on the life front, personal projects have been keeping me busy. i can only wish i can allot more time for fiction, but i'm still trying to make the best of the remainder of this awful year.

on the... er, etc front, i'm starting to love reading again. i read The Shadow of the Wind on caelestin's recommendation and LOVED IT IMMENSELY. it's probably going to be my christmas gift to some people, that's how much i love it. i'm looking forward to reading the prequel, too!

right now i'm reading Bridge of Birds, which is being loads of fun. humor is sexy, people, and this is a very sexy book. but it also finds the most beautiful words sometimes.

"'Take a large bowl,' I said. 'Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei — which means "dry cup" — and drink to the dregs.' Procopius stared at me. 'And I will be wise?' he asked. 'Better,' I said. 'You will be Chinese.'"

i love that.

it'll be a while before i finish reading this. i want to savor every word. but i already want to try asking for recs. anyone?

***

side note: i recently bought dad a "stripped" copy of miss marple short stories. he doesn't want to read it yet because he's just finished reading the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay and he's still reeling.

chabon has taken over my household.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/for-those-who-read-this-blog-for.html

(Serena Altschul and some author in July, sitting on the trampoline after two days of interviews. None of which, oddly enough, were done on the trampoline.)

Mr. Neil,

I DVR'd yesterday's installment of Sunday Morning and after zipping through it back and forth multiple times cannot seem to find you, though the description indicated the correct episode. Was it bumped to next week? Have you been sucked into an alternate Neil-less universe?

A concerned reader,
Mary

I'm afraid it was bumped by the Fort Hood Massacre.

I checked: The profile CBS did of me is apparently still going out, probably some time in December, although no-one seems certain when. I was told that we could help ensure that it is broadcast (and possibly make it come out sooner than December) if CBS think people would actually like to see it. Which means that if you do want to see it, you can help the process along if you write or email CBS and (politely) tell them so:

ADDRESS:
CBS News Sunday Morning
Box O (for Osgood)
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

E-MAIL: sundays@cbsnews.com

...
Dear Neil Gaiman, I ask for half-a-moment of your time (I would not presume to ask for more). This Spring 2010 I am teaching a Topics in Literature class on YOU at Winona State University (Eng 225: Neil Gaiman). Easy enough to select representative novel (American Gods), short stories (Fragile Things), children and YA (Graveyard Book), but here's the rub: I will likely only assign one Sandman graphic novel to students. I have been debating which is most representative, most worthy of inclusion, most amenable to class discussion and student scholarship. Then I thought I'd ask you. I know you suggest above that, for questions of this sort, we consider you a dead author, but I know you're not. When I came to a similar impasse about which of Ursula Le Guin's works to include in another class, she actually replied and offered her input. I extend the same offer to you: which of the Sandman volumes would you like to see on the syllabus?
Thank you for your time,
Nicholas Ozment, English Instructor
WSU

It's a hard one. I think if I were teaching I'd either go for Season of Mists or Fables and Reflections, because both of them have stuff to teach -- those nice chewy bits that people can like or dislike, argue with or discuss. I know a lot of teachers like to teach Dream Country because a) Midsummer Night's Dream won awards, and b) it's short and c) it has a script in the back. Your call. And good luck.

...

I mentioned recently that there were some beautiful new Polish and Russian book covers for my books that I'd seen at signings, which got me thinking. The International Cover gallery on this website is incredibly out of date.

It's at http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Works/Books/International_Covers.

And though I get a lot of foreign editions in, and will at some point head down to the basement and rummage around and scan some (this week's mail brought the two-volume Japanese edition of Anansi Boys, on the cover of which Fat Charlie is not only Very White, but also Very Thin, and the complex Chinese - ie. Taiwan and Hong Kong - edition of The Graveyard Book) I thought that blog readers, being, as you are, all over the world, might be a better resource for knowing where to look for foreign covers.

Was your basement finished when you purchased your home or did you have it finished for your basement library? If you finished it yourself, how difficult was it? Also, I thought I saw a dehumidifier in one of the Photosynth pictures. Do you need one because of the books?

I'm asking because we have a full unfinished basement that we would like to have finished. We are running out of room for our books also. I don't think we don't have as many as you do though. :)

Any other suggestions for such a project would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
C.

No, when we got here the basement had a clay floor that puddled when it rained. We hired some nice builders and spent a lot of money finishing it, putting in drainage tiles, underfloor heating and all. There's a dehumidifier there in the summer and a humidifier in the winter, because after the first few years I noticed that binding glue and leather book covers were both cracking and flaking. There's now the equivalent of a large house in basement rooms beneath this house, filled with books and CDs and suchlike stuff.

And finally, a few photos from the China trip, taken by Ian Ford (or in one case, on his camera). Ian's a travel guide who now lives in China who helped organise my travels, and came along with me for part of the journey.

Amanda and I in the silk clothes that my publisher had given us as a thank you for coming, and because they are terrific.

I'm holding the Galaxy Award for this year, given to the foreign author most popular with Chinese reader-voters. This was my second year of winning it, so I have retired from the competition and said that they have to find a new favourite foreign author now.

This guide should be a help for everybody who is not familiar with installing a S2 layout.

( The Guide )

It's that hot that happens before rain.

Nothing much to report today. Alternately studying and zonking out. I prefer plastic covers with thin sheets. The thicker ones have sharper edges when you fold them. And I pride myself that the books look like they havent been covered at all.

I wished I hadnt watched CSI and Ugly Betty last night and The Mentalist this morning, now I have to wait till tomorrow to get House. Oh right, I don't understand why Matt would do that to Amanda, he's not that clueless to think that she wouldnt assume that he was asking her out. Or it was just a bad judgement on the part of the writers.

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-11-09&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

So our awesome show watching and pizza eating tonight were interrupted by bloodcurding screams. This incident was followed by a circus of seemingly endless proportions which involved wonderfully subtle screams of "Hide your meth and let the cops in!" which standing next to aid cops. The almost slapstick comedy soon resulted in the meth dealer being maced in the eyes and shoved into a paddy wagon as the police entered his "house" (read: meth lab). The police presence was impressive, three cars and a paddy wagon. It's about damn time! So so relieved.

To top this off, once I got inside from eavesdropping I found an email from my internship supervisor who was very impressed with my work so far. I'm quite overwhelmed with joy right now.

6 ♥ Katekyo Hitman Reborn (tsuna, gokudera, yamaryo, yamamoto, hibari, mukuchrome) from 2010 Calendar.



( who do you call sexy beasts? )
♥ Watch bishidere for more. MAKE ME HAPPY! =D

Hi, any feedback for these profs?

Film 102 - Palomares
Comm 100 - Yokomori
Span 11 - Caniza

Also, my Comm 100 class is at lec/dsc A 102; where is that?

Thank you in advance.

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Booty for the week:


Japanese chessboard, only without the board. They let me have it for 20 pesos because only the pieces were left. (And missing one, boohoohoo.)


Anime soundtrack mini disc. The only one I've seen so far.



Books.



My favorite find. It looks old but it actually still works. You can hear a voice say the letter you press. The batteries actually cost more.



This one isnt from the Japan goods shop so it costs more and not sure I'll get one. You can see towels folded so they'd look like cakes, now they're turning to sushi.

Speaking of booty, I finally downloaded Guybrush part 4. I feel like taking my time with this one. I sort of had a dread feeling up my spine when I saw Stan's icon, but he's actually less annoying now.

LAYOUT INFO:

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♣ Don't forget to credit me: elec3nity @ applewardrobe in your profile.
♣ Watch my community for updates.

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-11-08&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

Some subjects on CRS are marked "for X majors only, COI for non-X". I was under the impression that COI meant "certification of instructor", so I asked the instructor handling the elective I wanted if I could get enlisted into it. I wasn't expecting a reply, but she did and I was allowed to get on the class list after I showed the enlistment staff her certification. I finished my 5a, moved on to my 5, and successfully paid for my second semester, including that particular subject. I thought everything was fine.

That was last Wednesday, November 4, though.

When I checked my CRS records last night, I found out that the department had cancelled my slot in that subject last Thursday, November 5. I really don't understand why they did that when:
1. I already had clearance (aka certification) from the professor (aka instructor) in question
2. I've already taken the necessary prerequisite for that subject
and
3. I already confirmed and paid for my slot without any violent reactions from either the department or my home college on the day prior to cancellation.

The only explanation I can think of for this is that COI means something else, but that doesn't seem to make much sense.

Does anybody know why this happened?

before the year 2000 there may have been Filipinos
who have made and dressed up in medieval armor
for the challenge and thrill of building and wearing one for themselves.

based on how the word is locally used nowadays
these efforts may not have been considered "cosplay"
but surely such an endeavor's essence is the same
with the original Japanese definition of cosplay.

in the year 2000 there was one
who deliberately built an armor
based on the designs of a videogame character
with the full intent to cosplay.



 

that fellow was me
one of the first who dared to cosplay
at Anime@Arki's anniversary party

http://cosplay.ph/photogallery.php?album=15





i cosplayed as Nightmare, the knight possessed by the evil sword Soul Edge.

This costume armor was made with foam rubber
and it was an exciting medium to build solid bulky shapes with.
But you can tell this first outing was a miserable reproduction of the original designs
because i was still unfamiliar with the material
and was experimenting & making solutions up as i went along.
It was a happy case of trial and error.

as i improved my skills making other costumes and props
using foam rubber i finally had enough confidence
to pursue an improved version of my Nightmare cosplay in 2004.





http://cosplay.ph/photogallery.php?photo=1301
http://cosplay.ph/photogallery.php?photo=1302
http://polidread.deviantart.com/art/Nightmare-costume-16025948



THE REST OF THIS ENTRY IS CONTINUED HERE: http://polidread.multiply.com/photos/album/44

I look thinner standing up.

Since I had quite a few post-Ondoy purchases (to replace home necessities that were destroyed), I realized that I do not always get the most out of my money when I pay with cash. Several banks have ongoing holiday promotions that would give me more bang for my buck. In other words: sulit! Here are some sulit EPS / credit card promos I discovered:


1. BPI EPS or Credit Card Real Thrills

You get one piece Jollibee Chickenjoy with rice for a minimum of P1500 single-receipt purchase, two pieces for P3000, and a whole bucket for a P6000 single receipt purchase. So instead of withdrawing cash from my BPI account before buying stuff, I just use my ATM to make EPS purchases.

I get free meals, and I'm not hassled by the long ATM queues. It's win-win all the way, di ba?!


2. Citibank Free Movie Tickets

Citibank gives one free movie pass for a minimum of P1500 single-receipt purchase, 2 passes + 2 softdrinks + 1 popcorn for every P7000, and 3 passes + 3 softdrinks + 1 popcorn for Paylite purchases worth at least P20,000.

I have accumulated a gazillion free passes and softdrinks and popcorn because I charged my large purchases with Citibank even if I am able to pay in cash. My sisters and I are just waiting for a good movie to come out so our whole extended family can go on a movie date.

Read the fine print.


3. Citibank and SM Appliance Center's Buy Now, Pay After Three Months

If you buy anything worth over P3000 at any SM Appliance center and use your Citibank card, you won't get billed until after three months. I took advantage of this to get stuff that I didn't have budget for right now, but I'd have funds for after I pay off my large credit card purchases next month. XD

******


A word of advice, though: when taking advantage of credit card promotions, it's best to make sure that we're able to pay off our monthly credit card bills in full, otherwise the finance charges would be greater than the value of the freebies. E di hindi na sulit yun!

Have fun with your Christmas shopping! ;)

Amphora Print Single by *kimichan on deviantART

I've been putting off finishing this print for ages for two reasons, 1) Because I wasn't sure what to do with the inside of the amphora and 2) because this last piece of lino was the last piece for a reason, it's very grainy and so crumbled a fair bit at the edges of the chisel. It made it very hard to get smooth lines so this is quite a messy print.

I'm still debating whether to clean up the background or not. Any thoughts? Would it look better cleaner? I kind of want it to have a old feel to it and once I clean it there's no going back.

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