Life is what happens when you are making other plans~ John Lennon
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind~Gandhi
The time is always right to do what is right~ Martin Luther King Jr.


Saturday, April 28, 2012

Things I Like....

Inspired by blogger SummerBaby, who I found out is a totally fab student at the London College of Fashion. This post is about some of the things I like...

The Stones. Sorry, but I'm pathetic. They r my go-to band for music. 4 some reason, their music calms me down. Yeah, I guess I'm just weird like that. Then again, I'm weird anyway. I'm 21 and listen to a band from b4 my time, I think the lead singer is still kinda cute. Yeah, I'm weird.
From the way I hear, these guys are planning a tour. And a new record. If they are touring, I wanna know if they are coming to Cincinnati, OH, and if so, I'm so there! But watch, with my luck, I won't get near the place they perform at!!!

Top Gear. Love it.
Always good for a laugh

Police Work. Fascinating
Aww, what a cute dog

Jim Sturgess and Jamie Bamber. 2 of my fave British cuties. But then again, there's alot of British guys I find attractive.
Messy hair is so sexy! Ooh, so r those baby browns of his, [insert little hearts]

IDK what it is about him. He's just hot!

The Beatles. A family friendly band being discovered every day by the younger generation.

Halle Berry and Kate Winslet. Fave actresses.


Jet Li. Fave Asian actor
Very good actor, cares about people, what's not to love?

Retro. American "Woodstock" 1960s and Swinging London are 2 awesome decades!!!
My people!

I wonder what 'Swinging London' was like...

Judas Priest. Recently discovered their music and they are totally awesome. One of the few metal bands I do listen to.

Wallace and Gromit. This cartoon always cheers me up. Makes all the sad and stress go away.
They always cheer me up, especially when I'm down in the moods.

Hippies. My people, lmao.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Also Crushing On...

Jim Sturgess
Recently watched 21 and it was... AWESOME!!!!!
RANDOM THOUGHT: What is it about English guys that's so sexy? It's gotta be their accents, I can't think of any other reason ladies love guys like this. Accents usually end up melting me away anyway!!! God, I love cute British guys like this.

Crushing On...

Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe. Both r major cuties!!!!

Behind the Scenes of Across the Universe

One of my fave flicks, not to mention one of my fave musicals. It has Beatles music in it, perfect for any Fab Four lover!

Paul McCartney overseeing the making of the music for the soundtrack. As well he should, he and John Lennon wrote half of The Beatles' songs.


What is it about English guys that's so sexy?


When I first watched this, I thought Jim Sturgess was an American actor faking a Liverpool accent. You know how it is with some American made movies. They want a British accent, they have an American fake one up real quick. Little did I know that Jim Sturgess is an actual Englishman. Born and raised in London. So the accent was real! Yeah, real cute!!!!!



RANDOM THOUGHT: Doesn't he look an awful lot like a cross between a young Paul McCartney and a young George Harrison?

SQUIRREL!

How cute are these little guys? I love squirrels, they are too cute. And to think my backyard is filled with them, the only thing I don't like about them is the lil stinkers keep eating acorns all over the deck and leaving the shells behind, so that every step you take, you hear a crunch and look down to see broken shells.

Business Name Ideas

Next semester, at Gateway, I have to take a class called Corporate Identity and we have to do an assignment that involves us choosing a type of business and creating advertising for it, including a name. I have no idea what to do. More than likely, she won't let us choose what we want to do, she'll probably just make us choose what SHE wants us to do, pardon my French, stupid bitch!!! That's what I think of her! I swear I think she hates me! She seems to see only my mistakes, she constantly hangs over my shoulder and monitors my every and I mean EVERY move!!!!! She complains about how good she had it at P&G, a graphic design place near me, and I think to myself "Well, why the hell did u leave to come teach here, you moron?" I'm starting to think the only way to ace her package design class to start kissing some ass, but that's not me! I'll leave that to someone else. All I know is, if she finds a problem with everything I do, she's getting my 2 cents and they won't be pretty! Sorry to seem so cross, but I just can't stand her! I hate her stupid guts, she criticizes my work, and I know in graphic design that's probably supposed to happen, but the way she does it is just mean and hurtful. If she criticizes my work, I'm going off on her!!!!!

Anyway, before I get off the beaten path again, here are some business ideas I have. Let me know if any of you awesome bloggers out there think they are good. And also I have to retake her Package Design class, oh God why, and I have to do a drink label. I'm going to include drink names and types on here too, so let me know if you think they are good.

Business names/types

Spa
-Pinan(Japanese for peace and harmony)
-Happy Place
-Serenity
-Tranquility
-Zen
-A New You
-Heaven on Earth
-Sea of Tranquility

Tattoos
-Black Knight Tattoos
-Wei Da Tattoos
-True Colors
-London Ink. IDK why on this one, just sounds cool.
-Red Dragon Tattoos
-Queen City Ink. Over here in Ohio, they call Cincinnati the Queen City
-Make Your Mark
-Write of Passage
-River City Ink

Music
-London Calling
-Time Warp
-Walk to the Beat
-Music N' More
-Music Makers
-Culture Beat
-Top of the Charts

Drink names/types

Whiskey
-Spit Fire
-Shot of Fire
-South Rising. I hear they drink it alot in bars in the south. Kinda play along with that southern pride
-Bad Influence

Energy drinks
-Boost
-Lightning
-Blast
-Shocker
-Power
-Explode

Tea
-Tranquilitea
-Serenitea
-Solitude

Bloody Mary
-Bloody Good. IDK, this one cracked me up. Toying with the word Bloody, as it means the F word in British slang. Still funny to hear someone say this.
-Blood Shot
-Shot of Fire.
-Red Hot or Red Hot Passion

Rum
-Mexicali Rose
-Bloody Mary
-Bali Hai(both this and the word Bloody Mary are references to that movie South Pacific. One of my dad's fave movies!)
-Spanish Rose

Wine
-Franceschina & D'Angelis. My stepdad's mom's maiden name and her mother's name
-Vino di Amore(Wine of Love in Italian)
-Valley Italia
-Redwood Acres or Redwood Farms

Gin
-7 Deadly Sins(should I have to create multiple ones)
-Lust
-Envy
-Little Black Dress

Books I Wanna Read...

Here are some books I would love to read.

Immortality Inc: Robert Sheckley. Normally, I don't get into the whole sci-fi theme of reading, but since I know that Freejack is kinda like a version of this book, I'm dead curious to see if the book and the movie resemble each other.

The Joy Luck Club: Amy Tan. I'm curious to see if this book is any good. From what I hear, it's about a group of Chinese American women trying to bond with their "Americanized" daughters.

The Memoirs of a Geisha. I know I might have said this book was boring, but then again, I kinda just breezed through it 'cuz I had like 3 days on it before some little whiny kid at the library wanted to read it, God forbid should this kid actually grow some patience! I shoulda tould this kid the book was about prostitution, man that would changed that kid's little tune, rotflmao!!!! So now I wanna read it, now that I have all the time in the world...

Steven Tyler: Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?

Hot Man Tuesday: Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler
Birth name: Steven Victor Tallarico
DOB: March 26, 1948
Where: Yonkers, New York
Genres: hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock
Occupations: singer-songwriter, musician, actor, talent judge
Instruments: vocals, harmonica, piano, percussion, maracas, bass, guitar, mandolin, flute, mellotron, hammered dulcimer, saxophone, drums
Years Active: 1964-present

Actually, now that I think about it, he's actually better looking than Mick Jagger. Jeez, what on earth was I ever thinking? Mick was cuter younger. Now, yikes!!

-Best known as the front man for Boston, Massachusetts-based band Aerosmith.
-His nicknames include "Demon of Screamin'", due to the fact he usually yells/screams in his songs, and also his high vocal range.








-On stage, he is like an acrobat, because he is constantly jumping off some platform or swinging on some swing flying around.











-When he performs, he usually dons some kind of brightly colored outfit, singing into a scarf draped microphone.
-In the 1970s, he rose to fame as the front man for this band.








-In the 1970s and 1980s, due to his heavy drug and alcohol use, the band's popularity dropped.
-In 1986, completed drug rehab and has been clean and sober ever since, except for a slight relapse in the late 2000s, when he developed an addiction to pain killers, which he got off addiction to in 2009.
-In 2001, he, along with Aerosmith, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was the presenter when AC/DC was inducted in 2003.
-Recently, he has been seen as a judge on the popular singing show American Idol. He replaced cold, arrogant, talentless judge Simon Cowell. Tyler is said to be a little more sweet, compassionate and understanding of the people on the show.









Early Life
-Born to Susan Blancha, a secretary and Victor Tallarico, a classical musician and pianist. Father was of German and Italian descent and mother was of Cherokee and Ukranian descent.

-His first band was called The Strangeurs, and was said to resemble The Rolling Stones in alot of ways, not to mention Tyler, when he was younger, was said to have closely resembled Stones front man Mick Jagger. Also, when he was younger, Tyler and his friends decided to try and get a picture with Jagger outside the hotel The Stones were staying at in New York during their 1965 tour of America. The band changed names to Chain Reaction when they found out that the name The Strangers was already taken.
-High school was just not for Tyler. He was expelled from Roosevelt High School because of his drug use. In 1967, he graduated from the Leonard Quintano for Young Professionals School.
-Attended Woodstock with future Aerosmith band members Joe Perry and Joey Kramer.
Career
-In 1969, Tyler attended a concert in Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, where he met future Aerosmith members Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, who were playing in a band called The Jam Band. In 1970, they all decided to form a band together. They added Ray Tabano, a childhood friend of Tyler's as another guitarist and moved to Boston. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford.
-In 1971, they began working with New York music managers David Krebs and Steve Leber. Leber says he describes the band as "the closest thing I've ever seen to The Rolling Stones".
-The album that broke Aerosmith in the rock music market was their 1975 album Toys in the Attic and their 1976 album Rocks.
-By 1976, Aerosmith was playing music festivals and huge arenas. And he also found fame as a emerging rock star and sex symbol, appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.

With Bebe Buell













-He also made an acting debut. In 1978's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he, along with his fellow Aerosmith friends, played The Future Villain Band. They also recorded their version of "Come Together" which was originally done by The Beatles
-The 1980s were not a big time for Aerosmith. Heavy drug use took up most of their time and they just were not releasing singles that actually made it onto the charts. That is, until one day when they were asked to participate in a cover of their song Walk This Way to be done by up and coming rap group Run DMC. The band had just released their Raisin' Hell album and wanted to do a rap cover. So Tyler and Perry did it with Run DMC and it blended rock and hip hop, thus introducing Aerosmith to the younger crowds.
-By 1987, Aerosmith was rising to the tops of the charts once more, with singles like "Dude(Looks Like a Lady)", "Angel" "Rag Doll" on their album Permanent Vacation. After that, Pump got released. This had the songs "Love in an Elevator" "Janie's Got a Gun", which was considered highly controversial at the time due to it's content of sexual abuse. According to some, Tyler had to change a lyric in the song because it had the word rape in it. The song could not get radio airplay if the word rape was in it. The line is originally "he raped a little baby, the man has got to be insane", so he had to change it to "he jacked a little baby". "The Other Side" was also on this album.
-In 1990, Tyler and Aerosmith appeared on the Saturday Night Live skit "Wayne's World", which featured Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, 2 hard rock music fans who run a TV show out of his mom's basement. In 1991, they were featured in an episode of The Simpsons, titles "Flaming Moe's", about where Moe the Bartender discovers a new drink invented by Homer. Also that year, they released their Pandora's Box album. Their producer, John Kalodner, thought that Tyler had become a sex addict due to the very sexually profane lyrics in some of the songs on this album.

Wayne's World 2, as themselves.

-In 1998, they recorded the song "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" which would be their #1 hit in a long time, and would also be featured on the soundtrack for the movie Armageddon, in which his daughter Liv appeared.
-In 2003, he received an honorary degree from the Berkee College of Music, and in 2005, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He appeared in the 2004 film The Polar Express, appearing as an elf who sings "Rocking on Top of the World" along side elves who look dead on Aerosmith
-On July 14, 2008, Tyler's mother Susan Rey Tallarico died at 84. 4 days later on July 18, 2008, he appeared with Billy Joel to perform a concert, the last one, at Shea Stadium.
-On Sept. 22, 2010, it was announced that Tyler would be joining the panel of judges on American Idol.
Personal Life
-Had a brief relationship with fashion model Bebe Buell, who is the mother of daughter Liv Tyler. Buell originally said Liv's father was Todd Rundgren, to protect her from Tyler's drug addiction. Tyler has one grandson, Milo William Langdon, born to daughter Liv Tyler and British musician Royston Langdon on Dec. 14, 2004 in NYC
-In 1978, married Cyrinda Foxe, who was the girlfriend of New York Dolls front man David Johansen, and also the mother of daughter Mia Tyler.
-On May 28, 1988, he married a clothing designer named Teresa Barrick. Thye have a daughter named Chelsea Anna Tallarico and a son named Taj Monroe Tallarico. In January 2006, they divorced and since then, he has been seeing a woman named Erin Brady and got enggaged to her in Dec. 2011.
-On March 22, 2006, he went under the knife to have corrective surgery done on his throat to repair a ruptured blood vessel in his throat.

Discography
Filmography

Geisha Girls

Geisha Girls
-AKA Geigi, are traditional female Japanese entertainers whose skills include and also may include performing various Japanese arts, such as: music and dance

History
-The most literal meaning of the word 'Geisha' would be "artisan", "performing artist" or "artist".
-Apprentice geisha are called maiko, meaning "dance child" or hangyoku or "half jewel", meaning they are paid only half of the money a full geisha earns. The white makeup, elaborate kimono and elaborate hairstyles of a maiko are the traditional look of a geisha. A woman entering the geisha community does not have to start out as a maiko. She can start her career as a ful geisha. But, a year's worth of training is needed to debut as a maiko or full geisha.
-Women 21 and older are considered too old to be maikos, and on this age, she is rendered able to be inducted into the geisha community.
-In Kyoto, apprentic geisha can become full geisha before the age of 18
-In early Japanese history, there were sabruko(serving girls) who were displaced in the late 600s. They sold sexual services while others made a living attending high class social functions. In the year 794, the world of the geisha became a beauty obsessed elite world







-In traditional Japan, men were not told to be faithful to their wives, so they engaged openly in sexual delights. Because rule said that the ideal wife was a mother and manager of the home. If  aman wanted sexual attention, he did not go to his wife because by Confucian standards, love had a secondary meaning, it was simply not as important as other stuff. The men went to courtesans, who lived in walled in "pleasure quarters", probably now called houses of prostitution, or by the Bible-ish groups, houses of ill repute. This is how kabuki theater got its start. From women called yujo(play women). There was a slight rank system among these women. The highest ranking yujo was called Oiran, a combo of actress and prostitute, who played on stages in the Kamo riverbed in Kyoto. they performed erotically sexual dances and skits, and this new art was called kabuku, meaning "wild and outrageous".






-These "pleasure quarters" began offering more than just sex. The courtesans entertained their lcients with dancing, singing, playing music. Most were renknowned poets and calligraphers. At the turn of the 18th century, is when these entertainers began earning the name "Geisha".

-The women who worked within these pleasure quarters were imprisoned and strictly forbidden to sell sex in order to protect the business of the Oiran.
-By 1800, being a geisha was a predominantly female career, although there are indications that there are still a handful of working male geisha today. By then, Oiran began being considered gaudy, falling out of fashion. By the 1830s, the geisha look was adopted by fashionable women throuout society. There were many different styles of geisha. Some would have sexual relations with their clients, others would entertain with their art forms. Prostitution was legal up until the 1900s.
-WWII brought a huge dropout in the geisha arts because the women had to work in the factories or other places for Japan. In 1944, the geisha's world changed. Teahouses shut down, bars and houses of prostitution all shut down and these women worked in the factories.
-Before the war, a maiko's virginity would be auctioned off like an item. The term was "mizuage". This was outlawed in 1959, but made a relatively normal return in the 1990s.

Ranking








-There are approximately 5 geisha districts in Japan. They are called hanamachi(flower towns). They are Kobu, Pontocho, Gion and Kamishichiken, who have the highest status, thus they are teh msot expensive and are frequented by powerful politicians and business men. Gion Kobu is seen as having a high rank status.
-At the polar opposite end of the glamorous geisha world are the hot spring geisha. These women work in the spa resorts and are viewed by Japanese society as nothing more than common prostitutes. They cater to less exclusive people, and more affordable. If they resort to selling sexual services, they remain distinct from the regular prostitutes. They are also trained in the Japanese arts of dancing and music. So here's how to tell a regular geisha from a geisha-prostitute. Geisha-prostitutes wear their obi belts tied in the front, easier to remove to have sex, where as regular geishas wear their obi belt tied in back, more formal that way.

Training
-Geisha begin their training at a young age. Some girls are bonded to geisha houses or okiyas as kids. These girls become hangyoku and are as young as 9 years old. In the 1950s, this was outlawed because of child labor. Daughters of geisha are brought up as geisha themselves, usually as the successor(atotori, aka "heir" or "heiress") or daughter-role(musume-bun) to the okiya, meaing they will inherit it should anything happen to the manager of it.
-A maiko is bonded to her okiya by a contract. They supply her with food, board, kimonos, obis(belts), and other tools of her trade. Training is very pricey. Any money she earns MUST be repaid to the okiya. This may continue even after the she becomes a full blown geisha and when her debts are scored, she can move out to live and work as she pleases.
-Maikos often start their training on the job as minarai(learning by watching). She must find an onee-san(older sister). This is the one who has the responsibility of bringing her to the ozashiki(banquet with traditional Japanese tatami mats in traditional Japanese buildings) to sit and observe as the onee-san struts her stuff.
-Their kimonos are more elaborate than a geiko's, as these beautiful silk gowns let the talking be done. Minarai can be hired for parties, but usually are uninvited. They only charge 1/3 of the fee. Minarai usually work in certain teahouses, learning from the okaa-san(mother, the proprietress of the teahouse)
-After a brief period of training begins, the students called "maiko", which literally means "dance girl". They learn from their senior geisha mentor and follow them to all their engagements. The relationship between young geisha and older geisha is VERY important. It's called onee-san and imouto-san(senior/junior)
-The seniog geisha makes it her duty to train the little geisha in the art of working in the hanamachi or geisha district. They show her the way to properly pour/serve tea, playing the shamisen(3 stringed Japanese guitar), dancing, casual conversation and others. The onee-san even helps to pick a name that the maiko will use with the help of kanji symbols related to her name.

-There are major aspects of a maiko's training. The first is training in the formal arts. This takes place in a special school, which is found in EVERY hanamachi. The second element is the entertaining training the maiko learns at various teahouses and parties by watching and observing her senior geisha. The 3rd and final is mastering the social skill of navigating the social buzz of the geisha district. This is done on the streets. Formal greetings, gifts and visits are key aspects of any social hierarchy in Japan for a maiko, they are VERY crucial to give her the support she needs to survive the harsh world as a geisha.
-In Japanese tourism, geisha are considered a tourist sight. The maiko look different than full fledged Geisha. They are considered to be at the peak of Japanese femininity. The scarlet tinged collar of a maiko's kimono hangs very loosely in the back to give highlight to the neck, which is considered to be a very erotic area in Japanese sexuality. She wears white makeup on her face and also on her neck, leaving 2 or 3 stripes of bare skin exposed. Her kimono is bright and colorful, with an elaborately tied obi hanging down to her ankles. She takes small steps and wears traditional wooden shoes called okobo, which stand nearly 10 cm high. There are at leats 5 different hairstyles a maiko wears, these mark the stages of her apprenticeship. The "Nihongami" hairstyle with kanzashi(or ornamental) hair decorations is the closest thing associated with a maiko. They spend hours each week at the hairdresser and sleep on holed-pillows to preserve this elaborate hairdo. Maiko can develop a bald spot on their crown caused by the the rubbing from Knazashi strips and tugging in hairdressing. This was linked to the maiko's womanhood, as it came from the okufu hairstyle a maiko would wear aftr her mizuage(or first sexual encounter)
-Around 20-22, the maiko would be promoted to a full fledged geisha in a ceremony called erikae(turning of the collar). This could take 2-5 years pf her life as a maiko or hangyoku, depending on what age she came to.

Relationship with Men
-The appeal of a high ranking Geisha to male guests is and has been historically different than that of his wife. The "perfect" geisha showed her skills, while the "ideal" wife was modest. The ideal geisha was carefree, almost stupid and has no idea what's going on, while the wife was to be somber and responsible, almost considered a downer. Geisha do sometimes marry their clients, but if so, they must retire. Geisha are almost always never allowed to marry.
-Some of the more successful women in the geisha world are some of the most successful women in Japan. Without the female teahouse owners, the geisha world would drop off into nonexistence.
Misconceptions
-There are many misconstrued ideas what a geisha truly does. Prostitution in Japan was legal until 1958. Outsiders may consider the world of the geisha to be this magical, mysterious wonderland, when true Japanese consider it a part of everyday life.
-Modern geisha still live in okiyas, specifically during their apprenticeship. Many are at the level of experience to work and live independently.
-Before the 20th century, geisha training began at age 4. Now, girls go to school until their teen years and then make the decision to become geishas. Young women who want to enter the geisha world begin their training after middle school, high school or even college.
-They still study the traditional instruments. The shamisen(3 stringed Japanese guitar), the shakuhachi(flute) and drums, learning games, songs, calligraphy, Japanese dances, tea ceremonies, literature and poetry. The dances are slow, formal and elegant motions.
-By watching other geisha at work, and with the help of the geisha house owner, apprentices become skilled in dealing with clients and the traditions surrounding selecting/wearing kimonos, which is a floor length silk robe with intricate designs on it, and is held together by a sash belt at the waist called an obi.
-Kyoto is considered, even today, to be the Geisha hotspot. Geiko is the word for the women in those districts. The Tokyo hanamachi are Shimbasa, Asakusa, and Kagurazaka.
-A common thing for tourists who really get into the whole Japanese world can pay a fee to be dressed up like a maiko.
-Geisha are often called to entertain at ochayas(tea houses) or restuarants(ryotei). The charge is determined by a burning stick of incense called senkodai(incense stick) or gyokudai(jewel fee).









-The dancing they do is typically called odori, which features both geisha and maiko.
-On February 25, geisha participate in an open-air tea ceremony in the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto. They serve tea to 3,000 guests, at the plum blossom festival.










Arts




Geishas and Prostitution
-Legit geisha do not engage in sex with clients. They are made to entertain, do poetry, sing and dance, write calligraphy, or engage in light conversation. How to tell the difference between geisha and prostitute. In the Edo period, courtesans wore elaborate hairstyles and white makeup, but they knotted their obi in the front. It was always thought they tied it that way for easy removal, but it was suggested by Liza Dalby that it was done by married women.
-Geisha working in onsen(spa) towns, such as Atami, were dubbed onsen geisha. There are bad rumors among the prostitutes who call themselves geisha that they perform a dance routine called Shallow River(involves them lifting their kimonos higher and higher until their private areas are exposed).

Appearance


Woman in pink kimono in center is a geisha. She is a mature geisha with very little makeup, simple clothing and hair. The maiko(jr geisha) is on the left, with elaborate hair and clothing


Maiko in Gion district.

-A geisha's appearance changes through her career. It goes from the girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the older, more reserved and sombre look of established geisha. And also to note, their eyebrows change too. Short eyebrows signify young and long signify old.
-The traditional makeup is hard to perfect and is time consuming. Consisting of thick white face paint, red lipstick and red and black accents around the eyes and brows. The white face paint was originally made with lead, but it was replaced with rice powder after being discovered it poisoned the skin and caused skin and back problems. A bamboo brush is used to apply the white face paint, and a maiko uses red around her eyes. The lips are filled using a small brush. The color comes in a small stick, melted in water. Sugar is used to make the lips shiny.
-After working for 3 years, she changes once more, this time to a more turned down, simple style. The reason is because she is mature, and simple style showcases her natural beauty.

Dress
-Always wears a kimono. The obi belt is always brighter than the kimono to give an exotic look. Outdoors, they wear zori sandals and tabi(white split toed socks) inside.













Pop Culture
-The 1997 novel Memoirs of a Geisha and 2005 film of the same name sparked interest in this. It was the autobiography of a geisha named Iwasaki Mineko.