WEBmikey

Latest Flickr

Latest Twitter


Such a rebel
3.11.2010 7:44 AM \| Link 0 comments	As much as I love being disciplined, sticking to a routine, and always working toward my goals, sometimes I just unexpectedly shut down. After months and months of always waking up on time, this week I woke up and decided to be rebellious, so I slept in. The next morning I felt the same way, and I slept in again! While this is perfectly normal (and I'm sure my body needed the sleep), it feels weird for me to start neglecting things like blogging and studying and reading, so life starts to seem strange. Along with this rebellious streak is my addiction to Walk It Out (a Wii game that I'll be reviewing soon), which makes me want to block out huge hunks of time (like an hour and a half or more) to play it! I don't really know why my routine hit a speed bump, but it might have to do with having a busy week (by my standards). I love looking at my calendar and seeing a few nights that are totally free, and this week is completely full, which probably freaked me out a bit. But anyway, I know I'll be back on track soon - I can kind of feel the way I want my life to be pulling me back like a magnet. I just have to forgive myself for goofing off, enjoy the rest (since I've made the decision to waste time, I might as well enjoy it rather than feeling bad about it), and look ahead to tomorrow! Speaking of tomorrow, I'm going to clear my calendar so I can have a super-productive Friday night! Labels: life
Alice in Wonderland : 3 of 5
3.08.2010 6:38 AM \| Link 0 comments	Since I generally like Tim Burton's movies and practically anything Disney (especially animated features like the original Alice in Wonderland), I thought this film would be an interesting yet bizarre combination of the two, so I was happy to see it on opening day with my pal Melinda. There are plenty of good things about this movie, but overall I have to say it's just not what I wanted to see. This film is really Tim Burton using the Lewis Carroll characters to tell his own story, which happens to be a fantasy action adventure that feels much more like The Chronicles of Narnia combined with The Wizard of Oz rather than the fairy tale that this movie should have been. This may be justified somewhat since this is actually more of a sequel, in which Alice returns to Wonderland (or Underland, as we discover) as a young adult who only remembers her first visit in dreams. I enjoyed the look of the movie, and I thought all the bizarre digital distortions turned the characters into living versions of the illustrations found in the original book (I especially loved the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar). Johnny Depp did what he could with the role of the Mad Hatter (who is obviously trying to be the Scarecrow), but even though the script attempts to broaden his character with sudden bursts of self-awareness, it's definitely not a surprise that Alice would want to go home rather than stay with him. Speaking of Alice, she's cast well, but no matter how good the actress is, I just can't get into an Alice who puts on armor and kicks butt (in the obligatory huge CG battle at the end of every movie released in the past few years). Actually, I thought the inclusion of the creatures from the poem Jabberwocky was a cool idea, but making them a central part of the plot seemed like a Tim Burton stretch to get some scary images on the screen. Alice in Wonderland will certainly make a lot of money, and people who are out for an exciting adventure will definitely enjoy the movie, but I would much rather watch the classic animated feature which is wonderful enough for me! Labels: disney, movies
Another thrilling decluttering update
3.05.2010 7:31 AM \| Link 2 comments	All of my decluttering, reducing and reorganizing projects for 2010 are going strong! It may be a little wacky, but I absolutely love working a little on these every day and watching things improve. Here's another semi-boring update that's probably only interesting to me! I've finished this year's garage reduction, which I think is about the third time I've gone through it completely! I reduced everything by about 50% yet again, which means I have plenty of surplus storage containers. Last time my strategy was to save "one of each thing" (like one old S-video cable, for example), and this year I realized I'm never going to use even that one thing, so it's gone! There were also a few souvenirs that were just taking up space, so I photographed or scanned them and got rid of them, and I'm finally comic book free as well! (Of course, I love comic books, but I'm not into hoarding them anymore.) My digital projects are going well, too. I've scanned three photo albums worth of prints (and now I can get rid of the albums to make more closet space), and I'm about half finished with my cassette importing (and I'm tossing each old cassette as soon as I have it in iTunes and backed up on my iDisk). I'm almost totally finished with the big iPhoto organization (with face and place tagging), since I only have a few events in 2009 to complete! I've been working on this every day for so long, so it's awesome to see it coming to an end (and soon I'm going to do a giant off-site backup!). My next project (since I know you are wondering) is to reduce and move around all of my wall hangings. I want to take a minimalist stance and focus on only one hanging per wall (right now I have several "groupings" that I think are cluttered, and they easily get out of alignment with each other, which bugs me), so I've been planning where I want to move things. Some of the surplus will go to my new office (and a few things are already hanging there now), and I've already taken a few framed things that weren't really meaningful to Goodwill. Decluttering is so much fun! Labels: decluttering
Morning Musume Concert Tour 2009 Aki / Nine Smile : 4 of 5
3.04.2010 12:53 PM \| Link 0 comments	This latest Morning Musume concert DVD has been long anticipated since it features the graduation ceremony of Koharu, ending the nine-person line-up that has been together for the past few years (the longest in Morning Musume history). This is actually a two DVD set so every moment could be included, and it's definitely an epic and emotional concert! Truthfully, I would have loved to see a Nine Smile performance on a non-graduation night, since it's obvious that the girls are all a little sad right from the beginning, so I think some of the songs lost a little energy. But it's still a wonderful show! Starting out in those "cow" outfits seems a little weird, but I guess there's no way to top the incredible opening of the Platinum 9 concert! Thankfully, the next outfit change is great, and later on the silver costume (with little bow-ties!) is really cool. The stage design seemed simple at first, but when the platforms and stairs started rotating I was really impressed! Sound-wise I think the vocals were actually too high in the mix, which is nice when you're listening to Ai-chan, but reveals too many mistakes for the rest of the girls. There are some great duets (especially Reina and Ai-chan) and solos (Sayumi's opening to Aruiteru is really cute!), and even a quick "reunion" of Sakura Gumi and Otome Gumi, which is really wonderful since Sakura Mankai is just about the best song ever! There's a long medley of B-sides that is creatively put together and performed with great enthusiasm, and of course, Koharu and Sayumi perform their Rainbow Pink duet for the last time (and the crowd seriously goes wild with the chanting!). Finally, the graduation moment arrives, and although I was never really a Koharu fan, the ceremony is full of tender moments and plenty of tears. Sayumi and Koharu forgive each other for all of their rivalry and hug so long that Ai-chan has to break it up! I thought Lin Lin's words were really heartfelt too, and it was funny that Jun Jun was sad she wouldn't have anyone to fight with now. Since Koharu is so weird and silly, the mood keeps changing from somber to bizarre and back again, but I guess she went out with the same goofiness that she's famous for! For any Morning Musume fan, this is definitely a must-see, must-own concert DVD, and while I know the girls can put on a better show, this performance is still fantastic! Labels: dvds, jpop, morning musume
Weekend of culture and not-so-cultured
3.03.2010 7:19 AM \| Link 0 comments	My weekends are either relaxing or completely packed, and this last one was definitely busy! On Friday, I played a fun show with The Greatest American Heroes at the Carousel Lounge, and we had a great crowd and made it through some of our newer material (such as the infamous Good Times/Bob Newhart/Alice medley) with fewer mistakes than usual! On Saturday night, I went to see the Austin Symphony with Matt, and then Sunday was the busiest of all. After church, I had my annual tax appointment with my accountant, then grabbed some quick lunch just in time to make it to a Japanese dance recital with Matt & Kumiko. The performances were really interesting and the little girl dances were super cute, but the best part was seeing Kumiko's friend Midori fully transformed as she did her dance. It was truly beautiful and amazing! Finally, Sunday evening ended with a combo birthday party for my pals Chris and Jonathan, and we all had dinner at the Clay Pit (Indian food is one of the few cuisines that I don't touch, but I was full from lunch so my martini was enough for me!). It was lots of fun talking with everyone and playing with my fake-nephew Emiliano (who says "Mikey" really well now!), but the highlight of the party was my crazy birthday present for Chris! His favorite comedy sitcom is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (I like it, too), and he loves the episode where they design a product called a Dick Towel. Of course, someone really makes it now, so I had to buy one for Chris, and it was hilarious watching everyone try it on! View photos: Japanese Dance Recital View photos: Combo Birthday Party 2010 (semi-adult content) Labels: pals, photos
EA Sports Active / Nintendo Wii : 5 of 5
3.02.2010 7:08 AM \| Link 0 comments	Several years ago when all my fitness games where PS2-based, I used to really enjoy Yourself!Fitness, since it led me through a series of exercises that worked out entire different muscles than my DDR marathons did. Although that was a great game, it essentially was just a workout video generator, since the PS2 has no way of knowing if you were actually doing the exercises. Now with EA Sports Active and clever use of the Wiimote and nunchuk, I can get a great workout with feedback that helps me do the exercises correctly! I've had this great game since Christmas, but I waited a while to start playing since I was re-addicted to DDR, but now I'm well on my way through the 30-Day Challenge, which is a series of workouts that are designed to work your whole body over a month period. The game comes with two pieces of equipment: a resistance band for arm exercises, and a well-made leg strap that holds the nunchuk (so the game can measure accurate leg movement). Both of these items take some getting used to, but eventually it becomes easier to keep the strap in the right place and hold the resistance band correctly. The exercises do a great job of combining stuff I would never otherwise do (like squats, lunges and various lifts) with fun sports activities like running, inline skating (with cool jumps that totally kill my legs), boxing, tennis, basketball (I love making jump shots), and many more I haven't even experienced yet! Every single activity has a nice live-action instructional video that shows someone doing the exercise with the Wii equipment, which is great since details like Wiimote orientation are often important. While you workout, there are helpful displays of time, calories burned, reps to go, and progress through the routine, and the graphics are pretty cool (with nice details like seeing other areas of the game world pass while you run around the track). The best thing about EA Sports Active is it forces me to work parts of my body that I often ignore by only walking and playing DDR, and my muscles (especially my quads) can really feel it when I finish a routine! I'm looking forward to finishing the 30-Day Challenge (which is going to get more intense, I think), and then continuing my workouts to unlock some more trophies! Labels: games, wii
Austin Symphony / Barbara Nissman : 4 of 5
3.01.2010 5:21 PM \| Link 0 comments	Although I wasn't familiar with Barbara Nissman, who was the featured pianist for the Austin Symphony's latest concert, the program selections featuring Rachmanioff and Shostakovich looked too interesting to pass up, and my friend Matt and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance! The concert opened with Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, a short work that was instantly recognizable to me (and still singing through my mind for the rest of the evening), and then continued with Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto, considered one of the most difficult pieces for the instrument. After seeing so many "young and upcoming" featured performers with the Austin Symphony, it was interesting to watch Barbara Nissman, who has certainly spent a lifetime perfecting this incredible piece of music, which kept her fingers flying! I really enjoyed the work, which has lyrical moments combined with incredible flourishes that must make the score look like an explosion of notes. The audience's applause was so long that Nissman decided to play an additional solo piece that was beautiful (I love it when soloists are kind enough to do that!). The second half of the program featured Shostakovich's 5th symphony, which is quite an epic work that requires a huge orchestra including two harps and additional percussion. I have listened to very little Shostakovich, since he's a bit modern for my usual taste, but I was really impressed by this interesting work (and Matt considers it the best piece he's heard the Austin Symphony perform so far), so I'd like to study it further! As always, listening to the Austin Symphony was an inspiring experience, and I appreciate the opportunity to be introduced to more flavors of classical music. Labels: arts, symphony