#hello kitty postcard book

[sticker-pop]

1999 Hello Kitty 25th Anniversary postcard

[soreeeeyu]

Hello Kitty exhibition will start at the Tokyo National Museum(Ueno) from Today🍎

Tokyo:2024/11/1~2025/2/24

This exhibition will come to various parts of Japan and overseas!

Postcards and illustrations book (with comments on the work) are sold at the venue.

The exhibition works can be sold at the following online shops！↓

[strawberrystepmom]

oooh what kinds of trinkets does genken collect?

god. soooo much. i have a huge, insane collection of gacha prizes bc i can't part with anything and lego, big lego builder and collectors around here. i also collect postcards, hello kitty memorabilia, and stickers. i have stacks upon stacks of sticker books lmao

ofc we have our action figures and scale models. he builds gundam and i started building them with him the second time i came to visit. he always criticizes the fact that i don't paint them the same as they're supposed to look ("i've never seen a pink and green gundam before" in his snotty little know it all voice) yet he displays it proudly with his accurately painted ones.

we really are just loser 4 loser. what is love if not you and the woman who refuses to wear her glasses while gluing tiny plastic mech pieces together so you have to do it for her?

[jongnorp]

WELCOME HOME, BABY AALEYAH AMATAYAKUL!

You've got the keys, unlock your new world!

NAME. BABY AALEYAH AMATAYAKUL. DATE OF BIRTH. 19970402. OCCUPATION. DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER. NATIONALITY. THAI.

FREE FORM.

a wedding invitation printed on off-white cardstock, written as plainly as a casual lunch invite. no pressure if you want to stay home. there would be no reception to follow according to the printed date. on the back is her mother's handwriting, reminding herself of an ultrasound appointment the next day.

pictures of her brothers; her mother's handwriting again, this time less in a rush. "greeting neo and rocky for the first time", "teaching brothers how to fish", "falling asleep with her brothers". each photo decorated with nostalgic stickers from the early 00's, glittery stars and smiley faces, a hello kitty bow. childish love between her brothers and family that can only be seen captured in older photos.

a pressed flower, lined between to fragile pages of words meant to memorialize from her father's wake.

a report card of all a's in middle school. a card from her mother expressing how proud she is, how she will always be of her eldest child and only daughter.

a poem in her father's handwriting, from one of her mother's books, found years later.

a plane ticket to seoul, one way, and her mother's note: "i wish you would not go. your brothers need you and i need you. it was always my wish for you to finish school, to go to college, and to stay near home. i will support your dream from afar, even though it breaks my heart to do so. come home soon. i will miss you. i already do."

korean language books, details poured on the pages-- things learned from her trainee friends and future group members. candy wrappers and polaroids are stuck between the pages.

an absence of anything that reminded baby of her, stripped from the box of memories.

a postcard home, namsan tower on the front standing proudly. "mom, do not search me in the news. i am coming home. i'm sorry."

years of hard work, little play. her degree, framed, though slightly forgotten about. more letters from her mother, always in praise.

another one way plane ticket to seoul, this time with a foundation. the apartment listing of her first ever solo apartment. she would move out a year later to something far more luxurious.

gifts many from idols -- before her choreography touched them, they gave them with a strict hesitance. her scandal not forgotten but her rebound into idol culture now with more professional review from critiques and eyes always on her. she is no longer blacklisted but her past is still known. she works hard to erase it and protect young rising idols like she once was. many thank you's and grateful compliments.

she's truly happy the words don't resent her involvement in their careers. "over time, it seems that it's possible to erase the past," she writes on an empty sticky note. "or rather, to simply highlight new stories." like flowers pressed between pages, instead of the words heavily imprinted on them. 

[604designresearchharriet]

Tutorial Worksheet | Task 1 

These exercises are designed to prompt you to think critically about your current selection of elements and the graphic system used to both classify and communicate them to an audience in your final poster design.  

Use these exercises to develop and refine your element selections and categorisations through analysis, reflection and discussion, and make timely and appropriate changes if needed.  

This critical thinking also extends to researching, developing and testing possible graphic systems to collate and most effectively and efficiently communicate this set of elements.  

You might also like to think of yourself as a kind of curator: selecting, grouping and interpreting elements and the stories they might tell, individually and collectively. How might curators' approach this in developing an exhibition structure, publication format, compilation, website, image sequence, playlist, campaign, etc? What is your overall strategy? 

Demonstrate how the elements tell stories about you and offer opportunities to nurture links with relevant creative communities. It is recommended you also re-read the assignment brief. 

Task 1: Individually [10 mins]  

Group your current selection of elements into relevant categories.  

This should be for all 20 elements to be included in your final assessment, or as many elements as you have at present. You can always add and/or edit some of the elements in response to this exercise.  

Name your categories in terms of the main defining feature: e.g.,  “Tools I use in my design work” or  

“Possessions of personal significance which influence my design practice”  

Some elements may be categorised in several different ways at once, such as the above example (a tool might also have personal significance and an important ‘back story’, etc…) 

Categorise graphically and/or in text form below and overleaf. 

Selection of elements -

-Cat Pirate Ring

-Safety Pin

-Paint Brushes

-Wiesbaden Key Chain 

-Hello Kitty Poster

-Sister Tee Shirt 

-Tattoo 

-Guitar 

-Belt 

-Guerrilla Girls Postcard

-Roxy-Gal

-Notebook

-Stereo

-Berina Sewing Machine

-Amy Winehouse Poster

-Watch

-St Pauli

-Ed Hardy Uggs

-Otto Dix Book

-Arm chair 

The idea behind my poster and inventory list is to showcase my design and creative process through the vehicle of my bedroom; as my creative sanctuary. 

Categories:

Heritage:

-Wiesbaden Key Chain 

-St Pauli

Tools:

-Paint Brushes

-Safety Pins

-Sew Machine

-Notebook

Music:

-Guitar

-Amy Winehouse Poster

-Stereo

Fashion:

-Ed Hardy Boots

-Sister Tee Shirts

-Watch

-Belt

Friends and Family Memoribilia:

-Hello Kitty Poster

-Roxy Gal

-Tattoo

-Cat Pirate Ring

Art Heros

-Otto Dix

-Guerrilla Girls

Elements in my design practise that improve skill and help me develop my practise.  

Tools:

-Paint Brushes: painting often begins my design practise to loosen up and create interesting gestural strokesy , using analog techniques allows me to begin to visualise my ideas from my minds eye directly onto paper, using tactilty to form my thoughts.

-Sew Machine: using textiles as another plain and medium in my work allows me to break boundaries of constraints to the screen. I like using soft materials and bringing them into my practise as they become usbale objects.

-Notebook: 

Community, relationships and what this means as a creative.  

 Friends and Family Memoribilia:

-Hello Kitty Poster

-Roxy Gal

-Tattoo

-Cat Pirate Ring

Expressing my love and appreciation and vice versa with my immediate community of friends and family is important to me. As well as continuing to express these relationship through these vices. For example one of my closest friends Lucy, and I, like to collect Hello Kitty magazines together. I also strongly associate Hello Kitty with my friendship with my friend Holly who is one of my childhood best friends who now lives in Wellignoton. Having Memorabial like this surrounding me allows me to keep them close to me always. 

Art Heros

-Otto Dix

-Guerrilla Girls

Surroundings, studio and sensory influences.  

Music:

-Guitar

-Amy Winehouse Poster

-Stereo

Fashion:

-Ed Hardy Boots

-Sister Tee Shirts

-Watch

-Belt

What do these do for me: 

Having my room my creative sanctuary inspires me everyday. I am someone who is very influenced by my envorienmnt and immediate surrounds. I can be quite particular about things and need my envornemnt to be a certain way in order to allow for my creativity to flow. Some practices I do to ensure this can happen are music. My stereo in my room is almost always, mood allowing to help me ideate creative ideas. My go to artists when I am needing to stay focused and get things done are Amy Winehouse, Lorde and Nick Cave. Also listening to the radio as white noice helps me sometimes or podcasts. 

Expressing myself creatively through the outlet of fashion is another love of mine. I creating outfits that are non conectional and break gender stereoetypes, as gender dyshporiua is soemthing I can struggle with. Breaking these boundaries makes me feel comfortable and confident and havig creative freedom in expressing different moods and statements through clothing allows me to build me creative sanctuary further.

[astroportals]

fleshing out characters or how to make them Feel Real

Making characters feel real can be hard and frustrating and sometimes a downright nightmare. Real people are full of so much “stuff.” We’re complicated and contradictory and wonderful and terrible. Characters need all this “stuff” (or at least the illusion of all this stuff) to feel real to us and jump off the 2D page into a believable 3D person. Below are three of the main areas of characterization that I think really help create that illusion and make fictional characters feel real and some questions so help start brainstorming. 

physical description: do they have a birthmark? a scar on their elbow? what's their style like? comfort over fashion? what's their favorite article of clothing? how long or short is their hair? do they dye their hair or keep it natural? piercings? tattoos? what are their go-to pair of shoes? backpack or tote bag? do they wear jewelry? favorite shade of eye shadow? lipstick or lip gloss? are they muscular or not?

real people are quirky and strange and unique so give some of that richness to your characters too and in their appearance.  

interior world: what do they want most? what do they fear? what is standing in their way from getting what they want? do they like being alone or need constant company? how do they feel about silence? what's they're biggest insecurity? is it their oddly shaped birthmark? how to they express their feelings to others? are they quick to anger? do they bottle things up or are they an open book? what's their best memory? describe their favorite day. if they could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? do they hate anyone? why and what happened? do they believe in god? in soulmates? do they think they have an accent when they talk? do they like the sound of their own voice?

real people are complicated and flawed and full of feelings and worries and contradictions. characters should also have "stuff" going on beneath the surface. even if it's never outright stated on the page, knowing these things about your characters will help inform their decisions, behaviors, actions and interactions with others.

relationship dynamics aka "the self + other": what's their family like? do they have two parents? step-parents? no parents? do they still live with their family? are they an only child? if not then where do they fit in with their siblings? are they the eldest child? do they feel responsible for their younger sibling(s)? are they the baby of the family? the forgotten middle child? who's their favorite relative? what about friends, are they in a "squad" or more of a loner? just a few friends? who's their ride or die? how did they meet? are they shy around new people or are they a social butterfly? in class, do they like group work or prefer to work alone? are they physically affectionate with others? what's their love language?

real people usually interact with other real people. we have friends and families and complicated relationships and dynamics that vary depending on who we're with. you're likely not the same around your closest friends or family as you are around say your boss or a professor. characters feel more "real" when they have these levels of nuance and when they have a sense of "history" or a "past" like "i met my best friend in kindergarten on the playground when she complimented my hello kitty bracelet."

miscellaneous: actions + hobbies, what do they love to do? are they an avid knitter? a snake enthusiast? do they keep a little window-sill garden? do they collect rocks or stamps or postcards or shiny pennies? can they drive or do they ride their bike everywhere? when it snows are they the first one outside building an arsenal of snowballs or are they barricading themselves inside and getting cozy under the covers? do they dog-ear their pages? are they vegetarian? what's they're favorite candy? if they were in high school, what clubs if any would they be a part of? do they like sports? favorite movie? what would be their top five artists on spotify? do they believe in aliens? if they couldn't have a dog or a cat as a pet, what would they choose instead? what are they binge watching? what would be their username on social media? how do they talk over text? do they use emojis? memes? reaction gifs? 

[sticker-pop]

1999 Hello Kitty 25th anniversary postcard

[thepenpalhub]

[Queennie's Looking For Penpals (Either in Snail Mail, Email or Both!)]

Hello, this is Queennie from my deactivated Tumblr account @/heart-bleeding-autism-angel (and also from my deactivated sideblog @autism-angels-reading-corner). (Both of my main and side blog are deactivated last January 1, 2021 at midnight, Philippines Time.)

I may not be returned nor signing up to Tumblr again (Please respect my decisions, okay?) because I don't want to hear another negativity again, especially when when the year 2021 is officially started already but I am still continue to looking for penpals.

Without further ado, here's get to know more about me:

Name: Queennie

Country: Philippines

Important Notes: I was born Autistic/with Autism/Special Needs when I was one year and a half old.

Age: 20

Birthday: July 20 (Born 2000)

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Favorite Colors: Pink, Purple and Pastel Colors

Favorite Designs: Polka Dots, Stars and Night Sky with City Lights, Hearts, Strawberries, Butterflies, Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Roses, Bunnies Favorite Animals: Dogs, Cats, Bunnies and Butterflies

Likes: Kpop (I started to love Kpop last 2009 and my current favorites are EXO, NCT, SuperM, VIXX, Super Junior + disbanded groups like 2NE1 and B.A.P), Books, RWBY (A web animation series from Rooster Teeth), Anime (Mostly Love Live! School Idol Project/Sunshine!! (and other Love Live! Series), Pokemon, Naruto + Other favorites that are too many to mention), Cartoons (SpongeBob SquarePants, Oggy and the Cockroaches, etc.), Animation/Musical and Comedy Movies, Cooking and Baking videos, Korean Hip-Hop (I mostly love Nafla, BLOO, Loopy and JUSTHIS + all artists of GROOVL1N), Games like SuperStar SMTOWN, Pokemon Cafe Mix, and rhythm games like Cytus/Cytus II, Deemo, VOEZ and Love Live! School Idol Festival, and I secretly like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Dislikes: News because it's affecting my mental health and emotional health, politics, hearing something that made me upset and triggering like protests, terrorism, death mentions including suicide, Horror and gore movies, people who are so being dirty to me like sending nude pictures/porn pictures (Examples: Boobs, vagina, penis) on both email and snail mail and those people who not talking about my favorite things and just changing the topic about something that made me real uncomfortable non stop until I fed up.

What I am looking for Penpals who are:

Ages: 20-25 years old ONLY!

Country: Doesn't matter what country you are  but mostly I prefer who is from USA and Philippines. Still, it doesn't matter where are you from as long as you are 100% active and being nice to me since I am with Autism.

Genders: Mostly Females

Where you can contact me?

By email at kpopandanimelover110@gmail.com and/or by Kakao Talk (My Kakao Talk ID is AutismAngel110) so I can send you my address privately. (I know but I prefer they will send me a penpal letter first and then I will reply to them after the penpal letter has arrived.)

For the penpals who want me to do snail mail, you can send me anything like printed pictures and postcards and/or photocards, washi tapes, stickers, bookmarks (sometimes magnetic bookmarks) and greeting cards if a special occasion comes soon

Also, if we slowly became SPECIAL PENPALS, I will send you a Amazon Wishlist. You can surprise me just about anything whether it's normal, or my birthday or any kind of special occasions like Christmas, Valentine's, Halloween, Etc. PLEASE ALSO TAKE NOTE THAT THIS IS 100% OPTIONAL but it will be nice if they will gift me anything IF WE BECOME SPECIAL PENPALS. If you are out of your budget, please skip. I promise, no pressure for you.

Take a look of my Amazon Wishlist here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2B73O0A0228Q5?ref_=wl_share

That's everything I had. I hope you will be interested to be my penpal as much as I do. Thank you so much.

Much love,

Queennie

[yespoetry]

Mark Lamoureux: May 2019 Poet of the Month

29 Cheesburgers: #31 Deluxe Bleu Cheese Burger Plate, Cozy Soup ‘N Burger, Astor Place, NYC

            for Bill Corbett.

  Bill,

 I go to the second church of the day, as I must,

            alone, & above

the nave of coffee urns—something I never noticed

            the handful of times I have come to this place—

is an actual backlit panel of stained glass

depicting two women wrapped in coiling cloth

            of cobalt blue proffering

a cheeseburger on a plate

            while their lower heaven-stretched arms

cradle a ceramic chalice of Cozy soup,

echoing the similarly light-filled

            windows of St. Mark’s on the Bowery from

whence I am come from your memorial, my eyes

            stung with tears—

 now at the end

as at the beginning

when I first crossed your threshold

some fifteen years ago, just out of hospital,

only days before having watched

            the huge ruddy man in the other bed,

Chaucer’s Miller, toss the orderlies around the room like rag dolls,

howling & sobbing like an infant because he didn’t want to take

the pills that would make him heavy & dull

until finally subduing him they put them down

his throat & held his chin like a cat’s & then poured water down

his gullet from a ridiculously tiny

            paper cup.

Fifteen minutes later I heard him

spit the unswallowed pills onto the floor.  I didn’t take mine

either.  He begged me to bring him a plastic model car

& glue             please he said

            please;

I taught the empty-eyed kid

who paced to one end of the ward & back

            again all day, all day to make poems

by picking random words out of the Reader’s Digest

            Condensed Books they kept in all the rooms.

            Why did you arrange them like that?

                                                                        I didn’t

that’s the order I picked them in.  Fair enough

            poetry is the music

of chance; just days later I would be in your parlor

in Columbus Square & I decided to trust

            that poetry

would save my life & you were the king

of poetry.

 Earlier today I am at the Wahrol retrospective

            at the Whitney for the second time, missing

my daughter, who knew the prints from Andy Land

the little book I bought her, signing more moo cow

more Andy Soup; please

please;

            with my backpack with my laptop & keys

& presents I bought her in the coat check I can’t shake

the feeling something’s missing;

            I lose track of Geof & Karen in the sprawling

exhibition, take a picture of myself in the reflection

of a self-portrait of Andy with a skull on his head—

memento mori I tell myself.

                                                            Something’s missing.

Somehow I lose the plastic tag with the number on it

            to retrieve my coat & the backpack that I got cheap

because it has somebody else’s initials—IQZ—

            monogrammed on the front.

                                                            Something’s missing.

The first time I was here I stood with Amabel

 in front of Crowd Scene.  Peoples she cooed

peoples &

just a few feet away there was Laurie Anderson;

            I wanted to ask her to kiss my baby but couldn’t

summon the gumption—

Lou Reed is dead said a voice in my head.

            You are dead too; I wanted you to kiss my baby

too.

             I used to drink when I felt sad,

which was all the time,

but now I buy things for my daughter instead & today before

            your memorial I bought her a little plastic watch

with an owl on the face,

 four pairs of little socks with the Peel Slowly

& See banana on them, a spherical strawberry-scented kitty

ball that slowly re-inflates itself

after being squishes & A is for Andy written by him

& his mama.

                                                Something’s missing.

 Before I really met you I knew you

            from the photograph on the cover

of New & Selected Poems: smiling at the camera

            in black & white; behind you a telescope

pointed out the glowing window

toward the sky.  I recognized you once outside

            of Out of Town news in Harvard Square

& said Hello Bill like I knew you & you said Hello like

            I was someone you recognized

            but I wouldn’t find myself

at your table for another handful of years,

            just out of hospital, a week

after John Wieners died. 

             I turned 47 last week & bought myself

the Complete Village Vanguard Recordings

of the Bill Evans Trio & listened to Scott LaFaro

            playing “Gloria’s Step” over & over again—

the last recording he would make before he

died just 11 days later & I wondered what you thought

of the “You Must Believe in Spring” poem after the song

on Evans’ final that I sent you

just before you died last spring.  Memory gorges

            every single thing

you wrote in a “Shower in June,”

printed on a broadside with a photo

of Pres outside the Five Spot you inscribed

            “For Mark at Aaron’s 30th, 2004”

which hangs just beside my front door & will be the first thing

I see when I exit the cab & unlock the door to my house,

            quietly, so I won’t wake Amabel

who will be sleeping upstairs.  Memory gorges

            every single thing.

                                                Something’s missing. 

 I will want to listen to the Evans records again,

            but will need to wait until morning

because the sleeping baby; I will need to wait

until morning to give my daughter the socks, the kitty,

            the book, everything

but the watch which I will save for her birthday

            in May & I admit it seems a little wrong

to give a toddler a watch—there’s a point

            at which time becomes the enemy,

but I couldn’t resist the little pink owl.  Owls

            were also the favorite

of my maternal grandma Mabel for whom

Amabel is named & owls

            have been appearing everywhere

lately—in an Arthur Sze poem on the wall

of the subway I took downtown,

            “Coming Soon—the Owl

Café” on a sign on the smudged-out windows

of a storefront I passed when I was walking

            from the Whitney to your memorial

in the Bowery.  I guess my point is

            the dead remain

in our lives in ways we don’t expect

or understand.  A few nights ago two postcards

            from you & Gerrit that had been there

since you were both alive fell off

my refrigerator & landed face up

at my feet—there must be scores of postcards

from you squirrelled away in & behind

books on my bookshelves & who knows

            where else—I never really file anything

away & I guess now maybe I understand why.

            Memory gorges

every single thing.      Something’s missing.

            This may be the longest poem

I have ever written, meandering, discursive,

            I guess probably because I don’t want it

to end because that means somehow this

            day in which I said goodbye to you will have ended

but now

            the train has pulled into the station

& the conductor is telling me to please exit the train

            we all want to go home.

                        I pack my IQZ backpack quickly

& panic out on the platform.

                                                Something’s missing

but the doors close & the train rumbles

            off into the future.

Mark Lamoureux lives in New Haven, CT. He is the author of four full-length collections of poetry: It’ll Never Be Over For Me (Black Radish Books, 2016), 29 Cheeseburgers / 39 Years (Pressed Wafer, 2013), Spectre (Black Radish Books 2010), and Astrometry Orgonon (BlazeVOX Books 2008),. His work has been published in print and online in Elderly, Denver Quarterly, Jacket, Fourteen Hills and many others. In 2014 he received the 2nd annual Ping Pong Poetry award, selected by David Shapiro, for his poem “Summerhenge/Winterhenge.” He teaches at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT. His chapbook, Maris McLamoureary's DICTIONNAIRE INFERNAL, co-authored with Chris McCreary, was published by Empty Set Press on Halloween 2017.

[octranslations]

Haiiro no Ginka Volume 2

Haiiro no Ginka Volume 2

Translation Credits: 1999.1.20 DEBUT SINGLE IN STORE - Risu “Akuro no Oka” “Yurameki” in Italy - Risu Shinya Nemunemu hakushi no daigyakusu - Mbear Ganso Kaoruya - Nao Meisho de Meishuu Mr. Drums’ House Edition - Risu Aibiki no Mori Toshiya - Risu Kyo's Corner (Announcement) - Risu SEXUAL Inoue LA Diary - Risu NEWS L.A. Edition - Risu

1999.1.20 DEBUT SINGLE IN STORE

"Zan" "Akuro no Oka" "Yurameki"

Debuted at 5th, 6th, 7th

Music Shop Kunihara?Goryokaku Store

Sapporo?GURUGURU   Mr. Habaguchi

Shibuya 109 also has Dir en grey!

January 20, the major debut singles are finally on sale. The CD stores were also filled with Dir en grey, and you can see different stores nationwide decorated by Dir en grey. They made a large appearance even at Shibuya 109, and I think there were people who took pictures of it. Also in the Oricon Chart they debuted 5th, 6th and 7th. The members and staff both are grateful to all the fans who wouldn't have made this possible without their unwavering crazy and warm following/support?

“Akuro no Oka” “Yurameki” in Italy

When we are welcoming the end of 1998, the 5 members went to Italy for the PV shooting of “Akuro no Oka” and “Yurameki”. On the way they waited 4 hours to get on the next plane, Shinya read a book that he brought with him from Japan, Kyo and Kaoru ate pizza. (By the way it seems that Die was pretty ripped off by this store without him realizing it…) From here Kyo got addicted to pizza and ate it the whole time in Italy.

Then were forced to ride on the bus for 2 to 3 hours, at the end of a long travel without being able to get off in the destined airport due to strong winds and having the time to arrive and sleep in the hotel they started with make-up. The shooting for that day were the individual scenes and performance scenes of “Akuro no Oka” at a western style house that is also used in movies.

On the second day, the scheduled departure time was 6:30am. Having a breakfast buffet at the hotel with their complete make-up and wearing their costumes was a pretty conspicuous bizarre sight. A shrine that looked like the acropolis was today’s shooting location. Here was the image scene and individual scenes carrying instruments. These was the first costumes for the day. Because of it being quite cold, coat and mufflers were vital while the camera was not running.

Third day, the final day. After shooting the image scene at the back alley streets in town was the shooting of “Yurameki” at a church. While waiting there were pigeons that gathered near the bus because of the bread that was scattered. When Shinya was about to give bread, because of the noisy Italians who passed by, the pigeons went somewhere…

“The stupid foreigners?” Shinya was angry.

Take Note of This Italy Important News

They waited for 4 hours in Milan

Breakfast in full make-up and full costume

Shinya seems cold in his costume

Temples are cold…

Kyo, is addicted to pizza!

Loo~ng travel and waiting time

Die was ripped off

Toshiya caused a disturbance! (Details are in the news page!)

Shinya Nemunemu hakushi no daigyakusu

Hello everyone.  This corner has begun again.  Last time there wasn't much so now there probably won't be much either, right?  Well then, so let's introduce the first postcard.

"Please tell me about Shinya-kun's beloved dog, Papii-chan."

This is Papii-chan, who lives at my parent's home.  The name is Papii because the breed is called papillon.  It's quite a fashionable way of naming a dog.  Of course I named him.  We got him in December of my third year of elementary school.  At that time he was already two months old.  At that time he was quite tough and the small me was often chased and bitten.  Now, because he's grown old he doesn't really bite, but his quick anger hasn't changed at all.  He really gets angry quickly.   He definitely gets angry five times a day.  For example, he is cuddling with someone and if another person calls "Papii" he will go to snap at that person with great strength.  Also, Papii loves Pedigree Champion dog food and he won't eat any dog food other than that at all.  The Pedigree Champion dog food seems so delicious, so even if you stare at it from the side, he'll get angry.  He also likes meat and if I'm eating meat he comes and says, "Give me meat" .  And so if I pretend to give him the meat and don't he gets really angry.  He's a troublesome dog.   He always thinks of himself as the best.  On the stairs as well, he alone... it alone cannot go up by itself. In the past he went up but, he planned on going up the stairs of the new place we moved to the way he did in our old house so his feet became tangled, and he got hurt.  Since that time when Papii wants to use the stairs he'll call "someone come here".  And then someone will come and carry him up the stairs.?Papii also gets quite cold.  In the past whenever it would get cold I would take out the kotatsu. Then, I would set up the kotatsu and leave the room for a little and return, and already Papii would be sleeping in the kotatsu. To think he's a dog, why does he get cold so easily??Ah, no matter what I said, he's a very cute dog.

Last time I wrote about Nakata Daimaru Racket as Shinya's little corner, a considerable amount postcards came concerning that.  I've picked a few from among those postcards.

It's popularity before is like Downtown's [popularity] now.

He was definitely on TV every New Years.

When I asked my mother, she said "You don't know him?  Your father and your grandfather and your grandmother know him.  You don't know anything huh."#When I asked my family they said, "What...? You don't know? Ah~, it's the end of Japan. There's nothing that can be done."

Like what Shinya-kun said, I think a lot of people know him. ?So, well, just take a look at this and maybe you'd know, it is said that in Japan if you don't know Nakata Daimaru Racket then you are not Japanese.

So, that being said I will explain Nakata Daimaru Racket to you.

Nakata Daimaru Racket It was said that it is a Manzai that would make you laugh in three seconds, he was a big star until the end of the war, it's the popularity was twice more than "Kashimashi Musume". As for the beginning, Nakata Daimaru debuted but his partner at that time died.  After that, he rejoined with his brother racket and debuted.

With the first second of flawless speech, the continuous gags, the viewers will be sent into a vortex of laughter. The younger brother racket accidentally laughs a lot at Daimaru's adlibs and that would again invite laughter from the audience.   After Daimaru's death, Racket managed variously alone, but recently it so happens that he is retired.

And that's it.  And so there were many postcards that came asking, "Why does Shinya-san know something that way back?" that's because I have lived 10 times longer than everyone. Fufufufufu(Hehehehe)......

See you again.

Extra: About Nakata Daimaru Racket Toshiya: When I asked my friends, they knew. Why did that many postcards come? Die: If you write it at the very end then they'd read it! Didn't it seem like it was saying, "send me [postcards]" right? So they'll send it over!

Translator's Notes: 1. Manzai (??) is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, which usually involves two performers—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mutual misunderstandings, double-talk, puns and other verbal gags. In recent times, manzai has often been associated with the Osaka region, and manzai comedians often speak in the Kansai dialect during their acts.

2. A kotatsu (??) is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself. Kotatsu are used almost exclusively in Japan, although a similar product called a korsi is also used in Iran.

3. For the curious here is a clip of Daimaru Racket (Kansai-ben only):{youtube}LjNdbLZd-9c{/youtube}

Ganso Kaoruya

Welcome. Thank you for coming to Ganso Kaoruya . This time there are only a few things but please take a look.

It can’t be seen clearly but it’s a pretty excellent work.

Again, it’s my stuff. Devilman & Amon Black Version

Great job!! You were even able to create the detailed parts.

Next challenge is in Kitty-chan!!

Again, my stuff.

I never give-up~

…Hello.

Recently, I have been rummaging for and buying CDs, LDs, Videos(VHS). Even in LA I was brainwashed by MTV and bought a lot like Shawn Mullins and the like but mostly I didn’t listen to it and went home. All of a sudden I would go into a record shop but before I just bought CDs but I wanted to watch movies so I ended up buying the movie and it’S soundtrack that I thought, “I would never watch!!” which was Titanic. Well, it is a good thing! However!! There were tons of lives that I wanted to see during the end of the year and beginning of the year. I wanted to watch D=SIRE’s Liquid(room)! (I was really supposed to go~) I wasn’t able to watch Bauhaus in October! Marilyn Manson and Gastunk also made me want to cry…therefore, I am looking for more creations. (Totally unrelated though.)  Send me things that will clear up my anger!! And so, Ah! Thank you for the Christmas Presents and New Year’s Card!  

This month’s Heavy rotation (currently, January 20)

Fear Factory

Obsolete

The Goo Goo Dolls

Dizzy Up the Girl

Garbage  

Version 2.0

Shiina Ringo  

Koko de kisu shite

Motion Picture  

Psycho

Shawn Mullins

Soul’s Core

Rammstein  

Sehnsucht

Devin Townsend

Infinity

AKIRA Ootomo Katsuhiro

Meisho de Meishuu Mr. Drums’ House Edition

So, is everyone in “a knot” doing well? This is a bit or rather pretty late but thank you to all the fans who sent me presents, messages, letters etc. for my birthday last year. Also thank you always for sending me fan letters. I properly read all of it so there is no need to worry.

So, Meisho de Meishuu Vol. 2 is, what do we have here!! Once again we have a guest.

Let me introdu~ce, Mr. Drums who does Tanaka in Dir en grey (refer to the picture)

This time let’s go a bit back to Christmas. The location is Mr. Drums’ house where he has prepared 5 bottles of champagne. By the way, on this day, Mr. Drums’ mother and younger brother Kazuma were in the house, this mother was very annoying and kept on harassing us, she smoked things like echo or wakaba, Kazuma is a delinquent and picked a fight with me so it was awful. But the most awful one was Mr. Drums. Apparently he is weak with alcohol, even though he said that he has work after this interview, his face was completely red, even his ears were red, and in the end he couldn’t speak. But since it’s my corner, even if it were forced he drank and evaluated [the alcohol]. Then Mr. Drums suddenly tried to run on top of the TV, when I chased him and tried to make him drink, finally he went down. That’s unfortunate. But he was able to properly drink 5 kinds [of alcohol] so please read the table of comments after.

“Itadakima~su?”

“How are you feeling recently?”

“…….silence”

“Mr. Drums please drink some more!”

“What are you doing?”

“That’s it”

Well, this time I will end [this column] with this. Well as for the season, it will soon be spring, for those of you who want to try drinking it why not also drink it together with your beloved boyfriend or girlfriend on Christmas this year (this is way in the future…) (For those who say that they don’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend, please try finding one until then.)

So next time I will send it from LA! I am planning again on calling a guest so please look forward to it.

Well, until we meet again (mata aimashou). Espresso!!

Today’s Wine

Wine Name

Comment

Score

1

CASTELL BLANCH ROSAD CAVA

It seems to have a pretty bitter smell…Ah! Yes it’s a red win chic that’s easy to drink. It feels like you’re drinking in Artist Room A

It feels like swimming in the Aegean sea ? Mr. Drums

6.79

2

SUNTORY SPARKLING WINE SILVER

It’s pretty sweet. Well it’s for you guys, middle and high school students. It’s ant hell…what’s ant hell? “to get worms (in your stomach)” (Mr. Drums) It is on the edge whether you fall into ant hell or not.

Too sweet. It feels like being assimilated to it while being buried in sugar and the surrounding sugar is burnt by a lighter ? Mr. Drums

5.55555??

3

CROISIE LIGHT

I think this is for elementary school kids….because it’s sweet, I think elementary school students would really like this.

Being hit by a rain of iron mold, that moment made me feel better, I feel nauseous I think I’m drunk (nods) ? Mr. Drums

3.1415926

4

SUNTORY SPARKLING WINE GOLD

It completely doesn’t feel like drinking in a high end club in Ginza.

It feels like I can see 5 cm inside ? Mr. Drums

6.81

5

VARICHONET CLERC MERLOT GAMAY

This is for 17 year olds…feels like a 17 year old loose socks

This is the most delicious. It has sweetness and bitterness, in memories (drunk) a 41 year old…(definitely drunk) his wife left him, on the side of a too sweet park, I become Shinya ? Mr. Drums

5.59

Aibiki no Mori Toshiya

Happy New Year! This year together with "aknot" please support Dir en grey!

This is Toshiya's corner which will begin again, thanks to everyone who thought and sent titles! But somehow there wasn't one that fit so I tried thinking with my insufficient/lacking head! And I thought to go with "Aibiki no Mori" (rendezvous forest) as Toshiya's corner title!! The origin of the corner title is, actually I copied the name (laughs) Since I really love Sakamoto Ryuichi-san and among Nakatani Miki's album called, "Shokumotsu Rensa (Food Chain)", there was a song called "Aibiki no Mori de" and for me, I personally liked that song...so yes, I copied it (laughs) But, so far in my own way I tried the title while completely ignoring things like the meaning of "Aibiki no Mori" is a journal of memories where "I wanted to make it like a forest of secrets that I have with the fans and everyone". It's a bit fishy? (laughs) But, in this corner I don't want to write lies and I want to tell the truth to everybody

??? What in the world are those numbers above???Ah well. Yesyes, I want it to be a corner that everyone reads so I decided with "Aibiki no Mori". Thank you very much to the people who thought of and sent titles!! And I'm sorry!! Also next I am asking for costume designs. I am asking for designs that you would like me to wear. Well even though all of it won't be OK, I may use parts of it. I am waiting for everybody's sense and avant-garde ideas. Also the people who were chosen will have their names and member id posted in this corner and after that I will send them a present.

I am looking forward to everyone's design pictures!!

Well then please get lost in "Aibiki no Mori (rendezvous forest)"  (laughs)

?/× (TUE)

Well the indies tour has finally begun. In the morning I went to Tokyo station using a taxi and went to Nagoya on the shinkansen (bullet train). I was sort of happy when I was finally in the shinkansen. The live at Bottomline was to put it bluntly, unsatisfactory. Even among the lives that I've done up until now, honestly it was the worst. I was very annoyed, embarrassed, and regretful. Due to the lack of physical strength and extreme oxygen deprivation, I collapsed after the main set. After the encore, there was a heavy air backstage and everyone was looking down. Budoukan is 100 years too early and I looked down on myself. Even if I wrote more about it I would end up writing negative things. Nagoya...I am really sorry to the fans, maybe if you would come to a live just one more time, the next one I would definitely show a good live.

I promise, the next time...

?/×?WED)

In the morning, we checked out of the hotel and went to Kanezawa. I remembered the previous night's live and had an internal argument, "today for sure..." I personally wasn't satisfied with the Kanezawa live on the previous tour so this time I thought that I must make a good live. It was good that Az hall was pretty nice. But as expected I felt that my performance was a bit not enough but I thought of thinking positively. Everyone signed on Azhall's backstage hallway wall. Also I kicked the micstand and it's a bit unfortunatey that I wasn't able to directly apologize to the Azhall manager. I am really sorry! The oden that I had at the party was delicious. Good night...

?/×?FRI)

Today is at Kumagaya Vogue! This was the first time I was here since the disband live of band before Dir en grey was formed so I was really happy! If my memory is correct, the other band at that time was the band that 4 of them were in so it was a place with a lot of memories so I thought to do my best. The live was really good. Finally it felt like the engine started and my body was light. Also what shocked me also was I stage dived which I haven't done since the Cowboy World [live] in Osaka (laughs) To the people who were under and whose body I stepped on, I am really sorry!!

At any rate, those gibberish numbers on top! Enough already and disappear!

Well, after the live, without taking a break we got on the shinkansen and appeared live on nippon broadcast's radio, "Ultracountdown". Cool K-san was an interesting person.

?/×?MON)

Sendai Makana's stage was a bit small, so it was pretty difficult to play. But the live was okay but everyone's fervor was great, and it felt good. SuperRecord's Jimmy-san seems to be doing okay and thank you for coming to the live! After the live speaking of Sendai, it's "Gyu tan" (beef tongue) so we went out and ate it, as expected it was delicious! As a souvenir I bought cheese and fresh dorayaki. We will come to Sendai again (laughs)

?/×?TUE)

Today is my first time in Sapporo! This is the first live [in Sapporo] so I was really looking forward to the reaction of fans who've been waiting for us until then but the live was awful. "M-GAZET" also mentioned the reason. It would be better if I believed more in everyone...I am sorry! To the people who were looking forward to it. I am sorry, really. Sapporo, next time we will come at full blast so please look forward to it!!!

?/×?THU)

Niigata JUNKBOX...it was hot/exciting! Everybody went wild (for us). I was able to do a live without thinking of anything. Everybody's rhythm/flow was great and more importantly you made me forget about what happened in Sapporo. Thank you Niigata!! My friends from middle school and "D+L"'s AKIRA came to watch us. I was happy. After the party everybody went bowling. Everyone was excited and it was really fun. Thank you very much for today everyone!!

?/×?SAT)

Today is Osaka! Everybody was in high spirits. As expected everyone seems hyped since its their hometown. Speaking of hometowns, I also wanted to have lives in Nagano (tears) Well, anyway the live was okay but for me the performance was shabby. So I am sorry to everyone. But anyway I want to optimistically do my best...since if I get caught up in negative thoughts it would be difficult to get out of it. During the part Punch UFO came and it was interesting. Also, I was able to go drink out with my friends from high school after a long time and it was fun. Thank you Osaka!

?/×?MON)

The live at Hiroshima Namiki Junction was okay. Did everyone enjoy it? I would be happy if you enjoyed it. Also the Hiroshima yaki was very delicious. The promoter was also a very nice person. 2 more lives left I must do my best!!

?/×?TUE)

Hakata Be-1 was hot/exciting! The backstage was small but the live was pretty exciting. The atmosphere was also good. I didn't dive but it was live where I wanted to dive! After the live we did a quick party, and everyone went bowling (laughs) it was really fun. After that me and a couple of people went out and ate rate. We will come again to Hakata.

?/×?TUE)

Finally, we came to Matsuyama.

When I remember it was early. Before I realized it [we were there]. When I think of going home to Tokyo, I felt lonely. As for the live due to a miss with the song order we weren't able to get into high spirits but at the very very last it was nice that the fans who stayed during the encore were able to sing "GARDEN" with us. Well, the last live is Budokan!

Thank you Matsuyama!

?/×?MON)

Well, finally today is Budokan! In this place everything up until now will...I will not forget a day like today, I will never forget the fun on this day...and the regret (this is again getting old (laughs)) I can't say this well into words but since I think that there is nothing that doesn't change, at the very least I don't want my feelings and memories to not change. Forever. And more importantly to every who's been supporting us until now, thank you very much!! From now on let's fly higher and higher together.

?/×??)

From today we will go to LA because of recording. We will train under Yoshiki-san's guidance. Please look forward to and wait for the next song!! In addition, please read Mr. Inoue's page for the LA journal!

Toshiya first nude!!!

I also had this period (laughs)

So embarrassing~ (laughs)

Congratulations on your marraige Chara-san!

I hope you two will be happy (laughs)

Drop in sometimes! (The person on the right was the engineer of "I'll")

This time it ends here. Did you enjoy it? On January 20 the singles were finally released at the same time. To the who haven't listened to it, please listen to it! If possible please seriously listen to it with the volume on loud! Well, let's rendezvous again at the "Aibiki no Mori"!!!

Translator's Notes:

1. Gy?tan (???) is a Japanese food that is made from grilled beef tongue. The word gy?tan is a combination of the Japanese word for cow (?, gy??) and the English word tongue. Since gy?tan literally means "cow tongue," the word is also used to refer to cow tongues in Japan. The custom of cooking gy?tan originated in Sendai in 1948, and is usually served with barley rice, tail soup, and pickles in the Sendai area.

2. Dorayaki (????, ????, ????, ????) is a type of Japanese confection which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet red bean paste.

3. The numbers that Toshiya was referring to in the column was this line of random numbers that divided the column into the top and bottom sections. Please refer to the original.

Kyo's Corner (Announcement)

Among the postcards sent to Kyo’s Akuma ka Warumono ka, there was one that seemed to have lies written on it, as long as that kind of fan is there, this corner is spoiled/ruined and I am enraged.

I was so angry and shock that I opened a hole in the wall, and after that I never spoke anything about the fanclub

Because of that this corner is on a break.

What a nuisance

SEXUAL Inoue LA Diary

"a knot" told me that anything is fine so write anything about the LA recording so I am seated in front of a typewriter, well, I don't have a typewriter! Typewriters are old! So hello. This is the manager, Atsushi Inoue.

After Budokan finished and after the storm of <interviews, photoshoots>, before coming to LA, in order to concretize the sound as much as possible, everyone was confined to the studio. Then to LA ---- then again at Narita (international airport) there were a couple of fans...(mid-November was written on the flyer that was distributed at Budokan. Fail.Fail) but since everyone sent us off without causing any inconvenience we were relieved as we got on the plane...ah~(roughly 10 hours)~later we arrived in LA.

Then we had a meal together with the local coordinator and co. -- we had Lunch Time at a pretty clean looking pizza and pasta restaurant. As expected of America, the volume was incredible. The food and also the lady next to us...sorry...but the Beer was delicious.

Then we checked-in in the hotel, and was surprised when we got to our rooms. It was big big. It also had a kitchen. Yey (but at this time I didn't think that in the end I would sleep in the room and go home since I couldn't cook...sigh)

We placed our things, and everyone gathered together! We went to the studio ---and was surprised, it was big big. The studio and also the meeting room. After waiting for awhile, we had a pretty brief meeting with  Mr. YOSHIKI and the engineers, foreign staff etc. (about the equipment and flow etc), It seems that there will be a break once per week. Lucky (But...at this time I didn't think that the first week was a photoshoot, the second week was a break but from the third week there was no break...sigh) (Recording flow is everyone plays the music together, then Drums?Bass?Guitar?Guitar?Vocal - this seems to be the basic flow but there are times when the Guitar follows after Drums, and times when Vocals are added soon after just the rhythm is recorded. There are also times when they are working on the next song while the Vocalist is recording. So it seemed like it wasn't definite that it would follow this order. )

After the meeting finished the busy Mr. YOSHIKI wasn't able to come eat with us after but the members and me and the office people, recording company people and the coordinator went to get food -- Even in LA there are quite a lot of sushi restaurants where we had Dinner Time but as expected it lacked something/wasn't the greatest...but the beer was delicious. Thus the first day ended with this.

From now was the real part, the second day in LA, for the meantime all of the members worked on "Akuro no Oka". They took a recording of it playing together while choosing instruments and equipments. This took one whole day. LA third day based on what was recorded the previous day, recording started from drums. This took one whole day.

Fourth day bass recording while playing along with the drums of the previous day. This took one whole day. Fifth day guitar (Die) recording while playing along with the sounds recorded until the previous day. This took one whole day.

*By the way the members were at the studio and saying things like this and that and did individual practice while somebody else was recording.

The next day was a day off from the studio, and was a photoshoot day for Dir en grey. From early morning we were at cameraman Mr. William Hames' studio for make-up. Then downtown and on rooftops, under the bridge, railway tracks etc...there were also pretty dangerous areas, foreigners were looking at us oddly, and it was pretty unbelievable/awesome. The photoshoot finished at dusk. "My legs hurt." ???Shinya

Then we went to get food --- it was a pretty famous steak restaurant where he had DinnerTime. It was a restaurant with only courses, even if I was full before the meat came when it appeared it was big big!. I wasn't able to finish it but the Vocalist not only ate meat but also a big lobster. After finishing desert we went to the hotel -- "I ate everything that was in front of my eyes. The lobster was delicious." ???Kyo

Then recording day again, Kaoru the Guitarist's recording. The next day too.

One day during the first week, coming home from the studio at midnight everyone went shopping at a big supermarket (there was a big refrigerator, stove, oven, dishwasher etc. in the hotel) everyone bought a lot of different things. One person got large ice cream, then another person got large meat, then another person got large potato chips etc???"Ice cream is the best"???Shinya

The first week, it was Mr. Yoshiki's birthday so the members, staff and studio people all celebrated with champagne. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"???Dir en grey

This is the second week. All of the members began with pre-production for "Yurameki" a song that they haven't finished yet at the same time with the vocal recording of "Akuro no Oka"!?

Two people were down during the "Yurameki" pre-production First it was Kaoru who didn't speak much when we arrived in LA, when I placed a hand on his forehead, it was pretty hot. When I thought about it he was fast asleep and slept in the room on the 2nd day. By the way at this time, he didn't seem to have an appetite so the coordinator and I went to a Japanese store and bought medicine, rice, instant curry, instant congee, miso soup etc.., I brought it to his room and Kaoru-kun in his room seemed pretty lonely. "Kukure Curry was the best"???Kaoru

Then the next day after he got better and went back to work, Toshiya was down. He also slept in his room for two days. This time too I went to the Japanese store.

Getting harmony was this difficult! There is a considerable amount of vocal harmony (voice singing in chorus) included in "Akuro no Oka" "Yurameki" but the equipment that we used at that time was awesome because there was only two in the world, it was too great! It was that kind of equipment but it was troublesome because when the Vo would sing a little bit it would stop and then everything would become confusing, and caused the Vo to get in a bad mood. "I the Hakaider will hakai you (I the destroyer will destroy you)"???Kyo

Design check on the internet is di?ffi?cult There are various different design related things such as the jacket design, card, poster etc, the members would think about it together, and faxing the rough draft design was difficult, so in order to properly see the color and form it has to be through the internet. This was also troublesome since this was three singles the size was too big and it easily won't come. Printouts also took time and we had to redo it several times so it pretty much took a lot of time. "It's finally here~it finally came~"???Toshiya The sole holiday In LA there was only one day break, and it was the most important holiday in America, "Thanksgiving". The studio was on a break. And believe it or not Universal Studios where we wanted to go was also on a break???it seems that on this day the whole of America is on holiday and everyone is at home???boohoohoo???then again since Yoshiki invited us to eat turkey at his house on the previous day, everyone was treated to good food. It was really delicious. "Only 15 more minutes???only one more???Let's finish it with this"???Die

Shopping GO!GO!GO! The members didn't really have much of a chance to go out so when they found some time they would go out to shop. (Not all 5 members???) I think they shopped a lot at Tower Records? On the day of mastering (the day before they go back to Japan) even for a short time went and shopped at the stores in front of the Universal Studios entrance and a big department store, Melrose Avenue but everyone bought only CDs. (Well there was a person who bought clothes and accessories) "I bought a ring but it was also sold in Marui"???Kaoru

The local staff and engineer and studio staff were as expected all foreigners so I thought that I should work harder on English but the recording engineer Mr. STAN KATAYAMA was Japanese and was pretty laid back but he was fan and the members seemed to have had an easy time recording. But the instrument technician and other staff everyone were foreigners. We sort of had a hard time with the finer details. "I will study English."???Die

Local coordinator? Mr. GEORGE The whole time during the LA recording Mr. GEORGE (ex. LADIES ROOM) was in the studio and taught us different things. (English, music, billiards, muscle, games, grit/determination, that thing, this thing, and until that thing???) he really helped us. He brought us along shopping and even called us because he bought a Xmas tree in his room (together with Guitar, Guitar, Bass) At that time he showed us the last scene of Armaggedon, at any rate thank you very much. "Aah, how are you president?"???Toshiya

Best Producer There was a lot of surprising and interesting things about Yoshiki. I think that we are still indebted to him, we will be counting on him even from now on.

"Thank you very much. We will be counting on you." (in harmony)???Dir en grey

Translator's Notes:Kyo was referring to "Hakaider" who was a character featured in the movie

Mechanical Violator Hakaider (????????? Jinz? Ningen Hakaid?)

NEWS L.A. Edition

Kyo…having a hard time!!! We have new information about Kyo. A tragedy has occurred. After spilling oil and making his kitchen sticky, he recklessly threw his garbage and the oil further spilled all over his kitchen. We still don’t know whatever happened to him.

Birthday Guessing 12 Choice Game Big Break

It seems that a birthday guessing game seems to be popular around the members.

Example

1 March 2 September 3 June

.

.

.

12 *…

A deer appeared in the hotel!

Shinya walking alone angry!?

?/?, Shinya who was annoyed at Manager Sexual Inoue over a trivial matter went home alone until the hotel. Because of that the manager further got mad at him. As if to add insult to injury…

Exclusive Scoop Toshiya! Incident in Italy

An incident happened to Toshiya who went to an Italian church for a certain PV shooting in 1998 (or caused an incident). That church does not allow people to bare their legs, (because it is against God), and Toshiya who was completely unaware of that appeared in the church with his bare legs with abandon. There area was in uproar. In the end Toshiya spent his waiting time with his legs wrapped in a cloth.

Kaoru, W face to face meeting!

Sources say that Kaoru was thrilled by the W face to face meeting. The first one was a face to face meeting with Asuka from “Evangelion”. It seems that Bay FM planned it in secret and called her to appear in the show. Regarding this incident, Kaoru commented “Oh my~, I was surprised”. The other one was a face-to-face meeting with Shiina Ringo at Music Station (a music show). If you even look at Kaoru’s corner you’d know that he is pretty into her and expressed his joy on their first meeting.

Die, mysterious behavior!?

An uncanny incident occurred since “aknot” started. Die drank alcohol and was drunk, mistaking it for his shoes, he tried wearing a bag on one foot and a magazine on the other foot. After getting some more information, he was grunting and thought that those were shoes and struggled with it to a considerable degree.

[yesterdaysprint]

Hello! This is actually my first time asking anyone something. Regarding the kitty doing laundry, I had a story book when I was little that featured that picture. It was exactly the same. The story was told with a series of photos just like that one. Do you have any explanation for that??

I do! The pictures were taken by Harry Whittier Frees in his Oaks, Pennsylvania studio and they were extremely popular during the 1900s to 1930s. 

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, Nebraska, June 2, 1936

One day, Frees, who didn’t even own a camera, put a hat on the family cat and thought “I’d love a picture of that”. So he bought a camera and set up a studio and began.

Frees got his start in 1906 selling postcards of his animal photos. Postcards were only allowed to be printed and issued by the USPS, and they were generally pretty boring and generic, until 1898, when private companies were allowed to begin printing them. By 1900 it had become major fad, sending and collecting souvenir cards, and postcards were a booming industry. He sent a couple pictures in to a leading postcard company, thinking maybe they’d take them. The company accepted immediately and printed the photos on their postcards, they sold like hotcakes, and he was offered a three year contract with the company.

The Anaconda Standard, Montana, May 27, 1906

 He published multiple books of his works, like The Animal Mother Goose (1922), which had 63 full page photographs. Other books by him include Little Folks of Animal Land (1915), Animal Stories (1916) and Kitty Cat Stories (1917) which was followed with Bunny Stories and Puppy Stories. He also helped illustrate advertisements and other people’s books with his photographs, like Edward Anthony’s The Pussycat Princess in 1922 and did exclusive series for newspapers, usually for Sunday supplements or ongoing features.

It was asked pretty frequently what he did to have the animals sit so well. After all, it was hard to get a good picture of a person back then, let alone an animal in an elaborate pose. People wondered if the animals might be drugged or hurt to hold the poses, but Frees said it was done with a whole lot of patience - and lots of treats. He said that one reason he always used young animals (aside from the fact that they’re darn cute) was that they were easier to work with than older ones. 

Fitchburg Sentinel, Massachusetts, November 13, 1935

However, some people doubt whether the animals Frees used were even alive:

“The idea that some of these images are the result of patience is clearly nonsense,” opines Mike Power in one public post beneath an article about Frees. “He admitted that he used a shutter speed of 1/5th second which, in modern terms, is slow. Taxidermy was popular and the Victorians weren’t concerned about it in the way that we are today.” According to an article on dangerousminds.com, Frees used both dead and living animals, but refused to acknowledge the use of stuffed pets. “If Frees’ contemporaries knew that many of the animals in his photos were dead, they probably didn’t care,” the article states. “Victorians and Edwardians had no problem photographing dead things.” 

The Ottawa Journal, Ontario, Canada, March 29, 1935

Fitchburg Sentinel, Massachusetts, November 13, 1935

Personally, I don’t think any of the photos I’ve seen were taxidermy. Might the animals have been uncomfortable during the shoots? Maybe a little. I know my cats get pretty surly when I try to put a Santa hat on them for Christmas photos. But I don’t think Frees mistreated them, and I think he had a genuine talent with animals and that he loved them.

Fitchburg Sentinel, Massachusetts, November 13, 1935

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, May 27, 1906

The Ottawa Journal, Ontario, Canada, March 29, 1935

Here’s a link to an NPR article about Frees’ not so happy personal life.

More pictures by Frees from the Library of Congress:

[perfectirishgifts]

Why Stoney Clover Lane Leaned Into Retail In 2020

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/why-stoney-clover-lane-leaned-into-retail-in-2020/

Why Stoney Clover Lane Leaned Into Retail In 2020

Libby and Kendall Glazer, founder of Stoney Clover Lane at their Newport Beach location.

Sisters and cofounders Kendall and Libby Glazer turned what was once a hobby into a multimillion-dollar business loved by both mothers and their children. The Glazer sisters named their bracelet-making hobby when they were teenagers after the street they lived on, Stoney Clover Lane back in 2009. Within the decade the brand grew to become a go-to destination for customizable accessories such as patches, high-end bags and leather goods.

From a young age, the sisters were drawn to self-expression with their sense of style and choice of accessories. They created Stoney Clover Lane as a reflection of their own personal likes and aesthetics, bringing customers into their world and designing only what they themselves would use and wear. This approach has helped build a tight-knit community with a recognizable brand style. They have even partnered with legacy brands such as Hello Kitty, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Lele Sadoughi, and LoveShackFancy to create limited edition collections.

An assortment of colorways at Stoney Clover Lane.

As the sisters have grown with the business so have their customers. The teens who once bought their patches are now buying diaper bags and backpacks for their children. “The customization aspect plays the largest role here. Our wide range of product styles, colorways, and patch collections means that there’s something for everyone. We see multi-generational shoppers all the time. A grandmother will come in with her daughter and granddaughter and they’ll all walk out with something different! Our products are so multi-functional that there’s really something everyone needs or uses, and the customization element means everything can be designed and catered to each individual’s personality,” the Glazers explained on why multi-generations continue to shop at Stoney Clover Lane.” Separate from the customization aspect, the versatility and different uses of our product also play a role. An adult can use our Small Pouch to hold all of their makeup or tech accessories while a child can use it for toys or craft supplies. Our Classic Tote can be used as a dance bag, diaper bag, overnight bag, or everyday bag. There are endless possibilities and uses for all of our products so there really is something for everyone!”

In 2018 the sisters opened their first flagship store in Palm Beach which propelled Stoney Clover Lane from an exclusively e-commerce business, to one with four brick-and-mortars and counting. In less than two years they have opened brick-and-mortars in Palm Beach, East Hampton, New York City, and most recently, their first venture on the West Coast, Newport Beach. Even with the setbacks of the pandemic, the brand grew over 200% this year. The sisters actually leaned into their retail strategy this year to connect with their consumers in a time where connecting has gone missing.  

Kendall and Libby Glazer, founders of Stoney Clover Lane.

“Guest experience is key for us! We want to ensure all of our guests enjoy their Stoney Clover journey whether it’s online or in-store. When it comes to connecting with our customers, Libby and I have a direct line to them via our social media accounts. We’re the only ones who manage social and we’re directly replying to comments and DMs all day every day. This has been an amazing way for us to get to know our customers personally as well as take their direct feedback and incorporate it into things we do moving forward. We really value this commitment we have to our customers and the relationships we’ve developed with them through social media and in-store. We also learn so much about them personally and it’s fun to surprise them every once in a while! For our latest launch, the Cozy Collection, we knew a few of our followers missed out from the last time we launched Cozy and they were hoping it would make a comeback so we sent some of them a sneak peek of the collection on us. I think our community really values that we not only listen and hear them but remember these small details as well!” exclaimed the Glazers. “We’ve also worked really hard on the product experience for online and what that looks like when an order arrives at the customer. We’ve developed signature Stoney Clover Lane packaging with elements that our customer has come to expect and look forward to like our iridescent tissue paper, postcards, and stickers. The packaging and unveiling of our product has become a part of the experience. We see our customers unboxing and sharing our product on social all day, and they’re so excited that their content is frequently confused for an influencer gifting. We worked to perfect that packaging and experience so that customers would feel excited when their order arrives!”

 From an in-store perspective, they have worked really hard to create the Stoney Clover Lane experience in each of our retail locations. As a destination brand, their stores are destinations in their own right and feature nods to their locations in their store’s physical design as well as with their store branding and merchandise. “Our spaces are designed to spark creativity and serve not only as a retail experience but a fun activity for all of our customers. We see some guests come in and shop for 20 minutes and we see others who stay for hours customizing and playing with our product. We like to think we’ve created a happy, colorful space for people of all ages to enjoy. When you walk into our stores, it’s like stepping into our Instagram IRL. When purchasing in-store, it’s great for our customers to see, feel, and play with the different options in person. Our store team is trained to work with our guests and identify their needs are so we can direct them to the right product. We’re also able to help guide customers through our suggestions or visual displays to help them. Our walls are filled with inspiration for guests to draw from, sometimes they may replicate a bag they see or find a color scheme they love and make it their own,” they added. 

That core relationship they have developed with their customer influenced why they decided to lean into retail this year. “The pandemic really drove home the fact that we’re a small but mighty brand. As a startup, we’ve got a small team, and having that environment where we all work so closely together allowed us to think quickly on our feet and pivot our strategy immediately. Within the first week of the shutdown, we were churning out new content ideas and ways to connect with our customers. While our fulfillment center was shut down, Libby and I were hand-making products like bracelets and tie-dye pajamas that we packed and shipped from our home, it brought us back to our roots and gave us something creative to focus on while keeping our customers looking forward to what came next,” the Glazers said.  

They implemented initiatives like the Stoney Clover Lane Book Club and Stoney Clover Lane University. “Stoney Clover Lane University was really the first big initiative to come out of the pandemic. I frequently get questions or have people seeking advice when it comes to business since our community knows that we built Stoney Clover from the ground up. With all the extra time we had, I started answering questions on Instagram Live but talking to a screen didn’t feel at all personal so we decided to have an intimate free ZOOM session where I shared some of the lessons learned along the way. Our community (and their friends!) were so into it that it became a regular session called Stoney Clover Lane University after one attendee noted it was more informative than her college business classes. We started tackling different topics from Building a Team to PR & Influencers to Brick & Mortar and so on. Every session had a different theme and lesson built around it based on the student’s pre-submitted and live questions. It was so incredible to get to know our customers better and we’ve even started selling some of our students’ products in our stores!” exclaimed Glazer. After SCLU, the sisters launched a Stoney Clover Lane Book Club which includes a monthly hand selected book for their community and followers. Every book comes with a signature SCL Book Club sticker and is sold online and in-stores. 

SCLU Takeout.

Another creative aspect of their safe retail strategy was introducing Stoney Clover Lane Take Out at all of their locations. The take out option for their customers included a team member dressed in Stoney Clover Lane branded PPE delivering orders car-side in Stoney Clover Lane take out boxes. Those small touches whether it may be the book club, SCLU University or making pick ups safe yet a fun experience are why Stone Clover Lane has been able to grow three fold year over year. “We were so amazed (and continue to be amazed) by our customers throughout the pandemic. They stuck with us and supported the brand even when everything was so uncertain. We had people placing orders and sending us messages of support even when it was unclear when we would be able to ship orders again. It was a major moment of gratitude for this community that we’ve built over the years, and we continue to be incredibly thankful for them daily,” the sisters shared.

From Retail in Perfectirishgifts

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

Hey! Hope you're well

I HOPE YOU CANCOME TO JAPAN TOKYO IS THE PROMISED LAND!!! I got carried away writing this and it’s super messy but I hope it gives you an idea of what’s available?? I’m sorry if it’s difficult to follow!! And so long… ;w;

Guide to Inazuma (andanime) merchandise in Japan

Tokyo!!

Ikebukkuro (JRYamanote Line, Marunouchi Line) �� This is the HOLY GROUND for anime andyaoi/boys love goods aimed at girls.

If you’reafter anime goods, the row of shops nicknamed Otome* Road in Ikebukkuro iswhere you need to go!

*Young girl

About afifteen minute walk from Ikebukuro station (the Sunshine City exit), is theparadise that is Otome Road.

The easiestway to get there is to follow the signs for Sunshine City – and there’s a lotof great shops on the way too! Too many restaurants and cafes to count, the SanrioGate specializing in Hello Kitty and friends, and even an ikemen café!! And abunny rabbit café, and cat cafes too.

It’s about aten minute walk from Ikebukuro station to Sunshine City (a GIANT departmentstore), which will be on your right. Beside Sunshine City is Tokyu Hands (greatstationary here) and Book Off.

Book Off isa second-hand book store and you can find AMAZING deals here. In terms ofInazuma merchandise, Book Off has: all the games (in Japanese, of course), allof the game guides, a lot of manga, drama CDs and normal CDSs, a huge magazinesection (I buy ALL my articles about Inazuma here, pretty sure I bought all theGO ones, sorry!). If you’re interested in art, they have some great art bookstoo. I also found gems such as the Inazuma character art books. Finally, theyalso have all of the Inazuma DVD box-sets. Everything except the DVDs is supercheap.

Useful Vocab(If you need specific vocab, just let me know!):

アニメ anime

イラスト irasuto (art books)

Okay, let’smove on to Otome Road!

These aregood directions: http://lijaka.com/blog/2012/02/how-to-get-to-otome-road-in-ikebukuro/

It’s easy tofind.

The firstshops you’ll see are a row of anime goods shops, like Lashinbang, KBooks etc.These sell second-hand key-chains and other general merch. There’s very littleInazuma at the moment, but there’s a lot of other series.

The nextshop is ANIMATE! Animate will sell all of the Inazuma Ares no Tenbin merchstarting December 2017, so they will have a big Inazuma display! Get yourpicture taken with the cardboard cutouts of the characters, hee hee.

List ofmerchandise is available here, and can also be ordered online – I’ll post thelink when it’s up.

If you walkto the end of the street and cross the road (passing a Visual Kei shop, andanother KBooks) you’ll see a Family Mart and a staircase that leadsunderground. That staircase leads to Mandarake – doujinshi paradise.

They have alarge Inazuma doujinshi section. It can be difficult to find if you don’t readJapanese, so look for イナズマイレブン (I think it’s the yellow section).The staff don’t speak English so this phrase might help:

すみません。イナズマイレブン同人誌を探して���るんですがどこにありますか。

Sumimasen.Inazuma Irebun doujinshi o sagashite irun desu ga doko ni arimasu ka?

Excuse me, I’mlooking for the Inazuma Eleven doujin section, can you tell me where it is?

The Inazumasection is divided by character, so you can memorize your favorite charactersnames in kanji or make a list and bring it with you. The 霧野 sectionis the best section by the way, hee hee.

If you’re nervousabout searching for doujin in Japanese – fear not!

NearMandarake is another KBooks – look for the KBooks selling doujinshi, and go tothe second floor. Once again, there’s a HUGE Inazuma doujin section, like awhole aisle. You’ll know it immediately because there’s a huge picture! Andeach section is marked by a picture of the character’s face, as well as theirname! So even if you don’t speak Japanese, this one is much easier to find whatyou want.

FINALLY, myfavorite store. KBooks again. The KBooks right beside Mandarake specializes insecond-hand merch – and THEY HAVE AN INAZUMA SECTION! Follow the artwork ofGenda and Sakuma. They have an amazing variety of Inazuma goods, including GO!I bought most of the Kirino stuff, hee hee. The prices depend on the character.Cheap characters are Sangoku, Kabeyama etc. Average characters are Kidou, Tenmaetc. Expensive characters are Fubuki, Kirino etc. Ridiculously expensive isKazemaru and Sakuma. There was zero Fudou or Aphrodi last time I checked.

There’s alsoa butler café near here, but you need a reservation.

NakanoBroadway – Nakano Station, Chuo Line

When I wentto Nakano Broadway two years ago, it was paradise for Inazuma goods, but I wentback this year at it was… not great. All the shops were closed down, BUT it wasa holiday so maybe that’s why.

NakanoBroadway is a much cheaper Akihabara. It specializes in retro-games and oldmanga, but you can find everything from Vocaloid to Pokemon to Inazuma! If you’reinto figures, this is the cheapest place. I found a Kirino figure here!

Look for theshops filled with ‘bishounen’ merchandise – there’s usually an Inazuma section.I found clear files, towels, postcards, keyrings, stickers, mugs, towels… A lot ofpractical merch here for Inazuma, all second hand so CHEAP!

Akihabara(Yamanote Line, Chuo Line)

Akihabara is…Very, very loud and not great. It’s aimed mostly at guys, so there’s a looootof boobs.

If you wantto see Akihabara for the experience, there are a few interesting things. There’sa chubby maid café, which was super cute, and if you’re into it there’s across-dressing boy café. Cute boys in dresses. YAY.

There’s onlyone shop that sells Inazuma stuff (though that might change when Ares isreleased). Mandarake, the fourth floor has a tiny Inazuma doujin section.

Oh God, thiswas so long. If I can make a picture guide, I will! Hopefully I’ll go back toTokyo sometime next year.

As for Tokyoto Hokkaido – you have a few options, but unfortunately it’s not cheap. I’mgoing to assume you’re aiming for the capital city, Sapporo? They have anAnimate, but it’s probably not as good as Tokyo… That said, I LOVE Hokkaido.The food is delicious, and the people are very friendly. Although… the same inTokyo…

BulletTrain/ Shinkansen: Most convenient way and most expensive.

Time: 4hours

Price: 29110yen (217 euros)

Mostexpensive, BUT if you’re planning to travel around Japan I recommend the JRPass, which means you’ll have free travel for 7 days as long as you take JRLines, including shinkansen.

Informationis here.

If you’d liketo see Tokyo, Kyoto and Hokkaido in a few days, the JR past is the mostconvenient and technically best value for money. That is, if you stay sevendays. You can also use it to get from Narita to Tokyo.

 Next optionis flying. This is the fastest way. If you just want to see Hokkaido, thismight be good. Flight is about 2 hours, and costs roughly 10,000 (100 euro) to 26,000yen (200 euros). I think I flew Japan Airlines, but you can find cheaperflights if you book in advance. You can fly from Shinagawa airport (Tokyo) toChitose airport (Sapporo).

This sitehas good info.

Last optionis the cheapest and most awkward – night bus. Never mind I looked into it – don’ttake a bus, trust me. It’s too far and the same price as flying, just longerand more uncomfortable.

A bus fromTokyo to Osaka/ Kyoto is grand though.

BY THE WAY,can I also recommend hotels? Staying in Tokyo is not cheap, but if you’rewilling to try a Capsule Hotel, I 100% recommend the Centurion Cabin and Spafor ladies in Akasaka-Mitsuke. There’s one in Kyoto too. The standard capsuleis very comfy, and there’s an onsen/ hot spring bath, as well as free drinksetc… It’s about 3500 yen per night, and cheaper if you go through booking .com!

Home page ishere.

Booking ishere. You can switch the language by clicking on the Japanese flag at the top.

The area isfull of restaurants, from Indian to Korean to Chinese to Mexican to African andso on… The train lines are Ginza subway line and Marunouchi line (straight toIkebukuro).

Also, if youwant a Tokyo food guide I can also help with that lmao. And I can tell you theanime districts for Kyoto and Osaka too, but not Sapporo.

I’M SORRYTHAT THIS IS ALL OVER THE PLACE! If something is confusing, please tell me ;w;I’m so used to Tokyo I forget what makes sense and what doesn’t…

Also… if youwere interested and it was during the holidays, I could totally meet you totake you to all these places pfft

[letsdiscoverkitty]

Tagged by the wonderful @amys-recovery​ ♥

5 things you’ll find in my bag: • A notebook and pen • A bag full of cute little plasters (currently consisting of Disney princesses, hello kitty and peppa pig) • My ‘every day matters’ 2017 diary • A book • House and car keys

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom: • Lots of pillows (there is no such thing as ‘too many pillows’) • Numerous bookcases with lots of books • An ‘vintage’ style world map on my wall • My portable heater (i.e. my best friend in winter) • An array of different coloured notepads for all different things/lists - I love a good list. Oh and lots of motivational/cute postcards too.

5 things I want to do in my life: • Recover and be able to speak out/raise awareness in Mental Health and let others know that they are not alone and that recovery is possible • Study/learn/create/discover (please let me get to Bristol this year) • Travel around the world and experience different cultures • Fall in in love and have a family of my own • Write a book

5 things I’m into right now: • Cosy snuggly warm sweaters and scarves • Gilmore Girls is my life. • YELLOW RAINCOATS. • Journalling my thoughts away • Yoghurt. All of the yoghurt. Any yoghurt. Every yoghurt. (I am literally eating 3+ a day and I have no regrets :3)

5 things you might not know about me: • I used to be a complete tom-boy growing up and spent the majority of my childhood running around in the woods playing games/climbing trees/camping/inventing etc. and hated being trapped inside. I was also a beaver, cub and a scout; completed my bronze D of E and am currently still signed up to the gold D of E programme. • I’m a secret gaming nerd (Nintendo always) and am seriously regretting not pre-ordering a Wii Switch and the new Zelda game because my brother keeps texting me how amazing it is and I am so damn jealous. Favourites will forever be Zelda and Pokemon. • I have a lazy eye (you probably do know this/have noticed) which I had patching for when I was little but the NHS lost all my files and I didn’t go back until I was 16 and seriously depressed, which was when I finally had an operation for it. • I used to be seriously sporty - I was sports captain in middle school as well as a volunteer swim coach for 7 years (I used to team the small pool, so the 5 year olds who were terrified of water and I loved it!). Netball, swimming, football, gymnastics, athletics, just to name a few I was passionate for, I loved it all. I studied GCSE PE, as well as completing quite a few young leader sports qualifications. Oh and I *nearly* went competitive in swimming when I was about 15 however chose to focus on my education instead. • Okay running out of ideas here... Okay, I don’t like to sit on chairs ‘normally’, I prefer to sit cross-legged or with my feet on the chair with my knees up >.>

This was a fabulous distraction, thank you Amy xxxx I now tag @revivinganna @between-the-silent-pages @creatingmyownsunshine @hopeanderi  and @recoverycactus and anyone else who wants to do this x

[sticker-pop]

1999 Hello Kitty 25th Anniversary postcard

[deltajay]

Hello love, care for some questions? Fog or mirages? Hot coffee or iced coffee? Hot tea or iced tea? Spring or autumn? The Mad King or the Vagabond? Soft textures or rough textures? If you were an element bender, what element would you bend? Where do you buy most of your clothes? What is the first sentence of the book or fic you're reading right now? What's your favorite movie soundtrack, original or otherwise? What made you happiest this week? What are you looking forward to next week?

:O

why thank u love! under the cut for formatting reason

Fog or mirages? 

Spooky fog!

Hot coffee or iced coffee? 

I don’t drink hot coffee no more; iced coffee!

Hot tea or iced tea? 

(both) Hot tea is my fav

Spring or autumn? 

Autumn!

The Mad King or the Vagabond? 

Mmmmm I really love the GTA stuff so Vagabond!

Soft textures or rough textures? 

Rough=more feels

If you were an element bender, what element would you bend? 

Earth there is no question, I am so sure it would be earth

Where do you buy most of your clothes? 

Lmao Old Navy probably? Though to be far I buy my leggings at Garage and I buy a lot of leggings

What is the first sentence of the book or fic you're reading right now? 

I’m choosing book because uh the fic option is porn so lets not

“It’s 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning and I’m bouncing on a trampoline surrounded by a film crew, shouting jokes into a camera.” - If At Birth You Don’t Succeed (Zach Anner)

What's your favorite movie soundtrack, original or otherwise? 

Soft spot in my heart for The Grand Budapest Hotel! For sure a unique sound

What made you happiest this week? 

Besides you and your lovely questions? Man not sure, I’ve had a hectic week and next week is worse, so anytime I got to relax was pretty great!

What are you looking forward to next week

My exam should be done by then, so hopefully I would get to find some people to send postcards to? Having a family birthday party too so that should be fun! I’m going to possibly house sit for a family friend (they have two dogs and two kitties; if I do I’ll snap it)