I went to the gym yesterday....it turns out I'm almost 150 lbs o_O
Maybe it's a good time to start not eating tons of greasy food but OH SNAP it's almost Thanksgiving!
Gotta burn that fat somehow!

My plans today are to go to work and then go to Jonathan's house to play cello and discuss recital details. The people are telling me to send in a bio for flyers they're going to make, and they're also saying I can only bring around 30 guests. I'm thinking this can be widened a tad, though. I also have to call the valet service to see if they're charging for valeting cars for however many guests I'm bringing.

I went to quartet practice today, but we only played for like an hour an a half, because we spent so long chatting over breakfast and then the first violinist had to go teach a lesson. And also we kind of sucked--we played this Smetana piece that was pretty awful so there was a pretty good excuse for sucking, but then we played some Beethoven and Haydn and just kinda....sucked. I think it's because one of the violinists can't count, and the other one counts rests too fast.
And then I get lost easily when I'm not paying attention XD
(Apparently Smetana means "cream cheese" or something in Russian. Hahahahaha)

Anyway, now I have to go to Amahl rehearsal...in like half an hour. I told myself I was going to eat lunch but I don't feel like making it.

Keep December the 22nd free, those who are going to be in the Bay Area. I'm having a recital then, and I'd like to see everyone there!

More details to follow as they are ironed-out, but I promise you there will be some Prokofiev. :D


( nerdy )

Umm I can't figure out how to change this journal's style to what I like, so I'm just gonna make it all yellow and orange.


Unless I can get a lovely assistant to make it look all awesome.

So AEON sent me an e-mail saying my COE was sent to my Seacoast Dr. address. WHAT.
I e-mailed them back saying that I hoped they meant they sent it to GEORGIA AVE. They were very sorry and they did. Thank god.
This is the third silly mistake they've made like this. The first one being that they wrote the wrong date on my invitation to a personal interview--they dated it a month off.
And then they supposedly sent me a newsletter over e-mail this month, but there was no attachment. Do'h!

I need to use the typewriter at work in order to fill out my visa application. Ahhhh what a headache.
Oh well, nothing can compare to how annoying the JET application was.

It's been awhile and the Astroboy movie is not so fresh in my head, but here goes:

...I find it hard to begin. There were so many things that just rang true with Astroboy. The cheesiness, the bad lines, the deeper themes, the plucky side characters, the ridiculous fight scenes that don't involve much strategy or reason at all, the visual gags--all cheerfully reminded me of the Astroboy cartoon I had become fond of. I'm not really going to spoil all the Tezuka stuff for those who want to be pleasantly surprised, but let's just say that, even though it isn't Japanese, it has the same kind of silly Tezuka spirit.
AND THERE ARE COMMUNIST ROBOTS WITH POSTERS OF TROTSKY AND LENIN IN THEIR HIDEOUT. LOLZ!

That being said, there are things that made me cringe so hard. Most of all, the Mary Sue-type orphans that would have been the circus people/robots in the original storyline. They are so ugly. And I hate them. I wanted to take a big knife and tear at the screen every time the worst of the lot (name of Cora...*shudder*) reared her ugly, imvu-type face. (...I am staring at that ugly imvu ad as we speak. WOW.)
Also, the bad guy was kind of black-and-white type annoying. He could have used another dimension--ANY dimension, even. I mean, come on. This is based on TEZUKA.

...Uhh there were other things, like Astro talking a little too much about destiny, and there being a little too much conflict regarding Astro telling people he's a robot...but yeah. It was totally worth it. I love robots!!


(Black Jack wasn't in the movie, so sad.)

Halloween was successful!

I had to finally go buy a new charger for my computer the other day 'cause the old one just crapped out. Arrrgh money flying through the door. Well, I felt bad after that, and then Jan convinced me to go bowling with her and Ariel. That was pretty fun. I got way better at it and actually won the first game, but then I found out that my bowling skills are pretty affected after half a pitcher of beer. Also, vapid and nonsensical romantic comedy films (The Proposal) are a little better under the influence.

Today as expected, I was completely exhausted. I unfortunately had to miss the first grade Halloween party by going to work, but Mom took pictures of some of the costumes. Oh my god. They are the most adorable thing. The kid who won best costume was dressed as Luigi--I'm sorry but no imagination could replicate how cute this kid was.

After work, I hopped over to Jan's house and cleaned up a bit (I pretended like I was Alix and wiped down all the counters and stuff) and then we watched DS9. Then, after we were done and there was no more DS9, I came back home and Mom and Ruthie and I started watching Voyager until Blue knocked away the power cable by accident. We all had a good laugh at that, and figured it was late anyway so we decided to stop it there.

I'm all Star Trek'd out.

Tomorrow's Halloween and I'm dressing like Mohei. I FEEL LIKE A HUGE NERD BUT...inside I'm fulfilling a secret cosplay fantasy...I guess! XD I could never act like him, though.

Also--Laura used my paypal to buy a copy of Homeworld off ebay. OH the memories! She's already at Kadesh and has 6 ion array frigates. I am so proud.

I am part of too many websites and I feel like butter spread over too much bread. I'm gonna try to cut down! Here are some of the sites that I'm considering leaving:

-Facebook
Too stalkerific and very annoying, but convenient for certain things such as not feeling left out and keeping in touch with people who aren't really your friends. I'm not sure if it's really feasable to delete an account, or how many people would miss my presence, but the content of the website, such as the constant quizzes and stupid games really irks me.
-Twitter
Such a hassle! I only joined so that I could watch Sara-san.
-Deviantart
This is a tough one, but I really dislike the corporate aspect of this site. The fact that it says that I "need" a subscription pisses me off. And it's also filled with idiots. Too bad I need DA to watch certain people's art. Also I'm not sure all the people watching me would care, but my most faved deviation would sure be missed.
-Y!Gallery
I'm going to have to stop posting my comic there anyway, 'cause it has too many girls in it. But I'd actually rather not leave, though I can't stand some of the artwork on there. Most of the people there I've encountered are real nice.
-Tegaki
For all intents and purposes, I've already left. Maybe I'll actually delete my account so that I can end it cleanly.
-Livejournal
Haha, just kidding. I wish some people would post here more often, though.

I get to watch Hetalia with Ruthie every week now. :D At her request, I had to rewatch a bunch of the earlier episodes--practically the whole lot of them, and it's a lot funnier than I remember. This could be because I skipped all the stupid parts, though.
Still angry about the cliffhanger in the high school AU being completely unresolved. What is UP with that?
Also I wish Korea was in the show, but I guess he is the most racist representation (other than China) and I can really understand why bigwig Koreans got upset. Oh Japan you racist country you.
Favourite bits -- everything with Russia! And England getting drunk.

Anyway, yesterday we all went to Stonestown with Rachel and Ruth (different Ruth) and proceeded to buy make-up and more professional-type clothes. Then Rachel and I got our hair cut and Jan got a manicure. Afterwards we went to Rachel's place and she did Elaine and my hair and face and stuff. I'm scared of living in the professional world, but this step helps some. Jan said we looked more grown up now, which is true. The kid in me is terribly resistant, though XD
One thing's for sure is that I'm not going to bother putting all that make up on when I'm not working.

We (Elaine's family and Jan and Hilary and I) went to the Star Trek exhibit at the tech museum today.

Lovely time--there were lots of costumes and models and little explanations about the history of the show, fun facts, and disclaimers that most of the technology is impossible.
It was the first time I had ever been surrounded by so many trekkies. I felt like the biggest nerd in the world, but I loved it all the same. There was little to no mention of Enterprise (I didn't care) and no mention whatsoever of The Animated Series, which is kind of sad, but oh well. It really was a crappy show. We spent over half an hour waiting in line to get a print of a picture we had taken on the "bridge" of the Enterprise, and after that, everyone was really exhausted and hungry, so we went to a bakery to eat, and then crashed at Jan's house. (Brad and Elaine's parents went home.)

Then I was forced into playing Star Trek monopoly while all I really felt like doing was watching some Star Trek--I had SERIOUS cravings because of all the trekkie stuff all around me and the fun atmosphere at the tech...but there was no Star Trek to be had. *sad*
I was feeling increasingly anti-social so I asked to be driven home, and now here I am XD

...I didn't get too much comic work done this weekend, but I can certainly say that I've rested quite a bit.

...is Chrono Trigger music. God--it's such a brilliant soundtrack.

I spend like an hour overdubbing myself trying to sing some cool songs, and the ones that I could do the best (because I know them the best inside and out) are the Chrono Trigger ones.

(I feel like a massive dork right now, though)

I told myself today I was going to SERIOUSLY draw comics all day. What have I done? I drew 2.5 pages of comic, and spent the rest of the day lollygagging.

Self-reminder: pick Laura up from dogsitting tomorrow.

I just wasted my whole morning on the internet! Now I will have to do all that drawing I planned to do after work instead of now :(
Pdhhsgddhjdfcgh

Last night, I went out to dinner with Laura and Dad and ...gee, I wonder what we talked about? Star Trek, of course! I expressed my love for the TNG theme song because of its horn triplets, and Laura actually understood me. Laura has stopped having my thoughts all the time (that burden has now been passed to Jan), but she still understands.

(Plus she plays all the old games I used to play. Who besides her and me that I know has made a sincere effort to beat Secret of Mana? Nary a soul! And she's trying to download Homeworld. Awww yeah. "Scuttle initiated.")

Arrrgh I can't draw X__X

BLEH

Tomorrow, I gotta:
-call the IRS
-go to the gas station and fix my headlights finally
-finish comic page (might not have enough time)
-deposit checks if I have enough time
-go to school and then work
-go to Marina foods and get Mom her ginger tea
-finish comic page if not already done

Apparently it's going to be a typhoon tomorrow. I don't really believe the 50-60 mi wind story, but I am looking forward to the rain a little bit. Or maybe I'm just telling myself that, because I can't bear how much I miss the sun and its warmth.

I've been making character pages for the people in my comic, which requires me to have to make up things like ages, birthdays, heights, etc. Luckily, Ruth was nearby when I was waffling on birthdays, and she's the resident astrology enthusiast! I only had to describe the personalities of my characters to her, and she would go, "oh, he's a Virgo!" and such.
This only happened for the minor characters. I already had decided the main characters' birthdays a long time ago, and it really had nothing to do with anything other than what I felt like.

I might be doing Amahl again this winter. Maybe this time I won't cry like a baby!

Yesterday, I woke up early and helped mom grade first grade tests at Happy Donuts, and then I borrowed her car because one of my headlights is out and went to pick up Jonathan for Cinderella.

...Well, we did the show, and then had to wait around for over three hours until the next show. We ate dinner in front of the theatre in segregated groups (people all in black and people in normal clothes, lol) and then I kinda wanted to go check out whatever shindig was going on across the street at Plaza de Cesare Chavez so I went there with Jonathan and Goetz. It turned out to be some sort of Vietnamese...thing? With a bunch of barbecue and tables selling stuff to take out wrinkles and some loud techno poppy music. There were also a bunch of kids getting ready to do a lion dance, but we saw a bunch of people in black (led by our conductor) heading to Starbucks, so we caught up with them. Then we went into the bakery 'cause the clarinet player (name of Nancy) got all excited and then Barney (her husband, the bassoonist), Kathleen (the flautist), Goetz, and I stood around in the warm bakery looking at treats while Nancy couldn't decide whether or not to get ice cream.

Then some of us kind of settled in the pit and Jonathan got out a bunch of Joplin and we just kinda jammed right before the show with The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, and Easy Winners (which is really not easy!). We got a lot of people to participate--it was so awesome!

Pretty much, it was just fun times hanging out with some great and friendly people. Lots of laughs! I had such a good experience with these guys that I'm even considering going to the cast party *gasp.*

...I spent the intermission of the first show playing the Mario, Tetris, and Zelda themes with the second chair first violinist. Apparently her son taught her all this classic videogame music.

I don't really get a weekend :(