Fire and Temper

Location: Fast-as-fast can be, you’ll never even get to see me! (Mainly because of the dust in your eyes :P)
Mood-of-day: Friday Workload Done!

Quite a few things were happening for this past week as I was trying to keep up with all the assignments and quizzes. For starters, it’s fire starter. My mom made tacos beef with all the trimmings (corn chips shell, tomatoes and lettice and 3 different kints of cheese). Mm-mmm! Would kill for one of those. Well, almost. Mom was frying the stuff when all of a sudden; she subconsciously decided that a little bonfire in the kitchen might be ‘interesting’ (Yeah, interesting. That the word).

Evidence: Exhibit A of Nearly Burning Down House

To be fair, it was a real accident. Mom forgot to stir-fry some shitake mushrooms she got good price at Makro and was in a hurry to cook it in the wok before Fee-Fi-Fu-Fum brought out the Temper of an Angry Man. Small bit actually, but I wasn’t going to let a good dirty cloth go to ashes. Yay, me the Hero of the Day. She asked not to make a big deal out of it, which actually mean “Don’t need to write about it in your blog.” (which I did, apparently :P).

Ever since I told them about Suvon Reality, anything miniscully unusual always seemed to include a parental statement quote (“Will you write about this?” “Betcha she’s going to put this in her blog.” “Laa~, you don’t have to write, no need.”). Of course, not to put all guilt on one side (in case somebody’s reading this), the anything-miniscully-unusuals are often followed by my own comments beforehand (“I’m so going to remember this!”).

Speaking of the unusual, I’ve just realized that Unitar got one bad-ass lecturer (and I meant it in a good way). Yesterday (Thursday), out of the blue was this guy the size of Arnold Shuar Shwuaz Susah-nak-eja. Apparently, some 10+ people had signed up for a volunteering team project and only one person turned up that morning.

Something in his head (never figured out the lecturer’s name) might have thought it would be fun and effective to shout out those very names right in the middle of the Workstation at 3pm (one of most crowded hours). Sadly for him, only two of those named people stood, looking like mice caught in between a cat and a dead-end.

But the lecturer wasn’t lacking steam yet. With the demeanor of a drill sergeant, he complained loudly on how ineffective the school students were and that volunteering people should have turned up for volunteering on time.

From what I heard later on, the lecturer was one of those in charge of Student Affairs and Development (Aaahh, no wonder. Must have got tired of our ineffectiveness). Lucky for me, I wasn’t one of those ‘volunteering people’ (plus I was sitting on the far side). But since the tough lecturer’s in Student Affairs, it’ll would a matter of time before I’ll have to complete my Co-Curriculum course.

Signed: *Ophie, felt a bit sorry for the two ‘ineffective’ students being taken into ‘custody.’

I'm Blogging Again!

Location: Unitar workstation, pc with a thumb drive sticking out on the front that resembles like a blue penis
Mood-of-the-day: Too much imagination at 1000 hours.

Wow, this was the longest amount of time I’ve not blogged! I’m way past my Chaos Circles entry and sorry to say that it won’t be ready in time this week (I can hear lokijuhyhyjukilo crying now). Well, just to assure regular visitors that I HAD NOT been lazing around in my room and playing console-style RPGs to the point that I’ve neglected my obligations to both schoolwork and blogging.

Just busy (and enough said :P).

Well, here’s to tell ya what up with my life recently. My multimedia group have done all homework and got the movie trailer all fixed and ready! We tried to add extra cartoony effects in the Matrix trilogy trailer (Mickey Mouse doing the bullet-time trying to avoid fast-shooting Barbie-doll heads) but being neophytes at Ulead Movie Studio 6 with the deadline looming, aaah, well... (besides, we’re not allowed too overdo it anyway).

I had to go back to school twice today. Do you know how much petrol cost is there in driving along the LDP four times in one day (back and forth from Kt. D’sara to KLJ). Wait, drivers, don’t answer that. It was a whinny question. I hadn’t realized that the member who had volunteered to burn the CD for the assignment was going back to hometown (her mom’s having a b-day tomorrow). So it was either now or 5% gone from class marks.

Speaking of Mother’s Birthdays, it’s the 1st of October today! Yes sirrie, my mom’s B-day. I haven’t updated the October Crystal Gaze records yet (not to mention the Scene of the Month) so you wouldn’t have known about it. But I’ve added music! Yes, excellent! I’ve always wanted music on my blog, ever since Linkin Park rang out Breaking the Habit on one and got me like wow! (you know who you are ;) ). I got this from *ahem-ahem* console RPG, one MIDI for Xfresh’s blog and another for Blogspot :D.

Hold it, hold it! Now you got me wandering again around subjects again (yes, your fault!). I was talking about my Mom’s B-day, that’s right. Well, this ‘ere Libra gal is celebration her *ahem-ahem-cough* birthday this year (sorry, bad throat. Whatever I think/say goes straight into my fingers). We’re going to celebrate at this Turkish restaurant called Saray, if that was still the plan.

Funny thing is, my parents are going on their #Umpteenth Honeymoon to Turkey soon and so they’ll have all the Turkish Delights of Culinary once they get there instead of trying them whilst still on tanah-air. Apparently, they’re trying to get some ideas on what to munch before they get confused once they get there.

Well, at least I got a little bit of something overseas, even if it’s still Made in Malaysia. The last time I got a memorable non-airport-made souvenir was when my sis when on her trip to Europe. She got me a white t-shirt that said in bold blue, “My sister when to Europe and all I got was this Lousy Shirt!” Actually, she didn’t give me the shirt (I found in at the very back of the cupboard), but I’m the only other gal in the family. I wonder what happened to that shirt anyway...

Signed: *Ophie, “My Parent are going to Turkey and I’ll have to be the Suffering Gal to Chauffer my Lil’ Bro!”

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Money Me

Location: Somewhere where a Maybank ATM is nearby.
Mood-of-the-day: Rich Little I-Want-Money Poor Girl

This is my confession: Money. Yeah, it’s not very original but it’s so damn true and such a big part of my life that it pretty much dictates every I do (and planned to do). Not that I’ve done anything illegal or anything. Okay, I did! And my dad was so mad that he told me I should stop going to primary school and might as well steal for a living (growing up with a salesman is forever tough).

Beg:
My current phase. There’s no shame in it, unless you go looking for loan sharks (then you’re just stupid and in big trouble). Currently I depend on everybody for financial reasons. My sis pays for my Maxis, my mom for the Astro, my dad for the Proton and everything else is a quick titbit and snatch here and there. If I needed anything extra, I’ll get down on my knees. I might have gotten a few stares when I did the act once at Ikano Popular Book store but hell, the trick worked!

Sell newspaper:
This is always a big joke in my House. There’s a special place specifically for me to pile together all the used paper to sell (except toilet paper, duh!).
“Liza, take all these at the back room or somebody might throw them away.”
“I got some used papers here, do you want them?”
“Quick, quick! It’s the old newspaper man.”
And when my mom checks and see how high the stack had grown, she’ll ask “Are we there yet?”
Truthfully, I can get RM20 in about 3 month’s worth (enough for a good lunch).

Diet:
Speaking of lunches, that’s the one thing I always not take. It’s the second meal of the day. My parents would give me lunch money just enough for Giant’s food court every week. And every week, I kept the cash in my purse. Okay so there are sometimes, I do enjoy indulging at Chicken Rice Shop or (very rarely) a Burger King. But mostly, I kept it accumulating. And Kak Liza de Tailor said that I’ve lost a good amount of weight (yay!).

Penny stupid:
Lastly is the most unproductive habit of mine. Unproductive, yet not too wasteful, because all it took was a cupboard space the size of a candy jar. I collect 1 cent coins. I have only about 600 of them (it could be 700, but I didn’t bother to count since the family moved house). I planned to go to the National Bank once I’ve collected about 10 jars or so (current number of jars: 1). Question is if the staff would exchange them for bigger cash.

If I’m so obsessed with collecting and spending money (like everybody else in this bling-bling world :P), why didn’t I get a job? Aaah, de moste commone questione. I can hear my dad now (Lazy girl, lazy girl, lazy girl...), which isn’t entirely false. I’m just not capable of juggling school and a job at the same time. Sometimes I regret not looking for work during my 3-month free time before tertiary education and it makes me feel retarded. Here to hoping my current system still works.

Signed: *Ophie, have been contemplating a job ad posted on her school’s general announcement, something about a cyber café.

The Imaginary Friend

Location: Suvon Imaginary
Mood-of-the-day: Diamond Sparkle

It’s funny once you start to think about it, especially when you’ve got a little older (and wiser, hopefully). There are stories about imaginary friends in many children’s books. Haley Joel Osment and Whoopi Goldberg starred in a movie about an imaginary friend (if you were only born in 1996, the movie’s called Bogus). Still running in the Star newspaper is the infamous Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes.

Being the girl who considers ‘Imagination’ is a verb instead of a noun, I remembered my very first imaginary friend. Yes, I had one of my own. Heck, I even remember how she came by. You might even say that she was my heroine. I called her Diamond because she was tough and she was beautiful and she was my own magical friend.

It was around the time when my age was a single digit. I’ve always wanted to be a boy because they’re stronger and bigger and mostly, I didn’t want to get left behind. Being the sibling born six years after my parent’s last birth batch, I had a lot to catch up if I wanted to stick around the ‘big kids’.

Yet, I hadn’t lost my sensitive side. Despite her name, Diamond was my sensitive side. She was born during a sensitive phase. After a time period of Disney video tapes (you know, tapes. The movie thing before DVDs) where princesses talks to animals and lived happily ever after, I stumbled on a hidden cache titled The Last Unicorn. It was the first non-Disney animation I’ve ever seen and one that didn’t end with the predictable guy + gal.

Looking back, I now see how beautiful the story was. At the first time, I cried for a long while after I watched that, because I felt like it just wasn’t fair if they loved each other (and the theme song added the effect). So I made up an alternate story in my head, the one where there was a happy ending. That’s when I got Diamond. She was the daughter of the guy + gal in The Last Unicorn that I’ve altered slightly.

Diamond is magical, like her mother. Diamond can shape-shift in all sorts of creatures, from a white pigeon to an angel to an ugly monster. But her favourite form (and mine :P) was a black unicorn with white mane and horn and had silver-tipped wings. At night when I get lonely or sad, she would take me to places where only dreams can be made real. We’ll fall into Enid Blyton’s fairylands or fly over the Emerald City and follow rainbows.

I lost Diamond soon after I sat for UPSR exams. She sort of vanished. I can’t hear her call for me at night because I always get too tired to dream. There are times when she did came back, just to sit by me and whisper secrets. Eventually, she was gone, period. I filled the empty void with teen books and Japanese anime. Maybe I’ve pushed her out because I thought I was getting too old.

But one thing was real about my imaginary friend. She got me into fantasy and I had never got out of it since :). I supposed she hadn’t really left. She was an expert shape-shifter after all. Maybe we sort of merged together. I like that idea better.

Signed: *Ophie, now listening about your imaginary pal.

The CC mini Appendix

Location: Still here, ain’t anywhere else, unless aliens have abducted me, would explain the sudden lost of two hours :P
Mood-of-the-day: Deadline Exceeded.

The Chaos Circles #12 will be a bit late. I kinna got hung up in Real Life (Yes! I do have one. Don’t you? :P). But I can guarantee you that this week’s instalment will be within this week (even if I have to use my toes!). In the meantime, I’ve made a crude jpeg using Paint to visually stimulate you on the Geography of Green Cliffs Valley.

Map of Green Cliffs Valley

This is basically Enatuh Hall’s large picture tapestry that hung on the visible wall at the behind the Head Villager’s chair. The ‘hideous, hairy grassland cat’ should be in the empty space at the bottom right. Pretty much, it’s a lion, a symbol of both leadership and unity. But it’s not in the jpeg because I can’t draw that good.

Also, you’ve might have encountered some foreign words in Chaos Circles. I’ve made up several different languages for this story using a few neat tricks I’ve taught myself.

Ancient Suvonite(still in usage)
Asuqaro: Light of Earth
Aqanau: Heart of Star. Formerly called Aqa-Anau
Uvounuq: Great size, Giants
Isnut inotu Avaasi ina Uqona (King Mages’ motto): Form and Nature holds the Power
Asana: Forest
Usuquinota: Blood Time
Evinau: Sharp sword
Esaeni Aqens: Peaks of Green
Inutq(land): Tranquillity, Peace

Lost Suvonite(unknown origins)
Hivyniqiv: Noble person/man, nobility

The term ‘magic’ in this story is pretty basic; you think it, you make it. Requires concentration and plenty of training. Different cultures get different training. I would put a more detailed description but I’ve haven’t got it completely figured out myself. Trying to get something very original. But basically in this story, all acts of magic are called ‘touching the Chaos’. Lya’s secret archives can properly explain it the most.

I’ve updated the story archives under Great Library. If you have any question/ideas, this entry is open for comments. Hope you enjoy reading it as I crack open my head every week trying to make sure I get an entry in (naah, just kidding, I do like to write this story :P).

Signed: *Ophie, writing the story at the beginnings of a new era, long after an Age of Ages since the Collapse.

Sunday: Morning, Noon and Night

Location: Unitar Workstation, pc 79
Mood-of-the-day: Feeling slightly better than yesterday.

Sunday began interestingly enough. For starters, mom cooked nasi lemak enough for the Chinese Red Army (or in this case, my family’s breakfast and lunch). She didn’t want to cook during midday because she and I planned to visit our favourite tailor, Kak Liza. Time to get come nice cloths to be turned into clothes. But I think the biggest reasonwas that she’s looking forward to the live telecast of Shanghai’s first Formula 1 race (F1 fanatic. Oooh, if I hear another scream of Coulthard, Coulthard... *grrr*).

Having nasi lemak for breakfast also means peanuts were served. Try as we might, Dad never could get his hands off these titbits despite doctors’ orders (at least he could have used a spoon). But it’s family orders that no cats are allowed on kitchen chairs, least the ones humans were trying to sit on (poor Patchy. Dad’s butt was almost the last thing he’d ever see, which is not a nice way to get squashed to death by IMHO).

Around noon, we set off to Jalan Kuching. Brought along an old, old kebarung for a guide (also made by Kak Liza in 199*). Mom insisted on the Light n’ Easy music all the way (fell in deep stupor, half-dreamed that Celine Dion was dancing with Barbra Streisand on Broadway). She shook me to full consciousness because I was supposed to memorize the roads in case I’ll ever need to get through all these KL roads.

Kak Liza stayed in one of these small new villages ever since her parents started the tailoring business (Dato’s and Datins regularly come a-calling). It’s a handcrafted industry al right, one that’s kept in the family and the half the village’s in it. While she turns beautiful cloths into kurung, kebaya, kebarung, kemeja, etc at a minimum 3 a day (even with beads), her sister across the street does the embroidery on edges and sleeves so good that boutiques rang on her phone.

On the way Home, we stopped by at Shakey’s Pizza to grab a leaflet menu. Yesterday got me buried under piles of old New Straits Times, the Star and Mingguan in a hunt for the delivery number. Damn new developing area! Pizza Hut and Dominoes are too much of an LDP drive away. In my quest for an ad (Internet could have been much easier but you know my problem), an avalanche of musty newspapers slides knocked me down flat.

When it comes to pizzas, I don’t ask, I demand. Liza Pizza, Pizza Liza. I learned what was a pizza before I knew my own name. Okay, maybe that was a fib that it might have been true. We ended up A&W for Saturday dinner (thanx, Kak Emma :P). But no leftover nasi lemak for Sunday dinner! Except for my bro, he hates anything with cheese and tomato sauce with a passion (that guy might never knew what’s he’s missing :P).

So we ate 3 regulars of Hawaiian Chicken, Beef Pepperoni and Mushroom Magick (weekend special offer = RM35.60) as we watched Gywneth Paltrow love her baby Apple (yeah, she named her baby ‘Apple’). And here I’m thinking that baby’s going to be a real forbidden fruit once she’s a teen. And Jude Law can break-dance, imagine that.

I dunno when the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow but it might be interesting to watch. But can they name that title any longer? The Airborne Travelling Kakis-coloured Wardrobe People with an Army Titled Hero Flying Over Weird Island Before They Crashed and Got Stuck in a Survivor Rip Off with Many Dinosaurs Chasing Them in Full Sci-Fi Drama. Sheesh...

Signed: *Ophie, which pretty much, the story’s in the title itself.

Saturday Night Musings!

Location: In a place of boredom where I only got out of it 3 times today (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Mood-of-the-day: What do you expect in a place of B-O-R-E-D-O-M?

It’s that night again! Not that I’m actually jump up and down to eagerly write it (see entry’s mood-of-the-day). So I’m twiddling my fingers when I’m not continuously banging on the keyboard’s Spacebar or Enter key, trying to kill off this stupid mouse. No, not the hardware mouse (not a real rat either! Ewwww...), I mean this enemy character in this freeware consol-RPG game (yes, I’m still addicted :P).

1. It’s ridiculous to have an Enemy mouse with a higher vitality score than your character.
2. I bet my cats can win this game better than me :’(
3. My arms are tired.
4. I’m going to be a crooked old maid when I’m 30 :P
5. Still can’t find that Shakey’s Pizza number.
6. I’m going to download Console-style RPG freeware.
7. I’m too tired to write 7 entries.
8. Okay, actually, I’m too lazy.
9. I’m trying to paste a MIDI music file to my blog. How?
10. First I gotta choose between 2 MIDIs I like :P

11. What are Blogshares?
12. I’m a sucker for anything with the term ‘FREE’ attached to it.
13. Maybe I should take a break...
14. Naah :P
15. I still got too much schoolwork *sigh*
16. "Let it burn, let it burn, gotta let it burn~," *singing Usher’s Burn*
17. Tomorrow is when I’m sending my batik to make a kebarung
18. Damn, it’s raining again.
19. And I’m getting sleepy.
20. Cold and dark places always makes me sleepy.

21. I’m musing on what’s for breakfast tomorrow.
22. I’m always musing about food :P
23. Die, you stupid rat, DIE!!
24. I’ll post a review about this game on Monday :P
25. Freeware is the only games my PC can handle.
26. Gotta be careful on those viruses.
27. Do office sitters make their butts bigger?
28. Damn...
29. Dominoes and Pizza Hut are still not around Kt. D’sara :P
30. Back to the Game! :D

Signed: *Ophie, level 28 and completed 3 relics’ quests ;)