I Want to Say Something Profound ... But I'm not that Cool

I booked my flight to Japan. I leave Saturday at 11:05 out of LAX. I'll arrive in Tokyo at 3:o5 pm Sunday and go to Mito for my training. Two days later, I'll be in Mibu.

I'm really going to Japan. Alone. For a year.

I should be better prepared, I've never done anything like this before, I'm going to miss my friends and family a ton ... but I'm really doing it. And that's kind of cool.

Nervous, terrified excitement is how I would describe this feeling. Whoa, also works.

Adios California or should I say Jaa Ne!

'Nuff Said,
Crysania

An Offer I Can't Refuse?

I thought I would need to wait a few more weeks before getting an offer from the company I contracted with for a job at school. I was offered a job in Mibu, Japan which starts April 8. I would need to be in Mito, Japan for training on the 4th.

I must make my decision today. I've had the weekend to think about it.

I wish I were Superman. Superman always makes the right choice. It's what I love most about Superman. I wish I could have complete confidence in my decision-making. I tend to self-sabotage a bit.

I've prayed about it. I don't feel uneasy, more nervously excited. I think I'm talking myself out of it more than anything from fear of change. But I want to do this. I hope I have enough time to prepare.

Only God knows what will happen at this moment.

In other news, I am stoked to go to my first (and probably only) Dodger game Friday night with Kristin and Ben!! Cannot wait to see my boys in their second game of the season!

Andre is sexy.

'Nuff Said,
Crysania

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I was going to post a semi-serious blog until I found this picture.

I love Guinness ... and the only way that could be better is if it were Obi-Won Kenobi. I love Obi-Wan.

I'm part Irish and I love it. Ireland has such an awesome, crazy history and is so beautiful. I really want to go there someday.

That's all I really wanted to say. I've been starting to worry about going to Japan with all the danger increasing and have been drowning my sorrows playing Dragon Age 2 (which I am having some issues with, of course) but tonight I shall drown them in a Guinness or two ... or three.

I had trouble picking which Flogging Molly song to leave with so I'm posting two of them.



Oh and if you're interested in a quick but very nice blog about St. Patrick, I really like Donald Miller's St. Patrick post. Check it out.



Of all the Irish music I could've chosen I don't know why I chose Flogging Molly. I was just in the mood for it.

'Nuff Said,
Crysania

Limbo

It's hard to fathom the tragedy that struck Japan last Thursday night (Friday morning there). An 8.9 earthquake, tsunami, aftershocks and now nuclear reactor partial meltdowns have really taken their toll on the country. I can't imagine how scary that would be. It's sad and my prayers are with the people there.

After the initial shock of everything that happened people began asking what I was going to do. I'm not sure why but it hadn't occurred to me to not go. I just told people I would wait for a reply from the company that contracted me and see how it goes from there.

Yesterday I found out that my trip will be postponed but I'm not sure how long. It makes sense that it would be with the danger right now. But until then I just need to wait.

I finally began thinking about what else I would do ... and I have no idea. I don't want to be where I am anymore. I'm ready to move on but I'm not sure where else I would go or what else I would do at all. I kind of hinged everything on this and I'm stuck in limbo. It's nerve-racking. I'm scared of going but even more scared of not going, of never doing or becoming anything.

This has affected my sleeping pattern the last couple of nights. I'm having a lot of trouble getting to and then staying asleep ... but today I listened to to MUTEMATH's version of the song "40" by U2.

It's a nice reminder that God is the one who "set my feet upon a rock so that I may stand firm". I also love the lines they added to the second verse:
Your the reason for the song that overtakes my soul,
Your the reason for my cares I'm letting go 
And I will sing, sing a new song  




Just what I needed to hear.

'Nuff Said,
Crysania

p.s. If you're interested click here to read all of Psalm 40

The Calm Before the Storm

Things have been so relaxed lately it's eerie.

Now that I've been contracted and sent in my documents I'm waiting for my Visa processing. I don't know my exact leave date yet which is a little bothersome but I can't do anything about my transcripts taking their time to get to Japan.

Also my TEFL course is just about over. I did the Final Project a little too last minute but it didn't really affect my grade that much - a B+ rather than A- isn't bad.

Work has also been eerie. I've told everyone I'm leaving but continuing my day-to-day activities, just seems like a little less to do than normal.

I told my church I would be leaving and the majority of friends and family. So now it's just a short wait.

I think my journey is slowly becoming more real though. I'm realizing I won't be here for birthdays, trips and hangouts. It's the little things I've been thinking about most - I've never been on my own for more than a couple of weeks - it's weird, especially since I'll be so completely on my own now. Still, right now it's kind of surreal.

Since I'm going to miss Dodger Season my dad's taking me to a Spring Training game! I'm excited for that ... I just hope Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney are there. It'd be a bummer to drive down there and not get to see them. If I leave April 2nd I'll get to go to Opening Night on the 1st with Kristin and Ben. I hope that one works out.

I need to add too that I'm totally getting Dragon Age II.

I blogged here about Dragon Age: Origins and after playing the demo I'm ready for II. 

That's all for now really. I just thought this sort of calm in my life has been a little odd, and a little refreshing, after so much Chaos.

"Now We'll Both be Super Saiyans."

I haven't had a nerd post in a while and I am in a massive nerd-out mood so here we go.

You see, I was weirded out/excited to see Dragon Ball Z back on TV as Dragon Ball Z Kai on NickToons. I was weirded out because I thought FUNimation was edit crazy but that was nothing compared to the 2-episodes-into-1 editing Nickelodeon has done and excited because, well, it's DBZ.

I was 14 when I "discovered" anime. My uncle was involved in a "new" company called TokyoPop. He sent my grandma some Sailor Moon, Harlem Beat, Card Captor Sakura and miscellaneous one-shots. She saw the Sailor Moon and gave it to me. The bag sat in my room for about a month before I checked it out. I loved it. I asked for more and can proudly say I have all original 11 English Sailor Moon manga.

Around that time we got cable again and Cartoon Network had just launched Toonami. I watched Sailor Moon because I'd been reading it. After it Gundam Wing came on. I had no idea what was going on at first but about every 10 seconds something blew up and I dug it. I had zero interest in the show my brothers watched after Gundam, called Dragon Ball Z. Only geeks watched cartoons and I was pushing it with my athlete friends openly talking about 2.

The first episode of DBZ I watched was right after Vegeta is defeated and I was very much "WTF? Why is there a flying cat? This is stupid." I didn't watch again until they put it between Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing. I watched part of The Namek Saga and really started to like it. Then Trunks came in and I was sold.

                       

I'm not going to lie, this was only the second time I had ever wished a cartoon character could be a real person. He was a beast (I love Eric Vale's voice too)  ... and my second ever "cartoon crush".

Gambit from the '90s X-Men cartoon was my first cartoon crush. I was, like, 8.

Yep. Told you I was a nerd. If they were real, the world would be much cooler. I never took it too far (reading some things online from girls who really did love him got scary) but I could call it a crush.

In high school, my friends and family knew I loved Trunks. I got lots of Trunks stuff for Christmas my sophomore and junior years. But then DBZ was off the air and I refuse to accept Dragon  Ball GT (I don't normally get hardcore but ... sad day).

Anyways, I'm saying this because Trunks showed up in DBZ Kai and I watched it last night. They edited out most of his beast parts, sad day. But, this Christmas FYE had a huge sale. Knowing I had no Trunks on DVD (only VHS) my family got me The Trunks Saga and The History of Trunks movie. I felt like I was 14 again but loved it. After being disappointed by 2 of my favorite lines being cut I popped in my DVD and watched the first 4 episodes he is in.

I had forgotten how much joy DBZ brought me. I've never been a true Otaku status but I do enjoy it.

Lately, I've been too serious. It was nice to nerd-out for a bit.

Also the title of this blog is a line Trunks says. My brother, Ben, and I reminisced how it was in the teaser, and later all the previews, for DBZ on Toonami when we watched it last night.



Okay ... that's enough for now. But that's a pretty cool scene.

'Nuff Said,
Crysania