juliemats

おしゃれブランチに行きました～Went to brunch at Sprout～

2012-01-30T22:05:00.001-06:00

Skirt steak with egg and basil over potato salad

４週目終了～Week 4 Finished～

2012-01-27T23:08:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, this quarter is busy because I have the equivalent of a 5-class work load. (I don't think I even did that during undergrad.)

Well, Week 4 has already come to an end, so crazy.

Let's see... there are 7 more weeks of this...

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!

眠い．．．～Sleepy...～

2012-01-24T00:53:00.000-06:00

ショッピ～ング！～Shopping～

2012-01-21T20:20:00.002-06:00

Went shopping in the snow yesterday at Old Orchard.

Got lots of practical things (lip balm, thankyou cards, sweater, pajamas), plus a couple fun things (shirts that I probably won't be able to wear till the spring :P).

Hard to believe I love shopping so much now when it was something I hated up till when I was about 25.

I blame Project Runway, haha.

真夜中のミーティング～Class meeting till after midnight T_T～

2012-01-18T02:59:00.000-06:00

炊飯器買ったよ～Bought a rice cooker!～

2012-01-15T02:57:00.000-06:00

忙しいんです～Busy～

2012-01-12T02:56:00.000-06:00

トゥーターリング～Tutoring～

2012-01-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

I've met all my tutoring students now, and for the most part I'm quite excited about all of them.

In the past, I've had to tutor 15-min writing sessions (too short), or teach 45-min one-on-one sessions (too long), with little if zero continuity between sessions.

But the current system is 30 minutes per person, and I have the same people week to week.

Plus after many years of teaching, the actual students don't affect me as much anymore, in terms of letting good/bad lessons influence my mood.

Feeling good :)

とにかく大変～Freakin busy～

2012-01-06T12:16:00.000-06:00

stay calm... (photo courtesy of Mike)

This quarter is the absolute worst.

1. 10 hours of tutoring a week: Now granted I've taught in the past (including lots of one-on-one), so it won't be too bad, but 18 students per week (plus one office hour) is still draining.

2. Independent Study: I'm starting to do some real work on a Qualifying Paper which is real serious because I need to get 2 approved by the end of my 3rd year to advance to candidacy.

3. Three classes: (1) a Stats course which will give me the foundation I need to do proper research; (2) one Linguistics course which is taught by one of the professors who is overseeing my project above; (3) another Linguistics course which is not that relevant to what I'm doing but will most likely benefit me down the road.

So yeah, you may not see me much during this quarter. But don't worry, it'll all be over in a matter of a couple months. Not sure if I should be happy or start panicking. Curses, the quarter system!

アイパッド返却～iPad return～

2012-01-03T18:11:00.000-06:00

kaleidoscopic cake

Usually when I come back from Japan to Chicago, I have severe jet lag that doesn't go away for a week or so.

But this time around, Rachel kept me company for a couple days, so I was able to overcome the jet lag fairly quickly :)

And during her stay, we went to Old Orchard to return what I had bought as a trial run for tablets -- the iPad2.

Now I gotta admit I really loved playing with it: Reading PDFs on it was super comfortable, and you can take fun photos with it like the one above.

But alas... I think with something like a tablet, which is being one-upped by the next best thing constantly, you need to be completely happy with what you're buying, so that you don't even care if something better comes around.

And I just wasn't ready to settle... (starting to sound awfully similar to dating)

Thanks, iPad2... I'll miss you.

ラ・ロシェル～La Rochelle～

2011-12-31T17:58:00.000-06:00

cheese and bread

During my Tokyo trip, I got to do something that I'd been wanting to do for 2 and a half years -- go to La Rochelle, the restaurant owned by 坂井シェフ (Iron Chef Sakai)!!

Everything was so delicate and subtle, yet amazingly delicious. My expectations were high, and they were exceeded.

And at the end, when the dessert cart comes out, you hear these sweet, sweet words: お好きなものをお好きなだけ召し上がってください (you can have as much as you want of anything).

Ahhh... heaven＾＾

クリスマスケーキ～Christmas cake～

2011-12-28T07:29:00.000-06:00

pure decadence

This year, we actually ordered a Christmas cake for pick-up from Wittamer, as pictured above. It wasn't a big cake, but it lasted for days since it was so rich, and it was soooo goooood. Definitely recommended!

きらきらアフロ観覧～KiraKiraAfro TV Audience～

2011-12-25T22:42:00.000-06:00

post-show (5:20am)

きらきらアフロ is one of my all-time favorite Japanese TV shows, and over break, I got to be part of an all-nite live taping which took place Dec 24th 12:12am - 5am. The comedians I got to see live: 笑福亭鶴瓶, キャイ～ン, 桂ざこば, 有吉弘行, ボビー・オロゴン, and 安田大サーカスＨＩＲＯ. What was cool about this taping was that you could only attend if you scored a high grade on a test about the show. So it was pretty cool to watch the show with fellow KiraKira lovers ;)

伏見稲荷大社～Fushimi Inari-taisha～

2011-12-22T16:48:00.000-06:00

photo courtesy of Mike

Because Mike loves foxes, we went to the head shrine of Inari, where the messengers are pure white foxes. Pictured to the left are numerous gates one after another, donated by businesses to Inari, the patron of business and worldly prosperity. I actually saw these gates being alluded to when I was living in New York, when Christo and Jeanne-Claude installed "The Gates" in Central Park.

They look pretty in the photo, but I dunno, they're not that impressive on site. I guess they're just a bit too gaudy.

相棒～Partner～

2011-12-19T00:29:00.000-06:00

ポーズ (photo courtesy of Mike)

There's a TV studio in Roppongi called テレ朝, and there were a bunch of displays which encourage visitors to take photos. Here are me and Mike posing for 相棒(Partner), one of my parents' (and now mine) favorite police detective dramas.

ティーケーオー～TKO～

2011-12-13T16:48:00.000-06:00

TKO (photo courtesy of Mike)

When wandering around in Roppongi, we came across a Play Station Vita event, where the comedy pair TKO were promoting the new console. They were pretty funny ^^

プリクラ～purikura～

2011-12-10T18:10:00.000-06:00

in harajuku!

Wow I sure have done a good job of ignoring this blog for the last two weeks.

Here's a purikura-shot of me and Mike in Harajuku!!

終わった！～Finished!～

2011-12-07T04:06:00.000-06:00

Gradmate Lauren left a couple hours ago after we finished our Prosody assignment.

So relieved, but anxious at same time cuz taxi is coming to pick me up in 3 hours, and I still need to shower, finish packing, and take a quick nap so that I don't make any stupid mistakes.

Ahh!!!

ギューーー～Crunch time～

2011-12-04T18:42:00.005-06:00

It's T-3, and I'm starting to panic a bit cuz there's still quite a bit left to be done.

Let me just outline my to-do list here cuz that totally helps, right?

1) ~~finish take-home stats exam (due mon 11am)~~
2) finish getting ready for japan (reserve a taxi; check jal; check suitcase and bags)
3) ~~finish TA-ing duties (proctor final mon 3-5pm)(shoutout to TA-mate lauren here: thankyou! you know for what!)~~

4) ~~finish studying for CSD final (tue 12 - 2pm)~~

5) ~~finish writing up paper for prosody (due tue 9pm to go over with same lauren as above)~~
6) ~~finish preparations for independent study (prepare reading list by wed morning)~~

and then i can depart!!!

レビューセッション～Review session～

2011-12-01T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today, I attended a review session for one of my classes, where we just keep asking questions to the professor to prepare for the final exam until there are no more questions.

As the session wore on, people left one by one, but I ended up staying till the very end.

Glad I did, cuz I definitely feel more prepared than before the session.

But man, some of these questions that people were asking.

It's just... how is this still not clear to you, after she's explained it like 50 times??

I guess when you don't get it, you really don't get it.

Definitely know what that feels like...

So kudos to people who keep trying!!

あと８日～T-8～

2011-11-28T23:14:00.000-06:00

8 more days till Japan!

ブラックフライデー～Black Friday～

2011-11-25T23:52:00.000-06:00

This Thanksgiving has been quite the experience.

First, I tagged along with gradmate Angela to her relatives' T-giving gathering, where I stuffed myself silly with crab cakes, mashed potatoes, turkey, mandarin orange salad, turtle cheesecake, wine, etc etc etc!! Man she wasn't kidding when she said it would be a night of decadence.

And then today, I went shopping with Tessa to Old Orchard for the Black Friday sales. I have never seen that place so crowded. But it was still manageable, as in we weren't getting knocked over by people or anything. I came away with... ahem, a lot of stuff, to say the least. I'm sure you'll see me showcase one item or another in future posts. (If you're really curious ask me in person :P)

キャンセル続き～cancellations～

2011-11-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

In lab, we are running experiments constantly, and this quarter I had to run two pairs of people.

Piece of cake, right?

You'd be surprised how hard it is to successfully get two people in the lab at the same time.

One person cancels, you're screwed.

One person forgets about the experiment, you're screwed.

I've already had to re-schedule this one session two times.

Third time's a charm, hopefully!

バイリンガルアドバイザー～Bilingual advisor～

2011-11-19T16:01:00.000-06:00

my pass into the Allan Center

Recently, I attained a new title for myself -- 'bilingual advisor.'

This job entailed aiding company executives who have flown into the Kellogg Executive Development Program from all over the world.

I can speak Japanese, so I was assigned to the Japanese executives from the top companies Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Itochu.

The program lasts three weeks, and I was in charge of two study group sessions. (Each session reviews the concepts covered in class that day and previews the concepts which will be covered in class the next day.)

And man, the first session was an utter disaster, as the group skipped all concept talk and went straight to doing the homework for the next day, which was full of calculations and equations.

I asked my dad afterward if there was any way I could have been prepared for that, and he was like, "There's no way a non-business person would've been able to contribute," so I felt a little better.

But anyway, the second session was a lot better because only one student showed up, who needed help with the readings for the next day. (I guess the other students had either already read everything, or didn't care because there was no real homework.)

Overall, it was interesting to peer into the world of business, and especially to see what kind of people are in charge of our top companies in Japan at the moment.

採点～grading～

2011-11-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

Been grading homeworks and midterms for the class I'm TA-ing this quarter, which reminds me of allll the grading I had to do when I was teaching at Kanda.

I don't have nearly as much to grade, but somehow it still takes soooooooooooo long anyway, and I think it's because I'm not the one teaching the class.

It's just hard to determine what kinds of answers the instructor is expecting and can expect from what is being taught in the course.

Or I guess it could be just because it's my first time TA-ing for this particular course. So if I were to TA the same course next year, maybe it will be a lot easier.

But I have no idea what I'll be TA-ing next time, so I guess I should just be prepared to not enjoy TA-ing (in general). :/

口紅と歌詞～Lipstick & Lyrics～

2011-11-13T21:43:00.002-06:00

great venue!

Last night, I went out to the Mayne Stage in Morse for my second drag show ever.

The production was excellent, there was an abundance of showwomanship, and there was structure and flow to the show.

Plus Phil and Brandon were dancing back-up to the larger than life ladies -- what more can you ask for?? :D

Click here to see photos and videos → [picasa]

初雪～first snow～

2011-11-10T14:47:00.000-06:00

It was quite cold today, so I came home right after class.

And then when I was in my room and looked out the window, I saw the above!

SNOW!

WINTER!

DOWN JACKETS!

HOT COCOA!

YIPPE...

But then 2 minutes after taking the video, it was sunny outside.

(T_T) Oh Chicago...

ハロウィン～Halloween～

2011-11-07T21:21:00.000-06:00

scarecrow-ish

Didn't do anything for Halloween this year, but I did at least wear crazy clothes for the corn maze trip, complete with a cat hat (^^)

モロコシ迷路～corn maze～

2011-11-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

successful ling social!

Last Saturday, 10 people from my department (with some +1s) drove up to Spring Grove to get lost in the Richardson Farm corn maze (supposedly the world's largest).

It was a gorgeous day, and it was a great opportunity to bond with fellow gradmates while getting lots of fresh air.

Highlights of the day included: a pig race (reminded me of the pig farm I went to in Japan), a mini petting zoo, sweet potato fries, making s'mores, and a gigantic super bouncy trampoline-like area where everyone can bounce around together (like 100 people). Soooooooooo fun.

I went to the Treinen farm corn maze last year, and the Richardson farm corn maze this year. Where shall we go next year? :)

レゴビデオ～Lego video～

2011-11-01T13:29:00.003-05:00

Here's an awesome time-lapse video Hugo put together for the lego creation :)

一回休み～No blog post today～

2011-10-29T23:38:00.000-05:00

レゴナイト～Lego night～

2011-10-26T17:21:00.000-05:00

始まり、始まり～！

Last weekend, I and Joseph+Sisk went over to the Fortes to first enjoy a great dinner of lasagna and salad, and then partake in some lego fun, as pictured above. The Fortes had given Steven a lego model of Fallingwater, and we helped him put it together over a few hours. It was surprisingly really fun haha. Sorry Steven, for taking away some of your fun!

オープンマイク～Open Mic～

2011-10-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Scuttle Bugs

After stuffing ourselves with sashimi on Tuesday, Phil and I went to open mic night at some bar to see Phil's friends Kevin and Claire (the Scuttle Bugs) perform a couple songs. All the acts leading up to them seemed a bit rough, but everyone from the Scuttle Bugs on were great. At the end of the night the audience clapped and cheered for their favorite act, and Kevin and Claire got the most support, yay! :D

さかな、さかな、さかな～♬～Fish, Fish, Fish!～

2011-10-20T18:44:00.000-05:00

Our spread!

On Tuesday, Phil and I went to Dirk's Fish & Gourmet Shop and bought over a pound of sashimi, as seen above. The scallop was excellent, as was the salmon, followed by the tuna and yellowtail. We got half an avocado each as well, an awesome complement to the fish. Only thing missing? Miso soup. I will make sure to bring some with me next time. :)

メリー・ポピンズ～Mary Poppins～

2011-10-17T23:22:00.001-05:00

woohoo!

Last Friday, I had a girly day with gradmates Angela and Jenna.

First, we went shopping down the main street in Evanston, and at least one of us bought something in 4 out of 5 stores. Dang. :P

Then we had dinner at Sunshine Cafe, my favorite 定食 restaurant in Chicago. I love the casual atmosphere of that place, and the 親子丼 was as good as ever.

Finally, we drove down to the Cadillac Palace to see Mary Poppins! Yippee!

Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies as a child, and my dad even named me (partially) after Julie Andrews, so I was super excited.

The first act was so-so, but the second act blew me away. And Mary Poppins was spot-on.

Definitely worth seeing! (But get discount tickets :P)

Hooray to awesome Fridays. :D

寒くなってきた～Getting cold...～

2011-10-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Wish I could control the thermostat in my apartment... gonna be a cold winter again. Sigh.

忙しくなってきた～Getting busy～

2011-10-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

First all-nighter of the quarter already...

It was a combination of procrastination, homework, and grading (since I'm a TA now).

I slept well the night after :P

ラボ仲間～Lab outing～

2011-10-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

Speech Communication peeps

Last Monday, some people from the lab group I'm a part of went out for drinks and yummies at Koi (I love that place :P). It's kind of amazing how much more in a comfortable place I am in compared to around this time last year. Now if I could only muster up some energy to catch up on the work side of things... the challenge continues...

ウィスコンシンウェディング～A Wisconsin wedding～

2011-10-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

Yay Fremd!

Last weekend, Cheryl and I attended Christina's wedding as her high school friend reps. I was actually not sure if I would be able to make it, but good thing I did, because this is probably the only time we'll ever get to see Christina this glammed up. :P

Lookin' good, Christina!

あわわ～Playing catch-up～

2011-10-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I went to Madison, Wisconsin for a wedding, and now I'm kinda swamped with work! Eek!

同窓会～Reunion～

2011-09-29T23:04:00.001-05:00

ISRC❤

Last weekend, I took part in the reunion activities for my former undergrad dorm, ISRC.

(Super convenient for me, since it's literally down the street from where I currently live.)

I thought it was funny that every single alumnus who made it to the event had held some kind of position in the dorm in their time (e.g., academic chair, treasurer, etc.)

I was philanthropy chair, and it was fun to exchange knowing glances with the current chair :P

I think the most surreal moment was when we were taking a tour around our former home, through the hallways, suites, and even down to the basement.

Oh, ISRC... so much happened within your walls...

It was fun to reminisce, and I'm sure we will keep doing so in the years to come ;)

*********************************

I've almost fully recovered from my cold, FYI.

風邪～Caught a cold...～

2011-09-26T22:56:00.002-05:00

Grr...

授業再開～Classes start again～

2011-09-23T18:35:00.001-05:00

It was a bit of a jolt getting back to a schedule with classes, meetings, etc, but thanks to my jet lag, I was able to get up early all this week!

This quarter I'll be taking

Psychoacoustics
Prosody and Meaning
Applied Statistics for Research I

I'm pretty excited about the above courses because I think they'll all help me get closer to my end goal of graduating and getting outta here :P

Yes, the second year has begun...

セグウェイ～Segway!!～

2011-09-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

Born to Segway :D

Back in April, I told some of my friends that I wanted to go Segway for my birthday.

And this past Sunday, it finally happened! :D

It is so fun, guys...

Even my friend who thought Segways were so silly was converted in a matter of minutes.

If anyone ever wants to Segway, gimme a call... :P

トレーニング～Training～

2011-09-17T22:05:00.000-05:00

I came back to Evanston on Wed, and on Thu and Fri, I attended a training session for TAs (teaching assistants) because I'm going to be teaching / tutoring / TAing this year.

I was kind of ready to not care about the training because I was bitter that I had to cut my Japan trip short for it, but I was happily surprised to be impressed with parts of the training.

Other parts... not so much T_T

再びシカゴ～Back in Chicago～

2011-09-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

I tried, I tried...

But I could not fight it off...

I ended up falling asleep...

And now I'm still awake at 3:30am... (although that's actually pretty ordinary for me).

Hello, jet lag...

台北～Taipei～

2011-09-11T23:59:00.003-05:00

Last week I was in Taipei, Taiwan for college friend A-chan's wedding.

My mom and I were there for 3 nights and 3 days, and it was definitely not enough time -- we already want to go back^^

The food was good (欣葉台菜, 鼎泰豊, hotel breakfast, etc.)

The sights were abundant (we actually could only hit 3 -- 故宮, 中正記念堂, and 台北１０１).

And 永康街 was good for trinket-shopping^^

The transportation system was easy to use, and things were pretty cheap.

A-chan's wedding was fun too (although crazy and random at times, just like him haha).

Yay Taipei! Definitely a place to go back.

千葉・東京、そして大阪～Chiba/Tokyo, and Osaka～

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is proving to be quite the whirlwind of a trip.

I've hit Katsutadai to say hi to ミニラ and her baby boy.

I've been hosted by the ジェルソ family who have provided me with delish meals and great company.

I got to hang out with Eric even though he was recovering from an acute virus infection.

I walked around the streets of Osaka with アッシュ who will be moving to this great city come next spring.

And I finally got to see Oriraji live again, after a year of living off Internet videos and Twitter feeds.

There were some people I couldn't see, but hopefully next time!

Tomorrow is the start of the next leg of the tour. Stay tuned!

日本到着！〜Arrived in Japan!〜

2011-09-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

日本へ出発！〜To Japan!〜

2011-09-02T21:54:00.007-05:00

ラビニア２０１１～Ravinia 2011～

2011-08-30T17:19:00.002-05:00

At concert #1

This summer, I went to Ravinia four times, and each time was a very different experience. Clarification: Each time was with a different group of people except #2 and #4.

Concert #1: Pink Martini - the 'going all out' experience
We got there super early, parked in the Ravinia lot, had a complete spread with wine, cheese, ham, cherries, chips, cookies, etc, had a table, had chairs, and had the pre-concert card game which we actually finished. I mean this was the full-on experience.

Concert #2: Zukerman - the 'minimalist' experience
We didn't get there early but found that there was no need to since the concert was indoors. Ravinia parking was free, there were very few people on the lawns, and we had no spread since we ate dinner beforehand. Good thing since it started to sprinkle a bit and was kinda cold. But the music was still sublime (through the speakers).

Concert #3: Yo-Yo Ma - the 'last-minute' experience
We decided to go a few hours before the concert started, so naturally it was super crowded by the time we got there. We did 'park 'n' ride' this time, but still had a decent spread with wine, cheese, chips, cookies, etc. The one thing was that we were so far away from the pavilion because let me tell you, everyone and their mother were at that concert. But when you're that far away, they don't really care if you're chatty, so we had a good time.

Concert #4: Gipsy Kings - the 'balanced' experience
We planned ahead, took the Metra in and out, brought our own food plus some spread items, got a position in front of the huge screen, and enjoyed the music (and some dancing that was going on). I felt like I had achieved Ravinia-ite status by this time.

The only things I would've done differently?

Remembered to use my student discount for concerts #2 and #3 (although I didn't have to pay anyway cuz a friend let me use her season pass for the former and I got a free ticket for the latter)
Bought the tickets for #4 when I was at the venue for #3 since you can avoid the service charge that way

Viva Ravinia! Until next year!

シーダーポイント～Cedar Point～

2011-08-27T23:59:00.021-05:00

Group photo!

Last weekend, the boys 'n' me took a road trip to Cedar Point (my first time!) for Steven's birthday.

It was suuuuuuper fun.

Best ride of the park?

Top Thrill Dragster, for sure!

Worst ride of the park?

Omg, NEVER go on Mean Streak, guys.

We also went on Millenium Force, Magnum, Gemini, Maverick, Raptor, Sky Ride, and all the rides in Soak City (the water park).

Had an awesome time, hope I get to go back soon!

めんどい～Don't feel like blogging...～

2011-08-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

穴埋め～Just to fill the blank...～

2011-08-21T00:54:00.000-05:00

同窓会～Reunion～

2011-08-18T11:45:00.001-05:00

ひさしぶり～。

I didn't attend my high school reunion.

But this past weekend, I had a mini-reunion with タカコ (who was visiting from Japan with her husband), leechlady (in town from Madison with her fiancee), and the Jee (even though she wasn't feeling well. What a fighter!)

It was a brief reunion, but it was fun to relive our high school days with each other. (Although we somehow didn't talk about badminton at all even though that had been what brought us closer together.)

一回休み～No post today～

2011-08-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

黄金丼～Golden Bowl～

2011-08-12T22:46:00.026-05:00

黄金丼❤

It's been over 8 months since my last Japan visit, and I'm really starting to feel the 'nihonshoku' itch.

In other words, I'm getting more and more desperate for Japanese food.

Thankfully, I've recently found not one, not two, but THREE awesome Japanese restaurants in the area!

(1) Sunshine Cafe: Great teishoku, like katsudon and oyakodon.

(2) Santouka: Awesome ramen!

(3) Ginza: Delish sushi (pictured above).

Next up? I hear there's a Gyukaku in the city... :D

タマちゃん～Tama～

2011-08-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Look at this cutie I'm holding in my hands! Meet Tama, Mike's pet snake!

His full name is 「大王玉」, which Mike chose because the first two kanji are both pronounced "ou," and the last two kanji look very similar. In addition, the last kanji means 'ball,' and the snake is a ball python.

And not only that, Tama is a common name for cats in Japan! Mike didn't even know this, so it's a pretty cool coincidence. Anyway, Tama is super cute and very calm -- perhaps I will consider getting a snake some day??

カラダの世界～Body Worlds～

2011-08-06T22:12:00.023-05:00

On Wednesday, Mike and I went to Body Worlds, one of the current exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry.

As you can see in the picture to the left, they take corpses and preserve them through a process called plastination.

Fascinating and freaky at the same time.

At one point, the exhibit focused on 'the kidney,' and there were these little old ladies talking about how to cook kidney.

C'mon, ladies. Really?

ネットで花火～Fireworks online～

2011-08-03T22:48:00.007-05:00

This year, I won't be in Japan to see the spectacular summer festival Yodogawa fireworks.

I was a bit bummed out, and I expressed my disappointment on Twitter/FB/G+.

Then, a FB friend saw my post and told me that the Nagaoka Fireworks (one of the most famous in Japan) were going to be streaming live on Ustream!

What an amazing idea.

I mean, online fireworks can never ever really stand in for the real thing.

But it sure comes close for those like me who cannot be there in person.

And it makes us all think, "I WANT TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW," as evidenced by all the live tweets going on.

And what a sight it was, even through my itty bitty laptop screen.

Thank you, Nagaoka Fireworks.

I hope to see you in all your fine glory in person, one day.

To see the entire fireworks, go here.

The video above is from a talented cameraman who was present at the scene.

プロラン～Project Runway Season 9!～

2011-07-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

Update on the bug situation: The exterminator came on Friday and sprayed the apartment with stuff to keep bugs away (hopefully). He told me another apartment had also called the exterminator, so the lone cockroach might have come from that unit.

*******************

Yesterday, I went to Phil and Steven's for a Project Runway viewing party!

I definitely already have my favorites -- Olivier (Delicate), Fallene (Pixie), and Bert (Papa Bert), followed by Bryce (Gaga) and Danielle (Prairie Girl).

虫～Bugs～

2011-07-28T23:39:00.014-05:00

On Monday, right before leaving for a meeting, I discovered a cockroach in my bedroom.

Ahgrhhhhhhhhh!!!

I tried to get it with my "Kills on Contact!" HOT SHOT spray, but the thing seemed unphased, and I was running late for the meeting, so I left although I could still hear it crawling around (ick ick ick!!)

After the meeting, I recruited Angela to come home with me to try and get rid of it, but it was nowhere to be found.

So I gave up looking and went to ACE Hardware to get some roach motels (ごきぶりホイホイ).

I set them up, and was satisfied for the time being.

But then the next day, I got a fly in the afternoon and then a freakin' BEE buzzing around in the bedroom at night.

There is a hole somewhere in the bedroom, I swear.

In the meantime, the dorm maintenance dude I emailed on Monday didn't email back until Wednesday, and he says he'll "send an exterminator right away," but that usually means he's not going to do anything until I email him again.

This is the first time I'm considering finding a new place...

I learned to deal with having no direct sunlight, I learned to deal with the freezing cold, I learned to deal with the moldy bathroom...

But bugs invading my bedroom every other day?

That's where I draw a line...

ひと息～Whew～

2011-07-25T23:59:00.024-05:00

This past month has been one fun thing after another, as you can see from my slew of blog posts.

But you know what?

I haven't just been playing hard.

I've actually been doing some work as well.

My lab group is working on two studies at the moment, and we've been preparing the stimuli necessary to run the studies in August.

In case you didn't know, August is already right around the corner.

Ah!

But it's okay, we're actually almost ready!

Yeah!

August is going to be a bussssssy month.

ピーター・パン～Peter Pan～

2011-07-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

To Neverland

Last Saturday, gradmate Angela and I successfully student-rushed for the play Peter Pan at the threesixty°theatre.

Only $20 for $75 seats, what a steal!

And we had great seats too, where we really felt like we were flying away to Neverland with Peter and Wendy.

I loved Evelyn Hoskins (Wendy) and Steven Pacey (Mr. Darling/Captain Hook).

And I loved the 360-degree screen surrounding us which really helps tell the story.

But I didn't love how we could see a lot of the stuff which would normally be considered backstage, like the actors hooking and unhooking themselves to the wiring, and the puppeteer being in full view for Nana and the Crocodile.

So overall, I really enjoyed it, but if you have to pay full price, you might want to try a different show.

ブロードウェイロックス！～Broadway Rocks!～

2011-07-19T23:46:00.000-05:00

Phil performing at the Pritzker Pavilion!!

Last Wednesday, a few gradmates and I headed down to Grant Park to see Phil and his Chicago Gay Men's Chorus perform at the Pritzker Pavilion, pictured above

They were performing as part of "Broadway Rocks!", where they sang with the Grant Park Orchestra and actual musical actors and actresses. Wow!

I was so proud of Phil... a friend of mine performing in Grant Park! Glad you advertised the concert, Phil^^

My favorite of the night was definitely "Circle of Life." Beautiful, and gave me the chills!

ピンク・マティーニ～Pink Martini～

2011-07-16T23:59:00.000-05:00

かなり久しぶりのラヴィニア

Last Sunday, Tessa, Hugo, and I went to the Ravinia music festival for the purposes of seeing a great jazzy band called Pink Martini. I was first introduced to this band in college by Ken-chan, and have been wanting to see them live for a long time.

The venue was packed, but thanks to getting there early, T, H, and I were able to get a good spot and played some Phase 10 while eating cheese and crackers until the show started.

Unfortunately the lead singer China Forbes was absent due to throat surgery. Booooooo! But oh well...I was still super happy that I got to hear the band live. Yay!

As I suspected, the first song they performed (that had vocals) was Amado Mio. Great opener.

But they didn't do Sympathique! What the, why not?? Not cool.

But, one piece of information that really surprised me during the concert was that one of their songs was a cover of Miwa Akihiro! I was like "Wait, what?? I totally know who that is, 美輪さんが？？" Very cool.

燃える唇～Flaming Lips～

2011-07-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

As Joe says: "It's like a party."

Last Thursday, I went to a Flaming Lips concert w/gradmate Lauren and her bf because they had an extra ticket.

I was super excited because Kanda friend Joe had been raving about how awesome the band is live.

My opinion?

I dunno, I'm actually still struggling to take in the experience.

I felt like I needed to be h!gh to fully enjoy them or something.

But yes, the stage design was cool, the band was talented, and the atmosphere was mellow.

Would love to see them again at a music festival or something.

グレートアメリカ～Great America～

2011-07-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

Ragin' Cajun

On Wednesday, gradmate Mike and I spent a full day+ at Six Flags Great America.

It was a last-minute decision to take advantage of a Buy 1 Ticket, Get 1 Free deal, and good thing we did, because it was great weather and the lines weren't too long.

I was especially impressed w/how Mike had packed a lunch for us so that we wouldn't have to over-pay for the park meals.

And he encouraged me to leave my purse in the car, which turned out to be so liberating and probably speeded up our movement significantly.

There were quite a few differences to the park from when I visited last: (1) Shock Wave is no more --> Hello, Superman! (2) Deja Vu was gone --> Hello, Dark Knight! (3) The park crew were incredibly well-trained. I should know since I have some experience working at Universal Studios Japan. (4) There was a whole new water park area called Hurricane Harbor, which we sadly did not get to. It looked super fun, tho!

Finally, there was a new cat-and-mouse ride called Ragin' Cajun, pictured above.

So, you know how you can see a pretty big drop running diagonal across the photo?

Well, I totally didn't expect such a big drop on a cat-and-mouse, and my hat flew off my head.

Nooooooooo!

It was funny when it happened, but funny no more when we were still waiting at 10:15pm for the crew to retrieve it.

In the end, I had my hat, and I really had a blast of a day.

But yes, I've learned my lesson: I will secure my hat / glasses / belongings for ALL the rides from now on.

シルク～OVO～

2011-07-07T23:59:00.010-05:00

Cirque!

I've been having wayyyy too much fun for my own good these days, which has been hindering me from updating my blog in a timely manner.

On Tuesday, I went to the Cirque du Soleil show "OVO" with the above crew.

This was my 2nd Cirque experience, and I think I enjoyed it more than the 1st (although my blog says I really enjoyed the 1st one as well haha).

Part of it was probably the crowd. It was a lot rowdier and prepared for more silliness than the Japanese crowd.

And I felt these performers were generally more humble (although they were still plenty show-offy anyway). The crew in Japan drove me crazy with their "look at me! clap for me!" attitude.

My two favorite acts of the night were definitely the Ants and the Tarantula. Yes, they happen to both be Asian... hey, when something's good, it's good!

リバークルーズ～River cruise～

2011-07-04T19:45:00.000-05:00

Cool design

On Friday, Phil, Cat, Brandon and I went on a river cruise run by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. I have been on a Chicago river tour once before (when I was in college), but it must have been with a different company because this one seemed a lot longer, first going towards the Chicago Sun-Times, then back East all the way to Navy Pier, and then back to around the Trump Tower. We even opened a bottle of wine between the four of us, and it really was such a relaxing, luxurious experience^^

テイスト～Taste～

2011-07-01T23:59:00.034-05:00

Taste of Chicago

As I mentioned in the previous post, サンヒー and I went to the Taste of Chicago, since her condo is right next to Grant Park.

We enjoyed walking around the grounds and finding yummy appetizers and desserts.

But one of the things I tried was this extreeeemely spicy dry chili chicken from Lao Sze Chuan. I think the chicken must have been cooking in the chili sauce for wayyyy longer than normal, because サンヒー said it is no way near that spicy at the restaurant.

Naturally I was looking for something to soothe my tongue and stomach, and was saved by Starfruit Cafe, where they had frozen kefir. Ahhhhhhhhh^^

All in all, the fair wasn't as glamorous as I had remembered it, (the last time I went was probably 10 years ago), but was still good fun.

すげー～DANG～

2011-06-29T23:54:00.020-05:00

いい眺め～

Today, I hung out with high school friend サンヒー, and she showed me around her condo before we hit the Taste of Chicago. The above is what I saw when I entered her unit. WOW. You know when you go on one of those architectural boat tours and you wonder who lives in those high-rises that face the river? My friend, that's who. She told me I can come over whenever to use their pool, and I am so going to take her up on that :P

なまけもの～Sloth～

2011-06-26T19:45:00.000-05:00

That sure is me.

Ever since classes finished, I have been extremely lazy.

What I should be doing is: (a) reading articles; (b) organizing my library of articles; (c) renewing my passport; (d) brainstorming for potential research projects; and (e) hanging out with friends as much as possible.

Let's see... (a) nope; (b) nope; (c) got passport photos taken; (d) met with potential research partner to discuss project; (e) yes but failed to make it down to Pride Fest.

Wow. That's sad...

The main reason I'm getting nothing done is because I spend hours in front of my laptop watching Oriraji shows.

And because my sleep schedule has shifted so much that I end up sleeping after the sun has come up.

I will try to remedy things over the next couple weeks...

カスター祭り～Custer Fair～

2011-06-23T23:29:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, several gradmates and I walked around Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts which was being held in Evanston.

There were a lot of awesome-quality craft stands, and I came out with a pair of earrings and a set of stationary cards -- both super cute!^^

I hear there's going to be another Evanston Crafts Fair soon, so looking forward to looking through more booths and stalls.

水族館～Shedd Aquarium～

2011-06-20T22:37:00.000-05:00

絵画みたい

Friday was the last day for the Shedd's Community Discount week, and Tessa and I were the last ones to make it in! (They literally cut the line after us.)

Sadly the free admission did not include the sea otters, but we still had a good time.

I'm gonna hafta go back for the sea otters though. I haven't seen sea otters since the Toba Aquarium!

楽～Fun～

2011-06-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

This past week has been one fun day after another!

Movie and homemade popsicles on Tues,

Movie and Chinese tea and Japanese food and play-watching on Wed,

Drinks and food and dessert on Thursday,

and Shedd Aquarium, Gilt Bar, Union, wine, and cheese on Friday!

Wow!!

ダウン～Bedridden～

2011-06-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

After submitting all finals and celebrating being done with the quarter with fellow gradmates, I was hit with the chills and general tiredness（´・ω・｀）ｼｮﾎﾞｰﾝ

As a result, I was stuck at home in bed allllll weekend.

But you know, if there was ever a time to get sick, this was the perfect time, since I had zero responsibilities. I wasn't even getting any emails.

So good job, me^^

Feeling lots better now and ready to work/play.

But I'll make sure to get enough rest as well^^;

パートナー～Pragmatics Partner～

2011-06-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

good work, team!

One of the final papers was coming up with a pilot study and writing up all the methodology, results, discussion, etc. A bit daunting, but gradmate Mike and I kept each other on track and got it done in a relatively timely manner. So proud of us, hehe. Here we are looking relaxed after submitting the monster of a paper.

こもりっぱなし～4 and a half days～

2011-06-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

That's how long I haven't left my apartment, since the wonderfulness that is GLEE.

During that time, I have finished two final papers, and now the last one is soon to be submitted.

Can we just say... excitement???

グリー！！～GLEE!!～

2011-06-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

This past year, I got really into GLEE.

And good thing I did, because it helped me really enjoy the GLEE LIVE show on Friday.

I usually limit myself to one photo/video per post, but sorry guys, this one is going to be fraught with them.

We had pretty good seats, where we were up real close but way to the side so that we could see what was going on behind the curtains:

And as you can see in this video for "Don't Stop Believing" (the opening number), we could see the GLEE kids standing by to go up the stairs to the stage:

By the way, sorry for my wobbly hands. I was probably shaking with excitement and was trying to take in the performances while trying to shoot the videos.

Second song was "Dog Days Are Over," another of my favorites!:

For Phil, "Slave 4 You":

We were in prime position to see this number, "Fat Bottomed Girls":

I'm not a huge fan of this song ("P.Y.T."), but Artie and Mike Chang really rocked it out!:

And finally, arguably the best number of the night for me, Rachel's "Firework" (I frickin' love Rachel):

This is when my camera reached full capacity. Probably a good thing cuz then I could just watch the show without worrying about getting a good shot.

Oh peoples, this was a great concert. There were a couple songs which I wished they had performed (like "Thriller/Heads Will Roll"and "Don't You Want Me"), but I have no complaints.

Yay for GLEE!!

プロジェクト尽くし～Projects, projects, and more projects～

2011-06-02T20:46:00.001-05:00

It's already Thursday of Reading Week?? How can this be??

But 's alright... since it has been a more productive Reading Week than most.

Bilingualism - Wrote up my part for the group final paper last night. Such a relief cuz it was weighing down on me all week.

Lab Phonology - Was going to do a research proposal for the final paper, but switched to a critique and found three good articles for it last night. Woke up this morning to an approval email from the professor, yay!

Pragmatics - Have been working on the final project for this class with gradmate Mike for what seems like months now. Ran some participants with promising results and now gotta start writing the massive paper!

Psychology - The group project is set up, but it doesn't seem like any of us (including the professor) are bothered with getting it done absolutely by the end of the quarter. Hey, if they don't mind, I certainly don't.

Amidst all that, I still managed to go to Tessa and Hugo's Memorial Day BBQ which was a blast.

And I saw two gradmates present their Qualifying Papers yesterday successfully.

All in all, it's been a good Reading Week^^

部屋から花火～Dillo Day fireworks～

2011-05-30T23:57:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday was Dillo Day at Northwestern, a day-long festival of music, drinks, and fun.

Unfortunately the weather was sub-par, plus I was having too much of a lazy, relaxing day to venture out, but around 10:30pm, I was treated to Dillo Day fireworks from my apartment window.

First fireworks of the season!

Keep 'em coming^^

アニセン～ACen2011～

2011-05-27T21:59:00.001-05:00

私は誰かな？

Last Saturday, four of my gradmates and I hit the Rosemont convention center for ACen (Anime Central), the Midwest anime and manga convention. It was so much fun! It was a great bonding experience costuming together (my first time!), and I got real excited when I saw other people with awesome costumes. Like this guy in the photo who went as the villain in the movie Summer Wars. Hands down the best costume of the entire day.

気合だ！～Almost there～

2011-05-24T23:59:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was lotsa fun but I'm totally paying for it now
ヽ(;´Д｀)ノ

I'm okay for today, and I have one homework done for Thursday, but I still have a group lab (groan) and a reading report (double groan) due for Thursday.

And then 4 final papers (3 of them group papers) await me after that (maximus groan).

気合いれるぞぉぉぉぉぉぉ～～～！(*｀へ´*)

アイーダ～Aida～

2011-05-21T00:00:00.017-05:00

アイーンじゃないよ^^

Last Saturday, Phil et al. and I went out to Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook to see the musical, Aida.

Cons: Incredibly cheesy; too much singing that sometimes didn't match the atmosphere of the scene; the unlikelihood that Radames (Jared Zirilli) and Aida (Donica Lynn standing in for Stephanie Umoh) would actually be a couple (based on looks, unfortunately); Radames' costume that didn't look like it fit the times of the show (compared to the other characters)

Pros: Classic love story that really can't go wrong; Donica Lynn; Brandon Chandler; ticket discount

Hm, writing this out, it seems like there are a lot of cons, but I was really glad I went to this show. Donica Lynn's voice was hoarse, and I was afraid that this was going to be Next to Normal Part 2, but Donica delivered. She was excellent. And Brandon Chandler (who happens to be from P-Town, shout-out to Phil!) was great as well. So kudos to them. Bravo!

宿題多し～Lotsa homework～

2011-05-18T23:59:00.001-05:00

Papers to read, papers to write, stimuli to measure, no time to post!

****************************

Successfully finished everything^^

Read two more papers after class then went out for dinner and a beer at Thai Sookdee.

Ah... bliss.

The walk home was gorgeously eerie, as the fog was rolling in from the lake.

Don't get swept away, kids.

バースデーパフェ～Birthday parfait～

2011-05-15T13:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Tessa^^

On Friday, Tessa took me out to lunch and gave me presents for my birthday.

This is totally the birthday that keeps givingヽ(●^▽^●)ノ

Even got a free birthday dessert from our server who just happened to notice that we seemed to be celebrating something.

Awesome!

ブロガーダウン～Blogger down～

2011-05-12T21:55:00.003-05:00

So Blogger was down for like I dunno, a whole day and a half or something?

And the blogosphere was going nuts!

At first I was frustrated along with the others, but then I found entertainment in watching the timeline with the search word "Blogger."

After awhile a pattern emerged:

"Great, Blogger is down the one time I feel like updating."

"Time to move to WordPress."

"Alright I can't wait anymore. Good night."

"I went to bed and woke up and Blogger is still down???"

"RT @Blogger We're making progress and hope to be back soon."

"Am I the only one having problems with Blogger?"

"Hurry up, Blogger!"

I think the above comprised 90% of the tweets that kept streaming one after another.

But the best tweet of the day definitely goes to @viswoman: "Google thinks we should put everything on the WEB and run chrome books. In other news blogger is f---ed up all day. Demoing that model?"

Touche.

途中経過～Midterm report～

2011-05-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Alrighty let's assess how this quarter is progressing, shall we?

Actually it's already Week 7 out of 11, and classes finish at the end of Week 9, so this quarter has really flown by!

This quarter has been relatively easy compared to the first two, probably because the classes are actually easier, but also because I'm mentally in a better place, feeling more comfortable in my new environment (technically it's not new, but I still had a hard time transitioning from my life in Japan).

All the classes are pretty interesting, but my order of preference is:

1. Lab Phonology, tied with Pragmatics
3. Bilingualism
4. Insight, Attention, & Mood

Once I get through this quarter, I've been promised a period of happiness called SUMMERTIME. Apparently, although we'll still have work to do (summer internship), we'll have so much more time to enjoy the city and be outdoors. Can't wait!!

一番搾り～！！～Kirin Ichiban～

2011-05-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Last night, the 2nd-years and I went out for some drinks at Koi, a Chinese-sushi restaurant in Evanston. I was planning on getting a Sangria, but then, what do I see on the drink menu? KIRIN ICHIBAN!! Oh, how I have missed you, sweet Kirin... it was the perfect complement to the edamame plate. Yay Kirin!

普通の次～Next to Normal～

2011-05-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Musical with Phil (click to enlarge)

Last Wednesday, Phil and I were at the Bank of America Theatre to watch the musical Next to Normal, which was directed by the Tony-nominated director of Rent, Michael Grief.

Phil and I had seats that were divided by an aisle, but it totally worked out, as you can see in the photo.

How was the musical, you say?

Well, the story was something I hadn't seen in musical form before, and there were some very talented people in the cast, like Emma Hunton.

However.

The main draw of the show, the Tony-winning actress Alice Ripley, sadly, did not deliver, according to me, Phil, or many other passersby's standards.

Her voice was just... SO HOARSE!

From mid-range and upwards!

The high notes towards the end of the show were just unbearable and had us cringing in our seats.

And yet there were people raving about her performance!

I simply don't understand.

I mean yes I'm sure some people dig husky voices a la Macy Gray, but this was approaching laryngitis-like qualities that reminded me of Whitney Houston's performance.

I'm sorry, but that is a complete deal-breaker for me.

FAIL.

青虫ロール～Caterpillar roll～

2011-04-30T14:37:00.001-05:00

caterpillar on a plate

Last time I posted about American sushi, I got a comment that someone misses eating caterpillar rolls.

Which I had never heard of before.

I googled it, and dang, it really does look like a caterpillar.

So when I went to Benihana this past week and saw it on the menu, I leapt at the chance to see it on a plate in front of me.

Layer upon layer of avocado? Yes, please!

It was delish.

ノンバトラー！～The Butler Didn't!～

2011-04-27T23:35:00.019-05:00

the beautiful set

Two Sundays ago, first-year cohort Angela and I went to Arlington Heights to see "The Butler Didn't!", a play that A's boyfriend almost single-handedly built the set for.

As you can see from the picture above, the set was quite impressive!

The play itself was a fun comedy full of sex, treachery, and deceival.

Just my cup of tea! ;)

王様のスパ～King spa sauna～

2011-04-24T15:44:00.000-05:00

Detoxing

This past Thursday, Cheryl and I went to King Spa & Sauna at my request (thanks so much, Cheryl!)

It is a Korean-style bathhouse with lotsa different kinds of saunas, like the Salt Room and the Charcoal Room.

I think my favorite was the Pyramid Room. I definitely want to go back!

愛ドッグ～idog～

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Say hello to my new toy / pet, idog! Thank you, Heromi!

カラオケ★ワバ～Karaoke WaBa～

2011-04-18T20:25:00.003-05:00

院とも

As mentioned in the previous post, I went karaoke (at WaBa, an awesome Korean restaurant / karaoke place) last Thursday for the first time with my gradmates. Now we are officially friends, haha. It was loads of fun, and even people who were there only for my sake were singing by the end! So happy that they came out, and I definitely feel closer to them now^^

誕生日っていいね～Bday fun～

2011-04-15T22:20:00.000-05:00

31, baby!

I've been having a great time celebrating my birthday this year.

1 birthday dinner, 1 birthday frozen custard, 3 birthday presents, 3 birthday cards, and 1 birthday karaoke so far!

I'm so happy, haha.

Thanks, everyone!

Pictures and details to come^^

桜～sakura～

2011-04-12T15:45:00.002-05:00

Missing you

Usually around this time, it would be the first week of classes at Kanda, and we would all be kinda worn out, but I would drag people out for some drinks and karaoke for my birthday.

This year, I am 8806 miles away, but I'm thinking of the sakura tree on campus.

Tell me, Kanda people, is it still blooming beautifully?

国井～Kuni's～

2011-04-09T23:50:00.001-05:00

満足、満足♪

On Thursday - Friday, my gradmates and I headed down to Hyde Park for a conference at the University of Chicago.

Many of the talks were interesting, and some of the talks were even inspiring. :)

But conferences are a bit draining, so Angela and I decided to relax on Thursday night by having some sushi at Kuni's in Evanston.

Pictured above are:

Hijiki salad
White fish with vinegar soy sauce
Salmon nigiri
Yellowtail nigiri
White toro nigiri
Ume-shiso maki
Sea urchin temaki

You know, I'd been to Kuni's before, and wasn't all that impressed.

But this time? It got mighty close to the stuff I remember from Japan.

Not sure if it's cuz the fresh was fisher, or because I've been away from Japan longer, but in any case, I think I will go back again soon.

Yay for good sushi!

欲しいもの～Wishlist～

2011-04-06T20:53:00.001-05:00

One week to go until I turn 31, and I'm trying to figure out how to celebrate.

Do I buy myself a cool gadget?

Do I plan a fun and entertaining activity with friends?

Why not both?? :D

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

Cool gadget 1: Electronic pet
Cool gadget 2: Noise-cancelling headphones
Cool gadget 3: Tablet PC
I don't need any of these, but that's why they're 'cool gadgets,' no?

Fun and entertaining activity 1: King Spa Sauna
Fun and entertaining activity 2: Segway tour of Chicago
Fun and entertaining activity 3: Karaoke
i.e., fun and entertaining for me.