It's The New Year Everyone!

Woohoo! It's 2010 already. Time just flies, doesn't it?

In retrospect 2009 seems surreal now, and I can't even believe that the first half was spent in a continent far far away from Malaysia.

But anyways, new year, new start, new motivations.

So, bring it on!

Where Time Just Passes So... Mundanely

Tick tock tick tock..

It's Monday. Dang! It's 5 (or 4, depending on whether Friday is a holiday or not) more days to the weekend. Darn... Why so long?

Tick tock tick tock..

Gosh, is it only 8.30 in the morning? It feels like forever!

Tick tock tick tock..

Metformin 1g bd for two months... It means I must supply 2 x 2 x 60 = 240 tablets for two months rite? Yeah, better if more CV fellas come in, easier to fill..

Tick tock tick tock..

What? Must compound nevirapine syrup? Coz patient only 11 years old? Wah so young? Pity the ki- ... Yeah, yeah, I'm hurrying to do the syrup dy. Faster faster, must finish within 30 min! 1 tablet 200mg. Patient needs 60mg bd. 60 x 2 x 15 = 1800 equivalent to 9 tablets? Wait must be within drinkable volume? 60mg in 5ml means.... 12mg/ml, so 2 weeks would be 140ml equivalent to 1680mg which doesn't make sense? GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Tick tock tick tock..

Sorry Auntie, must wait for your number. Yes yes, I know only 3 items on your slip, but sorry.. I can't get them for you now coz one of them is a special medicine, need extra time.. I know got no parking.. Oh yeah, can't dispense this coz it's not written on your slip.. You must ask your doctor about that.. Apa kamu cakap? Maaf, saya tak faham Cina (so no point scolding me anyway. And same to you too!)

Tick tock tick tock..

"Selamat petang, Farmasi, boleh saya membantu?" "Augmentin dosing?" "It's normally 625mg bd." "Yeah, you're welcome."

Tick tock tick tock..

"Selamat petang, boleh sambungkan saya kepada Dr ***?" -waits a loooooong time-

"Selamat petang Dr, I'm *** from Farmasi, calling regarding your prescription for ***. I'm afraid that we only have gliclazide in 80mg strengths in our pharmacy.. So, I'd just like to confirm the dose of gliclazide for this patient?"..."I'm really sorry for wasting your time, I'd just like to confirm the dose." "I'm sorry to hear that you got the dose from a pharmacist earlier." "Yeah, so I'll change it, thanks for your time"

Tick tock tick tock..

Finally 5 0'clock!

The next day..

Only 3 more days to the weekend! And the cycle repeats.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Life in Kuantan

Wow, it's been a looooooong time since I've updated! Don't really feel like stringing sentences together to form proper paragraphs, heh, so here goes:

- Am posted to HTAA, Kuantan. It's impossible for me to abide by Gobi's rules to not add my colleagues on FB coz that would mean I have to delete Trisha, Yieng and Huey Wuen. LOL. (Yep, there are plenty of IMU ex-students in HTAA. There are a few who are my preceptors too)
- Am renting a humongous room, it's so humongous, that my whole family (i.e. the seven of us!) can sleep comfortably in it at night (not that we've tried as yet)
- Am staying with my ex-INTEC housemate, Hui Bing! Wheeee~! We meet again! :D
- Am colleagues with my Bentong junior, heh, the world is so small.
- Was involved in a car accident for the first time. By God's grace, no one was hurt.
- Am now watching Desperate Housewives. Yep, I'm kinda free coz I'm in Enforcement, currently. Haha.
- Is driving to work for the first time this week. Nyaris-nyaris kena accident (again) a few times liao. Kuantan drivers are definitely more agressive than Bentong's! (but then again, anywhere punya driver also more aggressive than Bentong punya la)
- Played spotlight at dinner last Tuesday night. LOL, the pressure to find a boyfriend increases exponentially. :P :P
- Steals someone's wireless every nite, tho the stability varies. Should I get a mobile broadband?
- Is thinking of buying a car. Which would be better, a Myvi or a Hyundai Atos?


Erm... can't think of anything else to update actually. LOL.

Whoa!

LOL. All the chick magnets in anime... I didn't know Tohno Shiki is ranked so high and is so... wanted, hahaha. And yeay! Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic! is in this list. Muahaha! But still they're missing some people, like:

Kurosaki Ichigo from Bleach. After all, besides Rukia and Orihime, there's also Senna and Nel who're after him, haha.

Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto. There's a reason why Ino, Sakura and Karin fell for this "emo" guy.

I'm sure there are plenty more but for now I can't think of any. Will edit as I see fit, LOL.

Fade to Black

The third Bleach movie Fade to Black quite nice and didn't disappoint as much as Diamond Dust Rebellion did. So I guess my fears were all unfounded. Phew! What a relief.

It's quite interesting, packed with enough action and fights to satisfy bloodthirsty!Fi, contains captains' and lieutanents' zanpaktou releases (in fighting Minor Baddies), has several flashbacks from the earlier arcs to lend it a tinge of melancholy and has a rather interesting insight into a part of Rukia's past as an orphan in Inuzuri as well as focuses quite a bit on the dynamics between Ichigo and Rukia which had my inner fangirl going "Squee!" However, there's no further development to their relationship than what is already known i.e. Ichigo and Rukia have a special connection, are more than friends, but are not in a romantic relationship as quoted by Tite Kubo. Sighz.

Basically it's about Seireitei (as usual) being under attack under mysterious circumstances. As a consequence, everyone's memory of Rukia was immediately erased. In the real world, Ichigo's memory was also affected temporarily, however, as he slept that night, he dreamed of her and hence suddenly remembered again who she is.

Being the "save-everyone-Ichigo" that we all know and love, he immediately went to Seireitei to sort things out. And as per any Bleach movie (or episode for that matter), Ichigo has to fight against disbelieving Shinigami as well as the Big Baddies to save Rukia once again.

You can watch it Fade to Black here.

Being finicky!Fi, of course I have some complaints of the movie (heh, coz maybe my expectations were too high) with the main one being the quality of the drawings. To me it seems that the drawings are getting progressively uglier. It's like the animators are becoming lazy LOL.

In addition, there seems to be a discrepancy in the plot i.e. Rukia met the twins when she was older than when she met Renji, so where's Renji in the whole flashback thingy?

And wow, they've released the name of Shuuhei's release BEFORE it was revealed in the manga (Karakura Arc), bearing in mind that this movie is already a year old? Cool eh?

But anyways, FtB is definitely a must-watch for Bleach fans.

Friends

One of the worst fears of my life is to lose touch with friends, to become irrelevant once we part. And everyone knows that parting is inevitable, i.e. graduation, work and probably marriage and kids later on. That's why I hate changes in life. I used to be paranoid that I'll just fade and disappear into the background, stuck in a rut in the past while everyone else moves on and lives happily ever after sans me. Yeah, I'm narcissistic like that and I have a tendency to think that the world revolves solely around me. Hee~.

But of course, that fear is unjustified for I have some of the greatest friends ever! These past few days have been a great source of encouragement (especially since I got the posting LOL). From friends whom I always sakai with (i.e. Slugudia and Evilelyn), thanks for bringing lotsa cheer into my life with all your humourously funny working stories or your cooking escapades or just plain ol' gossip, hee~, to friends who like to scare people by pretending to be officials from JPA telling me that my appeal has failed (at 6.45 am!!!) thanks for the laughs and jokes and I suppose in a way, concern (and if you call and pretend to be a nurse when I'm on call next time, I'll kill you!!! :P), to friends who offer contacts to help in settling down in Sabah albeit amidst lots of evile laughter at my predicament, to beloved hometown friends who immediately called to offer a shoulder should I need to cry (lol) and who always prove to me that time and distance are not barriers to our wonderful friendships (thanks Hadi and Sankar! although you guys don't need to be so paiseh when I express appreciation LOL), to those who offer much help and encouragement all the time (Soo Fen, Yieng, Pui Ee and numerous others!), you guys all have made my day all the sweeter.

All this definitely makes life all the more beautiful. Indeed, friendship is the treasure that never grows old.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

-Elizabeth Foley.

Yup, I'm growing sentimental in my old age. Hee~.

Que Sera Sera..

Went to rectify my IC number on the offer letter plus submit in my appeal letter today. And this is what happened when I submitted in the appeal letter.

Me (M): Hello tuan, saya nak hantar surat rayuan saya pada hari ini.
Officer (O): Ok boleh. Tapi, rasanya susah nak dapat tau.
M: Yeah. Erm, ok, tapi saya rasa cuba kot.
O: (opens letter and reads it) Kenapa tak nak ke Sabah?
M: Erm, kerana jauh dan ibubapa saya sudah tua..
O: Oh ok... Kamu ada berapa adik beradik ya?
M: Termasuk saya, terdapat lima, tuan.
O: Oh begitu, di mana mereka semua ya?
M: Kakak saya bekerja di KL, yang lain overseas belajar.
O: Kakak kamu di KL boleh jaga ibubapa kan?
M: ..... (mistake number 1)
M: Tapi, tentu ibubapa saya rindu saya kan?
O: Kamu graduate kat mana?
M: University of Strathclyde tuan.
O: Itu di luar negara kan? Berapa lama kamu di sana?
M: Erm... satu tahun tuan.
O: Sama seperti pergi ke Sabah la... Itu kan oversea juga. (laughs)
M: (laughs).... (mistake number 2)
O: Sebenarnya, saya tak nak discourage kamu atau apa tapi ada ramai yang juga appeal tak nak ke Sabah dan sekarang ada kekosongan di sana. Jadi unless ada 3 solid reasons, susah nak dapat appeal tau.
M: 3 sebab? Apa itu?
O: Berkahwin, samada kamu ada masalah kesihatan atau ibubapa kamu ada masalah kesihatan.
M: Oh..
O: Sekarang ada yang appeal yang mempunyai clinical depression, ada pula yang dari keluarga ibu tunggal (must be Soo Fen I think), ada yang ibu atau ayah mengalami kanser, jadi kalau dibandingkan, kes kamu susah sikit la.
M: .... Erm.. Tak apa la. Saya rasa tengok macam mana nanti... Terima kasih ya atas masa tuan.
O: Ok.. Anyway, good luck ya.
M: Terima kasih.

And that's why you should just post in your appeal letter. But the officer was very nice though. It's just that it'll be quite hard to get an appeal. Sigh. Nvm, there's one more month left.

To Go or Not To Go...

That is the question.

Worries

Papa has not been feeling well these past few days. He looks tired and haggard most of the time and complains of stomachache and right sided chest pain which he self-diagnosed (although he's not a healthcare professional!) as a muscle strain... Plus he refuses point blank to see the doctor (and I'm certainly not qualified or confident of recommending any treatment... I'm not a doctor!)

It seems that he's been overworking. Are our finances in any way compromised? Hmm.. Plus I'm not working as yet and hence not generating any income... in fact I'm adding to the household expenditure... Sigh. I know I'm going to regret saying this but... I need to work soon.

5 Centimeters Per Second

..... one more time, one more chance...

“5 centimeters per second… is the velocity of the sakura petals falling from the trees… I wonder, if you’ll be there watching them fall with me next year?”

“I will, I promise.”

“Even if I were to send you messages everyday, our hearts will not be any centimeter closer, as you always seem so far away..”

5 centimeters per second is a Japanese anime movie, which is normally not something that I will normally look for when I search for anime as it doesn’t fit any of my “usual” genres. By usual I mean it is not a shounen-y anime with heroes battling villains, nor does it fit into the romantic comedy genre.

In fact, it is a poignant romantic drama with underlying tones of melancholy and loads of nostalgia.

It is certainly no comedy as it is just so… earnest. There were monologues by the main characters throughout the anime which gave deep insight into the characters’ feelings in the anime. Another plus point was that the female characters did not have the squeakily high and irritating voices so common in romance anime. The piano background music in the anime also enhances the mood of the anime, making it one of the most memorable ones, despite being so short.

The animation was also very well done, although the only complaint that I may have is that the characters kinda look similar. But staying true to its Japanese roots, all the characters have dark brown hair and eyes, which is an oddity in the world of anime and manga. The background and landscape were also beautifully designed with breathtaking views and colours.

This anime is broken into three parts and centres around the main protagonist Tohno. It depicts love in a wholly realistic manner, with the beauty and poignancy of first love as well as the difficulties of long distance relationships; unrequited love, understanding and acceptance, as well as the inability to let the past go and the angst when one’s motivation is gone. It is also rather interesting in a sense as it focuses a lot on the male’s point of view yet at the same time did not demasculinize the male lead too much by making him to sappy as some shoujos are wont to do.

The title of this movie as well as the sakura petals are reminiscent of the slowness of life and how people often start together but slowly drift into their separate ways

Below is the entire summary of the anime, so read no further if you do not want any spoilers.

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Young Tohno and Akira amidst the falling cherry blossoms.

The first part introduces Tohno, who as a result of his parents’ jobs, is constantly moving from one place to another. He met a girl Akira, who also suffers from the same circumstances. In addition, due to their frail physiques, neither are very sports-inclined and hence spend most of their time together in the library, borrowing the same books. They’ve managed to establish a good friendship, that not even bullies who enjoy teasing them together as a couple (as children and some adults are wont to do!) can destroy such a beautiful relationship. Both enjoy talking to each other and realize that they are both on the same wavelength. One day, whilst watching sakura petals fall down in the springtime, Tohno promised to watch them every year with Akira. Deep down, both Tohno and Akira probably realize that there is something going on.

However, Akira was due to move again after elementary school. Both of them were devastated. But what can they do as they were merely children, not able to voice out what they feel.

Half a year after the move, Akira began writing to Tohno (this was before the time of e-mail and handphones… snail mail!). Tohno responded eagerly, and hence began their correspondence. Before they knew it, the year has come to a close and it was almost spring time again. This time, Tohno was due to move even further away, which makes train visitations between him and Akira impossible. However, he made a plan to see Akira and the sakura petals once more before he moves and made the necessary arrangements. Akira was to meet him at her station at 7.00pm.

Tohno was optimistic, however, it began snowing heavily. As a result, his train and all the subsequent interchanges he had to make (5 in total!) were delayed due to the snow. His final train was also delayed for almost 2 hours due to wheel friction. Desperation, despair, hurt, hunger… At this moment, Tohno’s feelings were so palpable. Even the viewer sympathises for who has not experienced before, the feeling of letting a loved one down?

The weather was becoming progressively colder such that, despite his heavy heart, Tohno wishes that Akira did not wait for him any more and would just return home.

When Tohno arrived at the station much later than anticipated, to his utter joy, Akira was sitting there, patiently waiting, with a bento in hand to welcome him. They enjoyed catching up with each other and finally realized the depth of feelings between both. However, neither dare to vocalize those three words as yet, even though they came tantalizingly close to do so, just prior to Tohno’s departure the next day. And hence ends the first part.

The second part centres around Tohno in high school, and his classmate Sumita who has a crush on him because he always seems different. Tohno, who moved here (probably Okinawa as it was surrounded by the sea), is now into archery whereas Sumita was determined to be able to “ride the waves”, which she constantly fails at currently.

As a result of their after school activities, they both return home together at the same time on their separate motorcycles everyday. Or rather, it’s Sumita who waits until Tohno is ready to depart at their school’s parking lot so that they can return together.

On their way home, they’ll stop at the same convenience store where Tohno will always purchase the same drink and wait for Sumita who has a problem deciding, outside.

Often she would see him messaging someone on his handphone eagerly, though he’ll always stop when she’s around.

Time constantly passes, and it was time for them to decide on their future. However, Sumita is in a limbo as she couldn’t decide on what to do, couldn’t surf at the moment and is still to act on her feelings for Tohno.

However, she realized herself that these are shortcomings that must be overcome immediately. And hence, she set to conquer the waves, which she finally managed to, thanks to iron clad determination as high school days were coming to an end.

Teenage Tohno and Sumita.

Giddy with her victory, she decided to confess to Tohno on that very day. However, although opportunities were given, she found that she just couldn’t, as she finally realized that part of Tohno’s appeal was that he always seem so far away, and that his heart always seem to be elsewhere. Finally understanding him, she realized that a confession would be futile and would in fact hamper her friendship, thus, she desisted on letting him know her feelings.

It was also revealed that Tohno has been composing messages on his phone all this while, but not sending them.

Teenage Tohno and Akira.

And hence ends part two.

Part three begins with both Tohno and Akira in the working force. The setting was once again Tokyo. Both of them had a similar dream of their thirteen year old selves once again, which triggers memories and melancholy for both. This made Akira message Tohno once again, to let him know of her impending marriage. She also tried to call him but couldn’t get through as he never answers her calls. However, Tohno was devastated and had lost his motivation and his feelings which had sustained him over the period of time. The anime ends with both of them passing each other at a railway crossing, however as they reached their opposite destinations, both turned to look at each other. Unfortunately, passing trains hindered their view, and when the crossing was clear, Akira was gone.

Adult Tohno and Akira passing each other at the railway crossing.

If you enjoy this movie you might also like other works from Makoto Shirai who is the author and director of this movie such as Voice of A Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Both look very nice as they incorporate romance into science fiction. However, as they sound sad, I think I'll KIV these two, to let my heart recover, haha.

Note: The music on my blog has been replaced with the OST from this movie which I hope will set the mood and interest to watch this gem of a piece.

The Laws of Anime

I've been watching so much anime nowadays (Kure-nai, Ryoko Case Files, Lovely Complex, Tokko, Library Wars, Kare Kano, Code Geass plus the old staples of Bleach and Naruto, to name a few) that I've actually forgotten half of what I watched. Old age = poor memory I guess. So, I was supposed to write a review for each of the anime I watched to solidify the fact, however, laziness and sluggishness got into the way that I've ended up with lots of half-assed drafts, sigh. However, I came across this cute cute posting bout anime in general, that I felt must be shared with all other anime lovers, if just for the lulz. So, let me present to you, the Laws of Anime!!

Originally compiled and edited by Darrin Bright and Ryan Shellito

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Law of Metaphysical Irregularity

The normal laws of physics do not apply.

Law of Differentiated Gravitation

Whenever someone or something jumps, is thrown, or otherwise is rendered airborn, gravity is reduced by a factor of 4.

Law of Sonic Amplification, First Law of Anime Acoustics

In space, loud sounds, like explosions, are even louder because there is no air to get in the way.

Law of Constant Thrust, First Law of Anime Motion

In space, constant thrust equals constant velocity.

Law of Mechanical Mobility, Second Law of Anime Motion

The larger a mechanical device is, the faster it moves. Armored Mecha are the fastest objects known to human science.

Law of Temporal Variability

Time is not a constant. Time stops for the hero whenever he does something 'cool' or 'impressive'. Time slows down when friends and lovers are being killed and speeds up whenever there is a fight.

First Law of Temporal Mortality

'Good Guys' and 'Bad Guys' both die in one of two ways. Either so quick they don't even see it coming, OR it's a long drawn out affair where the character gains much insight to the workings of society, human existence or why the toast always lands butter side down.

Second Law of Temporal Mortality

It takes some time for bad guys to die... regardless of physical damage. Even when the 'Bad Guys' are killed so quickly they didn't even see it coming, it takes them a while to realize they are dead. This is attributed to the belief that being evil damages the Reality Lobe of the brain.

Law of Dramatic Emphasis

Scenes involving extreme amounts of action are depicted with either still-frames or black screens with a slash of bright color (usually red or white).

Law of Dramatic Multiplicity

Scenes that only happen once, for instance, a 'Good Guy' kicks the 'Bad Guy' in the face, are seen at least 3 times from 3 different angles.

Law of Inherent Combustability

Everything explodes. Everything.

• First Corollary - Anything that explodes bulges first.

• Second Corollary - Large cities are the most explosive substances known to human science. Tokyo in particular seems to be the most unstable of these cities, sometimes referred to as "The Matchstick City".

Law of Phlogistatic Emission

Nearly all things emit light from fatal wounds.

Law of Energetic Emission

There is alway an energy build up (commonly referred to as an energy 'bulge') before Mecha or space craft weapons fire. Because of the explosive qualities of weapons, it is believed that this is related to the Law of Inherent Combustability.

Law of Inverse Lethal Magnitude

The destructive potential of a weapon is inversly proportional to its size.

• First Corollary - Small and cute will always overcome big and ugly. Also know as the A-Ko phenomenon.

Law of Inexhaustability

No one *EVER* runs out of ammunition. That is of course unless they are cornered, out-numbered, out-classed, and unconscious.

Law of Inverse Accuracy

The accuracy of a 'Good Guy' when operating any form of fire-arm increases as the difficulty of the shot increases. The accuracy of the 'Bad Guys' when operating fire-arms decreases when the difficulty of the shot decreases. (Also known as the Stormtrooper Effect)

Example: A 'Good Guy' in a drunken stupor being held upside down from a moving vehicle will always hit, and several battalions of 'Bad Guys' firing on a 'Good Guy' standing alone in the middle of an open field will always miss.

• First Corollary - The more 'Bad Guys' there are, the less likely they will hit anyone or do any real damage.

• Second Corollary - Whenever a 'Good Guy' is faced with insurmountable odds, the 'Bad Guys' line up in neat rows, allowing the hero to take them all out with a single burst of automatic fire and then escape.

• Third Corollary - Whenever a 'Good Guy' is actually hit by enemy fire, it is in a designated 'Good Guy Area', usually a flesh wound in the shoulder or arm, which restricts the 'Good Guy' from doing anything more strenuous than driving, firing weaponry, using melee weapons, operating heavy machinery, or doing complex martial arts maneuvres.

Law of Transient Romantic Unreliability

Minmei is a bimbo.

Law of Hemoglobin Capacity

The human body contains over 12 gallons of blood, sometimes more, under high pressure.

Law of Demonic Consistency

Demons and other supernatural creatures have at least three eyes, loads of fangs, tend to be yellow-green or brown (but black is not unknown), and can only be hurt by bladed weapons.

Law of Militaristic Unreliability

Huge galaxy-wide armadas, entire armies, and large war-machines full of cruel, heartless, bloodthirsty warriors can be stopped and defeated with a single insignificant example of a caring/loving emotion or a song.

Law of Tactical Unreliability

Tactical geniuses aren't....

Law of Inconsequential Undetectability

People never notice the little things... Like missing body parts, or wounds the size of Seattle.

Law of Juvenile Intellectuality

Children are smarter than adults. And almost always twice as annoying.

Law of Americanthropomorphism

Americans in Anime appear in one of two roles, either as a really nasty skinny 'Bad Guy' or a big stupid 'Good Guy'.

• First Corollary - The only people who are more stupid than the big dumb Americans are the American translators. (Sometimes referred to as the Green Line Effect.)

• Second Corollary - The only people who are more stupid than the American translators are the American editors and censors.

Law of Mandibular Proportionality

(from A. Hicks)

The size of a person's mouth is directly proportional to the volume at which they are speaking or eating.

Law of Feline Mutation

(from A. Hicks)

Any half-cat/half-human mutation will invariably:

1. be female,
2. will possess ears and sometimes a tail as a genetic mutation,
3. and wear as little clothing as possible, if any.

Law of Conservation of Firepower

(from Tom Williams)

Any powerful weapon capable of destroying/defeating an opponent in a single shot will invariably be reserved and used only as a last resort.

Law of Technological User-Benevolence

(from Tom Williams)

The formal training required to operate a spaceship or mecha is inversely proportional to its complexity.

Law of Melee Luminescence

(from Tom Williams)

Any being displaying extremely high levels of martial arts prowess and/or violent emotions emits light in the form of a glowing aura. This aura is usually blue for 'good guys' and red for 'bad guys'. This is attributed to Good being higher in the electromagnetic spectrum than Evil.

Law of Non-anthropomorphic Antagonism

(from Tom Williams)

All ugly, non-humanoid alien races are hostile, and usually hell-bent on destroying humanity for some obscure reason.

Law of Follicular Chroma Variability

(from Spellweaver)

Any color in the visible spectrum is considered a natural hair color. This color can change without warning or explanation.

Law of Follicular Permanence

Hair in anime is pretty much indestructable, and can resist any amount of meteorological conditions, energy emissions, physical abuse, or explosive effects and still look perfect. The only way to hurt someone's hair is the same way you deal with demons... with bladed weapons!

Law of Topological Aerodynamics, First Law of Anime Aero-Dynamics

*ANY* shape, no matter how convoluted or odd-looking, is automatically aerodynamic.

Law of Probable Attire

Clothing in anime follows certain predictable guidelines.

Female characters wear as little clothing as possible, regardless of whether it is socially or meteorologically appropriate. Any female with an excessive amount of clothing will invariably have her clothes ripped to shreds or torn off somehow. If there is no opportunity to tear off the afore-mentioned female's clothes, then she will inexplicably take a shower for no apparent reason (also known as the Gratuitous Shower Scene).

Whenever there is a headwind, a Male characters will invariably wear a long cloak which doesn't hamper movement and billows out dramatically behind him.

• First Corollary (Cryo-Adaptability) - All anime characters are resistant to extremely cold temperatures, and do not need to wear heavy or warm clothing in snow.

• Second Corollary (Indecent Invulnerability) - Bikinis render the wearer invulnerable to any form of damage.

Law of Musical Omnipotence

Any character capable of musical talent (singing, playing an instrument, etc.) is automatically capable of doing much more "simple" things like piloting mecha, fighting crime, stopping an intergalactic war, and so on... especially if they have never attempted these things before.

Law of Quitupular Aggultination

(from Daniel Mikula)

Also called "The Five-man Rule," when "Good Guys" group together, it tends to be in groups of five. There are five basic positions, which are:

1. The Hero/Leader
2. His girlfriend
3. His Best Friend/Rival
4. A Hulking Brute
5. A Dwarf/Kid

Between these basic positions are distributed several attributes, which include:

1. Extreme Coolness
2. Amazing intelligence
3. Incredible Irritation

Law of Extradimensional Capacitance

(from Jason Bustard)

All anime females have an extradimensional storage space of variable volume somewhere on their person from which they can instantly retrieve any object at a moment's notice.

• First Corollary (The Hammer Rule) - The most common item stored is a heavy mallet, which can be used with unerring accuracy on any male who deserves it. Other common items include costumes/uniforms, power suits/armor, and large bazookas.

Law of Hydrostatic Emission

Eyes tend to be rather large in Anime. This is because they contain several gallons of water, which may be instantaneously released at high pressure through large tear ducts. The actual volume of water contained in the eyes is unknown, as there is no evidence to suggest that these reservoirs are actually capable of running out. The reason water tends to collect in the eyes is because Anime characters only have one large sweat gland, which is located at the back of the head. When extremely stressed, embarrassed, or worried, this sweat gland exudes a single but very large drop of sebaceous fluid.

Law of Inverse Attraction

Success at finding suitable mates is inversely proportionate to how desperately you want to be successful. The more you want, the less you get.

• First Corollary Unfortunately, this law seems to apply to Otaku in the real world...

Law of Nasal Sanguination

(from Ryan Pritchard and Jason Aylen)

When sexually aroused, males in Anime don't get erections, they get nosebleeds. No one's sure why this is, though... the current theory suggests that larger eyes means smaller sinuses and thinner sinus tissue (see Law #38 above). Females don't get nosebleeds, but invariably get one heck of a blush along the cheeks and across the nose, suggesting a lot of bloodflow to that region.

Law of Xylolaceration

(from Lyndon Harris)

Wooden or bamboo swords are just as sharp as metal swords, if not sharper.

Law of Juvenile Omnipotence

(from Erin Alia)

Always send a boy to do a man's job. He'll get it done in half the time and twice the angst.

Law of Quadrotriscadecophobia

There is no Law #43.

Law of Nominative Clamovocation

(from Luiko-Ysabeth and Adrian Hsiah)

The likelihood of success and damage done by a martial arts attack is directly proportional to the volume at which the full name of the attack is announced.

Law of Uninteruptable Metamorphosis

(from R. A. Hubby)

Regardless of how long or involved the transformation sequence or how many times they've seen it before, any 'Bad Guys' witnessing a mecha/hero/heroine transforming are too stunned to do anything to interrupt it.

Law of Flimsy Incognition

(from Conrad Knauer)

Simply changing into a costume or wearing a teensy mask can make you utterly unrecognizable to even your closest friends and relatives.

Wahahaha. True rite?

That saying, I also want to promote my brother's fanfic, yup, my Little Cute Brother also known as Slimy!Sheldon's fanfic. For a guy, I admit he writes pretty good fluff. Although his style of writing is a bit... pretentious. And too self conscious. But he gets the characterisation down quite well.. Wow, too much praise already!! It could also be because he's my brother and I'm biased. (But then again, if I'm biased, then it should be twice the criticism rite? LOL). Anyways, the most important flaw in his writing is that... he writes Ichigo/Tatsuki!!! Terrible!!! But at least it's not Ichi/Hime or I won't admit we're related anymore. (Must persuade him to write Ichi/Rukia one day..) Anyways, go check it out, it's not too bad, haha. Now why can't I write something besides these inane blog posts, haihz.

Of Shinigamis and Karatekas.

Dedicated to Sheldytubby!

Dedicated to my lil bro whom I so love to embarass! Slimy!Sheldy @ Sheldytubby, have a safe journey to the US and may you achieve what you want to achieve there! LOLZ. Here's a chronology of his life.



On the 15th of September 1989, a fat, maroon coloured baby was the new addition to the House. Initially, as this picture depicts, he closely resembles a piglet. Haha!



However, time was kind to him and he grew up a little. Sheldytubby's fatness became an advantage as it helped him develop those highly segmented arms (look at the pic!) and a cute smile (coz at that time he smiles a lot - a highly unusual thing now since he wants to appear cool now).
He can't wait to eat his cake. No wonder he's so tubby! LOL.He grew up a bit more into a kid who would often disturb his older sisters since he lacks the imagination to amuse himself. As revenge, they would create games which were feminine in nature (i.e. playing house and masak-masak) which he claims today left deep emotional trauma in his psyche and of which his older sister (me) does not express any regret. AHAHAHA!

Anyways Sheldytubby, all the best in the US. Go and enjoy urself k (as if you need the encouragement too, haha).

Tales of the Abyss

Now that I'm currently unemployed (and waiting to be employed by the Ministry of Health), what do I do? Nope, not study the pharmacokinetic equations or read anything to do with pharmacy as I'm too lazy lol. The obvious answer here would be: watch anime! (Special thanks to Slimy!Sheldy).

To be honest, I feel now Bleach has reached a slump. And while waiting for it to recover its once grandeur, Slimy!Sheldy has introduced me to several new animes, among which include Tales of the Abyss.

Tales of the Abyss is based on the RPG game of the same name. It was set in a world called Auldrant, which is composed of particles known as Fonins. For much of the history of Auldrant, there were 6 fonins representing shadow, fire, light earth, wind and water, however, recently a seventh representing sound was discovered. Seventh fonist or people who use these fonin are allowed to foretell the future. A religious figure, Yulia Jue, read the planet's memory and recorded her fortelling of the future, known as the score, in which the prophesy fortold a period of turmoil in the world followed by a period of peace and prosperity into tablets. This Score has been mightily contested by the two nations of Malkuth and Kimlasca-Lanvaldear as both want the advantage of knowing the future. There also is an order, known as the Order of Lorelei which was established to maintain peace and to ensure that the Score is followed.

This story centres around a young man known as Luke fon Fabre, who is a scion of Lorelei, son of the duke of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and predicted to do great things. However, an abduction when he was a mere child has left him with no memories of the past and a 180 degree transformation in personality. As an effect of the abduction, he was coddled by his parents and grew up to be a spoilt young man. Luke does not care for anything; his fiancee Princess Natalia who grew up with him, his best friend and servant Guy nor his parents. The only thing which made him happy was practicing his swordsmanship with his instructor whom he felt "was the only one who understood" him.

One day, while practicing with him, his instructor Van Grants was attacked by a mysterious woman named Tear. In his attempt to protect sensei, Luke clashed weapons with this lady and they were transported far away from his homeland of Baticul into Malkuth. They found their way home and encountered the wise Fon Master Ion and his Guardian, Anise, a cheerful little girl as well as Dr. Jade Curtiss, a general in the Malkuth army who is very brilliant. They also met up with Guy, the aforementioned best friend and made their way back to Baticul where Ion postulated a proposal of peace for both Malkuth and Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. As a sign of peace the party was assigned to a mining city where Luke would act as an ambassador and extend help to the dying people there. The party was expanded by the entry of Princess Natalia, a competent archeress who sneakily joined the party despite her father's plea not to. And the story progresses from here where I shall refrain to let out any more spoilers.

Here are some pics:
The Good Guys (l-r): Natalia, Ion, Jade (he's a guy), Luke, Tear, Guy and Anise.


The "Bad" Guys: Dist the Rose, Largo the Black, Arietta the Wild, Asch the Bloody (did they mean Ash?), Sync the Tempest, Legretta the Quick.

Both this pics would already have let out a spoiler.. :P Also, the "bad" guys is missing their leader which you will find out in due course who..

Basically this story is very reminiscent of any RPG where each class appear to be well represented. You have the swordsmen, Luke and Guy, the mage, Jade, the partial mage/cleric/fighter Tear, the archer/cleric Natalia, the voodoo-master, Anise. Some parts are also reminiscent of boss fights i.e. fighting Largo the Black etc. There is also a smidgen of romance for the inner fangirls/bois. But overall I think this is a good anime. Unlike most, this anime is a thinking anime, which poses the question of free-will and pre-determination. I mean, in a world where everything is pre-determined, what is life then for humans would not have any more free will as everything they do has been fortold. Would people hence follow what has been prophesied, or would they fight to establish their own free will. Other important questions which I felt was touched by this anime included the establishment of one's identity and the question of ideals. Like in the Real World, i.e. today's world, there are no clear cut "evil people" in this anime. Everything lies in shades of grey as battles are fought due to a clash of ideals i.e. people are fighting for what they believe is right. It is similar in today's world where wars start due to differences in ideals and such and sometimes, it is very difficult in knowing who is right and who is wrong (I'm referring here to the Middle-Eastern conflict i.e. Israel vs Palestine but will not venture further into this topic).

Anyways, this is indeed a good watch, although I feel some parts are a bit laggy (and I don't like Tear's seiyuu!). But like I said, the undercurrents of question lying beneath the shiny shiny surface of this anime makes it a worthwhile watch for people who like thinking shows. In addition, the soundtrack is also wonderful and I particularly like the MIDI Luke-tragedy which I felt was just angsty enough for the sad parts in the show.

Maturity

It's people like Yieng and Yi Lyn whose outlook in life I strive to reflect.
Maturity, a sense of optimism, lack of blame and a balanced EQ.
Another new year's resolution to add to next year's list!

But I still wanna complain and complain bout the injustice of the world. LOLZ. Bertaubatlah, bertaubatlah..

Life is Beautiful

A song rec, Life is Beautiful by Vega 4.

Life is beautiful
We live until we die

When you run into my arms,
We steal a perfect moment.
Let the monsters see you smile,
Let them see you smilling.

Do I hold you too tightly?
When will the hurt kick in?

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Yeah, life is beautiful.
Our hearts, they beat and break.

When you run away from harm,
Will you run back into my arms,
Like you did when you were young?
Will you come back to me?

I will hold you tightly
When the hurting kicks in.

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated,
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Stand where you are.
We let all these moments pass us by.

It's amazing where I'm standing,
There's a lot that we can give.
This is ours just for the moment,
There's a lot that we can give.

It's amazing where I'm standing,
There's a lot that we can give.
This is ours just for the moment,
There's a lot that we can give.

Click here to listen. It's a fitting song to end our stay in Scotland (and study years with) IMHO (although technically, it hasn't ended as yet). Coz no matter what, life is indeed beautiful although complicated. There will definitely be all those little hurts in life for what is life but a bumpy journey right? But let us not forget that this moment is our moment and that the world will be our oyster. (ok ok I know I'm forcing the lyrics of this song to fit the theme that I have in mind and that this song does not just represent what I said but is instead a love song (all songs nowadays are love songs) but still, I think it's nice... Just... emo enough LOLZ.)

The best friend never gets the guy

Look at Chloe Sullivan from Smallville.

She's smart, she's ambitious, she's snarky, she's sarcastic, she's loyal to a fault.

But does she ever get the guy?

Noooooo...

She's paired up with the lame-as-can-be Jimmy Olsen who looks like a wuss, or with the deranged and crazy Doomsday/Davis Bloome who's not that good looking either.

Whereas all the other more attractive, nicer, more heroic, more charismatic guys i.e. Oliver Queen, Clark Kent end up with her cousin Lois Lane or with Lana Lang, the bimbotic-cheerleader-next-door-turned-into-supermutant-with-sucking-up-Kryptonite-powers-plus-Superman-like-powers.

Where's the justice in this?

Plus the fact that there are rumours of killing her off just coz she's not of the DC universe.

Dang!

Fake smiles don't reach your eyes

People say I look scary nowadays.

Well, since technically most people don't know me so, what the heck rite?

LOLZ, I'd be afraid of myself if I'm always smiling, that-a-way, at least when I smile, it's sincere.

It's such a pain (to my facial muscles at least) to be constantly smiling, no wonder clowns draw fake smiley faces.

Maybe I should too, you know, draw some scarily smiling lips with lipstick or something.

Now, that would scare most people silly. :P

But like I say, most people don't know me, so who cares.

The world is but a stage, and we're merely actors acting out a bad script.

'Nuff said!

I should quit this one-liner thing too, LOL, and one day write a whole long post.

My moods fluctuate violently so often, that it's no longer funny.

Can I just.... quit being me?

The weight of expectation suffocates.


And I'm slowly losing my tenous grip....

We normally react with horror and shock when we're presented with news of young people dying before they should.

Then why don't we react the same way when it's old people who're involved?

They're not any less wanted, are they?

The world spins madly on.

I couldn't have said it better myself. :)

I shouldn't be too greedy.



Really.

Tagged... Yet Again

Chris tagged me on Facebook, and since I'm such a noob there I've no idea how to get about the notes thingy. So here I am on my blog. And since I'm such a lazy person, I'm just copying and pasting her post and editing where suitable. LOLZ.

Words in italics are Chris's, and words in bold are my edited version. LOLZ.

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I read fanfiction. Since I was 14. And I still do. LOL. There were times I was even more addicted to the fanfiction than the book/ TV show/ anime itself.
I like reading fanfiction too. Now I'm currently into Bleach and Naruto fanfics. Used to be a rabid Harry Potter fan but the euphoria died down as there were not much room for speculation anymore since the series had already ended, and that means the scope for fanfic has narrowed down like an atherosclerotic artery. But if anyone is interested I'd recommend this: Scorpius Malfoy and the Improbable Plot. Pretty hilarious.

2. I watch lots of Japanese dramas and Korean gameshows. For the good looks and the laughs. LOL.
The only Korean show that I watched and like was Sassy Girl Chun Hyang. Otherwise I think they're full of crappy sappy crying emo ppl which kinda pisses me off. (IMHO that is) Which I will expound further in number 7. The only stuff I watch from Japan and Korea are anime and horror shows. Enough said.

3. I like being alone. For the quiet and the freedom.
I'm a paradox. I prefer my own company, yet I'm afraid of loneliness. Especially since I'm growing older now. LOLZ.

4. I am quite the procrastinator. If I don't do things immediately, they'll most likely end up not completed on time.
Family trait. Enough said. LOLZ.

5. I like black.=)
Me too!

6. My sister has all sorts of weird/funny nicknames by which she calls me.
I call my younger sis all sorts of names. But strangely enough, I've only one nick for my younger bro and that's Slimy!Sheldy. LOLZ.

7. I try not to cry when watching movies/dramas with ppl. If I cry, it's in private.
Somehow I always feel that crying is a sign of weakness. Hence, I seldom cry. But it's kinda weird when you're watching a sad movie and everyone is crying but you. Makes you feel like a cold hearted person. :P But anyways, I cannot tahan people who cry easily for no apparent reason, or people who cry all the time. But I guess I'm being more tolerant nowadays.

8. I'm running out of things to write here. LOL.
Me too. Maybe how mean I actually am?

9. I like cleanliness. I think I may be too fussy/ fastidious about it though.
I'm a messy person. I wouldn't be me otherwise. That's why I like it when Chris gets back from Aus, coz she always clears my messes. LOLZ.

10. I love quotes or meaningful snatches of conversation.
Me too!

11. I love Jacob's low salt high fibre biscuits. Even if some ppl say it tastes like cardboard. And McVities' digestives. And no, I'm not paid to say this.
It tastes like cardboard to me. I like icecream and brownies. I can finish a 2L tub from Aldi in 3 days. No wonder I've put on weight. :/

12. I live in T shirts and shorts. Or tracksuits.
Used to. Now trying to dress better, since I'm getting on in age. LOLZ. (I sound like an old crone).

13. I am currently on a cardiothoracic surgery unit rotation.
I like the CVS the best of all systems. Especially for Pharm Care Presentations and Write Ups.

14. I am the 4th child in a family with 5 children.
I'm the 3rd. Hence I get to experience what it's like with an elder brother, an elder sis, a younger bro and a younger sis.

15. I straightened my hair last year. And one of the comments I got was that my head shrunk in half. XD HAHAHA! =D
My hair has always been straight. But I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

16. I like to sketch. But very out of touch already.
I can't draw to save my life. My bro loves to laugh at them when I was younger (coz he can draw better than me!)

17. I love Mitch Albom books. And Jodi Picoult's too. And a whole lot of other books. =)
I like books. But haven't had much time to read much fiction nowadays. :(

18. I am a coffee addict. The fact that I can get free coffee is not helping me.
Ipoh's coffee (courtesy of Soo Fen) is my current favourite (not counting Starbucks of course). One day my coffee craving is going to make me broke.

21. I am learning how to excel without having to be perfect. Because no human being is perfect, and I'll probably end up burnt out chasing it.
I wish I was a perfectionist. Then I would have achieved much more now.

22. I used to hate the piano. Especially in primary school. But now, it's an indulgence. For which I have to credit my parents and my teacher.
I play the piano as if my fingers were a bunch of bananas. Yep, I suck at it. Hence, I don't miss it.

25. I love spicy food. A bit too much. Though it's no surprise to those who know me. =)
Ok ok la. Moderately spicy for me.

And here's the remaining 4 facts bout me:
- I don't socialize well. And I can't talk well to people I can't connect to (which is most people). Hence I have only a few close pals. But I'd rather have a few meaningful friends than a hundred sunshine pals.

- I can't speak any Chinese dialect/Mandarin. Sigh. Which makes life difficult. :(

- I've always lived in the past. Which is not good but which will end.... um... soon?

- I'm an emotionally constipated person. Haven't said I love you to my parents face to face before. Which is not good.

I didn't tag anyone coz I'm too lazy to. Feel free to do this tag if you're interested.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

It is a new feeling, to be thought of as someone who's quite stupid and who blindly follows and expects textbook answers.

Not a very nice feeling though (it kinda brings your morale down).

And it's all because of misunderstandings (communication barriers?) between my supervisor and I.

Ah well.

Snow

It snowed today.

Pure white flakes descending from the heavens above, buffeted about by the cold cold winds of Glasgow.

To land on the ground, forming an endless expanse.

The pureness, the untaintedness, the brilliant wonder of it all.




Tis' indeed a pretty world that we live in. :)

Even Mr. Snowman agrees... don't you Smiley Snowy Man?

The Snow That Never Drifts by Emily Dickinson

The Snow that never drifts --
The transient, fragrant snow
That comes a single time a Year
Is softly driving now --

So thorough in the Tree
At night beneath the star
That it was February's Foot
Experience would swear --

Like Winter as a Face
We stern and former knew
Repaired of all but Loneliness
By Nature's Alibit --

Were every storm so spice
The Value could not be --
We buy with contrast -- Pang is good
As near as memory --

Bleach Crossover LOLZ

Honestly, who hasn't seen this coming? They're both powerful, young and short. Plus they share the same seiyuu hehe.

LOLZ. There're lots of Naruto x Bleach crossovers due to the similarities between Naruto and Ichigo and Sasuke and Ishida.

Evilly cute! Wahahaha.

Go Zabimaru the new Pokemon! LOLZ.

I like this pic the best of all. This is a hypothetical situation in which Ichigo and Naruto switch places. Oh the LULZ. :)

Credit to CAPSLOCK BLEACH for the piccies. :)