An Extremely Long Update

Time flies, does it not? Time only loiters when you're doing something you don't like - math class, for instance.

Again, it's been a while since I last updated. Life has a way of suddenly presenting itself and hijacking all your free time. And of course Time, being a slut, always walks off with anything that comes along. Did that make sense? Of course not.

What has happened since my last post? Well...

University applications were sent to my five choices. Curiously, only one uni is in England - the rest are in Scotland. Coincidence? Maybe.

On a totally unrelated note, I'm falling more and more in love with scottish actor David Tennant. I'm really sad about his departure from Doctor Who... but on the bright side, he can go to Doctor Who conventions now! (where he will most likely be glomped and groped by rabid fangirls. My advantage is that I know karate. TRY AND TOUCH HIM NOW!!!!!)

So adorable it'll make your head explode.

I had my long awaited Philosophy exam. Standing there was the reason why I quit in the first place, proving once again that Fate and the Universe both have a delicious sense of irony, and are total bastards. Whatever - I got an A.

The day after said exam, I had a Biology test. I learned from said test that our Biology teacher is an evil sadist.
Several days of hardcore reviewing = a very tired authoress. Hopefully, that explains why I couldn't be arsed to update.

Something lovely happened on Dec 18. I had too much coffee that day, and was on the final stage of caffeine consumption (i.e. The Crash). It was Philosophy class, and we were supposed to watch a movie - Dracula with Keanu Reeves and his horrendous faux English accent. My favorite teacher says he'll go get some coffee, my friend and I jokingly tell him to get some for us as well. And what do you know - he did! He came back with 3 cups of coffee! And that is why the students absolutely love that teacher.

I've started watching Torchwood. Fantastic show! Russell T. Davies is, without a doubt, one of the greatest writers of his generation! (Yeah, yeah I know - he doesn't write every episode. But he created the show!)
In other news, I'm also loving John Barrowman more and more - but in a platonic sense. I just think he's adorable; a fabulous ray of sunshine, and he's doubly cute when with his partner Scott Gill. Seriously, more power to them.

Then the 21st came, and I watched Eddie Izzard's show!! Live! That man is a comedic genius! Topics included god being a drug addict, Jesus having tons of siblings (Asus, Bsus, Csus...), ninja sheep, giraffe sign language and so on. I nearly died laughing.

Yeah, yeah - no cameras allowed. But you know what? Bite me.

I got tons of books this christmas. It reminded me of a quote from Albus Dumbledore himself.

"One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a pair. People will insist on giving me books."

Admittedly, I did request those books... but damn. I still want socks. (I did get some though!)

The story I was working on didn't win the competition this year. I was a bit disappointed, cause I thought it to be a quaint and original story. But I'm feeling better about it now, mainly because I started reading Neil Gaiman's 'Fragile Things', and in the intro he wrote;

"Sometimes you just show stories to the wrong people, and nobody's going to like everything."

My plan to lose myself in the Gaiman universe still hasn't happened... but it will happen soon. One of these days.

BTW, a very belated Happy Christmas to Pope Benedict XVI and the lady in red. Thank you for making my holiday season.

My holiday season wasn't that grand. Mostly because I couldn't choose who I spent it with. To make matters worse - I got a cold (with fever as its companion). However, the Universe tried to comfort me by giving me dreams about David Tennant. It worked. The cold lasted only 5 days, but I considered trying to prolong it, if only to make the dreams last longer.

I watched 'The End of Time: Part 1', or in layman's terms - David Tennant's penultimate episode as The Doctor. Holy everything, that was an EPIC episode. It was like Shakespeare wrote LoTR, Star Wars, Star Trek, X-Men and The Matrix, with a bit of Harry Potter on the side. I'm anxiously looking forward to Part 2, but I do hope they explain everything properly.

BTW, just wondering; why does so much shite happen during Christmas in the Doctor Who universe?

Anyway, so 2009 is coming to an end. To be completely honest, it was quite a depressing year. Prominent deaths left, right, and center (although I didn't really care much), wars, bloodshed, natural disasters and financial crises... I hope 2010 will be a much better year.

My New Year's Resolutions (more will be added later)

• I will stop reading YouTube comments (or comments on any other website, really) so as to preserve my already dwindling faith on humanity.
• I will stop using the word 'gay' to describe something I do not like. I'll start using other adjectives, such as 'lame' or 'rubbish'.

I leave you now with this quote from 'The End of Time':

Oh my lord... She's a cactus!
- Wilf

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's A Bloody Good Day, Is What It Is

True that.

I finished my personal statement - 3425 characters (585 words)!

I just had my Karate graduation. Blue belt FTW!

I have a box of mixed chocolates, courtesy of my mother.

My university application is going along rather fantastically.

The story I'm trying to write is helping me out now by writing itself.

So fecking hell. Life is good.

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.<
- Rita Mae Brown

Short Rant About Crime Shows

I love crime shows, but there comes a point where writers have to draw the line. There will come a point when absurd plot devices and über-technology will no longer manage to impress, but instead come across as a laughable attempt to disguise a lack of proper plot.

And yes, I am looking at you, CSI:NY. I thought you were the cool CSI cousin, but now it seems to me that you're trying to compensate for a small body part.

Whatever. Just don't follow in your gay cousin's footsteps. (read: CSI:Miami)

Over 7,000 Words

Whilst fuming today, I came to realize that I become exceptionally cranky when I don't get enough sleep. Add stress and lack of caffeine to that mixture and the Large Hadron Collider suddenly seems like a waste of funds. You want The Big Bang? I'll give you The Big Bang.

Anyway...

Iced milk tea in Hong Kong. I miss it so much.
Both the country and the drink.

Greentea milkshake. Not in Japan, sadly.
It was fantastic nevertheless. I also miss it.

Ice cream formed like tiny beads! I used to have this as a child, but the country I live in now doesn't have them. Needless to say I relished every 'dot'.

Fun fact: I nearly killed someone while purchasing this ice cream. As you all know, I train Karate. I went up to the booth and placed my order, and did not know that there was someone behind me. I moved to get my wallet from my pocket, and elbowed a lady in the chest. That move is a Karate technique, and I could've actually stopped her heart.
Sorry about that.

Fancy a hug, luv?
From last winter. Fun with the exchange students.

My first proper Espresso!
It led to a colorful day.

We had to watch some boring movie. My friend brought snacks.
This happened.

:O
With my favorite teacher at the back.
You see that inconspicuous coffee cup at the right of this thumb-Harry?
Yeah, that's to blame.

Men are driven by testosterone, women are driven by Toblerone.
- Jo Brand

All Out Now

God I feel so elitist!

There's a bunch of people here talking about Twilight and it annoys the hell out of me.

See, the thing is, I was among the early Twilight readers. I finished the whole series before these feckers even knew it existed. *I* am the reason that our school library has the damn books. *I* requested them.

And now I hate it, while everyone loves it.

I sit here damning the casting director to hell, while everyone squees at how 'omgsoperfect' the choice for Edward is.

It's quite sad, really. I liked the series. I really did. LOVED it even. I absolutely adored Edward - pined for him, even...

And then the movie came along, and it was as though my eyes were forced open.

It's a stupid, STUPID story. Seriously.

The premise itself is idiotic: why would a 900+ year old vampire want to go to high school? Has he nothing better to do? Surely he's surpassed high school education! Why isn't he out somewhere working - or at least doing something more productive?

And what happened in the first book? Wasn't the first half of that dedicated to describing how Bella falls down at any microscopic piece of dust that lies in her path? There was absolutely NO plot at that point - it was just Bella and Edward declaring their undying love for each other after she fell down and he said he wanted to drink her blood. What kind of mental illness does that child have? Stockholm syndrome? What - WHAT?? I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years, Twilight becomes linked to a rising number of abusive relationships. (Nevermind if your partner wants to kill you - the important thing is that you LUV each other. And make vampire babies.)

And DON'T get me started on Breaking Dawn. That book is an abomination for anyone who has any basic knowledge of biology.

I now see Twilight as Stephenie Meyer's thinly veiled attempt to recreate her High School existence.

Peace.

You can't be wise and in love at the same time.
- Bob Dylan

Statements and Being Shipwrecked

I have to write a personal statement for university... It's not as easy as I hoped it would be. I want to come off as mature and professional, but so far I've written several drafts (in my head), and I always end up sounding like a pompous, arrogant brat.

So yes. I think I need to put this off until later. Next Tuesday, most likely. I shall then consume ungodly amounts of caffeine to speed up the process.

Whilst discussing this issue with my dear friends, the one who resembles Mufasa told me I should finish it as soon as possible because he wanted to read it. He then asked, how much do you love yourself?

I replied;

I love myself to the point of refusing to let others eat me in the event of a shipwreck.

And it's true. If such a situation arises, I would drizzle my dying self with poison. Because if those feckers want to eat me, I'll be taking them down with me, thank you very much.

I'm really happy with that answer. I hope this means my creative dry spell is coming to an end!

Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.
- John Russell

This Authoress Hates Something and Plays Games

I hate gym.

I totally, absolutely, unequivocally HATE gym. I've already ranted about this before (look here), so this won't really come as a surprise to anyone.

What is that subject for anyway? I understand the need to balance schoolwork with physical shite, but isn't it enough that students have to lug huge, heavy bags filled with books up several flights of stairs? Besides, if students really wanted to exercise, then let them do so on their own free time! Don't force them to run a marathon*, lift a car* or wrestle with a lion*, and then give them an F if they fail to do any of those things.

(*all these things are exaggerations... or are they?)

What schools seem to fail to comprehend is this; sometimes, it's enough to be smart. It's enough to be able to solve complex Physics equations without having to write with a 10 lbs piece of chalk. If that were the case, we wouldn't have Professor Stephen Hawking - we'd have Professor David Beckham.

-----

In other news...

I haven't been updating much, have I? Yes, I noticed that too. 1 update for September, and 1 for October. It's quite sad.

In my defense - I was swamped with schoolwork. Reports, presentations, tests and homework and all that. Oh, and facebook games.

Facebook games are EVIL! At first you think, it's just a game - it couldn't possibly do any harm. But then you find yourself caring more and more about it with each passing day. Then suddenly, you find that you're level 30+ on some pet/restaurant/wizardry game and your days seem shorter.

I am at the very least, proud to say that I don't play Farmville. Even though I just created a character for that one last night. I won't play it, honest. It was just part of a deal with my friend when she agreed to be my neighbor in Pet Society (we both need the coins).

-----

I wish I could write something more substantial here, but I've got nothing. Yet.

My blogging skills are rusty. I shall start posting more regularly again. Expect me every Tuesdays, cause that's when I've got loads of time on my hands.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
- Noel Coward

You Shall Read This And Nod Sagely

The danger of knowing too much is that things tend to become boring and meaningless.

Several times during the course of our lives, we'll find ourselves in situations where the urge to lie down and give up becomes overwhelming. Some give in. Others march on, without really knowing why they do so.

Hemingway was right; wise people can never truly be happy. They can't stop marching - they're too curious as to what lies ahead. But at the same time, they've already figured out what lies ahead, and know that the march is futile at best.

Times change. But most of all, people change.

Life: so many mysteries to uncover, so little time. All for the best, maybe. If mankind obtained the answers to all their questions, what then would be the point of living?

Her realm is close, and can be visited; however, human minds were not made to comprehend her domain, and those few who have made the journey have been incapable of reporting back more than the tiniest fragments.
- a description of Delirium (The Sandman: Season of Mists, "a prologue")

ThisHasToBeReallyQuickBecauseOMGI'veGotThingsToDo

...and I have to procrastinate!

Hello, hello. Nearly a month has gone since my last update. Things have been pretty hectic. Tests here and there, reports to write, projects to finish, presentations and all that jazz. In addition, this so-called thing called 'life' appeared and dragged me off to various places.

What has happened since my last post, hmm...

There was a Mensa conference, which was fun. The one thing I loved the most was that I could be as incredibly awkward as I wanted to and no one batted an eye. I love my people. It was a fecking IQ-test though, to find the place. I failed that test, seeing as I have the navigational capabilities of a blind tortoise lying on its back. But this story craves another post altogether, and frankly, I don't have the time.

The weekend after that I went to this anime conference. Twas fun! Once again, I love my people. I loved the looks on the ordinary people's faces as they walked past the queue. If facial expressions could speak, theirs would've likely said "WTF is happening??!" I can't blame them. It's not everyday you see Batman, various anime characters, vampires, zombies, ninjas and Darth Vader standing in line outside a building.

Booty shall be listed some other time.

And oh, yeah. This happened:

Omg I found my father!!!

So basically, I've got a bunch of books I want to read, a bunch of TV shows I want to catch up on, a bunch of anime series I want to watch and etc. But I can't...

...because of T.E.E.S.

But all is not lost, for I have found a new ally! Her name is Coffee, and she is my friend.

Gotta go now, I have a test tomorrow and 21 pages left to read.

COFFEE!!!

PS: We watched Persuasion (2007) in English class, and it's safe to say I've fallen in love with another one of Ms Austen's men. I also loved a line from the blurb at the back of the book... So melodic, so beautiful. It shall be my parting quote for now.

A love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities.

Excuses and Stories

So hello. It's been a while.

I could pretend that I've been kept busy by T.E.E.S. and so on, but really, I've only got my own laziness to blame. Well that, and Mock The Week... and MLIA... and those shiny online games. T.E.E.S. is partially to blame too, to be quite honest, as this past month I've been doing mostly nothing but running around trying to meet deadlines. But it's my autumn break! So finally, I can sit down and relax!

...not really, I've got shiteloads of things that are due after autumn break, so boo.

Quick recap of how my super-duper-über-extra-amazingly-fantastically-fabulously-fascinating life has played out:

Biology excursion: I went to the mountains! It was awesome, except for the climbing part... and the report we had to write later. But really, it was awesome.

The View

Class picture: Since the powers-that-be decided to be lame and only take portrait pictures, our class took matters in our own hands and took our own class picture! Shame that some people were absent that day, but meh.

Coffee, loads of coffee~

History test: There were loads of other tests, but this one is special. Our teacher has a nice policy that allows us to retake tests until we get a grade that we're satisfied with. I felt that my previous one was shite, so I actually stayed up late, and woke up early to review. Turns out, I didn't really need to retake that one because I got an A.

Presents: I got presents! From Bean! Oh joy!! :D

Gym: is the bane of my existence. We had to run 2 km, and I cheated by jumping on a guy's back. I felt awesome, until he dropped me 3 seconds later and I had to run on my own.

Hamlet: I'm actually pleased with my English class this year. It's focus is on literature, and so I stated last year that I would go bananas if we Shakespeare wasn't mentioned at least once. Not only did we discuss The Bard more than once, we also analyzed his sonnets and watched 'Shakespeare in Love' *and* 'Hamlet'. AND we played Jeopardy (which I totally won). AND I saw in our book that we're going to discuss Brokeback Mountain. So yes - I'm very much pleased. More than pleased, even.

Hugh Laurie: I actually dreamed that I was in a relationship with Hugh Laurie. Not Dr House - Hugh Laurie. It was weird.

Eddie Izzard: My tickets finally arrived!!! I'm seeing him this December!!! w00t!!

I met my soulmate: Well, not really... but there was this guy who was wearing an Urahara hat.

An Urahara hat

My friends and I spotted him when we were on our way to gym class. My friend jokingly wagered that she would give me a hundred *and* be my servant during autumn break if I went over and touched the guy. She must've underestimated the amount of caffeine in my system that day, because I promptly ran over to the guy and asked for a hug. I then noticed that he was wearing one of my favorite shirts:

But a lie told a thousand times can become the truth!

If that's not meant to be, ladies and gentlemen, then I don't know what is.

Oh, and I'm working on a great story. I got the idea while walking home from school. I hope to finish it sometime during autumn break... I've got loads of other projects I'm working on, but I'll manage.

Until next time!

An artist is a creature driven by demons. He doesn't know why they choose him and he's usually too busy to wonder why.
- William Faulkner

It Rains Both Outside and Inside

I am currently weeping because of a Kate Nash song.

I really love Kate Nash. Her songs are amazing. The words cut through you like a knife. Anyone and everyone can relate to at least one of her songs.

Before I post the lyrics, I just have one question;

Why do I still love you?

The Nicest Thing

All I know is that you're so nice
You're the nicest thing I've seen
I wish that we could give it a go
See if we could be something

I wish I was your favourite girl
I wish you thought I was the reason you are in the world
I wish my smile was your favourite kind of smile
I wish the way that I dressed was your favourite kind of style

I wish you couldn't figure me out
But you always wanna know what I was about
I wish you'd hold my hand
When I was upset
I wish you'd never forget
The look on my face when we first met

I wish you had a favourite beauty spot
That you loved secretly
'Cause it was on a hidden bit
That nobody else could see
Basically, I wish that you loved me
I wish that you needed me
I wish that you knew when I said two sugars,
Actually I meant three

I wish that without me your heart would break
I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
I wish that without me you couldn't eat
I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

Look, all I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen
And I wish we could see if we could be something
Yeah I wish we could see if we could be something

Through A Bag

Karate is a wonderful thing. A few hours ago, I was in angsty emo mode. But then I went to train and now I feel better! There's just something about kicking a bag full of sand that fills one with inner calm.

The only downside is, I had this delightfully angsty emo poem half finished in my head. But it's gone now.

So really, there is no point in writing any more.

(Actually, the truth is that my body is full of endorphins at the moment, and so my mind is relishing the wonderful feeling and thus cannot be arsed to compose anything.)

Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
- Robert Heinlein

Oh, How Things Change

I read through my old posts, and realized just how many things can change over the course of 2 years...

Mostly for the purpose of my own entertainment, I'm going to write what I think about some of my old opinions.

For starters, in this post I ranted about how much I hated emos, and people who acted emo.

Total number of emo posts to date: 8, (plus these unlabeled babies: O_O, @_@, -__-, O.o, T_T, ^_^, ^_~, and others that I might have missed...)

Perhaps I should start hating myself?

From this post: "I must say, the movie's really good. I actually rushed here when it was done, cause I wanted to give it a review while it was still fresh in my mind. I loved it! Absolutely loved it!"

I'm sorry, younger self. Your older self isn't too fond of that movie anymore. She believes it to be riddled with "facts" which have no basis in reality. The overall plot was good though, she gives you that.

I'm not too sure anymore about the conclusion that I reached here... Sometimes beautiful things can exist for no reason. Plus, I'm coming close to believing that maybe there is no higher purpose! Maybe life, the world, the universe and everything was just an accident. But humans fear that their struggles actually mean nothing, so they create their own purpose. It's like trying to make out images from smoke.

On the subject of this post, I'm really really surprised with the "results". I know for a fact that I've swore more than a couple of times here. Just goes to show that you can't trust a mere handful of samples - you have to take *several handfuls*.

About the Devil Girl arc from Sinfest... there have been updates. I'll be posting them soon.

That's basically all I wanted to talk about. For now.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.
- Neil Gaiman

I Am Not A Masochist

My fingers hurt... mainly because since this morning I've been strumming wires sharp enough to decapitate someone.

Yeah, I decided to finally pick up my lonely guitar and teach myself to play. This poor instrument has done nothing but collect dust in my room. Today, it can finally serve its purpose. I've always loved guitars, so it's probably high time that I learn how to play.

I'm doing pretty well now... After 8 hours of practice, I can play Pachelbel's Canon quite decently!

I just hate that I keep imagining the strings cutting through my fingers... I'm particularly wary of the C Major chord...

But yeah. Off to murder my fingers again!

I want every girl in the world to pick up a guitar and start screaming.
- Courtney Love

I'm Confused

This man confuses me;

That man is Gackt. He's practically a J-pop god. I still can't make up my mind about him.

He's the typical J-pop star. Cool, polished, a tad feminine, stylish, sexy, feminine, ambiguous... feminine... Better get to my point before his fans murder me.

His music isn't the kind I usually listen to, but I like some of them anyway. Top of the list would be Mizérable... mostly because he looks fantastically fecking HOT in that coat...

From another angle.

Oh and uhm, nice lyrics. Yeah. It's a love story. As most J-pop songs are...

I still can't decide if I like him or not.

I mean, as mentioned before, he is the typical J-pop star (*cough*feminine*cough*). But on the other hand...

...he's Gackt. And he's hot.

And he's kissed Hyde, apparently. Numerous times. (As evidenced here, here, and here.)*

[So it might not be that the man actually *kissed* Hyde, but more that there have been numerous *photos* of them kissing. Don't kill me.]

I'm not posting the image because my blog cannot handle the hotness... I mean, Gackt AND Hyde? Hahaha.. ha...

Please excuse this fangirl... just going to step out for a bit to implode.

A carp on the cutting board sleeps as it reflects its fate
- 'BLACKOUT', Asian Kung-Fu Generation

The Demons Strike Again

Okay.

So I was going to do this long, rambling post detailing the events of my summer vacation. But truthfully, right at this moment,

I. Just. Cannot. Be. Arsed.

Blame the demons Procra and Stinashun if you will, but really. Blame all the tiny demons that have been plaguing me since last month.

I know I said: 'I stopped fighting my inner demons, we're on the same side now.' But the fecking bastards defected to the side that I abandoned. So technically, we're at war again. And I don't think this one will end soon.

Here's another reason to have a devil on hand.
It does make all the little demons more... bearable.
- 'Haunted', Chuck Palahniuk

Wants To Post, Here's The Post

I strongly suspect that this post is going to be as chaotic as my mind...

I've fallen in love with another Japanese band. Aqua Timez. Love, love, LOVE their songs. Shame I haven't been able to find a store that has their CDs... maybe I should use Amazon next time.

My biorhythm chart tells me that I'll be feeling blue until next week. It's a damn shame, really. I want to be happy on my birthday... But screw that.

Fanfics! Ahh, fanfiction... There are some insanely good ones, but there are also some that exist on the other side of the scale. Good fanfiction can make readers doubt which things are canon. I've come across fanfiction stories written sooo well that for a moment I wasn't sure what actually happened (and didn't happen) in the original storyline.

But of course, only a select few have the ability to write such convincing stories. The other writers... they try. They genuinely try. Some of them manage to spew out somewhat forgivable finished products. Others... fail. Spectacularly.

You might be failing spectacularly as a fanfic writer if:

• Your story has more grammatical/spelling errors than words.
• You have chosen a format which makes your story unreadable. Toggle case should not be used... EVER. And please, for the love of everything that is sacred in Geekdom, use paragraphs! Nothing scares readers away faster than seeing a HUMONGOUS, undivided block of text.
  
• Your plotline is shite. This specifically refers to the overused 'character falls in love with OC/other character and they confess their feelings in the most OOC way possible.' Speaking of which...
• The characters are out of character. I admit, sometimes people may do OOC things in the name of love or competition, and sometimes that makes for a good plot device. But keep it real, people! This is believable: the shy character dances/sings in public to win someone's heart. This is NOT believable: the tight-lipped, stoic character spews out paragraph after paragraph of cheesy, romantic confessions. Hiei will never recite Shakespeare, and House will never make love to Cameron on a bed of roses. (Or maybe he will...)
• Your OC (own character) is a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu, if you're male). OCs are fine. But when I read stories with Mary Sues... the typical ones who have unbelievable skills/powers, who dominate the entire storyline, who push the actual characters out of the picture... I only have seven words for the author: I will stab you in the face! Satire/parody fics are exempt from this rule. Maybe this is the root of my hatred for all things Disney...
• Your story contains impossible crossovers. CharmedxHP I can accept, but HPxNaruto makes me want to slap you.
• You interrupt the story with author's notes (A/N). Use footnotes.
  
• You end chapters with faux dialogue between you and the characters. Really, using them to ask for reviews is just sad.
• Your story has over 40 chapters. I came across a fanfic with --I kid you not-- 95 chapters. Even the LoTR books never went over 30 chapters! (Combined is a different story. But Fellowship had 22 chappies, Two Towers had 24, and Return of The King had 20) And no, I did not read the fanfic.

And I've ran out of criticisms. Rest now, shitty fanfic writers, but I'll be back with more later.

Having said that...

I recently found the only copy of my first ever proper fanfic. The old feelings of pride resurfaced... until I read the thing again. Imagine my horror when I realized that the story --*my story* that I had once been so proud of-- had OOC characters, an incredibly shite and implausible plotline, and a Mary Sue. I felt the urge to destroy the pages, to destroy the evidence that I had penned something so bad, but I ultimately decided against it. I'm keeping it instead... as a reminder of how I should NOT write my future stories.

I do still write crappy fanfiction from time to time. But you know the difference between me and the other shitty writers?

I don't publish my work.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of paranoia.
- E.L. Doctorow

Bestfriend's Just Been Upgraded

[Mini note: This should've been uploaded ages ago. Please excuse the delay caused by crappy internet connections and the authoress' worsening memory gap.]

I don't really believe in the concept of soulmates. It's romantic, sure... souls linked to each other. A bond so strong not even time or fate or death can tear them apart... but nevertheless, I have trouble believing in it. Having said that...

I believe I've found my soulmate. I've known her all her life. Both of us have basically stopped growing and have remained petite. We like the same food. We hate the same people. We enjoy the same things. We understand each other without having to say a single word.

And... this is quite spooky; our teeth are crooked in the same way.

I love her with all of my cold, black heart, and she loves me with all of her pure, white heart.

And her name... is Poochie.

Behold, my soulmate.

Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.
- Richard Bach

Like Tea, Apparently

How does one blog about breaking someone's heart? Is there really a proper way to do it?

You can't possibly feel comfortable about rejecting someone when you've felt the pain of rejection yourself. But you also can't let yourself be swayed by others' emotions... you can't enter a relationship merely out of sympathy...

Matters of the heart are always messy. How can it not be? You're ripping out your heart and handing it over to another person.

Love is just like a cup of tea;
when properly mixed, it has a wonderful aroma.
If it is too strong, it will be too bitter to drink.
- Jing Si

One Republic Lied

Hello, dearest blog. It's been a while. I'm sorry if you feel that I've been neglecting you... rest assured I haven't. It's just that... with everything that's been going on, I just haven't found the time to update you.

But don't worry. That changes now.

My last post was on June 16th. Quite a lot has happened since then...

I uttered my infamous* quote; "He's an idiot, I'm an even bigger idiot. I am now tired of the whole situation, but it still doesn't change how I feel."
(*By 'infamous', I mean only 2 people know about it.)

I flew to London, where I saw and heard dozens of Japanese tourists (SUGOI~ ne?).

Then after 12+ hours in a tin can in the sky, I arrived in HongKong. A heatwave slapped me in the face when I stepped off the plane. And then I saw some unbelievably lazy creatures (aka Pandas).

Three days later I flew back to me homeland, where I thought I'd be slapped in the face by an even bigger heatwave. But instead I was greeted by a thunderstorm, which robbed our plane of its ability to land (for about 2 hours).

I saw my doggie again! Crappy guard dog, she is, but I love her to pieces.

I bought Sandman #2! Fantastic stuff!

I have been avoiding ghosts and demons. I know I've said that I stopped fighting my inner demons and that we're on the same side now. But feck it, more demons keep popping up.

Oh, and awesome food. Fantastic food.

Pictures shall be posted when I'm no longer melting... probably.

That's it for now! Ciao~

Certain people will always be bored.
- Albert Einstein

New Blood

This is what happens when the authoress drinks Red Bull AND latte.

If you can't read hiragana, it says 'Panda, teme wa baka yarou!'
Which of course means 'haha gotcha! Send me a message, I might consider telling you.'

The whole board was riddled with similar... outbursts.

My blood type is coffee.

Life Walks On And Music Tags Along

The world is ever-changing. What matters today might not matter tomorrow. That which causes heartbreak today might turn out to be a source of laughter two years from now. Nothing is permanent, except change. Does that mean that Obama will be here forever?? No, it does not.

But I digress.

Everything changes. But the one thing, apart from change, that will not ever go away is the need for music. We all need music to accompany our daily lives. Music is what feelings sound like.

So dear reader(s), without further ado, here's an update on my iTunes playlists:

(well... that was a fecking long-winded way to introduce this post, huh? Apparently there's still some blood left in my coffee!

...wait...)

MY PLAYLISTS (OLD):

Smart Playlists:

• All Japanese 133 songs
• Evanescence 32 songs
• Most Played* 79 songs
• Recently Added still varies every week
• Remioromen* 11 songs

* I changed the criteria. Most Played now only includes songs with a play count greater than 100.

** In my old post, I wondered why Remioromen had their own playlist. Now I know. It's because this band's music puts a smile on my face - that's why!

Regular Playlists:

• Angst Mode 55 songs
• Anime 103 songs
• Brother of Death 34 songs
• Classical 96 songs
• Complete Serenity 28 songs
• Desultory 23 songs
• Faves 60 songs
• J-Pop + J-Rock 34 songs
• Mozart: Requiem 15 songs
• MuggleCast 3 songs
• Offbeat 55 songs
• Opera 11 songs
• OPM 15 songs
• Rainy Night 58 songs
• Rock 178 songs
• Rocky Horror Picture Show 7 songs
• Sleepy Hollows 70 songs
• The Dark of The Bleeding Moon deleted
• The Phantom of The Opera 20 songs
• Tranquility 29 songs
• Tranquility II 18 songs
• Upbeat 68 songs
• Warm and Fuzzy 80 songs

NEW PLAYLISTS:

Smart Playlists:

- Highest Rated 69 songs
(Songs with a 5-star rating...)

- Ajikan 9 songs
(Asian Kung-Fu Generation finally got their own well-deserved playlist)

Regular Playlists:

- <./.3 26 songs *
(As the 'name' implies, this is the remedy for a broken heart. It starts out with sad, angsty, 'woe-be-me' songs, like And All That Could Have Been by Nine Inch Nails, and then gradually progresses to angry, 'good riddance' songs such as My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne and Over You by Chris Daughtry.)

* The playlist name is actually straight out heart emoticon with a slash in the middle. But somehow, it causes Blogger's coding to go haywire, so I had to put periods in between the symbols...

- B.A.M.F. 10 songs
(Simply put, this playlist makes me feel like a Bad Ass Mother F***er. Songs include Thoughtless by Evanescence, Ich Will by Rammstein, and so on)

- Comedy 4 songs
(Sound bites from stand-up comedians. Perfect for some smiles.)

- Dreary Overcast 5 songs
(Includes songs that make me quite sick to my stomach... Sick with a dreary, smothering feeling, that is. The Cure's One Hundred Years is here.)

- Pensive 12 songs
(The perfect playlist for when I'm pondering my existence once again. Gives me that chilly, peaceful feeling.)

- Soothe the Rage 28 songs
(I had to create this when a ***** **** **** in my English class infuriated me to the point that I actually considered homicide... This playlist is designed to calm me down - hence, soothe the rage.)


And that's that!

Music is what life sounds like.
- Eric Olson

Music is the medicine of the breaking heart.
- Leigh Hunt

This Will Be Quick

Imma see Eddie Izzard in December!!!

*squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~*

Green Belt

People of the world--

I have a GREEN belt!! Mwahahahahaha~

(Oh, and I had my first ever close encounter with an overbearing mother. I don't care if your child's 11, you have no right to disrespect my Sensei!)

NOOOOOOOOOO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Actor David Carradine found dead.

O.M.G.

I love The Sandman. I'm sure of it now. I love it.

I'm going to start collecting the whole series. All doubts have gone out the window.

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like "maybe we should be just friends" or "how very perceptive" turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love.

- Rose Walker, SANDMAN #65: "The Kindly Ones:9"

Let Me Just Say

You have not lived until you've had a "Eureka!" moment...

...brought on by Red Bull.

Faux Fight Club with Updates

I have a shiny medal! First place in a kata competition, baby! w00t!

Then I hung around and watched some black belts punch each other in the face. Fun! T'was like having ringside seats to my own, personal fight club. Well, not really... just ringside seats to an ordinary fight. Mother felt queasy afterwards though... not too surprising, considering she just saw a guy get elbowed in the eye.

But anyways...

Oh, My Poor Heart update:

This country finally pulled one of the many sticks out of its arse and imported RED BULL!! YEAH!!! I've got a 4-pack sitting in the fridge - CHILLING!

Shuttle to Geekdom update:

The enemies have been defeated, and the Shuttle is safely parked in the motherland.

However, the pilot is currently sorting through some matters of the heart, and is thus incapable of traveling any further at present.

So now we wait.

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.
- Marlene Dietrich

And The Devil Girl Fell in Love...

I am currently loving a Sinfest story arc.

In the story, a devil girl meets a nerd. An evangelist then comes along and condemns the devil girl for "tormenting" the nerd's soul, and then later castigates the nerd for "consorting with [the devil girl] of his own free will". Finally fed up, the devil girl moves to destroy the evangelist, but the nerd stops her. And then this exchange takes place:

Nerd: No! You don't want to do this!
D.G.: Yes, I do. I'm a devil girl!
Nerd: But you weren't always a devil girl.

And so she fell in love.

But of course, The Devil does not approve.

Here's the latest comic from the arc:

Ishida-sama, I sincerely apologize for any bandwidth problems I may cause by linking to this pic... But I just feel that I have to share this masterpiece with the world!*

[*Well, with my reader(s) anyway...]

Here be links to the important strips. The whole thing starts in the Expand My World arc (this one is particularly important), and then continues on:

• Aw Hell 5
• Time To Get Busy
• Reversion
• Gypsy 'nique 5
• Intellectual (this one's a whole arc. Here be part 2 and the others)
• Evil Eye 2
• Day in the Life
• Nerd Puppet (2 parts)
• He'll Never Love Me
• Convert
• Lovesick
• Stupid Stupid Stupid
• Snap Out of It
• Devil Book (2 parts)
  
• Love Poetry
• Love Letter
• Medication

The latest strip, so aptly titled "I'm Not in Love" is already posted up there.

I really hope her story ends in a happy note... because not all stories do, you know. Real life stories in particular tend to end in heartbreak.

But you weren't always a devil girl...
- Crimnee

Something Hurts

Watashi
no
kokoro
wa
itai
desu...

Childhood Memories

I was chatting with a couple of friends, and came to the realization that I did a lot of stupid things in my childhood...

Stupid, yet incredibly hilarious things.

-----

One time I used Tabasco as a makeshift lipstick... Now imagine a child going "Voilà! .... oooOOOOWWWWW!! *cries*"

Another time, my cousin and I thought it would be a brilliant idea to shave our heads. With razors. So we did, and later came running to our grandmother with bleeding heads. Good times, good times. Oh, and we poured rubbing alcohol on the wounds... cause the commercial said it was important to clean wounds...

I think I drank cologne once, because the bottle looked all pink and shiny (could that be the source of my hatred of all things pink?). To this day I'm not sure if that actually happened or if it was just a dream, or something I imagined. But I remember the taste (quite vividly), so...

I remember being fascinated by the anime Sailor Moon, so once I colored my nails black using permanent marker and danced around the living room. Not the craziest thing I've ever done, but still worth mentioning.

One time, another cousin and I were convinced that there was some buried treasure in the living room, and that our cat was the key. So we lifted the cat and blew in its arse, and went to wherever its tail pointed... Our parents later came home to the two of us trying to dig a hole.

Another time, me and the cousin from the shaving heads incident had a "water fight". We basically took some old mugs and threw water on each other. Naturally, this resulted in the breaking of said mugs, and shards of them being scattered all over the floor. I remember thinking, "Right, I better put my slippers on so I don't cut my feet." So I walked over the broken mugs to get my slippers. My feet bled.

I used to ride my bike around a cemetery... but that was probably my mum's idea.

-----

Well, that's all for now. When I remember more, I'll post them here.

Like I said, good times... good times.

Childhood is the sleep of reason.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Wanted

Where is this diapered archer? Imma cut him with one of his arrows.

Cupid. If I ever get my hands on him.

Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad.
- William Shakespeare

An Open Letter to Ron Howard

I just saw Angels and Demons. And some venting is in order...
-----

Dear Mr Howard,

I must start this letter by thanking you, dear sir, from the bottom of my dark heart. Thank you for successfully mangling another otherwise exciting book. You did everything right; you snatched a few significant details away, you left out some key scenes, and totally 'revolutionized' the end! I really commend the way you tore off the spine and produced a jellyfish of a plot. You did a fantastic job of keeping the audience in the dark (no pun..) for most of the movie.

The pool scene near the start? I thought that was ingenious! That was a really subtle way of showing off Mr Tom Hank's fantastically chiseled physique. I can honestly say that I was not reminded of a blob of cheese at that point.

Another thing I must absolutely praise is how you made no mention of the villain's motives at all. Well done on that! Viewers will absolutely not think it strange that a man could do such heinous acts without any cause. Sometimes people just wake up and decide that they will do evil things that day. It happens.

I would love to go on and shower praise on every single part of your masterpiece, but I'm afraid I must stop here. You see, Mr Howard, your movie was so stunningly incredible; I simply cannot stand to think about it one more time. I'm locking the memory of your Angels and Demons in one of the dark oubliettes at the back of my mind, and there it will remain until I see fit.

By the way, I'm destroying the key.

Lots of love,
The Crazy Authoress

PS: Oh, and thank you so very much for removing my favorite scene. Because that scene was not brilliant and utterly significant and symbolic AT ALL.

Feck Big Brother If He's Watching

Day 5: Still in an insufferable state...

I bloody hate this. I really do. I'm already not feeling well (human virus, aaaaahhhh!!) and this bloody emotion just has to mess with me right now. I woke up at 3 am today. *3* AM. Just when I need sleep to help my system recover. I really hate this. I really do.

No emoticon or words can aptly explain how I feel right now, so I'll just quote my outburst from yesterday.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Interlude

Because what I'm feeling right now cannot be adequately summed up by a single verb encased in asterisks...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Nutter in The Woods

Last night, I was at a party, and it very nearly turned into a stereotypical horror movie. 'Twas fun though.

Here's what happened;

We were in a cottage in the middle of the woods, next to some old, unused mines. The festivities started at around 8pm, but the real heart-pounding fun did not start until around the stroke of midnight.

Around 11 pm, the guys thought it would be fun to go and explore the old mines. After a while, the girls started getting curious as to where the guys had gone and why they hadn't come back yet. The males did eventually return, but they kept going back outside. Due to incessant queries by the females (you do not hide shite from females), the guys then admitted the reason for their vigil outside; apparently they had seen an unknown man walk past them, past the mines and towards the woods. This got them a bit curious, as there was nothing there - no reason for anyone to go there so late in the night. But they didn't think much of it.

And then they heard a scream.

While all that was happening, myself and two friends were chatting by a window, oblivious to whatever was happening outside. Then we saw something hit the windowpane. Pretty soon it became clear that *someone was knocking on the glass and scraping a glove against it*. Our initial thought was that it was just someone we knew who was messing around with us, but it quickly became obvious that we were mistaken. All the girls were inside, and all the guys were congregated outside the entrance - situated at the other end of the cabin.

By this time it was clear to everyone that some nutter was messing around with us. Midnight saw everyone gathered around the door, looking at each other with an expression of apprehension. I'm pretty sure the word on everyone's mind at that moment was a four-letter word starting with 'F' and ending with 'uck'.

Anyway, we weren't really sure what to do yet, so we all just stood there, waiting. Then I looked out a window from across the room and saw a face. I thought, 'Reflection?', but then soon realized that it was not. Lying perpendicular to that window was a long table, so there was no way anyone could've stood there. Then the guys saw something from another window and the tension increased threefold. We locked all the windows and gathered around the now-locked entrance. The birthday girl called her parents to ask if they could stop by and check on us. Pretty much everyone was looking at each other nervously, having seen one too many horror movies in their time.

The guys were impressively quite brave. Once again they decided to stand guard outside and wait until our hostess' parents arrived. So they gave us girls explicit instructions to keep the door locked, then went outside. I then understood why boys usually die first in horror movies - they lack the ability that girls have to get scared and stay inside where it's safe! To show my support though, I gave one of them a fireplace poker.

"Don't stand there unarmed."

Even after the parentals arrived, the nutter kept on throwing stuff at the house - twigs and nuts and whatnot. There really was nothing the guys could do, as it was dark and near zero-visibility in the woods. I, however, made myself pretty useful by lecturing people on how not to die when in a horror movie. "Don't have sex," I told them, "You'll die first." True story.

At around 1am we all decided to call it a night. People went home, and the nutter was never discovered or caught. He's still there, and who knows what he'll be up to next time.

Rules to Survive a Horror Movie, #22-23: (Source Unknown)

The first woman to either lose or remove her clothing is dead meat.

The guy with the testosterone overdose is also dead meat.