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A Lover's Good Morning Text

Beautiful, how did you sleep?

I was just thinking of your face

Or possibly it was your presence

You see because a feeling came over me

As if it took over my whole body, fully

It enshrouded me, giving me the feeling as if

Music had turned into mist, rolled in from the ocean

And sat about me creating a scene of calm-serenity

The morning breaks with the waves, along La Jolla Shores

I think of the moonlight

I think of your touch

I desire more

How I wish to watch you sleep

To kiss your closed eyes

But I must sit here at this desk

Watching the time pass by

When you awake and see these words

I hope they give you a smile

Good morning my beautiful

I will see you in a little while.

(c) Shunya D. Wade

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Exploring Matsushima, Japan’s 260 Pine-Covered Islands

Off the mainland coast of Miyagi Prefecture sits one of Japan’s three most scenic sights: a group of 260 small pine-covered islands called Matsushima (松島).

Deriving their name from the Japanese translation of “pine island”—matsu (松) for “pine” and shima (島) for “island”—the destination is a draw for locals, tourists and seagulls alike. The islands are best viewed from one of four vantage points, and cruises offer the best option for getting an up-close look.

To see more photos and videos from Japan’s pine islands, visit the Matsushima (日本三景 松島) location page and browse the #matsushima hashtag.

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7 Day Poetry Challenge

So I've gotten into challenges lately. So far I've only done exercise challenges like the 30-day squat challenge and glute challenge. But today I thought, I'd like to do a writing challenge of some sort, to work on my skills. Now that I'm no longer a student I don't have anyone "forcing" me to work on my writing. Sadly I wasn't able to find the type of challenge I want to do already in existence so I was like, hey, I'll just make one. So here we go. I've made a 7-day poetry challenge. This challenge will be focusing on Romantic Era Poetic Forms.

Day 1: Write a Lyric poem on any topic of your choosing.

------------> A brief, emotive poem written in first person; it emphasizes sound and pictorial imagery rather than narrative or dramatic movement.

Day 2: Write an Ode about a superhero.

-----------> A long, stately lyric poem in stanzas of varied metrical patterns. The poem represents divine creative power separate from the poet, but which the poet seeks to possess.

  Day 3: Write an Elegy 

-----------> A poem on mourning or lamentation (usually about a death).

Day 4: Write a Mock-Heroic Poem that is similar in spirit to Pope's "The Rape of the Lock"

-----------> This form of poetry was popular during Dryden, Swift and Pope’s era (just prior to the Romantic era) and is associated with satire and parody.

Day 5: Petrarchan Sonnet (Sonnets YAY!) So write a Blason sonnet

-------------> A blason is a sonnet that catalogues the features or traits of its subject, usually a woman, and describes them using hyperbole, metaphor, or simile.

Day 6: Shakespearean Sonnet (Yay!) Write a conceit in the spirit of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

------------>Conceit: an elaborate and surprising comparison between two apparently dissimilar things.

Day 7: Write a reflection about what you've written this week. So this day isn't dedicated to any form but just a reflection of your writing.

  Have fun!

I'm going to start this challenge next week ^_^

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I hope one day I'll be able to model :-D

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Shunya Sweet Please order and help with this #fundraiser

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You look so different

Random Moment of the Day:

I'm on the elevator in Giesel library going down to get some food when a guy gets on and says 

"Do you straighten your hair?"

Me: *wtf look*

Guy: "I mean you don't straighten your hair often, do you?"

Me: "No I don't."

Guy: And it's natural, like its naturally curly?"

Me: "Yes"

*Elevator opens*

Guy: "I wonder what women in Africa do with their hair? I mean I guess the men find some way to cut their hair but what do the women do?"

Me: "I'm sure men cut their hair the same way in Africa like they do here. I have an African friend upstairs maybe you could ask her."

Guy: "Where were you born?"

Me: "Los Angeles"

Guy: "Oh"

*Walk through Library doors*

Guy: "I've always wanted to be black man."

Me: crazy look*

Guy: "No seriously, every white guy goes through a stage where he wants to be a black man."

Me: "I promise you, no white man wants to be a black man in America."

Guy: "Oh yeah well that's a whole other debate but I don't want to get into."

Me: *laugh* "But I mean it's truth."

Guy: "You know, before I knew what it was I did blackface."

Me: *look of shock*

Guy: "Yeah I know like for Halloween one time I painted myself black, oh no it was for my girlfriend's prom, I wanted to surprise her, the blackface for Halloween was another time. But yeah I permed my hair for her prom but it didn't come out right it was like a jerry curl."

Me: "You do know that's offensive now, don't you?"

Guy: "Yeah well I know now. But when I was an RA I had a roommate from Ghana and I got all dressed up and did blackface and he was like really honored that someone was really interested."

Me: *I stop and look at him* "Well I promise you I would have been very offended."

Guy: "NO but have to not be. Racism of the past is wearing off it's like still here but its fading and its not just white people discriminating against black people or black people discriminating against white people, its all groups."

Me: *I begin to walk away but then I stop and turn around* "You know what I get that question all the time, where I'm from. I'm Native American and Black, I'm from right here but people always ask me where I'm from."

Guy:"It's because you're look, its just so wow and different. You're Native American wow, that's so cool. I want to like marry an Indian girl, like a real Indian from a reservation. I mean I'd marry like a half-girl too."

Me:*wtf face* "Yeah so I want you to know that when you come up to people and say the things that you've just said you're othering them. When people say things like this to me I feel exotified and de-humanized."

Guy: "I didn't mean to do that at all."

Me: "I know you didn't. If I thought you were being malicious I would have just walked away but I'm talking to you know because I want you to learn something."

Guy:* straightens up* "Ok yes tell me."

Me: "You need to think before you speak and do things. Before you even knew who I was you were already thinking and saying things about me, eroticizing and exotifying me and that's not ok. If you're interested in a group of people or a culture that's fine, go ahead and learn and educate yourself. I do the same thing. I'm interested in the Japanese culture but I try my best to respect and learn the culture and not trivialize the people into stereotypes."

Guy: *starts speaking in Japanese* Nihon jin desu ka?

Me: *:-0* Nihon go hanashimasuka?

Guy: Only a little bit my mom really likes Japanese people so she taught me some Japanese.

Me: Wow yeah well see it's possible to be intrigued by a culture and learn about it but don't be disrespectful. Black face & stuff is not cool.

Guy: I know I know

Me: Yeah so I want you to really sit and think about what you say and why you think those things and educate yourself because right now you're not going about things correctly and it's offensive.

Guy: I feel like I could just talk to you all day, thank you.

Me: No problem.

Guy: So what do I have to do to take you out sometime?

...

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As a graduating senior I'm hoping to live my life from this point forward, smiling, laughing, and looking ahead- amazed my the horizon.

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I'm back!

Ok so I've been away from tumblr for quite some time but now I'm back. For the most part I'm back because I've decided I want to keep a log in order to help me with my New Years Resolutions ^-^

I normally don't do NYRs but this year I've decided there are 3 things I really want to work on & thus they shall be my NYRs. And one of them is improving my Japanese to a very nice level. I want to be at least JLPT N3 by like August. I loved Tokyo so much that I'm applying to jobs there now so once I graduate I'm like outta here folks. So in an effort to work on my Japanese I will be blogging from now on in Japanese ^o^

I'll focus on using different grammar points I'm learning via JapanesePod101 and Yookoso the book my school uses. I'll probably (Defiantly) make a lot of mistakes, so if there is anyone out there who's proficient in Japanese you are welcomed (ENCOURAGED!) to comment and correct me where I'm wrong. So with that sad look out for my post :-) I'll try and make it at least a weekly thing if not more.

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Too darn cute!!!!!

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*SO true! Tired of this saying, for real though. Like skinny girls don't have feelings.*

I hate all this "real women have curves" bullshit.

Real women don’t have curves.

Real women aren’t skinny.

Real women are flesh, blood and bone.

Do you identify as a woman?

Good, then you are a real woman.

Move on.

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Hoping for a better tomorrow; praying for the day I'll love wisely.

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My trip to the Imperial Palace...it was hot and I was soo tired :-P

But enjoy the vid

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Random interesting bug at the Meiji Shrine

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大好き

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Asakusa

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TOKYO!

Dude its crazy I have already been in Tokyo for over a week; I got here last Sunday on the 1st. I've seen so much yet not enough. I've seen Kasai, Shibuya (LOVE IT!), Harajuku (LOVE IT), Imperial Palace, Asakusa, and Akihabara. These have been some pretty awesome places. I'm staying in Nishi-Kasai; a nice residential area. Everything I want to get to is pretty accessible from here via subway so its all good. Dude if you want to see the best fashion you must go to Harajuku the clothes are crazy sick! I will be going back a few more times while I'm here. So far I've meet really nice people and I have been given nice nicknames. The Japanese students I've met call me ShaNi-Chan (totally abbreviated my name lol). This upcoming weekend I'm going out shopping and for drinks in Roppongi [FINALLY] with some of the gospel choir singers I met. OH DUDE! That reminds me on Friday night we were totally given the best welcome ever by the Jikei group. They rented out the J-Pop cafe in Shibuya and threw us a party. Catering, entertainment provided by the school's drum line, dancers, and gospel choir; it was AWESOME! They made me feel so welcomed! I was really challenged, holding a conversation with the choir group but I did it. I also did an interview in Japanese for a newspaper; that was difficult! After we did Karaoke with some of the Japanese students and our professor. Dude I sang California Love with my professor; how cool is that LOL

I'm loving Tokyo :-)

Kyoto next weekend!

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Otaku central lol Akiba