現状

it's been a while since i've been on this blog. a lot has happened. been quite busy. right now, i've taken up reading again. i used to read a lot. now that i've started again, it's eating up quite the bucks. lol.

finished book 1 of the Millenium series. it was really good. starting on the second one soon. 日本語の本だとハイドの本を読みはじめました。やはり、かっこいいですね。THE HYDE. i hope to finish it soon too :)

最近は仕事が微妙に忙しくなってきているので、少々大変かな?イベントが何件か詰まっているから、オフィス内のピリピリ感がハンパ無いっスね。i've been wanting to schedule a hangout with some friends and the bf but i'm so tired nowadays that even that doesn't seem to be happening soon. 残念。so, just a quick update. i hope to be able to regularly update more often but we'll see.

Currently listening to: Talking to the Moon - Bruno Mars

Corkbar

yesterday was sunday. yet i still had work..... ugh. でも、その後は彼とのラブラブデートのはずだったのですが、会社の同僚に誘われて一緒にディナーに。the bf was there too and it's not that i don't like my coworkers (they're actually pretty cool and fun to talk to) but i'm now thinking it might have been better if it were just us two. cuz i feel bad for making the bf hang out with four girls and we haven't gone out together in a while. oh well. maybe next time.

it was kinda late and we decided to hit up the Corkbar in downtown for dinner. i already ate a bit of sushi (!!!!!!) at work so i just wanted a bit to eat. でも、彼はおなか空いてたから、ガッツリ食べれるし、小さいサイドみたいのもあるところということで決めました。実際、結構メインでも小さかったね。but everything was pretty good. too bad i couldn't drink... but it was fun just talking and chilling. hopefully, we get another date night soon.

Currently listening to: Love Story -Taylor Swift

モンタナ・ジョー

i found this book at work. it's about Joe Montana, the only Japanese American to ever make it in the mafia. なんか、面白そうでしょ?だから、読んでみました。plus, i'm really into non fiction and crime related stuff, so it was totally fit for me. :)

結論:結構読みやすくて面白かったです。although it does feel like a bunch of fiction was mixed in, making it not authentically non fiction. but overall, you kinda get an idea of the life Joe Montana led. and the fucked up times that made him into who he became. 日系人として、共感できるって言うか、あぁ、この時代だったら私はこんな環境で育ったのかとかって言うのが結構現実味があったね。

there is a kind of weird respect for this man that made it to the top of a highly organized crime society. and the fact that he did it without resorting to too much violence. でも、やっぱりいいことをしたとは思えない。色々と考えさせる本でしたね。

Currently listening to: エメラルド - ベッキー♯♪

Santa Barbara: Eating and Drinking

went north to santa barbara this MLK Jr. Day. okay, so not so much santa barbara as santa ynez valley. it was more of a wine tasting thing. 初のワインテースティングでしたね。

we first went to foley winery after visiting solvang for a bit. did their wine tasting. honestly, i'm not so sure i actually like wine too much. haha. maybe it's an acquired taste but man, most are just too bitter for me. まだまだお子ちゃまですかね。しかも、すきっ腹に6種類近く違うの飲んだから、結構酔いが回ったしね。

afterwards, we stopped by gainey winery. didn't do a wine tasting but a bit of shopping. and then, it was on to dinner. went to the trattoria grappolo in the area. very shabby looking from the outside. でも、中に入ると結構ちゃんとしたレストラン。しかも、すっごい美味しかった。マジでビックリするぐらい。是非また行きたいですね。飲んで食っての一日でした。

Currently listening to: Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

カプリチョーザ

yesterday, went to Capricciosa for dinner. 日本では結構系列がある、イタリアンのチェーン店。アメリカ1号店がロミタにてオープン。i've been to one in Kobe once before but don't have much recollection. でも、日本のイタリアンって基本おいしいから、行って見たかったんだよね～。

i had heard from coworkers who've been there that it's kinda strong. 味が濃いってヤツ？ま、一応関東のお店だからかな？実際、結構濃かった。i got the salmon fettucini. it was good. but a bit too salty. same for everything else we got. my grandma got their original tomato garlic. it was good. but a bit too salty. lol. repeat for all the other ones. また行こうかな？って程度。plus, their menu is kinda small. just kinda.

Currently listening to: International Love - Pitbull feat. Chris Brown

San Antonio Winery

so, there is a "winery" right in the middle of los angeles. well, they sell a bunch of different wines plus they have their own brand of wines, but the field isn't there, for obvious reasons... でも、一応ワイナリーなんだって。

で、一昨日、家族と仕事が終わってから、訪問してみました。it's a winery/restaurant. 正直、結構ダウンタウンのghetto areaにあるから、あんま期待してなかったんだけど、思いのほか、キレイでしたね。so, they let us try some of their wines. they have their own brand, San Antonio, and they carry other ones as well, one major one being Stella Rosa. i tried a couple San Antonio wines. 赤、白、ロゼ。ロゼお気に入りです。結構どれもさっぱりしておいしかったです。ワイン独特の臭みもあんまり無く、すんなり飲める感じ。i also tried the Stella Rosa rosso and moscato. the rosso was almost like juice. not bad. the moscato was a bit too rough for me. i like my wines a lot more smooth.

we ended up buying 4 bottles of wine. came out to a bit over $30. 4本買った割には安いよね?お買い得でした。飲むのが楽しみ～。

Currently listening to: Love Story - 安室奈美恵

ワォッ！

it's definitely been a while since i've been here.... so much has been going on. first of all, happy new year!! 今年も宜しくお願いします!!

so, before the year ended, i went on a san diego vacay with the bf. ま、とは言っても、たかだか1泊だけですがね。でも、楽しかったです。色々歩いて見て回ったり、おしゃべりしたりで、充実した時間がすごせたかな。i really enjoyed myself. i'm hoping the bf did too. haha.

so, on saturday was my friends birthday party and we went out for ayce kbbq in costa mesa. it was okay. not exactly the best. でも、まぁそこそこイケましたね。and then afterwards, i went clubbing for the first time ever! like, omygosh!! right?? lol. なんか、着るものが無くて困りましたね。ま、でも一応そんなに浮かない格好ではあったと思いたい。it was at a club in huntington beach called avec. i actually had fun dancing with my friends and stuff. :) sadly, i didn't get to drink and went home soon after, but it was fun!

and then yesterday, i found myself back in costa mesa again. で、新しくオープンした山田屋というラーメン屋さんに行きました。結構良心的な値段でおいしかった。i got the shoyu tonkotsu and my mom got the tsukemen but i liked the tsukemen better. でも、どっちもおいしかった。

Currently listening to: The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

プレゼント

今年のクリスマスもダーリンが欲しいものをくれましたぁ! it's the dvds for Chuck and Big Bang Theory!!!!! i love these two shows and really wanted them. thanks baby!!

Currently listening to: スパイス - パフューム

My First Car Accident

specifically, my first car accident involving another car. i've hit inanimate objects before (trash can, pillars in parking lots, etc.) but not another car. and this one was moving too. lol. 最初はビックリして、後はスッゲェむかついた。so, here's the story:

so, i was driving down a small street (one lane for each side of traffic and a center lane) and i was trying to make a right into a parking space for those parking spots that are on the street but kinda perpediculate to it. kinda like this ↓

で、ちゃんと指示器を出して、スピード落として曲がろうとしたのです。私の車って結構大きくて、小回りが利かないので、結構大きく曲がらないとダメなんです。so, since my hunk of minivan needed to make a kinda tight right turn, i slightly turned to the left and then started turning right. well, this fucked up old white lady behind me decided to pass me on the right even tho i was making a right turn and by the time i noticed and tried to brake, we were hitting. stupid old lady didn't even brake.... -__- 完全に向こうの責任。but no, bastard lady wouldn't admit fault. she was pissed too, which pissed me off even more. I HAD MY RIGHT TURN SIGNAL ON!! no way i'm at fault. she was trying to lecture me as to how it's my fault because i was in the center lane. i wasn't. she actually admitted that to the police that i called too. idiot... ホント馬鹿。墓穴ほってやんの。ま、こっちにとっては有利だったけど。to top it off, she didn't even have her insurance info on her... fucking retard. thank goodness i called the police.

this happened yesterday, on christmas eve... just great.

Currently listening to: Tell Me Goodbye - BIGBANG

Winter Break

did you know the ucs get a month off for winter break this year!? wtf, we only got half of that... 超残念。ウチらがいたときもして欲しかった。ま、今の学生さんたちは学費も上がってるし援助は減ってるから、どっちもどっちか？

speaking of breaks and days off, this year, my company had 17 days off for holidays. next year, it's only 13.... *sigh* 4 days is a pretty big diff...こちらもまた、残念すぎる。なんだかなぁ。最近、暇で書く話題もないし。ツマラン人生だのぅ。

Currently listening to: Silent Night

Vegas, baby!

actually, it wasn't as exciting as i make the title sound. it's a bit misleading. でも、まぁまぁ楽しかったかな。おいしいものいっぱい食べれたね。スペイン料理にバイキング。満腹です。

the julian serrano restaurant in aria was marvelous!!!! sooooo delish :) would definitely go back again. i think i really love spanish food. haha. we actually went two nights in a row. で、バイキングにも2回行きましたね。ブランチに二回。ナンとカレーとか、スモークサーモンとか、オムレツとか、色々食べちゃいました。

i did eat a lot but i also lost a decent amount of money. lol. a bit over $200. oh wells, it was nice to gamble.

so, i drove to and back and man, was it quite tiring. especially bc my car is so sucky and heavy... seriously.... 坂道とか全然ダメ。スピードが落ちまくりです。but i was also able to try third gear for the first time. man, that thing is awesome!

overall, fun trip. wish it was with my honey tho... :(

Currently listening to: let me cry - Jang Guen Suk

忘年会

昨日は初・忘年会でした！楽しかったです。

we went to this one AYCE BBQ place in los felitz. Tangier Korean BBQ of Tokyo. どっちやねんってつこっみたくなりました。i mean, it was mostly a japanese bbq place. not really korean. i mean, they had ponzu as a dipping sauce... -__- not very korean, eh? ま、でもバンチャ（those small appetizer type dishes)は出たね。ビールも韓国のＨＩＴＥ飲んでたしね。

the place is really interesting in that they have a lot of anime related things. i guess that's their theme. 後、他でもあるけど、大声で挨拶してたね。でも、日本語下手すぎて何を言っているのやら。。。*sigh* i hate places like that. it's just loud and annoying. 気合いなのかも知れねぇけど、いらんし。



what character is this???

the meat itself was pretty good. i mean seriously, it was more like a japanese bbq place instead of a korean one. だから、日本人の舌には合うね。they don't have that much to choose from but the quality was pretty good so whatevs. drank some and ate some and laughed some. twas pretty chill :)

Currently listening to: We Found Love - Rhianna

Damn those winds....

yea, that's damage from those winds...

i'm pretty sure i'm one of the lucky ones with these santa ana winds, but still, they suck... :( 今日、新聞とか読んでると、悪い人は車とか家が壊されてるから、まだまだ自分はマシだけど、それでも結構大変です。

as far as my house and stuff goes, there hasn't been much physical damage, the electricity has been out for the entire time. これって結構ダメージ大きいですね。まず、お湯が出ません。冷たいシャワーはもう浴びたくない! it is seriously really freezing. but i need to shower. so there's pretty much no way around it. -__-

で、ま、電気がつきません。もちろん、暖房も。this morning, it was 59 degrees in my house... a cold shower on top of that is insane. i really really hope the power comes back soon.... and the traffic sucks around my neighborhood too...

in the mean time, i guess i'll just try to stay warm at work.

Currently listening to: i hate you - ISSA x SoulJa + ROLA

Thanksgiving Weekend

thanksgiving weekend was pretty cool for the most part. went over to the bf's for dinner. 私ん家はターキーとかそういうのは一切しない家なので．．．ホリデーとか関係ない家ですね。and since i actually like turkey, decided to go over to the bf's house to mooch since his sister was making some. ま、母はあまりいい顔しなかったけどね。ホントウザい。in addition to turkey, there was ham, sashimi (so japanese, eh??), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and cheesecake. おいしかったです!

i was also supposed to go to black friday with the bf, but mom was being a bitch so decided to go with her instead. 近所のモールに0時前ぐらいに行きました。もう、長蛇の列。especially abercombie and fitch. 私はあんま好きじゃないからカンケーないけどさ。ended up getting nothing tho. ugh, stupid mom.

saturday was pretty uneventful but got to spend the entire day with the bf so that was nice. :) sunday, i had to work for my mom so that was lame. and yesterday, my doggie got spayed. 昨日はまだ麻酔が効いてるのかぐったりしてたけど、今はとても元気。よかったよかった。

man, this week is gonna be long...

Currently listening to: D-Motion - KAT-TUN

Mary Stayed Out All Night

the new korean drama that i'm watching. starring Jang Geun Suk!!!! <3 <3 such a cutie :)

まだ、第3話なんだけど、中々の面白さ。どういう風にこのお二人は惹かれあっていくのかなぁとかライバルたちとはどう絡むのかなぁとか、色々妄想しちゃってます。楽しい♪　しかも、これがなんと、お仕事中なのです(yes, i know, tsk tsk.) but seriously, i don't have much to do at work for the most part anyways, so i'm sure it's no biggie. i do whatever i need to do and watch it when i'm bored. no harm done :D

so, question is, shall i learn korean? i mean, the drama's are subtitled and all, but i'm sure there are definitely at  least some inaccuracies. it's impossible to be completely accurate when translating. で、韓国語勉強したら、いらないじゃん? しかも、将来何かと役に立つかも?? なぁんて能天気に考えてる今日この頃です。

Currently listening to: 証 - flumpool

交通事故

一昨日、ウチのドライバーが事故を起こした。well, i guess he says it's not his fault so he was involved in an accident? he was trying to make a left at a yellow light and the car in the opposing traffic failed to stop and rammed into him. でも、目撃者がいないから、どうなることやら。it's a real iffy situation. ugh.

so, i actually went to the scene since my mom was working and it's her car. man, our car was a ford van and the other was a brand-spanking-new mercedes benz. ま、ウチのダメージはまぁまぁ。パンクがひとつとフロント・バンパーが結構破壊されたかな？それだけ。but the other benz was pretty bad.... the hood was blown off and front was mashed in a bit. 新車なのにね。残念。あ～あ。でも、これからがちょっぴり大変そう。

Currently listening to: キセキ - GReeeeN

日曜大工

まさしくと言った感じの私の日曜日。父と家の雨とゆをつけました。we started the project last sunday by taking measurements and buying the necessary materials at home depot. and then today, had to make two more trips to home depot to exchange a wrong item and buy more materials... -__- 時間掛かり過ぎ。anywhooo, by the time we were really able to get started, it was like 4 p.m. で、アッと言う間に真っ暗ね。but my dad insisted we finish so we were able to finish around 7-ish? man, it was so cold. but hey, we finished, right??

昨日の朝は我がワンちゃんの脱出劇のため、全力疾走以上の走りをした私はちょっぴり筋肉痛。得に土踏まず。なぜかというと、サンダルで走ったため、そこに力が入ったのです。so, working on ladders with that pain was really bad.... but at least we're done and i can relax without having my mom bug me about it.

Currently listening to: It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

NOVEMBER!?

damn, already..... time is flying. 何か、色々あったような、なかったような。。。first, it was a freakin' cold weekend. 雨雨降れ降れ母さんが♪的な。we (my dad and i) were supposed to put rain gutters on but it started raining so hard, we couldn't... (oh the irony)

works been busy. had two lunch outings last week. 初めてL.A. LiveのJ.W. Marriottに行ったけど、きれいね。さっすが。高そうだし。ohmygosh, the catering there was good :) went there for a luncheon with me bosses.

and this week, i get friday off for veteran's day!! woot! :) but i badly need a life....

oh, and i also finally played Catherine this weekend. やっと彼がPS3持ってきてくれて。結構ね、面白いけど、難しい。it's really interesting cuz it's got this nice balance of game and story. and you can tell the creators put a lot of effort into it. でも、難しい。レベル2でも結構アウチ。何度もやり直してやっと彼が突破。このままだとレベル3は危ういですね。でも、癖になりそう。

Currently listening to: The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

ミツワ祭り

この週末はミツワ祭りでしたね。ま、ミツワで旨いもの市をやっていたので、食いしん坊の私が行かない訳にはいきませんね。

so, i went to both the torrance and costa mesa stores this weekend. i tried the shio ramen at the torrance store and the tantan men and sanhon men at the costa mesa store. 塩ラーメンはおいしかったですね。かつおだしはどうかと思いますが、そんなに利いてなかったので、食べやすかった。坦々麺は、ちんまーやーの方がおいしかったね。the sanhon men was interesting.... kinda sour and not very ramen like. it was eh. also tried the yakisoba at the new food court restaurant in torrance. that was DELISH! and also had the miso-ish yakisoba at the costa mesa one too but that was eh... なんとまぁ麺尽くしの週末でした。

スイーツも充実してました。at torrance, i had the crepe (okay, not exactly great) and the 生ドーナツ。生ドーナツはドーナツと言うより普通のケーキを輪状にしただけ。期待ハズレ。飲むケーキもちょっともらったが、フツー。at costa mesa, had the maki dorayaki. that was pretty good. lots of azuki.

and last but not least, the 牛タン弁当。OMG!! DELISH!!!いやぁ～もっと食べたかったなぁ。残念ながら、そんなに食べれなかったけど。。。おいしかったです。この週末は食い倒れでしたね!

Currently listening to: Numb - Linkin Park

鳥松

went last night with mom. 何か、焼き鳥が食べたかったので。おいしかったです。あんな派手にテレビでCMが流れてるから、結構立派なとこなのかなぁ～って思ってたら、意外と普通。てか、小さかったね。but really delish!

i actually wanted to go and order a la carte but my mom wanted to try the course so we got one of the torimatsu course (10 yakitoris, soup and salad) and a bit of a la carte. 塩味のヤツがおいしかったと思う。タレは何か普通?ハツ、砂肝、手羽がおいしかったね。ボンボチと皮が食べたかったけど、断念。maybe next time. or maybe, i'll go to honda-ya next time since they have pretty good yakitori too. this place may be good but it's way too far.

Currently listening to: 愛唄 - GReeeeN