Jess's Journal

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:14:15 GMT

Stolen from sefieslj

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them
5) Put a star next to those you've only partially read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien - read through them all when the first film was about to come out. Should read them again sometime...

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling - have gone off them since reading Deathly Hallows. ^_^;

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 * The Bible - shamefully, I have not read all of it. Well, I've probably read all of it at some point or another, but not all from start to finish. I really need to do that...

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman - would have liked it much better without the anti-Christian-ness. But they were still very good books.

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - Like LotR, read it when the film was coming out, should read it again. There's a copy sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - never finished the series though. Got about halfway through Book 3, I think...

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - read and re-read.

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - again, it's been ages since I read them, except for Prince Caspian which I rushed through before going to see the film. Need to read them again.

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis - see comments for the series!

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne - I don't think I liked the books much when I was younger, though I think I read them a few times anyway... the second one anyway, since we don't have the first one. Though I really liked the final chapter for some reason.
Rereading the books recently, I like them more now than then. Still like the ending particularly. (Am very disappointed with Disney failing to do it justice three times over... not to mention writing Christopher Robin out of Kingdom Hearts... WTH? Did you miss the entire point?)

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - it was alright. Totally missed the point (or several) on the religious front though... ("OMG Jesus was really human!" ...well, yeah, that was kind of the point. He's just also God. And sinless. And getting married and having a kid doesn't exactly compromise that....)
With the puzzles, it irritated me that they took so long to figure out the mirror-writing puzzle (considering Leonardo was famous for it), and also Newton and the apple... so frustrating when the answer is obvious, and these supposedly-brilliant characters stand around scratching their heads for several chapters... X_x
...I'll shut up now.

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 * Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - never really got into this...

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon - Had to read it for TAFE. Was alright. Went on longer than it should have.

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - for school.

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - haven't read it in years. Would like to read it again.

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome - years ago.

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - have seen film versions.

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Final score: 19/100

UNANNOTATED LIST

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - Same.

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

ICO

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:52:46 GMT

My ICO disk isn't broken after all - hooray!

What happened was that the data on the memory card has been corrupted, and the game checks that data when it starts up, so it was glitching at that point.

There is, however, a slight problem in that the corrupted data is undeletable. So I need a new memory card. (Unless I borrow someone's card and copy all our other save files across, then reformat the card with the corrupt data? How likely is it for data to corrupt when copying it across to another card?)

The other annoying thing is that just this afternoon I went to EB and they tracked down a new copy for me. It's on order, so I'll probably just cancel it, UNLESS one of you guys wants to get it. It's $35. So, if you are wanting to buy your own copy of ICO, let me know BY TOMORROW and I won't cancel my order.

EDIT: Second copy is sorted out; now I just need to deal with the memory card...

D=

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:56:32 GMT

My ICO game is not working. At all.

I switch on the PS2 and it just doesn't work. I get startup and the PS2 logo and then just black.

Dusting it didn't help. Holding it up to the light, it looks like it might have a dent in the disc - there's a thin line from the centre outwards, it doesn't look like a crack, and it's not the light reflecting on the disc.

Went down and asked Dad for help and all he did was dust it again. Roughly. And all it did was make scratches that I'm sure weren't there before.

ARGH WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE GAME WHEN IT HASN'T EVER HAPPENED TO ANY OTHER GAME OR DVD OR CD EVER?

I am very very depressed now.

*wails*

Prince Caspian

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:02:57 GMT

Just got back from seeing "Prince Caspian" with Youth Group.

It was actually really really disappointing. Partly book-purist instincts, partly "what the heck were you thinking when you planned this scene?"

I'd already resigned myself to the fact that there'd inevitably be an awful lot of battle that wasn't there in the book, but it's really more like they tore the book into pieces, threw half of it (mostly the nice bits) out, put the rest back together in random order and rewrote lots of dramatic battles to fill out the rest of it. Badly.

What really frustrates me is that they changed the personalities of the characters, rather than just adjusting the plot around them. Peter is suddenly picking fights with absolutely everyone; Caspian is acting like an idiot too; quietly-faithful Trufflehunter the badger is suddenly turning snarky.

Oh, and Caspian/Susan. Kill me now, please.

Also annoying that they failed to introduce minor characters (the Bulgy Bears, Giant Wimbleweather) who became mildly important halfway through. Not that you really needed to know who they were, but they were featured enough that it didn't seem right to just have them (particularly the Bear) come in unannounced.

I was also disappointed with the living trees. From the book I was expecting some really awesome tree-people, and instead we got a couple of swirly-blossom-people and some trees walking on their roots. Blah.

Anyway. Um, good bits.... the gryphons were really cool. Reepicheep looked prettymuch perfect (not decided on the voice though...). Minotaurs-on-the-side-of-good gives me much glee. ...um, the scenery was really pretty?

I don't know, it might have been a good movie if I'd never read the book?

Fri, 30 May 2008 16:06:39 GMT

Ocarina of Time tripped over Okami and crashed into Shadow of the Colossus, and thus Twilight Princess came into being.

Just finished it. Horseback battle is annoying. Ending was not particularly exciting. (Possibly just the mood I'm in; should have gone to bed hours ago and somewhat miserable due to a cold.) And who thought it was a good idea to stick a button-mashing contest into the final battle?

Anyway. Off to bed. Really. Not going to stay on the computer for another hour.

Assorted geekage

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:39:30 GMT

I was at the bookshop the other day, and they were playing the Cowboy Bebop opening theme. Then I walked outside and saw a capsule-toy machine with Evangelion figurines. I think anime is taking over.

Due to the grand mess that is Avatar's scheduling, the novelisation of the finale has just been released, two months before the episodes will air. ARGH SPOILERS. Hopefully I won't run into any. X_x

I found a copy of the Gamecube version of Zelda: Twilight Princess, so I've been playing that a lot lately ~~and making lots of Okami and Shadow of the Colossus jokes to myself~~. Just healed the last light spirit (is it just me, or did the ominous cutscene during that bit make no sense at all?) and I'm about to start the underwater temple.
The horse-riding gameplay seems so clunky after playing Shadow of the Colossus so much. (I know it was hard to get used to Shadow's horse-riding at first, but now it seems so much better...)

I want an Avatar t-shirt with the four element symbols on it. I'm not keen on shirts with pictures of the characters (for any fandom, really), but the symbols would be cool.

I also want a mug with "1Up" on it. Tea = extra life, yes?

Avatar 3.14-15

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:03:59 GMT

Dad was wonderfully helpful and downloaded the new Avatar episodes for me while he was at work.

OMG THAT WAS SO COOL~~~

Awesome to get some Sokka+Zuko interaction, yay for returning characters, yay for Mai starting to get interesting at last....
On the other hand, potential not-yay for getting another completely new character coming along. Especially when there are already established-and-popular characters getting neglected.

...there's not going to be any more new episodes for another two and a half months. That sucks. ;_;

Minifest

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:59:38 GMT

I have a headache. I think socialising kills my brain. X_x

Anyway....

Minifest was good. Went to the AMV screenings, and participated in the Cosplay Chess game (we won!). Costume went well; I had to make a new sash because I couldn't find my old one (which was awful anyway) and fixed my water-bag so I can actually pull the water out of it now. Found a few other Avatar fans (my main reason for using the costume) and also got someone else interested in the series. ^_^

I bought some of that Mogu Mogu drink the seems to be popular - I know we sold loads of it at Manifest last year - and it was really rather gross. Also, it smells exactly like grape Hubba Bubba and the ingredients-and-percentages list only added up to 58%. (Presumably the rest was water, but who knows?) No thanks.

...that's about it.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:56:30 GMT

Argh, there are new Avatar episodes out on the Internet now and I can't download them because we're almost out of Internet for this month.... which doesn't end for another two weeks. ;_; I'm gonna miss all the excitement...

fannish ramblings

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:55:35 GMT

I'm thinking I might reuse my Katara costume for Minifest tomorrow. Probably technically not allowed, Avatar being American and Manifest being strictly-Japanese, but I want to use the costume again, and I want to find some fellow fans to squee about the finale trailer with.

Talking of which... WTH, Nickelodeon. Why on earth do you think it's a sensible idea to give us a SEVEN MONTH BREAK between episodes? ARGH.

~~~

Have been playing a few games lately. My latest favourite is Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which is brain-teaser puzzles mixed in with a mystery story and gorgeous 2D animation. Very fun, and I'm looking forward to the sequel already!
I might cosplay as Luke sometime. It's just a matter of finding all the bits of costume at op shops....

Also playing Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, which is not bad either. Sphinx's gameplay is pretty basic platformer-ness; the Mummy's is a bit more interesting but unfortunately is not the main focus of the game.

I also bought a GameCube and Pokémon Colosseum, which is an interesting variation on Pokémon battling - all the battles are two-on-two, plus sometimes you have to capture Pokémon mid-battle, so the strategy is a bit different to usual.

....I really need to finish Atelier Iris 3. Anytime I start playing it and making some progress, I find a new game to play and it gets abandoned. I'm practically up to the final boss, so I really should finish it now.... and also FFXII and Luminous Arc, both of which I got for Christmas, and neither of which are particularly good. FFXII's gambit system drove me up the wall (give me straight turn-based battle, or let me button-mash my enemies, but don't make me stand there and watch my character attack!), and LA is just not very interesting and the voices are painful.

Oh yeah, and I've suddenly started playing computer pinball again. The space-themed one that comes with Windows. Current high score is a bit over 8 million points. ^_^

~~~

The FmA manga has been particularly awesome lately. Especially the last chapter (82)... *squee* He's back!

~~~

SEE YOU ALL AT MINIFEST!

Argh! Spider!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:38:18 GMT

There was a redback spider hiding inside our mail yesterday. WTH. I didn't know we had redbacks around here. Gave me quite a fright, plus I was a bit worried that it might have bitten me before I noticed it (I'd been carrying the roll of brochures for a few minutes before it crawled out!). Didn't help that my finger was starting to hurt - maybe genuine, maybe panicking myself into believing it. Some quick Googling assured me that redback bites really hurt, and my finger wasn't really hurting, so I assume it didn't bite me. Though my hand was feeling a bit sore for the rest of the night. Hmmmm...

All good and fine now, though. No need to worry about me. ^_^;

JOB!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:18:05 GMT

I have a job. It is not the one I thought I was going to have at the start of the term.

Well, firstly, the job at the school I've been working at for this term, wasn't as permanent as I thought it was going to be. Crossed wires or whatever, but they were actually advertising the permanent position, and I was just filling in for first term. Good chance of staying on, but not guaranteed.

A few weeks ago I got an interview for another school library position. Usual nerve-wracking interview procedure, etc. etc... then I got rung up the next week and was offered the position! This was great in and of itself, except that the school I'm currently at (and would like to be staying at! ;_;) was still advertising for its permanent position, and there wouldn't be a decision about whether I'd gotten the job for another few weeks. So basically I had to accept the other job, or I might end up with nothing at all.

Of course it's not quite as disappointing as I might be making it sound - it's great to have a permanent job! - but it's just a bit hard when I've been making such an effort to get to know my current school and the people there (getting to know lots of people is a struggle, and at other temp positions I haven't really gotten to know anyone beyond the other library staff), expecting it to be a permanent position, and now it feels like everything's been thrown up in the air. It's starting to settle, but I'm still trying to get my head around it all.

The new school seems nice. Bigger than where I'm currently working, and it's a secondary school instead of primary/secondary combined. (A pity; I'd rather work in a primary school. ~~I can't get mistaken for a student there.~~) I've been working there on Fridays for these last couple of weeks, so it won't be quite so much of a jump from one job to a completely new one.

So yeah. That's the big news in my life lately. Basically good, if a bit muddled. ^_^;

Oh yeah, I've finished my house-sitting - went pretty well. It was a bit frustrating because I didn't have any room to put stuff away in cupboards, because they were all full of the owner's stuff. So all my food had to sit out on the kitchen bench, and because of that, I had no bench space. But overall I had a good time - I'd certainly be fine if I did move out on my own. (It's something to look forward to! ^_^)

Books/games/fandom-ness

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:13:45 GMT

Probably a result of being in a library for ~30 hours a week, but I've been back into reading books rather than playing games lately. (This is a Very Good Thing.) Mostly I have been reading through the rather epic Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (it's three trilogies, and an extra book of short stories, AND there's an eleventh book out sometime-or-other). Also "Starcross" by Philip Reeve (not quite as good as Larklight, unfortunately), "Time to Smell the Roses" by Michael Hoeye, and "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz.

Haven't abandoned game-playing, of course - recently have been playing Pokémon Ranger (simple but fun; looking forward to the sequel!) and also Okami, which I got for only $30! I finished it yesterday. Haven't found all the stray beads and stuff, but I don't think I'll worry about it.
Also bought that "Brain Training" game. I suspect it's mostly a waste of time. Having to earn the different training exercises through once-a-day stamps was a stupid idea. Also, the handwriting recognition is horrible, especially for the Word Memory game. I'm planning to sell a few of my games, and this will be one of them. X_x

Meme time!

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:17:14 GMT

Stolen from sefieslj.

Your exact moment of the day is always changing, because the sun never sets at exactly the same time. You are the romantic moments just after sunset when it's still light enough to see your way around outside, and the sky is a blend of reds, pinks, purples, and blues. At this time of day, the light has a special way of making even rundown buildings looks like works of art. You're like that, too – you're always finding beauty and magic in unexpected places. Not only will you wish on the first star you see, somewhere inside, you actually expect that wish to come true.

♥

Light through a prism

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:47:56 GMT

I bought these big octagonal gemmy things from Lincraft when they were selling their Christmas stuff for cheap, and by chance I held it up to the light and it made pretty patterns.

It doesn't show up in any of these photos, but there was purple in it as well.

I stood there for about five minutes, just playing with it and seeing how it changed as I moved the prism around. This sort of thing facinates me.

Now I want to find something similar, but with clear plastic instead of coloured. Pretty rainbows! ^__^

Mosquitoes: 25, Jess: 0

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:26:28 GMT

Kristy's 21st birthday party was a few nights ago and it was lots of fun, except it was outside and at night and now I have heaps of mosquito bites all over my legs and it is REALLY ITCHY. X___x

ZOMG WORK?!

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:10:38 GMT

ZOMG I quite possibly have a JOB! Just got a call from the librarian at a school that I applied for a job at back in May - at the time I didn't get it, but I was second choice, and now the lady that they did employ has resigned!

It's not definite yet - she was ringing to check if I was still available, and she has to speak to the principal about it, and will get back to me later - but it's certainly hopeful! ^_^

*fingers crossed*

...

EDIT OF AWESOME: Just heard back from her; I'll be working there during Term 1, four days a week - officially a temporary position, but will turn to permanent if they like me. ^_^

What I've been doing lately

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:38:19 GMT

I've been horribly lazy about keeping this journal updated. Nothing but random stuff for months. X_x

ANYWAY.

About a month ago, Kristy had a party at her house down in Rosebud. Lots of fun. Spent most of Friday watching anime; Friday night we walked up to the golf course and watched the sunset. The actual sunset wasn't too great but I really enjoyed the time there. ^_^

Saturday we went shopping in the morning, then spent the afternoon at the beach. Watched the sunset again. Saturday night was a party, though I really wasn't in the mood, plus I had a bit of a headache, and ended up just going into the other room and sleeping instead. ^_^;

Sunday we had a barbecue, so first we had to clean up all the leaves and stuff so we wouldn't set anything on fire. Lunch was very nice. (Pity we didn't have any marshmallows though - the fire would have been pretty perfect for toasting them!)

Overall, great weekend. It was nice to see everyone again! ^_^

~~~

Just before Christmas we had our annual party at Amy's house. Originally I was going to take public transport to get there, but that was the day when we had that massive storm, so I ended up getting a lift with Nicole instead. We got lost on the way there, in much the same place we got lost last year! ^_^; But at least it wasn't dark this time, so it was much easier to look up the Melways and figure out where we were.

The party was lots of fun. Spent most of the night sitting in the kitchen, chatting and playing Ouendan. Went to bed about 3:00, had to get up at 7:00ish so I could get to work the next day. Thankfully wasn't too sleepy at work!

~~~

Christmas was the same as ever (not a bad thing) - church in the morning, lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's house (Dad's side of the family), tea at Auntie Judith's (Mum's side of the family). Best presents were some video games (FFXII and Luminous Arc, both of which I'm still not actually sure if I like), and a gorgeous teddy bear. And chocolate - enough to last me at least until Easter! ^_^;

~~~

Spent New Year's Eve at Sefie and Luke's house again - we watched movies and played LocoRoco (so cute!), then spent most of the night sitting in the garage and chatting. Amy made sparklerbombs and we discovered that they do not work well in glass containers unless you want to be cleaning up broken glass.

Went to bed at about 3:00 again, woke up a bit after 6:00 boiling hot and couldn't get back to sleep. Sat outside for a bit - it was nice outside. Had breakfast and was planning to get the bus home, but the one I needed to catch wasn't running, so Mum ended up coming and getting me. ^_^;

~~~

Saw Enchanted with Kristy and Christine last week, and afterwards we went out for lunch and wandered around the shops together. Had a nice time. ^_^

~~~

Yesterday, went down to the beach with Jacqui, Dad and Grandpa to go windsurfing. The windsurfer used to be Grandpa's, but he gave it to us because he didn't use it much any more. Not that we use it much either... this was only the second time we've tried it! I managed to sail further than Dad or Jacqui could, which is kind of odd because I wasn't as good at getting hold of the bar properly - I was alright going along with one hand on the bar and the other still holding the rope that you use to pull the sail up out of the water, but with both hands on the bar I overbalanced pretty quickly. X_x Anyway. I'll have to try it again soon!

~~~

So, that's prettmuch all the stuff that's been happening lately, inbetween the too-much-videogaming and fangirling.

This weekend I'm seeing Phantom of the Opera! It'll be awesome! ^__^

Two artworks (Peppa-chan, Avatar)

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:40:47 GMT

Been drawing lately! ^_^

My scanner fails. Badly. The colours always get messed up, and I'm not sure how to fix it. ;_;

~~~

Tried drawing Peppa-chan again - I really want to enter the Manifest mascot contest this year (and yes, I think I say that every year and then never get around to it, but ANYWAY). Redesigned her outfit a bit, don't know if that's what I'll stick with (I have some other ideas to try out; I'll have to draw her again)... actually I really like her original costume but it's kind of boring to re-use it, right?

And I decided to try out the not-really-Copic markers I bought!

Man, it's been ages since I used markers. Not since high school. ^_^;

Unfortunately the fine nib on the purple marker is wrecked (not my fault) and I discovered that when I tried using it on the drawing. X_x So that's why her left shoulder is darker than the rest of the purple bits. At least that bit was meant to be shadowed anyway.

~~~

Also, Avatar fanart! Not *really* a spoiler, but drawn after the latest episode.

deviantART link (some spoilers in the notes)

...I've been fangirling over Avatar for more than a year now, and this is the only fanart I've done other than a few sketches. I should do more. I keep having ideas for art but they never actually get drawn. ^_^;

D&D character meme

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:54:30 GMT

Stolen from Brad.

I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Cleric (2nd Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-11

Constitution-11

Intelligence-14

Wisdom-12

Charisma-9

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment because it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old and, by human standards, are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4.5 to 5.5 feet tall. They have no facial or body hair, prefer comfortable clothes, and possess unearthly grace. Many others races find them hauntingly beautiful.

Class:
Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grants the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn. A cleric's Wisdom score should be high, since this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus</a></b> (e-mail)

^_^

Avatar episode 52~~~~~

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:43:06 GMT

ZOMG episode 52 came out a whole several months earlier than we were expecting to get it! Hooray for the Canadian TV people! ^___^

*has been running around in a spazz for the last few minutes while waiting for it to download*

...

*has watched it now*

ZOMG SQUEE AT LAST ZUKO IS IN THE GROUP! YAAAAAY!

...Katara is being mean. ;_;

PS. Good riddance (we hope) to Combustion Man. Farewell, uninteresting canon-physics-breaking villain.

Job app time again.

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:20:50 GMT

Oh-so-relevant questions on the application form this time around:

Describe your particular educational interests

Provide a brief statement of your educational philosophy, including the role of Christian Schools

...I don't have an educational philosophy. I'm a LIBRARIAN. I LEND BOOKS. It's just what I do. I don't need a philosophy to do it.
(The form I'm filling out is just a generic one that's mainly for teachers. I don't know if I even need to fill this out. Not like I have a chance to check though; it's due today and idiot me failed to get on with it earlier.)

Also, I am stuck using Dad's laptop and it is EVIL. Mouse-control screen is right where my thumbs usually rest while I'm typing, so I keep bumping it and moving the cursor to a random place that I don't want it to go. And Office 2007 FAILS at saving files. X_x

work / Facebook

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:11:13 GMT

Whee, job-app time again. So much not-fun. X_x But I really want this to be done well - it's for the State Library, and I'd love to work there.

Work has been going well - I've been doing admin support two days a week at an office, doing data entry and photocopying and all that kind of fun stuff. It's only a temp job - finishes in a couple of weeks - which is a pity. I'm enjoying it, dull as it is. Lets my mind wander.

Gave in to multiple friends' requests to join Facebook. Started adding friends but my Internet crashed partway through; haven't gone back to find the others. (Don't take it as an insult if I haven't added you yet!) Don't know how much I'll actually use it.

I got a drawing tablet!

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:25:24 GMT

Dad scored a free drawing tablet with something-or-other he bought for work, and he gave it to me! ^_^ It's perked up my mood a bit, and my headache's not as bad.

It's a 5x4 inch Wacom tablet. I've tried using it a bit already, but it'll take some getting used to...

headache~~~

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:04:30 GMT

I am SO glad I don't drink, because I seem to always get sick after parties. Awful headache, may or may not throw up. I'd hate to be dealing with a hangover as well. X_x