colours

Here's a meme I nicked from Sonnjea B. Feel free to add your own answers in the comments or nick it yourself.


Red.
1. Closest red thing to you? A Valentine's Day chocolates tin my roommate gave me. (No, I didn't get to eat the candy.)
2. Last thing to make you angry? Myself...for not studying when I had plenty of time.
3. Do you have a temper? At times...
4. Are you a fan of romance? Yep

Orange.
1. Closest orange thing to you? A package of Hall's cough drops.
2. Do you like to burn things? It makes it worth getting up for a 7:30 botany lab when we get to ignite spores...
3. Dress up for Halloween? Not usually.
4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person? I'd like to think so...but maybe I'm wrong.
5. Do you have anything against redheaded people? I think it would be silly to pass judgement based on hair colour...
6. Are you usually full of energy? Some times more than others. Generally I'm pretty laid back. Give me cappuccino, though, and I'm liable to do just about anything

Yellow.
1. Closest yellow thing to you? My string of bamboo lantern lights.
2. The happiest time[s] of your life? Right now.
3. Favorite holiday? Orthodox Pascha (Easter.)
4. Are you a coward? Depends on the situation.
5. Do you burn or tan? Burn, big time. (Shouldn't this go under red?)

Green.
1. Closest green thing to you? A pair of flip-flops
2. Do you care about the enviroment? Yes I do
3. Are you jealous of anyone right now? Yep - my friends who know what they want to do with their lives, major-wise
4. Are you a lucky person? Not lucky, blessed
5. Do you always want what you can’t have? I usually want something I don't have. That doesn't mean I can't have it, though...
6. Do you like being outdoors? Absoloutely
7. Are you Irish? No, but just the other day I told my roommate I wished I was...she thought that was hilarious for some reason.

Blue.
1. Closest blue thing to you? A tie-dyed sarong hanging on my wall
2. Are you good at calming people down? I can be
3. Do you like the sea? Yes. Someday I want to ride a ship out to sea and see what it feels like to have no land in sight.
4. What was the last thing that made you cry? I almost cried while watching Stranger Than Fiction tonight. Pathetic, I know. It made me laugh out loud more than feel like crying, though.
5. Are you a logical thinker? Sometimes overly so.
6. Can you sleep easily? No

Purple.
1. Closest purple thing to you? My undergraduate course catalog.
2. Like being treated to expensive things? Nope...time spent is better than money.
3. Do you like mysterious things? Intrigue is the spice of life.
4. Favorite type of chocolate? I have yet to meet a chocolate I don't like.
5. Ever met anyone in royalty? Does homecoming royalty count?
6. Are you creative? I suppose

Pink.
1. Closest pink thing to you? A pair of Asian-inspired casual flats
2. Do you like sweet things? Too much for my own good
3. Like play-fighting? As in...mock sword duels? If so, then yes
4. Are you sensitive? I can be
5. Do you like music? No - I LOVE it

White.
1. Closest white thing to you? Printer paper
2. Would you say you’re innocent? Until proven guilty
3. Are you good at keeping the peace? Most of the time
4. How do you imagine your wedding? I don't
5. Do you like to play in the snow? Yep
6. Are you afraid of going to the doctors or dentist? Yes...the dentist's office creeps me out

Black.
1. Closest black thing to you? My computer
2. Ever enjoy hurting people? No. I'm actually disturbed that this is even on here...
3. Are you sophisticated or silly? A little of both
4. Would you like to go to space? I like my home planet...but it might be cool to see it from the air
5. Do you have a lot of secrets? Nah
6. What is your favourite colour? Don't have one
7. Does the colour you wear affect your mood? No. But my current mood might affect what I choose to wear

isn't it gorgeous?

(Pics from tashian.com, chocolate-fish.net and wgu.hu/art.)

My art history class is studying 15th century Italian art. While I think Michelangelo's sculptures and Duccio's paintings are moderately interesting, what really blows me away is the architecture. Just look at the facade of the Duomo in Florence, Italy (bottom picture.) How does someone even dream up an idea like that, let alone mathematically calculate it, and actually build it?

I've become increasingly interested in architecture since the beginning of the year. I have a friend who is (quite passionately) pursuing an architecture degree, and based on his stories of endless hours in studio and excruciating attention to detail in model-building, I know I could never make a career that way. Which oddly enough, seems to make it even more interesting. For now, I'm just content to see what structures other people dream up.

* This happens to be my 100th post. Wow, 100 random musings. Thanks for reading along!

our lovely language

As hilarious as this translation is (photo snatched from an article in the Wall Street Journal), I don't really blame Chinese speakers for not being able to figure out the complexities of the English language. My linguistic anthropology class is teaching me just how complicated it really is.

However, the Chinese are cracking down on such English translations for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This BBC article tells about the undertaking, and adds additional mistranslations spotted by visitors to China. Among them:

- "Please do not climb rocketry," in order to keep tourists from climbing rocks.

- "The oil explodes the shrimp." Mmm...chef's surprise?

- "This tastiness cannot be carried, even with both hands." (on a chocolate snack cake package) I want to try those...
- "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass" (from the Wall Street Journal article)

arghhh

When one door closes, another one opens. Or in this case, the reverse. I finally got my computer re-formatted after a killer virus gutted the hard drive. ("It's just a pinched Ethernet cord," the repairman told me when he came up to my room. The internet was down again five minutes later.) The only original stuff I have left are the documents and pictures I saved on a flash drive. And now, although I can blog and surf the net again, I have no sound driver. Alas, I can only stare at my YouTube 'Favorites' list and hum the sound of Coldplay's 'Yellow' or 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M. But it's just not the same.

The one good thing about computer repair on campus is that it's free. But that doesn't make the quality quite top-notch. "You can bring your tower down to us and we'll look at it," I've heard three times in a row now. But do I really want to lug my entire modem two blocks through icy patches and slush, down slippery sand-covered stairs of doom for the fourth time this week? Not so much. Maybe when the sun comes out...

sushi night

We had a sushi-making night at the home of one of my Yosakoi friends the other night. It was really cool to see how sushi was actually made, and try it for myself. Plus we got to eat some other amazing Japanese food as well.

There were lots of colourful chopsticks to choose from. There were also forks available, but one of the girls who was there said "It tastes better with chopsticks." I think she's right.

The first step was to cool down some cooked white rice and combine it with a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar. I learned how to stir the rice with a "slicing" motion so it gets sticky, but doesen't form big lumps.

Next, we put down a seaweed sheet on a little bamboo mat, and covered about half of it with rice.

After the rice comes the sushi filling. This one has sliced carrots and cucumbers. We also made some with cooked salmon.

These are the seaweed sheets we used to wrap the rice mixture.

We curled up the rice and seaweed inside the bamboo mat. Once it was made into a roll, we took it out and sliced it up.

This is another kind of sushi we tried - it has egg and cream cheese in the middle. I was a little apprehensive about the combination, but it was actually good. The cream cheese made it sweet.

We ate our sushi with a variety of other Japanese foods. In the bowls is miso soup - cubes of soft tofu in fish-flavoured broth. There was also salad and gyoza, little meat dumplings. And for the very brave there were pickled plums - probably the most sour thing I've ever tasted. We also had brown rice green tea (in the blue cups), and banana bread for dessert. Definitely a meal I wouldn't mind repeating...

you don't know what you've got...

They say you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

Recently on campus, a bicycle turned up lodged in the branches of a very tall tree. It was definitely a conversation piece for everyone walking along the sidewalk between classes. I don't know how many people I saw stepping off the path to take a picture of it on their phones. It was a random object that made us realise that sometimes the important question is not "why?" but "how?" (It was a pretty tall tree - I really want to know how they did get it up there.) I kept wanting to take a picture of it, but always forgot my camera. Then, after almost a week, it was gone. It was up in the tree when I walked into class, and when I came back, it wasn't.

Weird to say, but I kind of wish it was back there. I'm just waiting for it to turn up in another tree somewhere else...

normal people make me laugh...

Sometimes people just have habits that amuse me to no end. The things they say and do, which might be totally normal to them, make me want to burst out laughing. (What is "normal", anyway? If you meet one sometime, let me know.) Some examples:

- A boy in my Composition class last semester, who was extremely logical and rational about everything. He got good grades, always had assignments in on time, and always had argument to back up whatever he said in class. On the day our paper was due he walked into class halfway through the period, red from running from the library burst out with: "I am on Step 12 of my stress relief strategy!"

- A girl who gave my roommate and I a Mary Kay facial yesterday. She sounded so rehearsed, just like a Mary Kay commercial. While she was going on about the products we tried, I was trying to stifle my laughter, and thinking of the scene in Napoleon Dynamite where they try to sell Tupperware, and throw in the model boat for free. "I want that boat..."

- My roommate in general, who has a fetish for tearing down outdated posters around campus, and running out of her way to step on crunchy patches of snow around the sidewalk.

- My botany teacher, who keeps saying the most interesting things, like "You can draw meiosis vertically or horizontally, but I'm going to do it like this, because it's my drawing. So there."

music meme

It's February, so that means I can do another meme, right? I've been discovering some intriguing bands, so I thought one to do with music was appropriate. Here goes.

Music that changed my life
Deep End by the Newsboys - it pretty much exactly reflects my trip to Boston two summers ago.
Byzantine chant - visit an Orthodox church sometime and you'll understand.

Music I can listen to on repeat
Dil Nai Lagada - great Bhangra dance
Snow Patrol
Eisley

An album I'd take to a deserted island
Something by Oasis - and not just because of the name. Probably the second disc on their Stop the Clocks collection. Good stuff, that.

Music that makes me smile
The Numa Numa song by O-Zone. Fortunately it's in Romanian; the actual lyrics are quite sad. good thing the tune is so catchy.
Million Ways to be Cruel by OK Go - just watch the music video.
Fivetweezy by Axel F
Celebrity by Brad Paisley - one of the few country songs

Music that makes me cry
Run by Snow Patrol - so sad, even though it's a little hopeful

Music I wish had been made
Not sure exactly what this means...music I had made? That probably wouldn't be so amazing. But the world could always use another Beatles album...

Music I wish hadn't been made
I can do without most screaming rock and country. But there is a time for everything.

Music I'm currently into
Kings of Convenience
Oasis
Eisley
Bhangra, or anything Indian
Snow Patrol
Jack Johnson
The Beatles
The Hush Sound
World Salsa
Caesar's Palace
OK Go

Music I've been meaning to explore
The Cranberries
Bob Marley
Carly Simon
The Decemberists
Shhh ( a local band)
R.E.M.

And there you have it.

busy busy

I guess the one good thing about not having any posts lately is that I've actually been getting some stuff accomplished here. Since the last post I have successfully:

- conducted my first interview for News & Feature Writing class
- tested my spit for enzymes in Botany
- begun applying for my passport
- recovered from the trauma of realizing how much it's actually going to cost to go to Japan
- survived my first meeting as President of our school's Orthodox Christian Fellowship
- restrained myself from beating my dormroom computer after two weeks of next-to-nonexistent internet connection
- started learning a new Yosakoi dance that's harder than all the other ones I've learned combined

Yeah, it's definitely different than last semester.

1987

In 1987 (the year you were born)

Ronald Reagan is president of the US Wall Street crashes sending the Dow Jones Industrial average down 22.6% President Reagan and Soviet Leader Gorbachev sign an unprecedented missile reduction agreement Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns amid accusations of sexual infidelity and financial impropriety Wall Street financier Ivan Boesky is sentenced to three years in prison in an insider trading scandal Gary Hart withdraws from the 1988 presidential campaign under accusations of infidelity The Food and Drug Administration approves anti-AIDS drug AZT Prozac makes its debut in the US Bow Wow, Joss Stone, and Hilary Duff are born Minnesota Twins win the World Series New York Giants win Superbowl XXI Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup Three Men and a Baby is the top grossing film "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles spends the most time at the top of the US charts Full House, Married with Children, and Star Trek: The Next Generation premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Interesting. Anti-AIDS drugs? Not too bad. Giants winning the Super Bowl? At least it wasn't the Patriots. Wall Street crashing? Thank goodness for Prozac.

japan

I never thought I'd get to say this, but it's finally starting to sink in: if all goes well, at this time in about five months I'll be getting ready to leave for Japan!

That little red dot on the map is Sapporo, the capital of the island of Hokkaido. It's there that hundreds of Yosakoi groups meet to perform and compete in an annual dance festival. This year, my Yosakoi club is planning to be one of those groups. And what's even better is that we'll be able to perform our own original dance. This is a very special privilege, because normally each Yosakoi song has a traditional dance to accompany it that might vary slightly from place to place, but not by much.

Of course there are a lot of preparations to do before then. I've started applying for a passport. I've purchased a Japanese phrasebook from Lonely Planet. I'm honing my eating-with-chopsticks skills. But most of all I'm just looking forward to getting to see a country I've never been to before. Five months is a long time to wait.

mark your calendars

It's getting to be that time of year: florists are having sales on their dozen-rose bouquets. Stores are putting out those chalky candy hearts with cheesy sayings on them. There are decorations everywhere involving hearts and little cherubs with bows and arrows. No silly, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day. To think that all that commercialism and depressed/nervous/apathetic apprehension culminates with just a single day? Pish tosh. No, I'm talking about Singles Awareness Week. SAW, if you will.

Now, I don't have anything against those of you who actually have someone to spend a romantic evening with on the approaching holiday. (Of course I'm not bitter. Why would I ever be bitter?) In actuality, I've never spent a Valentine's Day with a significant other, so I can't justly comment positively or negatively on the virtue of using the day to declare your affection for someone special. It just seems somehow strange that there be one specific day set aside for this purpose...what about the other 364 days of the year? Aren't those just as acceptable for telling someone you love them, or buying them a present? I can't help but feel a little bad for the thousands of young men in America shaking in their boots as we speak, trying to come up with a Valentine's Day date that will be especially "magical" or "romantic."

It just seems to me that in America at least, Valentine's Day has become just as much about the sterotypical depressed single who becomes painfully aware that they lack a significant other at this time of year. But what about those of us who are (maybe blissfully) single? There's nothing wrong with waiting for the right person to come along; maybe you've decided that dating isn't the right thing to be doing at this point. It seems that this holiday advocates those who are in relationships and assumes that those of us who aren't must be feeling dejected and miserable (an article on depression.com listed 'related topics' to Valentine's Day depression including 'Disability Rights', 'Grief and Loss' and 'Suicide and Self-Injury'.)

So, if you're a single, the upcoming Singles Awareness Week could be a time to wallow in said depression, or it could be a chance to realise how many options there are besides going on a date. I think a group of people from my dorm are going to go ice skating or bowling - something like that. I'm not saying I don't think it would be great to spend Valentine's Day with someone I could look forward to spending the rest of my life with. I am saying there are a lot of other fun things going on out there for those of us who have decided it's not the right time to find a partner. For some of us, it still might be a little disheartening to know we don't have someone who wants to spend the day just with us. And for those, there is the slightest bit of comfort...at least chocolate is on sale.

photos of the day 1.20.07

reconfigured

Apologies to those who might have been confused while visiting the blog earlier on tonight. I tried to post 'here it goes again' with the OK GO video last night. When YouTube popped up with the message 'the video will appear shortly on your blog', I didn't think it would take 24 hours, hence the three copies of the same post. I've also added some links to my sidebar...check 'em out, if you want. There's some good sites to while away a boring afternoon, if nothing else.

here it goes again

It's starting to feel like the beginning of the school year all over again. Only this time the syllabi are coming faster, the classes are more intense, the teachers tougher than last semester. I guess as time goes on it can only be expected. That doesn't make it any more fun to hike across campus to look at chloroplasts under a microscope before the sun has come up, or keep my skin from crawling in a small journalism class, hoping I'll know the answer to the pointed questions our instructor fires at individuals without warning. It's going to be an interesting semester.

In Sociology, things are going pretty smoothly. It's just the same old lecture, notes, exams format. My teacher is pretty good. I don't agree with her all the time (No, not everyone in America was brought up to believe that individualism is best. Yes, I would love to boycott Wal-Mart, but what happens to the sweatshop workers who provide their products when the mere cents per hour they earn are taken away?) All in all, no surprises thus far.

Botany is, well, botany: cells still contain a nucleus and DNA; plants still produce sugar using energy from the sun. Nothing has changed there since freshman year of high school. What has changed is the pace at which we're learning these things. And lab is so...early. But one perk is that our professor teaches the early lab: "You don't get students that are going to fool around in the 7:30 section; that's why I teach it," she told us. She's 65 years old and this is the last section she'll be teaching at this university. She is very strict, but carries on lecture like she's talking about one of her favourite hobbies, and will occasionally throw in an amusing expression (grana in chloroplasts are "stacks of green pancakes"; if you mess up a slide under the microscope, it's "gone gollywobbles.") "She's just like my grandma," some boy behind me is fond of saying.

The most intimidating class is News and Feature Writing. Not only is the professor the most no-nonsense teacher I've ever had, but this is exactly what I'm majoring in, so I feel like I have to do a lot to measure up. And her standards are high. Up until now, I've done some creative writing, and more informal yearbook features. I have not done any AP-style stories. I have not read the newspaper religiously. I do not have a picture of Walter Cronkite on my desk. I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do, even though I am one of two freshmen in the class. Some of the other students are already reporters for the paper or do broadcasting for the sports station in town. One even did publicity for our nearest NFL team. Either I'm going to discover the journalism is not for me, or I will adapt to the situation and do what it takes to get good sources, and a good story. I'm shooting for the latter.

As for the video, I thought it seemed appropriate because of the title. And it has guys dancing on treadmills. Just watch it already.

photos of the day 1.19.07

because everyone else is doing it

Have you ever tracked a meme? I did. I got this one from The Thinker who got it from Terra who got it from Gem who grabbed it from Linda who nicked it from Skittles...you get the idea. Here are my answers to The Silly Question meme.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Why did I go to sleep without drying my hair?
2. How much cash do you have on you? I don't have pockets, if that answers your question.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Adore.
4. Do you label yourself? Oh yes. And it changes every day.
5. Bright or Dark Room? Bright. I need the sun. Plus, the monsters can't hide in the room when it's bright.
6. Why is there always a missing question? Because if we knew the question, then the answers (which we already have, of course) would make sense. We would know everything, and then the universe would unravel.
7. What does your watch look like? Nonexistent
8. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping. I'm exciting like that.
9. Where is your nearest 7-11? No idea.
10. What’s a word that you say a lot? 'Sweet'. Or 'Oh, good.' Basically little words that make it sound like I know what's going on in every conversation I have.
12. Last furry thing you touched? A scarf that one of the ladies at my work made me for Christmas.
13. How many rolls of film do you need developed? Nada. I have digital.
14. Favorite age you have been so far? Nineteen. It gets better every day.
15. Your worst enemy? Myself.
16. What is your current desktop picture? My entire Yosakoi group having a mock fight at our Christmas party. I crack up every time I see it.
17. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Sounds good," in response to my roommate who wants to have lunch tomorrow.
18. The last song you listened to? Show Me the Money by Petey Pablo
19. What time of day were you born? 2:15 in the afternoon.
20. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? I can't remember the last time I used a vending machine. I would probably pound on the machine before walking away depressed.
21. Do you consider yourself kind? Most usually
22. What’s your life motto? "Preach the Gospel always and, when necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
23. Name three things you have on you at all times. University ID. Keys. Ummm...clothes?
24. Can you change the oil on a car? I've witnessed the act several times. Does that count?
25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I wrote a letter to my pen pal right before Christmas.

if it fits...

Sometimes you find that a situation just fits. So far, that's what I'm feeling with this semester - I love my roommates (not that I didn't last semester, but sometimes switching it up can be for the better), I'm less shaky about my major, and I have a good church, a job, and I can relax and make the most of things. The last few days have been some of the most fun since I've been at school. My roommates made me a collage (above). I've learned how to play Guitar Hero (getting better) and Dance Dance Revolution (I'm hopeless). I spent the afternoon thrift-store shopping and went for coffee to a cozy little bistro where I had a great time eating lemon bars and laughing hysterically with eight girls on my floor while it snowed outside. Today I went sledding with a group of people from my hall at a hill near our parking lot. It was a blast, but painful. I disovered that I am not the best at steering (it is not the best to discover this at high speed, careening toward a light post.) I tried to bail. Didn't make it. Got a nasty jolt...but ended up laughing anyway. I realise that at some point (soon) it's not going to be all fun and games, and I'm going to have to buckle down and focus on things like sociology papers and less-than-enjoyable botany labs. But it just seems like a good foot to start the semester off on.

getting colder as we speak

It's late January and we're finally getting the first really nasty winter weather of the season. It started with frigid temperatures, then freezing rain, then super-icy sidewalks, and then ice pellets. Now it's finally snowing in slightly fluffy flakes that wouldn't actually make a mark on your skin if you walked outside right now. After some serious thought, I've come to the conclusion that it should be illegal to be this cold. Not that making a law against it would change the temperature any; it would simply give me some consolation to know that it was actually a crime to be so terribly bone-chilling.

Classes are off to a start, and only one has me shaking in my boots thus far. Sociology doesn't look too bad. According to my teacher, we're going to be discussing things like politics, religion and money in addition to sociological topics; things "you probably haven't discussed in any college class so far." Apparently she has never discovered what we talk about in cultural anthropology. Sociology seems similar to my anthro class, except slightly more biased and definitely more scientific. Botany, the bane of my semester schedule thus far looks to be the most intimidating class. Nothing a lot of studying won't cure; it's just that I'm not fond of labs of any kind. At least we get to walk around and pick up leaves and pine cones. Linguistic Anthropology looks like it's going to be one of my favourites. Among other things, we'll get to create our own language and do projects with a conversation partner from another country.

Sounds like it will be really fun. That is, if I don't freeze first...

christmas stuff

Yay! I finally have internet in my room. A "squirrely" connection at times (according to my roommate), but it's better than nothing. As promised, here are the pictures of what I got for Christmas. I'll admit, I mostly just happy to be able to publish pictures again. Anyway, here's what I got: A stocking from one of my friends who go to school in Chicago. It's a very sunny yellow colour, and matches my walls at home exactly.
These bamboo lanter lights weren't technially a gift, but I bought them with Christmas money so they count. Now they're hanging up under my lofted bed right here by the computer. Only problem is, there's no extension cord to allow them to reach the outlet. Good thing they look pretty.

Chinese soup spoons. Very colourful. Very useful. Very coordinated with pepper-and-corn ramen.
A "bonsai tree". I use quotes because it is the Wal-Mart brand, and I don't think it's actually a tree. Not like the really cool "real" bonsai trees. But this is one gift I can criticise - I picked it out myself. Nonetheless, it's still a really cool looking plant, and it's sitting on my bureau at the moment.
Wooden chopsticks! They're supposed to be disposable, but they're so pretty I don't want to use them once and throw them away. Maybe I'll make an art project out of them?
Icon Christmas tree ornaments. Except they didn't get put away with the Christmas decorations, so they're now decorating my dorm room. Very cheery.
Boots! My mom got me these...they're very soft, very comfortable and very warm.

Baby beginner's chopsticks. (Does something about me scream Asian eating utensils magnet?) These are from my Yosakoi white elephant Christmas party. Maybe studying them has done me some good...lately, my chopsticks skills have gone from laughable to passable.

All in all, very thoughtful and useful gifts. I'm lucky to have such generous friends.