LJ died today :(
Friday, October 24, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
May 14/15 Tokyo Day 1 and 2:
Click on pictures to make them bigger.
The total delay time was almost 2 hours. We were supposed to reach Tokyo by 2pm but instead got there around 3:45. We got delayed twice – once in Dallas and once in Houston – both times because of the weather. We even sat on the tarmac in Houston for almost 40 minutes, in our plane with all the other planes beside us, because the airport had to close down due to severe thunderstorms. They fed us 3 times on the way (giving us warm towels in Japanese custom to wash our hands) and the air conditioning danced between a tepid warm to chilling cold. By the time we finally landed at Narita airport one day had gone by and we were all pooped.
Narita Airport's Mascot
Japanese ATM Machine
SIDENOTE: Something strange (or maybe not?) that I noticed about the flight was the immense amount of babies on board – and the equally immense amount of U.S. military newbies flying to their first training base. There was a boy from Minnesota who sat a few rows down from me absorbing pointers from the vet across the aisle from him. (I say boy because 1. He couldn’t have been older than 20 and 2. He sounded as naïve and innocent as the real babies giggling a few rows down). After we got off the plane he hopped around taking pictures for him family back home… and as we waited for our luggage many other fresh-faced boys stood, disheveled and alone, watching the families pass by.
SIDENOTE 2: On the bus ride to the hotel we got to experience the transition from countryside to urban cityscape. The view from the window went from rice fields (many) to a strange city of concrete – apartment buildings with clothes drying off balconies, cartoon icons and Toyota billboards, bays and waterways spotted by river taxis, multilingual signs (in Japanese and Romanjii – English to us) and the huge mass of not-so-tall tightly knit buildings that resemble an older but cleaner Manhattan. We passed the Tokyo tower (looking like a mini red version of the Eiffel), the Tokyo Disney and many other unique familiar buildings I should know but don’t. The bus announcer kindly reminded us that talking on cell phones in passenger vehicles is considered rude in Japan and the silence would have been awesome medication for how overwhelmed I was feeling if it were not for the loud Greek two seats back arguing on his phone the whole way. Combine that with how tired I was and you get the sorry excuse as to why I took no pictures.
The hotel we’re staying at first (we’re staying at 2 throughout the trip) is the ANA Intercontinental. Most of you will recognize it as part of the chain of hotels that span across the globe. Meriel is an “Ambassador’s Club” member so she got a few gifts when she checked in. The concierge lady felt bad for me so she slipped me a gift too… a pink embroidered handkerchief. Here’s some pics:
We had to save ourselves from jetlag so we walked around until 8pm. Again: everything here is clean and short. No asian-people-are-short pun intended. The people are immaculate in their dress and etiquette, bowing subtlety and speaking softly. The district we’re in must be a business one… everyone is in suits and skirts and nobody is around after 9.
Interncontinental's 'Hood
We stopped at the 7 Eleven to get snacks.
Back at the hotel I tried out the kimonos provided for sleeping and *ssshhhh* the bidet.
May 16 Tokyo Day 3:
Breakfast! No jet lag, so we got up at 8 and went to the buffet downstairs.
I got some sort of muffin, hashbrowns, sweet potato fries and broccoli, finishing it off with some fruit (look Mommy – lychee!).
Some ladies in the lobby were wearing kimonos so I practiced my inner paparazzi and snuck a photo.
Hotel Lobby
We bought our Pasmo Cards (3,000 yen = $30’s worth of subway/bus/train tavel) and took our first subway ride to the Asakusa District.
PASMO!
Tokyo Subway
Asakusa Subway Station
Old Man at Subway Exit
It’s the more traditional, “old Tokyo”-type part of the city. Apparently it’s also a tourist spot for the Japanese… there were throngs of elder Tokyoites and school children crowding the streets.
We went to the Senso-ji Temple (Buddhist) and picked out fortunes and watched the people pray.
Temple Street Entrance
The way fortunes work is you "donate" 100 Yen ($1) and shake a container full of fortune sticks. You pick the first stick that comes out and find the drawer that has the corresponding label. Open the drawer and *poof* a fortune is waiting for you. Mine was No.99 "The Best Fortune".
When you're done with the fortune you tie it on a string. I have no idea why. We watched a trash man come and take all the fortunes away later on.
People smelling incense.
Not sure what this one was... you take the ladle and fill it with water from the dragon's mouth. Then you gargle it and spit it out on the floor.
Inside the temple.
The view from inside.
We also walked along the side streets and happened upon a blessing or ceremony of some sort (I think it was a dojo blessing the students – could be totally wrong here).
Then we tried out some fast food sushi, or “Conveyor Belt Sushi.”
The restaurant puts menu items in colored plates on a conveyor belt and you take what you want – you pay according to the color or your plate and how many plates are in front of you. Very good.
Then we took the subway to Akihabara Electric Town… a part of Tokyo that features streets upon streets of discount electronic stories and anime and manga shops.
That’s about it for today. It’s 4:23am here (2:21pm in Dallas) and I should get to sleep. I took a nap when we got home but we’re waking up early tomorrow so it wouldn’t be smart to stay up too late. Night!
P.S. Here's the first batch of vending machines for Urban. A soup machine and a dinner machine.
The total delay time was almost 2 hours. We were supposed to reach Tokyo by 2pm but instead got there around 3:45. We got delayed twice – once in Dallas and once in Houston – both times because of the weather. We even sat on the tarmac in Houston for almost 40 minutes, in our plane with all the other planes beside us, because the airport had to close down due to severe thunderstorms. They fed us 3 times on the way (giving us warm towels in Japanese custom to wash our hands) and the air conditioning danced between a tepid warm to chilling cold. By the time we finally landed at Narita airport one day had gone by and we were all pooped.
Narita Airport's Mascot
Japanese ATM Machine
SIDENOTE: Something strange (or maybe not?) that I noticed about the flight was the immense amount of babies on board – and the equally immense amount of U.S. military newbies flying to their first training base. There was a boy from Minnesota who sat a few rows down from me absorbing pointers from the vet across the aisle from him. (I say boy because 1. He couldn’t have been older than 20 and 2. He sounded as naïve and innocent as the real babies giggling a few rows down). After we got off the plane he hopped around taking pictures for him family back home… and as we waited for our luggage many other fresh-faced boys stood, disheveled and alone, watching the families pass by.
SIDENOTE 2: On the bus ride to the hotel we got to experience the transition from countryside to urban cityscape. The view from the window went from rice fields (many) to a strange city of concrete – apartment buildings with clothes drying off balconies, cartoon icons and Toyota billboards, bays and waterways spotted by river taxis, multilingual signs (in Japanese and Romanjii – English to us) and the huge mass of not-so-tall tightly knit buildings that resemble an older but cleaner Manhattan. We passed the Tokyo tower (looking like a mini red version of the Eiffel), the Tokyo Disney and many other unique familiar buildings I should know but don’t. The bus announcer kindly reminded us that talking on cell phones in passenger vehicles is considered rude in Japan and the silence would have been awesome medication for how overwhelmed I was feeling if it were not for the loud Greek two seats back arguing on his phone the whole way. Combine that with how tired I was and you get the sorry excuse as to why I took no pictures.
The hotel we’re staying at first (we’re staying at 2 throughout the trip) is the ANA Intercontinental. Most of you will recognize it as part of the chain of hotels that span across the globe. Meriel is an “Ambassador’s Club” member so she got a few gifts when she checked in. The concierge lady felt bad for me so she slipped me a gift too… a pink embroidered handkerchief. Here’s some pics:
We had to save ourselves from jetlag so we walked around until 8pm. Again: everything here is clean and short. No asian-people-are-short pun intended. The people are immaculate in their dress and etiquette, bowing subtlety and speaking softly. The district we’re in must be a business one… everyone is in suits and skirts and nobody is around after 9.
Interncontinental's 'Hood
We stopped at the 7 Eleven to get snacks.
Back at the hotel I tried out the kimonos provided for sleeping and *ssshhhh* the bidet.
May 16 Tokyo Day 3:
Breakfast! No jet lag, so we got up at 8 and went to the buffet downstairs.
I got some sort of muffin, hashbrowns, sweet potato fries and broccoli, finishing it off with some fruit (look Mommy – lychee!).
Some ladies in the lobby were wearing kimonos so I practiced my inner paparazzi and snuck a photo.
Hotel LobbyWe bought our Pasmo Cards (3,000 yen = $30’s worth of subway/bus/train tavel) and took our first subway ride to the Asakusa District.
PASMO!
Tokyo Subway
Asakusa Subway Station
Old Man at Subway ExitIt’s the more traditional, “old Tokyo”-type part of the city. Apparently it’s also a tourist spot for the Japanese… there were throngs of elder Tokyoites and school children crowding the streets.
We went to the Senso-ji Temple (Buddhist) and picked out fortunes and watched the people pray.
Temple Street Entrance
The way fortunes work is you "donate" 100 Yen ($1) and shake a container full of fortune sticks. You pick the first stick that comes out and find the drawer that has the corresponding label. Open the drawer and *poof* a fortune is waiting for you. Mine was No.99 "The Best Fortune".
When you're done with the fortune you tie it on a string. I have no idea why. We watched a trash man come and take all the fortunes away later on.
People smelling incense.
Not sure what this one was... you take the ladle and fill it with water from the dragon's mouth. Then you gargle it and spit it out on the floor.
Inside the temple.
The view from inside.
We also walked along the side streets and happened upon a blessing or ceremony of some sort (I think it was a dojo blessing the students – could be totally wrong here).
Then we tried out some fast food sushi, or “Conveyor Belt Sushi.”
The restaurant puts menu items in colored plates on a conveyor belt and you take what you want – you pay according to the color or your plate and how many plates are in front of you. Very good.Then we took the subway to Akihabara Electric Town… a part of Tokyo that features streets upon streets of discount electronic stories and anime and manga shops.
That’s about it for today. It’s 4:23am here (2:21pm in Dallas) and I should get to sleep. I took a nap when we got home but we’re waking up early tomorrow so it wouldn’t be smart to stay up too late. Night!
P.S. Here's the first batch of vending machines for Urban. A soup machine and a dinner machine.
Monday, April 28, 2008
So, I'm going to Tokyo...
for 10 days next month with Jared and his mom. And all I'd like to say is
LIFE IS GOOD!
P.S. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo of cherry blossoms behind my right ear because 1. life is good and 2. life is short. Kind of a "remember to appreciate things" tattoo. I swear if I see a cherry blossom in bloom during our trip the tattoo is the first thing I'm buying when I get home. :)
P.P.S. Justin is using this as an opportunity to complain. Seeing as I spend nights at work and work on weekends, I think this trip is ok. It just might be stemming from his fear of living without someone to hold his hand(organization-wise).
P.P.S.S. First Miami then Japan then the Mediterranean Cruise next year? Jared's Mom is a travel-thoner! AND I LOVE IT! I can't wait until I start to make enough to bring them and my parents to cool, exotic places.
XOXOXOXO First senior pics photoshoot job last weekend. Pics turned out awesome and Joseph was very pleased. Next is a just-married couple and some soon-to-be-married friends. Considering I don't even have my business card yet, word is getting around pretty good no? And thanks to Jared for helping me buy the new lens (Nikkor 18-135mm). AWESOME!
XOXOXOXO #2 Congrats to Daddy for the on-going work. He's working overtime, with no end in sight.
Again... Life is good :)
LIFE IS GOOD!
P.S. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo of cherry blossoms behind my right ear because 1. life is good and 2. life is short. Kind of a "remember to appreciate things" tattoo. I swear if I see a cherry blossom in bloom during our trip the tattoo is the first thing I'm buying when I get home. :)
P.P.S. Justin is using this as an opportunity to complain. Seeing as I spend nights at work and work on weekends, I think this trip is ok. It just might be stemming from his fear of living without someone to hold his hand(organization-wise).
P.P.S.S. First Miami then Japan then the Mediterranean Cruise next year? Jared's Mom is a travel-thoner! AND I LOVE IT! I can't wait until I start to make enough to bring them and my parents to cool, exotic places.
XOXOXOXO First senior pics photoshoot job last weekend. Pics turned out awesome and Joseph was very pleased. Next is a just-married couple and some soon-to-be-married friends. Considering I don't even have my business card yet, word is getting around pretty good no? And thanks to Jared for helping me buy the new lens (Nikkor 18-135mm). AWESOME!
XOXOXOXO #2 Congrats to Daddy for the on-going work. He's working overtime, with no end in sight.
Again... Life is good :)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Crunch Time
Ahhh Blogging. I can't seem to quit you. Believe me, I've tried. You see how I go for days, weeks - sometimes years - without talking to you? No avail! Somehow you always seem to reel me back in.
Especially during insomnia time.
Especially during crunch time.
It's crunch time for the documentary. We have until the end of April to produce some kind of rough cut to buyers so that the film can be in theaters nationwide by summer this year. "Yay!" when you think about it, "Boo!" when you actually have to do it. 200+ hours of still unedited footage and no script needs to be bogged down to a feasible hour and 1/2 of movie magic. And we already have 1 hour edited to liking which does not include the 200+ hours of other footage.
Also, Robert (executive producer) is telling me and Justin that, since we'll be part of the marketing/publicity push, we need to start drilling ourselves through fake interviews and preparing for the media rush we are about to endure. Can you imagine?! Media rush! OMG THAT'S SCARY!
I can't even remember two syllable words while writing quietly in the night... how could I put together a sentence in front of multiple camera crew?! And I'll have to shut down my blog! And my myspace!
Oh well. Let's HOPE it gets to that point. It won't be a bad problem to have in this world if the only thing you can complain about is the media not leaving you alone. That would mean you were doing pretty ok. :)
So... since I'm not just Producer now, I'm also Post Supervisor, my list of "Things to Do" has grown exponentially:
Things to Do:
Log last Interviews (Me, Jessica, sometimes Nikki)
Research & Development for facts (Leslie, Ale - soon, sometimes Me)
Make sure Translation/Captioning done by next week (Ale, Sergio, Norm)
Cut footage (Sergio, Norm)
Get stock footage + organize licensing (Me, Robert)
EDIT THE FILM (Justin, Lior, Nikki)
Sell Film, Publicity, Marketing, Distribution (Robert & His Team)
and... wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy at the bottom
Register Car
Get new Driver's License
Go to Doctor
Go to Dentist
Start Own Business
Get Business Cards
Make Website
Fix credit
*sigh*
It's kind of weird loving my work. Days will go by where I'll come into work in the morning and suddenly it's 10pm and I still haven't had lunch, but I don't feel tired and I'm happy. A few weeks ago Justin set it up so the studio is half photo studio with the guitar/drums/piano in the corner and half industry-standard movie theater. Now on breaks or at night we sit and watch films and during the day he edits on the big screen. Kinda cool. Robert and Andrew held the first big "Executive Screening" in there of some of our edits for the investors and they loved everything they saw. Andrew cooked Mediterranean that night... again, awesome.
(Did I mention Andrew learned how to cook from an Indian Chef? And that he also does most of his food vegan-style? Hells yeah! And Robert is the best ever because even though he's our boss he barely tells us what to do - he just lets us learn for ourselves and steps in when he sees we need a little guidance. I know that's helped Justin a lot.)
Don't get me wrong... crunch time is not all fun and games. I mean... look at the insomnia and the To Do and the fact that I work long hours (worked all Easter weekend - but really that was mostly for making up the days I had to get my tooth pulled). And crunch time itself is hardly ever fun while it's happening.
But you know - I still go home happy. Cool.
Random:
-YAY Auntie Luz & Uncle Fin!! It was awesome having them here. Pics will be up as soon as I have time (they got to participate in Wii night and I bet Angel & Bim would love to see that).
-It's been years since I've seen Uncle Fin.
-Haha Angel locking her purse out of the house.
-Congrats Cammie on Baptism!
-This Saturday is Keianna's first volleyball game of the season, a must see.
-Countdown to Mediterranean Cruise starts today because tickets were purchased today! Yay! By this time next year I'll be packing for 11 days in Rome/Italy/Turkey/Greece/Rome!!! Yay Meriel!
Especially during insomnia time.
Especially during crunch time.
It's crunch time for the documentary. We have until the end of April to produce some kind of rough cut to buyers so that the film can be in theaters nationwide by summer this year. "Yay!" when you think about it, "Boo!" when you actually have to do it. 200+ hours of still unedited footage and no script needs to be bogged down to a feasible hour and 1/2 of movie magic. And we already have 1 hour edited to liking which does not include the 200+ hours of other footage.
Also, Robert (executive producer) is telling me and Justin that, since we'll be part of the marketing/publicity push, we need to start drilling ourselves through fake interviews and preparing for the media rush we are about to endure. Can you imagine?! Media rush! OMG THAT'S SCARY!
I can't even remember two syllable words while writing quietly in the night... how could I put together a sentence in front of multiple camera crew?! And I'll have to shut down my blog! And my myspace!
Oh well. Let's HOPE it gets to that point. It won't be a bad problem to have in this world if the only thing you can complain about is the media not leaving you alone. That would mean you were doing pretty ok. :)
So... since I'm not just Producer now, I'm also Post Supervisor, my list of "Things to Do" has grown exponentially:
Things to Do:
Log last Interviews (Me, Jessica, sometimes Nikki)
Research & Development for facts (Leslie, Ale - soon, sometimes Me)
Make sure Translation/Captioning done by next week (Ale, Sergio, Norm)
Cut footage (Sergio, Norm)
Get stock footage + organize licensing (Me, Robert)
EDIT THE FILM (Justin, Lior, Nikki)
Sell Film, Publicity, Marketing, Distribution (Robert & His Team)
and... wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy at the bottom
Register Car
Get new Driver's License
Go to Doctor
Go to Dentist
Start Own Business
Get Business Cards
Make Website
Fix credit
*sigh*
It's kind of weird loving my work. Days will go by where I'll come into work in the morning and suddenly it's 10pm and I still haven't had lunch, but I don't feel tired and I'm happy. A few weeks ago Justin set it up so the studio is half photo studio with the guitar/drums/piano in the corner and half industry-standard movie theater. Now on breaks or at night we sit and watch films and during the day he edits on the big screen. Kinda cool. Robert and Andrew held the first big "Executive Screening" in there of some of our edits for the investors and they loved everything they saw. Andrew cooked Mediterranean that night... again, awesome.
(Did I mention Andrew learned how to cook from an Indian Chef? And that he also does most of his food vegan-style? Hells yeah! And Robert is the best ever because even though he's our boss he barely tells us what to do - he just lets us learn for ourselves and steps in when he sees we need a little guidance. I know that's helped Justin a lot.)
Don't get me wrong... crunch time is not all fun and games. I mean... look at the insomnia and the To Do and the fact that I work long hours (worked all Easter weekend - but really that was mostly for making up the days I had to get my tooth pulled). And crunch time itself is hardly ever fun while it's happening.
But you know - I still go home happy. Cool.
Random:
-YAY Auntie Luz & Uncle Fin!! It was awesome having them here. Pics will be up as soon as I have time (they got to participate in Wii night and I bet Angel & Bim would love to see that).
-It's been years since I've seen Uncle Fin.
-Haha Angel locking her purse out of the house.
-Congrats Cammie on Baptism!
-This Saturday is Keianna's first volleyball game of the season, a must see.
-Countdown to Mediterranean Cruise starts today because tickets were purchased today! Yay! By this time next year I'll be packing for 11 days in Rome/Italy/Turkey/Greece/Rome!!! Yay Meriel!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's raining EVERYTHING
What is it with fate?! For one week I finally set myself a goal to work towards (business cards, website, copyrights & name) and somehow EVERYTHING ELSE suddenly needs to be done RIGHT NOW.
Texas has always been amazingly boring so when stuff suddenly starts to pop up in one week one tends to become suspicious.
A good thing that happened while I was not reaching my goal was that I finally sat down and figured out my credit. Angels sing. And the results are
*Drumroll Please*
My credit sucks.
I won't go into details but I will say this: that's ok. I had a feeling it would suck and sitting down and confirming that accomplished 2 things:
1. Now I know how much it sucks and
2. I can take that knowledge and start working towards fixing it.
And although this was a slightly overwhelming fork in the road at first, now that it's had time to settle in it's not such a bad thing. It's about time I figure out how to manage my own finances and, if anything, it gives me even more of a reason why I need to start my own business.
Yay taking responsibility!
Note: Another encouraging "start own business" thing is Ale (from work) got a Christmas gift of a one-day "professional" photo shoot. It cost $300 for 5 hours, 3 different "costumes" that she had to bring herself, and the photographer did her makeup and hair. The pics came out really pretty. I asked her what equipment the photographer had and she said none! They shot during the day, mostly in the sunlight, and the "studio" was the lady's garage. She had a lot of bounce boards (reflectors that pick up the sun) instead of lights, and she even used a hairdryer as a windmaker!
I can do that!
Random:
- I told Jared the other day a big secret: I have a HUGE TV crush. I think I'm falling in love with Geof Manthorne from Ace of Cakes. He's scruffy and quiet and works wonders with his hands- such a cutie! I think it might also be because he slightly resembles Jared, but I'm not sure. Jared didn't seem fazed... maybe he doesn't think my TV crush is serious?
- I miss LA. DESPERATELY. It's become a conflict with me, because I love being close to my family and Jared, but I can't stand being in Dallas. What to do?
- Fae (the new kitty) just took a dump. A HARDCORE one. And even though her litter box is far away in a different room, I can smell it so fresh it's almost like she dumped on my arm. G a w d .
Below: 3 Sets of Pics: from the Berdin family annual bi-monthly Wii tournament, Cleo and Fae trying to like each other and the flowers Jared got me for Valentine's Day (with a glimpse of my new apartment in the back). Click on each to make them bigger. :)
Texas has always been amazingly boring so when stuff suddenly starts to pop up in one week one tends to become suspicious.
A good thing that happened while I was not reaching my goal was that I finally sat down and figured out my credit. Angels sing. And the results are
*Drumroll Please*
My credit sucks.
I won't go into details but I will say this: that's ok. I had a feeling it would suck and sitting down and confirming that accomplished 2 things:
1. Now I know how much it sucks and
2. I can take that knowledge and start working towards fixing it.
And although this was a slightly overwhelming fork in the road at first, now that it's had time to settle in it's not such a bad thing. It's about time I figure out how to manage my own finances and, if anything, it gives me even more of a reason why I need to start my own business.
Yay taking responsibility!
Note: Another encouraging "start own business" thing is Ale (from work) got a Christmas gift of a one-day "professional" photo shoot. It cost $300 for 5 hours, 3 different "costumes" that she had to bring herself, and the photographer did her makeup and hair. The pics came out really pretty. I asked her what equipment the photographer had and she said none! They shot during the day, mostly in the sunlight, and the "studio" was the lady's garage. She had a lot of bounce boards (reflectors that pick up the sun) instead of lights, and she even used a hairdryer as a windmaker!
I can do that!
Random:
- I told Jared the other day a big secret: I have a HUGE TV crush. I think I'm falling in love with Geof Manthorne from Ace of Cakes. He's scruffy and quiet and works wonders with his hands- such a cutie! I think it might also be because he slightly resembles Jared, but I'm not sure. Jared didn't seem fazed... maybe he doesn't think my TV crush is serious?
- I miss LA. DESPERATELY. It's become a conflict with me, because I love being close to my family and Jared, but I can't stand being in Dallas. What to do?
- Fae (the new kitty) just took a dump. A HARDCORE one. And even though her litter box is far away in a different room, I can smell it so fresh it's almost like she dumped on my arm. G a w d .
Below: 3 Sets of Pics: from the Berdin family annual bi-monthly Wii tournament, Cleo and Fae trying to like each other and the flowers Jared got me for Valentine's Day (with a glimpse of my new apartment in the back). Click on each to make them bigger. :)
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