Friday, February 04, 2005
Trembling, the boy ran quickly into the alley. He glanced back, painfully aware of the hidden eyes that always watched the streets of Mawking. Once, twice, the presence swept the area, scanning for life; scanning for him. Michael closed his eyes and pressed himself as close as possible into the tiny alcove within the crumbling walls of the building which made up one side of the alley. I’m not here, I’m not here, I’m not here… He willed himself to stay calm, projecting a non-presence around him that would make him appear as lifeless as the brick wall he was hiding in. So long as they don’t step into the dirty alley to use their eyes instead of their minds to search, Michael was as safe as it was possible to become from the Lost magicians.
It had started nearly two weeks ago, when the building he had slept in caught fire. At first, he had been too deeply asleep, caught up in a horrifying nightmare of madness and death; but the smoke, in almost killing him, had saved him instead, creeping into him with each shallow breath that his lungs had forced out with hacking coughs and that jerked him awake. Acting on instinct, Michael had grabbed his meager belongings and fled; climbing out of the tiny storeroom he had snuck in for the night by the same window he had squeezed in through. Emerging on a level street with the sky just lightening with a gray dawn, he ran on, stumbling over the uneven cobblestones of the Lower Ring in a blind attempt to get away.
That was just the first time. Twice more that week, Michael had awakened to the threat of fire and always after that terrible dream. Now he was afraid to sleep. Small for his 13 years, Michael was beginning to look even more haggard. His only set of clothes were now singed besides being dirty and torn; while his unkept black hair matted to his head with sweat and stank of smoke. Each subsequent fire had burned harder than the one before, but after the third in the first week, he seemed to have achieved some level of control over what he does; for Michael knew that he was at fault, though he had no idea just how. All he could do was to focus on not doing anything, which was why he absolutely could not fall asleep.
3:52 PM
sleepiness...
slept really late last night... finishing up the black magician series... andee, u've GOT to read it... it's really really good, just couldn't stop reading. The writing could have improved but the story was definitely enthralling :)))
sleepsleepsleep
need to re-write the ending though, (*spoiler* don't read!) and perhaps follow up with a sequel. I would have had Sonea torn with guilt and Dorrien to pull her out, with healing to occupy her. Then the baby bit concludes with anticipation of the next series. This sequel shall definitely deal with the Shachakans and continue the restructuring of the Guild. Cery will go to Shachakan and Raven will also play a bigger role... Haven't figured out where Sonea's child features in all this, but I'm pretty sure Dannyl and Tayend have to continue their research in Elyne, particularly with Shachakan across the border of mountains. This story is bound to have surprising twists and turns, for higher magic cannot continue in Shachakan it remains illegal in the Allied Lands. For, now that the magicians know of it, any seeking to learn black magic for power can simply do so in Shachakan and wreck havoc on his return. While he'd most prob be captured and taken as a slave by the Ichani, the risk remains that he would somehow gain power himself, in which case he'd be nigh impossible to stop. Hence, the Guild would prob face quite a bit of change in the coming years, and we would have greater insight into the country of Shachakan with all its politics and "factions" as Savara calls them... Definitely gonna be interesting!
Shall keep myself updated and rewrite the ending. Sequel only if i have time and inspiration :p
Ok! I'm less sleepy now! Time to get back to work! =)
9:31 AM
Thursday, February 03, 2005
DIE!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooooooooooo... -__-
I imported the master volunteer list into access! Now the original won't open and the imported one has only a tiny part of it!!!!! arrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............ regina's gonna KILL ME!!!! That's the ONLY available compilation of volunteers...! Perhaps the ONLY record!!!!!!! *strangles self and falls to the floor* please work, please work, please work..!! i hope hope hope hope hope that hui li manages to figure out how i screwed things up and revert it!!!!! oh dear oh my oh goodness gracious me
-________________-
6:55 PM
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
i believe this is gonna be my morning ritual from now on... come into office, sit down, switch on my computer and enter a blogpost. haiz... i feel so lazy and unproductive! (fat as well!!) all i do is eat, work and the minute i go home, i'll collaspe into bed and start reading till I sleep. :s
Regina wants me to do up some volunteer database, where she can extract information like how many volunteers there've been year by year, what projects they've been involved in and which are the consistent volunteers... the best i can come to fulfilling that is prob an excel spreadsheet, with different pages for the different info. don't know how else it can be done though i'm sure there's a more efficient way!
I'm currently reading the Magicians' Guild series, by Trudi Canavan, and it's pretty good! the second book's a bit confusing though coz she(he?) jumps to at least 3 different scenes within one short chapter. she should do it by chapter instead... easier to follow :P sigh, i still haven't gotten round to writing seriously, like i said i would.. no time, no inspiration, no motivation... *big sigh again*
dang, i don't like starting the day with sighs!!! But i better go start my work now or they'd think i'm skivving :p
8:28 AM
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
i feel like changing my blogplate... but i like my blogplate!! so should i change it just for the sake of changing it, even though i really like my current one??? and my flooble chatterbox is down :(
yesterday i updated. or at least, i tried to update... started typing in the morning, but only pressed the 'publish post' button before i left at night, by which time my session had apparently 'timed out' so all my hard work was gonnnee.... *sigh*
how do i love thee,
let me count the ways...
lolx. massacring(?) shakespeare :p
8:43 AM
Monday, January 31, 2005
I had a really odd dream last night...
I dreamt that i was on my way to a class reunion and to get there, we had to climb up a ladder through this passage way. I was the last up and when I emerged (it wasn't a very long climb), I saw before me an amazing vista of natural beauty. There were ridges covered with lush greenery flanking a river that rushed silver in the sunlight; there was a waterfall that curved in the shape of the Niagra, just not as large but infinitely more beautiful.. To the right was an ocean while I could see the glint of civilization on the left... Judging from the view and the soft rock touched with rock around me, I believe that I was probably on a low mountain, or at least a tall hill. My friends seem to have disappeared round the corner on my right where a metre wide ledge curved round the outside of the mountain. Loath to move on, I paused, then took out my handphone to capture the view.
"I won't do that if I were you." The girl was a few years younger than me, sweet and innocent-looking, but something didn't seem right. She told me of a helicopter that would allow me to gain a MUCH better view; taunting and tempting me, I don't know how long we spoke but one moment I was still on the ladder, halfway out the passageway, the next I was struggling wildly to control the helicopter with one hand as I held on to my handphone with the other. The worst thing was that the helicopter top was open! (ie. no plexiglass cover) Somehow, I found my self over the aforementioned ocean and as i flew higher, my terror grew. I was unable to properly control the copter as my other hand was still holding on to my handphone and I was loath to release it for fear of it falling into the ocean (papa's much ingrained warning: "don't lose your handphone!!"). As wisps of clouds drifted past my view of the steely-grey expanse beneath, I finally panicked and let go of my handphone which fell over the control panel into empty space. I grabbed hold of the control stick with both hands but by then, it was too late... The air was thin and getting thinner. The last thing I knew, I had fainted in the air.
I woke after an indeterminate period of time and my mother was there. The room swam... All I could remember is relief as well as surprise that both my parents weren't angry, as well as my mum saying something abt me getting $300,000 for recompense.
Anyway, when i tessie came to wake me up, my first thought was "u mean I don't get to rest even after all that abuse???" or smthing to that extent.
Started this when i came in in the morning. just done. bleah. it's almost 8... haiz, time to go home!! byeyyy...
7:42 PM