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!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
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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