I'm pretty well settled in at the in-laws now. It helps that we have such a good relationship- I really wonder why it isn't as easy with my own mother. Conversely, my mother-in-law has said that it's easier to understand me than her own daughters sometimes, because I always say what I think.

My husband is actually very traditional. I know he was proud of my career and the fact that we contributed equally to our family finances, but he's just had the most self-satisfied look the last month or so. I think he really likes knowing that he's providing for us. Or maybe it's just funny watching me waddle around. XD The nice dinners (two dishes and a soup) sweeten the deal too, I suppose. Sexist? Maybe. I think it's sweet, though.

The baby is not used to the dog. She kicks when it starts barking. My ribs do not appreciate.

Cooking with the dog around is very funny. I made tacos, tortillas and bean soup last night and it kept hovering, hoping desperately that I would drop something.

Tortillas are the Mexican version of temaki zushi (Handrolled sushi) according to my in-laws. XD They really loved them!

According to my doctor, my hipbone has started to open up so that the baby can drop. Just a few more weeks now...

Just wanted to let you all know that I may be on hiatus for awhile... I'm moving to the in-laws today (They're closer to the hospital, and my husband worries that I'll go into labour while I'm home alone.) and up 'til now, their wireless has been incompatible with my laptop. I can usually get a sporadic connection off the neighbor's but it's frustratingly inconsistent. I'll keep checking my f-list via my iPhone, but don't expect posts if the wireless drivers I downloaded onto the laptop don't work. I'll try to let someone know when the baby arrives, though!

:)

NRG

EDIT: NEVERMIND. We got a LAN cable to hook up to the modem instead and now I get to experience the joys of hikari faiba- (Fiber optics)! (^o^)/ Downloading has never been this easy, lemme tell you guys...

Ah the difference Blu-Ray makes. It's very pretty, with a lot more detailing in everything, from the backgrounds to the skin of the characters. At one point I was marveling at how you could see the veins in Reno's hands. They've also changed some stuff up- for example, the mess on Cloud's desk is now all scientific research instead of photos and energy drinks and Omnislash is better than ever. Masamune also now has a light saber-like sound effect. XD However, despite the substantial addition of lines for Rufus, the Turks, Marlene, Denzel and Zack, it doesn't add much --if any-- new knowledge to the compilation. They just pretty much do exposition for all the things that have been stated in the Reunion book and other sources through character dialogue. It seems like Square really wants to underscore how Rufus and the Turks are now good guys and Cloud is a family man.

Shippers will be glad to see new scenes with Cloud oh-so-dramatically rescuing Tifa (I know I grinned like a fool) and Zack giving Cloud a bit of a pep talk.

Despite rumors of an epilogue, there was no such thing- there was only a "Reminiscence of FFVII Compilation," summing up Crisis Core, Before Crisis and Dirge of Cerberus with scenes from each, much like the original "Reminiscence of FFVII" summed up the game for those who hadn't bothered to play it.

The anime version of "Case of Denzel" is really not that interesting- reading the novella is better, IMO. And Reeve's mullet is REALLY bad.

The FFXIII demo is super long- three whole stages with cutscenes- which it should be, considering it cost an extra 1000 yen! It's pretty amazing- the camera is super movable, and you can watch the battle going on in the city in the background as you make your way through the stages. The whole thing reminds me of Star Wars- even the bad guys are like stormtroopers. Gameplay was pretty ho-hum though. Not being able to access the menu between fights was annoying, and there isn't a huge area to explore with loads of NPCs or objects to interact with. Mostly I just attacked, trying to kill baddies as efficiently as possible (Ooh! 5 stars on this battle!) by choosing how many to chain together.

There are also trailers for Versus and Agito on the disc. Versus looks very interesting- dark and urbane. Fighting with magic cards in Agito is less intriguing to me, but the trailer was full of impressive graphics nonetheless. I wonder how long the wait for these two will be- even FFXIII won't be out until "Winter 2009" according to this demo, and we've been waiting for a couple years already. *sigh*

*victory fanfare blazes*

"Full Circle" and "The darkest hour..." have both been shortlisted at this year's Genesis Awards! (In Best Het Romance and Best Drabble respectively)

Congrats to f-listers alliterationluv , knightlineninja , sansukumile , readingchick  and rsasai  for their shortlisted fics as well!

I should get some sparkling grape juice to celebrate tonight. (^o^)/

Every spring Japan is transformed by cherry blossoms. The whole country takes notice- cherry blossom status is tracked starting in Okinawa (the trees generally bloom south to north, starting in the warmest places) and broadcast with the weather report on the news, so that everybody knows when to expect the week that their local trees will be mankai (in full bloom). As some of my friends have noted, no matter how long you've been here, it's hard to feel jaded in the face of all the fragile prettiness. It really does make you wax poetic about how fleetingly glorious life is --and also how reliably it cycles-- at the start of the new year. (Fiscally and academically, the year starts in April in Japan.)

That and the hanami parties are a great excuse to stay out 'til dawn drinking with your friends. XD

( More pretty pictures under here... )

My mother recently expressed how unfortunate it was that I chose to live in Japan. They have such closed views towards foreigners. A belligerent North Korea is right next door.

But where else would they have festivals celebrating penises? With cherry blossoms? XD

( Possibly NSFW pictures under here... )( Possibly NSFW pics under here... )

Well, my sister called the CIC to confirm. And yesterday the embassy called again. And officially, it looks like my baby will not be granted citizenship by descent.
The lady from the embassy was very sympathetic- this law is supposed to exclude all those token Canadians that can't even speak English/French and have no ties to Canada, not people like me. But the way it's written now is pretty clear.
So Canadians, please ask your friends and family to sign the petition. Get the word out that this new law needs to be looked at before they pass it. The amendment affects about 3 million Canadians, most of whom are conveniently overseas and can't do things like directly call the CIC. An addition to the law about proving connections to Canada would be enough to give us "non-token" Canadians a chance to get our rights back. I can send them copies of my report cards and transcripts to prove that I was educated from kindergarten to University in Canada. They can look at my SIN to see that I paid taxes and into the pension plan for years before I decided to go teach English in Japan.

*sigh* Well, I know it's been a while, but here's the latest baby pic. She's all blurry because she likes to keep her face tucked into the bottom left corner of the uterine wall, but you can see her closed eyes and open mouth. She weighs over 4 pounds and likes to move around in the evening when she can hear her dad's voice: *My husband talks* *I get an tiny elbow in the side* "Yow! Hey!" *I roll over to make her stop prodding me* *She starts poking the other side*

My little tormenter. XD

I've been suffering from edema (swelling due to water retention) recently because of the pregnancy. It's been compressing the nerves in my arms, so at times they alternate between numbness and tingling and aching. I've had to take off my wedding ring. But otherwise everything is pretty normal. The car seat arrived yesterday, and we got four newborn sized diaper covers last week. (I'm going with washable diapers instead of disposable.) All that we have to do is get the baby bed before she arrives. Oh, and finish judging! hehe

I found out just this morning that the Canadian Citizenship Act is being amended in April. Of course, the person who put up the info on my Married in Japan group made it sound like our children would not be accorded Canadian citizenship, but with a little further research it looks like this is not always the case. It only takes away the right of second-generation children (and onwards) to be given Canadian citizenship. However, since I was born in Hong Kong, I was given Canadian citizenship because my father had it. (I think.) So does that make my baby second gen? We'd always assumed she would have every right to get a Canadian passport and go to Canada to spend summers at grandma's visa-free. Go to school there, if she wanted. Hell, even get into the army. (In fact, this is one of my husband's little fantasies: seeing one of our kids enter the Royal Canadian Air Force.) This certainly makes me worry about something I thought was just a natural right. So if you Canadians on my f-list wouldn't mind signing the petition in the first link, us Canadians living abroad would really appreciate the support!

EDIT: Here's another article about the reaction of Canadian expats here in Japan to the whole thing.

see more pwn and owned pictures

What I don't aspire to, hehe. XD

1. The baby now weighs more than a kilogram! (1205 grams) The last pic we got at the doctor was TERRIBLE though, so I refuse to post it. Going again on Friday, so hopefully she'll be less scary looking this time.

2. We are probably going to get a PS3 and RE5 today! My hubby is dying to play RE5. So we'll pick up the cheapest used PS3 we can find and be shooting zombies in a few hours. He says we have to play the game before the baby comes, because it'll be scared if it can see it. (Doncha love his reasons?)

3. Still haven't picked out kanji for the baby name, so we have to go tachiyomi (stand and read) baby name books at the bookstore this weekend, too.

4. Strollers are ridiculously overpriced in Japan. I don't know why Babies R Us here sells the SAME strollers as back home at a 300% price increase, but we're going to try to get ours through amazon.com and pay the extra shipping instead. It'll save us so much money if that works!

5. Had a talk with my boss yesterday. I am probably ineligible for Maternity leave because I became a part-time teacher, although he will check. (T_T) So I will go from terrible pay to zero pay just as our family gets bigger. Reproducing sure is expensive. My co-worker has given me some ideas about going to claim UI instead, but that means pretending to look for a job, so...

6. Maybe we shouldn't get that PS3. XD

Taking another break from judging by posting about my HK trip! :)

( HK pics 'n stuff )

:) It's been so long since I've been back, but it's so comforting to be around family. I'll try to put up some pics tomorrow, but HK is all smoggy and nasty right now so expect pics of my adorable cousins and the bird's nest soup they've been feeding me (for the baby) instead of the "million dollar view." My 5 year old cousin is the cutest. We get along great and he likes to "stick to" me and chat and play. He's just tickled pink that he's going to be "uncle" (rough translation of the Chinese) soon, and tells me to go to bed early and take my prenatal vitamins. He watches me eat the bird's nest soup with fascination. ("Do you want to try?" "Noooo! Ewww! You're eating bird spit!") It really doesn't taste like anything- it's just jelly-like. All I can think when I eat it is that it's the same price as silver, ounce for ounce.

coconutty_tree , saw this on my facebook and thought of you straightaway! Future NaNoWriMos should be no worries at all with this!

lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

And readingchick , drop me a line! Hearing about all those wildfires down under is making me worry.

I thought this was cute!
dizziness.deviantart.com/art/FFVII-AC-rough-day-100120245

I'm taking a break from judging...by making icons of a judge! XD

Gabranth is my new favourite character. I love how conflicted he is; how he's so sure of what is right and just at the beginning of FFXII, but starts to question and doubt as the story develops.

That and he's badass. <3

FFVII fandom, will this be goodbye? We shall see... haven't finished the game yet, but I've already ordered Revenant Wings. I adore worlds with loads of background to play in. (^o^)/

As for judging, I'm rather disappointed by the nominations thus far. I hope I'm just saving the best fics for last, but I'm shocked by the ones I can't even give a passing grade to. It's actually downright annoying to read through multiple chapters of a fic that I desperately hope won't really don't think will make the shortlists. But fair's fair. And I have to admit that later chapters are usually better than earlier ones, probably just due to accumulated writing experience.

Ok, back to the scoresheets and scrolling. *rolls up sleeves*

I just found out that the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is going to change from 4 levels to 5 as of next year, to address the level gap between Level 2 and 3. Which means that MY JLPT certificate may end up being obsolete. Which it is, I know- I took it years ago and I know I'm a lot more proficient now. But it costs 4000 yen to take the stupid thing. Sigh. Just when I was feeling nice and complacent. I don't wanna break out the kanji books... /whine

www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/en/index.htm

And because I feel it deserves a mention, here's a link to Obama's Inauguration. There's actually an English textbook in Japan based on his speeches- and it's the current runaway bestseller at amazon and in bookshops. The Democratic Party (perennial losers to the Liberals here) has apparently been studying it like crazy. However, from reading "The Audacity of Hope," I think it's more than just Obama's oratory skill- his writing is persuasive and eloquent, never pointing fingers or assigning blame. There's a lot to be said for a politician who tries to win his arguments without having to resort to mudslinging.

Sorry I've been so quiet over the holidays. As most of you know, I went back to Canada for about 3 weeks. It was really such a wonderful trip home- great conversations, food and experiences. My mom has mellowed so much now that my sister has moved out, and that has made the whole atmosphere of our family completely different. Having my stepdad (sorta- they're engaged) around is a big part of that. So I came back relaxed and much bigger- you'll know why once you see some of my many, many food pictures under the cut! (Although I'm not fat! Just pregnant! Right...)

( Droolworthy pics under here... )

Happy B-day to readingchick! Hope you are having an awesome day!

With all the ads on TV about the release of the Dissidia potions, my husband has been teasing me about getting some. Which means, of course, that I had intended NOT to go out of my way to get any...

But after doing interview tests in the unheated school hallway for 2 straight hours, I decided to stay in the warm comfort of the convenience store while I waited at the train station for the bus. And guess what had gone on sale that day...
( NRG has no willpower... )

I've been offline a lot these past couple of weeks, but I'm still well and kicking. Sorry I've been neglecting those of you on my f-list! Back to Canada in less than 3 weeks, and I have a lot to finish up before taking off. That means making, giving and marking tests at work, and holiday errands galora- still haven't picked out our New Year's Card picture, nonetheless printed up and sent the lot. Being part-time is actually troubling me. I only get 2 prep periods a week now- which is really not enough for the subjects I teach. I've been begging my boss for overtime, because I just can't get everything done that I could before. Everyone still seems to expect me to do the work of a full-time teacher even though I'm only at school 19 hours a week. I'm actually typing this up at 5 AM because I can't sleep because I'm so worried about it all. I think I'm going to just have to tell this other part-time teacher to take some more responsibility instead of trying to pass it on to me. (He teaches 18 hours of Music exclusively - I teach 6, plus Art (4) and English (4). But he expects me to write up and submit the reports for the subject- WTF? And since he teaches grades with established curriculum, he doesn't even prep flashcards or materials for classes- whereas I'm always breaking new ground, searching for songsheets and laminating cards. So unfair. And we get paid the same amount per hour. He actually surfs the internet in his prep periods. *seethes*)

In other news, I've finally started playing FFXII! It's great- I adore the story and characters. And having to sell loot like Wolf pelts to profit from battle makes so much sense! *grins and points to Aftermath* But it's bloody hard to make money without grinding levels. Which I've also found is necessary, because I keep getting my ass handed to me by Marks, or even tougher monsters in the next area. "OMG, did I just do ZERO damage?" *runs away* *gets hit in the back and gets KO-ed* *swears at TV*

Anyway, hope you're all as excited for the holidays as I am! I just wish I could go snowboarding. My husband thinks it's too dangerous for me now. :( And then he goes out and buys new goggles! *pouts*

How awesome is my new iPhone? Over the past few days, I've been downloading classic literature into it, all of which is FREE thanks to the wonders of the internet. Might just get through some of the long-neglected literary greats after all! Even if you don't have an ebook reader, it's possible to enjoy them with just a click of the mouse. Personally, I hate sitting in front of the computer reading- I'd rather be lounging in bed or on the floor with a couple of cushions, but I thought I'd share a few of my resources.

Links to sites with free ebooks

George Orwell online- unfortunately all ebook versions of his books are pay versions except for html based ones like on this site.

manybooks.net

In other news, I've been slowly re-editing Full Circle before judging officially starts. The first few chapters need so much work...sigh... I might just do this starting from the end to make it less painful.
Oh, and I've started my Christmas shopping. (Hence the new icon- festive, eh?) Back to Canada in less than a month now! Now just to think of some Japanesy presents for everyone...It's hard to come up with new ones year after year.

Best of luck to those of you in that final stretch of NaNo! Now stop reading your friends page and get back to writing! :P

Sorry for the long delay in posting this- had our school music concert to worry about and I've been busy putting apps and ringtones on my shiny new iPhone! *grins* But now it's the long weekend and I have time to catch up on my chores (laundry machine is going as I type) and online stuff.



( Pics 'n stuff under here... )

Wow. Finished at last.
It's both cool and weird at the same time.
Thinking back to when I was first writing Aftermath, with the idea burning in my head amidst the frenzy of wedding preparations, I feel incredibly gratified that the story has come this far. It was just a little Cloud/Tifa fic. They sooo needed a break from what canon was tossing them. And I had a few ideas for other chapters. So in Oct/Nov last year, I sketched out a rough plan- it looks like this:

( The rest under here... )

Title: Full Circle (Epilogue)
Fandom: FFVII
Characters: Cloud/Tifa, Denzel/Marlene
Warnings: none
Word Count: about 1000
Summary: Life and death are always intertwined. It's just the natural cycle of things...

 

( Full Circle (Epilogue) )

Last weekend the city where I live held its annual fall festival, and since we live right on the main street, it's pretty much two days of lively drum beats and the smell of roasting food. Yay for not having to cook! Oh, and the culture.

( Matsuri pics unders here... )

Well, American election time is coming soon, and one of my friends asked me to join a Facebook group called "I have more Foreign Policy experience than Sarah Palin" this weekend. (If you're on Facebook, join just to see some of the pictures in the group photos: they're hilarious.) I also stumbled onto this site. I found the results unsurprising. What do you guys think?

Halloween party and Festival posts coming soon!

Just a reminder that nominations and judge applications are still open! Click on the snazzy graphics to find great fics and discussion at our forum.







Well wheatear, whaddya think?

Title: Preludes to War (August)
Fandom: FFVII Compilation
Characters: Cloud/Tifa, ensemble cast, including some from BC and DoC
Genre: Drama/Family/Action/Romance
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual situations, but non-explicit)
Word Count: about 8800
Summary: What could have happened just prior to Dirge of Cerberus. For anyone who's ever wondered where everyone else was for most of the game.

( Preludes to War )