2006 Recap / KFC Macaroni & Cheese

This is the 2006 Recap. Fitting for the last day of the year, no?

JANUARY

* Went to my parents' place for New Year's dinner with Dave, Melissa, Vivian, a lot of Jon's Toronto friends, Jon, and Steph. It was interesting: 10.5% barley wine rules, only not really. :P

* Saw the Chronicles of Narnia movie, then hung out with Jon / Phil / Dennis afterwards at Memphis Blues / coffee shop. Then I met a few of his Toronto friends at someone's apartment.

* Ended a friendship with Shannon using the old avoidance technique. ;)

* Ended a friendship with Palmer because of his lifestyle... don't bug me about it if you know I don't like it! :P

* My Bible Study group totally sucked and didn't show up one night, leaving me very annoyed as I could have stayed home! Later, it turned out that Karen had forgotten to include my email address on the cancellation email. Oh well.

* Erik ended a friendship with me over the content of my journal... I can post IM conversations if I want!

* Went to Stella's baby shower, and finally met Helen K.'s baby Nicholas! (who missed my brother's birthday by nine days)

* Finally (?) got my eviction notice from my apartment.


FEBRUARY

* Met Teunis and Jasmine for some hangout time (as Eric H. would say). It was pretty good, and I think I may have made a new friend. Actually, I did. :)

* Started work on Jaebird's tags when I was bored, haha.

* Got an offer to stay so I didn't have to move... most weird, but whatever!

* Stella's baby boy was born... he missed my sister's birthday by six days! (his name is Benjamin, which makes me think of the rocker Ben Lee!)

* Went to my sister's "last days of 22" party (even though she didn't show up to mine! :P) with Pei Lyn, Rachel, Jessica, Karen Grace, Margaret, Cindy, Danielle, Erin, Vanessa, Melia, and Emily.

* Hung out with Eric H. on Valentine's Day and got some heart-shaped pizza with chicken wings. We later saw Brokeback Mountain... good movie!

* Finished the 5000-Question Survey on 19 February, which I'd worked on since 7 November 2005. Thanks, Arthurbulla. ;)

* Corey decided to show me the horrors of a computer case via webcam, and also flipped me off twice for no good reason! :P

* Chris Sykes FINALLY unfriended me... yay! :D

* Got cable Internet, finally. :D


MARCH

* Downloaded / played lots of classic computer games: Oregon Trail, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Number Munchers, Cross Country Canada, etc.

* Karen Choo gave me a glass game set to make up for the Bible Study group totally sucking.

* Had the Awana Rorheim training session... those crisis videos were cool, man!

* Got to know some of the teens better... sorta.

* Started on my "filling up tags" project, and found that I could once again effectively manage my tags by editing / deleting / adding them via buttons and links!

* Got to see Corey's room via webcam again: proof that his birthday presents (curry chips and the #18 Bathroom Reader) got there. Figure out that stickers aren't as good a present as I thought they might have been, since he's not putting them on furniture / books! (bookmarks aren't, either... oh well)

* Got a request from Matt Torres to burn him a copy of the Seattle Phone Pranks on CD... sure, why not?

* Figured out that Karen's emails were LAME and kinda odd. o_O

* Found that Quizilla didn't have normal HTML results anymore, so switched to Zenhex.

* Mom equated hugging with making out... EWWWW!

* Chrystal came back from Korea!

* Saw Jeremy at church for the first time in some weeks. It was cool. :D

* Went bowling at the Zone / eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory with the Fellowship. It was okay.

* Started a list of duplicate names mentioned in my blogs.

* Got IMed by some relay bot, and was left wondering WTF happened.

* Lee and Lily's baby girl Hannah was born.


APRIL

* Got Matt Torres' money for the Seattle Phone Pranks CD, and sent off the CD a couple days later.

* Hung out here with Eric H. and found him four new icons.. the Canucks game was good, too!

* Easter Sunrise Service: Randal is Steph's new hero because he flipped over four creamers at once during breakfast!

* The Canucks got mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

* Finished "Project Tag Fill."

* Ate a pre-Fellowship dinner of Pho with Jasmine once. It worked out anyhow since Eric had to be there early.


MAY

* Got IMed by someone else on a relay bot. This time, Corey prompted me to do some digging. Found TheMissingHat.. ah, solutions at last!

* Finished Thy Dungeonman 3... thanks, Eric!

* Vivian L. finally came back after seven months in France!

* Corey's Taiwanese friend Jane finally met him in person. During that week, I mailed him some seaweed / a graduation bear and card / lots of random Chinese candy. It got there the day before she left town.

* Went to Phil's "summer adieu bash thingy," as Nathan termed it. (Phil was going to Texas for his internship) It was at Citrus' place: Ricky, Nathan, Phil, Steph, Eric M., Joe, Jeremy, Christon, Benny, Anthony, Danielle, Citrus, Cordia, and I were there. We had fun with SUPER MARIO STRIKERS and KATAMARI DAMACY, and ate homemade shepherd's pie. (thanks, Uncle Rex!)

* Went to Shanghai Wind for SLB mania because Steph's Mississauga friends Ceci and Angela were in town. Brian (on his inaugural SLB outing), Danielle, Jeremy, Eric, Nathan, Steph, Ceci, Angela, and I smashed the old record of 13 steamers for 8 people quite handily tonight: we ended up ordering 21 steamers for 9 people, although it was a struggle to finish them! Since there are six to a steamer, we consumed 126 of them! (Vivian S. isn't included in our number since she doesn't eat pork) The total bill was $118.80, and we didn't have ANY money problems putting down a total of $130! (that's pretty rare!)


JUNE

* Attended my cousin Aaron's wedding to his bride Joyce. That was the MOST awkward wedding ever, given that my mom's brother never acknowledged her because of certain dramatastic things happening in the family.

* Jon graduated from grad school and came home... the lucky dude got a Caribbean cruise with our parents! (but then he DID mix up what he was majoring in, haha)

* Finally saw Nina after a few years. Vented about relationships and such, then hung out with Steph and Vivian later. (lots of Ben and Jerry's ice cream was consumed, haha)

* Discovered Stickicide 2... I love killing off that stick figure! :D

* Saw Terrence off at the airport after a "last-minute" weekend: good thing the parents weren't here! Discovered the White Chamber later that day, too.

* I discovered the addicting LJ Dungeon RPG meme. Later that day (the 26th), Jon came home from Toronto after 22 months. Both Erics, Jon, Jeremy, Nathan, and I went to Dragon Ball after that to celebrate. (note: I finally finished all the dungeons on my friends list on July 19, barring new friends / interests)

* Hung out with Eric H. and ate dinner at the Mad Greek. He memorably described Pink Floyd as "mesmerizing cult music," hahaha.

* Went to Milestones with Pastor Edward, Karen Choo, Randal, Ivan, Kevin, Billy, Stella, Benjamin, Andrea, Jen, Andy, and Vivian for another Bible Study group outing. Since Randal was there, we celebrated his birthday with a "surprise," (I didn't feel obligated to chip in since I'd bought him a history Bathroom Reader already!)


JULY

* Spent some time with Terrence before he went to Singapore to serve two years' compulsory army duty. Also spent some time with Vivian S. before she went to Israel for two weeks... we all went to Pearl Castle for some bubble tea. The next day, we went to Superstore / the dollar store / bought whoopee cushions and had fun / had the BEST barbecued pork / tried Pure Tea Café, but it was closed.

* Learned Benny was leaving for Montreal. Aiya.. his time here was so short!

* Went to Northern Delicacy (SLB) / movie night at Eric's with Jon, Steph, Eric, Erin, Eunice, Nathan, Jeremy, and Jen. A FISH CALLED WANDA is so nasty and funny!

* My glasses gave up the ghost, finally. The ministry covered the costs for a new pair, even if I did have to pay for the eye exam myself.

* Summer Conference 2006. Good times hanging out with Jeremy, Vania, the girls, Ben, and the rest of them.. even if Eric DID jokingly say I was afraid of trays! (to say nothing of Jon's coffee and lemonade combos!)


AUGUST

* Finished Beneath a Steel Sky.

* Hung out with Eric H. and gave him his birthday presents... he liked the giant book of word searches! We also watched PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Pretty good night!

* Hung out at Icon Karaoke with Jon, Dallas, Myles, his sister Holly, and her boyfriend Peter. Good times... way literal Ice Ice Baby video, though! (Odell Lake rules the classics, and the Zoobombs rule the noise!)

* Fidela and Jackie's surprise birthday party to celebrate 20 years... good times!

* Got my new glasses... nice and blue!

* Benny's surprise farewell barbecue at Jericho Beach... he thanked me for my gifts and said that it was thoughtful. Then we went to Dragon Ball later... three times in three nights for certain people!

* Benny, Anthony, and Mike got baptized. Later that night, a bunch of us went to Jen's for a potluck. Auntie Beatrice goes to the coolest places... Libya, Peru, Bolivia...

* Hung out with Eric H., Nathan, and Jon at Riverport to celebrate Eric's birthday. Ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory and saw TALLADEGA NIGHTS... so funny! (yay for Monster Magnet's Space Lord!)

* Got together with Nina again to give her some birthday presents too. Met her mom and her son Dylan, which was nice. :D

* Met at Jeremy's for a dinner which Jon thought would be a recreation of his Delta experience in Toronto. SNAKES ON A PLANE references abounded, and then we watched a nasty yet educational documentary on the praying mantis. (and the PUMAMAN episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000)

* Church Grad Banquet 2006: yay for everyone and the funny skits!

* Saw REQUIEM FOR A DREAM with the guys: lotsa drugs there! :P

* More weekender dinners at Phil's and Eric's featured Korean food and Thai curries. Good job, Dallas!


SEPTEMBER

* My "cousin" Bong / Wail got married, and it was a nice wedding. Got to see Mike, Anna, Brigitte, Ethan, and Wilson again. Too bad they all live in Toronto! Heh, at least Aaron and Joyce's mood seemed improved.

* Saw THE ILLUSIONIST (Edward Norton does magic) with Eric M., Eric H., Nathan, and Jon... happy birthday to Enrico! Then we went for bubble tea at Dragon Ball the next night.

* Awana started again: gotta love the kids and leaders!

* This month's weekender dinner featured Jeremy's homemade Pho. (NOT organic)

* Went to Pho Thai Son and THE UNBREAKABLE POPSICLE STICK GANG at Granville Island with Jeremy, Jon, Holly, and assorted other people. Great birthday present, heh. Steph also got me a plush DRAGON later on, which made Vivian kinda jealous since I was STILL getting presents after my birthday!

* Went to the church appreciation dinner ON MY BIRTHDAY (of all days)... it was all right, I suppose.

* Celebrated my birthday a couple days late at the Old Spaghetti Factory with both Erics, Karen Choo, Dylan, Teunis, Jen, Jon, Jeremy, Steph, Nathan, Randal, and Danielle. (Nina left before we even started eating...) Both Erics, Randal, Jeremy, and Nathan watched BLACK DAHLIA with me.. interesting stuff about murder and dismemberment! :D

* Celebrated Citrus' birthday one night early at his place with Karen Grace, Ryan, Christon, Nathan, Steph, Eric M., Danielle, Cordia, Citrus, Rich, and Mike. We ate lots of pizza, and watched Mexico videos / Inside Man. (two trips to PoCo in a few months?!)

* Saw the Hylozoists at the UBC SUB with Jon and Jeremy... that's the Toronto band he used to sub in for, haha. Had a Pho dinner beforehand, so that was a good night. :)


OCTOBER

* Celebrated Jeremy's birthday with white wine and another Sunday dinner at Nathan's. Good times, even though I did get stranded beforehand! Ah, jokes about food and personal lives never get old...

* Went on a Chinese bus tour to see ginseng, wine, salmon spawning at Adams River, and other assorted things. It was okay, except for this bossy lady who should learn tact!

* Finished tagging RANDOM_MUSINGS posts.

* Hung out with Eric H. at Moxie's. He pulled a wire too hard and killed my keyboard. =/

* Went to the States with family, and got a new keyboard. :D

* Joe's farewell at Flamingo restaurant... funny DVD, and good discussions!

* Vivian's birthday party at a Greek restaurant, and pumpkin carving at Melia's. Good times!


NOVEMBER

* Warren and Lauren had baby Brandon.

* Went to see BORAT with Nathan, Jen, Vivian S., Eric, Steph, and Jeremy. IT WAS SO FUNNY! :D

* Started to get Christmas cards and things from the awesome people at holiday_wishes! So good! :D (forgot to include it last year, but I will this year and all other years hence :P)

* Found out that Jon has a girlfriend named Harmony, and experienced certain reactions to THAT news. Later that day, I saw the BC Lions play the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final. Jeremy, Jon, Eric M., Nathan, and I went to Bimini's Tap House. We won 45-14!

* Had to boil water for a while because of a huge storm dumping mud into the water systems here.

* Had a Sunday Korean lunch at Nathan's with Jen, Ricky, Nate, Jon, Steph, Jeremy, Christon, and Alan. We tried out Christon's brand-new Nintendo Wii, and watched the Lions win the Grey Cup over the Montreal Alouettes 25-14. Heh, my old high school classmate was on the Lions team! Had fun with Nathan's COSMO magazine... then went for a Keg family dinner for Jon's birthday. Then I received an offer: a 300GB hard drive for just $100? Sure, man!

* Went to Nyala (Ethiopian food) and the Whip to celebrate Jon's birthday with a bunch of people. It also snowed for the first time this year. Yikes. At least I was with people I (mostly) loved / trusted! Kudos to Jeremy for meeting me at Kingsgate Mall, because I am an idiot when it comes to transit in this town sometimes!


DECEMBER

* Met Steph's friends Alan Liu and his girlfriend Liz. A bunch of us went to Yaletown Brewery for lunch that Sunday, then our car went to MEC to get hats and such.

* Finally got that hard drive when faced with a deadline. It's effective, I must admit... I went to Loonie Plus to stock up on stuff, too. Also saw HAPPY FEET with Mom and Grandma, then went for Tsim Chai noodles later.

* Went to the Fellowship Christmas potluck. It was cool to see Rosenda and Ian again, and talk to certain people. Also met Eni, Dawn's boyfriend.

* Went to Shanghai Wind and the Whip with Jon, Jeremy, Alan, and Liz. (Dylan and Steph joined us for dinner, but went to Vivian's invite-only dessert night later) It was certainly very interesting, with good discussions and beer.

* Tim and Maxine had another baby.

* Bought 100 Christmas cards for a cheap price. Sam saved my night by giving me a ride to church, since everyone else was already THERE... no communication! Had the ESC Christmas celebration. Finally met Harmony, too.. about time! Saw Dave again... yay!

* Had a Christmas Eve dinner at Dave's. It was pretty cool... ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and THE OFFICE, anyone?

* Had to define "debauchery" for my mom. Thanks for getting me that book, Harmony... :P (only kidding, I love it!)

* Got sick so couldn't watch the PPV Flames-Canucks hockey game at Eric's on Boxing Day.

* Had a Bible Study group outing with Jeremy, Eric M., Jon, and Harmony. The vegetarian place was closed, so we went to Nirvana Indian food instead. Not sure it was "the only place in Vancouver with authentic Indian food," haha. Then we watched a special-needs documentary at Jer's before heading to Kat's Tea House to meet Eric H. and his girlfriend Fay. (finally!)

* Spent NYE at the townhouse with family and friends. Talked to Dave, Jon, Harmony, and Steph. Met Dave's girlfriend Tiffany, too.


KFC Macaroni & Cheese

Here's a clone for another of KFC's famous side dishes. We'll use easy-to-melt Velveeta, with its very smooth texture, as the main ingredient for the cheese sauce. Then a bit of cheddar cheese is added to give the sauce a sharp cheddary zing like the original. It's a very simple recipe that will take only 15 minutes to prepare. That's great news if you're a lazy cook like me who wants to dig right into the tasty vittles. Weeelll, doggies!

6 cups water
1 1/3 cups elbow macaroni
4 ounces Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add elbow macaroni to the water and cook it for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. While the macaroni is boiling, prepare the cheese sauce by combining the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often as the cheese melts into a smooth consistency.
3. When the macaroni is done, strain it and then pour it back into the same pan, without the water.
4. Add the cheese sauce to the pan and stir gently until the macaroni is well coated with the cheese. Serve immediately while hot. Makes about 3 servings.