Ties, baptismal candidates, whiteout, sleep, and meetings

Today at Awana, Jason and Amos had to have others tie their ties for them. I also reminded Danny to take the Awana Games book home, as per his request... he would never have remembered otherwise, he told me. I got Julie and Elaine to give me the list of people being baptized at Thanksgiving: Julie, Ivan, Michael, Isabel, Sarah, Emily, and J-Mak. Since Amos likes to play with my whiteout so much, I might get him some... but probably not, haha. I should tell him and his brother that I've been accused of eating (colored) whiteout, but I don't want to freak them out... it's a good thing that I think they're getting the hang of Awana secretarial duties. :D

Later, Sam and I talked about how you should get SOME sleep every night unless you've pulled an all-nighter and it would be bad to sleep for just one hour and wake up really grumpy. My sister has lately not been sleeping at all (I don't know what she's doing), so Sam and I both think that she should at least GET the two or four hours of sleep that she can function on... she doesn't really have reason to stay up all night, except MAYBE double Fellowship involvement!

For some reason, I'm all weird about letting my parents know the latest news. Oh wait, my sister just popped online to say that she can't be late tomorrow since she's leading worship. So I told her that I actually couldn't make it because of this meeting tomorrow at 10 in the Brighouse School park. I guess she's worried or something, if "aiya" a zillion times is an indicator. ;) At least if / when this happens, I have time to pack and stuff.

Another day, another notice... plus felines and food

I just got this notice dated Sept. 20 through the mailslot today:

Dear Owner of Grounds and Apartments at Richmond Gardens,

Thank you for your letter dated September 16, 2005 regarding discontinuation of cable services currently supplied under a bulk cable agreement and included as part of the rental agreement currently in place.

Please be aware that under the Residential Tenancy Act: Section 27-1 B and 16-2, this letter contravenes our rights as tenants in two respects. Firstly, this is insufficient notice in that we must be given 30 days written notice. In the second aspect, the residential tenancy agreement specifically stipulates that we are to be compensated with rent reduction for loss of service in value of tenancy agreement during our entire tenancy. Currently, basic service provided under the bulk agreement is to channel 56. Upon checking with Shaw cable, that is a reduction of $47.95 plus applicable taxes that we expect to see as compensation in current rent value. The manner of presentation of this letter, specifically that we will incur activation fees if the letter is not responded to by October 1, 2005 is unlawful. You cannot incur a debt on our behalf for a service we are already paying for in our rental agreement.

In regard to lack of service, please be aware that part of the service included living where grounds were up kept by an efficient gardening service. While the building itself is in dire need of painting, the fact that the grounds look unkempt reduces our place of residency to that of an inferior dwelling. We are not welfare recipients, nor do we pay subsidized rents: our place of residence should not reflect such substandard appearances as these. Also as the grounds are unkempt, we notice increased insect traffic. Further, we have an increase in rodent population as evidenced by scratching and hearing them run in the ceilings and walls. There seems no appearance in attending to these esthetic and health matters. In the matter of health, what is that awful odor coming from the outside storage buildings?

You do incur damages to vehicles when your painter splashes paint on them, whether you meant to do so or not. To suggest that we incur the cost of damages is not true. We understand the need to repaint the lines. However, this could be done section by section without threats to our property.

As a matter of courtesy, perhaps you should employ a resource person to more effectively handle your communications. All your communications have been very heavy-handed.

On our behalf: Tenants of Richmond Gardens.


Tenants: Please be aware of your rights in regards to the tenancy act. You may forward this letter to Amacon, your MLA, and the Residential Tenancy Office. Notify the health department of your health concerns.


Amacon Property Management Services
Suite #300-911 Homer St.
Vancouver, BC
V8B 2W6
Fax: 604-602-7110

Health Department Inspection
Telephone #: 604-233-3147

Olga Ilich, MLA (Member of Parliament)
Ste. #300-8120 Granville
Richmond, BC
V6Y 1P3
Telephone #: 604-775-0754


Residential Tenancy Office
5021 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
V5H 4A5
Telephone #: 604-660-3400



You're Tigger. Playful and fun-loving, you enjoy
hanging out with friends even though you don't
always have to be the center of attention.
You're never pessimistic or sluggish. Your
enthusiasm is at once endearing and
over-the-top. You're the quintessential
extrovert.


Which famous feline are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy, yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Bubble Tea Tally, plus pictures of pearls and sago

I remember the two days last year at this time when I was live on location at the Netaholics Café... good times with weird music and shooting all around me from the computer games. Eric was surprised I was paying for Internet access, but I had to keep up with things somehow. ;)

I've also figured out how to get around sites that disable right-clicking: just view the source code! :D

Hey, Dominic's finally replied to a long-ago message on OK Cupid! Seems the site kept logging him out... =/ At least things are reasonably okay now with him, heh.


.... it occurs to me that it's been some time since I did up a bubble tea tally in here....

SUMMER BUBBLE TEA TALLY (4)

white grape @ L&G Bubble Tea (Tuesday, July 12)
pudding @ Dragon Ball (Friday, Aug. 13)
mango @ Tazza World Tea and Café (Tuesday, Sept. 6) [with sago instead of pearls]
honeydew @ Daimasu Sushi (Friday, September 9)


Sago is the term for really tiny white tapioca beads.

Bubble tea pearls:




Sago:

Finished titling all posts / enabling comments in here!

Some time ago, I realized that I should title all my posts in here and enable comments on them. When I started on this, Corey wondered whether it was worth the time spent doing all that. Hey, I might as well take advantage of the options I have here... even some that I didn't know about! (thanks, Dave... you recently got me to turn on my Atom XML feed or whatever so people could subscribe to this thing!)

Another day, another mini-project finished. I love my journal upkeep. :D

Perfectly legal? / Owner's illegal acts

One of my friends is very familiar with the Residential Tenancy Act, and says it's perfectly legal to be evicted in this manner...

Subsections 5 or 6

(5) A landlord may end a tenancy in respect of a rental unit if

(a) the landlord enters into an agreement in good faith to sell the rental unit,

(b) all the conditions on which the sale depends have been satisfied, and

(c) the purchaser asks the landlord, in writing, to give notice to end the tenancy on one of the following grounds:

(i) the purchaser is an individual and the purchaser, or a close family member of the purchaser, intends in good faith to occupy the rental unit;

(ii) the purchaser is a family corporation and a person owning voting shares in the corporation, or a close family member of that person, intends in good faith to occupy the rental unit.

(6) A landlord may end a tenancy in respect of a rental unit if the landlord has all the necessary permits and approvals required by law, and intends in good faith, to do any of the following:

(a) demolish the rental unit;

(b) renovate or repair the rental unit in a manner that requires the rental unit to be vacant;

(c) convert the residential property to strata lots under the Strata Property Act;

(d) convert the residential property into a not for profit housing cooperative under the Cooperative Association Act;

(e) convert the rental unit for use by a caretaker, manager or superintendent of the residential property;

(f) convert the rental unit to a non-residential use.

=============

The exact reason will be written on the notice.

Perfectly legal, despite your wishes.

(8) A tenant may dispute a notice under this section by applying for arbitration within 15 days after the date the tenant receives the notice.

Calling Parliament will just piss them off. Calling the media will get you ignored. Calling the city of Richmond will get you put on hold forever.

See my other comments. This is not only legal, but common.
Start looking for a place to move.

Eeeep.... maybe that is true! o_O


I just got another notice from the residents, as well:

RICHMOND GARDENS TENANTS - OWNER CUTTING OFF SHAW CABLE SERVICE IN THIS MANNER ILLEGAL It is illegal for the owner to cut off our cablevision in the manner he is doing it. It is included in our rent as part of our lease.

The Residential Tenancy Branch has confirmed the following in accordance with tenancy branch law dated January 1, 2004. The owners, AMACON must give each tenant a minimum thirty day notice, served on the proper form (#RTO-24), advising of a restriction of this service which as well gives you a reduction in rent amounting to the cost of the cable service they wish to discontinue providing. A thirty day notice, if given on or before the last day of September would become effective the 1st day of November, NOT October.

ALL TENANTS SHOULD CALL THE RESIDENTIAL TENANCY BRANCH (604-660-3456) IMMEDIATELY AND FILE PAPERS TO FIGHT THIS INJUSTICE. EACH TENANT HAS THIS RIGHT. THE $50.00 FILING FEE HAS TO BE PAID BACK TO YOU BY THE OWNER AS WELL WHEN HE LOSES THE CASE AND THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT HE WILL AS THE LAW IS ALREADY IN PLACE.

RICHMOND GARDENS TENANTS - PAY PARKING ON PROPERTY IS ILLEGAL

The owner AMACON, has not obtained the necessary license to put pay parking on private property. Your friends, family, and visitors are being charged illegally. Until the license is granted from city hall, NO ONE can be legally charged for pay parking.

CALL RICHMOND CITY HALL AT 604-276-4017.

New apartment management

This morning, I checked my mail to find a note from some of the other apartment residents: "DID YOU GET YOUR EVICTION NOTICE TO MOVE FROM RICHMOND GARDENS YET? Two of the buildings in this complex already have received two-month eviction notices yesterday, and the other two are to receive them next. WE MUST FIGHT THE LOSS OF OUR HOMES! If we all stand together, we can make a difference. There will be a meeting at the Brighouse School park this Sunday at 10 AM. All residents please attend to get the latest information. DO NOT TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN -- CALL THE NEWSPAPERS. CALL CITY OF RICHMOND. CALL YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT. CALL THE TENANTS RIGHTS SOCIETY. CALL THE TENANCY BRANCH."

Remains to be seen whether I can make that meeting or not... I'm usually somewhere else at that time, but I guess we'll see if I can trust my family enough with this information because I *know* they'll call my non-attendance at church into question.... o_O (and it's the weekend of the ordination, too!)


Now I have an inkling of what that mysterious "fighting back" notice I saw the other day might mean.... o_O

I think that my life is about to change in ways I do not like. *eeeeeeep*

I *knew* I was right to blame the wonky building lock on the new management last month... o_O

Your Personality Is

Artisan (SP) You are both grounded and flexible. You adapt well to new situations. You are playful and free spirited - but you are also dependable and never flaky. You don't do well in conservative, stuffy situations. It's probably very hard for you to keep a normal job or stay in school. You are always up for fun and adventure. Most people are too boring for you. You take risks and bend the rules. And if things don't work out, you chock it up to life experience. In love, you tend to take things quickly - but you have a huge problem with commitment. At work, you need to make your own rules. You're best suited to be an entrepreneur. With others, you are animated and physical. You prefer doing something with friends to just hanging out. As far as your looks go, you tend to be buff and in good shape. Your spend more time on your body than your clothes. On weekends, you need to keep active. From cooking up a storm to running a 5K, you wear yourself out.

The Three Question Personality Test

French / Darren's birthday card, Olivia's site, Henrik's visit, quiz memes

C'est pas gagné avec moi!... it's funny that French has a patented phrase for "Hey, when it comes to me, you never know!" Hahahaha, this is courtesy of my international friend Matt. I should SO use this one on Eric or someone... :D

My Calgary friend Darren sent me a birthday card which made me laugh, only because I've used that same card for at least a few people! ("A special friend should have patience... you have patience. A special friend should have understanding... you have understanding. A special friend should get an expensive birthday present... lucky for me you have patience and understanding!") Hahaha, so true! I know he doesn't have much money right now, and wouldn't expect it in any case! Thanks, Darren... you're the best!

Sophia and John have posted some pictures and video of baby Olivia on this site... I'll definitely be browsing through later!

My Swedish friend Henrik says I'd most likely be at the mercy of Sunday transit schedules, since he'll be SO tired on the Saturday... that, I can do. Heck, I'll be in Vancouver ANYHOW for church, so it's not like I'd be going a zillion miles out of my way! Haha... first weekend of October, here we come for an international meeting of the minds! (Sweden and Canada may have been rivals in the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, but it's not true in this case!)

10 Things I'm Interested In

1. bands:
   What's not to like about bands? I like music, and bands go hand in hand with that.
2. cds:
   Goes hand in hand with being interested in music and such, haha.
3. culture:
   I've always been interested in how the world works in different parts of society. Maybe I should do something about that... heck, if only I'd taken Anthropology or Western Civilization!
4. goofing off:
   Haha, this is one of the things I'm best at. ;)
5. instant messaging:
   Dude, I have Trillian... of COURSE I'd be interested in instant messaging! ;) It's a quick easy way to stay in touch with certain selected people, although sometimes I do wish for new people to meet... or that certain people would still talk to me despite their having drifted away like they said they'd never do! :P
6. message boards:
   They can be a good way to interact online, and get to know people. I remember one of the first message boards I'd ever seen... the thread was about a woman who had recently died, so all the posts were of the condolence type. Then I thought to myself, "How do these people know she's DEAD? I don't get it..." Then I was introduced to the Twinstuff message board through random searching. Now I'm a member of at least 10 message boards, but rarely post on most of them. (Twinstuff, SDMB, Una, Our Place, the Subwoofer forums, etc.)
7. oddities:
   Man, I've always been interested in the strange and bizarre... I have a lot of Ripley's books at home, haha.
8. quirky stuff:
   See above. I love coincidences and the "little things" that add up to a whole lot of "I don't know what that was, but it's so awesome!"
9. stories:
   I used to write stories about goat royalty, and now I just read (almost) all sorts of stories. If you wanted to give me books as a present, I wouldn't mind at all! (I got a bunch of them for my recent birthday, haha)
10. twins:
    For some reason, I've always been interested in twins / triplets / quadruplets / anything higher. Facts About Multiples has been a good source of information and such for me since 1998, and Eric's seen my endless Google searches on quadruplets / quintuplets and such in 2001. Corey says it'll be cosmic revenge or God's sense of humor if I ever end up with multiples to parent! (he thinks he'll be the first person I tell if I end up pregnant with quintuplets, hahaha)

You Are 30% Boyish and 70% Girlish

Even if you're not a girl, you're very feminine. You're in touch with your feelings, and your heart rules you. A bit of a emotional roller coaster, one moment you're up and the next you're down. But no matter what, you try to be as cute and perky as possible.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

You scored as Bragi. Bragi 70% Balder 70% Freyr 60% Frigg 60% Loki 60% Thor 50% Heimdall 50% Odin 50% Freya 40% Tyr 30% Hel 30% Njord 30% Skadi 20% Sif 10% Which Pagan God or Goddess are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

Put food up your butt and crap out your mouth! (but not siu long bao!)

I missed both buses when walking out earlier, so I walked to the restaurant and got there barely on time. My sister decided to say that I was late, and that they were relying on me to be there before everyone else. Well, your guilt trips won't work on me since I did my best to be there... I got there just after Eric did, too! Walking to Shanghai Wind from the mall still takes a way shorter time than walking there from my place... maybe one minute as opposed to fifteen? Don't tell ME that I should know how long it takes to walk there... I wasn't expecting to, and I think I did a damn good job for it. *neeners and winks*

Turns out it was a good thing Palmer bailed / sold out / whatever you want to call it (although for some reason, I half-expected him to surprise me at the Staples bus stop *headscratch* ), since Erin unexpectedly showed up at the restaurant. She hadn't read her Pharmasave email all the way through... she'd seen "Wednesday" and assumed that meant today, when her recruitment dinner is in fact Oct. 7! We got seated and got to ordering some SLB in between discussing hockey, the Hockey News, hockey pools, and the Da Vinci Code... I have no idea where Michael got a paperback copy, since all the copies we've ever seen are hardcover! Steph admitted to underestimating him, and seemed impressed... actually, I am too!

The dinner was hilarious! Eddie kept blaspheming SLB in general, so Steph said that she'd have to talk to Eunice about her choice of man. At least he was being funny about it, but we told him that he was out from the Richmond Crew email list next time. However, Citrus has to come out one of these days when he's not working! Her new thing is to affirm people (send some of that my way! :P), so she tried that with dubious results. Nathan brought up the giant SLB that he'd had in Shanghai.. thankfully, no one made any jokes about Danielle's head this time! Eric took a few digicam pictures: Nathan looks so menacing with an SLB on a plate, haha.

We tried NOT to let the soup leak out of the SLB when we were transferring them from the steamers to the plate, but some of us were better at it than others.. not me, though. Since Eric had gotten sick last time when they only ordered 12 steamers and some other things, we ordered a veggie plate: good decision. True, there WERE green onion pancakes and veggies in the Shanghai noodles... but it wasn't the same.

Nathan joked that Eddie was being a heretic, so he made up this parody of Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the way of the siu long bao and lean not on the heretic's understanding. In all your ways acknowledge the siu long bao, and it will make your bowels straight." That was so hilarious! Then we joked that we should make Phil mention a "SLB Bible translation" in one of his sermons as a joke when he becomes a pastor... everyone else will just be confused, while we'll all laugh!

Then there was the discussion in which Nathan married a SLB... a So Loving Bride (no names!) who was educated in the ways of the siu long bao. Nathan said that you should drink the siu long bao juice with the bun, unlike a certain heretic who just let the soup leak out into the bowl before drinking it... but at least he drinks it! We should have a separate Richmond Crew wedding banquet at Shanghai Wind since the church would overflow the tiny restaurant, haha! That reminded me of the time we were at Karen and Rod's wedding in 1999: the huge post-wedding lunch made Jon think that he wanted a Slurpee machine at his own wedding, haha. That is SO Jon! ;)

Eunice asked if anyone had aspirin: Danielle had Tylenol, and Steph had Midol... but I saved the day with my huge bottle of extra-strength pharmacy aspirin since I am so awesomely prepared. :D Erin told me that Advil was good for cramps, so I'll take that into consideration next time I go shopping. Danielle tuned out the hockey discussion even though she had one year off from it all... Eunice insisted that she had to watch a playoff game, haha. She told me that her mom had found the number for Shanghai Wind from a hotline for all the Chinese restaurants: that's pretty good considering the place is relatively new! (Eunice spent half an hour Googling for a number, and I spent some time looking in the phone book... there IS a Shanghai restaurant whose name starts with "Shanghai" listed for #3 Rd., but it's on the wrong block :P)

Final SLB steamer tally of the night: 13, which meant we broke our record. We were all so full from the other food we ordered which made our bill higher in the end... but it was good times! From there, most of us went to Eric's place to watch movies: Steph went home since she was tired and didn't get any sleep last night AGAIN. Eric and I went to Rogers Video to rent In Good Company and Passion of the Jew... the latter is a South Park movie, haha.

At Eric's house, his parents Ron and Veronica had laid out some chips and salsa for us (which we were too full to eat much of): Danielle was impressed with the frosted glasses they had for soft drinks! Eric's brother Kieran joined us for the movies: we invited his parents to join us too, but they declined. Jeremy joined us approximately five minutes into the first bonus South Park episode, Red Hot Catholic Love. (people shove food up their butts and crap out their mouths, and the priests refuse to stop having sex with boys!) The second bonus episode (Christian Rock Hard... the FBI busts the boys downloading music, and they form a fake Christian rock band!) was pretty hilarious, as was the main feature. (Mel Gibson's a crazy nut!)

After an hour spent watching that, most people left since they were tired and full. Nathan, Jeremy, and I spent a few extra minutes discussing what time it would be when Nathan got home from driving us back, and then what time it would be when he actually went to sleep before having to leave by 8 tomorrow morning. After telling Eric that we were all getting old, we left at 10:25.

We discussed Richmond flatland, Vancouver's hills, Kelowna's relative small size, and eviction for non-payment of rent before Nathan dropped me off at home. The rent's probably cheaper in Surrey, but good luck finding a place ANYWHERE around here that'll run you less than $500 a month! Living with your ex can also get.... complicated, shall we say. ;) I got home to find this mysterious notice taped to the front door of the apartment complex: "Dear Tenant: We will be having a meeting on the first floor of [building] at 9:30 tomorrow. Join us if you have time... we must fight back!" (with a scrawled "9 AM? 9 PM?" at the bottom.. very important consideration!) I can only assume people have beefs against the new management... *shrug* If I knew the time of the meeting for sure, I might attend... we'll see.

You scored as Sin. You live underground with all the other rejects from heaven. Hell's not so bad if you can get used to the weather. You don't go to church often, do you? Sin 56% Sybil 50% Lizzie Borden 50% Bride of Valentine 47% Kitty 47% Sadie 42% Posey 42% Eggzorcist 36% Lulu 36% Lottie 36% Sheena 34% Inferno 33% Lilith 31% Deadbra Ann 25% Which Living Dead Doll would you be? created with QuizFarm.com

Shanghai Wind, SLB steamer / person ratios, guitar strings, Audioscrobbler

I'm working on suitably expanding my stomach (as Eric terms it) for tonight's Shanghai Wind experience. The "unknown variable" (my friend Jayson) is coming along, since he left me a message on the answering machine to that effect. (that was totally a surprise, since I wasn't REALLY expecting him to respond to my casual invite!) Yes, I do turn that on once in a while: his phone line is borked, so he can't get online... and he's planning to move to Surrey or wherever the rent costs are lower. This should get really interesting, especially if we order ha-gow. ;) (he's allergic to seafood, heh)

Eric and I were coordinating our plans earlier this morning... he'll arrive around 6:15 or so, and I plan to get there around that time too. Then again, he might just waste time going to Noteworthy Music and see if there are any good strings for his guitar. Strings lose their tuning the higher up the fret board you go, and he thinks the person that owned it before pre-stretched their strings. That's not necessarily a good thing, even though some people suggest it as it helps the string stay in tune faster. (normally, you need to keep tuning a guitar when you first change strings) But pre-stretching is done by hand and it doesn't stretch the string evenly. So he might as well look for them, heh. Who knows, I might go there too for laughs.

Thanks to Eunice changing the time to 6:30, we might have people showing up at 6:45... but the two of us (plus Jayson, haha) should be there at the reservation time. It'll also be good seeing Steph, Eddie, Nathan, Danielle, and Jeremy, too. Eric joked that his extra set of guitar strings might turn into snakes, kill my non-Richmond / non-Nathan car friend, and eat all our siu long bao. I certainly HOPE not, hahaha. He also hopes my friend won't kill us, or that we won't kill him. That's unlikely to happen unless he torments Danielle endlessly about Harry Potter again like he did at Pho that time!

Edit: Palmer just got on AIM to inform me that he's just been evicted, so of course that necessitates a change of plans. Phew, and AIYA. :P


Inaugural SLB night (June 23, 2005... Thursday): 9 orders for 10 people. (72 total)
Second SLB night (July 4, 2005... Monday): 12 orders for 6 people. (2 steamers for each person... 96 total)
Tonight's goal: at least 15 orders for 8 people!
Third SLB night (Sept. 21, 2005... Wednesday): 13 steamers for 8 people.
Fourth SLB night (May 24, 2006... Wednesday): 21 steamers for 9 people. (would be 10 people, but Vivian S. doesn't count since she doesn't eat pork!)
Fifth SLB night (Dec. 17, 2006... Sunday): 4 steamers for 7 people, with other filling stuff.
Sixth SLB night (February 11, 2007... Sunday): 35 steamers for 9 people.


They come in "little wooden dealies" (Corey's term for steamers :P) and look like this:




I've also converted Spoz to Audioscrobbler through asking him about his Winamp playlist link. (gotta have it in Trillian in case I ever need to find it again, haha) He says it's quite trippy just for the whole "sifting through the garbage" nature of its statistical analysis. Says he wouldn't mind feeding his insane list through this to see how Audioscrobbler treats it... especially considering he uses a 6000-song playlist. ;) It's nifty that it's just wired automatically to his Winamp through a plugin: of course, a large number of songs that might pop up will be random, but it'll be interesting to see he DOES listen to more often.. ;)


Bonuses for reading this far, thanks to my friend Mike at Our Place:

1. 41 Anomalies of Water

2. Ever wonder how many servers away your computer is from certain websites?
Start ---> Run ---> cmd.exe

Type in tracert WEBSITE ADDRESS (replace "WEBSITE ADDRESS" with the actual website :P)

Sit back and enjoy. :D

(reminds me of the telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl ASCII version of Star Wars)

Clinton condoms, "500-question" survey, and various OK Cupid tests

Mad props of gratitude to Corey, who saved this entry by telling me what to do in Task Manager since my Notepad froze due to a stupid Windows error. Now I'll delete all the multiple Blogger entries.

Darren JUST came on and gave me this hilarious news link: Clinton finds name on cover of condom packs.

Here's the story in case they move or delete it:

BEIJING, Sept. 21 -- Can Clinton overtake Trojan Horse?



The former US president is known for many things among the Chinese public, including his sexual peccadilloes and promotion of AIDS awareness and prevention.

But he may be surprised to know that his moniker is now being used as a brand name by a condom manufacturer in southern China - together with that of Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern with whom he had an affair.

Guangzhou Haojian Biotech Company recently announced the launch of the Clinton and Lewinsky brands of condoms. General manager Liu Wenhua proudly declared that his was the first company in China to have registered an international celebrity's name as a trademark.

No, he did not need to pay a single penny to use the names, he explained, because these are just "ordinary Western names" and having them as trademarks would not constitute an infringement on intellectual property rights.

Both brands are for males, with the former priced at 29.8 yuan (US$3.70) for a pack of a dozen and the latter 18.8 yuan (US$2.30) a dozen. The "Clinton" is for the upscale market while the "Lewinsky" for the mass market, Liu elaborated.

As if this were not enough to raise a few eyebrows, Liu claimed that since last April, when the company could legally use the former president's name, he had received an offer of 10 million yuan (US$1.23 million) from a Beijing company for a transfer of name rights. "I said, 'No way.' We're not selling the brands for any price."

The condom packet comes with a card inside - one side is a picture, in classic Chinese style, depicting an erotic pose, and on the other an adult-themed joke.

One needs to buy 12 packs before collecting the whole set of cards. It is intended to publicize a "healthy adult culture" and "impart knowledge about sex and love," said Liu.

Hu Bingguang, an official with the Administration of Press, Publication, Radio and Television of Guangzhou Municipality, said that it would be "inappropriate" for a vendor to enclose pornographic pictures. But if they were not for sale, it would be okay as long as the company files the card with his office. However, Hu remarked that he had never seen such a filing.

Yao Jun, a Guangzhou-based attorney for H.J.M. International Law Offices, which specializes in intellectual property rights issues, doubts the claim that the two brands are registered.

"Filing for registration and being registered are two different things."

Yao told China Daily that the law stipulates that no trademark should violate public interest or the existing value system. "The Clinton and Lewinsky brands can be rejected on these grounds."

(Source: China Daily)


Chris finally took me off his Yahoo and AIM lists! Whee! (or that's what he SAYS, anyhow... I blocked him a couple months ago, haha)

Here's a "500-question" survey that I stole from Amanda a LONG time ago! Enjoy! ;)

If you REALLY want to get to know me, read this!

>>001. What is your name: Leslie.
>>002. Spell your name backwards: Eilsel.
>>003. Date of birth: September 17.
>>004. Male or female: Female.
>>005. Astrological sign: Virgo.
>>006. Nicknames: Les, Sarne.
>>007. Occupation: A student of life. ;)
>>008. Height: 4 feet, 11 inches.
>>009. Weight: 150-ish.
>>010. Hair color: Dark brown.
>>011. Eye color: Brown.
>>012. Where were you born: Vancouver, BC.
>>013. Where do you reside now: Richmond, BC.
>>014. Age: 29.
>>015. Screen names: AlenaBrolxFlami, flamsterette_x
>>016. E-mail addy: flamsterette_x@yahoo.com
>>017. What does your screen name stand for: Names of video game characters, and a nickname I made up for myself.
>>020. Pets: None.
>>021. Number of candles you blew out on your last birthday cake: That's the same as #14!
>>022. Piercings: None.
>>023. Tattoos: None.
>>024. Shoe size: 7
>>025. Righty or lefty: Righty.
>>026. Wearing: Grey Nike sweatshirt, black pants, black panties, grey undershirt, and glasses.
>>027. Hearing: A whole bunch of Roy D. Mercer prank calls.
>>028. Feeling: Hungry and bored.
>>029. Eating / drinking: Licorice and water.
>>
>>~Guys / Love / Kissing / Other Stuff~
>>061. Have you ever been in love: Yes.
>>062. How many people have you said "I love you" to: Maybe one.
>>063. How many people have you been in love with: One or two.
>>064. How many people have you kissed: None.
>>065. Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex: No, of course not.
>>066. How many people have you dated: None.
>>067. What do you look for in a guy / girl: Humor, personality, compassion, a good heart, and intelligence.
>>068. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex: Hair, eyes.
>>069. What type of guy / girl do you usually go for: Wacky and humorous.
>>073. Do you have a crush right now: No.
>>074. If so, who is it: N/A.
>>075. Do you believe in love at first sight: Not sure.
>>076. Do you remember your first love: Yup.
>>077. Who is the first person you kissed: N/A.
>>078. Do you believe in fate: Yes.
>>079. Do you believe in soulmates: Kinda.
>>080. If so, do you believe you'll ever find yours: I hope so!
>>
>>~Family Stuff~
>>104. How many siblings do you have: 2.
>>105. What are your parents' names: Alan and Kitty.
>>106. What are your siblings' names: Jon and Steph.
>>107. How many siblings does your mother have: 1.
>>108. How many siblings does your father have: 5 or 6?
>>109. Where are your parents from: Hong Kong.
>>110. Is your family close: I guess so.
>>111. Does your family get together for holidays: Yeah.
>>112. Do you have a drunk uncle: No.
>>113. Any medical problems run through your family: Not that I know of.
>>114. Does someone in your family wear a toupee: Not that I know of.
>>115. Do you have any nieces or nephews: No.
>>116. Are your parents divorced: No.
>>117. Do you have step parents: No.
>>118. Has your family ever disowned another member of your family: No.
>>119. Do you think they'll ever disown you: I hope not.
>>120. Did some of your family come to Canada from another country: Hong Kong.
>>
>>~Music Stuff~
>>121. What song do you swear was written about you or your life: Not too sure on this one.
>>122. What's the most embarrassing CD you own: Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory
>>123. What's the best CD you own: Alexis on Fire, Watch Out!
>>124. What song do you absolutely hate: Anything by Britney Spears.
>>125. Do you sing in the shower: No, I'm not like my sister.
>>126. What song reminds you of that special someone: A year ago, it would have been Hoobastank's The Reason. Now, I don't have anyone...

>>~Okay, I Name An Artist And You Give A Lyric From Any One Of Their Songs!~
>>127. Pink: I'm comin' up, so you better get this party started...
>>128. Aerosmith: Pink is my favorite color...
>>129. Madonna: This used to be my playground / This used to be my childhood dream...
>>130. Korn: My time is gone today. You flirt with suicide.
>>131. Backstreet Boys: Empty spaces fill me up with holes / Distant faces with no place left to go...
>>132. The Beatles: Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away / Now it looks as though they're here to stay...
>>133. Sublime: Let me tell you about a girl I know / Had a drink about a hour ago...
>>134. J.Lo: Coz I'm Jenny from the block...
>>135. Nsync: That ain't no lie baby, bye bye bye...
>>136. Limp Bizkit: It's just one of those days when you don't wanna wake up...
>>137. Stacie Orrico: My life is not as perfect as it seems to be / It's simply God's amazing grace...
>>138. Creed: I kept up with the prophecy you spoke / I kept up with the message inside...
>>139. Britney Spears: Oops, I did it again....
>>140. Good Charlotte: Celebrities who want sympathy / All they do is piss and moan...
>>141. Christina Aguilera: Whatever makes me happy and sets you free / And I'm thanking you for knowin' exactly what a girl wants...
>>142. Eminem: My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm out to be a father...
>>144. Kelly Clarkson: Seems like just yesterday, you were a part of me...
>>145. Kelly Osbourne: They wanted me to be the dream, but my mood went south...
>>146. Mandy Moore: When I first saw you, I couldn't believe the way you smiled... took the breath out of me...
>>147. Eve: Yo, yo, yo / They wanna know Who's that girl?
>>148. Aaliyah: Age ain't nothing but a number / Throwing down ain't nothing but a thang...
>>149. Nelly: If you wanna go and get high wit me / Smoke a L in the back of the Benz-y...
>>150. Alicia Keys: Lovin you darlin' / Makes me so confused...
>>151. Incubus: Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear...
>>
>>~Favorites~
>>152. Color: Blue.
>>153. Food: Italian and Pho.
>>154. Song: Matthew Good Band, Indestructible.
>>155. Show: House.
>>156. School subject: Band.
>>157. Band / singer / artist: Matthew Good (Band).
>>158. Animal: Kittens or dragons!
>>159. Outfit: Comfortable casual clothing.
>>160. Radio station: Rock 101.
>>161. Movie: Forrest Gump, This is Spinal Tap, etc.
>>162. Pair of shoes: Sneakers.
>>163. Cartoon: Garfield.
>>164. Actor: Don't really have one.
>>165. Actress: See above.
>>166. Potato chip: Doritos.
>>167. Drink: Iced tea or bubble tea.
>>168: Pop: Doesn't matter.
>>169. Holiday: Thanksgiving.
>>170. Perfume / cologne: Don't have one.
>>171. Pizza topping: Olives and pepperoni, with extra cheese.
>>172. Jello flavor: Strawberry.
>>173. Lunch meat: Lyoner sausage.
>>174. Card Game: Big Two.
>>175. Video game: Tetris.
>>176. Website: LiveJournal.
>>177. Book: Too many to list.
>>178. Computer game: Oregon Trail.
>>179. Number: 12.
>>180. Cereal: Shreddies.
>>181. Comedian: Don't have one.
>>182. Dessert: Cheesecake.
>>183. Disney character: Snow White.
>>184. Clothing store: I don't get into clothing stores.
>>185. Pastime: Reading.
>>186. Teacher: Mr. Fromager, for Band.
>>187. Childhood toy: PacMan.
>>188. Carnival game / ride: Teacups.
>>189. Candy bar: Snickers.
>>190. Magazine: Rolling Stone.
>>191. Salad dressing: Vinaigrette.
>>192. Thing to do on the weekend: Be with my friends.
>>193. Hot drink: Tea.
>>194. Season: Spring.
>>195. Sport to watch: Hockey.
>>196. Person to talk to online: Corey.
>>
>>~Your Bedroom / Sleeping Habits~
>>197. What color are your sheets: They're purple.
>>198. What color are your bedroom walls: Beige.
>>199. Do you have posters on your wall: Yes.
>>200. If so, of what: A special birthday poster from Shirley, Kelvin, Emily, and Melia.
>>202. How many pillows are on your bed: One.
>>203. What do you normally sleep in: Nightie, or clothes... depends whether it's hot or cold.
>>204. Describe your favorite pair of pajamas: Nightie with teddy bears on it.
>>205. What size bed do you have: Two mattresses.
>>206. Do you have a waterbed / bunk bed / daybed: No.
>>207. Do you have your own phone line in your bedroom: Sure, if you count a second phone on one phone line.
>>209. Describe the last nightmare you had: Mom tried to kill everyone!
>>210. Do you sleep with stuffed animals: Yeah, a few.
>>211. How many people can comfortably sleep comfortably in your bed: One and a half.
>>212. Do you sleep in any unusual positions: I wouldn't say so, no... although having my head under the blankets might be described as such.
>>213. Do you have to share your bedroom with a sibling: No.
>>214. Do you snore: Apparently, so I've been told.
>>215. How about drool: Yeah, sometimes.
>>216. Do you have an alarm clock in your room: Yep.
>>217. What color is the carpet in your room: Brown.
>>218. What's under your bed: Carpet.
>>
>>~This or that~
>>219. loser / wannabe: Loser.
>>220. Doughnuts / bagels: Doughnuts.
>>221. Day / night: Night.
>>222. Good witch of the east / wicked witch of the west: Good witch of the east.
>>223. Heaven / hell: Heaven.
>>224. Make love / have sex: Make love.
>>225. Coffee / tea: Tea.
>>226. Hamburgers / hot dogs: Hamburgers.
>>227. Rap / rock: Rock.
>>228. Britney / Christina: Christina, if I had to choose one.
>>229. Swiss cheese / American cheese: Swiss.
>>230. Real World / Road Rules: Real World
>>231. Backstreet Boys / N Sync: N Sync, if I had to choose one.
>>232. Silver / gold: Gold.
>>233. Nike / Adidas: Nike.
>>234. McDonalds / Taco Bell: Taco Bell.
>>235. Sweet / sour: Sour.
>>236. Punk / emo: Punk, as long as it's the REAL punk. ;)
>>237. Hot / cold: Hot.
>>238. Winter / summer: Summer.
>>239. Spring / fall: Spring.
>>240. Operas / plays: Plays.
>>241. Read / watch TV: Read.
>>242. CDs / tapes: CDs.
>>243. DVD / VHS: DVD.
>>244. Old / new: New, unless it's "old" as in historic cities and such.
>>245. Shorts / skirts: Shorts.
>>246. Pink / red: Red.
>>247. Colored pictures / black and white photos: Colored.
>>248. Meat / vegetables: Meat.
>>249. Mexican food / Chinese food: Mexican... I eat Chinese food ALL THE TIME.
>>250. Commercials / infomercials: Commercials.
>>251. Scary movies / comedies: Comedies.
>>252. Bikinis / one-piece bathing suits: One-piece.
>>253. Sandals / tennis shoes: Tennis shoes.
>>254. Dogs / cats: Cats.
>>255. Unicorns / fairies: Fairies.
>>256. Water / land: Land.
>>257. Sugar / spice: Spice.
>>258. Black / white: Black.
>>259. Ribbons / bows: Ribbons.
>>260. Chicken / beef: Beef.
>>261. Colored Christmas lights / regular white Christmas lights: Colored.
>>262. Cars / trucks: Cars.
>>263. Austin Powers / James Bond: Austin Powers.
>>264. Popcorn / pretzels: Popcorn.
>>265. Hip / hop: Hip.
>>266. Passionate kiss / peck: Passionate.
>>267. WWE wrestling / real wrestling: WWE, haha.
>>268. Back rub / foot massage: Back rub.
>>269. Picture frames / photo albums: Photo albums.
>>270. Pens / pencils: Pens.
>>
>>~What Is Your Opinion Of The Following~
>>271. Eminem: Eh, I guess he's all right... but I don't condone his lifestyle.
>>272. Virgins: Good for us.
>>273. God: He will forgive us our sins, if only we confess and repent of them.
>>274. The Osbournes: Wacky with an interesting lifestyle.
>>275. Reality TV: Haven't watched too much of it.
>>276. J.Lo: Don't like her.
>>277. Religion: Mostly good.
>>278. Emo music: Some of it is TOO emo....
>>279. Valentine's Day: Eh, it's all right... but I never really LOVED it.
>>280. Christina Aguilera's comeback: What comeback?
>>281. Homosexuals: Eh...
>>282. Abortion: Should be illegal except in cases of rape.
>>283. Inter-racial relationships: They don't bug me.
>>284. Murder: Horrible.
>>285. Death: Something we all have to go through.
>>286. Obesity: An American lifestyle, haha.
>>287. Pre-marital sex: Not for me.
>>288. Terrorism: Menacing.
>>289. Pornography: Horrible.
>>290. Fortune Tellers: Trying to divine the future won't help you much.
>>291. Threesomes: ..... damaging to the primary relationship between a man and a woman.
>>292. Prostitution: A sad lifestyle that people turn to.
>>293. Politics: Changes a lot.
>>294. Country music: Ick.
>>295. George W. Bush: Don't respect him that much...
>>296. Cloning: Possibly not a good idea...
>>297. Britney's boobs: Fake or something, I'll bet.
>>298. Gas prices in Canada: As Eric said on Friday, it's pretty sad when you think that 106.7 is a GOOD price for gas!
>>
>>~Name Game~
>>What Do You Think Of When You Hear These Common Names?...
>>299. Jack: Wang.
>>300. Tiffany: Ho.
>>301. Ben: Mayan.
>>302. Maria: Kwan.
>>303. Jennifer: Liang.
>>304. Nicole: Kidman.
>>305. Amy: Liao.
>>306. Adam: Remsen.
>>307. Richard: Ng.
>>308. Justin: Chiang.
>>309. Arnold: Ryomoto.
>>310. Tom: Jerry.
>>311. Melissa: Tee.
>>312. Charlotte: Richard's friend and fellow iTurfer.
>>313. Harold: King.
>>314. John: Lam.
>>315. Joel: Yung.
>>316. Vanessa: Chiu.
>>317. Michelle: To.
>>318. Kevin: Li.
>>319. Brent: Sopel.
>>320. Jake: toilet.
>>321. Billy: Lee.
>>322. Sarah: Chau.
>>323. Natalie: Kielmann.
>>324. Christy: English or Rink.
>>325. Nick: Krusek.
>>326. Linda: Yan.
>>327. Taylor: Smith.
>>328. Jordan: Taylor.
>>329. Jamie: Fraser.
>>330. Adrian: Aaron.
>>
>>~Have You Ever....~
>>331. Mooned anyone: Yes.
>>332. Been on a diet: No.
>>333. Been to a foreign country: the U.S.
>>334. Broken a bone: No.
>>335. Swallowed a tooth / cap / filling: No.
>>336. Swear at a teacher: No.
>>337. Talked to an LJ member via emails or instant messages: Yup.
>>338. Got in a fight: Not a physical one!
>>339. Dated a teacher: No.
>>340. Laughed so hard you peed your pants: Possibly.
>>341. Thought about killing your enemy: Not really.
>>342. Gone skinny-dipping: No.
>>343. Met another LJ member in the flesh: Yes... Cheri, Bob, Corinne, Laura, Palmer, Jasmine...
>>344. Told a little white lie: Yes.
>>345. Told a secret you swore not to tell: Yes.
>>346. Stolen anything: Yes.
>>347. Misused a swear word and it sounded absolutely stupid: Probably.
>>348. Been on TV: Nope.
>>349. Been on the radio: No.
>>350. Been in a mosh pit: No.
>>351. Been to a concert: Yup.
>>352. Dated one of your best friends: No.
>>353. Loved someone so much, it made you cry: Yeah...
>>354. Deceived somebody close to you: Probably.
>>355. Broken the law: Yeah.
>>356. Been to a rodeo: No.
>>357. Been on a talk show: No.
>>358. Been on a game show: No.
>>359. Been on an airplane: Yep.
>>360. Got to ride on a fire truck: No.
>>361. Came close to dying: Nah.
>>362. Cheated on a boyfriend / girlfriend: Nope.
>>363. Gave someone a piggy back ride: No.
>>364. Terrorized a babysitter: I don't think so....
>>365. Made a mud pie: Probably.
>>366. Had a dream that you're falling off a cliff: Not that I can recall...
>>367. Snuck out of the house at night: Yep.
>>368. Been so drunk you don't remember your name: No.
>>369. Had an eating disorder: No.
>>370. Felt like you didn't belong: Yep.
>>371. Felt like the third wheel: No.
>>372. Smoked: No.
>>373. Done drugs: No.
>>374. Been arrested: No.
>>375. Had your tonsils removed: No.
>>376. Gone to camp: Yes.
>>377. Won a bet: Yes.
>>378. Written a love letter: Yes.
>>379. Gone out of your way to be with the one you love: Not really.
>>380. Written a love poem: No.
>>381. Kissed in the rain: No.
>>382. Slow danced with someone you love: No.
>>383. Participated in cyber sex: No.
>>384. Faked an orgasm: No.
>>385. Stolen a kiss: No.
>>386. Asked a friend for relationship advice: No.
>>387. Had a friend steal your boyfriend / girlfriend: No.
>>388. Watched the sunset/ sunrise with someone you love: No.
>>389. Gotten a speeding ticket: No.
>>390. Done jail time: No.
>>391. Had to wear a uniform to work: Yes.
>>392. Won a trophy: No.
>>393. Thrown up in public: Yes, on a sidewalk / in a bowl of hot and sour soup.
>>394. Bowled a perfect game: No.
>>395. Failed / got held back: Yes.
>>396. Got perfect attendance in grade school: HAHAHAHA, no.
>>397. Roasted pumpkin seeds: No.
>>398. Taken ballet lessons: No, I don't have the coordination for it.
>>399. Attempted suicide: No.
>>400. Cut yourself: No.
>>
>>~Childhood Stuff~
>>401. Did you play with Barbies: Yes.
>>402. Did you own Treasure Trolls: Yes.
>>403. Did you watch Beverly Hills 90210: Yes.
>>404. Did you play Simon Says: Yes.
>>405. Did you watch Fraggle Rock: Yes.
>>406. Did you wet the bed: Yes.
>>407. Did you believe there were monsters in your closet or under your bed: Yes.
>>408. Did you wear the underwear with the days of the week on them: Not that I can recall...
>>409. Were you shy: Yes.
>>410. Were you spoiled: No.
>>411. Were you abused: Yes.
>>412. Did you go to the circus: No.
>>413. Did you go to the zoo: Yes.
>>414. Were you in a car accident: Yes.
>>415. Did you build snowmen: Yes.
>>416. Did you cry when you scraped your knee: Yes.
>>417. Were your older cousins mean to you: No, they lived in Hong Kong at the time.
>>418. Did you think slinkies were cool: Yes.
>>419. Did you think the Ninja Turtles really lived in the sewer: No.
>>420. Were you afraid of the dark: Maybe a little...
>>421. Did you have slumber parties: Not really.
>>422. Did you have New Kids On The Block sheets, curtains, sleeping bags, dolls, and pajamas: No.
>>423. Did you tease your hair out like Tiffany: No.
>>424. Did you believe in the Easter Bunny / Santa Claus / the Tooth Fairy: Yes.
>>
>>~Randomness~
>>425. Do you believe in aliens: Not really...
>>426. Name three things that are next to your computer: Whiteout, stickers, and CD cases.
>>427. Do you have any hidden talents: I don't think so...
>>428. Do you wish MTV would play music videos: No.
>>429. If you were to star in a movie, what kind of movie would it be: No clue.
>>430. What would your movie star name be: No idea.
>>431. Do you play any sports: No.
>>432. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen: Haven't really seen one that scared me.
>>433. What is the best movie you've seen in the theater or rented recently: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Garden State
>>434. What is the dumbest movie you've ever seen: Sum of All Fears
>>435. Do you drive: No.
>>436. What is your dream car: Don't have one.
>>437. Do you think you're good looking: Not really.
>>438. Do others think you are good looking: Apparently.
>>439. Would you ever skydive: No.
>>440. Do you believe in Bigfoot: Not really.
>>441. How many rooms do you have in your house: Kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom... all in a one-bedroom apartment.
>>442. Are you afraid of roller coasters: Yeah.
>>443. Do you believe in God: Yes.
>>444. Do you believe in Satan: No.
>>445. Do you believe there is a heaven: Yes.
>>446. Do you believe there is a hell: Yes.
>>447. Do you own a pool table: No.
>>448. Do you have a pool: No.
>>449. Do you have a dishwasher in your kitchen: No.
>>450. Do you like chocolate: Yes, especially now.
>>451. Who / what is on your 2005 calendar: Facts and stories from the Bathroom Reader series.
>>452. How many U.S. states have you been to: Washington, California, Alaska, and Oregon... so 4.
>>453. Ever wished on a shooting star: Probably.
>>454. Best Halloween costume you ever wore: A pregnant old man.
>>455. Do you carry any weapons on you: No.
>>456. What is your weakness: Sweet talk.
>>457. Name something you can't get enough of: Pho.
>>458. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives: Caring, helpful, and giving.
>>459. How many kids do you want to have: At least 2...
>>460. Future daughters' names: Gloria, Nina, Alexandra, Tatiana...
>>461. Future sons' names: Vicson, Christopher, Sebastian, James...
>>462. What is your ideal way to die: Biting into a nice juicy steak when really old.
>>463. How do you release stress: Talking to certain people online, reading, playing certain online games...
>>464. Do you consider yourself a trendy person: Nah.
>>465. Are you an artistic person: No.
>>466. Are you a realistic person: Yes.
>>467. Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off: Yes.
>>468. Are you a strong person: I don't know.
>>469. Are you a strong-willed person: Sometimes!
>>470. Who is the last person to email you: Eunice.. Shanghai Wind is closed on Tuesdays! Damn!
>>471. Who is the last person to IM you: Eric H.
>>472. Do you hate chain emails: Yes.
>>473. Are you a deep sleeper: Usually.
>>474. Are you a good story teller: Depends.
>>475. What do you believe is your best quality: My helpfulness.
>>476. What is your greatest accomplishment: I don't really have one. :(
>>477. Do you like to burn candles or incense: No.
>>478. Do you do yoga: No.
>>479. Do you have your own credit card: No.
>>480. Let's say you win the lotto. What do you do with all that money?: Save some in the bank, and spend the rest on me / my true friends / family.
>>481. Do you have a check book: Yes.
>>482. Do you like your drivers licence: Don't have one.
>>483. Do you tan easily: No.
>>484. What color is your hair naturally: Dark brown.
>>485. How many fillings do you have: None.
>>486. How many cavities did you have at your last dentist visit: One.
>>487. Worst feeling in the world?: Knowing you screwed up and there's nothing you can do to fix it.
>>488. Best feeling in the world: Being with your friends and having fun.
>>489. Is the glass half-empty or half-full: Half-full.
>>490. Last thing you downloaded: The latest version of Zone Alarm.
>>491. Do you catch yourself using online terms in your real life?: Not really.
>>492. What do you think people think of you: No clue.
>>493. Are you a likeable person: I'd like to think so.
>>494. Do you need therapy: Sometimes I think so, haha.
>>495. Do you take medication for a chemical imbalance: No, but I used to.
>>496. What's the best way to be proposed to: Creatively.
>>497. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it FED UP: Haha, they just might.
>>499. When are you moving: Not for a long time, as far as I know.
>>500. What's your favorite phrase: "Whatever."

143,990 descendants - you're more genetically fit than 48% of the current population -

143, 990. Not bad. You're no Mongol warlord, but to have that many copies of your genetic code running around 800 years from now is pretty impressive. You're at the lower end of the scoring spectrum, but, honestly, when you consider that the cheaters, swindlers, and football players of this world are statistically best-equipped to create children, scoring low is something to be proud of. As you'll see below, some of your lines will die out, but nonetheless your genetic material will thrive here on earth for a long time to come. A close friend of mine created a program to generate family trees for this test. It's based on your unique answers. We accounted for sterility, birth rates, death rates, disease, drug abuse, nitwitism, and accidents and came up with this, for you:

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 39% on fitnessfactor

Link: The Genghis Khan Genetic Fitness Test written by gwendolynbooks on OkCupid Free Online Dating

You are a Social Conservative (26% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (25% permissive) You are best described as a: Totalitarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

You are: Noise 22 the word

A word for the sound plants must make at the moment they break soil... (Buy The Glaze from Breaking now...)

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 75% on the word

Link: The What Word Are You Test written by jmerriam on Ok Cupid

65934 words!! Congratulations! You scored 206!

You scored as knowing approximately 65934 words and word meanings. You have a truly beautiful vocabulary.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 93% on words known

Link: The How Many Words do You Know Test written by 476herschel on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Bar Queen (Royalty) You scored 56% Hot - not and 74% cool - fool!

Queen: Well, ROYALTY! (I'm tired of seeing all these GUYS being called "QUEENS"... I take it from the emails that they dont like it) I'll gladly change it when I get more time! (YOU ARE A LOYAL CUSTOMER) Your "NOT" score: wonderful Your "HOT" score: top-notch Your "FOOL" score: Fun-loving Your "COOL" score: mid-level The title does not mean you're a queen, (unless you are... then I stand corrected) It's a status of grandeur though... Well... YOU ARE ROYALTY! You either go to the same bar, and never cause drama or spend a little time at a few, but you're well liked. You would be promoted to "KING" if you tipped more! (Hey, I work for tips... everyone should tip more!) *wink* The bartenders' first thoughts as you walk through the door... They like you, and you may even put a smile on their face. You probably have a stool or a table that they watch for... and they probably wonder where you are when you don't show up! They might even offer you the freebies / "'mistakes" with a *wink* The hotties' thoughts as you try to talk with them... To quote Kenny Rogers: "You rule Smokey's kingdom, your septa is your wine glass... the barstool is your throne." Now here's that FREE advice I promised you: (The silly little -SAM SAYS:- threaded throughout this test actually was a little advice already.) Well, the test scores show mid-levels... which can mean a lot of different things. I'm guessing that you scored high in one area, then low in another. *shrugs* which just evened out to the mid-levels. So, without anything to go on... Let's just go grab some brews! . In an attempt to make this a little more fun and entertaining, I thought I'd stick with the theme of Cheers and include our friend Sam and a few others from the Cheers bar... each giving their own perspective on your results. (final score) Each will chime in for different categories from your results and the finalized test scores. Sam says: "Hail - Hail for the queen!" Norm says: "Long live the Queen!" Coach says: "SAM! You should be careful who you call a QUEEN!" Cliff says: "Coach, the term 'queen' being associated with femininity went out with... well, that tie of yours and Sam's hairstyle years ago... it's more of a regal term nowadays." Carla YELLS: "Woo-hoo, Cliff! That was funny!" Sam says: "Now, calling Cliff 'funny' ... That has to be a term of femininity! You know, Single ... 40's ... still lives with his mother ... " Coach says: "Well, either that or a serial killer!" (Sorry, I just used filler here, as I said... really nothing to go on) You could go take another one of my tests, because it might have a more definitive result.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 64% on Hot - not You scored higher than 90% on cool - fool

Link: The Free Beer & Sex Advice Test written by daHippY on Ok Cupid

Fire alarms, pizza, redrum, finishing the LJ retro-tag project, SLB night

Another day, another false fire alarm...

These pizza prank calls are making me hungry for pizza... maybe I'll take advantage of the $10.99 "any size of pizza with any number of toppings" deal that Domino's has on now... :D

I wish a certain biological function had held off until after SLB night, but at least it didn't hit on my birthday! I remember the time that Vernon was here to pick me up for prayer meeting, but I said I wasn't feeling well... what I really meant was that I didn't want to mess with certain reinforcements at Jason's! But if I have to do that at Eric's tomorrow, I will. Better the Morrills' bathroom than a Chinese restaurant bathroom, kinda...

Speaking of SLB night, Eunice asked whether she can count on me to be there tomorrow at 6:30 since the restaurant is tiny and busy. Of COURSE she can! On the inaugural SLB night, I was there ten minutes before everyone else... and yes, I agree with her that the number of "Richmond Crew" emails is crazy! At least it's a break from spam, haha. ;)

I finally finished retro-tagging all my LJ entries last night! You can refer to this tags page for a list of all the tags I've used. Warning: it's extensive, haha.

"Citrus size" and Nathan's measurements

Erin just emailed us: "Hey guys... I'm sooooo sorry! I can't come on Wed.. I just got an email that I have a recruitment dinner for Pharmasave that I have to go to that night.

I won't be missing the Richmond Crew hangout in October though! Esp. since it's at my house!! hahaha.

*Erin.

P.S. I came back to like, 10 emails from "the Richmond Crew" in my inbox and I thought I'd just read the last one to update myself on what the latest plans were... it was Nathan giving out his measurements. I was like, WHAT THE HECK?!?! Why is he telling us this??? So I had to read all the other emails after that too! haha."


For your amusement, here are the relevant bits she was referring to...

Eric: "My place is now available and has a bigger TV (only 27" not Citrus size hehe) and a nice stereo system. We can still do it at Eunie's if you want."

Me: "(only 27" not Citrus size hehe) <--- .... I could SO do something Nathan-like with that remark, but I'm not going to. :P" (of all the people, his TRINITY advisors have corrupted him! o_O)

Nathan: "Errrr.... yes..... Les, right... But I'll have you know that I have many sizes and more than one: I have one 32", two 19", and one 17" with combo features............. umm... Boy, I guess it's fitting that we might be watching the Longest Yard?? ....... errrrr........ Save me!"

Me: "Hahaha... can't think of anything to save you from that, Nate. :P"

Steph: "WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"

Me: "Hahahaha. Bet it gave you quite the shock, Erin! Let's just say we definitely DON'T want to know about Nathan's, um, many sizes and combo features! o_O"

Aiya, indeed.... madcap friendly humor here! :D


P.S. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday over the last day or so! :D

Finally having plans for SLB night, and catching up!

We FINALLY have a plan for SLB night, after exchanging at least fifty emails about it among the nine of us! From Eric's email to everyone just now:

Okay, this is final plan... barring a veto from the Chinese Representative to the UN.
Wednesday at 6:15
Movie at my place
I will rent In Good Company, The Longest Yard, and Passion of the Jew. We will most likely watch Longest Yard and Passion will be saved for a double bill if people want to see it. If people are against watching Longest Yard, I will throw in In Good Company. Otherwise, I will just watch it with my family on Thursday. If neither of those options are available, I will pick up Fever Pitch.

Ah, that feels good to have it all planned out! I like it that way, haha. Much less uncertainty. :D

Gotta love that "Chinese representative to the UN" comment, too! *laugh*


I've caught up on the last two days in journal land in the past five hours... imagine what it would be like if I were still in RQ! o_O

Your World View

You are a cautious type, neutral, and rather insecure. You would agree with the idea that everybody has his price... And in your own case, it would not be high. You are ruled by an inferiority complex and not easy to assess. How do you present yourself to the world? An idealist, a moralist, a conformist keeping up with the Joneses?

What Is Your World View?

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational. You are also giving and kind - a great friend. You are easygoing and trusting. However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games.

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

Babies, lunch invitations, hilarious past quotes from Corey and Shannon, and baptisms

I managed to REALLY surprise Mike with his birthday card, but Emily was there to confirm that I remember everyone's birthdays. Little David said he did Fill-Ins, so at least my gift was useful. I saw my friend David and his wife, who are expecting their baby son this week or so. Speaking of babies, Tim and Maxine brought their baby Joshua to church this week... only one in the baby boom! Lauren, Winnie, Helen, Sophia, and Maxine already had theirs... and David, Helen, Natalie, and Stella are due to have theirs in the future. Joe was even keeping score: 4 boys and 2 girls, with Nathaniel being the biggest church baby of this generation by one ounce.

Little Irene knocked my glasses off because I scolded her for trying to take Clara's toy away from her... man, this girl hits and is aggressive! Chung Yan's parents treated me to lunch at Green Village for my birthday (good thing we didn't have any SLB), and also gave me a cute wallet which I guess could serve as my change purse. Karen gave me two movie certificates, and I asked Lesley for an actual ticket to next week's ordination banquet since she'd only given me one of Derek's bills as change on Friday.

Since my dad was at church with the 100-member choir, I had to find a way to pass the time since I forgot to bring a book this week. So I called my wheelchair-bound friend Shannon since I'd been meaning to call her for a while anyhow. Nothing much is new with her, but she did get a new wheelchair.. she said that if I wanted to spend my whole day at church, it was fine, but not for her. Not that I strictly WANTED to, but you do what you gotta do... if I hadn't had the lunch invite, I'd probably have gone straight home with my sister who hadn't gotten enough sleep.

That reminds me of the time I told her that I was going to an Easter Sunrise Service a couple of years ago. I got this reaction: "It makes more sense to celebrate Easter while you're in bed sleeping!" *laugh*

Then again, that reminds me of what Corey said when I told him the same thing, and he said that it was all right that his mother slept in today and missed Easter service: "I'm an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church, and I keep meaning to go tell the school to list me as a reverend.. it would be interesting to see what would happen in a class if they called out my name like that." (yeah, I know there's a site where you can download your personal credentials as a minister, haha) *laugh*

That reminds me of one of the times I was talking to him about the whole Pastor Glen thing, and he had this creative solution: "Get me to be the new one! I'll talk about GWAR and stuff, and how everyone should live to serve me and do my bidding. I'll have minions like I did with my werewolf pack. After a week or two, everyone will be reunified. They'll have the common goal of replacing me! I'll help you guys out by giving everyone a common cause, plus, it would be fun for me. Can't miss that opportunity.. gotta use my status as a reverend for something!" *laugh*

After that phone call, I read a marriage partnership magazine (shush, people! :P) / admired Quan's biology poster / read some of Amos' English textbook until the choir was finally done practicing. Got a ride home with Sam's parents: Sam says a LOT of people (Jason / Julie / Michael / Emily / maybe Isabel...) are getting baptized at Thanksgiving, so I should go get some more baptism cards. He reminded me that blank ones could be used for that purpose, if the congratulations cards didn't quite cut it! I should ask the teen girls on Saturday about who exactly is getting baptized... I'll make them write me a list, haha.

I got lots of free stuff today!

Lunch with the family was good: my parents gave me a buckle-style watch (I like wristband watches, but whatever), a mug, a little soccer ball, a bookmark, and Beneath an Opal Moon by Eric van Lustbader. Mom saw the book somewhere, had vaguely heard of the author before, and decided to get it since she thought I'd like it. Maybe I will get into fantasy novels now... watch out, people! Eric M. called to say he couldn't make it since he'd forgotten about a family dinner that he had to attend... at least he did that, so I wasn't upset at all.

Afterwards, I hung around Chapters for a bit longer than I really should have: I got myself the World Joke Book by Phillip Adams and Patrice Newell. I also got a book of Fill-Ins and a card for little David.. I liked those when I was his age (10), so maybe he will too. I saw at least two Da Vinci Code parodies, a lot of books about stupid people, and more stuff that I wanted to buy. Haha, that SO would not have been good for my wallet! Then it was off to Awana on a slow bus day, where a bunch of my friends wished me a happy birthday. I also got to hear the kids scream-sing "Happy Birthday" to me... the proper version, not the "monkey" version which Corey just sent me. :P (they were instructed to give me hugs afterwards, but they didn't... oh well, I got plenty of hugs from my friends!)

Since Melia had to do something else, I was cool with taking the bus to Red Robin's. Jasmine and NetDave were already there, which was kinda surprising since I'm used to Chinese time. We talked for a bit, then Sheena and Chalaine arrived. Soon after, Jeremy showed up... I told him that Eric couldn't make it after all. At least he wouldn't be the only white guy there, haha. We were split up into two tables, and the Nathan crew arrived soon afterwards. I knew Eric H. would make arrangements with Nate, and Citrus and Danielle were totally going to come! It seemed everyone had gone to Chapters that day at different locations, and noticed that the buses were slow / packed today for some reason. Frances and Mel came later, and they had to go to yet another table... Randal came even later, but was able to squish in with the Chinese table. I got a song and dessert from the waiters and waitresses after dinner, haha.

Citrus was trying to give away his onion rings to us, since he figured he was too full after his burger and shake. Danielle wanted to order brownies for dessert, but Citrus said that she'd complain to him later on about how she had a stomachache and was SO FULL from the food. In fact, we were all so full afterwards that we didn't go to Dragon Ball later. We discussed whether the onions in the onion rings were real (they're not at Burger King), my mom's smiling and worrying (she STILL doesn't know how to pronounce "Citrus," after all these years!), my dad's sternness (he wouldn't appreciate an OLD FART license plate from Alaska at ALL!), Steph bailing to do her worship thing, yesterday's Congee Noodle House meal, NetDave guessing Sheena and Chalaine's ages completely wrong, and lots of other topics.

I opened presents after things had been cleared away: Frances and Mel gave me a card, as did Eric H. and Erin via Nathan. (she also got me an Elmo balloon... so cute!) Randal got me a spiral notebook to write stuff in... he thinks I can write my own book in there! Sheena and Chalaine got me this book called The World's Worst: A Guide to the Most Disgusting, Hideous, Inept, and Dangerous People / Places / Things on Earth. As Nathan said, that book would be perfect for my brother... but I'm not going to give it to him till AFTER I'm done. Citrus, Nathan, and Danielle got me three books! Barry Trotter and the Unnecessary Sequel: The Book Nobody Has Been Waiting For, Fanfare for the Area Man: The Onion Ad Nauseam Complete News Archives, Vol. 15 (the exact same one I gave to my brother for Christmas last year when he was in the hospital), and China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty. (which Nathan wants to get for himself) It was enough that Jeremy, Jasmine, and NetDave were there... I definitely appreciated that, along with everything else! As Nathan said, I got a lot of free stuff! (the Congee Noodle House meal, lunch and dinner, all my gifts, and the dessert!)

Nathan insisted I give a speech, or at least one sentence. So I used that sentence to insist that he sing the Chinese Happy Birthday song: I felt a distinct lack of it last year, haha. Citrus was his support for the song, and it sounded GOOD! I'm not sure how Jasmine or NetDave felt about it, but at least it wasn't anything TOO weird. ;) After a bunch of people left, we compared handwriting styles with Citrus' padded pen and did what we do best: loiter both inside AND outside! *laugh* Outside, Nathan and Citrus sang a bunch of cheesy songs: Chalaine was most decidedly NOT impressed, saying that they'd get those songs stuck in her head... and actually I agreed! (earworms are pernicious enough, haha) After loitering enough, we parted ways and Nathan's car went to church. We saw pictures of various ESC people on the wall... man, Jon and others look SO different! Jon definitely likes Pho, rock music, bubble tea, and Ultimate... Nathan listed "chicken pudding" as his favorite food, haha. Later on, my sister drove me home... a fine end to the day. :D

I'm at least one day behind on emails and catching up with people, but I need sleep too. Maybe I'll catch up before SLB night: speaking of which, Eric M. said that we can use his place for the video(s) afterwards! He picked a few selections: Danielle and I both expressed a preference for 13 Going On 30. At least we're sparing the gentlemen, and not picking chick flicks even though Danielle's a big fan of them! Some movies he picked were dumb (not requiring a lot of thinking), but maybe that's what we need. Steph was joking to him last night that if we did all come over to his place, his parents would be dubiously thinking: "So THESE are the people you hang out with... okay...." (they know me and my sister of course, but probably not anyone else!)

It's Chris S.'s birthday today, so I wondered to Richard whether I was pissed enough at him to not wish him a good one. But then I came up with a solution, which Richard condensed as: "Happy Birthday! Here's a frozen comment!" *laugh*