Must-have Nikes

I think that these shoes might be perfect for the tomboy-type of girl. I can't believe how many different color ways and styles are offered in this high-heeled shoe. Definitely on my need to buy list!

Oh the drama!!

Today at work, I was helping a lady with her fabric and her phone rang. Her ringtone was an SS501 song that just happened to be the theme song of the Korean drama I watched earlier this summer called "Boys Before Flowers." I was SO excited! I told her that I knew the song and that it was from that drama, and we shared a little moment of Korean drama and Korean pop discussion!

I was very excited to find out that the heart-throb in "Boys Before Flowers" is now starring in a new drama called "City Hunter." She also recommended that I watch "IRIS," which has one of my favorite band artists in the cast (TOP from Big Bang!). So now I really have to watch some more dramas! Kind of makes me wish I was trying to learn Korean right now instead of Japanese...

Here are the links to the shows if you are interested. After I watch them I'll post a little review:

City Hunter
IRIS
Boys Before Flowers

A note about "City Hunter": this show is currently going on in Korea, and isn't supposed to end until August. If you are interested in watching "Boys Before Flowers", I definitely recommend it, though the end gets a little cheesy and ridiculous (still cute though!).

And here is a photo of Lee Min Ho. This is why these dramas are so addicting :)

No News is Good News?

Hello! I'm back! I will try to catch my blog up to all of the big events that have happened this year that have been preventing me from blogging! For now though, I have a different topic on my mind.

I have heard the phrase "no news is good news" before and it seems to be a true statement. In reading back through my blog posts of this year, I came across my posting for Japan's tsunami. Isn't it funny that when this tragic event happened you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about it. The rising death toll. New satellite photos. Fukushima's nuclear disaster.

I still see the occasional "donate to Japan" on some websites (might be more frequent for a person like me who visits Asian websites...), but I don't really hear any news about what is going on. I would assume that Japan is getting on with rebuilding and turning their misfortune around.

I have made the decision to visit Japan after graduating from Oregon State next year, and with this decision comes a need to convince my parents. My mom brought up this topic of rebuilding, so I decided to see what I could find on the internet for any news.

One article stated that 7 of the 9 regions reported an up in the economy views. As I read the rest of the article, it appears that the the economies are doing a little better, but some regions are still in a severe state. With the Fukushima incident, there are several obstacles in the way of reopening and utilizing that power. Production is encouraged to go overseas, and consumers are told to limit their use of power to prevent a black out. Another article reported that the man appointed as the Disaster Reconstruction Minister has stepped down already after scolding a governor of one of Japan's regions not doing well. If you want to read either of these articles, here they are:

BOJ: 7 Out of 9 Japan Regions Up Econ Views
Matsumoto Quits as Japan Cabinet Minister

So it looks things are moving towards progress, but I don't think anyone can say it's "good news" yet. On a lighter note, here is a fun bike helmet I'm looking at, from a website that allows you to buy hard-to-find-things from Japan! (I've also added this website to my links).