Being religious, my predominant emotion, dying a horrible death

Hey, I found a new quiz site! ROCK ON, haha!

You are 100% religious

You are not religious. God who?

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

Hmm. I dunno what thinking squirrels are sweet has to do with religion, but whatever! It's quirky, haha.

Your dominant emotion is FEAR

You are easy to scare and tend to assume that others are out to get you. And they are... well, I am, at least.

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

How will you die a horrible, horrible death?

Choke on a ham sandwich

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

Kinda like Mama Cass, heh.

Cards Received, 2000

Cards Received, 2000


Special 2000

Auntie Catherine: "I have wanted to tell you for a long long time that you are a lovely young lady, loving and caring to people around you. Most likely you do not realize how much we appreciate you. It is our fault because we do not take time to tell you so. We make that mistake often. Most feelings are hidden and not demonstrated. The typical Chinese conservatism, I guess! This note serves to share with you that you are a young friend whom we highly regard and treasure. We have watched you grow up. Though there were challenges and battles that you have walked through, which we were not too aware of them, one thing we are convinced is that the Lord is with you. We bought this book Esther for you. When you feel lonely like Esther, seek comfort in the Lord and know that he can empower. Happy reading!"

Shirley: "Thank you all so much for writing the birthday card for me. It is absolutely marvelous, and it is always nice to receive presents, especially when it is a collaborative effort. Cheers and Love, Shirley."

Andrea: "Thank you, Leslie, for just being the selfless and caring sister in Christ to me. I am always encouraged by your willingness to share joys and burdens that the Lord places in your life. I am constantly humbled to witness your hope and joy in the Lord. Continue to persevere and fix your eyes on the Lord and He will surely guide and strengthen you. We should definitely get together to hang after I get back from the Orient. May we continue to encourage each other and prayerfully walk with one another. Love you!" (the card has Isaiah 40:31 on it)


Moving 2000

Frances and Mel: "Happy Housewarming!"

Lynn: "Congratulations on getting your own pad! Hope that your move is a smooth one, and you enjoy your first apartment! :)"

Andrea: "Dear Leslie, May the LORD keep you and make His face shine upon you in your new HOME. The LORD is indeed our fortress, our shield, and our provider. I am encouraged by your honesty and thoughtful care for others. I'm sorry to switch party dates on you, but I'd still definitely like to help in any way I can for next week's party. (besides grocery shopping) I thank God for your friendship and sisterhood." (the card has Galatians 5:6 on it)

Dennis: "To Leslie: I hope the gifts are stuff you need. I would really like to check out your apartment sometime. Ciao!"

Lydia: "Dear Leslie, Happy Housewarming! Here's a photo album to put in your first impressions of your new home!"


Birthday 2000

Elaine: "Dearest Leslie, Happy Early Birthday! I'm so sorry I will make your B-Day Party. :( But when I get back from Houston, we will definitely spend some time together, okay? I want to thank you for your friendship as well, and I hope your walk with God continues to grow as we go through our pilgrimage together. I hope you like the gift as I know you like to read!"

Connie Lucas: "I trust life is good to you, and you're enjoying every minute."

card from parents

card from Uncle Richard and Auntie Gloria

Denise: "Have a very Happy Birthday! Another year older... does that mean you're another year wiser?"

Brian: "Happy B-Day. Wishing you many more happy years to come!"

Alex: "Thanks for your invitation to the B-Day dinner. You must have a blast this year to have so many parties. Thank you for your friendship over the years and have a wonderful birthday."

Fidela: "Dear Leslie, Happy Birthday! Wow, one more year and you're gonna be a quarter of a century old! :P Stay as young as possible! Well, just wanted to thank you for everything, like making cards for everyone's birthday, so I thought I'd return the favor. Hope you enjoy your 24th year! God bless! Trust in the LORD with all your heart... God bless you!"

Jon: "Hey Sarne, happy 240th Birthday, you lard. Your 'loving' brother."

Nathan: "Hey Leslie! I know you'll have a really really really good birthday! Poem: Birthdays are cool. Fun, yeah, too. And since it's your birthday, you're cool and fun too! (every day, too!) God Bless Ya, Leslie." (of course he drew a camel)

Daniel: "Happy Birthday, Leslie!"

Desmond Chan: "Happy Birthday!"

Alan: "Happy B-Day, Leslie. It's been GREAT knowing you and being your friend from Daniel Fellowship. It's cool that Daniel and David Fellowship are both in the church now so that even though you're in David now, we can still see each other on Fridays. From your brother in Christ, Alan." (the card has 1 Corinthians 1:4 on it)

Andrea: "Dear Leslie, Happy Birthday! I just want to take this time to express how much of a blessing you are in my life and the lives of others. God has truly sculpted you as a special person with a beautiful heart which radiates out from how much you care for others. Leslie, I pray that you may continue to grow in Christ as you continue to draw strength from His will - through His word, through prayer, and taking steps of faith. God bless! Love always, Andrea." (the card has Jeremiah 29:11 on it)

card from Shannon N.

Auntie Betty, Dawn, and Geoffrey: "Wishing you all the best on this day. May all the joys you've ever known and the memories you hold dear be increased in a wonderful way as you start another year." (the card has Deuteronomy 31:8 on it)

Jenny: "Dear Leslie, Happy B-Day! Thank you for being a good friend over the past few years which I've known you. May God continue to guide you as you continue to seek His will. Again, happy B-Day! Love, Jenny."

Winnie: "Dear Leslie, Happy Birthday!!!! You have truly been such a cheerful presence everywhere you are!!! What an awesome demonstration of God's love! I hope you can continue to grow in God's grace and love in David Fellowship. Well, at least we'll still see each other on Fridays. Love in Christ always, Winnie."

Elizabeth and James: "Happy Birthday, Leslie! You've come a long way! We are so proud of you! God's got great things in store for ya! Never forget just what a precious new person in Christ you are! You are a royal princess, co-inheritor of the Kingdom of God! Lots of love, Elizabeth and James."

Karen Choo: "Dear Leslie, Thank you for your friendship. Look forward to studying God's word with you again. Hope you had a nice birthday celebration. Your present from me consists of a calendar for next year (with VERY pretty flowers) and two funny mugs - for you and any special guest. :) In Christ, Karen."


Christmas 2000

card from Shannon N.

Lynn: "Hope life's been treating you well. Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas holiday and a great New Year! :)"

Nina: "Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year."

Alex: "Dear Leslie, Thanks for inviting me to all your parties. Just give me a call or email me, and I will always be there for your house parties. Thanks for your friendship over the years. Have a great New Year and Christmas."

Elizabeth and James: "Leslie, Have A Wonderful Christmas and A Fantastic New Year! :) Lots of Love, Elizabeth and James."

Sarah: "Dear Leslie, Thank you for your thoughtfulness and the little ways you show your love. May the LORD bless you. Have a meaningful Christmas holiday. May you be reminded of the LORD's great love for you. Rejoice! Be thankful! Love, Sarah."

Dawn's family: "Dear Leslie, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Wishing you a joyful celebration of Christ's birth."

Total: 31

Hot pot and wasabi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTINE.. I hope you have an awesome one today! :) It was good knowing you at school.


I had a very good time last night with everyone..
you do NOT want to eat wasabi till you're almost dead ;)
Sean still doesn't know when Norman's birthday is..
(despite having grown up with the guy.. go figure)
Eric kept denying he had "automatic door lock" in his car..
well, he was using it on me as part of a joke accusation..
and that was only part of the hijinks that went on..

I'm looking forward to Awana later on..
I think it should be slightly less chaotic than last week..
maybe this time I'll actually have a list to work with ;)
afterwards, a bunch of us are going to have hot pot..
we're going to celebrate Citrus' birthday in style..

no, I'm not talking about stolen weed here..
basically, you dunk raw meat and stuff in boiling water..
lettuce, special mushrooms, liver, beef, pork, chicken..
vermicelli, tofu, udon, fishballs, and other sorts of food..
you have to drink the broth afterwards..
it retains all the flavors, and is very good stuff..
writing this post is making me way too hungry..
(I haven't had it in probably more than a year, so I'm up for it)
it's certainly going to be some yummilicious stuff ;)
yes, I thrive while in the company of my friends.. wooyeah!

Amusement with Eric M. and Spoz

this afternoon has been amusing so far..
I called Eric M. to see if he could drive me tonight..
and asked if I could speak to him when he answered..
(it's necessary, as he's jokingly tricked me before!)
Eric said that I'd have to wait five minutes on the phone..
even though he answered.. I did get things done, though..
that was very amusing to me.. Richmond Crew jokes rule! ;)


later, Spoz thought I was drunk when I misspelled words..
(specifically: "ah, the rough stuff" had dodgy spelling..
we were talking about the Aussie Rules Footy finals)
no, I was definitely not drunk at all..
I just wasn't looking at what I was typing!
apparently, even he thought it was funny..
he was comically disappointed, and asked how drunk I was..
yup, I thought that was absolutely hilarious..
(if anybody else asked me that, I'd smash them!)

Phil's cactus shouldn't be a teratoma!

Phil described his cactus as "big, hairy, and alive"..
that description led me to have a nightmare, which involved:
little kids finding bloody teratomas floating in public toilets!
(yes, I have a very weird subconscious for some reason)
as a result, I woke up at 6:40 AM after only 4.5 hours of sleep..
but don't worry.. I'm good to go, as I just had a 4-hour nap..

if you don't know what a teratoma is, Google it..
warning: if you're easily grossed-out, DON'T do it..
(do a web / image search for the things.. plenty of examples)
you'll soon see why I thought it was so hideous and horrible..
thanks a lot, Phil.. I'm going to get you later on ;)

Birthday Party 2002 at Red Robin's... ah, the memories!

I remember the very enjoyable time I had at Red Robin's last year for my birthday, actually. People were there at 6:30 because they had to leave early, but that was all right. Since two of the people there were from the SDMB (Cheri and Bob), it made for some interesting conversation. When my friends Mark and Joe got there, the conversation turned very interesting indeed. You see, I had met Joe and Irene at the seawall at the Vancouver Dopefest in July, and one of the Dopers with us that day (Kevin) looked like Mark's doppelganger. So we all discussed what went on at the message board, how it came to be, and all that stuff.

Other friends of mine showed up after 7:30, said hi and happy birthday to me, and we all settled into a fun evening of food, friendship, and good times. We talked about our lives, our church, Awana, casinos, and various other topics. I hope everyone had a good time.

After my friend Nathan arrived, I decided to open the presents while the majority of the people were still at the table, and hadn't left. I got three candles from various people (Ivan and Karen; the Dopers; and Rick and Nina), a mug (with a packet of strawberry herbal tea) from Anita, a Christian book and CD (Carol Cymbala) from Phil and Melia, another Christian book (Steven Curtis Chapman) and CD (Brian Doerksen... listening to it right now) from Mark and Joe, the LOTR trilogy from Nathan and my brother Jon (now I have no excuse not to read it), and a decorative plate from Yazmine. (she said my apartment seemed bare to her.. could be)

Other presents I got: a sweater from my parents, $50 and some lotto tickets from my friends Elizabeth and James, a photo frame from my friend Lesley, and some body wash from my friend Dawn. Of course, all my friends' love and everything else is great, too. :)

After all that, we played around with the ribbons and such. We joked that the ribbon could be an engagement ring, or a way for Anita to outdo our friend Helen Yu at her wedding on Saturday. We talked about the Awana leaders' reactions to the kids they'd get this year, church things, etc.

My brother showed up after 9:20, as advertised. (he wanted me to delay the start time as much as possible.. good thing I was able to do that) He arrived dressed up from the function he was at before. No, he didn't have a proper tuxedo shirt because he can't afford one on his student budget. By that time, it was all church people as the Dopers and three of my other friends from other places had left. So we discussed church, people at church, and everything else. Eventually, there were just five people left: me, Jon, Nathan, Sean, and Adela. When I told my brother that the party table had existed in varying forms since 6:30, he was very surprised: "A revolving cast of characters, and we're the late-night crew." Indeed they were, and I loved them for it. :)

Eventually, we started to wonder why there was nobody coming into the restaurant.. we were under the impression that it closed at 1, so at only 10:45 or so, there should be more people. It seemed that we were the only people in the restaurant. There was a Mudd pie dessert, and after we'd finished it, we were doing horrible things to it. (just putting salt, pepper, condiments, ketchup, etc. on it) My brother really wanted to take a picture of it, but his camera was in the car. So when he went to get it, he had to ask Nate to hold the door open for him because the place was closing. No wonder there wasn't anyone else in the place!

I should add that we all left at around 11:15, after having had a very enjoyable evening. So it wasn't all that bad.. now to get to those books and things before people ask if I've finished them before Dec. 18 / 2002. (the date that the second LOTR movie comes out)

Birthday party 2003 at the Cactus Club and Dragon Ball

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEREMY.. I hope you have a fun one today! :) It's been neat watching you grow up.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVE.. I hope you have a great one today :) It's been cool getting to know you, Chironex. (for those of you wondering, I believe he said it was some kind of jellyfish)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBI-ANNE.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It was great knowing you at school.

My birthday was pretty cool. Went out to meet Yazmine at the mall this afternoon; she gave me a lot of stuff: a candle, a notebook, stickers, and two ballpoint pens. We hung out for a while until she had to go home to do stuff.

Later, I went to the Cactus Club with Jon, Eric H., Eric M., Nathan, Erin, Danielle, and Phil. None of the friends who were my age came out, but I definitely had fun with everyone else. Citrus tried to call Danielle 11 times, and tried calling Nathan 5 times.. they wondered what was with all the missed calls on their cellphones. Turns out that he wanted to wish me a happy birthday while he was on his break from work.. unfortunately, it was over when we finally got back to him. Danielle passed on the message, though.

We had a good time laughing at Erin during dinner; Jon always says that we'll have at least 2 hours' worth of "wedding banquet roast material" on her. She said to Eric, "Happy birthday for the fifth!" (meaning September 5) Also discussed an engagement story, more weddings coming up (Vernon and Sarah / Daniel and Michelle), when you know it's time to get married, some Christians meeting online at Asian Avenue ("if you meet, you'll get to find out if it's a boy or girl"), and all of that kind of thing.

Eric H. gave me a card; Phil (and Melia) got me a cactus and some Swedish candy; Danielle (and Citrus) got me writing paper and envelopes with pressed leaves on them; Nathan got me two goofy books (The Young Oxford Book of Timewarp Stories and The Action Heroine's Handbook); and Erin got me a "Happy Birthday" balloon. Everyone paid for my dinner, and I got money out of Nathan's man-purse (which had SO much change!) to pay for the green apple bubble tea I had later on at Dragon Ball. He said I didn't have to pay him back, since I was the birthday girl.. he even did Gollum impersonations to amuse me. :) (he was going to do Smeagol at Danielle's request, but he wanted to save his voice.. he had a cold, poor guy)

I should add that Phil described his gift to me as "big, hairy, and alive." With that description, of course I thought it was some sort of insect. So I told him half-jokingly: "If it's a spider or a gross something, I'll kill you." Thank goodness it turned out not to be the case, because I really wouldn't want to terminate my good friend's life!

Got home at about 11-ish, and got a very surprising offline message on Yahoo from someone who I haven't talked to in a LONG time. Arthur wished me a happy birthday, wondered if I still remembered him, said he missed our pleasant chats, and hoped I was well. (I did attempt to talk to him when I first got Yahoo Messenger (we met on ICQ), but gave up after a few months when he wouldn't respond to my messages or emails.. he was a nice, gentle guy though!)

I also talked to Spoz for a little while.. he called me a robot, a spelling Nazi (he should have seen my dodgy spelling last night when I was heavily influenced by vodka ;) ), and an old bastard (jokingly, of course). I'm not a robot just because my guesswork is pretty much accurate when figuring out the length of time between our respective birthdays! ;)


Birthdays make you feel older. says:
I've just had a Bellini and some bubble tea.. and I had some 40% vodka yesterday.. is that good, or just this side of dangerous?
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
hahahahaha.. tellin' by how well you spelt that message you sent.. (and knowing how much of a nazi you are about spelling..) I dunno if it's a good thing :P
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
but hey.. somethin' to be encouraged :P
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
you should have seen how dodgy my spelling was yesterday :P
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
(Y)
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
I think I blurred the edge of my newfound jaded cynicism tolerably..
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
considering that today's still my birthday.. but now I'm getting old..
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
YOU OLD BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASTARD!
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
wot.. how old we talkin' here?
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
27
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
eh.. that's nuthin'. ;)
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
you're only 27 yourself.. but thanks anyhow ;)
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
(Y)
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
yeah.. I like that.. "ONLY" 27 ;)
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
well, that "27 is nothing" declaration may have had more effect if you were, say, 15 years older than I was... as it is, you're only 5 months and 2 weeks older
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
but I can enjoy ironic effect too ;)
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
wuh.. you counted the weeks n months?
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
no, I approximated 'em :P
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
the scary thing.. is you're about dead on accurate..
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
well, it's still the 17th here for about 9 minutes.. and I may have missed a day or so.. but yeah, not bad for guesswork :P
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
yes.. it's true.. you ARE a robot..
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
hahaha.. no, just detailed :P
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
by the way, read blog.. there's some alcohol-fueled insanity in there :P
Spoz (weapons grade insanity) says:
okaaaaaaaaay
Birthdays make you feel older. says:
well, it was kind of funny at the time..


I'll get to any more LJ comments and / or birthday wishes later, when I've updated all the other places that need it. ;) But I *will* get to them, rest assured of that.

Today's my birthday: to celebrate, I won't write anything!

today's my birthday..
I'm not writing anything..
why? because I don't wanna! :P

(oops.. guess I just did.. oh well)

What color would you be if you were officially gobsmacked?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAY.. I hope you have a good one today! :) The J Man, it's been great getting to know you.. Jovi / birthday talk is a very good thing, methinks.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICKY.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It was neat knowing you at school.. "birthday buddy!"

I did indeed go to the liquor store earlier..
spent a LONG time in there just looking at the variety..
(yes, it was my first time in one.. why do you ask? :P)
decided on some 40% "Silent Sam" vodka..
(as Denise said, the strong stuff is the good stuff)
that'll certainly last me a long time..
despite what certain people believe, I don't drink that often..
I'm being totally serious here, so just trust me on this!
now I can fulfill my promise to Spoz, if he's on..

I remember when Rich mailed me a card a few years ago..
and I was SO gobsmacked when I checked the mail..
now THAT was indeed a very pleasant surprise from a brother..
no, Rich isn't my real brother.. it's an expression ;)

all that leads me to wonder perhaps a bit drunkenly..
what color WOULD you be if you were (officially) gobsmacked?
red, blue, purple, yellow, green, orange.. ?
I have NO idea right now, to be perfectly honest..
probably I should go back to bed and sleep..
(after I take Spoz's "beer tip" and apply it to vodka, that is)
Corey will just have to see if I'm coherent later on ;)

Jaded cynicism upon almost turning 27

I'd like to add that I'm not feeling optimistic..
maybe it's time to get something to drink..
yes, I know where the local liquor store is..
however, can I carry a whole bunch of it home on the bus?
perhaps I'm better off going to the Foggy Dew pub..
it's like a block from this apartment, so it's very close by..
plenty of time to make a decision like that, though..
I told someone I'd inform them when I drank alcoholic stuff..
since the time I made that declaration, I haven't had any..
good enough an excuse as the next, I suppose..
so I'll probably imbibe one way or another today..
just one of those days, is all.. fog up my brain to deal ;)

Shameless about my own birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAREN.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It's been great knowing you all these years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NORMAN.. I hope you have a fun one today! :) You've had a tough year, but we'll help you get through it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELISSA.. I hope you have a fun one today! :) It's been cool watching you grow up.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYDIA.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It was good knowing you at church all those years.


speaking of birthdays and all that stuff..
I find myself incredibly jaded and cynical today..
I'm getting really old; there's namooch to be done about it...
could that be because my own birthday is tomorrow? nah.. ;)

I don't expect everyone to remember my birthday..
although I was rather shameless in past years..
telling everyone via email and in person for weeks..
reminding everyone whenever I saw them..
now, I'd like to think that I'm not so annoying anymore ;)
at least enough of my real friends remember it..
so that makes me feel loved and wanted around them :)

Daniel and Michelle got engaged!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID.. I hope you have a fun one today! :) My favorite kid.. what to say? I love you, and it's been great watching you grow up.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIN.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It was neat knowing you at church.

Yazmine called me last night; she can't make it this week..
so she wants to hang around with me earlier instead..
that actually sounds like a good idea.. more "friends time" :)
could make for a long day, but it'll be cool ;)
speaking of "friends time," I'm going out for dinner soon..
spicy Chinese food, especially hot and sour soup.. oh my..
it'll be one of the highlights of the week for me...

also, congratulations to Daniel and Michelle!
they got engaged yesterday night, and I got an email on it..
I definitely love them both, and will tell my sister soon..
she'll be very excited to hear the news, I think..
engagements and weddings happening all the time.. yay!

Amusing incentives to view Corey's webcam

yup, you've been waiting for them..
or maybe you haven't..
but here they are, nonetheless :P


HILARIOUS QUOTES OF THE WEEK (3)

"Who's Lillian Lee?" -- my mom, upon overhearing my brother and me talk about Lily and Lee's then-upcoming wedding. (Tuesday, Sept. 9) [she typically just half-listens to all our conversations, and that reminds me of the time she called Jason "East Hastings".. only because his last name rhymes with "stings," I'll bet :P]

"I think you have a 56K modem, making ours equal." -- Josh, trying to compare our computer speeds relative to each other. (Wednesday, Sept. 10) [nope, my modem is much slower than that.. and I *still* somehow manage to run all this stuff on the sluggish machine :P]

"It's pretty exciting in here right now: my bird is running around on me.. and I have vampire fangs at the moment, too." -- Corey, who was giving me amusing incentives to view his brand new webcam on Yahoo. (Wednesday, Sept. 10) [it eventually worked briefly after a couple of tries]



church was definitely good today..
bugged a few people about this week..
some people said they'd think about it..
and a few said they'd come for sure..
whatever happens, it'll still be cool..
although maybe I should do it on a Sunday next year..
guess I'll have to see if I remember that or not ;)

Cup logic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNTIE VIVIAN.. I hope you have a good one today! :) It's been great serving with you in Awana.

Awana yesterday was good for the first day..
got to meet a bunch of new Cubbies and Sparkies..
the kids are certainly very cute, and it'll be a good year..
now, to go to church and bug everyone about this week!
(Eric isn't even going with us.. damn the "no foil," indeed..
oh well, I can probably get a ride home with him later..
beats finally going home 2-3 hours after church is over!)
next week, I'm going to be at my place after Awana..
there's no really compelling reason why I shouldn't be ;)

my mother seems to think that a cup with a :) on it..
will automatically make me happier for some reason..
what the heck kind of logic is that?
that's like saying a cup with a horrible monster on it..
would make me more prone to violence!

my first reaction upon learning there's rain outside:
"can I go home now, coz I don't want to stand in it?"
(I don't REALLY want to go home, but standing in rain?
that's not a particularly good thing, either!)