DONE BY THE LOVELY 
GO TO HER GALLERY NOW!
For those of you who don't have facebook: here is a note i was asked to write about where i am, what im doing, and why i haven't uploaded any art in F O R E V E R...here's why ;-; :
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Hi there everybody!!
Finally, a note update! I've been very very busy these past few weeks at college...hence why many people back home probably haven't heard much from me recently (Im not dead yet!) So here I am...to tell you all about what's going on in my life right now! that is...of course...assuming you're interested ^^ IM NOT OFFENDED IF YOU AREN'T! Im not very engaging sometimes >>;; i know...
ACADEMICS:
J a p a n e s e:
I love my japanese class! all of my classmates are really funny, and they're all very dedicated to learning the language. Destin-san is in class with me ♥Armstrong-sensei has said that she can tell we all prepare and do our work ahead of time. She can see it in how fast we're progressing...and stuff
;
My pronunciation is doing ok i guess...although i tend to put "mountains" or "stress" on certain syllables which isn't correct, and makes me sound funny. Japanese is a rather "flat" language; there's really very little stress or tone at all. it's something i need to improve on
Now for writing...heh heh....yeah. for those of you who aren't aware, the japanese language has three "alphabets". Hirigana is used for writing japanese words - it's a phonetic alphabet, like ours. Katakana is used for writing foreign words, stuff like "computer" and "television", etc. Then there's kanji, which are borrowed chinese characters used to represent words (aka you can't sound them out; you have to memorize them). Many japanese words can be written in hirigana OR with kanji. Lesson done! great job! >D
We have learned all the hirigana and katakana characters (138 total if you count the diaritical marks and do not include contracted sounds @_@). As far as hirigana is concerned, i've got it down pretty well...there are a few though that do confuse me a bit...because they look so much alike, but there's really no excuse for me NOT to have them down by now...
EXAMPLES OF THE CONFUSION:
nu = ぬ me = め
re = れ ne = ね wa = わ
then there's katakana...the absolute BANE of my existence >< Katakana isn't pretty or flowy the way hirigana is...most of the characters are simple, but they're made up of straight lines with sharp angles and such. Like i said...they're very simple (one or 2 strokes)...but they ALL seem to LOOK THE SAME! some characters are even other characters flipped vertically or horizontally...some have one extra stroke at the very end, some are the same just SLANTED! S~L~A~N~T~E~D!!! I don't have the best handwriting which is why it gets tough for me when im writing it!
EXAMPLES OF FURTHER CONFUSION:
ma = マ mu = ム
ku = ク wa = ワ (f)hu =フ u = ウ ra = ラ
no = ノ so = ソ n = ン shi = シ tsu = ツ
oh my gosh some of these absolutely KILL ME! But im slowly but surely getting better...i have a fat little notebook that i carry with me everywhere that's filled with graph paper so i can practice writing all of these in my spare time so i'll improve
pray for my sanity...but i am having the time of my life learning it! i really am!!!! Right now the writing is a bit harder than writing was in Chinese when I had it last year with Nada ♥atleast in chinese the characters don't all look the same, there's some distinction! But the pronunciation is a million times easier than chinese! i hope you're doing ok Nada! YEAH....Chinese has tones which im very bad at...go figure that once i finally get into the japanese program i finally start using them properly...just in the wrong context (ie wrong language...)feh...♥oh...an
d i don't just have "class"...i have recitation class too...so basically i have japanese everyday, and always before lunch (japanese on an empty stomach ._. not good)...;-;
L i n g u i s t i c s:
Ah, the SECOND language i'm learning!! Yes...I am convinced that the "study of language" is in and of itself a language. It even has it's own alphabet! Oh yes! Called the IPA (International Phoenetic Alphabet: 37 symbols representing all possible sounds in human language) and it's kinda scary... here lemme show you:
[mai neim Iz ɛri. ai lʌv tu it tʃizIts]
WELCOME TO FRICKEN IPA! Lemme tell ya what this says:
[my name is ery. i love to eat cheezits] (and i DO!!!!)
I absolutely ADORE learning linguistics; it is my minor after all! It really has made me look at language differently. The way i speak, how i hear and listen, and also how i learn! It really goes along great with learning japanese
although it's still really difficult, it doesn't come easily for me. There's probably something wrong with how i wrote that sentence in IPA...but my teacher Prof. Lavine isn't here to look over it for me ;-; he is so cool! Daylin is in class with me, and Megan is the TA (teacher's assistant)...so cool! >D
I like to describe linguistics to people as: "learning everything about language that you already knew, but didn't know that you knew"...0_o confusing? Lemme explain:
Did you know that when a an alveolar stop is placed in a word between two vowels, and the first vowel has the stress of the syllable, that alveolar stop turns into an alveolar flap?? the answer is: YES! YOU DO! But you didn't KNOW that you KNEW that...eh?
Lemme show you an example of this rule:
say the word "write" to yourself...
now say the word "writer"....
OH EM GEE what happened to the "t" sound?
almost no one says "write-er". Native english speakers on the grand scale say "wride-er". That's because the alveolar stop (t) turns into the alveolar flap (ɾ: that's not the letter "r" by the way...this is more of a throaty "deuh" kind of sound...) because the "i" (ai in IPA) that precedes it is carrying the stress of the first syllable, and it has a "e" on the other side
See?? Look what you already knew!
It's so fascinating for me to learn stuff like this! To see all the little quirks behind our language...it's not just grammar! this is cool grammar! i have lots of little tidbits of information like this! >D it's really pretty nifty! if you ever get a chance to take a linguistics class, go for it! you'll really learn to appreciate and commend anyone who learns another language (it's a common mistake that i've learned that any language is "harder" than any other to learn...ALL languages are equally complicated, but in different ways)
oh...and i just turned in my first "test"...i don't think i did well...=< WAAAAAAAH!!!!! i think i can get a "C" at best, i checked my answers after turning it in (test was based on the honor system which i was HAPPY to abide by! i want to learn! not just get A's...)
G e o l o g y:
The dreaded science course...which i am surprisingly enjoying ._. for those of you who have known me for awhile, you'll know that i cannot stand math or science. It's like...the antithesis of my being or something. In those types of classes, i become the anti-ery...im easily frustrated, upset and i almost never smile...terrible right? Well this class is actually kinda cool! The actual title is "dynamic earth" and it's all about rocks, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earth quakes...nifty stuff like that...i think im doing pretty well so far too
im getting the concepts, and sometimes i can even help OTHER people around me get it! that's so unusual for me in science/math classes. im usually the one begging the person next to me to "help me get it"...my professor is pretty cool too. He has a great north carolina accent, and he's very passionate about what he does. he also isn't the type of professor who will embarrass you if you don't know something - which is awesome >D
the labs aren't too bad either. right now we're just doing rock identification and such, but eventually some of our labs will be "field trips" to mines and stuff where we'll be doing fieldwork...now THAT'S a lab that won't put me to sleep! I like labs where you actually go out and DO something, ya know? makes it more fun and keeps my interest/attention longer than a worksheet...><
M o d e r n J a p a n e s e H i s t o r y:
Another course about Japan-stuff! YOSH!! This course focuses on the meiji restoration/revolution, so from about 1868 to before WW2 (i think that's where we're stopping)...my teacher is a brilliant guy named Prof. Orr. He's really cool and he lived in Japan for 8 years! I have a bunch of friends in this class too! Spencer's there with me and he always seems to have the answers...STUDY BUDDY?!
Cool thing: for all you anime fans, THIS is the time period where Rurouni Kenshin and PeaceMaker Kurogane take place!! Now these series make so much more sense...but he didn't talk about the Shinsengumi ;-; they're HOT!!! >D
Uncool thing: my teacher is really cool...but the way he teachers history is a bit wonky...he teachers out of chronological order 0.0 so it has some of us in the class kinda confused...but we're workin' on it! plus there's LOTS of names to memorize. we actually have a dictionary for all the terms. The japanese LOVED to make up slogans for different movements like "embrace the emporer, expel the barbarian", stuff like that, and we gotta know all those i think -.- lots to remember! but it's really interesting to see how east and west met head on in Japan during this time...
oh and incase you're wondering...just cause i write less doesn't man i don't like a subject as much
i really do love all my classes...i just may have more to "say" about one over another...
P L A N S F O R M Y M A J O R:
I love being a Japanese major! Just some updates on my plans (by the way, if you've read this far, lemme know! i wanna send you a card in the mail or something to say thanks! it means a lot to me ^__^).
Study Abroad: definitely! But when? Depends. Because im a transfer student, i can only have up to 20 transfer credits to graduate, NO MORE! from LCCC, i have 13. So i can only take 7 transfer credits in Japan. One semester abroad is about 5 or so (equivalent of about 2 language courses depending on the intensity). So i can't do two semesters like i wanted to ;-; but...i could do a semester and a SUMMER study abroad! Summer is only 2 credits, I'd have my limit! and get to spend more time in Japan! YATTA! tee hee romanji...anywho yeah. the only problem is my scholarship doesn't cover summer courses. So i'd have to pay for it myself -___- ick...VERY expensive...but it would really be worth it! We'll have to see...there are so many cool programs too! So where in Japan would i go? I really don't wanna go to Tokyo cause big cities kinda freak me out (DC is pushing it
...there's one summer course that you can take in an uber small town with a river setting ^.^ and i REALLY wanna do a study abroad in Kyoto...yes it's a big city, but it has beautiful suburbs and a lot of history! It all depends I guess...I have a little bit of time to think about it since I'll have 5 semesters here.
Courses: I need to have 6 levels of Japanese language ^.^ FUN FUN FUN!!! I can't wait till i can really communicate! Im very excited!! >D I have my required course done (Modern Japanese History) and i think the Chinese course i took at LCCC will cover the "course taken outside one's east asian concentration", which for ME is Chinese. If that's so...then I have 3 Japanese electives to choose from! My "dream" classes are: (it all depends on availability as to which ones i get to take)
Japanese Ghosts and Monsters: all about legends and horror stories! W00t!
Japanese Culture and Society: very very very useful
Japanese Warrior Literature: Samurai are f'ing hot...^//////^
Buddhism: I am fascinated by the concept of buddhism. It's really cool! If i could imagine myself as anything other than a born again christian...i would probably be buddhist
POINT OF INTEREST: there is a Japanese "hentai" class being offered 0.0 yes...they study hentai and it's cultural significance...>_> ew ew ew tentacles ew ew ew AHHHHH!!! Dude, davey jones from Pirates made me scream and squirm in my seat! ask jill, tom or Devin! THEY'LL TELL YOU!!! Im physically disturbed by tentacles...
P L A N S F O R M Y M I N O R:
oh yeah! Linguistics rocks! >
seriously, im loving it! even though it's really hard...yeah. so my minor consists of 5 courses: 4 linguistics and one i get to chose from a list. The 105 class i have right now is meeting one of the linguistics requirements. Here are my choices!
Linguistic Analysis - Sentences and Dialects: continuation of the class I'm in now
Teaching Foreign Language: I have my ESL certification already, but I still wanna take this!
Intro to Translation Studies: taa daa! my (hopefully) future career! i can't wait for this one!!!
C A R E E R P L A N S:
As it states previously, I wanna be a translator. Specifically an Asian-language translator (I've narrowed my field - i wanted to just learn a bunch of languages before...). I want to take fluency tests and study Japanese, Chinese and Korean (possibly Vietnamese as well). Im starting with Japanese because after taking a course in each of these languages (well i taught myself some korean...no actual classes ^^), i experienced the most success with Japanese, so it has become my "first" language, and will be my foundation for when I learn the other 2 (possibly 3). I want to go into translating work for media or commercials/advertisements
at first. Eventually, I'd like to put my talents to work for the Lord and do some missionary work in Japan with the underground church there
Perhaps I will work with Wycliffe Bible Translators too! (VERY intensive training for that! ya gotta get it right!)
EXTRA-CURRICULAR:
M I N D F U L M E D I T A T I O N:
yes, I have started attending meditation sessions
you might think: ery? sit still? for THAT long?! NO WAY! and you're right ^^ it's that hard...I've only had one session so far, but the effect was quite profound actually! It's a type of zen meditation, focusing on the emptying of the mind and the absence of thought (none of that "connect with the universe" stuff or "controling chi/chakra/energy" either!! It's literally just sitting still). It's sitting meditation for 10 minutes, walking meditation for 10 minutes, than another sitting meditation for 15 minutes. After my first session, i felt like i was moving in slow motion. I felt calm, relaxed; i was told i was even SPEAKING slower 0.0 those of you who talk to me - yeah....BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH normally. But i was quiet and almost "serene". My mind was clear, some of my stress and school concerns sort of melted into a confident innner calmness. So i consider it an absolute success in that respect! But it wasn't easy...
During the first sitting, our teacher brought us into the meditation with 3 resonant chimes of a bell...that bell is so beautiful! The rings stayed in my ears almost to the end of the first sitting. it was so beautiful...i let my mind follow the bell and i found it very easy to get lost it in, thinking about NOTHING...my mind is usually going a million miles an hour, but for those 10 minutes...ah it was heaven ^_^. Unfortunately...well see im not a very physically nimble person ya know? You have to sit a certain way. I did the "easier" version, but a little more than half way through, i started getting some really bad pains in my feet. They were completely numb! I know i have bad circulation. If i cross my legs for more than like 20 minutes just sitting in a chair my feet fall asleep - BOTH of them >< The bell helped me forget about it...but once i lost the sound of the bell...the last 2 minutes or so was really really painful.
The walking meditation helped me walk off that pain. We walked in a circle, taking VERY small steps and walking mindfully. Focusing only on what our feet were doing. It's so strange...i realized how little i think about walking and how sloppy i am ._.
than we had our second, and last sitting. The bell this time didn't seem to have the same effect ;-; so i tried to lose myself in something else, to keep my mind from wandering. So i picked a small pink spot on the carpet and focused on it. I'd get lost and feel "non-thinking"(or as close as i can get to it
for a little while, but then thoughts would start creeping back into my head and i'd yell at myself for thinking...it's very easy to be very judgmental of yourself when meditating...i do tend to be hard on myself, but hopefully, among other things, this will help me to be more forgiving of myself, as i strive to be towards others
what do i hope to gain from this?? I am a person who's ALWAYS on the go, like most dedicated college students. I am a naturally hyperactive, somewhat anxious, typical "gemini" (i don't really buy astrology predictions and horoscopes, but I do have some very striking similarities to my astrological sign...no doubt!). I want to learn how to just "slow down"...chill out and just focus on "being"...it's hard to describe...i guess i just wanna live and little slower. Also, I have ADD real bad (im convinced!) it's coming out alot more now that im a college student. i found myself forgetting a LOT of things, from homework assignments to something someone says to me; i'll swear i never heard it. yeah, that's not good. my brain isn't very economical about retrieving information. I attribute it to my fast-paced lifestyle. I want to learn how to concentrate better and pay attention more effectively. Also, i would, like i said before, i want to be more forgiving of myself. Our leader said that "this is probably the only place you will ever be that you will never have judgement passed on you". And it's true...no one looks at you...you're in a group but working as individuals. A support net with no expectations...it's a rather interesting sensation i must say...i want to learn how to stop being so hard on myself by knowing what it feels like when other people treat me the way i should be treating myself. does that make sense? yeah, i beat myself up alot...but i strive to be as compassionate and forgiving as possible towards others. It seems unfair that i act that way towards others but not myself... some buddhist guy said that love without self-love is incomplete...
For those of you concerned about my faith and all the "stereotypes" that come with Zen and Buddhist meditation...that brings me to my last reason: getting closer to God...I feel i've hit another plateu in my faith. I hit LOTS of those. But i keep coming back to Psalm 46:10 : "be still and know that I am God". That's all this stye of meditation is. Being still...i'm not trying to connect with anyone or anything. i'm simply existing...and i am confident that the feeling of openness and tranquility that i had at the end of my session will allow me to be more receptive of the plans that God has for me and the blessings He wishes to bestow on me
If i dismiss all my preconceptions about Him and how He works...i will be able to reap all His blessings, and be able to bless others. See what i mean? No, i don't plan on becoming a "buddhist-christian"...i'm
just a christian. I do not believe in reincarnation (i have some beefs with popular theory concerning this...), karma, buddha as a deity, and...well...i cannot have faith or joy knowing that the end goal of my "buddhist" journey is complete non-existence...i dunno...it doesn't feel right deep down. that feeling has never let me down before, so i know i can trust it
I'll keep you posted and let you know how this affects my faith. i know that if it takes me further away from God i will stop.
M A C U S E R S C L U B:
JUST IN CASE NO ONE KNEW: i got a new macbook this summer. and I am officially a mac-convert. I will NEVER go back to a PC...i just don't think i can...not now that i've experienced something so much better!! Everything on a mac works seamlessly together - wireless internet already installed, language fonts and palettes already there, WIDGETS...all that stuff!! it's great! Programs open in less than 3 seconds, even photoshop! start up takes about 10 seconds! no more waiting for the computer to turn on, and even when you get your desktop, ya know how you still had to wait a bit? NOT with my mac!! Plus...well...mac's are much prettier than other computers ._. sorry...but yeah. i love my mac...it's my baby...^-^
Anywho, there's a mac users club here on campus! in addition to giving me a CRAP load of free stuff (which i appreciate so much!), they meet once a week and exchange tips, ideas, programs and food
I've already learned a lot about macs from veteran users and im learning more and more about how to get the most out of my babeh :3 Also, they have lots of officer positions available. since the club is brand new, they need officers to get student government recognition. i put myself out there for secretary, since i take notes obsessively...it's no big deal if a more experienced user wants it though.
B U C K N E L L I A N:
I am officially a photo-editor for our school's newspaper! Enche is the head photo-editor, and i am the "head minion" under him ^_^ he and i edit all the photos in the paper to make them acceptable for printing and to make them pretty :3 IT'S SO MUCH FUN! and it's easy...and everyone is so appreciative! Nilanjanna and Lilly and Sophia are all so nice! it doesn't take a lot of time (like...2 hrs a week or so), but it helps everyone out a lot and makes me feel special: my edits are being printed in a real newspaper!
cools!!!!!
D O - R A K:
Have you ever seen the movie "pay it forward"? me neither...but that's what this club is based on! On Doing Random Acts of Kindness (hence the acronym...) It's really cool! We just do nice stuff for people on campus and try to inspire others to commit random acts of kindness as well! SO COOL!!! I really wanna work with making posters and signs since i like doing so and im pretty good at it ^_^
T H E W E L L, T H E G A T H E R I N G & D M F:
ok, these are the three Christian groups that im involved with here on campus! I do not go to church on sundays (they're kinda weird...and i wanna sleep), so instead, like many students, i attend weekday worship instead
The Well is on thursday nights from 830 - whenever. it's really cool, very upbeat and contemporary with student speakers and GREAT music!
The Gathering is another one on sunday nights that the lovely Winnie invited me to! You can never have too much worship!! I haven't gone yet...but i'm sure if Winnie likes it, it's gotta be great!
DMF or Disciple Maker's Fellowship is the small group biblestudy i'm attending on friday nights. They're a greta group and they've really helped me feel at home. Right now we're working through the book of Phillippians. Also, next weekend we're going on a retreat!!! So cool! 2 days up in the woods to really get into the word and get to know each other better
im so excited! also, there's a really cool conference in october that i'm going to...can't wait for that either!!!
A N I M E C L U B:
well...i wouldn't really be "ery" if i didn't go to an anime club, right? ^_^ the members are UBER UBER cool! Justin is the president, and Spencer is one of the vice presidents; allen is there too! We meet on saturday and sunday afternoons, watch 5 episodes of a series (right now we're watching Shakugan no Shana and Elemental Gelade), then go eat dinner togethr ^_^ they're a great group of people and i love them all!!!! ♥After these series are done, we're watching EVANGELION (YES YES YES YES YES YES YES X10million) and Now & then, here & there (SAME AS ABOVE!!!) i love both these series and i can't fricken wait!!!!!!!! >D
W R I T E R S O F R O H A N:
Fantasy writers unite! oh this club is gonna be so so so cool! a bunch of amateur fantasy writers get together and comment on each other's work with the intention of actually publishing the story one day ^_^ SO EXCITING!!! i won't be doing much writing though, since i'm really more of an amateur manga artist (my amateur i mean "i suck"). i will probably do more critique and commentary on other's stories. But i WAS nominated to be the official seamstress ^^ I will be making cloaks for some of the members! we're using them for an awesome halloween event!! ♥YEE HAW!!! i can't wait! Caitlin, Hilary, Michelle, Daylin, Jeff and Drew are all in it too! Drew's the president, Jeff is vide president. They're all great people too, and we're all really excited to see the club take off this year!!
FRIENDS:
To all my new friends at bucknell:
thank you for making me feel so at home! you've really opened your arms and i know i'm going to mature and grow surrounded by some of the greatest people ever! i love you all! Lily, joseph, michelle, daylin, other michelle, caitlin, susie, megan, dippery, EVERYBODY!!!
To all my friends back home:
GAWD I MISS YOU GUYS!!!!! D< Cyndi, Laura, Abby, Jake, alyssa, jill...everyone at waldenbooks ;-; i miss you too nada!
all you girls! come visit me! spend the night! i have room for you to sleep! there will be food and cookies and anime if you come on the weekend!! please come visit me! i know it's a 2 hour drive, but i really miss you guys!
OH OH OH! send me letters and stuff! i'm covering my wall with all the notes people send me! write me a letter! pretty please! i wuv getting mail :3
Ery Sellers
Bucknell University
701 Moore Avenue C1727
Lewisburg, Pa 17837
DEVIN:
DEVIN DEVIN DEVIN!
BUN-DA-BUM! BABY! STRAWBERRY-LOVE-DOVEY-NINJ
A-BUN!!!
i miss you and i love you!
im sorry that our video chats never seem to work...but we'll keep trying!
i haven't seen you in 77 days...
BUT WE'LL BE TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND!
i can't wait...;-; i really just can't wait!!!
FAMILY AND HOME:
Naturally, i miss my family. im the first one in my family to go off to college, so this is a wholly new experience for all of us. I miss home terribly. I miss my dad kissing me goodnight, I miss my sister's voice, I miss my mom, even the nagging
i miss kitten headbutting me the morning cause i haven't taken to stroking her fast enough, i missed all the stuffed animals i left at home, i miss my collection of piggy banks and miscellaneous figurines, i miss the rest of my shoes...
i am very blessed though that i was able to go through my first 2 years of college (a pivotal time!) while still living at home. it allowed me to mature and grow in a really safe, stable and familiar environment, which is why i feel prepared for life here on my own ^_^ BUT GAWD I WISH I HAD A SMALL VACUUM OR A CARPET FLIK OR SOMETHING!!!!! My floor is kinda dirty and i can't clean it ;-;
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if you read this far, i know it's cause you really really REALLY must care about me, and that means alot...sorry this post was so long, but wasn't really interesting...^^ i love you guys! thanks so much for reading ='
means the world to me!
tag i stole from laura - LONG
and 
ha ha!
!! she drew my commission at otakon so i joined!
ery
My Stamp Collection
Lazy
that's pretty much why i stopped...and devin likes my long nails 
Eager
been awhile since i submitted anything eh?
unless their wrath suddenly boils up within them and they come to steal my frosted chocolate cream poptarts! 
NOOOOOES!!!
it's nero's FACE that is makin' me lose sleep >< HOPE THEY LOOK GOOD SO FAR >D
I ACTUALLY SUBMITTED SOMETHING!!!!
ART TRADE 1
Euphoric
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