Andrea and Chuck's wedding! / Taking zingers!

High-scoring words of the afternoon:

TAKERS (215 points) - against Josephine S. [2W, 5W used twice, hook off EF for a plural]
ETHION (167 points) - against George M. [3W, 5W, hook off US to make NU]
ZINGERS (108 points) - against Sharon W. [2W, 3W]


Eric called me earlier than I thought he would (at about 10), so I had just enough time to change and cram a piece of bread in my mouth to tide me over till the reception. As I thought (and as he said), I failed at being discreet when I told him what I'd done yesterday. He had spent his night trying to play WORLD OF WARCRAFT, but the server was apparently having issues, so he did something else instead. Of course, he said he'd tell my sister about it, so I told him to make sure my mother was nowhere nearby. However, he knows that what he tells Steph about that WILL get back to Mom! DAMN! He had to sing the DARKWING DUCK theme - I was impervious to it today for some reason, however. When I told him in general terms what Dave and I had done yesterday, he thought that "Twinkle" sounded shady. I said that there wasn't anything more to it, and by "anything more," I meant something salacious... NOT conversational substance! (would have taken me too long to tell him all that - I'm sure he doesn't really care, anyhow)

We got to church a little later than we thought we would (darn traffic), and the sanctuary was already kinda full. The wedding started half an hour late, and I had to sit very near Eric due to the crowded conditions! He joked that Chuck WAS a doctor, so he could be even later with his own wedding - so true! We sat by Rick, Vivian's family, and others... I saw Auntie Teresa at the end of the pew, and resolved not to say anything to her. (when I saw Auntie Ying, I didn't say anything to her either!) Saw a whole bunch of kids: Megan, Micah, Isaac, Anne, Olivia, Gabriel, Ian, Connor, and others. Heard Christon laugh a few times from the other end of the sanctuary - oh yes, it's that distinctive! Eric said that he should have left his sunglasses in the car, but had brought them with him - oh well, as long as he had them when we left! He wondered whether I'd like to transit to the new convention centre tonight for the banquet, adding that he could leave his car at the Bridgeport Park n'Ride, and that it was near Waterfront Station - sure, it's smart and avoids parking hassles! As long as he knows where we're going, I think I should be okay like I was yesterday with Dave, haha. Eric will feel weird taking transit in a suit, but figures that businessmen do it all the time.

While we were waiting, he took a bunch of pictures, and observed that Jon could play stuff on the piano and look around the room at the same time. (he said my face was too big, and I said "Excuse me?!" - he said I was far too easy to get a reaction out of - and that I was too close to the camera) Eric wondered whether Jon would play the guitar, piano, and violin - not at the same time... and Dylan and Vanessa were helping him out in any event. Then he wondered how Dylan had managed to lead worship last week, asking if I'd gone to church. I had, and told him that Dylan was on the piano while Christon rounded out the skeleton worship team by leading! I noticed someone with the first name "Chevy" in the program, and also noticed that Megan's name wasn't italicized on the wedding party list! Four bridesmaids, two matrons of honor, and a lot of groomsmen and best men - CROWDED! When the decoration helpers were scattering flower petals down the aisle, Eric thought he heard someone tell them to "stop littering!" - I wouldn't be surprised if it were one of the kids, haha. Steph stopped by our pew to blow me kisses on Harmony's suggestion - AIYA! Things FINALLY got underway at 11:30, by which time some of the kids in the audience were getting restless. By the time things ended, they were REALLY making some noise! We all stayed for group photos later, then made our way to the fellowship hall.

I stuck by Eric, Jeremy, Christon, Isabel, Jon, Wesley, Harmony, Quan, Jessica, Lanie, Johnny, Dianne, Steph, and others. When I told Wesley that I'd seen Dave yesterday, he wanted to know what we did, so I told him in general terms - I didn't care if Jon and Harmony were within hearing distance! Then he wondered what Dave's excuse was for not being at church (I saw the post he'd told me about), so I told him - bike issues and drawing aren't impressive enough, apparently! (and I totally understand why Wesley would say that too, haha!) Harmony thanked me for the GOOD HUSBAND / GOOD WIFE books, and said that Jon would make a good housewife according to those, so of course I had to tell Jon to be her housewife! Hahaha! It was a good thing I left my jacket at home since it turned out to be a comparatively hot afternoon, unlike last year at this exact time where it was a little cooler than normal. I asked Harmony whether my mother had decided on a place or time for Monday's dinner - apparently, Burgoo is easy to get to, so I'll look that up later. Steph said that Mom had called it "Boo-Ger" several times yesterday ("they won't like Milestones since it's a chain - do they like that Boo-Ger place?"), and she'd given up correcting her on that after the fourth time. "Never mind!" Hahaha!

Jon went inside and came back, saying that there was plenty of fried chicken and some cheesecake blobs (as Quan called them) left - no, we didn't really want any more. I observed to Jeremy that the "light" lunch was heavy compared to what I'd had for DINNER yesterday! Talked about the wedding rehearsal, a potential LOUD table since all the NGS would be there (Danielle would totally raise the NOISE quotient!), and more! Saw John, Sophia, Elaine, Shally, Jen, Matt, Jeff, Anita, Allison, baby, Citrus (I so wanted to tell him that I saw the Citruso truck yesterday at Coal Harbor - maybe tonight), Danny, Helen K., Nicholas, Cory, Joshua, Keenan, Karen I., Mattias, David Marr, a bunch of the aforementioned kids, Mel, Frances, Winnie, Kenny, Uncle Richard, Auntie Gloria, Joe and Jeanie (just back from their honeymoon), and lots of other people.

Got a chance to personally congratulate Chuck when he went outside, too. Told Mel that his FB status was so cute - his son Micah wanted to imitate Daddy going to work, haha! His other son Isaac was awake, and it's the first time I've seen him NOT asleep! When I said hi to Jeff, I asked whether the new baby had a name yet: "Joanna - normal spelling" was the pleasant answer I received. Looked for Steph so I could tell her the news, but I can always tell her tonight - she'll have plenty of chances to see the baby in the future, anyhow. Baby Joanna was sleeping soundly, yay! I said hi to Ian, and asked whether he remembered my name - no. Got his brother Gabriel to give me a high-five, heh.

After a while, Eric said that we could leave in a couple of minutes. I used that time to tell Chrystal that I wouldn't be around this afternoon - she wouldn't, either! When I told her that Eric and I would be taking transit from Bridgeport Station, she said she should take transit from her place in Burnaby too! Chrystal said she'd call Auntie Vivian, so I got her to say that I wouldn't be there either. On the way home, Eric said that he hadn't told Steph what I did yesterday. I said that I hadn't told her that she'd be proud of me for walking more than a kilometre all told (I didn't want Dave to think I was a wimp even if my CP was valid for more rest than the hour we had by the water!), so he figured that I wouldn't tell her who I was with. Trust me, I'm sure you'll take care of that since you're crazy and incorrigible!

He said he wouldn't be able to raid in WOW tonight, but that's fine. Talked about THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, FRINGE, Walter Bishop, the Urban Dictionary (the sense which Dave used "fringe" in a comment to me didn't seem to be in there), celebrating anniversaries, "southern regions," dirty minds, June 26-July 1 (Saturday to Thursday trip - I'll figure out the Sunday later if I don't forget and skip!), and more stuff. He'll call when he's ready to leave, since we do kinda want to be on time even if banquets start late! When I got home, I noticed that Henry had called... perfect! I returned the call, and it turns out that he can't make it to Awana either! Hey, I was going to call to tell him the same thing, so it all works out! I was going to take a nap, but I don't think I'll have much time to do so! (at least I put my bus pass in my pocket before I totally forgot...)

Spelling Bee Protesters?! / Cocktail Test

I don't know why the hell I'm up NOW, especially when I have a busy day ahead of me! You'd think I was helping out with Chuck and Andrea's wedding, man! Maybe hot chocolate and bubble tea DO have that much caffeine in them, but those drinks were totally worth it to spend time with a certain person! Of course, I say this NOW... I could change my mind later, but maybe not on this. In any event, I may just go home after the wedding (instead of the second-last week of Awana) to nap / blog before the banquet. More convenient that way, maybe.


On another note, these protesters are also totally ridiculous!

The nation's capital always draws its share of protesters, picketing for causes ranging from health care reform to immigration policy.

But spelling bee protesters? They're out here, too.

Four peaceful protesters, some dressed in full-length black and yellow bee costumes, represented the American Literacy Council and the London-based Spelling Society and stood outside the Grand Hyatt on Thursday, where the Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held. Their message was short: Simplify the way we spell words.

Roberta Mahoney, 81, a former Fairfax County, Va. elementary school principal, said the current language obstructs 40 percent of the population from learning how to read, write, and spell.

"Our alphabet has 425-plus ways of putting words together in illogical ways," Mahoney said.

The protesting cohort distributed pins to willing passers-by with their logo, "Enuf is enuf. Enough is too much."

According to literature distributed by the group, it makes more sense for "fruit" to be spelled as "froot," "slow" should be "slo," and "heifer" — a word spelled correctly during the first oral round of the bee Thursday by Texas competitor Ramesh Ghanta — should be "hefer."

Meanwhile, inside the hotel's Independence Ballroom, 273 spellers celebrated the complexity of the language in all its glory, correctly spelling words like zaibatsu, vibrissae, and biauriculate.

While the protesters could make headway with cell phone texters who routinely swap "u" for "you" and "gr8" for "great," their message may be a harder sell for the Scripps crowd.

Mahoney had trouble gaining traction with at least one bee attendee. New Mexico resident Matthew Evans, 15, a former speller whose sister is participating in the bee this year, reasoned with her that if English spellings were changed, spelling bees would cease to exist.

"If a dictionary lists 'enough' as 'enuf,' the spelling bee goes by the dictionary, therefore all the spelling words are easier to spell, so the spelling bee is gone," Evans said.

"Well," Mahoney replied, "they could pick their own dictionary."

You Are Intense

You're so energetic and passionate, it's intoxicating. You are fired up! You're the type of person that has many things going on at once. And you refuse to pick just one. You are always up for an adventure, and you are likely to turn a boring day into something amazing. You crave new and mind-blowing experiences. If you feel nervous, you're doing something right.

The Cocktail Test

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

Maybe it's true to a limited extent!

Dave, Park Royal, Ambleside, Michigan Noodle Shop, and Twinkle / Lines

Dave picked me up at about 4, and we were off. I had to smile when I saw him waiting for me at the complex door, and I experienced a bit of trouble with opening it - since I almost never do anyway, I'd have to put that down to jitters, haha. He wanted to get out of Richmond, which I didn't mind. Saving my words worked pretty well, since I found it easy to talk to him - he even let me just think about things by myself without trying to fill up the silence, so he gets points in my books unlike Auntie Ying, haha! We had a bunch of "What do you want to do?" "I don't know - what do YOU want to do?" mini-exchanges, haha. Eventually, he suggested maybe grabbing Starbucks and then going around the shops at Park Royal Village - sounded fine to me, so we did that.

We talked about Felico's and Leslie Road ("there's a road with your name on it!"), chocolate chip banana loaf, free admission at Hastings racecourse for the horse races, Commercial Drive, Wesley's FB wall post, New York, breakdancing (or "B. Boy-ing" as he called it), "dope" stuff, Blenz, people-watching (I like that he can do that too), TRAINSPOTTING and the toilet, heroin and drug habits, Korean BBQ food (Seoul House), haggis, rickety tables, hobbies, reading, and writing. Also discussed goat royalty stories, Urban Fare (where he joked that I got my furniture from), brands, Cobbs Bread, Isabel and Terra Breads, Nathan and the Nice N'Spicy Reggae House, Chuck and Andrea's wedding, the bazaar, other church stuff, money, wine stores, the Illuminati, Japadogs and Sunday Dinners, Bathroom Readers, graphic artists, the culture of hip-hop, drawing, Kin's Farm Market, killing my cold, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, treating myself to hot chocolate goodness, the American deficit in the TRILLIONS / George Bush / Barack Obama, my morbid side, his brother making a crazy amount of money, his overshooting my place at first, and more.

After that, he asked whether I was up for a walk in Coal Harbor / Ambleside in West Van - sounded fine to me, so off we went. When we couldn't find parking at Coal Harbor (neither of us had any change to feed the meters there, anyhow), it was off to West Van - I hadn't been across the Lions Gate Bridge in ages. There was no traffic at almost 5, but there certainly would be in ten minutes with rush hour, so we picked the right time! Dave said that he used to go to Ambleside with his parents, and it IS a nice area with a view to match! (walking along a path where you can just see UBC and all the water!) He seemed solicitous enough, wondering whether I could walk pretty far (we were going to the Beach House restaurant - or the "Fish House" as he erroneously called it) - I said I should be fine. "We're just going to those white tents - but if you need to turn back at any time, please let me know!" Of course! I guess we took it at a slower pace than some people, but it was fine. He accidentally said "shit" in front of me ("excuse my French!"), but that was okay since I also said it a bit later in reference to something else, haha.

I noticed all these memorial benches along the way, so of course I had to take note of the names! One of the benches in particular caught my eye - apparently, a "Mignon" was being remembered there. He saw what I did, and laughed about a kid being named Filet Mignon... then he took a Middle Eastern slant to it: "I'll name MY kid Shawarma Falafel Flatbread!" We talked about whether he looked like a thug (I wouldn't say that even with his toque!), tomboyish girls, fine waitresses (I don't think he'd bring those topics up if he weren't comfortable with me), pink stuff, "illing" concepts, bookstores, St. Paul's hospital / the Art Gallery, the UFC, Vancouver events, fireworks, Indonesian food at Hawkers, Stephen King / Dean Koontz / Danielle Steele novels, Stephen King's son and HIS book, reading, bike parts (and his own bike issues), Google and Pac-Man, PRINCE OF PERSIA, bikes in general, the British Properties and the view there, Common, middle-class positive hip-hop, Cellar Jazz cover charge, budgets, the Richmond Night Market, being random, wearing white, and other things. When we did get to the restaurant, he wanted to know if I wished to eat there! Of course, I did figure it would be pretty bling even WITHOUT looking at the prices on the menu! New Zealand rack of lamb was $42, for example. Eventually, we figured that it would be nice if we had a bunch of people as our posse, not just the two of us - too true!

He wondered if I'd like to chill by the water since he said he was a little tired, and that was fine by me because I could also have used the rest... we did that for about an hour or so. Talked about the insane amount of money people must have in this community, the possibility of a crazy neighbor, what people were wearing, People of Walmart.com, sophistication, Alan's Egypt ICQ story, Vanessa, Jeremy, Jon, Christon, hummus, olives, not knowing when I was going to call him back, Babylonian stuff, rock climbing (he thinks I should do it - HA), Jim Pattison seemingly owning EVERYTHING, the old T&T owner's daughter dumping Clement on his birthday (he said that was pretty COLD - for sure!), being a sheik of Dubai, and more. It was nice just sitting with him on the bench - I enjoyed it, for sure. Then he asked if I were cold because of the wind... not really, so we stayed for a while longer. When we walked back, we discussed alligators with hockey pucks for eyes, my walking a bit faster than him (the walk back always seems shorter than the walk to a place!), employment, art, little Sean and rainbows, his brother, hanging out more often, Steveston, cycling, Sex Pistols, Poison, punk, Dragon Ball, Jack Bauer / 24 / not watching too much TV in general (another thing we have in common!), metal music like GWAR / Children of Bodom / Cannibal Corpse, and more.

I said that he was going to think I was crazy, but I liked morbid stuff - he thinks it's just fine. Then I said that I'd had to call him to see what was up... he gave me "mad respect" for that one, noted nobody else had done so, and observed that he sometimes liked to do things out of the blue. Hey, that works for me, keeping in mind our respective budgets! We got into the car, and he said that he was working his way back to Richmond... "Please let me know if you have any spontaneous ideas! You're in MY hood now, near the church!" Hahaha, that's fine!

While I was thinking of ideas since it didn't seem like "home time" yet (and since he'd stated that he wasn't in a hurry to do anything), I wondered if he had cash on him. He assured me that he did, so I suggested a Chinese place. That was fine with him, even though he wasn't that hungry - he thought I might be, and said he couldn't turn down a good meal. I wouldn't have said that I needed a HEAVY MEAL at that point either (even after a walk of more than one kilometre!), so we stopped by the Coast Capital ATM. He wanted to withdraw some cash without breaking certain bills - ah yes, that superstition also dies hard with me sometimes!

I didn't really care where we went, so the Michigan Noodle Shop it was. Dave mentioned a craving for "water dumplings," so of course he got those! Then he mentioned that he wanted to try green apple bubble tea (which I haven't had in some time), so it's a good thing that Twinkle was nearby! Talked about the past SLB antics at Shanghai Wind / Shanghai Wonderful, his seeing some of those pictures (he won't admit to "stalking" my profile - haha), Steph's job, the BAD Harmonized Sales Tax, marble tables, good Asian beer (I'm not an expert!), skateboard companies, Jerome Irrigation, dangerous electricity substations, beer snobbery, the cloud decorations at Twinkle, the funny drink names there ("White King Kong" / "Love Story"), red vinegar suggestions, spicy stuff, the time where I ate an entire bowl of mini-jalapeno peppers at Congee Noodle House (thus freaking my cousins out), fire turds, Wesley and Dianne going with him to McDonalds for dollar drinks or cheap burgers (Wes came back with a whole TRAY of them!), and more.

He thought he'd said the wrong thing at one point, so of course I had to put my hand over his and assure him that he had NOT done that! (this is as close as I come to being "appropriate" with touching, haha) As we were walking back to the car after having bubble tea, the guy from Twinkle came out to say that Dave had apparently forgotten to pay the tax... whoops! Dave gave him a toonie ("for the government!"), and later said that he hoped it covered both of us - I think his green apple was more expensive than my mango (which did kinda look like beer), but it worked. Of course, I refused to even make it appear that he paid for my noodles, so I insisted that he keep my $5 bill THERE - as long as we didn't rip anyone off! He joked about robbing the bank / dining and dashing - HAHA, I dunno about that, man! At one point, he said that he thought I was pretty cool - just wait, man.

On the way home, I made sure to say that I'd had a great evening (he agreed), and thanked him for everything - he said that he and Christon owe me / Jen / Jeremy / everyone else a salad. Oh yes, the "salt for sugar" mistake, haha! He wondered if I'd heard any celeb gossip lately: I don't really pay attention to it! (then he wondered about the church history, and reminded me about Choppers!) Then he told me about this disgusting sandwich: Fillet of Fish in some other burgers?! Man, that sounds even worse than turducken! (I illuminated him on that after he found a parking spot in the complex) I don't think he seemed to mind my random stories, and he's said that he didn't mind my calling him - both good things!

Then he said that I seemed more eclectic than other people at church... well, I do know SOME things, but also am aware I don't know EVERYTHING! It helps that I can talk about a fair range of topics, and not be all shallow like the Jersey Shore / Miami people! Of course (as I told Eric recently), I won't ABUSE his number or anything like that! If this gets out to my family or Eric, they will have a FIELD DAY with it - so I guess I won't be telling them anything about this super time! Then again, sometimes I have a hard time keeping a secret to save my life, so I don't think that will go very well. I'm also keeping in mind that Dave and I made the hangout plans via Facebook (Jon / Harmony / Steph / Eric can read it), so I wouldn't be surprised if I were asked a question along these lines!


Trivia fact for Saturday, June 5: What British funnyman dubbed some of Humphrey Bogart's lines in the offbeat 1953 comedy Beat The Devil? Peter Sellers. The lines had to be re-recorded because Bogie had been in an auto accident during filming and lost some teeth, which affected his speaking ability.

I was saving words at Boston Pizza, man...

High-scoring word of the afternoon:

VIBE (135 points) - against Marina T. [5W, 5L on B]


I'd have been on time to meet Auntie Ying had I not forgotten my bus pass - luckily, I realized this before I got to the bus stop! Thank goodness the next bus was only a few minutes later, and it only took five minutes to get to Brighouse Station in any event. When I got there, Auntie Ying said that I'd be proud of her since she cleaned up ALL the toys in the toddler room in the morning, and even sorted them into boxes. Hey, that's what she said she was going to do, so I don't know whether PRIDE factors into my feelings at all! I decided to go to Boston Pizza for lunch again, since it was pretty close to the bus stop where I'd have to take the bus afterwards.

She tried to draw me into conversation about Jon, Harmony, Eric, Steph, Eunice, Eddie, fish, Auntie Ruth, Auntie Teresa (ANNOYING!), her small group, not having to work with her annoying co-worker anymore, her mother and preparing her own heart, drawing people into conversation about the gospel (which they "enjoy") at the bus stops (YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT, EVEN IF IT IS A FREE COUNTRY!), Auntie Gloria, and Wesley... however, I wasn't really having any of it. At least she gave me the Sunday School material - not that I'll have time to prep, but it's all about the control, haha. I told her that I'd get Auntie Jane or someone to Xerox seven extra copies every week, or just tell Rich to order seven extra books! When she noticed me smiling (because I was thinking of certain things), she wondered what was so funny... she also wondered what I'd forgotten at home to make me late. NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Of course, I didn't say that since I do want to be polite... so I just didn't specify. I left after a few minutes of idle talk after she finished her chicken pecan salad (I'd finished my chicken linguini way before then), affecting great impatience. She thought it was because my bus transfer was due to expire, so I'll just let her think that.

I went to London Drugs to use their ATM... if this Dave hangout had happened next week, I'd be in a bit better position cash-wise, but I do like to be prepared! Got home before 2:20, and noticed that Dave had called me. When I called him, he asked where I was - I said I was at home now, so he wondered whether I'd like him to swing by and pick me up. That sounds fine to me, so of course I gave him my address. I don't want him to leave NOW if he has things he's gotta do, since I know I'm currently in that headspace myself! As long as he calls when he gets here (or "downstairs" as he said - just like Henry, haha), it should be okay! Oh, and now Opera works faster than Safari - go figure!

Feeling better / One Word / Pilots in the quay on nice days

High-scoring words of the morning:

PILOT (117 points) - against Tracy W. [two 3W]
QUAY (115 points) - against Marina T. [5W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}

Hey, I seemingly feel better! Good - now I can go hang out with impunity! (well, not really... but it's a damn sight better than feeling BLAH when Dave and I do whatever...) Now I'm going to get the teaching stuff from Auntie Ying, plus a free lunch! When I get back, I'll update and call Dave to see what's going on - at least it seems like a nice day!

You Are Curious

You are very interested in and engaged with the world. You are fiercely independent and self-reliant. You don't take anyone's word for anything. You push yourself to come up with new ideas and theories. You love figuring out how things work. You love to research and read up on a variety of subjects. You are always learning.

What One Word Describes You?

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

Mac, Jock, slowworms, and THANK GOODNESS I HAVE PLANS!

High-scoring words of the night:

MAC (135 points) - against Ria A. [two 5W, hook off LIKE to make ALIKE]
JOCKO (550 points) - against Suzi C. [two 5W]
HYDRANTH (200 points) - against Terrie A. [5W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
ABLUTION (120 points) - against Anjali R. [4W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Just as I was about to drink some Neo-Citran and take a shower, Auntie Ying called me when I was in the middle of typing something! Of course, I called back when it was convenient for me. She wanted to know if we could meet in Vancouver instead of Richmond because she wanted to go to church and clean up the toys in the Cubbies room - THANK GOODNESS I ALREADY HAVE PLANS! PHEW! I told her that it wouldn't be possible since I had plans later on... in light of the plans I have later on with Dave (and not knowing whether I'd have to bus out to Vancouver or what), I think it's better just to keep it to meeting her near Richmond Centre. Definitely don't want to waste time busing back to a place only to have to bus TO it again, y'know! I told her where to meet me, and she says she'll give me the stuff at lunch - sounds good to me, especially if she said we could meet an hour later than planned! Meeting at 12:30 instead of 11:30 will do wonders for my sleep, haha.


Trivia fact for Friday, June 4: In the world of creepy crawlies, what is a slowworm? A legless lizard that looks like a snake.

Samosas staying in the potage! / Hot water concern / Missing you / Bad handwriting and food

High-scoring words of the evening:

SAMOSA (225 points) - against Josephine S. [two 5W]
POTAGE (176 points) - against Nikki H. [two 4W]
STAYER (4400 points) - against Jenny H. [two 4W, two 5W]


Corey's opinion of his demo yesterday:

[19:34:11] Corey: well, the first demo was fine. they didn't like my handwriting... that was their main complaint :P they said everything was pretty good, though
[20:36:26] Flami: they didn't like YOUR HANDWRITING?! What the hell?!
[20:37:29] Corey: my handwriting sucks and is hard to read on the board? :P that's a valid complaint. it was worse than normal since I was trying to write a list of words quickly... normally, they have a book that has all those, and I don't need to write too much on the board
[20:38:26] Flami: yeah, okay - I guess that's valid....
[20:49:15] Flami: sorry, that just took me back to the days of Gr. 9 when a teacher didn't like my handwriting - she says I "carved" words into the paper :S
[20:50:07] Corey: teachers haven't liked my handwriting since like kindergarten :P
[20:50:59] Corey: I used to do a lot of comic book style drawing, and when I was into that, I read an article about how all the big name comic artists all have completely awful handwriting :P so it's because I'm artistic (don't make me prove it now, though, since I'm wayyyyy out of practice)
[20:52:02] Flami: HAHAHAHA... oh, don't worry - I am not about to make you prove that!


While checking Facebook, I saw that Wesley had posted about Sunday's lunch on Dave's wall - I TOLD YOU THAT PEOPLE MISSED YOU! I mean, if they're calling you and leaving you wall posts... says he MIGHT be around on Sunday if work doesn't screw it up. That's fine! He also commented on my "feeling better after a nap!" status with "hot water, honey lemon, and sleep" - trust me, that is on the agenda for sure!

I also noticed that my new cashew spread has started to separate - I don't think that's very safe to eat, so have ended up throwing it out. *sigh*

Told Candy to call me, but I ended up taking a nap since I felt kinda bleh... the result was that I missed her call. I won't have an opportunity to have another one in the next few days - hangouts with Auntie Ying / Dave, Chuck and Andrea's wedding / banquet (which I called Eric about - we'll figure out banquet rides in the morning), Awana, church, and Sunday lunch. At least I feel better after the nap than before!

Sucky teaching demos / Sunny, Cloudy, or Stormy

Got these messages overnight from Corey:

[03:20:34] Corey: sorry, I had to go to "work".... my teaching demo, which went great, then we tried two other schools.. did another demo at one of them, and they wanted me to use their book, and then their fake students (people that worked there) just wouldn't answer any of my questions
[03:20:38] Corey: that demo sucked
[03:20:50] Corey: I couldn't make them talk much because I was told to use their book


Woke up at 8 with a plugged nose, so of course I took echinacea and Vitamin C before going back to bed. I can't afford to get sick!

You Are Cloudy

Like everyone else, you are human. You have your ups and downs. You try to be resilient and weather the storm. You usually can find a silver lining. You struggle to be happy, and so far you are winning the battle. Make room in your life for a little fun every day. It will do wonders!

Are You Sunny, Cloudy, or Stormy?

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

Blockades, deactivation, jade, and emerald

Bingo of the night:

BLOCKADE (97 points) - against Alan C.

Discovered that both Alex Lee and Teresa Li deactivated their Facebook accounts again! Wordscraper seems to be working normally now, thank goodness.

Trivia fact for Thursday, June 3: What is Thailand's famous sacred Emerald Buddha carved from? Jade - a single block of jade. It's called the Emerald Buddha because of its color.

Jared, Word Twist, and INVADER ZIM

High-scoring words of the afternoon:

JERID (190 points) - against Joyce P. [5W, 2W]


Am going back to Word Twist for a brief while because Wordscraper has problems.

You Scored as Dib Membrane You're the sort of person who doesn't mean any harm, but always stands out as the black sheep of the group. You have a great curiosity for unpopular subjects, but unfortunately, you probably don't have a lot of followers. It's also difficult for you to get your opinion heard by others, but that doesn't mean you'll give up trying. Dib Membrane 67% Gir 64% Tak 61% Gaz Membrane 58% Tallest Purple 56% Mrs. Bitters 53% Tallest Red 47% Zim 47% Professor Membrane 42%

Regan, Rhodendra, Riddle, and Rodana

The computer just restarted! This is from What Not to Name Your Baby by Joe Borgenicht.

R

Rachel: A hairdresser's dream client who always has a story about her crazy friends and hunky husband.

Rainbow: The proud banner of the homosexual community. That's not a pot of gold you'll find at the end!

Raine: The Christian name of the Countess Spencer, stepmother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Known to Her Royal Highness and her brother as Acid Raine.

Rave: A dance party held in a warehouse or field populated by strangely-dressed preteens high on illicit drugs, and fixated on glow-in-the-dark sticks. May lead to a life of DJ-ing.

Raven: A large, black bird with an ear-splitting call. It enjoys eating roadkill, and stealing shiny, worthless trinkets.

Rayette: A really small piece of sunshine.

Rayna: The stuff that falls in Spaina, but mostly on the plaina.

Regan: A weapon used by science fiction war heroes in futuristic films of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Gave way to the more powerful Laysure in the early '80s.

Rhiannon: Subject of that Fleetwood Mac song.

Rhodendra: Lacking the pleasant scent of its cousin, Rhododendron, Rhodendra was never popular with gardeners.

Rhys: A type of monkey popular for use in horrific medical experimentation.

Riddle: A grown man who enjoys wearing brightly-colored Spandex bodysuits pulled up past his navel, while spouting annoying rhymes.

Riley: The bespectacled centre square.

Rodana: Along with Mothra and Gamera, this giant flying reptile terrorized Japan for many years before being defeated by Godzilla.

Rosebud: A slightly burned Christmas sleigh.

Rumer: It's not a confirmed fact, it hasn't come through official channels, it's a...

Fake cardinals / Stupid idiots who have no concept of personal space / Lollipops

All I remember of my dream was that it featured a cardinal who wasn't really a cardinal (a fake Pope-elect), and a homicide staged to look like a suicide. There was also something about Chuck and Andrea driving me to their own wedding... crazy stuff!

I was standing in line earlier today, and some guy behind me got too close to me and bumped my shoulder. Then he did it a couple MORE times, so I turned around and glared at him. And then he tried apologizing - that is NOT going to work, as it'll give you a free pass to continue your behavior! Oh, and Dave Wong FINALLY responded to my message via FB wall post. We've made tentative hangout plans for Friday, so YAY for that!

You Are Colorful

You have a vivid, magical view of the world, and you are easily entertained. You notice the brilliant little details that other people forget. You experience your emotions very fully, so much so that they often take on a life of their own. You've got an amazing life going on. If only everyone else had your bright point of view!

The Lollipop Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Ashcakes, voicemail messages, and atomic bombs

High-scoring words of the night:

VESICA (264 points; 4W, 2W, 5L on V; a good deficit-erasing word!), TWAIN (120 points; 3W, 4W) - against Sharon W.
WHEREOF (120 points) - against Sean R. [5W]
ASHCAKE (850 points) - against Kiran N. [two 5W, 4L on C]
ZOWIE (102 points) - against Anjali R. [5W, hook off FAR to make OR] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


After showering and starting laundry, I finally just left a voicemail on Dave's phone. We'll see what happens!

Trivia fact for Wednesday, June 2: How did the Columbia University football team help the U.S.'s top-secret atom-bomb-building Manhattan Project during World War II? The entire team was called upon to move tons of uranium stored in Manhattan warehouses.

Audio rentals, the Mad Bomber, Who / What / Where / Why

Interesting rack of the afternoon: CUTSTROY (against Kathy T., read as "cuts Troy")

High-scoring words of the afternoon:

OUSELS (150 points) - against Samantha M. [5W, 3W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
AUDIAL (105 points) - against Patricia S. [5W, 3W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
RENTAL (140 points) - against Marina T. [5W, two 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
IXORA (184 points) - against Rod B. [4W, 4L on X] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
JATOS (135 points) - against Kay P. [two 3W]
MOIETY (150 points) - against Erica H. [5W, 4L on Y, hook on EME to make EM; a good deficit-erasing word!]

Hey, the vinyl record parties are back on Rock 101. SWEET! Gotta love the stories and the music! Called Steph to horrify her with "THE MAD BOMBER STRIKES AGAIN!", haha. I'm also quickly eating all eight packages of the Yamata "spicy pea kernels" which my parents gave me since they expired on May 15! The bag had this "NO DUH!" allergy warning on the package: "This product contains green peas." *facepalm*

You Are Who

You are a very social person, and you are happiest when you're surrounded by a big group of friends. You're interested in people, and you always want to hear about what's going on in someone else's life. You are friendly and optimistic. People inspire you, and they rarely get under your skin. You believe that you can learn from each person. You listen carefully to learn what people have to teach you.

Are You Who, What, Where, or Why?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Teeny wilted cones / Vote of "confidence" from Grandma to Steph / Gay marriage

High-scoring words of the night:

SOYUZ (1081 points) - against Tina W. [two 5W, 3L on Z, hook on LIP to make SLIP]
IZARS (144 points) - against Jeannie H. [two 3W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
TEENY (110 points) - against David K. [5W, 2W]
WILTED (300 points) - against Cora-Lee G. [two 5W]
STAVING (121 points) - against Glenda B. [5W, hook off HARM for a plural]
CONE (112 points) - against Chet H. [two 4W]
JAKE (288 points) - against Kate J. [two 4W]
GANEV (200 points) - against Janelle I. [4W, 5W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
SIXES (140 points) - against Patricia V. [4W, 3L on X] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Grandma, to my sister: "How old are you now? Well, you can't cook or clean, but at least you're pretty and own a home. Hopefully that will be good enough for someone soon; I don't think I'll be alive long enough to see you get married!" HAHAHAHAHA!


Trivia fact for Tuesday, June 1: What country was the first in the world to legalize same-sex civil marriages? The Netherlands, in 2001.

Starved knowers and lightsaber colors / May 2010 BBT Tally

High-scoring words of the afternoon:

KNOWERS (128 points) - against KD C. [4W, 2W]
STARVED (1300 points) - against Milka S. [4W, two 5W]
YAMENS (208 points; two 4W), AMOLE (128 points; two 4W) - against Relina P.
ANYONE (250 points) - against Michelle A. [two 5W]

You Scored as Green Bladed Lightsaber You are a naturally born leader, but your force training is not complete. However, you are the best sword fighter in the galaxy with the exception of the force. You are energetic and swift. Green Bladed Lightsaber 67% Red Lightsaber 67% Yellow Lightsaber 67% Your Result is Orange Double-sided lightsaber 50% Purple Lightsaber 50% Black Lightsaber 50% Color-changing Lightsaber+And choose your blade(s) 33% Blue 33%

MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, MAY 2010 (1)

peach @ Tazza (Thursday, May 13)

Not going to dinner! / I have teaching control back!

I stayed up past 4:30 AM reading about period TMI on ONTD, haha. When I got up, I had a few phone calls from Auntie Ying / Steph / Mom. I decided to check my email first to see if I could at least figure out what the familial phone calls were about. Harmony had replied to an email saying that she and Jon couldn't make it for a dinner which Grandma wants to buy tonight, so I figured I couldn't make it either. First, I called Barry. Then I called my sister to tell her that I couldn't make it, but she wanted me to tell Mom. Got off the phone in less than two minutes, which is fine - as Eric told a certain person who also wanted to give me a digicam (Jon asked WHY?!), I can be rather short on the phone sometimes, and even more so if I'm talking to people I actively dislike! As far as I know, he didn't include that last part - but it's true!

Then I called Auntie Ying, whose work schedule has changed; instead of being off on Monday and Tuesday, she's now off on Thursday and Friday! She wanted to call me to see if she could meet me for lunch on Friday at 11:30 around Richmond Centre. That should be doable - I haven't called a certain person about anything at all, anyway... Then she asked if that would give me enough time to prepare. I didn't tell her that Chuck and Andrea's wedding and banquet (plus Awana) would probably cut into any slack prep that I might do, hahaha. But at least she's giving me the control back, for sure!

She said that Ramen had seemed angry yesterday - I'd also noticed that, but wasn't going to interfere in Jessie's parenting when she tried minimizing his feelings to insist that he was HAPPY! Having been the victim of that too often, I would have asked him why he was so angry that he felt the need to dump all the toys out of a few boxes! Auntie Ying then said that maybe the kids needed to learn to play with only a few toys at a time from a few boxes; she might come in and clean up some more since she was in a hurry to leave yesterday. I'm usually in a hurry to leave every week, man! Then she said that if Jonathan goes to the Grade 1 class, maybe Amos and Harrison won't be so wild - I don't think she should get her hopes up, personally. I do know he eggs Amanda on by talking about poo and pee, but kids will be kids! His sister Ashley seems okay with things now... and Donald and Conor have always been good for the most part. Arthur is a quiet child, and David isn't TOO rambunctious.

Your Unique Name is Cecelia Tianna

One of a kind!

What's Your Unique American Name?

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

Gail, tuna, learning, D-Day passwords

Interesting rack of the night: GAILTUNA, against Margaret H. (read this as "Gail Tuna")

Bingo of the night:

OUTLEARNS (146 points) - against Suzanne N.

High-scoring words of the night:

POTLINE (176 points) - against Mary W. [two 4W]
OUTLEARNS (146 points) - against Suzanne N. [4W, bingo]
COPATRONS (120 points) - against Millie F. [5W, 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}

Trivia fact for Monday, May 31: What was the password of the Allied forces on D-Day in 1944? Mickey Mouse.

BULLETS IN POWERPOINT! / Mandarin / Riddim and Spice

Sam's family picked me up pretty much on time, which was fine. I thanked them for the ride, and Uncle Joel told me to take my time getting settled in the car. That is definitely opposite of my parents, who have been known to tell me to hurry up. Of course, Uncle Joel might just have been polite and accommodating, but it's still good. We discussed being VERY CAREFUL with tones in Mandarin ("window" could easily mean "gun," or "holy Spirit" could mean "sex"), dentist appointments, Tony the hygienist, poking your gums with sharp instruments causing bleeding (not lack of brushing), early wake-ups the day after getting home for Christmas break ("thanks, Dad..." "but at least it gets done since I know you have a busy schedule!"), Josiah having lots of energy, getting old, coffee, scanning photos, and more. Noticed that this week's parking attendant was Raymond, but at least he put his money where his mouth was in a figurative sense!

Got into service only slightly late, and found my usual seat by Jeremy - he waved to me, and I smiled back. Hey, it's one of those little rituals! He could NOT get over the fact that this week's Powerpoint contained bullets to start EVERY LINE of the songs... I gotta admit, it was pretty funny! The first thing he said to me was "BULLETS!" - then we caught each other's eye after the next verse or so, and started laughing like crazy again! (Dylan later said he checked it on Uncle Eugene's computer, and it was fine - but not on Powerpoint!) Chuck and Andrea came up to announce their wedding on Saturday, and Jeremy laughed at the way they phrased it. "We just decided to get married - COME!" Hahaha! I'd have thought that nobody would have missed me, but of course there are the kids to think of - and I'd have missed out on lunch and laughs!

Wondered whether he was up for lunch - sure, and there would even be others around this time! I was only half-decided on whether to go to Andrea's bridal shower because of the ride issue, even though I'd have had to transit back home from lunch anyway - GO FIGURE! Went into the fellowship hall and "donated" my butter cookies and bag of candy to the snacks on offer - later, I noticed Mr. Creep (wearing a slightly nicer shirt than usual) take a cookie or two, but I guess it's okay since it's for the community. Talked to Wesley about Dylan and my leaving rather quickly from SERVANTS - after a while, he'd noticed we weren't there anymore! They'd only stayed till about 7:30 or so, anyway. Karen and Lincoln made an appearance: seems they've been busy with trips to the States and such.

Jeremy let me know that there was actual coffee this time: SWEET! He said he took the day off work on Saturday so he could attend both the wedding ceremony and banquet, which is a good plan - I said I'd have to call Eric on Friday in order to plan how to get to the church and dinner myself! (as long as his project with an impending deadline doesn't interfere) Saw Elaine and Matt, but didn't talk to them - but did say hi to Auntie Catherine and Uncle Y.C. Their grandson Mattias was busily eating two bananas in pieces - he certainly loves his food! (his mom Karen is probably pregnant again, too) Calla was holding baby Cameron, who looks almost exactly like his brother Connor did at that age - their mom Winnie brought all three of her kids by herself, which her sister Connie and I thought was pretty amazing! (Megan's five, Connor is 1.5, and Cameron is a few months old) Frances and her baby Isaac (who REALLY looks like his dad Mel) were around, too.

After a while, I went upstairs to a FULL toddler Sunday School class: Amanda, Conor, Mattias, a new kid named Jesse, Amos, Harrison, Esther, David, Evelyn, Ramen, Shira, Donald, Arthur, Jonathan, and Ashley were all there. Jonathan wanted me to know that he didn't care if I pooed on my book - thanks, kid! Then he and Amanda started in on drinking pee, so I told them that I'd actually heard of people doing that; they thought that was pretty gross. For some reason, I took my bulletin and drew the butt part of the Booty Logo... I don't know why I was pandering to a bunch of six-year-olds (Conor included), but they thought that was "EW GROSS!" Probably too much information or not age-appropriate (yesterday, I told Ian [almost 9] that seatbelts prevented your brain from splattering all over the place in an accident - "EW!" was his reaction), but it should be okay. Conor showed me his Awana necklace, and seemed to love the colors. Adjusted straps on overalls, played with the younger kids, talked to the older ones, gave stickers to some of them, and verified that Arthur remembered me. Auntie Ying said she forgot the new material - way to take control from me via teaching, haha - at least I don't have to worry about prep next week! (should probably do more actual prep, too)

When I went downstairs, I saw Auntie Teresa, whom I studiously avoided since she's annoying. I was undecided about going to the bridal shower, talking to Dianne / Karmie / Elaine about it. Eventually, I just decided to go for lunch with everyone - I asked Wesley and Christon (texting Steph about lunch) whether Jeremy had left yet, but he hadn't. Suppose the cookbook can double as the wedding present, too! Cheap? Hell yeah! Dianne said that she got Dennis to take the "bitter beer" picture off - what if her future patients see it? Finally saw Harmony, who said that she'd been sitting behind me during service - I gave her the anniversary present. Of course, she said I didn't have to, but it was fine - when I described the books as retro humor (NOT to be taken seriously), Jeremy said that comedy did have a grain of truth... yup!

We verified that this new lunch place (Riddim and Spice) was cash-only... thank goodness that I remembered my wallet with cash in it, while Jeremy had to stop by a bank machine on his way there! Karen and Lincoln joined us for lunch - Dylan did too, but Martin and Randal did not. I saw Grandma on our way out, but didn't talk to her since I thought we were in a hurry to leave - or maybe I was just projecting my own anxiety about leaving onto the whole group, heh. Dad hailed me as I was about to leave the building - turns out Mom had a bunch of random stuff for me AGAIN. This week's stuff turned out to be infinitely more useful than last week's crap, and most of it was probably bought at Shoppers: four rolls of paper towels, two cans of vegetable soup, two cans of mushroom soup, a small pan (about the only non-useful thing TO ME right now), two bottles of water, whole-wheat linguini (and original Ragu spaghetti sauce to go with it!), and a pink decoration reading "WHATEVER!" On the way out, I told Sam's brother Jeremy that I didn't need a ride home, since I told Sam last night that I'd let him know about that during the day.

At lunch, Wesley wondered where Dave Wong had been - I certainly didn't know, as he would have liked this Jamaican / Caribbean place! Maybe I'll leave him a message later on about it! Discussed the Reef, pickle juice, not knowing that coffee grounds expire after a certain amount of time (Jeremy's parents served coffee out of the same tin for 15 years), homemade Pad Thai sauce, preservatives such as sugar / vinegar / salt, who MIGHT be roasted at this year's church grad banquet, Quan / Hien / Olivia / Vicky / money / Margaret MAYBE fancying Stanley, her sweet song for him last year which he shrugged off (being too much of a boy!), sleeping in, alarms, work calls, Albert, Subway discounts, chicken roti, Epic Expo, GLEE, Eric's whereabouts, Randal and fried chicken, Lent, my being a rebel by ordering some mildly spicy goat curry instead of chicken roti, the intense Grace ginger beer (99 cents at Superstore?), today's worship woes, Deb getting back, and more. I took two quarters back from the tip money, but Dylan was also doing the same. While we were talking about people who seemingly stayed in school all the time, Wesley was trying to figure out what they'd be called. Jeremy and I said "PROFESSIONAL STUDENT!" at the same time, so he grinned at me and said that we were on the same wavelength - FOR SURE! :D

Christon could only drive me to the Commercial Expo Line Skytrain station, which was fine by me... I was very lucky in getting a Waterfront train IMMEDIATELY upon going up to the platform, and decided to go to Oakridge to get something I needed so I could dump it in the laundry. On the way there, I was likened to a terrorist because I took up more room than is strictly necessary - EXCUSE ME?! While I was in Zellers, I noticed that toilet paper was on sale, so I got some of that. I bit the bullet and paid the five cents for a plastic bag - at least the cashier gave me a large one so I could put some of my other stuff in there too! Well worth it, in my opinion. I noticed I was impatient because I was tired, giving one-word short answers: "Do you need a plastic bag?" "Yes." "That will be five cents." "Fine." (thinking "fine, whatever... just give me the plastic bag so I can MOVE ON WITH LIFE!") Got home without incident, and was so tired that I just put everything down on the floor and took a much-needed nap from about 4:45 to 7:10!

Mourning combined boners and fossils / Forgetting something / Tacos!

High-scoring words of the morning:

BONERS (144 points) - against Erika S. [4W, two 2W]
MOURNING (104 points) - against Peter N. [4W]
COMBINED (168 points) - against Susan M. [4W, 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
FOSSIL (234 points) - against Donna G. [two 5W, hook off ABIDE for a plural]

I have the feeling that I'm forgetting something... but what could it be? At any rate, I hope it's nothing important!

You Are Civilized

You are mild-mannered, and even a bit shy at first. It takes a while for you to come out of your shell. You are indulgent and comfort-seeking. You enjoy the finer things in life. You are a person of strong taste. You are adventurous in what you like. No one would describe you as awkward. You are a smooth character!

The Taco Test

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Wasteways, knifing daisies, too much sugar, saved by Sam, stomachs!

Bingo of the night:

WASTEWAY (139 points) - against Debbie C.

High-scoring words of the night:

JAW (124 points) - against Angela V. [5W, hook off SENATORS to make WE]
VEEJAY (115 points; two 5W), WASTEWAY (139 points; 3W, 4W, hook off ROAD for a plural, bingo), LAKINGS (224 points; 4W, 3L on K, hook off WASTEWAY for a plural; a good deficit-erasing word!) - against Debbie C.
KNIFED (375 points) - against Diane F. [two 5W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
DAISY (120 points; 3W, 4W; a good deficit-erasing word!), OOLONGS (123 points; 5W, hook off JIN for a plural) - against Ann S.
BRAVEST (240 points) - against David W. [4W, two 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
HINT (220 points) - against Mark F. [5W, 4W]
GLOTTIS (105 points) - against Anjali R. [5W, hook off CHAP for a plural] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
ROISTERS (105 points; 4W; a good deficit-erasing word!), APROPOS (348 points; two 5W, hook off REEF for a plural) - against David K.
GREYEST (128 points) - against Janice C. [4W, hook off YANG for a plural]


I've had too much sugar today, and so am hyper... whee! Ivan finally called me back at 11:10, and said he couldn't actually give me a ride tomorrow because he had a full car, what with his family and his grandpa. Then I wondered whether Sam would be going tomorrow - Ivan gave me his Winnipeg cell number (which I've jotted down for future reference), with the advice that I probably didn't want him to pick up OR for me to leave a message. Definitely not, with long-distance charges!

I looked up Sam's home number first, to avoid even calling the Winnipeg number unless I absolutely had to. Uncle Joel answered; luckily, Sam was home. Even more luckily, Sam checked with his parents, and they should be able to drive me at about 9:15 tomorrow. He asked what I'd be doing for lunch or whether I'd need a ride back - it depends on what others are doing for lunch, but I'd let him know. Maybe certain other people will be there, haha.


Trivia fact for Sunday, May 30: How many compartments does a giraffe's stomach have? How about a camel's stomach? Giraffe, four; camel, three.