Ok, I'm a couple years late, but this is about the movie Gran Torino. I'm watching it right now and it's really sad! The girl just came home, all beat up and abused. This is the second time I've seen this movie and while the first time I was not overly impressed, I'm really enjoying it this time. I mean, I'm not particularly fond of sad movies and, yes, there is a lot of cussing, but it's got a good story.
All the racial slurs are a little unnerving. They make me nervous. I've been trained to dislike any words that may offend anyone, of course, by the great U S of A, but more than that, insulting a whole race is just mean. Ok, yes, I've used some of those words before, but it was always in fun, with people I knew. Even that may be wrong, I don't know. It's not always the intent that matters.
It does bother me though when one race 'allowed' to use a racial slur and others aren't. The N word, for instance. I think, personally, that if one race is allowed to use a word, all races should be able to use the word. Isn't it racist for a race to be called racist for something that another race can do without being called racist? So, again personally, I think that if blacks can use the word, I should be able to, or if I can't use it then they can't either. Isn't that fair? Which is the objective for America, right?
I don't really understand racist remarks anyway. How can you be offended when someone insults an entire race? I think it makes the insulter seem ignorant since every race has its individuals so no one word can possibly encapsulate an entire people. Every race has its yay people and its idiots. So racist labels, when I use them, are more terms of endearment. I call David a coconut, for instance. I wouldn't if he found it offensive, but he laughs and returns an 'insult' as a sign of affection. My relationship was the same with Ryan, Veronica, Steven, and especially myself! I use racial slurs on myself all the time because there's no reason to feel offended.
Anyway, I don't think I could befriend an old guy who uses the words as a real insult. I would be offended. Eventually he started using the words affectionately, but that's not how it started. I'd be angry with him if I met a guy like that. ...Unless he was slurring against me. But if it were against any other race, I'd be irritated. Don't know why. Maybe I've bought into the whole, 'white people are bad' thing in some ways. I don't want to think like that though. I've never done anything against another race. I didn't steal land from the Native Americans, I've never owned a slave, I've never taken advantage of cheap laborers, nothing that I should feel guilty about. I'm no more racist, and no more guilty of racism than any other person of any color out there.
So, I'm wrapping up this incredibly self-centered blog now. Geeze, I feel like I tooted my own horn for this entire thing, but these are my opinions, my experiences, and so I wrote them down. If you don't agree with what I think, well then cool. You don't have to. Isn't that awesome?? And I don't have to agree with what you think. It just works out like that.
I do like a good debate though. So I'd be up for one anytime you think my opinion is wrong, or ignorant, or narrow minded in some way. Just throwing that out there!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Cold, Cold, Cold
Brr! My feet have been chunks of ice at the bottom of my legs for a week straight now! Of course, if I really minded, I probably would have put on socks by now. Lol. It's weird, but cold feet are a kind of nostalgia for me. It reminds me of my home in Tehachapi where it was freakin' freezing at least 6 months out of the year. When my feet are cold and won't warm up no matter what I do, it reminds me of the snow and the forts and slides and igloos we used to build when there was enough of the stuff.
It was when I was with my family.
Sometimes I really miss those times. I look back now and think that I must have been a little terror to my siblings, but I really liked being at home with everyone. My biggest worry was the guy I liked at school or having not done a homework assignment that was due that day, though that last thing never concerned me over-much.
In Other News:
Still waiting for those JYJ tickets to come on sale. Their website said that the tickets were going to be "reasonable" when it comes to price so that all their fans can come. I'm a little apprehensive about a big company's definition of 'reasonable' so even now I haven't been able to get rid of the little knot of dread in my stomach. Their news board hasn't changed so I'm still anticipating that the tickets will be available early this week, which I would take to mean today. Good luck to me! I hate waiting. Waiting is worse than anything else in the world.
*Kicks waiting around in the dust a little bit just to illustrate her deep dislike for it.*
And now, my avid readers...reader...no one in particular, I'm signing off with a little reminder that the Q are watching, so be on your best behavior.
It was when I was with my family.
Sometimes I really miss those times. I look back now and think that I must have been a little terror to my siblings, but I really liked being at home with everyone. My biggest worry was the guy I liked at school or having not done a homework assignment that was due that day, though that last thing never concerned me over-much.
In Other News:
Still waiting for those JYJ tickets to come on sale. Their website said that the tickets were going to be "reasonable" when it comes to price so that all their fans can come. I'm a little apprehensive about a big company's definition of 'reasonable' so even now I haven't been able to get rid of the little knot of dread in my stomach. Their news board hasn't changed so I'm still anticipating that the tickets will be available early this week, which I would take to mean today. Good luck to me! I hate waiting. Waiting is worse than anything else in the world.
*Kicks waiting around in the dust a little bit just to illustrate her deep dislike for it.*
And now, my avid readers...reader...no one in particular, I'm signing off with a little reminder that the Q are watching, so be on your best behavior.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Drama, Concert, School
Alright! Just watched the final episode of Playful Kiss. Happy to report that this is one drama that I'm not really depressed saying goodbye to. Yes, it ended well. Yes, the final episode had its moments. No, I will not be buying this show.
Spoiler Alert!
I personally did not like the main male character. He was very cold. I mean, a cold male character can be very attractive and several shows have started with a distant and haughty male lead that has captured my heart and I'm rooting for the couple to get together the whole time (See You're Beautiful and Boys Over Flowers). But in this show, the main male is TOO cold. He's mean. Really mean. And there weren't enough places in the show that gave me hope. I hated that I kept going back to watch more through most of the series. If I'd had anything better to watch, I would have. As is, I'm now glad I made it to the end, I just wish the journey to get there hadn't been so painful. I've never rooted so hard for the main girl to get with a supporting character!
Even up to the very last episode the guy was mean. He went through a wedding ceremony with the main girl and had their honeymoon and all that, and then proudly declared that he would not apply for the marriage certificate or declare their marriage to the government until his 'wife' had passed a test to become a nurse. Turns out he did it for her own good, allegedly, but that's not funny! How can you hold something like that over some one's head??
Anyway, there was no crying and I really don't think there's going to be any sadness at all at this departure. All I can really say for this drama is that it was a good place holder for the drama I really wanted to see and only has two episodes come out a week.
JYJ Concert!
I read on JYJ's official site that tickets will be available starting early this coming week.
While I am very excited and have anticipated this for a very long time (in Amber time it was months, in normal time, a week or two?) I'm no longer dead sure that I'm going to go. I was so excited when they were originally supposed to play in San Francisco. It's only a couple hours from me and I wasn't going to have to rent a hotel or anything like that. I was just going to show up, watch the concert, and then go home. Yay!
But then the venues changed and now the only places that JYJ is playing is Hawaii, Las Vegas, and L.A. None of those places are exactly, "no problem, I'll just drive home after the concert" places. Now I have to look at whether I want to fly or drive. What hotel I can stay in that's fairly close, how much the ticket is going to be, food, gas, all of that! I'm so bummed. I really want to go because they look like they throw one heck of a concert and I really want to be there to support them in their first American tour (especially because I'd like it to happen again and that means they have to know it will be worth their while). It's so hard to make this decision!!
I think the deciding factor will probably be the price of the tickets. If its a couple hundred bucks, well then, I'll just buy their CD. If it's under a hundred and I'm somewhere not in the nose bleed section, I'm going even if I have to sleep in a tent by the theater. Those are my current thoughts on the matter.
I've also been looking into massage therapy schools again. I found a great accredited school offering a really amazing course...of course, the school is in Oakland and the tuition is about $1300 and that's before books and stuff. I was like, 'Woah!' And then that's only the Swedish massage training where I'll get the basics of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology...or something like that, and then about ninety hours of hands on training. If I want to get into the sports and therapeutic massage, where the big bucks are, its another 150 hours of classes that goes more in depth about muscles, nerves, joints and so on, with a lot more hands on hours, and that class is a little over $2000.
Honestly the location is more a deterrent than the price. There's no way I could commute to Oakland, and there is equally no way that I could afford to live in Oakland on unemployment or any other job I'm qualified for at the moment. But I'm still mulling it over. There were some not-quite-as-attractive schools in Sacramento claiming to be able to get you ready for the licensing test for being a masseuse. We'll see.
Spoiler Alert!
I personally did not like the main male character. He was very cold. I mean, a cold male character can be very attractive and several shows have started with a distant and haughty male lead that has captured my heart and I'm rooting for the couple to get together the whole time (See You're Beautiful and Boys Over Flowers). But in this show, the main male is TOO cold. He's mean. Really mean. And there weren't enough places in the show that gave me hope. I hated that I kept going back to watch more through most of the series. If I'd had anything better to watch, I would have. As is, I'm now glad I made it to the end, I just wish the journey to get there hadn't been so painful. I've never rooted so hard for the main girl to get with a supporting character!
Even up to the very last episode the guy was mean. He went through a wedding ceremony with the main girl and had their honeymoon and all that, and then proudly declared that he would not apply for the marriage certificate or declare their marriage to the government until his 'wife' had passed a test to become a nurse. Turns out he did it for her own good, allegedly, but that's not funny! How can you hold something like that over some one's head??
Anyway, there was no crying and I really don't think there's going to be any sadness at all at this departure. All I can really say for this drama is that it was a good place holder for the drama I really wanted to see and only has two episodes come out a week.
JYJ Concert!
I read on JYJ's official site that tickets will be available starting early this coming week.
While I am very excited and have anticipated this for a very long time (in Amber time it was months, in normal time, a week or two?) I'm no longer dead sure that I'm going to go. I was so excited when they were originally supposed to play in San Francisco. It's only a couple hours from me and I wasn't going to have to rent a hotel or anything like that. I was just going to show up, watch the concert, and then go home. Yay!
But then the venues changed and now the only places that JYJ is playing is Hawaii, Las Vegas, and L.A. None of those places are exactly, "no problem, I'll just drive home after the concert" places. Now I have to look at whether I want to fly or drive. What hotel I can stay in that's fairly close, how much the ticket is going to be, food, gas, all of that! I'm so bummed. I really want to go because they look like they throw one heck of a concert and I really want to be there to support them in their first American tour (especially because I'd like it to happen again and that means they have to know it will be worth their while). It's so hard to make this decision!!
I think the deciding factor will probably be the price of the tickets. If its a couple hundred bucks, well then, I'll just buy their CD. If it's under a hundred and I'm somewhere not in the nose bleed section, I'm going even if I have to sleep in a tent by the theater. Those are my current thoughts on the matter.
I've also been looking into massage therapy schools again. I found a great accredited school offering a really amazing course...of course, the school is in Oakland and the tuition is about $1300 and that's before books and stuff. I was like, 'Woah!' And then that's only the Swedish massage training where I'll get the basics of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology...or something like that, and then about ninety hours of hands on training. If I want to get into the sports and therapeutic massage, where the big bucks are, its another 150 hours of classes that goes more in depth about muscles, nerves, joints and so on, with a lot more hands on hours, and that class is a little over $2000.
Honestly the location is more a deterrent than the price. There's no way I could commute to Oakland, and there is equally no way that I could afford to live in Oakland on unemployment or any other job I'm qualified for at the moment. But I'm still mulling it over. There were some not-quite-as-attractive schools in Sacramento claiming to be able to get you ready for the licensing test for being a masseuse. We'll see.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Lee Jun Ki Pictures
I really don't have anything to say but I saw these pictures on facebook and wow! I really like them. It makes me sad all over again that Lee is in the military. Gosh darn it. But anyway, here is the picture that grabbed my attention.
As you can see, it has a "Halloween" kind of feel, and that is my favorite holiday of the year...well, right after my birthday. Yah, he's so pretty. I'm not usually a fan of the dramatic make up, but I don't think I've seen anything yet that he hasn't pulled of with style!
Ok, ok, here's the next photo that caught my interest when I went to investigate the album the first picture came from.
Again with the feathers and the sexiness. More jewelery this time, or at least more prevalant. He wears them well, but I'm just not a fan of too many rings. But yikes, I want to go to the halloween party he's attending!
And so with a lustful sigh I sign off. ~looks dreamily at pictures one more time. Face transforms from dreamy to irritated. Kicks stupid korean rule that makes it mandatory for all korean males to join~ Take that!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Writing Exorcise
A recurring dream of my four main characters:
Ari-Abi (Female angel)- The cool air whispered over Ari's cheeks as she flew low over one of earth's oceans. It had been sunny, she remembered but dark clouds now hid the sky and turned the sapphire blue waters to choppy slate gray waves. She wasn't worried though. Storms couldn't hurt her. A darker shape in the water lay under the water's surface ahead of her as she meandered. A whale perhaps?
She drew closer to the hulking dark form, hoping to be able to watch the whale surface and blow a spout of water into the air. But the dark place in the water seemed to be growing in size and blackness. She hovered over it, beginning to feel uneasy. Her hand went instinctively to her sword only to realize that she'd lost it somewhere. Had it fallen into the ocean? How was she going to find it? The shape beneath her had transformed into a whirlpool and it was sucking at her robes.
A rock had settled itself in Ari's chest, making it hard to breath and harder to stay in the air. She was sinking! The yawning maw of the whirlpool had teeth and desired a meal. Ari's wings pumped furiously but her chest didn't want to suck in any air and no sound escaped from her mouth when she tried to call out for help. Her feet kicked the empty air, her arms stretched and grasped for anything even though she knew it was hopeless. Hungry water lapped at her toes, turning them to icy dead weights that quickened her descent.
Ari-Abi, pinangel, woke up, gasping for breath and flailing about in her sheets. It was the same dream again!
Rotciv (Incubus)- Rotciv's little hut of a dwelling was gone and in its place stood a mansion. It was big enough to have many, many rooms, hundreds maybe. But there didn't seem to be any order to them. The mansion was cobbled together like a beggar's jacket. One part seemed to be made pieces of armor; armor he recognized as his own cast offs that had been up-graded through the decades. Another part looked to have been carved from the planet itself, as if a cave had risen from the surface just to help house him. Precious metals such as rinshate and gold comprised other parts while burlap cloth and even feathered wings peeked out at him. There wasn't a right angle anywhere and the top of the house ranged randomly from only a few feet from the ground to many stories high.
His home had been his security, his peace of mind and now it was in so many disjointed parts and pieces that he was afraid it might collapse in on itself at any moment. How had it come to this?
Kashik (Incubus)- Feathers. White feathers. They drifted down around Kashik as he hovered motionless among the stars. There shouldn't have been gravity, some recessed part of his mind noted, but it didn't distract him from the triumph, the sheer sense of victory that washed through him. The angels, those disgusting servants of greater beings, were all gone now. The white feathers around him were splashed liberally with gold, the color of the fluids that filled angelic bodies. There were feathers from every angel that had existed only a few...what, days? Hours? Minutes? Ago. He'd won. They were all gone. There was nothing to stand between him and the universe now. It was all his.
Niroc (succubus)- Niroc's brother, Rotciv, walked by her side through a long grey brick tunnel, carrying his sword. Demons filled the tunnel, all walking to and fro on their way to their destinations. Why she was in a tunnel, she didn't know or really care. She was there with her big brother who had taken care of her her whole life. Suddenly the ground started shaking. No one screamed but demons started running. She and Rotciv did the same. Soon the ground was shaking so violently that it seemed to roll like waves in an ocean and pieces of the tunnel began collapsing into the mass of pedestrians. Niroc ran as fast as she could but Rotciv had always been faster and soon he was pulling ahead of her. She called out to him to wait, to slow down, to help her, all in one wordless shout. But he hadn't heard her and before she could cry out again he was several yards in front of her and opening. She lost sight of him in the crowd once or twice and every time she found him again, he was even further ahead of her. "Wait! Kashik!" she cried. But he didn't stop.
Ari-Abi (Female angel)- The cool air whispered over Ari's cheeks as she flew low over one of earth's oceans. It had been sunny, she remembered but dark clouds now hid the sky and turned the sapphire blue waters to choppy slate gray waves. She wasn't worried though. Storms couldn't hurt her. A darker shape in the water lay under the water's surface ahead of her as she meandered. A whale perhaps?
She drew closer to the hulking dark form, hoping to be able to watch the whale surface and blow a spout of water into the air. But the dark place in the water seemed to be growing in size and blackness. She hovered over it, beginning to feel uneasy. Her hand went instinctively to her sword only to realize that she'd lost it somewhere. Had it fallen into the ocean? How was she going to find it? The shape beneath her had transformed into a whirlpool and it was sucking at her robes.
A rock had settled itself in Ari's chest, making it hard to breath and harder to stay in the air. She was sinking! The yawning maw of the whirlpool had teeth and desired a meal. Ari's wings pumped furiously but her chest didn't want to suck in any air and no sound escaped from her mouth when she tried to call out for help. Her feet kicked the empty air, her arms stretched and grasped for anything even though she knew it was hopeless. Hungry water lapped at her toes, turning them to icy dead weights that quickened her descent.
Ari-Abi, pinangel, woke up, gasping for breath and flailing about in her sheets. It was the same dream again!
Rotciv (Incubus)- Rotciv's little hut of a dwelling was gone and in its place stood a mansion. It was big enough to have many, many rooms, hundreds maybe. But there didn't seem to be any order to them. The mansion was cobbled together like a beggar's jacket. One part seemed to be made pieces of armor; armor he recognized as his own cast offs that had been up-graded through the decades. Another part looked to have been carved from the planet itself, as if a cave had risen from the surface just to help house him. Precious metals such as rinshate and gold comprised other parts while burlap cloth and even feathered wings peeked out at him. There wasn't a right angle anywhere and the top of the house ranged randomly from only a few feet from the ground to many stories high.
His home had been his security, his peace of mind and now it was in so many disjointed parts and pieces that he was afraid it might collapse in on itself at any moment. How had it come to this?
Kashik (Incubus)- Feathers. White feathers. They drifted down around Kashik as he hovered motionless among the stars. There shouldn't have been gravity, some recessed part of his mind noted, but it didn't distract him from the triumph, the sheer sense of victory that washed through him. The angels, those disgusting servants of greater beings, were all gone now. The white feathers around him were splashed liberally with gold, the color of the fluids that filled angelic bodies. There were feathers from every angel that had existed only a few...what, days? Hours? Minutes? Ago. He'd won. They were all gone. There was nothing to stand between him and the universe now. It was all his.
Niroc (succubus)- Niroc's brother, Rotciv, walked by her side through a long grey brick tunnel, carrying his sword. Demons filled the tunnel, all walking to and fro on their way to their destinations. Why she was in a tunnel, she didn't know or really care. She was there with her big brother who had taken care of her her whole life. Suddenly the ground started shaking. No one screamed but demons started running. She and Rotciv did the same. Soon the ground was shaking so violently that it seemed to roll like waves in an ocean and pieces of the tunnel began collapsing into the mass of pedestrians. Niroc ran as fast as she could but Rotciv had always been faster and soon he was pulling ahead of her. She called out to him to wait, to slow down, to help her, all in one wordless shout. But he hadn't heard her and before she could cry out again he was several yards in front of her and opening. She lost sight of him in the crowd once or twice and every time she found him again, he was even further ahead of her. "Wait! Kashik!" she cried. But he didn't stop.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Archery Day #2
A couple things happened today. First, instead of hitting the box 5 times out of a hundred, I hit it half the time! I was so happy. It's so much harder to hit the thing than I thought it would be. But yay! I'm improving. I think I should be able to hit the box about 60% of the time tomorrow. And then I'll work on hitting only the middle of box.
Second, the little kid that came yesterday came again today. He kept throwing the arrows after he went and got them. I asked him repeatedly not to do it yesterday. Today was shaping up the same way. I didn't want him throwing them because it would be my luck that the arrow would end up in some one's eye and I'd be in big trouble. So finally, I told him that he wouldn't be able to play anymore if he did it again. And twenty minutes later, of course, he throws it again. So I told him he couldn't shoot anymore. He got all mad at me. He went off and pouted and came back to ask if he could play again, and I told him no, because then he wouldn't learn anything. And then he started yelling at me to miss every time it was my turn. I didn't care of course and I actually laughed when he threatened that he wouldn't be there tomorrow and he hoped I liked shooting alone. More shooting time for me! ~Sighs~ He's probably going to come back tomorrow anyway.
I've decided not to ever read this posting since I wrote it while watching tv. And I think that it hasn't been the most intelligent thing I've ever written.
Second, the little kid that came yesterday came again today. He kept throwing the arrows after he went and got them. I asked him repeatedly not to do it yesterday. Today was shaping up the same way. I didn't want him throwing them because it would be my luck that the arrow would end up in some one's eye and I'd be in big trouble. So finally, I told him that he wouldn't be able to play anymore if he did it again. And twenty minutes later, of course, he throws it again. So I told him he couldn't shoot anymore. He got all mad at me. He went off and pouted and came back to ask if he could play again, and I told him no, because then he wouldn't learn anything. And then he started yelling at me to miss every time it was my turn. I didn't care of course and I actually laughed when he threatened that he wouldn't be there tomorrow and he hoped I liked shooting alone. More shooting time for me! ~Sighs~ He's probably going to come back tomorrow anyway.
I've decided not to ever read this posting since I wrote it while watching tv. And I think that it hasn't been the most intelligent thing I've ever written.
Bow And Arrows
I've recently finished the episodes in Sungkyunkwan Scandal with the Dea Sa Rea (Archery contest) and thought, 'ooh, that looks like fun!' So I, being me, ran out and bought a bow and arrow set from Big 5. The bow is little, but I didn't want a cross bow or one of those bows that have the pulley systems, or anything like that so I got the best they had even though it is for children.
The set come with 2 arrows and I think I'm going to have to go get more because it's frustrating to have to go chase the arrows down after only two shots. And chasing them down takes extra time because I almost never hit the target. So my next acquisition will have to be more arrows.
So, yes, I went out and shot today. I actually found an abandoned park near my house when I went walking in the rain and it made a perfect place to do things like archery that take a lot of room without innocent bystanders hanging around in inconvenient 'kill' zones (which was pretty much everywhere in front of me...except the target).
It wasn't long before a little kid rode his scooter up to investigate. "Hey," I call out. "You want to try?"
~Sighs~ Me and my big mouth. Of course he accepts and the nine year old wanted to show off and claim my attention and do all the things little kids do. And I didn't want to be rude and tell him to scram. A friend of his was flagged down as he rode his bike down the street and then I had two little buggers to share with. At least this one was fourteen and not so irritating. He was actually kinda fun to play with.
So even though I was there for over an hour I can't say I improved at all, and I blame not being able to shoot much. Most of my time was spent watching them shoot and trying to make sure that the little one didn't even play like he was going to shoot in any one's direction.
My attention has not lapsed yet so we'll see how good I get before I get bored. I think it will be a lot easier when I get more arrows!
P.S. I'm listening to JYJ's new english album, The Beginning, still waiting for concert tickets to go on sale. Hoping that it's not all a hoax. That would be sad.
The set come with 2 arrows and I think I'm going to have to go get more because it's frustrating to have to go chase the arrows down after only two shots. And chasing them down takes extra time because I almost never hit the target. So my next acquisition will have to be more arrows.
So, yes, I went out and shot today. I actually found an abandoned park near my house when I went walking in the rain and it made a perfect place to do things like archery that take a lot of room without innocent bystanders hanging around in inconvenient 'kill' zones (which was pretty much everywhere in front of me...except the target).
It wasn't long before a little kid rode his scooter up to investigate. "Hey," I call out. "You want to try?"
~Sighs~ Me and my big mouth. Of course he accepts and the nine year old wanted to show off and claim my attention and do all the things little kids do. And I didn't want to be rude and tell him to scram. A friend of his was flagged down as he rode his bike down the street and then I had two little buggers to share with. At least this one was fourteen and not so irritating. He was actually kinda fun to play with.
So even though I was there for over an hour I can't say I improved at all, and I blame not being able to shoot much. Most of my time was spent watching them shoot and trying to make sure that the little one didn't even play like he was going to shoot in any one's direction.
My attention has not lapsed yet so we'll see how good I get before I get bored. I think it will be a lot easier when I get more arrows!
P.S. I'm listening to JYJ's new english album, The Beginning, still waiting for concert tickets to go on sale. Hoping that it's not all a hoax. That would be sad.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Up-Dated Korean Songs I Love List DBSK, SHINee, G Dragon
Ok, yes, I just posted a blog 20 minutes ago and I'm back posting another one, but I am not obsessed I'm just bored. Plus, I wanted to share the songs that I perhaps did not love right away but have come to really enjoy.
Let's start with DBSK! Yay! Alright! Oh, sorry. Anyway, this song is called Survivor and I've come to really like it. The first time I watched it all I could think was, 'Wow, they're trying really hard to look all, 'street' and 'tough' which is hilarious because they're too pretty to be hard and the song is too happy sounding to match their images. So I moved on after I was done watching it and didn't give it a second thought. I searched for it after I watched an interview they did where DBSK talked about Survivor and gave the song a second chance. Lo and behold, I loved it. Admittedly, I couldn't listen to it and watch the video at the same time because I just couldn't take it seriously, but I got over that pretty quick and now it's one of my favorites. Here it is: Survivor.
Isn't Max just too cute in this one?? I also like that there's so much english in it. I think it will make memorizing the song easier when I get around to it. This is another one of their Japanese songs.
There was also a SHINee song that I initially passed over but have since come to realize is actually really catchy. It's called Lucifer. The name was off-putting to me and they were also wearing a little too much makeup for my taste but once I got over it, the song had me humming for at least an hour.
It's got the randomness I've come to enjoy from them, the whole 'love-atronic' 'love-aholic' things and one of my fav moves they do is right in the beginning 23 seconds in, the really short thing where they have one arm straight in front of them and the other is patting the air to beat. Don't know why. Just like it. And the song is called Lucifer because they're saying that their girlfriend has a very beautiful sweet side like and angel and also a really mean, difficult side like a demon. And Lucifer was the most famous angel that can display both those things too.
Even though I'm not going to link any of their songs, I want to mention here that Super Junior has continued to hold my interest and I've begun to really like their music. They have an energetic quality that I really like and they have more good songs than just the ones that I have on my Super Junior post.
And now, a new artist that I haven't mentioned before. G-Dragon. He's solo, which is not my norm but he has a song that I really like called Heartbreaker. I actually only watched the video because at first glance he looks like Jeremy from You're Beautiful. I knew Jeremy had his own band so I had been kinda keeping an eye out for him just in case he showed up in one of my random searches of youtube. Well, turned out it wasn't him, but I like the song and the video entertained me. He's got this funny little version of the running man that cracks me up. But don't let me talk you out of watching it. Here we are: Heartbreaker.
I find his fashion sense entertaining. His sun glasses and face paint, and the mirror jacket... I don't know what to think of them except, hm, that's.... interesting. ~laughs~
If anyone is wondering about all the apples, the Korean word for apple is the same word for apology so it's a pun they use a lot.
I've got one last song that I'm adding more as a post script than anything else. I'm not particularly fond of the song itself since it's mostly rap and I don't have any appreciation for that form of 'song' but I do like the chorus and the video is semi entertaining as well. This group is called 2pm and the song is Heart Beat.
As another Post Script, I'd like to add that to my everlasting sorrow, I don't find their dancing quite as funny as I did in the beginning because I've become used to it. I watch them doing their steps now and I find myself thinking, that looks like fun, instead of 'that looks hilarious!' It's a little sad since I really liked laughing at them. But I guess respect is better in the long run and I've begun developing that for these Korean boy groups. ~Sigh~
Let's start with DBSK! Yay! Alright! Oh, sorry. Anyway, this song is called Survivor and I've come to really like it. The first time I watched it all I could think was, 'Wow, they're trying really hard to look all, 'street' and 'tough' which is hilarious because they're too pretty to be hard and the song is too happy sounding to match their images. So I moved on after I was done watching it and didn't give it a second thought. I searched for it after I watched an interview they did where DBSK talked about Survivor and gave the song a second chance. Lo and behold, I loved it. Admittedly, I couldn't listen to it and watch the video at the same time because I just couldn't take it seriously, but I got over that pretty quick and now it's one of my favorites. Here it is: Survivor.
Isn't Max just too cute in this one?? I also like that there's so much english in it. I think it will make memorizing the song easier when I get around to it. This is another one of their Japanese songs.
There was also a SHINee song that I initially passed over but have since come to realize is actually really catchy. It's called Lucifer. The name was off-putting to me and they were also wearing a little too much makeup for my taste but once I got over it, the song had me humming for at least an hour.
It's got the randomness I've come to enjoy from them, the whole 'love-atronic' 'love-aholic' things and one of my fav moves they do is right in the beginning 23 seconds in, the really short thing where they have one arm straight in front of them and the other is patting the air to beat. Don't know why. Just like it. And the song is called Lucifer because they're saying that their girlfriend has a very beautiful sweet side like and angel and also a really mean, difficult side like a demon. And Lucifer was the most famous angel that can display both those things too.
Even though I'm not going to link any of their songs, I want to mention here that Super Junior has continued to hold my interest and I've begun to really like their music. They have an energetic quality that I really like and they have more good songs than just the ones that I have on my Super Junior post.
And now, a new artist that I haven't mentioned before. G-Dragon. He's solo, which is not my norm but he has a song that I really like called Heartbreaker. I actually only watched the video because at first glance he looks like Jeremy from You're Beautiful. I knew Jeremy had his own band so I had been kinda keeping an eye out for him just in case he showed up in one of my random searches of youtube. Well, turned out it wasn't him, but I like the song and the video entertained me. He's got this funny little version of the running man that cracks me up. But don't let me talk you out of watching it. Here we are: Heartbreaker.
I find his fashion sense entertaining. His sun glasses and face paint, and the mirror jacket... I don't know what to think of them except, hm, that's.... interesting. ~laughs~
If anyone is wondering about all the apples, the Korean word for apple is the same word for apology so it's a pun they use a lot.
I've got one last song that I'm adding more as a post script than anything else. I'm not particularly fond of the song itself since it's mostly rap and I don't have any appreciation for that form of 'song' but I do like the chorus and the video is semi entertaining as well. This group is called 2pm and the song is Heart Beat.
As another Post Script, I'd like to add that to my everlasting sorrow, I don't find their dancing quite as funny as I did in the beginning because I've become used to it. I watch them doing their steps now and I find myself thinking, that looks like fun, instead of 'that looks hilarious!' It's a little sad since I really liked laughing at them. But I guess respect is better in the long run and I've begun developing that for these Korean boy groups. ~Sigh~
JYJ Concert?
I was surfing the net, like I do most nights since I didn't have anything more fun to do, and ran across this site that said that JYJ is doing a world tour to promote their new cd.
For those of you who don't know who JYJ is, first, shame on you; second, JYJ is Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu now that they've split from their DBSK management company.
They just put out an english cd, The Beginning that has guests Kenye West and some one else called, um, Darkchild, I think? Anyway, a whole bunch of web sites confirm this and most of them show that JYJ is going to be performing in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas. It's really confusing with all the contradictory information out there. Well, I got all excited because I'm close enough to San Fran to make it out there no problem. It would take much more to make it to Vegas or LA, but I'd be there in a heart beat if I got tickets. And there-in lies the problem.
I hopped onto ticketmaster, stubhub, and any other ticket place on the net that I could find, and none of them had any search results for JYJ, Jaejoong Yoochun Junsu or any other combination of their names that I typed in. It's really frustrating!! I want to see them in concert if they're here! I'll keep looking, but gosh darn it! If they're coming to the US in November, shouldn't their tickets be on sale, or sold out, or something? Why are they hiding from me?!?
For those of you who don't know who JYJ is, first, shame on you; second, JYJ is Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu now that they've split from their DBSK management company.
They just put out an english cd, The Beginning that has guests Kenye West and some one else called, um, Darkchild, I think? Anyway, a whole bunch of web sites confirm this and most of them show that JYJ is going to be performing in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas. It's really confusing with all the contradictory information out there. Well, I got all excited because I'm close enough to San Fran to make it out there no problem. It would take much more to make it to Vegas or LA, but I'd be there in a heart beat if I got tickets. And there-in lies the problem.
I hopped onto ticketmaster, stubhub, and any other ticket place on the net that I could find, and none of them had any search results for JYJ, Jaejoong Yoochun Junsu or any other combination of their names that I typed in. It's really frustrating!! I want to see them in concert if they're here! I'll keep looking, but gosh darn it! If they're coming to the US in November, shouldn't their tickets be on sale, or sold out, or something? Why are they hiding from me?!?
Friday, October 15, 2010
The 'Goodbye' Funk
I just finished a series I've been watching called, 'My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho,' and I'm stuck in that funk that always comes when I've finished something. I'm sure it didn't help that most of the last episode was really sad. I cried. I admit it. I even watched the last episode over right after I'd finished it the first time because it had been done so well, and also, because I just wasn't ready to let it go yet.
The show wasn't one of my favorites. I didn't watch it every day hoping that another episode would be posted and often didn't even catch up all the way when there were a few new shows for me to watch, but I still enjoyed it. I didn't particularly like the main male character in the beginning. I liked the 'bad' guy better because he was holy crap beautiful. Then I realized that pretty guy couldn't act very well so the show was relegated to 'when I have nothing else to watch' status.
But the main guy grew on me and, I don't know when it happened, but I fell for him. I wanted so badly for him and the main girl character to be together, and be happy. I guess I'm just like every other girl raised on fairy tales. I want a happy ending.
I did get a happy ending,supposedly, but it was still an ending. Even when I know that something is ending, even when I know when it ends before I even begin it, the end always catches me off guard. There have been very few series (books or shows) that don't leave me... sad at the end. I think I've explained it in an earlier blog, but I miss them. I miss the characters that I've come to love, or love to hate. I miss our experiences together. I feel like my best friends are moving to a different country and I'll never see them again. All I have left are memories. And my memory being what it is, it's not a good feeling.
So, I spent a couple hours this morning watching and crying over 'My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho,' and I think my mood isn't going to be improving much until at least tomorrow. I don't know why I put myself through this sort of thing. I guess the only way to avoid it would be if I stopped reading and watching shows, and I'm just not willing to do that; even though it causes me pain in the end. The happy times were worth it. At least, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself until I feel better about the end of 'Gumiho.'
The show wasn't one of my favorites. I didn't watch it every day hoping that another episode would be posted and often didn't even catch up all the way when there were a few new shows for me to watch, but I still enjoyed it. I didn't particularly like the main male character in the beginning. I liked the 'bad' guy better because he was holy crap beautiful. Then I realized that pretty guy couldn't act very well so the show was relegated to 'when I have nothing else to watch' status.
But the main guy grew on me and, I don't know when it happened, but I fell for him. I wanted so badly for him and the main girl character to be together, and be happy. I guess I'm just like every other girl raised on fairy tales. I want a happy ending.
I did get a happy ending,supposedly, but it was still an ending. Even when I know that something is ending, even when I know when it ends before I even begin it, the end always catches me off guard. There have been very few series (books or shows) that don't leave me... sad at the end. I think I've explained it in an earlier blog, but I miss them. I miss the characters that I've come to love, or love to hate. I miss our experiences together. I feel like my best friends are moving to a different country and I'll never see them again. All I have left are memories. And my memory being what it is, it's not a good feeling.
So, I spent a couple hours this morning watching and crying over 'My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho,' and I think my mood isn't going to be improving much until at least tomorrow. I don't know why I put myself through this sort of thing. I guess the only way to avoid it would be if I stopped reading and watching shows, and I'm just not willing to do that; even though it causes me pain in the end. The happy times were worth it. At least, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself until I feel better about the end of 'Gumiho.'
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Simple Pleasures
Have you ever put ice in your glass, then put in water or what have you, and the ice stays on the bottom of the cup? I love when that happens! I don't know why, but it just amuses me to no end. I guess I think of the reasons the ice is stuck to the cup and then I just enjoy the anticipation until the ice breaks its bonds and floats to the top in a rush. Plus! I get to enjoy a nice cold drink while all the entertainment is going on. ~Laughs~
Ok, you, who are sitting there thinking, 'wow, this girl is stupid,' or some other insult having to do with my intelligence, shut up. I take almost as much pleasure in watching Newton's Laws Of Motion in action or solving riddles, puzzles and math problems, I just happen to have simple pleasures too. I also like playing with static electricity and imperfect reflective surfaces.
I like sticking things to the wall or my hair, or whatever with static. I like waiting til it falls and then doing it again. I also like building up the static and then touching something in the dark so that I can watch the electricity jump. It's interesting to watch the electricity pass from my finger to whatever.
And it's immensely entertaining to stand in front of some wavy, shiny surface and move around so that you get a lot of different views and distortions of your surroundings. It helps remind me not to take anything at face value but to look for different angles and different points of view. It also just looks funny!
Ok, you, who are sitting there thinking, 'wow, this girl is stupid,' or some other insult having to do with my intelligence, shut up. I take almost as much pleasure in watching Newton's Laws Of Motion in action or solving riddles, puzzles and math problems, I just happen to have simple pleasures too. I also like playing with static electricity and imperfect reflective surfaces.
I like sticking things to the wall or my hair, or whatever with static. I like waiting til it falls and then doing it again. I also like building up the static and then touching something in the dark so that I can watch the electricity jump. It's interesting to watch the electricity pass from my finger to whatever.
And it's immensely entertaining to stand in front of some wavy, shiny surface and move around so that you get a lot of different views and distortions of your surroundings. It helps remind me not to take anything at face value but to look for different angles and different points of view. It also just looks funny!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Learning Korean
Ok, before anyone gets all excited over the title to this post, let me just remind you that I also wanted to learn Japanese. That was for how many years? (8 years, but who's counting?) And how far along did I get with that ambition? (5 words, but seriously, who's counting?) So as much as I'd really like to know the language, it's probably not going to happen.
I'm in the process of memorizing two songs but have several more that I'm thinking about adding to the list. Both current projects are DBSK songs. The first is 'Why Did I Fall In Love With You?' Learning Korean wouldn't help with this one because the Korean band sings it in Japanese. ~sighs~ But the second song is 'Balloons' which is in Korean. I want to know the language, not only because knowing the language makes memorizing songs so much easier, but also for the shows I watch.
It's unbelievably frustrating when the next episode to the show you've been following rabidly is out, but the subtitles are not done yet! You can still watch the episode, but then you have this half understanding, everything is spoiled because I know what's going to happen but I don't know what's happening, kinda feeling. Example? Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I know that DaeMul finds out that Golho is the masked guy and that Micky is being really cold to him, and that Micky thinks he sees DaeMul and Golho during an intimate moment. I know that DaeMul and Golho are put on some kind of trial and Micky has something to do with it. But I don't know what's going on and it's frustrating.
If I knew Korean, I wouldn't have to wait for subtitles and I would have memorized 4 songs by now instead of struggling slowly through the two I like best. Plus! (and this one doesn't matter much, but it looks good to throw in here) being bilingual looks good on your resume.
I did look up some Korean lessons on youtube. I learned 'hello' (hanyung ...something) 'I am Amber' (joneun amber imnida), and then came here. Yeah, not impressive, but that's so me!
Sorry there are no pictures. I know they make blogs so much more interesting, but I just don't have the energy to put into that kind of effort right now. Besides, you have enough information to look up these things on your own if you were inclined to do so. Stop being lazy like me and look it up yourself! Or go without. Either way. Heh.
I'm in the process of memorizing two songs but have several more that I'm thinking about adding to the list. Both current projects are DBSK songs. The first is 'Why Did I Fall In Love With You?' Learning Korean wouldn't help with this one because the Korean band sings it in Japanese. ~sighs~ But the second song is 'Balloons' which is in Korean. I want to know the language, not only because knowing the language makes memorizing songs so much easier, but also for the shows I watch.
It's unbelievably frustrating when the next episode to the show you've been following rabidly is out, but the subtitles are not done yet! You can still watch the episode, but then you have this half understanding, everything is spoiled because I know what's going to happen but I don't know what's happening, kinda feeling. Example? Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I know that DaeMul finds out that Golho is the masked guy and that Micky is being really cold to him, and that Micky thinks he sees DaeMul and Golho during an intimate moment. I know that DaeMul and Golho are put on some kind of trial and Micky has something to do with it. But I don't know what's going on and it's frustrating.
If I knew Korean, I wouldn't have to wait for subtitles and I would have memorized 4 songs by now instead of struggling slowly through the two I like best. Plus! (and this one doesn't matter much, but it looks good to throw in here) being bilingual looks good on your resume.
I did look up some Korean lessons on youtube. I learned 'hello' (hanyung ...something) 'I am Amber' (joneun amber imnida), and then came here. Yeah, not impressive, but that's so me!
Sorry there are no pictures. I know they make blogs so much more interesting, but I just don't have the energy to put into that kind of effort right now. Besides, you have enough information to look up these things on your own if you were inclined to do so. Stop being lazy like me and look it up yourself! Or go without. Either way. Heh.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Randomness Continued
The speed of dark is the speed of light leaving the room. Is, then, light ceding? Since it's so much harder to create light than dark, is not darkness stronger?
Is night vision something you can get better at with practise? If I can't see very well at night, would spending more time in the dark help my night vision improve, or is it something that some people have and some people don't, like good day vision?
Creation is, in my opinion, a misnomer when it comes to human beings. Because, really, we don't create. We transform. Never, in the history of man, has anyone ever 'created' something. That would mean that they had absolutely nothing and then made something. Isn't it more accurate to say that people take raw materials and transform those materials into something new? For instance, no one's ever created a painting. People just take paint, which was made from...I don't know, stuff? and spread it around on (insert medium here *canvas, paper, wood, ceramics). Wah-la! A painting. You didn't actually 'make' anything!
Veronica was talking about ...something that's not really that important today. The story I want to tell is about how she said, "I mean, if worse comes to shove..." which was, of course, hilarious to me. "Did you just say, 'worse come to shove?'" And she looked completely confused, like she didn't know why I was laughing. Then the 'Ah-ha!' moment hit her and she laughed too.
A little known fact: We didn't drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We dropped Chuck Norris.
I blame 'global warming' (in ''s because global warming is a poopy myth [don't laugh at my use of 'poopy.' This is a family friendly blog!]) on vegetarians who are eating all the plants that take CO2 from the air and make it into oxygen. We meat eaters are the true environmentalists! We're eating the cows that produce so much of the carbon dioxide that is polluting our atmosphere.
Boycott shampoo! Demand real poo! (my apologies if I've already shared that little jewel in a previous. I just think it's funny.)
I got myself a wedding ring. It's white gold and the diamond is impressive. I did it because I don't think that married women should be the only ones who get to wear that particular piece of jewelery. I'm liberated! (I'm not a feminist even if I'm making myself sound that way right now) I don't have to wait for a man to buy me a pretty ring! Forget that. I'll just get one myself!
Is night vision something you can get better at with practise? If I can't see very well at night, would spending more time in the dark help my night vision improve, or is it something that some people have and some people don't, like good day vision?
Creation is, in my opinion, a misnomer when it comes to human beings. Because, really, we don't create. We transform. Never, in the history of man, has anyone ever 'created' something. That would mean that they had absolutely nothing and then made something. Isn't it more accurate to say that people take raw materials and transform those materials into something new? For instance, no one's ever created a painting. People just take paint, which was made from...I don't know, stuff? and spread it around on (insert medium here *canvas, paper, wood, ceramics). Wah-la! A painting. You didn't actually 'make' anything!
Veronica was talking about ...something that's not really that important today. The story I want to tell is about how she said, "I mean, if worse comes to shove..." which was, of course, hilarious to me. "Did you just say, 'worse come to shove?'" And she looked completely confused, like she didn't know why I was laughing. Then the 'Ah-ha!' moment hit her and she laughed too.
A little known fact: We didn't drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We dropped Chuck Norris.
I blame 'global warming' (in ''s because global warming is a poopy myth [don't laugh at my use of 'poopy.' This is a family friendly blog!]) on vegetarians who are eating all the plants that take CO2 from the air and make it into oxygen. We meat eaters are the true environmentalists! We're eating the cows that produce so much of the carbon dioxide that is polluting our atmosphere.
Boycott shampoo! Demand real poo! (my apologies if I've already shared that little jewel in a previous. I just think it's funny.)
I got myself a wedding ring. It's white gold and the diamond is impressive. I did it because I don't think that married women should be the only ones who get to wear that particular piece of jewelery. I'm liberated! (I'm not a feminist even if I'm making myself sound that way right now) I don't have to wait for a man to buy me a pretty ring! Forget that. I'll just get one myself!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Great America
Because my precious room mate worked for Great America theme park, she got some free tickets. We spent the day there, riding the rides and walking around. I 'ew-ed' every time I saw a fake spider, and there were hundreds, let me assure you. Poor Veronica. There were creepy clowns and ghosts and lots of spiders and spider webs. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Flight Deck was my favorite ride. It kinda reminded me of the Batman at Magic Mountain because you hang under the track instead of sitting on top of it. My second favorite was the Drop Zone, which is the one where they hoist you way, way up and than let you drop. I had to ride that one alone because Veronica would not go with me. Both times I rode this one I questioned my sanity when I was about half way up the pole thing. The view from the top was breath taking... or maybe that was the anticipation. They did that thing where they let you sit there for a few seconds, just waiting for the release and the plummet down toward the ground. The anticipation is almost as scary as the fall itself. You're so high up and you know that your stomach is about to rise up into your throat and there's nothing to stop your fall except this machine that you're just praying is going to work right. Both times I rode this I wondered to myself, 'Why do I like this ride? Do I like this ride? What is possessing me to want to be scared to death?' And then the fall, the scream, the nearly nauseous feeling of weightlessness, and the unbelievable flood of relief when you finally feel the seat slowing down and you know that you've survived to wonder why in the world you rode that darn ride.
Veronica ended up feeling sick. Motion sickness, apparently. Hehehe. I was able to ride all the spinny, circly rides without getting sick, though I did get a head ache on a ride called the Demon. My head kept banging against the thinly padded harness and the strain from trying to keep my head still didn't help, but that was the only thing that kept the day from being totally pain free.
While I was in the bathroom I found a bruise on my knee. It's kinda big and already yellowing, and I have absolutely NO idea how it got there. What have I banged my knee into within the last week?? I don't remember! You'd think that a bruise that big would have been caused by something pretty painful, and that I'd remember getting hurt like that...but no. It's a mystery.
Since the tape deck in my car has been malfunctioning and the way home was mostly mountainy and middle of nowhere-y, we didn't have any music or radio, so I sang. The whole 2 and a half hours. Luckily for Veronica, she passed out half an hour into the drive and didn't wake up until we were almost home. I made a concerted effort to only sing english songs. At first it was great, piece of cake, no problem. By the time we got close to Merced I had been reduced to singing bits and snippets of songs that I didn't really know, but knew a line or two, or was embarrassed to know. I'm proud to say I did NOT have to resort to Christmas songs, Yay! But still. You know you're getting desperate when you're singing, 'la la la, duh duh duh, something...' for about fifteen minutes straight in what you think MIGHT be the right tune to a song you kinda remember from that one time at the one place that you did with that one person? Yeah. ~Laughs~
And that was my day. I'll post pictures when I feel like it. ~Smiles~ Hold your breath!
Flight Deck was my favorite ride. It kinda reminded me of the Batman at Magic Mountain because you hang under the track instead of sitting on top of it. My second favorite was the Drop Zone, which is the one where they hoist you way, way up and than let you drop. I had to ride that one alone because Veronica would not go with me. Both times I rode this one I questioned my sanity when I was about half way up the pole thing. The view from the top was breath taking... or maybe that was the anticipation. They did that thing where they let you sit there for a few seconds, just waiting for the release and the plummet down toward the ground. The anticipation is almost as scary as the fall itself. You're so high up and you know that your stomach is about to rise up into your throat and there's nothing to stop your fall except this machine that you're just praying is going to work right. Both times I rode this I wondered to myself, 'Why do I like this ride? Do I like this ride? What is possessing me to want to be scared to death?' And then the fall, the scream, the nearly nauseous feeling of weightlessness, and the unbelievable flood of relief when you finally feel the seat slowing down and you know that you've survived to wonder why in the world you rode that darn ride.
Veronica ended up feeling sick. Motion sickness, apparently. Hehehe. I was able to ride all the spinny, circly rides without getting sick, though I did get a head ache on a ride called the Demon. My head kept banging against the thinly padded harness and the strain from trying to keep my head still didn't help, but that was the only thing that kept the day from being totally pain free.
While I was in the bathroom I found a bruise on my knee. It's kinda big and already yellowing, and I have absolutely NO idea how it got there. What have I banged my knee into within the last week?? I don't remember! You'd think that a bruise that big would have been caused by something pretty painful, and that I'd remember getting hurt like that...but no. It's a mystery.
Since the tape deck in my car has been malfunctioning and the way home was mostly mountainy and middle of nowhere-y, we didn't have any music or radio, so I sang. The whole 2 and a half hours. Luckily for Veronica, she passed out half an hour into the drive and didn't wake up until we were almost home. I made a concerted effort to only sing english songs. At first it was great, piece of cake, no problem. By the time we got close to Merced I had been reduced to singing bits and snippets of songs that I didn't really know, but knew a line or two, or was embarrassed to know. I'm proud to say I did NOT have to resort to Christmas songs, Yay! But still. You know you're getting desperate when you're singing, 'la la la, duh duh duh, something...' for about fifteen minutes straight in what you think MIGHT be the right tune to a song you kinda remember from that one time at the one place that you did with that one person? Yeah. ~Laughs~
And that was my day. I'll post pictures when I feel like it. ~Smiles~ Hold your breath!
Korea Vs Japan
I almost hesitate to say this because it is a little sad and is only a newly formed idea that may yet pass and then everything will be ok. But since it is my blog and I can always change my mind later, I've decided to write in order to perhaps organize my thoughts.
Veronica and I were surfing youtube again, as has become an almost nightly ritual, watching the various korean boy bands we've come to enjoy and looking for one lost music video in particular, when she types in 'Gackt.'
It was a little stray from our normal routine but I welcomed it since I've always thought Gackt gorgeous and talented (as long as he kept his seizure-like dancing to a minimum). The first song of his that we watched was Ghost, which is one of my favorite solo Gackt songs. I'm posting it just so people who don't follow Japanese music know what I'm talking about.
(Side note: This song was used as the opening for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in Japan)
I couldn't help think, 'Wow, Gackt's getting older. He's not as drop dead gorgeous as I remember him being.'
And then it got worse from there. We watched a couple more of his songs because Veronica is a big fan of his. I didn't really like the music or his style. His voice is ok, but the songs themselves were forgettable. I winced every time I saw his hair and sighed over the amount of jewelery he wears. And from there we went on to Hyde, which is another big Japanese singer and the whole time we watched him I was thinking, 'Wow, he looks REALLY old, and not cute...and ew, they're smoking. They're not dancing.' He's really short, unattractive, his hair is horrible, and his songs were not interesting.
I'm not posting anything from Hyde. If you want to see his stuff you're going to have to look for it.
And the realization hit me. My fascination for Japan has dwindled to almost nothing! I still enjoy anime when it's on but I don't look for it like I used to and have not been able to finish the last couple shows I've tried to watch. I haven't sought out any new Japanese bands since the members of Malice Mizer went on to solo careers. And other than the odd movie or show a Korean person shows up in, I don't watch any of their live action stuff either.
Don't get me wrong, I still love animes like Fruits Basket and Oran High Host Club along with Rorouni Kenshin and a few others, but it's just not a passion like it used to be.
Now, when I'm looking for something to watch or listen to I go straight to Korea. It's their shows and their music that I have in my head all day. I find their guys cuter, for the most part. This represents a HUGE shift in my perceptions and I'm not sure I'm happy about it. It's...different.
To other people, people who never shared my love for Japanese things, the shift is probably inconsequential. I changed from liking one asian country to another asian country. Woopty do. But it's big to me. So many years of my life were spent wanting to go to Japan, wanting to immerse myself in their culture, language, pop-culture. It's weird to realize that I've apparently moved past it. It's such a big change that I don't know if I really know myself anymore. What else has changed that I haven't even realized yet?
It's just so...weird.
Veronica and I were surfing youtube again, as has become an almost nightly ritual, watching the various korean boy bands we've come to enjoy and looking for one lost music video in particular, when she types in 'Gackt.'
It was a little stray from our normal routine but I welcomed it since I've always thought Gackt gorgeous and talented (as long as he kept his seizure-like dancing to a minimum). The first song of his that we watched was Ghost, which is one of my favorite solo Gackt songs. I'm posting it just so people who don't follow Japanese music know what I'm talking about.
(Side note: This song was used as the opening for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in Japan)
I couldn't help think, 'Wow, Gackt's getting older. He's not as drop dead gorgeous as I remember him being.'
And then it got worse from there. We watched a couple more of his songs because Veronica is a big fan of his. I didn't really like the music or his style. His voice is ok, but the songs themselves were forgettable. I winced every time I saw his hair and sighed over the amount of jewelery he wears. And from there we went on to Hyde, which is another big Japanese singer and the whole time we watched him I was thinking, 'Wow, he looks REALLY old, and not cute...and ew, they're smoking. They're not dancing.' He's really short, unattractive, his hair is horrible, and his songs were not interesting.
I'm not posting anything from Hyde. If you want to see his stuff you're going to have to look for it.
And the realization hit me. My fascination for Japan has dwindled to almost nothing! I still enjoy anime when it's on but I don't look for it like I used to and have not been able to finish the last couple shows I've tried to watch. I haven't sought out any new Japanese bands since the members of Malice Mizer went on to solo careers. And other than the odd movie or show a Korean person shows up in, I don't watch any of their live action stuff either.
Don't get me wrong, I still love animes like Fruits Basket and Oran High Host Club along with Rorouni Kenshin and a few others, but it's just not a passion like it used to be.
Now, when I'm looking for something to watch or listen to I go straight to Korea. It's their shows and their music that I have in my head all day. I find their guys cuter, for the most part. This represents a HUGE shift in my perceptions and I'm not sure I'm happy about it. It's...different.
To other people, people who never shared my love for Japanese things, the shift is probably inconsequential. I changed from liking one asian country to another asian country. Woopty do. But it's big to me. So many years of my life were spent wanting to go to Japan, wanting to immerse myself in their culture, language, pop-culture. It's weird to realize that I've apparently moved past it. It's such a big change that I don't know if I really know myself anymore. What else has changed that I haven't even realized yet?
It's just so...weird.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Super Junior
Hello. It's me again! Well, of course it's me, it's my blog! Anyway. Alright, having ranted and raved about my beloved DBSK and SHINee, it is time to move on to Super Junior! ~Sound trumpets~ Despite the slightly more extravagant fanfare and having saved them for last, Super Junior is not my favorite band. In fact, of the three, they are my least favorite, but I like them very much. Their songs have so much energy and are incredibly entertaining. Even so, the thing that makes me most impressed with them is the number of guys in their group. While DBSK and SHINee have the normal amount of 5 each, Super Junior has 13! 13!! I can imagine the choreographer's hair turning white at the thought. With all the large dance moves these Korean boy bands seem to prefer, how are you going to make it work with 13, all at once? Well, Super Junior tackled the problem and came up with a remarkably wonderful solution.
The song that originally hooked me was Sorry Sorry, and the reason is because it was referenced in my all time favorite show, You're Beautiful. Manager Ma, the coordinator and Mi Nam do a small portion of this dance (all in Manager Ma's head when he was trying to figure out how to keep Tae Kyung from telling everyone that Mi Nam was a girl) and then later, there is a scene where Mi Nam, who has lived in a convent her whole life is trying to get up to date on pop culture and names all 13 of the Super Junior boys. Without further ado, Sorry Sorry.
After having watched this video, I quickly added "Wipe the Shoe" to my repertoire of stupid dance moves that I break out when being a goof (It joins other infamous moves like the Shopping Cart, Driving the Bus, Fax machine etc.).
My favorite part of this video has to be during the, 'bah bah bah baba, bah bah bababa" part where they have their arms crossed over their chests and they do the leaning back thing. When they stand up straight and then walk to the right just so they can start doing it again away from the wall, I just crack up every time! I think I've spent more time on the floor watching this than any other video save Balloons (DBSK). I also enjoyed their tutting as it is a form of dance I've come to find enjoyable to watch.
After that, I moved on to Boom Boom. I find it unbelievably catchy and often find myself humming it throughout the day. This song apparently doesn't have an official music video, but some nice people who have way too much time on their hands were nice enough to splice a bunch of Super Junior's other videos together to make one. So while this one that I'm posting is done by an obvious amature, it's far better than I'm sure I would have been able to do, and it gives you something interesting to watch while you listen to the song.
Who can resist a song when they sing 'twinkle twinkle, little star' in it?? Not me!
I want to mention their song called Wonder Boy here even though I'm not going to post it. I'm not in love with the song, but their music video has a dancing panda in it so it required at Least an honorable mention here.
The last song I'm going to post is called Bonamana and it's another catchy one.
I especially like their speed skater move. ~Laughs~
I have to wonder privately if they aren't my favorite simply because there are too many of them for me to form any attachment to them in particular. I love DBSK because Hero and Max are just too cute, and Micky is an awesome character in SungKyunKwan Scandal. I really like SHINee because Taemin is gorgeous and...well, who am I kidding, all the boys in SHINee are drool worthy, but Taemin reminds me of some one I used to have strong feelings for so that sealed the deal for that band. There are just so many people in Super Junior that I don't know any of their names and I can't tell any of them apart. But there are more Super Junior songs that I like than either of the other bands produced. Aw, who cares? The order in which you favor a band doesn't have to be logical! Oh good, now that I've worked that out, I feel much better.
Look forward to my next posting! (Though I'm not sure what it's going to be about. Maybe Jeremy's band? Eh...)
The song that originally hooked me was Sorry Sorry, and the reason is because it was referenced in my all time favorite show, You're Beautiful. Manager Ma, the coordinator and Mi Nam do a small portion of this dance (all in Manager Ma's head when he was trying to figure out how to keep Tae Kyung from telling everyone that Mi Nam was a girl) and then later, there is a scene where Mi Nam, who has lived in a convent her whole life is trying to get up to date on pop culture and names all 13 of the Super Junior boys. Without further ado, Sorry Sorry.
After having watched this video, I quickly added "Wipe the Shoe" to my repertoire of stupid dance moves that I break out when being a goof (It joins other infamous moves like the Shopping Cart, Driving the Bus, Fax machine etc.).
My favorite part of this video has to be during the, 'bah bah bah baba, bah bah bababa" part where they have their arms crossed over their chests and they do the leaning back thing. When they stand up straight and then walk to the right just so they can start doing it again away from the wall, I just crack up every time! I think I've spent more time on the floor watching this than any other video save Balloons (DBSK). I also enjoyed their tutting as it is a form of dance I've come to find enjoyable to watch.
After that, I moved on to Boom Boom. I find it unbelievably catchy and often find myself humming it throughout the day. This song apparently doesn't have an official music video, but some nice people who have way too much time on their hands were nice enough to splice a bunch of Super Junior's other videos together to make one. So while this one that I'm posting is done by an obvious amature, it's far better than I'm sure I would have been able to do, and it gives you something interesting to watch while you listen to the song.
Who can resist a song when they sing 'twinkle twinkle, little star' in it?? Not me!
I want to mention their song called Wonder Boy here even though I'm not going to post it. I'm not in love with the song, but their music video has a dancing panda in it so it required at Least an honorable mention here.
The last song I'm going to post is called Bonamana and it's another catchy one.
I especially like their speed skater move. ~Laughs~
I have to wonder privately if they aren't my favorite simply because there are too many of them for me to form any attachment to them in particular. I love DBSK because Hero and Max are just too cute, and Micky is an awesome character in SungKyunKwan Scandal. I really like SHINee because Taemin is gorgeous and...well, who am I kidding, all the boys in SHINee are drool worthy, but Taemin reminds me of some one I used to have strong feelings for so that sealed the deal for that band. There are just so many people in Super Junior that I don't know any of their names and I can't tell any of them apart. But there are more Super Junior songs that I like than either of the other bands produced. Aw, who cares? The order in which you favor a band doesn't have to be logical! Oh good, now that I've worked that out, I feel much better.
Look forward to my next posting! (Though I'm not sure what it's going to be about. Maybe Jeremy's band? Eh...)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
SHINee
Alright, I've already written about DBSK and my enjoyment of their music and more my amusement at their dancing, but I now want to share a bit about another band I stumbled across while admiring my pretty Korean boys. This one is called SHINee. It's another 5 member Korean boy band, just like DBSK except where some of my fav five have American-ized names (Max, Micky, Hero) Shinee has made it a little harder on the US fans by keeping their very non-English names. They are (no guarantees on spelling here) Junghyun (lead vocals) Onew (band leader) Key (the only semi American name) Taemin (my favorite) and Minho (apparently very charismatic).
So far, I've only found two of their songs that I absolutely love, but they are an amazing two songs. And hey, look at all the One Hit Wonders America has produced! I'm allowed to like a band for one or two songs only. Anyway! The song that I fell in love with because of how catchy it is and (again) the amusing dancing, is called Ring Ding Dong.
I could listen to this song every day! In fact, I have been! ~laughs~ It's actually about how much they like this girl, so much that it makes them crazy and if they could only have her there's nothing else that matters. Of course, they say it better. I admit that I was drawn in originally by the 'fantastic' 'elastic' parts that were so incongruous it was funny. The 'butterfly' and the milk drinking scene sealed the deal. The randomness just grabbed me. And even knowing now what the song is about and having read the English translation, I still have no idea what fantastic elastic or milk have to do with anything, but hey! That's what I find so fun about these bands!
The second song that I really like of theirs is actually from a show that I fell in love with some time ago. Boys Over Flowers. It's hugely popular and actually a really good show. I had no idea who the music was by and honestly didn't really care. I just liked hearing it while I was watching my precious Jun Pyo and violin guy (feel horrible that I forgot his name and even worse that I don't care enough to look it up). The song is called Stand By Me and it's really sweet. Anyway, I was still laughing over my first viewing of Ring Ding Dong, searching the band name to see what other song titles of theirs looked interesting when I saw it.
It reminded me how much I really liked the show. I might even go back and watch it again! I really like the actor who plays Jun Pyo. He was really good in Personal Preference too. Much better than violin guys' Playful Kiss.
I wish SHINee had an official music video for Stand By Me. I would have liked to see what they looked like as they sang this. And if I'm really honest with myself, I don't think I'll ever pass up an opportunity to watch one of these boy bands dancing! ~laughs~
None of their other songs have really grabbed me yet, but I have not seen them all, nor given them all my full attention so this may not be permanent. More on the way!
So far, I've only found two of their songs that I absolutely love, but they are an amazing two songs. And hey, look at all the One Hit Wonders America has produced! I'm allowed to like a band for one or two songs only. Anyway! The song that I fell in love with because of how catchy it is and (again) the amusing dancing, is called Ring Ding Dong.
I could listen to this song every day! In fact, I have been! ~laughs~ It's actually about how much they like this girl, so much that it makes them crazy and if they could only have her there's nothing else that matters. Of course, they say it better. I admit that I was drawn in originally by the 'fantastic' 'elastic' parts that were so incongruous it was funny. The 'butterfly' and the milk drinking scene sealed the deal. The randomness just grabbed me. And even knowing now what the song is about and having read the English translation, I still have no idea what fantastic elastic or milk have to do with anything, but hey! That's what I find so fun about these bands!
The second song that I really like of theirs is actually from a show that I fell in love with some time ago. Boys Over Flowers. It's hugely popular and actually a really good show. I had no idea who the music was by and honestly didn't really care. I just liked hearing it while I was watching my precious Jun Pyo and violin guy (feel horrible that I forgot his name and even worse that I don't care enough to look it up). The song is called Stand By Me and it's really sweet. Anyway, I was still laughing over my first viewing of Ring Ding Dong, searching the band name to see what other song titles of theirs looked interesting when I saw it.
It reminded me how much I really liked the show. I might even go back and watch it again! I really like the actor who plays Jun Pyo. He was really good in Personal Preference too. Much better than violin guys' Playful Kiss.
I wish SHINee had an official music video for Stand By Me. I would have liked to see what they looked like as they sang this. And if I'm really honest with myself, I don't think I'll ever pass up an opportunity to watch one of these boy bands dancing! ~laughs~
None of their other songs have really grabbed me yet, but I have not seen them all, nor given them all my full attention so this may not be permanent. More on the way!
Yesterday
I had a horrible dream last night. It had to do with DBSK actually being humongous jerks, but the funny thing was that there were only three of them and none of them actually looked like themselves. I think my subconscious is just playing with me. And a little roughly too! Perhaps I should have a word with that subconscious of mine.
It rained yesterday. I was so happy that I threw on a hoodie and I went for a walk. It wasn't raining hard at all, just enough to call it rain instead of drizzle. It was the first rain this year so the water on the streets was very dirty. I usually like to splash but I just couldn't bring myself to play in the muddy water. Next time!
I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. The smell put me in a good mood right away, and the sun's light was diffused enough that shapes became sharper while colors were more muted, making everything seem clearer. I enjoyed every moment of my walk and were it not for the fact that water was starting to soak through the sweater, I might have walked for even longer than I did.
I find myself getting restless. I think I want some sort of appointment to keep, something physical. I want a dance class or a sports team, or ... I don't know, something. I want to have to be somewhere and I want to get stronger while I'm at it.
I was brushing my hair yesterday and my arm got tired! How weak have I gotten?? So, turns out there are many improvements I need to be making on myself. Heh, maybe if someone is daring enough to hold their breath for me, it might happen. Lol!
It rained yesterday. I was so happy that I threw on a hoodie and I went for a walk. It wasn't raining hard at all, just enough to call it rain instead of drizzle. It was the first rain this year so the water on the streets was very dirty. I usually like to splash but I just couldn't bring myself to play in the muddy water. Next time!
I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. The smell put me in a good mood right away, and the sun's light was diffused enough that shapes became sharper while colors were more muted, making everything seem clearer. I enjoyed every moment of my walk and were it not for the fact that water was starting to soak through the sweater, I might have walked for even longer than I did.
I find myself getting restless. I think I want some sort of appointment to keep, something physical. I want a dance class or a sports team, or ... I don't know, something. I want to have to be somewhere and I want to get stronger while I'm at it.
I was brushing my hair yesterday and my arm got tired! How weak have I gotten?? So, turns out there are many improvements I need to be making on myself. Heh, maybe if someone is daring enough to hold their breath for me, it might happen. Lol!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Inconsiderate Licensers!
Alright, thanks to Melissa (again) I've come to really enjoy another korean drama called Sungkyunkwan Scandal. It's another '12th Night'-esque show where a girl has to pretend to be her brother in order to achieve a goal. The things I really like about this show are that I really enjoy the gender bender situations, Micky from DBSK is the main male character, there is a hot guy (or two, I haven't really decided) in the show, and it's period. All great reasons to watch the show and that's what I've been trying to do. On to the problem!
I've watched til the end of episode 4 and now I am stuck. The two websites that supply my subbed shows are stubbornly not showing anymore. Apparently the videos are unavailable because the license is pending in my area. Well jeez, if not the internet, where am I supposed to watch my shows? It's not exactly on daytime television for goodness sakes, and it's not going to be out on dvd for at least a year. I was watching that! I want to keep watching that. I'm so irritated! ~Rants, raves, stews in impotent rage~ Poop.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Stuck
I was dropping a letter off at the mail-box this morning. No, that's not the exciting part. Even though I live in a house, my whole block shares a mail-box area so there's a public outbox. So as I dropped my letter off, I reached my hand in a little so that I could push the envelope past the lip so that there was no way anyone could pull it back out (I was a little paranoid because it's an important letter) and that was when I tried to pull my hand back out, then realized that my ring was caught. My hand was stuck in the mailbox! I couldn't pull my hand too hard because my ring would dig into my skin, or slip off and then I'd lose it. And I'm sitting there with my hand stuck in the mailbox thinking, 'What do I do? I can't wait for the mail lady to come so that she can open the box and help me. She comes at like, 11:30 and it's only 7:30. ...I hope no one comes by and sees me like this!' After more gentle tugging, wiggling, and whining, I finally turned my hand and was able to pull it out sideways, and sighing in relief, I walked home.
I was telling Veronica about getting stuck and laughing with her. We came up with the scenario where I was really stuck and what I would do when people came by. It devolved to my having to pretend that I wasn't stuck but was guarding my letter. "You look suspiscious!" I would say to the passers-by, "Move along! I'm guarding the mail. I'm a guard dog, bark! Bark, bark!"
And then that spawned the thought that our neighbors would then cross the street to avoid our house when passing by because of the weirdo that lives here. And here we talked about doing the invisible rope gag just to cement our psycho reputation. And just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, here, watch this.
I find myself wondering if the owner of the house would have rented to me if he'd known anything about me at all. ~Laughs~
I was telling Veronica about getting stuck and laughing with her. We came up with the scenario where I was really stuck and what I would do when people came by. It devolved to my having to pretend that I wasn't stuck but was guarding my letter. "You look suspiscious!" I would say to the passers-by, "Move along! I'm guarding the mail. I'm a guard dog, bark! Bark, bark!"
And then that spawned the thought that our neighbors would then cross the street to avoid our house when passing by because of the weirdo that lives here. And here we talked about doing the invisible rope gag just to cement our psycho reputation. And just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, here, watch this.
I find myself wondering if the owner of the house would have rented to me if he'd known anything about me at all. ~Laughs~
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