Definitely bought this somewhere...

I went to add an emoticon onto an email I was sending my friend, and noticed that gmail had added new emoticon tabs...they definitely bought them from a Japanese company. They had yukatas, oden, ramen, school symbols, kakigori, onigiri, the poo pile, tempura and acutal Japanese! I used to love using these on my cell phone, and missed them (along with many other things). So glad I can use them again! うれしいわ！

バンビーノ２ できました！

Ever since I started watching Bambino, I've been hungry for Italian food.
I finally remembered to buy some olive oil after work and made some pasta for lunch. I don't get to cook or eat Italian much because mom hates it. But every episode of this show is filled with delicious looking food and I couldn't resist the urge any longer! Also, this marked 2 firsts for me. I can't eat spicy food, but I decided to use a dried chili pepper in this. Also, this is my first pasta without using tomato sauce. It turned out pretty good, expect for the garlic being a little bit over cooked. I just need a name for my culinary masterpiece...diced onions and tomatoes, peas, mushrooms and shrimps.

Good Bye Michael

I wanted to wait until after the memorial to write this post, just to see how the observe how the world would choose to remember Michael Jackson. I've been glad to see that people have chosen to remember the music and joy that he brought, instead of the sadness and trials he had to endure. I didn't really consider myself a huge Jackson fan, and was surprised to find that he did indeed have an impact on my life, and that I do feel sadness at his passing. Growing up, the first Jackson album I remember, and bought, was Dangerous. But of course, even before that, as now, his music was always omnipresent. I believe that everyone is a Jackson fan, though they might not know it. As the news of his death spread, and the music channels dedicated themselves to his videos, I was rediscovered how much I had loved that album, and how those songs had been the soundtrack to an important part of my life. It reminded me of friends, and emotions that I had lost to time.
I was also very happy with the service today (minus Al Sharpton). Initially, when I heard that it would be at the Staples Center, I was worried that it was turning into a spectacle. But, it was beautiful. I was especially moved by Brooke Shields' words, they felt as if they were coming from a true friend. And I was so relieved to see what happened at the end of the memorial. When his daughter started to speak, I could see the family cocoon around her as she started to cry. Then to see Janet pull her in and hold her tight...I felt a sense of relief in knowing that the kids would not be lost in the shuffle and madness, that the family would be there.
Thanks for the magic.

Bambino バンビーノ

There was a show on TV that I had wanted to watch, but I had class at the same time. Finally gettting the chance to watch "Bambino" now. While the show isn't going to win Emmys, I have to say there are moments that really went beyond the regular, usually silly TV moments for me. LOL...I came for the food (show about Italian restaurant), and stayed for the heart. Like when the main character, Ban, feels homesick after going home, or when Eri breaks up with him (let's leave this one at that), and my favourite, when Ban gets told off that it's not love when you're pushing your feelings on to someone else...I thought this would be another silly, light hearted show. It is, but still...it hits home unexpectedly
On top of that, I'm always hungry after each episode.
P.S. Gokusen movie coming soon!!! Just caught a special preview on TV

Boring, but pretty...

I was watching a little TV at lunch time today and came across the Tour de France coverage (only because it was on after the Wimbleton story). I'm not a cycling fan by any means. For me, it's not a very interesting sport to watch. I've even gone to a road race, and for those 15 seconds when the riders race by, great...then there's the feeling of "now what...". Anyways, I digress. What caught my attention was the amazingly beautiful wide shot of the lead pack riding down a country road while a herd of white horses, complete with flowing manes and tails, galloped along side them in the field next to the road. Wow, that's a desktop picture!
Then, there was an another cool moment. Apparently, I had just missed a collision. One cyclist was now trying to catch up to the pack, but as he's doing this, he's riding next to a car with 2 people hanging out the windows, giving him medical treatment as he's riding ( and littering medical supply wrappings...). Oh, and the whole pack slowing down so riders could catch up. Holy sportsmanship, Batman...

ooooooOOOOO....

Today I went to the orientation meeting for the new Rogers Cup volunteers. Wow, I can't wait. I was a bit worried, but it looks like they have a really good programme, with about 80% of volunteers returning every year. It was a bit strange during the tour of the grounds, thinking, WOW...Nadal and Federer played on this court last year...I just watched that guy win Wimbleton this morning...It's the girls playing in Toronto this year. They let us in on a few of the players who have committed to the event this year and it looks like it will be a great tournament and I can already see myself spending way too much money at the booths! I don't know how much tennis I'll actually be able to watch, but I'm looking forward to being around tennis again!

So it begins...

Well, I thought I would have a little more time before this started, as some of my older cousins haven't gotten married yet, but it looks like I'm starting to run out of time. And according to my mother, time is running out before I start having disfigured children. She is desperatly trying to get me to meet this guy. But I think I'm still a bit wary of men in general at this point. It is amusing to watch my mom swing between her classic urge to keep me locked in the house, and her urge to get me married off/start having kids...*sigh* ったく。。。