aspir(al)ing

Living In The Past.

Posted by terri | Filed under ryuichi

Finally! After a month of having two awesome gifts in my possession, I get to watch them on my TV! My friend Tomoya gave me two LUNA SEA concert DVDs from Japan: 真冬の野外 (Mafuyu no Yagai – 1996.12.23 concert) and 真夏の野外 (Manatsu no Yagai – 1998.08.10 concert) both of which needed a region 2 or region-free DVD player to view them. I did not have one, except for my iBook, and I couldn’t figure out how to hack my Blu-Ray / DVD player (and not that I wanted to try.) Thankfully, I was given a DVD player by a friend who recently upgraded their home theatre and then I was able to dig up the hack for unlocking the region code. WIN!

This entry is a continuation of the one two entries ago, as I had promised Tomoya after receiving his thoughtful gifts. No one cares to know about how crazy I am for this band, except for maybe Tomoya, but I definitely will love writing this entry!
Read the rest of this entry…

Twitter-pated!

Posted by terri | Filed under blogmeta

Today makes one year since I relaunched my blog (which was still ra-se-n.net) as well as my then dormant Twitter account. I have not really done that many blog entries in the past year (34, not counting this one) but I have done a lot of Twitter updates (776, if you’re wondering.) My preference in the “method of oversharing” is clear.

I can’t remember when or why I first signed up for Twitter, but in the beginning, I hardly put it to use. I knew of a couple of social media gurus who used it, and I think I just signed up for the sake of signing up. It was when iPhone 2.0 came out that I had started to use it more and more; it made all the difference. Though I could have used Twitter via mobile web, it didn’t provide the fluidity of a native app which 2.0 offered. Needless to say, I twitter from my iPhone almost all the time.

I recognize that Twitter takes a lot away from my regular blogging as it meets the need of getting quick and sometimes random sentences and thoughts out there on the Internet. I think with Twitter, I may never get into that groove of blogging nearly everyday like I had back with my old blog back in 2001 – 2002. Things roll so much faster when all I need to do is get a thought out in 140 characters or less.

When I do put a blog out on aspiraling.com, I try to put a little more thought and cohesion to my entries, but more than half the time, I get distracted and end up giving up altogether. For 2009, I had hoped to make it a New Year’s Resolution that I would write at least one entry a week. Perhaps if I had verbalized it here, I might have actually stuck to it; but then again, I’m not very good at verbalizing things a lot of the time so that’s why it never happened. As I am trying to get more into the routine of things, I am placing hope that I can get myself and my thoughts more organized and that this current run of my blog will have more significant and interesting entries in its second year.

I definitely find my Twitter entries (or “tweets”) to be rather significant and sometimes interesting as I go through them. I find Twitter as an awesome tool to post-remember things that I’ve felt and experienced, even if they are about the most trivial things (and maybe not so trivial. Anyone remember the blackout aka #hipower?) And though I put them on the Internet to share with others, I don’t think I use it much as a tool for communicating with the world like many other people do. A lot of the time, I end up forgetting how much of the world is actually reading my rants and blurbs.

To celebrate my one year with Twitter, I went ahead and archived all 776 of my tweets into a .csv file using a web app called Tweettake. The app works fairly well. I’m a little sour that I hadn’t thought of creating the app first. It would have been an awesome challenge to create it for myself, but I guess I can be relieved that someone made it so that I can use it right here and right now.

Upon seeing what I’ve written in the past year in tweets and entries, I’m finding that it would be awesome to utilize my blog more and to make something meaningful out of my online presence, even if it is just for myself. I can definitely celebrate the success of my blog, but I would love to reach for more.

Twenty-Nine And a Half.

Posted by terri | Filed under health, watashi

I had a good friend who once told me that St. Patrick’s Day is a day that I should celebrate because for me, it marks 6 months until my birthday. That was something I could appreciate because that day marked the longest possible time between my last birthday and my next birthday. On the other hand, I hate being reminded that I am getting “incrementally older.”

Today being March 17th, I am now 29 “and a half” years old. I have been thinking about this day for awhile now. I figured when the day came, I would just be thinking about how I can savor the next 6 months of being a “twenty-something.” The big 3-0 seems like a huge deal to me and I guess it has a lot to do with the unrealized potential I’ve had throughout my twenties and earlier. The sensible part of me says that age really is just a number, and that I shouldn’t let a number tell me that it’s too late to follow my dreams or to strive for something better. Then there’s a passionately sensitive part of me that says that I just can’t ignore the significance of two whole digits changing in my age.

A week ago, I got a HUGE wake up call about how I’ve been living my life these past 5 years. At this time, I won’t go into details except to say that it has to do with going to the doctor for the first time in 10+ years. My outlook on life, in a matter of a 15 minute visit with the doctor, ended up changing entirely. In this past week, I’ve gone through a range of emotions such as embarrassment, disappointment, and sadness. Perhaps a sense of relief came over me as well as I have finally gotten explanation of what was going on with me as mentioned in an earlier entry. I’ve approached the news with humor and also with anger, but I have no choice but to look my situation in the face and just deal with it. So today, instead of thinking of unrealized dreams and lamenting on the past, I ended up thinking of the future — knowing that my situation presents an opportunity I have NO CHOICE but to take.

In realizing my mortality, my thirties are definitely going to be different. It definitely takes something like being told that you can die if you don’t change that can motivate you to realize your potential. I know it’s not going to be easy, and so I’m very grateful for the support system I have and for those who haven’t been so supportive because of their lack of understanding, I won’t take it personally nor will I let it set me back.

I know 30 is really just a number, and when I get there, I probably will think it’s not such a big deal after all. I have friends who are already there who say that ends up being the case. So maybe this news comes as a coincidence coming near my “29 and a half birthday.” Whatever the case, I have quite a road ahead of me.

Fangirl Renewed.

Posted by terri | Filed under tomodachi, tunes

I’m pretty stoked to be finally be writing in my blog. At any given time, I can think of about a dozen topics I can cover, but I never get around to making the entry. There’s a bit of added pressure for me to write this entry because of a wonderful deed a good friend did for me.

Over a week ago, I had twittered about making my way to Hakubundo after work so that I could see if they had Ryuichi Kawamura’s newly released single, “ヒロイン” (Heroine). I wasn’t entirely expecting them to have the CD single in stock, but I thought that maybe they could special order it for me and I could just add more points to my membership card with them. Since coming back from Japan in 2000, I had pretty much bought all of my Japanese CDs from them and my purchases accumulated a bit over the years. After so many purchases, you can get a free CD single, and even an album (limited to the stock on hand when you decide to redeem, of course.)

Upon arriving at Hakubundo that day, I was distressed by this sign they had posted:

I could understand that times that are hard, and the nature of their business probably had changed quite a bit since starting that program whenever they did. I should have been surprised that the program lasted as long as it did. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel a bit shafted. I was able to tolerate paying the high prices they charged me when I special ordered items from Japan, because I thought as a loyal customer I would be rewarded with at least the recognition that I had spent so much money there over the years.

And when I realized that they did not have RK’s new single, I walked out and decided that my 8 year old customer relationship with Hakubundo was over.

I did my little whine on Twitter and then on to iChat to the one person who knows my RK fanaticism more than anyone else, my “good friend” whom I refer to as “ii.Tomo.” I expressed my feeling to Tomo that I should just stop with this ファンガール business of needing to get any new CD single or album that RK releases. I’ve known for a long time now that I don’t connect so much with what RK releases now than before when he was full of angst and raw energy. I did feel though that buying RK’s work was my way of connecting with an artist that I greatly and deeply admire. Isn’t that always the case?

A week later, I got a slip of paper in my mailbox telling me that there is an Express Mail package waiting for me at my local post office.

And so, you can see where this is going. My “good friend,” who is currently in Japan for an extended stay bought me RK’s “ヒロイン” single along with LUNA SEA’s “真夏の野外” DVD and their “真冬の野外” DVD. As happy as I am to add more of Ryuichi’s stuff to my collection, I was more stoked that Tomo got the stuff for me just to surprise me and to make me bounce off the walls in glee!

In the package, Tomo wrote a note telling me that I owe him an blog entry to be all ファンガール about Ryuichi and LUNA SEA, but I decided this should be an entry about how I should be all ファンガール about having such a thoughtful buddy.

This has made my day and then some, you will not believe:

Thank you, 友也君.

ファンガール post about RYUICHI/RK in progress…

Another One Bites the Dust.

Posted by terri | Filed under miscellany

Over a year after CompUSA shut down, it’s practically dejavu — another big box electronics retailer has bit the dust. Yesterday, Circuit City announced that it was going out of business and liquidating all its assets. As early as the following morning after this announcement, liquidation of all its 550+ locations began, including Hawaii’s only location at Pearlridge center.

Out of curiosity, I decided to check out Circuit City after work. Looking throughout the store, it appeared that everything was at least 10% off, with CDs and DVDs at about 20% off. Considering Circuit City’s regular prices, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. There might have been some pretty good deals at the beginning of the day but with a line of people waiting since the crack of morning, it’s likely it was long gone by the time I got there at around 5PM.

Sure, I was thinking that maybe I could find something at a good price, but what I really wanted to see was the type of crowd it would draw. I was thinking that no matter how crappy people say our economy is, there will be people willing to spend money on discretionary items if it’s on sale and as long as their credit card can take it. And sure enough, the liquidation event attracted quite a crowd. There were lines of people throughout the store with armfuls of items that they probably didn’t really need, particularly video games and DVDs. It was mostly amusing watching people react to what they saw in the store. Some people were just grabbing all sorts of titles despite the fact that the prices weren’t any lower than you would find them online.

Did I end up getting anything? I thought about a couple of things I could get like a second PS2 controller or another SD card for my Rebel XSi. However, when I did the math, I realized that I could get those things cheaper online or that the savings of a couple of bucks was not worth a 30 min to 1 hour wait in line. That being said, it certainly can’t be a surprise that Circuit City is going out of business just like CompUSA did; no one wants to pay the added on costs that come with items that are sold through big box retailers.

Major kudos to the people working at Circuit City today. I can imagine how tough it was for them to come into work, but a lot of them carried on professionally, and some of them in the face of horrible, demanding customers. My sympathies to those who lost their jobs…

2009 is off to its expected sucky start for a lot of of us, but at least we can hold on to hope for change.

A Decade of Digital.

Posted by terri | Filed under digital life, geektech, natsukashii

It was over 10 years ago on December 25, 1998 that I got my first digital camera. It was a Fujifilm DX-7 camera that my parents had gotten for me for Christmas.

Read the rest of this entry…

The Cookie Baking Post.

Posted by terri | Filed under tabemono, tetsukuri

It is almost December 25th, and I’m afraid to say that I haven’t done the things that I had hoped to do for the holidays. Hunny and I took pictures for our Christmas Card but never got to put a card together. I’ve also gotten very little shopping down, which will probably result in me getting some last minutes gift cards…and online.

I did manage to get some baking done, though the only thing Christmasy about it was that it was for a Christmas Party for my day job. I think that it is quite an achievement since I hadn’t baked anything for a couple of years. Our house had gotten a new oven about 4 years ago, but I never got to use it for baking until Saturday night when I decided to make Rice Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies. It took about 3 hours to get about 7 batches of cookies baked and ready. Though I had made them before, I was worried that they would turn out disastrous. I was afraid to even taste them, but thankfully Hunny gave me the thumbs up from the first bite. As with anything else I do, I took pictures!

Mixing it all up!

Fresh out of the oven!

Peanut Butter Chips for the last batch!

Thankfully, they were a hit rather than a miss at the Christmas picnic the following day. It has not inspired me to bake more or to try to make new desserts but it has encouraged me for this coming Christmas Day when I have to make Christmas turkey at my house along with some if not most of the fixings.

Happy Holidays!

At the top of the Wish List.

Posted by terri | Filed under kawaii

If someone were to ask me what I REALLY want for Christmas. I would respond with the following four words: “I want a kitty!”

I was fortunate to have grown up with several generations of cats in and near my household. Since I came back to Hawaii from Japan, I have been without a cat. Anytime I see a feral kitty, I would stop for a moment to look at it and admire its cuteness despite how mangy to the touch it might actually be. And of course, let’s not forget my countless trips to the Hawaiian Humane Society. I think my collection of HHS cats on my iPhoto could fill a warehouse.

So, what’s stopping me from getting a cat? Well, it used to be that I didn’t have the time or that I was barely home to take care of one. Seeing as I no longer go to school or work two jobs anymore, I can’t really say that anymore. What’s stopping me from getting a cat now is that my poor boyfriend is allergic, despite him being a big animal lover. And though we don’t live together right now, it’s most likely going to happen within the next year or so.

I joke with Hunny sometimes that him not being able to have a cat is the dealbreaker for our otherwise strong and happy union. As a response, he did give me a link to this website:

Allerca: Hypoallergenic Cats

Apparently, this company called Allerca has been genetically engineering hypoallergenic cats for over 2 years. According to their website, they breed cats that give off significantly less levels of a cat allergen that often give some people miserable symptoms such as watery eyes, congestion, runny notes and the like.

The cost? They start at $6950.

Methinks I’ll be making several more stops at the Hawaiian Humane Society to get my fill of fur.

De-Scrooged?

Posted by terri | Filed under heart, home, natsukashii, watashi

We are at last in December and with Thanksgiving done and gone, it is time for the Christmas spirit to come into full swing. For about 10 years or so now, December hasn’t filled me with any Christmas spirit for a variety of reasons. I am, however, hopeful that this year will be different.

Kicking off Christmas: Happy December 1st!

Without going into too much detail, I want to say that life this year has definitely been more settled as opposed to the past 10 years, and I think it’s finally time to embrace the Christmas spirit. I’ve been thinking of ways that I could “de-scrooge” myself as I have normally been “bah humbug” about the entire holiday season. I came up with a couple of things, some of which I probably WON’T go through with.

Christmas Tree: The last time I had a Christmas tree in my house was in 1996. Every Christmas tree we got years prior were awesome, though our decorations were a bit ghetto fabulous. It definitely brought a spirit of Christmas that not even the most tricked out gift could. As much as I would love to welcome that wonderful, nostalgic scent into my home, it certainly is not practical enough for me to get one. I won’t have much presents to put under the tree and the electricity bill at my house runs high enough as it is. I admit, I feel a bit of the “mommy pangs” when I think about Christmas trees, because I think I can only justify getting one if I had a child to enjoy it. Not gonna happen this year.

Christmas Baking: I definitely take joy in baking and creating stuff in the kitchen, but my success rate has never been good and so I find that I have not been doing it much lately. I think Christmas time is as good enough a time as ever to start again. I’m thinking of cookies and other desserts that I can try my hand at to give out at Christmas time. And if Hunny volunteers to do the dishes, I can be even further motivated!

Christmas Party: I mentioned back in July or so that I wanted to do some kind of housewarming party to celebrate the closing of the “sale” on the house. I’ve made the house a little more inviting with the removal of a lot of clutter and the addition of a new TV, but I have to admit that I am still a little shy about bringing people into my house as I still feel it’s a bit messy and dare I say it, perpetually 汚い? Well, we shall see… I won’t rule it for this holiday season…

Photo Christmas Card: This tops the “most likely to do” list. It was actually Hunny’s idea that we do one this year. We haven’t discussed execution, but we don’t anticipate it being a huge production as I have seen with other people I know. And I think being the  geeks that we are, we probably will do it with iPhoto.

So my hope is that I will at least do one or two things to for the holiday season. My iTunes library has been rechecked with Christmas songs, and so I’m ready to get this season started…

Ramen Wars.

Posted by terri | Filed under tabemono

With all the indulgence of this Thanksgiving not too far from our memory, it seems inappropriate to make a post about ramen, of all things. Let’s just say that this is what happens when you don’t blog right away when you mean to. So here goes…

I have a rather unique thing with ramen compared to any other dish out there. When I lived in Japan, going to an authentic ramen shop was always a treat because of the pride that I knew the restaurant put in their dishes. Coming back to Hawaii, I held very low expectations for ramen as it seemed that all the restaurants get their noodles from the same supplier (that being Sun Noodle) and they ended up tasting the same and very less than ordinary. Ramen has to be really good for me to like it; I wouldn’t settle for subpar ramen as I do for other things. I think just to please others or to be part of the group, I would “endure” a bowl of ramen from places like Ezogiku or Daiichi.

These past several weeks, I had the opportunity to go to not just one but two ramen establishments on the island that have a reputation for being authentic. That being said, I went in with the expectation that some extraordinary ramen was out there to be had. The first one I tried out was ごまいち (Gomaichi) on Keeaumoku Street across from Wal-Mart upon the recommendation of many of my co-workers. I felt that my co-workers could appreciate a really good bowl of ramen, and so I decided to give it a shot with my friend Kent. I ordered the Char Siu Tan Tan Men which is apparently one of their best selling items. I have to say that it was quite magnificent. There was a kick to that broth and richness unlike anything I had before. The noodles were also quite different and well prepared. And where usually I find ramen overfilling with its mediocre soup, I managed to down almost every drop of what was in my bowl. Definitely good stuff. I can see that a lot of other people think so too. When they opened up for dinner, the small place quickly filled up; it even appeared that many Japanese speaking residents (or dare I say tourists?) frequent the place. Hey, so it’s got to be REALLY good.

And then a couple of days ago, I went to another ramen restaurant upon the suggestion of my sister. My sister, who had never been to or even heard of ごまいち, had said that Yotteko-ya in the McCully Shopping Center had the best ramen. I ordered their signature dish, the Paitan Chashu Ramen. The noodles were fairly good, but the soup just seemed bland to me despite it looking good with its unique looking texture. Perhaps with my expectations were set a bit too high, I ended up leaving the place a bit disappointed.

So the winner for me was obviously ごまいち (Gomaichi), and upon telling my sister this, she is anxious to try it out. To any readers (or lurkers) I may have that reside on our lovely island, I definitely recommend that you check it out at least once to try their Tan Tan Men. Gomaichi is located on 631 Keeaumoku Street on the other side of Makaloa Street from the old Tower Records store (or new Walgreens, if you actually visit that place.) I think they have parking on Makaloa Street, but otherwise, you can go during a trip to Ala Moana and just walk through Nordstrom’s to get to the Kapiolani Boulevard exit where the restaurant is only a block away. It is a cash-only establishment, and prices start at about $9 up. For some variety, I would definitely recommend ordering vegetables in addition to ordering the ramen because you otherwise just get meat and noodles in soup.

Not sure when is the next chance I’ll get to go to Gomaichi to eat, especially with all this ingestion of turkey and other bad food with lots of leftovers to be had. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and am actually looking forward to the holidays. I hope there will be more entries in the coming weeks, and that the mention of food will be to a minimum.

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Aloha!

Hello from the island of O'ahu in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I am terri, a local girl who at 30 is trying to make sure that life doesn't entirely pass her by. I've recently become engaged and am enjoying living a great life in paradise.