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Entries for July, 2007

July 2nd, 2007

pride thread linkedy

I don't have anything interesting to offer unless you want to look at pictures of my (really adorable) dog, so instead, since its the end of pride month, I give you the link to my eL pride thread.

Some translations:
Post #2 (post numbers are on the upper right of each post): "Whats pride day?"
Post#13: If they had something like that here, they'd probably be rounded up and set on fire by the FPI.

Oh, Indonesia, don't ever change.

rurounibug ; 12:18 AM|4 replies

July 3rd, 2007

seizing power is most of the fun

Today I wrested control of my World History group's Socratic. Which is an essay, but with added wank and pretension. It's extra hilarious because the same guy who spent fifteen minutes of the first class telling us how he is a PhD, and runs his classes to that standard also keeps reminding us how to spell 'professor'. One F, two S-es, people. I'll never forget again. 9__9

It's not that I'm all "Go history team!" and, or even particularly willing to make an effort for that team, it's just that the girl that who keep telling me how shes a pro at essays has weird sentance structure and bizarre logic. She wants me to mail my finished writing so she can check my grammar. I said "sure", even though I coup d'etat-ed that essay because I don't trust her writing skills. (The third member of our team is a guy who nods and goes "uh-huh" and gets out of firing range when we fight about commas.)

I like to pretend I like academia, but I think really, I just like to wrest control of group projects, or, failing that, projects that aren't even mine. A non-school example is that right now, I'm trying to long-distance strong-arm my brother into using the journal host of my prefference, for absolutely no reason at all except that it's where I'd host a journal.

Him: Why do you even care?
Me: I don't, really. I just want you to give in. It's kind of like winning, but better, because every time you log into your blog, I win again.
Him: There's shit wrong with you, you know that?
Me: No, seriously, tabulas has image galleries! :D !!!
Him: I'm putting you on permanent invisible.

Sometimes I can totally see when I'm being control freaky and unhinged, and reading what I've just written, its funny, because its exactly what I'm doing, and exactly why I'm doing it, but it's still pissing me off that he's not agreeing to blog my way. GRARGH!!!

I can't cope with this.

rurounibug ; 03:13 PM|1 replies

July 3rd, 2007

cats are bad people

rurounibug ; 03:35 PM|3 replies

July 5th, 2007

[original][-9r] Pieces of Dark [3a/7][PG13]

OMG, I thought editing was a pain, but I always forget about having to mess with the format before I can post. My enter finger is getting a workout.

Previous chapters are in the original fic index, under "Pieces of Dark."

(III. Seddu {part a})

rurounibug ; 02:06 AM|1 replies

July 5th, 2007

[original][-9r] Pieces of Dark [3b/7][PG13]

I hate having to break posts up. I won't be cross posting this to ficpress till tommorow. If you're here from LJ, please let me know if reading in this format is tolerable. If not, I'll repost in my LJ instead of just linking back from there, but OMG editing for posting is MADE OF PAIN.

(III. Seddu {part b}) 

rurounibug ; 02:23 AM|2 replies

July 5th, 2007

calibration

I've decided that the way to adjust my monitor is to take my laptop to class and play matchy-matchy against their calibrated monitors. This is probably not the prescribed way of doing things, but its the best method I can think of that I can probably pull off.

I've been fiddling with my layout's p text in class, because I didn't like how orange it was agaisnt the blue, but now that I'm home, its looking a bit too gray. Might play with it some more. If things are hard to read, colorwise, let me know, ok?

Also, Pieces of Dark 3 is now up on ficpress. I'm not going back into the story postgs to add the link because tabulas losses all my indents when I reopen them, and seriously, indenting 25 pages is more than annoying. The link to my fp account is to the right, under the blog/LJ text links (which are, in turn, under my tagboad).

rurounibug ; 08:06 PM|3 replies

July 6th, 2007

saturday throwaway

I have a Kendo thing tommorow I now wish I hadn't signed up for. If I hadn't also arranged to hitch a ride down with someone else who was going, I would just blow it off, 30 bucks be damned.

None of the other newbs are going, and it makes me really self concious, especially as my chief-most martial arts talents seem to be tripping over my own feet, failing to grasp what is going on, and making idiotic dojo etiquette errors.

Whoopseh.

Also, my hakama hasn't come yet, because the people I was advised to order from were on vacation and although they said "just send us a fax" they were not, in fact, there to retrieve the fax. (I am not even going to think about that fax sitting around their office/shop/whatever for days with my CREDIT CARD NUMBER on it. >_____< !!!!!!!! )

So I will be the only newb--and a spectacularly dumbassed one at that--and not even have the proper gear for which to better blend in with.

I hate standing out, but standing out for stupidness is the worst. ;______;

rurounibug ; 02:43 PM|2 replies

July 6th, 2007

heh

Your Birthdate: March 25

You excel at anything difficult or high tech. In other words, you're a total (brilliant) geek. It's difficult for you to find people worth spending time with. Which is probably why you'll take over the world with your evil robots! Your strength: Your unfailing logic Your weakness: Loving machines more than people Your power color: Tan Your power symbol: Pi Your power month: July

rurounibug ; 10:59 PM|fine, ignore me

July 9th, 2007

100 original fics for -9r

I've posted a claim for 100_original. Because apparently I am compelled to torture myself. The prompt table moves way down the page when you open the cut. I don't know why, and I can't seem to fix it. Just scroll down. -_____-  (Big Damn Table) I am open to suggestions/requests for the "writer's choice" prompts. Other fics in the same verse can be found here.

rurounibug ; 11:25 PM|2 replies

July 11th, 2007

me ar smrt

Yesterday, before kendo, I decided to fortify my caffeine addicted head with a bitty cup of coffee--enough to banish the OMGOMGCAFFEINE craving that was due to having an early class then coming home and crashing half out on the couch/bed till four PM.

I didn't have any more regular coffee, so like a true desperate addict I went for the decaf--it still has some caffeine!!--that had been sitting in my decaf!coffee jar for a few months.

I shoveled in sugar and dosed it heavily with milk--decaf kinda tastes more suck than normal coffee--and took a big slug and OMG, no coffee has ever tasted so gross, like, ever.

Or at least not since my cross-US road trip.

I actually drank a couple more sips before my body decided the caffeine wasn't worth it and got all up with the gag reflex.

I'd used that decaf a month or so before and thought it had tasted nastier than usual, so I decided it had maybe been sitting there just a bit too long, and turfed what was left of the grounds.

Then, just as I was about to run out the door, I remembered I hadn't eaten anything but a donut and a cinnamon roll all day, and decided I would die if I went to practice hungry, and not even jacked up on sugar/caffeine. I didn't want to waste time fixing food, since I was already close to being late, so I poured myself some milk and gulped.

Let's just say it wasn't the coffee that was off.

Christ, I can still taste it in my mind.


I considered fishing the coffee back out of the rubbish, but that was too nasty, even for me.

rurounibug ; 05:57 PM|fine, ignore me

July 16th, 2007

it's all about the tyranny

I posted before about my semi-hostile take over of my team history paper. Well, it paid off, because today we got grades on the last three back, and the ones that I'd grabbed and run with had scored A-s, while all the ones we'd done together (and one that another person had solo-ed, but to be fair, that one was a hard question) only got crappy B+s.

I called home to chat and told my mother about it. She says, "That's just one letter grade."

"ITS AND AN A VERSUS A B, MOM. JESUS!"

You'd think she'd be more impressed.

Then she said, "Wait. Why are you writing the group paper?"

I told it was because the idiots were dragging me down. "I hate that we have to work in teams. I need to lose these morons." Then I told her I'd rather everyone share my A than let them put in their flimsy, unfounded opinions and drag me down to a B. "Anyway," I said, "if I can steal every paper, when finals roll around, they'll be out of practice and completely bork it. And thats weighted to, like, 40%. I've got it all figured out. They're not gaining anything."

"'Don't worry about it, Andrew. I'll write the paper. I don't mind.' BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Thats when my mother demanded to know who I was and what I'd done with her real child.

"I don't care about the paper, Mom," I said, "It's all about the tyranny."

"Oh," she said, "it is you."

rurounibug ; 11:45 PM|fine, ignore me

July 18th, 2007

robots are the future

I just got an automated phonecall to confirm a doctor's appointment.

After I'd pressed one on my touchtone phone to confirm, and hung up, I realized that the digi-voice had correctly pronounced my Indonesian name.

Go robots. Obviously, they are superior ro flesh people

It makes me wonder a bit how those pre-recorded messages actually work. Do they just type it in? Does my name make some kind of robot-logic that fails when applied to humans? Does someone actually have to say it out loud to make the message? And if so, where do they keep this person? Perhaps locked up in the back, recording automated phone messages?

rurounibug ; 08:52 PM|1 replies

July 19th, 2007

if you were a ceiling cat, you'd do it, too

Your Score: Ceiling Cat
41% Affectionate, 43% Excitable, 44% Hungry

You are a master of stealth. They never see you coming. But you always see them coming. HEY-O!

To see all possible results, checka dis.

rurounibug ; 08:44 PM|fine, ignore me

July 22nd, 2007

echo echo cricket

Is everyone reading HarPot or something? The intarwebz is so quiet. I am forced to watch John Barrowman on YouTube.

And I'm on dialup. YouTube is like a lesson in patience. I may well be fossilized before I actually get to watch any John Barrowman.

Come back, pixel people! I am bored miss you!

rurounibug ; 04:24 PM|4 replies

July 23rd, 2007

John Barrowman is hot

Well, he is.

But whats even better is the speedy-ass internet connection over at campus, where, when coupled with their bigger-than-my-laptop's screens, I can animate while weird BBC talk shows play on YouTube in another window.

Damn, I want a screen like that. It's roughly the size of a football field. Swear!

Also, I guess it's time to upgrade to DSL. Waiting forty minutes for a minute long refference clip to load is now no longer funny, but just time wasting and stupid.

I've been saying that for weeks, though, and I still haven't made a move to leave the dial-up. I'm a slow moving mammal, what else can I say?


In other news I've been reading this book about a woman who lived dressed as a man for a year and change as a social experiment. It was interesting and kind of enjoyable at first, but as soon as I hit the dating chapter my estimation of her promptly plunged to "douchebag".

(cut for snippy book babble)

rurounibug ; 09:05 PM|4 replies

July 24th, 2007

John Barrowman is still hot

The last post drifted away from my theme of the week, ending in brief discussion of the minority status of transexuals rather than the hotness of John Barrowman.

I do not know how this could be, as mere mention of Captain Jack should, by default, limit discussion to things handsome and smexy.


I had my History of Western Civilization class this morning, where we read essays by some dead Greek guy. It's not important who or what, but the professor (Who btw, overidentifies with the Spartans to a ridiculous, vaguely pathetic degree. Also, despite his being, like, my height, he keeps reminding us what a badass he is. Again, not important. Just kinda sad.) the professor made some snide mention of this being art school.

"I know its a hard question I'm asking in art school," he goes, like we all sit around sniffing paint with our thumbs up our asses.

I was about to take offence, when he asked this guy up the back to read from the dead Greek guy's essay, and OMG, dude can't read. He had to fucking sound out the words. Slowly. While skipping the hard ones (you know like, specious and inaptness) with a muttered "don't know that word."

I don't know those words either, buddy*, but damn, at least I can read them enough to say them**. Hell, the ESL kids can read them enough to say them. In fact, the ESL kids read English better than some of the American kids.

It's fucking shocking.

And so, the next time professor Spartan made a subtle dig at our academic pursuit of choice, I just bit my tongue, and gave thanks that at least illiterate dude isn't on my essay team. (Of course, if he was, it would be even easier to wrest control of the damn thing. "You want a say? Dude, you can't fucking read!" This last one I had to let the other guy write, and I was going to post an excerpt here to show you lot what I've been bitching about, but this guy today was even more WTH, education system than that essay.)



*No proper english class till I was 16, remember? That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Before that, I learned english from TV, which is why I say "dude" so much. Also, I used to think that "After these messages, we'll be right back," was how one excused oneself.

**I can figure out what those words mean, though. I credit MacGyver, and his example of using your noodle to figure shit out. Thank you, Richard Dean Andersen!

rurounibug ; 04:05 PM|3 replies

July 25th, 2007

Radja--Riff

Radja Andai ku jadi raja Mau apa, tinggal minta tunjuk sini, tunjuk sana Dengan sedikit kata Andai ku jadi raja Punya uang, punya harta Dan yang pasti, aku juga akan punya kuasa Andai kujadi raja Diankat, dielukan, dikelilingi bawahan Dan orang-orang suruhan Nikmatnya jadi raja Dengan menjujikan jari dan lambaian tangan Maka terpuaskan nafsuku Tapi kubukan raja Kuhanya orang biasa Yang selalu dijadikan alas kaki para sang raja Aku hanya bisa Menahan dan melihat Membayangkan dan memimpikan 'Tuk menjadi seorang raja Nikmatnya jadi raja Kan ku bangun istana Dan ku dikelilingi putri yang kan selalu menggoda Nikmatnya jadi raja Dengan menjunjikan jari dan lambaian tangan Maka terpuaskan nafsu ku Tapi ku bukan raja Ku hanya orang biasa Yang selalu dijadikan alas kaki para sang raja Aku hanya bisa Menahan dan melihat Membayangkan dan memimpikan 'Tuk menjadi seorang raja Ooh, Tapi ku bukan raja Ku hanya orang biasa Yang selalu dijadikan alas kaki para sang raja Aku hanya bisa Menahan dan melihat Membayangkan dan memimpikan 'Tuk menjadi seorang raja Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na ku bukan seorang raja Heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na ku hanya orang biasa Heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na semua itu hanya khayalan

King If I were a king Any desire, only ask by pointing here, pointing there With a few words If I were a king I'd have money, I'd have wealth And certainly I'd also have power If I were a king I'd be held up, praised, surounded by underlings and servants How good to be a king By pointing a finger and waving a hand All my desires are fulfilled But I am not a king I am just an ordinary man Who is always trod upon by the kings I can only Hold it in and watch And imagine and dream Of becoming a king How good to be a king I would build a palace And be surrounded by girls who are always enticing How good to be a king By pointing a finger and waving a hand All my desires are fulfilled But I am not a king I am just an ordinary man Who is always trod upon by the kings I can only Hold it in and watch And imagine and dream Of becoming a king Oh, But I am not a king I am just an ordinary man Who is always trod upon by the kings I can only Hold it in and watch And imagine and dream Of becoming a king Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na I am not a king Heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na I am just an ordinary man Heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na heya Na na na na all of that is just a dream

rurounibug ; 09:28 PM|fine, ignore me

July 27th, 2007

it drops off like the ocean shelf

I am not a fan of the fake depth of field people use on their pshop illustrations. First of all, its usually just a flat gaussian blur applied to the bground, and sometimes to the foreground, and it doesn't do much more than make the charachters look like cardboard cutouts. (Even more so when the bg is a liberally gaussian-ed photo, where the contrast between the illustrated style and the Real World makes the illustrated part look flat.)

Second, it rarely even looks like a real dof. Often the bg is blurred in such a way that is sugests a very narrow dof, but the charachters themselves remain sharp up to the very edge of their outlines. A very narrow dof is going to blur the parts of a charachter as they fall away from the focus depth. Also, the bg is going to blur as it goes back in space (or the fg as it comes forward, away from the focal depth.) In a crowd the figures closest to the focus charachters aren't going to be as blurred as the charachters farther away.

I hear pshop has a function for calculating dof, but I also hear its a massize freaking pain. Sort of like a more profficient version of those guys who think pshop filters are the main tool of digital coloring.

Now, my handling of the computer re. art is made of suck, but as far as I can tell, even digitally, theres no auto-art function in any of the drop-down menus. To color something, you still have to add and subtract and push around value. You still have to work the image, albeit with more advanced tools than a shammy, a piece of blue rubber, and your thumb. ("Computer," my artsy-smartsy classmate in JC goes, "Where's the art if you do it on computer?" Course, she also didn't believe in erasing, and made sure the rest of us knew it, which goes to show that she was something of a wanker.)

A flat application of gaussian blur--even on several layers--doesn't really create an illusion of depth, as much it does the impression of a series of flat cut outs. Seems to me each layer needs to have a depth and a sense of dimention against object on its own layer.

Seems like it would take a lot of work to make it not look crappy crappy.

Unless one knew how to work the pshop dof equation thinger.

Also, wth is with the comics using a gaussian blur to make things look speedy? Even if we know its supposed to look like speed, it doesn't really. It just looks fuzzy. Hello, do you want to have the pencil work support that supposedly fast movement, or are we just going to half-ass shortcuts now?

Buncha hacks.

rurounibug ; 03:34 PM|fine, ignore me

July 30th, 2007

I call this working

Today I went to the labs to animate, but managed only to screw up my model. Suddenly the damn things has two sets of teeth and controls. WTF?

Anyway, thats my excuse for why after an hourt I started watching youtube instead, starting with watching John Barrowman sing bits from popular musicals, and segueing into interviews, then somehow clicking my way to Indonesian music videos.

Funny, how it never occured to me that they were on there.

The best thing about Indonesian music on youtube it watching all the anak perantauan crying in the comments about how they are lonesome and far from home, boo.

Then theres our neighbors, the Malaysians, who drop in to tell us how all our bands suck, to which we reply that they're just jealous, and hey, don't like, don't click. I guess since we speak languages that are similar enough to communicate, there is nothing else to do but conduct petty internet wars.

As a side note, the Indonesian word for slave, "budak", appears to mean "child" in Malaysian. As an Indonesian, this makes watching CSI--cable channels subtitle in Malaysia--at least twice as interesting.

Even better than the culture warring Malaysians, though, are the self-hating Indos. "Ha!" they say, on a Peterpan video featuring police and a lot of bules, "Indonesian cops look way more suck than that." "Dewa's drummer," they say on another, "is just drawing attention to himself. As if he can even play."

It's fucking wonderful.

(But the very best of the best is the bule who posts, "Why can't they sing in English?")

rurounibug ; 12:25 AM|fine, ignore me

July 30th, 2007

we interrupt your regularly scheduled nonsense to youtube

(ETA: Left to right : Aziz--Jamrud, Once--Dewa, Fadli--Padi, Duta--Sheila on7, Ariel--Peterpan. Medley of their bands' top hits.)

Peterpan's Ariel (most right)is so pretty in this. *pokes screen*

I like to check how tall rock stars in Asia are, because if they're shorter than me, or at least around my height, then I figure I still have a chance. Hyde (Japan): 156. Ariel: 165 (?) Me: 160. Now all I need is musical talent.


ps. Anyone got a link to a cleaner version of the above vid? The sound is a bit mendep. [ETA2: slightly better. Now also sans most annoying MCs in the world, but with disturbing ad scrolls: "Placenta Body Lotion"? WAUGH!] Also, what is with that guy who always wears sunglasses all the time? ^^;;;; Norak.

rurounibug ; 11:01 PM|1 replies

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