Somewhere during noon, my doorbell rang. And that was the moment, I knew it. THE BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!! BLESS KINOKUNIYA!!!!!! I totally launched into squeal mode and would've been hyperventilating if it wasn't for my mum standing beside me as I signed the paper and received my parcel. I had to suppress my grin all the way and keep myself from jumping all over the house. EEEK! I never felt more excited than ever that moment. And behold!!!! It's photo time!!!!!

Squeal~~~ This is the first time I've received books in a box!!!!! Usually it's wrapped in a big envelope and gosh! They even have styrofoam!!! (Though I can't figure out what I'm gonna do with them now that I've opened the box and it's served its purpose....)

Ta da! Isn't it amazing? Ooh! The new book smell. Wheee!

Bwahahaha! My light novel collection. Now all I need is that Shinigami no Ballad volume 2, 11 and 12. I need to read them chronologically or I'd feel weird.

Okay, I suppose this is the last post before I go off for a very, very long break from the Internet. Sigh, sometimes, I really hate life. But it's the times like these (the feeling of joy I get) that make up for the sucky-ness of life.

It's been great having the Internet. I'll definitely miss it until I come back in mid-December. Until then, so long!!!

Warning: Spoilers galore. In this post. Right ahead. Read at your own risk.

Rick Riordan, oh how I wish I could skin you alive right now. HOW COULD YOU? GOSH, PERCY AND ANNABETH DIDN'T EVEN MEET IN THE END. GOOD LORD, I MIGHT AS WELL DIE THIS VERY INSTANT. I WAS LIKE, ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT THE ENTIRE TIME READING THE BOOK WITH PERCY AND HIS ADVENTURES, WAITING FOR THE DAMNED REUNION AND IN THE END ALL I GET IS A "C'mon let's go meet my other family" AND IT ENDS THERE? LORD, CAN I PLEASE SMACK YOU AND DEMAND TO READ CHAPTER ONE OF THE NEXT BOOK NOW?

Now I'll have to wait till next year, great. Just great. Oh well, at least this book beats the last one by miles. Percy and his old humour is back!!! The humour is what grips me to the series, because somehow, Rick Riordan just manages to make a serious situation appear funny yet retain is all-glorious seriousness at the same time. ARGH! I'd love to skin the guy right now but he's like, the key person in releasing the next book in the series so I'll spare him. For now.

I bet the next book leaves us in another fucking cliffhanger as well. Damn.

My speculation for the next book is that Annabeth plays a HUMUNGOUSLY IMPORTANT role in the story, as suggested by the title itself 'The Mark of Athena'. It's gotta be her, because the goddess is addressed in her Greek form, not some stupid Roman name even though the counterpart does sound nice I suppose. (I hate the Roman camp system. It's so... sheesh. Camp Half-Blood rocks to the very core.) I bet the next story's gonna be about finding some 'Mark of Athena' and going on another quest and destroying another one of Gaea's spawn of Satan. No doubt about that. And the Roman campers would probably be pissed at the Hermes kids (look up the Stoll Bros) for raiding the equipment shack too. Clarisse will fit in fine, if she doesn't, it's because of that horrible temper of hers anyway. And angry sparks fly between Jason Grace the playboy, Reyna the banshee and Piper the foolish. Nah, just kidding about the nicknames. I didn't really like the new characters of The Lost Hero to begin with, except for Leo, cos' he's awesome (duh). Jason can go and die for all I care. Percy rules.

Speaking of characters, I hated, hated the way Octavian was depicted in TSoN. When I first looked at his picture in the character reveal, he looked really moody and I just imagined him to be some mentally disturbed kid who likes chopping up stuffed teddies and refusing to help Percy and his friends, until the very end where he shows his awesome prophesying prowess and helps Percy to defeat the monster, being one of the good guys. NEVER did I imagine him to be a pompous brat who's slimy, manipulative, cunning and oh, I don't know, irritating to the realms of hell? Besides, Octavian sounded like such a nice, awesome name, and the guy just had to have such bad traits. Sigh. But oh well, Frank makes up for it. He's so adorable, despite the fact that I don't understand some of the chinese terms they use in the story. Being chinese myself, I feel kind of ashamed. It even took me a while to related his surname 'Zhang' to arrows!

The next book had better be good, and Rick Riordan had better release the preview fast or else he'll have hate mail bombarding his letter box. Or I'll just fly over to Texas and hold him at gunpoint to allow myself to have a nice read. *Insert snigger* Kidding.

Pictures of my parcel arriving on my doorstep will be posted next, which I am going to do so now. When I think of it, I still can't help but grin. XD

Rick Riordan mentioned in his blog that there was a reason he ended the book that way. You know, I'm really starting to think that the Agro II got hijacked at the last hour of their journey right after Leo sent the message to Camp Jupiter that they'd be arriving soon. And then the Romans will be pissed at Percy because they thought he was lying that the Greeks come in peace even though Percy didn't have a clue the ship was hijacked. Or maybe the Greeks will be fighting their enemies onboard and the Romans will join the fight and Percy will blast the enemies off with water to kingdom come. But if everything goes wrong Percy will be forced into exile (okay, maybe not) and the Romans will start hating him and Octavian will start scheming again. Great, just great. Rick sure loves messing with our minds. The preview and cover reveal for TSoN was in May this year, so here's to hoping that the cover and chapter preview for the next book will be in early May. Phew.

My life is all about anticipating and dreading things and days, I realised. I anticipate the day a books gets published, I anticipate it arriving at the closest bookstore to my house, I anticipate the days chapters of my favourite stories and manga are posted on line, I anticipate Fridays, I dread Mondays, I dread exams and stress, and the list goes on.

It's kinda sad. Is life all about looking foward? I anticipate things and days because they bring me happiness and joy. After all, they are my favourite things. But is there more to life than this? Oh well, who knows.

Sadly, I haven't been studying much for the past two days. Holidays are ending, and everyone's pretty much studying their asses off. But, amongst the busy days and interruptions I get when I finally was going to study, I've been reading about stress management, a book my parents bought me a way long time ago. Back then, I was still a kid and didn't understand, and self-help books just wasn't appealing to an ignorant kid like me. But now, I somehow find them comforting, like before I get some shut eye I would just reach for The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and read a few pages until I'm really tired. Last time I checked, I didn't even care about books like that. But anyways, coming back to my point, I'd like to quote a few lines from Fighting Invisible Tigers: A Stress Management Guide For Teens by Earl Hipp.

There is no stress in the world.
Repeat: there is no stress in the world.
Surprised? Think about it. Where would you go looking for it if you wanted to find stress? The Gobi Desert? South Wales? Chengtu, China?
Stress is something that happens inside of people - inside of you. It's the result of how you perceive and interpret the challenges you face.

See? How true that is! When I first read that, I experienced a serious case of jaw-drop because it made so much sense. You can't deny that. Hands down to you Earl Hipp.


Two more days to go. Expect an excited post on Friday because finally, the books I have been waiting for A YEAR is going to arrive on my doorstep that day. And after that post, I think it's goodbye to the Internet until December cos' I've decided I'm handing my iPod to my parents for safekeeping. It's too much of a distraction, really, because it's just so easy to go on the Internet with this thing, like how I'm doing now.

Okay, maybe I'll make Saturdays an exception. Maybe. Who knows?

For Greater Good.

Perseverance is the key to success, I keep telling myself that.

But somehow, the fear of making mistakes just doesn't go away, despite the fact that I have the chance of correcting them.



I am drenched in cold sweat.

Lots of people say that they have stuff they look foward to in 2012. Well, for me I have already listed what I have in my expectations for 2013, despite it being 2011 only right now.

JUST ONE DAY by GAYLE FORMAN is one of them, and JUST ONE YEAR in 2014. This is gonna be the longest time I have to wait for
a book to be published. Usually the ones that are published in alternate years are in series, so I don't mind that much. But GAYLE FORMAN, what does it have to take you like, more than a year to complete a freaking book? This had better be good.

And she's releasing a Where She Went with bonus material paperback version in spring 2012!!! Gah!!! I want the bonus material......... T.T

Gah, so tired. Hence the weird, choppy post. I apologise.

Kino rocks, need I say more?

They have like, the US hardcover edition of TSN so soon!!!! Beats MPH by lightyears dudes! And judging by their price after my inquiry, it must be a first edition one!!!! Wheee! PLUS, (here's like, the best part which I LOVE about them) they're having incoming shipments of The Truth about Forever next week!!!!! Or at most, the week after the next. The guy told me that it would arrive the earliest on the 27th. WHEEEE! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE SUCH A F*CKING AWESOME BOOKSTORE?

Next time, when I'm filthy rich, I will always travel up to KL just to go to Kinokuniya at least once every six months (assuming I'm still stuck in JB) and camp out somewhere near there. Nah, just kidding. I'll probably come and go on the same day. And when I buy lots and lots and lots of books I'll probably give the cashier a large tip cos' I'm feeling ridiculously high and happy off books cos' hey, I'm filthy rich aren't I? Dude, is it even possible anyway? XD

But anyways, I'll wait until next week to order. I've waited so long already, another few more days wouldn't hurt I suppose. Oh! And it's the 18th!!! Happy pub day Sara Zarr!!! I'm so looking forward to reading her latest work after SPM!

Sigh, so happy that I could write this down here. I don't think I could keep such joy from exploding in my heart because I'd be acting all bubbly and super weird and I'd get these looks from my parents who'll assume I'm some crazy shit high off drugs.

Yippeee! I'm so happy I'm gonna go study and do homework right now!!! Woots! Okies, gotta study or I can't buy the books! Byeeee~~~

The funny thing about life is that no matter how twisted and messed up it is, you can always find balance in it. You have the extremities - polar opposites; you have the cliched, overused concept of yin-and-yang (though it still applies). When something good happens, there will always be something bad that evens it out somehow. Which brings me back to my point.

No, don't worry, this ain't another emo post, I've experienced enough emo shit in these three weeks to last me a lifetime, so no more of that. For now.

Anyways, coming back, this post is here simply because me, being the stupid girl I am, decided to hop over again to Rick Riordan's blog where I constantly keep up with his posts so I get information firsthand from the man himself. It was a fruitful trip, but as I mentioned above, BALANCE IS EVERYTHING IN LIFE.

Two discoveries I've made during my trip: (SPOILER ALERT. BEWARE.)

1. THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS BOOK THREE IS GONNA BE NAMED 'THE MARK OF ATHENA'. WOOTS.

2. THERE IS A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER IN THE SON OF NEPTUNE. BOO.

GOD. WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL TO ME? This COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of my perseverance to not read any spoilers regarding the much anticipated book. SUCH A DOWNER. After hanging on for more than a year, you think I wanna know that there's an ef-you-see-kay-ing cliffhanger before I even read the book? Lord.

Okay, it's not Rick's fault for being awesome. I mean, he's in the US, permanent resident (wonder if he's ever even heard of Malaysia), and I guess in a twisted sort of way he has a teeny weeny right to assume that everyone in the whole wide world has read the damned book. And it's my fault I was unaware he was gonna incorporate the comment about the cliffie like it's nothing big into his blog post. the hell it is. Lesson learned, never touch an author's blog before you've read his/her new book. It may contain spoilers.

Now that this unfortunate circumstance has occurred (much to my displeasure), I should just hop over to Wikipedia and read the whole summary.

WAIT, WHAT WAS THAT HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE THOUGHT THAT HAD JUST PASSED THROUGH MY MIND?

This book had better be good. Or else I'm demanding a rewrite. If the cliffhanger is about Percy finally meeting Annabeth and the other Greek demigods after a long chunk of crap his Roman adventures taking 9.9/10 of the book, Rick Riordan had better prepare his mailbox (and himself) for a load of hate mail.

Kidding. Doubt he'd read it anyway.

I've just realized I've been splurging for this whole month. BAD

What happened to self-restraint and control anyway? Oh, I know! It all flew out of the window the moment I lost my screws.

Now I reallyyy am craving for that Secret Recipe brownie. Gah! PMS.

Not supposed to be here but whateverrrrrrr.

God, I sound like those bimbos who just delight in overstessing the last letter of their words. Ew.

Anyways, coming back to my point. It just felt really vexing when I saw someone having the UK edition of TSN. Great, just great. We get books from the UK like shooting stars flying across the sky but when it comes the the US, we are as slow as turtles who can't walk on sand to save their own lives. Do we like, hate the US or something? What is it with our local bookstores? Some long-standing grudge? Meh. I most sincerely hope not. There are so many great, awesome authors and artists who I adore so much if something like that were to happen I don't think I could live it down. :/

Oh come on, just give me that US edition of TSN!!! I swear I won't take more than a day to finish the book! The sooner I get to know the story the sooner I get to study in peace. SPM!!!!! Somehow, a horrible, unspeakable thought had just passed by my mind.

Okay, rant's over. Byyeeeee.

Oh! It just hit me! Seven more days to the release of Sara Zarr's new book!! Wheeeee! (And why am I excited again? It's not like I get to read it till December or next year anyway.)

09.10.11

Next year it'll be 10.11.12.

October 4th.

Happy Pub Day Rick Riordan!!!! I just hope that someday Malaysia would actually get your books published on the same day as the US. Sigh.

I'm waiting for you, The Son of Neptune. And in the mean time, NO SPOILERS FOR ME.

And guess what? I'm an O+!! XD I thought I would be an A, but apparently not. Okay, here I come Matriculation Form!!!!

supposed to be studying but what the hell

OMG HOMEFRONT KICKS ASS DUDES WAY TO GO ARTEMIS!!!!

I love episodes with Robin in them, I get classic lines that make me laugh my ass off.

Sigh. Young Justice is love. YJ FTW!