Tomorrow I'll Be Going Hoooooooome!

Wow, it's already my last day here in Hawaii! Tomorrow I'll be off on a plane to Japan!

Today was Sunday so we had our service at home with Erin leading worship. We listened to my father's 'tape' of his sermon, A Fruitful Life. I really enjoyed the sermon though I can't wait to listen to my father's sermon 'for real'. :P

Did some packing and laundry then went out to Genki Sushi with Ericson. Thank you to Ericson for taking us out! I know, going back to Japan soon, but sushi is for anywhere and anytime. lol! We were able to have very good fellowship while enjoying a great lunch.

Naomi and I then went to do some last minute shopping at Kahala Mall. I was able to find a few more gifts and we also got some things for the church Christmas Party in Japan. We also ran over to Star Market on King's Street though unfortunately they didn't have what we were looking for. :S

By the time we got home we were pretty tired but I had to finish packing up my second suitcase. After we were done with that, we watched some tv to relax and it was pretty cool because we caught the skating championships taking place in Canada right now. There were many familiar faces since Naomi and I kind of keep up with ice skating. The Olympic gold medalist Canadian team did a REALLY great dance (most remembered for the famed 'Russian/Canadian Gold Olympic Medal scandal' :P). Alexei Rudalov also performed for the men's single competition and he was simply amazing. We also saw a show where they were giving an inside look on decorators as they decorated... the White House! It was pretty cool to see just how much work it is to decorate such a place.

At around 6:15, the four of us left the house and drove to Waikiki to meet Aunt Jean, Reed, and Christ at Buzz's Steak and Lobster. :P Yup, I know we were 'just' there but Aunt Jean decided to take us there to celebrate our getting through our first semester of school and also in a way to celebrate an early Christmas together. So for the past few days I've been on the phone with my friend Eric to get all the reservations and everything all set up. He was very nice through all of it and got us a nice table and was a great 'server'. ^_^

We spent a really fun two hours there, eating great food and having an enjoyable time together. I shared the seafood combo with Naomi so this time got to enjoy the salad/soup bar a bit more. :P It's just too bad that Donald Trump bought up the whole block and is going to shut down the restaurant; I love the food and am going to miss it!

(On the right, father and son 'clink their drinks', though in fact Reed is holding up A1 sauce... :P)

For dessert, Naomi and I shared the New York style cheesecake which was delicious, especially since it was 'lighter' than a lot of the 'heavier' American cheesecakes. Very yummy... Erin and Maki shared the Macadamia Nut Ice Cream which also looked great (you can see how much they enjoyed it). ^_^

Went home and after getting a little settled, we opened up our Christmas presents. :P Yeah, I know it's early to open the presents but we did this so that we won't have to bring the presents to Japan and stuff. Aunt Penny sent me some dvds and I simply loved them! She knows me so well, she got the musicals Bye Bye Birdy and Annie. ^_^ I can't wait to watch them since I've known and have been wanting to watch them for a while.

From Erin I got a beautiful glass chess set! I've been wanting a chess set for so long; thank you sooooooo much Erin! Can't wait till I come back from Japan so that the girls and I can play. ^_^ I haven't played in a while though, I hope I remember all the rules...

The rest of the evening was spent basically getting ready to leave. I think I've gotten everything ready and 'secure', just a lot of last minute things to do. Soo... I guess it's 'see you tomorrow' for a lot of people!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Didn't sleep in too much this morning but was able to relax. Forgot to turn the timer on for the air conditioner so it was on all night; very cold when we got up. :P Yeah, it can get cold even in Hawaii... lol!

Watched bits and pieces from Call Me Madam before returning it then after lunch, Naomi and I went to do some shopping. First went to Walmart then to Long's. Afterwards, I was sooooo happy because we got to stop at the dance store and I got my Christmas present from Naomi... jazz shoes!! I love them sooo much and they're so comfortable! Split soles with easy lace-ups, I can't wait to really dance in them. *sigh* Soooo cool; thank you Naomi!

Went home and basically surfed the net for all kinds of miscellaneous things. Around 6:30, I had a quick dinner and got ready for going to see the Nutcrucker ballet with Nichelle and Kari. They picked me up a little after 7:00 and we barely made it in time for when the curtain went up at 7:30.

It was such a great performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though performed and produced by Ballet Hawaii, there were many 'guest dancers' from all over; New York, London, Ukraine, Madrid, etc. The music was really great, too; such classic songs but really neat to hear it 'live' from a real orchestra. I think my favorite dances included the Arabian dance and the grand pas de deux by the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. I can't begin to describe the techniques they used in the pas de deuxs and solos. You could immediately spot the difference between the special guests and the 'regular' dances. :P

Separted into two acts with a short intermission, the performance still lasted over 2 hours. When it was over, while walking out we ran into Rachel and her boyfriend (Rachel is from our ballet class). It was nice seeing her again and her boyfriend was nice enough to take a group picture of all of us. From left to right is Nichelle, Kari, Rachel, and me. Nice picture, huh? ^_^

Got home and was able to chat with some people which was nice. Now I'm off to bed in a bit. Tomorrow's Sunday and the next day is Monday... the day I'm going back to Japan! I'm sooo excited to be going home though I hear it's really cold... lol!

"By Grabthar's Hammer..."

Since Naomi had to be dropped off at a meeting at 7:50 since I had to drive Erin to her internship later on, I woke up around 7:40 so that I could drive Naomi. Drove almost half asleep and in a daze but I was able to make it to and from her destination safely. :P Got home and stayed in bed for about thirty to forty more minutes before having to 'get up' again so that I could drive Erin to her internship. This time I was a little more awake. ^_^ Ten minutes after I got home, Naomi called so I went to pick her up. And thus ended my 'chaffeur' duties for the day... lol!

For lunch I made ramen and make and I watched Galaxy Quest since I'm in an 'Alan Rickman' mood right now. :P I haven't seen it in a while so I enjoyed the movie quite a lot. It's such a 'smart' movie and however 'stupid' it is, it's still really quite clever. There are sooo many good lines from the movie; "Like putting gasoline on a flame." :P lol! Or "Is there air? You don't know!" "You broke the ship, you broke the bloody ship!" And of course, there's always:

Jason Nesmith: You used to pull your punches.
Alexander Dane: It's "Scene-Stealing Hack," thank you.
Jason Nesmith: "Raving Egomaniac"?
Alexander Dane: Can't think where I got THAT from.

Such a great crew... *wink!*

I spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing and doing nothing important. ^_^ Such a nice feeling. Did some more writing for my story and played some Neopets games (been such a long time!). I'm still very good at Swarm. lol!

Took a short nap then after a very quick dinner, we all left for the Friday Night Service. The sermon was the third and last part of the Chronicles of Narnia series and wrapped up the past three services. After the service, there was a lot of talking and fellowshipping out on the lanai since there were provided some really yummy cakes and sandwhiches. Mmmm! Said a lot of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays since this will be the last time we'll be seeing the church people before we go back to Japan. So there was a lot of well-wishing. You can see in the picture on the left, it was supposed to be an 'all girls' picture but somehow, Ericson popped in to say "hi". ^_^

Went straight home and Erin, Maki, and I watched Sense and Sensibility together. I know, I just watched it recently the other day but hey, it's a good movie! I just found out that Alan Rickman was almost fifty years old when he played Colonel Brandon... whoah, he does NOT look it! So he was fifty-three or so in Galaxy Quest... I guess I am a little 'shibui'. lol! Just goes to prove just how much the 'younger Hollywood generation' can't compete with solid 'older' stars like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Pierce Brosnan (I put him in my my mother. LOL! Just kidding!), Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, etc. Just no competition, huh? :P

Off to bed; tomorrow's Saturday (actually, today is Saturday :P) and I have nothing planned for the day except for going to see the Nutcracker ballet in the evening. I still have a slight cough so hopefully it'll be completely gone by tomorrow!

"Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."

As it being the first day that after 'truly' finishing up my first semester of college, I had a wonderful day! ^_^ Slept in late this morning then we all left the house around 11:30. Naomi went to a friend's house for lunch while Erin, Maki, and I watched the 12:30 King Kong movie. And I must say, this was the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen; really! Peter Jackson may have directed the Lord of the Rings series, but King Kong I believe is his true masterpiece. I've never really seen the original 1933 King Kong movie though I have seen many scenes from it. And I lot of scenes I could see in this remake, like King Kong battling the T-Rex and King Kong rolling around a huge log then hurtling it down a deep valley with many of the heroes hanging on for dear life.

The acting was superb and flawless. Jack Black gave a fine performance and Naomi Watts was enchanting. She played her character more 'intelligent' than I would have thought the woman who King Kong carries around and she just screams and screams and screams... :P Adrien Brody is completely charming and though he isn't what you would call 'a typical Hollywood pretty face', he made a wonderful 'hero'. Oh, and enough can't be said for King Kong himself! Andy Serkis did an incredible job 'acting' for the part of King Kong; did you know that he had 132 sensors attached to his face so that his every facial expression could be captured and shown on King Kong's face. Cool, huh? But seriously, King Kong's expressions were so REAL!

The 3 hour movie is divided into basically three parts with one hour for each part. Part One is in New York then the boat trip to Skull Island, introducing and rounding out the characters. Part Two is all on Skull Island with nonstop action. Part Three is back in New York. And out of everything, I must say (in my humble opinion) that Part Three in New York is by far the best. Visually STUNNING! Almost took my breath away as King Kong started climbing the Empire State Building, and wow, when those airplanes come out. Breathtaking...

One thing I'm a bit sad to say... this movie was rated PG-13 but due to how 'graphic' the whole Skull Island part is, I was surprised just how much they showed! In my opinion, some scenes could have benefited an R-rating. Seriously, I could not watch some parts. Violent and graphic what with all the strange creatures on the Island, I will very strongly say that parents will be very, VERY smart not to take ANY kids and young (AND 'middle') teenagers to see this movie because of the disturbing images. :S Even I was a little shocked and having seen it in a theater was ver 'real'. A bit disappointing that it would be that scary and 'horrific'.

Outside of about fifteen minutes that should have been cut out or at least toned down, I have nothing but high praise for King Kong. Peter Jackson's been nominated for Best Director and I do hope he wins. You can see just how much passion he's poured into making this movie since watching the original King Kong was what made him want to make movies.

Ok, enough about the movie. :P I'm probably boring everyone again with my 'movie-talk'...

After the movie, met up with Naomi and shopped a bit at Nordtrom's where I was able to find for myself a pair of jeans and a really cute necklace/earring set. Went home then I drove myself to the Post Office to pick up a package which they hadn't been able to deliver (don't ask; very complicated). :D

Did some computer then had a nice dinner of leftovers (we have soooo much leftovers!) while watching an episode of Hogan's Heroes. After that, the rest of the evening was spent mostly just doing some computer and relaxing. So nice! ^_^

I'm off to bed now. I have to be up early tomorrow to drop Naomi off at her meeting then drop Erin off to her internship. :S *sigh* Till tomorrow!

The Semester is REALLY Over Now! I Have Survived!

Such a nice day today, though unfortunately I'm still not feeling very well. :S But a little better than yesterday for sure so hopefully I'll be *completely* better by tomorrow. ^_^

This morning we all relaxed in our rooms a bit before heading for Costco around 11:30. I was able to get some gifts and I also got myself the That's Entertainment! boxed DVD set. VERY good price I must say, especially with all three of the That's Entertainment! dvds as well as a bonus disc you can only get when buying the boxed set.

For lunch we got food from the Costco (I got cheese pizza) and ate while driving home. Arriving home, I watched bits and pieces from all three That's Entertainment! movies. It's so nice to have it on dvd instead of vhs; the image is much clearer and some scenes are in widescreen! I also most of all love the fact that there's a chapter list so I can skip to a particular 'clip' I want to watch by just looking inside the dvd case for the list. ^_^ Soooo nice...

At 2:30 I had my last final which was my ballet written final. I brought in my essay which I had finished up then proceeded to take the test. It was a really easy test with about twenty multiple choice questions and six short answers. I think I did very well and took only about a little more than ten minutes to take. Also, by the time I had finished, Sharon (my teacher) said she already read my paper and gave me 49 out of 50 for it. ^_^ So I'm definitely getting an 'A' for ballet hopefully. Once outside the chapel, I spent some time talking with my classmates. I'll probably be going to see The Nutcracker ballet this Saturday evening with two of my friends which I'm excited about. A real live ballet performance!

I also stopped by the Diamond Head Theater to get some information about the upcoming auditions for their next production, Enchanted April. I forgot to mention yesterday but I get a letter from the Theater informing me about auditions for the production. I guess that since I registered to the theater when I took their classes, and about the right age for one of the characters, they're telling me about it. Well, we'll see. I think I'll try auditioning just for fun. ^_^

Got home and Erin and Maki went to shop some at Kahala Mall. I still wasn't feeling too well so I decided to stay home. I watched Say Anything which starred a young, very young John Cusack. And I must say, this may perhaps be one of my favorite 'quirky odd but simply charming' 'young love' movies. :P Seriously though, John Cusack plays such likable character as Lloyd Dobler; SUCH a gentleman and the way he treated the girl he loves was sooooo sweet! He was utterly charming and it's no wonder this became a hit when it came out in the late 80's. It's certainly true what it says for the movie tagline: To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Sooooo true!

I paused once in the middle of the movie when some Christmas packages arrived from Debra. Erin and Maki were back home by then so while talking on the phone with Debra, we opened our presents. Debra was nice enough to send us all something; I got a really lovely picture that has the words 'Dream, Believe, Become' and a lavender 'eye pillow' that you can both cool or heat up! Very cool, thanks so much Debra!

To celebrate our finishing up the semester, we all went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was both Maki's and my first time to go so that was quite an experience. We ordered this HUGE appetizer set which came in four plates! Then... *sigh* I ordered a chicken potpie and look at the SIZE of that dish! It was as big (or even bigger) than my head! I of course certainly was not able to finish it... :P We had to save room for the cheesecake of course! After deciding to just share one cheesecake between the four of us, Naomi and Erin ordered the raspberry chocolate truffle cheesecake. Quite a mouthful to say, huh? :P It was delicious and unfortunately, we were so full we couldn't even finish it! Our waiter was really funny and had us laughing a whole lot which was nice. It's always nice to have a great server who isn't 'stiff'. :P

Went home stuffed and satisfied; what a great way to celebrate getting through Maki's and my first semester and Erin, too as she's nearing her graduating soon! ^_^ I took an early shower so I could curl up on bed and watch a movie in my 'private, personal, comfortable movie theater'. :P Decided to watch Sense and Sensibility which I never quite had the chance to sit down and watch. And I must say, what a great experience! Great movie and I say whole heartedly that Emma Thompson deserved her Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The only thing I would complain was that there was not enough focus on Kate Winslet and oh, so wonderful Alan Rickman! Kate Winslet was simly fantastic as the 'passionate' Marianne while Alan Rickman is a perfect match for her. It's so interesting to see how perfectly he fit into the role of Colonel Brandon, after watching him as the bad guy in Die Hard, Dr. Lazarus in Galaxy Quest, Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series, and now a Jane Austen hero! He IS a Shakespearean actor though so I guess that's why he can fit into any role.

Like I said, not enough Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman; they don't even kiss! Or hug! Hold hands? Not even hardly that! :P *sigh* Also, I can't understand how a lot of people can like Hugh Grant. For some reason I don't really like him much. Too... 'smarmy' I guess... I don't know, I just can't quite 'like' him much... I think I'll have to read the book again...

Now I'm off to bed. Enough ranting. :P But blog's are such good places to 'rant'! lol! Anyway, I'll 'see you' tomorrow! Ciao!

Just One More Final to Go!

Had my final history exam today from 10 to 12 o'clock. I was a bit nervous for it and my head felt ready to explode with so much 'information'. lol! I was able to finish around 11:40; it was a fairly easy test but I talked a bit with my teacher and he said so far I have a 95% on my overall score for the semester. So as long as I got a 75% or more on this final test, I get an 'A'. *wink!* Oh! I also got my essay back on Oedipus the King and Antigone, and I got a 48 on it (out of 50)! So I'm real happy about that. ^_^

After the test, Naomi picked us up and we went to get sushi for lunch. Yum! Got a little bento set as well as a crab/cucumber roll and everything was really tasty. Chatted with my mother a little bit before eating lunch.

Maki went for her last class (art class) and I stayed home. Watched Call Me Madam which Netflix had sent over and watched half way before Naomi and I headed over to Walmart. I was able to get a few cheap dvds for myself so I was happy about that.

By this time, I was feeling pretty sick. :S I've been having a headache and my whole head hurts. I finished watching the movie Call Me Madam. It stars Ethel Merman, George Sanders, Donald O'Connor, and Vera-Ellen. And I must say, what an excellent cast! Funny movie and the dancing was superb. Donald O'Connor is sooo good-looking and his dancing is flawless. Vera=Ellen is beautiful as usual, George Sanders is SUCH a gentleman and handsome, and Ethel Merman is a hoot! She gets all the great lines and delivers all the laughs. :P I think I need to go find some more Donald O'Connor movies to watch; I really liked his singing and dancing in this movie. He has this funny dance number where he tap dances on a big xylophone and pops balloons on beat! So cool... if only someday I could tap half as good as he, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, and etc...

Afterwards, because I wasn't feeling too well, I took a nap and slept for about an hour which was good. Had dinner then did some computer then watched this week's episode of House, M.D. Exciting episode, though it gets annoying whenever no one believes and trusts House's diagnosis. He's pretty much ALWAYS right, why doesn't everyone just get it? I'm so pleased because Hugh Laurie got nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series for the Oscars. He had better win this time!

Watched a bit of Hogan's Heroes with Naomi then spent quite a while video chatting with my parents. ^_^ So nice being able to talk with them. I can't wait to go home soon!

Off to bed now, I'm hoping to sleep off my cold or whatever it is I have. :P Tomorrow I'll have my last final for ballet! Then I DONE for the semester! Hurray!

One Down, Two More to Go

The morning was spent preparing and studying for the math test. :P It's nice because we get to bring our own math notes to use while taking the test, but it was still good to practice a bit before taking the actual test.

Ate a quick lunch then left around a little after noon to take the math exam which was from 12:15 to 2:15. Most of our classmates were already in the classroom since Mr. Astromoff lets you start taking tests as soon as you arrive, meaning you get to start a little early if you come early. Thankfully, the test was multiple choice and though it was a relatively easy test, I was still 'tense' while taking it. :P I think I did pretty good; Maki and I finished up quickly compared to everyone else and we were out of the classroom by 1:30.

Since we were going to meet up with Nichelle to study together for our history exam tomorrow, Maki and I stopped by the bookstore a bit first where I was able to buy a paperback (I just found out that we can buy bestseller books at 10% because we're students). ^_^ Niiiice! Started studying outside since it was nice and warm compared to the cool classroom and cold bookstore. :P Nichelle came around a little after 2 o'clock and we went into the cafeteria to study. Mostly we helped write up a study guide though Nichelle had done most of it and printed out a very nice study guide. We just went through everything together and added extra stuff if needed. During the middle, Maki left to go take her ASL final. Erin had also taken her ASL final so she stopped by, too.

Finished up by around 3:30 and Nichelle was nice enough to drive Maki and I home. Deciding we had done enough studying, we watched It Started With Eve which I had borrowed from Netflix. It was an entertaining, screwball comedy starring Deanna Durbin and the wonderful Robert Cummings (gotta love Bob Cummings, especially in Saboteur and Dial "M" for Murder). Cute movie, a nice 'escape' movie. :P (left is Deanna Durbin, right is Robert Cummings with Priscilla Lane from Saboteur).

Wrote a little bit for my ballet paper then fell asleep for just a short bit before it was time for dinner. Naomi made fried chicken and spring rolls, yum! After dinner, got to chat with my father for a while the finished up my ballet paper! Hurray! Watched a couple of Hogan's Heroes with Maki then started studying for the history exam tomorrow. Whoah, when I think about it, studied about an hour and a half! And I still have every intention of studying some more tomorrow. :S It's too bad the quiz starts from 10:00 in the morning instead of later in the afternoon. Oh, well, better getting it over quickly I guess. ^_^ One final down, just two more to go!

Long Sunday... ^_^

Had Sunday breakfast altogether with home made sausage-egg muffin 'sandwiches'. ^_^ Thanks to Naomi again for making breakfasts for us on Sundays! Naomi also led the service and gave a very good sermon about 'The Fear of the Lord'. After church, we were individually at our computers until around 12:15 when Aunt Jean and her friend, Reed, came to pick Naomi and I up.

We went to the airport and got into their plane and flew to the North Shore. It was Naomi's first time to be in the small plane with Aunt Jean flying (this was my second time). It was a bit of a scary ride because it was a bit windy... :P Otherwise it was a fairly good ride. Once we landed on a small landing air strip at the North Shore, Reed took us up on a glider! The glider (seating two people) doesn't have any engine and is pulled up into the air by a small plane. Once we reach about a thousand feet, you 'disconnect' and you are left to glide down. Naomi went up with Reed first then next it was my turn to go up with Reed. The seats were really cool with a 'joystick', 'cool' seatbelts' and everything! It looks like a fighter cockpit, don't you think? Ok, maybe not, but it felt like it! ^_^

And I must say, it was way less scarier than in an airplane, as strange as it may seem! It's so quite (because of no engine) and the ride is sooooo smooth! We went up to about 2,000 feet and the view was really incredible. Stayed up in the air about twenty minutes or so; the landing was also really gentle it's hard to believe that you're just gliding without any 'power'.

Aunt Jean also went up with Reed so Naomi and I were able to get out of the sun for a bit since it was really sunny (I'm sure I got a nice tan today). Afterwards, Aunt Jean flew us back to Honolulu and again you could just feel how different a plane is from a glider. :P Kinda got nervous again in the backseat... lol! After we landed, we helped Aunt Jean make sure to tie the airplane 'down'.

Got home around 5:00 and Naomi and I had to quickly get ready for the dinner party tonight. We were all invited for the KCC Sign Dance Team's Christmas Party and reservations were made at Nick's Fish Market for 5:30. There were about 18 of us altogether since most of the women 'brought their husbands along'. lol! We all had a great time and the food was soo good! I got escargot for the appetizer, Tiger Shrimp Fetuccine for the main dish, and sorbet set for dessert. Yuuuum!

We played some games; one was guessing how many mints were in a jar (I wont at a tie with Suzanna; she got the mints while I got to pick out a prize in which I got a pair of really nice earrings!). Next played a game where we had to answer Christmas questions like where St. Nicholas comes from, A Christmas Carol questions, and even a question from the Grinch. ^_^ Maki and I got like around 3rd place so we got to pick out prizes where I got a tupperware set which is really good since we need them for the house because the ones we have now are really 'old'. :P Naomi was nice enough to give me her prize which was a portable am/fm radio! So cool... (picture of the radio and earrings on the right). Then we played the game where we pick a gift and the next person if he/she wants what someone else can take it. It's the game the adults used to always play for the Kanto Christian Church Christmas parties. I got a $10 gift certificate for Long's which is really nice so I can get some nice candy. Yum yum!

(On the left is Connie and Brad Hall whose son Braden I've been babysitting a lot. On the right is Lori and Jim then of course on the bottom left is Shirley and Glenn.)

A very fun evening altogether though I'm all tired out now after such a long day. :P Ahhh, from tomorrow begin the last finals! Tomorrow I have my math final in the afternoon then when that's done, I'm probably going to study with Nichelle a little for the History final exam on Tuesday. And I should also get started on my ballet paper which is due this Wednesday... Busy, busy, busy! My consolation is that after Wednesday, the semester is really over! Hurray!

Aslan Is On the Move!

I had made sure to put my alarm on so that I would wake up by 8:30 but as usual, if I turn my alarm on, I'm awake looooooong before it even rings. :P So I just lay in bed till just a few minutes before my alarm would ring and turned it off. Quickly getting ready, I then left for the church where Joe was giving his drum lessons from 9 to 11. It was SUCH a fun class which I enjoyed immensely. Little by little I think (at least I hope) I'm getting better, especially in my footwork. Joe also said my snare is 'getting louder'; now he's teaching me 'ghost notes' where you tap really softly to give a 16-beat feel but play only on key beats. Very cool, I'm going to need to practice more.

Came home and wrote up yesterday's blog as well as cleaned up my room a tiny bit. Made myself a quick sandwich then Erin, Maki and I left for Ward theater to watch... The Chronicles of Narnia!! I must say, it was a FANTASTIC movie, and no offense if anyone likes Harry Potter, but Narnia's story by far surpasses Rowling's works. The acting was superb, nothing to complain at all; I had my doubts whether the young cast could pull off the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy but they were simply charming and likable. I also liked Tilda Swinton as the Witch, soooooooo 'ice-cold'. And the CG and 'real' animals were so cool; a few favorites are the griffins, the beavers, the cheetahs, the wolves, the phoenix, and the cheeky little fox. :P I admit that I cried at the seen with Aslan where... well, I mustn't say. :P All I can say is that I can heartily recommend this film for anyone to watch; as the British critics said, 'Brilliant!'

Afterwards, we shopped a bit at Pier 1 where they were having a huge sale. Most everything was at least 10% off so I was able to get some gifts. ^_^ Got home and on the way, picked up some McDonald's since I was going babysitting and I was bringing my own dinner.

Got home and took a few minutes to get ready before I left to go babysit Braden. Jessica wasn't home this time so it was just him and me. Ate dinner and watched about half of The Incredibles before he went to bed. I watched 'shortened' versions of two chick flicks (meaning I fast forwarded 'slow' scenes and got to the good parts). :P I just finished the second movie when the parents came home so that was very good timing. I think I'm going to enjoy driving myself to and from their house; they live up on a hill so the street I take to get there is a long, winding road which is FUN to drive! I really love driving... can you believe that I'm driving? I'm still having a hard to realizing that I'm driving myself places. lol!

Tomorrow is Sunday which promises to be a full day, starting my last week of finals... :S Oh, well, one step at a time, eh? Good night all!