I'm too awesome for you! / Boats, precautions, and hot pot

NO MORE CREEPS, PLEASE! He only wishes my awesomeness would rub off on him, but I'm not gonna let that happen!

Henry picked me up, and told me about a fire at work - seems they were making a Thanksgiving turkey, and the extra grease dripped in the oven, so there were ALL THESE FLAMES! Of course they put the fire out, but WHOA! I had to hear a bit of a Christmas song, and commented on it - way too early for ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH, thanks! That just made me think that the Christmas commercials will start right after Halloween - UGH. Managed to get rid of a bunch of change at Awana, and talked to Jessica / Sarah / Golden / David / Nicholas / Chrystal / Danny about points, new ways of doing things, Awana dollars, and more. Sean S. had folded one of his Awana dollars into a boat (how creative!), and Sean L. wanted help opening up his package of crackers. I expected him to say "thank you," since his condition is no excuse for NOT saying so - I had to prompt him, but he knew what to say! Henry and Eric were trying to scare him, so I asked if he were scared; "no!" Haha, good!

Told Golden about a four-hour class I had once; SO LONG! Briefly touched on teaching Sunday School, too. I'm glad that my alert has resulted in an email reminding us to be more careful with the kids, and increased safety precautions on Kids Night / Halloween... YAY! Said hi to Annie, Olivia, Anne, Sophia, John, and other people. Seemed to be a day for going out to dinner, especially with the rain. Cooking takes up a lot of time, that's for sure! I asked Matthew Ma #2 whether he remembered my name: he remembers my telling it to him, but not what it is! At first, he thought I was Auntie Rebecca, and looked like her - so he asked me for an Awana dollar! Nope, I don't have any! I wanted to see if he'd remember my name tomorrow if I told it to him right then - maybe. We'll see!

I saw the kids play tag before we went home - the kids were excited about hot pot (which is NOT a restaurant!), which made me want some. Talked about October / December / Christmas / going to bed anywhere from 900 minutes early to 200 minutes late. I don't think Ian and Sean should be going to bed at 11:10 PM, even if they DO share a room for now! Told them about my grandma going to Hong Kong - Ada was much amused by Cindy's story of her student asking her in the supermarket, "You have a mom and dad, and they're still alive?!" It was an interesting ride home, for sure.

Coquitlam plans, ahoy! / Zombie survival / Tetris blocks

Billie and I made plans via Facebook for Wednesday to Thursday, for which I'm grateful. (must get birthday cards for her and Deb!) I better not fall asleep again this afternoon, because that would be BAD since I've got actual things to do today! Eric wondered if I ever slept at normal hours, and didn't need naps - well, I have been sleeping earlier, which is too bad for the editing / tagging / LOCATION project. Still, though... I am getting old, haha.

Facebook quiz taken from Hannah W., Spoz, Mandy, Natalie, Julie, Kenny, and Subena:

Leslie completed the quiz "How long will you survive when zombies overrun the world?" with the result 1 Year. You have survived for 1 year. You are one of the 100 people still living in the world. You are somewhat of a legend. You then die by walking over your own land mine... (Aww, how anti-climactic!)

You Are the "O" Block

You are conventional and conservative. You believe that others should adapt to your preferences. You are stubborn and unwilling to change. If you don't fit in, that's fine. You'd rather just stick out. You are solidly built and very dependable. You've changed very little over the years... why mess with a good thing? You stay true to your beliefs, values, family, and friends. You may not be flashy, but you are something better. You are completely stable.

What Tetris Block Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Rock Star Barbie with atrocious spelling! / Rotten Poo

Facebook quiz taken from Angela B:

Leslie just took the "What Barbie are you?" quiz and the result is Rock Star Barbie. You love to listen to rock music, and to go to shows. You also love to sing, and play an instrument... or maybe both. You love fashion, but with your own little flair. (The spelling on this one made my eyes bleed! Even the result was bad... "instrument" as "interment," for some strange reason!)

Poo nugget for this weekend: Rotten Poo - The stench from the most atrocious Rotten Poos can overwhelm you. Even with a quick-response courtesy flush, survival instincts force you to speed up the defecating process in order to exit the bathroom as quickly as possible. A Rotten Poo's odor is so powerful that anyone entering the vicinity within the next several hours is affected. There is no way to prepare for a poo like this. When it happens, a quick execution of the stooling session is a must. Synonyms: Napalm, Aftershock Poo, Agent Orange. [I like the picture for this one: a toilet with wiring at the back, all with "smelly" lines, hahaha!]

I know Mattias is with his father... doesn't make me less worried!

Due to taking an unscheduled nap, I was LATE to meet Eric - fortunately, I'd called him as soon as I realized I'd be late. Later, he told me that he'd been somewhat surprised when I called him: "Oh no.... that means she'll be LATE!" Yeah, I think about half an hour late or so! We got going, and discussed Subway money arrangements / my great-aunt and money ("maybe she's forgetful!") / the Balloon Boy / steamy windows / some other stuff. I was determined not to bring up Mr. Creep, and I didn't - Eric said something about him, which he knew would lead me to more rants! Eric said that they'd reserve a seat for him by me - I hoped not, and told him that I was not interested in Mr. Creep in any way, shape, or form. He wondered whether I thought the same of him: as far as I know, he doesn't sit by girls or whatever with that intent! I expressed gratitude that the Missions Conference would be in the BIG sanctuary, yay! (much less confining than the small room)

At Superstore, I bought four bags of grapes, both red and green. I couldn't buy an uneven number of bags, and I wanted balance. Eric got our sandwiches, and we were done at about the same time. We discussed whether we should park in the parkade - well, it should be fine unless it's full. Got into church, and saw Christon talking to Mr. Creep - sorry, but I wasn't going to say hi even to Christon because of this! Not that I think Christon is somehow bad for talking to him, but I don't want HIM to think I'm open to contact! It seemed like he was looking at me, though - EWWW! Gave Jon his durian wafers and mail, and availed myself of the fragrant hand sanitizer outside the kitchen. Went inside the kitchen to wash the fruit and such: said hi to Cindy, Jen, and little Nathan while doing so. The water was a bit warm, but I'd deal... Eric decided to make it colder for his pears, which was fine.

Decided to find somewhere to eat my Subway Veggie Delight sandwich, and chose the stage. (the stair area was too crowded, and I didn't want crumbs to drop on the floor) Said hi to Grace, Harmony, and Auntie Esther, too. When I was ready to go in, I scanned the pews to make sure a certain person wasn't sitting nearby - I said hi to baby Mattias first. Turned out that I sat near Andrea, Henry, Chris, Sabrina, Nai Chiu, Billy W. (until he moved), Citrus, Isabel, Jon, and Christon. The speaker was pretty good - funny stories and a message about embracing all nations. Auntie Rebecca's translation into Chinese was even a little off, maybe deliberately - he could tell, too. "I didn't say that!" Hahaha. Wesley's talk on Uganda was pretty good, too - there are no McDonalds anywhere in the place! Clean water is important, for sure.

Afterwards, I told Andrea that we should hang out maybe next week or so. We finally decided that she should call me on Thursday after dinner so we can go for coffee - that sounds good. Baby Mattias wasn't in a good mood, even after I made a funny face at him - I think he cried harder after that, actually. Auntie Catherine introduced me to a friend of hers, which was fine. Wished her a happy early birthday for tomorrow, saying that Facebook had reminded me. She hugged me, and said that she couldn't see her friend's photos on Facebook. Apparently, she'd joined a group or something, and then had INFORMATION OVERLOAD because of all the messages she could now see... no, she doesn't have to reply to all of them! Then her friend said she couldn't work the photos - yikes! Learning opportunity, ahoy!

I went into the fellowship hall, and carefully noted Mr. Creep's whereabouts before I went to talk to the kids around. Hannah and Amanda wanted some candy, but their mom said no. Big Hannah waved at me, and I said hi to little David and Evelyn, the twins from toddler Sunday School. David actually talked to me, but I couldn't understand what he said, possibly because I couldn't understand his Chinese. :(

Jon was going around with the Free Bra that has been at Jeremy's for the past thirteen months and two weeks, because he's going to send it to Nate along with some transcripts. Isabel said she got sick, so Jon was joking about the swine flu. I said hi to Karen, Lincoln, Harmony, Stanley with seaweed, and a few more people. Alerted Eric that his sandwich was still in my bag; although I guess I could have put it in the fridge, it might have been confused as refreshment food! Later, he bugged me about how anyone could have gone into my bag - nah, I knew it was him. Everything was intact, including the money and such!

Gave Vivian a bunch of Fuzzy Peach candy, too. I noticed Mr. Creep pass by within a few inches of baby Mattias, and was instantly on the alert even though the baby was in his father's arms! Yes, I know it was a crowded room, but still! I went up to Chung and talked to him for a bit - I know Mattias wants the food that everyone else is having, but he'll have to wait maybe a year or so! Apparently, he really likes grapes, which is good! (virtually all of the grapes were gone, haha) I said hi to Mattias, who still didn't seem too receptive - but at least he'd stopped crying!

I saw a somewhat new girl talk to Hannah and Amanda, and play with them using a ball. That didn't give me any weird feelings at all - I talked to her later, and found out that she loved kids. She actually first knew of the church via our website, which is pretty cool. (Eric tried to use her bringing stuffed animals as a point against her - nah, my radar says she's okay!) Talked briefly to Citrus, and hear Phil discussing how Angus might have wanted him to stream the Flames hockey game: apparently, that wasn't a good idea since we were losing at the time. (Eric said that Jonathan had told him the final score was 5-3 AGAIN!) Discussed plans and such with Harmony and Jen - I'm glad Jen's going to be on Committee next year!

Told Kevin why I still hadn't sent him that email - seems I still have a few days to procrastinate on that, haha. Dianne said that she'd seen Steph at the hospital; cool story, man! Told her that Mel had seen her as well - very interesting, haha. Vanessa says her parents are away for about two weeks, so it's not too bad. Isabel says she might go to Ireland to visit Darren, and Jen instantly got jealous because of the hot British guys, haha. I had some orange slices too, then talked to Emily T. about life and such.

Christon said that he might be getting sick as well, so I said that I'd have to stay away from him and "Mr. Creep." Eric noticed that and warned me by saying my name. Hey, I don't really care who knows what I think of the guy - and he was gone by then! After some time, we all left. Just before we got in the car, Eric said that I was secretly into Mr. Creep - that made me screech "WHAT?!" in a high voice, let me tell you! We talked about guy perspectives ("if you avoid him, he'll think you like him!") - um, I hope not! Discussed bad names - "Peter" might make people think of a certain body part, "Falcon" being VERY BAD, and "Rose" / "Violet" being acceptable "color names." He says "Red" is acceptable as a full name because of THAT '70s SHOW - I don't think it is, and blamed stupid writers for TV shows making people think certain "names" are acceptable. Then he joked that he'd name his kid "Green" - that's not a good kid name, especially not with his last name!

I said that I wouldn't want my future kid to share a name with Mr. Creep just because of bad associations. Eric didn't understand that, so I asked if he'd name a kid "Korey" - no. See?! Bad association! He tried telling me that it wasn't THE REASON, but who knows! I know I wouldn't! We got gas, and then he wondered whether I was just stereotyping the guy because he doesn't have the best looks OR because he's awkward - no, man! I have this FEELING, you know?! I know I don't want him to even sit beside me because I don't want more of those icky feelings! Then he wondered whether I thought the same of him if he were sitting by girls - NO! I said that I might have to take a shower when I got home, and of course he wondered if it would be a COLD shower - BAD ERIC! ("you walked into that one" he said... WHATEVER, since I'm not sexually attracted to him!)

We discussed a lot of stuff, oh yes. I let him know about what happened last Sunday - no, I never want to have lunch with him, either! Sure, you ask people what they're doing for lunch so you can have a meal with them (either specifically or in general), but he better not try it with me! I want to tell him never to go near me, my family, or my friends! Unfortunately, he has! Then I let Eric know about what had happened when Mr. Creep went near baby Mattias - he could have been memorizing his facial features, and I don't want to know why! True, it's crowded... STILL! No, I don't feel that way about the new girl, Jose, or Richie! :P

When Eric dropped me off, I thanked him for the ride and said I'd see him on Sunday unless a Swamp Thing ate him, haha. He then said that the latest news on Kids Night is that our fellowship isn't helping out with that anymore - no booths, but maybe making something instead. Doesn't know whether it's because of what I brought up in email or not, but that's good then! Then he tried convincing me that it was okay because there were numerous people around - it would apparently be another story if Mr. Creep approached a child in an alley. Hey, kids get taken from crowded situations ALL THE DAMNED TIME! Got home to find out that an unfamiliar number called me - what the?!

$600 a month suite?! / Pears and grapes / Brown Sugar and Fig!

I found a suite for $600 a month. Too good to be true? Barry asked whether the CL ad said anything about mice, and got this response: "Would YOU advertise mice if you were trying to rent your place out?" He says that when they bring up how I'm going to pay for it, I could say that I'm on long-term disability, and the rent is guaranteed through the Ministry / mental-health agency. Seems he figures that landlords like guaranteed rent, which I can definitely understand! Says he could be able to look at it with me next week - we both can't go today, heh.

Called Eric an hour later to figure out plans - he's bought his pears already for tonight, and says I should ideally buy my grapes before going to the usual place by 6. He COULD drop me off at Superstore, but I said that it would be a bad idea to leave me alone in that place. (SPENDING MONEY UNWISELY, AIYA!) I need to go to the bank anyway, so since there's no more Kin's Farm Market in Richmond Centre, I'd have to go to Lansdowne maybe. I should have thought of that on Tuesday at City Fresh, darn it! Oh well. :P

Facebook quiz taken from Jennifer L:

Leslie took the What kind of Bath & Body Works fragrance are you? quiz and got the result: Brown Sugar & Fig. You like warm smells that are wintry and relaxing. Mmm. (Hey, Bath & Body Works is coming soon to Richmond Centre!)

Your Best Trait is Creativity

You may seem like you're a bit flaky or flighty, but you're really just deep in thought. You are the artistic type, no doubt. However, you are also highly analytical and logical. You are able to solve problems in unique and interesting ways. Your ideas are unpredictable, but they always end up making sense. You are picky and sometimes downright critical. You expect the best of yourself, but others are not prepared for your exacting standards.

What's Your Best Trait?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Auntie Ying is so affirming on the phone! / Bioterrorism with salmonella

Candy tried calling me again, and I missed it since I was busy reading and doing other things. "I'm not busy now" means "right now," not in half an hour since you can never tell with me, haha. Auntie Ying called me later, and of course I didn't want to miss that one! She said I did a good job teaching on Sunday ("keep up the good work since the kids listen to you!"), and wondered where the flags were that the children colored - I don't have them! Talked about Uncle Andre, Steph, my parents having an empty nest soon, Great-Aunt, Grandma, Jon, Harmony, tomorrow night, cooking, Julie C., care homes, work, Uncle Peter, maybe going out one day after church or another time to talk, Awana, Amanda, David, Evelyn, and more. It was good to talk to her, for sure!

Poo nugget for Friday, October 16: Bioterrorism - The first bioterrorist attack in the United States occurred in Oregon in 1984, when cult followers of the Indian spiritual leader Rajneesh contaminated local salad bars with Salmonella bacteria. Infection with this bacteria results in abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea. Cult leaders were hoping to incapacitate would-be voters in order to place their own candidates in power.

Balloon Boy's parents may be FAKING IT!

Corey says that Colorado Balloon Boy's brothers are named Brad (the long version is unusual) and Ryo - but the mom is Japanese, so he guesses that's not too strange. Suppose not, but FALCON?! What the heck?!

[20:08:38] mrptptpt: Falcon Heene and his family were just on Larry King Live -- where he suggested his family set up the entire "boy trapped in a flying balloon" story, saying "You guys said that we did this for the show." Read more.
[20:23:05] mrptptpt: A direct link to the Youtube clip... after Falcon says that, the dad starts backpedaling with a story totally unrelated to the fact that Falcon said that, and the mom quickly says "no!"
[20:27:34] AlenaBrolxFlami: haha... kids are generally honest... and they'll say things you don't want them to, usually at the worst time
[20:34:32] mrptptpt: he can't sit still during the interview, and when they ask him to say thank you to the police officers and emergency people that spent time trying to help him, he won't say anything :P (which is okay since he's a little kid........) So I don't think he's the best kid to rely on for acting...
[20:41:35] AlenaBrolxFlami: no, I don't think so either, given what you just told me
[20:43:09] mrptptpt: here's the interviewer (Wolf Blitzer, a huge pansy, not Larry King despite it being Larry King Live) and they just make excuses, and the dad gets upset, so Wolf the pussy just accepts the dad's answer
[20:46:24] AlenaBrolxFlami: the soft treatment?! come on... the JonBenet Ramsay case is still unsolved probably because of that!
[20:54:31] mrptptpt: did you watch those? both parents seem pretty nervous.. there's also an interview they did when they first talked to the press in front of their house, and someone asked them if it was a publicity stunt. both parents immediately look at the ground and say no no no, and move around and stuff... total lying body language
[20:58:40] AlenaBrolxFlami: I did. the mom seems nervous in the first one... "no no no" while shaking her head
[21:02:43] mrptptpt: there's another clip where she gets all emotional about the situation, and it seems so fake
[21:03:06] mrptptpt: so should I go egg their house tonight? :P
[21:03:21] mrptptpt: maybe that should wait until more comes out about them faking stuff
[21:03:32] AlenaBrolxFlami: two of the kids seem fidgety as hell, but they're kids, so that's fine :P
[21:03:48] AlenaBrolxFlami: haha, maybe it should wait... do you know where they live?
[21:10:07] mrptptpt: no, but I'm sure it would be easy enough to figure it out since their house was on the news plenty today, and they might even just be in the phone book, anyway :P
[21:10:20] mrptptpt: I'm not really doing that, though
[21:14:57] AlenaBrolxFlami: haha, I wouldn't think so

Thanks to Great-Aunt, a cheque I got last week, and some cash I had lying around, I have about $300 to deposit in the bank tomorrow! (or whenever I get around to it) YAY!

Facebook quizzes taken from Candy and Veronica:

Leslie took the "What should you be for Halloween?" quiz and got "Playboy Bunny / Hugh Hefner." Just make sure you've got your fake tan and bleached blonde hair intact!

Leslie completed the quiz "What Rocky Horror Picture Show character are you?" with the result Magenta. How... lucky... you're Magenta, the domestic! You run around with your big orange hair and a feather duster, talking with a thick Transylvanian accent. Plus, you have an extremely creepy relationship with your brother, Riff Raff. Seriously, what the heck?? You're sexy and sinister and somewhat insane, but always assist Frank in his endeavors. When you're not dancing around or having arm sex with Riff, you're probably watching people go at it on your little TV set. You aren't afraid to speak your mind, and you don't take shit from anyone. You may not be the best at hosting a dinner party, but your hair always looks awesome!

The little Colorado "balloon boy" has the name FALCON?!

I'd heard about the little six-year-old boy from Fort Collins (Colorado) who supposedly went up in a balloon. Decided to ask Corey about it...

[14:03:52] mrptptpt: yes, that's all that's on the news here :P
[14:04:33] AlenaBrolxFlami: yes, I had a post on my FB newsfeed about it like an hour and a half ago, then just heard about it again on the radio... I bet if I turn on CNN, it'll be there
[14:04:53] mrptptpt: it was just landing when I heard about it
[14:07:30] mrptptpt: the local news stopped talking about it since there's nothing going on at the moment, but the different channels all have different information... one of the local channels confirmed that there wasn't an extra basket or box on the bottom of the balloon that fell off, but CNN just talked about the basket that fell off, and Fox was saying they're searching for the basket or whatever
[14:08:00] mrptptpt: so they don't know anything :P they still don't even know if the kid was really in the balloon
[14:12:01] mrptptpt: apparently, the bottom of the balloon had battery packs and stuff (for cameras, this is meant to go up in storms and see what's going on up there, unmanned) and wasn't designed to carry more weight than that... so I'm guessing the kid wasn't in there.
[14:13:26] mrptptpt: Mythbusters did an experiment about lifting a kid with helium balloons once, and it took a LOT of balloons... like a whole airplane hangar full of them, almost, just to get a kid-sized weight (50 pounds, I think?) off the ground... so I don't know that this thing would have the lift to take a kid into the air
[14:14:25] AlenaBrolxFlami: Hmm... I don't know either... I heard that there was no sign of the kid upon landing, so... who knows
[14:15:41] mrptptpt: well, but they did send up Adam Savage on weather balloons in one of the first episodes, and that definitely wasn't a whole airplane hangar-sized mass of balloons, it was like a dozen really big ones or something
[14:15:43] mrptptpt: so maybe
[14:16:48] mrptptpt: yep, found it on Youtube already... what lifted him is probably comparable in size to this balloon the kid was maybe in, and he's definitely heavier
[14:39:56] AlenaBrolxFlami: I heard the family was on Wife Swap!
[14:42:05] mrptptpt: twice!
[14:42:20] mrptptpt: so that probably means they're crazy
[14:42:50] mrptptpt: people on that show are complete nutcases, then they pair them up with a family of opposite nutcases, and if you average the two, you MIGHT get something sort of normal
[14:45:14] AlenaBrolxFlami: TWICE?! REALLY?!
[14:55:51] mrptptpt: make up your fucking minds!!! they just said a minute ago that the police confirmed there was no basket to fall off. now they're saying they have conflicting reports about there being a basket or not.
[14:56:35] mrptptpt: so it's confirmed, but we're not sure............. the news sucks so much, I hate how they cover things these days, they just sit around repeating the two facts they know for hours. they should do other things and come back when there is new information
[14:57:14] AlenaBrolxFlami: that's why I hate conflicting information... it's like with Michael Jackson... is he dead or in a coma? seriously, people...
[15:01:37] mrptptpt: apparently this guy (the dad) has a website with lots of 2012, faked moon landing, and other articles like that... which generally means he's nuts, though if he does science experiments, the articles could be debunking that stuff... at least, I'd hope so
[15:02:37] mrptptpt: anyone with any serious theory about 2012 is a complete retard... there isn't even an actual theory about why that's the end of the world other than "Mayan calendars said so!" ... which isn't even true
[15:03:30] mrptptpt: that's when one of their calendars ends... so that's like saying December 31st is the end of the world because that's the end of a yearly calendar :P there's no story or anything about that being significant in any way
[15:04:37] AlenaBrolxFlami: I know of at least a few people who want to see the movie 2012
[15:05:19] AlenaBrolxFlami: I bet if I plug "2012" into Google, I'd come across a bunch of conspiracy theorists
[15:13:22] AlenaBrolxFlami: hey, it's in your city!
[15:16:46] mrptptpt: they found him at his house
[15:16:53] mrptptpt: hiding in the attic, in a box :P
[15:17:23] mrptptpt: they still haven't explained what happened yet, but the kid never went up in the balloon in the first place, unless he jumped out right after it took off or something
[15:19:07] AlenaBrolxFlami: they what?! are you serious?
[15:22:05] AlenaBrolxFlami: blah... CNN has some old guy talking about Barack Obama and Hurricane Katrina
[15:26:48] mrptptpt: so the brothers told everyone that Falcon (what a bad name) went up in the balloon, while Falcon was hiding in the attic.. they haven't reported anything other than that he was hiding in the attic in a box, but that sounds like the brothers playing a joke or something... except they'd have to destroy their dad's probably expensive balloon to do it, so I don't know.
[15:27:17] mrptptpt: maybe Falcon let it go and ran away before he got in trouble, and then the brothers looked back and saw it going up and no little brother in sight, and assumed he went up in it
[15:31:36] AlenaBrolxFlami: I noted the name as well, on the radio update I just listened to... bad name, indeed :P
[15:42:35] mrptptpt: now they have helicopter views of the whole family, Falcon included, talking to a ton of cameras.... how about showing us a view FROM those cameras so we can see what they said??
[15:48:53] AlenaBrolxFlami: that would be pretty better, yes
[16:11:59] mrptptpt: ooookay.. they finally showed the family interview, and the dad said it's a vehicle he's inventing that you can fill up with helium to float over traffic, and then it uses "a million volts" of electricity over the outer skin, and generates a plasma field that can be used to move it side to side
[16:12:14] AlenaBrolxFlami: WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!! NUT CASE.
[16:12:41] mrptptpt: he said he yelled at Falcon for going into the utility compartment on the bottom because it's dangerous, and that's why he ran and hid, and the kids said he went in there
[16:13:16] mrptptpt: they wouldn't give a straight answer about how it got loose... he started to point at someone, but stopped and said "no, I'm not going to blame anyone for it, but it wasn't properly secured" or something
[16:14:19] mrptptpt: the guy seemed a bit weird, but he's probably also nervous, plus just went through all that... they're not grounding anyone because they don't ground their kids, but they will have a talk with them
[16:14:43] mrptptpt: one reporter asked if they were going to pay for all the wasted resources all this caused
[16:15:01] AlenaBrolxFlami: oh yeah... I can understand why he'd be nervous and stressed
[16:15:06] mrptptpt: they even closed down DIA, the big international airport in Denver, for at least a little while
[16:15:08] AlenaBrolxFlami: so what was his answer?
[16:15:18] mrptptpt: "oh gosh, I hope not"
[16:15:27] AlenaBrolxFlami: hmm
[16:19:05] mrptptpt: "Watching the Wife Swap video where these kids' parents call other adults faggots and losers and throw milk at them makes me wish Falcon was still on his way to Mars." from SA... guess they're pretty crazy on Wife Swap?
[16:19:16] mrptptpt: Heene / Silver Wife Swap Episode Part 1 of 5
[16:19:27] AlenaBrolxFlami: um, yes... I'd imagine so
[16:19:34] mrptptpt: whoa, I pasted that link and a Youtube window popped up right in the chat
[16:19:36] mrptptpt: I haven't seen that
[16:20:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: I've heard of cases where they make the people pay for wasted resources if they need a rescue done because of their own stupidity
[16:20:20] mrptptpt: apparently, they won't be charged for anything
[16:20:36] AlenaBrolxFlami: I have no Youtube window... so maybe it's you?
[16:20:55] mrptptpt: what are you using? I'm in Gmail
[16:21:16] mrptptpt: that's probably why, since Google owns Youtube
[16:23:01] AlenaBrolxFlami: oh, probably... using Trillian
[16:24:06] mrptptpt: wow, these people are nuts. he calls the other family "fucking faggots" ... they bleeped and blurred his mouth, but that was what it looked like.. later, he tosses a glass of milk across the room at the other wife (who is a psychic, and probably an annoying jackass, though)
[16:28:32] AlenaBrolxFlami: YIKES
[16:31:54] mrptptpt: this is from their second appearance, which was the 100th episode, and the fans voted on their favorites to return to the show, so both families must be nuts. they have a bunch of weirdos on that... at best, it'll be one complete control freak ultra-strict family vs. total anarchy with no responsibility, but usually there's something weird about at least one of the families
[16:32:12] mrptptpt: if we had the king weirdo family from Wife Swap in our town, I would have thought I'd have heard about that before :P
[16:44:16] mrptptpt: that show is kind of stupid, but I watch it sometimes since that's usually when I'm doing dishes after dinner and there's nothing at all on TV whatever night that is. What I don't get is that by default, if you're on that show, your family is most definitely doing something very wrong, yet they don't seem to ever go into it with that in mind, they just stick to whatever system they have and since they're always paired up with as opposite of a family as possible, they're not going to get along
[16:50:09] AlenaBrolxFlami: it's drama, and I guess some people like it.
[16:50:58] mrptptpt: ha, the first Wife Swap was them and a family that babyproofs people's homes
[16:51:24] mrptptpt: in contrast, Falcon's family lets the kids go anywhere they want as long as they bring a walkie talkie with them to report back to home
[16:51:43] mrptptpt: so they have no rules about where they can go, vs. a babyjail family :P
[16:52:06] mrptptpt: looks like they were right about letting their kids go anywhere and do anything, it's not like they're going to create any national incidents or anything... oh wait
[16:53:56] mrptptpt: "I really hate the new mom," Falcon says, when Karin gives him some pajamas.
[16:54:25] mrptptpt: (they sleep in their clothes, not pajamas, in case there's a storm in the middle of the night, so they can jump out of bed and investigate)
[16:56:02] AlenaBrolxFlami: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Facebook quizzes taken from Julie:

Leslie just took the "God, Lucifer, Angel, Fallen Angel, or Risen Demon" quiz and the result is Fallen Angel. An angel that has committed a great sin, but has regretted it, and tried to repent. But your god has not forgiven you, and Lucifer will not accept you. You have done more good than bad, but that doesn't mean you are a saint.

Leslie just took the "What Mythical Being Are You?" quiz and the result is Angel. Your destiny is to help others, and to guide your beloved ones through life. You take comfort in the happiness of others, and you feel that in your own way, you glow. When you do a good deed, you feel uplifted almost as you fly.

Leslie just took the "What's Your Level Of Sexual Deviance??" quiz and the result is BORING.... You are boring and not into trying new stuff. (Well, I wouldn't CHEAT on someone, nor have sex with someone whom I'd just met!)

Attempted phone calls, NOT being welcoming to creeps, Paris as my city

This thing restarted overnight, and Candy tried calling me again... oh well. I finally have a day of downtime that doesn't involve my rushing anywhere, which is good. I need to RELAX, haha.

Phil emailed me back, saying "Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Let's continue to be welcoming to newcomers and at the same time wise about how we take care of the kids. Rebecca, John, and I will talk about what we should do. Thanks." I prefer to be paranoid about certain people, thank you very much! Gotta have an action plan for Friday, or else I'll look like an idiot! (not that CREEP would think anything's wrong, but still...) Both Phil and Auntie Rebecca misspelled my name, but of course I forgive them in love. I really don't think it's that hard a name to spell, though!

Your City is Paris

You are low-key and elegant. You secretly believe you're the best, but you don't have to run around proving it to everyone. You live a simple life, but your life is anything but provincial or backwards. You are extremely cosmopolitan. Without trying to, you are always wearing the chicest clothes, reading the most interesting books, and eating the best-tasting food. Many people try to imitate your style, but they fail miserably. There's no substitute for you.

What's Your City?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

YOU KNOW DAMN RIGHT! (hahaha)

Staff meeting discussions, Anita Blake men, California toilet efficiency

Hey, Auntie Rebecca responded to my email! She says she'll bring it up as a discussion point in the staff meeting tomorrow, which is a good thing. Eric thinks I'm stereotyping CREEP, but you never know! Now I'm coughing again, and my earlier sneezes drew attention from Great-Aunt. Time for bed!

What the Men of the Anita Blake Series think of you... by seraphim_ranks
Name:
Asher thinks:	You are too stuck on Jean Claude
Richard could not:	find his way home, so he crashed with you
Micah was able to:	Get you to mark him before Nathaniel
Nathaniel let you:	Tie him up
Damian left:	His clothes in the basement when he came to find you
Requiem compromised when:	he kissed you, but didn't bleed you.
Jason loved it:	when you let him "take one for the team"
Jean Claude says:	Kiss me, ma petite

Poo nugget for Thursday, October 15: California's New High-Efficiency Toilet Law - On this day in 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California Toilet Efficiency Law (AB 715). The law sets down a timetable for the toilet industry to convert current 1.6 gallon-per-flush (gpf) to 1.28 gpf models. This would mean a 20 percent reduction in water waste.

BITCH, life with a celebrity husband, and TV shows

After a couple of weeks, this thing decided to restart again! I shouldn't be so surprised, heh. I'm talking to Eric and Corey about balls of goo, a game, cheating, Radiohead, Meredith Brooks' Bitch, and other things. Interesting, indeed!

Girls - Your life with a celebrity husband by sweetkissezx0
LJ Name / Name
Your celebrity lover	AJ McLean
Number of children	18
Where you will live	Detroit
You will live in..	a penthouse

What Television Show Will You Star In? by Smile_u
Your User Name:
Your Age:
Sex:	MaleFemaleYes, Please!Why do you want to know?None of your Business!Both
What Type Of Television Character Would You Be:	The sexy oneThe crierThe shy oneThe one who will backstab everyoneThe sporty oneThe one who slays demonsThe lovable oneThe one with magical powersThe crazy oneThe intelligent oneThe sidekickThe good copThe bad copThe funny personThe snob
The Television Show You Will Star In:	Monk
The Number Of Seasons Your Show Will Last:	9 seasons
How Much Money Will You Make:	$50,491,522
What Will Happen To You On The Series Finale:	You will make the world a better place
How Many People Watch Your Show:	17.2 million
How Many Screaming Fans Will Chase You Down:	81
Your Overall Performance:	Super star
Your Chances Of Becoming Super Famous	90%

Great-Aunt and Grandma returning to Hong Kong... MORE money?!

After waiting for the 407 for what seemed like an eternity (I read about Amanda Zhao's killers finally being arrested!), it FINALLY showed up. Maybe I should have checked the Translink website before leaving, I don't know. Unlike yesterday, I got a prompt response to my ringing of the doorbell. Dad said I should have some macaroni to tide me over till lunch - I wasn't averse to that, haha. Mom got home a bit later (being surprised that I was early *sigh*), and saw Grandma trying to nap on the couch. Turns out she was up at 4 AM since she apparently couldn't remember when the flight was, and thought it was at 8 AM or something. Great-Aunt was pleased that I'd come to see them off... hey, it's what I do! We got to the airport, where Mom was her typical Type A self while checking them in. I found out Great-Aunt's Chinese name: almost the same as my grandma's, only the Chun has been replaced with a Hing. ;)

We went to the food court after checking in their luggage. I saw a little boy playing with his sister on the luggage carts - he bumped her, and she cried. Then he bumped himself too hard, and spilled a Coke. Mom thought the father had spilled it, but I corrected her. I observe some byplays, hahaha. Talked about Hong Kong, the parents' Singapore cruise (J-Mak's parents are on the same ship!), reiterated offers to have Great-Aunt stay later on, tips, people-movers, someone looking after them on Cathay Pacific, generosity, and more. Saw Uncle Andrew and Auntie Ena there - seems they are going to Hong Kong for a family wedding before going to China. (a niece) They're on the same flight as Grandma and Great-Aunt, though separated by about twenty rows or so. Discussed Sean, work, dentist appointments, Uncle Sam, and two full bags of dental care stuff for the people in China.

Then we saw the two old ladies off - yes, I gave Yee Poh a hug, and she kissed me on the neck. She gave me $50 MORE, of which $9 went to pay for parking. (thanks, Mom...) Later, Mom criticized me for not giving Grandma a hug too, but she's not an emotional or affectionate person! I did say bye to her, I guess. (and of course I hate being publicly emotional!) Then Mom told me about Great-Aunt's hard life with a sister-in-law who didn't like her, and a daughter-in-law who might be the same. Of course her kids are very thankful and appreciative, and she can be generous even if she has family with certain problems! No guilt trips, man... although of course I'll write to thank her for her generosity. Maybe Cousin Eric can translate the letter, haha - and no, I'm not taking the Chinese magazines home! (Great-Aunt told me and my sister to hurry up and get boyfriends and get married. Then she can come here again and "drink beer," which is the literal translation of "wedding banquet," hahahaha.)

I can officially say that I've had enough of eating out for now, although now I want Western food! (so I had Greek food - OPA! - at the food court) Too much seafood and stuff, even though it was good - hopefully, Eric and I will do Subway on Friday! I still need to buy grapes and email Kevin about attendance... later, after I vanquish the remnants of this cough with Neo-Citran! Jocelyn added me to Facebook, yay! As far as Mr. Creep goes, Flora's suggested I watch the movie Doubt. I'll look it up on IMDB, for sure!


Facebook quizzes taken from Kaitlin and Heather:

Leslie took the WHAT FUCKIN KICKASS POKEMON ARE YOU?? quiz and got the result: ONYX. YOU'RE A FUCKIN ROCK SNAKE. HOW ARE YOU EVEN FUCKIN HELD TOGETHER? YOU DON'T FUCKIN KNOW!

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Downtown Vancouver Street Are You?" with the result Denman St. Oh, you love good food and fun attractions and ending your day at the beach! It's possible you have A.D.D. because you keep getting distracted by all the random objects sold in shops around this area, and you know just where to find a good bite. Life is slow-moving for you, but in all the best ways! Enjoy it. (Haven't been there in some time!)

Dream of long black classic cars in the snow / Email Function

I had a weird dream where a bunch of old-time police (with trenchcoats and everything!) were looking with bright flashlights into a lot of long black classic cars (from the 1930s or '40s) to see if there was a fugitive from justice hiding out in plain sight. There were a lot of people smoking in the cars, and it was very cold with a LOT of snow outside. It reminded me of my trip to Regina last December! That was the only element I remember, but I'm still not sure why I had that. I have actually NEVER thought that Mr. Creep is a fugitive from justice (although he COULD be...), and I haven't watched a black-and-white movie for MONTHS! The last time was probably at Erik's house - I think it may have been BATMAN, actually. There IS what my sister told us yesterday about catching people unaware, but why would THAT make such an impression on me?! Yikes!


Facebook quiz taken from Veronica:

Leslie took the How Dutch Are You quiz and the result is You have way too much DUTCH running thru your system. You know the tricks of the trade to be a real DUTCHY. You know it from the inside out and back again!

You Are Archive

You are competent, organized, and careful. You know how to stay on task and focus on the most important thing. You like to have everything in its place. Messes and chaos completely stress you out. You have a system for almost everything in your life, and you don't like to deviate from it. Calendars, routines, and having things in a certain order keeps you calm. You don't like to shake things up too much.

What Email Function Are You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

HAHAHA! This is SO TRUE!

Concern about Mr. Creep, not being at the airport, and NO POO!

I decided to email Pastor John about Creep, and then forwarded it to Auntie Rebecca and Phil too. Dad thought I could talk to the person who's organizing the service projects, but that would be VERY AWKWARD since it's Raymond. (not even for the kids' sake?! YIKES!) Maybe Eric can do it, haha.

Pastor John could verbally let them know of my concern, but thought it was best if I forwarded the email myself. He thanked me for bringing it up to him, and says it's a balance between being welcoming and being careful when it comes to children. Yes, of course it is... but I still cannot shake this feeling. My dad thinks we should wait to see if and when he's cleared by a police check, as per policy - yes, but DO YOU REALLY WANT TO WAIT TILL SOMETHING HAPPENS?! The dictator in me says we should bar him from the church building and surrounding area, like a restraining order. No, I don't feel like this about all newcomers, as I was telling Eric and Corey. The first two paragraphs are the background that I provided to Phil and Auntie Rebecca:

Hi, Phil and Auntie Rebecca. Background: There's this newcomer to our church and Fellowship that I get this OFF feeling from. He shook my hand last Friday, and I instantly felt icky and creepy all over - I could NOT shake the feeling! Perhaps it was because I saw him sign up for our David Fellowship service project on Friday night which involves helping out at Kids Night this year. (his first visit EVER was last Sunday, October 4) That set alarm bells ringing in my head because that's what a pedophile / creep would do, and I couldn't shake it off.

He's this white older guy named Daniel. I talked to Pastor John briefly about it on Sunday, and sent him the following email this afternoon, and he advised I forward this to you guys directly. Since I know you both work with children / teens, I'd advise you to watch out for him! Yes, I know we have the child protection policies in place for a reason. But you both know I love the children and teens of this church, and don't want anything to happen to them... if he tries to help out with anything kid-related, I'd say NO. If he shows up at any event where kids are around and in a vulnerable position... I'd be very concerned. No, I'm not saying he IS a pedophile or anything, but....

Hi, Pastor John. Thanks for listening to me about the newcomer on Sunday. I know that the church has child protection policies in place to minimize the chances of abuse, but I still found his behavior with the service project sign-up sheets as a first-time visitor to be very odd. When I shook his hand on Friday night, I just instantly felt ICKY. There's no other way to describe it, and I'm not normally one to either shun newcomers or put stock in VIBES you get from people! I'm usually fairly open-minded, but something just feels OFF about this guy, hence why I am not acting the way I normally would. I'm not saying ROLL OUT THE PEDOPHILE ALERT or anything, but my personal instincts say to be wary and not give out any personal info, even down to my name! And no, I don't feel guilty about not being Christian and exhibiting loving kindness toward him. I'm not really sorry about it either, although the typical NG bluntness is tempered a bit because this email is going to my PASTOR, of all people! I just had to say what I couldn't with him standing like two feet away from the water cooler! Maybe this makes me a bad Christian, I don't know..

My mother, on my needing to eat just ONE MORE cold cut at Dinesty last week: "But it's just a cold cut!" [when we were younger and complained about eating fruit practically right after dinner, she used to say that fruit wouldn't make you full... um, sure...]
Me, immediately: "Like cold cuts don't make you FULL?!" (I was already PLENTY full enough!)
Steph: Hahaha! YEAH, Mom!

I just told Corey that I was going to bed because I was at the airport... of course, what I really meant was that I was GOING to the airport. What the?!

Poo nugget for Wednesday, October 14: Log Jam - A Watched Pot... - Despite stomach pains, rancid gas, and the feeling of a turd on deck, sometimes nothing comes out no matter how hard you try to push. After ten to fifteen minutes in the bathroom, your friends / spouse / roommate may start to worry about you. But you may not be ready to give up yet. However, when you ultimately decide that it was a false alarm, the emptiness of the toilet bowl is a cruel reminder of your inability to perform. {POO OF THE MONTH!}

Viewing to support the Marr family and extended clan!

At dinner, my sister asked Dad about the child protection policies, which I knew about. Turns out she can't or won't abuse her authority by looking up Mr. Creep in the database over there, which I guess is justifiable since she could get fired for doing so if people find out! Still, I can't shake the feeling! Of course I know the policies and such, but I'm just concerned for the younger people in the church that I love! Honestly, I could have gone on a rant at the dinner table, but didn't. Dad said that I could go to Pastor John or Auntie Rebecca with it, while commending my concern... of course, if the guy passes a police check and THEN does something, that would be a whole other kettle of fish. I used Phil's title for the first time when referring to him as "Pastor Phil," since he works with the youth as well. I don't like Creep, and will make absolutely SURE he knows it! Or at least, I'll make sure he knows I'll be watching him VERY carefully...

There was something on the news about snow on the Coquihalla, so we told Grandma and Great-Aunt to turn around and look at the TV. Steph made conversation by asking Great-Aunt if there was snow in Hong Kong, even though she knows there isn't. I helped Great-Aunt with bringing in her dishes, because I know she can't really use her right hand too well. Besides, she's old and all that kind of thing too! Discussed mastectomies, change, Hong Kong, onions fighting coughs and colds, and whether Mom should sign for Jon and Harmony on the sympathy card - she did.

I was turned around putting the dishes away in the kitchen, and my family was outside in the living room...

Dad, suddenly: I'm so excited to take my clothes off! [he probably meant that he can dress more comfortably after WORK, but he could have been more clear...]
Me: ... I don't want to know!
Mom: But now you can give your dad a big juicy wet kiss! It's not BAD if it's on the cheek!
Steph: YES, YOU SHOULD!
Me: You and Mom are being shit-stirrers!
Steph: DAD! She swore!
Me: HE says that sometimes himself!

.... what the heck?! Of course, I resisted all comments of that nature. My mother IS the woman who once told me and my sister "Let's kiss and make out!" because she thought "make out" meant "hug" or something, but STILL!


After that, we left the old ladies at home while we went to the viewing for Grandpa Marr. My sister wondered why I had brought a RED (and black!) bag from home [I did choose my CLOTHING with care!], my mom reminded me that my sister had given me a messenger purse which was all black and perfect for funeral homes (well, I didn't remember it this morning!!!!), and my dad changed my $100 bill into five $20 bills. "If you drop this one bill, it's $100. If you drop these, it's only a $20 bill." True enough, and I don't really make a habit of carrying around that much money, other than the paranoia of a few weeks ago! (I'm putting it in the bank later, as well as that cheque I got earlier this week or so!)

Saw Sophia, John, David, Frances, and Mel on the way in. They thanked us for coming, and of course we would! Noticed Olivia with a DS or something in a pew, and saw her cousins Ian and Gabriel too. Olivia's sister Anne was looking for her father John, so it was cute how she looked in each pew - she was pretty quiet about it, too! The other little kids didn't really know enough to be quiet, but that was okay. I didn't see Micah, but maybe Mel's parents were taking care of him. (or I was blind) Hugged Auntie May, and said hi to Rosenda at the back. One of the little boys wanted to see the body, so David hoisted him on his shoulders while he looked. Yes, we paid respects to the coffin, heh. All I could think of was embalming fluid, which is pretty good for a temporary preservative!

Steph, Dad, and I conducted any discussions in hushed tones - white people would think Grandpa Marr has THE coolest name ever! (Man Chow!!!) Got married at 20, oh my! He had a lot of friends, and even a photo with Kim Campbell, our former prime minister! There was even a photo with him and a few other ladies, and Mom made a weird comment. Well, she did tell me how he had several lady friends at the community centre or something! (plenty independent too, unlike Grandma - Mom thinks she may not have a slideshow, since it'll be VERY SHORT!) Later, Steph drove me home while we talked about the past and his history.

Neptune redux, unexpected $100, and mini boob pastilles

Got to the townhouse in plenty of time to go out later, although I had to ring the doorbell three times before I got an answer! Yee Poh unexpectedly gave me a $100 bill to "buy fruit" (literal translation) - wow, that was definitely cool! Grandma just wondered why I hadn't gotten there sooner... well, considering she told me "If you're going to come, COME!" before hanging up on me earlier, I wasn't going to bother explaining yet again that it takes TIME to transit everywhere! (which she should know anyway, but...) Mom came home, and soon we were on our way to Neptune again, since the old ladies weren't in the mood for Gingeri - we went there for Grandma's 89th birthday. Had congee and noodles while Mom talked with them about Hong Kong and Dad's family history, including Taiwan and Aunt Janis. We also taught Great-Aunt the English words "fat," "thin," and "skinny." Hahaha!

After that, we went to City Fresh Market. Grandma insisted that we buy oranges even though she's leaving tomorrow; it's true that Jon filched one yesterday for his incipient cold, but that's FINE! I saw UG TIGER PEANUTS, and instantly thought of my brother! (one of his nicknames is UG or UGFART) If they'd had "UG" on the package, I'd have bought one to give him on Friday, haha. Then we went to China World / Rice World (same place), where I told Great-Aunt that Jon liked durian wafers. For some reason, she was under the impression that *I* liked them... nope! Then some random lady came up to us with a green package of Taiwanese lemon wafers, and said that these were good.

Mom saw us, and then tried convincing Grandma that she at least did NOT need a HUGE number of lemon wafers - she can probably get those in Hong Kong! However, one package of durian wafers did go in the basket for Jon - I noted with amusement that these were the very same brand of wafers that I'd purchased for him the week before his wedding, haha. (it went into the "weird food combination" money donation game for the banquet :P) I got some Jiabao preserved mandarin orange peels (from Mom) and some strawberry Pocky from Great-Aunt, while Great-Aunt bought Steph some Pretz. After buying some salmon jerky / shredded salmon (the same as I bought for Corey and myself from Great One Supermarket back in March), we went to my grandma's bank so she could do something with her safety-deposit box. Then we went to Yaohan so Mom and Grandma could buy some MORE ginseng for Cousin Aaron when they'd already bought it at Rice World. (interesting gift... and Grandma didn't buy any for Mom!)

After that, Mom decided to go to Dollar Giant so she could see if they had any candle holders for Gordon's wedding in December. (while composing an email to Auntie Ju - Gordon's mother - later, she asked me how to SPELL "Gordon" - oh dear!) She left me in charge of the two old ladies in the car, so Great-Aunt offered me some slightly herbal Prince of Peace honey loquat pastilles. These candies looked like mini-boobs, seriously! You could see a mound and a little indentation which looked like a nipple! If I knew where they got those, I could buy some to show select people, hahaha! (probably Yaohan?)

Anyway, Grandma got really impatient after we'd been waiting for ten minutes. Turns out she wanted to use the washroom - we tried dissuading her from going outside to look for one, but she went into the dollar store after trying to see if Autoplan had one by peering into the window! Mom came out a couple minutes later, and wondered where Grandma was! She told me to go into the dollar store, so I did - I found Grandma trying to communicate with an employee in one of the aisles! Briefly explained to the girl what she wanted, and said that I myself knew there was no washroom. Of course, we were only a few minutes from the townhouse! Relief was found there, and Steph called to say she'd come home for dinner. I enacted an idea I had about Mr. Creep, because my mom's work friend's husband had done it - we'll see what happens!


My mother, on dead mice:

Mom: So, did they die a horrible violent death? [no context whatsoever]
Me: What are you talking about?
Mom: The mice at your place! What do they look like when you see them?
Me: If you want to know, get some mice to run around your place, and then set glue traps for them. Then you'll see.
Mom: What do you do with them after? Do you eat them? Do you cuddle them, kiss them, and cry? [melodrama!]
Me: You can catch DISEASES that way, Mom!
Mom: You're healthy! [implying I won't catch diseases from rodents]
Me: If you don't stop, I'm putting this conversation on Facebook! [the ultimate threat, haha]
Mom: Oh, nobody will want to read that! [that doesn't say a thing about the act of my POSTING it!]

So I'm putting this on Facebook. Ha ha ha. (I thought she'd say that I was being terrible, since she thought my brother's new profile picture - featuring him with a quail head in his mouth - was terrible, and wondered why he'd "put that on the Facebook")

Can't sleep... this cough kept me up almost all night?!

I couldn't really sleep since I was coughing too much. Yes, of course I took the herbal medicine, but obviously stuck to the directions! No, I can't really afford to take the Neo-Citran till tomorrow when certain things have simmered down to a dull roar. Ack! This is not a statement on personal finances, either!

You Are Mulled Wine

You are a good friend. You love to gather with those who are dear to you, to catch up and drink lots of wine. For you, fall means more dinners with friends and long nights by the fire. You love coming inside after the summer. You enjoy making your home as comfortable as possible during the fall. You never know who might stop by for a warm drink or a piece of pie. Your ultimate holiday, Thanksgiving, also arrives in the fall. Whether you're hosting or just bringing a dish, you love how everyone gets together during this time.

What Autumn Drink Are You?

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

I should ask Jeremy whether he knows how to make this, although he's more of a beer person, hahaha. (and Thanksgiving just passed this weekend!)

Candle traps, Mario, Michael Jackson, and stomach stapling!

Facebook quizzes taken from Amanda:

Leslie completed the quiz "SAW: What would your 'Play Me' tape say?" with the result The Candle Trap. Hello, I want to play a game. If you are so sick, then why do I have so many photos of you "up and about"? Let's put your so-called "illness" to the test. Right now, there's a slow-acting poison in your veins. The antidote is inside the safe - the combination to the safe is written on the wall. Hurry up and program it in, but watch your step. By the way, that's a flammable substance smeared on your body, so I would be careful with that candle if I were you... or all the people you've burned with your act just might have their revenge.

Leslie completed the quiz "Are you Earth, Air, Fire, or Water?" with the result Earth. You consider yourself to be well suited for most situations. Nothing really fazes you. You understand what needs to be done, and the steps necessary to pursue that particular outcome. Your forthrightness and commanding nature can be seen as stubborn and even abrasive at times, especially when you are committed to a specific cause. Having said that, in your heart of hearts, you know that your way is the most direct path towards a goal, and stepping on a few toes may not be so bad in the long run.

Leslie completed the quiz "What classic Nintendo® character are you?" with the result Mario (from the Super Mario Bros.). You're Mario! Even though most people don't know it, you used to be a plumber (thus explaining your use of tubes and tunnels to get to and from) and always have an appetite for adventure. You're not afraid of killer plants, giant bullets, and freakishly huge turtles. You've run through your fair share of castles and mazes, but if it wasn't for the little kiss on the nose from the Princess Peach, you'd probably just have your brother Luigi do it all for you. You've also got a pretty good handle on how to ride a Yoshi.

You Are Beat It

You are tough and street smart. You won't let anyone try to push you around, and you're prepared to defend what's yours. You've worked hard for what you have, and you have no tolerance for those who are jealous of your success. You are fearless... you've had to be in order to survive in life. You understand power well. While you try to do the right thing in life, you know the world doesn't work that way. It's all about who has the most strength.

What Michael Jackson Song Are You?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

Leslie's just got their Frozen Drink Name from Name Generators. It's Golden Cadillac. (What the heck kind of name is THAT for a frozen drink?)


Poo nugget for Tuesday, October 13: Stomach-Stapling Stool - Gastric bypass surgery is used to treat people with morbid obesity. Weight loss after surgery occurs for several reasons, including "bypassing" of large portions of the intestine through which food is normally digested and absorbed. This results in passage of partially-digested foodstuffs into the colon / fatty, foul-smelling diarrhea / (in severe cases) malnutrition.

Seafood dinner at Red Star restaurant

Steph drove me, Grandma, and Great-Aunt to the Red Star restaurant near T&T. We discussed Chantal, hot pot, Gabriel, Vivian, being Jewish / kosher, and a few other things. The dinner was all right - the restaurant had these great crystal chandeliers, haha! We saw Auntie Susan and Karen Grace there - Happy Thanksgiving, indeed! I'm glad they're doing okay after the summer, for sure! Apparently, the restaurant near London Drugs had these comfy chairs, so sitting in a straight-backed one was quite a contrast. Also... $22 for three fairly huge pieces of sablefish?! Are we perhaps paying for the atmosphere which also included detailed curtains and art featuring horses?! Yikes, man!

Discussed Hong Kong, the viewing / funeral tomorrow and the next day, Jon, airport plans, Chilliwack, phone calls, plans, Citrus, Steph's plans, and more. There was fruit with mayo on it - it was kinda weird for a fancy place, for sure. I had to be polite but firmly businesslike with the manager lady when the bill hadn't come after ten minutes of our requesting it! We had almond cookies and taro / yam jello things for dessert, along with red bean soup. Got home to find that Ivy had unfriended me from Facebook - no big deal, I guess. Hahaha.

Thanksgiving lunch with pumpkin ale, old parental photos, and pictures of Great-Aunt's visit

Jon and Harmony picked me up, and they started talking about how they might need to buy matches from London Drugs or something to cover up a certain smell from bombing. They figured that the store would have matches since it also sold cigarettes, even if it would be twenty times more expensive than somewhere else. I listened to this for a bit, then contributed that I'd once heard of a Blur song entitled DON'T BOMB IF YOU'RE THE BOMB, which Jon found hilarious. We arrived at the townhouse in due time, to find everyone else already eating because Grandma got impatient and couldn't wait. Mom didn't make shepherd's pie with ground turkey because they had a LOT of leftovers from last night's seafood extravaganza, which were evident on the table. We discussed Hong Kong / diabetes / last night's volunteer dinner / Myles / the law of diminishing returns (pineapple once a week would be fine, but you'll get sick of it if you eat it every day for a few days or so!) / more stuff, and I noticed that Great-Aunt's hands shook a lot.

Grandma wanted Jon to stay for a seafood dinner at another restaurant, but of course he has obligations at his in-laws' house! It was an interesting lunch - there was sweet potato cheesecake, as advertised. Steph liked it so much that she had another piece even though she probably shouldn't have! Great-Aunt didn't mind trying some of the pumpkin ale that Jon brought along (Mom explained that Halloween was coming up), but she didn't want to try his raspberry ale since the pumpkin had been enough. At least she seemed amused and happy to try some, unlike her sister! After a while, Harmony and I looked through Mom's old photo albums dating from 1955 to 1972 or so. Uncle Michael hasn't changed at all since he was a kid, and Auntie Ju hasn't really changed since she was young, either! We found pictures of Grandma and Yee Poh when they were teens or so, and Uncle Michael's wedding pics. (plus Hong Kong fellowship pics, and souvenirs from Mom's trip to the States!)

Harmony was going to transit to her film, but Mom and Dad took her to a Canada Line stop since they had to go out anyway. Steph thought that maybe Dad wanted to be a supportive husband in front of Harmony, because usually he won't go to Michael's crafts store with our mother to look for candle holders and stuff like that! Jon, Steph, and I discussed Google Street View, almond butter (put almonds in the food processor and GO!) / Chantal / hot pot restaurant reviews on Dine Here ("spacious but dirty" was one memorable blurb!), casual invites, teaching, and other things. Once Jon was gone to teach at his in-laws' one minute away, Steph and I had a sisterly discussion (I brought up a good point!) - also talked about Gmail, hockey, and more. We're going to Red Star restaurant for dinner - interesting! And of course Mom is rushing me to get off the computer and do some stuff when the reservation isn't for another half hour... *rolleyes*


Now that I'm here at the townhouse, I can actually upload the "Yee Poh visit" pictures on this computer to Facebook. Not sure why I can't get into Photobucket here - it's annoying! Maybe it's a password thing, so I'll check it out tonight at home. These are all from last Sunday, October 4:

Grandma, Great-Aunt, and Cousin Eric at #9 Restaurant for lunch, 10/4/09. I don't think Grandma looks impressed that Steph is taking her picture, hahaha.



Great-Aunt, Grandma, and Mom at Neptune Seafood Restaurant for dinner, 10/4/09. I like the golden teapot! In case you're wondering why the lid of the other teapot is tilted, that's a REFILL signal. It works most of the time. ;)




Cousin Eric, Great-Aunt, and Grandma at Neptune:




Mom, Dad, and me at Neptune:




Jon posing with a quail head in his mouth... his wife was NOT impressed, haha!




Here's a closer view of that quail head...




Great-Aunt is amused, and look! Grandma's using her hands to eat something, when she almost NEVER does!




These sisters are different, all right!




Great-Aunt and Grandma providing the background for a lot of eaten dishes at Neptune:

"Eat first and clean up later!" / Chronicling birthday dream / Poo intimacy

I still like Stanford's suggestion for Harmony since she didn't feel comfortable being at the volunteer dinner yesterday because she hasn't volunteered yet. "Tell her to eat first and clean up later, haha!" When we told her about this later on, she didn't think that was the right thing to do! Oh well. :P [Dad even asked Jon where his lovely wife was... um, that's WRONG! Sorta...]

Had a weird dream - all I can remember is that I was chronicling birthdays while having a fight with Randal. After a while, I was in another part of the building because I had to lead a group of kids everywhere. Suddenly, I felt this urge to go back to my room. So I did, only to find Randal fixing my stuff. I wondered briefly why he was there, and we had a bit of a talk about what happened. A bit later, he saw me when I was with another group of kids, and waved to me, saying that maturity was a big factor. I knew he was joking, though. Then I woke up. No idea why I had this one, as per usual!

Dad called me ten minutes ago from some phone number which I don't recognize - what the?! He wondered where Jon was, and whether he was going to pick me up for lunch or not. Since I know he's teaching and tends to run late, I'm not worried yet! (and yes, I did tell him that) If it was 2 PM, then sure... but it's not. Ah, Jon just called two minutes ago to say he's done teaching - he and Harmony will be here in about seven minutes! See? No cause to stress out. :D


Poo nugget for Monday, October 12: The Intimacy of Poo - Nature is full of examples suggesting that defecation is more than just physiological necessity. One need look no further than at a cat hastily concealing its feces, a dog doing the reverse leg kick to separate himself from his deed, or at a young child quietly escaping to a quiet corner of the room, to appreciate the extremely personal nature of poo. Given the intimacy of this process, it comes as no surprise that there is an air of vulnerability surrounding this act. This sentiment is embodied in the well-known saying "He was caught with his pants down." Some would say that allowing oneself to "be caught" by another while performing this most private of duties truly signifies the development of an unwavering trust. Others would say that pooing openly in front of others is just weird.

Volunteer Church Appreciation Dinner 2009, plus a 4-3 shootout win over the Stars

Eric picked me up at about the time he stated, which was super. We talked about socks and showers, then I went on a big rant about Mr. Creep - if Eric has NEVER heard me talk about vibes before, then he should definitely take that into account, man! I just get a CREEPY FEELING from Mr. Creep (which I should tell Pastor John about), and this time, I'm not going to ignore warning signals! That was to my detriment in 2007-2008, so NEVER AGAIN! It's not that Creep may be socially maladjusted (because my geek / nerd friends and I may be like that as well), and it's not that he's UGLY... it's his odd behavior with the sign-up sheets! Eric tried convincing me that he'd email Pastor John about it: don't worry, I believe you! Then he wondered whether I got a FEELING about other relative newcomers like Chuck / Richie / Jose... nope, I think they're all GOOD people! (even if I thought Richie was too new a few months ago, haha) So most of the ride over was filled with a point-counterpoint kind of thing! (we also discussed squished noses)

Once we got to church, we found that the parkade was FULL, yet it was still open - what the?! When we finally got into the fellowship hall, we found that people were getting their food - noticed a funny fruit piece decoration, haha. Auntie Tracy said that we came at the right time; I said hi to Sabrina and others, then got my food (SO MUCH MEAT!) and headed outside to the tables under the tents. Calla, Stanford, and Johnny ate with me and Eric, and we commented that it was SO COLD outside! Johnny said that it reminded him of the PNE since it had tables like this for people to eat at, then we started talking about the wedding they'd been at this past weekend.

Calla told us several interesting stories; since one was about the bride FREAKING OUT about music, I said that Auntie Brenda had told her daughter Erin that her hair looked HORRIBLE the morning of the wedding. BAD THING TO SAY! Then again, Calla had a friend whose mother repeatedly asked her as they were DRIVING to the wedding whether she was SURE about the decision - "you still have a few minutes to back out - it's not DONE yet!" ISSUES!!!! Then there was the one where an avid recycler was almost literally going to kill someone who apparently had NEVER heard of a blue box before... HAHAHA! (I would have asked Calla to reprise the story for Jon when he finally got to the dinner since he'd appreciate it, but maybe later!)

Lesley came out after a while and asked us where my brother was - running late, probably. It didn't really bother us personally (although I did tell Stanford and Calla the story of how Jon was once 1.5 hours late for a lunch with Danielle) - then we figured out WHY Lesley was so anxious. Seems Jon was performing for the program afterwards! Jon got there within five minutes of THAT, so was soon saying how the amount of meat was disgusting: "Meat is murder," indeed. Then people were wondering where Harmony was - she's so conscientious that she won't mooch, and Jon admires that. (later, Eric was telling her how he'd eaten some of the food for the Sunday School appreciation lunch a few weeks ago, and they hadn't minded!) Then Jon wanted to know who got married on Thanksgiving weekend - apparently, Stanford and Calla are going to do just that next year! Oops, haha.

Eventually, we all went into the fellowship hall, where I spent some time with baby Mattias, who liked my hat. His grandma Auntie Catherine spotted me and wanted to say she hadn't forgotten about my birthday, but she'd just had an operation - NO WORRIES, since I wasn't expecting anything! Talked to Ivan for a bit - school is busy! Seems the planning responsibility for these types of events has shifted from my mom to his, and he hopes someone else takes over for his mom soon! Speaking of his mom, Auntie Ronne was frantically looking for Jon two minutes before the program started. I heard her ask "Where's Jonathan?!" and informed her that he was outside in the foyer. She said "OUTSIDE?!" Hahaha, he was just talking to a bunch of people as usual! Maybe she was afraid he'd delay the program since he had to play for it, haha.

The program went fine - there were no goofy games like last year, haha. ("go find the number of Exit signs!") I noted Calla and Johnny laughing over the fact that Stanford apparently didn't know the song GIVE THANKS - how can you not know how that goes when you've been here for a year?! When the CSCC gave their presentation, I noted an odd bit of translation in the Powerpoint: "Came you with a pamphlet." What the?! (if I'd been sitting with Eric on the other side of the room, he'd have commented on it!) Johnny and I noted the lack of an English translation for a Mandarin folksong and some CANDLELIGHT Chinese song... but Pastor Edward and Auntie Rebecca did a pretty good rendition of THE PRAYER! (everyone started clapping when Pastor Edward did some Italian, haha)

Afterwards, I made sure Matthew Ma #2 knew what my name was, since I said I'd test him on Saturday. Dad wanted to ensure I was going with Eric - you bet! Eric asked if I minded going to Jon and Harmony's house to watch the hockey game faster; nope, so we were on our way after we were given several of the plethora of takeout containers for the dinner leftovers. At Jon and Harmony's, we updated her on the dinner - Dad had told Jon that he made too many mistakes in his LOVE DREAM song, but Jon thought it was still okay. We witnessed a 4-3 win over the Stars in a shootout, because the Stars scored with about two minutes left in the third. Then we watched commentary, highlights, and some of the Colorado Rockies-Philadelphia Phillies baseball game before Christon came over.

We then watched Baraka, which was a very interesting movie. It provoked discussion, all right! Discussed worship, Iran, the crystal cathedrals in Iran, the "shorts" at the start of Film Festival screenings ("sexual content which you may not be comfortable with" featuring a man, a woman, another man, and animals!), films, Googling various things, Matt Stairs, ADVENTURELAND, Citrus, Rotten Tomatoes, hockey and baseball analysis, hockey pools, Cambodia, Hagia Sophia, fruit, grapes, transit, Mecca, Auschwitz, and more. Christon was going to transit home, but upon a quick look at Translink, he discovered that the Skytrain / Canada Line had stopped running already at 12:15! Eric agreed to drive him home, which saved Jon a trip out. On the way to the car, I froze when I saw the few steps leading down to the sidewalk. It's okay to navigate them down during daylight hours, but either my night vision is really bad or I don't feel comfortable without railings. Of course I couldn't say that to Eric, so I merely told him that I almost died the last time I'd gone down those at night. (not true, obviously) He helpfully gave me his arm, which was great - THANKS!

After we dropped Christon off at home (the ramp! construction! long delays!), Eric and I returned to our previous topic of discussion. I may not be giving Mr. Creep a chance, but I don't WANT to get burned by a newcomer AGAIN. Eric thinks I have pre-conceived notions about Creep, and also that his sign-up sheet behavior influenced my reaction when I shook hands with him. Not really, although of course people's actions influence my REACTION towards them! Told Eric that I'd run over my "quota" of words in Creep's direction - no, of course I don't have such quotas when it comes to anyone else, not even Randal! I just don't want Creep to know anything about me... maybe not even my name! Good thing he told me that he's bad with names, hahaha. Due to a comment Christon made, I found out that he's 48 years old and has been to about ten churches so far. Yes, I know I'm not screening him for dating potential (as if!), but I just KNOW when I feel icky around certain people! He made me scream "WHAT?!" in a high-pitched voice when he told me to DREAM of him after I'd exited his car! I don't think I will, thanks!

Apparently, I'll have return teaching engagements - oh my!

Said hi to Grandma and Great-Aunt today in the car, for which they called me "good." This morning at service, I found myself wishing I'd stashed some Ricola cough drops away in my knapsack. (my dad commented on my mucus - um, thanks...) It's not like the 7-11 is steps away anymore, after all! I met a few of Richie's Calgary friends, and Randal passed me an envelope from Grace - I didn't mind that, but did wonder briefly why he shook my hand. At least it was better than Mr. Creep - more details on that later. (for some reason, I don't trust CREEP!) Said hi to Lucas, Sarah, Emily x2, Chrystal, Mike T., and a few more people. Empathized with Lucas' sister Hannah on being stick in Kelowna till 4 PM yesterday because of that Air Canada computer glitch - she just wanted be HOME! I wished Grace a happy birthday, and gave her the butterscotch Chipits. Jon and Harmony were later to service than Steph was (she was five minutes late), but it was a good thing that they sat in my pew. I had a big red plastic bag full of things (newspapers and clothes?!) to give to him, so under cover of Daniel telling us about a prayer or song, I said "Ug - stuff from Mom" and passed it over Acer. Also accidentally spritzed Acer's pants with hand sanitizer, but it was the foaming stuff, so went away within seconds. (otherwise, I'd have apologized!)

After service, my cough seemed to get better - and pretty much went away in Sunday School time; SO WEIRD! Of course, I didn't want to infect the kids with it, haha... maybe that was God helping me, heh. Told Steph about the COUGAR TOWN show, and bugged Jon about it too. Jon said that he should be a participant in it, and Harmony was NOT impressed, haha. Gave Christon's Bible Study group card to him later on while he was talking to Mr. Creep - I didn't give HIM the time of day, but focused on Christon as I explained to him what it was for! I noticed that Perfidious Blackguard deliberately used the other door of the fellowship hall to enter said room... okay, then! Not that I'd TOUCH you, so you don't have to worry about that! Noticed Jonathan and a few other teens with some pumpkin pie, so bugged them about eating everything - I can't eat like that anymore, man!

Said hi to Lily and her daughter Hannah outside the fellowship hall a little later. Saw baby Mattias, who just turned ONE a couple days ago, so I gave him a birthday card. After he dropped it on the floor a couple of times, I said I'd let Mommy hold it instead! Karen said that he almost fell asleep during the last song - I agree that the rhythm of Hillsongs' You Hold Me Now is very conducive to a good sleep, haha. Johnny and Kevin were talking about a wedding rehearsal - weddings on Thanksgiving weekend?! Oh my. Noticed Jon talking to someone and saying "my wife and I don't drive too often," so I reflected to myself that it was still strange hearing him say things like that!

Briefly talked to him about tomorrow's Thanksgiving lunch at the townhouse - it's all good if they pick me up between 12:15 or 12:30... knowing them, it might be 12:45, but I am not as impatient as certain people! Told him that Eric had joked about my doing something to "my brother and sister-in-law" on Friday night; when he said that he'd been in the downtown Eastside all day, I said that I'd told Eric that they were at a dinner as far as I knew. That didn't mean I'd done something to him and Harmony, man! Spotted Vivian talking to Lanie, so I told her that I forgot the Fuzzy Peach candy since I was rushed out of the house this morning! Next time!

Finally made my way upstairs at 11:30 or so, then got distracted by baby Allison for a few minutes. Karen Chan, Anita, Mike K., Julie, and Elaine said hi to me - baby Allison even waved to me! I said hi to everyone, then Allison gave me a green package of lemon wafers, of which she had two. Of course I thanked her, and didn't say anything when she took it back to give to Mike. Apparently, she talks a lot at home, and knows how to choose her cereal in the mornings! ("Shreddies, cornflakes, and something else!") Mommy (Anita) won't give her too much sugar, so dried Fruit to Go is perfect for snack purposes! We concluded that the lemon wafer packages were for her to practice sharing, heh. Anita wanted her to go and scare Daddy (Jeff), but she was instead trying to hide between the lounge chairs - Karen thought she might get stuck!

Talked about the difference between lemons and limes - Mike didn't know they were actually different until last year. He just thought a lime was like an unripe lemon, heh. After a couple more minutes, I realized I had to get going, so I said bye to everyone. Poked my head in the lounge to say bye to Jeff - turns out he was talking to Jason Yeasting! Haven't seen HIM in ages, for understandable reasons! Said hi and bye to him before I went off to toddler Sunday School. I taught the kids literally from the guidebook and my rudimentary notes, and let them see my Bible. Auntie Ying thanked me and hugged me, too. (she used what I recognized as the Chinese word for "daughter-in-law" while talking to one of the parents because it is Grace's birthday today... I'm learning! Kinda...)

She thinks that the kids listened to me more (for all Conor was being very active), so she figures I can do this all year. Uh, thanks... guess I'll see if I can do it! Gave Amanda her thank-you card, and she said she had a special book which she'd have to bring me next week since she forgot! Well, I'll see about that, haha. Made sure that Amanda's mom Catherine knew about the card, too. (Esther was very cute, Evelyn was a bit clingy, David tried to steal a THOMAS THE TRAIN book, and Amos was good!) Went downstairs (after fielding a question from Nina about Auntie Bessy) to see what was going on with my family - Steph hadn't slept in the car, but had had coffee instead. (Dad was under the impression that she'd go home after service since she cane home at 3)

Mr. Creep tried shaking my hand again, and I was THIS CLOSE to saying "No, I don't shake hands with pedophiles!" I just said that I would NOT shake his hand, although I could have used the "getting sick" excuse, haha. He even invited me to lunch with him and others... um, NO. Thank goodness I had a family lunch at Tsui Woo! (I did talk to Pastor John about my concerns - he reassured me that there was a church policy about new people helping out with kids - I knew about this, of course. I used PEDOPHILE and noted his odd behavior with the sign-up sheets; Pastor John thanked me for my concerns. Well, they'd better be duly noted, is all I can say! Went over to the water cooler, and said hi to Matthew Ma #2 - he can't remember my name, heh.

Said hi to my great-aunt (who called me by my Chinese name - so unsettling!), and wondered where my grandma was... ah, just behind her. Eventually, we all went to Tsui Woo - a table of 13?! (our family, Auntie Eva, Uncle Percy, Auntie Paula, Auntie Eileen, a familiar-looking man, Alan, and Polly) It was pretty good! Asked Steph to call Eric for me so I could remind him about this afternoon. Since I couldn't hear him because of the LOUD restaurant, I said "I can't hear you, so I assume you said yes, and I'll call you later!" On the way home, I amused myself by talking about someone with 34F boobs - my mom thought that was impossible, haha. We also talked about farting, sweet potato cheesecake, shepherd's pie with ground turkey (Jon will appreciate the creativity!) instead of a whole turkey, and more. At home, I fielded an email from Eric sent just twelve minutes before I got in - woohoo! Eric just called, so I am out of here!