"Hilarious" conflicts, "earthquake mode," Chocolate Hunt, and a bitter double OT loss

I reminded Teunis of the dinners taking place this week - he says this works for his scheduling; I don't want to know about that! Also discussed Jethro Tull, Committee Meeting conflicts with JACK BAUER and hockey (he finds that hilarious?!), the Music Animation Machine, not being able to have stuff, and more prior to his leaving earlier than me for a change - wow! I was pretty much ready when John called at 3:30, haha. On the way there, the boys were playing a game involving "earthquake mode," purple fireballs, attacks, teleportation, farts, and more. When we got to church, I helped Chrystal and Golden with dues while offering them chocolate. I said hi to Jordan, Midora, Antony (he has a real iPhone - unlike his siblings!), Winston, Rosenda, Julie C. (who offered me some pastel M&Ms), Margaret, and others. When I asked Joshua whether he liked his new baby sister Emma, he nodded - then I asked if she cried a lot; he shook his head and hid from me behind his dad Tim. (it was also nice to see his mom Maxine)

Auntie Vivian said that Auntie Rebecca was worried about year-end awards, but graciously left me out of the future post-Awana meeting to figure these things out since she assumed that I had to go home with my ride. This is actually true, since I don't know how I'd get home otherwise, and it also helps if there's something on like a hockey game! Then she said that there was watermelon in the kitchen if I wanted some after club, so I went in there and offered people my chocolate eggs. Mike LOVED the Lindt chocolate eggs and took some (as did Mary and others), and Stanley was VERY impressed that I'd received Mega Smarties in the mail. "You got SMARTIES in the mail?! I would LOVE to get those in the mail!" On the way home, the boys mostly played their game again; when they brought up shields and such, I said that I knew someone who actually does have swords / shields / axes / hammers / maces. I saw Ian's jaw DROP, hahaha! Then he thought that my friend actually was a dwarf (possibly because the dwarfs in SNOW WHITE carry axes to work), so I said that Jordan M. was a real man; I've met him twice now! Then we talked about my POO cards (which I can't find now), weird records, extreme Guinness records, civet cat coffee, and more.

After I got home, I decided to see whether I could find the Lindt eggs at the nearby London Drugs; they were totally out, but I was unwilling to waste my trip out. I got orange anti-bacterial detergent (it smells nice!) and two kinds of on-sale Easter eggs. There was way too much of a lineup at Shoppers Drug Mart; after checking the hand soap prices at both places, I figured that the Bath & Body Works offer of five for $20 is a reasonable buy! Then I decided to go to the huge London Drugs near Broadway Station, but also came up empty; I especially didn't want to waste the trip out there! I got Lays Honey Mustard / Cheddar and Sour Cream chips, two kinds of gum in the 60-count containers, and 100-count orange Tic-Tacs. I was glad I had the gum on my way home since my breath needed freshening - nothing works for me as well as gum does! When I got home, I put some Mega Smarties in a Ziploc bag for Stanley tomorrow, and a bunch of Lindt chocolate eggs in another Ziploc bag for Mike tomorrow.

Then I heard the DOUBLE overtime... it turned out the Predators got a goal with 67 seconds left in the game (OUCH), and ultimately got the winning goal. SO DISAPPOINTING! This was the longest game in Predators history, and the third-longest game in Canucks history. (the longest would be the quintuple OT playoff marathon in 2007 against the Dallas Stars; we won that one 5-4) I also got SLB scheduling emails from Steph; since she has Whitecaps tickets for 8 that night, she'd like it to be earlier, but knows that might be difficult for working types with more conventional schedules. According to Nathan, 5-5:30 works for him; it certainly works for me and Teunis! If Nate picks us up AND does it early enough, we can stop by London Drugs so he can take a picture of that model which reminds me of his girlfriend Ciel's pictures! Eric just tried to call me, but got no answer. I then got a series of MSN messages from him: "your phone is ringing - I need to do sound tomorrow, and we'll leave your place at 8:45 - this is NOT a joke!" Also, Mark Moreau wanted to add me to Facebook because of the Canucks fan page; at least he ASKED, so I'm more amenable to adding him!

Ice cream flavor, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST, April 2011 Bubble Tea Tally

Yay for friends!

Which Flavor Ice Cream Are You? by HannahBanon90
Name
Age
Fave Color
You are	Maple Walnut
With	M&Ms
And	chocolate syrup

What the Full Metal Alchemist Characters think of you! by Nakal
Name
Age
Ed	"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!"
Al	"You're Weird."
Maes Hughes	"Oh, um, hi."
Roy	"Hey, you'd look sexy in a miniskirt. Want one?"
Riza	*Shoots you*
Jean Havoc	"Hello!"
Kaine Furey	"Um, okay, creepy person, you can leave..."
Alex Armstrong	"You aren't worth showng my muscles to!"
Envy	"Ah, just die already."
How much they liked you overall	46%

"Um, okay, creepy person, you can leave..." - exactly what I say in my head whenever I encounter Mr. Creep! :D


MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, APRIL 2011 (1)

blueberry @ Big Orange (Monday, Apr. 11)

Alvin and the Chipmunks, Ada, stripping vs. trekking, how I view the outside world

I got up partly because of the sounds I could hear from the next room (almost sounded like a sports broadcast) and because of hearing Hester's piercing Asian voice from outside. Found that Eric had sent me an email titled "Ballot Requirement" - but it was really that Alvin and the Chipmunks video to the nonsense he was singing last night. He seems to have forgotten that Gmail includes video previews, hahaha!

As soon as I was able (ie. when Teunis' latest podcast FINALLY finished), I called Ada to see if she could give me a ride this afternoon; she says she can, so all systems are GO! Melia also sent me a message on FB about Steph; at least I know she got it, since she IS busy with school and such! (Vanessa also buzzed me on chat with "EW," but I was absorbed in catching up) Teunis and I also discussed his being up at 6 (same as Quan!), sweeter potato pancakes with syrup (I assume as opposed to sweet potato pancakes), ensuring Kaili's welfare (of course...), a Canucks flag at the royal wedding (HAHAHA), raisins, showers, no onions, and more.


Teunis, muttering to himself: "... and now for this next trek..." [in DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS]
Me, at my own computer, completely around: "I'm sorry - did you just say you were going to strip? If so, please go to the bathroom to do that."

HAHAHAHAHA - Eric would say that my creative listening strikes again!

You See the Outside World as Fascinating

You are simply brilliant. You are bright, intelligent, and creative. You can't describe your feelings easily - even to yourself. Your emotions are a mystery. You are a truth seeker. You are willing to accept the real truth, no matter how difficult it is. You are not prone to compromise. You're set in your ways, and proudly so.

How Do You View the Outside World?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

HE IS NOT MY BUDDY, NO MATTER WHAT!

When Eric picked me up, I yelled at him about all sorts of stuff, and told him about ahi tuna and other random things. He told me that I was in a foul mood, but I don't care! Perhaps I should schedule my dinner better, but I had NO idea that he wanted to actually arrive on time! Also, apparently, he thinks that if he calls Mr. Creep "my buddy" enough times, I'll start to believe it - I DON'T THINK SO! We also discussed popping a cap in someone's head, death threats, next week, the SLB night, election / census work, gas prices, the "FUUUUUUUUUUU" meme, noises of frustration, touch, conveying what words can't say,and more. When we got to church, guess who was in our room already?! I had to back out quickly with my stuff (saying hi to Quan on the way) because Mr. Creep said hi to Eric; thank goodness that my dinner provided a convenient excuse! I went downstairs and ate it in the kitchen, nodding hi to Edmond / saying hi to Eric T. / briefly greeting Pastor Tom and referencing the discussions he'd had with Teunis last weekend. Got back upstairs and sat by Jeremy (he's SAFE!); he figures he can make it to the SLB dinner since our conflicts with Canucks games and Fellowship are the same! (Jon can't because of band practice before the gig - but maybe Harmony can!)

Tracy and Deb had a presentation about the fellowship retreat this summer: as soon as Mr. Creep heard that our venue had a hot tub, he immediately wanted to know how many people could fit inside! WTF?! He noticed Jen's 30th birthday balloon, and of COURSE had to make a comment on it, too - UGH! Christon, Cindy, Teresa, Eric, Martin, Kevin, Vicky, and I talked at Bible Study - when Christon asked us about our first association with the word "ministry," I immediately had Ministry in my head for the WHOLE evening, and couldn't wait to get home to listen to it! (no matter what Teunis may have had to say about it) We also discussed cancer, Christon's mom's cough, and Martin wanting to go out to eat. I just wanted to get HOME, which wasn't helped by Eric having to talk to Cindy about school and other things for twenty more minutes after the study was done! (and of course Mr. Creep had to be right by him...) At least Dianne and I agreed about wanting some ICE CREAM! Discussed Randal, Jon, Superstore / Safeway hours, some bubble tea place called Sunflower that Wesley went to, Christon finding non-pearls in his drink, Pastor Tom's massively heavy bag, Eric needing to get up early tomorrow, the hockey games, Christon maybe making it out to dinner on Wednesday, and more.

While Eric and I were finally getting in the elevator, a bunch of Chinese people decided to hold it up on the first floor by being indecisive about whether or not to go in. JUST HURRY UP, BECAUSE THIS ELEVATOR WILL BEEP AT YOU IF YOU TAKE TOO LONG! I confined myself to yelling "HURRY UP!" at them, hahaha. Then Teresa wanted a ride home - at least she lives relatively close by, but STILL! That wasn't helping Eric get home any earlier! After that, he called me a curmudgeon, but I didn't care. I think I made him deaf with all my yelling about stuff, haha. We talked about my randomosity, "sharing" my caramel Cadbury eggs, Jeremy hosting Game 3 at his place on Tuesday night, my not being responsible for my words, the Oval, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Fellowship interfering with my evening plans, nonsense, and more. When I got home, I divided the leftover Easter eggs between me and Teunis. We also discussed Beltane, "Robinson" as a last name meaning conception on that weekend, interesting news, his agreeing with my opinion on Mr. Creep, people who listen, and more.

Wikileaks, Elizabeth, Mennonites, Jeremy, Susan Aglukark, and early calls as stress

Teunis and I discussed letters, nicknames, "Jack," "John," laundry, Wikileaks, copyright law, English names, Hermione, HARRY POTTER, the names Jacob and Elizabeth, TWILIGHT, Queen Elizabeth I, combination names, Jordan having a relative named Hermione, pronunciation, We also talked about Jeremy having Mennonite relatives too, politics, trumpets, lard, juice, ginger beer, Phil Collins, Suzanne Vega, Susan Aglukark, and more. Omgigi sent me a message about her paper on ONTD; sweet! Then Eric called half an hour early to say he was leaving NOW - if I didn't have those caramel Cadbury eggs for the BS group, I wouldn't go! Of course, redrum also had to start... UGH!

Henry, phone bills, redheads, magnetic pulls, and the sky

Henry called to tell me that he can't make it to Awana tomorrow; shouldn't be a problem if I remember to call Ada tomorrow! (I'd go for later tonight, but I likely won't be home) I've also paid my phone bill, just in time for Teunis to get up. We discussed THE PRINCESS BRIDE, losing track of time, Texas, silk properties, sunscreen not working on him, sun / skin sensitivity (redheads DO get that way!), Arabic clothing, Kelowna, Kamloops, wearing a hat, camping in Clinton desert conditions / temperature changes, magnetic pull / tides, being a witch, the curse of the redhead, inventing crepe recipes, and more.

You Are Easygoing

You try to stay relaxed and open to whatever comes your way. You don't get hung up on plans. Each day is an adventure for you. You live with a light heart and an open mind. Your life is what you make of it. And you make darn sure that's it's a good life! You are naturally a social creature. Even if you're all alone, you prefer to be people-watching out in public.

The Sky Test

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

Vancouver, Nashville, 1-0, Yorkshire pudding, and Royal Wedding madness

Teunis decided to escape the Vancouver-Nashville playoff hockey madness by going shopping at Save-On Foods; we discussed the past, detergent, milk, coffee, chocolate, lard, City Fresh, yogurt, headphones, and more. He got back about an hour later; we discussed fire oil, sales on candy, experimenting with Yorkshire pudding (bacon?!), Aero / Hershey's / Reese's stuff for me (of course I thanked him!), critters with guns / switchblades in WOW, water coming up through the sink (at least it wasn't a total overflow like Steph's housewarming party!), bad jokes, the Royal Wedding, and more. I had another random person wanting to friend me on Facebook - I DON'T THINK SO! The Canucks won 1-0, which was good!

Word Facts for Apr. 23-29, 2011

Word origin for the weekend of Apr. 23-24, 2011: religion - The word "religion" probably derives from the Latin word religare, which means "to bind." The sense is that a practitioner such as a monk or nun is bound by an oath of religious office. "Religion" once referred only to the practice of belief in a formal institution such as a monastery, but by the late Middle Ages, it had come to refer to belief generally.

Word origin for Apr. 25, 2011: foamcrete - "Foamcrete" is an ingenious kind of concrete foam used to stop airplanes in an emergency landing. The term first appeared, with the substance itself, in 1996, when it debuted at New York's Kennedy International Airport. The material can stop a runaway Boeing 727 travelling at 60 miles (97 kilometres) per hour in about 133 yards (123 meters). Fortunately, it is seldom used.

Word origin for Apr. 26, 2011: Quonset hut - A prefabricated metal building built en masse during World War II to provide temporary housing and offices for troops in the field, the "Quonset hut" takes its name from the place in Rhode Island where it was first manufactured. It takes its design, however, from a Royal Army engineer whose name is enshrined in the British version of the building, the Nissen hut.

Word origin for Apr. 27, 2011: May you live in interesting times - This supposed pearl of Chinese idiom, a curse that plays on the negative aspect of the word "interesting," is actually a sort of fortune-cookie saying - the fortune cookie being, of course, an American invention. In this case, the saying appears to have originated with a staff member at the British Embassy in Beijing in the late 1930s, though why its writer should have attempted to pass it off as ancient wisdom is anyone's guess.

Word origin for Apr. 28, 2011: Celsius - The world's most commonly used system of temperature measurement, which sets zero as the freezing point of water and 100 as its boiling point, was named for its inventor, Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744). He coined the centigrade system just two years before his early death. The less obvious system that has 32 as the freezing point and 212 as the boiling point was likewise named for its inventor, German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736).

Word origin for Apr. 29, 2011: utmost - Readers familiar with 1960s slang - or fans of Jetsons reruns - will remember the expression "way out," a general term of approval. In just that spirit, speakers of Old English used the word ütmest, or "most out." The superlative sense comes from the bottom-to-top ranking familiar to contemporary theologians, in which heaven was the "utmost" of places relative to the earth.

Milk requirements, Brighouse NOT blocking LJ, and colored hyperlinks

I called Barry since he'd called me - May 2 it is for shopping! Teunis seemed to be stressed from fixing Hundred Mile House stuff, and I mistakenly opened a Sidekicks package that required milk when we don't have much - I knew I should have bought some yesterday at the store! Oh well, Ziploc bags and bag clips shall be my saviors in this case! At least the Butter and Herb one doesn't require any milk... he did say that the microwave cut off his Internet, and that I was protected from such things by the wall, hahaha. We also discussed hackers, servers, Ubuntu, Linux, no bread / sandwiches for him, milk, and my going out while he was meeting with someone online. Normally, I wouldn't - but trust me when I say he probably would wish I had!

At the library, I borrowed the Walter Moers books on the shelf since I was there anyway, then logged into the computers. I was very surprised when LJ was NOT blocked since it was before 3-6 PM! (last year, they would block LJ) Tried doing dungeons / space adventures, but I couldn't because the visited hyperlinks were the same color as non-visited links, and that made it hard to figure out just where I'd been before! (memory only takes me so far, especially in HUGE adventures!) When I got home, Teunis said he'd liked the noodles - good, then!

Marijuana Party, stealing students, and travelling

Teunis and I discussed his three Björk directories, moral development / correcting grammar, Kaili, the Pirate Party, the Marijuana Party, interesting possibilities, websites, and more. I talked to Corey for a bit, too...

Corey: ink a dink a bottle of ink, the cork fell off and you stink
flamsterette: I don't know about that - I just took a shower
Corey: then you shouldn't play with dirty ink!
flamsterette: I DID NOT
Corey: but it's in that little rhyme, so you must have
flamsterette: You're just being nuts tonight.
Corey: you're nuts, it's not even night! :P I just got home from my afternoon classes!
Corey: I have two classes tonight, too.... normally only one, but they called me and asked me to sub... and I said yes, so I guess I will go teach this article for the 4th time tonight.... blech.. extra money, though :P
flamsterette: it's 12:42 AM right now, so I'd say it's night :P
Corey: only actually have to work an extra hour, and I'll be busy until night anyway, so what the heck
Corey: sub classes are a good chance to steal students from other teachers, too
flamsterette: hahahaha
Corey: I don't do anything to steal them... they just like me :P a lot of my best students saw me when I subbed for another popular teacher, and followed me back to my classes
Corey: then sometimes they tell their friends, and even more people come from other classes
flamsterette: is there a class size limit, if everyone follows you from other teachers?
Corey: I never have classes that big :P some of the rooms have like 30+ seats, though
Corey: mine are ususally 10-ish.. less for the high-level classes
flamsterette: oh
flamsterette: well, bedtime for me - later
Corey: okay :P talk to you later, then
flamsterette: try messaging me when it's not 1 AM :P

You Are a Spiritual Traveler

Each trip is dear to you, and you try to make memories that will last a lifetime. You can't help but be a pensive traveler. Each new place changes your perception of the world. You try to travel with purpose. You like to leave each place better than how you found it. You are open to new experiences and people. You have a deep appreciation for different cultures.

What Type of Traveler Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Walter Moers books / 112 guestbook / Easter chocolate / Colorful videos

Teunis says Lacuna Coil is new to him - nice! I found The Alchemaster's Apprentice (Walter Moers), so of course I had to put it on hold - new books are sweet! (and will borrow The city of Dreaming Books: a novel from Zamonia / by Optimus Yarnspinner; translated from the Zamonian) Went to London Drugs in the iffy weather (and saw Brock at the bus stop), and successfully returned the "112" guestbook; also got maple syrup, Jelly Bellies (just because Teunis was unsure whether he'd tried those under that name), Whopper robin eggs, Cadbury caramel eggs for BS on Friday (more for us if I don't go!), Peter's Pals "Remy Rooster" x2, two Allan Fluffy Jr. white chocolate bunnies, a Lindt egg assortment (white / dark / milk / double chocolate), and two Mrs. Fields Cookie Dough Delights.

When I got home, Teunis apprised me of the Sony Playstation news - yes, I'd heard about the compromising stuff! He's tempted to check out the sale at London Drugs, too! Also discussed fixing the server, Cat's book Emily's Eighteen Aunts (Curtis Parkinson and Andrea Wayne Konigslow), dinner, the weird and colorful video for SHE'LL FIND YOU AND SHE'LL KILL YOU, bad cod jokes, gum, and shredding Chinese sausage in the food processor. Talked about chili oil from City Fresh Market, free MEGA Smarties in the mail, fictional twin incest, religion, the Great Spirit, onions, Alicia, instruments made from hubcaps / dressers, ZELDA / Thomas Dolby, interesting cross-dressers / crazy Internet friends, and more.

How could you NOT listen to the hockey game last night?! Silly non-fans!

I ate some of the leftover potato pancakes because I could, haha. Discussed Hundred Mile House / servers, smoking, Finnish heavy metal, Karla, the Mormons, Obama releasing his birth certificate, John McCain being born in Panama, Eddie Izzard's "cake or death?" reference, silly non-hockey people, and more. Of COURSE the entire city / province was listening to the hockey game last night - how could you NOT?!

You Are Iced Tea

You are connected to yourself and others. You find it easy to relax when you're with people. You bring people together and often are the social glue in your group. You roll with the punches. You try to keep things light and breezy. You are unpretentious and very real. You can't help but be yourself.

Are You Iced Tea or Iced Coffee?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Blowouts, zombie people in Taiwan classes, punishment, and embarrassment

Teunis was going to go out, but didn't - he actually slept through most of the game! He said he'd make potato pancakes, but of course the radio disturbs his concentration. Oh well, I do want to be a good friend to him also. Talked to Corey, as well... he did get my email the other day, haha.

flamsterette: HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!
Corey: tonsil hockey
flamsterette: no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
flamsterette: THE CANUCKS JUST WON 2-1 IN OVERTIME AGAINST CHICAGO!!!!!!!! ON TO NASHVILLE!
Corey: is that good?
flamsterette: what kind of a question is that?! of course it's good... Vancouver was up 3-0 in the series, then lost by blowout / heartbreaker scores in the next three games...
Corey: speaking of blowouts, there's a good chance I'll have one tonight in class!
flamsterette: don't have a heart attack, man!
Corey: I've been trying incredibly hard for a long time now to get one problem class to do more than just sit there and look at the floor
Corey: there's another teacher that has the same class at the same time, and everyone in his class talks, which means his classes are probably fun and not soul-crushingly boring like mine
Corey: if I ask them to speak, or do an activity where they have to speak, they might just leave the room, and the next class will be down to literally 1-3 people
Corey: finally, a student told me why, when I complained about those idiots to her... they just don't WANT to speak. the other teacher makes people speak, so they've decided my class is the one they don't speak in
flamsterette: what do you do in class?
flamsterette: oh
Corey: so, all my effort to help them is completely wasted
Corey: so, I've been caring about these shitheads for nothing
Corey: they leave BECAUSE I try to get them to practice English
Corey: in English class
flamsterette: that is ridiculous, as I've said already
Corey: last week, people talked and we had fun... Monday, we had more people - the quiet zombie people - and people here just follow the crowd, so NOBODY would talk, for two hours
Corey: that fucking sucks
Corey: that's boring for everyone
Corey: sometimes, those people that ruin the class get bored and leave in the middle of class... when it's completely their fault that the class is boring
flamsterette: I'm sure you try to make it fun
Corey: up until now, I thought maybe I just didn't have good activities, and I needed to fix something.. but no... it's their damn attitude.. people go there just to sit and listen
Corey: so, I'm about ready to kill them since they've been making my life miserable for a long time now, and I've made the mistake of trying to help them
Corey: so today, they're going to be punished somehow... I need a good way to embarass them and make them "lose face" so they don't come back
Corey: that's not very hard with Chinese people, actually... Chinese people kind of act like babies sometimes with this face stuff...
flamsterette: they've been doing this for months
Corey: it seems like it's generally "you don't do things exactly like I want to because you can't read my mind, so now I don't like you anymore"
flamsterette: yeah, just about right
Corey: well, I've been nice before. now, I'll tell them they suck at English and have a terrible attitude and will never learn anything this way
Corey: I'll be slightly nicer than that, but I think the gloves are off now
flamsterette: HAHAHAHA - they'll probably take that way too personally, but if they've been doing that for way too long... do it
Corey: well, I don't want those people in my class
Corey: I want to run them off without pissing them off so much that everyone complains about me
flamsterette: yeah, that is good
Corey: nobody is assigned to classes or anything, they just go where they want. it's a subscription based school
Corey: so it's not like they lose money or something if I essentially toss them out of my class
flamsterette: if it doesn't affect your job / contract, then go for it
Corey: there's a CD for every lesson too, so I really don't understand why they don't just listen to that if they're so afraid of speaking
Corey: they don't ask me questions or anything to help them understand, so it's not like they have any advantage by listening to me... I have to ramble about nonsense to fill up two hours
flamsterette: if they were out of your class, the others would listen more, I'm guessing
Corey: no, they'd speak more
Corey: everyone here is terrified of talking when other people are there
Corey: people here are pretty ridiculous, really... they pay to learn English, but they're afraid to use it, so they just don't
Corey: if you ask them to, they get embarassed and might never come back to class
Corey: I don't understand how they expect to learn English if they're that afraid of learning English
Corey: keep in mind that these are people that feel they're ready to go to a 100% English class...
flamsterette: why would they feel that way?!
Corey: in my Japanese class in the US, we were having conversations with native speakers in the first freaking semester... not very good ones, but we were expected to make an effort...
Corey: they're like that because schools here are terrible
Corey: they learn English for years and years in school, but Chinese teachers explain everything in Chinese, and never ask them to practice anything
Corey: they're all good at parroting words or sentences if you ask them to, but they have no capacity for actually doing anything themselves
flamsterette: does that describe everyone?
Corey: most days, "hi, how are you?" when I walk into the class is too hard
Corey: I have to repeat it three times, and then feed them the answers "how are you? .... how are you today? ... good? bad?" "....... good?"
Corey: if they're not afraid to talk, they just say "normal"
Corey: I've taught them better ways to say that, but they don't use them
Corey: so really they all just waste their time, and their attitude completely prevents them from learning anything
Corey: school here is basically like that... they just waste their time studying for literally 12+ hours every day, and they practice nothing because they're studying the whole time
Corey: they actually think I'm a lazy teacher from the sound of it, because I don't spend the whole class writing down example sentences for them to mindlessly copy down
flamsterette: yikes...
Corey: they're also deathly afraid of giving you any feedback.. if I have an activity they hate and I ask if they liked it, while telling them that if they say yes I'm going to keep using it because I think they like it, and I want their honest opinion... they'll all say "yes"
Corey: actually, they won't say anything... they'll just stare at me... but if I push them about 83 times, someone will say yes, and nobody will argue
Corey: it's also not embarassing to them to look at the floor when the teacher talks to them
Corey: in the US, everyone would think you're an idiot for not answering the teacher
Corey: here, they're just afraid of saying the wrong thing... because if they did, it would be embarassing...
Corey: so, the only way to not embarass them is to be sure they never have to think or do anything
Corey: so, they just want to listen to me talk, then they get bored
Corey: stupid fuckers
flamsterette: that is insane, yes
Corey: so tonight, I'll probably call them idiots in some way, and tell them to just stay home and listen to the CD if they want to act that way
flamsterette: haha - you'll have to tell me how that goes
Corey: but I still have to prepare for the class, which I hate since I don't care about them anymore. if that's really their attitude, I want them to leave... and I'll start over with better people, if they come...
flamsterette: yeah, I understand
Corey: and I'm definitely not talking for two hours tonight, so I'll probably just do activities the whole damn time, and force them to talk
flamsterette: good idea
Corey: they'll probably leave, though, so then I'll have a few people, and not enough for groups and team games...
flamsterette: ooh =/
flamsterette: hope it goes well
Corey: it won't, but I expect that :P
Corey: I'm planning to only talk for 30 minutes per page today. they're going to do other stuff for the rest of the class, like it or not
Corey: I'm done with that shit
Corey: I just need to figure out a plan for a two-hour class with only a few students...
Corey: WITH activities
Corey: that happens, then I guess they hear I'm not doing activities anymore, and all the zombies come back and ruin things. when there's a few people, they generally talk to me, so it's not bad, but then I get all the zombies back, and they infect the people that do talk, so I try to HELP them by making easy activities, and they're rude and don't come back
Corey: then I'm back to a few people, and can't do activities
Corey: but they specifically go to my class to just not talk... so if I try to help them, that's the actual reason they leave my class... idiots
Corey: I have private students that want classes with me, too... for more money... but I'm busy and don't really have time. and they can't do a class at night because they have families to take care of in the evening.. if they didn't, I'd love to cancel this class and do classes with these people instead
Corey: so I have people that really want to learn that I turn away, and I have to teach a bunch of idiots that don't want to learn.. in a 100% voluntary class....
flamsterette: that's nuts
Corey: I really don't understand why they even go
flamsterette: I wouldn't understand, either
Corey: everyone here thinks they're so smart and study hard, though, compared to those lazy Americans.... people here have no life, and literally have lost the ability to be creative... and they can't do anything either, because they're afraid of mistakes... if I have kids, I'm absolutely leaving Taiwan :P the schools here are awful
flamsterette: they may study hard, but if they're too afraid to actually USE and APPLY what they learn, then I don't think it's very useful
Corey: ah ha... I have to teach them about "passive income" today... which I've never really heard anyone use... but that's a good chance to teach them about passive vs. active
Corey: I have some great examples of passive right in the room
flamsterette: HAHAHA
flamsterette: what IS passive income?
Corey: interest, stock dividends... stuff like that
Corey: basically, you're rich enough to stop earning money and just live off interest
flamsterette: OH
Corey: like... your expenses are $100 a month, but you earn $150 in interest or whatever each month
Corey: usually, I think people just say live off interest...
Corey: I can't think of another good way to say it
flamsterette: I think I got it, but then business / math has never been my strong point
Corey: well, you have to be rich or have no expenses for that to happen :P
Corey: well... I'm almost done with this stupid article... now I have to figure out some activities......... and tonight, I need to really do more of them as punishment for last time... and most importantly, I need to get the message across (it's hard to tell if those people even listen to me though) that sitting there and not talking isn't going to cut it any more
flamsterette: if you actually SAY that, what would happen?
Corey: we'll find out in a few hours
Corey: I actually hate those jerks for having that attitude, so I really don't care what they think
flamsterette: haha, okay
Corey: I just want to run them off without making good people (the few of them that there are in this class offended, too
Corey: I've been wasting my time caring about them and trying to help them for months, and they just shit all over any effort I make because they've just decided that they'll go to my class because they don't have to talk
Corey: who the hell says they get to decide that? it's my class
Corey: I'll do what they want, not that they ever give me suggestions, but if it's just me talking for two hours about boring shit, that doesn't work
Corey: I do actually kind of care about them learning... they're just stupid and don't know what learning means...

Emmanuel, Craig, Nicholas, and a 2-1 BURROWS OVERTIME WIN!

I called Chinese Eric at 6 to see what was up - Erica wasn't going back home, which makes sense since she works downtown. He's not sure what Nate is doing, but he does jokingly say I can blame it on my brother... good, haha! Wished him good luck tomorrow amid his saying that we could always hang out some other time during the playoffs and beyond; for sure! GAME 7!!!!! Emmanuel J., Craig F., Nicholas D., Robyn B., and Grant B. added me to Facebook because of the Canucks game, but I don't think so.

Vanessa talked to me on MSN about her boyfriend wrecking her birthday, but I was more interested in the game. It went well, but then Toews scored with less than two minutes left, sending the game into sudden death overtime! UGH UGH UGH! But then Burrows scored again in OVERTIME... I don't care if I woke Teunis up with my throat-shredding yells! Then I bugged Corey on MSN, hahaha... on to Nashville and the second round! Burrows, Luongo, and Crawford = the three stars according to Team 1040. That's about right!

Rolo, Turtles, bath mat, Walter Moers, and Janina Easter

I've been reunited with my bath mat, extra notebook (which I'll have to return), and Coffee Crisp / Rolo / Turtles / Aero chocolate eggs! At least the Lost Property office was right in Stadium Skytrain station! I'll just eat the gelato as a loss, heh. I had an idea while I was out: I might borrow Rumo: And His Miraculous Adventures (Walter Moers) and The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear: being the demibiography of a seagoing bear, with numerous illustrations and excerpts from the "Encyclopaedia of the marvels, life forms, and other phenomena of Zamonia and its environs" by Professor Abdullah Nightling (Walter Moers) from the library so Teunis can read them, since I think he'd like the books, even if they aren't science fiction! Got new cheques in the mail, so I destroyed my old ones as per instructions; also, I got an Easter card from Janina (mrshannibal) with a joke and Winnie the Pooh / bunny / chick stickers, which was unexpected! Also called Chinese Eric, who will call me back around 5; he's unsure what's going on with Nathan or Erica. Teunis just got home - we discussed stress, the rolling pin / cast iron pot / food processor / blender, housing, and licorice.

VBS, Grace, XTC, Poly, death, and Japanese patterns

Sabrina sent me a FB event invite for VBS, which I promptly replied "Maybe" to! It's only one week instead of two, which I'm sure is a relief to some people who DID have to do that for two weeks last summer, hahahaha. Grace Hon also added me to Facebook, heh.

I've heard that Poly Styrene of XTC has died. :( [now if the OTHER kind of "poly" could die, we'd be good, amirite?]

You Are an Individual

You are a master of logic and reasoning. Emotions don't color your decisions. You thrive on action and always want to be moving forward. A lot of your action is internal. You have some loner tendencies - and you're totally okay with that. You like to do your own thing. You've always felt a little different from everyone else. You are a true individual.

The Japanese Pattern Test

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

EVIL PERSONIFIED / Quirky stats / Chinese Eric and Amelia

Teunis and I discussed Swedish fish CANDY, preserved fish, candy with potatoes, Korn's FALLING AWAY FROM ME (and others), Weird Al and his songs, silliness, GRAMMAR LESSON, LIVING IN THE FRIDGE, Björk, his having a combination of a thermometer and a barometer, nautical backgrounds, open secrets / Wikileaks / Guantanamo Bay / prisoner files / the Freemasons, his discussions with Pastor Tom yesterday (conversions and such), Yorkshire pudding, milk, Sabaton war heavy metal, Polish / Nazi stuff, and more. Evil personified!!! Then we talked about my worrying, radio, Kaili's sacred music, seeing Ivan / Mike / Eric with guitars yesterday, going downtown / to the storage locker or appointments, looking for a rolling pin, cooking apples, and more.

Called Chinese Eric to see how he was doing; we discussed quirky hockey stats, the President's Trophy curse, the penalty shot, NOT jinxing the game tomorrow, his surgery, blood pressure, what his sister Erica would be doing tomorrow, asking Nate about stuff, the Montreal game, hanging out early if possible, and more. Hopefully, it all works out and such! Amelia Myckatyn also added me to Facebook, so that's good! Later, I called White Eric to see if he was going tomorrow: he is not. EVIL!

Thong panties and cucumbers / Peeps / Dog breeds

Teunis and I discussed headaches / taking it easy / questionable Wal-Mart receipts from Mesquite (Texas) with cucumbers, thong panties, lube, and a massager / a quiz about sex toys vs. baby toys / Dennis' status about cheap post-Easter chocolate. "Die, bunnies, die!" sounds about right, hahaha!

You Are a Yellow Peep

You are charming and communicative. You have the gift of gab, and you like to talk to everyone. You are eloquent and engaging. You're the type of person who is always on. You believe that there's two sides to every issue, problem, and person. And you're dedicated to seeking out both. You are resourceful and adaptable. You don't notice setbacks, and you make do with what you've got.

What Color Peep Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

You Are Determined

You are a very passionate person. You know what you want out of life, and nothing is going to stop you. You stay energetic and motivated. There's so much that you want to get accomplished. You are outdoorsy and nature-oriented. All sorts of outdoor activities appeal to you. At the end of a hard day, you enjoy a little luxury. You like to spoil yourself.

What Does Your Favorite Breed of Dog Say About You?

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

Maybe not the "nature" blurb...

Damned Chicago overtime to force a Game 7!

I was actually able to watch AND listen to the hockey game at the same time after Teunis had fallen asleep; it's a good thing the radio volume was okay for him before his nap, haha. We did discuss his stopping by Alicia's birthday party to pick up Kaili - and maybe visit for a while with both people. He was sure I'd wake him up by reacting to the game; hey, NO WORRIES! (of course I did, but at least he knew that going in) In lieu of watching the game with friends, I interacted with FB people on the Vancouver Canucks page; that definitely works! Joseph Ko, Holly Laffin, and Austin VanZandt also tried adding me on FB because of this - I DON'T THINK SO! (except for Holly?) The game ended in a 4-3 OT loss... WHAT THE HELL?! Guess there will be a Game 7.... *sigh* Stella's friend Taz also added me, so I guess I'll add him back...

Teunis got up when I was leaving a message like "AGH!" (only more drawn out) on Jon's phone - we discussed Rock 101 and their streaming old-time radio shows, carrots, potatoes, water bottles, seals, beer, 1997 birth year people, the fallout from the hockey game, PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT / abusive relationships, and more. Shelley said they had 24 people over for dinner, so couldn't meet me - maybe next time now that they have family in the area! I was expecting an email about Game 7, and I got it just after midnight from Nathan: Chinese Eric has offered up his place on Tuesday night. Sounds good to me, and I bet he'll buzz me at some point tomorrow about it! AIYA! Now, I wonder why I'm still up since I awoke at 4:40 AM and again at 5:45 AM... time for bed, methinks!

Trout Lake Sunrise Service, good breakfast, and chocolate eggs galore - EASTER!

Eric picked us up just after 6:35 AM, and I made a joke that I'd managed to drag the heathen out to church this morning, haha. (which Teunis said was literally true - "heather" comes from the same root word as "heath") We discussed the movie he watched last night which came out a couple of years back, hockey playoffs, Cat living around Trout Lake Park, his not having met her fiancé yet, Jordan / Matthew / some girl Eric met at one of my birthdays (not sure whom), and other things. At Trout Lake, I said hi to Amy and Rich - good to see them! Mr. Creep WAS at Sunrise Service, so I avoided him as much as possible by going to the other side of the circle. The service went pretty well, and Dianne agreed that she liked the natural backdrop of the mountains / lake / ducks! (Phil said that we should hold it in a graveyard next year, so Jon said, "Let's get arrested!")

Afterwards, I welcomed Sam back home / discussed things (like the cold weather) with Dianne, Hung, and Christon / greeted Angus / said hi to others (like Jeremy's parents Doug and Laura) before we went to the church. I gave Jeremy his new guestbook, which he figured could be used this afternoon: YES, INDEED! While waiting for breakfast to start, Jon and Harmony brought out a coffee grinder and asked us to kick in a dollar for the special roasted coffee (no scorching!) - I chipped in $2 for Teunis' sake as well, which led Harmony to make a joke. NO, NOT THAT KIND OF "US"! It was funny when Christon balanced the kettle on top of the chairs, haha. Discussed coffee beans, Mark, Paul's work, Laura having congee for the first time ever, rice, deviled eggs, vegetable soup with chicken and potatoes, Stanford's exacting cooking standards, French toast, religious history, the 4:30 hockey game, orange juice, and more. It seemed as if Teunis was enjoying discussions with Pastor Tom, so this is a good thing. (heard Pastor Edward and Doug discussing the 2003 Kelowna fires and heart problems, too)

Offered people my Excel gum afterwards: Priscilla and Natalie took some while Hannah declined. Jonathan asked me for some, calling me "the best," hahaha. I led Teunis out of the fellowship hall, and said hi to Dad: no ordering tea-leaf eggs for US! Once we were in the sanctuary, I decided to go see baby Micah for a few minutes. Jessica had the same thought, so we spent a delightful bit just saying hi to him - he really liked my red toque since it was bright and colorful! (he smiled a bunch at us, anyway) I remembered that Mattias had liked my shiny keys at that age, so took them out for this baby - I let Micah touch them, but took them away before he could even think of putting them in his mouth. (germ / slobber concerns) Uncle Edwin asked if he could walk yet, but he's only six months old! The service itself went pretty much as usual; Nathan W. (who accepted my offer of a Kleenex mini-pack) and I were both being lazy when it came to passing the peace, haha. Pastor Edward announced that this was his last official sermon, which I remembered, so I made sure to thank him afterwards - Auntie Soo (Billy's mom) was taking some time in doing the same right in front of me!

Said hi to Grandma, who gave me a typical answer when I asked her whether she was happy - oh well. Gave Victor the baptism card I'd prepared, and he thanked me for it. Discussed hummus, paprika, a model on the London Drugs drinks cooler looking like Ciel's FB pics (Nate got a kick out of that), Kaili possibly being interested in the theology as presented today if it weren't so CHRISTIAN, chocolates from the family, and more prior to my going upstairs to Toddler Sunday School. (said hi to Joe and Helen on the way) Saw Mattias, Ashley, Ada, David, Evelyn, Ramen, Shira, Esther, and Anastasia - Auntie Ying said she's going to Toronto for two months to spend some time with her mom. She thanked me for praying for her, when I actually haven't done any such thing; not really because of disbelief, but I just don't do that too much for some odd reason! I played with the kids, who seemed to like pretending to eat the toy food - also wiped some noses, as well. Gave out Lindt chocolate eggs from one package; Chung said he and Karen don't give chocolate to Mattias, but I didn't give him ALL the chocolate he had today! The remainder went to Rachel (she could have two since she's older) and Ian / Sean L. I already had a pack each for Ian and Sean, and figured they could just have the bag when their dad John asked about it... Ian did thank me! (he had chips and such already) Rachel also told me that some kid had eaten an eraser, so I told her about Jeas Town and his eating candles / crayons for the wax - EW is right!

Went downstairs (saying hi to Sean S. and Conor and their mom Pauline on the way) and spent some more time with baby Micah, who had an injury! Cindy noticed it and had some good advice on how to deal with it - wet wipes were good for baby. I told him that he would be so big when he got back from the States in a month! They DO grow really fast at that age - he's just tiny in real life because Grace zooms in on the pictures she posts to Facebook, haha. Eric was ready to go in a few minutes, so we discussed church history / bathing / King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I / cleanliness / Scandinavians / Rome / Greece on the way home. At home, Teunis took some time to talk to his family about stuff, which is always good. We also discussed Mormon "home training," which kinda sounds like the discussions we have about church-related stuff. Interesting day so far!

Edginess = AC/DC shirt on EASTER! / Shelley sick / Crushes

HAPPY EASTER!


I've kinda decided that I'll wear my AC/DC shirt to Easter services, hahaha! I'm sure Mikaela and Steve L. will be all over that, and I don't really care if I freak out the pastor... then again, maybe not. Do I want to be edgy? Who knows. I don't think the kids will notice if there IS Sunday School... then again, I've just decided not to. TOO COLD!

Shelley said that she didn't feel good, as she has the shivers - that's bad, man! Maybe later today, then! Vanessa wanted me to explain my "Rising to victory?! I'll tell you who will rise to victory! I am going to rise to victory over your desecrated corpse!" FB posting; let's just say I wish I could send that out to Raymond and everyone else on the "hockey / research / dinner at Jeremy's" email list! (Eric thinks I shouldn't speak on his behalf - HA! I DO MY OWN THING!) Jon and Harmony called to ask about my (possible or PAST) crushes on Jeremy / Eric / Raymond / Randal / Martin / Wesley / Teunis - they are incorrigible!

Teunis got home at 9:45 last night - discussed toy helicopters, 50-cent black cherry Cott pop from Liquidation World, pickles, potatoes in the fridge, eggs, peanut butter, Fatburger, Bon's, White Rock, ice cream, guys and gaming, and other stuff. This morning, we talked about stomachaches and non-exposure to chemicals from McDonalds - organic farms will do that to you! Eric just called, too...