Well, seeing as the more "popular" Vocaloids are from Japan, when someone tries to make them sing in English, it tends to be less than perfect. Sometimes I can understand some of what they're saying.
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Labels: bilingual, blogger, blogskins, english, japanese, kaito, language, layout, luka, megurine, nico nico douga, nicovideo, opinion, suggestions, vocaloid, vocaloids, youtube

I've never actually watched the movie by the same name, but I still wanted to use this as the title of this post. XD

I am sure I have had a lot more than one missed call in my time, whether it be on my cell phone or on my home phone. For one thing, I don't really have my cell phone turned on most of the time, so it's highly likely that if you call me there, I won't pick up. D: And then I'll see your call four days later or something ridiculous like that. (Unless I'm staying home by myself, in which case it's better to keep my cell phone on to make it easy to stay in contact with my parents, so they know I haven't been kidnapped or that someone has broken into the house)

And as for the landline phone, I don't always pick up the phone. Oftentimes I just let it ring until the answering machine goes on and then listen so I know who's calling. It gets annoying when people call asking for my parents because they want to sell something to them or something like that. And it's also annoying when we get automated messages from the library or people running for political positions. (Well, I don't mind getting messages from the library so much. XD)

It was pretty funny because one time we were listening to the answering machine and then the superintendent's voice came on. He was encouraging people to vote for Measure B or something like that. My dad picked up the phone and said, "We've already voted for it," but the superintendent kept talking. That's when he realized it was just an automated message. (Well, I guess the superintendent is busy, so he can't really be giving personal phone calls.)

But hey, just because someone's got a lot to do or is a well-known public figure doesn't mean they can't take a little time out of their schedules. My math teacher sent an email to Steve Jobs to inform him about a problem. iPhones don't work around the area where my school is (actually, probably all cell phones using AT&T don't work in that area. How annoying).

So my teacher asked if any of us had parents that worked at Apple because he wanted us to get our parents to bug their superiors and somehow or other get Steve Jobs to reply to his email. He said, "If Steve Jobs sent me an email, I would reply to it!" And we were thinking to ourselves, "Yeah, but it's Steve Jobs".

But it turned out that Steve Jobs had read the email and had forwarded it to someone in a major position at AT&T (unfortunately I cannot recall who it is). This person then wrote back to my teacher saying that there was a tower planned to be put up later in the year, but it might be postponed. If necessary, a smaller mobile tower might be set up to give coverage to the schools. It's the kind that gets used when there are natural disasters or something like that. Apparently it's actually pretty big even if it's not quite a permanent tower. It would be pretty amazing if that happened. Kind of makes me think of the butterfly effect that was being talked about in language arts class, which is where something small can cause events to happen and eventually leads to something big happening. (I actually had a layout for the blog up before that was called the Butterfly Effect, haha.)

Labels: answering machine, apple, automated, busy, butterfly effect, cell phone, coverage, email, famous, hole, layout, mobile, movie, one missed call, parents, phone, steve jobs, superintendent, tower

Today, something of interest happened. The most interesting thing was that it was practically right under my nose, and I didn't notice at all.

The event in particular occurred around 10:09 am, Pacific Time. It was something caused by the Earth. By the tectonic plates beneath the Earth. The friction between two of them, which happened to be CONVENIENTLY located in California, must have built up again, because the event I am speaking of is an earthquake. Find more information about it here.

I didn't feel the earthquake, so I didn't hear about it until the afternoon, when I called my mother.
Mom: Did you feel the earthquake?
Me: No, when was it?
Mom: Around 10:09.
Me: Hmm...I didn't feel anything.
Mom: Really? But it was pretty close by. We had to evacuate the building.

When my parents came home, I double-checked with my dad. For him it was even worse since his company building is even closer to the earthquake's epicenter. My mother found it surprising that I didn't feel a thing. Someone she knows who lives in the neighboring town felt the earthquake (then again, that town is a bit closer to the epicenter than mine).

I guess we were safe from the earthquakes. Either we were far enough away, or the design of the classrooms is quite sturdy. At the time, I was in one of the "portable" classrooms (although I believe it can be moved around, and it looks kind of boxlike and the ceiling isn't as high nor are the windows as large as a "built into the ground" classroom) and I heard once that portables are more earthquake safe.

But then, if the other students had felt the earthquake, wouldn't they have mentioned it when talking at brunch or lunch? Perhaps it wasn't felt at all? Maybe it's not too bad to live where I do. (Though it is still certainly within the danger zone if an earthquake is in a different place. I mean, I was in an earthquake in late October - the day before Halloween or something close like that - a few years ago, and I definitely felt that one. But it had a slightly higher magnitude) But I still always feel like it's dangerous living in California, since in the movie 2012, the first place to go was California.

Some places are worse off when it comes to natural disasters, though. I keep email correspondence with an old friend of mine who moved to Taiwan years back. She said that not all that long ago they had a huge earthquake, but their building was fine, as buildings are designed to be earthquake-proof, even apartment buildings, which can reach high heights. There are also typhoons in Taiwan. Sounds like a pretty wild place; I guess the Earth's pretty excitable over there. I don't really understand why one of my friends says I should visit Taiwan sometime if it's so dangerous and it's pretty polluted. I don't even know where I would go there, besides Taipei 101, which was the tallest building in the world (is it still?). But if you know someplace cool to visit in Taiwan, let me know.

I've also wondered whether I should visit Korea. What I mean by Korea is South Korea, since I'm not sure whether North Korea is an ideal place to visit. Anyhow, though, I only know of one place in Korea, and that's the capital, Seoul. I'm afraid I'm not as well-versed in the world as I had previously thought.

Luckily, I had some good loot this year from Christmas. XD Although I am Santa, I have elves who give me gifts. One of the things was a world atlas, which is something I wanted (I already had one, but it was a thin one with not much information that I ordered through the "book orders"). If I were retired already, then I could spend more time looking at it...Sigh...

Ah, before I end this post, I wonder if you have noticed the new blog layout, which I put up just yesterday. (If you are new to visiting this blog, then you might not have known). I've made a few changes to the coding, because the original text size was rather small, which bothered me... And the layout is aligned to the right, so if you expand your screen it will still stick to the right of the Internet window. I hope that doesn't trouble you. I thought I'd try a different color this time.

Labels: 2012, atlas, black, blog, building, california, catalog, classroom, earthquake, font size, layout, location, natural disaster, portable, taipei 101, taiwan, typhoon, world

There's no need to be concerned, because I don't gamble. I once tried to in the Venetian hotel quite a few years ago, when my mom and I were eating dinner at a restaurant inside the casino, and I wanted to press one of the buttons on a nearby slot machine, but then a worker came by and said I couldn't. How disappointing. Slot machines make cool noises, kind of like the newer checkout machines at the local library.

The inspiration for my blog post and title today was cars. Yup, cars. I often see doubles of the same car. Today when going to school, in front of my car were two Lexus (dunno what the plural form is...Lexuses? o_O;; ). They were the same exact kind except for the color.

And there are a lot of Subaru Foresters, I have discovered. I have seen a couple of them in my area, same color and everything. And one time I came with my mom to work at her office since there was no one to watch me at home (and I have no siblings, so I am not trusted to stay by myself, except for this summer when I was doing just that). Well, my mom had parked her car next to another Subaru. It was also a Forester except it was a black one. I know they have to sell a lot of a kind of car or they would discontinue making them but I still get amazed if I see the same kind of car. I see the Mercedes we have hidden in our garage sometimes too.

There are a lot of twins, too. A pair of twins who are both geography whizzes are in my village this year, along with a girl who apparently has a twin (but I haven't quite figured out who her twin is. I assume she has to be in the school somewhere). Maybe there's more twins in my village that I didn't notice yet.

Anyhow, on to other news. The blog layout has been changed since unfortunately the one I had in mind isn't working as well as would be nice. So maybe I'll just try and format it for Nutrinopets or something, because I often use blog layouts for my profile there. This time I got it from createblog.com, which has Blogger layouts, though I still prefer to go to blogskins.com most of the time. I thought the toast was very charming. And I really like bread. XD

I've moved my playlist and it is now underneath the posts, at the bottom of the page. It will autostart so pause it or turn off your sound or turn off the playlist's sound if you don't want to hear it. There's also a Youtube video so you can have images and sound together if you would like. I picked out Colorless Wind sung by Yuuki Aira, which is the Sola anime opening. It's one of my favorite songs. (There was another song I wanted to put up but I couldn't find it...Sigh...)

Labels: automobile, blog, car, casino, change, colorless wind, forester, gambling, las vegas, layout, lexus, mercedes, playlist, slot machines, subaru, toast, venetian, video, youtube, yuuki aira

I haven't posted in a while on this blog. I guess I've been busier this school year than I ever expected it to be. I was told eighth grade was a harder year by far but seeing as seventh grade was such a lax year for me, this is really a change. I have to get used to it again or I will lose all semblance of free time except for on weekends.

I'm already beginning to worry because I had some pretty unfortunate luck in science class. I was assigned the very first of the presentation days for my Current Events this trimester. Basically, Current Events is where you pick a newspaper article or something, and then you write about it and give a speech. Except in this case it has to be science related. I have a pretty good idea what article I'm going to use, but seeing as I have only until September 8th to get everything together, it's stressful. Also, I'm not very good at public speaking so I'm afraid my lack of charisma will result in a worse grade. I mean, in the past I have rocked on my feet from nervousness or missed some crucial part of the presentation or something along those lines.

As for the blog title, what I mean is that if you don't touch something for a while, dust collects on it. Like corners of my piano. The little parts at the very left and right sides of your piano keys, well, you never really put your hand there so there's dust on it. I had better make sure mold and dust and such doesn't grow on my blog.

I'd appreciate if you all let me know if the blog's layout is working out right for you. Sometimes the header and background image don't show up so the layout looks all weird and you can't see things like the navigation. And when you view certain pages, since I wrote too much, the scrollbar looks like it's cutting off the text. I'm going to try and fix it if I get the chance. Anyhow, if you can't see the navigation, try highlighting the page with your cursor (the arrow or whatever thing you have on the computer screen that you use to click on things) until you can see the stars. (I will see about changing them to text, maybe it'll be easier to navigate that way as well.)

Today my language arts teacher and class were supposed to sing the birthday song to me and another classmate of mine. Our birthdays are in August (more specifically the 5th) but since we have summer birthdays we have to celebrate during the school year instead. However, we didn't have enough time in class and so I didn't receive my head of the line pass or get sung to. I don't really care about that but I worry that maybe the teacher has trouble managing time or something. (Or perhaps it's just because it's Wednesday, a short day.) It's a good thing I have brunch right after language arts class.

Labels: birthday, busy, current events, dust, eighth grade, language arts, layout, middle school, navigation, problem, public speaking, science, speech, summer, time management

...For my poor Christmas tree, which perished on Thursday, July 2, 2009. The tree had probably already been dead a long time ago, since it isn't one of those "live Christmas trees" (you know, a small one in a pot which you have to take care of during the year and hopefully it'll grow big enough to be ready for Christmas next time since it's too small to really hang decorations on) but I still feel like it was a funeral. Even though I didn't look at the tree much besides when I'm practicing piano and my eyes are wandering, it still became something familiar in my house. Now that it is gone, there is a lame, regular plant in its place.

The reason why my father dragged the tree outside, rid it of its branches and leaves, and cut it to pieces to put in the Yard Waste bin, was apparently because it was a fire hazard. The tree has been there ever since Christmas, more than half a year ago. It is now very dry and so my parents worried that if we leave the home it could catch on fire and burn the house down. (Our insurance doesn't cover the whole house's cost, so it wouldn't be worth it) And yet even though I never gave the tree a name it was in a strange way dear to me.

I have turned to a bundle of yarn for consolation. Yes, yarn. After reading a book I developed a minor interest in sewing and figured someday I might try it. Maybe in the summer, seeing as there isn't much for me to do during this hot, boring season. I have purchased a bundle of light blue yarn. (We have some other yarn at home but I think all we have is some pink yarn) It is quite soft and I am almost reluctant to use it, but then, it would be nice to learn how to sew. My mom knows how, or at least so she says.

Other things I did today were visit the San Jose library, and also buy a bike at Target. We normally go to the library on Saturday, but seeing as tomorrow is the 4th of July, the library will be closed. As for going to Target, I already have a bicycle, but since I have taken my mom's one, we had to get another one. I used to have a smaller bicycle but I find that the one I usually use now is easier (at first it was hard to use because I was too short but now it's about right). Luckily we have a coupon and besides it's on sale this week. My mom wanted the purple color but they were sold out already (apparently it's a new color and very popular) so we had to get a pink bicycle instead. My mom thought it would be okay to use a male bike but I figured it would be a little weird. Have you noticed the difference between male and female bikes? (Besides how they usually have different colors. Take a look at two bikes or find pictures and you'll see what I mean. That bar thing that runs from under your handlebars to under your bike seat has a different shape.)

Recently I have taken a renewed interest in Ouran High School Host Club. Apparently it has come on DVD to North America and so my mom was lucky enough to find Part 1 in the library (part 1 contains episodes 1-13) so I've been watching it while I exercise, read books, or just when I'm bored. I've been wondering if I should just try harder to find a good Ouran theme for my blog, and then always have Ouran icons. It would be pretty cool and once I did find a nice Ouran theme. The only problem is, with that layout, you can't see the name of the blog title. It's really a shame.

Labels: anime, bike, blog, christmas, danger, death, fire, holidays, independence day, july 3, layout, library, ouran high school host club, sewing, tree, yarn

...That can only be cured by gold! Okay, sorry, I'm not Cortes or one of those Spanish explorers who tried to get gold from American natives, but oh well. I thought this was suitable seeing as one of my friends said our history teacher wasn't at school because he had a disease of the heart. "Actually, he wanted to see his daughter's school play," she later said. And for a moment I was getting excited, what a bummer - er, what a relief. We don't want any teachers dying. (Like that time Mr. Blair was all sad and serious and said that when you teach for many years you see teachers dying. Luckily, usually it's just the old ones, but sometimes teachers die of sickness.)

Today we did some dissection in class. It was just flowers, though I was very thrilled to be handling what looked like a small knife. Mr. Brown warned us that if we played with the scalpels we would be sent to the Principal's office and later expelled since scalpels are dangerous enough to fall under the Zero Tolerance rule. So are scissors, according to our school planner's rules section, but I still bring them anyways. XD You have to come prepared...right?

More about the scalpels. Mine had some strange brownish things on it. I thought it was bread since Mr. Brown eats in class so maybe he was cutting bread with it. However, Mr. Brown said, "Don't mind the frog guts, these scalpels used to be used to dissect frogs and pigs." Yikes. They always say the frogs died of natural causes but it seems more likely they were killed for the sake of school. After all, last time I went to Hawaii we saw some dead frogs on the road, which had apparently been run over by cars. Ouch.

My backpack, as well, is a lethal object. Though it may seem like a regular rolling backpack it is actually a bodyguard of sorts in disguise. If someone ever tried to cut me in the lunch line, I think I could try to accidentally run over their foot with the wheels or hit them in the ribs with the handle. And oftentimes when I'm walking in the hallways, if people try to get past me they have to face my backpack. They end up being shoved against other people or tripping. This is my way of teaching the lesson of personal space. :o But I suppose if I ever had children they wouldn't like being smacked by a backpack just to "teach them manners".

This morning I woke up and couldn't breathe through my nose, so I got a tissue and tried to clear it up. Instead I got a nosebleed. -_-;; What a nice reason to get up early. It bled a whole a lot and for a while but I went back to bed with some paper stuck in my nose and finally it stopped. I don't get nosebleeds as much as I did when I was in elementary school, but still quite a lot, especially when the weather is dry. I guess that will never change. I just hope I won't get skin cancer or something due to my multitude of health problems.

I've been thinking of doing some updates to my blog, like changing the layout (it's been here a few months by now, I think) and also adding things to my posts. For instance, I might teach something that I find interesting every time, or I would start writing a story. (I've been wanting to write a book of sorts for a while, but I don't have the patience nor the inspiration. Whenever I get a good idea it's a nighttime or at school and I can't just write it down on my desk or my pillow.)

Labels: backpack, blog, danger, death, dissect, flowers, frog guts, health, layout, lesson, nosebleed, revenge, scalpel, sickness, story, teacher

PE was a real misery today. First we had to run, which is the usual, but I needed to go to the bathroom (Except I couldn't, since the teacher might think I'm making an excuse to get out of PE) so it got harder and harder to run. And then we had a choice between watching a movie in the boys' locker room (I decided not to. We'd seen the movie already - it was one about how sports and science are related or something - and the boys' locker room smells funny. At least to me). I chose basketball, which turned out to be not so nice...The basketball didn't bounce well when it hit puddles, and every time I dribbled, mud splattered onto my legs. If I try to shoot baskets, I usually have to stand in a puddle, which is very unpleasant. My shoes didn't stand up well to the water and I ended up with soaked socks.

At the very least, cooking was delicious today. We finally finished making the streusel coffee cake. (Streusel meaning crumb, I think). We made some mulled apple cider to go with it (Apple juice with some cloves and cinnamon, simmered in a pot). Sounds delicious, but unlike the cake, it wasn't. It was slightly bitter and had a strange aftertaste. I would rather have plain apple juice, personally.

I keep putting off getting a new layout for the blog. I really want to have a change since it's fun to customize things. (At least for me. On video games or websites I like being able to change stuff as I see fit.) Maybe I'll do it this weekend if I have time. I'm not sure if I will. I need to do my last cooking project, plus start research for my Japan project, and maybe do a little brainstorming for my factoring story.

Science class was a bit different than usual. We were watching "The Eyes of Nye" which is apparently similar to Bill Nye the Science Guy, except the old Bill Nye is meant for elementary school kids, and The Eyes of Nye is meant for high school kids? (Nothing for us "in-betweener" middle schoolers, I guess.) It was sort of funny, but sort of disgusting and confusing and sad sometimes. Like for the sad kind: The mating call of crickets also attracts a kind of fly. The fly latches onto the cricket and burrows into its body. Flies grow inside the cricket until they burst out and the cricket dies. What a sad life...But sickening too, if you get eaten from your insides out. Bleck.

Labels: basketball, beverages, bill nye, blog, choice, cooking, custom, dessert, exercise, homework, insects, layout, life, movie, mud, panic, school, socks, weather, weekend

Okay, I've updated it with a new layout and put in a few new features. I guess it is looking so-so right now. I will keep working on it. Maybe if I can I will try to add some music or other features. Right now I will just have to see.

Today I had a ton of homework. Took a while to get through it. I hope I'll be able to up my scores. They are not that great right now... At least, I think the science and PE grades are probably rather shabby right now. But I'll keep trying.

Hmm, maybe I should put up my school schedule, just so you can see what day I have at school.

Labels: blog, grades, homework, layout, music, plans, schedule, school

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