Yoko Kanno/Aoi Tada – Wo Qui Non Coin
(From the original soundtrack album Cowboy Bebop BLUE, Japan, 1999.)
The audio embodiment of cute yet melancholic. Even after all those years still one of my favourite songs featured in an anime; produced by Yoko Kanno, vocals by Aoi Tada, the voice actress of Ed. (And this song almost made me pick an entire rotation with songs dedicated to having lost one’s dog… almost ;) )

Cocco – Onsoku Punch
(From the single Onsoku Punch, Japan, 2006.)
Cocco’s back after 5 years (minus the Singer Songer project last summer) with a new single. Don’t let the first 30 seconds fool you: this is not some Avex techno-pop tune but sexy (mainstream) rock that leaves you wanting more.

Hotaru – Kaijin Nijuu Mensou
(From the maxi CD Kayou Suspense Gekijou, Japan, 2002.)
I’ve probably uploaded this a million times before, but… my mission will only be fulfilled once every single human being on this planet has heard this song. No. But! This is brilliant. Infectious might be an even more appropriate word. (And don’t let me get started on what a great band Hotaru were ;_;)

Remioromen – Shouwa
(From the album Asagao, Japan, 2003.)
Ah the old times, when Remioromen weren’t huge and sounded like a younger copy of Mr. Children. I still love them and am extremely looking forward to their new album out in May but I suppose I’ll always prefer their earlier stuff like this wonderful, (slightly emo-ish) song.

Maximo Park – A19 & Isolation
(From the album Missing Songs, UK, 2005.)
A19 is Maximo Park at their usual: retro greatness with amazing hooks; the John Lennon cover Isolation shows a more experimental side of the band.

The Strokes – Electricityscape & Ize of the World
(From the album First Impressions of Earth, USA, 2005.)
I had to overcome all my prejudices against this band because their new album is actually quite good and a lot more diverse than the two previous ones. Some songs on it are impossible to get out of your head; I especially like the contrast between the verse and the chorus of Ize of the World, the combination of addictive pop and angry hard rock; and no, there’s nothing wrong with the end of the song – just listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand the rather abrupt ending.

Paper is done. Jubilation. I can’t even remember the last few days properly because I was concentrating so hard on writing it. I know for sure that on Moday I got my Nana 15 tankoubon, complete with a shiny golden obi advertising the Nana TV anime (which starts in not even 2 weeks, yay!) on one side and the Nobu special in Cookie on the other. Will be able to read the book tomorrow, I hope. First, I’m going to upload songs and then try and do something against my sleep deprivation z_z

[Music: Cocco - Onsoku Punch]

I’ve been writing my Korean History paper all day, about 50% are done; hope I’ll get this done till Wednesday. Once I’m through with that, I’ll finish the last chapter of Another Code: Two Memories and then next weekend I’ll probably go back to Berlin for a week. Miss everyone there and it’s starting to get boring here.

How in the world did Koda Kumi manage to sell almost a million copies of her second Best Of album during the first week following its release? She’s … horrible with all her trashy porno poses and things. Granted, her voice is slightly better than say Ayu’s (which sounds always way too strained) but 980-something-hundred thousand copies o_O I suppose it has to do with the special edition pack which came with a DVD of the respective promo videos and one with a concert; lots of visuals = max. increase of cheap pop-porn factor = Japan’s 983.359 12-year old boys rush out and buy it, sponsored by their approx. 56-year old ojiisans who insist on borrowing the DVDs from time to time.

The new Cocco single is nice ♥

First, I suppose I’ll sort of pick up where I left off last time. My major Berlinale experience: seeing a very hairy Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Corresponding experience, two weeks later: seeing a neatly shaven Philip Seymour Hoffman receiving his Oscar for Best Actor, on TV.)

Finals all went fine, the results aren’t in yet but all of them, especially my Korean History test, the one I’d been worrying about the most, turned out to be on the easy side of things.

Then a week into my semester break, I came down with the flu. I felt really horrible all alone in my apartment with my fever and all, so once my temperature was a little lower again, I decided to say goodbye to the big city and go home to my family (who all came to pick me up at the train station, awww). I had planned to stay a week or two longer in Berlin but that wasn’t supposed to be, so… here I am on my looong semester break, trying to catch up with all those things I wasn’t able to do because of going to classes, being kept busy by life and all that.

On the academic front, I’m trying to write a 10-page paper for my Korean History course. I picked a really interesting topic (Germans in Korea during the time of Gojong) and I love gathering as much information on it as possible, but it is, after all, work that needs to be done, something that keeps me from doing all of those things I’d rather be doing now… Fortunately, the paper’s due March 24 which leaves me a few more free weeks afterwards until classes start again.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the last six months… I must say I’m very content with the course of my studies, and even though the additional classes concerning the larger East-Asian context (Korea and China, that is), that are required for the B.A. in Japanese Studies here, mean a massive amount of additional work, they also proved to be really interesting and relevant.
I still feel like I’m not taking enough classes though, so I decided to take an extra French class next semester which I’m extremely looking forward to. (And then there’s the Chinese History course which will be… massive. Hope I’ll be able to handle that one on top of all my other classes.)

And Berlin – what can I say? It was definitely one of the best decisions I made in my life to go there. I don’t mean to sound corny, but it truly offers something precious to everyone, I can see it in the eyes of all of my friends who’ve just moved there; we’re all simply intoxicated with this wonderful city, all its possibilities and feel this deep gratefulness for having found each other there. It’s so exciting and encouraging and inspiring to live there and I really wouldn’t want to live anywhere else at the moment.
Having said that, it is also nice to come back home again. The first thing I did when I arrived here was, despite being sick and feverish, let our dog drag me through the forest which was all winter-white, sparkling and beautiful. That’s what I miss the most in Berlin: unspoiled nature.