Ask Kate

[TakeMeForCola]

nap much?

[katelynisspecial]

Honestly, Saina and I haven't had many chances to talk about anything in depth this entire school year. She's got three AP classes this semester, and is kind of struggling to keep her head above water. Of course, she's got A's in all of them, but she just NO time. She's always doing homework and projects =P
But probably at the beginning of next semester, we will get together and probably mess around with Japanese and making food.

Yeah, I do think me listening to Japanese so much helps a LOT. It seems like it's easier to not necessarily be grammatically correct, but to be UNDERSTOOD is easier. It probably helps that sentence structure, etc isn't so rigid. And that entire paragraph was really crappy English, but I'm too lazy to reword it, it's hard enough to explain already =P

Well, I would LOVE to have a Japanese exchange student, but I'm unsure if it's going to happen. The cultural differences are so much greater, that it's reccommended to start with a European country. But I'll see if I can win them over =P
She'd probably be around my age, and come for the first half of my senior year.

And the movie was better than I expected. I thought I'd hate it, but I didn't.
Though, the special effects were crap. xP

[Yuuji]

Originally Posted by katelynisspecial

Honestly, Saina and I haven't had many chances to talk about anything in depth this entire school year. She's got three AP classes this semester, and is kind of struggling to keep her head above water. Of course, she's got A's in all of them, but she just NO time. She's always doing homework and projects =P

Ouch. Yeah, I kn ow what that's like. (Basically)

But probably at the beginning of next semester, we will get together and probably mess around with Japanese and making food.

Cool! I hope you get the chance, it should add more fun (let alone new ideas for lunch)

Yeah, I do think me listening to Japanese so much helps a LOT. It seems like it's easier to not necessarily be grammatically correct, but to be UNDERSTOOD is easier.

*nods*

*thinks* I know watching for so long helps me with the inflection and tone better. But grammar-wise I still s***.

It probably helps that sentence structure, etc isn't so rigid. And that entire paragraph was really crappy English, but I'm too lazy to reword it, it's hard enough to explain already =P

ROTFL
Perhaps, but I fully understood you...
...but I really liked the deprecation of your last sentence. Didn't expect it.

Well, I would LOVE to have a Japanese exchange student, but I'm unsure if it's going to happen. The cultural differences are so much greater, that it's reccommended to start with a European country. But I'll see if I can win them over =P

*nods*
Although honestly, if they are from the major Tokyo area, I doubt you'd have any problem. I didn't met any who, IMHO, could not handle the transition. But the major Tokyo area (around 60+ mile radius around Tokyo, that the trains reach) - but I did not meet any from Hokkaido, Kyushu, etc.

And you know how Osaka is! (Azumanga Daioh)

She'd probably be around my age, and come for the first half of my senior year.

Oh, cool.

*blinks*
I keep forgetting how close you are to being a senior.

And the movie was better than I expected. I thought I'd hate it, but I didn't.
Though, the special effects were crap. xP

Well, that confirms for me that you are a real fan of the Twilight movie.
I thought you would have been all 'twitter' and such about it (as it rakes in the cash).

But you weren't...you seem to have looked at it objectively.

What were the things they actually got right?

[katelynisspecial]

Before I forget, here's more bento I made using the new stuff.
This was a while ago, but I forgot to post it =O
They're matching bento for my sister and I, haha.



Top tier: Sandwich made with English muffin, bologna, cheese, lettuce and honey mustard. The extra space was plugged with hello panda cookies, and pucca snacks, we were out of everything else small like grapes or tomatoes.

Bottom tier: Pomegranate, mandarin oranges, celery with peanut butter, and hershey kisses. The baking cups are my new silicone ones, and there's a bear pick in each one to help with the mandarin oranges, the can be slippery with chopsticks.

For Twilight.. I think that Kristen Stewart did a great job acting as Bella. A lot of people said she was awkward and bad, but I liked it. Also, the guy playing James (the villain) was EXCELLENT. He was perfect. They also casted Charlie, Bella's dad, really well. The beginning of the movie was awkward and left me kind of like "???", but it got better. I thought the ending action scene was well done, it made me cringe. Also, there is one emotional part when Bella is telling her father she wants to move back home away from him (for his safety, but he doesn't know that), and I almost cried. And I rarely cry from films =P

Japanese class.. we learned past tense, and the exam is next week~!

[Yuuji]

Originally Posted by katelynisspecial

Before I forget, here's more bento I made using the new stuff.
This was a while ago, but I forgot to post it =O
They're matching bento for my sister and I, haha.

Oh, I didn't realize you also made them for your sister.

Which color did she get?

Top tier: Sandwich made with English muffin, bologna, cheese, lettuce and honey mustard.

Sounds good.
I forget you can make a sandwich from a E.muffin.

And good use of cutting it. I wouldn't think about that, and try stuffing it whole....not a great idea.

The extra space was plugged with hello panda cookies, and pucca snacks, we were out of everything else small like grapes or tomatoes.

I do not know either....the cookies, or the 'pucca' snacks.

Bottom tier: Pomegranate, mandarin oranges, celery with peanut butter,

Ahhhh, PB.
I didn't recognize it at first.
And its a good snack.

and hershey kisses. The baking cups are my new silicone ones, and there's a bear pick in each one to help with the mandarin oranges, the can be slippery with chopsticks.

Oh, I see the 'bear' pick now.

And yeah, I was about to ask about the baking cups, they looked much thicker then paper.

In the end, how long did it take you to make just one bento?
And was making two quicker? As you had experience making the first one?

For Twilight.. I think that Kristen Stewart did a great job acting as Bella. A lot of people said she was awkward and bad, but I liked it.

Cool.

Also, the guy playing James (the villain) was EXCELLENT. He was perfect. They also casted Charlie, Bella's dad, really well. The beginning of the movie was awkward and left me kind of like "???", but it got better. I thought the ending action scene was well done, it made me cringe. Also, there is one emotional part when Bella is telling her father she wants to move back home away from him (for his safety, but he doesn't know that), and I almost cried. And I rarely cry from films =P

Ah, thanks. If I ever find myself watching it, I'll look for those scenes.

And, although this sounds like a left-handed compliment, I'm glad it was better then you expected it to be.

Japanese class.. we learned past tense, and the exam is next week~!

*hehs*
I've heard Japanese past tense is very hard, as there really isn't one (like plurals) and you had to figure it out via context.

Best of luck! (one the exam)

[katelynisspecial]

Well, I don't normally make them for her, but she expressed interest, and I figured it wouldn't be too much trouble to just double whatever I was making. Of course, then I had to choose things I knew she liked, but it wasn't that hard. Plus, she said she'd wash them if I made her one, and since they have to be hand-washed, I was more than willing =P
She showed it to all her friends, and thought it was the coolest thing.
She got the blue one.

Let's see.. Hello Panda cookies are like this:

Biscuit type things filled with strawberry creme.
They also come with chocolate creme.

And then pucca snacks are pretzel squid, fish, and octopi, filled with chocolate.


Those bentos probably took 15 minutes to make, most of which were spent wandering around the kitchen trying to find things to put in them.
The time definitely depends on how much of a plan I start out with.
But packing them is going a lot better now.

On a sad note, I never got to try the rambutans (weird spikey fruit), because I forgot about them and they went bad =/
But I did find out they sell them in Kroger, so I can get them again.

Well, so far... the past tense isn't hard in terms of conjugation. But we haven't really gone over many uses yet, and won't for awhile.
Since, we have an exam next week, and then we're off until January, when the next class starts. Thankfully, it will be with Nakamura-sensei still, I really like him!

I told you my siblings and I have started taekwondo, right? Well... we were majorly skeptical at first, because we came to class to discover our instructor was wheelchair bound with a nerve disorder, and relied on verbal commands and two young assistants to teach us. It was kind of a shock.

But the second lesson went a lot better, and we're learning how to punch and kick, along with a lot of really useful self defense techniques, such as how to escape someone grabbing your wrist, or around you from behind. We enjoy kicking the pad into each other =D

So we're going to stick it out, and if we're still into it by the end (sometime in Feb), we're going to get a more authentic class, and actually order uniforms and belts and stuff. Right now, we're just in comfy clothes, since it's just an intro course.

[Yuuji]

Originally Posted by katelynisspecial

Well, I don't normally make them for her, but she expressed interest, and I figured it wouldn't be too much trouble to just double whatever I was making.

Cool. Last I heard, you and your sister were....how to put this nicely? 'Butting heads?' (being that she just became a teenager)

Have things mellowed?

Of course, then I had to choose things I knew she liked, but it wasn't that hard. Plus, she said she'd wash them if I made her one, and since they have to be hand-washed, I was more than willing =P

*heh* I forgot that they needed to be hand washed.

She showed it to all her friends, and thought it was the coolest thing.
She got the blue one.

Excellent. So she got to repeat her sister's cohort attraction, eh?

Being that my brother and I went to separate high schools, we never really shared anything past elementary school.

Let's see.. Hello Panda cookies are like this:
Biscuit type things filled with strawberry creme.
They also come with chocolate creme.

Cute!
And don't the Japanese have the best containers for their products?
We usually have square-like shapes, while the Japanese go all-out on them. (which is surprising giving their heavy use of recycling)

And then pucca snacks are pretzel squid, fish, and octopi, filled with chocolate.

Now those I've actually had before!
The chocolate tastes..creamery, but not ...what's the word? Not a real solid taste to the chocolate (compared to our normal milk, or dark chocolates).

It's been......darn, I cannot remember how many years its been since I had those (bought off the shelf in a Japanese convenience store. Hopefully something you'll get to do in 18 months)

Those bentos probably took 15 minutes to make,

*blinks* Only 15 minutes???
......I don't even want to think how long it would have taken me.

Does your family have an organized fridge?

most of which were spent wandering around the kitchen trying to find things to put in them.

*chuckles* That's my problem too...but I cannot do it in under 15 minutes.

The time definitely depends on how much of a plan I start out with.
But packing them is going a lot better now.

Cool. And you're probably thinking more 'Japanese' now, as it making the most out of small room is an artform over there. As you can probably get a guess with the Bentos.

On a sad note, I never got to try the rambutans (weird spikey fruit), because I forgot about them and they went bad =/

Awwww.

But I've done the same thing.
When I was trying out new fruit (for me at leasT), I lost half a package of Strawberries, and 1/4 package of blueberries because of the same reason.

But I did find out they sell them in Kroger, so I can get them again.

Kroger is a specialty store? Or just your local 'Mart?

Well, so far... the past tense isn't hard in terms of conjugation. But we haven't really gone over many uses yet, and won't for awhile.

*nods* Far above my ability. *sigh*

Since, we have an exam next week, and then we're off until January, when the next class starts. Thankfully, it will be with Nakamura-sensei still, I really like him!

*smiles*
A good teacher makes a helluva difference.
I believe I just had the easiest comprehensive final today since 3rd grade. That's because the teacher made it interesting (about the Psychological principles of sound and music). I cannot believe how much I remember. Hell, if I get to see you in 6 weeks, feel free to ask me about the transduction process of the ear. I know my Army friend Ray gets a kick out of it when I list the pathway.

I told you my siblings and I have started taekwondo, right?

*shakes his head* Neg, I didn't know.

Well... we were majorly skeptical at first, because we came to class to discover our instructor was wheelchair bound with a nerve disorder, and relied on verbal commands and two young assistants to teach us. It was kind of a shock.

????
Was he an old expert, who had an accident?
Or was he born that way, yet learned nevertheless?

But the second lesson went a lot better, and we're learning how to punch and kick, along with a lot of really useful self defense techniques, such as how to escape someone grabbing your wrist, or around you from behind. We enjoy kicking the pad into each other =D

*lol* I assume you mean by 'each other' your siblings?

*thinks* I just realized, because of your Japanese interest...why a Korean fighting artform?

So we're going to stick it out, and if we're still into it by the end (sometime in Feb), we're going to get a more authentic class, and actually order uniforms and belts and stuff. Right now, we're just in comfy clothes, since it's just an intro course.

Ahhhhhh.
Who's idea was it then to try it out?

Or is someone trying to prepare you for when some sleep-deprived numbnut does something stupid Sunday morning at Ohayocon?

[flashback]. My goodness...how long has it been since I got my greenbelt in Karate? I was 15....1987???? Oh boy.

(and yeah, being that we had to count in Japanese, it did further my interest in the language/culture)
===============
ps

I just realized...did you make the second picture of the pucca? I know the upper right hand corner picture is probably from a site, but the couch-shot (I think that's a couch) looks like a real person took it. But still, you had a good choice of full container, several comparison pieces shot against a contrasting background, and good idea to show one of the fish you (assumedly) bit in two.

[katelynisspecial]

Ahhhh, wow. Sorry about the late reply.

My sister and I get along off and on. I've had to spend more time with her this year because I drive her to school every day. She's been coming with me to things with my friends a lot lately (like the Twilight movie), and they like her a lot, interestingly enough.

Our fridge is pretty organized, but still, since I had no idea what to make, it was only a little bit of help =P
And Kroger is just our basic local grocery store.
And, I didn't take the Pucca pictures, I just found those on google.

I have no idea about our teacher. I think maybe her nerve thing is degenerative, so when she got the degree she was fine? I'm not sure. But it's going better than it looked like it would originally. We'll see though.

Hmm, why taekwondo? Probably because I spent years seeing my best friend do it, so I had an interest. She's a third degree black belt, pretty amazing =D
And it was my idea =P
We're learning to count in Korean, so that makes five languages I can do it in XD
English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean.

Oh, and I've greatly been improving my Japanese.
I recently started talking to someone that I've known for nearly a year, but we lost contact for awhile. He's native Japanese, lives near Kobe right now.
And he's learning English, and I Japanese. We've started using skype to voicechat, so we can both talk. There's somewhat of a language barrier, but it's really helping.

He's currently learning English slang, there's something fantastic about a native Japanese person saying in their accent: "That's bitchin'!"

Aaaaand! New bento!



Let's see... dinosaur sandwiches... amazing. Edamame skewers, kumquats, wheat pretzel sticks, raisins, and sunflower seeds.

And I've increased my anime DVD collection to like... 68 from 58 recently >_>
So freaking addicted to ebay and rightstuf's bargain bin. I mean.. new anime DVDs for $5-7?!?
YES PLEASE =D

[Yuuji]

Dear Kate,

Sorry for the long delay. Many important things occurred while all 4 members of my immediately family were together over this holiday season.

I did receive your email.
So my first question is: Did you receive my email response?

Originally Posted by katelynisspecial

Ahhhh, wow. Sorry about the late reply.

My sister and I get along off and on. I've had to spend more time with her this year because I drive her to school every day. She's been coming with me to things with my friends a lot lately (like the Twilight movie), and they like her a lot, interestingly enough.

Probably because they do not have to live with her.
I have noticed how people's views on others can be eschewed due to the fact that they only know those people for the short term, for short amounts of time. But try to do anything with a longer goal in mind....and I know they'll change their minds.

I only wish 'I told you so's were useful to me. But they aren't.

Our fridge is pretty organized, but still, since I had no idea what to make, it was only a little bit of help =P
And Kroger is just our basic local grocery store.
And, I didn't take the Pucca pictures, I just found those on google.

Understood.

I have no idea about our teacher. I think maybe her nerve thing is degenerative, so when she got the degree she was fine? I'm not sure. But it's going better than it looked like it would originally. We'll see though.

Rgr that.

Being that its been about a month - any new changes/information?

Hmm, why taekwondo? Probably because I spent years seeing my best friend do it, so I had an interest. She's a third degree black belt, pretty amazing =D
And it was my idea =P

Cool.

We're learning to count in Korean, so that makes five languages I can do it in XD
English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean.

*chuckles*
Back in in the 80's, when I was 15, I got my green belt in Karate. It was the first time I learned another language's counting system. And probably helped keep my interest up in Japan.

Also...even though I have forgotten 99% of what I learned in Spanish class (not very good teachers), the only thing I do remember is how to count up to 39. As I have found uses for that.

Oh, and I've greatly been improving my Japanese.
I recently started talking to someone that I've known for nearly a year, but we lost contact for awhile. He's native Japanese, lives near Kobe right now.
And he's learning English, and I Japanese. We've started using skype to voicechat, so we can both talk. There's somewhat of a language barrier, but it's really helping.

Excellent!!

I know by next year, when Japanese has become even easier for you to use, you'll forgot on how high the hurdle was to get yourself to this point.

But I still remember how you described it from the last two years....so congratulations for getting this far! (and feeling good about yourself, while doing it).

He's currently learning English slang, there's something fantastic about a native Japanese person saying in their accent: "That's bitchin'!"

*laughs!!*

I forgot that Skype is actual voice, not some IM system.
That's even better.

Aaaaand! New bento!

Let's see... dinosaur sandwiches... amazing. Edamame skewers, kumquats, wheat pretzel sticks, raisins, and sunflower seeds.

Let's see...I think I can figure out how to get the Dionsaur shape (I'm assuming you cut the bread yourself...but that must be a really sharp knife!), but what do you do with the other portion of the bread?

Edamame must be the bean.
And to be completely honest, I've never seen a kumquat before. Heard of 'em, sure...but never seen. So they are orange apparently.

Again, more healthy choices and nutrition levels there then what I eat in 3 days. *bleh*.

And I've increased my anime DVD collection to like... 68 from 58 recently >_>
So freaking addicted to ebay and rightstuf's bargain bin. I mean.. new anime DVDs for $5-7?!?
YES PLEASE =D

*laughs and nods*
I know exactly what you mean. Including sometimes good deals at Big Lots (but take a long time searching through the bins). That is how I built up my collection as well (Ebay and....you have apparently discovered the joys of Right Stuf).

Addicting, isn't it?
Especially when they include more then just the episodes. Sometimes they treat you with 'making of's, and other specials usually included only on the Japan DVD versions (which is why they are so damn expensive over there...$70 for one disc?)

So what gems did you find?

[TheUnforgiven1]

Will you Marry Me?


(awaits unhonest answer, or a no)