The year two thousand and ten anno domini.

It's eight minutes to the new year, and my hair still smells of barbecued meat 'cause we were at my uncle's house earlier attempting to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new one by eating and hanging out.

Didn't really work 'cause we had to leave before midnight (obviously) 'cause you know, people do grow tired early and need sleep.

To be honest with you, the whole "new year" hype doesn't really excite me. Sure, it's fun knowing I've got another cycle of the Gregorian calendar in front of me, but other than that, it's in no way more fun or exciting than Chinese New Year. Man, now that's a new year's.

2010 has been a great year, and everyone always hopes the new year turns out better than the last. When you come to think of it, as the years go by, things should be improving, by right, 'cause they say people learn from mistakes made and gain knowledge as time passes by. Which doesn't really happen, sadly.

Anyway, in accordance to convention, I'd like to wish everyone (whoever might read this) a happy, more-awesome-than-the-last new year.

2010, I bid thee, farewell.

Impending.

We've still got two days until the new year and people are already acting as if 2010 is over. Poor 2010.

But considering we do this every single year, we've given some 2009 time to 2010 during 2009 and some 2008 time to 2009 during 2008 and so on, so I guess it's fair.

Yeah, we're looking forward to the new year.

And so am I. I'm totally looking forward to month-long holidays again, and weekends, and going out to eat, and celebrating events all over again. And television shows, oh the television shows.

One thing I like about the end of the year is when music channels sort of recap the year for you and go through all the year's chart-toppers. And watching them makes you think, heck, it's been a year since this came out although I remember the first time I heard this like it was yesterday, and man, that was fast.

But of course, schoolwork will hinder all our fun, but I'm sure we'll managed.

Anyway, spent the past few days re-reading the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker) and finally read 'Ghost Hunter' yesterday (bought it early this year but never got round to reading it). Oh so good.

I loved the consistency. I mean, the writing was so consistent, it felt as if I were reading one huge book instead of six continuously. And yeah, now that I'm done I feel as if part of me is still stuck in ancient times fighting off evil.

All right, better go off now.

Arrivederci.

P.S. Muse is on television right now.

P.P.S. Ah, impending school.

Gavatar.

There are a few things I like to do when I have the opportunity to come online for a while.

Get onto Twitter and inform the world (and the people who follow me) about small, mundane things that I've done recently, sound the horn, play Levynlight, check for Facebook notifications, read Least I Could Do and Questionable Content updates, then catch up on the latest Shaytards vlog and other YouTube shenanigans and the like (and watch KurtHugoSchneider's channel, of course).

Soon, I'm going to have to forgo all this relaxation and non-frustrating internet connection for a tiny little island south of Malaysia where I'll be joining dozens of other sad, no-lifers in our bid to fulfill "scholarly requirements". Sounds fun, definitely.

Anyway, it's Christmas today. So I'm listening to Glee's version of 'Baby It's Cold Outside' until the last hours of Christmas 2010 die away.

And because there's more to life than just the Gregorian calendar, it's my late grandmother's death anniversary today. Most of my cousins and I, we've never met her before, but I think it's nice that after so many years, my mum and her siblings make the effort to come together and stuff.

Ah, siblingly love.

Saw 'Gulliver's Travels' yesterday. Thought it was incredibly lame, but since I think lame jokes are funny, I kind of enjoyed the movie. It felt kind of awkward watching Jason Segel speak all "formal" and "British", but other than that, I thought he made it way more entertaining than it would've been with just Jack Black alone.

Loved the design of his Lilliput house, by the way.

All right, going off now. Have an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory' that I want to watch.

Adieu.

P.S. Merry Christmas, everybody.

Predictably Irrational.

Listening to Kevjumba/Ryan Higa/Chester See's 'Shed A Tear' right now, 'cause my younger cousins kept singing it during our little road trip and it's been stuck in my mind since.

I love how amazing Chester See's voice sounds. Have I mentioned that? If I have, then I place emphasis on the word "love", and if I haven't, you must know that I love how amazing Chester See's voice sounds.

Anyway, the trip to Miri wasn't as bad as I expected, 'cause I could distract my brother with 'Angry Birds', as compared to our first road trip to Limbang, where he screamed his head off at us non-stop.

So much for my weight-loss regime, 'cause we ate and ate and ate.

The thing about Chinese dinners is that you've got a tonne of dishes, and you sort of feel obliged to have a bit of everything, and end up having loads.

And they're so tempting. One of the best ways to resist temptation is to remove it completely, but in terms of food it's quite impossible unless I want to turn anorexic (which I don't intend to, because good food is a total blessing).

And that totally sums up our trip, 'cause all I seem to remember about it is us eating, and me dying of not-buying-any-books agony.

I have loads of books lined up and I honestly can't afford to buy any more until I read some of them.

Christmas is in two days.

I'm not excited 'cause I don't celebrate Christmas. But my mum is definitely excited, because she knows that once Christmas is over, the next major holiday event thing for us would be Chinese New Year (woots).

Oh well.

Adieu everybody.

P.S. Just done reading my dad's copy of 'Predictably Irrational' by Dan Ariely. I think I might have particularly liked it 'cause it was partly about human behaviour and psychology. Definitely an interesting read.

Little Chinese Cube Day.

Hooray for Little Chinese Cube Day.

Quick words, going off to Miri now.

Holidays aren't over yet, so making the most of it.

Adieu.

P.S. Happy Winter Solstice, actually.

P.P.S. Vlog is up instead, so go check that out.

Nuptials.

Just got back from Kuching, and I think I might've forgotten how to write blog posts.

Anyway, we'll worry about that later.

My dad's cousin got married, so congratulations to the happy couple. Weddings are nice things to attend, because they give you this pleasantly warm, fuzzy feeling inside and you get to meet relatives you haven't seen in like, forever.

Apart from the nuptials, nothing else monumental happened, except maybe me wearing a dress.

It's weird, because when I wear girly clothing it always makes me feel as if I'm cross-dressing, even though I'm obviously not. I just can't do it. High heels make me want to trip over, and it feels awkward not wearing pants.

Internet connection here is lagging and it's driving me nuts because I'm impatient, and that I haven't been on the internet for three days and I didn't think I could've survived that long without it.

And since books in Malaysia are relatively cheaper, I managed get myself a copy of 'The Other Lands' by David Anthony Durham (which I've been wanting ever since the first 'Acacia' book), and 'Little Vampire Women', which is obviously another parody book.

Is it bad that I don't respect the original works of 19th century authors enough to actually immensely enjoy these parodies? I think so.

I mean, I have 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' (and it's lovely prequel 'Dawn of the Dreadfuls'), 'Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters', 'Android Karenina', and now 'Little Vampire Women'. I'm pretty sure there are many more of these, and I'd honestly love to get my hands on them.

Okay, going off now, 'cause it's been a long day and I'm exhausted.

Night.

P.S. Too much alcohol is bad for you, kids. Don't drink unnecessarily.

Percy Jackson.

Hello, Internet.

Was in Miri two days ago, and got myself books as an early Christmas present. I like to buy books in Malaysia 'cause somehow they're cheaper that in Singapore and have a larger variety than at home.

Anyway coaxed my parents into buying me the last two books of the 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians', which is a bit too late since the sequel series has already come out, but you know, better late than never.

And they were awesome. I like the series very muchly. Good for kicking back and relaxing with.

I also have 'Android Karenina' and 'Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters' because I vowed not to buy them until I finished reading the original books, which I recently have. Don't really feel like reading them now though, 'cause I think I might need a bit more time to let the original 'Anna Karenina' sink in. Oh Leo Tolstoy.

I've got 'Frankenstein' sitting on my bookshelves right now, but haven't touched it yet. For some strange, unknown reason, I haven't touched 'Ghost Hunter' either, although I've had it for a few months now. I don't know why. Maybe I'll relaunch myself into the epicness of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Who knows.

When I buy books, I have a few problems. The first is that I hate to buy a book in a series out of order, and when I do buy them in order, I make myself buy them one by one in order to not spend so much at a time and to prevent myself from reading them all at one go and not doing anything else.

Books aside, we're going off to Kuching tomorrow 'cause my dad's cousin is getting married, and we're kinda obliged to show up because that's what people do when their relatives tie the knot.

So yeah.

Better go off and catch up on those YouTube videos I missed while I was away from the internet.

Adieu.

P.S. I love Christmas season 'cause my mum buys loadsa chocolate. Yum.

Milk.

I have just seen one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen in my life.

Yeah, I've been talking about watching 'Milk' lately, and so I have. And it was moving. So very, very, moving.

I feel an extremely deep sense of respect for Harvey Milk right now. It's like he envisioned a better place for everyone (and not just gays), and had the guts to do something about it, out of the closet and openly fighting against gay discrimination.

He died a legend and will remain a legend.

So inspiring.

And I think he's right. If every single homosexual person were to step out of the closet, there would have to be someone we know who's gay or lesbian, and that would make us see things differently, that being homosexual isn't a sickness (like many idiots out there still believe), nor that it makes one horribly perverse, but that some "perfectly ordinary" people can be homosexual too.

Equal rights and acceptance, that's what we're striving for.

Oh why is it so hard to accept people for who they are?

Hmm yeah, now that I come to think of it, I find it a bit hard to accept close-minded people who are racist, homophobic or treat others like crap and other unreasonable reasons to hate other people.

Okay, I need sleep now.

Arrivederci.

P.S. First day in two weeks without 'Anna Karenina' and I feel hopelessly lost. Need to get something else to read or I'll probably lose my mind.

"Beautiful, what's your hurry?"

Just finished reading Anna Karenina, and I have to say, it was an amazing experience.

Everything was so well written and delivered, and all the characters thoughts and emotions were spelt out and described, and when (SPOILER ALERT) Anna was losing her mind I thought I was going to go mad along with her.

I loved how everything was so thorough and thought-through, and how opinions were expressed and how each character had a clearly defined personality.

It was like watching a television drama, except you had to like, read the words off the page and there was no unnecessary added sex appeal and/or humour just so a wider range of people would be able to enjoy it.

Awesomeness awesomeness awesomeness.

Daniel Handler did right to talk about it in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. Thanks, man.

Speaking of which, I think I might start re-reading the series. Again.

Watching How I Met Your Mother now, because the happenings in the lives of fictional characters interest me greatly.

Bought 'Milk' the day before after lunch with my dad and brother. I'm kind of annoyed at myself because I felt a bit embarrassed when the guy at the counter tested it out for me. I shouldn't have been, but I was.

I will no longer care about what others think about my opinion on sexuality. I am open and if anybody wants to judge me for it then let it be.

So yeah, hopefully I'll find the time to watch Milk soon.

Going off now. Show's finished loading.

Night.

P.S. "Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach." -Aristotle

Klaine.

Watching Glee right now, but with atrocious home internet it's just really slow so while waiting for it to load I'm here.

This episode is so Christmassy, I feel myself getting all excited about Christmas even though my family doesn't celebrate the holiday.

But, growing up under so much (how do I put this) foreign influence, I totally love the Christmas feel. It's so happy, and money-wasting, what's not to like? Oh so much commercialism.

Bringing the topic back round to Glee, I've just seen Blaine's duet with Kurt and it is so adorable I feel the need to watch it multiple times before I'm satisfied with just how cute they look together. (And for Darren Criss too, of course. So, so charming.)

I'm so glad that a show like Glee is aware of and is raising awareness of homosexuality, and how it's totally okay to be gay or lesbian or bisexual or a tranny. It's okay, because all that matters is who you are on the inside and how you treat other people, and not your sexual orientation.

I'd much rather be friends with a homosexual than with a straight asshole. It's common sense.

And yeah, I think that a lot of people are super ignorant about all this sexuality stuff. People are born with their sexual orientation, and you can't "turn" anybody gay or straight. It's science.

Glee is such a popular television show right now, and it's one of the biggest things to have ever happened to modern television last year, and since it's airing in many parts of the world, having them have such an influence over their viewers is a great thing.

Ah, the power of television.

Okay, I'm off now. Have more of Glee to watch.

Adieu.

P.S. Did you hear they have a petition trying to jail Frank Iero? Turns out it was started by some spoof church website. It's hilarious. Frankie is innocent and we know it.

Cousin points.

Waiting for my brother to fall asleep so I can laugh at YouTubers doing/saying stupid things without my mum telling me off.

This is officially the funniest video I have ever seen. Man, I can't sit through ten seconds without bursting into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

And this is a bloody hard game to play. There has to be some way of playing that gets the poor, seemingly muscle-less guy to the finish line a hundred metres away. I've seen people do it online, but I'm just not bothered to waste any more of my time trying to help the poor thing out.

Anyway, it totally goes to show that it takes a huge lot of effort for us to walk and move about, 'cause there are quite a few muscles that need to be controlled and an awareness of our surroundings to be taken care of.

Man, we're awesome beings. Such complexity.

Went out to Limbang today with an uncle and three cousins. And my mum and brother.

Learnt about "cousin points", this new theory one of my cousins has. According to him, the more you get to know your cousins, the more cousin points you earn, and therefore he'll reward you with some stuffed toy or money or something if you've managed to accumulate a certain number of cousin points.

It's funny. I like that a nine/ten year old sees the value of cousinship (this is a real word, I swear it).

Didn't do much there, ate, walked around, used the bathroom, bought some food, came back.

Nothing eventful really happened, except at some point my brother started singing the theme song to 'Angelina Ballerina' really loudly in the car and then we all tried to annoy him by singing a rousing rendition of the theme to 'Little Einsteins'.

In conclusion, I think kids nowadays watch too much television.

Okay, I'mma go off now, 'cause I've got an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' and the latest Shaytards vlog to watch.

Adieu.

P.S. Yeahp, still reading Anna Karenina. Savouring every little bit with Levin and Oblonsky in it. Levin is a great guy and Oblonsky's such a dear.

Wedding cake.

I think I must've seen this video at least thirty times over. It's funny, and it's catchy.

I have to say Chester See has an amazing voice.

Speaking of YouTube, Kurt Schneider and Sam Tsui were on Ellen the other day, which is so cool.

I remember when people were watching their early videos going "these guys are good, they should be more famous than they are now" and now it's really happening.

So, so cool.

I have officially sunk into the horrible pit of holiday idleness and I need to get out.

Need to start waking up earlier, and accomplishing things apart from eating, hanging around the house and going back to sleep again.

It's like I'm wasting my life away being all relaxed. Is it wrong to become agitated from being relaxed for too long? Or does that mean I never actually settled into "relaxing" properly? I'm unsure.

Planning to try out some video and editing stuff tomorrow. I mean, since I have Final Cut Pro 7 I might as well play around with it to bide my time.

Oh, and I've just seen this video, which is of Alex Day (aka nerimon) in New York to watch the American Idiot musical, and it totally reminded me of me being in Tokyo and alone and intimidated by the locals.

And the fun part is him talking about how it's strange being on top of the Empire State Building and not having anyone to share the view with, which was exactly what I felt like when I was in the Tokyo Tower. It feels so good to know that someone else understands what it's like. Especially when that someone else is a well-known British YouTuber.

Oh so many links this post.

All right, better be off now. Only read a few pages of Anna Karenina today and I need more.

Adieu.

P.S. Sometimes I'm thankful for our relatively monotonous weather, but sometimes I kind of do wish we lived in a more temperate region. But yeah we get loads of rain here so it's fine. I like rain.

"All alone, smoking his last cigarette." -The Fray

Went out to watch this French film earlier on this evening.

It was called 'Mia et le Migou' and it was strange.

Oh yeah it was. It had a rather direct message about conserving the environment in a strange 'Avatar-like' way and it was strange. Oh so strange.

So there's a girl, who's dad went off to work for the construction of the big bad thing that's going to damage the "Eywa" of the world of the "Migou" (who're supposed to protect the tree), and then suddenly one day she decides to go off on a trek across Mexico (or something) to go look for him. Alone.

So the girl who lives alone (although it's hinted that she's placed under the care of three old women of whom we have no idea of their origins and of their relations to her) and has no money at all goes off to look for her papa.

And there's this other kid whose dad is kinda like an asshole and is the mastermind behind the construction of the big bad thing that'll damage the environment and blah blah blah they rescue the planet because the Migou manage to replant the tree.

It's just so strange and questionable. But yeah, its picture had a great play of light.

There's this thing going on Facebook right now about changing your display picture to a picture of a cartoon from your childhood to show your support against child violence.

I don't see how it can help other than raise awareness, but it's fun to join in.

And seeing all those cartoon characters again kinda makes me miss my childhood. You know, the days of watching Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon and laughing and loving those cartoons.

Ah, those were the days.

Poor kids nowadays don't know what they're missing. I say we should bring back old cartoons, so us teenagers and little kids can watch cartoons together and have a great time. Great cartoons shouldn't die out. They should stay to entertain little children for generations to come.

All right, going off now.

Getting distracted by YouTube. Oh so much talent out there.

Night.

P.S. Decided "Benzyl" is a way cooler name than "Benzaldehyde". My future kid is going to hate me.

Jack Skellington.

Man, it's December already, which means that Christmas is near, and tonnes of people are going to get married.

I don't know why, but it's always like a lot of people get married in December.

Anyway, spent the last few days playing The Sims 3 (finally reinstated my account on thesims3.ea.com so now I can continue not downloading anything and thanking the internet for free custom content websites), getting re-acquainted with my electric and amplifier and sweet solos I can't pull off, and reading 'Anna Karenina' (oh so brilliant).

Had dinner at an uncle's house yesterday. Cousin has this awesome anti-Bieber t-shirt.

Yeah, I've seen the latest episode of Glee. Well, I don't really know what to say. It's like they totally rushed into sectionals. But I think I like Darren Criss increasingly each episode. If he doesn't end up as Kurt's boyfriend I think I might stop watching Glee altogether (I kid). There's just something about gay men.

Anyway, I think that's probably the only episode of Glee ever where there wasn't any Sue Sylvester. Like, how weird is that? Didn't her hatred of the Glee club kind of like, form the backbone of Glee season 1? And now it's all like, this person is hooking up with that person and this person is breaking up with that person, and like, he's gay. Also, Will Schuester needs to pull himself together.

Better stop myself before I spoil anything for anyone.

All right, I'mma go off now.

Adieu.

P.S. Is it weird that I feel like getting myself a tattoo of Jack Skellington when I'm older? Maybe it's just a phase that will pass.