Hi! I'm Max and welcome to my profile page. I am a seventeen year old guy currently subject to torture by the 'A' level syllabus I am studying.I live in Woodlands, Singapore. Ermm...I am part Chinese, part Malay and a tiny bit of Indian blood is also somewhere in me. Hope I don't sound like some too-exotic-to-be-true character. Hahaha...I'm not having an identity crisis (not yet anyway). Err...if you are wondering how a tri-ancestral guy looks like, don't get too carried away. I look like any typical Chinese boy, but with brownish hair.

My favourite pastimes include singing, eating, listening to music, reading, writing(duh), sleeping, snorkling, sometimes playing badminton, table tennis or even bowling. I don't really mind hockey, floorball and basketball. And I am currently learning how to ice skate and progress has been encouraging so far (I don't fall that much compared to others). There is only one place where you can ice skate in Singapore and the entrance fee is not a small sum so I don't really practice all that often.

10 Things I Would Like To Own

1. A billion bucks

2. A laptop...whatever latest model that pops up

3. A Jaguar...the car I mean

4. A Masters Degree in Psychiatry...which will effectively make me going to school redundant

5. A new mobile phone

6. A personal cruise liner complete with a world class chef

7. My very own private, tropical island complete with an exclusive beach resort

8. The new PS3 console

9. Hollywood...don't ask

10. The Sun...so I can tax everyone for it every single day =D

10 Things I Would Like To See Before I Die

1. Child hunger to be obliterated

2. Progress in Africa

3. Peace...everywhere, not just the Middle East( I might have to have a VERY long life to see this)

4. The Himalayas...with my own eyes

5. The Other 6 Natural Wonders Of The Earth other than the Himalayas.

6. The 7 Wonders Of The Ancient World...though 6 of them are more or less destroyed

7. Flying cars

8. Mars

9. A billion bucks in my bank account

10. An Olympic Gold Medal for Singapore

Favourite Books- Guardians of Time, Animorphs, Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, To Kill A Mocking Bird, Lord of The Flies, Star Wars(all series), Wheel Of Time as well as those by T.A Barron, Robert Carter, Tamora Pierce, Christine Lim and many more. I take English Literature so i guess it is mandatory to like reading books. Some of the books mentioned I had read when i was younger yet I still do enjoy reading fics pertaining to them, Like Animorphs.

Favourite Anime- Bleach, Samurai X, Trinity Blood, Inuyasha, CardCaptor Sakura, Gundam Seed, Shaman King, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Scrapped Princess, Tsubasa Chronicles, Naruto, Chocobits(should be considered a blue film that one) and some of which I really can't recall the title...most probably because they are in Japanese and I don't really remember foreign words that well.

Favourite Movies- X-men, Braveheart, Constantine, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Dragon Heart, Final Destination I&II, Gladiator, Ice Age, Jurassic Park, Casper, The Matrix, Be With Me, Memoirs of the Geisha(haven't read the book), Yours Mine Ours, Troy, Sky High, Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Frighteners, Silent Hill and...many many more...I also still have fond memories of the movies that revolve around my childhood, some of which were mentioned above like Jurassic Park. Dinosaurs used to be an obsession of mine. Disney movies like Sound Of Music and James and The Giant Peach were also among those i really enjoyed.

Favourite TV Shows- Friends, Ally Macbeal, Alias, CSI, Charmed, Ghost Whisperer, Boston Legal, Joan Of Arcadia, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Cold Case and many many more...but my all time favourite has got to be Malcolm In The Middle!!! Lol...

And Final Fantasy rocks!!! Most of them anyway...

As I had said just now, I am currently preparing for my 'A' level examination(damn you Cambridge). The subjects I am taking, other than the mandatory General Paper, Mother Tongue(Malay) and Maths(yuck!),I am also studying Geography (read this out loud: the rocks are sheeting), English Literature (There is freedom to and freedom from.)as well as Economics (err...)...My English i admit is rather good from where i come from though i do get careless with grammar, tenses and sentence structure. Let me know if there is too many mistakes in any one of my fics ok? I do try to make use of good vocabulary but only if it does not stick out like a sore thumb.

I joined my school's drama club because it is compulsory here for each student to have a co-curricular activity. I am regreting that decision. My only excuse is that I am young and thus, easily susceptible to committing griveous crimes to myself and others due to impulse. I should have joined the Musician's Club. They seem to have no problem whatsoever with committing "griveous crimes to others" if you know what I mean.

I read any fanfiction, as long as I know the original story well enough. I will review those that I find well written. I do mind Mary Sues, unless they are really well written (or if its a parody of one). I have yet to come across a-what do you call it?- a Gary Stew? I tend to avoid slash of any sorts though i don't ban them strictly. Afterall, some ARE very well written and have a beautiful plot line. I really love stories that can make me laugh out loud (for the right reasons) and those that can make me feel sad or humbled. Hate those that have no flair or style whatsoever, though an interesting story line can make me forgive you.

Finally, CHECK OUT MY ONESHOTS! I do have a short attention span so any story I author that is going to be longer than one chapter will be abandoned eventually. This is from experience with another fanfic site.Laziness is also a contributing factor.

I really appreciate (and really really really love) reviews to my stories. So please please this easily pleased guy who, by the way, think it is amusing to use three of the same words in a single sentence. Hahaha, one more I really think is cool is"You cannot start a sentence with the word because because because is a conjunction". =D

I have no idea how to write humourous or comedic fics. My friends find this shocking since, according to them, i am the master of lame jokes and riddles.

Q:What's black and white and black and white and black and white and...

A: A penguin rolling down a hill.

Dec 7, 2006

Hi, i'm posting new stories for Malcolm in the Middle. I loved that show and now i'm going to really miss it. Check out the fics i wrote for MITM below.

I Am Me- Post Graduation vignettes that shows what Malcolm goes through in Harvard. Multi Chaptered, my first multi-chaptered fic even though its supposed to be a series of oneshots. Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have any ideas to offer!!

Fire- Reesefic, what made Reese what he is now. Involves Francis. No, not in THAT way. A oneshot. (Deleted- am not very happy with it after reading it again)

Empty Frames- Very AU, Lois gets into a car accident and the family reacts...character death and a songfic...PM me or leave a review if you want to listen to the song...its kinda local song(for me in Sigapore)

Do read these fics. I will be putting up lots of chapters in this time period as it is my holidays here in Singapore right now. It won't be daily though. I have to wrestle with my bros just to get hold of the computer. And sometimes they win. Oh, and please review!! If you're not sure how to review, continue reading this page. -

As for HP, I'm working on some presently but they are presently not publishable, for the simple reason that I don't like what I wrote.

A big shoutout to MITM and Animorph fans to continue with their fics, cos I'm still suffering withdrawal symptoms from those two and I can't depend on my own fics for those shots of ecstasy I get when i read a good fic. I won't bother with HP. Not that I'm against it or anything but those fics are multiplying like hamsters and bunnies. I'm surprised there are no birth control measures...

REVIEWS

I think it is very safe to say that other than the computer and the internet, reviews are the fanfic author's best friends. They let you know whether your story Fing rocks or if you have a screw loose somewhere. Sometimes it's a combination of both. A true fanfic writer should not mind criticisms that touches on language, plot and character. These reviews are often useful in improving one's capabilities. Praises are also exceptionally wonderful in bringing a 'high' feeling in an author. Even a simple one such as "Your story was really good" or "I enjoyed that" is often more than enough to spur the writer on to write more as well as boost the confidence of young, fledgling writers.

The kind of reviews that are meaningless, however, are those that are savagely vague in their insults such as "You suck" or "I didn't like it". A friend of mine received one review that read only "Yuck" and it was enough to put her off from writing fanfic ever again. I understand that there are many reviewers who do not hesitate to be brutally honest and I myself have been brutally honest before but the areas in which the ficwriter can improve on should be stated. For example, one can say "You need to be more descriptive and develope the characters more" instead of "This is the most boring fic, ever". I myself won't mind if those two sentences come together but the point I'm trying to make is: try to help writers who you feel need help. It's way better than smashing their confidence to smitherins. Its like a cup of tea. If you feel its not sweet enough, add sugar. You don't straightaway drain it. Even if you don't enjoy a fic you read, simply state why.

As for those who are receiving reviews, always keep an open mind. Not everyone will enjoy reading what you write. The reviews that are scornful for no apparent reason, ignore them, unless they give useful advice. Mind you, "Boring!!" is not a useful advice. If there are encouragements and praises, rejoice because you deserve them.

As for the many that are too lazy or busy(don't know why you're readin ff if you are) to review, they serve no reason other than to pull up the number of hits to your fics. It is rather unsettling(from experience) to see your hits go up past a hundred yet receive only 4 or 5 reviews. It makes us feel ignored as well as slightly puzzled. Did they like the fic? Did they hate it? Did they even read the whole thing? These are the questions many of us ask ourselves when such a case occurs. These passive readers, to us, are like spectators in the stand who are deathly silent, not giving even a hint as to which team they support.

Of course, I'm no expert in this field. I'm just stating what I feel after reading some reviews for a story I read which i thought wasn't bad but the reviews it got was rather shocking, from affrontingly rude ones to those that are downright useless. I'm not asking for each review to be a full length essay. It doesn't even have to be three sentences. What counts is that the message it conveys should be able to HELP the writer, emotionally as well as technically. Plus, who knows? You might make a friend or two. I know I did.

Other fics

I started out writing Animorphs fanfic and tried my hand in the lucrative HP fandom. Now I'm focusing on my all time favourite TV show Malcolm in the Middle as well as trying to write Final Fantasy XII. I need to finish the game first though.

Though I can be hardly counted as prolific, I aim to be able to produce fanfics that will be memorable(for the right reasons) and readable. Still trying hard to get to that memorable stage. Please do help me by reviewing my stories.

Peace ;P

PS: Just realised that for some reason, my settings were preventing me from receiving reviews fron non-members. So sorry to those who had wanted to say anything about any of my stories. I've changed the settings so please do take the time to review my stories. Once again, really sorry to all non members.

UPDATE: July 2010

Hello everyone, it's great to be back. I am afraid I owe everyone who was looking forward to updates for any of my fics a huge apology. I am very sorry. I will now explain my absence for tha last four years or so.

Four years ago, I was involved in a road accident that put me in hospital for at least a week. I am glad to let you know that I am now perfectly healthy, and the only lasting souvenirs from that time in my life was a small scar, a hospital record, and memories of being totally bored out of my mind. I can't really recall the accident, actually.

After that was a hectic period of me catching up with my studies. Loads of homework and projects and stuff. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any free time to write my fics but I didn't really have any inspiration at that point of time. I passed my A levels at the end of 2007, with satisfactory grades in all my subjects.

After that, I was enlisted into the Singapore Army. Every Singaporean male aged 18 and above were required to serve a mandatory 2 years in the army, according to Singapore law. You can imagine that writing, or even reading fanfiction, in an army camp is not really possible, as access to computers were restricted and personal laptops were not allowed in. Not to mention that I was too busy ironing my uniform(s) and polishing my boots during my free time. My off-days were spent lazing around at home or with friends. I was only released from service at the end of last year.

The months between January and June were for me to reacquaint myself with life as a civilian, as well as saving up money for university. By then, I was not really visiting FFN anymore as it had already fallen out of my habit by then, though I still receive the occasional alerts for a review or new chapters to stories I was keeping track off. Most of these were ignored. I only read the reviews because they still give me a surge of happiness whenever I read them.

Now, I've already quit my job to give myself time to rest and prepare myself for school. The new term will be starting this September. I am happy to report that I will be pursuing a degree in English so hopefully that would mean that my writing skills would improve. I expect it to be challenging to return to studying after such a long time but I'm more excited than anything else.

As for my fics:

I Am Me fans will be happy to note that I am already planning for an update. HOWEVER, I will not promise anything, not even a time frame, because as is with all my other pieces of writing, I will wait for inspiration to strike before I write. It's the only way I would be able to produce something worthwhile for you guys to read.

Animorphs fans would be happy to note that i've already posted another oneshot set post book-54, again in the life of Toby Hamee. Kind of like a sequel to Emotions, though dealing with different subjects. It's called The Living Dead and I hope you'll enjoy it.

I am actually considering writing a Pokemon fic and i've already penned down a few ideas. Yes, I know. Pokemon is so last decade but like Animorphs, it holds a special place in my heart. It was a huge part of my childhood. And now, crossing the threshold into my 20s, I find myself becoming more and more attached to things that remind me of a happier, more carefree period of my life.

Anyway, once again, I would just like to let you all know (yes, all 3 of you reading this) that I'm back. And it feels great.

Wishing you peace and happiness,

~Max.