The Artemis Fowl Files

I just finished reading "The Artemis Fowl Files" and have translated page 77 of the Fairy Code

When a fairy is trapped above ground without magic it is best to avoid contact with humans. Hide in the shallows of a river as humans especially children do not wash themselves. Drape yourself with the skin of a sheep or goat as humans are often not clever enough to notice. If you are cornered by a human slap the ground with the flat of your hand as this will often frighten the mud men away. If this is unsuccessful admit that you are a fairy and humans being cynical creatures will think that you are a friend in a costume trying to make a fool of them. If all this fails then ask the human if you could possibly borrow some money and the mud man will flee with great speed and never (a)sk you out again.

I put a () to the "a" since there wasn't an "a" in the code. I'm guessing it's a typo in the book though. Some parts of the interviews in the book are:

What was your most embarrassing moment?
I once scored a mere ninety-nine percent on a mathematics assignment. I was mortified. I had forgotten to round up to the third decimal place. Imagine my embarrassment.

--Artemis Fowl II

What is your favorite book?
I don't have much time to read. Artemis's schemes keep me on my toes. Mostly I read helicopter manuals and keep an eye on weather reports and current affairs. If I do have a moment to myself, I do enjoy a good romance story. If you tell a soul, I will hunt you down.

--Butler

What advice would you give a young dwarf?
Firstly, always chew your rocks before swallowing. They pass through easier that way, and your teeth need the roughage. And secondly, never eat the same dirt twice if you can avoid it.

--Mulch Diggums

I think every Artemis Fowl fan should buy the book and read it! It really is great! Oh, and here's the code at the end of the book that gave me the idea that this book was made before Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception.

Don't miss the next thrilling adventure on the Artemis Fowl series
Artemis
Fowl
The Opal Deception

Hobby Convention 2009 (HobCon) in Cebu!

Last June 20, I attended the first of the two-day Hobby Convention Event sponsored by Level Up! Games and Cebu Bloggers Society (CBS). It was held at Park Mall in Mandaue City. I cosplayed as Haruhi Suzumiya from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu. It was my first time going to a hobby convention in Cebu, as I stayed in Manila for 4 years because of my studies.

Since this is concerning my hometown, I'll be speaking our dialect from here on.

Una sa tanan, wala ko nag-expect nga gamay kaayo ang event. I was thinking medium-sized sya. Well, not as big as O-zine or Hero conventions, but a little bigger than it really was, kay Level Up! baya ang ang nagsponsor! Nya daghan pa sila ug bigatin nga nakuha nga sponsors... Mao to, pag-abot nako kay na-shock jud ko! hahaha!

Ikaduha, delayed kaayo ang event! As in! 1 pm daw kunuhay ang call time sa cosplayers, pero alas tres nalang, wala pa gihapon nagsugod! Nisakit jud pag-ayo ang akong tiil ug paa sa sige ug tindog tindog didto. Gipaspasan jud namo ug kaon sa ako mga friends para lang dili kunuhay mi ma-late sa call time, but in the end, delayed diay sya. Okay ra man unta toh nga delayed for an hour, but to be delayed for 2 hours is pushing it. Nya wala baya kaayo lingkuranan didto. Pagkahuman sa event kay nisakit pag-ayu akoang tiil ug paa! Lain ra jud kaayo sa naattend-an nako nga events sa Manila.

Ikatulo, disorganized kaayo! Ang mga nagdala ug USB kay nahasul. Obviously, usa na ko ana. Maygani kulit kaayo ko, nga sila nalang ang ni-burn ug cd para nako. Pero ang uban nga walay idea, wala sila nakabuhat sa ilang skit. Nagtuyok tuyok baya jud ko sa Park Mall para lang makakita ug tindahan nga moburn, kay ang CD-R King dili daw... Kapoy au sige ug dagan dagan. Wala man jud dayun sila nisulti nga sila nalang ang moburn. Furthermore, wala pa jud mi gisultian, nga ang number namo, kay kato diay gibutang sa ID. Nya ila mi gipatindog tanan sa stage. Gamay baya kaayo to, and they expect all the contestants to fit there! Intawn...

Ikaupat, ilang gi-usab ang criteria for judging sa last minute. Niadto ka, expecting nga i-judge ang imong skit. Nag-andam ka for who knows when, nya inig abot nimo, sultian ra diay ka nga wala na nay labot sa judging kay "audience impact" na ang iilis. Unfair kaayo! Syempre, nag-skit gihapon ko noh kay gihaguan jud na nako, nya dili ra diay nako mabuhat? No way! Wala jud sila naghuna huna sa feelings sa cosplayers. What's more unfair is, what if wala kaila ang audience sa imong character or wala kay friends didto? Syempre, wala kaayo mopakpak nimo, so di jud ka makadaog! Mao nang subjective kaayo na ang audience impact.

Well, nalipay ra ko nga naka-cosplay ko ug balik ug at least naa nay mga ing-ani nga events karon sa Cebu. I hope next time, makat-on sila sa ilang mistakes, since first Hobby Convention man daw ni. Also, I got to meet new friends, nya nakit-an pud nako ako mga amigo ug amiga ngadto.

I'll always have fun cosplaying, no matter the event, and what happens. As long as I get to show the character well, I'm already proud of myself, because all the characters I play are part of me.

All in all, basta cosplay, lingaw jud! hahaha! Next time lang jud ha? I hope on time na, kay hangtud karon, sakit gihapon ako paa. Wala baya ko ka-stretching ug tarong ato kay wala ko ga-expect nga dugay au ko sige ug tindog! hahaha!


P.S. For pictures, click "Shirumi's Facebook" link on the navigation column. Then look for the album "Hobby Convention"

Sonnet 17: Love

Sonnet XVII: Love
"I Don't Love You As If You Were A Rose"
by Pablo Neruda

I don ’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,
Or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
Secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries

The light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
And thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
From the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where
I love you directly without problems or pride:
I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

Except in this form in which I am not nor are you,
So close that your hand upon my chest is mine,
So close that your eyes close I fall asleep

One of my favorite poems by my favorite poet, Pablo Neruda. This reminds me of my never-dying love for that someone who already has another in his heart. Really, this may seem dramatic or even unnatural of me to post something like this in my blog, but I couldn't help the urge to do so.

I learned to appreciate poetry after taking English 12 under Prof. Bagulaya. I admit, he may not have the looks, but when he reads poetry, he turns into another person! And the way he reads the poems made me appreciate them even more.

The bold lines are my favorite. It tells how much he loves and why he does so. I also dedicate those lines to the person on the 1st paragraph. Until now, those are how I feel.

P.S. Sa mga nakakakilala sa 'kin, wag na kayong ma-curious, dahil di ko sasabihin kung sino! :P Kailangan ko lang kasing i-post, kasi nalaman kong may gf na pala sya... :( How sad..

Low Cost Restaurant-looking food

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've cooked, and my friend, Micah, stayed at our apartment last Saturday. Since she also liked cooking, we decided that we had to cook something that night. We were all tired from buying our grocery at Trinoma, and we just got back. The things we bought were nothing special, and we don't have any kalamansi to marinate our chicken with. We decided that we can only fry the skinless longganisa. It's really nothing special, but with our skills, we were able to make these:

With Garlic Topping (Mine and Micah's)

Chocolate Topping (my sister's)

The three plates

I think that even with very low budget (how much is a skinless longganisa anyway?) and creativity, anyone can make great meals which look like expensive stuff! They taste great too! :)

Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 045

I want to inform the world, that I, Ann Shirmaine Preglo aka Shirumi Lawliet, am now a member of The International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. I was inducted last April 3, 2009 and am now a certified member! My chapter is 045, here at the University of the Philippines. Below, you'll see my ID and my PKP pin. I still can't believe that I got in! I never really expected anything, but then again, I got lucky. I always attribute these things to my great luck. So, to God, my parents, siblings, friends, profs, and everyone, thank you for all the support!

Philoshophía Krateítō Phōtôn
Let the love of learning rule humanity.