So She Huffed and She Puffed and She...

I love Girgugamesh!! ギルガメッシュ rocks~~

I'm so stroked for their new album NOW coming out on December 16th!!!

Can't wait for it to arrive at me door ... next year... >__> but HEY NEWS YEAR'S PRESENT WHOOT WHOOT~
Shame I couldn't get a wristband - maybe next time when they're touring I'll get a chance to see them and nab one then =D

Seems like they'll be churning out awesome stuff for years to come =D Ryo, Satoshi, Nii, ShuU - Ganbatte!

Ever tried First Blush Syrah Juice? It's like drinking concord grape juice =D But it's TOTALLY one step up the grape ladder! Apparently these grapes are used to make first-class wine. I'm not too big into wine, but this grape purée beats Welch's anyday! According to the bottle (and mind you, it's the shape of an elongated cough syrup bottle) " When the very first crop of sweet, ripe, fine wine grapes are carefully squeezed and crafted, they yeild a most delicious and  nourishing grape juice. It's called First Blush".

> V < mmmmm~~~~ The taste is sweet and not overbearing, like a low fat 100% Grape Gummi in liquid form =9 mmmmmmm~~~ Do goths drink grape juice I wonder? Does Mana-sama? =P

Today was a pretty day in my standards. Even though my finished product is still full of flaws, at least it's passed that "phase" - that step you set for yourself and you keep telling yourself over and over "okay Today's the day I finish this"... now it's into the next phase "I'm going to rack my brains till they fry to find out why it's so damn flawed" (~' A ' ~;;  )

A couple days ago, I was in distress mode from that phase, and in my sea of thoughts, I suddenly thought of a piece by Chopin - Valse in C# Minor Opus. 64, No.2. I had a huge struggle with it when I still took up piano. Swiching piano teachers didn't really help, in fact, it just smothered my passion for piano altogether. Anyway, thinking of this song somehow rekindled my dying passion for it... And I started humming it. I hummed it over and over, correcting and improvising parts where I had forgotten how it went. Later, I youtubed the song up and there was one where a little girl of around 8 was playing it flawlessly. Watching her play made me think back at the time where I had to play that song for a recital and I was the letdown of the show. I didn't look at my teacher in the eye afterwards. I suppose at that point I stopping caring about piano. My mum made up some excuse about not being able to take lessons anymore. However, I told her my excuse anyway. The teacher got mad. I mean, she was already mad that I had played so terribly during that recital and practically put her to shame, but to quit because I couldn't juggle academics with music anymore ... perhaps she thought I was a wuss. <__< In reality I just didn't want to learn anymore. I nearly flunked my last piano exam, but it was done with. And since then, while everyone around me was having the most merry time learning new pieces, I just followed along passively.

Anyhow, I looked up another performer that played this piece, and it instantly brought me back to life. Arthur Rubinstein played it exactly how my first piano teacher would play it - not too fast, with the right touches of delicacy, and finished beautifully. It really sent a shiver down my spine (I always get cold chills when I come across something that sounds beautiful). The melody flowed on its own measure, as life does, a touch of the amoreuse that speeds up with heart-papitating vivacity... It was just wonderful. :)

I think coloured lenses are cool. They come in an array of colours, even for those that desire outlandish colours like hot pink or satanic red. They're really neat in that you can change your eye colour from time to time, and results can be subtle or amazingly dramatic. For those that like to take it the extra yard, there are patterned lenses that you can make your irises become what nature couldn't endow you with: zebra stripes, knockout X's, cat eyes, lizard eyes, you name it. Personally, I don't think patterning your irises with a soccer ball pattern looks all that appealing to me, rather, it makes you look like you've shattered your eyeballs or something. Also, cat eyes and another animal eye colours only look good when you're donning costumes of animal-human hybrids and other extraterrestrial beings.

BUT. The ONE thing I cannot stand are circle lenses. Many girls wear them to enhance the "big eye look", which is a major hit in Chinese and Japanese pop cultures. Well, more like the "big eye anime" look. Not only does it make the eye look bigger, but it brings on the 'innocence' look., which I find kind of blehh. If you already have big wide eyes, why the need to make it bigger, and even put on the innocence act? Do you have something to hide? What's wrong with looking the way you are? Moreover, is that what asian guys really go for these days? For some it may be their hobby, their craft and art, and for some, it's part of their fashion statement, but while it has that innocence component, it doesn't strike me as entirely "beautiful". And then there's that "baby face" look. The way that asians have made youthful faces more youthful is almost creeping me out. Sooner or later they'll have a revised fetus-face, or embryo face out on the mainstream market. All in all, my point is, making yourself look like a 7 year old and going to the mall with your boyfriend is posing a question to society's asian men - are they getting a lolita complex? hahahahaha. Probably.

Haaaaiiiii. ( ~'  A  '~  l||)

"There is no point getting upset about issues over which you have no control. No matter what happens today or later this week you must stay calm and not let people get under your skin. Think of life as a game - because, really, that's all it is."

Do no controls apply to the course coordinator nearly losing my last lab report which I worked so hard on and nearly jepardizing my already crappy grade? Do they apply to the fact that there's always a chunk of material I don't study but ends up being the bulk of the exam?

Why can't I ever be more prepared? Why am I always the one in the gutters? The more effort I put in, the worse the academic outcome? Geez, life, what's the deal here? I want to get SOMEWHERE, not BACK THERE.

"Availability of MapleTA Assignments ...

I have had many e-mails from students about problems accessing MapleTA or with opening assignments once they have logged in. It is highly likely that the problems are being caused by high activity on the system. I will talk to the system administrators as soon as possible (but not before Monday).

If warranted, I will make the assignments available for a few more days. Stay posted.

In the meantime, I suggest strongly that you stop trying to access the assignments. (I am almost convinced the problems are caused by high activity on the system, i.e. many students trying to finish the assignments in the last two days.) You would be much better off reviewing Module 4 in its entirety. But at this late hour, you would be better off getting some rest."

OH HAHAHAHA I can just hear the frustrated and irritated shouting voice of my prof saying this as he posted this on ACE. Oh Joy - can't do my assignments now... Hello epic fail exam =__=**

I believe in my short term memory I believe in my short term memory I believe my short term memory needs an upgrade I believe in my short term memory I believe in my short term memory >__<

Hahahaha Johnny Depp and Tim Burton collabs never cease to amaze and crack me up.

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka the amazing chocolatier
Willy Wonka Willy Wonka everybody give a cheer
He's modest, clever, and so smart, he barely can restrain it 
With so much generosity, there is no way to contain it, to contain it, to contain... to contain... to contain... Hooray!

Anyway, a couple of days I came across the truth that the visual kei band exist†trace is all composed of girls! At first, I thought it was one of those small newbie bands that just had the looks but lacked the original sound, but after listening to their song JUDEA and watching a couple of their PVs, including VANGUARD from their latest single, I found that Jyou's death growls pretty alluring. (haha run-on sentence!) They remind me of a panther or a jaguar roaring. While watching VANGUARD, I can't decide whether I like Omi or Naoto more! Omi plays guitar while Naoto plays bass... They both sport kick-ass looks in the video and in other pictures! But honestly, I had thought that Exist Trace was an all-guys band for a moment there >>

The interesting thing about this band is that because it's made entirely of females, they don't have to try to be female - rather, they can be bishonen flawlessly. Whereas many all-male VK bands either have to pack on the makeup to get their androgenous look, or carry feminine features, this band doesn't even need to think about that can concentrate more on their sound. This band is pretty gutsy because they have to compete with all the other big VK bands which are mostly male groups. But their sound is definitely on par with any male band that features a death screamer AND a deep voice singer~ Some of their songs ballady, like VANGUARD, while others, like JUDEA, is simply heavy rock which sounds great!

They're going playing at the V-rock Festival! D= I really want to go ~~~~ Moi Dix Mois will play there too T^T

I was watching some of their live performances on youtube, and I find it kind of funny that the audience can be divided into several categories as you go further away from the stage... The first couple of rows would be the heavy duty head bangers, like they will whip up a hairicane with their head spinning and if you go too close you will get some serious hair burns. At the same time, there are the fan-people, who are pretty much half on the stage, trying to touch the musicians or shake hands with them. Further back you have the hand wavers, and with move their hands in time with the music, offering the rock-on gesture to the musicians in appreciation of good music. Finally  people that can be found at the end/side/interspersed within the crowd that don't really dance or gesture are the camera fans that tape the concert for momentos and good times =P. I think headbanging sounds fun, though a little embarassing to keep up for a whole chorus x 3 hahaha. 

Aiya, gotta get some work done.

That's right. Going to class late, waking up late, taking so many naps that it would put a baby to shame. AND. PUTTING SHIT OFF UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. ARGH. I definitely can't let this get to me... I REFUSE! I REFUSE! I REJECT THEE! BE GONE! *drink vitamin water* =S

Or so I like to imagine.  (TT _, (TT ||| 

I did join archery club with my roommate at the beginning of the term, but I haven't been going since midterms started... that's almost a whole month >>;; We made a promise before to become "committed" to something this term, unlike all the other terms where badminton has failed due to one excuse or another. I'm trying to be committed to this,because I find that archery is pretty fun once you get the hang of it! Of course after a dozen broken arrows, shipped wooden frames and scoldings from the supervisors to not tilt your head, not to knock the arrow before the guy says "fire", and a host of other stuff and I'm sure if you're attentive you'd not hear it from them =P I always wanted to learn archery since I was a kid, reading robin hood stories, watching xena: warrior princess and hercules... hahaha you can say I idolized mythical heroes. ( I still kind of do - I really dig centaurs, elfs, and dragons still xP) Anyway, commitment seems to be a big thing that I lack nowadays, because it always entails a certain motivational "trigger" to keep me interested. Plus, we always go together because we don't want to walk back alone at night, though I kind of got used to that walking home from work in the dark the past four months. 9 x 9;; Not that I want to quit right now, I will definitely go on monday, no excuses! (for now...dun dun dun! *_*)

My gosh I could barely curb my inner fangirl after the end of these anime. They were both just so good! Mononoke was a spin-off from another anime - Ayakashi, which I quickly devoured afterward. Mononoke, which in japanese defines as "demon" or "monster", was about a mysterious medicine seller from the Edo period that also slays demons (mononoke) with a curious little sword. However, to be able to draw the sword, the form, truth and regret that a mononoke came to be must be known. Hence, the funky-tattooed medicine man plays the detective when paranormal events occur.But when all those requirements are fulfilled, the sword "activates" and the medicine man becomes a golden warrior shaman wielding the dangerous demon slayer!! Ahh I'm making it sound like the Medieval X-files, but the cases he solves touches on many emotions that leaked from Pandora's evil little box, and pretty much cycle throughout the generations. I think the concept was pretty solid, as was the art - man it was fancy and downright BEAUTIFUL. The style concept was based on contemporary style and traditional japanese origami patterns, characters that sprung from traditional paintings, and a mix of digital and traditional slow animations. All in all, it was wonderful for the eyes and each case was like learning another lesson from Aesop's fables... I think I might rewatch it hahaha.

Kuroshitsuji.Oh my god.
I'll forgive the anime people for putting in that really useless filler in episode 11, but the final filler arc was surpringly good. It was so sad when the story was coming to a close... and I think it might hint some future spoilers in the manga... Sigh, inside I wholeheartedly wished Sebastian to spare Ciel's life, but I suppose a devil's contract is ever-binding and such an end was inevitable. Hope Sebastian really savoured his soul... >>;; I'm excited (despite the slowness) to see how the manga will progress to the end! By the way, the FIGURINES FROM UNIX-SQUARE ARE JUST AMAZING! I was drooling over them for the past couple of hours, but I'm more for getting the chibi characters for all of them  - Ciel, Sebastien, Grell, Lau, even the Unertaker!  If I were to own one of those beautiful figurines, I wouldn't really know what to do with it other than look at it and dust it every once in a while hahaha - not very appreciative I know. If I were to cosplay someone from Kuroshitsuji, I would cosplay either the Undertaker or Sebastian x)  Sebastian, sebastian, sebastian thou art the sexy devil! <3  "Well, I'm just one HELL of a butler" -Sebastian Michaelis

I really really want a Phantomhive crest lapel pin ;P hahaha

Today is St. Patrick's Day, honouring the the death of Irish patron saint St. Patrick. Since, I'm not old enough to drink yet, i can only imagine the green beer going around, a sea of flashing green clover antennae and leprechaun hats in a crowded bar, quite a hearty way to celebrate! Yes, okay, I'm a bit envious of not being able to join in even though I don't like places full of crowded strangers. BUT, as they say, after the bottle goes around once (or several times), you start to have alot in common with almost everyone in the room. =P Ay, there's the Irish charm!

Apparently snoozing too long in your sleep kills brain cells. o_o It explains alot of things that happened to me then. ha. ( I just remember this after I had almost finished the entry)

A couple weeks ago I finally purchased my CD copy of Demon Days from the Gorillaz (I have all the songs d/Led already, but there's something about actually owning the CD that makes me appreciate the music so much more o_o) Over and over I listen to the tracks, and they're the perfect songs to listen to. As the songs reflect the shades and decay of society, it's a perfect accompaniement to any subway or long bus ride on my way to and from work. "White Light" just makes me want to beatbox right where I'm sitting, chugging along with 2D... " White light.... chugga, chugga, chugga, White Light... chugga, chugga, chugga, White Light... chugga, chugga, chugga, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, WHITE LIGHT".

>=D=>>                      (o ) ) )    *pew!*

Other songs that make for good "atmosphere/mood" songs:

sunny/cheery:
Lily Allen -The Fear
Lily Allen - F*ck You (don't mind the language, but it's just so bubbly that you can't help but laugh out loud!)
Ida Maria - I like you so much better when you're naked (hahaha just as the title suggests...uhh but I don't mean it (._o)
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
Gorillaz - Dare
Bulldog Mansion - Happy Birthday to You
Someday - John Legend


Don't-bug-me/defiant/defensive:
MUCC - AGEHA
MUCC - Libra
Lily Allen - Womanizer (Accoustic Version, from Britney's song)
Ida Maria - Oh My God
Moon Hee Jun - My Life... And My Way


invincible/awesome/cocky:
Weezer - Dreamin'
Weezer - Pork and Beans
Weezer - The Greatest Man that Ever Lived (Or woman! xP)
Moon Hee Jun - 내일이 찾아오면 (New Mix-Down)

trendy/quirky:
Jisun ( 안녕) -  마음아
Shiina Ringo - Yokushitsu
Sparta Locals - Tokyo Ballerina
Lego Big Morl - nice to - Black Jaxx Remix -
Motocompo - Snack Music


thoughtful/depressing:
Gorillaz - El Manana
Gorillaz - O Green World
Toy's Story II Soundtrack - When She Loved Me (it's a sweet song really, it just sombers me every time I listen to it L_L)


Going through a ''slummy''  part of town/sitting through the subway:
Gorillaz - Rock the House
Gorillaz - White Light

hmm not alot of VK songs go into there huh? That's probably cuz they fit comfortable in every catagory! x) So I think..

Man, ever get that feeling that your brain went Vaucauson? Like when you're using your brain for some taxing math (or something analytical that usually hurts your brain thinking about it) you can really hear your brain clanking away on imaginary neuron gears. Depending on how often you use your brain to such extent (yes when the gears in your head actually start to turn) you can mentally picture how your gears (or pumps, pistons, whatever your motor is made of ) are clanking away. o__o;

Last night, I didn't get enough sleep. Been working on an assignment, and at the end of the it only granted me three hours of sleep (was suppose to be two but I overslept). With too little sleep in one's brain, one naturally get awfully cranky. But a morning cup of Jo lifted that somewhat, along with some breakfast to pull me back to earth. So, here I am at work, and my mentor and I are working with numbers. Not only looking at them, but doing some major analyzing with tables and graphs and all that stuff. Thankfully for the coffee, I was also mentally awake (which was a surprise as I'm usually a hit-or-miss caffeine person =P). However, when it came to THINKING about analyzing, I suddenly forgot what I had just understood ten minutes ago! i thought really really hard for the answer, but it never came - it was only went I asked again did I remember what it was >_< In my head, everythings all mossy and rusty and creaky, and I run on gears( not hydrogen-fuel cells sadly, but I'm partial to sunlight! =O). They're rickety and spiny gears, gears that are all out of shape and proportion, but just slightly - good enough to make it turn, not enough good to make good contact. Anyway, when my mind slipped for those ten minutes, I imagined my gears rolled backwards - mentally literally. Gosh. And for those ten minutes, it went forward and backward, jammed on something while other gears that make contact at all spun freely. >__> Wonder if they're a good brain gear technician around? I suppose that's also in the department of Mr. Sandman somehow. =)

...And literally right into my room. At first it just laid there, and blended in with the lumpy carpet as a one of several black dirt marks scattered on my floor. Then it started moving. The way the legs just hoised its huge butt of a body aloft with its spiny tapered legs rang alarm bells in my head. I rushed to the kitchen to find my landlord. "Hey, would you mind doing me a BIG favor?" "what?" "There's a black widow in my room. Mind helping me catch it?" "Holy shit, you want me to catch it?" "Oh, NO, like kill it or something" "Oh, phew, sure."
After a moment of scrounging in the garage, my landlord came back with some potent bug spray. "Show me where it is"
----

"Where is it?"
"Right there, by the heater"
"Oh, ohh wow, no kidding. This is really powerful stuff. It kills anything"
Spray, spray.
"I think it was already dying."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's not moving at all"
"...."
"Well, even if it does, the poison will kill it"
"Okay thanks so much"
"No problem"

The black widow got a water burial, though I thought afterward that the environment won't be too happy with that.

Words and scenes that describe January 1, 2009


-rainbow cloud over toronto
-Tonawada, Niagara
-woman driving with her dog in lap
-9:11AM at the Lewiston border
-"Happy New Year!" :)
-morning accidents
-Dixie Outlet Mall
-Burlington -> Brantford!
-Buffalo is lacking real buffalos
-Cheetowaka, Lackawanna


Words and scenes that describe January 4 onwards, 2009

-the "Mall"white house, the congress building, washington tower
-polite, but less than kind
-korean food at Lotte - awesome
-graffiti galore      "PEAR"  "SUMOE" "CAVE"
-free admission to the "MALL" museums on weekends
-storyboard "Walk to the Mall", accompanied by The Nightmare Before Christmas theme
-Best Western - best empty
-free newspaper - The Examiner vs. Express
-Boss - profanity man - awesome mentor - very chill
-Workplace - stepping into the earth science department
-feels like springs around the corner
-"STAAHP REQUESTED."
-"thisisthelaststopsilverspringpleasedon'tboardthetraindon'tboardthetrainthisisthesilverspringthelaststopthetrainisoutofservicepleasedon'tboardthetrain..."

I always thought that place was an Italian restaurant. You know, Caesar, Romans, Roma, Italia! So yea, I dragged myself there in the slushy snow on Saturday night because a friend of mine was celebrating her birthday there. I wasn't one of her close friends, but it was nice of her to invite me, so I went. My friend told me to dress somewhat formally, and I complied, thinking that dressing like myself wouldn't befit a little classy restaurant like Caesar's. I wore a white bubble dress with 3/4 sleeves that was dappled with little citizenry koala bears running amok at the dress's lower hem. I jabbed my feet into my boots, decked on my long coat, and headed out.

When I got to the entrance, I was stopped by two "bouncers" that asked for my ID and an entrance fee of $3. "What? That's ridiculous!! What kind of restaurant would ask for an entrance fee? The answer? A BAR.

Good Lord.

It was my friend's birthday, so she wanted to celebrate it in a bar. Alright. Well, the room certainly had the right amenities: dim lights, a stretch of dance floor leading to a DJ, a liquor bar, and individual lounge chairs. There weren't alot of people there at first, just a couple, and when the birthday girl led me to the table, everyone was just chilling and sipping drinks. When I asked some of them about this place, they honestly told me they're also pretty green at this. I got to get a little closer to people I would have never talked to at school. I tried a kinky little drink called Sex on the Beach. I danced and watched people act like earthy nymphs. It was an interesting experience.

Yes, I like gothic visual kei music. I like darkwave. I like a lot of music that aren't part of the trend here. It doesn't matter that I can't make out any of the words that they're saying (well sometimes I'll look up the lyrics and some of them acutally hold deep meanings, better than today's stuff you hear on the radio) but I find the melodies much more ear-attracting to listen to than today's run-of-the-mill boy bands, rap, and breakup/makeup love songs. I'm so sick of love songs, so tired of tears. Oops, slipped a little Ne-yo in there.

I find that visual kei bands are very creative. Everything about them, not just their songs, are to appeal to the audience. AND each group is unique that they express themselves differently.They dedicate a alot to their music you can know. Whether popular or not, they are real artists. I like how each band have a different concept of "goth" and incorporates various bits of historic western culture with punk, rock, whatever other genre they aim for.

But of course not all VK bands make it up to the high pedestal... sadly, some can be like your one-hit-wonder boy bands and then their songs get repetitive, they just don't hold on to their charm long enough you know? They come and go like seasons, but some are good enough to keep you waiting for their next single and album... It depends on what perks your ears, I suppose.

I also like Indie and alternative music... but that's another thing for another ranting time...


dum dum dum I think I'll turn this into a rantbox =) hurray.