SHIYU BLOG

Exams are over!

2011-12-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

Finally I'm finished all my exams. That was the most stressful week of my life (maybe). The marks have already been posted and I did alright. I got better than I expected in two courses and worse than I expected in the other two. All in all I got two B's and two A's!

Ironically, the course I absolutely dreaded, computer science, was one of my highest marks in post secondary! I really can't believe it because I didn't understand a thing during class, always fell asleep and failed lab quizzes. I guess all that really matter were the midterms and final exam. For the final I studied a shitload. I basically taught myself everything that was taught in the last 5 weeks in 3 day's time and hoped for the best. I literally walked into the exam room thinking that there might be a chance I could fail the test if the questions were the ones I'm unfamiliar with. Luckily they had both easy and hard questions so it was okay.

Aside from exams, my winter break has finally begun! Aside from the excessive shopping on boxing day and in the states (which I'll probably make another blog post for), I got to get together with my friends and family and celebrate the holidays (which I will also blog more about later because I'm lazy as fuck right now).

On a side note, here some of the new clothes I got shown in the pic:

Round glasses - Off brand

Red cross necklace - Off brand

Leopard shirt - Value Village

Sweater - WC

Shorts (out of view) - Value Village (customized Versace *o*)

June's 19th Birthday

2011-12-05T01:47:00.000-08:00

For June's 19th birthday, she decided that we'd have dinner at her place and then go clubbing. There were a few mix-ups but in the end it was all good.

I was the first to arrive at June's place and I bought her a bottle of Malibu to start off. June made SO much food. There was salad, sushi, pizza, chicken nuggets, pop. Then Joanne came over and brought a homemade banana-strawberry(?) cake coated with chocolate, Kit Kats and Maltesers. I ate soooooo much at June's house.

We started to get ready together in June's room after eating. I helped Hallie put on make-up, eyelashes and curl her hair. I also curled June's hair too. After we all got dressed, we took a polaroid with Joanne's camera.

Jeff crammed all 5 of us into his car and drove us all the way to Gastown. Before we left Richmond, we all took a shot in the car and said that everytime we hit a stoplight, someone has to drink a shot. We later ran out of chase so we had to chase with the Gatorade mix Orz. Things were getting a little out of hand by this time.

When we were getting out of the car upon arriving, Hallie's heel broke off and we had to find her a pair of shoes. Jeff went into a cigar/smokes shop to ask for glue and surprisingly, they had some. We all went inside and the shop guy tried to help Hallie glue her heel back on but it didn't work in the end. A few of us headed to Fabric across the street to find that it was actually "Spanish night".

After all those mishaps, we decided to go to Pop Opera and Hallie only had 1 heel the whole night. At Pop Opera, I started feeling super dizzy but I was okay. The music was SUPER freaking loud. The crowd there was... not really my kind of crowd. June and I joked later about how we saw lots of short, bald guys.

Nonetheless, it was quite fun to dance with all my girlies and just forget about school for one night! Around 1:30am, Jeff and Jovy came around to pick us up. Boyfriends were so sweet that night, I can't thank them enough!

I don't think I will be clubbing for a looooooong while. Everytime I go, I end up with my entire body sore.

Halloween

2011-11-03T18:10:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately, Halloween happened to fall on a Monday this year but nonetheless I dressed up! Not to school though. Unless people thought my attire was a hobo costume...

Anyways, I came home from school and quickly changed into a sweet lolita coordinate and bus-ed back to Richmond centre. As I was getting on the bus, I saw that the bus driver was smiling and staring at me but I thought it was the usual, "whoa look at what she's wearing @___@" kind of stare. When I got on the bus, I could feel the stares of many people even though it was Halloween.

excuse my messy hair xD

Anyways, arriving and Brighouse, I got off the back door of the bus and turned to the bus driver to say thanks but saw that he was getting off the bus too. I assumed he was switching shifts or something since Brighouse is a common pit stop. As I was walking towards Richmond Centre, someone tapped me on the shoulder and it turned out to be the bus driver @___@ He was smiling and handed me a used bus ticket. Out of automatic response, I thanked him and walked away with the stub. I was super confused as to why he gave that to me but when I looked at it, I realized he had written his name and number on the ticket. WTF

After that strange bus ride, I met up at Jovy at work and told him all about it. When he was off, we went to eat pho together at a place we haven't tried before. As we were driving back, we saw the fireworks from Minoru over the buildings but when we got to Minoru, it was over LOL

金曜日は日本語のオーラル試験だから、家に着いたら日本語会話を練習しようと思ってたけど、結局遊んだりしたｗ
それに彼氏に「ビャァァァカー」と言われた。
はぁ・・・やっぱ日本語をペラペラに話すのは難しいな。
しかも敬語を使わなければいけないんだ。
マジサゲ↓↓　
でも、五分しかかからないから大丈夫だと思う。

オマケ→　プチット★ロックシューターねんどろいどで～す。

19th Birthday (Part II)

2011-11-03T17:31:00.001-07:00

OCTOBER 29

Jovy and I planned for a shopping date. After sleeping over, we woke up relatively early and I went home to get ready (I looked like a man/hobo when I woke up that morning).

Then we drove down to Metrotown and ate Ramen (as per usual haha). We shopped around but in the end, I think neither of us bought anything LOL. It was quite fun though, just to relax and forget about school for a while!

Picture of a polariod orz

Afterwards, we went back to Richmond for a little birthday hang-out at Hallie's place. We chilled and talked for a while, waiting for people to come. We watched the movie, "Bridesmaids" and it was hilarious! I really liked it. After the movie, we ate the cake that Joanne and June made for us. It was such a cute little cake xD

OCTOBER 30

I originally wanted to take work off for my birthday but I had already taken work off twice this month because of exams and I felt bad so I decided to work since I already partied enough. Since it was a day before Halloween, I cosplayed Haruhi to work. I didn't wear a wig though because it would be super uncomfortable.

Derpin' around in the car

After work, I went with Jovy to eat at Gyo-O. I had my Kaisen Yukke Don as usual and Jovy ordered the Nattou Yukke Don. Then I went to Jovy's house to watch the new live-action movie for "Paradise Kiss" There were a lot of good actors in that movie! I haven't read the manga before but I thought the movie was pretty good. Nana is still better in my opinion.

Last but not least... BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!!!

A new pair of Doc Martens! The floral print is glittery :3

Hipster glasses with leopard print! (I broke my last pair so this is ちょうどいい)

2 cute iPhone 4 cases!

A black kitty wallet (Just like Fut Fut<3)

SEXPOT ReVeNGe Sunglasses! (I needed sunglasses for soooo long, love these!!)

A very versatile dress, it can be worn in so many ways! I needed something to wear for semi-formal occasions too :D

A cute nordic print sweater with pom poms. Perfect for fall/winter

Ahaha this is so cute! A bouquet of teddy bears :3

Domo-kun DVD hahaha, I have yet to find time to watch this ><

I really had a great 19th birthday and I love all my friends, family and Jovy (..... all my Jovy..? LOL)! I'm looking forward to this new chapter in life as an "adult"

19th Birthday (Part I)

2011-11-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hallie and Me (Bday BFFs)

Me and the boyfriend <3

This year, Hallie and I decided to do another collaboration birthday event. And what better to do than to go clubbing on our 19th birthdays? (Sarcastic)

I was skeptical at first because planning our clubbing thing would be so cumbersome. Taking into account transportation, ID (the event was on 28th but my birthday is 30th), explaining to parents, costume, etc. In the end we decided that we'll be skytraining to Gossip Nightclub and taking the taxi back home. I borrowed ID from Icy. I told my parents (warning, strong use of euphemism ahead) that I would be going to a "dance" organized by a "UBC" club and I'm sleeping over at Joanne's house. As for my costume, all I could think of was just to put on my cat ears and draw whiskers on my face - creative, I know.

Everyone's costumes were as follows:
Carol - Cop
Hallie - Genie
Joanne - Hello Kitty
Jovy - Pirate
June - Alice
Michael - Pimp
Nick - Mr. Krabs
Percy - Steve Jobs (LMFAO)
Quennie - Nurse

The Halloween clubbing event at Gossip was actually hosted by CVC so there were quite a bit of Asians that night. After getting home from school, I quickly got ready, ate some food and went to Joanne's house with Jovy. We originally planned to bus from Joanne's house to Canada Line but instead we drove to Bridgeport and took the skytrain from there. It was around a 10 minute walk from Yaletown-Roundhouse and when we arrived, the line-up wasn't so bad. I got in with Icy's ID without any troubles at all, most likely because it was a Japanese ID.

Carol and June arrived before us and they were drunk already. June was SO loud and Carol kept hugging and kissing people LOL. When we got in, everyone headed for the bar. I was prepared to drink a few shots since it was my birthday. I had about 5 shots in a row and I knew I really shouldn't have anymore so I went to dance. I wanted to feel a bit tipsy but for some reason I couldn't feel the alcohol. I assume the drinks must have been watered-down. In any case, I didn't drink any more shots after that first round haha.

Overall it was pretty nice to get to drink and dance with my friends at the club. It was some good, clean fun. We left the club at maybe 2:30am. It took us a while to get a taxi because a lot of people were leaving around the same time.

When I got to Jovy's place, we were so exhausted and went straight to sleep.

Thanksgiving & Otaku-ness

2011-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was thanksgiving and I spent it with Jovy's family. We ate a t a Chinese seafood restaurant near Richmond Centre and it was pretty yummy. Too bad I ate a lot of pho earlier that day so I filled up earlier than I wanted orz (I'm a pig)

On Thanksgiving I do always consider all the things I have that I'm grateful for. It's a great thing to think about when you're feeling down or even just so you never take things for granted. It makes you put into perspective how lucky we all are and how most, if not all, of our problems are "first world problems" and the situation could always be worse for us.

Things I'm thankful for: Friends, family, Jovy, my cat, my education, work, being able to indulge in so many hobbies, a warm home I can always return to, my iPhone, guitar, laptop, desktop, cd collection, figure collection, all the clothes I have, the list goes on.

This long weekend was one that I really needed. I was becoming so stressed from school and it felt restless. During this weekend, I made sure to:
- clean my room (clear all the clutter that I face everyday)
- dressed up nicely (I look like a hobo the past few weeks)
- get some studying and homework done
- sleep in
- relax and enjoy time with friends and Jovy

Speaking of which, after I cleaned my room, I set up a little area to display some of my
figures. It's so awesome but too bad it can't fit everything, I wanted to put out Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master figmas too but no space orz.

From left to right, that's Black Gold Saw figma, Append Miku figma, Dragon Ball speakers, RG 1/144 Strike Aile Gundam, Makise Kurisu figma + Nendoroid, Chibi-Arts Luffy, Azusa Nendoroid and Puchi, Panty & Stocking Nendoroids.

Must find time to clear out more space so I can display everything!

Also recently got new contacts, GEO Bambi green apple! They feel dryer than GEO super nudy series (the kind that I've always worn) but I really like the design of the lens. Mostly wanted to try them because Tsubasa has them hahaha

Making Japanese Curry

2011-10-10T14:18:00.005-07:00

I randomly had the urge to make and eat Japanese curry so I asked Jovy if he wanted to eat it and coincidentally he was also craving some. I had some curry blocks left over from the last time I made curry so I figured I would just finish it.

While I was making it, I almost couldn't remember how to make it and went by instinct so I think I'll record my recipe on my blog before I forget again LOL

Ingredients:

Glico Curry blocks, can be purchased for pretty cheap (around $2) at Asian markets or even some regular grocery stores like Canadian Superstore. One pack is good for like maybe 6-8 servings of curry.
Chicken broth, I use some Chinese brand that comes in a can. Can also be bought at Asian markets and Superstore
Meat (One of pork, beef or chicken), I prefer less meat
Potatoes, 5-6 of those tiny baby potatoes
Carrots, about 1.5 - 2 carrots
Onion, about half of one
Other vegetables you might want like mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Instructions (kinda lol):

First I washed, peeled and prepared all the ingredients. Then I sauteed the onions and green onions with a little bit of vegetable oil. After a minute or two, I added in the pork.

When the pork turned white on the outside, I added the rest of the vegetables and chicken broth. After it boiled, I let it simmer for maybe 5 minutes to let some of the broth evaporate.

When it looked like there was an appropriate amount of the broth left, I added around half a pack (maybe a block less) of the Glico curry. Stirring while it dissolves.

...Wait until the sauce boils and thickens... and it's done!

I like to serve curry with rice, half and half on a plate. The plate below is actually enormous, do not be fooled. I had a smaller plate, of course.

I love how curry is so easy to make and so yummy to eat! We ate it while watching the last episode of Ouran High Host Club live drama xD

Speaking of which, a new season of anime has started and I already have a pretty good list of what I plan to watch this season (after reading the preview descriptions on randomc.net).

In no particular order:

Guilty Crown
Mirai Nikki (Watched 1st ep, seems very interesting)
Persona 4
Kami no Puzzle
Un-Go
Kimi to Boku (Watched 1st ep, seems meh so far)
Chihayafuru (Watched 1st ep, looks cute)

Anyways, will post again later tonight on Thanksgiving (maybe)!

Cosplay Photoshoot

2011-10-02T01:56:00.002-07:00

A while back, I was contacted by a photographer I met at Lights && Effect to do a cosplay photoshoot with Mariko. I wore a punk outfit and brought my Matryoshka Vocaloid cosplay along to change. We met up with Mariko at her house first and then Wilson, the photographer drove us to the photoshoot location. It looked sketch at first because it was a run down art studio but the graffiti on the walls were really amazing!

A few pictures I took of the area:

Aside from the condoms and syringe needle I found lying on the ground, this place was a great place for photoshooting! Wilson brought a lot of gear to set up here, even those big reflective umbrellas. Totally was not expecting that.

Here's Wilson doing some shots on Mariko in her awesome Noelle cosplay!

Wilson also invited a few other photographers to come to the shoot. Apparently most of them don't usually shoot cosplay so it was something different for them. Here are some pictures of myself from various photographers that day. Excuse the slightly incomplete cosplay (forgot the small accessories and lost the props from sakura-con)

And one picture of the punk outfit that I wore. Wilson was the only photographer who shot me in this outfit before I changed to my Gumi Matryoshka cosplay so there weren't many photos orz. Nonetheless!

I call this the ET PHONE HOME pose.

After the photoshoot, I skytrained back to Richmond Centre to meet up with Jovy and we went to Katrina's last minute birthday hang-out. We literally just chilled and watched Jersey Shore while eating Pizza. I drank half a shot with Katrina too. I got allergies from her cats (which I adore, sadly) and I had to leave early but most of them were going clubbing anyway.

Joey and his pregnant belly & Katrina with her birthday hat

Me with part of Carrot

Lights && Cameras

2011-09-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

Last minute pulled together a random cosplay because I didn't want to wear the same cosplay ten million times. At times like this, safety pins and tape, yes... tape, is your best friend.

With what wigs I owned, I thought about what anime I liked and what characters from those anime I could possibly cosplay. Of course STEINS;GATE came to mind and Kiryuu Moeka seemed to be the most doable. I borrowed a blouse and some heels from Carol, got a few of my random accesories and pulled it together literally right before going. Not bad, I'd say. (I have to post this meme because I think it's hilarious)

I was actually fully dressed in lolita until I realized that I would sweat a nice ocean by the time I'm done. Actually, I really wanted to wear lolita that day too, I haven't worn it for soooooo long ;__;

Anywho, getting to Queen Elizabeth park by public transit wasn't so bad at all but the uphill hike to the Dome in heels, not so easy. As expected, it was super hot weather that day as well and everyone was just hiding under shade.

Carol borrowed my Black Rock Shooter cosplay and man it must have been horrendously hot for her even though it's only a bikini on the inside. I felt her pain... *thinks back to AE 2010*

I met another photographer who seemed quite professional and I got some nice pictures of my cosplay from him too! Only wished that my Moeka cosplay wasn't so shitty but I can't complain LOL

Cos & Effect

2011-09-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Okay I have some time on my hands now so I'm going to blog about the events I missed writing about! (finally)

Cos & Effect was around mid-August this month and it was supposed to be something like a replacement for Anime Evolution since it wasn't happening. I was invited by Kirk to volunteer at the Cosplay Cafe panel and I even got Jovy to come along too. I wore the same Hatsune Miku, Love Ward ver. cosplay since I didn't have time to make a new cosplay. I dressed Jovy up in a school boy uniform too!

We only worked for an hour so it went by really fast. I was really glad that the people who came had fun and weren't creepy people at all. I assumed there might be creepy people because maid / cosplay cafes usually imply that there will be creepy people LOL

What we did as "servers" was basically take super simple orders (we didn't have much to choose from haha), bring them the food and keep them entertained. Jovy and I mainly played card games with our guests. The only negative part about this was the "moe moe" rock-paper-scissors. My god that was embarrassing. Even more of a shock to the guests in that they also had to learn it and do it.

In any case, there wasn't much else to the convention. We didn't buy passes nor did we go on Sunday. It was burning hot outside so we chilled indoors for all the time that we were there. It was really nice to see a lot of people I hadn't seen for a while though!

Back to School

2011-09-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting to post updates but too lazy to catch up Orz

School has just started and it's so tiring. I'm a little worried that my workload is too much for me. I'm taking the equivalent of 5+ courses and working 15 hours a week. I think I'm going to ask for less work hours to concentrate on school though.

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First Impressions of my courses:

ECON 221 - It seems quite interesting but I have a feeling I might get a little confused with some of the game theories as I go along. The concepts look similar to math and probability. But so far the teacher seems nice and explains things well.

ECON 226 - This course is slightly intimidating, or maybe just the prof. It's supposed to be quite easy though. I'll have to review last year's micro/macroeconomics concepts. Hearing that I'll have to write like 10 papers isn't exactly pleasing t the ears either.

CPSC 110 - So far, so good. Teacher is pretty clear and sometimes funny too. Apparently this course typically has high averages.

JAPN 250 - I miss how my Japanese course was like last year. Right now, I don't really see the order to things yet. We didn't really follow the textbook and there's a shitload of online material. Luckily it seems quite easy still. Just have to practice my Kanji.

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On another note, I had to wake up at 6am this morning because I have 8am class Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was still super dark when I woke up and chilly too. I put on extra layers and holy crap do I regret that. Being hot and sweating while carrying a 20 pound backpack while carrying a thick jacket is not fun. (NTS. never again)

MiniComi

2011-07-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went to MiniComi which is a new artist convention this year. Much like Anime Evolution minus the everything except artist alley. Cat and I were supposed to cosplay Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka from the "Love Ward" PV but Cat wasn't able to finish her cosplay in time so I solo-ed it out.

I met up with Eri at Richmond Centre and then met up with Cat and Kelvin at Oakridge. Eri cosplayed a Pokemon trainer from the newest series called, "Hilda" or "White". Cat did a bunny maid cosplay. Kelvin cosplayed Lambo from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

I didn't really get any pictures of my cosplay myself (which I wish I did) but luckily some surfaced on Facebook. Credits to whoever may have taken these pictures (sorry!)

I took some pictures of my drafting and sewing process as well because it's rare that I would work with princess darts, or darts of any kind actually. First picture looks like bacon hehe.

Forgot to mention how I stayed up until 3am to finish this cosplay. In the end I half gave up and made myself buttons using fabric, paper and tape. One of the buttons fell off at the event but it was expected xD I also relied on tape to hold up my nurse hat thing because it was just a flat piece of fabric sewn onto paper orz

Endless Sky

2011-07-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Summer has become unexpectedly busy and I sometimes wish I had more time to myself but oh well. Other than work, band has become more than a regular practice since we have an upcoming live at the Nightmarket. I'm especially nervous performing this time around because I'll be the main vocal and also play guitar. Tessei, of course, will be playing lead guitar. Eri will be bassist (finally!) and back-up vocals. Carol is our good ol' drummer.

To promote our show and perhaps even future gig opportunities, we quickly decided on a name and made a Facebook page and event! We originally called ourselves, "Bean Sprout Kingdom" but being hipster is too mainstream.

I guess since not too many people know my blog, I'll post our Nightmarket set list! (For those who want to be surprised, DON'T READ)

1.) Tommy Heavenly6 - fell in love with you (Vo. Shiyu, Gt. Tessei/Shiyu, Ba. Eri, Dr. Carol)
2.) ELLEGARDEN - Missing (Vo. Eri, Gt. Shiyu/Tessei, Ba. Eri, Dr. Carol)
3.) Tommy Heavenly6 - Paper Moon (Vo. Shiyu, Gt. Tessei/Shiyu, Ba. Eri, Dr. Carol)
4.) GReeeeN - Kiseki (Vo.Shiyu/Tessei/Eri, Gt. Tessei/Shiyu, Ba. Eri, Carol)
5.) Yoko Hikasa - Don't say lazy (Vo. Shiyu, Gt. Tessei/Shiyu, Ba. Eri, Dr. Carol)

I think our arrangements are pretty good and I'm sure we'll all have a lot of fun! Only thing is that I hope there won't be rainy weather ><

We only have 2 days until the live and I still haven't memorized 'Kiseki' and 'fell in love with you' @___@ I guess since I have nothing to do tomorrow, I shall get on that before practice at 7pm. Should be relatively easy since I listen to them a lot!

Studio practice at Charts will be on the day before our live and hopefully, by then, we can feel 100% prepared! I hope a lot of people can make it to see our live!

Recent Life

2011-06-15T16:49:00.002-07:00

Looking for a second job to Soul of Anime, Pietro offered me a tutoring job at his tutoring place, "Surpass". It's apparently the place that Hallie and Joanne got tutored at which is pretty cool!

So now, I work 6 days a week, 2 of which are at Surpass. It's a lot different from what tutoring experience I have had. Basically I teach about 4 students of various ages (Grade 5 to Grade 10). They either bring in their own homework or I print some worksheets for them from the textbooks at the centre and I help them if they need it. So far I'm only teaching math, English and biology.

The kids don't really listen to me because I guess I don't really look like a kid myself and I'm also a pushover. It's almost like when I peer tutored Japanese 9-11 last year orz.

====================================================

My grandma actually moved into something like a senior's home the day before yesterday. It's only like 2-3 blocks away from home at Minoru somewhere. I've yet to visit her there because I came down with a cold / flu. Speaking of which, the past few nights I've been dying... body aches everywhere, sore throat, nasal congestion and the sort. Fortunately, I'm a lot better now although I still feel faint sometimes and nasally.

====================================================

I've also been following a lot of anime this season though I find that I have less and less time for it ><

For this season's, I'm following:

- Steins; Gate
Favourite this season for sure! Super interesting and constantly developing plot with awesome characters. I was skeptical at first being thrown off by the first episode which many were apparently confused by, but disregarding that, it's great!

- Ano Hana
I was drawn in by this one from the first episode right away. It's really good as well also I think it's slowing down now. I think it would have been better if it were more sad and realistic (?) if that makes any sense.

- Sket Dance
I was curious as to what this anime was so I started watching it myself and thought it was pretty good. It's a shounen / gag anime with a different "story" every episode. I told Jovy I watched the first episode of this one and he laughed at me saying that it was for kids orz. So I stopped following it for several weeks until he was like, "You know Sket Dance, it's actually pretty good" and I was like wtf. So I started watching it again and I'm all caught up to the latest episode.

- Ao No Exorcist
I thought this anime looked really cool from the picture so I started watching it. It's pretty interesting and funny so I'm definitely going to continue watching! Basically a simple shounen anime

- C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
I thought this one was so awesome in the beginning with the whole idea of a whole new economic world but after Jovy told me it's comparably to Yu-Gi-Oh! with credit cards, I found it less cool orz. I still like it though!

- Deadman Wonderland
Jovy wanted me to watch this one because he read the manga and he really liked it. All I can say is that this anime is soooooo grotesque and gorey (even with censors). Nonetheless, it's still actually pretty interesting, with the setting, story and everything.

- GOSICK
It's the 2nd season since this anime has been running so I've been following this one since last season. I thought this one was super awesome at first too but I thought it got less interesting and strange recently. First season reminded me of something like Detective Conan except its a loli.wwwwww

- Ore Imo (ended)
The last few episodes were the best because Kirino wasn't there. Kuroneko is so moe. 'nough said.

Carol's Birthday @ Fabric

2011-06-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

First time clubbing woot woot. I was really dreading going clubbing that morning because none of my close friends (other than Carol and Cat) were going, I don't drink and I don't dance. Nonetheless I put all those factors aside and tried to expect a good time at the club.

After I got off work at Surpass (I got hired at a tutoring place, yay! That's another story though), I went home to get ready for clubbing. Wasn't sure what to wear so I ended up just wearing a black tank top and skinny jeans. Headed over to Carol's house for pre-drinking from around 9:00 to 10:00pm.

Jeff had me drink about 2 shots of some grapefruit mixed with something I don't even know. Luckily I still felt perfectly fine. Everyone else drank until they were tipsy / drunkish.

We started driving to the club and arrived at maybe 10:30 to 11:00pm and we were on the guest-list so we got in as soon as we got there. Using Christo's ID, I was a bit worried about getting rejected for using someone else's ID but I got in perfectly fine and they didn't even ask for a second piece of ID.

We went inside and it was a little intimidating but it was expected I suppose. After that, it was just me being awkward on the dance floor and drinking a few more shots with friends.

Me, Carol and Cat. Damn I look short here.

Ada, Brenda and Jeff.

Carol, Cat and Ada

Carol and Maggie

I remember everything that night and I wouldn't say I got drunk... Just a little more than tipsy lol

I didn't throw up or anything either so it was a pretty fun experience overall (minus the gross guys).

First shots of the night with Carol :3

Jovy came to pick me up early from the club at around 1:30am and I sleptover at his place for the night.

Movies

2011-06-06T01:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, Jovy and I were bored and thinking to watch movies but there didn't seem to be any good movies out. We saw that Kung-Fu Panda 2 was about to be released so we decided to watched that one. We went on a weekday so it was pretty empty at the theaters.

I thought the movie was pretty good. Really funny at parts and brought me to tears at parts (I suck LOL). It was definitely worth watching.

Maybe a few days after, Hallie asked if I wanted to watch Hangover II but I hadn't seen the first one so I wasn't sure. But I told Jovy and we downloaded it and watched it at his house and it was pretty epic and funny.

I just went to watch the sequel with Hallie, Albert, June, Joanne, Michael and Jovy in theaters on Friday and it was good too. I thought it was funnier than the first one but by the end of it, I was traumatized... So many graphic scenes and nudity D:

Jamming!

2011-06-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

We finally got together a somewhat complete jamming band! So far it's Eri, Jovy and Bruce. Jovy is starting to learn drums so I went to rent drums with him from Long & Mcquade the other day. He chose a set of basic electric drums for $50/month.

When he got the drums, I taught him the few very basic drum patterns I knew and got him to practice them. He's still yet to get the hang of drumming but I'm sure he'll do fine since he learnt basically everything I knew in a few hours LOL.

Yesterday, we jammed altogether at Eri's house for the first time and it wasn't bad considering it was our first get together. We already got started on Houki Boshi (Younha), Secret Base (ZONE), Tomorrow (Avril lavgine), Rose (Anna Tsuchiya), Missing (ELLEGARDEN) and we're also planning to playing Don't Say Lazy (K-ON), GIMME ALL OF YOUR LOVE (Tommy Heavenly6), Kiseki (Greeeen).

Hopefully after a few more practices, we can sound awesome!

I plan to re-arrange Just Be Friends and Secret Base and add some nice mellow guitar solos or bass lines or something too.

Victoria Day

2011-05-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

Jovy's mom invited me to have dinner with them for Karsten's birthday. I haven't been to dinner with Jovy's family yet so I decided to leave work early to go. We went to River Rock Casino's buffet at 6 pm. The buffet had changed a lot since I last went because they now had sushi, a soft drink fountain and ice cream machine! They also had a lot more Asian-esque food like dumplings and bok choy.

Jovy and I sat across from each other in the middle so we couldn't be weird / talk about our weird things. For once in our life (exaggerating), we were normal people together LOL. After dinner, we took some pictures outside of the restaurant before leaving. I'm glad I didn't managed to somehow embarrass myself like I always do haha. Ken helped take this picture:

After we left River Rock, Jovy and I went to the dike at River Road / Terra Nova and we watched the sunset. I don't think I've done that with him since last summer. I also managed to take some pretty nice pictures of the scene with my camera!

High Tea @ Sutton Place

2011-05-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

We all decided to go to high tea at Sutton Place in downtown before Carol left for internship in Toronto! It was my first time going to high tea so I thought it would be a good chance to dress up gyaru-ish since I don't often do it. We all skytrained down together and it was around a 5-7 minute walk from Vancouver City Centre.

It was a REALLY pretty place inside and I felt so LG going in there with all my LG friends xD There was only one other table of people there so it was pretty quiet place.

First off, they gave us a box of different teas to sample smell so we could pick which teas we want. We had earl grey, a vanilla scented one and a passion fruit scented one.

We also got 3 orders of their high tea platters. They were all the same and included scones on the first level, sweets and desserts on the second and biscuits and finger sandwiches on the third.

I think the food was quite good, I especially like the savory ones on the bottom plate. The tea was also very good although I diluted it with cream and sugar.

After we ate, we shopped around downtown for a bit before heading back to Richmond and shopping at RC some more. I found a bunch of florally things at Forever 21 that I wanted to buy but I only ended up buying one dress. It fits a bit big but I really liked it so I bought it anyway. Speaking of which, I still haven't worn it out yet because I have nothing to match orz.

After that, Jovy picked me up and we all headed to Carol's house for dinner/chilling. I went home to take off my wig and change into my regular attire before going. We ended up sitting around the dining table talking about random things for hours before leaving.

Before I left, I gave Carol these rose earrings that I picked out for her since she was going to spend her birthday in Toronto.

Sakura-Con (DAY 3)

2011-04-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I think we woke up later than we wanted again because we missed brunch at Cheesecake factory. Before that we packed up and checked out of the hotel. It took a super long time to get into an elevator because it was always full of people who were also on their way to check out. We then decided to go up and wait for the elevator to go down and it was a lot faster than waiting for an elevator that was already going down.

As expected, when we got to the lobby, there were line-ups with people checking out. We returned our cards and got our ~$40 deposits back.

We took our last round at the convention trying to scout out deals since it was the last day. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get deals like we had intended but we still bought the stuff we had our eyes on. I bought a foxtail and a souvenir for Carol and Jovy bought a Snivy plushie.

I stopped by the Sixh. booth and picked up a Hangry clip-on pouch. I also asked the designer/model Ibi for a picture!

I also went to 6%DOKIDOKI's fashion show. The beginning of their show was pretty strange with a white girl wearing a night gown doing some skit with narrating. Then it broke out into the 6%DOKIDOKI music and the models walked in. Vani and Yuka did the same dance walk thing that they performed in Vancouver so there wasn't too much new stuff. It was still fun to watch though!

We proceeded to eat at the Cheesecake Factory for the 3rd day in a row! I got something small: Backed Mac & Cheese and their Classic Strawberry Cheesecake. It was quite filling, I think I wasn't even able to finish the Mac & Cheese even though it was just a side.

After we ate, we went to the hotel and picked up our luggage and walked around downtown Seattle trying to shop but everything was about the same: H&M, American Eagle, etc. Plus our huge luggages weren't the most convenient things to have around.

We planned to take a taxi to the Shuttle bus pick-up location since it was much more convenient and about the same as taking the bus. It turned out that we had a lot of time to spare so we decided to walk to the location and check out Seattle while we were at it. It only took around 15-20 to walk there and we saved taxi money so that wasn't bad.

We were early but a few buses were already there. There was some confusion with the sign up stuff which kind of ticked me off because I had to run to every single bus and ask if they had my name which, at first none of them did, but it turned out I was on the list of the first bus they told me to go to >__>

I slept most of the ride to Vancouver until customs and I was just relieved that the trip went more or less successfully! Besides, I had 2 exams in the next few days that I completely hadn't studied for yet orz.

When we arrived at the airport, we departed from Eri and Robin and took the skytrain to Richmond Centre where my mom picked me up and Jovy's brother picked him up.

Sakura-Con (DAY 2)

2011-04-27T18:31:00.001-07:00

SUPER DELAYED AND NOW LAZY TO WRITE IN DETAIL ORZ

I was super tired and ended up waking up not as early as I would have liked. Jovy and I got ready in our cosplays. I helped him put on make-up and his wig and everything and we left the hotel around 1pm I think?

First we went to get some food at the convention. After that we just walked around looking for events and places to go to but we were mostly in the exhibitor's hall. We also visited the artist's alley and bought some Snivy pins!

Jovy and I had a little photoshoot by ourselves for Matryoshka!

Saturday was also the Sixh. fashion show so we waited in the main area for the show to start. Mariko was selected to be one of the models too! We ended up going in late because we didn't know it had already started but it probably only just started. It was a really great show! The music and clothing was really good.

When the fashion show ended, we waited by the exit knowing that Cat and the others were inside. Once we met up with everyone, we arranged a time for dinner at Cheesecake Factory.We all went back to the hotel to change out of cosplay and get ready for dinner. At around 8pm, we went back to Cheesecake Factory and had dinner altogether!

I ordered Shepard's Pie because I was always curious as to what it tasted like. I also shared a fried cheese appetizer with Eri.

After eating, we all went back to the convention to check out the late night events. I guess I never stayed until late previous years but apparently we needed to be 18 and older and register for an invisible stamp on our arm to get into late night events. Most of the events were full so we all headed to the gaming area. Eri, Jin and I were stoked to play some Rock Band so we lined up. We even got Cat to play with us too!

I like how from this distance and angle, it looks like we're playing real instruments xD Eri and I ended up playing several more rounds of Rock Band! After that we wondered around a bit, hoping to play DDR but it was crowded and getting late so we left around 1-2am.

Sakura-Con (DAY 1)

2011-04-26T18:03:00.003-07:00

I totally forgot to update my blog about Sakura-Con because right after, I was pre-occupied with my last 2 exams.

Basically the night before Sakura-Con, Jovy and I rushed to finish our Matryoshka cosplay and he ended up going home at maybe 1-2am. I continued to work on cosplay, pack up and take a shower so I ended up sleeping at 4am and waking up at 6am.

The next morning, Carol drove me to the airport and I was the first one there. When the bus arrived, it was already really full so we had to sit apart which was a drag. Luckily when we got to customs, everyone got off the bus and when we got back tot he bus, we were able to sit together.

We arrived at around 9:30am and went to find our bus stop. It was really weird but according to my map, the bus stop was to our left but we found it on the right side. Hopefully, I can still remember for next year if I get to go.

Getting onto the bus with our huge luggage was SUCH a drag... My luggage was heavy and the bag i had on top was falling off and I was blocking people and everything. Oh god. Another thing about buses in Seattle is that they don't tell you what the next stop is.

We got off the bus and found our hotel easily. The Sheraton is SO damn close to the convention, it's crazy. It's literally right across the street and it was so convenient compared to the year before. We checked in and go to our room and settled down. I quickly got into my cosplay and went to find Cat. After everyone got ready, we head down to the convention to get our passes.

For pre-registered people, it was AMAZINGLY FAST this year. Compared to previous years, I am speechless and I don't understand how it's so fast now. After getting our passes, we got food and explored the convention.

We were super tired so we went back to the hotel pretty early to rest. Jovy and I went back to the convention to see Exist Trace, the all-girl VK band. They were pretty good live though, I'm not particularly a fan. After seeing maybe half of their show, we went back to the hotel to get Eri and Robin so we could have dinner.

It was hard finding a place in downtown Seattle that wasn't expensive or a bar/grill so we just decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory although we were going to go with the whole group on Saturday. I ordered the signature burger and it was super duper filling!

After eating, we head back to the hotel to rest up early!

6% DOKIDOKI Fashion Show

2011-04-20T17:36:00.002-07:00

I met up with Icy at Richmond Centre skytrain and we went downtown together. She brought me a white chocolate waffle which was really yummy! Apparently she bought it at Steveston somewhere because she got off the bus at the wrong stop haha.

When we got downtown, we found Caprice nightclub and finished our food before heading in. I was using Christo's ID because it was 19+ event but luckily they didn't say anything. I guess it's because I was really costumey looking?

When we got inside the club, there were already quite a lot of people. There was a stand selling some clothes but it was just random Japanese clothing and not 6%DOKIDOKI merchandise. The only thing that was 6%DOKIDOKI was these huge buttons. It was only $5 so I got one for myself.

Near the button booth, I suddenly saw Sebastian and recognized him right away. I was kind of starstruck so I just stood there looking at him with a face like : O and he was looking back.
Icy saw me and was like, "What are you doing?" and I was like "T-the designer...!" so Icy immediately greeted him in Japanese and I was just like *o* Fuck my life lol

Later on the models walked onto the stage and everybody settled down. Sebastian and some other DJs were mixing the music and the models came up dancing and everything. It was super cute!!! After Vani and Yuka did their individual fashion walk/dance thing they both came out and just danced. Suddenly they started dragging a bunch of people on stage including me and Icy. Mostly the people dragged up onto the stage the first time were people who were dressed up.

After that, they went off stage and it was just like a dance. The models came down and everyone was getting pictures with them. Of course I got a few pictures with them too!

Icy and I spotted Sebastian again and asked for a picture too! Sebastian asked Icy if we were going to Sakura-Con and Icy told him that she wasn't but I was. Then he asked me and I was all stuttering with my shitty Japanese. fmlx2.

Maybe about an hour or so later, they came back on stage and did the same fashion show / dance routine. We stayed to watch it again and left around 11-12am

Pre- 6%DOKIDOKI

2011-04-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Holy crap I don't know why but I'm beginning to get nervous for this event. I'm so excited and I've been looking forward to this fashion show for quite a while. I've even contemplated my outfit, hair and makeup for days. I can't wait to see Sebastian Masuda and models, Vani and Yuka. Probably going to be so star-struck. I wonder if I can finally put my Japanese to actual use now.

I hope there won't be any problem with ID but I think Christo's picture on her driver's license looks like me a bit. I actually thought it was my own driver's license for one second when I left it on the table.

It's my second time going to a nightclub event and coincidentally both times aren't even actually clubbing events. It did say that Sebastian Masuda was going to so some DJ-ing so I'm looking forward to seeing what that will be like too! I really hope I can get a picture with the models and designer, I'll be so happy.

Just wishful thinking but it would be so awesome if they remember me when I got to Sakura-Con too. I'll look like such a loyal fan although I don't have any of their merchandise. I really like their accessories but the shipping on Maruione is absolutely outrageous. I assume they will have at least SOME 6%DOKDOKI merch at Sakura-Con that I could possibly buy.

ANYWAYs. Will blog about everything that happens after the event!

On a side note, I only had around 3 hours of sleep yesterday, studying for ECON 102. Had to wake up at 6:30AM and sit through a 2.5 hour exam, bus home and do some grocery shopping. So damn exhausted and wish I took a nap but too late now (lol). Nonetheless I'm sure I'll have lot's of fun tonight!!!

Joey's Birthday

2011-04-11T01:27:00.004-07:00

Joey had his 19th birthday at Clay Pot again this year and we got a private room too. Quite a few people arrived early because they wanted to sit at the "cool" table lol. In the end, we fit everyone into the private room and no one had to sit at a separate table outside.

Everyone was super hungry so we were almost fighting for the orders of beef as they came. It was super loud because everyone was talking over each other and I almost felt like I was going to have a sore throat lol. After like 2.5 hours of eating and talking, they brought in the cake that Jocelyn bought for Joey. It was a huge tiramisu cake with lots of fruits on top.

I think a lot of us expected that we would be doing something after the dinner but in the end, we all left for home. I guess it was because there were so many people lol.

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Also earlier that day, I went with Jovy downtown to hangout. We tried the smoked salmon sandwiches from this random food vendor down by Vancouver City Center. They were pretty good but just kind of messy to eat xD.

After some shopping downtown, or more like window shopping for me LOL, we went back to Richmond and chilled at Jovy's place.

Camouflage Mugem (not really).