IN OTHER NEWS //

My digital camera is conspiring against me, so I cannot do work. I have to wait for my battery to charge before I can either take more photos or load the photos I HAVE taken onto my computer, and sadly my camera only has a battery charger, and not an external power supply so... >.> At least I have an excuse to update. :D Logically I SHOULD be working on my essay, but... we'll pretend I don't have one of those to do right now. OTL

Also: apparently it's only going to be 2 degrees tonight. Hello, winter.

LIFE //

The future's looking pretty bright right now, thankfully. :D Things are going good with Vaughan again, which was the biggest problem I've been having, I'm almost on holiday, there's lots to look forward to thanks to cosplay and our trip to Sydney and I'm generally pretty happy. C:

Val left today for America for two years - it sort of hasn't sunk in yet, I guess. She's only gone two years, but I'm gunna miss her... We went to the airport to see her off which was nice - though I'm suprised I didn't cry (almost did after she hugged me for the last time, hahah <3). I'm gunna miss seeing her for sewing parties and thursday lunches, but at least I still have Lisa and Paul for company at lunch, and the internet makes life easier to communicate as well. Note to self: Make Val get an LJ because if she's anything like last time she went back to the states, she'll stop replying to my emails. P: (ILU Val)

I'm kinda worried about Alex with his chronic fatigue syndrome - it's so hard to wake him up these days, it's really worrying. He actually wouldn't wake up if no one woke him. :S Now that he's been awake for about 5 hours or so he seems relatively normal, but he's a total zombie for the first two hours of the day. I wonder how he's gunna cope when we go to Sydney, given that he can't even handle a full day of school...

On the topic of Syndey, I'm getting worried that Rebecca's not gunna approve my leave - she's approved other people's leave for July that's been handed in AFTER mine... :S I really need to find out soon, damnit. Might ring her tomorrow, seeing as she hasn't replied to the note I left her. :/ I'm just worried it's been missed or something. @_@ Sydney will be an experience though - I've never been overseas before (not in living memory anyway - I have when I was really little), so this trip will be a good way to 'test the international waters' so to speak before we fly off to Atlanta for Dragon*Con next year...

UNI //

Hurrr... I think I've probably got a B+ average which is good - my lowest grade was a B- for the first creative process assignment (but the highest mark anyone in the class got for that one was A- so I don't feel quite so bad, and I think I did better this time), and my highest is an A for my Core Theory seminar. C: My other marks have all been A-s and B+s, so... lol. B+ sounds about right. I'm actually really relieved - when I got my CP marks back I was so worried because in high school my parents were all nutso about getting Excellences -- but when I told them I got a B-, rather than telling me off, they congratulated me, hahah. It takes the pressure off a lot, which is good. :D Not that I'm trying any less hard because of it, but it means I'm not getting myself down about it any more. It's not like grades matter anyway in a design degree - it's not your grades that get you hired in industry -- it's your portfollio -- so I figure as long as I enjoy myself, refine my skills, and don't fail, I'm doing pretty well. :D

At the moment I'm working on a playing card design assignment - we have to design three playing cards (three out of king, queen, jack, joker, and suit is ignored) using only photos of kitchen utensils, the letter for the character (Q for queen and so forth), and ten words, and I'm really behind but really enjoying it. :3 The only reason I'm so behind on everything is coz I had about two weeks were I was really depressed about how things were going with Vaughan (like, vaguely considering cutting again before dismissing it because I knew it wouldn't make me feel any better and it wouldn't look good in cosplay photos LOL), and so didn't do any work during that time. OTL But it's okay - you clean up after your own mistakes, and I'm picking things up. I'm mostly worried about my essay actually, because that involves research that I haven't done. <_< The essay is 1,500 words on "Art/Design should improve the society that it is part of", but I haven't really worked out what I'm gunna do just yet. I know I'm gunna touch on propaganda, and the redesign of the dutch police force, and the redesign of the australian film classification labels, but I haven't really gotten much further than that...

COSPLAY //

Cosplay is largely why the future looks so bright right now, hahah. After I finish my assignments I can get sewing again which will be RAD, and I've been discussing cosplay plans with Jen, eheheheh. Thus, I deem it appropriate to list my current plans for the next 18 months or so.

DO: Gijinka!Kero (CCS)
ACB: Ballgown!Bianchi (KHR)

Auckgeddon:
Sat: Ballgown!Bianchi (KHR)
Sun: Kyouya (Ouran)
Masq Ball: Kyouya and Bianchi (changing halfway through OTL)
Mon: Rosa (FF4)

Chchgeddon:
Sat: Ashford!Euphie (Code Geass)
Sun: Chinese!Flonne (Cross Edge - custom design to match the official Etna costume)

NZAE:
Sat: Kyouya (Ouran)
Sun: Ruffle-dress-of-doom!Euphie (Code Geass)

Dragon*Con:
Fri: (plain clothes)
Sat: Chinese!Flonne (Cross Edge)
Sun: Ruffle-dress-of-doom!Euphie (Code Geass) (this is assuming we can fit the dresses in our luggage...)
Monday: Rosa (FF4)

Auckgeddon:
Sat: Yuna (FFX)?? (With Jen as Rikku and Kev as Auron?? <3)
Sun: {Whoever is hosting cosplay games - Horitsuba Gakuen maybe? >w<}
Mon: Oruha (Clover) ??? Not sure... Possibly an FFTA group?

Otherwise... Kyouya and Rosa wigs arrived - yay! And I started reading Kuroshitsuji, heheheh. I reckon Jen would make an AWESOME Sebastian. 8D Super excited for NZAE, heheh. Actually, just super excited for anything cosplay related. >w< Dweeb. *laughs at self*

 Hmm... At zorlich 's suggestion, I am writing another entry. Because I am bored.

UNI //

I am still yet to finish any assignments. Oh, panic week, here we come. <3 My god, I hate doing book research. I love reading, but FFS - books need a TL;DR function. -_- I hate Core Theory. But this week will be good for work - everyone else is going back to school/uni, so I won't have anyone to distract me anymore, hahah.

COSPLAY //

I order wigs tomorrow or the day after. <3 SO MUCH EXCITEMENT FOR ROSA. You know what I love? Discovering that you can use excess fabric from a previous project for a new one. YAY ETNA WING FABRIC/ROSSO PAULDRON FABRIC/ROSA BUTT-HALF-CAPE FABRIC. :D Clearly, I am in a good mood. n_n Also, fabric samples should arrive tomorrow or the day after. EXCITEMENT!? Y/Y? My god, it's like Christmas. *impatient* I WANT SAMPLES NAO! *cries* Tomorrow I'll probably take a walk up to Howick in a bid to find fake purple hydrangea for my Bianchi!Ball hairpiece. I wonder who sells fake flowers...? Kero jacket lining has been unpicked and needs to be resewn, and I shall endeavor to sew the top layer when I'm at Jen's on wednesday. WOOO~ Weekly Wednesday afterschool sewing parties! I'll actually get work done! :D It's amazing! Exclamation mark! I'm so excited to work on Rosa. n_n;


WORK //

My god, can you say exhausting? I was kinda upset last week coz hardly any kids turned up to my drawing lesson (like 10 kids maybe? 15 tops?) - I WAS TEMPTING FATE! TAKE THE CHILDREN BACK! I DO NOT WANT THEM! There were like, 30-35 kids there today! D: I was running late anyway, and there weren't enough chairs out for everyone -- I had one - ONE - pencil spare! ._. It was craaaaaazy. So now my throat hurts from talking too loud over small children and their parents (they were behaving and talking quietly, but the noise adds up), and I feel as though I have been hit by a train. x_x Also: I am an idiot. After bringing UP the topic of longer breaks (yay law change), I forgot that our afternoon break is now a 20 instead of a 15 in the rush after the drawing lesson and came back 5min early. >.>; Whoops. Oh well. And I hate monopoly by the way. WHY DO WE HAVE 2352543432133124 COPIES OF IT?! NO ONE CARES THAT THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE WORLD EDITION ALREADY, JUST LET IT GO! </rage>

IDIOT //

To add to my stupidity on the breaks thing, I also crushed my own hopes and dreams today when I misremembered what year it was and thought that Anime Potpourri had updated. *sobs* I WANT THEM TO UPDATE. THEY ARE SO FUNNY. *cries* http://www.midnight-star.net/anime REEEAAAAAD EEEET. :3

GAMES //

I got Jak X back off Lillian! <3 Yay! Oh, combat racing, how I have missed you... If anyone wants to link up online, do tell - I'd love to. :D In other gaming news, I desperately want to play FF4 but Alex won't relinquish his EZFlash, which makes me contemplate buying my own, despite not owning a DS. And I've been playing Valkyrie Profile. Wow this game is love! The storylines are so sad! :C They send chills down my spine often. I'm just about to start chapter four. C:

 WORK //

Yay, they reimbursed me for underpaying me! :D And, and, and, my savings account has just about recovered from the MASSIVE hit it took over the geddon season. Woohoo! Then I can stop panicking about mum reading my bank statements. >.>;

UNI //

I'm so glad there are no exams in my course. This means I get an extra week of holiday (or 'study week' as they call it), which means that I'm not totally screwed YET given how little work I've done these holidays. Just found a reading for our seminar, and I have books out  -- I just have to READ them. x_x I haven't even touched my other two assignments though...

COSPLAY //

Lining of the Kero jacket is almost done - need to unpick a panel I sewed inside out (>.<), and attach the hood, then I'll get cracking on the top layer. DO is still ages away though, so I'm not reeaaaaally all that worried, hahah. I do want to get it done before the end of the holidays though... I imagine next week will be more productive as I'll be all alone in my holiday status, so other people won't be able to distract me. Then I just have to make sure I don't distract myself with the internet like I am now instead of sleeping. I'm contemplating biting the bullet and making Alex's and my Ouran jackets myself (or possibly commissioning Val, if she's not too busy, which she probably is lol), seeing as the commissioner I was GOING to get to do it is somewhat poor in her communication, which makes me skeptical. Also, Spotlight is having a sale, part of which is $6/m selected viscose suiting fabrics, which makes me wonder if they'd have the right colour, and if so, if I should buy it and do it myself... Grah. It's a time issue though, really... As for Rosa - I've ordered some fabric samples, which should arrive in the next couple of days (EXCITEMENT! <3), and I already have the purple suede for the diamonds on her shoes. We also bought the fabric for our streamer ribbons - I hope it's okay to use... I think it might be too light to flow properly, but we'll see. It's really pretty though, and catches the light like crazy - looks like magic, which is what we wanted, definitely!

HEALTH //

Skin infection seems to be gone for good! Yay! :D Otherwise, I'm just the normal sniffly, which I can handle just fine, lol. In terms of my mental health, I have come to realise that maybe I'm a bit of a bitch sometimes and should just lax up a little in regards to Vaughan, hahah. I do love him, possibly far more than is good for me -- but I think if I'm away from him for too long (which happens a lot more recently, as he's with his mates more than he's with me), that's when I start getting into the unjustifiably negative thinking. Four year anniversary coming up on the 7th of May - same day as my damn seminar is due, lol.  May is a busy, busy month... I wonder if Vaughan and I will do anything special? I have the day after off, but he has an 8am class, so sleeping over isn't really an option... Going out to dinner would be quite nice - possibly Nishiki again, hahah. BEEF AMIYAKI! <3 Jeez, what do I have coming up?

May 7th - Anniversary, Justin's Bday I think, too.
May 9th - Jen's Bday - present sorted, just need to pay for it
May 10th - Mother's Day (need to get present...)
May 18th - Val's Bday (present idea sorted, just need to shop for it...)

TODAY //

Was really fun! :D We had a movie-meet up, with Me, Jen, Failex, Becky, Mexi!Alex, Alena, Tammy, Greg, Jess, Alex (...notice a pattern here?), and then Venom joined us after the movie. We hung out in borders for a bit first, and then once everyone was there, we went and bought our tickets, and gave the cinema staff a right headache because we forgot to mention we were all together and it was allocated seating. OOPS, lol. Buuut, it all turned out okay - they seated us all fine - well, all except for Jess & Alex, who were seeing 17 Again instead (which is apparently actually really good. Zac Effron - who knew?), and Jen who was departing when the movie started to go do vox pops in the city.

Then, as movie food is too expensive, we went to the asian supermarket WHO DID NOT HAVE HELLO PANDA. D< This made me a sad Jess, and I bought Yan Yan instead, even though they only had the chocolate and strawberry flavours when I wanted Vanilla... I think they're closing down though, they had hardly any stock. Then, it was onwards to Pak'n'Save, where I rather foolishly raided the bulk bins *can still taste the sugary-acid-like-stuff on her tongue* and then also foolishly bought a litre bottle of coke. Which was later joined by a water bottle, as the sugar overload dehydrated me. Then, Subway for lunch <3 Yum! And we went to the movie~

We were seeing Monsters vs Aliens in 3D, which was a very good, funny, family movie - think along the lines of Robots. :3 Awesome obscure references throughout the film, too - global warming/inconvenient truth jokes, a Destroy all Humans reference. It was highly enjoyable, and they weren't too OTT with the whole "wooo, it's 3D!" thing, which was nice. 3D is cool, but if they play with it tooo much it gets distracting. Hugh Laurie was a total treat as a VA, by the way. MAN, it would rock if he came to geddon... *dreamy sigh*

Back on topic... After the movie, Alex and Jess rejoined us, and Venom also made our accquaintance, and then... for lack of better things to do, we somehow ended up in Borders. Tammy and Alena read Manga, Me, Jess, Jen, and Alex geeked out over art books, and everyone else got bored and eventually decided to go home. Sylvia Park might be closer than the City, but the City wins in terms of stuff to do. >.>; But yes! It was a really fun day. :D And really, really good to see everyone again as well. <3

COSPLAY //

Slight change of plans - Lucy is being a Prinny on the sunday of chch so I will be Flonne then. (OMG PRINNY!) I'll probably do either Bianchi or Kero on the saturday - probably Bianchi as that way I can get changed before I board the plane, and then Jen can angst less about me being late (ILU Jen. <3 :P)

Progress is not going as fast as I would like due to health complications and uni work impeding my time/motivation. Blargh.

HEALTH //

I have some kind of skin infection or something. It is bad, and I'll be seeing a doctor soon. I sincerely hope it clears up before geddon. o_o;

UNI //

Is going well - I am now satisfied that my class is comprised of nice people instead of what I'm used to from high school, and the $300 shopping trip on saturday has made me feel more confident about my wardrobe, heheh. I have to do a seminar on the 17th Century Dutch Repubic. o_O

 Hmm... This theme grows on me. I may use this regularly now that it is not so ugly that it makes my eyes bleed. I think I'm in a cynical mood.

UNI //

First day of Uni was today. I liked it. :D Turns out that there's a girl who I used to be friends with in primary school in my class! XD So I hung out with her all day, and I think she will probably be my primary (<--- bad joke) uni buddy. Otherwise, we're sorta set up in table groups in our class, and in my group there's me, Courtney, Jessica Choi (I know her from High School - she was in my year 12 art class. I'm glad she's in my class, her art is amazing *o* ), a friend (or I assumed so at least) of hers called Sue, and a girl named Bry (short for Bryony - I hope I've spelt that right! She did say that she shortened her name because no one could say her full name right as it was spelt with two 'y's, so I presume I have that right...) who seems nice, though I didn't talk to her much in class.

My teachers so far are neat - there's Alan, who's an Auzzie, and Jonty, both of whom seem to have a good sense of humour, which bodes well. I had Creative Process and Core Studio today, and got given my first brief in each. Creative Process' brief is "three escapes needed". That's pretty much it. Hahaha, the whole class just went "WTF?" when they got the brief (not out loud, but you could tell that's what they were thinking). It's gunna be explained a bit more to us in our lecture on Wednesday, but I'm guessing they just want us to interpret it however the heck we feel. Only downside is that we're not allowed to produce our work via computer. >.>; Damn. I love me some photoshop/illustrator. Oh well, they didn't specify a media - maybe I can sew something! >:D

Then there's the assignment for Core Studio. Oh man. I just about cracked up laughing when we got the brief. It's amusingly similar to the black squares project we did at the start of 12DES. XD I need to sort out a workbook and some black paper, then get 12 pieces done by Thursday. I figure I'll get my gear tomorrow, do 6 tomorrow night, and 6 on Wednesday night. :D Should be orright.

Tomorrow is CS computer course and CS lecture. The computer course intrigues me - is it just learning how to do stuff (that I probably already know) on the computers, or are there assignments attached as well? Logic says it's the former - CS is the paper, and the computer thing is an offshoot, so assignments should be given through normal class time - ie., the one I already have.

Both of these assignments are due Monday 6th April. Day after wellygeddon. Fan-tastic. >.>; Better get the whip cracking...

LIFE //

I have a wound on the back of my finger. No idea what it is. But it keeps getting bigger. o_o; I had meant to see the uni health centre today - came in an hour early so I could do that, get my bus card, and get a copy of my birth certificate certified. Only, then I spent the full hour in line for the bus card. >.< Damn you, first week of Uni! I'll go in early tomorrow and get it checked out then. Seriously, it went from the size of a pinprick last sunday, and now it's just over a cm wide in diameter, and barely fits under a band-aid. Seems to be getting better now though - hasn't gotten smaller, but it's not raw and leaky anymore - kinda drying up, which I assume means it's healing... o_O;

That was probably too much information.

Things are going relatively well at work - had a VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory - cards and wrap and whatnot) stocktake last night, which was fun though sweaty (WHY WAS THE AIR CON NOT WORKING!?), and have full stocktake this weekend (woo, 12 hour shift x_x; ). Why Rebecca chose the first week of Uni as stocktake week, I'll never know. Drawing lessons are proceeding very well! I had 20 kids or so at the lesson this week I think. What did we draw... we drew a Lion, a Dolphin, a Ninja, Batman, and a Fairy. I am somewhat sick of drawing fairies (I get asked to every second week. <_<; ), so I decided to jazz it up a bit, and made her a flower fairy, and drew her kneeling. The variety helped my sanity somewhat. I was applauded at the end, which always makes me feel bashful/pleased, and one parent who was watching with his daughter pulled me aside for a chat afterwards about my drawings. He was really excited with how they came out, and marvelled at how a circle, a square, and a couple of ovals suddenly becomes a kneeling human body - it's really neat to talk to someone who's so enthusiastic about your work (even though the lessons aren't exactly my greatest work of art, hahah).

I should call Vaughan soon. After I finish this...

I'm worried about Jen. :c I wish she'd reply to my email. Don't take this as pressure or anything Jen - take your time, 'coz I know you've got a lot on your plate. :) Might come to see you on Friday if there's a DES class that day. *cackles* GB wants me to bring my boards in to scare show the new design students, so I might hang round DES/DDI/ARH/PHO a bit. :3

COSPLAY //

Things here are proceeding well too. :D Though I need to get my A into G... >.>; I'll get Vaughan to latex my stockings on Saturday, and in the meantime I've finished patterning the shoulder guards on my pauldrons - just need to assemble them. All that's left of Kero is the jacket. :D Might scout round for a free pattern... Lots to do on Rosso still though. >.>; I think I might bail on making her weapon... I believe we may have had a breakthrough with the skit though, whether or not Jen decides to change character. n_n

 I don't understand this thing at all.

How do I make it pretty? This theme is quite nice, but it frustrates me as I now cannot edit 90% of the text fields, leaving them ugly. Also, the line spacing is disgustingly small. This one is better, though ideally I'd like to do my own thing. :/

This shall have to do for the meantime.