Nightmare about maternal beatings and scalding water! / Burning people / Entitlement

I had a nightmare which involved my mom beating me up and burning me with scalding water right in front of all her neighbors, who were at the house for a Chinese New Year party. There were Russian nesting dolls and streamers everywhere - uncharacteristically, Dad comforted me a bit before I went to watch TV. One of the shows that the satellite offered was an underwater version of 24, and the neighbors didn't like my mother's actions at all. I was sure glad to wake up from that one!

Took a shower, learned Hien REALLY wants the Olympic collector box, and was out of here to Awana. Talked to Henry for a brief while (work was slow?!), and then interacted with Chrystal (one of her cousins didn't realize he had a counterfeit $5 bill while T-shirt shopping - Mike looked at it, too), Melia, Auntie Vivian (her trip was wonderful), Jordan and Matthew Ma #2 (being bad), Eric, Ian, Golden (the hockey game insanity), Ian, Sean S. (asking about the decorations), Conor, and others. Jordan totally guilt-tripped Joey, who used to be his leader: "What do you mean, you were only here when Martin was in Hong Kong? Can't you quit your job and come back here? Is school that busy? You can come here and get money for being here! (not true)" Hahaha! Auntie Rebecca wondered whether I was feeling better - a little, I guess. Rachel's grandma said she couldn't help out tomorrow since she had no time... next week is Spring Break! Asked Auntie Cissy for a ride home tomorrow from the dinner - she could do it if I reminded her. I was actually going to call Ivan, too - CRAP DANG IT! On the way home, I discussed early wake-ups with Ada, while Sean L. pretended to be a chef because he could burn people - oh my!

You Feel a Bit Entitled

You don't feel like the world should be handed to you, but you do feel like you've paid your dues. And let's be honest - you don't think you've gotten the credit that you deserve. While you may be actually entitled to more, you can't think that way. Feeling entitled will only lead to trouble. Just keep working hard and doing your best. Eventually, you'll end up with what you deserve.

How Entitled Do You Feel?

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

Overcompensating / Prayers for Pregnancy?! / SCARY POO / Dog sledding

Due to my being really early yesterday when I went to meet Eric, I tried compensating for that this afternoon by NOT taking the first 410 I saw. This kinda backfired since I was almost 15 minutes late. (when I got home, I noted that Eric had tried to call me) We discussed the Smoke Monster thing, characters (Claire?), and a few other things on the way to church. You bet that I could go to Superstore and order Subway for us both! On the way out of there after I ate (reading the NATIONAL ENQUIRER - shut up), I was fervently hoping that I didn't see anyone I knew since I like my alone time. I'm just thinking of NOT having a real life next week so I can work on stuff, heh. Ran into Isabel at the traffic light, which was fine - I like her, heh.

Went into the church and talked to Phil and Grace about stuff - yup, I hung out with Auntie Ying (who's probably excited to be a real grandma) today! They had managed to completely miss her since they were only home from 11:30 to 4. I apologized about earlier, but at least I wasn't the only one! Figured that seven weeks is too soon to announce something, since (and I didn't say this) you never know what can go wrong in the first trimester. I told Grace about the book her mother-in-law wants to give her... yeah, PRAYERS FOR PREGNANCY? Hmm... maybe if it's a high-risk one, but other than that? Probably not... Grace accidentally called her father-in-law "Uncle Phil," hahaha. We discussed the decorated fellowship hall - they used the wedding arch, man! Crazy!

Saw my parents, so of course tried to avoid them as much as possible. I even made it look like I was hanging around Jessica / Joey / Emily / Mike / Margaret, which illusion was then broken when Mike went to get some water! Oh well, at least I got a pew to myself until people started streaming in. Harmony returned my blue bag to me, and I later showed her that I didn't carry bricks around in there, haha. She told me that she got a new job near UBC doing contract stuff like she was doing at Penguin in Toronto, and she starts on Tuesday - GREAT NEWS! Gordon Smith talked on theology, and that was what I expected. Later, I talked to Andrea L. for a while about the Olympics and life in general. I could have told her about recent events, but decided it wouldn't be wise. Not that my mother was around, but I needed to be safe!

When I judged it safe, I went outside to go to the bathroom - but since I saw Andrew sitting outside, I decided to talk to him for a few minutes. He definitely liked my dragon hat and shirt - it was okay if I told him that my parents got both items for me, even though they might have been within hearing distance. He's had to get used to school again after the Olympics, poor guy! It's the year of the Tiger, not the Dragon! When I actually did go to the bathroom, Auntie Ying tried talking to me while I was in there - don't do that, man! "You can be free and not read the book in Sunday School since the kids might listen to you more!" Well, considering I do last-minute prep in service, that might not be possible... although now I can look over the material. Maybe tomorrow!

Talked to Carmen, Jon, Harmony, Richie (leaving in MAY?!), Phil (who commiserated with me), Danielle (who was supportive and gave me a hug), Eric (NO CURLING EVEN IF IT'S TWO MINUTES FROM MY PLACE!), Emily (who said Ivan wasn't there), and some others in the sanctuary after that. Got invited for bubble tea at Kat's Tea House, which Eric was up for - I had to be within a metre of Mr. Creep since Dylan was talking to him and Eric at the same time. Honestly, I just wish Mr. Creep would just NOT make friends with my friends! At the same time, I know this sounds VERY grade-school. I noticed him talking to Uncle Eugene earlier, too... please don't tell me that you want the church administrator job! After a while, we all got going... I wanted to leave when I saw my mother uncomfortably close to my friends two feet away, even though we've been mutually ignoring each other. Unfortunately, Eric had to get his guitar and such - DAMMIT!

I found blessed relief in the parkade, thank goodness. Eric decided to get gas on the way there, and said we wouldn't stay long. I didn't blame him, since he is still recovering from the flu. We ended up staying for the entire time with Jon, Harmony, Jen, Raymond, Cindy, Richie, Albert, Carmen, Dianne, Vivian, Wesley, and Christon. Discussed Randal's "___ is sexy!" Facebook status, hockey pool stuff, red tea, jackfruit, shaved ice, mango stars, jelly, work, touching gold medals, the Paralympics, free events, Harmony's new job, Servants and the Olympics (some people didn't feel safe on the streets because of all the partiers, while some people may have been bused off to Squamish / Chilliwack), Phil / Melia / Chrystal / Emily's weird family tree (two brothers married two sisters, AND the grandfather married two different sisters to start with), and more. Cindy had a story about a kids' book called RUN RUN! IT'S SCARY POO! Wesley was especially interested because he works WITH poo at a wastewater treatment plant, and the whole table was laughing!

When we finally paid the bill and left, I definitely wanted to leave since it was getting cold outside. Jen was feeling similarly since she didn't want Christon to stand around and talk too much for the same reason! I also wanted some alone time and such, as well. Good thing Eric is an introvert like I am, so silence is a welcome thing! On the way home, I tried figuring out if Eric would be home at the same time as I am, at least at a reasonable hour - not really, so the same time as last Sunday works! He thought I'd contact Ivan about it, but I clarified that I meant I'd do it for the night program - and if Ivan can't give me a ride, then I'm out of the program too. (I'll tell Lesley, of course) If so, that'll mean more downtime... or it won't since I'm tentatively scheduled to go to Auntie Ying's. Meh, we'll see. Eric brought up DARKWING DUCK, D.W., Homestar Runner, the car smelling like gas, and some other stuff before dropping me off - not TOO bad.

Trivia fact for Saturday, Mar. 6: In dog sledding, what command does the musher customarily give to get his or her team going? Hike. Mush is rarely used.

Cards Received, 2009

Way past time for this entry, but I didn't realize I hadn't done it here yet. Oops. Good thing I have time to copy and paste my draft in here before I leave to meet Eric!

Valentine's Day (1)

Janina (mrshannibal): "Dear Leslie: Roses are red / Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet / And so are you! Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Janina."


Special 2009 (1)

Harmony: "Dear Leslie, I'm so glad you were a part of my shower! It was a lot of fun. Thanks so much for your thoughtful gift! I'll be sure to reference the book often, and in the event I'm stuck for ugfart-specific ideas, you know who I'll be coming to - hahahaha. Thanks also for the fun and cheerful green basket! Love, Harmony." (the book she refers to is 1001 Ways to Be Romantic: Now Completely Revised and More Romantic Than Ever, by Gregory Godek)


Birthday 2009 (5)

* card from parents

* Christon: "Happy Birthday, Leslie! It's so wonderful to have someone like you in our lives, constantly encouraging us and supporting us in our events. I really am amazed at how you can keep everyone's birthdays in your head, but that goes to show what a caring person you are! Happy Birthday!"

* Harmony: "Dear Sarne, Happy birthday! Hope your day is all that you wanted it to be. Jon suggested that we sit on you as a birthday gift, but I think we'll spare you that. Cheers, Harmony."

* Jon: "Now, sitting on you will be the gift that keeps on giving! Yaz is truly ug. Actually, yaz is truly ug and old!!! Hoho."

* Danielle: "Happy 33rd Birthday, Leslie! I'm sorry I had to miss the party! :( You're right! I do need a personal planner! Anyways, I hope you had a great and wonderful day! Love, Danielle."

* Andrea: "Giving thanks for your life and friendship!"


Christmas 2009 (26)

Shi I. (mypetconcubine): "Aloha, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. May you have all your dreams come true. *CROSSES FINGERS* I hope you get this!" [a cool "Season's Aloha! From our hale to yours..." Hawaii card, haha]

Deborah G. (devils_sidekick): "Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!" (she included a grasshopper LEAP perforated "Want to know a secret? I think you're terrific." thing)

Julie S. (julie709): "Have a great holiday season!"

Heather L. (mileena): "Happy Holidays! I hope you like the stickers I have sent. I was going through some things, and found a ton of them that I used to use when I had pen pals. Sadly, we have all stopped writing. So I can't possibly use them all, but that's why some have a few missing. I apologize for that, and hope you will still enjoy them. :)" (she included BLOOM COUNTY Valentine's Day stickers, Disney stickers, "girly secrets" stickers, sparkly fairy stickers, romantic Valentine's Day stickers, TAZ stickers, and car stickers)

Jonne B. (jonne_bunny): "Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a happy new year."

Alessandra P. (dru_it): "Merry Christmas from Italy!"

Gena S. (dont_deny_me): "Hi Leslie! Have a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy the stickers!!"

Alexis F. (fraserette): "Happy Holidays! I couldn't find dragon stickers, but I hope these [Hannah Montana] do! Keep warm with this cocoa mix, and enjoy the holidays! Lex."

Katie J. (touchofgr3y): "Thanks for the card!"

Steve and Carol B.: "All the best!"

Diane S. (the_fuzzy_bunny): "Dear Leslie, This is a very special card I got for you because it's made out of ELEPHANT POOP! So MERRY CHRISTMAS! Your friend always, Diane AKA The Fuzzy Bunny."

Becca C. (heyfashion): "Peace, joy, and warmest wishes! I hope all of your holiday wishes are fulfilled! P.S. Enjoy the stickers!"

Krista K. (geek_dragon): "Hi Leslie, I hope you get this in time. If not, Happy Easter! You are on the ball with cards. I bit off more than I can chew, so time is going by too fast. Thanks for your card! And your friendship. Be tough - don't take flak from Mr. Creep! - Krista."

Casey (chickabimbo): "Merry Christmas!"

Heather P. (swingthevote): "Hey! This is swingthevote from holiday_wishes! Hope you have VERY happy holidays!"

Jane K. (justsurvive): "Happy New Year!"

Marie (reebee): "Merry Christmas, Leslie! I hope you have a wonderful year!"

Kelli E. (neonrose5): "A card and an extra wish or two! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!"

Janina (mrshannibal): "Dear Leslie, Hope you have a super-duper, fun-filled, and fantastic Christmas, as well as a truly grand New Year! Love, Janina."

Jane (gi_janearng): "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Love from Audrey, Greg, and Kaitlyn."

Deb: "Leslie, Thank you for making me feel so welcomed at your fellowship. I am very impressed that you knew and remembered my birthday! I look forward to getting to know you better... :)" (included a wedding photo, too!)

Christon: "Merry Christmas, Leslie! Thank you for all the care and time you put into bringing a smile on people's faces when you accurately keep track of their birthdays and special events! It's always a fun time chatting with you at Sunday Dinners, and I enjoy your humor despite it being somewhat morbid at times. :) I hope that this holiday will bring you lots of joys and blessings, and maybe in the New Year, we'll continue to get to know one another better, and share many more memorable moments! Have a very Merry Christmas, Leslie! Cheers! Christon."

Sheryll (sheryll) and Nyssa (giggles_19): "Lots of glittery, shiny stickers... and a card of a paddle wheeler on the Mississippi in New Orleans. - Hope they brighten your holiday!"

Heather C. (catgoddess): "I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year." [it had a cute Dr. Seuss character on the front!]

Farrah (lilaznffairy421): "Hey Leslie! That is a pretty awesome deal. :D I'm sorry it took me so long to write back! Thanks for your card! :) I was swamped with finals. :( I'm waiting on one last grade right now, and I am pretty effing scared that I didn't pass that class. x_x In any case, I hope everything's been going well with you! I hope you have a merry Christmas and an awesome new year as well. Happy holidays! :D P.S. I'm sorry the cat doesn't look so happy. :O" [the deal was an 18-pack of good cards for only $1 or $2, and the cat didn't look happy because it had reindeer antlers on it, haha.]

Jennifer L. (tehgreenfairy): "Hey Leslie! I hope this gets to you on time. SO MUCH going on! I only sent like five cards, but you get to be one, haha! Happy Christmas! :) Happy Holidays! :D Love, Jennifer."

John A. (snooooopy): "I vow to read at least one book in the coming year so that the bookmark you sent me will enjoy some use."


Kadri (bad_habit): "Hi Leslie! I hope this here card finds you well and happy. I realize it is late - in fact, I received your card two days ago, but I've felt so out of place, and I did not want to pick up a pen in that mood. (or un-mood, I should say) Today, however, today I finally feel like Christmas. Partly because it's snowing outside, which brings out my inner six-year-old, but mostly because I've realized something. I've realized that I am incredibly lucky - I have amazing friends (both online and offline), I have a wonderful family who support me, and while I am out of a job, I do have time. For anything and everything. And suddenly the future seems pretty good once more. :) I hope you are as enthusiastic about it.

I have enjoyed reading your LiveJournal entries too, and to know more about your life. I know I don't comment much - I'm more of a lurker, I'm afraid. You sound happier now, for which I'm very grateful. You deserve every happiness in this world!

So, as you won't get this until the new year, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a brilliant New Year's Eve. May the new year bring you good things and wonderful new experiences. I hope you get to laugh more than you did in 2009. That, I can say every year - people should laugh more - that way, they'll live longer!

And I must say a couple of words about this obviously Photoshopped card. Estonian people are not like elves - we aren't as lightfooted as to have no footprints on snow. It's a form of folkdancing in one of the many local folkclothes. As I write this, it looks odd. The basic idea is that each region - sometimes no bigger than a village or two - have their own style of dressing. Had, rather. Supposedly, one could tell where you were from just by your clothes. I've no idea which region these belong to. They're also dancing in a marsh (I can tell that much), which sounds pretty normal to me. I always want to sing / dance in marshes. That might be an Estonian thing. See: songfestivals / dancefestivals. Päikest! [with a drawing of a sun] Kadri / bad_habit"


Total: 35

Boston Pizza, leftover spicy stuff, muffins, apples, religion, and more!

Auntie Ying was half an hour late, but that's okay. Apparently, she tried to call me, but I was not available to answer the phone. Eric would term that "a likely story," haha. We decided to go to Boston Pizza for lunch, which was fine by me since I was actually getting hungry. Had a new kind of spicy pizza with banana peppers / sour cream / guacamole, and spinach salad. Discussed parenting, prayer for pregnancy (Grace is having a baby in October!), religious stuff, blood sugar, power struggles, the past, calculators, Frances / Mel / Micah / Isaac / Auntie May / Wes / Esther / Elaine / Matt / new babies / Anita / Jeff / Allison / Winnie / Megan / Connor / Cameron, Eric, Jeremy, Nathan, cooking, and more. Since I couldn't finish the pizza, I got to take the leftovers home! (plus a muffin and an apple) Killed time at London Drugs because we'd just missed BOTH buses heading to my place!

I boiled some water for her so she could have some hot water - she thinks my place (or Richmond in general) is so convenient, haha. It's only because it's central Richmond! I let her read about the past, and I was able to get changed in the meantime. She invited me to her place on Sunday so I could see it (not worth it to take the bus on another day), and then have lunch / go to the anniversary dinner! I'll still have to ask Ivan tonight for a ride home on Sunday, or whatever. Guess I'll see what happens at the dinner! Now she's trying to take my troubles and filter them through a religious perspective, yikes!


Edit at 3:15 - she's FINALLY gone! Dude, I hate entertaining company one-on-one... good thing I could type the above entry while she was talking to me, haha. I'll just take the lack of downtime on Sunday since this means I won't have to take the bus!

No virtues?! That's unpossible, I tell you!

You Are Humility

If someone were to ask you, you'd say you don't have any virtues. See how humble you are! You don't try to think about how great you are. You just try to do the right thing and stay modest. You never take credit for your accomplishments. If anything, you give the credit to someone else. You are totally selfless. You are able to take your ego out of the equation and give people the respect they deserve.

Which Heavenly Virtue Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Not have any virtues? I wouldn't call that "humble" - more like "too much childhood conditioning." :P

Committee meetings and Lent / Assassination units

Eric picked me up three minutes late, but I'd already been there for some time, thanks to a rather prompt 410 bus. The driver failed, because he made us wait while he went to the gas station to grab something, and then he was on the phone when he was about to pull out of a bus stop. Ugh! I made Eric call Pho for takeout, and we spent the ride "debating" whether I am a smoke monster, and as such, whether I did various unsavory things. He's crazy, and not everything is my fault! I also made him go in and get the Pho, haha. He wondered whether I'd told anyone else about recent events - after yesterday, I had... plus all the FB messages sent out, too!

Got to church, where we were locked out - when Pastor John let us in, we talked about Danielle / strawberries as dessert / Pho looking SO GOOD / Harmony / programs (I hate the idea of "random shuffle" Bible Study groups!) / Richie leaving us / Kevin, Dylan, Johnny, and Jen. Discussed the fundraiser, Stanford's standards, coffee, tea, chocolate, chips, the Olympics, the warm room and fellowship hall, and Lent. The meeting seemed really long, so I wasn't really surprised when Johnny said it was 9:35! At least I can help to remind Dylan of next month's meeting as far as sending out the minutes and agenda goes, since I don't know if I'll make it to this year's open house!

Eric and I gave Dylan a ride home since it was easier than letting him bus. Talked about rollerblading, the hockey game on Sunday, Alistair and Vanessa, radio, and more. Once we dropped Dylan off, Eric expected me to talk about my antics as a Smoke Monster - yeah, whatever you say! I just expressed disdain over the "random shuffle" thing, and noted that I was turning into my mother when I wanted certain people to just LEAVE already. "HELP ME!" indeed... we also got Friday plans done, and 5:45 tomorrow it is! I wondered why it seemed as if his worship practice was more than once a month (I know the first week of the month is when it's SCHEDULED!), and he reminded me that the Olympics had made things seem crazy. SO TRUE, especially when I wondered why I couldn't remember being at Fellowship last week. We talked about Mr. Creep - I refuse to refer to him as anything but! He better not say hi to me again, man.

Got home, took a quick shower, and then called Auntie Ying. She said that Chrystal's grandma was having surgery tomorrow morning, and that she's a Buddhist. Nothing wrong with that! I asked how Toddler Sunday School had been - Amanda, Amos, Conor, Harrison, and a couple of new kids had showed up, and little Mattias showed up to play for a while. It was an interesting day for her, I guess - then I told her about the Olympics insanity, especially after we won the hockey game! She wondered about the Sunday School lesson, but I had to tell her that I didn't know what it was since Jon still had my bag! (she then called Harmony "Amanda," haha) Then she asked about recent events - nope, her suggestions aren't happening!

Trivia fact for Friday, Mar. 5: What was the assassination unit inside the former Soviet Union's KGB called? SMERSH. The name is an abbreviation of the unit's Russian motto, smert shpionam, which means "death to spies."

Older kids than expected / Wooden tables and the Playstation in a dream

I'd left Corey a message asking how the interviews and demo went for the English teaching position, and he answered me:

[05:01:52] mrptptpt: demo yesterday maybe not good.. I'm not sure. demo today... they want me to work there :P
[05:03:44] mrptptpt: yesterday was the business one, which was weird... today was the kindergarten one, but I think I did the demo with like kids who were eight to nine years old.. so I dunno...
[05:04:08] mrptptpt: still checking out more possibilities, but basically I'm working there if I go sign the contract


Had a fractured dream of the family trying to get space in a crowded restaurant somewhere in the forest. We saw Lily and baby Gavin there, and I had to get out of the way when the waitresses rolled wooden table shapes around! My mom and dad weren't too impressed with the food... yet my siblings, Harmony, and I thought it was excellent! In fact, we took a bunch home! Jon and Harmony were discussing whether they could log some hours in on the Playstation at my parents' place if they took over the TV - eventually after they wrote stuff down on blue paper, they figured they would do that. First, we went to the library where we saw a lot of ANNE books: thin ones, fairy ones, time travel ones, Cinderella ones, fat ones, ones with her and another female character named Excel... the dream ended soon after that. Not sure why I had that one, although I did see Gavin on Sunday!

Dylan emailed us to say that he'd forgotten about the Committee meeting tonight, and wanted us to confirm that we were in. Of course, I was practically the last one to weigh in, but at least I had a good sleep after waking shortly after 8 AM, ugh! I've just been reminded of the country lyric that Steph and I heard once: "Let's get romantic, baby, and have a one-night stand." We were HORRIFIED, since one-night stands are certainly NOT romantic!

You Are Shy and Easygoing

You're the type of person who doesn't like to make waves or cause trouble. Other people find you sweet and subdued. You are extremely easy to get along with. You are a bit sensitive and easily stressed out. Conflict makes you feel horrible. You try your best to live your life quietly and not get in the way. You're happy to be left alone.

The Baby Animal Test

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

Mary of Bethany, support, and Britney Spears

Managed to find Karmie's house all right, although I was on the 404 and not the 403. Actually, I unexpectedly saw Jon and Harmony at the bus stop on their way to the family dinner - Jon said that they'd thrown my bag away. He is SUCH an ugfart! Connie and Andrea also made it out, and I actually saw Connie outside in her car! We examined Mary of Bethany, and her waste in pouring expensive perfume on Jesus at a dinner. I shared about recent events, figuring that it would be a good time... of course, I ended up crying. Yikes! At least the others were supportive about it, and said the right things. Learned that Connie is going to Taiwan pretty soon on a work-related trip, and Andrea gave me the correctly-spelled wedding invitation. Talked about Chuck, helmets cracking, Josiah / Hannah / Noah, miracles, the Olympic experience, and more. Andrea gave me a ride home, and unexpectedly treated me to a Tim Horton's hot chocolate too.


Trivia fact for Thursday, Mar. 4: How long, in hours, did pop star Britney Spears' first marriage - to childhood pal Jason Alexander - last? 55. Spears exchanged vows with Alexander in a Las Vegas wedding chapel at 5:30 AM on Saturday, January 3, 2004, and had the marriage annulled at midday the following Monday. Both were 22 at the time.

Interview worry, Myles, Edwin, and hobbies

[01:57:21] Corey: dinner time :P not sure where Jane is... she hasn't even talked to me on MSN today. she called me via her aunt's cell phone earlier since I had an interview that she was worried about

It's odd, but it appears that Myles has added me back again on Facebook - fine by me! I forgot to mention here that I congratulated Edwin on Sunday - he and his girlfriend Jane are getting married soon. Not surprised that I finished all my seaweed already, heh.

You Are Cooking

You are a very generous and caring person. You love to make other people happy, and you love to give. You are content when you are busy with projects. You enjoy working with your hands. You are both intuitive and creative. You are good at figuring out how to make things work, and you love to experiment. You may be only following recipes for now, but eventually you'll be creating your own amazing, original meals.

What Hobby Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

HA! Not really...

Marimba bands and wild crowds / State motto

Called Harmony earlier to see if she was going to Women's Group tomorrow - it turns out that she and Jon have a family dinner, but I certainly remember how to get to Karmie's! (407 and then the 403) She wondered what time I'd gotten home on Sunday, teased me about the Irish Heather, and mentioned that she'd been worried about me in the crowd... yeah, that was why I had gone home! I said that I'd returned home at 7:40, and Dianne had gotten home at 12:30 after she and Wesley checked out downtown! Harmony and Jon had seen a great marimba band, and said that the crowd was wild - no doubt, with a gold medal win and everything else! Then I tried calling Andrea, but her mailbox was full - maybe I'll just bus there, heh.

Trivia fact for Wednesday, Mar. 3: Which state's motto was taken from a letter written by a Revolutionary War general to members of his company? New Hampshire's "Live free or die." The words were part of a toast Brigadier General John Stark sent in 1809, declining an invitation to the 32nd-anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington because of ill health. His full toast was "Live free or die; death is not the worst of evils."

50 First Reactions (survey)

Dammit! This thing just restarted!

"This is called 50 FIRST REACTIONS. Type what comes to your mind FIRST whenever you see these 50 words. Don't think, and don't go back and change. Doesn't matter how random it is, just type it! Repost it for all of your (bored) friends. Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this!"

1. Beer: La Fin du Monde.

2. Food: Restaurants.

3. Relationships: Not working for me.

4. Your CRUSH: DRAGON!

5. Power Ranger: Red!

6. Life: Complex and varied.

7. The President: Black.

8. Yummy: Seaweed.

9. Cars: Too complicated.

10. Movies: Escape.

11. Halloween: Vampires.

12. Sex: Crazy.

13. Religion: Catholic.

14. Hate: bad spelling and grammar.

15. Fear: Escalators!

16. Marriage: Long.

17. Blondes: Ditzy.

18. Slippers: Expensive.

19. Shoes: Sneakers.

20. Asians: Me.

21. Pastime: Reading.

22. One-night stand: Diseases.

23. Death: Morbid.

24. Smoke: Gross.

25. Fantasy: Dream.

26. College: Growing up.

27. High school life: Band.

28. Pyjamas: Sweatpants.

29. Stars: Moon.

30. Centre: Richmond.

31. Alcohol: Whiskey.

32. The word love: Fraught with peril.

33. Friends: Should be there for you.

34. Money: Spending.

35. Heartache: A void.

36. Time: Wasting.

37. Divorce: Celebration.

38. Dogs: Poop.

39. Undies: Black.

40. Parents: Annoying.

41. Babies: Cute.

42. Ex: Jerk.

43. Song: Musical expression.

44. Color: Gold.

45. Weddings: Catching up.

46. Pizza: Boston.

47. Hangout: Good times.

48. Rest: Downtime.

49. Goal: HOCKEY!

50. Inspiration: Words.

I HATE EMERGENCIES! / Got ALL the Olympic mascots! / February 2010 Bubble Tea Tally

I HATE DEALING WITH EMERGENCIES! Had to deal with one when I was two minutes out from home, but at least it didn't seem as if there were dire consequences. Went out today to get the Olympics mascots / sidekick on sale, but was thwarted at the nearest London Drugs. So I decided to get on the Canada Line and go to the Broadway one, which is bigger - they had a lot of 50% off merchandise still, so I got a flag / red toque (replacing a blue wool one) / the collector's box with Quatchi, Sumi, Miga, and Mukmuk for $42! As you can imagine, I was quite happy with that! :D

I went back to Richmond, and went to the Bay to get some underwear. Then I went to Shoppers Drug Mart for some sour cream and onion chips, and picked up some blueberry bubble tea at Tazza. (I really should try out Pearl Castle one day...) Went to Yuen Shing where they luckily had a weekly special on seaweed (which I've been craving like MAD lately), so I got wasabi / original / hot and spicy / Tom Yum Goong. Returned to the London Drugs nearest my place so I could get BBQ Hardbite chips, laundry dryer sheets (I've experienced static!), chocolate milk, and Coke - it's cheaper than dealing with the vending machines! Karmie sent us an email saying that Women's Group is back on tomorrow - cool stuff!

Mukmuk: Marmot! Mukmuk is a small and friendly Vancouver Island marmot who always supports and cheers loudly for his friends during games and races. When he is not hibernating or sunbathing on rocks and logs, he enjoys getting out to meet other types of marmots and animals. In fact, this is how he became friends with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic mascots.

Miga: Sea Bear! Miga is a young sea bear who lives in the ocean with her family pod, beyond Vancouver Island near Tofino, British Columbia. Sea bears are part killer whale and part bear. Miga is part Kermode bear, a rare white bear that only lives in British Columbia.

Quatchi: Sasquatch. Quatchi is a young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Canada. Quatchi is shy, but loves to explore new places and meet new friends, Although Quatchi loves all winter sports, he's especially fond of hockey. He dreams of becoming a world-famous goalie.

Sumi: Animal Guardian Spirit! Sumi is an animal spirit who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. Like many Canadians, Sumi's background is drawn from many places. He wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird, and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear.


MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, FEBRUARY 2010 (1)

mango @ Tazza (Monday, February 8)

Phase One passing, Isaac as a good name, makeup

Got up to this message from Corey, which makes it sound like things went okay in the interview:

[06:08:02] Corey: well, phase one passed? I think? :P we didn't do the demo part though, they want to do that on Thursday and want me to start working on Friday (not going to) if that goes well... I basically just sat there and said "yeah.. okay... yeah.. okay.. right.." the whole time.. Jane was there, and I think she handled most of the questions in Chinese... so I don't realllly know what happened


Learned that Frances and Mel have finally decided on a name for Micah's brother: Isaac Nicholas sounds like a good name! Good thing "Isaac" is already in my tags, so I don't have to rename a tag like I did when Micah was born two years ago! Yup, I'm an OCDL. :D

You Are Blush

You are demure and understated. You like to look good, but you don't like to make a fuss about it. You prefer a natural look, and you don't like to seem like you put too much effort into your style. You prefer classic pieces and a minimal beauty routine. You feel like you are able to be confident without a lot of makeup. You believe that beauty is skin deep. Nothing is as beautiful as the glow you get from being happy.

What Kind of Makeup Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Weird weight loss blogs, teaching in interviews, and the first robot

Relevant Taiwan conversation!

[22:34:41] Corey: so I apparently have an English teaching interview tomorrow which includes me having to teach something during the interview... uh...
[22:35:59] Flami: what do you have to teach?
[22:36:04] Corey: stuff?
[22:36:16] Corey: 8. The interview includes: application, interview, and teaching demo
[22:36:44] Corey: "she just told me they want to see how you deal with the person.."
[22:36:59] Corey: that's all the information about that part that I have
[22:37:23] Corey: they called Jane and emailed me. my phone doesn't work, so I gave them Jane's cell number... she's at work
[00:03:23] Corey: speaking of exercise, I need to work on getting bigger chest muscles... several people here thought I was a bit fat (it came up through non-rude means, but I forget how..) but really, that's my upper abs sticking out, not a belly :P go down lower and you may find a bit that can be classified as belly, but the part they're seeing is all muscle :P so I guess I have bigger abs than pecs
[00:03:37] Corey: it should probably be the other way around to look better :P
[00:04:32] Corey: Jane told one of her friends to touch it and see :P he declined, and I thought that was a weird thing to ask him to do anyway
[00:06:32] Flami: .... you, fat? obviously, I don't see you to know how fat you may or may not be, but I really don't think that's an accurate way to describe you
[00:06:54] Flami: HAHAHAHAHA... oh dear, that IS very weird
[00:08:44] Corey: well, I do need to lose a bit of weight right now.. I was trying to gain weight earlier. some fat comes with that no matter what exercise you're doing. not much, though
[00:12:11] Flami: make up your mind what you want to do :P
[00:17:04] Corey: that's how you do it! you eat more to get bigger, but you have to stop and lose fat once in a while. Olympic powerlifters don't, and they look like big fatsos, even though they have tons of muscle
[00:25:35] Flami: speaking of getting bigger, I will eat now
[00:48:59] Corey: I had Taiwanese food for lunch today... rice noodles, tofu, fish balls (as in balls made of fish :P), and pork
[00:54:03] Flami: I know what fish balls are :P I like those better than fish paste :P
[00:54:31] Corey: paste? that sounds horrible
[00:55:46] Flami: that's what I kept telling my parents, but they insisted I was being weird since fish balls are made of fish paste :P
[01:13:35] Corey: well, apparently I have a teaching demo TONIGHT too... like, in a couple hours
[01:14:08] Corey: this one is for kindergarteners, who are apparently still at school for a teaching demo at 7 PM?
[01:15:04] Corey: I'm not sure I want to deal with kids that young, but I guess I'll check it out... Jane says those pay more, and have Chinese teachers there to help out... so probably easier... except dealing with kids that young seems hard
[01:27:11] Flami: still at school at 7 PM? wow... I guess the Taiwanese education system is more hardcore than I thought :P
[01:28:01] Flami: might as well check it out and see how it goes
[01:28:49] Corey: well... after real school, they have cram school
[01:29:02] Corey: oiuoiuuiuuukiu85i8yu 88/yu /8uuugrtytyty7t66455676i
[01:29:15] Corey: and I have a guest typist here if you couldn't tell...
[01:29:43] Corey: op[8o47plk;;l];';l;'lk;0pl
[01:29:56] Flami: yeah, I can tell
[01:31:24] Corey: o0L
78776yyy676uy8uu**yfrde32wwwwwwwxwdfdddddddddderrtttttttttttyyyyyyyyy111111111113kipo9po9098htftuytyughyh7uii
[01:31:52] Corey: I'm trying to keep her from hitting the escape key to close the window :P she's good at that
[01:34:17] Flami: well, I had a crying face and a rainbow in the middle of all that, so that's a nice visual change :P
[01:35:05] Corey: that's what she picked :P she knows how to add icons and hit Enter to send messages
[01:35:24] Flami: so what's her favorite emoticon?
[01:35:32] Corey: she does the rainbow a lot
[01:35:47] Corey: she really likes the winks in MSN, the animated things
[01:36:05] Corey: when I see her on camera from home, I usually send a few of those
[01:36:07] Flami: oh, THOSE... I had my fill of those in 2007 and 2008 :P
[01:36:16] Flami: that's good
[01:39:49] Corey: Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earth's Day
[01:40:28] Flami: I assume the niece knows how to copy and paste random URLs?
[01:40:40] Corey: that was me, and it's not random!
[01:44:37] Flami: hahaha... just checking
[01:45:02] Corey: she doesn't read too many science articles, I'm guessing... she's really more into Spongebob
[01:47:11] Corey: now she just called me dumb and a big butt in Chinese. but I know enough to say "no you!"
[01:47:51] Corey: uh, dinner time, I think
[01:48:11] Corey: she told me after Jane's mom told her something... I think that means dinner :P
[01:48:33] Flami: okay then
[01:48:47] Corey: okay, it's dinner
[01:49:17] Flami: right then... good luck with the demos / interviews

Trivia fact for Tuesday, Mar. 2: Where was the first industrial robot put to work? At the General Motors Ternstedt Division plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey, in 1961. The robot, named Unimate, worked on an assembly line, taking hot die castings from machines and also doing welding on auto bodies. After 50 years, the robot was retired. It is now part of the Smithsonian Institution collection.

Dumping dead bodies into the swamp, screwing up suicide attempts, and evening air

I love the crisp evening air, for sure! This is tonight's JACK BAUER episode:

Kayla Hassan goes to see her boyfriend, who is about to be transferred to the embassy so he can be tortured... I mean, interrogated. She says that she thought telling her father about them would help matters, which just shows how dumb she is. What father wouldn't look to get rid of his daughter's idiot boyfriend by having him detained indefinitely and tortured? He tells Kayla all about his plans to escape, and I'm sure it will all go off without a hitch. If he wants to escape, he should let CTU take him into custody.

Cole tries to resuscitate the two dead hillbillies, but his efforts are as successful as Freddie Prinze Jr.'s movie career. Cole comes up with a plan to dump the bodies in the swamp and strip the van. "No one will miss them," he says, and I actually agree with him there. You know who would have been perfect as Cole? Keanu Reeves. Like Freddie, his facial expressions never change, but he's more believable as a badass. Too bad The Day The Earth Stood Still ended up making some money. Otherwise, Keanu might have been desperate for TV work...

Bubba gives the President the bad news, but he says the most reassuring words he can: "Jack Bauer has agreed to bring him in." That's more comforting than when Marcellus Wallace told Julius he was bringing in the Wolf. Bubba talks about some Kamistan intelligence group (IRQ, IRC? Who knows?) that had ties to the terrorists. Their files are really important, and President Taylor agrees to ask Hassan for help. Bubba then grows some stones, and tells Weiss he won't help him nail Renee. That'll be Jack's job.

Bauer is going over the plans, and he gets a call from Little Bro. Little Bro is scared, and Jack assures him that he'll be safe once CTU arrives. In other words, Little Bro is screwed. Presidents Hassan and Taylor have a meeting of the minds. Taylor wants the identities of Hassan's "assets" in the U.S., and Hassan resists. Taylor then threatens him by saying she'll attack Kamistan if this bomb goes off on U.S. soil. That is, if she can find it on the map. Hassan finally agrees to turn over the files, which of course means that he won't.

Kayla's boyfriend has a key to his handcuffs and, shockingly, he actually makes his escape rather easily. He has a gun and a key and everything. Maybe you guys should have frisked him before putting him in the van. The field team finally gets to Little Bro, and I'm shocked he's still alive. Bubba tells him to stay put, but Little Bro decides to make a run for it. Predictably, he gets shot, and CTU has to work quickly to get info out of him before the sniper inevitably escapes the perimeter.

Jack is waiting for the Kamistan intelligence files, but they still haven't uploaded. They must be on dial-up or something. Meanwhile, President Taylor easily sets up a video conference with her national security team. I guess she got a good deal on her high-speed internet connection. They talk about casualty estimates, and it's the same old song and dance. Lots of people dead, decades before the city can be inhabited again, no way to evacuate everyone, blah blah blah. You know, this is the third or fourth time the country has faced a nuclear attack since this show came on the air. You'd think the government would have put together a better response plan by now.

Hassan finds out that his aide escaped, and realizes that his daughter is going to meet him. Time to torture his daughter. They decide to celebrate with some making out, and that should keep them busy for the rest of the episode. Provided he lasts longer than Vladimir or President Logan. Little Bro is dead, the sniper escaped, and the rods are nowhere to be found. So it's another day at the office for CTU. Jack comes up with a plan to convince the terrorists that Little Bro is still alive in the hopes of drawing them out. See Bubba, aren't you glad Jack is back in the picture?

Cole and Dana are committing an environmental crime by dumping waste in the swamp. Since Dana has her priorities in order, she asks Cole about their future. Fox News reports Little Bro is alive, and I'm sure you can believe everything they say. They decide to send someone named "Marcos" to finish the job since he has an American mother. Cut to Marcos inside the truck, and he calls his mother to tell her to get out of the city, and go to Aunt Shelley's. Well, now we know what CTU will use to bargain with him. Jack tells the EMTs to make Little Bro look alive. They can watch Weekend at Bernie's for tips. Jack then asks Agent Owen if he's okay, and Owen looks like he's about to puke. Suddenly, Cole isn't looking so bad.

President Taylor makes sure her bunker is set up so that she'll be safe from the blast. Glad to know she has her best interests at heart. Hassan comes in and says he'll stay put because he's worried about his daughter. President Taylor is like: "I'd let my daughter die in the blast, but that's just me." Renee calls Jack and thanks him. Jack says he meant it when he said he wanted to be there for her, and Renee looks happy. He tells her to go to his apartment and wait for him, and she agrees. Man, what a pimp! Setting up a booty call in the midst of a national security operation.

CTU shocks everyone by identifying Marcos immediately. He looks like he has a bomb strapped to him, and Chloe says she can disarm the bomb remotely. Jack tells Agent Owen to cooperate with Marcos, and Agent Owen looks like he's just been called into the principal's office or something. Hassan calls his wife right as she is about to take off from the airport, and asks her to try and reach out to Kayla. Man, with the way this show distorts time, I would have thought she'd already be back in Kamistan by now. Then again, the pilots were probably trying to find it on the map, explaining the delay. That and I'm sure Mrs. Hassan was picked for a completely random, 100% non-racially inspired extra-thorough search when she went through airport security.

Agent Owen escorts Marcos to Little Bro's room, and Agent Owen looks like a kid who's just seen a woman naked for the first time. Chloe needs to see the vest before she can disarm it. Agent Owen stops in front of a surveillance camera and calls Marcos' bluff, saying he needed to see the vest for proof that he actually had a bomb. Surprisingly, it works, and Agent Owen has some poise after all. Arlo then disarms the bomb, so when Marcos tries to detonate it inside Little Bro's room, it doesn't go off. Marcos then shoots Little Bro before realizing that he's already dead. He tries to shoot at Jack when he comes in, but his gun is empty. Marcos then throws himself out the window, but he can't even kill himself properly since he survives the fall. Man, what a screw-up. He should work for CTU.

Marcos runs off and locks himself inside an oxygen chamber. If he doesn't kill himself, then at least he'll look much younger when he gets out. Marcos calls in, and he is told to set off the bomb manually. He doesn't look too keen on doing that, but when Jack tries to talk to him, Marcos cuts off the video feed. Methinks Marcos isn't quite ready to martyr himself.

Batman bin Suparman / Dream of Billie and snow / Booze! / Love

Singapore Superhero: Batman Bin Suparman... if I were a boy, I'd think this was the coolest name ever.

Woke up at 2:45 from a fractured dream about talking to Billie on IM, sitting down suddenly in the snow at a bus stop, and trying to solve a murder mystery which involved little kids in a church class. The building's floors were only visible from the third floor up, and the dream also had my breaking Grandma's favorite red Chinese dragon spoon while doing the dishes, kissing a guy in the church, and viewing photos on a computer of past murders committed by the suspect. (dead girls had lots of makeup and hair!) I bet that was all subconscious junk!

My plan is to call or go to Zellers / the Bay / Oakridge / London Drugs tomorrow... JACK BAUER is on tonight, and I refuse to miss it if I'm in transit somewhere. I'll definitely miss the Olympics, though! The police poured 21,000 bottles or cans of booze down the storm drains these past two weeks, and I hear Russia isn't very happy with their sports minister right now, haha. I guess they have a few years to straighten that out, heh. Gotta do laundry today, too.

You Are Love

You find it easy to love. First of all, you love yourself - and that's extremely important. You truly love your friends, and you even have a special love for all of humanity. Other people mean a lot to you. You find it easy to express your feelings and get close to people. And while no friendship is perfect, you've mastered the art of forgiveness. You are affectionate and caring. Your love can be anywhere from platonic to passionate, but it's always strong.

What Major Human Emotion Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Poop pictures at the zoo, popular careers, and ships

CTV Olympics on Youtube

Talked to Corey when I got home from seeing the Olympics, of course. This is the relevant Taiwan stuff, since I edited everything else out:

[19:44:41] Flami: WE WON GOLD!!!! SET A RECORD!!!
[19:45:59] Corey: AT WHAT???
[19:47:45] Flami: Canada set a record for most gold by a host country, for one... and we won the hockey game - SO INTENSE!
[19:56:08] Corey: I haven't been able to watch the Olympics at all here
[19:58:23] Flami: oh yeah, you said Jane wasn't interested in it or something
[20:00:21] Corey: I don't know what channel it's on here. surely they have it. right now, her niece is home sick, and she's watching cartoons in here
[20:01:29] Flami: oh, okay... well, it's officially over now
[20:26:15] Corey: well, that's annoying
[21:07:30] Corey: well, I have pictures of poop things for you, but they're on my phone... so it's not easy to get things off there now without my laptop working
[21:07:52] Flami: oh, well... you're nuts
[21:08:40] Corey: I missed one opportunity, but that would have involved taking pictures inside a bathroom, which would probably not be very kosher
[21:09:34] Corey: (and no, it's not what it may sound like :P there was a sign in there :P)
[21:12:31] Flami: .... WHAT?! um, okay then
[21:13:20] Corey: it was a sign about which animals poop while they run :P
[21:15:01] Flami: OH, COME ON. YOU COULDN'T TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT?!
[21:16:07] Corey: ha :P
[21:29:04] Flami: what do you mean, "HA" ?! :P
[21:29:29] Corey: you always try to deny your love of poop, but now you're mad that I didn't take that picture for you :P
[21:30:42] Flami: HAHAHAHAHA. Go back to the washroom and take a picture.
[21:30:59] Corey: it's too far away! that's at the zoo
[21:33:30] Flami: did I say you had to do it now?!
[21:34:13] Corey: well, I'm probably not going to the zoo again........
[21:34:35] Flami: DANG IT. Convince the niece to REALLY WANT TO GO TO THE ZOO! although maybe not if she's sick
[21:35:00] Corey: she went with us! :P
[21:35:28] Flami: ("hey, niece... you REALLY want to go to the zoo AGAIN, right? [insert stuff about her favorite animals]")
[21:36:21] Corey: well, she's in here with me... but if I say that, I don't think she'll understand :P there is a language barrier to deal with here, you know
[21:36:28] Corey: she does like the zoo, though
[21:36:48] Flami: oh yeah, that's true :P hmm
[21:39:08] Corey: now she just tried to climb on my head or something
[21:40:13] Flami: ouch
[21:41:23] Corey: she's sick and wouldn't eat lunch, but she still wants me to throw her around, I guess :P she's trying to get up on my shoulders so I'll carry her around and eventually dump her off onto the bed :P she uses my face and throat as handholds to get up there, though................... she stands on the bed which is right behind this chair, so my shoulders aren't too high
[21:43:24] Flami: you are definitely not a jungle gym
[21:48:45] Corey: oh yeah?
[22:00:40] Flami: well, other than the niece, I'm not sure too many other people think that :P
[22:00:59] Corey: probably
[22:34:57] Corey: I think Jane should see Avatar for the 3D, but she doesn't seem interested... we have passes to see two movies, so we need to see something here soon :P we saw Book of Eli in Taipei, but that didn't use up any passes since that's a different place
[22:42:27] Flami: I've never heard of that movie
[22:46:49] Corey: it's a post-apocalyptic thing where some guy named Eli is supposed to take a book to the West. the bad guy wants his book because he knows he can use it to control people and gain power
[22:46:56] Corey: Denzel Washington is Eli
[22:57:49] Flami: ah... NOW Trillian works :P
[22:58:16] Flami: interesting... I take it this is one of THOSE kinds of books :P
[22:58:28] Corey: what's THOSE kinds?
[23:19:48] Flami: a powerful book filled with secret things :P
[23:20:41] Corey: no, it's a book that causes wars :P that's why they destroyed them all, except for the one Eli found
[23:21:17] Corey: they decided that that's WHY they're in a post-apocalyptic world :P
[23:25:56] Flami: oh, okay... makes sense
[23:38:18] Corey: Jane thought it was too violent :P
[23:39:41] Flami: not surprised
[23:42:22] Corey: it wasn't very graphic. Eli slaughters about three dozen people every time he gets in a fight, but it's a new movie... so that means shakycam action and 9 billion angles, so it's sort of hard to see what's going on
[23:55:02] Flami: I guess she doesn't like violent movies
[00:34:36] Corey: Japanese wrestling is on channel 77 even now.. this must be like the 24-hour Japanese wrestling channel
[00:35:27] Corey: it has this Viagra-type thing they advertise during almost every commercial break, with these really ugly old men who all have hot young women now because of this pill :P it's like 5 minutes long too
[00:37:12] Flami: .... oh dear.
[00:38:28] Corey: it includes scenes of them with their pants down, pushing their underwear in so you can see the outline of the results of the pill, plus shots of them happily going at it with the women :P a lot more graphic than ads like that back home
[00:39:27] Flami: WHAT?! OH MY! don't they have laws about this kind of thing? (and I hope Jane's niece isn't in the room)
[00:41:04] Corey: Jane's mom made her go back to her room and stop watching TV in here :P
[00:44:56] Flami: oh, phew
[01:55:02] Corey: the sound here isn't very good. she only has one place for speakers on her computer, so I had to unplug her speakers (tiny ones on her monitor that are really quiet) and put headphones in... which is a lot louder, but is obnoxious since there's interference from the other stuff in her computer making noise all the time.. kind of like constant static. that's normal, though
[01:55:55] Corey: my laptop does that (at least it did when it worked :( ) and my desktop did before the Christmas upgrade, but now my desktop's sound is nice and silent when nothing is playing... no line noise at all. it's nice.
[01:56:45] Corey: we asked around for video cards yesterday, but nobody knew what I was talking about. it's not really common for a laptop to even have a replaceable video card, so they're confused when I ask for a laptop video card
[02:16:49] Corey: my watch is alive again! woo hoo! Jane got it fixed for me after work :P
[02:17:31] Flami: sweet!

You Are a Rock Star

Even if you can't play a single instrument, you're a total rebel and creative type. You couldn't imagine yourself with a corporate job, and you couldn't imagine having a boss. You are expressive, original, and oftentimes a bit moody. You are very real about who you are and what you're feeling. You tend to get in trouble a lot. You have a total bad girl or bad boy attitude, and you just always seem to be landing in hot water!

What Popular Career Are You?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Trivia fact for Monday, Mar. 1: When it comes to ships, what's the orlop? The lowest deck on ships with four or more decks.

YAY FOR SIDNEY CROSBY AND A GOLD RECORD!

Eric picked me up at about 8:50 this morning, and said that he wanted me to feel comfortable and NOT run into certain people, since he was leaving pretty much right after service. I told him not to worry, since I planned to go do whatever Jon was doing later for the hockey game. He confirmed that his brother is back in town - cool. It was pretty much a random ride to church, which was fine by me! Once we got to church, Eric said that he hadn't eaten any breakfast - poor guy, heh. When I entered the building, I noticed Mr. Creep was there - he said hi, but I ignored it in favor of being focused on dumping my Coke bottle in the recyclables section in the fellowship hall. Luckily, Dave / Yvonne / Sonya were on the bench outside said hall (waiting to go inside the sanctuary), so I could just talk to them about stuff instead of a potentially awkward moment. Then again, I'd just have read anyhow! When they went inside, so did I.

When Jeremy came in, I talked to him about the plans for the hockey game: apparently, Jon had mentioned the Alibi Room in his email, so I guess I must have skipped over that part. Martin had mentioned a sports bar, but the Alibi Room works! Jeremy's been watching the last couple of games at the Whip - I remember how small the entrance is, and they managed to fit a TV on or near the bar. Of course, only about two dozen people could crowd around and watch it at once! Said hi to Cindy and Dianne before service started, and smiled at Connie in greeting. After service, both Jon and Harmony commented on my red sweater - "there's so much bling, only you would wear it!" Hahaha. Told Jon that I was in for whatever we ended up doing, and made excuses to Auntie Ying, who gave me $40 - more than I expected!

Went into the fellowship hall for some coffee, and said hi to little Mattias and Gavin - neither of them seemed too impressed! Asked Adam why he was up at 4 AM... he said the figure skating gala was being replayed on TV. That makes sense! Talked to Keenan when he said something to me, and then tried talking to his older brother - Joshua tried hiding from me, haha. Andrea attempted to give me her wedding invitation, but I pointed out that my name was misspelled. She apologized, and said she'd give it to me next week - no, she doesn't ALWAYS do that, heh. After a while (during which I saw Eric eating something out of a container - good!), we all left. A whole bunch of people skipped Sunday School today, haha. A guy named Roger said he'd been there before - I recognized him from our baptism. I got a ticket to the church anniversary celebration from Lesley, then heard Randal asking her if he could come. My reaction: "What kind of a question is that, Randal?" Apparently, he had asked her for a ticket before, and she'd just walked away! (I also saw Mr. Creep getting one - I hope we're not seated at the same table!)

Jen, Jon, Harmony, Dianne, Christon, Martin, Karen, Lincoln, Jeremy, Wesley, and I all met up at the Rio Theatre (they were showing the game for FREE) after taking the Skytrain there. Dianne said that she would get Uncle Fatih's (NOT a typo!) pizza from across the street, but we wondered when we'd eat it when the long lineup started to move. After we got our seats, Dianne went outside. While she was gone, Jeremy laughed at a HUGE Rubbermaid tub full of sandwiches - we were WONDERING what the venue's "food in and out" policy was! (Dianne: "What if you need to smoke?!") When Dianne came back in, she asked Christon to remove her jacket from something she was hiding. It was a paper bag... full of 16 slices of pizza that she'd ordered! HAHAHAHAHAHA! She said that the other customer was looking at her like she was crazy while she was stuffing the pizza into the bag! TOO FUNNY!

The hockey game itself was pretty intense, especially when USA cut the lead in half to 2-1. People were saying "LUUUU!" (which sounds like "BOOOO!") every time Luongo made a save or had a brilliant play. We were 25 seconds away from the gold medal when they scored on Luongo - WHAT THE?! I asked Christon what the rules were in international hockey for overtime... he said ten minutes, but the screen said twenty, and THEN a shootout! Then I wondered what Nathan's Facebook status would be right about then, heh. Intermission time covered a Canadian athlete missing gold in Whistler by 1.5 seconds (50k skiing?) - how upsetting! During overtime, SIDNEY CROSBY scored on Miller - we all jumped up and cheered LOUDLY! Of course, we had to stay for the medal presentation / national anthem! Turns out that Canada set a record for the most gold medals ever by a host nation, and surpassed our previous record... 14 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Bronze, 2 Olympic Records, 1 Proud Country! When the screen cut to a live shot of the Kandahar army base, some random guy sitting in the empty seat next to Jeremy gave it the finger. Christon and I both noticed that, and exchanged a LOOK. The USA team looked upset and teary; this one guy looked absolutely shell-shocked and disbelieving!

A bunch of people decided to leave - Jon and Jeremy decided to get some "grownup beverages," but Dianne / Wesley / Harmony / I decided to check out downtown first. Went on the Canada Line / Skytrain, and high-fived random people... Dianne YELLED A LOT! DOWNTOWN (Granville and Georgia) WAS CRAZY! Some girl spilled beer on Harmony (but apologized after throwing it on the ground), we saw a guy climb up on a lampstand and get yelled down by police with jail threats, people were standing ON TOP OF a bus stop, people were standing on top of a traffic light (and made it break)... horns were honking EVERYWHERE! We decided to check out the German House by Waterfront Station while we didn't have to pay a $20 cover charge since it was before 6. Dianne had my jacket and my ID, which they decided to check at the door. It smelled like beer, and there wasn't really anything (no live music in the afternoons), so we just walked to the Irish Heather in Gastown after seeing Virtue and Moir win gold on a replay of Monday night.

Jon and Jeremy had apparently just finished drinking, but we stayed for Blue Buck drinks and soup (curry / chickpeas or something else) and fries. We told the guys about the sights we'd seen downtown - my issues with escalators came to the forefront, and we just went into Sears at Pacific Centre Mall after getting through a crush of people! (the Sears people were like "just come in!" and of course there were police in the store too) Yes, we had attempted to view the craziness from any windows, but the second floor didn't have any! Harmony said that she might go home after swing-dancing; that class is why they can't attend the anniversary banquet next weekend - and Eric says he's being serious about not attending it either. I guess I'll call Ivan this week, or send him a Facebook message.

After Dianne, Wesley, and I had finished our stuff and paid for it, Dianne and I got mock-mad at Wesley for being a stubborn boy, haha. We talked about going downtown and such, but I left them at Waterfront Station to go home. They wanted to go downtown, and while I appreciated the "once-in-a-lifetime" aspect, I'd had enough of the crowds myself! (the Canada Line is running 24 hours today, and you don't want to go to the airport tomorrow unless you have to, because a LOT of athletes / media / other people are flying out - supposed to be the busiest day ever!) On my way home, I saw a white woman with a Native man, which is something you don't see every day! Got home before 7:40, and checked Facebook feed before it got all mixed up around the "six hours ago" mark, and saw the closing ceremony replay. Neil Young was a good choice, but I don't know about Nickelback / Avril Lavigne / K-OS! The Sochi presentation looked like AVATAR with its blue glowing people and orbs, and John Furlong absolutely MURDERED the French language!

Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie icon! / Handwriting the Torah

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Trivia fact for Sunday, Feb. 28: Under Jewish law, what implement must be used in handwriting a Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament? A feather quill from a kosher bird, usually a goose or a turkey. An iron or metal writing implement cannot be used because it could puncture the parchment document and because metal, which is used in making weapons, is considered a symbol of death.