6 Weird Things Meme:

Oops...I've been slack in posting my response to H&B's tag, so here without further ado are my answers.

weird
1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural.
2. Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.
3. Archaic. Of or relating to fate or the Fates.

6 Weird Things about Japan:

1. TV: There is a bewildering array of bizarre TV shows to choose from including Chimpan News Channel and you have the pleasure of paying NHK (the state run TV station) every two months for owning a colour TV. Also, programmes rarely start on the hour or half hour, instead they start at 12:24, 7:58, 1:05, 4:55, etc.
2. Vending machines are ubiquitous and sell everything, even ice cream!
3. Akiba Girls
4. Warabi mochi
5. Hikikomori 引き篭り - People, generally men, who choose to cut themselves off from the rest of society. They tend to stay in their rooms playing video games and watching tv. Most say that they withdraw due to the intense pressure to conform to societal pressures.
6. Engrish: "When it is crowded, there is the situation that cannot be carried on the boat which you want to board."

Cracked...

This modified meme comes from Louise.

Rules:

1. Reach for the nearest book to you and open to page 12
2. Find the 3rd sentence
3. And then find the 4th word in that sentence
4. Do a Google Image Search on that word only, choose the 5th image and post the resulting picture to your blog, along with the word you Googled and these instructions so that others can play!

My book: "Acqua Alta" - Donna Leon
My word: "cracked"
My result:


(Image comes from here)

Buckle up...

The lovely Stepherz has tagged me, and true to form I will not be following the rules of this meme exactly, but will be embellishing at will - enjoy the ride.

1. Name of a book I have read more than once:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl, To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee, The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien and The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley, a swashbuckling feminist retelling of the Arthurian legend!


(Image from Amazon Japan )

2. If I could have one book while stuck on a deserted island:
The Dummies Guide to Surviving on a Deserted Island - Man Friday

3. A book that made me laugh:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams, Switch Bitch - Roald Dahl, Down Under - Bill Bryson and He Died With a Felafel in his Hand - John Birmingham, gruesome yet hilarious tales of housesharing.


(Image from Amazon Japan)

4. A book that made me cry:
Little Women - Lousia May Alcott

5. One book I wish I had written:
Tikki Tikki Tembo - Arlene Mosel and The Mayfair Witches Chronicles - Anne Rice

6. One book that I think shouldn't have been written:
As I said back in June, books are the gateway to new worlds, adventures and ideas and as such, all books are important

7. A book I'm currently reading:
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

8. One book I've been meaning to read:
Well my Amazon wishlist currently contains 348 books I've been meaning to read, but I'll just tell you three of them... Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Suskind, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women - Geraldine Brooks and City of Falling Angels - John Berendt


(Image from Amazon Japan)

9. One book that changed my life:
The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton, it showed me the power of imagination


(Image from Amazon Japan)

Now I am supposed to tag someone...but you can tag yourselves if you are keen to play, and feel free to bend the rules!

I Spy, with my little eye, something beginning with...R:

As promised,
here are my responses to Carolyn's
assigned letter of:


(The letter R is brought to you from Scribblaphy )

Now, the rules state that you must list 10 words starting with your assigned letter and explain why those words have meaning to you. But come on people, when have I ever followed the meme rules?! (Oh yeah, I did once!) Which moves me nicely into the first word:

1. Rebel: I've never been one to follow the well-worn path for the mere sake of toeing the line. In fact, I've always tended to question rules and the status quo. Note that I question because I wish to understand and improve, not because I'm an anarchist...there's a subtle difference between the two. So what started me on this relentless questioning?! Well, that would be the 2nd word:


(This ravishing reading beauty is brought to you from a Google Images search)

2. Reading: I live to read. I could quite happily live without TV, movies and music as long as I had books. As a child, my punishment for naughtiness would always involve the removal of reading privileges. In school, I used to read during classes - I'd conceal the book under my desk while my teacher wasn't looking. As far as I'm concerned, books are the gateway to new worlds, adventures and ideas and I'm forever grateful that I have the ability to read. My final "R" words are different but related:


(This roly-poly rabbit is brought to you from Boomersint)

3. Rabbits: What do rabbits have to do with reading, I hear you mutter... Well I'm about to use a lot of "R" words so stick with me! Growing up I was more into vampire novels (Anne Rice) than Fabio-style bodice-rippers, however I was always partial to "quality" romantic tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet. With such memorable lines as:

"Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!

For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

(Act 1 Scene 5)

How could a girl not swoon? But I never would have guessed that my very own Romeo would turn out to be a Japanese usagi (rabbit)! Uh-huh, my better half was born in the Year of the Rabbit, so the letter "R" has become very significant to me, as has our final word:

(These radiant roses are brought to you from my camera!)

4. Romance: True romance is not just about roses and rings (both of which I have, by the way!). To me, it is more rhapsodic and redolent than the fleeting nature of petals. It is tangible and reviving and it reveals itself in numerous ways - the gorgeous bouquet above, is just one! It makes reality delightful.

If you wish to join the alphabetic fun, I'll leave you to choose your own letter. Just leave a comment, so I can visit your scribblings!

Thanks for reading my ramblings.