Li-hua's Journal

"All knowledge here is OOC, unless you get a hold of Li-hua's journal and read it. This will often ONLY happen with my OOC consent! The rest of this page is IC."

• 六月1日起2012年 •
23:04

So I took the tickets and flew to England. It's really, really cold here in comparison, and it's the middle of summer! That being said though, the countryside is beautiful with its seemingly endless fields, carefree animals grazing beneath the trees, as well as the quaint little country homes scattered about. I may have to retire here, if that ever happens.

Regardless, I arrived at around 10:28am local time (GMT), felt jet-lagged to hell and back, but I fought through it, spending the day wandering the streets of London. If I'm going to be working here, even if it is only for a short period of time, I'd like to know the lay of the land.

Speaking of work, this new line of work is both a gift and a curse. It's paradoxical to say the least. It's confusing, in that I often don't really know why I do what I do, but it also seems to have its own clarity. I can't really explain it, it just does. I was directed to an information network, sort of an on-line hub of knowledge about the what-nots and the happenings in this world of darkness and nasties. Seems to attract all kinds of people from different organisations that, again, are not really known to the outside world. Apparently, despite hating each other, we're supposed to play nice. Tit for tat I suppose, I'll be nice until someone screws with me, then I'll return the favour to them. If the co-operation is returned in kind, there'll be no problems, and if I find someone else who operates under the tit for tat way of life, everything will be fine. So far, people there seem civil enough, perhaps the massive threat of various creatures killing everyone is sufficient incentive to keep the peace. Perhaps not. I should probably think about getting some sort of weapon beyond my own fists. Gun beats martial arts, unfortunately, and I'd rather live long enough to actually be of use.

I spent this evening in a bar that I stumbled across, and I can already see that living and working here is going to be a challenge in itself. For some reason, my drink was remarkably strong, though perhaps I just need to get used to how the English make drinks. Though, secondly, I was, what I would describe as, assaulted by a man. Upon retrospect, I should have gotten his name, though if I was not meant to get his name, then I just guess I was not meant to. He got way too close, tried to take my purse, then took my keys! I'm glad, looking back, that I didn't put him through a wall for doing that, I don't want to come across as some violent foreigner. In China, at least, violent foreigners are quickly made pariahs to society, and that'd likely impede my work here.

Since I got back to my room at the Hotel, I've mainly just checked to see if my suit has been messed up during the flight over here. Thankfully, it is still flat, and immaculate. I may need it, never know when you need to look business-like.

Repacking my bag, later. Making it more thief-proof in layout. It has been quite a day. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. I sure don't, and that's one thing I love about doing this. But first, I really need a hot shower.

• 六月2日2012年 •
22:24

I slept like a baby. After showering last night I just collapsed on my bed and fell asleep straight away. At least, that's what I think. Woke up this morning laid across my bed, my hair an absolute mess, absolutely freezing cold, lights still on and still wrapped in my towel with a horrible blocked nose. Great. I'm in England for a day, and I already have a cold! Well, I got dressed, decided to wear my orange, long sleeved T-shirt, the one with the two toned sleeves, and my black, loose fitting trousers with all the pockets. Decided to wear my hair loose, after about what seemed like a century of brushing I might add, because why not? Pinned it in places to make sure it wouldn't flop around annoyingly and set out for breakfast after packing my things. It was my last day in the hotel, so of course I was going to have breakfast before leaving.

Sat by myself in the hall, though I got odd stares from other guests. I even had an elderly women come up and ask if I was waiting for my parents! I don't look THAT young, do I? Nevertheless, I politely told her that I was, in fact, twenty three and was staying in the hotel by myself. After I said that, she sat at my table as well and started to chat with me. Are all English people this friendly and open? It was refreshing, we talked about China, she seemed intrigued by everything I had to say about it. She asked about my work, of course I told a white lie here, I told her about share trading, reading the markets and all that. We then talked about this country, England. According to her, it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this weekend, quite an important occasion for the English. It was interesting to hear from the woman all about this country, cultural differences are massive! England is so different from China, it's even different from the United States, though not quite as different as China. I helped the woman by getting her breakfast for her, and we talked more over Cheerios and fruit.

After breakfast, I said goodbye to the woman and handed my keys back to the receptionist. Still got strange looks, and I have no idea why. Maybe I really do look... Never mind. I set off with my large pair of headphones on, it really helps dissuade people from the idea of "I want you to come over and talk to me". I stopped at a newsagent's and bought a paper, got to keep on top of what people are reading so I can think about what will happen on Monday at 9am when the stock market opens up again. The Jubilee is a big factor, revelry makes people act in a stupid manner, which is something that can be capitalised on, Monday morning is going to be interesting. Already got a plan on what I'm going to be doing at 9am on Monday. Also should be interesting.

I got on the underground and travelled to the area where my rented apartment was. When I got there, I found out that it was in a non-desirable location. Never mind, I'm not looking for prime real estate, just an area to rest my head and store my stuff, really, being in such a bad neighbourhood means that suspicious activities I may partake in are more likely to go unseen, or unrecognised. I collected my keys from my landlord, who seemed on edge for some reason, no idea why, but it's definitely note-worthy. Did he know what I do? Has he been approached by others concerning me? I'll have to keep an eye on that situation and see what becomes of it. I'm sure it's harmless.

Deposited my things, checked the house for any surveillance equipment. Call me paranoid, but one thing I've learned over the past week is to expect the unexpected. There was nothing around, that I found anyway, it's possible that I'm being watched or listened to, but I doubt it, I was very thorough! After checking for bugs, and surveillance equipment, I checked the electronics and fuse box. Everything was in order there, but I may tinker with it myself, make some improvements. Note: Don't tell the landlord I'm going to tinker with the electronics. After that, I checked the state of the kitchen. I unpacked what I had into the kitchen. My wok, various knives, a few bowls. Afterwards, I left the apartment, left a few subtle indicators around, just in case anyone broke in. Pencil leads in the door hinges, for example. Cheap, and effective.

I had located the nearby supermarkets, as well as a few specialist food shops nearby already using Google. They were fairly easy to find, and I avoided the ominous looking 'short-cuts' that looked like I wouldn't make it through without being assaulted by muggers. Bought my groceries, as well as more plates and cutlery. Lots of rice, lots of noodles, lots of vegetables,, various meats which I separated and stored in the freezer, a few bottles of various spirits, which unsurprisingly, I got asked for ID to buy. I'm twenty three, not some... Forget about it!

Anyway, spent the rest of the day, since returning from grocery shopping getting settled in. Though it still feels odd that someone with my annual income is in such a rough end of town, but as I said, it's tactically the better choice for my actual work. Looked on the internet for a local D&D group / hub and I found a couple, going to get myself into a weekly game at the (fairly) nearby hobby shop. It's in a less rough area of London, though I think anywhere would be a less rough area of London, looking at it.

Otherwise, nothing really of note. Showered (at least this place does have hot water!), made myself dinner, and now writing this in bed, listening to some Priscilla Chan before I go to sleep. Looking at the time, I should go to sleep about now, in fact. The early bird gets the worm!

• 六月3日2012年 •
21:44

Today was a good day, despite the rain. I cleared my living room so that I could practice Wushu without breaking anything in there. It worked quite well, it's just about big enough for me to practice in without hitting walls or furniture, though I still question whether it'll be enough, should say... a vampire attack me. Still taking in the fact that they all exist.

Spent the day practicing Wushu, reading the papers on-line, standard 'stay at home' activities. The weather was terrible anyway. I've heard that it rains pretty much all the time in England, but this is ridiculous. It's June! Explains why everything is so green here, with this much water falling from the sky, any plant life could flourish.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Another point, but either my apartment is really well soundproofed, or the undesirable characters in the neighbourhood are better behaved than I anticipated. I'm going for the first option though, I can't really hear anything outside from in my apartment. A nice feature, though a slight structural weakness in terms of 'how defensible is my apartment'. Might have to set up some tech of my own to warn me of possible intruders. I wonder if I could get my hands on the source code for that Siri AI on VIN. If I could, I could reprogram her to be more co-operative, as well as being a great companion. Sounds stupid, but I enjoy talking with that AI construct.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">This evening I went to the same bar as Friday night. It was remarkably quiet, considering that there were a fair few people in there. Nevertheless, I've taken the time to come down here to write this over a drink. When I get here though, the bartender refuses to serve me alcohol. This is just going to get on my nerves, I can tell. I'm. Twenty. Three! Frustrating beyond imagination, but I'll just have to bring some sort of age verification next time. That'll shut them up when they ask for identification. Regardless, I hav*writing trails off here for no reason*.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I'm at home now. It was him again, that annoying guy from Friday who stole my keys. Commented on how boring I was after reading my private thoughts. He's a really intrusive character, he is! The nerve it takes to just waltz up and read a stranger's writing, I hope all people in this country aren't this intrusive. Although, my suspicions were roused when I asked his name and he had nothing to say, constantly trying to deflect my questions and get around answering it. It got to the point where another man came over and whispered something to him. I don't know what it was that he said, but I felt in danger. Truly, for the first time in my life, I felt in real, tangible danger. I felt vulnerable, the two appeared to know each other, or something like that. My every instinct told me to get out of there. I continued the conversation politely, as to not cause a scene, though I was looking for a way out the whole time. Luckily for me, the other man left abruptly, and the strange one seemed to leave me alone too. I'll have to keep my eyes open around those two in the future. I got home safely, so they didn't do anything. I'm hoping that it's just wild paranoia.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">We'll see how tomorrow goes.

• 六月4日2012年 •
23:31

<p style="text-indent: 30px">That was an interesting Monday. I woke up, just as I normally would on a Monday morning, out of bed at 07:00. Turned on my rice cooker as usual, on went the TV to BBC News, went to freshen up and get changed, just as normal. However, it was refreshing to not get dressed up in all that formal business attire. I enjoy dressing smartly, but equally, it becomes a chore if I have to do it every day, and I'm not one of these people who can only work if they're dressed formally. I wore my hair loose today, though I combed it into a side parting, on the right hand side of my head, otherwise allowing it to hang loosely. Put on a pair of jeans and a white, 'I love NY' T-shirt before I went back to the kitchen where my rice cooker was no longer illuminated in the same places. Basically, it was done. Spooned some into a bowl, broke an egg over it, sprinkled some fish flakes over the top and of course, ate it. That's what you do with breakfast, after all.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Turned everything off, grabbed my coat and bag, made sure my measures were in place to show if anyone enters my apartment whilst I was out, put my headphones over my ears and walked out the door, just hitting the 'random' button on my mp3 player. It was surprisingly warm this morning, so I didn't put my coat on as I made my way towards the London Stock Exchange. The underground was suitably packed with people on their way to work, I just kept to myself, sat by myself and listened to my music. I managed to read someone's newspaper, well, to an extent. Some guy in a suit sat next to me and started reading the paper, so I thought I'd take a peek. Most of it seemed to be about the Jubilee, or about some celebrity doing something stupid. Then I realised that he was reading 'The Sun'. Ugh, you can't get much lower than that, can you? Perhaps if he was reading the Daily Star, then maybe. Anyway, I stopped reading, lest my brain turn to mush at the celebrity gossip and pictures of topless women.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I arrived at the Stock Exchange and got the exact reception I'd anticipated! It was glorious! Sure, there were a few people dressed casually, it wasn't all suits and ties, but they were usually middle-aged men. I don't think anyone was expecting to see a young, Chinese girl (who looks young enough to be IDed for alcohol purchases at least...) wearing an I love New York t-shirt at the Stock Exchange, watching the share prices and making speculations, just as they were. I placed a few risky buy and sell prices using my phone and the client I had installed before I headed off to lunch. Bought myself a nacho chicken wrap from a nearby cafeteria and headed off to the underground station. Nothing was open so I figured that I may as well go home and practice Wushu, or watch television, or browse the internet for various things. Journey home was non-eventful, to say the least, again I just stuck my headphones over my ears and sat on the underground, this time without someone reading a terrible newspaper next to me.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I got home, no signs of entry is always a welcome sight to get home to. I turned on my computer and checked the share prices. I'd set up auto buy and sell prices as a security measure, but nothing had really happened in the last few hours that'd make it meet those conditions, so I took to the internet to see what I could find. There were reports of a zombie attack in America. Most sites were passing it off as a hoax, or a source of entertainment for gamers. It's funny how, knowing what I know now, I would be on the side of believing that it actually happened, and someone merely slipped up in covering it up. I wonder if these reports are going to start happening more often. Anyway, I was reading through the comments and various articles surrounding it for a good laugh, before I checked on VIN again. Didn't read much, that Covington guy was busy hating everyone as usual, I always find it amusing, and a little sad, that people can be so arrogant, even with the threat of extinction looming over us in the form of a big, evil collection of nasties. There was an interesting post though, an introduction by someone called "Dazzle". An odd name, but who am I to judge. Apparently, Covington thought he was one to judge. Why am I not surprised at that? Anyway, her introduction seemed friendly enough, and if that's anything to go on, then perhaps we'll end up working together at some point, who knows? Always nice to see other people who can see that the threat of all these evil creatures over-running the planet and killing off the Human race, is in fact larger than inter-society squabbles.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I need to go to sleep. It's getting rather late. Going to quickly check to see if everything is closed and locked, then it's time to collapse.

• 六月5日2012年 •
22:17

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Woke up again at 07:00, did the normal morning routine of making breakfast, turning the news on, washing and getting dressed into my clothes and then eating breakfast in front of the television. The weather was horribly overcast, which I've come to expect from this country, though it still doesn't make it any less depressing to wake up to. This time, I put my coat on before I left the apartment, because it was fairly obvious that it was going to be cold.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I made my way towards the London Stock Exchange again, this recession is offering some really easy ways of making fast cash, you just need to know how the market behaves, and how to apply that knowledge to trading. I spent the morning buying and selling various shares. It sucks, not having the funds of an entire company to throw around, but I get by using my own personal money. Heck, it means that one hundred percent of the profits go to me, so who am I to complain. Well, that works both ways actually, as one hundred percent of losses are also directed at me, but such is life, there's no point in living if you can't feel alive. (Yes, that was a shameless James Bond reference!)

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Spent the whole day at the Stock Exchange today. Had nothing that really needed to be done, so I thought that I might as well. Still got stared at by people, though today, I couldn't help but notice some people staring at me in a different way. Less of a confused 'What is she doing here?' kind of look and more of a suspicious 'Who is she' kind of look. Worrying, especially knowing what's out there in the world.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I left slightly earlier than others, packing up and leaving at 16:15. It meant that I could avoid the rush hour and get home in peace. A plan that worked flawlessly. When I got home, though, the pencil leads on my front door's hinges were broken. Someone had been in my apartment. I put on my fighting gloves and entered slowly, making sure that there were no surprises waiting for me. I swept for bugs and surveillance equipment once more, finding three audio bugs and six concealed cameras. Worrying. Also, there was a box on my bed. Just a box, nothing fancy. Inside was a green leather jacket. It was worryingly fitted to my shape, the measurements were perfect! Majorly creepy. The jacket itself had the emblem of the Dragon on the sleeve, so I'm guessing that it's not sent to me with malice, or a negative intent, considering that I am one of them, I just wonder why they couldn't just give it to me in person, and why they'd plant surveillance equipment in my house. I analysed the cameras and microphones, tried to trace them to the source, but it's remarkably well encrypted. I'll have another go at it tomorrow, but I'm not holding out much hope. I'm not great when it comes to technology, I know a thing or two, but it isn't my strongest suit.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I think I'm going to go and watch some television before I head to bed. Hopefully there'll be a decent film on or something. We'll see.

• 六月6日2012年 •
21:09

<p style="text-indent: 30px">No luck! I was unable to trace the location of where the signal was coming from. I thought that I was making progress through exploiting a hole in their SQL connection, but the closer I got to cracking it, the more it seemed to move out of my grasp. It was beyond frustrating! I tried a few more tricks after the SQL connection turned into a hopeless endeavour (there was some form of recursive loop that couldn't be broken), though ultimately, I was unable to track it to the source. I did, however, manage to severe all connections that the cameras and microphones had with their previous owners. Finders keepers I suppose, but I now have a full set of free surveillance equipment. I'll leave the re-programming to another day though, spent enough time at my computer today.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Nothing really interesting on the Stock Market side of the news today. There was an entertaining motivational poster on 9gag, depicting various zombie attacks which had leaked out to the gaming community, who were, as usual, playing it off as a gaming joke. Everyone on the internet knows how popular zombies are in modern, on-line culture. If only they knew the truth of the matter. I'm still to confront anything particularly nasty, I wonder what will happen. What will I feel? What should I expect to face? Will I freeze up with fear? Eh, if something big and nasty does come into contact with me, I'll make sure I hit it enough so that it stops moving, and make sure it will never move again! But that's a worry for another time.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Weather was strange today. It would rain for a small amount of time, like maybe half an hour, then it'd be sunny again for a short period of time, before raining again. What is up with the English climate?! I can't quite get over it, not sure if I ever really will. Spent the day in because the weather was so messed up. Wushu practice always calms the mind, and calming the mind is definitely what I needed after that headache of a computer session this morning! It was calming, though I wish I had my sword with me to practice with, but no way would that have gotten through customs. Oh well, it's relaxing either way to practice with or without.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Before showering today, I did an extra sweep of the apartment for hidden surveillance equipment. Didn't find any, but at least it gives me the comfort of knowing that my apartment is completely clear of all privacy invading hardware. I'm going to head to bed now, I think, getting tired, so I'll pick things up tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will sort itself out and actually be as it should be during Summer.

• 六月7日2012年 •
20:55

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon re-programming those cameras and microphones today, so the day was a little boring. What am I meant to do in this terrible weather? The cameras and microphones weren't difficult to re-program once all connections had been severed with their illusive hosts, it just took the time to write the sheer volume of code, as well as debug what I had written afterwards. I'm surprised I had the patience in all honesty, it's amazing what putting on a playlist of Cantonese pop music can do for patience levels.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Made myself a simple bowl of fried rice for lunch in the middle of this coding marathon. My stomach felt like something out of a bad science fiction movie by about 13:00, so I had to eat something before I started chewing on a pencil or something similar.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I spent the rest of the day looking for local hobby shops, the kind of thing that would keep me occupied in this land of terrible weather. I sent a few emails about, posted on a couple of forums, looking for a group to play some D&D with, or something similar. I enjoy the d20 pen-and-paper RPGs of all shapes and sizes, so this'll be a good way to meet new people, as well as give myself something to do at least once or twice per week. No responses yet, but I am hopeful. I also searched for martial arts centres in London. There are a heck of a lot, so I'll have to visit them to see what they're like in the flesh, so to speak. Did the same for gyms, but as usual, there're a lot, so that will also be something I will need to travel around London to look at. I don't want to just sit on my backside all day, everyday. I'll put on weight and become Miss. Bubble-butt 2012, and I'd rather avoid that outcome.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I'm also curious as to when my actual job will become apparent, or when I'll get any kind of directions. Regardless, it's not really worth dwelling on. Things will happen when they're meant to happen and not a moment before.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Keeping it short today, because there's only so much I can write here for a day spent programming and sending around emails or looking for things to do. I think I'll put some calm music on and just relax before going to bed tonight. I really need to start doing stuff.

• 六月8日2012年 •
21:30

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Spent my morning setting up my new set of surveillance equipment around my apartment, as well as the corridor leading up to it. Kept the camera and microphone that I planted outside well hidden, so no one will know that they're there. It will be interesting to see how they perform, what the sound and video quality is like, as well as the frame-rate sent to my laptop. I'm still annoyed that I was unable to track back to their source, but I'm no computer wizard, in all honesty, I'm surprised that I even got as close as I did with my knowledge. This is the next best thing, anyway, at least now I know if someone with bad intent is on their way to my apartment, like an axe murderer or an immigration officer should the BNP be elected by some small miracle. Wouldn't that be a fun endeavour, running from a racist immigration officer.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">After doing that, I left the house and travelled all around London, looking at each gym and martial arts dojo that I had copied the address for. It took a really long time, but I think I found the places that I'm looking for. By that, I mean that I got myself a one month membership at a gym, and signed myself up to the advanced Wushu classes in the dojo that I chose. We'll see what they're like, but I hope that I made the right choice. At least it'll be better than sitting around, getting fat, and hey, I might end up meeting new people over here. You know, being lonely in a country sucks. A lot.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Speaking of that, I finally got around to sending Wylla a message today! I've meant to do it over the past few days, but it has slipped my mind every day until today. I thought I should send her a message telling her that I'm in England, and that we should totally meet up and chat over a coffee. It'll be interesting to meet up and chat in person, rather than through the means of text, I bet we'll get along great! I just need to remember to keep quiet about my new job position, as generally 'I fight the forces of evil for a living' is a good line to end friendships and convince others that you're some crazy person who belongs in an asylum. I'll remember to stay quiet around that subject.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I was originally going to go out tonight, but all that walking around London, looking around gyms and dojos has left me a little tired. I guess I'll have to leave the bar crawling until tomorrow. I need to learn about the social hubs of London for my age group, and get to know people here. Well, hopefully my new found sporty memberships will help with that aspect, as well as keeping the fat away.

• 六月9日2012年 •
19:28

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I don't have much time to write today, busy busy busy! So I'll be concise with this entry.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I slept in this morning, it was very needed! I think I got out of bed at around 10:00 and made myself some brunch. I was cultural this morning and had toast with peanut butter. Not to worry too much though, I washed it down with a teapot full of jasmine tea. Seems I can't step away from my Chinese culture completely. Not that I'm complaining, I am proud of my culture!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I spent the rest of the morning idly browsing through the internet, before I got ready to head to my Wushu class. VIN is such a happy place sometimes, everyone gets along so well that I just wanted to give them all one big hug!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Wushu was great! I really enjoyed practising in a large group again, it's far better than solo training. I made the effort to introduce myself to everyone, getting to know everyone is important. A group of them were going out tonight to a few bars in Camden, and I was invited! Me! Yes, I can't believe it either. I'm meeting them down there in about an hour. So I really have to fly! I still have to do my hair, and I want to put it up in a bun, which is going to take a lot of time!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I won't even come up with a coherent conclusion, I'm just going to leave it here.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">((OOC EDIT: I lost this post 3 times... It was longer, but I lost it three times near completion, so I just lost patience with it. At least I made an alibi for why it was short ICly!))

• 六月10日2012年 •
20:25

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Last night was really great fun, I had a great time with the guys and girls from my Wushu class at the bars in Camden last night. I really needed to socialise since coming to this country, as all I have done until last night was sit in my apartment by myself, or go food shopping, I'm still a human being, and I do need to socialise every once in a while so that I don't feel completely detached from society. We're going to meet up next weekend too, apparently it's quite a regular thing.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Although, what was totally not awesome, was my journey home. I've got bruises forming already from the attempted mugging. I got jumped near my apartment block in Brixton, two Caucasian men and one Black man threatened me, held me at knife point and tried to take my bag, and do who knows what else. I wasn't going to have it, I broke the arm of the man holding the knife and sent him to the floor before the other two really knew what was happening. When I got into my fighting stance, I told them that they should leave me be, they just laughed and mocked me, another of them had a knife on him as well. Perhaps they though that because they were holding tangible weapons that they had the upper hand. Their loss, I don't think they were the smartest people, or they would've left a lot earlier. Their techniques in fighting were atrocious, like wild animals just lashing out in anger. I exploited their numerous openings, dodged their clumsy, predictable blows, there may have been two of them, the other man was too busy screaming about his broken arm and rolling around on the floor to be a part of the fight, but a lot of the time they just seemed to get in each other's way. I made a strong blow to one man's knee, knocking it backwards and way out of place, causing him to fall to the ground like the other guy with a broken arm. The last guy, I thought he'd have the sense to run, but he tried again. Fool. I dislocated his shoulder when he threw a wild punch at me, grabbing his arm and twisting it out of place with the force of my leg. Scum that they may have been, I am a fighter with courtesy, I bowed once they had all been rendered incapacitated and called an ambulance for them, I even offered to prop them up against the wall for a more comfortable position until the ambulance arrived, though only one of the Caucasian males accepted my assistance, so I propped him up against the wall before leaving the scene. Hopefully they'll do something more meaningful with their lives than assaulting women on their way back from a night out in future. I'm not holding out much hope, but it's the best I can offer.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Well, I woke up this morning, aching like I'd been put through a meat tenderiser. I don't think there was a part of me that didn't hurt. Wushu training, dancing the night away, and fighting off aggressive males is quite the workout for one day. I lay in bed until about midday today before I sort of rolled out to go and make lunch. I showered in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day inside. Although, I did get a response from the D&D group I contacted, so I'm going to be attending that, starting this coming week. I drew up a character sheet, apparently they needed some more healing capabilities so I took a Half-Elf Bard, because why not? I set her attributes, gave her equipment and spells, wrote a small back-story for her and now I'm ready to socialise in a more nerdy way this coming week. My life is really starting to look up already, huh?

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Nothing else of note happened today, I still have no idea what the Dragon even want me to do, and it's really starting to piss me off. I sometimes get the feeling that they use chaos as a scapegoat for their incompetence. We'll see though, maybe they really do know what they're doing, and it'll all become apparent to me in the coming weeks. I'm sceptical, but stranger things have happened. Like zombies. They're pretty strange, and they seem to have happened in places.

• 六月11日2012年 •
21:27

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I can safely say that my first day at the gym was also a success, much like Wushu on Saturday. I jogged there, it was a couple of miles, but it served as a good warm up, and I got to see the sights of the dirty end of London. Joyous. Well, at least this time I didn't get attacked, eh? When I finally got there, I started my workout, I already knew what I was going to be doing. I did get chatting to a woman in the gym though, she was French by the sound of her voice, had red hair, blue eyes and stood slightly taller than me. We chatted about a couple of things, such as China, my thoughts on this country, France, religion, things like that. She was strongly religious, herself, she wore a crucifix pendant around her neck, had a cross tattooed onto her cheek, and had various verses from the bible tattooed onto various parts of her body. Religious nutcase? Probably. I deflected the topic of religion, tactically. I do not want to get into a religious conversation with someone like her. Other than that though, she seemed alright, meeting her for coffee on Wednesday afternoon, so we'll have another chance to chat then.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I jogged home after my workout, seeing the wonderful, scenic views of the dirty end of London once again. I'm going to miss Tianjin, I can already tell, London doesn't have that homely feel to it like Tianjin. I hope I can go back there at some point in the near future. Is this what homesickness feels like? Well, I don't like it, not in the slightest. I hope it's only a temporary feeling, at least. When I got home, I quickly checked share prices, and as I thought, the ones that I was watching had dropped. I bought a load, sold some that I already had, as well as some that I didn't already have, for a tidy profit. All I have to do now is hope that the prices on the ones that I bought, and the ones that I sold without buying go up and down in price, respectively. Well, at least, I think that's how they'll behave, and I sure as hell hope that I'm right about it.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">The rest of the day was fairly slow. I showered once I got home from the gym and made the share trades, changing into some loose-fitting comfortable clothes for wear around the house. I stayed in for the afternoon, taking the time to cook myself a large portion of chicken in plum sauce. I packed what I didn't eat into various tupperware containers for easy lunch / dinners for the coming days, I reckon it'll keep until at least Wednesday. Other than cooking, I didn't really do much else. Right now I'm just lying in my bed, writing this journal entry to some Priscilla Chan. In fact, I think I'm going to end this journal entry now and go to sleep, as I am really, really tired. It's probably the gym work out this morning that did it, but that's a good sign! Up bright and early tomorrow for the gym as well. I wonder if I'll see the religious Frenchie.

• 六月12日2012年 •
23:53

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Woke up this morning feeling rather sore from yesterday's workout, it felt like someone had gone across my chest and tore every single muscle there. I mean, that's good, it means progress, but my goodness is it not a feeling that you want to wake up to. I still went to the gym this morning, just worked a different muscle group (obviously!). I didn't bump into crazy French lady today, though. Both a relief, and a disappointment, as I kind of enjoy our little conversations, despite their potentially volatile nature.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">On my way home, I swear someone was following me. I took a few detours, walked down alleyways that, considering what happened a couple of nights ago, I really shouldn't have walked down. I crossed busy roads that were unnecessary to cross, walked through two different parks. I think the journey home took three times as long as usual, and I almost got lost half a dozen times, but I did end up losing the person tailing me. I couldn't get a good look at them, they wore sunglasses and a hood so I couldn't really get a picture in my head for future reference. I'm going to need to keep an eye out for people tailing me in future, as someone tailing you in this world is either some creepy, stalker, abductor type, or they're someone out for something in terms of the secret war against evil. Could it have been a rival agency's agent? There's not enough evidence to prove that, but it's a hypothesis that is worth holding on to.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I had my first D&D session today. The group was welcoming enough, and we didn't have a TPK! I mean, that would've sucked. 'Hey it's your first time healing this group, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine' followed by a TPK would've been a great first impression. Regardless, it was good fun, the others seemed very friendly and accepting into the group. I'm going back on Thursday, as it's a bi-weekly meet, with the occasional weekend day if everyone is available or up for it, though most of the time, I get the feeling that doesn't happen. Well, at least I wasn't followed to this event.

• 六月13日2012年 •
23:52

<p style="text-indent: 30px">It was my day off from the gym today, so I slept in again. I felt like I deserved to lie in bed until 10:30 this morning, though I did check share prices at 9:00, from the comfort of my bed, of course. Nothing ground-breaking on that front, which aided the relaxation of sleeping in. When I did eventually get out of bed at 10:30 (ish), I made myself a brunch of fried rice, with chicken. It was simple, but easy to make. It did the job of being a decent brunch, didn't really get the munchies at all today, well, not until it was time for dinner, but by then, it was time for dinner, so that's kind of redundant.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I did, however, have Wushu again today. It was nice seeing the familiar faces again, as well as those who don't go on Saturdays. I introduced myself to the new faces, and I also told the others what happened on Saturday night (the attempted assault). They didn't seem to surprised when I told them where it happened, so perhaps this kind of thing will be a commonplace where I live. That's just great, where I live may be easier to conduct my specialist research and activities, but it's also a place where I'm more likely to get assaulted on my way home at night than not getting assaulted. At least it should keep my skills sharp, but I still don't welcome the feeling of unease that comes with having to stay on my toes when walking alone near my apartment. Maybe I'll earn a reputation after a few more repeat performances of last Saturday and the criminals will know to leave me alone. Crazier things have happened.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I met the crazy Frenchie in a Starbucks nearer the centre of London today. She still seemed a little crazy, her mannerisms were not normal, that's for sure. Her name's 'Hélène Moreau' and she's apparently a devout Christian. She wasn't pleased to hear that I was a non-believer, but at least didn't appear too disappointed in me when I said that I was a Buddhist. I'm guessing that she might have had a seizure if I answered that differently. We just chatted a little bit more about things like how I was settling in, do I like it here, those kinds of questions. She seemed strangely interested in me, so I thought she might be some rival agency's operative, but when I asked her similar questions, she answered them just as I had. I didn't detect any lies when I was speaking her, so if she is a rival operative, then she is doing the same as I do, which is skirt around touchy areas and concentrate on normal ones. Regardless, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, I obviously gave her my normal, social mobile number, and my normal email address, and she probably did the same. Maybe she's just a normal person, and I'm just being paranoid. Eh, she seems friendly enough, I'm sure nothing bad can really come of a normal friendship, albeit with a religious zealot.

• 六月14日2012年 •
22:42

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Back to the gym this morning. Talk about a turn around, huh? The first week and a half that I spent in this country was basically me sitting on my backside all day everyday, but now I'm doing something active everyday that isn't Sunday. Gym on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, then Wushu on Wednesdays and Saturdays. At least I'll be keeping fit!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Other than that though, it was quite a slow day today. The sun was out again, so I took a shower straight after my workout, got changed into one of my summer dresses, and headed out to the park with a book and a make-shift picnic. It was nice to just lie on the grass and read today. I was followed again, however. I thought that he was just another park-goer, but he followed me when I left in the evening. Again, I took the scenic route home and eventually lost him, but that's worrying. Was he watching me the whole time that I was at the park? Scary thoughts. Someone is keeping a really close eye on me, and I have no idea who it is. Possibly the Dragon, possibly another society? Too many theories to juggle right now, perhaps I should investigate this further.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">It was D&D night again. Not much to say other than we progressed a little further into the dungeon, fought off a band of Drow, who seemingly hated my character, as I almost got killed off through the sheer number of attacks that they sent at me. Elven racism, much? I'm starting to really feel settled in with this group, they're a friendly bunch, and the DM does his job well. All in all, another successful night of D&D. Now I need to go take a shower and head to bed. I feel strangely tired, considering all I did today was my normal routine in the gym, lie on the grass in the park, read and play D&D.

• 六月15日2012年 •
*This journal entry appears to be written on a different piece of paper, later stuck into the journal*

18:58

<p style="text-indent: 30px">When you wake up in hospital with a drip connected to your arm, you've either been lucky, or horrifically unlucky. In my case, I'm going to go with both for different reasons.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Sure, my day started normally. It was nice weather again, so I showered as soon as I got home from the gym, got changed into my bright, green coloured summer dress and made myself a small lunch. I didn't go to the park today, I decided to head into the countryside instead, for two reasons. Firstly, the countryside is beautiful, so why wouldn't I want to spend another day reading and admiring the scenery. Secondly, it'd be a good way to catch the weird stalker from Thursday, if he was stupid enough to follow me all the way out here. Two birds with one stone.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I found a nice patch of grass to sit on, fairly close to the footpath and next to a small, what seemed to be ruined house. I reckon I lay there for about two to three hours peacefully, under the warmth of the sun, reading my book and eating my lunch at a relaxed pace. It was great! Well, it was, until it started raining. Literally, out of nowhere in the blink of an eye, it was pouring!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">When I thought that it couldn't get any worse, it really, really went to hell. Literally, I don't know what that thing was, but it certainly looked like it had that 'hellish' look about it. It was huge, probably at least double my size, and wielding some sort of weird looking bladed weapon, I don't know how to describe it. I originally tried to run away from it, but it could move way faster than me, so I stood my ground. I think the term 'got my ass handed to me' is a good way of summing it up. I hit it, and I was able to keep up with its movements, but I'm only human, I do get tired when I hit and kick something for a long enough period of time. My blows seemed to do nothing to it, nothing at all, not even the monster equivalent of a light bruising, nothing! Eventually, I slowed, got tired, got beaten and sliced up pretty bad by the looks of it.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Last thing that I really remember is passing out against the wall of the ruined house. I mean, I'm still alive as far as I can tell, so something must've happened during my enforced nap, or I'd most certainly be six feet under by now, that creature was playing for keeps. Apparently, my injuries include head trauma, a couple of broken ribs, extensive blood loss caused by a series of nasty lacerations on my abdomen and left leg, a broken fibula (right leg) and a large puncture wound to my left arm, by the bicep. I can kind of see why I passed out, but if that's the kind of thing that I'll be fighting in this new job of mine, then further investigation is required. It's not my technique that's the problem, it's just that whenever I hit it, it seemed to have no effect whatsoever!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Anyway, that's enough writing for today. The nurse was reluctant to give me a pen and paper in the first place, and writing in itself is difficult when one arm is pretty much useless at the moment. I'm just going to do as I am told, and get some rest. Looks like I'm missing Wushu tomorrow.

• 六月16日2012年 •
*again, this entry is written on a piece of paper, later stuck into the journal*

19:32

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Hospital sucks. I have to lie in this bed all day and basically do nothing. Not that I can do much anyway with so many broken bones and general injuries. This inactivity is going to cost me money too. Who knows what'll happen in the world between now and the next time I can check on my shares. Speaking of which, where is my bag? I don't see it anywhere near me, perhaps I should ask the nurse more about how I came to get here in the first place. I may be bankrupt by the time I get out of here at this rate. Someone likely has my purse, my phones, my notebooks and journals. Oh crap, that's not going to be good if the wrong eyes read one of those notebooks. I need to get to a phone.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">My dress is ruined too, I lifted up the blanket of my hospital bed to take a look, and it's covered in blood stains. My blood, I'm sure, but generally, blood stains do not look good on clothes. Oh, it's also torn in many places, both where I tore it down the sides for mobility, and where it was torn by the creature's attacks.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Can't write too much, it hurts to even move, and I don't even have much to write about other than 'I lay in a hospital bed, it was boring', so I'm going to stop and just continue to lie here, in boredom, completely still. I'll probably fall asleep and be really well rested, as an upside. Every cloud has a silver lining I suppose. That's a really weird way of looking at this severely messed up situation.

• 六月17日2012年 •
*again, this entry appears written on a different piece of paper, stuck into the journal at a later date* 17:31

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I really need to get to a phone. It's really worrying and I'm getting a little desperate now. There's no phones allowed in the hospital and I cannot move at all. I can barely write these journal entries, and it hurts like hell when I do, but I really need to sort stuff out. Firstly, I need to cancel my cards, as if someone has them, they could've already drained my account through on-line purchases with ease. I also need to sell my current stocks and shares, as I may be able to predict in the fairly short term, but the world changes, and so I can't predict how it will change, thus I cannot guarantee that my current stocks and shares would be good long term investments, I could lose thousands! Thirdly, and definitely of equal, if not more importance, is I need to track down where my journals and notebooks are. Monetary wealth is material, but the things in those books are not for just anyone to see. They've got notes about dark, evil creatures that most don't even know exist, and it should be kept that way.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I had no visitors again today, though it's only been two days, and I don't really know many people in this country. I can't write to Wylla, and I can't phone Hélène because there's no phones allowed in the hospital. I'm getting bored out of my mind here, I don't know how many times I've counted the number of tiles on the opposite wall, there's 724 exactly. I wish people would catch on that something's wrong, and track me down to the hospital, and come and visit me. Being lonely in a hospital sucks, I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if things don't start looking better.

• 六月18日2012年 •
22:29

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I did ask the nurse about the possibility of getting a digital radio to at least give me something to listen to in this incredibly empty, boring existence that I am experiencing right now. She said that she'd see what she could do, which is better than nothing I suppose.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I am relieved to have my bag back in my possession, however I am not in a good mood in the slightest. My bag was returned to me this evening, which was good, but it was returned by that irritating man from the bar. What's more, he took payment for saving my life in the form of using my wealth to pay of his various gambling and drinking debts. He gave away all of the shares that I owned as payments to various people! That's roughly $750000 worth! No way in hell were his debts that large, but he got taken advantage of at my expense! It's going to take months, and months, and months, possibly more than a year to make that back, unless I take the risky road. It'll still take months, but a lot less, though I have a greater chance of losing everything. I'm going to have to think on how to best approach this, this definitely could've gone better. I'm not even going to start trading until I'm out of the hospital though, firstly because phones aren't allowed, and secondly, because I want to have full concentration when I do start.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Oh, he took my cash from my purse too, so I guess that's another few hundreds gone. At least he wouldn't have been able to get into my bank account, so the savings are still there, meaning that I can recover from this catastrophe. I never want to see him again. Ever. I'm grateful for him saving my life, and I would've gladly helped him with his debts as payment, but I would've been far more tact about it, negotiated, haggled down and NOT been taken advantage of. Idiot.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Anyway, this is really starting to hurt like hell, so I'm going to stop writing this here. Plus, it's just making me angry. I'm going to go to sleep and think on this almost FUBAR situation.

• 六月19日2012年 •
21:46

<p style="text-indent: 30px">The nurse came through, I got a digital radio placed next to my bed near midday, she even tuned into a Cantonese radio station for me! It took about 15 minutes of searching, but we found one and now I actually have something to listen to. That combined with the knowledge of my bag being returned to me has put me in a healthy state of mind once more. As I said, I'm not happy about it, regaining $750000 is going to take ages, but I can do it, I'm confident in that. But oh my goodness, is it nice to know that I won't be losing everything as well as having something to listen to and occupy me during my time here, it's a nice change to the empty-ness.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I'm wondering how long I'm going to be in this bed, with the drips and stuff attached to my arms. I don't like being incapacitated with various medical tubes pumping stuff into me, but I guess it's for the best, I mea *There's a large scribble taking up most of the page where Li's hand has obviously jolted suddenly and quite wildly*

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Journal, I don't know what to write, but that was some trippy, scary stuff. I've heard that morphine is just the same as heroin or something, am I high on morphine? No, I'm not showing the signs, apart from maybe hallucination. The radio next to my bed was levitating! As soon as I looked at it and flipped out (hence the scribble), it fell to the surface of the table again, almost instantly. Well, after seeing what put me in this sorry state, anything is possible I suppose. The nurse came running, apparently I screamed pretty loud when I saw it, but how am I expected to react to a floating radio! Of course I didn't tell the nurse about it, but now I look like a massive wimp. 'I screamed because the radio fell over and it scared me'... Ugh, well, it's more believable than 'I screamed because the radio was flying'.

• 六月20日2012年 •
20:53

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I am not sure what happened yesterday, but it didn't happen today. No flying radios this time, no. We had multiple flying objects today. I think I'm going mad, because this makes no sense whatsoever. My heart rate increased exponentially when the equipment that's feeding various medical chemicals into my body, possibly keeping me alive, started to hover in mid air, and panicking just seemed to make it worse, when it started to shake and eventually crash down on the floor. I screamed again and the nurse came running, she must think that I'm either a nutcase, or just really easily scared. If this keeps up, I'm going to have a heart attack, and that would suck. Survive a clash with some powerful, evil creature, only to die because I started to see weird stuff in hospital. I'm not sure what kind of connections it has to me, but when I panicked, the movements mirrored my feelings. So either I was making everything around me float in mid air, or I was seriously tripping. I might ask the nurse if my morphine is the right concentration, because if I come out of hospital with a drug addiction, I won't be happy at all.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I heard voices at the end of the corridor, I couldn't make out what they were saying, but the nurse turned them away. They seemed insistent, but other than that, I make sense of it. They were turned away in the end though, wonder if they're those people who've been tailing me since I got to London. I hope not, that's a scary prospect.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I want to be less broken.

• 六月21日2012年 •
23:02

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I don't even know where to start! Today was absolutely amazing! Wylla got my message and came to visit me. It was really good to finally meet her face to face, I'm still literally buzzing with the excitement. We chatted for hours, and I really feel like we just clicked, despite having rather different personalities. She's a lot more shy and nervous in person than she is on paper, but she's just as kind. We talked about so many subjects, each other's lives, men, how I was being treated at St. Pancras, things like that, just casual chit-chat between friends. I didn't enjoy lying about how I got into hospital though. I felt dirty not telling Wylla the truth, but I'm scared that she'd think that I'm some kind of crazy person, and distance herself from me. I will tell her, just not yet. She brought a box of chocolates too, which cheered me up instantly. Hospital food is atrocious, and it was good to eat something that actually tasted good for once. I insisted that she shared some with me whilst she was here, I can't eat them all, I'll get fat, and solo-eating an entire box of chocolates isn't exactly what I'd consider sociable, or pleasant. One thing that made me smile, was she called me 'sassy'. Me? Sassy? I know, I would never have described myself like that, but life is full of surprises!

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Also, she arranged for me to be transferred to Bart's. Apparently she knows people in high places and said that this hospital was better and got me transferred over. She said that I'll be healed up in no time, and considering what I've seen in the past three weeks or so, I really wouldn't be surprised. I'm not really sure if anything surprises me any more.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">And hey, at least stuff around my room didn't start floating, especially not when Wylla was visiting! That would've been... weird. To say the least. How do you tell your most trusted friend that you're a part of some evil fighting organisation, sometimes see the contents of your room float about, and got hospitalised because some evil creature with weird blades attacked you in the middle of the countryside during a picnic? Ugh, I have to tell her at some point, just not yet.

• 六月22日2012年 •
21:35

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Another weird journal entry here. I thought about everything that I've seen in the past week or two and I thought about a few things. Firstly, not once have I been contacted by my employers, the Dragon, concerning anything. This is really unprofessional of them! When you give someone a job, you give them an objective, you don't just send them to some far away country, then proceed to tell them nothing. I'm kind of sick of it.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Secondly, I thought about the floating radio. Its movement became erratic as I panicked, so was thinking that it may be some kind of telekinesis. I tried it today. There was a pen on a desk on the other side of the room to me and I really tried my best to lift it up. I willed it, and willed it, I must've been trying for about three hours to get this pen to move. Well, it did! It was wobbly, but I managed to lift the pen up using nothing but my mind. I could only sustain it for a few seconds, before I dropped it again, but wow, what a rush it was. I'm determined to practice, hone it, because let's face it. Telekinesis is one heck of a party trick. Not that I'd use it for such, but it's something that I can do that not many other people can. Some people don't even think it's possible. Heck, a month ago, I wouldn't have though it possible.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I wonder if I can do anything else that's crazy like that. I'm literally buzzing with excitement to find out!

• 六月23日2012年 •
22:28

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I quite literally spent all day trying to manipulate that pen again. It's almost too much to think about, how I, some regular Chinese-American share trader, would be lying in hospital after being attacked by a supernatural freak, trying to lift and control a pen with my mind. I did make progress though, at least compared to yesterday. I managed to lift the pen up and move it around, though the movements were erratic and not really under control. I think that perseverence will win the day here, I must keep practicing.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Wylla was right, though. Bart's is far better than St. Pancras, and the staff don't think that I'm a nut-case. I'm glad that I took her offer to transfer here, plus the food is better, it's still hospital food, but it's better hospital food. However, even if it is a better hospital, I still want to recover and get out of here.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I kind of wish that father was here. I miss my family.

• 六月24日2012年 •
19:29

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I had another visitor today! I sent out a text message when I got transferred to Bart's to everyone, saying that I was in Bart's, not St. Pancras, and I already had an actual visitor. Hélène came by today after her Sunday service at the church. I barely recognised her at first, and thought that they had found that my wounds were too grave, and I was going to die, so they sent a nun to say a prayer to guide me to the heavens above. Well, that's until I heard her talk and instantly knew it was Hélène, as nobody around here has an accent that's so French.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">She wanted to know how I ended up in such a state, I used the same old "I fell down a small cliff whilst out hiking on the countryside" excuse. If I'm going to lie to friends, I should keep my story consistent. We chatted, nevertheless, about various things. How I was doing, how my recovery is coming along, how her Sunday service went, topics like that, just casual chit-chat. I really like Hélène, she's very considerate, and wouldn't take no for an answer when she offered (more like decided) to say a prayer for me, despite the fact that I may be some kind of heathen or heretic.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">After she left, I started practising the whole pen-lifting thing again. I'm getting better at this, I lifted my phone from my bag this evening, although it was a bit unstable and I thought that I was going to drop it a few times. I still need more practice, but I'm getting there. I wonder how far I can take this.

• 六月25日2012年 •
19:39

<p style="text-indent: 30px">There was a really scary German woman in the hospital today. Needless to say, I was really confused when she came in to chat with me. She was tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and spoke with a very thick German accent. Looking back with the knowledge that I have now, it makes perfect sense as to why she came in to talk with me. She said that she worked for a group that were interested in my certain skills, said that I had been noticed during my time here, and on Wall Street. Her 'company' wanted my investment skills and judgements on their side, and honestly, they've given me an offer that would be really hard to refuse. Full cover on what I lost due to that financial idiot, freedom of operation, work when and where I want and invitations to some really great sounding parties. It's what she didn't say that scares me.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Definitely going to look into the job, try to find out what the unspoken negatives are, because every job has them, and I'm sure that this one is no different. I can't really look into who she was, as I don't have a name, just a letter that says that I need to be in Brooklyn in a month, and a weird icon of a triangle with an eye on the back of the letter. I'll look into it tomorrow.

• 六月26日2012年 •
18:22

<p style="text-indent: 30px">Great. My research was successful, but I'm wondering if that's a blessing or a curse. The prospective employer is the Illuminati. I dug up some dark, disturbing information on them. Apparently they're similar to the Dragon, in terms of fighting the occult, but their methods are far more ruthless, colder. Where the Dragon are immature, and largely seem ignorant of consequence, the Illuminati are ruthless and power-hungry, as well as keen extortionists. I don't know if that's the kind of people that I want to work with, even if they are offering to cover my recent losses. That in itself is kind of scary. Are they trying to buy me? Am I worth $750000? That's a compliment if I ever heard one, even if it is a mere, wild speculation.

<p style="text-indent: 30px">I am starting to feel rather tired though. It's only early, but I feel as if I haven't slept for days.