SPOZ IS ON FACEBOOK

Bingos of the night so far:

ANTEVERT (72 points) - against Korey
PRISONED (158 points) - against Vivianne L. [across two triple-word scores!]


HA! I encountered Spoz on Facebook, and this is what he had to say:

Flami says: dude... you're on Facebook?! Double Sweetness!
Spoz says: noooo.. why would you get THAT weird idea.. *shifty eyes*
Spoz says: I deny everything *shifty eyes*
Flami says: you can't, because I saw you on Steve's wall
Spoz says: yeah.. well.. that wasn't me.. *shifty eyes*
Spoz says: that was an alias..
Spoz says: yes.. *cough* an alias..
Flami says: YOU LIE!
Spoz says: all the time :D
Spoz says: I'm actually a slightly overweight trucker from New Jersey..
Flami says: you remember me, right? I have THE FREAKY MEMORY!
Spoz says: I collect My Little Ponies..
Flami says: whatever
Spoz says: oh yes.. I remember..
Spoz says: occasionally when I'm bored and Google up "Spoz"..
Spoz says: I get all these weird stalker hits on your blog
Spoz says: it's awesome
Flami says: weird stalker hits? Hahaha. Mind if I add you?
Spoz says: hahahahaha
Spoz says: um..
Spoz says: fuckit, why not..
Spoz says: I don't nearly have enough weirdos from the Vancouver region on that puppy..
Spoz says: sure.. I have 2 of 'em..
Spoz says: but hey.. I could always use more..
Flami says: hahahaha, okay
Flami says: just added you on there... ignore the caps since I'm going for a pseudo-demonic effect... rather than the actual shouting people seem to think it is over the Internet
Spoz says: okaaaaaaay then..
Spoz says: duly.. um.. noted..
Spoz says: is that a frog using a toilet?
Spoz says: why, damnit.. WHY!?
Flami says: hahaha... yes, it is!
Flami says: and no... I don't know why...
Spoz says: okay then..
Spoz says: most people don't..
Spoz says: and this is how wars usually start..
Flami says: and you think *I* would for some reason? you're nuts!
Flami says: I'm not sure where I got that picture originally...
Spoz says: the less I know.. the better
Flami says: hahaha... that picture makes you kinda look like a metal musician...
Spoz says: hahahahaha
Spoz says: it's my rarest upon rare of actual "serious" photos..
Spoz says: I did it just to freak people the hell out
Flami says: it makes me laugh a lot... dunno why
Spoz says: this is part of its purpose..
Flami says: that is good... I am cheered up now.. thanks, man... you da best! :D
Spoz says: you are most weir..
Spoz says: weird, even..
Spoz says: being weir.. would be.. well.. weirder still..
Spoz says: and on that entirely fragmentary note..
Spoz says: I've got photos to tweak..
Flami says: I AGREE
Spoz says: *meep*
Flami says: hehe, okay... seeya

Frog picture in question:

Penguins cry "SUPER UNDERPANTS!"

Hey, Michelle C. and I have had our closest game: 315 to 313, and she won! This just in: I've beat K by three points too! (285 to 282)

Henry picked me up, and we talked for a bit about work and the hot beach / park weather. I know he's a quiet kind of guy, so it's fine if he doesn't say much. (Sabrina, Benedict, Danny, Billy, and Chris might say otherwise, haha!) Went to Awana, where Eric came up to me to say that Jordan had almost punched him and said he'd pay for a balloon that had floated up to the sky. He wanted to know if it would go to space; I didn't have the heart to tell him that it most likely wouldn't! (he's only nine years old... what else do you expect me to say?)

While I was discussing money matters with Golden, Amos and Andrew thought THE BROTHERS K was about the KKK - hahaha, no. Too bad I can't lend it to Amos, heh. Even Hilary wouldn't let Stanley sleep (I gave him a birthday card) - he was here because some people were playing Ultimate later. Why wear jeans?! (my sister asked him last week: "What ARE those things?!" - his legs...) Talked to Ada / Ian / Sean about penguins, pigs, tag, Lonsdale Quay, the Skytrain, excitement, sheep sounds (Ian's sheep noises sounded like a wounded pig!), Boston Pizza, McDonalds, a bedroom of his own now that Grandpa isn't here, seeing their house, taking the bus, a nanny, Richmond's farmland, and more. Sean babbles and talks before he falls asleep, which disturbs Ian - Cordia shouts in her sleep, and doesn't remember it!

Saw Mikael Samuelsson score his second goal - even I know better than "red shirt and white shirt" sometimes! My siblings both said "AGAIN?!" in unison when I told them about it, haha - yay for replays! Now it's quiet since Jon's gone for Ultimate and Steph's gone to Viv's for the evening. More time for Scrabble and such! (Vivianne L. started SEVEN games - wowzers! That "multiple games" glitch is working OVERTIME, baby!) I'm looking forward to seeing Jeremy tomorrow - I miss him, since i haven't seen him for about two weeks! Jon says I'm welcome to go to the Sunday Dinner at Martin's - sure thing!

Let's go around hallways on wheels, baby!

Bingos of the day so far:

UREDINIA (59 points) - against Danny M.
DIGITATE (64 points) - against Shawnda D.
EDITIONS (80 points) - against Tapiwa M. [guy] {across a triple-word score!}
INSNARER (59 points) - against Tapiwa M. [same game as above; three bingos in one game!]
ENTERING (140 points) - against Michael M. [across two triple-word scores!]


Hey, Shawnda added me to Facebook - sweet!

Had a dream last night that a bunch of friends and I were in a big school atrium / gymnasium, and we were trying to get away from the school bus system. Jeremy procured a big board with wheels on it - the thing was ten feet long! Actually, he got two of them: one for me and one for him. He took off on one in the direction of a clothing store, and I followed him on the other through a continually twisting maze of hallways. It's amazing we managed to get to our destination without crashing or losing sight of each other!

At the store, we knew we were looking for contraband. We were looking through some children's books about trees and black people when we realized that Steph and Andrea's family were packing way more than was strictly required. We promptly confiscated all their stuff (chocolate, cellphones, books, blue AE hoodies, brown coats, etc.), and found evidence that they were planning to flee. After we did that and punished them, Jeremy and I celebrated in our own way... then the dream ended.

American-centric news and porter!

I'm having some chocolate cherry porter right now.... yay, beer! All the news Steph's heard has to do with AMERICAN IDOL, politics, John McCain's cancer, Edward Kennedy's brain tumor, John Lester's no-hitter, John McCain's wife's 2006 return, Barack Obama winning Oregon, and Hillary Clinton winning Kentucky. Apparently, they just repeat twenty minutes of news all day - yikes! Nothing about Burma or China... yikes. She and Michelle got crazy princess crown things at Target for $1 each, to be given to Danielle... and she didn't even know what day today was. Guess that's when you know a vacation is good! (she can read my blog for most Grandma-related updates...)

LeAnn Rimes?! / Catboats

Bingo of the night so far:

CATBOATS (84 points) - against Kirsten P.
FONDLERS (62 points) - against Paul H.
WORKADAY (84 points) - against Laura P.
NONACTOR (61 points) - against Emily N.
INSIDERS (61 points) - against Shawnda D.
EQUATION (58 points) - against Alice P.
ESCAROLE (70 points) - against Vivianne L.


Great... now I have LeAnne Rimes' How Do I Live in my head. I blame my sister's iTunes. :P

I should watch to see that Grandma doesn't touch the vegetables that Jon put in the oven, so I've migrated downstairs to do this. He let me know that he took the blue car instead of the bus - good move, if you're running late! Chrissy added me as a friend on Facebook: sweet! Eric H. is on since it's his day off, finally... yay!

Grandma, on this picture of Steph in Denver with Mattias Ohlund and Trevor Linden: "That's Stephanie? Are you sure it's not you?!" Pretty sure!

Hey, I found a picture of my grandma and me (2004) on my mom's computer!

Honor in a bingo! / We'll end up as severed feet!

Bingos of the day so far:

HONORERS (74 points) - against Sue G.
STRAPPED (78 points) - against Katie V.
PINKIES (80 points) - against Andrew L.
JAILBIRD (66 points) - against Danny M.
ECCLESIA (68 points) - against Danny M. [different game]
WEREGILD (65 points) - against Mary T.
FORDLESS (74 points) - against Tapiwa M. [guy]


Grandma, on the news of the severed feet washing up on local islands: "This is why you shouldn't go out at night! You'll end up like that!" My brother and I just exchanged amused looks, particularly when she didn't believe us that there were such things as blue corn and red corn.

Looks like I might be staying home, just in case Grandma decides to lock the door on us again like she did the other day. Steph will NOT be impressed if that happens, let me tell you! (she gets back from Phoenix tonight) She also referred to Jon's "boyfriend" again, and thought that HH would be getting back in THIRTY weeks instead of three! Her hearing and memory are REALLY BAD! (have told Eric about this... at least the company's not gone under YET, despite "this number is not in service" messages!)

A tornado passing right by your house is SCARY!

Bingos of the night so far:

UNCHARGE (74 points) - against Gordon B.
POLARONS (70 points) - against Michelle C.
COATERS (74 points) - against Guy M.


Just finished a good phone conversation with T - zombie movies, China and Hong Kong, Grandma's thinking that people will stab us with knives, farting, Jon's and my amusement, Richmond, and other things. Now I'm talking to Corey about tornadoes - one passed right by his street and his house was in the red danger zone on the radar! That's pretty scary! Discussed Jane, making dumplings, ARKANOID, villages, bricks, pollution, trees, rubber circles for ROCK BAND (put them over the drums to make 'em quieter, and the extra bounce helps you play things better!), game clones, Jezzball, etc.


I had to take a look at this story when it showed up on my Gmail:

Fourth severed foot found on B.C. coast in less than a year
May 22, 2008 - 21:20
THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER - Another severed foot has washed ashore on the British Columbia coast.
It's the fourth foot that's been found in less than a year, and police don't know if there are any links between them. Const. Nycki Basra of the Richmond RCMP says a passerby contacted police around noon on Thursday after spotting the shoe on Kirkland Island, south of Vancouver.

Like the three other feet, it was firmly nestled in a shoe.
In February, the remains of a right foot was found on the east side of Valdez Island.
Last August, a foot was found inside a man's Reebok sneaker on a heavily-used trail on Gabriola Island, just a few days after another foot was discovered by beachcombers on Jedidiah Island.

Lamb stew and couscous salad

Bingos of the day so far:

TENORITE (77 points) - against Danny M.
BLUECOATS (74 points), RINGTAIL (61 points) - against Gordon B. in the same game


Jon sent us an email about Sunday Dinner: it's at Martin's, and will involve lamb stew / couscous salad. Cool stuff! Ursula unfriended me from Facebook, but that's fine - what interaction we had was minimal at best in Palmer!

Grandma wanted me to see what Mrs. Tang's number was - okay, but I confused it with the TUNG entries in the church directory because "Tang" in Chinese sounds like "Tung" in English, oops. It's not Anita, Lawrence, or Andrew... that much is for sure! Hahaha, oops. Apparently, she lives in Burnaby. Grandma also got annoyed since I was eating shredded pork right out of the jar - I LOVE THAT STUFF!

Of course the split pea and ham soup contains green peas!

Bingos of the night so far:

ANODIZED (82 points) - against Dave H. [the Z was on a double-letter score!]
ACTIVATE (62 points) - against Kelly S.
TAWDRIER (63 points) - against Dean E.
ADAGIOS (68 points) - against Flora G.


Hey, Kathy T. played ZIT off my own already-played ZIT: how quirky, haha. Dave H. also played ZIG off my own ZIG... yay, quirkiness! Third example just tonight: I played DIP off Danny M.'s DIP! Jason Yee also added me on Facebook - hmm, haha. Jon and I are talking about his old friend Rob's next gig: it'll be at the Penthouse Nightclub on June 8. He apparently needs everyone to come out and make him famous, because it's a strange and exciting new format which will be aired on the radio. Hahaha!

Andrew asked for novel theme help, so I gave him some! Have been talking to David S. a bit today, too. Corey and I are talking about "real (Scrabble) words" and how the Scrabble dictionary makes everything worthless since it accepts a lot of two- and three-letter combinations that either sound like slang OR aren't really valid regular dictionary words. I can see his point, heh. Now he's just responding with "Well, that's not nice" to everything I say, hahaha.

At dinner tonight, Jon and I tried getting Grandma to drink some Hop Head India Pale Ale - no dice. I asked her if she liked the split pea and ham soup, and she said no. When asked why, she said that the peas were green - Jon and I burst out laughing when we heard THAT! The soup was practically the same color as the liquidy curry, which Grandma remarked on. Then he farted, and Grandma told him that he had no manners while referring to his "boyfriend" (um...) - too bad we don't have the language skills to amuse ourselves by telling her that we hold farting contests with our friends ALL the time, so there's nothing wrong with that! [note: we actually DO NOT hold such contests... that would be an amusing lie, however!] I recalled the boys in elementary school and their armpit farts, haha. :D

We confused the Chinese word for DURIAN with that for LOTUS ROOT; this came about because Grandma was talking about old vegetables. Then she asked about the flowers that he and Harmony had given Mom and her for Mother's Day: she opined that it was a waste of money. So then I tried telling her that it wasn't because they loved them, and money wasn't an object. She asked whether we knew that she loved us - to amuse himself, Jon said no. Then she told us about how she'd looked after us when we were kids so Mom and Dad could go to work, and added a couple of stories about a barking dog on the way to school (stand still!) / neighbors driving us to school. Very interesting dinner for sure! :D

That dream list is BOGUS!

I played a 104-point word (BACHING) off a triple-word score against Alexia D. YAY! :D


I have that Jordan Sparks "TATTOO" song in my head. Make. It. Stop! Then again, I heard a lovely-sounding song for a wedding reception on my sister's iTunes yesterday... but it was by 98 Degrees. Yikes. o_O (all I can say is that Archuleta had better win AMERICAN IDOL tonight, although it would be nice to see a ROCKER win too!)

Had a weird dream yesterday:

* my sister was chain-smoking a LOT of cigarettes... there was a perpetual blue cloud of smoke rings obscuring her head
* a lot of kids were hanging off John Lam (Ian's dad) when we stopped at a picnic table to eat, cafeteria-style
* there was a list of names which claimed Sophia was 14, then noted that Olivia was her baby daughter... her husband John had to correct their address too!
* this list also had photos attached to it... David S.'s family was in Germany, Mexico, and France according to some rather colorful pictures!
* Justin C. and Justin L. were both there, and they informed us of a death

No idea what prompted that one!

Was going to go out today, but I knew I had to talk with someone about stuff - Jon can do the honors this week. He has lunch with Danielle, and a meeting with Pastor Edward - Grandma can always knit after Fellowship!


Edit: Jordan Sparks has been replaced by the Spice Girls! HELP ME!

I told you NOT to lock the door, Grandma!

Bingos of the day so far:

OUTSCORE (68 points), ADOPTERS (92 points) - against Kathy T. in the same game
ENVIABLY (76 points) - against Kimberly Y.


Have resorted to using my sister's Firefox - yay for iTunes! Am doing minutes and such now too... bleh! Apparently, the rats freak people out - no surprise there! Had to go back home to take care of something... when I got back to the townhouse, I found Grandma had locked the top lock. Luckily, she heard the incessant doorbell-ringing. Read a bit of The Brothers K before I got on here again, heh. (then ran into Net issues...)

Rats and chickens, oh my!

Just before she left for da-pi, Grandma informed me that Dad's younger sister had called from Hong Kong. Jon and I thought it could be Janis, but then Grandma thinks we haven't seen this particular younger sister before... so maybe not. We'll have to tell the lards that she called, and also Auntie May / Auntie Moni / a person from next door about signing cheques. Later, the guys and I had breakfast while talking about cold chicken being a breeding ground for bacteria (but it's been in the fridge!) / the accuracy of Wikipedia as a research tool / funeral expenses / Chinese superstitions such as the descendants' plots being smaller (and the hierarchy meaning no women on top of men / Harmony / UPass / UBC / couscous / chickpeas / toast / the salsa from Sunday looking like a colorful bean dip now.

We should use the cucumber, yam, and other stuff since Jon's going to fry the rice. Then we'll go to my place since Dallas needs his blankets / sheets / cooking utensils. Jon tells me that K sent me an offliner about two rats running around my place... yeah, not surprised there! Ewwww, though... let's hope they haven't been chewing on Dallas' stuff! Maybe it's the heat, too. K is just here for a couple of doctors' appointments, then he'll be out of here afterwards. Jon joked that Korey and I could have a romantic time of watching rats run around my place, haha.


Edit: Jon, Dallas, and I went back to my place so Dallas could grab the majority of his stuff. When Dallas said that he spent his last birthday studying in the library, Jon wanted me to remind him to go over there and slap Dallas if he does that again for his next birthday! I joked that Dallas could have his OWN jacuzzi party, since the guys were talking about that just a few minutes earlier. Dallas said that maybe three people would come - but it's in the summer, and Jon would be there! We cranked up The First Original Silence one last time as noise music for Dallas, and explained the Police's hits to him as well. Jon says that Hester was asking him who he was, and figures it's still hot at my place. After the guys left, I chilled for about an hour and then left myself.

By burning ourselves, we find out our true colors...

Bingo of the day so far:

GOITROUS (60 points) - against Debbie M.


Jon and Dallas got home on the 407 right after the one I took, which was cool enough. After looking at numerous restaurant reviews, Jon and Dallas decided on Shanghai River with Nathan and Aaron. Sounded good to me, even if "Fat Kid" isn't as pejorative in Chinese as it is here. We're sure that Cousin Yvonne didn't really appreciate Grandma's referring to one of her exes as "Fat Man," haha. Jon figures that Dallas knows the bus system pretty well now for where he wants to go - very proud, indeed! Dallas managed to pick the bathroom lock since Grandma locked the door while exiting - no idea why she does that from time to time.

We left shortly before 7, but had to wait for half an hour... killed time by going to City Fresh and buying pears / dumplings / skim milk. Got a table and promptly talked about the wedding MC's job / the head usher and creating order to prevent chaos, weddings where the bride totally regretted it, banquets where the bride got really drunk and couldn't finish the night or her speech, a wedding where things were over a mere week and a half after the ceremony (can you scam people by refusing to return their gifts in that event?), and annulling marriages. While we were on the topic.... we also discussed studying the culture of marriage through history and societies, socio-economic status affecting how people look for relationships, Phil's grandpa having two wives who were also sisters, an amusing EXCHANGE policy after 30 days, and more. We didn't even have any alcohol, and things were very laugh-filled at the table! Nathan and Dallas took care of Grandma requiring Chinese, haha. (their description of "interview" was particularly funny: "this is a book about two people taking to each other, but one writes down the words of the other one.... wait, isn't that what ALL books are about?!" HAHAHA!)

Had two steamers of SLB, drunken chicken with high-quality wine, three orders of green onion roll (thicker than a pancake!), hot and sour soup, tan tan noodles, the tomato and white sauces rice, peashoots, and more. Here's a cynical take on solving climate change: DENY IT! The same cynic's take on AIDS: cover it up! (although look where THAT led to in sub-saharan Africa!) Discussed sushi, bubble tea, Marine Drive, New West, sunglasses, U2, the Fly, Aaron finding a $400 dish on the menu which he was VERY impressed by, seafood, Nathan's random made-up story on the cultural significance of shark's fin soup / its expense, etc. Dallas wants to pick his essential things up tomorrow - not a problem! He also burned himself yesterday before getting back this morning: OUCH! He's found out his true colors, haha. Also demonstrated chopstick technique, and how your teacher affects it - no clenching them for me and my sister, at least! (talked about the fat judge, and the 1 Samuel story about 200 foreskins!)

Dallas is back early!

Dallas is back early! He got a scholarship, which is excellent. Jon and he have transported his stuff here, and we enlisted his translation help to invite Grandma out for SLB at dinner. No, she doesn't have to cook anything, so that's good. She was cleaning and sweeping outside, and mumbling stuff under her breath as usual. Oh well! Now she's complaining that Dallas brought a lot from Toronto over with him: "Three suitcases?! So much stuff!" Little does she know that there's a LOT more at my place, haha! At least he's found somewhere to live, even if he'll be sleeping over tonight! I am going home to grab some stuff, so I should be back later in time for dinner at 6!

Hey, Grandma's actually having RICE FOR LUNCH! Words cannot express how sweet this is! Never mind that she thinks this is rice that Jon made for himself and left in the fridge... it's actually leftovers from yesterday's lunch with the Sos. Now she's complaining that Jon gets home late most nights, and that Steph is "never" here to sleep. She's crazy! Also, she has forgotten how old I am, thinking I'm 35 and that my boyfriend's older than I. Yikes! :(

No crickets and cheese - that would be CRUNCHY protein!

Eric picked me up late, and we were on our way to Lesley's for dinner. Discussed our weeks and what we'd been up to, and then had trouble with being buzzed into the apartment when we did get there. Encountered feedback and crappy noises, instead of Jon buzzing us in. When we got that figured out and were in the apartment, we saw Lesley - quite surprising to me since I thought she'd be at the airport. Jon explained that by saying that John H. was logged in as her for some reason - very bizarre! Chatted with Ben, Sheena, Karen, and other about laundry / errands / selective earthquake concern / messages / putting beer (Traquair Jacobite ale) in jambalaya. The wild sole and papaya salsa was good and refreshing stuff too, for sure. Had a bit of durian shake - aiya, Dylan was RIGHT about a durian conspiracy!

Discussed Communion, Montreal, long-distance relationships, the EXPENSIVE four-cheese Sunday dinner, the MEATY sauce Sunday Dinner, Dallas, chickpeas, the church not being changed from the last time Ben was here, Tony being confused as to who was from Daniel in the group, driving across the country, chalices, the new church building, health, crickets and cheese next week at Martin's, Tony's family coming from Hong Kong in July, cleanliness, dusty watermelons, throwing Nathan off this morning, and more. Sheena picked up an old photo album, from 1989 to a few years ago: LOTS of people I haven't seen in years! (and some whom I still do see regularly) Mark H., Judy K., Marian W., Maisie, Natalie K. (Brad), Dennis, Rich, Derek, Keith, Jeff, Mel, Frances, Anita, Esther, Elenor, Stella, Benjamin, Billy, Auntie Vera, Lauren, Phil C., Karen Choo, Winnie, Connie, Esther, Lily, Lee, Kenny, Hannah, Nathaniel, Megan T., Andrea, Jessica Lai, Joe Y., Linda, Irene, Fabian, Jackie, Shally, and others were at weddings / baby showers / bridal showers / the mountains / on trips / at hockey.

Dropped Tony off at the Skytrain station, and then dropped Teresa off at home before continuing to Richmond. Teresa wanted to pray with us before she left the car, so we did that - it was actually interesting. Listened to Jon's side of his conversation with Harmony about drinking out of a communal chalice - not recommended for the sick! I remember the Fujian church that Teresa mentioned too... gave her some history of ours (like how we're just renting), and talked about health stuff too. (Jeremy knows a lot about that and beer, haha) Apparently, Fred is living with seven young girls - oh my. Eric asked if I wanted to see my place, but I said that was fine - it looked okay yesterday when Steph drove past it! Got home to find Grandma still up: she didn't need to wait till we came home to go to sleep!

They won 6-0 to advance to the Cup Final... wow!

Chinese artists with accents are singing Dan Hill's Sometimes When We Touch on AM 1320 - oh my. o_O (we listened to the last bits of the Penguins' 6-0 win against the Flyers to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, too!)

Had eggs as protein and buns for breakfast, while amusing my sister with Grandma's interpretation of her going to Vivian's last night. ("She MUST be going out with someone, because I know that there are men at White Girl's house!" The only men we know of over there are Vivian's dad and brother Nathan - SO WRONG! Jon agrees with the sentiment that there are men at the house, but not with the rest of it!) Steph even has witnesses in the form of Pastor John and his kids, whom they bumped into at Blockbuster! Then again, that might not help much: there was the time a few months ago after Sunday School when Grandma saw Jeremy talking to Karmie (Pastor John's wife), and assumed that she was his new girlfriend or something! Not to mention the time before Citrus and Danielle got together, and she saw Citrus and Steph hugging: "I *knew* your daughter has a secret boyfriend!" Hahaha, no!

Discussed SWEET CAROLINE, the Neil Diamond concert my sibs attended a few years ago (they saw "old" people dancing around!), country twang, Grandma's contention that people would come to rob us / slit our throats if the door isn't closed, Ultimate, Mike, Stanley, shorts, legs, Chris being sporty, Eric, negativity / frustration / moodiness, Sabrina, Billy, Danny, Nai Chiu, Benedict, Dragon Ball, and more on the way to church. I was momentarily surprised not to see Jeremy, but I remembered he's in Kelowna. (the main reason why we couldn't have tonight's Sunday Dinner at his place!)

Talked to Raymond about Scrabble moves and hot pot / dessert and Lesley being at Pearson Airport (YYZ is the code!), and got a pleasant surprise when I saw both Anthony and Benny! Benny's staying for the summer since he loves BC - it'll be good to see more of him for sure! He remembered my name without prompting, which is cool - he had a bit more trouble with Dianne, but at least he remembered that she is Cindy's sister. I recalled the time we all went to the beach for his farewell - good times! He thought that Friday's program wasn't what he was expecting, after three weeks here - things came up, which I understand. "Welcome back - now start cleaning with this mop!" Haha. I confirmed that Anthony would be at the dinner, and Jon reminded me about hummus in the fridge / the cellphone on top of his loft bed. (we had to enumerate the ingredients of the hummus spread in Chinese for Grandma this morning, oh my!) Said hi to Joshua and Keenan - they're so cute, trying to get up close and personal with the instruments in worship, especially Chris' drums! (also waved to Abigail / Anne / Olivia / Noah)

In the back parking lot, I gave out (mostly late) birthday cards to Sam / Angus / Nathaniel (finally said "thank you" after lots of prompting by his mom!) / Helen / Lee / Lily / Brian / Danielle / Karen Lew / Calla / Andrea / Joey. (I left Daniel's and Michelle's in Steph's care, and sideways-hugged Andrea / Brian / Danielle when they initiated it! Gave Chrystal's card to her when Sunday School was over - Hilary liked the stickers, and says she has some of her very own!) Said hi to Julie, who asked about Korey - things are fine with him! Waved hi to Johnny / Chuck / Karen I. / Tony, greeted Acer (nice to see Calla's brother around!), watched Benjamin / Joshua / Keenan gather rocks and put them by the dumpster, confirmed things with Eric before he left early (email of attendance rocks!), and went off to Sunday School. Quan had a salad roll from Pho for breakfast - you gotta do what you have to in order to avoid being absolutely famished by lunchtime! ;)

Brandon and Terence were back, so it was a full class today! (Watson was misbehaving - I felt like Alexander Graham Bell / Sherlock Holmes every time I had to say "Watson, come here please!") Said hi to Ian and Sean after Sunday School, found out Eric and Arthur's mom's name (Tammy), and went to Mui's with Vania and her parents (their treat) after seeing Lawrence's friend Adrian. (Lawrence's sister Anita gave the kids some cake - wow!) Talked about all-inclusive vacations, Cancun, Jamaica, Phoenix, the library, BCIT studying, weird tans, hangovers / politeness / tequila, Vania's kind cousin Wilfred coming next week, having kids "late" in life, our grandma's way of thinking, and more... interesting company, as usual. Got home, took a shower, and did some laundry before fielding calls for Jon from Harmony and Christon - I'm not sure whether the phone numbers I have for Lesley are accurate, but it'll do! Must remember the hummus later on, for sure! Good thing Steph will leave for Viv's after Grandma goes to sleep, haha. Sleeping over three nights out of four - what Big G doesn't know won't hurt her!

Example of Grandma's weird thinking...

Auntie Tracy: Oh, your granddaughters are so pretty... especially Leslie!
Grandma: That's because she came out first!
*me, Vania, and Steph look at each other.... so the kids get uglier with each successive birth?!*

I just jumped up and down and clapped my hands in order to inject some joy in Grandma's life. She thinks I've gone crazy OR that I've won a prize - no, I'm just being very positive! Hahaha.