So I watched two different versions of Dance Subaru (昴 スバル), which I suspect one is the Hong Kong version and the other is the Japanese or standard version. The version on YouTube is the long version running 117 minutes -- I believe this one is the HK version since the director is from Hong Kong -- while the standard version is 105 minutes. There are some things on the long version that I like and some things on the short version that I like. I wish they would have just made it so it would have bits and pieces of things from both versions.
The long version doesn't necessarily mean it's long because of the additional footage -- which it does have -- but it has scenes, which are rearranged, and some are exactly the way I think it should be. The short version will do some scenes the way I think it should be done, but were rearranged on the long version, or the short version will have some scenes rearranged, but would go the way I think it should be done in the long version. It's almost puzzling as to how the film really should have been arranged =_=; If we actually think about all the footage cut out in the standard version, it would actually be a lot more than 10 minutes, it feels like 30 minutes of footage from the long version is gone, but the reason why the long version is only 117 minutes is because there is some footage in the short version that wasn't included in the long version, so the long version actually should be longer by another 10-15 minutes. If we combine both film versions and weed out the duplicate scenes/sequences then the whole movie really should be roughly 130-140 minutes long. Why the hell did they have to make it so different anyway?
The short version contains the main points, while the long version layers on the details so some things make more sense. I like the music set-up in the hip-hop scene in the short version compared to the long version though. The usage of BoA's "Eat You Up" in the short version was much better than what they did for the long version, but as for the final dance at the end of the film, I liked the long version better than the short version. The music used in the long version for her final dance was a lot more powerful and fitting for a finale, but the music used in the shorter version was really too subtle for my liking. I wish they would just mix the two up =_= *sigh* It's kind of sad that it's so different, makes you almost have to buy both movies in order to see everything. Oh, the Bolero is the only thing I'm a bit iffy on. I think the way it was set up in the long version is better, though there was a little spot where I thought the standard was better, so that is one where I'm kind of like "... No idea which is better." I'm pretty sure I know that I love the street dance in the standard version better than the long version and the finale in the long version as opposed to the short version. Also, the competition is also better watched in the long version 'cause the music is better in that one. They took part of the Canadian dancer's scenes and put it in twice in the short version so that kind of bothered me. Oh, the whole black cat thing will make more sense if you watch the longer version too.
Anyway, that's just a warning for anyone going to watch the movie. If you watch the long version, you miss out some scenes that are only in the short version, and if you watch the short version, you miss out 20-30 something minutes of extra footage that never makes it into the standard version. *sigh* Why in the world do they do this sort of thing to movies =_=?
Edit: So I looked at the credits and the song used in the Japanese version for the final dance is the correct one since it's supposed to be Piano Quintet: Polo Zero. The song used in the long version, which is the one I like, is "Oblivion," which is just a song that's part of the soundtrack. There are two soundtracks and the one I want is the ballet version, but can't buy it right now 'cause I have no money lol ^_^;;;
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Association Dinner
So that's what they call it lol.
I tried to go to Japantown today, but there was some event going on there today... Apparently it's called Wekfest ... and it made it absolutely impossible to get in to the place so after circling the block three times and not find any parking, I gave up and went to Chinatown early instead. I parked at a different parking structure today and I'm not sure I'm a big fan of it, but it is closer to all the grocery shops so I guess that's a plus. It's also across the street from the police station so in a way, that's also another plus. I figure if I was going to walk back from the restaurant alone today, a place full of cops is good.
Well, I was super bummed that I couldn't go to Kinokuniya today, but I did get to enjoy the festivities of Chinatown today. Since today is the last day of the new year's celebration, there were stands and vendors all over the streets. There was also this really good Taiko drum show and I walked an hour of it. They were really good. I was so impressed with this one little boy, his movements were so fluid that he looked like a seasoned drummer and not a little kid at all. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. The show made up for my disappointment of not being able to go to Japantown today so the day ended well for me.
Also, here is the most impressive part: I didn't buy anything at any of the stands this year. Usually, I buy a lot of stuff during the festivals and fairs in Chinatown, but I bought nothing. I was so impressed with myself, I almost moved myself to tears lol. Ok, that was an exaggeration, but nonetheless, I was pretty proud of myself for not spending money on anything that's not really needed. I only went into the shops to buy the things I needed like vegetables, a bag of rice, and some other cooking ingredients. I didn't buy any movies or things I probably don't need lol ^_^;
When the stands were closing, I went to stand in front of the restaurant that the association dinner was going to take place at and waited for my relatives to come. We went in around 5:45 and then sat for like an hour while people shuffled in around 6. Dinner started at 7, and then we got out around 8:45. The drive from Chinatown to home is really close. I got back pretty fast. I paid quite a bit for parking today though =_=; Oh well, I'll survive lol.
Anyway, better take a shower and climb into bed. I'm exhausted from driving today. Navigating through the city is always a tiring task =_=; *sigh*
I tried to go to Japantown today, but there was some event going on there today... Apparently it's called Wekfest ... and it made it absolutely impossible to get in to the place so after circling the block three times and not find any parking, I gave up and went to Chinatown early instead. I parked at a different parking structure today and I'm not sure I'm a big fan of it, but it is closer to all the grocery shops so I guess that's a plus. It's also across the street from the police station so in a way, that's also another plus. I figure if I was going to walk back from the restaurant alone today, a place full of cops is good.
Well, I was super bummed that I couldn't go to Kinokuniya today, but I did get to enjoy the festivities of Chinatown today. Since today is the last day of the new year's celebration, there were stands and vendors all over the streets. There was also this really good Taiko drum show and I walked an hour of it. They were really good. I was so impressed with this one little boy, his movements were so fluid that he looked like a seasoned drummer and not a little kid at all. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. The show made up for my disappointment of not being able to go to Japantown today so the day ended well for me.
Also, here is the most impressive part: I didn't buy anything at any of the stands this year. Usually, I buy a lot of stuff during the festivals and fairs in Chinatown, but I bought nothing. I was so impressed with myself, I almost moved myself to tears lol. Ok, that was an exaggeration, but nonetheless, I was pretty proud of myself for not spending money on anything that's not really needed. I only went into the shops to buy the things I needed like vegetables, a bag of rice, and some other cooking ingredients. I didn't buy any movies or things I probably don't need lol ^_^;
When the stands were closing, I went to stand in front of the restaurant that the association dinner was going to take place at and waited for my relatives to come. We went in around 5:45 and then sat for like an hour while people shuffled in around 6. Dinner started at 7, and then we got out around 8:45. The drive from Chinatown to home is really close. I got back pretty fast. I paid quite a bit for parking today though =_=; Oh well, I'll survive lol.
Anyway, better take a shower and climb into bed. I'm exhausted from driving today. Navigating through the city is always a tiring task =_=; *sigh*
Clan Banquet
I have no idea what else to call it lol. I need to drive over to the city later today 'cause we have the huge clan banquet with people who have my family surname, or related to people with my family surname. I'm kind of exhausted today, but already promised to go so I'll go. I also want to treat myself to some Kinokuniya goodness so a trip to the city would be good ^__^. I need to go early enough to still be able to buy some vegetables though. I wonder what time the shops close in Chinatown. People usually swarm in during this time of the day, which also happens to be the time that I go too lol, but today, I am going to Japantown first and then Chinatown last. It's usually the other way around 'cause I get my veggies first, then I go and pick up remaining things that I might want from the Japanese supermarket. I don't think there's really anything I want from the Japanese supermarket today though... well, I guess I'll check for blueberry pan ^_^;
I really don't want to do anything today actually. I'm feeling kind of lazy. *sigh*
I really don't want to do anything today actually. I'm feeling kind of lazy. *sigh*
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Internet is Back!!!
Well, we'll see how long it lasts lol. My roommate's internet works again so I am not crying for internet again. Yay, I get to save $60/month *__* This is why one must never give in to impulse *___* Oh good, now I can use the net to look up things that I need to look up again *___* Life is complete again. I don't have to go on video-game binges 'cause I'm so bored.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Here, But Barely
Sounds almost like one of those Barely There underwear commercial lines, I know lol.
Anyway, it's been a painful week or so with little to absolutely no internet. I don't think I've had internet since my last post -- and no, it wasn't our connection, it was our neighbor's connection. Right now, I'm lucky and am piggybacking on my neighbor's connection again, but god knows how long this will last.
Luckily, I have been so busy with work that I'm too exhausted to do much when I get home. I also went to the gym over the weekend and ran off the frustration of being deprived of internet. I also played many hours of Final Fantasy XII. I would have liked it more, had I realized I could have purchased these magics and accessories a long, long time ago instead of waiting till like 3 battles before the final boss battle to realize "Hey, why won't this place sell me what I want!?"
Well... it probably would have been another day of video-gaming had I not decided to drive up to the Town Center and look for Radioshack, which supposedly had T-Mobile in it. I wanted to a get a mobile broadband USB stick, but couldn't decide among Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. I got very differing opinions from several different people and they always put me back on the same plane with the three options. I went to Verizon after Radioshack and they were charging for their USB sticks despite the 2-year contract plan for $60. If I went with either Sprint or AT&T, then I could get the stick for free and only pay the $60 for 2 years.
I decided not to buy anything today to give myself a chance to think on it some more. My mom is going to check out Comcast for me tonight, well, technically I can check it myself, but with such a volatile connection, I have to move about really slowly, otherwise it might just die on me =_= *sigh* I really can't deal with this lack of internet anymore. I might really go crazy if I have to go without it for another week. I'm sure I can survive, but I don't want to =_=
As for work... it's been really busy, but I prefer busy over slow any day. There was this one return that I worked on today and traditionally, it has been a major pain, but I got it all to work just fine since the client made it somewhat simpler this year. I also set up the file in a less convoluted way so my boss shouldn't be banging her head against her desk this year with this file either -- at least I hope she doesn't. In the past, people copied all the bank statements and checks, all the insurance and loan statements, but I just copied the the Jan & Dec bank statements to get the beginning and ending cash balances, then looked through their transaction summary plus the rest of the statements to make sure all the numbers match up. When things all matched what was on the statements, I just didn't make anymore copies. There's less paper to sift through this year, so hopefully that will make my boss happy. I don't want her to have to beat something again this year, because at the moment, when I see a lot of useless paper in a file, I want to beat something too lol.
We got a new admin person since last week or the week before last, and she is really nice, but I can't seem to warm up to her. For some reason... I just find her very annoying. The way I feel towards her is the same way my mother feels towards some of our waitresses at times. There are these moments where I'm just sitting there, going .... "... Seriously? Are you for real? Do you not use your brain?" I know that she is new, and we are all scared, weak little mice during our first year at a job, but there are some things where I am just like ... "Oh come on, you should know better than that. It doesn't take a kindergartner to figure that one out! It's just plain logic!"
So, there was this client who brought in all her receipts and our admin people have to usually copy main, important documents to put into the file for us, the accountants, to use to prepare the tax returns, but they don't ever copy receipts. It is a waste of resources, period -- paper, ink, time and labor. She copied 20 pages of receipts -- with 3-5 receipts on each page. She was carefully laying them all out on the copier and so it took her forever to copy documents for one client file. I was wondering why she was taking so long with these files my boss told her to copy and then give to me, and then realized that she was copying ALL the receipts. I felt my eyes just go rolling into the back of my head. I couldn't be angry with her 'cause she's new and chances are, no one has told her not to copy those receipts, but seriously... if you didn't see any in any of the other files, and if you didn't see it in last year's file, don't do it! I'm sure the senior admin had already given her a rundown of what are the important things to do, but she didn't ask and just went ahead and wasted maybe 2 hours copying over 40-something receipts.
The paper got jammed in the machine a couple times and I had to help her fix the problem, then she sat there and went through her copies, page-by-page to see if she got all the pages. While it may sound diligent, it's actually kind of negligent of time and budget. There are page numbers on the corner of the pages. You will know if you're missing a page by looking at the bloody corner. You don't have to look at page-by-page to see if you copied the right thing 'cause page 1 of Charles Schwab statement won't change into page 2! *bangs head on something* I even told her that there are page numbers and to just use those. She then replied that, because the paper got jammed, she had to make sure they were the right amounts ....................................... THE AMOUNTS WON'T F**KING CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE ALREADY PRINTED, OMG!!!!!!! But I didn't say anything, I gave her my two cents, she didn't take it and decided to use more time. Fine then.
Also, she didn't file any of the documents the correct way. Cumulatively, I spent maybe an hour a day -- depending on the number of clients I worked on that day -- resorting and reorganizing her filing so that it would make some sense and my bosses won't kill me for not making sure it looked good before it went to them =_= The partners' times are very precious, we can't afford to waste their time so if the admin can't do their job right, it hinders me and my budget time, and if I can't do a good job within my budget, I end up wasting time, and then my boss gets pissed with me. I've been working like fire has been lit under me these last few days 'cause I have to move through her crap really fast. Yes, I understand that she is new, and yes, I do tell her not to do some of the things she's been doing wrong, but when I'm this busy and I have to correct all these mistakes for her, it just makes me really edgy.
I haven't bitten her head off, but I am not exactly the friendliest person either. I simply say the morning greeting and go straight to my desk to work. I have this "Don't bother" me look on for most of the day 'cause when I'm concentrating, I look pretty pissed -- I was born with the look and can't help it. She hardly comes to ask me questions 'cause I think she's afraid of me. While, I am not like my other coworker who yells at her sometimes or barks at her for pretty dumb reasons -- such as, don't turn on our boss' light 'cause I will think he is here and I can't eat breakfast -- if you don't want her to turn on the light, say something nicer like "It will conserve more energy that way." Yeah, I understand that an extra half hour of not having the light on probably doesn't make that much of a difference, but a half hour each day for an entire year is like pennies turned to dollars saved over a year. So yeah, if you want someone to not do something, don't give them some retarded excuse like that, tell them something that won't make them feel so bad and you look so dumb.
God. People.
Anyway, before I got off on a tangent... I know better than to frighten the newbie, so I always use an even, but stern voice to tell her what is the right way and why it is the right way rather than bark at her. My eyes might not be kind even though I'm smiling 'cause I'm tired, I'm annoyed, but I have to be patient 'cause I know how tough it is to be the new kid. I can't get angry, but I can't coddle you either, it's only for your own good. If I'm too nice, people will walk all over me. Be thankful that I don't bite your head off for no good reason. I think because of my approach though, I am somewhat intimidating like my boss. We're Scorpios. Scorpios are intimidating people and sometimes, that is a very good thing. She doesn't ask me questions. She asks my friend questions and when my friend has no idea, she asks me for the new lady. I'm not mean, I'm just not open and friendly right now 'cause I'm busy. I don't have time to be your best friend.
It's not that I want to be annoyed with her, but when you can't use common sense for some of these really trivial things, it's kind of counterproductive. The two returns she gave me a couple days ago, I could have finished them in one day had she given them to me within an hour of each other, but she gave them to me within three hours of each other. They were small returns. I don't get how it could have taken her so long to copy and organize the file. Yes, an hour seems reasonable per large file. Sometimes the filing and sorting takes the most time out of the budget, but if I have to redo it after it already takes her an hour to do it, then that is not productive at all. And like I said, yes, I understand that she is new and new people make mistakes. Hell, I still make mistakes, but I can't deal with an hour of fixing someone else's mistakes a day right now, not when it's busy and I don't have a whole lot of time to teach her.
My boss realized the pain and suffering we were going through though, so she doesn't do the copying anymore and if she does, she is to put the copies in the front pocket so we can organize it ourselves -- which is actually a better approach 'cause I have less of a headache than having to re-sort her stuff. She still needs to stop copying miscellaneous crap though =_= She copied instructions and fine print of statements... we seriously don't need those... I feel like I'm going to have a seizure when I see a page full of teeny, tiny, ant-like text =_=
And yeah, we're all on edge. It's almost March. I have yet to get my own taxes done, though I did plug in the numbers today and saw that I owe California $133 =_= Not pretty... I need to contribute some money into my HSA to lessen that blow next year. I'll get $98 from Federal lol. So sad. Anyway, I just felt like ranting a bit tonight. I did go several days straight without being online so, it was already pretty impressive for me to survive this long without complaining about something =_=
Anyway, it's been a painful week or so with little to absolutely no internet. I don't think I've had internet since my last post -- and no, it wasn't our connection, it was our neighbor's connection. Right now, I'm lucky and am piggybacking on my neighbor's connection again, but god knows how long this will last.
Luckily, I have been so busy with work that I'm too exhausted to do much when I get home. I also went to the gym over the weekend and ran off the frustration of being deprived of internet. I also played many hours of Final Fantasy XII. I would have liked it more, had I realized I could have purchased these magics and accessories a long, long time ago instead of waiting till like 3 battles before the final boss battle to realize "Hey, why won't this place sell me what I want!?"
Well... it probably would have been another day of video-gaming had I not decided to drive up to the Town Center and look for Radioshack, which supposedly had T-Mobile in it. I wanted to a get a mobile broadband USB stick, but couldn't decide among Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. I got very differing opinions from several different people and they always put me back on the same plane with the three options. I went to Verizon after Radioshack and they were charging for their USB sticks despite the 2-year contract plan for $60. If I went with either Sprint or AT&T, then I could get the stick for free and only pay the $60 for 2 years.
I decided not to buy anything today to give myself a chance to think on it some more. My mom is going to check out Comcast for me tonight, well, technically I can check it myself, but with such a volatile connection, I have to move about really slowly, otherwise it might just die on me =_= *sigh* I really can't deal with this lack of internet anymore. I might really go crazy if I have to go without it for another week. I'm sure I can survive, but I don't want to =_=
As for work... it's been really busy, but I prefer busy over slow any day. There was this one return that I worked on today and traditionally, it has been a major pain, but I got it all to work just fine since the client made it somewhat simpler this year. I also set up the file in a less convoluted way so my boss shouldn't be banging her head against her desk this year with this file either -- at least I hope she doesn't. In the past, people copied all the bank statements and checks, all the insurance and loan statements, but I just copied the the Jan & Dec bank statements to get the beginning and ending cash balances, then looked through their transaction summary plus the rest of the statements to make sure all the numbers match up. When things all matched what was on the statements, I just didn't make anymore copies. There's less paper to sift through this year, so hopefully that will make my boss happy. I don't want her to have to beat something again this year, because at the moment, when I see a lot of useless paper in a file, I want to beat something too lol.
We got a new admin person since last week or the week before last, and she is really nice, but I can't seem to warm up to her. For some reason... I just find her very annoying. The way I feel towards her is the same way my mother feels towards some of our waitresses at times. There are these moments where I'm just sitting there, going .... "... Seriously? Are you for real? Do you not use your brain?" I know that she is new, and we are all scared, weak little mice during our first year at a job, but there are some things where I am just like ... "Oh come on, you should know better than that. It doesn't take a kindergartner to figure that one out! It's just plain logic!"
So, there was this client who brought in all her receipts and our admin people have to usually copy main, important documents to put into the file for us, the accountants, to use to prepare the tax returns, but they don't ever copy receipts. It is a waste of resources, period -- paper, ink, time and labor. She copied 20 pages of receipts -- with 3-5 receipts on each page. She was carefully laying them all out on the copier and so it took her forever to copy documents for one client file. I was wondering why she was taking so long with these files my boss told her to copy and then give to me, and then realized that she was copying ALL the receipts. I felt my eyes just go rolling into the back of my head. I couldn't be angry with her 'cause she's new and chances are, no one has told her not to copy those receipts, but seriously... if you didn't see any in any of the other files, and if you didn't see it in last year's file, don't do it! I'm sure the senior admin had already given her a rundown of what are the important things to do, but she didn't ask and just went ahead and wasted maybe 2 hours copying over 40-something receipts.
The paper got jammed in the machine a couple times and I had to help her fix the problem, then she sat there and went through her copies, page-by-page to see if she got all the pages. While it may sound diligent, it's actually kind of negligent of time and budget. There are page numbers on the corner of the pages. You will know if you're missing a page by looking at the bloody corner. You don't have to look at page-by-page to see if you copied the right thing 'cause page 1 of Charles Schwab statement won't change into page 2! *bangs head on something* I even told her that there are page numbers and to just use those. She then replied that, because the paper got jammed, she had to make sure they were the right amounts ....................................... THE AMOUNTS WON'T F**KING CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE ALREADY PRINTED, OMG!!!!!!! But I didn't say anything, I gave her my two cents, she didn't take it and decided to use more time. Fine then.
Also, she didn't file any of the documents the correct way. Cumulatively, I spent maybe an hour a day -- depending on the number of clients I worked on that day -- resorting and reorganizing her filing so that it would make some sense and my bosses won't kill me for not making sure it looked good before it went to them =_= The partners' times are very precious, we can't afford to waste their time so if the admin can't do their job right, it hinders me and my budget time, and if I can't do a good job within my budget, I end up wasting time, and then my boss gets pissed with me. I've been working like fire has been lit under me these last few days 'cause I have to move through her crap really fast. Yes, I understand that she is new, and yes, I do tell her not to do some of the things she's been doing wrong, but when I'm this busy and I have to correct all these mistakes for her, it just makes me really edgy.
I haven't bitten her head off, but I am not exactly the friendliest person either. I simply say the morning greeting and go straight to my desk to work. I have this "Don't bother" me look on for most of the day 'cause when I'm concentrating, I look pretty pissed -- I was born with the look and can't help it. She hardly comes to ask me questions 'cause I think she's afraid of me. While, I am not like my other coworker who yells at her sometimes or barks at her for pretty dumb reasons -- such as, don't turn on our boss' light 'cause I will think he is here and I can't eat breakfast -- if you don't want her to turn on the light, say something nicer like "It will conserve more energy that way." Yeah, I understand that an extra half hour of not having the light on probably doesn't make that much of a difference, but a half hour each day for an entire year is like pennies turned to dollars saved over a year. So yeah, if you want someone to not do something, don't give them some retarded excuse like that, tell them something that won't make them feel so bad and you look so dumb.
God. People.
Anyway, before I got off on a tangent... I know better than to frighten the newbie, so I always use an even, but stern voice to tell her what is the right way and why it is the right way rather than bark at her. My eyes might not be kind even though I'm smiling 'cause I'm tired, I'm annoyed, but I have to be patient 'cause I know how tough it is to be the new kid. I can't get angry, but I can't coddle you either, it's only for your own good. If I'm too nice, people will walk all over me. Be thankful that I don't bite your head off for no good reason. I think because of my approach though, I am somewhat intimidating like my boss. We're Scorpios. Scorpios are intimidating people and sometimes, that is a very good thing. She doesn't ask me questions. She asks my friend questions and when my friend has no idea, she asks me for the new lady. I'm not mean, I'm just not open and friendly right now 'cause I'm busy. I don't have time to be your best friend.
It's not that I want to be annoyed with her, but when you can't use common sense for some of these really trivial things, it's kind of counterproductive. The two returns she gave me a couple days ago, I could have finished them in one day had she given them to me within an hour of each other, but she gave them to me within three hours of each other. They were small returns. I don't get how it could have taken her so long to copy and organize the file. Yes, an hour seems reasonable per large file. Sometimes the filing and sorting takes the most time out of the budget, but if I have to redo it after it already takes her an hour to do it, then that is not productive at all. And like I said, yes, I understand that she is new and new people make mistakes. Hell, I still make mistakes, but I can't deal with an hour of fixing someone else's mistakes a day right now, not when it's busy and I don't have a whole lot of time to teach her.
My boss realized the pain and suffering we were going through though, so she doesn't do the copying anymore and if she does, she is to put the copies in the front pocket so we can organize it ourselves -- which is actually a better approach 'cause I have less of a headache than having to re-sort her stuff. She still needs to stop copying miscellaneous crap though =_= She copied instructions and fine print of statements... we seriously don't need those... I feel like I'm going to have a seizure when I see a page full of teeny, tiny, ant-like text =_=
And yeah, we're all on edge. It's almost March. I have yet to get my own taxes done, though I did plug in the numbers today and saw that I owe California $133 =_= Not pretty... I need to contribute some money into my HSA to lessen that blow next year. I'll get $98 from Federal lol. So sad. Anyway, I just felt like ranting a bit tonight. I did go several days straight without being online so, it was already pretty impressive for me to survive this long without complaining about something =_=
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Problematic Connection
So... I'm having connection issues again. It happens at least once a month and if lucky, only lasts a few hours, and if unlucky, then two weeks. I end up having to borrow another person's connection, and they're farther away so the signal is terrible. I can't do any more than visit pages that aren't graphics-heavy including my blog and email =_= *sigh* I don't dare try to get onto Skype 'cause it'll just boot me off after a minute.
Every time this happens, I just want my own connection, but it's not worth it =_= Unless I move out, I'm not going to get my own connection. *sigh* This is really annoying =_=
Every time this happens, I just want my own connection, but it's not worth it =_= Unless I move out, I'm not going to get my own connection. *sigh* This is really annoying =_=
Thursday, February 18, 2010
昴 スバル (映画)
I decided to try watching "Dance Subaru," which stars Kuroki Meisa, Momoi Kaori, Ko Ara, and Hiraoka Yuta and I loved it. The story is about this loner-like girl who loves ballet, and since she was young, and she and her younger, twin brother have always wanted to learn, but due to illness, her brother passed away when she was young. She ended up meeting a middle-aged woman who owns a strip club where the dancers do ballet and also strip. Under the woman's watchful eye, she grew up with all the strippers and dancers, whom nurtured and loved her, and wanted her to succeed in ballet.
I just loved watching Kuroki Meisa dance. She's really talented. She doesn't just sing or act, she can really dance. In this age where 90% of the actors/singers are terrible, she is really, really talented. I can't help, but fall in love with her abilities. If I were a man, I would be totally in love with her right now lol. Actually, I'm already in love with her ^__^; I think she is my new fave actress lol.
But the movie was really good. I couldn't stop watching it and didn't even want to skip through anything. I guess, it's 'cause I really do love ballet so all the ballet/dance scenes made me want to keep watching and not a miss a thing. Kuroki Meisa really danced the ballet in this movie, and I was just so blown away. It's a really good movie and I highly recommend it to people who love dance in general.
I just loved watching Kuroki Meisa dance. She's really talented. She doesn't just sing or act, she can really dance. In this age where 90% of the actors/singers are terrible, she is really, really talented. I can't help, but fall in love with her abilities. If I were a man, I would be totally in love with her right now lol. Actually, I'm already in love with her ^__^; I think she is my new fave actress lol.
But the movie was really good. I couldn't stop watching it and didn't even want to skip through anything. I guess, it's 'cause I really do love ballet so all the ballet/dance scenes made me want to keep watching and not a miss a thing. Kuroki Meisa really danced the ballet in this movie, and I was just so blown away. It's a really good movie and I highly recommend it to people who love dance in general.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Crows Zero I & II
I just watched parts of these two movies yesterday and though I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the second movie or not, I love the first one. Since it's directed by Miike Takashi, the style of the cinematography is very stylized and wonderful to watch. I'm a fan of Miike Takashi's works so this was a nice treat.
Basically, the story of Crows Zero is about young man named Takiya Genji, who is the son of a yakuza boss, and a transfer student at an all-boys school called Suzuran. His father tells him that if Genji wants to succeed him in the business someday, he has to conquer Suzuran first.
Suzuran is made up of gang-like groups and is a school with a lot of violent boys. The hierarchy goes as each class has a leader, and then depending on whether they win or lose in a fight, may become merged into a larger faction. The largest faction in the school belongs to a tough and skilled fighter/leader named Serizawa. After he beats up the top dog in a class or another faction, his group basically takes over that group. The only person who refuses time and time again to join him despite being beaten many times is a goofy fighter named Makise. Because he never bows down to Serizawa, he has his own small faction due to the amount of respected garnered from his pride.
Anyway, Genji begins to climb up this hierarchical ladder by beating up some people and creating his own group. Due to his charisma and ambition, he is able to garner the respect of a low-rank yakuza man, who was a Suzuran dropout, to help teach him the ropes of how to become a boss. He also became good friends with some of the people he beat up, or schemed to get to join his faction. People begin to see him as a leader, and his group gets bigger and bigger until Serizawa does not want to see it grow anymore. The battles between the two leaders start a civil war at the school ^_^
So basically, it's a very stylized version of Gokusen meets Aoi Haru. There is camaraderie, lots of violence, and some humor. The violence is very well-done though 'cause it looks pretty cool to watch. Miike Takashi is extremely talented when it comes to this sort of thing, so even though it's violent, you can't help, but be mesmerized by how well the direction was *__*
I love Oguri Shun in this movie, and Yamada Takayuki *__* I don't know why, but I just really liked this movie lol.
Basically, the story of Crows Zero is about young man named Takiya Genji, who is the son of a yakuza boss, and a transfer student at an all-boys school called Suzuran. His father tells him that if Genji wants to succeed him in the business someday, he has to conquer Suzuran first.
Suzuran is made up of gang-like groups and is a school with a lot of violent boys. The hierarchy goes as each class has a leader, and then depending on whether they win or lose in a fight, may become merged into a larger faction. The largest faction in the school belongs to a tough and skilled fighter/leader named Serizawa. After he beats up the top dog in a class or another faction, his group basically takes over that group. The only person who refuses time and time again to join him despite being beaten many times is a goofy fighter named Makise. Because he never bows down to Serizawa, he has his own small faction due to the amount of respected garnered from his pride.
Anyway, Genji begins to climb up this hierarchical ladder by beating up some people and creating his own group. Due to his charisma and ambition, he is able to garner the respect of a low-rank yakuza man, who was a Suzuran dropout, to help teach him the ropes of how to become a boss. He also became good friends with some of the people he beat up, or schemed to get to join his faction. People begin to see him as a leader, and his group gets bigger and bigger until Serizawa does not want to see it grow anymore. The battles between the two leaders start a civil war at the school ^_^
So basically, it's a very stylized version of Gokusen meets Aoi Haru. There is camaraderie, lots of violence, and some humor. The violence is very well-done though 'cause it looks pretty cool to watch. Miike Takashi is extremely talented when it comes to this sort of thing, so even though it's violent, you can't help, but be mesmerized by how well the direction was *__*
I love Oguri Shun in this movie, and Yamada Takayuki *__* I don't know why, but I just really liked this movie lol.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Poor Scripting
You know, sometimes I don't necessarily think that the actors and actresses are terrible, it's the script that is bad. But if the actors are not exactly fit for their parts and the script is bad, then it only emphasizes the flaws of the performers =_=; So... yeah... poor scripting is very bad.
I just started watching "Orthros no Inu" with Takizawa Hideaki and Nishikido Ryo in it and frankly... it kind of sucks at the moment. First, I haven't really watched all that many drama with Takizawa in it, but from what I've seen, I think he is better off singing, though I don't think he is a terrible actor. He just seems a bit awkward to me at times...
And then... well, I liked Nishikido Ryo in "1 Litre of Tears," I thought he was fabulous and extremely convincing as an abusive boyfriend in "Last Friends," and then I liked him as a dumb brother in "Ryusei no Kizuna," but for some reason... I think this role is just not made for him. True, I think he's pretty talented -- although not one of my fave actors -- but this role just isn't too good for him. He just seems so awkward and maybe it's 'cause his character is awkward to start with, but... I don't know... just doesn't click well for me.
As for Mizusawa Asami... I've liked her on occasion and think that she is very pretty, but this role kind of sucks for her. That or she really sucks =_=; I mean, she plays this rash and not exactly talented cop who is a single mom with a young daughter who has asthma. Her character is really stupid, like trying to arrest a group of college kid drug dealers by herself, and then telling the kids that a defenseless and comatose witness to their crimes will wake up to give her testimony... I mean... what kind of idiot does that sort of thing? If you were a good cop, you would say that there will be a way to prove you guilty, all it needs is a little time, and leave it at that. Let the criminal think what they want until it hits them square in the face. Also, she seems pretty weak for a cop =_= And maybe there's a back story to it, but right now, her character is REALLY annoying, and the way she is acting right now is equally vexing. None of these actresses nowadays can command the same level of authority, respect, and power like some of the older actresses.
For instance... Amami Yuki was great as a detective in "Boss," Yonekura Ryoko was great in "Koshonin," Ashina Sei is good as a CIA-like agent in "Bloody Monday," and the woman who was in "Unfair" was great too. These older women with somewhat deeper voices that can command respect are good actresses to me, but none of the younger actresses can play cops or tough, serious characters all that well.
I think the only young actress who can probably pull off playing a cop would be Kuroki Meisa. I really do like her and think she is quite talented. I saw her in "1 Pound Gospel," "Chance!," "Dansou Reijin," "Kaze no Garden," and a couple other drama. I think her roles are all fairly different, though each show the sophisticated side of her minus "1 Pound Gospel" in which her character was not at all the actual dramatic serious type. I think seeing her in "Kaze no Garden" really made me start to think that she may be much more talented than I've given her credit for.
She isn't too bad a of a singer either... well, it depends, I guess on the type of music one likes. Her music videos are really a 180 from the roles she plays lol. I was kind of shocked I'm a fan of Amuro Namie so she reminds me a bit of Amuro Namie, but I still like Amuro Namie better lol ^_^;;; But, out of a small handful of young actresses she is among the few that I actually like. The other five I currently like are Kanjiya Shihori, Kitagawa Keiko, Miyazaki Aoi, Ueno Juri, and Yoshitaka Yuriko.
Anyway... before I got off on a random tangent... Yes, bad scripting only makes things worse. It also makes actors and actresses do really ridiculous things. Makes you wonder if they have never questioned their roles before. I mean, if I was in Mizusawa's position, I'd be like ... "WTF? I'm supposed to be like this?" Well, maybe her character was meant to be stupid, but I would hate to play a stupid character =_=; If the script was terrible to begin with, I wouldn't even want the role... though... if I had financial issues and needed the money and this was the only job out there, I'll do it despite how stupid the role is. And it really is a stupid role.
I just started watching "Orthros no Inu" with Takizawa Hideaki and Nishikido Ryo in it and frankly... it kind of sucks at the moment. First, I haven't really watched all that many drama with Takizawa in it, but from what I've seen, I think he is better off singing, though I don't think he is a terrible actor. He just seems a bit awkward to me at times...
And then... well, I liked Nishikido Ryo in "1 Litre of Tears," I thought he was fabulous and extremely convincing as an abusive boyfriend in "Last Friends," and then I liked him as a dumb brother in "Ryusei no Kizuna," but for some reason... I think this role is just not made for him. True, I think he's pretty talented -- although not one of my fave actors -- but this role just isn't too good for him. He just seems so awkward and maybe it's 'cause his character is awkward to start with, but... I don't know... just doesn't click well for me.
As for Mizusawa Asami... I've liked her on occasion and think that she is very pretty, but this role kind of sucks for her. That or she really sucks =_=; I mean, she plays this rash and not exactly talented cop who is a single mom with a young daughter who has asthma. Her character is really stupid, like trying to arrest a group of college kid drug dealers by herself, and then telling the kids that a defenseless and comatose witness to their crimes will wake up to give her testimony... I mean... what kind of idiot does that sort of thing? If you were a good cop, you would say that there will be a way to prove you guilty, all it needs is a little time, and leave it at that. Let the criminal think what they want until it hits them square in the face. Also, she seems pretty weak for a cop =_= And maybe there's a back story to it, but right now, her character is REALLY annoying, and the way she is acting right now is equally vexing. None of these actresses nowadays can command the same level of authority, respect, and power like some of the older actresses.
For instance... Amami Yuki was great as a detective in "Boss," Yonekura Ryoko was great in "Koshonin," Ashina Sei is good as a CIA-like agent in "Bloody Monday," and the woman who was in "Unfair" was great too. These older women with somewhat deeper voices that can command respect are good actresses to me, but none of the younger actresses can play cops or tough, serious characters all that well.
I think the only young actress who can probably pull off playing a cop would be Kuroki Meisa. I really do like her and think she is quite talented. I saw her in "1 Pound Gospel," "Chance!," "Dansou Reijin," "Kaze no Garden," and a couple other drama. I think her roles are all fairly different, though each show the sophisticated side of her minus "1 Pound Gospel" in which her character was not at all the actual dramatic serious type. I think seeing her in "Kaze no Garden" really made me start to think that she may be much more talented than I've given her credit for.
She isn't too bad a of a singer either... well, it depends, I guess on the type of music one likes. Her music videos are really a 180 from the roles she plays lol. I was kind of shocked I'm a fan of Amuro Namie so she reminds me a bit of Amuro Namie, but I still like Amuro Namie better lol ^_^;;; But, out of a small handful of young actresses she is among the few that I actually like. The other five I currently like are Kanjiya Shihori, Kitagawa Keiko, Miyazaki Aoi, Ueno Juri, and Yoshitaka Yuriko.
Anyway... before I got off on a random tangent... Yes, bad scripting only makes things worse. It also makes actors and actresses do really ridiculous things. Makes you wonder if they have never questioned their roles before. I mean, if I was in Mizusawa's position, I'd be like ... "WTF? I'm supposed to be like this?" Well, maybe her character was meant to be stupid, but I would hate to play a stupid character =_=; If the script was terrible to begin with, I wouldn't even want the role... though... if I had financial issues and needed the money and this was the only job out there, I'll do it despite how stupid the role is. And it really is a stupid role.
なんか、変。。。
先週の金曜日はね、あたしがこのブローグで「もう勉強しないって」と書いていたが、誰かがコメントを残してくれた。全然知らないやつだけど、名前も書いて残していなかったし。
「この記事はすごく良かったって、Twitterでついていきたいって」と書いていた。
。。。なんか、変じゃね？
せめてぐらい、名前を残しなさいよ。あなたは誰なの？
何でそんなことを書いていたの？
変だわ。。。
（ハー）
いっとくけど、あたしが全然Twitterの趣味がない、始めることも一切しない。だから、もしあんなにあたしのことがついていきたいなら、このブローグでついていけばいい。
それだきだ。
「この記事はすごく良かったって、Twitterでついていきたいって」と書いていた。
。。。なんか、変じゃね？
せめてぐらい、名前を残しなさいよ。あなたは誰なの？
何でそんなことを書いていたの？
変だわ。。。
（ハー）
いっとくけど、あたしが全然Twitterの趣味がない、始めることも一切しない。だから、もしあんなにあたしのことがついていきたいなら、このブローグでついていけばいい。
それだきだ。
Why I Love Manga
People used to ask me if I learned Japanese purely because of anime and manga, and my answer has always been, "No." I didn't learn it because of otaku tendencies -- or should I say, purely out of otaku tendencies -- and took it up because my school offered it and it was the closest language to my own. I never lied about it, and still reiterate even now. I just so happened to also like anime and manga, and I am glad that I do, because if not for the fact that these two things existed, I wouldn't even be able to pick up the language as quickly as I have. When you have interest in something, you learn it quicker and when you have the means to speed up your comprehension, why not use it?
For me, I started out with reading Chinese manga to learn Chinese 'cause there were pictures associated and unless the story was highly technical, you can pretty much fill in blanks and remember certain words after seeing them numerous times, but in the end, I just would prefer being able to know what the actual, original text would have been. Then I took up Japanese in senior high and tried every so often to read Japanese manga with it to test my knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar. It wasn't until my second year in college that I was able to start reading a bit more fluently, but even then I still had to basically marry a dictionary in order to decipher what is going on.
I started watching drama over anime sometime in college, because the quality of the anime basically started going downhill. I had certain series that I would pick out to watch, because they were interesting, but for the most part, nothing really captivated me. However, drama was really interesting to watch and I started to train my listening comprehension first with watching fansubbed versions, and then when impatience hit due to the wait in between subbed episodes, I started watching raws. Sometime after, I started using Japanese subtitles when watching drama and began recognizing more kanji and sentence structures, plus contractions. Now, I do a combination of all-the-above.
While watching drama, I also started to read less English manga in the past five or six years, and started buying more Japanese manga instead (I think my overall collection is worth at least $10k). I still read scanlations, but a lot of times I end up reading raws or buying a copy for myself in the original text. I also started buying novels somewhere down the line since I have always wanted to translate a whole book. Right now, my translating skills are not exactly top-notch, but I can make it through a book with maybe 70-85% comprehension depending on the difficulty of the language. With manga, it is easier because it is visual, so then even if you do not know a character, but if you have heard phrases said in a similar situation from a drama or something, you can usually fill in the blanks. I used to be pretty dependent on furigana and while it is still helpful now, it is kind of nice to realize that even without it I can read just fine.
I think at this point, if someone asked me if I wanted to translate manga, I wouldn't mind doing it, but it's just very time-consuming so I don't participate in scanlating anymore. If I had more time, I probably would love it, but having to meet deadlines over something I don't consider top priority in my life has never been my forte so I slack off... often lol. I think even now, quality checking is probably the best role for me. Though I am not an editing expert, I am good at fixing language and text. And while my grammar skills have kind of gone down the drain since college, I know enough basics to get me through what I need lol ^_^
And while I do love manga, drama, and anime, I discovered over the course of my studying that I just love the language on its own. Even if these three things didn't exist, I think I may still love this language. To me, it is just so interesting, intricate, and sounds so pretty. Though some will argue that French or Spanish may sound prettier, to me Japanese is probably the prettiest language. I love the division of status in context, and the politeness of the language. I also love distinguishing dialects and learning about the culture, plus history. Sometime along the way, I just started loving the classics, literature and history of Japan. They are such a fascinating country, and I have always had a thing for old, feudal times so it only increased my like of Japan in general. Being able to read the Japanese wiki is a lot more useful than the English ones for this sort of thing, so I thank being able to understand parts of it.
Also, I love Japanese food, and want to go visit the country someday, so I find my learning this language extremely useful. If people are going to ask me why I picked this over Spanish or some other "useful" language in America, I'm still going to answer the same as I always have, and what does it matter to them even if I like Japanese over Spanish? I just do. I don't care that it's not as useful as Spanish, I already know enough Chinese to have a conversation anyway, so if we're talking useful, who is more useful? Me, who knows 4 languages, or someone who only knows 2?
I guess, in the end I just wanted to say that I am happy with the fact that I do love manga and that it has helped me in my learning process and why I am not ashamed that I like it. I just don't want people to mix it up in their heads in thinking that I learned Japanese purely because of anime and manga, because that is not the real or ONLY reason at all. Plus, what is so wrong with learning something because of something else you're interested in? I do have a hard time liking someone when they admit that they only learned it for just anime and manga though, because it always feels shallow to me, but I am not going to write them off.
Anyway, that's just my spiel for the morning. Have to head to work now lol.
For me, I started out with reading Chinese manga to learn Chinese 'cause there were pictures associated and unless the story was highly technical, you can pretty much fill in blanks and remember certain words after seeing them numerous times, but in the end, I just would prefer being able to know what the actual, original text would have been. Then I took up Japanese in senior high and tried every so often to read Japanese manga with it to test my knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar. It wasn't until my second year in college that I was able to start reading a bit more fluently, but even then I still had to basically marry a dictionary in order to decipher what is going on.
I started watching drama over anime sometime in college, because the quality of the anime basically started going downhill. I had certain series that I would pick out to watch, because they were interesting, but for the most part, nothing really captivated me. However, drama was really interesting to watch and I started to train my listening comprehension first with watching fansubbed versions, and then when impatience hit due to the wait in between subbed episodes, I started watching raws. Sometime after, I started using Japanese subtitles when watching drama and began recognizing more kanji and sentence structures, plus contractions. Now, I do a combination of all-the-above.
While watching drama, I also started to read less English manga in the past five or six years, and started buying more Japanese manga instead (I think my overall collection is worth at least $10k). I still read scanlations, but a lot of times I end up reading raws or buying a copy for myself in the original text. I also started buying novels somewhere down the line since I have always wanted to translate a whole book. Right now, my translating skills are not exactly top-notch, but I can make it through a book with maybe 70-85% comprehension depending on the difficulty of the language. With manga, it is easier because it is visual, so then even if you do not know a character, but if you have heard phrases said in a similar situation from a drama or something, you can usually fill in the blanks. I used to be pretty dependent on furigana and while it is still helpful now, it is kind of nice to realize that even without it I can read just fine.
I think at this point, if someone asked me if I wanted to translate manga, I wouldn't mind doing it, but it's just very time-consuming so I don't participate in scanlating anymore. If I had more time, I probably would love it, but having to meet deadlines over something I don't consider top priority in my life has never been my forte so I slack off... often lol. I think even now, quality checking is probably the best role for me. Though I am not an editing expert, I am good at fixing language and text. And while my grammar skills have kind of gone down the drain since college, I know enough basics to get me through what I need lol ^_^
And while I do love manga, drama, and anime, I discovered over the course of my studying that I just love the language on its own. Even if these three things didn't exist, I think I may still love this language. To me, it is just so interesting, intricate, and sounds so pretty. Though some will argue that French or Spanish may sound prettier, to me Japanese is probably the prettiest language. I love the division of status in context, and the politeness of the language. I also love distinguishing dialects and learning about the culture, plus history. Sometime along the way, I just started loving the classics, literature and history of Japan. They are such a fascinating country, and I have always had a thing for old, feudal times so it only increased my like of Japan in general. Being able to read the Japanese wiki is a lot more useful than the English ones for this sort of thing, so I thank being able to understand parts of it.
Also, I love Japanese food, and want to go visit the country someday, so I find my learning this language extremely useful. If people are going to ask me why I picked this over Spanish or some other "useful" language in America, I'm still going to answer the same as I always have, and what does it matter to them even if I like Japanese over Spanish? I just do. I don't care that it's not as useful as Spanish, I already know enough Chinese to have a conversation anyway, so if we're talking useful, who is more useful? Me, who knows 4 languages, or someone who only knows 2?
I guess, in the end I just wanted to say that I am happy with the fact that I do love manga and that it has helped me in my learning process and why I am not ashamed that I like it. I just don't want people to mix it up in their heads in thinking that I learned Japanese purely because of anime and manga, because that is not the real or ONLY reason at all. Plus, what is so wrong with learning something because of something else you're interested in? I do have a hard time liking someone when they admit that they only learned it for just anime and manga though, because it always feels shallow to me, but I am not going to write them off.
Anyway, that's just my spiel for the morning. Have to head to work now lol.
Forsaking Sleep
Um... I got a little carried away reading Mizushiro Setona's "Dousei Ai" and now it's like 3AM in the morning =_= I'm doomed and it's only Tuesday. I'm going to need coffee again =_=; But the series is so good *___* It's angsty, almost realistic, and very Mizushiro-style. I couldn't stop reading, and I'm pretty tired right now lol. I need to finish this big return tomorrow and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to function at all lol. Great ^_^;;;; I need to sleep =_= Maybe tomorrow I should drink a glass of wine to knock myself out.
Monday, February 15, 2010
My Favorite Scene in Nakamura Asumiko's "Sotsugyousei - Haru"
I am re-reading 「卒業生」 and I cannot stop reading this scene, it's so beautiful. I've left the Japanese script in tact and wrote descriptions plus translations below it.
Basically what happens is that Kusakabe goes off to do this music gig in France, which can be his big chance in making it into the entertainment world since he wants to make a career out of music. Before he leaves, he and Sajo switch scarves so they would have a piece of each other while they're apart. On the day of graduation, Kusakabe arrives back in Tokyo and Sajo rushes over to the stairwell to find him. When Kusakabe sees Sajo, he calls up to him.
Page 155
草壁：ただいま
Kusakabe: "I'm back!"
Page 156
佐条：お帰り...
Sajo: "Welcome back..."
Kusakabe throws Sajo's scarf around Sajo's neck and pulls him in for a kiss.
佐条：... あ
Sajo: "...Ah" (He interrupts mid-kiss)
草壁：ん？
Kusakabe: "Hm?"
佐条：お前のやつ教室だ...
Sajo: "I left yours in the classroom..."
草壁：あとでいいよ
Kusakabe: "We can get it later." (He continues kissing Sajo)
Page 157
Kusakabe, arms still around Sajo's neck, looks at his lover and asks:
草壁：な、２年のときの教室見にいかない？
Kusakabe: "Hey, want to go see our 2nd-year classroom?"
佐条：あ、でも卒業式は...
Sajo: "Ah, but the graduation ceremony..."
草壁：二人くらいいなくってもへーキでしょ
Kusakabe: "Even if we're not there, they wouldn't miss us, right?"
The two make their way to the classroom.
Page 158
Arriving a Classroom 2-A, the two sees the room from the hallway.
草壁：なつかしーー
Kusakabe: "How nostalgic--"
Page 159
Kusakabe peeks his head into the classroom.
草壁：なんかすごい昔みたいな気がするなー
Kusakabe: "It feels like it has been ages since then though---"
佐条：２年生？
Sajo: "Since 2nd year?"
草壁：そう
Kusakabe: "Yes."
草壁：２学期... 入ったすぐだったっけ
Kusakabe: "It was shortly after second term started, huh"
佐条：ん？
Sajo: "Hm?"
草壁：はじめてちゃんと話したの
Kusakabe: "When we had a real conversation for the first time."
He looks over at Sajo.
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm." (Sajo smiles as he gazes at the classroom, and agrees)
「一年半前ここで」
[Here, one and a half year ago, ]
Page 160
「恋におちた」
[We fell in love]
Page 161
草壁：俺も京都行こうかな
Kusakabe: "Maybe I should go to Kyoto too, huh?"
He walks over to the window. Sajo, watching Kusakabe's back, looked down.
佐条：...それは駄目だ
Sajo: "That won't do."
Page 162
Kusakabe's eyes grew wide with shock, and he turned his astonished expression towards Sajo.
草壁：...なんで
Kusakabe: "...Why?" (He looked down to the floor)
草壁：なんで？
Kusakabe: "Why?" (He said with more deliberation)
佐条：なんでって... なんてってことないだろ。せっかくこっちで仕事のつながりができてきてるのにそんな...
Sajo: "Why...? You should know. You finally find a job over here that's related to what you want to do, and to just..."
草壁：でも京都なんてすぐじゃん、それにネットもあるんだしべつに...
Kusakabe: "But Kyoto is just around the corner, and we still have the net, it's not like..."
佐条：そうは言ってもわざわざ東京を離れることない
Kusakabe: "Even if you say so, there's no reason for you to leave Tokyo."
草壁：...だって一週間だよ？
Kusakabe: "... But, it was only one week."
Page 163
草壁：たった一週間フランス行ってたの、それだげでも俺...
Kusakabe: "It was only one week that I was in France, and during that time, I wondered..."
草壁：佐条は平気なのかよ？ていうか、いつまで向こうにいるつもりなんだよ
Kusakabe: "Is Sajo ok with this? And in any case, how long were you planning on being over there?"
草壁：４年？６年？９年？９年も離れるなんてそんなの...
Kusakabe: "Four years? Six years? Nine years? Being separated for nine years, that would be..."
Page 164
Kusakabe looked crestfallen, and Sajo's eyes were down at the ground.
草壁：...別れるつもりなの...？
Kusakabe: "... Are you... breaking up with me?
Page 165
佐条：ちがう...
Sajo: "No--" (His expression appears panicked)
草壁：じゃあなんなんだよ！俺もう佐条が何考えてんのか全然わかんええよ！！
Kusakabe: "Then what is it?! I don't even know what goes on in your head anymore!!"
Sajo looks pained, and the next words are wretched from his heart.
佐条：...別れない
Sajo: "... I'm not breaking up."
Page 166
佐条：別れない...！
Sajo: "I won't break up with you...!"
佐条：僕だって..... お前とは...離れたくない
Sajo: "Even I... Even I don't want to be apart from you."
佐条：でも
Sajo: "But..."
He begins to cry in the midst of his words.
佐条：お前には自分のや...やりたいこと前向いて
Sajo: "You have always been f-facing forward and g-going after the things you want to do.."
佐条：つっ走って、ずっとやり続けてほしいんだよ、そ、そういうお前が、僕は
Sajo: "And I want you to always be able do so, because that, that is the you that"
Page 167
佐条：...好きなんだよ...！！
Sajo: "... I am in love with...!!"
Sajo's tears could not be stopped, Kusakabe's eye widened from hearing Sajo's confession and he walked over to Sajo.
Page 168
Kusakabe tightly embraced Sajo, and the two boys slid to the ground, holding onto each other as they cried.
Page 169
Sajo buried his head in Kusakabe's shoulder, while Kusakabe peered up.
草壁：...俺
Kusakabe: "...I"
草壁：しょっちゅう、しょっちゅう京都行っていい？
Kusakabe: "Every so often, is it alright for me to go to Kyoto?"
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：電話もメールもすごいするし
Kusakabe: "And call and email you all the time?"
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：しょっちゅう、しょっちゅう会いにいっていい？
Kusakabe: "Is it ok to go see you now and then?
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：そんで、俺が２０歳になったら
Kusakabe: "And then, when I turn 20,"
Page 170
草壁：結婚して
Kusakabe: "Marry me."
He takes Sajo's hands in his as he proposes.
Page 171
Sajo is shocked, tears are streaming down his face as well as Kusakabe's and the two boys looked into each other's eyes. Sajo closed his eyes, and brought Kusakabe's hands to his face, while his tears continued to flow down his face and then replied.
佐条：...はい
Sajo: "... Yes."
Page 172
The two boys held each other tightly and kissed. When they finally pulled apart, Kusakabe looked at his lover.
Page 173
Kusakabe reached over and touched Sajo's tie, the other boy stiffened, cheeks flushed, and froze for a moment. Kusakabe, eyes turned up to look at his lover, silently peered into Sajo's face. Sajo, knowing what would happen next, silently allowed Kusakabe to continue loosening his tie.
And the next few pages is one of the sweetest sex scenes I have seen for a long time. They say anticipation makes the moment sweeter and after three books, this was well-worth waiting for.
I couldn't help, but translate this, because it's been on my mind since I read it yesterday. The Japanese wasn't too hard, though I could probably still have messed up somewhere in translation so we'll have to wait and see what the scanlators come up with later ^__^
Basically what happens is that Kusakabe goes off to do this music gig in France, which can be his big chance in making it into the entertainment world since he wants to make a career out of music. Before he leaves, he and Sajo switch scarves so they would have a piece of each other while they're apart. On the day of graduation, Kusakabe arrives back in Tokyo and Sajo rushes over to the stairwell to find him. When Kusakabe sees Sajo, he calls up to him.
Page 155
草壁：ただいま
Kusakabe: "I'm back!"
Page 156
佐条：お帰り...
Sajo: "Welcome back..."
Kusakabe throws Sajo's scarf around Sajo's neck and pulls him in for a kiss.
佐条：... あ
Sajo: "...Ah" (He interrupts mid-kiss)
草壁：ん？
Kusakabe: "Hm?"
佐条：お前のやつ教室だ...
Sajo: "I left yours in the classroom..."
草壁：あとでいいよ
Kusakabe: "We can get it later." (He continues kissing Sajo)
Page 157
Kusakabe, arms still around Sajo's neck, looks at his lover and asks:
草壁：な、２年のときの教室見にいかない？
Kusakabe: "Hey, want to go see our 2nd-year classroom?"
佐条：あ、でも卒業式は...
Sajo: "Ah, but the graduation ceremony..."
草壁：二人くらいいなくってもへーキでしょ
Kusakabe: "Even if we're not there, they wouldn't miss us, right?"
The two make their way to the classroom.
Page 158
Arriving a Classroom 2-A, the two sees the room from the hallway.
草壁：なつかしーー
Kusakabe: "How nostalgic--"
Page 159
Kusakabe peeks his head into the classroom.
草壁：なんかすごい昔みたいな気がするなー
Kusakabe: "It feels like it has been ages since then though---"
佐条：２年生？
Sajo: "Since 2nd year?"
草壁：そう
Kusakabe: "Yes."
草壁：２学期... 入ったすぐだったっけ
Kusakabe: "It was shortly after second term started, huh"
佐条：ん？
Sajo: "Hm?"
草壁：はじめてちゃんと話したの
Kusakabe: "When we had a real conversation for the first time."
He looks over at Sajo.
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm." (Sajo smiles as he gazes at the classroom, and agrees)
「一年半前ここで」
[Here, one and a half year ago, ]
Page 160
「恋におちた」
[We fell in love]
Page 161
草壁：俺も京都行こうかな
Kusakabe: "Maybe I should go to Kyoto too, huh?"
He walks over to the window. Sajo, watching Kusakabe's back, looked down.
佐条：...それは駄目だ
Sajo: "That won't do."
Page 162
Kusakabe's eyes grew wide with shock, and he turned his astonished expression towards Sajo.
草壁：...なんで
Kusakabe: "...Why?" (He looked down to the floor)
草壁：なんで？
Kusakabe: "Why?" (He said with more deliberation)
佐条：なんでって... なんてってことないだろ。せっかくこっちで仕事のつながりができてきてるのにそんな...
Sajo: "Why...? You should know. You finally find a job over here that's related to what you want to do, and to just..."
草壁：でも京都なんてすぐじゃん、それにネットもあるんだしべつに...
Kusakabe: "But Kyoto is just around the corner, and we still have the net, it's not like..."
佐条：そうは言ってもわざわざ東京を離れることない
Kusakabe: "Even if you say so, there's no reason for you to leave Tokyo."
草壁：...だって一週間だよ？
Kusakabe: "... But, it was only one week."
Page 163
草壁：たった一週間フランス行ってたの、それだげでも俺...
Kusakabe: "It was only one week that I was in France, and during that time, I wondered..."
草壁：佐条は平気なのかよ？ていうか、いつまで向こうにいるつもりなんだよ
Kusakabe: "Is Sajo ok with this? And in any case, how long were you planning on being over there?"
草壁：４年？６年？９年？９年も離れるなんてそんなの...
Kusakabe: "Four years? Six years? Nine years? Being separated for nine years, that would be..."
Page 164
Kusakabe looked crestfallen, and Sajo's eyes were down at the ground.
草壁：...別れるつもりなの...？
Kusakabe: "... Are you... breaking up with me?
Page 165
佐条：ちがう...
Sajo: "No--" (His expression appears panicked)
草壁：じゃあなんなんだよ！俺もう佐条が何考えてんのか全然わかんええよ！！
Kusakabe: "Then what is it?! I don't even know what goes on in your head anymore!!"
Sajo looks pained, and the next words are wretched from his heart.
佐条：...別れない
Sajo: "... I'm not breaking up."
Page 166
佐条：別れない...！
Sajo: "I won't break up with you...!"
佐条：僕だって..... お前とは...離れたくない
Sajo: "Even I... Even I don't want to be apart from you."
佐条：でも
Sajo: "But..."
He begins to cry in the midst of his words.
佐条：お前には自分のや...やりたいこと前向いて
Sajo: "You have always been f-facing forward and g-going after the things you want to do.."
佐条：つっ走って、ずっとやり続けてほしいんだよ、そ、そういうお前が、僕は
Sajo: "And I want you to always be able do so, because that, that is the you that"
Page 167
佐条：...好きなんだよ...！！
Sajo: "... I am in love with...!!"
Sajo's tears could not be stopped, Kusakabe's eye widened from hearing Sajo's confession and he walked over to Sajo.
Page 168
Kusakabe tightly embraced Sajo, and the two boys slid to the ground, holding onto each other as they cried.
Page 169
Sajo buried his head in Kusakabe's shoulder, while Kusakabe peered up.
草壁：...俺
Kusakabe: "...I"
草壁：しょっちゅう、しょっちゅう京都行っていい？
Kusakabe: "Every so often, is it alright for me to go to Kyoto?"
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：電話もメールもすごいするし
Kusakabe: "And call and email you all the time?"
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：しょっちゅう、しょっちゅう会いにいっていい？
Kusakabe: "Is it ok to go see you now and then?
佐条：うん
Sajo: "Mm."
草壁：そんで、俺が２０歳になったら
Kusakabe: "And then, when I turn 20,"
Page 170
草壁：結婚して
Kusakabe: "Marry me."
He takes Sajo's hands in his as he proposes.
Page 171
Sajo is shocked, tears are streaming down his face as well as Kusakabe's and the two boys looked into each other's eyes. Sajo closed his eyes, and brought Kusakabe's hands to his face, while his tears continued to flow down his face and then replied.
佐条：...はい
Sajo: "... Yes."
Page 172
The two boys held each other tightly and kissed. When they finally pulled apart, Kusakabe looked at his lover.
Page 173
Kusakabe reached over and touched Sajo's tie, the other boy stiffened, cheeks flushed, and froze for a moment. Kusakabe, eyes turned up to look at his lover, silently peered into Sajo's face. Sajo, knowing what would happen next, silently allowed Kusakabe to continue loosening his tie.
And the next few pages is one of the sweetest sex scenes I have seen for a long time. They say anticipation makes the moment sweeter and after three books, this was well-worth waiting for.
I couldn't help, but translate this, because it's been on my mind since I read it yesterday. The Japanese wasn't too hard, though I could probably still have messed up somewhere in translation so we'll have to wait and see what the scanlators come up with later ^__^
Sunday, February 14, 2010
ZE Chapter 48
This chapter made me so happy T__T I just about cried. First I read Nakamura Asumiko's "Doukyusei" and now I'm about to cry with ZE chapter 48. Finally something unexpected and really good happens, and it's the first time it's ever happened as well in the series timeline.
Basically, in the last five chapters or so, it focuses on the arc between Shoui and Asari, how they met and how their relationship grew to what it was. Then like a lot of other arcs, the kamisama "dies" by turning back into paper. To get their kamisama back, the kotodama have to go to Waki, the maker of the kamisama, and bring them back. The only problem is that once the kamisama die and come back, all their memories from before are completely gone. The kotodama are usually frantic and want their kamisama to remember them from before -- the only exception is Ouka and Benio, since Benio's previous owner was very abusive.
Anyway, I am totally going to spoil this and not care 'cause it's my blog lol -- Asari turns back into paper and Shoui takes his paper form back to Waki to be fixed. In the other world, Asari tells Rikiichi that he has to go back to the real world for Shoui, and then wakes back up. When he comes to, he doesn't remember who Shoui is anymore and Waki decides to basically scrap him, but Shoui steps in the way and gets stabbed. No matter what, he believed Asari to still be the same one and refuses to give him up. Waki walks away, believing that Shoui is just going to accept this new version of Asari, but then he sees something that astounds him.
Asari, seeing that Shoui is bleeding and then feeling relief when Asari isn't hurt, feels pain to his heart, and then kisses Shoui to heal him and a flood of past memories come flashing back to him. When he breaks the kiss, he is the real Asari again and yells at Shoui for being so stupid and getting hurt. If he had died then him coming back would have been pointless. Shoui is estactic to see Asari and embraces him tightly. Waki, on the other hand is in total shock.
According to Waki, he's seen it countless times, where the kamisama cannot remember their past after turning back into paper. He then goes into his room where there's a huge black box and he opens in. Inside is a beautiful sleeping/dead kamisama who looks quite a bit like Kon. And this sets the stage for the next arc: Waki and Magane ^__^ (I think that's his name, 'cause I just read the Chinese version -- when there's something I really want, I will make myself read it and know what it means lol -- but I need to read the Japanese version to confirm it ^__^;)
Anyway, it's been said that Waki has always been quite fond of Kon, and this dead kamisama may be the reason for it. Perhaps, the reason why Waki never brought this kamisama back is 'cause he didn't want him to be unable to remember who he is -- seeing that all the other kamisama can't remember their kotodama. But after seeing Asari, maybe there's a renewed sense of hope that perhaps the love he and this kamisama had would be enough to have him remember everything.
But finally a Waki arc *___* So exciting~! I think at this point we've done just about everyone we've seen already. There will most likely be a Rikiichi arc, either as a final one or towards the end. We may be almost near the finish line for this series. I'm going to guess that it will hit around 12 volumes or maybe 15. Each major arc spanned around two books for the most part, so I'm going to guess that the Shoui x Asari arc will go through volume 9, and probably some of 10. Waki's arc will probably begin towards the end of 10 and stretch through 11. We may or may not get an arc with Ouka, 'cause I'm not exactly sure what importance she holds as a Mitou Clan family member. For the most part, we see the two brothers do all of the work so we may or may not get anything with Ouka. But if we're going to get into Waki's arc, we might be nearing the end as he is the creator of the kamisama.
Anyway, I am so in love with this series T___T. I think one of the perks of moving to the bay area is having easy access to Kinokuniya *___* I can't imagine life without that store now. It's sad to say that I almost wouldn't want to ever go back to Oregon because of the store lol.
Basically, in the last five chapters or so, it focuses on the arc between Shoui and Asari, how they met and how their relationship grew to what it was. Then like a lot of other arcs, the kamisama "dies" by turning back into paper. To get their kamisama back, the kotodama have to go to Waki, the maker of the kamisama, and bring them back. The only problem is that once the kamisama die and come back, all their memories from before are completely gone. The kotodama are usually frantic and want their kamisama to remember them from before -- the only exception is Ouka and Benio, since Benio's previous owner was very abusive.
Anyway, I am totally going to spoil this and not care 'cause it's my blog lol -- Asari turns back into paper and Shoui takes his paper form back to Waki to be fixed. In the other world, Asari tells Rikiichi that he has to go back to the real world for Shoui, and then wakes back up. When he comes to, he doesn't remember who Shoui is anymore and Waki decides to basically scrap him, but Shoui steps in the way and gets stabbed. No matter what, he believed Asari to still be the same one and refuses to give him up. Waki walks away, believing that Shoui is just going to accept this new version of Asari, but then he sees something that astounds him.
Asari, seeing that Shoui is bleeding and then feeling relief when Asari isn't hurt, feels pain to his heart, and then kisses Shoui to heal him and a flood of past memories come flashing back to him. When he breaks the kiss, he is the real Asari again and yells at Shoui for being so stupid and getting hurt. If he had died then him coming back would have been pointless. Shoui is estactic to see Asari and embraces him tightly. Waki, on the other hand is in total shock.
According to Waki, he's seen it countless times, where the kamisama cannot remember their past after turning back into paper. He then goes into his room where there's a huge black box and he opens in. Inside is a beautiful sleeping/dead kamisama who looks quite a bit like Kon. And this sets the stage for the next arc: Waki and Magane ^__^ (I think that's his name, 'cause I just read the Chinese version -- when there's something I really want, I will make myself read it and know what it means lol -- but I need to read the Japanese version to confirm it ^__^;)
Anyway, it's been said that Waki has always been quite fond of Kon, and this dead kamisama may be the reason for it. Perhaps, the reason why Waki never brought this kamisama back is 'cause he didn't want him to be unable to remember who he is -- seeing that all the other kamisama can't remember their kotodama. But after seeing Asari, maybe there's a renewed sense of hope that perhaps the love he and this kamisama had would be enough to have him remember everything.
But finally a Waki arc *___* So exciting~! I think at this point we've done just about everyone we've seen already. There will most likely be a Rikiichi arc, either as a final one or towards the end. We may be almost near the finish line for this series. I'm going to guess that it will hit around 12 volumes or maybe 15. Each major arc spanned around two books for the most part, so I'm going to guess that the Shoui x Asari arc will go through volume 9, and probably some of 10. Waki's arc will probably begin towards the end of 10 and stretch through 11. We may or may not get an arc with Ouka, 'cause I'm not exactly sure what importance she holds as a Mitou Clan family member. For the most part, we see the two brothers do all of the work so we may or may not get anything with Ouka. But if we're going to get into Waki's arc, we might be nearing the end as he is the creator of the kamisama.
Anyway, I am so in love with this series T___T. I think one of the perks of moving to the bay area is having easy access to Kinokuniya *___* I can't imagine life without that store now. It's sad to say that I almost wouldn't want to ever go back to Oregon because of the store lol.
Nakamura Asumiko - Doukyusei
I don't think I have read a manga with such precise and clean lines before. Well, maybe I have, but this one is very, very clean. A lot of manga have so much detail at times that your eyes have a hard time focusing on everything. In Nakamura Asumiko's "Doukyusei" and "Sotsugyousei," the lines and toning are very well done.
At first, I wasn't sure about the style of artwork, but when I saw how things were laid out and how nicely done all the lines and toning were, I was just mesmerized. To further how impressed I was, the story was just as captivating and sweet. It was perfect for Valentine's Day even though I am not a fan of the holiday.
The story of "Doukyusei" is about two boys, Sajo and Kusakabe, who attend an all-boys school. Sajo is your typical smart kid, while Kusakabe is the wilder-looking child who loves to play music. Though they are in the same class, neither boys really talked until Kusakabe caught Sajo in the music room one day trying to practice singing. After giving Sajo some coaching lessons, which made him better, Kusakabe found himself falling in love with Sajo. The two boys later entered into a sweet and gentle relationship, that is expressed most through light touching and silent understanding. The love they feel for each other and the weight of their feelings is etched into every moment of the story, and you cannot help, but gravitate towards it.
If one loves stories that have depth created from the feelings between characters then this series is one that is highly recommended. The artwork is very refined and beautiful, and the story is extremely poignant. I have never read any of Nakamura Asumiko's works before, but I think I'm hooked now.
At first, I wasn't sure about the style of artwork, but when I saw how things were laid out and how nicely done all the lines and toning were, I was just mesmerized. To further how impressed I was, the story was just as captivating and sweet. It was perfect for Valentine's Day even though I am not a fan of the holiday.
The story of "Doukyusei" is about two boys, Sajo and Kusakabe, who attend an all-boys school. Sajo is your typical smart kid, while Kusakabe is the wilder-looking child who loves to play music. Though they are in the same class, neither boys really talked until Kusakabe caught Sajo in the music room one day trying to practice singing. After giving Sajo some coaching lessons, which made him better, Kusakabe found himself falling in love with Sajo. The two boys later entered into a sweet and gentle relationship, that is expressed most through light touching and silent understanding. The love they feel for each other and the weight of their feelings is etched into every moment of the story, and you cannot help, but gravitate towards it.
If one loves stories that have depth created from the feelings between characters then this series is one that is highly recommended. The artwork is very refined and beautiful, and the story is extremely poignant. I have never read any of Nakamura Asumiko's works before, but I think I'm hooked now.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Forsaking the Appendices
I have decided that if I get enough out of the chapter, I am not going to read the appendices 'cause they'll just waste my time on other chapters. Right now I am down to 1 & 1/2 chapters left to read. Even though I didn't want to read the IT chapter, I probably should read more of it =_= *sigh* I am not that good with IT terms, but I can figure out some of it on my own. Problem is that the test is tomorrow and a lot of these concepts are kind of still fresh in my head. All the other chapters are basically review and IT kind of is too, but I don't feel like I've paid attention enough during class to remember anything lol ^_^;
Anyway... I have to go to work =_= and put myself in work mode for the next 7 hours and then come home to finish all the rest of the reading so I can just review some key points tomorrow morning before driving into the city to take my test =_= *sigh* So not going to be fun.
Anyway... I have to go to work =_= and put myself in work mode for the next 7 hours and then come home to finish all the rest of the reading so I can just review some key points tomorrow morning before driving into the city to take my test =_= *sigh* So not going to be fun.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Work & Studying
Now that there is starting to be less time for everything, suddenly, I am a chaotic mental mess. Today was really hard for me to focus, and figure out this one return that I had. One of my managers tweaked the return last year and there was no documentation as to why it was done the way it was done so I sat there for 3 hours basically banging my head against a table.
After that, I had to roll over another entity in the audit system, but for some reason we didn't have the correct file so I had to redo the 2008 tax one, before I could roll it over to 2009. I finished rolling over and adjusting the 2009 audit one, though I may have to redo it later 'cause we still have outstanding items. *sigh* Then I got all these emails back from my other bosses so I have three returns that can be done asap tomorrow. One I only have a 1/2 hour budget on left and it's been a month since I looked at his return so I have no idea what there is to do. I guess since it's a rental, I had better do a journal entry and do a carryforward for it plus improvements, then put the place in and adjust the mortgage interest plus property tax.
I have 2 late returns and one on-time return so I am going to finish the on-time one first before getting to the two late ones. I mean, seriously, if they're already this late, there's no rush... is what I'd like to say. *sigh* Only an hour and a half hour left... for those two returns... makes me wish I had budgeted my time a little more wisely. I still need the ending principal for the one loan =_= *sigh* I wonder if I can just take the whole amount of the interest and use it... I will have to look into it tomorrow.
As for my studying... it's not getting any better. *sigh* I tried to read the IT section, but it's kind of ridiculous =_= I haven't found anything worthwhile to look at in that chapter, so maybe I'll just read it tomorrow. I should read chapter 2 & 3 today. I finished 1 and 5, and read part of 4. Well, I started reading 2, but I hate economics so I skipped it, but I think I should read it =_= *sigh*
After that, I had to roll over another entity in the audit system, but for some reason we didn't have the correct file so I had to redo the 2008 tax one, before I could roll it over to 2009. I finished rolling over and adjusting the 2009 audit one, though I may have to redo it later 'cause we still have outstanding items. *sigh* Then I got all these emails back from my other bosses so I have three returns that can be done asap tomorrow. One I only have a 1/2 hour budget on left and it's been a month since I looked at his return so I have no idea what there is to do. I guess since it's a rental, I had better do a journal entry and do a carryforward for it plus improvements, then put the place in and adjust the mortgage interest plus property tax.
I have 2 late returns and one on-time return so I am going to finish the on-time one first before getting to the two late ones. I mean, seriously, if they're already this late, there's no rush... is what I'd like to say. *sigh* Only an hour and a half hour left... for those two returns... makes me wish I had budgeted my time a little more wisely. I still need the ending principal for the one loan =_= *sigh* I wonder if I can just take the whole amount of the interest and use it... I will have to look into it tomorrow.
As for my studying... it's not getting any better. *sigh* I tried to read the IT section, but it's kind of ridiculous =_= I haven't found anything worthwhile to look at in that chapter, so maybe I'll just read it tomorrow. I should read chapter 2 & 3 today. I finished 1 and 5, and read part of 4. Well, I started reading 2, but I hate economics so I skipped it, but I think I should read it =_= *sigh*
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Beethoven Virus Soundtrack
I've been listening to the soundtrack from this Korean drama for a week or so now and I really like it. Because of it, I ended up digging out all my Nodame Soundtracks and listened to them for studying. I haven't watched Beethoven Virus yet, but it looks good, and seeing that it has something to do with classical music, makes it even more interesting to me. Too bad, I don't have time for it right now. After a couple more days, I'll be ready.... which reminds me... I need to send in my $50 to CBA to reapply for the CPA exam so I can take other sections, because I only registered for 2 sections this time. I probably should wait to see if I pass this section or the next section first, before I start picking. I probably won't pass this section 'cause there is still a lot of stuff I am shaky on, so I may need to re-take this portion.
Anyway, just thought I'd pop in to semi-advertise the soundtrack -- though I really didn't talk about it much lol.
Anyway, just thought I'd pop in to semi-advertise the soundtrack -- though I really didn't talk about it much lol.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
An Extra Two Inches Does The Trick
So my mattress topper came yesterday and it smells like plastic/foam. It's made of foam, but it just smells really ... not all that pleasant. Still... I just wanted to stop bruising from sleeping on my 3" shikibuton so I laid it out and slept on it yesterday. My body does not feel sore anymore *__* I hope the smell from the shikibuton overpowers the smell from the mattress topper 'cause it's just not a pleasant smell at all.
As for my studying... if only I can keep my focus, you know =_=; I am doomed to fail this test, Saturday.
As for my studying... if only I can keep my focus, you know =_=; I am doomed to fail this test, Saturday.
Monday, February 8, 2010
YAY!
So my relatives are planning on celebrating the New Years a day early!!!! Meaning, after my test I can just go over to their place and not have to come back Sunday *___* Oh that's good! I hope I get done with my test early or on time, then I can swing by Japantown, grab some things and then drive over *__*. Oh, things look like they will work out. All I need to do is pass my test T___T. I'm so not studying right now.... Um... lol ^_^;
I just thought I had to come in and share that tidbit, which makes me day just a little brighter.
I just thought I had to come in and share that tidbit, which makes me day just a little brighter.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Hana to Ryuu (Kazuma Kodaka)
I remember reading this back when MegKF was still around and scanlating and now NoDeadline's taken over this project. I just read up to volume 20 of the doujinshi spin-off series to Kizuna, and while I love it, I am pretty conflicted at the moment.
The story is about a 22 year-old boy named Kazama Ryuji who is the last son of the Kazama yakuza group. When he is young, his parents and the entire group were cut down and massacred, and he managed to escape with his aunt. His aunt raised him along with her own son, Tomoya, and everyone was doing well until some men started looking for Ryuji and went to his house. When Ryuji came home one day, the men were raping his aunt, and when she told him to grab Tomoya and run, they killed her. Ryuji lost it and murdered all the men in front of Tomoya, which further traumatized the young boy. Ryuji then went to prison for a few years where he was the sex tool and plaything for the other prisoners until he came up with a plan to kill them all, while making it look like self-defense. When he was finally released, he met a man whom accosted him for sex. Since Ryuji did not have any money, he decided to let the man do so until memories of his prison time made him nauseous and he did not want to go through with the trade. The man was insistent until Araki Hitoshi, a yakuza, stepped in and saved Ryuji.
At first Ryuji wanted to repay Hitoshi by having sex with him, but Hitoshi refused his advances and treated the boy kindly like a friend instead. Over time, the two develop a good relationship with each other and Ryuji falls in love with Hitoshi. Meanwhile, people are still searching for Ryuji and want to kill him, and this causes the two men to constantly be in danger. Still, Hitoshi and Ryuji fall for each other and become lovers.
This is the first 16 volumes of the story, and somewhere in volume 11 & 12, Hitoshi and Ryuji go to Osaka where they meet the Sagano family and see the younger Araki Masanori plus young Sagano Kai. Things start out pretty depressing in the first several chapters, but becomes much better during 11-16 for the two characters, and then hell breaks loose after that. I saw volume 22 on sale somewhere, but can't really afford it. Doujinshi is really expensive =_=; More expensive than regular manga tanks or bunko even =_= *sigh*
Anyway, after reading volume 20, I am ok with not reading it for a while, because it made me really mad and banging my head against walls so yeah... I do like the story, don't get me wrong, but it is kind of vexing at the moment. It is definitely much darker than Kizuna, and by a lot =_= It's so dark, I can't even look at it anymore =_=; *sigh* Anyway, I should sleep and get up early to study -- I say this every day =_= and then I choose sleep over studying, so sad. Well, going to try anyway.
The story is about a 22 year-old boy named Kazama Ryuji who is the last son of the Kazama yakuza group. When he is young, his parents and the entire group were cut down and massacred, and he managed to escape with his aunt. His aunt raised him along with her own son, Tomoya, and everyone was doing well until some men started looking for Ryuji and went to his house. When Ryuji came home one day, the men were raping his aunt, and when she told him to grab Tomoya and run, they killed her. Ryuji lost it and murdered all the men in front of Tomoya, which further traumatized the young boy. Ryuji then went to prison for a few years where he was the sex tool and plaything for the other prisoners until he came up with a plan to kill them all, while making it look like self-defense. When he was finally released, he met a man whom accosted him for sex. Since Ryuji did not have any money, he decided to let the man do so until memories of his prison time made him nauseous and he did not want to go through with the trade. The man was insistent until Araki Hitoshi, a yakuza, stepped in and saved Ryuji.
At first Ryuji wanted to repay Hitoshi by having sex with him, but Hitoshi refused his advances and treated the boy kindly like a friend instead. Over time, the two develop a good relationship with each other and Ryuji falls in love with Hitoshi. Meanwhile, people are still searching for Ryuji and want to kill him, and this causes the two men to constantly be in danger. Still, Hitoshi and Ryuji fall for each other and become lovers.
This is the first 16 volumes of the story, and somewhere in volume 11 & 12, Hitoshi and Ryuji go to Osaka where they meet the Sagano family and see the younger Araki Masanori plus young Sagano Kai. Things start out pretty depressing in the first several chapters, but becomes much better during 11-16 for the two characters, and then hell breaks loose after that. I saw volume 22 on sale somewhere, but can't really afford it. Doujinshi is really expensive =_=; More expensive than regular manga tanks or bunko even =_= *sigh*
Anyway, after reading volume 20, I am ok with not reading it for a while, because it made me really mad and banging my head against walls so yeah... I do like the story, don't get me wrong, but it is kind of vexing at the moment. It is definitely much darker than Kizuna, and by a lot =_= It's so dark, I can't even look at it anymore =_=; *sigh* Anyway, I should sleep and get up early to study -- I say this every day =_= and then I choose sleep over studying, so sad. Well, going to try anyway.
With All The Distractions
I successfully completed one chapter of reading from this book today and surprisingly enough, I was able to answer the questions on the end-of-chapter review. Though I don't have much hope, I would like to score close to a 70 so that would be nice.
Now I have moved onto macro and microeconomics... so not my fave. This entire book is full of concepts that I absolutely hated in college. It just doesn't get any better T__T *sigh* But, I'll give it my all.
I decided to shower and climb into bed earlier today. Studying from bed is actually something I did often during my college days. I would fall asleep with textbooks and papers all over and on top of me. Then I'd wake up around 3AM and start studying some more, or finish up the papers that I have due. That's what it's always been like =_=; Maybe I should just go to sleep and wake up early to study 'cause I'm feeling kind of tired right now =_= *sigh* I can't wait until all the studying is done and over with. Then I can just focus on CPE afterwards.
Now I have moved onto macro and microeconomics... so not my fave. This entire book is full of concepts that I absolutely hated in college. It just doesn't get any better T__T *sigh* But, I'll give it my all.
I decided to shower and climb into bed earlier today. Studying from bed is actually something I did often during my college days. I would fall asleep with textbooks and papers all over and on top of me. Then I'd wake up around 3AM and start studying some more, or finish up the papers that I have due. That's what it's always been like =_=; Maybe I should just go to sleep and wake up early to study 'cause I'm feeling kind of tired right now =_= *sigh* I can't wait until all the studying is done and over with. Then I can just focus on CPE afterwards.
The Things You Learn From Your Bosses
I think ever since the office manager's tyranny was made known in the office, the bosses and us have been kind of bonding. At least for me, I feel as though my bosses have been bridging the gap with me lately and so I feel that I need to stay on my A-game and try my best at everything. I also learn the most interesting things from them. Lots of things I would have never known before, I am learning them now.
For instance... interesting thing that my boss lady told me about her daughter and pomegranates. I love pomegranate juice, but to eat the fruit is really a pain in the ass. So apparently my bosses' daughter has this trick in getting all the seeds out of the fruit skin and such. You cut off the top and the bottom so that it becomes like a disc, then you put it in a bowl and pour cold water through the top of the disc. After it soaks for a while, all of the seeds will come out by themselves apparently. I will have to try it when pomegranates are in season again.
As for a recent side note... I had no idea the Super Bowl was today, 'cause the avocados were all on sale. I haven't had avocado for so long so I bought three of them. They're pretty ripe so I didn't want to buy too many. I don't think I can eat that many avocados in a week.
Oh, back to my bosses. You also learn some things about their personal lives that you probably would never think about. For instance, my boss lady is a clean-freak, much like me and we're super proud of it lol. Though my room is a mess right now, if I have the time, I like making things as neat as possible. When we're in the bathroom and we see a huge puddle around the sink, we both have to clean it. I had no idea she did it as well until she came into the bathroom one time and saw me wiping around the sink 'cause it was just so aggravating to see it all wet. She laughed and was like, "You clean up around the sink too?" We really are alike in a lot of ways, except she's just a lot cooler than I am lol. I don't know, but I really admire my boss lady. She's smart, sharp, and something about her makes me just really like her.
My other boss isn't as socially-capable at times, but he's a genuinely nice guy. I had days where I just really disliked him 'cause he reminded me so much of my dad when he was mad and on a rampage, but I think that by him giving me more things, he is taking a chance with me and really teaching me. I really appreciate it and I hope that I can live up to their expectations of me. I think for the first time in a while, I can say that my job -- though stressful and frustrating at times -- is now pretty challenging and fun. I only hope it can stay this way for a while longer. I hope I can say that I love my job for a long time. I will probably love it more if I get my CPA license. I want to become better and be one of those "Go-to" people that newbies come running to, so I better work harder. But at the moment, I think my bosses have divided us all up with the tasks that we can do and excel in. For instance...
My office buddy is now the bookkeeper person in the office lol. Except for the four most senior accountants (my two bosses, the senior tax manager who manages our payroll, and the other senior tax/audit manager), the other four of us have certain things we're good at, or working towards getting good at. The senior accountant who is my senpai, is the one who deals with all the IRS correspondence, while the other senpai is one of the better tax people in the office, my friend is the bookkeeper and payroll person, and I am the 1099, excel spreadsheet, and trust person. Whenever we have to prepare 1099s, people throw them on my desk lol. The only thing that's hard about the 1099s is the printer calibration 'cause it doesn't print on the form the way I want it to, so most of the time spent is calibrating the damn printer lol. If not for this, I would like it so much more lol.
My boss lady has me call the tax preparation program to fix problems now and then, and then if there are projects with atrocious excel spreadsheets provided by clients, she has me fix them. I remember there was this one project that they handed to me, because it was so hard to understand. I sat there, banged my head against the desk for a while before finding all the problems and fixing it so it all makes sense. I was so proud of myself when it was all over, because my boss lady came out and was like, "Thank you!" I was so happy that day.
I have been pretty happy with the other things I have been learning too, such as how when I went to go ask a question on how to input things on the tax preparation program, the senior tax manager didn't bite my head off or anything and just showed me what to do. I got my return done quicker and better. I was really happy that I am asking questions this year. Even if I am annoying, it's better to ask than to ponder for too long, which was what I did last year.
My motivation at the moment should be money. I am financially in the deep end at the moment, so I had best get my CPA license as soon as possible so I can get a raise. Then I can also move into my own apartment and afford all the extra costs of living alone. *sigh* 頑張れ、あたし！
For instance... interesting thing that my boss lady told me about her daughter and pomegranates. I love pomegranate juice, but to eat the fruit is really a pain in the ass. So apparently my bosses' daughter has this trick in getting all the seeds out of the fruit skin and such. You cut off the top and the bottom so that it becomes like a disc, then you put it in a bowl and pour cold water through the top of the disc. After it soaks for a while, all of the seeds will come out by themselves apparently. I will have to try it when pomegranates are in season again.
As for a recent side note... I had no idea the Super Bowl was today, 'cause the avocados were all on sale. I haven't had avocado for so long so I bought three of them. They're pretty ripe so I didn't want to buy too many. I don't think I can eat that many avocados in a week.
Oh, back to my bosses. You also learn some things about their personal lives that you probably would never think about. For instance, my boss lady is a clean-freak, much like me and we're super proud of it lol. Though my room is a mess right now, if I have the time, I like making things as neat as possible. When we're in the bathroom and we see a huge puddle around the sink, we both have to clean it. I had no idea she did it as well until she came into the bathroom one time and saw me wiping around the sink 'cause it was just so aggravating to see it all wet. She laughed and was like, "You clean up around the sink too?" We really are alike in a lot of ways, except she's just a lot cooler than I am lol. I don't know, but I really admire my boss lady. She's smart, sharp, and something about her makes me just really like her.
My other boss isn't as socially-capable at times, but he's a genuinely nice guy. I had days where I just really disliked him 'cause he reminded me so much of my dad when he was mad and on a rampage, but I think that by him giving me more things, he is taking a chance with me and really teaching me. I really appreciate it and I hope that I can live up to their expectations of me. I think for the first time in a while, I can say that my job -- though stressful and frustrating at times -- is now pretty challenging and fun. I only hope it can stay this way for a while longer. I hope I can say that I love my job for a long time. I will probably love it more if I get my CPA license. I want to become better and be one of those "Go-to" people that newbies come running to, so I better work harder. But at the moment, I think my bosses have divided us all up with the tasks that we can do and excel in. For instance...
My office buddy is now the bookkeeper person in the office lol. Except for the four most senior accountants (my two bosses, the senior tax manager who manages our payroll, and the other senior tax/audit manager), the other four of us have certain things we're good at, or working towards getting good at. The senior accountant who is my senpai, is the one who deals with all the IRS correspondence, while the other senpai is one of the better tax people in the office, my friend is the bookkeeper and payroll person, and I am the 1099, excel spreadsheet, and trust person. Whenever we have to prepare 1099s, people throw them on my desk lol. The only thing that's hard about the 1099s is the printer calibration 'cause it doesn't print on the form the way I want it to, so most of the time spent is calibrating the damn printer lol. If not for this, I would like it so much more lol.
My boss lady has me call the tax preparation program to fix problems now and then, and then if there are projects with atrocious excel spreadsheets provided by clients, she has me fix them. I remember there was this one project that they handed to me, because it was so hard to understand. I sat there, banged my head against the desk for a while before finding all the problems and fixing it so it all makes sense. I was so proud of myself when it was all over, because my boss lady came out and was like, "Thank you!" I was so happy that day.
I have been pretty happy with the other things I have been learning too, such as how when I went to go ask a question on how to input things on the tax preparation program, the senior tax manager didn't bite my head off or anything and just showed me what to do. I got my return done quicker and better. I was really happy that I am asking questions this year. Even if I am annoying, it's better to ask than to ponder for too long, which was what I did last year.
My motivation at the moment should be money. I am financially in the deep end at the moment, so I had best get my CPA license as soon as possible so I can get a raise. Then I can also move into my own apartment and afford all the extra costs of living alone. *sigh* 頑張れ、あたし！
Wants vs. Needs
While some can argue that I need to move out from where I am currently living, for me, it is more of a matter of wanting it. With my current financial situation, there is no way I am going to be able to afford much of anything. I found this place that I thought might be feasible, but knowing me, I needed someone to intervene with my way of thinking and called my mother. I am distracting myself too much with my current situation to the point where I can't focus. I am constantly on craigslist though I already know what postings are there, and even if I do find something that works well, I cannot move at all right now, at least not until busy season is over.
I am thinking that I may need to transfer some money from my savings into my checking next month, but I am not willing to let the amount fall under 5k, so we'll see if I actually do it or not. I am running low on cash, so I will have to withdraw money at some point from my checking. *sigh*
I am working more hours during the week now, but a good portion of it goes into my 401(k) before another part of it goes to taxes. Meaning all I really get is 1k after tax =_=; Having to survive on just 2k a month... is really exhausting. One has to be super careful about money, and can't buy any of the things you would like to buy =_= *sigh* I feel really deprived.
It probably won't be until mid-April that I will see my checking balance stay above 1k. I have to really work hard at it for these next two months =_= しっかりしなくや =_=
I am thinking that I may need to transfer some money from my savings into my checking next month, but I am not willing to let the amount fall under 5k, so we'll see if I actually do it or not. I am running low on cash, so I will have to withdraw money at some point from my checking. *sigh*
I am working more hours during the week now, but a good portion of it goes into my 401(k) before another part of it goes to taxes. Meaning all I really get is 1k after tax =_=; Having to survive on just 2k a month... is really exhausting. One has to be super careful about money, and can't buy any of the things you would like to buy =_= *sigh* I feel really deprived.
It probably won't be until mid-April that I will see my checking balance stay above 1k. I have to really work hard at it for these next two months =_= しっかりしなくや =_=
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Though I Love Cooking
I really do not like the amount of time it takes to prepare everything and then to actually cook it. I have a test next Saturday and I'm feeling a little drained from all the work put into making next week's meals.
I went to the meat counter for the first time today and bought half a piece of pork tenderloin. I used it in this soup that I make with bok choy, carrots, and dried dates, and then boiled it overall for 2 hours. I took the pork out after an hour of boiling and then used chopsticks to shred it. With olive oil, salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, some cinnamon, paprika, and oregano, I mixed it all up. Usually, rosemary would be a better choice over oregano, but I don't have any. I also don't have an smoked flavor powder so it doesn't taste the way my mom's usually does. It goes well with white rice so it should be good. If I run out of greens, I can just boil some for 10 minutes and be done with it next week.
I also defrosted some chicken tenderloin -- which is more expensive than chicken breasts, but it defrosts quicker and tastes juicier -- and then cut it into pieces to marinate and then stir-fry with snow peas and onions. I added one of those Safeway containers of butternut soup with two chunks (next time I should only use one) of mild curry and half a can of coconut milk. It came out alright. I think next time I should put some potatoes in there.
I need to figure out a dish to make with tomatoes. What can I make with tomatoes... ... Tomato beef? Hm... this dish sounds kind of good. I need to buy some thyme and basil though:
Tangy Chicken Dish With Tomatoes & Herbs
I should try it out. I have pasta, chicken, and just about all ingredients except for garlic, basil, and thyme. Maybe on a day when I'm not studying for tests or taking tests.
Next weekend is going to be expensive. I need to be prepared to spend a lot on parking for when I go take the test next week =_= *sigh*
I went to the meat counter for the first time today and bought half a piece of pork tenderloin. I used it in this soup that I make with bok choy, carrots, and dried dates, and then boiled it overall for 2 hours. I took the pork out after an hour of boiling and then used chopsticks to shred it. With olive oil, salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, some cinnamon, paprika, and oregano, I mixed it all up. Usually, rosemary would be a better choice over oregano, but I don't have any. I also don't have an smoked flavor powder so it doesn't taste the way my mom's usually does. It goes well with white rice so it should be good. If I run out of greens, I can just boil some for 10 minutes and be done with it next week.
I also defrosted some chicken tenderloin -- which is more expensive than chicken breasts, but it defrosts quicker and tastes juicier -- and then cut it into pieces to marinate and then stir-fry with snow peas and onions. I added one of those Safeway containers of butternut soup with two chunks (next time I should only use one) of mild curry and half a can of coconut milk. It came out alright. I think next time I should put some potatoes in there.
I need to figure out a dish to make with tomatoes. What can I make with tomatoes... ... Tomato beef? Hm... this dish sounds kind of good. I need to buy some thyme and basil though:
Tangy Chicken Dish With Tomatoes & Herbs
I should try it out. I have pasta, chicken, and just about all ingredients except for garlic, basil, and thyme. Maybe on a day when I'm not studying for tests or taking tests.
Next weekend is going to be expensive. I need to be prepared to spend a lot on parking for when I go take the test next week =_= *sigh*
Friday, February 5, 2010
Stumbling Around is Fun
It's amazing what a hiatus from drinking will do to some people, like me lol. After half a bottle of pinot noir, it got a little wobbly and hard to walk around. Climbing into and out of the shower was hard too 'cause the hot water only made the process go faster lol. But... I slept very well last night. I kind of needed sleep that didn't include last minute thoughts of my roommate or unhappy things. And I needed uninterrupted sleep so I drank and it worked. I really shouldn't make it into a habit though 'cause that will be bad.
Anyway, I'm just avoiding my roommate right now so I decided to make cup ramen in my room this morning lol. So sad. I wanted to eat a bowl of grits, but that would require me leaving my room to go heat it up and having to make conversation with this woman, which I rather not do. I want to start my day well, not on the wrong foot 'cause of this cold war situation.
Well, have to get going to work now. I have lots to do today =_=
Anyway, I'm just avoiding my roommate right now so I decided to make cup ramen in my room this morning lol. So sad. I wanted to eat a bowl of grits, but that would require me leaving my room to go heat it up and having to make conversation with this woman, which I rather not do. I want to start my day well, not on the wrong foot 'cause of this cold war situation.
Well, have to get going to work now. I have lots to do today =_=
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Let Us Welcome Back the Alcoholic
There is a reason why I choose to blog more than post on Facebook. Of course, being human makes me a forgetful creature so I tend to make stupid mistakes now and then and forget why it is that I prefer blogging so much more. Though it was nice getting people to agree with me on Facebook, it is also a bit hard to totally persuade people when they haven't been there. So, with my recent situation, my overload from stress, all the new responsibilities at work, my lack of progress with my studying, and just everything in general, I have decided that wine makes my life a bit less complicated when I want to act upon my emotions better. Of course, I can't guarantee the outcome, but I can speak my mind a bit more freely and my inhibition is not completely present.
I only wish the wine tasted better. Turning Leaf Pinot Noir is so-so, not as good. The Sylvan Ridge one I had -- Oregon wine *__* -- was fantastic. Actually, it may have been 'cause it was the first time I had a pinot noir so I just found it to be the most amazing thing I ever had. But Oregon is well-known for pinot noir so I think at this point... Napa Valley or not, I want Oregon pinot noir. I've suddenly gotten really sleepy though so I should probably head to sleep.
Please let me be able to get up in the morning lol.
I only wish the wine tasted better. Turning Leaf Pinot Noir is so-so, not as good. The Sylvan Ridge one I had -- Oregon wine *__* -- was fantastic. Actually, it may have been 'cause it was the first time I had a pinot noir so I just found it to be the most amazing thing I ever had. But Oregon is well-known for pinot noir so I think at this point... Napa Valley or not, I want Oregon pinot noir. I've suddenly gotten really sleepy though so I should probably head to sleep.
Please let me be able to get up in the morning lol.
"My Act of Kindness"
I think I've heard everything now. My roommate practically ignited a war of words with me today, in which I am sure neither of us will win, because when one is a bloody idiot and the other is just hot-headed, no side will win. But if I sit back and take the abuse, then that's no better than before.
Well, this morning, she said to me that it will rain, and I just said, "Ok." Then she said, "My act of kindness to you is to lend you my umbrella."
................................ Seriously?
Well, this morning, she said to me that it will rain, and I just said, "Ok." Then she said, "My act of kindness to you is to lend you my umbrella."
................................ Seriously?
Watching Grammy Performances on YouTube
I should be sleeping or studying, but I'm watching Grammy performances... I think the only two people who can sing at the moment are Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Pink. Taylor Swift went totally flat =_= and Black Eyed Peas were out of sync and off beat. You know, it's only live performances nowadays that let you whether or not people can really sing or not. All the equipment people use nowadays can make even the worst singer sound like a seasoned stage performer =_= Sad. This goes to show why people who can actually hear pitch fluctuations enjoy Broadway better 'cause people there can actually sing, otherwise they'd get booted.
Pink's performance was interesting to see 'cause I couldn't tell whether she was actually singing or they had her lip-synching due to all the acrobatic things she did. If that really was her singing, then she really is talented. Lady Gaga's pretty talented too since she can dance while she sings. I'm not sure any other singers can really do that. Oh Beyonce prances around and sings so I guess that counts too.
Anyway, I just couldn't sleep, but I should sleep 'cause I've got a long day ahead tomorrow =_= ... Well, technically this morning =_=;
Pink's performance was interesting to see 'cause I couldn't tell whether she was actually singing or they had her lip-synching due to all the acrobatic things she did. If that really was her singing, then she really is talented. Lady Gaga's pretty talented too since she can dance while she sings. I'm not sure any other singers can really do that. Oh Beyonce prances around and sings so I guess that counts too.
Anyway, I just couldn't sleep, but I should sleep 'cause I've got a long day ahead tomorrow =_= ... Well, technically this morning =_=;
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Facebook Tarot Application
Last year, I developed an interest for tarot card reading 'cause I just find that sort of thing fascinating. Whether or not I truly believe in it is another thing, I just find it kind of interesting when things seem to be pretty similar to what I am going through in life.
For instance...
Tuesday, February 2
The Devil
Obsession. Compulsion. Overzealous behavior. Difficult relationships. Don't allow the darker side of things to control the situation. Negative emotions are trying to come into play. Time to reverse them before it's too late. Something is trying to chain you. An problem of some sort that is difficult to overcome at the present time. Seek outside help when forces may be greater than you. Possible opinions of others having too much influence in your life. The need to break free of something.
The day before, I was hell-bent on my killing my roommate and yesterday, I still want to mangle her, but I lost some steam as the day wore on and I never saw her. I asked around for people's opinions and ways of solving my problem, then I went to bed last night 'cause I couldn't wait for her anymore. I woke up this morning and let her know how I felt. Now I'm reading my tarot for the day and here is what it says:
The Hanged Man Reversed
Movement. Becoming unstuck and moving forward. Consideration of viewpoints and attitudes of others. Period of suffering ending. Ready to get on with things and back in the game. An opening of mind and heart. The end of a difficult time or cycle. Illumination. The way out has been discovered and is ready to be acted upon. Conformity. Allowing other's opinions to overrun your own. Things are turned upside down, but may appear right-side up. Look closely to discern how things really stand.
...Weird, huh?
Tomorrow is....
Thursday, February 4
Ace of Cups
The beginning of love and creativity. Possible marriage. Spiritual healing possible. New relationship on the horizon. Powerful creative energy able to be harnessed for new ventures. The creative arts. Emotional fulfillment in in all things. Divinity influenced art and music. Happiness and vitality for living. Support from community of new artistic ventures. Partnerships will soon be important.
Hmm.... I'll pass on the love part, but spiritual healing is great. Powerful creative energy is good too. Happiness and vitality is awesome ^__^ I hope tomorrow is a good day~
Oh, and here is the daily reading:
Recent Past:
Five of Swords
You've suffered a loss or defeat but can now regroup. New confidence and verve. Ideas have changed, so you must adjust the plan. Be a little more sure of yourself and others will join you. You don't need anyone's approval in the way you live your life. You have been a little too giving. New friendships can be formed. People are willing to trust you.
Current Situation:
Ten of Swords
Relief. The worst is over and you can put it behind you. Beginning of a new cycle soon. A gift from a distance. You are able to focus on yourself. Take what you have learned and bring about a new goal and plan. You got through something unscathed. A bit of luck has come your way, use it to your full advantage. You may receive news that you have won something.
Future Influences:
The Empress
Earth Mother. Creation. A woman constantly full of new ideas and thoughts. A woman who gives new life to herself. A trail blazer. A female presence that is caring and motherly. Fertility. Birth of an idea or new energy. Family issues. Hearth and home. The need to focus on family. Feminine healing. Need to cultivate your own creativity. A woman unto herself, not dependent on a partner for fulfillment. A ruler and leader of others. Motherly-type.
.... Trippy.
For instance...
Tuesday, February 2
The Devil
Obsession. Compulsion. Overzealous behavior. Difficult relationships. Don't allow the darker side of things to control the situation. Negative emotions are trying to come into play. Time to reverse them before it's too late. Something is trying to chain you. An problem of some sort that is difficult to overcome at the present time. Seek outside help when forces may be greater than you. Possible opinions of others having too much influence in your life. The need to break free of something.
The day before, I was hell-bent on my killing my roommate and yesterday, I still want to mangle her, but I lost some steam as the day wore on and I never saw her. I asked around for people's opinions and ways of solving my problem, then I went to bed last night 'cause I couldn't wait for her anymore. I woke up this morning and let her know how I felt. Now I'm reading my tarot for the day and here is what it says:
The Hanged Man Reversed
Movement. Becoming unstuck and moving forward. Consideration of viewpoints and attitudes of others. Period of suffering ending. Ready to get on with things and back in the game. An opening of mind and heart. The end of a difficult time or cycle. Illumination. The way out has been discovered and is ready to be acted upon. Conformity. Allowing other's opinions to overrun your own. Things are turned upside down, but may appear right-side up. Look closely to discern how things really stand.
...Weird, huh?
Tomorrow is....
Thursday, February 4
Ace of Cups
The beginning of love and creativity. Possible marriage. Spiritual healing possible. New relationship on the horizon. Powerful creative energy able to be harnessed for new ventures. The creative arts. Emotional fulfillment in in all things. Divinity influenced art and music. Happiness and vitality for living. Support from community of new artistic ventures. Partnerships will soon be important.
Hmm.... I'll pass on the love part, but spiritual healing is great. Powerful creative energy is good too. Happiness and vitality is awesome ^__^ I hope tomorrow is a good day~
Oh, and here is the daily reading:
Recent Past:
Five of Swords
You've suffered a loss or defeat but can now regroup. New confidence and verve. Ideas have changed, so you must adjust the plan. Be a little more sure of yourself and others will join you. You don't need anyone's approval in the way you live your life. You have been a little too giving. New friendships can be formed. People are willing to trust you.
Current Situation:
Ten of Swords
Relief. The worst is over and you can put it behind you. Beginning of a new cycle soon. A gift from a distance. You are able to focus on yourself. Take what you have learned and bring about a new goal and plan. You got through something unscathed. A bit of luck has come your way, use it to your full advantage. You may receive news that you have won something.
Future Influences:
The Empress
Earth Mother. Creation. A woman constantly full of new ideas and thoughts. A woman who gives new life to herself. A trail blazer. A female presence that is caring and motherly. Fertility. Birth of an idea or new energy. Family issues. Hearth and home. The need to focus on family. Feminine healing. Need to cultivate your own creativity. A woman unto herself, not dependent on a partner for fulfillment. A ruler and leader of others. Motherly-type.
.... Trippy.
Let's Plan An Imaginary Wedding
So... for some reason... my friend started planning her wedding today even though she has no boyfriend and probably won't get married for some time. In the past, she had absolutely zero interest in this unproductive activity, but she started talking about it today. I may be at fault 'cause I was talking about my good friend up in Oregon, who is planning on getting married next year and I am one of her bridesmaids.
Anyway, my friend wanted a black & white themed wedding and it got really complex with the details so I told her to just keep it simple in order to save her some money and a headache later. We were talking about the line-up and how she wants her brother to be part of the wedding, so I suggested that she just ask him to be her "maid of honor" type of person, and she said that she wanted a maid of honor, but not her brother to be that person. She hopes that her future husband will let her brother be one of the groomsmen and he can have one of his girlfriends be part of her party. I say whatever works.
She then told me that she knew for a fact that she wanted me to be in her wedding. But, I've heard that line somewhere before and I don't bank much on it lol. Many years ago, my senior high best friend told me she wanted me to be her maid of honor, but when the time came, she asked another girl to be her maid of honor. I was never expecting anything, but I did feel slightly disappointed. I found out much later that her maid of honor was the one who set her and her husband up together, so I didn't say anything, because I thought it was great for the girl to be maid of honor. It is the part where people make promises that they can't keep that bothers me is all. I don't like making promises that I can't keep, and I especially don't like it when people can't keep their promises to me either.
But over the years, I've learned to cope with this and just accept that no one is perfect and I just can't have too many expectations of others at all. Anyway, I was slightly flattered to hear about the wedding party thing, but at the same time, unsure of how to actually feel. I guess, I will know the proper emotions when the time comes.
As for me... I don't have much inclination towards chaining myself to an eternity of marital imprisonment at the moment. I am, after all, commitment-phobic and not a fan of men in general. There are no princes or white knights on white horses out there, so I've pretty much given up.
She asked me if I would want my brother to be in my wedding and honestly... I don't know. I think my brother is too lazy for that sort of thing. If my future husband likes my brother enough and they are friends, then I guess... but I don't want to impose anything on anyone. I don't mind if I am not in my brother's wedding if he should get married. I just want to be the girl at the open bar lol ^__^.
Anyway, I have no intentions of marrying a the moment so I guess planning a wedding in my head would be a waste of time.
Anyway, my friend wanted a black & white themed wedding and it got really complex with the details so I told her to just keep it simple in order to save her some money and a headache later. We were talking about the line-up and how she wants her brother to be part of the wedding, so I suggested that she just ask him to be her "maid of honor" type of person, and she said that she wanted a maid of honor, but not her brother to be that person. She hopes that her future husband will let her brother be one of the groomsmen and he can have one of his girlfriends be part of her party. I say whatever works.
She then told me that she knew for a fact that she wanted me to be in her wedding. But, I've heard that line somewhere before and I don't bank much on it lol. Many years ago, my senior high best friend told me she wanted me to be her maid of honor, but when the time came, she asked another girl to be her maid of honor. I was never expecting anything, but I did feel slightly disappointed. I found out much later that her maid of honor was the one who set her and her husband up together, so I didn't say anything, because I thought it was great for the girl to be maid of honor. It is the part where people make promises that they can't keep that bothers me is all. I don't like making promises that I can't keep, and I especially don't like it when people can't keep their promises to me either.
But over the years, I've learned to cope with this and just accept that no one is perfect and I just can't have too many expectations of others at all. Anyway, I was slightly flattered to hear about the wedding party thing, but at the same time, unsure of how to actually feel. I guess, I will know the proper emotions when the time comes.
As for me... I don't have much inclination towards chaining myself to an eternity of marital imprisonment at the moment. I am, after all, commitment-phobic and not a fan of men in general. There are no princes or white knights on white horses out there, so I've pretty much given up.
She asked me if I would want my brother to be in my wedding and honestly... I don't know. I think my brother is too lazy for that sort of thing. If my future husband likes my brother enough and they are friends, then I guess... but I don't want to impose anything on anyone. I don't mind if I am not in my brother's wedding if he should get married. I just want to be the girl at the open bar lol ^__^.
Anyway, I have no intentions of marrying a the moment so I guess planning a wedding in my head would be a waste of time.
My Computer is On Television!!!
Actually, a model of my computer was on Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge episode 3 and I couldn't resist blogging about it. That's all lol ^_^
Smile of Death
I love the fact that I worked in a restaurant right about now. My hands are still shaking at the moment, but I told her how I felt and didn't hand over that note. I was polite, I was smiling, and cordial and I communicated in a respectful, adult-like manner. I told her I didn't liked to be asked for the rent early, and I told her that I wasn't going to deposit the money for her anymore. I left it at that. When she tried to get me to talk longer, I told her that I am very overwhelmed with my own responsibilities at the moment let alone someone else's. She tried to make it seem like I'm not willing to do her any favors when I have never asked her of anything. I said I was willing to do things for her except for that. She pushed me into saying that I felt like I was being taken advantaged of at times, and I said that she had already asked me for rent early five times now, but this is the third time that I have gotten angry over it. She doesn't remember, but I do.
She asked me in June for July, then July 5 days early for August, she asked me twice before that, and this makes it the fifth time. I was smiling the entire time, but I really wanted to just kill her. I don't want to deal with this woman anymore.
She said, "Oh that's why I bought you that shot glass 'cause I didn't want you to think that I was taking advantage of you."
........................................... Seriously? Why do I feel like I have been bribed here? This is like that age-old "Here's some candy, kid. Don't be mad anymore" routine. I never wanted the f**king shot glass, I even said you don't need to get me anything. Some people are just so.... .... well, let's say impressive enough to render me speechless for an appropriate adjective.
Well, I put my foot down. She said that she will get her guy friend to come pick up the check from now on, but if she asks me for the rent early anymore, I will just say no, smile, and then walk away. Her going away is her own problem, not mine. So there.
She asked me in June for July, then July 5 days early for August, she asked me twice before that, and this makes it the fifth time. I was smiling the entire time, but I really wanted to just kill her. I don't want to deal with this woman anymore.
She said, "Oh that's why I bought you that shot glass 'cause I didn't want you to think that I was taking advantage of you."
........................................... Seriously? Why do I feel like I have been bribed here? This is like that age-old "Here's some candy, kid. Don't be mad anymore" routine. I never wanted the f**king shot glass, I even said you don't need to get me anything. Some people are just so.... .... well, let's say impressive enough to render me speechless for an appropriate adjective.
Well, I put my foot down. She said that she will get her guy friend to come pick up the check from now on, but if she asks me for the rent early anymore, I will just say no, smile, and then walk away. Her going away is her own problem, not mine. So there.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Death Sentence Postponement
I'm very sleepy and feeling kind of ill so I think I'm just going to go to bed early tonight. My roommate isn't home yet so this gives me an extra day to sleep on the proper way of handling her, and also, one more day for her to live. When I see her tomorrow, I swear I will have to kill her. Anyway, before I make myself more ill, I'd best get some sleep. I'm not feeling so great =_=
On the bright side, I managed to make this really hard return balance today *__* I did it all on my own, though with a little guidance, and my reviewer didn't kill me. I was so stoked when it finally worked. It was literally almost a brand new return. This sole proprietorship rental used to be on someone else's personal Schedule E, but then some other guy came in and bought part of the company so it became a partnership for tax purposes. For state, it was not an initial return, but in terms of federal purposes, it is so that was one of the things I wasn't sure about. The biggest thing that really killed me was the input part. I made a lot of stupid mistakes doing this return at first, but thank god I caught most of them.
For instance... when inputting accumulated depreciation, I only put in A/D up to 2008 and didn't put A/D up to 2009 so that was not good lol. I went back in and fixed it after doing a couple workpapers. The company for some reason does all their books in accrual basis when it has been filing as cash, so every year we have to undo the accruals from prior year and then record the accruals this year. I did a workpaper for this as one of the very first things I did, but I missed prepaid expenses so I added that in this time. I was so happy with myself when I caught my own stupid mistakes. Then, I did an AJE, which really should have been done first lol 'cause I was trying to input the book retained earnings into one partner's capital, but it was wrong 'cause I hadn't adjusted it yet lol ^_^;;; I'm really glad that my boss gave me this project though 'cause I got to basically learn how to do a lot of it on my own, and then I'm glad I asked the tax manager how to use all these different functions in the tax program so that I could show what I needed to show. I took it slowly, but I didn't give up and then I made the return balance and net income on the return matched what was on the books. I did my M-1 adjustments, showed the pro-rata of partnership interest allocation, made the accrual to cash workpapers, AJE's, depreciation workpapers, etc. I tried to make it as simple as possible and when I turned it in, I was so proud of myself. I have never been able to make a hard return balance without crying to someone about it lol. I almost just ran to my reviewer and begged her to help me balance it, but no, I stuck to it and got it done before my boss came in this afternoon. I felt good ^__^
I had this project for a week on my shelf now, but had only been able to work on it for three days. I did part of the summary memo first since my boss' instructions were still fresh in my head, and then worked with what I knew. I screwed up on just about everything though lol when I first inputted them, but slowly, all these epiphanies hit and I just made it work *___* I was so proud of myself. Now if I can do the same with some of these other returns I have, the better.
I'd better check on the depreciation for this one other client I was working on. I also need to keep an update on the trusts that I worked on. I have so much stuff to do @_@. Oh which reminds me... I need to look up a security tomorrow. That or ask my boss to send the question to the client 'cause I can't input this security to Schedule D until I have a cost basis and acquisition date for it. I need to input the amount on the Form 2439 as well =_= *sigh*
Right now, I'm making a perm file for another client, which was put together quite haphazardly by the former office manager and so I have to reorganize some things so that it makes sense =_= Anyway, sleep. Must sleep. I'm putting lemon in my water, drinking that and sleeping. Yes, sleep is good.
On the bright side, I managed to make this really hard return balance today *__* I did it all on my own, though with a little guidance, and my reviewer didn't kill me. I was so stoked when it finally worked. It was literally almost a brand new return. This sole proprietorship rental used to be on someone else's personal Schedule E, but then some other guy came in and bought part of the company so it became a partnership for tax purposes. For state, it was not an initial return, but in terms of federal purposes, it is so that was one of the things I wasn't sure about. The biggest thing that really killed me was the input part. I made a lot of stupid mistakes doing this return at first, but thank god I caught most of them.
For instance... when inputting accumulated depreciation, I only put in A/D up to 2008 and didn't put A/D up to 2009 so that was not good lol. I went back in and fixed it after doing a couple workpapers. The company for some reason does all their books in accrual basis when it has been filing as cash, so every year we have to undo the accruals from prior year and then record the accruals this year. I did a workpaper for this as one of the very first things I did, but I missed prepaid expenses so I added that in this time. I was so happy with myself when I caught my own stupid mistakes. Then, I did an AJE, which really should have been done first lol 'cause I was trying to input the book retained earnings into one partner's capital, but it was wrong 'cause I hadn't adjusted it yet lol ^_^;;; I'm really glad that my boss gave me this project though 'cause I got to basically learn how to do a lot of it on my own, and then I'm glad I asked the tax manager how to use all these different functions in the tax program so that I could show what I needed to show. I took it slowly, but I didn't give up and then I made the return balance and net income on the return matched what was on the books. I did my M-1 adjustments, showed the pro-rata of partnership interest allocation, made the accrual to cash workpapers, AJE's, depreciation workpapers, etc. I tried to make it as simple as possible and when I turned it in, I was so proud of myself. I have never been able to make a hard return balance without crying to someone about it lol. I almost just ran to my reviewer and begged her to help me balance it, but no, I stuck to it and got it done before my boss came in this afternoon. I felt good ^__^
I had this project for a week on my shelf now, but had only been able to work on it for three days. I did part of the summary memo first since my boss' instructions were still fresh in my head, and then worked with what I knew. I screwed up on just about everything though lol when I first inputted them, but slowly, all these epiphanies hit and I just made it work *___* I was so proud of myself. Now if I can do the same with some of these other returns I have, the better.
I'd better check on the depreciation for this one other client I was working on. I also need to keep an update on the trusts that I worked on. I have so much stuff to do @_@. Oh which reminds me... I need to look up a security tomorrow. That or ask my boss to send the question to the client 'cause I can't input this security to Schedule D until I have a cost basis and acquisition date for it. I need to input the amount on the Form 2439 as well =_= *sigh*
Right now, I'm making a perm file for another client, which was put together quite haphazardly by the former office manager and so I have to reorganize some things so that it makes sense =_= Anyway, sleep. Must sleep. I'm putting lemon in my water, drinking that and sleeping. Yes, sleep is good.
"Not To Do" List
So I think I'm going to make my roommate a "Not To Do" list as she gave me a "To Do" List. I'll be listing things such as:
1. Asking for rent early - I will honor the agreement we both signed and hand over a check on the 1st of every month, unless certain circumstances cause me to defer payment until the next business day or two.
2. Asking the tenant to run to the bank to deposit their rent - As per agreement, the extent of my responsibilities as a tenant is only to hand over a check on the proposed date. Anything extra is out the scope of my responsibilities, and I will not be performing another person's responsibilities for them anymore regardless of circumstances.
3. Feeling too badly about not seeing me for the next few months - I am officially in busy season right now as well as exam mode. More likely than not, I will be quite antisocial and focused on just my responsibilities during these next few months.
4. Worry about the mail that comes in for me - The most I would get in the mailbox is a CPA magazine, and maybe a key to get a package. Unless CalCPA sends me a huge white envelope, I am in no hurry to get the magazine that comes in now and then. So don't worry too much about my mail. Unless it is a huge brown box, I am not too concerned about it. But if you would like me to go get the mail for you, I don't mind. I am, however, only able to do it Saturday though as I have more time those days unless I am in the city for the weekend due to exams and family gatherings. In that case, I'll go grab the mail on Sunday or whenever I get home.
I will try my best to let you know when I am expecting a huge package. In the next 2-3 weeks ahead, I should be receiving a mattress topper and a bookshelf. These are the only known things I know, which are going to be sent to me, but have not given me a confirmation about their status.
I greatly appreciate your understanding on these things and your silence during my studying is absolutely golden. Thanks so much!
.... is how I would like to write it, but I'll be sure to make it more diplomatic and I'll probably just get rid of the mail one... *sigh* I feel much calmer today 'cause my mother and I talked and she told me to keep a level head. I am dealing with an unruly customer, I need my cool, level head, so I'm not going to let these volatile emotions take control over me. I am going to channel coolness, become a Tetsu Onna~! j/k ^_^ If only ^_^ Anyways, I may just write this all up and hand it to her as a joke later tonight when I see her. I also need to give her the one page of the agreement I copied for her ^_^ and highlighted in yellow.
I don't think I have ever been so happy to know that my roommate is coming home. Usually, I just want her to disappear forever, but this is the first time I am actually feeling kind of happy to know that she is coming home. Maybe because I am prepared to kick her ass today? Hehe ^_^ I feel so evil, but hey, she pushed me to this limit so be prepared for the consequences of messing with me. Just because I was accommodating and a pushover last year doesn't mean it will be the same this year. And don't think that phrase "people can't change overnight" is going to stop me. Yeah, I can't change overnight and my roommate can't change overnight, but I consider myself making progress towards being someone who is less fearful of life and taking things in larger strides now. I am not going back to who I was last year. I absolutely refuse, so there.
1. Asking for rent early - I will honor the agreement we both signed and hand over a check on the 1st of every month, unless certain circumstances cause me to defer payment until the next business day or two.
2. Asking the tenant to run to the bank to deposit their rent - As per agreement, the extent of my responsibilities as a tenant is only to hand over a check on the proposed date. Anything extra is out the scope of my responsibilities, and I will not be performing another person's responsibilities for them anymore regardless of circumstances.
3. Feeling too badly about not seeing me for the next few months - I am officially in busy season right now as well as exam mode. More likely than not, I will be quite antisocial and focused on just my responsibilities during these next few months.
4. Worry about the mail that comes in for me - The most I would get in the mailbox is a CPA magazine, and maybe a key to get a package. Unless CalCPA sends me a huge white envelope, I am in no hurry to get the magazine that comes in now and then. So don't worry too much about my mail. Unless it is a huge brown box, I am not too concerned about it. But if you would like me to go get the mail for you, I don't mind. I am, however, only able to do it Saturday though as I have more time those days unless I am in the city for the weekend due to exams and family gatherings. In that case, I'll go grab the mail on Sunday or whenever I get home.
I will try my best to let you know when I am expecting a huge package. In the next 2-3 weeks ahead, I should be receiving a mattress topper and a bookshelf. These are the only known things I know, which are going to be sent to me, but have not given me a confirmation about their status.
I greatly appreciate your understanding on these things and your silence during my studying is absolutely golden. Thanks so much!
.... is how I would like to write it, but I'll be sure to make it more diplomatic and I'll probably just get rid of the mail one... *sigh* I feel much calmer today 'cause my mother and I talked and she told me to keep a level head. I am dealing with an unruly customer, I need my cool, level head, so I'm not going to let these volatile emotions take control over me. I am going to channel coolness, become a Tetsu Onna~! j/k ^_^ If only ^_^ Anyways, I may just write this all up and hand it to her as a joke later tonight when I see her. I also need to give her the one page of the agreement I copied for her ^_^ and highlighted in yellow.
I don't think I have ever been so happy to know that my roommate is coming home. Usually, I just want her to disappear forever, but this is the first time I am actually feeling kind of happy to know that she is coming home. Maybe because I am prepared to kick her ass today? Hehe ^_^ I feel so evil, but hey, she pushed me to this limit so be prepared for the consequences of messing with me. Just because I was accommodating and a pushover last year doesn't mean it will be the same this year. And don't think that phrase "people can't change overnight" is going to stop me. Yeah, I can't change overnight and my roommate can't change overnight, but I consider myself making progress towards being someone who is less fearful of life and taking things in larger strides now. I am not going back to who I was last year. I absolutely refuse, so there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)