three wicks

gift from hotel staff

snowman donuts

meatball soup

breakfast from miki

late lunch again

late lunch

okinawa

imasho

sashimi

otaru

goodbye happiness

After the sweet candy has disappeared
A sad looking little boy
On a cloudless Summer Day

Sunburnt hands and feet
Careless if her white one piece gets dirty
An unconscious paradise

I waited after the dream, but nothing
Then one day, I learned of your name

So Goodbye Loneliness
Singing along to a love song
Reflected in your eyes, I’m laughing

So Goodbye Happiness
We can’t return to those times
When we were naive and energetic
But that’s okay
Love me

You can’t overthink it or get too desperate
Don’t fool yourself
It’s a tough world

When humans find themselves all alone
Is when they realize the meaning of love

These fading passing days
Let me hear a gentle song
Do you still remember, to this day
The way we felt around the time we met

So Goodbye Innocence
We can’t return to those times
When we were naive and energetic
It’s all your fault
Kiss me

Oh everything goes round and around
Oh Darling Darling I’m not going to move on to someone else
Only you

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just live the way we are?
At crucial moments, my other self blocks my way.

So Goodbye Happiness
I want to return to those times
When we were naive and energetic
Baby, just one more time
Kiss me

english translation of goodbye happiness by utada hikaru

snacktime

blood sausage

flower candles

tokyo tower

Happy Halloween!

Fore!

vacation time

red roses

Please Stay With Me

Will you stay by my side? Quietly though a crack, the passion disappears
Always become unable to recognize the calm before the storm

Again and again I gather the little fragments of love
Piling them up piece by piece

Phone Number?

Boy: What's your phone number?
Girl: I don't know. I don't call myself.

Motherland

On that day you left, I just waved good bye as usual

As if we were going to meet again in this city.

To believe in love is not to lose myself,

Until my wish comes true, I'll remain smiling, and look at the stars, praying, and I will be here.

sunset

Every Heart

How many tears must be shed

before every heart can become honest?

To whom must we express our feelings

so that every heart can no longer feel loneliness?

shabu shabu

sweet gift

lots of bread!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes Recipe

I love pancakes! Let me rephrase that. I <3 pancakes! Although I also like it just plain with maple syrup (usually when rushing on a weekday morning), my favorite is with blueberries. This is a recipe for Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes. (^_^)

Kiss

I fell for you on that day

...I didn’t wonder why

But you know, you’re in my heart

It’s something I feel

There was no sound, but I knew

when it started to flow out

If it’s you... even if it’s you

my love for you turns into strength

Kitto Eien Ni (Surely Forever)

My Love, I cannot reach you anymore

so I just hug myself to sleep

Your Love, I need it once more, please

if only we could turn back the time

fuel for shopping

One Yellow in Many Pink Roses?

Got some flowers from Mr. Anonymous (no card telling who it was from) yesterday. (^_^) It's a very pretty bouquet of roses, 11 pink color and 1 yellow color. What does that color combination symbolize? My girl friend Miki told me it surely means something.

If Mr. Anonymous is reading this, could you tell me what it means please? And thank you very much for the lovely flowers!! (^_^)

Love & Truth

I'm thinking about you so much

Time doesn't stop for me

My empty heart still can't find your feelings

I can never draw the same picture twice

But my emotions are just repeating over and over again

Kimi Ga Irukara

Because you're here

There's no way to hide the tears

Because you're here

The world is real

Not For You

Knocked down unappreciated

Day is losing grip on the light

And everywhere I turn there is night

Locked out and confused I waited

I saw but never opened my eyes

Alone together blinded by lies

Beet Hummus Recipe

So, you have some pita chips, and is thinking of making your own dip. How about a healthy, pink-color dip? Interested? Get your kitchen tools ready, and lets make some Beet Hummus! (^_^)

photo courtesy of babble.com

Voice

Those days I cried in my pillow are a distant dream
Time goes by, I’m lost in the crowd, and my feelings wither away

With cold eyes, I only believed in things I could see
But then one day I held onto something intangible and fell asleep

Flower of Time

Yes, we didn’t even realize
It was love
Yes, when we met
That day

Orion

Not showing your weakness doesn't mean that you're strong
Because you told me. I believe

Sweet Dreams

Turn the lights on

Every night I rush to my bed

With hopes that maybe I'll get a chance to see you

When I close my eyes I'm going out of my head

Lost in a fairytale, can you hold my hands and be my guide?

Bran Waffles Recipe

What is similar to pancakes, but is a little more fun to make and eat? Waffles, that is! Bring out your waffle maker, and let's make some bran waffles! (^_^)

Vacancy

No one wants to wake up to an empty home

No one ever wants to be alone

It's not so easy to let them go

The ones that you love

Monday Morning

I became this way out of my own will

What should we do now?

Although the rain stopped, the week continued on

Life

Yeah, even though everyone noticed
They pretended not to
I thought I should just put an end to everything

Sugar-Free Chocolate Fondue Recipe

At the office friday unwind party, our hostess noticed me staring (and probably mentally drooling) at the chocolate fondue fountain. She approached and informed me that the chocolate fondue was sugar-free! Woohoo!! (^_^)

I asked her if I can have the recipe, and she handed it to me later that evening. Here it is:

Try the New Flock Beta, Chromium Powered!

I've been using Flock version 2.x for quite some time now, and it is the default web browser on my Qosmio and Vaio laptops. I learned from the Flock Blog that there's a new Flock beta available for download!

Sync Your Files in Real Time

Most of us work (or play) with multiple computers. Sometimes, we need to have access to that "particular file or document", but unfortunately, the one you have right now is not the updated version. (A slap-to-the-forehead moment!)

One solution is to use Google Docs, where we can edit and store our frequently used files in the cloud. When you are finished editing your document, you can download it to your computer. The problem comes when you forgot to download to your computer, or can't remember which computer you downloaded the latest version to. I found a neat solution! \(^_^)/

Create a Personal Microsite

I saw this new service that lets you create your own microsite, using stuff from your blog, pictures, twitter, facebook, and more. It's relatively easy to configure (I was able to do it, lol!!), and all your design changes appear in real-time.

Women's Dress Sizes and Measurements

Shopping for new clothes is fun! New blouses, shirts, pants, dresses, shoes, and accessories are not only fashion statements, but give others a good (or bad) impression of you. Dresses come in different sizes, and these sizes have different numbers, depending on the country of origin. Knowing your right dress size is very important, since a good or bad fit will make or break your overall look.

Convert Measurements Easily Online

Sometimes, we need to convert some units of measurement, but we don't know the proper conversion formula. We end up searching for the formula using our favorite search engine. The thing is, it does take time to do the 'research'. One website I recently encountered seems to have all the formulas needed conversions, like a one-stop shop of unit conversions. No more tedious searching on the web.

This One

How can I put this? I ...
I'm an independent woman, I
I've been crying like a child
I just wanted you to know the person that I am
More than any other of your friends
I will love you for a thousand years
Yours truly

Check If a Website is Really Down

Sometimes, you don't know if a website is really down, or is just unavailable for your current internet connection. I found a nice online service that helps you find out exactly that. ^_^

Just go to the Down for everyone or just me? site

What Your Site Looks Like on the Apple iPad

I don't have an iPad, but I'm curious as to how my blog site looks like on one of these cool devices made by Apple. I'm sure you are too (if you don't have an iPad as well).

You Should Eat After Your Workout

Our main goal for doing exercise and workout routines is to have better health. This is regardless if you are trying to lose or gain weight. However, there is a common tendency to starve oneself after exercise, especially when trying to lose weight. This should not be the case.

I do my short walk/jog/run workouts daily in the morning, six days a week. I do my exercise before having my breakfast.

Go Beyond Status Messages with Buzz

If you use Gmail, you probably are already aware of Google Buzz. This new service from Google lets you go beyond status messages, and lets you share your updates, photos, videos, blog entries, and more.

Watch Your Fave TV Shows Online, Anywhere

Failing to catch an episode of your favorite TV show (or shows) is very, very frustrating. A great solution is to watch it on the web, via streaming. Hulu.com is a great service, but it only caters to people who live in the US. What's an alternative solution?

Get Updated with Your Social Streams with Streamy

Most people nowadays spend their time communicating via social networks. We always find ourselves juggling between these networks: Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Flickr, FriendFeed, AIM, GoogleTalk, Yahoo, and Live. If you prefer a web-based app, you should give Streamy a try.

Improve Your Email Experience with Boxbe

Email can be very overwhelming at times. Not only do we get tons of messages from friends and family, we also get bombarded with those unsolicited emails. Sometimes, we fail to take action on an important email, mainly because our Inbox is so full and disorganized. I came across a nice service that helps us improve our email experience! (^-^)

Be Aware of Your Body Mass Index, or BMI

Nobody wants to get sick. Being sick robs us of our time to enjoy life. We get shocked by news of some relatively young celebrities passing on due to some life threatening ailments, or cardiac arrest even.

A healthy weight, diet, and lifestyle can help reduce the risk of cancer, various sicknesses, or diseases for that matter. It's easy to say, "I'm healthy as a horse.", but how exactly do we achieve health well being?

Black, White, Red... What are the Color Updates on Facebook for??

Curious as to why some girls are posting color updates on Facebook? You know, black, white, red, and so on. I didn't understand it too, but when I did some searching, I found this explanation:

Consolidate Your Online Life with Cliqset

I found a great web service that consolidates your online life. It lets you share all of your online activities, such as social networks, blogs, bookmark & news services, music / video / photo services, and reviews.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur Recipe

I've found a recipe for a homemade version of the famous Baileys Irish Cream. For the unfamiliar, Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur, made by Gilbeys of Ireland.

Claiming my Blog at Technorati

T9334BF9G5HV I just signed up at Technorati.com, created a profile, and trying to claim my blog ApplesK. I'm new to blogging, and I think Technorati is a great resource for learning what is currently hot in the Blogosphere.

Help Fight Climate Change with Your Blog

BrighterPlanet.com created a 350 Challenge, where they will purchase and donate 350 pounds of carbon offset for every blogger who posts the 350 Challenge badge on their site.

The initial goal was to sign up 350 bloggers, but Brighter Planet decided to open the challenge indefinitely. That means that as more bloggers post the badge, more carbon offsets will be purchased and donated.

Get Useful Food Info at MyFoodAPedia

You are what you eat. Or something like that.

When trying to maintain a healthy life, we need to be more knowledgeable about what we eat: its calorie value, and the appropriate food group it belongs to. I found an easy way to get this info (thanks to MakeUseOf.com), by just going to the MyFoodAPedia website.