The spring, the sun; and breathe

Small version of Kidd, also posted on the Livejournal community. Now that term is over (it was actually over a week ago, but I had a tutorial during the first week of vacation) I can finally afford some time to breathe and relax again. Not to mention draw to my heart's content!

But who knows how long this bout of freedom will last for; I have another deadline next week, alongside a whole bunch of thesis revisions to make before this academic year is over. Ooh, and exam readings and preparations.

Summer in Autumn

Today's product; the first image drawn since my dissertation was submitted (a couple of weeks ago). Don't really know what came over me; suddenly felt a lack of motivation to draw anything. So here is a rough sketch of Ue (left), Aein (right) and the TeaR (front, name short for Tea Rabbit).

An image of Blithe, drawn in July. Just playing with perspective, and there will be more sketches like these later.

Strange design for a headdress. Not really a finished design, but because I started this in July and just picked it up again, I'll just redraw it in another sketch.

Blithe; outfit study.

Drawing of Kidd from Soul Eater, from several months ago. Haven't designed the outfit yet, though I assume it would be a suit per usual. Read the recent chapters, and can't believe how slowly the plot is moving. New characters are introduced (which is fine), but there hasn't been any real character development with the existing cast.

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Can't believe how quickly time flies; Autumn has officially begun (that was a crappy Summer...what happened to the promised sunshine?) and the skies are gray and dreary. Primary and Secondary students are back in school already, but the rest of us in college is just enjoying life. Not like we had much time to enjoy the Summer; too busy writing dissertations and other essays to have fun (though to be fair, we did have one or two golden moments). The results come out tomorrow....eurgh.

Friends have been leaving town (the programme was only a year long, and many or going back to their home countries to work), but I am excited about the upcoming freshers week; potential to corrupt new minds. But the downside is that, for the friends that are staying for another year, they need my help with moving houses. Normally I wouldn't mind (if it were for one or two people), but it has gotten to the point where I am just sick of it.

At first, my grumpiness stemmed from the fact that I managed to move all my stuff to my new room by myself. But my opinion changed after seeing how much crap these friends accummulate within the year; at that point I knew they definitiely needed outside-help. I had one suitcase of clothes, a medium box of books and miscellany, one small wheely suitcase, and several small boxes (water kettle, shoes, bike helmet, other gifts I acquired this year). But for these friends, we're talking multiple suitcases (big and small), dozens of boxes, and large bags of other stuff. Cripes, its one thing to live comfortably in college through having personal belongings, it is another to literallybring your entire room overseas.

Oh, speaking of moving rooms, I recently moved into a private housing (since my college situation is a little iffy right now). Not a bad place (and the rent is cheaper), but my flatmate seems to prefer...living alone. As in 'avoid social contact' with me. Which works fine with me, seeing how I'm not a fan of awkward small-talk in the corridors anyways. Eh, maybe things will improve later this year.

Procrastination Blues

After a couple of days (more like a week) of procrastination, socializing, and endless bar visits, I can say that my brain is on the verge of a meltdown. (Which might explain why I drew such a wonky picture....it really wasn't supposed to turn out this way at all. In fact, I started by drawing Maka. I have absolutely no control over my hand today.) Nonetheless, this is the first picture in months. Months....since easter break, before revision and exams really took up all of my time.

So the partying has died down a bit, but now my friends are moving away for the summer (and some are bound never to return) so a bunch of good-bye gatherings are to be expected. And it is also the time of year for disappointments; where students find out what grades they get (we get ours this coming Friday), realize that they don't have enough money for tuition next year (and hence have to drop out of school), or find out that their academic dreams are dashed because of personal problems.

Yes, I've encountered some crying friends recently. And no, I have no idea how to cope with such moments. I know its not about me, but it really is difficult to find a suitable way to comfort someone when they're crying their eyes out. Should I give them a hug? Or do what I was taught to do since I was a kid, and leave them to their own devices? Well, hopefully there will only be good news after these few weeks.

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On a brighter note, I'm going to head to Norway for a couple of days. How delightful it is to realize that I don't need a Schegen (is this how I spell it?) visa to travel around Europe...I suppose that is when my passport really comes in handy. But before the summer travels begin, must write my dissertation, and enjoy a few more days of sunshine and snoozing in the grass....

...and then there is the more difficult task of avoiding people I don't want to see in town. Of course, not that there is anyone I absolutely hate, but there is this one girl where each time I come close to thinking she is a decent human being, would just go out and try to prove me wrong. She would do things like i)being an hour late or not showing up for meetings ii)act slightly antagonistically when others contradict her points iii)sometimes lie about the most random things. It is partially my fault that she thinks we're absolutely 'best friends', since I wasn't persistent enough (like the other people who she knows) in trying to create some social distance....maybe the best solution is just to avoid her in general.

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PS: thanks to Ancode for the post-exam well-wishes!

April Blues

Blithe in uniform; rough draft. I like this sort of uniform (and had one like it back in grade school), and I'm still not set on the colour scheme. I do like her stockings though....

Kidd at the seaside....I drew this soon after I returned from my seaside weekend wander. It was most delightful, and I guess I had so much fun because I had no expectations from it whatsoever. The beautiful weather helped a lot as well. Not really sure why I gave him longer hair, but it matches him...

Young Kidd wanting a lift. Drawn soon after the series ended; I'm terrible at drawing children.

Illustration of the moment: Kidd in a strange outfit I drew this evening. Those circles remind me on Eibon/Noah's technique

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Must get back to reading and work. Am feeling super unproductive this vacation; the fact that my other classmates are all working doesn't help at all. I feel terrible about not working, but then I don't feel like working because I'm feeling so terrible...cycle of death.

I'm also resting; after donating blood this week, I was foolish enough to immediately ride a bike and almost ended up losing my mind in the middle of the street. Moment of spasticity indeed. Luckily I managed to get to a bench, sit and sweat it out for 10 minutes or so, and then walk back home. Thought about asking for help from the people around me, but I didn't have enough energy to do so/ didn't want to bother anyone and admit to my stupidity. But it was alright; no one seems to have noticed my condition (half dead, flopped over my bike, sweating in freezing conditions) so I was left to my privacy. Or should I be worried that no one offered help...?

Scribbles IV

Death the Kidd with mask and hairpiece...wanted to draw something like this for a while, but never mustered up the energy. It takes longer to draw this than if I were to draw and colour an image (such as the one below).

Aein, rolling (apparently faceless) dice.

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So I went to London on earlier this week, and despite seeing people from my old school and catching up on their current affairs, I regretted going so far from home. My shoulder is aching, and I can feel the early flu symptoms (it was bloody cold, the wind was strong). Not to mention I got carded at Sainsburys from buying alcohol for the people I was seeing. It really was one of those days where I wanted to spend it alone.

A pet peeve; just because my parents can pay my tuition does not mean they're rich. It doesn't mean I am rich (need I mention my part-time jobs and scholarships throughout my undergrad years?). It just means my parents saved up over the years to pay, by cutting back on a lot of things in the family. We didn't get the newest technological gadgets; we didn't have annual vacations to far away destinations. Affording the tuition doesn't mean I'm some spoiled child who doesn't know anything about the world. Oh course, one should take comments like that from ignorant and small-minded people in moderation, and just deal with it...

...damn I'm pissed. Hate it when people presume they know the sort of things we go through.

Scibbles

A quick doodle whilst I'm waiting for my salmon steak to cook in the kitchen :D yum. I'm not very good with backgrounds, though I must admit my backgrounds aren't normally as crappy as the one here in the image. Today is another beautiful Sunday full of sunshine and blue skies, but decided to spend most of the time indoors (asides from a brief moment where I went out to buy groceries.)

Now I have to think of my summer dissertation topic, and begin reviewing my old notes from the first two terms; exam prep should start soon. At first the intent was to revise today, but then my supervisor is right about taking some time off, feel refreshed, and then tackle the task. Which is why I'm also writing on this blog again.

Alrightio, just got back from the kitchen with my delicious salmon steak with carrots, potatoes, and rice. (No, it is not a weird combination.) Took me four tries to cook the fish to decency (not aiming for perfection here, just edibility); for the longest time I could figure out why the oil was turning brown before the fish was cooked, and why the fish was getting burned and yet the inside was still pink. As first I figured it must have something to do with my timing (when I pour in the oil, when I drop the fish); of if I distributed the oil evenly in the pan; or whether the water content in the fish was throwing me off; of if the nature of the fish meat itself was problematic (it had expired a couple of days ago). It was a puzzle that drove me a little insane for a week. Then my mum tells me that maybe, just maybe, I left the heat on a setting that was too high....such a simple solution.

Just going to dump a few random thoughts I had throughout the term:

-had a conversation with some friends the other afternoon, and one of them were so adamant about her preference for 'classical music' because it was so 'cultured'. Made some of us around her feel like barbarians just from mentioning 'rock music' around her. She's a nice girl really, but with a competitive streak that seems to be applied to everyday settings (think: competitive in terms of colleges, school work, life achievements, personal hobbies, etc). As for myself, I do like classical music; but I wouldn't actively go out their concerts, or buy their CDs. The music sounds nice, but I just don't understand it. More of an alternative rock/pop person here. Not going to force myself to like something just to make myself seen 'smarter'.

-I wish I were a more interesting person. I don't need a more interesting life (because I've had a fairly eventful one so far....lived through the lives of others) but if only I were good at conversations or knew what awesome things to say. Such a people pleaser....boo

-still don't understand the phenomenon known as 'children'. They lack appeal. How discombobulating.

It is going to take some time before I remember everything I want to say, so the rest will be posted next time. Off to get cleaned up, and then for an evening inside a theatre (the rare occasion I actually venture outdoors at night.)

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Still watching Soul Eater; the anime is surprising so far (walking cities...), but it keeps the plot interesting and unpredictable. The manga this month is also lovely but it was very much a build-up chapter; plot was moving, but to nowhere in particular. Grr. The art style makes up for it though. A little disspointed that Excalibur is on the cover of volume 14, since it would have been fitting for Kid to be on it instead....

Shikabane Hime: Aka was a good watch up until the antagonist were properly introduced; then started taking issue with the character designs, and plot holes, and the "what, why the heck did that just happen" moments. Stopped watching Gundam 00 since they started introducing new characters to be killed, and the story in Regios is moving so slowly... same goes for Jigoku Shoujo (it took around 20 episodes before the heroine realizes something was up with herself....even though we knew that was the case from the credits since episode 1.)

I complain too much.

Return!

So I'm finally free from this term! Essays, readings, and other assignments can be put on hiatus for...a day before I need to star revision. I haven't updated the blog in a while, but hopefully the tweets should give people an idea how spastic the weeks have been. I even had a presentation this past Wednesday, and totally bombed (1700 words were coughed out in 5 minutes.)

I've also went through a severe rut during 5th week-- I sort of lost all idea how to have conversations with people. Started to lose all motivation for socializing and meeting people....and reverted to becoming the socially awkward oddball. Alas.

Just went to have lunch with friends, and one of them got their wallets stolen....I don't really know what to say about that. On one hand, it's not surprising; but then again, should it happen in such a small town?

Frills and Smiles

So I went for a snow fight on Thursday, feeling like a gleeful rebel when I put my tutorial essay off until a few hours before deadline. Except, it meant going into my tutorial the following day feeling super embarrassed after I realized my essay was littered with typos. ARGH; I don't normally make typos, and knowing that I did....so shameful. But I have a record of making crappy essays during week 3-4, so who knows what I'll churn out this upcoming week.

Proposal still not done, but making progress.

At least the new chapter for Soul Eater will be coming out soon, so there will be something to distract me from working again. But here is a picture of Kidd in...something I don't know. I just thought of it all the sudden and decided to draw tonight (despite the readings that need to be...er....read.)

Illust and Scribbles

Kidd with long hair....I think it'll suit him! Anyways, just another skin-toning exercise using Open Canvas. Can't wait until the new chapter comes out in Feburary....

'Niu' year...terrible pun, but won't damper the New Year festivities (which were virtually missing from where I am right now). Of course, just for superstition's sake I went out and bought some clementines (pronounced 'gum' in Chinese, which is the same sound for 'gold'...hence associated with wealth). I asked my family for my New Year predictions, and basically they said anything could happen. Which is what happens every single year anyways, so what they said wasn't very helpful at all.

But you can't go wrong if you work hard and head towards your goal! Ahh, I wish I had some good old Turnip cake right now....

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Blithe Bauhinia, random study.

A study of (longhair!) Kid, part of another image I am drawing of him right now.

Maka and Soul (the first time I drew him! Took forever). Sorry if the quality of the last two scribbles were a tad fuzzy, but I drew them in super-light colours on Open Canvas and getting them into JPG format (and adjusting the contrast) meant degrading the quality quite a bit.

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Another unproductive weekend. Spent 4 hours staring at two chapters, and I'm not even sure if I absorbed everything I read in those. I suppose my day didn't start off great; I did all the grogecy shopping I needed to do, but then I ran into a bunch of Asian student tourists at the Chinese Supermarket. I don't mind tourists under most circumstances, but when you're in a queue carrying a bag of rice (yes, an entire bag, a very heavy bag), you don't really have the patience to appreciate 6 Asian girls cutting in front of you just because one of their friends had a spot in front of you. There were no apologies, nothing (not even a smile-- those girls stared at me like I was a monster or something). After they were all outside the store, I finally paid for the rice and left to get my bike (back at the city centre graveyard), when the entire bloody road in front of me was blocked by the same group of tourists. Taking. Photos. Gr.

I actually had to walk around the entire tourist group by stepping onto the traffic road, and hoped I wouldn't get run over by angry drivers. I was a fool to go to the Chinese supermarket on Saturday....

Eurgh, I've been making a fool out of myself during tutorials nowadays. Because I no longer have a tutorial partner, it means I have to actually talk to the supervisor now; not that there is any problem with that (since the man is very nice), but I could never articulate my answers properly. I write an essay, but then I forget what I wrote a day after I hand it in.....that is appalling. My supervisor would say that I made a good point in the essay, and I'll be sitting there saying "what did I write again? Did I write that?"

And as for the research proposal, I'm having to revise it right now (causing me endless woes, believe me). But then I'm very confused with the process; not with the bureaucratic aspect of the application itself, but what my (potential) supervisor meant the last time we met. Was it a 'yes' or 'no' with the supervising business? I feel like there is some miscommunication going on....not a great start. I'm very worried...

...which resulted in me losing sleep a couple of nights this week. And since I wake up at 7am daily, it means by 4pm I'm a sinking ship. Felt terrible about showing up to the pub-meet looking like I got ran over by a bus, and not being energetic enough to sustain a conversation with anybody. Why is it so easy for me to create awkward situations in social gatherings? It's like I have a knack for it....of all the 'skills' in the world to have....

24 hour Review (image heavy!)

Waking up in the morning to see the frost-covered ground...apparently it has never gotten this bad during this time of the year before. The Big Chill really is here!

Tragically, my birthday present for myself is a pair of shoes to wear for the exams in June....yes, I bought myself a pair of exam shoes for my birthday. Because I'm the epitome of positive thinking during all festive occasions. Do excuse the crazy socks, I would have taken them off for the photo except my feet were bloody cold.

The canal was frozen; we could even see the rubbish at the bottom of the river bed. You wouldn't have guessed that people threw their bicycles in there...and there is no way to lift that out of the water since it was encased in solid ice.

The Meadows, with a thin layer of frost. It made the entire landscape that much more difficult to walk on....it was like wearing hiking boots and being made to walk of concrete. For over 40 minutes.

The pub we went to from the walking trail; took 40 minutes to get here and another 40 to get back, but it was worth it. I can't imagine another pub where the environment was so tranquil and the scenery so nice. Probably would have been better in sunnier weather, but drinking hot chocolate under gray skies made the entire day an walk seem worthwhile.

All in all, my birthday was great. Though I'm still not happy about growing up and getting older.
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Edel and Blithe

Kidd, in a drawing I did during the Summer 2008. It's half-inked, but I don't know if I really want to finish it off. Probably will, since I started it already, but I'll make some minor adjustments for the parts in pencil. This is one of the rare moments I still use traditional media to draw with; it's open canvas all the way now!

Was listening to the song as I was drawing, hence a semi-crazed-looking Kidd (with long hair!). The song was 'My Delirium', and it's damn catchy.

This is the image I most likely will ink on Open Canvas and colour. Started off as a simple doodle of Aein, but then I decided it might look nice if I added some extra stuff here and there..the reason behind the phrase on the bottom will be explained later.

Blue to Grey

Kidd and an unknown hand. I'll let anyone guess whose it is, because I have no idea.
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Asides from referring to my mood, the title also refers to the local weather. Blue skies are gone, and here are the grey skies of...who knows? I can't tell if that is snow or not. It is as though we're living under someone who is shaking their head and has a huge dandruff problem (the flakes are so small and thin that it looks like like skin....less disgusting than it sounds). The weather had warmed a little, and just after they fixed the heater by switching it off for entire days.

So it is my birthday tomorrow, and I'm feeling mellow about the whole ordeal. I even turned down an invitation to another friend's event just to hole up inside my room and avoid all human contact. And it doesn't help that my friend who promised to take me on a nature walk to a restaurant tomorrow is not answering the text message I sent...so I assume she's busy and won't make it tomorrow (ever the pessimist). I don't need presents, I just need some human company. On the bright side, if I do stay in college I might get some work done.

I need to get some grocery shopping done anyways. This has been a fairly hectic week, with the fridge breaking down and the cleaners having to throw away half my food (why would they keep the chicken meat but toss the vegetables if the fridge breaks down? Wouldn't the meat spoil first?). And then the Sainsburys Local cashier lady was awfully mean, telling me to "pay attention" (its a long story to explain, but I was pretty much dragged into it unwillingly). I don't mind the reprimand if it wasn't so condescending...or if it was justified. So now I'm having a personal boycott from the Sainsburys Local next to the cemetery, but there is the Sainsburys at Westgate.

Scribbles II

Kidd and Black Star together, another pose study. I couldn't think of another set of characters to put in their stead here....maybe Maka and Soul? But I started drawing Kid already, and I didn't want to change the character halfway through an image because it makes the end product look sort of weird...

Kidd; go snowboarding!

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So tired; I've been having trouble getting up in the mornings. Something about the cold weather that makes you want to cocoon inside your blankets for half a day. The weather here has improved a tad, though there is still not enough sunshine....one can tell when one's sunjar refuses to light up at night despite being placed next to the window the entire day. I've actually managed to start my proposal, but the more I read the more confused I get over the research question and I I feel as though everything is one big mess.

Hopefully I'll sort that out before term starts in a week....I wish I could work at night, but I tend to get sidetracked by alot of things....like drawing and catching up with BBC news. Must spend my friday reading and in the library cleaning up the proposal, since Saturday is the dreaded day and I won't have time to do anything academic then...curses.

Adios, Colour in Life

Death the Kidd, in an outfit of my own design. Probably one of the last fully-coloured pieces (hence the title) I will be submitting for a while, since it is seriously time to start working again. Got another bout of reading done, and was going to head to the library only to find that it was TOO COLD OUTSIDE...so I scampered back into my room to take refuge under the blankets on my chair. Yes, I had to wear five layers plus wrap a blanket around me to keep warm inside my room. I hate to think what would have happened if I ventured out to Marks and Sparks to buy salmon...whilst biking (wind chill!)

The heater isn't working, and it is winter in the UK. What great timing.

Another pet peeve: the people in my building are returning after the break, and the kitchen was left in utter chaos. The right cooker was left covered with oil (I didn't know, so the moment I switched it on the entire thing started smoking), and the left cooker is sort of wonked up so it started beeping like crazy when I was halfway through cooking my curry dish. I ended up having to run upstairs to use the other kitchen instead.

And why do men leave the toilet seat UP after using them? Especially in places where the toilers are co-ed and we all have to share?

HAPPY 2009 partie 2

Tomorrow: Sainsbury trip, need those potatoes and toilet paper rolls. Then WORK. Must work! Must motivate self to work and not doodle all the time! It is now a day and a half after the new year, and I must say that I've been getting readings done. Not as much as I ought to have (I'm only doing 100pages/day), mind you, but still getting something accomplished is better than nothing. But none of those matter when there are still essays to sort out ;___;

But still not motivated enough to start on tutorial essay and proposal......eurgh. Must work up the energy tomorrow....that is, if I wake up tomorrow at all. I've had such erratic sleep habits for the past week...eurgh. Really can't work up the energy to form coherant sentences anymore.

ARGH I just realised that my friend's birthday is tomorrow....another friend's birthday four days later....and my birthday soon (really, really soon) after that....and then another friend's birthday....and from that point on there is a birthday every other day. Cluster babies, I say, cluster babies. Our parents did this on purpose.

HAPPY 2009!

First image to kick start the year! Just a rough doodle of Blithe, Edel and Aein. Spent my countdown inside the college pub, and no one knew when the countdown actually was, but we did it anyways and sang Auld Lang Syne nonetheless (except the person leading the song vanished half-way through, and we all got lost eventually....)

But I was delightfully surprised to wake up in the morning, seeing how I slept at 3am. But waking up and getting out of bed are two different things, and since it was minus 2 outside (I could see the frost on my bike from my room window...and every leaf covered with a layer of ice) and the heating doesn't work inside (nor does the corridor lights....or my room lights....or the toilet closest to my room....or one of the kitchen cookers.....), what else was I supposed to do? Brave the cold? Mind you, I just got better from my flu, so do excuse if I'm reluctant to chance illness again....

I don't really have any New Year's Resolutions, but I suppose I could motivate myself to finish my proposal, make a few more friends, play nice in college....or not. I suppose I could drop a pound or two, but in this cold weather I feel like having an extra inch of blubber might actually save my life. Bah, no point in being so ambitious; plus, no one really sees their resolutions through for more than a week or so. So for now, I'll just say....I'll do some work, and get things done. Once again, two very different things.

Happy New Year everyone!

(Now I'm off to puzzle out why there is salt on my Sainsbury Bourbons.....it's making my tea taste funny)
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Aein; pose experiment

Random character, random pose with dress

Kidd, in what was supposed to be balloon trousers but turned out looking more like a skirt... see the recurring poses? I'm trying to test their contexts and weight :D

Countdown to the New Year

I just spent the entire weekend playing Mario Kart wii at my friend's house, eating good food and celebrating a late-Christmas the way it is supposed to be spent (in other words, doing nothing productive at all). I'm now completely addicted to the game, and after returning to my college I started dreaming of karting last night (dreams of karting right off the Rainbow Road...curse you, impossible course!). Of course, sweet victory tastes better when you're connected to the wifi mode and beating other real people elsewhere in the world...

But I'm feeling rather down after leaving my friend's house-- it felt like I could be living that sort of life (in a nifty house full with techno gadgets, close to the train station for London, having a flexible routine for work and free-time) that if I didn't have school, and if got myself a job and earned enough money to rent a house and find nice flatmates to share it with. It's the ultimate way of life for people in our age group! To be relatively carefree and settled...

...I'll cheer myself up by sampling all those chocolates I bought from Montezuma's in London.

A scribble of Kidd in Venetian dress-- not sure if I'm going to ink and colour this one (and yet I have a colour scheme in mind), but I might if I have time. This is going to be a quiet week, since the rest of my college friends left for home and no new anime episodes for my favourite series are going to be aired. I guess I should get working on my proposal and essays.....eurgh.

Get Ready for 2009!

On one hand, I'm eager to be spending some time with my friends in London. On the other, I don't feel like walking out to the bus station at 7:35am (just because I don't want to have to park my bike next to the cemetery for three whole days....one of my friends got her bike stolen there before). Ah well, better call it a night and get some snooze-time in....before waking up at the appalling hour of 6:55am. Tragic. At least the SunJar (my one and only Christmas present this year) will make my evening relatively amusing....

Happy Holidays

Well, 2008 is drawing to a close; and what a year it has been. Good things (Obama, my graduate school placement, undergraduate graduation) and bad things (world economy, Summertime illnesses) have happened, but let's just all look forward to 2009 coming right around the corner. As for myself, I reckon I'll be staying indoors or going to the college pub to celebrate the new year...I'm past the days of going out for a countdown in crowded areas. My health and my level of sleepiness does not permit me to wander far from home after 11pm....

Scribbles II

Kidd from Soul Eater (I left the three stripes off from his hair because I wanted to add those on computer instead)

Katsura from Gintama (Zura or Zurako?)

More Kidd from Soul Eater....might actually get around to inking and colouring this one later

Winter Break

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but things have been very busy. Work, term travels, etc etc. I just got back from Italy (photo above of Venice...a long story) a week ago, and I am pleased to be back inside my apartment room. Our travel group was literally bombarded with water from rain and....the acqua alta (high water), the annual foe of Venice. A good thing I brought rainboots (because we really had to use them in the duration of our stay), but unfortunately the others in the group didn't bring any sort of water preparation. So eventually most of us got sick, and I even had to bail out for a portion of Rome (top photo) because of the flu....

...and lets just say I almost got a stomach ulcer from the trip. It was fun, but navigating around (especially in Venice!) drove me crazy. And after hearing those flood alarms in Venice, I doubt my mind will be calm for a while...I think that was the first time I've been exposed to a siren (excluding fire alarm drills and earthquake drills). And it was especially not fun to have a map in hand when all I wanted to do is use both hands and grab my throbbing head to stop it from exploding. My fever was terrible, I finished off half the box of medication in one night. There was probably some limit as to how many pills I can take in 24 hours, but I decided to see if more medicine= speedy recovery (I must put a disclaimer here and say that no one should be as stupid as I...always follow the instructions! I just got lucky this time).

Alot of things during the trip annoed me, and I felt it was inappropriate to voice them out during travelling (plus, it wasn't as though my companions didn't have tensions between them, so if I said anything it would have made things worst). Now that I've been in the presence of others for 7 days straight, I've decided to spend Christmas and Boxing Day alone. All alone in my room, just enjoying the silence.

Just spent Christmas Even eating curry and going online. And doing alot of reading.
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Death the Kidd in a simplified version of a Venetian dress (what is with me putting him in dresses all the time?)...I really haven't drawn anything in ages! I recently read the latest chpater of Soul Eater, and I can't believe Kidd got swallowed up like that-- now we have to wait until January to find out what happens. The anime is also progressing along nicely, and the plot is starting to deviate from the manga story-line...so now I'm just curious to see how they end everything. Only about another 20 episodes to go!

Still catching up on Xam'd (animation quality still going strong!) and some Gundam 00 (this season seems less interesting than the previous one, but that is just a personal thought). I've pretty much given up on Jigoku Shoujo (given up since season 1)...