A panda a day.

(this is 'panda' in Japanese)

Just wanted to pop in and say happy monday! Here's your daily dose of pandas!

xo

-B

The facts were these...

This past week I've been watching episodes of Pushing Daisies, probably the best t.v. show ever made. So, of course, all that time spent watching people make/eat pies, made me crave some pie too. 

And that's why I made the pie pictured above. It was delicious.

I may or may not have shamelessly eaten my way through half of it. Maybe. Probably. 

I found the recipe here, but I also tweaked it a little by adding pecans and walnuts, mixing the apple slices with some syrup, weaving the top pie shell, and then brushing the top with a milk and cinnamon mixture. I also used 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1/4 cup brown sugar instead of the 1/2 cup white sugar the recipe calls for.

I think that's all...

Yep, that's it. 

-B

Win a THEIT camera bag!

If you head on over to Sometimes Sweet, you can win an amazing camera bag by THEIT! Hooray!

These bags are super cute and come in five different colors! So now you can look awesome while being awesome with all your camera gear!

Go win!

xo

-B

Lumix.

Yes, yes, as you can see from the title I bought the Lumix G2. And as much as it confuses me, I really like it. My sisters and I put it to good use this weekend and these were the results:

And the best thing that came out of this photoshoot?

I found my new wand. ("New," because the one that I had originally deemed "mine" broke. And I don't have an Elder Wand to fix it, so...)

(It's an awful photo of it, but just imagine how awesome it is.)

Everyone needs a little more Potter in their life. 

xo

-B

"Psh, I'm not afrai--WHAT IS THAT?"

So, every single time I watch a scary movie I go through the same process:

1. (After the movie) "That was so scary! Wait, what's that over there? Was that a shadow? Did you hear that noise? I'm going to die! I AM GOING TO DIE."

2. (A few days later) "Whew, glad that's over. I will NEVER watch a scary movie again. EVER."

3. (One week later) "You know, that was actually kind of fun! And I wasn't that scared."

4. (While at the store/on Netflix choosing a movie) "Ooh, this one looks scary! Let's watch it!"

And the whole process starts over again.

I will never learn.

-B

I'm normal. I'm completely normal.

Sometimes when I feel like crap, whether it's because I'm sick or upset or bummed out, I like to watch really depressing/scary/awful movies to make me feel better.
Cause let's face it, seeing someone get sawed in half or possessed by demons really makes you see how fantastic your life is compared to that poor person on the screen. Right?
Well today is one of those days, so I thought I'd share that lovely gem of information about myself. And maybe in the process change someone's life...
Okay, fine, maybe not that.

But here are some photos of scary movies that really put your life into perspective:

(This one is SCARY man, really scary.)

(I haven't seen this one in a while, but I do remember it being particularly disturbing.)

(This one was...)

(Ah yes, the Paranormal movies. Prepare yourself.)

(This one was messed up. MESSED UP.)

Others you might enjoy:

-The Thing

-It

-The Shining

-Shutter

-Texas Chainsaw Massacre

I also found this photo on Pinterest, and I thought it was hilarious and so perfect.

Now go cheer yourself up!

-B

To infinity... and beyond!

That's what Buzz Lightyear always says. I would know, because he's totally real and we're totally friends. What a pal.
Anyways.
I've just begun the process of transferring to a four-year college, because my time at a two-year college is almost over.
And no I'm not sad about it. I'm mostly just ready to move on and get it over with. Wrong mindset, I know. (Going back to this post...) But I am writing this post as a toast to the future! Here's to success! Cheers! Salud! Kanpai! Prost! Let's get on with it! Hurry up! Whatdoesthismeanwhyamilearningit!
*ahem*

And now I end this most deep and insightful post with a random picture of a woman dressed like a futuristic superhero. Because it's totally relevant, you know.

*Pinterest

Huzzah!

-B

Japan Street Fashion

I have this ongoing board on Pinterest of pictures of random people and their daily outfits in Japan. Some of them are cute, others are more on the eccentric side, and then there are ones that are just...
awesome. Which is really the best adjective for it.

What I love about Japanese fashion is that there seems to be no rules, and it doesn't get any better than that does it? You can use just about anything and everything to create your own style, and there is no judging on the weirdness of it.

Here are some photo examples:

(not really sure what this guy was going for, but bonus points for being awesome!)

I would wear my unicorn-inspired clothes there every day!

xo

-B

That thing called a project when you throw random stuff together to make it look cool.

I'm just laughing at that title post right now. It definitely wins an award for being the longest, most unnecessary title ever.

But I just wanted to share some fun D.I.Y. projects that I found (on Pinterest, of course). I haven't actually done any of them  (cue scoffing and exiting out of this web page), but I thought they all had the potential of me actually, maybe doing it, so that was good enough for me!

(Stones glued to a piece of felt to make a hot pad.)

(Sticks glued to a glass candle holder.)

(Felt triangles sewed onto a regular jacket, to make a dinosaur costume.)

(Wooden hangers attached upside down to the wall for a towel hook.)

(If you haven't figured it out already, you can just click on the description and it will take you to the original source that explains everything.)

-B

(awkward silence)

Hi.

*cough*


I don't really have much to write about, but can I just say that learning a new language all on your own, with no one to hold you accountable for studying and practicing, is really really hard?
Like, really hard. Have you tried it?
About a year ago I decided to study Japanese, and since then I feel like I really haven't made much progress. I've found myself taking longer and longer breaks in between studying, and I'm afraid I'll just eventually forget everything.
I suppose I just need to be patient, and keep practicing. And studying.

Although, I think tonight I will attempt to learn the language by osmosis. I'm pretty sure it's a legit technique.
So I'll get back to you on that.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share this video of a Japanese music group called World Order. They are SO talented, especially in the dancing department, and I think this video is proof enough of their incredible skills. (The song is called "Machine Civilization")

xo

-B

Sweater time.

(I feel like this photo pretty much sums up the season.)

Finally, it's starting to feel like Fall. I actually wore tights under my skirt to work the other day and I was so excited! (It's the little things, right?) I know it seems like all I do is write a few sentences and then add about twenty billion pictures, but I haven't been doing much writing (besides that one project...we'll talk about it later though. Maybe.) and so I feel like I have nothing else to share.
What's wrong with a few pictures though? Nothing, I say. I think they're fun.
So, with that being said, I leave you with seven (only seven, okay? Sheesh.) Fall-inspired pictures!

(Super cute sweater. It belongs in my closet.)

(Boots and socks!)

(Huge scarves!)

(SWEATERS. Lovely, lovely sweaters...)

(Candy!)

(Socks!)

(This thing!)

See, wasn't that fun?

xo -B

*again, photos via Pinterest. Stop asking.

I'm just gonna sit here and talk to myself...is that cool?

So, most of my life I shared a room with my older sister, and many (MANY) times when I was bored, or maybe trying really hard to study/memorize something (mostly just when I was bored), I would just sit there and talk to myself.
It drove her NUTS, which I never understood. I mean, it's not like she actually had to pay attention and follow along right?
So anyways, I was just thinking about that and how writing on this blog kinda feels very similar to that.
It's like I'm talking to myself, but this time just in my head.
Let me know when I start sounding really crazy, m'kay?

That's all.

Oh, wait--also there's this:

You guys think this would work?

-B

*all images, always, via pinterest unless otherwise stated. Just fyi.

That's intense! Like literally, in tents...

Going to be doing a little of this this weekend:

It's going to quite the interesting campout. 

And cold. It's going to be quite the cold campout too.

I had a friend who used to say this all the time, and it always made me laugh.

EVERY time...it just never gets hold. haha.

Here's to being in-tents!

xo -B

*images via pinterest, as usual.

Hayao Miyazaki

Let's talk about this great man.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of my favorite directors and animators. Out of his work, some of my favorites include: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo. If you've never seen any of these, I highly encourage you to do so. They are amazing. 

(Scene from Spirited Away.)

I pretty much grew up watching random Japanese television shows, among them the Sailor Moon anime series, as well as My Neighbor Totoro. 

Yes, there was a lot of Totoro-watching going on in my house, now that I think about it.

Miyazaki's wonderful animation and drawings, and also the inspiring story lines, are what have made him such a success. Many of his films incorporate the difficult relationships between humanity, nature, and technology, while giving it a magical twist that makes them so appealing to young kids. 

Or the young at heart. Whichever suits you best. 

I can't wait until the day when I can just sit and watch one of his films (in Japanese, of course), and understand it without even having to think about it, but until then I'll just settle for subtitles. 

Good ole' subtitles...what would I do without them? 

xo. -B