Yes, I am alive!

- 10:46pm -
Yar. I'm still alive.
It's been over a month since I last made a journal entry. Gotta keep myself updated. My old self will need a lot of things to read about. Missing an entire month will get me wondering.

Anyways, I'll start off with my birthday which was on May 31st. The day before my family had hotpot or whatever. Steampot? I don't know what you call it. Anyway, that was nice. We had really long noodles in the Chinese tradition. You have to suck it all up, not bite. Supposed to represent long life or something like that. It was great. I also got the usual $200 from my parents and a pretty nicely designed card from my sister. She always makes her gifts and cards...oh wait. She didn't for father's birthday and mother's day this year. I guess she's growing up (though she did use my money. >_<;; )
The only bad thing that happened was that my father got a bit unhappy and insulted my mother a bit because she bought a cake that was 90% cream.
My dad still complains about everything and blames everything on everyone else but takes credit for everything. That's him though. I'd bet my life savings he'll never change.

Anyways the day after was a Saturday, which was May 31st. I watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was interesting at times but it just seemed so unbelievable at times. Sure in something like Harry Potter magic and fire-breathing dragons isn't real. But they make it believable. You never at any moment in a movie such as the Harry Potter series think "Hey, this isn't real". But in the Crystal Skull I had too many moments where I was just WTFUXing. The movie didn't capture me.
And throughout the movie I was wondering where I had seen that boy from. Only after reading in a newspaper about him (I think in that free newspaper MX that you pick up at the station) did I realize he was the star in Transformers. The article quoted him saying how hot he was throughout because the lighting was so intense.
And I must say that was another thing I didn't like about the movie. The lighting was FAR too intense at times. It added to the unrealistic feel of it. In one frame Indiana Jones and the boy would be in a room looking at some clues on a peice of paper. The next frame the camera is at a different angle and suddenly the light disappears (probably so you can actually see what is on the paper instead of being blinded by the light). It just seems so unreal.
The window is to their left and a bit back. It is daytime. The ceiling light is not on. Yet, Indiana Jones' head is white with light.
So many inconsistencies too.

Didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped.

I also went to Capitol Square and this time I tried my luck on the Wheel Machines, which I had never played before. Thanks to advice on how the machine works from some people on the SMASH! forums under Plushie Skill Testers (since the machine's instructions are in Japanese) I was able to play without screwing up. I won 2 medium-large Hannari Tofu plushies. One's a Tangarine flavour one and the other is a pink one with a flying carpet. They are love and have added to my ever-expanding collection of Hannari Tofu's. I now have 15!

June 1st was spent watching 21. From the description it seemed like a boring movie. It was.
It's basically about some college genious who is trying to get a scholarship into med at Harvard. He needs money because it looks like he most likely won't get the scholarship. He eventually ends up counting cards at the casinos. Nothing exciting really happens.
Some parts were kinda funny though. Here and there. Rare. The main person that made me chuckle a bit was Choi (that Korean guy). Other than that a lot of the time I was simply uninterested. I don't get excited watching the guy count cards half the time (or learning to count cards).
The very beginning where the main character is riding his bike and the feeling you get from that pretty much sums up the whole movie.

Oh, I won another Hannari Tofu plushie afterwards. It is unfortunately another chocolate Love "For You" Heart-type. I now have 3 of those. So why did I get the 3rd one? Well, mainly because the plushie was so perfectly positioned that I knew I'd get it the first try. I did.

May 14th was my dad's birthday so we held pretty much the same dinner as the one held for me. Steampot/hotpot. It's a nice change from the usual rice with the odd dumplings or lasagne + pasta here and there.

On Uni, I've done especially well in Microeconomics 2. Got high distinction in both mid-session exams. Now only for the finals. I'm hoping I can get a high distinction.
Finals start next Thursday with my FINS3616 at the Uni. The week after I have ACCT2522 on Wednesday, FINS2624 for Thursday and ECON2101 Saturday. Then it's OVER for the next month before Session 2 begins. My greatest concern is FINS2624.
Other than that I should do okay for the other subjects.

OMG, internet connection shaped again!!! 12gb isn't enough for me! T___T

SMASH! Sydney Anime and Manga Show 2008

SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show is back this year on 2nd August at Roundhouse@UNSW from 10am-8pm. It'll be as fun-filled and jam-packed as ever with a whole new stream of panels, events and other goodies waiting to be open.

Guest Artist
SMASH! is inviting Kidchan as our guest artist!! She will be running a few digital workshops on the day and selling her artbook - [i]Muted Colours[/i]. It is a great chance for artists in Australia to meet Kidchan and her original artworks!!
(If you don't know who Kidchan is, shame on you! j/k j/k, just check her dA!)

Art workshops and demos

will be showing us her inking and ink wash techniques *__* She was originally only showing it to but she's now going to show it to everyone *___*!! Don't miss out!

will also show everyone how she draws the lovely SMASH! mascot

Artist Circle
Like I mentioned previously, application for Artist Circle is open and we've already received applications within 3 days of it being open . Due to limited space we can only fit 20 tables this year so book your table before it is booked out !!
Artist Packs and application forms can be found here:
Artist Application

Manga Idol
Manga Idol is a new art competition on stage where artists are asked to complete artworks in 20 - 30 minutes. Join us for a chance to compete with the best of the best!!

Our current participants on stage:




Competitions
There's a whole range of competitions just waiting for your entry into them. Already there's a bunch of pre-event competitions where you prepare your entry before the event. These include Traditional and Digital Art Competitions, SMASH! 2008 Character Design Competition, Animavericks AMV Competition and Fanfiction Competition.
Competition details can be found here:
Traditional & Digital Art Comp
SMASH! 2008 Character Design Comp
Animavericks AMV Comp
Fanfiction Comp


SMASH! 2008 Travelling Artbook
If you are a budding artist, why not consider to contributing to the SMASH! 2008 Travelling Artbook!
The Artbook is a collection of artworks by budding Australian artists from, all over Australia! The Artbook will be auctioned off during SMASH! and proceed will be donated to charity! Yah!
Check it out here:
Travelling Artbook

Yah Hannari!

Yah! I won 2 huge Hannari's at Capitol Square today!

...

That is all!

Ningen CRAZY!

- 8:44pm -
I think that's how you spell 'human' in romanji or something...totally forgot my Year 7 teachings. Human's can be so crazy, including myself.

Let's see:
People constantly get fooled by so much going on in this world. Hey, I might offend some people here, so best not to read on.

Firstly, let me say that although there are some good things about religion, the bulk of religion is just utterly disgusting, and at times hilarious. Although it has become more obvious in recent times with the emergence and (unfortunately) the popularity of sub-sectors of the church such as the Pentecostal church and the huge donations they get from followers.
Also, at times I've had Jehovah's Witness' come to my door every month or so to give me articles...forgot what it was called, but basically about the bible/god/christianity-is-great/etc.

I was already an Atheist, but what upset me a lot was the fact that they quoted the bible as saying something along the lines that other animals were created by God in order to serve humans. There was a lot of that kind of stuff that basically said that humans were practically the center of everything. Center of the universe (until they changed it)/etc.
I just don't like that view. Seems so....human...to think in that way. It's probably why there was a time when we had slaves. The Bible just seems to human to be written by a greater being.
Church's take money from their followers. Their followers give the money to please their God. 'Offerings'. Something that has been going on since ancient times.
But do any of these followers stop for a moment and think of why their God would need these offerings? Why would God, this perfect being, need material goods?
And why is it that the heads of Church bodies always seem to be so well off, even though they don't get paid by anyone? Where do those funds go?

Why has there been a sudden influx of people who can speak to God?
And why can people be rid of their sins simply by confessing and giving some money to those in the church?
Why is it that major wards and acts of violence seem to always stem from God? Every American President has always taken their actions under the name of God; every terrorist has taken their action in the name of God. Own female relatives are killed off in the name of one's religion. People are constantly restricted by religious beliefs. So many people have AIDS in Africa because the Pope does not allow for condoms. Gay people are still looked down upon due to the non-consent of the Pope.

They say most people believe in some sort of religion either due to fear, or a need to be in a community of like-minded people. The first is the fear of death and the fear that perhaps God is real, and he will judge you. All those who don't believe in God end up going to Hell. Nobody wants that, so they join in, even if they never believed in God. With all the doctrines, documents and immense community-oriented prayers and events; people begin to be disillusioned and start to believe.
Others simply due to a sense of needing to be with others. People form parties, guilds, clans, empires in MMORPGs and other online multiplayer games. Why? It's because they want to be with other people, doing things with others/etc. Same with any religion. You've got prayers to your God which you do with a whole heap of other people. You've got walks and huge gatherings; all to bring people together. People feel a sense of being, a sense of importance.
That's how I see it.

And I guess that's why I'm more or less an Atheist, someone who doesn't believe there is a God. For me, there really can't be. Human reasoning says no, there can't be.
What's the point of spending part of your life on Earth praying to God so that you can be accepted into the afterlife? That's just a stupid idea; and would reveal how selfish and arrogant God must be if he truly exists.
Why would God favour those who believe in his existence over others, even though the Bible itself says he doesn't? If that is the case, he should be classified as a super-dictator, taking offerings for his own personal gain, and having prayers every week to heighten his own self-esteem and sense of supremacy.
He would be the worst sinner of all.

That is why I do not believe there is a God out there. He brings too much pain and destruction to this world; and takes away from people without giving anything except for a faint, false sense of something, that someone must feel they are getting from him to continue doing what they do for him.



-----

Next, on a more commercial front I just don't get why so many people use credit cards, when it obviously leads to more debt. Why not just use cash they actually have rather than being indebted to others so easily? Credit cards are also quite insecure.

Then you have those who fall for those rent-an-item deals, or those no-interest-for-this-many-months deals. They always rip you off big time! Especially when it comes to white goods and electronics, things that always decrease in price at a rapid rate. Instead of waiting a month to be able to buy, say, a $100 item, these people accept these rent and interest-free programs; and end up paying $300-$400 for an item that, just a month later could have dropped to $75. And even less over the repayment period. Stupid eh?

Ah well. Just don't fall for those things you guys! Just remember that most things are much cheaper if you pay it all off in one purchase, rather than monthly repayments/etc that include ridiculously high interests.


---------

Watched 10,000BC. Interesting at times; but overall quite boring. Movies just don't seem to be as interesting as they were ages ago. Probably because they are all too similar, and those which aren't are usually just plain boring Australian-made films.

Oh, and quit Wendy's.

And I need monies. Someone give offerings to the great God Khort! I need it more than those other Gods do.

Who am I?

- 8:10pm -
- LAMBO-SAN!!!!

....anyways, started sculpting. YAHZ! Just for fun, I'm doing a Lambo-san from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! YAHZYAHZYAHZ!'

And that's about it. Took me about 4hrs just to finish the basic layout of his head. Though, I think I've done something wrong.
What did I do wrong? Seems to me I didn't set-up the wiring properly. If I stuff this one up, no probs. I'll just make another one with proper wiring this time.

Uni starts tomorrow! Wah, we start tutorials this week already!!!!
And we start forming groups for some assignment projects on our first day; wah. WAH!


@_____@

How to Converse?

- 10:28pm -

Wah, so tired. Work was tiring today. Finished at like, 7:30pm-ish. Of course, I'll only be paid till 6:30pm. Ah well.
I'm going to be quitting soon. Very soon. Will give notice though.
I'm finding it too hard. Some new staff members I just can't stand. Thinking of my Uni life, having one entire day wasted emo-ing from work isn't good for my health.
Wendys is great; but tiring. Not something someone like me can stand working at for very long, especially if some staff members don't do their fair bit and you have to make up for them.
Really appreciate those who work really hard though and don't complain. They rock.

Those who do nothing (hardly anything compared to others) and still complain; are annoying.
...but today I've realised perhaps it's not a good idea to blame them. I don't know anything about them afterall, shouldn't judge a person just on how they work in one job.

Quit.


Okay. Conversation. Conversation is fun; when it involves discussions, arguments/etc on topics such as politics, human thought, world events/etc.

Other than that, the basic rambles seem kinda bland to me.
Boring...

But that's just me. My mind is old, or perhaps others will find it too childish. It's one of the two.

lol@me

- 10:03pm -

lol@me. I bought two pen nibs and a pen holder; but no nib holder thingymabob, the main thing. hahaha. Can't use it. >_< Have to buy the middle part that I'm missing tomorrow. ^^;;

lol@train

- 8:22pm -

Main highlight of the day: Somebody apparently throws himself/herself at the train I was on. Just my luck, since I usually don't catch the train. Should have stayed on the bus.
Bam, we stopped at Wollstencraft.
Train guy on mic reports incident and tells us all to move to the front. Of course, I was listening to my iPod so I didn't hear that, but I knew something was wrong cause we stopped in the middle of nowhere (as far as my part of the train could tell) and soon, everyone was moving towards the front; so I followed suite whilst drawing.

After a long wait, we were allowed off. The front of the train was at the edge of Wollstencraft Station. 4 cops were there, two of which were questioning people, most likely witness' to the incident that were on the platform.

Everyone was turning their heads as they walked past at the front of the train, so I was half-preparing myself for a huge splash of blood all over the front and some guy's dislocated head.
I didn't see anything though. Either that or I wasn't paying attention cause I just sort of looked at it for a second before paramedics jumped down onto the rails and headed for the other side of the train; the side I couldn't see. Only an old man was on the other side of the platform. (perhaps he pushed some poor drunk hobo down or something. o,0[ )

Anyways, firefighters came and the lot.
It was all very quite though, unlike what you'd imagine it would be, or how Hollywood protrays any incidents. All the servicemen and women were quite calm and collected.

Oh, other highlight of the day. This guy had bought one of those blow-up sex dolls. Haha, it was the worst day for him to buy it cause of the train stopping. He carried it all the way to Crows Nest before getting on a taxi. Hahaha. >__<


Finally. Wah; Wendys was busy today! And Jess left. Awwww.

Oh; and bought myself a Nintendo DS this week. Got Super Mario 64 DS, Final Fantasy XII: Revanant Wings, Phoenix Wright; Heroes of Mana and Guilty Gear.
I love FFXII on PS2 (and I have hardly started on it), and FFXII:Revenant Wings on the DS is just as good!(although you only get to use one gambit per player; boooooo).
Super Mario 64 DS brings me back to 1996 when I played Super Mario 64, on the N64 as a kid. That game was awesome, and Super Mario 64 DS is just as good! Only problem is the movement controls; the N64 joystick rocked; hard.

Can't wait for Bleach: Blade of Fate or something like that to come out in Australia. Coming out on the 20th or 28th.
I have to remember to get Rune Factory: A Harvest Moon Fantasy or something like that when it comes out.
Gotta also watch The Mist and Jumper.

Edit: Actually now that I think about it, perhaps we waited so long on the train because the cops were dragging the corpse to the side of the train where we couldn't see the corpse, and they probably sprayed sand on the blood and cleaned it up beforehand. Afterall, when I got out of the station, there were heaps of police cars/fire trucks/ambos outside already.