Friday, June 29, 2007

   Don't give up! If we let ourselves get discouraged it's over. The answer's out there. There's an answer out there somewhere! - Holland Novak, Eureka 7

Well....I know I said (about a month ago...)that I'd be back soon with pictures and stories and....well, anyway sorry for the delay, but I'm not going to be doing that stuff today either. This is just a post to say I'm home and I'm working for another 4 weeks. Then I have one week off before I leave for Shizuoka and I've got waaaaayyy more stuff to do than I ever imagined was possible. I'm kinda freaking out about it all right now but don't worry, I know it'll be fine in the end. Anyway...I got a new macbook laptop so here are some funny pictures we took on it... me an' AJ me an' Nikkichi w/Beth's mouth in the corner me, Selena, an' AJ Acutally there are a lot that are funnier than those but I think they're a bit too embarrassing to show. Don't be alarmed if I'm not around much for the next month. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated but like I said there's a ton of stuff to do soooo....I hope everyone's having a great summer!!

Comments (4) | Permalink

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

   Today was great, tomorrow will be better! - George Miyagusuku, Blood+

This is just a quick update to say sorry, but I won't be updating for another week or two. I'm leaving for New York in just a few hours and I haven't packed or cleaned my apartment! Ahhh!! I'm dyeing my hair right now....and....playing on the computer for some reason instead of getting ready. Well, I'll make it in time. So let's see....the last week of school was really fun, but sad too. Not all the kids in my class know I'm going to Japan since it doesn't really concern them, but I still felt worse saying goodbye this year than usual. I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer anyone's PMs or comment this week, but when I get back from New York and get settled into summer school I'll be sure to do that. We're going to see at least one Broadway show and go shopping in Chinatown again so I'll have lots of great pictures when I get back too! Have a great start to summer (or end of school as the case may be...) *hugs* Talk to everyone later!

Comments (1) | Permalink

Saturday, May 19, 2007

   Because I'm so incredibly happy right now it also makes me worry about losing everything. - Lil, Angel Sanctuary

I'm going to Shizuoka shi!! That's right, I FINALLY got my JET placement this morning and it was my first choice prefecture! I'm soooo excited! Just FYI, Shizuoka is in the southern part of Honshu island, about an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train!)Here's a map of Japan.... ...so you can see it, and here's the prefecture itself... Oh, before I continue, I'm sorry!! *bows* I still didn't get to visit anyone this week. Only one more week of school to go though and then I'll be totally free! Well, not really since I'm going to New York and then there's summer school to teach, but I won't be busy babysitting and planning Pre-K graduation and getting ready for my yellow belt test all on top of it. Anyway, Shizuoka is the largest prefecture in Japan by land area. It has a mild climate and they grow things like green tea, oranges, and strawberries. It's also known for having really good oden, gyoza, and soba. Yummy!! Mt. Fuji is in Shizuoka, and it's near the Pacific Ocean but also has rivers, lakes, and occasionally snow. They're big into soccer in that area, but also host the World Cup for something called Daidogei. As far as I can tell this is some kind of acrobat competition, but it looks really cool! There are festivals in April, July, and November. As far as I can tell I am going to be in the actual city, since -shi means city, but I could end up somewhere else in the prefecture. I'll find out more sometime in the next month when I get contacted by the actual school(s) that I'll be working at. I think I'm also going to hear from my predecessor, so that will be pretty cool. I'll get the opinion of someone like me who's been doing what I'm going to do soon. Ahhh!! OK, I must confess, I'm freaking out a little bit right now. Ah, but it'll be ok. I can't look back now. As it says in the email, this placement is FINAL. So basically, unless something horribly tragic happens, I'm going. Well, now I've got to go get fitted for contact lenses, but after that I'm really going to come home and work on my computer a lot. MyOtaku, MySpace, editing the kids yearbook pictures, ebay postings, etc....I'm sure I'll think of more stuff to do, so if you're waiting on me to respond to you it'll be tonight I promise! Have a great week everyone! *hugs* Talk to you later! Oh yeah, and here's one more b-day card I got from Lily-chan!

Comments (4) | Permalink

Sunday, May 13, 2007

   Abandon your fears, look ahead...if you retreat you'll die. - Zangetsu, Bleach

So....28 is starting off to be pretty weird....I had an explanation for that when I thought of it, but.....now I can't remember how it went. I guess that's just another sign that this is the year of the weirdness. I did get some cool stuff this year. The kids at school had a little party for me on Thursday and there were 3 cakes! I got some gift cards, book, candles, etc. from all of them. Then on Friday night I went out to eat at Liquid Ginger with my dad and brother. It's a really cool Asian grille and teahouse. On Saturday we had dinner at my mom's (our favorite homemade mac'n'cheese and chocolate cake with chocolate icing!) My mom and stepdad gave me a 4G memory stick and my dad is getting me a brand new MacBook to take to Japan. I feel like I've been running around all weekend so I didn't do much today, just laundry and watching TV for the most part. Hmmm....I guess the weird parts of the weekend were really the ones that made me most happy, one on Thursday at Karate and one totally unexpected thing Saturday night, but....I probably shouldn't talk too much about it. I got 3 great cards online though from AJ... Yami-chan.... and my onii-chan Thanks everyone! *hugs* I'm sorry I haven't done much commenting or replied to any PMs or GB entries this week. *bows* I'll try to get to it in the next few days, but we are starting our last 2 weeks of school tomorrow and things are getting really crazy. Plus, the kids are NOT happy that we keep having to stay inside because of the smoke so they are making my life a little more difficult. It looks like I'm going to New York the week after school gets out again just like last year so I may be MIA again for a while. Ahh....my grammar has gone to shit in this post, hasn't it? Well, I'll try to do better in the next one. Have a great week everyone!

Comments (4) | Permalink

Sunday, May 6, 2007

   To change yourself is to change the future. - Yuko, xxxHolic

Eh-heh....so I wasn't able to make a post last week....sorry for that everyone, but I have just been really, really busy. I've been getting home at like 10 pretty much every night. I've been taking care of a friend's dog too since she went out of town so things have been getting a little crazy at home too. Here's Kaya (the chocolate lab) with my Hikari-kun! So cute!! He really loves her a little more than she'd like him to I'd say, but she puts up with it since she's a bit older than he is. Her family is coming home this afternoon though so I get to take her back and then clean my apartment. My allergies have been really bad lately. Dog hair is contributing to that I'm sure, but also all the smoke. There are really bad fires in Georgia right now (for anyone who doesn't know) so bad in fact that the smoke that has blown down here to Gainesville - about 300 miles - was keeping us from even going outside for a couple days. That was pretty awful for the kids at school. Being forced to stay inside when you're 5 years old is like some unusual kind of torture. So hopefully the fires will get under control soon and no one in Georgia will be hurt. I've been getting kind of antsy this week about Japan. I was told by the JET Program people that I'd find out exactly where I'm going in May (yes, I realize it's only the 6th...) and I really want to know! *sigh* All I can do is wait.....Oh! I'd also like to thank Lily-chan for this nice card (because I'm going to Japan)! I watched the third Naruto movie this weekend and I think I know why it didn't do very well. The story was actually quite good, it just didn't belong in Naruto. If the story of the selfish prince and his archery genius of a son were told on its own I think it could have been a much better movie. Although...I did appreciate Lee using nunchaku that combine into a staff, Kakashi creating a giant dog monster out of water, and Sakura in her cute summer outfit kicking everyone's ass with her super strength. Ah well, now I guess I should get going. Lots to do before I have to get back to work tomorrow. Oooh, but it's the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon tomorrow, that will be yummy! And....more importantly, it's my birthday on Thursday!! Yatta! I hope you all have a good week too! *hugs* Talk to you later!

Comments (6) | Permalink

Monday, April 23, 2007

   I'll choose which path I go down because that's how I live my life. - Ryuu, RG Veda

Ugh...I feel sick.....ah, but it's ok, don't anyone worry. I'm just being whiney. OK, so I really meant to get this post up this weekend, but I had a lot to do. I'm sorry that I didn't do a very good job of commenting last week either. Hopefully I'll be able to do that and answer my PMs tonight or tomorrow. This is going to be another busy week though b/c we have our preschool music program on Thursday night. Waahh! I have to miss Karate for it! So...hmm...what to talk about...oh, I know! I finished reading Fruits Basket this weekend! Eh-heh...I really was busy wasn't I? No, seriously I went a lot of places with other people. I just stayed up most of the night Friday and read from chapter 100 to 136 on the computer. I guess I liked the ending, but...I dunno. If anybody else has read it tell me what you think. I just got my Evangelion DVDs back from a friend I lent them to, but surprisingly he didn't like it that much. He said he wasn't into anime that had to comment on the human condition. Hm....I think I can kind of understand. I like some things just for their story too. But still....come on....it's Evangelion! *sigh* Oh well...I guess I'd better get going now, lots more to do today too. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Comments (3) | Permalink

Saturday, April 14, 2007

When the path's full of risks, sometimes you need to turn half your brain off...or you'd never be able to take the plunge. - Puhat - HunterxHunter

Hello everyone! I think I've managed to do a little better this week. I've commented to everyone who visited me at least once. I think I can probably manage to do that and post about once a week for now, but it's a start at least. So how do you like the Sakura-y-pink-ness of my new theme? I realize it's probably a bit over the top for some, but I like it. There's 3 different Sakuras featured on the page! The quote and the song (Niji, by Denki Groove) are both from Eureka 7, and the post background is a really messed with pic of Blossom from Powerpuff Girls Z. I spent most of this week filling out paperwork and spending money (waaahh!) There was so much to do to get all the legal stuff squared away before I go to Japan. I had no idea! Whew, it was a lot of work! And it all had to be done right away so that it can get processed so it was kind of stressful for a couple days there, going to doctors, getting fingerprinted, etc. There will still be more to do later too! It's ok though, of course it will all be worth it, b/c in less than 4 months I'll be in Japan! I still haven't found out exactly where I'm going yet, but probably in about a month I will. So now I think I should talk about some anime and manga. After all, what's an otaku without those things? Right now I barely have any time to read or watch them, but I'm still trying to keep up with Eureka 7 since it's almost over on Adult Swim. I have recently become dissatisfied with Adult Swim though so it's pretty hard to handle sometimes. I started watching Blood+ too, but I don't know how much I like it. I mostly just watch it b/c it's there, and about vampires. Vampires are always a plus in my book (no pun intended there...) I'm currently rereading all the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the last one coming out this summer so my manga reading time is a bit limited as well, but right now I'm working on the first volume of Gunsmith Cats, Revised Edition. I used to read Gunsmith Cats like 5 years ago when it came out in monthly comic format and I really loved it. I'd definitely recommend it to anybody who appreciates guns or cars or both. Also, if you like girls, it's probably pretty good since they seem to take their clothes off a lot more than I remembered. Anyway....what the heck am I rambling about here....I think I've lost my touch when it comes to making posts. Well, no big deal, soon they'll be interesting again since they'll be all about me in Japan! Can you tell I'm excited? Eh-heh....time to go watch Shippuden....

Comments (2) | Permalink

Friday, April 6, 2007

Thursday's child has far to go...

That's a line from this little rhyme about all the days of the week, and yes I was born on a Thursday. I'll explain it's importance in a minute. But first....hello everyone!! I'm sorry for my long absence *bows* but as you can guess I have been very busy. I am actually busier than ever now, but I am going to make a concerted effort over the next few months to reconnect with my old friends here and on MySpace. After I make this post I'm going to redecorate this site and then answer my PMs and begin commenting to people at least once a week again, hopefully...I know, I've said that a lot, but this time I have a good reason to really try. So the 'Thursday's child' poem goes like this: Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child works hard for a living, Saturday's child is loving and giving, But the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe and good and gay Yeah...so as you can guess it's a really old poem because obviously they're using 'gay' to mean 'happy' and also it's a bit of a religious thing because they're basically saying that kids born on Sunday are better than others, but.....all that weird stuff aside, I've always remembered it because my mom embroidered my line on this picture that was above my bed for basically my entire childhood. I guess I should warn you at this point that this might be kind of a long post. Sorry for that, but if you don't want to read all of it skim down to the bold capital letter part and read that at least. So anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, so my whole life I've been repeating in my head "Thursday's child has far to go" whenever I couldn't decide what to do about something. And I've always felt like I should do a lot of interesting things and visit interesting places because of it. I'd say I've definitely fulfilled that goal in my nearly 28 years of life to the best of my ability. I've been to almost half the states in the US and 6 European countries, and now I'M GOING TO JAPAN PEOPLE!!!! That's right, you heard right, let me start a new paragraph... I'M MOVING TO JAPAN!!! Let me explain. Back in December I applied for something called the Japan Exchange Teaching Program (JET). I didn't want to talk about it too much at first in case I didn't get it, in fact I didn't even tell my parents about it until February when I found out I'd passed the application process and had to go for an interview. Well, my dad took me down to Miami in the end of February for the interview and I was totally psyched thinking "I'm totally gonna wow these people" and it went really badly. I had to wait for almost 3 hours because they were backed up from the earlier interviews and by the time I got in there I felt like I couldn't present myself as well as I would've liked. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought though b/c I got an email 2 days ago saying I'd been picked as an ALT! What that means is that now they're looking for a middle or high school in Japan to place me in as an Assistant Language Teacher. That means I'll work with a Japanese teacher for a year teaching English to kids! I'm soooo excited! They did say that "in a limited number of cases we can not find placements for all our candidates" but I think it's a pretty slim chance that I'm not going at this point so it's ok to talk about it. I should find out my placement next month and then I'll be leaving on August 5th! I can't wait!! OK, so I guess I am a little bit nervous about going, but I've been doing a lot to get ready. I'm cleaning out my apartment and AJ-kun and I are selling a bunch of our old anime stuff on ebay. I'll post a link here once the listings have started if anyone's interested. My dad is getting me a laptop for my birthday so I'll still be able to keep in touch with everyone while I'm gone. I've been taking Japanese lessons on my iPod from Japanesepod101.com (I highly recommend it for anyone who has an iPod and wants a quick and easy way to learn the basics) and reading up on Japanese culture and history everywhere I can. I also started taking Karate (although not really for the same reasons) with the kids I babysit and it's really fun! So...I guess that's all I have for now. If you sent me a PM you can look for an answer soon. And watch for my new site design later today. I'm on Spring Break now so if anyone else is be sure to live it up! Have a great Friday everyone! *hugs* Ja ne!

Comments (4) | Permalink

Saturday, January 27, 2007

   Even if the path is crooked, people's true feelings can never be changed. - Yuuko, Tsubasa

Well, here I am again, unmotivated non-poster that I am....hehe....so how is everyone? I'm making this post for two reasons. One, to upload another AMV, the only Gundam Wing video I ever completed. It's mainly about Quatre going crazy on the Zero system and is to the song The Noose, by A Perfect Circle. It gets kind of choppy in the middle, but I really like it for the creepy and depressing mood it has. The other main reason I'm posting is b/c I told my Onii-chan I'd show some pics of my newly completed Sword Impulse Gundam. So here they are! A little closer... ...and closer.... Hehe, so that's about it for me right now. I'm just working and working and working as usual. Trying to follow the Yondaime's advice and not talk too much.....so I'll let you do the talking this time. Question: With Valentine's Day just around the corner...how do you feel about this hated holiday of love? And what are your plans for the day? Have a great end of January everyone! *hugs*

Comments (9) | Permalink

Monday, January 15, 2007

   Even if we are crushed, even if we are defeated, surely, no matter how many times - we'll stand up again. - Tsubasa ch.133

Three Day Weekend: Did you know some businesses don't take off for MLK day? I mean, I knew stores were open but for some reason I thought things like dental offices would close....guess not...It was my best friend Nichole's birthday on Saturday so we did a lot of stuff this weekend. She's a dental hygienist though so she had to work today while I, the preschool teacher, got to stay at home. Somehow that doesn't seem fair... Another AMV: OK, well here is another of my old amvs. The last one was Donnie-san's favorite, so this one is my favorite. It's a Magic Knight Rayearth video about Hikaru and Nova to the song Orestes by A Perfect Circle. Hikaru is probably the anime character I identify most closely with so I worked really hard on it for her sake. Actually, I've been thinking of changing my avatar back to her recently....hmmm.... Anime Filler: This weekend I've been trying to get caught up on Bleach now that the filler is ending, but I'm still about 20 episodes behind. I have to say that while I'm glad it's getting back to the manga storyline, I didn't really mind the filler arc. I think that's because it was long and involved, unlike the Naruto fillers which were 1-5 episode stories and had no focus whatsoever! February 15th, February 15th, February 15th, February 15th.....ahhh....I can't wait..... Will Try to Visit Tomorrow: Seriously...I mean it.....

Comments (4) | Permalink