Friday, September 29, 2006

The Empire Trilogy: Mistress of the Empire

Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts


In the last novel of the series, Mara's actions in the first two books come back to haunt her. People whom she had angered take revenge. The revolution of Tsurani traditions and society is completed in this novel as Mara battles the Great Ones, a symbol of stagnation within the Empire. Arakasi, Mara's spymaster, is focused upon more in this novel.
The series ends with Mara placing her twelve-year-old son, Justin, onto the Imperial throne. She acts as his regent and is given the title Mistress of the Empire. She reunites with Kevin of Zun in the end.

The Empire Trilogy: Servant of the Empire

Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts


Book description: "In the second novel, Mara battles the Minwanabi again. Though Servant of the Empire continues to chronicle Mara's rise to power, it also takes a deeper look at Tsurani society. There is a more revolutionary approach to the story. Though Mara challenged her society's norms in Daughter of the Empire, she is still a product of her culture and doesn't question many of her beliefs and actions. In Servant of the Empire, those beliefs are shaken by Kevin of Zun, a Midkemian slave she buys. He becomes her lover and acts as a catalyst for Mara's growth. She learns to not only be a great Lady of the Empire, but starts to take part in her nation's politics"

The Empire Trilogy: Daughter of the Empire

Daughter of the Empire by Raymond Feist & Janny Wurts

Book Description: "In the first book, Mara tries to survive and learn how to wield the reins of power. This book is about her personal growth from child to adult, from subject to ruler. This is an introductory novel to the world and to Mara. As such, it focusses on the inner workings of a Great House.
She recruits Grey Warriors - warriors who have been shamed and were traditionally outcast - to refill the decimated ranks of the Acoma. She makes an alliance with the cho-ja, an insectoid species. Mara also arranges a political marriage with her family's enemy, the Anasati. Given a choice between the second and third son, she makes the surprising choice of the third one - Buntokapi - who is generally seen as dumber and more brutish than his older brothers. Buntokapi soon proves to be both an abusive husband and an inept ruling lord. Later in the book, she arranges the death of Buntokapi after she becomes pregnant. By the end of the book, Mara has restored her family to power and gotten revenge by forcing Lord Jingu of the Minwanabi to commit suicide."

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Wishing for some luck

Been very busy these days... so many events and promotions going on... my hands are badly paper cutted from so much carrying of stuffs... Now I'm pray for luck. Whatever it is, I will disclosed after tomorrow.

A new Marketing Executive came into the office last Wednesday. She was also encounting things like confusions like I was in and still in by the Managers way of giving instructions without full details.. I tell you.. it's so damn hard to work like this.. like for example.. wanna send stuff out to this particular event.. but no date, no address, no contract details given.. Mmm... maybe burn as offerings loh... everytime like this... Sianz~

Anyway, yesterday evening, my sister dragged me to go visit Fifth Aunt at her art studio.. it's at a very ulu place... very close to Changi Airport.. the whole place are private properties.. then this art studio is a conversion of a primary school... wahhh.. gives good memory.. reminds me of my primary school.. the structure is actually the same.. the assembly ground the U-shape building... when walk, I will have this vision.. the door in front of the assembly ground is the dentists... On the second floor to the right is the AVA room... to the left is teacher's room... on the third floor to the right is the Science.. Anyway, this building is renamed 'Gu Long' some sort of association for artists to rent studio to do their art work... My aunt stays on the third floor.. can you imagine, the whole of a classroom.. when we were schooling... we only 'own' a desk and chair in so big a classroom.. hee.. kinda neat.. i think... Well, the main reason why my sister made me come is because of the crazy man owning the studio on the fourth floor.. he has a bit of a mental problem, and the muscle will move by itself.. making the man to keep hitting himself and making very loud and frightening sound... my sis said it sound like a man being stab.. she witness such a scene in Australia... a man being stab by robber.. the sound made by the victim sound just like that.. it freak her out completely...

My sis brought her red wine and gave us a lecture on it.. I can't really taste the difference among wine.. it's a waste for me to drink... heee... but I kinda taste nice fragance of the grape after the wine went down my throat.. the fragrance just stuck in my mouth...

I tried to teach my aunt my limit knowledge of Photoshop... cropping.. it's practically the only thing I know about photoshop.. hee... I dun actually use and explore the program much... lack of patience...

Well... I've started on a new set of books.. I dunno why.. ever since I've started playing the computer game - 'Civilization IV'(I was practically kinda hooked).. I had this liking for civilisation style of books... and it so happen that this book came to my sight.. I saw it at the Library.. and I got hooked... I borrowed the first book and rented the second book coz I can't wait to read and some idiot borrowed the book away.. there's total of 3 books.. will share the story some other time... now need to do something else.. ciao!!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

After Exam

Phew.. today I had my last paper.. was very stressed.. I took 4 days leave... going back to work tomorrow.. This is the first time I'm going to Suntec sinve the IMF starts.. think the place will be empty.. think most of the people at work will be working from home.. I hope there's no request to courier stuffs... because I'm not sure whether the courier services will come to this area.. coz it's very troublesome...

Had my kick-boxing lesson 2 today.. very tiring... and I really regret I ate something very oily just now.. my stomach was protesting when I was working out.. very uncomfortable.. and I only brought half a bottle of water.. have to ration badly.. just kick-boxing needs more water replacement than aerobic...

Oh.. I'm very bad coz I watch a movie after giving up on my studies last night.. it's call, "She's the Man"



Even though this show is more for the teenagers, I quite like it.. it's so much like one of the comic I have. It's about this girl who diguised to be her twin brother and went in his place to his college just to play soccer. She was very mad when her own school disband her female soccer team because they believe that girls cannot kick well... so she decided to prove herself.

Anyway.. I also catch up on my animation.. I watching a two new ones currently still showing in Japan... so I get to see one episode per week... hee..

One is about a magician world and school: Zero no Tsukaima



Synopsis :
Louise de la Valiel is a young magician that isn't very successful with her magic. Her spells don't work the way she wants to and on top of that, it results in a big explosion! Her nickname is "Zero Louise" since all her spells are failures.

During one of her classes, it is required for the students to summon a familiar as a servant. Everyone else succeeds in bringing ex. a cat, dragon, salamanders, but what does Louise summon? A human being!

Very cute and the drawings are good... I love this anime... but too bad.. I think the anime is very short.. abt to end le.. so sad...

06 October 2006: The last episode was out. So disappointing.. the anime was left hanging... Haiz~

The other one is crazier: Inukami!



Synopsis :
Yoko is an inukami, a demon with the appearance of a dog. Keita is a descendent of inukami tamers, but not highly skilled in this position. When Yoko appeared, he found her beautiful and they formed a contract. They are given the task to rid of evil. Though under contract to be with another for days on end, Keita isn't comfortable being by Yoko's side. Instead, he rather be outside hitting on the other ladies. For Keita is an energetic guy that lets his hormones take over his actions. Yoko gets easily jealous, and their relationship interferes with their duty to exterminate evil.


This show is really crazy with the guy being such a Ti Ko Pei... he just will go for any girls he came by..once even a faceless demon. just practically anyone except his fierce dog spirit, Yoko. He love to watch those yellow magazines and DVD.. ..... he went totally mad when he get to meet his cousin's inukamis.. (ten in total).. but Yoko is always ready to give him a beating and use her magic on him to that he will be walking naked in the street.. and everytime, he will be put to jail.. it's hard to convince to the police that it's not his fault that he's walking nude.. haa..

I'm starting a new one: Night Head Genesis



Synopsis :
It is said that the human brain only uses 70% of its capabilities, what happens when a person is able to use 100%? Naoto and Naoya are two brothers that were separated from their parents when they were very young. Since they had special abilities, their parents were advised to send them away to a special institute. They tried to escape and run back home, but the institute was sealed away by an electric barrier. Their guardian had put up the shield to prevent them from escape. 15 years later, their guardian passes away, which means the barrier drops and the Naoto-Naoya pair are free to escape. For most of their life, they have been isolated inside with no knowledge of the outside. For Naoya, the younger brother that is able to read people's minds when he touches another person. Or for Naoto, the older brother that has extrasensory perception. What's in store for them and their supernatural powers?


This one is a sad story.. it was sad from the beginning... The elder brother has the power to move things.. very powerful and dangerous to mess with.... The younger brother can read the mind of anyone who touches him and somtimes will be able to broadcast the memory out to everyone present... it's very sad because from young.. they only have each other... their parents sent them away when they were kids because the parents were not able to handle their powers..

I'm still at episode 2 only...

Okay.. that's about all for now..

Just to note, I cut and copy the Synopsis from somewhere else.. haa

Friday, September 08, 2006

Kick Boxing - first time

I had my first kickboxing session yesterday evening.. I was late for class.. this was my first kick boxing session.. It was taught by the lady I had aerobic last session. She is good and she's starting a kickboxing class to replace one of the aerobic. She claimed that kickboxing is more effective than aerobic in terms of burning fats.. So i thought I would give it a try.. Actually her aerobic classes consists of a bit of kickboxing movements in aerobic style. So quite easy to catch-up with her movements... actually I find this lessons more easily to catch than aerobic.. I always cannot remember the steps... but yesterday, the kickboxing was okay.. I feel 'muscular' today.. too much boxing and kicking.. but i feel good...

I'm trying to source for kickboxing lesson elsewhere but those that I know of are really expensive costing hundred of dollars exclude membership... mostly the fitness companies which I can't afford. The one I'm taking now is at the Community Centre and it doesn't burn a big hole in my pocket... but too bad, there's no other new classes coming up soon.. so sad...

I decided to take two days break from studying.. will do the last minute studying over the weekend... think I will stay at home and lock myself in my room... I find weekends stuyding outside a chore because have to fight for seats with those school students.. talking about them make me really mad... these people mostly junior college people like to reserve seats for their friends usually not only one seat but more. Those early ones will put some files or books on the table to 'reserve' the place. The place open at 9.30am, so that by 9.35am, most if not all of the seats will be 'reserved'. So irritating... then their friends can stroll in at 10am or later and still have a seat while other people who come in at 9.45am has to go somewhere else because all the seats are booked!!!.. so horrible right? Then these people will study, chit chat, study, play games then go for long lunch leaving their seats 'reserved' with their books on the table... I feel like throwing their books on the floor... I am very evil right???

I'm taking leave from Monday to Thursday... for examinations... just in time also, coz from next week onwards, the IMF will start and the whole of Suntec City will be very tight on security. Because of the inconvenience of coming to Suntec, a lot of the people here will be working from home... so shiok rite??? but at home can work meh??? I definitely can't you know.. haa...

Anyway, that's abt all for now, coz I need to clear my work before I go on leave.. Ciao!!!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Body Lotions and Buttermilk

Wahhh.. so fast it's September already.. I've been very busy studying for the past few days.. and work had been pretty heavy.

Finally, the promotion is over and I can actually go for lunch before 1pm.. Err.. I think there's another promotion coming up soon.. crap...

There's this The Body Shop fair going on at Suntec City where they are selling some of the products at very cheap prices.. me and colleagues went to check that out yesterday.. luckily, the aloe vera series that I bought on Sunday was not on sale.. else I will be banging my head flat.. anyway.. some of the body lotion are actually limited edition as in the company will not be manufacturing them anymore.. the people promote them as limited edition.. I was thinking... isn't that all the more not to buy? Because this lotion things will be used up... and not replenishable since they will not be sold anymore... anyway.. it was actually fun opening up the sample and smelling the nice fragance of the butter milk and body lotion.. the butter milk smell very nice especially the Blueberry one. According to the salesgirl, this product is only available on fairs and could not be found in the shops... my colleague like it so much she bought one... the buttermilk looks like ice-cream... (I'm banning this food.. remember??)
This is what the blueberry buttermilk looks like... a bit small.. but I'm sure you can see right? Anyway.. buttermilk is really more oily than body lotion.. the salesgirl advise us that just a drop each time will not be that oily... My colleague commented that this buttermilk will be just fine in cold winter countries... thought there are strongly moisturing lotion sold in those countries... but here in Singapore..those will melt in our weather... it's just too hot and humid... The salesgirl commented that usually people will buy the moisturing lotion over that the other country where they will sell lotions that suits the weather better... in cold places, the skin gets dry very easily.. so strong moisturing is necessary....There are other flavour of buttermilk too.. like mango, chocolate, olive, orange and strawberry.. orange smell very strong... the chocolate doesn't smell very nice... the strawberry smell like candy...

I was at Mark and Spencer yesterday evening after studying at the National Library.. then I saw blueberry buttermilk also.. a bit cheaper than the promoted Body Shop version... although the smell is not that strong but still okay... no lah.. dun mistake.. I'm not buying any of this.. I'm never a big fan for body moisturing.. not persistant enough.. I'm the kind who will forget to apply regularly... so it's like never applying right??

Very stress because exam coming.. then there's so much work to clear on my desk... sianz.. hope to clear everything soon... then I can relax a bit... haaa...

Today over lunch, my colleagues asked me whether I wanna renew my contract after November.. I say no lah.. because this job too labour-intensive... they need a guy to do it.. so much carrying, loading and unloading of stuff.. very tiring.. battery runs low very fast.... one of them ask why not report the problem to the boss... I say, what for, it's not as though the boss will help me to carry the stuffs right?? What can the boss do??? They need a guy for this job..

Will continue to study today, same place... sianz...