I haven't blogged, because I really haven't been inspired to. I guess I was going through writer's block. However, do to the fact that it's been so long I thought I'd put a little something. Right now I'm watching The Halloween Tree. I miss cartoons like this. Anyways, there's been a lot of odd banging going on upstairs. All night long over and over. Like someone is up there banging, yet there's no other activity. There isn't a car in the lot and we thought they moved out upstairs a week or so ago. I asked Chris if he wanted to call the police, but he didn't see the reason. It's creeping me the fuck out.

Hi everyone! Well, anybody that bothers reading.


I didn't blog for a long time due to the fact that this summer was fucking depressing. I was working overtime trying to pay the bills and it was just stress, stress, and more stress. Not to mention I've been fighting with collections on this stupid debt they probably can't even collect anymore. The whole thing was crap. I didn't want my blog turning all emo and full of whiny up and down posts.


Some good did come from the summer. First and foremost I made a new friend! It's actually Chris's cousin Brieghanna. She's so funny, she likes video games, and likes girly things too. She's a photographer so we took some funny pics. She wants us to move into their apartment complex, but my stupid so called debt is stopping me. I'm not gonna get into it, but I don't owe as much as they say I do and they haven't proved I have. So it's back and forth.

For my birthday I got to go to New Jersey, New York, and San Fransico. I was going to go to DC too, but the flight was way too full. There's tons of pics and the New York ones are being sent to me. So I'm going to

True Blood is back baby! Well, it's over, but I just got HBO last weekend and watched it. I didn't find it disappointing at all. Well, one thing made me upset, but it was because a certain character died that I wanted to see more of. I don't want to give anything away to those who haven't watched it.

Anyways, piccie time.



This is B, my new friend.


Chris is golfing.


A cuddly deer.


Chris's cousins deer watching.

I'll post more some other time.

So I'm hoping Chris and I can go to Canada for my birthday. I have a horrible feeling it will turn out like my birthday last year. I did absolutely nothing and spent all the money I saved up on my stupid car which in the end, was unfix able. Right now it's teetering towards, all my money is going to dr. appt, paying back debt, bills, upgrades to travel to Canada on our licenses, and trying to get a cheaper apartment. All adult stuff of course, but it's really taking it's toll on me. The not-being-able-to-save-up-for-anything thing. It's quite depressing the more I realize I can't do much. Lately I haven't been using my money extravagantly anymore. I've been cutting back on things for myself. Good news is we got a costco card, so that should cut down on grocery costs. Bad news is Chris called the manager about ant problem. You know what the manager said?! "Sounds unlikely." WTF?! Yeah, we like to call up the manager and tell him there's ants coming out of the walls for a laugh! I'm really pissed he said that. He seemed like a nice guy, kinda spacey, but nice. After all, he let Chris and I move in in an emergency situation. He even let us in without us paying the full rent & deposit. Plus my horrible credit. Not to mention more cats than we said we did, I'm sure he knows. Yet he hasn't asked up for more money. Not to mention our lease is over and he hasn't raised our rent. So that's why I'm super surprised he said that to Chris. Especially since Chris detailed where they were coming from. I'm kicking myself that I didn't leave the pictures on my camera of the ants. But I did take video of them swarming out of the fridge when we got home today.


I feel a little immature, but I really wish my mom was here. We could stay with her until we raised enough money. I also curse my real dad for being a fucking asshole! There's no way I'm living with him again. If my mom was here she'd really help me with my debt too. I don't like relying on her though either. The thought of it makes me very sad. I love being independent and able to pay my way. *sighs* If only Chris's mom wasn't a loony toon we could still have that option to move back in with them. He suggested it once long ago. NO thanks. I don't want to be cold shouldered & have my cats tortured and the annoyance of his younger sister. The thought of THAT makes me want to grind my teeth.


Overall I think it's been this summer in general. I knew it would be like this. For some reason Chris just can't get a job during the summer unless someone hooks him up with one. He did a little construction work, but he didn't make that much. Once he gets back in school he'll have money again. I was really hoping to be out of here before the school year started. The summer is halfway over. A month & a half left, then it's September. Let someone else move in here so they can deal with the ants, the awful neighbors, the shitty laundry room, and limited parking. I have to remind myself to be thankful. Thankful that Chris's dad is going to buy us food tomorrow. That I'm close to my job. That we actually have a place to live. Yes, there's a lot to be thankful for. I just have to keep telling myself that summer will be over soon. Chris will have money, I will have money, we can save up. We can get the hell out of here into a cheaper place. Then I can finally get a car. A working car.....

Last night Chris and I had dinner w/his cousin. I can't believe how much specks of food came flying out of my mouth. Usually when I got out to eat with friends, I'll talk & talk the whole time so I'll end up taking my food home, lol. It was embarrassing but for some reason I couldn't stop. I kept thinking, "I hope he didn't see. I hope he doesn't think I have no manners." I guess that leaves me with a tip. Always lick your teeth then swallow before ranting. Other than that it was a good dinner.

The roses growing by my job were pretty.

Warning!!! This might gross you out if you don't like bugs........










We've had a little ant problem in our home. First in the beginning of the year it was the bedroom. I once set down a cookie and fell asleep. I woke up and took a bite. It was covered with ants. These ants aren't like any I've seen growing up. They smell awful! Like chemicals or cheap paint. I don't know if that's their natural odor or it comes from the walls. I dubbed them, Stinky Ants. To solve the stinky ant problem my boss gave me some ant poison you mix with sugar and the ants don't know the difference. The Stinky Ants took the poison & haven't been seen since. Well now there's Stinky Ants in the bathroom & Sugar Ants in the kitchen.



Along the cabinet they crawl. Disgusting!


That's the ant poison we laid out for them mixed w/sugar.


Those black dots are ants. HORRIBLE!!


They're invading the syrup! Thank goodness not my honey. That honey is expensive.


Chris made me sausage & some grease got on the counter. The ants attacked it.


I attempted watching Eureka 7: Pockets Full of Rainbows. I was happy they made a movie since I love the show. Too bad the computer was acting crazy and it wouldn't work. The sound was waaaay ahead of the picture. I took these shots off our tv with my camera.







I only watched the beginning....


For some reason our cats took turns laying on my Shaman King manga. Sometimes I talk to my cats. Sometimes they reply....in Chris's voice.


Me: Hey! Who's that?! That's a kitty on my manga!


Me: It's Yondaime! Yondaime on my manga!



Me: Yondaime! What are you doing? Why are you on my Shaman King manga?


Yondaime: I like Shaman King.


Me: Oh yeah? Then who's your favorite character?
Yondaime: That one guy.
Me:What guy?
Yondaime: That one guy that can summon that ghost guy.


Here's a pic of Yuna


Here's a pic of Kairi


Here's my Hanabi


She decided to show off since I was taking her pic. My cute Hanababy


On a more serious note, as I embrace adulthood with each passing day I've come to realize many things. I realize that sometimes people drift apart. It's extremely heartbreaking, but life is always taking you in new directions. Sometimes interests change and the wonderful opportunities and experiences lead you down a new path. I'll never forget the awesome people in my life. The great friends I have and have made. Even if things ended on a bad or good note, I'll still keep the memories with me. Even if I continue to drift apart from my friends I still love them and cherish the time spent together. I used to gripe about not being able to make friends with similar interests. I did try to connect with people. Though I found the more I did, the more I kinda felt like I was dating. Ha, that's a strange way to put it. At this point that's how I feel, it's become a bit too weird. I can't constantly search for someone to hang out with. Stefanie is busy all over the world and Chris is Chris but still...


I like anime, asian culture, reading mangas, and I'm pretty lazy. I love to eat and try different foods. So if you hang out with me we'll most likely eat. I only diet for my skin, I've learned not to be self-conscious that I'm thin & some of the people I hang with are not. That's the way my body is, may be one day it will catch up with me, but I have no desire at this point to exercise. Plus too much activity makes me break out in hives. I like "geeky" things like Star wars jokes and guy humor. I'm not good at planning outings unless it's for a special occasion. I'd prefer to stay home & watch J-dramas. I still enjoy girly things like Japanese fashion, shopping, and putting on make up. I'm very career driven, so I enjoy working rather than taking days off. Not to say I don't enjoy my days off or not take days off. Since I talk on the phone at work, I don't like to at home.

I don't want to have kids any time soon and have no patience for them honestly. All these things about me, so many people around me are do different. At first it was lonely, very lonely. When I thought back to Texas and how I had more friends and people to hang out with than I could imagine. It made me think what changed? What could possibly have changed about me that no one seems to find appealing. Last weekend I literally sat around the house & did nothing. I watched anime, I read manga, I ate, and watched English tv. That's my idea of a fun time. I thought to myself, what the hell have I been complaining about? Yes, I'm not young anymore. So what? Growing old, means change. I shouldn't fight change. If someone can't accept me for who I am or find me boring. Even if I try to be friends with them and they just ignore me they think I'm boring than screw them. I have people to watch anime with and like me they have lives. So we hang out and then spend our free time alone. That's what I like about my lifestyle, I can do it on my own. The people who understand that I love to work and sometimes like to be alone are good friends. Even if I don't have kids I don't have to go clubbing. When I get a car I can drive wherever I want. My money is tight at the moment because of the situation we're in, but I'm working on it. I no longer feel ashamed of who I am. I don't want to pretend to be interested in things just to fit in. I'm not a teenager anymore, so there's no need for that. In fact I spent my teenage years watching anime alone because no one liked it. Now that I've found friends, even if they're guys, who like to watch it too, I can enjoy it without ridicule.


Well, has this post been long enough?! Lol, I think it has. Last note, Timothy Dalton is and has always been hot!

Not really, but it's true we haven't had the internet for a while. At first we thought it was some kind of overload due to Michael Jackson's death. The next day it didn't come on so we thought comcast was doing some stuff. We waited & waited & finally called Comcast to come fix it. Turns out our modem blew up. Haha, so in a way it exploded, just not as dramatically. So while the internet has been off I've watched anime & read manga on my spare time. I really, really enjoyed watching Tegen Toppa Gurren Lagan.



Yes, that's the entire title of the series. People call it Gurren Lagan for short. This has to be the 3rd, I think, mecha anime series I actually really loved. May be the mecha animes are becoming better since I've attempted watching them in the past. Growing up with crap like Gundam kinda killed any mecha shows for me. I'm sorry to the Gundam lovers, but I seriously think that series is crap. If the highlight of the show is the fighting robots...no thanks. Fighting robots bore me to death.




From what I've experienced the characters are usually shit, so you can't even enjoy the non-fighting robots part. But Gurren Lagan really did a good job. I should expect no less from Gainax, since they did FLCL, Abenobashi, and Kare Kano. It really is badass.




I took some pics of the series while I watched it with my camera. They actually look better than I thought even though I was just messing around.





ROW ROW Fight the powa!






I also fell in love with a manga series called High School Debut. So far I'm up to 4 volumes and man were they hard to find. It's about a freshman who used to be sort of a tomboy and loves softball. When she gets to high school she really wants a boyfriend. But all her efforts fail, so she thinks of it like softball. When you can't do things on your own who points out your mistakes? A coach! So she convinces a sophomore at her school to coach her in the ways of love. Only catch is she can't fall in love with him. Haha, you may think obviously they'll fall in love, but it's a bit different. One of the biggest things I love about the series so far is how different the storyline is from other Shoujo mangas I've read. Normally a girl and guy eventually get together, but then a love rival appears and screws things up. Well, in this case there isn't any so far. Which has been refreshing. I can't count how many times I've ranted at Chris while watching Peach Girl that if I were momo I'd slap that bitch Sae silly. Worst thing about characters who try to break a couple up is down the line they expect you to feel sorry for them. I hate that so much. So far the only one messing things up is the main character because she's young & experineced. Reminds me a lot of how I was in high school with boys. So hyper, awkward, and quick to crush.




Anyways our internet is back & so am I! Can't get rid of me that easily. Happy 4th!

Our neighbors came knocking on our door yesterday asking if we had any drugs. Classy.


The neighbors that were above us seem to have ducked out yesterday. Chris said that two cop cars came by friday & talked to them. Then sunday he saw them taking suitcases out of the building. This morning we were leaving for my dentist appointment & a cop was banging on their door. He asked us if they moved out. We weren't sure, so he left. Later on the cop came back with the manager & his friends. They opened up the place & rummaged around. Since the people were gone they took everything they left out on the street. All the neighbors across the street were staring and as I watered my plants I thought, "Please don't think we're all weirdos in this building." How can they not? They've got people running from the law above us, the crackhead, druggies, & loudasses next to us. Then upstairs above them there's a woman who's mentally unbalanced. *sighs* I can't wait until my new license gets here so I can mail the credit report people the info they need. Then they have to mail me my credit report. Then I have to contact the company I owe money to. Then I have to pay that back. Then Chris and I can get a new place. I feel like this is going to take forever. I'm just hoping we can get out before the land baron raises the rent. Lol, that's not nice. I shouldn't refer to him as that.

I really hope this show never gets dubbed. I usually don't care if anime gets dubbed. But for some reason I really don't want this one to be.


Tomorrow I shall go get my licensed changed to my current address. I really, really wish I didn't have to. I don't want to get up early, drive all the way to nearest license office that's open on a weekend, and wait in the office until my number is called forever. I assure you the nearest office is towns away. I really don't want to waste my Saturday doing that. Although, if I don't get that done, I won't be able to move on with my life. To move into a cheaper place....it's gonna be great.

In other news my French is coming along okay. For some reason I couldn't take it anymore and went back to Japanese. Usually when I'm learning a language I'll try to listen it & watch it. But it seems that French tv shows barely exists. Not to mention they aren't very good in my opinion. I've also been reading that most French shows are American shows dubbed. So it's hard to keep my mind focused on French when I want to watch Japanese shows & listen to the music. So just for fun here is the list of languages I know a little, or like, and how I rate what I've experienced.


Spanish
Fluency: Some, started learning in High School
TV Shows: Awesome
Movies: Awesome
Music: Awesome

Japanese
Fluency: Some, I understand quite a bit hearing, speaking I only know a little
TV Shows: Awesome
Movies: Good, only a select few though
Music: Awesome

Korean
Fluency: I know "Thank You" & "I love you"
TV Shows: Boring, I haven't found one that's been interesting yet
Movies: Awesome
Music: Awesome

Icelandic
Fluency: None, I'd like to learn. It doesn't seem that hard
TV Shows: Haven't seen any
Movies: Haven't seen any
Music: Only heard Bjork & Sigur Ros, but both are awesome

Greek
Fluency: None, I'd like to learn
TV Shows: Seen clips, not too interested
Movies: Haven't seen any
Music: Awesome

French
Fluency: Very little, still learning
TV Shows: Cartoons are good, live action, boring
Movies: Good I've only Seen Hellphone and Amelia
Music:Awesome

Italian
Fluency: I know some colors and "Thank you" and "excuse me"
TV Shows: Haven't seen any
Movies: Haven't seen any
Music: Great

Russian
Fluency: None
TV Shows: None
Movies: None
Music: Good

Mandarin
Fluency: Barely anything. I know "Thank You", "Hello", and few other words.
TV Shows: Awesome
Movies: Haven't seen any
Music: Awesome

German
Fluency: Barely anything. My pronunciation sucks hard so I can't even say the words I recognize.
TV Shows: Haven't seen any
Movies: Okay, haven't seen that many to give a good rating though
Music: Awesome

Thai
Fluency: None
TV Shows: Haven't Seen any
Movies: Awesome
Music: Great

Indian ( Not really Indian, I should say languages in India. There's too many for me to list each one individually)
Fluency: none
TV Shows: Haven't Seen any
Movies: I really, really want to watch Bollywood movies, but I can never get around to it
Music: Awesome

When I say Awesome, I mean I love the majority of it. Usually I fill up my ipod with whatever language's music I feel like listening to. That way I can form a good opinion of it. I've worked out the languages I need in my line of work is Spanish, Italian, French, and Japanese. Spanish, because you usually need it in America. Italian, French, and Japanese are good since most high end frames come there. Not to mention lots of high end lens factories are in Italy. I'd like to learn German. I'd like to live in Germany for a while. The same goes for Japan and England. I'd still like to go to England for a year or 2 and practice optics.

French is becoming a bit harder. I'm getting into the complicated stuff. Ugh....

So, I visited Leah's blog and saw pic of her baby. She's so adorable! I find it funny how most guys who're "players" usually end up having girls. I don't know for sure, but Leah's husband was a supposed player. Then again, players in other countries can be debated on. Anyways, I really hope she comes back after her baby gets bigger. I think she's very pretty and she's a great model. I hope that she continues to do fashion, but also gets into television shows as well. Kinda like japanese model Becky. She would just need to fine tune her Japanese some more.






I don't think the fact that she had a baby should effect her career as much as people say it will. I understand that Japanese culture is different and family values are important. But they're people like everyone else and that doesn't mean that things can't change or be overlooked. I mean, look at Namie Amuro, she has 8 or 10 year old and that's hasn't effected her career. Plus, I think she's been divorced. Not to mention Anna Tsuychia had a baby too. There's no reason why having baby should blow up any chance at Leah continuing her career.




Now, I'll be the first to admit. Even though I'm a Leah fan, I don't like her singing very much. Her 1st cd I couldn't stand, but I think her 2nd one isn't that bad. That's why I think she should give acting a go. What those previous celebs have over Leah is they aren't strictly fashion or gravure models. Even strictly fashion, I think she could do well if people give her a chance. I heard her management was pissed she got pregnant because she lost tons of endorsements. If she works to "make that up" then that should satisfy them. I don't see what she'd need to make up really. Then again, I don't know under what circumstances the pregnancy was revealed to her people. From what I know the celeb's PR would like to be notified when the celeb gets a b/f or g/f. I'm sure it's to make sure they don't get caught up with the wrong people who can hurt their image. Invasion? May be, may be not. But when you're in a industry like modeling or gravure modeling, I think they want to prepare for stuff like marriage & pregnancy. That way scandals don't break out. I read that the company that BoA works for has such a stronghold over the media that there's slim to no scandals about their musicians.



Well, whatever she plans to do, I will try and support her. Now that she has a baby I doubt she'll do more gravure modeling. So sorry fellas.

How has everyone been? I hope everyone has been doing well. Chris and I had a lovely weekend. We went to a picnic hosted by his anime club. I got to chat with a girl named Monica. It's been so long since I've had face to face conversation with a girl who likes nerdy things like me. So it was instantaneous yakyakyakyakyakyakyakyak!! I couldn't help myself, I needed to let out all my girlish thoughts. We went to Uwajimaya's, I picked up the new Sweet magazine, a Cher magazine that came with a bag, and Utada's new cd. I felt bad for not getting Utada's cd for a while because I really want to support her American tour. I really wish she wasn't ill. She was doing great promotion and had lots of stuff planned. Unlike some artists *coughs*BoA*coughs*. I was a bit disappointed that there was hardly any Saya in the Sweet magazine. I'm glad Alice is getting more pages. Christina is nice, but I feel she's a bit over exposed. I could do with less of her. More of Saya & Hinako.



I went to the dentist which was horrible. Not really, but I don't like the dentist. Getting prepped for my crown.....ugh. Chris and I also got new video games. I bought Chris God of War 2 because he loves the game so much. I bought myself My French Coach. I figure I better start sooner than later to brush up on my former languages. We went to like, 5 different stores to find the french version. They usually only had the Spanish and English of all things. I want to get the Spanish next because I remember about 50% of what I was taught in school. I hardly remember any French so I feel that's the most important. What about Japanese? I plan on getting that too, but I would like to learn different languages than Chris.




Other than that things have been grand. I have to get a new license with my current address on it. Which sucks major ass I might add. Stupid credit report people and they're lack of update information. I seriously want to say to them, "Really? I mean, REALLY?! How do you people even function? How does anyone get anything?!" No offense to those who work in the business, just my rant really. This is gonna be a bigger pain than I originally thought it would be.

I thought I'd do a serious post about my dreams for the future concerning my career. Since I've gotten into optics I've discovered I have a drive to do more in this line of work than just what's handed to me. I want to go as far as I can in this career. Not only that, I want to change things. You see, I've found that even though Optometry is in the medical field, there's a lot of people who don't seem to take it seriously. Sure there's merchandise and fashion involved, but patients should be treated as patients. Just because you're selling someone a pair of gucci or prada frames doesn't mean that it ends there. That patient is counting on you to care what happens to their eyesight. Eyesight may not seem like a big deal to some. Just because you're not in a hospital and the patient isn't dying on your table, doesn't mean you take your job less seriously. It wouldn't be part of a medical field if it's all about product, product, product. Think about pharmacy and the dangers that come in their field. If they give you the wrong pills or the wrong dose, you're life could be in danger. If you prescribe the patient the wrong contacts or give them their glasses off power, they're in danger as well. They could get in a car accident, they could get an ulcer, they could have to go to the emergency room.


I also understand that patients aren't always happy-go-lucky when they visit your office. Some can be impatient, irritating,, and may not take the advice you give them. But that's when the caring factor really comes into play. It's those people that need the most care and patience. They don't understand the potential dangerous when they don't take care of their eyes. It's our job as opticians, customer care, apprentice opticians, and optometrists to do whatever we can to ensure our patients don't lose their eyesight. That they don't have to feel self-conscious in glasses. That they take care of their contact lenses.




I'm also no fool when it comes to the nitty gritty of the corporate world. I may not know everything about it, but I'm learning not to be so naive. It's true that since there's name brands involved that certain quotas need to be met. That supplies cost money and the people want to feel like wearing glasses is being at the height of fashion. How can you really explain to a patient that the frame they brought back from France is too flat to fit American lenses. It's difficult to tell them that the $400 frame they want isn't going to hold their prescription. Or that particular lens they want isn't big enough to make cut out. Sometimes you have to give them what they want and do whatever you can to make it work. Because as much as eye care is important in this line of work, so are looks. They want their Dior, their diamonds and colored contacts. To be honest, as much as I enjoy the medics I enjoy the fashion part too.


How do I want to change things? I want become an extremely good optician. If I can, I want to become a master of optometry. I have no drive to become a doctor. I want to know all I can about optics and take my show on the road. I want to work at more than one facility so that I can help the doctors with their practice. You know on those dramas where the pro comes in and at first everyone is like, "Ugh! This person thinks they know everything.. Go away!" But then they come to find that this pro really helps them and better them. Then when the pro leaves they're like, "No, don't go! We need you! We'll pay whatever you need!" I want to become that pro. I want to shake the monkey tree where everyone thinks, " I just need to sell products, I'll guess my way through the optics part. Or leave the optics part to someone else." I'm not going to point fingers on this blog.. Especially since I'm still fairly new to optics. I can see it though, the changes I want to make. I want to make sure the facilities have people who are receiving training and can get training if they need it. I want to "weed out" those who don't give a crap about optics and bring down the field. It may seem like an idealistic fantasy. I may be made fun of, and because I'm a woman it may seem impossible. But I'm going to do something., even if some people hate me for it. I want to do it not just for the pride of optometry, but for the patients as well.

I really need to study more though. I look into things, but I feel I need to crack the whip when it comes to studying.. Even though at this moment, I feel the most important thing is building my resume before become licensed. I want to know it, experience it, and be able to show it. I want to be the Bruce Lee of optometry. Confident, comes off as a bitch, but then you get to know I'm good at what I do.



Image taken from: http://www.eyeglasses-calgary-optometrists.com/

Chris and I just finished watching a movie called Paprika. It's an anime movie about a device created to help people with their dreams. But the device falls into the wrong hands and a team of psychologists must try and get it back.


It was an awesome movie. I've never seen Tokyo Godfathers or Perfect Blue, but I have seen Paranoia Agent. So I really enjoyed it as much as I did Paranoia Agent. I didn't find myself getting bored of it at all. I hope the show it on Adult Swim, may be that will bring in more anime viewers.


I doubt they would though, some people didn't like Paranoia Agent because they found it too werid. But this movie & PA are psychological & the visuals are intense.


It's hard to find good pics on the web that don't spoil the movie. I wanted to show all the cool and warped animation that it has. But I'd be better off making my own screencaps when I purchase it.


Another great thing about this movie is Chris liked it, lol. Usually he just says, "It was okay." or "It was alright." When I ask him how it was. But this time he said, "It was interesting, I liked it." Haha, he doesn't express his likings very often like I do. So I take it the movie impressed him a lot.



I highly recommend this movie to any anime watchers who like psychological genre. Or even for those who love visuals. May I also add the soundtrack is muy perfecto?



I do not however recommend this movie for young teens and first time anime viewers. There's some nudity & adult content. Also the movie might bore those who've never seen anime before and haven't yet come to appreciate the art.




I have to add it to my list of "wants" when we get settled into a cheaper place. I've been having a lot of trouble getting my credit report from Experian, so I settled with someone else. I can tell you I was getting extremely pissed yesterday that I couldn't prove I was me to those people. I told my mom I understand the security measures, but I know all my current information & they can't expect that.....I mean they wanted me to verify my address. It wasn't my current one, it was an address from 4 years ago. They didn't even say verify previous address. I pay bills at this one! Why don't they have it on file? Ah, the frustration! Anyways, I've been looking for a 2nd job for the summer. Chris has been looking as well. I hope I get something, because we need more money. When I become a licensed eye-poker money shouldn't be an issue. I just have to keep striving for that day. Should I really use the term"Eye poker"? I can assure the general public I would be the most professional eye-poker there is to offer. I have big plans I tell ya. But I'll discuss those in another post.



The link to where I got some of the pics and a detailed review is below.



http://redsreviews.blogspot.com/2007/08/paprika-movie-2006.html

I forgot I was suppose to review her cd!! To start off with I used to be a really big BoA fan. Not that I don't like her now, but I'm just not into her music as much as I was. I think her voice has changed a bit too much for my taste as she got older. Some may argue there isn't much of a difference, but I prefer her older songs.




０１ I Did It For Love （featuring Sean Garrett） *This is a great song. It's very upbeat & great for the club, parties, or whatever.*

０２ Energetic *Out of all the songs on the cd I enjoyed her vocals on this track the most. I wish she released a video for this song.*

０３ Did Ya *I like this song because it reminds me a lot of her older works. Her vocals are really good on this one as well*

０４ Look Who・s Talking *Very Britney Spears...I still can't decide whether or not that's a good thing. I've lost interest in all britney-like things*

０５ Eat You Up *This has to be my 2nd favorite song on the cd. Even though people have problem with the broken english lyrics & her "talking" instead of singing, I still love it. The beat is great.*

０６ Obsessed *This song is okay, it's nothing special to me. I'd say it ranks average, if not below out of all the other songs.*

０７ Touched *The energy in this song is awesome! The music box sound playing throughout really makes me thing of innocent flirting. But I also find this song average*

０８ Scream *I'm sorry, but this is the worst song on the cd. There's only one asian singer who can pull off a Halloween anthem & that's Tommy Heavenly6. I get she may be going for a Thriller sound, but it doesn't work to me. The whole thing comes off corny.*

０９ Girls On Top *I really like this song. She did a great english version, (something I wish Utada would do more often). It's win on all accounts*

１０ Dress Off*This song is the 2nd worst, it doesn't appeal to me at all. The only songs I find that work w/a sexual theme are Touched & Obsessed. This one seems to be trying too hard. The "DRESS OFF!" chant gets annoying quick.*


１１ Hypnotic Dancefloor *Another song I find average. The beat became old & the only thing I liked was the chorus. I wished they had changed up the melody or beat at some point during the song.*


Overall I found this a great start for BoA. The people who helped make this cd really knew what type of music would appeal to mainstream American audiences & what could be played in the club. But as a longtime BoA listener, I found that was one of my quirks. It just seemed to be all club music. The thing that I love about Asian pop music is they're able to sing anything they want without being stuck to one sound. Whereas here artist usually have to stick to one thing forever. Another thing I first noticed was the huge amount of electronics they added to her voice to "mask" her accent. It's not a bad idea, but I think they went a bit overboard. There were parts where she was singing normally & her english sounded great. If this cd gets played in the club or on commercials a lot, she will get noticed. But her stupid management doesn't seem to be doing a good job of promoting her. I've been reading she can't sign autographs, she can't take pictures, she comes on stage for 1 minute to talk, then leaves right away. She's appeared on lots of Asian american shows & interviews. I think her management should allow her more time with fans. Also put her on more American shows for interviews. Branch her out to new audience. I mean, Utada had an article on Vibe magazine's website. And that's normally geared towards african-americans. I think people younger than I or club goers will love her cd more than I. I'm still debating on if I'll buy it or not. As a BoA fan, I feel obligated to support her.

Ugh....tired.....I've had a busy weekend. I hope everyone else's was relaxing and they had fun. It's nice to be able to get out though. I've also been working hard at getting a 2nd job. Hopefully I can save enough money to get a car, a new place, and then my own computer! Yay!


Anyways here are scans from a magazine called Tokyo Graffiti. It's a mini street magazine that has lots of interesting stuff.







Different styles of wigs for men. Yes, that's right, wigs for men.




I also really love these....they ask a question and the people write down their answers. I like reading what all the foreigners write in Japan.

I've stopped purchasing this magazine series a few years ago. I don't plan on purchasing it, I've found other issues I'm into more. But they're only like 10 bucks. So if you come across one & want to spend extra money, pick this one up too.

Here's the link to the rest of the scans. http://s719.photobucket.com/albums/ww199/Kazukoy/Tokyo%20Graffiti%20April%202006/

So I'll be uploading another magazine I've scanned tomorrow. I hope everyone likes it! I've been watching so much Sailor Moon lately. I've been watching the cartoon and the live action. *sighs* If only I had been more open about my love for Sailor Moon in my younger years I could have lots of memorabilia. Ah well, there's always anime conventions. It just makes me yearn for the 90s again. I hope one day my kids will enjoy it as much as I do, because I'll be shoving it down their throats, mwa-ha-ha! Also, I've started drawing again! I'm still going to upload my drawing on DA. Just takes time, ya know?

I'm actually watching Saturday morning cartoons. Man they suck, haha! Or I'm just biased because I think my generation's cartoons were better.

So Chris and I plan on going over Ben's house to play games and watch anime with Geoff. It's going to be a lot of fun, I'm bringing over some good anime that I think they'll like. Ya know what I hate? When people suddenly "get popular" or claim to "have a life" as a reason they've stopped watching anime. I'm a firm believer that anime isn't just for basement dwellers and people who have no friends. When I was younger, I had plenty of friends to hang out with, yet that didn't stop me from watching anime after school or late at night. If you don't like it anymore, just say you don't like it anymore. I've noticed people like that will suddenly think they're better than those who continue to watch anime. They say things like, "I watched that stuff when I was a kid." or " I actually have friends now." I know some people grow out of it or become too busy. Though I don't agree with them looking down on adults who really like it still, yet they don't discard their responsibilities. Enough of my ranting....




The dragonball movie is out at the 2 dollar theater. I'm not exactly sure when, but we're going to see it. No way are we paying 18 bucks for that!




The trees have become so pretty now....

Finally I can use the computer at home. It's been hectic for a while, but things are back on schedule. Chris and I have been searching for apartments and going out with friends. Both have been a lot of fun, for me anyhow. I enjoy looking a different apartments and I really have to hand it to this one. If it weren't for all the shitty neighbors I wouldn't know what to prepare myself to ask or look out for in our search.


Since I uploaded all the pics off my camera finally, I thought I'd start off with this. I've mentioned I Love Bento before, so I thought I'd post more pics in the order you receive the food.



I should've made this one a bit larger, oh well. The area where the tv is at is the sushi bar. The husband works over there and likes to chat with the people close to him. I've never spoken to him, but he's very funny. He loves baseball, because there's lots of baseball stuff around. Plus a few Mariners themselves have visited to eat.



Ugh, not a good shot, I wanted to catch the beautiful paintings they have on the walls.


First you recieve your hot tea, hot hand towels, water, salad, and miso soup. The soup is beyond good. Every attempt I've made to recreate it has failed epically.


I was surprised the first time I went how much I liked the salad. Normally I can't eat the salad at Japanese resturaunts because it's too sweet. But this salad is not too sweet.


Usually I order Ika Tempura or regular Tempura as an appetizer. But I went for this sumonomo instead. It wasn't bad, kinda salty & sour.


The main course arrives! Along with rice & tempura dipping sauce. The bento meals are categorized by Ala carte, Combo A, & Combo B. Chris's meal in this pic is Combo A. Unlike Ala Carte it comes with california rolls, tempura, & more pickeled vegetables.


My meal is Combo B, so I get everything Combo B gets, except the california rolls are now fatty tunas, and a ebi sushi. The meals aren't that expensive ranging from 10.00 to 14.99( I think). Considering all you get, I don't find it that bad. Next time I'll order something different & show what you get with that. I've been meaning to try their fried ice cream.


If you're ever in Washington State, google the address, it's good.


Yay, Japanese food!

I've been meaning to update, but I haven't been home much. There's more going on than I can blog about in a day. Once I can relax, lol. I'll have lots of pics and hopefully I can post some youtube vids.

So last friday Chris and I got a call from Takkun. He invited us over to eat sushi he was making. We told him we were on our way after we viewed some cars at the toyota lot. I wanted to show Chris the Rav4. I've suddenly taken a liking to cars like that. They're like suvs for smaller people! I could never handle a regular size suv. Plus I've been wanting a car with a different look to it. Everyone seems to have one, but I still might want one. Luckily when we went no one pestered us. This one guy kind of turned his nose up at us, trying to usher us to the used cars. Stuff like that makes me want to slap them with a wad of $500s. After looking around we head off to Takkun's. He made excellent sushi & we played board games. I got to see Jesse, an ex roommate of ours. By ours, I mean Takkun and mine. I feel bad because we never got a long quite that well when we lived together or any other time.



After the game, Chris, Schmehgan, Takkun, and I went bowling. It was a lot of fun and I did pretty good. We yelled out random things to try and make each other mess up. At first it was "pepsi", then it moved on to "Animorphs!" and "Barack Obama!" Then we yelled things that we could make "owned" out of. I actually made Takkun mess up by yelling out, "Sylvester StalOWNED!" Then it was, "PepperOWNEDni!", "CalzOWNED!", Al CapOWNED!", and etc. We all agreed we should get together and do it again. Of course once we get an xbox, I'm sure our only communication will be over Left 4 Dead, lol.






Saturday Chris's cousin Jeff & his friend Ben called to see if we wanted to hang out at Sheri's again. At Sheri's we talked about various things other than anime & video games. We talked about the economy, how I should sick an orangutan on my noisy neighbors, high school drama, how the creator of Alice in Wonderland was probably a raging pedo, How Micheal Jackson was NOT a pedo????, how dangerous whales are, how the porn industry is fail, and family issues. I told them Chris showed me an April Fools trailer for the Zelda live action movie. I said my only gripe was Link wasn't hot. Ben was happy because I was a girl who thought a cartoon character was hot, lol. Overall I enjoyed it very much. We decided to meet up again at some Italian restaurant Jeff's dad once hosted a party at. Then we'd meet up again to watch Ikkitousen. I'm shocked they haven't seen it since they seem to fancy perverted anime. Not that I like Ikkitousen for the perversion! It's just really funny to me. I also lent Ben my Rosetta Stone Japanese program and gave him an extra Kanji book we had. He in exchange gave me perverted anime, haha! It was like 2am when we departed. Jeff wanted to walk home, so I had Chris stalk him in the car to make sure he got home safely.

Sunday Chris and I lounged around the house. I decided to watch asian horror movies online. Which by the way, has been so hard since Crunchyroll when loco. One movie I fell asleep during. When I woke up I asked Chris how it was and he said it was sad. That was the first time I've ever heard him say that about a movie. I mean the Boy in the Striped Pajamas gets nothing. But this crap thriller makes him sad?! I asked him why and he said, "Because the girl was heavy and they told her to come back when she weighed 70 pounds. The way they said it was so mean and it reminded me of my sister. Because she's heavy..." Aww...so cute.


YAY! I received Hana Yori Dango season 1 &2 plus the movie in the mail! I have yet to see the movie, but I will sit down and watch it one day.

I got to actually hang out with people this weekend. We hung out with Takkun and his wife. We had sushi at their place, played a board game, and we went bowling. Then last night Chris's cousin Jeff invited us to hang out at Sheri's with his friend Ben again. Boy, that was fun. We just sat their & talked until 2am about anime, politics, movies, monkeys, and family drama. I didn't even realize it was 2am. This morning Chris and I have been playing Mario Kart, now we're going to watch Asian horror movies. I'll do another post with pics later on, but I'm tired & Chris needs to use the computer soon. If only Stefanie were here, then it'd be complete.