We had our first round of hail today. Oh depressing! At least Michigan weather is acting up again and we have sunshine now.^_^ It was raining this morning and was cold and windy.. Then hail started pouring down as I left my classroom..
Curses!
On cold and windy nights, you long for a bowl of thick, creamy mushroom soup...
Like this! xD This is the homemade mushroom soup we created for Rongsiu's Birthday Dinner over Fall Break.^_^
It's not difficult, it just takes a lot of prep work to chop everything up... X__X
And Basil-Garlic Bread to go along with it! ^_^ [Or was it thyme? I think it was basil. Hmm.]
Ahh.. And last night, Kevin made French Onion Soup with Butter Croutons.. xD もう一度、食べたい! The croutons were deliciously [and dangerously] addictive..
I swear I will post on Toronto and Niagara Falls soon.. If it helps though, I've put up my photos on Facebook. ^_^" Not all of them though. Currently, only the Toronto ones are up.. Oops. But I'm supposed to be studying for my exam so.. I am forgiven. Right? Erm... Right...?
Ahhh I want the Platinum Box!!! ;_;
And I'm looking forward to Halloween this weekend!!! I still don't know what to wear though.=( cheers *[-witchstone-]*
Jiamin: I've always liked Cantonese songs!!! Haha.. And they are really very nice.=D That dirty looking man is an actor in the PV for Jesus.. Apparently. Some people thought it was Gackt at first. Like. WHERE IS THE RESEMBLANCE?! RAWRRRR!
I COUNT THE DAYS TILL THE RELEASE OF GACKT'S NEW SINGLE!!!
Check out that to-die-for gaze!
I have not been so excited for a new song release in a very long time. xD xD xD And just before I saw this, I once again started my cycle of listening to Gackt songs nonstop for hours while I study for my Bio exam tomorrow.
Speaking of my bio exam, I have no idea what is going on with regards to those stupid chemical structures I *think* I'm supposed to know. Thank goodness for Pass/Fail or I'd definitely flunk the class. Right away.
Once I am done with this thing called an exam and the other thing called Nasi Lemak Food Fest Quality Control, I will try my best to post on Toronto and Niagara Falls. =D
But right now, I am beyond excited about Gackt's new single, which promises to be good judging on previous singles and his oh-kill-me-he-looks-good image.xD [I approve of this new hairstyle!] I think releasing this single was good judgment because I was beginning to lose faith in him after he released that ridiculously expensive CD-set of lives [which is actually sold out. Can you believe it?! I need to meet these rich rich rich Gackt fans..]. -_-"
And his new Platinum Box IX? IT IS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X__X!!! Gackt and You in CUTE uniforms and ADORABLE glasses?? TOTALLY DESIRABLE. I think I need it now. WHERE DO I GET IT. xD xD xD
ほしい!!!~ 超かわいい!!!
I think I'm reading up on all this to save my brain from being fried by Bio.-_-" cheers *[-witchstone-]*
Since I have discovered the joy of Cantonese music from Hong Kong thanks to my dear GL, I have heard new horizons of yayness in music!!! ^_^ I believe the name for this particular genre is "Cantopop" or something to that effect.=P
Reading the lyrics in the KTV videos is a major pain however, because I totally cannot read Cantonese from Mandarin. [I feel like Cantonese is very much a spoken and not written language. Even the the "hanyu pinyin" for Cantonese is unreadable unless you already Cantonese..] I can sort of blabber my way through 好心分手 after much practice but Eason's songs are on a totally different level.. X__X
Anyway, I have been rambling. =) Let me just share the music, and let it speak for itself!
盧巧音 - 好心分手
I absolutely adore this song. I listened and watched the KTV version over and over so I've kind of learnt parts of the song in Cantonese.. xD It also has another version, a half-Cantonese, half-Mandarin duet with Wang Lee Hom.=) It's a favourite of ours when it comes to KTV!! We totally mangle the song, but it's brilliant.=D
陳奕迅 - 浮誇
This is the first song I heard by Eason and my gosh, it's such a good song!! [Watch as my vocabulary falls into disarray..] I was quite amazed when I heard this.. Haha.. It's not like he has a deep rich voice like Gackt but, he has a really good voice anyway.=) 5 stars!
陳奕迅 - 富士山下
I discovered this song when I was youtubing Eason's PVs.. Ahh.. It's such a beautiful song! There's a Mandarin version too, which I was singing along to but I love the Cantonese version even more!!! *_*! It's horrendously difficult to sing though.. His lyricists are evil.-_-" And why don't I know Cantonese! *insert deep sigh here*
张柏芝 - 星语心愿
Okay, so technically, this song isn't in Cantonese.. But it's by Cecilia! And she's from Hong Kong! So it totally counts in my book.=D In any case, although I really don't think much of Cecilia's voice, like Chenli said, this is a really nice song.=D This video is kind of depressing though.. The one they have at the KTV places in Singapore is better.=P Haha.. The lyrics and the tune are fantastic though so if you discount her less than amazing voice, it's a great song.^_^ [I really hate the last line though, it doesn't flow at all! RAWR.]
就向流星许个心愿 让你知道我爱你 Tell me. HOW DOES THAT FLOW?!
Like I've always thought, I must thank my friends for introducing great Mandarin and Cantonese songs to me.=D A greater appreciation of my own culture is much needed! Haha.. And a better grasp of the language..-_-"
But anyway, it's amazing how the Cantopop industry can prosper since technically, the market they cater to is rather small. I guess it helps that people who don't know Cantonese [like us!] are appreciative of it too.^_^ Ahh.. Music.. Like I've always thought.. How you can transcend all boundaries!
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : lots and lots of PVs from Taiwan and Hong Kong.=P] [mood : *glares at stats worksheets*] [food : ketchup prawns! ^_^]
Jiamin: HAHA. Domo-kun! *squee!* Yarrr I love Paddington! But I think kids nowadays only know about Pokemon and the like.-_-" Sorry about the background.. It seems rather unpopular.. ;_;
Wendaye: I think so too.xD I was discussing with my friend ways to get the giant one! xD
YX: =( Sorry.. It was a very hasty decision on my part.. I promise something better for my Winter 2009 template!! =D
In following with my latest trend of posting on the blog before facebook [gasp!], here I shall share my Saturday with you. ;)
Lunch at Cherry Blossom! =) I was rewarded with a perfectly grilled saba shioyaki. Yummm. ^_^ I haven't eaten yummy, fresh fish in a long time...
Then we went grocery shopping!!!
After doing our thing in Meijer, we dropped by Target.. Land of all things affordable and everything! xD
Domo-kun has taken over the candy section!!! Swimming through candy corn must be hard work...
Domo-kun also has control over airspace... Horrors!
Giant Domo-kuns everywhere!!! =P There was even a Domo-kun pinata.. Haha..
And of course, a visit to Target is never complete unless you buy something totally useless but totally worth it..
A GIANT THREE-POUND BAG OF HARIBO GUMMIBEARS!!!!!!!!! xD xD xD Kyaa!~ My love!
Mountains and mountains of gummibears is study happiness!!! =D =D =D
Okay. Back to statistics.. xP And I've been watching the new [ok not really..] NHK 大河ドラマ called 篤姫!!! =D =D =D [The Taiga Dorama called Atsuhime.] It's SUPER fantastic. I realized that I have a thing for 大河ドラマ... Am I turning into an auntie?! Or is this just showing my appreciation for history and culture?! x__X
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : Music from 篤姫 + 蕾 コブクロ] [mood : -_-] [food : my dinner of 姜葱虾米粉 on a bed of sauteed 小白菜!!!]
ZL: Yes please do! =D Then we can practice together! ^_^
I cheated. I know. I should be deeply and sorrowfully ashamed of myself. But I really don't have the time right now to create something that I would be satisfied with so I'm using an old image that I created a long time ago.
Without further ado, here I present the Fall 2008 template!!! I had been researching on themes in Japanese and Chinese culture on autumn but unfortunately, I don't have the time to create something nice..=( O well! Look forward to winter's template. ;) I'll try to make that one nicer.. Especially since winter lasts for such a long time!! [It makes making a nice template more worth the trouble because it remains there for longer..]
Brushes: Deviant Art Font: Randomly found online Template: Summer 2008
It's back to simplicity for me isn't it? ^_^
I went to Target and it was covered in Domo-kun advertising for their Halloween campaign!! Should I find the time, I'll post the photos here for sure.^_^ KAWAII!
では、 cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : Say it Right Nelly Furtado] [mood : grouchy] [food : Haribo Gummibears!]
Direct Translation: In class today, we had to do a mini presentation! We had to present using a graph.. I went online to search, and found this graph! ^_^
Jaa, this is what I said:
Using this graph, I think I would like to present on the places where electronic money is commonly used. This graph is from Oricon Japan and was made in 2007, it shows the results of a study on the places where electronic money is commonly used. From this graph, you will be able to see the place where electronic money is used the most. Firstly, 55.7% use electronic money at convenience stores, next 40.5% at train station stores and since there are many places you can use electronic money at, you can also see that other places like the book store or at fast food chains on the graph. These results tell us that in Japan, electronic money is frequently used by busy people or by people who don't have cash on them. I think that inventing electronic money is a great idea for busy people since it's convenient and fast. If there were such a thing in other countries, I'm sure it would be popular too!
^_^" I know. It sounds so.. not-smart. Haha..X__X But considering my currently horrendous level of Japanese, I think it's ok..=P Japanese is getting increasingly difficult as the chapters go by... And what's more, there's a 1000-1500 word Japanese essay due on MONDAY! Weeps.=( I am so going to die!!!
My classmates also had super interesting presentations.. HAHA. There was one guy who presented on the statistics of whether men in their 30s-50s urinate while sitting down or standing up. HAHAHA. The whole class was totally tickled by that one.. =P And another guy did a presentation on the link between Global Warming and the number of Pirates. Like, WHATT. Haha. My sensei was totally confused.=P
Although I must say I think I managed to develop a deeper friendship bond with my classmates [and sensei! =D] from RC Japanese, my current classmates [and sensei!] are a very interesting and entertaining bunch.^_^ Everyone's really nice too. Somehow, it seems like everyone who takes a language is really nice and enthusiastic about stuff.^_^ I like that! Haha..
Tonight, I'm going to make SOUP! =D And Chicken in Black Bean Sauce.^_^ I just bought a jar from Lee Kum Kee, so I want to try it..=D Hehe.. I really need to email my mom to ask her how to use it [properly. And with variety.]...X__X
I think I need to go hunt for more Cantonese dishes so I can be like, YAY I CAN COOK THIS! Haha..=P *being retarded*
明日、「桜」というレストランに行くつもり!うれしい!~日本料理が食べたい!!! We're going to Cherry Blossom for lunch tomorrow. Yay!~ [if my plans don't fall through..] I've been dying to eat Japanese food for a while..-_-" [And Korean food. But it's still too warm to eat Kalbi-tang..]
Thanks to an assignment from Japanese class getting us to look for graphs about something in Japan, I chanced upon my favourite rubbishy Japanese site, I found this totally hilarious poll!
日本のファーストフードの『復活してほしいメニュー』!~ What do you want to revive in the menu of fast food restaurants in Japan?!
Totally random right?!
Anyway, the article goes on about how fast food restaurants introduce new products every season but surely, there is one that you'd like to eat again! [Speaking of seasonal products, Starbucks just launched 3 flavours in their Signature Hot Chocolate collection!! xD やった! I am so going to try them when the weather gets colder..]
HAHA. Super funny!! But I'm sure some people can't read it, so let me explain.. 1st place: チキンタツタ/マクドナルド Chicken Tatsuta (it's a chicken sandwich flavoured with soy and ginger!) from McDonald's! 2nd place: マックチキン/マクドナルド McChicken from McDonald's! 3rd place: ベーコンポテトパイ/マクドナルド Bacon Potato Pie from McDonald's! 4th place: オニオンリング/ケンタッキーフライドチキン Onion Rings from Kentucky Fried Chicken! 5th place: かるびマック/マクドナルド Karubi Mac (presumably it's a burger with Korean style beef) from McDonalds's!
Looks like McDonald's is extremely popular in Japan!!! ^_^ The funniest name is KFC though.. kentakkifuraidochikin! xD xD xD HAHAHA. *dies*
This is the burger ranking. ;) Hilarious!!!
Sorry, but I still can't think of how this is not totally pointlessly random. =P But still, it's great entertainment news.. Haha.. Time to return to my search for a pie chart!!! xP It appears that they don't have any?! SIGH. I don't want to get a boring ol' news one!
By the way, I'm thinking of entering the Scharffen Berger chocolate contest!! There's no hope of winning of course, but I think it'll be fun!! =D
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : Continued Story Kuroishi Hitomi] [mood : =P] [food : Homemade Cottage Pie!]
ZL: I love Osen!!! Haha.. And that white-haired piece of perfection, for your information, is SO mine but we can share. ;) He's from the new Final Fantasy XIII!!! Haha. Most clips of XIII are of this totally hot girl but the extended versions have this gorgeous guy. ;)
Jiamin: Final Fantasy XIII!!! PLEASE INVEST IN A PS3 NOW THANKS.=D =D =D
Wendaye: I think he transferred out of here. Or something. That's what I heard. Haha..
YX: I can't believe ebay works for you!! Haha.. But that's GREAT!! =D =D =D
My Emotible!
starry-eyed: filled with such youthful hope and optimism that one's eyes twinkle even when it's dark
Wish List
ie: motivation to save money!
- clothes
- shoes [heels! boots!]
- the perfect tote
- coats/outerwear! [Soïa & Kyo, Burberry...]
- Gackt - nine*nine
- Gackt Photobooks:
1 The Gift The Sixth Day & Seventh Night Tour Document (2004)
2 Crescent Photobook (out of print)
- Cookbooks!
1 Thomas Keller The French Laundry Cookbook
2 The Nobu Cookbook
3 Emily Luchetti A Passion for Desserts
4 Alice Medrich Pure Dessert
- Anime/Manga
1 Rurouni Kenshin
2 xxxHOLiC
3 Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-
- Proficiency at Japanese!
- Learn French for Food!