"Why are there ads in your yearbook?!" "There's nothing wrong with 24 pages!"

Before I left for the Awana BBQ, Teunis and I discussed Andrew having to work at 5 AM / gum / timing / Kaili and scheduling / geeky Washington Ren Faires, spaceships / QUAKE / DOOM / his brother Alex moving up north to Fort St. John with his family / his stepdad Jim feeling better. When Benedict picked me up, we discussed leaders / the iffy weather / Billy W. / Danny / Grace / Martin / Brighouse Elementary construction / funny jobs as your old teacher's replacement / the stale job market (grad in forestry is flipping hot dogs at Costco?!) / hockey news / Philadelphia and Chicago staking it all on draft picks / the Canucks getting some black guy. At church, I figured I should have brought a jacket since it was cool out. Since there was no real program aside from eating and having fun, I discussed various things with Chris / Victor / Cynthia (Burnaby North grad with yearbook!) / Julie / Hilary / Margaret / Danny / Elaine / Sarah / Auntie Vivian / Jessica / Lawrence / Alan / Stanley / Eric T. / Golden / Sylver / Phoebe / Zoe / Antony / Steven / David.

I had a "WHAT?!" reaction to the news that Julie wants to name her future son Phoenix, to which Margaret just pointed to me as proof that it shouldn't be a name. We had spicy veggies, and Hilary didn't seem to like them - everyone had some chips / hot dogs / chicken wings / graham crackers / marshmallows / chocolate chips / Smores, though! Stanley had an iPhone shirt on, haha. There were various jokes in Chinese, but everyone was having (immature) fun! Everyone was looking at Cynthia's yearbook - we saw William, Steven, Rick (Jennifer's son looks MANLY now?!), and others in there as well. Stanley didn't like the idea of there being 24 pages of ads (even though they PAY some costs) in the yearbook, so polled everyone as to whether there were ads in THEIRS! There's a VBS orientation tomorrow, but since I never said I was going to help, I won't go.

Saw my grandma at church, so offered her graham crackers and some marshmallows; she took the crackers, but seemed ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED at the marshmallows, hahaha. Some of us checked out the painting going on upstairs - Cordia and Uncle Rex were helping with some white ocean waves! (I talked to Jeremy Y. and his parents, too - said hi to Vivian / had fruit) Eventually, Auntie Vivian kindly drove me home since nobody was going to Richmond - we talked about ordering things from Awana, my family, and other things.

Background noise, gay marriage, two Christons and math (dream), Ben, eye makeup

When Teunis got home last night, I strongly recommended that he look in the freezer - of course, I had my usual background noise on which included DRAGON WARRIOR videos! We discussed self-esteem, signs, smoking, marijuana, cocaine, New York legalizing gay marriage, Sony / hackers, reminders of good things, frustration, laws, the durian gelato (which he thanked me for), Kaili and dinner / THOR / licorice / Loki, corn syrup, Thai food, Jordan, and more. I called Steph to tell her about medicine and prescribed birth control, too. Apparently, William unfriended me AGAIN - make up your mind!

I had a weird dream in which there were two versions of Christon - one in a wheelchair - and a bunch of people were at a high school reunion in a theatre. We were viewing these old movies of the old graduating classes throughout the years, including a Valentine's Day event where all the girls were going to get something, but they had to find all these greetings scattered through the school. There were fast-forward aging vignettes, orange math textbooks, school supplies, and other things in these movies. Afterwards, this girl with blonde hair wanted me to go up and down the stairs with her in a fun way, even though my CP still affected me in the dream! Later, we all went to Phibbs Bus Exchange on the bus, and talked.

When I got up, I fielded an email from Chris about supposed "dark clouds" all over Richmond and Vancouver (the Awana BBQ will be at church instead), so I had to email him back to say that there weren't dark clouds in MY corner of Richmond, and also joked that he must attract the rain for some reason while driving from here to Vancouver! Since this was a group email, I also asked Ben to call me since I'd given him my number via FB wall post just a bit ago. Then Sarah emailed me to say that it was her fault, as she kept forgetting to email him my address. I told her to do it before she forgot - Ben then emailed me to say that he didn't have my phone number, so asked what was up. I emailed him my phone number, so he called me to say he'd pick me up at about 3:30, and that Sarah would probably arrange something for the ride home since he couldn't drop me off later. That definitely works!

You Are Real

You are an expansive and open-minded person. Most importantly, you are open to the idea that you are wrong. You only know how to live authentically. You're not the type of person who can fake it. There's a lot that you can endure. You have an inner toughness. You are a very warm and welcoming person. You have a kind and compassionate heart.

The Eye Makeup Test

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

Excel and STRONG MINT / New bakery / Miyabi Ramen / Chrystal

Before I left, I called Eric to advise him that I wouldn't be going to Fellowship tonight. I told him that I had dinner plans which he couldn't even begin to conceive of, muhahaha. (he was like "... okay...." hahaha) Chrystal called, but I missed it - I assumed she was running late, so I left later than I would have, of course with books to read! She saw me reading (after I bought more on-sale noodles and Excel's newest gum flavor - STRONG MINT!), so thanked me profusely for waiting, while apologizing in equal measure since she accidentally took the YVR train! When we went to London Drugs and looked around at the cereal / snacks / food, I vented a bunch, and she told me that her sister Emily and Mike are going on some Belize adventure package for their honeymoon as something different. We checked out the new bakery near Richmond Centre - egg tarts, "tard" as an unfortunate substitution for "tart," red bean buns, butterfly pastries, cakes, and more.

We decided that we wanted something different than Boston Pizza, so I thought we should try the new ramen place called Miyabi near Save-On Foods. She'd tried Shanghaiese food around that plaza; later, she remembered that it was Dinesty Restaurant, and that it was pretty good. We saw the liquor store, Specialty Chicken and Wonton House, and other things on our way to the ramen place. At Miyabi, we had kimchi udon and short rib ramen in spicy miso; the service was pretty quick and friendly! We talked about Emily, Mom and her opinions, the Awana BBQ, offers of company, safety concerns, Steph / Lisa, Chantal, gum, her awesome supervisor Andrew whom I knew from church, eating junk food like Teddy Grahams at 3:30 AM, and more.

When we decided to check out Chapters, it was closed since it was 9:30 - then we checked out Amato Gelato, but it was cash only. (lots of sorbetto and interesting flavors!) I told Chrystal about the amazing Chapman's cappuccino frozen yogurt, which I could always have at home. She expressed concern about my walking to Shoppers Drug Mart and back once I said we could go there, so we cut the hangout a bit short with goodbyes. I went back to the gelato place and bought durian gelato for some reason - I don't know why I'm doing this as I vented at Teunis just last night, but we'll see. Discovered that redrum had started, too.

The Most Hated Baby Names in America

Thanks to Cat (catmcroy), I present this article to you:

There is no scientific study on the most-hated names, but these results, culled from hundreds of online message board postings by Baby Name Wizard blogger Laura Wattenberg, suggest that people have very strong opinions about what makes a good name.

Here are the least-liked names for both girls and boys:

Girls:

Nevaeh ("Heaven" spelled backward and one of the most divisive names around, according to Wattenberg.)
Destiny (People dislike names that confer a virtue onto a child, Wattenberg said — and many associated this name with exotic dancers.)
Madison
Mackenzie
McKenna
Addison (An example of a masculine named turned feminine, which many people dislike, Wattenberg said)
Gertrude (People said this name is "ugly.")
Kaitlyn (For its "made-up" spelling.)
Makayla
Bertha
Hope


Boys:

Jayden
Brayden
Aiden
Kaden (These rhyming names struck many as overdone, Wattenberg reported.)
Hunter (Too much like a last name or "too violent.")
Hayden
Bentley (People dislike brand-name names, Wattenberg found, calling them "trashy")
Tristan
Michael (Too boring, according to some.)
Jackson

Your audio sensitivity is NUTS! / Benedict! / Scott, Quan, and choirs (dream)

When Teunis got home last night, we discussed his extreme sensitivity to noise / no "filter" / traffic noises / being kicked in the crotch / video games / plans with Kaili (of course...) / FINAL FANTASY / WOW / BIOSHOCK / confusion / Jordan / Mormon missions / Tom Yum noodles / weekend plans / slurping / "the camel's nose is already in the tent" (which Nathan appreciated) / Indonesian food (which made me think of Chris W.) / Thai food / seaweed / non-abrupt ends to chats (WTF?) / the bitch Jasmine. Sarah Chau said that Benedict could give me a ride to and from Saturday's Awana BBQ, which is pretty good!

After I got over being subconsciously awakened at 6:30-7 AM, I had a dream with David M. / Julie C. / Michelle C. / Mike K. / other people I knew. We were all going around a building looking for evil people, and saw my dad being totally fake to Scott M. and one of his friends who just came over. I told Quan that Dad really didn't like Scott, then Steph wanted me to help her with Grandma watching TV. Grandma insisted she didn't need it, but I helped anyway. Julie invited me to come hear their choir sing, so I went up to another floor to do so. Sean S., Conor S., and other little kids were there; I had a good time just talking to them, and then the dream just ended at around 9:30.

You Are Not Very Renaissance

You are sure of what you like and who you are. You haven't changed much over your life. You have a depth that is completely unmatched. You like to understand things completely. You are a perfectionist. You notice and are fussy about every little detail. You aren't afraid of adventure, but you don't seek it out. You'd rather tend to your own garden.

Are You a Renaissance Man or Woman?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Just from reading this quiz, I can tell that Teunis and his geeky friends would be TOTALLY Renaisaance people!

Bermuda Triangle, slurping noodles, Chrystal office, and Calgary Dianne

Eric sent me a "reminder email" about Dylan's Bible Study group and snacks tomorrow - OH MAN, I HATE SNACK TIME BECAUSE OF MR. CREEP! After that, I called Chrystal at her office; I said that I wasn't stalking her (although she said it was okay) because her dad Uncle Lewis gave me the number last night at 11:30, haha. We'll be getting together tomorrow at London Drugs at 6:30, which also works for getting me away from Mr. Creep! That made me feel better about sending an email to Deb about their group's responsibility for snackage, hahaha. I've also realized that I won't be at church on Sunday due to getting together with Billie at Metrotown, so I'll probably ask Dianne for a Calgary mailing address, hahaha. (and she sent it, too) Sarah said she was working on a Saturday BBQ ride for me, which is good.

Here's a quote on noodles from my housemate's Chinese cookbook: "They should be eaten with great relish and with much slurping, as most Chinese eat them, for to cut the noodles is to invite ominous repercussions. (A soup spoon and chopsticks generally are used to facilitate shovelling them into the mouth.)"

My Maggi Tom Yum noodles also have an interesting blurb: "Here's to those who love slurping their noodles. There's no noodle too long, no soup too hot. You are the Bermuda Triangle of instant noodles. You're not shy to let the whole world know that you're eating your noodles."

Honey yogurt, DENTED CANS, chowder galore, coconut milk, and bulk juice

Barry picked me up, and we were off to Price Smart (the old Save-On) which was still undergoing renovations - we discussed the rioters and Facebook, too. I got on-sale toilet paper, bulk mushroom soup (discovered later that two cans out of twelve were dented - UGH!), and on-sale bulk cranberry / raspberry juice x3. Also got Greek yogurt in vanilla x2 / HONEY, on-sale bananas, a 24-pack of bottled water, on-sale Chunky Soup (New England clam chowder / chicken à la king / seafood chowder / chicken noodle), on-sale soy milk, on-sale coconut milk, and bread. When I got home, Ada had finally sent me a reply about the BBQ to say that she probably wouldn't be going this Saturday to the Awana BBQ - good to know.

7 AM wakeups are NOT fun, people!

When Teunis got home last night, he complained about the chocolate which had gone bad and subsequently hurt his stomach. Everything does that these days, it seems... but at least I can understand "off" food! Said he'd see if Hester was in, and at least he agreed to have some hot and sour soup with noodles and eggs for dinner, haha. I got up at 7 AM thanks to the sun AND Teunis' alarm - ugh! We discussed the Bruins' ‎$156,679.74 bar tab, McDonalds fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, Wonderbread, chemicals, unwinding, bread, the chewy cookies, road rage, traffic, and more prior to his leaving for work.

Your Heart is Colorful

You are independent yet interdependent. You want other people around, but you don't like needing them. You are warm-hearted and caring. You celebrate and commiserate along with your friends. You are a free spirit, but deep down you are reliable and trustworthy. You honor your commitments. You are the friend everyone invites to the party. It's not the same if you're not there.

What's Colorful About You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Word Facts for June 18-24, 2011

Word origin for the weekend of June 18-19, 2011: DIY - Americans have always prized being handy, though with the ascendancy of white-collar work in the early twentieth century, manual labor and skills were prized less and less. The phrase "do it yourself" (shortened to "DIY") emerged in the 1950s as a call for suburbanites to gain or regain some of the old ethic. Originally, it was applied to painting and sewing projects, but then came to brand an entire movement - one that even has its own broadcast channel, the DIY Network.

Word origin for June 20, 2011: random - In its original sense (which dates to the medieval period), "random" means "at a gallop," something done on a horse and in a big hurry. Accidents happen at speed, of course, and in time the word "random" came to mean "unplanned / careless / accidental" - as in "a random encounter."

Word origin for June 21, 2011: premium - In its original sense, a "premium" was a reward given to someone for an act that usually involved seizing something belonging to someone else - booty, in other words. The term entered the insurance industry by way of shipping: a privateer would pay a share of the loot to an insurer if his ship returned to its home port safely. If the premiums we pay today resemble a "ransom" fit for a pirate, there's an etymological basis for it.

Word origin for June 22, 2011: You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs - Common in many European languages, this old proverb probably comes originally from the French. "Omelette" comes from the French alemette ("knife edge"), so called for the flat thin shape of the finished product. The sense is that if you want to get a big project done, you must not fear steamrolling "the little people." The poet Randall Jarrell rejoined, "That's what they tell the eggs."

Word origin for June 23, 2011: plaza - A "plaza" is an open space in what is usually an urban environment. Roman city planners favored these public squares, for which reason the "plaza" is found whenever the Roman Empire or its descendant states settled. The Latin word platea means "flat area" and relates to the words "plat" and "plateau," as well as the modern term "plaza," which comes into English from Spanish.

Word origin for June 24, 2011: controversy - The word "controversy" (from the Latin for "turn against") once referred to the sort of verbal conflict that we would today call a dispute or argument - and even something so innocent as a mere difference of opinion. Known in English since about 1400, the word now refers (more strongly) to the matter being argued about rather than the argument itself.

Gummi bears, oatcakes, Tom Yum noodles, towels, and more on-sale stuff

Paid my Shaw bill and went to the bank before going to Big Orange for a blueberry bubble tea. Decided to see if towels were on sale at the Bay, which is apparently undergoing renovations - I got a nice dark blue one for just over $8, so yay for discounts! Went to Shoppers Drug Mart to get on-sale felts ($12.99 to $4.99?) / on-sale Haribo gummi bears / on-sale peppermint mouthwash / on-sale Chewy Chips Ahoy (x2), then went to the Great One Supermarket for on-sale seaweed x100 / Famous Amos cookies / six packets of hot and sour soup mix / Maggi's Tom Yum noodles which have a few days to go before expiry. After that, I went to London Drugs for on-sale pads x2 / on-sale Dove shampoo and conditioner x2 / Excel White gum x3 / on-sale Walker's shortbread / on-sale beef Mr. Noodles x5 / oatcakes / on-sale Rockets for Steph. Managed to just get the 407 bus home, too!

Chocolate pie, Hunter dead in dream, and COOKIES

After reading for a bit last night, I discovered that Teunis had made a chocolate pie (using up the expired milk in the process - PHEW!) to celebrate the first day of summer; NICE! He said it was to celebrate Solstice, but he's being silly; not everyone does that, y'know! Then again, I also saw some Facebook status from Alicia which implied that she'd skinny-dipped into the ocean to celebrate the first day of summer (SHE said it was Solstice, too) - girl, nobody wants to see that!

When I did get to sleep, I had a dream that there was an NHL season wrap-up (which regular fans could attend) and an Awana wrap-up (with its usual chaos) in the same huge gym. Someone wearing an orange / black Issaquah (Washington) T-shirt told the Canucks fans that she was rooting for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup next year, and criticized everything Boston had done. I helped Chrystal and Auntie Vivian with all the store inventory and the kids' needs. Auntie Vivian told me that Hunter (aka Andrew or Kazuya) had gone to Europe, where he'd subsequently died! I remember thinking that I really ought to ask Eric T. about this before I woke up!

You Have Depth

You are the ultimate escapist. If you can't escape physically, you escape with your thoughts. You love the idea of travel and faraway lands. If you could, you would travel constantly and see the world. While you are a bit on the quiet side, you're a great partner. You are supportive, devoted, and loyal. More than any other type, you honestly still believe in true love. You hold on to your ideals.

The Cookie Test

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

SIN CHEESECAKE / DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF! / First day of summer!

Went to the library briefly to return all the Walter Moers books, and some stupid bitch touched my stuff because it was in her way! If she would LOSE 50 pounds (as I told her), then she wouldn't even have to use that as an excuse! I also had THE SIN cheesecake from the café, which proved my debit card worked even after being accidentally washed. Learned via Facebook that Joe Yu and his wife Jeannie had a baby boy named Noah today - whoa! Not that I knew that she was even pregnant or whatever, but still. Vanessa buzzed me on MSN, so I vented.

At least Teunis let me know via MSN that he was going to see a cheap movie with Kaili (of course) out in Surrey - good, because this decreases the chance of a frosty reception for him, hahaha. May as well celebrate the first day of summer, I suppose - the silly people insist on calling it Solstice, however. Ah well, he did miss the Scandinavian thing as it was last weekend - dressing up in garb isn't quite normal, anyway. Then he said that nothing was working schedule-wise; this meant he came straight home. GOODY! *claps hands* When he finally DID get home just now, he complained about Safeway's prices / allergies hurting / noodles / perfume / cigarette smoke / his little cookpot. However, he did say he picked up future lunch supplies (not couscous) like bagels / white cheddar Kraft Dinner / chicken cutlets AND lunch containers.

Awana BBQ, Jessie, Daniel, being NORMAL, EXPIRED milk, noodles, and crafty hobbies

Sarah emailed us about the Awana BBQ, which I'd definitely need a ride to if Ada's not going. I have no idea, so I'll have to call her later. Also let Jessie know that I wouldn't be there next Sunday, either; she said not to be sorry, and advised me to take care. HA, THAT'S HOW NORMAL PEOPLE DEAL WITH IT! (excuse my childhood conditioning...) Daniel M. (sinsorium) added me to Facebook, too! When Teunis got home, I was quite firm in saying that the milk jug HAD to be gone from the fridge due to my grocery shopping (calling Barry) - it's well expired! He has this vendetta against bottled water, but I do like mine COLD! (he thinks the water made the potatoes go bad...)

Discussed starch, sugar, hot and sour soup with noodles someday, grilled cheese sandwiches, HST phone calls, noodles having sugar (not THAT much), summer's start, pain, driving, shampoo, conditioner, bread, microwave heat not melting storage bins, thirstiness, and more. Also talked about Scandinavian jazz, heavy metal, culture, Norse religious stuff, frozen yogurt, cravings, bodily reactions, unwinding, worrying, Tess, and more. Tried calling Chrystal, but got Emily instead; oh well!

You Should Take Up Journaling

You are very private, but you aren't aloof. You just have a well-developed inner world. You spend a lot of time thinking by yourself. It helps to get your thoughts down on paper. You are an idealistic soul. You have noble ideas about the world. You are a natural writer of all sorts. You are equally suited to writing essays, journals, and fiction.

What Crafty Hobby Should You Take Up?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Billie, Becky, dream of ice / shit / cellphones / FAIL, Spirit Flower

Made plans with Billie (sianparis) to get together again at the Metrotown Superstore this Sunday, which means I'll be missing church again (pending other circumstances), but that's perfectly all right. Becky unfriended me, but she did say that she was going bye bye for a bit.

When I was finally sleeping, I had a dream that my life was full of FAIL. I went out somewhere with the family in a van, but realized too late that it was snowing EVERYWHERE, and that the sidewalks were full of ice. The family refused to drop me back off at home, and made me juggle THEIR cell phone calls from Ontario / Arkansas (327) / Rosanna and Samantha's dad Eric. It's not MY fault that the parents didn't know how to operate their pink Minnie Mouse cell phones! Then my sister said that she could use her laptop anywhere in the car, but I couldn't. My brother said that the toilets at our location had plastic bags around them as protection, which was good because there was shit all over from farts and such! Then I was tasked with looking after kids, but little Shira cried all the time no matter what. WTF?! Oh well, time to do laundry now...

Your Spirit Flower is the Iris

You are social and gregarious. You make other people feel at ease. You are a natural healer. You can make almost anyone cheer up simply by being around. You take time to reflect on the beauty of life. You have your own private rituals that you draw strength from. You are a wholesome person. You live a low-key, low-drama, and healthy life.

What's Your Spirit Flower?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

CHROMOSOME 6, Michael Crichton, pot pies, and Chinese Eric

Not surprised that the family went to Tsui Woo for lunch, haha. Thank goodness I got out of it! Teunis and I discussed my "hiding," frozen yogurt, KNOCKING on doors, his feeling like crap when he got up, chocolate, doughnuts, experimenting with potatoes, communication, pot pies, Kaili's broken laptop (again) / the soldering iron, "visiting" with Kaili and returning the laptop, and more. Chinese Eric came on MSN and discussed the Boston series with me - yes, we should hang out soon when his health allows! Finally had time to organize the seven latest books that Mom gave me: As the Crow Flies (Jeffrey Archer), Chromosome 6 (Robin Cook), Three Complete Novels: The Andromeda Strain / The Terminal Man / The Great Train Robbery (Michael Crichton), The Best-Laid Plans (Sidney Sheldon), The Cider House Rules (John Irving), The Client (John Grisham), and The Voice Of The Night (Dean Koontz) - quite the haul!

Complete silence is a MUST-HAVE!

Called Auntie Rebecca yesterday afternoon to advise her that I wouldn't be able to make it to Awana; I'm sure she'll save the awards for me, haha! Had sticky rice wraps and green beans for something to eat while I laughed at Chris Lam's "letters of the alphabet" FAILS as posted by Sabrina, hahaha. Teunis left at 4:45, making noises about doughnuts / Congee Noodle House / Fabricland / Zellers / Jordan sewing his own clothes / going walkabout in a park. Talked to James for a bit, too. When my alarm went off this morning, I was far too tired to even contemplate going to church, so I called Eric to let him know. (I had gone to bed at 12:45 AM, but didn't have complete silence as I could hear something being played from the other room)

Your Dad Was the Provider

When you were growing up, your dad did his best to make sure you had everything you needed. You may not have seen your dad as much as you would have liked, but it was only because he was busy working. Your dad always did what it took to make ends meet, and he got a lot of satisfaction from working hard. Your dad believed in doing the right thing, even if it meant he was exhausted at the end of the day.

What Kind of Dad Did You Have?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!