Nihon a.k.a Japan

   So I kind of have a mini obsession with Japan right now... Not only do I still love Anime and Manga like I always have but I also absolutely love sushi! There are so many different types and I also find it amazing how the real, authentic sushi is prepared and rolled by hand; this is something that I would really like to try sometime!

   Oh and don't even get me started on all the amazing quality teas that come out of Japan! With my current Teavana craze that I'm in, I'm really looking forward to enjoying some of their Japanese green teas as well as many others. What's kind of funny is how I was basically drawn to a National Gegraphic Japan calendar when looking for my new calendar today at the mall. I was tired of the typical puppy calendars and Simpsons ones (oh and the snowboarding ones as well!), that I've had so many times before! I figured it was time for something different and I had a the 'nature/landscapes' kind of theme in mind as something to look for. There definitely was a whole lot of calendars with nature scenes but when I saw my Japan calendar, I instantly knew that there weren't any better!

                                                      My Japan Calendar

   Sure looking at pictures of Japan and hearing about it is very enjoyable but my dream is to one day be there! Of all the places in the world, Japan would definitely be one that I wish to visit the most. I find the culture and traditions as well as the nature in the countrysides, all to be just so fantastic! I think if I was to go somewhere on my first trip payed for entirely by myself, it would be Japan way before anywhere else! Of course, like so many lovers of Japan who are also adventurists, a goal of mine is to one day climb to the very top of Mt. Fuji. I can just imagine the wonderful view of Japan's countryside that you would be able to take in from so high up in the sky! That would definitely be a highlight of my life and I hope for it to one day become a reality.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS!

   I just recently saw Rise of the Guardians in theatres with my mother and my sister and let me say, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of this film! From what I had been hearing about this movie, whether that be from people I know who saw it or those otherwise uneducated on this film, I was under the impression that it was another childish Dreamworks movie but it was really so much more!

 

   There were truly so many levels to this movie that make it appealing to every age group, for example: simpler humour for the little ones- things like falling over in a funny manner- and more complex, sometimes dryer humour for the more mature folks. To add to this, there was also a very strong plot line and it was strong quite simply because the background story was built up more solid than some Dreamworks films of the past. As a result of each character having a solid background story, particularly the main character 'Jack Frost' played by big-screen star Chris Pine, each of their characters and personalities are made more believable and relatable than one would expect from an animated character.

                                          
                                        Rise of the Guardians- Official Tralier (2).

  

   In recent years especially, I truly believe that animated films are really rising to the caliber and high standards set by live-action films in the sense that they are more realistic, and sometimes more dramatic, than they have ever been before. Maybe it's partially because of this that with Rise of the Guardians and Up, two films by dreamworks Animation in very recent years (2009 and 2012), I was really captivated by the emotions of the stories that were told and I was actually brought to tears by both of these films. I can say say for sure that if an animated film was real and heartfelt enough to make me cry from sympathizing with the characters; that it was definitely a great animated production!

 

   It was simply an added bonus that this story was brought to life by so many great and talented big-name actors such as Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher and Hugh Jackman to name a few. I don't think that any other set of actors could have done as great a voice acting job as they have done for Rise of the Guardians. I have to mention as well that I am a huge fan of Hugh Jackman and have seen all the X-Men movies multiple times each and he was always my favourite character (even in the video games!), so it was really interesting to see him take on something new; that being voice acting.

                  
                    The Wolverine | Hugh Jackman & James Mangold Livechat (2013) 

  

   I am also quite looking forward to very soon seeing another recent film starring him, 'Les Misérables' and also starring many other great actors like Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter- Anne and Helena being two of my more favourite actors! However, I am mostly quite excited to see Hugh Jackman in this film, as well as in the upcoming 'Wolverine' (26 July 2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (18 July 2014)! I can't wait!!!

Spirit Week!!!

So it's Spirit Week at my school right now and for once I'm actually showing school spirit by participating! Usually I don't do much when we have spirit weeks or days and then I feel bad when I see so many kids at school who have actually gotten into the spirit of things. This year though, things are different! For instance, I wore quite the ugly sweater today for ugly sweater day and many people seemed to love it! Not only will I have participated in todays theme, but I actually have a plan for each day of the week! As well, the fact that I had each day planned out before the start of the week, is an interesting concept for me... (Normally I always do these kinds of things last minute). I have to admit, I'm quite proud of myself! Winning one of the prizes by participating would be quite nice too though, just saying... :D

It's almost here!....

Oh my goodness! There is only one day left to the release of Black Ops 2 and I am so excited! Normally when these games are coming out I am really excited for the campaign (story mode) but know that the multiplayer is better and will last longer, plus they spend a lot more time on it so naturally it should be better. However, this time around they have spent so much time on the campaign as well to make it more in depth so that it too will take many hours to complete.

In Black Ops 2 there is technically two storylines to complete; one based in the 70's and the 80's following the unseen missions during the Cold War, while the second storyline focuses on an apocalyptic war in the near future; the year 2025. Not only are there two storylines, but for the first time ever we will see a Call of Duty game with branching storylines. This means that your decisions and the choices you make in the game will have different consequences then others, sort of a cause and effect impact that can change the course of the story and the end result.

                                         
                                           Black Ops 2 Zombies Reveal Trailer

The part of the game, however, that I think I am most looking forward to would have to be the Zombies mode. In comparison to the last two, this one seems like it is going to be a lot better and I am super excited for it! There are more maps first of all and this time there will be one map where you start off in one small area and then travel by a city bus to the next; visiting about five or six areas in total as the game play gets increasingly harder and the levels go up. The most interesting part of this map though is that while on the bus traveling to the next location (which lasts one round), you are in the very limited space of a city bus and still being attacked by a horde of zombies. You'd better watch out, as they will cling to your bus to try and get in to eat your brains out! The funny part is that there is a hole in the roof of the bus where you can climb out onto the roof and use your weapons to tear apart the zombies as they try to hop on. We are not sure exactly what the new "super weapon" is, but from the zombie’s trailer it seems to be some kind of air rocket that launches a huge pulse, tearing apart any zombies in its path! That, I'm excited to use!!

The great thing is, I only have one more day to wait for this game but it's funny that even that feels to long! Sadly I won't be able to play it too much this week but the great thing is I have a day off on Friday, so I'll be able to play it all day if I want to! This will be a nice break from the absolute chaos of my grade twelve year and also a really wonderful reward for completing the first term of semester one!

Marvel Film Review Coming Soon...

  I did not get around to writing a marvel comics movie review as I said I would before in the post "The Wonderful World of Marvel", however I will be for sure posting one for the Marvels 'The Avengers' at some point before next Sunday. For now, I hope that you enjoy my review for James Bond's (007): Skyfall staring Daniel Craig ["A 'Bonded' Review: Skyfall"] which I saw last night and enjoyed ever so much! Make sure you check out my review(link^) and be sure to click on some of the links on the same page and watch the trailer! I promise you it's his best one yet!! :D

A "Bonded" review: Skyfall

  So I saw the amazing  new James Bond film yesterday; Skyfall! I must say it was definitely the best Daniel Craig Bond movie to date. In my opinion, there was a more heightened sense of realism when compared to the previous two films that certainly made the events of this movie more believable. Rather than creating a string of action packed stunts that would be nearly impossible in real life, this movie focused more on the dramatic storyline with the extravagant but realistic action packed scenes woven in. This, I believe, really helped to maintain people's interest into the plot of the film.

                                       

                                                          'Skyfall' (2012) Trailer

Bond soars with record $87.8M 'Skyfall' debut! (click here)

  As I previously stated, there was a much better storyline when compared to the previous two Bond films. Without giving too much away, I think that this one was more interesting as a direct result of the fact that the motives of the "bad guy" were much more personal this time around; rather than simply focusing on large scale domination, the villain in Skyfall is driven by vengeance.

For more on Skyfall click here!  To hear 'Skyfall' the title track sung by Adele click here!

With this Bond installment, it is in my opinion that they chose the perfect actor to play the villain, and James' main enemy. Javier Bardem plays the role perfectly with a sense of realism but also a quirky quality that makes him way more interesting than just your average action movie villain. To say there is depth to his character would be a major understatement. His character indeed has so many levels to his personality and it seems that at every moment, him and James remain just as insidious as the other. At some points it could even be said that he perhaps surpasses Bond in his intelligence and knowledge of the situation in which they are facing. This is a factor which we see affects Bond frequently and fashions every situation to be more realistic, in the sense that the "good guy" is not some kind of unbeatable super hero who is always one step ahead of the enemy. James Bond does have weaknesses and they do come through at different points in this film, just as they would for any real person.

Personally I think that Roger Ebert sums it up perfectly... :)

  "In this 50th year of the James Bond series, with the dismal 'Quantum of Solace' (2008) still in our minds, 'Skyfall' triumphantly reinvents 007 in one of the best Bonds ever. This is a full-blooded, joyous, intelligent celebration of a beloved cultural icon, with Daniel Craig taking full possession of a role he earlier played very well in 'Casino Royale,' not so well in 'Quantum' -- although it may not have been entirely his fault. Or is it just that he's growing on me?"

 Daniel Craig to portray Bond again and again and again... (click here)

Yes, I highly agree; Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond has definitely been growing on me over his three Bond films released to date and I am very much anticipating so much more acting genius coming from him in the upcoming Bond films. Did you know that he has been signed on for two more installments? Well it's true, as it was announced last month that he will definitely be portraying Bond in at least two more films after Skyfall and there is a fairly good chance that there will be three more after those, adding up to a grand total of eight Daniel Craig Bond films! Now that, I am excited for! Here's to fifty more years of Bond, and beyond! :)

My goal :)

I figure that I need to do something to keep me calm and in a good mood, something that might also help me to keep in shape. I don't really do much for my body and my physical health but I really think that I should! Basically I take my dog for a long walk every day but I definitely think that I should do more than that.

I'm in pretty good physical shape but I could be better so I was thinking that I'm going to work on my cardio by trying to go for a run whenever I can. Whether it be actually outside or just on a treadmill, I think that this is very important for my health. However, I really want to also tone my body so that I look good too! So my idea is to start working out, perhaps at the gym that my parents belong to but seem to be not attending... I really think that if I'm exercising my body and working out fequently, I'll definitely start to feel and hopefully see a difference!

Also, however, I believe that my emotional health is just as important! I think that I should probably do something calming; something that'll keep me in a good mood all the time. So I was thinking I would try something like yoga or meditating, maybe even both!! I believe that if I take this iniative and also continue to eat well, or even better than I do know, that I should definitely notice a difference in a few weeks time!