Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sixth Sense is Out, Cop a Copy Now!

Thank God for time zone differences. It's Friday in South Korea, do YOU know where YOUR copy of Brown Eyed Girls' new album is?

I'll come back with another post in a little bit after I've had some time to digest the new tracks and mull over them a bit. For now, Brown Eyed Girls - Sixth Sense


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Only Half an Hour at the Gym...

I guess I should expect some warm-up time, coming back to the workout regimen. Hopefully I can ditch a dozen or more pounds by the birthday. Find a nice, steady 9-5 and lose weight, all that I should be concerned with right now.

Quit the job at Books-A-Million. Between the migraines, other people needing the car, and the sheer volume of hours I was trying to do, it was all getting to be a bit too much. While the reduction in revenue will be felt, at my current rate I can still pay rent, gas, the usual expenses, and start to pay my roomie back, so at least there's that.

While it's not a paid internship, the National Archives are taking volunteers to help. Hopefully, if I don't get a normal job offer soon, I can just get my foot in the door that way. Get on the site experience, flesh out the resume, meet people, that sort of thing.

Brown Eyed Girls new album is finally... ALMOST here. Hot Shot was released as a single a few days ago, and while it's not... QUITE what I wanted to hear, it's good to know that the group is still experimenting with their sound and are not content to try for an Abracadabra clone. I'll also admit, after a couple replays, the song's starting to grow on me. Probably not going on any playlists though.

Gah, my crushes on Miryo and Ga-in only grow by leaps and nerdy bounds! Miryo's so cute with the short short cut, and Ga-in is just as precious as always. ^_^

Here's the teaser for the Brown Eyed Girls - Hot Shot video. It's not the full audio, but that's easy enough to find.


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Girl With the Really Cool Back Tattoo

Just saw The Girl Who Played With Fire, and I'm really looking forward to catching the last movie of the trilogy. Shopping around for a new clump of movies to watch, wondering what Korean films I haven't seen yet that I should look up. As interesting as movies about serial killers and revenge are, I think that whole theme is getting a bit old for my tastes. Maybe a Korean romcom next!

Somewhat put off by the Books-A-Million policy on discount card selling. Just had to sign a coaching form, where I had to acknowledge that I was not meeting quota and that I had to push the cards harder, yaddi yadda. I'm thinking that if they threaten to fire me, I'm just going to bounce and find work elsewhere. Minimum wage isn't worth that sort of hassling.

Ugh, I can't believe it's only Thursday morning... I really want it to be Borgata weekend so I can play some funny slots and maybe win some money. The scheduling manager hasn't been in during my shifts at the bookstore, so I haven't been able to talk to her about time off. I'm hoping that she won't make a big fuss out of me requesting that one Saturday off, especially since I've already taken this Saturday off. I'm PRETTY sure she'll be mad, but won't deny me the time off. If she does, I'm not sure what I would do. It's nice having a steady job for money, but the money's not that good, and the annoying tendencies of the higher-ups to make shit roll downhill is getting on my nerves. Maybe this will be my excuse to just leave this retail experiment and just get into crunch mode for Java. Almost five years of retail is a bit too much for my tastes.

The idea of quitting WoW is actually somewhat appealing, now that I've had some time to cool down and think about it. No more game commitments, no more monthly bill, no more feeling bad for fucking up in a game, no more nightly trolling. It's gonna be kinda sad, not talking to some of the players on a regular basis, but I'm sure I can find some way to keep in touch.

Anywho, here's Jennifer Chung - One Day. Her first full length album is out now, so be sure to give it a peruse! Remember to support these up and coming artists!



Wednesday, September 14, 2011

First Day Off, Thinking About...

First day off in a while. Not quite sure what I should do with my time. Probably start working more on the Java studies. I've been slacking severely on it, with the excuse of work and being tired helping me put off the whole endeavor. I really shouldn't. When I wake up then!


I enjoy talking about Vietnamese history. It's interesting to me to know more about the motherland, and understand how things came to be. I like learning about Ho Chi Minh, and how he and the United States government interacted with one another over the decades. Personally, while I don't particularly agree with what he did, I can understand why Ho did what he did, and I do rag on the US a bit for the missteps.

That doesn't mean I enjoy communists and communism. There's a very big reason why my family immigrated to the United States after the fall of Saigon. We didn't come over because we liked the weather any better. We didn't come over because we heard that disco was pretty swell. We fled. Family members died during the war, communist reeducation camps were sprouting up, and my family had ties to the wrong side come 1975. A lot of families had to flee in the wake of American withdrawal and communist takeover. A lot of families, mine included, had to take to boats that weren't sea-worthy, and brave dangerous, shark-infested waters. They had to deal with pirates, and while my family was fortunate enough to only lose some money, many others suffered much worse fates. They were made to stay in refugee camps in neighboring countries, before finally being shipped to America. It's a fairly common story for a large portion of the Vietnamese population that came over during the 70's.

So, I'm going to get mad if there's any insinuation at all that there's red in my wool, my family's wool, or anywhere close to the bloodline. Frankly, even just asking whether or not I had any red family members is MORE than enough to set me off. I don't care if it was an honest to God question with only the best of intentions behind it. Know your damn history, and just don't ASK those questions. It's basic. Vietnam War ends. Communists win. All of a sudden, there's a flood of Viets in America. Hurr.

But even if you decide to ask me that question, if you hear me get mad, REALLY mad, drop the fucking subject. I don't care if you apologize, I don't care if you don't, it doesn't fucking matter. I'm just mad, it'll be okay. But when I say to you "You DON'T ask a person from a communist country if they have communist family members", I'm NOT asking you to try and undermine my statement by turning to a Chinese friend and asking them if they're communist. Their humorous response makes you feel all the more confident that you're in the clear and that it's perfectly awesome and fun to ask me if my family, MY family who lost people, who went through all this shit because of communism, that it's perfectly fine to ask me that STUPID question.

WHY. You KNOW me well enough, or at least I HONESTLY HOPE YOU DO, to know when I'm mad. WHY DO YOU PUSH THE ISSUE. BECAUSE YOU FEEL BUTT-HURT THAT I'M YELLING AT YOU? BECAUSE YOU THINK I'M BEING UNREASONABLE? YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE A FRIEND SAYS IT'S OKAY TO ASK THAT QUESTION THAT IT'S OKAY TO ASK ME? KNOW YOUR FUCKING AUDIENCE.

You don't know my family background. That's fair. You were curious. Fine. Is it unreasonable that I get mad? Yes, because I should just be able to explain my dislike of the conversation in a calm and considerate tone. But why do you insist on pushing the issue, knowing how mad I am? Why do you ALWAYS insist on trolling?

Saturday, September 10, 2011

I'm So Tired

And they're playing loud music upstairs and throwing dice into a shallow wooden tray. It's very, very loud.

No music. I'm too out of it. Make the loud noises go away... ><

Okay, I lied. Yoko Kanno (composer),  Emily Bindiger (singer) - Adieu . Absolutely adore Miss Kanno's works, and I loved Cowboy Bebop so, so much.


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Goddammit Anno...

So the third movie in the Neon Genesis Evangelion remake tetralogy is now slated for a Fall 2012 release, which is really, really ball busting. I was really expecting the next Rebuild to be out this fall or winter, not... not a whole year more into the future. =/ Considering the first one came out in 2007, and the second in 2009, I thought it was a fair enough assumption to expect 2011, right?

Although, they WERE planning on releasing 3 and 4 back to back... not sure how feasible that plan is nowadays, but that was the original intent...

Well, I'm off to airport work. Let's listen to some Utada Hikaru - Beautiful World. Aside from being an awesome song in its own right, it's also the theme for the new Rebuild movies, so yay!


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Gym Gym Gym Gym Gym Gym Gym...

Gotta lose weight, gotta get in shape, gotta go to that gym gym gym gym gym gym gym...

Back when I just had that irregular airport job, the lack of things to do and steadier work hours finally convinced me to go to the gym. I had lost a dozen or so pounds, and was into a workout routine that I was happy with. Then the second job arose, and I casually forgot about the whole idea. Now I'm back to the old weight and it's beginning to annoy me again. NEED TO STAY DEDICATED!

Goal weight: 175. It's modest, and it's not skinny, but it's way healthier than the current 230, and I'm not gonna hate on that.

Raid in 20 minutes. Hopefully we get some heroic modes down and beef up the gear a bit. I need more healing output and mana longevity!

This post's song: Jea & Miryo (of the Brown Eyed Girls) - Love Is...

Waiting for the next B.E.G. album is driving me insane! Put it out already! Same thing for Jea's and Miryo's solo albums! Blargh! Give now!


Monday, September 5, 2011

The Confession, Piano Rendition

I'm kinda psyched about John Grisham's new book, the Confession. It's been years since I've read his works, but I was immediately drawn in by the concept of the book's main character. I don't recall him ever writing with a bad guy as the main focus, so I'm wondering where he's going to go with this. If nothing else, I'm expecting messed up things and gasp moments.

Gonna drive home to visit the mother unit and the little sister. Haven't been back to the old house for a while, and the guilt's setting in. :x Gotta go spend some gas and put miles on the car just to say hi I guess!

Music for the moment: Masashi Hamauzu - Lightning's Theme (Blinded by Light) [Piano Collection]

Not Nobuo, but a solid effort nonetheless, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hearing it live in concert at the Distant Worlds concert was tremendously awesome. I think I'm going to try to make at least one Distant Worlds concert a year, it was that fun. ^_^


So Much Fire Everywhere!

World of Warcraft is kinda winding down for me nowadays. Logging on purely for raids has changed my... I think appreciation's a good word for that. It's changed my appreciation for the game. It's turned into an expensive chat room, for all intents and purposes. Sure, I'm pushing buttons and doing stuff on screen, but I'm mostly enjoying the chit chat and the social interactions, not so much the game itself anymore. It feels like it's about time to quit, but... can I bring myself to break this habit!? :O

Revisiting Ragnaros is not quite as nostalgic and awesome as I was hoping it would be. It just feels like a silly fight, and then there's loot to pick up. =/ I just want Galaxy of Starcraft or something now! Give!

Anywho, still raiding right now, be back later. >_>

 Song for now: Telepopmusik - Just Breathe. My old raiding song. I used to play just this song on loop for 5-6 hours at a time playing WoW. It was very... soothing.




Sunday, September 4, 2011

Coming Back Positive

Well, it doesn't happen often, but I'm coming back from the Borgata trip net positive! No outstanding gambling loans, no guilt-ridden withdrawals from the ATM, no wandering the casino floor looking for random vouchers to cash and play... >_> And it was all thanks to slots! Who knew! Table games be damned, I'm gonna play me some Sex and the City! Even bought myself a nice Borgata hoodie. I think I'm going to start doing that with every positive trip. Maybe I'll actually have a small collection of casino related clothing by year's end.

... more likely though, I'll just have the one hoodie. <_<

So we just got back an hour ago, and I've got work in... two hours? I don't even know when I go in, but I'm gonna try to wake up in a few hours and call in to find out. I doubt that I'm scheduled for early entrance. Probably slated for a near opening shift or something.

I'm not gonna lie. I was kinda hoping we'd hit one of those big jackpot progressives so I could just quit and spend my time looking for my dream job. Also, sleeping in sounded nice today. Oh well.

An oldie but a damn goodie. Hikki's looking so amazingly cute, and all she's doing is the dishes.

Oh Hikki, what I wouldn't give to be those dishes...

........ <_<;;


On that... erm, not at all creepy note, good night/morning blog.


Utada Hikaru - Hikari


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Urge to Speed, Rising

I never really pictured myself as the type who'd enjoy driving, let alone speeding. But after almost two years behind the wheel (yes, I know, I only just started driving, and yes, I know, I should've started years and years ago), I keep finding myself in these... well, let's call it what it is, aggressive driving situations. I don't find myself suffering from road rage, or doing extremely ridiculous things like constantly weaving through traffic at break-neck speeds, but I do find myself clocking well above posted limits and sometimes drifting through turns for no other reason than that I could. It's... odd to discover that I could enjoy something that I've always tried to put off doing for so long...

Work wasn't too bad today. Got off a little early, and I didn't have to scrub down any bathrooms, so that's always a plus. I'm just really hoping I can find a decent office job soon so that I can finally put an end to this retail streak.

Co-worker compared my register persona to Billy Mays. Not quite sure how I should take that, but I guess it's somewhat accurate? Too bad I can only ever really use that sort of persuasion and demeanor with things I don't really care about. Do a complete 180 when it's about something I actually care about.

Tomorrow is gonna see a return to the luxurious Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. I'm actually going to try gambling in high moderation. Not too keen on losing all my money for the umpteenth time, so I'm thinking casual roulette parlaying. Hopefully I can ride out the day with minimal losses and copious amounts of liquor!

I've been on a Sunny Hill OVERLOAD today, and I keep finding myself putting their tracks on loop. I can't get enough!

Music for this post = Sunny Hill - Midnight Circus.

Goodnight d00ders!


Friday, September 2, 2011

Away to Work!

Books-A-Million feels like such a... stripped down version of a bookstore sometimes. The alphaing, the layout, the store policies, the overall aesthetic, it all just smacks of less than what it could be, and as a book lover, that really hurts me. Working there makes the hurt that much more noticeable, mostly because the frustrations I feel as a customer translate into being an employee and having to deal with said issues even more intimately. Blarghing BLARGH FRUSTRATED AT THE STATE OF THE STORE!

Well, it supplements my income I suppose. Cleaning airplanes isn't the steadiest of work, and having weeks of downtime makes my wallet sad. D: Ah well. Off to the retail hell-hole! Zoooooom...

Music = Sunny Hill - Pray. Strange MV, WONDERFUL ballad. 

Migraines, Work Binges, & Minimum Wage

I can't seem to merge my old blog with this new one. Oh wellz. The Old.

This week's been relatively calm. Coming off the 70+ hour work week I pulled last week, this week's 40 hour stint feels like a damn vacation. I'm actually able to sit around and not have to think about the essentials. I feel almost giddy!

My migraines are coming back, and it feels like it's directly linked to the dumb work schedule I've been doing. It's... somewhat worrisome, but hopefully it'll just pass by as a phase.

Speaking of which, I can feel another one coming on, so let's cut this introductory post short, neh?

Song of the day: Drake - Marvin's Room (Take Care). I'm not a huge Young Money fan, but this song's sound, it's just got this nostalgic quality that's irresistible.