https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/ Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open ja

This week theme for Visual Art Weekly group is "bunny" by Puu
so I tried to connect the dots and make something that include
both of them. So, here it is, my first comic strip!


I hope you all enjoy it







That's it, see you next week!





]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-11499469048.html Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:39:38 +0900
So the first theme for Visual Art Weekly group is "swimming",
proposed by Mace, our talented group leader. And since I failed
in my first attempt to draw, I thought I'm gonna write short
stories instead


failed!


Today marks the last day of the week and I find myself panicking.
Daaa.... Not a single character has been written for my short story
....rrrnn. I've tried though. Been thinking about it the whole week,
trying to collect data from web-surfing (only to find out that based
on certain quiz, I'm actually 85% left brained and 15% right brained,
which means I'm lacking talent for creative writing and art), even
prayed for an inspiration. But no light bulb popped in my head and
no eureka came out from my lips. Only a plain cold truth that being
a good writer is gonna be a lot harder than I thought it would be
(of course you fool! otherwise there would be millions of Roald Dahl
and JK Rowling out there making money from their stories!) Oh well

どうしようかな～
Ok, relax, take a deep breath and let your imagination flow
Here goes...


Tadaaaa!!



fishies swimming in the sky


Yeah.
I made a koinobori origami





Koinobori are carp-shaped wind socks traditionally flown in Japan
to celebrate Children's Day. I got this idea after wasting most
of my time playing around and panicking Lesson learned,
do NOT play Facebook quiz while looking for inspiration.




]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-11492747887.html Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:03:20 +0900
Prologue
I've been wanting to write about Ameba Pico ever since I've heard that
Pico will be closed down. But not today. I had a feeling that if I write
all about Pico, it will be a very long post. How else you could sum
almost four years of memories into one blog post? So I decided to
break it into parts. This will be the very first part.

Although I don't play Pico much lately due to its dull events and poorly
managed compared to Pigg, I still want to preserve all the memories I
had there. To be precise, the memory of Ene.

Ene
Isn't it funny how we can remember silly little things but forget the
important stuff when we need it the most? I forgot where I put my
letter two days ago and spent hours to search it. I also often lost
my keys. But I still remember the day I met Ene as if it had
happened yesterday.

It was Poey who had found her. She was sitting on the upper right
bench at the Beginner Park, when Poey asked her to be his friend,
out of blue. I don't know what got into me, I've never asked stranger
to be my friend. It must be because her Pico looked so cute and
as a sub, Poey was allowed to be bold. She hesitated for a while
but when Poey moved to the other side of the park, she came and
accepted his friend request. That day we talked in her room and
she taught Poey about Pico emoticons. She also helped Poey to
complete his star book. We were friends ever since.

We started to get to know each other. We talked a lot and we had our
dispute. She was polite, feminine, mature and gentle. She was the
kind of person who would cry for stranger and give people second
chance. Eventually Ene met Maruko, Red and Aws, and they
became friends.

Late May 2010, Ene gave me her Facebook account as my birthday
present. She had 3 other Pico accounts (Ane, Yuki, Danna) and her
main account, which she intended to give me, had lots of gummies,
tokens, golds and also a pet. I was appalled and refused her offer
because it felt so wrong to take over her account. I felt like I was
going into her bank vault. Plus it would be troublesome to manage
two Pico. I had my own account which I very much loved. At that
time I had just won first Pico room contest and had awarded by
special items and gummies. But Ene insisted, so I had no choice
but to accept. Little did I know that I had just saved my Pico life.

Not long after that, without any warning, Ene decided to stop playing
Pico. She sent me letters in Pico, explaining and thanking me for
everything. I was heartbroken. You might say that I was pathetic or
being too serious or that online friends aren't real, but that was how
I really felt. Ene deleted all her Pico buddies (she didn't have many,
really, just her subs, me and two other people, including Aws) even
went as far as locked her rooms, changed the name and face of her
subs, and deactivated all of her Facebook accounts.

Before Ene decided to stop playing Pico, there was a period when
she was rarely online, and in that time I would go to her room and put
something, foods or balloons. But then I couldn't do it anymore. Now
the only connection I had with Ene was her letters in Pico. I missed
her. I talked with Aws about her. Red was barely remember about Ene
but Aws did, so I was grateful for this small comfort.

I maintained to keep both of my Facebook accounts until my own
Facebook account got banned. I could no longer use it. I joined
Facebook mostly for online discussion and my favorite topics were
religion and science. Needless to say, the discussion can be fierce
at times. Although my partners were great, admirable people, perhaps
one of them had reported my Facebook for fake account. I will never
know. But I knew I haven't lost everything. I still got Ene's Facebook
account, which is my current Facebook, to play Ameba Pico and other
Facebook games, and also to socialize with my game friends.

Around that time, Pico was developing. They made a lot of changes
and it caused them to delete all my letters, including Ene's precious
letters. I was upset. I was sad. I felt that Ene's memories gradually
leaving me away and it was the only thing I had to prove her
existence. I didn't want to forget her, so I shed my tears and wrote
down all the real facts I knew about Ene in my book. The result was
three and a half pages long, including 34 facts and some details
about her personality and life. I still have the book to date.

Epilogue
Once a year, we have a tradition to visit the graves of our late family
member. We clean the graves and pray there. Most of my family
graves are in the cemetery near my city but some of them are at
Lawang city. It's kinda far but the graves there are very neat. They
have huge, white marble tombs with the names of the family member
and the dates carved into it with red or gold paint. Surrounding
the tombs are passages and the walls are carved with narrative
relief panel stories of Buddha or Guanyin. The tombs are
decorated with big and small tables, chairs, flowers, and even
gates.

Most people who see those graves would feel pity. Men build such a
grand tomb for a dead person. What a waste of money, they said.
Other people said they would rather be cremated and have their
ashes scattered in the ocean.

But I understand one thing.

A grave is not built for the dead. It is built for the living. The dead can
continue their journey and move on, they can no longer feel. But the
living want to preserve the memories they had together, so they need
a place to remember and cherish the moments. Whether it is a grand
marble tomb or grey modest tomb, a container or any object, it does
not matter. Memories are intangible, thus men create something
for them to grasp. Human being is such a fragile creature, after all.....


*) Mnemosyne is the personification of memory in Greek mythology






"Memories warm you up from the inside.. but they also tear you apart"

( Miss Saeki at "Kafka On The Shore", by Haruki Murakami )




]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-11444193883.html Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:06:50 +0900 ブログネタ：
【ピグ】あなたのとっておきのスマイル見せて♪投稿者全員にプレゼントも！ 参加中本文はここから


feeling down?


drink Coca-Cola!


SQUEEE !!


Thirst asks nothing more
Always Coca-Cola

アメーバピグのキャンペーン（※PCサイト）
コカ・コーラの『スマイルフォトファクトリー』（※PCサイト）
コカ・コーラ公式サイト（※PCサイト）

yes, even Santa likes Coca-Cola.. lol

]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-11421821884.html Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:04:58 +0900
What do you do when you can't sleep at night?

Sometimes my body feels so tired but I can't sleep. Especially when
I'm being excited about tomorrow. I know I need to sleep soon
because tomorrow I have to wake up early in the morning, but my
mind wanders around unstoppable. Command it to pause and switch
to sleep state seems to be an impossible task. My eyes are closed
but I just keep rolling on my bed, unable to sleep. Sigh

At this time, people have different methods. Some people like to
count sheep. 1.. 2.. 3.. and so on until their brains grow tired,
finally surrender to sleep. Somehow I never try this one. I know
I don't have enough patience to count hundreds of sheeps
Some people like to listen classical music, soothing their
ears with soft melodies. This won't work for me, either.
I have them in my playlist but listening to it will only make me
want to listen more songs Other people like something more
violent, like sleeping pills. But not me So what works?
Well, I like reading Anything will do; comic books, newspapers,
novels I am currently reading.. but my "sleeping pill" is actually
a poemI am not overly fond of poetry, but this one happens
to be my favorite





The Sciences Sing a Lullaby
by Albert Goldbarth

Physics says,
Go to sleep
Of course you're tired
Every atom in you has been dancing the shimmy in silver shoes,
nonstop from mitosis to now
Quit tapping your feet
They'll dance inside themselves without you
Go to sleep

Geology says,
It will be all right.
Slow inch by inch
America is giving itself to the ocean
Go to sleep
Let darkness lap at your sides
Give darkness an inch
You aren't alone
All of the continents used to be one body
You aren't alone
Go to sleep

Astronomy says,
the sun will rise tomorrow
Zoology says,
on rainbow-fish and lithe gazelle
Psychology says,
but first it has to be night, so
Biology says,
the body-clocks are stopped all over town
and History says
here are the blankets, layer on layer, down and down





So, what do you think? Isn't it beautiful?
Whenever I read this poem, it always makes me relaxed
The poem starts off from molecular level and builds through
the continental drift, all the all the way up to the sense
of rationality in psychology and biology. Every line in it is
meaningful and the composition is cleverly made. What I really
love about this poem is that we know all the facts are true,
which makes me somehow feel reassured And also, makes me
fall asleep ..with a smile on my face


]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-11203861912.html Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:25:57 +0900
When RedGirl and I were talking about beauty the other day,
I told her there is no such thing as “beauty” or “ugly”
at the first place. She disagreed and asked, “including worms?”
which made me burst to laugh and thought, what a smart gal...
she knows my weakness and hit me in the right spot...
I replied, “then I’d say God has a good sense of humor”
And when I thought about it again, this long-forgotten note
came up to my mind. It may look a bit different than my previous
notes but I’d like to share it here, just for you to know...
As for me, this is a reminder, that we are what we think we are..

here goes...




comparison brings inferiority .. superiority..
when you don't compare,
all inferiority.. all superiority..
disappear
then you are,
you are simply there

a small bush,
or a big high tree,
it doesn't matter...

you are yourself
you are needed

a grass leaf is needed as much as the biggest star
without the grass leaf, God would be less than He is

the sound of the cuckoo is needed as much as any other bird
the world would be less,
would be less rich if the cuckoo disappears

Just look around...
all is needed
and everything fits together

It is an organic unity
nobody is higher.. nobody is lower..
nobody is superior.. nobody is inferior..
everybody is incomparably unique

there's no need for tin to be the same as iron,
there's no need for iron to be the same as gold,
each thing performs its own exact function..
as an unique being

do you think oak tree wishes it had a hollow trunk
like bamboo tree?

does bamboo tree wishes it had beautiful leaves
which change its color in the fall?

the idea of two trees comparing themselves seems ridiculous,
but we, humans, seem to find this habit very hard to break

Yes, humans are born equal
but they are also born different

there will always be..
someone who seems to be more beautiful than you,
someone who seems to be more handsome than you,
someone who seems to be lovelier than you,
or someone who seems to be happier than you are..

but conversely, there will always be..
those who seem less than you in any way

Alas, no one is pretty..
we're each ugly in our own special way
we may not be perfect,
but that is what makes us human

自信があればいいよ。。。 v(^-^)v



]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-10980810023.html Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:27:28 +0900

san-kyuu to YOU too!



]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-10966245000.html Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:38:22 +0900


chou kawaii
arigatou gozaimasu



]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-10939745944.html Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:26:25 +0900
My internet connection is so lame today
I got disconnected when I tried to return rings in Pico
I froze when playing with RedGirl in PiggLife
I disappeared when talking to aws in Pigg
And last but not least, I got disconnected a LOT when we
were trying to solve a maze room in Pigg

The room owner is HageKing. His room is cool full of
tricks which makes us wonder how to move a little bit closer
to our goal, which is a heart-shaped cushion at the end of the
maze. Puu, Iijimyu-san, Papa (Nontasu-san) and I were challenged
to reach our goal. Puu was the first to break in Iijimyu-san
didn't seem to get any trouble to catch up with Puu soon
after He even mastered it That makes only two people
left, Papa and me, desperately trying to solve the first trick
I kept clicking, and by coincidence, I got in
but not for long because I got disconnected again and had to
start all over, while Papa finally passed it and moved on
With my clumsiness plus my crappy network, it seems impossible
for me to reach it After several times got disconnected,
I felt like yelling, AAAAA!!!!!!
I wanted to give up むりだ。。。
but HageKing-san helped me and Iijimyu-san showed me
the way even though I was too stupid to figure it out
Puu and Papa also cheered for me from their place
It took some time, but I finally reached the goal, (YATTA!)
and moved on On the second stop, Papa helped me
solved it until we all finally reached our goal
YAHOOOO
They all helped me and didn't say a word about my stupidity
おそれいりますが、どうもありがとうね、みんなさん！



HageKing-san sitting on the heart-shaped cushion
Good job making this maze room
(from the left : me, HageKing-san, Papa, Puu, Iijimyu-san)


Iijimyu-san opened a bottle of champagne. BONB
Congratulations, everyone! たのしかった、ありがとう！


]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-10926084030.html Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:45:42 +0900
I, as everyone else, was fed up with so many rudeness in Pico
I don’t consider myself as very polite myself, but really,
blocking other Picos while repeatedly yelling “PROPS ME”
right in front of their faces or barging into other Pico’s room
and then consume all of their foods without permission or
previous winner of Pico room contest who copied other Pico’s
room and then entering it to Pico room contest are
just too much for me


can you see the blonde guy? He’s Japanese. Soon after
he came to the park and sat on that bench, they all surrounded
him and asked him for props

But couple of days ago, I got a letter from someone in Pico.
I didn’t recognize her, but she asked me if she could build the
same tree as mine ( I expanded my Pico room this spring and added
a sakura tree to make a place for hanami ) but she wants to
make it in different color. She even said that she won’t claim the
tree as her idea. I feel appreciated I replied her and said it’s
okay for her to build the same tree and thanked for her
letter. I also said it was very nice of her to ask my permission
before she actually make it


the letter she sent me


sakura tree in my room

I gotta say, I amost lost hope at Pico It’s true that some
Picos are polite, but things are getting worse lately. So when
I read her letter, frankly, I was surprised Being used to so
many rudeness, her letter was a complete breath of fresh
air for me It reminds me to still believe in others, that
not everyone is as bad as I thought

Pigg, on the contrary, never fail to amaze me When Pigg held
photo contest, naturally there were many Piggus came to the new
temple area They were supposed to take a picture of them
praying at the temple and saying their wishes for a brand
year. With so many Piggus and yet only five rooms opened,
one small space under the bell in each area, I suspected there
will be chaos I remember when Pico first opened Caribbean
Port area, some Picos were blocking the entrance to the Pirate
ship until everyone gave them props. Same thing happened in
make-a-heart park and in make-a-star park in Pico.. But when I
stepped in, I couldn’t believe my eyes People (or Piggus)
there were making a line (a very neat one too) and waited
patiently while others took their picture and uploaded it to their
blog and then moved closer to the temple. There were no shouts,
no complaints, they did it quietly and everything were in order,
even though noone ordered them what to do. It was very neat


Piggus were making a line

Of course, Japanese outstanding behaviour is widely known
especially during the nuclear leak crisis they are facing now.
I’ve read some stories about them: after the earthquake
attack in Tokyo, some people in the mini market took scattered
goods from the floor and put it back to the shelves a woman
was standing out on the sidewalk, holding up a sign that read
"please feel free to use our bathroom" an old man who
finally got rescued after 72 hours waiting for help, came out
and smiled He wasn’t angry for the late help, he wasn’t
complaining. Instead, he thanked the rescue team before
they took him to the evacuation place ..and many more
Their sincere acts touched people all over the world,
including me

Now, what did I learn this time
Well, most people don’t even care about manners in this modern
age But I learned that good manners are a way of showing
other people that we have respect for them. Even though this is
only a cyberworld, it doesn’t mean other people don’t have
feelings, it doesn’t mean they are machines. They are humans,
just like us, and we ought to treat them with respect
Even though we might think it’s just a small thing to do,
good manners is never meaningless Always remember that
we never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace...


]]> https://ameblo.jp/star-maruko/entry-10911409902.html Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:25:16 +0900