Kaleido’s Scope

Here in the Future, I am on Day 4 of  Year 2008. I’ve decided that I need to start narrowing down my extensive list of hobbies and things I want to do, and try dedicating my attention on polishing up my skills in certain areas. I read an article in one of my Malaysian magazine about the Art of Blogging, and it suggested concentrating on one particular thing. Once readship increaces, and one has a following, then the author should attempt branching out. I found it interesting, especially since it was a fashion magazine that touched upon the subject. American fashion magazines aren’t so accommodating (from what I remember).

A fun theme I’ve decided to start with my Japanese Blog is “The Queen of (insert topic here)”. Now, I am not a princess or queen by any means, but I figure if I am to improve my critiquing, writing, and langauge abilities, I should take an interesting approach to keep myself motivated.

Japanese Blog Queen :: Though I have a Japanese blog on my Mixi.jp account, readership and exposure is only available to those with membership. So, I decided to dust off my poor, neglected Ameba Blog, and attempt something I’ve been completely slack about: continuously blogging about my experience here in Japan. Despite having a relatively uneventful winter holiday, I had plenty of time to think about things weighing down on my mind.  

On thing that motivates me to write on Ameba is the blog ranking system. The insecure high school girl locked up deep within my heart craves to know if people are actually accessing and reading my blog, or if I am just wasting my time on it. It also triggers my competitive edge, making me want to post frequently so as to increase my popularity ranking. I know that is insanely shallow, but it’s fun (in complete honesty). Yesterday, I hit my all time general ranking high with being in the top 30% (yeah, keep in mind I was 61,680th of out of 2,136,636 people, but whatever, I’m proud of it). 

Shopping Queen :: My two recent purchases were headphones for my iPod and a wireless for TV/Video Game surround sound. The walls in my apartment are rather thin, so I worry about disturbing my neighbors when I watch movies or play games late at night. I feel like a DJ with wearing big headphones for the first time in years.

Plan B Queen :: This is where I fear people will want to beat me with a Clue-by-Four. I’ve been thinking of alternative paths in case grad school falls through, or I can’t find work after I graduate (provided I do so). With watching so much Japanese TV, I’ve noticed a very distinct pattern: plenty of Western male TV talents (variety/talk show programming, quiz programming, etc), but virtually no Western female TV talents. It’s been suggested by several friends of mine that I should consider going into Japanese show biz.

Unlike the US, where blue eyed, ligth brown haired girls-next-door is commonplace, I have potential to go far in Japan, especially since I speak Japanese (well, sort of).  Though I am not the pop idol/sexy pin up type of girl, I could do very well as a comedian/talk show panelist (provided I drop about 15-20 pounds). I know that it would be a very arduous, risky task, especially in my late 20s, but I think the dejected ex-Telecomm major within me is still itching to emerge. However, the tricky part is that in Japan, most companies (if not all of them) only admit new employees in April when the new fiscal year starts (as university/high school students graduate in March).

So what does this mean for me? Possibly a very narrow window to slip through, if I seriously want to get into the business. Also, a point of concern would be the language barrier, as I know that there will probably be things I will miss provided I don’t improve my Japanese to a native fluency. All, I know is I want to live in Japan forever, but I don’t think I could survive living in Tottori, especially if I am single. I have a greater possibility of meeting people in the larger cities, and there are larger availibility of jobs. I’ve been considering this since NOVA, one of Japan’s largest English Conversation schools, went bankrupt in October 2007, stranding hundreds of foreign teachers in Japan with no money to pay rent, let alone pay for plane tickets back to their home countries. Any available English conversation school jobs have been snapped up like sharks in freshly chummed water.

Heck, I’ve even kicked around the idea of working in a Maid Cafe, if not anything else, just to experience something different before settling into a career. I know that sounds extremely reckless of me, but curiosity is nibbling at me.

Over the weekend, I contacted the Apple Hotline Japan, and ordered myself a Mac Mini. The lovely English Language support guy was so kind to me on the telephone. It was an absolutely pleasant shopping experience.

Specifications

• 2.0 GHz SuperDrive Mac Mini
• 2 Gb RAM + 160 Gb Hard Drive
• TV Video Adapter
• Wireless JIS Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse
• 3 years of AppleCare (as something is bound to happen)

I was unsure about purchasing the Educational Release of MicroSoft Office for Mac or iWork, so I passed on it for the time being. Since many of my fellow Bactroidians are Apple users, I figured that I would place the following question on the table: which programs do you find most useful for your productivity and organizational needs?

I’ve checked out the downloads page at Apple.com and was floored by the assortment of freeware/shareware available. However, as a novice to Apple (the last time I seriously used a Mac, I was eleven years old and the screens just graduated from black and green to gray and black), I have no idea where to start. Any useful or recommended Mac user groups/online forums would also be appreciated. Hopefully, they will be gentle to me.

(PRODUCT) RED

I also decided it was high time to graduate from my G3 touch wheel 40 Gb iPod. I don’t use 4/5ths of the music that I have store on it (or my original iPod Shuffle). Though I have a very large music library, I need to start paring down, backing up and taking off music. Any suggestions on how to efficiently do it without burning a million CDs.

As much as I wanted to drop the money on the iTouch, I opted for the 8 Gb (PRODUCT) RED iPod Nano. I did this in part to my purse being heavy enough withmy wallet, mobile phone, electronic dictionary, Lumix digital camera, and Nintendo DS Lite taking up space. I swear, I carry more hardware in my purse than I do makeup.

Recently, my students finished up a lesson on World Peace, and what they can do to help change the world. Had I discovered (PRODUCT) RED sooner, I would have included it in my presentation. Naturally, U2’s Bono has a hand in this fantastic fundaraiser to help AIDs in Africa, and I really want to do my part. I really wish the closest GAP in Japan wasn’t in Kobe. I really want to get my hands on following the women’s items (all size M):

• Long sleeved INSPI(RED) T-shirt
• Short sleeved (2 WEEKS) T-shirt
• DESI(RED) Long sleeved T-shirt 
• ENAMO(RED)/ADMI(RED) & INSPI(RED)/DESI(RED) Teeny Bikini Sets

Perhaps that’s what I should ask for Christmas, gifts that keep on giving. Not that I need more clothes, but some of my t-shirts are looking a little ragged after five years (or more) or wear and tear. Perhaps, I’ll drop Santa a letter…

No Papparazzi! Tabloid Blues DeviantID

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so I am going to try and start (like I always promise I will), to do so more often. I’ve been working on some funky new art projects using PhotoShop and my digitial camera. My DeviantArt Gallery has several new entries, including two new series of media works, Japanese Schools ( 01 | 02 ) and Malaysian Memories (01 | 02).

I know that am bunch of my pals in the Swamp have been curious as to what creative endeavours I’ve been embarking upon, so I hope you all enjoy these. 

Happy Karen Day (as my beautiful sister, Susie, put it)! Up until last night, I had a certain amount of apprehension about crossing over into the late-20s age bracket. Yes, I know 27 is techincally part of that but its more of the bud than the actual blossoming of the flower, in my little bubble.

Thank for all the wonderful, happy Karen Day wishes! For all whom are Curious about Karen, I recommend the following links for some educational reading:

• Hurricane Karen: 2007 National Weather Service Hurrican Name
• Karen, Kenya: a suburb of Nairobi
• Karen People: an ethnic group in Burma and Thailand
• The Karen Languages: Languages spoken by the Karen People (not me!)
• KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network) a computer network in New Zealand
• The House of Karen: a historical feudal family of Tabaristan, Iran
• Hualien, formerly called Karen, a city in Taiwan

 Happy Birthday to me and so commences a celebration of everything KAREN!

My pal Rusty sends me a link to the new snazzy ChangeLog system, and I jump on it like a lemming going over a cliff. Rusty’s skill and techno prowess never cease to amaze me.

That being said, it’s past my bedtime, and tommow’s going to be a long day despite being Friday! More later!

Keep it real, folks!

I think I am going to cancel my formal homepage. I really don’t update it as much as I should due to using MySpace, LJ, DA & Mixi. I don’t spend much money on it per year, but I still feel like I am wasting money. I am thinking about going back to cheap and free homepage hosting (with easier file management) until I have the programming/designing aptitude to make paying for homepage service actually worth the investment. Plus, I have flikr and photobucket for my image hosting.

Should I just keep a blog and make it public, and just post the other stuff on a free homepage site?

I did it. I finally managed to FIND a Nintendo DS Lite in Tottori. Granted, it was used, but used in Japan often means "damn close to brand spanking new". I’ve named my pastel blue Japanese DS Lite "Ramune", named after the popular lemon soda drink which I tried for the first time last weekend.

I’ve been a spend thrift again, and purchased used games because like the game systems in Japan, used usually means, "perhaps it was played once or twice before the kid got bored."

Game List
1. Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: First Love (Dating Sim)
2. Correct Japanese DS ("Tadashii Nihongo DS"; Study)
3. Heisei Kyouikuinkai (TV Quiz Show spin off)
4. My Happy Manner Book (Japanese Culture)
5. "Sekai no Daredemo Asobi Taikai" (Game Tournament; Miscellaneous Gaming).

Additional Accessories
- Plastic Cartidge Storage (Clear; Holds 6 games)
- Brown Leather Casing
- Pink Styli (with pen sized casing)
- Headphones

A couple of my sixth grade girls gave me a mobile strap of Momobuta (Peach Pig), so I decided she’s going to keep Ramu-pyon company. She matches the new pink styli nicely. I need to update my Amazon.co.jp wist list with games that I want.

Any recommendations?

Still trying to get out of debt.
Still forcing myself to get on the ball and study for the GRE & JPLT.
Still trying to figure out a way to work on my homepage.
Still trying to grow a spine and tell crush how I feel.

I need to find a way to make these things actually happen. I hate seeing words like trying and forcing… because I just can’t seem to motivate myself.

;.;

My mondo 250Gb Japanese external hard drive: Compatible. My WACOM drawing tablet: Compatible. My Canon Pixas printer: Compatible. I want to make the switch…now.

The Japanese MacBooks not only have an English support center in Tokyo, but their computers come with an English keyboard option. In that same vein, the English keyboard models can also have their OS language switched to English.

I can pay by bank transfer. They deliver for free. Looks like I might need to hurry up and pay off that credit card, so I can geek out yet again. Maybe by Christmas? Who knows. I’m getting better about controlling my spending, and I am kicking my debt in the teeth now that I am removed from the city and living in a house that I don’t feel trapped in.

Ponder on this I shall.

So, I have renewed my service with Revolution Hosting. Their service is great and the guys who run it are lovely. Unlike when I hosted VuuduuGrrl.com via Yahoo! Geocities, if I ever have billing problems or programming issues, Robert and Bilal have been so wonderful about helping me. I’ve been told that even their basic hosting packages are PHP and MySQL enabled, so I can start my studying and experimenting now. Wiki is also enabled, I just have to do a little set up on my end.

I am clinging to my old netlibrary.com account for dear life. I am making myself blind reading the PHP & MySQL Bible online. I miss the tactile and non-digital quality of "reading" reading. I am hoping the steps Robert gave me plus this magnum of a book will get me on the right track, if not I’ll be begging Bilal and Rusty for their programming prowess to sort my stupid technologically inept self out.

My Wiki will suspiciously look a lot like the one on Digital Alterity because its simplicity of style and variety of content appeals to me. I’ll need a snazzy icon or something. I wonder if they can change colors with a CCS or something. That could be fun.

I shall raise myKaleido.net up from the ashes or at least bring it back from the dead.

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