Clair de lune

La lune était sereine et jouait sur les flots. -
La fenêtre enfin libre est ouverte à la brise,
La sultane regarde, et la mer qui se brise,
Là-bas, d’un flot d’argent brode les noirs îlots.

De ses doigts en vibrant s’échappe la guitare.
Elle écoute… Un bruit sourd frappe les sourds échos.
Est-ce un lourd vaisseau turc qui vient des eaux de Cos,
Battant l’archipel grec de sa rame tartare ?

Sont-ce des cormorans qui plongent tour à tour,
Et coupent l’eau, qui roule en perles sur leur aile ?
Est-ce un djinn qui là-haut siffle d’une voix grêle,
Et jette dans la mer les créneaux de la tour ?

Qui trouble ainsi les flots près du sérail des femmes ? -
Ni le noir cormoran, sur la vague bercé,
Ni les pierres du mur, ni le bruit cadencé
Du lourd vaisseau, rampant sur l’onde avec des rames.

Ce sont des sacs pesants, d’où partent des sanglots.
On verrait, en sondant la mer qui les promène,
Se mouvoir dans leurs flancs comme une forme humaine…
La lune était sereine et jouait sur les flots.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) - Les Orientales

What? Ne parle pas français?

Fine…. here’s a pretty good translation.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you! (or so this pre-scripted message reads)

1. I’m a Scorpio with all that it implies.

2. I’m a dreamer, with an imagination that runs riot even in my waking hours.

3. Despite #2, I seldom remember the dreams I have when I’m asleep.

4. I love to eat. Never refuse food may as well be my life’s motto.

5. I don’t exercise enough.

6. I enjoy cooking, but not washing up afterwards.

7. I think I have a pretty high tolerance for physical pain, which probably explains why I swing swords.

8. I’m aggressively non-confrontational. I don’t like arguing and heated tempers. Nothing constructive gets done when passions run high and people lose perspective when heated up. (Head shots with a sniper rifle at 1km is another story….)

9. Probably because of #8 some people think I’m a coward.

10. I have a mean streak. And it’s probably pretty wide.

11. I’m bad at remembering faces and even worse at remembering names. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you if I don’t remember you. I just need reminding sometimes.

12. I love to read. Give me a book and a place to snuggle up and I’ll be content.

13. I prefer the company of my own mind. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy socialising as well.

14. I love the sea!

15. My favourite place is probably Plymouth, England where i spent the best three months of my life.

16. I don’t watch my spending, and so I have never built uip savings until I met my wife.

17. Faced with a squat or sit toilet, I’d choose the squat.

18. I’m a folder, not a crusher.

19. Ever since I’ve discovered the Zombie Squad organisation, I’ve taken to carrying a multi-tool, torch, and compass with me where ever I go.

20. One day, I hope to buy a 25′-30′ pocket cruiser to sail to Tioman/Phuket for dive trips.

21. I love bags. I probably have too many for a guy.

22. Many of my friends are not straight. However I am very much so.

23. I probably have too much anime; some stuff which I’ll never get around to watch.

24. I probably play too much video games as well.

25. My wife calls me a grubby boy. Probably for good reason.

Audio:Slave
In the B&O:
+Quincy Jones: Big Band Bossa Nova
+Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
+Café Tel Aviv - Middle East Chillout
+DragonForce: Inhuman Rampage

Visual:Slave
In the DVD:
+Mama Mia! The Movie
+Journey to the Center of the Earth
+The Good, The Bad, The Weird
+A History of Violence
+Paprika
+The Usual Suspects
+Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
+Akira

Animania:
+イヴの時間
+ToraDora (とらドラ)
+To Aru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の禁書目録)
+Rideback
+K-On! (けいおん!)
+Eden of the East (東のエデン)
+Strike Witches (ストライクウィッチーズ) DVD
+Seto no Hanayome (瀬戸の花嫁) DVD
+Beck: Mogolian Chop Squad

Movies to Catch - ‘09:
+Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (崖の上のポニョ)
+Slumdog Millionaire
+Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
+Full Battle Rattle
+Reclaiming the Blade
+Watchmen Missed this!
+Terminator: Salvation
+Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
+2012
+Star Trek
+Up
+Angels and Demons Missed this….
+Fanboys
+Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
+Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
+Fast and Furious Missed this.
+G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

WTF, Hollywood? WTF?
+Astroboy
+Dragonball: The Movie I *so* regret watching this…..

Movies soooo bad, it’s gotta be gooood
+Zombie Strippers
+Jack Brooks - Monster Slayer
+Robo Geisha

Current Reads
RAWs
+謎の彼女Ｘ - Chapter 35
+魔法 先生 ネギま! - Chapter 257
+会長はメイド様! - Chapter 39
+ソード・ワールドRPG 2.0 (SW2.0)
+Bakuman (バクマン) - Chapter 45

Dead Tree
+Homework for Grown-ups: Everything you learnt at school… and promptly forgot
+Dragon Warriors RPG 2008
+The Book of War
+Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

Online
+Questionable Content
+Real Life
+The Order of the Stick
+Turn Signals on a Land Raider

Owwwwweeeeee
I am in pain. My body aches.

Used to be that I can take the annual fitness test in the morning and still go about my work with just a short rest…. but not anymore. Though the requirements to pass have gotten lower as I get older, the body seems to be getting slower and stiffer as well.

But still, to complete the 2.4km run in 12min 15sec at 37 years old is pretty good eh?

Well, here comes yet another “Quality” production from the same guys who brought you The Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police - Robo Geisha!

Geisha Missile! Geisha Dance! Geisha Army! Geisha Chainsaw! Geisha Transform! And of course, Fried Shrimp!

Seriously, WTF Japan, WTF?

:Links:
+Website
+IMDB Listing

This was followed by a road trip up to Muar, in support of preparations for a friend’s wedding and finally to KL for another working trip last week.

July looks pretty heavy too, with another trip up to Muar again this weekend for the wedding proper and followed by a week-long working trip to Surabaya at the end of the month.

I don’t really mind the travelling, as it’s one of the things I like to do. And the great food that goes along with the change in scenery is a plus in my books:

It’s just that with all this travelling, especially over the weekends, simply means less time with the sword. I can feel my stamina falling and joints getting stiff again… not to mention the extra inches the good food has been putting on my waist. The occasional runs I do in what ever time I can steal do not make up for the lack of exercise.

Sigh.

No problem, right? Just hop onto the next flight home; it’s only a couple of hours’ wait right?

Eh? It’s full up? And the next one and the last plane out too?

So, now what? Waiting list? Okay, so when will we know?

Whaddya mean we gotta wait till our names are called?

*Breathe*

Ooookaaaay. No biggie. We’ll just stay an additional night and go back first thing tomorrow.

Eh? You’re fully booked tomorrow until Sunday night?!?

*Panic*

Okay, okay. How about we pay the difference and go onto Business class?

It’s fully booked too?!? WTF?!?

Seriously folks. If the airlines are crying about poor performance, I just don’t see it on the ground.

What freaking recession?!?

See you guys in a few days >_<”

Thank you to all our friends, who kept us in your prayers and thoughts. We’ve waited a long time for this to come, and we’re giddy with excitement.

Three months down, and six more to go!

The Blackbird, Fly or BBF is a twin lens reflex (TLR) film camera like the old Rolleiflex, but using more easily available 35mm film instead of the usual medium format 120’s.

Taking pictures with it, I’ve come to realise a few things:

1. I’m re-learning to compose my shots and to take into account lighting and shadows. Digital photography has spoilt me somewhat with automatic settings and ease-of-use so much that I just snap without really thinking. It’s not really an issue since it’s digital, and I can simply delete rubbish shots, but isn’t it nicer to have just about every shot you take come out perfect?

2. With the view-finder located on the top of the camera, the perspective and composition of the picture immediately changes. Many of us are used to bringing the camera up to head-level to take pictures, simply because the view-finder is located on the back of the camera. Even with the advent of digital photography, the LCD screens, though large these days, are still located on the back, and so necessitates that the user bring it up to eye-level to compose a shot. With the TLR, shots are taken from about waist high, and it reminds me strangely of how a child might see the world.

3. Made mostly out of plastic, the camera feels very much like a toy. But like the Lomo cameras which are similarly made of plastic, it works, and gives funky lo-fi images with high colour saturation and even the occasional light leakage. It’s weird, but I think I’ll call it “artistic” instead.

4. The most common comment I get with the camera is: “Wow! That’s a really old-school style of camera”. Usually followed almost immediately by: “What do you mean it’s not digital?!?”

Going to mess around with it some more. Look out for more shots from the BBF in the flickr set.

:Links:
+flickr set
+SuperHeadz
+Multiple X Choice
+GrannySnaps

Audio:Slave
In the B&O:
+Quincy Jones: Big Band Bossa Nova
+Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
+Café Tel Aviv - Middle East Chillout

Visual:Slave
In the DVD:
+Mama Mia! The Movie
+Journey to the Center of the Earth
+The Good, The Bad, The Weird
+A History of Violence
+Paprika

Animania:
+イヴの時間
+ToraDora (とらドラ)
+To Aru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の禁書目録)
+Rideback
+K-On! (けいおん!)
+Eden of the East (東のエデン)
+Strike Witches (ストライクウィッチーズ) DVD

Movies to Catch - ‘09:
+Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (崖の上のポニョ)
+Slumdog Millionaire
+Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
+Full Battle Rattle
+Reclaiming the Blade
+Watchmen
+Terminator: Salvation
+Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
+2012
+Star Trek
+Up
+Angels and Demons
+Fanboys
+Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
+Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
+Fast and Furious
+G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

WTF, Hollywood? WTF?
+Astroboy
+Dragonball: The Movie

Movies soooo bad, it’s gotta be gooood
+Zombie Strippers
+Jack Brooks - Monster Slayer

Current Reads
RAWs
+謎の彼女Ｘ - Chapter 33
+魔法 先生 ネギま! - Chapter 249
+会長はメイド様! - Volume 6
+ソード・ワールドRPG 2.0 (SW2.0)

Dead Tree
+Homework for Grown-ups: Everything you learnt at school… and promptly forgot
+Dragon Warriors RPG 2008
+The Book of War

Online
+Questionable Content
+Real Life
+The Order of the Stick
+Turn Signals on a Land Raider

Sword World 2.0
Or, ソード・ワールドRPG 2.0 (SW2.0) as it is known in the original Japanese, is one of the pioneer Japanese languange role-playing-game systems. And it happens to be just one of the things I specifically went to Tokyo earlier this year for:

This should take me a while to translate to a point where it’s actually playable, but hey, what’s another hobby?

Interestingly enough, I had quite a bit of a hard time looking for the books, because the first time I saw the book, it was printed in a large filo format, rather than the current handy three-part paperback. I had looked for the large hard-cover all over Akihabara, and was about to give up when Great Cthulhu showed the way, literally. Simply put, I was looking at the RPG section, which contained oddly enough, Japanese language editions of GURPS, D&D and the Call of Cthlhu RPGs to no avail, when suddenly stack of books collapsed and dropped the Call of Cthulhu rulebook onto a small paperback stack. And when I picked up the dropped book what did I see? Sword World 2.0. Ha!