Mood: Relaxed (that’s euphemism for ‘Lazy’)
Listening to: The tiny little voice in my head... weeee....
Watched: Doraemon – Nobita and the Robot Kingdom

Hello everybody~! ^___^ I truly apologize for my partial-absence from DA lately… Haven’t been home for a period of time, since I have been running about, and leading a nomadic life for at least 4 weeks out of the past six… @__@

And speaking of absence, I want to apologize for all those messages which I haven’t replied. I’m so sorry. Also for not personally replying to all those nice comments and favourites for my pieces – thank you very much everyone~! ^__^ I truly appreciate all your support. *bows* Without you all I wouldn’t be here today with like 10k+ pageviews…

Art Block/Jam
Erm… Haven’t been posting up new art pieces very consistently, have I? >___< Feel terribly guilty… ;_; It’s not like I’m so deprived of time that I haven’t been drawing… Well, you could say I’m lazy. T___T Or I haven’t been feeling much of the necessary mood to draw… I have at least another 6 sketches left uninked, 6 pieces yet to be CGed, 2 art requests to start from scratch, and many many other creative ideas stuck in my head (since last year) which somehow aren’t coming out well on paper. Artist block? Or am I just being too perfectionist (that I rather do something exceptionally perfect or else do nothing at all)? Sigh… T___T

Back to School – August
No matter what, I have to find a way to draw as much as I need before University starts in August. As much as I dread not having the time to draw (as if I do draw when I’m free, anyway), I can’t wait to go back to hectic student life… I’ve just been growing mouldy for too long these few months, I suppose, to want to go back to school so badly…

Yea, so I’ll be going to the National University of Singapore, doing a course in Life Science. No more Art for me, but I do hope I get the University Scholar’s Programme, so that I’ll have a chance to do Digital Art or Photography, maybe. ^_~ Yea.. I decided that I better preserve my love for drawing by not overdosing on a full-time, stressful, loaded Art course.

Project Cosplay 2006 ~ …dilemma… @__@
Meanwhile, as I worry about my unfinished art pieces and other trivial issues not worthy of mention here, there looms a greater concern over my head – my cosplay project for Comic Fiesta 2006… >___< Maybe it seems a bit too early to think about an event held only in December, but then again, after last year’s rush, and being aware of the fact that I am on holidays now (with [supposedly] lots of time on my hands), I better start working on it ASAP…

So the headache is: what to cosplay?? My first choice is Kotoko from Chobits. (Love that adorable little Persocomm with an attitude… ^___^) But after staring at her picture [link] for the millionth time, I thought; “How the heck am I going to get a wig styled like that/hair extensions that long??” =__=;; The clothes in itself shouldn’t be much a problem, provided I make up my mind ASAP and get the fabric when I go to KL end of next week. The big bells… well… maybe I could get it done via papier mache – although I’m worried it’ll turn out not-so-nice. The socks.. yes.. the other big headache… @__@ Is it possible to tailor such socks? Because I doubt they sell such long versions of those Japanese-y socks. Of course, I believe, with lots of $$$, all my problems should be solved, since I can just pay Coslet (from Singapore Cosplay Club) and they might very well be able to find/custom-make the wig and socks for me. Although, despite saving me a few giga portions of headaches, that’ll deprive me of the fun of assembling the costume myself and (I won’t be surprised…) a month or two’s worth of pocket money (in Singapore Dollars).

Sigh… It’s tough being a newbie cosplayers with very limited connections, who is also trying very hard *not* to burn XL holes in both her own, and her parents’ pockets. (RM 100+ for one cosplay already screams “TOO MUCH!!!” to me) Anyway, any cosplayers from Malaysia who know where it is possible to rent wigs, instead of buying them? (or do people not rent wigs out for hygiene purposes?) Is it very expensive?

Anyway, if I don’t cosplay Kotoko, my second choice is the main character from the Harvest Moon game [link] . Costume is relatively easy, and I could add extra touches with a basket/strawberry ball/puppy doll/pineapple(imagine lugging pineapples around CF…^_^; ). I can cosplay the guy version (Jack) or the girl version (from HM – More Friends of Mineral Town [link] ). Personally, I’d like to do Jack, (since I like his cap) but I doubt I’m macho enough to play a guy. ;__; If I do the girl, I’ll have to find a blonde wig and I don’t get to wear a hat… =__=;

Among the other cosplay ideas I sifted through include: Pye from 3X3Eyes Vol. 16 (my hair’s similar to hers, problem is I don’t have the guts/figure to wear something that sexy), female Blacksmith from RO (obviously, I don’t have the figure, so big no-no), Hotaru Tomoe from Sailormoon (err… I’m not skinny enough?), Sohee from RO (Thing is, I think I’ve grown too fat to make a pretty Sohee) or Hye Gun from RO (once again, I doubt I’m macho enough to play such a charming Undead guy).

If I’m really desperate I could always recycle my Munak costume and throw in an extra Punisher, but that’s not too good an idea. Or, in absolute desperation, I’ll just go to CF2006 cosplaying as… Myself. T___T

10 things about my art...

RULES: You have to answer that questions and to put it into your journal. Then you choose 6 other deviants to answer that. Put them into the journal and inform them that they've been tagged.

1) If you think my art is very detailed and complicated…: the truth is, I use all those lines/flowy hair and fabric to cover up my mistakes/parts I cannot draw. ^_^;;

2) I have been drawing ever since I can remember, with a scary tendency to colour things pink. ^_^; When I was in kindergarten, I coloured skin pink. When I was seven or eight, I drew my Barbie Dolls with a (lots of pink and purple) Lollipop-world background. I only started drawing anime when I was at least 9.

3) I started off drawing Sailormoon, although I had been reading/watching/playing Doraemon before that.

4) Honestly, I’m more towards Illustration, with bits and pieces of costume design. I’m lousy at manga (as in drawing everything frame by frame according to a storyline).

5) I personally feel I have a somewhat decent ability to mix and match colour… So yea, I like colour. ^__^

6) I planned (and partially wrote) 3 long stories which I never finished…. >__< At least two were Sailormoon spinoffs… lol.. ^__^;

7) My idols… Hmm… I started out liking Naoko Takeuchi, then Kosuke Fujiwara. Currently one of my favourite mangaka remains Kazuya Minekura (and all her supporting artists).

8) The one traditional art I enjoy (and I believe, is my forte) is inking. Pencil sketches are also fun, but being so perfectionist, I rarely find my pencil sketches worthy of showcasing. I still love digital art and CGing, but it has to go hand in hand with traditional art (inking, especially). A tablet, no matter how much it helps, still does not provide the same satisfaction as traditional inking... at least that is what I feel. ^__^;

9) I like to observe nature – trees, plants, flowers, insects, clouds, etc. I find there is a lot of inspiration from the colours, shapes, and lines found around us. Mother Nature is the best designer of all, I believe.. ^___~

10) I want to be an animator for Pixar… ;_;

I tag:
erm… haha.. can’t think of anyone who’s not tagged… ^__^; lol… maybe later. Or anyone volunteers to be tagged??

1. first name?
»» Pei Yiing

2. were you named after anyone?
»» Nope.

3. do you wish on stars?
»» No… =/

4. when did you last cry?
»» One week ago, I think.

5. do you like your handwriting?
»» No. But my ‘Ariake Mikazuki’ signature is an exception…

6. what is your favorite lunch meal?
»» Grandma’s cooking… And the food from the Muslim stall in SAJC’s café.

7. when is your birth date?
»» 28 July 1987

8. what is your most embarrassing cd?
»» The nearest I can think of is the ‘3X3Eyes’ OVA… ^_^;

9. do you have a journal?
»» …what is this then?? =__=;;

10. do you use sarcasm a lot?
»» Occasionally too much for my own good.

11. what are your nicknames?
»» Aria-chan, PeiPei, Paying, Yiing, Pei Pei Yiing Yiing, Baa-chan, Pepeiyiing, Pepenguin, Tua Bak Pao (Big Meat Pao), Chibimoon, Biggest Piggy

12. do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
»» Nope.

13. do you think that you are strong?
»» Not physically. Emotionally; not really. Well, maybe I’m strong somehow, but can’t think of the trait now.

14. what is your favorite ice cream flavor?
»» Rum and Raisin!! ^___^

15. shoe size.
»» 6-7… I think.

16. red or pink?
»» Pink~~~! ^__^

17. what is your least favorite thing about yourself?
»» I procrastinate too much and I’m too emotional.

18. what do you miss most?
»» Currently: School, and everything about it (friends, teachers, the subjects, the building, the hectic life, etc.)… T___T And my Church (and friends) in Singapore also..

19. do you want everyone you tag, answer it too?
»» There’s a reason why I tagged you…

20. what color pants and shoes are you wearing now?
»» Blue shorts. I’m bare-footed because I’m at home.

21. are you listening to your favorite music right now?
»» No.

22. what was the last thing you ate?
»» Dinner… If the last specific thing.. I suppose that’ll be cauliflower.

23. if you were a crayon, what color would you be?
»» Pink~~! ^__^ Lavender… (why can’t I be a Copic Marker instead?? ;__; )

24. what is the weather like right now?
»» Outside? Cool night time weather..

25. last person you talked to on the phone?
»» My Aunt..

26. the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
»» Their looks…? Specifically their hair… ^__^;; And clothes/fashion sense. I’ll check for bishie-ness also.

27. do you like the person who tagged this to you?
»» Definitely!! ^__^ She’s my Art Muse, my Cosplay Muse, my Fashion Design Muse, my FMA Muse, but most importantly, she’s my friend/long-time penpal (SMS pal now…). ^___^

28. favorite drink?
»» 100Plus

29. favorite sport?
»» Badminton

30. favorite colors?
»» Pink, lavender, blue, white, silver

31. eye color?
»» Dark brown

32. do you wear contacts?
»» Rarely

33. favorite food?
»» Tempe, Bittergourd, Grandma’s spaghetti, the Ban Mian in Bukit Merah foodcourt, THAI MANGO SALAD!!! XD

34. last movie you watched?
»» House of Wax

35. scary movies or happy endings?
»» Depends. But scary movies are usually not my type.

36. summer or winter?
»» Winter

37. hugs or kisses?
»» Hugs. ^___^

38. what is your favorite dessert?
»» Is dark chocolate considered dessert? If not, I’ll settle for Soursop Ice Jelly. ^__^

39. what books are you reading?
»» The Bible (NIV), and RO Guide Books

40. what's on your mouse pad?
»» My personal statement for Uni application. Actually, I don’t have a mouse pad.

41. what did you watch last night on the tv?
»» Erm… Didn’t watch last night. Two nights ago yes: The Gospel of Judas on NatGeo Channel.

42. favorite scents?
»» Body Shop’s Spirit of Moonflower. I like the smell of rain too… ^__^

43. favorite sounds?
»» Forest sounds, the pitter-patter of rain, piano. The ‘moik’ of Porings. ^__^

44. rolling stones or beatles?
»» Definitely Beatles. Don’t think I’ve heard anything from Rolling Stones before.

45. what's the farthest you've been from home?
»» London

I tag: and

Mood: Semi-sick (itchy nose, stinging eyes)
Listening to: The fan swooshing above my head

I am the Procrastinator
Yello people! ^^ How’s everybody? It is I, the Procrastinator, who has been (for most of the time, for the past month or so) lurking around DA without actually posting up new deviations or replying to messages. For this, I apologize for the un-replied messages/s/devWatches/etc – I truly appreciate all those who take their time to browse my art and even my pieces… it’s just that… I have to start getting rid of this bad habit of mine… T__T Gomen ne…

Pre-‘A’ Levels Results Release
Once upon a time, long long ago, Aria-chan foresaw the coming of: THE ‘A’ LEVEL RESULTS. (ok, nobody needs to predict that… haha) Alas, terribly troubled was she that she might not do well, especially after two horrendous years studying in JC. Visions began haunting her; nightmares of scoring ‘multi-coloured’ grades – A, B, C and D [the D was for General Paper] and nonsensical dreams of penguin-riding durians (so much for my logic… >__<.

The BIG Day – Release of Results
[~end of ancient storyteller mode~] Went down to Singapore for the ‘big’ day. Took a train from KL on Tuesday night, reached Wednesday morn. Heck, I actually found the ride quite fun (was terribly deprived of sleep though).
Reached school late to take results (the new SAV is a labyrinth.. @__@). Maybe being late was a good idea after all, since looking at my results and comparing it with those of the top scorers whose names were announced would have driven me mad.

OK. My results weren’t that horrible, or that good either. Actually, a few teachers sort of told me off for not looking very happy with my results. ; I got 3As 1B and A1 for GP. Yes, I am (truly, very, sincerely) happy with the A1 for General Paper (considering I dreamt I got a D) and the A for Physics (I got an E for Physics for Prelims) – but the B… >___< …was for Chemistry. I wouldn’t have mind as much if the B was for Physics, but why did it have to be Chemistry? T___T For one, I love Chemistry, and secondly, the subject’s my strongest subject (after Bio). And part of the reason why I gave up taking any S(pecial) papers was because I wanted to score straight As. At any rate, I’m still harping on that single B, lamenting that I’ve disappointed all my Chemistry tutors, from Miss Tang, to Brother Oh to Mr Lee…. T___T

Fine then. I suppose I’m being too perfectionist. Sorry for the rant. Better be more grateful that I didn’t get more Bs then. Haha. Anyway, although I didn’t do that excellently, I’m genuinely happy and proud for the others who did very well. The whole bunch of Hwa Chong scholars scored straight As, with Mei Mei (me ex-cluster mate) having 8 distinctions (why am I not surprised?). Top scorer Chong Wei from my class had 7As. Gideon Ho had 6As. I got 4, and wish it was 5. T__T Ahem. Sorry. Let me eat cili padi to stop me from ranting again.

Anyway, going down to Singapore was a great opportunity to see most of my friends whom I may never see again (call me bad, but I was hoping the top scorers will go overseas and leave the local scholarships to us with not-so-high achievements. Haha. ). Went to Bukit Timah Market for dinner with most of me friends (although I was still distraught by the single B and had thus lost my appetite – even watching them torture poor Gideon [by trying to make him buy us dinner] did nothing to improve my mood). Still, like I said, was good to see almost everyone there. JonHo as usual with his lame jokes… Wongie my fellow pe-Penguinin’ friend. Alicia, Zen, Kelvin, SuanSim, Damien, Irene Leong, etc. Wonder when I’ll be able to see them again. T__T

Spent four days or so in S’pore, trying to catch up with as many people as possible. Thanks very much to dear friend Fui Yen, who let me stay at her place/parasite on her laptop for that period of time.. *hugs* ^___^ Being in S’pore was also a good time to *not* eat as often as possible, and exercise as much as possible, because here in Malaysia, I have too much of the former and too little of the latter…

Post- ‘A’ Level Results
Have been doing my applications to university and for scholarships like mad for the past week, ever since I returned from S’pore. Good thing Mom was around to *supervise* me, or I’ll be drifting off doing something else like I am now. Anyway, I have made my decision not to take up Art and Design as a course in uni. Thought about it, discussed with ~CielElric, thought about it some more – I’m not built to be a successful artist. Yes, I feel passionate about drawing, but it takes more than just loving to be creative, to create good pieces. Anyway, with my semi-decent skills that might not even serve the community well, might as well do something useful - something I’ve been doing full-time 70% of my life - Science. To top everything, to get into NTU’s Art, Media and Design School screams loads of work applying, and NTU doesn’t offer ASEAN scholarships to S-Paper-less applicants (like me). Also, I’ve been having a hell of a time submitting the online application form for the NTU scholarship, and it still bounces back. *And* I now prefer to go for Fashion Design (either ~CielElric influenced me, or I’ve been watching too much Project Runway) instead of Digital Animation, and NTU doesn’t offer a degree in Fashion Design.

So you see, I believe God is trying to tell me something.

Murphy’s Law ….bad things happen at the last minute when you least expect it
I never imagined Murphy’s Law could be so true until actually seeing it in action in me life so many times. First it was the false alarm that the ‘A’ Level results would be out earlier. Next came the actual ‘A’ Level results… (still can’t get over the B). Then comes giving up doing a degree in Art and Design. After which Mom suddenly forbids me from going to GACC, Malacca. And most recently is the massive, tree-uprooting thunderstorm in Subang Jaya – ok, that’s not directly related to me, although I have friends living there, one of which claimed to have died and reincarnated into Anpanman. ; [that’s ~Alakazen ]

Despite all these shortcomings, well, I believe that it all leads to something good – I just haven’t figured out what. Haha. I believe God has a funny way around things – things may all go wrong at first, but in the end they turn out to be great blessings. ^__^

So, seeing that I have written so much, and so much which has nothing to do with my 500-word essay I’m supposed to finish for my scholarship application. I better end here now. Take care everyone~! ^__^

*dives into a pool of university/scholarship application forms+IELTS practice tests*

Was tagged by: ~CielElric

20 things you didn't know about me...

1. Aria-chan’s biggest weakness… Colour paper – Put me in an art shop selling colour paper or any kind of fancy paper, and I go berserk, buying paper like my life depended on it.

2. The other item that could spell my doom… COPIC Markers – *read above* I just thank God that COPIC markers aren’t sold everywhere… =__=;; [or I’ll be broke frequently…]

3. I suffer from EICS – That’s a (rather) rare disease: Everything Is Cute Syndrome. Yes, apart from penguins, pink pigs, and Heffalumps, I find earthworms, millipedes, snails, slugs, frogs, turtles, interesting ideas, certain people (not ‘cute’ in others’ eyes), etc – cute.

4. My EICS extends even to sadistic animal behaviour. Like hamsters holding their newborns in their hands and chomping the head off… @__@ Fortunately (for animal activists out there), no animal abuse inflicted by a human on an animal is funny. I don’t fancy people dressing up animals, unless for a VERY good reason.

5. I have a tendency to name everything – I have names for my soft toys/plants/certain accessories, and most of them are named after my friends.

6. …And I have a husband named WACOM – Speaking of toys named after friends, I have a WACOM tablet for a husband, a laptop for a sister and a scanner for a brother.

7. I live on a weird diet – Ever tried nata de coco + cubed tomatoes? Or cucumber in wheatgrass-flavoured soya milk? Baked beans with oyster mushrooms? I have. ^_^; And my favourite foods include those most other people find disgusting, like bittergourd, brinjal (eggplant) and tempe (fermented[?] soy beans).

8. If I could be a type of food, I would be… Dark chocolate: Wish I could be dark, bitter and sweet (in terms of personality). But I’m not… T__T

9. I adore pink – Call it the colour for bimbos, but I just can’t help it… T__T I’m attracted to many things pink, much to my dismay…

10. I am prone to extreme mood swings - I can be laughing and genki in the early morning, but at nearly noon, I can burst into tears for no apparent reason… ^_^; (ok, for some kind of reason that does not become evident that immediately…)

11. I adore hats. Not that I really get the chance to wear them. My dream is to be able to wear the many quirky headgears you find in RO… (only managed the Munak hat so far)

12. I slip and fall whenever I sing ‘Raindrops Falling on my head’ – No, I’m not kidding. Happened twice. (thank God somebody caught me in time) Or maybe because I like to sing that whenever it’s raining and the floor is wet and slippery…

13. If I don’t get married by a certain age, 35, maybe… - I’ll just CG a realistic picture for a wedding photo, and put in an ideal, imaginary guy in there as my husband. I always believe that a girl’s greatest wish is to see herself in a wedding dress and pose for beautiful wedding photos… Eheheheh…

14. I am the daughter of a strawberry farmer – Seriously, I’m kidding. But really, most of my friends think my parents truly own a strawberry farm. To set it straight: No, my parents do not work in a Strawberry Farm, but they do work in a hotel called ‘Strawberry Park’. (actually, I kind of like the idea of owning a strawberry farm…. ^^)

15. When I die… - I want strawberry flowers for my funeral.

16. It bothers me greatly that people take me seriously when I’m joking, and take me lightly when I intend to be serious. Happens very often, sadly.

17. What I like most about my appearance – My eyes. Don’t ask why. I dunno. I just like them… *eyes shine* [I think I’m beginning to sound a bit narcissistic…^_^;]

18. I believe in karma too… ^_^ So I believe that all the chaos the world is going through is because mankind has done much evil, both to Mother Nature and to one another.

19. Just lately, I’ve been meowing a lot. Mostly when my sister expects me to say something, and I have nothing to say, so I ‘meow’. Otherwise I do it for fun.

20. Meow.

I tag: ~CinueHime ~Lady-Aucifer ~shmeiliarockie ~avisynh ~CallistoPhalan ~Flying-Heart ~KakyuuHime ~LizzieKapookie ~mypunkishways ~saine ~Sybil ~tuxedoshirahime ~wingless-seraphim ~Alakazen