From a gal whose brain cells work faster than her fingers. (Sometimes.)
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One of the New Year's Eve traditions in my house is to sit in front of the TV, tune in to the international channel, and watch Kouhaku Uta Gassen. For those who don't read Japanese, here is an article from Wikipedia about this show that has been a tradition in Japan since 1951.
In addition to several hours of music, there are also comedy skits in between the acts, usually to cheer for one team or the other. But really, some of the Engrish used are pretty funny already. :>
My dad and I are partial to the elaborate sets and beautiful costumes, especially when our favorite enka artists perform.
Whether the Red team or the White team wins, it really doesn't matter; after watching just a couple of these you figure out that it's arbitrary. The point is to welcome the New Year with good songs, eye candy, and laughter.
May your new year be filled with joy and laughter, too.
ETA: OMG, C3-PO & R2-D2 made an appearance!!
ETA again: Darth Vader & a group of Storm Troopers also!! Craziness.
Finally done.
This is why I told myself I'd never leave any work to do during vacations, but the paper had to be done. Basically spent my entire break doing it and it still isn't what I would've liked!
Hope everyone had a nice holiday, though. Here's to New Year's 2006!
After 6(?) cups of Lady Grey, candy, chips with queso, a seat by the heater, and a night without my bed, I have finally finished my take home exam. Just when I thought I was getting a little old for this type of student life.
I've come to accept the fact that I form coherent thoughts much more slowly than other people and require a huge chunk of time to churn out something remotely comprehensible (or BS, depending on your view).
But it's out of my hands now.
Of course, when I tried to upload it to the system, I couldn't get my ID and password to work! With about 5 minutes to spare, I had to call the tech people. Ended up emailing it to them anyway.
Technology, when it doesn't work, really sucks.
Now once again, I must come up with a paper topic for my class...
Is it crazy that I am very much considering future donations (provided that I will actually have a job and earn money) to my host school rather than my own school?
I tear up at the thought of having to leave several of the staff here, who have been instrumental in making us feel like part of the school this entire semester.
They've teared up several times already at the thought of us leaving them after this semester.
I wish I could say the same could be expected of my own school's staff and administrators, but I know for a fact I could not.
They want my loyalty by forcing me to return, but the L word actually means something to me.
I only lament that I did not have the grades or qualifications to be at this school in the first place, but in this one semester I've felt like I belonged more than I have in the past 2 years.
That is truly a shame.
(Still 2 more to go!)
2 down. 2 more to go.
I'm ready to be done though.
Murphy's Law in the works: Do not use a brand new laptop to take an exam, especially when the keyboard layout is different than one you're used to. On your first day of exams, try not to have your period. That is, if you can help it. Also try not to pick courses where the instructor goes psycho with the length of the questions.
Sigh.
I'd continue studying in cafés but it's getting expensive having to "buy" my spot in there.
My mom almost yelled at me when I told her I was studying in a café. She didn't really yell, but if I had been 8, she probably would have, because people don't go to cafés to study.
Ok, that sounds a bit off. What I mean to say is, while she was going to school, people go to cafés to hang out and talk; they're not places at which students would choose to study.
In fact, I wouldn't think so, either, but I've seen so many people do it over the years. In fact, I've begun to do so myself, but for reasons that I cannot explain, cafés seem are more conducive to studying than library reading rooms. It's not even the promise of flowing coffee or tea that draws me there - 1) I don't drink coffee and 2) I have tons of tea at home. But the reading rooms bore me and I often end up surfing on the net when I should be reading, whereas I've been getting much studying done in the noisy, crowded cafés. It seems so counter-intuitive.
Someone please "intuit" me.
Why do people insist on talking to you when it is clear that you need to study and they know you need to study?!
This has happened to me at least 3 times in the past 2 days, from relatives, friends, and strangers.
Really people. My being buried in books is not an invitation for you to talk to me!
Dear Sir/Madam,
we have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites.
Important:
Please answer our questions!
The list of questions are attached.
Yours faithfully,
Steven Allison
*** Federal Bureau of Investigation -FBI-
*** 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 3220
*** Washington, DC 20535
*** phone: (202) 324-3000
<<Quarantined Attachment Report>>
----------
If you've been getting something like the above, like I have, delete. Don't believe it for a second that you've gotten in trouble with the FBI. The "from" portion of the email even looks like it's from fbi.gov. Or it may come from the CIA, but it doesn't matter. Versions of this email contain a virus.
I googled the phone number - it turns out that it IS the real FBI number. But really, anyone can get that information by going to the FBI website. And really, if I'm under some sort of investigation for visiting "illegal Websites" (notice how the W is capitalized but somehow the "we" that starts the sentence is not?), I'd think the FBI can come after me personally or serve me with some sort of summons instead of emailing me...not to mention telling me to answer the questions and then providing no other details.
They are persistent though. This message has landed in my school email account (of all places) 4 or 5 times in the last month.
Some advertising is bad, but they're not all "bad." Otherwise I would've never have heard anything about Munich.
Munich, the latest project from Steven Spielberg and stars Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush, tells the tale of a Mossad agent who tries to track the Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israeli atheletes in the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Maybe it's the fact that I'm not familiar with the incident at all, and maybe it's the fact that 2 talented actors are in this movie, that I very much want to see it. Although, I also very much hope that this movie will attempt a somewhat fair portrayal of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but I don't know how that will be accomplished given the plot and given who is directing it.
One thing that has been reaffirmed in my film and cultural studies class (philosophomorical psycho-babble aside) is how crucial it is for an audience to critique a film and to have civilized discussions. Films often reflect and affect public opinion; for thinking (or "serious," if you will) films it is especially important to analyze the implications of such a project, particularly in an age where so many people rely on the visual media for their information.
Unfortunately, with finals coming up next week, all cinematic diversions will have to be put on hold, at least until January when I get back to my place again.
Which celebrity do you think you look like? Which celebrity does a computer software think you look like?
I got Meryl Streep both times, with 2 different photos. But I'm not blond and don't have blue eyes. The software likely looks for form rather than color, though your result may vary depending on what accessories you happen to have on your face (i.e. glasses), whether you're smiling, and which celebrity pictures the database contains.
Still, Meryl Streep is a far cry from Lea Salonga or Valerie Bertinelli, both of which I've been told I look like.
Technology is interesting.
