Hana Yori Dango

the OG, better, better-looking, more light-hearted Japanese version of Boys over Flowers (꽃 보다 남자)

I just finished both seasons (20 episodes all together) and I was GLUED to my computer and could not stop watching. I am so dazed and in love with the show. SO good. So good that I want to watch it again. (but will try to refrain.)
Oguri Shun and Matsumoto Jun -the main love interests in this show were both in Gokusen 1 too! So of course, I love them even more now. =)

Serrano Chile and Jalapeno Hands =(

So last night we had an India 2k6-Fish Taco Night Hangout, and first, let me say, all the food was DELICIOUS and the company was AWESOME, of course. (YAY)














So we were making Jon Kang's Green Sauce, and as Gina mashed the avocados, I chopped up some cilantro, 2 jalapenos, and 2 serrano chiles. I really didn't think anything of it at the time, especially because I had cut some jalapenos the night before and I was perfectly fine.

But about 5 minutes later, as I squeezed some lemon and lime into the sauce, my thumb was starting to tingle.

It was tolerable, but soon, it started spreading deeper into my nails (right where the nail and the finger meets). I brushed it off and continued to help cook, but within the hour, my index and middle finger started to tingle too. So I rubbed my fingers together to distract myself from the pain.

I decided to try some remedies. First, as most of us know, when you eat something spicy, you're supposed to drink milk, so I tried dipping my fiingers in milk... didn't really help.
Then I tried ice... helped while I kept my hands on the ice, but.. once my hands were off, no help.

So I went home, and it was still relatively tolerable, but when I got home, the pain initiated in my left hand as well. So by now, both of my thumbs, index, middle, and ring fingers were BURNING with pain. It was getting worse, so I googled some solutions, and I hated the ones that said "use gloves." Because obviously, it's too late for that one. I knew that time would end up being the only solution, but I had to do something, so I went on and tried them all.

1. Washing my hands over and over -did nothing.
2. Lotion- nada.
3. Aloe Vera -accentuated the burn.
4. Antibiotic Ointment -that kind of burned too.
   
5. Vegetable oil -made it feel like my hands were being COOKED.
   
6. Vinegar -worked VERY temporarily, but made my hands smell and didn't really do much.
7. Warm Water -(acc. to Jon Baik:) to try to open up my pores to let the chile oils out... oh, they came out all right, came out to burn me even worse. Lukewarm water felt like BURNING HOT WATER to my fingertips
8. Sour Cream -worked for about a minute, but the moment I washed it off -pain, yet again.
9. There were some remedies involving bleach, rubbing alcohol, and acetone, but heck no, I KNEW that those would just eat away my skin and make things worse, so I avoided that one.

So each "solution" only aggravated my fingers even worse than the last one, and it was hurting so bad that I had to turn off my computer because typing hurt so much.

It's hard to describe the sensation, but it felt a little bit like I was being forced to keep my fingers on a hot iron skillet, and there was no way to pull away from the burning, searing pain. Seriously.

So I tried to go to sleep, and thank God, I did. So I ended up waking/getting up at around 11:30, and YAY! It didn't hurt!

But as warned by the blogs I read, "I thought the sensation/pain was gone, but after taking a hot shower, the irritation was back with a fury." But it was only a warm shower, but.. same effect.

So, it's definitely not AAAAS bad as it was last night, but it still hurts and I read that capsaicin (the oil in the peppers) has a half-life of about 24 hours, so... I shall have to suffer until tonight. It definitely is getting better though. It kind of comes in waves (of mutilation. haha). But yeahhh... be warned, everyone. Gloves are a necessity.

Stupid chiles. =(

Some New Loves

Although I normally am completely turned off by men with tweezed, neatly trimmed eyebrows,
I must say that the Japanese men in Gokusen have charmed me to overlook those minor flaws. I don't even mind the fabulous blonde and brown hair either. haha. (but I'm sure in person, it'd be a different story)

So let me tell you a little about Gokusen. (I'm sure people won't read this post, but whatever.)
Yankumi = main character, teacher, granddaughter of a yakuza head (mob-leader)

So, there's this character named Tetsu, and he is just wonderful. He is one of the "henchmen" in the yakuza that lives in Yankumi's house. He actually has an ugly stache and beard thing going on, but I don't mind. His love, loyalty, and protection over Yankumi is so charming. He's hilarious and I hope they get together in the end. =( which they probably won't. =(
But anyway, Ken Kaneko is a boxer in real life, hence the pose.



















Matsumoto Jun plays Sawada Shin in G1, and he is from Arashi, which was my friend Yoko's FAVORITE band. In 5th grade, she would show me pictures of them and I thought they were so ugly, but my eyes have truly been opened. He has the rare talent like Robert Pattinson where when he looks into your eyes (the camera), he just makes you want to fall in love with him.


























Shun Ogiri plays Uchiyama, and let me tell you, he has some beautiful hairstyles throughout the show. But when he falls for this one girl, he gets sheepishly shy when he's normally rowdy and tough. So cute.







And the last 2 guys are in the band Kat-Tun: Akanishi Jin & Kazuya Kamenashi. They're the eye-candy of Season 2. Not as charming and wonderful, but I like them nonetheless. But I'm not done with Gokusen 2, so maybe I'll fall in love with them more as I continue to watch.

i just want to say...

that i hate cigarettes. no. i kind of abhor them.

don't get me wrong -i dont hate the smokers, (i love many, many of them, actually.) i just hate the cigarettes themselves.
acid, toxic death penetrating walls/windows/doors/clothes/hair as it destroys and mutilates lungs/throat/EVERYTHING, turning tissues to murderous cancer cells.

even stupid secondhand smoke kills you. makes my heart and lungs LITERALLY, physically hurt. acid is slowly eating away my insides.

i know you're saying.. uhh.. duhh. everyone knows this already.
but that's what my lungs feel like at this exact moment. and it's lasting longer than usual. usually i can shake it off, but it seems to have seeped in deeper tonight.

i really cannot fathom HOW much nastily worse it must feel to actually smoke. truly, death on a stick.

i freaking HATE cigarettes and the control they have over peoples' lives.
right now in particular, i hate its stinking smoke and the way it absorbs into EVERY SINGLE THING it touches.

ugh. i could go on forever, but it's all been said and done before so.. whatever.
i'm done complaining about it now.... at least here.

In LOVE with...

1. Beyonce's - I Am.. Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Edition)



2. Gokusen (watch on mysoju.com!)

3. Admittedly, my summer, bruin home (soon to be gone forever!)












4. frozen yogurt. (I'M ADDICTED!.. again.)



















annnd

5. My Glendale Girls (duh)


































.... wow. baaasically, looks like i love all things christine bae (-->#2-5). (and hera --> #3-5)
and shout out to my paikie with the beyonce. i loooove the new album, do you?

the end.

Lesson Learned...?

A lesson I've been learning, yet again (for probably the millionth time -literally), is:

Save yourself the time, energy, heartache, and anxiety - just listen to God the first time around.

The first time around when God gives you a sneak peek at his will -that inkling feeling that you know you should probably listen to, but you push aside because you want to stay just a littttle longer, or because you're just having some fun, there's no harm in it.... Basically, because you just want to be selfish and have things go your way without seriously thinking about the consequences.

The first time I REALLY learned this lesson, now let me tell you, I paid for it DEARLY. And though it may be a COMPLETELY different situation this time around, I am reminded of what a fool I am. Just because the circumstances have changed, the lesson, clearly, had not been drilled into my head well enough.

And honestly, as a stinkin' DUMB sinner, it will likely... never fully get into my thick head.

...Thank God for mercy. Seriously.
But because of mercy and grace, sometimes we stupid sinners are quick to forget our follies. We fool ourselves into thinking we don't need any God to tell us what is best. We know our own lives, we know what path we think is best.

What a fool, idiot, dunderhead I am.
Look at what Sin (NOUN) does to me. to us all.
(Sin the noun, not sin the verb)
UGHHHH. Gotta remember, and KEEP reminding myself -Sin DESTROYS my soul.
It doesn't in ANY way make me a better person, there isn't a sin that's okay and permissible because of its degree of severity. All sins are equally destructive and each one merits me hell.

So again, just listen to God right away, as he reveals bits and pieces of His will to you. He already knows what you'd have to go through if you take your own path and he wants to save your from yourself.