MILES to GO || before I sleep

*points frantically up at subject line* WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Well, sort of. I sent in a fanart of Nana Osaki (from the hit Ai Yazawa manga "Nana") to Shoujo Beat a few months ago, in the hopes of winning a contest. I don't think I won, but my art got published in the December issue of SB anyhow! I'm quite happy! ^_^ You can see the online version at DeviantArt.

Since it seems more often that not that a music buff resides on my FL, I'm going to ask yet another "What is this song from?" question: What is the name of the classical-sounding song used in the new Kodak commercials? These are the commercials you see both on TV and at the movies, where a docent leads a bunch of kids around a photography museum. He tells them to listen-- listen. They can't hear anything, so he says, listen to the pictures: they are saying, keep me, protect me, share me-- and I will live forever. Then this very touching crescendo of classical music starts up, and it really is enough to move you to tears. Alas, I don't think I can't find it through Google, maybe because I don't possess l33t keyword skills. Anyone know? (I have heard that it might be an original score composed by the folks in Santa Monica known as "Ear to Ear". I didn't find that particular commercial for Kodak on their website, so if anyone knows if they release their tracks or whatever, let me know!)

I've also discovered that I am a walking contradiction. I went for a driving lesson with Scott on Saturday, and he was obviously hoping I would be more confident and motivated about it. Truth was, I was hoping it would rain so we wouldn't have to do it. No one seems to understand that despite really wanting and needing to learn to drive, it scares the shit out of me. I'm serious. I put driving on the same level as spiders. I think I can get behind the wheel and do through the motions if I need to; same as if I see a spider I can kill it instead of screaming. But I don't like doing it, it makes me feel icky, and I often have nightmares about it after the fact.

And Scott said he wants me to have more confidence-- not just with driving, but with all that I do. And so I'm talking to shockman tonight, trying to give HIM a pep talk, and I end up thinking "Why is it so easy for me to give advice and try and help others to be confident, but I can't be confident myself?" Being in the car with Scott really stressed me out, to the point where I did cry (when he wasn't in the car). I had this big goal to have my license before New Year's, and I really don't see that as happening. I know I need to practice more, but I can't always rely on Scott; he'll be gone before the end of the month, and Baba and Grandpa will probably not let me touch their car. And to save up for a car of my own would be totally time-consuming, and is NOT one of the things I want to think about right now. I'd rather worry about getting into Study Abroad and paying for that!

Anyway, I've been in a holiday mood today... which is nice. I think I'll replace some of my older 100 icons with some of my own, made with fanart by Lin Kuruzu (pnayshoujo69 on DeviantArt) and touched up to be wintery. The question is, what is wintery? Ice? Snow? Peppermints? Glittery lights? Help me out here! I have a few fics overdue for ygo_lyricwheel and for yuugiouxmasfic. But I have to work on my submission for Creative Writing, because my group is way behind, and I have 20 some-odd pages to condense down. The story ("Goodbye, Hello, Who Are You?") still won't be finished, but it will be a better, polished version that takes into account everyone's notes and such. So I have to get to that now. Since I was absent on Thursday, I might have to memorize some Japanese, but also do some reading and writing.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we've never spoken) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.

Any updates and stuff that I do between now and later will be posted... well, later.
Ja~

I went to Graumann's Chinese Theatre with Scott for the first time last night, and I saw Jarhead. It wasn't as great as I would have expected, but I liked it. And I'm obsessed with that song they use in the trailer, but I can't figure out who it's by! And it doesn't look like the soundtrack will come out until December. o_O

I liked the movie just because I sort of connected with so much of it. I feel stupid saying it, but ROTC really did mean a lot to me, even if I did end up quitting in the beginning of my junior year. But it was an adventure, and a memorable one at that. Even despite the yelling, the demerits, the stress, and the getting-rained-on during the Veteran's Day parade, I think it was worth it. I can still left flank, right flank, double to the rear, MARCH! with the best of them! ^_~ And it was fun seeing Camp Pendleton on the silver screen. Heh. Remember when we went there, cutieme4u?

It was quite cool how Scott and I went on this "date" like adventure in Hollywood, and Scott was a total fluffball all night. ^_^ I like it, and I hope it doesn't mean he'll be an asshole this week (or at any time in the future). He also treated me to popcorn, a drink (which we shared), and a milkshake at In-N-Out once we got back to Northridge. Not being the type to throw a good night down the drain, I ended up staying over at his house. *wink wink* So all in all, a pleasant weekend that ended today on a good note.

I slept in as soon as I got home (around 11:30am), worked on some fanfic (WDKY22 is currently 62K, which bodes well for all of you that like your chapters looooong) and tinkered around with some homework... my magazine cover for VComm (underwent a new revision, needs some tweaking still, along with sample "articles"), my facilitator packet for Creative Writing (just have to read some critiques and grade them), and then 2 new analyses for CW. Tomorrow is just Japanese and Mythology; I remember the dialogues best when I read them in the morning, and I already posted a lengthy submission on Poseidon and Apollo for Mythology. :)

Did I mention that I passed my permit exam for Driver's Ed, and I scheduled my 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training for the weeks to come? I feel like a bit of a baby, being 20 and not having a license yet, but at least I'm on the way there! Whoo! I hope I do well and don't clam up and get scared when I actually have to take the test... and I wonder whose car I'll use? Both Dad and Scott have said they'll help me out between practice sessions with Driver's Ed Direct, though.

I'm also working on 3 pieces of fanart:
* Happy 2nd Anniversary, WDKY! (also the thank-you art for winterwing3000, my 1000th reviewer, and the base for her SxA custom icon from me)
* The White Rose Gang/The Royal Azureshippers (me [The Fog Princess], rhapsody_dragon [The Prophet of Mist], guardian_kysra [The Hentai Goddess], atlantian_magic [The Steam Queen], geniusgirl [The Vapour Marquis], and winterwing3000 [Needs A Name!])
* Special fanart for WDKY (My lips are sealed!)

Okay, so I'm stepping up my process for going to Japan again, be it through study abroad, internship, or post-graduation, as a career to teach English. I have to admit, with Scott having interviewed for NOVA (and possibly GEOS or ECC coming up in the future), I kind of lost my thunder and mojo for the job that had been my dream for a while.

I still really want to go back to Japan, I'd love to interact with people, immerse myself in the culture, and even live there for a while... my desire to be an International/Foriegn Affairs journalist is still strong, so I'm going to go for it!

I have Takase-sensei my Study Abroad recommendation form today; she should have enough time to get to know me and fill it out (it's a short form) by Thanksgiving. I'm also going to give one form to Professor Salido, since she's already known me a year, and I need a letter from a teacher in my major. If worse comes to worse, I can also try asking Professor Blumenkrantz, the VComm teacher who likes to pick on me :P

There's a Study Abroad Fair today at school; I picked up some info on the JET Programme. The Japanese director/coordinator here at CSUN happens to be a JET interviewer and a professor I will likely have next semester for my minor/Japanese courses. So I'm getting prepared now! JET recommends taking the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foriegn Language) test, and they do have courses here at CSUN taught by Oxford Seminars (and others in the area, I'm sure), but the cost is a whopping $800! You can get minor discounts if you register early, but the next week-long session coming up is in January, and I don't know when I'll be getting my second financial aid check (though it WOULD be able to cover the cost of said course). Does anyone know about any cheaper certification courses for the TEFL? On that note, how long does certification last? Should I not bother getting it now?

Professor B also passed along some info from the State Department about internships... how cool, working for the CIA! :O Or something like that, anyway. I had to email myself the PDFs though; they're over 40 pages long!

I have to get going to Mythology class now... we have a quiz. Hopefully when that's over I can come back here to the library, catch up on my driver's ed, do some VComm reading, get some lunch, and head to my next class at 2pm... I still have to figure out if I'll be missing some VComm or canceling the workshops I registered for a while back, for the Leadership Institute. Same goes for my WRP2 class... I'd only miss an hour of both classes at most, but still, I only have those classes once a week... >_>

I'd also like to mention that the story of FFX/X-2 is melting my brain. I'm confused about how Sin appeared, what Yevon has to do with anything, who picks the Guardian that becomes the sacrifice that becomes the big bad, what summoners actually do... and all this jazz. I think I'll post a what-I-know story over to fanthropology later on today.

My body picked a lousy time to catch cold and have my period. I've been feeling like I'm walking on another planet all day long-- gravity must be sucking me into the center of the Earth. If that meant a free ride to Japan without worrying about molten magma, I'd be all for it, but somehow I don't think that's going to happen.

I've been so sleepy, I've actually done what I thought was unthinkable-- I not only fell asleep in mythology class (I missed the entire lecture about how Sigmund Freud connects to the Electra complex) but I went to the library afeter class and conked out on the 4th floor near my locker. It was only an hour nap, and I didn't really feel all that better afterward. But I was okay after visual communications; I went and grabbed some lunch with my requisite iced tea, and now all is well. I still feel a bit tingly and weird and out of it, but at least I'm not passing out and drooling all over my keyboard.

ATTENTION SAN FRANCISCO-ITES! Yeah, I'm talking to YOU, Stephanie, Eva, Lindsay, and everyone else whose names I can't remember or whose user SNs aren't accessible to me now! Go sign up for the schools feature here on LJ! It's so quick and easy, you just search for all the schools you've ever gone to/are attending, and it automatically sorts you by username. You can input the years you attended and all that fun stuff, and even see other LJ users associated with your schools. I've already added mine: CSUN, Lafayette (EVA!!!!!), Presidio (EVERYONE!!!) and Wash House (zOMGcleanlaundry!) so you hop to it! Besides, I wanna know who else I know here on LJ that went to any of my schools... *peers*

Also, I wanted to randomly show up in San Francisco from 10/7-10/9, since Scott's going to be there anyway for his NOVA or GEOS interview... not that he'd stay with me or even have time to spend with me, mind you, but if he's going, I could use it as an excuse to go to. I know that doesn't make sense, just trust me on this one. But of course, since it's only 2 wks. before that departure time, tickets are expensive! $214 min. on SWA, and $260 on JetBlue (which, for some stupid reason, only flies from Long Beach to Oakland, and not Burbank to Oakland, even though Oakland is its Northern California major way-station. Durrrr, DUMB!). Hm... wish I could go...

I'm having trouble finding a speech to go to for Story #2 for WRPII. The ones at CalTech already ended; besides, Pasadena's too inaccessible on the weekends. There are supposed to be some Executive Speakers coming here, but I'm not sure if they've already made their speeches in the past week (when they started) or not, and even if they didn't, would I be allowed/able to go? The speech I'm interested in going to is by CBS Studio Center president Michael Klausman, but he's speaking primarily to Cinema, Television and Arts students-- which is in my college, but it's not my department. There's also a speaker from NASA's Mars rover program this Friday at 7:30pm, but that would mean missing Anime Club and possibly my 2nd cousin Joey's (oops, call him JOE now, he is 20!) birthday party-- if he wants to have one. Grr! And the story is due Oct. 5th! What do I do?!

...Hmm, there was a thing downstairs about the opening of the Guitar Research Archives here at the Oviatt, but I don't think that's the kind of speech I'm looking for. Besides, it's rather impromptu and more about performances than information, so I think I'll pass (and spend another hour here on the comp! :P)

Someone on the eFiction board helped me look at a problem Dragonfayth was having on its new modded Authors page; I've been tinkering with some of the mods offered there, and one of the people is named 'Lazuli.' o_O No relation to OUR Laz, right, smrff!? o_O Anyway, what the new mod does (or is supposed to do) is differentiate between Authors (people who have submitted stories) and Members (people who sign up to read fics and recommend fics, not write them).

I'm sure there are all sorts of other mods that I would like to implement; as they're a lot more feasible for eFiction than InkTank, I'd like people to check out the list over at http://efiction.wallflowergirl.com/forums, under Mod Releases. There are about 3 pages of mods, 2 or so individual mods of which I've implemented already. The full release list (not sure whether this includes all mods and requests, or just completed/tested mods) is located here: http://efiction.wallflowergirl.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=875.

Go check it out, mmk?

So apparently I can only study driver's ed at school (which I like doing, because I don't have the distraction of my MP3s, fanfiction, chatting, the television, my grandparents, food, or my bed) on the WHITE GST computers here in the Collaboratory. o_O I wonder why? Anyway, I'm almost done with Lesson 3 of... er, I think it's 10 or 11. Sure, that's not a whole lot, but I think I'm learning. I've done well on all my quizzes so far, and all the interactive lessons. Still, how do I memorize this stuff? Do I take notes? Print the pages out? ;_; Eeek! There seem to be many laws regarding feet estimates: signal 100 feet before turning, never enter a bike lane more than 200 feet from the turning corner or driveway, and stop at least 15 feet in front of a railroad crossing. How do you estimate that distance, anyway?

Also, if I'm still awake and somewhat coherent tonight, I have a short list of things to do:
(1) Reformat the damn laptop... again. Maybe the clean install will work better this time with more memory?
(2) Add a scene or two to WDKY19. I wanted to end it on a somewhat happy/teasing note, as I have been alternating between zOMG cliffhangers and "aww." moments lately. But I'm also neglecting other characters and relationships in the process, along with some teasers I need to work in, so I think the addition of this one scene I've been thinking about will do the fic good. I might even get doubly inspired.

I'm hoping that if all goes well and I can make it to the CTVA Exec. Speaker, then on Friday I can go to anime club as usual and FINALLY get a DVD from Phil of Adam & Joe Go Tokyo. Various specific Google and BitTorrent searches have turned up bupkis in the way of actual episodes, so it really *is* as rare as Phil said. A right shame, but he better keep his promise this time around and get me the episodes. In the meantime, I'm downloading episodes 3-9 of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, Chibi and I are arranging an exchange of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Trick, and I need to see Last Order and probably read "The Complete Story of FFVII" or something like that on GameFAQs. Unless one of you l33t gamer guys (*stares at staplerx, zigx, psyjoe_dilandau etc. etc.*) wants to inform me... MMM?

Only 15 minutes till I have to leave for class, so I might as well update this and catch up on my reading for class. The good thing about WRPII is we don't have any pop quizzes or tests based on the reading-- whether or not you read shows in how fast you can get in-class exercises done and in the stories you turn in. So far, so good. I'm glad I made the decision to stay in Salido's class, even if the rest of my body is protesting today. Oy!

Why is it every time that I listen to the Spice Girls' "Move Over(Generation X)" I get this complete AMV in my head of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX with splice-scenes of Yu-Gi-Oh interspersed in there? I mean, I can even see certain scenes:

Hold it down, feel the noise, let 'em know it's a fight, pick it up it's alive
Juudai meeting Yuugi and receiving the Hane Kuriboh card, and hearing it "talk" to him for the first time

Next phase, next stage, next grade, next wave
From different duel phases, different duel stages, different dorms, and then the gang getting washed off their rock by a wave, as in the OP theme

Every color, every creed, teach, never preach, listen up and take heed
All the different students and the various dorms (Ra Yellow, Osiris Red, Obelisk Blue) and the teachers

Take the heat, feel the flow, 'cause you're ready to burn and we're ready to go
Juudai's Elemental Heroes-- a fire-based one, and a water-based one. If not that, then someone else's monsters of similar attributes.

You gotta know the rules if you wanna play the game, respect and dedication never riding on the fame
Oh, isn't this one obvious? Rules of Duel Monsters, the revealing of Spells and Trap cards; the use of the Duel Disks. "Respect" in the form of Duelists like Yami no Yuugi and Juudai, and "Dedication" with ones like Manjyome Thunder and Jounouchi. Fame, on the other hand, might be Kaiba. ^^;

^^;; Oooh, I should do it (and at the end, have Pharaoh the Cat paw-print the screen).

Anyway, I called Dell-- and they didn't send the CDs (of course). Turns out the technicians I spoke to aren't allowed to authorize the sending of CDs; only Spare Parts can do that, but according to the lady I spoke to, it's not covered under my warranty, which means I MIGHT have to pay for it. X_X Ugh... And I also apparently did NOT do a clean install with Microsoft, when I deleted those 3 partitions from my original Dell set-up and installed Windows XP Pro on what I thought was a completely blank hard-drive/system. So I have to call them back tomorrow between 7am and 7pm Central, talk to Spare Parts, and get my bloody CDs. -_-; I have a 90-day warranty; if this doesn't pan out by the time I get the CDs (and I will give them no more than a week to get those CDs to me) then I will return the damn laptop, demand my money back, and either buy a better one someplace else, or save the money for something smarter and wiser. I guess...

Did I mention Mom paid for my driverseddirect.com courses? I'm on Lesson 2 of 7 right now, and I can schedule the first of my two-hour behind-the-wheel driving sessions at any time, but I don't know whether I should do that AFTER I've completed all the courses, halfway through, or at certain intervals. Has anyone who's taken a Driver's Ed course with behind-the-wheel done something like this? ^^;; Any advice would be appreciated, because I'm starting to get the heebie-jeebies about this, even if I am excited and determined.

I have no homework for most of my classes; Mythology is an online assignment that I'm sort of working on now; I finished my work for Journalism; there's some simple typing up for Visual Communications; I have a bit of story-writing for Creative Writing (we're getting into drama/plays now), and a skit to make up this weekend for Japanese class on Monday. Also, I might try and finish "I'm Listening" (one of my original fiction pieces) for the Northridge Review, a CSUN literary publication. :> Can I do it before Oct. 1? I have tons of reading/writing to do already...

Speaking of writing, WDKY in particular, here are some ( interesting factoids )

Oh yeah Mamono I had some ideas for upcoming YOT icontests (aside from the ones we already talked about). Try deciphering these words to see what I mean; otherwise, IM/email me.
* Rehash
* Grimm's Brothers
* iPod
* Gobble Gobble?
*< /insert gobbledygook here >
* iconfiend100
* 7sinvirtueicons

Oh, and could you do me a HUUUUGE favor and tag your past entries with:
* Challenges (for the challenge entries)
* Voting (for the voting)
* Results (for the results, whether or not they include banners)
* Banners (for the banners, even if they're posted with the results)
* Extension (for extended challenges)
And anything else that might be applicable?

...I have the feeling I'm forgetting something, but I can't think of what now. At least I get to sleep in tomorrow before I work (for a measly 2 hours), and then, at last! The weekend! More studying to be had on the Driver's Ed front, but that's okay. :) Soon, I'll have the whole house to myself...