Food Network with Grandma / Trail mix!

Grandma, on the Food Network: "They don't have to pay any money for the breakfast food. Are you hungry? You can eat this for free!"


Went to visit Grandma today for about an hour or so; for some reason, she thought I'd like to eat everything on the Food Network. Sure, but not now! She also asked why Jon wasn't there, said that she didn't want to eat fried chicken, objected to the open door (but it's HOT OUTSIDE!), and was all right just sitting in her wheelchair watching TV. When I left before everything on the Food Network made me want to eat everything on the screen (one show was even set in Vancouver!), she asked whether I wanted to sleep there! Nope, I had things to do! I figured I might as well visit her on Thursday instead of tomorrow since I'll be out anyway: I should be fine if I leave here by 4, and leave there by 5:30 to get to Langara Station on time. Hopefully, anyway...

Got some trail mix at the People's Drug Mart across the street as a slightly healthier edible birthday present for Chinese Eric, as I've been known to give him a metric buttload of chocolate before, most notably at Easter and maybe Christmas. I decided to combine that with the rest of the Werther's Originals since I can't / shouldn't eat the rest of those! (like HE should?! :P) Also got a Cadbury Dark Burnt Almond chocolate bar for my immediate consumption, since I was afraid it might melt in the heat. Went to London Drugs and got on-sale whiteout x3, on-sale Maltesers, on-sale chocolate coins for Eric, an on-sale mango / pineapple juice, and on-sale peanut butter truffle chocolate bars x2. (I'm keeping one of the truffle bars for myself, while the other can go to Chinese Eric) Put the stuff in the fridge when I got home, of course.

Wrathchild, swamp errors, Holy Loly Mountain, Giegue, and more!

When I got up, I found out that Steve L. had emailed me back with good thoughts and such since he knows how close I am with my nutty family, so of course I had to reply. He thought of me while watching the Tea Party some time back, and has challenges to work on. Of course I'll do my best with ranting! Finished MOTHER 1 again, since my Internet connection decided to go screwy. I also discovered that DRAGON WARRIOR 3 gives me an error message when I step into swamps and damage zones with codes ON: "Executed an undefined order." I should be CAREFUL!


There's danger lurking nearby for the party on Holy Loly Mountain!




EVE is our protective robot! Unfortunately, she gets destroyed...




We can't teleport on Mt. Itoi because some kind of force is pushing us back! (same place as above)




No, you can't talk to your great-grandfather George's grave!




This is Giegue's mothership, where he took all the grownups in Easter, including Ana's mom!




You can't grasp the form of Giygas' attack!




"HOW COULD I BE DEFEATED BY QUEEN MARY'S SONG?!"




Dad hates to wake us, but it might be a bit too soon to rest easy...




It's out of the question for us NOT to have the Magic Ball in DRAGON WARRIOR III! (at the shrine near Aliahan)




In Aliahan, my mother wonders whether I'm going to get up and go: "WHAT wrong?" Hahaha!




"YES" and "NO" aren't acceptable answers to "This is the Cave of Enticement. The seal has already been broken!"




A guy at the Reeve inn: "Wow! FLAMSTER is a woman? What? I'm wrong? Sure looks like a woman to me..."

Batteries exploding and penis-shrinking chemicals!

After I ate the last of my Easter candy and found out that L.A. would advance to the Stanley Cup Final, Corey replied to my Skype message about the laptop noises:

[12:04:33 PM] Leslie: and now my laptop is going to die since it's making screechy noises.
[7:55:50 PM] Leslie: I think my computer is going to die - wait, I told you that already. Maybe it needs to be cleaned.
[9:50:49 PM] Corey: sounds like a fan problem
[9:53:35 PM] Leslie: so is the computer going to explode?
[9:59:01 PM] Corey: probably
[10:09:34 PM] Leslie: seriously
[10:10:26 PM] Corey: the explosion is about the same as a standard military hand grenade
[10:13:42 PM] Leslie: I want 100% truth from you
[10:14:05 PM] Corey: well, do YOU think it will explode?
[10:14:54 PM] Leslie: I'm going to fart on you if you don't answer me
[10:15:28 PM] Corey: okay
[10:16:04 PM] Corey: the only way it will explode is if it was made in China
[10:16:14 PM] Corey: their batteries are known for exploding
[10:18:11 PM] Leslie: oh shit
[10:18:23 PM] Leslie: I think Eric got this in Hong Kong
[10:20:20 PM] Corey: if it's a real computer brand, not something weird, it won't explode........ but if you buy cheap replacement batteries from China, they don't follow the proper safety standards, and those literally can explode. you've probably seen stories about phones and computers blowing up in airports
[10:20:49 PM] Corey: that only happens with cheap Chinese batteries. the last time I bought a phone battery here, they assured me it was made in Taiwan and won't explode
[10:21:49 PM] Corey: though I don't really trust Taiwanese brands much more... they caught a huge food company putting poison in basically every drink sold in Taiwan last year, and I almost definitely drank some of it
[10:27:55 PM] Leslie: yeah, I've seen those stories... and you WHAT?! OH MY GOD
[10:28:58 PM] Leslie: how did they catch that?
[10:30:27 PM] Corey: I don't know. I think the government actually bothered to test something and discovered it
[10:31:05 PM] Corey: look it up, it's called DEHP, and appears to be pretty nasty. they used it instead of some food additive, because apparently nobody would notice the difference and the poison is cheaper
[10:31:49 PM] Corey: in general here, people only think things are bad if they get caught. so everyone thinks that company is evil, but if they weren't caught and a lot of people knew it, they'd just say it was business
[10:31:59 PM] Corey: people here lie and cheat an awful lot
[10:32:24 PM] Leslie: I'm not surprised they used it because it was cheaper.
[10:32:29 PM] Corey: not that people in the West don't, either... but the culture is pretty different. EVERYONE in school cheats.
[10:32:42 PM] Corey: they're almost trained to
[10:32:42 PM] Leslie: and I take it that gets glossed over?
[10:33:30 PM] Leslie: what the hell.... according to my search results, DEHP is one of the top six chemical threats to humans.
[10:34:07 PM] Corey: yay!
[10:38:10 PM] Leslie Ng: Penis-Shrinking Chemical Banned?
[10:39:35 PM] corey_t: yeah!!!
[10:42:02 PM] Leslie Ng: Taiwanese products with DEHP named

STAY IN ALBERTA, YOU DOUCHE!

Eric M. got on MSN after midnight to tell me some good news; apparently, that jerk Paul got a new job in Camrose, Alberta. ("but the really good news is that he got a job, not that he won't be here" - HAHAHAHAHA, YEAH RIGHT!) This better not be like Mr. Creep's new job, where he was back here from Victoria after only three months! (Eric said that Paul told them that he may be back in a month - SEE?! NOT GOOD ENOUGH!) I told him to keep the April Fools jokes to their proper time, as he was LATE on that. Then he said that he has video proof of Paul's Easter baptism, as he's editing it; WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! I don't want to see it, at least. Later, I told him that I wouldn't be making it out on Friday; my reasons are IMPORTANT, okay?! At least I managed to replay everything I'd lost, and then went some more into the storyline - METAL ENEMY HUNTING LATER!

Herbal medicine, gnocchi, turkey, and baseball galore

Dad called to make sure I knew that dinner started at 6; nothing I can do if Eric was running late, and I didn't mind the extra time to get things sorted over here, either! *evil grin* Eric came by after 6:10, and I waited while he got money from CIBC and picked up some herbal medicine for himself and his grandma. Yes, I remember from Chinatown that it takes A LONG TIME for the herbalist to make the stuff, so it's fine. At least she's doing well! We talked about how we'd been, conspiracy theories about "environmentally friendly" stuff and expense / the government, TV shows about surgery, his having some quiet time at home, the massive amount of chocolate I gave him, and his doing stuff with his parents; that's what I expect! When we got there, everyone had started dinner already - we had turkey, gnocchi, cucumbers, strawberries, beer, and a bunch more stuff while talking about Harmony's pregnancy / labor / delivery / cervixes / breastfeeding for the bonding and health benefits / no home birth / raising the kid as a vegetarian or vegan / Facebook / whether our parents were excited about becoming grandparents / Paul influencing people (NO!) / SERVANTS / the NHL draft lottery / Vancouver-L.A. hockey / Philadelphia-Pittsburgh hockey / Toronto-Boston baseball / mortgages / duck fat / coconut oil.

Also discussed Easter crackers (like Christmas crackers), HUNGER GAMES, Denise / Julie / Alan / Tracy, Steph's new tattoo (Dad took her into the kitchen to say "Don't do this!"), possibly watching playoff hockey at Jeremy's this week (Jon told Eric not to give me a lift - BAD!), my gifts of a stuffed animal and Canucks and Habs washcloths, schedules for dinner, Nathan, quiet baby Maddie, my mall trip, candy sales, a shower for the girls, $200 for the trip, and more. Grandma wondered what the toys were in the Easter crackers, told Harmony to sit down while telling her that she didn't eat much, and coped with our mediocre Chinese skills as we wondered how to say "nuts" as opposed to "peanuts." Mom gave me leftover turkey with gravy, Starlight mints, a 2012 calendar, jalapeno cheese slices, and chocolate eggs and a bunny. She gave Steph and Lisa some perogies - now I want some, but given that I have to take $200 out of the bank for Vegas purposes, that probably isn't happening. Good thing I have microwaveable meals and noodles out the wazoo, I guess! (not the healthiest, but whatever works!)

On the way home, Eric and I discussed directions / roads / time confusion / his contention that Jon will be more subdued once the baby comes / his never thinking of me a certain way ("she's obviously cheap since she gave me this candy AFTER the holiday!") / Easter services / his just walking me to the door. I didn't mind that at all, as it seemed we were both a little tired. Yeah, I heard a bit too much pregnancy and labor talk tonight, but it's all good - I know I will try my best to be a good aunt! I'd better get the details from my brother at some point in the next couple of days about the hockey playoff watching... Eric says it'll be more festive, and I quite agree. Even if he's just here... the more, the merrier! Now, it is time to GAME IT UP! (and I need to find "new" games to play...)

Russell Stover, Ferrero Rocher, Nestlé, Aero, Cadbury, Lindt, and Reese's

Replied to Mandy's email after awakening, haha. Also got a notification that Bryan (slackananda / ironicman / witlessowhitman) had FINALLY removed me from his friends list; YES! He was sorta creepy at the end with the "Asian fever" declarations over YM. Dumped out a bunch of religious Easter cards, too - I could use them for baptisms since people expect THOSE cards to mention God or have some Christian content, but those really aren't my taste anyway. Thank goodness that I didn't buy them in the first place! Later, I went out to Richmond Centre to see what Easter chocolate I could get. First, I went to Sears to discover a sale on the dark towel for my chair ($10 off!) and Jessica panties (three for $7) that I was going to buy anyway - SCORE!

Went to Shoppers Drug Mart after that, and I saw some BATH RETREAT products on sale. Decided to try the cocoa foaming bubble bath and the cocoa body mist spray to see what they'd be like. Found some LIFE brand chocolate branches with hazelnut filling, so I bought two for myself and one for Chinese Eric. Then I got some LIFE brand Belgian chocolate eggs and lambs with hazelnut filling, so decided to get those as well as some Cadbury TEENY eggs. I went to the dollar store, where I saw Cadbury Fingers for half the price it is in normal shops, so I bought two boxes along with Canucks and Habs washcloths so Steph and Lisa can continue a household rivalry! Almost everything in the store was half-price, too.

On my way to London Drugs, I bumped into Uncle Cho Kai (the church botanist) and Auntie Anna, who of course asked me what I was doing there. WHAT DO YOU THINK?! I had to be polite and say that I was doing some shopping in order to get some exercise before Easter Monday dinner at my mom's place. At London Drugs, I helped a couple who had dropped a greeting card in their rush to get to the checkout ; line; they thanked me for noticing! I got mounds of on-sale items: two Ferrero Rocher hollow hazelnut bunnies (one for Chinese Eric) / Cadbury mini-eggs / two Aero eggs (one for Chinese Eric) / four packages of Reese's mini chocolates (James put the idea into my head the other day) / two net packs of chocolate eggs for Rachel and Jonathan / a Russell Stover caramel egg / two Russell Stover 60-packs of mini chocolate bunnies for the kids and Chinese Eric / a strawberry melon Brisk drink / a Brisk iced tea drink. At home, I noticed that a blocked number had called while I was out. Since I thought it was Chinese Eric, I called his number only to have Auntie tell me to call another number! So I did, and he said he hadn't called, but might be running late. NO PROBLEM!

Endor Secret Armor Shop / YES and NO aren't "HOW?" answers!

Geoffrey added me on Facebook; YAY!

How to get the Magic Key doors in Endor, including directions to the treasure chests in the secret armor shop


"Taloon! How is your business in Endor?" YES and NO aren't exactly going to answer this question in Lakanaba from your old boss... :P

KING SLIME! / Chinese Eric / Melissa / EPIC!

I finished that 200g rice crisps-filled bunny at 8, and then called my favorite person (for real) Chinese Eric; of course I wished Auntie a Happy Easter when she said it to me! I told Eric a shortened version of why I didn't go to Easter service today (Paul's baptism / my feelings - HE understands!), and said that 6 tomorrow should be fine for picking me up. Even if it's early, we can chill and talk here for a bit. Yes, he can definitely hear the extended version tomorrow, and I definitely wished HIM a happy Easter also! Time to use two of my Easter cards on him and Chrystal! Someone named Melissa Tsang (one of Jessica G.'s friends) wanted to add me on Facebook; I DON'T THINK SO! Unrelated to that, I AM EPIC AS FUCK. :D


When you're fighting five or six Slimes at a time near Haville or thereabouts, they may call for reinforcements and become a KING SLIME!

Zombie Jesus Day / Endor Castle "Nobody"

HAPPY EASTER! HAPPY PASSOVER! (if you're of the Jewish persuasion) And lastly... HAPPY ZOMBIE JESUS DAY! (if you just want to be amused - I know I do!) I was wondering if PHOENIX Jesus would make more sense, since he DID come back to life... or maybe I'm overthinking it. :D

I can finally eat my 200g rice crisps-filled ALLAN chocolate bunny, too! Gonna eat a bunch of Easter eggs, as well. I'm fully aware the mall is open till 6 today, but THE BUS SCHEDULES! Time to go crazy on sugar, anyway!


Mike T. had this to say:

"JESUS has died.
JESUS rests.
JESUS rests.
JESUS rests.
JESUS used PHOENIX DOWN.
JESUS has risen!"

HAHAHAHAHA!


Yes, there IS someone in that direction at Endor Castle in DRAGON WARRIOR 4, and she's blocking access to the treasure chests! Silly game!

Ragnar Flying Shoes ceiling bumps / Shaun, Golden, gum dropping down shirt

Discovered that Shaun and Golden have both apparently deleted their FB accounts, but my Friend Tracker number remains the same... weird! I also participated in a FFAF which reached the 10,000-comment limit on LJ, and had a piece of gum drop down my shirt. Now THAT is a first! Called Jon to say that I couldn't make it to that dinner tomorrow, never mind Sunrise Service and regular service OR that baptism! Hell no, I won't go! Hahaha! Guess I'll see him on Monday for dinner! Also got around to blocking a few people on Facebook who aren't my friends anymore, namely Leo (who's friends with Eddie and Adela - WTF?) / Vicky / Damien.


Ragnar and Healie bumping into the ceiling since they used the Flying Shoes inside the secret well near Izmit:

Good Friday: FFAF / Subway "vaginal salad"

Couldn't sleep even at 4 AM, so I took the new melatonin, which actually has peppermint flavor - NICE! Jon B. and Marko K. (both from the Puckheads group) added me on Facebook because they wanted to see my Video Game Screenshots album; nice, nice! My definition of a Good Friday is staying home with the weekly tradition! No silent services for me, even if Eric did get on MSN to bug me about it! *grin* Then again, Eric informed me (after saying he's going to Sunrise Service - I won't!) that Paul is getting baptized on Easter Sunday - WHAT THE HELL. HE IS OFFENSIVE. Yes, I know everyone has "a past," but really. Eric thinks I can't let go of things - I can, but I'll remind everyone else around me about it. More like "I take joy in the misery of others whom I hate!"

People need to stop talking at the speed of light in commercials. I honestly thought Subway was offering something called "vaginal salad." o_O

Clemens, Nessie, DUCK HUNT, 5-4 shootout win!

Decided to do laundry today before the game. Corey told me months ago that I'd regret it if I deleted my NES emulator (Nessie), and I'm doing that RIGHT NOW since I want to play DRAGON WARRIOR 3 and 4 with codes. Guess I know how I'll be spending my time! Thank goodness I listed the codes for posterity in this post! Jon says there's a Filipino Food Night on Easter Sunday; well, I'm not going if a certain someone ELSE is, that's for sure! Since I couldn't write on the Canucks' FB wall during the crazy game (Anaheim and Vancouver exchanged goals ALL THE TIME) with the Ducks (DUCK HUNT), I instead exchanged messages with Clemens; he says it's fine and non-creepy if I said I missed the banter. Phew! 5-4 WIN IN THE SHOOTOUT, TYING US ON POINTS WITH THE RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

Deep River Zesty Jalapeno chips, melatonin, and EASTER BUNNIES!

Went to Shoppers Drug Mart to get more toilet cleaning supplies - I hate being short, so the ones at London Drugs on the TOP shelves aren't going to work out for me! Also got melatonin since it was a bit cheaper than at LD; got a bunny with rice crisps inside for Chinese Eric, and two on-sale Hershey's cookies and creme small rabbits. One was for me and one was for Mattias - that way, he can eat it before his parents Chung and Karen come to pick him up from Toddler Sunday School. There's no good reason for the kid not to have occasional sugar, after all. :P [I understand that it makes kids hyper and isn't good for you in general, but COME ON!] Then I went to London Drugs to get a 300g bag of assorted Lindt Easter eggs for Chinese Eric, on-sale Kit Kat Bites / Coffee Crisp Bites, and another on-sale stuffed animal; this one is for Mattias so I can pay lip service to respecting the "no sugar" rule. In addition, I got some Deep River Zesty Jalapeno kettle-cooked chips. they're probably NOT as spicy as I'd like, but they'll do.

Dementia, Easter bunnies, stress in keeping up, and a 5-2 win!

Found myself still craving some Mexican food, so I went out to get some at Richmond Centre... turns out I forgot about the construction in the food court! DEMENTIA! Also got myself a 200g Easter bunny with rice crisps inside at Shoppers - I thought I'd done that yesterday, but it turned out I didn't. Since I was there, I got three packages (two dark chocolate, and one white chocolate) of unexpectedly on-sale Lindt chocolate eggs (today was the last day!) and some Smarties eggs. (I decided to give some to Chrystal later)

Overhearing a conversation between a clerk and a security officer, I heard about a major shoplifter in Richmond: apparently, his thing is to pick up receipts off the floor, see if he can get similar items from the shelves, and get away with stealing. He had six undercover cops trailing him from Lansdowne to Richmond Centre once, and does this at ALL the stores! Bought myself a banana bubble tea at Big Orange, too. I was home in plenty of time for my beloved weekly tradition and the hockey game, so that was a BONUS!

EARTH HOUR is tomorrow, and that always reminds me of my ex and Chilliwack's Cottonwood Mall in 2008. WHY IS MY ALMOND MILK ALL FROZEN AND SUCH?! I WAS GOING TO DRINK IT, TOO! NOW I HAVE TO GO OUT AND BUY SOME MORE! Went out to London Drugs, and was back just in time for the hockey game - got two almond milks and one Koala raspberry-guava drink. Since Scarlett added me to ANOTHER active hockey group without my permission, I had way too much to keep up with while the game was on - UGH, SO STRESSFUL! Some random person by the name of Charles Labree tried adding me to Facebook - I DON'T THINK SO! At least the game ended with Vancouver winning 5-2 against the Stars!

Like I said in my FB status: "I decided I can't keep up with two active hockey groups, two relatively active communities, an active weekly Friday post elsewhere, and my own FB feed during a game. WAY TOO MUCH STRESS. I've dropped the new hockey group. (not this one) The next person to add me to a group without my permission gets unfriended." I can just imagine trying to keep up with this shit when Eric comes over tomorrow... I don't want to know how stressed I'd have been if I had Trillian ON tonight!

Limited Edition Tic-Tacs and Oreos! / Easter candy

Mom emailed us about Easter Dinner - I guess that's coming up, sigh. Good thing nobody wants it on the Saturday, because that's the last regular season game! Plans all around, baby! When I opened a box of Birthday Cake Oreos after finishing my latest mini-project, they smelled almost too sweet. I've since tried one, and they're pretty good! Went out to London Drugs afterwards to get toilet cleaning supplies (am trying 2000 Flushes for BLUE WATER), various on-sale Easter chocolate for Chrystal and the kids (eggs / Russell Stover mini bunnies), two mini marshmallow eggs, eight Easter cards (to use up the stickers - doubling them up - which Julie S. gave me), a parental anniversary card, a birthday card for Enoch (taking advantage of an in-store coupon), 140 Hello Kitty stickers, Real Fruit mango and yogurt gummies, and some limited edition Arctic Rush Tic-Tacs. I also got an on-sale Easter stuffed animal ($2.99 - save $7) for the upcoming baby. Yes, I'm spoiling the kid already, and it isn't even born yet!

Got home to a phone call AND email from my sister, who says that Mom is QUITE anxious to book flights. Called Mom (after dialing myself first - FAIL!) to give her my passport info; she says I can invite Chinese Eric to the dinner. Cool, because I was going to ask him on Saturday! Also turns out that I was right in guessing that Troy and Brandi are sorta kinda together-ish, so YES! On the hockey group, she asked how I knew: my intuition kicked in!


Here's a picture of Birthday Cake Oreos:

Sausages and banana = phallic breakfast / Harmony and Jane's baby shower / Italian food

I had sausages and a banana for breakfast. Yes, yes, I know.... phallic symbols out the wazoo on a "religious" Sunday morning. :P Since Nada Surf's POPULAR was on the radio when Eric called, I gave him the greeting "Wash your hair every two weeks, got it?" (which could have backfired if Veronica was on the other end!) He was bemused, and told me that there surely must be other options! Of course, of course... later, he said that he'd never heard the song. On the way over, we talked about jerks / feelings / online people / Paul / "avoidance" / yesterday's wedding / my grandma's questions about him. We also established that April Fools is next week exactly (I'M NOT GETTING PUNKED IN REAL LIFE OR THE INTERNET!), and that Easter is the week following. I don't think I'll be going to Good Friday service this year since the description doesn't sound appealing... I do KNOW it's not about that, but "sitting in relative darkness and silence for 45 minutes" is not something I can do these days unless I'm trying to sleep! I also told him that I wouldn't go to curling this Friday even if there IS one more open spot, and wondered why he'd tried calling me a couple days ago. "One more opportunity to go to Bible Study" doesn't wash with ME! At least he didn't put on the Christian station this week!

At service, we learned that Auntie Rebecca would be leaving the church to return to Hong Kong since she has "received signs from God" that it's time to look after her elderly in-laws and mother. (I think we'll all miss her jolly laughter and concern!) We also learned that Micah had had fevers and seizures recently, leaving Phil and Grace VERY worried, and praying desperately! (I'd totally understand that) At least they know what to do about it now! Later, I saw ELAINE! Talked to her for a bit about China, New Hampshire (where her husband Matt's family is), starting a family because it's time, and "waiting on God to determine their next ministry step." I'll think of her a lot, and same with Auntie Rebecca! Chatted to Andrew L. about things before saying hi to Billy and his sons Benjamin and Noah. Said hi to Deb and a smiling baby Declan before trying to secure transportation to the baby shower from Tracy or Yvonne; I called Steph from the church phone (with Uncle Eugene right there) to see if she could do it. ("Go have lunch with the lards instead of sushi by yourself - it'll be free, and I can pick you up!") Tracy gave her directions and said she'd drive me, but she still had to go home and organize stuff. I didn't even ask her since I knew about that! Yvonne had the same worship meeting that Eric was going to; right after that was squared away, Eric wondered if I had a ride out of there. YES! Said hi to Amanda, Dylan, Anita, Allison, Wes / Esther / their daughter, Frances, her son Micah, and Elaine again. Elaine had to decline lunch since she's spending a lot of family time with her nieces and nephews before she moves again! UNDERSTANDABLE! Also talked to Randal about seeing Karen Choo last night; he figured that the "normal" way of contacting her was good enough, haha!

Saw Danny, Ashley, Ramen, Shira, Ada, Mattias, James, Jessie, Anastasia, and Lanie at Toddler Sunday School. James wanted to build a submarine, and Mattias wanted to build a tablecloth (?!) and a tram like the ones in San Francisco. Ashley didn't want to do much else except color her picture of the seasons and weather, which was fine. Afterwards, I secured my place at lunch with Mom, and we left pretty much right away. Said hi to Auntie Paula, Uncle Percy, Auntie Eva, Auntie Evie, Alan (who said Polly was at a choir practice - they'd been to Tsui Woo just yesterday, which IS NOT SURPRISING IN ANY WAY), Auntie Helen, and others at lunch. Mom was worried that I wouldn't get enough to eat (so she really ordered too much ha-gow / noodles / eggplant / chicken feet / green onion pancake / dim sum in general), and Denise later said that everyone was running late anyway! When Steph got there after eating lunch, people told her to eat some more, which she reluctantly did.

After getting to the party room at Tracy's place, we found MORE food in the form of fruit and veggie platters / Costco chocolate croissants / mango juice / chocolate chip cookies / other items. (we had fudge cake later) Talked to Harmony, Amy (she and Brian are getting married in August), Jane, Connie, Yvonne, Grace, Deb, Tracy (who's due in September), Denise, and Steph about various topics: CHOCOLATE IN DIAPERS! SUCKING MILK OUT OF BOTTLES! WINNIE'S KIDS! CHANGING A CREEPY BABY DOLL! THE HUNGER GAMES! CLOTH DIAPERS OR DISPOSABLE DIAPERS! BABY ISSUES! DECLAN! BABY POOLS! Dylan, Brian, Jon, and Edwin showed up after having some beers ("man shower"?!) to help with the heavy lifting and eat some food. Later, the Ngs and Ho decamped to Jon and Harmony's newer place for a few minutes while deciding what to do before dinner; we walked to Kafka's Café for the Syphon / peppermint tea (Steph got it for me) / water / coffee. We talked about hipsters, clam chowder, soccer games, Paul being unreachable (whatever!), Alan drinking wine, pregnancy, Jon singing random songs (without profanity) to the baby (who can be "Baby Ug"), Jane being a sweet girl, pre-natal fitness, chemistry, and more before busing to the dinner location.

The area at Main and Terminal brought back some Greyhound memories for me, but I'm VERY over that (kind of) relationship! Campagnolo Restaurant was pretty good; we talked about soup, pasta, pizza, grappa, Purdy's hedgehogs, hazelnut, Caesarean sections, the cervix, pregnancy, Dawn's family, Alice, Glen Clark, Uncle Daniel's family (we're SURE he has secret lunches with Megan since his wife disapproves of their son-in-law, and Phil before him!), our cousins, Eni / real estate, hockey news, Auntie Catherine and Uncle Y.C., TMI, the MOM'S BATHTUB READER which Mom got for Harmony (she didn't regift the largely-unread one I got her YEARS ago), and more. Grandma was in a worse mood than the last time we took her out for dinner, that's for sure! She doesn't like Shanghai food, but she was SMILING and laughing a couple weeks ago when it was just the younger family members! At least I survived the busy weekend, and have the rest of this week to regroup before SATURDAY!

No Christmas carols! / Julie Stickers! / Rainbows

Eric sent us an Evite for the Fellowship Christmas Potluck; apparently, we're going to sing CHRISTMAS CAROLS after the dinner and dessert. REALLY, PEOPLE?! I know it's that time of year, but I REALLY HATE THEM!

In the mail, I got Julie's Christmas card... yay! She also included dog stickers, heart stickers, Easter stickers, that "Quit while YOUR pretty" souvenir, and some "recycling / environment" stickers! I also got the hydro bill, so I decided to exercise responsibility and pay it immediately. Vanessa also wants to go to Walmart tomorrow, so that should be good.

You Are a Rebel

You are both familiar with the dark side and totally comfortable with it. You are an open, flexible person who is able to see the world through many perspectives. Social graces don't come easily for you. You feel like many social rules are silly. You are brilliant and a rule breaker. You insist on doing things your way.

The Over the Rainbow Test

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Randal, prayer, voting, Expo 86, chemicals, manliness and tea, plus Greek music

Jon elaborated on why they were calling for prayer at Jeremy's in the middle of the Canucks playoff hockey game: apparently, Randal's mom has gotten worse in the past month! I can see why Randal wouldn't be his usual "witty" self, har har. (and YES, "witty" is in quotation marks for a reason! :P) I told Itamar that my tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner smell good enough to eat! (they smell YUMMY... it must be the mint!!!!)

Teunis and I discussed bypassing lunch hour to vote (lineups) / directions, sharing Easter Peeps candy (you apparently can't get them up north), the 25th anniversary of Expo 86, NOT publishing vote results before polls close, and more. At least it wasn't pay parking at the Oval, but he DID have to drive to Surrey to vote - no remote polling in this election! OUCH, in more than one way! When I got home, I did the dishes and my laundry. He got home just before 3, so that was fine. Discussed his harp, chemicals, dryer sheets, chemical sensitivity, unscented Tide, opening windows / airflow, bamboo, rattan, jade ships, Daemonia Nymphe (Δαιμόνια Νύμφη), pi, a manly approach to tea, and more. Steph just called - we are OUTTA here!

Word Facts for Apr. 23-29, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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