I got these forever ago, but they’re too wacky not to post! The mismatched socks are from Topshop and the shoes are Skechers Heartbreakers. I like the patchwork and how the design itself resembles the classic Mary Jane. I’m bound to get some pretty strange looks skipping around in such a busy combination, but I adore these! They remind me of the Sixth Doctor. *L* The Rainbow Storm hoodie is by Tokidoki and I bought it marked down from Giant Peach. Once it drops in price further, I’m going to buy THIS shirt to match.

I found the cutest picture of Hideo Tokoro (所英男) in an old livedoorSPORTS interview from May ’08 (prior to Dream 4). The interview doesn’t even mention his (then) upcoming fight with Darren Uyenoyama. Instead, it is all about Tokoro’s nostalgic or natsukashii (懐かしい) feelings for the children’s anime Kinnikuman. I’ve noticed that a lot of my favorite Japanese grapplers grew up on that anime; like Kazushi Sakuraba (桜庭和志), who actually dressed up as Kinnikuman during his PRIDE:CC ’05 weigh-in. But I digress, since this was supposed to be about Tokoro! wwww Basically, interviews like these have made me an even bigger Tokoro fan by exposing me to an almost nerdy side of him that I find, well… absolutely adorable! I like reading interviews with fighters that aren’t fight related because I can see what they are like outside of the ring. Occasionally I’m even surprised by what I see and develop a greater respect for a particular fighter.

The American MMA community however is entirely different. UFC promotes its fighters more through “trash talk” interviews, which seem undignified and silly to me after being exposed to the mutual respect and admiration more commonly exchanged between fighters in the Japanese community. English fansites like Sherdog also consider interviews that don’t discuss a fight or career to be too “pointless” to translate, which I find unfortunate. What a shame that two years after Zuffa/UFC purchased and killed PRIDE, MMA in the US is still not being promoted as a respectable competition of martial arts, but a freakish human version of caged dogfighting with very few human qualities among the contenders to respect or admire.

One of my girlfriends planned a “girl’s day out” with her mom, who was forced to cancel at the last minute. Since we both go to the same salon, she asked if I wanted to accompany her instead and use the appointment slot. I had my hair done back in June, but you have to set a reservation at this particular salon weeks in advance, so I figured that I would take her up on the offer. I just had my roots done and asked for a little bit more layering — nothing fancy. Can you tell the difference in my hair from the pictures though?

Vladimir is such a silly greyhound. He was sleeping in this position before I took this picture! www ^^ I think he was stuffed from all the fatty bits of the roast that we fed him. Both my Mom and I try to avoid red meat (chicken and fish are the only meats I eat), but my Dad wanted roast for Christmas, so that is what we prepared. We’re still finishing off the leftovers though because it was a lot of food! I always make too much…

My Mom got me this cute Pegasus Charm for Christmas. ^^ Being one of the first edition Juicy Couture charms it comes in a blue box with the old “P&G” initials (newer box shown on the left for comparison). I’ve wanted this particular Pegasus charm for awhile now because it has more detailed enamel work than the 2006 re-release, which is stark white in color. This one has a golden iridescence that gives off a more natural and pretty glow IMO when it catches the light. I’ve been wearing it on a necklace instead of my charm bracelet though since I’m worried about getting it damaged. I’m a bit overprotective of my charms sometimes. =X What did my Dad get me for Christmas? Well I did get a new light for my room. Legally it is a fixture of the house though, so it is his property even though it benefits me. =P Now you know how lawyers give gifts! LOL!

I’m searching for Shinya Aoki’s fight with Alvarez right now — I can’t believe that I fell asleep before it aired! =( After watching Tokoro’s fight with Nakamura on TBS though I was too tired to stay awake. They traded armbars like Pokemon cards and it was by far the most exciting grappling battle of the night for me (with the exception of Minowaman’s crazy toe hold submission). I always have mixed feelings when a fighter refuses to tap though. That unyielding determination boosts my enthusiasm and I’m left wondering if things could have been turned around if the fight went longer. However, I’d rather see a fight called than see my favorite fighter risking unnecessary injury. Years ago when Sakuraba fought Arona the referee let the fight go on for much longer than it should have hoping that Saku would pull off some decisive victory like he did in the old days; it was painful to see Saku subjected to that much abuse. So, I’m happier seeing safety put ahead of the sport. Plus, Tokoro always makes his fights entertaining. I <3 Tokoro -- WAR TOKORO!! >3<