As i type, the Korean drama 'Love in the Vineyard' is playing. (DVD) In fact, it has been my habit to either play a CD or any drama when i'm awake at times like this. Adds a little bit of life to the dead of the night.

okok, not trying to be romantic. Being the otaku that i am, something is always playing in the background.

Well, i've been spending X'mas day with the family (a bit) and had an enjoyable hour or so - wrapping gifts. yes, i love doing that. It's fun and i think it makes gift-giving and gift-receiving much more personal. (but i digress) Anyway, i wanted to borrow a drama called Love in the Aegean Sea from my mom, and ended up coming away with it! Madam Mother is giving away stuff because she's inspired by her friend. That's nice, thanks Mom! So here i am with another set of VCDs, which although i appreciate the gesture and i want to watch the drama, is totally against my new 'collection' policy of ... DVDs only from now on.

Why so? i'm bitter over the fact that i have huge boxed sets of The Gift (Sung-mool) and All About Eve and a whole bunch of other stuff in VCD. The colours are starting to fade; the sound is going AND there are no English subs! There is even this tiny idea, pushing its way to the front, convincing me to give some of my favourites away (read: Sung-mool and AAE) and replace them with DVDs. That way, they should keep for a longer stretch - although one never knows. Maybe i should wait.

And why is that, you dare ask? I would have loved to own the OST 'I have a Date with Spring' in CD, i'm telling you. And the humongous 6 CD collection of Lo-Dayou's best songs, one of Harlem Yu's earlier albums (forgot which), most of my Jacky Cheung collection, Eason's first album and some other indie albums. All this i happen to own - in cassettes. What use are three cartons of cassettes to one who does not own a cassette player? Was i to know that cassettes would now be practically obsolete? Talking of obsolete, i've been trying to replace my discman which a friend borrowed but has not returned (for around 3 years!) and discovered that there aren't any being sold in the shops. (okay, maybe if i really hunt for it i will find one but right now i need to do some shopping around if any) Does this mean that CD players are going the way of cassette players? Ha? Oh dear, i would still want to own a CD player even if i rip music into my mp3 because eventhough mp3s may be handy and can carry entire albums, i would still buy CDs that produce clearer, louder and sharper sound. (not forgetting how much i love owning a nicely made album with lyrics and all that)

Sure, you can download them - lyrics, photos and music. You may even pay for them. I'd rather you call me old-fashioned then, because my CD collection is growing. ;-p

On another level, e-books are bound to become the rage since it would be way-too-cool to carry entire libraries with you without breaking your back. i can imagine wanting to own one!

However, i'm not at all worried that i'll have to replace my entire collection of literature as i may have to with the music and moving pictures. Because, this technology that plays the paper book ain't gonna get obsolete so soon. Good old pencil and paper. Good old paperbacks, hardcovers and tradepaperbacks. Good old use your fingers to turn the page.

And if you need batteries - eat, sleep, love.

In Ken Hirai's Japanese version of the nursery rhyme Grandfather's Clock, the part where it is tick-tock in English, sounds like 'chiku, chiko'. ;-p

I think i should just revamp instead of quitting. Yes, what a turnabout. (less than half an hour leh!)

It's because i like the url i have right now. We'll sleep on it and make a decision before post no.100.

Night-night, owls.

As i start, it's five minutes to 12, on Christmas Eve (Malaysian time), and 5 months and 24 days since i last posted anything. I have forgotten how long since i've been on facebook.

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, although some months, weeks, days ago - i felt like it in spots. i've let people and things and people and things get to me. perhaps you can also say that i'm not clued in and ready to do so many of the things i have had to take on, and had wanted to try. i lacked patience, experience, skill and an entire list of other things.

i do have temper and anger and unfortunately, intuition. Many a time, i could feel that something was wrong but had no means to fix it.

Nowadays my secret mantra (which i use to speak out loud a lot in the past, now less since it sounds negative to others. albeit when i accidentally let it slip in frustration) is 'why do i care. why is this my business as well?'. Actually the full mantra is 'why do i care? why is this my problem, too? should this be my business? it will only make things more complicated and i have ten thousand things on hand, clamouring for attention from people who mean more to me than this issue. oh, why, oh, why am i so busybody to want to help? to want to bother other people who don't want my help? hey, in fact i may not be equipped to help. so keep saying the mantra to remind yourself to mind your own business.'

There. Feels a wee bit better.

I just looked up the number of posts made since i started this blog - 94, making this effectively 95. I've always envied other people's nice blogs with a look of their own. Love Daphne's a lot.

Basically dots are getting to me. I mean i try never to wear polka dots to avoid looking clown-like, so why the heck did i choose this template? 'Cos the rest were either too staid or too odd. Maybe i should migrate ... if that is the word for it. Plus, all the music doesn't work anymore.

sigh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shall i stop at hundred? i may be too lazy. but i won't stop completely because i enjoy an occasional write/rant like that. Just to prove i haven't lost me barely essential skills of writing, whatever that means.

Stop for a while. Too sleepy. As i click- 'publish post' - the time is 19 minutes past 12.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FOLKS!