Finally getting Auntie Ying on the phone! / New Year's Resolution

Finally got Auntie Ying on the phone at 5 PM, which is good as I've been sporadically trying to reach her during the past two weeks or so! She says her Christmas was pretty good with lots of extended family in town to see Micah for the first time... no doubt! When her mom leaves on Thursday, we'll set up another time to get together... should be okay now that I can get around again! (I didn't tell her that part, haha) Got her and Uncle Peter's cell numbers just in case I won't be around on Sundays - I did tell her why I wasn't there for the past three weeks, and why I won't be there next week. I should be around tomorrow barring another set of circumstances beyond my control! She also thanked me for the Christmas card, haha - when she asked how my Christmas was, I simply said it was good. Let's just say she wouldn't understand what I really did, hahaha! Jon and Harmony are picking me up for dinner at 6:55, so I'd better make preparations to leave soon... good thing I showered a couple hours ago because I thought this might happen!

You Should Resolve to Get Fit

You know you should love your body at any state, but you think you'd be happier if you were a little fitter. Your body will thank you, as well as your jeans! It doesn't take a lot of exercise to make a difference. You don't have to commit to a crazy fitness goal - just try to get moving and see how it feels. If possible, try to find a workout buddy. It's hard to exercise without support, and a friend makes it a lot more fun.

What New Year's Resolution Should You Make?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

HOT POT, MANOS, NO SINNER, Chinese Eric, Mark, and TRON!

Went to Jeremy's for hot pot and movie night - yay for MANOS with commentary! I met a little person tonight, which actually made me happy! On the way there, Eric and I mainly discussed his being able to smell the rum on my breath / my displeasure with certain things... he knows how I am, man! Eric, Jon, Harmony, Jen, Jason, Dianne, Nathan, Raymond, Ray [a little person!], Isabel, Wesley, Christon, Jeremy, his brother Mark, and Trish were also at Jeremy's. The first thing most people noticed was the NEW BIG-SCREEN TV... as Dianne said, "YOU BOUGHT A TV?!?!" (Jeremy's a non-TV person) He said he wanted something to show movies on at his place, and it was on sale... actually, some guy who goes to our church was working at that place and helped him with things yesterday, hahaha! While people were busy preparing the hot pot, I talked to most people there... Jason was telling Dianne about some cool metal / PVC / "wedding dress" band outfit that he had - if it cost $1500, he'd BETTER wear it outside the house, man! Later, Dianne said that Cindy had gone somewhere else rather than be with us! That was the case with my own sister... I said that she'd tried calling me from Ontario, haha. Dianne asked how she was, so I said that she was probably having a good time over there! We were talking about how the relationship was "Facebook official," our parents' probable reaction, and me / Jon / Harmony supporting her when Jen's friend Jason decided to step in and give his opinion on the matter. I got just a wee bit intense when saying that (to me) Steph isn't some random "sinner who needs to know the truth even if she's been going to church after discovering that lifestyle," and Jen said that she had her limits after I said that I'd "cut a bitch" (which I've never said before tonight) if ANYONE gave her a hard time over this. (I apologized to her for this later while she was talking to Trish about something else - she touched my arm and said it was okay, so we'll see) SHE'S MY SISTER, and I think it's cool that she's accepted this part of herself. While I can understand why people would think what Jason does (and I can kinda respect that - even less so these days than when I held that opinion because of my upbringing!), SHE IS NOT A SINNER IN MY EYES! I'm still not sure whether I think people are born gay or whatever, but at the very least, she shouldn't be SHAMED because of it! Some people... *rolleyes* (when I told Eric this later, he wondered whether I should be talking about it in public - well, Jason had a CHOICE whether he stepped into that conversation, which was clearly between me and Dianne!)

When I told Nathan that it was great to see him again, he said that he had told Chinese Eric that I'd be harassing him about going to Fellowship! I wondered when THAT had been, since I've called him three times in the past few days to see how he was / invite him out to tonight's event! I know his mom recognizes my voice on the phone, too... so it's not like I can just hang up or whatever! She said he'd been sleeping anytime from 2:30 PM to 9:30 PM - I'll give him a break since I know he's been under the weather and all that. Nate said that he'd hung out with the guy yesterday, and he seems to be doing better - and hey, now I have official permission to bug him! Apparently, Eric has rediscovered Christ after a fashion (good!), and while we think he probably wouldn't be up for CHURCH, maybe Fellowship would be more his speed for a community-type gathering. Probably - I just gotta warn him about things ahead of time! All I have to do is NOT call over there too much, otherwise his mom might wonder why these people are calling him so often, hahaha.

I said hi to Trish and Mark (back from Kelowna - yay!)... the guys finally got some streaming site to work so they could watch the hockey game. They were surprised that JUSTIN TV didn't seem to work on its own site, but it did on some weird site Jeremy had discovered. The Canucks won 4-1 against Dallas, so that's pretty good! Dianne said that she'd heard about some old grandma lady who had seen a random guy in a Luongo jersey out and about in town just before a hockey game, and wondered if she'd seen Roberto Luongo! Hahahahaha! I know his second baby is due around now, but that probably wasn't him! I also had to bug Randal about missing the Leslie Nielsen movie night - dude, those movies we were watching were MEANT to be silly! MY GOODNESS! Jon suggested I take the bus to dinner tomorrow, while Harmony said they'd pick me up on the way to her parents' house.

Eventually, we started on the hot pot - beef, veggies, mushrooms, tofu puffs, bonito flakes, and much more! Jon thought that he'd overbought, which turned out to be the case - but at least the price was pretty reasonable even with cheese included! (Eric said it was sexist because the females paid $1 less than the males, haha) After a bit of cleanup, we started watching stuff like old grad banquet roasts - BUDGET CHICKEN for Christon, HOLY MO-FO for Jon, interviews with friends for Jon, and much more! Not sure what Patricia thought of it, but Mark seemed very amused! Then we watched MANOS with commentary - we were confused at the initial short segment, but the actual movie with commentary and "intermissions" was pretty good! (as Corey told me last year) Isabel came by later with macaroons - just as we were wondering whether she'd show up! (when Christon wanted to get in, we wouldn't let him in initially, hahaha)

Later, we watched TRON - I didn't really get it, although Nathan and Jeremy tried to psychoanalyze the movie / say it was about Net neutrality. I didn't interact with Raymond at all, save to squeeze past him in the small kitchen OR tap him on the shoulder to get him to move out of my way when I was on my way back from the cheese plate to my seat on the couch. I did talk to Ray for a bit, however... gotta keep my hand in the game of being at least a LITTLE friendly to new people! There were lots of pretty colors in TRON, and the guys were wondering how much the computer technology had a hand in the 1982 movie! (yellow, red, blue, green... oh my!) Patricia noticed me yawning, and wondered whether I stayed up late - I do that much of the time, while she hasn't done that recently. The TV system reminded us that it was midnight - we didn't even pause MANOS, but just wished each other a Happy New Year and such over the movie! An hour later, someone finally popped the bubbly, hahaha. (Ray had already gone home by then, figuring the last transit buses wouldn't run THAT late... Christon and Isabel had gone, too)

We talked about Thai chili peppers, the Polar Bear Swim, eggs, soy sauce, peanut sauce, our holidays, Whistler, oyster sauce, sweet beer which was 16.42% alcohol, the DIARRHEA PHO experience, and lots more! When it was time for us to finally think about going home, some others had already left - I stayed longer than Jen, Raymond, Randal, and Jason! A few minutes after Jon and Harmony had left with a bunch of leftovers, Jon buzzed to be let in again. When Jeremy said "Yes, she's still here" and hung up, he wondered whether I had forgotten to give him something or the other way around - not that I knew of! Jon came upstairs and took advantage of the open door - he handed me a bag with two coats in it, saying that I was apparently supposed to get it like a month ago! Hahaha... given my non-attendance at church lately due to circumstances beyond my control, I am not surprised! We thanked Jeremy for hosting, and said that it was nice seeing Mark again. (I should add him to FB, but maybe not, haha)

On the way home, Eric and I got stopped by a roadblock - yeah, I was expecting that! We talked about "3D cars" (really just DRIVE and something else) / FROSTY THE SNOWMAN / DARKWING DUCK / still in the Christmas season / our days starting when we got up at noon or 2 PM / WORLD OF WARCRAFT cooking achievements and levelling... I'm amused by the DEATH KNIGHT character classification! When I got home, I saw a FB message from Billie - OH YEAH, HER BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP IN A WEEK! Given that the timeline for her party starts at 1 or 2 PM, I definitely can't attend the Awana leader lunch that day and THEN bus over to Port Coquitlam - that would take WAY TOO LONG! Left Auntie Rebecca a brief message to that effect - I'll tell Henry about that during the week, and I'd better not forget! Hopefully, I can sleep over at Billie's again - oops, I'd better tell Eric too! Guess it'll be a month of non-church attendance for me, which is probably fine! Since the computer is bugging me for automatic updates every fifteen minutes, I'll let it do its thing when I'm done blogging - that should be soon, since I need sleep at almost 5 AM!

2010 Recap

This entry is allowed to have non-aligned tags.

White Eric just called to say he's on his way - I've finished my rum, and the Grand Marnier chocolates, too!

This is the 2010 Recap. Fitting for the last day of the year, no?

JANUARY

* Watched Manos: The Hands of Fate, Howard the Duck, and Once Upon a Time in the West at Nathan's with Christon, his brother, Jon, Harmony, Isabel, Jeremy, white Eric, Jen, and Randal for BAD MOVIE NIGHT 2 / New Year's.

* Skipped MissionsFest in favor of attending Billie's 20th birthday party, then slept over in Coquitlam again because I wouldn't really have a way to get home afterwards. Good times with Billie / Patrick / Patricia / Sean / Alana / Scott, indeed! Attacking Jello and cake was good, even if I had a cold!

* 24 premiered, so watched that with Steph / Christon / Eric.

* Dave cooked for the very first time at a Sunday Dinner - WHEE! The salad was unintentionally salty, thanks to Christon. I had a good time telling people the BULL MEMBER story, hahaha.

* Got caught out TWICE in a WEEK when I was just wearing sweats - darn you, Jeremy / Lily / Hannah / Sarah!


FEBRUARY

* Went out for a meal with Dave and others for the first time - it was SO GOOD at the Angel Café!

* Hung out with Auntie Ying at Lougheed Mall - the notebook purchase was disappointing, since I was trying to NOT buy them anymore! However, I did pick up two dark sweatpants (to go with new sweatshirts and new wine-colored shoes) - and bit the alteration cost too. Saw Paula Bednjak for the first time in years later on, as well! Oh, and I had deep-fried cheesecake for the first time ever!

* The Olympics hit town, so I was serious about taking in some free stuff, like the OUR LADY PEACE concert! Also caught Kathleen Edwards, Bedouin Soundclash, Hawksley Workman, and more.

* Made a stand again.

* My LJ was largely inaccessible for a week... the development team finally patched it, said Support.


MARCH


* Got all the Olympics mascots, and learned that Frances and Mel had given their second son a GOOD name, Isaac!

* Hung out with Auntie Ying at my place - it was good!

* The church's 35th anniversary... EPIC DINNER! I had to eat lunch with a certain person, but meh!

* Grandma turned 90, so of course we celebrated that!

* I thought I had a good CL reply as regards a new place, but the lady owned a huge dog... NO GO!

* Harmony's birthday dinner... I got to transit home!

* Corey went to Taiwan again, this time for a year or so to teach... the original school screwed him over because they watched him on hidden cameras to say he didn't smile enough, among other things!

* Saw Jon's band - The Engine and The End - perform a gig at Holy Trinity church. It was good to see Dilys again!

* Went out to lunch at the Reef with Dave and others... pretty good stuff!


APRIL

* A bunch of people put together a farewell for Richie since he was going to Calgary again, so of course I went! Got to make REJECTED references on his giant card (but Melia and Emily started it), talk to a bunch of people, and be crazy with Eric. HAHAHAHA!

* Hung out with Angela, Ceci, Steph, Jon, and their friend Silas. Watched the Canucks beat the Kings 3-2 in overtime, then went for izakaya downtown at Kingyo.

* Was spontaneous for once, and had a pre-Fellowship dinner at Hawkers with Wesley / Dave / Dianne / Christon. Good times! (lots of restaurants which we want to try, for sure!)

* Went to Joe Yu's wedding - thanks, Eric!

* Auntie Ying treated me to a noodle house near Aberdeen.

* Hung out with Billie in Richmond - hot and sour soup rules!


MAY

* My parents finally left for China - I made a bad decision to come over early, because Auntie Teresa reminds me of Mom way too much! Jon also signed me up for a SERVANTS service project - AIYA.

* Went to Pho with Fred, Kelvin, Jon, Harmony, Dylan, Deb, Eric, Jon, and Johnny as part of a unity exercise. Good times! Eric and I had to sit with Steph and Grandma since she insisted on treating him - and then she hijacked him to go grocery shopping.

* Grandma treated me and Jon to Master Hong's BBQ House for lunch. Later that day, Steph treated us to dinner at Brown's Social House.

* Had the 24 series finale at Steph's place. Cute - on the 24th!


JUNE

* Hung out with Auntie Ying at Boston Pizza, but I was actually more looking forward to hanging out with Dave Wong soon afterwards! Walking at Ambleside, Park Royal Village, lots of eclectic humorous conversation, Michigan Noodle Shop, Twinkle, and going around town was fun times. :D

* Andrea and Chuck's wedding was fun!

* Had Megan's baby shower and the Awana BBQ on the same day. Pulled a "Jon" and left one event early to bus late to the other. ;)


JULY

* Had the postponed Canada Day BBQ - good times!

* Teunis came over for about a week before going to California... crepes, Fireside Cheesecake Café, apples / potatoes / carrots, the dollar store, BABYLON 5, Surrey, meeting Alysha's dad, and more!

* Went to Jon and Harmony's old place for a BBQ.

* BAD MOVIE NIGHT 3 at Daniel's new place... Troll 2, Warrior of the Lost World, clips of Love Story 2050 (Bollywood!) and
Equilibrium, clips of Bollywood stuff and EQUILIBRIUM, Auto Tune, Video Sift, memes, and Double Rainbow!

* Watched the Holland-Spain World Cup final at Steph's - DIVING!

* Hung out with Chrystal in Richmond again in the evening so she could take the Canada Line! Hung out at White Spot / Shoppers Drug Mart / London Drugs... CHOCOLATE!

* Billie and I finally got to have a Richmond sleepover! NERD PARTY WITH TEUNIS!

* Teunis came over again before doing other stuff, through to August. Yaohan mall shopping, seeing Kaili, respectful co-existing, church, lunch at a ramen place with Christon, video games, crazy videos, interesting food (falafel?), and more!

* Deb and Dylan gave me Uncle John's Gigantic Bathroom Reader, which replaced Uncle John's Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader #12 and Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader. A few days later, I gave those and an extra copy of Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader #22 to Teunis. (plus some ONE STEP hand sanitizer that smelled like ASS!)


AUGUST

* CHURCH GRAD BANQUET!!!

* Saw Inception with Teresa and Henry - interesting movie, which made us question reality with its ambiguous ending!

* Had a Sunday Dinner at Jeremy's featuring Jandek - afterwards, it was the WORST TIMING EVER for an emergency! Poor Teunis and Kailee! *sad face* (Teunis left the evening after)

* Hung out with Vanessa H. while she ran errands. Saw a Caribbean store in New Westminster which Dave Wong would LOVE!

* Met Auntie Ying and her mom for lunch at the Spicy Court Restaurant, then had a Fellowship BBQ later that night!

* Volunteered with VBS for three days - Victor C. thought I could be a cop, haha. Kids were interesting!

* Mr. Creep was not here anymore, as he got a job in Victoria. GOOD RIDDANCE OF EVIL!

* Had a Sunday BBQ at Eric's place - met Lisa, and Teunis' friend Jordan. Also saw Robin again after a couple of years - very interesting conversations, for sure!


SEPTEMBER

* Finished backdating ten months' worth of Blogger posts, mainly for my and Dawn's sake.

* Went to the Richmond Night Market with Jeremy, Nathan, Wesley, his Calgary friend Michelle, and Christon - ONE DOLLAH SKEWAHS! :D

* Went to De Dutch Pannekoek House quite unexpectedly with all the Morrills - sweet stuff. :D

* Teunis was here again briefly from Robin's before going to Rhiannon's - I got to experience the blessing of spending my birthday with him here for the second year in a row! (Chapters, THE EXILE, and more silly fun stuff!)

* Mom had a dinner combining my birthday with Nathan's farewell at a Richmond Pho place. My actual birthday was free! (yay for long personal conversations and bubble tea!)

* Went to Ray's "beat-down" party since he's back here for a few days! Met Peggy, Josh, and a few others!

* Mandy (a_phoenixdragon) unfriended me after FIVE YEARS! SO SAD! :(

* Dave Wong actually came to church to visit after a few months. We'll see whether he really does want to go out for coffee... Purdy's sounds interesting, though! I went to Burgoo later with Jeremy and Eric.


OCTOBER

* Jason and Karen's wedding - FINALLY, haha!

* Had a Sunday Dinner to celebrate Christon and Jeremy's birthday! Too bad nobody was in the mood for it because of Pastor John's SHOCKING RESIGNATION NEWS earlier!

* Calla and Stanford's wedding - yes, these people get married on Thanksgiving weekend!

* Phil and Grace became parents to baby Micah!

* hung out with Steph and Lisa after visiting a sleeping Grandma in the respite centre - pasta dinner and ice cream at Marble Slab!)

* watched a bunch of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT episodes that I'd never seen before at Steph's with her, Lisa, Christon, Jon, Harmony, Jen, Randal, Eric, Patricia, Jeremy, and Albert... also led little Mattias - a new big brother to baby Marcus - upstairs by the hand for the first time!


NOVEMBER

* had a dinner at Steph's with her, Lisa, Jon, and Harmony

* found out that CHINESE ERIC WAS BACK IN TOWN... YAY!

* hung out with Billie in Richmond (since I lost my bus pass - otherwise, Metrotown)

* FINALLY hung out with Chinese Eric, and met his sister Erica - also got the NEW LAPTOP with large keys!

* got the international cable hookup for the laptop, then Chinese Eric and I went to Jon's annual Birthday Extravaganza at Jeremy's

* Jon's surprise birthday party at SERVANTS, the day where I almost KILLED myself leaving the second house - stupid night vision and steep steps! - and watching the modern OCEAN'S ELEVEN at Dylan and Deb's since the original was too slow-paced

* Had a Sunday Dinner for Jon's birthday at Jeremy's - Chinese Eric demonstrated his giving nature again by giving me a ride there and back. I do cherish our friendship as well. :D

* Had a family dinner the next night in cold temperatures at Latitude Restaurant - Grandma didn't particularly like the restaurant's ambience, haha.


DECEMBER

* Started to get cards and things from my friends and the people at holiday_wishes - SO AWESOME! :D

* John and Ada unexpectedly treated me out for dinner at Vivacity Restaurant after Awana. SWEET!

* Joule finally works again!

* Got sick and couldn't make it to my weekend obligations!

* Found out that my mom's neighbor Barbara was killed by the recycling truck - what the?!

* Hung out with Vanessa H. to run errands, watch TV at the condo, and get BBT... it was a nice low-key hangout to prepare me for the weekend immediately afterwards!

* Found out that MR. CREEP IS BACK IN TOWN - NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

* Watched AIRPLANE! and SPY HARD with a bunch of people at the townhouse - luckily, Grandma could also get something out of the visual humor in the movies! It was nice to see Nathan again, and of course make plans with Chinese Eric!

* Finally finished a bunch of posts which I had to do - YAY!

* Christmas dinner at the townhouse - REN AND STIMPY!

* HOT POT AND MOVIES AT JEREMY'S!

CARD AND STICKERS from Janina! / Steph / New Year's Cake from Eric H. / NYE

Checked my mail, and got a Christmas card from Janina (mrshannibal) - she included Santa / puzzle piece / present / MERRY / stocking / fish / Scooby Doo / crazy frog / princess / pumpkin / cat on skateboard / a star / teacher apple stickers which actually DO smell like apples! When I got around to checking my Caller ID, I saw that Steph or Lisa must have called me from Ontario since it had Lisa's last name on it. Whoops! (a Facebook check confirmed this, as Steph had posted on my wall!) Then I checked MSN - Chinese Eric had at least left me a "Happy New Year!" message with a picture of a cake, haha. Teunis tried calling me again, with the unique Caller ID... HA! FOILED! I decided to call Jon and ask whether the meal with the Hos tomorrow is lunch or dinner: since he says it's dinner, this is good. I don't have to get up ridiculously early! :D

You Appreciate Thoughtfulness

You are both talented and giving. You are always going out of your way to make things pleasant for others. You are traditional and balanced. You like to let loose, but you never go overboard. Right now, you value your friends most. Friendships are where you draw your strength and support from. You are compassionate and sensitive. It's likely that you are too hard on yourself at times.

What Does Your New Year's Eve Say About You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Cards Received, 2010

Special 2010

Jon and Harmony: "Dearest Lady Sarne: Thanks for celebrating our wedding with us. Of course you didn't really have a choice, but we knew you were as excited as we were about our nuptials. You're a wacky, crazy member of the Ng clan, and we wouldn't have it any other way. We also thank you for the series of gifts you got us, and we're thankful for that! All the best, and try to stay out of diva-land. Jon and Harmony."

Ben and Erin: "Dear Leslie: Thank you so much for coming to our Vancouver reception, and for your generous gift! The bacon fryer is super cool!!! Thank you! :) Love, Erin and Ben."

Megan: "Dear Leslie: Thank you so much for making the effort to come out to my baby shower! And thank you so much for the bib and bottles. I am sure they will definitely come in handy when baby arrives. Thank you for your continued friendship and support! Andy, Megan, and baby Kuo."


Birthday 2010

Eric: "Happy Birthday, Leslie."

Steph: "Loving through hugging and kissing!"

Jeremy: "29 and holding!"

Nathan: "Happy Birthday, Les! 19 years old is a good age to be!"

Eric: "You're drunk, but I suppose it is okay on your birthday."

Teunis: "A Very Happy Birthday, and may you have many more such, full of joy!"

Cindy: "Happy Birthday, Leslie!! Hope you had a wonderful birthday! It's been awesome having you in small group! You always bring fun, yummy treats. Here's to a great year ahead, Leslie! Blessings, Cindy."

Dianne: "Dear Leslie, Happy Birthday! Wanted to wish you a fantabulous year! Yes - Double underlined kind of fabulous year! Always a blast sharing meals with you at Sunday Dinners or after church / fellowship - I know you'll always be up for trying something new. So here's to more meals and more fun! Anyways, I hope you had a great birthday and an even better year ahead! ♥ in Christ, Dianne."

Danielle: "Happy 34th Birthday, Leslie!! Dear Leslie, Wow! Another year goes by! I can't believe how quickly time flies... HAHA... I guess we're having fun. :P May God bless you on this last year before your mid-thirties. :P ♥ Danielle."

Jon: "Hoho to the saggy one!"

Harmony: "Happy Belated Birthday, Sarne! HAGS and FAGS!"

Steph: "♥ Truebain"


Halloween 2010

Janina (mrshannibal): "Well, if drinks aren't involved, then do some pigging out on candy! Happy Halloween! Love, Janina." (The envelope has various stickers on it: a pumpkin, a bat, a graveyard scene, scary monsters, and other things. When I opened the card, it had what looked like a small package of candy in the shape of bones and skulls. The package itself had ghosts, a pirate skull, pumpkins and other things on it; the card itself had stickers of ghosts / a black cat / a spider spinning a web (purple background!) / candy corn / Frankenstein / a pumpkin / "BOO!" / a green witch on a broomstick / a disembodied green head / a yellow cat outline. On the front of the card, it has a woman saying "If drinks aren't involved, neither am I." It has stickers of eyes, a pumpkin, a bat, a witch's hat, a spider, and other things.)


Christmas 2010

Julie (julie709): "Leslie, hope you like the stickers and bookmark!! :)"

Paul (sherbetsaucers): "I hope you have a magical Christmas, with many more wishes granted."

Shelley (always_bryn): "Leslie, you had bookmarks listed so I included some from a mystery book convention I went to. I hope you enjoy the stickers and postcard, and that a ton of people send you things from Holiday_Wishes. Merry Christmas, Leslie!"

Christy (snoopdawg): "Hi, Leslie! Hope this card finds you well! Sending you warmest wishes for the holiday season and the new year!" (also included Halloween / butterfly / heart / flower / Valentine's Day / rainbow / raindrop / cloud / umbrella / spring / tulip / duck / duckling / firefighter / animal stickers)

Savina (bodha): "Dear Leslie! I hope that this card finds you well, and covered in cards from everyone at holiday_wishes. As for me, I've had a fairly eventful year with work, travel, and pretty bad backaches. Am currently debating how many layers of clothing might be enough to counter the biting cold reigning outside... usually, it's one more than I planned. So, it's been a busy year, but a good one provided it doesn't turn everything on its head in this last month. Sincerely wishing you all the best, Savina."

Marie (Reebee): "I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Another tough year behind us. Thanks for the postcard. You are a thoughtful person."

Kaitlin (deformed_foetus): "Dear Leslie, HALLO! GUTEN TAG! Sorry, German withdrawals. Anyway, every time I come across a volume of random facts, I think of you. Hooray for so-called worthless knowledge! Haha. I hope you like your flag. I colored it myself. Thank you for the sweet postcards! I don't have any cool Atlanta stuff to send. :( May your holiday season be filled with awesome. I'm addicted to coloring. I've been making these flags for everyone, haha."

Jillian (priestessdiary): "Hi, Leslie! Wishing you a blessed holiday season and all the best in 2011! Hope all your wishes come true!"

Kelli (neonrose5): "Leslie! Best wishes this holiday season - Kelli."

Karen and Lincoln: "Merry Christmas!!! :) Thanks for brightening up the church with your festive colors and cheer! :)"

Christon: "Merry Christmas, Leslie! It always brings a smile to my face whenever I see your cards. Thanks for caring and taking the time to write them! I guess we haven't hung out that much this year, eh? True that we didn't have that many Sunday Dinners, so maybe that's why. :) Well, I pray that God is keeping you well, and that He will enrich our friendship in the coming year! Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Cheers! Christon."

Janina (mrshannibal): "Leslie - wishing you much peace, love, and happiness! Love, Janina." {included Santa / puzzle piece / present / MERRY / stocking / fish / Scooby Doo / crazy frog / princess / pumpkin / cat on skateboard / teacher apple stickers}

Alessandra (dru_it): "Greetings from Italy!"


Total: 24

2010 Guestbook Entries

Mar. 5, 2010 (Friday)

Ying Yung: "Thank you for letting me come to visit you and talk. Thanks for our sharing and fellowship, and the hot water!"


July 5-12, 2010 (Monday to Sunday)

Teunis: "Good friends are wonderful. In my nomadic ways, sometimes it's hard to find places to stay a while. Thank you."


July 16-17, 2010 (Friday to Saturday)

Billie (sianparis): "Thanks, Leslie, for another smashing time - this time, the nerd party with you and Teunis. Cheers!"


July 24, 2010 (Saturday)

Kaili (empress_kailee): "Happy happy joy joy."


July 13-Aug. 9 (Tuesday to Monday)

Teunis: "You are rather good company... the kind that is long-term. May fortune bless you, and the right future find you soon!"

White, possible Vanessa time, colorful tagging picture, and NOT being right back!

High-scoring word of the night:

WHITE (153 points) - against Anjali R. [two 3W, 2L on W]


Vanessa H. got on MSN and said we should do lunch sometime this week since she's around - as long as it's not in the next two days, I'm good with that! Maybe Monday would work, but she'll let me know anyway. Might as well do my laundry, too.

Here's a colorful tagging picture from Mandy:




Trivia fact for Friday, Dec. 31: What famous TV personality's gravestone includes the tongue-in-cheek quip "I will not be right back after this message"? Showbiz legend Merv Griffin, who is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

Alan, dim sum, hot pot, Sunfire, Parisienne, Erics, potatoes

Talked to Alan C. briefly last night - always good to hear from him, that's for sure! This afternoon, I called Jon since he'd called me; he was at dim sum with Harmony's grandparents. Said that hot pot and movie night at Jeremy's is actually tomorrow (yes, I got the email); that the Hos were inviting the Ngs over on New Year's Day (food, he says); and he didn't mind what I said about Mr. Creep, just not to do it online. Um, yeah... then I called Eric, who said that he can get another car because the Sunfire isn't fixed yet. "How much do you have?" indeed... haha! Called Jon to let him know, who hopes the car doesn't crap out again - yup, Eric's family does love their antique cars like the blue Parisienne! He hasn't been in the white Sunfire recently since Kieran had it for a while, for sure. Tried calling Chinese Eric, but his mom said he was sleeping at 3:30! Oh well, I'm not one to judge my GOOD FRIENDS! I'm going to make my last batch of Caribbean rice later, in honor of Dave Wong's birthday - hahahaha.

You Should Party for New Year's Eve

You love to have a fun time, and that's especially true on New Year's Eve. You want to be out on the town - dinner, dancing, drinks... the works! This night only happens once a year, and you're willing to go all out to make it special. You want to party in style. If you're going to do it, you're going to do it right!

How Should You Spend New Year's Eve?

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

Trivia fact for Thursday, Dec. 30: What food manufacturer's name combines the first three letters of two state names? Ore-Ida Potato Products. The two states, of course, are Oregon and Idaho. The name was chosen in 1952 (when the company was formed) because it had a processing plant in eastern Oregon, near the Idaho border.

Periodic Table of British Swearing / Underwear / Grit / December 2010 BBT Tally

From Janina: The Periodic Table of British Swearing - Robin showed his Scottish girlfriend, and she apparently was amused. :D

I went out shopping just now, since I decided I could use the walk after being at home for the past week or so. Went in through the Bay, realized I was hungry, contemplated the busy food court / Tim Horton's, and finally just had an oatmeal cookie from the muffin shop since it wasn't crazy with people. After a long time at Sears, I finally found two pairs of dark sweatpants with pockets / two dark undershirts / a few pairs of dark underwear which actually fit. I didn't know that Vanity Fair made three-packs of underwear; that would have saved me SO much time and money in the past! Note to self: Look in the back next time! After that, I went to Big Orange to get a mango bubble tea; then I went to Shoppers Drug Mart to see if they had any brandy beans (or indeed any liqueur-filled chocolates) for Chantelle or myself. They did not, and it appeared to be the same story at London Drugs! While I was at London Drugs anyway, I bought some peach green tea to consume right away since I realized I was still thirsty - the cookie didn't help matters, I'm sure! I also did get the pomegranate aloe drink just because I was at the store anyway, and the walk home wouldn't be especially arduous with heavier boxes of stuff like it was on the 18th. When I got home, I cursed myself for forgetting to buy a thin dark pair of socks... a few minutes later, I actually FOUND my week-old BRAND NEW Secret sock, so it turned out to be a good thing that I forgot!

You Have Some Grit

You're the type of person who likes to stay busy, but you always feel like you should have more to show for it at the end of the day. You find it easy to start new projects, but you tend to abandon them when they get boring or difficult. Focus more intently on the things that are most important to you. Get those done. You may feel like you're missing out by not doing everything you want to do, but you're really missing out when you don't finish what you start.

Do You Have Grit?

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

MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, DECEMBER 2010 (3)

blueberry @ Big Orange (Thursday, Dec. 2)
pudding @ Tapioca Express (Thursday, Dec. 16) [good hanging out with Vanessa!]
mango @ Big Orange (Wednesday, Dec. 29)

6-2 wins and Sinéad O'Connor

The Canucks won 6-2 over the Flyers tonight!

Trivia fact for Wednesday, Dec. 29: In 1990, what two Grammy firsts did bald-headed singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor achieve with her hit album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got? She was the first winner of a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance, and was the first artist to decline a coveted Grammy award.

How Do You Shape Your Life?

You Are Flexible

You crave human connection. You're ready to deepen your existing relationships and develop new ones. You are working on following your gut. Your intuition is usually right, and you know you should listen to it more. Your past has motivated you to work as hard as you can right now. You are staying focused. The key to improving your life right now is envisioning your future. You need to clearly see where you want to be in a few years.

How Do You Shape Your Life?

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

Blue-Green-Yellow Traits Tagging! / Alka-Seltzer mascot

Got this "blue-green-yellow" tagging picture from Mandy O. AKA italianbeenher:




Trivia fact for Tuesday, Dec. 28: What was the original name of the cheerful Alka-Seltzer mascot who has a tablet body and hat? Sparky. Soon after he was created in 1951, his name was changed to Speedy to reinforce manufacturer Bayer's promise of speedy relief.

Quadruplets and marrying your stepson (dream) / MR. CREEP TAKES PRIORITY OVER ME?!

Got up from a weird dream about Jeremy, quadruplets in history, someone named Anne marrying her new stepson Walter and having a kid named Hazel, and ice cream toppers (chocolate! / cherry pie!) to find that Jon had left me a FB message about Mr. Creep. Good to know that HE takes priority over me, who's a SISTER! *sarcasm* I personally don't care if he's invited to NYE, since I won't be there if he's coming! Not everyone can be perfect like YOU! Then Randal had the nerve to send everyone an email with holiday wishes - I AM NOT IN THE MOOD! Michael Jersey also tried adding me to Facebook; I DON'T THINK SO! Richard L. (johhnymayhem) also unfriended me - BRING IT THE *BLEEP* ON!

You Are Very Self-Actualized

Your awareness is high. You notice everything; you are extremely detail-oriented. Your honesty is medium. You're somewhat open, but there are a few secrets you keep to yourself. Your freedom is medium. You need a creative outlet occasionally, but you don't always need to be original. Your trust is high. You trust other people easily, and more importantly, you trust yourself.

The Four-Factor Self-Actualization Test

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

Transit, Helen, Cory, 3-2 wins, life path color, captive polar bears

Bingo of the night:

TRANSITS (60 points) - against Anjali R.


When I got up from my nap, I felt much better! Answered an email from Helen thanking me for my holiday wishes; yes, she DID miss me today when she went upstairs to pick up her toddler son Cory, since Eric and I didn't even make it to church today! Guess we'll just have to see each other in the new year! Then I called Jon just to ask how church was; when he asked where we'd been, I said that the White Man had had car trouble! Told him to have fun at Harmony's parents' Christmas dinner - I figured that they'd leave eventually, haha. The Canucks also won 3-2 against the Oilers... YES!

Your Life's Path is Jade

You seek connection and security. You want nothing else more than to love and be loved. You believe that gratitude and appreciation are the key to a happy life. You try to thank everyone who ever helps you. You are generous and compassionate. You have deep resources and a lot to give. You are intelligent and love to learn. Some may say you're even addicted to learning new things.

What Color is Your Life's Path?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Trivia fact for Monday, Dec. 27: What creatures are kept captive in the jail of a former military base in Manitoba, Canada? Polar bears who wander into the town of Churchill, foraging for food when the ice covering nearby Hudson Bay thaws. Up to 23 bears at a time can be held in the double Quonset hut "polar bear prison" until winter, when they are airlifted to the newly iced-over bay.

2010 Year-End Survey: Fashion Concept, Achievement, New People

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? Got my clothes professionally altered, had deep-fried cheesecake, had izakaya with a bunch of people, helped out at SERVANTS, walked at Ambleside, pulled a "Jon" in leaving one event early to bus late to another, went to the Fireside Cheesecake Café in Surrey, had falafel, and had red velvet cheesecake / candy cane fudge cheesecake. Yes, 2010 was the year of CHEESECAKE!

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't really make any, so there aren't any to break.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Grace...

4. Did anyone close to you die? No... although I fully expect this space to be filled next year. :(

5. What countries did you visit? NONE.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Someone special, a better understanding of certain situations, and maturity. Recycled answer, but it still applies...

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Jan. 1 (watched MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE / HOWARD THE DUCK / ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST at Nathan's with Christon, his brother Clement, Jon, Harmony, Isabel, Jeremy, Eric, Jen, and Randal)
Jan. 8 (skipped MissionsFest in favor of attending Billie's 20th birthday party, then slept over in Coquitlam!)
Jan. 17 (watched the 24 premiere with Christon, Eric, and Steph)
Jan. 25 (Dave cooked for the FIRST TIME at a Sunday Dinner - no thanks to the unintentionally salty salad, though! TRINIDAD!)
Feb. 7 (went out for lunch with Dave / Harmony / Dianne / Wesley / Jen / Christon at the Angel Café - it was pretty good!)
Feb. 8 (hung out with Auntie Ying at Lougheed Mall, and had deep-fried cheesecake... FINALLY bought sweatpants!)
Feb. 12-28 (the Olympics hit town, so I was totally up for free concerts - OUR LADY PEACE AND HAWKSLEY WORKMAN, among others?!)
Feb. 15 (decided to make a stand again!)
Feb. 16 (my LJ was largely inaccessible for a week... development team finally patched it, said Support)
Mar. 2 (got all the Olympics mascots, and learned that Frances and Mel had given their second son a GOOD name, Isaac!)
Mar. 5 (hung out with Auntie Ying at my place - it was good!)
Mar. 7 (the church's 35th anniversary - had to eat lunch with a certain person, but meh)
Mar. 15 (Grandma turned 90!)
Mar. 20 (I thought I had a good CL reply as regards a new place, but the lady owned a huge dog... NO GO!)
Mar. 24 (Harmony's birthday dinner... I got to transit home!)
Mar. 25 (Corey went to Taiwan again, this time for a year or so to teach... the original school screwed him over!)
Mar. 27 (saw Jon's band - The Engine and The End - perform a gig at Holy Trinity church... good to see Dilys again!)
Mar. 28 (went out to lunch at the Reef with Dave and others... pretty good stuff!)
Apr. 11 (Richie's farewell - he was going to Calgary again!)
Apr. 15 (hung out with Steph, Angela, Ceci, Jon, and their friend Silas - watched the Canucks win against the L.A. Kings in Game 1 of the playoffs, then went for some izakaya at Kingyo)
Apr. 16 (was spontaneous for once, and had a dinner with Wesley / Dave / Dianne / Christon at Hawkers - good times!)
Apr. 17 (went to Joe Yu's wedding)
Apr. 20 (Auntie Ying treated me to a noodle house near Aberdeen)
Apr. 30 (hung out with Billie in Richmond - hot and sour soup rules!)
May 24 (the JACK BAUER finale at Steph's house with a bunch of people)
June 4 (hung out with Auntie Ying at Boston Pizza, but was REALLY stoked for a hangout with Dave Wong soon afterwards - Ambleside, lots of eclectic conversation, humor, Michigan Noodle Shop, Twinkle, Park Royal Village, and more!)
June 5 (Andrea and Chuck's wedding)
June 26 (Megan's baby shower and the Awana BBQ)
July 2 (the postponed Canada Day barbecue)
July 5-11 (Teunis was over for a week before heading to California - crepes, Fireside Cheesecake Café, apples / potatoes / carrots, the dollar store, BABYLON 5, Surrey, and more!)
July 8 (farewell BBQ at Jon and Harmony's old place)
July 10 (BAD MOVIE NIGHT 3 at Daniel's new place... Troll 2, Warrior of the Lost World, clips of Love Story 2050 (Bollywood!) and
Equilibrium, Auto Tune, Video Sift, memes, and Double Rainbow!)
July 11 (watched the Holland-Spain World Cup final at Steph's - DIVING!)
July 13 (hung out with Chrystal in Richmond again in the evening so she could take the Canada Line!)
July 14-Aug. 9 (Teunis was here again before going to Robin's - video games, respectful co-existence, Yaohan mall shopping, church, lunch with Christon at a ramen place, interesting foods like falafel, and more)
July 16-17 (Billie and I finally had a Richmond sleepover!)
July 30 (Deb and Dylan gave me Uncle John's Gigantic Bathroom Reader, which replaced Uncle John's Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader #12 and Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader... a few days later, I gave those and an extra copy of Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader #22 to Teunis)
Aug. 5 (had physical freedom for TWO YEARS exactly - YAY!)
Aug. 6 (Grad Banquet 2010)
Aug. 7 (saw Inception with Teresa and Henry - interesting movie, which made us question reality with its ambiguous ending!)
Aug. 8 (JANDEK and a Sunday Dinner... plus the WORST TIMING for an emergency EVER!)
Aug. 14 (Grad Banquet 2009... HOLY MO-FO and BEEF JERKY UNDERPANTS!)
Aug. 19 (hung out with Vanessa H. while she ran errands - saw a Caribbean store in New Westminster which reminded me of Dave Wong)
Aug. 20 (met Auntie Ying and her mom for lunch at the Spicy Court Restaurant, then had a Fellowship BBQ later that night!)
Aug. 25-27 (volunteered with VBS for a few days - interesting kids!)
Aug. 27 (learned that Mr. Creep would no longer be with us - YAY! WE'RE RID OF EVIL!)
Aug. 29 (had a Sunday BBQ at Eric's - met Lisa, and Teunis' friend Jordan... also saw Robin for the first time in a couple years!)
Sept. 3 (finished backdating ten months' worth of Blogger posts, mainly for my and Dawn's sake)
Sept. 5 (went to the Richmond Night Market with Nate, Jeremy, Wesley, his Calgary friend Michelle, and Christon)
Sept. 12 (went to De Dutch Pannekoek House with Eric's family, quite unexpectedly!)
Sept. 14-24 (Teunis was here again briefly from Robin's before going to Rhiannon's - I got to experience the blessing of spending my birthday with him here for the second year in a row!)
Sept. 15 (my mom had a dinner combining my birthday and Nathan's farewell at a Richmond Pho place)
Sept. 17 (celebrating my birthday - long personal conversations with Teunis, funny videos, Fellowship, and bubble tea at Tea Team)
Sept. 19 (Ray's party to celebrate his coming back here for a couple days!)
Sept. 22 (Mandy - a_phoenixdragon - unfriended me after FIVE YEARS! SO SAD!)
Sept. 26 (Dave Wong surprisingly made an appearance at church; I went to Burgoo with Jeremy and Eric afterwards)
Oct. 2 (Jason and Karen's wedding!)
Oct. 3 (Sunday Dinner celebrating Christon and Jeremy's birthdays... nobody was in the mood for it because of Pastor John's SHOCKING RESIGNATION NEWS!)
Oct. 9 (Calla and Stanford's wedding)
Oct. 17 (Phil and Grace became parents to baby Micah)
Oct. 26 (hung out with Steph and Lisa after visiting a sleeping Grandma in the respite centre - pasta dinner and ice cream at Marble Slab!)
Oct. 31 (watched a bunch of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT episodes that I'd never seen before at Steph's with her, Lisa, Christon, Jon, Harmony, Jen, Randal, Eric, Patricia, Jeremy, and Albert... also led little Mattias - a new big brother to baby Marcus - upstairs by the hand for the first time!)
Nov. 1 (had a dinner at Steph's with her, Lisa, Jon, and Harmony)
Nov. 10 (CHINESE ERIC IS BACK IN TOWN!!!!!!!)
Nov. 14 (hung out with Billie in Richmond (since I lost my bus pass - otherwise, Metrotown)
Nov. 17 (FINALLY hung out with Chinese Eric, and met his sister Erica... ALSO GOT THE NEW LAPTOP WITH HUGE KEYS!)
Nov. 21 (got the international cable hookup for the laptop, and then Chinese Eric and I went to Jon's annual Birthday Extravaganza at Jeremy's)
Nov. 26 (Jon's surprise birthday party at SERVANTS, the day where I almost KILLED myself leaving their second house - stupid night vision and steep steps! - and watching the modern OCEAN'S ELEVEN at Dylan and Deb's since the original was too slow-paced)
Dec. 12: My mom's neighbor Barbara was killed by the recycling truck! :(
Dec. 17: HAD THE MOST DISAPPOINTING NEWS EVER... MR. CREEP IS BACK! UGH! WE CAN'T EVEN HAVE THE CHRISTMAS SEASON WITHOUT HIM!
Dec. 18: Went to Chinese Eric's to watch a hockey game, and talk about lots of personal stuff. I was also a test psychological subject for Nathan!
Dec. 19: Went to my parents' place for a "Celebration of Life" for Leslie Nielsen - SPY HARD and AIRPLANE! Grandma could also get something out of the movies, thanks to visual humor! Yay for Chinese Eric's being there, too!
Dec. 22: FINALLY finished a whole bunch of posts which I needed to do for my own peace of mind. :D
Dec. 25: Went to my parents' place again, this time for Christmas Dinner. Thank goodness for Nate / REN AND STIMPY! (Mom: "What is THIS?!?!?!" Hahahaha!)
Dec. 31: Rumors abound of hot pot at Jeremy's - we'll see later in the week!



8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Seeing someone for what they really are.

9. What was your biggest failure? Budgeting, just like always!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really, although I did almost kill myself going down a crazy set of steps!

11. What was the best thing you bought? STORAGE BOXES!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Chinese Eric, Teunis, white Eric, and Corey.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? No comment.

14. Where did most of your money go? Food and the bank.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? CHINESE ERIC COMING BACK TO TOWN! :D

16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Too many songs out there!

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
i. happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? The same.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Giving.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Procrastination.

20. How will you be spending Christmas / Hanukkah? Not sure.

21. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2010? Almost killing myself on that set of steps exiting SERVANTS.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010? Not really.

23. How many one-night stands? Zero.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Random stuff, haha.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes. (always that answer...)

26. What was the best book you read? Too many books... don't ask me! :P

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure.

28. What did you want and get? NEW LAPTOP, thanks to Chinese Eric!

29. What did you want and not get? To be out of this apartment!

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Inception was probably the ONLY 2010 film I saw, haha.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Had a LONG PERSONAL CONVERSATION with Teunis, went to Fellowship, and had bubble tea with a bunch of people at Tea Team afterwards. As for my age, I'm 34 now.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Total goodness.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? I didn't have a fashion concept, at all. :P

34. What kept you sane? The unconditional love of my friends. :)

35. Which celebrity / public figure did you fancy the most? Nobody, as usual.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Not really any at all....

37. Who did you miss? Chinese Eric in Hong Kong, Teunis up north, Andrea and Chuck in Toronto, Nathan in the UK...

38. Who was the best new person you met? Not sure.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: Almost everyone has some worth to them.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Can't think of one right now.

Car trouble - no church again!

For the second day of Christmas, the White Man's true love gave him car trouble! He picked me up at 9:25 or so (I actually completed a rather short dungeon / space adventure set while waiting for his phone call), and we were on our way while discussing last night at the townhouse - yes, we exposed Mom to REN AND STIMPY! Then I got all hyper in describing how I could use the elevator today; I've been more careful in my use of the stairs ever since I almost fell down the last couple of steps months ago when Dave Wong was right behind me, haha. (hey, this kind of thing is bound to happen if the church turns the lights off at 10 PM, and we leave fifteen minutes later!) Eric thought I was afraid of the stairs now (I wouldn't say THAT), and also thought that I was going to spoil the kids if things went according to plan. As it happened, they didn't... but that would have been on the agenda for sure! We also discussed White Rock and his grandma, my being "drunk" (I certainly know he says that to get a reaction out of me!), the 12 Days of Christmas (in French? the parody version featuring beer?), my "festive" red hat (NO, IT IS NOT A SANTA HAT - LIVE WITH IT!), and other things. Around Knight and 33rd, I noticed a weird dripping noise, and wondered if it was his car - then I noticed a peculiar burning smell combined with a knocking noise. Since I don't know anything about cars, I wasn't much help... he did have to wait a bit to pull over safely so he could lift up the hood and figure things out!

He said that it wasn't the air conditioner (that being the thing which sent the Sunfire in for repairs recently?), but maybe the overheated radiator. I asked if they'd driven the Sunfire to White Rock and back, but they'd taken the Volkswagen instead. Eventually, he called his dad ("I'm on 33rd, but it isn't Knight!" Um... nice directions?), who called a mechanic / the tow truck when HE got there (after Eric and I discussed national parks / the Dranei / RED DWARF / eating nuts / water not causing explosions / Sunday School) and figured he couldn't fix it since a belt was involved in this trouble somehow too. They called Veronica to tell her about this situation, as well. When BCAA got there, they towed the car away - Ron figured that there wasn't much point in dropping us off at church in the Volkswagen at 11:20 or so. Definitely not! He wanted to know whether it had ruined the morning: eh, these things DO happen! Now I'm going to take a nap!

2010 Year-End Survey: Shame, Embarrassment, Lies

This entry is allowed to have non-aligned tags.


2010 Year-End Survey: Shame, Embarrassment, Lies

1. Was 2010 a good year for you? Why? Yes, because I had Teunis to visit me for perhaps six weeks cumulatively, and because Chinese Eric was back in town permanently with a new laptop for me!

2. What was your favorite moment of the year? Chinese Eric telling me that he would be back in town for good. :D

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year? No comment, but it happened in February.

4. Where were you when 2010 began? Nathan's.

5. Who were you with? Christon, his brother, Jon, Harmony, Isabel, Jeremy, white Eric, Jen, and Randal.

6. Where will you be when 2010 ends? No idea right now, but rumors abound of hot pot at Jeremy's.

7. Who will you be with when 2010 ends? Friends, probably! (hopefully not BAD PEOPLE!)

8. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions of 2010? I didn't make any... easier not to break 'em that way. ;)

9. Do you have (a) New Year's Resolution(s) for 2011? See above.

10. Did you fall in love in 2010? Not really.

11. If yes, with who? The jury's still out on that one.

12. If yes, do they know? How would they? I don't tell people these things!

13. Are you still in love with them? Not really.

14. You regret it? In this case, no.

15. Did you break up with anyone in 2010? HAHAHAHAHA, no.

16. Did you make any new friends in 2010? If you define "friend" as "(online) acquaintance" for some of these, sure! Patrick, Scott W., Patricia, Alana, Sean O., Victor L., Daniel L., Enoch (maybe), and perhaps a couple more.

17. Who are your favorite new friends? It's obvious if I play favorites, and I try not to play that game much. ;)

18. What was your favorite month of 2010? Second half or July and the first half of August. Hey, that's a month TOTAL... it's not WEIRD!

19. Did you travel outside of your country of residence in 2010? I don't think so.

20. How many different states / provinces did you travel to in 2010? None.

21. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2010? Well, not LOSE lose, but kinda? =/

22. Did you miss anybody in the past year? Chinese Eric in Hong Kong, Teunis up north, Andrea and Chuck in Toronto, Nathan in the UK...

23. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2010? Inception... thanks, Teresa and Henry!

24. What was your favorite song from 2010? Not sure if I have one!

25. What was your favorite record from 2010? Do not have one.

26. How many concerts did you see in 2010? Kathleen Edwards, Bedouin Soundclash, OUR LADY PEACE, and Hawksley Workman - FREE STUFF RULES! (and I'm not just saying that because I'm Asian, haha)

27. Did you have a favorite concert in 2010? Our Lady Peace... I definitely made plans to see that FREE CONCERT at the O Zone when I heard that they were in town during the Olympics!

28. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2010? I wouldn't say that.

29. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2010? I don't do drugs.

30. How many people did you sleep with in 2010? None.

31. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year? Hmm... I can't think of something.

33. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2010? I have no idea.

34. Did you treat somebody badly in 2010? I hope not!

35. Did somebody treat you badly in 2010? Yes. Other than that, I have no comment.

36. How much money did you spend in 2010? Some.

37. What was your proudest moment of 2010? No comment.

38. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2010? Almost killing myself on that set of steps!

39. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2010 and change something, what would it be? NOT going over after shopping. Yes, this is deliberately vague. ;)

40. What are your plans for 2011? Ready for this? Trying to be more "me" while being less "me," if that makes any sense. Don't know if I'm ready for it.

Meowing, REN AND STIMPY, FISTS OF FURY, and the Flash!

When Jon / Harmony / Nathan picked me up, they were busily meowing - I knew I was right to blame Nathan for it, since he admitted to distracting Jon from Christmas carols by MEOWING! Jon said that he and Harmony had been at SERVANTS for about six hours, and that there were a bunch of people with a lot of food there - no doubt! I told them that I'd talked to Chinese Eric last night after I got home, and that he'd been sick. We also discussed his condition and (since Nathan brought it up) his relationship troubles / his mom's overprotectiveness - Nate and I figured that Eric loves Jon and Harmony, so would want them to know about the messages and such. Yes, it's terrible! When we got to the townhouse, Jon correctly predicted what Mom and Dad would be doing: "he's carving the turkey, and she's doing something in the kitchen!"

We all declined Grandma's offer of slippers, and basically ignored Mom when she wanted us to put in some typical Christmas movie: REN AND STIMPY it was, as a window into Nate's formative teen years, haha! (rubber nipples, stinky farts, the Royal Canadian Yaksmen [Mom kept calling the yaks "cows"], dumb Cousin Sven, POWDERED TOASTMAN!) When Mom turned around, her reaction was classic: "What is THIS?!?!" Hahaha! Grandma seemed to be amused by REN AND STIMPY, and actually watched FISTS OF FURY, too - I looked up Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's deaths on the computer, also. Mom wanted me to send Steph an email about REN AND STIMPY, so I just wrote on her FB wall instead because it was easier! (I mean, THAT also sends her an email, and she replied right away...) Got instant coffee, a kitten calendar (regift to someone else - wish I could think of who else likes kittens), chocolates, moist rum cake, sherry, beer (of course Grandma declined our offers), coffee with Tia Maria liqueur, Nathan's Malibu rum since he didn't want to risk packing it back to the UK (I told him to keep the Bailey's mug), and some other stuff... at least the night seemed to be free of drama!


Trivia fact for Sunday, Dec. 26: Which comic book hero was the first to acquire superpowers as the result of a lab accident? The Flash, in January 1940. He was a college student who became capable of super speed after inhaling "hard water" fumes during a lab mishap.