1. I joined this community, runaway_tales, and it's really fun! I really recommend this to saya22 and arashic0804.

2. Guess what? Body 2 Body is going into its second printing already. Apparently it's selling well - I reserved 2 copies at Kino when a batch of 30 came in, but a week later I found out that they were the only two copies left so I put them back on the shelf. Unfortunate really, since I need to send copies to Eugene and Ms Rina.

3. I'll be back in KL by tomorrow evening. My orders from Kino have arrived (Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tale books in hardcover - because they're worth it, and two D&D supplements) so I can't wait to go book buying! Since I'm using my Daruma card on the D&D books, I'll be getting the Holly Black books first... finally, I get to reread Tithe! I have paperback copies of Valiant and Ironside, but I guess I'll give them to my cousin or something, with a brand new copy of Tithe. I think she would love it. It's funny that amongst my overly large family (my dad has about 8 siblings, and my mom 9 or 10... and each of them has the average of 4 kids) the one and only one that seem me-ish was adopted. Seriously, this cousin reminds me of myself in high school. Except she lives in Malacca, the land of no bookstores (except Popular, which really doesn't count since it's more of a stationary store). Which is where I come to the rescue.

...is the greatest mindfuck I've read, with the possible exception of Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff. It's not often that a book could completely screw me over, and this one did so magnificently. Just like Bad Monkeys, the entire book is set during an interview - Anax, the protagonist, was obsessed with Adam Forde, a legendary hero who had a hand in changing the world. She thought she knew everything there was to know about Adam, especially since he is the subject of her 4-hour examination to become a member of the Academy. This entire novella is set during the interview/examination, and reads a bit like a transcript.

What it is about:
Man vs. Machine. The definition of consciousness. The importance of language. The danger of ideas. What does it mean to be alive, to be human? Dystopian, post-apocalyptic societies. References to that other amazing work of science fiction, Huxley's Brave New World.

What it is:
Thought-provoking. Challenging. Mind-blowing. Short. More words & thoughts than action. Philosophical. Well-paced. Strongly written. YA. Common sci-fi themes.

Who might like it:
People who like any of the qualities mentioned above. People who like really good books. People who don't require big battles and lots of action sequences to enjoy a book. People who are comfortable with thinking. People who read and like Plato. People who read and like Aldous Huxley. People who read and like Fahrenheit 451, Ender's Game, The Man in the High Castle, etc.

Who might not:
People who aren't like the ones mentioned above? Plus literary snobs, since "because it's sci-fi then it must be rubbish. Right?" Although they might convince themselves that it's not sci-fi (not being familiar with sci-fi, it's easy to do. Look at Cormac McCarthy's The Road - classic sci-fi themes, and yet that fact didn't even register to the lit snobs. lol.) in which case there is a chance they might enjoy it.

Nothing plot related, really. Just funny stuff I like. So even non-Buffy fans could enjoy these:

( Welcome to the Hellmouth... )

Okay. It's still true that I might actually go straight for Dr. Spencer Reid, but I'd leave him for Penelope Garcia anytime. She's the coolest girl that has ever graced any TV series. Ever.

Oh, and introducing Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris from Buffy) as her romantic interest in the show? Fucking brilliant.

Edit: and episode "True Night" (season 3) was so good, it made me think of Buffy. (No, Nicholas Brendon wasn't in it. That guy who played Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle was, though.)

"Life is a hell of a thing to happen to a person." - Agent Rossi, Criminal Minds

Friends,
1. My short story "Pirate Girl" (the first draft of which was once in Super Fairy Animal #6) will be included in the anthology BODY 2 BODY. The launch of this anthology will be on the 15th August (Saturday) at the Annexe Gallery - if you're free please come!

Start Time: Saturday, August 15 at 4:00pm
End Time: Saturday, August 15 at 5:30pm
Where: The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe


2. A UK distro wants #12 of SFA and #1 of Doris Ghost! Yay~

3. I ordered This Is Ivy League's s/t album and A Smile And A Ribbon's "The Boy I Wish I Never Met." I can't wait for them to arrive! Actually This Is Ivy League is a backorder so I don't know if it will arrive or not - it depends on whether more copies actually exist or not. I'm keeping my fingers crossed cuz they are my favourite indiepop finds that are actually NEW bands!

I was worried about being scared of vampires, reading The Strain when I'm home alone. (Dunno why I'd be scared of that, when I've been reading loads of vamp fiction since I was a kid, but I was scared of being scared, if that makes sense at all) What I should have worried about was a panic attack, though. Haven't had one in ages. Forgot how it felt. And the only people I could talk to about it are either in Japan, or depressed themselves. So I ran to the place I find most comforting, at least here in Malaysia - the bookstore.

I said that I didn't know why, but it really is probably because I've been so angry these past few weeks. Sometimes at specific people/things, sometimes for no reason. And I really can't handle anger very well. Not being able to express my anger completely doesn't help - it's like in that Barzak story, people may understand the language I speak but it doesn't mean they understand. I miss Akane.

On a lighter note, Ichigo put up a YouTube link to the KAT-TUN show with Hyde & Ken (of Laruku) and it was so fucking funny. I used to watch this, whenever I'm alone in my dorm room. Before I left for Japan, I watched Japanese shows about as much as English-language ones. In Japan I only watched Japanese variety shows and dramas, but the moment I came back I immediately stopped watching new dramas or show episodes. Too much I don't want to remember? I forgot how funny Hyde is, how watching these stupid shows (and they really do some REALLY STUPID STUFF on these shows) cheer me up so much.

Had a GREAT weekend, no thanks to KL Urbanscapes! Well, it was a good excuse to go out and meet up with friends anyway. Plus since it's an all-creative-arts event, I get to bump into friends that I've lost contact with ages and ages ago! Like Sharmaine, the girl I sat next to in lit class all through form 4 and form 5. She's doing exactly what she told me she wanted to do back then - performing in her own theatre group. Also bumped into Tania right at the end of the day, but as great as it was to meet her again, it was also kind of irritating, because of the whole twilightactiongirl thing. Ugh, do all DJs suck, or is it just Malaysia? Even crappy bands are better to listen to then our "good" DJs.

And yes, most of the bands were crappy. Well, not crappy really, but bland. Like Damn Dirty Apes, a band that was so promising and exciting when they first came out ages and ages ago. Then we saw them perform and it's like you can't really tell the difference between one song and another, and they're so abrasive and not melodic at all. I don't know why bands here are afraid of actually playing music. Gerhana Skacinta and Pure Vibracions were not bad, but not rad enough to actually get us crazy dancing, lah. (A lot of other people didn't think so and dance, so I guess our group are just picky listeners) Couple was decent, but that was to be expected. I do wonder if I am too tolerant of them, though - like I cut them a lot of slack because they're the only indiepop act here. I mean, if they're an overseas act I probably won't be as into them, since I would spend more time listening to The Field Mice and Heavenly and Dear Nora. We only caught half of the last song in Yuna's performance, but it was awesome.

I liked the whole setup, though. The artwork all over the place, and the street performances. The marketplace was awesome - too bad I didn't have a lot of cash! I bought a Melissa Etheridge album for RM15, and a pixelated cherry brooch to replace my broken one for RM5. I wish I could've bought some of the other accesories and bags for sale, they were just too cute. And it was very nice to just hang out there with friends, sitting on the grass at The Lawn and listening to loud music.

After we left, we separated - Amanda and I in Mils's car, Aina in Jun's - but after Amanda and Aina were dropped off Mils and Jun and I went for supper at Devi's Corner. Originally Mils was going to send me back, but we decided since it's so rare that I'm in the PJ area I will sleep over at her place and we'll meet for lunch the next day.

Mils's cat, Polat, is so cute! So needy and playful like Saru. As usual I woke up at 7-ish even though we went to bed at 3am-ish, and I re-read Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief and went through Mil's zine collection while waiting for her to wake up. Kinda feels like college again, since I'm always the first one up then, too. We met up with Jun for lunch, then went to Jun's place so that Jun could copy music from my iPod, then walked to IKEA. In the end I came back so late, but it was a lot of fun and totally made up for the fact that I had to listen to the cringy twilightactiongirl music at Urbanscapes.

Okay, I am feeling much, MUCH better. Still coughing a little and am rather dizzy and I have a toothache (non-flu related, that), but I CAN READ! Oh how I can't wait to read everything in sight!!!

I started on Andrew Lang & Robert Kirk's The Secret Commonwealth because really I need to finish 2 non-fictions by the 20th in order to totally win this year's Once Upon A Time reading challenge - since I completed all the quests but Quest the Fourth, I figure I might as well try to finish that one as well.

This afternoon, since I was feeling like I can walk straight lines and sit without falling asleep and all, I decided to take a trip to IKEA. I know a lot of my friends think that IKEA is not all that great, being assembly-line furniture and all, but I totally heart their stuff. I got a small heart-shaped mirror and a new picture frame for my room, as well as CD-organisers. I really need more of those...

I'm thinking of getting rid of my extra chair, so that I'd have space to get a new IKEA bookshelf. The problem is, if I do that, that's it. That's the last possible shelf space in my room. I guess I could always start putting shelves in my sister's room - it's not like she's here most of the time! She brings half of my books into her room when she's in the country anyway, reading all night. She could donate some room space for my books, hehe.

I received 2 postcards (1 postcrossing, 1 swap-bot) and a package from Magic Marker Records today! That's right - my orders for Dear Nora's The New Year EP and All Girl Summer Fun Band's Summer of '98 EP are in! I know, I have the mp3s already so it's not like I have new stuff to listen to, but I'm so so giddy just having the CDs in my hands. Also Curt of MMR actually wrote a little note torn from an illustrated poetry book (how cute is that?) saying "thanks for shopping at mmr, you rule!" There was also a sticker of the MMR logo, which I promptly stuck on my moleskine.

I seriously have no idea what's wrong. My fever has gone down for the most part - right now I only have slight fever. But my coughing and flu is still very bad. But the worst thing is the lethargy. I've been in and out of consciousness all day for the last two days. I don't even know what day it is. I usually am a light sleeper, and it takes me AGES to fall asleep. Right now I'm fighting to stay awake long enough to type. I can't even read, so I know it's kind of serious, because I ALWAYS can read, even when I'm having extreme high fever.

Really nned to go back to bed now.

Was going to post this earlier, but I got a fever/flu, and was in and out of consciousness most of yesterday. Today also, I'm getting really dizzy now, but at least I can think clearly. Sort of.

Last Wednesday happyichigo and I went to see Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll at Sg Wang. I was already sniffling and dizzy then (-_-) but we were both very trigger-happy:

( pictures here! )