Hidden yummy grapes with meatloaf, and Pirate Facebook

Interesting rack of the afternoon: JULYTONS, against Marco D. [read this as "July tons"]


High-scoring words of the afternoon:

TRIGRAMS (104 points) - against Sean R. [two 2W]
HIDDEN (180 points) - against Art B. [3W, 5W]
MEATLOAF (160 points) - against Jeanette E. [three 2W]
AHA (175 points; two 5W), JEWS (136 points; 4W, 2W) - against Ina H.
EARSHOTS (248 points) - against Marie L. [two 4W]
NEWSIEST (296 points) - against Tracy M. [two 4W]
YUMMY (120 points; 5W, 2L on Y), HEADSET (4W, hook off SMART for a plural), JUSTLY (5W, 5L on J, hook off OINK for a plural) - against Marco D.
AVIAN (144 points) - against Lisa H.-G. [two 4W]
FOREBYE (360 points) - against Lynn K. [5W, 4W]
GRAPE (144 points) - against Tammy H. [two 4W]
HOTTIE (111 points) - against Tammy H. [3W used twice, 2W, hook off VARY to make OVARY] {different game}
HELPFUL (2520 points) - against Beverley H. [4W, 5W, two 3W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
HA (102 points) - against Pat R. [5W used twice, 4W used twice, hook off COMET to make HE and AT]
RELINKED (132 points) - against Louise G. [4W]


Changed my Facebook to Pirate Language, just for the hell of it. :D

Waves

You Make Beautiful Waves

Life would be boring if you just sat back and watched it unfold. You like to make things happen, but in a very ordered and interesting way. You don't really like chaos. You tend to plan throughly and execute your plans well. You are very creative, eloquent, and expressive. You know how to accomplish great things, even if you're just playing around.

The Waves Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Yummy liquid yogurt and the Nazis!

High-scoring word of the night:

PATZERS (180 points) - against Ruth B. [3W, 2W, 3L on P]


YUM! This Oasis black cherry-blackberry juice tastes like liquid berry yogurt! :D

Trivia fact for Saturday, July 3: What role did the actor son of renowned conductor Otto Klemperer play in the hit 1960s TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes? Werner Klemperer portrayed Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the bumbling Nazi commandant of the Stalag 13 prison camp. The Klemperer family fled Nazi Germany in the mid-1930s.

Postponed Canada Day BBQ - scorpions, cats, slaughter, and the rain defeating us

Sam and Jeremy picked me up later in the afternoon, and we were off - discussed singing, warming up one's vocal cords, a certain song that Christon led for the first time a while back, poor drivers, sports, and more. When we got to the park, there were already a few people helping to set up and such, with more coming later. I interacted with Billy, Stella, their sons Benjamin and Noah (toys and the maple leaf!), Alan and Tracy, Alan's nephews Noah and Everett, Tim, Maxine (soon off to do wedding dress fitting with Karen Chan), Joshua, Keenan, Christon, Jeremy, Jen, Citrus in his uniform, Darren (hot dogs!), Jessica Leung, Auntie Rebecca, Auntie Catherine, Auntie Susan, Vivian (Montreal AND Cuba!), Randal, Margaret, Mark, William, Mary, Sarah, Reigan, Jinny, Cindy, Ivan, Lesley, Connie, Phil, Grace, Emily / Nina / Gerard, Joey (on crutches AGAIN!), Emily Lam, Eric / Matthew, Katie, Quan, Amy, some other friends of Darren's, Jeremy J., new people (Awana / Fellowships / VBS info), and others. Apparently, Benjamin told Jessica that his name was George! Hahaha, so cute! When Noah left, he waved bye to us! Thank goodness a certain person (or should that be certain people?) did NOT show up!

Jeremy said that one of their goals during the Portland trip was to go where the black people were, but they only had sporadic sightings of those! They were going to go to a fried chicken place, but then got steered to another one - there was nobody in the second one because the people who suggested it to them had just left! (so funny!) Christon said that when they crossed the border back into Canada, the crossing was ALMOST textbook... that is, until they told the border guards that they had purchased $200 worth of alcohol (72 bottles' worth) and $150 worth of books. Randal had to wonder whether beer usually came in bottles down there - maybe if you do what the guys did, and stick to microbrews! At any rate, Jeremy's beer cellar is now stocked for at least another few months or so!

Talked about the Maritimes, Nathan stopping by to convince them to go to Dragon Ball last night, strange stuff tasting like chicken, lobster, scorpions, bugs on pizza, Jen and Viv's upcoming Cuba trip (plenty of water for hydration / the intense heat / sunscreen / Telus training as a conflict), animals KNOWING when you're going to slaughter them, going to SERVANTS for the movie screening / the Richmond or Chinatown Night Markets afterward, not being in the mood to just sit or stand around, my mom eating cat once (of course Jeremy knew the story), and more. Jen asked me whether I'd received the email about Randal's surprise - yes, but we're not CLOSE at all, and it would have been kind of awkward. I told her that we weren't really FRIENDS, but she reminded me to be respectful - I can't speak for him, but I think we've reached the stage where we can at least be civil and polite. No insults here!

Later, the girls were discussing SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE All-Stars... even I recognized a few of the names (Comfort / Twit / Katie), thanks to summer 2008 and The Evil One. Then they were discussing cleavage (almost) falling out of tops - the guys were playing football / volleyball, but Mike chose this inopportune time to come over to see what we were talking about. Quan, Amy, and Katie (wrapped in blankets) all told him that he did NOT want to know! Isabel said that she feels like she has to repeat / go along with the bakery customers' mispronunciation of such things as "pecan" and "scone" - NO!!!! Jonathan then said (jokingly?) that cleaning up was a woman's job, so he earned himself two smacks on the head from me and Margaret for THAT! It was a pretty good time, although of course there would have been more turnout if we didn't have to postpone the event! Sam said that the rain defeated us (in terms of doing stuff later) even though we live in Vancouver... it's so true that the weather can make you depressed!

Banter at fashion tweakage auctions! / Avoiding Starbucks fights

Bingo of the afternoon:

ANTIRAPE (80 points) - against Vivien S.


High-scoring words of the afternoon:

BANTER (126 points) - against Denise B. [3W used twice, hook off NOTE to make NOTER]
FASHION (111 points) - against Georgia R.-E. [4W, hook off KING for a plural]
TWEAKAGE (120 points) - against Jenny S. [4W, 2W]
FA (178 points) - against Cat D. [5W used twice, 4W used twice, hook off ROOKIE to make OF / KA]
AUCTIONS (120 points) - against Patricia R. [two 3W, hook off HA to make SHA]
RETOOLS (130 points) - against Linda D. [two 3W]
ANCHORED (440 points) - against Millie F. [two 5W]


I had a dream about avoiding fights between two wifebeater-clad men at Starbucks; my sister referred to it as "Starbox," much to Dylan's dismay! No clue why I had that one, haha. Now I can't help momentarily wondering if Dave will be at the postponed BBQ this afternoon, since it'll be in his neighborhood. I know Jeremy will be, which is good. Sam just called, apologizing for not calling last night. Hey, it's okay... people get busy, and I didn't have anyone else calling me even when I left the phone on all night, which is a good thing! Says he'll pick me up around 4:30 before worship practice, or whenever he gets the car from his dad. Sounds good to me, especially if I can wait for his call first!

Avowing BBT / Natural Looks

Note: If LiveJournal Were A Dungeons & Dragons Game... Memegen, by rolloadams.

I don't know why I'm awake NOW... this last happened about a month ago, before Chuck and Andrea's wedding, and after I hung out with Dave Wong. At least this time, I can go back to sleep without worrying about being late for anything!


Bingos of the early morning:

HARDEDGE (72 points) - against Vivien S.
MISTREATS (65 points) - against Denise B.


High-scoring words of the early morning:

AVOWS (145 points) - against Patricia R. [5W, 3L on W, hook off RELIEVE for a plural]
FATHER (228 points) - against Cat D. [3W, two 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
ANCONES (100 points) - against Vivien S. [5W, 2W]
BATIK (140 points) - against Denise B. [5W, 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Bubble tea:

[05:35:18] Corey: speaking of bubble tea... do you know this kind of milk tea with coconut jelly dealie things in it? it's kind of like bubble tea, but the thingies in it aren't tapioca, and they're a different shape. I forgot what that's called... something guo nai cha
[05:35:31] Corey: it means coconut something milk tea
[05:39:27] Flami: I've had it with coconut jelly, and it's pretty good... but I don't know what it's called
[05:40:06] Corey: well, in Chinese, it's basically "Coconut Jelly Milk Tea" ... I just don't know what to call it in English, if there's a name :P
[05:46:35] Flami: "bubble tea with coconut jelly," perhaps? :P
[05:48:07] Corey: but the bubbles are zhen zhu," not this stuff :P they're just different types of milk tea
[05:50:06] Flami: does it taste the same, or is it different flavors?
[05:52:56] Corey: uh, it was just normal milk tea
[05:54:16] Flami: I thought you said it was different types of milk tea!
[05:55:14] Corey: you can probably get different ones... they generally just have black tea and green tea. there's a bunch of fruit-flavored normal tea, and they'll usually put the tapioca dealies in those if you want
[05:57:47] Flami: oh, that's what you meant :P I should have known; it's like that here, too

Your Style is Natural

You prefer things that aren't overly fussy or ornate. For you, simple is best. If possible, you like a more natural look - or at least a look that was inspired by nature. You are turned off by wild colors and too much flair. You don't think style needs to be complicated. You know that less is often more. You strive to live a simpler life than most.

What's Your Personal Style?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Ideas, ferries, Aero bars, taxis, SERVANTS better than Langley, and the Olympics

High-scoring words of the night:

GRAVED (192 points) - against Lori H. [4W, two 2W]
ARMLOADS (136 points) - against Joyce P. [3W]
BADE (120 points) - against Scott N. [5W, 5L on B]
ALIAS (110 points) - against George M. [two 5W, hook off FOB for a plural]
FERRY (115 points) - against Douglas N. [5W]
AERO (102 points) - against Suzette W. [4W, 5W]
IDEAS (100 points) - against Cheryl-Ann C. [5W used twice, hook off GLANCE to make GLANCED]
TAXIS (120 points) - against Callie S. [4W, 2W]


Got an email from Eric, who says he just got back from Portland and is NOT in the mood for driving to Langley. He thinks he'll go to SERVANTS and see some movie they're showing instead. At least we know SERVANTS, and it's better than the Langley event with STRANGERS! I think he made the right choice. :D I'll wait for Sam's call tomorrow, then...

Trivia fact for Friday, July 2: What legendary 1960 Olympic gold medallist had the honor of marking the start of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia, by lighting the cauldron with the Olympic torch? Muhammad Ali, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 in Rome as a light heavyweight boxer.

Youngest parents / Movie genres

Fun facts: The world's youngest parents were a 9-year-old boy and an 8-year old girl in China. The world's youngest grandmother is 28; her 11-year-old daughter gave birth to a healthy boy via C-section in the Ukraine. The world's youngest mother was a five-year-old Peruvian girl, beating the previous record held by a 6-year-old Russian girl. Your mother was wrong about going poop once a day... it varies from person to person!


More stuff about movie genres:

[21:45:29] Flami: so how's movie genres?
[21:58:31] Corey: I just made a list of genres with descriptions, then put some titles below, and they need to match them up to the genres... if they even know those movies. I think I'm going to totally drop that, though, until next week... I won't have time to do the movie activities if I do that, too.. this week, I'll have them go over the plot of the movie, and the characters that appear in the first part of the movie... so I think we'll call that the activity instead of trying to do both
[21:59:27] Corey: I mapped it all out, and there's only like 15 minutes to do the FOUR movie activities if I do all that stuff... even if I drop the genres thing, I'll only have like 30 minutes for that, if everything stays on time, which it won't
[22:05:04] Flami: is that even related to teaching them genres?
[22:05:56] Corey: the main point of the class is the movie, not genres... that's an extra activity
[22:07:19] Flami: do you think they know the movies you're prepping?
[22:15:46] Corey: the movie is Ghostbusters...
[22:22:30] Flami: oh, I thought you were talking about the genre movies
[22:23:19] Corey: I'm not preparing anything for those... it's just a list of titles, and they have to write the genre next to them
[22:25:24] Flami: I guess what I meant to ask was whether they would know the genre just from the title
[22:31:32] Corey: probably not, but oh well
[22:32:02] Corey: they should know a lot of them... Toy Story, Iron Man, Nightmare on Elm Street (maybe they won't know this, but if they can't figure out that that's the horror movie by the name NIGHTMARE, then they suck)
[22:32:11] Corey: Godfather, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings..
[22:33:41] Corey: the Chinese name for Nightmare on Elm Street is crazy.. and totally different... the remake was in theaters here not too long ago, and they had a huge display, bigger than lifesize of Freddy Krueger standing there all menacingly... Jane translated the Chinese name for me, and it's really long like "The Demon Who Comes And Kills You While You're Asleep" or something
[22:34:29] Corey: which I guess is accurate, but I'm not sure a title should be a full description of the movie in sentence form :P
[22:35:38] Flami: HAHAHAHAHA... nice translation!
[22:40:30] Corey: most movies keep the same name, or something similar
[22:41:26] Corey: Avatar is some characters that are supposed to sound like "Avatar," but it really sounds like "Evander," like Evander Holyfield, the boxer :P when I came here, people asked me if I liked Evander, and I had no idea what they were talking about
[22:57:37] Flami: HAHAHAHAHA... NICE!
[23:08:23] Corey: nice as fuck
[23:09:27] Corey: now I have to watch the whole movie of Ghostbusters, I guess, because I have to make chapter stops for the DVD I need to burn... I can't just find a DVD of it online (with anyone seeding it), so I have to make my own... the lady at the school said they could try to rent it, but uh, the class is a month long, I don't think they give it to you for that long
[23:10:39] Corey: if I don't set up good chapter stops, it'll be hard to get everything in the right spots, and I don't want to mess with that during the class... this way, I can just hit "next" or "back," and be in exactly the right place for the next scene, or the start of what we just watched, or whatever
[23:13:19] Flami: well, you know these things better than I do... I don't think I could set up chapter stops, whatever those are :P
[23:15:10] Corey: now you don't even know how a DVD works??? you hit the "next chapter" button and it skips to the next scene, right?
[23:15:30] Corey: I just need the right times to make those. I'm converting a file that doesn't have those, so I have to put them there myself
[23:15:33] Flami: I guess
[23:16:01] Flami: but how would you do that? that must be hard
[23:17:24] Corey: in the DVD program, you type in the times you want... it's not hard :P
[23:20:45] Flami: if you say so
[23:28:33] Flami: shower time
[23:42:44] Corey: watch out for ghosts and monsters that make the water turn red with blood
[23:55:56] Flami: I am not in a real-life PSYCHO movie, thanks :P
[00:05:24] Corey: that doesn't happen in Psycho!
[01:22:59] Corey: okay... I just watched the whole movie, and wrote down the times of all the scenes :P that's kind of annoying... hopefully, next time, I can just get the regular DVD, and not have to do that...
[01:23:40] Corey: but now I have the whole movie broken up into what I'm going to do for each class, and I'll have a custom DVD that can jump to the exact points I want to show.. so that's okay
[01:24:25] Corey: just in time.. trouble's here
[01:24:36] Corey: (Jane's niece came home :P)
[01:24:47] Corey: her being home makes it a lot harder to get work done...
[01:26:17] Flami: haha, I can imagine!

Wagon awards soaked in flesh and mints / You can't tempt me with your prawns!

Bingo of the afternoon:

FLESHIEST (82 points) - against Marie M.


High-scoring words of the afternoon:

DEVAS (150 points) - against Vito C. [3W, 5W]
AWARD (120 points) - against Heather R. [3W, two 2W]
SOAKED (155 points) - against Tanya P. [3W, two 2W, hook on RAISE to make RE / AD] (a good deficit-erasing word!)
LUGER (112 points) - against Missy S. [4W, two 2W]
WAGON (150 points) - against Marjorie T.-G. [5W, 3W]
ADORE (168 points) - against Sandra B. [5W, 4W, hook off VAN to make VANE](a good deficit-erasing word!)
MINTS (120 points) - against Sharon C. [two 3W - one used twice, hook off TROLLEY for a plural]
DESIGN (1600 points) - against John G. [4W, 2W, two 5W]


Apparently, my parents think a prawn dinner will be enough to entice me to go over there again - I DON'T THINK SO! Steph needs to TRY HARDER! Also, Albert and Carmen (bringing a male friend) are going to the meeting tomorrow with Deb and Dylan's friends - WHY SUPPORT PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW?! It's a good FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM for US, but I wouldn't be caught dead trying to organize THAT sort of thing for a wedding anniversary! Seriously, folks!

Eating worms, playing traffic lights, and Santa donations

When I got back to sleep, I had a dream that Jen and her mom Auntie Beatrice had invited us over to have some food. I was lying on Jen's bed when some of the guys came over to have a SIMPSONS quote war - it was amusing! After that, we all had dinner at these long wooden tables - my dad wasn't impressed that the guys decided to have some worms (which looked like fries) inside wraps with gravy! They actually tasted pretty good, haha! We wanted to get away from this dinner as soon as humanly possible, so saw Auntie Cissy pass us with a row of green carts; we knew that was the public transit bus which came only every half hour or so. "There she is!" "Yeah... when she's PASSED us... *disgust* Now we have to wait some more!"

Finally, we got out of there (evading my mother), and went to a play practice. Someone had to grudgingly take the part of a traffic light, and was venting about it when a little girl and Santa Claus came up to us. Apparently, the girl's mom had been involved in a rather serious accident, and we had to help solicit donations from the public in much the same manner as the Salvation Army bellringers do in December. The girl started it off with seed money of one penny, while the Santa smiled kindly at her and topped it up with some bills. That's all I remember, and I don't really know why I had the dream!

BBQ postponement, playground personality, Taiwan weather

I should go out and meet Sam now... and of COURSE this temperamental beast restarted overnight!

You Were a Loner

You may have had a few friends on the playground, but you never felt like you really fit in. And while this was not the greatest when you were little, it's served you well as an adult. You have learned to be independent - both in your thoughts and your actions. Not fitting in is now your strength. You defy labels, and you are completely original.

What's Your Playground Personality?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Edit half an hour later: Sam tried calling me from his cell when I was waiting outside, and then I just managed to get his call from home when I went back inside to see what was up! The BBQ has been postponed due to weather concerns (as per an email that I just got two seconds ago from Pastor John) till tomorrow afternoon at around 5:30. Sam just got a text message right when he was going to leave. Says he has worship practice tomorrow around that time, but can still give me a ride and such, so we'll get in touch later. Darn, I wish I *did* have a cellphone for these kinds of things, haha!

[02:39:04] Corey: I thought you were asleep :P
[08:23:11] Flami: I was asleep, and now I'm awake :P HAPPY CANADA DAY! :P
[08:30:56] Corey: you went online when I sent that!
[08:31:07] Flami: and now I need to leave
[08:31:54] Corey: well, fiiiiiiiine... don't talk to me, you big meanie
[08:32:50] Flami: BBQ! GOTTA GO
[08:55:25] Flami: actually, it's been postponed because of the weather - I'm going back to bed :P
[08:59:36] Corey: the weather is fine
[09:01:53] Flami: maybe over there... but here, it's all bleh :P
[09:07:25] Corey: well, it's hot and humid, but they started using the AC in here now, so it's alright... going outside, especially for me since I have to ride a bike, is another story... bleh... too hot and sweaty
[09:09:15] Corey: supposedly Carrefour (do you have that in Canada? I think it's just Europe... it's a French store, though... so maybe Canada has it... it's kinda like a huge Wal-Mart type of place) has scooters (like... the girly motorcycle-ish things) for $25,000... which would be much, much easier than a bicycle...
[09:10:27] Corey: I need to figure out what the resale options for those are, though... that's kinda pricey if I don't sell it before I leave, but for a vehicle, that's pretty cheap... that's like $700
[09:10:33] Flami: no, we don't have that... only Wal-Mart
[09:15:48] Corey: I only know about that from learning about it in marketing class.. it's pretty huge in Europe, I guess... and Taiwan has it too for some reason
[09:16:43] Corey: except nobody here knows what I'm talking about if I call it "Carrefour," despite that being in gigantic letters on the side of the building, and repeated over and over again on every sign in the place... literally hundreds of places in the store :P
[09:17:32] Corey: the Chinese for it is like "Ja re for" or something... I haven't quite figured out the sounds for it yet... it's supposed to sound like "Carrefour," obviously... but if you just say "Carrefour," nobody knows what you mean :P
[09:19:01] Flami: haha... yeah, I can understand that
[09:25:08] Flami: reminds me of the time that my mother wrote a Chinese equivalent for Jeremy's name on his name tag at a Summer Conference... she got the first two syllables to be like Chinese words, sort of... but had to improvise with the last, calling that "rice."
[09:25:40] Corey: rice is "mi," so doesn't that work? :P
[09:26:14] Flami: or wait... maybe it was "corn."
[09:26:51] Corey: I forgot what that is :P
[09:28:06] Flami: I think that's "mi"
[09:28:25] Corey: I don't think so... rice is "mi fan"
[09:29:08] Corey: corn is "yu mi"
[09:29:12] Corey: you and me!
[09:29:23] Flami: I do know enough to say that rice is "fan"... I can't remember what the exact equivalent was :P corn is "mi," I think....
[09:36:34] Flami: anyway - bedtime, again
[09:38:27] Corey: lazy :P
[09:39:42] Flami: it's a holiday :P

Toonies, croaking Costa, abbreviations, and the June 2010 BBT Tally

HAPPY CANADA DAY! 143 YEARS AND COUNTING!

High-scoring words of the night:

ROSEBUDS (240 points) - against Karim A. [3W, three 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
TOONIE (112 points) - against Marie M. [two 4W]
COSTA (152 points) - against Sean R. [two 4W, hook off MAD for a plural]
VARAS (110 points; 5W used twice, hook off OUTFIT for a plural), ALIYAS (108 points; 4W used twice, hook off WEIGH for a plural; a good deficit-erasing word!) - against Darrin S.
VAPOR (300 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [two 5W]
CROAKING (420 points) - against Ada R. [5W, two 2W]
PONYTAIL (296 points) - against Lynn B. [two 4W]


Trivia fact for Thursday, July 1: When it comes to medical shorthand, what do the abbreviations Dx, Hx, Sx, and Tx represent? Diagnosis, History, Symptoms, and Treatment, respectively.


MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, JUNE 2010 (1)

mango @ Twinkle (Friday, June 4) [good hanging out with Dave Wong!]

Rides from Sam, and teaching movie genres

Called Sam earlier, who said that he could indeed give me a ride to and from the Canada Day BBQ tomorrow, but he'd have to help set up and take down stuff... not a problem, even if I have to be awake at 8! SOMEONE has to represent the Ngs at this event, yo! (now I'm talking like Wesley, haha)


Teaching movie genres?! I know nothing!

[21:51:38] Corey: also, I command you to think of a good way to teach movie genres to "intermediate" English students (they can have a class that's all English, but they will look very confused most of the time, and won't understand anything that isn't as basic as I can make it... and even then, they might not)
[21:52:47] Corey: I have to figure that out, make an activity, and send off the worksheet to the school in a few hours :P I have several decent activities for movie genres, but they probably won't work unless we just go over them first... but just me talking is boring, and they're unlikely to answer questions if I ask them...
[21:53:40] Corey: activities need to be things they HAVE to do.. like "go read this conversation with a partner," or "ask two people in the room these questions"... if it's me asking them whether they can answer something like a normal teacher does, they'll all just look at me like zombies
[21:54:21] Corey: maybe these students will be okay, but I haven't met any of them yet, so I don't know :P first class is this weekend


EDIT:

[00:22:51] Corey: well, think of a way to teach movie genres! post haste! I'm working on scenes from Ghostbusters that they can role-play right now
[00:24:13] Flami: can't - I know nothing about that, and I need to be up in 7.5 hours :P
[00:29:35] Corey: you don't know how to explain things? :P
[00:30:00] Flami: no
[00:32:10] Flami: well, I do... but I know nothing about the GHOSTBUSTERS movie
[00:39:07] Corey: I'm trying to explain movie genres here, not Ghostbusters :P and you should fix that, it's a good movie
[00:40:10] Corey: Movie Genres:

1. Comedy Movies
2. Action Movies
3. Dramas
4. Horror Movies
5. Science Fiction Movies
6. Animation Movies
7. Romantic Comedies
8. Documentaries
9. Fantasy Movies
10. Family Movies
[00:40:10] Corey: that's what they need to know about. I want to figure out a way to teach it better than just me explaining it all. me talking the whole time is boring and not good

Tricking pandas and colts in the salesroom!

High-scoring words of the evening so far:

PANDIES (176 points; two 4W), PODIA (144 points; two 4W) - against George M.
TRICKS (244 points; two 4W, hook off OE to make TOE; a good deficit-erasing word], VOYAGER (105 points; 3W, 4L on V) - against Valerie S.
COLTS (225 points) - against Jennifer B. [two 5W]
SALEROOM (186 points; 3W, 4W), VIXENS (152 points; 2W, 4W) - against Emily P.

Don't you dare take your time in line! / Assurance of figments / Birthdays

Bingo of the afternoon:

AERATIONS (69 points) - against Betty W.


High-scoring words of the afternoon:

FIGMENTS (148 points; 4W), HULKIEST (400 points; 3W, 4W, 4L on H) - against Cindy B.
ASSURERS (184 points) - against Pamela C. [2W, two 3W]


Pet Peeve #235262: People who take their sweet-ass time when they're ahead of you in line, despite the fact that they KNOW others are waiting behind them! Don't use your business time for social talk with the clerk, and don't take five minutes to put your belongings in a bag when it could be done in ten seconds! UGH!

I'm at the library on OLIVER now. Got an email from Wesley and Jen, saying it would be nice to celebrate Randal's birthday by surprising him tonight at his place. I don't mind his having friends who would do that for him, but I wouldn't like to be surprised just when I think I could relax after having dinner with my parents! Yes, I know... I can't speak for what Randal might feel, but still. I won't be going to that! (have already wished Michelle C. and Sabrina a happy birthday, which is what counts!)

Another pet peeve: People distracting me when I am obviously focused on something! (editing, in this case) Hello, I am IN THE ZONE! No, this doesn't refer to many of my friends, thank goodness!

Mary and needing colors

All I remember about my dream is that Mary was featured for some strange reason!

You Could Use Some Blue

Your life is probably a lot more chaotic and stressful than you'd like it to be. At times, you feel like you're spinning out of control. And gaining control is actually easier than you might think. Tap into some blue energy by finding calm and serenity every day. You have the inner peace and strength you seek. You just need to find it.

What Color Would Help You Right Now?

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

Onion mascots, ice cream, rice, tofu, and money

High-scoring words of the night:

ONION (192 points) - against Ro M. [2W, two 4W]
MASCOT (208 points) - against Damon R. [two 4W]
TRADE (112 points) - against Connie C. [two 4W]
MOW (100 points) - against John G. [5W, 2W]


[22:30:50] Flami: I'm having mint chocolate chip ice cream, and you're not :P
[22:33:52] Corey: no, I had some horrible microwave rice and tofu lunch thing that will probably give me stomach problems by the time I have to ride my bike home from class... which I'm leaving for now
[22:34:49] Flami: okay, see you later
[23:25:14] Corey: okay, it's later... she didn't show up
[23:25:36] Corey: still got paid though, since she cancelled too late
[00:38:41] Flami: good, good

Trivia fact for Wednesday, June 30: Whose portrait appeared on the United States' very first $5 bill? Alexander Hamilton's. It appeared on the $5 note issued in the early 1860s. Hamilton is now on the $10 bill.

Infamous dictators and first-one-voted-off-the-island SURVIVORS

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

Infamous Dictators

The problem with evil dictators is that they keep popping up. As a result, it is difficult not to name your child after one. (case in point: Adolph Coors) The best you can do is double-check the following list against your own shortlist, and try to avoid these names as well as the names of any other political figures currently in power around the globe.

Sani Abacha, Nigeria
Idi Amin, Uganda
Chiang Kai-shek, Republic of China
Francois Duvalier, Haiti
Francisco Franco, Spain
Ma'ammar el-Gadhafi, Libya
Adolf Hitler, Germany
Saddam Hussein, Iraq
Kim Jong Il, North Korea
Ferdinand Marcos, Philippines
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe
Benito Mussolini, Italy
Manuel Noriega, Panama
Augusto Pinochet, Chile
Pol Pot, Cambodia
Joseph Stalin, USSR
Suharto, Indonesia
Charles Taylor, Liberia
Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavia
Hideki Tojo, Japan
Mao Zedong, People's Republic of China

---

First-One-Voted-Off-The-Island Survivors

We all want to be winners, and if we can't win, then second or third might do. But none of us want to come in dead last. And if we don't want that for ourselves, then we certainly don't want it for our children. As a result, this list of TV reality stars who were the first ones voted off the island on the show Survivor should help you raise a winner. Avoid these names at all cost.

Survivor: Borneo - B.B. Anderson
Survivor: Outback - Debb Eaton
Survivor: Africa - Diane Ogden
Survivor: Marquesas - Peter Harkey
Survivor: Thailand - John Raymond
Survivor: The Amazon - Ryan Aiken
Survivor: Pearl Islands - Nicole Delma
Survivor: All-Stars - Tina Wesson

Zany stations and thirsty jalapeno pretzels for popcorn and almonds!

High-scoring words of the evening:

GLOB (128 points) - against Wilhelmina H. [4W, two 2W]
ZANILY (105 points) - against Pamela C. [5W]
TIEPIN (160 points) - against Pat R. [four 2W]
STATION (207 points) - against Kelli M. [5W, 3W]
THIRSTS (475 points) - against Scott N. [two 4W, hook off MOCK to make SMOCK]


Edit: Went to London Drugs to buy some snacks before the HST kicks in on Thursday: three bags of Snyder's of Hanover jalapeno pretzel pieces, two on-sale tins of Blue Diamond Jalapeno Smokehouse almonds, and one huge bag of gourmet aged white cheddar popcorn! Now, time to shower and read!

Oozing trees on lawns: ANTIHERO! / James Joyce and NAKED LUNCH

High-scoring words of the afternoon:

OOZE (108 points) - against Georgia R.-E. [4W]
TREELAWN (115 points) - against Hunter S. [two 2W]
ANTIHERO (105 points) - against Cindy B. [5W]


I'm at the library on TOLKIEN (the screen's brighter than what I'm used to), and have borrowed Naked Lunch: The Restored Text (William S. Burroughs, James Grauerholz, and Barry Miles) / A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (James Joyce) / Ulysses (James Joyce and Craig Raine) since I've always wanted to read them, thanks to Darren Morrison. I just hope they're not as unreadable as The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner), which is also stream-of-consciousness!

The guy next to me wants me to watch his computer for him while he goes to the washroom - that's your problem, not mine! I have other things to do than watch your computer for two minutes, even if I did go downstairs to the fiction section on my computer time to grab the James Joyce books. Seriously, it's all about the FOCUS! Doing stuff with notes, statuses, and other things!

Cabbage roll dream / Snobby Name

Not surprised that this thing restarted overnight! Had a dream involving cabbage rolls, irrational anger at someone who knocked my plate of meat FLYING, dropping people off at a brown apartment complex, and orange bathrooms. I don't even want to know!

Your Snobby Name is Victoria Wilcox

The true snob never rests

What's Your Snobby Name?

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

Cantonese and Mandarin / American poets

This is where Corey attempted to teach me some Mandarin while I tried catching up with Billie:

[21:11:20] Corey: Corey, chu fan lo
[21:11:27] Corey: time to eat lunch :P
[21:12:58] Flami: lunch, eh? I haven't "sik fan" yet
[21:13:16] Corey: sick fan? gross
[21:13:33] Corey: lunch is wo san, though... what they said just means "eat" :P
[21:14:34] Flami: that's "eating rice," literally... I forgot what "lunch" and "dinner" are :P
[21:45:13] Corey: zao and wan are "morning" and "evening"
[21:45:19] Corey: just add san
[22:15:18] Flami: jo-chan, mm-chan, and maan-chan... something like that?
[22:16:01] Corey: no, I think Joe Chan is a plumber or something
[22:21:02] Flami: you KNOW what I mean :P
[22:28:18] Corey: well, in REAL Chinese, "morning" is zao-san... I don't know about your crazy stuff.. it doesn't even have words!
[22:29:05] Flami: jo-sun to you, then!
[22:38:51] Corey: that's what people here say about Cantonese :P it doesn't even have words!!!
[22:39:26] Corey: they mean that Cantonese "stole" the Chinese characters, and they don't have their own set of characters. they say Japanese stole their characters, too
[22:49:42] Flami: given the similarities I think I see between those two written languages, that could very well be

Trivia fact for Tuesday, June 29: What Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet was granted a conditional appointment to West Point, but had to leave after failing the grammar and math sections of the entrance exam? Carl Sandburg, in 1899.

Bart Simpson prank calls, and the Jenny census

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

The Jenny Census

Everyone who grew up in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s had a large group of friends who all had to be referred to by their last names. The reason for this "family name" distinction is that all of their first names were Jenny. Granted, in the '70s and '80s, the United States was much less of a global society than it is now, so not everyone knew that everyone else was named Jenny. But now that the Jennys have grown up and are producing offspring of their own, there are far fewer new Jennys being released into society at large.

Officially, the name Jennifer takes precedence over the name Jenny. However, you should not be lulled into a false sense of security that your child's full name (Jennifer) will be used for all of her (or his, poor soul) life. The following census is proof positive that there are still far too many Jennys currently residing in the USA. For safety's sake, the name Jenny should not be resurrected until the majority of Jennys currently in existence have "moved on." Simple math suggests that with an average lifespan of eighty-five years, the name Jenny will become available again for use in late 2060.

The list below suggests (thankfully) a waning popularity in naming one's child Jenny / Jennifer. Let's keep up the good work, people!

Year	Number of Jennys / Jennifers
1970-1979	603,720
1980-1989	465,120
1990	24,661
1991	22,926
1992	19,708
1993	17,531
1994	14,911
1995	14,186
1996	12,345
1997	12,446
1998	9,207
1999	10,866
2000	10,142
2001	9,675
2002	9,344

---

Bart Simpson Prank Calls

Nearly everyone, at some point in his or her life, has called a random stranger on the phone to ask for a cleverly-devised set of names that, when pronounced, make the receiver appear extremely foolish. But perhaps no prank caller in the past hundred years has been more effective than Bart Simpson. Both the Dick and Hunt families have been careful for generations - and will continue to be in the future. But for other, less common family names, we provide this list as a means of saving your child a lifetime of misery.

I.P. Freely
Jacques Strap
Al Coholic
Oliver Clothesoff
Seymour Buttz
Homer Sexual
Mike Rotch
Hugh Jass
Bea O'Problem
Amanda Huggenkiss
Ivana Tinkle
Anita Bath
Anita Man
Maya Buttreeks
Eura Snotball
Ollie Tabooger
Heywood U. Cuddleme

Well, Dave replied to the "cheap toilet paper" status... and the one about foam!

Interesting racks of the evening: ANEWMEAD, against Linda D. (read this as "a new mead") / OATYEARN, against Georgia R.-E. (read this as "oat yearn")


High-scoring words of the evening:

QADI (256 points) - against Helga S. [two 4W]
PHONO (291 points; 2W, 5W, 5L on P, hook off JAMB to make JO), PAINED (200 points; 4W, 5W) - against Christie P.
SIP (150 points) - against Elizabeth A. [two 5W]


I moved to LOWE in the computer room, and half an hour went by way too fast before LJ was blocked again. At least I did all I had to do on LJ first (editing / checking friends list / replying to comments) before doing anything else! The Asian kid next to me (he has an obvious cold) whispered when he requested to borrow my headphones, but I answered him in a normal tone of voice. No harm, no foul. I was surprised when Dave Wong made a comment to my status about how I hate cheap-ass toilet paper: "Do not shake my hand." When I saw that notification, I felt a certain non-creepy way! Same with the one where he responded to my status about liking foam in beer / soap / water: "I like foam at the mouth." NOOOOOOOO! (hahaha)

Yes, I know it's only a comment, but I'm way too prone to a certain tendency. :P At least I enjoy Dave's comments, haha. I'm not saying that we're bosom friends or anything like that, since it's ONLY A COMMENT. Still, at least this proves he is alive, and not really outright ignoring me... possibly? I'm probably reading far too much into this... as I told Phil at least ten years ago, I tend to overanalyze stuff like crazy! It could be over, if "it" means more than "just friends." Although Corey told me something last night that could be true, but I dunno. We'll see... it could be that he got busy or something, which I can understand. Still not sure! Anyway, home to read!

Mind your own business, random patron! You are NOT the library police!

I'm at the library on KAFKA, and am uneasy! The guy next to me smells like he just came in from a ganja break (if you know what I mean...), and keeps muttering about conspiracies. Borrowed All That Matters (Wayson Choy), Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss (Dave Bagby and Elliott Leyton), and Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief's Secret Life (Paul LaRosa) while I was here.

I hate the people that fancy themselves "the library police." Some old guy in red is monitoring everyone's behavior. He's reprimanded a girl for talking on her cellphone for more than two minutes, reprimanded these other girls for talking about stuff they're doing on the computers, and scolded a group of Asian kids for talking above a soft voice. I get that libraries should be quiet and all, but seriously - MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! Forty-five minutes later, "Mr. Library Police" told the group of Asian kids that this isn't a group study session, and has threatened them with the STAFF if they don't move. GET OVER IT - I know it's supposed to be quiet in a library, but it's not like you don't expect a certain amount of noise! *rolleyes* Ten minutes after that, I thought he'd be GONE, but he simply moved to another computer. He then glared at some poor lady whose sound could be heard from her headphones - I'm surprised he hasn't bugged the couple beside me with a fussy baby who are discussing places to live on Craigslist!

Writing "♥ U" on a receipt is just a LITTLE creepy!

Barry called me at 9 AM to change the shopping time... ugh, up early. Saved $22.40 while grocery shopping today - very good! I got on-sale Island Farms lime sherbet, on-sale bananas, on-sale Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream, on-sale Banana Nut Cheerios, Nong Shim instant noodles, some other sort of instant noodles (microwaveable is good - maybe the stove pan will be cleaned sometime), beef pot pies, turkey pot pies, 4L of milk (just planning ahead for Teunis), Foothills butter, and a HUGE iced tea from the bulk section. Also got Oasis black cherry / blackberry juice, Oasis pomegranate / cranberry / elderberry / blueberry juice, Driscoll golden raspberries, half-price Charmin toilet paper (just what I needed!), on-sale kitchen towels (ditto), Olympic French vanilla yogurt, Western Family coffee and cream yogurt, and some bottled water. The grocery store clerk drew a heart around the amount of money I saved ($22.40!), and so wrote "♥ U" on the receipt. Um, that's just a LITTLE creepy! Got home, poured some water in the sink, and then cleaned up the resulting flood. Now I'm going to the library!

Busing Dream / Paint Color

I had a dream where my friends and I were taking a LOT of buses on a network, like the #43 UBC (no such thing in real life) - we were trying to get away from someone who meant us harm. We went inside an aquarium, around a park, over bridges, and more. Not sure why I had this one, unless it was taking the bus a LOT this weekend! Am not surprised that this thing restarted overnight! Edit - Again at 11:33!

Your Vision is Bold

More than anything else, you'd like people to follow their passions and dreams. It's minds like yours that have encouraged others to do what they love and make their lives count. You have always lived big and acted impulsively. You don't like to overthink anything. You feel most alive right before you make a big change. It's probably why you make so many of them.

The Paint Color Test

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

Outreach in sewers! / Teunis / Toilet paper / Sabermetrics

High-scoring words of the night:

SEWAGE (176 points) - against Pamela C. [two 4W]
OUTREACH (364 points; two 3W), CERTAIN (176 points; two 4W) - against John G.
COAGENTS (1740 points) - against Andrew R. [two 2W, two 5W, 2L on C]
ISLING (104 points) - against Maureen W. [4W used twice, 2W, hook off VOW for a plural]


Kelsey Paige Hopkins tried adding me to Facebook. I have no idea who she is, so that friend request will get summarily REJECTED! It appears that Teunis will take me up on my offer to stay at my place starting next week-ish while he gets his stuff together - good! To use my sister's words of yesterday when she was talking to Dawn about looking for a roommate, it does get lonely sometimes when you come home to an empty place, to say nothing of cooking for one! (like eating two bunches of spinach for a week straight because you got them for 88 cents at the Chinese grocery store...)

I've also had it up to here with cheap-ass toilet paper like the stuff I got from Zellers a while ago!

[23:20:23] Corey: go play Super Mario Bros. Crossover, it's awesome
[23:21:20] Corey: it's Super Mario Bros., but you can play as Link, Megaman, Simon Belmont (from Castlevania), Bill (army dude from Contra, complete with spread gun) and Ryu Hayabusa, the ninja from Ninja Gaiden, and Samus, from Metroid
[23:21:49] Corey: all those characters work the same as in their native games, and Mario is exactly the same as usual, and somehow it all works
[23:21:54] Corey: play now! :P
[23:24:28] Flami: oh, I heard about that from Facebook - I think one of my friends shared the video, but I wasn't able to share it for some reason
[23:25:40] Corey: well, go play it :P it's cool. I read about it earlier, but didn't care that much... since it just sounded like some dumb ROM hack that just changes the graphics or something, but it's a fully functional new game
[23:27:12] Corey: whatever character you pick, it's Mario, but with the gameplay of the other game

He also reminded me about fans, airflow, dust, and other things!

Trivia fact for Monday, June 28: In the world of sports, what is sabermetrics? It's the statistical analysis of baseball data. The word is an acronym of sorts for the Society for American Baseball Research, the organization behind the numbers crunching.


Edit - This thing restarted at 1:10!

FELLOWSHIP OF THE VUVUZELA

This morning, Sam and Jeremy picked me up shortly after 9. We didn't discuss too much, although Jeremy and I exchanged "Hey" greetings, and I thanked Sam for the ride - no worries, indeed! Sam isn't sure if he has to help with the Canada Day BBQ; although he would like a little notice on these things, he isn't surprised because Daniel's organizing it! I told him that I just found out about the VBS orientation yesterday, and it was today! Got to the sanctuary, and talked to Hannah T. / Priscilla about allergies and whether they were contagious. When I saw little Nathan come in, I sat with him - turned my head to the left, and noticed Mr. Creep - good thing I later got to the coffee pot before he did! Talked to Jordan, Thomas, Phil, Tracy, Reigan, and Jinny before service as well. Tim came over with his son Keenan, who started talking to Nathan about the beach and sandcastles - Nathan (who has a cold) later told me that they were at the Timothy Fellowship beach outing yesterday, and built three sandcastles with trenches in the walls. NICE! When I turned my head to the right, I saw Jenica with Daniel and NATHAN! Of course, Stanford and I talked to him later, along with everyone else!

Talked to Jen (rats / road trips / BAD MOVIE NIGHT 3), Adam (Richmond dim sum didn't work out), Mattias, Auntie Catherine, Chung Ming, Uncle Y.C. (good thing he was holding Mattias while Mr. Creep was nearby!), Geoffrey (who did show up on Friday after running errands), and other people in the fellowship hall. I assumed Harmony went to her parents' church today, since Jen noted that she didn't see her around. I met Chung Ming's wife Ellen, who is pretty slender and tall. When I got some chips, Cordia was bugging her brother about slapping like a girl - Jon C. was pretty amused by that, haha! Jen half-wondered about the whereabouts of all the people she regularly hangs out with - I was doing the same, and I *knew* the guys are in Portland to stock up on beer and go to Powell's Bookstore while doing who knows what else! Alan, Mike T., and Wesley were talking about camping... and Brian said something about watching the England-Germany game at 7 AM this morning with my sister at the pub before she had to go to work. Jen likes Argentina, and England's her default.

Rich and I saw Andrea upstairs, and hugged her goodbye - she may come back on the odd weekend. David, Evelyn, Ada, Amos, Ashley, Conor (dragon shirt!), Harrison, Ramen, Shira, Amanda, and Esther were in toddler Sunday School. Conor cried because Amos and Harrison destroyed his Duplo creation, I gave Amos a Transformer for his birthday ("my mom says I can't have any more Transformers - not even Optimus Prime!"), Amos said his brother Rick is 20 (I thought he was 15), and I admired the kids' drawings. Now the Cubbies room has a clock - EXCELLENT! Rachel's grandma handed out lime / grape / pomegranate gummi bears for all... interesting flavors! I asked Auntie Ying if she'd called me this week, knowing full well that she DID... she said that she was returning my non-existent call of the previous Thursday (I was at Erin's then), and told me some more stuff I didn't really care about. (something about Taiwanese visitors) Saw Ian, Sean, and their mom downstairs - certainly there will be Awana next year!

Went straight to the fellowship hall after I was done, and talked to Cindy / Wesley / Dianne for a bit. Cindy said that Carmen was going to Dylan and Deb's friend's International Justice Mission talk on Friday, and mentioned that nobody else really seemed enthusiastic about going since she didn't get any responses back to her email about it. She tried convincing me that Langley wasn't THAT much further away, but I countered that Eric might not want to drive a whole lot after that road trip! Dianne wondered where everyone was, so I said that the guys were on a road trip - she had to go home to study, anyway. Wesley went to talk to his parents about lunch, while I stayed behind for the VBS orientation. I knew it involved some early days, but EIGHT IN THE MORNING?! No wonder everyone is so exhausted afterwards - I know the kids have energy almost no matter what time of day it is, though. Maybe I won't go to Fellowship those two weeks, haha.

Talked to Rosenda about her summer plans - they're leaving on a trip on Tuesday and won't be back till the 11th. Her older son Ian is pretty excited, but her younger son Gabriel doesn't want to go... at yesterday's dinner, he was very restless! (also talked about the PNE, Facebook games, and other things like being scared of certain rides) Had a lot of noodles, rice, and other things for lunch. Henry, Chris, Jason L., Martin, Alysia (or her sister Vanessa?), and I crowded into a room to watch a couple of funny Youtube videos afterwards. (The Fellowship of the Vuvuzela and Gay Funny Referee) I bused home after learning of another orientation on August 1 (since Henry couldn't give me a ride), and was surprised to see my grandma. Apparently, my mother also had a meeting. At least this bus trip wasn't as annoying as yesterday's... time to take a nap!


Edit at 8: The computer restarted during my nap!

Destroyed snow displays / The Big Picture / Saints and alphabets

I had a weird dream involving the "B.J. Dean Diner," Eric looking for Raymond driving a purple car, Mike destroying a snow Christmas display, and major group specials at the diner involving foreign beers and milk. What the?!

Contemplation is in Your Big Picture

It's likely that you have a lot to sort out right now, and your mind has already begun the process. Things seem incredibly complicated at the present moment. You know you need to take a deep breath and slow down. Whatever you are turning over will work itself out, and you trust yourself to come up with the right answers. For now, you've pulled over from whatever journey you're on, but you'll be back on the road soon enough.

What's In Your Big Picture?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Trivia fact for Sunday, June 27: What alphabet was named for a saint? The Cyrillic alphabet. It was named for Saint Cyril, a 9th-century Greek monk who with his brother, Saint Methodius, and later followers, developed a written language for Christian converts in what is now Russia.