Talk about polar opposites in the looks department. LOL

Writer Ohba Tsugumi / Mangaka Obata Takeshi team up to create the popular manga series, Death Note. If I understand the concept properly, the plot revolves around a high honor student, Raito who stumbles upon a 'death notebook,' which decides the unlucky person's death once his/her name is written down into it within 40 seconds. Blimey, that sure sucks for the one at the receiving end. But it also does sound like the premise for an excellent thriller.

The less-than-handsome dude is the shinigami ("god of death") who apparently 'misplaced' his tool of death and started this whole ride in the first place. I suppose I would hate to have him greet me at my time of death but then again, from what I've read, he ain't such a bad fella as long as you keep feeding him apples ........

It's a mad house, I tell ya.

But at least, L and Raito are pretty cute by bishie standards. I must say, 'L' is the cutest detective I've ever seen with, either an unhealthy appetite for eyeliners or has the darkest eyebags in manga history. They're darker in the manga pages.

Admittedly, I haven't read the manga yet. It looks like there may be a substantial amount of spiritual/philosophical undertones (I could be wrong though). But by golly, does the art rock or what? Obata-sama gets my vote for being one of the best mangakas out there and I aspire to reach his level eventually. I'll draw like him one day.

]

Minus the not-so-pretty shinigamis. Heh.


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Ok, enough whining and self-pitying. It's time to make...

SUSHI ROLLS: One of God's gift to mankind. *thumbs up* It takes me approximately 1 hour to make 4-5 of these rolls. Granted, I still need practice and one day, I'll make them look professional aka properly shaped. But for now, I'm pretty happy with my simple homemade (and cheap) sushi for now. Hehe.

You know, I haven't been in the mood to talk to ANYONE recently. I do hang out with my colleagues sometimes and every now and then, I will comment at cyber red's blog or post something at CAA. But apart from that, I've been ignoring phone calls from friends who calls me and most emails.

I currently find these interactions annoying and irritating. What good are such talks going to be? I anticipate that I'll end up feeling bad about myself after talking to anyone with an opinion. Maybe someone will talk about my breakup as if it was nothing. Or someone will try to persuade me to do something I don't want to do anymore (i.e. stay in U.S.). Or try to 'fix' my mood by suggesting that I do something else.

I'm completely aware that these comments are meant for good and for encouraging me. I know these people mean well. However, bizarre as it seems, I interpret them negatively and they leave me extremely agitated and can't help lashing out instead.

Now, I think it's unfair for me to hurt anyone with my unreasonably cranky mood and sharp words (yes, I can say the nastiest things when I'm in a foul mood). So, I've decided that the best thing for everyone is for me to just to shut up and back off. I'll only interact when I feel like it or am in a decent mood. The last thing I want is any form of pressure and right now, I just want to be left alone.

( '_ ');;;;

......Since when did I start entertaining so much self-pity and resentment? I'm pretty sure that I'm not depressed but neither am I the easy-going or patient person I used to be. I wonder how long this will go on.

During a company meeting today, a senior employee told us younger ones that the best times to grow and learn are sometimes, during the most emotional ones. I feel inclined to agree.

Drastic changes. Difficult choices. No, life hasn't been carefree and easy.

But hello, Mave. What's new, gal? Life has been complicated and uncertain for many years. Shouldn't you have gotten used to it by now?

Well, there's always something new to learn. Sometimes, in order to gain something, one has to lose something else. Little did I suspect that such losses could include relationships. I've always thought that God was a champion for relationships. And yet, I see that He removes anything where He sees appropriate. I've learnt to accept and respect His decision. Now, I patiently wait to see the miracle He'll perform. I'll wait for the pains and disappointments to gradually melt away. Let thankfulness and joy arise, standing victoriously over all problems of life.

Be still and know that somewhere in this world of complication, pain and hatred, the voice of God softly whispers words of comfort and strength. I've gotta listen to it.

I have nothing else left.