Whispering to the Wind

Little Whisper

2011-03-14T00:21:00.004+08:00

要讲的话, 这古代跟现代可没什么两样.

没好人. 没坏人. 有的只是个人字罢了.

这人字呢, 要贴上个好字或个坏字, 也形容不了什么才是所谓的“人”.

Tale of Hakuouki and Countless Tears

2011-01-06T01:59:00.004+08:00

Boo hoo hoo hoo~~~~!!! (T^T) *wails*

Damn it...

Why? Why?! Why does it have to be so sad?! *cries*

Aaaah... The story of Shinsengumi makes me cry.

Death makes me cry.

Hijikata-san makes me cry.

Hijikata-san's, oni fukuchou of Shinsengumi, death makes me bawl like an overgrown mutated baby! *wails*

*sniffles sniffles*

OK. OK. There, I'll stop the bawling and wailing. So why the melodrama? Because I just finished watching the last episode of Hakuouki! GAH. It definitely ranks top ten in my heart-wrenchingly-good-watch-list. That anime ending left me crying and cursing at the same time. I don't know whether to call'em bloody genius or cruel torturer... I have to say that the anime is an emotional ride and a pretty good one at that. (Even though I still think they could do better with the graphics and character design. Tsk.) And of course, Shinichirou-sama's voice acting was megafantabulous! I do think that the whole series would be nothing without the superb voice acting casts. (I still think Kazama sounds funny though. Hurr~ ) Oh, dear. That credit and ending really broke my internal water pipe. *sniffles...breaks down in tears*

So hereby I announce... I worship Idea Factory for coming up with THE otoge of the year! Nah. Of all time!!! Hakuouki rocks my little world! Hijikata-san~~~~ Miki Shinichirou-sama~~~~ L! O! V! E! L-O-V-E! LOVE!!! \(>.<)/

Tale of a Nosebleed

2010-12-05T00:55:00.004+08:00

Nosebleed? Yes, I almost had a nosebleed from listening to Miki Shinichirou's voice! I know I sound like a pervert but his voice is just too sexy to be true! Oh, the hotness... *fans self* If only all my lecturers sound like him, I'll hang on to every syllable that comes out of their mouth.

OK... OK... I'm sorry for the fangirling. (I can't help it!) So why the sudden mention of Miki Shinichirou-sama? Well, some of you probably knew that I became his biggest fan after playing Hakuouki and watching him voice Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist. And I just found about this otome game 三国恋戦記　～オトメの兵法！～ (Sangokuren Senki), where Shinichirou-sama voices the main character, Gentoku! My heart just went doki-doki when I listened to the sample voice provided in the site~ *full fangirl mode ON*

If you don't know how Shinichirou-sama sounds like, you can check it out. Just click the 3rd button (shown on the right side here) on the game's homepage. And then click Gentoku's face! There you can listen to the sample voice. :D

The game looks interesting although the premise is pretty cliche. A girl being transported into another world when she read a book. Geez, why does that sound familiar? (Fushigi Yuugi, anyone?) But look at the landscaping! So pretty~ Character design is pretty good too. And according to some of the reviews out there, the protagonist - Hana - is not just some useless girl (like Chizuru in Hakuouki) since she was mistaken as a military advisor and so had to help direct the army throughout the game. Too bad the game is for PC platform. I don't think my laptop can operate the game since I don't have the language pack. (T^T)

Here's the opening movie for the game:

Tale of The Existence of Love

2010-12-02T20:09:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, when I was browsing through some romance novels in Kinokuniya with Olivia, a title caught my attention. Or rather, the tag line that follows the tile did.

It says, " What would you give up for love?"
To which I responded, " If love does exist in the first place."

Olivia looked stunned and probably bewildered by my sudden exclamation. She mentioned family and asked what about the emotional bond that ties family members. Isn't that love?

That familial love, I will not and cannot deny its existence. But the word "love" is such a broad term, sometimes bordering on superficial. I feel that using the word "love" to describe the bond felt in family does not fully capture the whole picture of familial ties. Perhaps a better word than love to describe such bond would be "kinship".

And so... By saying that, I shall use the term "love" to refer to "romantic love" from here on. Back to my initial response about love. Does it really exist?

When two individuals get together and are involved in the so-called romantic relationship, is that love we are looking at? For all we know, it is just some sort of emotional exchange, a transaction in the subtlest form. So how can we be sure that it is indeed, love...

I guess to know the existence of love, we must first know the meaning of love. What defines love? Try as hard as I might, I could not for the life of me figure out what exactly is love. It is a personal opinion of mine that the attempt to define love is just like the attempt to prove God's existence; it is an arduous task and might just be impossible to achieve. It's really all a matter of where your conviction lies.

As such, my inability to fully understand what is love leads to my continuous questioning of the existence of love.

Dear Olivia called me a cynic, a skeptic. Yes, I do not think I can deny that particular statement. I am quite the cynical and skeptical woman, bordering on being pessimistic even. (Some of you might have realized that from past dealings with myself.) But as much as have been said about me being such a person, I am (probably) also a hopeless romantic. Sure, I question the existence of love. But deep down inside, I think I do yearn for it to really exist. For a world without love can be a very devastating sight. Aaah... What can I say? Being full of contradiction is my most defining trait after all...

I shall end my entry here and cease the ramblings. Heaven forbid, I must have bored (or confused) you all to tears. Hmmn, I just want to share this little discourse I had with Olivia. For I find it an interesting line of thought I have come up with. To tell you the truth, I surprised myself with how much of a cynic I actually am. *chuckles* Oh, well...

Tale of a New Page!

2010-11-27T22:28:00.000+08:00

Hey, people! I've decided to post the synopsis at a different site page. So, if any of you wants to read the synopsis I wrote, go to my new blog. I created it specially for writing synopsis so this blog will not be too cluttered. I dislike the mess!

Go to this link if you're interested:
http://kigiku.wordpress.com/

Yes, yes. I've made a little betrayal and started using wordpress. Haha~! There's a lot of customization options there and I love it. But it does get quite overwhelming for a newbie like me...

Back to the topic, Otome Youkai Zakuro Episode 5 synopsis is already posted in the new blog page. I'll try to finish writing up to episode 8 synopsis by next weekend. Again, no promises. Exams are coming! So let's cross our fingers so that I can deliver the synopsis to you all as soon as possible. I hate being late! D:

Tired. Lost. Hurting.

2010-11-26T01:52:00.000+08:00

I don't know what came over me these past few days but I have been down in the dump lately. Something to do with hormonal changes, perhaps? I honestly don't know.

I was gripped by sudden bouts of gloom and... may I say, loneliness? It might be because of the empty house I return to everyday; hearing my own voice echo back every time I use my vocal chord; eating tasteless meal by myself. It might be because I'm trying too hard... trying too hard to stay strong, trying too hard to stay nice, trying too hard to keep a cheerful facade for the sake of those dear and those who just don't know. It might be because of self-loathe, for I do know that I'm no saint. It might be because life doesn't go according to my wishes and I'm being a brat about something that couldn't be helped or changed in any ways. It might be because of my insecurities, my inability to trust. It might be because of my stubbornness, my pettiness.

Where's a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen to my silent words, a confidante, when you need one? Hmmn, I never really had one, have I not?

It might just be because of the gloomy weather.

I'm tired. I'm lost. I'm hurting. But I need no saving. What I need is to wake up, stand up, and face the world. But before that, I need to stop, take a break, and heal... I eagerly await for all these hustle-bustles to end and peace to come. For the time being, why don't you - those who don't really mean their friendship; those who are not true; those who hold nothing but pity; those who hide their loathe behind friendly facade - spare me the grievance and leave me be? Because at the moment, I don't think my abused heart and dignity can stand another beating by your condescending looks and mocking smiles. Find some conscience, will you?

D:

2010-11-17T08:36:00.000+08:00

Oh, freaking ice blended banana! I have not written synopsis for OYZ episode 5 and 6 yet! And episode 7 is already out! GAH! I'm so sorry~~ (not that anyone reads it anyway..It's for my own sick pleasure of completing something. lalala~)

Things had been pretty busy lately. :( I'll try to get everything up by this weekend. But no promises... Weird things always happen to me. D:

Tale of the soon-to-be-dead-meat-procrastinator

2010-11-12T23:57:00.000+08:00

It's almost 12:00 AM now and I just came back from my club activity not too long ago. My nose is so congested that I'm practically panting to get a breath in. (=_=) And phlegm clogged my throat. I feel like I have swallowed a gallon of rotten caramel and it's sticking the walls of my throat together. Wonderful~

And you know what? I still have at least 10 journal entries to write for my music class. The freaking thing is due on Tuesday, November 16th. I'M SO SCREWED. If fairies do exist (or dwarfs, elves, spirits, whatever!), please help me write them as I'm sleeping! D:

Most of the morrow would be spent outside so I don't think I'll be able to get much writing done. Because I'm not gonna stay awake the whole night to write. I'm so freaking tired. (Don't you dare ask why I'm still here, writing blog entry. Perhaps I'm delirious from the flu and too much board games.)

Eh? Where am I going tomorrow? The AFAX! After a whole one year of waiting, finally it's here. This will be my third AFA experience. Whoohoo~ I'm so gonna get that Revoltech Professor Layton figurine. And of course, it's a gachapon harvesting time! MWA HA HA. I hope some stalls will sell Hakuouki merchandises as well.. I'm gonna spend a bomb (and I don't really care. It's once a year indulgence)!

Ok, I'm going to dreamland now. Hijikata is waiting for me! *delirious mode ON*

Tale of Being Humans

2010-11-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

On Being Humans

Humans are all copycats/imitators who later in life become modifiers. Some though, by luck or good karma or hard work or sheer intelligence (whatever you want to name It, really), have the chance to be inventors. Or should I say discoverers?

On Being Copycats:

We were all copycats when we first came into this world. No, I think it goes back even earlier. When our initial life form was created by the merging of ovum and sperm, we were already the best examples of imitators. If you know your science, you know that our DNA codes are copies of our parents’ DNA codes (even though there are slight variations and some mutations here and there).

When we were forced out of our mother’s womb, we practically know nothing. So how did we learn what we know as of now? Why, by imitating of course! We learned how to talk, walk, and do things by first copying what the adults around us did.

On Being Modifiers:

As we grow up, our minds (if it does exist) developed a fear of being general, of being called “just the same as the others”. We don’t want to be just like the others. We want to be unique individuals! And so, we attempt to differentiate ourselves by modifying our previously learned (read: copied) behaviors and ways of thinking. We add in personal touches to those copied things (the big words for it would be customization) and then proceed to call it “our own”. A special edge, we say so, to convince ourselves and others that we are indeed unique and not just mere imitators.

On Being Inventors (Or Is It Discoverers?):

Sometimes, opportunities present themselves to some individuals so that they are able to become pioneers of something. They invent new things. But I am still quite hesitant to call them “inventors”. That word implies that the things they create are entirely new and absolutely never been conceived before; things that are out of this world if I may say…

I wonder though if what they ‘invented’ are mere things that are yet unknown to the humans’ minds. It’s just out there, only has not been discovered yet. For there are differences between being an inventor and a discoverer. Inventor creates things out of nothing or nowhere; Discoverer finds things that were unknown previously.

Looking at those who we like to call inventors, I found that they build or create “new things” based on what had been found previously. Isn’t that just discovering new aspects of what had been known before?

So are they inventors or discoverers? To be honest, I do not have the answer to that question. This in its entirety remains an unsolved puzzle for me. I simply do not have the mind capacity to solve it in this lifetime. Perhaps in the next one, I might…

So there you go. We are all nothing but copycats who evolved into modifiers. A few lucky ones, every now and then, get to be inventors or discoverers (whichever you find more acceptable to call them). And with that, I rest my case. At least, for the time being…

Synopsis: OYZ ep.4

2010-10-28T00:58:00.001+08:00

Two consecutive posts from me? MIRACLE! Hahaha~ Well, this is to make up for the late posting of the previous episode synopsis. Enjoy~

Episode 4 - Timid Distance

Episode 4 started off with a scene of half-naked Kei and Riken practicing their swordsmanship and Zakuro observing from afar. *snickers* (Nosebleed moment? Not exactly.. Haha!) Zakuro was caught watching the boys practice by Susukihotaru, who proceeded to tease Zakuro about 'spending the night together' with Kei. Kei noticed the two girls and greeted them good morning which further cause Zakuro's embarrassment. She ignored his greeting and walked away.

A mission came in later that morning. Zakuro and Kei were dismissed from the case so they can rest since they just got back from the previous mission. (I have a feeling that Kushimatsu did this deliberately to protect Zakuro. More will be revealed later). After the meeting with Kushimatsu, the rest of the team went out to investigate while Zakuro and Kei stayed behind. When Sakura and Kiri asked Kei to play with them, he told them that he had to practice. Zakuro commented on how hard working he is (sarcastically, of course. What do you expect?), to which Kei responded by saying that he at least need to be able to protect himself since he was always saved by Zakuro.

Outside, on the way to the shop that requested the Ministry's help, the humans were staring and whispering about the hanyō-tachi. Riken commented on Susukihotaru's habit of looking down whenever she is outside the Ministry. She told him that she is afraid of looking at human's eyes. Riken then stepped in front of Susukihotaru and asked her to walk behind him so she wouldn't need to look at the humans. (So sweet~)

When the team arrived at the shop, a little yōjin named Mugi greeted them and brought them to her employer. Mugi's employer is a human called Orikata Aya. The team was surprised that a human is willing to employ a full-blooded yōjin. Orikata-san then showed the team what was causing the trouble. It was a katana that a mysterious woman sold to the shop a few day ago. It was said that the katana brings misfortune to those who possessed it.

Susukihotaru started to have breathing difficulty after being exposed to the katana and collapsed. The team decided that Hōzuki, Bonbori, and Ganryū should go investigate further outside while Riken should stay behind with Susukihotaru until she regain her energy. Susukihotaru apologized for collapsing but Riken asked her not to worry.

Mugi brought Susukihotaru medicine and water to help her feel better. Susukihotaru noticed a wooden comb tucked inside Mugi's obi and asked about it. Mugi took it out for Susukihotaru to see and told her that the comb was from her mother. When Susukihotaru touched the comb, she saw a flashback of what happened to Mugi's mother.

Meanwhile, Hōzuki and Bonbori were telling Ganryū that it must be hard for Susukihotaru because her power is the ability to empathize with people or object that she touches. A 'strong' object can affect her just by proximity, such as the katana that they were entrusted with. When they arrived at the mansion that was supposed to house the woman who sold the katana to Oritaka-san, the mansion seemed abandoned. From the shadow, the two hooded figures appeared again and apparently, they were targeting Zakuro all along.

Back at the shop, Susukihotaru accidentally grabbed on to the cursed katana when she was helping Mugi. The strong 'memory' of the katana possessed Susukihotaru and made her wield the katana to kill whoever standing in front of her. Under the influence of the katana, she tried to kill Mugi but Oritaka-san dashed out and shielded Mugi with her own body, just like what Mugi's mother did before her death. The incident caused Mugi to recall what happened to her mother.

Riken managed to stop Susukihotaru by grabbing onto the cursed blade. Susukihotaru snapped out of the katana's influence when she realized that she had wounded Riken. (Geez..what's with this anime and trance-like state? Oh, wait. I forgot. This is a story about spirits. Silly me. Ha!)

After that whole incident, Susukihotaru confessed to Riken about her ability to feel a person's or an object's heart upon physical contact and apologized that she never told him about it before. She was afraid that Riken would come to hate her if he learns about her power. Riken then touched her hand and asked her whether she can feel what he was thinking. He told her that he's a man of few words and he was happy that she could read his mind so that she would be able to know how he truly feels. (Aaaaaaaaww~~ *melted into a puddle of fluff goo*)

After they went back to the Ministry, Kushimatsu reported the matter to Amaryōju-sama. They suspected that someone was behind this incident. Kushimatsu was also chastised by Amaryōju-sama for being too protective of Zakuro. The scene changed to that of the mysterious woman who sold the cursed katana to Oritaka-san. The woman was mumbling to herself, "It won't be long, Zakuro. It won't be long..." (Yikes! Talk about creepy..)

The next day, Zakuro was wondering what happened because Susukihotaru brought a towel for Riken after the boys' kendo practice and was acting lovey-dovey with him. Mamezō popped out of nowhere and asked Zakuro to bring Kei a towel too. Zakuro get embarrassed and threw the towel down from the second floor of the building. Poor Kei had to jump around to catch the towel! (LOL)

~~~

And that's the end of episode 4 synopsis. So long! *le gasp* The synopsis is getting longer as the show progresses. Proof that the plot is thickening? hahaha~ I really love the interaction between Susukihotaru and Riken in this episode. \(^w^)/~きゃああああ!!! <3 *melted into a puddle of goo again*

See you next episode!

Synopsis: OYZ ep.3

2010-10-27T22:09:00.001+08:00

Aaaa~ Sorry for the late post! Had a very hectic week and no time to write the synopsis for episode 3! Gomen ne~ Here you go!

Episode 3 - Tragic Past

Zakuro was moping that she did not get any mission while Susukihotaru, Hōzuki and Bonbori were sent out with their partners. She complained to Kushimatsu about the lack of mission for her. Kushimatsu then told her that she couldn't trust Zakuro to do a mission properly when she is constantly bickering with her partner.

Later that day, a request was brought to the Ministry by a village elder. Children and young women were missing from the village and there were too many gone to be a coincidence. They suspected that the young women were spirited away. Upon hearing the problem (by eavesdropping), Zakuro pleaded with Kushimatsu to let her and Kei handle this case. At first, Kushimatsu was unwilling to let Zakuro take on the case but because Zakuro was insistent, she relented.

Kushimatsu had her reason for not wanting Zakuro to take on this particular case. Since Zakuro and Kei were going to take it anyway, Kushimatsu decided to tell Kei her reason which was related to Zakuro's past. She explained that hanyō is born when a pregnant human woman is spirited away. And when the hanyō is born, she/he would be taken away from the mother's side. Kushimatsu was afraid that this case of women going missing might affect Zakuro because of her past but she did understand Zakuro's determination and need to take on the case.

Zakuro and Kei then headed out to the aforementioned village to investigate. When they arrived, the village elder - who came to the Ministry earlier - showed the two of them to their room. Unfortunately, there was only one room available so they would have to stay in the same room. Zakuro was mortified by this arrangement but Kei told her that there's nothing they could do about it so they should just accept the arrangement.

Zakuro warned Kei to not cross over the line between their futon and if he does, she will stab him. (LOL) Kei noticed that Mamezō was allowed to sleep at Zakuro's side and asked why since Mamezō is also a male. She replied "because Mamezō is a friend". Kei sulked and started to grumble and accidentally blurted out that Zakuro is much scarier than he can ever be. His statement shocked both himself and Zakuro. He quickly apologized and tried to explain that he didn't mean it but Zakuro had already took it to heart and became crestfallen.

Later that night, they both couldn't sleep and started talking. From their conversation, Kei found out that Zakuro's mother was spirited away twice. The first, she came back bearing Zakuro. The second time she was spirited away was when Zakuro was still quite young and she never came back. And that was the reason why Zakuro got worked up when she heard of young women getting spirited away.

The next day, when they went to investigate around the area, Zakuro heard a voice calling out to her. She got into a trance-like state and started walking towards the direction of the voice. Kei grabbed her before she could go further and it snapped Zakuro out of her trance.

At night, Zakuro had a dream about her mother and the voice called out to her, rendering her into the trance-like state once again. She went out in that state, the voice leading her to somewhere. Luckily, Kei noticed her leave and followed with Mamezō and his katana.

The voice led them to a cave in the forest. Before Zakuro could step into the cave, she was again stopped by Kei. They went inside the cave together once Zakuro had snapped out of her trance. Outside, there were two hooded figures (one named Daidai and the other remains unknown at this point of time. Daidai called the other "Sister") observing the two of them and seemed to be out to harm Zakuro. Daidai and her sister fled when Kushimatsu arrived in her full kitsune yōkai form.

Inside the cave, Zakuro and Kei found the culprit behind the young women's disappearance. The women were not not spirited away but were lured using the voice to come into this cave and got eaten by this yōkai. They fought the yōkai and Kei nearly got eaten by it but Zakuro managed to save him just in the nick of time.

Back at the Ministry, Kushimatsu reported to Amaryōju-sama about the two hooded figures. From their conversation, it seems that both Amaryōju-sama and Kushimatsu knew of them and their intention.

Meanwhile, the girls were teasing Zakuro about her sleeping in the same room with Kei. Apparently, Mamezō had been going around telling people about them 'spending the night together'. *chuckles*

~~~

Whoo! Quite a content heavy episode, ne? I had a hard time trying to write a synopsis for this episode since there are a lot of important information and I can't just leave them out. :< Anyway, it was a really nice episode! (^w^) I'm glad that the relationship between Zakuro and Kei is getting better by the day. Hehe~

Synopsis: OYZ ep.2

2010-10-13T23:49:00.000+08:00

Episode 2 - Crimson Brilliance

The episode started off with Zakuro having a bad dream about climbing persimmon tree which was considered as the tree connecting to the underworld. In the dream, a woman's voice was heard warning Zakuro to not climb the persimmon tree recklessly. From Zakuro's reaction to the dream, it seems that that was her mother's voice.

When the team were having breakfast, Zakuro complained about not being able to take cow milk. When she was about to leave the dining table, Kei tried to appease her by giving her a candle to eat. (Yes, a candle. ROFL) He said that he had done some research and found out that fox spirit likes to eat candle which was untrue. So, once again, he pissed Zakuro off. *chuckles* Kushimatsu came in just as Zakuro stormed out of the room and informed them that they received a request to attend to a yōjin problem at a hotel construction site.

The hotel owner wanted them to exorcise the yōjin even though the yōjin did not harm anyone. The team then split up to search for the problematic yōjin, with Zakuro refusing to go together with Kei. Kei had to go with Mamezō instead.

During the search, Susukihotaru and Riken had a conversation about why Zakuro is so important to the hanyō girls. Meanwhile Hōzuki and Bonbori were happy to find that Ganryū was able to differentiate between the two twins.

A short while after, Kei and Mamezō encountered the yōjin that was causing trouble at the construction site. And not surprisingly, Kei was petrified and couldn't do anything but screamed. (LOL) But whenever Kei screamed, the yōjin seems to stop trying to attack. Susukihotaru, Riken, Hōzuki, Bonbori, and Ganryū arrived soon after and the yōkai escaped to a room where Zakuro had already occupied.

Zakuro seemed to understand what the yōjin was trying to say. She took her blade from Mamezō and slashed at the big pillar in the room, thus destroying the room. The hotel owner made a big noise about the destroyed room. Zakuro then proceeded to explain why the yōjin decided to cause trouble. Apparently, the yōjin tried to scare the humans away because the humans destroyed the shrine he dwell in when the construction started.

But the hotel owner didn't care about destroying the shrine and even went to insult the existence of yōjin. Lieutenant Hanadate came to investigate the commotion and he offered a solution to the problem. He also defended the yōjin-tachi and thanked Zakuro for reminding him that human-yōjin harmony is as important as Westernization. That earned him Zakuro's admiration (I bet this will make Kei jealous in the near future. hehehe~) and she went googly-eyed at him as he left the scene.

Back at the Minstry of Yōjin Affairs, Kei brought Zakuro ramune as peace offering after asking Susukihotaru what was her favorite thing. They then had a conversation about the relationships between yōjin and humans. Kei asked her why would she fight to protect the humans that she considered worthless. She replied that because this is where she belongs and even humans have different categories: there's the worthless ones, the wonderful ones (such as Lieutenant Hanadate. Kei scowled at this), and the wusses like Kei (at which Kei flabbergasted and Zakuro laughed).

Discussion and Synopsis: OYZ + STY

2010-10-08T20:05:00.012+08:00

Osh~! I finally watched the first episode of Otome Yōkai Zakuro and Shinrei Tantei Yakumo.

My opinion? Zakuro rocks while Yakumo is..err..kinda disappointing? At first I thought that Yakumo would follow the storyline that Miyako-san used in her manga adaptation. But apparently, the storyline that is being used sort of follows Oda-san's work. I said "sort of" because a lot of stuffs were being omitted, new stuffs were added in, things were changed and all that. (Typical motion picture adaptation, yeah?) I had a lot of expectation for Yakumo and now I'm feeling rather betrayed. (=_=) And the music sucks!

I really like Zakuro though. (^w^) Perhaps it's because I have no prior expectation to the series since I did not read the manga before. And it helps that the music used are pretty nice as well. The artwork is not amazing or anything but still pleasing to the eyes, I guess.. I'm a sucker for aesthetic. Yeah, I like to ogle pretty looking things. Got problem?

Ok, now on to the synopsis. I'll only do the synopsis for Zakuro because Yakumo disappointed me. (ha!) Don't read from this point on if you don't want any spoiler...

Otome Yōkai Zakuro ep. 1

Ganryū, Kei, Riken

Set in the Meiji era, Japan had just adopted the sun almanac and embrace Westernization. Recently, some yōkai have been going berserk and causing trouble. The government decided to set up a department to control these problems called the Ministry of Yōjin Affairs. Second lieutenant Agemaki Kei, second lieutenant Yoshinokazura Riken, and second lieutenant Hanakiri Ganryū were assigned as representatives of the humans to work with the representatives of the yōkai/yōjin. Kei has a phobia of spirits and monsters but he accepted the assignment nonetheless because he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone that (especially his father, General Agemaki) he is afraid of yōkai.

(the girls from left to right) Zakuro, Hotaru, Bonbori, Hōzuki.

The three of them went to the Ministry of Yōjin Affairs to meet the yōjin representatives. The yōjin matron, Kushimatsu, introduced to them their hanyō (half-human, half-yōjin) partners: Zakuro, Susuki Hotaru, the twins Hōzuki and Bonbori. Kei was petrified by the hanyō girls but was determined to hide it. He opted to introduce himself extravagantly and managed to charm even the skeptical Zakuro. (But he sort of fainted when two little yōjin, Sakura and Kiri, touched his legs. LOL)

Later that night, Kei wanted to go to the loo which was located at the yard (loos are usually outside of the main buildings in that era) but he was scared to death by the yōjin that occupied the building. He met Zakuro who just came out of the bath and hugged her. Zakuro was swooning over the hug but immediately became super annoyed when Kei asked her to accompany him to the loo because he didn't dare to go alone. She then proceeded to call him a wuss. *chuckles*

The next day, Kushimatsu took the bunch of youngsters for hanami as a form of bonding. Humans started to whisper and point their fingers at the yōjin and hanyō. Zakuro told Kei that she is used to such thing. Just then, lightning stroke the ground ahead of them and there appeared a yōkai called Raijū. Sakura and Kiri were happy to see it and started approaching the seemingly-angry yōkai. Raiju tried to attack the kids but Kei managed to save them. He told the kids to run away but he himself was rooted to the spot because he was too scared. (LOL) Zakuro and the girls then managed to calm the Raiju down. The team continued their hanami in peace but Zakuro wondered why the normally well-behaved Raijū suddenly lose control.

Fall '10 Anime!

2010-10-06T21:41:00.011+08:00

Yo~ Minna!

(Eh, what am I doing here? I am supposed to do my NTR lab assignment + being depressed about my Philosophy midterm test ... Ok, whatever!)

I just want to introduce to you the anime series I will be following this fall season. I'm so excited because the season 2 of Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan is up! And another two new series~ Ohohohoho~

1. Hakuouki: Hekketsu-roku 『薄桜鬼碧血録』 (Season 2)

The bidanshi-tachi return!!! How exciting~ But I have a feeling I'll cry a bucket when I watch Season 2. I played the game and I already knew the ending. I'm sure this season will be full of drama, angst, and (of course) some fluffs. I wonder if they will include other characters' routes as well. So far that I have seen from Season 1, they did include some important scenes from other routes but it mainly follows Hijikata's route. (YAY!) I wish they'll do the same for Season 2 because I'm curious about the other routes. I only managed to finish my darling Oni-fukuchou route because the Kanji reading is blinding me. >_<

2. Otome Youkai Zakuro 『おとめ妖怪ざくろ』

Whee~ A new series I will encounter this fall! It seems really interesting. Teehee. This series is adapted from a seinen manga of the same title by Hoshino Lily【星野リリィ】. I don't really know why they classify it as seinen since the targeted demographic seems to be pretty wide, including josei as well. The story tells about a slightly alternate universe Japan in Meiji-era where magical beings (youkai/younin) coexist with humans. The heroine is a half-fox youkai girl called Zakuro who was assigned into a team with human soldiers to promote inter-racial harmony. And surprisingly (or not..) the main male lead seems to dislike fox because he has some sort of phobia! Sounds like fun? ehm~ehmn! The artworks are very pleasing to the eyes too.. Ufufufun~

3. Shinrei Tantei Yakumo 『心霊探偵八雲』

The third one is Shinrei Tantei Yakumo!! This series is not a new title to me as I have already read the manga adaptation by Miyako Ritsu 【都戸利津】. I adore the manga series so I think I'll enjoy the anime as well. ~~And it helps that Miyako Ritsu's art concept seems to be the one being used here..~~ (Apparently not! >.< ) The anime is using Oda Suzuka's 【小田すずか】 concept art from her manga adaptation. Hehe~

Adapted from a novel by Kaminaga Minabu 【神永学】, the story tells about a college student named Saitou Yakumo who is born with different eye colors. His left red eye enabled him to see and communicate with supernatural beings (a.k.a. ghosts! Eek!). He believes that spirits that roams the earth are bounded by a strong feeling/wish and the only way to let them go to nirvana is by helping them fulfill that desire. He is sometimes requested by the police to help with investigation.

Yaahaa~ I think these three series will keep me quite entertained. I'm so excited to catch the first episode of each series. For now, I don't have time because of the bloody assignments. Weekend... I promise myself, weekend... Now, I have to get back to my dreadful assignments. =_=

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of the Oubliette

2010-10-04T20:28:00.002+08:00

I feel like I'm trapped in the oubliette of despair. It's so empty. It's destitute of any saving grace.

I wonder to myself, why? What caused this kind of feeling that made me cried out "Ah! Woe is me!". Was it the loneliness? Was it the failure? Or was it just that ever present pessimistic streak in me? Perhaps, they all played a part in inducing such despair.

Why the loneliness? I am surrounded by people everyday. The hustle bustle of life never seemed to cease. I don't know, honestly. Sometimes when I got home, I looked around myself. I tried hard to find something that can lift my spirit but I found none. What used to be my sanctuary is now nothing but a desolate place. Was it my inability to see that made it desolate? Or was it the desolate quality that made me unable to see?

Why the failure? I achieved many things before. I am fairly good at what I do. Again, I don't know. Perhaps, because I have lost my passion. I have lost the burning fire inside me. Day after day, month after month, year after year; I have been losing them gradually. The things that I used to take pleasure in doing are now nothing more than soulless repetitions of what used to be. All seems so bleak. It's as if my world has lost all other colors but the various shades of gray. Not even black and white exist in my world anymore. Nothing but a vast area of gray. I wonder... What happened? What had turned my blazing flame into dying ember?

Perhaps, I just need to learn how to love again. And I beseech to whatever greater force out there to send me something or someone to love. Because I do not want to cease existing altogether...

Little Whisper

2010-09-24T11:18:00.006+08:00

Agitation. Frustration. Vexation. Gone were the days of pure freedom; not to say that we have it in the first place.

Illusion. Phantasm. Delusion. Who are we to define reality? How can we do so, as blind as we are. Or is it as narrow-minded fools as we are? Perhaps we're both.

Oh, blind narrow-minded fools! What a joke! Objects of satire you have become, yet you never realized. Ridicule. Mockery. Derision.

by Elena Riacara

Tale of A Trip Home

2010-08-24T23:26:00.001+08:00

Greeting from the sunny island~

Holiday is ending! *le gasp* I'm SO not looking forward to this fall semester. Bad, bad premonition. (clue: Philosophy, anyone?) Why does everything good seem to end faster. Time flies when you are enjoying life. Pfft..

Most of you probably know that I went back to my hometown, the capital city of West Borneo, Indonesia. Yes, the town called *drum rolls* "Pontianak". And no, its name has nothing to do with the horror myth. Don't annoy me by freaking out or insulting my dearest hometown. I'd probably launch into the history lesson mode if you do and I don't exactly love doing it. The ground has been laid out so let's proceed...

I have mixed feelings about this trip. It was über-fun yet heart-wrenching.

The fun part is obviously about the GREAT food and the awesome walk down the memory lane. I think I've overstuffed myself with the local delights that I upset my stomach. But who could blame me? The food are just TOO good, I can't help it. It might be just normal siew may or chai taw kuay for y'all, but for me it's the taste I can't find anywhere else. :)

I really felt the impact of human development when I was there. It has only been a couple of years since the last time I went back home..But the changes were so rapid that I almost could not recognize the buildings and things I used to know as a kid. I bet if you put me alone without my cellphone in the middle of the town, I'll get lost.

I visited my grandma as well. It was a long-awaited reunion with my darling dearest A Ma. But the things that I saw and heard, it's enough to make me cry more than a liter of tears. God, it was so heart-wrenching. It makes me sad just by recalling the visit.

Some background story before I tell you why the reunion made me so sad. *sniffs*

My grandma used to live with my family. She took care of us since we were tots who barely speak a word. And she is the closest family member to me, even more so than my parents. My relatives often tease me as a "Grannie's girl" instead of "Daddy's girl" or "Mommy's girl". When my family moved to Batam (around 11 years ago), she moved along with us. My relationship with my parents wasn't so good at the time I reached puberty (but that's a story for another time) and grandma was the only shoulder I could lean on. Whenever something bad happened, she would always be there for me. She's my steady rock and soothing river to put it poetically.

When I was in secondary school, grandma was diagnosed with high blood pressure and suffered a mild stroke. Her right leg was weakened greatly by the stroke so she slept in the room on the first floor. Our rooms are on the second floor. One morning, she had a fall while trying to climb the stairs to give my younger sis her milk and hurt her head badly. I still remember the incident vividly. Blood was everywhere; on the stairs, on the floor all the way into her bedroom where my parents had carried her into, on the bed she was lying on while my mom tried to stop the blood flow, on my lap when we took her to the E.R... She had another stroke, more serious this time, because of the fall.

After the fall, her health took a steep downward slope. She had great difficulty walking. Her muscles were already weak because of aging and deteriorated even further after the second stroke. Sometimes, she couldn't even swallow her medicines properly.

To say the least, I was devastated at that time. I measured her BP everyday, helped her take her medication and with her muscle therapy, accompany her whenever I wasn't busy with school. I did all I could to support her but it wasn't enough; I don't think it will ever be because try as I might, I could never return her full mobility. It saddened me to see her so dejected by her own physical condition.

Flashforward to the last year of high school (that's 2nd year JC for some of you), my grandpa passed away back in my hometown. Afraid that it will jeopardize her condition, my parents lied to grandma about the reason we were taking her back to our hometown. And apparently, my mom had decided to let grandma stay there forever. The reason being that she wanted my grandma to *touchwood* pass in the town she was born in. I think my ma was stricken by the realization that A. her dad had passed away suddenly, B. her mom could just pass away anytime too. Also, I was going to Singapore in a few months time. When I am gone, no one could really accompany her; my younger sis was..young..while my older and I are both in Singapore. Whereas back in our hometown, my aunt has kids and my ma thought that they will be able to give some joy to my grandma.

I really didn't want her to move but I was powerless. And I know that it's all for the best. She has been living with my aunt ever since.

And now, I'll tell you why I was so sad. When I saw her on this trip, she was so...tiny for the lack of better word. She looked like she had shrunk, left with only a thin layer of muscle and skin covering her bones. She can't see properly because her cataract had become so bad that it can't be removed anymore. You know what... She has to rely on her hearing to know that I was there. She told me she can't see my face anymore, it's all blur images to her. She can barely walk yet she insists that she doesn't want a walking cane. I think she felt the idea of using a cane destroy whatever is left of her pride and independence.

The second day I visited her (I stayed in my other aunt's house), she was so happy and yet I was close to tears. The moment she saw me, she said she didn't think that I would come back for another visit and have to wait for next year or something. I nearly break down when she told me that she dreamed of me last night and as I was saying goodbye (in the dream), she was crying out to my fading figure, "Lena! Lena! Come back, don't leave me here! Take me back to Batam with you! I want to go home.." God, I'm tearing up right now.. *sniffs*

She told me some more things. I can't tell you what.. Because I don't think I can stand putting it down in words. It will break my heart. Goodness, I feel so useless...

Okay, that's it for this post. It has become too emotionally exhausting to write. I just wanted to get some out of my chest. I think I'm going to cuddle up in my bed or watch some comedy to forget this... I'm sorry for the moping...

Perfect Uta

2010-07-29T23:33:00.000+08:00

Micro – 踊れ
作詩：Micro・Nagacho・Nobuaki Kaneko
作曲：Micro・Nagacho・Nobuaki Kaneko
僕の嬉しさに君は舞い
君が憂う時僕は泣く
この寂しさ自体はどうしょうもない
今日も知らされてしまう不幸に嘆き

だけど何も出来ないこの僕ら
ただ襲いかかる無力感
愛の反対は憎しみじゃなくて
無関心というあきらめなのです

踊れ　悲しみよ
舞え　全てを脱ぎ捨てて
守り抜くため　踊れ

誰かが勝てば誰かが負ける
誰かが泣けば誰かが笑う
ぶっ壊してくそんなシステム
俺は矛盾していく　for the justice

自分の中の悪魔がささやく
誰も見てないところで呟く
鈍る判断力と善と悪
光と影の壮絶なバトル

いま時代が求めてやまぬ希望
そのハートのかけら探しにいこう
この星の行き先はどこへ
曇りなき眼で見定める

もがき叫んでる人の悩み
それを経験している人以外
決して誰にもわからない
だから何って訳じゃない
少し位は成長したい
そのための苦しみなら
僕にも少し分けてください

踊れ　悲しみよ
笑え　全てを突き抜けて
たどり着くため　踊れ

誰にも気付かれない場所で
ひたむき汗流す君へ
フレーフレー、その心へ
グレイグレイ、曇り空へ

混沌としたこの世界で
君と出会えた事さえ
不思議に思う通り雨

明日、天気になれ

Micro – Dance

Lyrics: Micro, Nagacho, Nobuaki Kaneko
Music: Micro, Nagacho, Nobuaki Kaneko

You dance over to my happiness
When you’re feeling melancholy I cry
There’s no stopping this loneliness
And I grieve at the unhappiness I find today again

But we’re not able to do anything
As feelings of helplessness assault us
The opposite of love isn’t hate
It’s resigning yourself to be indifferent

Dance, sadness
Move, take it all off
Dance, so you can protect it

When someone wins, someone else loses
When someone cries, someone else laughs
I’ll take down that system
I won’t stand for that, I’m for the justice

The devil inside me whispers
Muttering where no one can see
Weakening my sense of judgement
A heroic battle between good and evil, light and shadow

This day and age now is still in need of hope
Let’s go find that piece of our heart
Where is this star headed?
We’ll watch and judge with unclouded eyes

Other than people who’ve experienced
The anxiety of those who struggle and scream
No one else can ever understand
You may think “so what?”
But I just want to raise up in rank a little
So if you’re suffering to achieve that
Please share a little of that pain with me

Dance, sadness
Smile, go through it all
Dance, so you can make it there

For you, sweating single-mindedly
In a place where no one will notice you
Hooray, hooray, to your heart
Into the gray, gray cloudy sky

In this chaotic world
Even the fact that I met you
Strangely becomes a passing rain

Tomorrow, be a clear day

Lyric and translation from http://www.quartet4.net/?p=477

Little Whisper

2010-07-29T21:44:00.000+08:00

I thought we are of a flock. But I realized that when the bridge had collapsed, all ties seems to be severed and we are reduced to nothing more than strangers. Perhaps it is my fault that I can't be as good as the bridging one; perhaps you don't really care after all. I was hurt but now I don't give a damn. The world is never fair.

Tale of a Departure & Etcetera

2010-07-24T00:47:00.001+08:00

Greetings from the sunny country with high rainfall rate!

Some newsflashes about what hath happened lately in my teeny weeny little life.

So, my sister has departed to Sydney on Monday and I'm officially living alone now. I am used to it but can't help feeling weird. I was hit by the realization that she won't be close by my side anymore. Some may say, "Hey, it's not that bad. Sydney is not as far as you think it is." But to me, in comparison with the neighboring island where I call my home, Sydney is a pretty faraway place. When she was back in Batam, I lived alone too. The knowledge that I can get to her just by simply boarding the ferry and sit through the 1 hour journey made me feel less lonely though. Now that she's in the southern hemisphere of the earth, communicating and chances of seeing each other are harder to come by. Overseas sms and long distance call are expensive. *sniff* I shall remind myself to get a webcam as soon as possible. Skype might just be my life-saver.

Aaa~ That's all about my sis. Thinking and talking (or rather typing) about it too much will rouse the melancholy.

Next, about school. This is probably the worst semester ever when you talk about group projects. Anything else is fine. We even got some fun lecturers this time. (Rintamaki rocks!) But the group projects? I wish I had a handgun to shoot the abominable group members and send them to land far far away beyond human imagination. A Glock 35 or Jericho941 would be nice. Alas, that was impossible as I would be sent to jail for attempt of murder.

Seriously, never before in my entire 2 decades existence have I seen such irresponsible and aggravating adults. They are at least 3-5 years older than me but they act like a toddler that are denied their favorite toys. They claimed ignorance for the faults that they made, even pushing the blame to everyone else when they realized just how deep in the pit of hell they were in. Bloody childish.

I am glad that the whole group project fiasco has ended. And I am eternally grateful for the other group members (the responsible and mature ones) whom I have worked together with. You guys rock! I had fun despite of what happened with he-who-can't-be-named and you-know-who.

I wanted to write more but my brain refuses to cooperate so this will be all there is to this post. I'll probably update again soon because I have a lot to recount. But as usual, no promises shall be made because of the erratic mood swing and a serious case of writer's block. :)

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

An Update on Hakuouki Fandom

2010-06-22T11:25:00.002+08:00

Osh! A quick update on what is happening in my Hakuouki fandom!

I mentioned in the last post that playing the game made me sad, what with the tragic story of Shinsengumi and all that. But who would have imagined that watching the animated version evokes more of such emotion? Well, to be fair, maybe some did guess that the animated version would be more emotional but I sure didn't! In my own defense, most adapted stuffs aren't as good as the original.

The Hakuouki anime, even though the character design wasn't done very well and the story seems a bit rushed for some reasons, did pretty well in conveying the original storyline. Plus point is that the anime shows scenes from other character route as well. But it will eventually follow Hijikata's (male lead in game version) route.

After watching episode 11 of the first season, I thought the anime has gotten better as it progresses. Emotions that can't be well-developed in the visual novel game were conveyed pretty well in the anime by using appropriate BGM and facial expressions (which are limited in the game. You know how it is with Otoge... or maaaayybee you don't. *shrugs* ).

And for that, I'm esctatic that they are making the second season, coming out this fall! Can't wait~ Now, I'm just waiting for the almight subbers to get episode 12 subbed so i can finish watching the first season. All in all, Hakuouki the anime is an enjoyable ride. (^w^)

Tale of Sanity (and Bishies :D )

2010-05-20T20:45:00.005+08:00

Enough of the gloomy stuffs! Now on to the things that kept me sane. :D Just thinking of them makes me smile.

First and foremost, my current obsession!

Hakuoki 薄桜鬼です!!

\(^w^)/~きゃああああ!!! <3

I uber love this otoge!! I've played the NDS version of the game and I really love it even though it hurts my brain to actually finish one character route because of all the kanji. Horror!! (>_<) Rather than a dating-sim, Hakuouki is more like an interactive visual novel where you can 'choose' who will end up with the lead character. And best of all, it's about Shinsengumi 新選組. Yes, I am a Shinsengumi fan-girl. Well, Hijikata Toshizō (土方歳三) fan-girl to be exact. Oni fukuchou is the best! LOL~

The story is about Yukimura Chizuru who came to Kyoto to search for her missing father. For safety reason, she dressed up as a guy. She was chased by some rounin and ended up witnessing a couple of Shinsengumi warriors went berserk. She was saved by Okita Souji, Saitou Hajime and (dun-dun-dun-dun~) Hijikata Toshizō and was brought back to the Shinsengumi HQ (practically kidnapped. haha!).

Later on, they learned that Chizuru is the daughter of a physician who had been working with Shinsengumi to develop a secret elixir called Ochimizu under the Bakufu's order. Human who drinks Ochimizu would gain super human strength and healing abilities but there's a side effect since the medicine wasn't completed yet. Those who have drunk Ochimizu, nicknamed Rasetsu, would undergo changes which made them no longer human and they could go berserk because of it.

Some twists and turns later, they found out about the existence of Oni living amongst human in this world. And these Oni have something to do with the disappearance of Chizuru's father.

That's basically the main plot of the game. Each character would have different route and story line that will sort of follow the actual historical events. And that's what makes me so into this game. I love how they weave fiction and fantasy aspects together with the real historical events. Each story line is very well-written and you can see good character development in some. :)

Well, since I'm a big fan of Hijikata, I finished his route first. I have gotten the good ending, thanks to this walkthrough. But I'm still figuring out how to get the bad ending because the walkthrough is pretty vague about the bad ending. I'll need to play it through to get all the CGs. :< Both endings are pretty sad though, considering this is about Shinsengumi and all. (T^T) Some Hijikata CGs:

I'll try to finish all character routes, someday, when I pick up the courage to plow through all the kanji again. *dies* And I'd really like to try playing Hakuouki Zuisouroku, which is the spin-off of the main story line. This spin-off focuses on the everyday lives and is more light-hearted as compared to the gloomy sad main story. :) Here's some CGs from Zuisouroku that I found!

Kondou-san, Inoue-san, Okita and Hijikata before Shinsengumi :D

The rivalry for Kondou-san's affection between Hijikata and Okita started waaaayyy long ago. LOL

When everything was still serene. Okita teasing Hijikata about the poem that Oni fukuchou secretly loves to write. XD

*nosebleed* He looks surprised for a second when Chizuru opened the door then quickly schooled his expression to that of annoyance. (^v^)

Rare moment of Hijikata without his hair tied up. :D

Wow, I have blabbed too much about Hakuoki. Haha.. I guess, the next items that helped keep me sane would have to be posted another time. I'm tired.. (=_=)

Tale of Something New, Something Old and Something Forgotten

2010-05-20T19:09:00.001+08:00

A new semester had begun and I'm not particularly ecstatic about it. Partly because I caught a cold on the first day of school and it left me feeling really lethargic until now. I could barely keep my eyelids open even though I have had lots of rest these past few days. So to say, it wasn't a good start.

I don't know if it's just me or it's a fact that the classes I am taking this summer are all very dry. To be honest, they are boring me to tears and this is just the first week. The lecturers that I expected to be interesting turned out, well, not that interesting after all. People say, the higher your hope, the harder it will be when you fall. I guess the saying applies here. Perhaps I should remind myself to not expect too much in order to avoid further disappointment in the future. Hnn.

***

Currently, there are a lot of uncertainties going on in my life. My sister who has been living together with me since I moved here is probably going to leave for Sidney to further her studies. I don't mind living alone, really. And I'm certainly capable of taking care of myself. But it does get lonely at times. It gets scary too, to think that I wouldn't have someone I can rely on close by. Somehow, this country has gotten even more foreign to me.

And there's the financial concern. Even though my parents told me not to worry about it, how could I not? The cost of living here is high and we're sort of losing a source of income and adding another expenditure since my sister has to quit her job in order to continue her studies. And studying overseas needs a lot of money. It will take a lot to support both my studies and my sister's studies, plus our little sister is still in junior high. With the current economic despair, I am worried.

I thank the Heaven though, for giving me friend who supports me fully and is ready to offer comfort and help whenever I need it. And I can't thank the Heaven enough for our parents who would go all out to see us through the education we want to pursue. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Mom.

Well, that's all for the gloomy stuffs. It seems that I'm losing it lately. I'll do my best to snap out of it. Next post will be about something that keeps me sane. :)

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

A Little Whisper

2010-03-29T19:39:00.002+08:00

Ensnared

I wonder how should I forget you.
I tried so hard but all in vain.

For memories of what we had,
dreams of what we could be,
haunt every step that I take.

For your once radiant smile shown just to me,
your once beautiful promise whispered in my ears,
ensnare me with every breath that I take.

Tell me then,
how should I forget you.

~29 March 2010 - Elena Riacara~

A little drabble after hours of listening to love ballads.. C:

Tale of a Voice

2010-03-28T21:42:00.000+08:00

Okay, seriously. I think I have a thing for deep/throaty male voice! Why, I had fallen in love with Andrea Bocelli and Park Wan-Kyu for that reason.. Also BREATH (they disbanded. T^T), Kang Chang-Mo, Lim Hyung-Joo, Josh Groban, and so on, and so on. Because I really, really, really like their voice.

And now, my current obsession is Jang Geun-Suk's voice. I have been taking note of his voice since I first saw him in Hwan Jin-Yi a few years ago. His appearance then was pretty brief but his voice more than anything had captured me. C:

After watching his most recent drama, You're Beautiful, I'm even more convinced that he has such beautiful voice. I'm melting~~!! Spamming his songs on my mp3 player these days. Haha~

It's pretty scary, you know..If someday I really fall in love with someone just because I like his voice? o_O

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of a Misguided Faith

2010-03-18T00:16:00.002+08:00

Greeting, ladies and gentlemen. Horrible news I bring you today.

I am horrified to hear about what fellow Christians in Singapore just did recently. The congregation of City Harvest Church (or CHC for short) which is based on Singapore is going to spend more than 300 million SGD to build (or buy space, actually) a church in Suntec City Convention Hall. It is not such a bad thing, really. It's their freedom to build as big a church as they want. What makes it horrifying is the fact that the church members are actually boasting that they now owned a chair in the Suntec City shareholders board. Some of them even posted up a page in social networking site, Facebook, dedicated to present the fact that they now own a part of the huge and expensive building.

But that's not all to it. The one question and the main concern of many, including me, about the decision is that "Couldn't they use the fund to help those who are in need instead of spending extravagant money on something as trivial as material possession that only serves to inflate their egos?" I mean, thousands - or even billions! - of people out there are in need of help. Natural disasters are wreaking havoc everywhere and the victims are out of food, shelter and medication. Imagine what we can do with that 300 million dollars for those people, the very people that the God Himself told us to help.

A religion critique who was once a Christian himself opened a discussion in his website about this incident. Many are outraged and condemned the CHC inappropriate use of wealth. Some CHC members stepped up to defend their church and its decision; an utterly weak attempt to justify their spending with warped logic and delusion of morality, I must say.

And to tell you the truth, it's not like they didn't have a proper house of worship before this. CHC had a main church building constructed in 2002 which cost them about 48 million SGD that can accommodate more than 2000 worshipers. Don't you think it's ridiculous to spend gigantic amount of money on another church building when they already have such a humongous place of worship? Seriously, it's uncalled for.

Now, I really wonder where all these money come from. The CHC member who posted a comment justifying the big spending on Unreasonable Faith discussion board said that they are raising the fund gradually in the span of 7 years and if you think about it, the amount of money they have to fork out annually is nothing much. Delusion!! I think in the heat of the situation, they failed to notice the face value of the money. 300 million dollars does not become less when you go about getting it via installment. It's still 300 million dollars! And he/she also said that the fund-raising program is a show of their commitment to the church, implying that it's a form of their commitment to the religion and God Himself as well. Are you serious? So now, Christianity has come down to mere appreciation of material possession? I am ashamed to call myself a Christian along with these deluded people right now. Perhaps it would be wise to start calling myself a Roman-Catholic instead of the universal term Christian so I can avoid the stigma that is going to be stamped on this label soon.

Another comment was posted by the opposition in the discussion. He/she shared the information given out by CHC spokeperson when confronted about the purchasing of space in Suntec City: "...And when asked why the money was not spent on the poor and needy instead, Dr Kong said on the website that CHC spends 20 per cent of its annual budget on local community and overseas humanitarian work. 20 percent? Wow. How christian. I wonder what happened to the 80%?" Exactly. Where has the 80% of money gone to? I have my suspicion. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

And I have heard a rumor before that the CHC congregation members are supposed to donate 30% of their total earning to the church. It's a perfectly common rule for them. Am I missing something here? I thought donating should be voluntary, regardless of the amount? What on earth has happened to simple faith and heartfelt worship? Shame on you, people. I shall pray for you to wake up from that delusional state soon.

I try not to be a hypocrite here and go around saying that I am not supposed to judge them and the sort. I am holding my head up high and say that "I condemn your act!" Please open your eyes and see those that are in need of help! Stop basking in the momentary glory of material possession! So, hear my pleas if you still call yourself a true Christian...

Little Whisper

2010-03-15T23:05:00.002+08:00

Underappreciated? Shrugs, up and go, darlings. Fuss free, waste not what you have to offer. May the soul be blessed for it has lost, mark my words. Ladeedaadoo. Adieu.

Tale of the Lethargy

2010-03-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

=_=

Okay, I'm feeling so lethargic that I don't even have the energy to shout out my greetings..

Been having some hectic weeks lately. The past two weeks were filled with quizzes, midterm exams, papers and projects, and also outings (this part is FUN but exhausting nonetheless). The activities are chewing on my energy like a hungry lion on its fallen prey.

And I've been squeezing play time into my tight schedule. It all ended up robbing off more energy from my sleep deprived body since the play time can only be squeezed in during night time (a.k.a. late late late into the night). A foolish move, I know. But those bits and pieces of manga reading and net browsing are my last resort to hang on to whatever amount of sanity I have left.

My friends helped a lot in that area as well. As I have mentioned, I have had some outings too. And they are pure joy! PURE JOY!! Looking at cute little critters in the pet shop with Tenn on Thursday; watching Summer Wars with Ollie and Milch yesterday; going for karaoke session with Jas, Xuannie and Milch today; and BREAKOUT is this coming Saturday! These quality times with friends are my make-shift parallel world I can escape to. So, people mentioned above.. Thanks much for the great times!!! Love you guys like how cats like their fishes! :3 *bear hugs*

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of the Definite and the Infinite

2010-02-22T00:21:00.003+08:00

Greetings, whoever read this blog. Again, I muse today.

Sometimes, I wish that life has a definite set of rules. Rules of what and how things are; how we, humans, should react to those things. Rules like a fixed scenario or some sort that will guide us so that we will not be lost, not knowing what to do and wander aimlessly.

But, no. Life will never have anything definite. Life is infinite at its core. Even gravity can one day be defied. Life only offers choices. To be or not to be? Take it or leave it? Or either? Or neither?

Nothing is definite, nothing is constant. Heraclitus once said, "The only thing that remains constant in this world is change". So, pray tell. How in the world could we not get lost and search for that elusive answer to our never-ending questions?

Perhaps, that is the beauty of life. In getting lost, we can find myriads of new and curious things; we see many different lights and colors, not to forget gain new perceptions and broaden our field of vision. And in the end of our journey, we might just discover our true selves. Blessed are those who found it! For that is the true essence of that confounding path of life.

A definite set of rules to what and how things should be surely will be able to guide us to the so-called perfect end, free of blemishes just like a blank canvas. Everything is constant. But wouldn't that be boring? It is after all the aimless wander and being lost that makes life worth living as it paints our canvases with interesting colors, both the bright and the dark. And in return, we'll find ourselves and collect the irreplaceable treasure that is our memories...

So, live your life like you never have it before and make everyday a color to add to your canvas. For no matter how bad it can be, you will never have it back once you throw it away.

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

CNY Greetings!

2010-02-12T16:56:00.002+08:00

Greetings from Mars..eh, Malaysia! ... Okay,fine. I'm still in Singapore when I type this (in the ferry to be specific). Just wanted to wish you all fellas out there a Happy Chinese New Year! To Olivia a.k.a. Ms Ban Mian 2009, hope you'll enjoy the festivity even though you are unable to go visit your friends.. Sleep and play well,ok! :D Okay,that's all folks.. Typing a post using cellphone is a pain. :P See ya when I see ya!!

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

A Tale of the Ominous New Year

2010-01-09T22:39:00.001+08:00

Greetings, ladies and germs!

First thing, first. I'm sorry for the lack of update for the past few months (Not that anyone is waiting for my nonsensical babble.. For those who come here and actually read my crappy things, thank you and here's a cookie!). Things happened, a lot actually. From moving to new freedom. From new classes to hateful lecturer. From long hair to shorter and yet shorter hair. From a good beginning to a good end. And of course, a bad beginning to a bad end as well. So, yupe. Things come and go.

The same with time. That guy is still so ever unforgiving in his run. Never stopping, never less, never more. And so, we all have come to receive a new year! Happy New Year 2010! I wish you all a wonderful year ahead. And please, please, please, pretty please wish me some luck too! >.< I have a premonition that this year is not going to be pretty and joyful for yours truly.

I'm not sure whether cracking a tooth at New Year's Eve a good thing or bad thing. But it sure seems ominous to me. Even more so because I cracked a quarter of my wisdom tooth off from eating a bleddy small piece of chicken! Deadly chicken! (Tenn, my friend, would agree wholeheartedly with this...) Thinking that I should get it fixed as soon as possible, I called the dentist and set up an appointment. Hello, hello... The week is fully booked so I got a slot on the 11th Jan 2010. Grumbling and mumbling, I made my way back to my home in Indonesia. A few days later, a call came and my dentist said she got an operation and thus we have to postpone our appointment until the 21st!! Oh, goodness gracious God save me!!

To top everything off, my school just had to write out new regulations requiring international students to clock in banana-3 hours daily for don't-know-what-bleddy-reasons! AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH~~~~~~ And there is no sufficient information available about this daily-3 hours thingy accompanying the notice. So I was left as confused as a new born calf trying to comprehend what the world is going on. Oh, my freaking raspberries soda shake...

Hey, folks...Don't you think these were the best ways to start a new year? Aiyayayay~ It's a new trend to start a year with bad stuffs. Trust me. (Don't poke my little fragile happy bubble...or else!)

New year resolution, you ask me? Err...I honestly don't know what to say. I have lots I want to accomplish that I don't know how to start putting them down. (Excuses! Bah!) Well, I guess the first and foremost is to adjust my mental gear so I can be more positive with this new beginning.

Second, I want to do more and procrastinate less!! :3

Third, I need to put down the stories I had floating around in my head for quite some time. It has been really long since I last wrote a story. (What hath happened to my online novel? Tragically abandoned until I muster up the will to pick it up again. Or maybe rewrite the whole thing in English. Good God knows how I sucks at writing a prose in my native language...Ironic? You bet! XD )

Fourth, spend more wisely!!! Electronic cards (NETS, debit, credit, whatever!) are spawn of the devil!

Fifth, I want to read more.. I have stocks at home already. Buahahaha! Had a book shopping spree these few weeks. (Oops! Remember resolution#4!! )

Sixth, update my blog more often...

Seventh, finish my unfinished games!! Finally brought my PS2 over to Singapore~ *chuckles*

...

Aiya~ Those are all I can think of right now. I ain't kidding when I said I have so much resolutions that it's hard to put them down right away. (Boy, I'm full of excuses! Pfffftt..) And yeah, that's all I have for you right now. So, here is where we part, folks! For the time being... :>

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Late Christmas and New Year Gifts!!

2010-01-03T22:55:00.001+08:00

Heya~ Here are some gifts for Christmas and New Year! Posted these on some other spaces but wished to share them with you guys here as well...

A very late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Seta Souji. The protagonist from Persona 4. The game I'm currently addicted to. :3 He looks much better with spectacles tho...*drools* megane boy~~

This girl here is Satonaka Chie. She's a tough girl and I likey her!! X3

Enjoy my crappy drawings, folks!

Disclaimer: These two characters belong to Square Enix/ATLUS. Not mine, pity...

I'm so lazy.... ppfftt!!!

2009-10-26T00:40:00.000+08:00

I know...I know...
I should be updating my blog more often and providing you guys with more silly events in my life. But for some reasons, I can't find anything and the time to write a proper post!

So many things have been going on for the past two months...
I moved from my previous flat to another one closer to my school. So, my days were filled with packing, moving, and unpacking. It was pretty hectic and I find myself exhaust more easily these days.. Maybe it's because of the underlying stress from moving. Or perhaps it's just me getting old...I don't know..

That's why, this is my piteous attempt to at least post something new to keep this blog alive! Oh, well...Maybe next post will be better...I promise... I'll try to update again soon with more interesting story! So, I'll see ya when I see ya!

:D

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of A Harry Potter Song :D

2009-07-19T20:24:00.002+08:00

Very creative! Yay Hank Green!!

Tale of the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-17T12:28:00.003+08:00

Greetings, wizards and witches~

Last night, yours truly went to the premiere of Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince with my sister. I entered the theater with not much expectation as the previous HP movies directed by David Yates (starting from Prisoner of Azkaban) never failed to disappoint the Harry Potter worshiper inside me. Seriously, I was pretty sure I would bash the movie afterward. But I was proven wrong.

Although the movie scene doesn't include much of the scenes from the original story, the adaptation is not bad. I like how the tingly childish romance was integrated into the dark plot. The part where Ron was inflicted with love potion was the best! It was a good laugh, really...

Now, another thing I hate about David Yates's previous HP movies is Michael Gambon casting as Dumbledore and how Yates directed this charismatic character. It was distasteful. The old wizard is supposed to be the charismatic and calm-headed man, despite the occasional screw-loose in the head. But Yates and Gambon's version of Dumbledore was gruff as compared the the late Richard Harris's Dumbledore.

It's really ironic that the only time I feel Yates and Gambon's interpretation of Dumbledore is faithful to the story is when Dumbledore died in the story. As most of you probably have known, the old wizard is going to die at the end of the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series. Yates's HP movies only managed to touch me at the second last installment of the series. And Gambon's Dumbledore achieved his glory at his dying moment. It's kinda like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson all over again; Gambon's Dumbledore, I mean.

All in all, I guess Half-Blood Prince is probably the best out of Yates's HP movies by far... To me, anyway. I actually cried a lil' bit at the end of the movie where it depicts Dumbledore's lifeless body and Harry grieving over his death. Dark, dark plot it was...And it earned a standing ovation from me. Great job, David Yates. Great job, Michael Gambon. (Finally...)

My 6 knuts worth of thought~

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of the Unlucky

2009-07-15T21:37:00.002+08:00

Greetings from the land of the unlucky~

Today, I lament for my pitiful existence...
Today, I lament for my hateful non-existence of luck...

If someone tell me I'm going to find a dollar on the road tomorrow, I'll whack that person up in the head and laughed loudly while pointing my (index) finger at him...Why, you ask? Because I have no luck! (Or maybe it's just today that my lady luck decided to take a nap for a decade..)

Imagine sacrificing 3-quarters of your beauty sleep to study for a mid-term test. You planned to wake up at 7 the next day and happily make your way to school (and hopefully managed to catch a glimpse of a sunshine. well,not exactly sunshine..but you get the idea). BUT! You woke up at 8:16 when your morning class starts at 9! So, you rushed and take a taxi, hoping to make it in time for school. The traffic crushed your hope. And the taxi fare burned a hole in your pocket. And you didn't get to catch the sunshine.

Could it be worse? A big nod to that!

Next thing, you found yourself wolfing down your lunch in hope that you could read some more notes before the test starts. But in the end, you barely make it in time to the test. To top it off, you found that you haven't studied enough to get yourself a satisfying mark.

Okay, now... Could it be any worse? Two BIG nod to that!

When you were in the middle of class, your eyelids refused to stay open. You rejoiced when the China-man gave a break time. So, you happily went to the toilet and relieve yourself from the 'dancing in the seat'. Then you found that fate had decided to play a joke on you, putting a horrible and disgusting stain on your..'ahem'..(women physical activity is a big jerk..)!! Alas, there was nothing you could do but skip the class which cost you an attendance mark...

Well, go ahead. Roar with laughter!! Really, unlucky day is an understatement, my dear friends... Thumbs up for my hibernating lady luck... (hear the sarcasm?)

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

The Tale of A Museum, A Movie and A Thought

2009-07-03T22:26:00.000+08:00

Greetings, folks~
Time for some story-telling... :>

Today, after group meeting at school, Jas and I went to Asian Civilization Museum to kill time since we both had things to do at 5 p.m. The trip was awesome! We especially enjoyed the interactive corner (for kids..haha!). We dressed up as Chinese warrior, Chinese brides+groom, Minangkabao lady (was it? i forgot). And we learned some Indian expressive hand movements! This is a good way to kill time, people... :D

Oh yeah, when we were in the bus on our way to the museum, Jas and I talked a lot about growing up philosophies and how we think that humans get more and more stupid over time because we always take things for granted. Heavy stuffs? Yeah...But it was interesting. I finally found someone that I can talk about these random thoughts! Haha!

And after the trip to museum, I met up with my sister for a movie date. :D We watched Ice Age 3! It was epicly hilarious... I mean it. "Rule #1: Always listen to Buck!" -- Buck the Weasel. "I said to have a talk...and you said 'Raaarh!' " -- Sid the Sloth. I give the movie 4.5/5 for the good laugh it gave me.

On our way home, another random thoughts crossed my mind. I believe I'm in love with my own 'pace' and I couldn't live without it. That explains why I'm always so annoyed when someone or something disturbed my pace. For example, when I'm walking down the road briskly and then someone appeared out of nowhere, blocking my way. I'm annoyed. When my mom comes to my flat and starts to re-arrange my stuffs, I get annoyed. :< I like my own pace, my own order...

Well, that's all for today! Enjoy your weekend~

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of a Blunder and Some Blabbers

2009-06-29T21:23:00.000+08:00

Greetings, people~

As requested by dear Olivia, I'm going to write a post to explain about what blunder I have done (refer to previous post. :> ). The story went like this...

I was taking my COM488 final test last week... I easily breezed through the questions until! until I came across question No.37.... It was a True/False question, by the way. "The version of this paper is A. Thus, the answer to no.51 is A." And being the dumb-dumb, I over analyzed the whole thing! I thought it was a trick question, so I immediately checked number 51. Well, answer to no.51 is B! Not A! So, I put B on number 37....

And, apparently that was not a trick question. I was supposed to just put whatever it stated (i.e. A)... *sigh* DUMB... I told Ollie about my answer then she advised me to go back to the exam hall and tell the lecturer. I hesitated for quite some time but I went to him in the end. He was a sweetheart, really... he agreed to help me change it and assured me that nothing will happen. And he actually went and double checked everyone else's papers!! What a dear!! I hereby present him the title "The Sweetheart Lecturer of the Year"!! and the title "Dumb-Dumb" for myself... Aaaargh!

========================================

Time for some blabbering, folks!

I chopped off 7+cm of my hair yesterday!! A bit sad to finally say goodbye to my long (and heavy) hair. But it's worth it! My head feels lighter... I'm ready to float, mon ami~!! I also invested in a bottle of anti-friz conditioner (1L) which costed me $110...

And... I bought two pairs of new shoes!! Yay~ One pair of slingback wedge heels - extremely comfortable surprisingly. I didn't get any blister after using them the whole day! And another pair of canvas shoes - brown color, comfortable~~ :D

Oh, have I told you I bought a camera several weeks ago? Canon Powershot A1100IS!! I'm uber happy~~!

Ok, that's all for the blabbers... :>

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

An Update

2009-06-26T21:27:00.000+08:00

Jolly hello, everyone~
Just a quick update on what is happening to me lately...

First, on 22nd May 2009 (my birthday! yes!), I went to watch a concert! The awesome of the awesomeness, FF musics: From The Distant Worlds, with Jasimah and Olivia... Valerie, Marcus, Shermin, etc were there too!

I just finished my final exam for one of my 6-weeks-long modules! Result is surprisingly good... If I'm not mistaken, I should be qualified for an A. :D
But!! I made a stupid blunder when doing the paper... It's one extra stupid blunder that earned me the title "Dumb-Dumb". Ling said I'm the ultimate... Aaaaaaaaarrgghhh~~!!

Then, one night after watching Saiunkoku Monogatari, some random (and heavy..) questions struck my mind...Another random thoughts of mine! LOL..

Is it better to not know and carry the sin of being the oblivious, in the end become the ignorant fool?

Or is it better to know and be poisoned by hatred, in the end blood stained the hands and tears frozen halfway down the cheeks?

Is it possible to remain pure when the world is shrouded in darkness and fate is unforgiving?

Is it possible to remain true to oneself when life is nothing but an enormous stage, where no one can survive without putting masks on?

Is it possible to trust unconditionally when one spends his life under mockeries and accusing fingers?

^ Those were what I was thinking then... I haven't found my answers yet though... :<

That's all, folks~

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of the Seasons

2009-04-16T11:43:00.001+08:00

Autumn
She is waiting for Winter to come and whisk her away,
to embrace her in eternity,
to freeze her tears,
and to numb her pain.

Winter
He is waiting for Spring to come and melt his frozen heart,
to warm his entity with her captivating smile,
to carve a smile on his poker face,
and to bring acceptance for him.

Spring
She is waiting for Summer to come and brighten her days,
to shower her with attention,
to fill her life with vibrant laughter,
and to love her with burning passion.

Summer
He is waiting for Autumn to come and calm his heart,
to whisper soothing words in his ears,
to hold him with the gentleness only she could possess,
and to bring peace to his chaotic life.

On and on,
for months and months,
for years and years,
their longing for each other continues.
And wait is all they could do,
for courage they could not find.

Their hopes, their desires are crystallized into Seasons.
As Seasons come and go, the cycle is never ending.
Their loves are for eternity...

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of a Longing

2009-04-14T17:36:00.001+08:00

Longing is hard.
It eats you from the inside, leaving holes here and there.
It consumes you like fire on dry woods.
But in the same time, it keeps you going.

Longing brings questions. Thousands of them.
When you are longing, you are forever asking "why".
You are forever seeking answers.
And they just flutter away whenever you think you have them at your fingertips.
Teasing, tantalizing, torture...
Yes, answers are elusive indeed.

But who, pray tell, could escape from longing?
Its presence is eternal.
You might shake off one but another will come soon enough.
Men are forever cuffed by the shackles of longing.
You are.
And I am.

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of a Wish

2009-03-05T16:18:00.000+08:00

I have a wish. And that wish, I shall tell you now, lest I no longer have the chance to...

When my tasks in this world are all done and it's time for me to go back to where I came from, there's one thing I wish the people whom are still staying behind to do for me. I want a song - a special song - to be played in my wake. I want them to play Leave Out All The Rest from Linkin Park.

It's funny, sometimes, the moment you hear a song, you feel that it's perfect to describe how you feel and what you desire. And this song is one of those.

Yes, that's what I wanted as well. I want at least someone could remember me, by my good and not my faults. Just one will do...One is more than enough...

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of A Wonderful Weekend

2009-03-01T17:17:00.000+08:00

Greetings...

Ladies and gentlemen, today's tale is about the most wonderful weekend I have ever had when I'm in Singapore. Believe it or not, I never had a nice, relaxing weekend before. Today is the first and i hope it won't be the last... :)

My sister and I started our weekend with a wondrous mass service in the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in which dwells the famous Choir of the Risen Christ. The choir is magnificent and today's preach was fun... "Temptation is NOT a sin!" I quote the pastor. He was so enthusiastic that it seems like I won't be able to get this line off my head for quite some times... Then, we went to a store beside Singapore Art Museum which sells religious stuffs like rosary, crucifix, etc. We saw a gorgeous ring (sterling silver or white gold, I'm not sure) which cost around $448. I can't move my eyes away from that ring. It captivated me and it outshines the other jeweleries in that particular store. Maybe I should stop spending too much on sweets and cakes (NO~~~) so I can buy it. Perhaps...

Next, we ate our brunch at DOME located inside the Singapore Art Museum. I had the Brioche Egg Mayo Sandwich and my sis ordered the Lot Burger. Both taste divine! I never thought sandwiches could be so savory and simply delicious beyond words! And my sis' burger was wonderful as well (sinful though...). The bacon inside the burger was so crispy, you can practically hear the crunching sound when you chew on it...

Deciding that we need to buy some cooking materials, we went for groceries shopping at the Raffles Place (since it's the nearest mall...we were in Cityhall anyway...). On our way to the Marketplace, we stumbled upon the ever so wonderful Swatch shop. We went in and I was entranced by a watch. So, my sister bought it for me as an early birthday gift (meaning, I won't get any present from her anymore on my birthday, May 22nd). Oh, well...

On to the marketplace, we bought our groceries. Some canned stuff for cooking corn soup, corn starch, sweets, Ferrero Rendnoir, and some other things... After we finished our groceries, I treated my sis to some heavenly cakes in Canéle, a French patisserie, to thank her for the watch. We had strawberry shortcake, Matcha cake, and a pot of Velvet Earl Grey tea. Indulgence~ That's all I can say. We stay there for quite some time talking about the past, school life, etc. We sound like some old ladies in the 80s, aren't we?

Coming out of the delightful patisserie, we decided to go into That CD Shop which houses tons of great musics. There's a promotion going in that shop, 3 CDs for $49.90. At first, we only wanted to buy an album of ABBA, one of Andrea Bocceli and another from Il Divo. But the the shop attendant played a contemporer classical album and that particular track, Serenade, captured our heart. We fell in love on the spot with this violinist guy, David Garret. So, we cahnged our purchase to ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits, The Promise - Il Divo, and Free- David Garret. Immediately after we got home, we played David Garret's album and we weren't dissapointed after all. The tracks were splendid! Every piece is gorgeous... I particularly love Serenade, Paganini's Caprice No.24, and Duelling Banjos from that album. I think my sister and I had become new fans of this particular violinist...

Well, that's all about my most wonderful weekend, folks...
Enjoy~

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of My True Self

2009-02-19T22:28:00.000+08:00

Greetings~
I just want to share a personality quiz I took a few minutes ago... :)

Your view on yourself:

Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Well, that's the result I got... I'm surprised that almost everything is correct...
Here's the link if you're interested to try it out...
http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Enjoy~

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of Slumdog Millionare

2009-02-16T17:01:00.001+08:00

Behold! Behold!
Here comes the award winning movie of the year, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!!!

Directed by Danny Boyle and taken from a novel by Vikas Swarup, 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a movie about a boy from the slum, named Jamal Malik, who won 20 millions Rupees in the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire show. He was suspected to be cheating during the show and so he was arrested by the police. When the inspector interrogated him, he reveals his past and how he had come to join this show. Everything he had done, was for the sake of finding back his true love, Latika.

It is a wonderful movie about love and kinship. And throughout the entire movie, I can't breathe properly because I kept holding my breath in and mentally shouting, "Jamal! Go, Jamal! Jaaammmaaallll!!!". My hands were balled into fists as I watched Jamal's struggle to find his love back. And everytime he got into some mishaps, I would cover my mouth and whisper, "Omigod..Omigod..". Again, everytime he reunited with Latika, I would mentally squeal and clapped my hands softly. Well, what can I say? This movie is so great that it could make my emotion rise and fall like roller coaster.

And boy, I was exhausted after I finished watching the movie. Heart-throbbing, cold fingers, hard breathing. Those was the effect of Slumdog Millionaire's greatness. It leaves you feeling excited throughout the movie and even after!

Well, people... I bet you're all tired of hearing (or rather reading) me prattling about the movie. So, what are you waiting for? Get off your seats and go watch Slumdog Millionaire! Super duper good~!

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of Valentine

2009-02-15T13:24:00.000+08:00

Greetings, good folks...

Valentine, oh Valentine...
Yesterdays spent with a special companionship..but Today, spent with beloved friends and family...

On valentine's eve, I got a pleasant surprise from one of my friend in campus. My dearest friend, Lynette, gave us some chocolate with handmade greeting card attached. She's a sweetheart, isn't she? Thank you for the valentine presents, Lynette!

Today, the 15th of February... The date alone brings back memories... Of something special, of something that is gone. But I'm quite surprised that no trace of regret found in my nostalgia. I suppose that is good, isn't it?

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of the Rain Phropet

2009-02-01T15:37:00.000+08:00

Behold! Behold!
The rain is coming soon...

Well, that's probably what my knees are trying to tell me. They have been aching like hell. It seems as if there's a construction site on them, with workers driving the driller into my kneecaps. Omigod... I feel like I'm getting premature aging or something. Maybe I can consider rain phropet as a part-time job. Sounds like a pretty good idea...(not!)

When I complained to my sis about my aching knees yesterday night, she laughed like a hyena. (Grrrr....) The conversation went like this...

me: "O God... My knees are aching! Hmmn... I bet tomorrow is going to rain..."
sis: "..." (staring at me for a good few seconds)
me: "what?"
sis: "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... You're just like A Ma!" (A Ma means grandma in Teo Chew dialect)

And for the next 10 minutes, she kept laughing at me. Felt like stuffing her mouth with some Cha Siu Bao... (she doesn't like it btw, if you think I'm too generous by stuffing her with such delicacy...)

I don't know what actually caused my aching knees. But I think it's because yesterday I wore high heels throughout the whole day. -_-"' I do hope they will get better soon. Tomorrow I don't want to bring along two construction sites to school... I'll die for sure.

That's all for today tell-tale, folks!

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Tale of CNY

2009-01-23T21:59:00.000+08:00

Behold! Behold!
Chinese New Year is coming...
Everyone is excited about the upcoming holiday, everyone is filled with festive joy. And so do I!

I will be enjoying the whole week with my family and friends. Sunday night, I will set foot in my parents' house. Oh, home sweet home! Just thinking that I will be home soon, excitement comes and I am filled with warmth. Stranded in a foreign land, struggling to keep up with the fast-paced life, trying to cope with a different learning style; everything in Singapore had made me exhausted. This trip back home to eat reunion dinner is a perfect chance for me to escape from the hustle-bustle of this foreign town.

I am not saying that Singapore is not a good place to be. It is a very safe, practical, clean place to be. But as a bean cannot forget its pod, I cannot forget my own home, the place where I grew up in. No matter how chaotic and not hygiene Indonesia might be, that is still the place where I was born. It is my pod...

Reunion dinner...
How exciting! Each and every family member will gather around the table, happily dipping their favorite food into the hotpot. And I can imagine my father, forcing us to eat until we're bloated! (LOLs!) And when the clock strikes 12, we will open a bottle of my father's wine collection. Everyone taking a sip from the same wine glass, sharing warmth and festivity...

I can't wait for Sunday night...

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

The Beginning of the Tale

2009-01-22T23:06:00.001+08:00

Curtsy to you all...

I am the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver. And this, this place... will be the place where I will share all my stories of life.
If you are interested, sit down and listen to my many "Once upon a time..."
Be my audience, be my wind...

And now, let it begins...

...the Dreamer, the Tale-Weaver...

Whispering to the Wind

*Little Whisper*

Tale of Hakuouki and Countless Tears

Tale of a Nosebleed

Tale of The Existence of Love

Tale of a New Page!

Tired. Lost. Hurting.

D:

Tale of the soon-to-be-dead-meat-procrastinator

Tale of Being Humans

Synopsis: OYZ ep.4

Synopsis: OYZ ep.3

Synopsis: OYZ ep.2

Discussion and Synopsis: OYZ + STY

Fall '10 Anime!

Tale of the Oubliette

*Little Whisper*

Tale of A Trip Home

Perfect Uta

*Little Whisper*

Tale of a Departure & Etcetera

An Update on Hakuouki Fandom

Tale of Sanity (and Bishies :D )

Hakuoki 薄桜鬼 です!!

Tale of Something New, Something Old and Something Forgotten

A Little Whisper

Tale of a Voice

Tale of a Misguided Faith

*Little Whisper*

Tale of the Lethargy

Tale of the Definite and the Infinite

CNY Greetings!

A Tale of the Ominous New Year

Late Christmas and New Year Gifts!!

I'm so lazy.... ppfftt!!!

Tale of A Harry Potter Song :D

Tale of the Half-Blood Prince

Tale of the Unlucky

The Tale of A Museum, A Movie and A Thought

Tale of a Blunder and Some Blabbers

An Update

Tale of the Seasons

Tale of a Longing

Tale of a Wish

Tale of A Wonderful Weekend

Tale of My True Self

Tale of Slumdog Millionare

Tale of Valentine

Tale of the Rain Phropet

Tale of CNY

The Beginning of the Tale

Little Whisper

Little Whisper

Little Whisper

Hakuoki 薄桜鬼です!!

Little Whisper