The 4 Ws

Eiko says...

Introducing The 4 Ws

*What am I?
*Who am I?
*Where am I?
*Why am I?

If you've past your 40s, and you've caught yourself asking the 4 Ws, than you, my dear, dear friend, are entering your second adolescence, commonly known as MID LIFE CRISIS!! (or menopause, if you're female)

Much like adolescence, you will experience a change in your physical body make up.
Also, you'll be asking yourself the 4 Ws on a daily basis. Maybe even on an hourly basis if you've got it bad.
You will also find that silly things like tissue paper lying in the hall way, noises anything above a whisper, teenagers, rodents, laundry soap, kimuchi, work, luke-warm coffee, and many more things greatly annoying.
But don't worry! This is NORMAL!
It happnes to everybody, sooner or later.

But you know what I think?
I think that it's an excellent time to bond with your teenage daughter/son. Because if you think about it, you're both going through the same kind of poo-poo!

Teenage daughter:
Oh my gawd, ohmygawd, OH.MY.GAWD!! My pants that I just bought last week don't fit me anymore! What are these anyway, hips?
Menopause Mom:
Is that another wrinkle on my neck?! A wrinkle? And oh my goodness! That's the 3rd white hair I've had to pluck out this week! I think I'll have to sit down...

Teenage Son:
Leave me alone and let me concentrate on my computer game, okay? Wha?! What am I going to do with my life?! Dude, I don't even know who's staring back at me when I look into the mirror, okay?
Mid-Life-Crisis Dad:
I don't know what to do! I just don't know anymore, and I'm already in my 50s! GASP! I've got a beer belly! Where the heck did that come from?

Wow.



So, let's say buh-bye to the generation gap! Bond over weight gain, bond over the 4 Ws, bond over not knowing where life is taking you, bond over stupid questions! No need to get all judgemental and hipocritical about issues that you both can relate to.

When you say nothing at all...

Eiko says...

You know that brilliant song that Ronan Keating sings by the title of "When You Say Nothing At All"? It's a BEAUTIFUL song, and if you haven't heard it, then you should go ahead and listen to it. And if not for the song, than you should check it out even just to check out Ronan. He's a cute one.

Well, I was listening to this song and admiring it, when my very pessimistic mind began thinking very pessimistic thoughts.

Like, woah!

Note the lyrics marked in red.

It's amazing
How you can speak
Right to my heart
Without saying a word,
You can light up the dark
Try as I may
I could never explain
What I hear when
You don't say a thing

[CHORUS:]
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all

Then there's another verse, and then the chorus again. And then (as if to make a point,)

You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all


over and over and over and over AND over again.

A subtle message to please be quiet?
Perhaps he's the quiet type and is easily annoyed by girls who don't know when to stop their often meaningless and unnecessary prater. But he's also too much of a gentleman to tell his girl straight out that he prefers quiet, and her mouth closed more often than not. So he decides to cushion the blow with pretty, well-strung-together words. What the heck! Let's just make it into a song, shall we?
Ta-da!!
There you have it.
"When You Say Nothing At All"

Sigh.

I really do worry myself sometimes. Really, really.

いいや、これで

Eiko says...

I like it here. I thought I'd go insane with so little in the sense of shops and malls around, but I amaze myself with how well I fair without certain things that I was certain I needed to keep me happy.

I was planning on typing up something extremely profound and wise in relation to the few sentences above, but I'm not in the mood for it, and that's really not who I am, and I sound silly when I do, so let's junk that.

Tomorrow is the beginning of half a week of potential fun and lot's of it! The whole home, ( all 8 of us) will be going on a Tokyo trip tomorrow, and we'll be stopping by Lodge Home, ( former T.O.M Home) and then we'll be visiting our dear family at UNO. It's a trip we have all been waiting for since the day we all moved here, and it's finally happening tomorrow! Actually, it's a trip we've all been looking forward to before we even parted from our dear Yasu and Dawnie and keepee!

Can't wait to see you guys!

S.T.E.M in black and white

Eiko says...

I was browsing Ryan's blog for pictures to draw, and out of all the sexy pictures of women in colorful poses, THIS picture of Steve jumped out at me. I could almost swear I heard it yelling, "draw me, draw me!"

So I did.

It was an easy piece to draw though. Steve has a very distinct face, and his strong features make getting the proportions right as easy as pie. But I felt like pulling all my hair out when it came time to shade up his shirt and the guitar. I'm sure you can tell where I slacked off in.

It took me 2 days to finish it, which is quite decent for me.

I personally think I got it down fairly well, aside from the guitar. Junk that. I have NO vision for drawing instruments whatsoever after exhausting myself while drawing a sax for an acquaintance. In fact, I swore to myself that I would never agree to draw an instrument under any circumstances. I guess that explains the less than perfect job I did of the guitar. Meh.

Anyway, the picture isn't scanned, so it's a bit low quality, but if you click on the picture, you'll get the full-size version.

Hope you like it.

自分が描いた絵を眺めてたんだけど、（っていうか、観察っていうか。。。）とにかく、ステムくんってかなり幸せそうな顔をして歌うよな～って思ってたの。
なんか、自分が歌っててイケメンより、歌ってて幸せって感じが伝わってくるの。マッ、わたしステムくんじゃないから実際何を考えて歌っているのか分かんないけど、それが魅力でこの絵を描くことに引かれたのかも。
whatever

wear the pants. . . much?

Eiko says...

Girls can be very conniving little things. Sure, some more than others and some less, but even the ones that seem simple and innocent connive...sometimes without even knowing it themselves!

"Baby, I think you should quit coffee"
"Hun, you really should stop alcohol, ... completely"
"I don't like the aggressive sports that you do. So, stop."
"Don't eat so much meat. I mean, ew!"

etc

sounds like innocent suggestions?

nah!

You know, when girls say stuff like that, without giving you a definite and logical reason as to why you should grant their request, then you can go ahead and ignore them. Yeah, they can be quite persuasive, especially when they give you the puppy-eye-look, and they put on the cute, pleading tone that you can't resist, and they just look so helpless and in need of you to wrap your strong arms around them and say,

"Sure, babe, anything to make you happy"

The thing is, girls want to see how much control they have over you. They want to test how far they can push you, how much you really "love" them, and when they see that you would throw away your favorite this-and-that to see you smile, they get kicks out of it. I mean, once you bend and say,

"Sure, babe, anything to make you happy"

and you proceed to grant their request, their scheming-Delilah-minds will go,

"Cooool! He quit coffee to make me happy, and coffee time is one of his favorite times of the day! How far will my man go to make me happy?"

And the camel's-nose-syndrome begins

"Hunny, I don't think you should wear your pants that way."
"Why do you brush your teeth with your mouth open? It doesn't make me happy when you do that. "
"If you run around the home naked screaming that you love me, I would really be happy"
"Why don't you go ahead and bend over and rub your bum while you brush your teeth. It makes me quite happy, it does!"
"I want a diamond ring. I would really LOVE to have a diamond ring!!"

Uh, oh!!

Not so cool.

Well, some guys are into that. They kinda like their girl wearing the pants, and they like being told exactly what to do and how. There are a lot of girls who are almost growing beards because of their masculine attitudes when it comes to relationships!! My goodness!

Anyhow, if YOU want to be the one who wears the pants in the relationship, then proceed with caution, and don't let her walk all over you. Yeah, sure, there are the times when you should be the one to bend, and let them have some fun.
There are also times when girls sincerely care, and you should take heed to their words. For example, let's say you're a chain smoker, and it's obvious that it's doing your health no good whatsoever, and the bad affects of the addiction is bleeding into your work and love life, and your girl tells you to stop, than by all means, stop!! She has a logical explanation as to why you shouldn't smoke, and most of all, she's thinking about YOU!

But you have to think a bit before you tell her,
"anything, darling".
Like, WHY do you want me to quit coffee? WHY do you think I should stop aggressive sports? WHY do you want me to junk the hat that my grandma gave me? WHY do you want me to quit hanging out with my buddies?

If they can give you sound, and logical explanations and reasons, than you should definitely consider their request. It takes two to make a relationship work, and showing love is a necessity for sure. BUT if they don't, than don't bother. Be the man!
You need to kick back and have some fun, and she needs to know that. Girls can't even cope with their own hormones and emotions anyway, so the understanding ones will understand that you will need a break from all the drama, and if they truly love you, they'll give you space and let you be yourself.

I finished it!!

Eiko says...

Remember the drawing of Jim Caviezel and what's-her-face I started but didn't finish because I had lost inspiration in finishing it? I had posted the unfinished version of the drawing in an older post, and I honestly didn't think I'd ever get around to finishing it since just looking at the picture gave me a mega head ache. Not that it was a hopeless picture that was out of proportion or anything. It was a fine picture with lot's of potential in becoming something beautiful. But alas, the inspiration had left me, and I thought it would never come back.

But surprise, surprise, come back it did!!!

And thanks to that, I was able to finish it up in a matter of a few hours, as opposed to weeks, or even months, had I tried to draw it when I was void of inspiration.

To refresh your memory, here are the first two pictures of the unfinished drawing.

STAGE 1:

STAGE 2:

FINISHED!!

I deserve like, 10 brownie points for this one!!
But what do you think, does it need a background? It might just be me, but something tells me that it needs a background...

Happy Birthday Family!!

Eiko says...

Through the good times and the bad times, through thick and thin, here the Family still stands and fights on. It's quite the impressive sight. Woo hoo!

We celebrated over plenty of pasta and wine! Yum!

Boris and I split the bottle of wine. It's not much, but it was better than nothing, and besides, I like wine!!

I drew J.E.W (dedicated to Boris)

Eiko says...

Introducing my new art style to you all!!
It's a picture of the band, "Jimmy Eat World", one of Boris' favorites.

I like it.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE ALL THE DETAILS!!

You know, Mom and Dad...

Eiko says...

Mom and Dad love my blog, and they regularly check for new posts, or they get me to read it to them. They think I'm hilarious. I think they are also partially afraid of finding something weird that I've written about them.
It's an excellent way of getting them to well...cooperate?

For example, when we have a disagreement, and when I'm pretty sure I'm right, or at least when I have no intentions of bending to them, I will say something along the lines of, "Okaaaaay, Mom, and Dad, you know what you'll find on the blog tomorrow. Ladydadyda!" Not that I know exactly what I'd write about them, but when anything is said with enough confidence, people believe you, and I suppose they figure I know something that shouldn't go public.

STORY TIME

It reminds me of the time when Mom and Dad, and us teens went on a camping trip together. There were 2 tents, and one vehicle, so Mom and Dad took the vehicle, and us teens shared the tents.The next morning, we all decided to accuse Mom and Dad of making a lot of "noise", and we told them we heard "everything" while we snickered and giggled and made faces.
They both started blushing, and Mom started saying stuff like, "Really? You heard us? Oh no!!" That's when we all started laughing! They just confirmed the unknown.
You see? The word is confidence.
Lot's of it.
It will work each time.

The thing is, I've got such interesting parents, and they are often the inspiration of many posts, good and bad, funny and sad, etc.etc. I may not mention their names, but often things they do or say triggers something in my brain and then I end up formulating those things into words, and they end up here.
Gotta give credit where credit is due.
Mom, Dad, tx!!

Happy Valentines!!

Eiko says...

Okay, all you chocolate fans out there, it's your

FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!!

You step into any store, and they will have a chocolate display of some kind, and sometimes, there will even be samples.

3 cheers for Valentines Day!

Some Valentine-related stuff that I really wanna do, (but most likely won't) is watching "Charley and the Chocolate Factory" over a Rummy chocolate bar with spicy red wine. Then after that, I will watch "New York I Love You" over a Snicker Bar with cold carton milk. Then if I'm not sick of chocolate and movies by then, I will get comfortable and watch "The Ugly Truth" with chocolate chip cookies and carton milk with ice.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because all that chocolate is absolutely mouth watering, and Johnny Depp is simply genius!

New York I Love You because it shows the many sides of love, and love is what Valentines Day is all about.

The Ugly Truth because,...well, because it keeps things in perspective. Yup.

So, those are the things I'd do on Valentines day. But please don't disappoint me or the people you love and/or live with, and do nice things for the benefit of others. Like, buy chocolate for someone you care about. Or make breakfast in bed for someone you want to show appreciation to. Or, if you've been a pain to live with of late, but your damn pride was in the way of you apologizing, then Valentine's Day is the perfect time to make up and to start being nice again.

Or, or, OR!!

It's also the perfect time to confess your undying love to that person that you've been dreaming about for so long. Yeah, all that mushy-gushy, romantic stuff.
And you know what I'm talking about.

Although I really wouldn't suggest doing that.

Well, I just did, ...but I shouldn't have.

Mainly because, let's say, you DO confess your undying love to that someone you're crazy over, but it so happens that they aren't quite crazy about you, and they don't want your chocolate, or the rose you bought, or worst of all, they don't want you or your love.

This would completely ruin Valentines Day FOREVER for you.

There won't be another Feb 14th that wouldn't remind you of that fateful day, and all the chocolate in the world wouldn't be able to take away the pain or the memory. In fact, just seeing chocolate in a store, or seeing someone eat chocolate, or smelling chocolate will make you feel what you felt that day. Chocolate would only mean the bearing of bad and sad tidings to you, and that would be horrible!! O.M.G. I'm scaring myself here.
Okay, please don't do it.

Unless you're the kind of person who attracts luck like a magnet. If you're confident in your luck magnet enough to risk ruining one of the best days of the year, well, then go ahead and try your luck. But don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Back to the happy stuff!!

Chocolate!

Chocolate is said to better than sex!!

I have to disagree, but, whatever! Let's let love and chocolate run over in generous amounts this Valentines Day!

CHOCOLATE!

LOVE!!

YAY!!!

Old pictures of me and Boris

Eiko says...


Some ooooold pictures of me and Boris. But weren't we just the cutest monkeys you've ever seen?

art blog is updated

Eiko says...

ATTENTION!

Akari just finished drawing the likeness of Orlando Bloom, and I just finished Avril Lavigne!!

Click HERE and check it out!!!

To appreciate the beauty of our art, click on the picture to see all the nitty gritty details! *wink*

right hand man

Eiko says....

Dad: Are you sure you guys worked out today?

Me: Yup.

Dad: Really? I wanted to join you guys. Are you sure you guys worked out?

Me: Sorry, Dad. You were napping.

Boris: Dad, do you know what the best kind of exercise is?

Me: Um, Se*ercise?

Boris: The kind of exercise you can do with your right hand. *grins*

Dad: bonks Boris on the head

I call this "Borisism". Add it to your vocabulary.

daddy-daughter advice :)

Eiko says...

A little advice to all the dads and daddies and papas out there, who are concerned about their relationship with their teen age daughters:

*Wear your cap on backwards
*Roll one side of your pants up to your shin
*When any kinda music with good rhythm is playing, keep rhythm by bobbing your head, and if you feel you can take a bit more, put some shoulders and knees into it.
*Greet your teen age daughter with a, "yo", or a "yo, wuz up?", or a "hey", instead of your everyday, "godblessyousweetheart".
*Try to remember a few hot male celebrities, and impress your daughter by casually including it in your conversations. Names such as Johnny Depp, Adam Brody, Gerard Butler, Jim Caviezel, and Robert Pattinson should be added to your spirit helper/demons memory work flash cards.

etc etc etc

I'm sure your creative minds can come up with more ideas and strategies to keep your adolescent daughter interested in giving you time to talk.
Good luck.

Announcement

Yuya just finished drawing 2 epic pictures! Remember to check our Art Blog out every now and then for updates and new goodies.

Da 2nd coming of Shawn T

Eiko says...

I was focusing all my energies on keeping up with Shawn T's cardio work out, when all of a sudden, the teens, who were working out with me broke out in giggles which quickly escalated to laughing. I turned around to see what they were laughing at, ready to show 'em who's boss if they so happened to be laughing at me.

As I turned around, what I was face to face with was all the teens, rolling on the floor, laughing away, and the only person dancing, and hip thrusting away was my Dad.

I joined the teens on the floor, jerking and twitching with uncontrollable laughter.

Dad, slightly flushed, but still getting his work out, was quite the sight indeed! None of his moves came even close to resembling a Shawn T work out! I strongly believe that my Dad should make his own workout video, with the work out being Dad doing his special dance moves with nigga music ploaying in the background, and you working out your entire core because you're laughing so hard! I mean, I honestly don't think you'll be able to keep a straight face with my Dad dancing, bouncing, shimming, and hip-thrusting in front of you.

Anyways,

I'm tired of the work out videos on my computer, and soon my body will get used to the routine, so I'm on the look out for something new and challenging. Of course I could just exercise without a video, but I'm lazy by nature, and having a work out video is easier for me then to plan up a routine.

When I don't feel like exercising, and I give into my emotions and just stop, I become a very miserable, slightly-more-moody individual, and that's no good. I always feel alive after good exercise. I seem to be able to make more sense when I talk, I'm happier, and more friendly, and more energetic, so I think it's definitely worth it to fight through my spasms of lethargy, and work myself up for a sweat.

And when my work out videos stop doing the trick, I'll just watch my Dad do a Shawn T work out. I'll have Jesus-abs in no time!

feeling quite satisfied and smug after a super-sweaty work out

omg. . .

Eiko says...

SAM!!

Happi Baasudei!
You are all of our favorite oldest brother, and we are all in respect and awe!!
Have a good 30th year!

This conversation happened today, on your Birthday, while walking through fresh snow with Boris.


Me: Boris, fall down on your back and make a snow angel!
Boris: No effing ways! I'm going to get wet!
Me: Don't be silly. It's powder snow! You know you won't get wet!
Boris : Fine!! How about my butt will freeze? And even if Johnny Depp carved his initials on my butt, I wouldn't feel a thing!!
Me: You want to feel something?!
Boris: Duh!! It's Johnny freakin' Depp!

whatafa?

After the dinner dishes...

Eiko says...

Living in Nasu, surrounded by nature, and having cows as neighbors is fun, and is a damn good breather from the smog, noise, clutter and filth of the city. But there are times when I find myself at loss of what to do in the evenings after the dinner dishes are washed and put away. It's just so quiet and dark at night here compared to how things were back in T.O.M Home. Anyway, I found my self some stuff to do before sleep time, and here's a peak into that:

*I blog.
I mentioned in a previous post that blogging is a hobby, and that hasn't changed. Since so many emotions are triggered when life takes a topsy-turvy turn, and consequently, those emotions are expressed right here, on this blog, I would say that my blog posts are probably more interesting during times of distress as opposed to times of peace and well-being. So when my posts become boring or cliche, or just bleh, then you can know that life is treating me well, and you can be happy for me.

*I draw
Well, sorta. Actually, you know what? I've come to the realization that I'm not half as bad as I thought I was at art. I was showing my art to a friend the other day, and his jaw literally dropped to the floor, and he let it hang there for a few minutes as he worshiped my drawings! I looked my drawings over to see what all the fuss was about, and I was surprised to see that I wasn't half as bad as I always made myself believe I was. I haven't attained by any means, but I can draw, and if I practice, it may do me some good in the future.

*I shower
Like, duh! Like who doesn't, right? Haha! Yeah, well, especially since I cook every day, and almost always work out, sleeping without a shower is serious business. If I feel like treating myself, I'll go for a steaming, bubble bath with some music and just soak, and soak, and soak...

*I read
Um. Not really. But Boris does, and occasionally, she'll climb out of her little cubby hole and read to me while I draw. The latest book would be "Princess Bride". The author must have had one brilliant mind to have been able to write so much meaninglessness in such a hilarious way. I also finish a few articles from the XD reading course before I go to bed. I realized that my concentration for the Word is at it's height past midnight. Weird. I know.

*I work out
Rarely though. I mean, I work out or exercise everyday, but if you find me exercising after dinner, that could only mean bad news. I'm either stressed, or moody, or depressed. Or I had one too many cups of coffee.

*I wuuub my mobile
Yes, indeed! It's my latest addiction.

*I watch films
Not so often though, contrary to popular opinion. If the movie isn't exceptionally good in some way that appeals to me, I'll leave it within the first 10-15 min. But still, good films can be quite entertaining. Sherlock Holmes was classic! If you haven't seen it yet, WATCH IT NOW!!


A MAJOR ICTHUS HOME ISSUE:

The walls are made of paper, and even then, there are hardly any walls to speak of to keep us out of ear shot of each other!! It's a MAJOR problem. If someone is doing their business in the bathroom, it's a public thing. If someone is watching a movie, or listening to music without head phones, it is also a public thing. If someone is making a call, the entire Home is all ears. If someone feels the urgent need to relieve some stress by using their vocal chords, everyone will be subjected to the noise. Let me just add "late-night-bed-activities", debates, arguments, lectures, corrections, exercising, being an 18 year old, being a 50-some-year-old, farts, burps, yawns, snoring, munching, sniffing, crying, whistling (and much much more) to the list! Hey, Dad, whadya say we build that log-cabbin in our back yard sooner then later, yeah?

Happy 54th Birthday, DAD!!!

Eiko says...

My Dad turned 54 today. Boris and I made sushi for a special dinner party, and as a collective present from all of us, we gave Daddy the gift of a "listening ear". This gift meant 1 full hour after dinner dedicated to listening to Dad talk without any interruptions or hurrying from us. Those of you who know my Dad well should know that this would make my Dad the happiest EVER!

To Dad:

You should know that you are a wonderful father, and that I love you. Wishing you the best and that your crazy dreams will come true!

Muah!

hermmm

Eiko says...

Okay, it's not my best, but it's definitely better than I expected.
It's not finished, so don't be too harsh with your criticism. It will look a ton better after I add the shading to her hair, and also when it's scanned, instead of it's picture taken by my crappy-ass mobile phone camera! Most of the cool details and shading can't be seen because of the picture's low resolution. But whatev! I'll re-post it on our art blog if I ever get around to finishing it.


Announcement

My dad is having his 54th Birthday tomorrow!

backsliding

Eiko says...

I'm losing it.

I sat down at my desk last night, determined to draw up a masterpiece, but I soon came face to face with the biting truth: that I am a hopeless LOZER at art now! Getting the proportions right took an eternity, and my shading simply sucked! After an hour of my pathetic attempts at art (if you could even call what I drew art), I put paper and pencil down, and gave up.

I'm falling from grace.

It's a scary thing to see your younger siblings running ahead of you in talents that you all share. Each new piece that they draw--although absolutely breath taking--sends shivers of fear down my spine as reality bonks me over the head: if I don't keep moving forward, I'll lose what I've got. And that's exactly what's happening right now!

All I need to do to fix the problem is to get practicing more often. So, being that tomorrow is the long-awaited-free-day, I will dedicate a chunk of time to doing just that. If anything beautiful comes from it, I will let you all know by posting it here. If I DON'T post anything, ... well then, you can go ahead and assume the worst, and write me off as a has-been (or that I simply had a lazy stroke, or got hit over by a speeding car, or got eaten by monster cows... etc.)