Star Trek and the 47 Conspiracy

A little bit of Star Trek trivia which has been in existence for quite some time now, but I've come to know about only recently.

Apparently, the number 47 has been very ubiquitious in almost all Star Trek episodes. For the more attentive viewers (which unfortunately does not include me hehehe), the number 47 can be heard inserted in various, random dialogues in the series, and even in the Star Trek movies. This "47 Conspiracy" was eventually discovered (by I don't know who exactly) and was imitated in other shows and movies of the sci-fi genre.

Joe Menosky, writer and co-producer of the Star Trek series sequels, is credited for having started this unusual and quirky 47-tradition.

Follow the links below to read more on the Star Trek "47 Conspiracy." And get a bit more on the history on why it all began.

http://www.audiograffiti.com.au/47/
http://www.pomona.edu/Pomoniana/startrek.shtml

Big Presentation Done.. Whee!

So it's done and over with. Finally! I'm free of stressing out about my presentation regarding the work that we've done for my project.

Two late nights in a row doing simulations (That I couldn't run properly). And worrying and worrying and fretting and fretting that I'll make a complete fool of myself. And now it's all done.. Happeeee!!

The whole discussion went okay I guess. It wasn't as great as I wanted it to be, and I guess it couldn't be even called great. But it was okay. It was passable. And I don't think my KP and managers will be banning me from presiding over other similar discussions in the future.

I think I babbled and mumbled too much in some place though. Lol! I was bored with my own presentation. Bad sign I know. But I realized I was too pooped to be too peppy. I couldn't keep up the energy level for very long. Note to self: When going to preside over important discussions and meetings, get a good night's sleep the day before! I realize now it really helps, and it's not just something people say.

I got the feeling nobody was listening to me at several points of the discussion, but yeah, I guess I need to work on that. It was an exhilirating experience to play a key role in meetings like that, but I wish I could have made more solid and thoughtful contributions to the group.

Oh well, it's over and I didn't make any big, embarrassing blunder (only small, inconsequential ones lol!), so yeah, I can live with myself =)

Dammit! Stick to your schedule!

I was supposed to be asleep by 1am last night. Definitely I intended to. My eyes were already positively forcing themselves shut. But nooo... I just HAD to check a few more sites, oh.. and just one more... oh! and yeah! THAT site too.. and that one and this one! And then I just HAD to remember that I'd been planning to check out Veronica Mars for quite some time now, so to youtube i went. And I found it. And so yeah, I told myself, "Just one episode...". And then it became two. And then I blinked. And it was 3am.

Pffft! Okay time to sleep. But I just knew. I just KNEW all my plans for Sunday were already ruined. Haaayy. Why can't I ever learn to keep my sleeping schedules? I can't will myself to sleep when I know it's already time to sleep. And I can't will myself to wake up when I want to wake up. And it's absolutely ruining any effort I make to organize my task and to-do lists.

So as I expected, I woke up at 11:30am today. Thus goes my plan to do a whole-day catching-up-with-my-report-slash-presentation-preparation session in the office. I was only able to clock in a measly 4 hours of overtime, because I also had to buy a wedding gift for a friend in between.

Argh! I need to discipline myself! This is not good. NOT good at all ~_~

Memoirs of a Geisha

I did NOT like this movie. And to think I waited so long to watch it, wanting to finish reading the novel first before viewing the movie.

What should I expect really? The novel itself wasn't that spectacular. Yes it was interesting. But it was more because of the cultural references to the geisha and their way of life, and to how the people in the Japan of old lived. I liked imagining the geisha putting on their complicated makeup, how they had to sleep with their necks supported so that their hair wouldn't touch the floor and get ruined (boy, their hair must really stink), how they had to wear their elaborate and beautiful kimonos, with the long trailing obi signifying a geisha's status as a young maiko... I liked reading about stuff like that.

But as for the story of the novel itself, I guess it couldn't be called original and thought-provoking. So really, I shouldn't have expected to get a wonderful experience from watching the movie.

But definitely, better acting would have made the movie much, much better. Okay maybe they were having trouble pronouncing all those complicated English dialogues. But still, they should have worked more on giving more feeling to their performances. I swear, after the scenes showing the artistry and traditions of geisha were over, I got so bored with the movie I couldn't wait for it to end. Even the final scene between Sayuri and the Chairman came off flat and ineffective. Ho-hum!

Hay.. I'm so disappointed. I love Zhang Ziyi pa naman.

Zoom, zoom, focus, focus...

Why do I often seem to have this hazy stump stuck in there somewhere in my brain? Makes it hard to focus and do any hard-core brain processing functions. Sometimes coffee works to make it go away. Sometimes it makes it worse. Sometimes I try tea (like I'm doing now). And again, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

My latest technique is to shake my head like a dog shaking off water from fur hahaha! And I think throwing in some jumping jacks for good measure would help too. The logic of this being that whatever it is up there, it just might get dislodged and move where it can't bother me... or better yet, it just might escape into the atmosphere completely. Hahaha! Seriously, though, this is not something I'm exactly willing to do in public places. You can just imagine the looks I'd get lol!

So maybe you could spare some tips on how to focus during mental function blocks? I could use some better ideas than what I have right now.

Wrong Bus

So I'm the stupid one. There IS a Yamashita-Kouen station. It's just that I took the wrong bus hahahah. I should've taken Bus no. 26 or the Akai Kutsu bus.

Well, lessons learnt right? Lol!

To Yamashita-Kouen Eki...

Went on an accidental joy ride today. Hahaha! Hopped on Bus no. 11 at Sakuragicho, with the intention of getting off at Yamashita-Kouen eki... if there was such a thing. I learned today.. no such station. Ended up riding all the way to the end of the bus line -- Hodogaya station! Hahaha.

No biggie. It was fun cruising along thinking of nothing in particular in the bus. And it was 210yen anyway regardless of which station I got off at. So maybe I wasted around an hour of my life going to some place I never had any plans of going to. But it was interesting.

Anyway, the reason I was going to Yamashita Kouen (Yamashita Park) was that I could reserve a spot for us for tomorrow night's grand fireworks display (Ironic how this announcement about it kept scrolling along the bus's onboard LCD display, when I knew full well I was kinda freakin lost and didn't know which station to get off at to get to Yamashita Park hahaha).

I found prime real estate in one of the grassy areas, and proceeded to lay down my 1.8m x 1.8m orange mat, taped it down, and wrote down PRASES in big bold masking tape letters. I just hope it'll still be there tomorrow morning. There were already many rectangles of park area staked out with mats or straw ropes or tape, and I think I may have infringed a bit on a neighboring group's plot hehehe. Not my fault. By the time they thought to spread out their big blue mat (and it was REALLY big... I think it's gonna be a party there tomorrow), I had already laid down MY mat. And of course I didn't want to move and look for another place anymore. So, making full use of the gaijin all-time favorite all-around useful word..."wakarimasen"... I stood my plot of ground and ignored the fact that they got there first hehehe.

But I'm going back to check again tomorrow morning. Just in case. I've heard there are some evil people who mercilessly remove other people's mats and claim the space for themselves. And I'm gonna bring tape. Just in case I have to look for another place.

Oh yeah, I didn't get to mention, but I rode the bus going back from Hodogaya-station. And I got off at Yamashita-cho (I can't remember accurately) station. I just walked the rest of the way to the park. Tsk tsk. Now I know, I shouldn't just assume a station exists. Hehehe. Hindi dahil tingin ko meron.. meron nga. Feeling station-name assigner ako hahaha.

Missed Nihongo lessons and more from there

I quite forgot about my Nihongo lessons today hehe. I attend classes Wednesday of each week.. well supposed to. Every once in a while I tend to forget hahaha. Did it again today. Oh well. It's not like attendance is being checked. It's a voluntary thing anyway.

I've tried to lessen my coffee intake in the hopes of becoming less "bird-brained" hehehe. But I still can't resist that one small cup of cappuccino or whatever-caffeinated-and-hot-have-you during mornings. There have been some occasional days that I've been able to live through the day without coffee.. and I consider those mini-momentous days! Hahaha! ~Sigh~ I think I may not have what it takes to kick this caffeine habit. I just hope that it's really not what's inducing my stupidity and sloooowwwnessss..hehehe. I might just really need more exercise ~_~

On other news, I watched my first episode of Grey's Anatomy today. Welcome Meredith Grey, new intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, hot chick and loaded with attitude. Watching it sorta made me realize that hey, my job's not the most hectic out there, although sometimes I tend to think that hehe. Some people have tougher days than I do. So I should keep that in mind when I feel like complaining that I'm loaded with too much to do lol!

Haayy. Thursday na naman. A three-day weekend is looming upon us just around the corner. I haven't figured out how to spend the weekend though. I don't want to go to any faroff place. I guess I've sort of had my fill of long trips the past months. Sunday evening is already slated for the fireworks display here in Yokohama. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with the rest of the weekend. Read? Geek out? Movie marathon? Date? (hehe.. joke on that last one.. as if...)Sleep? (yeah definitely lots of that one will be sprinkled all throughout my weekend heheh) All of the above? Haayy.. I have my pick of several boring activities hahaha. But oh well.. it's a weekend.. and it's three days.. so power word for that whole time will be RELAX!

Keep Tryin' Vid!

Yay! I now have a copy of Ultra Blue, Utada Hikaru's latest album!! Happy girl! =D

Here's the video of one of my fave songs from the album, "Keep Tryin"

Promoted!

Our promotion finally came through!! Yay!! Hahahaha.. but actually, when I found out, I wasn't so "yayful" about it. Just.. yeah.. nice.. promoted.. I get a raise..

But of course, this still calls for a celebration. Maybe when it all becomes official though. I only got the heads up from our manager, but nothing on paper yet. It wouldn't do to celebrate prematurely.

And I am dying to go shopping right now. I am getting sick of all my clothes hahaha. I only brought enough office wear for 3 months and now I find myself having to stay here for much, much longer. So I've been rotating what I brought ever since January... and now I think it's safe to say everyone in the office has memorized the contents of my suitcase.. hahaha. And some of them were intended for winter, but because of my already limited number of clothes, I'm forced to wear them even in the heat of summer.

I'm too much of a cheapskate to go shopping here.. (by golly! 10,000yen for a blouse!!!), not to mention I have small endurance for running around in malls and shopping arcades. So I guess I'll have to live with my outfits for several more months. Ah well, anyway, it's just another one of those things I have to think about.