Turbo jokers and French stones at rodeos / I know where things are! / Bombs

Bingo of the night:

PIERROTS (132 points) - against Bridget S.


High-scoring words of the night:

POW (100 points) - against Cheryl W. [2W, 5W]
TURBOS (160 points) - against Linda C. [two 4W]
JOKER (236 points; 4W, 5L on J), TEEN (115 points; two 5W, hook off SARD to make AT / RE / DE) - against Amanda H.
DEFOG (176 points) - against Dawn S. [two 4W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
OBJECTS (112 points) - against Steve P. [4W, 2L on C]
RODEO (140 points) - against Melissa M. [5W, 4W]
PIERROTS (132 points) - against Bridget S. [5W, 2L on P, hook off POON to make SPOON, bingo] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
EXTRA (435 points) - against Karen S. [two 5W - one used twice, hook off SODA to make AE]


Called Auntie Ying after finishing a book - she would like notice, but sometimes I can't give her that! Says that Jessie's kids bother her when she's telling the lesson, but she just goes on as usual. Rachel's grandma loves helping the kids, of course. She said stuff about snacks after the lesson, which she'll prepare. Also brought up Esther, Amos losing a toy (his mom Jennifer says he learned a lesson), David and Evelyn going to daycare (according to their mom Linda), and Ada.

I asked if Conor had been there - he had, and his mom Pauline says he lost his Bible and Awana handbook. I know exactly where those items are (along with his brother Sean's stuff) because I picked them up a couple weeks ago! However, I didn't tell that to Auntie Ying, but figured "maybe they'll find them next week" was close enough to the truth. ;)


Trivia fact for Friday, July 16: Why did American planes drop bombs on Hawaii in December 1935 and April 1942? To divert the flow of lava from the erupting Mauna Loa volcano away from nearby roads and the city of Hilo.

Chapman's 4L tub is STUPID!

Okay, maybe I should have returned the 4L of Chapman's butterscotch ripple ice cream on Friday afternoon too. Now it turns out that I can't open the tub / plastic container! I also found that a Big Turk bar had somehow oozed out on the dining room table, but the others seemed to be okay - still unpleasant.

Leslie's just got their German Name. I just got my German Name. It's Raina von Winkel.

Leslie just took the Which Nintendo Character Are You Quiz and is Kirby. I am Kirby. A little odd, but certainly charismatic. You tend to look after yourself, but you do a very good job of it.

Leslie took the What will your daughter be named? quiz and the result is Bridget. Meaning: Its source is Brigit, a Gaelic name meaning "Exalted one." ("You will answer inane questions that have to do with your hair / eye color, and I will divine the name of your future child!" I don't get it. Bridget is a good Irish name, but it's not my heritage, really. [although I have an extended relative called Brigitte...])

Facebook quizzes taken from Kathy T., Jessica G., David W., Kelly, and Golden:

Leslie completed the quiz "Pregnancy Test" with the result You are not pregnant! Despite all the rumors and any positive pee sticks, you are definitely not pregnant. You now have plenty of time for one more horseback ride before trying again. Stay safe out there!

Leslie completed the quiz "Which active NBA player are you?" with the result Kobe Bryant. You're smooth, you're not afraid to take shots, and you take the final shot. Hit or miss, no regret. You will score whatever the opposing team defense set up against you. You've got the heart of a lion, you are godlike, you are Kobe Bryant!

Leslie completed the quiz "How Well do you know Women??" with the result Excellent!! (100%). You've Got to be Kidding Me!! Either you're an expert on the field of Women, or you've cheated!! Or else, you might just be a woman who has taken the quiz to see if it's really authentic! Whatever it is, Congratulations.... You're an Expert on the most difficult topic on earth.... Women!!

Leslie took the How Gay Are You quiz and the result is STRAIGHT. You're not gay in the slightest. Well done. :D

Leslie completed the quiz "Full Personality Evaluation" with the result You are a type 1C person. You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times, you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker, and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times, you are extroverted / affable / sociable, while at other times, you are introverted / wary / reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

Leslie completed the quiz "What Marvel superhero are you?" with the result Jean Grey. Nothing is scarier to men than a woman who knows what you're thinking, all the time. Couple that with the ability to throw a guy off a cliff with your mind for having a stray thought, and you have one bad babe! You have been to the dark side and back, and seen more than most would care to. Keep your chin up, and you'll keep on being one of the strongest women out there!

You Are the Library

You are very intellectual and well-read. You tend to be absorbed in your own interests. You can seem a bit standoffish. To be honest, you're not that interested in other people. You are comforted by the things you own. You tend to be a pack rat. It's likely that you have many old possessions that you treasure. You rarely throw anything away.

What Room of the House Are You?

HAHAHAHA! I love this result! :D

Regent graduation 2009 - yay for abalone?

Steph picked me up earlier, and we were off to dinner at some restaurant in the T&T plaza before Jon's grad ceremony. Discussed Teresa, reasonable noise level at 10 AM caused by the piano when you're trying to sleep, idealism, history, studying, wedding stuff, money, Jon's pub gig with his violin later, poop, Pastor John, and more. We checked out a townhouse area, and dropped by the church to pick Dad up. Dinner was all right, although Grandma insisted on ordering abalone and shark's fin soup for presumably STATUS reasons. We're simple folk, really (except maybe Jon) - Pho is much more efficient in terms of cost, haha. Discussed tea ceremonies, soap, interesting speech material, MC gigs, mushrooms, Cecilia / Wilson / Angela / Mr. Tee / Anna / Michael / Ethan / Brigitte / pictures, Laughing Bean coffee (Grandma thought we were going to Mui's after dinner!), Chung, Allison, Mattias, little kids, Mike K., and more.

I did the dutiful thing and accompanied Grandma to and from the washrooms: my sister thought that was a good-hearted thing to do as well. Not like I really MINDED doing that! She made a comment about a kid being really quick inside the washroom - IGNORE and DISREGARD! There was a Pho Thai Son inside the plaza, which I didn't know was there... should tell Jon or Jeremy about that, haha. My sister and I took the stairs instead of the elevator: exercise, NOT smelling pee everywhere, and NOT getting stuck inside the machine between floors were good incentives!

Broadway Church was CROWDED even when we got there twenty minutes earlier than the stated time of the grad! Saw Vanessa, Wai-Mui, J-Mak's parents, Kevin's mom, and a few others that we knew. Discussed Sean, moving, New York, weddings, Alan and Tracy, Andy and Megan, the Awana extension, and more... talked about Jack Bauer as well. (I need to catch up tomorrow!) The grad ceremony was all right; Steph, Vanessa, and I noticed some of the impossible / funny names in the program (like someone whose long first name started with G, and whose last name ended with "kerkerker" OR someone else whose first name was Wee Wee [she had an English name too, thank goodness!]), and winced when "Ng" was mispronounced. It's "ING," not "ning."

We were amazed by the VERY academic titles of some of the grads' papers - who knew you could analyze a psalm or Amos so thoroughly?! (letters and such...) Vanessa noticed Jon's friend Andrea's name in the program, I noticed Ray's, Steph recognized Jon's friend Drema's name when she was called, and there was one husband and wife graduating together! (someone took her baby up with her - how cute!) Jon was part of the music offertory, so Steph took a couple of pictures. Receiving the degree and hood must be exciting... the charge to the grads was interesting, too. It mentioned death, being good, the Christian life, and more.

We later saw Vivian, her mom, Auntie Catherine, Andrea, Lesley, Pastor Edward, Christon, and other people there to support Jon with flowers, cards, gifts, pictures, and their presence - very nice of them! I had to go downstairs to look for Grandma, and bumped into Ray - he was on the phone, but I said my congratulations to him anyhow; he did thank me to show he'd heard. (I should have got him a card, but I'll do that on Thursday) Very nice, haha. Going against the traffic flow was tough, but we made it! I told Lesley that something had come up, thus why I couldn't attend her school's event on Friday. (I can spend a lot of time with Billie instead!) She's been immersed in the African fundraising function for a while now - I bet!

On the way home, we listened to what sounded like a season evaluation on Team 1040. Learned that the Giants lost against the Kelowna Rockets - AIYA! The Sharks lost against Detroit, and the Flames lost against Chicago: this means a Vancouver-Blackhawks series, and a San Jose-Red Wings series. Steph warned me that I should look after Grandma when the lards go on their cruise in August, especially with Jon out of there, and her working. I don't mind, really - I'm sure Grandma might want my company, and THAT isn't a bad thing at all. I'll spend time with her between now and then, of course! Got home to find an Evite from Jen for her birthday - which happens to be right after Danielle's birthday thing! (on the very DAY, yes...) I'll discuss things with Jon first before I commit - maybe I'll call him tomorrow!

Past hilarious quotes, May to December 2006

May 15, 2006: (Monday)

Mom: "You must know Jeremy better than I do. After all, you were sitting with him and his parents on Easter Sunday! *pause* Maybe you and Eric can have a romantic evening and watch 24 with us!"
(While her assumption about Jeremy is true, her reason for it isn't. Let's just say that her idea of a romantic evening does NOT match mine, either... and Eric and I don't go out!)

Slightly later:

Steph to me: "Mom and Dad turned you ORANGE as a baby because they fed you so many carrots!"
Mom, half-listening: "What?! We turned her ON?!"
... NO! THAT IS JUST WRONG!


June 3, 2006: (Saturday)

Dad, to my sister on our way to Aaron and Joyce's wedding banquet: "Ha! Your shirt is sleeveless. *ten-second pause* You're sleeveless in Vancouver!!!"
(that is LAME and NOT clever!)


June 5, 2006: (Monday)

My sister called me to report the following. They had some kind of Chinese soup with octopus and squid tentacles as part of dinner. I've had this many times, and it's great! This is what happened tonight:

Mom: "Look at all the testicles in the soup!"
Steph: *bursts out laughing while correcting her, then calls me*
Mom: "Are you SURE they're tentacles?!"
Steph: "Yes, Mom. Just don't look up the other thing on the Internet. You'll see things you don't want to see!"
Mom, to me: "Are you making this up?!"
Me: "NO!!!! OF COURSE NOT!"

HAHAHAHAHA! Oh boy. o_O


June 4, 2006: (Sunday)

Me: "I'm going to Scope my teeth." (as in the mouthwash, not checking things out :P)
Steph: "Um, okay."
Mom: "What?! You're going to SCOPE YOUR TEATS?! Or did you say STROKE?!"
*me and sister tell her what's wrong with that while laughing at her... it would HURT!*


June 11, 2006: (Sunday)

Christon, on why he didn't need a ride home after lunch: "No, I need to food shop for the BBQ on Wednesday." (explaining why Nathan wouldn't want to give him a ride home)
What everyone else heard: "I need to get my FLU SHOT for the BBQ!"
Danielle, seeking clarification: "But what for?!"
Christon: "Beef, hot dogs, stuff like that..."
Everyone else: "... um... are you sure?!"
Finally, we asked him what he meant... we were like, "Is it even flu shot season? Even if it were, why would you need a flu shot for a BBQ?!"


July 22, 2006: (Saturday)

Steph, at the #9: "I want Pearl Castle!" (their bubble tea is good)
Mom: "You don't need PASTA, since the portions here are huge!!!"
HAHAHAHA, that is NOT what she said!


Aug. 25, 2006: (Friday)

Billy: "So Timothy was going to carry his [the apostle Paul's] torch..."
Karen: "Curious George?! That doesn't sound bad!" (we were talking about a whole bunch of bad stuff the Corinthians did)
Billy: "... no. Carry. His. Torch."
HAHAHAHA! I love hilarious Bible Study!


Sometime in August 2006:

Steph: Mum! Wanna see Brokeback Mountain with us? (her and Vivian S.)
Mum: The one with the lesbian cowboys?
Hahaha! I guess it's all the same to her!


Aug. 20, 2006: (Sunday)

A bunch of us were over at Jeremy's for the first-ever Sunday Dinner, and were watching a nature documentary as entertainment.

1. Darryl, talking about Snakes On A Plane: "The only sad part about that line is that you can't say the whole thing! 'Get these mother *pause* snakes off this mother *pause* plane!' I mean, really... it doesn't have the same effect!"
Jeremy: "Yeah, we were playing Scattergories yesterday. One of the clues was a word that started with F, and which had four letters. Gee, could it be Samuel L. Jackson's favorite word?"
Jon: "Maybe... I mean, it is probably his best-known line, like, ever!"
Darryl: "Yeah... although all the bloggers loved that line long before it was inserted into the movie!"

2. Narrator on documentary mentions something about a preying mantis and its predator. Darryl's running joke quickly becomes "And we put this *insert name of animal* [or children, at the end] next to this praying mantis to see what it would do! Because obviously, they didn't sit around waiting to see what would happen, right?"

3. (Narrator on documentary mentions something about a praying mantis and its poop on a branch) Christon: "That looks like siu yok [Chinese dish]! I'm telling you, man. If they serve that tomorrow at the grad banquet, I'm NOT EATING IT!"
Jon: "Hey, one man's excrement is another man's treasure!"
Dallas: "Man, why does my camera always have to be off whenever this happens?!"
Jon: "You have BAD TIMING! Do the line again!"
Jeremy: "Nah, it won't be as funny the second time!"
Jen: "Shh! I'm trying to LISTEN!"


4. (scene of praying mantis eating its mate) Jen: "Oh, ew! That's so gross! She's eating him and they're still mating!"
Jon: "Yeah, it doesn't pay to be a male in that world, I guess!"
Vivian: "So how do they live on as a species if all the males get eaten?"
Jon: "I guess they have like 50 babies at a time!" (which was confirmed later on)
Alan: "I can't believe how they're still mating, and she's eaten his head and half his body already!"
Jen: "Ew ew ew! Oh, that's nasty!"

5. (various scenes of praying mantis killing its prey, or being killed by snakes / lizards) Jeremy: "Watch out... here it comes! CHOMP! That animal had NO CHANCE!"
Jen: "Oh gross!"
(then there was the scene where a praying mantis was killed rather violently by its predator) Jon: "Oh, yum. Who wants more rice and stuff now? That's the most violent death I've seen on this thing!"

6. Jon: "I think this gin and tonic needs more hops. Then again, the rice was good coz it was soaked in apple cider! I poured beer on the mussels too!"
Dallas: "Yeah, Tomlin... but I dunno. Maybe we should do that next week with your Thai curry!"
Jon: "That's a GOOD IDEA!"

7. Vivian: "Here, have some lemon-cranberry cookies I made at Chrystal's this afternoon."
Dallas: "Hey, these look like the ones that the kids were selling today!"
Vivian: "Eh, at least they're different flavors! Although they were a better deal than the Chinese congregation's stuff!"
*segue into discussion of Hannah, Natalie, Zoe, and whether there are any nine-year-old boys at church.. one, Steven!*

8. Jon: "Yeah, I read your blog, Jen. I even know who you called last week at your place! 'Oh, hi. I'm just really tanked right now...' "
Jen: "I didn't say THAT!"
Me: "Yeah, coz I told you this morning..."
Jon: "Eh, shut up, you little girl."
Me: "Cheh... no bubble tea for YOU!"

9. Jon: "Man, I've had nine hours of sleep in the last two days! I'm tired! *chest slaps Jeremy as we leave at 12:30* "
Jeremy: "Oh man!"
Me: "Isn't he going to bed soon, too?" (Darryl had gone to bed ten minutes before)
Jon: "Yeah! That'll give him energy to crawl into bed!"
Me: "Uh, if you say so... thanks, Jeremy! See you tomorrow!"


Sept. 4, 2006: (Sunday)

1. MC at Wails and Diana's wedding: "Hey, Diana! What is Wails' fetish?"
Diana: "Beer! He drinks a lot!"
Mom at our table: "Did he say FINISH?"
Jon: "No... he said FETISH."
Mom: "Oh... what's that?!"
*Jon and I look at each other, debating whether to explain*
"It has to do with sex... it's a sexual term... it's something that you, um, have to have so, er..."
Mom: *horrified look* ".... OH! Are you SURE you're not making this up?"
Jon: "No, Mom..."

2. Mom: "I have these postcards for you from Mount Rushmore. You'll like them since they're about pooping and butts!"
Jon: *looks at the postcards* "No, they're not. A rack refers to moose antlers OR to boobs, NOT pooping!"
Mom: "Are you SURE? I thought it had to do with bombing!"
Me: "We're very sure, Mom... only one of them is about butts. It has a back view of the mountain."


Sept. 7, 2006: (Thursday)

1. Mom, on the Brew-O-Poly game at Chapters: "Oh my God. Why would ANYONE make a game about beer?!"
Me: "Because they think people would have fun with it?"
Mom: "Euh... not my type of game. Maybe Jon or Jeremy should get it!"
Hahaha, maybe so!

2. Mom, on these decorative art tiles at the 99¢ store: "Oh my God. They say FULL OF BEANS on them."
Me: "That's just a pun for coffee, Mom."
Mom: "Are you SURE they're not SWEARING?!"
Me: "Very sure. Coffee is made from beans. You know that."
Mom: "Well, okay...."

3. Mom, on the books at the "cheap books" store at Aberdeen: "I really want to get a wedding planning book... can we just pretend you're getting married?"
Me: "... no. Just get a coloring book for Brigitte [my distant relative] instead!"


Sept. 11, 2006: (Monday)

Mom, on where I wanted to go for the family celebration of my birthday: "I don't mind it being more expensive since it's your wedding... I mean, your birthday! I hope you get married soon!" [I chose Top Shanghai over some Chinese place for the NEW factor]


Sept. 12, 2006: (Tuesday)

My mom, on a Seattle Mariners-Toronto Blue Jays game: "... WHAT are the players doing?!"
Jon: "The pitcher is sending a signal to the catcher."
Steph, just to amuse herself: "Hey, look! The players are even more obvious with what they're doing in the dugout!"
Mom: "Euh... can't they just scratch their nose?"
Me: "Then the batters could see the signals, Mom."
Mom: "Better than scratching their crotch!"
Steph: "Hey Mom, look at these benefits! You can see spring training in Dunedin, FL if you're a return season ticket holder... and then you can see that 81 times a year!"
Mom: "I can't even stand that ONCE a year! Maybe they should get dirty old men to do that job!"

HAHAHAHA! My mom just does not get sports, I suppose!


Sept. 29, 2006: (Friday)

Mom, on Dave's blog: "Steph told me about Dave and Tiffany. Then I saw your brother looking at Dave's blog. Isn't he being rude?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Mom: "Well, the title is rude!"
Me: "What's so rude about a Reformed Jerk?"
Mom: "Aren't jerks BAD people?"
Jon: "No, no... he's REFORMED. That means he ISN'T a jerk anymore! It's NOT rude!"
Mom, in a dubious tone: "Well, okay..."


Oct. 9, 2006: (Monday)

(Dallas, Vivian S., Eric M., my siblings, and I are all sitting around the townhouse discussing people we know)

Steph: "Hey, his nickname could be RANDY!"
Eric: "Yeah! You should go for it!"
Me: "I don't think so!"
Jon: "Hey, let's look that up on the Internet!" *proceeds to do so*
Steph, to amuse us: "Mom, come over here and look at this definition!"
Mom: *reads the definitions* "Oh..." *horrified*
Dallas: "What is it?"
Mom: "They mention something about LIBIDO. Do they mean, like... SEX?!" *very horrified*
Vivian: "... yes, they do."
Mom: "Oh no...."


Oct. 22, 2006: (Sunday)

Mom, noticing that an intersection near the church (the one we usually use to access church) was closed: "Road Closed?! Is this construction for the RAV Line?!"
(note: our church was nowhere close to where the RAV line is actually being constructed in the Oakridge / Granville area)

My sibs and I just looked at each other and tried convincing her that there were other construction projects going on that had nothing to do with the RAV line! Hahaha...

If you miss a train, you don't need to take a $700 cab ride!

Just before I left today, I fielded this email from Uncle Eric and Auntie Brenda, forwarded to me by my mother: "Derek, our older son, was recently coughing up blood. He went to the doctor for a chest X-ray, but nothing was diagnosed. Subsequently, he was seen by a lung specialist, and a brochoscopy was ordered. There is a tumor on the left lung. A scan is to be done sometime next week, and surgery is to be scheduled. We pray that the cells are not malignant. Derek now attends the Knight Street Alliance, but I believe all of you know and love him, and I can share my burden with you." Man, that sucks! =/ (I'll definitely be praying for them)

Henry and I had a chatty conversation in the car about how his mom just got back from Italy, and wanted them to eat dinner at the new Yung Kee - hey, we both had mutual dinners tonight! Talked about kitchens, girlfriends, rice, Ada being not able to make it out, tidying stuff up, crème brulée, egg whites, meringue, video filming for a coffeehouse, recipes, Chevron, PetroCan, the gas price going up to 119.0 today, Esso being bad for your engine, SUVs soon being a thing of the past, octane (he uses 87 since 91 is so expensive), and how he should get a Japanese car next time! When I got to church, I dumped last week's dues on Auntie Vivian's stuff, and gave the containers back to Golden / Andrew for this week's dues money. (I thought of the perfect change jar for K, too!) There was a schedule change today which left the secretaries with little time to do awards - we'll revise it! The guys tried playing cards, but were kept busy - phew! (Awana Choir - yay!) Amos and I watched the Cubbies play games downstairs - Eric W. didn't do anything! Rachel seemed like she was hyperventilating, and Benjamin / Thomas / Eddy / Amanda seemed to have fun with Zoe's ball. Auntie Kam laughed a lot, especially when Amanda called Eddy "it" - the kids were supposed to pass the ball to each other, but say their name first. (they did warm-ups before playing games - very nice way to get physical exercise in!)

After that, Henry dropped me off at Sun Sui Wah - but not before we saw police tape on Victoria, near Nancy's Wonton House. Must be a murder or a gangland shooting! Haha, I'm not surprised. Got there two minutes before Jon did with his violin - the manager and hostess were having trouble finding the reservation, but they found it in good time with the phone number. Jon actually managed to order tea, which shows his Chinese has improved in the past couple of years! Said hi to Auntie Kwai and Aaron when they showed up, and then spent most of the meal talking to my sibs. Our cousin Wilson is now a bus driver in Toronto, which makes Jon hope it's not for the Toronto Transit Commission! Talked about our cousin Anna and her husband Mike, too. Auntie Kwai says Brigitte (their daughter) will be ten in October - WHAT?! Kids grow up so fast, so her brother Ethan will be older too! We made mental notes to NOT discuss the last time we saw Aaron, since that was his wedding - or maybe Wails' wedding. Saw this MONSTER king crab - wow! Steph found she couldn't get wireless to access the hockey score, but it didn't matter if she knew about it then or in an hour or so. Had shark's fin soup, veggies, free range chicken, a cake roll that Auntie Kwai had brought along (we laughed!), scallops with tofu, rice, and other things - of course we didn't have noodles since that's not a dinner item. *rolleyes*

Asked Steph whether she'd returned the wedding MC library book: nope, so I renewed it when I got home. She asked in turn whether I'd thought about dinner options tomorrow - no, but I had an idea a while later of going to Paesano's. That was definitely cool with her as a change from White Spot or Milestones - we went there back in October 2005, and we had an excellent dinner courtesy of a three-course special for $15 or so: calamari pesto, New York steak with mushrooms, tomato rice soup, roasted leg of lamb, house salad, white chocolate ice cream with a butterscotch centre / whipped cream / raspberry coulis, tiramisu with ladyfingers, and good coffee! Discussed jury duty and hardship (conflict of interest / $20 a day increasing to $50 a day increasing to $100 a day), Jon's haircut, Raymond's age (33), the irony of International Womens Day when Grandma was going on and on about the ugfart, Mr. Tee overworking himself by shovelling snow (alpha male!), Harmony disliking facial hair, dim sum lunch at Gala restaurant (Steph treating Grandma), Jon's teaching, a new "$36 for 10-course meal" place which was featured on the front page of the VANCOUVER SUN, Regina training, and insane expense accounts.

If you miss a train, you don't need to take a $700 cab ride ($600 fare / $100 tip) from Kingston to Toronto when you can wait a couple hours for VIA Rail! Also talked about the time change, Gilbert's wedding, Melia's wedding and her parents wanting to move to a condo, Derek's health, babysitting drunk people, Olivia contributing to Bible Study, the 30-Hour Famine, Vivian's new boxer Churro, what I did in Chilliwack / making myself useful / tidying up the garbage and recycling even though it wasn't my house, the past, transit, gross rice (I might email that picture to everyone!), and age. Steph mentioned that Hien and Mary were being quiet, which led to a discussion on people KNOWING the answer but not saying much, and Stanley saying something inappropriate about a sticker saying "I'm turning a kid's AK-47 into a school!" (he wanted to turn it around) Then she noticed that we were being Chinese by letting the last bit of everything just stay on its respective plate since we were HAK-HAI around our elders... she put the quail out of its misery, and I did the same with the lamb and tofu / scallops!

Auntie Kwai wanted to know when Jon planned on getting married - 2009 is the earliest, for sure! Steph looked up dates like 9/11 (a Wednesday) on her cellphone calendar - no need to "save the date" there! I almost wanted her to look up June 2009 dates, but didn't ask. Took pictures with Grandma, who seemed very happy about it! The extent of my conversation with Aaron was various "thank-yous" and table-taps for tea and forks and such. While the parents were discussing their May cruise / Zion outing, Steph told me and Jon that Mom had been on the phone with Auntie Wing Yee (Harmony's mom) discussing cruises in general. When Mom mentioned going to Brazil with them, Dad just didn't like the idea! He would DIE there because of the heat! He said something about how he'd have to wear a bikini there, so the three of us exchanged a horrified look. This grew worse when Dad added in something about how he or Mom could just go topless - and on that very dubious note, we left! o_O

Ontario phone calls, amusing MSN name tricks, Kraft Shake'n Bake (Original)

Whose phone number is 416-224-1061? Yes, I know it's from Ontario... but I don't know anybody there. At least, not with that number! Weird stuff, but at least I've avoided it!

Ah, MSN amusement is so hilarious! I just couldn't resist any longer, so I had to do the "respond to MSN name" trick. Definitely something to make me laugh! "CALL ME. I love you a lot." is about phone calls, no matter what Jasmine may say! Hahahaha, I love this kind of giggle-fest! :D (but Enrico would say I was on crack... whatever, dude! :P)

Mom says that Auntie Kwai is going to Toronto soon, so said I should call her. It was 10:30 then, but whatever you say... Kwai told me that she was just going to book the flight in two weeks, so I told her to call my mom when she did since we had books and dolls for the kiddies! ("OH! SO NICE! OF COURSE!") Heh, we haven't seen her lately since she goes to the Mandarin service at 2 on Sundays. At least I don't have to wait till October, although I dunno what Brigitte likes. Oh well.

Vanessa emailed me Sean's new address: good thing I didn't go with the one I had for last year since he's moved! After that, I wrote up his birthday card and Sheena's... along with a couple of late Christmas / birthday cards for Katya, Billie, and others. All my sibs have to do on Friday / Sunday is sign Sean and Sheena's cards, then I will hopefully have Evan's stuff and everyone else's in the mail by this time next week!


Kraft Shake'n Bake (Original)

Need a recipe that copies Shake'n Bake in a pinch? Or maybe you don't feel like going to the store for the real thing. Here's the TSR solution for a quick clone that will give you the same texture and flavor of Kraft Shake'n Bake using very common ingredients. You may notice the color is a bit different in this clone when compared to the real thing. That's because this recipe doesn't include beet powder, which is a hard-to-find ingredient that lends a dark orange tint to the original. But after you sink your teeth into the chicken (baked the same way as described on the Shake'n Bake box), you'll swear it's the same stuff. When you're ready to get shaking and baking, use this breading on 2 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces or on 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn flake crumbs
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine.
2. Prepare chicken following the same technique as described on the box of the original mix using 2 1/2 lbs. of bone-in chicken (6 to 8 pieces, with or without skin) or 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then moisten the chicken with water. Use a large plastic bag for the coating and use the same steps as described on the original package: "Shake moistened chicken, 1 to 2 pieces at a time, in shaker bag with coating mixture. Discard any remaining mixture and bag. Bake at 400 degrees in ungreased or foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan until cooked through."

BONE-IN: 45 minutes / BONELESS: 20 minutes. Serves 4.

Spongebob Beanie Babies RULE! / No liquid sleep aids!

I found the perfect birthday present for my distant cousin Ethan just now at Save-On: a half-price Spongebob Beanie Baby! He loves Spongebob, so I'm hoping he likes it! The only thing is that I'll have to get my mom to send it to his mom Anna sometime... and do I even HAVE the kid's birthday in my BootyBase? I think his sister Brigitte's birthday is in October, and maybe that's the case with him too... let's see. Brigitte's is 6 October 1998, and Ethan's is 30 October 2003... okay, so I'm a little late. :P Gives me some time to find something for Brigitte too, at the very least! Got some Mediterranean chips with batata, parsnip, yuca, and other interesting flavors too. (plus spicy Thai kettle chips and way too much other junk food even though my mom gave me a bag of caramel rice cakes and other junk food yesterday!) Speaking of birthday stuff, I got birthday cards for Sean / Pat / Sheena... if Vanessa doesn't reply to my email (I know she's busy!), I can use Sean's as a spare! (and I got a cute Chinese New Year card for Grandma, hehe)

Replaced my #19 Bathroom Reader... then got some Tylenol cold pills (no more liquid Nyquil for me!) aspirin, and some microwaveable meals which were on sale. No liquid soap / laundry detergent since I don't need that! My brother had mentioned on Sunday that my favorite Boston Pizza was closed down, and I got to see the truth of that statement just now. Apparently, it's closed for renovations according to Barry... guess we'll see about THAT later, too. I remembered the rental thing, and he didn't - seems a bit odd, but whatever. Also got some new Mentos gum (Arctic Frost / Spearmint / Cinnamint), and some St. Ives (Swiss formula!) Exfoliating Apricot body wash since they had a coupon to save 75¢ on one. Was hoping for the Brownie Pie ice cream I saw at Safeway on Sunday, but no luck... yes, I know the two stores' selection is way different! :P (had to settle for some Half-Baked to satisfy my brownie cravings)

All right, I need a bath or shower now after that pricey expedition with bottled green tea which was on sale / bottled water / bananas / fruit / salad / chip dip / baby carrots / six Starbucks frappuccinos. Hopefully, I can get some RQ tagging work done and be finished with 2004 today! I've been going out a lot lately, so that's been a factor in why I'm not finished at least March 2005 yet, haha. I also have a LOT of journal comments to catch up on, so that'll be my afternoon / evening for sure. Ah, here's an email from Lesley about dinner at the Latitude on Saturday. It sounds like an expensive restaurant, but it's really the apartment building where she lives! The guys and I were discussing that on Friday, and Jon seemed surprised that I hadn't responded yet! Hey, sometimes I don't RSVP to things immediately... so I guess we'll see if I get a ride, haha!

2006 Recap / KFC Macaroni & Cheese

This is the 2006 Recap. Fitting for the last day of the year, no?

JANUARY

* Went to my parents' place for New Year's dinner with Dave, Melissa, Vivian, a lot of Jon's Toronto friends, Jon, and Steph. It was interesting: 10.5% barley wine rules, only not really. :P

* Saw the Chronicles of Narnia movie, then hung out with Jon / Phil / Dennis afterwards at Memphis Blues / coffee shop. Then I met a few of his Toronto friends at someone's apartment.

* Ended a friendship with Shannon using the old avoidance technique. ;)

* Ended a friendship with Palmer because of his lifestyle... don't bug me about it if you know I don't like it! :P

* My Bible Study group totally sucked and didn't show up one night, leaving me very annoyed as I could have stayed home! Later, it turned out that Karen had forgotten to include my email address on the cancellation email. Oh well.

* Erik ended a friendship with me over the content of my journal... I can post IM conversations if I want!

* Went to Stella's baby shower, and finally met Helen K.'s baby Nicholas! (who missed my brother's birthday by nine days)

* Finally (?) got my eviction notice from my apartment.


FEBRUARY

* Met Teunis and Jasmine for some hangout time (as Eric H. would say). It was pretty good, and I think I may have made a new friend. Actually, I did. :)

* Started work on Jaebird's tags when I was bored, haha.

* Got an offer to stay so I didn't have to move... most weird, but whatever!

* Stella's baby boy was born... he missed my sister's birthday by six days! (his name is Benjamin, which makes me think of the rocker Ben Lee!)

* Went to my sister's "last days of 22" party (even though she didn't show up to mine! :P) with Pei Lyn, Rachel, Jessica, Karen Grace, Margaret, Cindy, Danielle, Erin, Vanessa, Melia, and Emily.

* Hung out with Eric H. on Valentine's Day and got some heart-shaped pizza with chicken wings. We later saw Brokeback Mountain... good movie!

* Finished the 5000-Question Survey on 19 February, which I'd worked on since 7 November 2005. Thanks, Arthurbulla. ;)

* Corey decided to show me the horrors of a computer case via webcam, and also flipped me off twice for no good reason! :P

* Chris Sykes FINALLY unfriended me... yay! :D

* Got cable Internet, finally. :D


MARCH

* Downloaded / played lots of classic computer games: Oregon Trail, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Number Munchers, Cross Country Canada, etc.

* Karen Choo gave me a glass game set to make up for the Bible Study group totally sucking.

* Had the Awana Rorheim training session... those crisis videos were cool, man!

* Got to know some of the teens better... sorta.

* Started on my "filling up tags" project, and found that I could once again effectively manage my tags by editing / deleting / adding them via buttons and links!

* Got to see Corey's room via webcam again: proof that his birthday presents (curry chips and the #18 Bathroom Reader) got there. Figure out that stickers aren't as good a present as I thought they might have been, since he's not putting them on furniture / books! (bookmarks aren't, either... oh well)

* Got a request from Matt Torres to burn him a copy of the Seattle Phone Pranks on CD... sure, why not?

* Figured out that Karen's emails were LAME and kinda odd. o_O

* Found that Quizilla didn't have normal HTML results anymore, so switched to Zenhex.

* Mom equated hugging with making out... EWWWW!

* Chrystal came back from Korea!

* Saw Jeremy at church for the first time in some weeks. It was cool. :D

* Went bowling at the Zone / eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory with the Fellowship. It was okay.

* Started a list of duplicate names mentioned in my blogs.

* Got IMed by some relay bot, and was left wondering WTF happened.

* Lee and Lily's baby girl Hannah was born.


APRIL

* Got Matt Torres' money for the Seattle Phone Pranks CD, and sent off the CD a couple days later.

* Hung out here with Eric H. and found him four new icons.. the Canucks game was good, too!

* Easter Sunrise Service: Randal is Steph's new hero because he flipped over four creamers at once during breakfast!

* The Canucks got mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

* Finished "Project Tag Fill."

* Ate a pre-Fellowship dinner of Pho with Jasmine once. It worked out anyhow since Eric had to be there early.


MAY

* Got IMed by someone else on a relay bot. This time, Corey prompted me to do some digging. Found TheMissingHat.. ah, solutions at last!

* Finished Thy Dungeonman 3... thanks, Eric!

* Vivian L. finally came back after seven months in France!

* Corey's Taiwanese friend Jane finally met him in person. During that week, I mailed him some seaweed / a graduation bear and card / lots of random Chinese candy. It got there the day before she left town.

* Went to Phil's "summer adieu bash thingy," as Nathan termed it. (Phil was going to Texas for his internship) It was at Citrus' place: Ricky, Nathan, Phil, Steph, Eric M., Joe, Jeremy, Christon, Benny, Anthony, Danielle, Citrus, Cordia, and I were there. We had fun with SUPER MARIO STRIKERS and KATAMARI DAMACY, and ate homemade shepherd's pie. (thanks, Uncle Rex!)

* Went to Shanghai Wind for SLB mania because Steph's Mississauga friends Ceci and Angela were in town. Brian (on his inaugural SLB outing), Danielle, Jeremy, Eric, Nathan, Steph, Ceci, Angela, and I smashed the old record of 13 steamers for 8 people quite handily tonight: we ended up ordering 21 steamers for 9 people, although it was a struggle to finish them! Since there are six to a steamer, we consumed 126 of them! (Vivian S. isn't included in our number since she doesn't eat pork) The total bill was $118.80, and we didn't have ANY money problems putting down a total of $130! (that's pretty rare!)


JUNE

* Attended my cousin Aaron's wedding to his bride Joyce. That was the MOST awkward wedding ever, given that my mom's brother never acknowledged her because of certain dramatastic things happening in the family.

* Jon graduated from grad school and came home... the lucky dude got a Caribbean cruise with our parents! (but then he DID mix up what he was majoring in, haha)

* Finally saw Nina after a few years. Vented about relationships and such, then hung out with Steph and Vivian later. (lots of Ben and Jerry's ice cream was consumed, haha)

* Discovered Stickicide 2... I love killing off that stick figure! :D

* Saw Terrence off at the airport after a "last-minute" weekend: good thing the parents weren't here! Discovered the White Chamber later that day, too.

* I discovered the addicting LJ Dungeon RPG meme. Later that day (the 26th), Jon came home from Toronto after 22 months. Both Erics, Jon, Jeremy, Nathan, and I went to Dragon Ball after that to celebrate. (note: I finally finished all the dungeons on my friends list on July 19, barring new friends / interests)

* Hung out with Eric H. and ate dinner at the Mad Greek. He memorably described Pink Floyd as "mesmerizing cult music," hahaha.

* Went to Milestones with Pastor Edward, Karen Choo, Randal, Ivan, Kevin, Billy, Stella, Benjamin, Andrea, Jen, Andy, and Vivian for another Bible Study group outing. Since Randal was there, we celebrated his birthday with a "surprise," (I didn't feel obligated to chip in since I'd bought him a history Bathroom Reader already!)


JULY

* Spent some time with Terrence before he went to Singapore to serve two years' compulsory army duty. Also spent some time with Vivian S. before she went to Israel for two weeks... we all went to Pearl Castle for some bubble tea. The next day, we went to Superstore / the dollar store / bought whoopee cushions and had fun / had the BEST barbecued pork / tried Pure Tea Café, but it was closed.

* Learned Benny was leaving for Montreal. Aiya.. his time here was so short!

* Went to Northern Delicacy (SLB) / movie night at Eric's with Jon, Steph, Eric, Erin, Eunice, Nathan, Jeremy, and Jen. A FISH CALLED WANDA is so nasty and funny!

* My glasses gave up the ghost, finally. The ministry covered the costs for a new pair, even if I did have to pay for the eye exam myself.

* Summer Conference 2006. Good times hanging out with Jeremy, Vania, the girls, Ben, and the rest of them.. even if Eric DID jokingly say I was afraid of trays! (to say nothing of Jon's coffee and lemonade combos!)


AUGUST

* Finished Beneath a Steel Sky.

* Hung out with Eric H. and gave him his birthday presents... he liked the giant book of word searches! We also watched PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Pretty good night!

* Hung out at Icon Karaoke with Jon, Dallas, Myles, his sister Holly, and her boyfriend Peter. Good times... way literal Ice Ice Baby video, though! (Odell Lake rules the classics, and the Zoobombs rule the noise!)

* Fidela and Jackie's surprise birthday party to celebrate 20 years... good times!

* Got my new glasses... nice and blue!

* Benny's surprise farewell barbecue at Jericho Beach... he thanked me for my gifts and said that it was thoughtful. Then we went to Dragon Ball later... three times in three nights for certain people!

* Benny, Anthony, and Mike got baptized. Later that night, a bunch of us went to Jen's for a potluck. Auntie Beatrice goes to the coolest places... Libya, Peru, Bolivia...

* Hung out with Eric H., Nathan, and Jon at Riverport to celebrate Eric's birthday. Ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory and saw TALLADEGA NIGHTS... so funny! (yay for Monster Magnet's Space Lord!)

* Got together with Nina again to give her some birthday presents too. Met her mom and her son Dylan, which was nice. :D

* Met at Jeremy's for a dinner which Jon thought would be a recreation of his Delta experience in Toronto. SNAKES ON A PLANE references abounded, and then we watched a nasty yet educational documentary on the praying mantis. (and the PUMAMAN episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000)

* Church Grad Banquet 2006: yay for everyone and the funny skits!

* Saw REQUIEM FOR A DREAM with the guys: lotsa drugs there! :P

* More weekender dinners at Phil's and Eric's featured Korean food and Thai curries. Good job, Dallas!


SEPTEMBER

* My "cousin" Bong / Wail got married, and it was a nice wedding. Got to see Mike, Anna, Brigitte, Ethan, and Wilson again. Too bad they all live in Toronto! Heh, at least Aaron and Joyce's mood seemed improved.

* Saw THE ILLUSIONIST (Edward Norton does magic) with Eric M., Eric H., Nathan, and Jon... happy birthday to Enrico! Then we went for bubble tea at Dragon Ball the next night.

* Awana started again: gotta love the kids and leaders!

* This month's weekender dinner featured Jeremy's homemade Pho. (NOT organic)

* Went to Pho Thai Son and THE UNBREAKABLE POPSICLE STICK GANG at Granville Island with Jeremy, Jon, Holly, and assorted other people. Great birthday present, heh. Steph also got me a plush DRAGON later on, which made Vivian kinda jealous since I was STILL getting presents after my birthday!

* Went to the church appreciation dinner ON MY BIRTHDAY (of all days)... it was all right, I suppose.

* Celebrated my birthday a couple days late at the Old Spaghetti Factory with both Erics, Karen Choo, Dylan, Teunis, Jen, Jon, Jeremy, Steph, Nathan, Randal, and Danielle. (Nina left before we even started eating...) Both Erics, Randal, Jeremy, and Nathan watched BLACK DAHLIA with me.. interesting stuff about murder and dismemberment! :D

* Celebrated Citrus' birthday one night early at his place with Karen Grace, Ryan, Christon, Nathan, Steph, Eric M., Danielle, Cordia, Citrus, Rich, and Mike. We ate lots of pizza, and watched Mexico videos / Inside Man. (two trips to PoCo in a few months?!)

* Saw the Hylozoists at the UBC SUB with Jon and Jeremy... that's the Toronto band he used to sub in for, haha. Had a Pho dinner beforehand, so that was a good night. :)


OCTOBER

* Celebrated Jeremy's birthday with white wine and another Sunday dinner at Nathan's. Good times, even though I did get stranded beforehand! Ah, jokes about food and personal lives never get old...

* Went on a Chinese bus tour to see ginseng, wine, salmon spawning at Adams River, and other assorted things. It was okay, except for this bossy lady who should learn tact!

* Finished tagging RANDOM_MUSINGS posts.

* Hung out with Eric H. at Moxie's. He pulled a wire too hard and killed my keyboard. =/

* Went to the States with family, and got a new keyboard. :D

* Joe's farewell at Flamingo restaurant... funny DVD, and good discussions!

* Vivian's birthday party at a Greek restaurant, and pumpkin carving at Melia's. Good times!


NOVEMBER

* Warren and Lauren had baby Brandon.

* Went to see BORAT with Nathan, Jen, Vivian S., Eric, Steph, and Jeremy. IT WAS SO FUNNY! :D

* Started to get Christmas cards and things from the awesome people at holiday_wishes! So good! :D (forgot to include it last year, but I will this year and all other years hence :P)

* Found out that Jon has a girlfriend named Harmony, and experienced certain reactions to THAT news. Later that day, I saw the BC Lions play the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final. Jeremy, Jon, Eric M., Nathan, and I went to Bimini's Tap House. We won 45-14!

* Had to boil water for a while because of a huge storm dumping mud into the water systems here.

* Had a Sunday Korean lunch at Nathan's with Jen, Ricky, Nate, Jon, Steph, Jeremy, Christon, and Alan. We tried out Christon's brand-new Nintendo Wii, and watched the Lions win the Grey Cup over the Montreal Alouettes 25-14. Heh, my old high school classmate was on the Lions team! Had fun with Nathan's COSMO magazine... then went for a Keg family dinner for Jon's birthday. Then I received an offer: a 300GB hard drive for just $100? Sure, man!

* Went to Nyala (Ethiopian food) and the Whip to celebrate Jon's birthday with a bunch of people. It also snowed for the first time this year. Yikes. At least I was with people I (mostly) loved / trusted! Kudos to Jeremy for meeting me at Kingsgate Mall, because I am an idiot when it comes to transit in this town sometimes!


DECEMBER

* Met Steph's friends Alan Liu and his girlfriend Liz. A bunch of us went to Yaletown Brewery for lunch that Sunday, then our car went to MEC to get hats and such.

* Finally got that hard drive when faced with a deadline. It's effective, I must admit... I went to Loonie Plus to stock up on stuff, too. Also saw HAPPY FEET with Mom and Grandma, then went for Tsim Chai noodles later.

* Went to the Fellowship Christmas potluck. It was cool to see Rosenda and Ian again, and talk to certain people. Also met Eni, Dawn's boyfriend.

* Went to Shanghai Wind and the Whip with Jon, Jeremy, Alan, and Liz. (Dylan and Steph joined us for dinner, but went to Vivian's invite-only dessert night later) It was certainly very interesting, with good discussions and beer.

* Tim and Maxine had another baby.

* Bought 100 Christmas cards for a cheap price. Sam saved my night by giving me a ride to church, since everyone else was already THERE... no communication! Had the ESC Christmas celebration. Finally met Harmony, too.. about time! Saw Dave again... yay!

* Had a Christmas Eve dinner at Dave's. It was pretty cool... ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and THE OFFICE, anyone?

* Had to define "debauchery" for my mom. Thanks for getting me that book, Harmony... :P (only kidding, I love it!)

* Got sick so couldn't watch the PPV Flames-Canucks hockey game at Eric's on Boxing Day.

* Had a Bible Study group outing with Jeremy, Eric M., Jon, and Harmony. The vegetarian place was closed, so we went to Nirvana Indian food instead. Not sure it was "the only place in Vancouver with authentic Indian food," haha. Then we watched a special-needs documentary at Jer's before heading to Kat's Tea House to meet Eric H. and his girlfriend Fay. (finally!)

* Spent NYE at the townhouse with family and friends. Talked to Dave, Jon, Harmony, and Steph. Met Dave's girlfriend Tiffany, too.


KFC Macaroni & Cheese

Here's a clone for another of KFC's famous side dishes. We'll use easy-to-melt Velveeta, with its very smooth texture, as the main ingredient for the cheese sauce. Then a bit of cheddar cheese is added to give the sauce a sharp cheddary zing like the original. It's a very simple recipe that will take only 15 minutes to prepare. That's great news if you're a lazy cook like me who wants to dig right into the tasty vittles. Weeelll, doggies!

6 cups water
1 1/3 cups elbow macaroni
4 ounces Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add elbow macaroni to the water and cook it for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. While the macaroni is boiling, prepare the cheese sauce by combining the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often as the cheese melts into a smooth consistency.
3. When the macaroni is done, strain it and then pour it back into the same pan, without the water.
4. Add the cheese sauce to the pan and stir gently until the macaroni is well coated with the cheese. Serve immediately while hot. Makes about 3 servings.

The Black Dahlia, Fringe Festival, Shanghaiese restaurants, and birthdays as weddings

I wanna see The Black Dahlia, but that doesn't come out till September 15... here are movie / Wikipedia / Crime Library case links, as well as the website about the murder of Elizabeth Short. Maybe on Sunday, if I can get people to pay for me, haha. ;)

Jon messaged me on MSN to tell me about a Fringe Festival (on Granville Island) show: he's going there with the people from the karaoke night. (Myles, Peter, and Holly? Cool...) He wanted to know if I wanted to go, and when I demurred because I wanted to save money ("You're poor?"), he said he'd pay for me since it was my birthday. Apparently, the show's called The Unbreakable Popsicle Stick Gang, and there's a chance I'll have to take the bus there... the show sounds quirky, haha! He also said that I have a choice between two restaurants: a Shanghaiese one at the Save-On Foods, or a Chinese one (?) across from Richmond Centre. Later, I chose the Shanghaiese one. Apparently, Andrea's mom likes the place... *shrug* (Mom wanted Felico's, but I like new things on occasion too, har har)

Mom warned me against saying anything about cancer to Uncle Sam's mom tomorrow, as she might be relapsing... fair enough! She also made a hilarious slip when she referred to my birthday as my wedding: "I don't mind it being more expensive since it's your wedding... I mean, your birthday! I hope you get married soon!" Uh, yeah. Not happening! Jon and I also had to tell her what a grove was, since she referred to the Bamboo Grove (the Chinese place across the street from Richmond Centre referenced above) as "the Bamboo Groove"... close, but no cigar! ;)

Then she said that she wanted Jon to set me up with Jeremy... apparently, he was shaking his head at that one! (then she termed him "very bad since he's not looking after his sister") Guess we'll see what happens tomorrow... reading, lunch, maybe shopping / the library / stuff before dinner and such! Maybe I'll get her to buy me some pop, although I should stay away from that stuff too. I also told Jon about Mom's looking longingly at the wedding planner books at the Aberdeen cheap books place... slippery slope, since we are NOT getting married soon! Thank goodness I convinced her to get a coloring book for Brigitte instead!

My brother and I had to explain to our mom what fetishes were tonight! o_O / Benihana Style Steak

Note: LJ Fine Arts Stereotype / LJ Horror B-Movie / LJ Pride and Prejudice / LJ Dark Crystal blogquizzes. (by Stephanie, Arwen, and fluffyhead)


Wail and Diana's wedding was quite nice, even though we were seated on the wrong side of the small chapel.. Jon and I had seen Pastor Alan before, at Helen and Danny's wedding. Apparently, he specializes in religious ceremonies for non-believers, according to some newspaper article my brother read a while back. It was good seeing Wilson, Mike, Anna, Brigitte, and Ethan again (Auntie Kwai is Wail, Wilson, and Anna's mom... she's our aunt-by-marriage's sister, one of 12 kids in that family!). Jon and I playfully bugged Ethan, who pretended not to see us by covering his eyes with a Mario toy. His sister Brigitte remembered me, anyhow... she's going into Grade 3, and told me their birthdays too. Cute kids... too bad we didn't get a picture with any of them like I told Mom we should! Cousin Aaron and his wife Joyce were in a good mood and seemed more friendly than when we attended their wedding in June... the wedding day can be pretty stressful, for sure! (possibly Uncle Michael had a bunch to do with it, since he wasn't "in charge" of how Aaron and Joyce were away from him, but could be during that day... maybe we'll meet when Grandma gets back!) They told us about their ten-day honeymoon to Florence / Paris / Rome / other destinations. It seemed pretty neat!

The banquet got started an hour and a half late, during which time Steph phoned Jon to say that Daniel and Michelle were giving her a ride home after they had some dinner. (she was surprised to hear that Brigitte and Ethan weren't being little terrors, heh) Jon also phoned Jeremy to see how bottling his beer went: messy process, but it was finished! We won't have it for the 18 litres of Pho night because it won't be ready by then, but at least it keeps improving! I saw my old friend Lavone's long-ago ex Fred there: I definitely remember her three sisters Josanna, Bonnae (who once told me that I was her best friend, despite an age difference of at least four years), and Dorothy! Not sure he would have recognized me, but it was a blast from the past.

During the banquet, my mom said that there'd be no cruise: I was fine with that. If she gets a chance to book a Chinese bus tour lasting a few days, I'm not so sure I'm down with THAT idea... we'll see what happens, though. (I don't do mornings well, and if it starts on the 10th, I'll miss both the Awana orientation PLUS the homemade Pho dinner) Jon and I discussed Awana and how he might do it if he didn't have so many things to do already, and the guy leaders there. Reminded me of a long-ago discussion between Denise / Brian / Eddie, in which Denise questioned Eddie's ability to take care of the Awana kids, and Brian agreed. ("Why do people trust YOU with the kids, dude? I'm not so sure I do!" "Hey man, they just do!" "Shut up, eh... I agree with her!") We also talked about how I'd invited both Jasmine and Teunis via LJ comments: dude, we need a LOT of people to eat 18 litres of Pho! (and I don't THINK Teunis will cause reactions, heh)

There were some kissing games (played before the bride and groom would kiss, after much clanging had been heard) during the banquet, involving trivia questions and marriage wisdom. One of the questions involved asking Diana what Wail's fetish was (she said "beer" since apparently he drinks a lot)... Mom thought the MC said "finish," so Jon and I had the dubious task of trying to explain the real term to her gently! She was quite horrified, of course! ("It has to do with sex... it's a sexual term... it's something that you, um, have to have so, er..." " *cue horrified look* OH!") Uh yeah, I never thought we'd have to do that... but on the bright side, we did get to see our distant cousins and play with them again! (and talk / hug for a bit too) The food was pretty good, too: HONEYDEW SOUP RULES!

Now I'm just talking to Eric and Corey about weird dreams, my sister, alcohol, cute display pictures (babies!), Daniel and Michelle's whereabouts, the subconscious being a funny beast, my surprise at Gmail messages, etc. Good times, indeed... but glad to be home, as always.

Oh yes, I just heard that Steve Irwin (the Australian crocodile hunter dude) has died from a puncture wound to the chest by a stingray. Look the sources up yourself. :P (CRIKEY, indeed...)


Benihana Style Steak

1/4 cup Uncooked rice
6 oz sirloin steak - boneless
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
2 large Mushrooms - sliced
Salt
Pepper

Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside. Heat griddle to 350°F and pour on oil to coat surface. Sear steak on both sides. Cut steak into strips. Return to griddle along with mushroom slices. Turn meat pieces until done to preference. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with boiled rice and magic mustard sauce. Makes 1 serving.

Five Lifetime Goals / Durian Palace / Family Pictures / How I Live My Life

Name 5 things you would like to do in your lifetime.

1. Go to Europe / Asia / Australia.
2. Find a new best friend who won't end it over silly trivialities.
3. Read more classic books.
4. Find someone who will love me the way I am, and treat me the way I deserve.
5. Go to more concerts / expose myself to more new music.


The Durian Palace: perfect for Jon and Jeremy... poetry, quotes, botany, stories, recipes, usage, and more! Of course I emailed the link to my brother, telling him to forward it to his Asiaphile friend "Durian Dude" if they haven't seen it already!

My second cousin Wilson (no blood relation!) just invited me to view an Imagestation album. Cute pictures of Ethan, Brigitte, and everyone else! (Ethan and Brigitte are my nephew and niece twice removed, according to my sister's family tree research)


Ethan hamming it up in the laundry room:




Brigitte's haircut:




Brigitte with Tigger and Winnie the Pooh:




Brigitte and Ethan playing games at Woodie Woodchucks:




Brigitte and Ethan outside Woodie Woodchucks:




Ethan playing around with chopsticks:




Family picture at restaurant... Mike, Ethan, Wilson, Wilson's mom, Brigitte, Anna, and Anna and Wilson's brother:

(no, we don't know the brother's English name!)

How You Live Your Life

You tend to deprive yourself of things you crave, for your own good. You say whatever is on your mind. Other people's reactions don't faze you. You prefer a variety of friends, and tend to change friends quickly. You tend to always dream of things within reach - and you usually get them.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Seeing Wilson again, and hanging out at Nathan's

It was cool seeing my second cousin again... as he mentioned to us when we dropped him off later, we don't see each other often enough. We talked a bunch about Brigitte / Ethan / Toronto, and took pictures. We got some gas while Jon bugged various people on the phone, including Jeremy and Alan. I might take this Friday as a free night, but I'll certainly remember the church grad banquet on July 30. (next Saturday) Now my siblings and I are hanging out at Nathan's, where he and Eric are playing some video games. Nathan got so much stuff over the past two weeks... lots of bags in this basement room!

Now we're reminiscing about the time Denise shot Brian in the head on Dennis' recommendation ("Hey, shoot that guy!") at Vernon's... Brian came up from the basement and said: "You idiot! Why did you shoot me?!" Hahaha, good times! :D

My brother just made a Neil Young reference: Cortez the Killer, indeed. :D

Save Toby / Ethan, Steph, Wilson, Brigitte / Dominic and his homemade fountains

Toby dying tomorrow? Who knows... I think it's a scam, like Save Karyn was.


I know I've had a lot of "picture posts" lately... I have to show these things off, haha. My cousin Wilson sent me a few pictures earlier today of Steph, Ethan / Brigitte (his sister's kids), and himself. Ah, family fun and hijinks. :D

I also have a few that Dominic sent me, so the homemade fountains will go here too. ;)

Photobucket is being VERY SLOW, but I managed to upload these six pictures!


1. Dominic




2. Ethan and Steph




3. Steph, Ethan, and Wilson




4. Ethan, Brigitte, and Steph




5. Dominic's homemade waterwall fountain




6. Dominic's ice rock fountain

Mountain Dew Energy at Silvercity! / Sisterly discussions and the Spanish Banks BBQ / CD plans

I finally picked up my Mountain Dew Energy photo from Pepsi today, and Epixome (the photo site) advised me to join Fueled By Dew. Maybe I'll do that later. Good memories of Batman Begins at Silvercity, siu long bao heaven, and the pink Avec les compliments de VICTOIRE T-shirt that Eric likes! ;)

I think I'll get my CD and DVD from Jon, buy a bunch of blank CDs, and get Nathan to burn them for me instead... Jon won't do it till a LONG time from now, haha. Then again, Nathan said he'd get a Richmond Crew picture for me YEARS ago, but didn't. Oh well, those things can be forgiven... but I need my weird music, haha! ;)

My sister buzzed me on MSN, saying she's coming home on Thursday. The forensic science people say they won't be contacting anyone for several weeks, so Mom advised her to come home: that way, she can make it to Summer Conference next week. That's good, because then she can give me a ride to the Spanish Banks BBQ on Friday: guess I didn't have to send Billy that email asking him to arrange a ride for me because Jon's not going, and Eric will likely go straight from work! (I have to give Dianne her birthday card then, since she leaves for Europe next Sunday!) All three of us might go in for that HALLELUJAH CHORUS thing at church... they have tapes that you can play if you can't make the practices, and Jon can definitely sightread the music if need be!

Steph says it's very hot in Toronto... she added that our distant cousins Anna and Wilson asked how I was doing. Eh, I'm the same. Anna's kids Brigitte and Ethan are taking a bath now, and she can hear them... they're very hyper, haha!

Three photos: Nathan / Eric / Jeremy are in the background of the first one from Silvercity, the second one is an Devil Woman avatar that I nabbed from someone else, and the third one is a picture of a dragon in Mississauga that my sister took when she was there for her grad ceremony. Enjoy!

Seeing Dave and the Trans

I saw Dave today, and had an amusing time with him..
also saw Michael, Anna, Brigitte, Ethan, and Wilson..
the kids provided a distraction, and Wilson was nice..
but certain things that also happened were terrible ;)
at least the comfort of my day-starter was a good thing?
maybe it'll be better in the future, but I doubt it!

Toronto trips? Hey, Wilson!

I was talking to my sister yesterday, and she said that Wilson (our second cousin) said that I should go to Toronto when my parents do so in late April / early May. Might be a nice idea, but Mum is terminally afraid of people breaking into the house if someone (me) isn't there to housesit it. I myself would like to go to Toronto: it's been far too long since I've seen Wilson and Anna (his sister).. I remember seeing Anna's daughter Brigitte a couple years ago at our cousin Yvonne's wedding.. cute! (trying to keep track of family relations past first cousins makes my head swim.. so does anybody know what kinship Brigitte and her brother Ethan -- who I've never seen -- would be to me?)

However, Mum is very afraid that people will break into the house! Apparently, the people across the street have been broken into three times in the past year or something, and there are always kids going around their neighborhood on Saturday nights (or other times) knocking on doors for laughs. We even had the police come to the door a couple Saturdays ago to warn us about it. So does anyone know why (besides terminal lack of finances) I would cave in to my mum's opinion that I should housesit? It would be a good trip for me.. I don't care what she thinks, anyhow. :P

Cast of characters 2: Church N-Z and various other / internet people

List written on February 2, 2007.

This is most likely incomplete, but I don't really care so long as it gives you a general idea. Of course, this will be updated a lot in future! If you're not included in the relevant section, please don't take it personally. I can hardly include ALL the people I mention in here. :P


CAST OF CHARACTERS... PEOPLE MENTIONED IN HERE SEMI-REGULARLY

Church People

Natalie: Ivan's younger sister. Is allergic to peanuts.

Nathan T.: Daniel's brother. He loves meeting new people, being crazy, and his gaming systems!

Nathan W.: Ivan and Natalie's younger brother. Last summer, he told me and Eric M. that he had eight crushes at once... he wasn't even seven years old at the time!

Nathaniel: Joe and Helen's kid. He likes teasing by girls already, oh my!

Nicholas: Helen K.'s one-year-old son. He's so cute! I believe he likes me, although it's hard to tell. Should see him more often...

Olivia L.: John and Sophia Lam's daughter. I don't see her that often, either!

Phil: Melia's older brother. Has a real love for God and his people, and is a pastoral intern at our church. Parents: Uncle Peter and Auntie Ying.

Quan: The other third of the Cordia-Quan-Joyce triumvirate (who LOVES chocolate!), she also gets annoyed at her brother David for numerous things! (her sister Hien does, too!) Mom: Auntie Ping. (dad died when she was pregnant with David)

Rich: If you want something done at church, go ask him! Although maybe not, since he's pretty busy with meetings and driving people around...

Rosenda: David M.'s wife. Wish I could get to know her a little better, but she IS busy with little Ian!

Ryan L.: Michelle L.'s older son. He just turned seven, and is still cute!

Ryan S.: Karen Grace's boyfriend of a few years. I don't know him that well.

Sabrina C.: Anita W. and Esther's youngest sister. She's so busy, but I know she likes baking cookies!

Sabrina L.: Chris Lam's girlfriend and Edmond's sister. She seems quiet, but maybe that's because I don't know her very well.

Sam: Jeremy Y.'s older brother. Likes guitar and J-pop. Parents: Uncle Joel and Auntie Cissy.

Sarah C.: Vernon's wife, who loves to bake! I think she wants to open a dessert shop one day.

Sean C.: Vanessa's brother and Adela's ex, who's in New York now for dental school. Parents: Uncle Andrew (the dentist) and Auntie Ena, who left our church a few years ago over various schisms.

Sean L.: The autistic kid in the toddler Sunday School. He loves rainbows, and seems to like me too! Parents: John and Ada.

Sheena: Chalaine's older sister. She likes helping out with the elementary school kids!

Sherman: Andrea T.'s younger brother. We seem to bump into him most often at Dragon Ball since he doesn't go to our church anymore, but we DID see him at Trocadero the day of the AGM in January!

Sophia: The second of the Marr sisters, she loves piano and music! Mom: Auntie May. (dad doesn't go to church)

Stanley: Loves playing guitar and is Eric T.'s younger brother. His parents help clean the church on weekends, and we usually get in their way!

Stella: Billy's wife, who wanted a baby long before Benjamin made his appearance in the world.

Steph: My sister... I won't say a lot about her here either!

Teresa C.: Henry's sister. She had a powerful baptism testimony!

Teresa N.: The "different woman" Teresa. Best known for asking us if we're married to everybody else, hahaha.

Tim: Maxine's husband. They're both from South Africa, and like serving in church.

Tony Lee: Billy's younger brother, who's a Christmas baby. Mom: Auntie Soo, who's a hairdresser.

Tony Li: A cool guy who hails from Saskatchewan. HATES stupid people in customer service!

Tracy: Alan's girlfriend. She's in Ohio at their dental school.

Vanessa: Sean C.'s sister. She loves to be silly with my sister! Parents: Uncle Andrew (the dentist) and Auntie Ena, who left our church a few years ago over various schisms.

Vania: Longtime "default" friend of ours, she likes to sing and help out with the worship team. Parents: Uncle Edwin and Auntie Tracy.

Vernon: Sarah C.'s husband, who loves his music!

Vivian Lam: Chris Lam's sister. She helps out with the Awana Cubbies.

Vivian Lew: Karen Lew's sister. She can be cynical at times, but we still love her! Loves chocolate if that "Put down the chocolate, and no one gets hurt" article of clothing is any indication! Parents: Uncle Wayne and Auntie Susan.

Wayland: Megan C.'s younger brother. Currently in St. Louis.

Wilson L.: A kid in the current Sunday School toddler class. Loves "picnic time" with his friend Rachel.

Winnie: Megan T.'s mom. She still goes to our church, and loves seeing her friends!


Family / Relatives

Dad's nickname: Blaard / Blaardine.
Mom's nickname: Mollixed / Molly.
Grandma's nickname: Big G.

Aaron: My middle cousin, a couple years older than I am.

Anna: Wilson W.'s sister, and Brigitte and Ethan T.'s mom. Is very nice and always is caring to me.

Brigitte: Anna's daughter. She was hyper when I first met her, but she's cool.

Ethan T.: Brigitte's younger brother. He looks SO cute in the pictures his uncle Wilson occasionally sends over!

Joyce C.: Aaron's ex-wife.

Lilian: My youngest cousin, two years younger than I am.

Mike Tran: Anna's husband. He seems nice, and loves his job and family.

Wilson W.: My distant cousin, and Anna's brother.

Yvonne: My oldest cousin, who's about seven years older than I am. Has a kid named Andrea, who looks as pretty as her mother.


GJ People

Billie (murse): The only one of my GJ friends that I've ever met in person, as of this post. She's Persian and loves writing. I think she's had 15 books written already!

Kaitlin (lordworm): Very cool girl who loves her metal music!

Nick (nick_scorpio): Sticks up for me in certain situations, and is NOT my sock puppet! Good and cool friend to have.

Shannon (tearfulgoodbyes): Definitely a keeper! She's a good person!


Internet People

Corey T.: He loves shocking me with horror stuff, and sent me a bunch of horror movies to prove it! Definitely incorrigible!

Darren M.: Used to talk a lot over ICQ / MSN. Wonder where he is now, but I know he loves his Flames!

Erik: Used to be a friend of mine, until he ended the friendship because I posted our IM conversations on the Internet. (boo hoo, ya crybaby!) Is going through a sex change... not sure what to say about THAT! :|

Jane: Corey's Taiwanese friend who likes him as more than a friend. Always yells at him for teasing her, haha. (actually, that sounds like what I do also!)

Sarah Rowlett: We met through her friend's email newsletter, and have corresponded sporadically ever since. The most notable exchange has to be when she momentarily thought my last name was Nugent, probably because of her friend Faith.


LJ People

Farrah (lilaznffairy421): She's like the little sister that I didn't know I had, haha. We bonded over Asian parents and "defenestration."

Jamie (jaebird): Has this unhealthy attraction to Severus Snape of HARRY POTTER, if her posts are any indication! Loves anime and Internet games. Seems like an otaku, which is Japanese for "obsessed anime fan." :P To her, the "L word" isn't LESBIAN, but LOBSTER. :P

Palmer (palmer_kun): Used to be a friend of mine. Had to unfriend him because of lifestyle differences that I didn't agree with, which he kept pushing on me.

Stephen (lordreaibn): Used to be a friend of mine too, but had to break it off with him because he was pissing me off! (to put it mildly)


Our Place People

Candy (Phoenix): She keeps sending me things in the mail, and occasionally calls me at times. I'm apparently one of her best friends because I understand her music obsession or something. (she loves Judas Priest!)

Carol B. (nutty): One of the admins of that message board, and Viper's wife. She goes through her bad times, but she tells it like it is.

Carol J. (carolj): A fairly active member of the board. Always encouraging!

Marie (reebee): Sent me that pop-top opener thinger in the mail a while back. Very useful gadget. I like her because she seems to have a kind spirit.

Maryann: Was she the person who introduced me to the place from the Bonehead of the Day Award message board? Not sure now, but I appreciate that!

Mike (Scarecrow): Wonder where he went. Don't see him often these days. He's into stuff like Ministry and the Genitorturers.

Sarah G. (Tonks): She loves Harry Potter!

Steve B. (Viper): Married to Carol, and he loves her a LOT!


Other PeopleHarmony: My brother's wife. She likes to write, although she doesn't have much time for it at the moment!

Holly: Harmony's sister, who lives here. She likes the theatre, I think.

Korey: Eric M.'s Victoria buddy. Seems to be an interesting enough person, at any rate. Likes R&B and IDOL. We started dating in July 2007, but things went VERY south. Suffice to say that he is a lying, manipulative THIEF who doesn't deserve ANY second chances AT ALL. Fucking asshole! He also stores pee in 2L pop bottles, and uses drugs... I never thought I'd meet a black person who hits a lot of the stereotypes, but he seems to be it.

Myles: Harmony and Holly's brother. He seems nice enough from the time I met him at karaoke!

Rachel S.: One of my sister's good friends. She's in Fort MacMurray (Alberta) working right now.

Shannon N.: A former friend of mine. She uses a wheelchair and loves Bryan Adams. Went to a concert of his with her once, and it was cool enough.

Vivian S.: My sister's best friend. She's Mexican AND Jewish!

Yazmine: I used to consider her my best friend UNTIL she ended the friendship over 50 measly cents! Perfidious blackguard.