My hair & stuff

Yesterday I received some clip-in bangs that I ordered a couple weeks ago. It's pretty much the only frivolous purchase I've made all summer, and unlike hair extensions from the U.S., it only cost like $8 from http://kakabestgoods668.ecrater.com/. So of course, I had to immediately do some cam-whoring (and also because all my hours at work have been cut and everyone I know is working and I'm dying of boredom).

 

The same seller also has "bun extensions," which I think I will get at some point too ($6!). My hair is so fine that it's hard to make it into a decent-sized bun.

Do the bangs look realistic or obviously fake? I think they look pretty real, except in pics with a bright flash, which make the hair look too shiny & obviously synthetic. 

It's so hard to figure out anything interesting to do with my hair now that it's long and has to be conservative for school :( A couple months ago I decided to do this with my hair...

Shaved on one side. I only did it on one side and a relatively small area so that I can wear my hair down on that side to conceal it. The clip-in bangs help with that too. Idk, I'm contemplating cutting it all off again relatively soon. Long hair is so much trouble.

And yeah, I know my mirror looks dirty in all these pics. I cleaned it afterward :P

It took me forever to get any decent-looking photos. Bad face day, eh? So unphotogenic. Most of the pics I took just made me think I need a nose job. And probably also botox. And lip fillers. And a breast reduction :/

Summer

Such a long time since I posted anything... I'm almost as busy as I was during the semester, but now I'm spending all my time as a grocery store clerk. Yeah, totally where I was expecting to be at 26 & with two Bachelor degrees under my belt (thanks for the recession, rich old white dudes!). But at least it's an upscale grocery store and close to where I live. I wish U of M hadn't totally screwed us all over by canceling second semester summer nursing classes :/ But I keep reminding myself that rushing to be done with school never got me anywhere, and at least I'm not in Murfreesboro. I've just always wanted so much to not be in Tennessee &/or the South.

Anyway, here are some photos of the fireworks display in downtown Memphis on the 4th of July. Not very good quality pics, but they're from my cell phone, so what do you expect?

It was pretty cool because I watched them from the top of a (four story?) building. It reminded me of when I flew to San Francisco on the 4th a few years ago and had an aerial view of fireworks all over L.A. I was a still little sad, though, that I wasn't able to spend the 4th in Smithville like I usually do :/ I should be grateful though because if I did have summer classes like I expected, I wouldn't have been able to go to Smithville at all this summer to do some of this:

Scrubs

Can you believe this is what I will be wearing to work for the next 1 1/2 years? No more style for me... *sigh* They need to be ironed, but I hate ironing!!

 My stethoscope. At least I can choose the color of the tubing (purple, not that you can tell from this photo). I want a teal one too, but I thought it would clash with the blue of my scrubs, lol.

 My mom got me these 2 Hello Kitty phone charms! The one on the left has Hello Kitty sitting on a blood-filled syringe, along with a bag of blood, and AB, my blood type ;) It's rather large though, so it will have to be my special occasion phone charm, haha. The one on the right lives on my phone. It is so strange, everything around me seems to be turning blue lately; my clothes (scrubs), my phone charm, my furniture, my dolls, my glasses, even my pajamas. lol.

あけましておめでとう！

New year's eve, huh? I've been trying to think of resolutions, but I've always been bad at those (making them, not keeping them). Last year I resolved to be less passive in my life, to not over-think things, and I think I've done well with that so far. That is the meaning behind the "vivre" tattoo I got earlier this year; to remind myself to live. I feel like I've jumped into applying to schools & that sort of thing. And my life will be drastically changing very soon. I've been very fortunate this year, going to Japan, going to New York, seeing Vamps for the 5th time, winning an upcoming trip to Japan, making an actual plan for the next few years of my life...

It rained torrential downpour all night, so I didn't end up doing anything I'd planned. I didn't even watch the ball drop on tv. But I still had fun, I still had champagne. It's a night I'll think of fondly, which is more than I can say for many new year's eves that will be remembered begrudgingly, or not at all. I still haven't thought of any resolutions, but I guess it's just as well; people should try to examine and improve themselves all year. It will come to me at the right time.

VAMPS

So, it's the holiday break, and I'm dying of boredom. My friends don't go out as much as they used to, and I'm done with xmas shopping, and school doesn't start until January 10th, so I'm gonna kill some time showing off the things/people I love most (cheesy, no?), as My pretty baby cried she was a bird suggested.

Anyway, today's topic is my favorite band, Vamps. Like most of their fans (I would assume), I started following Hyde's solo career, which became Vamps, because I am a huge L'arc~en~Ciel fan. And thanks to my magnanimous brother, I have been able to see them live several times. We've flown across the country to see them in San Francisco in 2006 (2 shows), Seattle and Portland in 2009, and New York in 2010. Their shows are amazing! I have never been to any other concert where the fans are so involved. The fans pack so tight that it's hot & sweaty, it's hard to breathe, no one can move & everyone is pushing back and forth, and cheering until they lose their voices. It's quite cathartic. And K.a.z. is quite impressive with his guitar. 

First, let's look at some posters :)

 From Hyde's Faith 2006 tour.

 From VAMPS first album.

From VAMPS' 2010 concert for their album Beast. 

Last year, I was actually lucky enough to be able to meet them shortly before the concert in Seattle :D I was so nervous, I was afraid I'd throw up on Hyde! lol. I shook hands with both Hyde and K.a.z., got their autographs, and gave them a painting I made (I just wish it had been better...)

Now I think it's kinda crummy :( but I wanted to give them something. And I wrote a nice little note on the back :)

Here are their 2 albums, self-titled on the left, Beast on the right, and on the bottom is the single "Love Addict" lying open-faced showing their autographs.

This is an omamori from the New York concert. Supposedly it contains a small piece of guitar string, but it is bad luck to look in an omamori to check (or is that only true if it's from a temple?). There were a few other designs of omamori; I wish I could've bought all of them, but I didn't bring enough money with me to the concert :( But I'm being greedy; it was enough that all the merch wasn't sold out like the previous lives.

 This was an xmas present from my brother last year! It's a music box that plays the song "Sweet Dreams" from Vamps' first album. Inside the lid is a sort of 3D house interior that looks a bit like Hyde's website. Inside I keep the tickets from the San Francisco & Seattle lives. Several of the shows only had will-call, so no tickets.

 My brother also gave me this little Hyde kewpie. I want the K.a.z. kewpie, too; it really looks like him, lol. Kewpies seem to be quite popular in Japan.

Here's the wristband for the Faith tour on the left, the wristband from the Vamps' 2009 tour, and a Vamps bottle opener, lol. I loooove the Faith wristband, but I need to get another one to wear b/c I'm a bit protective of it.

I also have a Faith tour shirt, but it's not on hand right now.

 

Outside of The Showbox in Seattle after meeting Hyde & K.a.z.!

Outside of the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

More pics from the NYC 2010 live and the Q&A beforehand at Comic Con. The band always asks that no one use flash photography, and I always respect that request. So I stole these pics from someone else! I haz manners ;)

Zo. Vamps are now taking a break while Hyde works with L'arc & K.a.z. reunites with Oblivion Dust, so no more concerts for a while :( Unless L'arc decides to come to the U.S., which seems very unlikely after their Otakon debacle several years ago. I guess maybe Hyde doesn't hate otaku as much as Tetsu (or myself, for that matter). Or he just really wants to be famous in America.