Friday, January 30, 2009
Just finished reading The Safe-Keeper's Secret.By the time I go to sleep tonight I will have read The Truth-Teller's Tale.
Aunt Junnette was right. Sharon Shinn writes good fantasy.
Posted by nayrakroarual at 7:33 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I AM SO BORED.Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:56 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Posted by nayrakroarual at 11:14 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I know this is so stupid. But even though I've never met them and never even spoken to them other than through an online forum, I feel like I know these people.And every time one of them drops out of the active werewolfing circle or the forum or whatever, it feels like they died because the only link I have with them is severed.
Memories of shugyosha come to mind.
He modded my first game, Ladies Only #2 if I'm not wrong. And I played a few games with him, or read games he was in - nothing epic, but it was enough to form a really strong impression. When I'd realised he'd dropped off the face of the earth (sort of - totally out of the bgg forum, anyway) I was devastated.
Bluebehir. He played in Power Village, which is how I got to know him, but he rarely (never) plays anymore, due to work issues and other such stuff. But he still drops by the forum now and then, which makes it feel not so bad, more like a friend moved overseas but still (kinda) in contact.
Snaak. When he dropped out due to depression, it was awful. But thankfully he's back with a vengence, as funny and friendly as ever.
And now Redhawke. REDHAWKE. This is the guy who plays crazy, talks crazy but deep down has a really philosophical and (i suspect) theological mindset. Who's really mysterious and refuses to take part in the WW christmas card exchange, but finally (after TONS of badgering) posted a picture on the picture thread. Who geekmailed me to encourage me to quit swearing on the forums (not easy, especially when you screw up big time!) who makes all of us laugh and curse and then laugh again...
We're praying for you. Hang in there, Red.
Posted by nayrakroarual at 10:53 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Monday, January 26, 2009
So, cny was boring as usual. Funny, I seem to have a LOT less ang paos this year. =(! And, less people to visit. I think life gets so complicated when you get older. All these family feuds and whatnot. Don't understand it at all, but it's sad anyhow.A couple of things saved my day. Michelle Lim. Blackjack, bridge. And a handphone with sms functions (:
Posted by nayrakroarual at 11:57 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"You have to look harder. You cannot just sit there and do nothing."And where do you suppose I look? I've searched all my bags, my wallet, my table, my pencil boxes. There's no where else I can think of that it could be. I can't find it. Yes, I'm sorry. Yes, I know I lose just about everything I put my hands on. Yes, I know you're never going to lend it again. (No, I'm never going to ask to borrow it again. In case you're wondering.) Yes, I know I'm irresponsible. Yes, I know I made a mistake
@#$%^&*()_*(&^%$^&*
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:21 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Last night I couldn't sleep. Literally couldn't sleep.I went to bed at 3.45am. Read til 4am.
Don't know why I read. It makes me more awake and makes my bed hot and not nice to fall asleep in. But it seems so uncomfortable NOT to read before falling asleep.
Anyway, read. Messaged haiwei. He replied. Of course he replied. Only God won't let you down, I know, but as mortals go he's someone I can really count on. Especially at 3am when I don't want to bother people with normal sleeping hours.
He stopped replying after a couple of messages, though. Guess this is what it feels like when I fall asleep messaging people :p Oops! And I stopped reading. Turned out the light. 4.10am.
Opened my eyes again. 4:20. 4:28. 4:35. 4:46... 5:02. Ugh. This must be what they mean when they say "I can't sleep."
I never understood before.
Anyway, woke up in time to spearhead a lynch. Unfortunately AFTER the lynch I realised I might just have killed my own masters (the wolves). Darn it.
Well, too late now. I'll try wake up tomorrow in time for the next lynch.
Guess I won't be going to netball tomorrow. Hmm. Don't know...
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:42 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Monday, January 19, 2009
Just finished Ever After. Nothing too unexpected to report - cried buckets (wept through 2 face towels and half a box of tissue), fell in love with the main guy.Oh, and I decided I should stop being so selfish and money-minded and lazy and really step out to do some stuff. Volunteer or something. *shrug* I want to touch people's lives.
Good thing Ever After's mine, so that I can take it out and read it whenever, and so that if I forget, I'll be reminded. What's important.
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:04 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Kingsbury and Francine Rivers are jointly making it really hard for me to fall in love. Haha. Ironic, isn't it? Well, actually, maybe it isn't. Because reading their romance, true love has different meanings. It's deeper, more special. And it's centred on God. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.Redemption taught me that real love is a decision. A decision and a promise and a vow that you can never break, til death do us part. In Four Christmases, what's-his-name and Reese Witherspoon talked about not wanting to marry and all, because "there's a reason they call it 'tying the knot' and all that 'til death do us part' thing sounds terrible."
But how shallow, how absolutely weak that kind of love is! Kari Baxter's love is so different, choosing to stand by her husband EVEN after she found out about his affair, EVEN after he told her he didn't love her, wasn't sorry and wanted a divorce, EVEN after he broke her heart and moved in with his mistress.
Even after he broke her heart, she kept on loving him. Not because she was weak, but because she was strong. Because her love wasn't JUST a feeling, but a decision. A commitment and a promise.
*shakes head* And that love - of God, of her husband, allowed her to walk away from the guy she had loved since she was young, who stole her heart at 12 and never gave it back. Who was back, and was available, but she didn't give in to sin even though her husband had, because God was with her and she knew it was wrong.
I don't think I could be that strong. Love is awfully hard, I think.
And then there's Echo in the Darkness. If I could find a fault with these two authors, it's that their heroes and heroines are always gorgeous-looking. Well, I suppose it's also because they're always described through the ones who love them, so they'd look beautiful to them anyway. But still.
Anyway, so the (fabulously hot, extremely rich) guy with whom the heroine has long fallen in love with has fallen in love with her and told her he loves her and asks her to marry him. And she says
No.
She says no, because God has said, and she knows it true, that one cannot yoke themself to an unbeliever. Let us remember this is a SUPER GORGEOUS LOOKING strong, sexy guy (we know this because there's this whole other horde of girls after him, whom he rejects for her). And, he loves her and she loves him.
But, love isn't enough. Not until God's love is in the picture.
*shakes head*
Anyway, going back to reading Ever After now. :) Haha.
Posted by nayrakroarual at 10:01 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Monday, January 12, 2009
I was helping Karina edit her essay tonight, and well it was a really lame story which I totally ripped off from Jeffrey Archer. But good heavens it felt wonderful to write again. I didn't realise how much I'd missed writing fiction just for the sake of it, for the sake of spinning my own tale without caring how many marks I'd get or how Mr Koh or Mr Ixer would judge it, without needing it to be original, or creative, or witty, or mature, or even realistic.GOSH I've missed writing.
So many things I've lost since I was young and knew exactly what I loved (in the endless quizzes: "Likes: Drawing, reading, writing.") and what I wanted to be (writer & illustrator of children's books).
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:46 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thought from Streams in the Desert (my daily devotional):God comforts us not to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.
Thought from talking (debating) with mel:
I still think a worship team can have a non-christian, so long as it's not the worship leader, and it's a very small minority of the team.
And a christian who is not willing to serve but is forced to do so is no better than a nonchristian serving. (I would say that it's worse, but she would disagree, I believe.)
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:14 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I was giving out flyers in the neighbourhood advertising my availability to tuition people.Good grief. I'd never realised just how big my estate was.
It's huge. There are well over 200 houses. With an average of 2 cars and 2 bicycles (not counting little kiddy scooters and tricycles) per house. Not counting huge trampolines in the front yard, or hostile dogs.
I didn't realise there were so many kids in the vicinity, too. SO many! And yet I know not one other of them. *shakes head* It's WOW-ing if you think about it.
All that life! All packed together in one place. And yet we walk by, rush by in and out of our houses, up and down the roads, without talking to each other or getting to know each other, just focused on our own little worlds as if that's all that exists.
It was really sad when I thought about it, too. How many people do you know in your neighbourhood? Not just the guy in the grey shirt who always goes jogging on saturdays, or the red-haired lady who takes her dog for a walk in the evenings, but really, how many do you know?
There is SO MUCH life around us. How can we not see that? See everyone rushing by, so close yet so, so far away.
Posted by nayrakroarual at 12:05 AM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Friday, January 02, 2009
Funny, I usually get post-trip blues, but I'm quite happy to be back in Singapore. I'm here blogging cos a sudden wave of nostalgia hit, though heh. I think it had something to do with hanging up some old photos in my room.March. March. I can't wait, super scared, I HATE suspense. Ugh. What if, what if, what if ??? WHAT
Posted by nayrakroarual at 2:29 PM
0 Comments
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Korea was really cool!Scratch that.
Korea was REALLY COLD!
Haha. And fun. Hmmm. Lets see. Riding rollercoasters with the teens. Talking with Mel and Luc at night. Playing ginrummi with my parents and the teens and David. For that matter, Daniel being promoted to "teen" status (which mel retains, irrespective of her actual age haha). Skiing with the twins, Daniel and Mel. Riding the skilift with Dom and him ROCKING THE STUPID LIFT. Riding rollercoasters with Dom. Watching movies and gushing about them with Mel and Luc. Watching Doctor Who with Luc and the twins. Talking with Dom on the bus. Laughing with Daniel and Dom as we hid David's yellow fist HAHA. Laughing about Ben's friend talking to Dom.
Some of the favourite moments on the trip. =) I really love Mel and Luc and Ben and Dom and Daniel and David and all our absolutely wonderful parents! Yayyyy
Me: (watching Ben carry David's skis and Dom shoulder Daniel's skis and trudge up the ski slope again) Mel, did I mention I'm in love with your brothers?
Mel: (grins) Me too. You gotta get in line.
RandomGuy: (walks up to Dom) Ehhhh HI! =D We were on the same plane? Cool. So, you went to San Franscico or Seoul?
Dom: (blink) Seoul.
RandomGuy: (taken aback by the lack of warm greeting) Oh.. cool.
(short pause)
Dom: (points) That's Ben.
RandomGuy: (sees Ben for the first time) Ohhhhhh sorry! (rushes over to Ben to say hi) Er Hello! Hahahha so paiseh
WAH it was hilarious I swear. We all broke down laughing when we realised.
