Touhou

Touhou is a game that is widely characterized by its difficulty (so much so that it falls into an aptly-named subcategory of shoot 'em up games: bullet hell). I've tried to play some games in the series, and while having a good time, I ultimately completely failed. The picture to the left shows about the last five seconds I lived in Touhou 8: Imperishable Night. However, what interests me more is not the game per se, but the numerous backstories that have emerged regarding its characters. The basic idea is that even though they try to destroy each other with millions of bullets in-game, outside of the game, they show that trying to kill each other is simply their job and doesn't really affect their perceptions toward each other. A lot of them are even friends with each other.

Even though they are just fake cartoon girls, one character's personality and backstory appeals to me. Her name is Cirno (picture at top of page). She's an ice fairy. She's also regarded as the dumbest character in the group.

What appeals to me the most about Cirno, however, is that despite ridicule from just about everyone in the Touhou series, she continues to be relatively cheerful and charismatic, doesn't take insults to heart, and always keeps trying to better herself. Also, her method of thinking might not be stupid as much as it is simply different (A bus left the Scarlet Devil Mansion with three people. It stopped at Hakugyokurou, where one person left and half a person boarded. Then, it stopped at Yakumo-san's house and two people left. How many passangers are left in total? None, because there are no buses in Gensokyo City).

However, just the fact that she keeps doing what she's doing in spite of criticism makes her a very inspirational character for me (even if it is just a cartoon girl).

Anime

My general idea of anime is that it's just a cartoon. Cartoons are more fun when they are lighthearted and funny. So while everyone else is watching more serious animes such as Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Gantz, etc., I'm watching things like Azumanga Daioh, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Lucky Star.

The selling point of these for me is that they don't really take themselves too seriously and take advantage of the medium they are in (for example, in anime, emotions can ridiculously distort someone's face for comic effect). They also can connect more with reality - many of the ones I watch simply revolve around life in high school, for example. Ultimately, the more I can relate to an anime, the more I can enjoy it.

Exercise

When I was young, I was fat. I tried to run to lose weight, but ultimately, it didn't help much. Then, in middle school, I joined JROTC (a middle school-version of the ROTC army-type class offered in high school). It was then I realized that I didn't really know what "trying hard" meant. The class taught me many ideas which I carried with me the rest of my life: respect, humility, leadership (even though I struggle with this sometimes), and fitness.

I still run today, but have branched into other areas when running is out of the question (I live in Florida! In summer, running can kill you!), such as swimming and Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). In general, my idea of keeping fit is this: you can eat what you want, but sooner or later you are going to have to burn it off somehow.