Warning Labels

Well, it's the last day of 2009, so I'm trying to put on one last post and close the door of yesteryear two hours from now.
And what a weird way to end the year's post with warning labels.
Warning labels?
Yes, warning labels.

.

乙女

乙女ガム is something that I'm dabbling into right now.
That's the reason behind my recent weird tweets.
...Speaking of which, I've noticed that the manga genre is running on 'Alice in the Wonderland' plots right now.
Westerners are into vampires while the Japanese are into Alice... Heh?

The one that I'm currently playing is the first of the 'Wonderful Wonder World' series - ﾊーﾄの国のアリス．

.

Changes

皆さん，ただ今帰りました!

Ehehe...
I won't do a full recap of my vacation in China. Here's the summary:
- Ken and Liang (the Chai bros) came along, so did Ms. Chai.
Last year was the only year that the Chai family didn't join us for the annual vacation. It's a pity they didn't get to join us, since Korea was by far the BEST vacation experience.
- I had to share a room with the tour leader; SHE is female, you dirty minded people. D:< - All we saw were rocks and lakes... And more rocks.
Most of the time, I was imagining the scene of the ドラマ CD I was listening to on my MP3.
- There probably won't be any uploads of photos, since I was too lazy to take pictures.
- I didn't spend much on this trip and the only splurged item was the outerwear I bought in Samuel and Kevin while waiting for the transit in Guangzhou.
- The ONLY eye candy WORTH a second look is the manga that I had stored in my laptop.
- The net speed was decent at some places and I got pretty great ddls at some of the sites. But...
- Internet access is SEVERELY LIMITED. Facebook, Blogspot, Twitter, Flicker and a whole lot of other sites were blocked by the Great Firewall of China. (No pun intended)
- Spending Christmas in China was not a good idea.
After witnessing and experiencing the HORROR of pushing bodies and heavy smoking of the crowds, I scoff at their CLAIMS to be CIVILIZED.

And to further my flamings, here's what I think of Chinamen:
- Chinamen are rude and obnoxious... I'm ashamed to be associated with such barbarians who had refined the method of paper making and invented the compass.
- There was a family who had really bad table manners and we were forced to share a table with them to even out the number. They fit in really well with the Chinamen.
- On most days, we go hungry because THAT family tend to lick their chopsticks and THEN go on to picking the dishes with their SALIVA-LACED chopsticks. Disgusting.
- Chinamen DO NOT believe in the system of QUEUING UP. They do what they can to push themselves to be the first.
- They think themselves to be superior, only to fall flat on their asses when we spoke to them in English.
Hey, you only speak ONE language and probably your own dialect; I speak THREE languages and TWO other dialects while I understand FIVE languages and THREE dialects.
Note: Three are the normal E2M (English, Mandarin and Malay) and the two dialects are Cantonese and Hakka. The extra two languages are Japanese and Korean (both of partial understanding and in the process of learning) and Hokkien for dialect. <- No bragging intended.
- They are SELFISH and SPOILED BRATS, not to mention CUNNING and SLY.
- They just can't go on without smoking. They'd probably DIE if they had to go on without smoking for a day.
- They SPIT at EVERY FREAKING PLACE! And to make matters more disgusting... They tend to step ON their spit and DRAG THEIR SHOES ACROSS IT!
Yeah... As if you could HIDE that trail of slobber scuff mark leading to your shoes...

Finally,
I declare my cousin INSANE for getting married to a Chinaman.

*takes a deep breath and goes back to Zen mode*

On a lighter note, I'll be making some changes to my blog.
Yup, you heard me... SOME changes.
I won't be closing it off like the last time.
I'll be making the changes through my sub-blogs (yes, I HAVE sub-blogs that are meant for experimentations) and that would make the transition more smoother.
And if it doesn't work, I don't have to worry about messing up my current template.
I won't be revealing what changes I'll be making, just in case the plan falls through.
The only obstacle right now is to bug my dad to get me a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS4...

Hmm, I think that's it for this time.
Imma go play ﾊーﾄの国のアリス! :DDDDD
Blood threw me on the bed when I visited him last night... I wonder what's he going to do next?
*shifty eyes* <- BerryCarmen
Fictional guys are probably the only guys that are able to get my non-existent heart reappear and go 'ﾄﾞｷ―ﾄﾞｷ'.
Like I said the last time, real guys just can't measure up anymore.

PS: I'm thinking about watching Sherlock Holmes this coming week, probably in OU / 1U (or what other names). Contact either bro or me through whatever means if you're interested in joining us. Date will be decided later.

漫画お宅

始めました，あたしわ鳳惠。こにちわ！

Lol, I finally figured out the way to get my keyboard input to type kana.
I've also found the way to enable my taskbar to display in unicode, so that both Chinese and Japanese could be featured.
Even my calender is in Japanese...
See, I do learn some useful stuff while on the internet!

Oh yeah, I'm sorry for not updating often. Been sorta busy with finals and stuff... Life.
I'm just dropping off to say that I'll be adding some new stuff to my blog around three weeks from now, which is when I'm on sem break.
I've also noticed that there are some readers from Japan coming to this blog to look for raws... which is kinda odd.
There are no raws here, but there will be something else that I will put up later on.

Gotta go study Bio now, last paper tomorrow.

Win

Yup, it's awesome!
I won NaNoWriMo!



And before you pop out the champagne and stuff, so did the other 1k+ people.
Don't get the meaning of the word 'win' here wrong; I did win, and so did they.
Being a winner doesn't represent being number one in this case, or any other similar cases; it's a win because we accomplished something.

You see, many of us wouldn't even think about writing a novel.
Even if we did, we'd actually procrastinate and never get to finish it.
So, this is where NaNoWriMo comes to play; and I think I've written about this before.
It challenges you to glue your ass down onto the chair to finish a 50k word novel in a month's time.
You can have a preplanned plot and drafts, but not a completed story.
You'll have to cast away all doubts and think about it as your fingers type; decide as you watch your characters materialize in front of your very eyes.
It also taunts, mocks and laughs at you whenever procrastination shows up; belittling you whenever you lean towards temptation.
Believe me, there wasn't a night that I wasn't sitting in front of my laptop and absorbed with getting my story out.

And you know what?
I'm not even done with my story yet.
Yeah, I can actually hear someone asking how the hell did I win when I'm not even done writing.
Actually, the goal of NaNoWriMo isn't about completing a novel in 30 days; it's writing a 50k story in the month of November.
And that, people, is the minimum number of words which makes a story qualified to be termed as a novel...A short novel.

There isn't a particular genre, and there isn't a best in genre.
The thing about this competition is, there simply isn't one ultimate winner.
There's no judging schemes, no bad blood amongst writers...None of the sort of evil.
A novel is considered a novel if you think it is one; just like how the first kiss is- It wouldn't be a first kiss unless you consider it to be.
The sky's the limit, and the earth is your canvas.
If you want to write about the apocalypse, you're welcome to.
If you want to make it that your vampires can be killed by nothing but chillies, go right ahead.
There are no rules, laws or anything...YOU are God.
It's a alternate world / universe that bends to your will and fancy.
It'll be as you dictate, even if it defies the law of Physics.
But mind you, your characters would sometimes take a life on its own to write itself and will not do as you command.
That's what happened to me and my characters. My FMC and MMC didn't turn out like I expected them to be, and there is definitely some friction that will happen to the MMC and his best friend.

This is also a good way to train your creativity and to think outside of the box.
Science students are generally blocks of wood, seriously.
Don't get me wrong, I am a wooden block myself.
We obey all the laws and principles that we are taught, like Newton's Three Laws of Motion and all the other principles.
It'll always be 1,2,3 and never h, k, 8.
When writing, it could be 1, m, 8, di, 389...You get my point?

My news of victory was received in cold response from my family.
My friends, on the other hand, were supportive. :D
(Thanks, guys!)
I felt happy that I could write that large amount of words in 30 days when I thought it to be entirely impossible a few weeks ago.
Now, I know that it's possible and I am capable of writing more than that.

What now?
Well, I'm going to finish writing my novel and try to come up with a title.
I think I heard a gasp and someone fainting...
Yeah, it's still a untitled novel. I left it as Story 1.
Here's the good part: The winners of NaNoWriMo are entitled to have their story printed!
Yup, the organizers and Createspace are going to print out my draft and compile it into a presentable manuscript... FOR FREE!
That's right, you heard me! Even the shipping is FOC!
The offer will end in June 2010, so I gotta finish my novel and its edits by then.
After having it printed, I can either sell it in Amazon or look for a literary agent that will read my book and then hopefully agree to represent me and take care of my career as an author.
But... That'll be decided later on.

I guess that's it for now.
I'm still trying to persuade my FMC to go on a trip with the MMC and his best friend, but she's worried about her siblings...
That's about as much of a spoiler that I can give; it's more than generous.
I guess you'll just have to read it when I'm done and satisfied with it.

Now to plug in my earphones and continue my literary quest to bring happiness to my FMC's life.
Too bad I can't do squat about mine.

Hell

You know the term, Hell on Earth?
I think that it simply is what it says: Hell on Earth.
Not a description of chaos, not the experience one feels; it simply means what it is- Hell on Earth.

Right now, I feel disgusted.
Not by the macabre find of corpses hastily buried in the South Philippines, not by the incestuous German man who violated and ruined his daughter and not even the Khmer Rouge nor the Jew Genocide of WWI.
I am disgusted at the beings that caused it- humans.
I feel disgusted by the beings that call themselves human.
I feel disgusted at myself who is human.
And no achievement of the so called human race or mankind will ever make me proud of being one either.

At this moment, I don't think that Hell is the worst place to be.
To me, being human is even worse than being a prisoner in hell.

Humans are never satisfied.
Humans are hypocrites.
Humans do what they teach their kids not to do.
Humans preach what they never abide by.
These are the real definitions of human.

I once questioned the reason to conform with human society's views if it goes against one's principle.
Someone replied that, if something is a social norm, then it is something accepted by human society; thus making it valid and correct.
I then challenged the speaker with the fact that sexual relationships before marriage is a social norm, but that doesn't make it right.
I was then labeled as stubborn and self-destructing.
See my point?
Humans are hypocrites and no longer have claims of being a more intelligent being compared to beasts.

As much as I am disgusted, I won't take away my consciousness and life.
I will simply live by the rules and morales written and preached by the hypocrites, caring not whether human society approves of it.
If they denounce me as human, I shall be glad of it.
I have no wish to be grouped under such vile and vulgar creatures of vice.

Mmhmm...
I'm not dead, yet.
Just very busy...
Like I'm half swallowed by the dreaded monster known as Life.

Still writing, just a tad behind schedule.
Have a whole bunch of stuff to finish this week.
Stupid tests and quizzes.
Gosh...

I really need a vacation soon.

Still

YES, I AM STILL ALIVE!
Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?

I'm still breathing;
I'm still blinking;
My stomach is still trying to digest mom's pork chop with apple cider sauce;
My esophagus still trying to suppress that burp I've been holding back on;
I'm still writing my novel- 23k and going,
My characters are rebelling- they don't listen to me anymore, and the most important thing...
Why the hell are there so many teen romance novels with vampires in them?

...Figures.
Everyone is gaga about Edward.
Speaking of which, I've not touched my Twilight novels ever since the movie came out.
I tend to stay from mainstream stuff- I don't like it as much once it gets famous and everyone is crazy about it.

The next book on my book hunt list are Isis: Tale of the Supernatural, Impulse and Initiative, The Personal Diary of Mr. Darcy and Nightlight.
I doubt I'll be able to find them here.

And if anyone is looking for a fun game to play, I might suggest that you try the Dream Chronicles; just make sure that you have enough RAM to support or it'll be very laggy and the graphics sluggish. It spans three episodes and I just finished the second one in the morning.
It's a hidden object game that is beautifully done; the mini games are really nice and the soundtrack is very soothing.
Others on my favorite list are: the MCF series, Princess Isabella: Curse of the Witch, Natalie Brookes and Samantha Swift.

Well then, I should be getting back to whatever I wanted to do.

Epic?

Ok, it's three in the morning (close to three thirty) and I'm still up.
No kidding.
My parents would flip if they opened their door and found me still on my laptop and sitting in the same sofa, at the same position and... still intent on typing.
Yeah, my family shares not the joy of writing; neither do they share my passion for books.
I fancy myself an adopted child, but my resemblance to mother made that thought wholly improbable.

The weekend is over and I had finally surpassed the recommended word count 2 days ago.
I started my story on the 4th, three days later than the actual starting date.
So far, I'm happy with what I've gotten; immensely happy.
My characters are starting to write themselves, which isn't a bad thing after all- less for me to mull over how to connect one part to the next.
I did not intend for my FMC to be so cynical, or her friend such a hopeless romantic, or her cousin to be so immature.
My FMC is now a cynical and outspoken person while her friend is much too busy ogling at her fiancé to be bothered by anything. Her cousin is acting like a child, even when he is twenty-four!

I had some trouble back then, my MMC did not want to come out.
Like I had tweeted for the past few days, he just wasn't willing to show himself. From 10k up to 14.5k words / 22 pages / 7 chapters, he showed neither hide nor tail. I worried that my FMC was too cynical and sarcastic for him.
But that problem is now solved! I finally managed to shove him out into the limelight at my 8th chapter / 26 pages / 15+k words.
Ah, the sweet feeling of accomplishment.

It may be 15k now, but I think I'll be able to add another 1.5 - 2 k words today, more if I'm lucky.
Speaking of which, I have to get to bed now. I still have classes up to 2 in the noontime.

PS: To think of the irony where I get embarrassed at kissing scenes and cringe away at the very sense of the abhorrent pink mood / atmosphere and yet, I'm writing a novel under the genre of romance!
And yeah, I've been reading a little too many Regency novels *coughPrideandPrejuidicecough*
that my novel is written in that form. Or rather, the conversation is styled in that form.

PPS: If anyone is curious, this is the URL to my page in NaNoWrMo -> Winternite's Profile
Uh huh, I have yet to think of a title for my novel. And sorry, no excerpt or synopsis either.

Oh Noes

Well, I'm still writing my story- now more than 4000 words, but around 2000 words shy from the recommended daily word count.
You know, I found it hard to think of a title for this post but words seem to flow when I'm writing my story.
I hope that it will continue...
*prays to the God of Literature and other Gods that has to do with writing and creativity.*

My eye had been twitching almost the whole day, with reasons unknown.
It started when I was in the campus library, continuing my story on paper while the original draft is in my laptop.
Continued throughout the day...

Ok, time to get back to writing. I need to make up for the three days that I didn't write.

Drown

I bought two books from MPH yesterday.
I don't even know why I did, since I don't even have the time to read it.
Maybe I could read it while in the loo... But then again, it'll smell nasty.

I just sent a mail to the groups that I'm working for, stating that I'm either on hiatus, retired or just plain fired.
It's up to them to decide.
I just don't have the time to do it anymore.
Yeah, not even proofreading.

Every week, there's bound to be one subject being tested, one or two labs and God knows how many assignments / tutorials / questions.
Especially for Math... The last one was 57 on Differentiation.
I fear what she might give for Integration.

Finals are in a month... And I really, really do have to buck up.
Another reason why I'm always borrowing the same three books from the campus library.
I hope that the questions I covered are vast enough... Especially with Chemistry.
Ms. S sets out of topic and misleading questions which is hard for we who were used to the spoon-fed style of exams during school days.

That's all for this week.
...I'm really tempted to read my book, but I've got another Math test to practice for...
Resistance has NEVER been harder.

Rock Bottom

Ok I've been almost unreachable for the past week, be it by phone, MSN or even by mail.
I don't even have time to type out a simple text message to reply my classmates.
I've been piled under a whole lot of work, and that's the only thing I can have time to say.
I have no updates on scripts this week, regrettably and unfortunately.
You can say it's an excuse, but that's the only thing I can offer.

I'm planning to drop some of the groups that I'm working for.
I simply don't have time to sit and translate like I used to.
You will probably receive a message about it, along with the last script that I was left with, some time this weekend. And that's only if I have free time to type it.
I barely switched on my desktop or my laptop for the past three weeks or so.
I apologize for that, but it can't be helped anymore.
Real life has already half digested me.
And I've been feeling sorta... kinda.... I don't even know how to describe it.
I used to enjoy translating, but lately...
It's become more like a job than a hobby.

NaNoWrMo starts in a less than a week.
I've got my story down but I'm beginning to doubt that I have the time to type it out.

This is the very reason I don't want to grow up.
You barely have the time to do what you want, and absolutely no time to do what you need.

Itch

I'm so swamped with work right now I could barely fill my weekly quota of scripts.
Yeah, it's come to a most unwanted standstill.

My car broke down, again.
I was heading home after delivering something to my mom's friend in the morning.
Halfway home, it just died.
Luckily, my uncle's workshop happened to be nearby.
I gave him a call and then called home to have my mom pick me up.
I was almost late for classes today, almost.

My eye itches for no apparent reason.
It was my nose at first, and that was while I was climbing up the stairs to head to the bio lab in the Pharmacy wing.
It's my eye that itches right now, the left one to be exact.
I've tried eye drops, I've tried sleeping it off...It didn't work.
And, it's rather hard to type or do anything with only one eye open.

In other news, I messed up my Physics test on Tuesday.
There goes 5% of my final grade.
I forgot to include the scientific notation in my calculation for electric forces, which subsequently affects my calculation for the acceleration of the electron when I used the force answer to get the magnitude of the electric field.
If the words confused you, I hope this might clear it:

F= k|q|/r^2
E= F/q
F= ma

There's something wrong with my Sims 2.
It crashed yesterday, much to the dismay of the little brat.
Now, I have to finish my proofreading for Skip Beat, fix my game and then study for my chem, bio and math test next week.

See, I told you that I was swamped with work.

Rue the day that the string got snapped.

*evil grin*

Ruins

Despite losing the intimacy of my two famed friends- wit and intelligence, I am still able to express what I desire to say.
Thus ends my unusual way of writing, for the following post is of the modern world.
To be more specific, it's concerning manga.
(Again, those who know manga as an equivalent of the mango fruit will be seen as a blundering ignoramus in my eyes.)

This is in regards to the end note that I gave in this post: Back.
For those of you who are in a state of blur for you have either been living under the rock for the past few months or that you've just been rescued off a deserted and unmapped island, please direct your attention to the following links: Prelude to Disaster, Justifications of Self-Righteousness and Further Reports.
For those who are well-informed about the whole uproar, please direct your attention here: Note of Worth.

I fancy to think myself as a veteran reader, but I pale in comparison to other veterans for this is only my 4th year while they've been in this for almost a decade.
If put to the hierarchy of high school, I'm only but a sophomore.
As for the scanslating community, I only joined recently.
Disregarding my two-year hiatus, I'm in my 3rd year as a translator and first year as a proofreader.
New I am to the community, but the sense of comradeship I have to all my fellow scanslators could stand rival to a friendship of ten years.
And now, the community is in danger of annihilation.

The said annihilation comes in form of a group of people who were once part of the community but has now submitted to the condemned preachings of the Green Book of Greed.
They think themselves influential and now regard themselves as the 'Representatives' of the community.
They speak of change for the better, hold negotiations and make decisions in the name of the community.
Mind you, this community is as vast as the galaxy, just as it is diverse.
Though vast, we never needed a monarch, least said about representatives.

The above are just the prologue of this ramble of mine.
My opinion starts below.
I have formed my judgment based on evidence.

Scanslators are the grey people of the manga industry, also the Underground.
We translate manga, manwha and manhua into other languages than the media's native language, just like publishing companies like Viz, Tokyopop, CMX and etc.
The only thing that differs between us is we don't get paid for it nor expect any payment, that and we do it as a hobby instead of a profession.
Scanslators don't get paid with any form of money, but in form of gratitude and thanks.
Getting paid is blasphemy of the highest degree. Those who do so are considered the lowest of all life forms.
Fueled by passion and the desire to share joy, we spend precious time doing what we do, expecting nothing in return.
Such is the Universal Code of the Scanslators.

These representatives have no idea what they are dealing with, nor are they conscience of the magnitude of repercussion that will soon follow if their plan is set into motion.
The scanslation community will come to the end as we know it.
And the genocide will thus stain their hands with blood of former comrades while they delude themselves with the thought of creating a 'win-win-win' situation.

(Directed to the 'Representatives')
First, who are you to declare yourself our representatives?
It's not universally agreed, literally.

I am also insulted when you referred to us as an 'untapped source'.
I see that you aren't in any way involved with the scanslating process, hence the birth of your stupid proposal.

Money and power have clouded your judgment.
You don't have as much power and influence as you delude yourself into having.
To the corporates, you are nothing but a pawn to destroy the very community you think you're doing good to.
Your proposal will blast open the pathway that was impenetrable for so very long, leading to unneeded bloodshed (figuratively speaking) and finally your own ruin.
Heed the warnings of your friends and comrades; cease the idea of the situation that will only materialize in the perfect world or you will be ostracized by us all.
Your name shall be sullied and be remembered as heretics for the rest of eternity.

(Directed to Imitorar on subject: Comment)
As you said, you have no emotional attachments to the scanslating community, you therefore have no rights to say:

But why is that a bad thing?

I shall put a bullet through your heart, mutilate your corpse to pieces and later curse your soul to the darkest region of hell if I ever chance an encounter of you.

The purpose of scanlation is ultimately to allow people to read manga that they wouldn't get to otherwise, isn't it? If that is the goal of scanlation, then this move would be nothing but a good thing, because it would allow fans to read the manga that they want to read in a timely manner, in good quality AND LEGALLY, which is something that they cannot do as things are now.

This move would fulfill the goals of the scanlation community, something that should be met with praise, not rebuke. What value is the scanlation community in and of itself, and why should its continued existence be prized above fulfilling the goal of allowing fans to read well-produced manga quickly and legally?

Yes, that is the sole purpose of our existence. However, I disagree most vehemently with your views.
FYI: I do buy manga. My dad frowns upon my purchases and excludes it from my reading reimbursements.
When you use the words "timely manner" and "quickly", it made me laugh at your ignorance.
The publishing houses can never compete with the speed of scanslators, that is a known fact.
The time for the scanslators to churn out a complete volume is only a fraction of how long the publishing houses take.
Being amateurs and doing it at our free time, we surpass the 'Professionals' who do it as a job by a long shot in regards to speed of release.
Common knowledge of the language and Photoshop on an outdated computer for the former whilst a degree in linguistics and the most current of hardware and software for the latter, publishing houses still shrivels in comparison with scanslators.

As for quality, I'd vouch for the scanslators.
Even when the publishing houses boasted on their ability of keep to the original, they are still far from it.
For example, Viz excludes all forms of honorifics, replacing them with Miss, and Mister.
And you can bet on the destruction of earth that ALL publishing houses switches the order of names, with given name preceding family or surnames.
As an Asian, this is the biggest insult!
How could they boast on their originality when they go about Westernizing the script?
I can say that I am original when I translate scripts!
I never ignore the honorifics nor do I change the names!
They are the very beauty of Eastern culture, which I'm very sure YOU wouldn't understand!

That said, I think that you are judging the staff of MangaHelpers far too harshly. I don't think that they're as greedy as you make them out to be. I think that they really do want to help the community. If you read through the entire plan, you'll notice that MangaHelpers doesn't really stand to make any money from this. Any money made would be made by Viz and any scanlators that agreed to work for them. I don't think that any comparisons to Tazmo are valid. Tazmo does what he does out of greed. MangaHelpers planned this out of a desire to give the community what it wants.

I believe my judgment to be fair.
I've read the proposal and their justifications on the matter.
Their hidden objectives are unseen to you, but transparent to others, including me.
I advise you to read between the lines, and discard your naive views on the world.

I wholly agree with Edward and Protected, and many others who can foresee the apocalypse that will soon befall the community that I've taken much pleasure in the company of.
Even if it does strike, the scanslation community will rise and flourish as an underground movement again.
There are just too many of us for the publishing companies to deal with.

All hail to the hundreds, nay, thousands of scanslating teams- my comrades in leisure, passion and battle!
May the fire of Scanslators burn vigorously till the ends of time and engulf those who dare do harm to us!

Failing Words

In spite of the somewhat bad week, it hasn't prostrated me.
But words, my supposedly best of friends, has left its seat in the train of my thoughts.
I fear my wit and wisdom will soon follow, for I have not much of either.
I do dare own that I have neither beauty nor intelligence, neither talent nor grace, gift nor virtue.
I am, in short, nothing but an empty shell with a soul that thirsts for the next interesting and new thing.
So what is this empty shell going to ramble about this week?
What about the tingling feeling I have running down my spine?

It's been going on for a while and it's always when I'm reading anything that involves a burst of feelings, especially the one so famously colored pink.
At first, I thought that it might have been the lack and want of the feeling.
Oh how wrong was I.
It's fear, not lust.
Deep mortification if you may.

It is odd, isn't it?
Females aren't supposed to have these feelings, do they?
They're supposed to embrace these feelings, fawn over it and then dissolve into a puddle over it.
However, my hair stands on their very ends, an unearthly chill runs down my spine and my mind is a blank.
I shan't change any of it, for change shall eradicate the sole tiny happiness that wicked Life allows me.

For now, indifference and melancholy shall be my companions.

Fidget

This is gonna be short, since I'm starting to feel sleepy already.

I'm happy with the results I got for my finals, and I'm determined to do better this time.
I got distinction for a redundant subject, which leads me to question my choice of career now.
...I'm not making much sense.

I've also taken quite an interest in novel parodies, but still prefer the real work done by the orignal author.
I wonder if Jane Eyre has a parody...I heard from somewhere that she's a assassin in that parody.
I guess I'll go on another book hunt again.

Butchered

Okay, it's not weird for me to post twice in a day.
But this is gonna be short.

I've almost done reading most of my books in two hours.
Yes, five books in two hours; and each of them is more than 200 pages.

Remember my mentioning about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?
It's pretty much a butchered version of the actual work, but I like it.
And I rather like how they wrote about the author, who is a guy:

Jane Austen is the author of Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and other masterpieces of English literature.
Seth Grahame-Smith once took a class in English literature. He lives in Los Angeles.

See, this book is published in 2009; and I found it in Singapore, which is the south of where I am.
This book probably won't even be available until the late quarter of next year, or not even allowed in the shelves for the old coddgers in the censorship board see it not 'fit'.
Another reason why I'd rather say that I'm from Singapore instead of MS.

Speaking of which, my brother is in desperate search for the girl from Negri Sembilan whom he held hands with during the bungee ride.
Yes, if you remember holding hands with a 6ft 7 guy with specs and looks somewhat like a Japanese, please leave your e-mail at my C-Box.
His description is 6ft 7, wearing a pair of specs, single eye-lid (hence we call him Japanese), black T-shirt, a pair of long pants and a pair of New Balance blue sneakers.
My bro is regreting that he didn't ask for your name that day and would like to contact you.
Thank you.

Back my reading.

Back

Well, I'm back.
I was able to escape my captors and walk all the way back from the straits of Johor.
...I should cut the crap here.

Yes, I am really back.
And I had no intentions of being contactable for the past three days.
That's why I left my laptop at home.

Anyways, I had a rather nice time at Singapore, even when we were lost for two hours trying to locate the hotel and my dad's stubbornness to get a new map, saying that 'Singapore will never change.'
I'm glad that he had to eat his words.
However, our return was of a sour tone, fortunately not mine.
I won't say anything other than 'Hell hath no fury like a women's scorn'.

I went to Singapore on a quest for books.
Yes, you heard me, books.
Because of the ******* censor-board here, I can't get any of the books that I'm looking for.
From Borders to Kinokuniya, from Somerset to Orchard Road, I've walked through the crowded streets and been sandwiched in the MRT.
But alas, I've only found 4 out of the 6 that I was looking for.
Oh well, at least I have something.
And yes, most of my shopping hauls were books.
I'm happy though, being able to hold in my small hands the copy of 'Pride and Prejudice'...wait for it, '...and Zombies.'
Yes, the parody version.

I seem to have not only become an otaku this year, but Jane Austen Addict (a title of another book that I bought) too.
I love the stories like Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park.
I don't love Northanger Abby and Sense and Sensibility just as much though.
Whatever it is, I'm a very huge fan of most of Jane Austen's work.
Just as much as I'm a fan of Charlotte Bronte.
And I love my manga just as much as I love my classic literature.

Speaking of manga, I'll be a bit late on my translations and proofreading.
In other news, there's this rumor (I shall treat it as a rumor until sufficient evidence is put up) about MangaHelpers.
I'm still on the fence with it; but if it ever sways to any form of payment, I shall abandon it faster than you can sneeze.
Money and power are great, but you also depend on people like us to get that kind of money and power.
In short, you're basically alive because of the fans. Anger the fans and they will abandon you.
There won't be a king or a kingdom when there are no people; there won't be a site when there are no fans.

Winternite has been kidnapped!

She was minding her own business, reading Jane Eyre in the comforts of her lazy chair and her laptop when she was whisked away by four shadows!

Her last ever communication was three hours ago, through her cell phone that she had in her pocket!
She's currently locked in a crate and moving along the highway. She overhears her captors saying that she will be taken to the country down south.
Further contact will be futile as her phone has gouged the last of its juices.

Her captors and motives are yet to be identified, and a ransom has yet to be issued.
Let's hope that she will be back safe and sound.

Kewl

Ok, that was lame.
I don't have any title in mind.
I think my creative mojo has run out...Oh gosh!
What am I going to do, NaNoWrMo is only a month away!
*flies into a state of panic*

Other than stupid rules and unwanted grumpiness from a certain someone, nothing much has happened in my life.
Oh yeah, no script releases this week.
I have to prepare for someone, which I can't tell until it's over.
And, I found that my laptop is not very good for translating, since I'm so very used to my large screen and mouse.
Oh well.

With no new games to go obsessed with and a practically non-existent nightlife, I don't know what I'm supposed to do right now.
My new laptop can keep me interested for only so long...
Most of my college mates have gone back to their hometowns for the long holiday.
There are only so many of us that are locals.

I guess I can try to bulldoze my writer's block right now.
Or maybe I'll go watch Inkheart....
Maybe.
Sigh...

RAW

Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything.

The first week of sem 2 is over, and I've got some things to say about the classes.
First, I hate my current Math lecturer.
She looks sickly, gets tired easily and never EVER comes prepared.
Just yesterday, she was almost half an hour late just because she got lost.
What's worse is, she makes me more confuse than I already am.
I mean, differentiation and integration is my worse topic in all of Math, second to Trig (but the problem was solved by my sem 1 lecturer).
If she doesn't improve her ways of teaching within a month, she'll have one angry mob with pitchforks and crowbars coming at her.
Too bad that our previous lecturer have her hands tied, or else we'd kidnap her and keep her to ourselves.

Second, my Bio lecturer is a really old guy who looks somewhat perverted.
I guess that's the impression you get when you're a guy and you're talking about the reproductive system.
He likes people who ask questions, which is somewhat of a bother to others.
I have no complaints about him.

Third is my Chem lecturer; she's the same one as last sem.
She's still the same, and we all still have the same thoughts about her- PLEASE REPLACE!
Lastly, is my Physics lecturer. She's still a little meek, but at least she know what she's doing.

...And this concludes my overview of my lecturers in sem 2.
The results of our finals aren't out yet; delayed till further notice.
Oh yeah, my MS lecturer resigned. Yup, him.
And he left without marking our papers.
*goes into her mom's closet and spews a whole lot of profanities*

So...I've been busy and procrastinating a whole lot recently.
My schedule is still a little wonky, since I've not gotten used to it yet.
So, I'm sorry for sending the script for 隗ヨリヒトカイヨリ式 late, Mioka...
済みません!

Also, a big thank you to Sophe for giving me access to a warehouse of raws!
I'm forever in-debt to you and will stay with your till your baby 恋愛カタログ grows wings and flies.
And I finally figured out why I couldn't download the files from kiligaris.
Trust me, I had a really huge facepalm moment there, not to mention a headdesk moment too.
I'm still on my raw hunt for other manga to edit, since I'm a nitpicker when it comes to scans.

In other news, my laptop arrived today!
Yup, HP Pavillion dv4!
It's black, isn't heavy and...it has Windows Vista.
Yeah...Vista. I wanted Windows 7 but unfortunately, the model comes only in Vista.
Oh well, at least I still have a laptop to use now and I don't need to stay in the study to do my stuff.
I can even watch tv and type too!
But the only thing missing is a mouse.
I think I'll buy one myself.

Now to go mess with my new toy!

Tape Dispenser

Ok, it's another unrelated title.
The tape dispenser just happen to be in front of me and I don't have a title in mind.

Let's get to the point, shall we?
I like my template.
It looks nice, and it's pretty much up to me to edit.
I like my brain.
Even though I don't know how it works and why it's wired particularly different from others, I like it nonetheless.
I hate my genes.
Genes are what makes me...me.
I hate my college cafeteria.
I was in a rush, so I didn't grab my brown bag for lunch. I bought a cup of sweetcorn with honey in the cafeteria and now regret it.
I've been having diarrhea since 6 in the evening.

In other unrelated news, I'm thinking about doing one-man scanslating, even though I'm not a guy.
Ever wonder why it's always '-man' in suffixes? What's with the sexist words here?
...Going astray now.

Ok, one-man scanslating...Just like Omari's Sister.
But there's going to be a huge difference between her and I.
This is what I aim to do:

1. I won't be working on recent titles.
Reason: I can only read Chinese for now, I'm sorry. The only thing I can do is to translate from Chinese to English and then use Japanese raws to edit.


2. Most of the projects I plan to work on are either one-shots, completed or not well-known.
   Reason: The reason is pretty much the same as above.


3. I will only work on a title which has been dropped or titles that has no releases for the period of 6 months.
   Reason: I am a very peaceful person who prefers to promote non-aggression. And I also share the same philosophy as Entropy, since I'm also a staff there. I won't work on titles that are being done by other groups as to not generate bad-blood between scanslators.


4. I will sometimes redo a title done by other groups.
   Reason: Having said the above, I will only redo a title if the following occurs:
   (a) The chapter is LQ and I managed to get a HQ scan.
   (b) The translations are so bad that it hurts my brain when I read it. - It also means that the proofreader is either nonexistent or not doing their job.
   (c) The editing and typesetting is terrible.
   -You could say that I'm a bitch about it, but that's the way I am. If you want to do something, make sure that it's somewhere close to perfect.


5. I don't mind working on licensed titles.
   Reason: I'm not claiming that I created the title, so I didn't commit plagiarism. Neither did I steal, since I'm not charging anyone for it nor am I getting paid. Also, I'm helping the mangaka to distribute their titles. Not everyone can afford the high prices that the publishing companies have set.


6. I will only release whenever I feel like it.
   Reason: As you can see, I am a slave of many groups; I also have a life outside of the computer and grades to worry about. Since I work for myself, I don't have a deadline. You'll get it when you get it.

I'm doing all this purely out of interest.
I like what I do, and what I'm doing.

The titles that I've decided to work on are:
- Otomen (terrible typesetting)
- Saiunkoku Monogatari v03 (not-so-good translations and editing)
- Tokyo Crazy Paradise Parts of v11-19 (terrible editing)

I will credit the original translators for their work, if I'm redoing their titles; maybe even the proofreader, if they did their job well.
The only thing left for me now is to reinstall my Photoshop to enable my hotkeys and to start cracking.

PS: If anyone stumbles upon my blog and reads this post by any chance and have a request for a title, I'd be happy to oblige with two conditions:
(a) Make sure that the title has a Chinese version.
(b) Don't harangue me about the deadlines.
Just leave your requests at the CBox on your left, along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you.

200

I've officially reached 200 posts!
*throws confetti*
It seems like I've been throwing a whole lot of confetti lately.
Yeah...

I've updated the look of my blog.
It doesn't look really different from the last one, does it?
Yeah, I know I made a huge deal about the surprise but delivered very little, or so you think.

Well, there are some differences.
Firstly, I managed to get rid of the huge header and replace it with something more...me.
The previous header text didn't really match the picture, and it was too colorful.
I also resized it to fit, and made the frame transparent.
Secondly, I made a menu bar.
It was tough trying to figure out how to write the code for it at first. So, I did some research on some of the templates available and found the code, edited it a lil and input it in my own.
And I sort of tweaked it a lil so that it's transparent.
Thirdly, I made it into a three-column instead of a two.
Usually, you'll get a three-column in your ready-made blogskins but unable to edit it in the page elements; you'd have to change it through the html.
But, I found a way for it to appear in the page elements and enables me to change it as a widget instead of the tedious task of reading through the whole code.
I've also changed the playlist of my player and moved it lower.

As for page-wise, I edited the projects and status page.
If you bookmarked my previous link, it'll lead you to a 'page does not exist' page.
I've separated it into groups and will update them accordingly.
It'll also lessen the work of staffs who wants to check them 'cause they won't need to scroll down too much just to find out.
The archives page is the same, since it's already separated into groups within the page.

Oh yeah, I changed this address to another one of my sub-blogs so that anyone who typed the address would see this image.
But what I forgot was that I locked the domain and no one could access it.
I'm really sorry about that and think that it's a pity that no one could see what I put up.
So, I'm going to show it to you here!
This is it:

I also had to figure out the code for it based on another example.
I'm glad that everything worked out.
And I'm glad that I am finally able to tidy up my messy blog.

That's it for this time.

PS: I still have the copy of my template; I can give it to anyone if they want it.
My template is for those who want to keep their background image, header and also want a menu bar and a three-column blog. In short, it's perfect for editing to your personal taste.
I think I'll call it MMB, Modified Minima Black.

Crash Bash

I'm not talking about the game by Mad Dog Labs.
It's literally crash bash.

Semester two will start tomorrow, and I'm halfway through Dae Jang Geum.
I've already planned to put it on hold so that I can restart my routine in life.

I get zombified whenever I start watching a drama (be it J / K) and anime.
First I'd occupy a room, which is either the TV room or the family hall.
I'd then move the furniture around and just plop myself onto the couch and start watching.
I can suppress thirst and hunger, which is very much useful whenever I'm doing translations.
I can watch up to 10 episodes per day, when I ignore most stuff and will only respond when nature calls on critically.
Yes, I am that crazy, wacky and nuts.
And it is also another reason why not one person can bear me.
No girl can bear me, least said about a guy.
I can take pride in that! *Ehehe*

Brat (as she is now known as) is having her first ever public exams right now.
And the first thing I woke up to today was to the screams of my mom.
Why?
Refer to the above mentioned.
She deems it my fault, entirely mine.
Brat is freaking out and it's my fault because I was watching drama for the past few days.
Stop, before you say anything that makes me punch you hard and say that 'You're just like her, jumping into conclusions', let me at least say this.
I was sitting and waiting for brat to ask me whatever she wants to know during the one and half week of break that I had.
I wanted to have a anime marathon, but I didn't.
I wanted to have a drama fest, but I didn't.
I sat in my computer translating, and also waiting.

When I told her that she has another two weeks, she said 'So what'.
When I told her to study, she said 'No' and scampered off to watch TV.
When I finally yelled at her, I got yelled back by my mom instead.
So, tell me again.
HOW THE HELL IS IT MY FAULT?!
Hmm?
And she's still watching TV right now.

So, what the hell am I supposed to feel, huh?
Why do I have to be responsible when she herself doesn't even care less?
Why do I have to be scolded for enjoying what's left of my break when I sat there waiting for nothing?
Why do I have to take the brunt of the fire?
Why do I have to be the one facing the music when she's so nonchalant about it?
I can't force her to study when she herself isn't willing to.
It's no use forcing, nothing would come out of it.
Force can only lead to bitter feelings.
She has to learn this lesson, and unfortunately it's going to be a hard one.

Yes, I do admit that I'm insensitive most of the time.
Yes, I do admit that I still have remnants of bitter feelings.
But I will not admit that I didn't try to tell her.

With this, I earnestly hope that she'll fare well.
This decision will be her life lesson. It will bring her some pain as she walks on the path that she chose, but she has to continue it nonetheless.
The only thing I can do now is watch.

Mono

I'm back to putting unrelated titles again.
Mono was the first word that popped up in the twisted and dark mind of mine.

Ok, I've been translating the whole week.
I've also been celebrating Ochibichan's Anniversary week with fellow staffers in the IRC.
They are one fun and wacky bunch.
I love them.

So far, I've finished all my scripts for 솔직 담백하게, はなしてなんてあげないよ, ハードな調教師 and almost finishing メビウス同盟.
I think I have had enough.
I'll work on them every week, like how I usually deal with it.
I also dropped my first title, 天才めがねにキメっ！just because it didn't suit my taste.
I hated it.
Also, Mioka has officially stamped my stamp on黒崎弼's ass. He belongs to me.
On the other hand, 電撃デイジ ー (the general story) belongs to Eimy.
She can have the others, I only want 黒崎.

Semester two starts next week, and I'm scared just thinking about it.
It starts on Tuesday, and I have Chem as my first subject of the sem.

Seeing my posts, I can't believe I've gotten so far.
I have 12 more till 200, which is quite a lot.
I didn't think that I'd be able to keep blogging till now, seeing that I tend to drop things after I lose interest in it.
I'll do something special when I really do reach 200, since it's like reaching a milestone in life.

I guess that's all for this time.
I think I'll go have a doughnut now.

いきものがかり

It's a name of a band.
Their song is my favorite at the moment.

Semester two is starting in a few days, and I'm terrified.
I don't want to know how badly I did for my finals.
But I do look forward to starting Biology class.
Besides, my back hurts as a result of sitting too much.
Yeah, I'm an 18-year-old with a body of a 60-year-old.

I've just about had enough of translating 天才めがねにキメっ!
It's too...too...too SMUTTY for my taste.
Please, even when I'm not so innocent anymore, I don't want to be less innocent that I am.
I'd rather leave the adult stuff to when I decide that I want to grow up, which is probably a long, long, loooooong way from now...Or even never.
I can't stomach some of the elements...It's kinda disturbing, you know.
I think I'll finish the last of chapter 3 and pass it off to another translator, someone who can handle heavy smut.
I'm sorry, but I just can't handle it.

I think I can finish the rest of Mobius Doumei.
I'm only two volumes from completing it.
I eagerly waiting for Mioka to send me the next chapter of 隗ヨリヒトカイヨリ式 and 撃デイジー.
I told her that since Naomii has staked a claim on Aritsune, I'm stamping my claim on Kurosaki's ass.
He might have a whole lot of fangirls, but he's now MINE.
I'll wait for Mio-chan to officially announce it. :P

Okies, I think that's it for now.
I want to finish MD fast so that I can go watch Da Jang Geum again.
I plan to spend the rest of my four days going on a marathon.

Losing My Mojo

It's kinda sad, you know.
But I've got to admit, it's bound to happen.
It's a wonder that I could manage to clear some after four years.

Wha?
Oh, I'm sorry.
You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?
I'm referring to O2jam.
Yes, that music game.

I found a way to download the songs from O2mania.
Trust me, there was a facepalm moment.
Anyways, I was happy to be able to get both of Yiruma's Kiss The Rain and River Flows In You.
Boy, were those songs awesome. My fingers had a nice workout.

Yeah, about me losing my mojo.
There were a few songs I could play with perfect timing and hits (and I mean a whole lot of 'perfect' notes and only < style="color: rgb(102, 204, 204);">Like all the 'easy' level of the Sonatine songs and some of the 'normal' ones
Milk Chocolate in normal and x4,
Natal Angel in normal x4.5,
Maustrap in 'easy' x4,
Bang! Bang! Bang! in normal and 4.5,
Song For You in normal and x6,
Missing U in hard and x5
Color Paradise in hard and x6,
Waltz of the Puppy in normal and x5,
Bride in Dream in normal and x4.5
Nocturne in hard and x6...
I can't play as well as I could before.

I can't believe it myself either!
Four years ago, my screen's color wires shorted out and my keyboard was lousy.
I couldn't press the 'd', 'k' and 'space' all at the same time.
I had to work out a way to hit the three keys when it appeared as a combo.
Now, I've got a better screen and a good keyboard, but I no longer have the same level of skills!
Well, it has been four years since then.
I guess I can't blame my fingers for getting rusty.

Oh well, practice makes perfect.
I was a noob back then, and I did managed to get myself to that level.
I guess I'll just have to do it again.

Another One

It's 3 am in the morning...And I'm supposed to go to the mall later today.
Oh well...

Yeah, I spent the last 30 minutes editing another manga.
The typesetting for I Wish... was terrible, so I decided to redo it again.
This is what came out of it.

The editing done by the person who did this (I forgot her name...)

And this is the one done by me.
I think I can call myself a copy ninja now!
The barcodes are gone, and the texts are less dull.
I also resize my image to a standard 690 that most scanslating teams are using.
I also *ahem* replaced some words and did the proofreading.
Next, I'm going to read about what type of text to use for different types of sfx and what to do when the problem is larger than what an amateur copy ninja can handle.
Oops, I think I made a spelling mistake there...Oh well. I should have checked it before merging everything. >o<

I think I'm going to redo all the chapters done by everyone else other than Korean Manwha.
Yeah, I will!
But that'll only happen when I have the free time and have no more scripts to do.
I think maybe...The summer holidays of next year?

I'll write about my trip to the mall later, if I feel like it.

Another one

It seems that I like editing, but I won't do it unless it's just for the fun of it.
I don't want to take it up as a job; translating is already enough to fill up 35% of my pie chart of things I have to do in a week.

This is another gutter shadow- free page that I found while translating.

Transformed from a two page:


to this:

I didn't do the the right page because there's the horrible gutter shadow there.
Anyways, notice the difference in fonts from the previous one?
I downloaded the font package from The Idiot's Guide to Manga Editing and installed it.
It looks authentic now, compared to the last one.

I FEEL SO VERY HAPPY!
That's it from me today.
I'm going to translate the rest of the chapters and then head onto Tasty Kiwi's 솔직 담백하게.
I owe them the rest of volume 4, since I put this on hold for more than two months.
After that, maybe I'll snoop around for more raws and try to practice on editing again, but that has to be after I finish all of my assigned projects.
I don't want to be irresponsible.

Finished

I'm finally done.
Yup, my first ever college finals.
YAY!
*feels giddy*
*throws confetti and jumps up high*

You know, I was almost late for the paper.
Initially, I thought that it was going to start at 10.30, so I got up at 9.00 and dallied my way to 9.40.
Usually, I leave my house half an hour before the time even though I live only five minutes away by car.
Even at my mildly slow driving, I still get there in 15 minutes, 20 tops.
It was lucky of me to walk to kitchen to get my cup for my breakfast drink and just happened to glance at the post-it note I wrote for my mom to know my exam schedule.
I looked at the clock again, abandoned my cup (and my breakfast) and rushed out the door.
Luck seemed to be on my side as each traffic light I passed was green the moment I reached it.
I reached the exam hall just as the students were walking in.

The paper was decent (I don't want to jinx it by saying it was e***).
Most of the objective questions were what we learned back in Form 5, just in English instead of Malay.
Thanks to the tips given by the lecturer last Monday, I was able to answer the structure and essay components with ease.
I did the question on the expansion of the tin industry and its effect on the socio-economy and the formation of the government instead of the question on the foreign policies because I felt that I had better chance with the former question.
I think I wrote a little too much on the formation of government, but who cares.
I finished 15 minutes ahead of time, but wasn't allowed to leave the room. So I just sat there and looked at some furiously scribbling while some idled with a 'I don't know how to do' look.
James, who sat next to me, barely finished in time. He was still filling up the MQS when the examiner took my paper.
I'll let you in on a secret though, I idled away my Sunday instead of studying for MS. I only started reading on the structure and essay parts at 1 in the morning and finished an hour later.

In other news, I was wondering around the RomCom blog (Simon & Schuster) when I stumbled upon this site which was introduced by Jennifer Echols.
It's the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo for short.
It's where participants dedicate the whole of their November writing a novel of any genre. At the end of November, participants who have finished will send in their entries.
The winner will have their novel sent to publishers for viewing, that means you might have a chance to be published!
I registered myself and am now in the running for it too.
I realized that, I just can't wait around for things to happen anymore.
If I want something, I'll just have to make an effort to grab it!
If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be.

It's not like I'm very confident in my writing.
Writing has never been a serious thing for me, because I never considered it as a career choice.
Even when my teachers back in sec school (or high school, if you may) encouraged me to take up creative writing courses and major in English in college, I told them that it just isn't possible.
Given my background and my practical parents, they would never agree to me having writing as a serious career.
And it's also why I'm doing my foundation year in Science instead of Literature.

I do like writing, but I don't know what's going to happen in future.
I'd probably just do it as a hobby, but who knows what the future holds?

Editing

If you're a Facebook user and happen to have me as a friend, then you'd probably read my status update.
I'm learning how to edit manga over studying for my final paper.
This is the product of what I learned!

Ahaha, this is what I initially wanted to project after two hours of watching my captive bishies.
Yes, a nosebleed.
And Rei is my REAL Japanese name. Not Kikimi like some stupid brat said a year ago.
My name in Romanji (converted from Kanji) is Taka Irei.
I prefer Rei, so I'm gonna stick with it.

Well, now I can use Photoshop to edit manga instead of just using it to watermark stuff and make polaroids, avatars and banners.
I seriously can't draw with it though; I really suck at art.
My progress in editing had to be stalled all because I couldn't engage quick mask, which is needed to get rid of gutter shadows.
And the root of it is, I can't afford to get the real copy of Photoshop (it's around 200+ bucks, WAAAAAY over my budget).
The cracked version rendered the hotkeys useless.
I was using the trial copy before and got used to doing everything with the hotkeys.
It's really terrible when you have to keep clicking on the Menu toolbar just to select the image.
If I can get a real copy to replace the cracked one and manage to master editing, I can be a real threat!
Translating, proofreading, editing, typesetting and quality checking...I can't wait till I can start my Japanese and Korean classes!

Oh well, since I don't feel like reading about the country's boring history (what's so interesting without the conspiracies, assassinations and bloodshed; it's only about a bunch of people getting outsmarted-it's the nicest possible way to put it...) I'll get a head start on my translating.
I think I'll probably get a few script to proof tomorrow.

Edit: I was translating Shape of Love when I found this gutter shadow free-page.

This is the page before the cleaning and typesetting.

And this is the page after the editing. (Click on the images to enlarge and compare.)
Out of all the fonts I have, smudger was the closest I have to manga text.
I had a tough time cloning the side and getting rid of the huge sfx on the wall.
I finished this in an hour.
I know, I know...I'm rather bad at it. But practice makes perfect, ne?

Final

Yeah, my finals are slowly drawing to a close, so is my first semester in college.
The last paper I have to take is MS, a redundant subject that I happen to hate but am good at.
After that, it's pure holiday bliss till semester two starts in September and that's when the horror begins.
I know that I screwed up Physics; unsure about Math and after Chemistry today, I fear for the worst.
I used an entire week to study said subject; when I saw the questions on the paper, I knew I should have wasted that week doing nothing or watching anime.
The questions were confusing, and that's the least I have to say about it.
I swear, I will do better in the second semester, and nothing's gonna stop me from taking what I want for degree next year!

I'll go have some fun now to forget about today and to take my mind from wondering about what will come when I go back.
First thing's first, a Naruto Shippuden marathon.
It's interesting, but I won't go rabid over it.
じゃーね!

Proficiency

I'm done washing my bathroom.
And it feels great to have time to finally clean it!
...I don't think anyone in the whole wide world would admit to that.

Anyways, I was lurking around the Baka-Updates forum's Recruiting section. It seems to me that there are a whole lot of groups around, and a whole lot of them are looking for staff.
There are some asking for C-E translators, which I was VERY tempted to bump back.
But I've got a whole lot on my plate now. And since semester two is coming, that means that I have less time to manage my stuff.
And with the introduction of Biology, I think I won't even have off days and probably will have to stay till 5.30.

My translations are still on hold, until next week. Proofreading has been ongoing though.
I haven't heard from J-Sis in a long time, so I'm assuming that I'm out.
Fate hasn't sent me anything, and I'm still waiting.
I've not received any proofreading scripts from Shoujo Crusade yet, but that's because they know that I still have a whole lot of translating to do.
So far, I've done 61 scripts; 40 translating and 21 proofreading.
I'm aiming for 100 each.

Proofreading seem to be a much coveted position; that's because people think it's easy.
But it isn't.
If you get a script from a translator whose written English isn't good, you'll have a hell of a time trying to figure and piece together what they're trying to say.
The raws help, but not very much.
I do ask for the raws to be sent alongside with the scripts, but that's because I want to see the reactions of the characters to exactly express their tones in speech.
I also want to assess their characters and character development to know the kind of speech they use; tone, slang and all.
And it's not because the translators are incompetent. Thank goodness that most of the scripts that I PR-ed are from translators who have a good command in English.
Like I told mioka, I read the scripts thrice. Once is with the spell checker to note obvious mistakes, then the second time to make sure the dialogues flows well and are according to the character's manner and the third to catch things that I missed.
The reason for doing so many reads is to ensure that everything is perfect and that the 2D characters are able to come to life.
A grammatically correct script is one thing, but without a tone that suits the characters, it'll just be another monotonous read.
Yeah, I'm that picky.
I'm still far off compared to veteran proofers, but I will try my best.

Translating, however, is not easy at all.
There's always the issue of changing the character's names from Chinese to Japanese.
I used to have a problem with the names; always asking the department head to give me the list of names in romanji. Most of the groups don't have the list, which made it even harder.
However, I solved the problem by getting a Japanese word processor and using a little ingenuity.
The only problem now is deciding which pronunciation is the right one for the name, whether it's according to katakana or hiragana.
I want to think that my scripts don't need to be PR-ed, since I proofread them as I translate. But, I can't say for sure until I ask proofers who gets my scripts.
My only problem is missing translations. I get very careless after many hours of translating, and sometimes don't check them after being done.
I get e-mails from editors now and then to fill in those blanks. I don't mind it though, I'm happy to oblige.
I can't comment on editors, scan preppers and QCers because I've never done any of them.

You might say that I'm stupid for doing so much when I'm not even getting paid for it.
Boy, are you wrong.
First, it's for the readers; but I'm not that selfless though.
As a reader myself, I hate to see low quality scans done by a half-baked team. Horrid editing, terrible typesetting, atrocious translations and an abominable feel to the overall chapter is one thing that I avoid like the Black plague.
I do appreciate the fact that a fellow manga reader has converted from a leecher to a contributor, truly I am. But if you produce such a horrible product, you would either have to buck up and get more experience and get a few experienced people on the team or go back to being a leecher.
I don't want my eyes to be tainted by LQ stuff.
Someone might happen to stumble upon my site and be affronted by my flamming, but I'm not pointing fingers to anyone and I do reserve the right to say it, since I do contribute.

Second, it's a sense of passion and pride. I like doing it, and I take pride in my work.
It's practically pointless to do something without those two attributes.

For those leechers who are looking to join any scanslating groups, I suggest that you apply for a group that has been around for 3 years or more.
They have experienced staffs who are willing to help you with any problems and you might even get to learn new tips and tricks from them.
If you're a newbie in the whole scanslating scene, ask for help; they won't bite.
Most scanslating teams offer training to newbies, since extra help is always appreciated and welcomed.
I'm forever grateful to the staff in Entropy for teaching me things I previously was oblivious about and the experience that came with it.

With this, I end my post.
I hope that a leecher happened to stumble across this and takes the initiative to help a group.
What's the point of hording your skills? Set it free and show the world what you can do!
Then, you can control the masses of rabid otaku like me! XD

Changes

I dunno.

I've 'reconnected' with most of my primary (or elementary school, if you want to 'Westernize' the term) mates via Facebook.
They've changed, a whole lot.
I guess people do change, even when terms like 'a leopard can't change its spots' comes to mind.

I don't know what they'd say if they see me at the reunion. (If there is one, that is.)
They'd probably comment on my appearance.
Hey, it's not my fault that my hair color is a genetic problem; I didn't ask for it.
I'm more brunette than I was.
And then there's my English, which makes me more 'banana' in their eyes.
Well, who really cares.

Oh yeah...I've got another round of wallpaper to show!
Hehe...

This one is kinda nice.


One for the Naruto fans.


Oo, I love this one!


I like this one, too. The clock adds a nice touch.


This one is just cute.


This is suits me more. I love black.


This one looks like the one I found before. This one is Vocaloid while the other one was from 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！


This one isn't bad either. And I love the MP3!


A forum poster had this one, but I didn't know that I could actually find it.


This is is for 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 fans who love Nagato Yuki. (I know you're out there...)


And last but not least, something for the Final Fantasy fans.
I love her gloves. I wonder where I could get one...

That's it for now.
I think these wallpapers will last me for another say...two months?
I like collecting them, but I'll only use a few that I really like.
Most of them have dark background so that it doesn't hurt my eyes when I'm staying up late on the computer.

I'll go flip through my Math book now.
The finals start tomorrow and I have to be there at 12 just for the MS scope class.
*sigh*