gym. Verb left unspecified.
5. Do more Stuff.

I did (1) and sent out more query letters, but that still wasn't very many.
As for (2), I took more photographs, posted them publicly more often and attended a meeting of a local photography club.
(3), I wrote more and I have no idea if I read more. Probably about the same.
(4) was a complete failure. I stopped going after March 11th as I just didn't feel like it anymore.
(5) was the biggest success. I did More Stuff! I performed and attended workshops. I tried stand-up. I volunteered up north and marched in a protest. I've found so many things I want to do in the future.

Here are this years:

1. Get a job.
2. Write more, send more query letters.
3. Do at least one open mike night.
4. Form an improv troupe.
5. Keep doing More Stuff.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Less existential angst.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 11th.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Performing as team captain at our final improv performance of 2011 and completing a week of volunteer work in one of the hardest-hit cities in Miyagi prefecture.

11. What were the best things you bought?

Nothing really stands out. I mostly bought tickets to events and workshops rather than physical items.

13. Whose behaviour appalled you?

TEPCO. TEPCO. TEPCO. Everyone at that whole damn company, with the possible exception of Yoshida and those unnamed engineers he oversaw, but he was (probably) part of the problem to begin with.

14. Where did most of your money go?

On theatre and workshops.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Improv.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Covenant's Lightbringer. I listened to it a lot, but it was actually released in October 2010.

After the earthquake, I stopped listening to music entirely for a long time. Since I like industrial and EBM, it was either genuinely depressing or insincerely dark. I've since made a Grooveshark playlist called "Happy But Dark" which features songs that have a dark sound but lighter lyrics. Which are frequently about orcs.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? Yes.
ii. Thinner or fatter? Thinner.
iii. Richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Stand-up comedy.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Well, it's past Christmas now. I spent it with J, playing Magic and eating pizza. We went for our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and have one more "Christmas" lined up in January, when we're back in the UK.

21. Where did you ring in 2011?

I... I can't remember. I even went back to check and I'd written nothing about it.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

Ignoring anime and animation (which is not what I think of when someone says "TV programme"), I guess it would have to be Doctor Who and Mock The Week.

Here's the anime I watched:

Love: Deadman Wonderland, Madoka Magica, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Tiger&Bunny.
Awesome: Venture Brothers.
Not Bad: [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi, Thundercats.
Whatever: SKET DANCE.
I Don't Know: Ao no Exorcist, X-Men.
Horrendous: I reviewed the first episodes of every single summer anime here. Probably the top three horrendous titles would be MayoChiki!, R-15 and Ro-Kyu-Bu.

"I Don't Know" is a pretty strange category, but it usually means that the series had some really, really great things about it and some terrible things that let it down. "Whatever" means the series was too generic for me to form an opinion.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

TEPCO.

26. What was the best book you read?

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't really listen to much new music in 2011. Every time I think of a band, I remember I listened to them first in 2010.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Awesome: Captain America, Kokuriko-zaka Kara, Red, Suteki na Kanashibari, Tangled 3D, Thor, The Three Musketeers.
Not Bad: Gantz (1&2), Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. Solid State Society 3D, PotC: On Stranger Tides, X-Men: First Class.
I Don't Know: Cowboys & Aliens, Genji Monogatari: Sennen no Nazo.
Horrendous: Transformers 3.

If you were wondering, both Red and Tangled were released in 2011 in Japan.

31. What did you do on your birthday?

Made garlic toast and tea for lunch, according to my journal. But about a week later, E took me out for crepes and chai in Shibuya. It was all fairly low-key.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

No earthquake and getting a story published.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Waistcoats.

34. What kept you sane?

My Little Pony and beer.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Everyone at improv.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

You're going to die. Really. Really-really. And it could happen any day now.