roboppy.net

Wow, I didn't update this thing since Tuesday? I don't even remember what has happened since Tuesday. Crap.

Wednesday. ....Wednesday. Oh yes, I had my music theory midterm and it was a lot like the quiz my teacher had previously given us. I was pretty surprised. After that it was off to the media cloisters (I haven't a clue if the website is ever updated, but then again our big project now is to make a new website) to do...um...stuff? I worked on centering the main div which works fine if your monitor has a gigantic resolution, but if you're like the rest of the world, the centering doesn't work well because it uses negative magins which you can't scroll to view. Damn. I was really happy with it at first until that problem came up. Also, it only looks good in Firefox, although for some reason the scrollbar isn't clickable for me (but the arrows work). This just sucks.

Making websites is just annoying sometimes. There are so many things I want to do with my websites, but I haven't gotten started on ANYTHING and at this rate I never will. Here are my priorities:

1. install movable type at evenmagnet.net and somehow configure it so I can use it for the discography and tour sections
2. sometime implement MT so I can use it for the roboppy.net photo section
3. figure out how to customize scrollbars for the cloisters site

I probably won't do any of these things, but they're in my head. Somewhere. Covered with dust, underneath the couch. You know what, I haven't sat on a couch in a long time. I have no idea why I just said that. Where did the word "couch" come from anyway? Couch? And where did "sofa" come from? Where did any word come from? WHERE?!

Sofa couch sofa couch sofa couch couch sofa!

Thursday started off pretty nicely, despite having to go to a 9 AM class and the weather being gloomy. My psych teacher said it must've been the worst day to come to class, just a day before vacation (actually, the next day had worse weather and WAS the day vacation was starting, but my bio teacher doesn't give us pity...haha) so he let us out 15 minutes early (which he actually does every now and then). This was great in my case because I wanted to go to Japanese class early to see the first section's presentations, although I missed the first couple since the class started at 10 AM. We all had to present a project in Japanese, but it could be based on anything we wanted. I chose to sing and write a song in Japanese about Yuebing and as Thursday loomed closer I realized that I had never played guitar and sang in front of any person before, not to mention a group of people. During the time before I had to present I started looking out the 3rd story window longingly, wondering if it would do much hard to jump out.

The people before me went through their presentations way too quickly. Dammit! The guy who went before me performed "I Want You Back" along with a recording by the Japanese version of the Jackson 5. He was really good (he's a music major) and then I realized..."I have to go after HIM?" Oh god. But I have to admit that things could have gone much worse. I was nervous as hell and my singing wasn't that great (and I suck at guitar), but some of my practice runs had been worse. So! Overall, could've been worse. That's how I look at the bright side. My teacher wants me to record it so she can have it on tape...ahh!

Oh, and if you're curious enough, here are the lyrics (although they won't work if you don't have the Japanese language pack on your computer):

とても　かわいい　うさぎ　が　います。 とくべつ　な　うさぎ　が　います。. このうさぎ　が　だいすき　です。 このうさぎ　は、だれ　ですか？

おなまえ　は　ユエビン　です。
よこはま　しゅっしん　です。
かのじょ　を　ハグしたい　です。
かのじょ　が　にほん　に　います。

たべもの　は　あたま　の　うえ　に　あります。
チョコレートたまご　が　あります。
もの　が　たくさん　あたま　に　あります。
たべたこと　が　できません。

おなまえ　は　ユエビン　です。
よこはま　しゅっしん　です。
かのじょ　を　ハグしたい　です。
かのじょ　が　にほん　に　います。

とても　かわいい　うさぎ　が　います。
とくべつ　な　うさぎ　が　います。
このうさぎ　が　だいすき　です。
このうさぎ　は、だれ　ですか？

I don't feel like translating it because it's pretty stupid...but it could've been worse! I know there aren't spaces in Japanese (unless it's a children's book or something) but it helped me out a bit. While I wasn't the only student singing and memorizing a song, or even the only one who wrote one (the guy who lives across the hall from me wrote his own song too), I maybe have been the only person that did all three. I missed the other guy's performance since he's in the first section and performed first, but I would have loved to see it.

I don't think I'll ever play guitar and sing in front of anyone again. At least not in Japanese. It was so unlike me to even do that as my project! There's a first time for everything though, even when you're as shy as I am.

Friday was great because I got to come home! I haven't been home for weeks, and I had actually started getting used to stayed in school every weekend. Last semester I came home on almost ever weekend, which was kind of sad, but I honestly didn't have much to do in school. Bio in the morning was pretty pointless as we had to do an assignment online and the website wasn't working well. I never really know what's going on in that class, to tell you the truth. Japanese class was okay, although made me feel confused like usually. I have a 91 in that class...91! Just a few more points and I'd feel more comfortable. I won't die if I get a B+ or an A- of course, but I'd really like an A in that class. I can brush off psychology and bio, but for me, Japanese is that class that makes me think, "I can do well if I try hard enough!" Which reminds me, I need to make some kanji flash cards. I am truly awful at kanji.

You can trademark the name Kathleen? Wow, I didn't know how much stuff Amrican Girls has been making since I was into it. I used to read the Molly series all the time when I was in grade school (I've never read the other ones) and for some reason also bought trading cards and pins, but I never succumbed to buying the entire Molly doll set ...even though I really, really wanted it. I'm glad I didn't because it's not like I'd have any use for it now, but a lot of my classmates had them. I think on Halloween some of them dressed up like the character and would carry around the doll. I remember playing with some of my classmates' dolls and thinking they were the coolest thing, although I may have been more impressed with the little accesories that came with the doll than the doll itself. Man, it's so weird looking at this stuff again. I don't have any of the books anymore, but I think I can still remember some of the stories.

Wow, this entry is pretty boring right now. I'm not really tired or anything, but...(looks at watch)...I do have to wake up in about 3 and a half hours. I think I'll just stay up then. My mum and I are getting picked up at 6-something AM to go to the airport, and then we'll be on the 6-fhour flight to California (it takes 4 hours to come back). I just read that it takes 5 hours to fly to Iceland, which I never thought about before. Iceland just feels so much farther, but I guess it isn't much father than California? I mean, it's in a different direction so that would affect the flight time, but still, it's not like going to Taiwan. So. Yeah. I still need to figure out what to do about going to England, like where/when/how. I also need to renew my passport, as my current one expires in September. I didn't even USE this one in the past four years! My first passport is chock full of stamps (I always got annoyed with Taiwanese customs because they wouldn't stamp in the boxes and in a perfect world, all the stamps would be nicely organized) which fascinates me now because I haven't been anywhere that far in a long time. I did go to Mexico last year, but I guess passports didn't need to be stamped.

On Friday I got my haircut with my mum, not to get any particular style but just to get a trim. I think it's been four months since my last haircut, which is probably really long considering how short my hair is. We stopped by Kinokuniya since it's right by the hair salon and I wanted to get this issue of Idea, but it wasn't there! *sniff* They usually have a bunch of back issues, so I was hoping to get one. Maybe it's better I don't have it since it costs $40 (but it's much more like a book than a magazine), but I still want it. Blah.

My haircut came out very nice and a different guy cut it this time. I think I've had my hair cut by every stylist who works there, actually. I never care who actually cuts my hair because I haven't noticed any difference, but they always ask that when you make an appointment. Anyhoo, I was wearing my Poofy shirt and one of the ladies said it was cute! I tried to communicate in Japanese, but failed miserably. All I could figure out to say was "kakimasu," which means to write, or to draw in the case of pictures. I told the guy who was cutting my hair that I'm taking Japanese, but I'm just really bad at it (can anyone be really good at Japanese after learning it for less than a year?). He asked me what else I knew how to say, and all I could think of was "Usagi ga, daisuki desu" ...which wasn't totally random since my shirt had Poofy on it. Yeah, that phrase will be handy someday, I'm sure. I can spontaneously break into song!

Speaking of Poofy, if you live in the Philippines you can read a comic in the latest issue of MTV Ink! Don't you want to be as cool as this hippo? Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! IT'S TRIPLE THE AWESOME! YOU MUST ZOOM IN ON THE AWESOME! I have to thank Luis for being super-awesome (I need to expand my vocabulary, I know). He's super-awesome regardless of pushing Poofy onto Philippino youth (I will control their minds, mwaahahaah!). He also interviewed me for an article about young people making things, and I think I'll post the chat transcript here later because some people may find it interesting. Or...probably not. It's such an ego-trip to talk about yourself for a long time.

I should finish packing now. I'm bringing my laptop with me, so I can post things during my vacation...the blogging never stops!