JLPT N4! Here I coooooooome!!

♬Today is the day! Oh yeah.... Today is the day! Today I'll have my way. Oh yeah! Today is the daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!♬

Ahem...As most of us on this side of the planet struggle to get our peepers open so early on a Sunday morn, I'm full of beaming energy! Today, I submit my JLPT N4 application form! There's another reason why I'm so super-cali-fragalistic so early in the morning! Yesterday in class, I was actually able to understand the Kanji and the context of the story more easily than most in class. It could be because I knew the story of Urashima Tarou beforehand but still... I feel elated that maybe I am not as hopeless in this new class as I had feared! And, I also  realized that the few who were really good (one guy who seems really nice but is a little "show-off"y at times) actually was taking this class for the second time! And yesterday, Swarna-san and I managed to garner some attention towards ourselves in the positive sense! There were enquiries of where we did our N5 (though we mentioned it at the first class itself!) and how long ago we'd started learning! Swarna-san was able to crack N5 with just two months of preparation! Hah! Take that, you people who think we're not good enough in what we learn!

Hmmm.... Shimizu-sensei was so happy for Swarna-san that I still grin like an idiot when I think back at how her eyes shone with pride when she gave her the mark scores! And I seriously cannot let her down! So, henceforth, I am going to become the bushi of Japanese and shall take down anything that stands in my way of complete Japanese mastery! :D

On a completely disconnected note, the folks who're staying as tenants at our place seem to be intent on breaking the doors before they leave! There's this really old man with them and by the gods above! If he weren't old... I swear I would've given him quite the lashing for all the garbage he spews around the house! *sigh* I shalln't spoil the good mood I'm in right now and shall reserve these issues for another post.

My wishlist of jewellery!

Despite the fact that I cannot distinguish an NC from an NW (They're skin tones apparantly... don't ask me, I'm stumped!), and not being capable of applying the basic foundation or concealer without ending up looking like a yurei from Ju-On, Aaaaand despite the fact that I am not the greatest fan of bubblegum pink (I run in the opposite direction whenever I encounter this colour!), I do love cute things... and if that makes me a girly-girl, so be it!

I was just going through the internet, unmindful of where my browser took me (my browser is overrighteous and shall never stray from the path of goodness... or so I hope!), when I chanced upon one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery every crafted!

Now, I'm a real sucker for hand crafted jewellery and though I hardly have the monetary means to pay for  these babies, I would love to buy them one day... when I can afford them. It sucks to be stuck with little money... especially when your materialistic dreams are not that very avaricious! I mean, I don't ask for gold or diamonds! Why can't I afford to buy something this cute once in a while? And why do the brands at my place overcharge just because they have an air-conditioned store in a posh mall?! Not fair...

Aanyway, just to let the entire world know what I love, I'm posting pictures of the jewellery I was drooling over a while ago. And for the makers of the jewels, I'm giving you guys some free advertising! Can't you spare me a piece? :P And for all the others who can afford to buy them and wear it for everyone to see, darn you!!!!!! Ah... have fun.

The first one is from Enchanted Leaves. I've always had a thing for Autumn! And somehow, the name Enchanted Leaves reminds me so much of burnished foliage and the general magic that surrounds that time of the year. Unfortunately, we don't have autumn where I come from. It's Summer all through the year with muggy rains in between. Ah, one of my life's dreams is to be in the midst of the maple and oak trees when their leaves turn! 

Site: www.enchantedleaves.com

I found their website to be incredibly awesome! Like I said, everything seemed so autumn-y. And since it's one of my favorite seasons (the other being winter), I was instantly hooked! Aaaanway, all pictures below are from the enchanted leaves website and clicking on any of them will direct you there! :)

A cute little acorn that'll brighten your day!

I've a thing for Seahorses!

Like I said, I've a thing for Seahorses!

And feathers... pretty feathers!

And leaves!

wings... mothwings! Who doesn't love these whimsical things!

And lastly, this is from Etsy. I'm definitely not the only one who goes through the shops drooling over the very pretty and cute things they have there! And how can I not have one featuring one of my all time favorite creatures? The Dolphin! I love these wonderful beings from the bottom of my hearts! It is also said that dolphins bring good luck to travellers... I mean, how can they not? What with their sweet dispositions and the ever present earnestness to help? Bless their doplhiny souls!

This beautiful necklace is from AgHalo.

It's a DOLPHIN! I LOVE DOLPHINS!

There you have it folks! My love for all things jewellery! :D Now, if only grooms in India and their parents accepted brides decked with such jewellery! Oh well... wishful thinking!

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with any of the sites listed above and these are just my personal opinions. I am not being paid to write about them. 

Minu's getting engaged! Yayness galore!

My friend is getting engaged tomorrow! Everybody, please pass your best wishes and prayers her way! It's about time she got some happiness in life!
And I prepared a silly little card for her. This is the first time I tried my hand out at stick figures. Believe me... I am NOT a great artist. But it's the thought that counts, right?

Yay you, Minu! :D

Kalafina's Magia... Clearly it's "lumos" in Music Land!

It must be obvious by now that I have been completely smitten by Kalafina and for good reason as well! :) Those people actually make good music and hopefully, will maintain their standards and style of music even after getting dizzyingly famous (which, they most definitely will! :D). They've released Magia which is their newest singles album and I should say, if you haven't heard their songs, you should! And not understanding the language is never an issue in music. My Mom is almost as conversant in Japanese as is my next door pure bred Tamil Neighbour who's never been outside the state! And she found Magia amazing... so amazing that she's been humming the tune without the words.

Their previous styles of music incorporated a lot of layering as far as composition is concerned and the same is the case here. But this time around, percussions are in focus. The beats will leave you tapping your tabletop with random eraser tipped pencils! :D And the guitar bridge in the middle... I'm sure most of you people out there have heard better stuff probably. But it was good... aweinspiring and strangely, made me more enthusiastic and optimistic. In a "I-can-kick-ass-and-look-good-doing-it" way!

And Keiko.... Darling Keiko... She gives me hope, I tell you! I'd always been shunned in my School and College choire for having a voice that bordered on Baritone. But now, seeing a well accomplised artist perform songs on that basal pitch and not being forced to squeak just so she'll sound feminine... It was a very nice thing to observe! There's hope yet, for girls like me who cannot sound girly when we sing!

I want their CDs! I want! I want! But I can't seem to find a place which will ship to my place of residence and I also recall the cute but empty wallet I possess... *sigh* I'm always open to people gifting me stuff out of the kindness of their hearts.... So.... *cough* you know.... *cough*

Gimme! Gimme! XD

P.S. Did you know that archaic purses when washed actually look pretty? -__-;;;

P.P.S. If people don't understand the pun in the title, I should say I'm not responsible!

Yeah yeah yeah! Whoa Whoa Whoa! Yeah Yeah Yeah! Shinryakushaaaa!

For all those well meaning readers who're politely and silently on the verge of getting as far away from me as possible or possibly about to inflict untold miseries in the form of a baseball bat trajectory to my head, do hear me out!

It all started when I beheld the fourth ending theme of the Anime "Keroro Gunso". And without a doubt,

I'm smitten! The cute I've been humming this tune for a good two days now and had momentarily forgotten about in the excitement that is my new wallet! But not for long! This song is sure to get all of you either smacking your booty  under the guise of a dance step or smacking your forehead with exasperation.

My mother is on the verge of murdering me and burying my body for good measure, thanks to me going "SHINRYAKUSHA" on her every two minutes complete with the shaking hips! Ah.... I make the world such an eventful place!

Here's my current favorite from the Anime Keroro Gunso. (Yep! I'm watching a lot of Anime these days! I'm in heaven, I tell you! :D)

P.S. I find the frog wearing the Elvis costume with an afro to boot just plain awesome! Keroro Gunso rocks your socks off or what?! Wooooot!

P.P.S. According to the lastest polls, girls world over are actually voting for Sakata Gintoki from Gintama in the "who's the best Anime Bridegroom?" section! Well well well.... Of all the men out there, I didn't expect Gintoki to be on that list!! And they call me weird!

டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடுச்சு!!!!

If you've seen any English cartoon translated into a regional language that you understand, you'll know where I'm getting to. Not just the cartoons! Films... adverts... anything! It's hilarious! But I should say it sometimes sounds awesome! Imagine Jackie Chan saying, "டப்பா டான்ஸ்ஆடிடும் ". And somehow, I've grown attached to this phrase these days....

So, the next time my mother gives me chores and I find myself aching all over, I'll say, "Mummy.... my டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடுச்சு!" Or.... if some random person was to irritate me, "Oy! Don't you dare tread on my nerves, buster! இல்லைனா உன்னோட டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடும்!" LOL.... You'll never hear these wonderful awesome epic phrases anywhere else but in நம்ம சென்னை!


Super! Ne? ;)

Pssssst: For the first time (that I can remember), I'm actually typing rather than the usual Ctrl+X - Ctrl+V in Tamil for a Blog! Awesome! :D And how's the jackie pic? That's what you get when you have too much time in your hands and Photoshop CS3! ROFL

Trip to the Snake temple

I'm finally back from my week long travels or 'Kshethraadanam' as I like to call it. We (Mom, Dad and I) boarded the Alleppey Express on Tuesday evening and reached Alleppey the next morning. The transition from the sweltering heat and gold of Chennai to the cool and green of Kerala was in itself quite the experience. And Alleppey was having the monsoon spell when we landed there! Did I mention that I love rain? =D

Our destination was Haripad. Actually, our true destination was a temple that went by the name Mannarshala. Now, I'm not sure how many people out there actually know this place. But in Mannarshala is a temple that's truly one of a kind!

There, the main deity is not some God or Goddess who's well known in the Hindu Pantheon. There, the sanctum sanctorum houses the King of snakes - Nagaraja. Set in the midst of lush greenery, the temple is like a gateway into an erstwhile world where humans are the minority. There are snakes all over the place but they harm no one and the humans there also seem to have almost no fear for these magnificent creatures!

For those who're interested in reading the legend behind the temple and the various unique traditions followed there, all you need to do is Google for it. So, I shalln't waste time in going about with the stories which I'm sure, people have done in better ways before me!

And then there were trips to other temples around the place like the Shanmuga temple in Haripad. It was quite late when we went there, and the entire town turns in at seven in the evening (quaint little place that it is!) and so, it wasn't surprising when we found the temple a little empty at six forty-five! And it was raining. The complex is really HUGE! So, it takes a normal person (read lazy clumsy people like me) a good five minutes to actually circumambulate the temple once. And in the middle of this, I hear something whine. For a moment I thought it was a stray puppy. But it actually ended being a very lonely and bored elephant! And now I know elephants actually do whine!

As for accommodation, we stayed in the only hotel in the whole of that town. And it wasn't that bad.... at least, it could've been worse for all I know! And if any of you are planning on making a trip down there anytime soon, please remember to carry your own repellent. My ankles are all pink and swollen thanks to the numerous bites from creatures unknown! (At least there weren't any snakes!)

I should say all those were minor inconveniences when compared to what we saw at the temple. I should say I plan on visiting the temple again next year! And I'm glad I got to go there this time. Suddenly, I'm seeing snakes in a whole new light... almost like both the snakes and us humans have misunderstood each other. Now to get that Boa constrictor I've always wanted! =P

Psssst: I wasn't allowed a camera inside the temple so, I managed to pick the photos above from the Interwebs! And now that I think of it.... how the hell did these buggers manage to get permission?! NOT FAIR!