I'd like to start a category of pictures in my computer. It shall be entitled "Paralyzingly Cute." Here is the inspiration:




...I still melt every time I look at this one ^__________^

"Market Square Heroes" is a brilliantly catchy song. Old Marillion is rocking my world.

Looks like I might be getting a job - hooray!

Some positions have opened up at Roc Candy in the city. I'm not too sure what they're after, but I think it will involve making rock candy in front of shoppers, and trying to coerce people into buying yet more candy. And cleaning. All jobs involve some kind of cleaning. Frankly, since my income level is sitting resolutely at the zero mark, this still sounds good! Either way, I've spoken to them on the phone a couple of times, and tomorrow I'm going to go in with my suitably impressive paperwork and talk to them in person. See what happens!

Aside from that, the Advanced Fiction Writing workshop went pretty well. I was given some structural issues to sort out. Apparently I'm too verbose and conscious of the reader in places, so I just need to trim back some of the more excessive paragraphs. Dialogue and overall character development is fine, and imagery is appreciated - just need to cut back on some of the detail. Ah well. I always knew that I was superfluous in places, but at least now I know exactly which ones. As a result, Chapter one of Immortal Realm is closer than it's ever been to being entirely complete! Now I just need to adjust the other chapters accordingly...

My supervisor finally contacted me again. It's nice to get some direction ^^

I am currently recovering from a weekend of intense geek-ing. I attended this year's Supanova convention - it was awesome fun!

Spent most of my free time last month pulling together my costume. I'm pretty happy about how this one turned out. Was dressed as Edward Elric on both days, minus the automail. I'm going to build an automail arm in time for the cosplay ball/Wai-con 2010, but for this weekend I just made do with gloves. Remarkably enough, no one noted the absence.

Built the shoes out of horrible rainbow boots that I found in a Hong Kong market. The stall owner looked both horrified and delighted that someone wanted to buy the wretched things. I incurred some impressive injuries in the process of tack-stitching black fabric over the rainbow, leaving only the chunky red soles visible, but it was definitely worth it in the end. I also bought some rings from the rope aisle in Bunnings to stand in as buckles. They ended up looking surprisingly authentic. Two wigs were hacked up in the name of Ed's hair, but certainly achieved the blinding bangs look. All in all, this has been my most accurate cosplay to date! Just need to keep improving on different bits...

So, spent from 10am to 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday wandering around the Claremont Showgrounds, contemplating purchase of sci-fi/fantasy/anime merchandise, getting hugged, getting stopped for photos, hugging people, stopping people for photos... it was fairly repetitive but enjoyable ^^ Got to see Christopher Sabat (voice actor of Vegeta, Piccolo, virtually everyone else in Dragonball Z, Armstrong in FMA, Casanoda in Ouran High School Host Club, among others), who's a very funny person in real life. Also got to see Karl Urban from the new Star Trek movie. He was charging $30 an autograph though, so I didn't opt for that option... he should have been flattered that I wanted his autograph (sulk).

Entered the cosplay competition on Sunday - the queue for sign-up was huge on Saturday (they had more than 50 cosplayers in one division). Once again, was a lot of fun. I think the best part about picking Ed was the fact that no one needed to ask who I was... John is a hilarious MC as well ^^ You know it's a good convention when the MC rolls around on the stage to get glitter stuck to him, argues with the sound guy via powerpoint slides (sound guy insulting John from afar by posting his responses on the big screens), throws leeks at the audience, and encourages the audience to chant "John screwed up" every time he made a mistake. He also played a ukulele and made up his own cosplay song and cosplay rap.

The only purchase I made was a pair of kitty ears to match my cosplay (for "bought" read "was forced by a rabid fangirl to buy" kitty ears). Most of the stuff on sale was a tad overpriced, but that wasn't terribly surprising in itself. Met up with a bunch of people from uni, previous conventions, and also made a couple of new cosplay-related friends (and one extremely creepy stalker, who I successfully ditched on Sunday).

Oh yeah. I ended up superglued into my costume. The metal clasp detached so I superglued it on in a hurry on Sunday morning. I also got superglue on my fingers and briefly had my hands stuck to each other. Nail polish remover cures *everything*! My wig also partially blinded me, so I had no peripheral vision, despite driving to and from the convention while wearing it ^^ And to top it all off, I had to drop mum off at the airport after the convention, so I was hanging around the departures area still in cosplay (minus the wig - it was starting to get to be a hazard on the roads)...

Some pictures:

Kitty ears version


Sunday competition

Chapter two of dissertation fills me with a combination of feelings. I actually really like this chapter, but unfortunately I've spent so much time thinking about it and puzzling out how it all fits together, that I've now lost all interest in writing it. Funny...

At the moment I'm pulling together an Edward Elric cosplay for Supernova. Red trenchcoat is proving very fun to make! I just need to make sure that the whole thing is even, and get some more fabric for the hood. Family was watching Harry Potter last night, so I ditched studying to sit with them and sew the whole thing up. My hand-sewing skills appear to have increased as a result - I only stabbed myself a couple of times ^^

Currently have also been making some clay charms. I can officially make edible-looking food only out of clay. Baked goods only, but some of my onigiri didn't turn out too badly. Going to swing by shopping centre at some point to pick up some hair clips and chains/basic rings/keyrings so that I can start actually making things that might generate income. A laughable effort really, but I still find the actual making process too enjoyable to give it up. Even if I don't make any cash from this, at least I'll still enjoy every fiddly moment of it.

I have the overwhelming urge to write Spock/Kirk fanfiction right now. At least some things never change.

Finished one assignment yesterday, and am consequently feeling lulled into a false sense of security and deciding to procrastinate today. Technically I should be doing bits of dissertation right now, and possibly pulling together stuff for that weird gender studies presentation, but hey - this works nicely too.

Badger's love of opening drawers might actually work in his favour - mum has decided that since he obviously loves cramming himself into claustrophobic spaces, she'll go out and buy him one of those sheepskin cat hidey-hole things, so he can hide in a place that isn't full of plastic bags. I was worried that he'd choke on them, but frankly, all he does when he opens the drawer is toss them out all over the place, and then sleep on top of the environment bags (which are obviously more comfortable). Silly kitty...

Job hunting still appears to have turned up no results. Serves me right for picking a period of economic stagnation to try my luck. Might try going down to Dome in Hillaries, just on the off-chance that they still want people to work weekends. Not my ideal time-frame, but I could really use some cash. According to Frances they always want people to work 8 hour-minimum shifts on the weekends, so I'll probably give it a go (when I don't have anything planned for that particular weekend, that is :p).

I'm in the mood to write again! Going to try chewing through TMATM some more today, in between rehashing dissertation and reading Fullmetal Alchemist (the manga is just as wonderful as everyone kept telling me)...

So... Here's me honouring my promise to post on lj more often. Updates in life as I know it shall be listed in numerical order. I'm having a maths-ish day for some reason, so I'll give it a shot.

1. Gina has gone to a new home, and I am dealing with this in my own weird way. The less I say about it the better really, but that one has to be listed as a major event.

2. My parents and younger brother are away in the Philippines right now, and have been away for about two weeks now. I am currently the stand-in parent for my otherwise incompetent sisters, and consequently cannot wait until I can move out and live with people who can actually cook and clean for themselves... not to mention drive.

3. I hate swimming pools. Part of my "duties" as resident adult include looking after the damn thing, and I haven't the faintest idea how to stop it from turning green. I spent a sodding fortune on pool chemicals today, only to spill some rather nasty substances on myself in the process - I currently have the smell of chlorine burned into my throat, and my feet will never be troubled by algae for as long as I shall live.

4. Badger cat has discovered a new way to make life more interesting, largely by learning how to open drawers. He particularly likes the plastic bag drawer, and is frequently found rifling away inside merrily, shredding plastic and scattering bags everywhere. He also likes to sleep in the half-open drawer, and leaps out at you when you try to extract him from it.

5. Dissertation proceeds at a geographic pace. Introduction draft is complete, pending Kinsella's edit. Still chewing my way through the first official chapter, which focuses on William Blake and Alphonse de Lamartine. I've sorted out the Blake side, and now just have to pool a little more on Lamartine before I can finish up that 4000 words. Amazingly enough, that's not actually a lot of room to play with these two. Here's a little of their work:

Blake's "The French Revolution":

The dead brood over Europe, the cloud and vision descends over chearful France;
O cloud well appointed! Sick, sick: the Prince on his couch, wreath'd in dim
And appealing mist; his strong hand outstretch'd, from his shoulder down the bone
Runs aching cold into the scepter too heavy for mortal grasp. No more
To be swayed by visible hand, nor in cruelty bruise the mild flourishing mountains.

Sick the mountains, and all their vineyards weep, in the eyes of the kingly mourner;
Pale is the morning cloud in his visage. Rise, Necker: the ancient dawn calls us
To awake from slumbers of five thousands years. I awake, but my soul is in dreams;
From my window I see the old mountains of France, like aged men, fading away.

... It's part of an epic, so I won't retype the whole thing, but either way, it's a fun poem to play with. Blake's delightfully insane in places when he writes poem-prophecies.

Lamartine's "Les Revolutions":

Quand l'Arabe altéré, dont le puits n'a plus d'onde,
A plié le matin sa tente vagabonde
Et suspendu la source aux flancs de ses chameaux,
Il salue en partant la citerne tarie,
Et, sans se retourner, va chercher la patrie
Où le désert cache ses eaux.

Que lui fait qu'au couchant le vent de feu se lève
Et, comme un océan qui laboure la grève,
Comble derrière lui l'ornière de ses pas,
Suspende la montagne où courait la vallée,
Ou sème en flots durcis la dune amoncelée?
Il marche, et ne repasse pas.

[When the deteriorated Arab, whose well no longer has a wave,(i.e. no water)
Has folded with the morning his wandering tent
And suspended the source upon the flanks of his camels,
He waves to while leaving the dried up tank,
And, without looking back, will seek the fatherland
Where the desert hides its water.

That he makes the wind of fire rise to the west,
And, like an ocean which works under strain,
Roof behind him the rut of his steps,
The mountain hangs where the valley ran,
Or sows in hardened floods the built-up dune?
He walks, and does not pass by again.]

Translating French poetry gives me a headache, but it's so much fun when it's done... Have to sort out some more of my first chapter so that I actually have something to hand in to Van Ikin and Kinsella by the 30th. Hooray for academia! [insert sarcasm here]

There has been a bad attack of stupid today. And for once it wasn't entirely on my part.

People attempting to buy Gina don't seem to understand what the word "negotiable" means. They are also convinced that because they happen to know the back end of her from the front, that means they should be entitled to a $2000 discount from an already very small pricetag. This annoys me in different ways - the money doesn't bother me. Frankly if it was someone I know very well buying her, they could have her for the price of a packet of M&Ms - all that matters is that she goes to someone that I trust to look after her extremely well. The problem is that I am willing to trust these people enough, but they still seem very willing to play off my desire to give Gina a good home, and try to pressure me into a quick, cheap sale.

All in all, very off-pissing. I apologise to everyone who has already heard this rant. I'm a little overwrought with it, in case that wasn't obvious. I'll leave it alone now.

Detective fiction assignment is finally no longer 700 words over the limit - only a respectable 188 words too much. One more harsh edit, and it should be kind of presentable. Currently now getting worried about exactly how little of my actual dissertation has been written. I'm not happy unless I'm worrying about something, it would seem. Ah well. My evening plans include a cup of tea and a long hard glare at my current pile of notes. Huzzah for the education-based existence.

I appear to have developed an intense liking for Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction. It's even a tad angsty what I'm currently reading...I never used to go for that sort of thing. But either way it's still amusing. Oh, and gender-bending fics are still as hilarious as ever ^^

Bubble tea is intensely therapeutic stuff...

It occurs to me that PROSH is only 5 days away, and there hasn't been any real progress on the costume front yet...

Alice in Wonderland appears to be the chosen theme. Any ideas as to which costumes should be used or avoided?

I don't say enough on this website... maybe I should actually do something about that. In fact, starting today, I'm going to make a point of saying something, whether or not it has anything to do with anything, at least once a week.

Currently procrastinating from a set of Bleak House/Pride and Prejudice readings. Also from looking at my dissertation proposal. I really do hate that thing now. I spent almost all of Sunday working on it, and so far it has been the most annoying 1635 words of my life. And most of that was bibliography. Sadly Kinsella wants my proposal in by tomorrow, because I made the mistake of saying that I was mostly happy with it, so he shortened the deadline by about 5 days. Me and my big mouth.

Have been looking for job prospects too. Sent in a resume to Royal Perth Hospital, since they sometimes look for people to fill in forms and ferry patients around. The pay's supposed to be pretty good, and I'm not bad at forms... Only problem is that they're advertising for people with medical knowledge. I've been told by a friend who works there that this isn't necessarily true, so fingers crossed I can slip under the radar.

Failing that, I'm also applying at different places in Whitford City. Yes. I am that desperate to get money somehow, and also to get away from my desk for hours at a stretch, but not have to lose piles of cash in the process of transportation. Going for the pet shop, two book shops, and maybe the newsagencies and such. No food jobs hopefully. Although Gloria Jeans might be okay...

"Borrowed" from my good friends White-Tean and nigrescere - I would try to figure out whose one I read first, but I had them open in separate windows, so I guess that would be a little redundant. A very useful and informative meme this is too!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
... I traveled overseas without my family, and also traveled overseas with Ros. I also decided to get over myself and start to take serious steps with regards to my immediate future.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I cannot honestly remember what my resolutions were, which goes to show just how important they weren't. Not bothering with resolutions - what happens will happen.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin, Anna. She now has a little boy named Rhys, who I will get to meet in only a matter of days!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not close to me personally, but someone close to Kyle did, and frankly it was hard not to feel it. Technically a family member died, but he wasn't the nicest person in the world.

5. What countries did you visit?
I began 2008 in Scotland with my extended family, but ended up in England, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Australia, and then ended the year in Hong Kong once again. I'm making the most of these free flights for as long as I can get them!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
The courage to go forwards with what has to be done. I made the groundwork for it in 2008, and now I have to face the music.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?
All of the time I spent with Ros in Europe - it was truly an incredible experience, and one that I would be delighted to repeat. I'll also remember pointing Gina at the 1.10m jump for the first time and how it felt to be so completely airborne but not about to hit the dirt. The boring awards ceremony where I officially made more money writing than doing anything "productive"... many other things too.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through my third year of the combined degree with some form of sanity, and more of a clue as to what I want to do with my life - finally deciding where decisive action needs to be taken.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My continued desire to avoid confrontation on virtually all levels.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Amazingly, no. I just swayed like a pansy when I had my first cervical cancer vaccine.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
... as shameful as it is to admit, I'm still stuck on my gorgeous grey Shire Breyer named Wintersong.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
The incredible energy, creativity and supportive nature of Ros and Tegan has been just incredible over the year - we might not have spent as much time together as we should have, but frankly what doses I've received have helped me to stay on top of it all, and particularly to get through the idiocy that is law school. Also the antics of the wonderful people whom I've only just started to get to know through Kyle... although Brendon's decision to travel in the sandy, spider-filled boot of my car was hardly steller (or sober) behaviour on anyone's part.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
I have been once again disappointed by the denizens of half of my degree, but have since decided that this is not worth being a problem.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Petrol money, birthday presents, and horse supplements.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Being accepted into Honours, getting some writing frequently published in the uni paper... actually quite a lot of things, in between the monotony of studies.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
Funnily enough, it's "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - it's the song that I played the most on my iPod during the year, according to my computer.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Quite definitely happier. I was going through a bad phase this time back then.
thinner or fatter? ... I have no idea, actually. I did pay that much attention.
richer or poorer? Oh I'm poorer, that's for sure.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Drinking, writing... earning money?

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Less internet time wasting, that's for sure...

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I just spent it in Hong Kong, with my parents and siblings.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
I don't particularly like talking on the phone, so I'm actually not too sure.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Well...it's more like I fell a little further.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
Not applicable.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Doctor Who, Torchwood, Dexter, House.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone. I do sincerely dislike a few people, but that hasn't changed from last year.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
... tough choice there. I was impressed by Pasternak's "Dr Zhivago", disconcerted by Nabokhov's "Lolita", surprisingly entertained by "the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", but I'm still stuck on "The Name of the Wind" and the Mistborn series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That Jackie Chan can sing, and I particularly like "Once upon a time in China", even if the lyrics worry me a little.

28. What did you want and get?
A kitty!

29. What did you want and not get?
... I think I'll stay quiet here, because it's fairly self-explanatory with regards to my social life.

30. What were your favourite films of this year?
I don't think that any films that came out this year particularly impressed me... but I did watch the Last Emperor, and found it depressing and riveting at the same time.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Nothing - I turned 20, parents weren't in the country, but my sisters actually woke up to give me presents before I went to uni, and Kyle gave me a quill later that evening, but then had to leave for a service. I think sisters and I had takeaway for dinner after karate, but I also think that I had to drive to get it/pay for it. Sigh.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not doing law?

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Frilly with long socks and interesting earrings - that's what people have told me at least ^^

34. What kept you sane?
My friends, Kyle, Gina, Badger, Monty... my laptop, my drawing books and knitting needles... and lattes, flat whites, strawberry bubble tea, and fanfiction.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Heh... that would have to be David Tennant, but John Barrowman is pretty special.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Beijing Olympics raised my hackles in a few places.

37. Who did you miss?
Old friends, and I suppose my extended family as well, what with all of the changes that have been going on while we've not been there.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Some of Kyle's friends are hilarious.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Nothing ever happens without a reason, no matter how skewed that reason may be.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
Most of the song "Spaceman" by the Killers, but perhaps this bit in particular:

"That was the turning point,
That was one lonely night!

The song maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad,
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down,
It's all in your mind."

There are times when the aviation industry just isn't the best place to be.

The flight Dad was taking to South Africa last night was grounded because there was a suspected highjacker on it. The gist of the story was that a fairly prejudiced white woman overheard a Muslim guy talking about taking over 6 hours into the flight, and reported it to the cabin crew. Meant that the whole flight was delayed for several hours and the guy was detained, and it wasn't until Dad asked him what he'd meant by that that it turned out to be a big misunderstanding - he had been talking about taking over the galley area and having a drink with some friends, and naturally this twit sitting in front of him had taken it the wrong way. The guy was actually a lawyer, and was horrified that he'd been interpreted in this manner... either way, it made for a pretty entertaining night. Dad decided that the guy was allowed to travel, but the woman took an issue with this and demanded that he be taken off, or she wouldn't stay on board. With typical good grace, Dad just said "bye" to her and offloaded all of her bags, and left Hong Kong without her.

Funny times... not the best thing to get a phone call about though.

Been a while since I last wrote anything on here, so I thought I'd break the ice with New Year well-wishing.

Currently enjoying the holidays, and not doing anything too productive. After a year of law and arts, and particularly nasty law exams, this is quite a nice change. I'm happy with all my results, but I'm more so looking forwards to English honours next year, so I can avoid law for a while. My only problem is locating a good supervisor for my honours dissertation, since my two first preferences are both going to be taking part of next year off. I'll see if I can coerce/stalk one of them into submission. They've both been my tutors in the past, and know me pretty well, so it should work, even if I have to have my thesis checked via email rather than in person. After all, what are telephones for?

Have been spending most of my time wandering aimlessly around Hong Kong, as per usual. It's a fun pastime, and usually ends up with me sitting in Starbucks with a tall latte/gingerbread latte and a bemused expression on my face as I watch different people. Very therapeutic. Also burning my way through my Christmas money, and trying to scout out ideal presents for people. There's loads of cool stuff on offer at the moment, but I'm going to the UK either on the 6th or 8th, and need to save some time/cash to look for presents there too before deciding what would be best. Nothing illegal, mind. I'll be on the jump seat either way, and the pilots might be a little irritated if I try to get something too controversial into the cockpit.

Current plans are to leave Hong Kong between the 6th and 10th, and get to the UK and then Scotland. Will be staying there for a couple of weeks, visiting family, and then we'll head back to Hong Kong, and go via another European country (possibly France) for a couple of days. There's been talk of trying to sort out getting into Poland for a bit, which would be awesome. Naturally my suggestion of going to Vienna has been vetoed by everyone (no one else wants to go and see the Spanish Riding School, the philistines). Will be spending a couple of weeks in Hong Kong by myself, while rest of family goes on ahead back to Australia, so I can show my significant other around Hong Kong. This is amusing in that he's Chinese, but I'm legally more Chinese than he is, not to mention I kind-of-sort-of-officially live in Hong Kong.

I might just be going mad from being stuck with my immediate family in a confined space and without contact from my friends for so long. I'm drawing Sonic the Hedgehog fanart. Oh gods, someone please help me.

The first sub-heading of my Constitutional law exam notes reads: "What does a Constitution do?"

It makes life not worth living for upwards of two weeks.  That's what I've written in the margin at least.

Probably shouldn't incorporate that one into my exam.  It kind of goes without saying, after all.


So yes, I'm currently spiraling the drain on the way to an exam-fueled fervour of contempt for all of humanity, as opposed to my general blanket marginalising of the species.  Three exams to study for, so technically not that much, but have you ever come across a topic where you are so utterly uninspired that if a train were to crash through your house you would probably toss yourself under it just to avoid that topic altogether?

I'm almost at that point.  Thank all things holy I discovered Doctor Who, and have something else onto which I can pawn off my seething hours of non-study.  Wonderful show.  I knew I'd get into this one if I ever gave it a chance.  Luckily Foxtel has been having a marathon, so I've been enjoying Doctor Who at breakfast, lunch, dinner and just before passing out for the night/morning.

Heh... first episode I saw the Doctor comes back to life and is bitching about how he wanted to come back as a red-head this time, and then tries to give a stirring speech but his memory fails and he just ends up quoting the Lion King, much to his disgust.  Wonderful, wonderful show.  I recommend it heartily.

I have a question: why is there no good Pokémon fanfiction in the world?  And another question: why do I care?

I wonder about my sanity sometimes, I really do.

I must not write Pokémon fanfiction.  I have too much to live for.

... oh dear.

Still stuck with studying and two research assignments due within three days of each other.  The entire Constitutional Law I group (i.e. about 180 of us) have been assigned 100 pages of reading from a text that the library only holds two copies of.  Does anyone else think that this is a monumentally stupid idea?  Good.  Me too.

I have utterly lost my faith in Australian Constitutional Law.  Today we examined the case of Al-Kateb, and discovered that there are absolutely no constitutional bars to having a person imprisoned for the whole of their natural life, despite the fact that they have committed no crime other than being declared stateless due to war in their country of origin.  This decision was handed down in 1997.  Hayne J is officially on my hit-list.  Kirby J dissenting, as per usual.  I love that guy.  Shame he's retiring soon - he'd have been an awesome CJ.

Mother and small brother are going back to Hong Kong tomorrow night, so that leaves me with my pair of sisters in charge of the house.  Youngest sister is having a belated birthday party with *fifteen* of her friends.  I might just move out for the weekend.

That's it - I'm resolving to post on this site at least once a week.  It's the only way I'm ever going to actually say anything aside from "still alive, cop these photos."

Urgh.  Still sick, and neck still hurting like nobody's business.  Am actually in enough pain to merit going back to the physiotherapist that wrestled with neck when it was first broken.  Appointment's in about 2 hours, so for now I'm just playing the "which angle hurts most?" game.  Yes.  You can tell I have priority issues.  Ah well.  Hopefully they'll just jerk it back into place and all will be miserable for other reasons again.

I'm feeling melodramatic.  I should really be studying right now, but my drive is just dead.  It died about three weeks ago, and still hasn't been resurrected.  Consequently am feeling a tad guilty, but am still not doing anything about it.  Will probably go and do some property law/equity law later tonight.  So many damned cases...

Oh yeah.  I officially don't want to be a lawyer.  I want to lecture Lit at different universities around the world.  And edit books, and have something to do with publishing them.  And write my own.  Maybe I'll work at Legal Aid once I finish law degree for a bit, but otherwise, the career has no appeal to me whatsoever (pun intended).  This might have something to do with my lack of interest in studying.

In other news, Gina's gash is very slowly closing.  And she's ripped a colossal hole in her light rainproof canvas, just in time for winter.  She never fails to impress.  Didn't ride her today due to neck, so will have to see what medically-related folk have to say.

Salutations!  I seem remarkably upbeat considering my neck and back are hurting like nobody's business and I'm delirious with the flu.  Again.  Some sort of weird logic in there I guess.  Maybe I can blame the birthday cake that I had for breakfast.

Yes.  Happy birthday to little sister Mhairi.  She's now 16 and partially legal.  How frightening.

Life progresses in much the same fashion as ever.  Had an exam last Saturday, have been studying mercilessly and have consequently burned out both my interest in the subjects and also my health.  How typical.  I never learn from past mistakes.

Gina is doing well, save for a gash on her hindleg from kicking the wall too hard.  Have been purging it on a daily basis, but she keeps reopening the cut, so I'm going to have to invest in some thick stable bandages.  Farewell cash.  At least I'm getting an extra $500, courtesy of the Arts Faculty at university (it's nice to feel loved, if only for my brain).  We also managed to jump 1.05m!  Huge feelings of success there.

Went to a law party as well - it was a Harry Potter dressup theme, so my costume was clearly superior, as I was dressed up as Snape and even had the nose for it.  At last it came in useful for something.  The denizens of Northbridge were remarkably nice about seeing me ambling around the streets at midnight, dressed in a greasy black wig and matching robes.  I didn't get any nasty remarks or lewd comments at all.  I'm almost considering doing it more often.

On a side note: here are some more kitten pictures, so everyone can see how much Badger has grown, and just how much he loves birthday cake.  I'm seriously considering making him his own little cupcake for his birthday.

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/wild-filly-sama/

In response to white_tean's prodding, here is a very lackluster post, which is only redeemed by the fact that it contains photos of kitty.  Basically I'm strung out over uni work right now, and at the moment am also supposed to be heading off to a karate session of much beating up on small children all in the name of therapeutic violence.  The best kind.

Kitty has a pansy-ish collar, mostly in retaliation for all the clawmarks and bitemarks that I have been so kindly donated in the last few weeks.  He's improving, true, but I think it still calls for the pale blue collar with silver butterfly and bell charm.

More later with any luck!

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/wild-filly-sama/

Yes, here we have it: the kitten entry!  A couple of weeks ago, I was donated a kitty by white_tean, who found him at the stables where she keeps just a few members of her horsey army.

Kitty goes by the name of Badger, but also deviations such as "Sir Badgelot", "Bitey I", "Evil Minion"  and "Antigone."  He weighs just over half a kilo, and most of that is black and white fluff.  Main hobbies include biting and clawing the hand that feeds him, sleeping on the dog's mat (poor Monty just lies beside his once-beloved mat) and leaping in and out of flowerpots, occasionally lurking in there to better attack unsuspecting feet.  Badger lives in the main living room for the most part, with his bed and food supplies kept under the coffee table, forming some kind of fort and yet another vantage point for maiming unsuspecting feet.

Here is the photobucket gallery: enjoy!

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/wild-filly-sama/Badger/

So... long time no posting... I guess I've been more than a little slack.  Just thought I'd drop by and confirm that I'm not dead.  Studying once again, but that's still not quite
dead.  Actually have been having fun on mewing.net and its range of quizzes.  It's been a while since I last took a meaningless quiz, so why not?  Hooray for randomness!

http://mewing.net/booknerd.gif

http://mewing.net/rainbow.jpg

http://mewing.net/harborosama.jpg

Yeah.  I'll try posting something more worthwhile soon.  Don't hold me to that one though.

My response to Nigrescere's request for a poem involving/about trapeze artists.  This should be fun...  Should I mention now that I have only ever been to a circus once, and it didn't have trapeze artists?  It's amazing what the TV can do for you.

_________

Aerial Display

Suspension over oblivion
They spin and swirl their dance with a
practiced ease.
Flip, slip, slide through the air,
Plumed goldfish flitting through a sea of sky.
Their home is the moment - the breathless,
airless moment
in which they pivot, could plunge, but
recover, and catch hold,
pull themselves back onto the pseudo-safety
of a swaying base.

It would take only one slip, one fumbled weary
hand,  to plummet and
tumble, a rag-doll tossed to one side,

No longer a desired plaything,
to capture a child's imagination.

To watch their dance is to hold one's breath
Wondering.

A tragic travesty of suspended disbelief.

_________

Hehehe.