7.31.2005
You know how a lot of times dreams can get so real, you can't tell them apart from reality?? And when you wake up, you'd feel either the greatest sense of relief or the biggest shot of disappointment?? Well, for me, one thing gives it away; I'll immediately know I'm only dreaming when it happens. And that, interestingly enough, is if I attempt to run - I can never run in a dream. Yes, very odd indeed, but true. Everytime I try to run, my legs would feel like they've been tied down by balls of lead, & I'd be moving at the speed of snails. So forget fleeing from a murderer if I ever encounter one in a dream...I might as well just stand there & give myself up for the bloodbath, hahahaha.
Is it just me??
7.29.2005
All The Small Things
A bewildered baby.
An informative read fromTime.
A smooth, finepoint black pen.
A right answer on a multiple choice.
A piece of sweet, juicy tomato.
A soothing Yaiko song.
A rejuvenating workout at the gym.
An unexpected call from a best friend.
A brief thought of someone special.
...
It really doesn't take much for me to be happy. =)
A bewildered baby.
An informative read fromTime.
A smooth, finepoint black pen.
A right answer on a multiple choice.
A piece of sweet, juicy tomato.
A soothing Yaiko song.
A rejuvenating workout at the gym.
An unexpected call from a best friend.
A brief thought of someone special.
...
It really doesn't take much for me to be happy. =)
7.25.2005
Shock Therapy
Oh my now the pressure's on - I GOT 12 ON VERBAL. =O How the hell did that happen (when I've stopped paying attention after reading the 4th passage)?? And more importantly, how the hell am I gonna keep it that high?? (I also got a 3 point jump for physical sci...O_o This is bizarre & SO unexpected...maybe that "episode" really was a good thing, hahahaha)
Oh my now the pressure's on - I GOT 12 ON VERBAL. =O How the hell did that happen (when I've stopped paying attention after reading the 4th passage)?? And more importantly, how the hell am I gonna keep it that high?? (I also got a 3 point jump for physical sci...O_o This is bizarre & SO unexpected...maybe that "episode" really was a good thing, hahahaha)
Summer Sensation
Screenshots of what's claimed to be the most expensive music video ever made in Japanese history (click on the pic below for more)...to be honest, I can see where all the money went (the wide-angle shots, the building of a shed only to burn it down to the ground at the end); though I wish it was used somewhere else instead (eg. extravagant costumes, hundreds of dancers, special effects, etc.). I like the PV, but I don't love it. It's very "been there, done that" for Ayu...the beginning looks like "SURREAL", the dance sequence is right out of "INSPIRE", & the only genuinely new part seems a bit outta place to me. So much for 240 million yen (!!)...at least "alterna"'s PV has shock value (even though it scared a lot of people...including me =P). Love her hair in this one though. <3
EDIT: Oh right, almost forgot. The flower in hair thing has ALSO been done (recall "Moments")...
Screenshots of what's claimed to be the most expensive music video ever made in Japanese history (click on the pic below for more)...to be honest, I can see where all the money went (the wide-angle shots, the building of a shed only to burn it down to the ground at the end); though I wish it was used somewhere else instead (eg. extravagant costumes, hundreds of dancers, special effects, etc.). I like the PV, but I don't love it. It's very "been there, done that" for Ayu...the beginning looks like "SURREAL", the dance sequence is right out of "INSPIRE", & the only genuinely new part seems a bit outta place to me. So much for 240 million yen (!!)...at least "alterna"'s PV has shock value (even though it scared a lot of people...including me =P). Love her hair in this one though. <3
EDIT: Oh right, almost forgot. The flower in hair thing has ALSO been done (recall "Moments")...
Fine Dining
'Twas the night of Summerlicious #2 (I just realized I forgot to write about #1, lol), this time at The Old Mill Inn. This trip was extra special because it was my first time taking the subway west beyond Bathurst, & it was also my first time to Etobicoke. =P Getting to the restaurant turned out to be quite eventful...just when we were about to leave the subway station, this Chinese couple came to us & asked if we knew how to get to a wedding reception at Chestnut Street. Luckily Keith brought his map, so we were able to find out where it was & how to get there. After helping the lost ones, we become them ourselves. =P The retarded directions given to us on the web confused us & we sorta wandered around for a bit...after a min or two we just got fed up, so (being the atypical males) we went & asked the TTC booth guy for directions. With his help, we made our way to the Inn. And then...we got lost again, lol. This time it was inside the Inn, which was like a maze. We pretty much ran a full circle around the building before we got to the restaurant. The place was very nice, very old & classy, especially the mill part. Unfortunately we were seated at the new extension, which I described as "nothing more special than a house built in the 70s". =P Anyway, after settling we finally ordered. I, being the "Asparagus Whore" (as Fu would say), ordered everything that came with asparagus. So I ended up having the smoked salmon appetizer & the steak as entree. Keith went for the cantaloupe soup instead, & he also ordered the Panna Cotta for dessert, while I had the mango mousse. All in all, the food was fantastic. We loved everything & savoured every bit of food we had. We particularly liked the two Tiger shrimps that came with the steak...they were so good, we both didn't wanna eat the second one after we finished our first...xD It took me a lot of courage to finally put it in my mouth & say goodbye to it...but I still didn't wanna swallow, lol. It was THAT good.
So after dinner we made our way home, & Keith came to my place to hang out for a bit. We decided to watch some mindless movie to have a good laugh, & we picked The Day After Tomorrow. It turned out to be better than we'd expected, but it still had a heck load of funnies. =P Just too many ironies & inconsistencies...
Here are some pictures of the food that we took. We risked being stared at just to capture the moment for you all...=P
'Twas the night of Summerlicious #2 (I just realized I forgot to write about #1, lol), this time at The Old Mill Inn. This trip was extra special because it was my first time taking the subway west beyond Bathurst, & it was also my first time to Etobicoke. =P Getting to the restaurant turned out to be quite eventful...just when we were about to leave the subway station, this Chinese couple came to us & asked if we knew how to get to a wedding reception at Chestnut Street. Luckily Keith brought his map, so we were able to find out where it was & how to get there. After helping the lost ones, we become them ourselves. =P The retarded directions given to us on the web confused us & we sorta wandered around for a bit...after a min or two we just got fed up, so (being the atypical males) we went & asked the TTC booth guy for directions. With his help, we made our way to the Inn. And then...we got lost again, lol. This time it was inside the Inn, which was like a maze. We pretty much ran a full circle around the building before we got to the restaurant. The place was very nice, very old & classy, especially the mill part. Unfortunately we were seated at the new extension, which I described as "nothing more special than a house built in the 70s". =P Anyway, after settling we finally ordered. I, being the "Asparagus Whore" (as Fu would say), ordered everything that came with asparagus. So I ended up having the smoked salmon appetizer & the steak as entree. Keith went for the cantaloupe soup instead, & he also ordered the Panna Cotta for dessert, while I had the mango mousse. All in all, the food was fantastic. We loved everything & savoured every bit of food we had. We particularly liked the two Tiger shrimps that came with the steak...they were so good, we both didn't wanna eat the second one after we finished our first...xD It took me a lot of courage to finally put it in my mouth & say goodbye to it...but I still didn't wanna swallow, lol. It was THAT good.
So after dinner we made our way home, & Keith came to my place to hang out for a bit. We decided to watch some mindless movie to have a good laugh, & we picked The Day After Tomorrow. It turned out to be better than we'd expected, but it still had a heck load of funnies. =P Just too many ironies & inconsistencies...
Here are some pictures of the food that we took. We risked being stared at just to capture the moment for you all...=P
7.24.2005
Hit & Run
What's with me & all these straight-out-of-TV comedic situations??
Now that I think about it, it really was pretty funny. The "cast", the timing of things, & the reaction I had were simply priceless. Having said that, please don't happen again...once is more than enough. The laughs've been had, har har, let's move on. =P
Oh Drama. Why do you love me so.
What's with me & all these straight-out-of-TV comedic situations??
Now that I think about it, it really was pretty funny. The "cast", the timing of things, & the reaction I had were simply priceless. Having said that, please don't happen again...once is more than enough. The laughs've been had, har har, let's move on. =P
Oh Drama. Why do you love me so.
7.21.2005
"Heart Under Blade"
Okay, now I REALLY want to watch SHINOBI. Before, I was only interested in it 'cause Ayu is singing the theme song...I prayed that the movie would be good & popular so the single would sell like hot cakes. =P But now that I've watched the trailer¹, I'm stunned...the drama, the action, & the cinematography all look amazing. Then again, you wouldn't expect anything less from a big-budget production starring Nakama Yukie...;)
September 17...ahhh I wonder when I'll be able to see it. Hopefully I won't have to wait till the DVD comes out...=¹: I hate to sound biased, but the song really makes the trailer's ending a lot more powerful...=P
EDIT: Wo, I just realized that the male lead of the movie is the same guy who starred in the Sony MD CMs with Shibasaki Kou...=O He sure looks different (ie. much better, lol) with facial hair...
Okay, now I REALLY want to watch SHINOBI. Before, I was only interested in it 'cause Ayu is singing the theme song...I prayed that the movie would be good & popular so the single would sell like hot cakes. =P But now that I've watched the trailer¹, I'm stunned...the drama, the action, & the cinematography all look amazing. Then again, you wouldn't expect anything less from a big-budget production starring Nakama Yukie...;)
September 17...ahhh I wonder when I'll be able to see it. Hopefully I won't have to wait till the DVD comes out...=¹: I hate to sound biased, but the song really makes the trailer's ending a lot more powerful...=P
EDIT: Wo, I just realized that the male lead of the movie is the same guy who starred in the Sony MD CMs with Shibasaki Kou...=O He sure looks different (ie. much better, lol) with facial hair...
7.18.2005
Up!
Phew, what a relief. Finally some significant improvement on my MCAT scores. Honestly, I don't think I've worked hard enough in the past few weeks, but I'm starting to really go at it, probably because I've realized that time is running out...=\ What's funny is that my bio mark appears to be kinda "stuck"...I'm not getting any higher or any lower. It's still a good mark but I'm aiming for an EXCEPTIONAL one. The same is true with the other sections too, I suppose...very happy with verbal, I outdid my expectations this time, considering I zoned out for many of the passages. =P I seriously had the thought of giving up altogether midway through the section 'cause I was bored outta my mind. And the anal questions didn't help one bit, all they did was making me even more frustrated...well, I'm glad I pulled through, & now I know I can do better!!
The truth is, with the scores I got on this mock, I'm already set...but I don't wanna be just "set". I need to "wow"...both myself & the med schools. =P So many stupid mistakes & still so much to learn...this should only get easier. At least I hope so.
(Thanks for the support everyone!! =) Thank you for drowning me with faith everytime I start to falter)
Phew, what a relief. Finally some significant improvement on my MCAT scores. Honestly, I don't think I've worked hard enough in the past few weeks, but I'm starting to really go at it, probably because I've realized that time is running out...=\ What's funny is that my bio mark appears to be kinda "stuck"...I'm not getting any higher or any lower. It's still a good mark but I'm aiming for an EXCEPTIONAL one. The same is true with the other sections too, I suppose...very happy with verbal, I outdid my expectations this time, considering I zoned out for many of the passages. =P I seriously had the thought of giving up altogether midway through the section 'cause I was bored outta my mind. And the anal questions didn't help one bit, all they did was making me even more frustrated...well, I'm glad I pulled through, & now I know I can do better!!
The truth is, with the scores I got on this mock, I'm already set...but I don't wanna be just "set". I need to "wow"...both myself & the med schools. =P So many stupid mistakes & still so much to learn...this should only get easier. At least I hope so.
(Thanks for the support everyone!! =) Thank you for drowning me with faith everytime I start to falter)
7.17.2005
Beyond Limits
The long-awaited new blog layout is finally here...surprisingly it didn't take that long this time. Ideas just came flying in after I finished retouching the picture (I actually spent most of the time figuring out how to use Photoshop CS2 & choosing the perfect shades of brown =P)...anyway, for those of you who don't know, that's Van Tomiko, the vocalist of my favourite band, Do As Infinity. Behind her is her bandmate/guitarist Owatari Ryo...you can't really see him though since he's so outta focus (poor Ryo, lol). I figured that it was about time for a DAI layout...it's been a while since I began looking for a great picture to use, & when "TAO"'s single cover came out, I knew the search was over...=)
Loving the song & the PV, by the way...
The long-awaited new blog layout is finally here...surprisingly it didn't take that long this time. Ideas just came flying in after I finished retouching the picture (I actually spent most of the time figuring out how to use Photoshop CS2 & choosing the perfect shades of brown =P)...anyway, for those of you who don't know, that's Van Tomiko, the vocalist of my favourite band, Do As Infinity. Behind her is her bandmate/guitarist Owatari Ryo...you can't really see him though since he's so outta focus (poor Ryo, lol). I figured that it was about time for a DAI layout...it's been a while since I began looking for a great picture to use, & when "TAO"'s single cover came out, I knew the search was over...=)
Loving the song & the PV, by the way...
7.15.2005
When Real Is Less Than Ideal
"Settle"...remember when the word had a positive connotation?? In grade school history, we learnt that the pioneers, despite the hardships faced in the New World, settled & made a home out of this barren land. Nowadays, however, "settle" seems to be more commonly used in a negative way, as in "sticking with something/someone 'cause there is no better choice". What's more prominent, is that it seems everyone hates to be the one being settled on. An obvious reaction, since none of us would like to be "the choice out of no choice". We'd always like to think that, even if just to a very small degree, we're better than the guy or girl sitting opposite us on the subway; that we're either smarter, taller, prettier, fitter, or all of the above. If that's the case then, why settle?? If we think we're so much better, why the sudden lack of faith in ourselves?? But what I find truly problematic is, if you don't wanna be settled on, why do it to someone else?? Do they not deserve the same respect that you give to yourself?? And what if, horror of all horrors, YOU are actually the one being settled on??
"Some people are settling down, some people are settling, & some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."
I'm definitely in the last group. For my own sake, & for the other person's.
"Settle"...remember when the word had a positive connotation?? In grade school history, we learnt that the pioneers, despite the hardships faced in the New World, settled & made a home out of this barren land. Nowadays, however, "settle" seems to be more commonly used in a negative way, as in "sticking with something/someone 'cause there is no better choice". What's more prominent, is that it seems everyone hates to be the one being settled on. An obvious reaction, since none of us would like to be "the choice out of no choice". We'd always like to think that, even if just to a very small degree, we're better than the guy or girl sitting opposite us on the subway; that we're either smarter, taller, prettier, fitter, or all of the above. If that's the case then, why settle?? If we think we're so much better, why the sudden lack of faith in ourselves?? But what I find truly problematic is, if you don't wanna be settled on, why do it to someone else?? Do they not deserve the same respect that you give to yourself?? And what if, horror of all horrors, YOU are actually the one being settled on??
"Some people are settling down, some people are settling, & some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."
I'm definitely in the last group. For my own sake, & for the other person's.
7.10.2005
Get It While It's Hot
To spice this blog up a lil...
(yes Ayami, I used the CD+DVD cover...=P)
Well, first of all, I don't know how people do it, but thanks to them I got to listen a HQ, full version of the single 3 weeks before its actual release. Anyway, I like the song, it's upbeat & catchy (as with all of Ayu's summer singles), a song you can totally dance to. The only problems I have with it are: i) her singing is a bit too laidback for my liking...it's like she's simply too lazy to enunciate the words, so they all sound very soft & have no "pow" to them. Although that really makes it seem like she's just "humming 7/4" (ha I made an Ayu-specific pun) while tanning on a beach; ii) the first half of the instrumental break is WAY too long, making the song exceed 5 minutes for no apparent reason. HAL really needs to pick it up a lil man...their arrangements used to be so good & original ("Fly high" anyone??)...=These small glitches aside, you bet your ass I'll be listening to this song continuously for the next week or so...=P Can't wait to see the PV!!
P.S. I already know the lyrics by heart, heh heh.
To spice this blog up a lil...
(yes Ayami, I used the CD+DVD cover...=P)
Well, first of all, I don't know how people do it, but thanks to them I got to listen a HQ, full version of the single 3 weeks before its actual release. Anyway, I like the song, it's upbeat & catchy (as with all of Ayu's summer singles), a song you can totally dance to. The only problems I have with it are: i) her singing is a bit too laidback for my liking...it's like she's simply too lazy to enunciate the words, so they all sound very soft & have no "pow" to them. Although that really makes it seem like she's just "humming 7/4" (ha I made an Ayu-specific pun) while tanning on a beach; ii) the first half of the instrumental break is WAY too long, making the song exceed 5 minutes for no apparent reason. HAL really needs to pick it up a lil man...their arrangements used to be so good & original ("Fly high" anyone??)...=These small glitches aside, you bet your ass I'll be listening to this song continuously for the next week or so...=P Can't wait to see the PV!!
P.S. I already know the lyrics by heart, heh heh.
7.09.2005
Situation Comedy
Oh that's very funny. So funny, I forgot to laugh.
Oh that's very funny. So funny, I forgot to laugh.
