Mina
Dear stalker,
    On this page you can find nearly everything about Mina that you need to know. I recommend you skim through most of the content because if you sit down to actually read this you're in for a long rambling page.
    Coding was done by me with the help from /~demioxy. Most of the graphics here are not my own and I take no credit for them. The background is made by me and is also found on my Youτube channel. If you know who I am there too then you're even more of a stalker. =O
    Anyways, thanks for dropping by. You can leave now unless you really want to discover my darkest secrets. Well. . . not quite.
        Sincerely,
            Mina


Bio basics
Name: Minako
DOB: October 22, 1992
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Country: United States
State: Ohio
City: near Cincinnati
Timezone: GMT -5 or NST +3
Neopian resident: 7.5 years
Occupation: Full-time student
Hobbies: Photography, role-playing, gaming, swimming, stargazing.
Interests: Music, neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, muscle cars, fashion, travel, foreign languages and cultures, Asian culture, fanfiction.
Character traits: Random, unique, sweet, funny, intelligent, flirty, direct, open-minded, and slightly odd. Thanks to my friends for listing these.

Mini About Me:
    I used to say that I was the girliest tomboy you'd ever meet. Say what? Okay well my mother is a very religious person so I have to wear long skirts and I can't cut my hair until I leave the house (unless I'd like to be kicked out). So my appearance, about as traditional as you can get. As for the tomboy part, I'm in love with mechanics and I have to know how every part of a car works. Specifically, muscle cars are my interest because they are truly a piece of art. I also live for exploring the woods through hiking and mountain biking, I'm quite an adventurous person.
    Recently, I've started to have more diverse interests and some of them are the stereotypical girly interests. This made me decide to throw away the labels and just be myself. I'm also the same way about gender. Does it matter that I'm a female? Because it doesn't to me. ~.^
    As for the basics, in my free time I'm generally working on a new fanmade music video, writing a new piece of fanfiction, reading an interesting book, or sitting around sketching a picture of something I found intriguing. Oh and most commonly I'll be looking for new music to add to my enormous library of songs that are always playing in the background. Then my most obsessive interests come with the Asian culture. I love Asian food, dramas, music, anime and manga, and 한글. Don't get me wrong, I love other cultures as well. That's why I like looking into current events around the globe. You get an idea of what is going on in other cultures all around the world.
    Overall, I'm a talkative and energetic person that loves getting to know new people and is always looking to increase my knowledge of the world. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it has yet to catch me.


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Music
    I knew this section had to go in here because music is basically my life. More than 50% of my day is spent working with or listening to music. Now, I don't know where to begin. I have such a wide range of musical interests. I suppose I should start with my favorite artists.
    That would be the South Korean group known as Big Bang (빅뱅). Their leader, G-Dragon, is featured on my all my lookups as well. I can't even begin to describe how much respect I have for this group, especially G-Dragon. He's quite an inspiration to my original interest in music. If I could ever meet him in person I'd give him a thank you even if he might not know why. Songs you should check out would be Haru Haru (하루하루), 악몽, Lies, Tell Me Goodbye, and A Boy.

    While in the realm of kpop, I might as well give my other Korean favorites. Artists are listed first and then songs of interest.










    Since we're dealing with Asian music here comes some Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian . . . yeah Asian music I like. Haha.













    Now that we have that over with, I'm just going to throw out the rest of the groups I like mostly because I'm too lazy to sort them by origin. This is also nowhere near all that I listen to.























    Lastly, Riptide by Sick Puppies gets a special shout out because I've adopted it as the soundtrack of my life.

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Music continued
    You're amazing for still continuing along with all this. If you have a favorite artist that I didn't mention back there never fear! I like Nirvana, Muse, Metallica, Enya, oh wait. . . this section is supposed to be for my specific music talents. *Cough*

    Let's start with talking about my horrible guitar skills. Haha. I have an acoustic/electric guitar that was given to me at a family reunion. I wasn't very dedicated to it for the longest time but I have since began to regularly practice. Hopefully I will improve.
    I also play the piano and I can definitely say I am much better on it than I am with the guitar. I'm self-taught on the piano for the most part. From seventh to ninth grade I had chorus classes which helped me learn how to read the sheet music.
    Although I can read the staffs, writing my own music is a whole other story. I would absolutely love to be able to create my own scores but that's just one talent I don't have. I suppose I'll just have to stick to writing lyrics instead. Yup, lyrics are one musical aspect that I'm pretty talented in. I suppose that comes mostly from my love of languages and in particular my writing skills.

   Now to diverge from the about me part of this and into something that I believe goes hand in hand with music. Dancing. Honestly, I don't think it's possible to enjoy music and not feel like moving to the beat even if you are an awful dancer. A few dancers/choreographers that I really respect are Prepix crew, Nick Bass, and Bihyul (pictured to the left). I'll admit Bihyul isn't the most amazing dancer out there but I really admire her for taking on typically male roles. . . that and tomboys are cute.
    That brings up the fact I enjoy gender-bending like crazy but I think I'll get to that more in the manga section since it's an actual genre. For now I'll stick to some of the awesome artists that gender-bend like Bou, the ex-bassist for An Cafe. Even G-Dragon has for some parodies of popular Asian dramas.
    Now, I've diverged from music. Let's get back into some instrumentals that I like. I already mentioned Tan Dun but I'm going to have to mention him again because his compositions are absolutely amazing. He'll get mentioned again before this entire miniblog is over. He certainly knows how to draw emotion out of traditional Chinese instruments. I could listen to his works for hours. Who else could I listen to for hours? Tommy Emmanuel's acoustic guitar pieces for sure. Lindsey Stirling on her violin is also quite stunning. Elliot Goldenthal always has done compositions for movies that blew me away.

    Oh, you want some actual classical music now? Okay, here's some I listen to. Right side is all the classical the left side has mostly other instrumental/vocal works.













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Film
    Starting out with actual movies and then moving on to television shows and finally Youτube stuff. Oh and this section will include anime and cartoons because they count as film for sure. My range in movie tastes are about as broad as my music tastes so be ready for this.

Movies

    First off is 가면 (Rainbow Eyes) a Korean crime thriller with a slight bit of romance though I wouldn't call it the fluffy kind at all. This movie certainly took me for a loop and that's coming from someone who normally figured movies out right away. 가면 will keep you guessing who killed who until the very end.


    Baraka is an absolutely extraordinary film. From its cinematography to its content, there is nothing about Ron Fricke's masterpiece that I did not enjoy. Did I mention it's non-narrative? Really, though, Baraka takes you on an emotional journey across the world. The film score is beautiful as well.

    Yes, I am a huge fan of The Fast and The Furious series. It's one of the best car racing films out there. I'll admit I'm not too hot on the 1955 version though. Haha. My favorite out of the series is 2 Fast 2 Furious even though it didn't have my favorite character Letty in it. Other car movies I enjoyed would be Wangan Midnight and Initial D.

    All I can say for this one is Satoshi Kon in a master at psychological film. Perfect Blue causes you to be almost as disconnected from the reality of the film as Mima does. Perfect Blue takes on insanity marvelously. Paprika is another Satoshi Kon movie that is worth watching. Paprika brings us to a future where dreams can be entered but sometimes those dreams start to slip into reality. Which is reminding me of The Cell if you have seen it.
    Another psychological thriller. Can you tell I like those? They always seem to be the hardest to figure out so I enjoy them the most. And let me tell you Memento will certainly capture you and keep you guessing. Leonard, the main character, suffers from anterograde amnesia but this doesn't keep him from trying to find who killed his wife. Of course, it's a Christopher Nolan movie and who didn't like Inception or Dark Night?

    Hero a 2002 movie with Jet Li. I'll say right now I do enjoy most Jet Li movies. Zhang Yimou knew how to mix scenery with a display of martial arts. The historical story line makes the film all the more enjoyable. Oh, and Tan Dun did the score. I swear that's not the main reason I love this movie!

    Hooray! Movie list time since I'm too lazy to write about all the movies I like.












Series
    Supernatural on the CW. One of the very few shows I actually stuck with for years. My favorite episodes are On the Head of a Pin, Mystery Spot, and Bloody Mary. I absolutely love anything that has to do with the supernatural so this series is just what I like. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are pretty awesome too. I have to admit though I'm not a huge fan of the sixth season but I still love the other seasons enough to love the show.


    My all time favorite anime is Wolf's Rain and I don't think anything will ever come close to it. It's a story of following dreams and fighting for them even if it costs you dearly. My favorite character was Toboe because he was such an innocent character. I'll admit I cried during the ending of this anime.


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Series continued

    South Korean drama You're Beautiful is one of the most interesting dramas I've watched. It definitely didn't lose my attention and I stayed through the series until the very end. Go Mi Nam didn't end up with who I wanted her to though. Haha. On the plus side this series actually is what introduced me to Lee Hongki. Yay.


    So I own the entire Death Note series, which means it has to go on here. Generally I'm not a fan of overly popular things but this was amazing. Kira absolutely lost his mind but I can't say that I disagreed with what he was doing in the beginning. Maybe I'm a bit crazy too. Haha. My favorite character is Misa because she seemed like she was ditsy but really she was a freaking genius.


    Serial Experiments Lain is another anime series that I simply love. I'll admit I don't understand this series in its entirety but still it amazed me. Something about the way the story was told had me hooked. I also seriously love the soundtrack to the series too. Otherworldly.


    And time for the list of every other series I can remember right now.











Music videos
    I was about to put this under music at first but then I decided music videos have more of a film aspect to them. Some are extremely artsy and I felt like it belonged in the film category.

    少年よ (A Boy) by G-Dragon is extremely visually pleasing. You can see an entire story about being bright and golden on the outside yet dull and broken on the inside. It also shows how outside factors can crush a person. The story basically revolves around how G-Dragon has grown and how music was done for his enjoyment when he was younger but now he's become more of a novelty act. I was also extremely tempted to put his video Butterfly here because it is worth a look as well.


    This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars starts out with a quote by H.G. Wells "If we don't end war, war will end us." The video then does a brilliant job of incorporating actual war footage into the events of the video. This is a video about peace.


    Ready, Set, Go by Tokio Hotel is an amazing video despite all the haters they seem to get. The video resembles the idea of 1984 played on by the Macintosh advertisement as well. It's all about breaking out of the restraints of society's conformity and that message in itself deserves a mention. The transitions from the movie screen to Tokio Hotel playing is also well done.

    Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave and Kylie Mingoue is haunting enough as just a song but the music video puts the horror into a beautifully haunting scene. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching this it is certainly a must. It will leave you breathless.


    Flobots music video Handlebars is a work of art. The song is already catchy enough but the animated video will really bring the story into perspective. It shows how people from similar places can truly wind up on opposite paths. Even friends aren't guaranteed to remain together forever.


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Videos
    First off, I suppose I can introduce myself as minaainovc43 on that lovely video hosting site. I typically create anime music videos or music videos from various Asian films. I'm not a regular editor so I don't come out with videos on time and they can be basically about anything that caught my attention. I primarily use Sony Vegas for my editing needs and would like to say I'm pretty decent on that program. After Effects completely eludes me though so I don't have absolutely stunning videos.

    I could go on a list of my favorite videos and such but that's why you can see my favorites on my channel. If you're really that much of a stalker feel free. Haha.

    What I will share is a few of the people I follow. Some you're probably very familiar with, others probably not so much.










    Video blogs are also a possibility for the future of my channel, mostly because I've ran into quite a few interesting ones. There are times I feel like expressing myself through actions and tone more than just words. First though I have to get some proper lighting or else my videos will be all grainy and that's just not good. What will my video blogs be mostly about? Honestly, it will be anything and everything that comes to mind.


    Haha, if only I could embed videos here.

    In the world of videos and such, The Sims 2 used to be a major part of my day. Seriously, I was slightly addicted to it. I even used to be a part of a Sims 2 guild here on Neopets many years ago. If you've ever looked at Sims 2 videos you're probably familiar with the many movies that have been made with them. I actually used to voice act for a few different series and short films.
    Also on the note of The Sims 2, I made a trailer for a series I was going to start once but never made it any further. *Cough* I am horrible at sticking with a certain project for a long period of time. My procrastination gets the best of me.

    I think that's all I have to share in the world of film. I'll leave you with a gif from Butterfly. Oh, wait, I'm not leaving. I'm moving on to the literature section. Are you seriously still going to follow me?

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Literature
    Writing. Reading. Roleplaying. Yeah, words have a lot to do with my life. This section will start with books I enjoy, move into my writings, and finally into comics because that transitions nicely into art.

Books
    Books, books, books. If you could see my room they are everywhere. I have three shelves packed with them and even books sitting inside and on top of my wardrobe (which doesn't lead to Narnia, darn). Anyways, let's have a look at my favorite readings.

    House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is about as wild as some of the movies I introduced earlier. Okay, probably even wilder. The entire novel is filled with hidden codes and mysterious formats. Yup, it's ergodic literature. There are also multiple frame stories in the novel as well. The plot is out of this world but it is well worth the read. Oh, and 90% of the footnotes are completely made up.

    Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is a new journalism masterpiece. It takes the Holcomb, Kansas murders and gives you a point of view from the killers which shows you just how cold-blooded they were. Capote brings you to almost sympathize with one of the killers, Perry. Quite a scary place to stand in a novel. Worth the read.

    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak certainly has an original narrator to say the least. Death. That's right, Death narrates the story of a little girl named Liesel who is living in Nazï Germany. "It's a small story really, about, among other things: A girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery."


    One Second After by William R. Forstchen highlights just how people's nature could change in the event of a disaster. In this novel and EMP is detonated over the United States leaving people in the stone age. The book focuses on a small tight-nit town and shows how even your friends and neighbors can become your enemies when it comes to survival.


    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is an absolutely hilarious five book trilogy that I'm sure most of you are familiar with. This series is certainly deserving of being called a classic. For whatever reason I honestly find Marvin to be the funniest character. Dry humor for the win! So stick out your thumb, pick up this book, and don't forget your towel.


    Now, because I'm lazy like always here's some more in list form. ^.^













Writing
    I've been writing since I was about five years old and since then my imagination hasn't lessened at all. I keep journals filled with poems of all sorts, and no they aren't all dark and depressing. Poetry in a way is quite a lot like lyrical writings, which I have scattered about as well. I'd like to be able to say I have a few full length novels that I've written laying around, but technology is a fickle thing and I always fail to have hard copies. *Sighs*

    My favorite pieces to write though has to be fanfiction. A lot of people seem to put down the works because apparently it's not something an actual writer would do. You tell me - what do "actual" writers write? Fanfiction is as much a piece of literature as any other written work you'll encounter. I for one adore it and keep some pieces on my LJ at undying_desire. Are you still a stalker? You can find a few of my favorite fandom slash fictions on my LJ too.

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Writing continued
    Quite a lot of my writing skills are used on roleplaying. Yup, I'm an avid roleplayer that absolutely loves a good plot and literacy. Haha. Genres I eat up are:






    I rarely roleplay highschool as much as I love writing it. I suppose it's always filled with too much drama for me. Animal roleplay also tends to turn me away because I'm not nearly as versatile with my beastly characters. A good wolf roleplay is quite intriguing though.
    Now for a lengthy roleplay sample with my character Rendel.

* * *
   The echoing of Rendel's footsteps ceased as he stood face to face with a wall. There was a delighted look passing over his features as he raised a hand to swipe over the cool stone. Upon doing this, the stones seemed to melt away much like the ice of the lakes had done only days before.

   The demon stepped into the room which he was now able to access; the wall behind Rendel quickly reshaping itself as he entered. He swiftly walked forward causing a light wind to lift white feathers, which coated the ground, into the air.

   Abruptly he stopped again, lifting his hands like a maestro. He snapped both of his fingers, making a light from a nonexistent source to shine down upon a winged creature in the center of the room. Shackles were clasped to each of the being's limbs and chains ran from these shackles to each of the four walls enclosing the room. From the ceiling, four chains hung; each chain had a rusty hook attached on its end; each hook was jutting into the snow colored coverts and curved around holding onto the bones of the wing. Small amounts of red tainted the pure white.

   "Paschar," the name rolled of Rendel's tongue like a song.

   Through the silvery bangs which hung over the angel's face, Rendel could see the golden cat-like eyes move to look at him.

   "I apologize for the harsh treatment you have been given. This would not have been necessary if you had come calmly."

   Rendel moved ever closer until he was mere inches from the angel's face, not a hint of fear in his eyes. The demon promptly rested his thumb and index finger along the angel's jawline and gently eased Paschar's head upwards. The angel's eyes were now fixed on the glistening red apple Rendel had brought with him.

   "Ah, hungry now are we? I thought you would be. One of the downfalls of inhabiting a human body, you also acquire their needs. Though I must say these needs do have their pluses don't they?" Rendel glanced over the bare body of the angel.

   Rendel smirked. He brought the fruit to his own mouth and took a savoring bite as he licked his lips slowly and then offered the apple to his guest. The angel didn't seem to take a second thought when he bit into the red skin hungrily, causing a trail of the apple's juice to run from the corner of his mouth. Rendel flicked his tongue out along the angel's skin to catch the running drop.

   "Glad to see you finally comply."
* * *
    Now for writings you'll probably find me most odd for enjoying. I absolutely love writing essays or anything that takes quite a bit of research. I'll spend my time finding news that is interesting to me and begin an entire paper based around other sources I can find relating to that news. I've done essays on Buddhism, death rates, how language affects our brain, all just for the fun of it.

    Basically, this is what got me interested in journalism which I quite possibly will have a major in by the end of my schooling. I know it might not be the best field to go into right now but I have a passion for doing the research and writing and I'm not about to let that die.




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Comics
    A bit of writing and a bit of art. This is a nice transition. I started getting into comics with the Japanese manga actually. It all started with Sailor Moon which was what seems a lot of people got started on. I have so much Sailor Moon merchandise. -.- All the main scout dolls, Luna P ball, a ton of the movies, every manga volume, Scout guides, and even the magazine comics. Anyways, there is a mix of mostly manhwa (만화) and manga in here. Let's start with my favorites.


    Absolute Boyfriend by Yuu Watase is not the typical comic I read since I'm not a huge fan of the fluffy romance type. Watase did a great job with her characterization and it was hard not to get interested in the unique story. Who wouldn't want a cute robot boyfriend?

    Le Portrait de Petit Cossette by Asuka Katsura is close to what I'd imagine purgatory as. Originally an anime equally as haunting, Le Portrait will astound you with its imagery and beautiful artwork. Remember, whatever you do don't fall for a ghost.

    Claymore by Norihiro Yagi takes an amazing mix of classic fighting with those monsters you always feared that lurked in the dark. It's almost a story of being on the edge of good and evil and I certainly love every bit of it. The artwork is extremely detailed and scenery is gorgeous.

    Ai wo Utau Yori Ore ni Oborero! by Mayu Shinjo is definitely a gender bender to the extreme. Blaue Rosen, is a band that is all the rage at the local girl's school. Until this all-girl band ends up with a guy auditioning for the part of a singer. This guy just so happens to be the "princess" of the neighboring guy's school.

    Liar Game by Shinobu Kaitani is a manga I just couldn't get enough of. The characters were slightly exaggerated and the main female Nao was annoying as all get out but the story line. . . oh wow the story line. The whole set up of each of the games was so brilliantly thought out. It was a fun challenge trying to figure out just how Akiyama had won each round.

    List time! I swear it's not all manga and manhwa. If you want a full list check out my account mina_aino on MyAnimeList.

    For the record, manga, manhwa, manhua, they are all comics so people should really stop saying that only things like Marvel and such are comics while manga isn't. Manga means comics. I don't know why people think they aren't. /End rant.

    Random fact: I have made a few random comic strips before but not a single person other than myself has ever seen them. They're filled with dark secrets. Dun dun dun.

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Art
    Photography, paintings, sketches, graffiti, architecture, design, and even the next section fashion can all be considered art. I'm missing a ton of other things that could be considered art too. But this is my page so I'm continuing on. ^.^ I'll start with some of my favorite artists, no not more music, and move into favorite architecture. I'll end with a little bit about my favorite art style and my own art.


    I first encountered Claude Monet with his Water-lily Pond series and was blown away by his impressionist paintings. He wanted to be able to capture how the light affected the scene and in almost all of his pieces you can see just how the light was. While I may never be able to do anything like this, I can certainly admire the beauty of Monet's pieces. They are all also quite aptly named.

    Who actually hasn't heard of Banksy by now? He has become most well known for his graffiti art and I for one greatly admire the work. Everything he creates is somewhat thought-provoking and it certainly is done in good taste. In particular I enjoy the pieces that reflect political aspects. Street art at its finest in my opinion.

    Bob Ross. Say what? The tv guy? Yes. He had painting landscapes down to a science. If you have seen any of his shows you can't tell me he didn't amaze you. Best part was that he wanted to share his techniques with the world in hopes of inspiring some other aspiring artist. I used to watch his programs all the time. . . can't say that I got better at painting though.

    I actually happened across Tashi Mannox through Stumble if any of you are familiar with that. Many of you probably haven't heard of him but he is a calligrapher and iconographer. His pieces reflect the meaning of the Tibetan word he is writing. To the right you can see his piece Impermanence. The text is actually fading out into skeletons. Beautiful. Mannox's personality is also quite addictive. You can't help but smile when he does. Passion for art radiates from him.

    Chema Madoz manages to take everyday items and transform them into something else entirely through simplistic photography. Many of his pieces reflect a certain idea that we encounter on a daily basis. It's plain and simple which isn't something you see often in more modern art. Most of his photographs are in a beautiful black and white scheme which I absolutely love.


Architecture
    I can't say that I am familiar with many architectural styles but I do have three forms that I felt had to be mentioned. I also have pretty much no knowledge of modern architecture so sorry there isn't anything like that in here. Oh, I do like the Gwanggyo City idea.

    Gothic architecture takes the cake for the most awe-striking yet not overly gaudy forms. From its spires to its pointing arches, oh, and of course the gargoyles, the Gothic style certainly has a distinct look. Maybe that's why I enjoy it so much, you can pick out the architectural style from miles away. The high ceilings dwarf anyone inside which is all the more impressive.



    Traditional Chinese architecture, in particular the style of up-curved roofs strikes my fancy. It's an ingenious design made for keeping the water off the roof and for providing sunlight into the building. I have also heard the roofs were curved due to Buddhist belief that curves kept away evil spirits. In addition to the roofs, the Chinese architecture was always wonderfully symmetrical.



    Lastly, Ancient Egyptian architecture is a wonder. They managed to build massive temples and tombs with sheer man-power and with simple systems of pulleys and inclines. The Egyptians certainly built for grandeur and amazing defensive structure. Then there are the marvelous murals and hieroglyphics that had to have taken months to do. Astounding. Oh, and I have to mention what got me interested in Egyptian architecture was the game Serious Sam. Haha.



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Styles
    I'm going to say this right now, I'm extremely biased on the art style I enjoy. Sumi-e (墨絵). Yup, ink paintings. Simplistic, black and white styles are pretty much my style all across the board so ink painting certainly caught my attention. I myself can't use the style at all though. Like I mentioned earlier, painting isn't my forte as much as I love it.
Now enjoy a few paintings while I fill up space. Haha.
Gallery
    I suppose it's time for my own pieces now. While I seriously love sketching I definitely can't say that I'm the best at it. Here's a few of my pieces that I have uploaded. ^^


    Full sized pictures of mine are pretty much only found on my Tumblr account manjusaka. I have been meaning to use DA but never actually get around to it. Haha. I suppose I could also start scanning more of my photos. Most of them are just chillin' in sketchbooks.

    In addition to drawing I am a big time Photoshop user. I edit all sorts of images and such. You can get a feel of that from my little pics on here so far.

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Fashion
    I sincerely hope you haven't been reading all my pages up to this point. If so you seriously must want to get to know me. I applaud you. Anywho, we're here for fashion which is something I've just recently gotten into. Without a doubt I don't know as much about it as most people. Most likely this will be a relatively short page. Let's begin with some designers and fashion styles that have caught my interest.


    Guo Pei is one heck of a creative mind. Most of her works are what had me half tempted to put fashion under art. These dresses are simply out of this world and it's interesting how each of the designs are inspired by some aspect of culture or her haute couture pieces for the individual. I would love to wear one of Guo Pei's creations, though I'm iffy on many of the shoes.


    Lately Hime gyaru, in particular the decoden nails have entertained me to no end. That's a rare thing because something so girly isn't usually my taste. It's another fashion that I would probably never wear in public though because it's just too gaudy for my tastes. Quite cute on the people that can pull the style off though. ^^


    Another accessory type I suppose but hey, it's still fashion. Venetian masks are the highlight of the masquerade balls. That aspect of them makes the mask itself almost a mystery. It's interesting how different people can be once they put on a mask. These are beautiful pieces of work.


    My final interest is in Loliτa clothing. Gothic Loliτa and the classic styles are by far my favorites. I've yet to get into the style myself other than a few hair accessories and cuffs, but I intend to have at least one Loliτa dress eventually. Most likely I will try getting my hands on an Atelier-Pierrot design because they have my favorites.

Closet
    Or Mina's clothes if you prefer to call it that. This section will be edited as soon as I have pictures of my outfits.

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Games
    Oh my goodness my life used to revolve around gaming. I still can spend hours at a time on certain massively multiplayer online games. One thing though, I don't have a single console. *Tears* Only my PC lets me fulfill my gaming needs. Let's have a look at my favorite games to play.


    Starting with Fatal Racing aka Whiplash by Gremlin Interactive, a Windows 95 racing game. Wow, that's going back. As crappy as the graphics were and as unrealistic as some of the tracks happened to be, this game will always be in my tops. It is what introduced me to the world of gaming. I played this game before we even had internet on our computer.

    Serious Sam by Croteam probably has an entire month of my life wrapped up in the hours I've played it. That's some serious damage. Haha, but really I freaking love this game and all the random secrets it had hidden all over the place. I doubt another first-person shooter will entertain me as much as Serious Sam had. Plus, it got me interested in Egypt which led me to buying my next favorite game.
    The Omega Stone by Omni Creative was a just awesome. I don't know any way to say it other than that. The end of the world, riddles, and ancient artifacts, I mean seriously. You get to travel to Giza, Stonehenge, the Devil's triangle, Chichen Itza. . . all sorts of places. Parts of this game had me thinking something was going to jump out and attack me even though this wasn't even a fighting game. It was all around fun even thought it took me nearly half a year to finish. Guess I kind of sucked at the game but who cares.

    Another adventure game Syberia by Benoît Sokal takes you into an alternate universe and into the body of Kate Walker who is taking on a simple job as a lawyer. The story development is extraordinary and the puzzles certainly never fail to entertain. Might I also mention that it involves mammoths and lots of automatons.

    Dreamfall: The Longest Journey by Funcom. I'm about just to end with saying that because this game had me in a state of jaw-drop most of the time. The graphics are gorgeous, the characters are well-developed, and the storyline . . . oh man that is one awesome storyline. Entering a world where two dimensions, one with magic and one with technology, are colliding could never get more interesting.

    Back to another list. I know you missed it since it wasn't on the art or fashion page. =P









The Sims
    Just because this game deserves its own section. The Sims by Maxis is a marvel of simulation gaming. It's simply a game about life, or maybe a player with a god-complex. Haha, but you already got that from me mentioning Black & White. *Cough*

    My Sims collection consists of every The Sims 2 pack except Teen Style Stuff and Mansion & Garden Stuff. Talk about an expensive collection. -.-" And I love every cent of it. Especially those free downloads.


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Cars
    It can be partially attributed to my brother for getting me so interested in cars. He was always working on restoring old Volkswagens and I found it fascinating. While I never had the chance of learning from him, I hope in the future I can have some better knowledge of mechanics. For now, I more admire the make of cars than anything else. The late 1960s definitely hold my favorite cars.


    The 1968 Pontiac Firebird is basically my dream car. To me it has the most beautiful model of any car ever. Something about it just amazes me. I'd not be likely to get a convertible like pictured though. What introduced me to the Firebird was actually my parents' wedding photos. My dad had a gorgeous 1967 Firebird and it was pearl blue. I remember going right from looking at those pictures to trying to find out everything I could about Pontiac Firebirds. Maybe one day I'll have one.




    The metallicar. Or Supernatural's 1967 Chevy Impala as it may, or may not be, better known as. This is definitely a car that caught my attention mostly because it's a nice four-door. Or maybe because it's on my favorite tv show. *Cough* I wouldn't be against going on a road trip with my brother in this piece of muscle that's for sure. Of course, he'd have to put up with me playing Metallica and AC/DC while driving. Haha. Not so sure I'd be up for fighting monsters though. I don't have a Winchester on me.



    Not a car, I know. My page though and this is going here because there's one in my basement right now. Hmph. The 1978 Suzuki GT550 with that nice blue color again. This is my dad's motorcycle from when he was young. Sadly, it was siting in the basement for fifteen years with gas and oil in it. The tank has been completely rusted away and most of the chrome isn't, well, chrome anymore. I've got it all dusted off and most of the leaking oil cleaned up but it's got a long way to go before it looks like the one pictured to the right.



    Tesla Motors is quite an admirable company in my opinion. It's working to bring electric cars to the public at an affordable price. I think it is good to be making the move towards clean energy, especially if it means getting off the foreign oil. Though I can't say that I believe that we have caused drastic changes in global warming. Back to Tesla, they have wonderful models as well. In particular the more expensive Tesla roaster was a great design. I hope to see more motor companies following in Tesla's footsteps and trying to produce affordable "green" cars.




    Now for the classic car of choice, the 1936 Buick Century. I really have a love for the 1930s in general and they certainly had beautiful cars. This Buick in particular has my favorite model of all the 1930s. The tires are set perfectly and as with most of the old Buick's you can't deny the wonders of that grill. I first happened across this car at a classic auto show here in Ohio. I can guarantee you that I'd never drive one though. I don't trust myself that much. I'll have to stop running into walls while I am walking before I even get behind the wheel of a classic.

My ride
    Currently none. How sad is that? Haha. Once I have a car of my own this will be update with a picture of it. ^^ For all I know that Suzuki might be what I end up with.

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Travel
    My travel experience has pretty much been three states in the U.S. so as you can see, I haven't gotten out much. However, once I have moved out of my parents' I hope to travel the world. Even if I don't I can always dream. Here's a few of the places I would love to see with my own eyes.

    Of course that's not all of the places I'd like to visit. I'd have to add in so many more if I wanted to include everything.

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Languages
    Being 100% honest here, English is the only language I am fluent in, but that doesn't stop me from attempting to converse in other languages. Even if that means I sound like a two year old. Haha. I am studying multiple languages right now. If you could see my desk I have piles of Spanish, French, and Korean dictionaries, workbooks, and novels. Not to mention a notebook filled with notes for each language. My hope is to eventually live in a few countries and become fluent in multiple languages.

Español
    Imposible solo existe en el mundo de los incapaces.

    Sí, hablo un poco de español. ^^ Estudié eso por solamente un año en escuela y estoy enseñandome sola por tres años. Jaja. Si ve un error me corrige por favor.

    Anyways, I'm not that great in Spanish. I'm awful at conjugating for tenses so I tend to sound a bit confusing. My vocabulary isn't huge either but I love learning new words so that will change eventually.

Français
    Vouloir, c'est pouvoir.

    Sorry, you don't get to see a little bit of my French. I've only been studying it for a month now, and not regularly at that. I am going to be taking French classes starting next month though so hopefully I'll get better. I'm going to be studying in Luxembourg in a year or so and since they speak a lot of French there I'm sure I'll learn more.

    I always have my lovely friend Nobuta to help me in my horrible French too. She lives in Lorraine so her French is pretty reliable. xD

한국말
    하늘이 무너져도 솟아날 구멍이 있다.

    지금은 한국어 ㅋㅋ 농담이에요. My Korean isn't all that great either. I may be able to pronounce the words but I'm not great at understanding yet. I'm working on the sentence structure and grammar still. I wish Neopets had Korean boards so I could work on understanding better but I'll stick to Daum and such I suppose.

    My ultimate goal in life is to live in Seoul because it is such a beautiful city.



Latin
    "Cogito ergo sum." -René Descartes

    Okay, so I'm not really learning Latin nor do I particularly plan to. Then why is it here? Well I have a particular love for 90% of the phrases that come from Latin. And there is of course the fact that most European languages have some roots in Latin. My favorite Latin phrases are either "Memento mori" or "morituri te salutant." How morbid.

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Other
    Whatever was too short to fit on a full page has been jumbled together here.

Sports
    When it comes to sports, I'm pretty horrible at them all and only watch a select few. Football is definitely one of the only sports I can actually sit down and enjoy watching. I'll follow the World Cup but I couldn't really tell you any of the players or which country I root for. I suppose South Korea gets my support since I'm biased towards them. Haha.

    I also enjoy watching King of Europe and the occasional Formula-1 race. See, my car interests leak into my sports interests. Whoops. I'm not a NASCAR fan though, sorry.

Food
    Yummy. I like this section.

    Starting with my absolute favorite food. Snow crab dipped in butter. Oh my god, I could live off of that stuff. Just give me some rice, a potato on the side, a bit of lettuce with it and I'm good. Even better than just plain rice, an onigiri is always an added love.

    I suppose I'm quite a seafood person. Actually, that's not true. The only fish I can stand to eat is tuna, salmon, and sardines. Another favorite dish of mine is New England clam chowder. Give me some saltine crackers and a slice of lemon with it, please. Scrumptious.

    I'm also a fruit lover. Oranges, apples, kiwis, bananas, mangoes, watermelons, cherries and my absolute favorite pomegranates. Pomegranate has one of the loveliest smells as well. I just can't get enough of it. The fruit is hard to get around here so I hardly ever have any, but when I do. . . mmm.

Drinks
    Only the Neo-friendly ones of course.

    Oh, how I love a glass of black cherry juice every evening. It's nice to help you relax and there are many health benefits to drinking a glass a day. Such a lovely taste too. It doesn't beat my favorite drink though.

    Tea. The classic steaming cup of green tea made with fresh tea leaves could probably be considered an addiction of mine. I generally have a cup in the morning and one in the afternoon. Tea is just amazingly good. I never add anything to it anymore. I used to put so much sugar in it but that just wasn't good. Now I simply have the green tea with a slice of toast usually. Don't know how I'd live without it.


    Since this is a random section, and somehow tea has to relate, I'm going to add in that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is kind of an obsession of mine. I would have put this under books but Alice has spread so much further than that. It's almost its own icon. Not to mention it's really quite twisted.

    "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
    "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
    "I don't much care where--" said Alice.
    "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

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Q&A
    Coming Soon. Send me some questions dang it! *lol*

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Contact
    So you want to converse with Mina more? Or maybe you just have a question to input? Of course you can always neomail her. Best bet is to contact fates_intertwined.

    You can also reach Mina at these places.






    Enjoy a poem as I fill up space.

Of all the inconveniences in the world,
a secret love may be the worst.
Every day you feel your heart beating,
bleeding over the beauty.
Stand up and be brave,
only to be let down?
Left lifeless in the hurting words.
Winding up with nothing. A calamity.
Stand up and be brave,
hoping for the fluttering feelings.
Feel your heart beating,
breathing as the secret love is no more.
Requited love; a convenience of the world.
-Mina

Random fact: Mina can't swim above water.

Here's some quotes I love.

 "Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
—Mao Zedong

 "Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
—Aurthur C. Clarke

 "It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination."
—Douglas Adams (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)

 "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
—Edgar Allan Poe

 "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
—Arthur C. Clarke

 "Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I'll meet you there."
—Rumi

 "And he who lives a hundred years, ignorant and unrestrained, a life of one day is better if a man is wise and reflecting."
—the Buddha

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Links
    Sites:
    Guilds:
    People:

    Time for space filling with a random interest of mine! They are called ball-joint dolls. Too expensive for me to spend my money on though. Suppose I'll continue just dreaming of dolls. Haha.



    Now for a little bit of my stalker side since you seem to be following me around like crazy. I seriously follow every little bit of this cosplayer's blogs. Introducing Dean.



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