Protocol Snow

As you probably noticed, I’m trying out a different WordPress theme. The switch was precipitated by my desire to post images larger than 400 pixels wide, which was possible with the old theme but looked awkward because the image would spill over the sides of the allocated column width. If I wanted to widen that layout, I needed to pay for an upgrade so I’m switching to an entirely new theme. The downside is that color is virtually non-existent, which I’ll have to disguise by posting more pictures!

For prosperity’s sake, here’s my former header image:

If you were ever curious about the meaning of “Protocol Snow”, I briefly discussed its origin before. The header image itself was inspired both by that name and by my fondness for bicycling in the snow/ice, which I still maintain is a lot easier than slipping all over the place on foot. I snapped the photo outside my university’s main library with my bike covered in snow.

My connecting flight to Los Angeles has been delayed an hour and a half so I’m stuck here in Phoenix, kicking back after probably the scariest flight I’ve ever been on. I don’t have an accurate measuring stick, but there was a 5 minute stretch of turbulence where I experienced estimated G forces of 2 G’s and plenty of negatives. If it had continued for long enough, I’m certain I would have sunken eyes by now.

Anyway, hooray for free wireless internet so I have something to keep my mind off the delay. I just overheard a conversation by a couple of guys and a woman who had gotten off a flight. They apparently had met for the first time on the flight and I’m guessing they sat in the same row. The woman’s connecting flight is delayed until tomorrow, so the guys, who claim to live 10 minutes from the airport, are offering to let her stay overnight.

She thanked them for the offer, but declined. The guy then offered again, reiterating that it would be only a 10 minute trip away. She declined again. In total, it took three denials before the guys finally got the hint and left. “I gave you my number so give me a call if you need anything. 10 minutes!” he called as he left. The woman had already turned away.

As school starts to get more intense and with the ultimate exam (USMLE Step 1) waiting in June, free time is hard to come by.

Oh who am I kidding, I still manage to keep up with my favorite TV shows (Top Gear, Top Chef, 30 Rock, and The Office) and do plenty of Internet browsing. But updating this blog has become secondary, as evident from the progressively lengthening time between posts. I have a few drafts that I’ll post this Christmas break, but I’m considering taking a blogging break for the first half of 2009, when I really have to get serious about studying for that test. I feel it’s a courtesy to announce a blogging break because otherwise readers might think the blog is dead if there hasn’t been any updates for a couple months. Nothing definitive for now, but I’ll see after the New Year and will make a separate post in the future about that.

Anyway, I was taking a break from studying for my Friday test (last one in 2008!) and came across a few links:

Iron Chef: Battle Souplantation
Maybe it’s because I’ve been studying too much, but I thought this idea was hilarious. Souplantation is a hearty buffet restaurant that specializes in salads and soups and is one of my favorite comfort restaurants. The food blogger who wrote this dined there with a friend and challenged her to make custom dishes with the available food.

I eat at Souplantation pretty much every time I go back home because it’s cheap and pretty tasty. This challenge brought back memories of a past Souplantation experience after my brother had his jaw surgery. When you eat at Souplantation, you start at the beginning of a long and winding food bar and make your way to the end where the cash registers are. My brother wasn’t able to chew anything, but he came with us to eat anyway to drink soup.

Of course, since he couldn’t eat anything, he was pushing an empty plate along the food bar, which I found very amusing. While getting bored waiting in line, I started taking vegetables and making a smiley face on his empty plate with the ingredients, the face getting more complex as we proceeded along the bar. I don’t remember if my brother was annoyed or not since he couldn’t eat, but the people waiting behind us were giggling.

Jessica Michibata’s photobook!

My favorite model, Jessica Michibata, has recently published her first photobook. She updated her blog today with photos of a meet-and-greet session in Shinjuku with autographed copies of the book. I’m thinking about picking up a copy, though no U.S. retailer is carrying it last I checked. With the yen so strong these days, it’ll be pretty costly if I have to import it. Autographed copies have already appeared on Yahoo Japan Auctions though. Hrm…

Encore opening coverage
The opening of a new casino in Las Vegas is always exciting, though in this case Encore is just an expansion of Wynn Las Vegas. Still, I’m keeping an eye on this site, which will bring coverage from a couple of Vegas veterans as opening night approaches in two weeks. Since I’m a Los Angeles native, Las Vegas has always been a quick and easy vacation destination, a mere three hour drive away. I probably won’t be going to Vegas this Christmas, but late 2009 is definitely a possibility. Several new properties are scheduled to open by then for me to check out.

Alright, back to studying. After my test on Friday, I’m going home!

UPDATE: I can’t express enough how much I love Top Gear. If you haven’t seen it before, today’s episode is a good place to start because it has it all: super fast cars, entertaining and informative segments, laughs aplenty and gorgeous cinematography. Then go back and check previous episodes because they’re all good. This episode particularly sparkles.

I saw Quantum of Solace Friday morning at 11 A.M. Much to my surprise, in a theater auditorium seating about 600 people, only 25 or so people showed up for the matinee screening. I was thinking at the time that the negative critic reviews might have hurt the turnout, but preliminary numbers point to a very large opening weekend gross. Regardless, I was delighted that nobody showed up to my screening because in general I hate theater crowds, plus I was late leaving my house and was expecting the theater to be jammed full when I got there.

Spoilers follow

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My order of melody.’s final album (a “Best Of” collection) came the other day, along with a nice poster. I went to Target to look for a cheap frame and was dismayed to see that none of the frames fit the poster exactly. Then I realized that I could flip the paper insert around and use it as a white background. I think it looks great!

I also got a couple Bathing Ape items from Yahoo Japan Auctions: the black Aoyama city camo shark hoody and a red BAPE letters crewneck. In general, I’m not really into clothing or fashion, but for some reason I’m a big Bape fan and keep up with the latest releases.

What I like most about the brand is its exclusiveness and the flashy designs, as well as the spectacular store designs by Wonderwall. So far I’ve been to the Taipei, Hong Kong, Harajuku, and Aoyama stores. I intended on visiting the newly opened Shibuya store this past summer, but I arrived 5 minutes after they closed for the night and didn’t get a chance to return the following days. Truthfully, Bape didn’t have any new releases at the time that I wanted, but visiting the stores is an experience in itself.

I also now have a near complete collection of catalogs/magazines. I’m just missing the first 2 issues.

First Leah Dizon abruptly announced her pregnancy and marriage, taking an extended break from the music industry (I’m thinking she won’t be returning). Then melody. suddenly retired from music to pursue a career as a fashion designer.

I’m not too upset about Leah Dizon. Her first couple singles were genuinely and surprisingly good, but I wasn’t into everything after that, including her two albums. Over the course of her career, her singing ability actually deteriorated, leading to cringe-inducing live performances where she looked flustered and sounded completely off-key. This break would be great for her to refocus and improve her Japanese, but the way her career was spiraling downward, I doubt she’ll have a successful return (if she returns at all) after having her baby.

melody.’s retirement, however, I’m quite sad about. I love her pop songs and her soft, cute voice (my former GameDaily buddy Eugene Huang likes to say that she sounds like a SoCal sorority girl). She just came out with a “Best Of” album a week ago and quit her hosting duties at a Japanese music TV show, so I suppose we all should have seen her retirement coming. I first heard of melody. early in her career with “Miss You”, her m-flo collaboration that is still one of my favorite songs. It’s been great following her career over the years and seeing her fanbase grow. When I went to Japan last year, I was delighted to see publicity for her latest album plastered everywhere in Shibuya. She even had commercials playing on the giant Q-Front video screen! I’m going to miss seeing her.

Every time I visit Asia, I search to see if there’s any performances I want to attend. My trips have never coincided with anything I find interesting, which I always find to be a major bummer. I’m not making a trip overseas anytime soon, but I just found out about this upcoming party that has a stellar line-up:

Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso)
Taku Takahashi (m-flo)
Tomoyuki Tanaka (Fantastic Plastic Machine)
Genki Rockets (featured in Lumines II)
Jessica Michibata (Japanese model)
DJ Yummy (I’ve never heard her work, but I’ve seen her in commercials and she looks cute)

I would be interested to see any one of these people individually, but all of them at the same place on the same night?!? Unfortunately I can’t go, but this will be one rocking party. 10/24/08 at the Ageha club in Tokyo, if you’re in the area. More info and a promotional video for the event.

Jessica Michibata is gorgeous and seems to be everywhere on Japanese billboards. She also made a cameo in the latest Teriyaki Boyz single “Zock On!” where she looked amazing. I have a link to her blog in my “hot links” blogroll.