04th Jan2012

First injury of the year!

by ardith

20120104-213326.jpgI tripped spectacularly today! I was able to hobble around on it for a few hours, but now it’s slightly swollen and very tender. I’m going to see the doctor tomorrow to see if anything is really wrong. Hopefully, a night iced and elevated will help.

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve fallen, but it’s been years since I’ve had a scraped knee and a sprained ankle.

Years ago, when I was a freshman at UCLA, I had a spill on the way to my musicology final. I broke my left foot.

I called my professor, explaining what had happened. He laughed a bit – as if to say, I know you’re telling the truth. No one would lie like this to get out of a musicology final.

Anyway, I’m icing and bandaging my ankle. Hopefully it looks good in the morning.

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Category : Health Matters, Life Life Life
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01st Jan2012

Happy New Year 2012

by ardith

It’s gonna be an awesome year! My cousin and her husband just had a baby at 3:45pm New Year’s Eve. What a great way to ring in the New Year.

Category : Life Life Life
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15th Sep2011

We Heart Performing For Japan

by ardith

We [HEART] Performing for Japan

We <3 Performing for Japan

We <3 Japan is having a live performance!

Mari Iijima will be there as well as some amazing US voice talent.

There will be a concert AND a live reading of an anime episode.

Tickets start at $40. Buy one now!

 

Category : Japanese, Life Life Life
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11th Sep2011

9-11 – Ten Years Later

by ardith

Sorry if this is a rambling post. I just want to get down my thoughts about today.

Before September 11, 2001, I was mostly worried about work. We were trying to get a store open in Los Angeles. It was very busy.

That morning, though, I was sleeping. My friend, Stephanie came in. She was my roommate and her brother lived in New York. He called her and told her to turn on the tv.

I remember we watched for a while in horror at what was happening.

The news was warning about threats against Los Angeles as well.

I went to work.

I tried to concentrate, but ended up reloading CNN over and over again. I cried a lot.

Horrors happen all over the world, I know. Deliberate murder and cruelties. A part of my doesn’t really understand why people do this. They can just as easily get along.

Humans can be selfish. Cruel. Aggressive.

But we can also be amazingly kind. Selfless. Protective.

The acts on that day were not because of any religion. People need hope. People need to be able to progress. I’m sure that’s very much part of the underlying resentment of certain groups.

The thousands who died on 9-11 have sent ripples, touching people around the world. I hope that all humanity can find that goodness within themselves to do what’s right.

Sound of Silence – Paul Simon

Category : Life Life Life, The World
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05th Sep2011

Happy Birthday Freddie Mercury!

by ardith

Google has a new doodle in honor of Freddie Mercury! .

(via the Daily What)

Category : Life Life Life
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05th Sep2011

Watching The Crow

by ardith

Brandon Lee as The Crow

The Crow came up during a lunch hour conversation.  It’s been years since I’ve watched it, but it popped on Hulu Plus. Of course, I took the recommendation as fate.

While I was watching it, I wondered just how many people my age got the soundtrack and thought sad teenage thoughts. I totally want to dig up mine (Um, yeah, I bought it back then) and listen to The Cure.

I think I blocked just how bloody it was. Of course, since it’s about vengeance and stuff, it should not have surprised me. Mostly, I felt really bad for Brandon Lee.

I still enjoyed the movie a lot.  You can watch it on Hulu Plus or Netflix Streaming. It’s dark, over the top, and bloody. Rated R for all the above and more.

Category : Movies
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13th Aug2011

Sometime in the future….

by ardith

It’s really hard for me to believe, but my parents are now in their 60′s. I’m sure in their post-World War 2 childhoods, 60-year-olds were considered ancient, but the Boomer generation is living longer and longer. I pray for my parents’ continued health. They certainly are not decrepit, but no one lives forever.

Or do they?

I was listening to the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast discussing how life-spands.

There are some people who say that we are reaching the point where science will let humans regenerate organs and sustain life for longer and longer. (Practical) Immortality is within reach!

Can your mind hold that many memories? Or will you have to decide to erase bits and pieces of it as time goes on?

Could you put your childhood into storage? Access it wirelessly in the cloud whenever you want to remember your childhood phone number?

My friends are settling down, having kids of their own. I wonder if, to keep your sanity, you would have to sacrifice memories of your child’s first steps to make more room in your mind when you have your great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren at your feet.

I’m not sure if I would like to stay on earth for that long. What would that mean for human evolution? If you still have older generations of people around (who can presumably still breed more people), will that put a halt on how your species grows and changes? I want telepathic great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren, dammit!

It’s something to think about.

Category : Life Life Life
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16th Jul2011

Harry Potter and the Teary-Eyed Fans

by ardith

Just got back from watching this. The Harry Potter novels & movies have been a part of pop culture for decades. I’m glad that I went opening weekend. It’s wonderful to experience the movie with fellow fans.

As moviegoers, we’ve spent dozens of hours in Hogwarts. We’ve spent over a decade reading the books and watching the movies. It’s kind of hard to say goodbye.

The last Harry Potter movie is spectacular. The dark parts of the books are all there. I think there were several scenes that they improved upon in the film! The crowd who went to the 10:30pm showing tonight were a mix of hard-core (Cosplaying) fans, regular fans, and other folk. I heard more than a few sniffles, gasps, and cheers at different points in the film.

And even though I knew what was coming, I wiped a few tears away myself.

Kudos to the film makers, cast, and crew of the Harry Potter saga. It’s wasn’t easy to breathe life into this world. You all did an amazing job.

The Harry Potter novels were just not about good and evil. It was a saga about love, sacrifice, and the power that all holds. I think JK Rowling has given the world a gift. Her story has opened a generation of children to the magic of reading, the power of words, love, and courage, and the knowledge that you have a choice to do what is right. Even if it’s not easy.

Category : Movies
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14th Jul2011

Carmageddon Time Out

by ardith

LA is preparing for the madness of carmageddon this weekend. A stretch of the 405 will be closed to expand the freeway and signs across the city’s freeways proclaim that there will be big delays.

I have to say that the traffic the last few days has been kinda bad. Maybe people are trying tom leave early. Get out of the city while you can!!

I’m planning to stay close to home. I have some ebook to read. Maybe go to a local teahouse and get some tea and toast. Maybe LA can take a little freeway break. Here’s hoping for a nice, quiet weekend.

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Category : Life Life Life
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26th Jun2011

Game of Thrones – What to do first?

by ardith

Game of Thrones

I’ve debated whether to start reading the Song of Fire & Ice series by George R.R. Martin for the past few weeks. Screen caps from the series have filled up my Tumblr dashboard. The series looks amazing.

The whole series is on my to-read list and I have to admit I did start watching it today. First, Dire-wolf cubs are adorable and I want one. Second of all, I don’t trust blond people it the series. At all.

Except for Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage). He’s awesome.

UPDATE:
I just ordered it for my iPad Kindle app

Category : Books, Fantasy, Generes, TV
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25th Jun2011

Dwarf Parents

by ardith

My cousin and her husband have a new blog! It’s really informative. They are a dwarf couple raising a child with dwarfism and a child of average height.

They discuss everything — health, fashion, home improvement tips!

Please check out Dwarf Parents.

 

Category : Health Matters, Life Life Life
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23rd Jun2011

We Heart Japan’s Karaoke Event

by ardith


I love love love Stephanie Sheh and have known her for years. She’s a great voice actress and singer! I’ve spoken earlier about We Heart Japan. Now they are having an amazing Karaoke Event featuring Stephanie and Cristina Vee!

It’s a limited venue, so you can RSVP tickets via We Heart Japan’s site. This is a chance for fans to really hang out with these ladies. And Karaoke is serious fun.

Proceeds go to Japan Relief.

Category : Anime & Manga, Life Life Life
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07th May2011

Bathroom Remodeling

by ardith

20110507-115109.jpgMy condo was built in the 1970′s. When I first bought it, it had wood siding INSIDE covering a wall and a wall of MIRRORS!

As soon as I bought it, I had the mirrors and the wood removed and replaced with drywall. My brother and I did the laminate flooring.

I eventually got to redoing the kitchen, too!

The last thing I need to update is the bathroom. I’ve been putting it off for years because the bathroom seems super hard to do myself (though I had professionals do the kitchen). Still part of me things, this room is so small, I should totally be able to do it!!

Of course, that can-do attitude can get you in trouble, right?

I want to update the bathtub and change the fixtures in there. I replaced the vanity in the bathroom a while back, but I wonder if I should replace it again. Seriously, the bathroom is tiny.

Also, these glass backsplash tile things caught my eye when I was pricing out stuff at the home improvement stores. Gah, I really need to think things through and form a plan before I totally create a home improvement nightmare.

Category : Life Life Life
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07th May2011

First Birthday Madness

by ardith

I have two very good friends who had baby girls last year. That means that this year is their first birthdays!!

I made brownies for both Popo and Roo’s birthdays, but this time, I think I’ve finally managed to figure out how to make the mini cupcakes right.

brownies that can travel

At Popo’s birthday, I made red velvet cupcakes (without the food coloring) and the mini cupcakes were misshapen. I was using a table spoon to spoon in the batter.

For Roo’s Owl-themed birthday, I made brownie cupcakes (large and small). This time, I used a bag to pipe in the batter. It worked out much better, though I still had a tough time if the batter went between the cupcake pan and the liner.
I made a total of 48 large and 48 small ones. I figure little kids find the small ones easier to handle.

packed and ready

My friends Nay and J and their family were up super early to get the party in the park up and running. The owls were adorable and so were the babies. We were at a park in Marina Del Ray (that’s in West Los Angeles, CA) called Burton Chace Park.

Owls!

It reminded me a lot of San Diego’s marina park area near Seaport Village. We used to go there all the time as kids. This park was much smaller though. It had lovely covered luncheon areas with bbq’s right in the covered area!

I stuffed my face and had tons of sweets so of course I crashed around 3:30 and took a nap like a baby. It great to see so many people out to celebrate Baby Roo’s first year. Or as I like to call it — Survival: Year One for the new parents.

Category : Life Life Life
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13th Apr2011

Bleeding for a good cause

by ardith

I drove down to San Diego today to give blood. It didn’t take too long, though I was tired afterwards.

The blood is going to a family member. I certainly don’t mind a bit of pain if I can help out.

I’ve been trying to give blood regularly for the two years. I think if you have the time and are healthy, you should give it a try. For me, the worst part is the initial hemoglobin test. This time wasn’t too bad, but the first time hurt like the dickens since they sliced a bit into my finger. A little upsetting when they only need a few drops of blood for the test!

Anyway, about 20 min later, I was down a pint and was given some juice and snacks. You rest for about 15 more min before they let you go home.

I think the strangest sensation when you are giving blood is the warmth of your blood as it flows down into the bag. The tubing lies across your skin, so you can feel it pump pump pump, all warm from your body.

I made sure I drank a lot before and after. Stay hydrated! Water is the key of life. :)

Category : Life Life Life
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