Look upwards...The sky ain't falling anytime soon

Food in Melbourne and Sydney

2011-01-30T21:44:00.035+11:00

What's in this post (in order of visit):
1. Koko Black Cafes and Chocolate: http://www.kokoblack.com/
2. Alcohol
3. Sofitel No. 35 : http://www.no35.com.au/
4. Orita's Japanse Fusion Cuisine : http://www.oritas.com.au/
5. Crown's Kitchen Workshop: http://www.crowncasino.com.au/kitchen-workshop
6. A cake from a Cafe in Melbourne. Forgot name.
7. Shoya Melbourne: http://www.shoya.com.au/
8. Yumei Japanese Restaurant (Sydney): http://www.yumei.com.au/

1. KokoBlack: I.e. Lisa's absolute favourite dark chocolate. Every other brand, she eats begrudingly when she's peckish.

The hot choc. I would've uploaded iced choc but it looked disturing after my sister was through with it.

There's a funny story about the 6 blocks of 73% Dark Chocolate KokoBlack bars i ended up with. I'd been whining about wanting to go KokoBlack to up my stock. The result was that my mum, my uncle, and my aunt all separately bought two bars for me without each other knowing. Oops. *Loves* :)

2. Alcohol

The champagne that I had on NYE. My favourite so far. Experimented with different alcohols and have come to the conclusion I am fond of sweet alcohols. So sweet varieties of champagne and white wine. Sake is at the bottom of my list x.x

3. Sofitel No. 35: So named for being on the 35th floor of the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne. Only took photos of some of the desserts because its an all you can eat, and taking photos of my horrifically stacked dish would be embarassing. Personally, I think it is overpriced (80$/head) and overrated. I didn't find anything special about the food. However, the restaurant itself is pretty, and the view on the side with the ocean is spectacular according to my aunt.

4. Orita's Japanese Fusion Cuisine: Modern twist to Japanese Cuisine. There's a missing photo of the appetiser. Simple presentation but tastes nice. Unfortunately, after eating at Shoya, all other Japanese fine dining pales in comparison.

5. Crown's Workshop Kitchen: I neglected to take photos oops. Just visit the site. It was pretty good price for an all you can eat. But they were stingy with the seafood. Need to redeem seafood with a voucher (1 per customer). In comparison, seafood at garden buffet at Star City is unlimited, and theres a bigger variety of food there. So yeah.

But it was impressive when sunset came and all the blinds covering the windows at the side came up automatically.

6. Random Cafe: Melbourne has a leisurely lifestyle from what I see. Cafes everywhere, lots of scattered dining places, small winding European-esque streets. It's a very relaxed lifestyle. Enjoyment of food is an art it seems. You finish eating at one place, and then off you go to a nearby cafe for a drink.

7. Shoya: The best Japanese food I've ever had (including the food I've had in Japan). Maybe cause there was so much variety in one set meal, so perhaps I should be saying best Japanese dining experience. We spent over 2 hours here I believe. There's a missing beef tataki photo >.<>

The waitress and waiters explain what every dish is when they serve it. Unfortunately, I tuned out sometimes. Can't rant enough about this place o.o

Price: We got two set meals at lunch. One was 39$, which was the most expensive lunch set. We got all listed below (except that the ice ball which was a modification to the order, and the beet tataki which was a separate entree). Besides the 2 mains which are both shown, everything else was doubled because most of the sets were the same. I think....that it is really good in every way.

This is smoked salmon with truffle and a whole array of other things. Unique and delicious taste. (Though I admit I picked out the wasabi cubes).

Some cocktail. I wanted sweet. It was too sweet.

Truffle and egg mix

This...was awesome. I wanted to carry the ice ball home.

Quail egg and mushrooms with lemon? pepper. Surprisingly nice.

The waitress is in the background explaining the dishes.

Yeh, the outside greenery looks a bit too green. But it was really nice with the beef (medium).

The legs of some monster crab from Hokkaido

Well done beef and chicken main. I am normally really against well done beef but it was still very juicy :)

Mini udon (avoided by moi, the udon hater) and my cousin in the background :D

Dessert. The closest is sea urchin cheesecake o_0 Tasted like normal cheesecake. Green Tea Ice cream

8. Yumei Restaurant

Found in the Capitol building where everyone likes taking sticker photos. Some dishes are expensive, but otherwise, the food me and Jamie had was nice. Forgot to take photo of Jamie's udon before she devoured it.

Seafood salad

Japan

2010-12-23T22:49:00.012+11:00

Some select photos of Japan trip =D

Miyajima

Eg of how Laurence likes getting into every shot :) . (Theres many more egs that I shan't upload.)

Experimenting on the ferry to Miyajima

Shukkei-en

I love these guys.

Hosokawa/Gyobu Mansion

Raw Horse Meat

Chabana in Kyoto

Nara

Accomodation in Kyoto (Girls room). There's a suite part which I did not photograph. (Why would you want to see a bathroom and toilet?)

Kinkakuji

A quick jot down of Japan trip before I go to Melbourne and completely forget about everything. (Editted on 30/1/11).
Participants -> Me, Wendy, Angela, Jenny, Adam, David, Hanson, Laurence. <3>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

6th - Plane left Sydney at 10:30pm or thereabouts. Sat next to the crackhead for 9.5 hours. Our entertainment system didn't work, but because of that me and Wendy got $50 vouchers to spend on the inflight shopping :) I.e. We started shopping over the ocean, before we even landed.

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7th - Land at Narita Airport ----- >Hiroshima (Reino Inn).

The inn was simple but very clean and comfortable living. I got the unfoldable couch to myself most nights except when Jenny fell asleep on it and I was with Angela instead. Angela rolled over at one point and hit me XD.

Okonomiyaki for dinner, at a place with a lot of okonomiyaki restaurants. Couldn't taste it because I was sick and stayed sick for around the next week. It was cold. Very frigid, drizzling rain, cold.
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8th - Ferried it to Miyajima. Spent all day there. They had a lot of very traditional streets and restaurants (oysters seemed to be famous here or something because all the restaurants had them). Played a memory game in the restaurant whereby Laurence failed pretty badly =D.

...and then I failed to climb Mt Misen T_T".

Had some awesome ramen for dinner, in a little shop complete with sliding door and all (so cute). It was cooked in individual bowls and everything was added into it as it was cooking over the fire. Then the whole lot was lifted off and served like that in the same bowl. The best ramen imo on the Japan trip :)
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9th - Hiroshima Peace Museum. Very...enlightening isn't quite the word. Informative. Didn't go through the end part of museum because it was depressing. The couch out the back was much more appealing (I do seem to have a thing for couches). This was also the coldest day of the trip I can remember x.x

Shukkei-en (Garden). Very fun, very large, and very beautiful Japanese garden. ~~Just imagine 8 grown people going crazy cause they almost had the whole place to themselves~~. It had all the big and mini bridges over a very reflective large pond, those mini wooden pagodas where you have to take your shoes off before going in, and of course, all the plants and trees. There was surprisingly still a lot even though it was Winter. Some of the trees were wrapped up beacuse it was cold. ~~We also made a documentary. Please refer to the video on David's video recorder.~~

At night, me and Wendy ~~almost~~ got locked out of the inn since she was using the payphone outisde, and I was her translator/runner to the convenience store so that we could up a supply of 100 yen coins for the machine. (Inn reception closed at 10). Ended up bashing on the glass door until lady came around to the other entrance to let us in.

Consequent adrenaline rush back in room lead to me establishing that David is my pet cow, and Angela establishing that I am a din por.

Interlude: I hereby proclaim my love for Japan's convenience stores, and sadness that there's none like them in Australia. I miss eating onigiri every morning. So many flavours, so little time.

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10th- Hiroshima -----> Kumamoto (Dyeing and Hostel Nakashimaya).
Hostel was really traditional and nice. The common room was homely. This hostel had the best atmosphere out of all of them, and I really liked the rooftop. The stairs leading up to the roof were creepy, but up there (especially at night), you could see so much of the city and the sky was so clear. It was windy every time, so twas very refreshing feeling being up there. The wooden halls in the hostel were lit by automatic lights that came on when you step out of your room and start walking. So cool :3 And the flower displays, goldfish, random framed art and stuff everywhere just made it that much more adorable *hearts*. Oh. And switching peoples lights off while they were showering was easy cause switches were outside. Turning ~~someone~~ them on was so much harder.

We shopped at a nearby street and the first thing you see when you enter the main street is this huge pachinko building, and you hear all the 'bings' and 'dings'. x.x I dragged Angela with me to Animate where I spent a small fortune on drawing materials. To my dismay, I was told there was no SasuNaru doujinshis.

Ramen dinner

:::::WHY DID 2 DAYS DISAPPEAR?!?! Stupid blogger edit D: *Reconstructs 11th and 12th from a failing memory* :::::::::

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11th -

Kumamoto Castle and Hosokawa/Gyobu Mansion. Kumamoto castle was alrght. Was a drizzling day and theres a crazy steep ramp that I thought I would stack it up. Now. Hosokawa mansion I fell in love with. It was gorgeous. It's not mansion as in a huge, luxurious building, but the dwelling of a feudal lord from ages back. I took more photos in there than anywhere else I think, and my favourite photo was also snapped there. (Caught Hanson when he was sitting unsuspectingly on the Engawa - wooden extension part of Japanese House that overlooks the garden. The picture looks like its glowing and its just so calm *spazzes*).

Ate fast food for lunch.

Back at the hostel, we ate raw horse meat (except for Wendy, on whom I got to test my cullinary skills ;) ).

...argh, I can't remember what happened at night. *Slaps blogger*. Only that we went back to the street with Animate.

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12th - Kumamoto ----->Osaka (Hotel Chuo). The only hotel where we were in pairs in rooms rather than in fours. Fours was more lively and more potential for idiotic happenings :)

Shopping *drool* with my fabulous shopping partner, Angela :D

Dinner at an Italian (I think) place.

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13th- Universal Studios. *Speechless*. I was coaxed onto the big rollercoaster a first time because Wendy lead me to believe we were just doing a simulation before the actual thing. She lied. It was the actual thing. She spent the ride laughing at me while I spent it screaming. Apparently, Adam was laughing at Hanson who was screaming in the row in front. Yay for not being alone. (Was later dragged on another 2 times).

The Jurassic water ride was wet. The rain pouring down was wet. The water under the boat was wet. The streams spraying from the dinosaurs were wet. And most of all, the big drop at the end was wet. Adam dodged the blast of water when the end drop happened, and I got the blast. Us girls headed off to the toilets, where we discovered our asses were too big to fit in the hand dryer.

Went on a LOT of rides. A facepalmworthy one was where Laurence screamed fit to scare all the kids on the mini rollercoaster for kids. It was in a huge tent, so I'm pretty sure everyone in there heard him screaming. the. whole. ride. long.

Did I mention it was raining all day and night? Going on the rollercoaster at night felt like getting hit with rocks.

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14th- Osaka ---> Kyoto (Kyoto Ryokan Style Guesthouse Budget Inn). Was of Japanese styled suites. TV on the wall in rooms *drool*. Me and Wendy learnt off the beauty channel that its good to slap your face every morning a hundred times. This part of the trip was when we started getting lazy ^^; Waking up late, staying up late, escalating snacking tendncies on my part, etc.

And then we went to Nara, where we aquainted ourselves with the deer. Had lunch walking up to the temples and everything, and also had my favourite snack of the trip. GREEN TEA MOCHI WITH RED BEAN FILLING!!!! Completely different to packaged mochi, it was soft and chewy and warm, floury on the outside and liquidly sweet and textured on the inside and just righttttttttttt. If it wasn't perishable, I would have bought a months supply. But alas, it has to be eaten on the day its made, that's how fresh it was.

Teppanyaki dinner at Chabana~ Budget and yummy.
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15th - Kinkakuji. Laurence couldn't believe he paid to go in and walk a circle in a garden with a temple haha. Tbh, it was more boring than I expected given all the talk, and we got it over with in a couple of hours.

Fushimi Inari Shrine (zomg, another damn mountain which I couldn't climb). The place is filled with all these red tori gates. The whole mountain is covered with them. Wendy's camera has a GPS system or something and it insisted that we were in a cemetery when we were making our way up the mountain, all alone and trapped in a trail of tori gates. We peered between the tori gates and looked around. It kinda did look like a cemetary.

Arashiyama for the Hanatoro: lights festival happening there. The lights were anti-climatic (my bad ^^;), but I guess the whole countryside scenery, bamboo forest and walking through traditional Japanese streets at night was an experience. There was a vendor with cooked green tea mochi =O Yummy. Dinner was at a noodles + donburi restaurant. I don't like udon. There was a painting hanging on the wall above our table at this place. I can't remember what it was SUPPOSED to depict, but I didn't see anything work/child-safe HAHAHA. Wendy probably remembers what it was. Anyway, girls were sitting separately to guys at other end of restaurant cause there weren't seats together, and the guys were just saying how it was quiet and then suddenly, us girls were exploding into laughter. Oops.

(Back at the inn). An interestingly drunken night which had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with a series of luvo photos that started it all. How does David come into this? He was supposed to come and ask a question. He ended up opening the door to our room and staring in horror at the three manic (cause I certainly wasn't) girls with palm tree hair. Blackmail material was created afterwards. I went to sleep at some point and the next thing I knew when I woke up, three of teh guys were in our room and I was staring a bit too closely at Laurence (who'd stolen Wendy's futon, i.e. the one next to mine.) I was pretty damn disorientated and confused. Ended up joining in the games though. I got stepped on probably three times by everyone walking around and not knowing when people were under futons.
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16th - Kiyomizudera temple. I got my 2nd bad luck fortune. First was at...err...I can't remember. Actually, they transitioned. First was uber bad luck, second was the end of good luck, and third was extreme good luck. >.>

Nishiki Market. Huge food market o.o Had tofu donuts.

Shopping at Teramachi and Shinkogyoku (or something like that). Quite liked this stretch of shops.

Gion --> As we were crossing a large bridge, we suddenly sighted Geishas through the distant windows of a restaurant overlooking the river. We then stalked said Geishas to Pontocho, where the restaurant entrance was. We looked at the price of the food and gave up XD.

Dinner at a Fujiya. Yum.
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17th - Kyoto ----> Tokyo (Khaosan Kabuki in Asakusa)
At some point in Tokyo, I established that David is also a peach.
*Mind blank about first day*

Shopping at Ueno.
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18th - Ghibli Museum. Really, really, uber, wonderful, AMAZINGNESS. Spent quite a bit somehow. Bought lil keyrings, a soundtrack, a book, postcards.

Sunshine City ---> We started out in the supposedly amazing shopping mall. We all ended up leaving it at some point cause there was nada. Haha.

Shinjuku. I really honestly cannot remember what was there. It MIGHT have been the place where there was all these ultra expensive department stores. Hmm. Yeah. That sounds about right. Actually. I swear that was after Harajuku. ...I don't remember.
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19th - Harajuku (pizza lunch). Where I did most of my shopping. Most things are rather pricey, but then again, most shops have a few really nice bargains =D Forever 21 became my new best friend. Half my clothes shopping on the trip was from there. Wendy and Jenny actually spent the whole alotted shopping time in there o__0 The whole 2 and a bit hours. And me and angela thought WE were bad. We only made it halfway down the shopping street stretch.

We went Shibuya and had sticker photos with just the girls. Guys are banned from sticker photos in some places. ;D The guys actually weren't with us at all because we stayed in Harajuku after lunch, whilst they skipped to Shibuya first. I can't remember how we met back up with them. Might have been back at the hostel.

Dinner back at Asakusa.
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20th - We woke up very late and ate tsukemen for breakfast.

What happened at lunch is beyond this particular goldfish's memory.

Shibuya again at night, where I went to Mandarake and bought more SasuNaru BL. *rofl: Mandarake can be translated as covered in man. Hoho.* David accompanied me into Mandarake (I can imagine the awkwardness I put him through ^^) and was helping me hold SasuNaru while I flipped through every single SasuNaru doujinshi on the shelves. All three shelves bwahaha. I wish I bought more :( Like...I could sell the doujin I bought from Mandarake on Ebay for 300% of original price. And there was so many!!!!!! ... I just thought they'd be too heavy :( (And I was right -- My luggage was overweight XD)
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21st -Hanson's bday! He never suspected that 2 mysterious disappearances would result in an additional 100 calories or so for everyone.

Sushi train breakfast. So nice. Most expensive meal all trip, since we were living off convenience store brekkies and other budget places. I avoided a lot of dishes though, cause the wasabi was hidden in them >.<>.>. But then again, that photo looks different to the Animate we saw. Grumble. Well if anyone wants maid cafes and shops which I suspect have pornographic material, you'll just have to figure out where this place is XD.

By this point of the trip, I had developed a definite takoyaki addiction which still isn't gone.

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22nd - Woke at 4:55am. Trained it to airport. Parted with the others at 8 something. [ :( ]. Hung around airport until check-in opened at 5pm (damn you Qantas), hung around outside gate for another 2 ish hours reading my doujinshi and snacking on pocky + my last onigiri + a delightful peach and mango drink.

Plane flew at approx 8pm Japan time.
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23rd - Landed at Kingsford Airport at 7:34am Australian time.
The beagle at quarantine decided it would like to come back to my handbag a second time and slobber all over it. I only had green tea candies and pocky. I swear :)

QUAY Restaurant: Home of the Snow Egg as featured on Masterchef

2010-12-03T21:44:00.024+11:00

Quay restaurant. We went today as a treat from my uncle and aunt who are visiting from Melbourne :)

Service and atmosphere was great. Their food was great. The view was great. The price tag...umm, it was actually pretty good, I think, for what we got, because Quay definitely trumped any other restaurant I've been too. And it was also really, really relaxing for me. I've never spent 3 hours having lunch before. It was a nice way to spend time.

No, not alcohol :P Sparkling mineral water.

Appetizer. My horrible photography before I changed camera settings.

I think this is the smoked eel entree.

My entree. Sea pearls. The one with the silver and flowers was my favourite. So nice, really different interesting flavour o.o (Not to mention pretty).

Quail entree.

Free range chicken main.

Angus beef main. I liked this one better than the chicken one even though that was prettier.

Aunt's dessert order. It was...really sweet.

BEHOLD, ZE SNOW EGG!!!!!! NECTARINE FLAVOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The one on Masterchef was guava flavour. A review I read was about jackfruit flavour. Menu seems to change every season).

I think that if we had come another season when it wasn't nectarine flavour, I wouldn't have liked it so much because the egg itself had a weirdly sticky and hard shell at the same time. But because I'm a freak about peaches and nectarines are close enough, I really liked it.....

...especially after it was cracked open and all the cold, not-too-sweet-but-just-right goodness mixed together. Whatever the creamy thing at the bottom of the glass was, it was yummy.

8 textured chocolate cake. You know how I said the other one was sweet? Well. This one was x.x Way too sweet for me. Didn't really enjoy this one. I actually think dessert was the least impressive out of the 3 courses :/

But, everything was really well presented, and on a relative basis, there is nothing for me to criticise. Well. There are slight things on a standalone basis, but I think I'm just looking for issues now. With the 8 texture chocolate cake, they poured on the last texture when they served it, and the cake kind of just melted in on itself in the centre. Very pretty.

Aunt's coffee.

Pralines/guylians? Something like that. I wasn't paying attention when the waitress explained. Was too busy being immature. Spent a bit of time making faces at my baby cousin. Ngaw. She's so cute. Also really hard to hang onto. Even a baby can step all over me XD Says a lot about me.

Me and sis. See the prettier one? Yeh. That's my sis. See, I didn't burn her hair off when I curled it for her formal last night >] *Feels accomplished*.

This is a random thing we saw in the city. Watched him colour girls hair and start on the horse. Was really cool o.o Bought an adidas hoodie!!! *Huggles jamie for informing me of 40% off sale*.

I had a great day. And it would have been perfect if not for QANTAs phoning me up. It was kind of like, we are giving you the option to change your flight, and it's completely your choice, but if you don't do it, we do not guarantee you can get on this flight. That's like a shop assistant saying, oh, you can pay for this product, but there's no guarantee it'll work/you'll ever get it. *Waves hands in frustration*. What idiotic service. In complete contrast to Quay.

I want to get married at Quay. LOLOLOL.

やばい！

2010-11-05T23:12:00.004+11:00

たった今はすごくたいへん悪いことを思い知った！高校を卒業して以来、真面目に日本語の一文も組立てなかった！その上、日本語能力試験をもうじき受ける！やばい。いまでもちゃんと文を組み立てられない。恥ずかしい～～　＞。＜

もっと勉強をしなければならない！。。。だって、どこから始まるかわからない。たくさん。。。
ｘ。ｘ　。。。寝る。

お休み。下は私の最新の落書き。暗部のサスケちゃん！ピエロという人にえいきょうされたけど、ぴえろの絵に比べたら、私のはちょっと。。。

Title: Girl

2010-10-11T23:29:00.006+11:00

The background took 3 minutes, and I like it more than the rest of the picture =.="

Wanted to practise colouring anime, so dug up some linart I did...months ago.

Time taken for colour: I think 5 hours.

Programs: Sai for most of it, photoshop cs2 for some cropping, hues, and a weirdo brush.

I can see many problems with the pic. Too many to list T_T" Buh oh well.

10/10/10

2010-10-10T22:22:00.002+11:00

It's 10/10/10.
.
.
.
It's also Naruto Uzumaki's 17th birthday. HAHAHA. Ha. Have finance tomorrow, so can't do it now, but have every intention of filling this post up with sketchy fanart when I'm free. Which is why I made this post. ...Cause I'd kick myself for missing such a special date XD

The Wizard of Oz

2010-09-28T22:41:00.005+10:00

VERSUS

Status: Incomplete and staying that way.

Time taken: A very embarassing number that lies between 5 and 10 hours.

Program used: Paint tool sai <---Yay! First time painting using paint tool sai. I like :3 For the most part.

Demonic Snow Drag Queen

2010-06-19T20:32:00.002+10:00

Named by Adam. No, the crown is not horns or fingers or whatever else you think it is T_T" Had Hans Christian Anderson's 'The Snow Queen' in mind when I started, buh it just didn't work out. There's suppose to be a lot more happening :(

Time taken: Too long (6 hours)

Program: Photoshop CS2

What I've learnt: I ain't touching realistic for a looooooooooooong time after this.

My Study Music

2010-06-12T17:05:00.002+10:00

I love this. The guy altered the original version from the anime and its so pro o.o Study music~ X)

MSN Scribble

2010-06-08T22:18:00.002+10:00

Jamie's convo ~~is trying to make me study~~ is mean and won't let me draw in it, so I used Adam's one XP. Random scribble. Obviously I'm sleepy and have had enough of reading the micro textbook.

Presenting the next dropou -- I mean, Idol X)

2010-06-07T22:33:00.003+10:00

The story is, everytime i listened to the chorus of doushite kimi wo suki ni natteshimattandarou by Tohoshinki (breath), I would be reminded of The Lion King. Why? Cause the 'doooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuushiteeeeee' matches up with the 'caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan you feeeeeel the looooooooooooooove' part. *facepalms*. So yes. Now I can't listen to someone saying 'doushite' with a straight face. Thnx Wendy and David. x.x

The Lost Thing

2010-06-07T21:15:00.001+10:00

Exams start in...4 days.

HOLY, 4 DAYS?!??!

Ahem. I didn't realise that until I counted just then. x.x Uh oh. And here I was looking up funky stuff like I was on break already. Funky stuff being tutorials and random youtube videos. Does Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing ring a bell for anyone? It was a popular choice for a belonging related text last year. I'm strangely excited that an animated version is out...somewhere. I'll figure out where it is after ~~impending doom~~ exams are over.

Gaaaaah.

Landscape art!

2010-05-29T22:02:00.004+10:00

On the seventh day, the sky was dusted grey and white in a way that touched the skyscrapers. The streets were silent, as though everyone knew today was when it would finally snow.

It came in the afternoon when restaurants and shops were emptied in favour of retreating to the warmth of homes. When the first, ostensibly soft cotton of white touched earth, others began to follow loyally. The streets were deserted. They took over...

March, onwards ---

And with their advance came our retreat, because despite the illusion of white, the deceptive smoothness, the tranquility that hinted at the chambers they'd been formed from, right beneath the most endeavoured for home...

...We were not of their endeared subjects. The asphalt was powdered white. The wires swung lethargically where below, the world was glowing. Such a pity that no one else could see, except for a single other man with his black umbrella.

Oh how he fought to stay on the street, and as though rising to his challenge the wind blew against him, against he that ever thought he could ignore such a declaration of peace. If he would not take the offering, then there was nothing for it.

And so the last man surrendered, escaping into the confines of the corner shop. Victorious but modest, the snow continued its fall, painting Shanghai and its antique world.

Aloha everyone. I decided to test a style of painting I discovered yesterday on youtube when I was supposed to be doing management. If you bothered to read the mini plot bunny above, you'll see the piece was influenced by the time I spent in Shanghai's winter scene.

Time taken: Bit less than 3 hours.

Program used: Photoshop CS2.

Must really work more with my imagination sigh T_T It is devoid of anything remotely exciting in terms of drawing. x.x

Print screen of what I had around an hour in ----^

Timetable

2010-05-26T23:02:00.002+10:00

Macro and finance tut on same day, and acct and marketing tut on same day. dot dot dot.

Sem 2 Timetable

2010-05-22T23:46:00.002+10:00

Or what I want it to be, so long as rabid students don't fill up all the spaces at the crack of whenever enrolment opens. x.x

Join meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

FIN1613- Lec: 2-4 Wed, Tut: 10-11 Thurs
LEGT1710- Lec: 5-7 Thu (x.x), Tut: 12-1 Wed
Mark1012- Lec: 9:30-11 Mon, Tut: 12-1:30 Thurs
ACCT1511- Lec: 9-11 Wed (most proli wun be attending). Tut: Monday sometime.

Glug glug glug. What an ugly timetable. At least its only 3 days.

Tick Tock X)

2010-05-22T16:55:00.004+10:00

Above is coloured version of lineart from last post. Below is me being stupid. ;)

So. Unfortunately ~~or fortunately~~, time keeps marching on. *Insert random rabbit*. Cause thanks to Alice in Wonderland, I permanently think rabbits when I see pocket watches.

I miss the days when the biggest worry I had was school. Cause although a whole new level of annoying on its own, uni is nothing compared to the fear of what will come after. Or what won't come after.

Uni is not for fun or wtv. People go for a degree that will give them better job prospects. To someone unsure of what career they would be happy with, it is a bummer. However, I do know that I'd desire a job with variety and with interesting people. Mum said it sounds like I'd wanna be a scientist chasing monkeys through the mountains >.>" Just...no.

Smart =/= interesting, interestingly enough. Well. I suppose insightful, passionate people are the best people to talk with cause they seem so genuinely wonderful that it makes you want to see it their way too.

*Blinks*. I'll stop rambling. Future is scary. /Rant.

Long time no blog

2010-05-20T19:07:00.008+10:00

Blogging some ~~random crap~~ digital art ive done today. Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, I am merely the bandwagon jumper. I am desiring bludging. ~~I hate lineart as much as ever. *crY*.~~

Edit: See that pic down there kiddies? ZOMG, I FINALLY GOT FREAKING PHOTOSHOP TO WORK WITH MY TABLET PRESSURE! Bahahaha! So anywho. Time taken on pic below: 1 minute. Time taken figuring out how to get those lines:A few years, give or take.

Behold 'tropical kiss' from Sushi Rio in city. Sushi Rio is now my favourite sushi train X) Tis affordable too. Go go go!

Location: Shop 7, 339 Sussex street. For those who are better with landmarks, its the one across the road from regal restaurant on the corner/next to the korean bbq place. It's also a few shops down from riveria. x.x

I finished my last project for the sem yesterday! *Celebrates* X) What courses to pick next sem........................? x.x Uni is starting to look unbearable for another 4 and a half years even though it seems to go really quick =/

Nothing deep. Nothing insightful to say. *Chirps unhappily* :(

Where the plot bunnies roam

2010-03-27T15:22:00.008+11:00

(Stolen off Livejournal/Adam)
Mood: ~~Drugged by smoke~~ Sleepy

Ear Candy: Fairytale by Kalafina

Eye Candy: 'Flower Art' Naruto Doujinshi

Current obssession (besides the permanent one): Plot bunnies! >=D

Current bane: Everest simulation STILL, plus accounting.

So there is a lingering scent of bushfire-like burning in the air (might be my brain cells) and tis putting me off homework. Not that I do much anyway, but...

As ever, I am dabbling in forums and...stuff on the weekend :) Ngawww...isn't the art in the doujin so pretty~~

Anyway, let me introduce you all to a ~~friend~~ concept not very much indulged in in the real world. You see, there exists dust bunnies, but then there are also those things online writers like to call plot bunnies. Many ~~fanfiction~~ writers will find that sometimes, the most ridiculous things that happen to them in real life can be transposed into a story. The most impressive stretch of the mind I've seen is a plot bunny created from a nightmare, then yaoi-ised. o_o Seriously...nothing is safe from fangirls attempts to yaoi-ise it! >=D

Plot bunnies are both good and bad. Some, ~~the ones from hell~~, latch on and sink their teeth in until you give up trying to swing them off and have no choice but to write out the story.

The good ones lie sleeping in the back of your mind until such time as you need them X) ~~Plot bunnies breed extremely quickly though,~~ so sometimes they pose an extremely bad distraction.

Sadly, plot bunnies don't plague me as much as they used to before university started. I'm taking it as a sign that I'm maturing (cough) and losing what creativity I had through high school. Pity. I'll miss them.

Gurgle

2010-03-23T21:01:00.003+11:00

Mood: Frazzled. THANKS, Adam. *Glare*
Music: Stereo Love, amongst other things. *Smirks*
Bane of life: Mgmt Everest Simulation.
Joy of life: Choices, choices. If only.

I am now 18. I can now post stuff which is more befitting to an 18 year old mind. ~~Cause I so didn't think that way before.~~ Ahem.

Actually. Nothing much on my mind really, even though David and Wendy insist it is really corrupted. ~~Can't imagine why.~~ Only the term 'Freudian slip' which i learnt from a less than innocent line. That line was 'get on your hands and knees and beg'. Figure out what a Freudian slip is and you'll see ;)

I need a new blog layout :/ gimmeh. Everyone's updating their blogs but I'm staying an old conservative woman T_T Stats test tomorrow which i have flatout refused to study for on the basis that when i burn and die it will encourage me to study for micro on friday. Wheeeee.

Need to find work......................................................

Uni: Week 1

2010-03-05T19:55:00.007+11:00

Click to see my ~~lovely~~ timetable.

So far I've found university life pretty enjoyable despite the early mornings and time spent in transit. Well, except for what happened with the arts department T_T I changed my timetable after dropping mandarin chinese. I wanted to talk to the lecturer about it beforehand but ten flights of stairs later only to knock on an empty office door, I chucked that idea out the window and picked up the wonderfully -cough- reputed 'business and economic statistics' instead. Which is why I end up with quite the disgusting timetable with a 5 day week where three days im only going for one hour >.<>
On Wednesday I did several things. Firstly was did volunteer work at Japan Foundation from 10 to 4. I showed up an hour early. I was assuming i'd get lost X.X Anyway, twas quite an enjoyable experience, had a really cool knowledgeable partner and could work a bit on my nonexistent verbal communication skills. The work was helping out mind the photos for an exhibition they were holding and give information/talk to visitors if needed. We got 45 visitors (we did a tally XD), including a guy from ABC who tried to film me but then his camera malfunctioned and I'm hoping it didn't get me, god i'm so nice >.<>.> But seriously, stayed at anime one from 6-8:30 and it was GOOD. o_0 They had a bbq, general chitchat, perverted jokes from the leaders, much shouting, pictionary and trivia before we left. It was very very lively and well organised imo :)
Today I had management lecture. The law theatre is pretty. The audio system killed my ears in that there was a high pitched buzz the whole time which disproved my initial theory that i was slowly going deaf. Yay. Homework is starting to worry me.
First post in ages :3 Get blogging peeps. Or go livejournal. Do something. D: Write me a story perhaps? ^^; Pwwwwwwwwz????

Japanese Movie Marathon

2010-02-03T22:40:00.002+11:00

Yaya, okay, so today 6 of us invaded Adam's apartment, bringing it to 7 people to cook and enjoy Japanese film X) Travelled from Panania station with Jamie dear after lounging in Gloria Jeans for quite awhile. Burnt tongue on hot chocolate and discovered Tim Tam GJ tastes pretty nice.

We watched 'gravity clowns', 'homeless student' and 5 minutes of 'one missed call'. I didn't even need to watch one missed call to get freaked, the elevator to adam's floor did that =.=" It's got mirrors on either side and when you look into one side you see things get tinged by this eerie green hue, getting smaller and smaller as it gets reflected over and over. It's haunted o_o

So...in matters of cooking, surprisingly, we did damn well XD Bought three pizza bases and topped them up with chicken, salami, pineapple, cheese, peppercorn...wait. not that. Whats that red thing called? cornupper? capsicum? i think capsicum >.> Haha. For the rest of the time though, Adam would chase us out of the kitchen at knife point =.=

Sidenote, I put a name to a childhood love: Hans Christian Anderson. Omg, his fairytales. *Hearts*.

UNSW outing tomorrow~

NTS

2010-01-29T14:36:00.002+11:00

April 23rd Friday, 10:30am.

Someone please remind me before this date, I already forgot an appointment and forgetting this one may as well equal $10K down the drain.

Shippuden Ending #12 'FOR YOU by AZU'

2010-01-19T15:42:00.009+11:00

A translation and romanji (cause I feel like it). Japanese sounds so lyrical compared to English = ::::::::

Here are the answers to the paths

you've picked up till now.

See, it's good to keep going on with your self confidence,

and to so naturally after the rain,

cross the rainbow like a bridge over the asphalt.

A lonely wind blows.

I notice this feeling.

There's no answer anywhere but

call me, because I understand.

With you, love is always

something we can both attain.

-For you-

Because you'll definitely

be able to fly these skies one day,

no matter how many times you fall, for you

there is only one important thing --

what you see in your dreams.

Only our hearts remains without being closed.

So...hard....*falls*

Koko ni aru no wa, kimi ga ima made eranda michi no

kotaetachi yo, hora jishin motte susumeba ii.

totemo shizen nano ame agari no

asupharuto ni niji ga kakaru you ni

Lonely kaze ga fuite

Feeling kizu ga tsuitayo

Kotae wa doko ni mo nai kedo

Call me wakatteiru wa

With you ai wa itsumo

atae au mono

For You

kitto kimi wa itsu no hi ka

kono sora wo toberu hazu dakara

nando-tsu mazui tato shitemo For You

taisetsuna koto wa hitotsu yume miru koto

kokoro dake wa tozasanaideite

It's vids like this from Piero that make me love the anime again ^o^ I just wish the animation for the most part could be as nice as the openings and endings >.> Yes, tis Naruto Shippuden, and my new favourite ending theme (shock, no SasuNaru hints o__0). The song sounds so bittersweet and suggests angst with hope in the end through the images.

So, I have had people call me kid-ish and weird cause of my compulsive obsession over the series Naruto, and I suspect people thinking it's shounen thus auto equalling action + gore supreme. However, I do not stalk an anime to the point of knowing the characters bdays just because of gore. *Hmph*. And it's not cause of the SasuNaru ~~completely~~ either.

I've got an extreme soft side for angst with slice of life, all the deep meanings that don't have to be spelt out for you but can just be seen if you look hard enough. I gag at my sister's dramas, she's watching one called brown sugar or something atm and a month ago i was enduring 'bull fighting' (taiwanese drama) every dinner for weeks X.X I'd like to say that although originally targeted at maybe 12 ish year old kids, the naruto series has since spanned its 10 years anniversary and probably retains its original audience, which would now mostly lie around where I am, or even older.

In the video up there there's just 6 of the stories that interlink in the series. There are so many in total that its sometimes ridiculous and hard to keep up with unless you put in the effort, but nonetheless shows a scary truth: each person has their problems, the tragedies in their lives, and although they shrink in on themselves in the face of them, it all affects relationships with others in the end. Quoting from Peter Pan, children are selfish creatures, the problems they are faced with push them one way or another without heed of the circumstances surrounding others.

You've got up there the following scenarios:
- An orphaned boy who is isolated and hated by other children and parents.
- A boy whose entire extended family is massacred by his own beloved brother.
- A boy who as a child grew into the wrong pereption of 'strength', and through ambition became evil.
- A girl whose little brother and boyfriend die as result of war, rendering her unable to stand blood even though she is a medic.
- A boy that believed he'd failed his home and so leaves it, instead travelling other lands and almost severing all his relationships.
- The pink haired girl who can do nothing but watch all these others suffer.

It's a really nice way to put them. All childlike innocence, but then walking off into their different directions as they grow up. Sigh. I love bittersweet. I re-read Peter Pan yesterday and all this kind of stuff makes me giddy.

Mood: Happy, happy, happy. (I'm quite an emotionally simple person).

SHANGHAI

2010-01-15T22:49:00.002+11:00

REVIEW OF SHANGHAI

Duration: 26/12/09 - 2/1/10
Season: Winter.
Cold: God, hell yes.
Hotel: Central Hotel Shanghai <--the best hotel i've ever been to.
Language spoken by locals: Mandarin, occasionally with twisted accent, though most shops can manage broken english. I managed to communicate in my ineloquent mandarin for the most, which makes me really happy =)
Other comments: Cigarettes everywhere, people hacking up spit everywhere. Grrrooooosssss. I'm serious, every single minute you'd hear at least of people gagging and spitting.

I'm not going to talk about Sydney Airport, why would I? What I will talk about however, is the plane trip to HK and the consequent shuttle ride to the next plane up to Shanghai, which took up the night of the 25/12 and most of 26th.

INTERLUDE:I think there was a celebrity in our shuttle. I think ekin frikkin cheng was on our shuttle and our plane to Shanghai. How sure? I am around 90% sure, i stared at him for half the time trying to figure out if he was. It was so adorable, he got on the shuttle by himself last via the middle door and kind of just stared at it the whole time like he didn't want anyone looking at him. Then when the door up the front opened and evryone started filing off, he stayed where he was and waited for evryone else to get off. That's when the staring, giggling and gesturing towards him started. Was everyone else blind or something the rest of the time? I thought HK was notorious for its star stalking. Like...heck. Maybe im the only creepy stalker >.> Like, im not even really into his films, but theres just something about seeing someone famous there in real life, trying to be normal like everyone else. And Adam's told me before he doesn't like how these peoples lives are exposed for everyone to dissect but its kind of the life they're stuck with. They live off this attention and fame. My certainty about his identity was furthered when in Shanghai on new years eve, he showed up live on the tv in the city somewhere for some get-together of peeps. Coincidence...?

Shoot, this is way too personal. *Slaps self and tries harder*. Okay. Start of proper review.

When we got to Shanghai it was already night and the city was lit up. We ate at Ajisen Ramen on the 7th floor or something of a building in the main street. Here's the thing: people say that Shanghai's Nanjing Rd is like a miniature, modern America. I figured that also meant it would be like Australia since we're so influenced anyway. Not so. Nanjing and the large streets are cities of neon lights and extravagant, collossal structures. Restaurants, department stores and signs are everywhere in that main street. Most unsuspecting tourists spend all their time hanging within this area and get sucked of all their money very quickly, because there is no haggling, lots of designer which doesnt sell any cheaper than overseas, and expensive dining. If you want to survive for 7 days like we did, then heres some summarised facts on Shanghai holidaying.

1. Eating: I like food, so im not going to tell you to have vendor food/the same stuff every meal to save money. Pick restaurants carefully, check the menu out the front if they have one. If you're staring at this and thinking, 'im rich, it doesnt matter,' well then ill just laugh at you when i can buy the exact same/better food a street away for a quarter the price. Expensive isn't necessarily nicer, and ill talk about an example when i move on to HK.

If you want to eat in Nanjing Rd and save money at the same time, aim for restaurants that aren't on the ground floor for a start. Often the lifts are notoriously hidden between/in stores, but because its not down on ground where everyone is it tends to be more affordable.

If you REALLY want to save, then head into the back/side streets. Umm...just don't head into any shabby looking alleys, you don't know what you'll find. We found some stuff which my mum has told me not to post publicly. Eating in the smaller streets is what the locals do, and they certainly know what they're eating better than you are. Don't have a guide/don't wanna research? Follow people into the back streets if you have to, just go and explore. We walked 10 hours everyday because my dad thinks sitting in the hotel for a minute more than necessary is waste of a plane ticket.

Btw, if you see a familiar name, like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, don't think its all the same. The menus have been completely and utterly azn-i-fied. My favourite actually came from an Italian restaurant at Chipu market (i hope it was that market, there's so many). Italian in Australia can be quite expensive, but eat it over there and for us, its the same price as normal yum cha over here. It was niceeeeeee, especially the hot chocolate. Speaking of hot chocolate, don't order it in chinese restaurants. It's disgusting, i tried three from azn diners, even a Macau one and they had like, zero sweetness. I think its cause the people over there don't do chocolate like we do.

I also have a new favourite drink :3 This was shockingly from pizza hut, but is ONLY on the HK menu, called 'fruity honey.' It didn't exist in China. It is the nicest thing i have ever drank, with sweet apple floating just at the bottom of the cup, strawberry slices floating at the top, and the fruity/slightly honeyed liquid itself changing from pink to golden to orange. *Drooool*. It seems like a very asian beverage, so doubt ill ever see it in Aus =(

2. Travel: We used the metro train line to go everywhere. Didn't catch a taxi or bus at all because of exaggerated stories by untrusting people who think the cabbie will kidnap you and drive you away and roll you. Taxi and bus also probably wouldn't get you as far-reaching (conveniently anyway) as the trains. In 6 days, we got to everywhere we'd planned to go in Shanghai, and still had one more day to kill.

3. Clothes shopping: Some shops in the main street are alright, but if you go Shanghai and are buying designer, then i feel for you. You're missing out. My favourite places to shop were markets. NOT like paddy's or something, these are called markets even if they are in 10 storey tall buildings. Chinese markets are the most compacted shopping centres ive ever been to, and i love them when they're not overflowing with people. Even then, some markets are better than others. Everyone at one market will always tell you the things from other markets are worse quality, so just ignore them. The markets at the forefront of my mind at the moment are Pudong and someplace everyone called 'Chippu (Cheap) Rd', which is a play on the chinese characters. I think in cantonese it is chi (7) bu (treasure).
I also liked Shangxi for shopping. They have department stores but cheaper. It's quite funny. You walk out of the station, and if you walk left you get all the posh, designer department stores. If you walk right (where we wanted), you get the clothes for the mortals which i personally liked. Quite a lot.

4. Haggling: Ahaha. Okay. FIRSTLY. Watch out where you haggle. If its a REAL department store, and not a market POSING as a department store, then your asking to be scorned. If there's no pricetags on things, then its DEFINITELY haggling allowed. Even if there are, you often still can do it. If you know Chinese, watch out for the 'no haggling' signs on the shop windows. This doesn't mean they're bad, on the contrary, they're stuff is normally already reduced vry low and they just don't bother with the haggling process. Watch the sellers reaction and what they say, and how you can convince them you could get a better deal. The extent with which you should haggle is based purely on the waters: you should be able to tell whether they want to sell or not by their reaction to your first offer in reply to their own. Further explanation in third paragraph.

Secondly. A rule of thumb is pay 40% of the price they offer you (not for cheap stuff obviously, you're not gonna try and haggle down a 20 yuan figurine too much). Are you laughing? Well we haggled 2500 down to 700, and once accidentally sent a 1200 price tag down to 170 when we said we didn't want it and they thought it was our tactic. If you aren't asian, then pay even less. They always try and gutter the non asians, when some obvious Western people were in the same market as us all the sellers tried to force stuff on them at what seemed like to us to be ridiculous prices. Even if a person hooks onto your group and offers you their bargaining services when you buy, be very careful whether its you leading them or them leading you. They will try to take you to shops which i suspect they get commissed/paid by for helping out.

Thirdly. The art itself. Compared to my mum i didn't manage to do much, cause i cant throw myself out, only managing to cut a 570 dvd set down to 500 with my first stage of (mandarin spoken) haggling. Then along came mum and shoved it down to 250 a few minutes later T_T Okay. You have to firstly throw away some pride *Cry*. If they see you've got the money, that you aren't willing to argue if necessary, they will walk all over you. We wore sneakers evrywhere, no brands at all, kept all jewellery hidden and in all, looked pretty tardy if i can say so myself. I felt like a year 7 with no dress sense all over again.

Next. Let them know that you're aware of haggling's existence. We have a Western friend who has lived in China for the past few years. Even now, he pretends he doesn't know mandarin and watches as they whisper to eachother about selling him things at a high price. He then opens his mouth and tells them he can buy it much cheaper at other shops/markets, and watches their jaws drop at his fluency. When sellers tried telling us it was cheaper than in our own country, we never admitted it, even saying we could get it cheaper during sales which was sometimes true. Giving them something to hold over you is a bad, bad idea. Letting them SEE that they've got a hold over you means you may as well give up and get your wallet out. That's why don't be obvious if you really love a garment and know you'll buy it no matter what. I really liked walking out the shop whilst mum haggled and the seller would look at me and panic, thinking we were honestly going XD *Innocent look* I just wanted to see what was outside.

The process itself consists of number offerings alternatively between each party. Watch how they react to your offer. Whether they're really unable to give you that price, or are just trying to make you give a bigger profit margin to them. If you are aiming for the magic 40% mark, then naturally start at maybe 20% or 30%. Don't be put off by the shocked look they give you (it might just be because they didn't think you could manage it. Like i said, you throw away a bit of pride, but if you dont then they'll charge whatever they want.

Extras things are...Give your gradual increments, chuck in a bit of convincing complaining about how unreasonable they are, how the item's quality isnt that good/you dont really need it, the bad points, where else you could get it, you've seen it for a cheaper price nearby, mention some of the other markets youve been to and that you've seen it there as well but just didn't have time, you can get it cheaper at your home country, its not worth buying it then carrying it home unless its a bargain, flaunt your knowledge and all in all, show or else fudge your authority.

stage one, they offer their ridiculously high price.
stage two, you offer your ridiculously low price. (dw, albeit department stores, u wont get kicked out, they wanna keep ya).
stage three, they go a bit lower off their original, or a lot lower depending on the type of seller they are.
stage four, no matter what in stage three, only go a little higher than your own original price, or else theyll see you are easy to convince with just one round.
after this, its a war of wits and calculating, seeing how far you can push it.

That is all for haggling. I'm tired.

5. Safety: Don't show jewellery. Many of my relatives have had things stolen, the worst being a snatching by a passing moterbike rider.

Girls shouldn't wear any open bags, I once witnessed a thief following a couple with his hand in the handbag between them. Preferably, wear a bag with a long strap you can sling over your opposite shoulder. I hated the darn thing I wore but i also didnt care if i lost it. For just in case I kept money in different zippers on my bag, some notes in different pockets, i wore a pouch hidden under my clothes, whilst my dad also hid money in his shoes o_0 Kept my bank and travel card on my body, and never in my bag.

Don't dress rich in China. Note i didn't say HK. In China if you dress rich then mostly you are rich. In HK, the people often have spent most of their weekly paycheck to make themselves look more high class than they actually are. For the first time in my life i saw LINES in front of LV, Gucci and Prada in HK. Freaking...and yet a pathetically small number of their population has wealth of other 1 million chinese currency. EVERYONE in HK dresses up, i felt like a tard *facepalm*.

Pay attention to around you. Don't swing around every few secods, but also don't walk in a straight line the full length of Nanjing Rd and never notice the two guys on either side of you. We had that happen. One assumedly to grab the bag strap on the shoulder and the other to grab the bag itself. They stalked off and re-joined others when they realised we were a group. Kind of stupid. They sidled amongst our family in front of me and my sister so we could actually see everything, and my father's always looking out from the front anyway.

Avoid shifty people, DUH. Though i got suspicious alot, because people in china seriously have staring problems. They'll look at you for a minute straight sometimes and looking away does nothing. You have to glare at them. I don't care if they're curious/think me and my sister are twins/think we look weird/tardy.

When following sellers into the obscure shops, Shanghai has quite a clean reputation i believe. Shenzhen however, we are told you could be led somewhere else entirely and captured. Dno about the truth, but safe better than sorry. If there are a dozen stories, then there is at least a trickle of truth. So...yeah, Shanghai, we went to some of the obscure shops. You need people to show you these, you can rarely ever find them otherwise. Salespeople stalk the streets, and if you get near to them and they think you're a potential customer, they will attach like a leech and drag you through streets, into seemingly resident buildings, into shops behind another shop front, up stairs which are hidden behind yet another wall. God it was freaky at times, how these people worked. And we're the idiots who followed hahaha. Oh well, a good experience.

I is sleeping now. *Drops dead*.

Tadaaaaaima

2010-01-15T21:43:00.005+11:00

Hi ~~nobody~~ everyone, I'm back from two weeks in ~~Narnia~~ a metaphorical freezer and am delighted to find that Sydney wants to fry up all the fat i've gained in hibernation and one too many snacks. Eugh. >.> Before i start my review, I'll rant about the rest of my life. Take a look at what I've been reduced to for amusement:

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/27350111.html

Seems I've come home at a time where lots of people have planned stuff and there's apparently a week so full of it that its been dubbed ze party week. It's great everyone's getting out even more than before, id kind of thought itd be the opposite -- the outings growing less as the months after graduation passed. But it isn't, so yay. Unfortunately I'm sick at the moment and have sneezed over two dozen times today, laying in bed awake till 3 at night and waking up at 10 evry morning the last two days for reasons beyond me. I don't like it. My throat feels like sandpaper and my saliva feels/tastes funny =( If anyone says swine flu ill strangle them.

Umm, i'm supposed to be useful and find a job according to my parents. Who wants in? Im starting to think its pointless since would most likely resign/be fired when university starts. But whatever...

Growing up is scary. Parents start talking about things in front of you that you'd much rather live happily without knowing about. At least, a talk about contraception and how its inserted/used is NOT appealing to me at all. I was washing dishes when the topic struck up between my grandma and mum. Okay. I can take you talking about names, types in chinese, whatever. It's when they started talking about how it was used and which ones better that i paled and turned around in horror. They didn't notice and continued. I started screaming at the dishes that I had absolutely NOOOOO interest. They dragged me and their crystal balls of my future into it and i stomped my feet and played the 'if i dont look at them, then they arent talking to me' game. They didn't stop, and now I don't like how my future looks. God forbid, im turning to celibacy.

I also tried keeping a diary for the purpose of clearing my thoughts, with the result that first entry later i was gagging and thinking, 'did i really write this crap?' I'm never writing a deep, personal dissection of my thoughts ever again. It's just too...weird. Why the hell do people do that to themelves? o_o Write out their thoughts for someone to come across and find? In preparation for the day they jump off a building and want people to feel guilty when they read about their their horrible life?

It is always strange to me why people that suicide seem to leave behind so much for people to find out about them. Oh, this is based off tv/docos/stories, but they must have some semblance of truth right? If you really don't care about the world enough to be a part of it, then you shouldn't leave things behind in the hopes you'll be better remembered in it once you're gone. It just doesn't equate! In my eyes, suicide for most people nowadays is the final, desperate attempt to get acknowledged, or else want absolutely no part in this society anymore. A taxi driver told us that it was either for love or money, nothing else. I think it can be more spiteful than that. Deaths from this cause are percentage wise, high in youth, no? I don't think that many young people have money problems, and love is so overrated (One word: Twilight *gag*). Sorry, reading too much mind-torturing stuff.

People can have it hard, and the world is a cruel place sometimes. A lot of the time things come down to luck, but just remember: even the gambler that goes into a casino has to have gotten his starting money somehow. If its your parents, then so much the better for you, i hope you dont swindle it before your middle years. Off the money and into reality where paper with numbers on it is superficial. (Ok, i lie. With money you won't be able to do everything but without it, you can't do anything. BUT, screw that, if i were to look at society through those lenses then i might have to palm my head and throw myself off a building. ) My examples were suppose to be about luck. People blame that they were dealt the wrong circumstances and thats why they've turned the wrong way. Depending on luck is dangerous. You don't do it to earn a living (hopefully), so why do it to decide your life?

Crap thats a pretty long rant about depressing things...ahaha...

Be worried when i start writing in story mode. Be very worried. I'll dramatise everything a hundred-fold/try to be pathetically humourous >.> I think atm its just rant mode. Phew.

On to the review! I hate how my blog posts things backwards. *Frown*. Posting will be a slow process, probably ovr a few days cause i always have so much useless stuff coming into my head and consequently, onto the keyboard.

Christmas Drabble

2009-12-24T22:41:00.003+11:00

I figured, the giving season was a blanket term; it applied to anyone right? I mean, Santa Claus distinguishes between good and bad to be sure, but the last time that version of the story was edited had to be before kids started learning how to use guns prior to teenage years. Seriously, every kid has a console now – I think my first ‘gun’ was at the age of 6. So Santa had to have changed the rules by now…no?

I’m hopeful, what of it?

As I stand in apparent patience near the front of the line, with kids of all sins and sizes surrounding me with serious need of learning the meaning of ‘personal space’, I pointedly try to ignore the parents to the side of the enclosure. They whisper, giggle, their complete mirth held back only by the desire to see what would come from this scene. We are separated by a low, flimsy fence which is somewhat amusing – because Santa now needs to be locked up. My, we are getting desperate…but I’m not complaining. Saves me the trouble of hunting him down and demanding presents from the past 2 decades.

Got the picture? I’m 20 years old, standing in line with the kiddies and waiting for my turn to sit on Santa’s lap. It’s not like I particularly need anything from him –and I’m not so horribly naïve as to still believe the obese employer before me is actually the real thing— but…I would like to have a good, old, heart-to-heart with an assurance of confidentiality.

I’m bored, what of it?

The waiting game does nothing to ease my boredom, with the line shifting by maybe one kid every 10 minutes. You’d think 20 years of living teaches me to at least be more resilient than the miniature devils around me, but who am I trying to kid... In the end everyone wants something – I daresay the littlies know what they’re after better than the adults. They’re just limited to crying and screaming to get it.

A half hour later and I get what I’m after at this particular moment in time – the right to sit on Mr Fake Santa’s lap. I see his brows furrow beneath a white crusted hat as I approach him, and it is as though each step I take across the velvet carpet causes the man to shrink beneath his oversized coat. Come on. I’m not that bad; my generation didn’t even have that many consoles.

You know, Santa has really pretty green eyes. He doesn’t look like he’s lived an eternity, maybe give or take 40 years. And just to shatter the fairytale even more, I think I see brown hair under his hat. Oh wow…Santa, I know what to get my mum now, can I have whatever face cream it is that makes you younger?

I have to give it to you, I think silently to the fake Santa as I come to a stop before the steps leading to his throne. He hasn’t bolted yet. What a good fake Santa. He deserves a present, and I’d make him sit on my lap and tell me all his wishes if I didn’t think a good eighty percent of that oversized bulk were real. So I sit down on his left thigh, aware that I might give him a numb knee if I don’t make this quick.

I am old enough to not give a damn about what any people I know might think, and young enough to have no shame in public. I smile toothlessly at the camera as it flashes brightly at the same time as Santa manages a little grimace. He’s not annoyed with me, yet. Just that a 20 year old man can get quite heavy, which is why he hurries along with the charade.

“What would you like for Christmas dear bo – sir?”

I smirk at the correction then cover it up with a face of innocent loss.

“I don’t know,” I say, not a complete lie in itself. I thought that maybe the man would write me off as a prankster (which I was), and maybe even sic security on me. It seems however, that the department store managed to pick a good man for the job. His green eyes instead crinkle calculatingly, and with horror I realise he is pitying me. He thinks I’m a nutcase! Or else someone with an extremely deprived childhood! I am no such thing! Sure, I was bored, I had nothing to do, no one to see, so I’m visiting the department store and sitting on a random guys lap but that is NOT…

…how would you define deprived again?

Fake Santa decides to test the waters.

“Would you like a new toy car?” he tries in a sickeningly sweet voice, and amusing as the façade is coming from a man of such calibre, I’m afraid me laughing till I fall off his knee might just destroy my own plans. So I settle for shaking my head from side to side. He frowns. The square watches as he strokes his wiry beard in thought. I lean forward towards his face.

“Santa…what would you like for Christmas?”

-------------

Oh my god. Someone help me write the rest of this thing. I am trying sooooooooooo hard to keep it G rated but...help? X.X

Recluse

2009-12-24T18:32:00.002+11:00

Recluse. That is what I'm in after my sister's friend comes over with me having absolutely noooooooo idea. So I'm currently camping out in my room (which might I mention is ...debilitated) whilst giggling comes from the room across. I hope I don't sound like that with friends.

Yesterday was Thomas' party. Spent a good 9 hours at his house with probably 20 or so others, revelling in the joys of water, singstar, water, fooooood, and did I mention water? Lots of water; pool + waterbombs + buckets + waterguns + Tram's garden spray lmao XD. Equates to thorough soaking for most ppl anyway. Lunch was an interesting affair : i never knew such a small amount of chili could be so hot X.X Played singstar but I think i'll retreat back into recluse again at this point in time...sung bring me back to life or wtv its name is, some song by evermore, and these words by natasha whatsitname which i picked under the false impression it was the song 'unwritten'. I missed out on the bonfire cause i left at 6. Boo.

Today i discovered I couldn't remember passwords. I then discovered i can't remember answers to secret questions. Consequently when a change of password resulted in the screen blinking "new password must be different to past 5 passwords", I facepalmed and resigned myself to premature alzheimers. I then accidentally typed in my atm pass to a transaction HAHA. Sigh.

Tonight is Christmas eve. I'm not sure if most people celebrate on Christmas eve or on christmas =S Anyhow, I hope everyone has a merry, high Christmas, and all the best for 2010 =)

Ciao

Holiday-ing

2009-12-21T16:59:00.002+11:00

Not sure if anyone bothers looking at this thing anymore, so I've decided to make it even more of a visual eyesore than it already was ;) Will add links to others blogs at another date. I like this new blog-skin; Jamie doesn't, but whatever. Let it be known that Lisa's closet emo-ness is slowly emerging from Narnia and back into the real world ^o^

First post since formal. Great work to all the 09 Hurlstone kids =D I do believe we did muchhhhh better than last year. Best wishes to everyone, and I sincerely hope you will all find that little road to call your own, to give you that future that you want and no doubt deserve.

At this point in time I think most people are either over or looking onwards past the ATAR and to where their future plans lie. I'm now 99% set on UNSW and am delighted that many other people I know will be there~! *Grabs marshmallow and ~~squeezes to death~~ hugs.* Things have also been thrown forwards into my face in a strange, uncanny resemblance to walking into a window-pane and having the darn thing shatter around my ears. See, I'd always figured law would be extremely advantageous to study alongside commerce. But then, there isn't exactly a clear image (or any image for that matter) in my mind of how it'd be used, other than 'law' being labelled across a moulding, framed certificate on a wall. Perhaps I'm just in denial because I can't get into the UNSW course sans transfer, but hey...consecrated as that position is, I have to concede to Wendy and Natface's opinion that I'd most probably find it boring.

So that is mental obstacle number one, out of the way.

On to other matters, I seem to have become a hermit. Belated bday wishes to Nick, whose party is today, and Thomas' is on Wednesday =) What do you get a guy for their birthday? I realised that I've never bought a present for a guy by self - it's always been pitching into stuff. So now I'm left high and without a clue and also just remembered i haven't drawn several cards. Uh oh. Fading memory taking its toll.

Merry Christmas everyone =)

Grumble

2009-11-24T17:56:00.004+11:00

Thoughts on formal: It is more of a chore than anything.

Seriously.

Trying to match the colours of dress, shoes, clutch and jewellery is so freaking eugh. And need to travel back and forth only to sleep at an unearthly hour. And also not happy with any of my gear, STILL. X.X I can't wait till its over, I want post-formal! Japanese film festivaaaaaaaaaal!~ and picnic unless the sky keeps on being retarded.

On Thursday went Chatswood. (I think twas Thursday. Omg, i can't remember. goldfish.) My only qualm is that half the people who hang there, including employees in retail and the food court, are probably rich kids with a stick shoved so far up their *** that they treat customers horrid and below them and just stand around trying to look pretty/trans whilst they supposedly gain work experience. Quoteth my mother: "Who do you think you are?!" I do not like being treated like I'm lower, the perpetrator can go die and i couldn't care less. *hmph*. Knowing them, they're probably the type of kids who've grown up so pampered that when they get left alone they'll cause something chaotic. *End mini rant*.

The shops can be a bit expensive but there's heaps of stuff, so...I'd say its worth going, probs. And the shopping centres are...pretty, for lack of better word. Seriously though, all crappy people aside, Chatswood Westfields kicks all the others any day imo ;)

I have a photo of Jamie's sushi from Thurs but cbb to upload it. Just imagine a bentou, filled with dif sushi types. And then there's some ~~lovely~~, pasty, green wasabi covering it. I could smell it from my side of the table *gag*. I will NEVER understand wasabi.

I Want

2009-11-17T11:26:00.003+11:00

Drool o_o

No school means I'd prefer to go shopping. But then, over-spending equals cranky parents and thus I sit at home looking at online catalogues and signing up to all these random sites which hopefully won't hit me with a monster bill next month. There was too much to read in the 'terms and conditions' so I skipped ^^"

My shoes which more likely than not will be my formal shoes. I am as bad with shoes as I am with cars: I know nothing about the big names, quite shameful. Nonetheless, these should be alright? Bought from William's, C'est Bon Champagne style discounted from $70 to $50 X) Best of all, they're not 9 inch heels so not gonna keel over and cark it. Wearing one day of high heels always means the next two days are flats/sandals in order to let myself recover T.T" Too bad I like high heels. My whole ensemble for this year's formal is heading to be substantially cheaper than my year 10 gear >.> Which just doesn't seem to sit right...

Cakeeeeeeee

2009-11-15T16:23:00.003+11:00

Went Chatswood today. Since I'm going again on Thursday, will leave a detailed litany of love for it till then. In the meantime...85DEG CAKESHOP! They have one in Chatswood =D So that now makes city, Parra and Chatswood that I can invade for these sweeties:

Check out the pretty packaging^

Creme Brulee^

Japanese Green Tea and Red Bean Cake^

Hokkaido Strawberry Cake

Mini Cheesecakes^

Hurstville

2009-11-14T22:33:00.006+11:00

Hope everyone's enjoying life. Prepare for formal! Which reminds me, in case anyone is like me and easily gets confunded by the tiniest abscence of detail, the 6pm start time on the formal note refers not to school leave-time/arrival/wtva, but when it starts at Curzon Hall. I emailed Mr Lynch and he said that he anticipates people arriving at school as early as 4pm, and buses leaving around 4:45-5pm.

Delight Dim Sim- 121 Forest Road Hurstville NSW

A lil piece of heaven. This shop sells my favourite dim sims, dumplings as well as my beloved turnip cake. Oh, and also...*sly glance at Adam* CENTURY EGG!!!! Yes, I am advertising. *Gives a shove* Go there. Best thing is that you can buy all the stuff frozen and eat it at home instead of eating in the restaurant type thingo at back of shop. I'd advise against eating in. Atmosphere ain't too good but the food definitely KICKS just about every Chinese restaurant. A lot of Chinese restaurants around are just fail and make me go halfway to hating Chinese food. *Dreams of Guangzhou restaurants*. Anyway. Yes. Buy it, take it home, thaw it, steam it, eat it. Instructions especially for the guys who couldn't cook Migoreng and resorted to MSN and phoning people. ;)

Okay. So in a nutshell, I adore Hurstville for its oh so azn streets and Westfields combo. Cheap grocery/snack depots, music/dvd shops, pseudo-dollar shops, hairdressers and restaurants (favs are the one down the street from Delight Dim Sim on corner intersecting with the road between the two Westfield buildings and Sunny's seafood restaurant). The grocery shops have heaps and heaps of snack-like-product which i basically lived on during trials.

This. I found it today!!!!!! When I was little I ate literally lil buckets of this stuff cause that was how it was sold. But then parents stopped buying it and never knew the name so it disappeared from my life till now =( Was also checking out the green milk tea powder but after consulting Jamie I abandoned it. Will just pillage RamenKan whenever I feel like green milk tea X) (Eugh, feel like it NOW)

So, hairdressers. Got haircut today, though feels a bit short. Erm, Hurstville's cheaper than those city ones like Blue Star, Dreamix, Djs. If you're lucky you can get someone as good as (even better) than Dreamix, but nonetheless, still good. Though sister also had a bad experience in one =/ And Dreamix guy semi told me off for going to a different hairdresser in between which he said snipped off a lock somewhere and left my hair uneven >.> And no, he didn't realise I'd gone somewhere else until I told him. Anyway, especially in comparison with those icky non-azn franchise hairdressers Hurstville is win. Franchises are horrible, eww eww eww and cannot cut asian hair to save their life. Off the trivialities of hair^^"

For the Westernised folk who can't stand the thought of strolling down an azn-populated street (really, I saw maybe 3 Western ppl on Forest Rd today) there's a Westfields, one entrance conveniently located almost right across from station exit. This is a vibe I really enjoy. When you get enough of the street-shops, you can head inside to air-con, retail and other...shops. Though the stuff isn't as cheap as Blacktown, which for some reason is REALLY cheap, because Hurstville is so asian you are bound to find bargains. I promise ;) Though Chatswood is nicer in what they sell. I proudly announce that Tram procclaimed she now loves Chatswood. Bahaha. That's right. Tram likes it, its got to be good.

Basically, it's easy to find interesting/good stuff in Hurstville. It is hard to get lost because the only street that matters really is Forest Rd >.> Which winds on for quite a while. Well, I suppose that there's some backstreets, but wouldn't want you to get lost now would I ;)

I just felt like ranting about Hurstville. It's probably to me what Cabramatta is like to all the Cab kids...I think.

2 days X)

2009-11-09T18:21:00.004+11:00

Two more days till Jap Extension and then its all over =D So, my study has consisted of watching Spirited Away, downloading the soundtrack, invading a dozen forums to get my hands on the amazing sheet music and not touching the issues at all.

That song, 'The Sixth Station' is amazing. Also annoying to learn for meh cause I'm slow as hell. It's in the movie during the train trip. If only it were in the prescribed extracts...then I could claim to be analysing stuff lol. Sigh. Oh well. Crap is easy enough to make up. Especially since if you stand on your head and cross your eyes, Jap extension is just a skewered version of English: a film study, analysis of techniques, areas of study. And since my fears of having to name awful techniques like onomatopoeia in Japanese were acquiesced (thankfully) by Ms Hewitt, then yay for dumbed down English study ;)

Thomas sent along an email with a timetable of events post-HSC. So there's several parties, all the signing out to do, formal, etc. Will probs sign out over Wednesday and Thursday =/ And spend half my holidays improving my drawing skills. *Insert dopey emoticon* Ohs, attempted to download Correl Painter and ended up with a virus. Woop de doo. I'm doomed to know nothing other than Photoshop and OpenCanvas.

How. pretty. are. those flowers?!?!?!??! Ewaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I love shades of blue. Blue + Yellow also pretty. (Abuse of the word 'pretty' happening). Hydrangeas. Wonder if they're hard to grow. I don't exactly have a pretty record with plants. All of them had died, and just yesterday I told my mum: "I thought you plant them then leave them there." I was only half serious, but anyway...the necessity of nurturing flowers has escaped me. Mum thinks nurturing escapes me in general >.>

She pertinently advises me that this is how the chain works: if I want to make sure my kids ~~if i have any~~ actually make it to my age, then I should NOT do to them what I did to my two dozen yabbies, hermit crabs, turtle, goldfish and other pets. I am proud to announce one bird survived, but said bird escaped so thats probably why T.T" But in general, kids sound deathly hard to take care of.

How creepy. Mum expects me to be married by 25 and have kids before 30. That's less than ten years. *Shudder* How the hell does that even work, having this expectation. Sheesh. Well, I guess it might be cause I probs won't move out otherwise lol, but thinking of future is just plain weird. I think I'll stay in the wrapped, little box I call present. Presents are nice ;)

Wheeeeee

2009-11-04T21:09:00.002+11:00

I'd feel free and amazingly happy if I didn't have to be stupid, go on Bored Of Studies forum and realize i got the very first multiple choice in legal wrong. Nuuuuuuuuu~! And it was such a stupid thing too! I quite confidently guarantee I'm the only one in our school to get it wrong. Alas, that is the retardness that comes with mc's for Lisa =( Multiple choice are evil lil buggers that give the gods a chance to show you just how unlucky you really are. They're laughing away somewhere, I hear their evil cackling >.>

Happy thoughts~~~~~~~~~~~
Time to bludge for a couple of days X)

Legal Brain Dump

2009-11-03T21:49:00.002+11:00

Sorry peeps, another HSC related posty. Tis my brain dump so you might wish to ignore *shrug*. This blog is half a diary anyway XD If you are one of the lucky ~~bastards~~ people that have finished HSC and have all the time to spare, then by all means laugh at my pathetic brain dump. And see if you notice anything suspicious about the 'Family' articles and legislation ;)

What themes questions can ask about:
-> Continuity and change = Precedent and customary vs reform in light of
-> Culture and ethics and values = The composition of society and its morales which must be reflected for
-> Effectiveness = so that it deals with said expectations, providing suitable solutions to issues and reforming those which fail though utilisation of
-> Legal processes and institutions = The range of government and non-government departments which review, amend and create legislation and enforce it. A failure of enforeceability results in
-> Conflict vs cooperation = Which drags in the god damn LRCs and all sorts of things which I don't really want to think about. I therefore hope they don't ask this last theme X.X

Law and Society
Law and Justice:
Influences =
Social -> Compostition of society -> Acceptance of homosexual relationships. Multicultural society means natural law is enshrined in International law rather than in a higher deity.
Damn. Multicultural is part of cultural influence. Eugh. Wth is societal then.
Cultural -> Multicultural. *glare*
Political -> Influenced by the policies of the party in power
Economic -> Access to ministers and political leaders
Moral -> Society's moral standards. WHY theres a separate for 'social' is completely beyond me.

Justice
Access -> Money, time, knowledge
Equality -> Formal equality and instiutionalised inequality (eg include access to legal system, fines as punishment, women in workforce)
Equity -> Developed in chancery courts despite whatever bs the heinemann textbook says.
Fairness -> Threatened by instutionalized inequality
Human Rights -> Inalienable. Doesn't that just bring back thoughts of 'belonging'? XD Makes up part of public/customary international law.

Human Rights:
Key dates incluuuuuuuuuude
1215: Magna Carta, historical document which first place controls on powers of king.
16....something. *guesses 1640* DAMMIT. 1688 X.X: English Bill of Rights, imposed on William of Orange and causing the start of an irrevocable breakage of parliament from the monarchy.
17...68? *peeks* Nu~~~ 1776, and should damn know that: Declaration of Independence of United States, in response to British attempt to impose tax.
1789: Declaration of the Rights of Man. French Revolution, a load of chaos, and voila, the first attempt at a declaration that set out rights on an international scale. (I knew this one X))

Random legislation (What i remember anyway):
Emancipation Act 1833 (UK)
Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 -> Right to partake in union activities.
Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act 1994 (Cwlth)
Anti-Terrorism Act 2004 (Cwlth) -> Breached rights of minors in accordance with CROC
Anti-Terrorism Act (No 2) 2005 (Cwlth) -> Threatening to free speech
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1976
International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural rights 1976
International covenant against torture and other cruel and unusual punishments 19??[CAT] okay, its 1984, *sigh*
Declaration of Human Rights 1948
Convention on Rights of the Child 1989
Convention on Status of Refugess 1951
Migration Bill rejected in 2007/06
Migration Act 1958 -> Aus reply to 1951

Case Law:
Mabo v Queensland (no 2) 1992 -> Native Title, rights of people to self-determination.
Toonen v Australia (1994) -> Civil and Political rights (Same sex relationships)
re Pinochet (1999) -> Natural Justice
Dietrich v The Queen (1992) -> Right to legal representation

Articles:
A couple hundred media releases by the refugee council of Australia which are so over the place that I have no option but to make up dates and titles tomorrow XD
Temporary Protection -> Ended in 2008
Nauru Detention Centre -> Closed in 2008
11 Refugees dead -> 06
Migration Bill of 06 -> Impeded non-refoulement policy

FINALLY, NEXT TOPIC!
Crime
Dun dun dun
Legislation: Pooey. There's a lot, but non comes to mind
Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
Crimes (Relationships) Amendment Act 1981 (Cwlth)
Traffic ....something Act 1996? (NSW) omg...1906...we had cars? O-o
Sentencing Act 1989 (Cwlth?) ngaw, its gotta be nsw o.o *hits head*
some kinda legislation that was introduced in 2006 and had the supreme judge screaming.
Home Detention Act 1996 (NSW)
Mandatory Sentencing repealed October 01 in NT
March 09, laws to mandatory sentencing laws in insulting police eased for youth over 16 in WA.
This Year, ICC issues order for arrest of president of Sudan.
Shapelle Corby 04
Drug Court established 1999

Hmm. Not much legislation. Phooey.

Case Law:
Sharkey v DPP (1989) [I admit it, im completely making up dates now]...and it was right o_o
Barton v Armstrong (1999) <---Bahaha, its 1973
R v Blaue 1975 <--I'd be ashamedif I forgot this one
The Wonderland Club 2000 XD
R v Tideman (1976)
Murder of Anita Cobby in 1987 -> Sparked changes to truth-in-sentencing and call for death penalty to be reintroduced.
Port Arthur Massacre -> Special case where perpetrator has to be isolated from other prisoners.

Articles: NB. all dates and newspaper names will be made up on the day (y)
"Accessory gets 18 years for acid"
"How state jails steal our resources" - SMH 2008 Dec -> 55K per prisoner, 67% increase imprisonment rate since 87
"Buddy finds little to keep him out of jail" - SMH 2008
"Guilty Secrets" - Good Weekend, 2004. Nichola Cowdery QC, quoteth thee, : Without charge negotiation...the system would be unable to cope.
"Tougher than usual justice" '04 -> Adversarial System
"Concern as Police bugging powers widen" - 08
"Judge slams media, gov over riot laws" 06, aforementioned angry judge. Statistically, 40% rise in youth on remand.
"Jury duty: The lamp that shows democracy lives" ST, 06
"Victims want Veto over plea bargains" 09
"Mokbel Lands in Melbourne" - The Age, 06
"Victims of a crime have a say in sentencing" - Ministerial media report 08
"We all pay the price when someone is executed" DT 07. Ngaw, was SH. Forensic testing found 187 convictions in US of death penalty were wrong.
"Justice in the cell without bars" 04

NEXT->
Family
Legislation: (deep breath)
Family Law Act 1975 (Cwlth)
Adoption Act 2000 (NSW)
Marriage Act 1961
Crimes (Relationships) AMendment Act 1981 (NSW)
Property (Relationships) Act 1984
Propertly (Relationships) Amendment Act 1999 (NSW)
De Facto legislation transfer to federal -> March this year
Status of Children 1996 (NSW) -> Recognised ...something. IVF BORN KIDS! Wait, no. it did the opposite. *grumble* Until freaking 08. Oh. and also recognised that biological fathers remain just that -> the real parent.
CHildren (Eqaluty of Status) 1976 (NSW?)
Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW)
Family Law Reform Act 1995 (Cwlth)
2004 ammendment -> redefined marriage
Miscellaneous Acts (Same sex relationships) Amendment 2008 (Cwlth)
Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) 2006 (Cwlth) -> Lobbying fathers = abuse of CROC
Convention on rights of CHild <- The CROC
Superannutation Act (1992 (Cwlth)
Children Cases Program 2004

Case Law:
R v Hickey 1992 -> Battered Women's Syndrome
Unnamed 2006 case, lesbian women had to pay maintenance for partners children born through IVF
Hope and Brown v NIB (1995) -> Discrimination of health funds on basis of being same-sex family.
R v senior. 1899 now that ive cheated and checked. at fault of manslaughter for not allowing son medical attention.
The good thing about family law?? Kiddies can't be named. So not much case law ^o^

Articles: Here we go
More bashing by wives -> 09 DT
De Facto choice deserves respect -> 08
Cost of child abuse as high as 30B -> 08
Nile deal dashes gay adoption plans -> 09
Inquiry into same-sex adoption ->09
Gay Adoptions hits international hitch -> 09
NSW in rights push for lesbian mums -> 08
national standards for foster homes ->09
women suffer -> 09 DT
Family justice descends into farce -> 07 Oops. 06
Divorce Courts ditched -> 08
Trapped in the middle -> 08
Mums pay price of new child support formula -> 08
Fighting violence: Police given cameras -> 08 dang, o7
Child friendly divorce judged a success 07
changes called for new family law - 09
100 at risk children dead 07
mandatory laws to be eased 08

Crap. Just realised i completely neglected agencies. Any topic ->
Federal Magistrates Court
Family Court
AIRC
NSWIRC
ALRC
NSWLRC
IRC
DoCs
Court of Crminal Appeal
Fair Work Australia
Family Relationship Centres
Children's court

Ewah, still workplace to go...omg, im sleeping X.X

TAKE THIS!

2009-11-02T09:58:00.003+11:00

To all the people who told me after Japanese Continuers that there's no such thing as a baby beaker...I dare you to look at that adorable cow and still tell me there's still no such thing >=(

Refer to two posts down X)

^-- My lovely lunch *drool*. I now have a whole box of this turnip rice cake! ^o^ Recent cravings have meant I am now addicted to said turnip cake as well as sticky rice. Aren't they so yummy?

Dodgy Blogger Update-y Thingy

2009-11-01T21:20:00.002+11:00

Blogger is being a pain and not telling me when everyone updates >=( The only updates I've been getting are those of a TVB blog and an anime blog so now I'm behind X( Anyone else getting this?

Study Log: Broke my legal study timetable. Got sidetracked playing with HTML and CSS ^^" My appreciation for programmers has flown to new heights. God bless you, you should be up there considering the tenacity. Tenacity ---> Stress ----> Off to see tha angels ;) Well, thats my dogma *hmph*

To the chemistry kids, hope you do well tomorrow =) And you will. You've been studying.

Haven't you?

Die Katakana, DIE

2009-10-29T18:24:00.002+11:00

Japanese Continuers was a *#@* easy exam. Unfortunately, my brain does not comprehend the concept of 'katakana'.

Romanji: Bebi-ka-
Translation: Baby car (pram)
My translation: Beaker. Frkn! How am I suppose to know a baby car means a pram T.T" Not like I've had a kid before. *grumble*

Romanji: Gu-ri-n Shu-re-ku
Translation: Green Shrek (That green thing in the show)
My translation: Green shoe rack

Romanji: Bassasuto
Translation: Bathurst
My translation: o______________________________0

Probably a lot more I can't remember. Wendy probably does. That woman seems to remember every stupid thing I've done/said, which unfortunately amounts to quite a sizeable list.

My Jap Study

2009-10-28T18:02:00.005+11:00

ニックちゃんに「勉強しろ！」と言われたけど、ちょっとつかれたし、数学のせいで嬉しくないので、私はこのブローグに日本語で書くのは「勉強」になる　;)　じゃ。。。どんなことを書いたらいいの？

あっ。あった。今まで、たくさんのHSC問題は「将来学校を卒業した後で、何をするつもり」か「学生の生活」か「若者のやくわり」をきく問題だった。だから、君は私の将来の計画などを読みたいなら、ぜひ、読み続ける。（けど。。。多分つまらないことだけだね。。。）

今の私は自分が何を欲しくても分からない人になった。昔、いつも親に「何か役に立つこうざを勉強しなさい」と言われるから、自分もだんだんと本当に欲しいのを見失った。。。べんごし。。。実にこの名が得れるなら、大学を卒業してから、就職と収入はたいてい問題じゃない。でも、社会は医者もべんごしも何人もいる。多すぎて、私にとって意味がない。

その上、このこうざの二つはすごくいい成績をとらなければならない。じゃ、なぜ私はこんなにストレスして、つまらなくて難しい仕事をするかもしれない？

自分自身も知らない。でも、仕事以外、人生はまだたくさんの夢を追いかけられる。世界を見たくて、もっと外国語と文化のことを習いたくて、「自分の」とよばられる家族と一緒に住むのを経験したい。。。

ね。すでに一時間前より満足になった。リサ、こんなことを考えないで！まだ試験があるから！

みんな、がんばってください。

Insert bludge.

My translation of Naruto ending theme X)

お前が隣にいる
You are next to me

お前が笑っている
You are laughing

お前が。。。嬉そうで、俺も笑った。。。
You seemed happy, and I also laughed...

お前は無邪気だった
You were innocent

お前は易しかった
You were simple

お前は時々泣き、俺は困った。
You sometimes cried, and then I'd be in trouble.

誰より強さを求めた、あのころ
＾－－－Damn confusing sentence. Don't know whether the speaker is implying they wanted power in the past or whether the speaker is accusing the other of wanting it. *sigh*.　My first impression is 'I wanted power more than anyone else and at that time－’

俺のたった一つの弱さはー
my one and only weakness was

お前だった、お前だった、お前だったんだ。
you.　（Repeat）

逢いたい
I want to see you

夜を越えて、時を越えて
and overcome the night and time。。

今逢いたい。
I want to see you now.

So short o_0 And there's my Japanese study XD

Disclaimer: Belongs to Kishidan and people halfway across the globe.　Obviously not me。

Paper 2

2009-10-23T14:19:00.002+11:00

I wonder if we can appeal for stress and emotional trauma. That one hour of waiting was painful. Otherwise, I'm quite calm about this exam =) Happier than with AOS at least. Although I'm extremely paranoid and scared they'll lose my booklet since I wrote down '3' instead of '4' writing books, and they might mix up blank/used ones when they recollect cause both were labelled the same. T.T That'd be tragic.

The events following were what were annoying =.= Extreme heat, bees in the flowers and sunburn dammit! And all for a photo that took one second to snap. What's that photo going to anyway? =S

I made Wendy and David stay with me after cause mum was gonna take 1/2 hour to get to school ^^" Such sweet friends, chewing adorably on their lil sushi. Kawaii! Then along came Ms Hewett and she was attacked by said adorable duckies for listening material. ^o^" Wendy is bipolar. She was rolling around her house. X) Watch out for her.

Paper 1

2009-10-21T14:38:00.003+11:00

Oh how I wish I took my brain in with meh. Thought the stupidest things, wrote the stupidest things and as an added bonus, killed my hand. Neglected the obvious and looked for the strange. Heck, HSC is fun. F - U (no pun intended)-N ~~ot.~~

So now that it seems half the state has written two texts instead of one, lets see what chaos the marking centre gets into. Whilst we do that, please attend forums, where you can set up gambles and wager who did the good and who did the bad.

Do I have anything good to say? Not really. Comprehension, I command that you go dig youself a hole. To anyone else, you are invited to join me down in Hell, where we can watch everyone else suffer. We have cookies on the dark side.

Modules status:
A - finito
B - Come Atwood and people in the exam hall might have to watch out for flying weapo -err...pens.
C - I've started?

Why I believe karma exists

2009-10-19T09:07:00.000+11:00

Because it cannot be possible that on every somewhat holy/sanctity-related day, something bad happens.

Go back almost a year ago, the eve before Chinese New Year. Our car starts letting off fumes when we're driving back home from the temple and we have to stop and catch taxi back while parents stay at some station to get it fixed. All within the hour of New Years day ;) I don't believe in temples anymore. I think the same thing happened in China three years ago, but on the normal English New Year. A lot happened on that day. Probably the worst day in my life.

Back to present. Yesterday was first day of a Chinese month. Something like that. What happens is the hot water system blows and I am currently left without hot water. *insert panic* Someone's coming to fix it, supposedly in the next hour. But knowing my string of luck, something is probably going to go wrong and I'm going to be left with rather cold showers. Kudos to the Gods conspiring to make me sick before HSC. You're succeeding.

As to why I'm on the receiving end of karma? I might know, I might not, but it makes me happy to know that you definitely don't ;)

Edit: Good luck to all the AG kiddies tomorrow =)

Hmph

2009-10-15T00:05:00.000+11:00

- HAHS '09 - Lisa says:
*ok...excuse me while i go fangirl. *breath* NEW SHIPPUDEN ENDING/OPENING!!~~~~
Adam says:
*O.o backs away slowly... Screw this, RUNS!

But tis such a pretty opening and ending. *noddy*. It really is.

Time: 12:06 am
Mood: Happy and lively

My Wavering Psyche

2009-10-13T22:56:00.000+11:00

It is a week until HSC starts and what am I doing?

Let's take today as an example.

> Wake up at the glorious, unearthly time of 9:30am
> Eat, watch TV, some 3u, play with my emails until 1. At which point I tune in to my beloved TVB series.

> Module A X] *Feels accomplished*
> Shower, dinner, TV.
> Looks up fanfiction, at which point discovers the concept of 'flashbulb memory'
> Spends half an hour looking up case studies on said concept, before giving it up as a lost cause and resorting to pestering bloggers with emails.

> Decides to stalk the LiveJournal of one of these bloggers.

> It is now 11pm T.T

If I say I should be studying, you're all just gonna give me the look that says then-do-it-and-stop-talking-about-it. Thereby, I will say I REFUSE. Till tomorrow. Which will probably just look like today. Bleugh. I try.

I wish to blog about the most interesting thing that I've learnt about for awhile. Even with all the amazingly (sarcasm) interesting content the Board of Studies can throw at us, yes, I managed to find something more interesting ~~to me~~.

Why am I so interested in this thing called 'flashbulb memory'? (It's a memory which is particularly clear because it is created with a significant event). Well, ladies and gentlemen, this might and will bore you, but it would seem a memory study was conducted after the 9-11 attacks. I'm waiting for the day a detailed file appears before me but from what I've scouranged from articles and the likes, it firstly asked for peoples recounts of where they were, what they were doing and such on the day of the attacks (Autobiographical vs event memory). These were recorded. Then, some years after (I think there were several tests, some 1/2, 1, some 3, some 4 years after) the same people were asked again what they were doing. The shocking thing is, many of them had memories that were corrupted, giving answers which obviously clashed with what they'd said before. In the short term tests, miscalculations of time in these flash memories were influenced by the proximity to the twin towers.

I'm extremely eager to get my hands on a report about this. The psychological consequences are amazing, extending even to the point that people's construction of memories impacts on actual memory, corrupting truth. Now you're probably looking at the screen thinking Lisa's lost it. And I'll admit what you already know, I'm a bit tipsy, alcohol does that XP

If you can't tell I'm joking, if you think I actually drink, you've been listening too much to Thomas' ramblings that I am an alcohol addicted nutter. I, with great dignity, refute any such claims.

It's been good =]...

2009-10-06T23:41:00.000+11:00

A whole lot of loving X] Note: Nick was punctually out of class filling waterbombs at the time of this photo X[

May we all recognise his sacrifice in the name of soaking, wet juniors.

Everyone, the picture above is just one representation of Japanese class. Filled with love, devils, flowers, bribery, and of course, the Jap kids of 09~ If I had photos of every class, I'd be graffiting those too, but alas...

To be continued...(at another time when I'm not drunk with sleep)

The Black Cat Stalks Me

2009-09-21T17:35:00.000+10:00

So firstly, I gots hit by a waterbomb at lunchtime, getting completely soaked and oddly sticky. I decided I'd go home early. Then when I was walking home, a P-plater decides it'd be fun to swerve his car towards me and try and freak me. I didn't freak cause I didn't notice until it went past me (yes, I'm that clueless). I was on RHS of the road and this car went 10cm away from my left hand. Idiots.

So, I have decided there is just something about me that doesn't sit right with people. What did I do D= Is it cause I'm asian, or too ugly, or whyyyyyyyyyy. *Ahem* I'm calm again.

On another note, I've decided Lei is a very good form of spontaneous amusement. On the train someone from his old school (?) sat with us and I was thinking he looked familiar. Can't remember what, but Lei told me to take a side and asked, "Who have you known longer?", implying I should side with him X]

I asked other guy what his name was and turns out he went to my primary school XD

Plans and Plots and Pot

2009-09-14T17:00:00.000+10:00

I got 4 books of sheet music from Wendy today X] I see that taking up a nice, long time. 2 were mine which I'd forgotten I'd given her and 2 are the fattest folders you'll ever see, which the woman (thanks Wendy ;) ) had managed to fill.

Life after HSC sounds like it'll be filled with a lot of hobbies. Are you going to pick back up all the stuff you've sacrificed because of exams? For me, I am going to get back into piano, drawing and tennis ~~and stuff uni study~~. And maybe also pick up some more languages X] I desire to travel after HSC before uni, but don't see that happening =[

36 days till AOS (if i can count) and it is time to study again everyone =] I am aware Jamie is currently blogging in an effort to gain motivation. Here's some:
- You'll have 4 months break after HSC is over. You're gonna be so sick of it you'll want to study. You don't want that. Study NOW, not during your break! D=
- Regret is not a pretty feeling.
- If you feel like a forum, go on Bored Of Studies cause then you see people studying and feel like crap T.T I find guilt makes me study.
- 5 weeks till HSC is both a good and a bad thing. Consider you only have to study for 5 more weeks X] Consider if you don't, you won't be getting a proper sleep in 5 weeks time.

The 'motivation' is more of a guilt trip ^^" Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, no pain, no gain, and so we must all endure.

City is a workout

2009-09-06T18:17:00.000+10:00

When everyone was arriving at UNSW yesterday and getting free stuff and lectures, 6 desolate Hurlstone kids were waiting in an examination room, being sized up by a couple hundred other kids who all looked like they'd kick our asses.

They kicked mine, lol. X.X

Ok.
BEFORE EXAM: We're gonna go UNSW Open Day after this.
DURING EXAM: What Open Day?
THE HOUR AFTER EXAM: Let's eat then go Open Day.
AT CENTRAL: Let's just eat and hang in the city. Scrap Open Day.

Soooo, we ended up going to RamenKan, yummy. Then couple that with eating out for dinner, I am starting to feel I needed all those stairs at UNSW. Drats. Oh well. Try walking in the dark for over a km at night in high heels, it takes effort.

Interlude: Dad just gave me his scratchies to play for him, got $100 X]

Umm, other than stuffing our faces yesterday, we (being David, Uzma, Sarah, Nick, and yours truly) went for a trek round market city. Only Nick and Sarah managed to buy anything. The rest of us just fail at shopping T.T Then played DDR with David at arcade, which only further yielded how unhealthy I've become. After just half a song on Heavy, I died and retreated to standard. Then fell out of round three altogether. David survived all three songs with flying colours. Thank god for David =] Umm, we ran into others afterwards from UNSW, can't list everyone cause I know I'll miss someone. Then, off to Kino it was! 20% off sale! *squeal*. Bought two manga, I'm happy, my wallet ain't.

When we were going home, Uzzi and I decided that the railway personnel/guards/security sucks. We bought tickets at Central see, but wanted to get on at Town Hall cause was right under Kino. We went to side of gates to ask guards if was alright with those tickets. We say something. They see us but don't seem to care. We slip past the gate and three personnel. And voila, my review of Cityrail: I love you for being lazy and letting me past, but I don't like where my future tax is going.

Now for today, Father's Day. My dad loves walking and acting like a tourist. We went to The Rocks and trekked to Opera House and back and bleugh. There was some China performance thing happening and it was horrible. All oldies and everyone watching whilst we freezed to death from the cold sea spray and wind. Lovely. Oooh, who knows that guy all painted with silver and in silver clothes at The Rocks! It was so cute, a little girl thought he was a statue and went up and started prodding him for a few seconds. He suddenly moves and faces her and she freaks and run backwards XD Amazing how he can retain a posture all day.

Lunch was Pancakes On The Rocks. What we ordered: (I remember cause I did the ordering)
- Cheese and bacon crepe
- Mexicana crepe
- Chicken and bacon pizza
- Strawberry patch pancake
- Ribeye steak
- Farmer's brunch crepe
- Thai chicken crepe
- Marshamallow cocoa
- Diet coke soda
- Fanta
- Banana milkshake

This is six people btw o__o

So, that is my weekend.

Happy Bday Marshmallow

2009-08-25T21:14:00.000+10:00

Firstly, HAPPY BDAY JAMIE~~!

You are now 18, and thus begins adulthood (officially anyway) ;) My message to you was in card, so refer to that X]

Is there a word opposite of FOB? To describe a kid who is Chinese but stuffs it up because he was born here? I.e. To describe my brother? See, we bought 4 punnets of strawberries, and gave 2 to gran. This is what happens.
Brother: *Puts bag on table*
Gran: Dai yut gaw fan uk kay la (Take one home to eat)
What brother means to say: Ngor dei mai zhaw sei gaw ah (We bought four)
What he says: Ngor dei mai zhaw, sei zhaw lah (We bought some, they died already)

Life for the past week has consisted of an anime marathon of sorts. I have completed three anime (or whats been released anyway). They are 'Eden of the East' (11 eps), 'Pandora Hearts' (20 eps) and 'Kuroshitsuji' (24 eps)

Pandora Hearts has the prettier art imo. This is a scene thats not really clear cause of crappy video quality and cutting and editting. The style is wow even though anime is never to the same detail as manga. That's my opinion =/ Some people prefer anime, I'm aware. Then there's the people who love drama, like my sister. Sometimes I cringe at the stuff she watches: even though it uses actors and real life, it seems like the issues in some are less than realistic. Truthfully, the themes occasionally disgust me to the point I get in a mopey mood and need an anti-drug of some angst-filled anime/book/song/other. I am not not emo (=.=" such an abused word isn't it?), but I don't particularly like sugar-coating things either. So ironically, sometimes the best way to escape all the illusions making 'reality', is to escape into an implicit incorporation existing in a nice, sensible imagined world =]

#2, Kuroshitsuji has the better manga art X] It reminds me of Yukimachiya *swoons* Somewhat cliche, it tells of the deal between a demon and a child but I like the instrumentals. Music creates so much more feeling than words ever could in anime. In life? I wonder...

BUT, best storyline goes to Eden of The East. Character design almost tuned me out but happy I stayed. The storyline is at times convoluted, but it reflects its themes. Human society is a complicated place after all and one person's ideals are blasphemy to another. Many plots seem to happen simultaneously but it works. Terrorism, ideologies, search for identity (Jap Ext is influencing meh too much X.X), etc. Despite the storyline, characters ARE slightly lacking in development and bit of depth =/ Buuut, if anyone gets bored, here's a linky:::http://www.animecrazy.net/

Remember to fill in your UAC forms. I thought everyone knew it was online but apparently not, so here's a little reminder that it is ;)

The reason we're currently suffering

2009-08-14T18:55:00.000+10:00

Hello all, Adam's blog prompted me to consider what I am going to do in university. I.e. To consider what the ATAR I'm currently slaving over is going towards. Thus I did what I do best and went leafing through a couple hundred webpages. The ~~biased~~ results of my research are so:

1. The UNSW campus is significantly prettier than USYD, but USYD Law building kicks ass. The rest of the gargoyles however, can stay ugly and go back to the medieval era where they belong. If you like sandstone 'cloisters' then you'd love USYD but remember that the insides of the buildings are old too. In terms of renovation both unis are doing a crazy amount so remains to be seen. Why does everything change when our grade comes along?

2. http://i1.treklens.com/photos/1052/unsw.jpg So pretty!!~

3. http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/2009/ This site I stumbled across accidentally. I do that a lot it seems. It has details on every course in UNSW and whats even better, every major and minor. Therefore you can look at specialisation areas and THEN decide which course out of the offering ones you want X].

4. http://www.gooduniguide.com.au/ Gives the reviews/numerical statistics on each university and its courses. So you can find out number of people enrolled in a course, how much people earn once they graduate, etc. It also gives ratings of the quality of each course in several different areas such as teaching, environment, facilities. etc. I discovered only 16 people do language studies at UNSW o___0 But at the same time, UNSW kicked every other uni in terms of business and law. USYD wins in arts. Can't remember any other stuff cause I'm not interested in them. This site appears to hate me. I've added it to my favs 3 times and lost it twice, and spent another hour typing in random usernames since I apparently made one and couldn't remember ever doing such a thing.

For the record, I did make one. I forgot about it T.T

6.http://www.alberteinstein.com.au/uai-calculator/uai-calculator.html Enjoy yourself stabbing in random numbers and subjects you don't even do, then glare at the people who you think are going to get that ATAR you want.

~~After much thought~~ the 9 UAC choices as they currently stand for me areeeeee

1. UNSW law/commerce 99.40

2. USYD law/commerce 99.55

3. UNSW commerce/arts 95.30

4. USYD commerce/arts 94.30

5. USYD commerce 94.10

6. UNSW economics/arts 91.00

7. USYD international and global studies 94.00

8. USYD political, economic and social sciences **

9. USYD economics 91.80

Adam suggested i do Bachelor of viticulture and wine science at Charles Sturt at 72.55. Haha. As to the strange ordering of the ATAR ranks, tis because you receive offers from both unis (?) Notice no sciences anywhere and an abundance of arts. Can't call me a typical asian XP

Tis depressing yet oddly exciting at the same time, doing all these preparations =S Btw people, remember Sydney LIVE open day is on ...uhh, last Saturday of the month, and UNSW is on the 5th of September. Too bad for the USYD day in regards to Jap kids, but the UNSW one is available X] ~~I'm so not biased~~ Of course, to each their own, you people should know about all the open days anyway, we've only received maybe a dozen papers from UAC and its only been published in every single newspaper for the past month ;) ~~Perfectly understandable~~

Now, most people should also already know the existence of every single on of those sites up there (cept maybe the fish eye lens photo) but just to give you stuff to procrastinate over, enjoy.

Hope everyone enjoyed their physics and history ext, cause I certainly didn't enjoy my jap ext. Decided to gamble my trials away by playing with sentence structures XD

To continue the 'post up random sites to kill people's time' thing that Wendy started some weeks back and I continued faithfully, I introduce you to my beloved 'point and click'/'room escape' games. If you were anywhere near me in IPT then you would understand my unhealthy obssession with them. The link below is the main site. The games go down the right hand side of the screen. As a summary, escape games are where you are given a scenario, a room with 4 or more walls (XD) and then you have to find a whole array of items and solve the scenario/puzzle using these items in all sorts of bizarre ways.

http://www.gotmail.jp/eng/

Bon Voyage is an...average level? I think. Can't remember properly =/ Click on the picture to play X] If ever you become like me and finish them all and crave more then create an account and you can access members only ones, and Japanese only ones which you can pull your hair out translating as you play.

Environmental Graffiti

2009-08-13T14:07:00.000+10:00

I found a site last night when I should've been studying English. http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/

It's got soooo much stuff on it o___o I could blitz my life away on it. Maybe not, but it has replaced binge eating as an exams stress reliever. The link above is the homepage.

THIS link is one of the more...disturbing posts. I seriously almost screamed. If you think you can stomach it, click:

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/7-most-disgusting-insect-delicacies-on-earth/13723

Don't say I didn't warn you >.<

Here's some more pleasant pics from same site. The water landscape one is made entirely out of food, the water being fish. The artist is called Carl Warner and this is his webby ~http://www.carlwarner.com/

Under top 10 weirdest ice-cream flavours, for some reason green tea was down. I don't think it's weird = I think it looks very appetising. Especially the sweetened red bean next to it. Mmhm, my blog's turning into a food review again. Sweetened red bean is yummo, I suggest eating it with coconut ice cream ;)

Uhhh. This is wasabi ice-cream. It looks all pretty and innocent but I daresay it'll hurt.

Chili ice-cream on a stick.

The website also has a section just on ecology (well it IS called environmental graffiti). The photo below looks like a freaking zombie hand. It is a real mushroom T.T"

This is a photo of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern lights. I think Physics people might know something about it? =S Yes? No? Just sounds like something that belongs in that subject.

This one is the Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights. Not from the Environmental Graffiti website but too pretty to not post. It's stuff like this we should live for, and not pesky exams.

Check out the site if you have time =] It's interesting. *Nods*

Jap Continuers Speaking

2009-08-11T13:37:00.000+10:00

Me to Wendy (in Japanese): What problems could arise from technological advancement in the future?
Wendy (in Japanese): We will all become robots

Lololol.

How the last question of my speaking went:::
Sensei :O-sutoraria ni, rapuongaku wa ninki ga arimasuka? (Is rap music popular in Australia?)
Me: Rapuon o____0?
Sensei: hai (yes)
Dot dot dot
Me: Ettooo, mou ichido onegaishimasu (can you please repeat one more time?)
Sensei repeats
Me: Rappu? (Wrap? o___0) OHHHH, RAP! (said this part in English >.>)
Me: No, I don't like it so don't listen. Dot dot dot.

I'm aware I didn't answer the question T.T If I hadn't finally realized it was music I think I would've started talking about how I like eating wraps X]

Inspired By Wendy X]

2009-08-08T12:12:00.000+10:00

Inspired by Wendy's random posts of late:: Not my property (duh). Just random stuff I've accumulated over the years.

Something to think - and laugh - about

Have you ever considered suing your brain for non-support?

Who was so mean to put an "s" in the word "lisp" if people with lisps can't say the "s"?

Doctors say TV is bad for us, but why is there a TV in every hospital room?

If McDonald's loves to see you smile why do they screw up your order?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If con is the opposite of pro is Congress the opposite of progress?

Donald Duck never wears pants, but why does he wraps a towel around his waist when he gets out of the shower?

Because spelling is not important~~

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty

uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal

pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a

rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't

mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the

olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer

be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl

mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed

ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas toghuht slpeling

was ipmorantt! tahts so cool!

mORE....?
This is this cat. This is how cat. This is to cat. This is keep cat. This is a cat. This is dumbass cat. This is busy cat. This is for cat. This is forty cat. This is seconds cat. Now go back and read the third word in each sentence from the top. Pass it on.

God created man before woman because every masterpiece needs a rough draft.

MENtal pain, MENtal anxiety, MENstrual cramps, MENopause... all our problems start with men!

I only know how to do things three ways: the right way, the wrong way, and my way... which is the wrong way only faster.

To catch me you got to be fast, to find me you got to be smart, but to be me? Damn you must be kidding...

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you. But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl is empty and so is your head.

Shoving it in the racists' faces~

A black man walks into a cafe one early morning and noticed that he was the only black man there. As he sat down, he noticed a white man behind him.

The white man said, "Colored people are not allowed here."
The black man turned around and stood up. He then said:

"When I was born I was black,"
"When I grew up I was black,"
"When I'm sick I'm black,"
"When I go in the sun I'm black,"
"When I'm cold I'm black,"
"When I die I'll be black."

"But you sir..."
"When you're born you're pink,"
"When you grow up you're white,"
"When you're sick, you're green,"
"When you go in the sun you turn red,"
"When you're cold you turn blue,"
"And when you die you turn purple."
"And yet you have the nerve to call me colored"

The black man then sat back down and the white man walked away...

Read the sarcasm folks~
Ten Reasons Why Gay Marriages Are Wrong

(A Little Humor)

1. Being gay is not natural. And as you know Americans have always rejected unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because, as you know, a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed. The sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, menopausal women, women who have a medical condition which makes it harmful to be pregnant, women who have had a tubal ligation, men who have had a vasectomy, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

lol..
LEARN CHINESE IN 5 MINUTES

Say the words out loud.

1) That's not right... ...Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive? ...Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP... ...Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man... ... Dum Fuk
5) Small Horse... ...Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the Beach?...Wai Yu So Tan
7) I bumped into a coffee table...Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift...Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here...Wai So Dim
10) I thought you were on a diet...Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone...No Pah King
12) Our meeting is next week...Wai Yu Kum Nao
13) Staying out of sight...Lei Ying Lo
14) He's cleaning his automobile...Wa Shing Ka
15) Your body odor is offensive...Yu Stin Ki Pu
16) Great... ...Fa Kin Su Pah

~~Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?~~

"Why would he be on a road? I thought chickens lived in the ocean..." -Jessica Simpson

"That (censor) fool of a chicken didn't (censor) know what the (censor) he was doin' crossin' a (censor) alley in (censor) Harlem at 1:00 in the (censor) morning" -Snoop Dogg

"To cross or not to cross, that is the question" -Shakespeare

"I agree that the chicken should cross the road, but I believe he should not get to the other side" -John Kerry

"Chickens, over a great period of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads" -Charles Darwin

"And God came down from the heavens and He said unto the chicken 'Thou shall cross the road'. And the chicken did, and there was much rejoicing" -Moses

"To go where no chicken has gone before" -Neil Armstrong

"We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. Its either with us or against us, there's no middle ground here" -George W. Bush

"Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes the chicken crossed the road. But why it crossed, I've not been told" -Dr. Seuss

"In my day, we didn't as why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us the chicken crossed the road and that was good enough for us" -Grandpa

"Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask 'What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place anyways?'" -Jerry Seinfeld

"The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did not cross the road" -Richard Nixon

"This was an unprevoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it" -Saddam Hussein

"I missed one?" -Colonel Sanders

Which do you think...?
Physicists think the world is made of atoms,
Biologists think the world is made of cells,
Musicians think the world is made of vibrations,
Painters think the world is made of lights,
and Authors think the world is made of stories

...I cannot believe you just read through all of that...

Here, have some more ;)

Quotes worth remembering:

A wise man does not piss into the wind.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If life gives you vodka, have a party.

If you are not afraid to fail, then you can succeed at anything.

The only stupid questions are the ones you already knew the answers to.

If the prompt tells you to hit any key, and you spend more than two seconds looking for the 'any' key, get the fuck off the computer. The internet is filled with enough idiots already.

If your literary skills are not passable on a fifth grade scale, do not attempt to write fanfiction. The world will thank you later.

If you have half a mind to do something, stop. You obviously haven't thought it through all the way.

This is a real law in Texas: If two trains meet going opposite directions, one may not pass until the other has. www.dumblaws.com

If you can see the white light at the end of the tunnel, get the fuck out of the way, the train's coming.

The sad truth is that common sense isn't all that common.

Remember what the door mouse said: feed your head.

A man who claims to be wise is one who is oblivious to the fact that he is fallible.

Birds of a feather flock together...and crap on your car.

When I'm feeling down I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

He who hesitates is probably right.

If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

Eventually you will reach a point where you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, think about algebra.

Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks it was called witchcraft. Today, we call it golf.

The rich wage war and pick up their pens to write the history, the poor go to war for the rich and dust off their instruments to write the songs.

I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going
to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of
the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up,
I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and
break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear,
in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something
to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth
and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you look at that dirt
on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA"You'll sit there until all that
spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if
a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told
you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this
world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like
your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY. " There are millions of less
fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16 My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get
home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when
you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing
your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I
know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your
toes, don't come running to me. "

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your
vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do
you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll
understand."

And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll
have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you".

Friends like you X]

FRIENDS: Never ask for anything to eat or drink.
BEST FRIENDS: Helps themselves and are the reason why you have no food.

FRIENDS: Call your parents by Mr. and Mrs. and Grandpa, by Grandpa.
BEST FRIENDS: Call your parents DAD and MOM and Grandpa, GRAMPS!

FRIENDS: Would bail you out of jail.
BEST FRIENDS: Would be sitting next to you sayin "Flip!" we messed up!

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
BEST FRIENDS: Wont tell everyone else you cried...just laugh about it with you in private when your not down anymore.

FRIENDS: Asks you to write down your number.
BEST FRIENDS: Has you on speed dial.

FRIENDS: Borrows your stuff for a few days then gives it back.
BEST FRIENDS: Loses your stuff and tells you, "My bad...here's a tissue."

FRIENDS: Only know a few things about you.
BEST FRIENDS: Could write a very embarrassing biography on your life story...

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that is what the crowd is doing.
BEST FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you

FRIENDS: Would knock on your front door.
BEST FRIENDS: Walk right in and say "I'M HOME."

FRIENDS: You have to tell them not to tell anyone.
BEST FRIENDS: Already know not to tell.

FRIENDS: Are only through highschool/college. (aka: drinking buddies)
BEST FRIENDS: Are for life.

FRIENDS: Will be there to take your drink away from you when they think you've had enough.
BEST FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place & say "Girl drink the rest of that ! You know we don't waste!

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time , Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it " In".

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks , Write "For Smuggling Diamonds".

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy".

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water when ever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go".

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In the Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

I can't be bothered to censor this

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for
the time... I know where my watch is pal, where the
heck is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask
where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to
search the entire room for the TV remote because they
refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel
manually.

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your
cake and eat it too".
Damn right! What good is a cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say "it's always the last place you
look".
Of course it is. Why the heck would you keep looking
after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and
where are they? They need their Ass Kicked!

5. When people say while watching a film "did
you see that?".
No Loser, I paid 12 to come to the cinema and stare
at the floor.

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?"...
Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'.
Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been
anything before it.
If it's an improvement, then there must have been
something before it.

8. When people say "life is short". What??
Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!!
What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks
"Has the bus come yet?".
If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbass?

A tad boring one, but somewhat inspirational for creative writing ~~ Random quotes

"I like you...when I destroy the world you shall be the last to die."

"I'm going to live forever, or die trying." - Joseph Heller

"One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." -Chinese proverb

"Everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die."

"Don't talk unless you can improve the silence."

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. "–Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you think talk is cheap, try hiring a lawyer."

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying."- Woody Allen

"Where am I? Who am I?
How did I come to be here?
What is this thing called the world?
How did I come into the world?
Why was I not consulted?
And If I am compelled to take part in it,
Where is the director?
I want to see him." – Soren Kierkegaard

"Age is a very high price to pay for maturity."

"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and say the opposite."

"Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate."

"It's a blessing to die for a cause, because you can so easily die for nothing."-Andrew Young

"If the world were a logical place, men would ride side saddle." – Rita Mae Brown

"If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is, it's you."- Paul Newman

"Life has a bright side and a dark side, for the world of relativity is composed of light and shadows. If you permit your thoughts to dwell on evil, you yourself will become ugly. Look only for the good in everything so you absorb the quality of beauty." – Paramahansa Yogananda

"I'm surrounded by idiots, but they all mean well." - Hiei (YYH)

"You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you could with a kind word alone."- Al Capone

"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. "– Charles Dubois

"A conscience doesn't prevent sin. It only prevents you from enjoying it."

"We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us." – Rabindrenath Tagore

"The best way out is always through." – Robert Frost

"My imaginary friend thinks you have serious mental problems."

"You say you dislike me, but deep down, you know you hate me."

"You can't spell slaughter without laughter."

"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried."

"Well behaved women rarely make history. "–Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

"Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell." – Emily Dickenson

"Often the best thing about not saying anything is that it can't be repeated."

"You shouldn't talk. It makes you sound stupid." - Yusuke (YYH)

"When an arguer argues dispassionately he thinks only of the argument." – Virginia Woolf

"Did you ever wonder why it is that light can't exist without darkness, but darkness can exist without light?"- Kayla (The Shadow Prophecy by Taki Lorii)(ff.net)

"I'm not stupid, I just don't pay attention."

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." – Albert Einstein

"Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die today."

"The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil." – Cicero

"I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame you."

"Battle not with monsters
lest ye become a monster
and if you gaze into the abyss
the abyss gazes into you." – Friedrich Nietzsche

"War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left."

"That's one of the remarkable things about life. It's never so bad that it can't get worse."

"Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarreled with him?" – Blaise Pascal

The night before Armageddon

2009-08-06T21:52:00.000+10:00

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN~

Hope you had a good one, and the other 6 boxes will be coming soon ;) Don't get too fat XP

I am so bored. Perhaps I should be 4-unitting but i don't wannaaaaaa D= Refer to Wendy's post and you'll find me as the emoticon under 'the day before'.

So why am I posting when I'm rambling about sweet nothings? Well, one reason was that I could revoke Lei's claim on my blog (adieus!).

Nothing to say, nothing to see. I will end with something I found ~~not so~~ randomly.

Do Not Slander Pairings Thou Does Not Like,
For The Fangirls Will Find Thee,

And Then, Thee Is Doomed.
And SasuNaru Fangirls, They Art The Most Bloodthirsty Creatures On
Earth When Their Fandom Is Threatened.

Found it on Urban Dictionary X] How right they are. Jamie, dear, you have no idea. *insert evil laughter*

P.S. I don't know why (*cough*) but my favourites list has mysteriously inflated to 720 links.

Personification at its best

2009-07-30T18:57:00.000+10:00

Lei's printer...that is all.

When your fantasies start dragging in technology, you might like to consider that you're getting a tad bit stressed.

Who said discovering new things is good?

2009-07-29T12:23:00.000+10:00

Stayed at home today because I would only have been going to school for English. Other two periods were frees. Anyhow, was supposed to be studying Legal studies but somehow found myself studying Japanese AGAIN. I discovered a couple of things.

JAP~

1. That there are some evil Jap continuers comprehensions out there.

2. A 2 minute monologue for Jap ext should be around 620 ji (i.e. a full essay, 2 pages worth of Jap writing paper D=) And then consider that in the oral we have 10 minutes to write said 620ji, when an essay during the written exam of same length is given 40 minutes. Screwed? Yup.

3. 10 days till trials. Thanks Jamie =.=

The goal for today was to finish legal off. It is now exactly 12:30pm and two topics left =O 4 Unit is also at the back of my mind scaring the hell out of me. Not much help =[

Study Log Update::

Japanese (Both): 12-ish hours

Math Ext 1: 1 hour + 2 periods

Math Ext 2: 4 + 2 frees

Eng: Completed::: Belonging, Mod A (need memorising). The current travesty equals Mod B.

Legal: Someone kill me, don't even remember the basics of this subject anymore. What on Earth am I studying this for T.T

Quite a negative post. Perhaps should've warned ppl beforehand >.>

And so it comes to an end

2009-07-26T17:27:00.000+10:00

These two weeks have gone by so fast. I feel they've been more good than they have bad =] For one, productivity levels went in a sine curve, unfortunately reaching negative productivity today. *Runs* ^^"

No piccies today. No food either, if Jamie wants pork floss she can post it on her own blog XP. Instead, I give a few lines of silence (bleh, wtva) to the end of holidays. Grieve, celebrate, whatever ;) Say bah bai to partying from here on out.

--

--

--

^-----The silence

Hope everyone's body clocks aren't as stuffed up as mine. Sleeping at 2 and waking at 9-10. That might hurt tomorrow...

Study Log::
Jap Ext 1: 6 hours
Jap Cont: 0
Math Ext 1: 0
Math Ext 2: 4-ish
Eng: Complete travesty
Legal: Halfway there.

[Enjoy your last hours, time is up]...
*dies*

Status:: Rotting in Hell, wish you could be here ;)

EDIT===================

My god, the most eye-burning picture I've seen in awhile o_0 Must let you all see.

That is just...but in my defence, I wasnt the person who found the site that came from >.>

BTW, I have no objections to guys in drag. ~~After all, I'm all for Sasunaru~~ but L and Light? A bit too off the deep end...

More food. It'll stop, I swear.

2009-07-23T17:19:00.000+10:00

HAPPY 17TH KHOI~!

Hope you have a good one! I love the fact I'm older than you (Says so much about maturity doesn't it? XP) Hopefully you'll get a belated birthday present in the form of good trials results, you deserve them =] You could be partying but you're not and so we should all admire your dedication ;)

In my own dedication to trials, I went city today. Needed to take an xray before I get braces off (should be off already, stupid teeth T.T) That was just the first part of my day, because....

85'C BAKERY CAFE~!

Behold true art

http://www.85cafe.com.au/

My blog is slowly turning into a food review, but who cares! That cake shop is the next best thing since Savoy! =D (Savoy's taro pastries are best and its located across from the Market Ct/Paddies exit, next to Blue Star). I think 85'C is Japanese, it has all this stuff like Hokkaido Cheesecake and heaps of tiramisu varieties with strange names. For the Jap kids, it's right next to that 'Pepper' restaurant, so go get dessert after eating there or something!

Other than cakes, the city is much reknowned for Azn clothing shops. I blitzed $115 on a Korean shop even though everything was reduced by around 80%. Bought 5 things ^^" Presenting

BLUE ELF~!

Jamie must hate me, this is the second time I've managed to catch one of their uber rare sales XP They normally sell a jumper at around $180 D=. Don't wanna get started on the coats. >.<

Will leave it at there cause haven't studied all day. To the person who might one day be dragged shopping with me, you've been warned X]

No more water, but a lot of food X]

2009-07-17T18:49:00.000+10:00

Say bye bye to your water

And hello to a lot of 'yummy' traditional Chinese food =] I'm hungry, so will show you some of the rare, the icky, and my all time favs. Look at Jamie's blog for a picture of a century egg, also known loosely as 'horse urine egg'. Seriously though, it is quite yummy ;) Our goal is to feed that to Adam.

This is a Chinese cuisine called swallow birds nest, usually in drinkable soup form. That one is blood birds nest X] It is made out of the saliva of swifts, except that THAT one also has blood ~~and other stuff~~ which comes after eggs hatch. Never tried blood one, but the white one is nice ;)

Something that if you see in China, you're too close to it T.T That stuff REEKS like a sewer. Literally called 'stinky tofu', i.e. 臭豆腐 Run far, far away.

MANGO SAGO!!

*Drool* Coconut cream sago with mango. Nicer with taro though XD I love desserts that have coconut cream in them *sigh*. Have I made anyone hungry/disgusted?

Fancy lamb brains? Were on Masterchef X]

A change in topic...

Is Listening to over and over again:
Aya- Overnight
Mew - Snow Brigade
Jem- They

Current bane of life (will change tomorrow to 4u) : Legal
So, I spent 3 hours finishing off notes for shortest topic. I then ditch the notes and get three quarters through largest topic in 2 hours =.= And SOMEBODY, I want a summarised copy of the constitution D=

Current craving: Coconut Ice-Cream

Mood: Indifferent. But I've been dogged for 'So You Think You Can Dance' D=

Deepest, darkest desire: ~~Ownership rights to Naru~~ , ________

We're almost at weekend of first week already, eek. Study frantically.

Failure number three

2009-07-16T15:09:00.001+10:00

Thomas has NOT managed to invade this blog X] Only the comments and shoutbox *grumble*

Hope everyone's working hard. *Receives an SMS from Adam who's DDRing with Thomas*sighs* Have been online for close to 6 hours now and legal notes are going nowhere. I've got 6 pages handwritten. Pretty sucky. Think I'll be giving up now. But really, what's the point of notes = Supposedly writing things out gets it into your head, but when you're like me and can't write at the same time you think about your work, kinda dodgy. Most notes I see are either detailed and highlighted to the point they're harder to understand than a textbook, they reproduce the textbook, or they miss out detail (mine falling into all three categories X[ )

I feel like sushi now. Tanken centre on Monday, yay.

Study Log at 3:17 pm, since beginning of holiz::
4 unit: half hour
English: 10 minutes
Legal: 6 hours
Japanese: Zero
3 unitL zero

That is going to come back and bite me. *Goes and starts youtubing*.

Of bookshopping, ramen, DDR and photos

2009-07-13T19:17:00.000+10:00

Now that I have been abandoned by Jamie who went to watch MasterChef, I must show her my life does not revolve around conversations with her XP. Although fun, and with an incredible amount of broken secrecy on the parts of both of us, there are other things to life ;)

Lets talk of Friday for example. After Ms Webber's party, possibly half the class went elsewheres. Me, Tram, Ashley and Angela made our way into the city for bookshopping for English. Walking in uncomfortable shoes was a killer. Our first stop was Kinokuniya, in which we probably looked a bit out of it wandering from one end of the bookshop to the other several times. Then we set off for Borders an hour later, which to our dismay we discovered had closed down D=. Next was Dymocks, and we got lost getting there ==" It was actually just down the street from Kino. Doh. Oh well. We bought some stuff, so all worth it.

After, we met up with Nick, Adam and Hanson who had been watching a movie X] Let me just say that Hanson and Nick spend too much time checking out girls on the streets =.=. I had two chances to kick Nick off a balcony and I missed them! D= (You know I'm kidding Nick =])

We went Ramen-kan to eat. I think Ichi-ban boshi has better noodles, buh thats just me.

Green Milk Tea, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Miso soup and a type of tofu that was suppose to be an entree. Tram's order. I don't think she likes Japanese food very much D=

RAMEN! You see that little tub of dried onion and hot sauce? I dumped the whole thing in my noodles X.X

Directly after eating it was off to DDR at Galaxy World, who cares about indigestion. Only Adam would play, Nick and Hanson were too busy sitting down looking busy ~~when I suspect they were in fact continuing their girl-watching~~ >.> They played on Daytona afterwards, so i SUPPOSE they were being active. Angela and Tram tried to do some shopping, but ended up with nothing =[ I feel broke. And omg, $18 for caps o_O

Half the city schools were jigging or something like that, there were quite a lot of people taking Capitols. Caps=Something almost every Asian has tried. (This is coming from the person who didn't try a pork roll till this year and also hates durian and sugar cane >.>)

I have no idea where the teddy bears came from in that last one, buh I want them! D= Ashley went home earlier because she had tutor =[ so not in caps. Our plans to leave/get home by 5 died. Got home at 6:40 after missing my bus T.T All in all though, a good day ;)

I love gummys

2009-07-09T20:27:00.000+10:00

Behold the belated post that will cover a few days because I'm a fish brain and am busy ~~with SasuNaru and drawing.~~ Is photocopying my trials timetable 5 times and other notifications twice too much? The empty space on my walls say no XD Must persevere (and everyone you can apply for USYD scholarships now and UNSW from next week ;) )

I personally hate sweet stuff, but recently I've been having cravings for stuff like the picture up there. Yummness. Introducing Gummy 100 by Kusangai. Available in flavours of apple, muscat (the heck is that), orange, grape, lychee and my fav, grape. I unfortunately ran out of supply ~~with the help of David and Wendy~~ during Jap and will therefore stock up over the holidays. X] I swear we seem to eat non-stop during Jap class. Ms Hewitt just glares and sometimes takes the food XD Recently she's been going crazy with work though. Every lesson she kills another couple of trees with revision sheets ~~that most of us don't do anyway.~~ She's a nice and funny person. You must hear her sing happy birthday with Jap intonation.

Speaking of Japan, it is home to a lot of strange things. Fancy men flavoured pocky anyone?

Bitter chocolate is oh so nice so of course I'd like some. ~~Has nothing to do with the fact that it's men.~~ OH, curse all the people carrying around chocolate boxes! That's you Jamie. And yes, I am interested in buying your chocolate box. Thanks to the walking vending machines I've been eating chocolate during English *guilty look*. First time Ms Webber laughed at me when I queried how much fat is in a chocolate bar. Second time she told me it was too early for chocolate but didn't seem to notice that two seats away, with a great big chocolate bar in her hand, Jamie was laughing her ass off! So unfair, is it cause I'm fatter?!

The term is drawing to a close, so will have no one to whisper in my ear to buy chocolate. And no school tomorrow, since we will be going into the city to do book shopping and eat glorious ramen. I can sense Adam lurking...=] Hope everyone has a safe holidays and more fun than I will. Parents will be locking me up to study.

The things on my laptop

2009-07-07T20:10:00.000+10:00

Life revolves around school. It's disgusting. 3U and English marks, yeuch. *Looks away* This post will not brood on marks. Nope. Onto 'The things on my laptop.'

It seems that many things these last few days has resulted in me opening the my 'My Pictures' folder in 'My Documents.' Yearbook photo uploading, blog dp, msn dp, new pretty pictures to save (borrow) off Deviantart, etc...

No wonder its such a mess. Statistical wonders of Lisa's documents::::>

Pictures: 5462 files, 174 folders > of which 2489 files and 50 folders are Naruto.

Favourites: 671 files, 43 folders > of which maybe 200 or so are Naruto related.

versus

School Work: 366 files, 51 folders. Ahem.

So. What is it that plagues my folders? Other than Naruto >.> WELL. Here's some stuff I found (in my folders) that I didn't know I had.

I have maybe 50 of these pics...

Destruction of childhood...

Some SasuNaru XD Couldn't resist. Sorry about your childhood.

Propoerty of Orin on Deviantart^

I'd post more, but laptop is lagging. What does the world and my laptop have against me posting SasuNaru? *sob* Okay. Away from the laptop and horrors lurking on it, for now. Maybe one day if I'm drunk enough I'd post my ff story, ne, Adam? XP

Hmm. I am on 5 or 6 graphics programs installed on laptop. Perhaps thats why without my knowledge, I was put in charge of the technological side of things for the 'career search' thingo. Oh well, no complaints. Arts programs are funness, except when they lag and make your screen turn into the black screen of death. Ahem. Yeh, that'd be my screensaver >.> Oops.

Enough for today. I'm sure you guys have better things to do, and more scary stuff on your laptop than me.

Lisa.

First Post

2009-07-06T21:19:00.000+10:00

*Skeptically types in the strange looking box*

Hey people ;) Perhaps I should make an interesting post, but after an hour of fiddling with XML just to change the font on a pre-made blog template, am feeling rather dismayed.

Reasons for the name and linky and template: I have an unhealthy obssession with the sky. Surprisingly, the names 'marshmallowmoon' and 'magicmushrooms' were among the random names I typed in but which were already taken. People these days. Would eat anything XD. Back to the sky. Yes. The weather is good. Very good indeed. *Tumbleweed blows past*.

*Presses the PUBLISH POST button to see what happens*

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*Discovers the EDIT button and returns*

No pictures = plaaaaiiin. And since I haven't figured out the sidebar yet...lets just see how long it takes wendy to find this:::

Jay Chou concert was great =] Wendface and sis, David, Nick, Angela, Jamie and me (gramatically correct enuf for you Wendy?) went together in David and Nick's cars. Events of the night include:

- My house became a clean up spot for brushing teeth, putting in contacts, eating gum and medicine o_0
- We were robbed of our water and gum when we got to the concert >.> Nope, they didn't want weapons, just your water and chews.
- Before concert, Angela trying to get Wendy to take mirror photos in toilets when there were like a hundred people lining up. (We ended up taking them outside where there were a thousand ppl instead =.=")

- We ran into Ben =o and Nick ran into a group of girls he knew *cough* X]

- The concert opening was BEST. The whole ACER arena was packed and we were in 2nd mosh pit.
- Lots of blow up bangy thingos and glowsticks. Refer to picture above.
- Jay Chou has such a good live voice. Nan Quan Ma Ma was there!

Thanks guys for such a great time! X] Lets go again next year!

Lisa.