She'll be missed, too... she was such a joy!

My new favorite bit of Engrish: "I'm too hard to play outside." (since people are sick!) Hahaha!

Went to the funeral for Fidela's grandma, which went pretty well. Talked to Jon about NYE plans - as far as I know, Eric's still doing something at his house. Then again, things could change... he's hanging out with Harmony, there's a games night at Anthony's, and there are certainly other things going on. Looked after Grandma who made lots of comments (aiya), and talked to Jocelyn / Elisyn / Sean / Karen / Rod / Mariah - yay for roses and such! Popo was a joy to have around, for sure - Chinglish conversations, learning things, jolly demeanor, etc. Discussed funeral home scams and paying the price with karma or getting what comes to them (kitty litter in place of ashes for cremation?!), parents' friends already buying plots, our church, RCMP stuff, Grandma stories, amusement, Elaine, Eric's health (poor guy), driving, baby showers, Beijing diving, selfishness, peanut butter, Vivian's Wii and SWEENEY TODD, food, corn, Happy Valley restaurant, excessive mud, sadness and love, Megan / Wayland, Sean's going back tomorrow and partying near Times Square, rain, etc. It was something I was glad to do, all right!

I was perfectly calm through the whole thing, and we sympathized with the family - Steph told Mariah that it was hard being a kid and the centre of attention. She's the special great-granddaughter who got to go to the funeral at six years old! We'll all miss Popo, definitely! Hugged Elisyn goodbye, and you could tell she was very emotional - her uncle looks like Gabriel's dad, heh. (which I remarked on when we met him back in January almost a year ago.... ah, how time changes life's circumstances!)

What Pokémon starter are you? Charmander A fire burns inside you deeply. You are brave and would defend anyone, even if you would die!

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Biohazard suits and brandy-filled beans!

Eric picked me up after 6, and apologized since he was late - ah, I can relate to his reason! We discussed Christmas / New Years / my week. Asked if he needed Pho, but I guess he already had dinner at home - I knew he was off work, but my brain refused to register that fact. Stupid habit, haha. Talked about feelings, too - yes, I can be crazy! Got to church and went to Pho - met Vivian, Andrea, Janette, and her sister Andrea there. Joined Viv and Andrea, and talked about Awana / Bibles / Thomas the Tank steam engine with actual steam (!) / walks / dinners / holidays / China in two weeks / Internet. Ordered a #9 and a shrimp cake to try - the waitress wished me a Happy New Year, and asked if I were attending a celebration. Then she corrected herself and said that she knew I was going to the church - yes, indeed!

Got to church and was amused by Steph's "figure skating" on the floor to her ringtones - Sam told Citrus that the mountain conquered him on his ski trip. That sucks! Waved to Anthony and Cordia, too. Vanessa loved Steph's artistic interpretation before the "breakfast for dinner" program they had, and I gave Steph the Sudoku book. She noticed that my nosepad was missing - guess I'll have to go to the eyeglass place after the New Year! (she DOES look after me, it's true - makes it more comfy!) I told her that I'd bought brandy-filled beans... Andrea thought I'd do that, haha. My sister was mock-horrified, hehe... the brandy in those things IS 13% alcohol, haha. Talked to Calla and Raymond about Christmas / New Years plans and TOO MUCH EATING. Took Raymond half an hour to find parking at Metrotown on Boxing Day - CRAZY! Asked Jeremy how his trip was - short and sweet, but made too much of an environmental impact. Gotta watch those carbon emissions on WestJet and the small planes!

Cindy showed us Maxine's card "signed" by the babies as thanks for our sanitizing the nursery toys - it was SO CUTE! Dylan described the toddler room as even more of an abyss, and Calla joked that she'd get him a biohazard suit just for cleaning that area. Talked to Darren briefly - I might not see him tomorrow, but will on Sunday before he and Erin go back on Monday! (the 30th already... whoa!) Stalled by talking to Kevin about food inspection / New Years / Christmas. Cleared my head a bit, which went okay. (Karen said I did a good job, and told us to "group hug" after Frances gave us chocolates) Heard Ray and Jon outside, which meant they were back - apparently, Nathan makes a good karaoke woman, haha. Ray clapped me on the shoulder and said their trip was pretty good. Jon invited us out to Congee Noodle House, but Eric had a fever and I'd already gone for Pho, so we just went home after Stanley kicked us out.

Eric joked about how he was plotting my demise, and also made jokes about dropping someone off in the middle of nowhere / telekinesis. He asked "Are you sick, woman?!" Not that I know of, but I guess my sleeping for 12 hours gave him some cause for concern! It was a subdued ride home, but I did mix up accents all over the place. Eric mock-serenaded me with that PORTAL song, haha - I know he loves it! Right now, Corey is being weird with these ideas about what I bought today: dildo, spiked dog collar, chili dog, buttplug, shotgun, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS action figure. Haha, gotta love the humor!

Time to Pho it up with much chocolate!

At least all the chocolate and such I bought today was on sale. Went to the bank, then went to Shoppers and saw a great present for my sister: 365 Sudoku puzzles in a book, oh my! Maybe this will partially make up for my blunt manner in asking her to pay for my portion of the Shabusen lunch last weekend, haha. Spent a lot of time looking at the SALE chocolate and candy: liqueur-filled ones, brandy beans (ended up buying three of those), Turtles (too much advertising over the past month or so), Misty Mints, Pot of Gold (half-off, bought two), and other things I did NOT buy. (Lindt, Santa / Christmas ornaments chocolate / Poulain, etc.) Also bought double-sided tape from LIFE to see if it can take care of a problem I have - it appears to work. At least if I need to buy books, I have gift cards for those! Forgot to get a sympathy card, but I never know what to say in those anyhow. :P (now I find out that I wouldn't have needed one after all, so YAY for saving money!) Also had a pudding bubble tea at Tazza - yay!

Got home to find that both Eric and K had called me - Eric wanted me to be ready by 5:30 or so, therefore it was a good thing that I returned at 4:50! He has stuff to do early, and I don't mind another time to Pho it up! Carmina (on_the_ground) got my card (Santa seeing a psychologist who REALLY wants a pony!): she liked the original funny card, and loved the "very lovely postcard from British Columbia." Candy got my card, too... she's just been a bit self-absorbed with everything that's been going on around her place. Believe me, I can relate VERY WELL! Time to gird my loins up for tonight... well, maybe not my loins since that would be weird, but my strength? Haha.

Dream of steak, salmon, Scrabble, and cheesecake

I was SO tired last night that I went to bed before midnight, even! Think I must be getting old... Had a weird dream involving black menus, lots of cheesecake which looked like crumble, Natalie being a candy advocate, generous salmon skewers and steak, free books on accidents / puzzles / more, and Scrabble tiles. A rich soundtrack accompanied all this, most notably Van Halen's Unchained. In the dream, a bunch of us were standing in line at a bank, when we figured that we might as well save our money and not go shopping. Then two friends came by, and wanted us to get some money for them. We trusted one of them, but definitely didn't trust the other one! So we shunned the bad person while guardedly benefiting the other - good times, and that's where the dream ended.

Hey, I got a Christmas card from Mandy (a_phoenixdragon) - very cool stuff! Man, yesterday was the first full day I had of being home since last Thursday. Friday, I had Fellowship; Saturday, I had the Shabusen lunch; Sunday, I had church and the hangout at Anthony's; Monday, I had dinner at Dave's; Tuesday was Christmas with the celebration and dinner; and Wednesday was the hangout at Melia's with the girls. I was glad to have Thursday as my one spot of downtime before it starts again... tonight is Fellowship, tomorrow is the funeral / meeting with Erin's family, and Sunday to Tuesday is when K's in town. Aiya. *head spins* (Eni's added me on Facebook, too - yay!)

Unexpected stuff rocks!

Just when I thought that nobody really understood me, I now have five people (Eric, Andrea, Jen, Karen, Korey) who do! Yay for them! (also sent Helen an email about the baby shower, which should be good if I can make it!) Talked about recipes, swords, nephews, cooking and choice (Grace), peace, roasts, people, time, beauty, and help. It's always good talking to true friends!

Haha, I just realized that I was also listening to David Bowie / Queen's Under Pressure a year ago today when I made a journal entry. (maybe it has to do with the Rock 101 Top 500 Songs Countdown?) This is also the one-year anniversary of the time when I had to define "debauchery" for my mom. OH MAN. "'It's like a Roman orgy with excessive drinking and promiscuity!" "WHAT?! OHHHH!!!" o_O

2007 Checkbox Survey!

DANG, I MISSED A PHONE CALL! I think I need to make penitence now... :(


Here's a 2007 survey:

In 2007, I have...

[X] broken a promise
[X] made a new best friend
[X] fallen in love (with K...)
[] fallen out of love
[] been in over 2 relationships
[X] lied
[X] gone behind my parents' back
[X] cried over a broken heart
[X] disappointed someone close
[X] pretended to be happy
[] kissed in the rain
[] kissed on a first date
[] slept under the stars
[] kept your New Year's resolution
[] forgot your New Year's resolution
[X] met someone who changed your life
[] met one of your idols
[X] changed your outlook on life
[X] sat home all day doing nothing
[X] pretended to be sick
[X] left the country
[] almost died
[X] given up something important to you
[X] lost something expensive
[X] learned something new about yourself
[X] tried something you normally wouldn't try, and liked it
[X] made a change in your life
[X] found out who your true friends were (OH YES!)
[X] met great people
[X] stayed up till sunrise
[X] pigged out over the summer
[] met someone from Live Journal in person
[X] cried over the silliest thing
[X] partied more than 5 times
[X] was never home on weekends
[] gotten into a car accident
[X] found a person I never thought I'd become really good friends with
[X] had friends who were drifting away from me
[X] had someone close to me die
[] had a high cell phone bill
[] wasted most of my money on food
[] had a fist fight
[X] gone to the beach
[] seen a celebrity
[X] gotten sick
[] liked more than 5 people at the same time (... thank goodness, no!)
[X] had a wasted night
[X] became closer to a lot of people

Pooing penguins and DEVIL WEARS PRADA!

Steph picked me up at 5:45-ish, and we were on our way to collect Fidela. It was good to hang out with her in happier circumstances than Saturday will be; after the funeral, I think our family is meeting with Erin's for coffee. The email replies were confusing, but I think that's what my mom and Uncle Eric mean! Talked about the stupidity of giving people cars for Christmas, ENCHANTED, THE DEPARTED, bad Chinese accents, Britney Spears memories / her sister getting pregnant at age 16, Clement's chef school / MBA program, my sister and me being low-maintenance and flexible ("I HAVE TO BE THERE OR ELSE!" is NOT in our vocab most of the time :P), Fidela's friend being stalked over the Internet, Andrea's 2001 get-together where Vanessa / Fidela / Steph did a Puzzle Trio Britney dance, running, Megan, Jocelyn, Elisyn, Dutch Blitz, half-marathons, the ice and snow in Vancouver / Burnaby, and Christmas. Fidela's California roommate didn't understand the concept of black ice at first when she got to Wheaton, and kept asking why it was BLACK. It's black since it's on pavement and invisible until you slip on the treacherous stuff!

Met Melia, Cindy, Becky, Calla, Emily, Chrystal, and Vanessa - we had SO MUCH FOOD to eat, and didn't even finish it all since we're getting old! Three kinds of chicken wings, two kinds of pizza, five-layer dip, Coke, Sprite, cranberry juice, Coke-flavored candy poo pellets (Emily likes things that poo, so our honorary guest was Pete the Penguin), two kinds of Tostitos chips, shepherd's pie, salad, and more! Steph got excited at Safeway and overbought, since it's been a long time since they got together! Talked about Pastor John always calling Tim "David," SWEENEY TODD, Tim Burton / Helena Bonham-Carter, Wayland, Megan dropping hints, jobs, environmental concerns, lists, church construction, choir, funerals, a Sunday get-together for James and Sanne (I can't make it!), their two kids Jenna and Saskia, Karen and Rod's cute kids Mariah / Sydney / Isaac, and how Melia's the first one out of their crowd to get married.

We also talked about long-distance relationships, Waterloo, RUPERT Street and bear nicknames, Derek, phone numbers, people mixing Vanessa and Vania up, Facebook (Auntie Susanna has it!), the DATING FOR DUMMIES book, emails, confidences, etc. I noted one difference between someone I used to know and these people: these people actually KNOW when I'm joking! (Becky and Steph were having their hair curled in the bathroom, so I told people to be careful with the curling iron, or else they'd sizzle their ears off. "HAHA, the whole night will be like WHAT?! WHAT?!" Hahaha.) Cindy asked how K was, so I told her that he was fine. He's just got on MSN and said that it's good to have me be happy since I've been very emotional the last few days - true, and it's time to move on! Dad to Steph when she showed the DATING FOR DUMMIES book to him: "You should be grateful that you have friends who care about your needs. Don't you think it's time to find a boy?" This was complete with pinching cheek - let's just say she ran up to her room and thought he should be more supportive! Chrystal, Fidela, Calla, and I hung out in the kitchen while Emily / Steph / Melia / Becky / Vanessa / Cindy were squealing and giggling like stereotypical girls in the bathroom. Calla and Fidela also have more friends who are guys than girls, and I said that we just got along with them better! They're certainly more restrained, haha. Calla learned about "the second stomach for dessert" very quickly with her guy friends, haha.

We got on a tangent when someone said something about a gross story. Steph absolutely did NOT want to tell it again, but had to for Fidela and Becky's benefit. Yup, it was the "lobster / wine / sex afterwards" story (Mom's reaction: "Your dad is gross!"), and the "you're interrupting my romantic time with my wife!" story from a week or ten days later. THOSE WERE SO DISGUSTING! Calla then said that she knows someone who walked in on her parents having sex when she was about six or seven - will the kid remember that? ("Mommy and Daddy are playing LEAPFROG!") Cindy thinks the kids are really aware, though... Calla said that little Benjamin was walking around on a DDR mat, and looked up at her to ask: "How?" The TV wasn't on, so he looked at her again to ask the question - so cute! We also talked about labor and delivery, the church that Tim and Maxine got married in (not OURS!), construction cutbacks like the other level in the underground parking / a court only having three sides, baby Noah, elasticity / enemas, etc.

After eating cinnamon buns from a can / tapioca for dessert (no red bean here!), we decided to watch THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA while munching on the colored chocolate mint morsels. Those used to be round and flat, and these ones looked like Chipits - SO GOOD! The movie was interesting - about this girl (played by Emily Blunt, who is going out with Michael Bublé) who's totally out of her element working at a fashion design magazine, and slowly assimilates into the culture there at a cost of her personal life. Her boss Miranda is a totally high-maintenance witch, She backstabs someone to get ahead, and does other such stuff... how thought-provoking! (the subtitles were good... but Seal is NOT a woman when he sings CRAZY! - "Woman singing," indeed...) Took a group picture after Steph gave people some bright useful pig lights; for something to hold, I grabbed the PRADA book.

When we went home, Fidela and Steph talked about name repetition / patterns. Ethan / Ian / Gabriel in our younger generation at church, Abraham / Isaac / Joseph / Sarah / Esther / David / Deborah / other Old Testament names in the Jewish community at McGill (Viv's friends in Montreal), Karen in the older people at church, Josiah / Hannah / Noah / Rebecca / Leah as general Biblical names and an indicator that the kids in questions are pastors' kids, and Joshua / Andrew / Matthew / others at Wheaton (Christian college) - oh my! Fidela's met a guy named JEDIDIAH at school... of all the Biblical names for your kid! We have plenty of younger guys who can only be buddies with the older girls since there are no girls their age. Steph thinks that she'll have to outsource like Erin did with Ben - I can't help, since I met K pretty randomly! Talked about Ben's consideration, his "hangout" list, Pastor John being a calming influence and taking a lot off Pastor Edward's plate, Green Village closing and being replaced by a seafood restaurant (the people retired!), snow, Fidela's being back at Wheaton on the 12th, and more. Had a fun night, for sure! Must do laundry tomorrow!

Strange laws and bizarre insults!

I wish I could turn off the "caring" switch in my brain when it comes to certain people. Might make life a bit easier... but since care is a good quality, maybe not? Ah, the paradox!

Steph's phone is weird - she called me once, but I got no answer when I said HELLO. Then she called me again for real... seems she and Viv were partying it up by playing Nintendo Wii all day, haha. She'll call before she leaves again, yay! Time with the girls is probably what I need, for sure!

Hey, Julie's added me on Facebook - cool, indeed! Did a bunch of Facebook upkeep, as well. Yesterday morning, Jon thought it was hilarious that I called my sister on her cell to wake her up because Dad wanted her to be awake and not sleep in. Haha. My sibs and I also discussed Bon Jovi's Always at our Mui's lunch yesterday - we heard the real deal, and not a Chinese singer imitating it! We also heard bad Chinese rap / SHE BANGS on that soundtrack - haha, so weird. :P

Here are some strange laws culled from Bathroom Reader #20:

Playing with Silly String is against the law in Lodi, California.
In Tennessee, it's illegal to sell bologna on Sundays.
In Seattle, a dog must pay full bus fare if it weighs more than 25 pounds.
In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than six inches while walking through a mud puddle.
It's illegal to hunt moths under streetlights in Los Angeles.
No liquor may be served in Utah on Arbor Day.
Geese may not walk down Main Street in McDonald, Ohio.
In Chaseville, New York, it's against the law to drive a goat cart past a church in a "ridiculous fashion."
A Tylertown, Mississippi, ordinance prohibits shaving in the middle of Main Street.
In Louisiana, a barber may not charge a bald man more than 25 cents for a haircut.
It's against the law in Virginia to call someone on the telephone and not say anything.
In Alaska, it's illegal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.
It's the law in French Lick Springs, Indiana, for all black cats to wear balls on Friday the 13th.
Women in Carrizoso, New Mexico, may not legally be seen in public with hairy legs.
In West Virginia, only babies may ride in baby carriages.
In Georgia, it's against the law to spread a rumor, but only if it isn't true.
In Corpus Christi, Texas, it's illegal to raise alligators in your home.
It's illegal in Indiana to open a can of food with a gun.
It's against the law in Arkansas to blindfold cows on public highways.
In Minnesota, you may be jailed for standing in front of a moving train.


Bizarre Hollywood Insults

On Julie Andrews: "Working with her is like being hit over the head with a Valentine's card." - Christopher Plummer

On Richard Gere: "I'm always trying to find diplomatic ways to talk about Richard and the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. I liked him before we started, but that is the last time I can remember talking to him." - Debra Winger

On Marilyn Monroe: "It's like kissing Hitler." - Tony Curtis

On Esther Williams: "Wet, she's a star. Dry, she ain't." - Fanny Brice

On Jayne Mansfield: "Dramatic art in her opinion is knowing how to fill a sweater." - Bette Davis

On Rex Harrison: "The most brilliant actor that I have ever worked with. I've liked others very much more." - Anna Neagle

On Margaret O'Brien: "If that child had been born in the Middle Ages, she'd have been burned as a witch." - Lionel Barrymore

On Marlon Brando: "He has preserved the mentality of an adolescent. When he doesn't try and someone's speaking to him, it's like a blank wall. In fact, it's even less interesting because behind a blank wall, you can always suppose that there's something interesting there." - Burt Reynolds

Punk, Popular, or Geek created with QuizFarm.com

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Grandma got into sports highlights... oh my!

I miss someone a lot right now, and I hope he's not discomfited by the email I sent him. It was well thought-out, if I do say so myself...

Discussed certain family jokes at dinner, and the "Canto-pop" feel of certain songs (Edmond and Alysia, yo!) at the Christmas service this morning. Mom noted several of the Awana kids who either weren't singing or were just moving around - eh, there's a few of them in every batch! Reviewed the pronunciation of "pajamas" with Mom - she pronounced it like she did originally, which made Jon cringe! Talked about the testimonies, our "unique" family, Uncle Hansel (best behavior!), Uncle Johnny and Uncle Eugene cleaning up, Uncle Stephen (mellowing / owing a friend his life quite literally), Steph's "spies" at Winter Conference, Harmony, the "Chinese parents beat me with a feather duster" Facebook group (Steph will spank her kids, but not tawse them - no homemade switches from tree branches either like in the old days!), Michelle and her sister Emily (and their mom's singing), Powell River's paper mill smell, tomorrow's girl night at Melia's (I might go - but I feel OLD enough already! :P), Eric T., Stanley, seaweed, Auntie Kwai, winter ale, "lobster," Korey, scooping stuff, relationships, Eric M., Rachel / Lisa / her boyfriend, and more. It was an interesting dinner, complemented by cookies! Grandma appeared to get into the sports PLAYS OF THE YEAR, which was kinda surprising. Car racing is kinda useless, heh - if you're going to wreck your car by driving recklessly and causing accidents (RIP Greg Moore), then what's the point of building a new million-dollar car every week?

Sat next to Grandma at dinner since it appeared to make her happy - that's what I want to do, all right! After a bit, Steph said she was sleeping over at Vivian's; she was concerned that the dog (a four-year-old boxer) would be in the car if I wanted a ride home. It turned out to be okay, since he was in the back. I thought the dog would be nervous because of me being a stranger, but Viv said that car rides make Bams nervous to the point where he licks the car seat! Apparently, it soothed him when Steph sang to him. We discussed her day (Korean BBQ and movies), our day at church and such, Cordia / morbidity / serial killers / human meat pies / SWEENEY TODD, my REJECTED cloud drowning in blood, and more. Steph asked me to do her a sisterly favor, but I had to say "yes" first: she wanted me to bend over and let Viv slap my butt! Viv said she wouldn't (no offense meant to me, and I didn't take any!), not even IF that happened! "But you have to experience it for yourself!" "I believe you!" "Steph, I really don't think she's going to acquiesce to that request!" "Haha... no, I don't think I will!" "But, Viv! It's so firm!" "I don't think I need to do that!" Viv wished me a Merry Christmas twice, for which I thanked her. I'll call Steph tomorrow at around 4 - making plans!

Gwyneth actually talked to me today! *surprise*

Jon and I got out of the house a bit later than we should have after breakfast (coffee spread!), but it was fine. Grandma asked me about Korey; when I told her that he was working today, she thought that he shouldn't since it's a holiday. True, and I'm sure he wishes the same since it'll be DEAD! Got to church and went to the basement, where Jordan asked me to help with his stuff - sure, why not? I'll help your brother Thomas while I'm at it too! Said hi to Gwyneth when she came downstairs, and she actually talked to me about her choir performing at the Broadway Church. Talked to Benjamin, John, Luke, and others too. Also did some more thinking about a certain situation, and have now fired off some coherent thoughts about it to K.

The kids did an awesome job of their songs: JINGLE BELL ROCK, Auntie Kam's last-minute addition of "Happy Birthday to Jesus," and WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS. Mike and I noticed a kid who tried to sing / scream above the others, which was amusing. Then we went back downstairs to watch My Life as McDull (cute cartoon pig!), which kept skipping, so we replaced that with a Veggie Tales video. Johnny wanted a lot of water and more chips, Danni spilled some water on his waterproof pants, Auntie Kam gave me a great card from the church with some entwined Christian symbols, Melia gave me my blue Awana water bottle, and I gave Vania / Auntie Esther their Christmas cards.

Bantered with Ivan, Natalie (who's eleven years and four days old now), Nathan (banned from the computer and STARCRAFT?), Mike, Margaret, Stanley (kicking Margaret's instrument case / playing with my pom-pom / jacket zipper help for the kids!), Adam, Andrew, Julie (December birthdays and wheels on shoes!), Benedict, and others before going to lunch. Sam's back too! Discussed Rachel's family coming over on the 2nd, Terrence coming in June, CRANIUM, Kate, funerals, Sean's mom being embarrassed by his Fraserlands performance, Powell River, expiry dates (I don't take chances now!), Christine Magee's CD (it won a Canadian gospel award!), Lisa and her boyfriend, Auntie Brenda's regifting of a sweater my mom gave her in the first place (reminds me of Regiftable.Com - some great / horrible stories there!), Harmony's family getting back on the 30th, The Cheesecake Factory (Nathan and Christon would like that place!), the IIHF Junior Hockey Championships (away from families at Christmas?!), K coming here, Nathan paying respects at the cemetery, Grandma criticizing my food choices, and more.

Speaking of the last item, my mom's told me that K and I should have a book about dieting and losing weight - yeah, I'm not going to say anything about that one to her! She's also just denied that she likes eating candy... you have to think LONG-TERM about your diabetes forecast! Oh well... like someone else I know, I think the holiday should just be over with already. I'll stay for dinner, I guess - after that, I plan to go home. At least my brother and I amused ourselves on the way home by telling Grandma that having no manners was amusing, haha. ("Yeah... lots of boys will like your being crazy!") Elizabeth emailed me, and I caught up on Facebook too.

Christmas presents from parents: one colorful toque, one pink-and-white toque, rhinestones spelling out WHATEVER, blue T-shirt, six Glitter Gel pens (Spaced-Out Silver / Lunar Lavender / Moon Beam Blue / Stella Yella / Orange You Out There / Cosmic Crimson), seaweed, blue jeans notebook, Vanilla Milkshake-flavored Whoppers, candy cane-scented skin juicer, and a $25 Chapters giftcard. Mom couldn't find the "whatever whatever whatever" (AKA Guinness / Ripley's books) since they weren't "in your face" - oh well. It'll be FINE, haha.

We're not going to steal your purse, Grandma!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!




Went to take the bus with Grandma and Jon - Big G complained we were rushing her, but the bus waits for nobody! We ended up not taking the one we wanted, but I saw an amusing time discrepancy on one of the bus shelters - it certainly wasn't 2:44 AM! Jon and I were also amused when Grandma accidentally referred to Harmony as his "boyfriend," haha. She talked about Uncle Vincent's mom, wonton houses, the buses being "free" so she could see the downtown lights tomorrow (um...), and some other stuff while Jon and I talked about THE JADE PEONY by Wayson Choy. Sounds like an interesting book! (Chinese experience, baby!)

Met Dad while walking up to Auntie Grace's building, and we had to tell him to wait to say stuff into the intercom / open the door until someone answered the buzzer. Said hi and Merry Christmas to Dave and Uncle George while Jon and Dave talked about their friends. Watched football (San Diego vs. Denver), DEXTER (killing other serial killers), SPIDER-MAN 2 (which my grandma got into by the comments she was making!), some Discovery Channel show of the world's biggest rotisserie grill (64 feet and a 280-pound sausage?!), Christmas Eve specials, and other assorted things on the new high-definition TV. Consumed turkey, lemon squares, shrimp, salad, a new Chinese beer, Coke, eggs, meat, and more - definitely a good time! I like gold and sparkly things, but I fear Christmas carols will be in my head ALL DAY TOMORROW - it's almost over! :P

Jon had to go to Christ Church Cathedral for a Christmas Eve candlelight service - sounds good. Introduced Dave to sibling affection, much like the free-for-all we had in the Chiangs' basement once, haha. ("Let's sit on each other!") Auntie Grace said that Dave had told her that I had a boyfriend now - yeah, that's right. Maybe she'll meet him one of these days, heh. They'd moved stuff around in the apartment for more space - it looks GREAT! Too bad Dave seemed withdrawn, but he misses Tiff. He got into photography recently, though - very good hobby if you know about it, I guess. Auntie Grace gave me a large bag of Doritos to take home - cool. :D

We noticed how paranoid Grandma was about her purse - I know she sleeps with it under her pillow, but I didn't expect her to take with her to the dinner table or a few feet over to watch the movie! When we got home, she even took it into the kitchen with her! Uh, we're not going to steal it! Mom also thought an LJ update page was Facebook - nope. She asked to see my Facebook to make sure I wasn't putting too much personal info on there - I didn't let her see it, but I don't put my phone numbers on there like SOME people I know! Got home and discussed plans for tomorrow (Jon and I need the early car), cookies, dessert, Cindy's teaching position, Grandma's very rare hugs, Dawn / Cindy / Steph trying to schedule a dinner, turkey for tomorrow, Boxing Day plans at Melia's (girly talk and Dutch Blitz!), Grandma's LOUD radio (not good if you're trying to sleep in the same / next room!), and more. Had a brief conversation with Korey about friendships with others and love - time for bed!

SATAN beef?! Say it ain't so...

Jeremy got a Member Alert that was an AMBER ALERT for the barley wine at Sailor Hagar's, hahaha. Ben's been exposed to the wrath that could be Erin's mom - she's obsessed with digicams now, and basically blasted Erin in the car because she forgot hers. Um, email the pics from others' digital cameras?! If I were Ben in that situation, I'd be like ".... um..." o_O

Called the ug this afternoon, and said that I'd bus over before 5 - he's right that I'd get confused after getting to church. Too many apartment buildings and entrances that look the same! I guess we'll take Grandma on the bus too. Jon joked that the sun confuses me; not really, but I was wondering why it was all sunny when I woke up at 10! Got two Christmas cards; one from Christina (I don't know who this is), and one from John (snooooopy) - gotta love the gingerbread being scared of Santa's visit! I had a lovely surprise phone call, too - SO COOL THAT I'LL BE SEEING HIM IN A WEEK! To the Keg!

Reminds me of a typo I spotted on the Ginger and Garlic menu yesterday: watch out for #32, because it's made with SATAN beef! Yeah, they meant "Satay," but it's still amusing! Steph thought that maybe it was inspired by Miroslav Satan, hahaha. We know what they mean, but it doesn't mean we can't laugh! (such as "COCK" for "COKE" at Shady Pho - only $1.50! haha...)

A couple of Christmases ago, a memory which should have been good (dinner at Dave's) was tainted. My mom's version of being supportive was the very antithesis of such: "You don't have a best friend because of your personality! You should get a boyfriend ASAP because I was a mother at your age! You're not the best kid around, but your siblings are!" Thanks, Mom... she KNEW the whole Yazmine story which had happened in MAY of the same year. I had tried supporting Yazmine the best I could, but it was all for naught. Mind you, she said all this in front of Dave and his parents - NOT GOOD. At least she seems to be okay now, but I'll still be on my guard! Yay for last year's memories of watching ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and THE OFFICE!

"I don't take orders from people who don't exist!"

Jon picked me up at 4:45, and we were on our way to Anthony's! He said he'd drop me off and say hi briefly before heading off to Sailor Hagar's in North Van with Jeremy to drink this extremely rare barley wine that's been aged since 1998. When Cordia heard about this later, she said that he was ditching US for beer - so true! Mike added that we were extremely rare FRIENDS, which led Stanley to start a tangent about how Mike was very SPECIAL - that could be taken a few ways, I reminded him! We serendipitously saw Sheena and Christon walking up to the house, and we all went downstairs to see Anthony's spread of snack food. Then we went to Anthony's room to join Ivan / Mike / Jason / Margaret / Stanley / Cordia / Fabian watching TRANSFORMERS. We wondered how he'd cram 15 people in there later, which ended up not happening because some people wanted to watch INITIAL D - I've seen that at Nate's already! Car racing movies are for people with an IQ of under 100, Jon joked. They didn't see THAT because they couldn't find it, so it was MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND instead... some girl abuses her ex with a shark when she breaks up with him, oh my!

The TRANSFORMERS was pretty good - "I don't take orders from people who don't exist!" Hahaha. OPTIMUS PRIME and the DECEPTICONS... I can see why Sam's obsessed with it, hehe. Ivan's going to watch it for the EIGHTH time on the way to Winter Con! Pretty cool to see the Transformers watch over the humans at the end of the movie... Cordia, on what the car must be thinking: "Why are they on top of me?!" Afterwards, we watched eight minutes of OVER THE HEDGE (vending machine and MAD bear!) before going downstairs to see what was up. People got into playing Christon's Wii, and I read a bit of the paper while Anthony wondered what we'd like for dinner. Two large pizzas would definitely not have been enough, even WITH the sides we ordered! He offered me some Kokanee, which I took. Even with my dad's speech to Jon about drinking in front of minors fresh in my mind, it wouldn't have mattered since they were all playing Wii or upstairs playing GUITAR HERO III. (and that would rhyme if I said it out loud, haha) Sheena wanted to do crossword puzzles, and we commiserated about not having coordination while the guys argued about the difference between Princess Daisy and Princess Peach - YOUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE! Heh, MEMORIES! We never got much into games beyond the SNES, and prefer watching. I like puzzle games, while she likes adventures. Anthony wondered if we wouldn't like something other than pizza / sides for dinner; when we said that would be fine, he was surprised: "I thought girls were HEALTHIER!" Haha, we have our gross moments sometimes...

Jason laughed at the number of Coke cans in the fridge, to which Anthony responded that it had been four 12-packs on sale for $10 at Safeway. We know the knockoff names, haha - Mountain Breeze, Parker's Root Beer, and more! Sheena got recruited to play Wii since a player had to go out, and I demurred since I wouldn't help the game at all. (not like it was MARIO STRIKERS, haha) We snacked on fudge Mint Oreos which looked like Wagon Wheels (Margaret thought that at first), sour cream / dill pickle chips (which we kept mixing up), BBQ chips, and more! Four kinds of pizza, cinnamon sticks, and wings arrived later from Domino's - YAY! There was comedy with the black garbage bag falling, Cordia saying that she likes telling people "I'll eat your face!" to see their reaction (I said that I liked telling people "others will TORTURE YOU!" - yay for shared morbidity!), saying I should send her the REJECTED movie, Steph's opinion that Cordia would like SWEENEY TODD (mad barbers and "meat pies"), Mike being "special," and a discussion of Jon's tolerance. (he didn't resolve things later, since he said he'd never been drunk!) We saw Anthony's parents when they came in, and greeted them with "Hi, Auntie... Hi, Uncle." Definitely a Chinese thing! We wouldn't call our other non-Chinese friends' parents Auntie or Uncle, and are usually asking what we should address them as! I told Mike that my boyfriend had just advised me to call his mother "Mom," since she'd be fine with that. He asked whether she had been fine with that - I actually don't know, since I guess I find out next month sometime! Played with the lovebird a bit till Anthony put it to sleep - it made so much noise! Told someone about Flaming Hot Cheetos in the States - yup, they have weird flavors down there!

Afterwards, I went up to Anthony's HOT room to watch Jason / Anthony / Margaret play GUITAR HERO III. Santana's BLACK MAGIC WOMAN, Metallica's ONE, the Scorpions' ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE, Iron Maiden's NUMBER OF THE BEAST, Stevie Ray Vaughan's PRIDE AND JOY (so distinctive!), Sex Pistols' ANARCHY IN THE U.K., Alice Cooper's SCHOOL'S OUT, Muse, and more were on there - SWEET MIX! Some songs are really hard, and I've found a new respect for guitarists. Karen and Isabel came later, and went to see what was up. I also demurred on playing the game, citing lack of coordination. Stanley thought the guy with armor and spikes was disturbing since he had no top on, and Margaret thought the guy was cool... I agreed with Margaret. I inwardly rejoiced when Cordia used the word "defenestration" on Mike / Stanley, of course. :D

Anthony asked me for Jon's cell number, and called him to see what was up - he even kindly offered to give him a ride in case bums tried to jump him or anything on two buses and the Seabus! He was going out anyhow to rent a movie - he wanted something Christmassy and not scary, but came back with HAIRSPRAY! Jon showed up later, and people wanted him to play some. He hadn't quite got the hang of the rhythm or the whammy bar, so contented himself with playing air guitar - he loved the fact that Metallica was on there! Discussed the mechanics of playing the game - fling the guitar to activate your STAR POWER, which speeds up the notes a bit! Just don't whack people in the face, as Stanley almost did on Citrus' game night last week!

Anthony's parents save money on heating by keeping the house cold, so of course his room is like an oven - the difference is definitely noticeable! We turned the heat down because it was getting warm already, and opened the window too. Nathan came by later, and did work downstairs in the basement. (Citrus showed up even later, and watched five minutes of our movie before going downstairs) It was an interesting movie about integration and these two pissed-off ladies who want to keep a show all WHITE: of course, this is set in 1962. Lots of funny lines and such too, as well as an ultra-religious mother, haha - FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS! "I've tasted dark chocolate, and I'll never go back!" / detention room being a cool scene, Queen Latifah, and hilarity were all there! Later, we all went downstairs and "snuck out" the back way. Anthony wondered if Jon would like some beer, but he demurred since he has enough at home already (Mom would NOT be impressed!) - cocoa it was, heh.

We chatted about Mike, Esther, signals, the Stateside Boxing Day trip, emails and Ray's probable reaction to dancing around in the car, massaging, church musicals, Chalaine not home all week for dinner, word searches, exercising your brain, Christmas (Eve) plans, busing to Dave's, and more. The malls will be insane tomorrow, we told Ivan - he knows, and he's not planning to go there! Just in case we don't see Ivan on Tuesday, Jon and I wished him a Merry Christmas and a good time at Winter Con. (his Linden jersey fits all right, which was good for Steph to know since he borrowed it from her!) Jon thinks the plan is for us to take transit to Dave's tomorrow, but he's not sure - I was ahead of my dad for once this afternoon, and said that I'd been planning for sleeping over after dinner. Here's an email with options from my mother - the reason she got no answer is because I was OUT ALL NIGHT! My sister also wants me to proofread an annual report, which I'll hopefully do tomorrow before I head out. Despite unwinding, I don't think my brain is alert enough to do editing work! Now, it is time for bed after a great hangout!

Baby dedication is always a cute time!

Saw the "new" Toyota Corolla this morning - less room in the back, but it's okay. My grandma just doesn't think she's taking up room - yes, you are. I was trying to talk to her, and asked if she liked my Santa hat and my jeweled shirt: "No, I'm OLD... kids will like it!" Guess she doesn't like enjoying stuff as much as she might! Dad dropped us off by the back parking lot, and she made a comment about how we still had to walk ANYWAY - yeah, but it's CLOSER and results in less walking, especially if it's rainy!

Talked to Citrus, Ivan (jerseys!), Steph, and others before we got in for service: it was good to see the kids bouncing around, excited for Christmas! Raymond mentioned throwing stuff at me on Facebook - hey, it's all in fun, and I'm glad I have new(ish) friends! We had a baby dedication today for Anne, Keenan, Gabriel, and Abigail - Maxine warned me not to get too close to her son since he had a fever. Ooh, good call. Steph told me later that Nicholas likes making animal noises (growling / hissing) during service - creative kid! Said hi to Hannah and her stuffed animal Freddy - she's so cute! Found myself slightly bitter during service - oh well. :P Asked Melia what time we should be at the church on Tuesday morning (which Jon was asking about later) - she'll send out an email, which sounds good to me. Wished "Merry Christmas" to a bunch of people (including Mel), which was cool - saw Wesley, but didn't get a chance to say hi. Oh well. Saw Eni (Dawn's boyfriend), and chatted briefly since Auntie Tracy was talking to him too! Made sure Andrew saw me this week - it's good to talk to that guy, and I'll see him on Tuesday!

Went outside in the rain, and Winnie gave me something - how surprising! Talked to Jeremy, Calla (geeky double-layered umbrella!), Jon, Stanley (who was singing about Bon's), Mike, Emily, Angus, and others. Pho plans got changed to Bon's - SO GREASY! Gave Fidela a couple of way overdue birthday cards before she had to run! Yelled hi to Adam while he was going inside the church, then briefly talked to Dave about tomorrow night! Saw Mike H. and Amanda with their three kids - Steph was talking to Megan, who talked back! YAY FOR KIDS! Ethan and Seren were being a bit rambunctious, heh. When they left, we all waved and wished them a Merry Christmas / Happy New Year - they were only here to see Keenan's dedication. Gave Andrea and Chung their Christmas / birthday cards before *I* had to run inside! Dodged someone's kicking feet on the way to the toddler room, where Frances said that nobody had shown up yet! We talked to Dianne about med school for a bit, till she left because kids scare her. Eventually, Amanda showed up (she was being silly with the Play-Doh), and she hardly ate any of her waffle / ham / hash browns / scrambled egg breakfast! Blueberry waffles are cool, all right! Eric dropped off a Christmas card for me, while Rich gave us some Christmas packages from Timothy - Frances and I got one each, even if they were supposed to be for the kids! We discussed lunch, Sophia, Mel, David, family dinners, and cute kids.

Afterwards, I noted that David looked bored - they're STILL using THE ROCK for Sunday School stuff, I see. At least he isn't staying up till 2 AM since he's too young to be doing that yet! I gave Hien a birthday card, and she gave me and Dylan a mini Christmas tree cookie later - YAY! She seemed surprised that I had something for her, but of course I do. Said hi to Louisa, asked Evelyn what she was doing under a table, and talked to Martin / Dylan about membership transfers and whether the CSC did any Christmas cards this year. "I'll have to buy my own cards, which won't be supporting the church!" Stanley played with the pom-pom on the end of my Santa hat, which he'd done to Vivian's. Auntie Susan asked me whether Korey was coming into town for Christmas - no, he has to WORK! Good thing he doesn't have to work on New Year's after all, heh. I gave a birthday card to Margaret before she ran off too.

We were late for a lunch with Uncle William / Auntie Cindy, but everyone's out doing some shopping and such. SO INSANE! Discussed Isabel, the funeral, being aware that people aren't just waiting around for you to call, Terrence's surprise Singapore phone call, Melissa, Grandma's "different culture," Kate, Rachel, the girls' night at Melia's, the guys' Stateside trip on Boxing Day to Friday, the guys' video game / movie night at Anthony's which is now NOT just for the guys (Karen / Sheena / Cordia / I could be there), my perking up when guys are mentioned, etc. Jon: "That doesn't automatically disqualify you!" Yeah... you're an ug!

2007 Year-End Survey: Fashion Concept, Achievement, New People

Year-End Survey: Fashion Concept, Achievement, New People

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Traveled on a Greyhound bus, tried fajita salad (and now I'm addicted!), used Linux, went on Insane Journal... that's all I can think of.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't really make any, so there aren't any to break.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Close... hmm. Anita and Stella, I guess!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Justin's grandma / Phil's grandma within a week of each other. :(

5. What countries did you visit? The States. Oh, so interesting... :P

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A better understanding of why people act how they do, and a sense of the special things in life.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Jan. 1 (crashed Kendrick's party, and had a good time)
Jan. 14-15 (got into the 24 madness with people at Nathan's)
Feb. 4 (hanging out with Lesley and the guys at her place for a French dinner)
Feb. 11 (SMASHING the SLB record with Jon, Steph, Eric, Fabian, Tony, Christon, Jeremy, and Nathan!)
Feb. 14 (Spinsters' Bonding Night at the church)
March 17 (Chung Yan and Karen's wedding)
March 24 (that CRAZY night where nothing went right for Chinese Eric on the way to ECBC - WASHROOM FRIENDS FOREVER!)
April 6 (saw Blades of Glory and had the Good Friday service - 23 death threats in one day is a new record!)
April 8 (Sunrise Service, surprisingly NOT freezing!)
May 7-11 (cruised from San Diego to Vancouver with Viv and Karen!)
May 31 (hung out with Teunis at Aji Taro, and had a good time!)
June 4 (met Korey for the first time during a Sunday Dinner at Nate's - food overload!)
June 11 (watched a surreal Scandinavian movie at Nate's)
June 15 (got 22.8 million points in Bookworm)
June 30 (Phil and Grace's wedding)
July 1 (K and I decided to try dating)
Aug. 5 (going to the fireworks with a bunch of people - Dylan and I decided we're too old for it :P)
Aug. 12 (church grad banquet - yay for young friends!)
Aug. 16 (Shanghai Wonderful with Stanley, Jon, Adela, Eric, Christon, Erin, Eunice, Eddie, Nathan, Ivan, and a turncoat!)
Sept. 17 (celebrating my birthday with friends - including a turncoat)
Sept. 23 (said goodbye to Darren / Happy Birthday to Mike T. and Citrus at Montana's... I promised Darren that I'd get Facebook - AIYA!)
Oct. 1 (Had a Sunday Dinner at Christon's - SO MANY TRINKETS! Wished Jeremy a happy birthday later, too!)
Nov. 25 (celebrated Jon's birthday at Jeremy's!)
Dec. 13 (met Karen C. for lunch at Oakridge - YAY!)
Dec. 17 (funeral for Phil's grandma)
Dec. 19 (found out that I had another perfidious blackguard in my life - SO DEPRESSING!)
Dec. 29 (funeral for Justin's grandma... K also gets into town that day)


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Being able to stay in a romantic relationship with support - maybe I'm not as bad as I think?

9. What was your biggest failure? Not seeing that someone was a false friend. I'm too trusting... :(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really...

11. What was the best thing you bought? That sparkly stylish shirt for $10! (Jer thought it cost $100... haha, no!)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Korey, Eric H., Karen C., and Andrea.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Perfidious blackguard, mainly.

14. Where did most of your money go? Food, friends, and fun.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Shanghai Wonderful, dating, and weddings!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? I'm not sure... any songs on betrayal and false friends that ALSO are about steadfast support of others? Tough!

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
i. happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? The same.
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Knew how to reach out to the hurt.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Spent less time with people who ended up being perfidious blackguards in the end.

20. How will you be spending Christmas / Hanukah? The CSC Christmas Celebration, and opening presents. I don't know if there's anything else going on that day!

21. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2007? Admitting my worst mistakes to someone.

22. Did you fall in love in 2007? Yes.

23. How many one-night stands? Zero.

24. What was your favorite TV program? 24!

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes.

26. What was the best book you read? According to the Rolling Stones.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Wintersleep.

28. What did you want and get? Someone special to call mine. :P

29. What did you want and not get? Understanding from certain people, as they take certain things way too personally sometimes. :P

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Blades of Glory - so funny!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Turned 31, went to London Drugs with Chinese Eric and Korey, then had dinner at the newly-renovated Boston Pizza with a bunch of (former) friends. Yay for Jon, Steph, Korey, Chinese Eric, Jeremy, Citrus, Danielle, Andrea, Nathan, Jen, and Dawn! (Sheena and Chalaine couldn't make it, unfortunately!)

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to give more of myself to people.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? I didn't have a fashion concept, at all. :P

34. What kept you sane? K, my friends, and distraction.

35. Which celebrity / public figure did you fancy the most? Did anyone with a sexy accent and nice eyes make the news this year? ;)

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Not really any at all....

37. Who did you miss? Sean, K, Anita, Erin, Chris, Darren...

38. Who was the best new person you met? K, Raymond, then Tony.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: People can stab you in the back, out of left-field. Don't trust so much.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Can't think of one right now... see #16 for my criteria. :P