For those of you who still sort of follow me, you know, when I manage to post something, I've moved my location. I've switched over to Wordpress. After using Wordpress for Hallyu Holla, I decided I liked it better, so I've moved over there. Plus, there is a Wordpress app I can use, and not a Blogger one.
Anyway, I will be posting there from now on. All the old posts are there as well, so if you want to re-read something (don't know why you would want to...) you can.
(Another post for you readers, even after I said I wouldn't for a while... Hmm, something must be up)
I don't even remember how I stumbled upon the first video, but I today I discovered a type of religious misinformation, bigotry, and just plain retarded line of thought that I hadn't known existed. Now, I'll freely admit that I'm not the most religious person out there. Sometimes I forget to say my morning and evening prayers, and sometimes I'm just too busy or tired to read my scriptures. Sometimes I feel like I've become overly adjusted to the dirty way the people in my class talk, but to be honest, I just tune it out or turn my music on.
But that's not the point. While I still have a very VERY long way to go before I'm a perfect person, I am at least confident in the knowledge that I know the truth, and that I am on the right path. So when I stumble upon videos like this, normally I just laugh and turn them off, since I have no real interest in seeing how far people can get from the truth.
But this time, the videos hit a very sensitive nerve and just watching them had me tugging my hair in frustrated confusion as to how people could ever reach the ridiculous conclusions they were coming up with.
Remember back when I posted about something called Animusic and how cool it was? (If you can't remember, read it here) Well, today during a break in class I was in the mood for something like it, so I typed in Animusic in youtube and found this:
This was just too cool for me NOT to post. So, here you go.
I kind of haven't posted in a while. And I won't again for a while either. Sorry everyone. My life just is either too boring, too busy, or too secret to have anything to say on my blog. When I'm not drowning anymore I'll try posting again. Until then, you can still visit to see my tweets.
First, I'd like to apologize. I never have time anymore (really. This whole week I haven't been able to even start doing homework until after 8 or 9, let alone get anything else done.) so I haven't been posting here. Life is... interesting here, but I'm certainly learning a lot and having an adventure along the way.
Here's the news: I'm going to Korea. For 6 weeks. To attend a Korean University. And live with a Korean family.
I had a blast on a field trip today, and bought some awesome stuff. I went and saw The Hunger Games, which was a fantabulous movie that I want to see again. I made it into a certain list to go to a certain place, and now have a ton of extra training to get done before next Thusday. I am super duper busy this weekend and I really don't like being busy.
And I saw The Hunger Games. Did I tell you that already? It was AWESOME. I want to buy it now.
You all know I'm totally head over heels for Korean culture, especially the music and the dramas. If you know me well enough, you can probably imagine how crazy excited I get over new music videos being released from my favorite artist (because they churn out way more than American singers do). Well, a K-Pop legend, Shinhwa (which actually means legend or myth in Korean) just came out with a fantastic new music video that I'm head over heels for.
What's so special about Shinhwa, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. They have been together as a group, unchanged, for 14 years. And they just made their comeback this week after a 4 year hiatus. Now, I didn't even know K-Pop existed 4 years ago, but I've read so much about them, and listened to my favorite Korean singers all say they look up to Shinhwa, and h.o.t., and other legendary bands that started the K-Pop wave, so I was absolutely ecstatic to get the chance to be around when they had their come back. Take a look here and see the awesomeness of Shinhwa!
One of my top favorite Korean boy bands, TVXQ, has been split apart for a few years now. I discovered them a short while after they had split and just as the two remaining members in the group came out with their new video. At first, I didn't know they were broken up, at least until I realized that there were only two in the new video and went to look up why. I was very upset when I did find out, because this group, which debuted in 2003, is an amazing group.
Anyway, even though they have been broken up for a while, they have some many music videos out there, whenever I find a new one it's like they never actually broke up, because I get to watch a brand new (to me) video of all five together. It makes me giggle and happy inside, then makes me wish they were getting back together again, even though I know that's probably not ever going to happen.
If you don't know who TVXQ is, first take a look here, then head over to Youtube and look them up. They are amazing.
I've got some pictures I want to share with you real quick. I'm procrastinating doing my homework and studying like a bad girl, but I really needed a break. So, here are four pictures I pulled from my phone that I think you all will enjoy seeing.
#1 - (Anyone who guesses what it means gets super brownie points) I recently bought this customized shirt from an airbrush tee shirt booth on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. I was so giddy when I got it. It made me happy. ^-^
I am Super Girl! I mean... Look at my cool new tee shirt! What a cluttered desk behind me. I wonder whose desk it is?
#2 - I snuck this picture with my iPod during a break one day in class, when two of my classmates were catching a quick nap, because they were both so exhausted. I hope they don't see this because they might kill me. They are (gruff voice) buff Marines who don't look cute, they look deadly (end gruff voice). I couldn't help myself though, I had to take a picture. They looked just so adorable together like that! The three Marines in my class truly are like real brothers (fighting and horseplay included)
Oh, Noh Kyeong Cheol and Moon Seong Hoon, the adorable but deadly Marines.
#3 - I snapped this picture last weekend at the singles cooking activity. These are the dishes my group made. It's pasta and chicken with pine nuts and peas, and a lemon and mustard sauce. It was really yummy!
Dish entitled 'I Pine for Lemon', garnished with lemon curls and parsley. Mmm, so yummy!
#4 - I just took this picture today, but I've been meaning to take it for a while. I have a lot of shoes, but what I always thought was funny about my shoes is all of them are from completely different clothing styles. And I wear them all, they don't just sit in my closet collecting dust. So I finally put them all together and took a pretty picture.
I wanted to start blogging more regularly next week, as I know that talking about things helps me feel better. However, due to the completely INSANE homework load we were given for next week, I won't be getting anything done other than homework. No exaggeration. At the end of the week I'll let you know how many dozens of hours I spent on homework over the week. It won't be pretty, I'll tell you that right now.
I don't we've ever had a homework load anywhere close to this large before... Prayers and mail will be craved.
I'm sorry for not posting more often. I'm super busy and extremely stressed out with class right now, so I barely have time to relax to save my sanity, let alone get anything other than homework. Everything's sort of okay right now. I mean, I'm pissed off for various reasons, and I'm listening to Kamalot, which is my "I'm in a bad mood" music, but I'll be okay. I'm going to get homework done as fast as is humanly possible, get MTT over with, and go to bed early. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Anyway, just a few quick notes before I sign off for another long while. I had the best weekened ever last weekend; I went to Stanford with my singles ward and had a blast with the Stanford wards in a Iron Chef activity. The week before that I had my first date in a really long time with a guy in my ward, and this Sunday another guy from the ward took me to the beach because I mentioned in passing that I hadn't been. Both are amazing guys, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
This coming Monday is my first semester two test, and I really hope I do well, so I'm going to be studying all weekend. Because I did really bad on my last test.
So here in little pretty city by the sea, a strange phenomena has happened. At least, it's strange to me. First, we had a nice bit of summer. It was hot in the afternoon, enough that I managed to break a sweat at pt, and it was beautiful and sunny, and the sea was a pretty color. Then, it was spring like, with warmish weather during the day, cold at night, and yellow pollen dust attacking everying with a vengence. Today was the start of winter, with strong, freezing cold winds, rain, and a stormy sea. (Perfect day to be without a jacket... Stupid me...)
So, as you can see, time runs backwards here in little pretty city by the sea.
My mom on her blog talks about her payday as a mother, and tells stories all the time about when she gets her payday. I got my first payday today as a writer.
At this very moment, one of my roommates is reading my very first novel, the one I wrote in 2008 for NaNoWriMo and got one copy published. She's reading it, and she says that she is completely hooked on the story. Which is awesome, because I know she's not much of a fiction reader.
So, cha-ching! When she started talking about how much she was enjoying reading it, it made my heart flutter and my chest swell with pride. This is what I want to do, this is what I want to feel. I want people to read my books and enjoy themselves. I want people to love reading my books as much as I love reading my favorite authors' books. I want to write my stories to make other people happy.
And I have taken another step forward towards that goal, even if the goal has been put off for the moment while I get my mandatory training done.
Well, I've been waiting to tell everyone about this fabulous endeavor I've started, but I've had to be patient and wait until it was ready and open before saying anything. And as of yesterday night, Hallyu Holla, Noble Rabbit's Korean Wave website, is officially open!
For all of you who have been lurking and wondering what all the fuss about Korean stuff, Hallyu Holla is the place to go. As I work on it, adding regularly scheduled posts and spontaneous posts, you will be able to find everything about the Korean Wave there, from dramas, to music videos, from singers and actors profiles to posts about the Korean language.
So come dive in and discover the wonders of Korea!
Today was my class's first day of immersion. We spent all day in our school house's auditorium, only speaking Korean. I was really worried about it beforehand, because I didn't know what to expect, but once I was there, I didn't worry anymore and just had fun. It was a real blast, and I got a very small taste of what it would be like to be in a place where only Korean is spoken. It wasn't exactly the same, because I have a harder time understanding my fellow classmates than I do my teachers when they speak, but that's probably as a result of me watching dramas a lot.
I went to see the Oakland temple this weekend with a friend of mine. I'm too tired and swamped with homework to talk about it, but I figured I should post the pictures I took, since they are so pretty.
The best part of learning Korean here is reading a random tweet from one of my favorite Korean singers AND UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING HE SAID IN KOREAN. It just makes me so happy and reminds me of why I'm here. ^-^
Just so that everyone knows, I passed my first official Air Force pt test this morning. I ran a 14:10 1 1/2 mile, did 24 push ups and 41 sit ups. Hurray for me!
I wrote this last night before going to bed, using my phone. It was long and tedious trying to type it all out on my dinky little phone.
Today was a lazy day. I wasn't feeling good, so I just chilled in the dorm. The first half of the day was boring, just watching random videos on YouTube, trying to write something, and generally just wasting time.
So, I cut my hair the second week of December. It was kind of spur of the moment, but it turned out really good. I'm still shocking people who haven't seen me in a while, too. And I love doing that, it's so much fun. My ward's Elders Quorum President approached me on Sunday, and I hadn't seen him since before I got my hair cut, and kindly introduced himself and asked if I was new. I commented that I had been before, but that I had cut my hair, and a shocked look crossed his face, and he apologized for not recognizing me. I love doing that.
Now that you can know a little but about how drastic this haircut was, here's a picture I finally got around to taking so that my dear friends/readers could finally see how much I have changed.
That's my bunk behind me; I'm on the top, and my roommate is on the bottom.
For a couple of weeks now, I have been anticipating the release of the new music video from one of my favorite bands. This band in particular is special to me because some of their songs has helped me get through some hard times in the past. So, I've seen the teasers for the MV, searched the web for the planned release date, added it to my calender, and set out to wait 'patiently'.
When I logged on to my computer today after class and before heading up the gym (that's another story) I was ecstatically surprised to find the music video waiting for me, having been released on the correct day in Korea, but a day earlier in the US because of the time difference. I was so happy. However, I had to be a good girl, so I put it on hold until I got back from the gym. I have to do the hard things first before I can play.
So when I got back, tired and sweaty from running back from the gym (uphill both ways), I sat at my computer and set it up to play. Then I watched it while undressing to take my shower. The music video was so epically awesome, words can't describe how I felt while watching it, how I felt about the fact that I was watching it at all, etc.
The MV is a little over 5 1/2 minutes long, so by the time it got to the end, I was down to my underwear and ready to head to the bathroom. Which I was planning on doing with a happy heart once the music video was over. I really should have known better, since the song is called 'It's War' and the teasers have all talked about how it's about two friends who get into a fight over a girl.
I'm not going to reveal anything, because that would ruin it for others. And you all should know how much I hate doing that. I'll just say, as soon as the MV was over, I burst in to unexpected tears, completely overwhelmed by what had happened in the ending. I was not expecting it at all, and with the way the video was put together and shown, I had no choice in the matter.
Now, let me admit to you all. I have cried while watcing MVs before. Usually, it's because I want to cry, or because it feels like the right thing to do. Which means, usually, I have complete control over my tears and my crying and my emotions. I mean, there are some sad music videos out there. Like Bang Yong Gook's I Remember, a lot of F.T. Island's long MVs, etc. To me, it's perfectly normal to cry over a sad music video.
This one, though, was different. This one, I had zero control over my emotions. The MV ended, and I lost it. You'll have to watch it to find out why, but it was a strange phenomenan, and one that I was grateful neither of my roommates were around to see.
So, without futher ado, I reveal It's War, by MBLAQ. The one that shook my world.
I'm pretty sure it won't have the same effect on my dear readership. But it's a good MV anyway.
I was told today that my nickname is now Rabbit. I've never had a nickname just handed to me like that. My longtime nickname, Noble, stemmed from something I made up myself, and it kind of just stuck. This one, though, snuck up on me and attacked with a vengence.
I have a guy friend who is like my best friend around here, other than my amazing roommates. He's two weeks behind me in Korean, and he's really a great guy. (Giggle. Uh, not like that.) Anyway, he caught me during lunch to give me an update on his back (he hurt it a while back) and called me Rabbit. The two people across from me (who are in my class) couldn't figure out why, and for a moment I couldn't either. I knew it must have had something to do with my last name, and Korean, so as I watched the two across me try to work it out, my mind was spinning at a mile a minute.
Then it dawned on me, not a moment too soon. The Korean word for rabbit sounds very similar to my last name, which everyone calls me by around here. It was so clever, and I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before, (and the guy friend gave it to me) that I have now decided that it shall forever be part of my nickname. I'll never not be Noble, of course, but I'm now Noble Rabbit.
Just so everyone doesn't get confused by a few changes around here. ^-^
