Whiplash!

Hey! So... This time, I am going to write about a movie called Whiplash. It was my first time to see the film, but it's a famous movie, so you may have already seen it before. The film was recommended by my boyfriend, and we watched it together.

As always, I am talking about its story and plot, so if you have never seen the film, and do not want to hear about how the story goes, you should probably go... (Sorry!) But if you are thinking about watching the film for the first time, this is what I will say to you: the movie is awesome; it is very intense, and you'll never forget about this movie. It's about art and madness. Yes, madness... So, if you are feeling like watching a fun, light, and heartwarming film tonight, this isn't the one you would want to turn to. Because this one is VERY intense.

The movie was released in 2014, and was directed by Damien Chazelle who is also a director of La La Land! I have not watched La La Land, but so far, I have only heard of good comments about the movie, so I am excited to watch it hopefully soon! And the film Whiplash has won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, among many other awards, which means that it is a highly recognized movie.

Oh, one thing before I start writing the plot: the film is called "Session" in Japan, so if are a reader from Japan, and thinking of looking for this film in your local DVD rental shop, or in Netflix (That's where we watched the movie!), you may have to look for Session instead of Whiplash.

Ok, so from here, I will write the plot of the movie Whiplash. Andrew Neiman is a freshman in Shaffer Conservatory, which is a renowned school. Although he is not from a family of musicians, he has been playing drums from a young age, and has always loved it. One night, when he was practicing drums alone, he was discovered by Fletcher, an instructor at Shaffer, and also a famous conductor. And eventually, Fletcher invites Andrew to play in his studio band.

Andrew is an aspiring drum player, and he was so happy to get the chance. But Fletcher is a very, VERY abusive instructor. He does not hesitate to yell at his players, insult them, and even employ violence. And from that time, it starts to affect Andrew's mentality. He practices until he bleeds, but he shows up to the band's practice only to be yelled at and insulted by his instructor because he failed to give the rhythm Fletcher wanted. One time Fletcher slapped him in his cheek (several times!), and another time, he even threw a chair at Andrew, though it did't hit him.

Andrew has become so obsessed with being a great drummer, and also so competitive against other drummers in the band, that he even went out to play right after he had an car accident. He was bleeding from his head, and his hand didn't move properly. Obviously, he struggled to play the drums, and instead of giving him kind words, Fletcher went to him, and say, "You're done."  And that's when Andrew attacked Fletcher on stage, in front of the audience because he was so outrageous. After that, Andrew was dismissed from Shaffer.

Andrew and his dad went to meet with a lawyer who represents Sean Casey, a former student of Fletcher. At first, Andrew did not want to talk about Fletcher, and his way of instructing. But the lawyer tells that Sean killed himself suffering from anxiety and depression, which is different from what Fletcher said about Sean's death; he said Sean died due to a car accident. The lawyer continues, and says that Sean's parents never want that to happen again to other students. And this leads Andrew to make his mind to talk about what he had gone through.

Time passed, and now Andrew is working in a restaurant while he prepares to apply for a different collage. But one day, he went into a jazz club, and finds Fletcher performing. Fletcher noticed Andrew too, and Andrew tried to walk away, but Fletcher talked to him. The two sits at a table, and talks. Fletcher tells Andrew that he has left Shaffer. And Andrew soon found out that Fletcher left Shaffer not because he decided to do so, but because he had to. Fletcher tells Andrew with a softer tone unlike before, that he pushes his students so hard because he expects one day, some of them may achieve success like jazz legends, such as Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker, and to achieve that goal, he continues to work hard, and does what he believes in. Then he ask Andrew to come in his band to play drums in a jazz festival, which he accepted.

Andrew shows up at the performance. But right before the band's performance starts, Fletcher comes to Andrew, and tells him that he knows Andrew is the one who told Shaffer about him, which became the reason he had to leave the school. Then, he tells his band they are going to open the performance with a piece, one that Andrew was never informed of. But what can he do? The performance starts. Andrew improvises, but he couldn't follow the band. Feeling devastated, he leaves the stage. His dad hugs him tightly, and say that they will go home. But to our surprise, Andrew goes back to stage. He starts to play a piece that he knows (Caravan). Of course, Fletcher was surprised, and comes to Andrew saying, "What the hell?" But Andrew doesn't stop playing, and even cues the band to follow his lead. The piece ends, and other band members stops playing, but Andrew keeps playing his solo. Although confused at first, Fletcher started to guide him. As Fletcher cues the finale, and their performance ends, they both share a smile.

The last scene was so unexpected. I thought Andrew would go home with his dad. And if I were him, I'd do so. He's abused, and bullied so much. The scenes where Fletcher instructs his studio band in Shaffer really breaks your heart. I almost cried! It wasn't about me, but seeing people yelled at with all those nasty words made me very sad.

Is it ok to abuse a person in the name of art? That's the theme of the movie. According to Fletcher, he sticks with his way of instructing not because he just wants to be mean, but for art. He wants to push his students beyond the expectations, and beyond the limits, hoping that someday, some of them reach something beyond those things. And this time, Andrew could achieve that. But not everyone can be the same as him, which is no surprise. As you would know from the film, Sean Casey committed a suicide. Fletcher even killed his own student in a way.

But one thing to remember is that Fletcher is a human too. Sometimes it's hard for him too; he pushes himself too. He's not a robot that never feels. He couldn't stop himself from crying when he announced Sean's death in front of his band even though he didn't tell the truth about how he passed away. But to peruse the abusolate perfection, he never stops being the instructor he is.

This film is so intense. It will make you mad and sad. You can observe Andrew from being a young man who loves playing drums to a suffering artist. And in the end, you can see him breaking through. It is a happy ending, but it leaves you not being as happy as you would in ordinary happy ending stories. But it also makes you appreciate art more. Every artist has their own hard roads to success. You wouldn't see it unless you're close to them. So in this way, art is born from struggles. And therefore, struggles are beautiful in a way.

Whiplash is a movie you'll never forget. If you want to see something very serious, you should watch this. Well, even if you're not feeling something serious, you should watch this film sometime at least once if not tonight!

The Human Experiment.

Hi! I had a few glasses of beer, and I'm feeling good. Anyways, this time, I am going to write about a documentary I watched on Netflix. As it says on the title, the documentary is called, The Human Experiment. Oh, and I am going to write about what was said in the documentary, so if you don't want to know it, maybe you should go explore other articles from my blog! *wink*

The documentary is about how dangerous (= unsafe) chemical substances can be, and how ignorant we are about those threats. It's about how unknowingly we surround ourselves with those harmful chemical substances, and how reluctant large corporations are to deal with a stricter regulation to ensure safety because of their greediness.

When we buy, say, a cleanser from a drugstore nearby, we assume that the product contains only safe ingredients. Sadly, though, it cannot be guaranteed. The film talks about regulation in America, and in the U.S., a chemical substance is "innocent until proved guilty," according to the film. Then, the products we use daily can contain dangerous substances that can affect our health.

And indeed, this is what the documentary wants to talk about. The film says that those chemical substances taken into our bodies act like hormones, and they can cause harmful results. It also says that now we have higher rate of breast cancer in the younger generation, asthma, fertility problems, genetic diseases, etc. They say that newborn babies are already pre-polluted with chemical substances even before they are born. The film features a young couple, for example. They had tried to get pregnant for three years. She is in a great condition; she has a healthy body function, and lives a healthy life. Even the doctors do not know why she has this fertility problem. The film shows the scene where they try an embryo implantation (not their first time), and find out that (again) it did not go well. She cries, buries her face into the bed, and says, "What's wrong with me?" It was a very emotional scene that stays in your mind even after a while since you finished watching the film.

The film also shows different advocates from different aspects (e.g. a cancer survivor, a sister of a boy who has autism, etc.), comments from scientists, and senators who had and have been trying to make better regulations on chemical substances, and fighting with large corporations who don't want strict regulations.

The documentary blames large companies whose priorities are their profits rather than ensuring consumers' health and safety. In order to secure their profits, and manage to sell their products, they have adopted numerous deceptions and distractions through organized campaigns and advertisements. The documentary shows the examples of tobacco industries, lead industries, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) (plastic) industries, and so on so that we see how companies can make them look good by strategically creating their images. These notorious tactics even have their own name which is called "Four Dog Defense," according to the film. I personally liked the naming actually. There's always a genius who can come up with an awesome catchy phrase to describe a thing, you know? Now let me explain what Four Dog Defense is by borrowing words from the film. Well, it's "Four Dog," so there are four stages. The first one is: our dog does not fight. Basically, the company denies that their products are harmful. When somebody presents an evidence that indicates (a) threat(s) that their products can bring, they just deny it, saying, "They're just pure junk science." And when an evidence which they cannot just dismiss, here comes the next stage: my dog bites, but it didn't bite you. In this stage, the company acknowledge that their products can be harmful, but claims that average people do not have to worry. For example, the company can say that they deal with harmful ingredients, but they are under strict control in their factories, so there is no impact to the public health. The third step is: my dog bit you, but it didn't hurt you. The company says that even if you're exposed to the chemical substance, it is not harmful; it can only be harmful if you take an unrealistic amount of that chemical substance into your body, which means that it cannot be harmful with the daily exposure, which is a small amount. The last one is: my dog bit you, and did hurt you, but it wasn't my fault. The company acknowledges that their products are harmful, but claims that it was the consumers' choice to buy the products.

Think about cigarettes. I don't smoke, but I know how a cigarette package looks like. It is a tiny box, but it looks cool and stylish. Some brands are targeted at women, and their packages are very pretty. It does say on each package that it is harmful, but with very small letters. You can easily imagine that a tobacco industry will say that they are aware that their products can cause health issues, but it's the smokers who decided to buy those cigarettes anyways. Now, think about other products you use daily. Cigarettes are an easy example because now people now they are harmful to our health. But what about other things like cleansers, cosmetics, children's toys, etc? You can see the labels, and see what the ingredients are, but can you understand them? Unless you're a chemist, or a toxicologists, you wouldn't really know what is harmful to your and your family's health, and what is not. We consumers have the right to know what is is a product, and decide whether we buy it or not based on it, but we have very little information. Of course, we can do a research, and see if each product we buy are safe to use or not, but do we have the time to do that research for every single product in our houses? Isn't it totally understandable that we assume that the products we see on stores' shelves are all safe?

The documentary mostly talks about the situation in the United States, and does not refer to the situations in other countries that much. But it says that in terms of chemical substance regulation, America is slow in progress. I remember a time when I was wandering around the Internet looking at an American cosmetic brand's website. I will not tell the exact name of the brand for some reasons, so I need to ask you not to ask the brand's name. But anyways, I was looking at the website. I wasn't going to buy anything from the site, but found out that I could not buy some of their products even if I wanted to because they contained ingredients that were not allowed to use (at least in cosmetics) in Japan. At that time, I didn't really think about what "this contains ingredients that are not allowed in Japan" meant to be honest. I trusted the brand, and I trusted the founder of the brand. And in the first place, I did not purchase those products or any other products on the website, so I am not exposed to those ingredients in question. But now that I've seen the documentary, I've started to think about the situation I faced several years ago.

I think the documentary was good to make people think more consciously about the products they buy. It effectively tells that we cannot just assume the products we see at stores are safe to use just because they are stored and sold there. It informs people how we're surrounded by unregulated chemical substances without knowing it. But, to be honest, I do not think the film was perfect. I read a review of this documentary, and it basically shared the same concern I have, so I will share that review here. It is from The Washington Post, and if you're interested, you can read the full article as I showed the URL to the website down below. Here are some extracts from the article:

"Of course this issue is scary and people deserve to know the risks, but the movie undermines its own argument." 

"One of the most affecting stories in the film follows a young man and woman who have tried for three years to get pregnant. [...] But the chemical industry cause her fertility problems? Who knows? Some chemicals [...] might cause fertility, not to mention myriad other problems. But even the woman's doctors admit they don't know why she had trouble getting pregnant."

"By presenting her story, directors Don Hardy Jr. and Dana Nachman are making a case for something they can't prove."

"The movie was nicely shot with flashy graphics to explain the data that does exist. But in the end, this film will persuade only those who already believe."

As it says on the review, the film did show data, but did not prove that it's the unregulated chemical substances that caused those people the film featured health issues, such as fertility problem, and breast cancer. I won't say those chemical substances do not have the blame, but I don't think we can say that those substances are all to blame either. This documentary is a great film for those who already believe as the review says, not enough to persuade those who don't believe. There are some holes from which those people can attack, and present their counter statements.

I don't usually watch documentaries, but I'm glad I did this time! Thanks to Netflix, now I can expose myself to types of movies I don't usually pick! :) I don't have lots of readers to be honest, but if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear! I don't like horror movies, but other than that, I watch all kinds of films.

Alright, thanks for reading my blog! I hope to see you in my next post! Bye!

Reference:

• Merry, S. (2015, April 16). 'The Human Experiment' movie review. - The Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-human-experiment-movie-review/2015/04/16/9d9a7744-df91-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html?utm_term=.a18eb4040e82

Title: You Guess.

I always come here and write with an idea, or a message, and also a structure of how I am going to convey my message in my mind. This time, however, I don't have a particular idea or a structure. I do have a topic, which you'll find out, but at this point, I do not know how this post is going to end. Maybe I don't have to publish this post. Actually, I don't even have to write this post in the first place, if I don't have any plan or purpose for this post. Yeah, I know that.

To be honest, if you do a certain thing, you never had to do it. I chose to do it. Ultimately, there's no "There was no other choice." I don't have to write this post, and publish it, but I am choosing to do so anyways (because I haven't published a post for a while, and wanted to write about something). Likewise, you never have to read this post, but so far, you chose to read this. It's actually very interesting to see negative comments on the Internet. You know, some people bother to make nasty, rude comments on YouTube videos, someone's tweets, and so on. I always think, "Hey, nobody asked you to see the video (or other things). If you didn't like it, you have a full right to just leave, right? But you actually chose to stay, and even spare your precious time on typing out a comment... Very interesting..." 

And what's more interesting is that some people commenting, "Ugly," "You're not good at this," and you know, things like that. I mean, if you're a judge at an audition, those comments may be relevant. (Still mean, and something you wouldn't want to hear, though!) But I think those people who post selfies do not think they have the best looks. They don't intend to let people know how gorgeous they look. They are just posting pictures of themselves. And people upload makeup videos because they love doing makeup, not to boast around of their skills. They never intend to say they are the best makeup artists. (I used makeup tutorial videos as an example because I love makeup too, and often watch those makeup videos.) They are not competing; they are not participating in a contest. So, the comments like, "Woah, you suck," and "Did you know you're not even good at this?" are so massively missing the point. 

At this point, you may be thinking today's topic is hating on haters. But if you're clever enough (Ha!), you've already guessed that it's actually not by the previous sentence. When it comes, "You may think...," the next thing the author/speaker says is always, "But...," and that's the sign that something important is coming. 

"Who writes letters nowadays?" 

Me: I do. 

I thought of writing about how I love writing letters. Well, I have a blog; obviously, I must love writing. Although I love writing things on the Internet, I also love writing using a pen and some pieces of paper. Do you write letters? I bet not many people will say yes. You may write some message cards once or a few times a year. But do you ever write an actual letter? I do! I used to write to my boyfriend every month when I was studying abroad in California. Of course, we texted almost everyday, and talked on the phone once in a while (I'm not a time-traveler from a thousand years ago, after all!), but I never failed to write him once a month. Now, it's been a while since I came back to Japan, and we both live in Japan, and can see each other much easily, so I don't write him letters that often. But I still write letters, or cards to him several times a year. On our anniversary, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and when I am out of town to visit my parents... There are a lot of chances for you to pick up a pen. 

I also write frequently to my ex-host-family. They are the people who let me stay at their place while I was in California, and treated my like their real daughter. They are not the only people from America I write letters to. I have a very good friend from the East Coast, and I write to her as well. It started when she made a suggestion last Christmas that we could exchange Christmas cards. I loved that idea, and soon, I went to buy a Christmas cards for her. And I am so excited to write to her, and to read her letters written for me from now on. 

Text messaging is quick, and also easy. It's so convenient. I am not going to say it's all bad. I actually enjoy the technology we're blessed to have. But I believe letters have some amazing points which text messages do not have. 

First, you don't send a letter-length message, do you? Text messages are good for conversations. Letters are not good for conversations; it takes way too much time. But if you want to take a time, sit down, gather your thoughts and memories, and put them into one thing, letters are really good. You need some time to write a letter. And when people write to you, you know they took some time for you, and you'll automatically appreciate that. When I have this thing that I really want to tell to a person, I always choose to write a letter. 

Second, with letters, you get to see people's handwriting. (And at the same time, you're showing your handwriting to them as well, obviously.) Typed letters are neat and pretty, and although some people's handwriting is as good as typed letters, usually, handwriting tends to be a bit messier. In typed letters, this "g" and this "g" should be identical. But you cannot do that in handwritten letters. And I love that. I used to take calligraphy lessons, and the teachers always said that (handwritten) letters tell a lot about the person. Every person has different handwriting, I can't help thinking, and connecting it to their personalities. 

Third, writing is actually therapeutic, I think. If you want to, you can write multiple letters every single day. But not many people do that. Most people who write letters would do that maybe once in a while, if not very frequently. If you have to sit at a desk, and write with a pen all the time, you'd get tired of it. But doing so sometimes feels good. I really love the feelings of a pen running smoothly on a piece of paper. And letters are not like theses or papers you have to submit to professors. You don't have the pressure to make them look good. It's all about being genuine and honest about your feelings. You never have to plan out like you would in papers. Run your pen as it goes. Feel the action of yourself moving a pen to generate letters. Writing and typing is very different. 

Lastly, if you become a letter writer, you'll have a enjoyment of going on a shopping for writing papers and envelopes! There are so many beautiful writing papers out there. I go to writing papers and envelopes sections not because I have a plan to write a letter. I just go because I love looking at them, and seeing if there's anything I particularly love. I get so excited to write letters whenever I see a good design. When I am writing a letter to a person from overseas, I always choose Japanese-themed paper. I have sushi writing paper, ninja writing paper, sumo wrestler writing paper, kabuki writing paper, etc. I also love writing on seasonal-themed paper. For example, in March or during the early April, I choose cherry blossom paper. And I could choose different theme for different seasons (e.g., during summer, fireworks or morning glories, during fall, fall leaves, etc.). Writing a letter is not just about the action of writing itself; it's also about preparing the materials for you to write with, like cooking isn't only about the action of standing at the kitchen and producing a meal, but also about going out, and buying the ingredients you need. Don't just write on a random piece of paper you happened to find in your room. Enjoy taking time for finding the right paper because it's also a fun part. 

Ok, so this ended up being quite long. Or is it? I'm really bad at writing briefly, or summarizing, so I think my posts are always kind of long. Yeah, I'm satisfied. I don't have any conclusion for this. If I had to, I'd say the conclusion is: I love writing letters. If you made this far, well, thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed somehow, but even if you didn't, please don't complain because I never guaranteed you that this post was going to be exciting. lol Alright, I'll go. Bye! 

The PM of Japan Visits the U.S.!

Hi! So as you may or may not know, the Prime Minister of Japan flew to the U.S. to visit President Trump. I think by this time I upload this post, the two will have already gone through all the agenda, and the Prime Minister will have been flying home.

Overall, the meeting seems to went very well. The President has left some pretty positive comments about the PM of Japan on Twitter. The President even wrote "Prime Minister Shinzō"! That seemed to attract some attention. Some replied to that tweet, asking whether or not he was aware that it was "Prime Minister Abe" as "Shinzō" is his first name, and "Abe" is his last name. I want to think that President Trump wanted imply their close relationship. I actually have no idea what American people think or feel about the U.S.-Japan relationship, but I am interested in this relationship. Which means... I am going to do another Mini Report!

I read articles from The Huffington Post, Time, and The New York Times.

First, the article from The Huffington Post doesn't actually talk about the meeting itself (e.g., what was talked about, the future view of the U.S.-Japan alliance, etc.). I mean, look at that. The article is even categorized as comedy! The article writes about the handshake between the two, the PM of Japan, and the President of the United States. Ok, so for those of you who are not familiar with Japanese, here is a supplementary explanation. If you watch the video, you can witness the "awkward" handshake. You can hear the sound of cameras, and a foreign language in male voices, which is Japanese. The voices is asking the two to look at the cameras. President Trump asks Prime Minister Abe, "What are they saying?" because he doesn't understand Japanese. PM Abe answers, "Please, look at me." Well, he should've said, "They are telling us to look at them (= cameras)," instead. He meant to say, "They are saying, 'Look at me (the press),'"  but you know, that was kind of misleading. I want to think that the President kept holing hands for the press; they were taking pictures of them holding each other's hands. But I don't know. Watch the video clip attached at the end of the article. I mean, look at that handshake!

About the other articles... Time writes PM Abe's flattery paid off. I agree. I don't think the word "flattery" is inappropriate. I have not heard anything related to TPP from the two, though. But other than that, the PM has always showed how Japan was willing to work with the United States, and that made the President like him very much. The President has made harsh comments on Japan, and many people in Japan has expressed concerns towards our future relationship. I'm sure at this time, those people are relieved to hear those public statements from the President.

So, you can watch a video clip on their public statements if you go click the URL to the article from The New York Times. The PM do not hesitate to say, "The United States is the champion of democracy." And said the fact that the President was elected through the tough campaign even though he has no experience in politics, is "the dynamism of democracy." Then he continued to congratulate the President's inauguration. The video is cut off right in the middle of the PM's speech, but you can hear the PM says the U.S. is filled with chances and opportunities. Wow, that was a lot of positive comments! The democracy elected the most unpopular President in the U.S. history??? Ok, so he may not be the most unpopular President (I have to looked at the numbers...), but all the protests make me wonder. And, lots of chances and opportunities... Perhaps he is talking about the American Dream...? I never want to say that there's no dream or chance or whatever you call it in the U.S. But what President Trump says makes me worried. You know, the wall, Muslim Ban, and all... America is being exclusive, and I don't feel that is the sign of a lot of chances and dreams.

I have been to the United States, and I have lots of friends there. I love that country. And I am happy to hear that the two is getting alone very well, and to think that the two countries will build a good relationship. But I am also worried. I hope other countries don't associate Japan with exclusiveness. I hope other countries think Japan also agrees with the wall, and the Muslim Ban, etc. The PM actually refrained from giving a comment on Muslim Ban the other day, which you can read about in my older post. I value the U.S.-Japan alliance, but I also really hope that this alliance does not make Japan alone in the international community.

References:

• Strachan, M. (2017, February 10). So, Trump's Handshake With The Japanese Prime Minister Got ... - The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-handshake_us_589e1a10e4b094a129eafc3c
• Miller, Z. J. (2017, February 11). Japan's Prime Minister Showed the Way to Trump's Heart. - Time. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://time.com/4667744/donald-trump-shinzo-abe-flattery/?xid=homepage
• Davis, J. H., & Baker, P. (2017, February 10). In Welcoming Shinzo Abe, Trump Affirms U.S. Commitment to Defending Japan. - The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/world/asia/trump-shinzo-abe-meeting.html?_r=1

Are We Somewhat Racist?

So I love reading random articles on the Internet. And I thought it would be a good idea to start a small project called "mini report." It works like this: 1) I pick a topic, or a theme, 2) read some articles about the decided topic, and 3) write what I learned from the articles, and also what I thought.

Before I jump into today's topic, here's a disclaimer. This is a really casual research; this is nothing like an academic thesis. So, I would not be reading a hundred articles for each topic. This project is not intended to be professional, so please don't come to me and say, "Hey, this is so unprofessional." 

Alright. Now let's talk about today's topic. Is everyone racist for some extent? Discussions concerning racism and tensions between different race or ethnic groups are very sensitive, yet it is also a very important thing to talk about. I read 3 articles from 3 different sites (Psychology Today, The Guardian, and The New York Times). I will list the links to all of the articles at the end of this post, so go check them if you're interested. 

2 of the articles (Psychology Today, and The New York Times) say that like it or not, everyone is built to think or act in certain ways. We are all biased or prejudiced. Oh yes, I think the words "biased" and "prejudiced" are better in this context. People can be biased and prejudiced towards various things. The word "racism" does not describe the whole picture about ourselves. The article from Psychology Today says that humans have mechanisms, that is, "inborn behavioral capacities that drive automatic, unconscious decisions" in the author's words. This means, as I have already wrote, that we are built to think and act in certain ways. We all can be biased and prejudiced without the intention to be so.

Now, think about yourself. It's actually impossible to be always fair. Maybe because of cultural backgrounds. They teach what is right and wrong; appropriate and inappropriate. Or maybe because of ignorance. You cannot know everything. And also because of human nature. We love categorizing things because it makes things easier and more comprehensive. We all know that there are always some exceptions, but we tend to label things, and be surprised when we encounter the exceptions.

In Japan, most people are ethnically Japanese. But you don't have to be ethnically Japanese to be a member of Japanese nation (i.e., Japanese). Some people don't look like "typical" Japanese. Well, look at my boyfriend. His dad is from the U.S., which makes him look a little different from most of Japanese. He was born in Japan, and raised in Japan; he's really a Japanese like rest of us. But there have been many times when people who don't know him didn't see him as "normal" Japanese. He has been told, "Wow, your Japanese is very good!" or asked, "Are you from here (Japan)?" by Japanese people. Some people are impressed when he writes kanji. (He may look like a "gaijin" (= foreigner, in Japanese), but he went through Japanese education system just like rest of Japanese, so he knows lots of kanji! Duh!) See? He has experienced so many biases and prejudices in his life, even though all those people who made those comments didn't mean to be rude, which is good that he knows it. These are biases are prejudices, not necessarily racism. I have asked him, "Do you ever feel mad at those comments or at those people who make those comments? Don't you feel tired of having to explain who you are?" He answered, "Well, no, I'm OK with that. Because first of all, I'm used to it. And I know that those people are not trying to be mean by asking those questions or making those comments."

What is important is for us to know that we are biased in some ways as the 2 articles say. The article from Psychology Today writes, "nature is not destiny." We can do better, and go beyond of our nature. But we cannot do this without knowing and admitting we're biased and prejudiced. And I think we have hope.

The article from The Guardian gives some interesting insights about the results of a survey that looked into racial prejudice in the United Kingdom, and the media headlines that make people think British people have become more racist than the past. You can jump to the data of the survey from the article, if you're interested. The author suggests that the data may be a sign that more people in the U.K. "are willing to admit to prejudice." Because the data was collected by asking people to self-report their attitudes, only people who admit that they may be prejudiced say that they are prejudiced. The most prejudiced people do not see that they are prejudiced, and most probably report that they are not prejudiced.

So, in conclusion, we are all biased whether we like it or not. What we need to do is to know it, and keep in mind of it. We need to know that "normal" is a social construct; it's not the ultimate, universal truth. It's important that we be open and accepting, and make sure to avoid or at least minimize bias and prejudice when we say things or make decisions. And also, we need to study, and learn about things we don't know, things we aren't familiar with, things we have taken for granted, etc. If you learn more, you'll quickly learn that there are so many things you don't know, and you can't just assume or say things decisively. It's not fun to admit that we're ignorant, and it's harder to admit that we may be wrong. But in a world like this, it's getting more and more important to admit that to move on, and make the world a better place.

References:

• Praet, D. V. (2015, December 15). Is The Internet Making Us Racist? - Psychology Today. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unconscious-branding/201512/is-the-internet-making-us-racist 
• Kristof, N. (2014, August 27). Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist? - The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=F2B22EE4BA7440CAAB8315DE5DAE8D5A&CID=29C72670352169731A082C5434106868&rd=1&h=ioKzrhMKgoqIq5YJuMPURdipG3BLt34NgV9ZB0eWMs4&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nytimes.com%2f2014%2f08%2f28%2fopinion%2fnicholas-kristof-is-everyone-a-little-bit-racist.html&p=DevEx,5063.1
• Burnett, D. (2014, May 29). Everyone's a little bit racist, sometimes. - The Guardian. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/may/29/racist-racism-study-uk

How to Be More Confident!

Hey! So today, I'd like to show you how to be happier by being more confident. If these tips don't help, well, you should work harder. Haha, just kidding! Or... am I? But I mean, seriously, it takes time, and you need to be patient. It's not like you'll be perfectly confident tomorrow if you start today. Have faith in yourself. Because you totally worth it!

Ok, so first, you have to fake it till you make it. Think about it, nobody's 100% confident 24/7. Even celebrities. We're human; of course, we all have time when we doubt ourselves. "Maybe I'm not good enough." "Why can't I be like this?" "I wish I were..." It's completely normal to feel like this sometimes. Don't worry, it's not just you. Nobody's perfect. And there's no such thing as picture perfect. So you need to look confident even when you're not. Plus, people are attracted to people with confidence, right? Do you feel like having a person who appears to have no confidence whatsoever around? No. If you look confident, you will automatically attract people. See? So you have to stand straight, lift your chin up, and spread your bright smile, even if you're terrified inside.

Now, you also need to work on your core problem as well. Let's think about why you're so insecure. What is lacking? Would you be more confident if you have certain thing(s)? Will you be more confident if you were prettier, taller, smarter, richer, etc.??? Perhaps. But working on external factors are tiring and doesn't seem to end. Because there will always, ALWAYS be someone "better" than you. It's an endless fight. In addition, by the same token, the base you stand on created by working on external factors are tend to be fragile, and to be easily broken down. If you see one "better" person, your base will be nothing. Your external achievements are awesome. If you want to be smarter, put away your smartphone, and read books. If you want to earn more, work on the qualities required for better positions, and get that money. But remember, there will always be someone who is smarter than you, and someone who is richer than you. And even if you have worked so hard to have what you have now, you will quickly lose confidence in front of those effortlessly flawless people. What do we have to do then? I suggest working more on internal factors (i.e., your mind). Now, ask yourself again. Why are you not confident? Why are you so insecure? Ultimately, you're less confident because you compare yourself with others, not because you lack in something externally. If you stop comparing yourself, you'll never have to worry. So then, what do you have to do not to compare yourself with other people? The answer is simple: be original. Create your own category, and be the only member in the category. Then, you don't have to compare yourself with other people anymore. Do what you love, wear what you love, be with whom you love. And also, be nice to people. Showing love to others really helps especially when you can't figure out how to love yourself, and to feel good about yourself.

And lastly, you need to learn you cannot please everyone. Even if you're being the best version of yourself, somebody's going to oppose you, and hate you for the smallest reason. This makes it even more important to work on your mind, be original, and be stronger. You need to be you, do what you have got to, build your own category, and you won't have to worry about what other people think. If you can do this, then you will feel nothing when people try to bring you down. Your confidence won't be broken down. And this is the kind of confidence you would want to have.

As I wrote in the beginning, it takes time to come to this state of mind. But if you want to be happier, you need to be patient, and keep on working because this is a quality that can last for the rest of your life. Trust me, I'm working on this for myself, too! Let's seek peace of our minds together, and bring more people to find peace of their minds as well. Love! :)

Dr. Strange!!!

I wanted to come to this page and write something at least once a week, but... Hi, I am Yuki and I failed again... lol

So, I went to see Dr. Strange (I mean, what kind of name is that? It's okay, it's okay, though!) on the 28th with my "bae." I usually don't use that word; I always prefer saying "boyfriend," but I was feeling like saying "bae" now. Wow, I know today's post will be full of unnecessary sentences and explanations... Oh well.

Alright, so let me start again. I went to see Dr. Strange. I don't know exactly when it came out in other countries, but in Japan, it came out only this Friday. Finally! Well, first of all, can anybody explain to me what took them so long to release the movie in Japan? People in other countries watched it like months ago, right? That's not fair!!!!!

Ok, so overall, I loved the movie! Obviously(?), this post contains a lot of spoilers, so if you haven't watched the movie (Huh? What's wrong with you?! lol), and would prefer not to know the plot or any information, maybe you should go. Alright, so, it's really weird to say this, but I actually really loved one of the 2 (!) mid-credits scenes! Declining a cup of tea was so Thor, and the auto-filling beer glass (magic!) which made him even happier was so funny. I am not sure which is true at this point, but I think the scene was either filmed only for this mid-credits or it's actually a scene from the next Thor movie. I'm already pumped for the movie!

Now I think I should probably talk about the actual story of the film. Well, first, I promised myself I will always address him as "Dr. Strange," rather than just "Strange" or "Mr. Strange" because that will make him happier, hahaha. He's so proud of himself, and has to correct people when call him "Mr. Strange." So, the basic storyline of this film is as follows: Dr. Strange, a very successful, but also very arrogant surgeon, was living his glorious life. But, one night while he was texting and driving (rather recklessly), he got into a bad accident, and got a major injuries to both of his hands, which made him unable to work as a surgeon anymore. Being so desperate, he ended up going to Kathmandu, Nepal, and becoming a pupil of the Ancient One. There, he literally had to learn everything; he was told to abandon everything he thinks he knows (mostly because he had such an attitude, and acted like he knew everything). But he learned quickly (I mean, he used to be a successful surgeon; he's bright!), and even though he came to the temple just to make his hands able to move freely, and it wasn't in his mind to take any responsibility to protect the world from any threat or whatsoever, he ended up changing his mind, and working to save the world from the Dark Dimension.

The "magic" that Dr. Strange practices is something like "the force" in Star Wars, although Jedis don't make changes in times or talk about different dimensions. It's more of a spiritual practice, rather than "Memorize this spell and a certain move of a wand, and you'll be able to make this object fly in the air," sort of magic, like Harry Potter. (I'm not dissing Harry Potter here! I actually love it, and read all the books and went to all the movies!) Dr. Strange could not save himself with the Western technology and science, so he turned to the Eastern treatment... He actually said it himself in the film.

The artwork they did was fantastic! They were some fighting scenes where the magicians fight with each other by moving and changing up the structure of the buildings on the streets, which requires a lot of techniques. I thought what they did was like kaleidoscopes. I don't really know how to describe it in words, though... You have to see it! And I heard it from a TV program that they actually build a set of a street in Hong Kong! It looked so real! I've never been there to be honest, though. But all those neon signs, casual restaurants, scaffolding that were set up, etc., looked so real, and the staff must have made so much effort.

I also want to mention the casting (only briefly). Dr. Strange was played by the famous Benedict Cumberbatch, and I thought he did an amazing job! I know this is totally out of the context, but let me just briefly say that his face really reminds me of a professor at my school. Ok, that was just nothing! lol So, the character of Dr. Stranger's (narcissistic and arrogant) suited him very well. Oh, and plus, I heard the Ancient One was written as a male in the original comics. But for this movie, they decided to cast a woman. For those who are familiar with the originals, this change may have been surprising. But so far, I've only heard positive comments about that. Well, I didn't think that was a bad move at all either. I thought that was a good way to break the stereotype thing (those kinds of "zen" masters/mentors should be men, or things like that), and it's fun to do something out of expectations. The role of the Ancient One was played by the one and only Tilda Swinton. She's fabulous. Nobody can copy what she does. She is very good at and also famous for playing mystic characters. I remember the White Witch, also played by her, in the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Lastly, I just want to talk about the most memorable scene, where Dr. Strange trap himself and Dormammu (of the Dark Dimension) into an infinite time loop. Even though Dormammu destroys him again and again, it does not matter at all. No matter how cruelly Dormammu hurts Dr. Strange, because it is an infinite time loop, he comes back, (confidently) saying, "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." If Dormammu wants to be freed from the endless time loop, he has to keep his hands off the Earth, and that was what Dr. Strange offered. And by doing so, he tried to save the planet. The scene gives a strong impression to be audience because that was the first time he actually did something for people other than himself. Until then, everything he does (or doesn't) was for himself only. Everything he did was to raise his reputation. And if he didn't see the odds in his favor, he simply declined because he never wanted to fail, which makes him feel bad about himself. But this time, this time he stood up for people, not seeking benefits for himself. He could go beyond what he had been. And that was a beautiful moment.

Ok! I think I managed to cover everything I have wanted to comment about the movie. Now that I have seen the mid-credits scenes, I am totally excited about those 2 movies! If you did actually end up reading this far, thank you so much! :) Bye!

A Message to the Prime Minister of Japan.

Good evening, or good morning, or good afternoon, or maybe just hello may be the best in this case! Spring vacation has started, and hopefully, I will have more time to come here and write things.

So this time, I would like to talk a little about politics. Yup, I know this a very hot topic right now, and oh, you know which country's politics I am referring to, right? I am talking about the American presidency. But the main focus for today is not to protest against President Trump. I do disagree with him, but in this post, I will write about our Prime Minister Abe. Basically, I want to say is that I do not like his reaction to the "Muslim Ban," and that it is not wise of him to make such a move. Let me explain in more details in the following paragraphs.

I assume that I don't really have to go through what Muslim Ban is. Everyone knows it, and everyone talks about it. Leaders across the globe have made official comments on this President Trump's new policy. Prime Minister Abe is the leader of Japan, and he, too, was asked his opinion on this controversial policy. I can't help being a bit emotional here, so I am letting you know this beforehand. lol Ok, so basically, he refused to make a comment on President Trump's move by saying, "I am not in a position to make a comment on the move he (President Trump) made."

Wow, can you believe it? Well, at least I could not believe it. I was watching a new channel and happen to see the scene where he made that comment. I was so angry! I will share the URL of an article talking reporting the comment which Prime Minister Abe made here: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/30/national/politics-diplomacy/tokyo-silent-as-trump-immigration-ban-sparks-global-outcry/#.WJHxbo9OJPY
(The article is from The Japan Times.)

I was like, "Why are you so reluctant to throw yourself into this conversation? Why are you running and hiding? We are talking about humanity! The basic human right was violated! You don't feel anything about it?" Well, there's a good reason for him to take this kind of attitude. He simply doesn't want the President to hate him. He wants to keep a "good relationship" with America because he wants the U.S. to stay in the TPP agreement, and he wants the U.S. military to stay in Japan for national security. So... he's basically an apple polisher??? Yes, I get his concerns. But we are talking about human rights here. The way our Prime Minister responded to this issues really embarrasses me as a member of this country. I am embarrassed for those who have been affected by the Muslim Ban, and also, for the international community, which I will mention in the next paragraph.

I don't want people around the globe to think that all Japanese people think like Prime Minister Abe. Actually, many people also feel anger towards the ban, and I have never seen a person in Japan who just raises his/her and say, "I totally agree with you, Mr. President! Thank you for doing this!" When the entire world (technically, it may be not the most accurate description, and there are actually people who agree with the President, but you know?) shows concerns about what President Trump has been doing, Japan is the only country who is being so thoughtless. We are falling behind. If Prime Minister Abe keeps taking this kind of attitude, we may be isolated in this international community in the near future.

I am not saying the U.S.-Japan alliance is not important; I think we can work together to build a good, balanced relationship. I just wanted to say that I do not like the current attitude of the Prime Minister. I simply think it's not right, and I have to say that it's unwise of him. I truly hope that he realizes that there are many, many people affected and offended by what is currently going on in the U.S. And each of those people have feelings, emotions, personalities, lives, stories, etc., just like us. They are not just numbers. I want the Prime Minister of Japan to be kinder and more respectful, and to imagine, and think about the persons.