- i didn't know that they improvised in the sea -

currently listening to - Lobet
mood - not that good

had intensive choir training today.

it started at 10am. and ended at 6pm. 1 hour lunch break in between. and i survived.

the main schedule of the day was, to learn 2 new songs for our annual December concert, and an overall run-through for all the songs that we've learn this term.

sounds quite easy maybe. but this is actually a summary of what we did. to explain in details, it would be... voice training at the beginning, then we're separated into our voice groups (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) to head for our own training spots. as for alto, we learnt the 1st half of the 1st song in classroom A, had an ensemble with all other voices for the 1st half of the song at the hall; learnt the 1st half of the 2nd song in classroom B, had an ensemble for it at the hall; lunch break; learnt 2nd half of the 1st song in classroom A, ensemble at the hall; 2nd half of the 2nd song in classroom B; ensemble at the hall....... to top it all, the hall, classroom A and B are all at different places, so we had to sprint once every section was over (we're given only 5 minutes each to move between training spots).

why did we, members of Chor Kleines, have to be so ----- should i say, pathetic ----- when we can actually take a better alternative (if we can't stay in the hall all the time): get classrooms that are actually closer to the hall, and assign only ONE classroom per voice group god dammit. i would lmao, if the reason is coz "you can't use a classroom for more than 90 minutes". hah.

but the run-through was nice. we sang a total of..... 8 songs? of various languages and genres. swedish, german, latin, english (jazz) and of course, japanese. 2 of the songs are for the annual competition, and the rest, our concert.

i personally found the song Samayoeru Esutoniajin (..... The Wandering Estonian???) a brilliant song. it's complicated - it's separated into 8 voices (soprano A, B, alto A, B.. and so on) each of the voices singing different melodies (almost all the time), a lot of sharps and flats (oops technical terms sorry..), and it's fast. and it's funny - it begins with "Furaingu~ Dacchiman~.... Dewanai!" (That's no flying dutchman). the ending is grand and it felt like some song for a movie's ending credits.............. lovely...

until they spoilt it by having the "First-year Arm-wrestling Contest". well, personally, i didn't like it... what do you expect? i'm a KIASU person who dislikes any games/sports which i might lose in. then again, it was separated into Girls Section and Boys Section, so i decided not to back out like i always do (had bad memories arm-wrestling with guys. we did that in cheerleading, and my macho senior purposely lost to me just because i'm of the weaker gender. that was humiliating. i'd rather him win against me fair and square).

and i regretted. made it to top 8 without much effort, me being the last alto standing (dammit soprano's are strong). then i saw 2 of the qualifiers whom i didn't wanna duel. one of them is my closer soprano friend, she's slender and fit, and tall, and she trains her biceps and all at the gym. the other one's short, a conductor-wannabe, looks snobbish and likes to show off (she sings during meals, and dances in front of the mirror as though she's in a disco club, even though no one noticed her. but that's prolly coz i'm prejudiced). and it so happened my next opponent was the latter.

all i could remember before making it to top 4, was her screaming "No! I don't wanna lose to HER! I don't wanna lose to HER!!" and she fought tooth and nail to keep the tip of her knuckles off the table. deep inside my heart, i could hear myself screaming the same words too. i really don't like competing with persistent people, being a real persistent person myself (well, sometimes), coz they're the ones who make me feel kiasu.

in the end i backed out at top 4 by losing to my next opponent, partly because my whole right arm was aching from the previous "battle".

and i'm sure i'll have a hard time communicating with her if i ever meet her in person again.

- why must like that? -

currently listening to - taishou "a" (anNina)
i feel - wet

'coz of the sweat.

ooh it rhymes..

went to the National Diet Library for the 1st time.. registered as a member and tried borrowing books and stuff in there. and i thought....

mendokuseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

first of all it's a closed-stack library. which means you cannot search for books by yourself. you need to search through the computers (they call it the OPAC system, the very same system that we use in my university), apply books through the computers, and get the books from the counter. the thing is, each person can only borrow 3 books at once (6 if the books are related, eg. 6 Jump magazines of different dates). plus, the rental counters are separated into the magazine section and the books section, which are not so close to each other. because the library's FREAAAAAKKKING huge.

here's another problem: you can't borrow the books OUT OF the library. because a lot of them are out-of-print books and they're treated as "treasures".

so photocopying counters are set in each section. again, because a lot of the books are "rare stuff", the photocopying fee in this library isn't usual. although the librarians will photocopy for you very neatly and nicely, it costs you 25 yen per page. black and white. by the way self-servicing in family mart only costs 10 yen per page. a shop near tokodai charges only 6 yen.

yeap. real library. reminds me of the one that i saw in fullmetal alchemist, where people have private rooms and they can stay overnight in there.. i wish i could do that someday... though bunking in the library isn't my hobby.

nevertheless it's an interesting place to go. i tried a 800-page, 3 inches thick, hard-cover Yubiwa Monogatari, and gave up after flipping 2 pages of the prologue. pages covered with katakana writings of Furodo Baginsu, Gandarufu, Aragorun and more were such a fun sight, but i'd prefer the original english one. then someone was scrutinizing some comic magazines, so i suspected this place doesn't only hide censuses, classified information and dirty little secrets of national leaders (just joking i didn't mean it).. but also loads of manga! and i proved myself right because i found the complete collection of Higurashi (+Kai).

apparently there's a branch library in Kyoto but i've not been there before.

*****

so, back to the title. (eh?)

been reading Zombie-Loan. a manga by the very same author of Rozen Maiden. why? i don't know. just felt like reading it. another typical boy-manga i.e. it has the "human and demon" theme and it's all about fighting (and a bit of humorous moments). so what's it about? zombies. who are the main characters? zombies. who are they killing? zombies. there you go, easy as that.

but there are things that i don't understand..

why is it that when the gang goes to the hot springs they have to play PING-PONG after bathing? hint hint: Fruits Basket. Yuki vs Kyo. and that something will definitely happen in the hot springs (hint hint: Ramna 1/2) and the gang will encounter something they've least expected (or maybe not..)?? hint hint: Yami no Matsuei. okay maybe it's such a common thing to happen in japan but i didn't see any ping-pong tables (coz i didn't look around) nor peeping guys nor werewolves (or any of that sort) when we gaijin were in the onsen.

and then you see the girl wandering off into the memories of the guy. and she sees his past. and she makes a promise with the guy in his past, before she's swept back to the future. hey haven't i seen this somewhere? Howl's Moving Caslte? and i'm sure i saw this in Chrno Crusade as well. nah, i haven't tried straying into somebody else's memories before though.... i'm not as great as Paprika you see.

however, things seem to be connected if you realise. back then i was thinking of Schrödinger's cat while reading Higurashi: Kai. and there it is.... Tachibana Shito of Zombie-Loan mentioned the very same Schrödinger's cat thing in volume 7. "the number of worlds existing is as mush as the human population in one world," said Rijichou, who's exchanging an intellectual (?) conversation with Shito-kun. it appears that Shito-kun's a chinese too, just like Lee-kun from Darker Than Black.

and to the One Piece fans out there, you know the newest arc of OP has something to do with zombies.

what a strange world..

^ so we have man in the story (he's not main).. ^

^ man sleeping with girl, naked.. ^

^ girl kissing another girl.. ^

^ guy licking another guy.... ^

^ and of course doll-like people.. ^

but the storyline has got nothing to do with anything above!!!!!!

anyways, reading this manga will keep me busy for.. maybe 2 days. or 1. it's time for mass manga shopping again.

*****

1) mendokusai - troublesome/annoying/pain in the ass..
2) Yubiwa Monogatari - The Lord of the Rings

- otaku-ness -

List of anime/manga/light-novels which i have watched/read.
M: Manga, A: Anime, N: Novel.
(Last updated: 4 Aug, 2007)

+ANIMA (M)
12 Kingdoms 十二国記 (also Masei no Ko 魔性の子) (A,N)
3x3 Eyes (M)
Abiru Junjou 浴びる純情 (M)
Ah! Megami-sama ああっ女神さまっ (A)
Ai to Yokubou wa Gakuen de 愛と欲望は学園で (M)
Akachan to Boku 赤ちゃんと僕 (A)
Akazukin Chacha 赤ずきんチャチャ (A)
Akuryou Series 悪霊シリーズ (anime: Ghost Hunt ゴーストハント) (A,N)
Alien 9 エイリアン9 (A)
Araiso Private High School Student Council Executive Committee 私立荒磯高等学校生徒会執行部 (M)
Ayashi no Ceres 妖しのセレス (A)
Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature 大自然の魔獣 バギ (A)
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 幕末機関説いろはにほへと (A)
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Series 美少女戦士セーラームーン (M,A)
Bitter Virgin (M)
Black Cat (A,M)
Black Jack ブラックジャック (M)
Black Lagoon (A,M)
Bleach (M,A)
Blood+ (A)
Blue Dragon RalΩGrad (M)
Boogiepop Series ブギーポップ (N)
Boys Be... (A)
Boys Next Door (M)
Brave Story (A,N)
Bus Gamer (M)
Calling You きみにしか聞こえない (N)
Captain Tsubasa キャプテン翼 (M)
Card Captor Sakura カードキャプターさくら (A)
Cat's Eye (M)
Chrno Crusade (M)
Claymore (A,M)
Code Geass ~Hangyaku no Lelouch~ コードギアス～反逆のルルーシュ～ (A)
Count Cain Series 伯爵カイン (M)
Crayon Shin-chan クレヨンしんちゃん (A,M, and the movies)
Crimson Spell (M)
Cyborg 009 (M)
Cyborg Kuro-chan サイボーグクロちゃん (A)
D.Gray-man (A,M)
Darker Than Black ~Kuro no Keiyakusha~ (A)
Daughter of Iguana イグアナの娘 (drama)
Detective Conan 名探偵コナン (A)
Digimon Series (A)
Doraemon (A,M, and the movies)
Dragon Zakura ドラゴン桜 (drama)
Dragonball Series (M,A)
Eden's Bowy ヱデンズボゥイ(A)
El Hazard Series (A)
Elfen Lied (A)
Flame of Recca 烈火の炎 (A,M)
Fruits Basket フルーツバスケット (A)
Fullmetal Alchemist 鋼の錬金術師 (A,M)
Fushigi Yuugi ふしぎ遊戯 (A,M)
Galaxy Angel (A)
Gantz (M)
Gasaraki ガサラキ (A)
Gatekeepers (A)
Ge Ge Ge no Kitarou ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 (A)
Gedo Senki - Tales From Earthsea ゲド戦記 (A,N)
Gensoumaden Saiyuki Series 幻想魔伝最遊記 (M,A)
Getbackers 奪還屋 (A,M)
Gintama 銀魂 (A,M)
Gokuraku Cafe (M)
Grave of Fireflies 蛍の墓 (A)
Gravitation (A,M)
Groove Adventure Rave (A,M)
Heisei Racoon Wars Ponpoko 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ (A)
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Series ひぐらしのなく頃に (M,A,N)
Houshin Engi 封神演義 (M)
Howl's Moving Castle ハウルの動く城 (A,N)
Hunter X Hunter (A,M)
Infinite Ryvius 無限のリヴァイアス (A)
Inuyasha 犬夜叉 (A)
Jigoku Shoujo Series 地獄少女 (A)
Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu ジャングルはいつもハレのちグー (A)
Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon からくり草子あやつり左近 (A)
Kaze Hikaru 風光る (M)
Kekkaishi 結界師 (A)
Kiki's Delivery Service 魔女の宅急便 (A)
Kino no Tabi キノの旅 (A,N)
Kiseijuu 寄生獣 (M)
Kouga Ninpouchou Basilisk 甲賀忍法帖バジリスク (A)
Kurosagi クロサギ (drama)
Laputa, Castle in the Sky 天空の城ラピュタ (A)
Last Exile (A)
Liberamente リベラメンテ (M)
Lost Universe (A)
Loveless (A,M)
Magic Knight Rayearth 魔法騎士レイアース (A)
Mai-Hime (A)
Metropolis (A)
Millenium Actress Chiyoko 千年女優 (A)
My Neighbour Totoro となりのトトロ (A)
Nabari no Ou 隠の王 (M)
Nana (A, and the movie)
Naruto (A,M)
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind 風の谷のナウシカ (A)
Niea_7 (A)
Nodame Cantabile (A,drama)
Okane ga Nai お金がないっ (M, and the drama CD)
One Piece (M,A)
Paprika パプリカ (A)
Peacemaker Series (A,M)
Piano no Mori ピアノの森 (M)
Pokemon (A,M, and the movies)
Porco Rosso 紅の豚 (A)
Primerose (A)
Prince of Tennis テニスの王子様 (M)
Princess Mononoke もののけ姫 (A)

Ragnarok the Animation (A)
Ranma 1/2 (A)
Royal 17 (M)
Rurouni Kenshin ~Meiji Kenkaku Romantan~ るろうに剣心～明治剣客浪漫譚～ (A,M)
Sakura Wars サクラ大戦 (A)
Samurai 7 (A)
Samurai Deeper Kyo (A)
School Rumble Series (A)
Scryed スクライド (A)
Seirei no Moribito 精霊の守人 (A)
Shadow Skill (A)
Shakugan no Shana 灼眼のシャナ (A,N)
Shaman King (A,M)
Shinobu Kokoro wa (M)
Shissou Nikki 失踪日記 (M)
Shounen Onmyouji 少年陰陽師 (A,N)
Slam Dunk (A)
Sol Bianca (A)
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen 魔術師オーフェン (N)
Spirited Away 千と千尋の神隠し (A)
Stigma (M)
Strange Dawn (A)
Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai! a.k.a Sukisyo! (A,M)
Suzumiya Haruhi Series 涼宮ハルヒシリーズ (N)
Tactics (A,M)
Taiyou no Mokujiroku 太陽の黙示録 (A)
The Cat Returns 猫の恩返し (A)
Togainu no Chi 咎狗の血 (M)
Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo 時をかける少女 (A,N)
Tottoko Hamutarou (A)
Trinity Blood (A,N)

Vampire Princess Miyu 吸血姫美夕 (A,M)
Vandread Series (A)
Vassalord (M)
Weiss Kreuz (A)
Whisper of the Heart 耳を澄ませば (A)
Wild Adapter (M)
Wild Half (M)
Wild Rock (M)

Yakitate!! Japan (A)
Yami no Matsuei 闇の末裔 (A,M)
You're Under Arrest 逮捕しちゃうぞ！ (A)
Young Kindaichi's Files 金田一少年の事件簿 (M)
Yu-Gi-Oh 遊戯王 (A,M)
Yu Yu Hakusho 幽遊白書 (A,M)
Yuunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni 夕凪の街、桜の国 (M)
ZOMBIE-LOAN (A,M)

and the list goes on...... it won't end if i have to include all of the one-shots..
note that some are yaoi.

- namarie -

currently listening to - Golem's Song
feeling - a tad bit tired

headache. after the Lord of the Rings marathon. i realised we need some mental strength to withstand the long extended edition of the 3 movies. The Fellowship of the Ring was fine, coz i've actually watched its extended edition before, some few years ago at my friend's house. as for The Two Towers and The Return of The King.... 4 hours each was LOOOOOONG.

it's the senkei daisuu i'm telling you. been staying in the library solving questions from the many thick encyclopedia-sized math books.. around 2 days per week. for almost a month. because i was told that this subject is the easiest to score full marks and that i must score it. since the calculus one wasn't so examiner-friendly (thank god for the past-year papers from senpais i have clues for the paper though).

however, you will find that hard work do not always pay off. you sit in the exam hall fully prepared, only to realise that there are 4 questions given: i) find the determinant, ii) find c when the set of equations have only one solution, many solutions and no solutions at all, iii) solve the simultaneous equations, iv) find the inverse matrix.

in other words... YOU DON'T HAVE TO STUDY HARD TO GET CREDITS FOR LINEAR ALGEBRA.

arrrrrrghhh....

but to deal with careless mistakes, i solved the "omake" question (v) to get myself some bonus points.

and then we left the exam hall at 10.30am. for home. but who could have guessed that the Yamanote Line stopped (for both directions) because somebody tried to do a Gantz at the Ikebukuro station? ......... for those of you who don't understand.. someone threw himself onto the railway so that the train would hit him and tear him into pieces. but of course it didn't happen. i think. a rescue team was sent to get him out of the railway so that trains could move again.

this is what i heard when i was at Meguro. the southern part of Tokyo. so where was i heading again? Ikebukuro. the northern part of Tokyo. great. lucky enough for me, although i couldn't head back by the Yamanote Line, i could use the alternative Mita Line (which is not within the range of my traveling pass though).

things have not been going well here in Japan. it all started (?) with the death of the Farm Minister and ZARD. then the resignation of the Defense Minister because of the "Hiroshima problem". then the explosion at the Shibuya hot springs, the many fire accidents and killing and cheating.. and then the Niigata earthquakes. in fact i experience small earthquakes in Toyko almost every day recently.

and then the defeat of Abe and the Jimintou in the recent election. probably that's why it drove some supporters into despair and they decided to commit suicide in the train station. even the weather's gone crazy. the rainy season's supposed to be gone and for 2 nights, it's been pouring. sigh.

what am i saying all these depressing stuff.... must be the one ring. off to bed. tadaaaa~

*****

1) senkei daisuu - linear algebra. one of the most important elective science subjects.
2) omake - extra