ponta

Hello 2009!

2009-01-03T02:46:32Z

Happy New Year, everyone!

Belated, yes I know, but I wanted that to be my first post of 2009! Was going to post earlier, on the actual day of New Year itself, but I found myself out the whole day since New Year's Eve...and I think I still need some time to recover from all the activities before going back to work on Monday. I love the holidays, but hate when they end.

Here's to wishing a great year ahead for everyone!

Beijing Olympics

2008-08-26T15:39:13Z

Now it's four more years until the next Summer Olympics in London, but while we're at it, I just wanted to write down a few thoughts on the Beijing Olympics.

Awesome, awesome opening, and the closing ceremony was fantastic as well. I didn't get to watch much this time due to work, but I watched whatever I could.

Earlier, I had wanted to plan a trip to Beijing coinciding with the Olympics, but soon I realized it would be way more expensive during this time. And it would also be very difficult to get tickets.

Now I can't wait until the next Olympics, which would be the Winter Games in Vancouver in the year 2010. I hope I can make a trip there by then!

Why, hello there!

2008-05-04T15:56:29Z

It seems like I always write a post saying that I'll try to update more often. This especially happens after a time of no updates from me. To be honest, I do want to update, but sometimes, I'm just lazy, tired, or most of the time, I don't know what to update about. Anyways, this time, this post won't be saying I'll update more frequently or anything like that, but just, I'll update whenever there's the opportunity for me to do so.

As for things that are new about me, I've started a new job in a new place. It has been 3 months now, and the job's pretty good. I'm working as an engineer. It may not be what I want to do for the rest of my life but I think of this as a starting point to other opportunities. I studied Electrical Engineering for my undergraduate degree, but not everyone ends up working in a field that is related to their major. Right now, I'm in a field that's directly related to what I studied, but I hope to be able to explore opportunities elsewhere in the near future.

Besides talking about my working life, I've taken an interest in makeup. Specifically, limited edition makeup. I don't really wear much makeup in my everyday life, but somehow, the collector in me needs to have all these limited edition items. I especially like those that have special packaging, and I know they'd be a waste of my money just sitting there collecting dust if I don't use it, but they are just oh-so-pretty!

Wow, I've surprised myself by writing so much for this post. I hate breaking promises, so I won't make any this time. I know there's a lot of ideas for my next update already in my head, so keep an eye out for that!

Paradise Kiss

2007-11-06T10:31:45Z

One of my current obsessions is the anime/manga Paradise Kiss. I've finish all 12 episodes of the anime and all 5 volumes of the manga in I think three days! Because it's a short series, I find myself re-watching certain episodes!

Paradise Kiss is a manga series written my Yazawa Ai, who also wrote the manga series NANA. I've been a fan of NANA for a while now, but it was not until recently did I decide to check out Yazawa's other works. And I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed this series.

The main storyline of Paradise Kiss revolves around a typical Japanese high school girl who is studying for her college entrance exams. Her life is changed when she meets the fashion designs students of the Paradise Kiss brand. They ask her to model their clothes, and thus, she is thrown into the world of fashion.

I might do a more detailed write up about this series...but all obsessions aside, I think this is a great story by Yazawa. This has easily become one of my favorite anime/manga series.

Getting paid to blog

2007-10-24T07:56:59Z

I'm sure most of you know of some blogs that are sponsored by advertisers to write an entry about a product or service.

What do you think about it? Are any of you being paid to blog?

I'm looking at sites such as PayPerPost, and it seems like a pretty easy way to make some extra cash. You get paid by each post you write, and I think the amount varies on how much traffic your blog gets. If you write enough entries, I think you should be able to make a good amount money. And it's not that hard to write an entry, just maybe 30 minutes, and you're done.

I'm thinking of doing something like this. Extra money is something that's always good to have, and writing blog entries is not something that hard to do. I know, I haven't been good at updating this blog...but I figured if I can make something productive out of it, I'll write more! I won't do it on here, I'll make a new blog and keep this one advertisement-free.

So, any of you getting sponsored to write blog entries? Send me a link of your blog so I can take a look!

Vegas - Red Mango

2007-09-11T03:38:41Z

I went to Las Vegas and got back on Saturday. I had previously heard that there was a Red Mango store there, so I made a point to visit there at least once.

Red Mango actually started in Korea a few years ago, where it has been very successful. I had Korean friends updating their cyworlds with pictures of yogurt from Red Mango. I wasn't about to be going to Korea anytime soon, so I thought I wouldn't be able to try this frozen yogurt. Then I heard Red Mango was coming to the US, having it's first US store in Los Angeles and another in Las Vegas, but I knew it might be awhile before it comes anywhere near San Francisco/San Jose. So when I went to Las Vegas, I had to have some Red Mango yogurt!

On the left is original yogurt with mango, honeydew, and dark chocolate. On the right is also a medium with raspberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple.

They also have green tea flavor, with toppings similar to what Pinkberry offers, though a bit different. Instead of a bowl of yogurt, you can also get a blender, which is a smoothie-like drink of yogurt and toppings.

The yogurt from Red Mango is very good. It's creamier than I remember Pinkberry to be, and less sour without losing that tartness. I actually prefer my yogurt, Red Mango or Pinkberry, with fruit, not any of the dry toppings such as cereal or dark chocolate. I tried various combinations while I was there, and realized I like my yogurt with any kind of fruit the best.

Mm, I wish Red Mango would come up to the Bay Area sometime soon!

Free Cosmetics!

2007-08-27T18:27:32Z

Everyone loves free stuff, so I thought I'd post up what I found while browsing the internet this morning.

smashbox is giving away a free cosmetics gift: a full size Fusion Soft Lights in Matrix in a cute smashbox carry pouch at participating Nordstrom stores. This free gift offer is available from August 31st to September 2nd while supplies last.

Click HERE to go print out your coupon and find your closest participating Nordstrom store.

I haven't tried the product they are giving out as a free gift myself, but well, you loose nothing if it doesn't work out for you as it's free!

Colored Skinny Jeans

2007-08-18T21:07:19Z

I'm not usually one to follow trends, but I really like the color of this skinny jean by Seven For All Mankind:

I don't actually own any colored skinny jeans, but I've seen them look good on other people. I just don't know if I'll like the look on myself. And I don't know why I like this color, I don't even usually go for the color yellow!

Deathy Hallows

2007-07-22T19:45:35Z

Just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sometime yesterday. I didn't get a chance to post about it until now.

When I went to pick up my book at Barnes and Nobles at midnight on Friday, the place was a madhouse. I think it was a bit disorganized at first, but I think once midnight came, the process of people getting the book got better. I received my book just before 12:30 am, and then went back, took a shower, and started reading it.

This is just something of a first impressions kind of thing, so I won't go into too much detail. Overall, I loved the book. I'm not disappointed at all. With one tiny exception: the epilogue. I mean, it's just ridiculous! What's with naming kids after parents? Also, Albus Severus? I dunno, to me, the epilogue didn't really need to be there.

After all this, I'm a bit sad. I mean, I'm very glad to read the final book of Harry Potter, but that's just it. It's the final book. There won't be any excitement of speculating what's going to happen in the next book. I'm just sad that there is no next book. Part of me always gets excited as I wait to read the next HP book. I knew it had to come to an end. But I thought it was good end. (Well, except for the epilogue.)

Will probably post more of my thoughts on the book later!

Harry Potter

2007-07-15T08:59:52Z

I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix today.

Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable movie. They left out certain parts from that book that I wished they didn't, but I think those parts didn't really affect that plot that much so it was okay. I wanted to see how they would depict St. Mungo's Hospital in the movie, but that part wasn't shown.

The movies goes by pretty fast, and you have to pay constant attention, if not you might miss some stuff. They don't give you time to sit and think about what happened during the movie, stuff happens one after another. The ending of the movie was pretty awesome. You've got spells flying everywhere and it looked so cool.

There were some things from the book that I wished they had shown in the movie, but I wasn't disappointed at this movie.

Transformers

2007-07-08T03:15:07Z

As I haven't updated this journal in a long while, I thought I'd do some mini-reviews of some movies I've seen recently. I will probably do them one by one, because I don't like writing really long entries.

Latest movie I caught during the 4th of July holiday was Transformers. Awesome movie, and I highly recommend it. It's a great summer action movie. I didn't really watch the Transformers TV series as a kid, but I do remember watching an episode or two.

At some point during my childhood, for some reason, I thought Transformers had humans controlling them from inside. In my imagination, I thought that a person that drives the Transformer vehicle would be able to transform it to a giant robot at will, and therefore end up in some kind of cockpit inside the robot. I had no idea that they were actually aliens from another planet. I must have been thinking about Gundams at that time.

I didn't think I would have enjoyed this movie much, but to my surprise, I liked it very much. If you like giant robots, definitely go watch this! Even if you don't, go watch it anyway!

Pirates!

2007-06-05T03:11:50Z

I caught a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End recently.

I thought it was pretty enjoyable, and a good continuation of the previous film. I have heard that many people did not really like the ending, but I felt that it was and appropriate ending, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The writer's left the ending of this film open, so that a fourth film could be made if they wanted to. If they do, I wouldn't be complaining!

Riddles!

2007-04-03T00:34:48Z

These days, I've been doing an internet riddles called weffriddles.

I never played internet riddles before, but I used to like playing 'escape the room' adventure games such as The Mystery Of Time And Space (aka MOTAR), and The Crimson Room and it's various sequels. I haven't played MOTAR in awhile, and I think they've added new levels, so I think I will get back to them.

Have fun!

Yelp

2007-03-20T20:16:09Z

I've been sucked into the world of Yelp. A great place to read reviews of restaurants, spas, and almost anything in your area.

First I only used it to see what good restaurants were in my area, but now, I've gotten into writing reviews as well!

My profile is here. Feel free to add me if you are on it too!

Meez

2007-03-01T23:57:09Z

Thank you kristinthegreat for introducting this site to me.

I absolutely love sites like this. I can spend a lot of time just choosing outfits and hair and whatever else there it.

But what I really like about this site are the animations! They are really fun to play with, and there are so many to choose from!

Naruto Shippuden

2007-02-27T23:11:02Z

Call me a nerd, geek, whatever. I'm excited that Naruto has finally returned to normal. By normal, I mean no more filler episodes.

After two and a half years, the Naruto anime returns as Naruto Shippuden, literally, Hurricane Chronicles.

Already, it has gotten to a great start. I was getting a bit bored of the filler episodes.

Lunar new year

2007-02-21T05:12:07Z

A belated Happy Lunar New Year to all!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Shoes

2007-02-06T05:51:50Z

I just bought a pair of Steve Madden Cristan peep-toe wedges, for a great price! I had wanted them for a while, but never got the chance to get them. I tried them on before while I was shipping back in December, but they didn't have the color I wanted. I purchased them on Zappos, used their 110% price protection policy, and got the shoes for $13.99 discounted from $79.95.

Also, after doing some online window shopping on Zappos, I've come across a pair of boots that I'd die for! They are these pair of Gabriella Rocha Greta boots. If only the price was a bit lower.....

Curse of the Golden Flower

2007-01-23T04:46:57Z

Last weekend, I saw Curse of the Golden Flower, originally titled 滿城盡帶黃金甲(Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia). My movie ticket was $6.00, as it was a matinee showing before 11:00 am on the weekend. You can't beat the $6.00 movie ticket, and I like seating in the theater where it's not too crowded. (Unless, I'm going for a midnight premiere, then I don't mind it being packed!)

This movie, set in 10th century China, is about an internal struggle between the members of the Chinese imperial family. With Chow Yun-Fat as the Emperor and Gong Li as the Empress, you have two veteran actors leading the cast.

This is definitely a feast for the eyes. Zhang Yimou, director of this film, is very skilled in using stunning visuals in his movies. I definitely enjoyed the visuals! Plot-wise, however, it did not seem that deep, when you compare it with his other wuxia films such as Heroes. To me, it seemed that the plot is a relatively simply one, but it works well for this movie.

Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li's performances were powerful. Gong Li is one of my favourite Chinese actress, and it was amazing to see her as the Empress.

I think it's definitely a must see film this season. Go watch it and have a feast for your eyes.

Korean food

2007-01-10T06:36:53Z

I'm craving for some delicious Korean food right now. How I would like to have some kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) or spicy soon tubu (tofu stew)!

Living in the Bay Area definitely has some advantages. I can get all kinds of Asian food here. Besides from restaurants, there are also Asian grocery stores, which I love!

One of my favorite Korean dishes is kimchee jjigae. And it's pretty simple to make. The recipe I use is how my friend makes it, however it varies between households.

Ingredients:
baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi, best if kimchi is slightly ripe and sour)
kimchi juice
meat of choice (I like to use spam and samgyeopsal (pork belly))
water

1. Put kimchi and kimchi juice in a large pot.
2. Add water and put to boil.
3. When mixture is boiling, add meat and wait for it to boil. (Alternatively, meat can be sauteed first.)
4. When the stew is boiling and meat is cooked, lower the heat.
5. Let it simmer for a good 20-30 minutes until kimchi is soft.
6. Add water or kimchee juice when it's simmering for desired spiciness/taste.
7. Eat with rice and various Korean side dishes!

I know I don't have exact measurements because well, it is all done by taste. Also, this also depends on how watery/chunky you'd like it to be. However, if it ends up being too spicy or too salty or too watery, that can be easily fixed. If it's too spicy or salty, add more water and let it simmer a bit. Or if it is too watery, add more kimchi juice.

Typing all this out makes me actually want to go cook a pot of kimchi jjigae! =P

2007

2007-01-01T21:21:56Z

Happy New Year!

NANA

2006-11-15T03:32:52Z

I've been following on another anime, NANA. It's also a manga of the same name. However, I don't read the manga, as I cannot read that well in Japanese, and I don't like reading them in English. (I think there are English versions released, if I remember correctly.)

The story is about two girls with the same name, Nana, but with totally different personalities. I don't want to write too much about the plot, because I don't want to give it away and also because there are a lot of resource online that talk about it. A good one is NANA-NANA.net.

There is also a movie version of NANA, starring Nakashima Nika as Oosaki Nana and Miyazaki Aoi as Komatsu Nana. I watched this movie earlier this year, and I really liked it. I was a fan of Nakashima Mika before this, and I loved her in the movie. I especially loved her outfits and her songs as Nana.

A sequel is coming out later this year, also starring Mika as Oosaki Nana, but with Ichikawa Yui replacing Aoi as Komatsu Nana. I am really looking forward to this movie, and also looking forward to the songs that will be featured in it!

Speaking of the songs of Nana, I was introduced to a new singer at the time, Ito Yuna, who took on the role of Serizawa Reira in the movie. Her song, Endless Story, was featured in the movie, and she debuted with this single under the billing REIRA starring YUNA ITO. Similarly, Mika's song, Glamorous Sky, was released as a single as NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA. I love both of these songs, and they have been on repeat for quite some time now.

In the sequel, Yuna will be taking her role again as Reira, and releasing another single called Truth as REIRA starring YUNA ITO. Mika, as well, has her song 一色 ("Hitoiro", One Color) under NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA. I've already heard these two songs, and I can say that I can't wait to watch the sequel!

I know there are songs from the NANA anime as well, but I'll save that for an entry for another day.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

2006-10-15T07:33:09Z

Saiunkoku Monogatari is an anime that I've been following. It is still airing in Japan, so I am always waiting for the newest subtitled episodes to come up. I've been watching them on YouTube. I believe it's also available to download on bit torrents, but I'm currently too lazy to do that.

Saiunkoku Monogatari, literally means Tale of the Land of Many-Coloured Clouds, according to it's entry on Wikipedia. It is originally a series of novels by Sai Yukino, and the novel and the manger versions are illustrated by Kairi Yura. The art is beautiful, I really like the style of drawing.

I don't want to go into too much detail, as you can read about it from the Wikipedia entry. This anime takes place in a fantasy realm similar to medieval China. (Fushigi Yuugi, anyone?) It's a romance, comedy, and drama. It's been compared to Fushigi Yuugi, but I think it's totally different. Some similar points are the setting in medieval China and the main female character being surrounded by bishounens. But, to me, that's where all the similarities end. The plot is completely different. Fushigi Yuugi is one of my favourite animes, and I suspect this one will be to. It's got a good plot and good character developement. I can't wait for the next episode to be subbed!

I think this is one of the covers of the manga or novels.

Some of the characters of Monogatari.

Chocolate

2006-10-14T04:50:55Z

I am craving for some Chocolate!

LG VX-8500

LG VX-8600

My phone contract has come to and end, so now I can get a new one. I am deciding between the two above.

The first one is widely known as the LG Chocolate. I really like it because it has a music player, Bluetooth capabilities, and a pretty good camera. And it looks very sleek and sexy!

The second one is also from the LG Chocolate series, but instead of the slider, it's a flip phone. I don't know the
specifics of this one yet, but I think it's pretty similar to the VX-8500.

Most importantly, I want a phone that has a music player, so I am looking at these two. I'm also attracted to these two in particular because of how sleek they look! And in black, too!

Now don't you want some chocolate?

A must watch movie

2006-09-21T04:29:48Z

Just saw Gwai Wik, also known as Re-cycle, starring Angelica Lee and directed by The Pang Brothers.

Although this movie starts out like a normal Asian horror film, like The Ring or Ju-on: The Grudge, it is everything but. I would classify this movie more towards the science fiction/fantasy genre rather than horror.

I don't want to write too much, as if I do, I may give away the ending.

But what I like about this movie is that it makes you think after it's over. The twist at the end is mind bending, at least for me it was. I think people who have watched this movie either liked it or hated it. But give it a chance, it's been a long time since I've watched such a movie.