I actually started writing this one from my cousin’s flat – it’s the place I’ve been staying in for nearly a week now. As those of you on plurk already know, there’s no net access from home yet. Planned on making this entry when I was actually online, but whenever I get online, I end up doing a whole bunch of other things instead. XD

So! Singapore. Where do I begin?


( Watch out for them teal deers. )

Summary: it’s been a pretty crazy trip so far. I have no doubt that it’ll just get crazier from here.

I told yukitsu, khursten, kye_kestrel and a few others this before, but back before I left home, I knew that somehow this trip would be good for me. So far, I’m right. There is a special joy that comes with being on your own, with no one to really rely on but yourself – sure, you have to do all of your stuff on your own and plan all of this stuff on your own and worry about your cash and your laundry and your room and your commuting route, but god, it’s glorious.

It’s the little things that are best about independence, I realize. Standing around at the bus station while you wait for your ride home, listening to Nine Inch Nails on your mobile and absorbing the noise and heat of the city, wandering outside to the balcony of the place you’re staying in to light up and enjoy the breeze… that sort of stuff. Take note: I’m the 25-year-old girl who’s still living with her parents and therefore subject to all sorts of loving but ultimately ridiculous rules. I don’t love my family any less, but I am starting to see that I really need to get out there already. And Singapore is the first step.

I do miss my cat my cat, though. Like, really, really, really miss her. There are lots of friendly strays that are beautiful looking and plump and stuff, but they just make me wish that I could’ve brought Gouto with me. And I kind of really wish my girl friends from home were down here with me too. ._.

Anyway, I previously mentioned that having no internet at home is really good for me. This applies in more than just one direction. For one, so far, I’ve managed to read half of the huge-ass pile of unread comics and doujinshi that have just been piling up on my hard drive for the past year and a half. For another, I’ve managed to catch up on a lot of anime and tv shows, and watch some movies that have also been idling around in my collection. Something tells me that if I had brought my PS3 along, I would’ve been able to play through some of the games that I’ve had to set aside too – but it’s a good thing that I didn’t, else I’d be distracted. Forever.

Oh, and I’ve gotten a lot of writing done. Like, a lot of writing. Let me show you. :3

FIC DUMP!

† DURARARA! Izaya, Kida, rendezvous. // The possibility of zero.
† COUNT CAIN/GODCHILD. Riff, Cain, watching. // And yes, the way you look at me.
† FINAL FANTASY 7. Aerith, ghosts. // A new iconography of resurrection.
† GINTAMA. Gintoki, Katsura, how things have changed. // Faith is a series of calculations.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Vergil, Yuna and a bottle of booze. // Women do have an affinity for evil
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Genesis, Vergil, black mail. // Only enemies speak the truth
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Phoenix, Edgeworth, Soul Talk. // Sic probo
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Date, Dante, getting crazy. // Scuse me while I kiss this guy.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Dojima, Roy, taking the next step. // When a heart must go where it belongs
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Mukuro, Adah, experimentation. // Given the scalpel, they dissect a kiss.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Shizuo, Nanako, babysitting. // The quiet moments while the city’s still dark.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Roy, Vergil, discipline. // Nous sommes fucked.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Vergil, Kurapika, treating ladies right. // Confusion that is so hard to be avoided.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Pedosun, Voyeurmoon and creeper!Adah. // Things in heavenly bodies.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Roy, Celty, silence. // You can either hold on or let go.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Rhode, Chrome, tension is sex. // I (don’t) hate you.
† SOUL CAMPAIGN (RP). Mukuro, Rhode, ten years later. // She got a buttermilk smile and a thorny touch.

Week Three, here I come.

H-hahahaha, I suppose a somewhat monthly update is better than no update at alll...

Hi gayz. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all that jazz. My life? It has been nothing but crazy as of late, but in a good way.

SO AS OF LAST ENTRY I said I was going to SG, and I did, and it was really fun because khursten was with me and we stayed with tasogareika, which meant that we got to bug her 24/7, which we did. The conference was also super cool, because the topics were awesome, and I met people, and I also met this lady whose papers I actually refer to in my papers, which is the academic equivalent of a celebrity orgasm.

Going home meant going back to the Christmas rush, which wasn't so bad - didn't end up going to Baguio with the family, but I did give myself an early vacation. (I deserved it, okay. T_T) The break was just what I needed to get myself back on track, since we had our usual huge-ass gathering at home, and my amazing cousin got my bro and I Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (THE ENDING OF WHICH IS TYPICALLY WHAT THE FUCK). New Year's Eve, however, was slightly different, because a family friend of my father's invited our clan to spend New Year's with them in the kick-ass resort that they own.

Fireworks, free flowing booze, clubbing music and awesome accommodations. For those two days, all was right with the world.

ANYWAY SO. As those of you on Plurk already know, I won't be finishing my semester with Ateneo this year - this is because NUS offered me a research grant. ...Sort of. More like, I was given a strong referral, and now I'm waiting to see if the my proposal is good enough for them. How this happened? Just ask me; I don't want to talk about it online. This is kind of a win-win situation for me, because if I do end up really getting in, I'm spending the next two months in Singapore and getting paid even more for work that I love to do even more than teaching. If I don't actually make it, then at least I got to escape from a batch of kids that I didn't really enjoy teaching.

Of course, I'd prefer it if I got in, s-so. Here's hoping.

As it is, I have done all the preparations on my end, so I just need their word and I'm good to go. The English Department was real sweet about me going for a bit then coming back to teach for the next school year, and I managed to drop all of my classes and take a leave without too much hassle.

Oh yeah. I am writing again, more or less regularly. It is an amazing feeling.

This is so overdue, it ain't funny.

IN CASE YOU DON'T WANNA CHASE TEAL DEERS:
+ I managed to submit my paper as planned! I also finished my teacherly work, although it took a lot longer than it should have. Lol, vacation mode. Good job, brain.
+ I may have discovered something that could land me a research scholarship thing in Japan.
+ This semester ended with a bang and lovely family things.
+ SENGOKU BASARA 3, CAN HAS.
+ Slept over at the Cheng Chua pad since Khursten is house sitting.
+ RP is starting to lose its flavor.
+ Fandom never gives me pretty things. :|
+ NaNoWriMo is coming up. I need to get my ass in gear and start warming up with ficcage. Undecided on what project to do, though.


( And the long versions! )


The cat has greatly missed me, it seems, and it is also time for dinner.

...This could be a problem. orz I know what I need to do, though, for that last paper submission. Beyond that, I've got my last set of readings for my grad studies class, then a crap load of papers to check. Generally, I should be fine.

Regarding the Heavy Rain playthrough that I'm working with in my Literature 13 class: the kids chose the saw on the third trial.

Yeah, I don't even know. XD

Met up with omnicrescence after an Extremely Long Time, and it was amazing. Also got to hang out with khursten in her office before going home. tasogareika trolling occurred over the internet.

TOMORROW WILL BE FUN TOO because Khursten, Yukeh, Mica and I will be traipsing over to Mahar's place to christen his new kitchenette. It'll be a nice way to top off my last week of formal classes, I think, before the final exam, paper and grade rush eats me.

Oh yeah: the article I presented in L.A. has been published in Volume 8, Issue 4 of the International Journal of Humanities.

Things are looking pretty good, if I do say so myself.