My Purchase Goals for 2011

So I'm trying to acquire some new electronics this year, and things have NOT been in my favor. I've been wanting a new camera for quite some time now, and I can't seem to decide what kind of camera I want. ALSO, I've been wanting an iPod touch for some time, and now that it has a camera (actually 2), I really want one. I've been saying for YEARS once the iPod touch gets a camera, I'm getting an iPod touch.

So for the camera. In the past maybe 7-8 years, I've been buying a new digital camera almost every other year, which does NOT help my wallet. However, the last time I got a new camera was I believe in the middle of 2008, so I've actually been really good :) That camera recently flubbed an upload on facebook, which actually lit that desire to get a new camera too. Anyway, I hear about so many people doing their project 365, and I really would like to do one too because I like looking at awesome pictures, and hopefully take good pictures too, so I've been looking into these kinda "hybrid" cameras. Different people call them different things, but what I'm looking for is something that won't break the bank, that can zoom (optical zoom that is) really nice (at least 10x), and that can take really clear pictures (like DSLRs). So, looking around I run into the Olympus PEN series, which is this "hybrid" type. Slightly compact, but with a light sensor very close to a DSLR. The only thing is that the darn thing is over $500 (with tax and stuff). I can NOT afford that.

So, my goal is actually going to be the Canon PowerShot SX30IS. It is also quite pricey, but BestBuy has it on sale for about $50 cheaper than what the Canon website shows. So, this weekend, I might pick one up. Another downside to this camera is that it is quite bulky looking, and after reading some reviews, it seems pretty heavy. So, it's not one of those carry around in my bag cameras. So I guess for the most part I will still be carrying my Olympus Stylus 1010 around still. I really don't know about this. I need help!!

So, as far as the iPod goes...I really messed things up by not getting one as soon as I wanted. Costco used to sell iPods for pretty cheap. My brother has access to the NEX and after comparing and putting everything into perspective, the Costco one was cheaper amazingly. So, earlier this year, I went to pick one up, and for the life of me I couldn't find the darn display. I kept walking around and walking around, and I'm thinking: this would be my luck if they stopped selling iPods altogether. So I finally found an employee and he told me that they stopped selling all Apple products...see: MY LUCK! So, after I recover from my camera purchase, I will as the brother to head out and get me my iPod.

Just wanted to vent out my frustrations with my need to be technologic. Will update when I get my goods!!

Party Time

Oh my...what a day! Today, my family and I celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday. It was such a great gathering. I was elected MC, and I was so nervous. Most of the guests were family that I don't get to see much, and the rest were my immediate family and my grandma's good friends. There was so much going on, and I was so thrown off from the beginning.

Let's start from maybe a month ago. When we first started planning what we were going to do, I really wanted to help, so I kept bugging my mom and her sister about different things that I wanted to make sure was going good. So, it was my own fault for being the MC, I ended up asking them, "So, who's going to be the MC?" and my aunty replied, "Oh, maybe you should do it!" Then she went on and told me, "Oh, you should dance!" I didn't end up dancing, but I got some great entertainers out of my pool of Okinawan friends.

Over the past maybe 2-3 weeks I have been continuously worrying about two things: making sure that my friends were ready to dance, and making sure I had the right material for the speaking part. It was hard because my mom and aunty were really busy, and I was getting more and more nervous.

Finally this past week I had been typing everything out, and trying to get the right material for the performances and the centerpiece giveaway game. Yesterday I was ready to practice the centerpiece game (which I made a left/right story for) with my mom and my aunty, so I was going to do it while we were getting the favors ready. However, my mom threw a curveball at me: she brought my dad. My dad is the worst critic that I ever encountered. He doesn't critique anyone...he CRITICIZES! It's horrible, and I already don't like him much, so when my mom urged me to wait for my dad to come back from transporting stuff around, I was getting more anxious. So, my mom told me to tell my story, and I think I got two sentences out, and I stopped because I wanted to ask for a suggestion to make the intro to the story flow a bit more, and my dad butts in saying that all the people there are old and that they're not going to understand me, so I was not going to tolerate this crap and I stopped, I didn't even read the story that my aunty was excited to hear. Later she asked me if I was going to finish, and I simply replied. "NO." I was too pissed off and I wasn't going to be criticized the whole way, so I refused to continue. I think I made her mad, but my mom understood why I did it, and only later kinda apologized/sympathized. It really seemed like my mom appreciated my hard work, but it just sucks that I always have to be so defensive and make other people mad at me for something I didn't do.

So, yesterday was kind of an eventful day...not in a good way though.

So, today comes, and I am getting more nervous and more nervous, especially since many things were not working in my favor.

For one thing, my dancers were not getting ready fast enough, and could not make it early to see the area they'd be performing. Not like it woulda really happened anyway, almost all the guests were early. So, that means we were setting up and doing everything with everyone there. It was sorta ok because everyone helped out. My mom was a bit mad because the old people were not ensuring quality control, but whatever it turned out!

So, the entertainment: it was so good! I am so happy and so proud of my friends. They really did a great job. To Julia and Michelle: THANK YOU for risking your joints and doing Shishi no Mai AND Ashibinaa! Also thanks to everyone else: Tori, Ashley, and Dazz, and the musicians: Lisa, Sean, Kenton, and even Melissa for doing all the hair and playing sanba. Times like this make me very thankful for great friends. Not the kind that will be nice to you so that they can get away with trying to be an adult rather than actually being one (vent moment). They did this for me, and I would do this for their grandmas too :)

The centerpiece giveaway game: frustrating! Anyway, I thought I was talking slow and clear enough for everyone to understand what's going on, but I was totally WRONG!!! Like I think I made this game for the totally wrong crowd...too many old people! Anyway, the centerpiece eventually went to someone, whether they cheated by claiming it theirs to begin with (Dazz), or they played their own game (the table in front of me).

All in all, the party came and went, and my grandma doesn't recall much :/ whatever, we will soon have a scrapbook for her to look at :)