| First post of new job, new home, new country... |
[Jul. 12th, 2008|03:40 pm] |
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step."- ancient Chinese proverb.
"Watch out for that first step...it's a doozy..." -Bugs Bunny, modern American philosopher.
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Finally got past the form and got to Korea with my new position teaching. Early thoughts from the trip:
1- Finally had a charm with the second attempt to go. First attempt failed due to the wrong name [put my name in Korean, not Western format]. Second attempt nearly failed, due to the company this booking had cancelling my ticket at the last minute and not being open until the plane took off. [Luckily, my mother paid for the ticket and my bosses will reimburse me.]
From plane-
PROS- I won't have to do this again [luckily the job is cool, because the commute is a doozy...
1- 75 mile drive from home to Boston
2- plane from Boston to Chicago
3- plane from Chicago to Tokyo
4- plane from Tokyo to Seoul
5- bus from Seoul to Gwangju [by this time, I was roughly up for 32 hours straight and so exhausted I actually thought I hallucinated understanding Korean.] When throwing in that I had woken up after what I thought was a long sleep, only to be two hours...more fun.
CONS- was not able to use enough speech for the language. Instead of being able to bone up on my Korean, I had to use the plane ride to bone up on reading lips...due to my seat's speakers not working for the inflight movies.
Finally, I managed to get here- with problems from the end of it [failure to communicate led to the people I knew not getting here in time- in actuality, it was the wrong place [they went to departures, I got in at arrivals]. Throw in the closed Internet kiosks at the bus terminal [indeed, only the three 7-11s in the terminal were open], and it was...fun.
Random other thoughts:
-As if I didn't need another reason to like Japanese culture...they give free samples of hard liquor at the Narita airport. Fun...
-When you're a new traveller, even a bottle of Coke can seem like a new trial. |
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| Days weird enough to blow the dust off this lj... |
[Apr. 26th, 2008|04:48 am] |
Okay...some days are just too weird for words and need to go in this [apparently saved for those days just too weird for words.]
Since graduating/looking for work/trying desperately to get all the paperwork ready for my 'theoretical' signed job, one of the biggest problems while having work done was the fact that while at home looking for work, I kept getting phone calls from some company called 'Mercantile' that kept giving some recording/phone number. Googling the company name said it was a finance company of some kind- that I hadn't applied for during the sporadic Monster/JobsInRI/OceanStateHelpWanted Sprees while looking for work. Checks by both my finance companies dealt with and the companies my mother deals with said neither one of us dealt with the company. These recording phone calls soon turned to out-and-out harassment over the last year, forcing me to disconnect my downstairs phone [after pretty much half of the calls I received being from this Mercantile company], probably costing me at least half of my job hunt [since I could never truly know which calls are coming in from this company and which are actual job offers], and making me ready to get a restraining order on the company [my mother tried reaching the number during business hours only to receive no answer on the phone. When I tried to call the number and 'received' an answer, I told the guy 'Look, we don't have any business with you, you've been calling us for months, put us on your Do Not Call list, if you ever call this number again I will call the police'...
...only for the guy to call right back and say 'So...are you going to call the police now?' and say straight up 'Now I don't WANT to tell you why we're calling' and flat-out refusing to put us on the Do Not Call list.
Finally, after trying for months to get these people, my mother found the people and said the same things, giving an answer to this whole thing...as the people checked and gave them a different surname from ours...my older brother's last name. The whole year was dedicated to them going after my brother [who, oh yeah, hasn't lived here in about 15 years] all along.
Oh, just to take this from 'Alanis' Ironic to 'actual' ironic...
The same day my mother gets in touch with the place to get this information to close that out, my mother gets a call from my brother anyway...
...where he says he and his wife made a land deal down where they live in Florida which, when the sale was completed and the value was finished, officially made my brother a millionaire (and pretty much means he could have paid for whatever debt he'd have accumulated up here without a problem.) |
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| Another bad day to quit sniffing glue... |
[Sep. 7th, 2007|02:38 pm] |
...strange how whenever I have things to post, my life either seems uneventful, eventful...but not enough for a lot of work, or catastrophic.
A good example: Yesterday.
On Wednesday, in an attempt to nip a problem in the bud with my car (the result of not finding out until trying to that you need two people to open the hood of my new one), I went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil changed and a nagging antifreeze leak fixed. When I get there, the response- normal "evaporation", filled it up and did the rest of the natural things.
Cut to yesterday. With my car "fixed", I head out to a late showing of "Stardust" (if it's still playing in your theaters and you haven't seen it yet- DO SO.). Nothing happened...until I made my way home, when my car overheated and stopped up (only with me being lucky enough to get off the freeway beforehand.)
Not a problem- we still had my old car...
...except it just happened to break down the same day that my cousin finally found a buyer for it (and the day they were going to pick it up.)
I then proceeded to go to walk up and get things set with it- only for my car to get the news, then have to go back up later today to talk to the manager at Jiffy Lube in the forlorn hope of getting a refund...
...only to forget my keys and have to break in to my house to get through it.
And if all this wasn't enough to say "Maybe you should've stayed in bed, they got my order wrong at Dunkin' Donuts when I went to get my mom something for work [in an attempt to pay her back for helping me get to my cousin's house in the attempt to get the car switched.) |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 5th, 2007|11:27 pm] |
Why did my club become the Four Stooges in the last week before I graduate?
Today, as a last hurrah before I graduate, we all went to see Spider-Man 3. We decide to head to a nearby Japanese restaurant for a meal beforehand. One decides to go to Subway next door instead. We get the meal, we proceed to eat. One of them doesn't know how the restaurant operates (you need a token to get to the bathrooms), we see the other member. He said that he was going to eat out in the sun. We finish eating and get ready for the 6:50 showing...no other member. We go in, assuming he went to the earlier show (there were two shows: 6 and ours.) At around 8:20 (the time the movie he would have went to would have let out), I check the lobby...no other member. We wait until the movie ends...not out in the lobby. We look in the stores still open- not there. Finally, we got to someone in his dorm...to find he ditched out and went home on the shuttle back to school.
...yeah, I may need to stay just to keep these people sane... |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 3rd, 2007|10:43 pm] |
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...well, if nothing else, at least there were some memories from the last club meeting... |
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| Bored. Found a random HS meme... |
[Jan. 29th, 2007|02:39 am] |
1. Who was your best friend?
My boy Dave- still tight to this day...
2. What sports did you play?
Soccer, softball, and cheerleading (my school didn't have a sports team, yet we had a cheerleading squad. Go figure.)
3. What kind of car did you drive?
1989 Ford Escort, but was able to get a 1997 Saturn SL1 from my father late in the year
4. It's Friday night, where were you?
Working or going to the movies with the other Film Club members
5. Were you a partier?
Nope.
6. Were you considered a flirt?
Not particularly
7. Ever skip school?
Nope
8. Were you a nerd?
Yeah
9. Did you get suspended/expelled?
Never suspended or expelled, but did go up for the disciplinary committee once (got out of it with simple washing the desks)
10. Can you sing the fight song?
Didn't have one
11. Who was your favorite teacher?
I liked all of them, really.
12. Favorite class?
Creative Writing
13. What was your school's full name?
School One
14. School mascot?
Catfish
15. Did you go to Prom?
Yep.
16. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
I'd do it over and do more than I did do.
17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Seeing my father get to see me graduate, getting out of the hospital after nearly dying two days before the ceremony. That and cutting off my ponytail live on stage and presenting it to my advisor following a performance.
18. Favorite memories of your Senior Year?
The whole thing.
19. Where were you on senior skip day?
We didn't have a senior skip day.
20. Did you have a job your Senior Year?
Started Senior Year working at Burger King, then went to being a Clerk at Metropolitan Life.
21. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Subway in Wayland Square
22. Have you gained weight since then?
Yeah, but I look like I lost weight since then
23. What did you do after graduation?
College
24. When did you graduate?
2001
25. Who was your Senior prom date?
Went stag, left with someone anyway
26. Are you going to your 10 year reunion?
I doubt there'll be reunions at my school- you can see all your friends slacking off on Thayer any day of the week
27. Who was your home room teacher?
Cary
28. Who will repost this after you?
No idea |
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| Bored...once more... |
[Jan. 8th, 2007|02:49 pm] |
Another IPod First Line battle...
1) Put your media player/itunes on random
2) Write the first line of each song that comes up
3) Put it up for grabs for the guesses...have at it...:
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1. The sky has lost its color/the sun has turned to gray
2. She has a girlfriend now
3. Well you called me up this morning/ told me about the new love you found
4. We're the reflection of imperfection
5. I don't mind the weather/I've got scarves and caps and sweaters
6. Well I'm ever upper class high society
7. All those nights that we kissed are the nights that I miss
8. She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doing
9. Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say
10. I've got a friend who's a purebred killing machine
11. Oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh oh oh
12. The glove compartment isn't accurately named
13. I guess the time was right for us to say
14. I got your heart babe and you got mine
15. Love,hate mistakes,tell me what you think is going on,
16. Heaven meant to take my hand and lead me through the fire
17. It's been a while since I could hold my head up high
18. But I don't really care what people say
19. Bring back those good old days/ nothing feels right, nothing ever goes my way
20. Cause it's the pick of destiny child, you know that we'll be rocking 'cause it's fucking insane... |
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| Random things to love... |
[Dec. 19th, 2006|11:13 am] |
Random sights on the way to the hospital today:
-a person with fundamentalist Christian bumper stickers and pro-Bush stickers next to a bumper sticker saying "Beam me Up, there's no intelligent life on this planet." |
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| OH MY GOD! THERE IS NO (BEEPING) DRUMMER BETTER THAN NEIL PEART! |
[Nov. 27th, 2006|02:17 am] |
True tales of a Rock and Roll Newtype: In which the Hero gets involved in a Cockfight that Doesn't involve me putting people to Shame.
There I stood, on the brink of my destiny. In just 40 minutes, I was due to play the most important game of tic-tac-toe I had ever played. I hadn't played in 10 years, and was likely rusty as a result. Regardless, I stood here with 10,000 dollars on the line. All I had to do was defeat one opponent and the money would be mine. I stood waiting, listening to the soothing sounds from my mp3 player in order to make this easier. I waited as I watched my opponent, seeming to be restless.
It was at that moment I realized that my opponent was a live chicken.
I always wonder sometimes how I get into situations like these time and time again. There seems to be too many problems when I look at some of the weirder things that have happened to me- it always seems like whenever I check out these situations, my end results tend to have too many "I was bored", "I needed the money", or "I wanted to try it once" in it, and too few "I was young and curious", "I thought it would give a cool new kick", or "I needed a cowboy boot filled with cocaine." This seemed to be one of those situations where I seemingly backed into it (well, as much as you can back into having to face a live chicken at a children's game with 10,000 dollars on the line. In this situation, I got really bored during Thanksgiving break and needed something to do that could get me out of having to rake leaves all Saturday. Left to my own devices, this would be where I write about unbelievable situations, sleep, or generally slack off for the last true day of vacation before I'd have to drive back to campus. Left to my parents' devices, however, it ends up being a case of going to Foxwoods to spend 11 hours (only 6 of which had anything substantial to do, and only 8 of which did not actively leave me wishing for the sweet release of death.) As a result, I tried to get my Wampum Club points in order/get a new card (apparently my fourth as a member [going on fifth]- the result of being too pretty to keep track of things) and proceeded to go swipe it at one of the many kiosks. When hoping to see how many points I had, I ended up seeing the machine print something out.
There I saw it: "You have been chosen to play tic-tac-toe against a live chicken." I smiled a little bit and thought of the pluses- I mean at least they do not plan to put me up against a dead chicken, now...WAIT JUST A MINUTE HERE!
I don't know how they would go about choosing people for this- whether it's people who would likely be wide enough to eat chickens like them for breakfast (of which there would be many on a typical Foxwoods Saturday) or people who would be theoretically smarter than a chicken (of which there would be very few on a typical Foxwoods Saturday.) I waited around in an attempt to see what was going on for this. According to the things that I had seen, the casino was doing this as an attempt to hype up their newest restaurant, a franchise of El Pollo Loco. I kept on my general "wander around listening to mp3's" plan until noon, when the moment of truth arrived.
When I got to the place where the games were being held, I saw a relatively long line. Apparently, there were many people trying to defeat this chicken and strike a blow for the power of the food chain. I calmed myself, harkened back to my old school days watching a number of filmstrips based on things like this (only to get the wrong Troy McClure filmstrip as a result.) I turned up the mp3s in an attempt to soothe the nerves, keeping an eye on seeing the chicken play its array of opponents (many of whom were beaten soundly by the chicken. I kept waiting as the array of pure and utter smoothness kept my mind off my battle ahead. Finally, I was in a situation where I was on deck. I struck up the band a little bit, ready to show the world that I was indeed smarter than a chicken. I mean, I would have to be- could a chicken get into Green Mountain College? I mean, St.Joe's, maybe. Castleton? Definitely. But Green Mountain? (Don't answer that...) I waited as the chicken started playing an old man in front of us with some large mole on his face, wrinkly skin, and (more than likely) old balls. The match seemed competitive...until the chicken decided it wanted to stop playing and peck around for a little bit, most notably when the man clinched a tie with the bird. I guess that's why they call them chickens and not something like "Deathbringers", "The Fearless", or "Chuck Norrises." Eventually, it became my turn. The pressure became intense. My mp3 player won out in this instance, providing me with some peaceful music to keep my head cool- but then proceeding to go past that and give me a track from The Used instead. (It is at this moment when I mentally tell myself to work on a playlist of "Songs to play when you're facing a live chicken at a game of tic-tac-toe with 10,000 dollars on the line.") I saw the attendant swipe my card in an attempt to prove it was really me and not someone who stole my Wampum Club Card, ID, and pass to play. With that, the game was on. The chicken took first . Throughout, the battle raged on for...well, at least the time that it took for the song to play. In the end, however, justice was served- while no one else on the GMC campus has proof of their dominion over animal life, I can proudly stand tall and say that yes, I am just as smart as a chicken- the game ended up a tie. I remembered the words I was taught of these situations long ago for this game- "Did you ever play Tic-Tac-Toe? It's always a tie, the game is pointless." Then I realized that I didn't learn the wisdom so much as remember hearing it in "WarGames."
Afterwards, it seemed fairly normal. Since I could only get a tie game, all I won was a T-Shirt and no money. This is where the story should theoretically have a happier ending- me walking triumphantly to the slot machine room my parents were at, early 2000s pop music blasting as I did the classic slow-motion walk of success, rejoicing in the proof that I proved my equivalence to the animals trying to take our species' spot at the top of the food chain. However, it's then that I realized that this would be too cerebral an ending and would go over audience's heads, kind of like that one original ending of "Pretty in Pink" where Duckie was supposed to get the girl but then they realized it was more happy for the status quo if the rich preppie guy gets the girl instead. It is because of this that I ended up at the Hard Rock, the T-shirt draped over my right shoulder, me nursing a Dr Pepper & "I'm Too Poor To Have Alcohol With This". The bartender noticed the shirt and said "So...did you lose to the chicken?" I shook my head and replied "Nope, tied." He smiled and said "Yeah- everyone ties it." I waited a little bit, getting refills as necessary, until a waiter brings out a nice Buffalo Chicken Sandwich for me.
If me and the chicken ended up tying, I can take solace- my midnight snack tonight was one of his species. His chicken feed likely didn't involve eating any of my relatives. I think that's cause to claim that I won the war, right? |
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| Tagged by Zelly-chan- "O" |
[Nov. 14th, 2006|07:27 am] |
Why'd ya have to give me a hard letter, meanie?
1) Otome wa Boku ni Koshiteru- Actually, I don't know if I like this. I haven't technically watched an episode yet, just gathering it. However, who doesn't love cheesy anime series about guys forced to go to all-girls' schools and the romances he gets in by girls who think they're dating another girl?
2) Our Lady Peace- Just a number of really, really excellent rock albums (even if the last one nearly ended up getting friends spyware when they copied it for me...sorry, he who shall remain nameless...)
3) Outkast- sure, they became popular, but they're still just damn good at what they do...
4) "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" - but then, it's hard to pick just one good Ben Folds Five song (unless you're pigeonholed into having to do 10 things that start with "O"...
5)"One True Love"- I remember loving this song and not knowing who did it when I first heard it in 2001-02 area. I finally found out who did it last year...only to find out it was on the Semisonic album that I had stolen from me two years prior to that moment and hadn't replaced.
6) "One Week"- Perfect timing to first hear it (literally waking up to it the first day of summer 1998), kept liking it throughout.
7) "One"- Probably the best song U2 put out in the 1990s (and here I stretch for new ideas...almost used up my mp3 stash...
8) "Over My Head"- one of the best songs off a deceptively good soundtrack (Titan A.E.)
9) "Once Bitten Twice Shy"- A great hair metal anthem. Well, at least until the band kind of, sort of, killed 100 people from my home state. But the song still rocks, right?
10)...If I put my answer for number 10, every girl on my friends list will slap me.
Respond to this and I'll give you a letter (hopefully easier than mine)- then post in your lj 10 things you like starting with the letter. |
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| Stolen from M-Chan... |
[Oct. 19th, 2006|04:57 am] |
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Give me one reason I'm going to hell. Then post this request in your LJ, and I will tell you why YOU are doomed to eternal damnation!. |
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| My computer is possessed by the souls of the Doobie Brothers. |
[Sep. 7th, 2006|12:53 am] |
| [ | music |
| | "What a Fool Believes"- The Doobie Brothers. | ] |
Okay.
One of the typical things I do to make sure I have different music for all time periods. No problems usually...until now.
I'm going through the day, with one little problem- I've had the song "What a Fool Believes" stuck in my head all day. I try to go with my "hair of the dog" theory on getting it unstuck by listening to the song once. It goes through. I wait for the next song on media player.
This has been continuing for a half hour now: Media Player keeps playing the song. (Keep in mind- there are two versions of this song playing on an endless loop in my full mp3 list (a damn good collection of music.)
...get me an exorcist... |
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| Tapped by Roche-kun... |
[Sep. 1st, 2006|12:52 am] |
Go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 and look through the random quotations until you find five that you think reflect who you are or what you believe. Repost them in your journal (with this information) and tag five friends to complete this meme.
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.
Vince Lombardi (1913 - 1970)
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)
If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be - a Christian.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
More often than not, a hero’s most epic battle is the one you never see; it’s the battle that goes on within him or herself.
Kevin Smith, My Boring Ass Life, 04-18-06
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Tagging:
atrocious_angel
darkship
mariye
hamlettwisty
kylie_ gmc |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 29th, 2006|01:30 pm] |
1. Your Full Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band/Rapper/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...
1. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
2. Whats your philosophy on life?
3. Would you have my back in a fight?
4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
5. What is your favorite memory of us?
6. Would you give me a kidney?
7. Tell me one odd/intresting fact about you that I don't know already:
8. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?
9. Can we get together and make a cake?
10. have you heard any rumors of me lately?
11. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?
12. Do you think I'm a good person?
13. Would you drive across country with me?
14. Do you think I'm attractive?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?
18. Would you go on a date with me if i asked you?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?
21. URL of your LJ post of this quiz so I can fill it in for you: |
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| Yippie! |
[Aug. 18th, 2006|04:13 am] |
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Finished my first novel...finished my first novel...only took me entire summer...finished finished finished... |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 11th, 2006|01:30 am] |
Today I was given the opportunity to tell people "What's your defining moment?" At the time, I really couldn't think of a moment that defines me. That was in the middle of the day. Upon reflection, I think that the following day could describe a possible thing of at least one of my many facets (specifically, the "sleazy scoundrel" part of me):
Specifically, I called out of work saying my father was sick to go to a free concert at the mall, where I proceeded to have the band sign the manga I bought that day instead of the CD under guise of wanting something one of a kind (but in reality because I thought they were terrible and wanted to resell the CD), then proceeded to finish it off by eating after crashing a party for people who gave blood this summer... |
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| YEAH, BABY! |
[Apr. 14th, 2006|04:28 pm] |
I just got back from the bank in the attempts to deposit my check into my account to put in another payment on my Target card. When I got there, however, I was surprised to find that my account didn't say $100 or less (my "forlorn hope" goal each month to get it...)
The result? Over $7,000.
I called my parents, and it turns out that I got accepted for Social Security after all (meaning my health insurance problems are all set, and I got more money in addition- in this case, enough to pay off my Target card in full.)
Cha-CHING! |
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| The Gods Are Pleased! |
[Mar. 21st, 2006|02:23 am] |
I was officially able to find out how to DL Videos from YouTube...
It's official- our club's back in business to get all the coolest shows while they're really new without resorting to bootlegs!
*does the happy dance* |
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| Oh...dear...god...(also: The Gods were pleased...) |
[Mar. 18th, 2006|10:32 pm] |
During my procurement trip to get more stuff for the club (and get free admission to the Museum of Science), I managed to come across gold. Quite simply, I hold in my hands two of perhaps the most bootleg DVDs ever.
The final tally:
Initial D (live action):
All that needs to be said about how bootleg this is lies in the movie description:
"Five in the last yearses, the 18-year-old sea of drives the old automobile of of father( the yellow autum n living) to send to pass everydayBean curd, but practice unintentionally appear lost in thought to go I n to turn all alone of float and move technique. To the automobile milli- disinterest of he drive fatherTh e attends the hill path march, the old car deliver goods in normal times is more the class challenge race s car the brigade, the match fruit seems to break already and certainly. Anticipate the see of (?)ito win u nder public and astoundedly unexpectedly, a night become famous, even stiring up to rise he inherit of race car the desire, continuouslyFace a series of breathtaking and incomparable challenge matches!"
As if this wasn't enough, the film also included English for the film's information...only the info was taken from the Disney film "The Kid."
Memoirs of a Geisha:
Same story: This one's film "description" was taken from the Longest Yard remake, and the info was taken from Fight Club (with a lot of misspellings...)
The other stuff was more normal, but these were just much weirder... |
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