visions of clarity...do as infinity

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Chouquettes and Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Hello

^_^ I baked on Wednesday and I baked this morning as well!!! =D The chouquettes on Wednesday turned out great so since I'm meeting YX today, I decided to bake them for her again.=D

I baked Vanilla Sugar Cookies and Chouquettes on Wednesday. I got the cookie recipe from Jiamin's sister and the chouquette recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. I can think of VAST improvements I can make for the cookies, but the chouquettes are keeping me happy, all I have to do is make sure I pile the batter on the pan properly and go hunt down better sugar [though Demerara sugar seems to work quite well..].

The cookies! ^_^ They are REALLY ugly because I had to cut the dough with a knife by hand and shape the rest that I couldn't cut myself.. I can't find my cookie cutters! *tragic sigh* But o well. I think it's not bad considering I can barely draw a straight line..^_^"

Beams. I think Jiamin's sister's were better because they were thicker. I must modify this the next time I make these..^_^

The chouquettes! ^_^ They are so cute!

I don't know how they bloat up like that though. There's nothing in the ingredients that are the usual things that make it rise..=S Ah well. They are lovely and airy and sweet thanks to the sugar in the dough itself and the sprinkling of demerara sugar on top.^_^ Yum if I do say so myself.

The ones I baked today were a mix of ones with chocolate and without.^_^ Just wanted to see if I could introduce some variation..

I think chocolate shavings might have been a better option since it could melt onto the chouquette.. The chocolate chips didn't have enough kick!!! Or maybe they just aren't big enough.=P Haha. Next time, custard puffs and chocolate custard puffs since I now know that choux pastry isn't as daunting as it looks.=D It's a really easy recipe. Wee! And today's aren't as browned as Wednesday's because I shut off the heat earlier. Hehe.=P

Wee! I've submitted the Maryland application.=D 2 days to finish everything wasn't as bad as I thought since my darling brother and father could help me edit. BEAMS. Why o why can't I have a thesaurus in my head? Sigh. Ah well. Once prom is over, I won't be going out so often, so I can rot at home, plan the trip and apply to universities! Hooray. I cannot wait. I love rotting at home watching anime and reading manga.=D

Chobits! Meine Liebe! XXXHOLiC! Tsubasa! Angel Sanctuary! Ayashi no Ceres! Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu!

Ahem.

cch: Squirrels! ^_^ Hooray. But I want snow. Really. Like. I want snow.

Jiamin: Legolas IS the only highlight. It was very evident from the fact that his appearances were the only times you weren't dozing off..=P Orchestra performances are wonderful to watch too! ^_^ I love watching them play their instruments. BEAMS. There's the pretty Pussycat Dolls lead singer too if you want some highlights.. Haha.=P But seriously. You should at least LISTEN to it. It's great! ^_^ I can lend it to you while I'm not around and you can take full advantage of all the stuff to watch! =D

More last minute prom shopping to do.^_^" Sigh. It's very tiring.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Missing Gackt]
[mood : ^_^"]
[food : chouquettes!]

And I think my chouquettes are better than Delifrance if I do say so myself. I've never tried the ones in France so I can't say if mine are good or not though.. Sigh.

Labels: baking, chouquettes, vanilla sugar cookies

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

A Potential Internship

Hello

First Announcement: I got a dress! ^_^ Hooray.

But nothing else. Eeks! xP Anyway..

I've got an interview tomorrow with my dad's friend from an advertising firm. [I can't pronounce it's name. Is that a good sign?] It's pretty cool really but I'm thinking now about my intentions and what I want to achieve from this. Having goals is important but this whole "planning ahead" thing is quite..xP Intimidating. Apart from that though.. I need to think it through so I can at least answer the usual expected questions like, Why advertising? Or, Why do you want to intern here? Or perhaps they might kill me with some random question that forces me to think on the spot. Hmm..

Why do I want to go into advertising? I mean, certainly you can count the ridiculous teenage aspirations about how it's cool and interesting. But beyond that.. Perhaps it's a curiosity regarding how people think and thus respond? Ads are everywhere and everytime you look at one, it's like an unconscious reminder of that brand that sticks in you so you automatically link things together. Which is interesting isn't it? Surely there must be some psychology behind that.

I'm probably just interested in how people think. And advertising is all about that since you need to appeal to the consumer who you want to attract. Those branded companies certainly have been successful here.. Look at how people drool over their clothes and bags.. ^_^" Apart from that.. working in an advertising firm should prove to be intriguing to see how these advertisements are created. Surely they need some form of inspiration, creativity and skill to come up with this? Maybe that's what I can find out.

Hmm.

Ah well. Besides that, I need to write my uni essays!!! Omygosh. I don't know where and how to start!!! ARGH. The Maryland deadline is.. December 1st. I am so dead. *rushes like mad*

bye!
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Brise Malice Mizer]
[mood : !!!!!!!]
[food : --]

Labels: internship, misc

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Yoshiki Symphonic Concert

The Yoshiki Symphonic Concert with Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra featuring VIOLET UK was simply beautiful.

The orchestral arrangements for the X Japan songs are so beautiful. Yoshiki is really a brilliant composer, he made use of so many different instruments to give the most gorgeous sound ever. I was just swooning with delight listening to the orchestra play.. =) =) =) And the singers were pretty good too.. Especially the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. O my gosh. She sounded so good.

Track Listing:
OPENING
1. Say Anything
2. Amethyst
3. The Last Song
4. Unnamed Song
5. Forever Love
6. Longing
7. Amethyst with Vocal
8. Seize the light
9. I'll be your love
10. Screaming blue
11. Blind Dance
12. Anniversary
13. Endless Rain
14. Tears

Blind Dance was an experimental VIOLET UK track that was partly strange and strangely beautiful. I loved the last bit.. But the front bit was kinda O.o

Anniversary was the piece Yoshiki composed for the Emperor's 10th anniversary of reign in Japan. It was .. wonderful. I loved it. He paired the orchestra and the piano together so well, it must've been amazing to play it in front of the emperor. =)

I felt that what marred the concert and irritated me absolutely and completely were the stupid, rude and annoying fangirls and fanboys. While I completely understand that screaming a very strangled "YOSHIKI!!!!!!!!!!!!" over and over is very much part of the fan's repertoire, it is simply unnecessary to do so over and over again during a classical concert. Especially when the orchestra and Yoshiki are still playing. Perhaps appluading loudly at the end would be more appropriate in expressing support? Scream if you wish, but can you PLEASE NOT INTERRUPT THE PLAYING AND YOSHIKI'S TOUCHING SPEECHES?!

I was cursing them when I was listening to the concert. Like. OMG. SHUT UP YOU STUPID COWS. Here I am, simply trying to enjoy the music but no! You insist on KILLING IT by SCREAMING NON STOP LIKE HE DIDN'T HEAR YOU THE FIRST TIME.

I prefer X Japan fans when they sing along to the pieces, in this case, the fans sang to Endless Rain. That is all well and good and even sweet and touching but HELLO. Don't Scream Unnecessarily. *ferocious glare*

Apart from those..irritants, I thought the concert was recorded very well though the DVD was wonky at points but I think that can be blamed on the overheating laptop.. Once I lifted the laptop up for a while, everything returned to normal..=) Heh.

This is a wonderful concert to watch but really, the main focus of this concert is in listening to it.^_^ Something the fans there didn't seem to understand.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Yoshiki Symphonic Concert]
[mood : dreamy and sleepy]
[food : --]

Labels: DVD review, Yoshiki

Post Exam Shopping!

Hello

The past few days have been, simply put, hectic. *breathes again* What with prom dress shopping, watching movies and simply spending time with people [without the studying element being involved], everyday has been packed.

My feet. Are. Dying.

At least today was rather fruitful.=P Hehe. Found 2 promising dresses with the very insistent friends of mine.-_-" They kept going, TRY THIS.*shoves me into changing room with dress* Not that I'm blaming them for it, without their insistence that I try everything and look everywhere, I wouldn't have seen those 2 dresses at all..=X So anyway, I'm going back tomorrow again for a second opinion.^_^ Yay!!! Haha.

And I already know the perfect shoes for any black dress: My Jimmy Choo wannabes.=D They finally get to touch the ground. Ahaha. *coughs* Haven't settled everything else though..

Thank you SO MUCH Brenda, Calissa, Jiamin, Joyce and Vivion for going prom shopping! ^_^ And living through my indecisive, critical and generally annoying self without stabbing me..=X Arigatou!

Anyway, I saw a SQUISHED TURTLE on the road just now and got completely freaked out, I zoomed past it and was praying for the turtle's soul on the way home. Stupid mean driver who ran over it!!! Curse you!

Hmm. Watched The Identity which was really scary. The Butterfly Effect was nice but was rather slow moving at certain bits. Peter Pan had a cute lead actor [the kid acting as Peter Pan] and was rather sweet though I kept dozing off while watching it..=X Ahem. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.. I guess.. I can only say that Legolas is the main highlight. And Aragorn if you must. But seriously. Frodo should die. *coughs* Tsubasa!!! =D =D =D BEAMS. Superbly wonderful to watch the anime. Yay! Haha.=D

And I'm starting to read Miene Liebe now.^_^ I keep planning to read it on the bus but.. Hmm. Never really works out. I can't wait to watch the anime! Yay.^_^

And have I mentioned that Orchard Road has absolutely failed me in finding stuff to wear? *dramatic sigh* It's very demoralising. But at least I got a lot of exercise walking around so much, especially with the blocked off linkway between Wisma Atria and Orchard MRT..

And OMG! HMV actually brought in the limited edition Gackt SACDs!!!! I just drool over them whenever I see them.xD xD xD SO GORGEOUS. Each album is the size of the old LD boxes and it probably means that he has all that beautiful album artwork blown up to that size inside as well. *drools* I'm all jealous and grouchy at whoever can afford it. *glares* I already have all of them in regular format so .. It'll be really a waste of money to buy these SACDs just for the packaging since I don't have a player for SACDs. *tragic sigh* But.. They are so pretty... *wistful thoughts*

Right! Off to watch Yoshiki! *beams* I hope I don't doze off.. I'm really tired. Must sleep more and prevent eyebags.. Prom is coming!!! xP

And time to start prepping for university applications, driving lessons, etc etc etc. *yawn*

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : too.much.christmas.songs.]
[mood : tired]
[food : --]

cch: I am having fun! BEAMS.=D And dad got your CD already.^_^

peace_garden: no worries! How are you? =D How were the A levels? And if you want the calendar, you've got to order it online. HMV and Kinokuniya don't bring it in and I doubt Mise Exclusive will bring it in either..

Labels: LOTR, misc, Peter Pan, shopping, The Identity

Thursday, November 23, 2006

End of Exams + Prom Woes

Hello.=D

It's the end. The end of the exams. It's about time really. ^_^ It's a bit less exciting than I expected but at least I'm not wracked with guilt when I'm not studying.=P

Neoprints to celebrate the occasion! [They are tiny hence the bad quality..]

Belated Halloween! So Sadako-ish..

Exercise = Liberation = Free to buy any clothes you want.

Pinkness.O.o

Very strange pink highlights with a yellow background.

The swing is really pretty.^_^

Kawaii!

Today! Orchard Road has failed me completely. There was absolutely.. NOTHING to buy. Everything this season is terrible. I saw like less than 10 pieces that I would buy or wear and that's not even necessarily for prom.-_-" If not, it's completely unaffordable and I can just forget about it because I can't blow that much money on one dress.

So. Disappointing.

Oh what am I going to do! What is Vivion going to do! What is Jiamin going to do! What is Joyce going to do! What are WE going to do! (T_T) SIGH.

At least looking at bags and shoes cheers me up.^_^ Sole 2 Sole at Mandarin Gallery!!! xD Lulu Guinness shoes and bags are so cute.xD BEAMS. And Fornaria shoes! But so unaffordable. Sigh. *mutters to self* And at least there were those cute coats! One from Zara and one from Karen Millen.=D But omygosh. Woe is me!

What are we going to do for prom!!!

Without a dress, you can't even think about shoes, bags, accessories, your hair OR your makeup or even your nails. This is terrible! *dies*

Ah well. *zen* Things will work out just fine.*nods confidently* Except that my feet hurt like nothing before now thanks to those wedges.
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : --]
[mood : despairing]
[food : DIET.]

wendaye: Hmm. I'm just worried that with them branching out, standards will fall as is so typical of these franchise things.-_-" I am just waiting for one fabulous French/Japanese pastry chef to decide that Singapore is a market and open a store here.^_^ At least that sort of guarantees good stuff.

cch: I'm DONE.^_^
*[-witchstone-]*

Labels: misc, neoprints

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Excluding Byzantium: On Objections to Living Near a Home for the Elderly Sick

The single poem for the Unseen component of Literature.=)

Lee Tzu Pheng
Excluding Byzantium: On Objections to Living Near a Home for the Elderly Sick

'That is no country for old men.'
The aging poet meant another place,
the body contemptible, incompatible
with the passions of the mind:

it is easier, somehow, to bear such ostracism;
art has the compensation of its own realities;
art can mould pain into singing birds,
and scarecrows image saints in holy fires.

Outside of art, what consolations thrive?
Decrepitude may push you to the side of life.
Sickness can make a stranger of the best-loved face.
Mortality's a monster, some think better
relegated to a hidden place.
Hospices and nursing homes may reek
of worse than age; a lingering pall
sour the taste of all human endeavour.
It takes much more than empathy, perhaps,
to receive the aged sick into our midst
without protest, even unvoiced, while
life points us to our expected end.

How many will have art to keep them safe?
How many, art to house our grim reminders?
We know we but banish ourselves to claim
'this is no country for old men'.

Note: The first line is a reference to 'Sailing to Byzantium' by W. B. Yeats, in which he writes of the problems of ageing and the search for the spiritual, which he symbolises by Byzantium (modern Istanbul).

Thank goodness for the note or the reference would have been lost on me completely. O.o Blame me for not reading the classics I suppose.

And allow me to roll my eyes at his diction in occasional parts of the poem.-________-

The drama: The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett
The prose: Bedrock by E. Annie Proulx

Too bad there wasn't Brokeback Mountain. Hurhur.

E4 is painful to say the very least. I realised that I've forgotten all my poems! *faints* So I'm rereading the notes I took. O.o Long. Painful. Draggy. Same Imagery Over and Over and Over Again.-_-" Sigh.

Integrity of life is fame's best friend,
Which nobly, beyond death, shall crown the end.
- The Duchess of Malfi

Soon. Soon it'll be over. *consoles self*

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Cardcaptor Sakura Season 2 Starting Song + Kamichuu! Starting Song + Dramatic Music from Tsubasa: The Chronicle of the Wings]
[mood : =S]
[food : --]

I have an idea of what to bake on Friday already! Beams. I hope it'll be successful.. xP And I don't know where to find the right sugar! *faints*

Ahh! Tsubasa!!! *Beams at Picture* Fay!!! xD xD xD And seriously. Syaoran is like.. Cute.^_^ Yay! [Syaoran is boy-with-brown-hair, Fay is guy-with-blond-hair, Sakura is the only girl there and Kurogane is guy-with-black-hair-and-weird-head-piece.^_^"]

Labels: poem, Tsubasa

Victory's Round the Corner!

If you count victory as the end of the A levels that is.xD

ONE!

ONE PAPER LEFT!

MWAHAHA!

*beams!*

Jiamin! Joyce! Look: Ouran Anime Fanbook (link) =D =D =D Omygosh. I didn't know this was available! And it's not entirely unaffordable either.=D Beams.

^_^v

Victory is Near!
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Angel's Tale + A Drop of Colour Hyde + Tears X Japan]
[mood : xD]
[food : --]

X Japan - Tears

doko ni yukebaii anata to hanarete
ima wa sugisatta toki ni toikakete
nagasugita yoru ni tabidachi wo yume mita
ikoku no sora mitsumete kodoku wo dakishimeta
nagareru namida wo toki no kaze ni kasanete
owaranai anata no toiki wo kanjite
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE

LONELINESS YOUR SILENT WHISPER
FILLS A RIVER OF TEARS
THROUGH THE NIGHT
MEMORY YOU NEVER LET ME CRY
AND YOU, YOU NEVER SAID GOOD-BYE
SOMETIMES OUR TEARS BLINDED THE LOVE
WE LOST OUR DREAMS ALONG THE WAY
BUT I NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D TRADE YOUR SOUL TO THE FATES
NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D LEAVE ME ALONE

TIME THROUGH THE RAIN HAS SET ME FREE
SANDS OF TIME WILL KEEP YOUR MEMORY
LOVE EVERLASTING FADES AWAY
ALIVE WITHIN YOUR BEATLESS HEART
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE

nagareru namida wo toki no kaze ni kasanete
owaranai kanashimi wo aoi bara ni kaete
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
nagareru namida wo toki no kaze ni kasanete
owaranai anata wo toiki wo kanjite
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE
DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE

If you could have told me everything
You would have found what love is
If you could have told me what was on your mind
I would have shown you the way
Someday I'm gonna be older than you
I've never thought beyond that time
I've never imagined the pictures of that life
For now I will try to live for you and for me
I will try to live with love, with dreams,
and forever with tears

I adore this song. Please let me find a X Japan CD with all their ballads.. Please! I always wonder though.. Why are musicians and artists such.. tortured souls? And how do they come up with such beautiful music and art pieces? Hmm..

Labels: lyrics, misc

Friday, November 17, 2006

E8: Unseen

Hello

We had unseen lit today! ^_^ I was retarded and did what everyone else didn't do.. The comparative poetry and the single poem. -_-" Sigh.

Brenda: *STABS* Tell me when you're free QUICKLY. Haha.=D

cch: I'll check up stuff once my A levels are over. Refresh my memory then.^_^

Fel: I like the first picture too! ^_^ Beams.

Anyway.. The poems!

For comparative...

Horace Smith - Ozymandias

IN Egypt's sandy silence, all alone,
Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws
The only shadow that the Desert knows:—
"I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone,
"The King of Kings; this mighty City shows
"The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,—
Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose
The site of this forgotten Babylon.

We wonder,—and some Hunter may express
Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness
Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,
He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess
What powerful but unrecorded race
Once dwelt in that annihilated place.

I really like this poem. =D Compared to Shelley's at least...:

Percy Bysshe Shelley - Ozymandias

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed,
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

I like this too. But I prefer Smith's.=) Hehe. I love the comparison to London..

But in typical blur SY fashion.. I thought Ozymandias was a reference to the city.. Then vivion told me it was a king and I was like, Oh I am SO BRILLIANT. Ah well. It's over.=D *flutters away*

Anyway. I can't find Lee Tzu Pheng's poem, with the very long-winded title of "Excluding Byzantium: On Objections to Living Near a Home for the Elderly Sick". I thought the references in this were interesting but I was like.. -_-" on the first reading. Much like Eggs [from the prelim] really.. And where did I end up for that? *deep sigh* I never learn do I.

The prose was from the anthology by Annie Proulx, the author of Brokeback Mountain fame and it was terribly confusing. I can never do prose. I can't understand why. Isn't it supposed to be relatively okay? O.o The drama was ... on George III I think. By some.. British guy. *coughs* I know the very first word was Windsor! And the King kept saying, "What what". Ahaha. I thought that was hilarious.=P It was a comedic piece and since I'm not only quite bad at analysing dramas [little experience no doubt] but also am completely amateurish at comedies, it was hands-off that one. The pieces tend to push me to poetry.. I don't know why..

Wee! They were showing Tsubasa just now.=D =D =D Syaoran and Sakura are totally meant to be.xD And I just totally confirmed it after watching Cardcaptor Sakura (Season 2).xD xD xD Yay for CLAMP!!! *beams* It's not difficult to get me interested but it's hard to get me genuinely hooked. But X/1999! Tsubasa! Chobits! XXXhoLiC! Cardcaptor Sakura! Haha.=P Wee!

Right. I'm really tired.. To SEA! *grumbles*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : journey Yuna Ito + The WORLD Nightmare]
[mood : tired]
[food : I really want to eat salad. Is that disturbing or what? xP]

Labels: poem

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Gackt: Calender, Animation, Droolfulness

O dear.

It's back again.

Gackt Cravings.

But LOOK.

Isn't he just.. *raves* HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. AND GOODLOOKING. AND *drools all over computer* ...

I found pictures of his latest calender [like that one above]. OHMYGACKT I NEEDED IT YESTERDAY. (T_T) Must. Hunt. It. Down. In. Japan. IMMEDIATELY. It's a really blurry picture which is why.. OMG. I NEED IT!!! (T_T)

*drools* How could I even have thought I wouldn't need to get it? Granted previous calenders have been rather unimpressive [the 2006 one especially. With cute kids, Gackt looks adorable but seriously.. HIS HAIR. *faints* So. Bad.] and to me, calenders are like.. Useless. I mean.. Urm. O.o Calenders? -_-"

But this! THIS! Omygosh.Omygosh! O.O Look at him! It makes you want to check the date more often. And.. And.. OMYGOSH! O.O! xD xD xD He looks amazingly good. *_*! I adore his newest hairstyle!!! *bounces around* And *coughs loudly* he probably went for either some great spa thing or major plastic surgery because he looked terrible last year and he looks great this year and he looked fabulous in 2004 as well. So yes. *sighs deeply* MIRACLE treatment perhaps?

You see Gackt. Dump the Diabolos/Redemption hair [ie: Cornrows. Cornrows = Very Bad Choice.] and get on with your life. Everyone will thank you for it. [Including the wolves. What is up with the wolves anyway? O.o]

And check this out: Inter'Gackt'ive (link). It's ADORABLE. It's a little animated Gackt that you can get to do different things! ^_^ Beams. Very Cute. And if you're a Gackt fan, you'll know why exactly each movement/song/action was chosen.^_^ And I think the animation is very very very well done.=)

In other news.. IH. You are HORRIBLE. That is what is driving me here. Argh!!! I Must Get Back To My Notes!!! xP RAWR. *forlorn look at Gackt calender pictures*

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : kimi no tameni dekiru koto (Rebirth Version) + emu~for my dear~ Gackt]
[mood : xD xD xD]
[food : DIET!!! xP]

cch: Alright already. I'll sorta plan for Washington too okay?! -_-" No ichigo no choco daifuku for you! xP

Fel: Omg. People actually read my wishlist! *touched* Urm. It's for my darling brother actually. And like.. a 4.0 GPA would be the equivalent of fabulous grades here right? =D Hehe.

Labels: Gackt

Monday, November 13, 2006

4 To Go!

Five Down!

Four to go!

I can feel the end coming!

xD

If you can't read the text it says: "I don't think I like this game! Can we play something else?"
Taken from Deviant Art.

Dark humour. Reminds me of Bosola..

Guess what? I'll never have to care about Bosola or Iago or Godfrey EVER AGAIN! ^w^

And now.. To IH.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Shallow Sleep + Evergreen Hyde + Dears Gackt + Circus no Ningyo + 14 Inugami Circus-Dan]
[mood : studious]
[food : pasta]

cch: Coughs. You mean I have to plan for Michigan as well? *wails* BUT I DON'T KNOW MICHIGAN. YOU DO.xP And start thinking of what you want from Japan! *gleam in eye*

Jiamin: You. Are. Going. To. Taiwan. LAND OF CHEAP MANGA! (T_T) Sigh. I have to buy all the weird and seasonal pocky flavours in Japan too!!! Yay! ^_^v And all the other funny snacks they have.=D =D =D Hope they don't rot by the time I get back.O.o

Labels: misc

Friday, November 10, 2006

X Japan + Many Many Many Books

Hello

I've been listening to X Japan ALL DAY LONG. O.o Is this disturbing?

Obsessiveness knows no end.

Especially when you can repeatedly listen to the Tears Live at Tokyo Dome version on Yoshiki's myspace page [www.myspace.com/yoshiki (link)]. It's .. touching to hear the fans singing along in a most dedicated manner. *wipes tear from eye* Very sweet.=) If I were Toshi [the lead singer dude with a really squeaky voice], I would have been sobbing with happiness to hear all my fans singing along with me.. ^____^ Aww..

And then my dad passed me this booklet detailing Border's new promotions for Christmas! [Oh, don't you just adore the holiday season?] And there are so many books I am dying to read!!! [Well. Not dying exactly.]
- The Ladies of Grace Adieu & Other Stories Susanna Clarke
- The Meaning of Night Michael Cox
- The Book of Lost Things John Connolly [Why do they all start with "The"?]
- Fragile Things Neil Gaiman {YAY!}
- Larousse Gastronomique Desserts
- Working the Plate Christopher Styler [it sounds fascinating and is all about plating food]
- The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones Judith Crowe [I love gemstones!]
- Asterix and the Vikings Rene Goscinny & Albert Uderzo [I LOVE Asterix and Obelix and his little dog Dogmatix.xD xD xD YAY. I really need to work on collecting the whole set now that I'm done with Tintin! ^_^]

And then I saw this cookbook called: Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving by Nick Malgieri. *_*! Does it not sound absolutely FABULOUS? xD xD xD

Yay!!! Book shopping.. Here I come!!! =D =D =D [Urm. Soon. I mean.=X *coughs*]

And then I have to plan our Tokyo trip! ^_^ While *coughs* my brother will plan for America.=D YAY. Haha. Like my Paris Where-To-Eat Guide that I sent to my dad's friend, I'm doing one for Tokyo too! With What-To-See and Where-To-Buy/What-To-Buy guides too! ^_^ And since Microsoft Word is resaveable over and over again, you can add in one nugget of information at a time.=D

Yay Tokyo! Land of Pierre Herme alongside traditional Japanese confectionary shops, cheap sashimi at Tsukiji alongside kaiseki sets at traditional Japanese restaurants, Louis Vuitton alongside kimonos.. xD xD xD YAY. *beams* Wee! *bounces around*

Shopping and Ramen after exams!!! YAY!!!
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Tears + Kurenai + Endless Rain + Say Anything + Goodbye + The Last Song X Japan + Without You Piano Version Yoshiki]
[mood : cheerful]
[food : duck guotiao!]

If you're wondering why I'm so disgustingly perky, I'm trying to cheer myself [and everyone else] before a terrible week of papers almost every day.^_^"

Labels: misc

Pocky!

Hello

In the midst of studying.. Suddenly a familiar happy looking box peeks at you and waves. As you draw closer.. You realise that it's none other than your familiar study buddy, Pocky!

Pocky is a great studying snack. It's long and thin so it doesn't prevent you from holding your notes while you eat it. It doesn't leave crumbs scattered across your clothing or notes so your precious IH outlines remain clean. It's got many different flavours so you'll never get sick of it. But the best invention of Pocky ever is the original.. Japanese Pocky.*_*!

Just visiting the Pocky website sends you into drools. Just go to www.glico.co.jp (link) and click on the Pocky link. Then if you can read Chinese, a valuable asset if you think about it, click on the "shang1 pin3 jie4 shao4" thingum on the furthest right. Then.. The magical world of Pocky will open up to you.=D

Interesting flavours I've seen so far besides favourites like the dried-strawberry studded strawberry pocky, the cookie bits studded chocolate pocky and regular Japanese strawberry pocky, include this special "Black Five" and "Five Fruit" pocky. What in the world?! The Black Five [literal translation of the kanji..] pocky apparently has sesame, black rice and 3 other black ingredients in the pocky.. or something like that. I'm guessing. =X Same for the Five Fruit!

They've also got grape pocky and honey pocky, a special winter edition pocky [sounds intriguing] and swirled mousse grape pocky and swirled mousse apple pocky. There's also the special Mousse Pocky range with white chocolate, dark chocolate, matcha [green tea] and the last one that I think is caramel or something similar. Fascinating!!! And there's the Extra Thin Pocky. Ahaha. =P What, so you can eat more than one at once? =P

On the other hand.. The 100% Chocolate Cafe by Meiji [go to www.meiji.co.jp (link) and look for the link] sounds very promising. And it looks really good.*_*! It's also priced pretty reasonably for Tokyo if you ask me.. The chocorusk looks tantalising.. It appears to be chocolate mousse piped on to a piece of rusk bread.*_*! And then! *drools* They have FRESH CHOCOLATE! That appears to be served like gelato? *peers* Can you see the drool over the keyboard..

They also appear to have a "Chocolate of the Day" and today's is.. Cream Cheese! O dear. That sounds very strange. But.. you just really..really..really want to try it. O.o

Beams. Today was rather productive! =D More productive than if I had slouched around the house at least.=P

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Anima Mundi Rentrer en Soi + Missing Gackt]
[mood : sleepy]
[food : Joyce's Chicken Wings!]

Labels: edibles, Meiji, Pocky

Monday, November 06, 2006

Math Examinations = UNHEALTHY.

Hello.

Not only are math examinations bad for you psychologically [how many times in life can you be frustrated, annoyed, exasperated and ready to kill yourself all at the same time?], they are incredibly bad for your overall well-being.

Take for example, complex numbers.-_-" I've been guzzling rice crackers like there's no tomorrow to prevent myself from ripping the book to shreds and running out to fling myself in front of a moving vehicle.-__________-"

oh my GOSH.. Have you ever met anything so frustratingly ungettable?! -_-" [And there goes my last rice cracker! ARGH. Doesn't that mean I'll have to either break out a new pack or guzzle water instead?!]

Seriously, I can feel my brain cells just shrivelling up and refusing to work in the face of this..this..RUBBISH.xP

On the other hand, I'm glad math isn't with any other papers because it takes me so damn long to practice.-_________-" And my papers are spaced out quite evenly so I'm thrilled at that.

BUT OMG MATH. *dies* If I have to do anymore of this.. UNNECESSARY nonsense after the A levels, I will kill something!!! [Like a molecule, for example.]

Like so. *RAWR* If only someone *squeals!* would blast away math for me. *deep sigh*

RAWR. Even Jrock is not calming me down.-_-" Although I was listening to Gackt obsessively yesterday..xP [Not that I don't always do that. AHEM.] Perhaps I'll move on to Malice Mizer today. Or maybe Rentrer en Soi.. some ANGRY rock to soothe the nerves.-________-

GROWLS.

On the other hand.. I really need to start reading E1! But with my brain in such an agitated state.. Do you really think I have the patience for Shakespeare?! *glares at math tys, prelims papers and all that wasted paper*

Math is Environmentally Unfriendly.

xP
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Caramel Drops baroque + SEASON'S CALL HYDE + Mizerable (totally reflective of my mood.*glares*) + Kimi ni aitakute (*melts*) Gackt]
[mood : grouchy]
[food : rice crackers. I swear I'll be sick of them by the time the A levels are over. PLEASE LET THEM BE LOW IN FAT.(T_T)]

Labels: misc, thoughts

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Meidi-Ya + Akashi!

Hello! =D

Wee! Just returned from a very satisfying dinner at Akashi which is located at various branches around the island but we went to the original outlet at Tanglin Shopping Centre.=D

And before that.. We went to Meidi-Ya! ^_^ The Japanese supermarket at Liang Court, it's got a load of Japanese products but a lot of local products too.=D I stocked up on my Japanese Instant Noodles.=D =D =D You know.. The piggy one and the foxy one.^_^ And I found another flavour! My mom and I peered at it but urm. Neither of us could read the packaging so urm. Ahem. I just bought it and hoped for the best. I mean.. It wouldn't be that bad right? ^_^" Hehe. Then I stocked up on my Japanese Rice Crackers too! ^_^ And I bought this other one that's shaped in little round balls because it was SO CUTE.xD Hehe. Oh! And I got a bottle of ponzu [citrus soy sauce] as well so I can try my hand at making yummy Japanese Salad Dressing.=D Yay!

I saw Coconut Chocolate Pocky. Which sounds hideously bad.xP So I urm.. Steered clear of that.. On the other hand, I found Pocky like biscuits filled with chocolate custard!!! Omigosh. Does that sound good or what! xD It's by urm.. Poare. And it was the last box! So I'm assuming it's good.xD [The customer's always right remember? =P] Hehe. I got a Pocky Strawberry [the Japanese one with dried strawberry bits! xD It's so good!] too because they only had Almond Crush and the lemon cream one otherwise. ^_^" And since not everyone eats the Almond Crush Pocky, and the lemon cream one feels like you're ingesting a lot a lot of calories.. There's my decision for you.=D

My mom and I bought some Japanese mochi stuff too! ^_^ It's not bad actually though I find the green one [it's a green (I think it's green tea or a herb of some kind) mochi stuffed with red bean paste] nicer than the white one but still too sweet.xP My mom likes it though.=P We also bought this mochi with yuzu [a Japanese citrus fruit] but I haven't tried it yet.=D

Wee! Then it was off to Akashi.=D The place was really crowded.O.o And we bumped into some friend of my dad's and he was all, oh! Drink my sake! *points* xD Hehe. How cool is it, to store your wine or sake at you favourite restaurant? xD It's like, wow! Personal fridge! Haha.=X Anyway.. The sake was very poetically named, "Lu4 Shang4 You3 Hua1", literally Flowers on the Roadside. =P It was really good though.. Like.. It was totally palatable.=D My mom was saying that it's very very fragrant and my parents agreed that it came from using very good quality rice.^_^ I have no clue whatsoever but it tasted really good? =X Hehe.

So I was telling my dad that we can hunt it down in Japan because I found out that if you visit the Sake Information Center in Tokyo, you can sample all their sakes [from all over Japan] for just US$5! How amazing is that? =D My hopes aren't high that you can try the really exquisite ones though.=S

I tried some of my dad's ootoro [tuna belly]. It was rather good actually!!! It was quite light and not very .. fishy. Far better than salmon.-_-" I really am adverse to salmon sushi. It's terrible. Slimy.. Oily.. and there's a funny smell to boot.O.o Ah well. Me = Unappreciative.=D Oh! And they gave us grilled tuna fat. It sounds really gross but.. It was DELICIOUS. I had no idea what it was when I tried it but it was REALLY good.xD Haha. Beams. And I really liked the cold somen I ordered.=D It's really refreshing and the sauce clung to it very well so that was yummy! ^_^

I was dying to eat salmon fish head stewed in soy sauce though and that's why we went to Akashi. Gosh. It was really good.xD xD xD There's something about stewing it in soy sauce that removes all the salmony smell that salmon tends to have, especially emphasized when grilled. Hence.. I love and adore it cooked in soy sauce.xD xD xD YUM. Beams! Haha. You must try it one day if you haven't.=D The sauce is really important since it imparts fabulous flavour.^_^ I was very pleased.

Wee! No photos tonight.. It would take too long to blog.xP

Anyway, my mom's garden is blooming. So I was tasked with the hugely important responsibility of..-_- Taking photos for brother darling.

Here's the almost-Gerberas lookalike! =D

And the Ananda..Amunda..Anamda.. I have no idea what it's called.=X But it's blossomy yellow! ^_^" Hehe. They're all shoved to one corner though so you don't get full use from them blooming. My mom is very excited. Her hibiscus will be blooming soon.=D

Anyway, this morning.. I was swooning over the Gackt+Hyde combination on Orenji no Taiyou. Seriously. They match each other perfectly. Their voices complement each other SO WELL!!! *dies of happiness* I was listening out today for who sang when and *melts* Ahh.. Listening to it many times to "confirm" it [really just an excuse..] just made melt into a puddle of happiness!

And Yoshiki's Without You Piano Ver. on his myspace site is.. *melts* SO GOOD. The guy's so damn good at the piano. Geniusy!! xD I need the CD. Right around.. NOW. *melts* Piano + Orchestra sends SY into a tizzy of dreamy happiness.xD xD xD BEAMS.

And I heard Kitade Nana's songs.. She's not bad actually!!! And she's our age but she's already released her album in USA. Like. GASP. O.o She did a song for the Full Metal Alchemist anime.=) And she's a gothic lolita!!! xD I am totally inspired. Wee!

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Without You Piano Ver. Yoshiki + Alice Kitade Nana + Orenji no Taiyou Gackt & Hyde]
[mood : ^_^ BEAMS!]
[food : salmon head in soy sauce + grilled tuna fat]

Labels: Akashi, edibles, Meidi-Ya

Friday, November 03, 2006

My Bizarre Dream

Hello

Yes yes I know. I'm not supposed to update. But I had a really strange dream! Haha.=X

Maybe the stress is getting to me and I'm beginning to hallucinate even in my sleep. Quite disturbing. Ah well.

My dream was nice and complicated this time. Kinda like Jiamin's dreams except not as scary or nerve-wracking..

Ahem. 3 parts to it!

1st part:
I dreamt that I was watching Ouran High School Host Club. There was this scene in black and white and people were fighting like how they spar in martial arts class? Except they really really reminded me of kodamas, the little bobbing head white creatures from Mononoke Hime:

Ahem. Anyway, I think Honey was involved in this bizarre fighting match.. Then suddenly, the scene switched to the club room with a piano on the right and I was facing the window. Someone was playing the piano but I couldn't see who and I think Honey and Mori were talking to someone? All of a sudden, there was a knock on the window and as you peered out of the large window, you notice a flying car a la Harry Potter outside with Tamaki and Kyouya in it!!! Ahaha. That's when I realised I was no longer merely watching but was part of the scene itself. [Turning into an anime character = Very weird I know.] So anyway, Tamaki was doing his whole "stretch out my hand sexily" thing and reaching for somebody. Then I decided [for some reason] to look INSIDE the room and..

Ahem. I obviously don't look like this but *cough* just.. You know. WORK WITH ME HERE.^_^"

2nd part:
I turned out to be in my own room!!! Except that it wasn't my room in real life, it was a room that I believed in my dream to be my room. It was laid out very much like a hotel room, with a huge bed to my left, a couch next to it, chairs on my left and a bathroom near the door. The strangest thing though was how all the girls in my class were sitting on the furniture around the room and I was all, "O yes! The class sleepover is at my house!" -_-" Which would never happen in real life trust me. Anyway, they were draped all over the chairs and couches and flipping TV channels on this HUGE TV [my secret desire? Ahaha.=P] but they were complaining and complaining that I didn't have HBO or Star Movies.-_-" Just then, I found myself digging around in my cupboard because I just had to bathe at that moment. But when I went to the bathroom, people [who I believed in my dream to be my friends] were hogging the bathroom and there was this almost party-like atmosphere in my room. So I went out of the room and the layout of the outside was very much like my old house. So I walked into my parent's room and somehow, Joyce was sitting there nonchalantly while I wanted to go bathe. But .. I don't know what happened and suddenly, I appeared to be walking downstairs..

3rd part:
So I walked downstairs and when I reached my dining room [the present day one thankfully], I found my friends sitting there at the table. So as I sat down, I noticed Don [of all people.O.o] sitting there next to Jiamin!!! Ahaha. I was like, all natural and introducing people for some strange and bizarre reason. Then I started bringing food out for them to eat. [Oh.. Typical isn't it.-_-"] So Don started eating.. And Joyce was talking. Vivienne appeared to be studying or reading or something. However. Jiamin was really weird!!! Ahaha. She was eating rabbit sweets [like she's always doing anyway.=P Haha. Not really. ^^"] but they were rabbit sweets that she was dipping in brown sugar. So I was staring at her while she did her "eating rabbit sweets in a most efficient and neat manner" thing and while she was folding up yet another wrapper, I asked incredulously, "Why are you dipping your rabbit sweets in sugar?!" She merrily replied, "They taste better. DUH." Urm. Right. Haha. Anyway, so I started bringing out more food and just as I set the plates [of what, I do not know] down, I was going to reply to Joyce when..

I woke up.

I know. Completely anticlimatic. But.. That's my dream for you. Haha.

GP down! ^_^ Just.. a.. few.. more.. weeks.. to.. go.. *sinks* Sigh. Ah well. It will soon be over!!! *beams beams* We were rather productive today though I was getting increasingly irritated with the bloody math paper.-_-" I will be SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY to finish it and throw it aside.*short term benefits!*

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Pomp and Circumstance Marches #1, 2, 3, & 4 Elgar + Pines of Rome Respighi]
[mood : =S]
[food : Joyce's Nonya pork stew + Pocky Chocolate Crush!]

You HAVE to watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhIeZ1o3MlQ It is HILARIOUS!!! I was just like OMG. *Dies of Laughter* AHAHAHA.

Labels: misc, thoughts

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Hang On Little Tomato(es)!

Hello!

=D Wishing everyone all the best for the A Levels which officially start tomorrow with the GP paper at 8am.^_^

Even though I can't be there for everyone [or anyone for that matter] physically, I'm sure you know I do support you spiritually! *beams* So don't stress, don't worry and don't panic! You'll be ABSOLUTELY fine.=D =D =D I can feel it in my bones! Yay.

Ganbatte!!! Jia you!!! All the best!!! =D

It'll SOON BE OVER!!! [I can't wait! xD]

May we all be beaming like this:

Next Year.=D

All the best!!! *waves* I'm hoping I won't update throughout the A Level period and be off studying instead but who knows. I may pop up occasionally to give a random "omg-can-I-DIE-now?!" or "omg-it's-ending-it's-ending!" entry.xD Beams.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : New age CDs.xD + Hang on little tomato Pink Martini]
[mood : nervous]
[food : garlic peanuts, chocolate and tonkatsu.xD]

If you're wondering what the title is about, here are the lyrics to that song:

The sun has left and forgotten me
It's dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I'm gonna drown
In a sea
Of deep confusion

Somebody told me, I don't know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you're feelin' all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside you and you'll find

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love

Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice
When change is hard and not so nice
If you listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come ~~one day~~ soon to you

Hang On Little Tomato - Pink Martini

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