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Scented-Tea

D.Gray-Man obssessed
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In Japan.

6 min read
Wow, it has been 5 years since my last journal entry.

Last time I said some months were critical for my future and I had to pay special attention to it and well, I did. And it was worth it.

I have so much to tell you, so much I want to share with you. 

In 2010 I started working to get a scholarship in Japan. It implied mostly studying English, doing the TOEFL ibt test, preparing documentation, etc. By that time I got a 100/120 score on the TOEFL ibt and send my application to Osaka University and the Monbukagakusho scholarship. I passed the application to Osaka University and while I was waiting for the result of the scholarship, I got a job in Colombia. I paused my Japan project. Why did I just quit to such opportunity? well, my family economic situation was not good at the moment and my job helped to put the food on the table. I couldn't be happier to give back to my family all the things they have done for me with so much love. I worked two years in the University I got my bachelor's degree from, and thank God my father got a job in that time and our situation improved.

While working, I continued dreaming about Japan and I'm not the kind of person who quits anything. If I have something in mind, I will make it true. Since the TOEFL ibt expires after two years, I applied again. With my work I barely had time to study, so this time I got a score of 96/100. I was about to finish my working contract so I had to hurry. As a Biomedical Engineer I always wanted to work with Brain Computer Interfaces, so I had a couple of laboratories in Japan to which I would like to join. I applied to Tokyo Institute of Technology and got the admission!!! I still had no scholarship, so I applied to a loan-scholarship from a non-profit entity in Colombia and I was selected. Of course, I never planned to use all the money because life in Japan is not cheap and I didn't want a debt for 10 years. While I have already a sure way to go to Japan, I applied to the monbukagakusho scholarship again. I passed the first examination, and was ready for the second one however there was one issue that worried me....and I was right to be worried. If I got the scholarship, by the time I've had received it, my admission to the University would have expired and I would had to apply again. Getting the admission to one of the best 100 Universities in the world wasn't something I wanted to play with so I just took the loan and came to Japan on September 24, 2013.

How was it? guys, I just can't express in words how happy I am to have taken that decision. As soon as I arrived to the University, I joined a leading school program. I take extra classes and extracurricular activities and they pay me a salary from which I can support all my expenses and have fun in Japan! (non-tax exempted, but still pretty good!) I used US$8,000 from my loan in Colombia (which I already paid last month) and continue living from my salary in Japan. Also, in the leading school I've been able to travel to US, Korea and this month to United Kingdom! And well, I also found love in Japan <3 . He's also an Engineer I met in my laboratory. He's Japanese and at first I was a little worried because of the cultural difference, but I had nothing to be worried. The way he loves me, the things he has done for me,...it's the kind of happiness that leaves me speechless.

In Japan I've met A LOT of different cultures and I've learned how much damage international media can do to a country. Just keep this in mind: learn to know people by your own. I miss my family TOO MUCH, but I decided to stay living in Japan. I'm very happy here. I'm learning Japanese and I'm looking forward to find a job in a company after I finish my Ph.D, I hope in two years. I love Japan.

Of course, you can find thousands of anecdotes about people living in Japan, maybe some complain about "Japanese are too shy", "They don't like foreigners", "Working is too hard", etc. I've met many Japanese that are not shy to speak English, and they have been the kindest and most wonderful persons. I could tell you many stories, but I'll just leave you with the first one that happened to me: By the second week I was in Japan, I moved from a provisional home stay to my new room. On the way, I was carrying one very heavy bag...and one of the wheels broke (two-wheeled bag, btw). I was 20 minutes away from the place, with a heavy bag and about to cry. I had to drag my bag for 2 minutes until some Japanese woman approached me with her baby on her arms and asked me if I needed help. I could notice she was busy and still, she took the time to go back to her home, take her car and drive me, a complete stranger, to my destination. Dear woman, I will never forget your kindness.

Finally I want to tell you this: Since I was a teenager, Japan became my dream. I dreamt about those Tokyo lights, passing by that famous Shibuya crossing in front of 109, going to those stores in Akibabara, etc. Now, all those things (and a lot more!) are part of my daily living and I'm loving it. Never...NEVER quit your dreams. Some family members and "friends" used to say: "Aww, does she still want to go to Japan?", "You have to tell her to get real and start building a life in Colombia", "Why do you want to go so far?", "It's just a phase". They gave me that "poor girl, she's dreaming too high and she will never make it" many times. My parents and brothers ALWAYS supported me and they defended my dreams in front of those persons. My parents, my grandmother, my brothers and my friends are the reason I am here. THANK YOU.

Well, soon I have to start working on my research so I'll finish this update here. Sorry for the strange grammar, I'm a little in hurry today :P

Your dreams are there waiting for you to make them come true.

Lots of love, Scented-Tea.
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Yes, I like Yaoi/Shonen-ai.
No, Kuroshitsuji is not Yaoi/shonen-ai.

It's nice all the fanservice in Kuroshitsuji II but I don't really understand why everyone insists in pairing Sebastian and Ciel (since first season actually). There are some really nice pictures about those two and I admit, I like them.

I respect all opinions, but for me Kuroshitsuji is CLEARLY neither shonen-ai nor yaoi.
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Mangaka: “Anime Pirates are Nothing but Immoral Thieves”

The mangaka responsible for Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) has excoriated fans who persist in expressing their love for her works to her whilst blithely admitting to her face never actually paying for them, calling them “thieves” and “morally degraded” whilst exhorting fans to support the works they supposedly love.

Kuroshitsuji creator Yana Toboso is evidently irate at the stream of fan mail she receives which rubs her nose in the fact that paying for the works in question never even enters into the thoughts of the fans in question.

So irate is she that she goes on to deliver a fiery sermon to the wicked infidel who steal her works, explaining matters very simply for the hard of thinking:

I don’t want to preach about illegal copies, but lately things have been getting a bit much. Perhaps it’s because of the summer vacation.

First up, viewing Kuroshitsuji or its sequel on online movie sites other than the official ones is illegal (they are legally viewable on NicoNico Douga though).

And the manga is only legally readable in Japan as the print edition published by Square Enix – downloading it and reading it is illegal as of 2010.

I used to get them before, but lately the frequency has really increased – let me give you a sample of the kind of mail I’m talking about:

“I got it off a friend on a ROM and read it :)

“I found them all on an overseas video sharing site and read them there :)

“I became a fan of the second season so I watched all them on an overseas site – they    were really funny!”

People often write this sort of stuff – these are undoubtedly crimes. It’s the same as shoplifting or walking out of a restaurant without paying.

If you illegally download or view them, you’re stealing the rice from the bowls of creators and seiyuu – it’s no joke, we’ll starve and die.

:)” it isn’t.

When I think of the moral degradation of these people I shudder.

People who send me these kind of mails are basically saying: “I really love Kuroshitsuji! But I want the people responsible to work for free, starve, and die! :)

I really do shudder. I’m really glad they like it, but people are actually working hard to create the things they find so much fun. Can they not understand that?

It’s not only Kuroshitsuji of course. All the manga and anime people are making is a “product.” Anime characters don’t just move around according to their own will.

Together, lots of people have to make a story, the animators have to make thousands of frames, the seiyuu have to add their voices, and together they are making it all exist.

Manga is the same – the writer has to create a story and together with his assistants they make the manga panel by panel.

Everyone has a right to enjoy anime and manga, but we the creators still have to eat to live. Money is necessary to eat. To create the works you so enjoy, in exchange we have to derive our income from viewing fees, DVD sales, manga sales and merchandising – the money we get from this is our wages and how we live.

[... a tale of how little children who can't possibly anime DVDs should use video rental services rather than steal follows...]

So, if you have no money, is it OK to watch for free?

The answer is “No.”

In the words of a certain steely fellow, this violates the Law of Equivalent Exchange!

If you keep ignoring this, eventually the anime and manga in question really will stop being made.

[...]

Illegal movies and downloads are absolutely no good at all!

She can perhaps be forgiven for treating her readers as being intellectually stunted, given that an increasing proportion of anime fans the world over seemingly have great difficulty comprehending that anime and manga are not in fact charity works they are entitled to view for free, but instead can only exist as multi-million dollar commercial enterprises dependent upon direct financial support from fans.


SOURCE: www.sankakucomplex.com/2010/08…
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Hello Everyone!

I decided to stop being lazy and learn how to paint backgrounds: anime style. I've been looking for but I haven't found a good tutorial (the one that explains with a naruto image didn't help me that much), so I would really appreciate if you told me about any background tutorial. Doesn't matter if it's a video or just the images of the process without the explanation or even if it's in Japanese, or if you save some images of one of your drawings process, a livestream session, ANYTHING would help.

Thank you all ~ :love:

:llama: X :llama:

As always, thank you all for comments, watches and favs ~ :heart: sorry if I don't reply that much ToT, I read ALL comments and they always make incredibly happy, it's hard to believe some people like my drawings that much ;o;
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Whatever...

1 min read
Yeah...I don't have much time to draw so I can't improve as much as I would like.

The situation at home is not at its best, I have no job yet (fact that btw, doesn't bother me as much as it should XD), been depressed by these days and...whatever.

My drawing style is clearly not defined yet, and the fact that everytime I draw something looks completely different from previous artworks doesn't make me much happy.

....

But still, your favs, comments and watch always make my day, THANK SO MUCH for your always kind support, I appreciate every single word in your comments ~ :love:
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Featured

Kuroshitsuji is not Yaoi. by Scented-Tea, journal

Kuroshitsuji Fans, have you read this? by Scented-Tea, journal

Looking for Background Tutorials by Scented-Tea, journal

Whatever... by Scented-Tea, journal

About Kuroshitsuji... by Scented-Tea, journal