Awana Orientation 2009, with songbooks! / Jane Austen

Ada picked me up on time for the Awana Orientation, and we discussed Facebook / Friday Fellowship / privacy (inbox vs. wall) / (Spiderman) umbrellas for her sons / school / getting up early. I smelled her coffee, which made me want some, haha. No, of course I didn't ask her for it! Got to church, and I saw Phoebe helping Eric T. with duotangs and hole punching. I didn't know she and Zoe (as almost newly-minted Gr. 7's) were leaders in training, but I guess that works! Talked to Mike, Julie, David, Margaret, Golden, William, Mary, Elaine, Emily (Sam was in Manitoba already at 11?!), and more people. Mike was being jokingly "racist" by making as if he were a terrorist, since he had a handkerchief RIGHT under his chin and covering his face! Then he tried Elaine's jacket on, which was too small for him - of course his sister took a picture!

Had the usual bunch of information (plus new songbooks!), but it was good to have a refresher. Eric did a hilarious imitation of Jordan, haha! Ended up eating lunch at my own table because Chrystal had prior plans with someone, and we ran late... and we had no idea where Auntie Vivian was! Sweet and sour pork, shrimp crackers, very oily seaweed (Danny tried to un-grease it with a napkin!), peanuts, beef and broccoli, rice, BBQ pork, noodles, apple juice, iced tea, pop, and other things were certainly pretty good. We ended up running over an hour late, and I declined to take any leftovers home since I still have four burgers from yesterday in my fridge! Saw Derek, and a preview of his sister Erin's slideshow for Monday's reception.

Ada and I talked about the Awana Choir, Henry, the Canada Line / Skytrain to church, people going around with suitcases, and more on the way home. For some reason, my leg started to hurt, but it was okay - and went away as soon as I got home. Chinese Eric said hi, and I bugged Corey about leaving immense spaces in my messages. Discussed The Stupid Idiot thinking he can use Corey to get to me (we both don't think he'll pay me back), white Eric's birthday, just waking up at 7:30 AM Hong Kong time, Nathan and the UK, the rainy weather here compared to hot / cloudy in Hong Kong, computers, passport expiry issues, and more.


Facebook quizzes taken from Kitty:

Leslie took the What 1970 Hit Song Are You? quiz and the result is Let It Be by the Beatles. When you experience trouble or hard times, you realize that life goes on, and you just have to let it be. You are optimistic, and have hope that the future will be better.

Leslie completed the quiz "Who do you end up with in a Jane Austen Book?" with the result Mr. George Knightley. Your guy is Mr. George Knightley, from Jane Austen's Emma... which makes you Emma. He is a close friend of yours, and your only real critic, though he cares deeply for you, which is why you are never truly offended by his comments. Since you two were friends for a long time, you may not have noticed that you loved him until he became unavailable, but he has nearly always loved you as more than a friend or sister. Since you're so prone to scheming and meddling, or at the very least living life only for fun, he keeps you in line as best he can. He's just what you need. He is your more sensible half, but he loves you enough to humor you and go along with your plans, until you are doing someone more harm than good. Honest, gracious, charitable, and straight-forward, he's an all-around good guy.

Te'quandris, Thurston, Trilogy, and Twylen

Not impressed with the timing of this restart. I was merrily going through my comments, with not much time left before I had to leave! UGH!

This is from What Not to Name Your Baby by Joe Borgenicht.

T

Tag: German for "day." The appropriate way to praise your child with this name for good behavior is "Guten, Tag!"

Talon: The sharp, pointed claw on a bird of prey's foot used to capture and kill hapless rodents. Also, a short-lived, American-made, poor man's sports car.

Tanner: One who skins and cures the hides of animals while in the sun, without wearing sunscreen.

Tat: Short form of "tattoo," a type of permanent ink decoration applied to the skin, most often adopted while intoxicated and then regretted for the rest of one's life.

Taz: A cartoon devil that whirls around, wreaking havoc.

Te'quandria: Early cousin of a popular Mexican alcohol that was quickly phased out after makers realized that it just confused consumers.

Teter: A tendency to wobble. Also, half a piece of playground equipment.

Thor: Norse god of thunder. Also, a blond, dress-wearing superhero who fought the forces of evil with a hammer.

Thurston: Island-dwelling husband of Lovey who continued to wear his pith helmet and ascot episode after episode.

Tiki Lou: A portly, poorly-kept gentleman who runs the local Hawaiian-themed bar.

Titus: A Roman senator and protagonist of a Shakespearean tragedy. Also, an uptight annoying little prig.

Toah: Oah Noah, I think I broke my toah!

Travis: A country singer destined to make a couple of bucks singing about his life in the trailer park.

Trey: Middle English "three." Cursed with a third nipple, making junior high gym class excruciating.

Trezor: Major advance in shaving technology utilizing three blades.

Trilogy: A group of three. Destined for performance anxiety issues.

Tristan: Cross-dressing pop diva and expert on all things Cher. Goes by Trista on Thursday nights.

Truck: Slow to accelerate and hard to stop once moving. This names is not recommended unless you know CB lingo such as "ten-four," "ten-twenty," "smoky on my tail," and "good buddy."

Tucomah: A premature ejaculator.

Tugdick: A baseball player who will never make it past the minor leagues.

Tut: Short form of Tutankhamen, king of Egypt from 1361-1352 BC. Famous only because his survivors forgot where they buried him. He's our favorite honky.

Twylen: B-grade country singer obsessed with losing his horse.

Tyathos: An artificial feta alternative sold in bulk at Costco.

Tylen: The act of laying tile.

Tylier: A French grout designer.

Tyre: To grow bored or impatient. Chronically exhausted. Also, the covering of a wheel made out of rubber and filled with compressed air. A child with this name is destined to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder and flatulence.

Tyreek: A home improvement handyman who didn't shower for day two.


U

Udolf (YOU-dolf) - Little-known German politician overshadowed alphabetically by his cousin.

Ugo (YOU-go) - Small Yugoslavian motor vehicle known for being underpowered and unreliable.

Uilliam (WILL-yum) - Child will be doomed to a lifetime of being confused with a certain item on the periodic table of elements.

Ukiah (you-KE-uh) - Child may be confused with a Chevrolet SUV.

Ulysses: The hero of Homer's Odyssey. The given name of the most drunken president in the history of the United States.

Urban: One who dwells within a city or densely populated area. A true metrosexual.

Utah: A state known for its pioneer spirit, radical religious beliefs, and the saltiest stagnant pond in the world.

Uzi (OO-zee) - An Israeli-made submachine gun popular for its compact size. Also, to fester with pus. "This scab on my knee is all Uzi!"

Broadway changes their stops too often!

After spending some time on the phone with Eric and Jon, and attempting to get ahold of Ivan (I assumed Sam wasn't coming), I resigned myself to the bus trek to church. Turned out to be quite the ordeal, since I didn't know that the Broadway stops had minor changes - but those changes were enough to throw my entire trip out of whack. Wasn't sure which stop to go to in order to get a bus that was going further than Broadway Station - and it was growing darker outside! Had to walk to the old London Drugs in order to find one of those - there were way too many Broadway Station buses, which was annoying. Luckily, the driver of the Boundary bus I eventually took let me get on with an expired transfer; the old lady in front of me also got on with one of those! I know, I know... my bus pass isn't going to be found if I sit here in front of the computer, but I have to update and check stuff first. Maybe I'll look for it tomorrow after the orientation and such...

I eventually arrived at church when it was 8:15, and things were just getting underway. Still, it was QUITE the hassle! Quickly located Eric and Jon, who thought that I'd been going to call Harmony. Yeah, but I didn't want to bother his wife - which probably turned out to be a bad decision! Talked to Harmony about it later - next time. THEN Eric told me that I could have taken the Canada Line to Waterfront, then took the Skytrain to Rupert - gee, and you couldn't have told me that at 5:30 PM?!

Talked to Jen, her friend Jason (who's a Christian metal producer!), Cordia, Sarah, Mike, Sam (who did show up - farewell to Manitoba!), Kevin Lee, Margaret, both Andreas, Jason, Melia, Angus, Hannah (farewell to the Okanagan!), Dawn, Henry, Golden, Cindy, Dylan, Deb, Wesley, Jose, Darren (in town till the 19th), Danielle, Grace, Phil, Martin, Citrus, Sonya, Stanley, Ivan, Teresa, and more people. (the smell of durian, French Immersion, a French shirt, being lazy, wedding in a week, shawls, Eni, Skype, producing Christian music, Chuck's mom, my birthday thing, Eric's dinner / karaoke, gift ideas, Erin's wedding / reception, minutes rolling over on the 8th, etc.) It was certainly interesting when Sarah brought out a durian for Sam - a lot of people were clustered around trying to see whether it could indeed be opened with an assortment of knives! Sam, Citrus, Jon, and Stanley tried... while Amy just went at it once it was open enough! Jon was explaining to Jason that it had spikes, which is why everyone was being careful. Later, I told Jason that I had a younger sister who was very hyper - Harmony confirmed it. He could see that there must be some connection between me and Harmony - no, we just hang around random people all the time!

Checked Randal's big salad bowl to see if there was any MEAT, haha. Caught up with Martin briefly: he's so right that Grandma's spirited! Grace told Jon that Hannah was engaged - I gathered as much from Becky's Facebook status the other day or so. She's always been boy-crazy, however! I don't know anything about her fiancé other than his name, heh. The "different" woman Teresa was stuffing a lot of leftover food into a container for her boyfriend, and also counting out money for an offering envelope. Confirmed with Henry that he was coming back for Awana, which is cool. Eric drove Jon and Harmony home before dropping me off. Discussed blogging, Holly, Myles, burgers / buns, sausages, PNE work, Facebook, what to do with kids around town (Granville Island Kids Only Market?), the McDonald's stabbing, Harmony's relative having nine siblings, "Tomlin" as a nickname, Ray, being morbid, pizza, tomorrow's rain forecast, snoring, Powerpoint, and more.

Got home around 11 or so to find a missed phone call from Ada, but she sent me a message on Facebook about tomorrow... 9:20 it is, I guess. Dianne and Gillis both put in a "no" RSVP to my birthday dinner, which is fine. Hopefully I see Gillis soon, since I saw Dianne tonight! Ivan just sent in his RSVP via Facebook, blaming a "pharmacy white coat ceremony" for his non-attendance at my dinner. Darn, haha. I got a few verbal RSVPs from Harmony, Andrea T., Jen, Danielle, and Janette though! (and I assume Eric is coming!) You bet I have a list here, haha!


Poo nugget for this weekend: High-Flying Farts... High-altitude flatus expulsion, or HAFE, is a gastrointestinal condition of increased flatus passage that occurs in people climbing to high altitudes. At lower atmospheric pressures, intracolonic gas expands and results in excess passage of flatus. Initial studies state that HAFE becomes problematic when ascending to altitudes above 11,000 feet. While not life-threatening, the physicians who first described this disease in 1981 characterized HAFE as a "significant inconvenience to those who prefer to hike in company."

Mouthwash up the nose, networking at BBQ, not finding bus pass

Another day, another episode of "mouthwash up the nose" - what the heck?! I have the feeling that eating the whole edamame salad at once wasn't quite such a good idea; bleh! Eric called while I was doing other things, so I called him back. Of course I want to go to that BBQ since I need to network, haha! He had no idea what I was talking about, but that's okay since he probably didn't want to know what I was doing in the bathroom, either!

I should be able to shower and make it to the usual place by 6, barring any unusual circumstances such as being unable to find my bus pass! Not sure where I put it after Peter and Holly drove me home the night of Jon and Harmony's housewarming, which is the last time I used it. (no, I don't get out much...) Got a weird phone call from Florida: 1-850-270-1162, anyone?

Restarts, Facebook event help for Andrew, and double the pleasure with fibre!

Why am I not surprised that this computer restarted again?! Oh my crud, haha. At least I was able to help Andrew with his own birthday Facebook event, which he ended up cancelling since he didn't want a lot of people to be able to see it! Newbie when it comes to Facebook applications, indeed... =/

Poo nugget for Friday, September 4: Doo You Know? - Double Your Pleasure - The added benefit to a high-fibre diet: consumption of high-fibre foods like corn and celery can soften the stool, thus yielding just as much enjoyment on the way out as on the way in.

Fairy Tale Character Tagging

The computer just restarted! Got this "fairy tale character tagging picture" from one of Candy's friends...

Stupid bookshelf redesigns, Eric's birthday karaoke, killing machines

Talked to Billie about things, which was good. Corey thought I should have a pizza pyramid for dinner - no thanks! Learned that Visual Bookshelf has been re-designed... why?! Now I can't edit the area which tells you whether a book's been read / wanted / borrowed / not wanted, or see my friends' collections. Maybe I'll have to look into iRead, or whatever Steve has! (but that may take too much time, with 1256+ books in my other collection...)

Jon sent us a Sunday Dinner email, and this one is to commemorate Eric's birthday. I can probably go to that one, for sure. No Magic Bra this year, haha. Surprisingly, it's not at Jeremy's (the horror!) - it's at the sustainable Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, then there's karaoke (which Eric is being a good sport about) at Millennium near Aberdeen later. At least he and Steph have registered a "yes" RSVP for my birthday dinner through Evite. Billie has said "yes" through Facebook; Daniel / Natalie / Jazmin / Silvester / Daniel are "maybe," and Vania / Sharlene / Cindy / Jasmine are "no."


Facebook quiz taken from Kenny:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Killing Machine Are You?" with the result Nemesis. You are the Nemesis! Terrifying and immense, you hunt the enemies of the Umbrella Corporation that mutated you. You annihilate those you hunt with your rocket launcher or your minigun, or simply crush them to death with your incredible strength. A grisly spectre of death, you were not always this way, and did not choose to become the monster you are. Perhaps when something from your past life triggers something inside your head, you will remember what is right and redeem yourself. Until then, you are the ultimate soldier.

Stupid manager knocking on windows! / Iced Tea / Blogthings Taglines / Shooting Poo

I'm up now, thanks to the apartment manager banging on windows yelling "HELLO?" You don't DO that! People might still be SLEEPING! How annoying!

You Are Raspberry Iced Tea

You are happy and enthusiastic. You naturally are outgoing and genuinely curious about people. You can't believe how much joy there is in the world. You have many things you love in life. You are always making new little discoveries and passing them on to your friends. For you, every day is an adventure. Of everyone you know, you are the most likely to try a new type of drink or style of clothing.

What Flavor Iced Tea Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Haven't had this before, actually... it's almost always been LEMON!


I note that Blogthings now has their own "taglines" at the bottom of each quiz result... let's see if I can collect some of them! (it's like Audioscrobber, Angelfire, and the Surrealist Compliment Generator!)

1. Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity
2. Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet
3. Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones
4. Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.
5. Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!
6. Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!
7. Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12-Year-Olds
8. The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings
9. Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything
10. Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding
11. Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself
12. Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes
13. Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist
14. Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone
15. Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

Poo nugget for Thursday, September 3: Shooting Poo - The skipper caterpillar can propel its stool over five feet in the air. Thought to be a defense mechanism against predators that track caterpillar excrement, this remarkable feat is the equivalent of a human being launching his or her stool over two hundred feet!

Evite's reply styles can be so amusing! Breaker, Kitchen, and Netiquette!

While I'm at Evite, I'll make a post detailing the options for their reply styles. Some of these are downright amusing! (Reply Style: Who? / Attending / Undecided / Declining)

Default: Who's Coming? / Yes / No / Maybe

Baller's Lingo: Come Strong or Not at All / I'm Coming in Hot / I Can't Sort Myself Out / I'm Weak

Board Games: Who's Rolling? / I'm In, Collect $100 and Pass Go / Not Sure How The Dice Will Fall / Stuck in Jail, Lose A Turn

Breaker, Breaker: Are You There? / Roger That / Didn't Copy, Please Repeat / Over and Out

California: Are You Coming or What? / Totally / Whatever / Bummer

Casual: Who's In? / Absolutely / Hmmm / Unthinkable

Cheers: Who's Toasting? / I'll Drink to That / I Might Raise a Glass / My Glass is Empty

Come On: Who's In? / On Board / On the Fence / On the Way Out

Cooking: Who's Coming to Dinner? / Bring a Chair to the Table / Save a Plate for Me / I'll Take Leftovers

Court Appeal: What's the Verdict? / Committed / Jury's Out / Jumped Bail

Crowd: Who's On Stage? / Cheer / Yawn / Boo

Formal: Who's Attending? / With Pleasure / Perhaps / Regrets

Game Night: Got Game? / Bring it On / Still Readin' the Rules / Sore Loser

Girls' Night: What's the Word, Ladies? / I Have the Perfect Outfit / Checking My Calendar / Washing My Hair

Hands Down: Who's Shakin'? / Full Embrace / Weak Handshake / Cold Shoulder

Happy Hour: Up for Drinks? / Let It Flow / Cutting Back / On The Wagon

Hollywood: Joining the Cast? / Ready for My Close-Up / Have Your People Call My People / I'll Never Work in this Town Again

Hoops: Who's Playing? / Nothin' But Net / Hit the Rim / Airball

Kitchen Speak: Are We Cookin'? / Soup's On! / Lukewarm / Send It Back

Netiquette: Who's Connected? / Site Found / Still Loading / Error 404

Performance: The Credits / Taking the Stage / Waiting in the Wings / Call My Understudy

Pirate: Up for a Treasure Hunt, Matey? / Aye, Aye, Cap'n / Shiver Me Timbers, I Can't Decide / Argh, I'm Walking the Plank

Political: Who's Campaigning? / Count on My Vote / Flip Flop / Not Gonna Do It

Road Trip: Who's Rallying? / Full Throttle / Stalled / Out of Gas

Shakespeare: To Be or Not to Be? / To Be / That Is The Question / Not To Be

Ski Team: Who's a Shredder? / Black Diamond / Blue Square / Green Circle

Undeclared: What's Your Major? / Declared / Undeclared / Dropping Out

Varsity: The Team / Starters / On The Bench / Cut

Vegas, Baby: Ante Up / All In / Split / Bust

Vital Signs: Who's Gonna Make It? / Alive & Kicking / Barely There / Flat-Liners

House Partay: Who's Coming? / Fo sho! Ready to get my freak on. / Mayhaps. Gotta get backatcha. You feel me? / Gotta punk out, yo. Don't hate!

I've made a reservation two weeks in advance at Kelsey's, yo!

After staring at the phone number and menu for Kelsey's at Ironwood, I decided to call them to see if they could make a reservation for two weeks in advance. Was slightly surprised to hear that they did - SWEET! I went ahead and made a reservation for 15 people at 7:15 the night of my birthday. (they close at 11) This should cover the people I expect to make it there, hahaha. Time to do up a Facebook Event for the people whom I can't reach by Evite or word of mouth! God Bless Technology!

The one and only other time I was at Kelsey's, they forgot my nachos or whatever I ordered - James mentioned it, so we got it for free. Elizabeth also had two beers! Hopefully, this won't be like the Brown's Social House screw-up last year! I remember Corey sending me the "menu" for that restaurant, which really turned out to be some gross thing. :P

I've heard that Roberto Luongo has signed a 12-year deal with the Canucks for 64 million dollars, so that's a good thing!

Convergys, stupid triplet names, wine, cars, and teaching Gr. 1

Hmm... I just got a phone call from Convergys, which just happens to be The Stupid Idiot's old (?) workplace. I'm ignoring that - thank goodness for Caller ID!


Leslie took the Children? How Many, When, Names?? quiz and got the result: 3 Girls, 2 Boys. You will have identical triplet girls at 23 years old. You will call them Eva, Isla, and Mia. Then on your 30th birthday, you will have a son called Jacob. Finally, just before you turn 34, you will have another boy called Fin. (Bleh... I don't even LIKE most of those names!)


Facebook quizzes taken from Heather and Gretchen:

Leslie took the What alcohol best suits you? quiz and got the result: Wine. You're a fine wine connoisseur. You have exquisite tastebuds, and love a good glass of wine.

Leslie just took the "What does your name say about you?????" quiz and the result is fun. You're very playful and happy!!

You Are a Serene Blue Car

You are a calm and peaceful person. You're definitely not one to give in to road rage. You see life as a journey, and you take as much time as you want to reflect. You're in no hurry. You are not a materialistic person, and all you want is to have enough money to live. To be honest, you feel like money sometimes ruins people. You prefer to put relationships first.

The Car Oracle

Sometimes, I could give in to road rage... ask my siblings. ;)

You Should Teach First Grade

You are encouraging and easygoing. You don't mind answering the same questions from kids over and over. You are also very detail oriented. You're a stickler for proper punctuation and grammar. While you run a tight ship, you still know how to have fun with learning. You are good at motivating and inspiring others, especially kids!

What Grade Should You Teach?

Of course I'm a stickler for proper punctuation and grammar!

UnbreakableSalmon / Intestines having a mind of their own

I got Salmoned after updating Boring_People with an entry right before I was going to go to bed. Sweet, even though I wasn't in the mood to talk much! (and Ed W. added me on Facebook - neato!)

[00:35:45] unbreakablesalmon: Always ask someone you love before putting anything in your mouth.
[00:38:53] flamsterette_x: Um. sure.
[00:39:05] unbreakablesalmon: who is this?
[00:39:28] flamsterette_x: We've been connected by a bot. You don't know me, and I don't know you.
[00:39:40] unbreakablesalmon: um.... a bot?
[00:39:59] flamsterette_x: It sent us the same message at the same time; in this case "Always ask someone you love before putting anything in your mouth."
[00:40:43] unbreakablesalmon: um, I didn't get that message
[00:41:11] flamsterette_x: so what did you get? (and am I "unbreakablesalmon" to you, or something else?)
[00:41:31] unbreakablesalmon: no, I got "Oh no! I'm being chased by an implausibility of gnus!"
[00:42:14] unbreakablesalmon: ...
[00:43:44] flamsterette_x: and what do I show up as to you?
[00:44:03] unbreakablesalmon: huh?
[00:44:32] flamsterette_x: what's my screen name?
[00:45:34] unbreakablesalmon: GeniusCoho
[00:46:06] unbreakablesalmon: ... what's mine?
[00:47:14] flamsterette_x: unbreakablesalmon
[00:47:22] unbreakablesalmon: .... really?
[00:47:33] flamsterette_x: [00:45:34] unbreakablesalmon: GeniusCoho
[00:46:06] unbreakablesalmon: ... what's mine?
[00:47:14] flamsterette_x: unbreakablesalmon
[00:47:38] flamsterette_x: Yes, really.
[00:47:49] unbreakablesalmon: that's weird.
[00:48:03] flamsterette_x: Are you on LiveJournal, Xanga, or Deviant Art?
[00:48:13] unbreakablesalmon: I'm on LiveJournal
[00:49:29] unbreakablesalmon: well, what's up?
[00:50:29] flamsterette_x: I was going to go to bed, but then this popped up... couldn't resist replying.
[00:50:51] unbreakablesalmon: are you sure? coz you IM'ed me...
[00:51:03] flamsterette_x: I take it you have never been Salmoned / Cohoed before. Go look up the.missing.hat. on LJ or Google... take out the periods.
[00:51:22] unbreakablesalmon: I don't know... and no, I haven't.
[00:51:32] flamsterette_x: You see, this makes it look as if the other person IM'ed you first.
[00:51:34] flamsterette_x: [00:35:45] unbreakablesalmon: Always ask someone you love before putting anything in your mouth.
[00:38:53] flamsterette_x: Um. sure.
[00:51:45] flamsterette_x: look it up - it'll give you the info you need
[00:51:58] unbreakablesalmon: haha... nah, I pretty much get it :)
[00:52:06] unbreakablesalmon: so what's up with you? Age / Sex / Location?
[00:53:24] unbreakablesalmon: actually, I gotta go... bye!
[00:54:26] flamsterette_x: not much... I need to get to bed, as previously stated... so I'll post this to themissinghat and my own personal journal... and then leave. bye!


Poo nugget for Wednesday, September 2: Dr. Stool Says - A Mind of Its Own - Columbia professor Dr. Michael Gershon definitively demonstrated our intestines' autonomy when he performed a classic experiment on a guinea pig colon. After surgically removing the colon from the guinea pig, he showed how a pellet placed at one end caused coordinated colonic contractions that quickly resulted in expulsion of the pellet from the other end.

I've gained a new friend from Powell River via Australia! / August 2009 BBT Tally

I was chatting away in Gretchen's FB status about it being the afternoon in Vancouver and not the morning (she's in Australia), when Brian W. decided to step in and say that he was really from Powell River, and not the Lower Mainland. Meh, it's the same timezone anyway. Reminded me of what someone would say about it taking HOURS to get to Vancouver from Powell River on Greyhound - I'm not surprised! I've also noticed that Amy Y. and Edwin have unfriended me... meh.


MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, AUGUST 2009 (2)

mango @ e.tea (Wednesday, August 19)
honeydew @ Juice King (Tuesday, August 25) [free, thanks to Steph!]

Scout, Ski, Socrates, and Starsky

The computer restarted AGAIN! Why am I not surprised?!

This is from What Not to Name Your Baby by Joe Borgenicht.

S

Sailor: Someone looking for a good time. "Hey, Sailor, you looking for a date?"

Samuel / Sam: A picky eater who is especially averse to eggs with a grasslike hue, and pork. He will not do anything you ask him to do. Not on a plane, not on a train. Not in a house and not with a mouse.

Scout: A boy who enjoys wearing only blue shirts covered in patches. Exception to the rule: if you happen to be naming a puppy before giving birth to your child.

Sean (seen) - In middle American English, past tense of the verb see. (Mr. Ferguson actually pronounced a guy's name SEEN in Grade 8 Socials, haha!)

Sebastian: A bastard.

Serge: A sudden burst of electricity.

Seymour: Will have great affection for a large, flesh-eating plant. Should never be used with the surnames Butts, Porn, or Ofmyass.

Sham: A fake. Sure, it's biblical, but that doesn't make it right.

Shamaine: A roll of toilet paper developed in the '70s that one COULD squeeze.

Shane: A feeling of guilt.

Ski: One of a pair of sharp, pointy planks used to travel downhill rapidly on snow. This name should be avoided by those individuals looking to join the legislative arm of the government.

Slaughter: Even if it's a family name, don't. Exception to the rule: if you're grooming your boy for a career as a professional wrestler.

Slider: A ruler used for making complex calculations. As a general rule, words that can also sort of be verbs do not make for healthy, esteem-producing names.

Smoky: Derogatory term for police officer. Conjures up images of classic '70s Burt Reynolds movies.

Socrates (SOCK-ra-teaze) - If you're a fan of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, this is pronounced "SO-crates."

Spencer: One who is for hire, generally. May be doomed to a lifetime as an assistant.

Starbuck: Look for one on every corner, and prepare your son for a lifetime of "I'll have a tall, double no-fat cappuccino" orders. Exception to the rule: excellent opportunity for brand-name marketing deals.

Starsky: Cool '70s cop played by David Soul. Or wait, was he Hutch? Who knows? Who cares? See also Hutch.

Sterile: Come on, that's just mean.

Stirling: Ancient Scottish family and castle. Also, the family silver.

Stone: A piece of rock. This child will be known for his cold, abrasive demeanor.

Stoney: To be under the influence of an illegal herbal supplement. Child will be cursed with glassy eyes and constant hunger, but may be very popular in high school and college.

Symmion: A child with opposable thumbs and the abilities to hang upside down and eat pounds of bananas.

Nina has no answer on YM! / Atelophobia (imperfection) / SHAMAN KING party

DAMMIT... this thing restarted AGAIN! Also, Gmail is down! Saw Nina Sandhu on YM for the first time in YEARS - I sent her a "hi" message, but didn't get an answer. That's what I was expecting, so no worries there! Been busy doing LOCATION work, so maybe getting up at 9:30 wasn't TOO bad... ;)

Edit an hour later: Ah, she finally replied. Good, good.


Facebook quizzes taken from Chris R. and Jennifer L. -

Leslie took the What is your phobia? quiz and got the result: Atelophobia. Atelophobia: Fear of Imperfection.

Leslie completed the quiz "What Tim Burton character are you?" with the result Mrs. Lovett. You are the woman running the show, as best as you can anyway. You feel vulnerable and delicate, so you want recognition to feel important. But you don't always realize that your wants aren't everyone's, and this puts you in a false sense of security. You are artistic and idealistic, but can easily misuse your talent for the wrong things. You love and hate in extremes, and give yourself easily when you believe you find love. Your own self-obsession at times could be a warning to you that even the hunters can become the victims if they don't watch their step.

Party time! Shaman King style [girls only] by Hihen
The guest's (you) name is
at the age of
You	listen to your CD player
while drinking	beer.
You then watch	Ryu
dreamily, as he	eats.
And then you get hungry and grab some	bread
but accidentally	knock down some drinks which spills over the food.
Embarrassed, you	tell everyone to stop staring
while muttering,	"Uhhhhhh...."
Then you	walk away, feeling shameful.
So, happy ending?	39%

You're lucky I didn't misplace the reception info, dude...

Yikes... Eric wants help with the RSVP info for Erin's reception which is in a week! I doubt Ben and Erin will be checking email now, but all we can do is try... =/

Poo nugget for Tuesday, September 1: Pebble Poo - Synonyms: Rabbit Poo, Kibbles N' Bits, Splashers, Butt Hail, Blueberries, Buckshot, Meteor Shower. (POO OF THE MONTH!)

Chicken pot pie and brownies do NOT relate to marijuana in any way!

Eric picked me up, and since I was feeling a little bitchy, I decided to be extra random! He wasn't too impressed, but whatever. I gave him the bottled water before he totally died, of course. Also gave him his birthday card, and asked what he was doing for his birthday. Apparently, Jon had said something about karaoke, and (later on) some "anti-Eric combination" - that could include alcohol (Grand Marnier?), caffeine, sugar, and something else! Talked about Steph and her friend asking about snakes - Eric thinks that our family is rather focused on that particular function, which is true! He said that the NHLPA had fired its executive director (apparently for no reason), and announced it at 12:30 AM today - CRAZY, indeed! I said that someone who disrupted traffic by turning left in the middle of a lane needed to be shot in the head - he wasn't impressed with that, either. Yes, he agreed it was annoying... but not to that extent.

Told him about the guestbook, which he didn't believe that I made - guess you'll see later! He thought my chicken pot pie and my brownies had something in common... despite what someone may have told him, I've never smoked the marijuana leaf in my life! Even if I ordered a six-inch Veggie Delight sub, it didn't mean that I had the munchies from it! Discussed the BBQ / Greek salad / Subway, and we went to the one next to Sleep Country Canada. I was impatient when there turned out to be nobody answering the church door, so Eric called Dylan to let us in. When Eric told me that we'd be let in since he was coming downstairs, I said that it had better be the case, or else somebody was getting rocks in their head. Dylan let us in, and I said "FINALLY" to him, haha.

I just could not contain my distaste when certain people were mentioned as being eligible to be on Committee next year - yikes! Vivian commented on the chicken pot pie: well, I *was* going to eat it before I left, but then Eric called, so I figured I'd better take it along. Kevin and Johnny were fine, as usual - too bad Johnny's going to Hong Kong. Discussed programs, preferences, cards for certain people, refreshments, 9/11 being a HOLIDAY in the States now, Dylan's wedding, and more. Corrected Johnny's grammar ("too much" is really "too many"), and pounced on Dylan's mistake when he referred to Superstore as Wal-Mart, hahaha!

On the way home (it somehow smelled like PineSol outside the church - WTF?!), I was even more random - I said stuff about drugs and pain, and said that I knew he was a man, so I knew what he was thinking when he intimated that I did things in the dark in Jon and Harmony's washroom. Discussed bling / babies / the hockey pool / colorful things / Peter / Jon / Holly / Dallas / Ryan / Alison / the housewarming (fun after 7:30!) / the relative merits of Kelsey's over California Café for him. I agree that Hong Kong-style cafés don't know how to do steak as well as white places do, for sure. Oh well, Ironwood should still be easy to get to... I hope! I've also found out that the Dog's Ear is not in Richmond anymore - I well remember my two trips there in 2007 and 2008 for a certain someone! THAILAND and CHARTER MAN, indeed!


Facebook quiz taken from Darren:

Leslie took the How will YOU get kicked out of Wal-Mart? quiz and got the result: You darted around the aisle suspiciously while humming the theme from Mission Impossible... You just finished watching the movie and couldn't get the tune out of your head. Plus, you had about 4 Red Bulls. Too bad for you!

Birthday card post: the yearly edition!

These are the birthday cards I want to buy for my friends. I must include at least 3 stickers in the card, and two little ones on opposite left-right corners of the envelope! (and get my sibs to sign, too... unless they don't know the people, haha)

January (5)

* 7: Vania So
* 11: Denise Man
* 11: Sabrina Chow
* 13: Rich Ng
* 21: Billy Lee

February (7)

* 5: Dylan Lum
* 10: Benjamin Lee (2006)
* 10: Sheena Soon
* 16: Lesley Chung
* 16: Steph Ng
* 22: Ivan Choo
* 26: Quan Ho

March (8)

* 1: Martin Jang
* 11: Maxine Fok
* 16: Julie Man
* 19: Corey Tapparo (mail)
* 21: Sophia Lam
* 23: Johnny Au
* 28: Harmony Ho
* 31: Hannah Luong (2006)

April (12)

* 2: Phil Yung
* 5: Helen Chen
* 7: Daniel To
* 7: Lily Luong
* 8: Clement Chiang
* 11: Dave He (mail, or c/o parents)
* 15: Chrystal Choi
* 17: Calla Suen
* 20: Michelle To
* 22: Karen Lew
* 26: Chuck Wen
* 29: Andrea Tang

May (7)

* 2: Jen Chan
* 3: Brian Man
* 4: Joey Lam
* 5: Danielle Law
* 18: Sam Yung
* 19: Angus Kinkade
* 21: Lee Luong

June (4)

* 2: Alan Quan
* 12: Sherman Tang
* 24: Eric Tsang
* 29: Dallas Wu

July (8)

* 2: Dianne Fang
* 4: Ian Lam
* 15: Nathan To
* 16: Cordia Wong
* 23: Connie Su
* 23: Jenny Su
* 31: Erin Chew
* 31: Frances Madrazo

August (11)

* 1: Justin Chiang
* 4: Sean Lam
* 6: Rosenda Marr
* 12: Joshua Fok (2005)
* 14: Michael Kwan
* 15: Eric Ho
* 18: Cindy Fang
* 18: Darren Chew
* 25: Kevin Li
* 18: Fidela Chiang
* 31: Stella Lee

September (7)

* 5: Eric Morrill
* 15: David Ho
* 16: Karen Choo
* 24: Citrus Wong
* 26: Mike Tse
* 27: Anita Wong
* 29: Anita Tung

October (8)

* 1: Ian Marr (2005)
* 1: Jeremy Janzen
* 2: Christon Siu
* 6: Dawn Wong
* 11: Chalaine Soon
* 11: Grace Yung
* 23: Jeff Wong
* 30: Vivian Lew

November (14)

* 6: Margaret Lee
* 8: Vanessa Chiu
* 9: David Marr
* 12: Emily Lam
* 12: Tim Fok
* 12: Vivian Salomon
* 13: Helen Kwan
* 13: John Lam
* 14: Melia Yung
* 14: Winnie Tsoi
* 16: Nicholas Kwan (2005)
* 24: Joanna Kwan
* 25: Jon Ng
* 29: Emily Choi

December (4)

* 13: Keenan Fok (2006)
* 25: Chung Yan Ip
* 25: Joe Tham
* 30: Hien Ho

TOTAL: 89

Evites, food as fuel, death glares, snake bowel movements

Steph and Chantal are camping, and want to know about snake bowel movements. Guess I'll be Junior Herpetologist for the day on Wikipedia research, haha. Crazy kids, I tell ya... :P Then again, Corey thinks they should taste it - "You know, like how you put something in a sci-fi or crime show computer, and it can magically analyze it, and tell you all about it. They can put it in themselves to analyze it!" I think that's disgusting! Snakes must swallow their prey whole, and snakes become dormant while the process of digestion takes place. A snake disturbed after having eaten recently will often regurgitate its prey in order to be able to escape the perceived threat. When undisturbed, the digestive process is highly efficient, with the snake's digestive enzymes dissolving and absorbing everything but the prey's hair and claws, which are excreted along with waste. And according to WikiAnswers, a snake excretes its waste the same way we do, and they do it through a vent on their under-belly. Apparently, the odor from fresh snake poo is indeed quite atrocious and truly appalling stuff just like ours!

Dylan seems to think that I won't be a member - I've been to a LOT of meetings, man. I'm sure I qualify because I am an NG, haha. Yes, I know that's not how it works... but it would be cool if it DID work that way. Hee hee. Since I'll be seeing Eric tonight, I guess I better work on his birthday card so IT isn't late like the guestbook was!

Andrea just sent me an Evite to some Sunday School appreciation lunch, on the Saturday morning after my birthday. Not sure if I can make it... I'd need a ride there, and then a ride back home, depending on how long the thing is. There IS Awana afterwards too, so maybe I can just commandeer the church library (if open) / an empty bench somewhere to read. Yeah, maybe I'll just do that. I will win if I get my reply in before certain people, YAY! Then again, they timed it to occur right after that lecture, which I probably will not attend. Now I don't know if I'll get a ride... there IS the Canada Line, though. Hmm... *thinks* I just said I would go since I can always use food as fuel before Awana, so we'll see what happens!

Speaking of Evites, I need to find out where mine for Friday's BBQ went! Ah, it's in the Trash Folder, and I can't view the damn thing until I remove the email from there - UGH! Replied to say I'd go, and I could help Eric keep Randal away from the meat (he SAYS he's visiting his mom in hospital...) with my NG DEATH GLARE, MUHAHAHAHAHA! Gillis says he'll be there, so that's a good thing! I also gotta coordinate one for my birthday pretty damn quick - maybe I'll make it at California so Dallas will have no excuse NOT to make it, haha. Although there ARE probably a lot of funky Richmond restaurants, too... haven't been to Kelsey's in YEARS, for example! (went there once with Elizabeth and James) I'll figure it out while I'm at the meeting, since Eric just called from work to see if I remembered about it! Of course I did! So now I'm out of here with the chicken pot pie, a fork to eat it with, my water bottle, brownies to share maybe, and a bottled water for Eric who hasn't had enough of it so far today.

Sunflower flax bread, muesli yogurt, deeply-discounted flan, rice, and cream puffs

HA! I ONLY TOOK ONE HOUR TO SHOP FOR GROCERIES! I bought a strawberry flan which was $7 off (best before Friday), Activia muesli / raspberry yogurts, some mint Dubs, a small container of Chantilly mini cream puffs, bananas, a chicken pot pie, some Milo, (chocolate) soy milk, salads (green / edamame / cranberry madness), cheap / Ziggy birthday and farewell cards for Eric / Sam / Nathan, and a new whisk to replace the one Billie used for Dallas' pancake mix. The whisk cost more than I thought it might, but it is sturdy! In the name of slaying yet more food-related memory dragons, I purchased a McCain Deep and Delicious chocolate cake AND a Western Family vegetarian lasagna with eight vegetables and multigrain pasta. The only difference is that I will NOT leave it in the microwave overnight since I'm too lazy to shuffle over there without my cane and take it out! Yes, that horrified me as his girlfriend... never mind the time he took THREE DAYS to clean up the microwave because he failed to follow directions! He apparently thought that "microwave for one and a half minutes" was something that could be stretched to mean "two or three minutes." *rolleyes*

Excuse me, I'm better now. I was going to get some cookies, some cheesecake slices, a Source Tango yogurt collection, and a huge container of the aforementioned cream puffs (or eclairs), but decided I didn't really need those! Since I needed to replace some old things in the freezer from Andrea, I got on-sale Nestlé cookies and creme ice cream, frozen veggies (carrots / corn / green beans / peas), and (sunflower) flax bread. I was going to get the Organics kind made without flour, but settled for Country Harvest, which was actually on sale. There were no blueberries, so it's a good thing I still have the frozen cherries! Also got Uncle Ben's rice in lemon chicken / grilled chicken with portobello mushrooms. It's not as good as making it with real rice (which I still have), but it's okay if you're in a rush or something! Decided to get pomegranate-blueberry juice, cranberry (and black cherry) juice, and some on-sale turkey as well.

Barry talked to me about the Night Market and reading glasses - I don't know if those things make your eyes weaker over time! Says that the meeting was scheduled this morning - yeah, I bet he just forgot! After I got home, I put everything away before having Isabel's German apple cake as part of lunch. Then I threw the garbage away - some sauce went in there, too. Now maybe I'll try getting some rest before tonight, at least!

Annoying life circumstances, woodchipper links, running through life

The people upstairs should be shot, since they've been walking around heavily since 8 AM. Barry called to see if we could go shopping at 11 instead, since apparently I might take longer than usual, and they have a staff meeting at 1. *rolleyes* Speaking of meetings, Dylan just sent a reminder email about our own Committee meeting tonight... hopefully I get some more sleep later, or I will NOT be compos mentis!

Chantelle let me know about this wood chipper link - that DOES remind me of FARGO, but so does the Helle Crafts murder case!

You Run Through Life

Your journey through life is energetic, fast-paced, and spontaneous. You like to live for the moment, and you always prefer taking action to sitting still. You crave a lot of freedom in your life. You can feel burdened by too many rules and responsibilities. If you can do things your own way, you really are able to shine. You are very good at understanding the world.

How Do You Travel Through Life?

Night Market 2009 with lamb skewers / Dutch Ovens

The Night Market was pretty fun - Nathan and the crew picked me up at 8:45, which was when I was expecting them. Gave Jon and Harmony their "guestbook," which Harmony thanked me for after they tried deciphering what the stickers said on the front - the whiteout was pretty readable, heh. I said that they might as well have another party sometime, and Jon said that maybe they should just for Shally - she'd heard about it, haha. Listened to Jon discuss blackberry picking and the wedding with Mom on the phone, too. Nathan insisted on paying to access the back parking lot behind the market - I wasn't objecting, haha.

Walked around, discovered THE RONIN (knives and pretty swords!), spotted the Panties On Hoops stall (they had the UN-BRA this year), and took advantage of the $1 special right after 10:30. Discussed "hurricane potato fries," Christon, and the CNE. Shared dragon's beard candy / halal lamb skewers / lamb, beef, and chicken skewers / curry fish balls / egg balls, and more. Nathan saw the DVD shop, and eventually got only one movie about the Rape of Nanking. We made fun of the weird English on the DVD synopses! He also got an iPhone cover, and he had to haggle - Dallas told us about his own haggling, and that was pretty good! One guy was screaming that he had bubble tea - but it wasn't on special!

Critiqued the dancing on stage (one dancer was too close to another), talked about my birthday (Dallas could make it even if he's studying - MAYBE), Nathan's going to the UK, curry and ratatouille for their dinner, and Nate eating too much Korean food yesterday. It was kinda disturbing that Nathan wanted to lick an Obama T-shirt, but the guys found a perfect complement to their hypothetical free jazz booth - a stall that sold shirts with microphones inside and psychedelic designs on the front! Jon says he'd sell durian or stinky tofu if he had a booth at the market... we loved the random free box of Kleenex that Nathan got for parking in the back lot, and the sponsorship of said back lot by Pho 99! (a sign was advertising "40% Real Shrimp" in their shrimp concoctions)

The police were around, which fact we noted after we saw a booth openly advertising iPhone hacks and similar things for $5! As soon as the market closed, they were ensuring that nobody actually sold anything. Yes, we were just waiting for our lamb skewers... and we got out of the way of the trucks! I got home at 11:50 or so, which wasn't too bad. Good times, again!


Poo nugget for Monday, August 31: Dutch Oven - Humans are known for flatulence during sleep, largely due to the relaxed state of body muscles (including the anal sphincter), which results in the average person farting about ten to twenty times during any given night. When someone who is lying awake in bed farts under the sheets, then pulls the sheets over the head of their unsuspecting partner, it is called giving him or her a "Dutch Oven."

Eric's grad banquet roast of Jon: Crocodile Hunter!

Note: LJ Role I'd Play In Anime Memegen, by bubblegum_thai.


Eric finally posted his grad banquet roast of Jon to Youtube! Behold The Crocodile Hunter: Jonasaurs of Gemenon!




Facebook quizzes taken from Darren:

Leslie completed the quiz "What instrument are you?" with the result Clarinet. You are a clarinet. Basically the violins of the band, you are versatile and can play many different styles and ranges. You have fingers of fire, and love speed. You usually know what you're doing and have a lot of friends, like your section. You don't mind being quiet as long as you like what you're doing, and you can make your own fun in your section. Guy clarinets are less common, but are usually very good; sucky guy clarinets are hard to find. Your worst enemy is the trumpets, who drown you out and are just obnoxious. Your best friend is an oboe; you admire their uniqueness and encourage them. (Ha, I used to PLAY the clarinet!)

Leslie completed the quiz "which country hates you?" with the result Singapore hates you. You are boring, dull, and dreary. You fall, and don't tend to the wounds. You carry yourself in an uncomfortable way because you couldn't care less. You are a sad person with no respect for anything. Singapore is a beautiful, clean, happy place... they just don't want a dried-up corpse walking the street! You're a pigeon nobody wants to see or feed. Shoo! Fly away! We don't want you here!

Erin and Ben's wedding wasn't in TAIWAN, Grandma... and no, you're not living with me!

I didn't say much to my dad or grandma this morning, but did get a bag of stuff from them. It contained one of my library books that I must have left at the townhouse, a London double-decker bus keychain, Kenco smooth roast coffee grounds x3, Princess Cruises chocolate squares, Cadbury instant hot chocolate, some Haribo wine gums (which Amanda thought I'd share with her later - NO!), a pin, assorted candy, light underwear, a light blue watch (so not my color!), and some other stuff. I bet Jon and Harmony's Glenfiddich cost more ALONE than the things I got! Thought I should have brought the new Hilroy notebook as a guestbook to the housewarming yesterday (it would have seen much use!), but I'll give it to Jon and Harmony tonight! (told Harmony about it... the book can be stored unobtrusively on a bookshelf somewhere!) I pressed the second-floor button in the elevator for Grandma, but she got out on the first floor - I guess it was okay, since she later saw Mrs. Tang on the way upstairs. (Steph later told me that she always does this!)

Saw Sam and others back from their cruise, so cleared things up with him regarding my accidental phone call on Friday afternoon. Talked to Harmony briefly about the cleanup - they'd finished at 12:30, which wasn't too bad. She says she might come out to the Night Market tonight for kicks, so that's good. Saw FM, but resolved to speak to him later. Said hi to Danielle when she came, as well as Megan and Connor - they're so cute! FM spoke some Chinese to us - imagine, a black guy speaking Chinese! He's in Richmond Hill now, and is also a chaplain with the York Provincial Police - too bad Steph wasn't her, haha. Later, I talked to Eric and Nathan for a bit - Nathan was interrupted by people while he was trying to say hi to FM, heh.

Eventually, we all got our chance! Auntie Catherine reminded FM about who I was, but of course he remembers me from his church internship of 1992-1995! He said it was strange to see my brother playing piano - and he's married now, too! Gave me a business card for my sister (I copied down the email address and such before giving it to her later), and says he rides around with the officers in their cruisers, and knows what they're going through. Cool stuff!

After that, I went to the front of the church to see if I could find Ada - found her husband John, who said that she was just taking Ian and Sean upstairs to Sunday School. Bumped into her two seconds later, and asked if she could drive me to the Awana orientation (NOT the training!) on Saturday - she can, so that was another goal accomplished! Talked to Nathan and secured a ride to the Night Market tonight, so that was good - told the ugfart, who hadn't seemed impressed when I asked HIM for one earlier! Carpooling is a good idea, for sure! Later, Harmony had to get going to a barbecue, so I headed upstairs.

Auntie Bessy was with the kids, and I heard that Auntie Fonda was taking a break from teaching; fair enough! We were in the middle of the singing when Dad came to collect me - gave five Oreo cookies to Hien downstairs after taking one for myself. Picked up Mom and Steph from the airport before going to Tsim Chai for lunch, which had Grandma confused - "why are we at the airport?" indeed. While they were telling us about Erin's wedding (and after Steph had specifically mentioned a bunch of Erin's relatives by name), Grandma then thought that they'd gone to some famous mountain in Taiwan! What the heck... Uncle Eric's family is from Singapore, so they wouldn't have been in Taiwan for an ultra-destination wedding anyway!

Talked about the terrible Ottawa food, hair and makeup, brutal honesty ("your hair looks TERRIBLE!"), being stressed-out, getting parents out of Erin's sight, Erin and Ben's different views on their five-bedroom house, interesting singing, an arrogant ugly horrible groomsman, various relatives, Auntie Paula outlasting her grandson Darren on the dance floor, and plenty of other stuff. "This lady was hit by an ambulance, and she's still very celebratory!" Good thing Steph packed for seeing Chantal BEFORE leaving for Ottawa - less stress, for sure. Mom thinks Grandma can now live with me since she can't really handle stairs - apparently, she tripped last night while going upstairs. While that's unfortunate, I don't think I can handle it... definitely not after the last two weeks!

When I got home, I decided to decorate Jon and Harmony's new guestbook. The stickers wouldn't stay on the front cover, so I had to use whiteout instead! "J + H HI!" should be pretty much self-explanatory, kinda. Called Billie to spontaneously invite her to the Night Market - we'll see, since she was at Metrotown to watch a movie! Her friend lives in Richmond, though... maybe, maybe not!

Classic film villains, first children named Katie-May, and more!

Facebook quizzes taken from Kaili, Jemima, Gretchen, and Itamar:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Classic Film Villain Are You?" with the result Darth Vader. You are Darth Vader. You are a extremely powerful force. You bring fear to everyone's hearts. You own a lightsaber to strike down all who stand in your path. You have embodied the dark side of the dark side of the Force. But you haven't always been that way. Tragedy struck you when you were a young man. You lost control of your emotions, and didn't know who to turn to. You were deceived by an evil man, and joined him in destroying your former allies. You dueled your master, but were almost killed by him. Your life was saved, but only because of the suit that was made to keep you alive. No one has seen your face for years. And that is one of your fear factors. No face, just that cold frightening mask. Your archenemy is your own son, who will try to destroy evil, including you. But he is no match..... but will he need to kill you? You were the chosen one; the one who would destroy the evil Sith. But instead, you have joined them. Now you can't stop them...... or can you?


Leslie took the How heartless are you? quiz and got the result: You are 1% heartless. You are very kind and generous, and people notice it. Some individuals try to use you to their advantage, and you realize that. It angers you to be used, and someday you will crack... (By the way, that's a picture of a frog)

Leslie took the When will you have your first child? quiz and got the result: 22nd October 2019. You will have a little tiny baby girl. She will be brunette and have sparkling green eyes. She will be named Katie-May. (That's in ten years... I don't think so!)


Leslie took the quiz "The Brain Dominance Test" and got the result: Balanced Brain: 15 Left-Brain Responses / 15 Right-Brain Responses! Of 30 questions, 15 of your responses indicate you are left-brained dominant. 15 of your responses are indications of right-brain dominance. These results indicate you have a balanced brain, with no tendency to think towards either side. Those who are middle-brain dominant tend to be more flexible than either the left or the right-brain folks; however, you often vacillate between the two hemispheres when you make decisions. You sometimes get confused when decisions need to be made because, neurologically speaking, you could do most tasks through either a left-brain or a right-brain method! A balanced score means you are able to draw on the strengths of both the right and left hemispheres of your brain depending upon a given situation. This combination makes you a creative and flexible thinker. The downside to having a more "balanced brain" is that you may sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision when the two hemispheres of your brain are competing to solve a problem in their own unique ways. You may also find career choices difficult due to your proficiency in several different areas.


Leslie completed the quiz "The Real You." with the result Yourself. The truth is, you already are aware of yourself and who you are. You've come to terms with yourself, and have been through almost everything. You live, love, and cherish. You've already shown everyone your true colors. Your life is complete. Nothing holds you back. You've lived with regrets, anger, hurt, despair, light, dark, and everything in between. However, these things won't stop you. Keep living on. You find beauty in yourself and others. You are prone to changing. You let your emotions out and keep them that way. Everyone admires you for your loyalty and trustworthiness. You are truly unique, and one of a kind.


Leslie took the Your Mental Age. quiz and got the result: Young Adult (20-23 years). You know who you are, finally, and you're ready to get started with your life. Nothing is dragging you down. The sky is the limit.

Housewarming with durian, Grand Marnier, and more!

This thing just restarted for the first time since I've been back! What the hell.

Was at Jon and Harmony's around 5 or so (Karina recognized me when I was walking to the house!), and said hi to them, a couple of their friends, Christon, and Dallas. Gave Harmony her mail from the townhouse - it was some gala thing. Ignored Randal and Raymond, who probably came TOGETHER! People were watching baseball, eating peppers / cheese / cheddar / crackers / cheesy eggplant dip / more, and just chatting. Talked to Dilys, Jeremy, Vanessa, Connie, Nathan, Dylan (who took the beef jerky underpants with him when he left), Deb, Lori, Eric, Isabel, Joey, Patricia, Auntie Wing, Uncle Joe, and others when they dropped by. We were discussing foot-long sausages (which Jeremy said are OBSCENE - I agree), when a certain perfidious blackguard brought up foot-WIDE sausages. I reflexively said "EWWWW!" before I registered who said it... :(

Eric left early since he had a dinner with Ryan and Alison, so he wanted to know if he should drive me to the Canada Line. By that point, it was my goal to outstay Raymond (maybe Randal had already left), so I declined - I thought I'd just transit back home. I achieved this goal maybe half an hour or so later, so YAY! Peter and Holly dropped by at 10 or so, and I asked if they could give me a ride home - good timing, said my brother. We discussed Taiwan since a couple of Jon and Harmony's friends had a wedding reception there, some North Van stories courtesy of Citrus (blood!), blogs, the UK, Queens, Sam's farewell, the Canada Line, MuchMusic / BIG SHINY TUNES 2, the Night Market, the Magic Bullet ("the best wedding gift EVER!"), insects, coconut macaroons, melting cream puffs, many weddings, the summer, church, watermelon shakes, running, mint, ginger, the piano, furniture and bookshelves from Craigslist and other people, and giving leftover wine / durian to their landlords!

Talked about Emily and separation anxiety, VBS, Awana, mixing Grand Marnier / chocolate / cream in with durian shakes (no banana / cheese / cilantro!), Flying Wedge pizza (real food!), the airport, German apple cake, TALKING WOODSTOCK, cacti, being crazy on alcohol, and more. People were asking where Steph was, so we told them. Auntie Wing wondered where my dad was, then - Jon and I weren't surprised that he didn't drop by with Grandma, hahaha. Apparently, Francis Mpindu is coming to speak tomorrow - IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE HE WAS OUR PASTOR! He bought our family's old blue car from us when he was here from Zimbabwe, and apparently his accent was so thick that my brother hung up on him twice since Jon thought he had the wrong number when he wanted to speak to my dad! After FM was here, he went to Ottawa - nothing controversial like there was with Pastor Glen, and I confirmed my brother's memories since I'd have remembered more than he would have in the mid-1990s.

For some reason, we were talking about beer - I said that Mom had thought Jon would be an alcoholic! Jeremy said, "Yeah... and then she blamed ME!" Jon remembered that, all right: "Jeremy is a BAD INFLUENCE!" At least she's quit blaming Jeremy, who didn't really start drinking till JON did! Got home at 11 to find an email from my dad timestamped at 7:35 - um, calling him before 9 was not possible! So then I called him ten minutes later; he didn't sound too impressed that I'd JUST gotten home from Jon and Harmony's! Good thing I had a ride, otherwise I'd have been home even LATER. Sheesh! I also thought that I'd sensed the start of redrum, and I was right... I hope it DOES NOT go for two weeks like last time! (pain already?!) There go another pair of underwear that I'm too lazy to wash out... thank goodness I was wearing my jeans, though! (I should get them a GUESTBOOK!)