You, weirdo, are creepy and icky! / COUGAR TOWN

I hope I'm not getting sick, since I've been coughing off and on since yesterday. At least I think I've finished prepping for toddler Sunday School - it might actually SUCK, haha. Also hope the PEDOPHILE newcomer doesn't try talking to me again - he strikes me as icky, and did from when I was forced to shake his hand. Why didn't this "icky" feeling strike me when I had to talk to certain people for the first time?! Then I'd have been spared a whole lot of drama! I certainly have to talk to Pastor John tomorrow, perhaps with Dylan and Eric in tow. (Candy also says it strikes her as odd that the FIRST-TIME VISITOR would sign up for a service project involving CHILDREN!) Googling his name brings up nothing, which at least is good news UNLESS he provided a fake name!

Eric is probably going to give me a ride tomorrow evening, which I will confirm with him in the morning - it'll be more fun than other things, hahaha. While writing on Andrea's wall to thank her for the blue magma lamp, I noted that she and Jocelyn were now friends. YAY! I heard a commercial for a TV show called Cougar Town, so had to tease Harmony about that too! She says it sounds like something she should pass on, hahaha. Well, I'll just tell her husband about it, hehe.


Leslie's just got their Hot Sauce Name from Name Generators. It's Texas Champagne.

Grandma's impatience means we stay home! / GLEE / Bezoars

Steph called to say she woke up, and Mom had already taken the two old ladies out for lunch - I bet Grandma got impatient as usual. Guess we'll both be staying home, which is fine. Seems I have a month to eat these Munchies before they expire. (not 1.1 kg of them anymore, thanks to last night!) I can do it, oh yes! :P (maybe it's just me, but they don't seem to have them anywhere except in 7-11... then again, perhaps I'm not looking closely enough!)


Facebook quiz taken from Citrus:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Glee character are you?" with the result Puck. You love football, and feeling better than everyone else. You're a bit of a bully, and don't really understand other people too well.

You Are Silver

You are down to earth and unpretentious. You don't feel like you need to show off, and you're very secure with your place in the world. You are understated and elegant. You carry yourself with poise, and you're more known for what you don't do than what you do. You can fit in anywhere from a country western bar to a black tie gala. You are adaptable and adventurous. You are blind to social class and background. You see people as who they are ... not as where they came from or how much money they have.

Are You Silver or Gold?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Poo nugget for this weekend: Caveat Emptor - The phrase, meaning "let the buyer beware," has its roots in a seventeenth-century English case involving the apparent fraudulent sale of a bezoar. A bezoar is a concretion formed in the intestinal tract that centuries ago was thought to have medicinal properties. We now know that the formation of this stone is a sign of gastrointestinal disease. This case involved a suit by the purchaser of the bezoar claiming that the bezoar did not harbor the medicinal properties claimed by the seller. In ruling in favor of the seller, the court made no mention of the fact that bezoars were unlikely to confer any real health benefits, but hinged the decision on the notion of caveat emptor.

Thanksgiving / Peanut butter Chipits are GOOD! / Purell / Swine Flu

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING! Mmm, I love these peanut butter Chipits! I can only have the butterscotch ones in extreme moderation because they're too sweet - maybe I will give them to Grace as a weird "birthday present," hehe. Corey and I were also discussing Wyoming last night, and Eric told me that the Homestar Runner Halloween Special is coming up. YAY!

If I even see Mr. Creep tomorrow, I swear I'm gonna douse myself in Purell. Seriously! (Corey thinks I seriously like him... um, NO! "Jane had some guy she worked with that she thought was totally weird and creepy because he kept talking to her... well, it turns out he was friendly and helped her out with lots of things and became a good friend after she quit being rude to him whenever he tried to talk to her!") Then again, he thinks I'm acting like a little girl: "EWWW! HE IS SO GROSS!" means "I really want attention from him!" That is NOT the case. Yuck! :P


Facebook quiz taken from Adam:

Leslie has a 6% chance of catching swine flu this year. This was determined after an exhaustive review of this user's profile information. (I guess that's not too bad...)

The newcomer might be a pedophile! Okay, maybe not... but BLOGGER is not BLADDER!

Tonight's ride to church with Eric was pretty amusing. I heard a sports announcer on Team 1040 say something about a 17-8 score, so I almost said something about that. Turned out to be a football score and not a hockey one, haha. Discussed Johnny / Cindy / emails, worship team imbalance, and the service projects - I'll already be at the Halloween one in my Awana capacity! He thinks mooncake is disgusting, and it's not because of the sugar or fat content. I asked him for a contingency ride on Sunday evening for the dinner, and he wondered how much it was worth to me - hey, I found a dime on the floor of Hallmark Cards today, hahaha! He said something about "Leave my car NOW" in a weird voice, and I misheard that as "yellow compass." o_O Then I said something random about Blogger working... he thought I'd said that my BLADDER worked, and wondered why I was telling him that in his car! HAHAHAHA! NO!!!!!!

Saw Andrea and CHUCK at the church - she gave me my late birthday present (which turned out to be a blue magma lamp), and I thanked her for it. I definitely said hi to Chuck - they had to leave early, but he gave me a belated birthday wish, and said he'd be back in November. We had a good discussion about that state of the Fellowship - talked to Connie, Shally, Grace, Lesley, Christon, Jen, Annie, and a few more people. The only thing was this newcomer guy kept contributing to the discussion - YOU ARE NEW, SO STAY OUT OF IT! Accidentally on purpose bumped into a perfidious blackguard, HA! I can blame it on my precarious balance, hahaha. Eric asked what I'd done to my brother and sister-in-law... as far as I know, they were at a DINNER!

When I asked her, Jen seemed pretty interested in serving on Committee; in fact, I observed her talking to Pastor John about it. I hope she says she WILL serve since that means I won't have to deal with any potentially awkward meetings, maybe. Christon says that his parents get back at 1 AM, so Janette said that would be an excuse to stay up late and go to Dragon Ball, haha! Asked Grace if she ever used baking chips - she rarely bakes, but says that she'll use them if I give it to her. I might do that, then... if I can find two rubber bands, I'll be good. I was forced to shake hands with the newcomer dude, when all I was doing was verifying his name. I should have said I didn't shake hands, haha. Wesley, Dianne, and I talked about McDonalds, coupons, and Monopoly - we don't care if it's not a normal size Coke! JUST GIVE IT TO US!

Asked Eric if he were ready to go, since I needed to talk to him about something. Eventually, we got going - and despite the reminder on the whiteboard, I *still* forgot to pick up my membership meeting notice at the front desk! Maybe on Sunday! I got the majority of a huge bag of Munchies free, so that was a good score. Had ONE white chocolate chip cookie, and felt a sugar rush come on - what IS it with me and sugar?! Once he'd helped me put my stuff in the backseat, I got in the car and started talking about the newcomer.

He's bald (which Eric mentioned), and apparently wanted to help out with the kids during the Kids Night. I noticed that while I put my own stamp on that sign-up sheet ("I'll already be there, unlike you peons who have to be persuaded to be there! :P"), and instantly thought PEDOPHILE ALERT! Not that he's necessarily one, but he's NEW! COME ON! Eric would probably say that the parents feel uncomfortable with a brand new person helping around their kids. I told Eric NOT to be like me if he were the one delivering the "bad news" to the guy, haha. ("my friend thinks you're a pedophile!" ".....") Then he asked what I wanted to talk to him about - uh, what did I just TELL you?! It's not like I can air my concerns two feet from the guy!

Also talked about poisons, #4 / Alderbridge, FLASH FORWARD, the Child Protection Seminars, being crazy / xenophobic, getting gas, evil plans, gel and streaks (I don't wanna know about Jacksonville...), the Fellowship Christmas Dinner (Dec. 4), and more. Man, rides with Eric can be pretty interesting. Got home, opened Andrea's present, opened the glass game set finally (after almost four years?!), wrote a bunch of tag prompts, made Coquitlam sleepover plans with Billie for the 21st, and just chilled. It's going to be cool, man... I get to spend time with Great-Aunt tomorrow!

New Duggar grandchild / I know Sean's a dentist now!

I've heard that the Duggars now have a grandchild. Can't say I'm a big fan of the name, so won't be posting it here. :P

The transit police and fare checkers were out in force today, if someone checking fares at both ends of my journey was any indication! Thank goodness I had my bus pass, although that leaves me to wonder about the people whose transfers have JUST expired, or are about to expire. Are they allowed to wait for the next train, or do they have to purchase new tickets? HMM! I got to the dentist office and realized I had no cash (like last time), but I said I'd be back once I got some from the nearby bank machine... UNLIKE last time!

I had to wait for someone who took a long time at said machine, but I withdrew what turned out to be the perfect amount of money because of X-rays and such! The CIBC machine brought back memories of when I had to use those for a certain person, yikes. Uncle Andrew said that he wanted his son Sean to check my teeth next time - I know he's graduated from dental school, and thought it might be kind of awkward since I was around him a lot when he was growing up. We'll see what happens in April! I heard a story about Auntie Brenda and pineapple coupons in Hawaii which only reinforces what I've heard about her from my parents, hahaha. Nine people on vacation, and she gets a lot of coupons for free pineapple... of course, she wants to maximize the coupons for the two families. The only problem is that you can't EAT that much pineapple in a week! HAHAHAHAHA!

I had no cavities, which is good. When I left with Colgate Pro-Health toothpaste / a 2010 calendar / a toothbrush, I saw Helen - it turns out I changed my appointment for her! Said that I hadn't replied to her email yet because my great-aunt was in town, but she still hugged me hello. Good to see her! Went to White Spot and had a Monterey Jack burger with melted cheese (YAY!) and mushrooms, then went to Hallmark Cards to get birthday / thank you cards for Mattias and Amanda. Saw that cookware store I was referencing the other day - Barnes & Castle is its name! Just for info purposes, I went inside to price the non-stick pots... a two-quart one is $25, which doesn't sound too bad. There was a big "80% off inventory!" sign, so I guess I could have bought one and not broken the budget, but I'm not greedy. Besides, I'd have had no room for it on the crowded Canada Line!

Got home to find my sister had called me at 2:30, so I called her back. Seems she's taking Grandma and Great-Aunt out for lunch tomorrow, and wasn't sure if I'd be free. Since there's no Awana because of Thanksgiving, I'll join them. Won't be before noon, since she has to sleep after work - very understandable! The air outside smelled like laundry detergent, haha.

Weird dream about melted cheese and Kingsgate

Had a weird dream about getting on this bus which started at Kingsgate Mall, and then was almost all the way into Richmond (we knew this by seeing Oakridge?!), when it made a massive detour and was all the way back at the start of the route again. In real life, this route would be impossible! Apparently, it wasn't the first time the bus had done that on the route, so a bunch of people (including me) got off. After seeing a Canada Line train and a Skytrain depart via the same stop, I decided to go to the nearby Subway and order something to eat. They had all kinds of specials that wouldn't be there in real life, like Cheesy Subway Tubs. I ordered one of those (at $6.60), while figuring the Salsa Tub wouldn't be good for what I wanted. They gave me beef with the melted cheese, but wouldn't give me jalapenos or olives. Then again, they also almost forgot the salt and pepper. Woke up when the mail came in through the mailslot.

I have NO idea why I had the dream, since I didn't even order Subway on Monday! Oh well... maybe I'm subconsciously craving melted cheese or something. I will go to Oakridge later for sure since I have an dentist appointment, but I dunno if White Spot has anything with melted cheese. Maybe the food court does, haha! I'll figure it out (going there really early?) after I take a shower, post this entry, and do at least ONE entry's worth of retro-editing. ;) [gotta ask TONIGHT for possible Sunday rides for that Thanksgiving Dinner!]

Edit: Never mind. I'm hungry NOW. I'll have a shrimp Alfredo meal instead, and then see about the melted cheese stuff later! Maybe the melted cheese came from seeing Eric order his sandwich as a toasted one with cheese, hahaha.

You Are Stubble

You are assertive and confident. You know how to pull off being the least well-dressed person in the room. You have a lot of natural talent and charm. You get a bit of a free ride in life, and you enjoy it. You are attractive and even downright sexy. You have that certain something that draws people to you. You may be a bit irresponsible and flighty, but that only makes you more interesting. You play hard to get... and it works!

What Kind of Facial Hair Are You?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Rick Rolls via Craigslist / Kisses / Food supplements for bacteria

I got Rick Rolled by a Craigslist ad earlier tonight - HOW DAMN ANNOYING!

What Type Of Kiss Are You? by selphie
Horoscope / Astrological Sign
Preferred Fruit	StrawberryPeachAppleOrangeStarfruitBananaGrapeI hate fruits!!I only eat vegetables..
Kisses you encountered	None1 or 2Quite a handfulZillions!!Forgotten...I love to kiss my dollies!
Type of Kiss	Surprise Kiss

z

Poo nugget for Friday, October 9: FOS - Fructooligosaccharide, a more scientific explanation for the acronym FOS, is a food supplement that helps to nourish the healthy bacteria residing in your colon. FOS has been used as an artificial sweetener for several decades, but recently has been touted to have many health benefits, including promotion of gastrointestinal health.

Heather and Ivy, Craigslist ad pranks, birthday coincidences, stereotypical military wife

Heather suggested I add Ivy, and she apparently remembers who I am. I should do that with more school people, hahaha.

Corey and I were bantering / threatening each other about Craigslist earlier, and he directed me to Don't Even Reply. "Speaking of Craigslist... that site is a guy that pranks people on there. Some of them are pretty good. Just click Next at the top or bottom to go through them in order... the main page only has a few." He says that today is his sister and brother-in-law's birthday (same day), and they're each attempting to surprise the other... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, it's nice if they can do it, I suppose! (tomorrow's apparently involves poker... yay :P) At least those two parties are at the same time and place, which makes things simpler unless you count DOUBLE the birthday present STRESS... AAAAAH! Reminds me of Justin and Danielle Dewonck, whose parents (Bernard and Brenda) had the same birthday as well. Crazy coincidences, man!


Facebook quiz taken from Veronica:

Leslie completed the quiz Which Stereotypical Military Wife Are You?" with the result Eatin' Bonbons. You've found that sometimes, the best way to deal with this crazy military spouse life is to sit down with a nice cup of cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake... or five. Your friends like hanging out with you, because chances are you've got something tasty in the cupboard. You are probably a pretty good cook, but if not, you know exactly what your friend needs to eat to make her feel better. You love parties for the food, but if it's going to be a long night by yourself, you're just as content to polish off a bag of chippies, a tub of ice cream, a chocolate bar... or all of the above. You can always be counted on to know what's missing in any dish, and how to make a perfect gravy... or at least, which restaurant serves it!

Dream: Golden Ticket as CD-ROM / Check your calendars: New Year's is NOT on Halloween!

Noticed that Ty has added me on Facebook, while Kevin C. has apparently unfriended me. I say "apparently" because he'd been complaining about people hacking his account! Who knows. I went to bed BEFORE midnight - I think all this going out is bad for me that way, haha. Had a weird dream where the character Jeremy from Zits was trying to get a Golden Ticket that was actually a shiny CD-ROM, but someone who looked like my mom stole it. Mom was wearing a baby blue tracksuit and pink sweatpants (what a combo...), and went outside this huge house to a concrete parking lot. I was smart and swiped the CD-ROM from her knapsack, then gave it back to Jeremy. Went back inside the huge house, and was a bit stressed out because of all the people unexpectedly showing up. (I saw John, Sophia, and their daughters just passing through, but there were teens everywhere!) When Candy's boyfriend Drew came through the ornate brown doors, I was SO relieved to have a buffer that I had to hug him! I explained it to Candy, who just laughed it off. Not sure why I had the dream... I know I've seen Mom a lot this week, what with family meals and such! (and no, I have NOT been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, either!)

Alicia () sent me a message on Facebook, for her "New Year's Party" which is actually on Halloween. My sister and I thought she should check her calendar, and I'm sure that still applies! I'm certainly not going, even if I didn't have the Kids Night carnival to think about. She mentions a "full-size effigy to burn on the bonfire," and I just KNOW it'll be of Krista! Okay, maybe not. But I am loyal to Krista, and don't want her thinking badly of me, so I won't be going. Krista () is MY FRIEND, and I won't stand by and let this happen. No, I'm not going to get into the messy drama (as per request), but I'll be damned if I'm going to be friends and get burned later on! Messy drama and lifestyle, indeed...

Now I'm going to have a Butter and Herb Sidekick for lunch! (had the Chicken one a couple days ago) Called the dentist office - tomorrow at 2:30 sounds good; it's halfway between the rescheduled 2:15 and the original 2:45, and I get to go home after, too! SO MUCH BETTER WITH THE CANADA LINE, and without complainers, hahahaha. Blogger SEEMS to have fixed their annoying 10-label limit, which is EXCELLENT. But I still get the "20 labels per post and 2000 unique labels per blog" error message when I try to add in labels to an already-published post. However, I do NOT get that message when I save a post as a draft and add in labels there, or when I make a brand-new post with 20 labels. What the?! Oh well, I'll now be busy copying my few entries I made during the error time to Blogger from LJ! Editing posts with 20 labels seems to be okay, though.

You Are Europe

You are old-fashioned, a true romantic, and an idealist. You sometimes wish you could freeze time and that the world would stop changing. You appreciate quality over quantity, and you try your best to live the good life. You appreciate good art, good food, good wine, and good company more than most people you know. You remember and honor the past. You believe that culture should be preserved and appreciated.

What Continent Are You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Poo nugget for Thursday, October 8: Doo You Know? - Foods That Cause Gas - Beans, vegetables (such as broccoli / cabbage / Brussels sprouts / onions / artichokes / asparagus), fruits (such as pears / apples / peaches), whole grains, soft drinks, milk, sorbitol (used as a sugar substitute in diet foods), and more! [personal experience: CHINESE FOOD!]

And the screensaver distracts ANOTHER old lady! / Dinesty again, and goodbye to Cousin Eric

Steph got home later than Grandma expected - man, Big G was so impatient! Great-Aunt seemed distracted / entertained by the screensaver on the computer, which is good: Steph in Regina, Jon's wedding, various family pictures... yup, you can use those to distract old ladies! She even saw one of her and Grandma from the other night: Steph uploaded them pretty quickly, I guess! At Dinesty, we had SLB / hot and sour soup / wonton / chicken with garlic / dried fish / other good Shanghai food. My grandma bugged me about having a boyfriend / getting married / reading / other stuff. Hey, if I had less time, WHO WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU AND YOUR SISTER HOME?! HMM?!

Great-Aunt called me by my Chinese name, which I kinda expected, but nobody's done that in a LONG time! (if people at church don't know my name, I'm generally referred to as my father's daughter!) We thanked Cousin Eric for dinner, then discussed ZOMBIELAND and how Chinese were so sexist and confusing when it came to names for your relations. Yes, there are separate names for cousins depending on whether it comes from a male line or a female line! I said goodbye to Cousin Eric, and wished him a safe trip home tomorrow. Could be interesting if he comes here again, for sure!

At home, I bugged Corey about hot and sour soup. (he says they put too much SOY SAUCE in it - what the?!) I also helped Andrew with these two sentences' commas, wording, and grammar: "Not only does her article provide personal opinions, it also includes studies done by other research committees such as Monster.ca, NFI Research, and Red Point Management Services" and "The writers of the two articles use different writing techniques to convey the same message: communication is important." He thanked me, and let me know that the Canucks were winning for the first time - they were playing the Habs. Thanks to checking my news feed (Jonathan Chan always has the latest :P) and bugging Sabrina about it, I knew that already! YAY!

Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Mario and other characters in tagging form!

Got this "Yoshi / Donkey Kong / Mario / game characters" tagging picture from one of Candace's friends.

Flipping out because someone walked into you while on her phone?!

Going to church was uneventful for me, although I did witness a guy totally flip out on a girl who was talking on her cell phone. They were getting off the Broadway Station bus I wanted to get on. Everyone around could hear him tell her to get off her damn phone and go back to her dead-end life, so we wondered what that was about. I exchanged amusement with another dude on the bus about it - when I said it made you wonder what led up to it, a lady said that the girl had walked into the guy while talking on her phone. Like the dude said, that guy must have had a BAD DAY or something!

I collected Grandma and Great-Aunt from the washrooms, and briefly greeted Pastor John and Wai-Mui before briefly talking to my dad about using Cantonese / walking slowly / dinner plans. I led the old ladies down the ramp to the bus stop, and Grandma started talking to one of her friends who was also waiting for the bus. I noticed that while Grandma said I was smart, she also said that I was a couple months premature. Thanks for telling people that, really... later, she wanted me to keep an eye on where the bus was going. (got the same driver as I did on the trip there) Trust me, I know where we're disembarking! And if not, we're all gonna have to walk ANYWAY!

The Canada Line was also uneventful, although some lady in a blue jacket said "excuse me" as she tried pushing past us. I DON'T THINK SO, MAN! Great-Aunt seemed okay with standing all the way, although Grandma and I found seats in different car areas. Once we were at Richmond Centre, Grandma didn't seem impressed with the wait, although the bus stop IS right in front of the station and NOT at Staples anymore! She complained that there were other bus stops near the church, and the trip shouldn't take so long. Just live with it! Got to the townhouse at 3:30, and had my mom wonder what took so long. Like mother, like daughter! *sigh*

Mom showed me the jalapeno cheese slices, the three-litre non-stick pot (smaller than my old one, but I'll live for now), the non-stick spatula, and the non-stick frying pan perfect for one person. She also gave me Night Of The Living Dad (Rick Kirkman, Jerry Scott), which I've already read. Oh well. I snacked on nectarines and two mints while Cousin Eric showed Grandma and me a Chinese magazine which is apparently Hong Kong's ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY equivalent. Interesting... he also told me that he liked beautiful made-up ladies. Okay, then! Mom said that Grandpa Marr's funeral will be at 10 on Wednesday, but she can't go because she has to take the two old ladies to the airport. She also said that Great-Aunt would be going to church with us on Sunday... cool stuff! Grandma's just made a comment about how both Cousin Eric and I are on the computer... hey, it happens. :P

The sun's streaming in through the window! / Hogwarts seduction / Pumpkin treats

I got up at 9 today! Stupid sun streaming in through the window.... I would have been good with getting up two hours later, really. Maybe I'll go back to bed, but perhaps not. UGH!

HAHAHA! Still can't believe my grandma thought I suddenly had a car when my mom told her that I'd be picking her and Great-Aunt up from church today! No... I'm giving up MY TIME to BUS THERE, although I guess I'd rather not just transit there and back without anything in between, but maybe I'll still figure something out! Should remember to go to Dad's office, since that's apparently where they'll be...

What Male Hogwarts Professor Will Seduce You? by lavender_snape
name
Professor :	Remus Lupin
What's his pick-up line?	"I asked angels to take care of you, and they said no because angels don't take care of angels."
What does he do?	kisses you deeply
What do you do?	smile and agree to whatever he asks
Where?	dungeons
How was it?	great
Will you do it again?	depends..

You Are a Pumpkin Latte

You are energetic and fun-loving. You get into the spirit of every season, but fall is definitely your favorite time. You are excited for the change of seasons, and you love the spirit and togetherness it brings. You love to do everything related to fall - whether it's celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving or going to check out the changing leaves. You truly immerse yourself in the season. You always miss autumn when it's gone, but you make the most of it while it's here.

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Visual guide to baby poop, Korean Name, pinworms

A visual guide to baby poop - thanks, Teresa! :D

Facebook quiz taken from Kaitlin:

Leslie took the quiz "What's Your Korean Name?" and got the result: Young (요웅) - "eternal"! Your Korean name is "Young" (요웅). Your name means "eternal" in Korean.


Poo nugget for Wednesday, October 7: Dr. Stool Says - Pinworms - These small parasites reside in the small intestine and colon, and only emerge at night to lay their eggs in the perianal region. In addition to laying over ten thousand eggs at a time, these clever creatures secrete a substance that causes a very strong itching sensation around the anus. Uncomfortable for the host, the itching plays a vital role in the spread of infection by contaminating the host's fingers, and helping to transfer the eggs to other household areas. These little buggers can be detected by sticking a piece of transparent tape to the anus in the morning and examining it for pinworm eggs.

Non-stick pots, spatulas, transit church plans, and weirdos at garage sales

Noticed that Chuck C. has unfriended me - no harm, no foul. My non-stick pot has outlived its usefulness, finally. Guess I'll have to go to Superstore sometime and buy a new one! I've scouted them out at London Drugs, the Bay, and Sears; seems that those are only sold as part of a set at those places. I know there's a place that sells cookware at good prices, but I have no idea of the business name! Wait, scratch that... I just called my mom to see if I could finagle a Superstore trip since we'd be in a car anyway, and she said she has a three-litre non-stick pot. (she DID ask whether I planned to buy anything heavy...) SWEET! She also is going to give me a non-stick frying pan, a non-stick spatula, and some more jalapeno cheese slices! Of course I thanked her, haha. (I could hear my sister singing in the background; she professed to be jealous)

Mom wants me to go to the church by 2 tomorrow (instead of the townhouse by 11:30) and take the two old ladies home after their senior Fellowship. Fine by me, but if Grandma starts saying stuff about how she knows the bus routes better than I, I *will* yell at her, no matter if Great-Aunt is there! My only hope is that the Broadway routes have STABILIZED, unlike the last time I attempted to take the bus to church the day of the BBQ! (or I could take Eric's advice of that night: take the Canada Line to Waterfront, and then go to Rupert Station!) Cousin Eric is going back to the airport at 4 AM Thursday (for a flight which leaves at 6), so we'll have an early Shanghai food dinner before the family takes me home. That also sounds good, haha. (also discussed Aaron, Lillian, Uncle Michael, Great-Aunt's husband passing away, extra room which used to be a servant's, Grandma being concerned about dying in Hong Kong, and more)


HAHAHAHA! This is what Corey just told me while talking about garage sales, and how my mom was disappointed in only making $7.50 when she expected $100:

[20:58:58] mrptptpt: at our last one, someone was interested in a toaster, which was my grandma's and was about as plain as it gets, just a normal metal toaster with two slots.... we only wanted a couple dollars for it, I think. this guy kept asking us if it fit a certain brand of bread that he liked... uh, it's a toaster, I think you can put sliced bread in, yeah... that's kind of what it's made for.
[21:00:27] mrptptpt: so we told him we had no idea, but yes, most bread should probably fit just fine... so he proceeded to continue to ask about that for like five minutes. eventually, he asked if we had a tape measure so he could measure the slots... uh, okay, weirdo, here you go... so he measures the slots and says he'll be back.
[21:00:34] AlenaBrolxFlami: ... hahaha, what?! oh dear
[21:00:51] mrptptpt: a while later, he comes back with a loaf of that kind of bread that he just bought so he could test-fit a slice
[21:01:06] mrptptpt: I don't remember what it was, but it was completely normal-looking bread, not some weird shape or anything
[21:01:06] AlenaBrolxFlami: HAHAHAHAHA! Why am I not surprised?! So did it fit?
[21:01:11] mrptptpt: of course
[21:01:23] AlenaBrolxFlami: why are people so crazy?
[21:01:44] mrptptpt: but he went to all that trouble measuring and driving all over town, and spending money on bread just to see if a two-dollar toaster would be okay.
[21:02:06] mrptptpt: it probably cost him almost that much in gas running around buying bread :P
[21:02:17] mrptptpt: he was nice enough, but he was sure concerned about his bread :P
[21:04:41] mrptptpt: I could understand "do bagels fit?" or something, but normal bread? come on :P
[21:05:58] mrptptpt: then there were people that only wanted to get things for a quarter. "how much is this one?" "it says $5 on it..." "how about a quarter?" "uh, no, I don't think that's enough, sorry" "oh well, how about this one?" "yeah, that has a tag on it that says $30" "well, how about a quarter?" "................."
[21:06:56] mrptptpt: we also had a whole zombie swarm of bargain hunters at our garage door at like 6 AM, before the garage sale even started...... we opened the door, and all these weirdos are pressed up against the door, ready to run in and see what sort of junk we're selling
[21:07:30] mrptptpt: it wasn't even ready :P we had the garage loaded up, and a lot of that was coming out to the driveway..
[21:08:19] mrptptpt: sounds like your mom needs to sell better stuff if she only made $7.50 :P
[21:12:04] AlenaBrolxFlami: hahaha, maybe... she definitely needs to lower her expectations, for sure :P maybe price things better, too...
[21:17:18] mrptptpt: or advertise better
[21:19:45] AlenaBrolxFlami: perhaps
[21:20:48] mrptptpt: we used to have garage sales almost every year. we have a neighborhood garage sale every year, so there's plenty of signs and a huge newspaper ad for that every year, so there's plenty of customers
[21:21:33] mrptptpt: that hasn't been as active lately, but there used to be at least 2-3 per street.. quite a few of them
[21:21:48] AlenaBrolxFlami: hey, that sounds good... I think this one could have been just their townhouse complex... not sure what sort of advertising there was for that, but probably not a newspaper ad
[21:31:06] mrptptpt: well, you definitely need a newspaper ad..... or maybe a Craigslist ad these days
[21:32:11] mrptptpt: we used to go check out garage sales on weekends sometimes, so to do that, we got out the classifieds and circled anything that looked like it was interesting, or near others that we planned to go to. I don't think I've ever been to a garage sale I just saw
[21:34:27] AlenaBrolxFlami: since the townhouse complex is kinda hard to get into if you just saw it, and it's partially hidden by trees.... yeah, that could be the way to go
[21:41:13] mrptptpt: you need that and signs showing people where to go from the street that goes into the neighborhood, and maybe one farther away than that too :P
[21:42:06] AlenaBrolxFlami: probably, then
[21:42:45] mrptptpt: my dad made some really good signs that we've used, and any neighbors nearby having a garage sale always want to borrow them
[21:44:01] mrptptpt: he found blank signs or something, like the type you put in your yard if you're selling your house... he used his vinyl cutter to cut out big letters that spell out "GARAGE SALE" and a big arrow in the right direction below that
[21:46:44] AlenaBrolxFlami: vinyl cutters? WOW!
[21:57:16] mrptptpt: he has one for his business, he sells vinyl lettering to other train people. he mostly got it so he didn't have to pay someone else to do that... so since it's sort of expensive to have your own, he paid for it by getting other people to pay him to use it to make them lettering, too :P you can use that to make all kinds of signs and stuff, though... lots of stickers on car windows and stuff are made with those, too
[21:57:57] AlenaBrolxFlami: HAHAHAHAHAHA. NICE!
[22:20:42] mrptptpt: he designs circuit boards that run trains and stuff too, mostly so he can justify buying lots of electronics to play with. his business supports his hobby and keeps him busy :P
[22:21:56] AlenaBrolxFlami: lovely :P

Mice chewing through ANYTHING! / Monk being afraid to touch anything!

I was in the laundry room a while ago and Hester came in because she thought someone had left the lights on. Uh, no... I was in there! I decided to make reference to "a note of complaint on the washing machine and dryer," asking if the machines worked properly. She says she comes there often to wash her stuff because she lives on the second floor, and they work properly. Well, I certainly HOPE SO! (also says she'll give me the traps tomorrow... we'll see!) The washing machine worked properly this time, so YAY for that! :D

I noticed a hole at the back of my CD shelf, so maybe that's where the mice are getting in! I hadn't noticed it before, and I wouldn't put it past the mice to CHEW A HOLE through wood! Pat says if they're curious, or looking for someplace warm, they'll chew through almost anything -- flexible dryer ducts, fiber-board cupboards, paneling, Styrofoam insulation, plastic sheathing (for wiring), you name it...

Great. That was JUST what I wanted to hear... NOT! Mom says we're having a late Thanksgiving lunch at 1 PM on Monday - fair enough, I suppose! Corey thinks I'd get along well with the fictional detective Monk, who has a lot of phobias. HA HA HA. "You should watch the show Monk. :P You might like that. It's about a detective that is extremely OCD and afraid to touch basically anything, and has tons of other weird quirks. I think the series just ended, actually... they're all single episodes, though. You don't have to watch them in order or anything. I'm sure there's torrents of it. It's kind of a low-budget show, but it had like nine seasons, I think. I was never interested in it, but my mom likes it, and it's pretty good actually... all the characters are good."

"So he figures out all the crimes, but he has a really hard time doing much about it because of all his phobias. :P He solves the crime at the end of the episode though, of course. Sometimes he has to touch something, or walk on a floor without shoes, or something else completely horrible like that. :P It's sort of a mystery / comedy, I guess. It's mostly serious, not a bunch of goofy junk, but there's plenty of funny stuff. I'm not saying you're Monk, but you two would get along well when it comes to touching gross things. :P He carries little wipe things around with him, and uses that whenever he has to touch something."


Leslie's just got their Evangelist Name from Name Generators. It's Pastor Dwight S. Feathers.

Leaving Blogger

I may leave Blogger if Google doesn't fix these stupid label and post limits SOON! Ten labels per post is not enough. Twenty is acceptable, though. UGH!

KQ having babies, fresh mice evidence, DOUBLE SNACK REVENGE, Grandma, and eyes

I had a weird dream - all I can remember is that KQ (sjenkins) had babies two years apart. One of them was named Joyce, and KQ's mother came into the church fellowship hall to vent to us. She looked like one of the Sunday School / Awana moms, and you could tell she'd been crying. Uncle Richard was there, trying to teach a funny game to the kids around the circle... they were too distracted by colorful plush animals, though! Ah well... not sure why I had this one, heh.

I saw more fresh evidence of mice, so I called Hester to see what was up. Also asked if she'd called me last night at 10:20 - it was her indeed! She wanted to let me know that the pest control guy was coming today... um, that's certainly less than 24 hours' notice as required by law, lady! I kinda THOUGHT that I heard banging on my door in the morning, but I ignored whatever it was in favor of more sleep. Guess I was just really tired! At least she's verbally agreed to get me more glue traps... I'd like the rodents GONE, man!

Been having fun with the Friday night snack message to Richie and Grace - DOUBLE REVENGE, haha! Apparently, Mom's cousin Eric is giving up Yee Poh's one-way ticket back to Hong Kong, so she and Grandma can go together to Hong Kong on Oct. 14 - nice! I guess Mom and Dad will bring her back in December (the 21st?) when they go for Gordon's wedding; Mom's warned me not to have any wild parties in the townhouse when they're gone. HA, AS IF I'D KNOW ANYONE TO HAVE ONE WITH! She also said to be there tomorrow before 11:30 so Cousin Eric can open the door for me... well, considering I got up at 1 PM today, I guess we'll see? Haha.

Deep Down You Are Intuitive

You're the type of person who understands other people and the world very well. You don't let on to how much you know. You can tell so much from someone's facial expressions or tone of voice. And you always know when you're being lied to. You show the world exactly what you want to show. Besides being good at reading people, you also know how you're being read. You know when you're being manipulated, and you know how to manipulate someone if you have to. You usually don't resort to it, though!

The Eye Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

The mooncake was CONFISCATED because of BIRD FLU concerns?! WTF?!

This is the conversation Corey and I had about the mooncake I sent him:

[15:29:03] mrptptpt: what are you trying to pull here? you just want to tease me or something?
[15:29:38] AlenaBrolxFlami: I don't know, but I gotta go to meet Yee Poh and people for afternoon tea, then meet Eric for dinner and a Committee Meeting.... be back at maybe 10
[15:30:23] mrptptpt: okay... then I'll interrogate you about this later. your box came today, and I am most displeased!!!!
[15:31:30] AlenaBrolxFlami: ..... WHY?!!!!!!!!!
[15:31:55] mrptptpt: well, are you leaving now?
[15:32:24] AlenaBrolxFlami: yes
[15:32:42] mrptptpt: then you will have to wait until later! mwa ha ha!
[15:33:49] AlenaBrolxFlami: DAMN YOU
[15:34:24] mrptptpt: well, next time, please try to arrange your schedule around my whims so I can properly time these things
[20:38:18] *** "mrptptpt" signed off at Mon Oct 05 20:38:17 2009.
[20:38:23] *** "mrptptpt" signed on at Mon Oct 05 20:38:23 2009.
[21:22:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: SHUT UP!
[21:22:15] AlenaBrolxFlami: okay, home an hour earlier than I thought - Dylan wasn't there
[21:22:40] mrptptpt: okay, since you're back, I guess I'll go take a shower
[21:22:52] AlenaBrolxFlami: so now... what is so detestable about these mooncakes?! don't tell me that your entire family has like an egg / lotus paste allergy or something
[21:23:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! DAMN YOU
[21:23:46] mrptptpt: well, like I said, I don't know what you're trying to pull here
[21:27:39] AlenaBrolxFlami: what?! does mooncake bring back memories of an unresolved childhood trauma?
[21:27:53] mrptptpt: I'll be back, I need a shower :P
[21:28:18] mrptptpt: the card and box are nice
[21:28:31] mrptptpt: the mooncakes, not so much
[21:28:50] AlenaBrolxFlami: don't tell me, they're not here... or they got damaged in transit
[21:55:30] mrptptpt: well, I opened it up, and the two mooncake slots I could see were empty... so I lifted up the paper in there, figuring maybe it was just a box you already had, so you sent me half of it or something, but the other ones were empty too...
[21:55:52] mrptptpt: okay, what the heck is this?? so I lifted up the plastic thing to see if you hid something under there or something... no....
[21:56:07] mrptptpt: okay..... ah, the paper! from customs!
[21:56:34] mrptptpt: apparently Canadian eggs are banned due to bird flu............
[21:57:47] mrptptpt: "MOON CAKE W/ EGG YOLK IS PROHIBITED FROM COUNTRIES AFFECTED HPAI (H5N1) TO PREVENT THE INTRODUCTION OF BIRD FLU. PLEASE FORWARD A COPY OF THIS NOTICE TO SENDER."
[21:58:27] AlenaBrolxFlami: WHAT THE HELL?! NO WONDER!
[21:58:38] mrptptpt: oh, and it says you're going to jail for this. but they spelled your name "Leslie Na" on the customs thing, so you're probably safe
[21:58:46] AlenaBrolxFlami: and of course I don't know if you can get mooncake without egg yolk
[21:58:50] AlenaBrolxFlami: uh-huh
[21:59:23] mrptptpt: I told my parents about this, and they said it was really stupid to send an empty box, through... why can't they just do a return to sender?
[21:59:42] AlenaBrolxFlami: and I was JUST joking around with a friend about the avian flu tonight when he asked me whether I ate any chickens in the last 24 hours or so :P
[21:59:43] mrptptpt: so it would be better if they were lost in the mail or something.. then you could at least do an insurance claim on it.. I doubt you can now
[22:00:04] AlenaBrolxFlami: oh, that's true... I don't think I can now
[22:01:24] mrptptpt: well, it says China is the problem country, flagged in the country of origin field. so maybe Canadian eggs are okay, but Chinese ones aren't
[22:02:12] mrptptpt: maybe they're checking everything that looks Chinese to weed out all the mooncakes that are probably in the mail this time of the year, since it specifically mentions "moon cake" in the remarks section I copied to you
[22:02:28] AlenaBrolxFlami: ah, maybe that's why... I knew that if I said "mooncake from CHINA," it might not get through... but snacks from Canada SHOULD be okay, or so I thought
[22:02:36] mrptptpt: my parents thought the box was very nice, though :P
[22:04:13] AlenaBrolxFlami: well, that's nice...
[22:04:48] mrptptpt: so.... thanks for the effort, customs sucks :P
[22:08:38] AlenaBrolxFlami: I guess you're welcome... customs is CRAZY!
[22:16:42] mrptptpt: but really, they screened it in Seattle... isn't it easy enough just to send it back to the Vancouver area instead of sending an empty box to the destination? How far away is Seattle? An hour or two?
[22:26:37] AlenaBrolxFlami: Depending on border traffic (I assume you're asking about car time), about an hour and a half or two hours
[22:34:59] mrptptpt: well, whole lot closer than sending it here :P I guess they can't start doing that though unless they started returning everything to the senders or something
[22:37:07] AlenaBrolxFlami: I guess so... I have no idea how that would work
*snip of irrelevant stuff*
[00:14:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: by the way... I don't think it says I'm going to jail
[00:31:36] mrptptpt: well, it sort of does :P
[00:32:22] mrptptpt: "These violations may result in criminal or civil penalties"
[00:38:50] AlenaBrolxFlami: ah... well, I don't think I'm sending anything else to you then!
[00:40:42] mrptptpt: well, I don't know how that works, but I wouldn't think that would be something you get in legal trouble for, unless it happens a lot or is something a lot worse than moon cakes :P
[00:41:35] AlenaBrolxFlami: yeah, but best to be cautious :P

Facebook quizzes taken from Heather, Sara, and Darren:

Leslie means 'from the gray fortress.' It is 'female' name and 'Gaelic.' (You mean it's not really a female name, and not really Gaelic, either?! OH MY!)

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Baby-Sitters Club Character Are You?" with the result Kristy. A self-proclaimed "tomboy," you pride yourself on preferring baseball over manicures. You are famous for your great ideas and can-do attitude, even if your loud mouth and stubbornness make you a few enemies along the way. You never let a dissenting voice stop you, and most of the time, you succeed. No worries if you fail, though... your stepdad (real-life millionaire Watson Brewer) will always let you live in his mansion.

My celebrity birthday match is John Ritter. John Ritter was an actor and comedian, best known for his role in the television sitcom Three's Company. He also played father Ben Healy in the Problem Child movies. (I forget... did he die this year?)


Poo nugget for Tuesday, October 6: It's Perforated For Your Pleasure - Non-perforated toilet paper was the norm until the British Perforated Paper Company introduced perforated toilet paper in 1880. Unlike some other toilet paper (such as Scott, available at the time), perforated toilet paper didn't come on rolls.

I am NOT sleeping on the couch, nor am I getting stuffed into the crawlspace!

Corey sent me a message this afternoon, saying that he wasn't very impressed with the mooncake I sent. When I noted the timestamp on the message, I realized that I had to go to meet Great-Aunt and the others for afternoon tea. He said that my box got there today, but if I had to go right then, he'd interrogate me about it later. Fine, then! Turned out that Translink was on crack, as the 410 didn't really directly go to Yaohan... I had to walk on Hazelbridge and access the mall through a back entrance! Called my sister, who said that they were already at Lido since they couldn't find me earlier, so she had to give me detailed directions to get there. She even went out of the café to make sure I wasn't lost: "South is towards Richmond Centre!" Okay, okay...

Got to the café, where my mom's cousin Eric told me "no worries" when I apologized for being late. I said hi to my grandma and great-aunt, as well. Turns out Grandma did want to go to Hong Kong (if Cousin Eric is paying for her fare, why not?), so she's leaving at some point in the next few days or whatever. Mom thought I could just sleep on the couch if I came over for dinner tomorrow, but I can't do that! (despite my having done so to Billie, Korey, Aunt Janis, Emily Chow, Terrence, Palmer, Teunis, and Melissa!) I gotta prep for Sunday School, and do more laundry! Hope it's not a frustrating process like it was LAST time! I'm not going to be alone with her, in part because she makes "joking" remarks about stuffing me in the crawlspace at the townhouse! She did mix up "plane fare" and "bus fare" when talking about Hong Kong, though... you can't bus to Hong Kong from here, man!

My mom insisted on adding noodles to the bill because then I wouldn't have to eat Subway. I did get a Lays Southwest Ranch baked chips and Dasani bottled water from there later, though. (gave Eric $3 for the "combo") After I ate (and noted that Asian service was rude - the waitress ate her own food at my table when I hadn't left it yet!), I went to Aberdeen to kill some time. Went to the market to get some snacks - noted chocolate banana Pocky, dried mangoes, and more stuff. Ended up getting two Choco Gummy tubes... they're usually so expensive ($4) that I rarely get them, but they are good for sharing in meetings! (nobody had any tonight, so I'll bring the apple / strawberry ones to the church AGM) Then I was kinda early to meet Eric at the high school, but that was fine - it wasn't raining and it wasn't too cold, so I could read about dumb people quite well, haha.

Eric was wearing his jersey, and I noted that I'd forgotten about the game today. Talked about chicken consumption, bird flu, coughs, raspberry stuff, cheese, crackers, meatball pizza, eating a lot with my great-aunt and Mom's cousin, familiar Subway establishments, Choco Gummy tubes, seeing him yesterday in Richmond, his non-working radio, future kids eating old chocolate, and more. Got to church, and his prediction was correct: IT WAS LOCKED AGAIN! Good thing Pastor John was there to open the door! In fact, when he started a prayer (after I told Vivian that I had Fuzzy Peach candies for her), the doorbell rang again. Sotto voce so as not to disturb the prayer any more than I already was, I informed everyone that I'd get it - turned out to be Clara and a friend, who thanked me. Took care of a necessary duty while I was downstairs, too.

Pastor John, Eric, Kevin, Vivian, Johnny, and I talked about programs, Raymond, Randal, Dylan being sick, Chuck, cancer, cards, fruit / drinks / budgeting, savory snacks, whether my grandma would like Western snacks (probably not), conferences, recycling, Kids Night, Phil possibly having the swine flu, emails, attendance, and more. I said I'd be on Committee for another year, so I hope Jen is REALLY INTERESTED. Otherwise, I'll have to see a certain pale face and hear a certain stupid laugh for at least the next twelve months! Woe is me! :P

Once the meeting broke up and I was in Eric's car again, I was surprised to see that it was only 8:47. If Dylan were there, we'd be there for another hour! After briefly talking about games, I went on a "diatribe" (Eric's term) about a certain person for a while, and noted that thinking of sugar and gas right away did NOT mean I had devious plans in mind! Although I did note that psyching him out about Committee would require talking to him: "Guess what? I'm on Committee again next year, so if you join, I can see you more EVERY MONTH... YAY!" Hahaha! Asked Eric what he planned to do on Friday evening, and then went into "crazy mode" upon learning that he planned to go from home. YES! This means I can go home from my dentist appointment, which is a bonus because it won't take an hour or so like last time - only 20 minutes or so!

He believed me about the appointment and such, but didn't think I should get so crazy. Hey, I'm a level FOUR Insane, man! Then I told him that I didn't have to use my pen to write down Randal's name, and he was quite surprised because he thought things were civil between the two of us - well, yeah... but still. I said that Korey was a "troglodyte Mr. Potato Head," and mentioned that one of my friends had recently observed that his head looked like an ugly potato! (discussed the Troggs' Wild Thing at this juncture, as well as the book / movie Where The Wild Things Are) Then I said that he'd be the more obvious one between me and him to have a gangster shirt, because Eric thought my blue Engrish shirt was a gangster shirt - I'm sure my mom would be pleased to hear that, not. ("it's the tagging!") Maybe he doesn't, although Eric notes he has a FUBU shirt - "For Us, By Us" clothing line, indeed...

Talked about Facebook tagging, not "obsession," and other things before he got to my place. At least he's not feeling BAD like he was a couple days ago - being sick SUCKS, and I could tell he was still unwell when he talked during the meeting. He wondered to me what Randal's wall posts were about - something about a Bulgarian farmer? I said that he'd have to ask him himself, since I deleted him from my Facebook when the whole Ginger thing FINALLY went down (NO REMINDERS!), so didn't see any of this stuff. On the other hand, Raymond had BLOCKED me, which I guess automatically removed us from each other's lists. Got home and called Steph with my excuse for missing dinner - she says that Yee Poh is staying longer than we originally thought. Good thing!

Speaking of phone calls, I don't think I want to know why my apartment manager just called me from another number... o_O [I think I'll check it out tomorrow using the "official" number - when I called back three minutes later, the line was busy. Maybe Hester is systematically going down the list of people in the complex, and trying to figure out who left the complaint on the washing machine and dryer! YIKES!]

Alex on Facebook / Grandpa Marr dead / First to tell / Lido

Alex added me on Facebook! Via Mel's status update, I've learned that Grandpa Marr has now passed away. :( [Told Mom, who hadn't heard it from Auntie May yet, so I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO TELL HER! YES!]

No lunch today since they got out of the house late, but maybe afternoon tea at Aberdeen. Apparently, I can just take the 410 22nd St. Station from there to meet Eric - oh good then. Of course, I'll have to find the actual stop - I've been guilty of not paying attention to where it is because it's NOT MY STOP, haha. We'll see... of course, my mom's under the impression that I know where Lido is because "I took you there once and it was closed!" Um, that doesn't mean I know its proximity to Yaohan! *sigh*

Facebook quiz taken from Chris R:

Leslie just took the "what level of insane are you?" quiz and the result is 4. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're CRAZY, WILD, and fun to be around! You sometimes talk to yourself, and laugh at toast! You're FAR from normal, which is OH SO GOOD! You're insane and proud!!!!

You Think Best in Your Bedroom

In order to be able to think, you need to feel like you have some privacy and space. It's likely that you spent a lot of time in your bedroom while you were growing up. It's your sanctuary. You need a high level of control in your life, especially when you have something important to do. The best thing about your room is that it's exactly the way you like it. Having things the way you want allows you to relax and think.

Where Do You Think Best?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Poo nugget for Monday, October 5: Gastric Bypass - This surgical procedure, also known as "stomach stapling," is used to treat patients with severe obesity. The profound weight loss associated with this operation has led to a huge increase in demand for these procedures. Ideal candidates for the procedure have a body mass index (BMI) over 40 with one or more major medical complications of obesity, such as diabetes. Want to calculate your BMI? BMI = 703 x weight (in pounds) divided by your height² in inches.

Yay, I'm actually taller than one of my relatives! / Mom thinks Spoons means spooning!

Took the bus to Neptune, but had to walk for a bit - that was fine, since I needed some exercise! Turned out that I was the first of the "kids" to show up at the restaurant, but Jon and Harmony had to bus, and Steph slept a lot. Talked about mammograms for some reason, and my mom predicted I wouldn't have a good time with it because it squishes breasts right to half an inch or so. I couldn't help but think of Teunis' friend Cat, who apparently has 34F boobs! Come to think of it, I should have horrified my mother by telling her that, hahaha. But having never met Cat, I wouldn't be able to tell Mom if the boobs were real or fake! Oh well.

Discussed money, the shooting near Jon and Harmony's place, obstruction, Jon's teaching, his students including Maxine's niece Kayla (not Lauren), Maxine's sister Felicity, South African Chinese, wing night, and more stuff. Yee Poh (Great-Aunt) gave us lucky money, for which we thanked her. (I got $50) Steph kept taking pictures since she was so amused by Great-Aunt's cuteness because she's even smaller than Grandma! We didn't expect them to look alike since Yee Poh was adopted, but it was still funny. Then Grandma used her hands for some meat bones, so Steph had to take a picture of that since she almost NEVER does that! We weren't Chinese in that we didn't observe any "elder" customs such as waiting for elders to say it was okay to eat, haha.

Mom said that I could ride with them tomorrow, but then my siblings and I told her that it was illegal. "You can't have six people in a five-person car, Mom!" "Why not?!" "That's driving ILLEGALLY, Mom! There needs to be a seatbelt for EACH PERSON!" After that, we laughed at her because she tried to obscure what she was saying about Dinesty (that they had no customer service skills, and were rude) - but everyone could hear her since she only hid one side of her mouth with her hand. Then we decided to showcase her fractured English for her cousin Eric: when I told her to say "corpse," she refused because she thought I was trying to get her to say "c**k." Well, no... but then that led us to a discussion of people who meant COKE when saying something else, heh.

We discussed Spoons, and Mom thought we meant spooning! "Hey Mom... for my birthday, I'll play Spoons with a bunch of people!" "Oooh... so are two people going to be close together?!" My siblings, Harmony, and I all laughed at her - Dad told her that she should stop because of that, haha. Jon posed with a quail head in his mouth, which horrified Harmony, haha. Discussed plans for tomorrow - they've decided to go to Chinatown in the morning, so I'll join them for lunch, then perhaps go to Steveston. In case things go overtime, I'll bring my knapsack with the things for Committee in it. (notebook, pens, and my stuff) Probably I'll take out the teaching guide that Auntie Ying gave me this morning, since it'll make it lighter... things should be okay, for sure.

"Bad soldiers killed Jesus!" / "I'll chop you in half if you don't give me candy!"

Dad and Grandma picked me up for church, so it was a good ride on the way over. Sat next to Jeremy, who warned me not to get too close since he developed a cold last night: same reason given for no handshakes, which is good. Spreading germs is SO not a good idea! Said hi to Quan, Calla, Connie, little Nathan, and a bunch of other people. Christon's team was having an off day, no thanks to the sound people in their room - I found myself thinking I'd fire the sound people if this were a paid position, since things weren't perfect, hahaha. Had Communion, which at least gives me a chance to see who's here and sitting on my side of the sanctuary, haha. Confirmed tomorrow's meeting with Pastor John, at least. When there was an announcement about next week's baptism service being entirely in Cantonese, Johnny figured he wouldn't go - I doubt too many people from the ESC will, because the names listed in the bulletin were unfamiliar!

Went to the fellowship hall, where there were no snacks! Gave away Fuzzy Peaches and Sour Patch Kids to Hannah W., Natalie, Gladys, Jonathan C., and other friends of mine. I know Vivian likes Fuzzy Peach candy, but I didn't see her today - maybe on Friday! Jeremy said he'd go right back to bed when he got home: good idea! Amanda's mom Catherine came up to me and Cindy F. separately to say that Amanda and her sister had a gift each for us. She said it was a mug, and that the girls were too shy to give it to us directly, haha. We definitely need the appreciation - not in any "gimme praise!" kind of way, though. Guess I'll also need to get some blank paper for the kids to draw on, a thank-you card, and a one-year-old birthday card for baby Mattias, whom I didn't see today. Too bad, because he might have liked my Snoopy bling sweater! (I was kinda overdressed when it started getting sunny and warm-ish... blah! :P)

Jon asked me where Steph was - no clue! Dad said we had to make plans, so I decided to go with Jon and Harmony for lunch at #9... being late is preferable, sorta. Chatted to a few people (Abby / Helen / Lily / Hannah L.), then made my way upstairs, saying hi to Chung on the way. Richard was back in toddler Sunday School, which meant use of the Lysol disinfectant wipes whenever he put the toys in his mouth! Esther wanted us to look at her pretty black dress - it was cute! Amanda heard me saying "oh my gosh" about something, and told me that I'd said a bad word! I guess I really do need to watch what I say around the kids, heh. Hopefully, she doesn't tell her mom what I said, eep!

Conor was his usual talkative self, and drew an interesting apple tree with branches having apples "grow" out of them! (it also included a sun, a rainbow, and a man with glasses sitting on a chair reading a book - with a yellow umbrella behind him!) Amanda drew Jesus dying on the cross (which had a heart above it), with a soldier next to it. Conor termed that a "bad guy who killed Jesus," and Auntie Ying liked that she loved Jesus! She also said that I could do the story next week because she knows her English is limited - I could be more lively and communicate, she thinks. Possibly, for sure... I'll try it!

The kids' older siblings and friends started arriving at the classroom: Carley, Emily and Nina asked if I'd seen Auntie Bessy; nope! Conor's brother Sean threatened to chop me in half if I didn't give him any candy or strawberry / chocolate Pocky, Rachel / Hannah S. / Hilary said hi, and Angel / Cindy picked up Richard. Amanda did give me the mug by handing me the gift bag the box was in: "You look inside and see what's there!" Okay, sure! I pretended to be surprised to find a LOVE mug inside, haha. Asked if it was for me: "Yeah, my mom bought it." Cool, cool...

By the time the last kid left, Jon was upstairs to say we had to go. Of course, that meant we stayed for a few minutes more to talk to Isabel / Grace (her friends Dave and Yvonne want to start going to Fellowship) - it was okay, though. Eric and Jon switched memory cards or something before we left. Talked about the weather, introverts zoning out, BoBo Bubble Tea, spiders, cockroaches, stealing blankets, farting, and other NG stuff on the way to #9 - Jon says I may have met his female friend (Vila?) who's going away forever, and has a party this afternoon. Maybe at a Sunday Dinner, like he said... but I haven't been to ALL of them! We re-encountered Eric in front of us in Richmond, so attempted to get his attention by waving at him. I'd say we could have called him, but he was driving too - no need for more distracted drivers on the road! Heard that Steph had got home from work at 7, which meant three hours of overtime!

Got to #9 late, and at least acknowledged our great-aunt (she's shorter than Grandma!) before sitting down to eat. Mom made introductions, and was surprised I didn't remember meeting her cousin Eric in 1994 because she had taken a picture of us in front of the Rosehill house! Well, if he was only there for one night like he said... NOT a surprise! Talked about family in-jokes (I'll KILL Harmony! :P), the Grouse Grind, Steph's townhouse, hand sanitizer, Teresa, Thanksgiving (didn't see Henry - I'll call him later), driving them around on Monday and Wednesday, cash-only places, the gym, interesting work stories, church, a one-day bus tour on Tuesday, and dinner plans.

Top Shanghai / Master Hong's / Felico's were considered, but we settled on Dinesty, which we last went to on 15 September 2007. I remember what happened AFTER that with my stupid ex snapping at me because HE changed plans too much and I was apparently expected to remember that he hated Chinese things ANYWAY. (then we watched BIG BROTHER or something... bleh!) Got home to find that Jonathan G. had added me to Facebook - cool, man! Called Eric, but got Veronica instead - oh yeah, I forgot about his hockey thing! Oh well, maybe later.


Edit at 1820: Dinesty is full, so we're going to Neptune instead at 7-7:15! Oh yay. Let's hope they don't show weird stuff on TV like they did the LAST time my sister and I were there! Also called Eric, who said I should meet him at the usual place at 6:15 tomorrow. Good to know in case I decide to go around with Great-Aunt and everyone else before dinner! (I'll probably bus there, since Steph would have NO idea where it is, haha)

Edit at 1840: Dinner is officially at 7, but my dad spelled my name WRONG in the email he sent from Mom's email account. WTF?! Shouldn't you know how to spell your own daughter's name?!

Stanford added me on Facebook! / Dream: Perfidious blackguard ENGAGED?!

Hey, Stanford added me on Facebook - cool stuff. I'm having strawberry-banana yogurt and Coke Zero for breakfast. Hope the pop has some caffeine... I have some jitters already, but that could be due to the cold!

I dreamed that Raymond got engaged, and my sister tried making me sign a very nice personalized engagement card, which was far nicer than the ones you would normally get at the dollar store. (think a verse by Emily Matthews or whoever writes the really good ones nowadays) Of course, I said NO! His name and everything else was in really nice script, however. (too bad it wasn't in BLAH writing, haha)

I went outside to try digesting this news, and there was a soccer game going on in the drizzle. Typical, really. Watched the game for a bit, and then almost got in the way of the goalposts, heh. Went back inside, and tried finding solace in a pile of books. Some of them were from Nathan, and I especially remember a red one about Voltaire. That kinda helped, but then I went to find my sister in an underground room. Our mother was there, emptying drawers and such!

I called out to her, and asked why she wasn't where she was supposed to be, which was on a cruise! She placed various items in a lingerie bag, but didn't really answer me. My sister said that Mom just wouldn't talk to anyone who wasn't perfectly happy with the news. CHEH! Then my alarm went off... not sure why I had the dream. Haven't been to card shops lately, although I have been seeing way too much of a particular someone recently! (soon to be three days out of four!) Ugh!


Facebook quiz taken from Kaitlin:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which TOLKIEN character are you?" with the result Saruman. In your beginning, you were once fair. At this point in your life, your cunning has given you over to a mind of metal and wheels. You can be treacherous and deceitful. The power of your voice can lull all but the most wary. You'd probably make a good politician. Think well... you may want to leave your vices for a while and look to other things.

You Fall for the Guy or Girl Next Door Type

You think that people make love too complicated, and what you want in a partner happens to be pretty simple. You're content with someone who's nice, attractive, honest, and normal. So how come that's so hard to find? You are fairly traditional, and you value security in relationships more than most people. It's important for you to find someone loyal. When you find the right person, you don't expect much from him or her. You're just happy to be together.

What Type Do You Fall For?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

You Are Warm Apple Cider

You love to feel warm and full. You love all the small comforts that come with fall. Unlike most people, you are as active in fall as you are in the summer. You just make sure and keep warm. For you, fall is the perfect time of year to visit cafés or go for long walks. The season makes you feel energized. You love the bustle of everyone being back from the summer vacation and back to work.

What Autumn Smell Are You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

What will happen to me tomorrow? / Life with DRACO MALFOY

Facebook quiz taken from Sara:

Leslie took the quiz "What Will Happen To You Tomorrow?" and got the result: Receive a surprise gift from someone! You will receive an unexpected surprise gift from a certain somebody tomorrow. It may contain either something very expensive or something very cheap. (We'll see.... my great-aunt IS coming to visit, but I don't think that's what this result means...)

Your Life with Draco from Harry Potter (for gals) by yuyugal
Name
Age
Are you pretty?	Of course
How much he loves you:	27%
How much you love him:	5%
How you met	You are part of the pureblood line, and knew him since you were a baby.
Where you met	On the streets
Where he proposed	In private away from everyone
Where the honeymoon was	Spain
How much it cost	$412,134,451
How many kids you have	8
Are you happy?	46%

Um... nice percentages there, Memegen! :P