Written by lainie at 05:51 PM on November 1, 2005 in Daily Life.

Last night Fip and I met up with Geeg, Iki, In and Eva. KA said it was a nice lil geek gathering.

So we all blog, big deal

Had lots of laughs, turned out Eva knows KA too, so we caught up with KA and Lola later on in PJ. I feel like a social whore. Actually, I didn't do much, it's just the comparison to my usual hide-at-home attitude.


Fip and I......argued today. Or something. It's weird. But yeah. I got a call from my mother that some ass had been using our old dial-up account and charged up a bill to the hundreds.

That stressed me out. Then Fip said I stressed her out cause I was stressed out. Then after I ate I got up from the table and went off without her. Then she called and we met up again and she dropped me off home. Didn't talk much during, not talking now.

*Shrug*

Watch me deal with this: I'm going to sleep. It'll be my blog's 2 year anniversary tomorrow.

Written by lainie at 10:25 PM on November 1, 2005 in Arty stuff.

I *was* gonna do some pitiful "send poor and cheap art student some Bodoni typeface variants please?" thing, because my wonderful laptop won't read the cd of font compilations I bought from the local pirates, and I can't afford the real ones.

Then hello hello, it read the fonts. And I *finally* have Baskerville too.

How DO art students without piracy close at hand do assignments that require...I don't know, $25 fonts, 9 types, for just ONE assignment?

I am so happy about this CD working, you won't believe it.

OMG, this is wonderful, I'm only looking at the fonts that begin with "B" and there are many typefaces that will definitely come in handy. Bless indeed. From worrying about finding 9 Bodoni styles, I now have 104! I can stop pining for the ITC versions now. Yes.

I received a warning once that I was alienating my readers by harping on and on about obscure music and art stuff. First of all, just cause it's not on Hitz.fm doesn't make it obscure. Second of all, font craze is hardly that strange. Third, I don't care. Fourth, might alienate? HAH! Fifth, I'm not your dancing monkey.

And finally: It's just a bloody BLOG.

In other news, I flushed the toilet upstairs and water came out everywhere. Not the insides of the toilet, mind, but the water that's supposed to flush stuff away doesn't seem to be aware that it's supposed to flow into the toilet, not form a lil spray fountain like some show off.

My Norton Antivirus is being a lil bitch that will neither install or uninstall, so fuck it, McAfee here I come.

======

Anyway, I recently had to upload a very small usericon for a website. It is 30px by 30px, which, trust me, is tiny. Now one thing I've noticed about small avatars that's very annoying - and I'm referring to people who participate in Photoshop forums and should REALLY know better.

People, don't put up blurry photos of your face if no one can figure out what it is -_-". There are a few ways to get clearer images:

Right, if you have Photoshop, you could use this extremely nifty lil filter called the Unsharp Mask (Photoshop CS- Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask).

[ If you DON'T have Photoshop, what the hell is wrong with you this post will not apply to you ]

I took my bigass photo, resized it to the teeny 30px, and immediately the photo lost a LOT of detail. Applying the unsharpen mask (which actually sharpens the photo) will help make it all clearer, defines the edges more.

Strain your eyes a little here:



Left: Original photo after resizing, very blurry.
Middle: Unsharp Mask.
Right: Highpass filter, then Overlay.

See the difference? Good reason to use it from now on yeah? Mess around with the settings yourself, no point me telling you cause your photo's different. Clicking on the preview pic while you're at the Unsharp Mask window will show you what the image looks like before filter anyway, so judge yourself from there. Fantastic for when you've made images smaller, really.

30px. Jesus. Website is aimed at only the people with good eyesight.

Anyhow, if you've been checking out the one on the right, it's another method to get more detail out of resized photos. Duplicate the layer you've resized, Filter - Other - Highpass. Mine had a 170 radius here, I think.

So now you have a funky off-colour picture. Go to the Layer Window, change the layer property of the one you've highpassed from Normal, to OVERLAY.

There you go. Highpass actually gives more flexibility, and if I had the patience I'd get more used to this filter instead, but I'm too comfortable with the Unsharp Mask :/. All in good time.

ADDITIONAL INFO

When
Don't be an idiot. Unsharp Mask is for AFTER you've resized the image, and LOST detail, then you apply it. Not apply it first, then resize.

Sharpen Edges
For Unsharp Mask, after applying it some people like to go for Filter - Sharpen - Sharpen Edges. It basically brings out the edges more. Depends on your image - this is one option I don't use much, since I do a lot of human images and don't need such harsh edges most of the time.

Unsharp Mask Settings
If you've been moving the Amount bar a lot, and getting weird outline effects that make your object look floaty, try lowering it, mess around with the Radius and Threshold settings instead. That's what Radius is there for . No hard rules for this, unlessyou'reprintingthenIdon'tknow, differs with each photo.

Experiment
There's Gaussian Blur filter, Bicubic Sharpen / Smoothen (not as fond of this method, personally), Luminosity adjusments, godknowswhatelse. Photoshop is a Monster sized program, you should find tons of ways to make your photos suck less.

Buy
FM Software. From what I've heard, this guy's Photoshop Plug-ins are basically It for photographers. Example 1. Example 2.

Don't Believe Lainie.

Seriously, I just fuck around with Photoshop every so often. I do NOT do print stuff, and am not aware of how that applies, so everything here is for web images only yeah. Also, I might have mistipped you people or left out something. I won't fricking know, like I said, I'm just fucking around with the program. Besides, nothing wrong with liking fuzzy looking photos.

Today's nagging session brought to you courtesy of a good Baba Nyonya dinner so I'm too full to do my assignments but have plenty of time to....sound like a grandmother.

Written by lainie at 12:22 AM on November 2, 2005 in Daily Life, Links / Email.

Dates: 2nd Nov 2003 - 2nd Nov 2005.

 

Transition: Always in trouble somehow - Artword Addict.

 

I reckon: I've changed a lot, for 2 years.

 

What now: I don't want to do those "let's take a look at previous blog posts" thingies here.

 

Instead: I just wanted to say a hiiiiyaaaaa to y'all .

 

Mama-san: That, and start a blog if you haven't. It's fun. Really. Addictive.
You don't even have to tell me about it. Swear.

 

Now: WISH MY BLOG A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAMMIT.

 

Yeayness: Hell yeah.

 

PS: Birthday, not Anniversary yeah. It's a whim.

 

PPS: Just wondering if anyone else thinks it funny my permalink for this post ends with 666? It looks like April's Fool, 666. Makes me think of Loki, for some reason. Numbers have power, phwoar.

Written by lainie at 06:45 PM on November 2, 2005 in Daily Life, Arty stuff.

WHEW.

My laptop screen was off for ages just now, but now it's working again! I'd intended to work the whole afternoon, but since it was spoilt I went for a movie with Fip instead - Zorro 2.

Zorro2 storylined, as expected, was dreadful. HOWEVER, we don't go to watch these kinda movies for the storylines do we? No no no, we go there to watch grown men wear costumes, ponce and prance around kicking ass. Visually quite interesting, with lots of action sequences and simple gags to keep the audience entertained.

It's not bad for switching off your brain - you'd have to, otherwise the sound of your intelligence screaming for something more would be distracting. So buy a Coke, chew on some popcorn, and tell your mind to shut up while you enjoy a typical pricey Hollywood action-comedy production.

I'll need to fix my laptop, I heart nearly stopped on me when the screen went blank. After the movie Fip brought me to Starbucks - I insisted on the one in Borders Bookshop, cause it's quieter. Not very impressed by their coffee, still prefer San Fran or Austin Chase.

Checked out the ridiculously priced notebooks there - and by notebooks, I mean the type made out of paper and bigger than a notepad, not some Dell laptop. RM60 for gorgeous, pretentious notebooks. God I want almost everything I saw there, it's annoying that they pinpointed a girl's fascination for pretty object with an art student's need to buy stationery they don't need, and made it hideously expensive so it's instantly cooler........Sly devils they are.

I need a planner, but the cheapest small one I saw, a plain black one....was RM25 which struck me as ridiculous so never mind. I HAVE NO MONEY FOR ANYTHING. God when the fuck is my dad banking in money? I'm practically definitely living off my aunt and Fip right now.

Fip asked me if I was hinting I wanted the notebooks. If I hinted any harder I'd be humping the shelves - of course I want them, I just don't want anyone to be paying for them. We're both students so it'll be crazy to buy them, and I'd personally question the sanity of any student I saw in college with the notebooks.

Especially if you use it for ideas - either you have so little, that you can slowly fill up the book with it, or you don't care for cost of the paper you write your ideas on (which is not the best thing to show prospective clients), or you just don't have a head for budgets.

I was kinda edgy during coffee, upon reflection might have been the caffeine. But no, I was just looking at the lovely displays, artwork, book covers, beautiful notebooks, architecture, decor, and getting this antsy "why am I not doing any assignments right now?" kinda feeling, which was weird cause I thought I'd seriously be enjoying my holidays, not wondering where the hell my work is.

=====

Anyway, I'm going for a play soon. It's called The Girl From Ipoh. it first caught my eye because Nessa has a song written about her called "Girl From Ipoh".

It's the reason I stalked Syat the other day, to ask her to come along since the last time we went for a play together she suggested we go together again for the next.

Plus, people from Ipoh get a 10% discount

At 15, she asks, "I go to a Malay school. I don't speak Chinese. Am I still Chinese?" Then she decides with zeal, "Maybe I shouldn't be a Chinese then!"

Fifteen years later, all grown up and world-weary, she questions relationships: "What we have is not perfect, so this must be love!"

This is The Girl From Ipoh - Wong Mei Lee's life story told in an hour and fifteen minutes. It is her life straight out of a black and white 1960s film, her little world made out of those little voices singing in her head and the loves of her life. It is a Chinese love story, told to redeem her Chinese roots.

The play explores an issue that plagues many-a-Malaysian - when is a Chinese person not Chinese enough? Does speaking English without sounding Chinese make them a traitor to their culture? Or does speaking 'mat-salleh' sounding Chinese make them an abomination to the race? Does liking everything Western mean a degradation of everything that is Asian?

Low Ngai Yuen is one of the veeeeery few local art scene people I recognise AND like (trust me, it's a short list, and mostly I recognise the cute male actors thanks to all the various crushes friends have had - Rashid Salleh, Edwin Sumun and Gavin Yap -the usual suspect- comes to mind), mostly because I liked watching her when she used to be on 3R. So I thought it'd be interesting to see how this play comes out, since she directed it.

Stars Carmen Soo, modelyadayada. Apparently she's very hot, very sexy, yet somehow very nice and innocent............? I didn't know any of that still existed, but okay, whatever sets those gay women's hearts aflutter.

Venue: KLPac - Pentas 1
Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, Sentul West,
51100, Kuala Lumpur

Date & Time: Wed 9 - Sun 13 Nov 2005 (8.30pm)

Tickets: RM 300 (premiere night only)/ RM38 / RM48 / RM60 (10% discount for students and those from Ipoh (with relevant proof)

Ticket Contact: KLPac - (T):03-4047 9000;
(E): tickets@klpac.com OR The Actors Studio @ BSC - (T): 03-2094 9400;
(E): tickets@theactorsstudio.com.my

Information shamelessly lifted off Kakiseni, where else.

Please do come for the play I won't be going for the premiere night, don't know about y'all. Do do do come for the play

=====

Uncle just called me with his usual question "Is the stove off?". Hours after he left the house, no less. Sigh.

Meeting up with Nessa later. She just came back from her beach holiday, bitch.

Written by lainie at 04:04 AM on November 3, 2005 in Links / Email.

I guess by the time you see this: Selamat DeepaRaya Diwali - Hari Raya Puasa yeay yeay yeayness.

Right. Now all people who don't want to read smut-related stuff please move on to another blog (kisses hugs *waves goodbye* have fun now).

That should leave behind those who are okay with smutty related stuff? Don't expect anything kinky, this is homework.

Right.

======

*desperatehint* You know I always love you when you help me with my homework. Girlscout honour.

Been looking up bondage essays. I'm actually looking for ads looking for other sex partners interested in bondage, particularly HANDCUFFS.

Because smarty pants that I am, my mechanical object of choice for my CD Studio assignment is a pair of handcuffs, and I'll be damned if I'm doing some Toy Story 2, toys for kiddies crap. So bondage it is.

[ Not interested in doing police-convict stories either, *shrug* can't explain it ]

I have to make a brochure around the handcuffs, and I'm gonna make it look like some sex ad brochure I guess. I mean, I might as well have fun with my assignment while I'm at it.

Sleazy sleazy sleazy. The article I require, needs to be one whole 750 word minimum piece, meaning I CANNOT take one paragraph here, another paragraph there - otherwise I'd be making some bdsm personals / classifieds website brochure instead of just one ad.

It's terrible because I've never been a fan of erotica - in fact, I pretty much think it's pointless, but hey there's room on the Internet for all of us. I know many think blogs are completely pointless too .

But yeah, erotica is so boring. And everytime I find a site I'm more concerned with the wordcount. I'd originally wanted to take some Mobe Depp lyrics for a song called Handcuffs (or something), but yeah, the lyrics were a pathetic 350+.

So far I have How do I get a Mistress to accept my petition? and Position Open for Girl Friday (2nd one seems more useful for what I need). Dom Iso Sub (something like this would be great, but I need 750 words....).

But yes, ANYONE who knows of ANY LINK to a long-winded BDSM ad, especially involving bondage, Please Help an Art Student. I'm not just trying to get free porn, I swear. I've seen more photos of naked people than anyone should have to just to do their college assignment.

I'm NOT even LOOKING for PHOTOS, which makes you wonder about idiots PAYING for porn online.

Because seriously, it's 4am, I am so tired of stupid porn sites and all their crap right now. Someone just point me in the right direction.

You're a darling.

=====

By the way, you will NOT believe the book I saw in Borders for RM64:
A Practical Guide to VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE.

[ Pause ]

Oh trust me, Fip and I just kinda goggled at the book for a while too, before we laughed ourselves silly.

Jesus, I know hippies seem like they're constantly on a different planet cause they're high all the time, but giving their book a title like VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE? Book does not contain anything to do with battery operated adult toys, by the way.

[ Don't bitch about me stereotyping. It's 4am, go away. I'm Chinese, we all know Asians have no idea what's going on beyond how to sell cheap pirated handbags. There. Happy? ]

BloodyVibrationalMedicine*mutter*BloodyGuide

THAT coupled with books like The Healing Energy of Your Hands really makes you wonder..................

Fucking hippies? or.....Fucking sly marketing people? Which?

=====

I can't believe I'm not sleeping because I need to find BDSM stuff. For college. I am SUCH an idiot.

Oh it's 4am, I'm tired, I'm off to sleep. Blog tomorrow, if I can still remember all the dead funny stuff that happened earlier today.

By the way, dearies, I have been slow on emails and smses because I have over 160 emails to read, none of them are spam, and I like to read ALL my emails. Chronologically.

And I have been teh sux today at smses because Maxis decided to get all bitchass on me. Wokay? I willllll eventually get there!

[ So yeah, Nessa, it wasn't your phone, it was probably Maxis cause mine was being a lil bitch to me too ]

Written by lainie at 05:33 PM on November 3, 2005 in College, Daily Life, Music.

Selamat Hari Rayaaaa...Fip is off to her hometown, giving me time to catch up on my guilt tripping assignments the whole day.

=====

How to mindfuck yourself:

While doing Typography assignment, suddenly feel your heart skip a beat, then let the feeling sink to your toes as you realise the reason why your Production lecturer Alfredo has NOT replied your email is

i) not because you missed a class
ii) but because you FORGOT to RESEND your email after the email didn't go through.

Holy fuckkkkkk. And it's already Thursday, a bloody public holiday too. I am SO asking for it.... -_-"....Awww man....

Then Gmail bloody decides today of all days is a great time to have downtime. Fck. God I am such an idiot...No wonder he was taking ages to reply! Argh.

=====

Fip lent me her scanner-printer. I popped in the installer cd and whaddya mean 400MB just to install it? Fuck you, nazi printer bitch.

The stupidest thing about this is looking for stuff to delete off my computer, and whaddya know, 450Mb of Shane McCutcheon videos I still won't delete. Icantdontmakeme .

Instead, bye bye Alicia Keys and Outkast albums I never listened to that much anyway, beyond a few songs here and there. Bye bye, some Parade of Losers MP3s. Uninstalled Flash.

Now maybe Photoshop can decide that it's fatass does fit into my computer after all.

How much space is the average for installing a printer-scanner anyway?

=====

Listening to Ryan Adam's songs like Answering Bell, La Cienega Just Smiled, When the Stars Go Blue, Touch Feel & Love, New York New York, Gonna Make You Love Me (YOU love ME, regardless of what the lyrics here say)...

I don't even know why I linked the lyrics. Oh right, I like them. Not that the lyrics are entirely accurate, if you listen to the songs, but okay. Close enough.

All this music raises some very important questions, like could his Gold album be more heartbreak-perfect? If I were to have kids right now, can I have his babies (*blatantly ignores Winona Ryder influence in Gold album*)? And where the hell is my Sylvia Plath mp3? and where's that God Song Ryan-Beth Orton duet I had? Am I hallucinating? Fuck.

I guess...I could make the effort to go through my CD collection and look for the Daybreaker CD for the original song. Jesus, what a pain in the ass.

Welp. I'm moving past the Gold album to the Rock n Roll one soon.

Working arse off still. Yes. Assignments fuckload high, yes. Regret every minute of holiday I was not working ass off, yes.

Written by lainie at 01:52 AM on November 4, 2005 in Links / Email.

I have a question.....Any techies can help out?

When I type out stuff in Photoshop, it stays in ONE line, pressing enter won't give me linebreaks. How? Can anyone tell me? The text box, by the way, has plenty of space for line breaks and what not.

Never mind, I forgot to change the leading settings, my bad.

=====

2 Chinese Guys video.

*Rolls over and dies laughing*

THE IDIOTS!!

Taking a break from my assignments - one of the good things bout staying in KL, I don't have to relinquish internet connection by 1am, which would happen if I were in Ipoh.

Doing research. Trying to work out decent colour scheme so my brochure doesn't scare everyone with functioning eyes away.

This woman's evil blog drives me crazy! Everytime I'm there she has some yummy food photos up.

*runs off to rummage for food*

I return, with a can of tuna. Yeah this mushy stuff looks right gourmet after all those photos. Thanks, Visya, again.

I was going to link this blog I found that is an insult to the Malaysian Blogosphere, but decided against it (damn if I'm adding any links to that site). Jesus, the whole site is so pointless, yet I can see it becoming popular for all the wrong reasons.

=====

System requirements for

Photoshop CS 1: 280 MB of available hard-disk space
Photoshop CS 2: 650MB of available hard-disk space

Gahhh...Reinstalling to CS 2 is NOT an option so far.

Written by lainie at 01:47 PM on November 4, 2005.

Bleurghhhhhhh.....I was looking for animation, what I got was Minimally Invasive Robotic Radical Prostatectomy with the da Vinci Surgical Sys.

Manbits surgery using robots, for those who didn't get that.

Being the smarty pants that I am, I used the video control buttons on the right and skipped to the third picture, where some pliers thing was poking into a lot of bloody flesh. Let's just say I am VERY thankful I'm not doing medicine. Blfpppp.

Guys, this might be painful on your balls to watch, just to warn you in advance.

=====

I was up till 5am last night, making my brochure and wondering why nothing fits like I planned. Then I realised I was trying to fit 6 pages of stuff into 4 - smart yeah?

I want to add other objects to it, like cuffs locked to a bed post, but I can't remember if I can use pics of other stuff. Very tempted to put in a silky looking background, but if I do, I'd have to sneak upstairs and take pictures of my aunt's silk blouse -_-". Also will have to buy sexier paper.

No one said this brochure has to be practical for mass distribution, right? Jesus, might not even be able to afford just one for my assignment though. Pah.
Not too fond of my brochure as of now. It's pathetic how I seldom like my own work. Speaking of pathetic, my lunch consists of:

i) Spoon
ii) Tub of peanut butter / chocolate.

I know, I know.....Right, *wry tone* healthier alternative: Instant noodles.

Public holidays, the shops are closed. What can I say.

I downloaded the latest beta version of Firefox, which is now slightly scarier because I no longer have Session Saver, so if it crashes on me my work will not be saved.

On the other hand, drag and drop tabs are so sexy.

=====

Just came back from Avenue K with my aunt. Had lovely dinner at Manhattan Fish Market restaurant.

She bought me some groceries so now I have sausages, pasta, bread and tomatoes, along with some ham. We were in the bookstore and I mentioned Tash Aw's book The Harmony Silk Factory, wondering if it was good, and she got it for me!

That was a bit of a surprise, and no, I wasn't hinting to get her to buy it for me, I was just wondering if what it's like.

For those who don't know, Tash Aw's a Malaysian whose book was short/longlisted (can't remember) for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. What did this kickstart?

A lotta talk about how if he had tried to do this in Malaysia, instead of UK, he'd never achieve the recognition yadayadayada, no one would have funded it blablabla. Like yes, wonderful, that kinda talk was sooooo unexpected. Couldn't see it coming a mile away. Nope.

Well obviously, half the asses talking about the dismal Malaysian literature scene don't even buy Malaysian books, wouldn't it be a bit strange if suddenly you lot suddenly ALL found a fantastic locally written book?
Not that I'm some damn great patron of the local arts, I'm just saying it shouldn't be that surprising that he did better overseas.

Maybe, just maybe, with Tash Aw doing good, other local authors might get some attention too

Right. I'm off to read a few pages, then continue my assignments till Fip comes and pick me up.

By the way: TIMES BOOKSTORE SUCKS. I swear to god, the one in KLCC is pathetic. Their stationery was terrible, selection of art books horrible, and fiction section was no great shakes either.

If anyone tells me that's their favourite bookstore, I will be VERY prejudiced towards their taste in books. Bah. A sadistic side of me likes to walk into a bookstore, and three hours later leave wishing I had enough money to buy heaps of the books there.

In Times, I walked in, got confused wondering where all the good books were, left 20 minutes later after picking up the Tash Aw book. And I don't intend to get another novel from that place.

How the HELL do they survive against the Wonder that is Kinokuniya, just a few floors up, I'd like to know.

Written by lainie at 02:19 PM on November 5, 2005 in Daily Life, Q & A stuff.

Spent the night at Fip's place, two failed attempts to get coffee, once at night, once this morning, has left me with a dribbly nose, shaking hands and a slightly grumpy temper. You have been warned.

Leave your name and
[1] I'll respond with something random about you.
[2] I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
[3] I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
[4] I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
[5] I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
[6] I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
[7] I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
[8] If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written!

I might be horrible at quizzy stuff like that, by the way.

Ack I can't take this anymore, I'm walking out for coffee. There are so many MP3s I want to download, to replenish my lost collection my father deleted off the house computer.....Along with some songs I've picked up here and there.

I guess after December, when my assignments are over, and I am not required to pray for scratch disk miracles everytime I boot up Memory Whore Photoshop.

Written by lainie at 04:47 PM on November 5, 2005 in Stupid, but fun..

So I was thinking of institutionalised racism. Does our country qualify? I mean........It's my own country and I'm not even sure.

Right. Do the MALAYS get special rights, or do the MUSLIMS get special rights? Cause if it's Muslims, then it's not really institutionalised racism, is it? It's.....what is it? Religionism?

x_x My god I'm glad I study art graphic design, which requires even less reading than art does, as Rachel, dear friend studying History of Art in Courtauld has shown me, just by telling me what she needs to read up to complete one paper.

I would drown in my own laziness doing her course.

=====

Ramble time. Actually, what brought this on was me, walking out to get some coffee, and making an actual effort not to skip right to the last chapter of The Harmony Silk Factory book. Some of the stuff I used to read, it was much easier on the sanity to read the first two pages, then the whole last chapter, so you can understand the middle bit. Or maybe I'm just slow, I'm betting many people do the same though.

So yeah, it's pretty much habit for me to eventually cave in and read the last chapter, because I don't like being in the dark about where a book is going.

Then I came home and read the KLUE magazine. Suanie's site was mentioned in it, as partly partly cunical. There's something weird about me, I zone into stuff like that the moment I flip open a page, so it was the first thing I saw....I accidentally got a friend into a lil bit of trouble just a lil while back by doing this to something she was responsible for writing....Zoned right into it.

Where was I? Oh right. Anyway, KLUE had this article I found really funny: How To Be A Well-liked Gallery Scenester.

Tiuniama, there's some social wank behaviour code for going to the goddamn galleries too? Because my antisocial ass is not hard enough to drag out to functions, now you tell me there's some social scene thing going on?

Basically in exchange for bumming off the free booze you could act catty / obnoxious / flaming gay, and pretend that you LIKE the exhibition put up by the same people who brought the alcoholic drinks......Also, remember to generously wank off provide feedback and discussion with the artists.

But yeah, the whole article amused me the most in this magazine. Reads like there are hidden jibes all over at people I don't know. Almost like reading a local blog now, really.

=====

Oh and the connection? These words in the KLUE article: "Hermeneutical onanism". I stand by what I say here. Someone cheeky wrote that article.

Anyway hermeneutical onanism - DeepaRaya. Does the Qaran say it's wrong? Nope. - Muslims here - Bumiputera's special privileges (is it called rights here? privileges? I can't remember) - institutionalised racism.

I have a very rambly mind. One day I will structure out the concept behind this load of crap, if I can find it, and make my IQ sound that bit higher. Actually, I'm never going to bother.

I don't even really know what I'm blogging about, but heck. Confusion only has value when you share it.

I have so many ideas for my assignment that my mind has gone to sleep on me. Mental overload. Need to distract myself (actually, I just want a good excuse to play Zoo Keeper).

=====

Moleskinerie. And I thought I was a stationery whore. I LOVE this site.

Actually, I just love that there's an entire website dedicated to the notebooks I was drooling over just the other day.

Written by lainie at 02:08 PM on November 6, 2005 in Daily Life.

Hey people guess what?

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH FIP TODAY, BABY!

Fip and I had a hotdog dinner in KLCC. It's amazing how many stupid jokes we can produce in one hour, really. I don't think I can even say mustard, mayo or cheese with a straight face anymore.

I bought a cheapie pink cap a few days back, but Fip stole it, so instead she bought me another cheapie pastel pink one....It is the naffest looking thing I've ever put on my head (recently, anyway), so we got some laughs out of it. I still want a pink afro to wear while I walk around very public areas.

I don't usually wear hats because they sit funny on my very big head (keep your big head puns to yourself, thankyouverymuch). I don't like pink because it's pink....I just like pink because it's a happy colour that annoys so many people.

I really don't have much qualms about annoying people, can you tell?

We hung out in Kinokuniya and laughed at this comic, I can't remember what it was called but damn, hilarious shite.

=====

After KLCC, we made a move towards Plaza Damas and hung out with some friends in Wow Wow cafe (which I think is pronounce woah woah cafe by Chinese people, as in dog barking sound). It's a place with live music, these two guys singing Chinese songs. They have really good voices too, and I quite liked their song selections (except for one song which as far as I'm concerned has lyrics that translates into "I love you the way a mouse loves rice", so that song can fuck off).

When it was 12 Fip decided to "announce" our anniversary, which Tei said made her happy for us, but my god were we annoying . She asked if we could at least fight, which we diiiiid....We just didn't know what the heck we were fighting about.

After that we went to pick up Sanj and hung out at a mamak to get 10 murtabaks for her drunk brother-in-law's party. It was already 2 am by then. Caught up on the goss, bitched about some people, and just chit chatted in general. I've known Sanj for so, so many years it's crazy.

By the time we were done, we got home so late and so tired.

=====

Right, I have Alfredo's assignment to correct, and a brochure to produce, so ciao people.

=====

*sniggers at Jeffrey Archer jibe*

Also from that blog, got this link to some Poetry Moodmatcher thing and my results are: GK Chesterton's A Ballad of Suicide:


A Ballad of Suicide

THE gallows in my garden, people say,
Is new and neat and adequately tall.
I tie the noose on in a knowing way
As one that knots his necktie for a ball;
But just as all the neighbours - on the wall -
Are drawing a long breath to shout 'Hurray!'
The strangest whim has seized me... After all
I think I will not hang myself today.

Tomorrow is the time I get my pay -
My uncle's sword is hanging in the hall -
I see a little cloud all pink and grey -
Perhaps the Rector's mother will not call -
I fancy that I heard from Mr Gall
That mushrooms could be cooked another way -
I never read the works of Juvenal -
I think I will not hang myself today.

The world will have another washing day;
The decadents decay; the pedants pall;
And H.G. Wells has found that children play,
And Bernard Shaw discovered that they squall;
Rationalists are growing rational -
And through thick woods one finds a stream astray,
So secret that the very sky seems small -
I think I will not hang myself today.

Envoi
Prince, I can hear the trumpet of Germinal,
The tumbrils toiling up the terrible way;
Even today your royal head may fall -
I think I will not hang myself today.

G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

Hmmmmmmm. Unexpected.

Written by lainie at 06:23 PM on November 6, 2005.

Steven Seagal Juice.

Lightning Bolt, the one and only energy drink crafted by martial arts expert and herbal specialist Steven Seagal, is the only all natural 100% juice energy drink on the market. This long lasting energy elixir is made with key ingredients from all over the globe. With a healthy dosing of Tibetan Goji Berry, Asian Cordyceps, B-Vitamins, Green Tea, Yerba Mate, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Guarana, and Policosanols, Lightning Bolt will give you the strength you need to punch your adversary’s faces through plate glass windows day in and day out!

For crying out loud, TELL ME THAT SITE IS A HOAX. Either way, it's quite amusing. I suppose. Kinda.

Very hungry.

I'm downstairs chickening out. I heard some sounds upstairs that sounded like someone was walking, but since I'm the only one at home I figured it was Bobby, our dog that likes to go upstairs and sleep on cushions.

Turns out there's no one visible upstairs. I think I practically jumped down the stairs.

Back to sitting downstairs, bright lights, loud music, and near the door in case I need to get out fast. Can still hear those sounds every so often....No idea what they really are.

Ridiculous, I know. But not as bad as the Seagal juice.

Gonna watch tv, or rather, try. Hate sitting down to watch tv. Have been trying for a month, almost, to sit down still and watch my classmate's movie Drivethru.

Don't you just hate how some people are attracted to feeling fucked up?

Written by lainie at 12:47 AM on November 7, 2005.

Happiness is Geek Fantasies, which had me laughing for ages. Reminds me of Aubrey's business enterprise on Something Positive.

Pissiness is Sony being little hacking bitches. Lesson: When big company does something sneaky, public will go into "stick it to the man" action mode. Whiny blog posts will emerge.
Basically some new CDs Sony has produced sneakily puts software you can't uninstall into your computer, without your knowledge, so you can't do stuff like....Put MP3s in your iPod, for example.

[ Washington Post blog that makes more sense to non-techies like me ]

Written by lainie at 06:18 PM on November 7, 2005 in Links / Email.

Announcement One more Malaysian website for the good of blog addicts, and also the good of blog haters who will now have one new website to bitch about.

.

BlogsMalaysia is finally up! If you already read the pings on Petaling Street, think of this as a complement site for it, but with an entirely different feel. For one thing, BlogsMalaysia is not a self-wank site, but a wank-others-off site, centered around Malaysian Blogs (spank yourself if you didn't figure that out).

So yes, this is not where you inflate your own ego, but LEARN TO SHARE. And by share, I don't mean about two hundred links to every post you've ever written. Cmon, for every post you wrote there must be 5 blog posts out there you enjoyed.

Suggest a blog post that you think others might find interesting, and if there are three positive votes for it, from a team of bloody lazy arses editors, the entry goes through for the rest of the BlogsMalaysia readers.

So instead of reading every bloody ping that goes through a pingsite, you get selected articles. Yeah? Good? And if you're not a blogger but you like to read blogs, this is something you can participate in as well .

Actually, read this page, so much more useful. Go ahead and register if you'll like to take part in this site.

Some of the other blogs that mention this website:

Chan Lilian
Minishorts
Suanie

=====

Off to nap. Fucking tired after being tricked into some trekking and panicking over leeches all afternoon.

Written by lainie at 12:23 AM on November 8, 2005 in College.

Ooooh, The Penguin Podcast.

=====

I am ridiculously tired today, and suffering from oily hair might I add, because I was tricked! Tricked, I tell you!

I was going to skip Photography class today because

i) I forgot to bring my camera
ii) I can't really afford film anyway
iii) I just hate the subject.

Then the boys tell me that today, our lecturer is bringing us to some special location for a shoot. Some place called Hulu Langkat. I have no idea where it is, but am vaguely curious about the place.

Bee offers to share half his roll of film with me if I want to, pointing out that I can't afford to miss another Photography class, damn him for being right.

So I decide to go along, since I need the attendance. I am wearing Fip's soccer shirt, which is absolutely heat-unfriendly, to put it mildly. I'm surprised local footie players here don't suffer heat strokes and pass out in the middle of the game all the time. Also, I am wearing extremely unpractical sandals with smooth soles.

Trekking in unpractical shoes. Do I really have to elaborate?

I sit in the lecturer's car and we head out to this place. It takes almost ONE HOUR to drive to this godforsaken river thingie. I watched the tall buildings disappear from my view, and despaired as the inner city brat in me clawed against the car windows and escaped back into the city.

Of course, the outer, actual physical me was quite lazy and did not want to tell her lecturer driving the car to pull over because she would rather skip his class than see so many trees, so few buildings, in one place.

There isn't fresh air in the country. You people are hallucinating.

We finally arrived at some Sungai Chongkak area. My butt is numb from sitting down so long. I step out of the car into a cloud of Aedes mosquitos. Oh, promising day, how my heart sings.

It's 2pm. I am temporarily distracted by how bastardly-burn-hot the sun can get when you're directly in the sunlight. Why the hell aren't these trees doing what buildings do, preventing my skin cancer? I am frying out here, goddammit!

I am already sweaty delicately perspiring. Grumpiness level shoots up 500%.

I have to pay one buck to enter some mosquito farm river area. Ridiculous, who would pay to do this? Lecturer grins and says he cycles here all the time. I make mental note that he is probably seriously wacko.

I don't know what's more horrifying. The un-civilisation. The naked noisy kids. The imagination of pee in the river. The various insect-slug grossness. I need to pee. Fuck.

Our first stop: The shops, where they have a bite. I see a few cockroaches, various sizes available. Lecturer chuckles, damn those nature loving people. I, move my seat away from the table so I can spot any cockroaches that might come my way. Meanwhile, I pass the time slapping mosquitos off me.

Grumpiness level 600%, Caffeine Withdrawal levels 200%.

Lecturer says we need to hike 2 km. I ask for his car keys so I can wait in the car. For some reason, he thinks I'm joking and laughs it off. So I ask again. Doesn't work. I think he really thought I was joking.

Why anyone would want a whiny city brat to walk along with them, I don't know. I don't even have a goddamn camera, though I have Fip's digicam, which I can't use for Photography assignments.

We start walking. We walk a lot. I get tired, and grumpy. I slap mosquitos off me as an amusing distraction to the burning sun.

Approximately 2km later, the lecturer turns around, grins and says, "Right, just 2km more". Oh, sadist bastard. You know what I hate? People who don't tell the truth when they give you an estimation of time / distance, because I allocate my patience in such a way that if you stretch an obnoxious amount past what I am prepared for, I will get pissed off.

Seriously, how is it suppose to be better? I'd rather start off knowing EXACTLY how much you have planned for us. You don't ever watch the Olympics on tv and suddenly the announcer says in the middle of a long-distance race that by the way, it's an extra 50km (proceed to translate into other languages). "We didn't tell you earlier because then it would have seemed harder, isn't this nasty lil surprise so much better?

If you're one of those people who do this.....S T O P I T.

Bitching about walking asides (bear in mind that I am wearing walk-unfriendly shoes, not that I won't complain anyway), I was bored so I took photos of my classmates taking photos. Really. Look!:



Faras, Aizat and Khairil. I forgot to add on a pic of Bee, also squatting and taking a photo. Ah well.

Then we stop for a while, and I get very alarmed cause Khairil pulls out a leech from his shoes. Bloodies the floor too. Then another. The boys burn the leech with a flame from their Zippo lighters. Lecturer says that "Hey, if you think this is bad, wait till you see what it's like later!".

Boys all pull up their socks so leeches can't enter. I am wearing sandals, no socks there. Great, I have my period too, can leeches smell my blood or something? I don't want an army of them running after my poon or whatever. Specifically my poon.

My unsocked feet look so naked and food-like. I can imagine leeches eyeing them. Fine fine I KNOW, but imagination is just that - ridiculous and hard to control. It's already a good thing that I didn't see steaming cups of coffee everywhere I walked, considering I was surrounded by the brown liquidgoo river water.

We trek again. I walk fast because every place I put my foot looks like leech-land.

Grumpiness level 9999%, Caffeine withdrawal 500%, Paranoia 2000%.

We're all fricking tired and quiet and we don't take much photos. We plod along the trail. Lecturer finally takes the hint and suggests we head back.

It is a long, loooong walk back. When we reach the cars, a fat leech drops off Khairil's leg. Oh wonderful. I check for leeches on me - none, thank god. I would have stabbed someone if there were.

Came home tired as fuck, feet hurting and leg muscles indulging in some revenge time.

At the risk of sounding like I'm 14, as opposed to the usual 6 year old: I HATE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS!

[ I was gonna say 16, but since that's Nessa's age....................... ]

Lecturer said something about doing more sessions on the other side of the river. Pfffft. I am NOT going.

Some photos I took while I was bumming around:



i) Someone walking ahead...Staring at the photo full size, for a long time, makes me dizzy. I like that. Think it was Faras or Khairil.

ii) One obligatory photo of river. Oh look, a rock. With moss. Call the press.

iii) Khairil on some bridge thingie taking photo of, can you believe it, the river.

iv) The nasty looking toilets I had to use. Be grateful it's a photo of the exterior.

I was feeling unfriendly and grumpy and craving caffeine. Highly unsociable times. I think this subconsciously translated itself into the photos I took because out of ALL of them....Only a few have a complete face in it. The rest, I only wanted to take when they were turned away or hidden behind a camera.

Either that, or the shot was from neck down. Decapitated looking photos. So unfriendly, I know.

[ Actually, it was a pretty good idea to take us there and make us do photography, but don't expect me to admit it too often, I had a terrible time there ]

Written by lainie at 03:37 PM on November 8, 2005 in Daily Life.

Jealousy is realising that nothing in your gallery is on this piece's level in many different ways. At times like this, I resent my assignments because something competitive in me charges my mind with all sorts of art cravings.

In other news, *Takes out machine gun and shoots two hundred bullets into every bloody blogger that has MP3s / videos hidden in some obscure part of their website that automatically play*.

You bitches, I wear headphones and volume on maximum to listen to Comedy Central videos, are you trying to kill me?

=====

I have heaps of assignments due tomorrow. HEAPS. Too many. Can't catch up. I think. I guess. Fuck.

FUCK.

My classmates claim that doing their assignments makes them smoke. I think college ups my caffeine intake at an exponential rate - no sign of plateau yet. I am averaging about five cups a day - though granted, the Cafe 21 instant coffee my aunt bought to try out is extremely weak, but hey, inferior coffee or not, I'm drinking it. Just add twice the amount.

I am irritated by the fact that the assignment I need to print out is about 1cm too long for an A4 paper, which means I need to perform more blade and paper kung fu.

I've noticed something disturbing about my behaviour. Everytime work piles up I feel the need to drink iced coffee, listen to music, take long shower, put on a pore pack, then ridiculously fruity face mask, and chill out.

I have more than ten assignments due tomorrow for assessment. I am having massive allergy reactions and sneezing continuously.

=====

Frances, Morello and Lee is a pic of some people at Middle Child Exhibit in Fresh Gallery, Melbourne. Behind these people, you will see part of a painting.

That painting is Daphne's

Read some parts of a blog by some Singaporean bloke called Gerald Teo. Quite amusing.

Right enough time wasting, off to work!

Written by lainie at 09:30 PM on November 8, 2005 in Rants, Daily Life.

[ Edit: Oh look, it's 3.47am. Wonderful. Gonna sleep. ]

Assignments are killing me.



Somehow, looking at that picture calms me down.

=====

This is terrible. One of the abandoned dogs that hang around outside my house has disappeared. And my aunt was juuuuust about convincing our new neighbour to adopt him (we call him Tuxie, cause of his fur colour).

Walked around just now but no sight of the dog, we don't know what's happened. So now, trying to get another dog adopted, it's a puppy. Looks like Alsatian mix, but with flappy big ears. It's cute, but all puppies are.

Anyone looking for a new dog?

=====

Fish Can't Fly, a film about 8 gay Christians. Reading it up makes me glad that I....Well, I was gonna say that I couldn't care less what the bible says, but that's not entirely true since some excerpts annoy me.

But yeah, I couldn't care less. Maybe I need more apathy-ambition, however that makes sense.

=====

I am pissed off. Aloy owes me money. Money I need. It's not much, but it's more than I can afford. He has a job. He won't pay me back.

AGAIN.

I called him a few months back, and he said he needed to talk to his mother first. Now, he's claiming that he's already told me that his mother said she's not paying.

.....Like, I'm not a loan shark, YOU owe me the money, not your mother. Jesus, I am tempted to go to his parents though, just to see if they'd pay for their son. Then he told me to call back in an hour, and hung up on me.

He said he was busy. Yes.....I can tell from the background noise.....I'd not heard such loud, happy gatherings in quite some time. I can't afford to go anywhere, that's why.

To top it off, his mother claims that she's already paid the money - it's for phone bills, by the way. No, she hasn't. If she has, it never came my way, or the phone company's way. Someone is lying. Wonder who.

You know what's the big fat joke? He's the one we gave the money to, for the phone bills.

He says he shouldn't pay for the calls. I got statements from Telekom that says not even the rental was paid for. And I went to Joyce's blog and saw a pic of him at an event.

Well that's nice. He was there for work. Work = Pay = PAY ME BACK, you cheap fuck.

Written by lainie at 05:41 PM on November 9, 2005 in College, Arty stuff.

Oh, my grandnanny's pies...... I was warned that Cenfad is stricter with grades than Lim Kok Wing, and SHIT THEY WERE RIGHT!

My CD Studio mid-semester assessment, the stamp and 9grids thing, got me a C+. Which, by the way, is probably the highest grade in class along with some other classmates.

In Cenfad, a C means "Average, understands brief requirements". Okay.

Lecturer said I got a C+ because while my ideas are good, they're safe and don't push boundaries. Okay, maybe I need to get all David Carson-Banksy wannabe on their asses.

Bee told me to chill out, that they're usually bloody strict with grades during mid-sem so we'll buck up for final assessments. I expected one classmate to do better than I did, but we ended up with the same grade :/

A C+. My mother will kill me. Gahhhhhhhhhhh I swear on my entire MP3 collection that I tried!

On the other hand, I can't fault my lecturer for the grade, because if an A is excellent stuff that a good designer comes up with, and a B is excellent student work, then I guess mine would be a C.

That's it, no more fucking around even with the other subjects. This is scary. Bleh.

Oooh, while I'm at it: This is the stamp thing in colour (have I uploaded it before? I can't recall). I didn't have as much time to work with it as I would have liked.



It's not really the final version, since I tweaked it further after that, but I don't have an image of it saved so fuck it lah.

Written by lainie at 09:16 PM on November 9, 2005 in Daily Life.

Yooooohoooooo KLites. Some events on Friday night:

Girl From Ipoh - I'm going for this one on Friday night, if you see me there say hi yeah. Just don't scare my non-netizen friends.

Venue: KLPac - Pentas 1, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, Sentul West, 51100, Kuala Lumpur

Date & Time: Wed 9 - Sun 13 Nov 2005 (8.30pm)

Tickets: RM 300 (premiere night only)/ RM38 / RM48 / RM60 (10% discount for students and those from Ipoh (with relevant proof)

Ticket Contact: KLPac - (T):03-4047 9000; (E): tickets@klpac.com
OR
The Actors Studio @ BSC - (T): 03-2094 9400; (E): tickets@theactorsstudio.com.my

Honestly, Kakiseni could *not* be less copy&paste friendly (which might be the idea, actually).

So I was reading the newspapers over the weekend (don't get your hopes up, it was the Lifestyle section dearies), and I saw a big picture of the lead actress Carmen Soo. Hot, isn't she?

=====

No Black Tie has reopened:

we've been asked to organise the inaugural singer songwriters night at the new NBT on Friday 11 November called Acoustic Fingers. So far the confirmed acts are Azmyl Yunor, Peter Hassan Brown, Izuan Shah, Reza Salleh, Izzy, Shana, Jasemaine Gan, Mils, Shanon Shah, Zalila Lee, Meor, Kevin (Broken Scar), Tan Sei Hon and Jerome Kugan, with more to come. It's going to be a simple informal night structured like a singathon.

Hurray to the return of No Black Tie! See you there!

ACOUSTIC FINGERS at NO BLACK TIE
Friday 11 Nov, 9pm start till late, FREE
No Black Tie, 17, Lorong Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari, KUALA LUMPUR
(just five doors down from the old NBT)
6pm-2am, Tuesday - Sunday
Tel: 03 - 2142 3737
Email: noblacktie@gmail.com

Troubadours

So which will it be? Play? NBT? Hmmmmmm?

=====

My aunt and I borrowed our maid's car - yes, our maid has a car and we don't. *shrug*.

Basically my aunt wanted to go for a formal dinner and we knew she'd have trouble cabbing it there, so I drove her there in maid's car. Nervous all the way, might I add, because I'm not comfortable with driving other people's cars.

Drove back home alone, paranoid that I would scrape the sides of the car against some psycho KL driver. I forget sometimes I'm very much a KL driver too, I can hog, cut off, switch lanes, squeeze, flip off, cuss and road rage with the best of them sometimes. Also, hate driving at night since I always always always imagine I see some ghostly face in the rearview mirror.

That's what I get for being too used to having ugly friends sit at the backseat. Kidding, of course.

I took over aunt's nightly duties. Basically: Feed fish at home, feed fish in drain (don't ask), feed 3 dogs at home, feed 3 strays.

I think my aunt cooks about 1 chicken or more and lots of veggies for all 6 dogs every night. Tomatoes. Usually some cabbagey veg (I don't recognise my greens). Some garlic. Science Diet dog biscuits. Sometimes they get mutton or beef. Most nights they eat better than I do for lunch.

It always smells wonderful, though my aunt says it would taste horribly bland to me because there are no seasonings.

Today they had a treat - my aunt bought heaps of chicken rice so the stall owner gave her a baggie of treats - lots of chicken-spine bones (no, it's not leftovers, just parts he doesn't sell) and chicken arses.

I touched so many chicken arses tonight while dividing the food for the dogs, it's not funny.

Then the house phone rings:

Aunt: Kim you'll never believe what happened!
Lainie: Uh...you're at the wrong hotel?
Aunt: No! I got the date wrong! The dinner's tomorrow!
Lainie: Ohmygoodness.
Aunt: So now I'm in a cab on the way home.

Turns out my aunt asked the concierge where the grand ballroom was, and was informed that the function is actually tomorrow. Then she wondered why they printed the 9th on the invitation card if the dinner is on the 10th. Turns out she misread her card.

The waiter politely asked her if she was going to wear a different dress for tomorrow, bastardddddddddddddddddd.. Heh. I hang up, clean the chicken-butt-oil off the phone. Charming life, really.

Aunt comes home, I feed the dog outside the house, aunt wanders around with two portions of food looking for the remaining two stray dogs. It's a chore because the strays, well, stray. Found one hiding near the apartments, aunt feeds it.

Yeeesh. It's drizzling too, and I've already been sneezing all day. We gave up finding the third dog after a while and fed the two strays the third portion.

Came home. Sneezed. Wallowing in my allergy reactions now.

I need to pee.

Written by lainie at 09:49 PM on November 9, 2005 in Friends as a favorite post.

:/

Meep meep meep, meep meep, meep meep meep MEEP MEEP MEEP, MEEP!!

*meep*

Meep, meep meep meep Meep meep meep. Meep meep meep meep meep meep meep. Meep meep meep

[ Meep meep meep...... ]

Meep: Meep! Meep meep meep?
Meep: Meep?
Meep: Meep, meep meep meep meep, meep meep? Meep meep?
Meep: .....Meep meep, meep......
Meep: Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep?
Meep: .....Meep meep, meep......

[ *Meep* ]

Meep: Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep?
Meep: Meep!!!
Meep: Meeeeeeeeep, meeeeeeep, meeeeeeeeeeep?
Meep: .....Meep.......Meep meep, meep meep.
Meep: Meep

[ Meep meep meep ]

Meep: Meep, meep? Meep meep meep!
Meep: Meep
Meep: Meep!! Meep meep meep!
Meep: Meep.......
Meep: MEEP.
Meep: Meep meep meep meep!! MEEP MEEP MEEP! MEEP!!

[ Meep meep meep ]

Meep: Meep?
Meep: Meeeeep? MEEEEEEEP? Meep meep meep?

[ Meep meep meep ]

Meep: Meep?

=====

Meep meep meep meep, meep meep meep?

Written by lainie at 09:25 PM on November 10, 2005 in College, Daily Life.

Gak, I'm behind on editorial duties over at BlogsMalaysia. Let's see what I can rustle up today.

I approved Marc Jitab's article, even though I have no respect for him after that dreadful anti-homosexuality piece he wrote (applies to everything on his blog, really), because....Hell, one dude arguing for celibacy before marriage? THIS I GOTTA SEE.

The way he argues, if I called him an ignorant asshole, he'd probably say that an ass can either be a donkey, or his butt, and therefore, while he HAS an asshole, he is NOT an asshole, but rather, it is part of him. And as for ignorance, it being a state of mind on the continuum of awareness levels, and since assholes can't think, an asshole cannot be ignorant anyway, because it would not apply.

Dictionary quarrels, aren't they so fun? His attempts are even more painful than the "Tak Nak" campaign was, and that's saying something.

*seethes resentment*

=====

Woke up today with every strand of hair on my head behaving like a Medusa nightmare, screaming all sorts of obscenities and something about alimony. I put a very naff pink hat over it, muted the sound into something resembling injured silence. I took off my hat after college, and to add on to my bed hair, I now have.....hat hair.

I never knew my hair could be so creatively vengeful.

Fip and I argued yesterday, and avoided it today. We find absolutely every stupid thing to bicker about, and because we're both girls, well jesus. Think of your menopausing mother on a very bad day. Now, add hormones. Now, times two.

But it's good again.

=====

Asked some classmates if they'd like to go for "Girl From Ipoh" tomorrow night. I'm not really pimping the play anymore, tickets are almost sold out anyway.

One of the questions in the play is "When is a Chinese not Chinese enough?", which I think is quite a silly question, because even if I'm completely immersed in two hundred other cultures but not my own, I'd still be...yknow, Chinese. But it's a question that does get thrown around, and I have had it hit me in the face a few times before. Le sigh. As if they actually had nothing else in their lives to be proud of beyond being born of a certain race.

[ HAHA! Oh, the irony. CK asked me to join Yellow Headz, a blog about being Chinese....Jesus, why do the things I say always catch up with me? Sometimes almost immediately too ]

=====

Serene mentioned to me that someone told her "Girl From Ipoh" is the only play mentioned in gay websites so far.....Hmmmmmmmmm. *Zips mouth shut*.

Isn't it weird how some people zip their mouths and throw something away after? What's it supposed to be? A key? The zip? The lips?

Speaking of being Chinese, Iszie asked me to go for some shoot thingie as an extra. They're looking for Chinese people. Wonder what they're doing? It's some girl rockband thingiethingiewasnotpayingattention.......with only Chinese people....? What am I supposed to do? Stand there and look vaguely Gongxifacai?

Bernice asked if we read, and Serene said her favourite author was Jeffrey Archer, which earned a lot of "Huh?" reactions, while Iszie, Bernice and I just goggled at her. Damn, someone actually, REALLY, likes Jeffrey Archer stories.

Iszie: Are you serious?
Lainie: I was just about to ask her that.
Serene: Yes, I like his stories!
Lainie: Uh....So, I'd ask you which is your favourite book by him, but I realised it didn't really matter since it's mostly one story anyway.
Serene: Oh, it's not that bad.
Lainie: I guess you read Tom Clancy too then?
Serene: I don't like Tom Clancy.

[ State of Confusion: 75% ]

Lainie: But you like Jeffrey Archer?
Iszie: I'd rather read Tom Clancy than Jeffrey Archer

And I know what she means. Two days after I say the only people who buy Jeffrey Archer books are the ones who can't believe he managed to get published yet again, I find a Jeffrey Archer fan. Takes all types, I suppose.

=====

I asked Bernice to go for the "Girl From Ipoh" play, as I have been gently reminded a few times to invite her for it. I don't even care which bloody day she goes. Just GO so I have something to defend myself with. Because really, in my list of "Dignified Ways To Die", you will not find the "Death by Lesbian Rage" entry. Not that I reckon anywhere in my life is it probable that a group of angry, deprived gay women will gather just to throw me off a building while screaming my lecturer's name.

Creative Writing class was slow today. We watched this really dreamy, rather gentle and overly engaging movie today, Before Sunset. We follow two easily likable characters, played by Ethan Hawke (whom I used to crush after, and still have lingering lil hee hees for) and Julie Delpy, as they talk about the past, flirt, and build up the conversation to the point where you wonder if it's possible they're having verbal love sessions, without talking dirty. Very heavily dependent on dialogue, so it's great that it worked, especially the parts where they show how they are more disillusioned now that they're older, and somehow makes it look okay to become middle-aged, because they deal.

After watching it, I fell a lil bit in love with someone in the movie. Not even sure if it was Jesse or Celine. Part of the movie's charm is it doesn't push the dialogue-driven-movie concept into your face, the way Coffee and Cigarettes did, which makes it much, much more accessible to people like me who have a pathetic attention span.

Iszie said Before Sunrise is good too. I told her not to say that because I'd end up buying the DVD and spend months thinking I should get around to watching it anytime now.

After that Bernice asked for our opinions on the movie, and whether we thought what Jesse did was right (assuming that he did leave his wife and children for Celine). One of my classmates declared we could not possibly know, because we weren't Jesse. Which just goes to show, sometimes it's so much easier to be unopiniated.

Bloody tease though, that movie. Open endings drive me crazy. I'm going to pretend that they do end up happily together, in Nina Simone days.

=====

Also asked some classmates from Creative Writing class if they'd like to submit any work to the new Malaysian literature mag, Inky Hands, that could not sound more desperate for contributors to their first edition .

I'm starting to sound like a walking advertisement, the rate I keep cajoling people to go for stuff.

=====

Took a cab home from KLCC. Because it was raining, and there was a traffic jam, I had to agree to a flat rate of RM10. Upon arriving home, I gave him a fifty because I didn't have a tenner. He looked at it for awhile, and said he didn't have the change.

God I hate it when cabbies do this, do I look THAT naive? Really, do I?

I told him in that case he could have RM3, which was all I have in loose change. He said he couldn't take such a low price for the trip. Then he says I can't just stiff him.

Oh yeah sure, I'm gonna give you fifty bucks for a ten minute ride home. Want my shoes too?

I say give me change for RM50, or take RM3, your choice. He insists he has no change, and won't take less than RM10. Basically, he's trying to extort the fifty from me. Yeah, it's 6pm, you're driving a private cab which probably means you don't drive in shifts, you honestly expect me to believe that you don't have change by now?

I tell him to forget it, either take the fifty, or I'm leaving the cab - At this point I consider tossing RM3 into the backseat depending on his reaction when I leave.

Finally, he stares and stares at me, and I wait, with my look that basically says "Well?". Jesus, if cabbies could unnerve me, I'd never get to college. Then he opens the coin compartment really quickly so I can't see what he has in there, and takes out RM40. See?

Bastards, BASTARDS these cabbies.

So yeah, the next time a cabbie says he has no change....Think twice. Some of them are right pirates.

=====

How bad is my memory anyway? Serene asked how the holidays were, and I couldn't even initially remember when that was (last week), then Bernice handed me back my assignment and I was wondering why it looked so familiar....Now I have to go look up old writing stuff, and I don't know where ANYTHING is. Oh, good god.

Remember Meep meep meep? Danlim actually gave me a link to an Oi Oi Oi on Neohikayat.

And yes, I know meep meep meep is annoying, that's why I decided to share .

Oi. Big headache. Big assignment due tomorrow.

Written by lainie at 11:44 AM on November 11, 2005.

About Girl From Ipoh:

KA called me at 2am to inform me we can't book the tickets because the both of us don't have a credit card.

eeeeek.

You're telling me now? We're supposed to go for the play in about eight hours, tickets are selling out fast, and you're telling me now? I was under the impression we had the tickets booked yonks ago!

Fortunately we're going on a Friday, not Saturday / Sunday crowd.

We're getting the stage manager girl to do us a favour and book the tickets when she goes for work, but unfortunately, that nerd is only gonna be there at 3pm.

So we're getting the tickets if there are still any left by the time she gets there.

I'm wondering if I should make a trip there myself and get it done.

Scary.

=====

I'll make it easier for those random godknowswho stalkers I have. Instead of googling "tabulas~lainie", or "lainieyeoh" or "lainie trouble" or "ipoh lainie", just google Lainie. Really. It's the same thing.

Written by lainie at 02:45 PM on November 11, 2005 in Arty stuff.

Right, I just picked up the tickets. Decided to haul ass in that direction. I don't like to break promises, and I already said I'd be there.

From a group of 12, I only got 3 tickets, for me, KA and Heman. We'll be seated separately, which I don't mind. In fact, it's kinda surprising that I haven't done it by now, since I do watch movies alone when I feel like it.

While I was there, I saw some postcards for a Shakespeare play. It came in a series, and one caught my eye: Gavin Yap. He's a pretty, pretty one isn't he? I took a few postcards, some for friends whom I know will appreciate anything with Gavin Yap in it, and will suffer the Shakespeare education just to look at him.

Hey, nothing wrong with appreciating the aesthetic values of art.............

Also saw a lot of plays I wouldn't mind watching, even if it means the hole in my pocket will end up bigger than my pants. DAMMIT I saw that Pygmalion was playing last month!

At times like these, I really wish Rach was back because she's better at keeping track of stuff than I am. I was actually making plans to go for it till I realised October comes before November. If you make me say all the months really fast, at one go, about 40% of the time I will say SeptemberNovemberOctoberDecember.

Then again....:

A tale about language, class, manners and matters of the heart that is as true today as it was at the beginning of the last century. And given Malaysia’s unique penchant for the use and misuse of English; the opportunities for Manglish, malapropisms and hilarious turns of phrase are fantastic.

But more importantly it makes the wonderful and very true point that if a person is good at heart it really doesn’t matter where they were born, what their background was or how they speak. In the final analysis love & purity of spirit remains constant and everything else is superficial and without real value.

But more importantly it makes the wonderful and very true point that if a person is good at heart it really doesn’t matter where they were born, what their background was or how they speak. In the final analysis love & purity of spirit remains constant and everything else is superficial and without real value.

Hmm. I think it was a Malaysianised version. It's kinda strage reading that excerpt, because that's not really what Pygmalion was to me. My Fair Lady, maybe. Pygmalion, not as much. To me, the ending in My Fair Lady perverted the entire movie and changed the overall tones from that of the play itself.
My Fair Lady was like a musical version of a typical modern highschool love story movie. Replace Eliza and Higgins with The Jock, and The Nerd, and voila! She's All That, baby. Pygmalion, on the other hand, left me with a tingly desire to smack the artmusictheatresnob friends I have, while being aware that I do get along so fantastically well with them, even when I'm not getting along with them.

Then again, when was the last time I read Pygmalion? Too long ago, years? I can't really remember it either.

Anyhow, the KLPac is quite obnoxiously hidden a long way into this Sentul West area. I have no sense of direction, so when I stepped out after buying the tickets, I had no idea how to get out. I asked the security guard which direction would be a good way out.....And he said "Sorry ahhhh, it's my first day here also laaaaaaaah".

Was gonna ask the staff at the tickets station box office, when I saw a coupla people coming my way. I asked them which direction I should set out in, and instead, was offered a ride out! Oh bless them, I was having these nightmares that I'd be walking, lost, and no one's around to point me in the right direction.

Lessee...They introduced themselves, but my range of hearing is pretty pathetic, especially when I'm sitting next to the car speakers. Paul, Joann and Tora? They all looked kinda mixed, I remember seeing them and thinking "Damn, that's a bloody muhibbahness group".

I asked them what they were doing there, and it turns out they're production managers. I think. Paul was the one who offered me the ride. Either way, I was much grateful for the ride, even though seeing people at that hour made me want to shrink and hide because I'd not had my coffee yet and sorry as this is to say, I need to be mentally prepared to meet people. Really, I do.

Could I sound more anti-social? I'm alright, most of the time.

Then Joann took some dirt road, which was extremely muddy and potholey, because Sentul West is still under development. After that, she drove through the side of a construction site. I have no idea why we went that way, since the turning was just a lil bit before the official, much nicer road for KLPac, I guess they needed to turn out somewhere else.

I couldn't help grinning throughout that dirt road, because she reminds me of Daph. A LOT, actually.

I wonder if they'll be there tonight? Awww, fuck. I just realised they were talking about some cute puppies, and I should have asked them if they wanted to adopt a puppy. Because, yknow, nothing spells success like asking random strangers you're hitching a ride from if they'd like to take a dog off your hands.

It turns out there are still about 20 tickets left for Sunday night, when I was there anyway.

=====

One sign that you're sneezing too much: Three dogs gather in front of you, tilt their heads, cock their ears, and stare at you. Probably wondering what you're doing, and when dinnertime is.

Get away from me you arses, I'm allergic to you! Jesus. Actually it's probably this really dusty book I'm reading. I can barely keep my eyes open, allergies make me sleepy.

=====

Update:

Ooooh have I been an annoying girl..........Right, we somehow managed to get tickets for the rest, except for 2 girls who cancelled on us because they needed to go somewhere else.

I had to make and receive so many phone calls, after a while, I got confused as to who I was talking to. Like, right, we can get tickets at this and this price, is it okay? Okay I'll call and confirm. How's your side? No no, yes okay, how many people coming? Call you back.

I feel like a stock broker.

When I called the person getting us the tickets.....There was this very cheery "Yes hi Lains, how can I help you?" tone.....which sounded like it was a shroud for an avalanche of exasperation.....eep.

Apparently, it's okay, it's very typically Malaysian . Butbutbut.....I didn't know we didn't book tickets earlier .

So yeay, my friends get to come with me (KA you stop your horny mind right there).


[ Stop asking how I blog so much. I type fast, and I don't construct my posts the way some other bloggers do ]

Written by lainie at 06:22 PM on November 11, 2005.

Website of the week month: WEFAIL.

=====

I'm in this off mood, where I love everyone, but I also feel a passive sadness for them.

hmm.

=====

Then something funner happens. KA gave me Lola's phone number so I could convince her to come for the play with us.

KA: Okay, it's 012 *** ****
Lainie: ....YES NOW I CAN STALK HER!
KA: OI! Haha....Don't flirt with her okay!
Lainie: ....Who me? Naw...
KA: You've been hitting on her all over your website!
Lainie: But but but...that's nonsense, why would I? She's straight....
KA: Yeah, yeah, whatever. You want to sit next to her IN THE DARK HUH?
Lainie: Obviously you've been stalking our blogs!

[ So I call Lola, and this is the general gist of it ]

Lainie: Hi is this Lola?
Lola: Yes...
Lainie: LOLA I LOVE YOU!
Lola: *laughs*....who is this?
Lainie: Uh....You don't know who I am?
Lola: No...
Lainie: but why won't you know.....?
Lola: Wait, I can't really hear you..

[ Probably wondering who the fuck it is, actually ]

Lainie: Lola...
Lola: ...yes?
Lainie: Can I see you tonight?

[ Pause ]

Lola: Lainie is that you???

[ Uh, guys, have I been selling the play that much? ]

Lainie: HAHA!
Lola: Bitch!
Lainie: Oh Lola....Do come....ahem. For the play, that is.
Lola: I'll have to see...Where are you now?
Lainie: At home, where are you now?
Lola:Having sushi.
Lainie: Ooooh, what kinda sushi?

[ Amazing how KA taught me to screw up every word just by using a pervy voice ]

Lola: Haha....The regular kind. I'm at The Curve.
Lainie: Oooh....Bending are we? Okay never mind.

Lainie: Come for the play!
Lola: I've actually made other plans for tonight though..
Lainie: But I want to sit next to you in the dark!
Lola: Uhmm...I'll call you back in half an hour or so?
Lainie: Tell you what? Give me the names of the people you're supposed to meet tonight, I'll hunt them down.

I am starting to see why gay men think it's fun to try and flirt-bully straight guys. Much later, I get an sms from her:

Lola: Hey gatal, I can't get out of tonight's thing! So sorry, you girls have fun okay.

[ ]

Lainie: I'm jumping off the KL Tower. You have one hour to stop me.
Lola: Haha don't! If you jump and die we'll never get to make out. For the greater good, Lainie!

My goodness, that girl has found almost the best anti-suicide message ever.

[ I call KA ]

Lainie: Lola won't come. For the play, that is.
KA: She won't come?
Lainie: For the play...But she did say that if I killed myself over this I'd never get to make out with her.
KA: Shit you two, what are you doing? Do I hit on your best friends, hah? Do I?

[ Long pause ]

KA: Oh right...I do.
Lainie: Exactly.
KA: Oh well, okay then, fair play lah.

She got to trauma Daph, I get Lola. Barter system, yeay.

Written by lainie at 02:16 PM on November 12, 2005 in Daily Life.

God I was procrastinating from typing this out. Please note this is the result of a hazy mind. Very hazy. Going to ramble. Hope you don't mind. Come back in a year if you do.

I am....never gonna be allowed to organise anything ever again. Which might not be a bad thing .

The box office at KLPac is very echo-ey, right? People talk in whispers and low voices there, like it's some really posh place...Except, it's a ticketing booth.

Oh blushes, it got really noisy in there because hostess with the mostest, Lainie Yeoh, cannot organise for shits, as many people have pointed out. Apparently, my ears are also attached to my arse that I sit on all the time, which is why I don't hear anything.

Basically I wanted to get tickets for all my friends, I was told veery late we didn't book it because we didn't have a credit card between all of us (which is quite sad, innit?). So I got into heroine mode and jumped into the cab, getting what tickets I could - 3 of them.
Out of which, I took one, and figured I'd keep the other two for KA and Hey Mun whom I knew wanted to watch it the most, since they were the first two to wanna go for the play, so they'd probably go even if their original crowd didn't.

Then I find out that there are MORE tickets available (cancellations, I guess), so I call everyone else and invite them again. There is a lot of back and forth calling and planning, before I confirm the tickets.

After that I tell KA that I did it! Isn't it great? I DID IT! Because really, I was starting to get really confused by all these planning shite. Then KA says...Lains....Whaddya mean you bought my tickets too?.

Er?

Why wouldn't I? Apparently, what I heard as "I didn't book the tickets" was really "I didn't book the tickets (for your side)".

Erk.

I find this out about one and a half hours before the play, really. I call Josie, slightly panicky. Josie tells me Stupid, try and sell the tickets to someone then!. Which made sense, yes. So I ask KA if she knows anyone I could call and she reminded me of (ding ding ding) Lola!

Which didn't work out. Heartbreaker.

I remember Edrei commented in a post that he'd like to try going for plays, so I called Minishorts up for his phone number. Turns out he's in Australia. Oops, tee hee hee.

Then I call Prits. Who isn't around.

And I have no friends I can think of. That's it. I'm terribly overly antisocial.

As I walk to get a cab to KLPac again, Kinkypugkevin calls and I invite him too. But he was calling me to invite me to another event. I told him, sorry, I'd be going to a play (and I'm pretty much supposed to go to NBT instead after that anyway).

Then I reach the box office....and er, if anyone reading this works there...I'm sorry for being so confusing. I walked up for my reservations, and didn't know how many tickets I wanted because I was so totally confused by then as to who KA had tickets for, and who didn't, who was joining us, who made new plans and couldn't....

Josie came, found out there were extra tickets, and ordered me army-style to cancel the extras. I-just-couldn't-count-how-many-I-needed. Josie gave me this "If I have to chip in for the extra tickets the flames from my eyes will fry you crispy in two seconds" look. Kate and CJ arrived, and I still had no idea what was going on. They declared to people who already knew, that I can't organise for shits.
Slightly pan-fried from Josi