work

I feel uncomfortable if I don't have stuff to do at work. For some reason I don't count the long-term open-ended projects as work because they have no due date. Lately it seems I've been assigned all the random jobs...learn FlowCharter 2007 (flow chart making software) and train this group of people how to use it; meet with this group and tell them about automated QA testing; plan this co-worker's retirement banquet! I may even get to help with some SQL training.

All in all, I don't mind. I find some of this fun, educational, and a good overall experience. I just wish I didn't feel so damn expendable. I was rather proud of myself for actually calling the hotels about catering with only a modicum of hesitation, but I don't think that's anything my bosses would be excited about. :P I'm trying to get myself to create an informational webpage for the banquet but it's hard to focus on it. I should just buckle down and do it! I need more experiences like this in design, where I get full freedom to design it how I want and I don't have to follow any sort of predefined standard.

Aiyaaa

I stayed up till 5am last night watching "The Magicians of Love". That is so not good...

www.aznv.tv has a really cool feature where you can mark which episodes you've watched. :D This is an awesome way to keep track of which episode you're on! It can get confusing if you're simultaneously watching several different series. I'm currently on ep 14 of "The Magicians of Love", ep 2 of the Japanese "Hana Kimi", and ep 9 of the Taiwanese "Hana Kimi". They can do that because they actually require you to register for an account before you can stream the videos.

Dramas

My interests often cycle, and recently I have once again started to watch Asian TV dramas. It started when I went to Lawrence's cousin's apartment. His cousin's wife, Caroline, put a current Taiwanese drama on the TV for me to watch while they played mahjong. It was hilarious, and when I went home I found a website that streams Asian dramas so I continued watching it.

It's called "The Magicians of Love" and it's about a hair salon opened by 3 internationally renowned hairdressers. They claim to be able to give anyone a new image, transforming them into someone beautiful. Antics ensue and love triangles develop as they compete with a headstrong young girl who works at (and who's father is the owner of) the local neighborhood hair salon.

Browsing around I also found out that this year, Hana Kimi was made into a TV series in Japan! Yay! I already enjoyed watching the Taiwanese-produced Hana Kimi. Although I haven't finished watching it yet, I think I now have more of an incentive.

The 2 sites I found are:
www.aznv.tv
www.mysoju.com

Okonomiyaki, in LA?

Apparently so! I didn't realize, but there are actually okonomiyaki bars here! Not only are there places that serve okonomiyaki, but there are places that let you cook your own! Like Gaja Okonomiyaki in Torrance. Blog with yummy pictures here.

So Proud!

Lawrence was so excited this week. He made a sale for I think it was, $30,000 over sticker price. The father & son buyers were Chinese and the father only spoke Cantonese. They would not have sold the car if he didn't work there. This sale validated his position at the dealership as a valuable asset. Plus, it's the first time they beat the Beverly Hills dealership! That's pretty awesome, considering you've got tons of famous people (like Avril Lavigne!) who would probably go to the Beverly Hills dealership first. All he could think about last night was whether or not he should ask for a change to his pay.

Nightwish

The concert was pretty cool...and they even played some of their old songs!

A British goth metal group called Paradise Lost opened. It looks like they've actually been around for a long time, but they didn't seem to have enough energy. They played a lot of music from their new album, "In Requiem," which incidentally was produced by Rhys Fulber (of Delerium & Conjure One). They have a male singer, and his style reminded me of Metallica, who they do mention on their website.

Nightwish actually opened with Bye Bye Beautiful, and then Amaranth. That surprised me because they are two of their three new singles featuring the new singer, Anette. I thought bands typically saved their most famous songs for the end. It was a great way to hype up the crowd as I'm sure everyone recognized them. Perhaps it wasn't so strange because Nightwish has been around for so long they have many other hits. At the end, they did play Nemo, Wishmaster, and Wish I Had An Angel, which the crowd went crazy over. I think Anette did a good job for having Tarja to live up to. She definitely doesn't have the range or depth, but she has a lot of energy and has a lively stage presence.

The only thing to spoil the night was when I ::gulp:: yelled into Lawrence's ear during the concert. Both of us weren't able to enjoy the next 3-4 songs, and i felt SO bad. >_<

Goth Rock Concerts

I'm so excited! The Nightwish concert is Sunday Nov. 4 and the Evanescence concert is Saturday Nov. 10. I've got 2 of Nightwish's new songs stuck in my head - "Amaranth" and "Bye Bye Beautiful."

At first I couldn't get over how the new singer is no Tarja. Her voice is very nice, very clear, but at first it felt too plainly like any other female vocalist. The more I listened to the music, though, the more I really like it. Her voice may not have the distinctive qualities Tarja's had, but it still works with the music, and the band makes GREAT music. I wish I had the songs on my iPod.