Inspiration Board for Minted

Busy busy, and holiday season is starting up. Hope everyone is doing well.

Greenish board by Ming. See more Minted.com

The springtime is green

It’s June! It’s sunny! It’s warm! There’s no snow, and everything is fantastic and green! Here, let me show you:

Baby raccoons, spiderweb wisps and a bout of archery. I found this dragonfly larvae husk by the pond, next to the waterlillies and tadpoles. The dandelions are everywhere.

February brings sunshine and snowstorms

I’m looking forward to spring – so here are some of the foods I’ve been eating to help keep my spirits up! It’s a collection of my dinner, some dishes from a Chinese New Year party, and my father’s cooking. For dessert, there’s a fried sesame ball filled with red bean paste and a haiku I wrote on a styrofoam takeout container.

Remember November

Here comes another photospam – this time mostly of food! It’s one of the reasons Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Below, find good food, cute kids, a jenga game that ended when no more moves were possible, handmade pumpkin pie (from a pumpkin!), an assortment of pies (strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, pecan), Dynasty Warriors, a snowy backyard and some delicious Greek food from a nearby cafe.

One hundred men caught by endless passion

Some things that I have been enjoying recently:

Classic Human Anatomy, by Valerie L. Winslow. I love this book. It’s broken up into sections like “The Language of Anatomy”, “The Head, Face and Neck”, and “The Torso”, and is full of lovely illustrations and clearly labeled diagrams showing bones, muscles and how movement affects them. Terms like ‘Humerus’ include pronunciation, the term’s origin (often Latin) and synonyms.

Animal flashcards, found in my parent’s living room. It’s about time I got back to expanding my vocabulary, and I think the illustrations are hilarious! That hedgehog looks so goofy!

Finding things is fun! I pick things up off the street all the time. Pictured are some of my most recent acquisitions. I’d probably make a very good magpie, though none of these is particularly shiny. Not really sure what to do with… any of them, really, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

Title from the song New Found Land by Leaves’ Eyes. It’s about a crew of Norse men, braving the sea and storms and hardship in their quest to discover new land. I hope we can all find something to be as passionate about in our everyday lives!

Rabbits, crabs and vampires – worst crabcakes ever?

Today I drew a bunch of rabbits, learned you can buy crabs from vending machines in China, and beat my vampiric nemesis in a chess match.

Another Friday

Oatmeal: still rather mediocre. I added cranberries and lots of brown sugar, but I’m still just not feeling it. I’ll have to try it again sometime using the stove top instead of microwaving it.

Life: Feeling a bit restless. It’s not that there’s not stuff to do (there’s always stuff to do!), I’m just tired of doing it in the same place. Outside, everything is changing: fall colors, leaves falling, temperatures dropping – and I feel like I’m stuck standing still. I want to change too! Other than that… Mini’s banned me from working on my newest hobby of clay until Monday since I recently injured my wrist after working with it for a prolonged period, which is kind of a bummer. Been listening to a lot of NPR, and absolutely loving our Dark Sun D&D campaign. It’s thrillingly brutal, and every time I’m half expecting my character to die.

Music: I still like Linkin Park, and I don’t care who knows it! I’m currently listening to a playlist with their song Robot Boy, Vienna Teng’s Drought, and Siobhan Donaghy’s Coming Up For Air. Just in the mood for pretty music, I guess.

How the cookie crumbles

I think oatmeal cookies are my favorite cookie, though peanut butter is a close second. There’s something about their warm chewy, oaty goodness that makes me want to melt into a snuggly pile of gooey happiness.

Summer Ramblings

It’s been a rather crazy last few weeks, and I haven’t been posting much, so… it’s time for a photospam! Let’s all take a step back and just appreciate it being summer – in all it’s hot, humid, bug-filled glory!

Finding a mulberry tree while the mulberries are ripe is like finding a treasure chest, only instead of gold you get delicious. It also turns the sidewalks purple.

These seed pods remind me of the Durian fruit – which is, as far as I know, the most polarizing fruit in existence. You love it or you hate it, it’s illegal to take on the subways of Singapore, and I would liken the experience of eating it to consuming smelly, slimy, rotten bug guts. Some people really like it though?

Not many people like wasps, but I think they’re fantastic. One summer, they built a hive right up against a glass window, allowing us to look inside just like with an ant farm. It was fascinating! Paper wasps put so much work into building their homes, so I can’t help but feel a little sad when they get knocked down, even if it is for the best. It’s okay though, they’ll build another one.

Summers are full of good food (or at least, they should be!). I don’t personally own a grill, but I have friends that do – bbq ribs, hamburgers, grilled chicken and sweet corn. Delicious!

Persona 4

The newest in the popular Persona series, Persona 4 is the latest and greatest yet. Set in the rural town of Inaba, our main character unexpectedly finds himself able to enter TVs… but he’s not the only one! This new world is full of violent Shadows, and something – or someone – is throwing other people into the TV world with every intention to killing them! With the police baffled and frustated by a series of murders they can’t possibly solve, you gather your friends and take the fight to the world behind the screen. Just don’t be surprised if your own worst enemy is your own shadow…

This game is a huge step up from its predecessor, Persona 3. The AI for your team mates is not only better, but you can take complete control of every party member. The card chance after battles offers a much better selection of options, and a secondary card (Arcana chance) has been added, making exploring dungeons more exciting. On that note, each dungeon is decidedly unique, which is especially pleasing to the eye (and the memory). Rather than living in a dorm with all the other characters, you get a separation of “work” and “home”, meeting with your group after school, and then retiring to the house where you live with your uncle and his adorable little daughter. The story is more motivating and intriguing, the main characters are all likeable. The voice acting is similarly well done. And best of all, the music is catchy and addictive!

On the downside, monsters seem a bit unbalanced in terms of powers and weaknesses, which leads certain party members to be favored over others. Additionally, there seem to be some squicky social things going on. You can date a girl that looks like she ought to be in elementary school, there are some pretty unsavory sterotypes (the fat girl, the weird creepy kid, etc), and a light strain of homophobia that goes unaddressed.

All in all though, a very enjoyable game.