Sunshine Meets Japan

Tokyo Disney Sea!

Okay! So, yesterday, the 26th, I woke up at 5:20 AM, an ungodly early hour for a Sunday, so that I could be at Futamatagawa station in time to meet Samantha and her host sister at 6:20 AM. I made it in time, somehow, early in fact, because Samantha and Risa showed up a minute later. We caught the express to Yokohama, where we met Risa’s friend (whose name I do not know because I was too embarrassed to ask), and from there we took an hour-long bus ride to Tokyo Disneyland Resort. We got there at around 8 o’clock, and Disney Sea wasn’t even open yet.

I don’t have the patience to write this right now.

FINISH LATER KTHXBAI?

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I liked it.

I didn’t know if I would, ‘cause my dad liked it while my brother did not, and while my dad is a harsh critic, my brother sat with me through every minute of the book on tape, every time we listened to it all the way through (which we did several times). Not to mention, the fifth movie SUCKED, excuse my language. The best part of the fifth movie was Umbridge, and frankly, everything else was utter bollocks.

So, walking into that surprisingly small Japanese theater, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

But I liked it. :D

My brother had warned me about the differences from the book (for example, Luna finding Harry on the train, instead of Tonks), and though there were many, they did not impact the main story at all, and in fact, flowed rather nicely. I was impressed. :D And actually, they didn’t leave out too much, like they did in the fifth (they left out EVERYTHING). Even Lavender Brown played her part, as creepy and obnoxious as she was!

I was most delighted by Malfoy, whose performance, although dramatic, was quite stirring. And he alone reminded me of how AWESOME the general casting of the series is. Seriously! Luckily, the three main characters aged well enough, as did everybody else (except Neville) - even Ginny, whose thin mouth had me worried for a while! :D Now, I think we can all agree that the original Dumbledore was 12345678910 X better than Michael Gambon, mostly because Michael Gambon is way too intense to be Dumbledore (see the fourth movie). But he toned it down for this particular film, THANK GOD, and actually pulled off being a more serene, calming Dumbledore. :D

So, casting, awesome.

Special effects, awesome.

Snape is sexy, awesome.

Ginny is slightly taller than Harry, AWESOME. :D

Generally I liked it. :D

(ALSO, I’m so glad the Deathly Hallows will be in two parts. The wait will be unbearable, but at least they won’t destroy it like they destroyed the Order of the Phoenix! :D YAY!)

Thoughts?

Harajuku + Shibuya = OMG!

You read me right. Not only did I go to Harajuku, but Shibuya too, IN THE SAME DAY. To put it bluntly, OH MY FREAKING GOD IT WAS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE EVER. No kidding.

So, I met Samantha at Futamatagawa station at around 11:00 AM, and from there we took the train to Yokohama station, where we picked up Taylor at “that good-smelling place”. Taylor and I had no idea how to get to Harajuku, but Samantha had gone before, so she led the way. We took the express train to Shibuya to transfer…

OKAY, I’ll finish this later because I have to go take care of bank stuff and see Harry Potter 6. AW HALE YAS. Love to all, go look at my Purikura! <3

I saw Harry Potter. Review to come.

Anyway, the transfer at Shibuya was interesting, because the train from there to Harajuku actually follows a very interesting route. Basically, the train goes in a circle, stopping all around different areas of Tokyo, including Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara (I haven’t gone yet, sadly…), etc. Harajuku is the next stop from Shibuya, so we didn’t see much of the route, but the map was interesting enough. :D

Now, allow me to describe the wonder that is the Harajuku shopping district. Perhaps some of you, like me, have gone for years thinking that Harajuku was some spacious set of department buildings or something horrendously ignorant like that. Well, needless to say I did not expect the reality. Harajuku is, more or less, one narrow, winding street that stretches for a couple of miles, and from the main street branch several smaller streets, all packed with street vendors and little cramped clothing stores, all packed with the same basic merchandise. Of course, Harajuku is known for its cheapness. Considering how bloody expensive the rest of Japan is, Harajuku is indeed cheap. :D And the clothing is cute, too. It all fits me weird ‘cause I’m big and bulky and the clothing is designed for petite and pretty Japanese girls, but still… >.> Waltzing through Harajuku accompanied by Sam and Taylor was pretty fantastic. I bought my brother’s present, and a shirt that I don’t know what to do with, but purchased because it was too epic to ignore. Those who are curious about said shirt may ask me in private. >_>

At one point, during lunch at McDonald’s, Sam spotted a pair of Lolita girls, both of whom were pretty adorable, and 100% decked out in lace. Sam was determined to photograph these two, but when she asked, they turned her down (politely, of course, being Japanese). At first I thought this was odd, but later, I saw another foreign girl asking a Lolita to take her picture, and that Lolita turned that foreigner down, too. Peculiar, right? Seriously though, we saw the WACKIEST looking people on that street. Awesome, even creepy-looking people. And a ton of gaijin. It was quite annoying, really, to see so many foreign tourist-type people. But we did feel pretty superior, especially when the tourists were fat. :D

Now, this next bit is a bit bizarre, and a bit controversial I suppose, but bear (bare? Dunno…) with me. Okay, so, there are a surprisingly large number of black people living in Japan, and an unfortunate fraction of them have taken to working the streets: meaning they approach unsuspecting females and take any opportunity to harass them. Namely, the females they approach aren’t Japanese. Phrases like, “How you doin’”, and in the case of the creeper who approached Sam, “Hey, nice True Religions,” make frequent appearances. I am by no means a racist, but I’m actually really offended and aggravated by this whole system of operation. :/ And it’s not just black men, but lots of foreign men (Middle Eastern, mostly), who seem to think that just because they’re in a different country, it’s perfectly acceptable for them to act like utter and complete repulsive jackasses. Seriously. No wonder the Japanese keep to the Japanese, if you know what I mean. :/ Anyway…

After a while, the heat became a little overwhelming, despite the fact that I had clothed myself minimally. So, the three of us shoved our way back towards the train station, and boarded the train back to Shibuya.

Now, here’s where I go a little crazy. Crazy as in geeky. Luca, Taylor, possible others, you know what I’m talking about.

Five words: THE. WORLD. ENDS. WITH. YOU.

For those of you who AREN’T awesome geeks like Luca/Taylor/possible others, The World Ends With You (TWEWY) is a video game, specifically for the Nintendo DS. The game is complicated, and I won’t try to explain its FANTASTIC plot, but the point is, it takes place 100% in Shibuya. :D For the record, TWEWY is the greatest game I have ever played, aside from Pokemon. I love it. Passionately.

So you can imagine how PSYCHED I was to emerge from Shibuya station, only to feast my eyes upon the one and only SHIBUYA CROSSING, and only a few degrees to the left, Hachiko (a famous statue of a dog, for those of you who are lame) (There’s a movie coming out about the dog, starring Richard Gere, I believe, called “Hachi”). Now, know this, fellow geeks: the map of Shibuya within the game is EXACTLY the same as the actual street layout of Shibuya. No kidding. Cat street? The Shibuya 109 building? The HMV music stores? EXACT. TO THE FREAKING T. Yeah, Shibuya is basically EPIC. And the 109 building is like any old department store, except for the blaring music, flashing lights, cosplayers, Lolitas, cat hoodies, screaming shopgirls, and all that jazz. :D Shibuya is DEFINITELY on my list of places to return to, eventually. LOVE. <3

I honestly don’t know which location I liked better, between Harajuku and Shibuya. But hell, both in one day? Can you say OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL ECSTASY?! (Mom, do you get that reference?!) (>_>).

In other news… Tomorrow (23rd), I’m going to a festival at Taylor’s station (Gumyouji), and the 26th, I’m going to Tokyo Disneyland with Samantha and her family (her family was actually originally supposed to be my family, oddly enough). Other than that, dunno what I’ll be doing. But six days from today, I’m coming home. :] And I honestly can’t wait. As much as I love it here, I’m dying to come home. I miss my friends, and my family, and pretty soon I just might explode from missing them so much. >__< <3 Seriously guys, I could not have survived here for any longer than six weeks. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Dunno when I’ll be online again after tonight, but we’ll see. I’ll try to write again before I come home. I miss having constant phone and Internet. ;_; MOMMY, TELL BARTELBY I MISS HIM, AND TELL GERARD I’LL SEE HIM SOON. Dad, keep writing to me, though I might not get them all if you send them now. xD Haha. Oh! Speaking of which, Molly Paige Philbin, I GOT YOUR POSTCARD. And it filled me with such feelings of warmth, I cannot even describe. :D And it made me miss you that much more. D:

Anyway. AGAIN, GO LOOK AT MY PURIKURA! :3 Plzkthx.

Love always,

Emma?

My “Gokusen: The Movie” Review!

Oh yes, people. You read me right. After airing as a hugely popular television drama for THREE WHOLE SEASONS (only two of which I bothered to watch), Gokusen has FINALLY emerged as a two-hour box office movie! Hurrah! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Gokusen drama, it’s the story of Yamaguchi Kumiko, the female heir to a Yakuza clan who holds no interest in taking up the family business, but has always dreamed of being a teacher. Upon launching her teaching career at Shirokin Gakuen, she ends up as the homeroom teacher for 3-D, a class full of miscreants and junior yankis. She debuts her legendary red and white-striped track suit, which we all know and love. :D Anyway, as the season progresses, Yankumi (her nickname) proceeds to rescue each and every one of her students from themselves. Each episode consists of a conflict, and the conflict is resolved when Yankumi shows up to kick some ass and save her precious student. And it’s her job whilst she is a teacher to keep her Yakuza heritage a secret. The following two seasons are EXACTLY the same, just with different students. (And yes, for those of you who wish to say so, Gokusen IS just a female version of Great Teacher Onizuka.)

While the the movie’s cinematography is much improved from the drama, the classic Gokusen elements remain. For instance, when Yankumi arrives for butt-kicking, she introduces herself as “so-and-so’s homeroom teacher”, pulls out her pigtails and tosses her glasses aside; her accidental use of Yakuza slang; her catch phrases, like “Omaera…” (“You guys…”) and “You are my precious students” in Japanese. There’s also that ONE boy in her homeroom that all the other boys rally around. And of course, nonstop running from point A to point B (you’d think she’d cramp up SOMETIMES) and cheesy music galore.

As for the plot, considering the entire movie was in Japanese, I only caught the main story. The movie focuses mostly on her students from season 3 (the one I didn’t watch) and her current students. One of her old students accidentally gets in trouble with the law for delivering for a cocaine deal, which is linked to a man named Korose (or Kurose, I forget) who’s in charge of this huge “CATCH THE DREAM” campaign. So, the day that Korose holds his big televised event, Yankumi sneaks in to expose him in front of the cameras. She marches up to the platform, all dramatic like, and he denies it at first. But meanwhile, her former students have snuck down to the basement of this huge convention center, and they find the whole entire coke stash. The former students, with the help of a student from season 2 (my favorite, who apparently became a cameraman), rig a video stream that boots up on the big screen in the main hall, right behind where Korose and Yankumi are positioned. So basically, Korose is exposed, all of the attendees of the event flee the building (except Yankumi), Korose’s henchmen beat up Yankumi, and can you guess what happens next? Well, I don’t REALLY know, because this was the part where she was being held at gunpoint, and decided to lecture Korose on the meaning of life or something. I had no idea what she was saying, but I was definitely the ONLY PERSON in the theater who wasn’t crying. So who knows? Anyway, ALL of her students show up to defend her, though ultimately none of them do ANYTHING at all. Yankumi is just too badass to need help. But yeah. YAY YANKUMI! She plays kick-the-can with her students (another classic Gokusen element), and the movie ends. There’s probably a lot more to the plot, but that’s all I managed to pick up. xD

Fans of season 2, REJOICE! Odagiri Ryu returns to the Gokusen world as Yankumi’s assistant teacher, sporting a much more flattering haircut and a somewhat more effeminate wardrobe! I didn’t like him much in season 2, but he was quite charming in this movie. Also, Koike Teppei cameos as a successful businessman! YEAH MOLLY, KOIKE TEPPEI IS IN THIS MOVIE. Kuma is still around, being the only character aside from Yankumi and Kyoto (vice principal, though in the movie he’s finally the principal!) to follow through all three seasons plus this movie. And at the very end of the movie, a bunch of old characters reappear, including that guy from season 1 (Hana Kimi’s Sano), and it’s really cute ‘n stuff. Why Matsumoto Jun couldn’t be bothered to cameo as Sawada Shin, the original season 1 ringleader, who knows? I mean I know he’s insanely famous and stuff, but c’mon. SAWADA SHIN IS SAWADA SHIN. Yeah. Anyway.

I love Gokusen. Seriously. :D

Can’t wait to see this movie with subtitles.

Yatta?

School’s Out

I totally miss school. Like, I don’t miss waking up early or the smelly, crowded morning train, but I miss SCHOOL. Yesterday (Thursday), I had a date with a bunch of friends to go take Purikura, so I met them at school, and I’d only been gone for a day but everybody FLIPPED. I walked with Ai-chan into the classroom and everybody screeched “EMMAAAAA!!” and I yelled “Tadaima!” and they yelled “OKAERIII!” (“I’m home!” “Welcome home!”) It made me miss them so much more. And I saw Shougo as I was leaving, and that’s probably the last time I’ll get to see him, unless I go and say goodbye later today. Because as it turns out, today is their last day of school, and there’s no volleyball club or anything. It’s kind of a bummer ‘cause I only got Kenta’s email and I wanted all of the boys’ (Shougo, Mikumo, Okaji, Ryota) but maybe I can get those from Kenta. :< At least Miku and Okaji. They <3’d me. But yeah, I miss school.

Also, the purikura date was awesome. :D I was escorted by Ai-chan, Yoyo (Tomoyo), Ayaka, and Marisa, to the game center at Yokohama station, and we took TWO ROUNDS of pictures, which was super fun, and oh my goodness they are so cute. Especially Ai-chan. If I were a man, or a lesbian, I would want to date Ai-chan, SHEERLY because she’s almost as cute as Molly B. Oh yeah. No kidding.

Then I came home and watched Love.Com, because YEAAAH I OWN THE MOVIE NOW WOOOOOOO! :D So cute. Koike Teppei is cho-kawaii. :D

Have I talked about my last day yet? I don’t remember. *checks* No I have not. Okay, so, my last day was Tuesday, and it was fairly normal, except more people were hugging me and paying me more attention than usual. And I took a TON of pictures, with the different homerooms (I took a great picture with all of the 1-2 boys, meaning Outani [who Taylor and I renamed “Swagger” because of his swagger] and Shougo, and Okaji and a couple of others) and in art class and such. At the end of the day, we had our usual concluding homeroom, and I was called to the front of the class to make a quick speech, which was pretty pitiful, but had them “AWW KAWAII”-ing all over the place. Then Chakki came up and presented me with this INCREDIBLE drawing she did of me, in copic pens, which was accompanied by a note in English and a picture of our homeroom. Yeah, I can’t wait to show you people this drawing. It’s insane. Anybody who’s seen it here can vouch. Then Hikaru gave me a drawing she did of Mello, and a bag of M&Ms, and my friends who know I love melon bought me Melon Milkys (milk candy), and I also recieved a bunch of little notes in Japanese from friends. Yeah. It was really sweet. :] And after school, I went to Aurora Mall with Taylor and Kenta, took HILARIOUS purikura (Kenta had to pose as a girl), and went home later. I wanted to go to the festival in Totsuka, but my legs were really bothering me. :< And there will be other festivals.

I haven’t done anything really interesting lately, except watch EVERY DVD this family owns, including HSM 1 and 2, and Harry Potter 1, 2 and 5. SPEAKING OF HARRY POTTER. I want to see it SO BADLY. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. SERIOUSLY. My brother didn’t like it. Gah, my brother left for wilderness camp today for a month. ;__; I miss him so much!

But while we’re on the subject of movies, I must proceed to writing my review of the GOKUSEN MOVIE, which I saw! Allow me to conclude this particular post.

I MISS MY FRIENDS.

Love always,

Emma?

Manga Stereotypes VS. Reality

This particular post shall be updated regularly, based on my discoveries:

- Japanese girls do, in fact, confess their love on a regular basis. Guys do too, just more infrequently.

- Japanese male and female students DO NOT TALK TO EACH OTHER IN SCHOOL. Seriously. (Kenta confirmed this. Crazy, right?)

- Japanese girls are terrified of bugs. ALL bugs. This includes butterflies.

- Japanese girls are WAY CUTER than any girls in America. Too bad. D:

- Japanese guys have awesome, crazy-styled hair, but be warned: If you touch it, you are at risk of certain death. Unless you’re a gaijin like me and can get away with anything. :D

- Japanese male students engage in the following with each other, regardless of actual sexual orientation: butt-slapping, man-hugging, lap-sitting, arm-linking, hand-holding, moob-groping… (list to be updated).

- Japanese cell phones weigh a good ten pounds each, only one of which is the actual phone itself. The rest of the weight is cell phone straps/charms/other dangly things.

- Similar to American boys, Japanese boys have ungodly bad handwriting (See: SHOUGO).

- Japanese student council members are OBSCENELY attractive. LIKE IN THAT ONE MANGA WHERE THE STUDENT COUNCIL WAS 100% SEXY. It’s no joke.

- Melon bread is not considered desert. It’s considered a meal. Wut.

- Japanese cafeteria lunches are DELICIOUS, and far more satisfying than greasy pizza at SAMO.

- Maid cafes exist.

- Host clubs exist.

- Female students who choose to wear the male uniform, for whatever reason, also exist.

(TBC…?)

Gaijin Day!

I’m posting this a few days late, but that’s okay. :D So, last weekend at the temple/castle thing, all of us ryugakusei (more common word for gaijin, though I might have spelled it wrong) decided that we’d meet up the following Thursday for an afternoon of debauchery. Not really, but anyway, Thursday rolled around, and though our planning was iffy, we managed. For whatever reason, Minato’s ryugakusei (me, Taylor and Brian) had no sixth period, so we went out to the puny sports field and tossed around a tennis ball for a while. Then the soccer team came out, and seemed to be waiting for us to finish, so we hustled off the field to go and get drinks. Only then did we discover that all of our classes were gathered in the cafeteria preparing for college. Taylor and I saw Ryota through the doorway, and started waving like maniacs. It was cute, ‘cause he looked really embarrassed and smiled and mini-waved back.

Brian had gone to Ishikawacho station, where the other YFU students had said they’d meet us, and he brought them back to our school. Olivia immediately demanded to see Shougo (it is Shougo*, not Shogo), but he was in the cafeteria rather than playing volleyball. Sad. :< I <3 Olivia, she makes me laugh. :D Not to mention she finds me extremely hilarious, which is a first. >.>

So anyway, we all walked back to Ishikawacho with the intention of going to Sakuragicho for Pokemon and an amusement park. It was me, Taylor, Brian, Olivia, Colin, Caden, and Samantha (we later met up with Frankie and her host sister at Queen’s Square).

The Pokemon Center was, as usual (this being my third trip there), SPECTACULAR, and I managed to knock of 90% of my gift purchases, not to mention flaunt an awesome Pikachu hat. Oh yes. I has a Pikachu hat. When we left the store, we decided on a photo op and posed for several pictures via several cameras. It must have been destiny that we stayed there for so long, because right when we were about to leave, these two Japanese students ran out carrying my orange Japan diary (which I had apparently forgotten when I took it out to check off gifts), yelling “Matte, matte!” I NEARLY DIED. WHAT IF I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT. Because in case I haven’t mentioned, that diary contains ALL of my memories not seen on this blog, not to mention Purikura, Yumiko’s obento notes, the gift list, etc. etc. So I basically kissed the feet of these two school girls. Yeah. THANK GOD FOR LOUSY LIGHTING AND PICTURE RETAKES.

Oh, and while we were posing, this guy in a Laker’s jersey walked by, and we all kind of started muttering about him out of curiosity, and he must have heard, because before he walked into the PokeCenter he nodded to us with a smile and said, “Sup,” to which we all replied with screeching laughter and an exaggerated group “SUUUUUUUP.” It was awesome.

Next was the hippie store, which I chose to refrain from entering, because it was so damn hot and we’d already been there several times. Brian showed me pictures of all the girls at school he likes, and I showed him my video of volleyball practice and my super blurry picture of Shougo.  Then Caden walked over and we all chatted ‘till the rest were finished browsing. Caden said this really sweet thing about guys thinking they’d have no chance with me, and I dunno if he was kidding, but it made my day. >_> It also made me go WTF WHY but still. D:

So, we left Queen’s Square intending to go to the nearby amusement park, but found that we’d picked THE WORST POSSIBLE DAY TO GO. It was July 9, which was the first day of this amusement park’s break period. D: Way to go, us. But the one amusing thing was that in front of the amusement park was a whole pack of wild cats being fed by this one guy. Now, I’m not a fan of cats, or the stench of their food, but it was still interesting.

So we gave up on Sakuragicho and took the train to Yokohama station for melon soda and Purikura. We enjoyed awesome cheese-flavored fries, too. The Purikura was fun, but it was kind of a bummer because Olivia had to leave right when we were editing the pictures, so we all kind of parted ways suddenly. ;< It’s okay though, ‘cause I got to take the train home to Futamatagawa with Samantha, who is AWESOME. Seriously, we sat and talked about boys and high school and all that jazz, and frankly, she can relate to me more than most people I’ve talked to. And yeah. I definitely <3 Samantha, and we’re definitely going to hang out more. :D

Yeah. Gaijin day was wicked. Oh, and I forgot to mention that when everybody showed up at my school, the entire upperclassmen basketball team started staring and gaping in awe. Ooooh yeah, hot senpai all the way. ;D Olivia and I also had a consistent problem trying to keep our skirts down in the crazy wind. The last few days have been REALLY windy. Srsly.

K, that’s it for gaijin day. GAIJIN, I LOVE YA.

<3 Always,

Emma?

Shogo + Birthday Wishes!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, so. Volleyball guy. Today, I attended Volleyball Club practice after school, mostly so I could hang around and flaunt my skirt in front of him while showing off my albeit rusty volleyball skills. The first awesome thing that happened that afternoon was when Brian picked up a volleyball and said to me, “This one’s for you, Emma! Watch it hit the wall!” Then he proceeded to throw the volleyball ACROSS THE GYM. Never mind the wall, the volleyball soared INTO THE BASKETBALL NET, SWISH. Everybody started screaming and Brian yelled several inappropriate swear words. IT WAS BASICALLY AMAZING.

Then.

Okay.

This next part made my day.

So, shortly before practice started, I was sitting on the floor, rifling through my wallet to go and get a drink with Taylor from the vending machines, and Taylor was standing in the door way. Suddenly she muttered, “Emma, don’t look.” So, naturally, I looked immediately over my shoulder and saw Volleyball Guy removing his shirt. Can you say OH YES?! Seriously, he wasn’t like, generic Japanese skinny. He had some BOD. I looked away swiftly, so as not to seem like a creeper, but, being me, I looked back a moment later, and YOU GUESSED IT, THE PANTS DROPPED TOO. So here was this super attractive volleyball-playing high school male who had blown me a kiss at an earlier date, and he was standing in the middle of a gym wearing nothing but blue plaid boxers.

It was EXTREMELY difficult to refrain from giggling, especially when he looked around, saw me, yelled “OI!” while laughing, and proceeded to scramble away.

Yeah.

That definitely made my day. Taylor’s, too.

Kenta told me Volleyball Guy’s name is Shogo, like Shugo from //.hack. :D And he’s the captain, apparently. And as it turns out, he’s like, my perfect guy. It’s really too bad he LIVES IN JAPAN. :< Seriously. It was so sweet. During warm ups, he paired himself with Ryuya, who’s really new to the sport and lacks upper body strength, so he isn’t very good. So when Ryuya would mess up, Shogo would be really patient with him, laugh it off, and demonstrate the appropriate technique. Not to mention he led the team in their really weird Japanese warm-up cheers (“FIIIIIGHT OH” “HAI” “FIGHT” “HAI” “OH” “HAI”!), and seriously, he never gave up on Ryuya. Also the mere fact that he plays volleyball is wickedly awesome, especially since he totally kicks butt at it. Yeah.

Don’t forget HE BLEW ME A KISS. I won’t get over that, honestly. >__>;;

I’ll take a picture eventually, and I probably won’t upload ‘till I get back, but oh well. Just know that, like most of the males who have formerly held my heart, I wasn’t immediately attracted to him. It took a while. :D He’s unconventional, my favorite! <3 EXCEPT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF I HAD FIGURED ALL OF THIS OUT BEFORE IT WAS MY LAST WEEK. D; I end school next Tuesday. I tried to ask for an extension, but no luck.

Moving on.

♥ ♥ ♥ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC BAUM! <3 In Japan, it is July 8th and I believe it is in America, too, except it’s like 5 AM on July 8th. xD Papa, I love you, and I respect you more than any man in the whole world, because you never cease to be an amazing, genuinely dedicated human being. In the past year, I think we’ve become especially close, and I’m glad, because you always make me feel like a better human being than I am. You’re the greatest father a girl could ask for, despite our occasional family difficulties. You’re the reason I’m in Japan right now, and you’re a huge part of the reason why I can’t wait to come home. :] I hope you have an awesome birthday, and keep sending me letters! <3 I miss you, and I’ll see you soon! (Also, I’m sorry your birthday note followed an entire essay about a boy! Really, I probably should have thought this through! xD) HAPPY BIRTHDAY I LOVE YOU DADDY! <3333 ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ Also, HAPPY ALSO BIRTHDAY ANDY! :D I totally forgot you have the same birthday as my dad. xD I would write a paragraph about how much I adore you, too, but that might make you feel a bit awkward, so I won’t. I ADORE YOU BUDDY, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER. <3 Have an awesome birthday, I’ll buy you something at the PokeCenter! They didn’t have Bidoof figurines, sorry (NOBODY CARES ABOUT BIDOOF, SORRY)! Ily loads. :D ♥

I hear Moo is having a party this weekend! ;_____; SNIFF. I WANNA GO. *cries* I hope my friends aren’t having too much fun without meeeee. I miss you guys so much. I seriously can’t wait to come home. SCREW JAPAN, I LIKE MY FRIENDS BETTER. >.> Can’t believe I just wrote that, but it’s true! <3 ILY ALL!

Family, I love you! Mother, brother, canine friends, I miss you! BUWONI BABU I WUB YU. :D

Love always,

Emma?