Scribblings on the wall

Excitement on the road

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:57:19 GMT

It has been three sennights since I blogged, and given that it is 11 pm and I still have two papers hanging over my head, I really have nothing intelligent to say (not that I ever have anything intelligent to say), I am only procrastinating from my work long enough to say:

I bought my new doll, who is about to become Erestor. He is very, very, very pretty and remains the only object ever to coax me into parting with a hefty sum within 2 hours (I usually take a couple of days for a purchase of that magnitude.) His new eyes came today, and -swoons- they only make him prettier.

He hasn't had his features painted on yet, but can you see the wonderful sculpt already? The quiet smile, the ELVEN EARS, the nice repose, the sharp nose, nice lips, and may I just repeat, the ELVEN EARS? I haven't had the best time at work lately, not least because I am already on a downward spiral, but this beautiful intersection of my biggest fandom (Tolkien's Middle Earth) and minor obsession, the way obsessions can be minor, Asian ball-jointed dolls has just made life worth living again. Do not judge my obsessions, dear reader, because you have NO idea just how obsessed I am.

TOLKIEN FTW!

as I fall asleep in a 24-hr Mac's joint....

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:05:07 GMT

1. I haven't been by for a while, not largely because I am lazy, but because I really haven't had much to write about. The only thing new recently is how I learnt I will be taking on ellixian 's job of major doom at some point and that is not a very cheerful prospect. Otherwise, all I have been doing is work, sleep, eat. Mostly work. Sigh.

2. Still I did manage to get some reading in. My newest batch of book reviews - and because there has been quite a number, I'll have to rush through them:
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: Subtlety is the key word for this novel about a road trip by an English butler across the English countryside. The plot, like the butler's journey, seems to lead nowhere, but is actually a complex journey through the psyche of a character or even of a nation. The story was peppered with a lot of stereotyes across the class divides and the spectrum of England's working classses - no character is wholely unfamiliar to anyone who has ever read any book set in late Victorian literature. I enjoyed Ishiguro's style, his very light hand in driving the plot and in developing the characters, even as he seemingly leads the reader through the English countryside in random detours. It was all in all a very beautiful read - I love the relationships angle-, not least because I am an Anglophile. I have just picked up When We were Orphans - a book I have been trying to read for a while, but had not gotten around to.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. This book reads like a Japanese movie. The characters are all familiar, the trajectory of the plot, the poignancy oozing out of every other sentence. Mark my words - the Japanese will make a movie out of this book. It is too perfect for screen not to. This is a story about a housekeeper, her son and the professor she works for, who is a mathematical genius but is unable to retain a memory beyond fifteen minutes. There are glaring plot loopholes - just one major one - but in a whimsical, poignant (yes, that's my key word for this book) short story (it really doesn't count as a novel...), that does not matter. Good heartwarming read.

Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. This is a hilarious take of the Illiad/Odyssey. Atwood is absolutely brilliant in picking out this major mystery in the classic: why did Odysseus kill the twelve handmaidens in the Odyssey? (I never got that either...). I never count myself a feminist, but the retelling of this classic through the eyes of the lesser known female characters was refreshing, especially when she alternates between a chapter of proper prose and another chapter of completely random Greek choruses. I'd highly recommend this book - helluva entertainment.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. This is a completely wacky story - much aligned with the wackiness of Spy Kids the movie - about four prodigies/geniuses working undercover to unearth a plot for global mind control. One subtheme above subversive messages in our media today is however better appreciated by adult readers of this YA book - otherwise the puzzles in the book, the generic plot, the character development do not transcend ages very well. However the premise is fascinating enough and I am now looking for adult versions of puzzles-in-books. It marries the geek with the nerd in me, hah.

Possession by A S Byatt. reading this book is somewhat like attending an entire semester course on poetry. Byatt is such a freaking good writer toggling between third person narratives to Victorian style poetry to first-person letters to academic discourse throughout the book, I actually had to google Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte to ascertain that nope, I am not that much of a failure for not knowing these two Victorian poets, because well, Byatt made them up! Good lord. I cannot even begin to unravel how this novel work on so many different levels: from the insight into academia, the evolving social mores surrounding human relationships and the courtship rituals, the biographers' possession and intepretation of their subjects' lives, feminism and its intepretations of marriage/couplings, Victorians' penchant for the creation of mythology, and the list runs on. It is an extremely exhausting read, and remains the only novel in a long while, which had taken me a fortnight to actually finish reading. Excellent, excellent read, especially if you are a literature student.

3. I have however begun cooking again - one dish deals for my lunches everyday. If tonight's recipe takes off, I'll start putting this as a regular feature, ha. *grin* At least I'll actually blog properly. Rather than treat this as a procrastinator's hangout....

Needs. SPACE. to. BREATHE.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:14:22 GMT

This is somewhat an emergency. Anyone with extra storage space to spare, and won't mind housing about 150 of my Chinese slash novels on indefinite loan? (obviously it helps if you read them - at least there's mutual benefit) I need them out of my house if only because my mother has been making WAY too many references to them for me to keep sane. I thought I saw slash potential in everything (because love, homosexual sub-text is as good as mainstream now), but my mother takes the cake. She now questions EVERY single thing I do, because she is dead convinced that the books make me abnormal. Never mind that most of my bookshelves are dedicated to serious literature and children fantasy novels. Never mind that for every one of those Chinese novels I read, I probably read a few more of said literature and fantasy novels.

She's driving me up the wall. She is questioning even the way I have dressed my dolls, or the way I arrange my room. Or the things I read and do (if she ever finds out about my slash fanfiction, my life as I know it will be over). Of my company. Good Lord Almighty!!!! Slash is one part of my fandoms - one very small part in the grand scale of things. It is NOT consuming my life - but it is eating away at my mother's imagination and MY sanity.

I'd toss the books if only for a moment of PEACE, but I keep wondering: what if I want to re-read?

For the sake of peace in this household, and my sanity (more importantly, my SANITY), I need those books to GO (><########)

THE. EPIC. DAY. OF. FLAIL

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:08:31 GMT

1. Yesterday was an epic day. Everything about it was epic - I woke up and it was epic. All I did was flail!

2. I started the day with Silivren and Curan - only to discover that Curan likes only historical clothes and Silivren looks better in casual. Someone asked me if Ben gets jealous with all the attention these lads have from me - I have to report that uif he does, he has reason to, grin. If I weren't this starved for ideas and stuck at work, these lads will have a larger wardrobe that will take over half my room. I need to find a carpenter to make their wardrobe now to think about it, but I may have a solution ready. Hmmmmm.

2. Book review: Sarah Singleton's The Poison Garden . I haven't done one of these in months, and this is as good as anywhere to start. I was intrigued by the book after reading the synopsis on Simon and Schuster and waited for a while for the book to hit our shores before picking it up. I betray my bias for British children fantasy again, but who cares - this was such a good read, I finished the book within the hour in the morning.

Singleton set her story probably some time in the late Victorian era - a feel not too unlike that of Sherlock Holmes. Young Thomas had just inherited a mysterious box from his grandmother, which could unfold to reveal a mysterious garden of dreams. It was within these gardens that he learnt from his grandmother's ghost that her death was not accidental and she had in fact been poisoned. The story traced Thomas' footsteps as he searched for the truth. The journey led him to the discovery of ancient and forgotten guilds and more wondrous gardens, each representing a small piece of utopia.

The story was well written, and the twists and turns evokes the shadow of Dame Christie's knack for revealing one clue to the identity of the murderer every time a character dies or appears. I would have argued for the book to be considered more of a thriller-whodunnit than historical-fantasy, even though it does feature magic and otherworlds. The pacing was naturally excellent, even though the division of the book into different sections was a tad jarring.

My only complaint is really, the story was over too soon. I would have loved to have the characters developed to a larger degree than they are - most of them are intriguing and it is a pity that they did not get more treatment. The story rushed headlong into the ending, which was a tad disappointing because I would not have minded an iota reading more of Singleton's writing. I would have loved to read more about the gardens as well. Nonetheless, young readers these days do have less patience and I am not certain I could blame Singleton for not drawing out the story longer.

This is my first book by Singleton, but suffice to say, I am already looking the rest of her books up. Wonderful read!

3. That brought me only up to 12 noon. I went for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - which quite frankly, despite the raving reviews, was a disappointment. Parts of the adaptations particularly towards the end had not make sense (why'd HP hide under the rafters for good Lord's sake?! That makes no sense whatsoever...) It certainly made more sense than Transformers II, which does not say much. Top ten likes and dislikes, spoilers aplenty:

Likes!
10. Luna is fantastic casting for the movie I must say, and I am awfully glad she got more screen time in this movie.
9. Slughorn? Fantastic casting! I had imagined him to be a lot more overbearing, but still, Jim Broadbent was an excellent actor - suo much so that I actually forgot he played Charles Stanforth, in the other movie which dwindled into incomprehensible/illogical garbage.
8. Tom Fenton has grown up and boy if he hasn't proven himself to be perfect for Draco Malfoy. He can actually act - and I found him convincing even with the Vanishing cabinets scenes.
7. Emma Watson was actually a lot better in this movie, and I rather thought her scenes with Harry were fantastic. Not that I am a H/H shipper (I am a decided slasher and I don't slash H/R, bleh) .
6.Young Tom Riddle - both of them - gave me the creeps. They were both fantatsic at portraying a disturbed young man barely reining in the manic insanity that is growing within him. The scene with Slughorn was marvellously carried through. Shivers.
5. Lavender Brown. Grated. On. My. Nerves. Which means, Jessie Caves is a fantastic, fantastic actress for acting the way she did. A completely believable love sick teen, and granted that I had seen many of those in high school.
4.Snape is still fantastic - I am not as crazy over Alan Rickman as half my friends (don't sue me....), but still, he's one of the best members of staff in Hogwarts to watch. His acting skills towards the end of the movie? Fabulous - you can actually feel the restrained regret and anguish.And his hesitation in the Unbreakable Vow. Acting masterclass. Too bad he makes Dumbledore look even worse.
3. Mcgonagall is loves! Dry and witty, perfect at deadpanning (which is more than what I can say for Dumbledore), fantastic acting too (her eyes tell a million tales).
2. Ron Weasley probably stole the limelight from Harry, I'm afraid. Rupert Grint will have a great future as a comic actor, because his comic timing and facial expressions are priceless. The scene where he was completely lovesick? It was brilliant! I would have fallen out of my chair laughing.
1. It says a lot when I placed this on top of my list. Bellatrix. Helena Bonham-Carter? She is legit insane. Nothing else will explain why she can be Belletrix. Mrs. Lovett. The Red Queen. And still be equally convincing as Anne Boleyn and the downy housewife in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The scene where she danced down the banquet hall? Beautifully thrilling and chillin'!

Dislikes!
10. They had Luna all decked up for the Christmas party, and then suddenly she disappeared?! Geez.
9. Dumbledore is still strange - I always wondered what would have happened if Ian Mckellen had taken up the offer, because he would have made such a wonderful replacement Dumbledore. Then I thought, enough that he is Gandalf.
8. The music is non-existent in this movie. Of all the soundtracks, I think they can't really beat Goblet of Fire - that is the only HP movie to date whose soundtrack I actually remembered.
7. You'll never have understood the Half Blood Prince references or the need for Harry to give up the book if you had not actually read the book. Adaptation was a tad splotchy there. Disappointing - then again, that had not made sense in the books either.
6. The pacing of the movie was all over the place. Let's do this scene-okay we're done-next! It feels like a montage - the director needs to be shot.
5. The scriptwriter also needs to be shot - what the heck is it with Dumbledore's lines??! The pacing gets thrown completely off when he deadpans the most inane lines possible. And honestly, the question he threw Harry about his relationship with Hermione? That was bloody gratituous, because it does nothing for the scene, works nothing for the plot, is useless with characterisation.
4. Speaking of a gratituous scene - Harry's opening scene in the cafe?! Like WTF was that?
3. Why, oh why, oh why........ did they bother with the Burrows scene?! At all?! It made NO SENSE whatsoever - save to reintroduce Remus, Tonks and Mr/Mrs Weasley (in case you forget them for the next movie) but gooooooooood LORD almighty, you don't have a protagonist (The Chosen One!) rush out in the middle of the night, have yourself stranded with an insane witch and a werewolf, perfectly vulnerable and ripe for the picking and the baddies decide, nah, let's save them all for the Dark Lord and make do with bombing the heck out of their house instead.
2. The light in the wands, let's chase away the shadow of doom scene? Touching, but lord, if I didn't cry at the death of a major character, and felt nothing but "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight" at the tribute (it really was cheesy), you have obviously failed. Because I even cried at Bolt.
1. The last scene with Dumbledore, Harry and Snape? As indicated earlier, completely, completely, incomprehensible. Shall not dwell further. Stamped: FAIL.

But still, as much as I hadn't liked the movie, I had the comfiest chairs for a movie EVER. EVER. I could lie down in a large armchair and watch a movie. Even though it does cost thrice as much as a regular movie ticket.

4. And then, came the highlight of the day! THE CONCERT! SUPERBAND CONCERT!!! This was the band that persuaded me to fly to Taipei earlier this year, and may yet convince me to toss my boyfriend for another weekend and travel to KL. I have already spent an hour odd on this post and I swear I will need even longer for this concert if I allow myself to flail any longer, especially when ellixian has already done a marvellous, marvellous job at it, grin.

While the band was completely in sync for tonight's concert and sound a lot more polished than they had in their opening concert then, I was still glad that I had heard both versions. I loved the March concert, for all the pretty songs that they have trotted out. The set list was filled with songs that had not been performed live for ages and the random harmonisation during that concert was epic. Because honestly, who can forget Luo Da You and Emil Chao on Chuan Ge? Then they sang a completely (nearly) setlist last night and DOUBLE PWNS!!!! We get a new set of songs to flail over!

My highlights for the evening in chronological order:

- Being ten rows from the front and watching the awesome that was Superband: Luo Da You, Jonathan Lee, Emil Chau and Zhang Zhen Yue (A-Yue). Is Loves.

- Luo Da You appearing on stage with a glittering sparkling trenchcoat-masquerading-as-coattails.

- They sang 鹿港小鎮, which is epic - I crazy love that song. It rages against urbanisation and highlights the alienation of the rural migrants in their new environment - and this super-rock version was a just tribute to it.

- Jonathan Lee scatted the hell out of his brilliant hits. He was FREAKING out of this world when he did 我是一只小小鳥 (I am a small, small bird - literally). The jazzy beat was even more insane than when I first heard this version in the March concert. And he has the voice for jazz, damn it, *WHOOOOOOOOP!*

- Both Jonathan Lee and A-Yue spliced songs together that I had never imagined could be spliced. I admit that of the four, I probably knew A-Yue's songs least, but when he blasted 自由 I was doing double, triple flips. That was the song that was with me for a better part of my Secondary 3 year (the equivalent of ninth grade I think) - because my friends used to live jam that song for a few of our school performances, and I was always jumping like a crazy woman even during those performances. Yes, that was ten years ago.

- Emil singing 難念的經. I wish he does more of his quxia songs live, because those are legit my favourite songs of his, and this was knocked out of the park. BRILLIANCE.

And we are not even half-way into the concert.

- Da-You sang 你的樣子 and consequentially sent me into a mini heart attack, because this man has some of the best lyrics ever. He writes them as plainly as he sees them, which is completely antithetical to Jonathan's knack for poetics.

- His duet with A-Yue 天使的眼淚 sent me to a willing death in March and this time around, because his vocals are finally warmed up and completely on fire, it was EVEN better!!!! I cried the last time I heard it, I was too much in awe to even tear at this one, WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

- The whole slew of Da-You's songs naturally caused much much flail, but more importantly, MUCH more importantly, they gave hime the PIANO in this concert!!!!! Now in March concert, they gave him a guitar. Which was fair, because he is brilliant on it too, but he reminded the world last night (at least within the stadium) that he is still first and foremost a keyboardist. And a brilliant pianist at that! He did crazy things on the piano to accompany songs from 花心 (Prettiest piano accompanient ever!!! EVER!!!) to 寂寞難耐 (death by ivory keys! His fingers were glitzing up a storm of improvs!)

- 皇后大道東 is legit the catchiest song ever and in a concert where there is a crazy amount of catchy songs, this is saying a lot. I love love love how Da-You can reduce some of the most complex concepts, feelings, discourse into a catchy song (this song was about nationalism at a time where Hong Kong was passed from UK to China). Jonathan Lee is a freaking brilliant poet, who manages to captures profound emotions into his songs; Luo Da You is probably closer to an athropologist - capturing events and their impact on people into an almost ironic rock song.

- The encore pieces please! 明天會更好! 真心英雄! 朋友! And WOOOOOHOOOOO NEW SONG!!!!!: 改變明天!!! These guys showed what a band could be: perfect harmonies, while playing the full range of instruments needed in any self-respecting rock band and more besides. Hardly any band these days can boast that these days.

Okay, officially longest post ever. I may be a tad exhausted by the flail. *grin*

Internet on the go; lovin' it!

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:29:47 GMT

1, The wonderful thing about having mobile broadband on your laptop, is you get to do insane things like post on your LJ while on a cab ride to lunch. For all the things ever said about this island, this is one area that I have learnt never to take for granted: internet accss, anywhere, everywhere and sometimes (in fact most of the times) absolutely free. The government spoils the citizens so much, that we have become ungrateful brats (aka teenagers) after a long while.

2. But yes, I am now officially 1,500 words into the first proper LOTR fic I have written for a long time that is not for one oft exchange or another. I was targetting for a one-shot but as is my wont, it has no become epically long in my head. That is the problem wth writing for Middle Earth - it is so intimate to me, since I have practically lived in ME for much of my life that the characters are alive in my head, with long drawn histories already and I can't put all those scenes in my head into words fast enough.

But glory, my newest dream sequence is in ME. wheee!

3. I am suffering a dearth in new music right now. I had actually gone a week without music (save the LOTR soundtrack) and that is rare. I blame it on the fact that the Rohirrim thme is stuck in my head and nothing else matter more. Gargh. Note to self: drop by the CD store on the way home.

This post is gratituous and was only cos, well, I can *grin*

Fandom. I love thee.

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:58:59 GMT

1. I had set aside a weekend for flail, but the best laid plans of mice and men they say. And as a result I started watching LOTR only at 7 pm on Sunday evening, and had to compromise by starting from the Two Towers (not much of a compromise, since TT is my favourite both for the books and the movies) and complete it with disk 2 of ROTK. Sigh. Fail.

2. If I have to live-twitter my responses to Two Towers, starting from the "Three Hunters" chapter it'd be:

Lord, I have forgotten how fake Orlando Bloom is as Legolas... head===> desk
Saruman is nearly a caricature. Geez
They do the best child casting in this movie. All the right ones to tug at the heart strings.
Love Theoren. Love Theoden. even when he is frosted over.
Random Legolas' one-liners... ARGH. Fine when Gimli makes them though. Yes, my bias against Orlando Bloom hasn't gotten any better.
(There's something in the water to make the trees come alive" Something to that effect.) I wish I could add there, "But darlings, trees are alive."
Some of those lines among the Uruk-hai sound like really, really bad male-muscle movies. "Looks like meat is back on the menu, boys"?
More random Legolas' one liners. Give Aragorn more screen time, why don't you?
Legolas in the book... not quite as impetuous. Really. But I'd slash Eomer and Legolas just based on that scene alone.
Orlando Bloom. Can't. Act.
Glowing white wizard. Makes for a fantastic bleach/detergent advertisement.
Skip Gollum and Marshes of the dead chapter. No like hobbits chapter.
I like how Gimli knows the taste of orc blood
Orlando Bloom has the worst lines ever. But if he can't act...
Technically, the elves did not really begin it. Getting the trees to talk and what not. Yavanna begged of Manwe - to have some one to protect her children from the other races. Hence, ents. The elves did wake the trees-trees though.
Since the Elder Days? Damn... When did the last time the ents march? History. Fail. Must read Silmarillion more closely again. First Age?
Okay, the Shadowfax scene looks like something off Little House on the Prarie.
You can't tell, I love this movie to bits, can you?
Okay... Gimli, bowing to Shadowfax? Really? (><)
Ent song!
Close ups of Gandalf and Aragorn - because it will not be strange that they'd be standing and talking to each other. Randomly. Discussing the possible destruction of Middle Earth in poetic lines.
Skip Sam and Frodo again. Ironically considering that Frodo is the protagonist after all. But, I skip Frodo and Sam bits in the books too.
Why does Legolas have a perpetual frown?
I double double love the Rohan theme. Hardinger. I nearly learnt the hardinger because of Rohirrim theme. ISghs.
Gimli's one-liners are more bearable. Definitely my bias.
Fight scene among guards and the three hunters is so gratituous.
The CGI in this show... Fabulous.
Still think it more powerful had Theoden called for his sword himself.
Love, love, love Theoden. And cry again at Theodred's burial. Why is this song not on the soundtrack....
Two great great actors with fantastic lines - Lord, only they get to carry thse lines without them sounding out of place and cheesy.
Rohirrim is such a limited language (or at least Tolkien probably did not had time to develop it)... Gandalf's line still sounds out of place.
Must Arwen sound breathy in Sindarin? It's an ethereal language yes, but honestly.... Did I mention that next to Orlando Bloom, I had the greatest problem with Liv Tyler?
Wargs look like hyenas. But still brilliant.
Mirkwood. Caves. Legolas. Are the Sindar elves supposed to be as good with horses as, say, the Noldor?
They have seriously good actors for oratorical lines - and Grima's tar was brilliantly placed.
Pacing is fantastic - cut to agonisingly slow Ents. I remembered getting bloody frustrated when I was watching this at the theatre for the first time. ooooh the memories.
(skip for family drama moment)
Slash Legolas Aragorn. Don't pretend you are returning him to Arwen, darling. It's futile.
Dramatic entrance. Loves. Even if it looks like a Western. Cut to major Theoden loves. Lesson on being a king- lie through your teeth to blster flagging spirits. "We are at the end of this recession and we will emerger stronger than before." yeah right.
Slash Legolas and Aragorn again. You must sleep, Aragorn? Major Eowyn and Legolas jealousy match moment.
Perfect casting for children in the caves yet again. The casting director ought to be canonised. Even if they did cast Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler in the same move thrice over.
Legolas/Aragorn slash again - but distracted by Theoden's Shakespearean moment, complete with sunblit background. Best placing of a Tolkien song ever.
Smirky Legolas. No like.
HALDIR! Even if this is not according to the books. But who cares? More elves=loves! (The Tolkien purists just murdered me virtually. And why would elves from Lorien speak for Elrond?
I really don't like Orlando Bloom (why does he find the need to smirk from just behind Haldir... If Haldir was not quite so square jawed, I'd say he may make a better Legolas....)
Theoden. I love thee unconditionally.
I need to research on elven armour. The helmets do not make sense.
I wish the subtitles will stop saying, "In Elvish" Sindarin. Sindarin. I am pedantic. Sue me.
Roman march! And the dramatic run to the bomb? sigh.... Legolas is one of the best archers even among the elves according to canon. Missing a crucial shot like that?
Skateboad moment was darn cheesy.... but I still hear the collective sighs of gals in the theatre the, erm, countless times I have watched TT.
Slash Merry and Pippin. Except I don't do hobbit slash.
It always feels wrong slashing hobbits with any one un-Hobbit. It feels like pedophillia.
Random Gandalf line - never mind that it was in the books. But I still love Theoden's Shakespearen like speeches and soliiloquys.
The ride out makes no sense in any strategy I know of - and not in siege warfare. Nor the downhil charge. I am relatively certain that horses have chest plate armours.
The CGI of water from dam is marvellous. Sighs at marvellous translation of nature/technology dichotomy.
Times when I don't skip past Frodo/Sam: Sam's Hero speech. Perfect casting me says. Adores Faramir as much I did in the books, but it had taken me a while to tell him physically apart from Eomer.
Slash more Frodo and Sam - and I am not even a Hobbit slasher.

"Where have you been?! Middle Earth is callllllllllllll-ing!"

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:34:58 GMT

1. I made the mistake of checking into my inbox on Tuesday morning and life has not been the same since. There's nothing like having friends from your oldest, most favourite fandom descend on you from out of the woodwork (that is otherwise known as RL) demanding a reunion of sorts. Lord, I've been suckered back in, and now after two long days reading new fics, re-reading old ones and traipsing through old haunts on the internet, I want to write. Desperately.

Never mind that I am still dealing with H1N1, gargh.

Never mind that I have already had to give up on ALL the Sirius/Remus love because of above.

Never mind that I have just gone to bed at 4 am this morning (it's now 0830 hrs) because of the same.

2. I've no idea how I managed to leave Middle Earth in the first place. The sheer romance of this alternative universe very nearly exceeds even that of this reality I occupy unhappily, for all the rich and astounding histories, the myriad of languages, the simple joys, profound grief, fiery tempers, and dire desperation among so many, many different peoples. Fifteen years ago I dipped my toes into Middle Earth and found an escapist haven; fifteen years later I stepped back to this spiritual home and discovered anew the perfect reality. ..... sigh.... [RL in comparison just does not cut it....]

3. And so I am back to writing. I need to find a beta at some point. I just have to figure out whether fiction or non-fiction should take precedence. *grin*

Fallen stars

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:11:39 GMT

1. I felt a piece of my childhood die today, and that is little exaggeration. I'm actually rather upset by MJ's death - no other celebrity's death has actually prompted me to grief before. Don't judge, darlings. I am a huge fan, not quite the same way I obsess over Tolkien, but a fangirl nonetheless. As much as I love my jazz and Broadway singers, my instrumentals, MJ remains the only singer who has managed to get me to part with my money for ALL his albums from Got to be There and Ben to the series of compilations he released in the later years. He is most definitely not the best singer in my collection; but he's arguably the best entertainer. Even if he weren't, it won't matter - he is the only one to cut across my childhood.

I remember when MJ came to town for the HIStory tour, I was still in primary school. Billy Jean was still huge, nearly ten years on, and several of my classmates and I spent our recesses pulling up our white socks and trying to moonwalk. Then there was the group of friends who got into trouble standing on top a ventilator trying to recreate MJ's tribute move to Marilyn Monroe (it wasn't really a tribute) in Black or White. "You are not alone" came just at the point of puberty and that was probably the most overplayed song on my Walkman. I cried buckets with "Childhood", more because Free Willy was a tearjearker. (Again, I say, don't judge) "Man in the Mirror" became the most influential song ever (it still underpins my life philosophy). Even at 23 when I first went to a proper dance club, the DJ made it a milestone by stopping techno-y dance music suddenly and blasted "Heal the World" - it was surreal how the dance floor of Zouk suddenly turned to a mass karaoke session.

Now to think of it, I am even dating "Ben".

Sigh.... I had been looking forward to his new concert tour. Sigh....

2. And today I actually came home with the explicit intent to rest and do something recreational, especially after a difficult two months. However, I couldn't do anything - or at least I couldn't bring myself to do anything leisurely. I would have said I was too exhausted, but that won't be true because I find myself back at work. Why?!?!?!

Sigh. Note to self: You are becoming a workaholic!

The rant againt social irresponsibility and H1N1

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:41:24 GMT

This is shaping up to be a once-a-month blog, g'Lord.

I have spent a better part of two months looking and planning around Influenza Type A (H1N1) (because it was never the fault of them poor pigs to begin with), with half of that time frustrated by people who assume that the press knows better than the doctors. Or worse, by people who think that THEY know better. I can't even begin to count the number of people who believe that just because the death rate is low, that really everyone else is making a heck lot of fuss over nothing. Gargh.

In case anyone here thinks the same, don't.

1. We are only actually just beginning to understand the disease, but two things are certain: a) it spreads very quickly, and hence by that measure is probably more contagious than seasonal flu; b) its virulence is higher among younger people (which is odd - but we have speculated that H1N1 triggers your immune system and if misdirected, causes your antibodies to attack your own body), and in high risk groups (young children, pregnant women, people with existing disease) can be fatal.

2. Just because you can survive the disease does not mean that others don't. Do you know how many bloody people walking around you have underlying illnesses that will render Flu H1N1 deadly to them? If you are ill, stay home. Take simple precautions like wearing a mask. Go see a doctor. Avoid parties. It is the sam ething you ought to be doing if you are down with common flu if you are not already.

In short be responsible. You'd think this is s common-sensical enough. But we have had quite a number of people who've decided that nah, flu? no big deal. H1N1? doesn't kill anyway, and then proceeded to gallivant about ton infecting people left right centre, and as a result we have healthcare workers working very hard to help two five year olds fighting for their lives and pregnant mothers to keep their babies.

Mssage of the day: To you, it's no big thing, and the world is too darn paranoid. To some others, myself included, this is potentially life-threatening.

Thank you for indulging.

Notice: new LJ for BJD and craft love

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:43:53 GMT

Alrighty... I've to stop being schizophrenic, so I'm moving the dolls, the random squeal over fabric, the various craft creations to: intoxifiedsweet

All other stuff will remain here. *grin* (Broadway, Chinese music, BJD, books, politics, er........ The girly fluff will need another home.)

Explaining the absence

Sat, 09 May 2009 19:23:22 GMT

It has been, what, a couple of months since I last made a proper entry? Suffice to say: mass food poisoning case, swine flu, poor beleaguered health officer. Though honestly the main reason for the complete disappearance is as undercut:

It is best explained by this one picture actually: ----V

Cold Fairyland's Flying Over the City (冷酷仙境《在城市上空飞翔》)

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:15:12 GMT

Album: Flying over the City
Artist: Cold Fairyland
Year: 2001
Genre: Instrumental; (Progressive) Rock

1:Morning 晨
2:Sea Rose
3:Black Wing 黑色的翅膀
4:Who Knows 谁知
5:Only One 唯一
6:Very... 很
7:Waiting For Farewell 等待告别

Rating: 4/5 (worth buying)

About Cold Fairyland
Let me start this review with a disclaimer. I am a huge fan of Cold Fairyland – which means, even when I am fully aware that some of their recordings are simply not quite up to the same standard as I fell in love with them for, I forgive them easily. Very easily.

Anyone who attempts to describe Cold Fairyland almost always start by noting how they fuse Eastern and Western music, classical precision with rock rhythms, traditional tunes with electronica, and eventually labeling them as “progressive rock” - whatever the term means. I’ll have to say the same. The band embodies the term “fusion” and nowhere is it more obvious than in their first demo, “Flying over the City”. In this album, Cold Fairyland was still a two-man plus one team (they are now five-man strong): one classically trained lead vocalist and one rock inspired bassist came up with the songs before passing them to one electronic media extraordinaire, who turned all songs into electronica midis. Band leader and lead vocalist, Lin Di, plays the keyboard and the Chinese lute (pipa) – playing the latter well enough to survive the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and to release two classical albums. Su Yong provided the rock baseline and the backup vocals, and Hu Ge did the rest.

Other than the sound, the lyrics of Cold Fairyland’s music can also astound. The band name aptly describes the oxymoron that is their music. 冷酷 (Cold) does not refer to the temperature – it means, devoid of human warmth or emotion; and 仙境 is more accurately translated to Paradise. Although the music is light, pretty and elevated by Lin Di’s lilting vocals (faring a few notches better that FIR’s lead singer, Faye, who is incidentally horrid live), the lyrics are dark, depressing, melancholic and bitter.

A review of Flying over the City

If you have heard this album before but do not know the language, forgive me as I break your illusions about the pretty, ethereal music.

This album is probably best known for Black Wing 黑色的翅膀 (and Waiting For Farewell 等待告别, which I’ll get to), which starts out as simple guitar-backed folks-infused ballad and eventually becoming an up-tempo rock song. The guitar was the only instrument played: everything else was Midi, including the wonderful drum beats (I hadn’t even realized this until much later, which speaks for the Hu Ge’s skills). What is brilliant here, people, is that given Lin Di’s soft vocals and the light hearted tune, no one would have guessed that this is a song about someone jumping off a forty storey building, reflecting both on lost dreams, the sweet sounds of heaven calling and the feel of wind against his/her cheeks as they fall onto an empty street. Cheerful isn't it? I find it depressing that this is actually one of my favourite songs not just from this album but ever! from this band.

That is not the only dark song in this demo. Who Knows 谁知 I swear, is a song about rape-and-murder. The tune would have fitted any episode of CSI or X-files, complete with suspenseful repetition of several bars. Su Yong’s voice was a tad too Midi-fied, but they had intended that effect to make him sound more robotic and menacing. It worked – and coupled with Lin Di’s Enya-resque humming in the back, made this a dark, dark song, difficult to listen to at night. One line in the lyric suggested something carnal: (“Who knows? You who are about be one of the fallen. Your moving body experiencing love); another for rape: (“Soul sleeping within frozen time; the innocence of your eyes aging”) culminating in the last line, (“Who knows? You who are about to die.) Speaks a lot when Su Yong and Lin Di think that this among their best songs.

Very... 很 makes me think of Bjork – it is a song, describing the thoughts of a bitter, lonely person. Think Miss Havisham of Great Expectations: imagine what a woman will feel after locking herself up dressed in a wedding gown and living with a mouldy cake for decades after being left upon the altar. Now get this, Lin Di wrote this at 15. What kind of childhood did she have, geez.

Waiting For Farewell 等待告别 is the signature song for Cold Fairyland. They play this at nearly every live gig. This is probably the only song which sits comfortably as a rock song on this album, and could have easily crossed into the mainstream, not too unlike Evanescence. (The song itself, is also on a melancholic subject: it underlies the fact that life is about a series of farewells right from the very beginning.) Waiting, Very and Who Knows are the only songs on this album that are reflective of the band’s later style.

The other titles are more forgettable. Morning 晨 is a short instrumental piece that is completely Midi’ed. If it sounds like ambient music, well it was – it was written to be background music for a drama serial. Surprisingly it was for a soppy serial – given the trip-hop (down tempo electronica) feel of the tune, I half expected a science fiction film. Sea Rose proves that Chinese bands should not try to record songs in English- I could hardly understand what Lin Di was singing. The lyrics are actually from Hilda Doolittle (once upon a time fiancée of Erza Pound)’s poem of the same title. Only One 唯一 is Cold Fairyland’s only attempt here to sing a mainstream love song.

Who should have a listen:
-If you love trip-hop, especially the likes of Portishead, you'll probably love the sound of this.
-By the same stroke, if you are not one for electronica, you may have problems appreciating the album.
- Lin Di's vocals may be as lilting as Faye Wong, but the songs take some getting used to if you are a mainstream pop person.
- I find that the songs are a lot more powerful for Chinese speakers, because the lyrics play as important a role as the melody - and I am not certain translations can do the lyrics sufficient justice.

Why should you have a listen:
- The melodies are haunting and all band members are very good with their instruments, with Lin Di's voice pwning most of the new Chinese female singers, if not all (by new, I mean anyone debuting after the 90s.)
- The lyrics are intelligent, especially how they are antithetical to the melodies.
- It is rare to hear fusion done well, especially the use of Chinese instruments in pop/rock. Cold Fairyland actually does pay justice to the unique tones of Chinese instruments.

Additional disclaimer: If you find this too Midi-fied, have a listen to their other albums, where they actually have warm bodies to play actual instruments.

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:34:41 GMT

I have been missing, but I feel a need:

I am fast becoming seriously addicted.

Meet Alya

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:21:16 GMT

1.

Meet my new baby! I went shopping with SC yesterday and she bought a gorgeous, gorgeous doll from doll zone - which offered a tiny doll free! SC has no love for cutesy things and whoop! I am the beneficiary of her wonderful generosity. Muahaha.

Besides discovering that i do not have water-based acrylics for me to paint on his face on (and thus have to either buy or contemplate chalk pastels, which I will also have to buy, because mine's oil based), I realise that I now have to spend a fortune in Taipei on a proper wig and 14 mm green eyes. He has little fangs, but you don't think I'd have let the elven ears go do you? Naturally not. His name's Alya (quenya for blessed; I'll need the phonetics for its Quendi pronunciation). Quenya, because I have him pegged in my mind as one of the Avari, abandoned at birth and raised by the Noldor (hmmm... or Silvan) - I have no mental image of any Avari save Eol.

But something to help the imagination along...

I swear I have more to say after being away for a while, but WOOOHOOOOO !

Freud will have a field day with me

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:56:51 GMT

1. I am in a dream series of doom. Let me explain for the benefit of the un-intiated: dreaming is to me what watching telly is to most people. I I dream in third person, and they tend to be extremely vivid - better yet, they are also serialised: each episode takes off from the episode I had the night before. Usually the dreams are inspired by books and manga I have been obsessed with. The longest series ran for six months odd, the short ones are two parter movies. Yes, I am that escapist and unsociable. Even my subconscious create alternative universes that I am not a participant in. It has been some time since my last dream series, which had been about a special victims crime unit investigator trying to rescue a young mother and her two sons from a murderer out for revenge (inspired by: a couple of FBI thrillers I was reading, Dark Knight, my first taste of CSI - which is infuriatingly illogical - and news reports on family murder.)

The current dream series, which started a few nights ago, is the first I ever have in Chinese. Lord. It is a wuxia pian. (Please read below if you have no idea what an wuxia pian is). The main character is this physician 雪傲义峰， aka 医仙银峰, who was on a trip to visit his father's friend only to discover a massacre at the latter's place (and yes, this is very typical of wuxia films). I usually don't recall the names of characters in my dreams, and he probably has a Japanese like name because I have been reading Japanese novels recently, and I have no idea how that moniker came up. But anyhow, naturally he is now embroiled in some random tussle in the pugilistic world, as he links up with this other chap ( 龙萧天, the name is familiar - I have no idea where it came from). The dream stopped last night, with his frantically trying to save a young child - and I am in a bloody cliffhanger. The wonderful thing about this dream series? It is already heavily loaded with slashy undertones - I just wonder if my subconscious will make it 'canon'. Obviously I have been watching too much wuxia pian (I've been rewatching all the old ones Tony Leung was in) and reading too much Colourcloud Palace and Chinese novels - but still, my subconscious is awesome!

2. For the benefit of the non-Asian folks on my flist, let me explain the concept of wuxia shows. Wuxia literally means, Kungfu Hero. (how do you translate "wu?"?!) It does not describe a character as much as it does a genre - it largely refers to swordfighting drama or stories set in ancient China, and for much of the genre, before the Qing dynasty. It is a very specific form of period drama. The interesting thing about wuxia films and books is that it pretty much crosses all boundaries. No age, gender limitations, because the wuxia books/film usually incorporates a little of everything: violence, romance, intrigue, humour, drama, even poetry, travelogue. Just two main things determine if it's a wuxian film: 1) swordfighting/martial arts as the central theme and 2) costumes (yes, I'm being superficial here). The most famous writer to date in the wuxia literary world is Louis Cha, followed by Gu Long (my bias, sue me - I'm not a fan of Liang Yu Sheng), and many telly dramas, movies have been based on these books.

To make it easier to understand, let's use an example. Now many of you will know Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lots of sword fighting, lots of prancing around in the air, a bit of angst, a bit of acting and NO plot. It was a hit in the Western market, but when it hit the Chinese market, the response among my friends at least was largely "Good try, but WTF was that?!" CTHD was a dump-down version of wuxia film - the ones the Chinese in Asia grew up on are the broad-sweeping, long, highly developed plot lines with very distinct characters. Ask any Chinese in the Chinese/Cantonese speaking world and I'd bet they know who Yang Guo is and what the Condor Heroes is. I was completely horrified when I first caught CTHD and then, Hero. Man... plotless, pointless, and not even good swordfighting to boot.

But yes, getting back to the point - the wonderful thing about wuxia shows? The cool, beautiful, occasionally angsty MALE characters! The females I find annoying, because in the Chinese/Asian context, there are only that many roles the female can play, and more so, in the period dramas for it to be remotely believable. (Don't start, my feminist friends have already given me a round of lectures on this aspect.) The male characters however have a run of the field. Woohooo.

Colourcloud Palace

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:46:13 GMT

1. I'm now completely hooked on another novel/manga/anime series (I love it when they have all three in the same universe), Colourcloud Palace, which is pretty much about an alternate-universe-ancient-Chinese-court politics. The series focuses on the ascension of a female through the ranks at court - which is obviously a feminist fantasy because that is just about unheard of in ancient China and is thus not as fluffy as its title suggests. The reason why I love, love, love the series to its tiny bits? It is completely slashy. I love reverse harems (think Fushigi Yuugi and this one is better because I don't actually dislike the female protagonist nor the female characters at all) - because, well, so many characters so little time. This is probably the first time I am actively pairing a few pairs at the same time according to canon (well, as good as canon anyway - the author has very nicely paired them up as 'best friends' and it helps that the dynamics between them all are so different.) I usually stick with one pair.

The pretties!:

from left: Koyu and Shuei; Ryuki and Seiran. I adore the first couple, and I love Seiran - not necessarily with Ryuki - I prefer him with Ensei as below:

Kijin in the mask and Reishin. I love Kijin - his wit and sharp tongue are just my cup of tea and Reishin's hilarous.

Female character? What female character?

And damn if I am not back in the market for dojinshi. It has been a long, long time since a shoujo (actually, this one's probably dipping its toes into bishuoenai) manga has been worthy of love. (Sure there were others recently but they are all strictly hetereo, sigh).

2. I am not going to pretend to write about anything else. I'm consumed by CCP. I even like the theme songs, which never happens.

Red Cliff. ANGST. ANGST.

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:40:10 GMT

1. Red Cliff. I've just watched John Woo's epic Red Cliff Part II, and I am all revved up. It was a tad hopeless watching it with my bf, because 1) he does not get the Mandarin and 2) he does not share my need to TALK about the movie after the movie. For the benefit of non-East-Asian friends, this is a movie based on an incredible battle in history documented (and heavily embellished) in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was a battle well known for a few things:

a) 火烧连环船: huo shao lian huan chuan, which literally translates to fire burning through boats that are linked together. In this battle, a stronger army led by Cao Cao, not familiar with naval battle entered into war with a smaller, weaker defending army led by Sun Quan that is more accilmatised to being on water. In order to ensure that its soldiers do not get sea sick, the Cao army linked up all their boats together, such that they become a stable barge (same logic why most people do not get sea sick on a cruise liner). It went into war thinking that they had wind direction in their favour, but as it turned out, the wind direction changed, and the Sun (pronounced Soon) army managed to set fire to almost the entire fleet, thereby winning the battle.

b) 诸葛亮“借东风”: zhu ge liang jie dong feng. Which literally translates to Zhu Ge Liang (the name of this marvelous strategist in Romance - my favourite character above all) borrowing the easterly wind. This was the reason behind the change in wind direction above. At any rate this single move in the battle, where Zhu Ge Liang set up an altar and raised the Easterly wind is so classic, it has several idioms and proverbs linked with it. The phrase above, for instance, has a second half to it, a special sort of idiom in Chinese where the first half's metaphorical and the second's the one with the actual meaning. For this phrase there are at least three possible follow-ups for the second halves that I know of. The more well known one is "巧用天时 ", which means being able to make use of nature to create an opportunity for oneself. Lesser known is the "金蝉脱壳 " as the second half, which means the golden cicada sheds its 'skin' - which is a pretty way of saying using a brilliant strategy to wriggle out of a situation such that no one is able to react in time. The last is "将计就计", which is to meet the enemy's plot head on with another of your own. This famous bit of history also led to a popular idiom in Chinese - everything is ready, save the easterly wind. Which is what we say when we are one crucial component short of completing a project.

Among others, which I gave up exp-laining lest this post becomes a Chinese literature lesson, which are classic.
c) 周瑜反间计: Zhou Yu, another strategist, managed to sow discord within the Cao camp by feeding Cao's spy (Zhou's friend) in his camp false information, ultimately leading to the death of the naval commanders who might have rescued Cao's doomed plan.
d) 黄忠苦肉计: Zhou Yu punished one of his generals Huang Zhong so severely (in some versions, Huang Zhong's family was executed) that he crossed over to the enemy's camp. Assuming that he was bitter against Zhou Yu and would be a formidable ally, Cao trusted Huang Zhong- or rather he trusted the hate Huang Zhong must have borne Zhou Yu. However, it turned out to be an incredible strategy on Zhou Yu and Huang Zhong's part. This strategem came to be known as (lit translation) "bitter flesh strategy), which meant injuring/causing hurt to oneself to gain something from another party.
e) 曹操败走华容道. Cao Cao did escape from the battle field, but in the process the entire retreating army ran into a swamp/bog, causing as much damage to Cao Cao's camp.

/End Chinese lit lession.

2. Anyone who knows enough about Romance of the Three Kingdoms will know this battle of Red Cliff- it's that famous a battle. The movie naturally does not do it complete justice, but well, it was a decent movie. That said, all this explanation is necessary because that is why I am angsting over the movie. ANGST. Lord. It is clearly a Hollywood adaptation, because some of the characters won't have been created and some of the plot lines would not have existed if it weren't for the consideration of the non-Chinese audience.

SPOILERS ALERT

a) I had quite a number of squeal moments whenever Tony Leung shares the screen with Takeshi Kaneshiro (because come'on, you can't seriously think normal people stand that close to each other when talking). I love all the Takeshi's scenes naturally, seeing how he combines my love for him and for Zhuge Liang, and I adore the sense of humour even if they don't make sense. Perfect comic relief though.

b) I died, when 曹操 recited 短歌行 in the movie. LORD, I thought it was a brilliant move using words from an ancient poem that sounded so much more sophisticated and beautifully moving than anything our modern Chinese can conjure. It had its desire impact on me, though admittedly, there was a part of me that wished they had remembered that the verse was meant to be sung (I mean, it says so in the blooming title) - they did it in the old TV drama series, albeit with cheesy dances in the background.

My angst begins:

c) John Woo's incessant cutting betweeen scenes ANNOYS me, because he does not do it with as much panache as the likes of Peter Jackson. Granted we are supposed to see the compare and contrast, but goodness, how stupid (or blind) does he expect his audience to be?

d) I can't decide if I want to slaughter Lin Chiling or Zhao Wei more. Their stories had not existed in the original, and are completely illogical. Lord. I can't believe that they substituted one of the most brilliant strategems in historical battles (as historical as it is) with one that is so completely misplaced! A tea ceremony delaying a battle?! The Zhao Wei arc frustrates, because it was set up to be emotional blackmail of the audience - it has emotional blackmail written all over it. All the more when it defies all logic both of the role and behaviour of females in that age and of reality in general. It frustrates all the more because it panders to the Westernised view of the heroic female, that Mulan exemplifies.

e) Then I decided that above all, the scriptwriters deserve to die for the very last line in the movie, because it was the most anti-climatic, least pretty-sounding Chinese from one of the most eloquent and brilliant strategists in Romance ever. BAH. I now understand reports of the actors complaining that the lines could have been made more eloquent. Bah. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

f) Guan Yu was one of the most unsatisfying characters in the movie - because my darlings, he is a GOD. As in liiterally. He IS one of the Chinese gods- and his only memorable line in the movie was memorable for all the wrong reasons. "Your time is over"! Or "What's the point of reading the classics if we do not even learn what honour is?" While making rice balls. Like, seriously.

g) I'm back. OH THE ENDING. THE ENDING was made of immense, immense, tremendous, incredible FAIL! Especially when they let Cao Cao off. WHY?! ARRRRRRGH.

You can't really tell that I like the movie, can you? But I did, I loved the movie. Even if I really really wanted to shoot the bloody scriptwriters and have them drawn and quartered. Still the enormity of translating Red Cliff to film is rather akin to the translation of LOTR - epic, unimaginable and daunting, so this was a great movie.

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:39:36 GMT

1 MEME!
From lonely_lycanth
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

1. If you could go back in time and prevent one author from ever having written and published, who would you pick and why?
Nathaniel Hawthorne. I hated Scarlet Letter with a vengeance I usually reserve for degenerates who murder young children - and I'm not even a feminist.

2. If you could adapt one thing into a major Broadway production, what would it be?
Oh dear. This is difficult, only because I associate Broadway with only musical theatre, and quite honestly it is not. They'll muck up Butterfly Lovers (the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet), which is the first thought that came to mind - but I'll go with Brother Grimm's the Goose Girl. I think. *grin*

3. If you could apply one button on your remote control to real life, which would it be?
Pause button. Hopefully it leaves me unaffected because I need out-time, and I need time to get from one place to another whenever I double book my calendar.

4. If you could switch lives with one fictional character, who would it be?
Eve Dallas in J D Robb's In Death series. Admittedly my first thought was actually, man, I'll trade my life to be Gildor in Tolkien's Middle Earth (he gets to travel, that darn nomad); but I went with something human. In law enforcement, has fancy gadgets, has rich husband (always good to have if you are in law enforcement) and has access to computer kingdom of ultimate win - what not to like?

5. You invent the perfect fuel: no more greenhouse gasses, and it won't run out! Do you sell the idea for million of dollars and take no credit, or go down in history as the person who saved the environment singlehandedly but make absolutely no money off the technology?
I'll take the money. You see, my name is Jet. As in, serious, it really is Jet. I already have my name associated with fuel.

2. D-Gray Man. Alright it is now Thursday and I have officially finished watching D-Gray Man. Do not ask me if I slept at all. The anime predictably became a tad bonkers in the last 15 episodes or so, but still it took 78 episodes before I began to lose the "I live to watch this anime" feeling. Given how much it takes for me to like an anime enough to complete the series, yes, D-Gray Man is worth it.

What I like about the series:
1) Characters. I love the characters, even if the females are again, predictably, annoying (I always find female characters annoying in Asian productions - because Asian stereotypes demand that they have either the ice queen-gene or the more grating whine-gene. There has not been a single female character I like. Much. Not even in Sailor Moon, where all the characters are female - I like the cats there.) The good thing about the characters in D-Gray Man? - They all have angsty pasts. I like a decent dose of angst and I like seeing how each character turns out different despite the same darkness in their pasts.
- Allen Walker is the protagonist of the series, a young Exorcist with a very tragic past - who actually managed to balance the soft-hearted-save-the-world tendency with a good dose of realist-some-must-be-killed. He is also the reason I watch the series to the end, which is rare because again, I seldom like protagonists. He is also pretty, which helps. A lot. At times he's a tad whiny, but that is saved by his dark-I-really-loath-my-master comic moments.
- Strangely enough, I was not drawn to Kanda Yu, as much as I ordinarily would have. He is the stereotypical icy-cool-brain-over-heart character in the series (I swear there is always one in any series, shoujo as much as shouen, because this is the traditional ideal Japanese man.) but Kanda is a tad one-dimensional here. Even though he is entirely my type.

2) The angst. Lots of deaths. I cried the hardest, I think, during the early abandoned-puppet arc, which was Allen's first mission out with Kanda. It's hard to tell, because there were many Kleenex worthy moments that after a while I might have gotten immune.

3) The dose of humour. I love manga humour and this one deals them out well, and in time against the angst which is quite remarkable.

What I don't like about the series
1) The villain. The chief villain, the Earl, to be exact. COMPLETELY bizarre.

2) The battle scenes. GEEZ.

God Saves Our(?!) King is next on my list, only because I like the novels; and for a break from these fight-against-monsters anime, Colour Cloud Palace thereafter (which is not as fluffy as it sounds. Though it is completely cosplay-worthy. ) It is not my fault that these two anime are slashy. I did say I prefer my male characters.

3. Sick. I am still sick. My sinus is now completely infected leading to an ache around my eyes that hurts more than the time I walked around on a fractured ankle (I hadn't realised that it was fractured - I thought it was just a minor sprain). I think karma does not like me working in a hospital setting, because ever since I was seconded out of the barracks (like come on, what other place can be more unhealthy?!) and into health management, I have ironically been sicker more often. As in, full out sick.

4. Books. Behind on book reviews again, but I've read: (12) One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson, which was alright as a follow up to Case Histories, but not as powerfully written; (13)The Interpretation of murder by Jed Rubenfield, which had rave reviews from everyone who has read it (it seems0 but which I had not liked; (14) The Hangman's Hymn by Paul Doherty, which I like enough to want to pick up all other books in the Canterbury Tales' series and am currently reading (15) Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson (yes she's the author du jour), which is strange and I'm not quite certain I like. I'm obviously making a concerted effort to read beyond my children's section.

Amazon.co.uk is sooooo behind on my order. WHY?!?!?!

D Gray Man

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:01:16 GMT

Note to self. Jet should not start on an anime series in its hundredth odd episodes on SUNDAY evening. D-Gray Man, why did I not listen to my brother on your awesomeness nearly a YEAR ago?!

PRETTY!!!

Fly away flu

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:27:26 GMT

1. So much for posting regularly - well this time, it wasn't entirely my fault. I caught ellixian 's flu bug of DEATH and was floored for the week. I hit 39 degrees celsius at one point on Tuesday night and the fever broke enough for me to lug myself to work on Wednesday, before I collapsed from a fresh bout of fever that night. I proceeded to sleep through Thursday (and therefore slept more in a day than I habitually do in a week) and voila, today, I still feel like crap.

2. And seeing how I am trapped indoors, I thought I would sew, except I discovered that the blooming measurement chart that came on the site for Subaru did not state the circumference of his arm, nor did it state the length between waist to crotch, which basically means my plans to make a Shinsengumi Gintama's jacket and jeans were foiled. ~~Though I suppose I can start with the vest. Hmmmm.~~ Oh yes, vests have armholes too. Damn.

2.The book reviews I am catching up with, but failing:

Vampire chick lit

Technically speaking Blood Bound is not really about vampires even if they do feature heavily. This is the second book in the series, written from first person perspective, something which I do not tend to like reading. I have not read the first book 'Moon Called', but I did decide to wing it and I suppose the fact that I bought the e-book, Iron Kissed (after not finding it on the shelves), will be a good testimony of how enjoyable the series is. (I do not tend to read e-books, unless my instant-self-gratification gene calls).

Mercy Thompson is the lead character in this series - a mechanic with a degree in History (Why?), she packs a mean, can-do attitude in an interesting alternate universe where the Fey or faerie folk have long declared their existence, the werewolves have only just come out to the public and the vampires are still a hidden race. The politics both within the races (each being organised along different rules) and between the races, including mankind, make this series stand out among the other books in my 'Vampire Chick Lit' shelf (I suppose, most other people will put this on the fantasy shelf). What helps Mercy as the protagonist is she does not fit nicely into any of these world, being one of a forgotten Indian tribe, whose members shapeshift into coyotes (or any other anaimal - this was not explicitly stated in the books) at will and are thus known as Walkers. In Blood Bound, Mercy helps her vampire sort-of friend hunt down another vampire, who happens to be possessed by a demon. Enters one hour of brainless entertainment - the romance angle is downplayed in favour of the thriller-hunt for the demonised vampire, but quite honestly, it was half-hearted, since half the time I was wondering which of the male leads she was going to go for (answer only in Iron Kissed.) Yes, I am shamelessly shallow.

I am still divided on Iron Kissed, because of one fateful incident in Mercy's life some ways into the book. To avoid any spoilers, I can only say, I don't think Briggs gave that particular incident and its impact on Mercy's life sufficient respect and treatment. It came across as trite and "oh-by-the-way", which was far from what it could have been. Which I thought was a shame.

Nonetheless, for a book that is not going to win any awards for brilliance and fabulous writing, Blood Bound, and separately, Iron Kissed, do earn points for treating the issues of minority politics and feminism with some panache and a good dose of humour.
(7) The undead next door by Kerrelyn Sparks (no review). The Undead Next Door is in the same series as the book I read last summer: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire. As far as cloyingly romantic vampire romances go (read: no gore, little angst, no tragic ending) go, I still prefer Lynsay Sands' series, but this works. I bought this book as the bf decided to sit in a cafe and study for his GREs - again proving that I am more capable of sitting still and keeping quiet for a longer period than he can. Erm... I don't make it a point to review my fluff reads.
Back to Kids' books
(8) The Squire, The Knight and His Lady by Gerald Morris
(9) Valiant by Holly Black

More serious fiction

(10) Kate Atkinson's Case Histories. I have to skip over the kids' books to do a proper review of Atkinson's Case Histories, because it is a fantastic, fantastic book with one caveat: it does not work as well as a whodunnit along the likes of Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, even though the publishers have marketed it along with a byline from Stephen King, "The Best Mystery of the Decade". Rather, it is a powerful story about broken and brittle human nature, which just happens to feature a private investigator, murder and missing persons. The writing is brilliant, as Atkinson sets the reader rediscovering the wonders that is hidden in the adjective and adverb (and this reader in particular reaching for her dictionary for the first time in a long while), and the twists and turns in the plot unimaginable and highly engrossing. Most importing, the voice of the narrator is so overwhelming that I find myself swept up in the tide. The book accompanied my convalescence and through its 387 pages, I had not felt the fever I was burning.

The book starts with its namesake: case histories. Three chapters described the setting, the place, the characters, the human emotions and relations leading to three specific cases: 1) a missing girl; 2) a random attack and brutal murder of a young office worker and 3) a bloody murder within a household. These three chapters could have stood as short stories in their own right, with the amount of detail given to each character' appearances, thoughts and desires, however minor they are in the scheme of things. Atkinson fleets in and out of each character, immersing the reader in the psyche of each of them in such an empathetic manner that you cannot help but feel strongly for them, even without knowing whether they are victims or perpetrators of the crimes. And this is before the story actually begins!

It moves on quickly to introduce the protagonist, the private investigator, Jackson Brodie, who will now be involved in each of these cases. Brodie is a world-weary man, dreaming of retirement in France even as he struggles to maintain his relationship with his eight-year old daughter after a bitter divorce. Each of the cases begin to unravel slowly, as Brodie interacts with different people connected with the cases. I had expected the cases to be connected somehow, but was somewhat gratified that they did not (too coincidental otherwise) - but the plot thickened in each of them in tandem. Here I thought Atkinson is absolutely genius - moving seamlessly between past and present, and in between three different cases, each held together only by Brodie (and very sparingly, at that) and the narrative voice, and yet never losing the reader. What's more, all the while she strings the reader to the conclusion of the cases, dropping clues and hints in the most subtle use of language.

In th end, the three cases were retold from the third case first. A character study of one of the victims (and I include the families of the victims in this term, since they too suffered for the crime perpetrated) preceded a recount of the crime as it had happened. It was a good plot device, echoing the beginnings of the book, and thus drawing the reader to a closure. On first account, the "solutions" to the cases come across as unexpected, shocking even, but I realise belatedly that had I been more sensitive to Atkinson's descriptions of the characters, I would have picked up some of these clues already.

Unlike the end of Sherlock Holmes or Herbert Poirot mysteries, I had not walked away thinking, what brilliant mysteries, what brilliant crimes, how damn intelligent and how on earth did I not see that coming. Instead, I walk away from Case Histories mourning, having cared so deeply for the pains and sorrows of each individual character, whose lives were never the same again for the crimes; I walk away keenly aware of the fraility of human nature, and I walk away with another Atkinson book in hand.

Further diversion on doll fashion

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:09:01 GMT

1. You know you are in trouble with an obsession when it's your bf's birthday in four days, you have not gotten a proper gift and your priority for a free Saturday afternoon is to buy cloth for a doll who has not arrived on your doorstep. Not to mention, you are already behind on book reviews, which is a small thing compared to the fact that you have work piling on your table.

I'm so screwed.

2. That said, I finished the kosode! I realised it could have been much faster on a sewing machine, but alas, my mother uses a treadle and I am not deemed worthy to be in its presence. I have the collar, left, which I'll wait till Subaru arrives just so I can be certain of the fit.

It looks like this right now:

3. So remember how I hate cutting cloth? I hate cutting and I hate hems - the former because that really is all that makes the difference in how the finished product looks and the latter because it is sooooo darn boring. The kimono is not that frustrating only because there are only straight lines, but still, I'm anal and I like my straight lines to be dead-straight. My beloved mother watched me struggle with the first version of the kimono, before deciding to take pity on me and released two items out of her box of treasures. The rotary wheel, and fusible web. ( "MUM WHY DID YOU NOT GIVE THESE TO ME EARLIER?!"/ "Because the scissors' easier to use." Bah. Says the woman who places a piece of cloth between her scissors blades and voila! the pattern for a pair of jeans. Or wedding dress. Or whatever)

But yes, look, Ma, straight lines!

4. I went fabric shopping at Quilts and Sew Forth near Jalan Sultan and was completely bowled over, because they have the prettiest fabrics possible:

And these are my purchases! Makes me happy... Especially the print I found for the suikan

5. Okay. Now to do up BF's birthday present and finish some work. Darn it. I could be starting on the hakama.

The day Jet puts her seamstress mother to shame...

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:26:01 GMT

1) Just like my dad mocks my dancing (he teaches dance, when he's not putting a good wallop of fear on his construction workers) my mum, who used to be in fashion, had a field day laughing at me. .. It has been a comedy of errors.

PROJECT HEIAN (1)

2. The project: a kimono for Subaru. I am thinking of a kosode, a hakama, a kimono, and a suikan - and considering that I have not touched a needle in all the years I was in college and beyond, it is ambitious, and so I decided to start on the easiest first. The kosode is meant to be worn as underwear, so I thought even the hem lines were ugly, no one will notice. Sew four blocks of cloth together? Easy peasy - good practice...

... except I dug up a piece of white silk cloth from my old collection of fabrics. Which is suicidal, because silk is bloody difficult to draw and cut blardy straight lines in. One wrong movement, a finger out of place, and the blooming thing is out of shape. And when you are as lazy with pins as I am, it is even more difficult. My mum came into the room and the first thing she said was, "You do know you need certain standards to be able to work with that material don't you?" There was this part of me that went, MUM, why don't you do it?! You are the one who sews wedding dresses for Lord's sake.

3. I gave up on the silk cloth, figuring that I should get a heavier fabric for the kosode. It is true that I will die sewing on silk, and translucent silk at that (*coughs* one wrong move'd cost me, erm, $100 a yard or something). I started on kimono cloth instead and started the project anew. Now, I always find the cloth-cutting the most difficult bit, but no matter, after some initial struggling, I started sewing. Two back panels, two front panels and one sleeve later, I realised something very very important. I have accounted for the length of the back, the length of the front, the length from hip to ankle... BUT I forgot the CIRCUMFERENCE of HIP and CHEST. Lord.

The kimono is now too small! LORD. After I have expended two hours of my time doing tiny and neat hand-sewn stitches.

I am a blooming idiot.

GARGH.

There is only one solution short of staying home all weekend and obsess over cloth...

I should get a smaller doll.

Subaru-chan!

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:24:46 GMT

I interrupt Jet's Journey through Fandoms and the list of book-reviews (My first adult book for the year is a new fantasy series: Karen E. Mills "The Accidental Sorceror" - which I strongly recommend), to say:

I am now a proud owner (once the order is confirmed and shipped at any rate) of this beautiful, beautiful kid

(Yes, hemera_oneiroi , K and I decided to go for the same doll. SUPER-EXCITED now!! I think it's time you get one too, grin!)

He'll be the reason why I won't be buying any more books till June at least. Which makes it fortunate that I have already arranged for a shipment of books from Amazon.co.uk just two days ago, and that shipment has enough crack to last me, erm, a week. Sigh - the public library is about to become my best friend.

Jet's history of OTPs

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:35:45 GMT

I do have a book to review today: Catherine Webb's The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle, but I thought that I'll do something different today. mirime and hemera_oneiroi asked me a few questions on my fandoms yesterday and I had to go back and dig through all my manga and anime (which I have left for some time) in order to come up with this.

Jet's History of OTPs

I have remarked before that I have never done het. I have always been predominantly a slasher. Now if you do not know what that means, that means I favour guy/guy relationships - be they canon or sub-text. I find them more bearable because they do tend to be a tad lass soppy. (marginally. Very, very marginally.) In all my fandoms, I have found a guy/guy pairing however non-believable/non-canon. And this is the history of my OTPs!

I shall leave my Tolkien and Middle Earth love aside for this post, else it'll be way too long considering how many pairings I have in that, and start with...

The Manga/Anime Pairings
Other than Tolkien, manga and anime are actually my first fandoms.

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo and Donatello
Yes, they are turtles and yes, strictly speaking this is not quite manga/anime. And technically I didn't slash them, I just enjoyed their scenes together very, very much. Which is very sad, because they seldom share a scene: they have to pair them off with Ralph and Mikey to keep them in line. Like how I fangirled turtles? Not that I'll know what slash is at age 6, but the subconscious fangirl is a dangerous thing. Michelangelo: Primo workout, dudes!
Leonardo: Yeah!
Raphael: We showed those guys, huh?
Leonardo: Muy primo, bros!
Donatello: Turtle-riffic!
Raphael: Max-amundo!
Donatello: A cappella!
Others: Huh?
Donatello: Perestroika?
[Others moan.]
Donatello: Okay, I got it. "Frere Jacques."
[Donatello starts singing "Frere Jacques" by himself.]
Michelangelo: Donny, give it up

I love Donatello! He's such a dork! But yes, I learnt the hard way a year or two back, that even if you are a TMNT fangirl, you should not watch the latest movie. Nadder. Fail. Gee.
2. X-men: Professor X and Beast
While I am confessing the disturbing pairings of childhood. No - I do NOT slash them. I just like their scenes together very very much. Does that sound familiar? I mean, what do you think they did while the rest of the X-men go gallivanting about, trying to save the day? Moving on, moving on... (Later I preferred to slash Cyclops/Gambit)

3. Weiss Kreuz: Fujimiya Aya/Hidaka Ken
Finally a real pairing. I loved Aya. I LOVED him massively for the longest time - but he is freakily angsty. This is possibly my darkest pair (as in angst wise) other than Remus/Sirius. I occasionally slash Yoji and Aya, Yoji and Ken, but there's a reason why they coined the term OTP.

If you are unfamiliar with the series, these lads are florists by day and hired killers on a war path at night. From left, Ken, Aya (Ran), Omi and Yoji. The stereotypes again from left: the cheeky, somewhat blur boy-growing-up, the cool-bitter-dude-with-an-angsty-past, the cute but commanding character with hidden angst, the cheerful-happy-go-lucky-gentle-but-supreme-angsty dude. yes, Weiss Kreuz is full of angst.

4. Slam Dunk: Akira Sendoh/ Kaede Rukawa

I think I caught onto Slam Dunk at the same time as Weiss Kreuz, because I can't put them on chronological order. I know what my first manga set was: Ramma 1/2 - I read the first three books, before my dad took a look and banned me from his manga store for the longest time (My dad is a manga collector too) - but what happened thereafter is a huge huge blur.

My love for this pairing knows no bounds. Sendoh, not Rukawa, was the reason why I spent hours on the basketball court in lower secondary school. Back when my knees were still alive and I was twenty pounds lighter, grin. I probably slashed every character there was in Slam Dunk at some point, even Takenori Akagi/Kiminobu Kogure, but yes, OTP is LOVES. Sendoh/Rukawa = my first pathetic attempt at fanart. I massive, massive love Slam Dunk - which i still believe is the precursor to the next major sports phenomenon in the manga world, Prince of Tennis. (And no, Dear Boys does not count.)

5. Rurouni Kenshin: Shinomori Aoshi/Rurouni Kenshin; Rurouni Kenshin/Seta Sohjiro

Shinomori was the first non-elf character I cosplayed, and became the major reason why I still favour trenchcoats. Yes the boys in Weiss Kreuz wore trenchcoats too, but it was only after making my own and wearing it (fine, my mum did half the sewing) that I realise how cool trenchcoats are. I remember dying, trying to make the bloody sword. Other than that, it was convenient then that I had a boy's cut back in secondary school, and did actually take up martial arts for the longest time. (Yes, I was a massive dork/nerd, but my social life was saved by my being an athelete.) Yes, you can tell what is my type just by three pairings alone (NOT the turtles or X-men!) - I like my characters cool, collected, a tad of angst on the side and bloody intelligent (just the way I like my men). Forget Legolas, blah - give me Aragorn any day 9only in movie context).

6. X Clamp: Monou Fuma/Kamui Shiro; Sakurazuka Seishiro/Sumeragi Subaru (also Tokyo Babylon), Monou Fuma/Kuzuki Kakyo

Lord, I don't have a true OTP, because I love them all SOOOOOOOOO much with a marginal edge for Seishiro and Subrau because I love Tokyo Babylon as well. Character wise, I reckon Kakyo is my favourite since he was the next non-Tolkien character I cosplayed and this was the first time, i think, I did a BL cosplay and a team cosplay. Do you know how freaking difficult it is to keep a white kimono white for the duration? It was frankly an easier costume than the one I had for Shinomori, but still... And yes, all this talk of cosplay because, well, I feel the bug again. Drats.

(Just looking at this short makes me want to weep, because I remember where this was taken from. Lord. Don't have a true OTP my dainty foot.)

7. Prince of Tennis: Tezuka Kunimitsu/Fuji Syuusuke
(They both look funny here, but I skipped school just to watch this episode 'live'.)

This is the first manga OTP I have actually written fanfic for. I love Tezuka, but I have a Fuji doll, a Fuji umbrella, a Fuji keychain on my laptop bag, and half a dozen of random Fuji related stuff that my friends gave me. ellixian would disagree, considering the context she got to know me in, but my college friends thought i was rather like Fuji - which I can't decide if it's a compliment. Obviously that was beaten out of me, because I really don't see much of Fuji in myself. Especially not the genius bit.

8. Other fandoms. There are a lot of other series I like, but no other OTPs I can really think of. Not for Bleach, not for Death Note... hmm. I need to scan through all the manga lying about in my place now.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Jet's history of OTPs - the dramas edition.

Eleanor Updale's Montmorency and the Assassins

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:19:45 GMT

1. Book review: (4) Given that it is nearly 1 am before a work day, which I expect to be working very hard, it is probably strong testimony that I remain awake to write this book review. I have just finished the third book by Eleanor Updale, Montmorency and the Assassins, and I now take back everything I have written just before this: I strongly recommend the series. I have never thought I'd find an author who'll ignite in me the same passionate hatred that I have hitherto reserved for Tolkien when he killed off Beleg and Arthur Conan Doyle when he tried killing off Sherlock Holmes, but there you go. READ MONTMORENCY, and I trust that by the end of the series, you'll understand perfectly why.

This book, I found, trumped even the second in the complexity of the issues dealt with. The recurring theme of death continues in full strength here, and I cried so many, many bitter tears in a wonderful pizza place (ironically called Skinny Pizza) - but here, what took central stage was social anarchy and the Italian socialist movement. The Italian characters involved in the social anarchist movement were completely believable, their passion so real, I am myself stirred. The descriptions of the places and the times in history were utterly brilliant, and the pacing in the plot could not be better timed.

2. And the fangirl moment for the day? Having discovered that authors do keep themselves contactable, I promptly sent an email Eleanor Updale's way telling her exactly what I felt about the books, and voila! she replied within minutes. Suffice to say, I am shipping the fourth book from the UK pronto.

3. Mayday concert! Lord, and you'd have thought the book alone was the excitement for the day. I went to Mayday's concert with ellixian , mirime and, hemera_oneiroi ; and boy, was that a flaily time! The concert was actually a free-with-CD purchase deal, but the band played a full 2.5 hour set. BEAWESOME! My muscles are already punishing me for jumping around like a mad person for nearly the entire performance, but I don't care - the band was so on form today, I could have cried at the wonder that is Ah Shin's voice. Every time I attend their live concert, I am yet again reminded of how completely awesome the lead singer's voice can be. He was severely off form for his appearances on New Year's Eve, given the flu he was nursing, so I was rather glad that he was all out to make up for it today (he said so in the concert) because it made for much flaildom!

It is still much a pity that the drummer, Guan You, could not make it. I love Guan You. I actually spent the first half of the concert distracted because I was dead certain Guan You did not look quite as young and skinny and boy I was proven right only an hour into the concert, when the drummer was revealed to be a double. Sigh...