Rants, Rambles and Rubbish
Version 7.3a (Bad Habits)

Terms papers. Ack. Was up until 5.55am doing them a few weeks back.

Sequential phosphorylation. What would we do without sequential phosphorylation? We probably wouldn't be able to move without sequential phosphorylation . . .

So when the going get tough, the not-so-tough sit on their tails and whine a lot. Having a blog to whine in is even better. Like catharsis. Or just verbal diarrhea, which is a common occurrence in my life online.

I love life online. Moving without getting anywhere.

I'm usually surfing, reading fanfics, picking up Internet Bumperstickers to stick on my sites. And the Mailing Lists. The MLs on which I am a chronic lurker because the very thought of having 600+ people reading one post gives me a sudden attack of the nerves. And you wonder *why* (I wonder why sometimes too) I have a mailing list for Snape and Lupin slash and the whole Parapet website thingy. . . I guess I loved the pairing quite a bit since the early days of HP slash online . . . enough to slash Snape and Lupin in my pics anyhow. If I could post my unremarkable pics on the Internet, the rest *ought* to come easily. Not really. (I started out on a small fanfic mailing list for a rather obscure fandom with about ten people back in 1999. It was cosy and everyone knew everyone else. We were all cheerfully insane and used to run around hunting things online with frying pans and sticks. But it grew to a modest size and a lot of original listers and fanfic authors sort of lost interest in the fandom and left. It was shut down last month after almost 3 years--which is why I'm having the sudden nostalgia attack. )

But life and my sites still go on. Just another part of the life online package.

(continued in 7.3b below)

Rants, Rambles and Rubbish
Version 7.3b (Bad Habits)

Recently, I described my sites to someone like this:
"I love my site--it's one of the bright spots in my life. We're parasites on each other. And I sound like a right lunatic at this point . . . (BTW, I'm currently gestating another websprog. A selfish one that doesn't do submissions and is just for me alone . . .)"

That sort of thing tends to happen when I'm having exams. I get the urge to make websites. Very odd. I think there's this thing about the Internet that makes you want to jump in and make yourself a part of a strangely organic data transfer system. Sounds very much like the Borg . . .

The Internet as a vice is one that can never fade or let go easily. There's more things out there on the Internet than most people's wildest dreams. Scary amounts of fanfic and heaps of junk to make surfing an enjoyable waste of time. (Want Saiyuki doujinshi . . . so bad. Mustn't, mustn't, mustn't . . . Have to stop looking. Can't go online anymore for fear of spotting more dj that make my fingers itch . . .)

I'm taking myself off to write fanfic. And do lab reports. Bah.

Cheers,
Eline--semi-deranged and neurotic
Watching/Reading: The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby--historical romance, which is pretty rare for me. Testing how many times I can watch Saiyuki (in as many different formats and with different sets of subtitles of varying quality in Chinese and English) without getting sick of it. So far, so good . . .
Music of the Moment: I suppose I should give the "Utena" soundtrack a rest, but I'm still stuck on "Rinbu Revolution", only this time I'm watching the opening sequence with it. On the other hand, there's always "Wish (Komm zu mir)" . . .

Wir zwei beschreiben Stille, die jeden Krach umhüllt
besitzen ein Bewusstsein, das jeden Raum erfüllt
auch du wirst mich vermissen, wenn keiner bei dir ist
denn ich will von dir wissen wer du bist

Ich brauch' dich doch auch nicht mehr als du mich
Ich brauch' dich doch auch nicht mehr als du mich
Ich brauch' dich doch auch nicht mehr als du mich
Ich brauch' dich doch auch nicht mehr . . .
"Wish (Komm zu mir)" from the "Run Lola Run" OST

Festive Blurbs
What day is it?

Anyway, Monday was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. The day generally held to be everyone's birthday. Another year older . . . I feel my age.

Most problems seemed to be getting sorted out . . . Will not say anything else in case I jinx it.
Have cleared up academic problems after a weekend of gastric problems and indigestion caused by excessively paranoid and neurotic worrying.
Except for an actual confirmation of the amendment in letter or e-mail.
Parents are currently on my case to get it settled.
A reasonable little request . . . still unanswered as of today.

I don't want to set my parents on them. No one deserves that.

Except perhaps the administration of my faculty when it comes down to this . . .

Want a drink . . . but it's late and I'm hungry . . . Can't drink on an empty stomach . . .
I didn't want to start off the New Year (Lunar or otherwise) like this . . .

Confounded 8am Friday lectures . . .

Festive Blurbs
Chu Wu

Got e-mail notification that I don't qualify for Honours because I didn't satisfy the requirements for my Major.

What the fuck? What *didn't* I do? They could have at least *specified* what was missing . . .

*facial muscle starts to twitch* I think I'm going to have a panic attack right now.

Got to be calm and objective . . . Screw calm and objective. They never got me anywhere . . .

Festive Blurbs

Chu Er: The second day of the Lunar New Year.

Hmmm . . . Another cosplay in March? Maybe I'll dig out my labcoat and go as Watari from Yami no Matsuei . . .

Lunch and Lou Hei--the cold fish dish (yu sheng) where everyone tosses the ingredients up while shouting New Year wishes. One of the most fun parts, to be sure.
Yummy.

Went out visiting with my best friends. Tried to resist the pineapple tarts. Failed miserably.
Found out that all my best friends have a three-day week while I have six days worth of classes every week.
(Why me? *sniff* I never even had a four-day week before . . .)

Is tomorrow Valentine's Day already? Ack . . . I haven't done that pic of Snape and Lupin I wanted to do . . . Where's the confounded Time-Turner when you need one?

Must . . . resist . . . the pineapple . . . tarts . . .
Eline

Festive Blurbs
Chu Yi: The first day of the Lunar New Year.
Happy New Year!
It's now the Year of the Black (Water) Horse.

Relatives came.
Doodled some more bishounens in bondage in the sketchbook-that-I-cannot-bring-out-anymore.

Went out to visit more relatives.
Fed the kitty at my aunt's shop. It looks like a bowling ball now. Can't lick its own bum anymore because it's so fat.

Back at home. Looked up horoscope for fun.

Eline, a Red Monkey born in the Year of the White Monkey, equivalent to the element of Fire

Festive Blurbs

Went out to Arab Street and got material for cosplay cossies for less than $20. Yay. Met a friend at shop selling screen tones and ink. Bitched about life and classwork in general.

Reunion dinner. Small get-together as usual. It's nice that holidays are more for family get-togethers.

Package arrived. Hmm? It's New Year's Eve . . . But DHL keeps going.
Pops package open. Loads of foam chips. One large roll which turned out to be the Saiyuki calendar. Absence of DVDs.
Pokes delivery sack some more. No DVDs.

Fucking.

Hell.

First non-successful receipt of online ordered goods just before the New Year? Bugger this. And I won't be able to sort it out until Wednesday at the most because it's the New Year.

Very cross,
Eline, who must not, must not, shall not, will not start a New Year with in a bad temper . . . *breathe in* *breathe out* Two more hours to go . . .

Festive Blurbs

Tempus edax rerum.
Good bye to the Year of the Snake and hello to the Year of the Horse.
3 fansites (with attached fanfic archives) in four years. 3 similar burnouts.
10 000 visitors to the Parapet--just 10 months old.
Tempus fugit. *shrug*

I wish I had more time. To do all that needs doing. To do all that I want to do. To do things I'd never thought of doing. To procrastinate less. To not regret taking certain classes this semester, even though I'm hopeless at them.
In the absence of time, money will do. But I'm broke. Lab work in the May/June vacations again . . .

On the brighter side of life (worse things happen at sea, you know?):
Have to set up a personal website to contain non-fannish stuff.
I got my dirty claws on Ai no Kusabi and Bronze/Zetsuai . . . Happy, happy, happy . . .
Am writing fanfics again . . . Run for cover.
Made new friends online and in RL.
Have a bunch of hentai Saiyuki yaoi doujinshi to oogle my way through.
Have a terribly complicated costume to make for September cosplay--busy, busy . . .
Never bored.

cheers and Happy New Year,
Eline, off to watch Ai no Kusabi one more time
Music of the Moment: Still the Utena soundtrack and "Rinbu Revolution" by Masami Okui (My sister has already threatened me with serious GBH for playing it non-stop.)