#thien talks

[thiendoingthings]

Does nobody tag their discourse and neg anymore these days?

Is this some kind of Twitter trend that I'm too Tumblr to understand?

Hello??? Hey!!!?! Hello??? Can anybody hear me???

#qsmp fandom neg #fandom neg #thien talks

[sneefsnort]

That feeling when your old work place gave you so much trauma that by merely going anywhere near it you just go

-1 HP

-1 HP

-1 HP

-1 HP

#thien talks

[coleheinous]

my first fic in over a year. 3k words of these lesbians fucking nasty

#cole talks #oc: thien willowrun #thien/ingun #ingun black briar #skyrim #tes #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #fanfic

[rose-henry]

I made a friend!

I was hopeful to talk to someone and even get their name or instagram in one of my two lectures on Friday. So come 9:30, time for my mathematical logic lecture (in the right location this time), I got in just in time and asked someone if the seat next to her was taken - ofc it wasn’t so I sat down and like always, hoped she would say something. And then she complimented my shoes!!! This all sounds so lame typing now but it was the beginning of a good thing, I introduced myself and she told me her name was Katie. After the lecture, SHE asked for my instagram (!!) and then I asked what she was doing then - she said she didn’t have anything for a few hours, so I asked if she wanted to study. We ended up getting coffee, then realised our next lecture for algebra was together and we were in that class together as well! So we hung out for 3 hours studying and got a hot dog for lunch and sat and talked until that lecture, I met her other friend, found she lives on the street next to me, and she is 100% my Canadian Maddy 😍

That night we went to this food truck festival with Thien’s high school friend who’s also on this exchange with us and his new hostel friend. The night market was as they always are… expensive, crowded, and disappointing :(

the next day, thien ran a casual half marathon and I did my own 7k run exploring the old town and the waterfront before this yummy crispy chilli oil eggs with avo and goats cheese on montreal bagels (which are sweeter and smaller than ny bagels, I’m so in denial that they’re better)

other highlights from this weekend:

•buying a matcha whisk and finding this dragon fruit wine 🍷

•this sandwich

•super late journaling from europe

happy canadian labor day to everyone btw! hope your uni and work and everything else is all going well… I miz you all ❤️

[asbestieos]

my tablet refuses to let me draw anymore its simply not cooperating >:( so you can have these sketches of pre-grad asta. the cringe high schooler era. ok i rant endlessly below now

the name changes between 1st -> 2nd is simply for convenience!! others found it hard to pronounce ‘thien’ correctly so it shortened to ‘en’ to make it easier ^_^

if first year asta looks considerably more skrinkly thats because he is!! the essence is she wants to be an idol soo bad but bc reimei’s student population is literally All Guys and its a bad idea to have a fem-presenting idol intermingled in there, it goes undercover in guy uni 👍 which theyr totally cool with whatever gets them to idoldom fastest. hence the girlier vibe and the messy short haircut

they actually have to retake 1st year due to personal circumstances (get Child of Divorce’d). only reason theyre allowed to come back is bc they kinda Are pretty girlslay when it comes to idolisms + since they were first allowed into reimei on a scholarship, theyr allowed to return but only if they shill a hefty tuition (father’s child support payments all go to tuition <3) + another condition wherein theyll deliberate with reimei’s school board directly with the express intent of suppressing nonspecial student rebellion but we’ll talk abt this later

1st year pt 2 and 2nd year they get their shit together becos she fixates on The Guy Ever of course becaus im incapable of being normal and not putting entatsu everywhere i go but theyr dynamic is more teacher/disciple than romantic or anything . originally en is the one teaching tatsumi the ropes of reimei, but it becomes Very Clear that tatsumi needs not help learning to be a good student hes already ballin on his own (however he needs plenty help learning to Be Normal) and the dynamic flops with en now becoming tatsumis follower / admirer by the time second year rolls around and the roots of the revolution start to be planted ^_^ they turn a blind eye to tatsumis activities and pretend to not be affiliated with him in anyway to avoid either orf them getting in trouble

oh fuck in getting tired anyway 3rd year en grows out her hair bevcos she misses tatsumi and its fruitu.. also has to deal with doublecrossing the school board as revenge while also assisting ibaba with his sort-of revolution. ibara had a revolution right? or at least he like changed reimei for the better i think that happened . anywhow i sp sleeepy goodii no tht

#dont be fooled by 2nd year asta ki is just as much a mess as 1st and 3rd year #ignoreinconsistencies between doodles i am not a strong orconsistent man #also if youre wondering why i keep dropping spaces while imtyping its becausei m typing on my aptop andits significantly harder forme to ty #pe on mylaptop than it is for me to type on my phone #<- i swapped to my phone after typing this #unlike me astasona uses any pronouns shrimply becos i must edperiment with them #and tbis is the easiest way to speriment #ophanem doodles #enstars sona #enstars oc #ensona asta

[heretherebedork]

Love Bill Episode 4

This was a darling episode and very interesting. Between talking about their families, Nghia starting to admit that he can't live up to his father's expectations of him and that he's lost because he doesn't know what to do besides fail at those and just turn his back on everything to Thien coming out as gay to him to all the little moments where they came so close together and the way they obviously are good for each other and it's just... I really do love it. But I love that Thien is surrounded by queer friends even more.

#LỜI HỨA MÙA HẠ #love bill #love bill the series #love bill series #vietnamese bl #lời hứa mùa hạ #ba vinh #bl drama #bl series #vietnamesebl #viet bl #vietbl #vbl #v bl #lovebill #loihuamuaha #O2production #asianlgbtqdramas #asian lgbtq dramas #asian lgbtq drama #asian lgbtq drama gif #asianlgbtqdramas gif #asianlgbtqdrama #asianlgbtqdrama gif

[ceekbee]

"LIVING AMID DUST AND ENJOYING THE WAY" By Tran Nhan Tong / ... Commentary: The following is not a poem; it is longform prose composed by the King Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), who founded the Truc Lam Zen school. -- (Trúc Lâm ("Bamboo Grove"), is a Vietnamese Thien (Zen) sect. It is the only native school of Buddhism in Vietnam. - Wikipedia) --

]This rhythmic prose has 'Ten Sections', gradually showing the Way of Truc Lam Zen. At the end of the prose is a four-line poem that summarizes his Zen teachings.

The Vietnamese version used here comes from the works of the Zen master Thich Thanh Tu (b. 1924), who has revived and popularized Truc Lam Zen in Vietnam these days, and whose works I am indebted to.

NINTH SECTION - Thus, now I tell you. The teaching methods used by patriarchs are very different, but they will lead you to the same gate. If you talk only about the days after Ma To, then you miss a previous incident when Bodhidharma met Luong Vu De.

“The merit from good deeds are all empty.” Those who don’t understand this are all clinging to delusions and making more mistakes. Since the words “vast emptiness” and “don’t know” were spoken, they have been echoing in the ears of ignorant persons.

Bodhidharma was born in India, died in Shaolin Temple, and pretended to be buried at the foot of the Hung Nhi Mountain. Some generations later, a poem was written on a wall of that temple, saying that the human body was the bodhi tree and that the mind was a luminous mirror.

The elder Vuong wielded a sword and killed a cat, clearing all doubtful thoughts about the head monk. The Zen Master Tu Ho pretended to whistle to his dog to test the responses from younger generations.

The rice at Lu Lang Market was very expensive; nobody was allowed to haggle. The walkways in Thach Dau’s monastery were so slippery; it was hard to come there to ask for the way. Pha Tao took down the banners, trampling divine signs to save the Kitchen God.

Cau Chi moved a finger, using the old style from his master. Lam Te’s sword and Bi Ma’s crutch were handled freely to show the way for the asking monks. Doan’s lion and Huu’s buffalo appeared to warn the arrogant Buddhists.

Lifting a fan and moving a bamboo rod were all means to see whether the learners had understood. Throwing a ball or handing a dipper was just a means for dharma friends to demonstrate their understanding. Thuyen Tu moved a paddle, though the time had not yet come for the green river to take him in for purification.

Dao Ngo swung a tablet, while the ghosts confused him with a strange spirit. Van Yen’s dragon swallowed the universe, scaring the observers. Nghia Ton’s snake lay across the world, spreading rumors afar.

The cypress is the mind; don’t mistake that for the eastern direction. The boy Binh Dinh is fire; don’t mistake that for the northern direction.

Though Trieu Chau served tea and Thieu Duong gave cakes, many Zen practitioners still feel hungry. Despite having rice fields in Tao Khe and gardens in Thieu That, the monks still leave them untamed.

Long ago a monk became enlightened when dropping a bundle of firewood or when kindling a flame of a lamp; this was because he had absorbed a great doubt for the truth. Long ago a monk got enlightenment when seeing the cherry flower or when hearing a pebble strike a bamboo tree; this was because he had calmly watched his senses for long.

TENTH SECTION - The patriarchs all realized the one emptiness, despite their different personality traits. The responses from patriarchs hide no secrets; It is just that your mind has something to cling to and get trapped in.

The monks from Hinayana could not understand well, though the Buddha did not separate the perfect nirvana from an illusory citadel. The bodhisattvas realized the way and attained liberation, whether they lived in forests or in the city. Wild mountains and serene forests are places where the recluses enjoy living.

Quiet temples and peaceful shrines are scenes where the practitioners go strolling. Those riding high horses under large sunshades would not win the respect from Hell Master. Those living in jewel palaces or in golden castles would meet many beloved persons in hell.

Desiring power and fame, and clinging to the sense of self and others are the thoughts that keep people unenlightened. Living in the way and morality, and transforming body and mind are the works that make people enlightened.

While the eyebrows are horizontal, the nose is vertical; Human faces are different but have the same structural principle. While the holy watch, the unholy play with thoughts; The distance is thousands of miles away. Thus, listen to the following poem.

"Living amid the dust and enjoying the way, you should let all things take their course. When hungry, just eat; when tired, just sleep. The treasure is in your house; don’t search anymore. Face the scenes, and have no thoughts; then you don’t need to ask for Zen. - TR?N NHÂN TÔNG (1258-1308) – NGUYEN GIAC / THE WAY OF ZEN IN VIETNAM

--- --- --- --- ---

Photo, Original Art Work by Laura Iverson

"The Way of Zen in Vietnam - Nguyen Giac / PDF - 319 Pages / English and Vietnamese / PDF Link

http://urbandharma.org/pdf12/the-way-of-zen.pdf

[rockislandadultreads]

August 28th: International Read Comics In Public Day

Family Style by Thein Pham

Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.

After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien's mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.

Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search - for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.

Mother Nature by Jamie Lee Curtis & Karl Stevens

After witnessing her engineer father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, Nova Terrell has grown up to hate the seemingly benevolent company that the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico, relies on for its livelihood and, thanks to the “Mother Nature” project, its clean water.

Haunted by her father’s death, the rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage and vandalism on the oil giant’s facilities and equipment, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discovery about the true nature of the “Mother Nature” project and the malevolent, long-dormant horror it has awakened, and that threatens to destroy them all.

The Color of Always edited by Brent Fisher

The flutter of first dates, the thrill of a text-back, the heart-stopping seconds before coming out, and the rush when finally discovering who you truly are – all of these life-changing moments across the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experience are ready to explore in this bright and inspiring comics anthology! The Color of Always is a collection of personal stories, testimonies, heirlooms, evocations, and evangelisms for queer creators and readers that celebrates feeling good about who you are, and coming into your own at last.

The Talk by Darrin Bell

Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn’t have a realistic water gun. She said she feared for his safety, that police tend to think of little Black boys as older and less innocent than they really are.

Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. While coming of age in Los Angeles - and finding a voice through cartooning - Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and police officers and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights and cartoons along the way, he brings us up to the moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he and his own six-year-old son are ready to have The Talk.

#graphic novels #comics #new books #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #library books #tbr #tbrpile #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog

[squeakygeeky]

Love Bill Episode 3

I love Loc and Minh, especially Minh. I don’t even remember seeing them in the trailer, they just suddenly appeared to create an only one bed situation and get the main characters a bit hot and bothered. They apparently had a best friends-to-lovers thing going on, and maybe pretty recently if Thien didn’t know about it. And they’re already doing the divide-and-conquer couples thing. Good on Loc for promoting safe sex. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a case where friends were this straightforwardly pushing the couple together while shouting ‘now kiss.’ Minh referring to Nghia as ‘that stupid younger top’ like it was his title made me laugh. Neck kiss!

I don’t know why this show is suddenly obsessed with imaginary handjobs but there were two of those and on actual sex scene with Loc and Minh and O2 Production did not add the porno music even once, not even during the intentionally comedic scene. I never thought I’d see the day.

I was not expecting my girl Pink to be quoted in a BL but I can’t fault Nghia’s taste in pop stars. I forgot Thien was writing a ghost BL and I love him for that. Dalat continues to be the prettiest possible filming location. Anyway, that’s all my normal comments, on to linguistics!

This is the episode where The Thing happened aka a shift in how the main characters address each other. The Eng sub gives us:

Nghia: I address you as my senior, but can I be addressed as your junior? Thien: Well...do whatever you want. Just don’t do it in a rude way. Nghia: I might be a bit rude, but I’d never be discourteous to the elderly.

Who ever is doing these subs, 10/10. This translation conveys the spirit of this exchange really well, in a way that a machine translation never could.

Nghia says something along the lines of, “I call you ‘anh,’ but can I be referred to as ‘em’?” Thien says he can do whatever he likes as long as he doesn’t use ‘tao/mày’ (rude pronouns). And then Nghia is a sarcastic little shit in return. What you can’t get from the subs is that Thien starts to call him ‘câu’ when responding, but corrects himself to ‘em’ instead.

At 22, Thien is older than Nghia (not sure how old Nghia is but my guess is only 18). Nghia has been addressing Thien properly as ‘anh,’ older brother, and himself as ‘tôi,’ which is the most neutral version of ‘I.’ Thien addresses himself as ‘anh’ and calls Nghia ‘cậu’ which I think is technically a kind of uncle but can be used as a pronoun for someone around the same age or younger, generally it seems to me either because you’re close enough in age to want to avoid sounding like senior/junior, or because your relationship is a little distant. Nghia is asking to use ‘em,’ younger sibling. Anh/em would be typical senior/junior pronouns but also have a romantic implication.

Sort of significant here is that in another show I talked about a while ago, the toppy younger character started addressing the older character as ‘em,’ which was meant as a come on. I can’t see Thien responding well to that, and there is also 100% no way Nghia would know that was a thing, the boy can’t even recognize a condom package.

#love bill #lời hứa mùa hạ #vietnamese bl #don't learn vietnamese with squeakygeeky

[madtomedgar]

Books read in August:

Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien: Easily in my top 5 of the year, definitely one of my favorites now. She is a master of telling a story in a way that is fragmented and broken such that it conveys how the people, who cannot integrate this event or who cannot put themselves back into something the old them would recognize as “whole” experience or remember the story themselves. She is also devastatingly good at the whole. “your parents and/or grandparents lived through Historical Events which left them deeply scarred in specific ways that you don’t understand because they refuse to talk about it, so you just have to try your best to navigate this mine field.” I particularly love how she refuses the neat or comfortable ending, how she leaves things potentially forever unresolved and broken, because there is only so much you can do. The writing is devastatingly gorgeous. I also really liked how she handled two of her characters being gay. They love each other, and it never comes to anything because Historical Events are happening around them and they just never have room to figure out what that means, what it could look like, and it’s tragic and awful but in the way that so much of life is tragic and awful when you just don’t have the opportunity to live it because you have to keep going to your stupid job and surviving and that’s all there is room for. She handles the internal ideological struggles of her characters very seriously, which I don’t think I’ve seen in a story set in a communist regime before. The belief in their ideology and in the party and the leadership is handled in a way that feels similar to how narratives typically treat “man vs god” ideological internal struggles. The true believers who are active participants in the Cultural Revolution are as human and as sympathetic as the characters they’re beating.

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro: This was a very good book and I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a very effective type of horror, where the narrator doesn’t see the horrific aspects of her life as anything other than normal, and resists to the end any realization of the cruelty and inhumanity of her situation. The banal positivity and shallowness of the narrator, however, drove me nuts. The character and her situation reminded me very strongly of the evangelical/southern baptist girls from extremely controlling (should be labled a cult but they’re technically mainstream christianity so they get a pass) congregations/families I grew up around, who had been so indoctrinated into the idea that their purpose in life was to get married and have babies, that even when they could identify that they didn’t want that, that they wanted something else, or when it was clear that this was going to put their health in serious jeaopardy, still viewed “getting married and having babies” like gravity. The idea that there were other options just couldn’t penetrate. It’s a really effective portrait of that sort of psyche, and works as an allegory for so many things, and deftly illustrates the way we all just accept the unacceptable in order to keep living our vapid little lives. And it also felt very British, in that I think a American author would have had at least one character try something desperate to escape their fate, even just to spite their fate. Having no one try to run away, or commit suicide, or ruin their organs on purpose by taking up smoking or drinking, was both part of the horror and took me out of it a bit. I wanted one of them to have a little of the underground man in them. So. Excellent book, but to me very frustrating and unenjoyable.

The Mother of All Questions, Rebecca Solnit: I have read others of her essay collections that I liked a lot better. This one didn’t age well. It’s very much about the resurgence of feminism between 2014 and early 2016, and it’s hard to read that kind of hope in 2022, post 2016-election, post metoo backlash, post Cosby acquittal, post Amber Heard trial. Several of the men she praises for being feminist allies in their public personas have since been revealed to be serial sexual predators, or just creeps and opportunists. As always her observations about societal misogyny are on point but it mostly served as a time-capsule to that particular progressive optimism of the late Obama years, that things were getting better, and yeah we had to keep working at it, but the tide was in our favor. And being on the other side of what’s happened since, it’s almost embarrassing to remember that that’s where so many of us were, and painful. Wish I’d read it when I first got it years ago and hadn’t put it off until it was mostly just “photos taken seconds before disaster” but for feminism in the 21st century.

#long post

[inboundtravelvietnam]

Discover the Top 4 most beautiful idyllic fishing villages in Ha Long

ou will have moments of being immersed in the idyllic life of the people of the fishing villages.

Ha Long tourism is not only famous for its large and small islands, blue sea, but also attracts tourists by the peaceful features from the fishing villages here. Having the opportunity to visit Ha Long, visitors can experience the cuisine, lifestyle as well as learn more about the idyllic activities of the fishing village people here. Let's take a look at the 4 most beautiful and peaceful famous fishing villages of Ha Long Bay for tourists.

Plan your tour with our list of the best places in Vietnam with InboundVietnam

1. Cua Van fishing village

One of the famous fishing villages with pristine beauty in Ha Long Bay is Cua Van fishing village. Cua Van fishing village was voted as one of the most beautiful villages in the world. Coming to Cua Van fishing village, visitors can not only immerse themselves in a quiet and peaceful space with strangely charming beauty, but also see firsthand the charming natural scenery, learn more cultural life and daily activities of fishermen, but also guided to experience how to row a boat, cast nets to catch fish and shrimp. It is probably an extremely interesting experience in a trip to Ha Long Bay that visitors cannot ignore.

2. Vung Vieng fishing village

ung Vieng fishing village - the rustic name has partly shown the peaceful beauty of Ha Long fishing villages. Vung Vieng fishing village is located in Bai Tu Long Bay and about 25km from the mainland, where 50 households live mainly by fishing and shrimp.

Coming here, visitors will have to be extremely impressed with the very unique welcome gate of the fishing village, which is a giant stone arch that nature has given to this place. If you are looking for a quiet space during this Ha Long tour, then try renting a bamboo boat to enjoy the cool breeze, watching the rocky mountains covered with green trees in a peaceful space. . That must be the feeling you are looking for when coming to Vung Vieng fishing village.

3. Cong Dam fishing village

4. Ba Hang fishing village

Located under the mountains near Dau Go Island, close to Thien Cung Cave in Ha Long Bay. Ba Hang fishing village has a relatively small area, but it possesses a beautiful scenery and is a destination that attracts a lot of tourists. With the name Ba Hang fishing village, the cave is full at low tide and can be easily moved through the cave by boat. Coming to Ba Hang fishing village, visitors not only can see a beautiful natural scenery but also can combine visiting nearby Dau Go island with many beautiful water caves.

Visitors can experience becoming a real fisherman, with activities of sailing out to sea, casting fishing nets and enjoying fresh seafood dishes right at the fishing village. In addition, the people living in Ha Long fishing village are very friendly, visitors can freely talk to learn more about their living customs and life. It is an extremely interesting experience so that you can both enjoy the beauty and understand more about the living customs of the people living in fishing villages in Ha Long Bay.

See more destinations in Quang Ninh for you at: https://inboundvietnam.com/tour-travel-quang-ninh

[thiendoingthings]

QTubbo is so mecore the way he has been antagonizing and focusing on prepping this One Thing (unlocking create) to then loose interest immediately

#qsmp #qtubbo #thien talks #me when the hyperfixiation juice ran out

[yes-thelatter-blog]

Betrayal

I decided to start blogging again. I have this feeling for awhile now and never had to time to put it into action. So, here it is.

Why and what makes me started to, so-called, rewrite. I guess I needed that space to let out. I lost hope in humanity. I lost hope in friendship. So I’m going to use this space to let my thoughts out.

So, here’s why. She whom we gonna label as NRL is a colleague who is soon going to be an ex-colleague. She’s new with us for almost 3 months. Only during her last month, we somehow got close and I, got invested. It started off with her ranting to me about her reporting manager who is my ‘longest’ colleague MCSH. MCSH has always been that loud, grumpy and aggressive kind of ‘Boss’. Also, nothing new to me, all his ex-female drafters have approached me with the same vent. This ranting session is nothing new to me, however why NRL was an exceptional? First off, she’s someone much elder that me, 18 years older (a year older than MCSH). I’ve always connect with people whom older than me much better that those of my peers. My peers are all so lame. Secondly, it was easy to talk to her as she’s very laid back kind of type. Thirdly, we both decided to take up a course together, this very point - I have been waiting to pursue this course for the longest time just that I procrastinated cause I didn’t want to go alone. So, things clicked on well. We spoke casually. She also allowed me to hop on the journey to school with her. And I always thanked her graciously after each ride. To add on, we even decided to go a second course together in the following week. We wanted to go for baking. Always wanted my sister to go, but there is always a but. Save that for another.

I decided to allocate 3 days back to office to so-called accompany her and prevent her from further ‘bully’ from MSCH. I did that. I even did not bring my home cooked food so that we can have lunch together. I took 3 days off from site for this. That’s something big that I have never done for anyone else in the Company.  I was concerned for her health condition, any excessive stress might cost her life or even back to stroke. I went out of the way to ensure that she doesn’t get pressured towards her last days with the Company. True indeed, MCSH toned down when I’m around and she felt better. I thought of her as friend.

Then. One day. On the 3rd day of those allocated days, before I return to site on Monday. She. Have accidentally vented to the wrong chat. To me. About me.

She was ‘frustrated’? I don’t know how to describe her feelings. Now that she’s no longer truthful, I can’t really tell. So, she frustrated that I didn’t acknowledge her as “Kakak” and spoke to her in aku-kau lingo. Ok. Listen. Where do I even freaking begin.

1. I don’t even call my own Kakak, Kakak.

2. Aku-Kau? I used that lingo during jokes, only. Most of the times I go by I / You.

3. Everybody in the Company is technically older than me! You expect me go everywhere Kakak Abang every single bugger? This is a Company. Not my family tree. (See point 1)

4. If you hear me calling someone Kakak / Abang, I clearly need something from them or we’re casually talking and joking with each other.

5. People like Kakak Thien, Kakak Jenny, Uncle Neo, all this people have been with me since I was 20. Until now. My respect for them is different compare to her whom I invested 3 days with. You cannot claim yourself a big deal just because of your age.

6. In Company, despite age, we look at designation. You have to call me Ms A, because I’m sitting on a higher pedestal than you are now. But, I’m humble and kid shit about designation. You are holding my position when I was 20. I’m not looking down on you. But, move on. These little petty things don’t worth to be on my mind.

7. You are new to the Company. Some people were there and returned. Some people grew up in the Company. You cannot bring in your culture into ours and you cannot think that because you are older (in age), hence making you the senior in the Company. I repeat, I am not mocking her age or whatsoever. I have been called “Kakak” from someone elder than me cause they see me as Senior in the Company. Now how?

8. I am younger than you. I have a say in the Company. My voice is heard. I climbed my way up. Hence, I get things done my way and I make sure things get done too. So if you heard me say “Ahh. Aku balik dulu ah.” at 1530hrs. You jolly well shut the hell up cause you don’t know how much I have invested in the Company and yes, that’s a privilege. Sorry, you didn’t get to live that life.

9. I grew up in the Company. I’ve been through so many idiotic managements. And what I learnt is not to bring my heart to work. Whenever I leave for work, I leave my heart for my love at home, unless he’s not home, I leave my heart at the door. I’ll pick it up once I’m back from work. Metaphorically saying that, I don’t care about the people at work. I go to work, to work. Not to care about people. Yes, there are some we care for. But we don’t give our heart and soul to them. We care by listening. That’s all. Unlike her, she cares. She cares so damn much that later she question herself why after she rants about it.

10. Rude. Is it Rude? To not call your colleagues with Kakak / Abang. Eh sial ah ni office tau! Office!

I don’t know man. I just gave 10 points. So, have I been rude and sinful all these while?

I have another 6 days with her. May Allah spare me some of his patience.

This betrayal hit me different cause it’s been some time I didn’t have a female companion. And this is why I’m so done with making friends with the females.

*Add-on*

I think because she overheard me calling another colleague as AbangNZM. But that is because he also knew from way back and plus he asked to be called AbangNZM.  Another thing, even if I don’t call you as “kakakxx” or “abangxx”, that doesn’t mean I treat you as adik-adik what.

xK

[rose-henry]

RECENTLY

we found a dish rack in hard rubbish 👍

making more matcha things (pictured: strawberry matcha and porridge for breakfast last week) and thien and I had a burger off! he made classic cheeseburgers and I made mushrooms ones which I dare say were more meaty than the boring beef.

here is a castle-like mcgill college residence and the sunset last night! 🌅🌆

in worse news: my diff equations prof’s handwriting is disgusting AND he talks at conversation level with no mic in a lecture classroom 😤 not to mention these lectures are not recorded so everything must be heard in person on the day.

AND, this is currently the fifth floor of our apartment which is still very much in construction, so glad we’re not living up here cause there are ppl in these apartments and there is barely a roof or walls! it must be boiling on hot days and freezing overnight :(

while my life is much improving over here, the weather is slowly worsening. expect snow in 8-12 weeks (actually very excited for this ❄️)! but for now it rains.

love from canadian land xoxo

[cordrazine-official]

i was tagged by @irresistible-revolution (thank you!)

last song: uuuh let me check my spotify... “the best revenge” by pansy division. it’s spring so that mean we listen to queercore i suppose lmfao

last movie: if documentaries count i literally just finished “downfall: the case against boeing” (and i thought it was quite good and interesting). if we’re talking fiction - germaine dulac’s “the shell and the clergyman” lmfao

currently reading: “Pure-Land Zen, Zen Pure-Land. Letters from Patriarch Yin Kuang” (transl. by Master Thich Thien Am et al). I’m trying to get back into reading fiction (I love short stories) but i have yet to decide what to go for next!

i tag @elemental-queen-writes @stopthatbluecat @superbherbz and whoever else sees this and wants to do it!

#not trek

[ghosthermione-reads]

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

It's always awkward for me to judge book howevermany in a series on its own merits. I've read the whole Singing Hills cycle, in audiobook, and I enjoy following Chih's adventures as they find new stories to record. My favourite so far was When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, and after that one I was less impressed by Into the Riverlands. Book 4 has Chih return home to the abbey, which is a good opportunity for more worldbuilding around the abbey's functions, as well as the neixins' history.

Almost Brilliant, our little neixin friend - a talking bird with perfect memory - has had a baby and that baby is absolutely adorable.

Like the other volumes, it explores what it means to record history - here their mentor's personal story and how different people see different facets of one person.

I also want to say a word about the narratory, Cindy Ka. Having listened to the whole series, my reading is definitely coloured by her performance, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. She's very soft-spoken, which gives the series a tranquil air, even when shit like a mammoth fight happen!

#reading the hugos #nghi vo #reading #novella #sff #fantasy #book review #book