Do Re Mi

Oh where to begin...  I've been working 3rd shift (AKA, night shift) so I've been watching more TV than usual, just because...  night shift does that to you. OK, here's the list that got me through these dark times.  The majority of them are available through streaming on Netflix as of now. Magi - Labyrinth of Magic  The story of Magi revolves around three friends: Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana.  It takes place in Arabia... somewhere in the mid east (although the characters travel elsewhere throughout their universe).  Aladdin is a Magi which is sort of like an avatar that appears in the world to choose a king (Alibaba).  The magic used in this universe is called Rukh which is sort of like this energy that flows throughout the world (similar to FFVII's lifestream) and Magi/magicians can use and manipulate it to create spells/magic. At first I didn't know what to think of this anime but after you get through the first 10 or so episodes,...

Hello hello!  My apologies for only the one millionth procrastination.  What have I been doing?..  Remember those previous posts where I would write about how I was studying nursing or CNA (certified nurse assistant) class? Of course you don't because even I don't remember! lol I got certified about a few months back and from that time, I've been on and off applying like a mad woman for CNA jobs. Finally, after a month or two, I got a call from an assisted living facility (which is basically a skilled nursing/rehab home with loads of seniors).  I took the job because my plan for getting a hospital job wasn't going so great without 'experience'.  I started my current job this past October.  Btw, now that I think about it, what are the chances of my last few jobs ALL starting in autumn? ( - _ - ; ) . . . This is why I have a complex with this season.  Too many life changes! *urg...* After working at a nursing home for a few weeks, I can hones...

According to myfitnesspal (an amazing app I'm using for counting calories and tracking exercise), I've logged in for 49 days so far!  I've made it through a month and it feels like such an accomplishment. ヽ(*´Д｀*)ﾉ  I've also lost 4 kg~!!!  I found out about myfitnesspal through a nutrition class I was required to take a few years ago.  I remember absolutely hating counting calories.  I thought it was depressing and a nuisance.  But that was when I was younger and stupid.  Counting calories has never been easier.  I think it's improved greatly over the years because now, it's an app available on the phone where you can conveniently scan a barcode on a food product. On top of counting calories, I've also taken up treadmill running.  I try to run every other day and I've started to up that to a couple more days a week. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ  I just need to keep in mind that a person should always allow their body at least one day a week off from ...

Today I'd like to talk about a big fashion blunder I made yesterday. You know you've made a fashion blunder when you see yourself in a nearby mirror and realize how BAD you look. That was me yesterday at the mall.  I decided to go after work and I decided to wear a T-shirt under my work shirt.  I also wore a light knit cardigan over my T-shirt.  But this is not the worst part. To top it off, I was wearing tight black jeans/jeggings and old sneakers.   Yes... sneakers. ( > ~ < ) I'm a short person.  My legs aren't that long and so I need to be careful of what I wear. Even if a person isn't that short, depending on if their proportions are such that their upper body or lower body are longer or shorter than the other, they'll need to compensate. What I mean is that if you wear something top heavy, you'll probably want to wear something tight or slimming for your lower body.  And vice verse. I'll be real here, my old sneakers are ugly...

Space Dandy One of my coworkers convinced me to try out this anime and it's the most f*cking hilarious thing I've ever seen. Space Dandy is unique in the sense that it doesn't follow a plot and goes in whatever direction it sees fit.  The characters even die in some episodes, only magically coming back to life in new ones.  It's also playful and experimental in its art and animation styles and explores various concepts and topics.   Sailor Moon Crystal I'm not sure how I found out about this reboot but since Sailor Moon is so popular, I would have found out some way or another. I've only watched a few episodes and I'm excited to see where the story goes once all the scouts are introduced.  The animation style also seems to be loyal to the manga art style. Free! Eternal Summer Watched the first anime, and I'm really happy the second didn't take too long to be released. I'm glad Rin got a much needed attitude adjustment.  He...

Here's my long awaited pictures from my family visit back to sunny HI~!  I had lots of fun on this trip and re-visited many places. Pretty red ginger that's forever growing near grandma's apartment. Bird of Paradise  Shirokiya is a really popular Japanese store in Ala Moana shopping mall.  It's been there since Ala Moana opened in 1959! I was surprised at how different Shirokiya was when I visited with grams and my auntie.  It's been maybe 5-8 years since I've been there.   It seems like they have less stuff like books and magazines and opted for having lots of food and beauty items instead. All the food is on the upper level.  It's set up quite similarly to Japan with various cubic-like spaces for each seller resulting in a sort of food maze.   You'll find bento's galore up here.   Lower level.  They set up a pretty seating area.  Downstairs you'll find a couple of bakeries and other various i...

Today I decided to go see the movie "Lucy" after work with sis. After meeting incentives for my job, me and other coworkers on our team all got gift cards and one of them was for the local theater. ^^ "Lucy" is about an American woman studying in Taiwan who gets thrown into a drug trafficking deal.  She's knocked out and wakes up on a hotel bed to find out she's been turned into a 'drug mule' that's assigned to transport drugs to Europe. Under unknown circumstances she becomes held captive by Taiwanese thugs, gets abused and kicked in the abdomen, and that causes the bag of drugs to break and wreak havoc in her system.  Eventually, she finds that the drug somehow gave her superhuman control over her brain. The movie was really entertaining and I was always anticipating what she would do next as her ability to control her brain increased. In the beginning of the movie, I took note of how the scenes would switch between 'Discovery...

I've started this thing called a diet. And this thing called cardio. And this thing called pilates. I know this is quite strange for me because I'm one to shun away from any kind of exercise and opt for eating less. So what inspired me to lose weight?  Well, after a while of seeing all these Asian celebrities and Kpop idols being so slim, I thought, "hey!  I want to be skinny too!" And that's my shallow reason for wanting to lose weight. But don't get me wrong, I don't believe in starving myself to death.  I want to become slimmer, but a healthy slim, not the anorexic kind. At first when I started weighing myself, it looked like I suddenly lost 2kg, but then I realized that I was probably just bloated and it was all water weight. haha It's been a blast though.  After downloading the 'myfitnesspal' app, I've put in my goal of losing 5kg. The myfitnesspal is quite useful because it spans out the calories so a person isn...

I finally finished the game Lightning Returns recently and zomg, why does her face look so different?  I mean, she looks like she got plastic surgery. Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I am not criticizing the game in its entirety.  This is solely about the change in Lightning's hair and facial design.  The game play of Lightning Returns has nothing to do with this. :) I didn't really notice her face change until I beat the game and watched the ending CG animation scene.  (pic above is from the opening CG scene) I was a bit disappointed that the animators weren't consistent in her facial design, especially when it was so beautiful to begin with. Here's some compare/contrast pics I found. This one is of the CG animation for FFXIII, FFXIII-2, and FFXIII Lightning Returns. And here's the cutscene animation.  It's a bit more difficult to tell the difference in the cutscene animation unless you look closely. The hair...