News

It’s been a while again, right? Well, at least this time I warned, I think…

A hell of a lot has changed these past few months, and a lot has changed back to its original situation… Don’t worry, I’m still living in Japan! Come to think of it, maybe not a hell of a lot, at least if compared to the last “long time no see” type of post.

To start with, I’m actually using my time on the shinkansen to update this thing. I’m on my way to a long weekend out of town, that that was supposed to be a romantic getaway. Well, it’s gonna be one getaway with myself, if you know what I mean… My time, my plans, and since we broke up, I decided I was still going to Tokyo this weekend, following my own rules (y’know, dorms and stuff). I ain’t changed a’right

Also, got a new house. So, during the summer there was summer romance and moving to a different house. BTW, SOB didn’t help with the moving, but crashed there as soon as I assembled my brand new double bed… I know, I was dumb not to have read in between the lines.

The new house, though, is amazing… Feels almost too good for me! It’s a semi detached with bike and car parking place and shared backyard. Same rent as my previous super right (company) house. This one is almost 3 times the space, pet friendly, free parking and internet, and super quiet. The downside is it’s 15 minutes from the train station, but I’mma get a bike anyway, and bike to work like a real Japanese! Ah, wait, I’m not Japanese (I guess my heart is, though…)

With all these adventures, there was no time left for drawing (literally, I had to furnish the whole place as my previous one was furnished by the company, so I had no furniture or appliances… only a futon), but after the break up, I eventually got back to it. This being said, I promise my next post will be already about drawing, and I ain’t taking another couple of months to update this (I guess…)

Drawing attempt

Tags

Drawing, Satoh Takeru, 佐藤健

Hi there,

This may well be my last drawing attempt post in a long time. Lately I’ve been busy studying Japanese harder than ever for a very personal reason, and every little time off I have goes straight into studying.

I know my problem is, simply put, lack of confidence in my own skills. I’ve been reading and writing a lot, for those very personal reasons, and I realized that I know waaaay more than I thought I did. But I need to get past that fear of speaking and become able of holding a conversation as soon as possible, so lately my free time has been studystudystudy and barely anything else!

That being said, here are the two drawings I didn’t post last week.

I’ll sure miss drawing, but if everything goes right, I will not regret it.

Well, y’all, see you around!

じゃー、またねー!

Same as usual… or is it?

Tags

るろうに剣心, 緋村剣心, Drawing, Fanart, Himura Kenshin, RuroKen, rurouni kenshin, Satoh Takeru, 佐藤健

Hi there,

Here goes the usual Sunday post, I guess…

This was another crazy week, but this time it was work related. Funny thing, on Sunday I joined a Yoga meeting just to recharge, as I had a weird feeling the week was going to be tough… I was right!

To cut things short, it basically meant that there was someone absent every day, which is a huge blow on an already understaffed team. But they do say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I swear I’m not writing from the other side, so… I even lost almost 2kg this week!!

That being said, obviously I’d get home waaay too tired to even think of drawing, so there’s only the one I drew yesterday, though I haven’t posted last week’s drawings. Yet, I’m so proud of yesterday’s drawing that I have to post it already, and give it the spotlight!

To put it short… remember this:

Drawn on April 10th

I was so impressed with my drawings lately (you’ll see what I mean next week) that I decided to give it a try, again. Context (original photo):

Aaand now, the one drawn yesterday. Drum roll please 🥁🥁🥁😅

Drawn on May 27th

In a little over 1.5 months, this is where I got… I wish my discouraging arts teachers would see this now, after having bashed me for having no talent for drawing when I was a kid… As in anything, practice makes perfect, and I still think there’s a lot to improve on this latter one, but this happened by drawing 2/3 times a week over 1.5 months, not even a full school term in Portugal.

So kids, here’s the lesson (from a teacher, btw): if ever a teacher tells you you’re not good at whatever they are teaching, screw them, for they aren’t good for teaching either and yet someone somehow allowed them to do so. A teacher who discourages students is not worthy of that noble title!

(woah, this took a philosophical turn at the end, huh?! better finish here already…)

じゃー、またねー

Drawing attempt #?

Tags

100万回言えばよかった, Arts, Drawing, 鳥野直木, Fanart, j-drama, j-ent, Nouvelles, Satoh Takeru, Torino Naoki, Why didn't I tell you a million times, 佐藤健

Hello there,

What a busy week! I was completely dead on Friday, to the point I fell asleep on the train, like my old college days. Lucky me, just like then mine is the last station, so if I don’t wake up immediately, someone will wake me up anyway (not that it was needed, though!).

That being said, there was no drawing during the week (hell, I almost fell asleep on Friday during episode 3 of 100万回言えばよかった – Why didn’t I tell you a million times – and that NEVER happens! I always cry like a baby during Naoki’s background sequence, by the end of the episode). But I did watch Takeru’s 謎解き (nazotoki) last Wednesday on TBS. Gosh darn it, the man is an amazing actor, incredibly handsome, and smart as hell, I’m always at a loss trying to follow his reasoning (though language can be an issue for me here) and mesmerized at his explanation.

Well, for today, there’s no nazotoki drawing, but I’ll leave with three of my favorites. Enjoy!

I call this one Naoki’s Tears. It’s based on the very last act of 100万回言えばよかった. And yes, I’m aware I forgot to do the shading in his nose!

Oof, can you resist those eyes? Based on the cover of Takeru’s photobook Nouvelles. BTW, he must have been 21 years old when this picture was taken 😱😅

The shading here amazes me every time. I love how pure and innocent he looks here, almost like a little boy. Based on a screenshot of one of his YouTube videos and yes, he’s in his 30s here.

Well, enough for this week!

じゃー、またねー。

Drawing attempt #5

Tags

Drawing, Fanart, Satoh Takeru, 佐藤健

Hi there,

Even though this week was filled with strange moments worth commenting here, I ended up not making any post until now. I guess I’m mostly using this old spot for my drawings, anyway 😊

Also, since I’m watching ごめんね青春 on Netflix (Saving my Stupid Youth in English), episodes are the usual 40-45 mins, which added to two episodes of 幽遊白書 (Netflix uses the English title Ghost Files, but I’ve always referred to it as Yu Yu Hakusho, so…) over dinner and the weird laughable moments I went through, I barely even had time to draw this week.

But fear not, I still have stuff to share, so here they are. I personally enjoy these, so…

Even though I myself admit there’s something off about Takeru’s forehead on the second, I love he whole eye-lips set. I honestly love how the red eyeshadow and lipstick bring out his sharp features, so I admit I kinda exaggerated those two when coloring…

And now, to my personal favorite for this week (which is again no longer my favorite 😄)

Eeeermmm… Sorry, no words are coming out… Gomen ne 😅

Well, most probably, this is see you next week 😊

またねー

Drawing attempt #4

Tags

Arts, Drawing, j-ent, Satoh Takeru

Hi there,

After all, this week was not as artistically productive as I thought it would be, and I ended up only adding three portraits and one self-portrait to my collection. But that trip to Kyoto… I just had to do it, even if not fully recovered from my cold.

But before moving on to the drawings, I have to show you this…

届いた、届いた、届いた❣
My brand new Caran D’Ache Prismalo Aquarelle 😍

So, yeah, I had to test them right as they arrived on Sunday last week. My self-portrait was already colored with them, but I did that yesterday. Here it is:

Now, to the usual Sunday theme. These two were drawn and colored before my new Caran D’Ache arrived:

Aaaaaand this one right on the day they arrived! Even the drawing itself seems to have improved, for some reason!

Geez, I just love how his eyes turned out here. Just as pure and intense as the original. Btw, after this one, every new drawing has replaced the previous one as my favorite, but you’ll see why next Sunday!

Enjoy 😊

じゃー、またねー

Kyoto (が大好き)

Tags

Japan, Kyoto, life, recap, Travel

Hi there,

Nope, I’m still not 100% recovered, thanks for asking. But I couldn’t spend the whole time at home. Also, I still hadn’t been to Kyoto, which was one of my priority places to visit in Japan, so I thought… why not now?

It was just a 2-day trip, but I can’t wait to go back! I immediately felt at home as soon as I set foot there. I felt history in every single step I took. For some reason, in my head, as I strolled around that whole area around Kamo river (I’m talking the whole area involving Kawaramachi-dori, Kiyamachi-dori, Yamatooji-dori, and Hanamikoji-dori), I kept imagining all the fighting which took place on those streets that eventually led to the Japan we know today. Every step I took, some memory of some battle, assassination, all deeply carved in that city. I just wish I had had more time to explore further! There’s this mix of stuck in time and moving towards the future that I simply cannot explain. Eventually I couldn’t help but feel that I had found my soul there, and I proclaimed Kyoto my soul city, whatever that means!

Don’t be fooled, that was just a small part of my trip, though.

Merely 40 minutes away from Nagoya by shinkansen, I could leave my place at around 8am and be there before 9.30! It takes longer to go from my place to Nagoya station! First stop, Kinkaku-ji, a must if you’re visiting Kyoto in such a tight schedule. Then, Nijo Castle. That was when I looked at the watch and realized I had to make a choice: I’d either head to the next place and have lunch afterwards (around 5.30pm), or get something to eat and skip one of the attractions I wanted to visit. Eventually I decided to leave Kyoto International Manga Museum for my next trip, and have some lunch (mind you, I’m the kind of person who reads every single piece of information and observes everything in detail wherever I go, thus meaning that I took almost 5 hours to visit those two spots alone! Also, my feet were already killing me, as I hadn’t stopped since I had left the train at Emmachi station. Yes, I walked my way from the station to the temple, even though there was a bus every 5 minutes or so. And yes, I walked my way from Kinkaku-ji to Nijo castle, too.

Kinkaku-ji

Nijo Castle

Bonus

Nope, that’s not the original Ikedaya, but it still felt right to see this. On the exact same spot. Next time, I’ll surely be eating there. (Also, it gave me hope that I’d still be crossing paths with, say, Sakamoto Ryoma-dono. Or maybe… Okada Izo? aka Hitokiri Izo? Didn’t happen, though…)

The big advantage of being so close to Nagoya was that I didn’t have to worry much about what time to take the Shinkansen, as long as I could take the last Linimo to my place (around 11.50pm, I think). So day 2 started at Honno-ji for several reasons, but the most obvious… I wanted to see the real Sakabato used by Satoh Takeru as Himura Kenshin. There, I said it. But I never hid my otaku self, have I? And I was so excited, I got there at 8h45am. The temple opened at 9am! And woke up at 5am to go to the toilet, which never happens, and couldn’t get back to sleep…

Then, I was in for a softer day with less walking… or so I thought… Next stop, Fushimi Inari Taisha. I was so fascinated by how peaceful it felt (despite the huge crowd) I ended up going for the full tour, and climbed up Mount Inari. In jeans. And a panda hoodie. And my ONE OK ROCK bag. But it felt so right! I even had a dorama-like moment with this ikemen idol-like handsome guy, but that’s personal The funny thing was when on my way down, I crossed paths with one of my friends who was there with his dad who had come to visit him, a little over six months after he had left his country. I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous, as when I left Portugal, my father’s last words to me were “I said I’ll never go to that place, not even to pay you a visit”. And my mother keeps making up excuses, even though she said she would come someday. Thankfully, as soon as I started walking again, jealousy turned into happiness for my friend. And I ended up praying none of my friends would ever feel this emptiness I carry with me the whole time. The reason why even today I struggle to trust other people. But enough with that, I may have said too much, already.

Again, I found myself having to drop something from my plans, as I had spent way longer than I expected at Fushimi Inari Taisha, but there was still time for Sanjusangen-do, the home of the 1001 Kannon. Well, when I left the temple, I couldn’t help but notice that the ticket office was closed already, though.

Honno-ji

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Sanjusangen-do

Geez, can’t wait to go back to Kyoto. It truly felt so peaceful there, like home!

Oh well…

行ってきまぁーす

またねー

Drawing attempt #3

Tags

Drawing, Satoh Takeru, Torino Naoki

Hi there,

Let’s go back to business and talk drawing again. Like I said yesterday, this was a tough week recovering from a pretty nasty cold that left me almost voiceless. Unfortunately, that was not the only symptom, and I may tell you that most of the days I’d get home, eat something for dinner and go straight to bed just to try to hold it to the weekend. Ironically, I started feeling better on Friday and right now all I have is a hoarse voice, some coughing, some sneezing, and a stuffed nose.

That being said, there was no drawing this week. Yet, I still have something in store that I can share with you, so here goes! Enjoy 😊

I must admit I’m not very happy with either of these. There’s something off about the eyes on the first one (waaay too big) that won’t let me see anything else. On the second, I can help but feel the whole chin/jaw area was traced with the wrong marker and it’s way too sharp. Though I do love how the arm/hand/rose turned out.

btw, yesterday I went crazy and got myself the 80- piece box of Caran D’Ache Prismalo Aquarelle from Amazon. It’s arriving today… Can’t wait to test them!!! 😁

Voice

Tags

Lyrics, Music

Hi there!

This post will sound like irony, on a week I’m recovering from a pretty nasty cold that’s left me almost… voiceless, but after laughing my stitches out while listening to (and desperately trying to sing) this song for the very first time in my life (the laughing part, let’s make it clear. I can usually sing it to perfection, when I don’t start crying around the bridge), I thought it was high time I went back to posting some songs now and then as I did when I first started this blog, almost 20 years ago (that made me feel frickin old, damnit).

Here’s to “Voice” by Pay Money to my Pain ft TAKA. Enjoy

😭😭😭

No, you’re crying 😢

There are a few songs that get me every time… This is one of them.

Btw, lyrics for you:

Through all of this noise
Chasing a shadow
Why looking for answers, just leaves a question?
Behind the notes
And outside the lines
What you left behind
What I feel inside
I hear your voice…

鳴り響いた　何かを知らすためのサイレン
ほら　今日もここにはまだ　気づかぬふりして歩く人
過ぎゆく時の中に　僕らは何を見つけだして
まだ見ぬ未来に何を抱くことができる?

Through all of this noise
Chasing a shadow
Why looking for answers, just leaves a question?
Behind the notes
And outside the lines
What you left behind
What I feel inside
I hear your voice…

鳴り終わる　その音はその後もまだ僕らのカラダん中
残響が埋め尽くしている
そこから聞こえてくるモノは言葉やメロディではなくて
今も僕の中で生きている彼の声

Through all of this noise
Chasing a shadow
Why looking for answers, just leaves a question?
Behind the notes
And outside the lines
What you left behind
What I feel inside

We are your voice
We are still with you
When you can’t speak, with so much to say
More than a word
More than a melody
What you left behind
What I feel inside
I hear your voice…

Through all of this noise
Chasing a shadow
Why looking for answers, just leaves a question

Behind the notes
And outside the lines
What you left behind
What I feel inside
We are your voice
We are still with you
When you can’t speak, with so much to say
More than a word
More than a melody
What you left behind
What I feel inside

We’re not alone…

Through all of this noise
Chasing a shadow
Why looking for answers, just leaves a question?
Behind the notes
And outside the lines
What you left behind
What I feel inside

We are your voice
We are still with you
When you can’t speak, with so much to say
More than a word
More than a melody
What you left behind
What I feel inside

Drawing attempt #2

Tags

Arts, Drawing, Entertainment, Romeo, Satoh Takeru, Torino Naoki

Hi there,

sorry for the late post, but this was a short weekend for me: I had work yesterday morning and I must admit I’m feeling a bit under the weather today… Sore throat, stuffed nose… even my head is feeling heavier than usual. 風邪ですか？

For those reasons, there was no drawing today, but there are still a few I haven’t posted. Enjoy

Ah, I can’t help it… Here’s one of my favorites… It was dethroned by yesterday’s drawing, but this Romeo still makes my heart skip a beat or two:

There’s more to come, but for the time being let’s stick to these three. Honestly, I’m dying to go to sleep right now, so that’s pretty much it for today.