~Virtual Insanity~
I'll keep this blog short because I need to get back to my history paper. :P Had English class and turned in my fourth and last essay. :D So happy I got that over and done with. After going home and eating lunch, studied for today's math test before going to the campus.
The math test was fairly easy though it took a while to answer the questions because some of the formulas were tedious. :P From how Mr. Astromoff looked at my papers, I think I got all correct (hopefully).
Went to ballet class and was able to get help from Sharon for the ballet vocabulary termonologies since we'll have a final exam on it. :S Not really confident about having to take the final. Oh well.
Got back home and immediately started working on my history paper. For some reason, I'm having a hard time concluding my paper. I think I might have a head cold or something because I can't seem to concentrate. Hogan's Heroes is about as much as I could handle all day after classes. :P Picked up Erin from her class around 7:30 then went to Kahala Mall to pick up some dinner (I got Panda Express). Watched Hogan's Heroes while eating at home then it was back to my paper. Unfortunately, I still haven't gone very far on it. :S
I'm off to bed. I haven't finished yet (on the last paragraph!) but perhaps I'll think better tomorrow morning. :D Good-night y'all!
P.S. For those who wonder about my title, it's a song by the British music group, Jamiroquai. They have some really great music, including "Canned Heat" which I love, love, love! There's also a very cool music video of "Virtual Insanity"... Ahhhh! The song is sooo in my head... :P
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Already Wednesday tomorrow?
Almost went to bed before writing my blog... :P Had history class in the morning which was terrific fun as usual; we discussed the Theban Plays which was really nice because it's going to make writing the paper on it MUCH easier.
After class, went home and since Naomi was going to make quesadillas for lunch, I went to pick Erin up from her internship. Has been a while since I've driven on the freeway since Naomi's been driving most of the time. Didn't get into any accidents. :P
Got home and while eating the delicious chicken-cheese-mushroom quesadillas, watched an episode of Hogan's Heroes. The second season is starting off a bit more serious than the first season which is interesting. Of course, though more 'serious', it's still hilariously silly which is what makes the series so great.
It was a bit sad because Ami didn't teach today's ASL class. :-( We're all missing her a lot though thankfully we had Crissy as our sub-teacher instead of Jan. The class was fun towards the end because we played 'ASL Jeopardy' which was lots of fun. Still, am missing Ami a lot; I do hope she comes to class this Thursday. Already next week we're having our ASL finals then all pau!
Went home and started working on my history paper. I decided to start all over again since Mr. Cassity had cleared up and given some new ideas on how to write it. I really wrote the first two pages really quickly. Also again got distracted reading an interesting Pride and Prejudice fanfic. Unfortunately, I still haven't found a really GOOD P&P fanfic yet... still looking of course.
For dinner, I made maboudoufu while Naomi made hash-cheese-potato dish as well as chicken legs. Soooo good, I love eating a home-cooked meal. ^_^ And RICE! I can't escape my Japanese side; I positively cannot live without rice. lol!
After dinner I did some more writing then since today is Tuesday, watched House, M.D. from 8 to 9 o'clock. Tonight was another really good episode; but it ended terribly! Well, not 'terribly' as in 'badly', 'terribly' as in I simply can't wait until next week! Such a mean way to end the episode. Hmph!
Worked on my final draft for my English research paper; after handing it in tomorrow, I'm practically done for English! Only three more classes! How time flies...
I have a math test tomorrow which I think will be really easy because it only deals with 'medians', 'means', 'modes', 'ranges', and 'standard deviation'; mostly all high school stuff. Of course, can't be too confident!
Almost went to bed before writing my blog... :P Had history class in the morning which was terrific fun as usual; we discussed the Theban Plays which was really nice because it's going to make writing the paper on it MUCH easier.
After class, went home and since Naomi was going to make quesadillas for lunch, I went to pick Erin up from her internship. Has been a while since I've driven on the freeway since Naomi's been driving most of the time. Didn't get into any accidents. :P
Got home and while eating the delicious chicken-cheese-mushroom quesadillas, watched an episode of Hogan's Heroes. The second season is starting off a bit more serious than the first season which is interesting. Of course, though more 'serious', it's still hilariously silly which is what makes the series so great.
It was a bit sad because Ami didn't teach today's ASL class. :-( We're all missing her a lot though thankfully we had Crissy as our sub-teacher instead of Jan. The class was fun towards the end because we played 'ASL Jeopardy' which was lots of fun. Still, am missing Ami a lot; I do hope she comes to class this Thursday. Already next week we're having our ASL finals then all pau!
Went home and started working on my history paper. I decided to start all over again since Mr. Cassity had cleared up and given some new ideas on how to write it. I really wrote the first two pages really quickly. Also again got distracted reading an interesting Pride and Prejudice fanfic. Unfortunately, I still haven't found a really GOOD P&P fanfic yet... still looking of course.
For dinner, I made maboudoufu while Naomi made hash-cheese-potato dish as well as chicken legs. Soooo good, I love eating a home-cooked meal. ^_^ And RICE! I can't escape my Japanese side; I positively cannot live without rice. lol!
After dinner I did some more writing then since today is Tuesday, watched House, M.D. from 8 to 9 o'clock. Tonight was another really good episode; but it ended terribly! Well, not 'terribly' as in 'badly', 'terribly' as in I simply can't wait until next week! Such a mean way to end the episode. Hmph!
Worked on my final draft for my English research paper; after handing it in tomorrow, I'm practically done for English! Only three more classes! How time flies...
I have a math test tomorrow which I think will be really easy because it only deals with 'medians', 'means', 'modes', 'ranges', and 'standard deviation'; mostly all high school stuff. Of course, can't be too confident!
Monday, November 28, 2005
IS There Something to Be Learned from Oedipus the King...?
Ahhh, at least Monday is over now. :P Monday's are ok... but it's still the first day of school after the weekend so it's really an 'ok' day. Went to English class in the morning but quite a few people didn't show up and the class was particularly boring today. :S Maki and I were sorely tempted to leave early but were able to sit through the whole class.
Realizing that I had forgotten my appointment to donate blood early this morning, I went over to the Blood-mobile (:P) to try donating blood. It wasn't crowded which was nice so I didn't have to wait much. Unfortunately, they tested my blood and my iron-count was just a little low so they couldn't accept my blood. :P Oh, well, I've signed up for the next time they come in January. I know I know, must take my vitamins!
Went home a little after one o'clock and relaxed a bit before going next to math class. Finished really quickly because we only had to take a practice test today. I brought my tap shoes today so because I got to the chapel for ballet class REALLY early, Sharon was nice enough to let me practice. ^_^ It was nice to be able to practice tap dancing on 'real' floors (:P) with so much space.
Today's ballet class went by fairly quickly and it was soon 4:30. Went home and continued working on my history paper (though I got distracted reading a bit of Pride and Prejudice fanfiction). *wink!* Ate a bit later than usual, around 7:00 and watched The Lady Eve. Starring the beautiful Barbra Stanwick and the utterly charming Henry Fonda, it was actually a pretty mediocre movie after I was so excited about watching it. A very odd movie, I guess falling under the category of a 'screwball comedy'. There were some hilarious scenes, like when Barbra Stanwick and her con artist father try to gain the upper hand in a 'rigged' cardgame. But overall, a bit of a disappointment since I had been expecting more from such a stellar cast.
Watched a Hogan's Heroes then it was back to work on my history report. About halfway done I think; I have two more days to write it so I should be ok. :P Hopefully...
Yay, tomorrow I have history class! :D
Ahhh, at least Monday is over now. :P Monday's are ok... but it's still the first day of school after the weekend so it's really an 'ok' day. Went to English class in the morning but quite a few people didn't show up and the class was particularly boring today. :S Maki and I were sorely tempted to leave early but were able to sit through the whole class.
Realizing that I had forgotten my appointment to donate blood early this morning, I went over to the Blood-mobile (:P) to try donating blood. It wasn't crowded which was nice so I didn't have to wait much. Unfortunately, they tested my blood and my iron-count was just a little low so they couldn't accept my blood. :P Oh, well, I've signed up for the next time they come in January. I know I know, must take my vitamins!
Went home a little after one o'clock and relaxed a bit before going next to math class. Finished really quickly because we only had to take a practice test today. I brought my tap shoes today so because I got to the chapel for ballet class REALLY early, Sharon was nice enough to let me practice. ^_^ It was nice to be able to practice tap dancing on 'real' floors (:P) with so much space.
Today's ballet class went by fairly quickly and it was soon 4:30. Went home and continued working on my history paper (though I got distracted reading a bit of Pride and Prejudice fanfiction). *wink!* Ate a bit later than usual, around 7:00 and watched The Lady Eve. Starring the beautiful Barbra Stanwick and the utterly charming Henry Fonda, it was actually a pretty mediocre movie after I was so excited about watching it. A very odd movie, I guess falling under the category of a 'screwball comedy'. There were some hilarious scenes, like when Barbra Stanwick and her con artist father try to gain the upper hand in a 'rigged' cardgame. But overall, a bit of a disappointment since I had been expecting more from such a stellar cast.Watched a Hogan's Heroes then it was back to work on my history report. About halfway done I think; I have two more days to write it so I should be ok. :P Hopefully...
Yay, tomorrow I have history class! :D
Sunday, November 27, 2005
I Get All 'Warm and Fuzzy' After Watching Good Romantic Movies...
For Sunday breakfast, we ate altogether leftover pies and boy, it was delicious! Drinking egg-nog was really good, too... :D After breakfast, we took some time to pray quietly by ourselves before starting our service. Naomi led today and had a pre-sermon sermon (a Kanto Christian Church thing) prepared. :D It was a really good pre-sermon sermon about continuing to search for our vision for the church here. We next listened to Mr. Imamura's sermon from a few weeks ago titled 'The World of Life' vs. 'My Life'. It was nice hearing another sermon 'from home'; I like it how he explained that as Christians, we can't encourage other Christians with just 'nice words'. For example, if a doctor sees that you are sick, does he just say that you'll be 'all right' and that you don't have to do anything abou it? No, a real doctor will tell you to 'get better' and tell you what to do to get better. That's the type of 'enouragement' Christians need to give each other.
After the service, I was able to talk to my father which was really nice. It was so cute to hear Bianca whimpering over the phone because she was starved (actually, she had already eaten breakfast but had apparently forgotten all about it) :P.
Naomi made fried rice for lunch (we ate real late, like around 2:20); sooo happy to be able to eat rice. ^_^ We had planned to go watch a movie with some other people from church but something had come up so we had to cancel. However, later on, we were able to go to see Pride and Prejudice later in the afternoon. Before watching he quickly stopped by the calendar store to shop for some gifts and such. It really is the coolest store, I'd like to go there again so I can spend some more time browsing for something to get for myself. :P
Pride and Prejudice... what can I say but that it was an EXCELLENT movie! I really like the 5-hour long version with Colin Firth so I made sure to have an open mind when watching this new version. But I really had no trouble watching the movie with a fresh eye; the director was a genius, cleverly changing just enough to not be 'just another Pride and Prejudice movie' yet making sure to still retain the essence from the original Jane Austen novel. I was very impressed with how well the movie was edited. To be sure, not everything and not every character from the book was in the movie, but the script was so well written that nothing felt missing and the movie flowed from beginning to end.
As for the characters (I really loved the movie, I just have to analyze and put all my thoughts down :P): Keira Knightely I thought was actually an excellent choice as Elizabeth Bennet. A bit more 'modern' I admit, but at least she really IS twenty-years old (all the other versions have a much older Elizabeth which puts the story a bit 'off' in my opinion). She's also a terrific actress and I love the added scene in the end where she really admits how much pride she herself had.
Mention MUST be made for Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet. He was utterly charming and perfect as the father who hardly seems to know what to do with his 'odd' family. :P He has a wonderful scene at the end which he shares with Keira Knightely; simply beautiful, I almost cried. :D
Oh, and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy! I know Erin and Maki didn't much care for him, but I simply loved Matthew MacFayden as Mr. Darcy. Dark, brooding, handsome, and most of all, tall (dreamy sigh), I thought him quite up to playing such a complicated character as Mr. Darcy is. He played his character to perfection and he does the whole 'completely anguished and confused' look very well. :P I do like Colin Firth, too, of course, but I'm not even going to try to compare the two. Both of them were excellent, each 
giving their own 'personality' to Mr. Darcy that I would never compare them. Matthew MacFayden and Keira Knightely had real chemistry together and whenever they were together in a scene, you can't help but smile because you just KNOW that they're perfect for each other.
All in all, an excellent film. I'm very tempted to go see it in theaters again, perhaps Restaurant Row (50 cents a ticket :P). Great acting, good script, nice editing, beautiful couple, and need I mention the cinematography? The camera-work was well done; there are some really clever scenes which I must applaud the director for with such interesting camera close-ups, focuses, and angles.
Ok, enough gushing over Pride and Prejudice. :P Couldn't help it!
Got home and since we were still full from a late lunch, we just went each to our computers. I was able to work a bit more on my history paper on Oedipus the King and Antigone. Yesterday I really didn't have much of a clue on how to write it, but I'm starting to get an idea now so the words are 'flowing' more. ^_^ 
Had a late dinner while watching Hogan's Heroes then back to my computer. Maria and I were fiddling around with I-Tunes which was fun. Well, it's getting late and I'm off to bed. 15th week of school begins tomorrow... only a little bit more before the semester is over and I'll be going home for Christmas! And because I put so many pictures from Pride and Prejudice up, here are a couple of Christmas pictures from last year. Good night!
For Sunday breakfast, we ate altogether leftover pies and boy, it was delicious! Drinking egg-nog was really good, too... :D After breakfast, we took some time to pray quietly by ourselves before starting our service. Naomi led today and had a pre-sermon sermon (a Kanto Christian Church thing) prepared. :D It was a really good pre-sermon sermon about continuing to search for our vision for the church here. We next listened to Mr. Imamura's sermon from a few weeks ago titled 'The World of Life' vs. 'My Life'. It was nice hearing another sermon 'from home'; I like it how he explained that as Christians, we can't encourage other Christians with just 'nice words'. For example, if a doctor sees that you are sick, does he just say that you'll be 'all right' and that you don't have to do anything abou it? No, a real doctor will tell you to 'get better' and tell you what to do to get better. That's the type of 'enouragement' Christians need to give each other.
After the service, I was able to talk to my father which was really nice. It was so cute to hear Bianca whimpering over the phone because she was starved (actually, she had already eaten breakfast but had apparently forgotten all about it) :P.
Naomi made fried rice for lunch (we ate real late, like around 2:20); sooo happy to be able to eat rice. ^_^ We had planned to go watch a movie with some other people from church but something had come up so we had to cancel. However, later on, we were able to go to see Pride and Prejudice later in the afternoon. Before watching he quickly stopped by the calendar store to shop for some gifts and such. It really is the coolest store, I'd like to go there again so I can spend some more time browsing for something to get for myself. :P
Pride and Prejudice... what can I say but that it was an EXCELLENT movie! I really like the 5-hour long version with Colin Firth so I made sure to have an open mind when watching this new version. But I really had no trouble watching the movie with a fresh eye; the director was a genius, cleverly changing just enough to not be 'just another Pride and Prejudice movie' yet making sure to still retain the essence from the original Jane Austen novel. I was very impressed with how well the movie was edited. To be sure, not everything and not every character from the book was in the movie, but the script was so well written that nothing felt missing and the movie flowed from beginning to end.
As for the characters (I really loved the movie, I just have to analyze and put all my thoughts down :P): Keira Knightely I thought was actually an excellent choice as Elizabeth Bennet. A bit more 'modern' I admit, but at least she really IS twenty-years old (all the other versions have a much older Elizabeth which puts the story a bit 'off' in my opinion). She's also a terrific actress and I love the added scene in the end where she really admits how much pride she herself had.
Mention MUST be made for Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet. He was utterly charming and perfect as the father who hardly seems to know what to do with his 'odd' family. :P He has a wonderful scene at the end which he shares with Keira Knightely; simply beautiful, I almost cried. :D
Oh, and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy! I know Erin and Maki didn't much care for him, but I simply loved Matthew MacFayden as Mr. Darcy. Dark, brooding, handsome, and most of all, tall (dreamy sigh), I thought him quite up to playing such a complicated character as Mr. Darcy is. He played his character to perfection and he does the whole 'completely anguished and confused' look very well. :P I do like Colin Firth, too, of course, but I'm not even going to try to compare the two. Both of them were excellent, each 
giving their own 'personality' to Mr. Darcy that I would never compare them. Matthew MacFayden and Keira Knightely had real chemistry together and whenever they were together in a scene, you can't help but smile because you just KNOW that they're perfect for each other.All in all, an excellent film. I'm very tempted to go see it in theaters again, perhaps Restaurant Row (50 cents a ticket :P). Great acting, good script, nice editing, beautiful couple, and need I mention the cinematography? The camera-work was well done; there are some really clever scenes which I must applaud the director for with such interesting camera close-ups, focuses, and angles.
Ok, enough gushing over Pride and Prejudice. :P Couldn't help it!
Got home and since we were still full from a late lunch, we just went each to our computers. I was able to work a bit more on my history paper on Oedipus the King and Antigone. Yesterday I really didn't have much of a clue on how to write it, but I'm starting to get an idea now so the words are 'flowing' more. ^_^ 
Had a late dinner while watching Hogan's Heroes then back to my computer. Maria and I were fiddling around with I-Tunes which was fun. Well, it's getting late and I'm off to bed. 15th week of school begins tomorrow... only a little bit more before the semester is over and I'll be going home for Christmas! And because I put so many pictures from Pride and Prejudice up, here are a couple of Christmas pictures from last year. Good night!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Lazy, Relaxing Day :P
Today was just a very lazy day so my blog will be brief. Got to sleep in late and it was nice because I was able to just relax and watch movies most all day. :P Well, except for the times when I was doing some computer and did some homework. I started my report on Oedipus the King and Antigone, two of the three Theban Plays written by Sophocles. I think I'll be able to do all right on this report... at least I hope so. :P It's pretty much the last report I'll have to write for this semester except for having to write up a final draft of my Home Schooling research paper and my paper on one more Deaf Event for ASL class.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow; I love Sundays so much and I'm looking forward to our service in the morning. Till tomorrow!
Today was just a very lazy day so my blog will be brief. Got to sleep in late and it was nice because I was able to just relax and watch movies most all day. :P Well, except for the times when I was doing some computer and did some homework. I started my report on Oedipus the King and Antigone, two of the three Theban Plays written by Sophocles. I think I'll be able to do all right on this report... at least I hope so. :P It's pretty much the last report I'll have to write for this semester except for having to write up a final draft of my Home Schooling research paper and my paper on one more Deaf Event for ASL class.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow; I love Sundays so much and I'm looking forward to our service in the morning. Till tomorrow!
Friday, November 25, 2005
Was a Tourist Today
My cousin Ayumi had a day off today from work (she's leaving tomorrow) so Naomi, Maki, Ayumi, and I went on a grand 'tour' of the island today. ^_^ I woke up late (9:30 or so) then after quickly getting ready, we all left since Naomi had gone earlier to pick Ayumi up from her hotel.
We first drove over to Punchbowl because it has such a great view from the lookout point there. I've been there so many times, but every time I got I have to take just one more picture of the view 
there! Our timing was perfect, too, because just as we were leaving, three busloads of tourists came by to see the view from the lookout. Whew!
Next we went to Queen Emma's Summer House and got a nice tour of the place. Unfortunately, we
aren't allowed to take pictures but the tour guide was nice enough to let us take picture of Queen Emma's pianos; even allowed Maki and I to play! It was hard to play because the pedals don't work well and it's really old. I wish I could have taken a picture of 
Queen Emma's chinaware; I know my mother would have loved all of them since they were sooo beautiful and the designs so intricate and exquisite. It was cool because there was a huge vase that the emperor of Japan had sent as a wedding present for Queen Emma. ^_^
Afterwards we drove over to the Pali lookout which I haven't gone in a looong time. The view was beautiful so I took a ton of picture; I shall practice 'self-control' and only put two scenic pictures. :P We were also able to see
Chinaman's Hat which Maki thought was interesting because she didn't know that the legend about Chinaman's Hat was actually about a real island in Hawaii. ^_^
At the entrance to the walkway up to the Pali lookout, there was a food stand with all kinds of interesting snacks and drinks. We decided to share a coconut since Maki had 
never tried one before. The man who owned the 'stand' (it was actually a large bus) was nice enough to give us two coconuts. First he cut open a little hole so that we could poke a straw through and drink the coconut milk. After drinking it all, the man cracked open the hole a little bigger than using a knife cut up all the 'meat' inside. The man was so kind, he also gave us pineapple pieces for free! So nice of him to do all that for us.
Next stop was the beach which was sooo nice. I loved taking off my shoes and walking in the sand. I just wish I had brought my swimming suit so that I could have swam; the sun was so hot and the water felt
soooo good!! Spent quite a while at the beach just getting my feet wet (and my pants, too...). :P
Next drove to Waikele Shopping Center. It was around 1:30 or so by the time we got there; ate lunch at Chili's then started shopping first at Old Navy. Because it's the day after Thanksgiving, every
store was having a special sale (it's an annual thing for all stores to have a special 'Day-After-Thanksgiving Sale'.) It was pretty crazy with sooo many people and soooo many cars.
At Old Navy I got some nice pajama bottoms; Christmas-y with lots of gingerbread men. ^_^ Naomi and I also got a cute toy for Bianca though we're doubting very much if it'll last long...
Shopped all over and I ended up getting one more pair of army-colored sports pants. I love it... it has pockets (for those who know me, you know my 'obession' with pockets...) lol!
Bought some ice-cream before heading home. The traffic was crazy so it took a while to get home (I slept a bit in the car). Stopped by Long's Drugstore so that Ayumi could buy some 'omiyage' like chocolates and coffee. Went home and I was happy to see that my package from Tower Records arrived with my Hogan's Heroes Season 2 dvd! After Ayumi left (Naomi dropped her off), Maki and I watched the Hogan's Heroes special features like the gag reel, commercials, and home videos taken by Bob Crane and his wife. Soooo cute!
Took some time to write my blog for yesterday then for today's. :P Also video chatted with my parents and chatted with various other people. ^_^ Off to bed now. Nothing going on tomorrow!! Am definitely going to sleep in and perhaps relax and watch a movie. What a way to relax... *wink!*
My cousin Ayumi had a day off today from work (she's leaving tomorrow) so Naomi, Maki, Ayumi, and I went on a grand 'tour' of the island today. ^_^ I woke up late (9:30 or so) then after quickly getting ready, we all left since Naomi had gone earlier to pick Ayumi up from her hotel.
We first drove over to Punchbowl because it has such a great view from the lookout point there. I've been there so many times, but every time I got I have to take just one more picture of the view 
there! Our timing was perfect, too, because just as we were leaving, three busloads of tourists came by to see the view from the lookout. Whew!Next we went to Queen Emma's Summer House and got a nice tour of the place. Unfortunately, we
aren't allowed to take pictures but the tour guide was nice enough to let us take picture of Queen Emma's pianos; even allowed Maki and I to play! It was hard to play because the pedals don't work well and it's really old. I wish I could have taken a picture of 
Queen Emma's chinaware; I know my mother would have loved all of them since they were sooo beautiful and the designs so intricate and exquisite. It was cool because there was a huge vase that the emperor of Japan had sent as a wedding present for Queen Emma. ^_^
Afterwards we drove over to the Pali lookout which I haven't gone in a looong time. The view was beautiful so I took a ton of picture; I shall practice 'self-control' and only put two scenic pictures. :P We were also able to see
Chinaman's Hat which Maki thought was interesting because she didn't know that the legend about Chinaman's Hat was actually about a real island in Hawaii. ^_^
At the entrance to the walkway up to the Pali lookout, there was a food stand with all kinds of interesting snacks and drinks. We decided to share a coconut since Maki had 
never tried one before. The man who owned the 'stand' (it was actually a large bus) was nice enough to give us two coconuts. First he cut open a little hole so that we could poke a straw through and drink the coconut milk. After drinking it all, the man cracked open the hole a little bigger than using a knife cut up all the 'meat' inside. The man was so kind, he also gave us pineapple pieces for free! So nice of him to do all that for us.
Next stop was the beach which was sooo nice. I loved taking off my shoes and walking in the sand. I just wish I had brought my swimming suit so that I could have swam; the sun was so hot and the water felt
soooo good!! Spent quite a while at the beach just getting my feet wet (and my pants, too...). :PNext drove to Waikele Shopping Center. It was around 1:30 or so by the time we got there; ate lunch at Chili's then started shopping first at Old Navy. Because it's the day after Thanksgiving, every
store was having a special sale (it's an annual thing for all stores to have a special 'Day-After-Thanksgiving Sale'.) It was pretty crazy with sooo many people and soooo many cars.At Old Navy I got some nice pajama bottoms; Christmas-y with lots of gingerbread men. ^_^ Naomi and I also got a cute toy for Bianca though we're doubting very much if it'll last long...
Shopped all over and I ended up getting one more pair of army-colored sports pants. I love it... it has pockets (for those who know me, you know my 'obession' with pockets...) lol!
Bought some ice-cream before heading home. The traffic was crazy so it took a while to get home (I slept a bit in the car). Stopped by Long's Drugstore so that Ayumi could buy some 'omiyage' like chocolates and coffee. Went home and I was happy to see that my package from Tower Records arrived with my Hogan's Heroes Season 2 dvd! After Ayumi left (Naomi dropped her off), Maki and I watched the Hogan's Heroes special features like the gag reel, commercials, and home videos taken by Bob Crane and his wife. Soooo cute!
Took some time to write my blog for yesterday then for today's. :P Also video chatted with my parents and chatted with various other people. ^_^ Off to bed now. Nothing going on tomorrow!! Am definitely going to sleep in and perhaps relax and watch a movie. What a way to relax... *wink!*
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hurray, today is Thanksgiving! Been looking forward to this day for quite a while; my first Thanksgiving in America!
First, since it is a holiday, I was able to sleep in until around 10:00. After getting up, we all started cleaning up the house to prepare for our party in the afternoon. Cleaned up my room VERY well so hopefully it'll stay that way for a while. :P
At around 1:00, the four of us left for Hawaii Kai to go to Aunt Jean's friend's house. Reed lives with his son, Chris, who we found
out is also going to Kapiolani Community College! That was very interesting and we were talking about college for a while. Chris is also interested in video editing so that was really cool, too, especially when I was telling him about the Newsies project last year.
Reed and Chris also have the most adorable dog named Benji. She (yes, her name is Benji *wink!*) is a mix and soooo cute. She was so curious, especially about all the food and kept getting herself in trouble as she tried to 'just look'. :P 
On the left is the whole group, excluding Naomi who is taking the picture and including Chris' girlfriend, Kay (who is from Okinawa and going to UH), and on the right is a picture of Aunt Jean with Reed.
We left the house after eating a delicious 'late lunch' and headed for home. Maki and I went to buy some last minute drinks and such for the party while Erin and Naomi got the house all ready. At exactly 5:00, Yuriy was the first to arrive. Then Ericson soon arrived with the delicious turkey, candied yams, and gravy he had made. Naomi 
went to pick up my cousin Ayumi and by the time she came back, Brandon, Christi, and Yoko had arrived. There was just sooooooooooooooooooo much food! You won't believe how much food was left over afterwards. And of course I have to mention the d
eserts: cherry pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, lemon merangue pie, cream puffs, fruit salad, pumpkin crunch, brownies, and more!
While eating dinner, Brandon and Chrisit had brought Madagascar so first we watched the short movie called The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper. And asides from the short Ice
Age Scrat movie, this is the best animated short movie I have EVER seen! It's positively hilarious and you will honestly die laughing. It's kind of 'scary' in a sense (especially for poor Erin because it features this SCARY poodle named Mr. Chew (LOL!). :P Seriously, the penguins were so cool. And when we watched the actually Madagascar 
movie, I think the best parts all had the penguins somehow in it. ^_^
(Was funny, when the movie finished, everyone got up to go to the kitchen [picture on left] and Yuriy was the only one left in
the living room so he looks so all alone [picture on right]). :P
After the movie, Aunt Jean arrived to stop by for a few hours and Tina also came by. Ayumi was getting
tired so Naomi took her home before we started a game. Matt and Ardell also came by just in time as we were starting to play 'Cranium'; a type of board game similar to Hoopla. Some highlights included:
1) Brandon pretending to be Shirley
Temple and being VERY lucky that Naomi was finally able to guess at the last second (I have a video clip of that if anyone wants it... :P)
2) Tina trying to 'hum' a song and pretending to be the Lone Ranger
3) Erin drawing the most beautiful convertible... except we all thought she drew it with her eyes closed, which she was supposed to be doing but didn't. lol!
4) Maki drawing a watermelon and my guessing it in about 1 second (we know each too well; I
was the only one who thought that the watermelon she drew with her eyes closed looked like a watermelon). *wink*!
5) Ardell 'humming' "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".... sort of. :P
6) Christi as John Travolta
7) I still can't believe Naomi's imitation of Jackie Chan won over everyone else's to get her team to guess who she was first...
8) The different drawings of Star Wars
9) Yuriy, of all people, having to sculpture a violin out of clay
10)
... and so much more...
A really great game; the winning team was Brandon, Yuriy, and Naomi's team though everyone was really close behind. Afterwards a few people stayed behind, all of just talking and having fun conversations (and 'playing nicely' with pillows...). Oh, and about the group picture of us on the left... I am NOT posing like that on purpose. Someone flipped me over the couch from behind, so excuse the strange look on my face... *wrinkles nose*
Everyone was out of the house a little after midnight and after cleaning up, I was able to video chat with my parents for a bit.
So, that was the end of a wonderful Thanksgiving day! I would like to thank everyone who was able to join the party; I had a really great time and in a way, it was sort of like an 'open house' for me because I hadn't been able to be there for the 'real' open house a while back. ^_^ Hope to some time have another occasion to open the house again for fellowship!
Hurray, today is Thanksgiving! Been looking forward to this day for quite a while; my first Thanksgiving in America!
First, since it is a holiday, I was able to sleep in until around 10:00. After getting up, we all started cleaning up the house to prepare for our party in the afternoon. Cleaned up my room VERY well so hopefully it'll stay that way for a while. :P
At around 1:00, the four of us left for Hawaii Kai to go to Aunt Jean's friend's house. Reed lives with his son, Chris, who we found
out is also going to Kapiolani Community College! That was very interesting and we were talking about college for a while. Chris is also interested in video editing so that was really cool, too, especially when I was telling him about the Newsies project last year.
Reed and Chris also have the most adorable dog named Benji. She (yes, her name is Benji *wink!*) is a mix and soooo cute. She was so curious, especially about all the food and kept getting herself in trouble as she tried to 'just look'. :P 
On the left is the whole group, excluding Naomi who is taking the picture and including Chris' girlfriend, Kay (who is from Okinawa and going to UH), and on the right is a picture of Aunt Jean with Reed.
We left the house after eating a delicious 'late lunch' and headed for home. Maki and I went to buy some last minute drinks and such for the party while Erin and Naomi got the house all ready. At exactly 5:00, Yuriy was the first to arrive. Then Ericson soon arrived with the delicious turkey, candied yams, and gravy he had made. Naomi 
went to pick up my cousin Ayumi and by the time she came back, Brandon, Christi, and Yoko had arrived. There was just sooooooooooooooooooo much food! You won't believe how much food was left over afterwards. And of course I have to mention the d
eserts: cherry pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, lemon merangue pie, cream puffs, fruit salad, pumpkin crunch, brownies, and more!While eating dinner, Brandon and Chrisit had brought Madagascar so first we watched the short movie called The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper. And asides from the short Ice
Age Scrat movie, this is the best animated short movie I have EVER seen! It's positively hilarious and you will honestly die laughing. It's kind of 'scary' in a sense (especially for poor Erin because it features this SCARY poodle named Mr. Chew (LOL!). :P Seriously, the penguins were so cool. And when we watched the actually Madagascar 
movie, I think the best parts all had the penguins somehow in it. ^_^(Was funny, when the movie finished, everyone got up to go to the kitchen [picture on left] and Yuriy was the only one left in
the living room so he looks so all alone [picture on right]). :PAfter the movie, Aunt Jean arrived to stop by for a few hours and Tina also came by. Ayumi was getting
tired so Naomi took her home before we started a game. Matt and Ardell also came by just in time as we were starting to play 'Cranium'; a type of board game similar to Hoopla. Some highlights included:1) Brandon pretending to be Shirley
Temple and being VERY lucky that Naomi was finally able to guess at the last second (I have a video clip of that if anyone wants it... :P)2) Tina trying to 'hum' a song and pretending to be the Lone Ranger
3) Erin drawing the most beautiful convertible... except we all thought she drew it with her eyes closed, which she was supposed to be doing but didn't. lol!
4) Maki drawing a watermelon and my guessing it in about 1 second (we know each too well; I
was the only one who thought that the watermelon she drew with her eyes closed looked like a watermelon). *wink*!5) Ardell 'humming' "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".... sort of. :P
6) Christi as John Travolta
7) I still can't believe Naomi's imitation of Jackie Chan won over everyone else's to get her team to guess who she was first...
8) The different drawings of Star Wars
9) Yuriy, of all people, having to sculpture a violin out of clay
10)
... and so much more...
A really great game; the winning team was Brandon, Yuriy, and Naomi's team though everyone was really close behind. Afterwards a few people stayed behind, all of just talking and having fun conversations (and 'playing nicely' with pillows...). Oh, and about the group picture of us on the left... I am NOT posing like that on purpose. Someone flipped me over the couch from behind, so excuse the strange look on my face... *wrinkles nose*
Everyone was out of the house a little after midnight and after cleaning up, I was able to video chat with my parents for a bit.
So, that was the end of a wonderful Thanksgiving day! I would like to thank everyone who was able to join the party; I had a really great time and in a way, it was sort of like an 'open house' for me because I hadn't been able to be there for the 'real' open house a while back. ^_^ Hope to some time have another occasion to open the house again for fellowship!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
It's Only Thanksgiving Eve and I'm Already Stuffed... :P
As soon as I got up, I worked on completely my essay on Homeschooling. I think it came out pretty well for just a first draft. Went to English class and today was a fun class as we got to talk a lot while we were doing peer feedbacks for all our first drafts. We also had a quiz which we worked on altogether which was pretty funny. lol! Basically the quiz is that we have to edit and rewrite this short essay, correcting all the mistakes and such. There was one where we had to change 'beingly cowardly' into a noun, and though the answer is 'cowardice', a few others came up with some interesting alternatives. :P Like 'lack of bravery'. lol! So funny...
Went home and had kimchee ramen which was very good. Watched a bit more of Sapphire and Steel (which freaked out Erin a bit... :P) then did some laundry before heading back to campus. It was POURING as Maki and I were leaving the house and feet were completely submerged in water up to my ankles! Of course, as soon as Maki and I got into our math classroom it was only lightly raining. *rolls eyes* That's the way it goes, huh?
Today's math class was REALLY easy so got out in less than thirty minutes. I drove Maki home and was going to drive back very early for my ballet class (to do warm-ups and stretches) but Naomi was starting to prepare for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal at our house so I stayed home and helped out a bit. Went to class just on time and after getting Sharon's permission, left ballet a bit early so I could help Naomi out some more.
Went to Kaimuki church around 5:30 for Naomi to practice her hula. After they finished, I practiced with the worship team before the service started. While I was practicing, Naomi went to pick up my cousin Ayumi from her hotel. Ayumi just arrived here this morning for a business trip and it was nice she was able to join us at the church for the Thanksgiving Eve service.
The special dance the hula group did was really beautiful; Jenny Ho'omokai group also joined as well as the seniors group, Michelle's daughter, Jenny's two daughters, and Momi's daughter. So nice to see them dance altogether!
(I planned to have TONS of pictures up here on my blog, but unfortunately, by some misfortune, all my pictures were deleted from my camera! Don't ask; it's late and I'm tired and must have pressed something... Anyway, Maki has some pictures on her website if you would like to see)
Anyway, after the service, there was a pie party at the church where the tables were set up with sooooo many different pies! Just looking at all of them made me really full, though of course I ate a few pies. ;) After that, took Ayumi to her hotel because she was tired and she'll be having to work tomorrow from the morning. :S
Naomi, Erin, Maki, Tina, and I ate together at CPK's at Kahala Mall for dinner. We didn't stay too long because we were all pretty full and tired out. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! It's going to be quite a full day; nothing going on the morning, then in the afternoon the four of us are going to Aunt Jean's friends Thanksgiving party. Then from 5:00, we're having our own party! Hurray! So far, the people coming are Ericson, Yuriy, Tina, Christi and Brandon; perhaps a few others.
Good night now! Off to bed and am resolved to sleep in LATE tomorrow! ^_^
As soon as I got up, I worked on completely my essay on Homeschooling. I think it came out pretty well for just a first draft. Went to English class and today was a fun class as we got to talk a lot while we were doing peer feedbacks for all our first drafts. We also had a quiz which we worked on altogether which was pretty funny. lol! Basically the quiz is that we have to edit and rewrite this short essay, correcting all the mistakes and such. There was one where we had to change 'beingly cowardly' into a noun, and though the answer is 'cowardice', a few others came up with some interesting alternatives. :P Like 'lack of bravery'. lol! So funny...
Went home and had kimchee ramen which was very good. Watched a bit more of Sapphire and Steel (which freaked out Erin a bit... :P) then did some laundry before heading back to campus. It was POURING as Maki and I were leaving the house and feet were completely submerged in water up to my ankles! Of course, as soon as Maki and I got into our math classroom it was only lightly raining. *rolls eyes* That's the way it goes, huh?
Today's math class was REALLY easy so got out in less than thirty minutes. I drove Maki home and was going to drive back very early for my ballet class (to do warm-ups and stretches) but Naomi was starting to prepare for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal at our house so I stayed home and helped out a bit. Went to class just on time and after getting Sharon's permission, left ballet a bit early so I could help Naomi out some more.
Went to Kaimuki church around 5:30 for Naomi to practice her hula. After they finished, I practiced with the worship team before the service started. While I was practicing, Naomi went to pick up my cousin Ayumi from her hotel. Ayumi just arrived here this morning for a business trip and it was nice she was able to join us at the church for the Thanksgiving Eve service.
The special dance the hula group did was really beautiful; Jenny Ho'omokai group also joined as well as the seniors group, Michelle's daughter, Jenny's two daughters, and Momi's daughter. So nice to see them dance altogether!
(I planned to have TONS of pictures up here on my blog, but unfortunately, by some misfortune, all my pictures were deleted from my camera! Don't ask; it's late and I'm tired and must have pressed something... Anyway, Maki has some pictures on her website if you would like to see)
Anyway, after the service, there was a pie party at the church where the tables were set up with sooooo many different pies! Just looking at all of them made me really full, though of course I ate a few pies. ;) After that, took Ayumi to her hotel because she was tired and she'll be having to work tomorrow from the morning. :S
Naomi, Erin, Maki, Tina, and I ate together at CPK's at Kahala Mall for dinner. We didn't stay too long because we were all pretty full and tired out. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! It's going to be quite a full day; nothing going on the morning, then in the afternoon the four of us are going to Aunt Jean's friends Thanksgiving party. Then from 5:00, we're having our own party! Hurray! So far, the people coming are Ericson, Yuriy, Tina, Christi and Brandon; perhaps a few others.
Good night now! Off to bed and am resolved to sleep in LATE tomorrow! ^_^
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Writing, Writing, Writing...
This morning, Maki and I went a bit early to History class because we knew we'd have a quiz today. :P It's good to go a bit early so we can ask Mr. Cassity what the quiz will be about and then we can study. ^_^ The quiz was on the Islamic Empire and was fairly easy. Got back our maps quizzes (which I aced) and my Siddhartha report (which I got 46 out of 50 points). He commented that I wrote really well and the only thing to do to write even better was try using direct quotes from the book. I hadn't been sure whether to do that or not; so now I know. ^_^ Learned more of Chinese civilizations though we talked a lot about the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays for some reason. lol!
It was pouring when class finished so Maki and I got pretty soaked by the time we got to the car. :P And of course, it stopped raining by the time we got home. Go figure. lol!
Relaxed for lunch and then went to ASL class. Ami couldn't teach today so we had a sub-teacher named Jan. She was an 'ok' teacher but I prefer having Ami teach. :P Fortunately, class finished early which was nice.
I got home and my Sapphire and Steel dvd from Netflix arrived so I watched the first hour of it (the whole 'story' is 3 hours and 35 minutes). ^_^ Pretty interesting, I like the premise a lot about how 'time' tries to take over everything. And David McCallum, though older than from his Man from UNCLE years, plays a really cool character. *wink!*
The rest of the day was a blur of working on my English research paper and Ballet learning log. Somewhere in the middle I had dinner then from 8:00 to 9:00 I watched a REALLY good episode of House, M.D. It's such a great series...
Here I am, still working on my paper. :P At least it'll be done by tomorrow and I won't have to work on it during the holiday weekend! I'm off to be in a bit, going to write the closing for my paper. I listened to six Alan Parsons albums while I wrote my paper! ^_^ Oh, actually going on my seventh album now. :P
This morning, Maki and I went a bit early to History class because we knew we'd have a quiz today. :P It's good to go a bit early so we can ask Mr. Cassity what the quiz will be about and then we can study. ^_^ The quiz was on the Islamic Empire and was fairly easy. Got back our maps quizzes (which I aced) and my Siddhartha report (which I got 46 out of 50 points). He commented that I wrote really well and the only thing to do to write even better was try using direct quotes from the book. I hadn't been sure whether to do that or not; so now I know. ^_^ Learned more of Chinese civilizations though we talked a lot about the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays for some reason. lol!
It was pouring when class finished so Maki and I got pretty soaked by the time we got to the car. :P And of course, it stopped raining by the time we got home. Go figure. lol!
Relaxed for lunch and then went to ASL class. Ami couldn't teach today so we had a sub-teacher named Jan. She was an 'ok' teacher but I prefer having Ami teach. :P Fortunately, class finished early which was nice.
I got home and my Sapphire and Steel dvd from Netflix arrived so I watched the first hour of it (the whole 'story' is 3 hours and 35 minutes). ^_^ Pretty interesting, I like the premise a lot about how 'time' tries to take over everything. And David McCallum, though older than from his Man from UNCLE years, plays a really cool character. *wink!*The rest of the day was a blur of working on my English research paper and Ballet learning log. Somewhere in the middle I had dinner then from 8:00 to 9:00 I watched a REALLY good episode of House, M.D. It's such a great series...
Here I am, still working on my paper. :P At least it'll be done by tomorrow and I won't have to work on it during the holiday weekend! I'm off to be in a bit, going to write the closing for my paper. I listened to six Alan Parsons albums while I wrote my paper! ^_^ Oh, actually going on my seventh album now. :P
Monday, November 21, 2005
A Good Start To a School Week
Woke up after 9:00; so nice being able to sleep in a bit. :P Did some English homework and started reading The Theban Plays by Sophocles for my last History paper. Went to English class and those who hadn't given their oral reports last week did so. Gordon was in class and as EVERYONE knew would happen, he started 'commenting' and saying irrelevant things. It was hilarious because everyone else started either smiling (some even laughing quietly, me included...) because he just wouldn't stop! It was pretty hilarious...
Went home and had a very quick lunch before trying to do some homework. I finished up the "Silent Lunch" essay for ASL and starting organizing what I want to write for my English research paper. First class for the afternoon was Math class. I was really nervous about going because I would be getting my score for the test I took last week. Mr. Astromoff started writing the list of scores on the board and I was shocked to see that the scores varied all the way from 0 out of 15 to 14 out of 15! He started passing out the tests and to my utter shock, I had gotten 14 out of 15, best in class! I'm so relieved I did well; the fourth test is assured to be really easy as Mr. Astromoff only taught about frequency tables, means, medians, and modes. :S Easy stuff!
Next went to ballet class and I'm so happy because my turnout is getting so much better as well as my pirouettes. I left class a little early so I could quickly go home to take a shower then head for Kaimuki church. Because I'm going to be playing drums for the Thanksgiving Eve service, Tony, Carl, and I got together to practice music this afternoon for a while. It was fun going to the practice as I'm loving playing the drums more and more.
Got home and did some of my math homework before dinner. Maki and I had minestrone soup and rice while watching Bringing Up Baby which I got from Netflix. It stars Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn; a really silly movie and though I admit it was really funny, it was a bit too silly at times. Katharine Hepburn plays a really 'flighty' woman, different from all her other roles of strong, independent, and witty women. I prefer her as her 'usual self' I think. :P
Finished up my math homework then finished reading up The Theban Plays. Such depressing tragedies... :P Started on my research paper on homeschooling. I think it's going to go well; so far I'm not getting stuck so that's a good sign.
Off to bed now; yay, tomorrow I have history class!
Woke up after 9:00; so nice being able to sleep in a bit. :P Did some English homework and started reading The Theban Plays by Sophocles for my last History paper. Went to English class and those who hadn't given their oral reports last week did so. Gordon was in class and as EVERYONE knew would happen, he started 'commenting' and saying irrelevant things. It was hilarious because everyone else started either smiling (some even laughing quietly, me included...) because he just wouldn't stop! It was pretty hilarious...
Went home and had a very quick lunch before trying to do some homework. I finished up the "Silent Lunch" essay for ASL and starting organizing what I want to write for my English research paper. First class for the afternoon was Math class. I was really nervous about going because I would be getting my score for the test I took last week. Mr. Astromoff started writing the list of scores on the board and I was shocked to see that the scores varied all the way from 0 out of 15 to 14 out of 15! He started passing out the tests and to my utter shock, I had gotten 14 out of 15, best in class! I'm so relieved I did well; the fourth test is assured to be really easy as Mr. Astromoff only taught about frequency tables, means, medians, and modes. :S Easy stuff!
Next went to ballet class and I'm so happy because my turnout is getting so much better as well as my pirouettes. I left class a little early so I could quickly go home to take a shower then head for Kaimuki church. Because I'm going to be playing drums for the Thanksgiving Eve service, Tony, Carl, and I got together to practice music this afternoon for a while. It was fun going to the practice as I'm loving playing the drums more and more.
Got home and did some of my math homework before dinner. Maki and I had minestrone soup and rice while watching Bringing Up Baby which I got from Netflix. It stars Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn; a really silly movie and though I admit it was really funny, it was a bit too silly at times. Katharine Hepburn plays a really 'flighty' woman, different from all her other roles of strong, independent, and witty women. I prefer her as her 'usual self' I think. :P
Finished up my math homework then finished reading up The Theban Plays. Such depressing tragedies... :P Started on my research paper on homeschooling. I think it's going to go well; so far I'm not getting stuck so that's a good sign.
Off to bed now; yay, tomorrow I have history class!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Terrific Sunday!
Today was such a very, very nice Sunday. This morning we had only our own service and didn't go over to the Kaimuki Church. We were able to have a really good time of worship and got to talk about what was going on in our lives at the moment as well as about our vision for the church. Instead of either Erin or Naomi preaching, we listened to one of my father's sermon tapes (cds) sent over from Japan. I really missed hearing my father's sermon and enjoyed myself a lot.
For lunch, because it's the third Sunday of the month, keeping the tradition from church back home we went out to eat for fellowship. We went over to Happy Day's, a sort of 'regular' spot for Sundays for us. ^_^ The food was delicious; I love their dimsung like sticky rice, shyu-mai (different than Japanese style shy-mai), and chives-maki.
Went home and we all relaxed each in our own rooms. I did some computer while listening to music. I also finished most of my Deaf Culture paper from the 'silent lunch' at Chili's last Thursday. Later in the afternoon I took a nap which was nice. I really miss my Sunday naps! :P
Tonight, as a special treat thanks to Erin, the four of us went out to eat at Buzz's Steak and Lobster. My friend and classmate from English class works there and he had told me how good the food was. So I had called him earlier to make a reservation and he was nice enough to pick out a 
really nice table outside in the corner away from most of the crowds. It was the first time for him to meet Erin and Naomi; it was kind of amusing when he said he guessed that Naomi was my sister since we look a like (*gasp*) and laugh the same way (*double gasp*!). :P We don't look alike or laugh alike, right?
With each of our orders we got to get the salad bar which I know my mother will be jealous because there were fresh avocados. :P They also had very loooong sticks of celery which Maki and I were laughing about a lot. lol! Tonight's soup was clam chowder which 
made me very, very happy. We all ordered different entrees and because the food was so good, I just have to describe everyone's food. :P Naomi got steak and king crab (the crab was superb), Erin got steak and fried scallops (simply delicious), Maki got seafood combo (fried oysters, shrimp, scallops, and fish... mmmm...), and I got lobster fettuccine Alfredo (the lobster was soooooo good!).
For dinner, we got a type of pumpkin pie which Eric (my classmate who was also our server) recommended 'sort of' (he actually recommended macadadia nut cream pie but they didn't have it that night so
instead said that this pumpkin pie was also good). And it was very good; got a nice large piece so the four of us could share together.
Overall, a terrific dinner and Eric was nice enough to give us a discount on the meal. Thanks so much to Erin for the wonderful, delicious dinner!
We went to Ala Moana Mall next where there was a huge sale going on at Macy's. We all separated and got to look around all the different departments. I go a nice pair of shorts and a really pretty shirt that I might where for Christmas or some other special occasion. Oh, while we were there we also got to see Croz, his parents, and Mariko who were also looking around. Small island, huh? ^_^
Back home now, tired out but happy because today was such a good day. A great start to another week though I feel a little sad that classes start up again tomorrow. :P Oh, well, just a few weeks more!! And this week is Thankgiving weekend!
Today was such a very, very nice Sunday. This morning we had only our own service and didn't go over to the Kaimuki Church. We were able to have a really good time of worship and got to talk about what was going on in our lives at the moment as well as about our vision for the church. Instead of either Erin or Naomi preaching, we listened to one of my father's sermon tapes (cds) sent over from Japan. I really missed hearing my father's sermon and enjoyed myself a lot.
For lunch, because it's the third Sunday of the month, keeping the tradition from church back home we went out to eat for fellowship. We went over to Happy Day's, a sort of 'regular' spot for Sundays for us. ^_^ The food was delicious; I love their dimsung like sticky rice, shyu-mai (different than Japanese style shy-mai), and chives-maki.
Went home and we all relaxed each in our own rooms. I did some computer while listening to music. I also finished most of my Deaf Culture paper from the 'silent lunch' at Chili's last Thursday. Later in the afternoon I took a nap which was nice. I really miss my Sunday naps! :P
Tonight, as a special treat thanks to Erin, the four of us went out to eat at Buzz's Steak and Lobster. My friend and classmate from English class works there and he had told me how good the food was. So I had called him earlier to make a reservation and he was nice enough to pick out a 
really nice table outside in the corner away from most of the crowds. It was the first time for him to meet Erin and Naomi; it was kind of amusing when he said he guessed that Naomi was my sister since we look a like (*gasp*) and laugh the same way (*double gasp*!). :P We don't look alike or laugh alike, right?
With each of our orders we got to get the salad bar which I know my mother will be jealous because there were fresh avocados. :P They also had very loooong sticks of celery which Maki and I were laughing about a lot. lol! Tonight's soup was clam chowder which 
made me very, very happy. We all ordered different entrees and because the food was so good, I just have to describe everyone's food. :P Naomi got steak and king crab (the crab was superb), Erin got steak and fried scallops (simply delicious), Maki got seafood combo (fried oysters, shrimp, scallops, and fish... mmmm...), and I got lobster fettuccine Alfredo (the lobster was soooooo good!).
For dinner, we got a type of pumpkin pie which Eric (my classmate who was also our server) recommended 'sort of' (he actually recommended macadadia nut cream pie but they didn't have it that night so
instead said that this pumpkin pie was also good). And it was very good; got a nice large piece so the four of us could share together.Overall, a terrific dinner and Eric was nice enough to give us a discount on the meal. Thanks so much to Erin for the wonderful, delicious dinner!
We went to Ala Moana Mall next where there was a huge sale going on at Macy's. We all separated and got to look around all the different departments. I go a nice pair of shorts and a really pretty shirt that I might where for Christmas or some other special occasion. Oh, while we were there we also got to see Croz, his parents, and Mariko who were also looking around. Small island, huh? ^_^
Back home now, tired out but happy because today was such a good day. A great start to another week though I feel a little sad that classes start up again tomorrow. :P Oh, well, just a few weeks more!! And this week is Thankgiving weekend!
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Another Weekend Gone By,,,
This morning I had it all planned out to wake up fairly early so that I could get to the church by 8:45 for Joe's drum classes. I woke up at 7:15 and I thought, "Hmm... I have a bit more time to just close my eyes for a little while longer." Before I knew it, I looked at my watch again and it was 9:17. :P I quickly got out of bed and quickly getting ready, left for the church. Joe was very understanding about my being late. lol!
I left practice a little early so that I could go next to my tap lesson. It's the last tap class for this year so I picked up Maki and she was nice enough to take pictures and video clips of the class. Today's 
class was lots of fun and Nancy (my teacher) let me dance the song by myself after class was over. So thank you to Maki for taking some really nice videos and pictures!
Got home and took a quick shower. Naomi and I then went over to Kahala Mall to pick up some lunch. I ordered a Fresh Roast Turkey Avocado Sandwich which was DELICIOUS! Mmmm... 'tis the season for turkey!!! Ate in the car and as soon as I got home, Ericson was already there to pick Maki and I up to go watch Walk the Line.
It was really crowded because the fourth Harry Potter movie had just come out. Thankfully, we were able to park the car, get the tickets, buy some drinks, and get to our seats just as the movie started. :P Very lucky. Anyway, the movie was really good and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It's actually a very intense drama and you'll have to be a very '
patient' and a real movie watcher to really enjoy the film I think. Johnny Cash certainly had a very rough life. I really liked how there were several Christian references in the movie like the part when Johnny Cash was trying to overcome drug addiction. Also about how Johnny Cash was first inspired through the hymns his mother would sing all the time.
A great film, I won't be surprised at all if Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon get Best Actor and Best Actress nods for this film; the acting was perfect. Not only their acting, but their singing was great, I'd really like to get the soundtrack for the movie. It was especially surprising to hear Joaquin Phoenix sing, he never really seemed like the 'singing type' to me. Especially when I've seen him as the evil emperor in Gladiator. But wow, does he look good as the 'Man in Black'. :P
Went by Old Spaghetti Factory to retrieve a 'forgotten item' then shopped a bit at Logos. I was able to get some Christmas presents so I'm happy. ^_^ Went home and Ericson dropped by for a bit; just 'talked story' for a while. Around 5:30, the Hall's picked me up so I could babysit Braden with his older sister Jessica (I had babysat them once before). Ate dinner there which was really delicious then watched the remastered DVD of Bambi. It's been SUCH a long time since I've seen that movie, it brought back lots of old memories of watching all the Disney movies. ^_^
After Braden went to bed, watched a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean before the parents came home. Connie took me home and I finally got a chance to really check my mail and catch up with all the blogs that I usually read first thing in the morning. ^_^ I'm off to bed now, earlier than usual! Yay! :P
This morning I had it all planned out to wake up fairly early so that I could get to the church by 8:45 for Joe's drum classes. I woke up at 7:15 and I thought, "Hmm... I have a bit more time to just close my eyes for a little while longer." Before I knew it, I looked at my watch again and it was 9:17. :P I quickly got out of bed and quickly getting ready, left for the church. Joe was very understanding about my being late. lol!
I left practice a little early so that I could go next to my tap lesson. It's the last tap class for this year so I picked up Maki and she was nice enough to take pictures and video clips of the class. Today's 
class was lots of fun and Nancy (my teacher) let me dance the song by myself after class was over. So thank you to Maki for taking some really nice videos and pictures!Got home and took a quick shower. Naomi and I then went over to Kahala Mall to pick up some lunch. I ordered a Fresh Roast Turkey Avocado Sandwich which was DELICIOUS! Mmmm... 'tis the season for turkey!!! Ate in the car and as soon as I got home, Ericson was already there to pick Maki and I up to go watch Walk the Line.
It was really crowded because the fourth Harry Potter movie had just come out. Thankfully, we were able to park the car, get the tickets, buy some drinks, and get to our seats just as the movie started. :P Very lucky. Anyway, the movie was really good and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It's actually a very intense drama and you'll have to be a very '
patient' and a real movie watcher to really enjoy the film I think. Johnny Cash certainly had a very rough life. I really liked how there were several Christian references in the movie like the part when Johnny Cash was trying to overcome drug addiction. Also about how Johnny Cash was first inspired through the hymns his mother would sing all the time.
A great film, I won't be surprised at all if Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon get Best Actor and Best Actress nods for this film; the acting was perfect. Not only their acting, but their singing was great, I'd really like to get the soundtrack for the movie. It was especially surprising to hear Joaquin Phoenix sing, he never really seemed like the 'singing type' to me. Especially when I've seen him as the evil emperor in Gladiator. But wow, does he look good as the 'Man in Black'. :PWent by Old Spaghetti Factory to retrieve a 'forgotten item' then shopped a bit at Logos. I was able to get some Christmas presents so I'm happy. ^_^ Went home and Ericson dropped by for a bit; just 'talked story' for a while. Around 5:30, the Hall's picked me up so I could babysit Braden with his older sister Jessica (I had babysat them once before). Ate dinner there which was really delicious then watched the remastered DVD of Bambi. It's been SUCH a long time since I've seen that movie, it brought back lots of old memories of watching all the Disney movies. ^_^
After Braden went to bed, watched a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean before the parents came home. Connie took me home and I finally got a chance to really check my mail and catch up with all the blogs that I usually read first thing in the morning. ^_^ I'm off to bed now, earlier than usual! Yay! :P
Friday, November 18, 2005
"Whoah, Dinner And a Show!" *wink!*
For the first time I didn't wake up when Maki and Erin got up to go to their early morning class. :P Slept in pretty late and started writing a few papers I have to get done pretty soon; due dates fast approaching...
Naomi and I decided to go out for lunch just the two of us; went over to Ward and ate at Chowder House which has REALLY great clam chowders and my special favorite, avocado caesar salad. Yum!
Went to CompUSA and I was so happy to see that they had the webcam that I've been wanting to get for quite some time. Stopped by Long's Drustore to get some things and after getting home, I immediately hooked up my webcam. The features are really cool, especially the avatars.
Ballet class was lots of fun, especially as I'm getting better at my pirouettes. We're also working on a choreographed dance which we'll be performing for our finals. :S Kind of nervous about it but so far, it's working out really well and it's not too difficult.
Got home and after taking a quick shower, fooled around with my webcam while video chatting with Maria. It was fun freaking her out at first when I showed on screen as a dinosaur. lol!
Erin dropped me off at the church around 6:15 so I could practice the special music a bit before the service started. Today, Josh's mother and Croz's parents were in the service so it was really nice
to see them. The service went very well and the special music turned out really nice. A bit nervous at first but got 'into the music' after the intro. ^_^
After the service, while Naomi was helping out Jenny with some computer stuff, Erin, Maki and I were able to have good fellowship
with all the church people. (That's Bao, Ericson, and Yuriy on the left while on the right, Bao thinks it's so funny that most everyone had a camera out so he whipped out his own 'camera' :P)
Decided to go out to eat at Old Spaghetti Factory. Matt, Yuriy, and Ardell decided to 'join us' (:P yes, THEY joined us, not the other way around...
lol!). While waiting for them to arrive, Maki, Erin, and I were playing Pacman on the table games they have set out all over the waiting area at the restaurant. It's such a fun game!
Dinner was a really fun affair with lots of laughter and 'interesting' conversations. Towards the end, 'some' of us were
playing with our eating utensils and glasses but unfortunately, whatever 'master plan' they had for the utensils didn't work out exactly the way they wanted... lol! Was thinking about stopping by Dairy Queen for some ice cream but unfortunately, it was already closed. :S Oh, well, next time.
Here I am, home again and it's pretty late... :P My parents have already scolded me so I shall end it here with a good night to all and I hope you have a good rest of the weekend!
For the first time I didn't wake up when Maki and Erin got up to go to their early morning class. :P Slept in pretty late and started writing a few papers I have to get done pretty soon; due dates fast approaching...
Naomi and I decided to go out for lunch just the two of us; went over to Ward and ate at Chowder House which has REALLY great clam chowders and my special favorite, avocado caesar salad. Yum!
Went to CompUSA and I was so happy to see that they had the webcam that I've been wanting to get for quite some time. Stopped by Long's Drustore to get some things and after getting home, I immediately hooked up my webcam. The features are really cool, especially the avatars.
Ballet class was lots of fun, especially as I'm getting better at my pirouettes. We're also working on a choreographed dance which we'll be performing for our finals. :S Kind of nervous about it but so far, it's working out really well and it's not too difficult.
Got home and after taking a quick shower, fooled around with my webcam while video chatting with Maria. It was fun freaking her out at first when I showed on screen as a dinosaur. lol!
Erin dropped me off at the church around 6:15 so I could practice the special music a bit before the service started. Today, Josh's mother and Croz's parents were in the service so it was really nice
to see them. The service went very well and the special music turned out really nice. A bit nervous at first but got 'into the music' after the intro. ^_^After the service, while Naomi was helping out Jenny with some computer stuff, Erin, Maki and I were able to have good fellowship
with all the church people. (That's Bao, Ericson, and Yuriy on the left while on the right, Bao thinks it's so funny that most everyone had a camera out so he whipped out his own 'camera' :P)Decided to go out to eat at Old Spaghetti Factory. Matt, Yuriy, and Ardell decided to 'join us' (:P yes, THEY joined us, not the other way around...
lol!). While waiting for them to arrive, Maki, Erin, and I were playing Pacman on the table games they have set out all over the waiting area at the restaurant. It's such a fun game!Dinner was a really fun affair with lots of laughter and 'interesting' conversations. Towards the end, 'some' of us were
playing with our eating utensils and glasses but unfortunately, whatever 'master plan' they had for the utensils didn't work out exactly the way they wanted... lol! Was thinking about stopping by Dairy Queen for some ice cream but unfortunately, it was already closed. :S Oh, well, next time.
Here I am, home again and it's pretty late... :P My parents have already scolded me so I shall end it here with a good night to all and I hope you have a good rest of the weekend!
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