Walkin' in Naomi-Blue

More paintings

2011-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Good morning. It is Wednesday, which I usually work, but I am off today. An extra day off is alway nice. Below is an art class project that my brother, Carl, did at school. It's a basset hound,wchi is my dad's favorite dog. The face is just priceless!! LOL

Below is not a painting, obviously. They are home made biscuits by my mom. One of my favorite breakfast foods. <3

I don't know about where you live, but, here in AZ, the summer is right around the corner. The snowbirds are leaving, and you can already feel the harsh dry heat during the day. This is going to be my 3rd summer in AZ. Let's see if I've gotten used to it this year...

I hope everyone's enjoying the spring weather. Take care.

p.s. I fixed the pic of my brother's latest bike painting. You can click on it and view a large pic if you would like. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Most recent photos of the family

2011-04-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

!!WARNING!!

The extreme summer heat in Phoenix will eventually have an astonishing effect on the physical appearance of a person's body as illustrated by the following recent family pics:

Mother & Father

3 lovely children: Naomi, Carl, & Tamachi

*Just kidding...LOL We were just missing with the camera.

More works by Carl

2011-04-02T18:25:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

The AZ summer is creeping up on us over here in Phoenix, and we're starting to get into the 90's during the day. Even in this hot weather my brother still paints. AND there is no word to describe how gifted this kid is...

Left pic: Ironman he drew for his classmate a while back. I forgot to post it.

Right pic: His latest oil painting. He painted our dad's motorcycle and improvised on the back scenery. This is the largest painting he has ever done. The size is 36inc. by 48inc. It is currently hanging in the Harley-Davidson Store in Chandler, AZ.

He continues to receive many projects from people, and enjoys painting more than ever! :)

Please pray for Japan

2011-03-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's only days since the 8.9 earthquake hit Japan, and the lost is so big... For such a small country, Japan is filled with beauty and culture. Instead of all the disaster that you've all seen on TV, here are some pics to shed light on what's inside that tiny country...

Tokyo Tower & Monkeys in the hot springs (cute, huh?)

Festivals (sense of community comes naturally there) & Mt. Fuji

The traditions that still live.

Please pray for this amazing country and its people. Anything or anyway God places in your heart. Anything. Please.
Thank you so much.

Oh, my...

2011-03-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

"What in the world?" Yeah. That's what I said. I have NOOOOO IDEA how I got such an attractive bruise on my shin, but I'm sure it has something to do with one of my billions clumsy moments in my life...

Oh, well. It hasn't made much of a diffirence in my life, so I guess it doesn't matter. :)

Peeps

2011-02-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I was offered some peeps. First time eating it, and I hope that will be the last as well... I will just stick with my dried squid. Thank you very much.

And we're back...

2011-01-01T15:30:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone!! I hope your 2010 was full of memories. Below are somethings I didn't get to post earlier due to complications with my blog...

My sister working on something, and me crunching graham crackers for the cheesecake my mom made. (and yes, I was very tired that day...LOL)

My sister started learning how to play the viola at school this year. And, I learned how to massage myself using the theracain. :)

Some artwork by the family.

From the left: An order painted by my brother and a school project by my sister.

A panel wall decoration order done by my brother.

Made by me. 1,000 paper cranes & 1,200 paper cranes. They were a gift for someone.

Some fun cooking we, mainly my mom, did.

Pineapple Fried Rice and Pumpkin pie. (the pumpkin pie is my sister's favorite.)

Halloween flaming-skull apple pie and home-made pizza.

Our pet, Lucy's (golden retriever) special!!

Isn't she adorable?? She is such a sweetheart. Below is my mom giving a little love to Lucy. :)

A big rock and the view from it: nice little oasis.

We actually got some hail earlier this year!

Below is what a heavy rain will do to your yard in AZ... It floods everything.

Of course I enjoyed everything about food as usual. Don't the eggs and sausages look like a skull?

Some goofy moments as well this year. To your left is a little note from my mom saying "airhead Naomi!" when I forgot my dad's lunch at home, and to your right are from when I almost burnt right leg from riding on the back of my dad's Harley in shorts. Not smart. Hahaha...

We had "Toshikoshi Soba" (=soba noodles to bridge over to the next year) on the 31st. It's a Japanese tradition. And the last pic is our latest family photo in a frame that my sister and I made for our dad for Christmas.

Thank you everyone for the support and kindness that you gave me in 2010. I pray for safety in the adventures ahead of every one of us. Amen.

I look forward to sharing more through this blog, so please feel free to stop by any time!! :)

Lasagna!!

2010-08-12T18:38:00.001-07:00

For a potluck at University of Phoenix, my mom decided to make some lasagna for my dad to take. I also helped. We made one for the potluck and one for the family. It was DELICIOUS!!
父の仕事場、ユニバーシティ・オブ・フェニックスであるパーティのために母はラザニアを作る事にしました。私もお手伝いしました。父が持っていく用に一つ、そして家族用にもう一つ作りました。とっても美味しゅうございました!!

Don't my mom and I look similar from the back? LOL

こう見ると、結構後ろ姿が似てる母と私。笑

A new type of Rubic's Cube...

2010-07-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

3 years ago, my family went through a phase where we were really in to Rubik's cube. I don't have the math brain to figure out the whole thing, but my stubbornness got me through the issue. I ended up memorizing the directions, and can now complete it.
Now, the phase is back again. My sister thought it was unfair that I could do it, and she couldn't so decided to memorize the directions as well. And, now that she can do it, her and our brother wanted to try something new. They asked me if I could master this one. See image...
..."Yeah, very funny" I said sarcastically. I don't know why, but my brother and sister through it was hilarious. The picture is just two Rubik's cubes on top of the other.

I got a job!!!!

2010-06-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

After graduating from Massage School in March, waiting a month and a half for my state license, and job hunting...I have a part-time job now. I started working last Friday at Elements Therapeutic Massage in Gilbert, AZ (http://touchofelements.com/gilbert). It's a nice classy day spa. I'm excited!!! YAY!!

Graduations

2010-05-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, everybody. How is the weather over where you live? It's starting to get pretty hot here in Phoenix. AND, believe it or not, it's already that time of the year again...That's right. Graduations!!
皆さん、こんにちわ。そちらのお天気はどうですか？フェニックスはもうかなり暑くなってきています。そして、信じられない事に、もうあの季節ですね。。。そう。卒業式の季節です。

Last Wednesday was my brother, Carl's graduation from junior high. One of his least favorite things in this whole wide world is school, so he was very excited that he got through another one. Of course he has high school starting in August...LOL It was also fun to see him in slacks and a tie for the first time.
先週の水曜日は弟、カールの中学校の卒業式でした。この広い世界で彼が最も好まない物の一つが学校なので、本人もかなり興奮していました。まぁ、当然8月から高校なんですけどね。。。笑　初めて見るカール君のタイ姿もなかなかの見物でした。

This passed Friday was my graduation from Pima Medical. I just have to say, "It was long..." But it was nice to see my classmates and instructors, again, and to catch up with how everyone has been. This was also my first time wearing a cap & gown. I have to admit, they are quite comfortable, but the cap can be a little itchy. Hahaha...LOL By the way, the cords are yellow for Honors and white for Perfect attendance. I received my massage state licence in the mail a couple weeks ago, too, so I am fully up and running as a job-hunting massage therapist. ;)
先週の金曜は私のピマ医学専門の卒業式でした。正直に言わせてもらうと、「長かった。。。」くらいしか感想はないのですが、久しぶりにクラスメートや先生方に会えたのは良かったです。初めて着たキャップとガウンは結構着心地がよかったけど、キャップは少しかゆかったです。ははは。。。笑えっと、首にかけたコードは黄色が優等生（GPAが4.0中3.5以上の場合）で、白が皆勤賞です。マッサージの州免許も2週間ほど前に届いて、やっとマッサージ師として就職活動ができます。；）

Well, that's about it. Life is full of surprises as always, and I hope it stays that way. As for my family, they can hardly wait till the surprises are over. LOL Any how, I hope I will have more things to share in the upcoming days. Until then, stay cool, and drink plenty of water!!
まぁ、そんなところです。人生は相変わらず毎日がびっくり箱だけど、私はこの先もずっとそうであってほしいと思います。家族にしてみれば、早く安定した生活を始めてほしいと感じているようですが。笑何はともあれ、この先ブログに載せることが増えるといいです。では、暑さには気をつけて、十分な水分補給も忘れずにね。

Updates

2010-03-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, there. How's everyone doing?
こんにちわ。皆さん、お元気ですか？
It's been about 9 months since I've been in Phoenix, and I am actually 9 days away from graduating from Pima Medical Institute. I have started applying for jobs, and hoping that some one will hire me soon. I will let eveyone know once things are more clear.
フェニックスに住み始めて、もう9カ月です。ピマ医療専門学校卒業まで後9日なので、就職活動も最近始めました。早く仕事が見つかるといいです。もうちょっとはっきりしたことが分かってきたら、またお知らせします。

Now, I've mentioned about my dad's new baby, Harley motorcycle. I forgot the modol. I think it's one of the newest Ultra glide. Possibley the Classic. He sold back the Fat Boy in exchange for this one for safety reasons since he picks up my sister almost every day on it. Also, there were some issues with the Fat Boy. Any who, this is his new ride, and, though I miss the Fat Boy, no matter what the model is, riding on the back is always fun!!!!!! lol
父の新しいハーレーバイクです。確か、ウルトラ・グライドのクラシックだったと思います。前持っていたファットボーイは中古で、いくつか故障があったので、もっと安全なものに取り換えることにしたそうです。まぁ、バイクで妹をほぼ毎日迎えに行くので、これのほうがずっと安全ではありますね。個人的にファットボーイが恋しいですが、どのモデルであっても、バイクの後ろに乗るのは楽しいです!!笑

Below are Carl's new works. On the left is something one of his friends at school asked him to draw for him. Apparently, he charges $3~5/drawing. He is someone who knows how to make money. On the right is an order from one of my dad's co-workers. We all liked this painting so much, and it was sad when we had to give it to the client... I think he maid about $100 on this one. At this point, he has more moeny than I do.
弟の最近の作品です。左は学校の友達に頼まれたものだそうです。おまけに、タダでは無く、絵一枚当たり、＄３～５もらうそうです。ビジネスマンですねぇ。右の絵は最近父の仕事場の人から受けた注文作品です。あまりにも出来が良くて、お客さんにあげるのがちょっと惜しかったくらいでした。これは＄１００くらい頂いたそうです。今の時点で弟は私よりお金を持っていると思います。

That's　all　for　today.　Hopefully,　I　can　keep　the　blog　going　after　this　one...　Have a good day.

では、今日はここらへんで。この先、できる限りブログを続けていこうと思います。それでは、また後ほど。

What Faith Can Do - Kutless

2010-01-27T20:36:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year's.
Starting this year, I've been driving to and back from school by myself. I found a Christian radio station, and the time in the car has turned into a little worship time for me. At this point, I seriously have no idea where I'm going to end up in September, and it's been a real struggle trying to keep myself from getting eaten up by the pressure and fear of not knowing what to do.
"What faith can do" by Kutless is one of my favorite songs, and, every time I hear this song, it reminds me that I have to have faith and surrender everything in His hands. Whenever I am reminded of this, I can feel my chest get lighter and I can breath much easier.
Right now, I am working on always having that faith. If any of you won't mind praying for me in whatever way God puts in your heart, I will be truely greatful.
Thank you. :)

Chirstmas

2009-12-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever had traditions for Christmas. It's simply one of those times of the year that the radio stations are all playing Christmas songs, the stores and parks are gorgeously decorated, and everyone looks really happy (especially in the US).
This year, Christmas day was just another day off for me. Nothing special...except for two thing. First, this was my first "warm & brown" Christmas. And second, this was the first Christmas in 5 years that I was with my family. We didn't do anything that probably a lot family in the US do for Christmas, but I was thankful that I was able to share this time with my family.

I hope, in one way or another, everyone had a nice Christmas this year.

Stay warm, and happy happy holidays to everyone!!! :)

Just checking in.

2009-12-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Seasonal greetings to everyone.
皆様、ご無沙汰しております。

I took a long break from blogging since I didn't have much going on over here. School, massage, family... Life has been pretty simple in Phoenix, AZ. The only thing that's different is the fact that I got my driver's license this passed week. So far, everything's good and safe.
特別何も連絡事項が無かったので、しばらくブログをお休みしました。学校、マッサージ、家族・・・と、ここ、フェニックスでの生活は結構単純なものです。変わった事と言えば、先週運転免許を取った事くらいです。今のところ何事も無く、無事です。

My family seems to have gotten used to the life here, and my little brother and sister are continuing to learn English. I have about 3 and a half more months till school ends. I am hoping to return to VA for the school year of 2010-2011, but we'll see where God takes me next. :-)
家族のほうはこっちでの生活にも慣れてきて、弟と妹も英語が少しづつ話せるようになってきました。私はあと3ヶ月半程でマッサージの学校が終わります。その後はバージニアの大学に戻りたいと思っていますが、まぁ、なるようになるとしか言いようがないですね。:-)

It is getting cold over here, but that's all. I hope it snows a lot for the snow lovers in other places, and that everyone will have joyful holidays!!!
こっちは寒くなってきましたが、それ以外は同じです。他の場所では、雪好きの方たちのために雪がたくさん降るといいですね。何はともあれ、皆様、良い年末と新年をお過ごしください!!!

Stay warm...
温かくお過ごしください・・・

2009-10-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Some recent work of my brother & sister.

最近の弟と妹の作品です。

Below are oil paintings by my brother, Carl. There were both requested by my dad's co-workers for them to give to someone as gifts, and he actually got paid to paint these... Very nice. :)

下は弟が描いた油彩の絵です。どちらもプレゼント用に父の仕事場の方に依頼されたもので、ちゃんと代金も頂いたそうです・・・。笑　素敵です。

Left: Another work by Carl. This is done with pencil and coloring pencils. It was one of his "Just for fun" piece.

左：もうひとつ弟の作品。これは鉛筆と色鉛筆で描かれています。どちらかと言えば、「遊びで」描いたものだそうです。

Right: My sister, Tamachi drew this whiling looking at the front of a magazine. Talk about details... Good job.

右：妹がマガジンの表紙を見ながら描いたもの。これがまた細かいところまで凝っているんです・・・。上手ですね。

huh...　えーっと・・・

2009-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

So, what does this look like to you?
この写真のものは何でしょう？

You may say, "a cup of coffee". Yes & no. The correct answer would be "The WORST cup of instant coffee ever made in the history of coffee." And, yes, I made it. And tasted it. I knew I never really had the gift for making coffee, but I though I couldn't do that bad with instant coffee. I mean, come on, all I used are Nescafe instant coffee, sugar, hot water, and vanilla coffee creamer. My parents are very sincere people, but there was nothing good that they could say about this one. As you can see, my dad didn't even bother finishing it, and my mom look straight at me and said, "how can you possibly make a instant coffee taste like this?"
...um...I tried...maybe a little too hard...? Somebody tell me the secret to good coffee...:'(
多くはおそらく「コーヒーの入ったコップ」と答えるでしょう。半分アタリです。正しくは「歴史上最もまずいコーヒーの入ったコップ」です。はい。私が作りました。そして、味見もしました。元々コーヒー作りの才能とかはナイとわかっていたけれど、インスタントのコーヒーなら失敗しようがないと思っていたんです。材料だって、ネスカフェのインスタントコーヒー、砂糖、お湯、そしてバニラ風味のコーヒークリームしか使ってないんですよ？うちの両親はとても親切な人達ですが、その二人でもこのコーヒーの事で私にかける優しい言葉は見つかりませんでした。見ての通り、父は2口ほど飲み、その後は手をつけず、母は真面目な顔で「どこをどうしたらインスタントコーヒーがここまでまずくなるの？」と問いかけてきました。
・・・えっと・・・一生懸命・・・頑張り・・・過ぎたのでしょうか・・・？誰かおいしいコーヒーの秘訣を教えてください・・・涙

Birthday party! :)

2009-09-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, there!!
This weekend, my brother turned 14 and I turned 21. Friday, Sept. 11th was his and Saturday, Sept. 12th was mine. I never thought I would be with my family on my 21st birthday, but I am kind of relieved that I was...LOL Below are the cakes that my mom baked for all of us. On the left is just a plain sponge cake and on the right is red velvet cake!! They just came out of the oven, so we didn't have any whipped cream on them.
どぉも、こんちわ!!
今週末、弟は14歳、私は21歳になりました。9月11日の金曜日は弟、12日の土曜日は私の誕生日でした。21歳の誕生日を家族と過ごすなんて思ってもみなかったけど、なんか逆にそれでホッとしています・・・。笑　下の写真は母が焼いてくれたケーキです。左は普通のスポンジケーキで、右はレッドベルベットケーキです。どちらも焼きたてだったのでホイップクリームはまだ塗っていません。

My brother just wanted to eat the cake, but I like the whole thing with the candles. (the smell of the matches, the dreamy candle lights, the action of blowing out the candles, and so on... hahaha.) So, that's what the picture on the left is. On the right is how I decorated my FIRST plate of cakes. Decorating the cakes became a whole game after this...lol

弟はただケーキを食べたかっただけなのですが、私はろうそくの儀式が好きだったりするんです。（あのマッチのにおいとか、夢に誘い込むろうそくの光とか、ろうそくを吹き消す瞬間とか・・・あはは。）だから、左の写真は私のためにしてくれました。右の写真はケーキ一皿目をデコッた後のもの。このあと、これがデコレーションゲームと化したのですが・・・。笑

My sister was the winner of decorating the cake. You can tell that's my sister. Even the decoration is all about the mass and how much you get to eat afterwards. Hahahaha...!!! LOL :D

デコレーションゲームは妹の勝利でした。さすが私の妹。ケーキのデコレーションもよくばり。爆笑

Thank you everyone who wished me a happy birthday on facebook, e-mails, and in person, and thank you Hollins dance department for the surprising birthday song and lots of happy wishes on the phone. It was really really GREAT to hear from all of you. And thank you to those that I didn't hear from, but I know you were wishing me a happy birthday somewhere in this world!!! LOL I hope I get to see all of you again someday... :)

Facebookやメール、そして直接「誕生日おめでとう」と言ってくださった方々、どうもありがとうございました。それに、電話越しにハッピーバースデーを歌ってくれたり、素敵なメッセージを叫んでくれたホリンズのダンス科の皆さん、本当にありがとう。みんなの声が聞けた事が何よりうれしかったです。そして、連絡しそびれたけど、きっと心の中で「おめでとう」と私のことを思い出だしてくださった皆さん、ありがとうございます!!!笑　みんなにまた近いうちにあえるといいです・・・。

Updates

2009-09-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, there. I apologize for not updating the blog for a while... Honestly, there hasn't been much to talk about over here in Phoenix, AZ.
こんいちわ。ご無沙汰しております。正直ブログに載せるほどいろいろないんですよ。

The family seems to have gotten used to the new life, and my brother and sister is starting to learn English. My mom and I are both still attending Pima, and I think we all have found our daily rhythm. I started my internship 3 weeks ago, and I am starting to get the hang of it. What internship students do are pretty much what we would do once we start working in the massage therapy industry. Answering phones, confirmation calls, give massages, SOAP notes, laundry, filing, and so on. (all the filing I did at Gail's work place a while ago is really helping me out! lol)
新しい生活にも慣れてきて、下の二人も少しづつ英語を話すようになってきました。母と私は相変わらずピマに通っていて、日々のリズムというものもやっとできてきました。3週間前からマッサージのインターンシップをはじめて、それなりに慣れてきました。やることと言えば、電話やカウンター越しの接待、マッサージ、カルテ記入、洗濯、ファイル整理などなど。

We don't get paid, but we are allowed to receive "Educational donations". Outside Pima, it's called "Tips," but we aren't allowed to call it that due to state law or something like that. The students are free to use the donations in whatever way they want to, but the purpose for this is so that the students will have enough money to buy our license at the end of the program. Even if a student finish the whole program at the top of the class, if the student doesn't have $206, he/she cannot get their license to practise. Anyways, since I don't have a job right now, I just keep all of mine. I'm hoping I will end up with more than what I need, so that I can take the National Certification Exam right after I graduate, which costs $225, so I'm aiming for minimum of about $431 by end of next March. :o)
お給料はありませんが、教育用寄付金は受け取ってもいいことになっています。教育用寄付金は言いかえれば「チップ」と同じなんですが、法律上、教育機関内ではチップと呼んではいけないそうです。寄付金の使い方は生徒の勝手なんですが、一応寄付金を許す本来の目的は卒業する時にマッサージの免許をもらうのに206ドルいるからなんです。首席で卒業しても、この206ドルがなければ、免許がもらえません。何はともあれ、収入がこの寄付金以外ない今の私は、これを地道にためるしかないというわけです。ま、別にほかに使うあてもないんですけど。笑　個人的な目標としては206ドル以上ためたいんです。できれば、ピマ卒業後すぐにマッサージの国家資格試験も受けたいんですけど、これが225ドルもするんです～。てなわけで、最低431ドルは貯めたいと思っています!! 笑

So, that's what's going on with me. Right now, I'm taking my 2nd, more in-depth, Anatomy & Physiology and Condition Specific Massage. I really like Anatomy & Physiology. The more I learn about our body and how things work, the more I think "COOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!" and convinced that only the Creator can make something like this. Something like this just doesn't pop out of no nowhere. A lot of my classmates just laughs at me all the time because I get SUPER excited whenever we learn something new that I didn't know about, but I don't care because I am truly enjoying myself. I just memorised all 206 bones in the human body. Condition Specific is massage for specific injuries or rehabilitation. Being someone who is around athletes a lot, this is a very helpful class for me. Long story short, I'm loving what I'm learning! Hehehe...
まぁ、そんなとろです。今はもっと細かい解剖学と特定の場合用のマッサージを習っています。解剖学って本当に楽しですね。体の仕組みを知れば知るほど、自然の成り行きでできるほど単純な仕組みじゃないと信じさせられるというか・・・。いちいち新しい知識に興奮する私を見て、クラスのみんなにもわらわれるんですよ。でも、楽しいからいいんです。特定の場合用マッサージっていうのは、怪我とかリハビリとかを細かくカテゴリーに分けて、それ専用のマッサージ治療方法を習うということです。常にダンサーなどからだばかり使う人たちの周りにいる私にとって、このクラスはとても勉強になります。結局、一言でいえば、今習っている知識にとても満足です!!　ははは・・・

OK. I'm gonna go back to studying. I totally slacked off this whole weekend because I had a 4-day weekend due to holidays. I'll be fine. lol
では、そろそろ宿題します。祝日が重なって、4連休だったので、おもいっきりさぼってしまいました。なんとかなるでしょう。笑

Ohagi　おはぎ

2009-08-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Ohagi is a Japanese sweet. Its primary ingredients are rice and beans (red beans called azuki), but they are sweetened. My mother decided to make some the other day. When she makes it, it's not too sweet and easy to eat. It had been so long since I've had one, so I really enjoyed it!!
おはぎです。皆さんご存知の通り日本の伝統菓子の一つです。基本的にお米と小豆の甘いお団子といったところですね。笑　母がこの間久しぶりに作ってくれて、家族みんなで食べました。母が作ると甘くないので、食べやすいんです。久しぶりにとてもおいしかったです!!

New House

2009-08-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 weeks since we've moved into our new house in Phoenix. It's 2 stories with lots of space. Still brown, but it's nice. I am also loving the carpeted floors, but the rest of the family do not approve of it... Below are some pics of the house. Due to slight messiness from the move, I could not get permission to take pics of the rooms... So, instead, I have pics of decorations in the house!!! lol
フェニックスの新居に引っ越ししてからもう3週間たちました。二階建てで中も広いです。やっぱり茶色ですが、気に入っています。私はカーペット敷きの床がとても好きなのですが、家族のみんなはいやだそうです・・・。下は家の写真です。まだ片付いていないため、部屋自体の撮影は許可が得られませんでした。そのかわり、家の中のデコレーション等を載せました。
On the left is the house from the front. I took this at night, so you can't see it well, but I think the sky is really pretty! On the right it the little court yard we have right when we enter the gate. We hope to have a little table and some chairs here some day. The door you see in the left of this pic is actually a guest room that is separate from the house. I am using it right now.
左は家の正面写真。夜なので暗いですが、空がきれいだと思いませんか？右はゲートを通ってすぐにある小さい中庭（？）みたいなものです。いつか小さい椅子と机を置きたいと思っています。この写真の左端に見えるドアはゲストルームです。家とは別になっていて、今は私が使っています。

Below are pics of the guest room=my room. Yeah, there isn't much in there. There wasn't even a light before I got a lamp...lol Kinda nice, though, isn't it? I have a closet, a fold-down bed, a lamp, and a private bathroom/shower.
下はゲストルーム＝私の部屋です。はい。殺風景です。ランプが来る前は電気もなかったんです。笑　でも、結構あったかい感じでしょ？一応、クローゼット、折り畳みベッド、ランプ、そしてトイレ/シャワー室があります。

These are the curtains in my room. The very left is the door, but I don't have a curtain for it, yet. I actually like it like this, but my mom disagrees. The middle is my little shelf(?) space. The curtain is my mom's hand-made. It's a space for this I like. lol The one on the right is also a curtain my mom made for the bathroom. It's pretty when the light hits it during the day.
私の部屋のカーテンです。左はドアのだけど、まだカーテンはありません。私はこのままでも好きなんですが、母に駄目だと言われてしまいました。真中はちょっとした棚（？）として使っています。カーテンは母の手作りです。好きなものを飾ってます。右は母がトイレの窓用に作ったものです。日光が当たると綺麗なんですよ。

The entrance. Simple. Nothing much to say about it. lol The middle are my favorite curtains that my mom made. The cloth she used is over 70 years old. You don't see these kind of colors and designs like this any more... And on the right is a little Japanese fan that is in the 1st floor bathroom. Nice.
まずは玄関。ま、シンプルですね。特に言うことはありません。笑　真中は私のお気に入りのカーテン。母の手作りなんですが、使った切れが70年以上前の古いものなんです。もうこんな色やデザインはなかなか見れるものじゃないですね・・・。そして右は一階トイレを彩るセンスです。素敵ですね。

Lucy, our dog. She is full of playfulness and sweetness. :o) She is in the back yard, which is the middle picture. We are still in the process of figuring out what we want to do with the back yard.

うちの犬のルーシーです。遊び心と優しさいっぱいの女の子です。真中の写真に写っている後ろ庭にいます。まだ後ろ庭の利用方法は検討中です。

The window by the dining table. It's a nice, calming color to see when you are eating or hanging out. On the right is the curtain by the back door. I like the soft pink. both hand-made.
左はダイニングテーブルの横にある窓。食事中やだんらん中に見るのには調度いい落ち着く色です。右は裏口の横のカーテン。薄いピンクが好きです。どちらも手作りです。

The curtain in the kitchen. Another work of my mom's. She wanted to make it so that she can raise it up, but didn't want to spend the money... After some brain storming, she found a way to get what she wanted with the total cost of less than $1. She put a wooden pole through the middle, and also attached bottle caps cut in half on the sides of the window. Now all she has to do is hook the pole on to the bottle caps to raise it up. Pretty neat. Hahaha!!! lol

下はキッチンの手作りカーテン。長さを調節できるようにしたいけど、お金はかけたくないということで、だいぶ考えた末に1ドル以下の出費で満足するものを作ることができました。木の棒をカーテンの真ん中に通し、窓の横にはペットボトルのキャップを半分に切ったものを張って、完成。高さを調節するには棒をキャップにひっかけるだけ。なかなかのもんでしょ？あははは・・・笑

Up stairs' terrace. It's a little too hot to be up there during the day, but you can see the sunset at night.
二階のテラスです。日中はちょっと暑いけど、夜は夕日が見えます。

That's all. Carl and Tamachi have their own room, and they seem to love it. New house, new life style, many adjustments, and more, but I think many excitement and memories is going to come with this. Thank you Father for this opportunity for the family to be together again!

以上です。カール君とたまちゃんはそれぞれ自分の部屋を持ててうれしそうです。新しい家、新しい生活、まだまだ不慣れな事、などなど・・・色々ありますが、きっとたくさんの思い出の場所になるんじゃないかな。再び家族が一緒になる機会を下さった神様に大感謝です!

Carl's work ~part 2~ カール君の作品～パート２～

2009-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of Carl's (my younger brother) latest works. On the left is a Harley chopper that he painted for our dad's birthday (oil paint). The right is just for fun. I like the soft mood it holds. The little dog is SOOOO cute!!!! lol
弟のカール君の新しい作品です。左は父の誕生日に贈ったもので、ハーレーのチョッパーです。右は試しに描いたものだそうです。やわらかい雰囲気が素敵でしょ？小さい犬がカワイー!!!!!

2009-07-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Seasonal greetings to everyone.
皆さん、お元気ですか？
This week, I've learned that food tastes good only if you can chew. I absolutely LOVE eating, but I totally lost my desire to eat when I started experiencing a stabbing pain in my left jaw last Thursday. No, it isn't a cavity. Apparently, I opened my mouth too wide when I was eating a Fuji apple, and slightly dislocated my left jaw... I guess it's kinda funny. It feels like my jaw is tilted and like a big air bobble is stuck in my left jaw joint. In other words, IT HURTS. I can only open my mouth half an inch wide, and it took me like 10 minutes to eat one sunny side up this morning. Still, I try to eat, but the food doesn't taste like anything. I couldn't even taste wasabi, so that's pretty sad. I feel like it's getting better, though.
私は今週、「かむ」ということが食べ物のおいしさの秘訣だということを学びました。食べることが大好きな私ですが、先週の木曜に始まった左あごの刺すような痛みのせいで、食欲が全くありません。虫歯じゃありませんよ。実は林檎を食べているときに口を開けすぎたらしくて、左あごが外れかけてしまったんです・・・。まぁ、笑えるっちゃぁ、笑えるんでしょうけど。なんか顎が傾いている感じがして、おまけに空気の玉が左あごの関節に挟まっているような感覚がするんです。一言でいえば、痛いです。口は一㎝くらいしか開けられないし、今朝なんて目玉焼き一個食べるのに10分もかかってしまいました。食べても、食べ物の味がわからないんです。わさびの味もわからなかったんだから、そうとうですよね。でも、なんとなく少しづつ治ってきている気がします。
Anyway, I just finished my second week at Pima, and I am still loving it there! It's fun!!! I'm happy that I decided to do this. We are moving to the new house tomorrow, so my family seems slightly chaotic, but I'm sure they are all excited about the move one way or another. ;o)
We won't have Internet connection until maybe next Sunday, so I won't be able to update the blog till then, but I will make sure to share about the new house soon!!!
それはともかく、ピマのほうも2週目を終えました。やっぱり楽しいです!!なんだかんだ言って、やっぱりピマに行くことにしてよかったと思っています。明日は完全に新しい家に引っ越しです。そのせいか、家族がなんかあわただしい感じですが、それぞれいろんな意味で興奮している気がします。新しい家に越したら、次の日曜くらいまでインターネットがつながらないので、それまではブログを更新できませんが、ネットがつながり次第、新居の紹介をします!!

Week 1 @ PMI (ピマを始めて1週間)

2009-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I started my classes at Pima Medical Institute this passed Monday. Below is me in my scrubs. All Pima students are to wear these to school with solid white shoes. To be honest, I wish I could live in these. They are sooooo comfortable!!!! lol
ピマ医療施設に通い始めてから一週間がたちました。下はまぁ、制服みたいなものです。一応アメリカのお医者さんは白衣ではなく、この「スクラッブ」と呼ばれるものを着ている事が多いです。これがまた着心地抜群なんですっ! できる事なら普段着として使用したいくらいです。笑

For the 1st 6 weeks, I will have Study Skills, Anatomy & Physiology, and Swedish Massage. Till I finish the program on March 26th, 2010, I will be learning about human bodies, spa techniques, aroma therapy, medical law and ethics, first aid, and various types of massages!!! After my 1st 6 weeks, I will also be starting my internship at the Spa Pima, and I will actually be giving massages to clients. I'm a little nervous, but very excited. :o)
入学して最初の6週間はスタディースキル、解剖学、そしてスイスマッサージのクラスをとります。来年の3月26日にプログラムを終えるまで、人の体の事をはじめ、スパの営業方法、アロマセラピー、医療法律と倫理、応急処置、そしていろいろな種類のマッサージを習います!!! それに、最初の6週間を終えたら、インターンシップとして早速ピマのスパで実際にお客さん相手にマッサージさせてもらえるんです。気が早い気もして少し緊張していますが、すごく楽しみです!!

The classes are really fun. I guess I just like learning new things. Especially in my Swedish massage class, the students learn on each others' bodies during class. In other words, Massage Therapy students get to receive massages in class, and we are allowed to fall asleep!! hahaha... This is one of the many fun reasons why the Massage Therapy program is special... lol Anyhow, I'm lovin' it!!!!!
授業はとても面白いです。元々新しい事を学ぶことが好きなんだと思います。特にスイスマッサージの授業では、生徒同士を使って練習をするので、マッサージ師プラグラムの生徒だけ授業中にマッサージしてもらえるんです。その間は寝てもいいんですよ!!ハハハ・・・。これも含めていろいろな意味でマッサージ師プログラムは特別なんです・・・。笑　何はともあれ、とても気に入っています!!!!!

4th of July　7月4日（アメリカ独立記念日）

2009-07-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my family and I decided to drive up the South Mountain, and enjoy this year's 4th of July from the mountain top. Our new house is right down the street from South Mountain, so I'm sure we will be spending many weekends there once we move. There are many different parts of South Mountain you can visit. Yesterday, we went to see the TV tower and also one of the summits.
昨日、家族のみんなでサウスマウンテンという山に登って、今年のアメリカ独立記念日を祝うことにしました。今度引っ越すことになった新しい家がこの山のすぐふもとなので、引っ越し後はきっとしょっちゅう週末などに行くことになるでしょう。この山はいろいろすることがあり、昨日はテレビタワーと頂上に行ってきました。
Pic 1: TV tower.
写真１：テレビタワー。
Pic 2: View from the TV tower... Flat, isn't it... lol
写真２：テレビタワーからの景色です・・・。平べったいでしょ・・・？笑

Pic 3: My sister being goofy, as usual...
写真３：相変わらずのふざけっぷりを披露する妹・・・。
Pic 4: The mountains are rocky and bare close by, but I like what they look like far away. They look like Blue Ridge Mountains!
写真４：山々は近くで見るとごつごつしていて正直あまりきれいとは言えませんが、私は遠くから見るのは結構好きです。バージニアにあるブルーリッジマウンテンに似ている気がします!

Pic 5: My sister found a lizard. This is the best shot I could get. Can you see it? It's on the left side of the plant by the rocks. It's looking up trying to imitate a dry leaf. It moves its body like a leaf when the wind blows. Kinda cool!!!!

写真５：妹がトカゲを見つけました。下の写真は頑張って撮ったものです。見えますか？草の根もとの左側の石の側にいます。体を上向きにそって、枯葉のまねをしています。風に合わせて体を揺らすあたりはさすがですね!!!!

Pic 6: My mom and dad, eating carrots for a quick snack.

写真６：父と母です。おやつのニンジンをかじっています。

Pic 7: Me. Believe it or not, it's about 10 degrees cooler on the top of the mountain. The sun ray was strong, but I was pretty comfortable in that outfit.

写真７：私。以外にも山の上はふもとよりも10度くらい気温が低くて、日光の暑さを除けば、私の服装でも全然過ごしやすかったです。

Pic 8: From the summit. Not much there... hahaha...

写真８：頂上から。ま、特に何も見るものはないですが・・・ハハハ…

Pic 9: Pretty Sky!!!! :o)

写真９：空がきれいです!!!

Pic 10: And more pretty sky. You can see Phoenix.

写真１０：これもまたきれいな空。フェニックスの町が見渡せます。

Pic 11: This is what happens when you listen to my sister. Her attempt was to make me look like I was leaning on the rock you can see under my elbow. Not bad, I guess... lol

写真１１：うちの妹の言いなりになると、こうなります。彼女が言うには、一応遠くに見える岩の上に私が肘をついている設定だそうです。まぁ、確かにそう見えないこともないですかね・・・？笑

I'm still getting used to the heat, but I have decided to let myself enjoy what this still-unfamiliar place has to offer. I do think the exotic colors that the flowers have here is something that can be seen only in the desert. I will post some pics of the fun plants and flower here some day.

まだまだ暑さには慣れませんが、この見知らぬ場所なりに素敵なところはあるわけで、せっかくなのでそれをここに居られる間にありったけ楽しもうと思います。濃く、濡れたような植物や花の色はやはり砂漠地帯ならではのものですよね。今度またそれらの写真も載せます。

After we left South Mountain, my mom requested BurgerKing, so we had lupper there. I still don't know why it was BurgerKing... Once we got back to the house, someone decided to watch a movie, and we ended up watching 4 movies back to back. We watched the original "The hunched back of Nortredame," "Sleepless in Seattle," "My neighbor Totoro," and "Whisper of the Heart." Family full of movie lovers... It was fun.

山から下りた後は母の希望でバーガー屋さんで遅いお昼を食べました。何故突然バーガーが食べたくなったのかは未だに謎です・・・。家に着いた後、誰かの提案でビデオを見ることになり、結果的に4本も立て続けに見てしまいました。見たのは実写版の「ノートルダムの鐘」「スリープレス　イン　シアトル」「となりのトトロ」そして「耳をすませば」です。実は家族揃っての映画好きなんですよ・・・。楽しかったです。

Hobbies...Continued　趣味・・・続編

2009-07-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to share a little about my brother's hobby. He loves to paint and draw. I guess it's more than a hobby, since he does it quite often. Below are just a few that he has allowed me to post online.
今日は弟の趣味を紹介します。弟は絵を描くのが好きです。まぁ、結構時間をかけているので、趣味以上のような気もしますが。下に許可をもらった作品を幾つか載せました。
Pic 1: This was done when he was in 4th grade. It's the kinder garden in front of his elementary school. Water color.
写真１：4年生の時の作品。小学校から見える御陵幼児園です。水彩。
Pic 2: Done in 4th grade. Agrippa statue. Oil paint.
写真２：これも4年生の時のもの。アグリッパ象です。油彩。

Pic 3: Done in 5th grade. It was an assignment in his art class. Titled "the future..." even though he really doesn't want the future to look like this. lol Water color. Won a prize.

写真３：5年生の作品。図工の課題で、題材は「未来の世界。」本人は「こんな未来はいやだけど・・・」なんて言っていますが。笑　水彩。努力賞をもらったそうです。

Pic 4: Done in 6th grade. Art class assignment. The view you can see from the back of the elementary school. Water color.

写真４：6年生の作品。これも図工の課題で、風景画です。小学校の裏から見える景色です。水彩。

Pic 5: Done in 6th grade. In honor of our dad who loves Harley Davidson. He mainly used pens and markers for this one.

写真５：これも6年生のもの。ハーレーダビッドソンが大好きな父のために。おもにボールペンとマジックで描いたそうです。

Pic 6: Done in 7th grade. Gundam. Mainly used pens and markers.

写真６：中学1年生の作品。ガンダムです。これもボールペンとマジックの作品です。

Pic 7: Done in 7th grade. Gundam #2. Mainly pens and markers. He was actually requested to draw this one, and he made $5.00 off of it...lol

写真７：中学1年生の作品。ガンダム第二弾です。ボールペンとマジックの作品。これは実は頼まれて描いたもので、５００円で売れたそうです・・・笑

Pic 8: Most recent. He just finished it a couple weeks ago. Oil paint.

写真８：最も最近の作品。数週間前に仕上がったばかりです。油彩。

Most of the paintings above are about A4 size except the "the future..." painting and the latest painting. They are about 2~3 times larger than the rest. I like his paintings and drawings. I asked him to draw me a big picture of sunflower field with the blue sky in the back. He said "he will think about it..." hahaha...

He is currently working on another oil painting. I will post a picture of that when it's ready.

上に載せた作品のうち、「未来の世界」と一番最近の作品以外は全部A4サイズに近いものです。例外の２枚はその２～３倍くらいの大きさです。私は個人的に弟の作品のファンで、この前、青空をバックにしたひまわり畑の絵を描いてくれるよう頼みました。一応、「考えとく」と言われました・・・ハハハ・・・

今また新しい油彩の作品に取り組んでいます。また出来上がったら載せますね。

Hobbies...　趣味・・・

2009-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

My mom loves making quilts. She decided to make several before she came to the US to decorate the house. Below are some that are placed in the house. Kinda heart-warming, don't you think?
The first one is one of my favorites. I just think it's cute! The 2nd one makes me think of Christmas. haha...
うちの母はキルトを作るのが好きです。アメリカに来る前にこっちの家のデコレーション用と言っていろいろ作ったらしく、今は家のあちこちに置いてあったり、つるしてあったり。なかなか家庭的な雰囲気でしょ？
最初のは、私のお気に入りのひとつ。とにかく可愛いし。二つ目はクリスマスを思わせるデザインですよね。ははは・・・

...One to decorate the shelves, and one for the love seat. I used to think quilts were for winter, but it looks nice in the desert, so I guess I was wrong... lol Oh, by the way, the bed you see in front of the sofas is where I'm sleeping right now. It's right by the kitchen, and I get to enjoy the smell of food in the morning as I wake up...lol :-P

・・・棚ように一枚、そして、ソファー用に一枚。個人的にキルトって冬向きのものだと思っていたけれど、こんな砂漠地帯でも全然いけるみたいです。笑　そうそう、ソファーの前にあるベッドは今私が使っているものです。台所のすぐ横なので、ご飯のおいしい香りで目覚める朝は何とも言えず幸せです。笑

I don't think you call this quilting, but she also made padded sheets to put pots and pans by the stove. It's made so that the cover can be washed. I guess this kind of things encourages us kids to be crafty.

したのをキルトと呼ぶかどうかはわからないけど、母はこんなものも作っています。ストーブの横に鍋やフライパンなどを置くためなんですが、これが、カバーだけ取って洗えるようになってるんですよ。私たち子供が工作好きなのも、こういうものの影響なんでしょうか？

Below is something I like to do when I have a lot of free time. It's a candy box for the table. My mom made the box from a milk carton, and then I pasted pieces of origami paper on the outside to decorate it. It's just simple repetition of cutting and pasting, but I've always enjoyed it. Not bad, is it? :o)

下は私が暇つぶしにしたものです。一応テーブルなどに置いておく飴入れのつもりです。箱自体は母が牛乳パックを切って作ったんですが、表面の折り紙は私がやりました。千代紙や折り紙を適当に切っては貼るという地道な作業が結構好きで、暇さえあればもっとやりたいです。結構いけるでしょ？笑

Phoenix updates... フェニックス最新情報・・・

2009-06-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I've been in Phoenix, and it seems to be getting hotter and hotter by the moment. I guess I have a whole year to get used to this strange weather. Yes...I said "a whole year." Due to various reasons, I have decided to take a year off from Hollins University. It took a little for me to make the decision, but I think it's the right thing to do at this point. I will miss out on a lot, but, with the support that Hollins and my family is giving me, I'm sure I will be fine. While I'm away from Hollins, I'll be attending Pima Medical Institute to get certified as a Massage Therapist. I was going to do that after graduation, but, now that the opportunity is right in front of me, it seems like I'm going to be better off in the long run by getting it now. The program starts next Monday. I'm actually very excited!!! :o)
私がフェニックスに来てから早くも1か月がたちました。気のせいか、これでもかというほど日に日に暑さがましてきている気がします。ま、一年間もあれば慣れるかな？そう。「一年間」です。私、いろいろ事情があって、一年大学を休学することにしました。決意するまでちょっとかかりましたが、結局正しい決断だったと今は納得しています。まぁ、一年間大学から離れるのは寂しい気もしますが、友達や家族が支えてくれているので、大丈夫です。休学中はピマ医療施設という場所でマッサージ師の資格を取ることになっています。本当は大学卒業後にする予定だったけど、せっかくの機会だし、今のうちに取っておいたほうがのちのち得かなと思いまして。授業は来週の月曜日にはじまります。実を言うと、待ち遠しくてうずうずしています!!!　笑

There's more... My family is actually in the final stages of buying a house. We will probably be able to start moving stuff to the new house in a couple of weeks. My parents are SOOOOOOOO excited that they can barely sit still... lol Moving can be stressful physically and emotionally. I'm glad I'm going to be here to help.
そして、もうひとつ。実は正式に新しい家を買うことになりました。たぶん2週間くらいしたら家具などの引っ越しもできるでしょう。両親はすごくうれしそうで、じっとしていられない様子です・・・笑　引っ越しっていろいろ肉体的にも精神的にも大変だから、そばで手伝えれることをよかったと思う今日この頃です。

just a dream...　ただの夢・・・

2009-06-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

It has been one of those weeks where the usual daily schedule gets all scrambled up by little things like additional meetings, unexpected interviews, and so on. I'm not that busy yet, but I guess I was taking in some of my parents' stress myself unconsciously. Anyways, I don't know if this has anything to do with that, but I had a dream this morning that I was in my dorm room at Hollins, and there were all these people fighting and talking over each other. I remember getting really frustrated, and I shouted/screamed "SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" in my dream. But it ended up coming out louder than I though, and I screamed out loud in my sleep. It actually woke me up, it was so loud, and my mom came dashing into the living room (where I sleep). She thought I was under attack or something... HAHAHA I asked my brother and sister if they heard anything, but they don't remember anything. I guess the "sleep-like-the-dead syndrome" runs in the family. lol
今週はなぜかやけにバタバタしていて、緊急のミーティングやら、突然のインタビューやらで、せっかく安定していたスケジュールもメタクタでした。私自身は言うほど忙しくはなかったけど、両親の忙しさぶりに知らないうちに影響されていたのでしょう。今朝、変な体験をしてしまいました。まぁ、正直、これとそれが関係してるかどうかは分かんないんですけど。とにもかくにも、今朝、学校の寮の部屋で大勢の人が口喧嘩している夢を見て、夢の中で「Shut up!!（うるさい、だまれ!!!）」と叫んだつもりが、現実でも叫んでいて、それの声の大きさに驚いて、自分も起きてしまって、母親も驚いて部屋に走ってきて・・・などなどということがありまして。母親は私の身に何か起こったのかと思ったらしいです。そりゃ、あんだけ叫べば誰でもそう思うでしょう。誤解を解いたあと、後で起きてきた弟と妹に何か聞こえたか聞いてみたけど、何も覚えていないらしいです。死んだように寝るという特徴はどうも血らしいです。笑

My camera died, so I don't have any pics, but I'll work on that soon. Happy Friday, and have a nice weekend!!!!
デジカメが電切れなので、写真がありませんが、近々何とかする予定です。やっと週末ですね。せっかくの週末だから、みなさんもゆっくりお過ごしください!!!

2009-06-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my family and I went to a mud race practice. We thought they were going to have an actual race, but it ended up being just a practice. My dad used to ride when he was a kid. I have never seen a real mud race corse before except in movies, so I was really excited. Below are some pics from the ride and the site. There were some "mini"s, which were kids' riders. They were 6 or 7 years old, and really cute!!! lol
昨日、家族みんなでバイクのマッド（泥）レースの練習を見に行きました。本当はレースがあると思って行ったんだけど、練習だけでした。父親が昔マッドレースによく出てたので、懐かしそうにしていました。私は本物を生で見るのは初めてだったので、とても楽しかったです。下はそこでの写真です。なんか、”ミニ”って呼ばれるまだ小さい子の練習もやっていて、これがまたかわいいのなんのってっ!!!笑
Pic 1: veiw from the car.
写真１：車からの景色。
Pic 2: In the parking lot.
写真２：駐車場で思わず・・・

Pic 3&4: The race track. Kinda cool!!
写真３＆４：レースのコース。なんかかっこいい!!

The rest: Some in motion...hahaha
残り：動いてるところを頑張って撮ってみました・・・あはは・・・

nothing much 特になにも・・・

2009-06-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

It has been about 2 weeks since I've been in Phoenix. Nothing new. It's hot, but I don't leave the house much, so it's not that bad. I hope everyone's doing well. Don't let the heat get you!!!
フェニックス来てから2週間経ちますが、特に何もありません。暑いけど、あんまり外出ないのでたいして問題ないです。みなさん元気ですか？暑さに負けぬようお体には気をつけてくださいね。

My sister... うちの妹・・・

2009-05-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

After school finished on the 17th, I visited Winston-Salem for a week, and then came to Phoenix on the 23rd. The dry heat still does not agree with me, but it's not that bad. Here at our new home, my dad works, and my mom studies/cooks. My brother and sister are in summer break, and do whatever they like all day except when they work on their English with my mom and I. I help my sister, and my mom helps my brother. Slowly, but surely, they seem to be learning something new everyday.
学校が終わって、一週間ほどウィンストン　セイレムを訪ねた後、23日にフェニックスに来ました。まだここの湿気のない暑さには慣れませんが、なんとかやってます。12月に越してきてから、父は仕事、母は勉強と家事という毎日は相変わらずです。弟と妹は夏休みに入って、英語の勉強以外は自由気ままにぶらぶらしてます。妹には私が、弟には母がついて毎日、少しづつではあるけど、英語を頑張っています。
My brother and sister seem to be the same in the inside, and, I have to admit, it gets hard to keep up sometimes... My sister is just goofy and a born-comedian while my brother is a quiet soul with a cold sense of humor... And when it gets a little late, they go slightly crazy. My brother has banned me from taking his picture, so I only have my sister's pictures on here. She was exploring with new hair style and poses...
下の二人の性格はほとんど変わっていないらしく、時に私でもついていけない時があります・・・。妹は生まれつきのお笑い芸人な反面、弟は静かなくせにグサッとささるような冷たい突っ込みをよくするんです。そして、夜遅くなってくると二人ともちょっとおかしくなるんですよ。弟には写真を禁じられているので、ブログには妹の写真しか載せていません。昨日は妹が新しいヘアスタイルやポーズをいろいろ考えていたらしいです・・・。
Photo 1&2: Style 1. She looks scary in the 2nd pic...lol
写真１＆２：スタイル１。2枚目の写真はちょっと怖い・・・笑

Pic 3&4: Style 2. She still looks scary in the 2nd pic...? lol

しゃしん３＆４：スタイル２．やっぱり二枚目は怖い・・・？笑

Pic 5&6: Style 3. What kind of face is that tamachi?lol

写真５＆６：なんちゅー顔ゃ・・・笑

I think they all look like a really bad wig, but it was certainly entertaining. lol

私は趣味の悪いカツラに見えると思ったんだけど、何はともあれ面白かったです。笑

Pic 7: Tamachi trying to take over my bed. It gets really worm when you do this in Phoenix...

写真７：私のベッドを占領しようとしてる太万智。これをフェニックスでするとすぐ暑くなるんだよね・・・。

It's strange to see both of them so grown up. My brother is already taller then me, and my sister is definitely catching up with me. It's simply nice to know that they are happy here in the US.

二人とも大きくなっちゃって、なんか変な感じです。弟は私より背が高いし、妹には追いつかれそうです。ま、何はともあれ、二人がアメリカでの生活が気に入っているとわかっただけでも良かったです。

I hope the summer heat isn't too bad for everyone. Take care.

そちらの夏の日差しがここほどきつくないといいですね。皆さん、お体には気を付けてください。

Spring Cotillion

2009-05-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Spring Cotillion was last weekend before exams started. At this point everyone was soooo exhausted that we just wanted to have fun and do crazy stuff... Below are pics from that. p.s. What was even better was the fact that my outfit didn't cost me a dime!!!! lol

pic right: With dance majors Kat and Emily. They keep the laugh going... lol

pic left: Me trying to jump in those heels.

pic right: Ayaka and I. What's up with Japanese girls and loving funny faces? I don't know.

pic left: Me just groovin' to the music.

pic right: From the left, KB, Boo-chi, Me, Megan, and Dani. Cool folks!!

Pic: with one of my bestest friend, Symphoni.

pic left: more dancing.

pic right: Me.

From the left, Emily, Kat, Effie, me, and President Gray. She is phenomenal person!!!!

Symph and I had to go to WalMart after this around 2am to get some last-minute stuff for a club event that was happening the next day... But it was fun-filled evening of goofiness, and all the late nights were worth it when I look back at them now. lol

Spring Dance Poster Photo shoot

2009-04-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Seasonal greetings to everyone! How is the weather over there? We saw some white things falling from the sky yesterday, and I still question the fact that it's already spring.
As mentioned in the previous post, Spring dance gathering is 2 weeks away, and the dance department has started getting in to some technical stuff. At Hollins, the dance students make the posters, invitations, tickets, programs, the show order, and so on. We also prepare the stage for performance, which means, hanging lights, putting down the dance floor, teching, etc... Last week, we had a photo shoot for the banner and poster for the show. Dance students just improve in the studio in any way we want, and see how it turns out! Below are some nice pics from that. The pictures were also taken by 2 dance students.

Left: 1st years and Seniors

Right: Megan (Senior) killin' it!!! LOL

Left: Symph (Sp) and Megan (Jr.) spinning.

Center: Me and balloons... LOL

Left: Lauren (Sp). She is elegant!!

Left: Megan (Sr)

Center: Me
Right: Megan (Sr) having fun. LOL

Left: Megan (Sr). I LOVE this pic!!
Center: Me
Right: Megan (Jr) with Kryssi in the back. Another favorite.

Left: Symph and I. Love how our limbs are parallel. lol

Center: Me with balloons, again. LOL

Right: Megan (Jr) and Lauren . Nice.

Friday Showing ~Megan's dance~

2009-04-06T22:47:00.001-07:00

At Hollins Dance, we have this thing called Friday showings where student works/works in progress are shown, and we give critical feedback. As you can see below, we just sit on one side of the studio for 4 hours. LOL The woman in the chair on the left is the Artistic Director of Hollins Dance Department, Donna Faye Burchfield. Next to her is our Guest Teacher for the semester, Jesse Zarritte. Then the other woman in the chair is Jen Nugent, a guest artist who visits here a couple weeks every year, and next to her is Maguel who is also a short term guest artist. We get a lot of guest artists. There are some grad students in this class, too. Even though it is long, it's always exciting to see student works!!!!

Below are some pics from one of the senior work that's going to be performed in Spring Dance on April 24th, 25th, and 26th. It's inspired by Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. It's really fun and exciting!! BUT, you feel like you are going to die afterwords... LOL I still take twice as longs as others to learn the material because I'm not as used to the movements as much as the others are. I still have to work on a lot of things. Everyone is very very supportive, though, and I feel comfortable enjoying myself even if I might look like a fool. LOL Oh, FYI, I had a little issue with keeping my hair untangled this passed week, so my hair might look slightly messy than usual... It's all combed out now!

The one juping like crazy on the left of me is Symphoni. We hang out togetgher A LOT. We keep things real in each other's lives. Ever since we've been at Hollins, we have had mostly the same daily schedules by complete coincident... I'm supprised that we are not tired of each other yet. LOL

As I said above, Spring Dance is April 24th, 25th, 26th. If you are interested in coming, let me know, and I will be more than happy to send you details!!!!!!! Thank you!

Charlie Bit Me - Remix

2009-04-02T16:22:00.001-07:00

Just watch it please!! If you know "Charlie bit me," and find it funny, you will like this!!

Trinidad Day 2 & 3

2009-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

The picture link to Day 2 in Trinidad: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35182198@N02/sets/72157614037542303/
The picture link to Day 3 in Trinidad: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35182198@N02/sets/72157614079119236//

Cultural Festival

2009-03-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Spring Break, a cultural festival was held at Hollins. It's held every semester, and it's a evening of international students sharing cultural performances, food, drinks, and such. Like I mentioned before, we have a lot of international students at Hollins, and, especially this year, there are 5 Japanese students including myself. It's exciting. :o)

Below are some pics from the festival.

Ayaka (a Japanese student since last year) and I.
My yukata. It was a gift from one of my mom's professors. I needed a little help from Ayaka to put it on. LOL

Japanese students and Phong (the pianist for the song we sung for the festival).
No matter what I wear, and how nice I look, I just can't help but put some funkiness in it!! lol

The Japanese students that are currently at Hollins University!! We keep thing interesting and Oriental in Roanoke! lol From the left, it's Kanako(Jr), Ayaka(Sr), Me(Sp), Kaori(Jr), and Miho(Jr). Kanako is only here this year, and Ayaka is graduating, so this is the last year these 5 will be walking together on Hollins Campus... ;o( We promised each other that we will go out for a drink someday in the future in Japan. :o) Ayaka told me that she will send me some Japanese food next year!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Where did my spring break go...? ;o(

2009-03-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Picture of the day... This will be me if I had to take the train to go to school.LOL

Last week was called Spring Break at Hollins University, but the dance department called it something else: American College Dance Festival Association Conference. Unless we already had a commitment to be somewhere else, dance students were required to stay for Spring Break, and help out with ACDFA. The conference was good. It went really well. I got to meet some friends that goes to other colleges/universities, too. It was fun.

I never thought not getting a break could be so bad... Maybe for me it's just the fact that I am exhausted and still have the same amount of work that I had before the break... But the fact is, half of dance department has the sniffels, someone brought Pinkeye to ACDFA, so it's spreading in the dance department, and there are some who are really sick now.

Many in the dance department are involved in the school theatre performance, "Chicago," which is going to be performed next week. We also have our own dance show coming up in a month. Let's hope all of us will find the time to catch up with some rest soon. One way the other, we have to get through this!!!

Happy Spring, everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Swan Lake Danza China

2009-03-01T08:03:00.001-08:00

OK...um...so...this is....um...yeah. hahaha...

Dug up some old pics...lol

2009-02-28T11:02:00.001-08:00

Pics from old days, Junior High & High school. Good times...

Japanese movie "zatoichi" tap scene

2009-02-24T21:45:00.001-08:00

I just love this!!

2009-02-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

After lots of thinking, I have decided to talk about my trip to Trinidad & Tobago on day to day basis. I have too many photos to do it all at the same time. So, today's post is about Day 1!!

On January 23rd, Symphoni, Nia, Ashley, Kirstin, Ashlee, and I left Raleigh-Durham Airport to fly to Trinidad. We all left around 6am that morning, and traveled all day till we arrived to Port of Spain Airport around 10pm. There, Megan, who is a local Trinidadian and our group leader, picked us up with a Maxi. Dani and Kirstin were already there doing an internship, so we all got on the Maxi and headed to Megan's father's house. I really don't remember much what happened that night... lol

The next morning. we left the house around 5am to go back to the airport to fly to Tobago. (About a 20 minute flight) Once we got there, a bus picked us up, and we went for a 2~3 hour-long tour. It was sooooooo nice outside, and there were times when all of us just couldn't resist the sleepiness. lol After the tour, we were dropped off at the beach to eat lunch. (we had Bake & Shark, Stew Chicken, Crab & Dumplings, Macaroni Pie, ), and then we got on the glass-bottom boat. Oh, my goodness!!!!! Talk about feeling closer to heaven... It was absolutely gorgeous!!! Once we got to a place that has a lot of corals, they stopped the boat, and let us go snorkeling. I was SOOOOO excited that I swam around looking at corals and tropical fish until we had to go. It was beautiful!!!! After that, we sailed a little further to this area of the sea that's really shallow. When I stood up, the water came up to only my chest. They had speakers on the boat, and they blasted soca (soul Calypso) music while we danced around in the water. :o))

Once we got back to the beach, we walked around the touristy-area to look at the souviner stores. I didn't get anything, but it was fun to see all the cool things they had there. Some people may know this, but I have this thing about earrings, and I'm just going to say that I'm glad that I told myself that I'm not going to buy anything... LOL

For more pictures, go to the following link!!!!!http://www.flickr.com/photos/35182198@N02/sets/72157614078926604/with/3266854331/

Next Trinidad post will be Day 2!!!

Musiqforthenight

2009-02-21T11:31:00.001-08:00

This is also Zach and Symphoni's choreo, but Zach mainly made this with Symph's imput here and there!!
I just love watching them dance together!!!!!!!

Fantasy

2009-02-21T11:27:00.001-08:00

One of the Hip Hop dance pieces Symphoni and Zach choreographed to gether. This one is mainly Symphoni's choreo with some of Zach's imput!
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I am still alive

2009-02-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

Seasonal greetings to everyone.

For those who have been wondering, I am back at Hollins safely, and have started my Spring semester of my 2nd year here. I haven't been back here in about a month and a half, so, after being back for 2 weeks, I'm finally getting used to having classes again... lol

After seeing my family in Phoenix, I flew to GA and, from there, drove to TN with Symphoni for our internships. It was a great experience as a dancer and as a person. Below are some photos.

Zack (left) and RJ (right) Playing Pool at the house we were staying. Zack is a dance student at the school Symphoni interned at, and RJ is his older brother. They are such sweet boys. We had sooooo much fun just hanging out and joking around together. LOL

Some goofy pics. Zack is an amazing dancer, especially in Hip Hop. Symphoni and Zack had fun choreographing some Hip Hop dances together.

And some more goofy pics. I got really into the slinky while I was there. LOL

Zack never forgets to invent new moves even when he is trying to hide from the camera... And RJ with baby shades on. This was funny!!! LOL He is truly a character.

Symphoni and I both trying to get started on some choreography. I just got out of the shower, and look like a deer in headlight. lol

People we stayed with. Mrs. Sarah and Mr. Tom used to teach in GA where Symphoni started dancing. They are awesome and fun people, and they now teach at the school where Symphoni interned at. They showed us around Nashville, introduced us to some amazing people, and now Symphoni and I both have fallen in love with the city. We are looking forward to the next time we get to visit them again.

And last, but not least, this is Olivia. She is Mrs. Sarah and Mr. Tom's daughter. She is 2 years old, and full of a dancer's spirit!!!! LOL She kept things very interesting and exciting. We watched Marry Poppins, The American Tale, and Winny the Pooh together. It was fun! lol

Symphoni and I really miss TN and the people we met there. We hope that we will always have a connection with them for the rest of our lives, and that we will be able to dance in the same space again soon.

thailand commercial (how long can you hold your breath)

2009-01-13T10:40:00.001-08:00

Is it only the dancers that thinks this is funny?

So your son wants to take ballet, huh?

2009-01-11T17:45:00.001-08:00

This is so bad, but I can't help but laugh...LOL

Bluebird cafe

2009-01-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today was an easy day at my internship. I didn't have to teach any classes today, so I took one class, organized old recital programs, and worked on a piece that I'm supposed to be choreographing on the students next week. On my busy days, I teach 2 classes in a roll from 7:55am, take a class, teach another class, work on my choreography, and take another class till 5pm. Next week, I'm supposed to　be teaching the class I'm taking right now, so I will be teaching 5 classesin one day... Wow... LOL

今日のインターンシップはゆっくりしたスケジュールでした。今日は教えなくてよかったので、１クラスとった後、古い公演のプログラムの整理をして、来週から生徒に振付ける作品に取り組みました。忙しい日は朝の７時５５分から２クラス教えた後、１クラスとって、振り付けに取り組み、また１クラス教えて、最後にもう１クラスとります。来週からは今とっているクラスも教える事になるので、一日５クラスも教える事になります。なんか考えただけですごいな・・・。笑

Anyways, Ms Sara took Symphoni and I to a place called Bluebird cafe after our internship. There, Singers of different levels, famous to not-quite-famous-yet, performs every night. We got there a little late, but we really enjoyed the performers. They were mostly country, but there were some good songs. They were very very good, too. It seems like this cafe is in several different states, so, if you're interested, please check out their website: http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/

インターンシップの後、ホームステイ先の奥さん（サラさん）がシンフォニーと私をブルーバードカフェという所へ連れて行ってくれました。そこではいろいろな歌手（有名～新人）が毎晩歌っているそうです。ちょっと遅れてしか行けなかったけど、とても素敵でした。芸術が好きな人たちと同じ空間を分け合うと、力が沸いてくる気がします。行けてよかったです。興味のある方は下のサイトまで。http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/

In TN

2009-01-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

Seasonal greetings to all of you.
First of all, I would like to make an announcement. I have decided to combine my Japanese blog with this one. I will just simply have each post with both languages. I just wanted to let y'all know.
新年明けましておめでとうございます。今年もどうぞなにとぞよろしくお願いします。
いろいろ考えたあげく、英語と日本語のブログを合体させる事にしました。
Anyways, I am currently in Nashville, TN, for an internship with Symphoni. I have been teaching classes, started on some choreography for a group of students, and helping out with other administrative work. We are staying with Symphoni's former dance teacher and her family's place, and they have been very very generous. Below is the room we are staying in. It's a nice and cozy room. :o)　In front of the mirror is Symphoni doing her hair...lol
それはともかく、今は友達のシンフォニーと一緒にテニシー州でインターンシップをしています。ダンスのスタジオで教えたり、振り付けしたり、事務の仕事を手伝ったりしています。ホームステイ先はシンフォニーの昔のダンスの先生の一人のお宅です。とても素敵な方々で、毎日気楽に過ごせる空間を与えてくれています。下の写真はシンフォニーとお借りしているお部屋です。かわいいでしょ？写真の中の後姿はシンフォニーが髪を整えているところです。笑

Below is me after shower. This is the best way I've found so far to keep water from dripping from my hair. The down side of this is it's kind of heavy. lol
下はシャワー後の私。タオルをおだんごに巻くと水滴がたれなくてすむから楽なんです。ただ頭が重いのが玉に傷・・・。笑

Well, I miss you all, and I hope I'll get to see all of you some time soon. Take care.

chao!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer [True HD]

2008-12-24T16:29:00.001-08:00

YEEEEEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

YAHOOOOOO!!!! My computer is back, and running again in my hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to the Geek Squad @ BestBuy. Even with the language barrier, they managed to fix it. YEY!!!
So, I will be able to post on my blog again! That's all I wanted to say for today. Once my camera is charged, I will post some pics of our new house.
For today, here is my sister with a big pine cone she found. She picks up random things she finds. Just like me, she is easily amused...LOL

Hope y'all are having a good week so far!!

a sad notice.

2008-12-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings, everyone.

First, I will apologize for not updating my blog for a while, yet again...

FYI, I officially finished the fall semester of my 2nd year of college, and have been in Phoenix with my family since this passed Tuesday. While many things have been new around here, family and food seem familiar. Except my brother is taller than me... LOL It is great to see them well.

BTW, I got some news about my laptop. This passed weekend, my laptop stopped connecting to the internet. So, after I got to Phoenix, we took it to the Geek Squad at BestBuy, and had to leave it there. It has been about 3 days, and we haven't heard anything. They are not sure what the problem is, and might not be able to fix it. Honestly, I wanted to scream, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Because I really need and want my computer to last till I graduate. AND Mark just fixed my "0% space on C-drive" problem.

But, after all, it is just a laptop. I will survive. So, the "sad notice" is not about the fact that my laptop may never come back, but the fact that I don't know when I will be able to update my blog again after this post. I will try and update it whenever I can, though.

Well, that's all. Oh, yeah. Super K showed me a video on Youtube, and I remember I couldn't help but make faces as I watched this video. It's made by the same person who made "white & nerdy" video. Check it out when you have a chance by typing in "Virus Alert" in YouTube...

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

hugs,

Naomi

2008-12-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

I know it has been about 2 months since Early Transition Program went to Apple Ridge Farm for 3 days for a retreat, but I thought I could still share some pics and a video with everyone.

FYI, ETP is a program that invites some incoming freshmen to come to Hollins a couple days earlier than the actual Orientation date to provide opportunity for them to meet some upper class students, learn more about Hollins, meet staffs & faculties, and hear about Hollins life and what you can do here from actual students. I'm one of the ETP mentors this year.

Among many different Activities we did at the retreat, we did some hiking/ walking around, and how the branches stretched in the mountain was very beautiful. I love tree tunnels!!! lol The pic on the right is during one of the bonding/sharing activities.

The view from our cabin.

We had spaghetti for one of our meals. In this pic, I think I groused out by the conversation we were having during dinner, and I froze in the middle of eating my spaghetti... This is, "Really? I mean, really? I'm tryin' to eat here!!!" face. And the pic on the right is from later on that evening. After doing our Accounting homework, Symphoni introduced me to a very meditating game called Mankala. This is officially my favorite game.

Finally, below is one of the late-night goofiness that was filmed during the retreat. Work it girls...lol

p.s. 2 more weeks left of this semester!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thenksgiving break in Winston-Salem

2008-12-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving break, I got to stay at my host parents' house with TJ, Gail, and the kitties. It had been 5 months since I saw them last, and I was really happy that I got to spend some time with them again!!!! kana, a Japanese exchange student at Hollins, needed a place to stay for a day before her ride to Ohio came and picked her up, so she ended up spending the night at TJ&Gail's, too. That night, we had a big, fat, white-man fire in the back, and had some S'mores with hot beverages. It was very nice.

The next day, I can't remember which one, but TJ, Gail, and I went hiking to a state park after church. I had forgotten how amazing it feels to simply spend time outside.
I like these two pictures that Gail took. I think the one on the left looks like a family portrait. And Gail said that I look like a gargoyle in the right picture. lol

On Thanksgiving day, the Hill's/Wiles' thanksgiving tradition of eating Chinese food didn't quite work out, so we ended up cooking/baking at home. We had Japanese curry chicken, brown & white rice, avocado, broccoli, cauliflowers, peas, cheese, deviled eggs, croissants, and olives on the side. For desert, we had key lime cupcakes, and crust-less pumpkin pie. It was good, fun, and very very satisfying!!!!!!!!!

I hope I will get to visit Winston-Salem again soon... :o)

lookin' back to parties @ Hollins...

2008-11-27T12:06:00.001-08:00

This year, I was introduced to college parties. I avoided them last year, but I decided to give 'em a try. Let's just say, "I can't do this every weekend..." It still wears me out. lol

just keepin' it real... right?

2008-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

I am starting to realize I have a pretty goofy side in me.

When I said this, my friends looked at me and said, "Really? I never noticed..." LOL

Path of the wind - Joe Hisaishi

2008-11-06T14:04:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite song composed by my favorite Japanese composer. He is the one playing the piano.5

Midnight Showing

2008-11-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday at midnight, which is Thursday night/Friday morning, Hollins Repertory Dance Company and Hollins Student Artists held the 3rd midnight showing at Hollins University. We started this last year, and it's a space and opportunity for Hollins Student Artists to share our work/work-in-progress. One of the unique characteristics of this showing is the fact that it actually starts at midnight. Unfortunately, it makes it harder for professors to come, but many students look forward to this showing ever since we started. Exciting, isn't it?

Below are some pics from that night. The 1st 2 are from when we were cleaning up after the showing. There was a dance piece that used a lot of balloons, and we were putting them in black garbage bags to put them up. That's when my little brain went, "aha! A bunch of balloons in one big bag = one big balloon!!" So, this is me having a blast with the "big balloon." lol

Below is a picture from one of the pieces I was in.

And the last two are, again, from when we were cleaning up. The dance department has inner-tubes that we use to sit on the floor. I found it very entertaining to put all of them on my body and roll around. I look like Michelin Man... The one on the right is, I think, what ballerinas would look like if they danced with inner-tubes around their bodies. :o) lol

More to come.

my recent food art! lol

2008-10-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mash potato & Gravy.

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) New Video OFFICIAL VIDEO 2008

2008-10-26T10:54:00.001-07:00

I am not good at keeping up with songs and stuff in general, but I really like this music video. The reason for that is endless, but I love how simple it is, the style of the dance, and also the song itself.
Enjoy!

Take back the night @ Hollins University

2008-10-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight, an awareness event called "Take Back The Night" was held at Hollins University. It's an event to bring awareness to sexual abuse and assault, and to break the silence in order to bring an end to sexual abuse and assault. To go from "talking" about these issues to actually "doing something" about them. We had a slow walk, a guest speaker, and then some people from the crowd went up to share their or their friends' stories. I participated in the slow walk. For those who might not know what a slow walk is, it's where a group of people walk very slowly in silence to gather people and bring awareness to whatever we are doing the slow walk for. Hollins Repertory Dance Company (a student-run dance organization at Hollins) is knows for the slow walks we do for different events and causes.

"Take Back The Night" is a nation-wide event, and it has been held since 1976. I wasn't able to stay to the end tonight, but I really appreciated what I saw and heard there, and I do hope from my heart that, someday, we will see an end to sexual abuse and assault.

Stay warm.

p.s. For those who might want to know more about Take Back The Night, visit: www.takebackthenight.org.

hugs,

Naomi

Naomi Blue in Roanoke, VA

2008-10-21T13:18:00.001-07:00

Today's sky was so naomi-blue, and I almost got sucked in...lol Gifts like this is what really really makes my day. ;o)

Revo-龍-tioN PV / WADAIKO龍鼓会

2008-10-20T11:22:00.001-07:00

This is a music video of a group called Ryukokai. My best friend and them introduced me to this group when we went to see them perform the summer I went home. They 2 or 3 years older than me. They are trying to take the traditional Japanese insturments to the next level. Traditional insturments have so much history behind it, and I believe that you have to be very careful when you explore with the playing style of those insturments. Personally, I think they are doing it very well, and I LOVE the sounds this group creates!!

last day of fall break

2008-10-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

So, at a blink of an eye, fall break passed, and, here I am, wondering why I am so tired. I'm not complaining, though. I enjoyed my fall break. I got to hang out with people while I also had some time to myself, which doesn't happen much for me these days. There were couple days where I was hanging out late at night with my friends, and, the next thing I know, it's the next morning, and I realized I fell a sleep in their rooms... Fun stuff. I will go in detail about the things I did with the pictures another day.

It suddenly got really really cold today here in Roanoke, VA. I don't have any long pants because I have to do my laundry bad... I have been walking around with a blanket around my waste because it is way too cold to be walking around in shorts right now. lol

Stay warm.

Things people do to their babies these days...

2008-10-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

Perfect for parties...?

no comment...

Yeah, let's cook the baby...

That's his/her favorite food...

Sports kids!!

together forever...

Wow...

last day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all!! It's Wednesday at 3pm. That means, Except of having to have to work this evening, I technically have started my fall break already. Over all, I think I can say, "Good Job" and give myself a pat on the back. I made a list of things I want to get done during fall break. It's a lot, but I am going to go one at a time, and get as much stuff don as possible, so that I can start the next 6 weeks of school on a good note. :o)

I hope you all are doing well. Take care, and have a good rest of the week.

p.s. Dear TJ and Gail, I hope you enjoy your trip to the state park.

hugs,

Naomi

One more day...

2008-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hello, all the lovely people in this world!

Though I know there are things which others will call "more important than blogging" that I could be doing right now, I cannot help myself thinking about it, so I am doing it anyways. It has been a crazy week as usual...actually crazier, I think. Last night, I ended up sleeping in Symphoni's room because I didn't even have the energy left in me to walk back to my room after doing our homework. There is one more day left till Fall Break, and, BELIEVE ME, I am soooo looking forward to it. :o)

I hope this post finds many people well. Stay warm, and take care.

hugs...

One more week...

2008-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone. How is the weather over there? It has been cold this passed week, but it warmed up a little bit today. Though I am quite exhausted, I am very very excited because a week later from now, I will be in my soft, comfy bed...:o) Fall break starts next Thursday. I am looking forward to it, to say the least. lol

I got to talk with my best friend in Japan on the phone the other day, using a calling card. It has been over an year since we have gotten in contact with each other, and it was really really nice. I hate how it made me miss Japan even more, and made me homesick a little...lol Oh, well. There's nothing wrong with shedding some tears, right?

Pieces of my life at Hollins Dance

2008-10-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

At one of our rehearsals. No matter how tired we are, there is something very addicting and motivating about late-night rehearsals. lol

Being an RA, Symphoni has a double room all to herself. Since we often find the need to have late-nights study jams, we get ourselves situated on her big bed, and try to get as much work done as possible until we fall a sleep... It's nice to have someone to work with.

This is a picture from our performance last semester. I really like this picture for some reason, and I thought I would share this with y'all.

Stay warm...

i thought i would share

2008-10-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's 2am right now, and I am hungry, tired, have homework left... Not very good combination. lol No matter how bad the combinations are, the next day comes, so I guess I just have to suck it up and keep going.

Stay warm.

another week...

2008-10-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

This week has been a rough week for Symphoni and I...
We had 3 exams, a project due, and over 30 pages of Spanish workbook due... I actually fell a sleep in the cafeteria, waiting for Symphoni to finish her breakfast. lol The weekend is so close... We keep telling ourselves...

Stay warm, everyone. :o)

One Semester of Spanish Love Song (Subtitled / Subtitulado)

2008-10-01T09:38:00.001-07:00

Our Spanish teacher showed this to us in our 1st Spanish class. At the end of this semester, I will be able to sing this and understand it without looking at the translation. lol I watch this around 3am when I am way too exhausted to do anything becaus it makes me laugh... Laugh A LOT...lol

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

2008-09-30T22:21:00.001-07:00

If you haven't seen this before, I hope you will take the time to watch this. It takes less than 6 minutes, Kathryn and I thought this was really beautiful...

nice group pic

2008-09-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Do you see all the peace signs in the pic? That's how you can tell who's from Japan...lol Ayaka (the one on the very right) and I are also from Japan, but we have been in the US longer. We learned to control those peace signs a while ago. ;o)

hyper!!!!...lol

2008-09-29T11:04:00.001-07:00

At a party we (Black Student Alliance) hosted a couple weeks ago. Believe me, above was the only way I was going to stay awake... lol

Tyler Perry's the Family that preys Trailer [HQ]

2008-09-23T20:47:00.001-07:00

video

So, this is what I did on my Birthday/weekend! :o)

2008-09-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. I know it has been over a week, but I finally have the pics, so I would like to share how my birthday/weekend was like!!

First of all, I didn't really plan anything for my birthday. I thought of getting a massage, but my schedule didn't work out.

[Friday night, Sept 12th]

So... For some reason, Symphoni (pic 1) talked me into getting my nails done. My friend had painted my nails once in my life, which was this passed summer, but I have never gotten them done professionally. I decided to get my toenails done, and Symphoni got her fingernails done. My favorite parts of the whole thing were the warm water and the foot massage, and my not-so-favorite part was when she was filing my nails. Filing nails give me chill, for some reason. Also being ticklish didn't help. lol However, honestly, I have never seen my feet so smooth and pretty!!!!! :o)) (pic 2)

After we got our nails done, Symphoni told me that she had to pick up some food for a club social that was going on at school, so we stopped by at Red Lobster's. Of course, I didn't question a thing...

We walked in, and there were a group of friends (pic 3) waiting for us. It was a surprise dinner!! My friends remembered that I had always wanted to try Red Lobster's, but I still haven't had the chance to go. And I just have to say, IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Their biscuits are amazing, too (pic 4)!! I ordered some shrimp pasta (pic 5), and also shared each other's food. They were really good!! I was really really happy!!!!

But the surprise wasn't over. After we finished our meal, a cheese cake with strawberries on it was brought in front of me. For those who might not know yet, I absolutely LOVE cheese cakes. It was SOOO good, I thought I was going to cry...lol

After we left Red Lobster's, we had to go to a movie theatre to meet up with some people because we had to figure out some details about an club event that was happening the next day. ...Or at least that's what they told me, and, of course, I didn't question anything.

We got there, they got me a movie ticket, and watched "The family that prays" with a whole bunch of friends!!! It was a great movie, y'all. I really recommend it. I posted the trailer after this post. Please check it out, if you would like!!

After the movie, I thought we were going back to school. Well, apparently, "that's not how college birthday celebration works," so we (pic 6) went to one of our friends apartment to hang out a little more. They had handmade ginger cupcakes (pic 7) there, and we just chatted till around 3am. It was really nice. Everything was a great surprise because I seriously had no idea about anything. I also can't believe Symphoni planned most of this whole thing, because we are together almost all the time. However, I just had to laugh when she later told me, "except 'happy birthday,' everything I told you today (Sep. 12th) was a lie. :-b" Well, those lies were pretty darn good because I didn't question a thing. lol In the pic 6, from the front left, it's Jasmine, KB, me, Dani, Symphoni, and Megan. Then from them back left, it's Ju-Ju, Tony, Boo-chi, Kir-Kir, Shalynda, and Larielle. Thanks, everyone!!!!

[Saturday night, Sept 13th]

My Asian friends (it just ended up this way for some reason...lol) at school invited me to go out for dinner at a really nice Indian restaurant called, Swab. I strongly recommend that you will stop by this place whenever you are in Roanoke. Their food is very very good. I ordered a type of curry that had lamb in it (pic 8), and, again, tried my friends' food, too. Ayaka, one of the Japanese students here, bought me a drink (pic 9) as a birthday gift. It was a yogurt-based mango drink. It was very thick, and I liked it a lot!!

After our meal, they brought out a desert with a candle on it (pic 10). I actually don't know what it was, but it was really good, and that's all that really mattered to me! ;o))

After we ate, we went to this placed called "202," which is this bar/restaurant that has a dance floor upstairs. It's one of the few places that allows legal drinkers to bring under-age friends with them. Everyone except Angel and I can legally drink. This place also have this huge screen that shows videos of different animals and landscapes in the world, and I was truly fascinated by it while I enjoyed my drink. FYI, my "orange juice" was really good. Below are my friends I was with. From the left, Kaori, Ayaka, Christine, Miho, Angel, and Kana.

After this, we went to Christina's room, and hanged out until around 4am... I was sooooo tired, and I don't quite remember much of it, but I enjoyed the not-very-important conversations we had. lol Again, thank you everyone!!!

I still might try and get a massage, but I'm still pondering on it. We'll see. Lots and lots of thanks from my heart to those who wished me happy birthday by e-mails, facebook, gifts, and phone calls. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many great people!!!

Chao!

Look, Look, Look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

For those who might not know, I turned 20 years old last Friday. Thank you everyone who wished me a happy birthday. In Japan, you become legal when you turn 20, so it's supposed to be a big deal, but, since I'm not in Japan, I wasn't going to do anything special. However, my friends made sure I had an amazing Birthday/weekend. lol Thanks, y'all. I will share about my B-day/weekend on another post once I get all of my pictures together.

In the meantime, I have something I really want to show you all!! Below is what Super-K's mom sent me for my B-day. Is this cute, or what?? I really really like it!!!!!

Today (around noon), in microeconomics class, Symphoni passed me a note that said, "After this, I'm gonna go to Olive Garden to have some fried Calamari, and do my homework. You wanna come?" Guess what I wrote back? Of course, "Sure!" Our lives have been a bit on the busy/hectic side ever since the term started, and we just needed a time away from campus. I didn't order anything, but I enjoyed picking out of Symphoni's plates...lol Being in all the same classes this term, we try to help each other out to get things done. At Olive Garden, we did our Accounting homework. BTW, I'm really liking that class. Below are us at the restaurant, and the amazing Ravioli!!! :o))

First thought and observation of my 20th year on earth.

2008-09-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

"ARGEEE...

My STRESS is TESTING me out..."

(I have a Spanish test today...)

And my roommate said,

"You look like Shrek in this picture!!!" LOL

Thank you TJ & Gail!!

2008-09-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I was able to start my day with a lot more excitement and happiness. You wanna know why? That is because I received a birthday package from TJ and Gail!!! I am turning 20 tomorrow. It included all my textbooks that accidentally arrived to their house, my blue water bottle that my friend, Symphoni, gave me that I left at TJ & Gail's house, the little teddy bear that sings "Jesus loves me" that I also left at their house, and some pistachios nuts and Trail mix (with M&Ms in it!!!!! <3).

I'll call it "moved in"

2008-09-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? (Hello! How are you?)

For those who might not know, I've been living out of boxes and suitcases for the passed 3 weeks. After tripping over everything possible in my room, I got tired of the unorganized space. So, I just decided to take out everything I need (except winter stuff) out of the boxes and suitcases. I also decorated my side of the room a little bit. It seems much more open and homey in our room now. I might have to move out the room in a week or two, but that's that.

We have started our 2nd week of classes, and I also had my first rehearsal of this semester! I cannot wait to start having more of them. I just LOVE dance rehearsals!! lol Classes are going well, I think. Not having dance classes every day can be a downer, but I try to find time to be in the studios at least once a day. My Spanish teacher's teaching style is new to me, and I don't feel confident about the class now, but I am determine to get an A!

The pictures are my side of the room.

Did you know??????

2008-09-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

OK, I just learned this, and I thought it was kinda cool, so I'm going to share it with y'all!!

The reason engagement rings and wedding rings are wore on the 4th finger is because that is the only finger that its vane connects strait directly to our heart. <3

And I also didn't know that the color BLUE symbolizes peace and purity.

end of first week of classes

2008-09-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hello.

We officially started classes this passed Wednesday, and I am excited to finally start them. (Except, I don't even know where to begin to describe how sore I am from my dance classes...lol) This semester, I am taking Spanish I, Microeconomics, Accounting I, Dance technique, Imaginative thinking moving and crafting (composition), and Friday dance showings. I'm sure they will keep me busy. I hope my textbooks will get here soon. One thing I got really excited in my Spanish class today while we were learning how to pronounce alphabets in Spanish was how similar their pronunciations are with how Japanese syllables are pronounced. It was funny because I felt like I was back in my 1st grade of elementary school in Japan. lol

I also applied for the Residence Counselor position that opened up after I got to Hollins, but it's taking the Residence Life Staffs a while to figure things out. Since, if I do get the position, I will have to move to another room, I have been living out of half-opened boxes and suit cases for the passed 2 weeks. AND, from what I found out today, it looks like I'm going to have to live like this for another week or two. It really doesn't bother me, personally, but I feel bad for Kathryn.

Anyways, over all, I think I'm starting on a pretty good note, and I'm looking forward to another year at Hollins. :o)

Opening convocation

2008-09-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we had the opening convocation for 2008-2009 Hollins academic year. From being here earlier than last year, I feel like things are starting very slowly, but I am more excited than ever about the year coming up!! :o) The video is from "First Step," one of our famous Hollins traditions. We have a section of grass on campus called Front Quad that only seniors are allowed in. Most of Hollins students take this seriously, and "First Step" is the ceremony where the new seniors take their first step on Front Quad. Each seniors have a bottle of apple cider in their hands, and, after getting it all over each other, they go to the cafeteria to eat and drink wine. They used to use alcohol for First Step, too, but the school had to change it to non-alcoholic drink for First Step due to State Law (because it's in public)... lol Another fun tradition Hollins has is decorating senior robes. Seniors can decorate their own robes with whatever they like to. I wonder what I will do with my own 2~3 years later from now...
(FYI, I can't see what I'm taking because my camera screen is cracked, so there are parts of the video that shows nothing but trees. I tried...)

We're back!

2008-08-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings to everyone! It has been about a month since my last post, hasn't it? Thank you for those who have been stopping by to see if I have updated my blog.
I am back in Roanoke, getting ready for my second year of college. Being one of the mentors for the Early Transition Program (a program that invites some students to come a couple days early to help them make their transition to college smoother and easier.), I got to meet some new students already, and also the new international students this year. There are 3 new students from Japan this year, and I was sooooo excited to meet them!!!!
BTW, I have been searching for the meaning of my name this passed couple days. What I've found so far is pretty interesting. My first name, NAOMI, has two origins, Hebrew and Japan. In Hebrew, it means "beautiful," "pleasant," "delightful," and in Japanese it means, "beautiful honesty." My middle name, Lynnette, means "idol / image" in Welsh, and "little lion" in French. I've always been curious about my middle name, especially, so this is kind of exciting!! lol I will keep searching, and see if I find anything else.

It is cooling down a lot sooner than last year over here in Virginia. Some students are already seem to be coming down with something... Take care everyone!

Stay warm.

ADF update

2008-07-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Hello, there.

We have started our 4th week at ADF, and I have gotten pretty used to my daily schedule here. I had Keith Thompston for Adv. Modern technique till last week, and I have Jen Nugent since yesterday till the end of the festival. I have had her class before, and it's hard, but I enjoy moving in her class. I have started working on a new piece for my composition class, and it has been interesting. I am hoping to continue this work next year at Hollins, too. We have started the choreography for the butoh piece, and it is starting to get busy. I have been translating rehearsals, interviews, meetings, and eventually theatre rehearsals. I'm not used to it yet, and it shows, but I am getting better at it. At the first meeting, I spoke to the Dairakudakan company's producer in English instead of Japanese... My brain was going, "No more!! No more!!!" lol

My roommates are well, keeping things interesting around here. We have fun together, and it's strange to believe that we have less than 3 weeks left here.

Stay cool!!!

Funniest Ringtone Ever.

2008-06-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Outside of classes...

2008-06-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

One of Danielle's car windows got stuck rolled down, so we had to have a bag taped on to the open window space for about a week. This week happen to be the week that rained a lot, too... We were joking about someone braking into her car through the bag, and I imagine it would look something like the first picture... Thank goodness nothing happened, and that now her window is rolled up.
Picture 2: Danielle cooked for us last week! It was good. Spaghetti with sausages, mash potatoes, pan-fried spinach, and corn bread. Our friend Dianna was there that night to get her hair done, too. Fun night.

I got my first pedicure done! lol It really doesn't do much for us to try to get our feet look nice and pretty because it's already scared up, and the pedicure comes off after rolling on the floor so many times in class... But it was something new for me, and kind of fun(?)

From the Dairakudakan Party

2008-06-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hello. These are a couple pictures from the party the Japanese dance company, Dairakudakan, held 2 weeks ago. Below are not all of them, but most of the students in the piece, 4 company members, and their assistant from ADF, Julia. It was so much fun. The company members are so open to things, and they love to have fun. They are sincere, thoughtful, and great artists.

Below is Mr. Muramatsu acting like a king on the pool side. He is normally a laid-back, hilarious, and unique person, but when he wants to, he can move his pinkie finger and make the whole world around him look different. This strongly relates to Butoh, but it's still amazing.

Another favorite ~Porco Rosso - trailer~

2008-06-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

Story about flying boat pilots. When it first came out, I was too little to understand it. Now that I'm older and have seen this movie SOOOOO many times, it has become one of my favorite animated movies.

Totoro waiting for the cat bus - movie extract

2008-06-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

And my favorite seen from the movie I posted in the previous post... lol This always make me laugh for some reason.

Movie of the day!! My Neighbor Totoro trailer

2008-06-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

One of my FAVORITE childhood movies's trailer. This is for the one in English. Hayao Miyazaki is an amazing film maker, and I absolutely LOVE his films. It really doesn't matter if you like animation or not because the picture is so beautiful, and the stories all have a strong message.

Shaving Heads

2008-06-20T08:41:00.001-07:00

Shaving Heads

2008-06-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

It has been about 2 weeks since we've started rehearsing with Dairakudakan's members for the butoh piece, and the guys came to realize that all the male company members have shaved heads and eye brows. It was not a requirement for the students to shave, but they all came to the decision that they want to. So, the video above is from that. Yuyama Dai-ichiro is one of the company members, and he mainly did the job. I personally think they all look much better without hair, but that could just be my own personal taste... lol

Party!

2008-06-19T07:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I slept in, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the apartment, baked some cookies, and went to a pool/put luck party. The Japanese company, Dirakudakan, hosted the party for the cast, and it was so much fun. I don't have any pictures ready yet, but it will be posted as soon as I get them! It went till a little after 1am, so I feel like I can use some more sleep right now, but I am, surprisingly, feeling calm today, too. It's all good. I might just go find a couch and take a nap after I finish this post.

...yeah, that sounds good. peace!

ADF update

2008-06-17T09:11:00.001-07:00

Greetings, everyone! How is the heat at where you are? I hope you are all able to stay cool.

It has been about 2 weeks since ADF started, and I am really happy I'm here. The composition class has already started to help me with creating my own work, and expanding my possiblities. The modern technique class can be hard on my body sometimes, but I am finding myself being challenged every class, which is an awesome feeling for me!!! The butou rehearsals are mind blowing and eye opening as always. We will be performing on July 16th & 17th, I believe, but it really does't matter when rehearsals are this interesting!! lol

Another Japanese company, Eiko & Koma came to performe and teach a master's class this passed weekend. They actually live in NY since 1976, and have been dancing together world-wide ever since. I really don't know how to explain their work, but they are so powerful in very misterious ways. For one of the pieces I saw, I didn't even notice myself crying when I was watching it. If you are curious, please visit www.eikoandkoma.org.

Dani's queen size blow-up bed

2008-06-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned in the last post, we went to get a blow-up bed for Dani because she has been sharing a single-size bed with Lindsay this whole time. She got one with a pumper, but we found out (after we got back) that it had to be charged for 12 hours before it could be used. I really don't know what I was thinking, but, after we finished our dinner around 1am, I decided to try to blow up the queen-size mattress. Maybe I was just full with energy since we ate late. Anyways, below are pictures about what happened afterwards...

1. The beginning. I'm already starting to turn red...lol

2. Actually surprised about the fact that it's working. I was getting a bit dizzy by this time.

3. Final push. Lindsay, Dani, and Krysina were laughing so hard at this point about the fact that I blew up a queen-size bed.

4. Done. I was feeling dizzy for a couple minutes, but kind of excited about my accomplishment. lol It took about 20-30 minutes, I think.

Does this mean I got strong lungs?? lol I was just happy that Dani and Lindsay didn't have to share a small bed any more. :-)

Happy Friday!!!!

2008-06-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hi! It has been a long and exciting week for us ADFers, and we thought a little fun at the end won't hurt. ;o) After getting back to the apartment, we played in the out-door swimming pool for a bit. It's right in front of our apartment!! krysina, also from Hollins, came to join us for the night, too, and it was SO MUCH FUN!! In the picture below, Dani, Lindsay, and I are all on top of Krystina... She is actually the smallest of us all. Amazing what you can do in water!! lol

After taking a shower, all of us did a quick run to Target to catch us with our grocery shopping and to get a blow-up bed for Dani. Then, for dinner, Krystina made fried chicken, and I made some vegi-pilaf. We didn't have a can opener, so the bottom-left picture is what I ended up doing. It worked out just fine, but I rather not doing it again. lol Everything turned out great, and we were satisfied with our MIDNIGHT dinner.

Dinner out!

2008-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Aloha! How is everyone? I hope you had a interesting week.
We had the day-off last Tuesday, so Dani, Lindsay, and I went to a restaurant called "Satisfactions" for dinner after having fun all day long. We slept in till 11am, watched "You don't mess with the Zohan," went to the mall for Dani to figure out her job hours, looked around the mall, and then stopped by for dinner. I ate at this restaurant the night I got in Durham with my friend, Lauren, and it was really good, so I suggested that we go again! I really like how this place looks inside, and their prices are really college-students-friendly, meaning inexpensive. They also had the NBA basketball game on TV, and we were definitely getting into it... lol Below is us acting as Kobe and Kevin.

"Satisfaction" is the right name for this place. If you are ever in the area, you should definitely check it out!!

Walkin' in Naomi-Blue

More paintings

Most recent photos of the family

More works by Carl

Please pray for Japan

Oh, my...

Peeps

And we're back...

Lasagna!!

A new type of Rubic's Cube...

I got a job!!!!

Graduations

Updates

What Faith Can Do - Kutless

Chirstmas

Just checking in.

huh... えーっと・・・

Birthday party! :)

Updates

Ohagi おはぎ

New House

Carl's work ~part 2~ カール君の作品 ～パート２～

Week 1 @ PMI (ピマを始めて1週間)

4th of July 7月4日（アメリカ独立記念日）

Hobbies...Continued 趣味・・・続編

Hobbies... 趣味・・・

Phoenix updates... フェニックス最新情報・・・

just a dream... ただの夢・・・

nothing much 特になにも・・・

My sister... うちの妹・・・

Spring Cotillion

Spring Dance Poster Photo shoot

Friday Showing ~Megan's dance~

Charlie Bit Me - Remix

Trinidad Day 2 & 3

Cultural Festival

Where did my spring break go...? ;o(

Swan Lake Danza China

Dug up some old pics...lol

Japanese movie "zatoichi" tap scene

Musiqforthenight

Fantasy

So, I am still alive

thailand commercial (how long can you hold your breath)

So your son wants to take ballet, huh?

Bluebird cafe

In TN

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer [True HD]

YEEEEEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a sad notice.

Thenksgiving break in Winston-Salem

lookin' back to parties @ Hollins...

just keepin' it real... right?

Path of the wind - Joe Hisaishi

Midnight Showing

my recent food art! lol

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) New Video OFFICIAL VIDEO 2008

Take back the night @ Hollins University

Naomi Blue in Roanoke, VA

Revo-龍-tioN PV / WADAIKO龍鼓会

last day of fall break

Things people do to their babies these days...

last day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more day...

One more week...

Pieces of my life at Hollins Dance

i thought i would share

another week...

One Semester of Spanish Love Song (Subtitled / Subtitulado)

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

nice group pic

hyper!!!!...lol

Tyler Perry's the Family that preys Trailer [HQ]

So, this is what I did on my Birthday/weekend! :o)

Look, Look, Look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First thought and observation of my 20th year on earth.

Thank you TJ & Gail!!

I'll call it "moved in"

Did you know??????

end of first week of classes

huh...　えーっと・・・

Ohagi　おはぎ

Carl's work ~part 2~ カール君の作品～パート２～

4th of July　7月4日（アメリカ独立記念日）

Hobbies...Continued　趣味・・・続編

Hobbies...　趣味・・・

just a dream...　ただの夢・・・