persepolis - movie review :)

Persepolis, great movie. I heard about this movie when it got a fair amount of press when it was nominated for 2008 Oscars and won the Animated Film award. Sinan watched it recently, reminded me about it while telling me that she really liked it, so I went ahead, acquired it, and watched it. It was really good, and I really liked it.

1. It was animated. I really enjoy animated movies and animation, regardless of whether it is for children or adults. The animation style is Persepolis was simple, mostly black & white, and really excellent use of silhouettes and negative space.

2. Great storyline minus the stupid decisions she made sometimes. But hey, good characters need character flaws.

3. Likable characters. The grandma was the best. Serious OG.

I really want to read the graphic novel now that I've seen the film. Generally speaking, I try to read a graphic novel before its movie comes out (i.e. Sin City, V for Vendetta, 300, Watchmen, Marvel anything...). I skipped that step this time around, and I semi-regret it. It was still a fine movie, and I hope I didn't miss out too much by watching the film first. My assumptions & hopes are that I didn't miss too much because the author, Marjane Satrapi, was involved in the film and also because the look of the film is fairly similar to the g.n.

sakura at mt. yaedake

2 weeks ago, my husband and I went to Mt. Yaedake near Nago to see the Cherry Blossoms. Again, I received information about this via OkinawaHai, but since sakura (cherry blossoms) are a big thing for Okinawans & Japanese, there was plenty of literature about it around base. I've known about cherry blossoms for a long time now, but I've never seen them before. So, for my first year here in Okinawa, I did the ohanami aka cherry blossom viewing. We drove all the way up to Nago to Mt. Yaedake, drove up Mt. Yaedake up some REALLY narrow roads, and saw cherry blossoms planted all along the roadsides. It's strategic, in a sense, because it makes the drive scenic and enjoyable. On the other hand, if you want to look at them up close, you'll have to walk along the side of the road. I was expecting a park or something where people can stroll around and observe, but all/most of them were on the roadside. Nevertheless, it was really nice. It was certainly a photo taking opportunity.

Unfortunately, we went a little too early. The most of the trees were not completely in bloom, so only the ones closer to the top of the mountain were completely pink. Needless to say, this was not the cotton candy-like experience I was hoping for, but I'm glad we went to see them even if they didn't look as poofy and pink as the postcards. I'm sure that they are really quite nice by now, provided strong winds didn't come and blow them away.
Luckily we went on a weekday, so we didn't have to wait in traffic to see them, while possibly being run over observing. We did go pretty late, so the festival stands were closing. My husband didn't really want to do the festival activities like prizes and food, which I was OK with. The only thing I wanted to do before we left was to purchase some tangerines called tankan which are like mikan but so much sweeter. YUM. There were a good number of stands with people selling citrus, vegetables, and other produce. I'm assuming they are local farmers who are selling to tourists. It was good stuff. There were also so unmanned stands with bags of produce out, and a little coinbox for you to pay. These people are SO trusting!!
They were also selling something called taimo, basically taro that grows in water instead of the basic dirt types. Didn't buy it, because I didn't know how to cook it. I asked the man at the stand how to cook it, but all I figured from my crappy Japanese was clean it, cook it, mash it. What comes after that?? Well if it's just taro, I can figure out the rest. I wonder if they sell it at the local markets now that I've forgone the mountain supply.

All in all, I do recommend seeing sakura anywhere on the island. My rationale is that you should probably see cherry blossoms before you leave Okinawa. That's all really.

new to know: 01.29.2009

This will be my first entry of hopefully a series of entries. It'll just be a list of things I've discovered recently, regardless of how mainstream or unknown it is to the general public. It's new to me, and that's that.

new to know: 01.29.2009

lie to me: a tv show on fox starring Tim Roth; it's basically about a team of people who are adept at lie detection.
current opinion: not a bad show, lots of old footage to possibly vilify historical/known liars in the past, something I plan to watch casually

morissey - "glamorous glue": found the song after doing a wiki on lie to me
current opinion: I like Morissey to an extent, and it's a fairly good song (video)

ryan star - "brand new day": the theme/intro song to lie to me
current opinion: pretty good song; not the most original thing I've heard in my life, but it does a good job at being catchy (video) (lyrics)

persepolis: animated movie about a young girl who grows up in Iran during tumultuous times
current opinion: excellent movie, review to follow

design public: introduced to me by the ohsogeeky, site with lots of furniture and everything for purchase
current opinion: the stuff on here is really cool and to my taste when it comes to home decor, expect a look that looks modern but not sterile, recommended.

burnt kettle corn: 2 attempts to recreate sweet caramel-like pop corn gone bad
current opinion: after two semi-failures, I've concluded this much--keep the stove at medium, lift & shake every 3 seconds, mix margarine + vegetable oil (not only margarine); conclusion #4: dogs like popcorn, even if mildly burnt (recipe)

fashion behind

Per Sinan's request, I image googled "legwarmers" to explain how to wear them. As suggested by the title, I am not fashion forward even though I do like to concoct trendy outfits in my head. I found these particular legwarmers, which I thought were really cute. They're like knee socks, but leggings. Ingenious. Anyway, they are by Maria la Rosa, and cost $110.00 according to momist.com. And, they came out in 2006, so they are seemingly unavailable. As I said, fashion behind. Also, I am fashion broke, because I will never buy $110 for something so expired trendy that I will probably never wear. It would probably look really cute with a short pleated skirt that matched these stilettos, a black long sleeve boat neck, and long patterned scarf maybe houndstooth or plaid. Odd pairing, but it looks nice in my head.

Another cool item I saw today while browsing around on thisnext.com is this cool hoodie by headhoods. It's a hoodie with a card suite Queen printed on the side so that your profile looks like the Queen of Hearts (or Diamonds). Again, I will probably never buy it because it's mildly expensive and out of stock. Fill in the blank--vv is fashion ______. They have other nice ones like a similar King pattern, the Audrey Hepburn, and even possibly the Lego. This purchase is more probable for me just because it's casual wear which is my self-prescribed uniform. I'll keep it in mind if I want to treat myself one day.

While watching Fringe today (on ninjavideo, of course), Astrid was wearing a super cute sweater. It was pink, cable knit, with a slight Mandarin collar with frog buttons/closures. I WANT IT! But, where do I find it? Moreover, is it less than $50, and will they shop to a FPO box? Probably not. Well, I'll be looking out for something like that. Plus, it fits my wardrobe criterion--a simple, classic design with just enough embellishments to make it unique and timeless. Unfortunately, this usually translates to solid color, basic design/cut, comfy, & cheap. My wardrobe reality is not nearly as poetic as my wardrobe theory.


I've always dressed that way, and I think I might have even gotten seeds of that idea from Joy, my sister. I don't really dress too much like her, but I do like a good portion of the clothes she wears. On the other hand, my sister-in-law and I have interchangeable wardrobes. I used to raid her closet on a daily basis, and I still would if I lived with her (or even close to her). Then, I would never return the items...until she reclaimed them by attempting to raid my closet only to find many of her clothes in there.

Whenever I indulge myself into purchasing a trendy piece/outfit, I never wear it.
1. I don't have the balls to sport something outside of my comfort zone.
2. I never have an occasion or place to wear it to.
3. My husband laughs at me and names it something embarrassing and irritating, like "the Prince shirt".

I had a shirt that looked like that but in pink, and well, I haven't worn it since I showed him. My husband isn't really that evil, and my self-esteem isn't really that low. Most of my clothes aren't to his taste, probably because he hates jeans and gray (which I always wear). Plus, he thinks that girls look best in slacks and a tight dressy top, aka the Asian China doll look that was popular 6 years ago where we used to live.

In the over quoted words of Sarah Palin, "Thanks, but no thanks to the style I can wear nowhere." (...which includes the Prince shirt. What was I thinking?!)

australia - movie review :(

I watched Australia the other night. That was a short sentence, because I don't have many good things to say about it. Australia, a film directed by Baz Luhrmann, stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, with a medium sized supporting cast. To begin, the story was also by Luhrmann, and to say the least, I was not a fan. The film was very long and contained a lot of mini-plots within the entire movie. First there is Kidman's character and her transformation. Then there's Hugh Jackman with another transformation/epiphany. There are small landowners trying to stick it to the big, ruthless corporation. There are stolen children. There is a war. THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF. I like epic films, I really do, but this film was so unfocused. I think the most prevalent binding idea behind this movie was just chronology. I guess this makes sense, because one of the many many themes in this movie was living a good life worth telling.

I think what went wrong was that....
1. this was a Baz Luhrmann's movie. Luhrmann also directed Moulin Rouge, and he has a really obvious, special effect-y, crazy angles type of direction. I thought that style worked for Moulin Rouge. It's about theatre, music, flamboyance. The direction matched the tone of the movie. In a movie about nature? Well, Australia is a pretty place naturally. Why did they need use an airbrushy look? Why was there so much slow motion? Why were there so many obvious closeup shots that didn't flow with the pace of the movie? Why did I think I was watching a really campy Indiana Jones musical set in Australia?
2. Luhrmann wrote the movie. Not all directors can write. House of Flying Daggers suffered a lot of similar problems as this movie. The movie became a showcase for the director and his/her tricks in a bag. The aesthetic of the movie outweighed the characters and the plot. I like pretty movies like Gattaca, because it was balanced. On the other hand, Australia was like a really long music video.
3. what kind of movie was this? In the beginning, it was comedic. It wasn't very funny comedy, but I could see a lighthearted tone to the movie. Then it was adventure. Then it was happy & fairytale-like. Then it was this hardcore action war drama. What the hell?! This doesn't even qualify to be bipolar. It was quadpolar, but I think that defies the definition of polar. It was all over the place.

Good things about the movie:
1. Hugh Jackman's hot. Sorry, but that might have been the best part. I've liked him since middle school, and I still do.
2. The intent of the movie. I think this movie was poorly executed, but I do think the subject material was worthwhile. Bringing up the Stolen Generations and shaping a good majority of the plot around aboriginal people and culture was a good decision. Concerning the Stolen Generations, I think that Rabbit-Proof Fence was a better film when it comes to that issue.
3. Costume and wardrobe were really excellent. I don't know if they were authentic, since I don't know anything about that. The colors were well chosen and really added another element of characterization to these people.

So...is this movie worth watching? Sure...if you have a lot of time, and if you're easily amused. I'm just kidding. This movie is decent. It's something my Mom would like. For me, it's one of those movies that I would put on and not pay complete attention to by washing dishes or some other chores. That's my assessment.

pho - dao in naha

This weekend, we went to Dao in Naha to eat pho. I found out about it in OkinawaHai, and since I'm totally in love/craving pho, we went. Actually, I knew about it for awhile, but we never bothered to drive all the way to crowded/not-fun-to-park Kokusai Street. Nacho, one of Mr. P's friends, was leaving soon, and the Southeast Asians really wanted some pho. It's kind of odd, since he was leaving for the states where his mom would make delicious pho for him, but we went anyway.

It was a decent experience. I got the "Vietnam Set" ("betonamu seto"), and it had fried eggrolls (4 half rolls), spring rolls/goi cuon (1 roll, 3 slices), fish sauce for dipping, soy sauce for dipping, 1 bowl of rice, 1 side of veggies stir-fried w/ soy sauce & garlic, 1 small dish of fish, 1 small bowl of pho, 1 Vietnamese coffee (hot/cold) or tea, and 1 small dessert dish. The spring rolls were kind of dry. The veggies were simple but good. There were only 2 small slices of fish, but it was heavily salted so the proportion seemed adequate. The dessert was good. It was basically the 3 bean drink, but as a dessert. Unfortunately, the pho was subpar, but satisfying enough.

What was wrong with it? Well, there was only slices of cooked beef. No tripe, no meatballs, no rare slices of beef. There wasn't any basil, hoison sauce, or Sriracha on the side. They did add bean sprouts in for you though. The broth was fragrant, but not quite it. I'm no pho expert, but it just didn't seem right. How would I know? Because my lip didn't stink when I was finished. Not very scientific, but pho eaters know what I'm talking about!

So, the best part about the Vietnam Set was the fried eggrolls and the Vietnamese super-strong/pry-your-eyes-open coffee. Actually for the set, there was a lot of food for a really decent price. I don't remember how much exactly. My guess is 1250 yen, but it was definitely less than 1500 for a lot of food. Proportion-wise, this was definitely a deal.

So my verdict? I really need to learn how to make pho for real. Dao was good, but I'm not planning on driving 45+ minutes and pay for parking to eat it.

P.S. Sorry, I didn't bring my camera. There are photos of Dao elsewhere plus directions, which were really handy. Basically, get yourself to the Starbucks on Kokusai. You'll notice that Starbucks is on a corner. Situate yourself on the Kokusai side of Starbucks. If your back is to Starbucks, and you're on Kokusai St, cross Kokusai to get to the other side, and go the right a little bit. You'll see OPA (but don't pass it) and right before it is Shijo Hon Dori (I didn't see it written in English, but that's what it's called). It's this covered road that's basically a marketplace, and walk in for a minute or so. You'll see assorted shops and some produce for sale along this "street". Dao will be on your right. You'll see the sign and the window display. You'll climb some stairs to get to the restaurant, and you're there. (Map in Japanese)

soon to be abandoned

Well, it looks like I'll be by myself for a little while. Mr. P is shipping out. For the sake of OPSEC and the fact that I know nothing about its rules, we'll just leave out all of the details. I'm already bumming around as is, but I will probably reach the peak of my yucky laziness when he's gone. I should probably work out some type of schedule so that I make sure I'm exercising and getting out. I don't really want to waste away in front of my computer and find cobwebs in my nostrils...or something ridiculous (yet probable) like that.

Another issue? How am I supposed to get my mail? It usually goes through the office, so now I'm unreachable via mail. Question time...

1. Can I rent out a personal PO Box at the Foster P.O.? Or are they reserved for PSC people? I hope not, bc I want my mail w/o going through the slow office process.

That's just technical stuff, I suppose. I should be spending my limited time with my bald husband. We had a really nice 4 day weekend aka 96. He finished his tattoo background, and it looked very painful & bloody. He also stained the pillow last night with his inky scabs, but thankfully that came out.

We spent about 2 days furniture/house shopping. We're trying to make our place look more like a home, instead of a badly put together dorm room. We're thinking of moving when the lease is up, so I'm concerned about having too much furniture, if we should move into something smaller. I feel so adult-like when I talk about furniture and living arrangements---.

We also went to Naha to eat pho. That was a very filling experience. We didn't stay very long because we were late for our furniture delivery. 1 hour late, I'm so sorry! Please don't punish me Karma.

Another fun activity? We went to see cherry blossoms aka sakura at Mt. Yaedake. It's around the Nago area, and we had a good time. (Well, I did.) I'll post some photos up along with a longer post, but it was very nice.

I don't think I've ever done as much as we did this 96 than any other weekend/weekends combined. I feel awesome and culturally engaged. That was a really cheesy evaluation, but I think it was fairly accurate. Most weekends are spent playing games, watching tv, and watching people get drunk and annoying. This was definitely a great improvement.

first taste

Here's my first taste at posting that created this entire brouhaha of blogging frenzy. OkinawaHai.com is an awesome site for military spouses & members about living in Okinawa. There are always interesting places that people have visited, where I want to visit and probably never will. Regardless of whether I will go or not, it's a great site for people like me who always have random questions about living here. It's also a great site for people like me who never get out and explore via other people. I believe the word is vicariously. Anyway, I posted, and I was happy about it. (haha, lame! I know!! I get excited about silly little things.)

OkiHai - Thai Ingredients?

turkey broth

So this is what basically drove me to get a blog. I wanted to tell everyone that....I was cooking old X'mas turkey bones to make turkey broth. REALLY inane, I know. I also wanted to say that...

1. Turkeys are so incredibly loaded with fat. There was a 1" layer of fat on the broth.
2. What am I supposed to do with the fat, other than throw it away?
3. It's kind of late to be cooking leftovers with X'mas turkey, but I'm gross like that.
4. Turkey broth is so potent. I have boiled over 4 pots worth of broth out of 1 turkey.
5. This will probably make some tasty ramen/udon/noodle soup later. Not traditional, I know.

I love food. I like cooking. I hate cleanup. I detest dishes. I wish I could be hypnotized to like doing dishes. Handwashing piled up dishes is the most not fun thing to do in the world, and my apartment has no dishwasher. How do the Okinawans do it???

blog manifesto

I think that a manifesto is in order prior to me establishing a blog for myself. That sounds kind of odd and unnecessary, since it's my blog--I do what I want! Then again, I'm also very wary of my "google footprint" so I think that whatever I post will last here forever, and I don't want to be embarrassed by it 8 years later. So, this manifesto is more of a guideline for me. I hope to stick to it--after all I named it manifesto, kind of a big deal. But, this is also for when my blog finally becomes publicly read, and the reader know what to anticipate from here.
wow. i sound so dry. here goes...

Why am I making a blog?
To have somewhere to post things I want to say and others to read. To have somewhere to casually talk about anything I feel like talking about.

What are the contents of the blog?
Anything? Not really. Mostly questions, possibly complaints, hobbies/interests, things that I think are worth sharing.

What am I avoiding?
Emotional rants...just because 1. I'm a robot, 2. I feel awkward putting myself out there, 3. I'm an awkward robot.
And, poor grammar. Well, I just broke a couple of rules there. I'll probably just capitalize my sentences and maintain the look of a coherent English speaker/writer.

Level of anonymity?
For now...high. Later on...probably moderate. I'll let you know my real name later and even what I look like. haha

So again, why are you making a blog?
I have no friends, and I need someone to listen. Even if it is the abyss of the internet. Like I said, friendless, awkward robot.

first post is long overdue

So after reading blogs for years on end, I think it's finally time to just make one for myself. I always have these random thoughts that I want to post somewhere but never did. I guess that's what blogs are for. slow vv. I'll have to thank Sinan for finally pushing me to do this. On the other hand, I don't think she's aware that she did that. Thank you revoked. haha.

Hmm, lots of these sentences are starting with "I". This might be a new thing for me.