Leslie Loves Veggies Giveaway!

One of my fav sites is doing another fantastic giveaway...this time for yummy and gluten free cookies by Lucy!! http://www.drlucys.com/.

The giveaway can be found HERE

Good luck all!

Leslie Loves Veggies

Just letting people know that one of my favorite bloggers is doing an exciting giveaway!

Cedar's Mediterranean Foods Prize Package Giveaway
Win a Prize Package containing a set of 12 totally FREE product coupons from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods - 3 Winners Giveaway at Leslie Loves Veggies Ends 2/4
Check it out here

While your there you should check out her other giveaways! =)

Why Paramount Pictures won't get my money.

You probably have already gotten a good picture about what I mean...

In the summer of 2008, as my husband and I were preparing for our move to Japan, we found this TV show called 'Avatar The Last Airbender' I remember hearing that the show was amazing, despite being a cartoon, originally geared toward children on the Nickelodeon station. By the time I saw it, the show had completed its run, so after returning to America in 2009, my husband and I rented the DVDs and immensely enjoyed the story Avatar told.
My interpretation of the show-
A boy name Aang from a Buddhist temple in some place like Nepal is chosen to be the next Avatar. He is the one person who is able to learn the ancient art of ‘bending’ of each of the four countries or cultures of the story’s world. The four nations each had the ability to ‘bend’ one of the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, or Water. It was clear to me from the beginning that the all the nations were representation of Asian cultures, except Water, which represented the Inuit people or Eskimos. Fire nation is clearly Chinese, Earth is Korea, Air is Nepal. Each nation had warriors gifted in the use of ‘bending’ and used martial arts, clearly another culturally Asian practice. The people in the world of the TV show all read Chinese characters as well, completing the 100% Asian vibe of the show.

When I heard about Paramount Pictures making a motion picture of the TV show I loved I was ecstatic and immediately ran to learn who would play the roles of the characters I had loved on the show. I quickly came to realize that I could not watch this clearly racist movie. You heard me right, RACIST. I learned that all of the main characters, were to be played by white people. Even worse, at one point the main ‘villain’ of the show would be played by Jesse McCarthy…blond haired blue eyes pop singer, far from the Chinese Zuko of the show. When Jesse McCarthy was able to make the shooting dates as a result of tour date conflicts, the role of the villain Zuko was given to Dev Patel of Indian ancestry. That’s right, now all the good guys were white people, NOT Asian as in the popular TV show, but also the main villain, and now in fact the entire ‘bad’ nation are the only people of color in the film. This is just horrible. Are American and international audiences unable to accept Asian actors as hero’s and main character? I don’t believe this to be true, but I believe that Paramount Pictures thinks that casting white actors would be best.

Though I really wanted to watch this movie, I can not bear to support this company's racist actions by paying to see this film. I see this movie as teaching Americans a number of wrong messages. The TV show had it all right, the movie has it all wrong, and it is a true shame.


I soon found an organization that is protesting The Last Airbender movie and hopes to show Paramount Pictures that what they have done is indeed wrong. I hope other people will choose not to support this movie as I, and those at www.racebending.com, have.

Racebending Binder

Best Buy GC anyone?

Parent Trend is working with Underwriters Laboratories to encouraging fireplace safety in the home this holiday season. After reading the helpful tips below be sure to go to Parent Trend's website and comment to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card.

1.Do NOT hang stockings in front of a burning fire. Remove them before using the fireplace.
2. Keep combustible materials such as greenery away from possible flames.
3. Be sure that your tree is 3+ feet away from the fireplace, radiator or heater.
4. Be sure to keep out of reach of children and extinguish any time you leave the room.
5. Recycle wrapping paper, NEVER throw it in the fire place!

HP Computer Giveaway

As some of you know, my current computer is broken. It gets way to hot, has the loudest and most ineffective fan, and the broken back light often results in not being able to see anything on the screen. It is frustrating to need or want a computer but not really have the funds to buy one. Good news! There are several blogs you can sign up to possibly win a new HP computer. The new touchSmart600 from HP...very cool!

If you want to try and win one like I hope to, you can visit Totally Together Reviews or Kelly's Reviews or Boo Mama or Mckmama

Isn't that cool! Good luck to all who enter. =)

FUJI Q!!

Fuji Q! click it! They played this video all over the park.

I went to Fuji Q Highland Amusement Park in April...I know its June and I am just now talking about it...oh well.

I went with Kim and Beth, other ALTs from Hokuto, at around 9am Saturday morning. I had fun having a girls day out.


I went on this thing

Eejanaika, 249 feet tall, 78.3 mph. Opened in 2006, it is only the second "4th Dimension roller coaster" ever built (the first being X² at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California). As a "4th dimension" roller coaster its seats can rotate 360 degrees forward or backward in a controlled spin, thus allowing Eejanaika to invert 14 different times, even though the actual track inverts only three times. It surpasses the first built "4th dimension" roller coaster, X², in both height and speed. (according to Wikipedia)
...never again. I like traditional roller coasters. The ones that you sit down in a cart and they drop while your stomach reaches for your throat and you get those negative Gs going. This 4th dimension stuff was a bit out there for me. Therefore, we then went on this
Fujiyama, 259 feet tall, 80.8 mph. Opened in 1996, it was once the world's tallest roller coaster. As of 2007 it is the world's 8th tallest, 5th longest, and 10th fastest roller coaster.(Wikipedia)
Fujiyama was by far my favorite ride. It was a traditional style roller coaster with all the drops and negative Gs a girl could want, and it was EXTREME! =P

Here is a better pic

Later on we went on Dodonpa, 170 feet tall, 106.9 mph. Opened in 2001, it was then the world's fastest roller coaster. As of 2007 it is the 3rd fastest in the world but still has the highest acceleration at launch time.(Wikipedia). This was a good rush. The launch reminded me of a Jet taking off. I think, if I could ever convince my mom to get on a roller coaster, this would be the one she would like.



your looking at the tunnel you get shot out of to reach those crazy speeds, and in the background is Mt. Fuji. I wish I could have taken a picture of Fuji while on Dodonpa, it was amazingly beautiful then.

Last, but not least, let us not forget about having a nice refreshing Snow Corn while visiting Fuji Q! I haven't taken a picture of this, but in Japan corn dogs are called "American Dog". Don't know how they got Snow corn for shaved ice but this is Japan. =P

28 Days!!

Hi all three of you who read my blog. I know it has been a while since I wrote. I was planning to write about my trip to FujiQ amusement park in April....and then never did. Then I was planning to write about my trips to Tokyo and Kyoto in May...and clearly that did not happen either. When I get access to my computer and pictures (Matt is currently using my computer) I will do a quick write up on those events.
So for now you can read my ramblings on Part 1- funny Japanese commercials I get stuck in my head and Part 2- how I feel about the move from Japan in 28 days!!

PART 1

First are these Fanta commercials-working in a JHS in Japan has made these even more funny to me!
FANTA

I especially like the soap opera teacher and DJ teacher. =P

Next up are the Pretz Commercials!! The sumo guys are great but I like the creepy commerical at the end the most, the song gets stuck in my head. Oh, the girl is saying something along the lines of "open you month wide and munch" Hey AN AN!

PART 2
Matt and I will be leaving Japan in 28 days. Though I am sad to leave some of the people I have met in Japan, and I will miss some aspects of the Japanese culture, I am ready to move on to our next EPIC ADVENTURE!!! =P
Now that we have a place to live in Rochester, NY, I am more excited about the move. The neighborhood we are living in, Southwedge, appears to be the closest thing to Asheville as we can get in NY, that is a big plus for me.
I still have some fears about our move. The biggest fear I have is making friends. How does one go about making friends?!!? There are all these really fun events happening in Rochester when we get there , hopefully I will be able to meet people at these events.
This will be my first time moving to a new city, not knowing a soul, and not having an organization to integrate me into a community right away. When I moved to Asheville I had the University and all the social events as a freshman to meet people. When Matt and I moved to Japan we had the JET program and our local social organization for foreigners in Japan, YETI. In Rochester Matt will have the University, but I am an outsider there as well./(end)pity party. It is pretty intimidating moving like we are, but hopefully I will be able to find some friends in Southwedge. =)

Owarimasho (let's finish!)