The Digital Pensieve

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-05T17:22:00

2008-07-05T08:22:03Z

Computers
So I'm probably going to take the leap and buy myself a 15,000 yen laptop to keep in my locker. Almost sure of it. Especially because I can tinker with Ubuntu at home on days off, if I feel like it. I guess all systems go.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-05T13:32:00

2008-07-05T04:32:08Z

Antique Bakery
I kept hearing about this. Now that an anime is out, I shall have to try it.

Playing Notes: The Sims Build Theme #2 ("Bittersweet")
And I thought the consecutive 8vs in Still Doll were bad. I'm playing 10ths on a regular basis, here. *stretches the C-G-E triad, and then winces as she hits C-F-B-flat-E-flat* Ouch, that hurts to play! ... and then we hit bar 11, and all hell breaks loose. *gives up for now, finger joints hurting* I need to warm up a lot more before coming to this one. Definitely pedalling all the way for this, there is no way for me to hit the 11ths and 12ths any other way. I don't have hands THAT big.

Playing Notes: The Sims Build Theme #3 ("Since We Met")
Where does one stop to turn the page? *whimper* 11 pages does not fit sideways on the piano, I HAVE to turn a page somewhere... And now I'm going to have to actually mark up the score with highlighter. The key notes to the melody are completely hidden amidst the rest of the background jazz notes, and when played together everything blurs into one. *sigh, pulls out her yellow highlighter* (Also, this damned thing sounds a lot better at twice the speed. Crap, I can't even play this at 50 crotchet beats, too many chromatic running notes.)

Playing Notes: The Sims Build Theme #4 (no other title)
Only three pages, thank god. All the other Sims themes were LONG. I'm not used to playing both hands in the treble clef, though this is the easiest of all the pieces. The treble clef confuses me--I keep wanting to play the bass clef instead, and I can see this is one of those "don't mix with other pieces" songs if I ever want to play them all in one. That, or I get into this one first, play the treble clef, and then switch back to the bass. This is like writing with my left hand. *winces*

Inkjets
I have no more ink now, I spent it all printing music. ^_^; Thank goodness I'm going to Akihabara in a bit. (As a side note, I find it hilarious that the printer's "low ink" dialog box actually tells me I have no more ink and to make sure I buy the one with the little rabbit on the box! I never thought about it before, but... YES. THERE IS A RABBIT ON THE BOX. And all the others have different pictures! *laughing, cheers* CUTE!

Today
Whoops, alarm went off, time to go shower and get out of the house so I can go to Akiba and meet kevinsensei. Tonight we will join ontogenesis and cienna (and hopefully one more person), and there will be dinner and karaoke!

Man, I like having Saturdays off. Too bad this is just a one-time thing. Oh well, gotta enjoy it while it lasts!

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-05T12:53:00

2008-07-05T03:53:08Z

Urgh
Urgh. My desk is completely unsuited to mental exertion. I can't even focus on the application to a voice casting agency. I am definitely looking forward to moving--this room is too small and I can't move anything around at all.

Piano
*struck by the need to play* Considering how much I play White Line, you'd think I'd have it memorized by now... *starts learning Still Doll (Vampire Knight ED) and Caramelldansen, too*

Playing Notes: Still Doll
Make sure you are comfortable with playing consecutive 8vs and 6ths. *groans* My right arm is sore because I've been doing the consecutive 8vs from the C major chorus! (The left hand is difficult to play. *groan*) Overall? I'm looking forward to learning this, and it's very short (2 pages!) The effects (tinkling in the high notes) are going to be difficult, especially with the bass being heavy enough that pedalling will blur them all together and kill the effect. *winces* And here is where I wish I had a grand piano.

Playing Notes: Caramelldansen
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN B MAJOR? *cries at the five sharps* This stupid thing could be transposed to C major and STILL WORK. *mentally transposing, then just throws the sheet music away and plays it by ear* Two motifs, alternating and repeating, and all you change is the base depending on what tempo you want. *plays it by ear, scandalized* SEE I CAN DO IT TOO. In C major, with no sheet music, and NO PRACTICE WHATSOEVER. ARGH. *hates because she wasted 8 pages of ink on this stupid thing* *tears sheet music up and throws it away* I don't need you and your B major.

Playing Notes: The Sims Building Theme #6 ("The Simple Life")
Wow. It looks easy at first, but all the running notes and unexpected dissonances that make this so beautiful to listen to? Make it HELL TO PLAY. *can't help but laugh* I'm going to enjoy learning this one.

Playing Notes: The Sims Building Theme #1 ("New Beginnings")
OH. MY. GOD. Syncopation is all right when it's ragtime or something like that, and everything is on the same sort of syncopation throughout. Syncopation when I don't know the notes and it's interspersed with normal time? *weeps* I really regret not practicing, I can't control my fingers! This one is definitely on the "OMG SO COOL TO PLAY BUT OUCH TO LEARN" level.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-05T01:51:00

2008-07-04T16:51:48Z

Dear America
Happy Fourth of July! ♥

Gay Rights
It does occur to me that perhaps being gay helps the whole "I support gay rights thing", in the way that being bisexual and publicly closeted means I will be the last one left standing when they come for me, and no one will be there to speak up for me. (For the record, I am bi leaning straight. What was that again, a 2 on the Kinsey scale?) I don't like forcing opinions on others, and the only reason why I oppose gay rights _bans_ is because they force people's opinions on others. I make exceptions for public safety, but I see no reason why public safety is threatened by gay rights, and so anyone trying to stomp on them gets no support from me.

Question for the f-list: Do you support yaoi/yuri (or any sort of homosexuality/bisexuality) in your fiction, be it anime, drama, or otherwise? If you do, do you support it in real life, including equal rights?

Hikaru no Go
The extra copy of the Hikago character book arrived today. Now I have a copy whose binding I can break with impunity. I expect I shall be doing some things with it.

Wonderful Life
10 episodes in, two to go. Ah, feel good baseball dramas. *hearts*

Voice Acting
I was filling out an interview for a fan magazine (I still think interviews are for celebrities; why am I getting interviewed? O_o) but the answers are getting more and more incoherent. I shall have to do the rest tomorrow before I read kishmet's fic.

Sleep
*collapses*

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-04T17:00:00

2008-07-04T08:00:42Z

Writing
I WROTE! *cheering* 1000+ words of Planeswalker! It may all end up getting trashed, but the fact of the matter is, I ACTUALLY STARTED ON THE BOOK! *dancing with happiness* I won't say the writer's block is gone--that seems to invite trouble. The text is horribly rough, and I've already marked out some big sections that need complete rewrites. But there they are, an estimated 1000+ words, handwritten. They need to be typed and edited, but they are there. ♥

Work
And on top of that, I have a Saturday off! Joy of joys, I actually have a day off on a Saturday! *bouncing off the walls with joy* I love my boss, he actually decided to come in on Saturday so I could take the day off he'd forgotten to allot to me when I went to the USA (and I didn't want to give up the day just like that--it's paid holiday and they're hard to come by). If my friends aren't free, I'll probably go computer-shopping in Akihabara--I need a clunker to type on and will take anything with an English keyboard (or buy one).

*hearts*
Writing is happening. I have some vacation time. Life is good. ♥

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-03T23:28:00

2008-07-03T14:28:36Z

Zettai Kareshi
OMG, Night. *hugs him* But YAY! *cries*

Stress
How to know if one is stressed--one's period is irregular. *has been waiting a while...*

Work
You know what? F*ck it. Stupid strike, stupid covers, stupid whatever. If there is a strike and I'm working an office, I have to cover it anyway, so it's not like I have a choice in the matter. I'm not going to refuse offices when they're given to me. And if they don't like that? Tough. I'm sick and tired of trying to keep my head down. It's affecting my job, dammit.

Writing
Free time tomorrow--probably getting more done on PW then. I don't know what's going on in my head, but there's so much mixed up in me that I just can't think straight. Maybe I can if I'm working or away from my room, I don't know. *sighs*

Spinning Around
Currently I'm happiest when I'm writing. Not when I'm teaching, not when I'm doing anything else (well, other than hanging out with friends, but that's pretty rare when everyone is so busy). I'm happiest when I'm writing. I'm going to have to figure out how to do this typing thing at work when I'm not even allowed to use the computers. (Or, well, I do use the computers, but not like that.) I already carry around three notebooks--I suppose I should just make it four, and carry one that actually has writing in it. Like, writing writing. *puts it in her bag*

JRR Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings by hand. Planeswalker probably isn't likely to be completely written by hand, but I need to get things done--I want to get things done. That first scene isn't going to get written unless I write it.

Maybe I will get that cheap laptop and keep it at work after all. We'll see. Anything will do, as long as it can save text files on a USB drive. But first, to actually write. If I buy the laptop and I end up doing no work on it, that's no good either. I just hope I don't end up needing to tote my keyboard to and fro. If I start getting RSI from that laptop, though, I might. *sigh* We'll see. One could just buy a small cheap USB keyboard. Or one of those fold-up ones. Or something. I don't know. I'm not in my right mind.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-03T19:42:00

2008-07-03T10:42:55Z

Malaysia
And again, more stuff in the news about Anwar Ibrahim. Another sodomy charge? Geez, people, could you be at least more creative? A 23-year-old, young and healthy, being sodomized by a 60-year-old man with back problems? Yeah, right. I don't get it. We have so much trouble already. Mahathir and Supreme Court fixing, Badawi's increasingly tenous hold on the PM-ship and the party, an international murder case (Mongolian model murdered in Malaysia), rampant inflation... did this really need to be done now? Some days I really wonder whether the country is salvageable.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-03T13:54:00

2008-07-03T04:54:00Z

Another Bunny Bites The Dust
*laughs* Scooped by kishmet on a fic (and it would have been for subrosa_tennis, too), but it's okay. I'd been vacillating on it for a while now and unable to decide which way to go with it. Now I know I shouldn't write that one because someone else has done it. ^_^

Plea To The F-list
Isn't there anymore romantic porn being written anymore? At least, in fandoms I know? Well-written, too?

Meme
Ooh, new artwork. Last seen on kat8cha's LJ.

You are an Innocent Uke!
Cute and sweet, and most gentle of all uke, whips and chains are not for you - you just want someone to love you. You are often spotted in candy shops wearing furry kitty ears, where you are sure to be noticed by the Romantic Seme, whose protective instincts will kick in and will only want to take you home and love and protect you. And you, of course, will be more than happy to spend the rest of your life baking cookies for your seme.
Most compatible with: Romantic Seme
Least compatible with: Sadistic Seme, Don't Fuck With Me Seme
What seme or uke are you? Take the experience at SemeUke.com, or find merchandise here.

... I'm always "cute"... T_T achariya--it says "Neko Club" on the shirt, OMG. *giggling so hard* Playground FTW?

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-02T23:52:00

2008-07-02T14:52:53Z

Planeswalker
Moving away from the computer resulted in a large part of the middle's plot drafted, as well as some issues with Kio and Chye's backgrounds being settled. O_o Slowly but surely, I am filling in the blanks. I may be able to start writing this year after all! ♥

Fandom's Fandom
tenipuri_xp has now gotten its very own fandom community. ~~As in, fans of tenipuri_xp can post fanart, fic etc there.~~ [Edit: Fans of ... oh heck, read Bucky's comment here.] O_o Er. *attempts to explain this to herself* ~~The target membership is muses from tenipuri_xp. And the target of their fan-squee is also muses from tenipuri_xp. O_o *brain broke* (Thanks, bucket_shot, I wasn't using it anyway.)~~ [Edit: bucket_shot is doing a better job of explaining it in this comment here. It still makes me go O_o, but hey, I have to say that I find muses being fanboys amusing. Then again, if I still had an Eiji, he might be all "CHOCOLATE!" on it...] *so lost and bewildered* I'm just... going to sit here. Tezuka and I will both pretend we have no idea this exists. ^_^; I can't see Tezuka fanning anyone like that, anyway, so that will be perfectly IC. ^_^

[ETA: "Marvel 508-verse", basically, while not being _game_. Gotcha.]

Pssst
Er, hikariblue, moonsliver... it's "posterity", not "prosperity"... *giggling, points to XP Wiki*

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-02T21:55:00

2008-07-02T12:54:56Z

Roleplaying
The urge to ingratiate myself with others carries over into roleplay, and I've been trying hard to break this. Today, Tezuka accused Atobe of treating him like a charity case. I whimpered, winced, and then threw myself on link621's mercy, because Tezuka refused to see it any other way. Resolution of that log aside, I'm beginning to learn how to deal with conflict in fiction! (Thank god--it's about time.) Learning process, learning process. Eventually I will be able to write believable magic fight scenes, too. Soon I will be invincible! ... no wait, that's already taken.

Macross Frontier
Still gives one hope, though at the same time when one is somewhat tired it's a bit of a stretch saying it's hope. Still, I want more Macross Frontier! *hearts* And now I actually feel like working on Planeswalker again. *happy*

RL Crossing Over
I never thought I would claim RL to bother my writing, but I'm beginning to wonder if the strike is affecting me. I feel like an outcast, and I'm going to have to make a decision soon. Time is running out, and lines are being drawn in the sand. The final countdown feels like it's beginning. And before they ask me where I stand, I need to make a choice. Even though I don't want to join the union or strike, am I going to say no if asked to cover?

Writing
While everything is in flux like this, it's a push to write. I'm going to have to start spending the whole day away from home. I never get anything done when I'm in my room--it may be time to start packing the laptop and going out.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-02T02:15:00

2008-07-01T17:15:31Z

Birthdays
Happy Birthday, bluesgal! ♥

xxxHolic
*facepalm* Watching xxxHolic at night is bad for me. *facepalms, is scared* Oh man, I wish I could get my hands on xxxHolic 12 now.

Reading
ARGH. One cannot get a lot of books in e-format. *hates this so much* When I get published (never say "if"), I'm going to tell my agent I would like to make sure it's possible to get e-books of my work.

Planeswalker
As usual, ontogenesis is my saviour. She looked at the notes during the baseball game (as did cienna), and patted me on the back figuratively before pulling out the reasons why I was Stuck with a capital S. If I can't explain something, I chew on it and obsess, and it blinds me; she made me stop obsessing by giving me alternative venues and views, and now I have a lightbulb over my head again! *hearts*

Reading
Dear Ai, stop buying books until you actually read what's on your shelves.

Work
Some of the strikers found my RL blog. Thank god I self-censor on that; the comment they left was polite and encouraging, and they weren't urging me to strike or anything, but color me paranoid. I am beginning to wonder if going f-only is the way forward, especially for this journal.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-01T22:31:00

2008-07-01T13:31:42Z

Baseball
♥♥♥ Tokyo Yakult Swallows beat the Yomiuri Giants 7-4! ♥♥♥ Considering the Swallows are 6th in a 6-team league (T_T) and the Giants near the top, THIS ROCKS! ♥♥♥ Kawashima Ryou held the Giants down (except for Ramirez, who hit homers off him, but I think considering Ramirez is an ex-Swallow it was to be expected). He did so well against the Giants! *snuggles him* And AOKI HIT A HOME RUN! *cheered herself hoarse* I am so glad I don't have to work tomorrow. I now own an Aoki jersey, the white home jersey. 5,800 yen, ouch--but I go to so many Swallows games it's worth it. ^_^ [ETA: If only it would button all the way. *whimpers* My hips are too big.]

The Rest Of Tonight
Probably RP and/or anime. ♥ I'm so happy--THE SWALLOWS WON AND THEY DID IT SO AWESOMELY. *hearts*

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-01T17:05:00

2008-07-01T08:05:04Z

Tenimyu
There is something a little unreal about being on the Yamanote, looking up, and watching Tenimyu on the screen above the doors. If anyone doesn't know yet, Tenimyu (Hyoutei) will be in Taiwan and Korea.

Baseball
Swallows vs Giants, Tokyo Dome 6pm. I have only the tiniest of hopes that the Swallows will win, but I'm going anyway! It'll give me a chance to see ontogenesis and cienna again. ♥

aiwritingfic @ 2008-07-01T01:34:00

2008-06-30T16:34:51Z

Torrent Trackers Under Siege
Malaysian Government Orders Torrent Sites Shutdown. While this may not be a countrywide initiative, I'd watch out, folks.

Computer Shopping In Malaysia Is Love
Look at these price lists (current as of June 30): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. See how the Linux OS notebooks are sub-USD1000. For example, on sheet #1 there's an Acer Aspire specced a little better than Kazuki for RM2000, which works out to USD612.17. Note to self: save lots of money and then fly home when Kazuki dies so you can both shop and visit family at the same time. I really do not need to buy a new laptop on my next trip back. There is no need to do so. Kazuki is alive and well, and he will continue to be for a good long while. If I have extra money, it should go into my baby sister's education fund. I really do not need... *repeats mantra*

Sleep
... I did not just write a horrendous parody of Hamlet merely to postpone bed. *in denial*

ETA: Livejournal
I CAN HAS LJLOGIN FOR FIREFOX 3!

ETA2: Roleplaying
How boring is this--Tezuka and Yukimura are "e-mailing" each other at the office instead of talking in person. *facepalms* On the other hand, they won't have personality clashes this way...

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-30T23:16:00

2008-06-30T14:16:28Z

Music
I've finished uploading files and adding links to my previous music download post here. Sorry about that delay--needed to run to work. racketglomps, I haven't waded through my collection yet, because I have all sorts of orchestral and other instrumental stuff, and it may be a little big to send it all... I'll post it to my journal when I finally get to it. ~~Possibly after the panic fades.~~

War of Attrition: Workplace Edition
I suspect I'm being viewed as a union-buster. I get paid office periods (coveted because it means no teaching) to do reports, and lately I've been getting a lot of them to clear the huge backlog. We're actually keeping current on the newest ones and I've been working backwards; finally made it back to January 2008! Note: if I'm in the office and a teacher goes on strike, then I am automatically pulled into the class to cover the strike, meaning a teacher going on strike when I'm in the office is merely forgoing their own pay for no good reason. I can't say no because offices are lower-priority than a lesson, and it's not a yes/no, it's a name-change. So effectively my office periods are a strike-buffer, too.

Because of the very large number of offices I've been getting, people think there is favortism going on (everyone wants offices), but making these reports takes training. The system actually does require a bit of teaching and some time to familiarize yourself, so if you aren't good with computers or you don't understand the system the learning curve can be a little steep. This, coming from me, the mental sponge. They also take trust--people need to trust that you'll do a good job, that you won't half-ass it, that you'll be responsible and stand by your assessments. (The ones making noise are the strikers, and they aren't exactly showing the administration any reason for them to be trusted.)

XKCD
*giggle* Should I rate this one PG for implications? (Don't worry, folks, it's perfectly worksafe.)

Staying The Course
I had a long soul-searchy sort of entry prepared. I was questioning myself--what am I doing here? Why am I teaching? Am I wasting my time? Am Ieally just being nothing but a glorified bum like my father insists? But I somehow vented about all of the recent things (father, alimony, career, writing, personal, oh so many things) to a co-worker, and she was great. I've deleted the ranty section I'd typed out, because someone took fifteen minutes to listen to me--someone in almost the exact same position I'm currently, only 15 years later.

Now that I've got my head back on straight, I need to re-center myself. There's no point working myself up without some sort of concrete action plan. I'd lost sight of my goal in life (travel and work in as many cities as possible), and this brought it back to me, in a way. She's right. It's my life. People have obligations, and of course, I'm going to do as much as I can to fulfill those obligations. I made a promise to take care of my sister, and I have to keep that (besides, I don't want her learning self-reliance from my father; she needs to actually be able to stand on her own two feet and take responsibility/consider the consequences of her actions, and she's a good kid, she'll figure it out as long as I keep her on track). For everything else, though...

As much as my father tries to force his responsibilities on me, I'm going to have to find a way to make sure he doesn't succeed. In the end, this is my life, and I only have one to live. Do I want to regret everything when I'm 50? No. I suppose one could call this wandering. I didn't get married and ran away (not quite leaving him at the altar, but I'm sure it was similar) because I couldn't see myself settling down at 21. I quit a job with a pretty secure career path because it was the same thing day in and day out and I wanted to go out and live life and do things. I make a lot of decisions with "What could I do?" in mind, and even when things don't pan out the way they should, it's okay--that's part of living.

I can only do this now, while I'm single and don't have a family to deal with. In ten, fifteen, twenty years, I suspect I won't be able to anymore. My father married when he was 25 and had his firstt daughter (me) when he was 29. He had time to enjoy life. As a pilot, he enjoyed it into his 40s and early 50s. I'm not about to let him stop me from doing the same.

Planeswalker
I wonder how much my betas will say "Renoa is just like you" when they finally get that first scene in draft/final form. I still have to write it, and I'm putting it off--and I know exactly why--because it's going to be unpleasant, and it's going to bring up some pain personally. But it needs to be done, and the only way I'm going to be able to do Renoa and his story justice is if I dig deep into myself and pull it all out.

This is going to be a very personal story, I suspect. *wince* Well. No time like the present. I can easily point to a person in my life for just about every character in this book. I sure hope none of them recognize themselves, that's all I can say.

ETA: Blogging
Looks like I'm back. ^_^

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-30T17:17:00

2008-06-30T08:17:16Z

I'm currently walking to work. In front of me, some guy is wearing a shirt with this on the back:

"I have a cute SMILE!"

I couldn't help it. I smiled. Still smiling. He made my day, and he doesn't even know. But I'm grateful. I'd been feeling down lately, and this absolutely spontaneous smile is doing me a world of good.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-30T16:55:00

2008-06-30T07:55:31Z

TRANSLATORS TAKE NOTE
KOEI (yes, the guys behind Dynasty Warriors) are looking for people to translate and localize the games they make! CareerCross listing here. GUYS. If you are fluent, PLEASE APPLY.

Macross Frontier
I never really thought much of Nabari, Vampire Knight disappointed me, and I haven't tried Soul Eater (from posts I've read on the show, it may not be my kind of thing). The only show I've been enjoying along with the self-proclaimed critics has been Toshokan Sensou (unless you include Chi's Sweet Home, but the 5-minute sort of thing is not the same as the 25-minute sort of thing.)

But Macross Frontier. Ah, Macross Frontier. Word is starting to spread across the anime blogosphere. These people are regular people caught up in war but still trying to live their lives the way they want to. Whenever I feel like crap, I watch an episode of this. They make me feel better. They really, really do. I may get the OST, Nyan Furo. (I don't get the name, but whatever.) Yoko Kanno is amazing--it seems like it's going to be worth it. I haven't disliked any of the songs yet. I just wish the CD wasn't over 3000 yen.

In any case, I'm really hoping for more Macross soon. By the way, I thought the opening (Triangular; side-by-side here) was the shining star of the show, but the ED (Diamond Crevasse; side-by-side here) has been growing on me, slowly but surely. Oooh. Ladies, I may just start doing this at the next karaoke we have. Oh, and in case you read all this, here, have a freebie! I've uploaded two MP3s as follows:

Macross Frontier OP: Triangular ♠ Macross Frontier ED: Diamond Crevasse

Oh heck, while we're at it, here, more music. Lots of the major songs from Macross Frontier, plus write-ups.

Other Anime Songs I've Been Listening To
♠ Major S4 OP - Rise - Fight song! It's very much one of those "chin up, head out, keep your eyes on the ball and swing!" sort of songs.
♠ Zettai Kareshi ED - Okaeri - Very much a "welcome home" sort of song, simple and sweet with a tinge of wistfulness.
♠ Junjou Romantica ED - Baby Romantica - Is there anything about this I can say? I mean, everyone seems to watch JR already...
♠ True Tears OP - Reflectia - uplifting and peppy, but not sugary. Try it!
♠ Vampire Knight ED - Still Doll - creepy in the American McGee's Alice sort of way, but still hauntingly beautiful. I don't like the anime, but this ED is gorgeous. (Bonus: Piano music for Still Doll in PDF format.)
♠ xxxHolic Kei - Nobody Knows - You know, this song grows on you. I found myself humming it, inexplicably, and I've been singing it all day. There's just something about it that hooks itself into you.
♠ Kimikiss Pure Rouge ED - Wasurenaide - Very nostalgic and bittersweet, as befitting the title ("Don't Forget"). And yet it still manages to be hopeful!

~~(Eeps, have to go to work, will edit the post when I get back with download links for the rest of these songs.)~~ [Edit: Done! ♥]

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-30T15:24:00

2008-06-30T06:24:30Z

Baseball
I feel like baseball season is halfway over. T_T *watches more baseball anime/dramas*

xxxHolic
Dammit, I want to see episode 10 already. What can I say? I like Kohane and I feel bad for her, and even though I'm not a huge fan of Doumeki/Watanuki, one wants them to succeed. I also want to know what the deal is with Himawari already.

Chi's Sweet Home
*giggles* Chi, you attention whore. *pats*

Chocolate Underground
Strange--what is this with all the under-5-minute series nowadays? Chocolate Underground is 4 minutes per episode. Is this like fic, where one gets sub-1000 word chapters? But... unlike Chi's Sweet Home, there are only 13 episodes of Chocolate Underground planned! O_o Okay, okay, I've learned my lesson, my fic chapters will be longer! Can I please have proper episodes now?

The Lost Art Of Letter-Writing
I don't know how people used to write LONG letters that were pages and pages. I really don't. Or maybe it's possible to write as long as one doesn't blog. Hmm, there's a thought.

ETA: Reading
I find it interesting that Ayn Rand figures so prominently in Lifehacker's Book Recommendations. Say what you want about the woman, her books were indeed influential. (In a somewhat unrelated aside, I think I'm going to have to unsubscribe to Lifehacker. That feed produces FAR too much to read and still be current.)

Random
Disassociation seems to be the word of the day.

ETA2: Writing
cag_fics is moving a little more now that mildly_deluded poked and then unhid our notes on the shared blog. Maybe we should have done this a la Wiki. Oh well. In any case, seeing the notes in black and white actually helped jog my muses. Yukimura's story may re-appear in my head, if I keep avoiding Planeswalker. Using fanfiction to escape from reality, check, check, check, check, check.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-29T21:10:00

2008-06-29T12:10:03Z

ETA: Polyvore
diadem_chi works for Polyvore and recently linked to their website. This looks interesting, but I'm wondering about commercial applications. Online shopping?

Meme
Taken from issen4, first seen on murinae:
1. Go to your desktop and press the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).
2. Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and doing a Paste (CTRL + V).
3. Post the picture on your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop if you want. You can explain why you prefer such a look or why it is full of icons. Things like that.

Here is my wallpaper. The picture is of Monaco at twilight. I love the way cities look when the lights are on, and bonus points for Monaco being both on a bay and next to a mountain. After seeing this picture, I've moved Monaco higher up on my list of Cities Ai Wants To Live And Work In Before She Dies.

In the upper right corner you can see the language bar--I also have Chinese and Japanese input enabled, but it's currently on English. The icons in my quicklaunch are: Firefox 3, Semagic (1.7.3.1U, if you care), Crimson Editor, Notetab Light, and Editpad Lite. Editpad is my most-used text editor. Notetab gets opened when I need a one-time-only temporary repository (I am actually considering uninstalling it because it acts just like Editpad and I prefer Editpad to it). Crimson Editor is nice for syntax highlighting, and I tend to use it for HTML coding and other programming. Yes, I have Issen's post minimized to my taskbar.

uTorrent saves downloaded files to my desktop, and I only move them to Lacie when I have time (which happens about once a week), so most of that is just sitting there waiting to be moved. Of note is Wonderful Life, which will not be moved to Lacie--when I watch J-dramas I tend to delete as I go. Lately I've been more choosy about what I watch, and will delete entire seasons I am pretty sure I will never watch again.

Also on my desktop: one ZIP (Chara's latest, "Honey", courtesy of canis_m), one PDF (the account statement from Citibank that I cannot seem to unencrypt and am this close to doing low-level hacking on before exploding at their customer service for such a horribly implemented e-Statement), one 001 file that is part of the Tenipuri 100-song marathon (I haven't had time to sit at the computer and click on links to download), and a DOC (chat log of a literary agency's recent chat, which I will probably skim for words of wisdom before deleting permanently).

Rain, Rain, Go Away
I swear, I must be in this funk because of the all-day rain. It used to be that I found rain soothing. Why is today so different?

Planeswalker
The panic won't let me even glance at the work I did on Friday, and I'm torn between wanting to look and wanting to stay away so I don't tear every page out. I need to look at the progress I've made, and I need to consolidate, so WHY CAN'T I READ MY NOTES? *weeps*

Writing Hiatus
I am in desperate need of a pick-me-up. I may break hiatus and just go post fic in the_s_orchestra before the hiatus is over. Only two more days anyway, and at the rate I'm going I may crash then, so if it isn't well-received I might do something pretty harsh. [EDIT: Broke hiatus, fic posted to apples_for_me. Not working as well as I'd hoped--it's 1am and I am refreshing the page. Yes, it's time for bed.]

ARGH
Stop it, panic, just GO AWAY! *frustrated cry, hermits again*

ETA2: More Meme
Taken from hikariblue: I'm afraid of 19 out of 72 common fears. Listed below:
[] the dark
[x] staying single forever
[] being a parent
[x] giving birth
[] being myself in front of others
[] open spaces
[x] closed spaces
[x] heights
[] dogs
[] birds
[] fish
[] spiders
[] flowers or other plants

Total so far: 4

[] being touched
[] fire
[] deep water
[x] snakes
[] silk
[] the ocean
[] failure
[] success
[] thunder/lightning
[] frogs/toads
[] my boyfriend's/girlfriend's dad
[] boyfriend's/girlfriend's mom
[x] rats
[] jumping from high places
[] snow

Total so far: 6

[] rain
[] wind
[] crossing hanging bridges
[x] death
[] heaven
[x] being robbed
[] falling
[] clowns
[] dolls
[] large crowds of people
[] men
[] women
[] having great responsibilities
[x] doctors, including dentists
[x] tornadoes

Total so far: 10 (where is the box for earthquakes?)

[] hurricanes
[x] incurable diseases
[x] sharks
[] Friday the 13th
[x] ghosts
[] poverty
[] Halloween
[] school
[] trains
[] odd numbers
[] even numbers
[x] being alone
[x] becoming blind
[x] becoming deaf
[] growing up

Total so far: 16 (Sensory deprivation. No. Never. I'd rather die.)

[] creepy noises in the night
[] bee stings
[] not accomplishing my dreams/goals
[x] needles
[x] blood
[] dinosaurs
[] the welcome mat
[] high speed
[x] throwing up
[] falling in love
[] super secrets

Final Total: 19

... if you wish to post this in your journal, it's been requested that you title it "I'm afraid of __ out of 72 common fears"

If you get more than 30, I strongly recommend some counseling.
If you get more than 20, you’re paranoid.
If you get 10-20, you are normal.
If you get 10 or less, you’re fearless.
People who don’t have any are liars.

ETA3: Self-Comfort
What do people do when they're distressed and in need of self-comfort? I eat, and apparently I curl up by pulling my feet up onto my chair (not like L--I sit cross-legged on the chair). I also rock myself back and forth, apparently, and peel my lips. *stops* I think I prefer the eating--socially acceptable (in a way). I'm going to make myself a parfait and then take a few more deep breaths.

ETA4: Caramelldansen
Someone playing Caramelldansen on the piano--wow, this thing actually sounds good when it's not being sung by chipmunks. Youtube here.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-29T19:01:00

2008-06-29T10:01:01Z

Hermiting
The panic has been at a higher-than-comfortable level, lately, and I'm quite sure I know why. *eyes father darkly* Unfortunately, knowing why does not exactly equate to fixing it easily. Hermiting intermittently. thephoenixboy, if you need help with subrosa_tennis chat let me know (am reading e-mail), but please don't expect me today as I won't be very good company.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-28T23:41:00

2008-06-28T14:41:13Z

I'm ~~With~~ Stupid
Guess who bought volume 20 of Nodame Cantabile, went to put it on her shelf... and found out she already owned it? T_T I guess I'm going to Book-Off, since that's cheaper than sending the thing back to Amazon. God I'm stupid. (If anyone in Tokyo wants a free book...)

Planeswalker
I still haven't e-mailed my betas. *fails so badly* I don't understand why I can't just face the damned book. ARGH. Maybe this is my subconscious telling me what I have is crap.

Spam Spam Spam
Whoops--three posts in too short a span. I'd save this for when I wake up, but I wanted to make sure folks in Tokyo got to read the book offer (yes, Nodame #20) on Sunday (because Monday morning is when I pass by Book-Off on my way to and from my outservice).

Dell
Looks like I can't get Ubuntu on Dell (or at least, can't tell them NOT to sell me the license). I'm sure Apple is pleased to hear that, since that means I'll be going Apple's way instead.

Keyboard Love
Just for the heck of it... *uses her laptop keyboard for a moment, and soon migrates back to her Filco Majestouch* I paid a lot of money for the Filco, and the benefit from that investment really shows--I love using that keyboard, and I don't like using the one on the laptop. Haven't felt this way about a keyboard since my IBM clacker (found secondhand in Low Yat, and I grabbed at it and refused to let go). I might give up the IBM for this, though--right now the only reason why I still use this is because the IBM's at home in Malaysia, but I think this keyboard will be going into my suitcase when I finally make the trek home (in what, a few decades? ^_^;;;).

I really don't feel as if I'm typing when I use this keyboard--ah, sweet baby. *strokes it lovingly* I haven't worn the keyboard down yet, either, and you guys all know how horrible I am with these things. The only thing better than a Filco? An ergonomic Filco. If that ever comes out, I just may trade--otherwise, no, you are taking this keyboard over my dead body. (I may move it to a Mac if I ever decide to get one, and in that case we shall see me using the Mac mini with the Filco.)

Sleep
Bed now. No, really. T_T

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-28T20:59:00

2008-06-28T11:59:35Z

Bill Gates
O_o He's retired. At last. Oh my.

The Future Of Ai's Computers
Even in my anti-Mac mode (the damned things are still too expensive in terms of cost/performance), I might still get a Mac if I can continue to run my Windows legacy applications. I am following Parallels Desktop's development (the Coherence feature amazes me) with much more interest than I am Microsoft's Windows 7 (the one after Vista).

I don't ever want to go to Vista--once Kazuki dies (I'm clinging to him and taking care of him, but I can see he's beginning to tire), I will either buy an Ubuntu laptop/desktop from Dell (*shudder*) or just suck it up and move to a Mac, though I might wait for OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) to come out first. If I'm going to have to run some sort of virtual machine to continue to run legacy Windows applications, so be it. While I know enough about hardware configuration to build my own computer and run Windows on it, I don't know how to configure hardware for Ubuntu, and I'm not inclined to learn. Wine isn't a magic bullet yet; same for its competitors.

Virtual Computers
The benefit of a virtual machine: I can install older operating systems, such as Windows 98, and run old legacy games like Dungeon Keeper 2! ♥ Maybe even DOS for Blockout and Prehistorik. I used to own a Wheel of Fortune game complete with a pixelated Vanna White, as well as a courtroom game called Objection!, and I only wish my 5"-floppies hadn't grown white fuzz and died. (Not that I have a drive which can read those floppies anymore...)

Unfortunately, I don't see Wine or Transgaming's Cedega on this list--what gives? There's one thing stopping me from putting everything I can into learning Ubuntu--Wine 1.0 is disappointing as far as certain games and software goes. I've been told Cedega is a good way to run Windows apps on Linux, but DK2 is still not supported well enough for my liking. Then again, DK2 will never be supported well enough, since XP's emulation doesn't ensure it will start. *sigh*

Ah, Microsoft. You shot yourself in the foot so badly with Vista, and you know, you might be the biggest contributor to Apple's recent growth as people like me migrate off the Windows platform. I'm hoping in the future for one of those run-everything machines where it won't ever matter if one has OS X, Windows (any flavor), *nix, or any other OS, everything will run perfectly/natively. Ah, if only. Maybe one day. *watches the world's programmers race towards that holy grail*

In Other Random News
Oh Pelican, will you never deliver on time? Why does Amazon insist on using you? Am I doomed to only shop on Sunday so that my things will arrive on a Tuesday or Wednesday? It is now 9pm, and you were supposed to deliver to me within the hour. WHERE ARE MY BOOKS, DAMMIT? *wails, pulls hair* [ETA: Arrived at 9:22, and the delivery guy apologized, so all is well. Now I have Neuromancer! I also have Nodame vol 20, and the Hikago chara book, yes. *hearts* I will probably buy one intended for scanning, eventually.]

ETA: One More For The Foot-Shooters
I was this close to putting in a pre-order for the book "The Gargoyle" when I read the following quote:

Neven Anticevic, who will publish the book in Croatia, says it reminds him of "The Historian" and hopes to sell more than 10,000 copies, a big number there.

... I HATED THE HISTORIAN and voluntarily donated the book to darkest_light. *deletes "The Gargoyle" from her wishlist*

ETA2: Technology's Hidden Dangers
From this article:

SMS and IM technology means that people can stay in contact with friends hundreds of miles away: which means you now have hundreds more acquaintances to deal with that you could otherwise have lost.

I'll eventually stop ransacking Lifehacker, I promise--but it's so much more interesting than Slashdot at times.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-28T15:58:00

2008-06-28T06:58:02Z

Blogger/Livejournal
Apparently Blogger's gotten some major updates that include inline commenting--one of the biggest deal-breakers for me in the past. Hmm. Still thinking, LJ. I am still trying to figure out if going Basic is a good idea. I would miss the RSS syndication--being able to make RSS feeds = very good), but that would just force me to use a reader, and it's not as if I don't know how (just lazy). [ETA: Semagic is the biggest tie I have to Livejournal at the moment, so this is pretty amazing. For a public blog, I have a lot of options. (It's only if I move to a friends-locked blog that things will get tricky, methinks. And one still has to think about Wordpress...]

Planeswalker
After that burst of activity yesterday, I haven't been able to look at the notebooks. ARGH. I know I'm on hiatus and this shouldn't bother me, but it does. T_T Why can't I just learn to live and let live? Waste of a free period just sitting here and surfing the net, ARGH. And on Saeki, at that.

Saeki
I found out that some of the "inside" rooms at both my workplaces still have decent wireless reception. If Kazuki ever dies, my next computer will be a tiny lightweight thing. And who knows--I make a lot of noise about Macs, but now that Parallels has a mode where one can run Windows programs in the Mac OS without rebooting, this is becoming a much more tempting proposition. Anything to avoid Vista.

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-28T00:48:00

2008-06-27T15:48:37Z

Astrology Babbling
I blame hikariblue for this. A selection of my planets:

Aries Rising - Quote: "Enthusiastic Aries has loads of energy. Once inspired, you rarely hesitate to act and you usually get where you want to go. But be warned! Your lively enthusiasm can get out of hand; you tend to overestimate your own abilities, or the influence you have."

Sun in Aquarius - Quote: "Though they are not above wanting to live well, many Aquarians are more interested in people than they are in amassing great wealth or taking on the responsibilities that invariably accompany such a life style. When they cannot afford some luxury, they rationalize why they didn't need it in the first place. "

Moon in Scorpio. Quote: "Scorpio Moon people tend to go through life acting on hunches, "reading between the lines" - picking up subtle nonverbal cues, moods, intentions, underlying messages and such. Indeed, someone with this moon placement may get a very different meaning from the same conversation heard by someone with a more literal and pragmatic mind. This is not only quite distracting to the moon native, but when they react to these perceptions it often leads to undesired consequences and drama. Thus, the irony of the Scorpio Moon; being consumed by the very internal composition one despises in himself, and attracting drama-infused situations as a direct result of trying to avoid them." Also, I'm not commenting on the things they say about sex.

So basically I'm an undiscerning hothead who jumps to the wrong conclusions. Oh dear. ^_^;;;;; And just for fun, I have a preponderance of Water and Fixed signs in my chart, and a lack of Cardinal and Fire signs. Er, yes, I'm more apt to just sit back and be passive. Well, it's time to use the stubbornness in myself and do it instead of watching everyone else.

Don't mind me, I'm just avoiding bedtime. ♥ I should sleep, tomorrow is a working day.

ETA: I just noticed that in my last post, "Work" is the very last heading. ^_^;

aiwritingfic @ 2008-06-27T23:54:00

2008-06-27T14:54:07Z

Wasn't I Supposed To Be On A Writing Hiatus?
link621 reminded me it's going to be July in less than a week. I really need to have Sinfonia Cantabile spruced up. The more I look at it, the more I feel like it's too short, I should fill in the blanks, there's so much more I can put in it... but at the same time, I am looking at it and going, "It's 1700 words now, and I don't want to deal with it being 17,000 words." *sighs* I don't know what to do anymore.

Marathoning a Marathon
I want to watch the 100-song marathon so badly, but I just don't have time. *sigh* I don't even have time to reply to a long e-mail. What's wrong with me?

Planeswalker
On the other hand, today I covered about five pages by hand. Maybe more, since I know there were two pages in Notebook #2 and more than three pages in the Character Bible. I'll count later when I scan them to send them to my wonderful betas.

I'm beginning to hit a brick wall where beta work is concerned--there's just too much for them to go over, and I do believe the time of concept betas is coming to an end now that the magic system is mostly worked out. In the future I suppose instead of scans I'll send selective logic checks and what-ifs. I'll look over what I have today and see if today is one of those type-it-out days.

My hand hurts. *wince* Too much writing. But oh, how glorious it is to feel this way. ♥

千字文
 tarigwaemir posted a link to 千字文, but it was unfortunately in Korean. So here, for my own reference, is 千字文 in Chinese (plus explanations, notes, and other references--what a treasure trove).

Work
I have to admit, writing reports is better than teaching.