1. Long story short - C (the date mentioned in previous post) is a dead end. Zero. Natta. Zip.

2. Right so, there have been a small change of plans concerning study abroad. After having a talk with the head of the International Progams Department, I am now applying to Kwansei Gakuin University instead of Kansai Gaidai. It turns out that if I want to study Japanese seriously, Kansai wouldn't be the best place to go. Anyways I'm filling out the paperwork for it...and it's a lot. I realize now that I was very naive in thinking the paperwork would be simple. Oh, and another stupid thing, I have a water bottle that kind of has a leaky cap if you're not careful, and I made the enormous Neanderthal mistake of putting it in my backpack. The result: The top portion of all my papers got soak. Including my study abroad applications. Oh, and did I say - FUCK.

3. Right now is one of the times of the school year that I hate the most - registration for next semester's classes. Oh. And signing up for next year's housing. Always a pain in my ass. Shit always hits the fan. And it makes me want to break out of the calm and mellow demeanor I've been trying to maintain in an effort to seem cool. STOP IT, SCHOOL. You're making me break my social image.

4. As of recent, my roommate (who's a girl btw) and I have been engaging in what I'd like to call The Penis Wars. Basically, we play penis pranks on each other. Throughout the year, we would crack the occasional penis joke, but nothing really progressed from that. Finally, one day, I was coming back from the mail room and with some packages. My roommate innocently asks me, "What you got in there?" And practically instinctively, I answered, "Your penis." And then we went into a conversation, while laughing wildly, about how I found her penis at a dollar store, etc. And from there, things escalated. And yeah, I started it. I first snuck on her computer and set as her wallpaper a picture of a dude dressed up in a penis costume with the words, "M, I FOUND YOUR PENIS!" across it. She then fired back by telling me to go on leekspin.com. And then right afterwards, meatspin.com. My retaliation was kind of gross, so I don't know if you guys want to hear it. Anyways, most recently, my roommate retaliated by buying a pink banana case from Daiso and stuffing it in my pillow case. When I took it out, there was a post-it on it saying, "MOG, I FOUND YOUR DILDO. NEXT TIME PUT TOYS AWAY. THANKS. -M" And now, I am getting ready with my own attack. Oh, college immaturity. :]

Mmkay, I think I'm going to end it with that. There are some other things going on but I will talk about them in my next life update. 'Til next time. :)

Current Mood: chipper

I realize now that the best way to recap Friday night would be when I'm still buzzing from it. So the buzz's gone now but I'll try to give a satisfying recap.

Oh, so some background info: This guy, we'll call him C, I first met my freshman year of college through my floormate at the time, who he went to high school with. We didn't talk much past the "Hi, my name is blah blah," and I saw him a couple times that year, but that was it and I didn't see him for the next two years. Then last week he randomly contacted me through Facebook, basically saying that he was sorry for using such a lame approach and if there was another way to ask me out on a date, he would have. Anyways, I didn't see the harm in accepting and as I didn't know him that well, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to do so.

Right, so the date was fun but to be honest, I wasn't swept off my feet or anything. I felt pretty relaxed and calm because I wasn't the one who had to impress so the pressure was off me. We watched Coraline in 3D and had dinner afterward; I like the movie but I got a feeling that he didn't. He didn't say so which I think was because he didn't want to displease me in any way.

Guys, it's okay if you don't have the same opinions as us, okay? It's not like we'll immediately consider it a deal breaker if you don't agree with us on everything. Personally, I like it when someone disagrees with me. It usually leads to some interesting and fun discussions/conversations. And it also shows confidence, that you're willing to stand up for yourself, which is always a bonus point in my book.

Going back to the date, there were also little things he did that bugged me a little. He sometimes came off as a little insecure and it was awkward for me because I didn't always know how to respond. But a lot of these things I brushed off because I figured he was nervous and therefore, a bit self-conscious.

I think what bothered me the most was when I talked to him the day after the date. While we were talking, he asked me if there was anything that he did that was creepy. I thought it was weird for him to ask that but I told him no. He then asked me, "Are you sure? Any habits that I have that reaaallly bothered you?"

Okay, guys, another note: never ask a girl this, especially after going on just one date with them. It's awkward, inappropriate, and comes off as even more insecure with a little desperate sprinkled on top. Did he honestly want me to give a run-down critique of how he was that night? Seriously, I felt like he was saying, "Here is my ego. Please tread on it. With high heels." I mean, there's no way I was going to because 1) it would make him feel even more self-conscious, and 2) for a guy who's been giving off insecurity vibes, did he honestly want me to beat him down even more?

So I just told him to relax, and that he was fine. Quite frankly, that's all I wanted from him: to relax. I know it's difficult, but all I wanted was for him to be himself so I could see him for he was. Worrying whether a girl will like you or not is completely understandable, but in a way, it's not of utmost importance. Bottom line is, we'll either have chemistry or we won't. We'll either click or we won't, and if we don't, then we move on. Disappointed? Yeah, probably. But trying to force it will only waste your and her time.

Anyways, I didn't really feel anything during the date. It kind of felt like I was hanging out with one of my guyfriends, except for some awkward moments. But it was just one date so I wasn't really expecting anything. Him asking those questions definitely hurt him but I've decided I'm not going to hold it against him because I still don't know him that well. So if anything, it could be just a nervous glitch and not an actual character flaw (yet).

To be honest, I'm not really concerned if there's going to be a second date or not. If he does ask for one, I'll accept but if he doesn't, I don't feel like there's any loss (sorry if that sounds harsh). I was never looking for anything serious really. If anything, if things had gone well, I still wouldn't be able to see this thing going past casual. This is mostly because at the end of the year, I'll be leaving for Japan and I don't want to go with any strings attached. And I'm going abroad for a year. I think it's general knowledge that long distance can be a real relationship killer.

Well, that's really the end of it. I had a fun weekend though, cooking with my girlfriends. It's actually strange. After that date, I realized how much I appreciated and am grateful for the company of my friends. We always keep each other laughing and I think it's amazing that even our silences are comforting.

Alright, I think this post is long enough. I think there was more I wanted to write about but I can't remember anymore. 'Til next time.

Btw, I went to the gym today and I'm as tired as shit.

Current Mood: tired

Got a date tomorrow (Friday) night. Will divulge in the details (how, what, where, etc.) when I have the time. :]

Current Mood: busy

It's been a while. Let's catch you up with my life, shall we? :)

1. Tarot card lady update. Long story short, it's a no go. I ended up trying to call her many times too many and I could never get through. *shrugs* It's fine. I'm currently in an impassive phase in terms of mood. Doomed love life you say? Alright. I'll start prepping myself for a future of a dog-lady lifestyle and an endless string of one-night stands. Yeah, I'm joking about the one-night stands. Doomed singleton WITH STDs? I think I'll be good without.

2. So I'm finishing up paperwork for study abroad and I've decided to apply to Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata, Osaka. Ideally, I wanted to attend an university in Tokyo but I can only apply to schools that my school is actively associated with, otherwise I would have to petition. My school used to be associated with Sophia University but for some reason, presently, it is not. I was planning to petition but after meeting the ex-Study Abroad advisor by chance, he told me my chances of getting it passed were extremely slim. 2% to be exact. His words. Apparently, my school has had a rocky history with them as "sending students there found to be not conducive to the students' learning." Read: most of the students we've send there partied like crazy and never studied. He also said it was too expensive. So I decided Osaka would be the next best thing and it's supposed to be the gourmet food capital of Japan. So I'm happy. Only problem is that their GPA requirement is a bit higher than the other schools and as my GPA had been repeatedly raped by science classes, I need to work a bit harder this semester to bump my GPA up. I'm actually starting to really like this school because I looked at their course catalog and the courses they offer look really interesting.

Oh, by the way, did I mention I'll be going for year? The original plan was just for a semester but due to some required courses only being offered at certain times (the details are more complicated than I care to explain), I ended up having an extra semester between the semester I plan to study abroad and my last semester. I didn't want to let that semester go to waste so I thought I could take this opportunity to extend my time abroad to a year. So if everything goes to plan, I'll be leaving for Japan around this time next year. Also, the international program at Kansai Gaidai (KGU) follows the American academic calendar. So as opposed to having school all year round, I'll have a 3-month summer break between spring and fall semester. Since I originally wanted to attend school in Tokyo, I thought of going up to Tokyo for that break to work. I don't know if I mentioned this before but my dad works for SANYO, a Japanese company, so he semi-regularly goes to Japan for business trips. Because of his work, he has a lot of contacts in Tokyo and he may be able to help me find a job for that time period. If that doesn't pan out, I'm hoping I'll be able to build a good relationship with my host family and they'll let me continue to stay with them over the summer break and I'll try to find a job in Osaka. The reason why I'm hoping that they'll let me stay with them is that the school isn't responsible for where you stay during that summer break if you choose to extend your abroad stay to a year. Therefore, I'm assuming that my assigned host family isn't obligated to accommodate me during the summer. And whether I will get assigned a new host family my second semester or not, I have no idea.

3. I don't think I mentioned this before either but I was planning to take a Japanese minor. I went to talk to the head of the Japanese department and when I told him I was planning to go abroad for a year, he suggested I take on a major instead since I had already gotten some of the requirements done and I could finish the rest of them abroad since I would have the time. And if something came up that I couldn't finish the requirements, I could just go back down to a minor. All the paperwork has been processed so now I'm officially a double major in International Affairs and Commerce and Japanese. :D



Alright, that's all I care to write about right now. This is just a brief update as to what's going up with my life. See you next time. :)

Current Mood: calm

Basically a random meme where they list 100 things and you bold the things you've done. Seriously, there's a bunch of really random things, like, "have you held a lamb?" stuff. o_O

But entertaining. :D

( Do you own a cell phone? )

Current Mood: awake

Awww. You know, after eight years of watching him on T.V., laughing at him, and making fun of him...I'm gonna miss that monkey face. :D

But yay!

EDIT:

This is adorable.




(c) QueenOfDorks

Current Mood: cheerful

For the last couple of days, I've been trying to call the Tarot Lady but she never picked up. Actually the phone only picked up once and a guy answered it. Tarot Lady wasn't there so he said he'd take a message and she'd call me back in an hour or so. But she never did.

So today, I concluded that if I couldn't get through to her today then I would just drop the whole ordeal and move on. And hope that my love life will somehow get better on its own.

Right.

So I called her number again today and lo and behold, she picks up. So I told I'd do the whole spool of thread thing tonight and she said to put it between my mattress and bed spring before I go to bed. Tomorrow I'm suppose to call her tomorrow and set up a meeting. She also told me to remember my dreams that night too. Um. Yes. Problem. I DON'T DREAM.

Well, to be more accurate, I dream only occasionally but I can never recall them. The harder I try to remember them, the more I forget. But for the most part, I don't have any dreams. Although it might be because I sleep relatively late. Right, so, I've decided that tonight I shall sleep early and see if I get any dreams. As for the recalling issue, I guess I'll just jot them down immediately after I wake up?

Right. That is the plan.

And yes, you may judge me. I am well aware of how ridiculous all of this sounds.




P.S. GOOD BYE DIGNITY. T______T

Current Mood: hungry

Last Friday night, I went to this event my school holds monthly called "Tiger's Night." Basically it's for students to kick back, relax, enjoy free food, airbrush tattoos, and the whatnot. This month, the theme was Night of Mystique. Now usually, Tiger's Nights are kinda lame and there's not a lot of people turnout. So I was surprised by how fun this particular Tiger's Night was.

There's was a hypnotist and he did a little show, of which I left in the middle of it because as interesting it was to watch, it started to be way too long. There was face painting so people walking around looking like the Joker, tigers, and I swear, there was this guy who looked like the matchmaker from the Mulan movie. There was also people walking around on stilts and waving around those gymnast ribbons, and we also, interestingly enough, had a body contortionist.

For me, the most interesting part of the night were the tarot card readers. I think I should start by saying that I'm a rather skeptical person so I don't believe in psychics and fortune tellers and what have you. Which is why I did it twice with two different readers because I thought it would be hilarious if they gave me two different readings. And they did. Which is you know, har har in itself but it wasn't what I expected.

( Tarot card reading: Um. WHAT? )

On a lighter note, I bought a Halloween costume over the weekend. Which is strange as I never bought a Halloween costume before. No joke. Mum handmade my cat costume and Belle (of Beauty & the Beast) dress, and strangely enough, I can't remember any other costume I might of had as a child. Anyways, college freshman year, I borrowed the costume from a friend (Little Red Riding Hood), and last year, I borrowed clothes from a number of friends and construed a strange costume (a very VERY lame train conductor). This year I was going to dress up as a sailor based solely on the fact that I happened to have a blue and white striped top. Would figure out the rest later. But then took a step into Hot Topic and was owned by a pretty "Geisha Girl" costume. With awesome sleeves. There was a really cute sailor outfit too but opted for the geisha outfit because the sleeves were awesome. I think it's a good thing I did because a friend hinted that the sailor thing will probably be the popular costume this year. Anyways, I'm ditching the white face make-up and going for exotic eye make-up. Because the eye make-up will be fun and awesome. I don't have any bright bold eye shadows in my make-up stash so took a trip to Target and bought a spool of white thread.

Did I mention that the costume was ridiculously expensive? It was...ridiculous. But I decided I'd wear the costume for any and all future Halloweens I'll choose to participate in. When my Halloween days are over, I'll just sell it on eBay. The material's good and the design's very pretty so I think it'll sell. Also, the sleeves are very awesome.

Current Mood: cynical

Yesterday I went to San Francisco to watch The Dark Knight in IMAX. I never seen a movie in IMAX before so to say I was uber excited and thrilled would be an understatement. My only IMAX experience was when I went on a school trip to the San Jose Tech Museum and we watched some NASA outer space documentary of which the only thing I remember is this part where they show you the interior of a bowl that is covered with multi-colored dots. And then they spun it. And then I remember feeling dizzy and nauseous. And then I remember not appreciating it.

Anyways, the theater was f***ing huge, making me squirm even more in excitement. Though on the more unfortunate side, the overall experience wasn't as spectacular as I hoped it to be. Although I think it was more due to the misfortune of our circumstances than anything else. My friend and I initially had relatively good seats, near the top and center. But then the guy who was sitting next to my friend started stinking up a storm. It was bad enough that she couldn't take it anymore and we had to move. Instead we settled in seats closer to the front and to the side. So we spent the duration of the movie looking up and at the end of movie, we left with aching necks and minor headaches. Also, about halfway through the movie, I started to feel really tired. I mean, the massive speakers would jolt me awake a couple times but I couldn't help but think, "Damn, we got another hour to go." But on the bright side, Christian Bale looks really really pretty on the big IMAX screen. His face did not disappoint. :D

It was still an overall good experience but I think if our circumstances were slightly more favorable, then good would have more likely turned into awesome.

Current Mood: drained

Ouch.

Although if you want a good laugh, you should check out Cleolinda's recap of the series. And by good laugh, I mean real laugh-out-loud laughs. 'Cos. Well. I did. Also, this is mostly directed to you, Paulina. I think you'll find it highly amusing. And if you're a die-hard Twilighter - or whatever it is you call yourself, bringing a sense of humor is suggested. :D

Well, I'm finally finished with all my summer classes so now I can kick back, find out what all this hype about, and read me some Twilight.


Oh yeah, did anyone remember that the HYD movie came out in June? I TOTALLY blanked out on it. Oh well. I would have to wait until the DVD release anyways to watch it. But saw some stills and it's gotten me excited. :]

Current Mood: tired

If you haven't seen it yet, here you go:





I am intrigued.

Though, I've been hearing about some of the stuff that they're adding into the movie that's not in the book. And...it's questionable. I feel a little skeptical about it actually but at the same time, I'm curious as to how they're attempting work it into the story.

Current Mood: bored

I'm sure most of people these days are aware of the mini explosion that is Twilight in the literary universe. It's been selling a gazillion copies, some people are calling Stephanie Meyers the next J.K. Rowling, and it's developed a very large (albeit slightly rabid) fanbase.

My current dilemma is that I'm trying to decide whether I should read it or not. The thing is I've been reading a lot...what's a kind word...unfavorable comments about it. The kindest remark I've read that wasn't "OMG TWILIGHT IS RULEZ!!! EDWARD IS SOOO HOTTT!!!" was that the plot was decent but the writing's the cream crop of crap. That it was a guilty pleasure. Or another way someone put that I thought was amusing was that it was a "harlequin romance dressing up in mommy's make-up, pretending to be fantasy." Though I was really curious about the series and wanted some kind of inkling of what it was about so I read the story plot on Wikipedia (yes, I'm that type of person). Granted, I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source in the world but I have relative confidence in that the summary it provided gives the basic gist. To be honest, I'm not really impressed. Maybe it's because I've been exposed to so much shoujo, but the story seems really...cliche and incredibly unoriginal.

Now I feel like to be fair, I shouldn't be so quick to pass judgment on series I haven't even read. But I feel really hesitant because I have this foreboding feeling that it's going to be a waste of my time. Even if the story turns out to be relatively decent, if the writing is what a lot of people are saying it is, I doubt I'll even be able to get through with it. Personally, it's really difficult for me to read a book that's not (for lack of better words) well-written or at least in a form of diction that connects with me. For example, Saving Francesca is one of my favorite books and it's actually the only contemporary teenager novel that I've read and liked. Now its diction is no Poisonwood Bible. The diction is more relax and casual, but it's direct and honest. Another one would be Ender's Game. To be honest, I never really got into Sci-Fi but this book was extremely well-written. It actually felt more like a psychological drama but you know, it has spaceships and aliens and stuff so it's still Sci-Fi.

Also I know I shouldn't be listening to what other people say and that I should read the series to draw up my own conclusions. But I don't think I'm being completely ignorant about this (or at least I hope not) because the people who are making these comments think the same way as I do. So chances are, I'll end up making the same comments regardless.

I've been reading a bunch of news articles about the Comic Con in San Diego (the only time of the year that I badly wish I live in/near San Diego) and they had a panel for the Twilight movie. I read that they got an ear-deafening reception from the superfans that attended but they didn't gain any new believers (like the Wolverine movie and Terminator movie, but more on that later). The reporter there actually heard the "huge nerds" there being condescending about the Twilight fans. A direct quote: "By the way, Twilight fans are the new objects of ridicule for people who are the rest of society's objects of ridicule."

Ummm. Frankly, that does make me slightly more apprehensive.

Well I guess, it's only fair that I read the series. Or at least make some effort to get around to it. I really need to start branching out to new books anyways because all I have been doing lately is reading Harry Potter over and over again.


Going back to Comic Con news, I hear one of the biggest surprises was the upcoming Wolverine movie and the new Terminator movie. Both of these movies I have much intention to watch. First off, Terminator movie. Christian Bale's starring. Done deal. As for the Wolverine movie, I saw the footage they previewed for the Con on YouTube and it looks really promising. It's gotten me very excited and pumped up for it. Also, Gambit's gonna be in it. Batman's my favorite comic superhero. Right after him, is Wolverine and then Gambit. But that's only because in my head, Wolverine is Hugh Jackman. So I guess really, Gambit would be #2. Either way, that in itself is really really exciting. Gambit was actually going to be in the 3rd X-men movie (I think Channing Tatum auditioned for him) but they decided to cut him out of the script. Which I guess isn't a bad thing since that movie was borderline abomination.

Current Mood: awake

Ha ha. But I'm popping up now. :D

First things first - I got a new laptop! XD! Of which I have dubbed MogBook. :D My desktop still has a very special place in my arterial pump but the freedom of mobility is undeniably satisfying. There's even a mini-remote for this thing - isn't that ridiculous?? Mind you, I've been needlessly using it to turn on said MogTop.

( 1. Major life change alert! )

( 2. APhiO and stuff you're allowed to judge me for. )

( 3. BB Cream - miracle or gimmick?? )

( 4. HP Movie 6 casting comment (read: click to see a very fortunate looking male). )

( 5. Mini art dump and haphazard plans - I wouldn't even call them plans...Just. I don't even know. )

( 6. Norwegian Recycling. )

You know I didn't realize that ayaka released an album last June until earlier this week. I'm a failure of a fan. As for the album, a failure it is not. That chick's a powerhouse of vocal cords isn't she? The only song I don't really like on her album is that CLAP/LOVE song. :\

BTW, has anyone seen the j-drama Code Blue? Know if it's any good? I recognize the main cast and I'm slightly tempted but unsure at the same time. If I'm gonna waste my time on something, I want it to be something good at least. :D

Alrighty, toodle-pip!

Current Mood: chipper

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Zettai_Kareshi

XD.

Oh man, this should be good.

Has anyone read the manga? I never finished it because, well, quite frankly, I couldn't stand it any more. ^^;


Also, I do realize it's been a long while since I've updated. Unfortunately, I can't indulge you with any juicy details of the past couple of months as I actually have a lot going on this week. Can't make any promises but maybe I'll pop up again by the end of this week?

Current Mood: giggly

So it's winter break now and I finally have time to update this journal. So update I shall. =)

( 1. Alpha Phi Omega )

( 2. Memory, you're a bloody hindrance. )

( 3. Shopping! Shopping! Shopping! )

( 4. I think my butt got bigger. )

( 5. BB Cream: Blemish Balm Cream. )

Well, I think that'll be it for tonight. Good-byes! =D

Current Mood: chipper

( So friggin' heartbreakin' sad. Seriously. Now watch me ramble about awesome storytelling. )

Current Mood: nerdy

Oh my God.

Oh my God.


High-Res


Ben Barnes.

You give me the feelings.




In a somewhat accurate emulation of Paulina... *flails*

Current Mood: ecstatic

So for this school year, I got my sister's laptop since she got a new one for Pharmacy school, and so I left my desktop computer at home. I come home for the Labor Day weekend, turn on my desktop computer, only to find what? That for some explicable reason, almost three years worth of photos, documents, manga, music, programs, and personal crap have disappeared. It seems like the hard drive had been completely wiped and it is essentially in the same state it was when I first got it. And to add to that, the laptop's been having a lot of problems with spyware and crap. What happened next I think would have been the closest thing I've ever been to having a breakdown. Ever since then I've been in a pretty bad rut. But after some movies and retail therapy, I'm feeling a little better. Still trying to find things to occupy my mind 'cos every time I start thinking about it, I start to get really depressed. It's pathetic how a hunk of circuits and wires can get me in such a rut. T_T

Alright, well now I'm in a search of a decent cheap external hard drive to back up whatever I have left on the laptop.

Current Mood: depressed

I went to SanDisk's Annual International Festival today and got henna-ed on my hand.



It was my first time doing it was I was very surprised as to how cold the ink-stuff was. It looked like poop. And when it dried, it looked like dry poop. But the smell is rather therapeutic. =P

Ah yes, and I watched 300 tonight. =D Man, that movie really gives you this buzz. I am so ready to beat the crap out of someone right now.

Current Mood: bouncy

So I had 11 inches of my hair cut on Wednesday. =D

( Mother was not pleased. )

I went to watch Bourne Ultimatum and Becoming Jane. I have fulfill my action flick and chick flick quota for the summer. (The following contains no spoilers, promise.)

Bourne Ultimatum was unbelievably awesome. The thing is, all the stunts done in the movie can actually be done in RL. Also, the script was not even finished when they started filming so it's amazing that it was able to become such an incredible movie.

As for Becoming Jane - I love James McAvoy. I love his voice, his eyes, and he is an awesome actor. Plot-wise, it was alright. No surprises or unexpected twists. It was quite formulaic. There were some parts that dragged a little but the movie also had its moments. But it was the acting that did it for me. Superb cast. =D The only really bad thing is that I cannot seem to find a torrent for it. Blargh.

Now, I am determined to watch Stardust next. =D

Current Mood: complacent