MOVED

After trying unsuccessfully to forward this URL to my new location, I've decided to just leave a link here until I am able to figure it out.

From now on, I am located here. (www,onjeljames.com)

See you around :)

Geolica HoliCat Barbie Cat Lens

Fu Re Te Fu Re Ru -TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

Sotto boku ni shimatta  seimei  kanashiku sakende
Are you ready? nante sa kokoro no okusoku de
Where am I am here furete furete kuruu

Ibitsu na himitsu wo matotta  jibun wo korosezu
Jiyuu na kieteshimatta  mirai ga sakenda

Furete kurureru mae ni kimi ga hoshikunatte furete kurueru mai ni

Boku wo tsutaenakucha  kimi no subete wo kowashiteshimai sou de ugokezu
Boku wo mitsumenaide  higeku no FIRUMU ni hikari ga sashite shimau
Sekai ga hajiketara  boku wa boku ni natte
Kurayami no chiribamerareta  kimi wo mitsukeru yo

Ato dore kurai iki wo tomereba HI-RO
Sono saki ni nani ga aru no?
Kidzudarake no mirai ga sakenda

Furete kurureru mae ni  ZERO ga hoshikunatte  furete kurureru mae ni

Umare kawarre  boku no subete ga makimodosareru nara
Kimi ga atte  hajimete fureru you na
Mioboe no aru you na  sonna keshiki wo yume miru
Sekai ga hajiketara boku wa boku ni natte
Kurayami ni chiribamerareta  kimi wo mitsukeru yo

Sekai ni SAYONARA wo tsugete tobiorite
Kurayami ni chiribamerareta  kimi wo mitsukeru yo

*Thanks TK from Ling Tosite Sigure for the lyrics which I've provided romaji for as it helps me to learn new kanji

Japanese Lessons at the Japan Society

So, as my Japanese language classes come to a close at the Japan Society (333 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017), I wanted to take a moment to share why I decided to take classes and review my experience.

Even though I studied Japanese in college, after I left I didn't have the confidence to go into a field that would require me to predominately use Japanese.  As a result, I reached a point where I was no longer using Japanese and started to pretty much forget what I had learned. This year, I decided to take it up again for the following reasons:

• Be in a structured learning environment with a set schedule
• Gives me something constructive to do that uses my brain at least twice a week
• Be able to socialize with people that have similar interests
• Make sure my couch knows that it's not my only relationship in life

I studied Kanji II, which is a course that builds off the 300 kanji taught in Kanji I. I also took the Japanese Level 9 class as well, which was kind of like a review of all the previous Japanese Levels as it went over most of the grammar previously taught. This level ended up being a great refresher course for me.

All in all, I really enjoyed my classes at the Japan Society. Both of my teachers were really nice an knowledgable. The classes were well structured and I found the Kanji II particularly challenging because not only did we have to be able to recognize the kanji, but being able to recall it from memory to write it in sentences was a big part of this class as well. 

I think this was something I definitely needed to help get me started again and I'm really glad I made the jump to do it.

Unravel - TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

Welp, dumping translations here until I get better. Any comments/corrections/advice is always welcome. 

I can't wait for him to release his album later this month. Think I will work on that as well.

ROMAJI:

Oshiete yo oshiete yo sono shikumi wo boku no naka ni dare ga iru no?

Kowareta kowareta yo sono sekai de kimi ga warau nani mo miezu ni

Tell me, tell me how does this work,

Who is this person inside of me?

In this broken, broken world you're laughing, unable to see a thing

Kowareta boku nante sa iki wo tomete

Hodokenai mou hodokenai yo shinjitsu sae freeze

Kowaseru kowasenai kurueru kuruenai

Anata wo mitsukete yureta

I'm already broken so I stop my breath

The truth is the only thing that doesn't fall apart (freeze)

I'm breakable, I'm unbreakable

I'm losing it, I can't lose it

I found you, I'm shaken

Iganda sekai ni dandan boku wa sukitotte mienakunatte

Mitsukenaide boku no koto wo mitsukenaide 

Dareka ga egaita sekai no naka de anata wo kidzuketaku wa nai yo

Oboeteite boku no koto wo? Azayaka no mama

In this warped world, I’m steadily becoming transparent and invisible

Don’t look for me, don’t look for me

I don’t want you to get hurt in a world that somebody else painted

Will you remember me? Vivid as always

Mugen ni hirogaru   kodoku ga karamaru

Mujaki ni waratta   kioku ga sasatte

Ugokenai ugokenai ugokenai ugokenai ugokenai ugokenai

Unravelling the world

Spread into infinity, entertained with solitude

Innocently laughing, this memory sticks

I can’t move, I can’t move, I can’t move, I can’t move, I can’t move, I can’t move

Unravelling the world

Kawatteshimatta  kaerarenakatta

Futatsu ga karamaru  futari ga horobiru

Kowaseru kowasenai  kurueru kuruenai

Anata wo kegasenai yo  yureta

Everything changed, I couldn’t change

The two become entwined and we’re destroyed

I'm breakable, I'm unbreakable

I'm losing it, I can't lose it

I can't disgrace you, I'm shaken

Iganda sekai ni dandan boku wa sukitotte mienakunatte

Mitsukenaide boku no koto wo mitsukenaide

Dareka ga shikunda kodoku na wana ni  Mirai ga hodokete shimau mai ni

Omoidashite boku no koto wo azayaka na mama

In this warped world, I’m steadily becoming transparent and invisible

Don’t look for me, don’t look for me

Before the future unravels in a planned, solitary trap

remember me as vividly as I am

Wasurenaide wasurenaide wasurenaide wasurenaide

Don’t forget, don’t forget, don’t forget, don’t forget

Kawatteshimatta koto ni paralyze

Kaerarenai koto darake no paradise

Oboeteite boku no koto wo

Paralyzed in things that have changed

A paradise full of things that can’t change

Remember me

oshiete oshiete boku no naka ni dare ga iru no?

Tell me, tell me who is this person inside of me?

Translation is my work, but you can thank TK from Ling Tosite Sigure for writing the lyrics :)

Sounding Like an Intelligent Adult...In Japanese

I'm hoping that it's no secret that I'm in involved in a lifelong love/hate relationship with Japanese. To refresh, I loved Japanese so I studied really hard to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 in 2010. I took it, but I didn't pass. So for some odd reason, my brain said "give up.....but not too much".

Since then, it's been this mildly frustrating puzzle that I just can't put down but feel great when I finally piece something together. In an attempt to make Japanese an even larger part of my life again, this summer I registered for Japanese classes at the Japan Society. Unfortunately, classes do end the week of August 4th for me and as much as I hate having to go to class, I will miss the structure that it provided me as I got started again.

One of the things that I realized I needed to work on this year is the forming of more complex thoughts and sentences in Japanese in real time. I've always been a strong reader and writer since it gives me more time to sort though my thoughts, however once it comes to having to verbally express myself, I feel as though my sentences get shorter and more general than I intend them to be. I don't have issues understanding Japanese, but I just wish it were easier for me to think quickly in it!

I'm thinking that this year I will try and take the the JLPT N3. I'm slightly bummed that I will be taking a level lower than what I originally took before, however that is my fault for not continuing to study after my first set back.

I'm also going to be working on getting back into translating for fun as a way of helping me get back to where I was.

I'm always open to fun language learning ideas if anyone has them!

Update

Some time at the end of May I decided I wanted to move to Wordpress.org, however, as you can clearly see, that has not happened yet.

It is still on my list of things to do, however I came to the realization that there is no reason why I shouldn't continue to use this space right up until that time instead of hoarding my posts. I can always create ideas later for my new space.

In the meantime, I will be doing scheduled posting, because remembering to post is not my friend. So, do it in advance and just let blogger take care of the rest!

Let's see how this works out.

Signed Up: 1st Spartan Race!

2014 is definitely off to a fast start. I feel like this year is flying by already. Somehow I've managed to turn 25 and have been slowly getting my life back in proper order.

To help push me along, I decided to sign up for a Super Spartan obstacle race. I'm definitely not Spartan tough right now, but I wholeheartedly intend to be by the time race day comes around in September. I've been in the gym since I signed up trying to make every day until then count. I might not be the most fit...but deep down I do have a small competitive streak.

At least it will force me to work towards my overall fitness goal... :)

My First Pictorial!

This is my first time doing a pictorial. It's pretty hard for me, because I'm the type to really just make things up on the fly. Whenever I do my eye makeup, if it's not just winged liner, I'm just going along and seeing what happens. This look isn't hard to do at all. So I'll walk you through the pictures and what I used.

First, I primed my eye. For this I used NYX Milk Jumbo Pencil. Next, I mixed some Sugarpill Bulletproof and Poison Plum right above my crease. The I drew a line of Bulletproof and started blending that with Velocity. By the time I added Mochi on my lid and Buttercupcake on the inner corner of my eye, I blended more Bulletproof in my outer V with more Velocity.

 Once everything is more or less placed how you want it, it's really just blending and tweaking until it looks how you want. My highlight is Urban Decay ABC Gum. Then I used MAC Blacktrack to line, along with Makeup Forever Kohl in my waterline. I didn't really glue the lashes on..I was only playing around.

That's more or less what goes on in a colorful look for me these days. I look back to when I first started, and I have greatly improved...even though I'm still not anywhere near where I would like to be when it comes to color. But it's always fun to play!

Until Next Time....

My Progression of Natural Makeup

Ok. So this is how my makeup/hair progression goes on a pretty light day from start (bonnet included) to finish. Let's Begin!!

Yatta!

How excited am I???

My title "yatta" means "I did it!"

Just what?

Well, not long after my last post (a few days really), I felt like things around me all started crashing down at once. So not to be outdone by life, I contributed by boldly quitting my job without a backup in mind/set up. No means to pay my bills or rent...nada. And you know what? I think that was the happiest two weeks of my life. You see, i was pretty much stuck in a job I had no desire to move up in....in fact I've turned down higher positions twice without any regret. In my heart it wasn't where I wanted to be and staying continuously made me feel like I was in a rut. So...one day I quit.

So of course I searched and searched for a new job...after one week of being home I decided that I needed to be a productive member of society. Besides, I'm so childish sometimes. I don't like when everyone is busy but I'm not.

Luckily for me, not even 2 weeks into my unemployment, I stumbled across another job! A better one....one that not only offers me more but the kind of place I think I'll be happy to grow at. I'm so very excited.

What's meant to be, will be.

I took a leap of faith and it worked out!

I guess when it's time for a change and you feel that way, you should really just go for it! Though it doesn't hurt to have a plan before you do it lol. But I certainly feel like if I had to take the risk again, I would!

First Time Hair Mix

The other day I decided that I wanted to experiment with making my own whipped body and hair butter on a whim.

Felt like wearing blue one day, which is pretty rare as I'm not the biggest fan of blue shadows on myself most days...

Mostly Sugarpill velocity and mochi.

Weird Faces and Angles

Felt like it was a purple kind of day...which I like to pair off with golds (maybe I was feeling a little nostalgic as purple and gold are my alma mater's colors)

Fall Berries in Spring

The weather was pretty awkward in the city area for the month of April. For a few days it would be springish but then right following that, it would be winter all over again.

The day I did this look, I figured it would be cold again, because the day before it was winter jacket weather. I was wrong....the weather on this day had a very...Coral or hot pink lipstick feel, but as I was already out and about...my dark lip had to stay.

Actually, I prefer a really dark lip to a really bright one, but I want to try and get out of that...I think I also want to start making better use of my Flash Palette to create some funky colors.

Random Two

I took some PTO time last month and made it a point to wear bold colors and lashes every day of my time off away from the office setting to kind of attempt to inject some creativity back into my life.

 (In both my face is Nars tinted moisturizer in cuba, MUFE HD 153, Mac Blunt, Spiked eyebrow pencil, MUFE Black eye kohl, and MAC Blacktrack Liner.)

 

For the above, on my eyes is the whole Sugarpill Burning Heart palette plus Bulletproof and Tako. Sugarpill is hands down my favorite bright matte shadows. I've recently taken to mixing them to get different variations of colors...don't know why I didn't start sooner.

Sorry I didn't take a better, non fish face picture...

For this one I used Dollypop, 2AM, and Mochi with MAC Asian Flower on my lips.


Peep my thermal top in the top picture. I have a habit of doing my makeup in things that are completely different from what I plan on wearing. I tend to wear a lot of black, so I hardly have to worry about clashing...but sometimes I do find myself changing a whole outfit because it doesn't match my look. Way easier than changing my face I believe.

Kind of 80s?

I figure even if I'm not feeling my most cheerful, it is okay to still try and look the part.

Maybe that's why for this look I gravitated towards nothing but all bright colors all over. Colors add cheer for sure.

Current Status: Phoenix

 Where do I even begin?!

Well, as my profile states...I'm in my "roaring 20s" and sure enough, this year (and the majority of last) has been an absolute whirlwind of experiences, emotions, changes, etc ALREADY.

Yes, the quarter life crisis is REAL and in FULL effect (much to my dismay).

But...I'm deciding that it doesn't have to not be fun...and that this is a good time to learn to "practice happiness"

So of course...I'm going to do it publicly...What other way to go though dynamic (or less than) change than to share trials and tribulations with my fellow wanderers.

Which means, I'm not only reviving my blog, but opening it up to more topics than just makeup. Having such a constricted topic left me grasping in the dark for posts when I wasn't in the mood to do my face or wasn't doing any makeup related event.

This blog will now be my ode to ALL things delightful and of course pretty in my life.

I'll try to mix it up. I do my makeup once in a while...I want to get into cooking/baking, sewing...Spring/Summer is back around, maybe I'll revive my photography. I'm trying to lead a more active lifestyle..so I'm on the road to SPARTA (Spartan Race..because a Sprint just wouldn't produce a long enough state of DEATH after lol)...the list is surprisingly long for a quiet person like me.

 I'm looking forward to sharing so....YOROSHIKU NE! (Please take care of me)


Ah~~~It seems it's back to the wilderness for me!

Party Face

Went out to celebrate a birthday today so of course I had to look good.

Face:
Mufe hd foundation 173
Mac prep and prime highlighter
Mac x-rocks and accentuate
Mac stud and spiked on brows

Eyes:
Assorted browns, urban decay abc gum, mac blacktrack fluidline, urban decay big fatty mascara

Lips:
Mufe Aqua lip liner in 12c
Aj Crimson kissable couture lipgloss in Tyler

The bottom picture is just to show my hair. I tried to do a bantu knot out and pull it into a faux hawk but I dont think I gave them enough time to really set...I still pulled the chunky bits up and left the bang as it was though. This is my second failure with bantu knots from wet hair, so unless I have more than a day to let them dry, I think I will have to try them starting from dry hair.

Ive realized that while natural hair is versile and rewarding...its a bit more complex when I wouldnt like it to be.

Decoden Bug Strikes Again!

This time I decided to do something way more feminine in terms of style and color and I love how it turned out!

I'm thinking I need to use more large pieces on my work though, so I will keep that in mind for next try. I kind of like the cluttered look. Also, these pearls took forever for me to stick on so it would actually help eliminate how much detail work/time each case takes.

So what am I doing with all these cases? No clue...I do it for fun. I find it relaxing and it makes me happy. I actually have only kept the first case I made on my phone. I never take it off and I love it, though I might trade it out for this one.

I'm actually going to try my hand at making one for a friend next....Let's see how that goes.