December Report.

1. Review on Mooncup is coming. Am waiting for the Cycle to come back. How can I write a review on a product when I haven't tested it in action, huh?


2. I have found, to my utter shame, a LiveJournal 50 sentences challenges which has been neglected. For about a year. Hit me, Lord, hit me hard. I'm in a big, big trouble, people.

Also, it is incomplete (only 47/50 done), and...damn, I must have mysteriously improved during that one year of procrastination thinly disguised as dedication towards academia. I was this bad? *sobs* For tonight only, this takes more priority than my holiday work.

(One may notice that Josie's life lacks any sense of sensible prioritizing. Sorry, lived like this for 19 years, not likely to change)

Update: It's done! It's posted! I'll never have to mule over that gawddamn brothers ever again! (dances in relief)


3. Therefore, since I won't be posting any review on Mooncup until next year, I will post review on Temeraire, written by Naomi Novik and my recent Age-of-Sail fangirling droolage fictional obsession, as soon as the third book I have ordered through Amazon arrives (and after I finish reading it, of course. It's a very light read so should only take me a few hours to read it.) I have abandoned my ongoing Alexander Kent novel to read the first and second book of the series, and in my book, that is truly miraculous. I used to, and still nominate Mr. Reeman aka Kent as the Best Trashy Naval Author of Last Millenium. (and also the Best Slash Naval Author of Last Millenium, but let's not get there, shhhhhh...)

I was introduced to the series in a queer way; Anke-Katrin Eissman, an established Tolkien illustrator, and she's a woman of my heart - she is one of those select few who properly acknowledges that the most glorious, wondrous and delicious male character is Faramir, son of Denethor, the 27th steward of Gondor, and Prince of Ithilien, by grace of Elessar Telcontar, High King of Gondor and Arnor, Envinyatar the Renewer. I wrote that completely out of my head, ain't I great?

(You are in presence of Josie's Tolkien-Raving, the most potent form of Josie's Lethal Rambles. It is only natural, Tolkien is her oldest object of obsession; ever since she pulled out The Hobbit from a bookstore at tender age of 8. Lord of the Rings is the first proper English fiction I have ever read, and looking back on it...my gawd, how did I do that? I possess better-than-an-average-foreigner but still mediocre knowledge of British history, my command of Korean history is okay but fuzzy at places, my grasp of world history will get me through a pub quiz but nothing more academic; but I can pretty much recite names and history of Royal House of Finwë off my head. I think I'm sad. You think so, too.)

I digress (as usual).

Anke Eissman started drawing illustrations for Temeraire, and the drawings instantly caught my interests; Napoleonic naval battles plus aerial draconic battles? The only child of that union must be me screaming in my head "MUST HAVE THAT BOOK NOW, NOW, RIGHT NOW!!!"
(Her unique and marvelous water-painted illustrations for Temeraire and all Tolkien Middle-Earth saga can be found at her homepage.)

I am really confused. I was writing about Temeraire, why is there more words of Tolkien that of Naomi Novik?

Anyway, I need to calm myself down and finish of that 50sentences challenge, it's better late than never, or so I hope.

4. Oh, and forgot to add;
The first term of GAWDDAMN Cambridge has ended! Now I Can Sleep!
(It is true, I'll only get back just enough energy to get me through another 2 months of beating without being completely dead; but who's complaining? Sleep! Proper Food! Human Behaviour! Wooooooooot!)