Sara

[color=#6699CC]I cannot comprehend that any parent would send their child to a place like this. [/color]

[color=#6699CC]Gummi Bears (Goldbären!) are awesome. :) I'm a huge sucker for melt-in-your-mouth foreign chocolate. Mimmi sent me some scrumptious chocolate wafers a few months ago--dear [i]goodness[/i]. The best chocolate you can get in America is Seroogy's. They supply chocolate bars ($1 each) for fundraisers. And good gosh. You could pay for a trip to the moon selling that chocolate. It is so good. [/color]

[quote name='Sui Generis][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][COLOR=Indigo]Also there is another thought. It is believed that when you are first born you are born with every sound any language possesses. Thats why babies will make so many funny noises. They're grouping together sounds, but as they develope a fluency in one language the brain will push out the extra information and sounds. This theory is meant to explain why it is/would be so difficult for an average american to just look at Japanese writing and speak it as fluently as a native japanese. (Assuming the language rules were understood.)[/font'][/color][/quote]Interesting addition to that: While I think it's nonsense that we somehow lose the ability to make certain sounds as we grow older (the ability is still there--I am convinced that some day I will be able to trill my damned r's again), it [i]is[/i] interesting what sounds people do and do not distinguish. What we [i]think[/i] we say is largely influenced by spelling: Say "tomato." Now whether you say to-MAY-to or to-MAH-to, listen to the second 't' that you're saying. Is it really a t? For most native English speakers, it isn't. It's actually closer to a 'd.' (I think it's actually a 'tap' or a 'flap,' but the exact nature of the sound escapes me at the moment.) When you have a 't' between two voiced vowels, it gets closer and closer to a 'd.' (A 'd' is just a voiced 't,' much like a 'b' is a voiced 'p,' a 'g' is a voiced 'k,' etc.) As another example, I'm looking at some Hindi stuff before school starts in the fall. Hindi differentiates between aspirated and unaspirated consonants. What does that mean? Well, it means that 'kh' is different from 'k.' (The 'h' represents a release of air.) The words "Khat" and "Kat" (assuming that they are words, I haven't the slightest) would mean completely different things. For an example of aspiration, say 'pot.' Now, say 'spot.' There's a difference in how much air you release ('pot' is aspirated, 'spot' is not.) (If you can't tell the difference, it helps to hold a strip of paper in front of your mouth--it will move more on the aspirated sound.) For people learning a new language, grasping the actual [i]sounds[/i] is important. I know people who have been in German who still can't get the thick "kh" sound in Bach--they just don't realise that it's a different sound than what they're used to. My linguistics classes have helped a lot with my grasp of languages, simply because I can put symbols to sounds that we don't use in English. (The 'kh' of Bach is represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [x])

[font=trebucht ms]There's actually quite a bit of interesting stuff about why it's so difficult to learn a non-native language. (Not necessarily a second language, since many people grow up bi-or multi-lingual, but a language other than one you learned to speak when you were young.) The generally accepted theory is that anything (language) you learn after a certain age will be difficult--why children can pick up a new language more easily than their parents. I forget the term for it, although I should know. Oh well. // There's also a difference between "learning" and "acquiring" a language. Think about it. You learned your first language without really [i]trying[/i]--you picked up and processed information from the speech of those around you. You definitely didn't need flashcards when you were beginning to talk. As for myself, I speak English. I took German for four years in High School, and will be starting my fourth and fifth Uni classes in it this fall. I'm also taking intro Hindi and Swedish classes. German is pretty easy for an English-speaker to get his mind around, because the structure is similar/simpler, and there are a buttload of cognates (words that are similar in multiple languages.) For example, [i]der Hund[/i] means [i]the dog.[/i] [i]Hound[/i] is another English word for Dog. [i]Die Katze[/i] is [i]the cat[/i], etc. At this point, I'm pretty confident with my ability to speak/write/read/understand. I know the grammar rules and all the (annoying) adjective endings. The only thing that gets me is the vocabulary--my German vocab is very (relatively) limited. I'm always at a loss, missing the crucial word to say what I want to say. It's frustrating. Finnish, I'm told, is a *****. It has many case forms (more than I want to think about). But I'm not really the expert on Finnish around here. If your interested, I'm sure you could harass Minako or Sage. :)[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Spare me your pity??give me compassion.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=#6699CC][b]When I want to go public, I'll stop posting on message boards and get to work.[/b] I love the title for this thread--like everyone here is flying just under the radar; latent talent biding time before taking off and making it big. :) I saw a quote once: [i]The best kind of fame is a writer's fame. Just enough to get a good table at a restaurant and not enough for someone to interrupt you while you are eating.[/i] That being said, it's all about your field of expertise. You know, being the sort of person who would be sought out and quoted for a National Geographic article on your field of choice. You'd have an impressive title, enough prestige to be found--if someone looked you up--and probably a field that included you, your biggest rival, and your best friend. You know, "Josefin Herzgovina, the world's leading equatorial subaqatic ornithologist and Founder-President of the Tropical Swimbird Society..." [/font][/color]

[quote name='Seijuro_Kasumi']New here, nihao! Although i am apart of TheOtaku.com. ^.^ hope to have lots of fun here.[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards! Enjoy your stay here. It's always good to see new members. I am going to close this thread--we once had a place for introduction threads, but they don't really fit anywhere anymore. Feel free to jump in and start posting, though. -Sara

[font=trebuchet ms]I had a crush on my (current, and only recently) boyfriend the day I met him... what, four years ago? We were in the drama program together his senior year of high school, and while I didn't admit it at the time (I didn't need to, actually, it turns out everyone kinda.... knew) I had a crush on him pretty badly. He asked another girl out. It was devastating (not really. I never expected to go out with him.) Anyway, we became friends, I got over it, and things were quite wonderful. Late last summer I realised I had a crush on him. Again. Oof. As I pointed out by referring to him as my boyfriend, we [i]are[/i] dating now. And it's great, I love it. But while I liked him from the moment I met him, it wasn't (and I would never call it) Love at First Site. In my opinion, you can certainly be attracted to someone on first site. And it's completely possibly that that attraction will develop into (or have a hand in moving along) a great relationship--friendship, dating relationship, come what may. But I think that while they can be related, they're not the same thing. Then, of course, there's Panda. And we all love her. So listen to her, maybe. After all, she's the one who married her LaFS. :)[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Not being an expert on suuch things, I really can't tell you. But in your situation, I probably would have done the same thing, heh. I'm a sucker for slimy beasts. Don't worry too much about what-ifs. If it makes you feel better, as long as you haven't seen the frog dead, it may well be alive. Shrödinger's cat, and all that jazz. ^_^[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Prom is a [b]huge[/b] deal here. All of the city high schools get together and have one huge bash afterwards, at a festival hall downtown. People arrive in crazy vehicles--limos are normal, but you can see firetrucks, ice cream trucks, tractors, golf carts... It's almost a contest to see who has the craziest ride. The walk down the 'red carpet' is televised, and people at home actually watch it. More people go downtown and sit in the bleachers that are set up, just to watch the vehicles arrive and people walk into the building. It is definitely [i]not[/i] "just another school dance." Of my friends Senior year, I only had two who were 'eligible' to go to Prom (and they ended up going with each other.) Most of my friends were a year older and had gone last year. While it would have been fun to go my junior year, with them, I didn't really want to go my senior year. So...I didn't. I hung out with a couple college-age friends, and had a great time. I [i]do[/i] know what you mean about being hounded by people. 90% of the 18-year-old population of my city goes to Prom, and you can bet I got some serious interrogation. Don't let it get to you, but don't be mean. People tried to set me up with dates, offered to lend me dresses, all sorts of stuff. And really, it was nice of them, but it made me feel very uncomfortable. And if I'd wanted to go, I wouldn't have needed a date or a dress. I went to Homecoming senior year (the only school dance I attended) alone, wearing jeans and flannel, and I had a blast. As I say in threads like these... Life is what you make it. Do what you want, do what you feel comfortable with. Have fun. :)[/font]

[quote name='Syk3]and [spoiler]him transforming into a tampoon and waiting in the girl's purse[/spoiler'])[/quote][font=Trebuchet MS]I cringed. Oh, God, did I cringe. >_< I giggled like mad at the Wonder Twins reference, and then I was like, "No. Oh, no. He did [i]not[/i]...he did. Wow." Or something to that effect. It was funny, but...wow. Ew. [/font]

[quote name='Ozymandius Jones][color=DarkOrange']One word: Goosebumps.[/color][/quote][font=Trebuchet MS]So I was going to be all like "haha, goosebumps from a movie trailer, what a loser" when I posted. And then I watched the trailer. And, dammit, I got goosebumps. *laughs* Serves me right, I s'pose. I remember hearing about this some time ago, but it slipped from my mind until I saw this thread. I have to admit that after the last Narnia movie I saw, it would be hard to be disappointed. Aslan. *happy sigh* Totally as an aside, but if anyone perusing hasn't read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I strongly recommend it. First book in a very lovable [strike]septagy[/strike] septet. [/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]If it's a pet of the avian variety, I strongly suggest Bakadori. That might just be me, however. :)[/font]

[quote name='Lady Dust']Everyone attack the 14 year old Japanese girl why don't you... :animesigh [/quote][font=trebuchet ms]No one is attacking you because you are a "14 year old Japanese girl." That has [i]nothing[/i] to do with any of the points here except your own. You are arguing, but nothing you say supports your arguments. Someone asked "Why shouldn't [the nature of war] be in the history books?" You replied with: " Ancient Civilizations and their Achievments, Art of the World, Other culture's achievments." That is not an answer to the question that was asked. [quote name='Lady Dust][i']And not teaching the events that my country of Japan did in the past is in fact doing good for the students. It's supposed to be sheltered from them because they will not likely to repeat again later on. Isn't that what history is about Godelnesensei?[/i][/quote] You grew up not knowing that World War Two had taken place. I don't understand why you think this is a good thing. I don't understand why you think "sheltering" students from historical facts is something that should be done. Something so overquoted I am reluctant to say it here, but I will: "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it." You suggest that [b]the events that Japan did...are supposed to be sheltered from students...because they will not likely to repeat again later.[/b] Your sentence is terribly ambiguous (The [i]events[/i] need to be sheltered from the [i]students[/i]? Who is the 'they' that 'will not likely to repeat again'?) My point here is not to pick apart your writing, but to try and understand what you are saying. Please, explain. What do you mean?[/font]

[QUOTE=Your Mother]First, I would get off the boat and walk down the street to the house of a samurai and subject myself to [B]GRUELING YEARS OF APPRENTICESHIP[/B] in order to become a warrior who will someday use his [B]ULTRA SUPER-POWERS[/B] to [B]SAVE THE WORLD[/B]. [B]AND BECOME THE STAR OF MY OWN ANIME SHOW.[/B] [/sarcasm][/QUOTE][font=trebuchet ms]*giggles* And I shall be the Shy Yet Attractive Girl Who Lives Next Door and constantly provides for Embarassing (But Strangely Cute) Awkward Situations! Ahem. It's never occurred to me to visit Japan, actually. Although of the options presented, I think wrist cutter's got it nailed down pretty well. If I were to go, I'd probably just do the tourist bit. Go shopping some place, get a couple T-shirts and send postcards to people. Buy stickers. You know, the usual.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]I am going to re-emphasize what Panda just said: [b]Keep it civil[/b], folks. If you'd like to give some input on the 'cereal box' line of conversation, bit your tongue (or perform the appropriate online equivalent.) PM someone if you must, but this isn't the place.[/font]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium][color=#808080]It might be possible to allow people to mass-submit things like summaries in the future (think GameFAQs and how they have multiple entries for one subject - ie: multiple reviews for one game). That kind of thing might be possible.[/color'][/font][/quote] [font=Trebuchet MS]Ah, this is something I wanted to bring up. Perhaps not immediately, as many hubs currently lack [i]any[/i] rating, but I would like to be able to see more than one review per anime. It seems...awkward, that such a member-oriented site would provide [i]one[/i] (almost definitive) review per anime.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]As mentioned, we really don't need a ton of threads about this topic--seek and ye will find. ;) Thread closed.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Having watched the video (it's available online), I have to say that I am extremely disappointed and upset with what took place. From the very begininng, I feel that the woman (I don't know if she is the teacher of the principal) went about things the wrong way. The girl was followed closely as she walked around an empty classroom (the other students having been made to leave) and told, constantly (almost as a refrain) "No, no, no, don't do that, that's unacceptable, we're not going to make a bigger mess, no, unacceptable." Despite the fact that this approach was [i]clearly not having an effect[/i], it was continued. That's not a problem, in and of itself, but [i]why[/i] was it continued? Anyone who has dealt with children knows that while they might not listen the first time, if they don't listen by the third, they aren't going to do so. What was the point of following her around and constantly scolding her? It really seems that the actions of the woman in the video were a matter of her own pride, rather than with the well-being of the child or resolution of the issue, in mind. To follow a five year old around, telling her to clean up a mess--well, first of all, if you [i]follow[/i] someone, they're going to keep moving. So of course, the girl continued to wander around the classroom. The girl made a mess. Yes, that's fine. Children do that, and it's fair that they should be made to clean up their messes. But when there is a temper tantrum involved, I think any intelligent person realises that there isn't going to be any cleaning done. The best thing to do, from the beginning, would have been to remove the girl from the group (rather than evacuating the classroom), had a fellow teacher or adult clean up the mess, and allowed the girl to calm down. She can face consequences for her actions--time-out the next day, or something [i]equally appropriate for a five year old[/i] later. In my opinion, the teacher's actions--and constant talking, to the point where what she says [i]no longer means anything[/i]--did nothing but "escalate the situation." I don't know what rules are in place regarding how a teacher may or may not physically handle a student, but what the woman [i]did[/i] do on occassion (taking the child's hands and hold her closely and firmly) should have been done much earlier. And since it was done anyway, I feel that the woman should have continued the hold the girl, rather than letting her go and allowing her to climb back up on the table. I doubt that anything happened that a capable adult would not have been able to handle with the aid of a second person to watch the rest of the class. Considering how poorly the adults at the school acted through the rest of the incident, it does not surprise me that the police were called--they clearly had no idea how to handle the child, fine. However, there was [i]no reason[/i] for the police ot act as they did. Three grown adults are [i]not[/i] needed to handcuff a small five-year-old girl. She [i]should not have been[/i] handcuffed in the first place. Taken into a seperate room with a teacher and an officer, to be gently talked to by the officer, I can see. But I cannot [i]beleive[/i] that things played out as they did. It's ridiculous. And for the record, the girl was [i]sitting quietly[/i] when the police arrived. [quote]I think people have a problem with the whole cops coming in and cuffing her deal. That, as stated before, is probably because you all associate cuffs with jail and capital punishment and those dingy/dark jail cells. But it was only a mechanism to prevent her from dealing further damage to her surroundings. Would your reaction have been different if the cops put her in a room alone? Probably.[/quote]Of [i]course[/i] we have a problem with thhe cops coming in and cuffing her, and [i]yes[/i] it is because of the associations we have with handcuffs. The fact also remains that the action was extreme, and, I maintain, uneccessary. Particularly uneccessary, I might add, had the adults in question had any idea how to deal with an upset child.[/font]

[quote name='Harry']Well his parents should know his condition also, so they really shouldn't need to have it mentioned in the letter now would they?[/quote][font=trebuchet ms]I think he was referring to a letter that was sent to the parents of all the students at school. Certainly his own parents wouldn't need to be told.[/font]

[quote name='Manic Webb']I'm sorry, but if you're ugly, dull, AND stupid, then you've really got nothing going for you in the first place. [/quote][font=trebuuchet ms]You got served. ^_~ There are very few people in the world who can get by merely on beauty. And as an aside--"well-groomed" might not equal "beautiful," but the two can be pretty darn close.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]At my dorm, you have to swipe your ID to get into the building, and again to get to the section of the building where your room is (and yet [i]again[/i] if you want to get into the computer lab). It really isn't that much of a hassle, but it can be a real pain when you're carrying something or in a bit of a hurry. After a while, you automatically hold the door for someone coming a ways behind you, and you expect others to do the same for you. When someone [i]doesn't[/i] do so, people tend to get upset--not in a dramatic way, but I've overheard comments ranging from "too important to hold the door, I guess" to "yeah, **** you, too." Little make-things-run-more-smoothly courtesies are really appreciated, and people--remember, we're talking about bored teenagers, here--will actually go out of their way (not [i]far[i] out of their way, mind, but out of their way nonetheless) to help someone out. Holding the elevator for someone who's carrying laundry will earn you their eternal gratitude. (Okay, not really, but still.) And I opened the door for an old lady at McDonald's last summer, and she said "Bless your heart," and I totally felt awesome. Heh.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Regarding threads, they rarely require any actual "experience." They aren't [i]really[/i] about relationships--they're about humans. What humans feel, how they react, what they think about. There are exceptions, but, well--they [i]are[/i] exceptions, not the rule. When a friend asks for help or advice, they want to vent. If they ask again, they [i]want[/i] your input. Give is as best as you can. Having been in a relationship isn't what qualifies you to give advice. There are people on this forum who are married, from whom many people would not glady receive advice. On the other hand, there are single people whose input in such threads I would value highly (if I were asking.) Anyway, Minny... You might not be able to speak from experience, but you can speak from your heart. (awwww.)[/font]

[quote name='AzureWolf][COLOR=blue']You know what would be cool, though? OB having a "night version" of itself. That'll get the insomniacs going! You know, like, the theme would have lights and fancy globes. The night scene will be more appealing to people and you'll find more people on, haha, and can be based on your time.[/COLOR][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]Funnest. Idea. Ever. I'm up till one a.m (Chicago time) most days, but I pretty much crash around eleven. If I can't sleep, I'll be on OB at odd hours, but that's a very rare occurance.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]In your User Options, there's an option to "automatically detect DST settings." Use it. ^_~[/font]