Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Not Ready For the Year to End
Despite horoscope predictions that I'm supposed to have a somewhat decent year starting in less than two days, I really am not ready for 2009 to end, because once it ends, I'll have to get ready to fly back down to California, and with the stupid almost-terrorist attack on Christmas day, I'll expect to be stuck at the airport for three hours before I can even get to my gate =_= Security is supposedly horrible right now so I have to watch what I can or cannot bring back down. *sigh* And here I was thinking that I could just bring all that I wanted, but I don't think I should take any sort of chances. It would suck if I am stuck behind security for three hours. *sigh* This is so not going to be cool at all.
Probably Not Taken Seriously
So this friend of mine asked me to download something for her yesterday and when I asked her why she couldn't do it herself, her response was, "Because I'm too lazy."
... I wrote back that I refuse and that she should go be un-lazy.
Except... she probably won't take me seriously. Just wait and see.
... I wrote back that I refuse and that she should go be un-lazy.
Except... she probably won't take me seriously. Just wait and see.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Manga Master List WIP
So... I've decided to put together a master list of all the manga I own... but it's turning out to be a real pain in the ass =_= I have way too many... How in the world am I supposed to record everything @_@!!!! I don't even know where to begin writing down titles and such. Ah, my eyes are like swirling around @_@ But I have to get it done T__T Otherwise I'll always be curious. *sigh*
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thinking Like An Antagonist
I finally started watching "Mei-chan no Shitsuji" and it's alright. I think it's a Fuji TV production so it's your typical shoujo manga drama. For some reason, every time I see the antagonists in a drama, I start sympathizing with them rather than hate them. It takes a lot to get me to dislike an antagonist, I always seem to see things from their point of view, maybe because I feel at times I'm similar to them. Like we're of the same scent.
For instance, when I was watching Palace Scheme aka Beyond the Realm of Conscience, I could not help, but see things from Kam-Ling's point of view even though she is a villain. Part of me, I guess the part that always feels victimized due to circumstance and the way people treat me, makes me almost see a reflection in those characters, because in a way they were pushed to that extreme. Though I don't want to hurt people like they do, I kind of understand where they're coming from. Feelings like "I want to rise to the top so no one can bully me anymore" or "If you hurt me, I'll hurt you 10-fold," are kind of similar to those antagonists. Kind of scary if you think about it. Recently, I haven't been the most forgiving person and I tend to remember things that make me unhappy. I try to tell myself to let go, to give in to others, and that my getting angry so easily is because I'm too sensitive to things, but shouldn't there be a threshold for how much one should take before it's enough?
Lately, I've been getting this feeling that if my life were like that of a drama or a story, I would be the antagonist. There are characters which the audience likes: the ones who are bullied, but then stand up for themselves; and then there are the ones the audiences don't particularly like: the ones who are bullied, but then while standing up for themselves intently hurt others in the process to show that they should not be messed with. I feel like the lather lately even if I don't act out upon my thoughts, which then makes me scared of my own mind.
If we can act upon all we think about, I should probably be in prison already. My mind is my most dangerous weapon at times I think. I hurt the people who hurt me within my mind over and over again, because I cannot act upon it in real life. I feel such anger and loathing towards them, that I seem to kill them repeatedly within my brain, doing all the possible things which can hurt them. But in real life, I can't do it at all, I haven't the heart ... or perhaps the stomach to do it. I cannot figure out which it is. I haven't felt much like a good person at all. I feel guilty even wishing pain upon those who have hurt me, so I am conflicted. I feel like an antagonist mentally.
In a drama, I would be like Kam-Ling. I will snap and go insane in the end, because of all the abuse I take and then my inability to forgive will drive me to the edge. People say, "Learn to forgive and forget." I may be forgetful towards the things they do to me, but I don't forget the feelings they made me feel, but over time, I do forget things, but I really shouldn't forget some things, because then I will only be on the end that's repeatedly giving in to others. I am always giving in to others. I don't want to give in anymore, I don't want to be called up at 11PM at night so I can play FarmVille for someone just because they're out drinking or driving long-stance anymore (It's a @#$%ing game!). When I call, I ask for important things like directions to my interview place, or an address for a friend, but I don't make people do ridiculous things. I also put a lot of thought into what gifts to give to people, not just pick something up and when someone asks me what it is, say that I don't know.
Yeah, that's right. When my friend came back from Taiwan, she got me a green pig-like keychain and a sticker and when I asked her if the cute keychain was a pig, she bluntly fired back, "I don't know!" like I owed her or something. Yeah, very thoughtful and kind. While I was happy she got me something, should I be happy that that was the attitude in which she picked something out for me? If it was such a bother for her to buy me something, then she shouldn't have done so in the first place, why does it have to sound like I was in the wrong or something? I couldn't really tell what it is, so that's why I asked, why did she have to snap back like that and what's up with the "I don't know!!!" If you didn't know, why did you get it!? If someone tried to sell you cocaine or something and you didn't know what it was, would you buy it?
I am ALWAYS forgiving her poor mannerisms, behavior, attitude, and lack of respect towards others. I am ALWAYS forgiving her for her manipulative tendencies and ignorance, but she is continually mean to me. I keep telling myself that I've had it, but then why do I continue staying close to her? Sooner or later, I'll become exactly like Kam-Ling. I always feel like I'm trying to think of ways that I can hurt her, just to show her how much it hurts when she does certain things to me like tell me Cantonese is not Chinese, or that I'm not Chinese, or how I should live my life or something. I'm tired of being denied who I am, and that I have to change because she thinks I need to.
Well, I think she needs to change to! You don't see me saying a thing about it! Yes, I have flaws. I have PLENTY of flaws, big obnoxious ones that even I can see and no matter what I do, I still have them, but at least I try to make myself presentable. I try to keep others around me happy, because I don't deal well with conflict, and yeah, I admit that I'm selfish to a degree, but I don't go out of my way to get what I want while stepping on other people to get there. I don't call up people to go play a game for me because I am out drinking, I don't have such a bad memory that I have to ask others the same thing a billion times, I always try to do things with care, but she just doesn't get me.
We have such a toxic relationship, and I am going crazy. I am turning into one of those antagonists in the stories, the ones who will do something bad because they feel pushed to those circumstances. The audience will never take my side. They like people like that "friend" of mine, the one who uses me because they're always out having fun. People like girls like her, while girls like me sit in the shadows, cry or sulk. I am not as pretty as her and I can't act like her, so they always prefer her to me, but I am hard-working, I don't go out of my way to hurt people -- though I do think about it often, and I am a proper human being, but it's like someone like me doesn't fit in this world anymore. It's like almost 90% of the world is the same, and people like me just are outdated. People like me turn into villains within stories, that or they are weak and commit suicide. Lately, I've been thinking about it a lot, that maybe in my life story, I am not the heroine, but actually a villain? With all I've gone though, and how my mind is unable to forgive like those main characters, maybe in the end, I'll be just like those villains who go insane because they can never be happy.
For instance, when I was watching Palace Scheme aka Beyond the Realm of Conscience, I could not help, but see things from Kam-Ling's point of view even though she is a villain. Part of me, I guess the part that always feels victimized due to circumstance and the way people treat me, makes me almost see a reflection in those characters, because in a way they were pushed to that extreme. Though I don't want to hurt people like they do, I kind of understand where they're coming from. Feelings like "I want to rise to the top so no one can bully me anymore" or "If you hurt me, I'll hurt you 10-fold," are kind of similar to those antagonists. Kind of scary if you think about it. Recently, I haven't been the most forgiving person and I tend to remember things that make me unhappy. I try to tell myself to let go, to give in to others, and that my getting angry so easily is because I'm too sensitive to things, but shouldn't there be a threshold for how much one should take before it's enough?
Lately, I've been getting this feeling that if my life were like that of a drama or a story, I would be the antagonist. There are characters which the audience likes: the ones who are bullied, but then stand up for themselves; and then there are the ones the audiences don't particularly like: the ones who are bullied, but then while standing up for themselves intently hurt others in the process to show that they should not be messed with. I feel like the lather lately even if I don't act out upon my thoughts, which then makes me scared of my own mind.
If we can act upon all we think about, I should probably be in prison already. My mind is my most dangerous weapon at times I think. I hurt the people who hurt me within my mind over and over again, because I cannot act upon it in real life. I feel such anger and loathing towards them, that I seem to kill them repeatedly within my brain, doing all the possible things which can hurt them. But in real life, I can't do it at all, I haven't the heart ... or perhaps the stomach to do it. I cannot figure out which it is. I haven't felt much like a good person at all. I feel guilty even wishing pain upon those who have hurt me, so I am conflicted. I feel like an antagonist mentally.
In a drama, I would be like Kam-Ling. I will snap and go insane in the end, because of all the abuse I take and then my inability to forgive will drive me to the edge. People say, "Learn to forgive and forget." I may be forgetful towards the things they do to me, but I don't forget the feelings they made me feel, but over time, I do forget things, but I really shouldn't forget some things, because then I will only be on the end that's repeatedly giving in to others. I am always giving in to others. I don't want to give in anymore, I don't want to be called up at 11PM at night so I can play FarmVille for someone just because they're out drinking or driving long-stance anymore (It's a @#$%ing game!). When I call, I ask for important things like directions to my interview place, or an address for a friend, but I don't make people do ridiculous things. I also put a lot of thought into what gifts to give to people, not just pick something up and when someone asks me what it is, say that I don't know.
Yeah, that's right. When my friend came back from Taiwan, she got me a green pig-like keychain and a sticker and when I asked her if the cute keychain was a pig, she bluntly fired back, "I don't know!" like I owed her or something. Yeah, very thoughtful and kind. While I was happy she got me something, should I be happy that that was the attitude in which she picked something out for me? If it was such a bother for her to buy me something, then she shouldn't have done so in the first place, why does it have to sound like I was in the wrong or something? I couldn't really tell what it is, so that's why I asked, why did she have to snap back like that and what's up with the "I don't know!!!" If you didn't know, why did you get it!? If someone tried to sell you cocaine or something and you didn't know what it was, would you buy it?
I am ALWAYS forgiving her poor mannerisms, behavior, attitude, and lack of respect towards others. I am ALWAYS forgiving her for her manipulative tendencies and ignorance, but she is continually mean to me. I keep telling myself that I've had it, but then why do I continue staying close to her? Sooner or later, I'll become exactly like Kam-Ling. I always feel like I'm trying to think of ways that I can hurt her, just to show her how much it hurts when she does certain things to me like tell me Cantonese is not Chinese, or that I'm not Chinese, or how I should live my life or something. I'm tired of being denied who I am, and that I have to change because she thinks I need to.
Well, I think she needs to change to! You don't see me saying a thing about it! Yes, I have flaws. I have PLENTY of flaws, big obnoxious ones that even I can see and no matter what I do, I still have them, but at least I try to make myself presentable. I try to keep others around me happy, because I don't deal well with conflict, and yeah, I admit that I'm selfish to a degree, but I don't go out of my way to get what I want while stepping on other people to get there. I don't call up people to go play a game for me because I am out drinking, I don't have such a bad memory that I have to ask others the same thing a billion times, I always try to do things with care, but she just doesn't get me.
We have such a toxic relationship, and I am going crazy. I am turning into one of those antagonists in the stories, the ones who will do something bad because they feel pushed to those circumstances. The audience will never take my side. They like people like that "friend" of mine, the one who uses me because they're always out having fun. People like girls like her, while girls like me sit in the shadows, cry or sulk. I am not as pretty as her and I can't act like her, so they always prefer her to me, but I am hard-working, I don't go out of my way to hurt people -- though I do think about it often, and I am a proper human being, but it's like someone like me doesn't fit in this world anymore. It's like almost 90% of the world is the same, and people like me just are outdated. People like me turn into villains within stories, that or they are weak and commit suicide. Lately, I've been thinking about it a lot, that maybe in my life story, I am not the heroine, but actually a villain? With all I've gone though, and how my mind is unable to forgive like those main characters, maybe in the end, I'll be just like those villains who go insane because they can never be happy.
Ōoku (大奥) Movie (2010.10.01)
Now I'm excited! So I found out earlier that Ninomiya Kazunari will be starring in Yoshinaga Fumi's "Ōoku," but only discovered today that Shibasaki Kou will be playing Yoshimune. I was thinking that they would pick someone with a signature personality like Inoue Mao's -- but not Inoue Mao because she is way too young to play Yoshimune -- and Shibasaki Kou is absolutely perfect for the role. She has charisma, her age is just right, and even her looks really fit the bill. She's a great actress and I can't think of anyone else more fitting for the role.
Inoue Mao would be better suited for Iemitsu's character -- though they probably won't do a movie for that arc. Iemitsu is emotionally and physically violent due to a harsh past, but grows into a sharp and powerful shogun. Since Hana Yori Dango, Inoue Mao has played very strong, feminine roles so young Iemitsu would be very fitting for her -- though it'd be better if she's older too 'cause the Iemitsu arc spans from her being a teenager till her death at 46 or 47ish. And to find the perfect Arikoto would be REALLY difficult. We're talking about a man who is so beautiful he can rival a woman. Other than Korea's Lee Jun Ki, I can't think of an Asian man who can look beautiful like that. Maybe Tsumabuki Satoshi, but I can't imagine him bald for even just a moment when he was a monk lol. Too bad they're not doing a movie on Iemitsu x Arikoto. I love their story the best so far, it's so poignant and heart-breakingly sad. Both are forced into their roles due to circumstance, but fall deeply in love with each other and their love lasts even after Iemitsu's death. They have the most beautiful story and it'd be interesting to see it in live-action, though a part of me is glad they're only doing the story from the first volume, because that's manageable. If they screwed up on Iemitsu x Arikoto, I wouldn't be able to stand it.
As for Ninomiya Kazunari... as much as I think he's a versatile and excellent actor, I'm still having trouble picturing him as 19 year-old Mizuno Yunoshin. I've gotten used to him playing mid-twenties characters that I can't seem to rewind him back a couple years =_=; Also, I guess I was expecting an extremely pretty man for the role or something... =_=; But alas... even I can't think of any Japanese man who fits the bill. Then again, lately I've been thinking Kaneko Noboru is very pretty, but a bit too old for the role ^_^; None of the younger to mid-twenties Johnnies seem to have the same presence that the character needs to command. In the end, Ninomiya may just be the best pick. Even if he doesn't have the ideal look I envisioned for the character, he will at least command screen presence and perform the role well.
Inoue Mao would be better suited for Iemitsu's character -- though they probably won't do a movie for that arc. Iemitsu is emotionally and physically violent due to a harsh past, but grows into a sharp and powerful shogun. Since Hana Yori Dango, Inoue Mao has played very strong, feminine roles so young Iemitsu would be very fitting for her -- though it'd be better if she's older too 'cause the Iemitsu arc spans from her being a teenager till her death at 46 or 47ish. And to find the perfect Arikoto would be REALLY difficult. We're talking about a man who is so beautiful he can rival a woman. Other than Korea's Lee Jun Ki, I can't think of an Asian man who can look beautiful like that. Maybe Tsumabuki Satoshi, but I can't imagine him bald for even just a moment when he was a monk lol. Too bad they're not doing a movie on Iemitsu x Arikoto. I love their story the best so far, it's so poignant and heart-breakingly sad. Both are forced into their roles due to circumstance, but fall deeply in love with each other and their love lasts even after Iemitsu's death. They have the most beautiful story and it'd be interesting to see it in live-action, though a part of me is glad they're only doing the story from the first volume, because that's manageable. If they screwed up on Iemitsu x Arikoto, I wouldn't be able to stand it.
As for Ninomiya Kazunari... as much as I think he's a versatile and excellent actor, I'm still having trouble picturing him as 19 year-old Mizuno Yunoshin. I've gotten used to him playing mid-twenties characters that I can't seem to rewind him back a couple years =_=; Also, I guess I was expecting an extremely pretty man for the role or something... =_=; But alas... even I can't think of any Japanese man who fits the bill. Then again, lately I've been thinking Kaneko Noboru is very pretty, but a bit too old for the role ^_^; None of the younger to mid-twenties Johnnies seem to have the same presence that the character needs to command. In the end, Ninomiya may just be the best pick. Even if he doesn't have the ideal look I envisioned for the character, he will at least command screen presence and perform the role well.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Firewalls Suck
As much as I like it for security, the firewall on our router at home is driving me insane. I am not tech smart enough to make it work well either =_= We should just do an open connection with cable when and if I move back here. I think in 3-5 years depending on how things go, I want to find a job at the local hospital here. I think in the long-run, working at a hospital will do me some good because the benefits at hospitals and government jobs are the best. Also considering that my father retires in 5 years (7 if he wants to work longer), I want to be able to take care of them here. I also want to give my parents a reason why not to move from where we currently live.
Anyway... as I was saying... I really hate the firewall on our router. I have no idea how to get it give us 100% of our DSL. We are only utilizing 41% according to this connection test thingy I took earlier. I just don't understand any of this computer stuff. I've also been having connection issues all day long. It's really aggravating =_= *sigh*
Anyway... as I was saying... I really hate the firewall on our router. I have no idea how to get it give us 100% of our DSL. We are only utilizing 41% according to this connection test thingy I took earlier. I just don't understand any of this computer stuff. I've also been having connection issues all day long. It's really aggravating =_= *sigh*
Listening To A Different Port?
So I have no idea how the whole router/port thing works. All I know is that the DSL is always fastest when it's simply stuck to just one computer and we get no wireless. But when I set up the wireless router and lock it, the overall speed drops to extremely slow. I have no idea what it means at all when it says I need to switch ports or something. What does it mean to check the listen port, firewall, or NAT router? I wish I have a computer guy on handy =_= *sigh* It makes me really mad to know that we're not getting the full amount of speed we should be getting because of the router. It's always like this after we put in a router. I wish I knew more about computers and all this online stuff =_=
Friday, December 25, 2009
Things To Do Before Vacation Ends
I've accomplished almost all the things I need to do except for the following:
01. Reorganize ALL my manga and novels and write up a master list.
02. Study for both regulation and business of CPA exam.
03. Help my mother reformat the wine, dessert and kid's menu for the restaurant.
04. Send in the mail-in rebate for my contacts.
05. Set up my bill-pay for all my upcoming credit card bills.
06. Laundry
I should buy a mini hand-lotion for inside my purse 'cause I'm really tired of these chapped, dry hands from how cold it is in the winter. I keep buying the huge things of lotion and I can't really carry those around with me =_=; *sigh*
I think I've done pretty well for the past week. We drove up to visit relatives today so I mingled up there for Christmas. We played a mahjong marathon again -- without proper rules again... which is really getting old, but my paternal grandmother loves it... *sigh* The reason why we don't play with official rules is -- though she will never admit it -- because she does not know how to play it and if she does learn, there is no guarantee that her chances of winning will be that high at all. My grandmother doesn't like playing anything that she has a low chance of winning so we're all dragged down to play an extremely boring slew of mahjong games =_= *sigh* I tend to favor having all my tiles be as proper as possible, but when everyone is basically messing around, it's pretty pointless. Oh well.
I ate too much today. I need to run the treadmill tomorrow =_=
01. Reorganize ALL my manga and novels and write up a master list.
02. Study for both regulation and business of CPA exam.
03. Help my mother reformat the wine, dessert and kid's menu for the restaurant.
04. Send in the mail-in rebate for my contacts.
05. Set up my bill-pay for all my upcoming credit card bills.
06. Laundry
I should buy a mini hand-lotion for inside my purse 'cause I'm really tired of these chapped, dry hands from how cold it is in the winter. I keep buying the huge things of lotion and I can't really carry those around with me =_=; *sigh*
I think I've done pretty well for the past week. We drove up to visit relatives today so I mingled up there for Christmas. We played a mahjong marathon again -- without proper rules again... which is really getting old, but my paternal grandmother loves it... *sigh* The reason why we don't play with official rules is -- though she will never admit it -- because she does not know how to play it and if she does learn, there is no guarantee that her chances of winning will be that high at all. My grandmother doesn't like playing anything that she has a low chance of winning so we're all dragged down to play an extremely boring slew of mahjong games =_= *sigh* I tend to favor having all my tiles be as proper as possible, but when everyone is basically messing around, it's pretty pointless. Oh well.
I ate too much today. I need to run the treadmill tomorrow =_=
Thursday, December 24, 2009
腐れ縁絆
I believe in bonds in this world that make certain people inseparable of each other regardless of good or bad. To me, there is one person in this world that shares this type of bond with me and it happens to be someone I am not too fond of for the past few years. No matter how far I run, or where she goes, we always end up back in the same place together. The relationship is all about her taking and me only giving. She is manipulative, but the worst part is that it is all unintentional so you can't say she is conniving or anything. She simply has a way to make people do what she wants them to do. She is a total user and abuser, but we all fall into her pace for some reason. Maybe it is because she is younger so we always end up going her way. I don't know or want to reason with it anymore, but I feel like I look out for her too much and I really should take care of myself more than her.
If she heard me think this, she'll probably say that I never look out for her or that I'm just full of bull 'cause she's so great and all. She probably thinks that she's the one looking out for me, when in fact she hardly ever does anything or stick up for me. She never sticks up for me and even when she's in the wrong, she doesn't believe that she is and refuses to apologize. This relationship is both toxic and draining on me, but it's like cancer that's metastasized to the point it cannot be removed from my body anymore. Even chemo won't kill it. That's how I feel.
I can't tell her how I feel. She says it's ok to tell her anything and that we need to be honest to each other, but ... if I try to tell her how I feel, she doesn't listen. In the middle of what I'm saying, she'll interrupt me with a random outburst or something else so it's like she has never even really listened to you. I'm just so tired of her. I can't believe that even on vacation, I am thinking about how much I hate the fact that I can't separate her from my life. She is like opium. Poisonous, but I can't get away from it.
If she heard me think this, she'll probably say that I never look out for her or that I'm just full of bull 'cause she's so great and all. She probably thinks that she's the one looking out for me, when in fact she hardly ever does anything or stick up for me. She never sticks up for me and even when she's in the wrong, she doesn't believe that she is and refuses to apologize. This relationship is both toxic and draining on me, but it's like cancer that's metastasized to the point it cannot be removed from my body anymore. Even chemo won't kill it. That's how I feel.
I can't tell her how I feel. She says it's ok to tell her anything and that we need to be honest to each other, but ... if I try to tell her how I feel, she doesn't listen. In the middle of what I'm saying, she'll interrupt me with a random outburst or something else so it's like she has never even really listened to you. I'm just so tired of her. I can't believe that even on vacation, I am thinking about how much I hate the fact that I can't separate her from my life. She is like opium. Poisonous, but I can't get away from it.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
FarmVille is Evil
I've decided that when your friends get really addicted to Facebook games and have to call you to harvest their peppers or roses for them so they can go out drinking or drive long-distance for vacation, it is a PROBLEM. To be honest, it is a nuisance to me because I have to go out of my way to log into Facebook under their account when it's already set up to be auto-logged in to mine, and then I have to click every individual vegetable or flower patch on the stupid field. It is really annoying.
It is even sadder that I actually oblige to this person hooked onto this stupid addiction. *sigh* I'm pissed.
It is even sadder that I actually oblige to this person hooked onto this stupid addiction. *sigh* I'm pissed.
Monday, December 21, 2009
CPA 2010: It Is Official
I signed up for both BEC & REG in February 2010. I am taking BEC on February 13th at 12:30PM and REG on February 20th at 8AM, which means...
For my business environment test, I have to get there by noon and then I won't be out until 4PM. I will have time to at least eat breakfast and all, but don't know how my nerves will be on that day =_=;
For my regulation test, I have to wake up at 5:30-6AM then use half hour to drive over to the testing center and then get all checked in, be all nerve-wracked and then wait until my test starts at 8AM. It will be a painful morning, but at least I'll be done with testing at noon.
Just thinking about it is making me nervous... Ugh.
For my business environment test, I have to get there by noon and then I won't be out until 4PM. I will have time to at least eat breakfast and all, but don't know how my nerves will be on that day =_=;
For my regulation test, I have to wake up at 5:30-6AM then use half hour to drive over to the testing center and then get all checked in, be all nerve-wracked and then wait until my test starts at 8AM. It will be a painful morning, but at least I'll be done with testing at noon.
Just thinking about it is making me nervous... Ugh.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Barbie Married Michael Jackson
So my mother just told me the funniest story I've heard in a while from a customer.
One of the customers at the restaurant decided that she would buy her granddaughter her first Barbie doll this Christmas, so she went out and bought a Barbie then sought out to look for Ken. However, no matter where she looked -- be it Walgreens, Big Lots!, Bi-Mart, WalMart, etc. -- there was no Ken. So whenever she went up to the cash register and the person there asks the routine, "Did you find everything ok?" she would answer, "No, not ok, I couldn't find Ken!!"
Anyway, after giving up on the stores, she went back home and remembered that her daughter -- who happens to be the mother of her granddaughter -- used to have a Barbie collection that was still in her house. She decided to go and rummage through her daughter's things from her old room and found lots of Barbies, and then a Michael Jackson doll. Out of all the dolls in the collection, the only male doll in there was Michael Jackson with the original glove, outfit and everything. So the customer was like, "No wonder there's no Ken. Barbie married Michael Jackson a long time ago!"
And because Michael Jackson has passed away, she decided to go online and check to see the price of the doll and discovered that it was now worth over $200. (Ain't that something ^__^)
Well, it was a funny story anyway lol.
One of the customers at the restaurant decided that she would buy her granddaughter her first Barbie doll this Christmas, so she went out and bought a Barbie then sought out to look for Ken. However, no matter where she looked -- be it Walgreens, Big Lots!, Bi-Mart, WalMart, etc. -- there was no Ken. So whenever she went up to the cash register and the person there asks the routine, "Did you find everything ok?" she would answer, "No, not ok, I couldn't find Ken!!"
Anyway, after giving up on the stores, she went back home and remembered that her daughter -- who happens to be the mother of her granddaughter -- used to have a Barbie collection that was still in her house. She decided to go and rummage through her daughter's things from her old room and found lots of Barbies, and then a Michael Jackson doll. Out of all the dolls in the collection, the only male doll in there was Michael Jackson with the original glove, outfit and everything. So the customer was like, "No wonder there's no Ken. Barbie married Michael Jackson a long time ago!"
And because Michael Jackson has passed away, she decided to go online and check to see the price of the doll and discovered that it was now worth over $200. (Ain't that something ^__^)
Well, it was a funny story anyway lol.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
CPE 2009
I FINISHED ALL 40 CREDITS FOR THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so excited I couldn't contain myself ^__^; My parents are at work right now and I thought that I should probably get my CPE done while no one is around so I can finally get it off my chest. It is off my chest, thank god!
Now I can focus on getting other things done and starting to study for the CPA exam. Ugh... studying for the CPA exam... *sigh* Going to probably start my CPE stuff for next year too so I can get stuff out of the way while I can.
Anyway, getting one thing off the list is awesome~
I was so excited I couldn't contain myself ^__^; My parents are at work right now and I thought that I should probably get my CPE done while no one is around so I can finally get it off my chest. It is off my chest, thank god!
Now I can focus on getting other things done and starting to study for the CPA exam. Ugh... studying for the CPA exam... *sigh* Going to probably start my CPE stuff for next year too so I can get stuff out of the way while I can.
Anyway, getting one thing off the list is awesome~
Friday, December 18, 2009
List of Things Left To Do Before 12/31/09
Things that I managed to get done today:
1. Install almost all apps onto my new computer -- except still need to put AIM on -- and paid for my CPA exam.
2. Readjust my contacts prescription and put in an order that I can pick up next week. I have a mail-in rebate to take care of now though.
3. Buy my brother a Nintendo DS lite in silver -- though I wanted to get him black. I'll just keep the receipt and see if he likes it or not. If not, we'll just go and exchange it.
4. Got the piano tuned and paid the tuning guy today.
Things left to be done:
01. Finish my last 3 credits of CPE.
02. Return something at Old Navy for my mom.
03. Go to Borders to spend my $5 Border Bucks (yes, I will be buying something lol).
04. Debate whether or not to return one book to Amazon.
05. Transfer my Drama files onto the huge external hard drive left behind here in Oregon.
06. Reorganize ALL my manga and novels and write up a master list.
07. Study for both regulation and business of CPA exam.
08. Help my mother reformat the wine, dessert and kid's menu for the restaurant.
09. Take some books to the Smith Family Bookstore to sell/donate.
10. Take some clothes to Goodwill to donate under parents' names.
11. Send out Christmas cards to people.
And I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm so hungry, I keep forgetting to eat so I need to go eat now =_=;
1. Install almost all apps onto my new computer -- except still need to put AIM on -- and paid for my CPA exam.
2. Readjust my contacts prescription and put in an order that I can pick up next week. I have a mail-in rebate to take care of now though.
3. Buy my brother a Nintendo DS lite in silver -- though I wanted to get him black. I'll just keep the receipt and see if he likes it or not. If not, we'll just go and exchange it.
4. Got the piano tuned and paid the tuning guy today.
Things left to be done:
01. Finish my last 3 credits of CPE.
02. Return something at Old Navy for my mom.
03. Go to Borders to spend my $5 Border Bucks (yes, I will be buying something lol).
04. Debate whether or not to return one book to Amazon.
05. Transfer my Drama files onto the huge external hard drive left behind here in Oregon.
06. Reorganize ALL my manga and novels and write up a master list.
07. Study for both regulation and business of CPA exam.
08. Help my mother reformat the wine, dessert and kid's menu for the restaurant.
09. Take some books to the Smith Family Bookstore to sell/donate.
10. Take some clothes to Goodwill to donate under parents' names.
11. Send out Christmas cards to people.
And I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm so hungry, I keep forgetting to eat so I need to go eat now =_=;
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
More To Do Than I Thought
*Sigh* I love packing =_=; ... I have so much to do before the year is over =_=; It's great!!!
So, because of my ignorance, did not sign up for a 401(k) this year, but at least I got the HSA thingy set up. I just have to contribute some money in it to adjust the tax liability. Well, even if I do owe, it won't be a horribly huge amount so I should be ok... I mean... for every dollar I withhold, was one dollar that I could have earned through interest. And when I withhold more and get a refund, it's almost like I give the government a free loan and do not own any interest on it so... my plan is to wait it out and see what happens in February. If I feel that I really should put money in my HSA, I will -- well, I probably should do it even if not for the adjustment 'cause it's nice to have some money in that thing for once =_=; -- and I'll start contributing to my 401(k) plan starting next year 'cause I just signed up for it.
Well... I was having doubts about my employment for a while so that's why I didn't set it up =_= (yes, a rather retarded excuse 'cause if I was going to the boot, I should have started vesting so I can get some money out of it and then roll it over, but I'm new at all this and I was never that great with financial so it's a learning experience for me). Anyway, everything's set up now so 10% of my paycheck should be going into my retirement now =_=;;;; (It's really not that much, but it still hurts to think about). *sigh* Oh well.
I guess this is what it means to be an actual adult. I'm still far from being mature and able to survive completely on my own now that I think about it. There's still so much out there that I'm really ignorant on and it does make me a bit fearful of my future, but I just have to do what I can when I learn how. I never really had an interest in anything till I feel threatened so maybe this whole tax thing came at a good time. At least I'll be all set up for 2010. And now I can finally focus on my CPA exam as soon as I finish my last CPE test tonight. I'm just 3 credits away from having all my 40 hours *___* Thank god~!
I should probably eat dinner too, but I don't have much of an appetite. I fly out tomorrow and I still have a little packing left to do, plus a lot of my files to put into my hard drives so I can start putting stuff onto my new computer once I get up there. I need to call my uncle tonight too so he knows to pick me up tomorrow morning around 8am.
Alrighty, need to get down to business!
So, because of my ignorance, did not sign up for a 401(k) this year, but at least I got the HSA thingy set up. I just have to contribute some money in it to adjust the tax liability. Well, even if I do owe, it won't be a horribly huge amount so I should be ok... I mean... for every dollar I withhold, was one dollar that I could have earned through interest. And when I withhold more and get a refund, it's almost like I give the government a free loan and do not own any interest on it so... my plan is to wait it out and see what happens in February. If I feel that I really should put money in my HSA, I will -- well, I probably should do it even if not for the adjustment 'cause it's nice to have some money in that thing for once =_=; -- and I'll start contributing to my 401(k) plan starting next year 'cause I just signed up for it.
Well... I was having doubts about my employment for a while so that's why I didn't set it up =_= (yes, a rather retarded excuse 'cause if I was going to the boot, I should have started vesting so I can get some money out of it and then roll it over, but I'm new at all this and I was never that great with financial so it's a learning experience for me). Anyway, everything's set up now so 10% of my paycheck should be going into my retirement now =_=;;;; (It's really not that much, but it still hurts to think about). *sigh* Oh well.
I guess this is what it means to be an actual adult. I'm still far from being mature and able to survive completely on my own now that I think about it. There's still so much out there that I'm really ignorant on and it does make me a bit fearful of my future, but I just have to do what I can when I learn how. I never really had an interest in anything till I feel threatened so maybe this whole tax thing came at a good time. At least I'll be all set up for 2010. And now I can finally focus on my CPA exam as soon as I finish my last CPE test tonight. I'm just 3 credits away from having all my 40 hours *___* Thank god~!
I should probably eat dinner too, but I don't have much of an appetite. I fly out tomorrow and I still have a little packing left to do, plus a lot of my files to put into my hard drives so I can start putting stuff onto my new computer once I get up there. I need to call my uncle tonight too so he knows to pick me up tomorrow morning around 8am.
Alrighty, need to get down to business!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Shiroi Haru
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into this drama at all, but episode 7 just made me cry. Abe Hiroshi's acting is so good in this one T___T.
The story is about a yakuza member, Sakura Haruo, who wants to quit in order to find a good job to take care of his sick girlfriend, but when the gang does not allow him to leave, he is given a chance to earn $8 million yen for her medical fees if he kills a boss from a rival gang. In the assassination attempt, he hurts his knee, succeeds in killing the target, and ends up going to jail. After nine years, he comes out to find that the woman he loved is dead when the money he killed for should have saved her.
He sets out to look for the man he thinks is responsible for her death, but discovers that he is an honest-working baker, and on top of that, the man has been raising his daughter, Sachi, for the past eight years. Though the baker tries to get Haruo to leave, but a twist of fate lands him a job at the very same bakery. He gets to see his daughter more and more, but is pained that he was not there to see her grow up all these years. And with his girlfriend dead, he feels as though he's wasted the last nine years of his life, but there is nothing he can do to change it.
As he works at the bakery, he watches how the baker interacts with his "daughter" and ends up giving the man pointers on how to raise Sachi better. Because Haruo cannot tell Sachi that he is actually her father, he can only be fatherly through these means. Meanwhile, Sachi grows closer to Haruo than with the man who raised her and this makes the baker very nervous and jealous. Haruo complies with all the baker's wishes, but he still wants to do all he can for his daughter, and everytime he sees a moment where her affections should have been directed towards him, but instead are given to her "father," he feels pained and very sad.
The story is pretty heart-breaking in a poignant way. Haruo only killed someone, because he wanted to do it for his girlfriend, Mariko, and when Mariko discovered that she was pregnant, she wanted to give birth to the baby regardless if it killed her or not because she loved Haruo so much. Kanako, Mariko's younger sister, and Murakami, the baker, both really love and care about Sachi very much, always wanting the best for her to the point where they treat Haruo badly because of his past crime and abandoning Mariko when she was pregnant -- though he didn't know it at the time. Haruo also wants the best for Sachi, so that's why even though they're so close to each other, he doesn't tell her that he's her real father because his hands are dirty.
My heart really breaks with some of these moments. It's just so sad T___T, but it's so good too. I really didn't know how sucked in I would get, but I'm definitely sucked in now T__T
The story is about a yakuza member, Sakura Haruo, who wants to quit in order to find a good job to take care of his sick girlfriend, but when the gang does not allow him to leave, he is given a chance to earn $8 million yen for her medical fees if he kills a boss from a rival gang. In the assassination attempt, he hurts his knee, succeeds in killing the target, and ends up going to jail. After nine years, he comes out to find that the woman he loved is dead when the money he killed for should have saved her.
He sets out to look for the man he thinks is responsible for her death, but discovers that he is an honest-working baker, and on top of that, the man has been raising his daughter, Sachi, for the past eight years. Though the baker tries to get Haruo to leave, but a twist of fate lands him a job at the very same bakery. He gets to see his daughter more and more, but is pained that he was not there to see her grow up all these years. And with his girlfriend dead, he feels as though he's wasted the last nine years of his life, but there is nothing he can do to change it.
As he works at the bakery, he watches how the baker interacts with his "daughter" and ends up giving the man pointers on how to raise Sachi better. Because Haruo cannot tell Sachi that he is actually her father, he can only be fatherly through these means. Meanwhile, Sachi grows closer to Haruo than with the man who raised her and this makes the baker very nervous and jealous. Haruo complies with all the baker's wishes, but he still wants to do all he can for his daughter, and everytime he sees a moment where her affections should have been directed towards him, but instead are given to her "father," he feels pained and very sad.
The story is pretty heart-breaking in a poignant way. Haruo only killed someone, because he wanted to do it for his girlfriend, Mariko, and when Mariko discovered that she was pregnant, she wanted to give birth to the baby regardless if it killed her or not because she loved Haruo so much. Kanako, Mariko's younger sister, and Murakami, the baker, both really love and care about Sachi very much, always wanting the best for her to the point where they treat Haruo badly because of his past crime and abandoning Mariko when she was pregnant -- though he didn't know it at the time. Haruo also wants the best for Sachi, so that's why even though they're so close to each other, he doesn't tell her that he's her real father because his hands are dirty.
My heart really breaks with some of these moments. It's just so sad T___T, but it's so good too. I really didn't know how sucked in I would get, but I'm definitely sucked in now T__T
Final Fantasy XIII (Japanese Version)
So yes... even though I'm poor and will probably -- no, very likely -- take money out of my savings to put in both my HSA and checking account to pay off my current bills, plus possible higher-than-I-expected tax liability, I just preordered Final Fantasy XIII Japanese version and both soundtrack versions, got both the Limited First Press edition and also got the regular one. I'll listen to the regular one and keep the Limited Press as is, but knowing me... I'll probably open it and then bubble wrap it again lol. Oh god, I've been possessed.
So yeah... I just decided to dig myself a bigger grave for a small piece of happiness. Go me!!!!!!!!!!!!
So yeah... I just decided to dig myself a bigger grave for a small piece of happiness. Go me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Putting My Foot Down
I had a somewhat psycho moment just now. I told my bosses about the ant situation at home and then I got really motivated to tell my roommate that we needed pest control after my boss told me about a rat situation he had when he was younger. My other boss told me that I just shouldn't have to deal with it anymore so I went home and gave my roommate a piece of my mind. She tried to make it seem like it was my fault that there were dead ants on my clothes this weekend, and a part of it was probably my fault, but the part where the ants keeps coming in and terrorizing me is definitely NOT MY FAULT. So, I don't care if someone has to tear this place down, but we need the professional help. I told it as it is and that I was sick and tired of dealing with this so she said she would call the professionals tomorrow... let's hope she does. I am just really fed up with having to fight them ALL the time. It's really aggravating.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Lacking The Patience To Read Things
I used to love reading, but for some reason, I just lack any sort of patience for it these days. Unless I really have a lot of time on my hands and it's interesting enough, I'll sit there and read it, but for the most part, I find myself skimming =_=;
I'm reading "Hakushaku to Yousei" (伯爵と妖精) by Tani Mizue right now in Japanese and the "whole reading things in vertical format" really have my eyes going nuts on me. I really lack the patience to sit through it so I ended up skipping all the way to volume 17, work my way to volume 19 and then back to the end of 16 to get what I wanted to see lol. I really like Edgar x Lydia so I wanted to see how things worked out for them ^__^ They're so cute, I melted~ I'd like to sit down for a day and really read through the series though, I'm surprised at how quickly I am able to read now. Though I haven't really had much practice with Japanese speaking or writing-wise, I've been watching lots of drama to keep my listening comprehension in check. It helps that I read so much manga in Japanese now that I can get words right off the bat without having to look them up.
Still, I am having difficulty getting through the books 'cause I just have no patience for reading in general nowadays. *sigh*
I'm reading "Hakushaku to Yousei" (伯爵と妖精) by Tani Mizue right now in Japanese and the "whole reading things in vertical format" really have my eyes going nuts on me. I really lack the patience to sit through it so I ended up skipping all the way to volume 17, work my way to volume 19 and then back to the end of 16 to get what I wanted to see lol. I really like Edgar x Lydia so I wanted to see how things worked out for them ^__^ They're so cute, I melted~ I'd like to sit down for a day and really read through the series though, I'm surprised at how quickly I am able to read now. Though I haven't really had much practice with Japanese speaking or writing-wise, I've been watching lots of drama to keep my listening comprehension in check. It helps that I read so much manga in Japanese now that I can get words right off the bat without having to look them up.
Still, I am having difficulty getting through the books 'cause I just have no patience for reading in general nowadays. *sigh*
Cannot Get Enough Of Yoshinaga Fumi
So I just finished reading all of the Antique Bakery doujinshi and Yoshinaga Fumi is a goddess in the manga world to me. Yes, I know some people go nuts over Yamane Ayano, Minase Masara, Takanaga Hinako, and such, but for me Yoshinaga Fumi tops as my favorite all-around mangaka. She has the most excellent stories ever created and I just cannot get enough of her. I love her works *__*!!! Love Mode by Shimizu Yuki is still my favorite boys love series out of all series out there, but when it comes to mangaka, Yoshinaga-sense is #1 to me *___*
Anyway, I just finished reading all fourteen Antique Bakery dj and they are all so good. It's almost like a string of extras that run in sequence after a manga or something.
01 - かなり人でなし (Kanari Hitodenashi) "You're Not Even Human"
02 - 初恋 (Hatsukoi) "First Love"
03 - 小野は厨房で夢を見る (Ono ha Chuubou de Yume wo Miru) "Ono's Kitchen Dream"
04 - 猫とおじさん (Neko to Oji-san) "The Cat and the Old Man"
05 - 好事家の絵本 (Kouzuka no Ehon) "The Gossips' Picture Book"
06 - 永遠はありますか？ (Eien ha Arimasuka?) "Does Eternity Exist?"
07 - 悪魔のような男 (Akuma no Youna Otoko) "A Man Like The Devil"
08 - 青い鳥 (Aoi Tori) "Blue Bird"
09 - ため息をつきながら (Tameiki wo Tsukinagara) "He Gently Sighs"
10 - 僕の大切なひと (Boku no Taisetsu na Hito) "My Most Important Person"
11 - 七夕の夜 (Tanabata no Yoru) "Tanabata Evening"
12 - そしてかくも平穏な日々 (Soshite Kakumo Heion na Hibi) "And So The Peaceful Days"
13 - 橘という男 (Tachibana to Iu Otoko) "The Man Called Tachibana"
14 - そっとしておいて (Sotto Shiteoite) "Softly, Let It Be"
The third & fifth are scanlated by Biblos Eros while the sixth one is done by Dangerous Pleasure. I own either three or four of the fourteen doujinshi and I bought them many years ago =_= Can't remember how long ago, but I have them in a nice little box on the highest shelf in my closet back at home so they'd be safe and won't get hurt. The doujinshi cost so much @_@. I remember buying one from JPQueen and probably three from eBay. They were like $30 for one almost back in the day @_@. Yes, I had Yoshinaga fever even then. I'm willing to buy everything of hers in both Japanese and English, all doujinshi available too.
I really love the doujinshi series *__* It's so good~ Chikage x Ono is absolutely fantastic *__* The doujinshi gives more in-depth analysis on the characters compared to the actual manga and we learn more about Ono in this series ^__^. For all Antique Bakery fans, read the doujinshi, you'll melt~ And yes, the Japanese is all in Yoshinaga-sensei' handwriting so there may be times when one has to squint ^_^;
Anyway, I just finished reading all fourteen Antique Bakery dj and they are all so good. It's almost like a string of extras that run in sequence after a manga or something.
01 - かなり人でなし (Kanari Hitodenashi) "You're Not Even Human"
02 - 初恋 (Hatsukoi) "First Love"
03 - 小野は厨房で夢を見る (Ono ha Chuubou de Yume wo Miru) "Ono's Kitchen Dream"
04 - 猫とおじさん (Neko to Oji-san) "The Cat and the Old Man"
05 - 好事家の絵本 (Kouzuka no Ehon) "The Gossips' Picture Book"
06 - 永遠はありますか？ (Eien ha Arimasuka?) "Does Eternity Exist?"
07 - 悪魔のような男 (Akuma no Youna Otoko) "A Man Like The Devil"
08 - 青い鳥 (Aoi Tori) "Blue Bird"
09 - ため息をつきながら (Tameiki wo Tsukinagara) "He Gently Sighs"
10 - 僕の大切なひと (Boku no Taisetsu na Hito) "My Most Important Person"
11 - 七夕の夜 (Tanabata no Yoru) "Tanabata Evening"
12 - そしてかくも平穏な日々 (Soshite Kakumo Heion na Hibi) "And So The Peaceful Days"
13 - 橘という男 (Tachibana to Iu Otoko) "The Man Called Tachibana"
14 - そっとしておいて (Sotto Shiteoite) "Softly, Let It Be"
The third & fifth are scanlated by Biblos Eros while the sixth one is done by Dangerous Pleasure. I own either three or four of the fourteen doujinshi and I bought them many years ago =_= Can't remember how long ago, but I have them in a nice little box on the highest shelf in my closet back at home so they'd be safe and won't get hurt. The doujinshi cost so much @_@. I remember buying one from JPQueen and probably three from eBay. They were like $30 for one almost back in the day @_@. Yes, I had Yoshinaga fever even then. I'm willing to buy everything of hers in both Japanese and English, all doujinshi available too.
I really love the doujinshi series *__* It's so good~ Chikage x Ono is absolutely fantastic *__* The doujinshi gives more in-depth analysis on the characters compared to the actual manga and we learn more about Ono in this series ^__^. For all Antique Bakery fans, read the doujinshi, you'll melt~ And yes, the Japanese is all in Yoshinaga-sensei' handwriting so there may be times when one has to squint ^_^;
Saturday, December 12, 2009
A Good Eye For Drama
I think after watching and assortment of dramas throughout my life, I am able to pick out really good ones to watch. Of course, now and then I enjoy ones that are over the top, but for the most part the ones I pick or watch gets an award or two. I don't know if the drama I'm currently watching will get any awards, but it is my fave out of the top three I decided to watch this season: Tokyo DOGS, JIN, and LIAR GAME. I think my number one fave has got to be Tokyo DOGS, but I have a feeling that JIN may be winning more awards this season though I prefer the first one more.
Tokyo DOGS is the first "based on a true detective story" drama to air in Japan and it's a good mixture of action, mystery, and fun -- yes, fun. I don't have my detective hat on for this drama 'cause I just want to enjoy it without thinking too much for once and I love it. Oguri Shun looks so good with his short haircut and perfectly tailored suit *__* I used to never think he was cute, but he is absolutely dashing in this drama. Yoshitaka Yuriko is still ever so pretty and a pretty good actress, at least I think she's getting better with each drama she's in. First time I saw her was in Ashita on Kita Yoshio -- which was not exactly the most interesting drama in the world =_= and very strange to me -- and I thought she was cute. Then I saw her in Atsuhime and Taiyo to Umi no Kyoushitsu and I loved her as Akari, especially when she falls for nerdy Hachi. She played a zoned out suicidal artist in Love Shuffle and she was good in that too. I really like her as Matsunaga Yuki in Tokyo DOGS ^_^ I think she has potential. I hope she continues to grow as an actress, because there aren't that many good actresses out there at all and I would like to be able to pick a fave lol.
Tokyo DOGS is the first "based on a true detective story" drama to air in Japan and it's a good mixture of action, mystery, and fun -- yes, fun. I don't have my detective hat on for this drama 'cause I just want to enjoy it without thinking too much for once and I love it. Oguri Shun looks so good with his short haircut and perfectly tailored suit *__* I used to never think he was cute, but he is absolutely dashing in this drama. Yoshitaka Yuriko is still ever so pretty and a pretty good actress, at least I think she's getting better with each drama she's in. First time I saw her was in Ashita on Kita Yoshio -- which was not exactly the most interesting drama in the world =_= and very strange to me -- and I thought she was cute. Then I saw her in Atsuhime and Taiyo to Umi no Kyoushitsu and I loved her as Akari, especially when she falls for nerdy Hachi. She played a zoned out suicidal artist in Love Shuffle and she was good in that too. I really like her as Matsunaga Yuki in Tokyo DOGS ^_^ I think she has potential. I hope she continues to grow as an actress, because there aren't that many good actresses out there at all and I would like to be able to pick a fave lol.
Japanese? English? Both!?
I am unable to really buy manga in one language anymore. I have discovered that no matter how I try to read manga in Chinese, I just don't like the way it sounds. Of course, I learn more Chinese this way, but for some reason I just haven't been able to like it at all after learning how to read Japanese.
Now, at least a quarter of the manga I own are in Japanese while the majority are in English (and maybe about 5% are in Chinese). I started out collecting in English, then some Chinese, and finally almost all recent purchases have been Japanese. I just prefer reading the Japanese versions since it's the original, though I appreciate English translations now and then. Sometimes though, if I already have the Japanese version, I may not buy the English version after it comes out, but if I have the English version, there is a good chance that I'll buy the Japanese version unless the series is already over 10 books.
So right now I am conflicted... I started buying Silver Diamond in English, but I really want to buy it in Japanese. The opposite with Vampire Knight and Trinity Blood. I started buying those two in Japanese and now I can't seem to finish my English collection (or start it for Vampire Knight). I already started buying Bleach in English so I probably won't go back to buy it in Japanese. There is one series that I am overdue to buy in Japanese and that's Tenshi Kinryouku (Angel Sanctuary), but since it's all out in English, it's tempting to buy it in English. I read the whole thing many, many, many years ago in translations first since I never really had scans. There was this one group that was scanlating it -- probably Sakura-Crisis (one of the best scanlation groups out there at the time for a good mixture of shoujo, josei, and yaoi manga) -- and then it got licensed so of course, no more scans. I ended up reading the translations for almost the entire series after that and then finally found scans to match them. Now I need to really buy it 'cause I've been wanting to buy it forever, but you know... 20 books is a lot of money =_= The one time I visited Sasuga -- when it was still in Boston -- I only got God Child 'cause there were just too many books in Tenshi =_= *sigh*
I'm crazy about Ooku right now though so I have it both in English and Japanese =_=; It's funny how I don't regret buying anything in both languages. The only regret I have is that I don't have enough money to finish up all these series =_=; *sigh* I so am in desperate need of money. I almost just want the year to end and for February to come so I can do my taxes. I am due a nice fatty refund from the government due to the extremity of my withholding this year =_= I'm probably due money from state too. I need to put most of this money into savings though 'cause I can't transfer any more money from my checking to savings for at least the next two months due to my wild spending from late October till now =_=;
Anyway, I need to do an inventory count when I go back home next week (OMG, it's almost time for me to go again!!! Yay!!! ^_^). I have to figure out the aggregate basis of my collection -- don't care about fair value 'cause I am never selling it -- and I would not be surprised if I have spent at least 10k on manga. Each Tokyopop publication is $9.99 -- some are now $10.99 -- each Shounen Jump is $7.99 (though it has gone up to $8.99 or $9.99 now), Viz is mostly $9.99 though goes up to $12.99 and Shojo Beat (part of Viz) is all $8.99. Then there is Blu, DramaQueen, BeBeautiful, Deux, MangaBlasters, 801, DMP + June, among others that range from $9.99 to $15.99 (not including discounts that I get on some). After that, I have Chinese manga worth about $3.99 - $6.45 a tank (since I mostly bought shoujo), and Japanese that ranges from $6.50 - $$17.89. The average Japanese tank I buy is around $8.89. Oh, I also buy a lot of Japanese magazines and I had a subscription to Shojo Beat before they stopped publication. The five magazines that I'd love to have subscriptions to are Gush, Hertz, Chara (both bi-monthly versions -- one seems to be heavier yaoi and the other is lighter), and whichever one ZE is in (Dear CX?). Be-Boy Gold is nice too, but it's so big =_= The majority of the stories I like are mostly published by Hertz, Chara, and Dear CX now. I still love Biblos though 'cause Kotobuki Tarako's Sex Pistols is being published again *__* I believe chapter 31 just came out~~ I'm so happy. I really want to go to Kinokuniya today just to browse the magazine section, but I am really strapped for cash *sigh* Oh well. I will survive.
Anyway, got to go eat something. I woke up not too long ago and my body feels like crap today. My once-a-month torment arrived -- no wonder I've been craving pop chips and chocolate -- and now I'm just trying to wait out the pain. I have painkillers, of course, but I usually just try to tough it out =_= *sigh* I'm an oddball. Just watch, as soon as I put down my computer I'm going to run and grab a bottle of Advil lol.
Now, at least a quarter of the manga I own are in Japanese while the majority are in English (and maybe about 5% are in Chinese). I started out collecting in English, then some Chinese, and finally almost all recent purchases have been Japanese. I just prefer reading the Japanese versions since it's the original, though I appreciate English translations now and then. Sometimes though, if I already have the Japanese version, I may not buy the English version after it comes out, but if I have the English version, there is a good chance that I'll buy the Japanese version unless the series is already over 10 books.
So right now I am conflicted... I started buying Silver Diamond in English, but I really want to buy it in Japanese. The opposite with Vampire Knight and Trinity Blood. I started buying those two in Japanese and now I can't seem to finish my English collection (or start it for Vampire Knight). I already started buying Bleach in English so I probably won't go back to buy it in Japanese. There is one series that I am overdue to buy in Japanese and that's Tenshi Kinryouku (Angel Sanctuary), but since it's all out in English, it's tempting to buy it in English. I read the whole thing many, many, many years ago in translations first since I never really had scans. There was this one group that was scanlating it -- probably Sakura-Crisis (one of the best scanlation groups out there at the time for a good mixture of shoujo, josei, and yaoi manga) -- and then it got licensed so of course, no more scans. I ended up reading the translations for almost the entire series after that and then finally found scans to match them. Now I need to really buy it 'cause I've been wanting to buy it forever, but you know... 20 books is a lot of money =_= The one time I visited Sasuga -- when it was still in Boston -- I only got God Child 'cause there were just too many books in Tenshi =_= *sigh*
I'm crazy about Ooku right now though so I have it both in English and Japanese =_=; It's funny how I don't regret buying anything in both languages. The only regret I have is that I don't have enough money to finish up all these series =_=; *sigh* I so am in desperate need of money. I almost just want the year to end and for February to come so I can do my taxes. I am due a nice fatty refund from the government due to the extremity of my withholding this year =_= I'm probably due money from state too. I need to put most of this money into savings though 'cause I can't transfer any more money from my checking to savings for at least the next two months due to my wild spending from late October till now =_=;
Anyway, I need to do an inventory count when I go back home next week (OMG, it's almost time for me to go again!!! Yay!!! ^_^). I have to figure out the aggregate basis of my collection -- don't care about fair value 'cause I am never selling it -- and I would not be surprised if I have spent at least 10k on manga. Each Tokyopop publication is $9.99 -- some are now $10.99 -- each Shounen Jump is $7.99 (though it has gone up to $8.99 or $9.99 now), Viz is mostly $9.99 though goes up to $12.99 and Shojo Beat (part of Viz) is all $8.99. Then there is Blu, DramaQueen, BeBeautiful, Deux, MangaBlasters, 801, DMP + June, among others that range from $9.99 to $15.99 (not including discounts that I get on some). After that, I have Chinese manga worth about $3.99 - $6.45 a tank (since I mostly bought shoujo), and Japanese that ranges from $6.50 - $$17.89. The average Japanese tank I buy is around $8.89. Oh, I also buy a lot of Japanese magazines and I had a subscription to Shojo Beat before they stopped publication. The five magazines that I'd love to have subscriptions to are Gush, Hertz, Chara (both bi-monthly versions -- one seems to be heavier yaoi and the other is lighter), and whichever one ZE is in (Dear CX?). Be-Boy Gold is nice too, but it's so big =_= The majority of the stories I like are mostly published by Hertz, Chara, and Dear CX now. I still love Biblos though 'cause Kotobuki Tarako's Sex Pistols is being published again *__* I believe chapter 31 just came out~~ I'm so happy. I really want to go to Kinokuniya today just to browse the magazine section, but I am really strapped for cash *sigh* Oh well. I will survive.
Anyway, got to go eat something. I woke up not too long ago and my body feels like crap today. My once-a-month torment arrived -- no wonder I've been craving pop chips and chocolate -- and now I'm just trying to wait out the pain. I have painkillers, of course, but I usually just try to tough it out =_= *sigh* I'm an oddball. Just watch, as soon as I put down my computer I'm going to run and grab a bottle of Advil lol.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Psycho Procrastinator
Yes, that would be me. Everytime I have something more important than eating and sleeping to do, I run away and start doing things I really shouldn't be doing. Usually, I do impulsive shopping, but seeing that I am quite poor at the moment, I can't allow myself to do that anymore so... my other outlet is writing. Just as I was about to start studying for my CPE and CPA exams, I had this sudden writer's bug bite me and I just started writing down this huge outline, preliminary ending, character profile elaborations, and timeline for one of my really old story ideas that haven't gotten very far at all. I have at least 30 story ideas inside my head with at least 15-20 of them written out in outlines, etc., but none have actually made it past 10 chapters and the ones that have reached chapter 10, go back into re-writing so I have never been able to get past those again =_=; I'm good with writing out storyline ideas rather than the actual product itself it seems, but anyway, I ended up thinking up the entire story, plot and such for one of my story ideas from about six years ago. There are lots of kinks in the middle, but I have the beginning and the ending finished. I always know how I want to end a story, though there may be some changes, but I tend to know how my stories end so I can figure out how to get there. I really like this story, it's probably the best idea I've come up with so far, but I really shouldn't be writing right now 'cause... I've got more important things to do =_= Ugh... Why is it that I become psychotic every time something more pressing needs to be done =_= *sigh*
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Toys Are Evil
My mom's been fretting, trying to get her hands on the newest kid "it" item for Christmas this year, Zhu Zhu Pets, and I was just rolling my eyes at her the entire time until I saw one on an article today. Damn, those things are cute. I know the novelty of those things don't last longer than a month at most, but now even I want one =_= This is why toys are evil.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
よしながふみ： きのう何食べた？
O-M-G! I LOVE YOSHINAGA FUMI!!!!! *hearts*
So, I have been buying all of Yoshinaga-sensei's works and I mean I own almost everything she has ever done manga-wise in either English, Japanese, or both. Recently, other than Ooku, the series that I've been reading is "Kinou Nani Tabeta?" (What Did You Eat Yesterday?) It is absolutely fabulous! I have never read a manga that has such an entertaining storyline with so much detail on food and various recipes within.
The story is about a 43 year-old lawyer who is a total narcissist, gay, exceptionally good-looking, and an impeccable cook, and he lives with his hair stylist boyfriend of three years, and he cooks for him. Each chapter has something with food in it and it shows lots of detail on how the dishes are prepared, plus it has a very entertaining story to each installment. It's almost like the storyline itself is a supplement to the cooking and food preparation within the series. It's very creative, fresh, and totally Yoshinaga-style. I just love her to death. This is such a great series and I highly recommend it if you're a big fan of food *__* Even better = gay couples x food x lots of humor. The overall series is very light and funny -- unless they suddenly go all dark and gloomy later -- and it's very enjoyable like a good meal ^_^
So, I have been buying all of Yoshinaga-sensei's works and I mean I own almost everything she has ever done manga-wise in either English, Japanese, or both. Recently, other than Ooku, the series that I've been reading is "Kinou Nani Tabeta?" (What Did You Eat Yesterday?) It is absolutely fabulous! I have never read a manga that has such an entertaining storyline with so much detail on food and various recipes within.
The story is about a 43 year-old lawyer who is a total narcissist, gay, exceptionally good-looking, and an impeccable cook, and he lives with his hair stylist boyfriend of three years, and he cooks for him. Each chapter has something with food in it and it shows lots of detail on how the dishes are prepared, plus it has a very entertaining story to each installment. It's almost like the storyline itself is a supplement to the cooking and food preparation within the series. It's very creative, fresh, and totally Yoshinaga-style. I just love her to death. This is such a great series and I highly recommend it if you're a big fan of food *__* Even better = gay couples x food x lots of humor. The overall series is very light and funny -- unless they suddenly go all dark and gloomy later -- and it's very enjoyable like a good meal ^_^
宮心計 (Beyond The Realm of Conscience)
I watched this Autumn 2009 TVB Series & Movies preview when my friend and I went up to Oregon during August and saw a trailer of "Beyond the Realm of Conscience," which really caught my attention. The literal translation of 宮心計 is actually "Palace Scheme," and it shows all the different types of schemes that happens in the royal court during olden times. In a way, this series is no different than other period dramas like Korea's "Dae Jang Geum" or Japan's "Ōoku," even stories like "Genji Monogatari" in which it centers on the various schemes in the palace by women and men alike and all the things that happen within.
The story of Palace Scheme centers on two palace maids whom are like sworn sisters and how they endure all the abuse thrown at them until they climb to high-ranking positions in the palace. The two main women, Lau Sam Ho and Yiu Kam Ling, previously have a master/servant relationship in which Kam Ling serves the Lau household and is Sam Ho's personal maid, but the Lau family treats her as though she is one of them. When Sam Ho's father is sent off to war and goes missing, then treated like a war criminal, her mother takes the two girls and runs in order to not be taken to the palace to work as servants. Unfortunately, Sam Ho's mother and Kam Ling are captured and Sam Ho goes to be with them at the palace and they all become palace maids. Sam Ho's mother is commissioned to do a hair piece for the Grand Empress Dowager, but on the day she first wears it, the eye of the phoenix on the piece bleeds which signifies a bad omen so Sam Ho's mother is heavily punished for it, and when her body cannot take it any longer, she dies. Before she dies, Kam Ling confesses to her mistress that she went to look at the hair piece the night before and some melted wax fell on the phoenix's eye. She tried to clean it, but some slipped into the cracks. Sam Ho's mother forgives her.
Apparently, people have made comments to this drama as being the Hong Kong version of "Dae Jang Geum," which I can kind of see in a way, but of course there are its differences. The main characters are very different. Jang Geum has real human flaws by being able to feel anger, wanting to exact vengeance, and making poor decisions at times, you see her grow up and overcome her painful experiences by being a good person. The heroine in Palace Scheme is a too-good-to-be-true type of character, with almost no flaws at all. She's very self-sacrificing and giving to everyone around her, which in turn makes everyone love her. Her name being Sam Ho (San Hao in Mandarin) means "Three Good Virtues" and her mother has taught her for all her childhood that the reason why her name is Sam Ho is so that she will "Do Good Deeds, Say Good Things, & Showing Good Will." To live up to her name, Sam Ho is indeed an incredibly good and intelligent person whom always tries to think the best of people, and though she is a bit of a saint, she does live up to the title of the drama, 'cause she also can scheme too but it's for the good of others rather than their downfall.
The show basically displays the two foils, Sam Ho and Kam Ling, and their development throughout the story. It ends like any typical HK drama. I haven't seen a more creative ending yet, so oh well lol, but I won't doubt that it's interesting. I do think some parts got dragged out, but for what it's worth, it's not a bad drama to watch.
The story of Palace Scheme centers on two palace maids whom are like sworn sisters and how they endure all the abuse thrown at them until they climb to high-ranking positions in the palace. The two main women, Lau Sam Ho and Yiu Kam Ling, previously have a master/servant relationship in which Kam Ling serves the Lau household and is Sam Ho's personal maid, but the Lau family treats her as though she is one of them. When Sam Ho's father is sent off to war and goes missing, then treated like a war criminal, her mother takes the two girls and runs in order to not be taken to the palace to work as servants. Unfortunately, Sam Ho's mother and Kam Ling are captured and Sam Ho goes to be with them at the palace and they all become palace maids. Sam Ho's mother is commissioned to do a hair piece for the Grand Empress Dowager, but on the day she first wears it, the eye of the phoenix on the piece bleeds which signifies a bad omen so Sam Ho's mother is heavily punished for it, and when her body cannot take it any longer, she dies. Before she dies, Kam Ling confesses to her mistress that she went to look at the hair piece the night before and some melted wax fell on the phoenix's eye. She tried to clean it, but some slipped into the cracks. Sam Ho's mother forgives her.
Apparently, people have made comments to this drama as being the Hong Kong version of "Dae Jang Geum," which I can kind of see in a way, but of course there are its differences. The main characters are very different. Jang Geum has real human flaws by being able to feel anger, wanting to exact vengeance, and making poor decisions at times, you see her grow up and overcome her painful experiences by being a good person. The heroine in Palace Scheme is a too-good-to-be-true type of character, with almost no flaws at all. She's very self-sacrificing and giving to everyone around her, which in turn makes everyone love her. Her name being Sam Ho (San Hao in Mandarin) means "Three Good Virtues" and her mother has taught her for all her childhood that the reason why her name is Sam Ho is so that she will "Do Good Deeds, Say Good Things, & Showing Good Will." To live up to her name, Sam Ho is indeed an incredibly good and intelligent person whom always tries to think the best of people, and though she is a bit of a saint, she does live up to the title of the drama, 'cause she also can scheme too but it's for the good of others rather than their downfall.
The show basically displays the two foils, Sam Ho and Kam Ling, and their development throughout the story. It ends like any typical HK drama. I haven't seen a more creative ending yet, so oh well lol, but I won't doubt that it's interesting. I do think some parts got dragged out, but for what it's worth, it's not a bad drama to watch.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Skip Beat Chapters 148-149
So Hana to Yume 12/5 Edition came out and so did Skip Beat c149. After the cliffhanger from chapter 148, one can say that 149 was satisfying enough for fans who know of the delicate nature of Ren & Kyoko's relationship. Yes, after 149 chapters, the two have not exactly hit it off yet. We only see Ren suffering in silence -- not really, but he kinda is -- from his feelings towards Kyoko and his mad jealousy towards any of the men who approach her, and Kyoko trying to write off all the fluttering towards Ren as her reacting to his godlike acting abilities. Then at the end of chapter 148, Ren reaches in for a kiss and of course it just ends there.
During c148, Kyoko was plagued by the haunting memories of Sho robbing her of her first kiss back in chapter 146-147 or so. She made a special wine jelly for Ren and did not give him any chocolates for Valentine's Day since he did not really like sweets. When he saw how much consideration and care she went through to make the jelly for him, he was touched and then hover over her in a pretty comprising position. Then in the opening of chapter 149, we see Kyoko relive the bitter memories of past up to the point where Ren is leaning in for a kiss. Of course, knowing how Nakamura-sensei is a tease, he only kisses her cheek (yeah, he comes in on her right side and kisses her left cheek so she is VERY aware of what's going on). All the thoughts of Sho she had from before are completely banished as they are replaced by Ren instead. She freezes up and has a hard time concentrating on acting that day since her mind is full of Ren and her downright confusion. Then of course, the chapter ends and we have to wait until 12/18 for a new chapter =_= *sigh*
Waiting for Skip Beat is such a pain at times T__T, but I just love this series to pieces. I'm all for Ren x Kyoko. I want to see it go somewhere T__T but their "romance" just moves so slow =_=; Oh well...
During c148, Kyoko was plagued by the haunting memories of Sho robbing her of her first kiss back in chapter 146-147 or so. She made a special wine jelly for Ren and did not give him any chocolates for Valentine's Day since he did not really like sweets. When he saw how much consideration and care she went through to make the jelly for him, he was touched and then hover over her in a pretty comprising position. Then in the opening of chapter 149, we see Kyoko relive the bitter memories of past up to the point where Ren is leaning in for a kiss. Of course, knowing how Nakamura-sensei is a tease, he only kisses her cheek (yeah, he comes in on her right side and kisses her left cheek so she is VERY aware of what's going on). All the thoughts of Sho she had from before are completely banished as they are replaced by Ren instead. She freezes up and has a hard time concentrating on acting that day since her mind is full of Ren and her downright confusion. Then of course, the chapter ends and we have to wait until 12/18 for a new chapter =_= *sigh*
Waiting for Skip Beat is such a pain at times T__T, but I just love this series to pieces. I'm all for Ren x Kyoko. I want to see it go somewhere T__T but their "romance" just moves so slow =_=; Oh well...
More Money Issues
I have to add on an extra $600 for the CPA exam and a possible $200 for a Nintendo DS and Earthbound SNES game this year =_=; There's also rent to be paid... *sigh* I have a 3-day grace period after the first and it just so happens that the bank is closed 1/1/09, which is thankfully a holiday, and both 1/2/09 and 1/3/09 are not business days. In other words, if my roommate tries to penalize me, I will wave her contract in front of her face and get really mean.
*sigh* Too much on my mind these days.
*sigh* Too much on my mind these days.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Exercise My Tummy Away
I gained lots of weight this past week after going home to see my family T__T. So now I'm exercising, which isn't a bad thing, but I wish I wouldn't have gained anything at all T__T. *sigh* I feel like I'm back at square one again T__T.
On the bright side, I'm less stressed after my exercise session today. I have lots to do and not a whole lot of time, but at least I'm not too down about it 'cause I ran off some of these negative emotions. Anyway, my goal is to get down to a size 8 by January so I hope I can hit my target soon. Need to start eating less carbs and more fibrous foods. I won't give up my carbs though 'cause I love them lots ^_^
On the bright side, I'm less stressed after my exercise session today. I have lots to do and not a whole lot of time, but at least I'm not too down about it 'cause I ran off some of these negative emotions. Anyway, my goal is to get down to a size 8 by January so I hope I can hit my target soon. Need to start eating less carbs and more fibrous foods. I won't give up my carbs though 'cause I love them lots ^_^
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Pleasant Surprise
So... I looked into my bank account this morning and saw a very beautiful sight. My job direct deposited my pay in *__* Technically it's supposed to be officially there on Monday, but I got paid more than I thought I would. My heart nearly stopped. I think I'll be able to pay off all my debt and survive the winter months ahead after all.
My AMEX balance was finalized yesterday so I saw a glaring $1,959.30 staring at me today when I went to go check it. But it's ok, I got paid a lot so I can pay both rent and AMEX. Technically I can pay AMEX really soon, but the more money I have in my checking, the more interest I make so I've deferred my payment till after the 11th -- which is when the bank pays me interest. So, I'm just going to have to lie low and not look at AMEX for a while 'cause that glaring huge number is really ugly to me. Soon after I pay AMEX, I should be getting paid again and then the bank will do an automatic transfer of $75 from my checking to savings -- as to waive the monthly fee -- and after a couple days, the balance on my bank's VISA should also be finalized for the period and I'll just wait to see which date it has to be paid on. If I have enough for rent, I'll pay off the balance right away, and if I'm kind of bordeline doomsday, then I'll wait. I now have another VISA with over $500 to pay off too =_=;;; Yeah... in just three days, I managed to accumulate over $500 again. This is so not funny. I still have at least another $750 to spend before Christmas -- I'll get reimbursed for $450 of it since it's for CPE, but just thinking about having to pay such high balances really makes me wish I can be more conservative with my spending.
On a bittersweet note, my new computer should arrive in Oregon sometime by the end of this upcoming week and then a week and half later, I'll be able to play on it *__* Oh life is good~ I'd better put all my software stuff from my current computer into a flash drive and bring it with me here. I should also bring at least one of my hard drives here so I can burn off some stuff. I ended up going to Office Depot yesterday and I bought a 1TB external hard drive so I need to really throw some stuff on it. I also bought an external DVD/CD burner for my REALLY old computer. I have no idea why I did it, but I figure my old computer is pretty trusty, it's been with me all these years and hasn't failed me yet so if I can use it to burn stuff, I'll use it. I'm crazy, yes.
I went to Target yesterday after all the chaos early in the morning. I elected sleep over doorbuster sales -- as I'm too poor really to participate anymore -- but then I ended up going to one of the malls over here and bought some cosmetics plus $3.99 movies. I've recently started using eye makeup 'cause I figure I should be a bit girlier so I got some mascara and swabs for eye shadow yesterday. I need to get makeup remover when I get back to Cali. I don't think they'll let me fly back if I carry anything liquid with me so yeah... I have to leave behind quite a bit of stuff until next time I am able to drive back -- which would not be for until April T_T. I think I'll take a week long break in April.
I am not looking forward to going back. I have so much to take care of. First I have CPE, I need to sign up for a couple sections of the CPA exam, I need to present a plan of my career path to my boss -- please don't ask why -- and all of this needs to be done before I fly back to Oregon @_@. *sigh* Always so last minute =_=; I wonder if I'll ever be able to break this habit. Anyway, I need to go finish packing T__T. I can't wait till another 2 1/2 weeks pass so I can come back home again.
My AMEX balance was finalized yesterday so I saw a glaring $1,959.30 staring at me today when I went to go check it. But it's ok, I got paid a lot so I can pay both rent and AMEX. Technically I can pay AMEX really soon, but the more money I have in my checking, the more interest I make so I've deferred my payment till after the 11th -- which is when the bank pays me interest. So, I'm just going to have to lie low and not look at AMEX for a while 'cause that glaring huge number is really ugly to me. Soon after I pay AMEX, I should be getting paid again and then the bank will do an automatic transfer of $75 from my checking to savings -- as to waive the monthly fee -- and after a couple days, the balance on my bank's VISA should also be finalized for the period and I'll just wait to see which date it has to be paid on. If I have enough for rent, I'll pay off the balance right away, and if I'm kind of bordeline doomsday, then I'll wait. I now have another VISA with over $500 to pay off too =_=;;; Yeah... in just three days, I managed to accumulate over $500 again. This is so not funny. I still have at least another $750 to spend before Christmas -- I'll get reimbursed for $450 of it since it's for CPE, but just thinking about having to pay such high balances really makes me wish I can be more conservative with my spending.
On a bittersweet note, my new computer should arrive in Oregon sometime by the end of this upcoming week and then a week and half later, I'll be able to play on it *__* Oh life is good~ I'd better put all my software stuff from my current computer into a flash drive and bring it with me here. I should also bring at least one of my hard drives here so I can burn off some stuff. I ended up going to Office Depot yesterday and I bought a 1TB external hard drive so I need to really throw some stuff on it. I also bought an external DVD/CD burner for my REALLY old computer. I have no idea why I did it, but I figure my old computer is pretty trusty, it's been with me all these years and hasn't failed me yet so if I can use it to burn stuff, I'll use it. I'm crazy, yes.
I went to Target yesterday after all the chaos early in the morning. I elected sleep over doorbuster sales -- as I'm too poor really to participate anymore -- but then I ended up going to one of the malls over here and bought some cosmetics plus $3.99 movies. I've recently started using eye makeup 'cause I figure I should be a bit girlier so I got some mascara and swabs for eye shadow yesterday. I need to get makeup remover when I get back to Cali. I don't think they'll let me fly back if I carry anything liquid with me so yeah... I have to leave behind quite a bit of stuff until next time I am able to drive back -- which would not be for until April T_T. I think I'll take a week long break in April.
I am not looking forward to going back. I have so much to take care of. First I have CPE, I need to sign up for a couple sections of the CPA exam, I need to present a plan of my career path to my boss -- please don't ask why -- and all of this needs to be done before I fly back to Oregon @_@. *sigh* Always so last minute =_=; I wonder if I'll ever be able to break this habit. Anyway, I need to go finish packing T__T. I can't wait till another 2 1/2 weeks pass so I can come back home again.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (大奥)
I have discovered a great josei manga by one of my all-time favorite mangaka/storytellers, Yoshinaga Fumi. I love just about everything created by Yoshinaga-sensei and Ooku is no different from all my other faves by her. She always has such depth in her stories and her style when drawing people aging is really amazing.
I first fell in love with her when I read Antique Bakery (西洋骨董洋菓子店), and then I read Gerard to Jacques, which really solidified my love towards her work. She is absolutely brilliant and I have read every -- if not own every -- thing she's created (manga-wise) so far in either English or Japanese (or both). Right now I'm in the midst of reading and collecting Ooku. I bought one volume in English and I must say that the publishing is pretty amazing to me. Back in the day, they would have bound the thing cheaply, but now the companies are showing such care in trying to maintain everything as close to the original that it's pretty impressive to me. I can't say that I agree with all the translations, but I'm not too adverse to Viz as I used to be. I really wish it could stay a little truer in translation at times. But anyway, now that I've got a taste of Ooku, I suspect that I'm going to be buying the whole thing in Japanese from now on while waiting for the English versions to come out. It is worth owning in both languages.
I've always been a sucker for period drama or historical manga, and this alternate history-type of manga is really creative and interesting. For those who don't know what the Ooku is, it is basically the innermost chamber of the shogun's (top leading general) women during the Edo period in Japan. The shogun's wife, his concubines, his mother or the previous shogun's wife -- depending on whether the shogun is selected through hereditary means or through adoption -- and the servants for the women all live in the Ooku together, and it is locked so that no one can go in to touch the shogun's women or the women can't go out. There are tons of different strict customs for the women living the Ooku, and it is a place where olden day "office politics" among women happen ^_^;
In Yoshinaga Fumi's version of "Ooku," it is basically a retelling of history in which the truth of times is hidden. All the shogun in history have been male, but what if the truth is that they were actually all female whom took on male names in order to make it seem as though only men ruled Japan? That or one can assume this to be an alternate history, which seems to be what they're calling it. Anyway...
The story begins with a child in a village who gets mauled by a bear and is brought back into his village to die. With his death, a red pox epidemic arrives and kills mainly men, which then caused a shortage of men compared to women. Women would solicit men for sex in order to bear children, and only the most beautiful men are taken into the palace to be grooms for the shogun. All the shogun have been women whom assumed male names upon succession and the series is centered on these women.
This is probably by the far the most brilliant work I've read by her yet. I'm pretty floored by how beautiful the artwork is and how astounding her story direction is. I cannot say enough to describe how amazing this story is. For those who love Yoshinaga-sensei, this is a must-read. One should not miss out on it, it's really one of her best works to date. Highly recommended.
I first fell in love with her when I read Antique Bakery (西洋骨董洋菓子店), and then I read Gerard to Jacques, which really solidified my love towards her work. She is absolutely brilliant and I have read every -- if not own every -- thing she's created (manga-wise) so far in either English or Japanese (or both). Right now I'm in the midst of reading and collecting Ooku. I bought one volume in English and I must say that the publishing is pretty amazing to me. Back in the day, they would have bound the thing cheaply, but now the companies are showing such care in trying to maintain everything as close to the original that it's pretty impressive to me. I can't say that I agree with all the translations, but I'm not too adverse to Viz as I used to be. I really wish it could stay a little truer in translation at times. But anyway, now that I've got a taste of Ooku, I suspect that I'm going to be buying the whole thing in Japanese from now on while waiting for the English versions to come out. It is worth owning in both languages.
I've always been a sucker for period drama or historical manga, and this alternate history-type of manga is really creative and interesting. For those who don't know what the Ooku is, it is basically the innermost chamber of the shogun's (top leading general) women during the Edo period in Japan. The shogun's wife, his concubines, his mother or the previous shogun's wife -- depending on whether the shogun is selected through hereditary means or through adoption -- and the servants for the women all live in the Ooku together, and it is locked so that no one can go in to touch the shogun's women or the women can't go out. There are tons of different strict customs for the women living the Ooku, and it is a place where olden day "office politics" among women happen ^_^;
In Yoshinaga Fumi's version of "Ooku," it is basically a retelling of history in which the truth of times is hidden. All the shogun in history have been male, but what if the truth is that they were actually all female whom took on male names in order to make it seem as though only men ruled Japan? That or one can assume this to be an alternate history, which seems to be what they're calling it. Anyway...
The story begins with a child in a village who gets mauled by a bear and is brought back into his village to die. With his death, a red pox epidemic arrives and kills mainly men, which then caused a shortage of men compared to women. Women would solicit men for sex in order to bear children, and only the most beautiful men are taken into the palace to be grooms for the shogun. All the shogun have been women whom assumed male names upon succession and the series is centered on these women.
This is probably by the far the most brilliant work I've read by her yet. I'm pretty floored by how beautiful the artwork is and how astounding her story direction is. I cannot say enough to describe how amazing this story is. For those who love Yoshinaga-sensei, this is a must-read. One should not miss out on it, it's really one of her best works to date. Highly recommended.
Double Eyelid Products
So I was born with single eyelid and it's never really bugged me until these past few months. I guess I must be getting quite vain so I did some research and found some products that people can use without having to undergo surgery.
I'm thinking about buying two to try out. It's just that lately I've started learning how to use make-up and all so I'm kind of going all out. I guess it's a little weird considering how non-girly I am when it comes to my facial appearance, but for some reason I just want to be girlier recently =_=; Anyway, just thought I'd point that website out.
I'm thinking about buying two to try out. It's just that lately I've started learning how to use make-up and all so I'm kind of going all out. I guess it's a little weird considering how non-girly I am when it comes to my facial appearance, but for some reason I just want to be girlier recently =_=; Anyway, just thought I'd point that website out.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Holidays Seemed More Fun When You're A Kid
My family and I drove up to Portland today and schmoozed with all the relatives. It seems like an annual ordeal now that I'm older. I like seeing my relatives, but I get so tired afterward too. The day passed by quite typically. We first dropped off our dog at my eldest aunt's, then drove over the care center to see my maternal grandparents.
Since my grandfather is unable to leave the home, we brought food out and fed him first, then we only brought my grandmother out with us to my aunt's younger sister's new restaurant to have lunch and I saw my two little cousins for the first time in a year. After lunch, we drove up back to my eldest aunt's place to pick up my aunt and our dog, and then we drove up to Vancouver to see the rest of my relatives on my paternal side.
My paternal grandmother fractured two of her ribs after falling down a few days ago so she moved quite gingerly around the house. We played mahjong with her for a few hours to pass the time until dinner today, but it's not like we were playing by any official rules so it was a mess the entire time. My grandmother's the type that refuses to learn anything new when it comes to mahjong 'cause she can't win at the official rules otherwise. I keep playing it as properly as I can, but it's kind of bad 'cause when no one is following any rules, you're only setting yourself up for failure, so naturally I kept losing lol.
After mahjong, the rest of my relatives came and I saw my niece... ... ... She's very energetic and much more well-behaved than a year ago, but still very rowdy and both my dog and I are reminded of why we're not fans of children. Still, she's my niece so family is family. I hope she loses some of that energy when she's older, that or control it better. She was like a kid on a sugar high lol.
Anyway, we had a buffet style dinner -- as usual per our big family gatherings -- and like every year, no turkey. I swear no one in my family likes turkey except for my immediate family. One year we had only seafood, another year we did hot pot, last year we had home-made pizza, and this year we had crossiant sandwiches + deli rolls among other things. I made a cream steam that somehow turned into potato soup =_= and I brought it out for my grandmother to try. Too bad I put too much pepper in it though 'cause she couldn't eat too much of it T__T. Oh well.
After dinner, we chatted and then we all started to leave. On the way back home, we passed by Woodburn and there were tons of cars in the parking lot already getting ready for Black Friday. It's kind of amazing what people would do for a morning of madness. I swear on our way to my relatives' place in Vancouver, there were already people camping out at a Best Buy and it was only 3PM Thanksgiving day. Sad. Oh well.
Don't think I'll be participating in Black Friday tomorrow. I already spent more money than I should and so... I need to put the limiters back on for my spending =_=
Since my grandfather is unable to leave the home, we brought food out and fed him first, then we only brought my grandmother out with us to my aunt's younger sister's new restaurant to have lunch and I saw my two little cousins for the first time in a year. After lunch, we drove up back to my eldest aunt's place to pick up my aunt and our dog, and then we drove up to Vancouver to see the rest of my relatives on my paternal side.
My paternal grandmother fractured two of her ribs after falling down a few days ago so she moved quite gingerly around the house. We played mahjong with her for a few hours to pass the time until dinner today, but it's not like we were playing by any official rules so it was a mess the entire time. My grandmother's the type that refuses to learn anything new when it comes to mahjong 'cause she can't win at the official rules otherwise. I keep playing it as properly as I can, but it's kind of bad 'cause when no one is following any rules, you're only setting yourself up for failure, so naturally I kept losing lol.
After mahjong, the rest of my relatives came and I saw my niece... ... ... She's very energetic and much more well-behaved than a year ago, but still very rowdy and both my dog and I are reminded of why we're not fans of children. Still, she's my niece so family is family. I hope she loses some of that energy when she's older, that or control it better. She was like a kid on a sugar high lol.
Anyway, we had a buffet style dinner -- as usual per our big family gatherings -- and like every year, no turkey. I swear no one in my family likes turkey except for my immediate family. One year we had only seafood, another year we did hot pot, last year we had home-made pizza, and this year we had crossiant sandwiches + deli rolls among other things. I made a cream steam that somehow turned into potato soup =_= and I brought it out for my grandmother to try. Too bad I put too much pepper in it though 'cause she couldn't eat too much of it T__T. Oh well.
After dinner, we chatted and then we all started to leave. On the way back home, we passed by Woodburn and there were tons of cars in the parking lot already getting ready for Black Friday. It's kind of amazing what people would do for a morning of madness. I swear on our way to my relatives' place in Vancouver, there were already people camping out at a Best Buy and it was only 3PM Thanksgiving day. Sad. Oh well.
Don't think I'll be participating in Black Friday tomorrow. I already spent more money than I should and so... I need to put the limiters back on for my spending =_=
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Payment Plan In Order
Ok, so here is my game plan:
1. Pay December Rent + Utilities ($975)
2. Get Paid on 12/1/09
3. Pay AMEX ($1,958)
4. Automatic Transfer of $75 from Checking to Savings
5. Get Paid on 12/15/09
6. Pay VISA #1 ($623)
7. Pay January Rent + Utilities ($975)
8. Get Paid on 1/2/09
9. Pay VISA #2 (???)
Yes... This is probably the best method to the madness. I feel like someone doing a side quest or something with a walkthrough at the moment. Unless you do this step, you fail, etc. *sigh* I hope to never have to go through this again, my spending has reached new heights and my checking account has dropped to new lows. Very scary.
1. Pay December Rent + Utilities ($975)
2. Get Paid on 12/1/09
3. Pay AMEX ($1,958)
4. Automatic Transfer of $75 from Checking to Savings
5. Get Paid on 12/15/09
6. Pay VISA #1 ($623)
7. Pay January Rent + Utilities ($975)
8. Get Paid on 1/2/09
9. Pay VISA #2 (???)
Yes... This is probably the best method to the madness. I feel like someone doing a side quest or something with a walkthrough at the moment. Unless you do this step, you fail, etc. *sigh* I hope to never have to go through this again, my spending has reached new heights and my checking account has dropped to new lows. Very scary.
Doomed =_= Over-spending Is Hell To Pay Back
Yeah... my VAIO computer shipped today... That is VERY bad. It means, I now have an extra $1,375 on my AMEX to pay off. It means, I have to coordinate my bill-paying very well otherwise I'm going to have to extract money out of my savings account. It means there is a very good chance that I'm going to be paying a lot of interest in the next few months. It means ... I need to learn how to control my spending better from now on in order to avoid this nerve-wracking guilt trip. Oh dear... And yeah, I have no one to blame other than myself.
I still have to buy two weeks of groceries, a DS for my brother, and $450 worth of CPE -- which I'll get reimbursed eventually, but it's not good. It's a lot of money =_=; And I mean... a lot of money. *sigh* God, why am I so insane? Well, regardless, I know I can pay it all off, I just need to dig into my savings =_= *sigh* Good job me.
I still have to buy two weeks of groceries, a DS for my brother, and $450 worth of CPE -- which I'll get reimbursed eventually, but it's not good. It's a lot of money =_=; And I mean... a lot of money. *sigh* God, why am I so insane? Well, regardless, I know I can pay it all off, I just need to dig into my savings =_= *sigh* Good job me.
Total Spending For October - November
... I really should take a look at this so here goes:
VISA
$3,135 + 2,665 = $5,800 +$200 (to be paid) = $6,000
AMEX (to be paid)
$2,000
...
Um... yeah... roughly $8,000 in the course of 2 months not including rent. This is just roughly my discretionary spending.
............................. I think I need to go shoot myself now.
$1,375 for my new computer has not shown up on one of my CC's yet 'cause it's still in production right now so I hope it doesn't show up until the December statement. That way I can defer my need to pay off all $1,375 till January. I'll just have to not use this CC at all once November ends. I think I may opt to use one of my other CC's during December so I don't have to charge huge balances on my other ones including my other big VISA.
Still missing my Banana Republic card. No idea where it is or where it went. It's very troubling =_= considering that I shop all the time at that store. *sigh*
I really have no one other than myself to blame for having practically no money left over. This kind of sucks =_=
VISA
$3,135 + 2,665 = $5,800 +$200 (to be paid) = $6,000
AMEX (to be paid)
$2,000
...
Um... yeah... roughly $8,000 in the course of 2 months not including rent. This is just roughly my discretionary spending.
............................. I think I need to go shoot myself now.
$1,375 for my new computer has not shown up on one of my CC's yet 'cause it's still in production right now so I hope it doesn't show up until the December statement. That way I can defer my need to pay off all $1,375 till January. I'll just have to not use this CC at all once November ends. I think I may opt to use one of my other CC's during December so I don't have to charge huge balances on my other ones including my other big VISA.
Still missing my Banana Republic card. No idea where it is or where it went. It's very troubling =_= considering that I shop all the time at that store. *sigh*
I really have no one other than myself to blame for having practically no money left over. This kind of sucks =_=
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Lately, It Seems "Love" Just Sucks
I used to be a sucker for romantic stories, but lately, they have done nothing but aggravate me. I swear there was a time were children were precious and love was wonderful, and then during my angry teenage-angst days, they were like little devils roaming the earth. Well, my current mindset is no different than my senior high days at the moment.
Children = spawn
Romance = society-imposed delusion
Dating = a means to reveal how bleak the future is when all the potential partners out there are nothing, but creeps
Love = nonexistent
True Love = a figment of our imaginations
Yeah, sad, but what-ev.
Anyway, that's not my point. Well, it's part of my point. I'm just pretty adverse to anything "romance"-related lately and this does not exclude the Twilight series. It truly is a teenager's book 'cause nothing about that series appeals to me. One has to love mawkishness and sap to really enjoy it. I mean, most of the book is about the notion of a "true love" that transcends time, space, and form. I really wish I could like the story, but I can't.
Usually, a character like Bella is not bad at all. Especially if you are a teenager like I was whom grew up with little self-esteem and can't believe it whenever something really great happens. If you are like that, you can totally see it from Bella's point of view and grow to think from her perspective too... except... I can't help, but think that teenagers are pretty stupid when it comes to love =_=;
I keep telling myself that Bella's only a teenager, of course she's going to act irrationally at times and be really dumb when the love of her life leaves her, but it doesn't soften the irritation I have towards her character throughout all of New Moon. Towards the end of Twilight, it was still somewhat understandable given that she thought her mother was in danger, but then for her to become all suicidal once Edward left her was a little too much for me.
Yeah, when we were teenagers and the guy or girl we really liked left us, we pretty much felt that dying was a good way to go, but now that I'm older, it's hard for me to sympathize with her anymore. And on top of that, I just find her very stupid. I really want to like Bella, but I can't stand her. I usually really like main girl characters in stories. For instance, where lots of people hate Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII, I don't find anything wrong with her. Honda Tohru from Fruits Baskets is another one that I like even if a lot of angry teenagers hate her. An undying trend of girl fans towards certain series around me tend to really hate the main girl(s), but I've never really disliked any of them until now. I've finally found a series where I just cannot stand the main girl at all. I like her in the movie when Kristen Stewart played her, but when I was reading her in the novel, I, for some reason just can't stand her =_=
The way she thinks, the way she acts, the way she treats her friends is appalling to me at times. When she gets all depressed, and then tries to use Jessica to get her dad to get off her back, and then trying to approach some inappropriate people, it's too much. Even if the love of your life leaves you, it's no excuse to mistreat your friends. I so don't blame Jessica for getting all anti-Bella in the book. Lauren, I can say that I don't like 'cause she's the typical girl that gets all psyched out and shows her claws early 'cause she can't handle a little competition. Jessica isn't really my favorite character either 'cause she's kind of insensitive and self-centered at times, but I don't blame her for not wanting to be Bella's friend later 'cause Bella was just really acting stupid.
And why in the world do these women always go back to the original man!? I guess it wouldn't mean anything if she ended up with Jacob, but I just wish there's a series where the heroine could just choose the second leading man rather than the first. I'm so tired of this overdone formula. In life, the number one rule is: Don't go back to a man who left you regardless of the reason. And if you're going to return back to him anyway, don't lead someone else on =_= (O-M-G). Yeah, I really don't care that Jacob ends up with her daughter later, I just wish things would work out in a more interesting fashion is all. *sigh* Then again, it wouldn't be fun without a little drama and little triangle here and there.
Anyway, I just wanted to rant about how much I dislike Twilight. Maybe it's because I lack any love or romance in my life, but I can't really empathize or sympathize with Bella for New Moon. That book literally made it really difficult for me to even pick up Eclipse. The storyline's not exactly all that well-written so I really don't understand the hype to it.
I mean in Twilight, Bella meets Edward, and they fall in love and she gets to know him better. Then suddenly these three bad vampires show up and one starts hunting Bella. It felt so out there and random... I didn't even feel like I had time to wrap it all around my head. The movie seemed to have done this part much better, at least you knew that there was danger coming and so there was some anticipation. Sure, there was a preface in the book and all, but seriously? It was like "Oh yay, life is going well somewhat. BAM!!! Here are some bad guys! Let's try and make this climax interesting so I can move on!" That's what the plot looked like to me in a nutshell. Very boring.
Then in New Moon, all I could remember was Edward leaving, Bella getting all depressed and suicidal, leading young Jacob on, and then when Edward thought that Bella died, he tried to get himself killed, and at the end they got engaged. Most of the book seemed to be of Bella trying to kill herself, and yes after reading multiple unsuccesful suicide attempts, you really wish she could just succeed once to end both of your miseries ... sad to say.
Despite how much I loathe reading the series, it doesn't change that I'm somewhat interested in the movie. There are times when an adaptation is better than the original. While I can't say that the Twilight movie was all that great -- it was really and painfully slow at some parts -- there were some things I preferred over what I read in the book. So I'm curious as to how the movie will be.
Still haven't read Eclipse yet. It's been a challenge trying to even pick it up after how much I hated New Moon =_= The whole Victoria thing just didn't seem all too urgent or interesting to me so I can't seem to make it any further than maybe fifteen pages. The only reason why I'm even reading it is because my friend told me that it gets better and I'm a fairly patient person so I'm interested to see exactly how it will get "better." I'll eventually pick it up again, but for now... I'm feeling very adverse to the series.
Children = spawn
Romance = society-imposed delusion
Dating = a means to reveal how bleak the future is when all the potential partners out there are nothing, but creeps
Love = nonexistent
True Love = a figment of our imaginations
Yeah, sad, but what-ev.
Anyway, that's not my point. Well, it's part of my point. I'm just pretty adverse to anything "romance"-related lately and this does not exclude the Twilight series. It truly is a teenager's book 'cause nothing about that series appeals to me. One has to love mawkishness and sap to really enjoy it. I mean, most of the book is about the notion of a "true love" that transcends time, space, and form. I really wish I could like the story, but I can't.
Usually, a character like Bella is not bad at all. Especially if you are a teenager like I was whom grew up with little self-esteem and can't believe it whenever something really great happens. If you are like that, you can totally see it from Bella's point of view and grow to think from her perspective too... except... I can't help, but think that teenagers are pretty stupid when it comes to love =_=;
I keep telling myself that Bella's only a teenager, of course she's going to act irrationally at times and be really dumb when the love of her life leaves her, but it doesn't soften the irritation I have towards her character throughout all of New Moon. Towards the end of Twilight, it was still somewhat understandable given that she thought her mother was in danger, but then for her to become all suicidal once Edward left her was a little too much for me.
Yeah, when we were teenagers and the guy or girl we really liked left us, we pretty much felt that dying was a good way to go, but now that I'm older, it's hard for me to sympathize with her anymore. And on top of that, I just find her very stupid. I really want to like Bella, but I can't stand her. I usually really like main girl characters in stories. For instance, where lots of people hate Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII, I don't find anything wrong with her. Honda Tohru from Fruits Baskets is another one that I like even if a lot of angry teenagers hate her. An undying trend of girl fans towards certain series around me tend to really hate the main girl(s), but I've never really disliked any of them until now. I've finally found a series where I just cannot stand the main girl at all. I like her in the movie when Kristen Stewart played her, but when I was reading her in the novel, I, for some reason just can't stand her =_=
The way she thinks, the way she acts, the way she treats her friends is appalling to me at times. When she gets all depressed, and then tries to use Jessica to get her dad to get off her back, and then trying to approach some inappropriate people, it's too much. Even if the love of your life leaves you, it's no excuse to mistreat your friends. I so don't blame Jessica for getting all anti-Bella in the book. Lauren, I can say that I don't like 'cause she's the typical girl that gets all psyched out and shows her claws early 'cause she can't handle a little competition. Jessica isn't really my favorite character either 'cause she's kind of insensitive and self-centered at times, but I don't blame her for not wanting to be Bella's friend later 'cause Bella was just really acting stupid.
And why in the world do these women always go back to the original man!? I guess it wouldn't mean anything if she ended up with Jacob, but I just wish there's a series where the heroine could just choose the second leading man rather than the first. I'm so tired of this overdone formula. In life, the number one rule is: Don't go back to a man who left you regardless of the reason. And if you're going to return back to him anyway, don't lead someone else on =_= (O-M-G). Yeah, I really don't care that Jacob ends up with her daughter later, I just wish things would work out in a more interesting fashion is all. *sigh* Then again, it wouldn't be fun without a little drama and little triangle here and there.
Anyway, I just wanted to rant about how much I dislike Twilight. Maybe it's because I lack any love or romance in my life, but I can't really empathize or sympathize with Bella for New Moon. That book literally made it really difficult for me to even pick up Eclipse. The storyline's not exactly all that well-written so I really don't understand the hype to it.
I mean in Twilight, Bella meets Edward, and they fall in love and she gets to know him better. Then suddenly these three bad vampires show up and one starts hunting Bella. It felt so out there and random... I didn't even feel like I had time to wrap it all around my head. The movie seemed to have done this part much better, at least you knew that there was danger coming and so there was some anticipation. Sure, there was a preface in the book and all, but seriously? It was like "Oh yay, life is going well somewhat. BAM!!! Here are some bad guys! Let's try and make this climax interesting so I can move on!" That's what the plot looked like to me in a nutshell. Very boring.
Then in New Moon, all I could remember was Edward leaving, Bella getting all depressed and suicidal, leading young Jacob on, and then when Edward thought that Bella died, he tried to get himself killed, and at the end they got engaged. Most of the book seemed to be of Bella trying to kill herself, and yes after reading multiple unsuccesful suicide attempts, you really wish she could just succeed once to end both of your miseries ... sad to say.
Despite how much I loathe reading the series, it doesn't change that I'm somewhat interested in the movie. There are times when an adaptation is better than the original. While I can't say that the Twilight movie was all that great -- it was really and painfully slow at some parts -- there were some things I preferred over what I read in the book. So I'm curious as to how the movie will be.
Still haven't read Eclipse yet. It's been a challenge trying to even pick it up after how much I hated New Moon =_= The whole Victoria thing just didn't seem all too urgent or interesting to me so I can't seem to make it any further than maybe fifteen pages. The only reason why I'm even reading it is because my friend told me that it gets better and I'm a fairly patient person so I'm interested to see exactly how it will get "better." I'll eventually pick it up again, but for now... I'm feeling very adverse to the series.
Dreams About The Mob
I have no idea what it was, but a week ago, I had two really odd dreams and I kept telling myself to write them down so that I could remember them, and now I can only remember one which is the first one.
The first one was that I was a woman with two children racing through a snowy forest and we were wearing thick parkas like ones you would see of Japanese people living in the mountains or something. Now mind this, I have not been watching any dramas or movies with Japanese people during olden days in a snowy environment so I have no idea what this was all about. Anyway...
My two children and I were running and then I tell them to hide behind a rock so I could go and distract the people chasing us. Just when I was running away, I got shot multiple times and I fell down from the shock. Here I was bleeding and the people who attacked me were part of the yakuza or something, and they demanded to know where this one girl was and I said that I didn't know what they were talking about.
Apparently the mob was chasing after some girl other than me and my kids and just as I was answering that I didn't know where this mystery girl was, she appeared, strolling behind all of us and the men all yelled that I was lying and go to kill me, but then the girl and a friend came and swept me away and we ran.
Next thing I knew, they had brought me into this feudal looking village -- more like England in the Dark Ages or something -- and there was this cottage to the right side of the town closest to the castle. They made me crawl through this hole into the basement area where I waited as the mob burst through the area above us and demand to know where the girl and I were. When they couldn't find us, they left.
The women took me up after the mob left and I went into the bathroom and stood in the tub, undressing myself so we could take a look at all the bullet wounds. Well, just as I was undressing, this one girl that I wasn't all too fond of during junior high showed up with another friend and she was wearing a wedding dress. She was trying to figure out whether having her hair be frizzy or not would look good with her dress -- Uh, yeah, I have no idea why either -- and then she looked over at me, held my hands and asked which looked better. I said it was better if she straightened it and then she said that I was perfect for the maid of honor so I should be her maid of honor.
Now, I haven't seen this girl for at least 10 years now in real life so I have no idea why I dreamed of her. But she made me into her maid of honor -- more like she forced me into the role -- and then pushed me out in a new dress. Miraculously enough, I wasn't bleeding any longer, but... I had to entertain and entire church full of people 'cause the wedding wasn't supposed to start for a while. There was a piano so I thought I'd go play, but then I saw the mob situated not too far away and as they came over to me, I woke up =_= So yeah, this was my first dream and the only one I can remember =_=;
The first one was that I was a woman with two children racing through a snowy forest and we were wearing thick parkas like ones you would see of Japanese people living in the mountains or something. Now mind this, I have not been watching any dramas or movies with Japanese people during olden days in a snowy environment so I have no idea what this was all about. Anyway...
My two children and I were running and then I tell them to hide behind a rock so I could go and distract the people chasing us. Just when I was running away, I got shot multiple times and I fell down from the shock. Here I was bleeding and the people who attacked me were part of the yakuza or something, and they demanded to know where this one girl was and I said that I didn't know what they were talking about.
Apparently the mob was chasing after some girl other than me and my kids and just as I was answering that I didn't know where this mystery girl was, she appeared, strolling behind all of us and the men all yelled that I was lying and go to kill me, but then the girl and a friend came and swept me away and we ran.
Next thing I knew, they had brought me into this feudal looking village -- more like England in the Dark Ages or something -- and there was this cottage to the right side of the town closest to the castle. They made me crawl through this hole into the basement area where I waited as the mob burst through the area above us and demand to know where the girl and I were. When they couldn't find us, they left.
The women took me up after the mob left and I went into the bathroom and stood in the tub, undressing myself so we could take a look at all the bullet wounds. Well, just as I was undressing, this one girl that I wasn't all too fond of during junior high showed up with another friend and she was wearing a wedding dress. She was trying to figure out whether having her hair be frizzy or not would look good with her dress -- Uh, yeah, I have no idea why either -- and then she looked over at me, held my hands and asked which looked better. I said it was better if she straightened it and then she said that I was perfect for the maid of honor so I should be her maid of honor.
Now, I haven't seen this girl for at least 10 years now in real life so I have no idea why I dreamed of her. But she made me into her maid of honor -- more like she forced me into the role -- and then pushed me out in a new dress. Miraculously enough, I wasn't bleeding any longer, but... I had to entertain and entire church full of people 'cause the wedding wasn't supposed to start for a while. There was a piano so I thought I'd go play, but then I saw the mob situated not too far away and as they came over to me, I woke up =_= So yeah, this was my first dream and the only one I can remember =_=;
Monday, November 23, 2009
No Sales Tax @_@
I feel like I'm going through culture shock or something -- only it's not really culture shock. Since I've been in Cali for almost a year, it's weird to go back home to my family and then see all these Oregonian license plates around. It's really, really odd 'cause I'm so used to seeing lots of Californian license plates. Then the notion of there's no sales tax is REALLY weird for me too. I mean, I'd be standing there and staring at the $0.00 over by the tax line on the cash register screen with a @_@ expression. It's very nice, but I hope I don't get over-spoiled 'cause then that would suck when I have to face reality once I get back to Cali.
In these last few weeks since a little before my birthday, I've been doing so much shopping that I'm telling myself that I should be worried 'cause my bank account is not liking all this spending that much. And... I just bought a new laptop... so I REALLY should be worried @_@. My laptop's not cheap, and especially with my hours getting cut at work, it's really worrisome. I think I've spent at least $500 since reaching Oregon already so... it's kinda bad.
I also had my eye exam today and got prescription for both contacts and ordered glasses so that was around $300. I think I've almost spent $1000 actually @_@. I need to keep it low for the next couple weeks. Thank god I got all my Christmas shopping done... Well, not quite done 'cause I need to buy my brother a Nintendo DS =_=; Then I'll be really done. *sigh* Ugh, everything costs so much money.
In these last few weeks since a little before my birthday, I've been doing so much shopping that I'm telling myself that I should be worried 'cause my bank account is not liking all this spending that much. And... I just bought a new laptop... so I REALLY should be worried @_@. My laptop's not cheap, and especially with my hours getting cut at work, it's really worrisome. I think I've spent at least $500 since reaching Oregon already so... it's kinda bad.
I also had my eye exam today and got prescription for both contacts and ordered glasses so that was around $300. I think I've almost spent $1000 actually @_@. I need to keep it low for the next couple weeks. Thank god I got all my Christmas shopping done... Well, not quite done 'cause I need to buy my brother a Nintendo DS =_=; Then I'll be really done. *sigh* Ugh, everything costs so much money.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cream Stew
So, after much contemplation I made cream stew today. I wanted to do it the way it looks like in the picture, but I really didn't want to go buy potatoes so I just used whatever vegetables I had on me. Now that I think of it, potatoes would have been good to use 'cause there's starch in there so the stew would have thickened easily without any rue. Oh well.
I decided not to use rue though, which is kind of a bold move on my part 'cause the vegetables I used have a tendency to shrink and release water so the stew's only going to get more watery from here on out ^_^;;;; Yeah, I used broccoli, zucchini and carrots. Broccoli and zucchini are full of water so ... my stew's going to be pretty runny later on lol ^_^; If I added some rue, I was afraid that I'd make it too thick. My stew has a tendency to become all gelatin-y the next day after I add in rue made from scratch so... I try not to add any in =_=; I guess cooking is still in the trial & error stages.
I'm not going to be here next week so that's why I wanted to use up all my vegetables and cook once so that I'll have food throughout the week before I fly back up to see my family for Thanksgiving. I didn't want my good ingredients to go to waste while I'm gone. Plus, I can freeze stew and thaw it out to eat when I get back ^_^
I can't believe I'm going home soon. It feels really surreal to me so I'm not really all that excited, but I'm going to be really happy when I get back. My friend whose picking me up at the airport is really excited to see me and I'm really excited to see her too. I really miss my friends back home. It seems like all my really good friends live really far away from me and only the ones that bog me down live close to me T__T. Why is that? Oh well ^_^ not going to think about it. I'm just glad that I'll be able to take a nice vacation away from here again.
I decided not to use rue though, which is kind of a bold move on my part 'cause the vegetables I used have a tendency to shrink and release water so the stew's only going to get more watery from here on out ^_^;;;; Yeah, I used broccoli, zucchini and carrots. Broccoli and zucchini are full of water so ... my stew's going to be pretty runny later on lol ^_^; If I added some rue, I was afraid that I'd make it too thick. My stew has a tendency to become all gelatin-y the next day after I add in rue made from scratch so... I try not to add any in =_=; I guess cooking is still in the trial & error stages.
I'm not going to be here next week so that's why I wanted to use up all my vegetables and cook once so that I'll have food throughout the week before I fly back up to see my family for Thanksgiving. I didn't want my good ingredients to go to waste while I'm gone. Plus, I can freeze stew and thaw it out to eat when I get back ^_^
I can't believe I'm going home soon. It feels really surreal to me so I'm not really all that excited, but I'm going to be really happy when I get back. My friend whose picking me up at the airport is really excited to see me and I'm really excited to see her too. I really miss my friends back home. It seems like all my really good friends live really far away from me and only the ones that bog me down live close to me T__T. Why is that? Oh well ^_^ not going to think about it. I'm just glad that I'll be able to take a nice vacation away from here again.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Skirmishes
So... unlike the girls before me, I'm not one to take blows thrown at me without fighting back and not without reason either. If I'm going to be harassed, put down, and bullied, there's no way I'm taking that all lying down. I just plain refused. Just because I'm young and inexperienced does not mean I'm an idiot.
The office manager and I are basically doing skirmishes throughout the day because she's doing all she can to bully me and I'm fighting back all the time to stop her from harassing me. She's unbelievable =_=
This all started two weeks ago and has been an ongoing feud ever since. I try to keep it as professional as possible, but she will stop at nothing to make a person feel bad. Rather than feel bad, I can feel myself simmering with all her insults and unreasonableness. According to the girls, I'm actually handling it all pretty well -- well no kidding, I worked as a waitress for six years, I can take just about anything thrown at me like this.
Anyway, she would give out weird instructions and then ask later whose stupid idea it was, when it was her idea to begin with. She would also make you dig through a mountain of folders to find one trust tax return in order to prove it to you that it was not finalized, but unluckily for her, I prepared the returns for the family related to that trust so I have a better understanding of what happened rather than her so I ended up proving her wrong instead.
There are times when I give her a binder and instructions, and then she would come back with a label or divider inserter and when you can't find the binder, she demands to know what you did with that binder, but then she will go and come back like "Oh, I have it." And mind you, this is after she makes you feel like you just lost the world's most precious diamond or something.
Yesterday was the best yet. As I was walking down the hallway, she whips around the corner so I jump up in alarm 'cause she startled me. Then she comes to my office and demands to know why I jump up like that, was I afraid a lot as a child? (WTF!?) I just state that I get startled easily in general, it's no secret. She says that I need to work on it, and because I wanted her out of my office, I just agreed and hoped she would leave it be, but she keeps going on about it and how no one does it. I'm like "You came out from the corner so fast, it took me by surprise." She's like "Well, I walk fast, there's nothing I can do about it." *rolling my eyes at this point* She then tells me to go get Jeannie, who's in the file room, and she says that she's going to pop out from the corner to see if she will jump like me. I narrow my eyes to slits and gave her this "Are you serious?" expression. I stated in a cold voice, "No, I'm the only one like this so there's no need. This is not productive at all, I have more important things to be doing than going to grab Jeannie just so you can see if she jumps or not." Which is true, I'm working and she wants me to engage in this farce!? O-M-G. She's got nothing better to do.
We've just been clashing nonstop and I'm not going to let her punch holes in me without giving her a fight. She wants to put me down? Well, too bad, I'm not going to let her. God, she really has nothing better to do.
Everyone's been checking in with me to see if she's been picking on me and since it's my own problem, I just say that it's ok and I'm dealing with it. They tell me that I shouldn't have to deal with it 'cause it's very unprofessional for her to be doing this to me -- which is true -- but I feel that it will waste more time to dish it all out than just to fight back and then let it go. Well, at least people care about me so that's nice to know.
On a good note by the forces of karma, my boss told her to take tomorrow off. I think word about how she's been treating me reached his ears so he's punishing her. Thank god.
The office manager and I are basically doing skirmishes throughout the day because she's doing all she can to bully me and I'm fighting back all the time to stop her from harassing me. She's unbelievable =_=
This all started two weeks ago and has been an ongoing feud ever since. I try to keep it as professional as possible, but she will stop at nothing to make a person feel bad. Rather than feel bad, I can feel myself simmering with all her insults and unreasonableness. According to the girls, I'm actually handling it all pretty well -- well no kidding, I worked as a waitress for six years, I can take just about anything thrown at me like this.
Anyway, she would give out weird instructions and then ask later whose stupid idea it was, when it was her idea to begin with. She would also make you dig through a mountain of folders to find one trust tax return in order to prove it to you that it was not finalized, but unluckily for her, I prepared the returns for the family related to that trust so I have a better understanding of what happened rather than her so I ended up proving her wrong instead.
There are times when I give her a binder and instructions, and then she would come back with a label or divider inserter and when you can't find the binder, she demands to know what you did with that binder, but then she will go and come back like "Oh, I have it." And mind you, this is after she makes you feel like you just lost the world's most precious diamond or something.
Yesterday was the best yet. As I was walking down the hallway, she whips around the corner so I jump up in alarm 'cause she startled me. Then she comes to my office and demands to know why I jump up like that, was I afraid a lot as a child? (WTF!?) I just state that I get startled easily in general, it's no secret. She says that I need to work on it, and because I wanted her out of my office, I just agreed and hoped she would leave it be, but she keeps going on about it and how no one does it. I'm like "You came out from the corner so fast, it took me by surprise." She's like "Well, I walk fast, there's nothing I can do about it." *rolling my eyes at this point* She then tells me to go get Jeannie, who's in the file room, and she says that she's going to pop out from the corner to see if she will jump like me. I narrow my eyes to slits and gave her this "Are you serious?" expression. I stated in a cold voice, "No, I'm the only one like this so there's no need. This is not productive at all, I have more important things to be doing than going to grab Jeannie just so you can see if she jumps or not." Which is true, I'm working and she wants me to engage in this farce!? O-M-G. She's got nothing better to do.
We've just been clashing nonstop and I'm not going to let her punch holes in me without giving her a fight. She wants to put me down? Well, too bad, I'm not going to let her. God, she really has nothing better to do.
Everyone's been checking in with me to see if she's been picking on me and since it's my own problem, I just say that it's ok and I'm dealing with it. They tell me that I shouldn't have to deal with it 'cause it's very unprofessional for her to be doing this to me -- which is true -- but I feel that it will waste more time to dish it all out than just to fight back and then let it go. Well, at least people care about me so that's nice to know.
On a good note by the forces of karma, my boss told her to take tomorrow off. I think word about how she's been treating me reached his ears so he's punishing her. Thank god.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
There is Hot Water!!!
So after a week of surviving no hot water, the guy finally came and put in a new thingy and now there is hot water again *__* I am absolutely thrilled. My roommate also cleaned my entire bathroom to make it up to me and it is completely spotless. I mean, I almost don't want to shower now 'cause it's so bright and pretty O_O. Makes me want to cover the walls up with plastic or something. In times like these, it's nice to be inconvenienced for a while so others feel guilty and do things to keep you happy ^__^ and yes I know how sadistic that sounded, but I can't help feeling that it's a good thing. People kept telling me to ask for a rent reduction this week and I hate solving things through monetary means 'cause that's kind of petty, in my opinion, whereas if you make it so people owe you a favor, you can use that anytime. And sometimes even better things happen.
Now someone might wonder what's so good about someone cleaning the bathroom for you. In my case, it's much appreciated 'cause I have to share that bathroom with everyone else and I haven't really been all that diligent with cleaning lately so it's been really tough to scrub out everything. Now that it's spotlessly clean, I'm going to have to try really hard to keep it that way, but if I scrub it down every time after I use it, I won't have much problem later down the line when I decide to move out. It's even cleaner than when I first moved in, that's how clean it is. And I have a photographic memory for details so I remember what it looked like when I moved in 'cause I had to personally clean it myself before using it and now it's like white, almost brand-new house-looking, even the carpet's cleaned O_O. Looks almost like she got the carpet washed or something, it's really nice. Extremely impressive, much better than a rent reduction, I got my labor cut out for me ^__^
So see, solving things through my method has more value than saving an extra $20. Now I don't have to use time and energy to clean something 'cause my time is worth more than $20.
Now someone might wonder what's so good about someone cleaning the bathroom for you. In my case, it's much appreciated 'cause I have to share that bathroom with everyone else and I haven't really been all that diligent with cleaning lately so it's been really tough to scrub out everything. Now that it's spotlessly clean, I'm going to have to try really hard to keep it that way, but if I scrub it down every time after I use it, I won't have much problem later down the line when I decide to move out. It's even cleaner than when I first moved in, that's how clean it is. And I have a photographic memory for details so I remember what it looked like when I moved in 'cause I had to personally clean it myself before using it and now it's like white, almost brand-new house-looking, even the carpet's cleaned O_O. Looks almost like she got the carpet washed or something, it's really nice. Extremely impressive, much better than a rent reduction, I got my labor cut out for me ^__^
So see, solving things through my method has more value than saving an extra $20. Now I don't have to use time and energy to clean something 'cause my time is worth more than $20.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Learning Korean
So ... I got a little impulsive today. It kind of started out as one of those "I really want to, but I don't know..." sort of things, but then it became "Forget it, I'm going to the store," and then I grabbed just about every single Korean book I could see at Barnes & Nobles.... ^__^;;;; Haha...
I was supposed to go over to my friend's place today 'cause I bought some movies for us to watch and I was going to borrow her shower again tonight, but then she texted me that she was going to go hang out with this guy 'cause he wanted to hang out. Well, I guess she forgot about me lol. I figure it's alright, I can go to the gym, work out and forget about how much I'm not a fan of men at this point in my life, and then take a shower there. I mean, I did that yesterday and got back home in time for the game so it's fine. I just wanted to take a shower in a less exposed area is all lol ^_^;;;; Yeah...
I keep telling myself that I need to get used to being blown off by my friends when they're boy-crazy, but it's still hard for me to swallow it down now even. I think I was more peeved at myself for having any expectations of my friend remembering that the hot water at my place isn't working and I'd like to be able to borrow her shower. Oh well ^_^;
Anyway, I bought a lot of Korean books to start learning on my own and it's actually not too horrible. They have kana for consonants and kana for vowels. If they use two kana, the end of the word is a vowel sound and if they use three kana then the word has a consonant sound -- at least that's what it looks like so far from my skimming the books. I think I'm going to practice writing and recognizing the kana first. It'll help me out a lot later ^__^ I'm so excited, it's going to be tough, but it's going to be fun too ^_^. I can't believe how impulsive I am, but I'm glad sometimes that I am ^__^.
I was supposed to go over to my friend's place today 'cause I bought some movies for us to watch and I was going to borrow her shower again tonight, but then she texted me that she was going to go hang out with this guy 'cause he wanted to hang out. Well, I guess she forgot about me lol. I figure it's alright, I can go to the gym, work out and forget about how much I'm not a fan of men at this point in my life, and then take a shower there. I mean, I did that yesterday and got back home in time for the game so it's fine. I just wanted to take a shower in a less exposed area is all lol ^_^;;;; Yeah...
I keep telling myself that I need to get used to being blown off by my friends when they're boy-crazy, but it's still hard for me to swallow it down now even. I think I was more peeved at myself for having any expectations of my friend remembering that the hot water at my place isn't working and I'd like to be able to borrow her shower. Oh well ^_^;
Anyway, I bought a lot of Korean books to start learning on my own and it's actually not too horrible. They have kana for consonants and kana for vowels. If they use two kana, the end of the word is a vowel sound and if they use three kana then the word has a consonant sound -- at least that's what it looks like so far from my skimming the books. I think I'm going to practice writing and recognizing the kana first. It'll help me out a lot later ^__^ I'm so excited, it's going to be tough, but it's going to be fun too ^_^. I can't believe how impulsive I am, but I'm glad sometimes that I am ^__^.
UO vs. USC (47-20)
Because of the hot water issue -- or lack of thereof -- at home, I went to the gym yesterday and exercised for about 20 minutes before I ran back downstairs and took a shower. There's only one corner where it's covered so I disappeared into that area and took a nice, but quick hot shower. When I got out, I quickly dressed and then quickly drove home in time for the Oregon vs. USC game.
I swear that first quarter really made me eat fast 'cause I was so anxious, but overall game was amazing. Both Oregon defense and offense were amazing. Chip Kelly is so awesome, I'm so glad Bellotti asked him to come over here. When the season first started, it was a mess. All our regular and more seasoned players were getting injured left and right, and some were gone all-together, and then there was that scandal at Boise State. We really thought it would be the end of the Ducks this year, but they came back pretty strong for the conference. I'm so proud of my Duckies ^__^
The entire game had me on the edge of my seat, and even when we got into a comfortable lead, I was so glad the Ducks still played seriously and didn't lax much at all. In the past, there have been times when they would get too comfortable and then mess up their rhythm when the opposing team suddenly does something wacky and scores. Anyway, last night's game was superb and I just wanted to share that ^__^
I swear that first quarter really made me eat fast 'cause I was so anxious, but overall game was amazing. Both Oregon defense and offense were amazing. Chip Kelly is so awesome, I'm so glad Bellotti asked him to come over here. When the season first started, it was a mess. All our regular and more seasoned players were getting injured left and right, and some were gone all-together, and then there was that scandal at Boise State. We really thought it would be the end of the Ducks this year, but they came back pretty strong for the conference. I'm so proud of my Duckies ^__^
The entire game had me on the edge of my seat, and even when we got into a comfortable lead, I was so glad the Ducks still played seriously and didn't lax much at all. In the past, there have been times when they would get too comfortable and then mess up their rhythm when the opposing team suddenly does something wacky and scores. Anyway, last night's game was superb and I just wanted to share that ^__^
Virgin Snow (첫눈)
So for my birthday this year, I took a couple days off of work and booked a room at Hotel Kabuki in Japantown and just basically had a blast most of the weekend long. I'm came home during the afternoon yesterday, which was probably a good thing 'cause I swear I spent like $1000 in shopping alone ^_^;;;; Yeah...
Anyway, I bought this movie with Lee Jun Ki and Miyazaki Aoi in it called Virgin Snow and it's a very sweet love story. I must admit, I bought it 'cause Lee Jun Ki was in it and I really do like him in terms of eye candy (and acting of course lol).
The movie is about this Korean boy, Kim Min, who goes to live in Kyoto with his father who is a pottery-maker and meets a kind Japanese girl, Nanae, and falls in love with her at first sight. After he accidentally ruins her paint set and buys her a new one with money he earned at a part-time job, their relationship blossoms. Despite the language barriers, the two fall deeply in love and make a promise that someday when Min is able to create a porcelain piece, Nanae will paint on it. Min studies hard at Japanese and pottery-making while Nanae studies Korean and painting so the two will meet halfway. They later make a second promise to have a date on the first snow fall, however, Nanae disappears soon after and none of her classmates know what happen to her. Brokenhearted, Min returns to Seoul, and then two years pass...
At first, I thought Nanae might die or something before I watched this movie 'cause all those little teaser blurbs made it sound like she was going to die from disease or something, but it turned out to be completely different after I watched it so I was pretty satisfied that it wasn't one of those typical tearjerkers where someone dies from sickness. Frankly, though I usually like those types of drama, they're really getting old and I'd like to not watch a drama where someone dies again. So yeah, no one dies, thank god.
Anyway, I bought this movie with Lee Jun Ki and Miyazaki Aoi in it called Virgin Snow and it's a very sweet love story. I must admit, I bought it 'cause Lee Jun Ki was in it and I really do like him in terms of eye candy (and acting of course lol).
The movie is about this Korean boy, Kim Min, who goes to live in Kyoto with his father who is a pottery-maker and meets a kind Japanese girl, Nanae, and falls in love with her at first sight. After he accidentally ruins her paint set and buys her a new one with money he earned at a part-time job, their relationship blossoms. Despite the language barriers, the two fall deeply in love and make a promise that someday when Min is able to create a porcelain piece, Nanae will paint on it. Min studies hard at Japanese and pottery-making while Nanae studies Korean and painting so the two will meet halfway. They later make a second promise to have a date on the first snow fall, however, Nanae disappears soon after and none of her classmates know what happen to her. Brokenhearted, Min returns to Seoul, and then two years pass...
At first, I thought Nanae might die or something before I watched this movie 'cause all those little teaser blurbs made it sound like she was going to die from disease or something, but it turned out to be completely different after I watched it so I was pretty satisfied that it wasn't one of those typical tearjerkers where someone dies from sickness. Frankly, though I usually like those types of drama, they're really getting old and I'd like to not watch a drama where someone dies again. So yeah, no one dies, thank god.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Iljimae (일지매)
I recently picked up a really good Korean period drama, Iljimae -- loosely based off the manhwa by Ko Woo Yung (고우영) -- which is about a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor, while searching for the man whom murdered his father. Though some (or most) of the special effects are so-so, the overall plot is quite good. The drama begins with illustrating how badass of thief and fighter Iljimae is in showing off his agility, skill, speed, and smarts for about 12 minutes where he infiltrates a tight-security nobleman's home and steals something from him, leaving behind his signature painting of plum blossoms. After his great escape,
The story of Iljimae is set during the Joseon Dynasty around 1632 - 1649, with references to the Coup of 1623 that happened around three or four years prior to Iljimae's birth. The current emperor, Injo, is an insecure ruler who will stop at nothing to protect his station, even resorting to having his closest comrades -- the ones who participated in the rebellion that dethroned Gwanghaegun -- murdered.
The timeline of the story's history begins around ten years after the Coup of 1623 with the image of a perfectly peaceful, happy noble family. The patriarch, Lee Won Ho, is sitting in the garden with his son, Lee Geom (also romanized as Kyum), and both are admiring the tree blossoms in full bloom. When Lee Won Ho asks his son why he favors plum blossoms, Geom answers that they are not as extravagant as cherry blossoms, but not as sad as pear blossoms. The plum blossoms will later serve as his signature, and source of his rogue name, "Iljimae."
Meanwhile on a hill not far from where the Lee family resides, Emperor Injo, dressed in noble civilian clothing, has met an old, blind seer whom provides him with the prophecy that during his monarchy in the palace, someone will appear and rattle the very foundation of his rule. The only line provided at this time is that something red will appear -- foreshadowing Iljimae's signature -- the rest of the vision, which is revealed in later episodes goes along the lines of "another king will appear in the future and the people will revere him. Two suns will shine down from the same sky." Injo, desiring for no one else to know about this prophecy, orders for his chief assassin, Sa-cheon, to kill the seer, his family, and all the villagers from where the blind man lives. Injo proceeds to resort to any method in maintaining his sovereignty, including the assassination of his younger brother, Lee Won Ho, whom he considered as a threat to his position.
Lee Won Ho is convicted of treason after a fake revolutionary letter is planted beneath his house, and he is murdered by the emperor and his assassins soon after with them passing it off as suicide. The entire Lee Clan is imprisoned for their relations to a traitor, but only Geom is able to escape, due to his father locking him up in a chest and the thief, Seo Dol, bringing the chest -- with Geom inside -- back to his place away from the household. Geom is later hunted down by the assassins and imperial guards, until an unfortunate boy is killed in his place and redeemed by Geom's mother as though he were Geom during the marketplace parade, in order for her to protect him. Geom however is forced to throw a stone at his biological mother as though they were not related, and due to the stress and trauma, he later collapses and loses his memory. Na Seo Dol, feeling responsible for the downfall of the Lee Clan -- since his adopted son planted the fake letter in order to save Seo Dol's life -- takes Geom in and raises him.
Thirteen years later, Geom is now known as Yong (or Ryung depending on romanization), and he is an irresponsible, playful mischief-maker on the streets causing much distress to his adoptive father, Seo Dol, and adoptive mother, Dani. Though everyone close to the Na family knows that Yong is adopted, Yong believes himself to be their biological child and so does everyone else outside of the Na friend circle (this was done so Seo Dol could protect Yong better). However, after a hunter in the mountains recognizes Yong as Geom, the hunt for Lee Won Ho's sun begins again and Yong is subjected to much danger, which eventually triggers various memories from his childhood leading to him regaining his memory later on.
Upon remembering his past, Yong sets off to find the rest of his scattered family while still living as the playful and useless son of the Na family. However, because his loved ones kept getting hurt due to their relation to him, he cannot ignore his situation any longer and goes to search for his father's killer by raiding the house of the wealthy in hopes of finding the sword that cut down his father as Iljimae the thief.
Iljimae is a reasonable 20-episode series. I think episode 13-15ish could have been shortened somewhat, 'cause I know 14 dragged a bit and maybe if they had shortened that episode, the final episode would have been even better (and the epilogue portion would have been longer, but whatever). Overall, I really liked it though there were some parts that could have been less ... ridiculous, but hey we're talking manhwa situation right? Anything is possible ^_^; Out of a lot of Korean dramas I've seen though, I really liked this one a lot.
The lead is played by Lee Joon Ki (이준기), whom is one of the most beautiful, effeminate looking men ever. The first time I saw him was in "The Emperor and the Clown" where he played a beautiful minstrel whom enchanted the king. The onscreen kiss between the tyrant emperor and effeminate clown (though it was like 3 seconds long) caused much stir and interest in the movie (by pretty much all yaoi-loving fans out there), and really brought the actor into prominence. In Iljimae, he looks more like a man, but he is still very pretty. In a way, he reminds me of Matsuda Ryuhei, whom was very effeminate and beautiful during the "Gohatto" and "Aoi Haru" days. Though if I had to pick between the two, Lee Joon Ki's much better looking than Matsuda Ryuhei ^_^;
The story of Iljimae is set during the Joseon Dynasty around 1632 - 1649, with references to the Coup of 1623 that happened around three or four years prior to Iljimae's birth. The current emperor, Injo, is an insecure ruler who will stop at nothing to protect his station, even resorting to having his closest comrades -- the ones who participated in the rebellion that dethroned Gwanghaegun -- murdered.
The timeline of the story's history begins around ten years after the Coup of 1623 with the image of a perfectly peaceful, happy noble family. The patriarch, Lee Won Ho, is sitting in the garden with his son, Lee Geom (also romanized as Kyum), and both are admiring the tree blossoms in full bloom. When Lee Won Ho asks his son why he favors plum blossoms, Geom answers that they are not as extravagant as cherry blossoms, but not as sad as pear blossoms. The plum blossoms will later serve as his signature, and source of his rogue name, "Iljimae."
Meanwhile on a hill not far from where the Lee family resides, Emperor Injo, dressed in noble civilian clothing, has met an old, blind seer whom provides him with the prophecy that during his monarchy in the palace, someone will appear and rattle the very foundation of his rule. The only line provided at this time is that something red will appear -- foreshadowing Iljimae's signature -- the rest of the vision, which is revealed in later episodes goes along the lines of "another king will appear in the future and the people will revere him. Two suns will shine down from the same sky." Injo, desiring for no one else to know about this prophecy, orders for his chief assassin, Sa-cheon, to kill the seer, his family, and all the villagers from where the blind man lives. Injo proceeds to resort to any method in maintaining his sovereignty, including the assassination of his younger brother, Lee Won Ho, whom he considered as a threat to his position.
Lee Won Ho is convicted of treason after a fake revolutionary letter is planted beneath his house, and he is murdered by the emperor and his assassins soon after with them passing it off as suicide. The entire Lee Clan is imprisoned for their relations to a traitor, but only Geom is able to escape, due to his father locking him up in a chest and the thief, Seo Dol, bringing the chest -- with Geom inside -- back to his place away from the household. Geom is later hunted down by the assassins and imperial guards, until an unfortunate boy is killed in his place and redeemed by Geom's mother as though he were Geom during the marketplace parade, in order for her to protect him. Geom however is forced to throw a stone at his biological mother as though they were not related, and due to the stress and trauma, he later collapses and loses his memory. Na Seo Dol, feeling responsible for the downfall of the Lee Clan -- since his adopted son planted the fake letter in order to save Seo Dol's life -- takes Geom in and raises him.
Thirteen years later, Geom is now known as Yong (or Ryung depending on romanization), and he is an irresponsible, playful mischief-maker on the streets causing much distress to his adoptive father, Seo Dol, and adoptive mother, Dani. Though everyone close to the Na family knows that Yong is adopted, Yong believes himself to be their biological child and so does everyone else outside of the Na friend circle (this was done so Seo Dol could protect Yong better). However, after a hunter in the mountains recognizes Yong as Geom, the hunt for Lee Won Ho's sun begins again and Yong is subjected to much danger, which eventually triggers various memories from his childhood leading to him regaining his memory later on.
Upon remembering his past, Yong sets off to find the rest of his scattered family while still living as the playful and useless son of the Na family. However, because his loved ones kept getting hurt due to their relation to him, he cannot ignore his situation any longer and goes to search for his father's killer by raiding the house of the wealthy in hopes of finding the sword that cut down his father as Iljimae the thief.
Iljimae is a reasonable 20-episode series. I think episode 13-15ish could have been shortened somewhat, 'cause I know 14 dragged a bit and maybe if they had shortened that episode, the final episode would have been even better (and the epilogue portion would have been longer, but whatever). Overall, I really liked it though there were some parts that could have been less ... ridiculous, but hey we're talking manhwa situation right? Anything is possible ^_^; Out of a lot of Korean dramas I've seen though, I really liked this one a lot.
The lead is played by Lee Joon Ki (이준기), whom is one of the most beautiful, effeminate looking men ever. The first time I saw him was in "The Emperor and the Clown" where he played a beautiful minstrel whom enchanted the king. The onscreen kiss between the tyrant emperor and effeminate clown (though it was like 3 seconds long) caused much stir and interest in the movie (by pretty much all yaoi-loving fans out there), and really brought the actor into prominence. In Iljimae, he looks more like a man, but he is still very pretty. In a way, he reminds me of Matsuda Ryuhei, whom was very effeminate and beautiful during the "Gohatto" and "Aoi Haru" days. Though if I had to pick between the two, Lee Joon Ki's much better looking than Matsuda Ryuhei ^_^;
Friday, October 16, 2009
I Cleaned My Room
After two months of much needed cleaning, I finally got down to it yesterday since I have the day off today. I got into an argument with my mother and I was so angry that I just went on a cleaning rampage. Let's say, it was extremely therapeutic and it got the job done... very, very well. I threw away a lot of cardboard boxes (either it's from packages sent to me, or cereal boxes, etc), and a lot of paper and trash. I collected all the plastic bags in my room and shoved them all into two paper bags to use for trash bags later. I organized all the boxes in my room (that I got from the office) and set it up so that now I have places to put my pots and pans. I put all my clothes back into my closet, and now all I have to do is to do the laundry for my sheets and some of my clothes. Just finished vacuuming the room after I sprinkled the carpet with that deodorizing baking powder stuff ^__^ Now it smells so good~~~ Not that it smelled bad to begin with, but that's one of my fave things about vacuuming XD~
I was supposed to go with my friend to her hair appointment today, but I went to the post office too late and forgot my other friend's address so I just told her to go without me. I then texted one of my best friends and had her go into my email account and find my other friend's address so I could send her her birthday present today so she can get it by tomorrow @_@; (Yeah... I really procrastinated till last minute on this one) Well, since I couldn't go to the city anymore, I came home to finish up my cleaning.
I haven't really been able to do much housework 'cause I've been going out so often that I'm never really ever home and when I'm home, I'm too tired to do much so yeah ^_^; Ah, a nice, clean room really is good.
I was supposed to go with my friend to her hair appointment today, but I went to the post office too late and forgot my other friend's address so I just told her to go without me. I then texted one of my best friends and had her go into my email account and find my other friend's address so I could send her her birthday present today so she can get it by tomorrow @_@; (Yeah... I really procrastinated till last minute on this one) Well, since I couldn't go to the city anymore, I came home to finish up my cleaning.
I haven't really been able to do much housework 'cause I've been going out so often that I'm never really ever home and when I'm home, I'm too tired to do much so yeah ^_^; Ah, a nice, clean room really is good.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My Life the Eternal Rollercoaster
I have a hard time expressing my feelings. I hardly ever tell people the truth about how I feel, and I am always pretending that things are ok. I do things I don't enjoy doing to make other people happy, which then in turn satisfies me as well. I don't ask for anyone to cater to my needs and I generally try to take care of myself, because I know no one really takes care of me. When I get angry at my friends at the offensive things they say to me, I tell myself that I am being too sensitive about it and I should let it ago instead of telling them that it hurts me. But I think I'm festering right now, because I'm emotionally wounded and very upset.
I don't know how to act around my friends anymore. If I don't hang out with them, they make me feel guilty for not going out and staying in by myself and feeling lonely 'cause I have no one around me. They make it seem like it's my own fault for not going out and having fun. Then when I do go out, they say that I'm not enjoying myself at all so then they feel awkward. If I smile, they think I'm faking having fun, if I don't smile, they think I'm bored. I'm exhausted, I don't know what kind of expression they would like me to have, but regardless of which one it is, it's always wrong. I'm sick of them making me feel like I'm the bad one, I'm the lame one, I'm the ridiculous one. They say that I take life too seriously, but I think they take it too lightly. They're insensitive and they're mean to me. Do they think I'm made of iron or something? That I won't get hurt by the things they do or say to me?
My friend just said to me yesterday that I don't talk enough, I never say anything when I'm hanging out with other people. I tell her that even if I do say something, she or someone else will interrupt me so what's the point of trying? I'm not going to fight for the lead so I can continue talking and once we're off the subject, I don't want to talk about it anymore. So I've developed this inability to socialize, because my friends don't know when to shut the fuck up. They're rude, they talk when they want to and don't care how you feel, and when you're talking, they text right through it. It's too much for me to handle. I've made myself as malleable as possible so that I don't clash, so I fit in, so they won't feel uncomfortable about anything and still they find things to complain about when I haven't said one thing yet.
They tell me that I can say anything to them, because they're my friends, but whenever I tell them how I feel, they shoot me down and make me feel like I'm being ridiculous, that I'm being overly sensitive, that I'm taking things too seriously. Then one day when they finally hit a snag and start feeling some of the feelings I feel, I tell them, well now you know how I've felt then, and they're like "That doesn't count!" Nothing I say counts, nothing I do counts, even how I feel doesn't count and I'm so exhausted. I'm so tired, I'm so angry, I'm so frustrated, I'm so upset. And I take it everyday like an adult. I tell myself that it's life, it's a lesson, I'm learning from experience. I tell myself that I can take it and that I've made this far, so why do anything now? But I want them to love me. I want them to treat me better with more respect. I want them to stop trampling on my perspective. I'm not saying anything about how I disapprove of them going around having one-night stands, and making out with married men, so why are they all so against me and attack me when I simply state that I do not condone having a married man try and kiss me. I do not look favorably upon a man who's married with children, who wants to sleep with me. Regardless of how good he treats me, I do not agree with that. But when I said it, they all attacked me. Granted, I guess when I said it, I was angry and drunk so my words came out a bit more maliciously than intended, but they were not on my side at all. They were defending him and making me seem like the bad guy. It's not fair.
I'm so exhausted, I don't even have the energy to cry.
I don't know how to act around my friends anymore. If I don't hang out with them, they make me feel guilty for not going out and staying in by myself and feeling lonely 'cause I have no one around me. They make it seem like it's my own fault for not going out and having fun. Then when I do go out, they say that I'm not enjoying myself at all so then they feel awkward. If I smile, they think I'm faking having fun, if I don't smile, they think I'm bored. I'm exhausted, I don't know what kind of expression they would like me to have, but regardless of which one it is, it's always wrong. I'm sick of them making me feel like I'm the bad one, I'm the lame one, I'm the ridiculous one. They say that I take life too seriously, but I think they take it too lightly. They're insensitive and they're mean to me. Do they think I'm made of iron or something? That I won't get hurt by the things they do or say to me?
My friend just said to me yesterday that I don't talk enough, I never say anything when I'm hanging out with other people. I tell her that even if I do say something, she or someone else will interrupt me so what's the point of trying? I'm not going to fight for the lead so I can continue talking and once we're off the subject, I don't want to talk about it anymore. So I've developed this inability to socialize, because my friends don't know when to shut the fuck up. They're rude, they talk when they want to and don't care how you feel, and when you're talking, they text right through it. It's too much for me to handle. I've made myself as malleable as possible so that I don't clash, so I fit in, so they won't feel uncomfortable about anything and still they find things to complain about when I haven't said one thing yet.
They tell me that I can say anything to them, because they're my friends, but whenever I tell them how I feel, they shoot me down and make me feel like I'm being ridiculous, that I'm being overly sensitive, that I'm taking things too seriously. Then one day when they finally hit a snag and start feeling some of the feelings I feel, I tell them, well now you know how I've felt then, and they're like "That doesn't count!" Nothing I say counts, nothing I do counts, even how I feel doesn't count and I'm so exhausted. I'm so tired, I'm so angry, I'm so frustrated, I'm so upset. And I take it everyday like an adult. I tell myself that it's life, it's a lesson, I'm learning from experience. I tell myself that I can take it and that I've made this far, so why do anything now? But I want them to love me. I want them to treat me better with more respect. I want them to stop trampling on my perspective. I'm not saying anything about how I disapprove of them going around having one-night stands, and making out with married men, so why are they all so against me and attack me when I simply state that I do not condone having a married man try and kiss me. I do not look favorably upon a man who's married with children, who wants to sleep with me. Regardless of how good he treats me, I do not agree with that. But when I said it, they all attacked me. Granted, I guess when I said it, I was angry and drunk so my words came out a bit more maliciously than intended, but they were not on my side at all. They were defending him and making me seem like the bad guy. It's not fair.
I'm so exhausted, I don't even have the energy to cry.
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