What the...! Have just finished reading Agatha Christie's The Seven Dials Mystery. Isn't it against the rules to have one of the POVs you are following turn out to be the actual bad guy?! I did suspect the possibility that one of the "good" characters would turn out to be evil (that's what happened in the previous Christie mystery) but to have the POV which you start out with be the villan's POV....wha, my meagre brain got bowled over liao.... Luckily I was sitting down when I finally found out who No.7 is. Am now itching to see if this is a series or not....

*phew* Peace-pipe accepted. Boulder off my heart.

*sigh* Have gotten the verbal smackdown via email when a colleague interpreted something I said wrongly and another colleague was offended by the resulting implications. Luckily it was only work-related and easily explained.

Realise it is silly to be guilty when essentially it is a misunderstanding, but am feeling down though. Was there so much to be angry about? Am I so untrustworthy? I try to be as helpful as possible, but have I demonstrated a desire to take credit for something I have not done? No wonder everyone is walking on eggs to not say the wrong thing.*takes off her rose-tinted work glasses*

And if it isn't enuff to be depressed, am now worried that my reply would be further misconstrued as having a defiant attitude. (Though I am quite good at phrasing.) Sheesh, I worry too much.

Anime. Tonight. Lots.

Wah, so much rain. It was only 10am this morning and outside looked like 7pm olredi. Still got a bit of a cold.

Ran a tiny temperature in the morning but went ahead to work. Until it rained on me during lunch (as in half my shirt and the bottom of my pants got very wet *whine whine whine* ) But luckily am still okay, no spikes in temperature, though have a bit of a cough. Gonna tahan till Sat and hopefully can get a nice rest on Monday ^_^

Words of wisdom from an uncle during Chinese New Year - "Hakuna Matata - Don't sweat the small stuff" - well, not in exactly those words but you get the gist....

Running a temp today - argh! But am happy because I found Elizabeth's Peters' Children of the Storm in the Central Library today - and I wasn't even looking for it, only took the wrong book because I was feeling groggy. Am weirded out though - do you know the odds of that happening? - among the hundreds of thousands of books in the library, felt like I struck a lottery, heh. Unfortunately, true to reviews - the story started becoming too complicated to follow somewhere around page 60, when the no. of characters was somewhere around 20 (including the feline named The Great Cat of Re, heh)...am enjoying the precociousness of the twins though....

Got some happy vibes by brainwashing myself with repeats of Toto's Lea - my absolutest favouritest song, its so dreamy *sigh~* Would put the lyrics here, but am afraid of unsuspectingly mushing myself out on an cynical day.

Am almost done with PoT - around ep 80 liao. Will not comment further till have seen the rest - except I luv the humour to bits...they got someone with a veeeery twisted sense of humour doing the chibi eps (and some of the normal eps as well...)...But as twisted as the PoT chibi eps are, I'm about to embark on an even more psycho anime - Guu Final Illusion 1 & 2! - Ack! Pokutes making out! My eyes! My eyes!

Cutest scenes at today's Chinese New Year visits

1) A nephew throwing a tantrum rather unsuccessfully because his younger cousin would wander up to him and stare/smile at him, or uncles would introduce said younger cousin to him, or aunties would be pushing ang-baos into his pocket.

2) Married cousins dressing up three of my cute neices in mini-SIA Girl uniforms.

3) Cute neices who will grow up to be knockouts, and a newphew who is almost on his way there.

Am also a real wimp at blackjack *sigh* But also got to watch The Two Towers extended version on vcd today, yay!

...damn, running out of red tops....

Wow, more mind-boggling connections in Full Metal Alchemist 15 - don't you just love how they come out of nowhere and give you a real shock? The brothers scene was really good - you could hear the anger and fear is both their voices that they would have to continue alone without his brother. Considering Al had to act with only his voice - now we know his voice actor can do "angry" was well ^_^ The Ishbal thing - pretty realistic depiction of how the massacre happened. The ficcers must be having a field day with all these hot material.

Two days in the life of Ade

Yesterday, I had a runny nose and a minor temperature. Yesterday was also when I first learn how to use a digital thermometer, and when I learn yet again I have a nasty reaction to pills larger than 5mm in diameter - even those judiciously hidden in pieces of bread. As if to add insult to injury, two hours ago, I was ready to disembowel myself. Have just recovered. Tonight I have PoT to watch. Yay! And tomorrow I'll have a few days free. And I'll have Pot to watch. And after that, even more PoT to watch. And after that....Am beginning to realise the magnitude of my endeavour ^_^'

Watched Someone Like You on vcd - bought it mostly because
1) Ashley Judd's in it
2) It was only $9.90
3) Some Hugh Jackman - gotta love his....voice, among other things, heh.
The movie was pretty ok in terms of the amusing convos, but the whole "Wow, she got famous overnight because of her theory about men" phenomenon was kinda shafted to the back. In terms of that, I think Down With Love did it better.

Have also discovered while Yoplait's apricot yoghurt tastes nice, it is waaaay too creamy for me...

Whee! Swiped from Kateriya's blog! Thankies!


You are one of the few out there whose wings are
truly ANGELIC. Selfless, powerful, and
divine, you are one blessed with a certain
cosmic grace. You are unequalled in
peacefulness, love, and beauty. As a Being of
Light your wings are massive and a soft white
or silver. Countless feathers grace them and
radiate the light within you for all the world
to see. You are a defender, protector, and
caretaker. Comforter of the weak and forgiver
of the wrong, chances are you are taken
advantage of once in awhile, maybe quite often.
But your innocence and wisdom sees the good in
everyone and so this mistreatment does not make
you colder. Merciful to the extreme, you will
try to help misguided souls find themselves and
peace. However not all Angelics allow
themselves to be gotten the better of - the
Seraphim for example will be driven to fighting
for the sake of Justice and protection of those
less powerful. Congratulations - and don't ever
change - the world needs more people like you.


*~*~*Claim Your Wings - Pics and Long Answers*~*~*
brought to you by Quizilla

...merciful?!

This is the one where I chose all the fun answers, heheh.


I'll bet you expected this answer. You already knew
you were a DARK ANGELIC, didn't you? You
are similar to a demon but slightly different
in that you don't revel in evil...you revel in
pleasure. Your wings resemble an angel's but if
that's so then you are a Fallen Angel - your
love of sin caused you to be cast from the
Heavens. They are black as raven wings and are
nearly as dark as your desires. You are
faithless and love it - you believe there is no
Judgement Day to fear and so you can do what
you want! You have a refined concept of what is
sexy and a slightly chaotic sense of 'fun.' In
fact, you love chaos and view much of what you
do as a game. You are typically attracted to
those that will challenge your mind, power, and
wit...and are 'dangerous' people like you. It's
not unlikely that you are bisexual or at least
open to the concept, because you seek
excitement and passion everywhere and in
everyone. Chances are you have a special talent
for magick - you're a powerful being and you
know what you want. Like a Serpent of Eden you
like to try your powers of seduction and
manipulation, though your intent is rarely to
cause harm. You have a deep, dark sense of art
and/or poetry, because your mind is a deep,
dark place. While typically smirking, amused,
and sarcastic, you are capable of severe
revenge and a passion and intensity unrivaled
by any other. In your eyes life is for
enjoyment and pleasure - nothing else. If
you're not having fun in your own twisted way,
you're not happy. You are easily bored with the
vast majority of people. You are most likely
drawn towards the Gothic subculture and
probably adore Goth music, art, and style. Many
people look down on your seemingly careless
lifestyle and may even consider you 'slutty'.
Not true. You just know you're sexy and you're
damn proud of it. Dark Angels have an outlook
most like Satanists - loving sin and looking to
none but themselves for power. Congratulations!
You're my kindred spirit. As far as I'm
concerned - you know what life is REALLY about.
Have fun...Muahaha.


*~*~*Claim Your Wings - Pics and Long Answers*~*~*
brought to you by Quizilla



You are Form 0, Phoenix: The Eternal.

"And The Phoenix's cycle had reached
zenith, so he consumed himself in fire. He
emerged from his own ashes, to be forever
immortal."

Some examples of the Phoenix Form are Quetzalcoatl
(Aztec), Shiva (Indian), and Ra-Atum
(Egyptian).
The Phoenix is associated with the concept of life,
the number 0, and the element of fire.
His sign is the eclipsed sun.

As a member of Form 0, you are a determined
individual. You tend to keep your sense of
optimism, even through tough times and have a
positive outlook on most situations. You have
a way of looking at going through life as a
journey that you can constantly learn from.
Phoenixes are the best friends to have because
they cheer people up easily.


Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


WOW!! Good job! You know as much about Middle Earth
as I do!! Finally, someone who knows Middle
Earth! Most people think they know everything
there is to know about Middle earth just by
watching the movies! HAH!! well keep up the
good work! ( I wouldn't be surprised if you are
learning elvish!! )

*~* The TOUGHEST Lord Of The Rings Quiz *~* [with pictures!]
brought to you by Quizilla

Heheh, had to guess on at least three questions tho'

Now am drafted to make tiny little pohpiahs with tiny chillied prawn paste inside. Kinda fun - am absolutely drooling in anticipation....

Full Metal Alchemist 14

Wah, new opening - glad to see Winly has a bigger role - hope is not just confined to the opening.

hmm, interesting twist - even the bad guys seem to want to make sure nothing happens to Ed.

Evil guys' conversation -
Gluttony: Lust! I've finished eating!
Lust: Wipe your mouth first, Gluttony.
- How normal if not for the waving of blood-stained fingers and the fact that his lunch was human?!

Yaaaa! How did something like "Alex Louis Strongarm" become a long grumble that sounds like "aaluuuuissuumtooram"?

New ending - Little Ed, Al and Winly!


Really dig the nicks they give those State Alchemists - "Flame Alchemist", "Crystal Alchemist", "Iron Blood Alchemist", "Full Metal Alchemist" - and they do seem to have such a large number of State Alchemists. Maybe on a bad day, Central may decide to saddle some poor soul with "Full Stomach Alchemist" or "Spicy Ramen Alchemist" .... maybe "Pink Bubblegum Alchemist"???

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have got to stop sweating the small stuff at work - realise I think and worry too much and create little meaningless worries for myself, and not even about work, but about social ettiqutte. Did I fail to speak up when I should have, or maybe I talked too much about myself. And I worry and worry about how to make up for it the next time round. That's why am watching anime to clear my mind, heheh.

On the up side, got a very interesting assignment today - am having fun so far....as I was lugging fourteen photo-books back to office, realised that in some ways I really am a very pathetically greedy person. Just can't bear to leave the info/research for another day when I can bring it back with me now, bwahahahah!

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally started reading an Agatha Christie novel - old age having given me more patience, hahah - the title is Why Didn't They Ask Evans? And truthfully, it is starting to freak me out almost the same way a horror story would. Won't it freak you out if the title is the last words of the murder victim? Thank goodness I chose a relatively supernatural free mystery. Appreciate some of the jokes though - Frankie is such a bubbly cunning character. The one I really want to read, I think, is called Murder on the Orient Express - am awfully awfully curious how the whole thing happened.

Attended my first course today - a professional grooming course by Jill Lowe International. Wah, kenna make changes everywhere. But the speaker was very good, and also had a good sense of humour. The colours (I'm a Spring-Autumn ^_^) and changes recommended are a bit out of my usual style - but dun mind giving it a try, heh. But to cut my precious hair *sob*...

hmmm, maybe it's cause I dunno how to appreciate J-pop, but the feller who chose the new Naruto ending had to have something wrong with his ears...wah~ miss the cute little Naruto video game characters marching across the screen...

Very low energy today...*yawn*

Am ambivialent that Full Metal Alchemist 14 is available - part of me goes "Yay!" but the other half goes "Hope it isn't another tear-jerker" - most interesting as this means I am hovering pleasantly between want-want and need-want so there is no rush at all, heh.

At work today - yay, making order from a pile of disordered papers no longer fazes me ^_^

In my home, pineapple tart making sessions are never just pineapple tart making sessions - they really are a combination of heart-to-heart exchanges, gossip updates, and hilarious history lessons. Some stories are so funny and old and sad, they make you laugh, then cry and laugh again, and realise that life really is so complicated that, even us young people so arrogant and confident that we will never have to face the choices our elders did, must admit that we would be stumped for a correct answer as well. We could come up with an answer we feel most comfortable with - but it probably isn't the best answer because Life is White and Black and Grey that way.

So...


Probably mentioned this before - but I have a love-hate relationship with Fruits Basket.

I love the mystery of the story, I hate the meandering plot.

I love some of the dialogue, I hate how the guys have three-inch waists (esp Yuki!).

I love how cute some of the characters are, I hate how they all cave into that abusive Akito for no rhyme or reason (doesn't it seem weird that none of them dare lift a hand to him even though he has landed at least three of the twelve in hospital and psychologically maimed another two?! What gives?! The creator has better have a damn good reason...)

I love how Kyo is his usual prickly rude self to some random admirer, then literally turns around and is tender and considerate towards Tohru (kyaa - Vol 13!) - I hate how that makes me swing from a Yuki/Tohru to a Kyo/Tohru supporter in just one panel.

I keep thinking of the Sohma as one big clan - and if both Yuki and Kyo (assuming all the screwyness about Akito, clan prejudice and the Cat is absent, I can imagine the clan split into factions, supporting either Kyo or Yuki. Like how Ayame and Kyo's adopted father have both invited Tohru to their respective "territories" and how both see Tohru as someone that is good for Yuki and Kyo (not necessarily in the marital sense, but who knows?)

Yuki supporters
- Ayame (and Mine), Kagura (duh), Haru, Hiro (because Yuki is brainier than Kyo), the Student Committee, all the rats in Japan

Kyo supporters
- his adopted father, his adopted father's student, the Yuki fanclub (heh), all the cats in Japan, Kyo's alternate self (how's that for fire-power?)

The Neutrals- Tohru's friends, Shigure (who would be having the time of his life switching sides), Hatori (sighing), Kisa and Momiji and Kyoko (who all support Tohru), The Monkey (who would be useless in any conflict). Dunno enough about Rin but she seems to be in a bad mood all the time, no telling, really.

If Fruba had more humour - can you imagine the kooky schemes both sides would cook up to "help" their respective side "win" Tohru? Of course, it would be really funny if a year or two later, some dashing wonderful guy comes along, sweeps her off her feet, and the newly-weds leave Yuki and Kyo in the dust, heh.

...actually I prefer the minor characters's relationship - like Hatori and Mayu(?) - the kids' teacher, or Kureno and Tohru's gangster friend, or Kisa and Haru (What? I like non-canon pairings too! ^_^)

Also downloading Mezzo DSA - have seen Mezzo Forte is which is certainly not for kiddies since I think the same producer did Kite. Actually am having doubts about the anime - but am sure it is fairly high quality - just probably not very funny...

Didn't realise I would like Full Metal Alchemist quite so much - something to be said for a combination of alchemical rules (repeated many many times), forbidden sins, a heavy lineage and a tragic pair of brothers who have only each other to depend on. There's so much I-owe-you and You-owe-me history and tonnes of secrets to be discovered, I'm sure. The episodes are quite intelligent as well - although the beginning is quite disturbing and scary. The relationships in each episode have good tension without telling too much and the plot twists are quite original. What I like best is the very twisted humour - like how my view of the stern and formal State Alchemists got totally ruined in Episode 13 - it reminded me a bit of You're Under Arrest - all that blue.... And like any good series - there are plenty of characters the audience would love to hate. Have figured out how to distinguish the main characters and the minor characters - the more normal and realistically-drawn they are, the more minor the character is.

Ed reminds me of a very blonde Lina Inverse with a Past, both of them very sensitive about their sizes, heh.

Roy reminds me a bit of Arima from Karekano...

That grey-haired psycho guy with the cool tattoo reminds me of a combination of Seifer Almasy and Yuxman from that Slackers comic, heheh.

And I can rest my concerns about what would happen if Ed outgrows his auto-mail arm and leg - it looks like he hasn't grown an inch in three years...maybe he lost his growth spurt along with his arm?

The entire series reminds me a bit of Cowboy Bebop - with the same tendency to swing between action, great tragedy and great humour. In that way, I am a bit sad that once the ficcers get their hands on the series, what will become of the fandom - NOT that the writers have no talent - just that once the series is translated via a fandom - a lot of the emphasies will be changed - for sure there'll be great fics just as there'll be a huge amount of crap fics - but by and large, the original flavour will be changed, like Full Metal Alchemist in another dimension (Just look at the Naruto fics... *shudder*) Of course, that is one of the purpose of fics - to write about the series from another perspective, if we wanted more Full Metal Alchemist, we oughta ask the creator for more episodes.

Have been scrutinising the blue military/State Alchemist uniforms very closely and it does look absolutely smashing, doesn't it? Always did have a weakness for uniforms - wonder if I'll have the time to make one...it seems the guys and gals both wear the same style, so I don't have to worry about a lack of any figure whatsoever, hahah..

I like my cubicle - it's pretty private because the "door" is right at the end of the corridor and only way anyone passes by it is when they are looking for me. I also like how two sides to my cube are actually windows with shades - so some time in the afternoon - like now - the sun shines in gently and warms the whole place up. It's like being in a classroom (remember secondary school when our textbooks still saw sunlight?) except with air-conditioning. The window grills cast bamboo shadows onto the thin apple green shades, making them look like ice with thick fissures. And there's a slit between two window shades so I can see the trees, the sloping grass and a tiny patch of sky.

If I get stuck in a cube where I can't see outside, or have some sunlight shining in, I'd feel lots more stressed, I'm sure. Guess you gotta be a drone before you can start appreciating the small stuff, heh.

Met two new colleagues today. Wah. Still feel like a newbie though...

*gasp!* Get Backers 18!!! *gasp!* Ban! Toshiki! Lip-lock!!! *faints* What were the odds of that happening?!!


*gets up and dusts herself off* So....am attempting to make my own desk calendar so I can put all sorts of quotes with each month. At first I went with elegant quotes that would feature each month in them. Example:

January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,
A frost-mailed warrior
Striding a shadowy steed of snow.
Then it de-volved into -

Will Turner: Where's Elizabeth?

Jack Sparrow: She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really... except for Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman.



*sigh* I figure I oughta scrap all that mushy month crap and just put side-splittingly funny quotes, yah?

Have put up the poster I bought at the cosplay - no, not the ultra abstract one - the cool sorcerer red one - and it does look very nice - it is one of those pictures that have to be displayed and appreciated.

That's it - i think pineapple tarts are the only kind of baking I can learn - goodness knows I screwed up the applesauce cookies. They're so hard to cut into shapes because they soften and melt so fast, grr...anyways, had to mould enuff pineapple tarts that I dreamt of cookies last night - whole cart-fulls of cakes and confectionaries, wah~, nice dream, heheh. Am a bit worried though - because the mom has drafted me for pineapple tart baking duty come 15 Jan. But it is always fun - the last tray of tarts are always subject to my more creative decorations - instead of the usual twist-ribbon that decorates most tarts, I'd try smiley faces, fishes, hot-cross bun designs, leaves, etc...heheh a looking forward to it...

Also dreamt that NUS underwent a major overhaul and lots of dust and half-dug roads and we were trying to find this place on campus - except the campus didn't look like it is now - it kinda reminded me of another place/hostel/chalet - Campus Green if I remember correctly. Weird.

Get Backers has some of the smallest text I've ever read in a manga - tiny but funny dialogue. However, it means that I can't read on the bus. That would just asking for a headache...