r a i n | scene

Feng Yu Jiu Tian craze

2012-01-28T03:52:00.001+08:00

I have just read finish all 27 volumes of Feng Yu Jiu Tian (鳳于九天), an epic Taiwanese Boys Love novel written by Feng Nong (風弄). To use just one sentence to aptly describe my current feelings would be: I felt my life has come to a complete halt, my thirst to know more is killing me from within!

Many (including you, my good reader for whatever reason brings you here) would believe me to be insane or at least a melodramatic individual whose exaggerated claims are better off used for a drama script. But voracious readers or at least fellow readers of Feng Yu Jiu Tian will, without hesitation, nod fervently in acknowledging how tormenting it is to wait for the next installment of a good book you find hard to put down! Put simply, if you had ever once been part of the 99.9% of the population waiting for J.K Rowling to complete her masterpiece and publish her Harry Potter novels, you are sure to comprehend and empathize with my current feelings of anxiety and restlessness.

Getting back to the main topic, I was conveying how restless I am at having to wait for Feng Nong to complete volume 28. I cannot help but wonder...我是否能在這一生中等到，看到，讀到鳳於九天的結局嗎？In this lifetime, is it even possible for me to wait for, see and read the ending of Feng Yu Jiu Tian? I am pretty much convinced by the time I hit the age of 50, the Taiwanese novel might still be ongoing because the plot just keeps building up, loose ends are still left untied as one arc closes and another begins almost immediately, more characters (both major and minor) are being introduced, the main protagonists and antagonists are in a continuous process of development, and the overarching goal of the narrative (I refer to Rong Tian and Feng Ming's ambitious plan to unite all 11 kingdoms under one single ruler, the Xi Lei King Rong Tian himself) is far from being achieved. Both directly and indirectly, Ruo Yan's malevolent plots to capture Feng Ming and possess him completely in body and spirit impede efforts made by Rong Tian to reclaim his throne and thus set in motion plans to conquer other kingdoms.

Before I continue my ramblings, I shall provide more descriptions of the main characters just to exhibit my great love for these fictional beings! Oh, how I wish they were real~!

Ruo Yan

Ruo Yan (若言). King of Li Guo (離國). Having witnessed Feng Ming's lovable character and remarkable intelligence, Ruo Yan is deeply smitten by Feng Ming, much to the latter's dismay and misfortune, to the degree of possessiveness. He is willingly to sacrifice anything just to attain Feng Ming. Ruo Yan's feelings for Feng Ming are highly ambivalent . On one hand, he displays worry and concern when Feng Ming is in distress, on the other hand, he does not bat an eyelid when 'abusing' Feng Ming's body. However, it is undeniable that Ruo Yan habors romantic feelings for Feng Ming.

Highly intelligent. Brilliant military strategist. Manipulative. Malicious.

Before I end this blog entry abruptly (it is already 4 plus in the morning!), I shall shamelessly showcase my latest digital art recently submitted to DeviantArt.

The Legend of Sun Knight

2011-12-20T22:32:00.005+08:00

I just finished reading the Legend of Sun Knight novel... Or, should I say, I finished reading what can be read! Argh! This is aggravating! The suspense is killing me! I need the last installment of this series!

I must say, the author 御我 is really something. Her light novel series got me hooked for hours on end that turned me, someone who abhors learning the Chinese language since secondary school, to a Chinese reader! This unexpected development scared even my parents who expressed concern and worry that perhaps studying has loosened a few screws in my brain. I assured them though that my sudden interest in Chinese novels has less to do with breaking down under pressure and more to do with the interesting stories themselves. This is coupled with the fact that I AM Chinese in the first place, so reading Chinese novels IS a perfectly normal behavior and not something to be alarmed about.

Speaking of being alarmed, I was unpleasantly surprised by Grisia Sun's latest character change in the novel. Grisia Sun turned into a complete....to put it very bluntly, bastard! An evil, sadistic, and manipulative bastard. This is not to say that he was not such a character before he willingly underwent the ceremony to become a demon king. In fact, Grisia the Sun Knight has always been highly manipulative and at times vindictive when matters concerning his dearly cherished twelve holy knights arise! But during those times, Grisia's basic motive underlying all his manipulative schemes and methods was to protect his fellow holy knights!

However, Grisia the Demon King is now merely concocting plans for personal gratification, without a single strand of remorse, guilt, or care for the lives of others. To Grisia, people's lives, including that of his subordinates and former twelve Holy Knights companions, are mere playthings to satiate his desire for...enjoyment. One line from the chapter nicely sums up his current temperament:

「親愛的沉默之鷹。」我故意說起等陽以前說過的話：「如你所願，我是個不會毀滅半個世界的魔王，比起毀滅世界這麼無聊的舉動，我更喜歡玩遊戲，希望你會喜歡我的遊戲。」

"My dear Silent Eagle," I deliberately mention Deng Yang's previous words, "As you wish, I am a Demon King who will not destroy half the world, compared to the boring action of destroying the world, I like playing games more, I hope you will enjoy my games."

GRISIA SUN, YOU ARE SUCH A COLD-HEARTED BASTARD. But this is probably why I love Grisia so much! However, I must admit, I still prefer Grisia's previous personality whereby he spews nonsensical stuff about the "Under the God of Light's grace...blah blah blah...the God of Light will forgive all those who bask under his light...etc etc...." and his strong sense of camaraderie! A Grisia Sun who cares not for his comrades and only himself is NOT Grisia Sun! I really hope the twelve holy knights will rescue Grisia from this cesspool of madness.

Angelus Mortis

2011-12-18T18:39:00.007+08:00

Whew! I'm artistically exhausted! This is my latest photomanipulation titled 'Angelus Mortis' which is Latin for 'Angel of Death'. The artwork itself is inspired by the songs 'Serenata Immortale' and 'Diem Ex Dei by Globus.

This was one of my most challenging pieces. The wings was particularly difficult to blend in to create an overall cohesive look. I'm not wholly satisfied with the final product. I still lack the skills, practice, time, and that extra dose of artistic inspiration and talent. But I thoroughly enjoyed creating, constructing, producing the artwork! For some strange reason, or perhaps it's because I enjoy being fully absorbed in a task, I love the process of creating a photomanipulation. The thrill! The exhilaration! The pure joy of being a creator, a maker, a first-hand witness to the birth of an artistic product!

Holiday Rants

2011-12-11T03:24:00.011+08:00

Exams are finally over and holidays just started! So I'm going spend a great deal of time ranting about my past few days of blissfulness!

One Piece is the best anime/manga in the world! The plot is filled with action and humor. For someone like me who enjoys getting a good laugh out of shows, One Piece suits perfectly. I'm honestly shocked that I did not discover this long running anime years ago! So right now, I'm taking my time to catch up with the latest episodes.

I absolutely adore Luffy! His silliness, strong sense of camaraderie, innocence, and conviction make him quite easily my favorite anime character. Other Shounen anime/manga heroes like Allen Walker from D. Gray Man, Uzumaki Naruto from Naruto, and Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail tend to suffer from this pervasive sense of self-pity/hatred/guilt. However, Monkey D. Luffy does not. When Luffy meets a strong adversary or faces defeat, he wills himself to stand up, strengthens himself, and launches into another battle.

Apart from falling in love with One Piece, I'm also watching Durarara!!. I'm in love with the ending theme song! (The song is playing right now.) Is that strange?

MOST IMPORTANTLY, I finally bought The Legend of Sun Knight volumes from Kinokuniya. I was really surprised that the bookstore held LSK volumes! The story is written in traditional Chinese so for someone like me who learned only simplified Chinese in school, it's taking quite a while to digest the contents. Oh! The hell I put myself through to consume a good story!

You can read the english version from two sources: LSK blogspot or Prince Revolution.

Close to breaking point

2011-10-23T20:42:00.004+08:00

I finally understand why the suicide rates in Singapore are escalating at an alarming rate. I may not be an adolescent reaching the age of puberty, claiming that the "World is so goddamn unfair. Why should I live?!", or a psychologically challenged teenager who derives sadistic pleasure in slashing her wrists. Far from it. I love my family, friends, and perhaps...my life when it is not buried under piles of academic work.

Let me put it across nicely. I'm your average undergraduate who has survived for the past few weeks on 2 hours of sleep and red bull in order to finish off her seemingly insurmountable assignments. And I'm barely done. I have two more essays to go before my examinations start. My brain is overly saturated. I think I might explode any time now.

And the government wonders why youth these days are dropping off dead?

So help me lord, please give me the strength and perseverance to endure for another month till my term ends! I fear I may be losing it soon....

Feng Yu Jiu Tian (鳳于九天)

2011-08-06T00:00:00.032+08:00

Oh my good lord! I think I may have just found the perfect Yaoi (Boy's Love) romance novel in the entire world - Feng Yu Jiu Tian (鳳于九天). (I am NOT exaggerating at all in saying this). I can't even begin to express how absolutely thrilled and euphoric I am to have stumbled across this marvelous Chinese literature! This is the first Chinese novel to have made me wish that I was perhaps more gifted in my Mother Tongue and had taken my learning in the Chinese language more seriously.

Putting the issue of language barrier aside, I will spend a little more time to explain the reason for my joy in finding this precious Chinese novel by Feng Nong.

Before I begin however, here's a little summary about Feng Yu Jiu Tian.

Feng Ming was only 19 when he lost his life saving a child from death without hesitation. The grateful father of the rescued child grants Feng Ming a second chance at life. Unknown to Feng Ming, his soul is whisked away to a far away ancient land (resembling the dynasties of China). Upon waking up, he finds himself inhabiting the frail body of Thunder Kingdom's crowned prince who is also graced with the title of the most beautiful man across all the lands. However, his beauty has a price as he attracts the unwanted attention of the minister of affairs, Rong Tian who finds every reason to torment the prince mentally and physically. As Feng Ming starts to get a hold of the conspiracies surrounding him, what will happen when the prince's true identity is revealed? And what happened to the 'real' prince?

You can find the English translated version of the novel here: http://sookybabi.livejournal.com/.

Feng Ming, the most beautiful uke to have ever graced my eyes, is an absolutely delightful character! He is quite unlike the usual 'play submissive' or 'act spoilt' uke, but instead has a distinctive personality of his own. He is quick-witted, a tad naive, childish at some point in time, and also a remarkable genius with the brains of a typical university student from the 21th century. The fusion of his extraordinary beauty and intelligence captures the heart of the wise and handsome King Rong Tian. He also has a deep and undying love for Rong Tian.

Rong Tian is our seme who is not quite the gentleman but not quite the cold-blooded whip-in-hand villain either. He is ruthless and unrelenting in the world of politics, but carries a soft and tender heart towards Feng Ming. He is so devoted and deeply in love with Feng Ming that not even a maiden of goddess-like proportions can stir his heart. Also, his love and dedication to Feng Ming runs so deep that when his lover was kidnapped by Ruo Yan (a king from another kingdom who also harbors a love interest towards Feng Ming), he would willingly engage in an open war to rescue Feng Ming.

The interaction between the two lovers is so endearing! I can't help but gush and squeal about the way they whisper words of promises and sweet-nothings to one another. These are some of the few famous lines spoken by the two steadfast lovers.

天下壮丽江山吴与你共享
世间轰烈快事吾与你分尝
惟有灾难吾一人独挡

I will share this beautiful world together with you.
I will share this world's most happiest things with you.
Only disaster I will bear it alone.
- Rong Tian to Feng Ming

纵使成为十一国之主你是我的容恬
纵使兵败国亡你是我的容恬
就像我永远是你的凤鸣

Even though you become the king of the 11 kingdoms, you are my Rong Tian.
Even though you lose in the battle, you are my Rong Tian.
Just like me, I am always your Feng Ming.
- Feng Ming to Rong Tian

There is a manga based on the Chinese novel itself, which you can easily find on any manga site, but the manga artist Wang Yi takes quite a fair bit of time to update so the manga has only covered Volume 1 of the novel. I would therefore recommend any Yaoi fans to read the novel first. You won't be disappointed. ;)

This is a beautiful cosplay video of Feng Yu Jiu Tian which I found on youtube. The dude with the red hair is Rong Tian, and the brown Feng Ming. The beautiful lady is a character which I'm not yet familiar with, though I suspect she is Rong Tian's old flame.

Beautiful Music

2011-08-04T02:54:00.006+08:00

Rarely have I ever cried over a piece of music, but Ayumi Hamasaki's latest single "Moon" really turns on the water faucets. This beautiful music composition will bring even the most stone-hearted man to tears.

浜崎あゆみ / MOON

The night we met blended in with the bustle of the city
Passed between dreams and reality and disappeared like an illusion
Because the moon that day was too far and my memory was vague with your blurred figure
I thought I'd be able to forget you

I'm sorry that I didn't even have the courage to softly wipe the tears
That you showed me for the first time when I hurt your heart

I'll give you a gentle song
So that you can believe in eternity for ever
So please don't ask me anymore
With such sad eyes, in a trembling voice
"Do you love me?"

We looked up together at the moon that looked close enough to touch, didn't we?
It was so beautiful that I felt pain in my chest and was about to cry

I closed my eyes and sweared
"If this prayer come true, I need nothing, nothing else."

I'll give you a gentle song
So that you can believe in eternity for ever
So please keep smiling
And let me hear you say, "I'm happy"
Once again

I'll give you a gentle song
So that you can believe in eternity for ever
So please don't ask me anymore
With such sad eyes, hiding your trembling voice
"Do you love me?"

My latest photomanipulation work. For once it is not dark/gothic/emotional artwork, but purely a simple light fantasy work. I wanted to venture out of my comfort zone and experiment with new ways, methods, color schemes, and techniques. It was a pleasant surprise because I wasn't entirely sure that I could EVER pull off a light and happy piece of artwork.

Set Me Free (deviantart)

2011-07-07T02:10:00.009+08:00

I have just completed a rather complicated and laborious (self-imposed) task. And what task could that possibly be? Why, my photo manipulation, of course! But before I go on at length about my past few days of living torment, I shall first showcase an earlier artwork which I had submitted for a Music Inspired contest.

I finished this piece fairly quickly because the model image, the backgrounds, the lanterns, the leaves etc...fell into place by themselves.... And the entire vision and imaginary world I have created in my mind slowly took life of its own. Oh, the joy and utter sense of accomplishment!

My creative juices did not stop flowing however, and I began to embark on yet another journey to create my imaginary world. This time the 'vision' I had in mind was that of a lady in a volcanic landscape. She is a complete state of nirvana where she is willing to let go and to free herself from her physical bonds. My vision is as you can see from the following artwork.

WELL, this vision was mightily hard to accomplish! Perhaps the toughest challenge I had imposed on myself since I first entered the digital realm 4 years ago.

Knowing that this would be my hardest work yet, I took my time. I would rest after 3 hours and continue after every day or so. Days passed by as quickly as they came, however the final mark of achievement still appeared a goal far too out of reach. I was tired from the lack of sleep, amused and annoyed that flaws kept appearing, but also proud that my 'vision' was becoming a digital reality.

So today is the day where I decided that enough was simply enough. An artwork of pure perfection is a dream of waking artists, and one would be foolish to try to realize that dream, especially one at my current level of photo manipulation skills.

I may be miles away from creating an artwork of perfection but as an artist I take pride in having delivered what I had initially sought to accomplish.

The Tormented (Deviantart)

2011-06-21T02:50:00.012+08:00

Another dark photo-manipulation which I promptly finished soon after returning from my holiday trip to Hong Kong, Zhuhai, ShenZhen, and Macau (11th to 17th of June). I have no wish to speak about the holiday because, frankly, it has been like a dream - short-lived, thoroughly pleasant and enjoyable, fleeting - that ended all too soon. Perhaps I will speak at length about my holiday trip when my mood lightens.

On another note, I am aware that I have been neglecting my blog, save for the occasional entries about my recent artworks. Hence, for this entry, I shall spend a little more effort in composing a slightly more entertaining and informative content.

So, for starters, let's see what I have been up to... Nothing noteworthy in particular.. I've finished reading Norwegian Wood by my favorite author Haruki Murakami during my Hong Kong trip. The phrase that struck me most and that has remained firmly etched in my mind is: "Life is here, death is over there. I am here, not over there."

After closing the book, I was left stumbled and forced upon myself a reassessment of my purpose in living and direction in life. The answers I am looking for are not simply about academic nourishment to ensure one's advancement in office so as to return in abundance material and emotional wealth to my loved ones. It was...more than that. Much, much more. Unfortunately, as I am philosophically unenlightened, I have not managed to derive a satisfactory answer.

Where do our loved ones dwell after being freed from their physical bonds? Where do we go when we share the same fate? Heaven? Hell? Nowhere? I am not plunging into a long debated religious discussion about who goes where and why...It's just a simple question which we can expect a simple answer for.

We do not die, for such a possibility does not exist. We may have departed from the physical world, but our spirits remain for ever. So, once again, I reiterate: where do our spirits go? Is there really another world out there? Another dimension whose existence we are not aware of?

Of course, by posing those questions, I have already made an assumption that we are indeed living, and are not simply brains in a vat believing our 'lives' into existence. Even if the brain-in-a-vat scenario is true, it still points towards the probability of existence of this other world.

Well, it is PRECISELY because such philosophical thoughts consume me, taking up a good portion of my worldly concerns, that I may end up an asylum patient one day.

Last Farewell (deviantart)

2011-06-07T21:15:00.006+08:00

This is actually a photomanipulation practice I started on a couple of weeks back but never really got to finish it. Well, I finally sat my lazy arse back down, spent a couple of hours, and finally completed it. I was trying out new painting methods and, of course, painting realistic hair. I think...I didn't do too bad...

OH goodness me, who am I kidding? I know it's horrible. This art smells of a sloppy bad job. For some strange reason, I'm actually in love with this sloppy bad job. It is not only a manifestation of my current digital art skills (an amateur, yes, but also a learner) but also a sign that I have the potential to make further progress from here.

Failure is the mother of success, right? ;)

1/2 Prince

2011-05-28T07:10:00.007+08:00

1/2 Prince has a captivating storyline. The characters and their personalities are well-developed, the plot flows seamlessly, and even the tiny disregarded details are important causal agents in building up and finally explaining the entire mystery behind Second Life.

I grew impatient at having to wait 1 to 2 months for the manga chapter to be released, so I had spent the entire day reading the original untranslated 1/2 Prince novel series by Yu Wo (御我). [You can find the online novel here: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/kim1984429&category_id=11169901]

To my chagrin, the story is written in Chinese. Although I personally prefer reading in English, because the Chinese language has never been my strongest suit, that choice and such a selfish request is not available to me. Furthermore, the existing online 1/2 Prince English-translation website that posts up translated works by Yu Wo has yet to catch up with the manga chapters. [You can find the website here: http://www.princerevolution.org]

Nonetheless, I charged on with my resolve to uncover the entire plot in 1/2 Prince! And I must say, the results did not leave me the least disappointed.

I am highly impressed by the plot development; the unexpected twists, surprises, and of course the ultimate revelation have left me quite literally...dumbfounded. I am in the midst of recovering from the delightful surprise and the ending which, in my honest opinion, could not have been more perfect.

I hold the greatest admiration for the writer, Yu Wo.

Love Song Requiem (deviantart)

2011-05-18T10:59:00.009+08:00

It has been a long time since my last entry. I assure you I have been busy with all things associated with academia and what not... It was a good, tightly scheduled Semester 2 this year and, speaking from a slightly workaholic personality, I thoroughly enjoyed my year 1, Semester 2 in University. Although I could really do without having 5 project essays due within the same week. It ended well though.

So, this brings me to my current 3 months holiday. What have I been up to? Well, apart from following every news regarding the recent General Elections 2011.. I have been lazing around the house like every undergrad student who has been temporarily released from the shackles of academia.

I got to playing a bit of MMORPG such as Forsaken World, Jade Dynasty and Diablo, but I grew tired of those games. I'm currently watching Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Gintama reruns. And of course, I've returned to creating more digital art pieces!

This is my most recent photomanipulation after 4 months of hiatus from Deviantart.

The dearest people

2011-03-10T01:28:00.006+08:00

I have had the greatest honor of meeting the friends I have today.

I am partly thankful that none of them are aware of the existence of this blog of mine, for it would be most embarrassing if any of them were to read this, yet I wish I could convey these feelings as eloquently as I could in person. However I am not a particularly expressive individual and would often stumble over the lack of courage to speak with an open heart.

So here it goes, this message of mine.

I shall first list the names of the cherished individuals in order of our meeting. My secondary school friends: Sandra, Jocelyn, Valerie, Clasandra and Shirley. My Junior College friends: Magdalene and Yiying. My University friends: Faza, Evelyn, Sabrina, Sofia, Kimberly and Hannah.

I have never believed or sought after what I had felt to be gratuitous inclinations towards the need for friends. To me, the very meaning attached to the term 'friendship' was accompanied by feelings of disappointment and betrayal. So I had chosen to enclose myself within the 'safety' confinements of my self-imposed isolation. The implications were severe. I became distrustful, doubtful, reserved and skeptical towards people who tried to approach me. And often, I would judge them.

Yes, I was very judgmental, but only judgmental towards my friends and not towards myself. In effect, I was a self-absorbed, emotional, and highly skeptical individual who held reservations towards forging closer bonds.

In spite of my cold demeanor, however, my secondary school friends had never once given up on me. They had taught me..so much.. so much about the value of friendship.

My Junior College friends, Magdalene and Yiying, were my emotional support and pillar of strength. They had undergone with me the most strenuous and stressful period of any Singaporean academic life. I could still remember the days when we three would share together a smoked salmon sandwich. It was our daily breakfast before flag raising. The time spent with them was so enjoyable that my Junior College life was ridden with more laughter than stress.

Although we have drifted apart today, and I say this with a heavy heart for I am aware that it is of my own doing to have allowed our friendship to break away, I am still very thankful to be a part of their memories. It is an honor to have met them. For my part, I will forever hold the memories of the time spent with them in my heart.

Presently, I am blessed with Mother Mary's good grace to have met my University friends in NUS. We celebrated my 20th birthday today and I was so warmed by their deeds that I had cried. I had cried like the child I was. I did not expect them to go through such lengths to celebrate the birthday of someone they had only met for a few months. Nevertheless they did, and I had the most memorable day.

For someone as undeserving as I am, I must be blessed by Mother Mary to have met the friends I have today. And for that, I am thankful. I am so thankful that just recollecting my memories of them is enough to bring a smile to my face.

In Love With My Sorrow (deviantart)

2010-12-27T01:28:00.004+08:00

I was raptured by the image of the model that I simply HAD to create a digital art out of that beautiful pose! This is my latest photomanipulation.

OF H O P E (deviantart)

2010-12-15T21:21:00.013+08:00

My first and last fantasy photomanipulation for the year! :)

I really ought to be packing for my holiday trip to Malaysia but I'm too goddamn lazy to do anything that requires physical labor.

This current blogskin was actually designed a few days back, coded and left to rot in my folder. I wasn't too fond of the outcome but I realized that I didn't have a choice. I was simply lost of inspiration and creativity to design anything new or tasteful. So there you have it - a sloppy work that's too bright and hastily put together like a primary school collage.

On a different note, pertaining to my academic life, I have declared my Major - English Literature. But I'm still keeping my options open. I have till Year Two to finalize my Major. Who knows? I might end up becoming a Historian!

New phone

2010-11-03T21:29:00.004+08:00

I hate to say it but I am a conformist and a hypocrite to boot. I have been throwing derisive remarks regarding iphone users, saying that all iphone users are mindless conformists and propagators of Apple mass production. Yet here I am holding an iphone in all its shiny sleek metallic veneer.

I was offered two choices. I could either wait for N8 Nokia to be released in Singapore next year or purchase an iphone right now right then. Me being...well an impatient young woman quickly jumped at the opportunity to get a new phone.

My sister, equally backward as I am, has been influenced to purchase an iphone too. Looks like my entire family is conformist.

Pins & Needles

2010-10-20T00:30:00.004+08:00

Holy! The new album, Pins and Needles, by The Birthday Massacre is finally released! I actually cried! I've been waiting so long for this!

My favorite song from the album! Awesome video, awesome lyrics, awesome music!

New layout feat. Mihimaru GT

2010-10-17T04:24:00.007+08:00

I don't have much to say about this new layout. My hands were just itching to design something new. It looks shabby, yeah? I was in a rush! The layout features my favorite JPop band, Mihimaru GT. This is a temporary layout till I figure out just exactly WHAT sort of graphics style suits me best. I've always loved designing with textures! It's within my 'comfort zone' if you may wish to call it. So this blogskin is a little different from my usual grunge monochrome style with heavy textures. In fact I have no idea where I was going with this.

I'm going to try tweaking this layout a little bit after I'm done watching my anime show. I know it has lots of imperfections. Well, if I'm pleased with the final product, I'd consider uploading it on blogskins.com.

Alright, time to watch my favorite anime Bleach! Byakuya Kuchiki is mine by the way! ;)

Stay sane!

2010-10-08T02:25:00.010+08:00

I'm blogging not because I'm too darn free to do anything else with my time, in fact the seismic proportions of my workload brings ME to tears, but because I was drowned by a vengeful desire to unleash my pent-up grievances and lament for my current state of disenchantment and disgruntlement.

That is not to say however that I will be plunging random readers such as yourself with angsty sob stories of self-loathing but rather to remind myself of the purpose of my undertaking.

All right, so before I further debase the contents of my blog with manifestations of psychosis, I would like to personally throttle those who posited that the University life is 'easier' compared to Junior College because of the degree of autonomy we, university students, exercise. Nonsense! Utter rubbish!

I won't bother justifying my blatant outcry, for I simply do not possess the time to do so, but I would just like to yell out (to myself) "STAY SANE RAIN! DON'T LOSE YOURSELF NOW!"

It won't surprise you to know that I'm struggling to keep my sanity and mental acumen intact... supposing they exist in the first place.. for I have always been an eccentric individual.

(In)sanity

2010-10-02T05:00:00.005+08:00

My hamster, Bao Be, passed away today at 4:10 AM.

I pray for her repose.

I was so grief-stricken, I decided to compose this short story.

~.~.~.~

The remote possibility of having seen the death god in his face had shaken his frame and he could bear no longer a second of impassivity from the shock of revelation.

With his eyes transfixed on the scene before him, he ventured a step back, the stagnant gaze dared not divest itself from the display of crimson shower vividly contrasted with whiteness of the snow; it seemed to scream of repulsion and absolute abhorrence, it seemed to scream of horror.

Thin threads of red stretched outwards, like the bony fingers of a rotten corpse, it edged away from the devoured and crept slowly towards the boy.

The boy however lifted not a gaze nor a glance at its advancement, for he only had eyes for the act of human atrocity which held him.

He felt that if he should look away or spin his heels to make a dash, someone or something might emerge from the decapitated bodies stacked on top the other as if these individuals had been, by some religious perversion, ordered to be thrown on a funeral pyre and burned alive.

An instant wave of fear penetrated ruthlessly through the numbness, fraying his nerves, and it coursed through his veins fast enough to shake away the cold and impel him another small retraction of his footsteps.

A disquiet breeze disturbed the stale air, like a silk velvet brushing against his skin, it discolored his face with the distasteful odor - decomposition and decay - which accompanied it and sapped what was left of his sanity.

The boy crumbled to his feet, wailing as he did, in bereavement as the shock had completely dissipated, giving way to the whole gamut of human emotions - grief, anguish, fear - that should have been locked away in a heart so young and so.. innocent.

He buried his face in his hands, kneeling, and rocked back and forth in delirious stupor.

And for minutes, hours, days, and weeks, the boy remained on his knees..

Laughing.

Fragility of Life (deviantart)

2010-09-13T23:39:00.009+08:00

This is a digital art, mixed media, abstract I designed during my spare time yesterday and decided to upload it to deviantart today after adding the finishing touches.

I baffle myself sometimes; wondering, more often than not, why I had chosen 'Economics' over 'Communications & New Media' for my Social Science Exposure module when I so clearly possess an intrinsic interest for digital art and design.

Weekend Getaway

2010-09-09T21:01:00.021+08:00

Given the opportunity I was to change my study environment did I very quickly accept the offer, sparkly smiles and all, sincerely hoping that my decision to efficiently utilize my time there would not fall through easily for I have sought to divest myself of the sinful temptation of my own house which is filled with all sorts of miscellaneous devices a hardcore gamer would be envious of.

I will be leaving tomorrow, with my family and Aunt Karen, to Malaysia Genting Highlands at 1 am, returning only on Sunday. I do hope Malaysia's Starbucks has Wireless Internet!

On a completely unrelated note, this is a song I have been obsessing over - Promise Me by The Birthday Massacre. The Birthday Massacre is severely underrated; they deserve much more recognition than other commercial and mainstream bands - names I shall leave anonymous least I get a handful of trolls on my trail!

Love Song Requiem

2010-08-26T22:08:00.014+08:00

It is a first for me working on a layout without my usual solid black or monochrome colors, or the usual use of heavy textures for my design. I had chanced upon a png render of Kaito a Vocaloid character on planetrenders.net and was overwhelmed by an inspiration to design using bright colors, so I had grasped the opportunity to move out of my comfort zone and try something new.

After critically assessing my design, I can honestly say with every intent at self-disparagement my aptitude for designing is severely lacking and it was a wise decision to discard my prior, youthful aspiration as a web designer or an arts illustrator.

On a different vein, I have recently stumbled upon on a beautiful, tear-jerking song called 'Love Song Requiem' by an old band Trading Yesterday (currently known as Age of Information), I thus wish to share this song with those out there who have/had lost a loved one.

Phone Post!

2010-08-23T19:03:00.021+08:00

Before I dedicate the remaining hours of the day to a life of a historian (I use this term very loosely for reading zealously has impressed upon me as an innate, fundamental nature of a Historian.), I have decided to exercise liberty with regards to the personal indulgence which for the past week has been denied to me owing to the constrains of both time and personal matters that needed attending to.

I have but 2 thick readings, for both my History exposure module and Japanese General Education Module, piled neatly on top of my desk, waiting for the pages to be flipped, waiting to be read. By god, will I ever be able to sleep tonight?

But self-lamenting over my bad time management has to be put aside for now (I dare think 99.9% of my blog posts are concerned most predominantly by my academic issues.) for I have designed a new method to complement/substitute the incessant ramblings which I had ungraciously poured onto this blog. I call it the 'Phone Post!' xD

For boredom pervaded my being and I, restless at having waited long for the inconsistent arrival of my bus, typed into my phone a little story, a drabble if you may wish to call it.

So this is my first drabble.

I love you but you are not mine, I will hold you in my prison regardless for your absence will be my undoing. Run. Run. Relentlessly will I pursue and hound your every footsteps till your last breath of resistance and hatred fades into the countenance of the dark sky. Finale. A fine work of art you are; a beauty discolored first by the blade which has your eyes reflect of a perpetual fear, bathed next in your pool of crimson freshness. I love you.. now you are mine... And now, you are mine.

And then my bus came swerving around the bend!

I did a little image search on a Japanese tragic hero, Minamoto No Yoshitsune, having been enthralled by my Japanese readings' (Nobility of Failure by Ivan Morris) glorifying depiction of this Samurai warrior as an "effeminate beauty, slender figure and beautiful, feminine features."

It is quite apparent of which, in a sane person's perception, images above contains a higher level of realism and resemblance to the actual hero himself. But for the sake of bringing greater love and entertainment to my study of the Japanese Heian Period, I shall very obstinately stick to the former's depiction of Yoshitsune. xD

Kuroshitsuji Season 2

2010-08-22T22:41:00.005+08:00

I was doing a little research on my favorite anime, Black Butler (黒執事, Kuroshitsuji), and was euphoric to receive news of a second season – a sequel to the original series. Just recently, July 1st to be precise, was Season 2 of Black Butler released by Japan TV MBS production and is scheduled to span a total of 13 episodes.

Season 2 has the potential to overtake its predecessor with the introduction of talented voice actors Nana Mizuki (Hinata Hyuga in Naruto & Utau Hoshina in Shougo Chara!) and Sakurai Takahiro (Yuu Kanda in D.Gray Man & Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy) voice-acting lead roles Earl Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus respectively.

The Idea of Japan?

2010-08-12T20:44:00.008+08:00

I am currently reading 'The Idea of Japan - Western Images, Western Myths' by Ian Littlewood. I couldn't help but sneak a smile at the image of Japan the Europeans had constructed since the eighteen century. What they had created by simplifying the complexities involved in Japan's social institutions were by no means palatable images but to some degree carried a certain measure of truth in and of itself.

I quote from Homer Lea, 'The Valor of Ignorance', "..Japan is pregnant with the spirit of militarism." and Harcourt-Smith "murderous perfidy" of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The chapter, Samurai - A Streak of Violence, subsequently surmises the Japanese as wearing veneers of "post-war friendliness".

I found it particularly hilarious, despite the severity and fury in content, for the West could construct the image of Japan as a country innate with belligerence and aggression, but none could ever deny the celerity and wits the Japanese possess. ;)

Day 1 of University Life

2010-08-11T00:10:00.010+08:00

The first day of my university life officially started today at 8 am sharp. I learned a couple of interesting facts which originated from the standardized conception of the Samurai image. I must admit to taking up this module with an ulterior motive. xD

Like any other Otaku, I would love for nothing more than to comprehend the complexities involved in the underlying roots of the Japanese society - how stereotypes came into being, and the culture icons which has in long years given Japan the 'image' it has today.

That was basically the gist of my Japanese lecture today. My history lecture was pretty amusing, I was lucky to have a hilarious lecturer. :) I must say though, the readings for both my Japanese GEM and History exposure module are sure to consume a good portion of my life.

On another note, I decided to give myself another holiday and got hold of 2 new NDS games. Atelier Annie - Alchemist of Sera Island (RPG) and Will O' Wisp (Simulation)

A poignant aftertaste

2010-08-05T17:12:00.011+08:00

An overwhelming urge to cry washed over me, thus I decided to pen down these beautiful, ephemeral emotions before I lose its essence. Do not be fooled by the structure, I have written, not a poem, but a prose - writing in my stream of consciousness would be a more apt description. In other words, it contains no literacy value. So read on, enjoy and be bewildered in trying to establish some sense from it.

My heart, it shivers,
searing from the core, bellows
to be released from the skeleton fingers
It clutches. Stifling me of breath,
of words left sealed in my throat.
Tears do not find me.
They fell from within.
From my inside do they drown
the remnant fragments of my soul.

At times was I possessed by a sudden urge to scream, to cry, or to close my eyes forever that I simply could not disregard the poignant aftertaste it had left me. The pain, the worry, the pressure - pieces of these emotions would remain. A thought hence ran through my mind.

While on the brink of unconsciousness, one usually calls slumber, have you ever closed your eyes and wondered 'What if I cease to open my eyes, would this darkness be of an eternal dimension to me?'

The self-proclaimed Hermit

2010-08-01T23:38:00.008+08:00

I'm planning to be a recluse, whether in the future or the present, so part me not from my computer but from the world around me!

My parents have been incessantly grumbling of my blatant disregard for interpersonal relationships and of course, the necessity of forming such relations. I had vehemently opposed to partake in my University's camps and socializing parties, choosing instead to bond with my fictional written characters on my computer screen.

They spoke to me! "Discard us not for our lives are shallow! We will die! We will die!" Or something to that effect.

My parents are convinced that there's a screw loose in my brain. In the nutshell, they believed me to be insane. "You're crazy la, so free to write stories!"

And I had told them levelly that should there be an earthquake outside our flat, I would still choose to pen down my ideas, thoughts and characters into Microsoft Word, because I quite plainly love writing.

Nonsensical, or not.

And no, I didn't retort to that statement of me being 'crazy'.

Alas! The sands of time has run out for the recluse! I must part, tomorrow, from my shell and SOCIALIZE with REAL people! Fast dread fills me! I tremble! (Actually, I'm only attending my FASS Orientation with my friends tomorrow. That is all. But I will let you know if anything terrifying happens to me.)

A Freshman's Worry

2010-07-30T00:13:00.008+08:00

My mind is wrought with trepidation. My heart unsettled. And the reason for it is quite simply due to the bidding of my modules. The bids are steadily increasing and all one could do is watch as an investor would to a Stock Market.

My selected modules are as follows: EN1101E, HY1101E, EC1101E, SE1101E.

JS1101E was a module of my interest. Upon further reading on the details and student reviews regarding this module however, the heavy projects it entails was enough deterrence to override my interest. I quite simply dropped the module and, for practicality, selected Southeast Asian Studies – a topic which I studied at length during my A Levels.

To ease my mental distraught, I decided to work on a new D.Gray-Man fanfiction which features the lovely Allen Walker and Kanda Yuu. The genres would be tragedy and drama.

Writing has always been a solace.

How does one sleep knowing the end of module bidding approaches in mere hours?

Allen Chibi

2010-07-13T23:55:00.007+08:00

I finally completed my Allen Walker chibi! =D About 1 day work, maybe more, I wasn't really checking the clock when I started on this cute project! >_<

Wacom Tablet

2010-07-10T01:21:00.014+08:00

I would like to send out big thanks to Uncle Eric for the lovely birthday and Christmas presents! =D One of my presents included the Wacom Tablet which has been a desire of mine since my Secondary School days. =D

So in order to rekindle with my art spirit, I decided to practice painting a random eye. This is my first attempt using a tablet! ^_^ I had so much fun!

My next practice subject would be manga characters! =D

Shin Megami Tensei - Devils Survivor

2010-07-07T00:51:00.004+08:00

Today, I'm introducing yet another RPG game called Shin Megami Tensei - Devils Survivor.

Stunning graphics, interesting story line, cute characters. This game promises to suck the soul out of you! xD

I finally figured out the problem with my TS3 game - apparently, one of the Hacks I downloaded wasn't agreeable with the latest patch so... I had to remove it. =/ I spent the entire day deleting Mods and sims3packages. I'm done playing around with modern houses! Asian themed lots are my favorites now! =D

Luminous Arc 2

2010-07-05T16:54:00.005+08:00

I bought the Sims 3 expansion packs - Ambitions and World Adventures - just 2 days ago and was all eager to play... however, the game lagged severely and sometimes, the loading stopped. This gameplay issue was undoubtedly caused by the 2GB worth of package files I have sitting in my Mods folder.

Lesson learned: never download more than what your graphics card can handle. I am currently in the process of utilizing the s3pe Package Editor to merge my package files into bigger bundles to rectify the issue. Playing games can be so troublesome at times. -___-

On another note, I have been playing an RPG game - Luminous Arc 2.

Gameplay is excellent, requires a little use of your brain cells to figure out certain battle tactics. I'd give it a 9/10 rating! =D

Vampire Knight DS

2010-07-02T17:00:00.017+08:00

I have been entertaining myself with popular Vampire Knight DS simulation game on my DS Lite. I love the manga and the anime... thus I felt it necessary to give the DS game a shot.

The game, produced by and released for the Japanese region, was anything but comprehensible to a locally brought up Singaporean like me. I may be an Otaku and love the Japanese culture and such, but my comprehension of the Japanese language falls short of what one may call sufficient for reading and writing.

I did not stop there however, and persisted with the game... randomly tapping the choices with my stylus and playing the mini games were small delightful pleasures. Luckily for me, I could understand roughly 40% of the spoken words (not reading, though!) by the various characters all thanks to my great love for the Japanese music and anime.

I ended up with my beloved, Kaname Kuran!!

So if you're an Otaku like I am and do not wish to succumb to language barriers, you should try playing. Trial and Error never hurts. Furthermore, you'll feel like you have just owned the universe. XDD

New Anime

2010-06-25T01:16:00.016+08:00

Hello there! I have recently returned from my trip to Malaysia with my uncle, aunt and cousins. (NOT AGAIN?!!) I attempted to charade as a 21 year old sophisticated, working lady but failed miserably as the security guard saw past the bad make-up and shabby work clothes that I had draped myself in. Curses! I'll be back in 2 years time!!! Mark my words, you evil casino security guard! MARK MY WORDS!!

So... I went to the Genting Highland Themepark to relive my childhood memories by lamenting on a unicorn on the Merry-Go-Round. I received a couple of stares and glances from passer-bys.. They probably thought that some lunatic chick had escaped from the mental asylum. xD

On another note, I have been evading the tedious job of re-installing my programs and files into my computer... and instead, chose to indulge in my newly purchased anime (NANA, Black Butler, The Story of Saiunkoku)

I couldn't quite get myself in tune with the story line for NANA; not much on the term of comprehension but rather the disgust and disagreement that filled me episodes after episodes of watching the weak-willed Nana Komatsu fall deeper and deeper into self-pity and hedonistic pursuit for blind love. Oh, but I do love the dignified Nana Osaki. Her dynamic disposition really captivated me. The soundtrack is awesome too. That's all I'm going to say about that anime because the story line is mainly filled with love, infatuation, sex, love, boys, infidelity, sex, disgust, sex, love... Oh, have I mentioned sex? >_>

So there you have it, I got tired of the anime quite quickly and turned to Black Butler. Black Butler proved to be a little easier to digest what with the blood and gore (not really my thing, but hey whatever works for that smexy demon butler.) *wink wink*

The next anime, The Story of Saiunkoku, has so many bishounens that I screamed each time one pops out onto my big screen! The anime is... well...most aesthetically pleasing for any shojo fans out there who just want to feast their eyes on long haired bishounens.

Good lord, the mere thought of creating and coding a new blogskin is most troubling as I have yet to re-install my photoshop files and whatnot. *yawns* Oh wells, I'll do it someday...one day... *yawns*

"YOU, my friend, are a lazy arse!"

Defective hard drive?!!

2010-06-12T04:57:00.008+08:00

Yes, it was about time I returned from my hiatus and started drifting back to earth... You wouldn't guess what happened during my vacation in Mars! My computer's hard drive finally relented to the constant exposure of extreme heat and excessive usage...

According to the Harvey Norman guy who came to repair our computer, the motherboard was defective and he had to wipe out and restore everything. He asserted the possibility of our programs and files being corrupted due to the defect in the hard drive

"Can I at least save my Sim3 Custom Content elsewhere?"

"No. It's risky. It might be corrupted too."

I almost cried.

Thanks to this defective Acer computer, I lost ALL my documents... meaning my fanfictions, Anime Music Videos, Windows Movie Maker effects, digital artworks, Adobe photoshop folder, games and some other nonsense. SO, I had to painstakingly nurse this computer back to its original settings seeing as to how EVERYTHING was gone from the desktop.

This desktop is like a plain sheet of paper that was otherwise scribbled with lots of stuff.

Oh wells, give and take, I'm glad Ren stopped throwing tantrums.

Early CNY dinner

2010-01-31T00:48:00.013+08:00

A new blogskin I have created (finally!) for the previous blue layout was really starting to bore me to tears. I HATE seeing the same old blogskin day in and day out. Life is about changing (yes, here goes the 'what is life' contemplation). I was listening to 'Blue' by The Birthday Massacre in the creation of this dark red heart abstract.

Blue by The Birthday Massacre

Plastic blue
invitations in my room
i've been waiting here for you
reservations made for two
sunlight fading

black tongues speak faster than the car can crash
you supply the rumours and i'll provide the wrath
romance is breaking every heart in two casting shadows
in the pale shade of blue

plastic blue
conversations in my room
saving every tear for you
trusting every word untrue
twilight fading

fate changes faster than the death of light
you provide the envy and i'll provide the spite
reflections cutting every face in two
casting shadows in the pale shade of blue

I had an early family reunion dinner at Tower Club today; for a $198++ per person 10 course dinner, it was fairly adequate. I'd prefer having black pepper crabs at the Long Beach restaurant to keeping myself all steel and proper in the midst of consuming all steel and proper food.

Apparently Uncle Henry is a VIP at Sentosa Integrated Resort so he happily invites us all to a visit to the casino. We had to remind him that the $100 entrance fee for Singaporeans still stands for our family. He gives a hearty laugh.

"Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has visited it, which means we must too."

I wanted to tell my German uncle that most money-concerned Singaporeans, which unfortunately includes my entire extended family in it, do not have any desire to part with their money for a statement as such. But, considering the great disparity in our positions, I kept my mouth shut.

The fairly adequate dinner, at 65 stories high, ended with a bill of 4000 bucks.

Reverse bullying

2010-01-13T22:03:00.005+08:00

Darn free was I in the customer service iphone hotline did I proudly, beaming and grinning from ear to ear, proclaim to my dearest family of thee intention to work overtime. You see, my colleagues are a bunch of diligent (or workaholics if I may put it more excessively) workers who clamored for overtime. The company clearly couldn't afford paying so many officers overtime so they'd placed a limit to the amount.

The minute our superior M sent an email regarding "Who wants to work OT?" to the team, all of us took an immediate reply. It was like a craze auction running off in the email.

OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE like me, who managed to get OT for today and tomorrow, did not in my life expect to be transferred to the hot HOTLINE (as that's what every customer who calls in complains of) as soon as TODAY. But heck, I wasn't even given a choice. M suddenly pops to some of us and go "OH by the way, get ready to receive calls (grins), you're already in."

My brain process stopped for a moment there and only reactivated itself when a FRIENDLY customer calls in complaining about high charges on her bill, which I spent a good 45 minutes explaining the details of her current bill.

I suspect that my superior M heard of our (Mag and I) discussion to write a trashy office novel with the amount of free time we had in our iphone hotline. I call it 'reverse bullying'; mocking us for clamoring for OT in the midst of auditory suffering.

Goodnight (Kanda x Allen AMV)

2010-01-10T21:44:00.013+08:00

I've probably used up half of my life span creating this Anime Music Video. I don't know what's so fascinating about wasting precious time on my terminally unresponsive Windows Movie Maker which, might I add, enjoys giving me some not-so-pleasant surprises but I suppose the song 'Goodnight' by The Birthday Massacre was simply too addictive that I HAD to make a music video out of it. Does that make sense? No? I thought so.

This seemingly short 4 minutes AMV took up... (yes I counted so screw you) approximately 12 hours of my life. Why, you might ask? Because Windows Movie Maker is an emotionally unstable program, that's why! I mean, come on' just let me publish my short music video will ya?

BUT NOOOO... WMM, a stubborn fella he is, disobeyed orders and clashed with my downloaded codec. This incompatibility issue not only impelled me to dedicate 6 hours of my already shortened life span to troubleshooting but also forced me to REMOVE ALL my downloaded WMM effects.

So there ya have it, my effect-less AMV which I spent 12 hours on with nothing but transitional flashes of Kanda and Allen. Curses, Windows Movie Maker! Thou shalt remove you someday!

Aside of my habitual rambling...I've found a new synthrock/Gothic Rock band to obsess over - The Birthday Massacre.

GOODNIGHT

First place on a classroom wall.
Every turn of the face can help to break the fall from a domestic disgrace.
Every rumor displaced is lost and found.

A lack of discipline.
One hand to cut the other.
So unprofessional,
You're not a friend,
You're just a lover.

Nothing exceptional.
This is correctional.

Mirror on the wall.
Frame the picture.
Reflect this kiss to wish us all goodnight.

First day in a victim's chair.
Every surface replaced can help to keep you fair for a corrected gaze.
Every feature displayed will match your crowd.

A loss of innocence.
One hand to wash the other.
Be a perfectionist.
You're nothing if
You're just another.

Something material.
This isn't personal.

Mirror on the wall.
Frame the picture.
Reflect this kiss to wish us all goodnight.

We're all dancing to the same sad song.
And we're not sleeping, but it won't take long.

Illicit conviction.
Confessions incomplete.
Correction.
Submissive restriction.
Instructions will repeat.
Direction.

Mirror on the wall.
Frame the picture.
Reflect this kiss to wish us all goodnight.

Customer service, what?

2010-01-04T22:35:00.006+08:00

Congratulations to my first official work day at customer service. Was it horrid? Oh yes, definitely! Imagine being yelled at before you even breathed into the headset will ya? Was it manageable? Yes. 89% of the customers were patient and nice. The other 11% was, of course, beyond unreasonable and downright rude. But hey, if I had waited for more than an hour only to be transferred to 3 different lines, I'd be pissed off too.

Forgive me, from this moment forth, I'd be ranting on my day at work. It gets better, I promise.

Rude Customer #1:"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING LA!"

Inner voice: OF COURSE I DON'T YOU NUTSHIT, I WAS TRAINED FOR A DAY, YOU DICKLESS HEAD.

The actual response: I'm so sorry Sir, I'm trying my best to explain to you the details of why your existing plan is not eligible for upgrade to an iphone plan.

Rude Customer #1: "ARE YOU EVEN READING YOUR OWN M1 WEBSITE? YOU SOUND LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR OWN PLANS!"

Inner voice: MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED SPITTING INTO THE PHONE, I'D BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY EXPLAIN? ARE YOU DEAF?

The actual response: I'm so sorry about this Sir, I really am.

He asked for the manager to call him in the end. I really do hate Singaporean uncles with much free time on their hands. Why not get a bowl of peanuts, a crate of Tiger beer, and call our service while you're at it?

The most elusive customer award goes to this dude who complained about charges on his old plan when he has already re-contracted, but absolutely refused to tell me what his new plan was. Clealy, it takes time to retrieve his contract for us to actually update his plan and made the necessary amendments. Congratz dude, you'd be waiting for a few more days before we actually get back to ya!

I finally realized that my calling was definitely FAR from customer service. You see, I'm a short tempered guy, and don't take too kindly with unreasonable and uncouth attitudes from my fellow citizens. Good luck Yings!

Thanks to the 89% for making my day! (:

New Blogskin, New Job

2010-01-03T02:51:00.022+08:00

Good heavens, I spent a good 4 hours re-coding my entire blogskin (not inclusive of the time spent on designing the layout)! In effect, I have edited and troubleshoot the HTML/CSS a thousand times; tested in Mozilla Firefox. Coding is currently incompatible with Internet Explorer. Best viewed in FF, 1600 x 900 pixels.

This blogskin is available for free download at my blogskins account.

My music player has been spamming 'For An Angel' and 'Sensation White' Paul Van Dyk (he's such an awesome DJ); trance is awesome man.

I would like to give out big thanks to my uncle, in Shanghai, for giving me such lovely presents from Tokyo. Thanks so much, Uncle Eric! :)

I made a shrine out of my cupboard to place these priceless creatures. Coupled with my 10 anime posters and 21 anime DVDs, I am now a complete otaku. :)

So what have I been up to, either than sleeping A LOT and eating A LOT? I had my first work training experience with Mag for customer service at M1. The irony? The majority of their newly recruited temp. staff are Starhub or Singtel users. I'm a Singtel user myself. :)

Television rights

2009-12-30T16:17:00.006+08:00

Wednesday this day is! And Singapore Idol was over when? Monday? Whatshisname won? Why, another male Singapore Idol, I never saw it coming! I did hear whatshername was dreadfully flat in her singing, but who gives a damn anyways? Those 2 would be gone faster than you can say "Singaporeidolisawasteoftime!"

My dad said I was living in a time capsule, ignorant of the world around me, and completely drawn into Thrillville. My character was running around the theme park like some duck, when my mother started putting her two cents in.

"Still playing your wii game, I see!"

"My life's too short." I replied, curtly.

"Then what are we? Ancient?"

"Never implied, nor intended to. I just realized, each morning I wake up, that my days grow shorter. And I have to game as much as possible before I put another foot into the coffin."

The word 'coffin' commenced the habitual family debate about television rights and so on. My mom won and quickly did she unplug my wii and insert into the dvd player her KOREAN DRAMA. 'Shit' I thought, 'This will take days.'

I turned to my dad, who had by then exhausted any means to fight for HIS favorite Channel 5 show, The Mentalist. "You do know that mom's not going to let you watch your favorite show either, right?"

DAD: 0 | MOM: 03 | RAIN: 03

7 nights in Malaysia

2009-12-22T21:33:00.008+08:00

Other than my first experience using the male toilet in a petrol station in KL (for they lost the keys to the female restroom), my 8 days holiday traveling to every inch and corner of Malaysia was otherwise risk-free.

After a night in Cititel (hotel) in Penang, the 9 of us took a ferry to Langkawi island, which was infested with Americans; I reckon they love the scorching sun for my skin sizzles under the heat. We unsuccessfully blended in with the mixture of blonde heads and black heads, blue heads, red heads and blah blah... We then rented a very sad bus (close to the point of breaking down it was!) at 140RM per day. "It's the best!" says my dad to us. "No power steering!" shouted a man from the stand. I swear my life flashed twice before me when my uncle had to turn the wheels VERY vigorously to swerve and avoid ramming into aggressive vehicles.

A two days stay at the island (the hotel was so very nice and comfy that I should wish to reconstruct it in my SIMS house) was quickly spent. A quirky guy at the beach however was the epitome of self-contradiction. "I advise you to buy this one. Expensive but this one is parasailing with a boat pulling you so you don't have to worry about controlling it. Otherwise you can also para-sail from the beach but I tell you..There was once a guy who landed wrongly and broke his leg." The deal was set.

He made several calls, upon realizing that he couldn't contact the boatmen and that night was quickly falling, he says to us in his business-like tone, "I cannot contact the boat man so I tell you what. I sell to you cheap price. Para-sailing from the beach very safe one. Just pull here (mimicks an action on the right and then the left) when we shout to you to pull."

"Didn't you just tell us that a guy broke his leg 4 days ago?!" shouted my sister.

We took the ferry back to Penang and on the fourth night, my parents, sister, uncle, aunt, and cousin Darren were already playing Mahjong with their own mahjong table made from the bed. I was left to babysit my youngest cousin Doreen and we at length engrossed ourselves with the new anime show. We left for Genting Highlands the next day.

Most unfortunate it was that my harmless little wish to play in the theme park was harshly crushed by the cold, treacherous wind! 16 degrees! My grandmother loathed the place and she complained about the biting wind each time the adults left for their night at the casino. My 14 year old cousin and I attempted to enter the gambling den! The outcome was obvious.

"Stop miss and you! (points to my cousin who is 174cm) IC please." demanded the security guard.

"Sorry, I left it upstairs in my hotel room." I smiled my best smile.

"Ok, go get it then." he replies almost instinctively. I reckon I wasn't the first 18 year old trying to get into the casino. I looked at my cousin. We made a run for it, giggling like kids. After my 2 restless nights in Genting came the happiest moment of my life! Another 2 nights stay in Melaka was spent purchasing Christmas gifts and anime CDs.

Love in the Ice

2009-12-12T23:40:00.010+08:00

Pisces get special privileges; we are entitled to cry more often than emotionally stable humans. But heck, everyone would cry upon watching this video. The lyrics are so beautiful, it resonates deeply..

It′s not your fault those hands are freezing
Borne from those childish days, you carry the scars
Are you afraid to love someone?
You pretend not to see the other side of the words

Like ice, the embraced heart slowly starts to thaw

* For anyone to be loved by someone,
Makes life in this world shine
If it was me, I′d make your heart warm once more
With eternal tenderness

Even if fate′s mischief pains the heart
On the other side of those tears,
A single ray of light will swoop down into the darkness
We know

As strong as the feeling of suffering, we can feel people′s warmth

Everyone is searching for a place
That can heal their sadness and loneliness
So... for you, that place is here
Don′t be afraid, don′t hesitate anymore, because I′ll protect you

My heart is pained
Because this love is so beautiful, don′t be afraid
Even if it′s just momentarily, I′ll let you know my love
This time is beautiful, you know... let you know my love

A Prom and a Club

2009-12-05T03:53:00.006+08:00

Much as I loathed, with utter revulsion, the notion of clubbing or a club for that matter, I found myself enjoying the experience in an unexpected twist. Who knew that bobbing your head, dancing on sore feet, and pouring liquor down your throat could be such an exhilarating experience!

Narrowly did my feet miss being nailed to the floor by several killer heels was I forced to spent a good length of time staring down at the ground. Other than the sharp and murderous stilettos, the club was less perilous than a bomb mine.

Mag, in her self-assumed position as our caregiver, was particularly meticulous in steering clear our pathway of bombs, men, zombies chicks etc. And to Yings was I forced to reassess my judgment of her taste in men. And here was my conception of American men always beautiful and gorgeous severely subverted.

Under constant surveillance did I, like a tiger hunting its prey, scan across the dance floor for any man with a tinged resemblance to Korean pretty boys. ALAS! My eyes burned and sere. Where did the pretty boys die off to?

Prior to my first clubbing experience was also the first of my Prom Night. Words alone are not suffice to express my utter disappointment in both the food and the experience as a whole. Let it be my first and the last of my attending a Prom event.

The journey to buying a dress

2009-11-22T22:41:00.004+08:00

Searching for a prom dress was harder than losing weight AND getting that group of old man to stop singing their 80s songs at 7 in the morning. It makes one wonder if times really were so bad that the older generation had to convert our void deck into their own little PartyWorld.

Anyways, back to point, prom dress, search, hard.

My sister, her good buddy Hui Fen, and I practically combed through the entire Far East Plaza for a formal dress. You see, searching for a dress wasn't hard. They have it everywhere: next to their counters, next to the toilet, next to the shoes.. You get my drift. And searching for a beautiful, formal dress (that would have made a tomboy puke) wasn't hard IF YOU HAD THE CASH.

So, I tried on a couple ... (not really, a million was more like it) of dresses. It was either too big at the back, or too big at the front (oh shut up, most of us aren't blessed with God-given assets unlike *ahem* Mag *coughs*)

The runner-ups were...

"Oh come on, you can fit another person in this dress with me in it!"

"I can't believe you even gave me this dress! [Flags it around] Bright Pink?!"

"WOW, I'm scared of myself already."

"I'M SWEEPING THE DAMN FLOOR!"

The sales assistant were all too helpful that I would like so very much to throttle them with my bare hands. Not that I was being a nitwit and picky over all sorts of frills and thrills. But they were OBVIOUSLY A) Blind B) Color Blind C) None because they couldn't be bothered to help.

AFTER 5 HOURS, I finally bought a dress from some obscure shop whose name I conveniently forgot because I was more interested in counting the number of crystals on the crystal chandelier than looking for my dress.

"I don't care," said my sister, huffing as she did and she stuffed a random dress into my hands. "You better buy this dress."

I tried it on. It fit. We bought it.

Ta-DA! The journey to buying a dress. I know man, it's the hardest thing in the world.

Something has happened!

2009-11-20T22:32:00.004+08:00

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED.

It was a something has happened.

I'd tell you what's happened. But ya wouldn't believe me even if I did. BUT A SOMETHING HAS INDEED HAPPENED. Singaporean retards would know.

A LEVELS ARE (UN)OFFICIALLY OVER.

You understand what this means, don't you? This means my stomach gets fed something other than high msg maggie noodles, my already pale skin gets natural sunlight, my physical being gets to bob around the house rather than being cropped up in my study room facing my terminally unresponsive pile of notes, and....DRUM ROLL DRUM ROLL....RAIN IS FREEEEE!!!

Not forgetting my silly Literature Paper 4 A Level examination on the 3rd of December of course. BUT WHO CARES?! I don't. Do you? If you do, I'd personally climb through my monitor screen and shoot you with my blunt pencil.

I love you, and you and you.

END!

The Rain and the Internet

2009-11-04T02:16:00.005+08:00

It was under unprecedented circumstances that the Rain should find herself facing Ren a.k.a the computer. Ren was a devilish knave who enticed and arrested attention from Rain's studies! Unfortunately enough, with the lack of hindsight and whatever you call human conscience, the Rain succumbed to temptation and devoted herself 2 hours reading Death Note manga.

I am on the brink of death, are you? (insert volcanic eruptions and tornado)

And for the better lack of sanity, I would say that should I possess a Death Notebook, the first name I'd scribble on it would be - Rain (8 November, 2009) dies a peaceful death and has her ashes scattered across the Japan sea. (so much for water pollution but heh.)

End of Part 2: The Rain and the Internet

P/S: Something's wrong with photobucket????? (insert more question marks)

Phantasma (deviantart)

2009-09-19T00:39:00.009+08:00

I was in my Gothic mood again.

Phantasma by ~justswell on deviant ART

This is probably my last photomanipulation until the end of my A Levels. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and Robert Graves' "The Pier Glass". I'm definitely considering Arts Illustator or Digital Artist as my alternative career. OR, I could fall back on designing webpages. Oh wells. Old, old, old. Time's catching up on me. I just had a backache again.

[EDIT] I'm featured in 2 entries! Whoot! Venice Mask contest and Twisted Fairytales Contest

The wonders of Dust

2009-09-17T00:11:00.033+08:00

Har Har. The Rain is back.

Thanks to that horrifying experience you call Prelims, my eyebags are growing bigger (who has eyebags at the age of 18?! And no, you're not allowed to answer that question.) You see, I was scrutinizing myself in the mirror on one fine day and had noticed the very distinct, very prominent eyebags that happily settled themselves beneath my red bloodshot eyes. I had a momentary fright at my reflection (not that it was the first).

"Spread, spread...spread my red eyes to someone..." I chanted and glanced across the canteen, eyes wide open. "Spread...spre-"

"Aiya Rain!" shouted the Yings in dismay. "Don't spread lei!"

I did some spring cleaning today. (I had this epiphany that my sneezing had nothing to do with the ever humid climate of Singapore) You have no idea how LONG I took to clean up that tiny bedroom of mine. A bookshelf, study desk, bed, cupboard...and it took up a good 3 hours of my already short life. (And you wonder why I complain about ageing too quickly.)

I have seriously underestimated the amount of dust in my room. (Since someone has taken to blogging about a bowl, I shall blog about the wonders of dust.) There was a good 1 cm thick layer of dust that settled on my top shelf and I bemused for a moment. The dust probably had its own population. I was intrigued. The dust, gleaming white under the light, stared back at me. I cleaned it, anyways. Couldn't leave it there to continue populating, could I? So there you go, the wonders of dust! Or the wonders of whyitkeepsoncomingbackwhenIcleanmyroomeverymonth!

My father thinks otherwise. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about that spider that frequents your room."

I am never gonna fall asleep tonight.

We Got Married

2009-06-04T14:11:00.015+08:00

I absolutely adore Kim Hyun Joong! I didn't think he was that superb as an actor on Boys Over Flowers (Kim fans, don't kill me now! >o<), but his guest appearance on the reality Korean variety show 'We Got Married', which pairs up famous Korean celebrities to show what life would be like if they really married, converted me into a 101% Kim Hyun Joong fan!

He's amazingly adorable. He loves manga comics (his friends bought him manga as a housewarming present in one episode), is terrified of dragonflies and cicadas (pleaded with his wife Hwang Bo to save him from the tiny insect), has a great sense of humor, has adult-phobia (sat in a 45 degree angle away from her friends), describes himself as the 'emotionless kid groom', is protective, detailed and caring (searched everywhere for a pharmacy when Hwang Bo was sick).

He does really small things that are capable of moving a girl to tears. Like folding 1000 paper cranes with that silly cliched expression of 'It marks 1000 days of our love' in his bashful, shy tone. And wearing everything Hwang Bo made for him on their 100th day Wedding Anniversary photo shoot.

Hwang Bo: I was really surprised. How did you know my birthday?
Hyun Joong: I searched on the internet and it came up.
Hwang Bo: You even looked up your wife's birthday on the internet.
Hyun Joong: The world is becoming so easy.

I love you, Kim Hyun Joong! When you visit Singapore for your SS501 band tour in Asia, I'd send you cartons of manga comics (and a guitar if I can afford one)!

I wonder if there's a Kim Hyun Joong fan club in Singapore. I'm too lazy to check. Perfectly contented with my present life of snuggling in front of the PC, watching his adorable and witty performance in the Korean variety show.

Rain's new phone

2009-05-18T21:48:00.009+08:00

Because Rain is a perfectionist and has a slightly neurotic behavior, she spent the last 4 hours organizing songs on her new phone. OH GOOD HEAVENS. I pray to God I would NEVER have to do it again. It was dreadfully time consuming and not to mention exasperating.

I took pains browsing through for the artists' album, genre, album date release etc... simply because I'm a sucker for organization and perfection. I even compressed my images to jpg format (still high quality) and tweaked the colors.

BUT I do love my new phone - Nokia 5800 Xpress Music. =) Nokia ALL THE WAY!

*thinks about something to ramble on* Ohh right... I had a history test today. It was horrifying. I couldn't figure out what I was writing half the time. In other words, Rain was polishing her 'crapping' skills once again. (What's new?) I wonder what Mr R or M T would say. But let's leave it as that. It's over. I.NEED.ANIME.

PS: I will update again with a new blogskin. ^_^

Boys Over Flowers

2009-05-16T05:51:00.013+08:00

After getting my daily dose of Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers [Hana Yori Dango], I can't seem to sleep so I happily replaced my recuperation hours for Operation 01: Stalking hot Korean actor/singer Kim Hyun Joong pictures online.

Oh god, why do such gorgeous people exist? The man smiles like an angel with a punk hairstyle and Japanese face...my ideal husband! I might take a detour to Korea first before migrating to Japan!

Review for Boys Over Flowers: I've only watched until episode 5, the Korean drama sticks relatively closely to the manga, which makes it a plus point for me. (I absolutely loathe dramas that 'adapts' a brilliant Japanese manga only to steer the plot in a different direction.) The character portrayal of F4 leader Tsukasa Domyoji is brilliant, actor Lee Min Ho looks the part and acts the part. ^_^ And the same goes for my gorgeous fiancee, Kim Hyun Joong.

The only problem for me was the actress's presentation of the female protagonist Tsukushi Makino, her actions and emotions flicker from being excessively barbaric to spastic. [Read the manga and you'd understand why I'm annoyed.]

Compared to the Taiwanese version, the Korean drama works better for me, but it's the kind of drama series that bores one after a while. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not addictive or particularly captivating. Perhaps it's because I've watched the anime, the Taiwanese version, and read the manga before.

Keisei Gyakuten

2009-05-11T20:22:00.010+08:00

Not one of my best blogskins, but forgive me, I was getting pretty fed up and annoyed playing with the images. Featuring Uchiha Itachi in his old ANBU days. I tell you man, he's gorgeous. If he wasn't made of pen and pixels, I'd have glomped him like a crazy schoolgirl.

I was listening to this awesome Naruto Shippuden soundtrack, Keisei Gyakuten [reverse situation], while designing this crap. Not too shabby? Heh.

Naruto is probably one of the best anime I've watched. Sadly, D.Gray-Man doesn't even come close. Kakashi's and Tobi's mask still irks me. Sasuke is some crazy emo shit. Naruto's father is way gorgeous. And Deidara rocks.

Thanks to Naruto, my Yaoi fetish has returned. I'm shipping 3 pairings - Sasuke x Itachi, Sasuke x Naruto, Sasori x Deidara. Thou shall return to fanfiction after finishing her goddamn history homework.

Okay, time to get back to my Super Macro history assignment.

Adam Lambert (American idol 2009)

2009-05-01T03:51:00.011+08:00

I had mentioned that I needed to revamp my blog.. et volia! This is a new design style I experimented with on photoshop. Not too shabby, I guess? I present you the next American Idol, ADAM LAMBERT! I don't care if you're darn homophobic, Adam's by far the most talented contestant this season.

I think we have established that Adam is the hottest, smexiest guy in the entire universe, no? Yes. Anyhow, this was the best picture I found on adam-lambert.org (here, I'm giving the site credit), the image was so 'pixelly' I had to spent a good hour cleaning it up. The things I do for Adam Lambert. ;)

If there was a way I could gather an army of Adam fanberts, it would most probably be introducing a shitload of Adam Lambert blogskins on blogskins.com.

Pictures below are Kanda Yuu (D.Gray Man) cosplayers.

I told you Kanda wasn't made of pen and pixels! He's real! I love you, Kanda! \(^o^)/

Old clique outing

2009-03-17T22:27:00.008+08:00

I met up with my secondary school friends for dinner today at Vivo City. (Goodness, the restaurants were so ridiculously priced that we shuffled from one eatery to another.)

I was 4 hours late for an outing with them before, so I made it a point to reach there early (which I did). Darn was I proud of myself. Don't ask why. I have a very bad time management. The only reason why I'm always early/punctual for school is because my father took it in his responsibility to chauffeur me every morning. Yes, I do love my father very much. ^_^

Ogisan (Val) came clad in her dress, hair permed and all. My God, I haven't wore a dress since primary school days! And then I happily pointed out that I was noticeably taller than her, and asked if it was just me or she shrank. xD

For an hour plus, we were basically wandering (aimlessly) around the shopping centre looking for one another. Clas at Best Denki. And Jocelyn at 7 Eleven. Sorry Jocelyn (Sotong), I had you waiting for so long! Gomen! ^_^ Dolly and Yi Jing joined us later at Kim Gray restaurant. (Because the rest of the restaurants were charging prices ranging from 25 to 50 bucks and we were all money wise.)

Clas was being 'high' conversing with the golden duo (D and YJ). I was busy stuffing my mouth with the cheese baked rice. Val was texting furiously. Sotong was scraping her plate clean while Sand was having trouble finishing her Seaweed french fries and noodle soup.

I didn't finish my rice and that witty Clas went, "Hey Rain, you know that the Japs like to eat rice right?" And my eyes grew big from revelation. "But she also not Jap!" said Sotong, though I really wished she didn't sound that out. xD

We stayed at the restaurant for good 2 hours: half the time spent on being indecisive and the other half was due to the miscalculation of the bill.

"Sorry arh, I failed math!" went Sand who passed her math promos with a grade B.

The impossibles

2009-03-03T17:01:00.009+08:00

My class has seriously cracked. (Or maybe it's just me) On a side note, a new bug has invaded my territory, it resides in the dusty corner of my closet. What should I do?! I am chased out of my own compound! I should contact Dode the insect exterminator.

Tomorrow celebrates the day my mother reluctantly produced their 2nd child. And tomorrow is also the day we're having Cross Country Race around MacRitchie Reservoir. AND tomorrow is also the day I planned to do intensive revision for History and Othello. I am being shortchanged, aren't I?

My friends happily intoned, "Wouldn't it be the best birthday present you've ever received? Running?"

Contrary to popular belief, I do not love running that much to actually celebrate my fateful birth drenched in sweat and tears. [I was obliged to run for the competition!] I would rather my birthday present come in the form of Tsuruga Ren, Kanda Yuu, Eiri Yuki or anything Anime/manga related. And no, I have no intention of accompanying my history notes for my birthday. Many would like to think so. I'm not that extreme of a mugger. =___=

Mag and Yings thought I had finally reached the breaking point. I screamed to them twice that I was going to consult a teacher but amidst the shouting and banging in class, they obviously didn't hear...so, thinking that Rain was going to 'pon' Lit Paper 4 and leave school, they dash at lightning speed to the bus stop.

Shocked that she would actually commit such atrocity, they furiously called her on her mobile phone but no one was picking up! "Woah, that Rain arh, finally cracked. She ponned her favorite lit lesson and missed seeing her favorite teacher!" exclaimed Mag.

Lo and Behold, 10 minutes later...I strolled into the class and the Yings was on an outrage. "Woah liao, where did you go?!! Mag and I tried calling you so many times lah! We all thought you left school!"

When the Yings told me a blow-by-blow account of what happened, I burst into sporadic laughter. "Mag ran?!!" I exclaimed in disbelief, for the Mag NEVER runs, and seeing her in action is almost like seeing the Yings in plaits. The sheer impossibility!

But it did happen. I laughed. Mag ran. Yings sped like a bullet train. And Marigold could teach.

I'm not that stressed!

2009-03-02T22:14:00.007+08:00

There is something inherently wrong with me. The fact that I needed my History teacher to point out my stress level accounts for it all.

"Oh, Miss T said you are really stressed and that we should bring you out more often." said Mag in her amused tone.

I was bewildered. No, shocked. I know I'm stressed, but just NOT that stressed to plaster it on my face. I could go, "Yeah, I'm fucking stressed, I'm darn stressed, I'm bloody stressed, I'm damn stress. Look." [points to seriously confused face] But hell, am I really that stress for my history teacher to indirectly tell me, "You seem really stressed lately, you ought to go out and live a little!"

Wow, and just a few days ago, she was lecturing on how we should stay home and do a series of intensive revision for Decolonisation, Arab-Palestinian, Indo-Pakistani...you get my drift.

I must say though, that I was really touched. I never knew how perceptive Miss T was. She must have seen that tired, restless, edgy look of mine that never fails to leave after a night of insomnia. I would try flashing that toothy grin the next time I see her.

"No, you better not," said my sister. "She might send you to see the school counselor."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"Think about it. Rain one-who-never-smiles is smiling? People will think you're crazy and run away!"

I cursed.

Birthday party on a yacht

2009-02-28T22:32:00.020+08:00

If I ever wanted to be a rich tai tai (a term given to one who has much leisure time and with lots of money to spend), my aunt Priscilla would be a constant reminder of why I should continue pursuing that dream.

Sentosa Cove

Uncle Henry rented a yacht for her birthday and invited the whole family. At 8 plus we took off from Sentosa Cove. After making a BIG detour from Pulau Hantu (sniffed chemical air from the industrialized island), went for a dip at the Changi beach (got bitten by sea bugs), we finally reached our destination: St John's island.

Being the introvert that I am, I (with my adorable cousin Doreen in tow) went exploring the yacht for my 'spot' a.k.a a corner to emo: note left hand side of picture. Doreen took the right. (St John's island in the background)

After doing a couple of Titanic poses, I started emo-ing, staring at the current (they really do look like a land of greenish-blue aluminium foils!) and Doreen followed suit. She gave up, after a while, in favor of chasing Dawn (a miniature schnauzer) around the yacht.

I was trying to be artistic. T_T

Dawn says hi. Caesar in the background, my aunt's new Husky.

We have established that Caesar is gay, even my aunt says so, he 'kissed' my father when he was sleeping and only licked the males. My sister claimed that Gay Dogs do exist and despite being a Gay Rights activist, I'm mildly disturbed. Gay rights for dogs?

And this is your beta-minus female Australian Husky.

April is probably the most spoiled and lucky dog on the entire universe seeing as to how her daily meals include fresh salmon. Note the word fresh.

April is a bipolar opposite of Dawn and Caesar, she wouldn't play/move/interact with anyone but my aunt. She's a real beauty alright. They often say that dogs look like their owners, IT'S TRUE.

April does a yawning pose.

The day fails us, I actually took a couple of snapshots of the sunset (before the clouds happily came in and obscured the beautiful skyline) and this turned out the best.

A very romantic evening, don't you think. ;)

I have learned that my dad has a deprived childhood. He was so obsessed with fishing that he forgo smoked salmon for tiny fishes that can't be eaten.

Me: Dad, just take off the hook and toss it back into the sea, quick!
Dad: (struggles with the hook) Woah..look at this...it's only hooked at the sides!
Me: Ok Dad, can you quickly pick it up...(stares at Dad in horror)
ALL: NOT WITH YOUR HANDS!
Dad: It's already dead! *tosses it anyway and fish swims away*
Dad: Ohhhhhh....

Dad: Just tilt it a bit (reels in the line), you can feel it...a little jolt on the string...slowly, very slowly now...pull a little...
Me: (tilts, waits, and feels a little tug) I FEEL SOMETHING!!!
Dad: (excited, excited) *quickly reels in the string*
Me: (excited, excited!)
Dad: *pulls*
Me: Ohhh.... *stares at the empty hook* I felt something! (in defensive tone)
Dad: The bait's gone, we lost the fish.
Me: How was I suppose to differentiate between a tug from the current and a fish bite?

I have also learned that despite my uncle's Vice Presidency in his company he knows nothing about the Singapore education.

Uncle Henry: So Rain, what's your current education level?
Me: Oh uhm, I'm in JC 2 now. (has mentioned it twice now)
Uncle Henry: (in profound contemplation)
A few seconds later...
Uncle Henry: Okay...that tells me nothing...(moves on to the next person) Darren, what about you?
Darren: Er, I'm in 2D.
Uncle Henry: (looks even more perplexed) What is that? 2-D you say?

Rockafella

2009-02-27T22:16:00.027+08:00

I have concluded that stepping into a Rock concert was perhaps one of the silliest things I have ever done in one lifetime.

While Mag and Yings were screaming at the top of their lungs, being wholly proactive and enthusiastic, I became increasingly bored and restless. Amidst the loud banging and roaring, I propped my chin on my head trying hard not to look a) bored b) tired c) restless d) disappointed e) all of the above. My face was probably plastered with feature E because the next thing Mag said was, "Eh, why you so emo?"

For the amount of hard work and effort put into Rockafella by the Student Council, I should applaud them, but the fact remains that 80% of the bands were terrible. The lead singers were clearly out-of-tune, band members uncoordinated, there was not a hint of stage presence, the audience were merely clapping along, and....I was really, REALLY bored to tears. Half the time I was itching to leave but due to moral obligations to the Mag and a Yings, I stayed.

So I was left with the choice of either a) joining in the display of madness (and aggravate the painful throb in my head) or b) continue sulking in my corner (while silently cursing my star-crossed fate).

Fried Rice (band name) made their entrance, the crowd went nuts (teachers had to control the screaming mob by relegating them back to their seats) and Rain's voice turned hoarse with shouting/screaming/shrieking.

I do love History

2009-02-25T20:48:00.024+08:00

According to my GP teacher's comment and my sister's unnecessary input, my brain is easily muddled but the late revelation came to me only when I was scrambling for my Economics Case Study CA and GP essay test.

So there I was, coming into the Lecture Theater completely unprepared, completely clueless and acting completely nonchalant about sitting for my Economics test. The Economics lecturer had a voice that made my already mentally-adventurous mind venture into other realms otherwise known as my Anime-ogling hideout that resides somewhere in the non-practical side of my brain. (Yes, I would have won hands-down in a daydreamers contest.)

Her voice, the lecturer's voice that is, was a melodious monotone that caught my thoughts in rapture... I was transfixed, unable to think of anything other to preoccupy myself with than to do myself a favor and sleep.

"If we ever suffer from insomnia, we'd just need to record her voice and replay it at night!" Mag and I had simultaneously agreed.

I couldn't take it. Ask Mag, she knows best, I wouldn't sleep during lesson even if my tutor begged me to. Her voice was much too sleep-inducing that after a few minutes of lecturing, I would be dozing off...

Well! The consequences of sleeping in a sleep-inducing Lecture Theater came crashing down while I cooking up some practical, yet not so ludicrous 'answer' for my Case Study test.

1) Assess the effects of change in investments from...2002.

I stared dumbly at the Extract, looked pointedly at Mag who was propping her head on the table, and returned my stoned-gazed at the nearly blank foolscap. How WAS I supposed to answer but....

Answer: The change in investments saw a gradual decline...The effects of change from 2000 to 2001 could be attributed to September 11 2001 attacks on US World Trade Centre by Islamic Fundamentalist group, Al-Queda.

I found out later we were supposed to be use MPW (MPC?) somewhere along the lines. It never appeared in my script though. I was, and still am, thoroughly confused.

GP Essay Question: A benevolent dictatorship is the most effective form of government. How far do you agree?

Answer: (Paragraph 3) Thailand Marshall Sarit Thanarat was seen as a benevolent dictator with good intentions of reviving the economy... According to Clark D. Neher, an author equipped with vast knowledge of 'The Search of Political Structures in Southeast Asian nations', U Nu's charisma and impeccable honest won him much support from the Burmese.. Sukarno's Guided Democracy (1959) encompassed features of a totalitarian regime....

I got 33 for spamming History background knowledge: 60% was incongruous to the topic.

I'm waiting for that big RED mark for my Economics CA.

O you poor soul

2009-02-16T21:59:00.007+08:00

I find women PMS really scary. I should know because, despite my inner protest at my sexuality, mine was in full swing since Saturday. I pity my family. They're on the receiving ends of my deadly glares, pent up anger and malevolent vibes.

It was a different story though, when I went to school. My poor classmates. They got it. They saw the worst of me. When I realized I wasn't notified of Math CA, I went on a rage, like a red flag flashed in front of a bull...but worst. Hey, I'm a female too. An enraged, female bull.

My sister once said I'd make a very good teacher. Discounting facts that I'm not the least patient with kids, my glares are able to penetrate through anything. "Your glares are so severe, it sizzles! You'd frighten every kid into listening!"

I didn't quite think it was a compliment but I kept my mouth shut anyway.

I pity CJ sometimes, despite my intense hatred for the school, they're on the receiving ends of Rain's random shots of glares and malicious vibes. Today was the worst. Everyone saw a very, very dark side of me which basically comprise of Rain glaring from all corners, emitting very deadly vibes of hostility and anger, and a very ugly scowl.

I wore that ugly look on my face during assembly and some random and unfortunate girl received one of my glares. She stared at me, with a half startled and half frightened expression, as though trying to figure if I was a lurking vengeful ghost from the school's past, and quickly turned away.

"Next time, try shutting your eyes when you're angry." said my sister when I had confided in her in today's very unfortunate happenings, "You'd make instant enemies with that look of yours!"

I blame it on PMS (and stress!).

I'd say this again, I pity the people around me. (I'd be scared of myself too!)

The battle between man and insect

2009-02-07T23:58:00.024+08:00

My dad was right when he said, "You won't be able to survive in a jungle."

I was having a bashful time blasting off loud music on my very sleek, black but miniature stereos when, amidst the mid chanting of my hypnotic emo song, a light but clear sound was heard. It went 'crick, crick, critttle crittle.' I spun my chair, only to find the source coming from the dismantled parts of my old computer.

Curious, and assuming it was another moth, I skipped to the living room and switched on the big ceiling lights. Within a fraction of a second, a very BIG insect, which had a size proportion to a praying mantis, came flying towards me. I ran for life, and that's faster than my 2.4 NAFA dash to the finish. Khai would be shocked.

I ended in the safety confinements of my sister's room and, after a few minutes of silent cursing, I came to a resolution. I had to chase the insect or it'd chase me out of my house. So, in a bid to protect myself, I wrapped myself with my sister's quilt and peeped out towards the living room for any sign of the enemy.

Lo and behold! The insect had marked its territory on the standing photo divider, tingling its long feelers, it was a good 5 feet from my sister's room. I was confined. I vaguely wondered what Dode would do if she was me. 10 minutes of brainstorming led me to a final decision...

1) Locate the enemy. (Well-armored with my sister's quilt, I inched towards the photo divider. The insect was skittering on the surface only to stop and stare at me. We glared at each other and came to a consensus, it was an either you-run-or-I-run situation.)
2) Dash to my room. (I ran, dragging the quilt along, eyes still glued to the insect.)
3) Equip myself with a weapon. (I grabbed the high-intensity torchlight from my desk.)

Gleeful, I dropped my cloth-armored suit and lay on the ground. The aim was to ski the torchlight across the floor towards the divider and hopefully attract/scare the insect. But, the highly intelligent enemy was already on the move! It skittered across the other side of the divider, effectively hiding from my view. My situation was compromised. The enemy had a wider parameter. Undefeated, I skied the torchlight and made a frantic dash towards the switch. CLICK.

The room fell into a deafening silence....until my neighbor came walking past my windows, "Ya lah ya lah, I will be there early tomorrow, you tell her to stop complaining, I will go there early one. Tsk, so mah fan."

I switched on the lights again, made a detailed scan across the living room and safely announced myself a victor.

Now, I wonder if the insect left before or after I happily glided my torchlight across the floor. Either way, I'd have to face my sister's squawking later.

Passion doesn't count

2009-01-27T21:09:00.007+08:00

At times, I vaguely wonder how my parents would react if I told them I was more interested in attending courses for art and graphic design than Law. If someone asks of me, my decision to enter the Art stream in JC , I would simply answer “I hate science, no – it’s more like I hate the theoretical based subjects that undermines the student’s analytical abilities. I love humanities, not for the subjects, but for the writing.”

I’m not sure if I could still say the same. The reason still holds true – to every last syllabus that was pronounced with such conviction and resolution – but I’ve always questioned whether it was better for me to attend some kind of art school for aspiring artists.

“Artists, they have no place in the working world,” My father always told me. “You can’t make a living off drawing.”

“But it’s my passion,” I would retort, eyes belligerent and a little disappointed by the words of the very man who had once encourage me to live up to my dream. “Didn’t you say that you need passion to work and to survive? If it’s not passion that gives us the courage to take a step forward, you would be shaming your own intelligence.”

“Have you seen any artists that made it big in the real world?”

No. Not once. Never.

My father used to love drawing when he was little.

He had little sketches of realistic human features.

He said he used to dream. He used to dream about selling his art pieces, and seeing the beauty crafted by his own hands.

I wondered why he stopped. Why didn’t he continue drawing those beautiful human portraits?

You can’t make a living off drawing…passion doesn’t count. It’s a job that pays well.

I know that. I know that perfectly well.

I vaguely remembered digging up old family albums from our storeroom and found my father’s sketchbooks. Old and tattered with years, his love for drawing portrayed with very delicate stroke of charcoal on paper, I believe he kept this passion and closed it… because life isn’t nice, society is cruel, men can’t dream, and passion isn’t worth a dime.

I still wish to see my father sketching portraits of our family.

Just a few days ago I asked to see his sketchbooks again.

“I threw it away,” he said. “I had to clear the unnecessary things from the storeroom."

Chinese New Year dinner

2009-01-25T02:23:00.013+08:00

My life has been great... well not really, I would be deluding myself if I said so, discounting facts that my dearest family discarded me at home for gambling at Genting Highlands casino.

Me: Do you not condemn yourself in your decision to discard your youngest daughter for habitual gambling?
Dad: Now, now, let's not go that.
Sister: Since when were we habitual gamblers?
Me: Playing family mahjong on Saturdays count too.
Sister: You said it - family . It's our way of spending quality family time.
Me: I don't want to hear it from you. (to Dad) Do you not condemn yourself -
Sister: Stop asking Dad to condemn himself!!

I never won that family debate. I think my sister had the upper hand when she mentioned "family time", "Dad's only holiday" or maybe it was "Because you're so darn annoying, let Mom and Dad have some peace and quiet."

I've always wondered how venturing into a cigarette hazy casino with roaming tourists would actually give my parents "some peace and quiet".

Later that day...
Me: Do you not (senses sister's glare from a corner) I have a valid reason this time, I swear. (turns back to father) condemn yourself for leaving your daughter with a close to empty fridge for 3 days and 2 nights? I'd be all rag and bones by the time you guys return!
Sister: You already are rag and bones.
Me: Shut up.
Dad (in a strangely disturbing cherry tone): We have to buy food then!!

Later that day...(at the supermarket)
Dad: Are you sure this is enough? (looks pointedly at the basket of cornflakes, milk, juices and bread)
Me: I had a premonition.
Dad: .....
Me: Something told me that I'd be too immersed with my computer to actually eat.
Sister: That's why I said - you already are rag and bones.
Me: And so, for the second time, shut up.

I finally understood why I'm close to suffering from malnutrition.

Sister: I already told you to get some tuna or meat!
Me: I myself hate meat.
Sister: But you still need proteins.
Me: I only consume proteins in the form of Chicken Katsu Don which is available only in my school.
Sister (looks wearily): Are you trying to extract more allowance from Dad?

Last night's Chinese New Year dinner....
Uncle Heng: AHAHAHAAA, sorry, economic recession so 30% reduction on Angbao money. (awkward laugh)
Everyone: .....
Uncle Heng's wife: Alright, that's enough wine for today, dear.

3 hours later...
Waitress (walks towards me with a white piece of paper on tray): Excuse me, bill.
Me: DO I LOOK LIKE I'M PAYING?!!
Uncle Henry: Over here!

I never understood why the waitress approached a 17 year old teen with grunge hair and mismatched red stripy shoe.

Okay, I'm studying

2009-01-16T19:41:00.005+08:00

People, my friends especially, have been politely commenting on my very odd temperament. Not odd in an interesting way, but odd in the ‘abnormal’ and highly ‘eccentric’ way. I never quite listened.

I have a very low tolerance and get all fidgety and annoyed when waiting for the bus...especially Bus 77! Normally I wouldn’t blame the bus drivers as they can’t control the traffic and they most certainly can’t control the throngs of people bustling in through the doors. The only problem was the absence of crowd and traffic over at the place. So like any other fidgety Singaporean that absolutely refused to call Iris, I made a silent pact with the heavenly King up there.

“If bus 77 comes within the next 5 buses, I’d go home and study!” I thought, amidst how ridiculously futile it seemed. Bus 77 usually arrives well beyond their designated time slot – approximately 35 to 45 minutes of waiting time. I would stand there and sulk while the bus captain shot me a very nasty scowl that implied “Get on kid or I’ll shut the door with your nose in it!”

Lo and behold! Within 5 minutes, Bus 77 comes swiveling round the bend, and I was in shock.

“Wow, what a good girl!” said my mother in a spirited tone as she returned home from work, “Doing homework?”

“I’m studying,” I replied, ruffling through my Palestinian readings. “I made a pact. I told him that if my bus arrives early, I’d come home to study.”

“You made a pact with whom?”

“Who else?”

Silly old' school

2009-01-15T23:51:00.012+08:00

Because I have nothing to blog about, I shall rant about the few notable things that happened during the past few days.

Starting from my teachers...

I have the most charming, blue eyes, literature teacher. A relatively good GP teacher but also the WORST Economics teacher whose English pronunciation is more dreadful than my doctor's handwriting and that's saying a lot because you take an hour to decipher my scribbling.

I had raised a few questions pertaining to International Trade and, my god, establishing a discussion with her was harder than the h2 math tutorial questions. I had asked her about A and she started rambling about B. NO, she never did answer my question. I guess I shouldn't be too demanding as a student but I'm taking my goddamn A Levels this year and it surely would not help having a teacher who doesn't know her own work and simply regurgitates from PowerPoint slides.

My Paper 4 Literature teacher is probably the most charming...wait, I've already mentioned that, haven't I?) person in school, either than my SCOL of course! xD His orbs are a gorgeous silvery blue with specks of white dusts that circled from reflections. You would be defying the laws of attraction if you denied its mesmerizing value.

...to my banded classes...

Our class wasn't dispersed. We were instead banded according to teacher's recommendations and our Promotional grades. There were many bands and different classes so we ended up in a situation similar to Square one. o_o Before I could even warm my seat, we would be moving off to another class. The only lessons we're taking together are History Tutorial, PE and SD. Ridiculous, no? It wouldn't make any difference if they had displaced our class anyway!

And why the hell did they put me in the first Band?! It's like putting a toad into a tank full of goldfishes. And considering my tendency to wander off to emo land, it's a bad idea. *goes off to grow mushrooms in a corner*

FYI: The anime guy posing so gorgeously on my layout is scanned from the notebook cover that was given to me by Mag. Thanks Mag! =)

More rambles yet again

2009-01-13T20:41:00.008+08:00

Everything has been one big, real big, surreal blur. There's a languorous feeling clouded in my mind that threatened to sweep away, revealing the cruel, harsh fate. What's there to achieve in life. We tax our brains; we crack it real hard that piecing them bit by bit seems innately impossible. I'm not sure what I want in life. I wasn't sure. And I sure as hell can't name one - even one - aspiration of mine.

My question? Why, or rather, what am I working so hard for? I don't see anything. I don't see anything ahead of me.

My classmates, friends alike, are all nonchalant, a little pressured by the upcoming November A Levels but happy nonetheless and I'm glad that I could share their joy, even if it's only a little. I could laugh. I could smile with them. But it all fails to a heavy heart that threatened to burst each time I try. I'm trying my best. I really am. But I could only find a small girl, struggling against the insurmountable waves, tattered at the lips and torn by the heart.

I'm so afraid. I'm so afraid of unleashing this wave of trepidation; this feeling of giving up seems so close I could almost taste it in my mouth. I cried. But specks of tears have dried up, there's none left in me to cry anymore.

I don't know what I'm doing in, with my life. Everything seems so foggy.

It has been a few years now. A few years of living in this insipid prison.

And the void is growing.

But I've learned not to care.

2 hours in CJC Open House

2009-01-09T18:56:00.009+08:00

Because the Rain has never - and I do mean NEVER - stepped foot into an Open House, whether Junior College or Polytechnic, she shall ungraciously bore her random readers with a not-so blow-by-blow account of her experience.

I found it rather amusing, being involved in CJC Open House when I've never bothered to attend one myself. I questioned the sanity of Editorial Club. Nobody in their right mind should EVER ask me to be involved in such whimsical or utterly redundant (whatever you call it), school functions that only served to intensify my personal distaste for the school population.

I think it's a sign - a God given sign that I'm equally damned as every other unsuspecting souls in this universe - to partake actively in the promising social bonds of the school's society. My subconscious disagrees; claimed that I ought to leave the school building before the better half of my sanity gets destroyed by the palpable failure of CJC Open House.

People poked their noses in, with a half bored half tired expression, and shot a few glances here and there, across the CCA booths. Mag and I carried on being the most unenthusiastic members of our CCA, she grabbed a school's magazine while I willingly submitted myself to the hypnotic distortion of flying shuttlecocks.

And this was how I spent my Friday afternoon. THIS was how I spent a gratuitous amount of time, roaming about the school with faces as bewildered and as confused as any other. Good heavens. 2 hours of my very short life...wasted.

This is why I never bothered attending an Open House. =.="

Let's not forget that I'm 2 days away from submitting my incomplete holiday assignments and not to mention Mag and I are supposed to attend the CJ Alumni dinner this Saturday to collect insights and reviews for our next article. The President of our CCA sent a mildly pressuring message "You two are the only ones without an article." In a nutshell: Attend the Saturday dinner or you two are fired!! That tactic would have worked if I wasn't desperately trying to like my CCA OR if I had a slightly more rational brain.

My first Anime Music Video

2009-01-08T21:27:00.008+08:00

I've been working on it since 8 pm yesterday, grumbling and then cursing the troubleshooting problems of Windows Movie Maker. Mag was always there, keeping me company till the wee hours of the morning so I dedicated my first AMV to her. :D

My first New Year resolution: Make a Kanda AMV. (DONE)
Second New Year resolution: Complete holiday assignments. (20% complete)

"I told you I would be abusing my new desktop," said I, furiously editing my clips and then slicing them. "It's my way of commemorating the birth of my new computer, so leave me be!"

You could almost imagine the furious looks on my parent's faces.

Anime Music Video

2009-01-08T00:22:00.006+08:00

I'm getting bloody frustrated and grumpy over the fact that I've spent the past 4 hours downloading divX codecs, torrent files and other miscellaneous stuff which, my dear McAfee has politely popped up "Warning: Adware!". Good heavens! I'm about the one and only primitive being who installs a whole list of weird, potentially harmful programs into my new desktop. My sister said I can't be trusted with new things, shoved me away and started downloading Norton Anti Virus.

Me: I loathe and despise everything to do with technology!
Sister: Are you sure you wanna say that?
Me: ....Am I not allowed to?
Sister: For someone who abused her previous computer and stares at the same damn screen 24/7, you sure have a lot of nerves.
Me: (puffs) I'd have you know that I love my computer. Very much indeed.
Sister: I don't care. Tell that to your new friend when you've unwittingly downloaded adware and viruses. Firewall can't help you now!

So yes, I'm still bloody frustrated. How in heaven's name do you create an Anime Music Video (AMV)?! I'd pay for a personal tutor if I have to! GOD DAMNIT. (inward gasp) Rain swears!

Begone, my other half!

2009-01-04T20:27:00.006+08:00

Today was thee most productive day.

My mother finally relented (after 6 months of verbal persuasion filled in with a couple of 'bargaining chips' and nasty scowls) into letting me purchase a new, functional desktop that DOES NOT lag with every click of the mouse.

Don't get me wrong, I love my computer - my beloved companion - but its temperamental disposition was getting way too serious for a dependent user like me to handle. It once hibernated for weeks. I was in a frantic shriek. My parents frustrated and my sister annoyed. My sister said it was partly because of my constant nagging that eventually made my mom relent just so she could shut me up.

And I suspect that this old' computer of mine is getting on with the years. If it had a mouth it would most probably curse me into oblivion for I spare no thought in exhausting its Graphic Card and 1 GB ram. Sorry darling, but mommy has no choice. She desperately needs a good, high compact Graphic card and you simply wouldn't let her download a few necessary converters and programs. Your mother needs to make a video and your hard drive is barely functioning.

While I mop over the lost of my very ancient computer, my sister very sarcastically intoned, "I think this computer can rejoice liao."

"Excuse me?! Mom is gonna donate it to the old newspaper collector. How on earth can this poor thing rejoice in the course of being detached from me, its dear user?!" I cried, mortified. "Poor old computer. I'm gonna miss you dearly although you like throwing tantrums at me."

My sister twitched her nose, "Oh, no worries. You won't be missing it. The old newspaper collector wouldn't want it even if mom paid him a million bucks."

My sister then proceeded to complain to my mother about the blatant inequality in treatment. "Mommy, you buy for Rain a new computer then what about me? Our TV is barely working!"

My mother scuffed her nose into an ugly scowl, but you could see she was starting to reconsider. She gave my father a look and then at the brilliant, new glossy LCD screens that threatened to blind us with their shiny lacquered polish.

"How about getting this 32 inches TV? It's the latest model. Panel and finishes from Japan," claimed the salesperson, all fake smiles and a happy working-with-you face. "It comes with a $100 NTUC voucher."

"Not fair leh! You always dote on the younger one lor." continued my sister.

"I don't mind. Parts of the TV comes from Japan, anyway." said I, clearly beguiled by the word 'Japan'.

We bought that TV.

~~~

My family thought it was a pretty good bargain. The total was 3k plus for a 32 inches TV and a lovely desktop (which is soon to be abused by me. Yay! I can finally make my Anime Music Videos!) It was economical of course.

But in my auntie Priscilla's world, being economical or money wise doesn't fit into her dictionary. Thrifty doesn't even come close. If you look up the word 'Spendthrift' in the English Thesaurus, you'll see my aunt's picture next to it.

We met her at a mall to purchase Uncle Henry's birthday present - a jade pendant. She had lingered a moment too long in that shop for no sooner than a minute, the shopkeepers had swarm towards her like moths to a flame.

"Look at this laughing jade Buddha, the color is oh so perfect! You don't get this anywhere!" fluttered the shop auntie in her China accent.

Hell yeah, I can get that green thingy at any loitering shops for 10 bucks.

My auntie, being a little too foolish for her age, was beguiled. She stared at the jade pendant, entranced. While my sister and I exchanged bored looks. My mother pursued her lips. My younger auntie Karen shocked. I think the shopkeeper was silently rejoicing at having such a big catch.

"Show me others!" exclaimed my aunt Priscilla.

An hour later, she had purchased from the Jade shop items worth a total of $4000 (lets forget about the GST).

"DO COME AGAIN!" shouted the shopkeepers, bowing and bowing with more smiles of superficiality. My sister and I exchanged disgusted looks. My mother and younger auntie Karen were horribly mortified. I wanted to say something, but my mother kept me silent. It was her money after all.

"So, let me ask this again: Aunt Pris bought a tiny jade pendent and 3 rocks for $4000?" I raised my eyebrows.

"The rocks had little jade ornaments in them." My sister said. "They're supposed to have good fengshui."

"Yeah, but they're still rocks right?" I peered into the carrier bags. Indeed, they look nothing different from the normal rocks you kick at the sentosa beach.

My auntie, being the spendthrift she was, was simply pleased at her purchase. "Good fengshui ma!" she said, noticing the odd stares from my sister and I, and pale faces from her two sisters. "It's considered pretty cheap. I think I've made a pretty good bargain."

"For 3 rocks and a tiny piece of Jade that's smaller than the size of your palm but costs more than a TV and a desktop? Yeah, you've made a pretty good bargain alright."

Thank you okto!

2009-01-02T23:11:00.014+08:00

Because I am bored and I have nothing better to do with my insipid life (reading manga doesn't count!), thou shall graciously do the quiz bestowed upon me by the form of one Yings.

1.Are you one of the most popular students in school?
- No, popular doesn't say anything - it merely insinuates the air heads. *gasps* Rain has insulted 90% of the school's population! :O

2.Do you think you got the looks?
- Hun, if I did, I wouldn't slot in photomanipulation as part of my hobbies. xD

3.When was the last time you went out with your buddies?
- I don't remember....??? Yes, one can't deny the claws of ageing.

4.How many times in a week do you go out?
- I have been accused of being anti-social, what do you think?

5.Do you like to be alone?
- Can't you see my delicate veils of seclusion?!

6.Do you intend to be famous in the future?
- Famous in what way? *shifty look* If it means being hailed as Japan's most promising manga artist/math teacher/arts designer, then yes! And let's not forget about marrying Tsuruga Ren.

7.Do you have the courage to stand infront of an audience and show them your talent?
- Talent? What talent? I can scream like the ultimate fangirl if that's what you mean. Wanna hear?

8.Would you rather go to a midnight party with your friends or go to a dinner with your bestfriends?
- This is a trick question! Hmm...... *looks around*

9.What's your most embarrassing moment?
- ahahaa, probably staining my skirt. -shudders- Never will I wear skirts again! (Inner Rain: School uniform?!) I refuse! I absolutely refuse to wear skirts!

10.What's the best moment of your life?
- FACING MY BELOVED COMPUTER! Away from the cruel world and into my manga/anime! wheee!

11. Tag 5 people to do this quiz.
Do it if you want. =.= Come on, I know you want to. *nudge nudge*

I'm beginning to love Okto. Skip Beat fansubs, which was usually done free of charge by crunchyroll, has been discontinued due to the lack of funds as I've heard. Episode 13 was the last, free fansub. =/ Thank goodness we have Okto, so Episode 14 will be English subbed by our dear Singaporean translators. Thank you Okto, without you, I would be completely ruined!.....AND SO WILL DODE!! xDDD

Singapore Countdown 2009

2009-01-01T00:13:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year my darlings! I had such a fun time criticizing and mocking the Singapore Countdown performance at Marina Bay! xD Local celebrities made me wonder if it was even vaguely possible for talent scouts to enter Singapore without getting frightened off.

And because I'm feeling rather happy of the end of this disastrous year 2008, I am much obliged to verbally describe the very horrifying, yet surprisingly amusing music performance by Carlsberg's Health ambassador. One thing hun, drinking alcohol and designating yourself as a Health ambassador calls for quite a dramatic irony, don't you think?

So there she was, screaming away in the microphone with a very disturbing rendition and desperate attempt to actually dance without violently shaking her boobs. The guys in the front row were most probably drooling.

Miss Singapore pageant runner-up was no better either. Mag said she had tree trunks for legs. I couldn't agree more.

So that was how I spent my last few minutes of year 2008. Enjoyable, don't you think?

And goodness sake! Tay PH, I actually liked that song, you idiot! You've completely ruined a perfectly heartwarming song with your pathetic, totally out-of-tune singing!

Sister: Are you sure he's actually singing?
Me: Yes, that's his voice, I think.
Sister: His English so good meh?
Me: He graduated from a university you know.
Sister: Yeah, but it still doesn't mean he has good English!
Me: Doesn't it count from the fact that he passed GP? =.="
Sister: ........

I also enjoyed the fact that Singaporeans are so hopelessly mundane and dispirited, refusing to cheer for the performance (though I can obviously see why) and wearing stoned expression on their faces. Way to go, Singapore, way to show your enthusiasm for year 2009!

The fireworks display was quite an epic ending to the lifeless crowd. And the emo background songs, let's not forget about them.

Vector Abstracts (deviantart)

2008-12-24T00:17:00.006+08:00

I found it, I finally did! T.T After years of fiddling foolishly on photoshop and designing scraps otherwise known to the world as blogskins and photo-manipulations. I think I've finally found my artistic passion; making vector abstracts.

Yup, you heard me right. Designing vector abstracts is, as of now, my topmost priority. Who cares if your mother is nagging away about your untouched holiday assignments, who cares if your dad sighs away in frustration and who cares if your holidays are about to end without a single doodle on your history assignments. As I've always, very very wisely, told my friends - Life is about making the necessary adjustments, so that you can enjoy every aspect of it. "And discarding homework for designs on photoshop is a very wise thing to do," Confucius would say if he was still alive. "Go on, child, live your dream!"

99.9% of the population would most probably disagree (that 0.1% is me of course), but hey...I might just consider being a digital artist as my third career choice. (I still wanna be a math teacher, ya know!)

ANNNNND....my dad is still grumbling away about not being able to make money with my digital artworks. "It's not about the money, man, it's all about the spirit and the passion!"

I don't think the Singapore finance minister would say the same.

butterfly effect by ~justswell on deviant ART

iced fission by ~justswell on deviant ART

My first 2 attempts at vector abstracts. ^_^

Fallen Angel (deviantart)

2008-12-22T00:47:00.012+08:00

Check out my latest photo-manipulation! xD Heavily inspired by my favorite manga, Skip Beat! of course.

fallen angel by ~justswell on deviant ART

After a few months of hiatus from deviantart, I'd say, making that photo manipulation was like getting hit by a brick. Wham! Inspiration comes flying in. In case you're wondering, the theme 'Fallen Angel' came from the plot of Fuwa Shou's music video whereby Kyouko Mogami (the female protagonist) stars as a beautiful angel who fell into the deep abyss of insanity after slaying the devil. My god, she looked so stunning that I absolutely had to make something of it!

As of now, I'm experimenting with my beloved photoshop, trying to learn a few new skills here and there. So yup, I will be back with an entirely new layout in a few...hours, days? Hmm...

I was speaking to my friends the other day about a local Japanese man who was trying to get petitions to legalize the marriage of anime characters. My friends, being sane as they were, was absolutely aghast. I was...too.

But now, thinking back, I wasn't sure if I could still say the same. Marrying Tsuruga Ren and being whisked off to his beautiful apartment in Tokyo would seem like an otherwise brilliant plan right now.

Tagged

2008-12-14T01:40:00.014+08:00

I have nothing to blog about today (other than getting a hair cut and playing mahjong), my life has been rather boring so I'll just do Mag's tag thingy.

Q: If you had 3 wishes, what will that be?

1) Migrate to Japan
2) Marry a Japanese
3) Enroll in Tokyo University

Q: Did you ever think to yourself and wonder if you're really real?

You mean if I'm actually dead but think I'm alive? Yeah, all the time.

Q: Are you afraid of what lies ahead of you?

Yes, it's not just about coping with my studies but also being with my friends in the same class next year. =(

Q: Would you change yourself for the person you love?

Yes.

Q: Do you believe in Love?

Yeah, look at my mom and dad. =.=" If it's not love, I don't know what it is!

Q: How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?

I don't. I just call him my shining creature of light (a.k.a SCOL) and be blinded by his beauty! mauahahaah.

Q: Is there anything that made you unhappy these days?

Yes? I've been emo-ing for days now. (writes emo poems)

Q: Do you get butterflies in your stomach whenever you're around the guy/girl you like?

No, because I'd run away before I reach 10 meters of my SCOL.

Q: Have you ever not been able to get someone out of your head?

YES.

Q: Who are currently most important people to you?

They know it themselves. =D

Q: Have you ever wanted someone but you knew you couldn't?

SCOL. SCOL. SCOL. And there's Tsuruga Ren, Eiri Yuki and Kanda Yuu because they're made of pen and pixels.

Q:Are you happy with your life?

Do I look like I'm happy with my life?

Q: Would you give your all in a relationship?

Yes, obviously.

Q: What type of friends do you like?

Friends who are understanding and able to take all my crap. I'm a terrible person, hard to mix with. My friends are gems and diamonds, therefore. =D

Q: Do you often wish there was something you could change?

You mean like my nationality? YES. I was definitely born a Jap, don't know how I ended up in Singapore.

Q: Which is your favourite body part of the opposite gender?

The eyes.

Q: If your lover betrayed you, what will be your reaction?

AHAHAHAA! I'd kill him, of course. But not before I sue him and extort some money.

Promotional Exam Results

2008-11-09T17:39:00.004+08:00

Friday was a joke. It was segregation at its best. O_O (for me, that is.)

My school principal made this amazing speech (for details I will not go into because half the time my thoughts were drifting to the newest season of Junjou Romantica.) and really wasn't kidding when he mentioned about 'going through 2 different doors': One for those who made the promotion, and the rest who didn't.

And my home tutor sure wasn't kidding either when she mentioned that only half the class will be receiving their certificates from her.

The long story?

I could only conclude that my principal loves organization. Those who weren't able to retain their 4 H2 subjects were to proceed to LT2 and that basically referred to all my classmates with the same subject combination. It was quite amusing because everyone stood up and left and I was pretty much emo-ing in my own corner. And dode had the nerve to add on that I might be transferring to another class. I quote from Dode 'You're like a subset of us, so you're either gonna get transferred or be put into your own class 2t05 B".

I really don't need to mingle or interact with a new class. Not when I'm taking my A Levels next year. O.O Let's say, in their moment of folly, the teachers displace our class, I'm really going to strangle them. And yes, I'm fully capable of committing a perfect crime.

I have improved on all my subjects, with the exception for economics, but I suppose that duly reflects the 'opportunity cost' of studying maths.

SOMEONE mentioned that he/she'd rather score B for Literature than some useless subject like maths. Well, considering how you attained a U for maths, do the homo sapiens a favor and shut your piehole. Because math is really useless for someone like you without the necessary aptitude for analytical thinking. AND I'd have you know that math is important to apply for ANY university. So, wanna give up on math? Go ahead. I'm not the one who has the drop 1 H2 subject.

I come from a family of low blood pressure species, but seeing that person's face really sizzles my blood to the point of hypertension.

I think my mom is quite satisfied with my results. I say 'quite' because she didn't really respond when I told her my results, but she did allow me to buy 2 more D.Gray-Man posters. The 4 walls of my bedroom are now covered with 4 D.Gray-Man and 1 Vampire Knight posters. I foresee another 10 more posters. ^^

*****

Lastly, I’d really like to thank 2 people who have really made an impact on my grades. The 3 of us were Muggers, and cramped up in school for night studies almost every day. I’ve never met such committed and inspiring friends for the 17 years of my life.

Aggie, you may not know how much you’ve done for me, but it was your perseverance and determination that relentlessly spurred me on in my studies. I was on the brink of giving up everything I’ve worked for, and yet your determination to excel kept my momentum and focus. And I still want to thank you for that bubble tea and Waffle cake breakfast you bought me. It really touched me. ^^

Wee kie, my Novena Church buddy, I can’t thank you enough for the emotional support you’ve provided me during the exams. The weekly visits to the Novena Church have kept my faith, love and devotion to Mother Mary.

Thank you Aggie and Wee kie, I would not have been able to promote without you guys. =)

Pre-Trip to Batam OCIP

2008-11-06T22:49:00.004+08:00

BECAUSE all my blog entries has been starting with 'Trip', I'll be continuing this thread. XD

And because my friend, Mag (I'm putting down her name so that she could feel...uh...somewhat guilty. xD), had made it my resolution to blog once per day.

My third entry. ^^ Yes! I'm making progress! (pats self on back)

Today was a joke. I woke up at 12 pm (I slept at 5 am, so screw you.) to meet Mag and Yings at Holland Village. We were searching ALL around Orchard for GPs and an economical clinic that DOES NOT charge beyond 50 bucks for a simple vaccination and consultation. I think we visited...3 clinics until Mag and Yings gave up and went for the 35 bucks offer.

I ended up having my medical checkup at my family doctor downstairs for 20 bucks. Joke.

Oh. When I was waiting for Mag at Holland Village, I actually took a stroll to my primary school childcare centre. Don't ask me why. Blame it on Mag for all my searching nostalgia. The vandalism at the playground remained the same. xD Looks like the government had the money to replace the sand but not remove the stains.