Aletheia

Brooks: "How old are you?"

Friend's little brother: "I'm four."

Brooks: "Four. I remember being four."

#The kids' grandmother cracked up #'He remembers being four...six months ago!'

#Brooks is now almost 5.5 years old #and he'll be six by the end of the year
#asakflfladlllllsfj #when did that happen ;______;

Brooks, 4.5 years old: "This is red with a bit of orange."

Me: "Oh wow, you're right. I never noticed the orange before."

Husband: "...let's send him to art school."


#Brooks #Things my kid says #scarlet #River didn't really know his colors until age four #Brooks learned colors mostly through YouTube #whoops
#YouTube is now banned in our house because of the increasingly random (and inappropriate) videos the kids watch #*shrugs* #I probably should've banned/limited it earlier

because the kids' bedrooms are too small (i.e. it wouldn't fit a queen-sized bed)

Which sucks because I was already arranging furniture in my head, and have plans for the front yard etc.

*sighs*

I've wanted to move out of this house since four years ago... There's not enough space for the kids to have their own space.

As of this morning, I finally have my first driving license ever.

The only time I was ever interested in driving was when I was thirteen, after learning that my 14-y.o. friend was driving around with a fake driving license*. My mom (wisely) didn't want to get a fake license for me, and I promptly lost interest.

For the last eight years or so, I've practiced driving on and off. By which I mean a few weeks' practice with long months stretching in between =P

I got 82/100 (Passing grade is 80) and tanked parallel parking. Also, you're supposed to turn your steering wheel to the right instead of the left when parking uphill with no curb present. Good to know.

If only fast, clean, reliable public transit is universal. Yay for passing!

* I grew up in S.E. Asia. It’s a thing. We pay someone to queue for us, and that guy will then bribe the government officials to expedite things, and we only show up when it’s time to sign the document. Trufax.

Due to (happy!*) rl events, I'll be away for the next two months-ish.

Contacting me via e-mails or comments are the best way to go, although I can't promise a timely response. (PMs are not as convenient because I'll need to log in first to see your message).

* Those curious and who don't read me on LJ can just ask me.

~~~

I only have two non-spoilery things to say about The Hobbit (which I watched Friday morning):
1) I'm glad I was forewarned; otherwise I'd be "???" throughout the movie.
2) Finding two dwarves (separately and/or together) attractive is just WRONG. Okay not as wrong as finding house-elves attractive. I am, of course, referring to Thranduil and Kili.

I'm looking forward to the NuTrek sequel with Villain!BenedictCumberbatch AAaaaaahhh ahhhhhhhh new haircuuuuuttt *INCOHERENT*.

~~~

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Chrismukkah, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! =DDD

Feel free to spam this post with links. See you all in February-ish! *hugs*

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Today's weather is great for napping under trees: a mild summer day. Warm enough that you only need a light jacket, and cloudy enough that there’s no glare.

The park is only six, seven houses away, so I packed up apple slices, blueberries, strawberry yogurt and a spoon in my pink furoshiki with singing blue birds. I brought a mat so I can lie down on the grass and read poetry out loud.

The children were leaving, so only one elderly man was there to witness my antics.

After forty-five minutes, it started drizzling. It was a splendorous moment =)

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06/50 rl moment ✿ 10/100 moments in 100 words exactly

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

And they were both terribly nice and sweet. I met McAvoy when he's filming at my birth country, and he went, "Do you want to be my PA/tour guide? You're bored with school, right?" We talked about tourism in my country, which I have OPINIONS about.

My first X-M:FC dream, and my first fandom dream in a while. Lately I've been dreaming about rl acquaintances, which is an anomaly. I often dream I'm someone else entirely (circus guy, Jewish orphan, bicurious co-ed, zombified me, etc.) Or I dream of origific plot/setting ideas.

Anyway, am glad even dream!McAvoy is lovely ;-)

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03/50 fandom moment ✿ 08/100 moments in 100 words exactly

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Answering symetric's questions out of order

6. if someone randomly came up to you and gave you a hug, how would you react?
7. why is LJ your social media tool of choice? if it isn't, which do you prefer using?
9. MARMITE? (shut up, that is a valid question)

6. O_O Unless they're a close family member or a good friend. Total stranger: only if it's a woman who recognizes the character I cosplay at an anime convention. "Guu~! I love youuu!"

7. I prefer DW because LJ keeps on introducing stupid "new features" that their users hate. Except for Spoiler tag, that's pretty cool. More friends and more fandom activity over at LJ though. *shrugs*
Tumblr is fun to stalk/browse, but I hate the inability to comment and have robust discussion attached to the original post *foams at the mouth*

9. (Tried it once. 'twas okay.) Verdict: Inconclusive.

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04/50 rl moment ✿ 07/100 moments in 100 words exactly

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Answering symetric's questions out of order

1. what is your favourite beverage?
4. if you could make one thing obsolete in the world, what would it be?
5. who is your all time favourite author? (well, it's easier then picking a single novel!)

1. Tap water from my city. (Water tastes different in different places).

4. Wanted to say advertisement, but there are creative ones. And PSAs kinda = ads.
I’ll go with planned obsolescence.

5. Most of the authors I like only wrote one book/one series…
Diana Wynne Jones is >60% hit and miss for me. Harper Lee: one book. Megan Whalen Turner: one series (Haven’t read her short stories). I love Yann Martel but his second book is so depressing ;_;.
The book that I’ve (re)read most often is Le Petit Prince, but TBH I like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s wife better.

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03/50 rl moment ✿ 06/100 moments in 100 words exactly

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

Because some people actually like my rl posts, and I rarely write one.
This way: a) It's a writing challenge with a word count constraint, and b) I won't feel guilty writing about rl.

All fannish moments posts will be public, most rl moments posts will be locked.
I'm willing to add non-empty journals on DW (or IJ if you prefer), but I may or may not add journals on LJ.

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Washington state's governor signs gay marriage law

CBS News article

Reuters article

Seattle Times article

Gay marriage laws in the U.S. by state


Also: Boo, Santorum.

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Fill out the poll here.

Thank you rea_saint for building the poll (You didn't have to build a poll engine, but thanks). And thanks copperbadge for linking.

The poll will remain open until September 9, 2011. After the poll is closed rea_saint will draw a graph/whatever form would be most useful, results viewing-wise.

( More instructions/explanations )

Please link to the poll (or this post, if you prefer); I'm genuinely curious what people's answers are.

Non-Americans: feel free to answer the poll, but it's probably not as relevant elsewhere. It probably comes across as the unending American struggle to be as politically correct as possible.

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I didn't include other ethnic minority stereotypes because I'm unfamiliar with them ( Read more... )

Anyway, feel free to leave comments and have discussions either at LJ or DW. Anonymous comments are screened because I have a hate-on for spambots. I'll unscreen non-spam anonymous comments within 24 hours. Wank-y comments and personal attacks will be screened and/or deleted.

If anyone does feel like personally attacking me, accusing me of racism won't hurt as much as saying "U R st00pid."

Ta.

[ LJ | DW ]

but gleams of vivid blue.

It was Dad's smile, and Alan used it to the same effect Dad always had.

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Pictures found here @ more_is_more via why_me_why_not's LJ
1.	2.	3.	4.
5.	6.	7.	8.

2) is by Michael Perlov photography, 3) is by Stacy Magallon
Please tell me which one(s) you're taking. Credit = <3

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Truth & Lies meme

* Make a list of 10 statements about yourself.
* Two of the 10 statements must be LIES
* Post your list and have people guess which two are lies!

( Truth and Lies meme )

No peeking at the comments!

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

You only need five 500-word Merlin ficlets or five 500-word Merlin RPFs to qualify. FYI: Crossovers don't qualify for the minimum five.

camelotremix [ FAQ | sign-up ]

camelotremix [ FAQ | sign-up ]

I should've pimped this earlier, but I was in a bookstore, biting my tongue so I didn't cry while I read a picture book about Nubs, a desert dog in Iraq.

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Anyone knows other drabble comm.s I can pimp this at? I'll pimp it at slytherin100 and hpgen100, obviously.

I'm all caught up with Merlin 2X06 now. Arthur's neatly brushed (combed?) bangs under his crown in 2X06 makes me want nerd!Arthur fics.

1. Sorority Boys -- with Merlin, Arthur and Will. Arthur/Ann clearly must be Adam/Adina, with his complex about his/her fat ass arse >=D
Will is the stoner eternal senior who takes crossdressing in stride.
Morgana is the nearsighted sorority president, because Katie McGrath wearing glasses IS CANON. Gwen is going to beat Merlin up (or get Lancelot to beat Merlin up) when she realized Merlin had been taking showers with Morgana =O

Sir Leon can be the sleazy scumbag loser who roofied Arthur/Ann.
Cedric is the guy who stole the fraternity's money and blame Merlin.

Uther hitting on Merlin on the yatch = BONUS because he's always thought Arthur's friend isn't quite right in the head.

2. Hors de prix/Priceless -- with Merlin as the golddigger Irene and Arthur as the hotel barman Jean. Merlin mistook Arthur as a millionaire and put the moves on him. Arthur went along with the charade, fell for Merlin, etc.

A year later, the two met again at the same hotel. It's Merlin's birthday and he's had a cozy arrangement with Uther for three years now. Uther caught Merlin cheating with Arthur, Merlin threw his lot in with Arthur only to realize that he's the help AHAHAHAHAHA.

Merlin moved on to Lancelot (du Lac sr. just croaked, leaving his massive wealth to Lancelot). Arthur wouldn't give up on Merlin and ended up being Lady Helen's boy toy so he can continue going on dates with Merlin.

I stopped watching the movie at this point so IDK what happened next, haha.

3. I'm contemplating claiming Bluebeard over at tobreakthespell. But IDK if I'll be motivated to see the fic through, since it's not a happy one =/

For some reason I can't think of any happy fairy tales that match the Merlin fandom =S (that hasn't already been claimed, that is.)

Arthur Blackguard--too evocative of WoW and RPGs, Y/N?


P.S. Hi! I'm sorta-not-quite back yet! *waves* Hope everyone's doing fine.
P.P.S.In other news, my laptop's monitor & graphic card died last Thursday.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

1. YES YES I got almost everything right AHAHAHAHA >=D

2 a. Love the one easter egg sarahtales dropped in the book =)
Suddenly made me see two of the characters in terms of Maya's HPverse.

2 b. I'm not the only crazy fan who contemplated the possibility of a TDL/FMA x-over/pastiche, yeah? Just think: homunculus, the philosopher's stone and automail in TDL-verse. *whimpers at the thought of Alan outfitted with automail*

2 c. There are ENDLESS pairing possibilities between Nick/Alan/Mae/Jamie. Nick/Alan, Nick/Mae, Alan/Mae, Nick/Mae/Alan, Nick/Jamie, Alan/Jamie, Nick/Alan/Jamie...you catch my drift.

3 a. Love how the second and third book will come out in 2010 and 2011 YESSSS \o/
3 b. This would mean me spending $45+ every year for the series. (~$30 for the Japanese translation and ~$15 for the UK cover.)
3 c. I need to buy a book cover for the uber-pretty Japanese translation.

4. The night after I finished the book, I kept on having vague dreams/impressions about Nick. And possibly [SPOILERY main antagonist's name].

5. If I use random Japanese The Demon's Lexicon quotes for my post subjects, that won't be spoilerific to you guys, will it?
If any Japanese readers on my F-list want to read TDL and haven't, please let me know now.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

the sky is so blue (you flashback to)
the leaves overhead rustle
the moon is a sliver

The heat drags slow on your skin
as baby boys totter
and little girls skip
and you stay in the shadows
(because)

Today is one of those days when
you want to close your eyes and just
breathe

---

A/N: One of these days I'll sit down and write a proper haiku. Today is not that day.
Also, not to worry! I only kid myself that I can write pseudo-poetry about once a year =D

Lookit, present tense. I feel like I'm in Merlin fandom proper now.

1. And the Americanization of this batch of second generation Asian Americans is complete.

Two weeks ago, my friend--let's call her Sara--offered a group of preschoolers-and-older children black sticky rice pudding. Sara gave each kid a spoonful and asked them to "just try it."

Girl #1: *diplomatic grin* "We don't like this. Can we have goldfish crackers please?"

Girl #2: "I want Oreos!"

Boy #1: "Brownies!"

Sara's 1.5-y.o. daughter liked it, and Girl #2 shoved her plate across the table. "I don't want it. You eat it."

Granted, Sara should have heated up the dish and served it with coconut milk (It's not black sticky rice pudding without coconut milk!111), but it made me sad that they rejected the dish outright as being unfamiliar.

Food is so intertwined with Asian culture, and I'm not sure what to think of Asian Americans who are cut off not only from their grandparents' language, but also Asian food. ( Read more... )

2. I knew there was a reason why I don't like baby carrots.

[T]he cute baby carrots found in the supermarket are not a variety grown by nature but rather the product of technology. They are formed by a machine that cuts them out from full sized older carrots and in some cases, puts green food colouring at the "stem" end for further effect. --Carrots

And: ( Read more... )

3. Food is not only about taste, but also presentation. Especially Japanese food.
(Chinese food, for the most part, is a slapdash stir-fry "It's fresh and steaming hot. EAT IT." thing.)

Yes, I've seen beautiful creative arrangements in generic plastic containers. No, throw-some-food-together in a bento box does not mean it's bento.

But the bento box is part of the presentation. ( Read more... )

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

Oh the indignities.

This reminds me of this Smallville/Superman fanfic where Clark tried out being human (thanks to the A.I.) and felt Deeply Betrayed because papers aren't supposed to hurt you >=/

Which in turn reminds me of Yomiko Readman/"The Paper" from Read or Die, haha.

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1. skellerbvvt has updated Citrus with a loooong chapter two! *shortcircuits* \o/

2. yue_ix's Dark!Merlin series:

2 a. No shades of grey: fingers (PG-13, kinkme_merlin prompt "Arthur/Merlin, Arthur sucking on Merlin's fingers")
2 b. No shades of grey: branches (Merlin, and an Irish Elk, my prompt "Merlin as a wild boy/man of the woods.")

3. Merlin S2 shooting:

- Is that Gwen? O_o This woman that [SPOILER] is hugging? Nvm. Can't believe I didn't realize it's Morgana.
- Pretty gleaming horses *_*

4. why_me_why_not wrote an eclectic of drabbles/flopsies:

4 a. A is for Alien Overlord, Dean and Luna (HP)
4 b. P is also for Princeling, Edmund/Caspian (Narnia)
4 c. W is for Wardrobe Peter/Draco (Narnia/HP crossover)
4 d. G is for Godfather, Dresden/Marcone (Dresden)

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Merlin to-do: ( Read more... )

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]