I woke up for about an hour this morning, I think around 9AM, trying to do my usual routine. Check on Sunday ads, Laker scores and game time (they've played very well btw while I'm gone. Very impressive), emails, etc. It went fine; I felt awake but it eventually got too cold. In the morning it was around 40 degrees and with my computer next to the window, sitting here, I'm shivering like a dualshock 3 controller. Hehe, I'll have to get to those in another entry . So I crawled back in bed, fell asleep again, and the next thing I know it's 5PM. It's rather dark outside right now already, unlike Taiwan, which is gloomy, but there's still light out until a bit later. Even at night, they have street lights everywhere and a bunch of people walking around, so it doesn't feel as late as it actually is. What's the one thing I find I miss the most about being back? There's a lot of cool things about Taiwan and a lot of cool things about being back, but one thing I miss a lot is having toilet paper. Some places have it, but most require tissues. Going into a stall my first time and not seeing any toilet paper dispensers or covers was quite a sight. lol! I must have had a really confused look on my face. The one thing I'll miss most about Taiwan is the shao-bing-yio-tiao and dan-bing. After driving around more, perhaps I'll grow to miss the MRT.

I'm back from Taiwan! After about 2 weeks, it feels refreshing to be back here. Lots of pictures to share, so look forward to it. For now, I need to unpack. Hehe. Oh, I noticed Windows Live Spaces is actually advertised on the buses in Taiwan. Perhaps that's why there's more Asian blogs than US ones?

Leaving Arcadia in a few minutes. This will be my last entry while still in the US. Wait, maybe I'll post again while I'm at the airport, haha. Nervous? Meh, just a bit. I haven't flown in quite some time. Last time was a short flight from SoCal to NorCal. Taiwan, be ready: 我很快來臨!

I've had this error ever since I've been using Vista, and after doing a google search, apparently I'm not alone. And like what others have mentioned, on WinXP it works perfectly fine. "Error 0x80070456: The media in the drive may have changed." Happens whenever I'm trying to move files from a memory card (plugged into the USB card reader) onto my computer. No fixes? It's pretty annoying.

Yatta! This message could have went up a while ago. I finished my exam at 1pm today. After eating lunch, I fell asleep for a while. Still so tired. I went to bed earlier than usual, but couldn't fall asleep till 5am. Like I've mentioned somewhere before, it's that pre-test day insomnia. My heart doesn't stop racing and I can't get my mind off of the test. I woke up at 8:30am today and studied some more; even learned a new concept that I missed yesterday, lol. Would have been bad going into the test without knowing it. Test started at 11:30am, 1 1/2 hours later, with a sore hand, wrist, and back (yup, test was at HUM 400...again) I was home free. Now I need to pack for Taiwan. Hopefully all of my clothes will fit. Not exactly bringing all that much stuff back.

Oh, and Lakers yesterday...hah, what in the world. That was 46 minutes of good basketball and two minutes of disaster. At least it was entertaining enough to take up my studying time. I'll be missing a few games over the next two weeks. Long live DVR! :)

As the computer would say in Bomberman, "White Bomber, One More!" Next test is in less than 9 hours. =.=|| I'll leave it at that, don't want to say how I'll do at this point, but I don't feel all that confident going to bed. But if I don't, I'll fall asleep during the exam. zzz.

Did a lot of studying today. Got a test tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Tired. Time to sleep. Did a quick update on photos from the past few days. Updated albums: Nekos, Edibles, Stuff, Driven, and Other Shots.

Study, study, study. I've been reading my lecture slides and some of the book early this afternoon. After that I washed Widget. Hard work eh? Not even getting to it..Well safe to say there was a break. Ate one meal today, an Applebee's burger for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I was hungry prior to the meal, but I got full real fast. Watched The Classic again, but no tears this time. After that I did some hardcore writing on my rough drafts. I have 6 given prompt questions, and I wrote out about 2 of them right before my laptop decided the battery life was overs. Put it on the charger for a while and took another break. A quick one this time though. I took a couple shots of the Dyson vacuum in the photo studio. Didn't have time to check how they turned out on the computer yet. Then I did a test with the vacuum. Cat hair on the surface gets sucked up very quickly, but cat hair that's been embedded into chairs and sweaters doesn't come out so easily. Even with a lint-roller embedded hairs are near impossible to fully remove, but I was hoping the Dyson would do it. My expectations may have been a little too high, with their performance really blown out of proportions in reviews. It doesn't stop there though, there's a good side. It's supposed to last 6 min. per charge, and holy crap! 6 minutes really is a lot longer than I thought. I was randomly vacuuming areas that didn't need to be just so that I can drain some battery. Around my computer area I got, literally, balls of dust. Count em' 1, 2. The Dyson is actually really great at sucking up dust particles. And if you're a dust-free freak, I'd definitely recommend it. Areas that look clean and feel clean...yeah..after using the Dyson, I guess they weren't all that clean . Well, I'll definitely buy the standard/large corded vac when I have the money. Overall it's worth it, and I have a feeling I'll be a Dyson fan for quite some time. I'm getting side tracked now, back to the topic of what I was doing before the vacuum ordeal: So after some digression, my laptop was charged enough to continue. With my ass planted on a face pillow and my legs protected under the blanket from my burning powerbook battery, I continued to write for an X amount of straight hours until I got through with writing all 6 of the prompts. Yeah, it's that long that I don't remember how many hours it has been. It might be pretty fast though, once I tell how many pages I wrote..What do you think of 12 pages, .8" margins, in 12pt font? Not bad, eh? Just kidding..Hell yeah it's bad! Look at the time, almost 6AM. I'm out.

Good deal if you watch movies or anime on your computer. Divx.com is giving out free serial #s for a limited time for Divx Pro. (Not exactly sure how long this will last. May end in a week, may end in a day, may end by the time you see this?)

- Windows Version
- Mac Version

Ok, back to studying.

After going to the Registrar's office (which treats you really nice when you pay up), I went over to the post office where they never fail to disappoint with their inefficiencies. The Riverside post office finally caught on though. They got rid of their # system and now have a line just like in Arcadia. That much, I can give them credit for. Then I went to Best Buy to pick up a new DVD burner. It's a LG one that got pretty good reviews. On sale for $34.99 w/o lightscribe features (don't need them). My current burner is still good, but it's an unbranded "cheapo" that can't copy on discs that are 16x, although it's 16x rated. I've ran out of 8x discs and all that's available nowadays is the 16x, so it was time for an upgrade. The drive was a straightforward install; took about 5 minutes to take out the old one and pop in the new. AH, and a guilty pleasure...I've been eying the Dyson Root 6 a couple days ago, then Linen's n' Things took it off their site. Well, next door to Best Buy "just happens to be" Linens n' Things. Guess what was in stock and on sale? Haha, yep. Still charging, but should be ready to test on the car carpet soon. After all that good stuff, I did four chapters of reading for my operations management class. I think it was about an hour a chapter =.=|| Then watched Lover's Concerto and Il Mare. Lover's Concerto was a sad story, but not a sob story. The guy pulled THE slickest trick from the book. I'm not sure if it's in the "book" but it definitely should be. He tells a girl he likes her, she says she felt a bit uncomfortable with it, and he goes to a clock shop to buy a clock. He turns back time for 1 hour, and says that they should forget the whole ordeal and when they meet again, they should start as friends. That one's worth learning. Il Mare was like watching The Lake House all over again. There aren't many disparities between the two. But Il Mare seemed to have a loose end at the very end o_O...? The guy meets her in his time just as she's moving. But in her present time, he's dead. So..yeah...

Did a quick update of photos. New pictures under Nekos, Edibles, and 1 shot for Other Shots. The Nekos album is now doubled in size Both Cereal and Widget love wearing the jacket because of how cold it has been in the apartment lately. I think we're 56 degrees in-doors >.<!! Anyways, I need to head to school, over to the registrar's office to make a payment. Then I need to come back and study; oh what fun!

After doing updates for my dad and polishing up his new logo, I went to Costco for some good ol' fashioned Polish sausage and soda. Brought back a Costco pizza too since there won't be too much extra time to cook. On the way home, I dropped by Blockbuster (last time I went was about a month ago) for some trade-ins. Watched Mr. Bean's Holiday, Cougar Club, and Dragon Tiger Gate. Cougar Club is about 2 guys starting a club for young men to date older women. It's ok, not a full waste of time, but not exactly a recommendation. Mr. Bean's Holiday is as expected of Bean. However, I feel that he "lost" it just a bit. I think Rowan's been out of the Bean role for too long, but his performance is still within par. His old school episodes were still the best (which I have on VHS somewhere) Perhaps it just isn't as funny after watching all these Korean movies lately. Dragon Tiger Gate is the best of all three movies today. Not surprisingly though, it's an Asian flick. The choreography is pretty sweet. Some cheesy slow-mo shots here and there, but the overall story and action sequences are great. There's one line in there that's worth remembering, but unfortunately I can't recall it already. lol, maybe I'll have to FF >> and watch the scene again. I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but the Sony DVD player used in the living room finally bummed out on me the other day while watching 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant. Now I'm using the one from my room as a "temporary" replacement. So there's no DTS or resume playback feature. Oh well, it was expected of the player. It lasted about 3 1/2 years with countless movies, 2 apt. moves, and a flood. I think equivalent models are now half the size, and 1/4 of the price that was paid originally. HD Player, normal progressive scan replacement, DVD upconvert player, DVD/Recorder w/ Upconvert, DVR/DVD recorder? There's too many choices with too wide of a range in costs. Right now I can't decide in what direction the investment for a new player should be. It's an important decision too since I'm a big fan of sit-at-home cinema.

Watched My Tutor Friend II tonight, not as good as some of the other Korean movies I've seen lately, but it's still hilarious. I think there's something about a Korean girl that can speak Japanese that's quite intriguing as well. Good watch for sure, and definitely not a waste of time. Also watched Ghost Train (j-horror)...It wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. Not one of those memorable scary movies. There's no ending or explanation for what's really going on. BUT, I found the main character to be pretty cute; the only reason to watch. Unlike other Jap horrors, this one develops at a normal pace, sort of like an American movie. It doesn't take long to develop the story nor does it sidetrack much.

The Classic is a must watch Korean movie. I felt so touched by it, and can say it's probably one of the most beautifully played out love stories. Other movies might make you cry from being sad, but this one will make you cry from how much love there is to be shared. I enjoyed it a lot, and +1 again to Son Ye-Jin.
I don't think it'd be a major stretch to even say this movie can define what a love story should be like. Maybe I should learn Korean. Most of these movies came out about 3 years ago, so watching them now sets me behind the curve. There are other benefits of learning too, of course.

I was looking at this Dyson Root 6 vacuum for the past 2 days. With Linen n' Things' coupon, it'd come out to $79. Overall it seems pretty good and the reviews say that it has the suction that all Dyson's are known for. However, it only lasts for 6 minutes per charge/use. That's the downside for me, but I've been considering...I don't use a handheld vacuum for over 6 minutes most of the time anyways. Recharging is supposed to be equally as fast too. And if I were to use it, it'd most likely be for the carpets in the car and as a substitute for a lint roller (cat hair..ugh! Supposed to pick up pet hair like magic). But it is too late now. Linen n' Things took the vacuum off their website o_O!

Interesting quotes from the "Quote of the Day" gadget.
"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." - Marie Curie

Uploaded some photos in Edibles, Other Shots, Driven, and a new album called Stuff. If you're wondering why I take photos of Christmas trees, it's because I find each one to be unique in its own way. They're all trees, but the person/s that decorates them have their own style and I want to be able to capture that. Why don't I have my own tree? Hah, because the cats will tip it over and I don't have much to put under it that I don't already have (I don't mean that in a snobby way, just that I don't ask for many things nor have many wants that are feasible at the moment). Oh, still upset as I was yesterday, if not more than yesterday...but trying to get over it. Time to just move on. One more week of class; good riddance!

Start Sigh.. I got my paper grade today..17/20, that's a B. Too bad I can't cuss on the blog, otherwise I definitely feel that it's appropriate. How the **** did that happen? As the title suggests, I'm upset. The section grading standards are harsher than the class standards by a wide margin, yet our final grade reflects an overall course grade. Reading the comments made on my paper, it seems as though they're subjective to the TA's point of view, which I don't share. I thought we're all entitled to individual opinions? Perhaps I should have clarified the points where our opinions differ, but on a paper that's supposed to be 5 pages, it's not so reasonable to spell out all specifics and still present a full bodied argument. If no assumptions can be made about anything, wouldn't it be fair to make the paper a 10 pager so we can all pour in countless detail? Arguing is futile since he's an **** ***. He'll regrade the whole paper, and he's known to grade it harder; purposefully looking for mistakes. Take it up to the professor? Nope, not if I can't prove others have an issue with the TA as well. He's a nice guy and all, but he'll send it straight back to the TA. It's not an individual problem, it's a section problem, but nobody else wants to say anything since it's a 1 quarter class, and a C passes the course. Yet, when people that have taken this TA before comment on him, they all say the same things stated here. End Sigh Bad luck with TAs this quarter...oh well, Laker game time then homework for the same bloody section.

No more projects, just studying for finals. Today was a pretty good day. Got up later than usual, but that's due to sleeping so darn late. Went to class, and seemingly within minutes I was out. Took a quiz, and that was it. Cake. Went home just in time for the Laker game. Started at 5 today, which is a really nice surprise. Good game, good win, and Kobe's 360 dunk- amazing does happen. I'm glad we played Ariza and Crittenton today. Then I got to some revisions on the project, which is starting to actually look like a good piece of work. Know what else is a good piece of work? Heidi Klum. She's definitely still got it. And Alessandra Ambrosio, mmm...so good. What am I talking about? The Victoria Secret Fashion Show. If you missed it, it's like missing the season finale to your favorite show, except the whole cast is replaced with hot women. Pure proof that HDTV was made by men, for men. Oh, and so is DVR...... hehehe!

I started this morning with a quick embedding of One Republic's "Say (All I Need)" to the page. I've been listening to their CD for the past few days, and so far I haven't gotten tired of it yet. (You'll find it right above the blog entry, click button to play).  Then I got ready and headed to the UV, stopping by Boba Cafe on the way to eat some popcorn chicken. Just popcorn chicken? Yep, no time to eat a whole meal. Got out of class in the evening and came home to take some photos with the photo studio that just arrived over the weekend. Tungsten lights suck, and I knew it before buying it..Bah! I settled! The eBay store "ran out" of the set I bidded on with light fixtures that can house normal daylight bulbs, so I got the ones with tungsten lamps instead. Not much of a choice since other eBay sellers don't freakin' reply to emails/questions!! Hopefully I can modify them somehow and attach a different lamp to the tripods. (That'll call for an IKEA run). After taking photos, I was glued to the television for a couple hours. Chuck, Heroes, and Life. Ah, love Monday night programs. I believe this is the end of the season for all shows until the beginning of 2008? I don't particularly watch a lot of TV, so I'm not sure how it works. I'll be in Taiwan soon anyways, so I don't mind the pause. After TV it was time for me to get working. Although I'm done with my portion of the group project, which includes an Intro, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion, title page, and bibliography since the weekend, I'm now stuck with revising what my other group members failed to do. Grammar errors, false claims, improper citations, redundancy, run-on sentences, lack of transitions, no connection to thesis = FTL! How do people pass their classes each quarter? It's not even C work. If I were a TA, I'd wipe my ass with their words. So true, so sorry.

Added two new lists. Hope to post some new photos soon when I have time.

I woke up today ready to work. Started by posting my required commentary on another person's post as "homework." Then I worked on my dad's website. Took about 2 1/2 hours, maybe more. It was a lot of photos to edit, sort, post, etc. At one point, I thought my computer froze before I could save too. Then I did reading for one of my classes. No break in between, mind you. After 3/4 of the reading, I went out to Galleria at Tyler. Bought shoes, impulse buy perhaps, but I have put some thought into it and with coupon (which expired today: 40% off, so well planned?) they ended up costing $33.93 with tax. Ate at Charley's in the mall for a lunch/dinner, which is very much like Great Steak and Potato. A Sicilian steak sandwich, or something of the sort. Delicious explosion of meatiness, but not overdone. By the time I got back, Lakers were already in the 4th quarter and I kind of knew how the outcome would have been..I had recorded it on DVR, so I watched that (Knew they lost since Dooling was being interviewed) and enjoyed Kobe's 1st quarter. Can't say much about the second half though. Somewhere during that time of watching, I managed to finish reading the rest of the class materials, but now I need to read for another class. π.π!!