Alas we lost in the WBC yesterday.
It's mortifying... Why oh why? Why did Japan lose?
Being one who loves baseball I'm still a bit on edge about it today.
I want to say that just seeing Ichirō on TV is satisfying enough,
but still it's mortifying!

I'm a Kobe native, so I've been a big fan of Ichirō ever since he played for Orix.
He's a living national treasure to me.
By the way, as for Japanese baseball teams, I've been a Giants fan at heart since I was little.
While they had Matsui and Kiyohara playing for them I never missed a game.
Is there anything as exciting as coming back from the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk-off HR?
Cheers to the guy who invented baseball as a sport.

Recently there was a sad and a happy event I'd like to write about today.

First the sad event...
A few days ago, after sword fighting practice had finished,
my teacher pointed out to me:
"Today you moved with a lack of intensity as if you've gotten too used to it.
You weren't as sharp as you used to be.
Despite the skills you were given, the kata you could rely on has drained away.
You were several levels better last month."
It was a huge shock.

After wanting to improve myself by watching myself practice for at least 1-2 hours each day,
and after studying the tape with the teacher's example moves...
I could in no way imagine that I'd slide back.
Surely that day, with the lack of vigilance I seemed to have without realizing it,
I stubbed my left pinky finger and my right thumb.
Maybe the injury caused me to make mistakes in my movements,
but I don't think I was distracted enough that I didn't pay attention,
and when I reviewed my movements of that day it was indeed clear that I was slacking.

I know all too well what the cause is.
It's laziness. It's negligence. I hate that about me.
What am I doing slacking off before filming even starts?
"Slacking off", the one thing I hate the most, that I deliberately try to avoid,
that's what I unwittingly appear to be doing.
Once I get used to something I become negligent, slacking off before I know it, so irritating of me.
So now I got to recover my original intention, and study again in my own way.
I think "getting used to something" is a scary thing.
I must not forget my original intention, I must not tolerate it.

To quote Shakespeare:
"But you, gods, will give some faults to make us men."
("Antony and Cleopatra", Act V Scene I)

... If so, then shouldn't we thankfully accept those faults?
However, I'm willing to show that I can conquer mine.
I will overcome my weaknesses and inabilities, that's what I think today.

Next is the happy event...
I worked together with Ninagawa Mika-san (AsianMediaWiki, Home page) during a magazine interview a few days ago!!
When I saw Ninagawa-san's work before,
I thought how nice it would be if she photographed me some day too,
and I'm really happy that that wish was realized!
Talking after the shoot, Ninagawa-san let me know that she wanted to photograph me too,
making me more than happy.

Speaking of Ninagawa-san, she's known for using lots of flowers in her vividly coloured photos,
but the theme of the photo shoot that day was a pinup girl retrospective,
so we used pop inspired props, and a polka dot background paper.

Hair and make-up was done by Kuroda-san, who always works with me for Voce.
The hair and make-up I was given that day was done
a bit in the image of Marilyn Monroe.
Bright red lips and a beauty spot drawn near the corner of my mouth was a fresh sensation.
My nails were also red to match my lips.
My hairdos were all wigs.
For my upcoming role I'm not cutting my forelock to let it grow as much as it wants,
so wearing a wig I once again showed a fringe. 笑

I'm destined to wear a wig for anything lately.

They're so natural, that I've gone so far as to want to wear a wig each time.
Wigs also evolved along with the times, didn't they?

Changing into lots of outfits and wearing lots of different wigs (笑) for this photo shoot
made it really enjoyable.
Look forward to the sale.