Spellbound

Fare thee well, OWL

2012-05-01T14:00:26Z

I was just 19 when I first joined OWL as a staffer. It was where I found my first fandom home and where I found my first fandom friends. I have had the privilege of meeting and working with the kindest, most fantastic, and most loving group of people that I ever expect to encounter. OWL was a source of joy for me, and I am sad to see it go. Farewell, OWL! You live on in our hearts.

Squee!

2011-12-07T19:34:18Z

Yay! The Reveal is my favorite :)

clairvoyant, THANK YOU! *blows kisses at you. I loved my gift (as you already know). I'm so happy that now I know the identity of the author!

If anyone hasn't checked out The Ice-Cream Man Cometh yet, please do so! It's a work of genius. (http://sshg-exchange.livejournal.com/273630.html)

Also, my self-pimp: My contribution to the Exchange was Wars of our Fathers, a gift to debjunk. Feel free to check it out, too! (http://sshg-exchange.livejournal.com/270955.html)

The Ice-Cream Man Cometh

2011-11-13T02:59:53Z

That's the title of my absolutely amazing gift at the sshg_exchange gift. It's everything I ever hoped for, and more! Please go check it out as fast as you can manage: http://sshg-gifts.livejournal.com/130960.html

It is full of hilarity, poignancy, and shall we say, a few naughty moments :)

Thank you, Mystery Author! I'm thoroughly enamored!

Prompts, in bound!

2011-05-18T04:03:59Z

I think I like them, but as I've had only six hours of sleep in the last two days combined, I'm not really in a position to be making major life decisions :) Will leave the thinkity think part until after hateful!school. But still, for the record, SQUEEEE :)

Edit: Oh yeah, now I'm going TO SLEEP. Hopefully the insomnia will leave me alone tonight.

Prompts, I haz them

2011-05-09T15:57:27Z

A photo finish rush to the deadline :-) Posted to sshg_exchange here.

More later, but just a thought now... (movie spoiler)

2010-11-19T21:35:05Z

I couldn't help feeling inordinately pleased that Hermione's parents got screen time and that the director chose to show us Hermione removing herself from their lives. Though the actors who played the Grangers (David and Jane, in my head) were not at all like the type I would have imagined for my fic, Emissary (http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/205524.html), I thought their inclusion in the movie was a fitting tribute to two very important people in Hermione's life, who up to now, have received very little attention!

On a completely unrelated note, my favorite line from a critic's review:

"If Voldemort can gather these Deathly Hallows before Harry and company destroy the Horcruxes, he will become the immortal Master of Death (known in the Muggle world as Dick Cheney)."
- Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Improv Everywhere

2010-11-17T05:49:18Z

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this YouTube channel. They specialize in getting a group of people to simultaneously do something weird in public. The task is usually something that violates a social norm, like hundreds of people suddenly freezing in place at the same time in Grand Central Station. Reactions of passers-by are taped. The "missions" bring amusement and laughter. Also, it's based on interesting groupthink psychology and explores the "Are you in on the joke?" dynamic. But mostly, it's hilarious and fun!

http://www.youtube.com/user/ImprovEverywhere

Yay

2010-11-16T05:08:26Z

Story: Emissary
Chapter: 5. Chapter 5

From: CCG ()
-------------------

*SPOILERS*

Oh my...

WOW.

I cried, seriously, thirteen times during this story... and there was no
character death (verified)! No horrid, drawn-out, thing! No blood (seen), no
violence (seen)...

Just this simple, heart-worthy tale, told from the prospective of a Father...
of loss, regained...

*sniff*

Wow, that was REALLY well-told. I have tears in my eyes, still. Actually, I am
still crying for how sweet this was. Like the most simple meal can be
described as "home", or a 'comfort food', and encompass that beautifully and
completely, in the most alien environment...

WOW.

wow...

!! Wow, what a heartwarming review for Emissary on ffnet :) Iz happy. Continues to be pleasantly surprised by the reception of this fic. Too bad the person didn't leave a return link with which I can reply. Really made my day.

On that note, I'm going to bed right NOW, and it's only six minutes past midnight.

Update: Emissary

2010-10-31T03:21:13Z

Posted my sshg_exchange Fic, Emissary, to TPP, Ash, and FFnet.

The fic was written as a gift for kribu :) It's a different sort of fic. If you haven't read it yet, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Summary: A father recounts a series of meetings with a black-robed emissary. Written for Kribu during the Summer 2010 SS/HG Exchange.

Complete on FFnet: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6439097/1/Emissary
In the Q for TPP and Ash.

Happy National Cat Day!

2010-10-29T13:56:24Z

How awesome is that? If you're on Facebook, and I know you as a kitteh lover, you received invitations to join Cat Book from me today :) apps.facebook.com/catbook/

Go read!

2010-06-04T20:12:53Z

I can haz Exchange Gift today! And boy is it FANTASTIC. More than I ever dared hope for. This has made my day so wonderful! I feel so blessed :) Thank you, mystery author... can't wait to find out who you are!

A Mournful Rustling in the Dark

Holy Shite!

2010-05-11T12:23:36Z

Paul Dateh:

*Goes to find more of his stuff

SQUEE! (or Mr. R can haz job)

2010-03-23T19:25:12Z

Pan has a job! And it's a really great job, one he's happy with, in a location we're happy with, at the biggest chemical company in the world (which is where a PhD in Chemical Engineering ought to be)...

BASF

*dances*

My 2 cents amidst all the crazy yelling

2010-03-22T19:53:15Z

I'm drowning in the caps lock yelling too. But I'll just say this--

I'm thrilled that the health care reform passed. And you really can't convince me that I shouldn't be by yelling at me.

I know we have differences in opinion. But remember that some of us worked just as hard, hoped just as passionately, and invested just as much to get this to pass.

For me, my reasons are very personal. I spent my entire childhood living in fear of being sick because I knew my parents couldn't afford the doctor's with no insurance. We tried all sorts of stop gap solutions. Buying cheap, bare bones coverage. Using medicaid. For a while, we even shelled out 1000 a month out of our own pockets to buy insurance on our own from Kaiser. My mom got rejected for "preexisting conditions." We had medicaid for a while, until I turned 18, and then we ALL lost our coverage. My mom had to have an expensive surgery to remove a tumor in her neck. We were really lucky it happened before we got kicked off medicaid. They were hard working people who made money by the sweat of their brows, doing menial labor. They sent me to Princeton. They might fail as human beings on many levels, but they certainly deserved, worked for, and wanted better. The system they were part of was broken.

So. Me? I'm crying with relief. This is long overdue. And I'm proud that this happened in our country.

OWL Award results are in!

2010-03-13T09:16:33Z

Just ducking in here for a brief second to congratulate everyone on a fabulous job in the OWL Awards! They were great fun, and I enjoyed getting to read all the wonderful fic :)

*hugs you all*

Here are the results: http://tauri.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9872

Thoughts on Ladies Figure Skating

2010-02-26T05:57:12Z

Well, my betting on the underdog in the Ladies Figure Skating competition wasn't successful! I was thinking that the overwhelming favorite would cave under pressure, but I was sorely mistaken :) Queen Yu-Na Kim reigns again, as NBC, ever the purveyor of subtle headlines, announced. This was one of the most technically proficient Olympics I've ever seen. The entire field was rock solid, all the way from the queen herself down to the ladies in sixth and seventh. After so many drama-filled Olympics with Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen falling on their tushes, I was biting my nails throughout the whole thing, but everyone was amazing... smooth, graceful, and cool as cucumbers.

Yu-Na might be everyone's idol, with her record-breaking scores and her lithe grace on the ice, but I was totally won over by the 4th place skater, American Mirai Nagasu. Sixteen, with no world championships to speak of, in her first Olympics, she managed to place fourth! She's going to give Yu-na a run for her money one day. She has the same fluidity and ease and strong, floaty jumps. Rachael Flatt (who I think was totally screwed over, underscored) was beautiful, too--but she doesn't manage to be sublime, which I think describes Yu-na and eventually Mirai.

Joannie Rochette had me in tears both nights. What transcendent human strength she displayed. No question, she earned her medal. Something otherworldly colored her skating as she skated almost flawless programs just days after her mother's death.

Felt terrible for Asada, who I had placed my money on for gold. If she hadn't made two MINOR mistakes that WEREN'T EVEN JUMPS (!), she might have had a shot at Kim, since she landed THREE TRIPLE AXELS in one competition (never before done in history!). Honestly, her skating was just as dynamic and beautiful as Kim's, but dazzle and celebrity were on the side of Kim... unless Kim screws up, which she didn't, she was sure to get ridiculously high scores for everything, since the whole freaking world is expecting her win. Silver for Asada is nothing to sniff at... how many people on earth can claim they have one? But because she comes from the crazy Asian nation of Japan, where people used to be encouraged to commit suicide for honor, she's nothing but a failure. And her face showed it, too, during the ceremony. I'm familiar, on a much less dramatic scale, with warped Asian expectations. I hope Asada will rise above the grumbling and sniping that awaits her in Japan.

So my final feeling? With the pecking order coming out as expected, and everyone so eerily consistent, it actually ended up being a rather boring figure skating competition :) My favorite Olympics are when there is some kind of massive upset. Oh well, not to be! But hats off to some amazing figure skaters :)

The Beginnings of a VERY bad day.

2010-02-24T16:10:43Z

So the usual rule applies, I guess. Just when I think life is calming down, something else crappy happens. I'm sorry for the string of depressing posts here lately :-( Believe me, I don't want it to be this way either!

My cat is sick. Very sick, it seems, to my untrained eye. He started vomiting yesterday night, just before I went to bed. He's had isolated incidents of vomiting before, for minor stuff, like hairballs or disagreeable food, so I wasn't too concerned. I cleaned up the mess and went to bed, only to wake up this morning to multiple puddles of vomit all over the damn living room. Ooookay, I thought. I'll be late for work. I clean up the mess, somehow still hoping that it'd just pass somehow. I'm getting ready for work, and he vomits again. And again. He makes these awful choking noises right before he vomits. And now, he's just losing water and stomach juice, since there's nothing left to vomit. I'm afraid he'll get dehydrated. And I'm afraid he's got something major. I'm not going to work, and I'm taking him to the vet today. I have no idea how I'm going to pay for it if it exceeds a certain cost. I could never consider NOT going though. Toby is precious to me, which to my disgust, Mr R wasn't able to comprehend this morning when I called him. Said something to the effect of, "I told you you shouldn't have gotten a cat, you're not financially stable enough, blah blah blah." *repeats to self that I love him* *tries not to hold his militant Communist upbringing against him* ... meh, screw it. *smacks him*

To top things off, I've been following Princeton FML (short for Princeton Fuck my Life! of course, right?) against my better judgment. I see these sorts of posts:

Triple 8 spends hundreds of dollars on ads, but what they don’t realize is that the reason the St. Louis Rams don’t have any fans isn’t because they have poor ads, it’s because they suck. FHL

i’ll be honest. as an asian american on campus, i’m really embarrassed by their existence.

The dance group I was part of in college, Triple 8, is performing this weekend, and I am pumped for it. For those of you who don't know, Triple 8 is a cause near and dear to my heart. I joined the group when it was an unknown entity on campus, with only 20 people and not very many pieces. The group struggled for a few years amidst the predatorial Princeton performing arts scene, especially the other dance groups, who had cult-like followings and pretty large-sized egos. Through the years, many people, including myself and m_onion worked hard to build the group, to increase its prominence and improve its reputation, to recruit dancers and choreographers, and to turn it into a world-class outfit. Starting in 2008, the hard work started to pay off, and our group doubled in size, started selling out shows consistently, and was taking the campus dance scene by storm. I invested heart and soul into it... and I still love it. It's where I met Mr. R. The point is, Triple 8 is special to me.

This juvenile, mean-spirited, entirely idiotic forum where privileged ivy-league students go complain about their lives is disgusting. And the people who would write this kind of put-down really should rot in hell. Triple 8's board has (wisely) decided that they aren't dignifying this kind of shit with a response. But when I see it, it makes my blood boil. Even if it's probably some pathetic anonymous kid in a library somewhere who really just wants a lay. I wish they would get rid of this appalling excuse of a "social media hub"

And for your information? The Triple 8 show is going to be AWESOME this year. They get better and better. The haters will eat their words. Check out the promo video here: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/68/56O24/index.xml?section=mm-student

Happy New Year: Year of the Tiger!

2010-02-13T22:37:44Z

Twitter Background

Happy New Year, everyone! Whether you are Asian or not, may the season bring you prosperity, fortune, and good health!

Thanks for all the LJ wishes and comments--I promise I'll get to them all once I'm home :-)

For now, the half-cooked fish (a symbol for prosperity, not meant to be eaten) is already out on the table and I must go pick up the in-laws from the hotel.

Take care, everyone!

Go Vote!

2010-02-12T01:46:43Z

Coming out of my cave here to brave all my unanswered LJ comments and unread f-list posts for just a sec :-)

Voting for the OWL Awards begins now!

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated! I myself am humbled and flabbergasted to discover that my rinky-dink one-shot Live was nominated for not one category, but two! (Fire&Ice, Best Tearjerker). I look at the company I'm in... and have decided that just getting nominated is a huge accomplishment. *SQUEE! *hugs nominating angel.

Okay, back to the mosh pit now...

*waves

Must pack bags for 7 hour drive to Cleveland with future in-laws to celebrate Chinese New Year...

Update: Iridescent Snow Ch. 11 - "The Right Road Lost"

2010-02-05T20:07:41Z

Chapter 11 is up on OWL and FFnet (and submitted to Ash and FA--will get to TPP when I get home)! I've officially crested 50,000 words :-P I had lots of fun writing this chapter. A plot bunny that's been percolating in my head for five years, which ordinary_magic helped me make, finally got written :-D In fact, it was this plot bunny that inspired me to write this story way back in 2005. What plot point? *iz silent. *hopes you'll go read. LOL.

*bounces*

Thank you, blue_rhapsodies and snarkyroxy for your fantastic betaing. Also, thanks, feathersindigo for letting me pick your brain while I was writing it.

Summary: Tragedy prompts Hermione to make a breakthrough discovery, and Severus Snape grudgingly agrees to assist her. Things do not progress smoothly, but sometimes, it is merely a matter of seeing things in a different light…

In this chapter: The Room of Requirement, St. Mungo's, and Winky...

She looked at him again, this time fully turning her head toward the high table. Snape ate like it was a chore, his hand mechanically conveying the food to his mouth as he slowly chewed. His gaze roamed predatorily across the Great Hall, moving from one house table to the next, no doubt scanning for detention fodder. Then, to Hermione’s horror, as she was openly staring at him like a lackwit, his eyes landed squarely upon her. Heat exploded onto her cheeks as she sat, hopelessly unable to turn away, pinned in place by the piercing coldness of his regard. The clamoring of two hundred chattering students instantly dimmed and the world contracted inwards to include just the two of them as he ambushed her from all the way across the Great Hall. The agony did not end until Snape disinterestedly returned to his meal.

Glancing down at her own untouched food, Hermione worked her lower lip as a decision precipitated in her mind. Abruptly, she stood, turning to her friends again. Harry and Ron were looking entirely too patient and resigned as they waited expectantly for her to come up with a reply to their still-unanswered question. Hermione smiled wryly, struck by a flash of penitence as she realized that during their seven years together, they must have grown quite used to her mind wandering off in the middle of conversations.

“Come on,” she beckoned to them. “I want to show you something.”

Edit: The chapter is now up on Ashwinder, too!

OWL: http://owl.tauri.org/stories.php?psid=982
FFnet: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2418845/11/Iridescent_Snow
Ash: http://ashwinder.sycophanthex.com/viewstory.php?sid=10607
TPP: Upcoming
FA: Upcoming

Go Nominate for the OWL Awards!

2010-01-30T22:30:10Z

I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't remind you to go get your OWL Award Nominations in before tomorrow, January 31, 11:59 EST :-)

Go here for rules, deadlines, and how-to details.

And of course, :
Live (PG) by labrt2004 [Nominate] [Featured: No]
Category: Fire & Ice (HG/SS) • Characters: Hermione, Snape
Genres: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort • Warnings: Deathly Hallows Spoilers
Published: 12-09-2009 • Updated: 01-03-2010 • Words: 2435 • Reads: 97 • Completed: No

Summary: During Book 7, Harry Potter wasn’t the only one who got stuck in some strange places…

It's eligible for the following categories:

Fire & Ice
Angst
Drama
Hurt/Comfort
OneShot
Best New Magic
Best Tearjerker
Best Plot Twist

Have fun! :-)

*splutters

2010-01-26T23:50:01Z

Probably the most belated Thank You EVER...

First off, congrats, duniazade for being rec'd!

But after sauntering over to Know It Alls upon reading duniazade's squeeful post, I put in my name in the author's search field on a lark, not really expecting to find anything. But no--I find out that I was recommended there once by harmony_bites--get this--over THREE YEARS AGO in 2006 (!) for At Godric's Hollow.

Well, squeeeeeee! Here I was thinking I'd never been rec'd for anything in my life! :)

*blushes furiously

*iz mortified at own cluelessness.

Thank you for rec'ing me, Harmony! Please excuse the ignorance. Everyday, I'm still discovering new things about the fandom, and today, I finally discovered Know It Alls. It's been a while since I was in fandom, you see... I just recently returned this year.

Does anyone know where I can get a good solid fountain pen?

2010-01-26T00:44:36Z

TWO of them, to be precise, and matching ... preferably on-line. Engraving options are a bonus but not required.

Edit: Does NOT have to be on-line... it just occurred to me that I might not necessarily know what I'm getting if I order on-line, so if anyone has any brick-and-mortar stores to suggest, please do!

It's for a very special occasion, one that will be deeply personal, so it has to be relatively "nice." Budget is 100-150 per pen.

I tried Montblanc and Bloomingdale's (which turned out to only carry Montblanc) and left feeling deeply demoralized :( The lowest value thing they have is $350! WTF?! *splutters.

Any help would be appreciated!

Oh, and I didn't get 5_for_five again this week, but hey, I tried, so here's me ribbon...

Update: Iridescent Snow Ch. 10 - "Degrees of Freedom"

2010-01-16T21:45:33Z

Squee! I have more artses! Thank you so much, talesofsnape, for creating this beautiful icon and banner for Iridescent Snow. You're a darling! *hugs you.

OK, here is Chapter 10! Wow, a milestone chapter, the first in the double digits! I sort of can't believe myself, actually. Writing this has been so exciting and fun. Thanks again to blue_rhapsodies and snarkyroxy for their valuable contributions as my betas. And I'm also so grateful to annietalbot, shefa, and ferporcel for their input at various points during writing and especially for holding my hand when I got discouraged with this chapter. *glomps

Also, going to offer a preliminary mea culpa for those who were hoping for some fluff and happiness after the last chapter left Severus and Hermione in a grouchy spot. I had to go with what they wanted to, and this was what was demanded! :-P Hope the chapter is enjoyable for all. Reviews are wonderful and squee-inducing, so if you feel so inclined, please do leave me some <3

orange_crush42, does this mean I win our wager? *evil laugh *goes to think of some... good promptses...

Summary: Tragedy prompts Hermione to make a breakthrough discovery, and Severus Snape grudgingly agrees to assist her. Things do not progress smoothly, but sometimes, it is merely a matter of seeing things in a different light…

In this chapter: a potion and a note...

She flinched at the unexpected proximity but held her silence. Merlin, she was acting the model dimwit, being buffeted every which way by Snape’s behavior.

“There is no telling what effects the potion could have on one’s mind. I will accompany you into the memory, as I do not trust you to be well-enough equipped to handle every eventuality.” Snape’s tone did not invite debate.

Not that she was inclined to put up a fight, anyway. She was anxious to find out what had happened to the potion. “All right,” she quickly agreed.

The real challenge lay in getting through the session… with him.

They faced each other, the Pensieve between them. Hermione schooled her mind for Occlusion, feeling her eyebrows knit together in an effort to focus. In contrast, Snape, quite at ease, observed her without expression, his Occlusion, she guessed, requiring very little thought.

“Granger.”

OWL: http://owl.tauri.org/stories.php?psid=982
FFnet: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2418845/10/Iridescent_Snow
Ash: http://ashwinder.sycophanthex.com/viewstory.php?sid=22464&i=1
TPP: upcoming
FA: http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/labrt2004/IS10.html

Severus Big Bang and Severus Shorts

2010-01-08T21:42:00Z

Already been repeated dozens of times on the F-list, but I thought I'd do my duty, too, for the public good :)

Tomorrow is Severus' birthday! He's turning 50! (Whoa!)

There are two fic fests happening to commemorate this event:

severus_shorts is a community hosting stories all month long, reflecting different stages of Severus' life. No sign-up post or prompt-claiming required, just show up :)

Severus' Shorts @ LJ: A brief celebration of Severus' birthdays!

severusbigbang kicks off tomorrow, on Severus' birthday! There will be fics, artses, and crafts. Lots of people have toiled away for many months for the SBB, so get ready to do lots of reading/admiring/reviewing. See sylvanawood's post about the The Review Challenge

banner by a_bitter_word

Unfortunately, I returned to fandom a bit too late to sign up to participate in SBB--but I'm very excited to see what others have come up with!