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?

I hope that everyone had a Happy Father’s Day! I bought my Dad a super cute card and a dorky headlamp thing that he really wanted. *L* Then I spent the day making dinner and baking his favorite cookies (peanut butter coconut), which we enjoyed while watching the series finale of Fuurin Kazan together. =D My Dad really loves NHK Taiga dramas and jidaigeki in general. The last time that we watched an entire series together was when Shinsengumi! still aired on KTSF 26 in California, so it has been awhile!

Although my Dad and I agreed that Fuurin Kazan was the best drama we had seen since Komyo ga Tsuji, one thing did leave me feeling disappointed. I’ve mentioned before how when it comes to Sengoku history, it is the battles of the Takeda that have always interested me the most. As a military history major and equestrian, it intrigues my imagination to visualize the Takeda utilizing their enormous cavalry to execute such impressive formations on the battlefield. But very few of those cavaliers, maneuvers, or battles were depicted in the drama, even though its protagonist was a famous Takeda military strategist (Yamamoto Kansuke). =(

The biggest disappointment however came with the show’s treatment of Kawanakajima. Anyone with a passing knowledge of Japanese history knows about these battles; they are among the most famous and dramatic of the Sengoku, representing the now romanticized rivalry between Takeda Shingen (Kai) and Uesugi Kenshin (Echigo). The real battles of Kawanakajima were skirmishes waged over the course of fourteen years that ended indecisively, but NHK condensed them into a single decisive battle for the series finale. This “battle” of Kawanakajima began at 6:00 AM and ended at 4:00 PM on the same day. The last battle of Kawanakajima in 1564 wasn’t nearly as brief, dragging on for 60 long days! IMO, even the PC game Shogun: Total War depicted Kawanakajima in a more historically sensitive manner than Fuurin Kazan. *L*

Aren’t these the girliest peep-toe wedges that you’ve ever seen?! They’re from the new Skechers Cali line and are a Victoria’s Secret exclusive. When I first saw them in my catalog I immediately fell in love with the hot pink gingham, kitsch rose buttons, and tiny hearts on the tread. But… I don’t think that they fit my feet properly. ;_; My toes don’t stick out as much as they should at the opening and the sides of the shoe are a bit too wide for my foot. I ordered a replacement pair that is half a size smaller, but I’m worried about them being too small (I haven’t received them yet). ArGh… I hate waiting to find out… and I hate my feet! =P

EDIT: Yayyy I got my new ones today (Tuesday) and they fit perfectly!! ^3^ Woohoo~

I can die happy now — unicorns in Berserk!!
Berserk has been my favorite manga/comic since I was in high school.
My first exposure was with the Dreamcast game, but the manga is 100x more amazing!