this is a book that i started reading earlier this year. In september. I borrowed the book for 2 weeks. Then renewed it for another 2 weeks. It turned out that over the loan period, I wasn't able to finish the book. I was perhaps about 1/2 way through the book at most.
Tonight, i watched Interview with the Vampire. Watching it was very interesting after having read a part of it. I need to admit that seeing a motion picture unfold in front of your eyes is much faster and more enticing than reading 400pages of words. None the less, i do not underestimate the value of a good read. I much prefer to read and enjoy the book prior to watching the movie.
I liked being able to pick out the things they included in the movie, and the things they decided to leave out. And, the think of the differences in the way they represented the vampires, the people. They left out the entire section of Louis' neighbour, when she tells her and then leaves the city/town.
Watching the rest of the 'book' in the form of a movie was a great filler - to help me finally bring an ending to the story.
Interesting. Very.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
To reccommend
I finished the Rape of Nanking on my plane ride back to Toronto.
The book was horrifying, heart-breaking, grief-striking... yet so powerful. brings to light the endurance of suffering that has been silent for more than half a century.
I can't believe that I didn't read this earlier, yet I am happy that I've read it and am a littlemore knowledgeable about my own people.
I recommend this book to you if you are interested in history, especially silenced history. I recommend this book to you if you are of japanese decent, to learn of what your government did, and what they did not do. I recommend this book to you if you are of chinese decent - it brings a very different perspective (being a north american raised chinese, it certainly brought a different view). and finally, even if none of the above applies to you, this book is a great read.
I'm not a big fan of history, but this book carries with it so much more than mere history. I really like how Chang writes. But, do be prepared, the contents are gripping and horrifying.
Thank you for reccommending this book for me to read.
The book was horrifying, heart-breaking, grief-striking... yet so powerful. brings to light the endurance of suffering that has been silent for more than half a century.
I can't believe that I didn't read this earlier, yet I am happy that I've read it and am a littlemore knowledgeable about my own people.
I recommend this book to you if you are interested in history, especially silenced history. I recommend this book to you if you are of japanese decent, to learn of what your government did, and what they did not do. I recommend this book to you if you are of chinese decent - it brings a very different perspective (being a north american raised chinese, it certainly brought a different view). and finally, even if none of the above applies to you, this book is a great read.
I'm not a big fan of history, but this book carries with it so much more than mere history. I really like how Chang writes. But, do be prepared, the contents are gripping and horrifying.
Thank you for reccommending this book for me to read.
Back from "VEGAS BABY!"
Spent the last 5 days with family in the "fabulous" Las Begas.
The STRIP is so pretty, especially in the night-time. I couldn't stop thinking of chris and how he might love to take shots of the city. Some of the architechture. but, then again, i think he's more of a scenery guy. And in the case the Grand Canyon wuld probably be better.
And, the Grand Canyon we went to also. And, wow.. when we got there, it so so darn snowy. he fog was so thick, we couldn't see a damn thing.
We went to the South Rim of the Canyon, where it's supposed to be more scenic. A good 4.5 hour drive in the thicket of the snow, and with people driving at turtle speed. It was endurable for me. I slept most of the way, and by most, i mean about 95% of the ride. What else was there for me to do?! I opened my eyes to eat and pee. no poops in Mickey D's washroom.
It was good, i watched a few shows. LE REVE is a must see!! It's so damn good! I didn't really ge the story, but that's okay. I the stunts and acobatics, the use of lighting and the stage made up for it all. I watched the Blue Man Group 2 nights before Le Reve, and i'd have to say, Le Reve - hands down. It is a different type of show, but the buck for the bang was definitely le reve.
you get to see 3 shows in one for le reve. You get comedy, acrobatics and aquatic shows ll in one. There's no much theatre, but there wasn't much of that in the blue man show either.
The blue man you get ots of musical stuff - their musical stunts were really really good. and they were pretty darn funny. they were entertaining, but i can't help but say this for the thousandth time, Le Reve smoked SMOKED the Blue Men, in my little teeney beeety point of view.
So many roulette, 3 car poker, poker, black jack, tables and slot machines i walked by. but, not a single penny was spent. And, wished I played roulette! For me, placing a bet is based on luck. and my gut. I don't understand probability in the sense of a ball and a spinning wheel with numbers on it. and, i don't understand how people can say that it's more likely to stop on a red, because that's the pattern. Well, that pttern was there? it was: bbbb rr bb r b r b ...
and a guy placed the bet on a black, it was black. i placed the next bet (in my mind) on a red. and it was a red.
It just doens't make sense to me.. how people can say that a certain number is more of less likely to be the number that the white ball lands on... it's a matter of probability, the force that the ball is whipped into the wheel, the timing, speed and location that the ball hits the wheel at.. and well, whenever it decides to slow down and drop into a slot. to my simple mind, it's 1 in 38 chance for a single number, but apparently, i'm incorrect.
but, i think it's futile to try to explain it to me now.
i'm getting a bit sleepy - that might explain the non-coherence and scatteredness of this post. perhaps i'll continue this at a later time?
anyways, what i do want to end with is: I WANT TO GO BACK TO VEGAS!
The STRIP is so pretty, especially in the night-time. I couldn't stop thinking of chris and how he might love to take shots of the city. Some of the architechture. but, then again, i think he's more of a scenery guy. And in the case the Grand Canyon wuld probably be better.
And, the Grand Canyon we went to also. And, wow.. when we got there, it so so darn snowy. he fog was so thick, we couldn't see a damn thing.
We went to the South Rim of the Canyon, where it's supposed to be more scenic. A good 4.5 hour drive in the thicket of the snow, and with people driving at turtle speed. It was endurable for me. I slept most of the way, and by most, i mean about 95% of the ride. What else was there for me to do?! I opened my eyes to eat and pee. no poops in Mickey D's washroom.
It was good, i watched a few shows. LE REVE is a must see!! It's so damn good! I didn't really ge the story, but that's okay. I the stunts and acobatics, the use of lighting and the stage made up for it all. I watched the Blue Man Group 2 nights before Le Reve, and i'd have to say, Le Reve - hands down. It is a different type of show, but the buck for the bang was definitely le reve.
you get to see 3 shows in one for le reve. You get comedy, acrobatics and aquatic shows ll in one. There's no much theatre, but there wasn't much of that in the blue man show either.
The blue man you get ots of musical stuff - their musical stunts were really really good. and they were pretty darn funny. they were entertaining, but i can't help but say this for the thousandth time, Le Reve smoked SMOKED the Blue Men, in my little teeney beeety point of view.
So many roulette, 3 car poker, poker, black jack, tables and slot machines i walked by. but, not a single penny was spent. And, wished I played roulette! For me, placing a bet is based on luck. and my gut. I don't understand probability in the sense of a ball and a spinning wheel with numbers on it. and, i don't understand how people can say that it's more likely to stop on a red, because that's the pattern. Well, that pttern was there? it was: bbbb rr bb r b r b ...
and a guy placed the bet on a black, it was black. i placed the next bet (in my mind) on a red. and it was a red.
It just doens't make sense to me.. how people can say that a certain number is more of less likely to be the number that the white ball lands on... it's a matter of probability, the force that the ball is whipped into the wheel, the timing, speed and location that the ball hits the wheel at.. and well, whenever it decides to slow down and drop into a slot. to my simple mind, it's 1 in 38 chance for a single number, but apparently, i'm incorrect.
but, i think it's futile to try to explain it to me now.
i'm getting a bit sleepy - that might explain the non-coherence and scatteredness of this post. perhaps i'll continue this at a later time?
anyways, what i do want to end with is: I WANT TO GO BACK TO VEGAS!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Rape of NANKING
I'm beginning to read this book.
I've just read the Introduction, and I don't know what to feel.
It's painful.
And, i recall reading parts of Iris Chang (the author's) suicide notes from wikipedi.com - how she says that she thinks the CIA are following her. Considering how political this event is - Japan's denial of the event...
And, if we think for a minute - why has this massacre been so silent? Why do i not even know of this massacre? I believe that many westerners don't know about this massacre. I wonder if the Chinese curriculum teach this. More importantly, and sadly (and this is the political part), the Japanese curriculum does not include it.
They, unlike the germans, do not apologize for their actions (ruthless and brutal - much worse than gas chambers). They do not even ACKNOWLEDGE it. They DENY it.
And, this angers me.
It make me ask - why do we only learn about the Holocaust? Why do we not learn about the 20-40 million Russians that died, or the 13-20million Chinese that die during the WW2? Why do we only look at the jewish people that died?
Is it because it's European? And, being in a "European colony" that is what we learn about?
Unfortunately, yet seemingly so true, it seems that everything is so political.
I am grateful for Iris Chang, for her realization, her courage and her passion to bring the victims of the Rape of Nanking to shine a bit of light. If only any of these killings, and their sheer brutality, their humiliation and horrific-ness were brought to light as much as the holocaust, it would help the victims, who many of which are here no more, and bring their silenced suffering out of the closet. But even then, will the political world acknowledge it? Will the Japanese be willing to admit their doings to trying to erase their terrifying and horrible acts? Will they be willing to be shamed and apologize?
Perhaps it will take the falling of the sky for that to happen.
Damn, it's sad that Iris is gone.
I wish she were here to continue to advocacy of the silenced Chinese.
And, it makes it so damn emotional that these are my people. This is a part of my history.
An untold history, the forgotten and silenced history.
I hope that it will not be for me.
I've just read the Introduction, and I don't know what to feel.
It's painful.
And, i recall reading parts of Iris Chang (the author's) suicide notes from wikipedi.com - how she says that she thinks the CIA are following her. Considering how political this event is - Japan's denial of the event...
And, if we think for a minute - why has this massacre been so silent? Why do i not even know of this massacre? I believe that many westerners don't know about this massacre. I wonder if the Chinese curriculum teach this. More importantly, and sadly (and this is the political part), the Japanese curriculum does not include it.
They, unlike the germans, do not apologize for their actions (ruthless and brutal - much worse than gas chambers). They do not even ACKNOWLEDGE it. They DENY it.
And, this angers me.
It make me ask - why do we only learn about the Holocaust? Why do we not learn about the 20-40 million Russians that died, or the 13-20million Chinese that die during the WW2? Why do we only look at the jewish people that died?
Is it because it's European? And, being in a "European colony" that is what we learn about?
Unfortunately, yet seemingly so true, it seems that everything is so political.
I am grateful for Iris Chang, for her realization, her courage and her passion to bring the victims of the Rape of Nanking to shine a bit of light. If only any of these killings, and their sheer brutality, their humiliation and horrific-ness were brought to light as much as the holocaust, it would help the victims, who many of which are here no more, and bring their silenced suffering out of the closet. But even then, will the political world acknowledge it? Will the Japanese be willing to admit their doings to trying to erase their terrifying and horrible acts? Will they be willing to be shamed and apologize?
Perhaps it will take the falling of the sky for that to happen.
Damn, it's sad that Iris is gone.
I wish she were here to continue to advocacy of the silenced Chinese.
And, it makes it so damn emotional that these are my people. This is a part of my history.
An untold history, the forgotten and silenced history.
I hope that it will not be for me.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
self-inflicted stress
And, this is life.
It's the time for applications - and a previous graduate from the B.Ed program is right. There are 'spurts' of things that happen. November was practicum, and decemeber was handing in assignments and conferences. Now, January is job application/employment race.
And, I think I'm letting it get to my head. It's getting to me. And, I'm feeling the stress/heat of it.
I also found out that i'm quite good at self-bashing, i need to improve that.
It's the time for applications - and a previous graduate from the B.Ed program is right. There are 'spurts' of things that happen. November was practicum, and decemeber was handing in assignments and conferences. Now, January is job application/employment race.
And, I think I'm letting it get to my head. It's getting to me. And, I'm feeling the stress/heat of it.
I also found out that i'm quite good at self-bashing, i need to improve that.
Friday, December 12, 2008
time for some dog talk
chris sent me a link to GIANT DOGS:
and... these dogs are huge! ^^
I like the Hungarian Kuvasz dog. Independent, grand, but perhaps not really the kind of dog for me.
It sparked my interest in going to another site to do a little quiz about the dog that might best suit my criteria. I added: i am willing to groom once a month.
And, the Berger de Picard was one of them.
We had a slight discussion about the health issues that dogs were prone too - and th Picard seems to be prone to quite a few (the effects of inbreeding....)
There dogs don't seems to have that many health issues:
Chinese Chongqing Dog
Siberian Husky
Alaskan Malamute
Oh, the alaskan malamute, so beautiful!
but, i do think that the chinese dog, it's temperament and grooming needs (or, lack of!!), fit my lifestyle a little more.
They're so stubbbbbby. They're not too big. I'd like a bigger dog, but unless i breed an animal that has all those traits, i ain't gonna find one that has all the things that i want!
the chiense dog... is doable. i just don't know how i'll be able to find one in Canada....
and... these dogs are huge! ^^
I like the Hungarian Kuvasz dog. Independent, grand, but perhaps not really the kind of dog for me.
It sparked my interest in going to another site to do a little quiz about the dog that might best suit my criteria. I added: i am willing to groom once a month.
And, the Berger de Picard was one of them.
We had a slight discussion about the health issues that dogs were prone too - and th Picard seems to be prone to quite a few (the effects of inbreeding....)
There dogs don't seems to have that many health issues:
Chinese Chongqing Dog
Siberian Husky
Alaskan Malamute
but, i do think that the chinese dog, it's temperament and grooming needs (or, lack of!!), fit my lifestyle a little more.
They're so stubbbbbby. They're not too big. I'd like a bigger dog, but unless i breed an animal that has all those traits, i ain't gonna find one that has all the things that i want!
the chiense dog... is doable. i just don't know how i'll be able to find one in Canada....
Thursday, December 4, 2008
idiot
i am such an idiot!!!! *frustrated gurgling noises*
how can i be so impulsive, and act on such an emotional basis? And, in the end, what ends up happening? I end up apologizing and taking the blame for something that is probably not even my fault. And, if someone wants to attribute it to me.. that's shouldn't be my 'issue' that i should deal with personally.
Although, here's the thing - it's difficult to separate the personal from the professional. Which is which? is it personal, or is is professional. Do i leave it alone or what?
Why the heck did i apologize?
I did it becaus i felt sorry - and i felt pressurized into thinking that i did something wrong. I felt an obligation to be apologetic. Lady Lo, something's wrong here.
someone needs a head check.
how can i be so impulsive, and act on such an emotional basis? And, in the end, what ends up happening? I end up apologizing and taking the blame for something that is probably not even my fault. And, if someone wants to attribute it to me.. that's shouldn't be my 'issue' that i should deal with personally.
Although, here's the thing - it's difficult to separate the personal from the professional. Which is which? is it personal, or is is professional. Do i leave it alone or what?
Why the heck did i apologize?
I did it becaus i felt sorry - and i felt pressurized into thinking that i did something wrong. I felt an obligation to be apologetic. Lady Lo, something's wrong here.
someone needs a head check.
reflecting
it is during these times that i find i learn the most.
it is during these moments that thoughts of meaning seep through the millions of layers of plywood that's wedged between my ears.
And, even then, i do not completely understand or grasp the concept that I've "contemplated".
it is during these moments that thoughts of meaning seep through the millions of layers of plywood that's wedged between my ears.
And, even then, i do not completely understand or grasp the concept that I've "contemplated".
Monday, November 24, 2008
a sense of .... homesickness?
I miss my family.
it's been a while since I've had this feeling, but I miss their presence.
I don't miss a lot of things, but just in this moment when my guard is down, when I'm leeting my emotions get to me (and i know I am), I miss them really bad. I want to hug my tigger, and my pooh bear. and snuggle them until I fall asleep.
that sounds like a good plan.
it's been a while since I've had this feeling, but I miss their presence.
I don't miss a lot of things, but just in this moment when my guard is down, when I'm leeting my emotions get to me (and i know I am), I miss them really bad. I want to hug my tigger, and my pooh bear. and snuggle them until I fall asleep.
that sounds like a good plan.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
1/2 way there..
I haven't been blogging much, and I think that's a manifestation of my err.. 'regular' habits. Which is, I don't really have one.
Anywho, it's the half-way mark. I'm half-way there.
And, there's no way that I can do this next time round. Lots of 'cutting' to do. It's sad, but gotta do what i gotta do.
Anywho, it's the half-way mark. I'm half-way there.
And, there's no way that I can do this next time round. Lots of 'cutting' to do. It's sad, but gotta do what i gotta do.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
middle of the middle
it's good to be weird.
to be a bit wacked sometimes. to show that you're strange. And, that you're you.
Not someone trying ot be someone else, but to be.
just be.
i feel so happy that my mentor, can just be. and just live.
it's great. i cannot put my finger on what it is, what factor, what essence, but i cannot deny that my mentor and how he carries himself has to do with it.
to be a bit wacked sometimes. to show that you're strange. And, that you're you.
Not someone trying ot be someone else, but to be.
just be.
i feel so happy that my mentor, can just be. and just live.
it's great. i cannot put my finger on what it is, what factor, what essence, but i cannot deny that my mentor and how he carries himself has to do with it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
first day
today was my first day!
And time just flies by!
I cannot believe how exhausted I was when I got home. I came home, ate dinner, went back to my room, and fell asleep. Of course, setting my alarm clock first!!
Good thing I did though!
This is great! I'm looking forward to it!
At that same time as I want to say: "i can't wait til it's my turn!", I feel nervous about it, and am not so sure that I want to say it!
And time just flies by!
I cannot believe how exhausted I was when I got home. I came home, ate dinner, went back to my room, and fell asleep. Of course, setting my alarm clock first!!
Good thing I did though!
This is great! I'm looking forward to it!
At that same time as I want to say: "i can't wait til it's my turn!", I feel nervous about it, and am not so sure that I want to say it!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Orks mean Business
These big bad boyz mean business! They're huge, ugly (actually, I think they're kinda cute), and carry so much stuff!
I think they're going to be fun!
My colleagues tell me that I shouldn't be picking up a hobby at this time of my life. Ha!
Big Mek - isn't it so cute?!?! It's so small - teeny tiny (to me), and the stuff it carries is soo big!!
Little robot! So cute! The're so 'old-age'. The things they use are not 'not' high-tech!!! I love it!
These guys are called 'war bosses'. They're bigger, and badder.see, told ya they were cute!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A New Hobby?
This is what I didn't tell you about:
During my trip, I went to a store called: Games Workshop.
First time I played a Warhammer game - I played the fantasy one. And, the first time I painted a little model! they're so small and teeny tiny! It was a lot of fun. Time passes by way too fast when you're concentrated on painting.
And, last night, was the first time I got my very own starter kit. Chris is so sweet. he surprised me.. triple time. it's actually quadruple time. 1) He showed up where I was 2) He got me a model 3) he got me a kit to paint the model 4) he got me a book about the space marines so I could find/learn more about them!
Today was also the first time I visited the Games Workshop in Toronto.
I got 2 models (that came with a magazine). White I was at the store, I picked up this wolf-looking creature. (I learned that it was part of the Vampire package) and, guess what? I got to keep it! ^^
I just opened my starter kit. I want to paint, but I want Chris to paint with me.
So, i'm going to wait until we get a few more brushes :P
During my trip, I went to a store called: Games Workshop.
First time I played a Warhammer game - I played the fantasy one. And, the first time I painted a little model! they're so small and teeny tiny! It was a lot of fun. Time passes by way too fast when you're concentrated on painting.
And, last night, was the first time I got my very own starter kit. Chris is so sweet. he surprised me.. triple time. it's actually quadruple time. 1) He showed up where I was 2) He got me a model 3) he got me a kit to paint the model 4) he got me a book about the space marines so I could find/learn more about them!
Today was also the first time I visited the Games Workshop in Toronto.
I got 2 models (that came with a magazine). White I was at the store, I picked up this wolf-looking creature. (I learned that it was part of the Vampire package) and, guess what? I got to keep it! ^^
I just opened my starter kit. I want to paint, but I want Chris to paint with me.
So, i'm going to wait until we get a few more brushes :P
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Enemy at the Gates and Truman Show
So yes, I have been watching movies with Chris.
But, these movies I watched about 2 weeks ago. didn't get around to writing about them!
Both of them were terrific!!!!
Enemy at the gates is about war between Russia and Germany. It's a great movie about power, friendship, loyalty, and skill.
The Truman show. It exactly as it's pronounced. Not to worry if you don't know what I'm talking about. Once you see the movie, you'll get the pun. :P Great acting and very.. interesting yet disturbing concept. really neat idea.
But, these movies I watched about 2 weeks ago. didn't get around to writing about them!
Both of them were terrific!!!!
Enemy at the gates is about war between Russia and Germany. It's a great movie about power, friendship, loyalty, and skill.
The Truman show. It exactly as it's pronounced. Not to worry if you don't know what I'm talking about. Once you see the movie, you'll get the pun. :P Great acting and very.. interesting yet disturbing concept. really neat idea.
Monday, October 6, 2008
time flies
We're already going into the first week of October. time flies.
will talk later about trip.
night.
will talk later about trip.
night.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Yoga and Meditation
I'm new to this. And, apparently, not very good at keeping up the practice.
I should set aside a time, and schedule it in, says my instructor - so when the time comes, there is no chance for a conversation of "i can't do this because...."
I guess I'll go do that.
I should set aside a time, and schedule it in, says my instructor - so when the time comes, there is no chance for a conversation of "i can't do this because...."
I guess I'll go do that.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Safe School's Conference
Home from the Safe School's Conference.
It was definitely my first speaking in front of 500 colleagues, and it was a great experience.
The conference, especially the play really brought to my attention and awareness of what is happening. Of the issues that are involved in our schools today.
It was definitely my first speaking in front of 500 colleagues, and it was a great experience.
The conference, especially the play really brought to my attention and awareness of what is happening. Of the issues that are involved in our schools today.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Letting Go
... is truly one of the extremely difficult things for me to do. I've recently found that everything revolves around everything. Things are all tied and inter-connected, inter-related.
There is something that I thought I'd let go of, gotten over, and moved on - somehow still bug me. And, it torments me. It's staggeringly painful. It cuts through the heart. Perhaps its this manifestation and realization of truth that is taking me aback.
I've lost a lot of opportunities, made sacrifices that I did not plan nor prepare to make. But truth and fact are, it's happened. What is so difficult about this is acceptance. The ripples of effects travel far - like butterfly wings. They create a hurricane 2000 miles east.
It's not often. But when things become this clear, it's devastating to the heart.
There is something that I thought I'd let go of, gotten over, and moved on - somehow still bug me. And, it torments me. It's staggeringly painful. It cuts through the heart. Perhaps its this manifestation and realization of truth that is taking me aback.
I've lost a lot of opportunities, made sacrifices that I did not plan nor prepare to make. But truth and fact are, it's happened. What is so difficult about this is acceptance. The ripples of effects travel far - like butterfly wings. They create a hurricane 2000 miles east.
It's not often. But when things become this clear, it's devastating to the heart.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Night at the Museum
I just finished watching Night at the Museum. Yes, I'm watching it 2 years after it came out... It gives me such a nostalgia for Jumanji, which Robin William also starred in.
I didn't know that Robin Williams was in Night at the Museum!!! I might have watched it before. See, I found this much more entertaining than Tropic Thunder (a Ben Stiller movie). Though, speaking of Ben Stiller, I still think the Parent series (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers) is hilarious.
Anyways, my movie review: i loved the ending.
This movie served it's purpose - it made me laugh, and made me feel 'lighter', in the emotional sense.
Now, it's bedtime!
I didn't know that Robin Williams was in Night at the Museum!!! I might have watched it before. See, I found this much more entertaining than Tropic Thunder (a Ben Stiller movie). Though, speaking of Ben Stiller, I still think the Parent series (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers) is hilarious.
Anyways, my movie review: i loved the ending.
This movie served it's purpose - it made me laugh, and made me feel 'lighter', in the emotional sense.
Now, it's bedtime!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Leon The Professional - 1994
I watched a movie with Chris, and oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm missing out on so much!!
Highly recommended.
Natalie Portman's in this movie. You know the girl from V for Vendetta? Speaking of that movie, I want to watch V again.
Really, watch Leon. It's worth your time.
Okay, a little bit about the movie:
An assassinator.
Highly recommended.
Natalie Portman's in this movie. You know the girl from V for Vendetta? Speaking of that movie, I want to watch V again.
Really, watch Leon. It's worth your time.
Okay, a little bit about the movie:
An assassinator.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Talking to Tom
I just got home from my one point seven-five hour long appointment slash consultation with my orthodontist and said assistants and staff members. Goodness, having braces without insurance is pretty damn expensive.
Anyways, pulling up around the corner of my home, I saw someone walking two meduim-large dogs. One looked like a boxer - I noticed because it was jumping up and down, trying to get something from the walker's hand. I quickly parked my car and walked out to meet the dog-walker. His name is Tom, and the two dogs he was walking was Rocky, a brown with black pattern Boxer, and Bailey, a Siberian Husky mixed with an unknown. They were so cute! I want to play with them! And run with them! Too bad I was wearing sandals. Can't walk fast.
Anyways, I said that those two dogs were something that I'm interested in owning. He quickly asked me if I just wanted a dog because I liked dogs, or if I was particular about the breed. My response was: I'm not interested in Toy dogs, or smaller breeds. I like larger dogs. I found out why he made that comment. It turns out that Rocky (the Boxer) drools A LOT. And Bailey (the Husky mix) sheds a TON. And, I learned something new today: The Husky's hair gathers in clumps like dust on the floor, so you can just vacuum and whisk it up. The Boxer's hair, however, just sticks to things and sticks UP. You really need to work at it with the vacuum to get it. Tom said that if he could choose again (i.e. if he'd had known that the Boxer made such a mess and disaster), he'd choose a Doodle. I didn't know that Poodles, or anything like them don't shed that much. And, they don't smell as much too. I don't know, I'm not too into Poodles - the curls, they kind of freak me out.
And that, so far, is the highlight of my day.
Actually, I shouldn't say that. I had quite an interesting discussion with Julius and Daniel, a young Rev., about some topics. Those were quite interesting. Insightful. He provided a method/way of thinking about Christian views/concepts that I never thought of before.
Interesting.
Anyways, pulling up around the corner of my home, I saw someone walking two meduim-large dogs. One looked like a boxer - I noticed because it was jumping up and down, trying to get something from the walker's hand. I quickly parked my car and walked out to meet the dog-walker. His name is Tom, and the two dogs he was walking was Rocky, a brown with black pattern Boxer, and Bailey, a Siberian Husky mixed with an unknown. They were so cute! I want to play with them! And run with them! Too bad I was wearing sandals. Can't walk fast.
Anyways, I said that those two dogs were something that I'm interested in owning. He quickly asked me if I just wanted a dog because I liked dogs, or if I was particular about the breed. My response was: I'm not interested in Toy dogs, or smaller breeds. I like larger dogs. I found out why he made that comment. It turns out that Rocky (the Boxer) drools A LOT. And Bailey (the Husky mix) sheds a TON. And, I learned something new today: The Husky's hair gathers in clumps like dust on the floor, so you can just vacuum and whisk it up. The Boxer's hair, however, just sticks to things and sticks UP. You really need to work at it with the vacuum to get it. Tom said that if he could choose again (i.e. if he'd had known that the Boxer made such a mess and disaster), he'd choose a Doodle. I didn't know that Poodles, or anything like them don't shed that much. And, they don't smell as much too. I don't know, I'm not too into Poodles - the curls, they kind of freak me out.
And that, so far, is the highlight of my day.
Actually, I shouldn't say that. I had quite an interesting discussion with Julius and Daniel, a young Rev., about some topics. Those were quite interesting. Insightful. He provided a method/way of thinking about Christian views/concepts that I never thought of before.
Interesting.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
bright and sunny
today's bright and sunny. I feel bright and sunny!
I'm excited nad pumped up for my program!! It's going to be ooodles of hard, hard work, and fun!
I suppose, fun in the sense that its' as fun as i make it... which, might actually not be that fun - you see, i'm not creative as i think. But, fun in that I hope it will be rewarding.
And, since there's sun, there's also rain. well, in our atmosphere at least.
But, the rainy days go away, and the sun comes back eventually.
On another tangent of my scatter-brain: I should really persuade my mom to get a dog.
A smart, affectionate medium to large-sized dog. Of course, she'll hate all that fur at first, but I think she'll LOVE the rewards of affection that her pet will give her. And then, I can play with her pet! yay!! Like, a smart border collie! I'l tech it new tricks, and not have to pick up its poop. What a great scheme!!! Now, to go work clonky brain, and think up a hat full of wonderful reasons WHY she should get a pet and take care of it.
I think a really good reason is: It will obey and do what you ask. (of course I don't include: as long as you have some sort of edible material as a reward)
I'm excited nad pumped up for my program!! It's going to be ooodles of hard, hard work, and fun!
I suppose, fun in the sense that its' as fun as i make it... which, might actually not be that fun - you see, i'm not creative as i think. But, fun in that I hope it will be rewarding.
And, since there's sun, there's also rain. well, in our atmosphere at least.
But, the rainy days go away, and the sun comes back eventually.
On another tangent of my scatter-brain: I should really persuade my mom to get a dog.
A smart, affectionate medium to large-sized dog. Of course, she'll hate all that fur at first, but I think she'll LOVE the rewards of affection that her pet will give her. And then, I can play with her pet! yay!! Like, a smart border collie! I'l tech it new tricks, and not have to pick up its poop. What a great scheme!!! Now, to go work clonky brain, and think up a hat full of wonderful reasons WHY she should get a pet and take care of it.
I think a really good reason is: It will obey and do what you ask. (of course I don't include: as long as you have some sort of edible material as a reward)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
small burst
i have a tiny burst of anger, and I want ot express it. Hopefully, it won't grow to become a gigantic burst of anger.
Sometimes, I just feel so hopeless and helpless. When a stranger is rude toward you, you can just ignore them, or be rude back to them. Sometimes I've done the latter, but now, I'd lean more to doing the former.
However, when that inconsiderate person is your family member, and you don't want relations to sour, what can you do? Tell them politely how they are being an inconsiderate, rude-ass jerk, and then suck it up. There is no point in letting out your anger upon them, and stoning them with your wrath, because what good will that do? None. And, what good will my telling them that they are being an inconsiderate jerk do? Sadly, nothing as well. It does nothing. If I don't say anything, they have no means of learning that whatever they did is inappropriate. If I say something, it's likely that they won't listen to me. To say, or not to say. That definitely is the question. Of course, me being my impulsive self wants to yell at them at the top of my lungs and really show them how darn right idiotic they've been. And, I try hard, very hard, not to raise my voice. Because, it never accomplishes anything.
So, here I am feeling frustrated (although not so much right now) that whatever I do doesn't help, doesn't change a damn thing.
Sometimes, I just feel so hopeless and helpless. When a stranger is rude toward you, you can just ignore them, or be rude back to them. Sometimes I've done the latter, but now, I'd lean more to doing the former.
However, when that inconsiderate person is your family member, and you don't want relations to sour, what can you do? Tell them politely how they are being an inconsiderate, rude-ass jerk, and then suck it up. There is no point in letting out your anger upon them, and stoning them with your wrath, because what good will that do? None. And, what good will my telling them that they are being an inconsiderate jerk do? Sadly, nothing as well. It does nothing. If I don't say anything, they have no means of learning that whatever they did is inappropriate. If I say something, it's likely that they won't listen to me. To say, or not to say. That definitely is the question. Of course, me being my impulsive self wants to yell at them at the top of my lungs and really show them how darn right idiotic they've been. And, I try hard, very hard, not to raise my voice. Because, it never accomplishes anything.
So, here I am feeling frustrated (although not so much right now) that whatever I do doesn't help, doesn't change a damn thing.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Visiting sis in Guelf
I made a trip to Guelf the other day - sorry, didn't take any cameras (though, I did use the iPhone camera) - with Chris to visit Mars.
It turns out that there are many animals at the place the she lives in! She has 2 ferrets. But, there's a cat, and a dog.
And, I must say that I loved playing with the dog. It's a Border Collie!
And, it was smart. He understood commands, and Chris taught it to give him his paw using the chinese 'hand hand' command. It was great!! My first time playing with a Border Collie.
So smart!!! I want a Border Collie now!
And, my first time going to guelf. small, small town.
It turns out that there are many animals at the place the she lives in! She has 2 ferrets. But, there's a cat, and a dog.
And, I must say that I loved playing with the dog. It's a Border Collie!
And, it was smart. He understood commands, and Chris taught it to give him his paw using the chinese 'hand hand' command. It was great!! My first time playing with a Border Collie.
So smart!!! I want a Border Collie now!
And, my first time going to guelf. small, small town.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
post 100: Moving In
So, I'm moving to downtown today.
Residence life. Makes me wonder what it will be like, sort-of reliving myself 5 years ago.
Strange.
Yet, hopefully wonderful.
And, completely different.
School's about to start...
ANd, i'm thrilled!
Residence life. Makes me wonder what it will be like, sort-of reliving myself 5 years ago.
Strange.
Yet, hopefully wonderful.
And, completely different.
School's about to start...
ANd, i'm thrilled!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Managing Money
Yesterday, as I browsed the Personal Finance section of the stacks at my local community library, I came across a books called "Women and Money". I really didn't think much of it, the cover wasn't that appealing, but I picked it up, opened it, read the inside cover and decided that although I didn't like the cover, this might just be a book that i need.
And, it turns out to be a gem.
Suze Orman writing about "Women and Money", it's incredible. I don't know how to describe it. I'm thankful and grateful that I can read what my love has been trying to teach me. It seems to be like a more overt version of the necessary skills that I need to be learning.
It's also a great read. Not academic, and conversation-like. Perhaps more of an 'easy' than a 'great'. :P
And, it turns out to be a gem.
Suze Orman writing about "Women and Money", it's incredible. I don't know how to describe it. I'm thankful and grateful that I can read what my love has been trying to teach me. It seems to be like a more overt version of the necessary skills that I need to be learning.
It's also a great read. Not academic, and conversation-like. Perhaps more of an 'easy' than a 'great'. :P
Starship Trooper Trilogy
Well, I just finished watching the 2nd of the Tril.
It's nasty. Like, bloody, arms, legs, head, fingers sort of nasty.
Really very STRANGE 2nd movie. Though, I'd say I enjoyed it a bit more than the first.
However, I was really confused - there isn't any continuity of characters from the first to the second.
I'll keep you posted about the third.
posted: 8/28/08 12: 27 AM
I finished watching the third one with my brother tonight. interesting indeed.
Very odd. very, very odd.
Recommended movies, though I think that the Aliens Quadrilogy is much more exciting and scary.
It's nasty. Like, bloody, arms, legs, head, fingers sort of nasty.
Really very STRANGE 2nd movie. Though, I'd say I enjoyed it a bit more than the first.
However, I was really confused - there isn't any continuity of characters from the first to the second.
I'll keep you posted about the third.
posted: 8/28/08 12: 27 AM
I finished watching the third one with my brother tonight. interesting indeed.
Very odd. very, very odd.
Recommended movies, though I think that the Aliens Quadrilogy is much more exciting and scary.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Alien's Quadrilogy
I finished off the quadrilogy this past weekend. It was GOOD.
strange and weird, but good. This was a good 8 hours invested.
Highly recommended. And, trust me, it's different from Star Wars. Although it does sort of take place in space, believe me, these movies will keep you on the tip of your ass. Literally.
Good thing Chris was there for all of it. He was my human teddy bear. Except for parts of them. It was so intense, I had to leave his warmth and curl in my blankets and crawl closer to the computer monitor.
It was amazing.
And, if you're looking for character development - we got a jackpot here. The four movies were filmed over a 20 year period. not only do you have character development, you have actor literal development too. And, it was GOOD.
now, go watch it!!!!!
strange and weird, but good. This was a good 8 hours invested.
Highly recommended. And, trust me, it's different from Star Wars. Although it does sort of take place in space, believe me, these movies will keep you on the tip of your ass. Literally.
Good thing Chris was there for all of it. He was my human teddy bear. Except for parts of them. It was so intense, I had to leave his warmth and curl in my blankets and crawl closer to the computer monitor.
It was amazing.
And, if you're looking for character development - we got a jackpot here. The four movies were filmed over a 20 year period. not only do you have character development, you have actor literal development too. And, it was GOOD.
now, go watch it!!!!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
34Km ride ... with minor injuries
Took a new bike route today, and did a total of 34km!
Total pedaling time - 1:57:32
I left my place at 12:30pm, and didn't get home until 2:50pm
It was a great ride!
I love how I get to explore the area. I found a very beautiful pond at Mills Street. It was amazing!
That's partly the reason why i took so long. I spent 10mins at the pond, biking very slowly through the trail so I could soak up the beauty a little longer. I did get a seemingly unfriendly look by a man in his mid-thirties pushing a baby carriage, and walking with a young girl (she was about 3-5yrs). But, no one said anything, and I didn't see any signs that said "please do not bike".
Well, it turns out that I fell on Elgin Mills, between Yonge and Bayview. Good thing it was on the sidewalk, and not on the road. Last thing I'd want is to end up as a 'Jane Doe' in the hospital. I think I should get one of those ID tags for when I'm riding alone.
Total pedaling time - 1:57:32
I left my place at 12:30pm, and didn't get home until 2:50pm
It was a great ride!
I love how I get to explore the area. I found a very beautiful pond at Mills Street. It was amazing!
That's partly the reason why i took so long. I spent 10mins at the pond, biking very slowly through the trail so I could soak up the beauty a little longer. I did get a seemingly unfriendly look by a man in his mid-thirties pushing a baby carriage, and walking with a young girl (she was about 3-5yrs). But, no one said anything, and I didn't see any signs that said "please do not bike".
Well, it turns out that I fell on Elgin Mills, between Yonge and Bayview. Good thing it was on the sidewalk, and not on the road. Last thing I'd want is to end up as a 'Jane Doe' in the hospital. I think I should get one of those ID tags for when I'm riding alone.
Monday, August 18, 2008
ALEINSSSSS
Over the weekend, I watched Alien 1 and 2 with Chris. Well, their names are: Alien and Aliens.
They were GOOD. Aliens, I must say is much better than Alien. But that makes sense. They have a much better budget and etc. etc. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I watched Alien. But, I think that is because here we are in the 21st Century, it is nearing 2010. This movie was made around 30 years ago. Even before I was born! Alien was released in 1979. Now, for a 1979 film, it is impressive. Aliens was released in 1986. It overlaps the time that Star Wars was produced.
I would definitely recommend this movie, well movies. Aliens kept me on my toes! Figuratively. In the literal sense, imagine a girl sitting on a bed, leaning against the wall watching a movie from a laptop. Now, imagine the girl grasping onto the blankets, curled up close to the screen, watching the monitor intently. That's how good it was.
I'd give it a REALLY good rating (the second movie: Aliens). The first movie, isn't as good... but, the second movie wouldn't be nearly as good if you don't watch the first one.
Excellent movie. Very well done!
They were GOOD. Aliens, I must say is much better than Alien. But that makes sense. They have a much better budget and etc. etc. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I watched Alien. But, I think that is because here we are in the 21st Century, it is nearing 2010. This movie was made around 30 years ago. Even before I was born! Alien was released in 1979. Now, for a 1979 film, it is impressive. Aliens was released in 1986. It overlaps the time that Star Wars was produced.
I would definitely recommend this movie, well movies. Aliens kept me on my toes! Figuratively. In the literal sense, imagine a girl sitting on a bed, leaning against the wall watching a movie from a laptop. Now, imagine the girl grasping onto the blankets, curled up close to the screen, watching the monitor intently. That's how good it was.
I'd give it a REALLY good rating (the second movie: Aliens). The first movie, isn't as good... but, the second movie wouldn't be nearly as good if you don't watch the first one.
Excellent movie. Very well done!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Philospohical and Spritual?
I just had a long, but intense (for me anyways) discussion about religion(s) and concepts.
There's a point where we talked about a triangle. Where one corner is the human, the mind of humanness, in my head, I call it the physical aspects of living. Another corner is the mind of things which are not physical. This can be called the 'spiritual'. In my head, i call it the Meta-physical. Or, it can be termed 'being'. It is other than those things which are physical and things that we can touch or feel. I know that it doesn't seem correct to use the words 'beyond, above and surpasses', but it's that that i beyond the physical. The reason why I don't like using those words is that it gives the connotation that the meta-physical is better and superior than the physical, and i don't mean to convey that. I mean to say that it is separate and apart from. In my head, I see a Venn diagram. There is a circle. that circle is labeled 'physical'. Another circle outside of the 'physical' and labeled 'metaphysical'. And back to the triangle, the last point is the integration of both human and metaphysical.
What I mean by this is that.. let's say if a person is only driven to only think about the Humanness, then that is all they see. There doesn't appear/seem to be anything that is metaphysical that matters to this person. Now, if a person only thinks about Metaphysical things, this person may neglect their physical aspects such as family, friends, their academia, their careers etc. Now if this person then integrates their human experiences with their metaphysical experiences, and integrate the two, they can see the sadness of humanness, the suffering, the happiness. But, they can also see perfection in such imperfection.
I probably don't make sense to you at all, and I must admit that I am not nearly excellent at articulating my thoughts.
Another one is the separation of reality and concepts. Everything that we think and feel are concepts. They are all concepts. Jesus Christ is a concept, a representation of what people believe to be God. Ali is also another concept as a representation of God. As well as Nirvana, a concept of God. Dao is another concept of God.
I have been grappling with different consequences (which are part of a said religion). And what has never occurred to me... is to separate these ideas from GOD.
There's a point where we talked about a triangle. Where one corner is the human, the mind of humanness, in my head, I call it the physical aspects of living. Another corner is the mind of things which are not physical. This can be called the 'spiritual'. In my head, i call it the Meta-physical. Or, it can be termed 'being'. It is other than those things which are physical and things that we can touch or feel. I know that it doesn't seem correct to use the words 'beyond, above and surpasses', but it's that that i beyond the physical. The reason why I don't like using those words is that it gives the connotation that the meta-physical is better and superior than the physical, and i don't mean to convey that. I mean to say that it is separate and apart from. In my head, I see a Venn diagram. There is a circle. that circle is labeled 'physical'. Another circle outside of the 'physical' and labeled 'metaphysical'. And back to the triangle, the last point is the integration of both human and metaphysical.
What I mean by this is that.. let's say if a person is only driven to only think about the Humanness, then that is all they see. There doesn't appear/seem to be anything that is metaphysical that matters to this person. Now, if a person only thinks about Metaphysical things, this person may neglect their physical aspects such as family, friends, their academia, their careers etc. Now if this person then integrates their human experiences with their metaphysical experiences, and integrate the two, they can see the sadness of humanness, the suffering, the happiness. But, they can also see perfection in such imperfection.
I probably don't make sense to you at all, and I must admit that I am not nearly excellent at articulating my thoughts.
Another one is the separation of reality and concepts. Everything that we think and feel are concepts. They are all concepts. Jesus Christ is a concept, a representation of what people believe to be God. Ali is also another concept as a representation of God. As well as Nirvana, a concept of God. Dao is another concept of God.
I have been grappling with different consequences (which are part of a said religion). And what has never occurred to me... is to separate these ideas from GOD.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Books Read
Books Read this summer:
Carolina Moon - Nora Roberts
Scarecrow - Matthew Reilly
Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson
I Won't Learn from You and Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment - Herbert R. Kohl
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
The Myth of Laziness - Mel Levine
What Great Teachers do Differently - Todd Whitaker
Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffeneger
Savage Inequalities - Jonathan Kozol
And those that I hope to finish:
Life in Schools - Peter McLaren
1 more book to go before the end of August. Can I do it?
Carolina Moon - Nora Roberts
Scarecrow - Matthew Reilly
Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson
I Won't Learn from You and Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment - Herbert R. Kohl
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
The Myth of Laziness - Mel Levine
What Great Teachers do Differently - Todd Whitaker
Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffeneger
Savage Inequalities - Jonathan Kozol
And those that I hope to finish:
Life in Schools - Peter McLaren
1 more book to go before the end of August. Can I do it?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Story Sharing
I want to share a little snippet of The Time Traveller's Wife with you. And, this is one of the parts that brought me almost to tears.
To give you a bit of background, Henry is the Time Traveller. So far from what I've read, he mainly travels back to the past. Meaning, his self at age 36, would travel back to the time when he was say, 16. Clare is Henry's wife (they marry when Clare is 21, on Oct 23, 1993). In real time (if Henry and Clare are situated together) Henry is 8 years older than Clare.
The following snippet takes place April 12, 1984. Clare is 12. Henry is 36 (meaning he has travelled back in time). Thus, he knows the future that young Clare doesn't know.
They are playing chess and talking about the Beatles, and Paul McCartney. It evolves into a discussion of who Clare likes, and who Henry likes when he was her age, 12.
"Who do you like now?" she asks without looking up.
"you mean at twenty? Or at 36?"
"Both."
I try to remember being twenty. It is just a blur of women, breasts, legs, skin and hair. All their stories have been jumbled together, and their faces no longer attach themselves to names. I was busy but miserable at twenty. "Twenty was nothing special. Nobody springs to mind."
"And thirty-six?"
I scrutinize Clare. Is twelve too young? I'm sure twelve is really too young. Better to fantasize about beautiful, unattainable safe Paul McCartney than to have to content with Henry the Time Traveling Geezer. Why is she asking anyway?
"Henry?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you married?"
"Yes," I admit reluctantly.
"To who?"
"A very beautiful, patient, talented, smart woman."
Her face falls. "Oh." She picks up one of my whit bishops, which she captured two moves ago, and spins it on the ground like a top. "Well, that's nice." She seems kind of put out by this news.
"what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Clare moves her queen. I move my knight.
"Am I married?" Clare inquires.
I meet her eyes. "You're pushing your luck tday."
"Why not? You never tell me anything anyway. Come on, Henry, tell me if I'm gonna be an old maid."
"you're a nun," I tease her.
Clare shudders. "Boy, I hope not." She takes one of my pawns with her rook. "How did you meet your wife?"
"Sorry. Top secret information."
Clare, then she does some complaining about how it's not fair and not knowing if Henry is made up or not. Henry makes a remark about God, and after Clare exclaims that he shouldn't say things like that:
I shrug and change the subject. "I'm more real than Paul MacCartney."
Clare looks worried. She starts to put all the pieces back in their box carefully by dividing white and black. "Lots of people know about Paul MacCartney - I'm the only onw who knows about you."
"But you've actually met me, and you've never met him."
"My mom went to a Beatles concert." She closes the lid of the chess set and stretches out on the ground, starting up at the canopy of new leaves. "It was at Comiskey Park, in Chicago, August 8, 1965." I poke her in the stomach and she curls up like a Hedgehog, giggling. After an interval of tickling and thrashing around, we lie on the ground with our hands clasped across our middles and Clare asks, "Is your wife a time traveler too?"
"Nope. Thank God."
"Why 'thank God'? I think that would be fun. You could go places together."
"One time traveler per family is more than enough. It's dangerous, Clare."
"Does she worry about you?"
"Yes," I say softy. "She does." I wonder what Clare is doing now, in 1999. Maybe she is still asleep. Maybe she won't know I'm gone.
"Do you love her?"
"Very much," I whisper. We lie silently side by side, watching the swaying trees, the birds, the sky. I hear a muffled sniffling noise and glancing at Clare I am astonished to see that tears are streaming across her face towards her ears. I sit up and lean over her, "What's wrong Clare?" She just shakes her head back and forth and presses her lips together. I smooth her hair, and pull her into a sitting position, wrap my arms around her. She's a child, and then again she isn't. "What's wrong?"
It comes out so quietly that I have to ask her to repeat it: "It's just that I thought maybe you were married to me."
To give you a bit of background, Henry is the Time Traveller. So far from what I've read, he mainly travels back to the past. Meaning, his self at age 36, would travel back to the time when he was say, 16. Clare is Henry's wife (they marry when Clare is 21, on Oct 23, 1993). In real time (if Henry and Clare are situated together) Henry is 8 years older than Clare.
The following snippet takes place April 12, 1984. Clare is 12. Henry is 36 (meaning he has travelled back in time). Thus, he knows the future that young Clare doesn't know.
They are playing chess and talking about the Beatles, and Paul McCartney. It evolves into a discussion of who Clare likes, and who Henry likes when he was her age, 12.
"Who do you like now?" she asks without looking up.
"you mean at twenty? Or at 36?"
"Both."
I try to remember being twenty. It is just a blur of women, breasts, legs, skin and hair. All their stories have been jumbled together, and their faces no longer attach themselves to names. I was busy but miserable at twenty. "Twenty was nothing special. Nobody springs to mind."
"And thirty-six?"
I scrutinize Clare. Is twelve too young? I'm sure twelve is really too young. Better to fantasize about beautiful, unattainable safe Paul McCartney than to have to content with Henry the Time Traveling Geezer. Why is she asking anyway?
"Henry?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you married?"
"Yes," I admit reluctantly.
"To who?"
"A very beautiful, patient, talented, smart woman."
Her face falls. "Oh." She picks up one of my whit bishops, which she captured two moves ago, and spins it on the ground like a top. "Well, that's nice." She seems kind of put out by this news.
"what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Clare moves her queen. I move my knight.
"Am I married?" Clare inquires.
I meet her eyes. "You're pushing your luck tday."
"Why not? You never tell me anything anyway. Come on, Henry, tell me if I'm gonna be an old maid."
"you're a nun," I tease her.
Clare shudders. "Boy, I hope not." She takes one of my pawns with her rook. "How did you meet your wife?"
"Sorry. Top secret information."
Clare, then she does some complaining about how it's not fair and not knowing if Henry is made up or not. Henry makes a remark about God, and after Clare exclaims that he shouldn't say things like that:
I shrug and change the subject. "I'm more real than Paul MacCartney."
Clare looks worried. She starts to put all the pieces back in their box carefully by dividing white and black. "Lots of people know about Paul MacCartney - I'm the only onw who knows about you."
"But you've actually met me, and you've never met him."
"My mom went to a Beatles concert." She closes the lid of the chess set and stretches out on the ground, starting up at the canopy of new leaves. "It was at Comiskey Park, in Chicago, August 8, 1965." I poke her in the stomach and she curls up like a Hedgehog, giggling. After an interval of tickling and thrashing around, we lie on the ground with our hands clasped across our middles and Clare asks, "Is your wife a time traveler too?"
"Nope. Thank God."
"Why 'thank God'? I think that would be fun. You could go places together."
"One time traveler per family is more than enough. It's dangerous, Clare."
"Does she worry about you?"
"Yes," I say softy. "She does." I wonder what Clare is doing now, in 1999. Maybe she is still asleep. Maybe she won't know I'm gone.
"Do you love her?"
"Very much," I whisper. We lie silently side by side, watching the swaying trees, the birds, the sky. I hear a muffled sniffling noise and glancing at Clare I am astonished to see that tears are streaming across her face towards her ears. I sit up and lean over her, "What's wrong Clare?" She just shakes her head back and forth and presses her lips together. I smooth her hair, and pull her into a sitting position, wrap my arms around her. She's a child, and then again she isn't. "What's wrong?"
It comes out so quietly that I have to ask her to repeat it: "It's just that I thought maybe you were married to me."
Heart is Blind
This is such a sad song, but the words cut so deep.
And, before I show the lyrics to the world, I want to tell you about this book that I'm reading. Chris gave it to me on my 19th birthday. Since then I've attempted to read it, but got completely confused and lost in the first chapter of it. I attempted a second time, and i got lost in the second chapter. Now, I'm attempting to read it for the third time, and I've made it to page 153 within a few hours. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is utterly confusing at times, but then you give it a little patience, and the world lights up like a 'ping!'. It's a great book. It's made me want to cry more than twice.
Well, back to:
Heart is Blind - Shania Twain
I hear the slamin' of the door
there you go again.
I can take it anymore
that's just the way it is. Ooh...
But then i listen' to my heart
and the anger fades.
I wanna hold you
never let you go away.
Bridge:
I feel a raging war inside,
a battle between the heart and mind.
But love wins when i close my eyes
Chorus:
The heart is blind,
It will not see.
When hope is gone,
the heart will still believe.
I see you go.
With tearful eyes.
But for the sake of love,
the heart is blind.
I know there's been a lot of nights
when we couldn't sleep.
The words are like a knive,
they cut so deep. Ooh..
But when i listen to my heart
It's deeper than the pain.
I really love you,
that's all that matters anyway.
Bridge
Chorus
I'll always love you.
And hard times will only
make us strong.
If we keep holdin' on.
Chorus and fade
And, before I show the lyrics to the world, I want to tell you about this book that I'm reading. Chris gave it to me on my 19th birthday. Since then I've attempted to read it, but got completely confused and lost in the first chapter of it. I attempted a second time, and i got lost in the second chapter. Now, I'm attempting to read it for the third time, and I've made it to page 153 within a few hours. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is utterly confusing at times, but then you give it a little patience, and the world lights up like a 'ping!'. It's a great book. It's made me want to cry more than twice.
Well, back to:
Heart is Blind - Shania Twain
I hear the slamin' of the door
there you go again.
I can take it anymore
that's just the way it is. Ooh...
But then i listen' to my heart
and the anger fades.
I wanna hold you
never let you go away.
Bridge:
I feel a raging war inside,
a battle between the heart and mind.
But love wins when i close my eyes
Chorus:
The heart is blind,
It will not see.
When hope is gone,
the heart will still believe.
I see you go.
With tearful eyes.
But for the sake of love,
the heart is blind.
I know there's been a lot of nights
when we couldn't sleep.
The words are like a knive,
they cut so deep. Ooh..
But when i listen to my heart
It's deeper than the pain.
I really love you,
that's all that matters anyway.
Bridge
Chorus
I'll always love you.
And hard times will only
make us strong.
If we keep holdin' on.
Chorus and fade
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Back from my 25Km Excursion
I made it to Eglin Mills today!!!
And, being so proud of myself, I decided to bike the big road, Leslie back down home.
I'll post the map of it later :p
The ride makes me hungry, so I popped 2 pizza pops into the microwave. Nothing's as fast as microwave dinners :P
Oh, and hei, your book came in from chapters today!
update: I actually diverged from the previous post a bit, because I didn't turn onto South Park Road. Hence, the Beaver Creek detour.
The maps don't seem to be working, so i'm adding the link to the map of my ride.
my ride took: 1hr, 40mins. It seems that I'm biking (rather consistently) at 15km/h.
And, being so proud of myself, I decided to bike the big road, Leslie back down home.
I'll post the map of it later :p
The ride makes me hungry, so I popped 2 pizza pops into the microwave. Nothing's as fast as microwave dinners :P
Oh, and hei, your book came in from chapters today!
update: I actually diverged from the previous post a bit, because I didn't turn onto South Park Road. Hence, the Beaver Creek detour.
The maps don't seem to be working, so i'm adding the link to the map of my ride.
my ride took: 1hr, 40mins. It seems that I'm biking (rather consistently) at 15km/h.
Monday, August 11, 2008
My Next Ride - hopefully
So, I'm already planning my next ride.
I've found some streets that are a little smaller, the residential roads where the speed limit is 20km/h. Of course, you can expect the traffic to be about 60km/h.
Anyways, this route is a whopping 23km. I hope to have fun! And, i really need to get one of those water bottles where there's a little ap on the end that you can just bite open.
the route:
and, if the embedded map doesn't work, here's the link.
I've found some streets that are a little smaller, the residential roads where the speed limit is 20km/h. Of course, you can expect the traffic to be about 60km/h.
Anyways, this route is a whopping 23km. I hope to have fun! And, i really need to get one of those water bottles where there's a little ap on the end that you can just bite open.
the route:
and, if the embedded map doesn't work, here's the link.
My 15km Ride
I had my first 15km bike ride today. Having my Minoura Handlebar Bottle cage was definitely helpful, now i don't need to strap the bottle to my waist. But, my water bottle proves to be not that helpful. I can't drink from it without stopping, since it's an old Nalgene one, and you need to unscrew the cap to get it open, and I couldn't do that with one hand.
From (one of) my previous blog posts, I mentioned MapMyRide.com. I'm using it as a measure of how far I've biked, and as a site to log all the different routes I've taken.
Here's a map of the route I biked today, it took 1hr.
From (one of) my previous blog posts, I mentioned MapMyRide.com. I'm using it as a measure of how far I've biked, and as a site to log all the different routes I've taken.
Here's a map of the route I biked today, it took 1hr.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Adjusting
I've decided to take Chris' advice and try something new. I hope to keep this up and stick to this new scheduling this year, including this coming school year. Hopefully it will help me wake up in the morning, and help me be more productive.
So, the new thing is: taking showers which included washing my HAIR in the morning instead of saving those showers for late in the night (and i don't end up sleeping until late late in the might, more like early morning since I don't like blow-drying my hair, and i like to sleep with my head relatively dry). I've been doing this for the past 3 days, and it seems to be working. At least I have somewhat of a 'morning'. I've been sleeping more consistently as well. I get sleepy at around 11:30pm, and usually get to bed by 12:45 - 1:30am. Yes, i take a while getting to bed.
oh, and I've been doing some research on cycling in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
I've also made my own maps from mapmyride.com it utilizes google maps to plot your bike routes and rides. It gives you the KM/Mi calculations. I think it's great that I get to see how far I biked, since I don't have a speedometer yet.
Speaking of Cycling, I've also looked into cycling charities such as Ride for Heart, Wheels for Wellness, and MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Bike Tour. All these have one thing in common: you register to cycle for distances of 25km - 100km, and of course you get to contribute through donations. But, i like the idea of getting to cycle such distances. I also found out about the Toronto Bicycling Network. I'm pretty sure that the group of 25-30 people we saw biking were with the TBN. I found from their website that they have Saturday morning/weekend cycling trips. Maybe I'll join them ... next year.. maybe :P
So, the new thing is: taking showers which included washing my HAIR in the morning instead of saving those showers for late in the night (and i don't end up sleeping until late late in the might, more like early morning since I don't like blow-drying my hair, and i like to sleep with my head relatively dry). I've been doing this for the past 3 days, and it seems to be working. At least I have somewhat of a 'morning'. I've been sleeping more consistently as well. I get sleepy at around 11:30pm, and usually get to bed by 12:45 - 1:30am. Yes, i take a while getting to bed.
oh, and I've been doing some research on cycling in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
I've also made my own maps from mapmyride.com it utilizes google maps to plot your bike routes and rides. It gives you the KM/Mi calculations. I think it's great that I get to see how far I biked, since I don't have a speedometer yet.
Speaking of Cycling, I've also looked into cycling charities such as Ride for Heart, Wheels for Wellness, and MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Bike Tour. All these have one thing in common: you register to cycle for distances of 25km - 100km, and of course you get to contribute through donations. But, i like the idea of getting to cycle such distances. I also found out about the Toronto Bicycling Network. I'm pretty sure that the group of 25-30 people we saw biking were with the TBN. I found from their website that they have Saturday morning/weekend cycling trips. Maybe I'll join them ... next year.. maybe :P
Friday, August 8, 2008
Booking reading
I'm reading another book(s) on education. These books are fantastic!!!
One is: The Myth of Laziness by Mel Levine. This book, don't be fooled by it's cover or title, its really good! I love how we are given case studies of people. We get to see things happening, we can apply knowledge to these situations. I've known this for a while - I tend to work better with examples. Teach me an abstract theory, i might not get it right away. Use an example with the theory, ahhh, all comes to light. It s true that there are drawbacks to the particular way that i learn. I may not be able to apply as broadly and widely, because I learned it in an exemplary fashion. I may only learn to apply it in that same fashion. Well, it is good to know the pros and cons.
The other book I'm reading is called: Life in Schools by Peter McLaren. The first part was such a dense read!! The introduction of many sociological concepts at such depth and abstraction that I didn't understand. Then, when I finally got through the first part of the book, it seemed like I passed the quicksand portion. The second part, the one i'm reading now, is written in a diary/journal form. It speaks of his experience as a teacher in the inner-city regions of Suburban Toronto namely - The Jane and Finch Corridor. It is a very interesting read and I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait to get through this 390page textbook!
One is: The Myth of Laziness by Mel Levine. This book, don't be fooled by it's cover or title, its really good! I love how we are given case studies of people. We get to see things happening, we can apply knowledge to these situations. I've known this for a while - I tend to work better with examples. Teach me an abstract theory, i might not get it right away. Use an example with the theory, ahhh, all comes to light. It s true that there are drawbacks to the particular way that i learn. I may not be able to apply as broadly and widely, because I learned it in an exemplary fashion. I may only learn to apply it in that same fashion. Well, it is good to know the pros and cons.
The other book I'm reading is called: Life in Schools by Peter McLaren. The first part was such a dense read!! The introduction of many sociological concepts at such depth and abstraction that I didn't understand. Then, when I finally got through the first part of the book, it seemed like I passed the quicksand portion. The second part, the one i'm reading now, is written in a diary/journal form. It speaks of his experience as a teacher in the inner-city regions of Suburban Toronto namely - The Jane and Finch Corridor. It is a very interesting read and I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait to get through this 390page textbook!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A "not so surprising" Surprise Dinner
I"m sitting here in my boyfriend's apartment, unsure of whether or not I should just go ahead and finish the cooking. Everything is prepared and laid out. The veggies are washed and all cut to the shapes and sizes that I want. The meat has been marinated, and even cooked - but, this still is the preparation portion. I'm making what I feel is more a fail-safe entre for dinner: pasta! I know that pastas can be very complicated, but the pasta that I make are the boil-the-pasta-get-the-sauce-and-add-whatever-else-you-like-to-the-sauce sort of pasta dishes. I also have another simple veggie dish that I know he'll eat. I'm not sure whether he loves it or not. I do know that he likes veggies, and I adore that, because I like veggies too!
So, to let you in on the 'whatever-else-you-like-to-the-sauce', I'm prepared Zuchinni, Fresh Mushrooms and slicked pork thigh (I can't remember exactly where on the pig, and I don't feel like going through trash to look at the label, but it is some part of the leg). The separate veggie dish I'm planning on preparing is Brcolli! Not very creative. Next time, I'll try adding things to the brocolli. Well, I do have an extra package of mushrooms. I think I'll cook them with the brocolli. Perhaps boil the brocolli for a few minutes, then take them out, and stir-fry them with the pack of mushrooms. That's exactly what I'll do!
And, I got him some beer. Hopefully the Guiness Draught is the 'black' Guniess beer that he spoke of.
EDIT: So, later on last night, I asked him if he knew about me making him dinner. And, of course he is honest with me, and tells me that he knew. He knew from the phone call when I got to Davisville subway station. How could he?!?! I hadn't even bought the groceries yet!!! Well, i suppose i'll let him off with his "I am Chris" phrase. And, I believe him.
So, to let you in on the 'whatever-else-you-like-to-the-sauce', I'm prepared Zuchinni, Fresh Mushrooms and slicked pork thigh (I can't remember exactly where on the pig, and I don't feel like going through trash to look at the label, but it is some part of the leg). The separate veggie dish I'm planning on preparing is Brcolli! Not very creative. Next time, I'll try adding things to the brocolli. Well, I do have an extra package of mushrooms. I think I'll cook them with the brocolli. Perhaps boil the brocolli for a few minutes, then take them out, and stir-fry them with the pack of mushrooms. That's exactly what I'll do!
And, I got him some beer. Hopefully the Guiness Draught is the 'black' Guniess beer that he spoke of.
EDIT: So, later on last night, I asked him if he knew about me making him dinner. And, of course he is honest with me, and tells me that he knew. He knew from the phone call when I got to Davisville subway station. How could he?!?! I hadn't even bought the groceries yet!!! Well, i suppose i'll let him off with his "I am Chris" phrase. And, I believe him.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Differing Views
is what I have with my parents at times. Perhaps a lot of times, and it is this time, as well as during camping too. But, ah... bikes.
and, long term planning. I know and understand the situation, which is fine, and I respect that.
But, what I would appreciate, and would want my sibling to be able to have is an explanation of what and why you say what you say. Of the reasons why he must listen and execute your wishes.
I really don' think nor agree that it's a good idea to ask someone "So, are you going to do X?", which is the exact thing that he was told he 'shouldn't do' just 2 minutes prior to asking the question. the reply is "Hmm... probably not". I interject and say "ask him why, to make sure he understands". the parent asks "why are you not going to do X?". The response that I applauded to "because you said so."
what a wonderful answer to show that my dear sibling does NOT understand why he should listen to the advice given, or do anything that is told to him. There was no reasoning included in the instructing of prohibited actions. There was no reasoning as to why i should be classified as 'prohibited' in the first place.
I can't stand rules without reason.
and, long term planning. I know and understand the situation, which is fine, and I respect that.
But, what I would appreciate, and would want my sibling to be able to have is an explanation of what and why you say what you say. Of the reasons why he must listen and execute your wishes.
I really don' think nor agree that it's a good idea to ask someone "So, are you going to do X?", which is the exact thing that he was told he 'shouldn't do' just 2 minutes prior to asking the question. the reply is "Hmm... probably not". I interject and say "ask him why, to make sure he understands". the parent asks "why are you not going to do X?". The response that I applauded to "because you said so."
what a wonderful answer to show that my dear sibling does NOT understand why he should listen to the advice given, or do anything that is told to him. There was no reasoning included in the instructing of prohibited actions. There was no reasoning as to why i should be classified as 'prohibited' in the first place.
I can't stand rules without reason.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Back from Arrowhead Provincial Park
The past three days were long (in a not unusual sense, since I have the tendency of sleeping late, thus the day being 'long, but these past few days, i slept very early. The day just seemed so long, most likely due to the energy output).
After setting up the tents, the screen-house, and everything else i.e. food, chairs, etc. etc., my brother and I went out for a canoe. Don't have a picture of that right now. We went around the entire Arrowhead Lake, and were done in less than an hour. So, for the remainder of the rental time, we decided to trade the canoe in for a bike. Ivan had some fun with it! After the biking journey (and for me, the long walk back to the campsite), I went for a shower. I was ready to curl up into a ball and sleep! I retired right after dinner the first time, and slept for a good 12 hours. Is that even possible?! I slept from ten pm to ten am. I blame that on my headache. Or, perhaps it was because I just got off my medical supply of penicillin and my body was reacting weird. I felt exhausted during the light canoing.
The next day, was the better day. Rising at 10am, breakfast was eaten monstrously. Bread, with eggs and ham have never tasted better! After that, we did some chores, washing the dishes, cooking lunch, and about an hour after breakfast, ate our second meal of the day. And, we ate quite a lot too! Good thing we did. I have a feeling we burned all the energy that we consumed portaging the kayaks. My brother and I rented Kayaks, and our parents a canoe. And, off we went into a little river called "Little East River". There we paddled in the quite waters.
Here we are portaging one of the kayaks.
These guys are heavy!! Although I think we only portaged about 50meters one way, it was tiring. Going up and down those little hills, and over the tree roots in FLIP FLOPS, and having my feet covered with mud was not easy.
But, I'd do it all over again!!
We had to portage around the Stubb's Falls, ince we wanted to continue down Little East River. We were hoping to reach Big East River, where the River is much wider, and the current much stronger. But, about 30 meters after the portaging, we encountered a huge pike of logs and fallen trees. We didn't really want to portage again, so we headed back. Again, we still had about 2 hours left from our rental, so we took out two mountain bikes and hit the Biking Trail. Being the 'adventurous' one, I decided to take the more difficult trail. I don't know if that was for better or worse. The trail was difficult. The hills were steep both going up and coming down. Going down was scary, because there were big rocks and the trail was so bumpy. To be honest, I was totally freaked out. There were also parts that were so muddy, we had to get off to pass them. And, of course parts of the trail... was a bit tough, and my little thighs couldn't keep up. Scary, but exhilarating ride. And did I mention that the bike, although it was a Trek, was extremely uncomfortable. After 7 mosquito bites, we conquered the trail. And although the bikes itch, it was worth the while. And, not to mention that the trail was a ways off from the rental place. It took us a good 15mins just to bike to the trail. The 4km trail itself took us a good 20mins to finish. The rental office is next to the beach, and after returning the bikes, i hit the beach. It was rainy, and chilly, but I didn't really care, or mind.
I suppose I was the first one that braved the waters. It took me a while to get in, but I did and I started swimming. I also did something that was extremely physically exhausting, and a bit stupid. Although, I'm so glad that I did. I swam across the lake. There was a dock on the other side. It was probably about 100meters. Thanks goodness my brother was with me. I swam about 20meters ahead of him, and he caught up with me like a piece of cake. I'm glad this swimmer guy just got his bronze cross. If anything did happen to me, at least he would have been able to save me to shore. About 5-10meters to the dock, I felt my muscles caving in on me. I think I pushed them a bit too much, ad I really didn't want them to Spaz on me in the water. I called for help, and my brother came back for me. yay! I felt 'saved'. There were these kids with a 'dad' on the dock, thy were trying to tell us something, but i couldn't hear. When I got closer, they were trying to tell us to stay on 'this' side of the dock. There were mating Snapping Turtles close to the shore!
I must say that this second day, the kayaking, biking and swimming, was the triathlon that i never had. it was amazing.
Hopefully, the biking trail back home here will be a lot easier.
After setting up the tents, the screen-house, and everything else i.e. food, chairs, etc. etc., my brother and I went out for a canoe. Don't have a picture of that right now. We went around the entire Arrowhead Lake, and were done in less than an hour. So, for the remainder of the rental time, we decided to trade the canoe in for a bike. Ivan had some fun with it! After the biking journey (and for me, the long walk back to the campsite), I went for a shower. I was ready to curl up into a ball and sleep! I retired right after dinner the first time, and slept for a good 12 hours. Is that even possible?! I slept from ten pm to ten am. I blame that on my headache. Or, perhaps it was because I just got off my medical supply of penicillin and my body was reacting weird. I felt exhausted during the light canoing.
The next day, was the better day. Rising at 10am, breakfast was eaten monstrously. Bread, with eggs and ham have never tasted better! After that, we did some chores, washing the dishes, cooking lunch, and about an hour after breakfast, ate our second meal of the day. And, we ate quite a lot too! Good thing we did. I have a feeling we burned all the energy that we consumed portaging the kayaks. My brother and I rented Kayaks, and our parents a canoe. And, off we went into a little river called "Little East River". There we paddled in the quite waters.
Here we are portaging one of the kayaks.
These guys are heavy!! Although I think we only portaged about 50meters one way, it was tiring. Going up and down those little hills, and over the tree roots in FLIP FLOPS, and having my feet covered with mud was not easy.But, I'd do it all over again!!
We had to portage around the Stubb's Falls, ince we wanted to continue down Little East River. We were hoping to reach Big East River, where the River is much wider, and the current much stronger. But, about 30 meters after the portaging, we encountered a huge pike of logs and fallen trees. We didn't really want to portage again, so we headed back. Again, we still had about 2 hours left from our rental, so we took out two mountain bikes and hit the Biking Trail. Being the 'adventurous' one, I decided to take the more difficult trail. I don't know if that was for better or worse. The trail was difficult. The hills were steep both going up and coming down. Going down was scary, because there were big rocks and the trail was so bumpy. To be honest, I was totally freaked out. There were also parts that were so muddy, we had to get off to pass them. And, of course parts of the trail... was a bit tough, and my little thighs couldn't keep up. Scary, but exhilarating ride. And did I mention that the bike, although it was a Trek, was extremely uncomfortable. After 7 mosquito bites, we conquered the trail. And although the bikes itch, it was worth the while. And, not to mention that the trail was a ways off from the rental place. It took us a good 15mins just to bike to the trail. The 4km trail itself took us a good 20mins to finish. The rental office is next to the beach, and after returning the bikes, i hit the beach. It was rainy, and chilly, but I didn't really care, or mind.
I suppose I was the first one that braved the waters. It took me a while to get in, but I did and I started swimming. I also did something that was extremely physically exhausting, and a bit stupid. Although, I'm so glad that I did. I swam across the lake. There was a dock on the other side. It was probably about 100meters. Thanks goodness my brother was with me. I swam about 20meters ahead of him, and he caught up with me like a piece of cake. I'm glad this swimmer guy just got his bronze cross. If anything did happen to me, at least he would have been able to save me to shore. About 5-10meters to the dock, I felt my muscles caving in on me. I think I pushed them a bit too much, ad I really didn't want them to Spaz on me in the water. I called for help, and my brother came back for me. yay! I felt 'saved'. There were these kids with a 'dad' on the dock, thy were trying to tell us something, but i couldn't hear. When I got closer, they were trying to tell us to stay on 'this' side of the dock. There were mating Snapping Turtles close to the shore!
I must say that this second day, the kayaking, biking and swimming, was the triathlon that i never had. it was amazing.
Hopefully, the biking trail back home here will be a lot easier.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Off Again!
I'm about to go on a trip for the next few days. I'll be going to Arrowhead Provincial Park, it's located near Algonquin Park. Let's see how that goes. Hopefully, this time 'round, i'll be able to kayak!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Looking for a Bottle Cage
that fits on the saddle. But, these are hard to find. Perhaps i will need to make do with one that fits on the seat post. Here are a few that Chris and I (mostly Chris) has found so far:
Minoura - SBH-80
Saddle: i really like this one - but, seems to be available in.. japan?
Profile Design - Aqua Rack
This is a seat post one, it attaches onto that post situated under the seat. Two bottle racks!
Beaker Concepts: Hydrotail. It has 2 water bottle racks and two straps for you to pack something. What would you strap there? Your other pair of shoes?
Minoura - SBH-80
Saddle: i really like this one - but, seems to be available in.. japan?
Profile Design - Aqua Rack
This is a seat post one, it attaches onto that post situated under the seat. Two bottle racks!
Beaker Concepts: Hydrotail. It has 2 water bottle racks and two straps for you to pack something. What would you strap there? Your other pair of shoes?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
My Biking "Adventure", re-lived
I am still sweating, panting, my thighs still shaking and my heart still racing from my bike ride.
I took the path that Chris and I went down the other day - Friday afternoon. It starts of as a nicely paved road, large enough to make way for a rural two lane road, and leads into a dirt path about half a foot wide. The path changes from smooth and even, to pebbly, then gravelly and finally rocky and dirty. Today, it was a bit muddy from the heavy rain over the past few days.
Before I headed out for my bike ride, i decided to bring my camera along to take a few snap shots of what my adventure entails. I only took photos of the trail though. I didn't get to capture a 'First" moment that I had!
I'll share the photos, then talk about the my exciting, and breath-taking (literally, it left me panting and exhausted) moment.
This is where the journey begins.
And, of course I need to take a picture of my bike! Well, at least as much of it as possible without getting OFF the bike.
This Picture is taken along the way to the 'trail'. see that slope? It's actually quite steep. And, not as easy as you think to bike back up.
This is not 'the trail'. The gates, as usual are locked, and instead of breaking the lock, or sawing through the chains, taking this little path here is a slightly easier way to gain access to the trail.
And, this is what I mean by 'locked'.
See the nicely paved road? Well, this HUGE puddle was gorgeous!
You can see the reflection of the scenery in it!
The road gets a bit narrower, but is still nicely paved. I'm holding the camera in my had as I bike. Not something I would recommend.
Then, I can no longer hold the camera as I bike. Se the pebbles and gravel on the road? It gets better!!
Now, this is some path that we're looking for!!!
Wait, there's more!
see the path getting really narrow?
It's really nice there though. I'm not sure if you can see it, but near the back, you can see that the path goes down ad then back up again. This slope doesn't look that steep, but really, you get enough momentum to rush all the way back up without pedaling at ALL.
This is a picture of the same part of the trail in the previous picture. But, after I rush down it, and back up!
It was exhilarating. It's strange, the first time I went down it, I lit up my eyes and gave me this sort of excitement. You're sitting on a bike, you might get thrown off and all scratched up. The path is really bumpy. I Didn't know whether to brake, or to hold onto the handlebars for dear life. I ended up holding onto the handles FULLY. I felt that I needed to hold onto it so tightly, hoping to at least be able to steer it, even if I couldn't control the speed. it was fun!
after the rush up.
And, the end. So many branches. This is where I got bitten. Probably because I kept stopping to take pictures. Well, at least the mosquitoes here are nicer than the ones that reside in the visitor's parking outside my house. The swelling and itching are gone already!
Getting out was difficult. I couldn't bike up this slope.
Shot of the same slope from the other side.
great to know!!
The trail leads me to a Golf Club. Before Chris and I biked here last time, I had no idea I lived that close to a Golf Club. some photos of the club.
So after the trail, I decide to head home. From the trail, I suppose it's around a 3km ride home. I bike along the side walk, since Steeles is an extremely busy street. When I reach the next intersection, I head North for home. I reach a traffic light, and passing it, I continue on the sidewalk. Then, it occurs to me that, it's nice and clam, not too many cars: I can bike on the road! So, I did!
This is the first time that I bike on a large road. Steelecase, does not count as a large road, since it's like a residential road (no traffic lights etc. Speed Limit is probably 50kmh). Anyways, my new challenge. That uphill that you saw in the first few pictures, was the uphill that I needed to bike on the road to get home. And, it was a long, hard bike (for me), but I made it! I feel so proud of myself!
note: uploading these pictures takes EONS. I don't think i'll be uploading so many for blogs now.
I took the path that Chris and I went down the other day - Friday afternoon. It starts of as a nicely paved road, large enough to make way for a rural two lane road, and leads into a dirt path about half a foot wide. The path changes from smooth and even, to pebbly, then gravelly and finally rocky and dirty. Today, it was a bit muddy from the heavy rain over the past few days.
Before I headed out for my bike ride, i decided to bring my camera along to take a few snap shots of what my adventure entails. I only took photos of the trail though. I didn't get to capture a 'First" moment that I had!
I'll share the photos, then talk about the my exciting, and breath-taking (literally, it left me panting and exhausted) moment.
This is where the journey begins.
And, of course I need to take a picture of my bike! Well, at least as much of it as possible without getting OFF the bike.
This Picture is taken along the way to the 'trail'. see that slope? It's actually quite steep. And, not as easy as you think to bike back up.
This is not 'the trail'. The gates, as usual are locked, and instead of breaking the lock, or sawing through the chains, taking this little path here is a slightly easier way to gain access to the trail.
And, this is what I mean by 'locked'.
See the nicely paved road? Well, this HUGE puddle was gorgeous!
You can see the reflection of the scenery in it!
The road gets a bit narrower, but is still nicely paved. I'm holding the camera in my had as I bike. Not something I would recommend.
Then, I can no longer hold the camera as I bike. Se the pebbles and gravel on the road? It gets better!!
Now, this is some path that we're looking for!!!
Wait, there's more!
see the path getting really narrow?
It's really nice there though. I'm not sure if you can see it, but near the back, you can see that the path goes down ad then back up again. This slope doesn't look that steep, but really, you get enough momentum to rush all the way back up without pedaling at ALL.
This is a picture of the same part of the trail in the previous picture. But, after I rush down it, and back up!It was exhilarating. It's strange, the first time I went down it, I lit up my eyes and gave me this sort of excitement. You're sitting on a bike, you might get thrown off and all scratched up. The path is really bumpy. I Didn't know whether to brake, or to hold onto the handlebars for dear life. I ended up holding onto the handles FULLY. I felt that I needed to hold onto it so tightly, hoping to at least be able to steer it, even if I couldn't control the speed. it was fun!
after the rush up.
And, the end. So many branches. This is where I got bitten. Probably because I kept stopping to take pictures. Well, at least the mosquitoes here are nicer than the ones that reside in the visitor's parking outside my house. The swelling and itching are gone already!
Getting out was difficult. I couldn't bike up this slope.
Shot of the same slope from the other side.
great to know!!
The trail leads me to a Golf Club. Before Chris and I biked here last time, I had no idea I lived that close to a Golf Club. some photos of the club.
So after the trail, I decide to head home. From the trail, I suppose it's around a 3km ride home. I bike along the side walk, since Steeles is an extremely busy street. When I reach the next intersection, I head North for home. I reach a traffic light, and passing it, I continue on the sidewalk. Then, it occurs to me that, it's nice and clam, not too many cars: I can bike on the road! So, I did!
This is the first time that I bike on a large road. Steelecase, does not count as a large road, since it's like a residential road (no traffic lights etc. Speed Limit is probably 50kmh). Anyways, my new challenge. That uphill that you saw in the first few pictures, was the uphill that I needed to bike on the road to get home. And, it was a long, hard bike (for me), but I made it! I feel so proud of myself!
note: uploading these pictures takes EONS. I don't think i'll be uploading so many for blogs now.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
To Eat or To Wear?
Let's take the 'average' person who has an 'average' salary which is approximately 35,000CDN a year, minus the tax of lets say 20%, you're getting a net worth of about 28,000 annually. Let's pretend that this person does not need to pay for a car or car insurance. They take public transit which costs roughly about 120/month, thus 1,440/year. Now to rent. The average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in a 'close to subway station' location will cost roughly about 1,450/month, thus 17,400/year. The phone and internet bill will come to about 120/mo, another 1,440/yr. The water, gas, electricity bill an additional 1,440/yr (but, since you live in an apt, these are likely to be included in the rent). All these expenses total to a whopping 20,280/year. And, the average person has approximately 7,720/yr, giving them 643.33/mo for any other expense.
Are my numbers REALLY unreasonable, that the average person is only left with a mere 600 dollars per month to spend on food other daily needs?!
Lets say the daily needs such as toothpaste, toilet paper, and other household items (dish detergent, a new mop) etc. etc. you spend on average 50/mo. Now we are left with a 593.33 for groceries and a new top.
Now the question is: if you were the average person, would you rather spend a bit more money on better quality food, or would you spend the money on better quality clothing?
For an average female, of 'no name brand' quality food, the monthly food cost would probably be about $250. To 'supe' it up to better higher quality food, $400 a month.
Or, we can keep the cheaper quality food and use that $200 dollars to buy that pair of really nice Stuart Weitzman shoes you saw the other day.
Thoughts?
p.s. yes, i know there could be a zillion other things you could use that extra money to buy. But, let's just say you had to choose between food and clothes, which would you choose?
Are my numbers REALLY unreasonable, that the average person is only left with a mere 600 dollars per month to spend on food other daily needs?!
Lets say the daily needs such as toothpaste, toilet paper, and other household items (dish detergent, a new mop) etc. etc. you spend on average 50/mo. Now we are left with a 593.33 for groceries and a new top.
Now the question is: if you were the average person, would you rather spend a bit more money on better quality food, or would you spend the money on better quality clothing?
For an average female, of 'no name brand' quality food, the monthly food cost would probably be about $250. To 'supe' it up to better higher quality food, $400 a month.
Or, we can keep the cheaper quality food and use that $200 dollars to buy that pair of really nice Stuart Weitzman shoes you saw the other day.
Thoughts?
p.s. yes, i know there could be a zillion other things you could use that extra money to buy. But, let's just say you had to choose between food and clothes, which would you choose?
Why So Serious?
image credits: image and rights belong to IGN. Copied from IGN: The Dark Knight Publicity Stills Full Size 1997561The night is dark is just before the dawn.
I watched the Dark Knight last night. And WOW, was the movie LONG. Dang. I kinda wished we didn't watch it last night, and had I known that it were that long, I probably would have declined the watch. The movie was good. Just, a bit too long in my opinion.
[movie show time was 11:10pm, got home at 2.15am]
Heath Ledger, who played "the Joker", was really, very good. It's a shame that we can no longer see his extravagance in future movies on the big screens. I was always a Batman fan when I was a little kid. But, I don't ever recall 'Bruce Wayne' as the snobby kind. Or the 'grand entrance' sort of person. I'm talking about when he got off the helicopter and holding one woman in one arm. Uh, that picture is UGLY. That was not my childhood perception or version of Bruce Wayne.
But hey, this movie is a classic. How can you miss it?! Besides, those scenic views are filmed from my hometown. That's right. The H.K.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thoughts about Savage Inequalities
I've been thinking about this for a little while now... that I've been reading this booked titled: Savage Inequalities by: Johnathan Kozol. The book speaks of the inequalities that poor kids are receiving, and more specifically educationally. There is much focus on government funding and the discrepancy between what the poor urban kids are getting versus the affluent, suburban students. The book writes that, in some states, the rich get 14 times more per student funding than their poorer counterparts. The book disputes the argument that "money does not make a difference in education quality", or that "money does not help kids learn". This book uses many examples to show and to even perhaps morally convict the reader to agree with the arguments. Not only sympathize, but be compelled to believe that way. They speak of children learning in factories, buildings that have not been attended in 50years. Teachers that need to teach in pantries, in closets because there is just no classroom space. The teachers in these poor urban areas have a ratio of 1:60, and who I am I kidding - I think this is ridiculous.
But, what an interesting (and I'll explain why I say interesting) is that Kozol continues to argue that the urban schools are getting less funding because there is less property tax in the urban areas (some of the buildings/houses are so horrendous, you can buy a house for $1000USD). Thus, less money form the taxes go to the schools in those areas. Hence, it's like a perpetual cycle that the poor people will remain poor.
But, that's not all. The court cases of 'equality' are brought to our attention. It is described to the reader that parents of these poor children and students bring the funding discrepancy it to the judges' and court's attention. Yet, some states refuse to allow a funding cut. Or, do not allow students from these poor schools to enter their rich and resource abundant school.
And, what I mean by interesting is that, if you read the text and what the text is conveying - it would be extremely difficult for a morally sensitive person to oppose any of it. By the way, we haven't even talked about private schools. This is only about public, government funded education.
What am I to think? How do I feel about this? Do I think that the rich should pay for the poor? Do I feel that the rich should let the poor kids into their schools? I fear that if I were to express my views, I might be stoned by the masses.
Somehow, I don't quite like this book. I think this coming academic year will be very interesting. This book "Savage Inequalities" was remarked on as a 'classic' book. And, I am currently in the "Inner City School" Option. mighty interesting.
But, what an interesting (and I'll explain why I say interesting) is that Kozol continues to argue that the urban schools are getting less funding because there is less property tax in the urban areas (some of the buildings/houses are so horrendous, you can buy a house for $1000USD). Thus, less money form the taxes go to the schools in those areas. Hence, it's like a perpetual cycle that the poor people will remain poor.
But, that's not all. The court cases of 'equality' are brought to our attention. It is described to the reader that parents of these poor children and students bring the funding discrepancy it to the judges' and court's attention. Yet, some states refuse to allow a funding cut. Or, do not allow students from these poor schools to enter their rich and resource abundant school.
And, what I mean by interesting is that, if you read the text and what the text is conveying - it would be extremely difficult for a morally sensitive person to oppose any of it. By the way, we haven't even talked about private schools. This is only about public, government funded education.
What am I to think? How do I feel about this? Do I think that the rich should pay for the poor? Do I feel that the rich should let the poor kids into their schools? I fear that if I were to express my views, I might be stoned by the masses.
Somehow, I don't quite like this book. I think this coming academic year will be very interesting. This book "Savage Inequalities" was remarked on as a 'classic' book. And, I am currently in the "Inner City School" Option. mighty interesting.
Biking Trip to Highway 7
Came back from my biking trip to Highway 7 and Leslie.
And... I just plugged some addresses into Google Maps to find hat i only biked a total of 6km!??!?! That was it?! I thought it more was more than that! But, I took a heck of a long time biking a total of 6km today! It was def. more than 30mins. I wonder if I should blame it on the hills, or blame it on my oral surgery.....
But regardless, the feeling of biking with the sun shining above me, and biking into the wind (made it hard to move fast) was so nice. It is refreshing and makes me feel free. Well, I guess anyone would feel free when they glide down a slope at around 35km/hr on two 26" wheels!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
And... I just plugged some addresses into Google Maps to find hat i only biked a total of 6km!??!?! That was it?! I thought it more was more than that! But, I took a heck of a long time biking a total of 6km today! It was def. more than 30mins. I wonder if I should blame it on the hills, or blame it on my oral surgery.....
But regardless, the feeling of biking with the sun shining above me, and biking into the wind (made it hard to move fast) was so nice. It is refreshing and makes me feel free. Well, I guess anyone would feel free when they glide down a slope at around 35km/hr on two 26" wheels!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Blood Diamond for Cellphones and Gaming Consoles?!
Yes. Yes, indeed. I was not made aware of this until literally a few minutes ago when I received an e-mail from Chris.
And, since I think it's an important world issue I'm copying the entire article below. Click on the article title to go to the source. yahoo news.
And, since I think it's an important world issue I'm copying the entire article below. Click on the article title to go to the source. yahoo news.
Playstation 2 component incites African war
Console war reaches past the couch and into the Congo, claims report.
Has the video game industry dug up its very own blood diamond?
According to a report by activist site Toward Freedom, for the past decade the search for a rare metal necessary in the manufacturing of Sony's Playstation 2 game console has fueled a brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the center of the conflict is the unrefined metallic ore, coltan. After processing, coltan turns into a powder called tantalum, which is used extensively in a wealth of western electronic devices including cell phones, computers and, of course, game consoles.
Allegedly, the demand for coltan prompted Rwandan military groups and western mining companies to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the rare metal, often by forcing prisoners-of-war and even children to work in the country's coltan mines.
"Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms," said Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King.
So where's the connection to Sony? According to Toward Freedom, during the 2000 launch of the PS2, the electronics giant was having trouble meeting consumer demand. To pump out more units, Sony required a significant increase in the production of electric capacitors, which are primarily made with tantalum. This helped drive the world price of the powder from $49/pound to a whopping $275/pound, resulting in the frenzied scouring of the Congolese hills known for being ripe with coltan.
Sony has since sworn off using tantalum acquired from the Congo, claiming that current builds of the PS2, PSP and PS3 consoles are sourced from a variety of mines in several different countries.
But according to researcher David Barouski, they're hardly off the hook.
"SONY's PlayStation 2 launch...was a big part of the huge increase in demand for coltan that began in early 1999," he explained. "SONY and other companies like it, have the benefit of plausible deniability, because the coltan ore trades hands so many times from when it is mined to when SONY gets a processed product, that a company often has no idea where the original coltan ore came from, and frankly don't care to know. But statistical analysis shows it to be nearly inconceivable that SONY made all its PlayStations without using Congolese coltan."
Currently, the Playstation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all-time, having sold through over 140 million units.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Hard to eat
Tis the second day after my wisdom teeth extraction (upper and lower right). The swelling and jaw pain have subsided. Actually, the swelling wasn't as big at all. But, I have developed a pain in my right ear. And, I believe I also have an infection in my lower tooth extraction site. I can't really see anything when I look in the mirror - mainly because I can't open my mouth that wide - and also because I can't find a flashlight in the house. Anyhow, I taste this strange taste in my mouth. It almost tastes like blood, but doesn't have that tannin sting. In the morning, when I discard liquid from my mouth, it's not clear. There's a discoloration. It's more yellowish brown. No blood color from what I can see.
I've decided to take the antibiotics prescribed for me. I was wanting to wait and see if the pain and gooey nasty things would go away by itself. But, after some research on Google with I've decided that perhaps taking them might help any bone or sinus infections that might occur. I guess my recovery wasn't as dazzling after all. I think it was the anesthetics and the painlessness that painted the picture so brightly for me. I stopped taking pain-killers after 12 post-op. I'm tempted to reach for the bottle and pop one in my mouth. The constant pain I get in my ear is rather irritating.
I've been eating Congee (rice boiled with a LOT of water) for the past 2 days. It's difficult to eat bread because it requires so much chewing. I couldn't resist and had one of those buns. It was a BBQ Pork bun. Double the difficulty because not only did I need to chew bread, I also had to chew meat. My jaws were exhausted by the time I was done - but, did it feel good to eat!
After reading a few forums from my Google searches, I want to make mashed potatoes! And, get myself some probiotic yogurt. Hopefully the yogurt will prevent diarrhea (a common side effect of taking antibiotics). I've also discovered that it's hard for me to eat a banana! How can that be possible? They're quite mushy themselves! Turns out that the circumference of the fruit is too large and it's very uncomfortable to bite a piece off. Nibbling is also very inefficient. So, I've decided to MASH it. Reminds me of baking Banana Bread - 3 mashed bananas!
Oh, and I have been unable to reach my Dentist. Just lovely.
I've decided to take the antibiotics prescribed for me. I was wanting to wait and see if the pain and gooey nasty things would go away by itself. But, after some research on Google with
I've been eating Congee (rice boiled with a LOT of water) for the past 2 days. It's difficult to eat bread because it requires so much chewing. I couldn't resist and had one of those buns. It was a BBQ Pork bun. Double the difficulty because not only did I need to chew bread, I also had to chew meat. My jaws were exhausted by the time I was done - but, did it feel good to eat!
After reading a few forums from my Google searches, I want to make mashed potatoes! And, get myself some probiotic yogurt. Hopefully the yogurt will prevent diarrhea (a common side effect of taking antibiotics). I've also discovered that it's hard for me to eat a banana! How can that be possible? They're quite mushy themselves! Turns out that the circumference of the fruit is too large and it's very uncomfortable to bite a piece off. Nibbling is also very inefficient. So, I've decided to MASH it. Reminds me of baking Banana Bread - 3 mashed bananas!
Oh, and I have been unable to reach my Dentist. Just lovely.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Surgery and Sutures
I just got home from the dentists. And, I must admit that... i hate going to the dentist. I hated it from when I was a little kid. From those cleaning moments, to the whirring of some sort of strange saw (or so I thought/imagined) to the doctor saying that I need to get braces. Then to carry those horrific memories from childhood to teenage and adulthood. I still don't like going to the dentist - even if it's just to see the dental hygienist. By the way, the last time I went to get my teeth scaled was not that great of an experience. Hearing the constant scraping and screeching sound of metal against my teeth just didn't give me a lot of room for visual imagery. All I could think of was that she was scraping and scraping with those metal picks at my teeth. And my teeth being sheared and ugh. It was not a lovely picture. Even the paintings of Tigger and Winnie the Pooh, Bugs Bunny and Tweety on the ceiling was not enough to quench and relish my vivid imagination. I wish she talked to me and said something to me to help ease and perhaps even wash away my disturbing imagery pictures.
Well, today... Today was different. I must admit that I was nervous, and scared. Because, i do hate going to the dentist's office - regardless of the dentist and what I'll be doing. It just gives me the chills. This Dentist, located at Midland and Finch, was a little different. I agree with Hei, he is really nice. He talked to me and made comments and jokes. It was nice to hear a person say something to me while I'm laying there with my mouth open. Eyes open but having no visual input of what's going on. Ears open only to hear noises from happenings that I cannot see, and my mind wide-awake trying to make sense of the noises I'm receiving. The dentist helped me make sense of the noises I was hearing. He talked me through the procedures and what he was doing. He communicated with the hygienist that was his right-hand helper (left-hand, rather).
He told me what he was doing when he did what he did. For example, applying the greenish-blue paste. This was some Topic, he explained, which will help ease the pain of the anesthetic needles. Okay, I relax a bit.
-Oh, it's time to change the gauze I need to bite on -
Then, there's this drill that's kinda hot. I think I feel it on my gums, I feel something. And, i say "ow ow ow ow ow". And, the dentist chuckles, "Ow?!". "Yes I feel something". "You feel the pressure?", he asks. "Yes, I think so". I believe it was more the hotness of the instrument aginst my lips/corner of mouth that I was feeling. But pull, and the tooth was out. It was FAST. So fast, that I looked surprisingly at my dentist and asked "it's out?!". I was quite excited at the prospect of having one of my teeth pulled out. there was a big smile on my face and I was more excited for the second one.
The second, bottom tooth was a bit more stubborn than it's previous sibling. It took a while for him to get it out. It was already loose and out of place but... yes, I could understand the dentist. There was no space for the tooth to be clipped onto. There was gum covering it and stuff. But, it did come out! And, it's BIG. A big tooth for a small mouth. I don't have a tiny mouth, but I do find it difficult to floss near the back.
And, I got sutures!!! Who gets excited about getting sutures?! Well, I was! My first sutures!
Because of that, I get 2 birds with one stone. My first surgery, and my first sutures (or stitches). And, these stitches will dissolve themselves. He told me they were made of lamb gut/intestines. Wonderfully brilliant! I get to have lamb gut on my gums!
p.s. i decided to make a label called "firsts". This one is really not the first 'first' that I've blogged about, but I think today is a good place to start. I'll add the labels at a later time (if I ever get around to doing so^^.
Edit: My teeth are HUGE, and I'll post a picture of them to show it to you. It's kinda gross, but I'm holding them, so you don't see them all. Tylenol and Ferrero Rocher - my two companions.
Well, today... Today was different. I must admit that I was nervous, and scared. Because, i do hate going to the dentist's office - regardless of the dentist and what I'll be doing. It just gives me the chills. This Dentist, located at Midland and Finch, was a little different. I agree with Hei, he is really nice. He talked to me and made comments and jokes. It was nice to hear a person say something to me while I'm laying there with my mouth open. Eyes open but having no visual input of what's going on. Ears open only to hear noises from happenings that I cannot see, and my mind wide-awake trying to make sense of the noises I'm receiving. The dentist helped me make sense of the noises I was hearing. He talked me through the procedures and what he was doing. He communicated with the hygienist that was his right-hand helper (left-hand, rather).
He told me what he was doing when he did what he did. For example, applying the greenish-blue paste. This was some Topic, he explained, which will help ease the pain of the anesthetic needles. Okay, I relax a bit.
-Oh, it's time to change the gauze I need to bite on -
Then, there's this drill that's kinda hot. I think I feel it on my gums, I feel something. And, i say "ow ow ow ow ow". And, the dentist chuckles, "Ow?!". "Yes I feel something". "You feel the pressure?", he asks. "Yes, I think so". I believe it was more the hotness of the instrument aginst my lips/corner of mouth that I was feeling. But pull, and the tooth was out. It was FAST. So fast, that I looked surprisingly at my dentist and asked "it's out?!". I was quite excited at the prospect of having one of my teeth pulled out. there was a big smile on my face and I was more excited for the second one.
The second, bottom tooth was a bit more stubborn than it's previous sibling. It took a while for him to get it out. It was already loose and out of place but... yes, I could understand the dentist. There was no space for the tooth to be clipped onto. There was gum covering it and stuff. But, it did come out! And, it's BIG. A big tooth for a small mouth. I don't have a tiny mouth, but I do find it difficult to floss near the back.
And, I got sutures!!! Who gets excited about getting sutures?! Well, I was! My first sutures!
Because of that, I get 2 birds with one stone. My first surgery, and my first sutures (or stitches). And, these stitches will dissolve themselves. He told me they were made of lamb gut/intestines. Wonderfully brilliant! I get to have lamb gut on my gums!
p.s. i decided to make a label called "firsts". This one is really not the first 'first' that I've blogged about, but I think today is a good place to start. I'll add the labels at a later time (if I ever get around to doing so^^.
Edit: My teeth are HUGE, and I'll post a picture of them to show it to you. It's kinda gross, but I'm holding them, so you don't see them all. Tylenol and Ferrero Rocher - my two companions.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Strange...
is the movie that I watched today.
Yes, I know what you're thinking - God, does this person have a life? They keeping blogging about movies, giving short reviews and sporadic critics and praises for them. There is no consistent format or consistent way of critiquing (if any at all) the movies.
Well, I suppose that my current 'living' allows me to view movies, ranging from the boring, slow-paced and 'no-plot' movie like "The Omen" to the funny, fast-paced "Kung Fu Panda", to the mind-boggling "Cube" and gruesome yet edging and disgustingly intriguing SAW series.
Anyways, the movie that I watched today White Noise 2: The Light, was indeed a strange movie. Speaking to the dead, to seeing electric static transmissions, and then incorporating Satan and aspects of the Christian Religion into the same movie... is just weirddd. It wasn't creepy weird, nor was it that scary - it was just strange. It was the: "huh?!" phenomenon more than anything. Flat out: I didn't like it, nor the way things went down. At points, the movie was so slow going. Seriously, when your family members get murdered, wouldn't you go crazy trying to find out who the hell the man who wanted them dead is?! The pacing and the events just didn't go well for me. The way the movie ended ... ekkk. Didn't work for me either.
So, there you have it in a nut shell: the movie White Noise 2: The Light is a movie about white lights bundled with dead people and the devil. Weirdness. But, not the recommended sort of weirdness.
Yes, I know what you're thinking - God, does this person have a life? They keeping blogging about movies, giving short reviews and sporadic critics and praises for them. There is no consistent format or consistent way of critiquing (if any at all) the movies.
Well, I suppose that my current 'living' allows me to view movies, ranging from the boring, slow-paced and 'no-plot' movie like "The Omen" to the funny, fast-paced "Kung Fu Panda", to the mind-boggling "Cube" and gruesome yet edging and disgustingly intriguing SAW series.
Anyways, the movie that I watched today White Noise 2: The Light, was indeed a strange movie. Speaking to the dead, to seeing electric static transmissions, and then incorporating Satan and aspects of the Christian Religion into the same movie... is just weirddd. It wasn't creepy weird, nor was it that scary - it was just strange. It was the: "huh?!" phenomenon more than anything. Flat out: I didn't like it, nor the way things went down. At points, the movie was so slow going. Seriously, when your family members get murdered, wouldn't you go crazy trying to find out who the hell the man who wanted them dead is?! The pacing and the events just didn't go well for me. The way the movie ended ... ekkk. Didn't work for me either.
So, there you have it in a nut shell: the movie White Noise 2: The Light is a movie about white lights bundled with dead people and the devil. Weirdness. But, not the recommended sort of weirdness.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Talk about Family Drama
While waiting for my hair to dry late last night, I decided to watch a movie that's been in my "movies" folder but had yet to be viewed: The Curse of the Golden Flower.
The costumes were so beautiful, the entire place made it seem so majestic! The scenes were a beauty to watch. I loved the synchrony of the movements. That wow-ed me. And, the way the Empress looked, was just absolutely stunning. Her head decorations were so intricate and beautiful, her make-up was very nice. I suppose that Chinese Traditional Wear and the complexities of it attracts me - not that I would like to spend hours and hours dressing myself up. It is such a beauty to behold.
Now that I've finished gushing about how beautiful everything looked, the "drama" factor. I thought this was extremely odd/weird/strange all together. So many things were going on at the same time. A complete Royal disaster. I guess I really don't appreciate how the family members were portrayed. I don't think it's that realistic that a very young son (perhaps 10-12 years of age) would kill his own elder brother in front of both his royal parents. That's just calling for a suicide. What's even more strange and I thought was out of wack was that the murderous young son does die - and by his father's own hands. And if that's not enough, we see the father flogging his own son's dead body. And, that, my friend, is completely uncalled for. And, this is just one of the crazy things that happen in this Royal family. These things just makes the entire Chinese Royalty seem insane, as if the Empress being made to lose her mentality is not enough.
One wacked movie. I don't really like the plot. There's no twist, and if there is, I'm not seeing it. I thought the Empress would do something real smooth by having a second surprise attack ... but, there wasn't one. I was a bit disappointed by the way things end. This movie is quite morbid - most of the characters die, and thousands of expendable bodies are killed i.e. soldiers.
But, I did really enjoy the visual delicates and details of this movie. I suppose it would have been better if the second line of subtitles had not been cut off (the movie is in Mandarin, and I can only catch several phrases here and there). As for recommendations - comparing this to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, CTHD wins by having a lot of martial arts moves, character development and having such a tragic plot ending. Although I would still watch the Curse of the Golden Flower, there doesn't seem to be much of a planned out plot to me.
The costumes were so beautiful, the entire place made it seem so majestic! The scenes were a beauty to watch. I loved the synchrony of the movements. That wow-ed me. And, the way the Empress looked, was just absolutely stunning. Her head decorations were so intricate and beautiful, her make-up was very nice. I suppose that Chinese Traditional Wear and the complexities of it attracts me - not that I would like to spend hours and hours dressing myself up. It is such a beauty to behold.
Now that I've finished gushing about how beautiful everything looked, the "drama" factor. I thought this was extremely odd/weird/strange all together. So many things were going on at the same time. A complete Royal disaster. I guess I really don't appreciate how the family members were portrayed. I don't think it's that realistic that a very young son (perhaps 10-12 years of age) would kill his own elder brother in front of both his royal parents. That's just calling for a suicide. What's even more strange and I thought was out of wack was that the murderous young son does die - and by his father's own hands. And if that's not enough, we see the father flogging his own son's dead body. And, that, my friend, is completely uncalled for. And, this is just one of the crazy things that happen in this Royal family. These things just makes the entire Chinese Royalty seem insane, as if the Empress being made to lose her mentality is not enough.
One wacked movie. I don't really like the plot. There's no twist, and if there is, I'm not seeing it. I thought the Empress would do something real smooth by having a second surprise attack ... but, there wasn't one. I was a bit disappointed by the way things end. This movie is quite morbid - most of the characters die, and thousands of expendable bodies are killed i.e. soldiers.
But, I did really enjoy the visual delicates and details of this movie. I suppose it would have been better if the second line of subtitles had not been cut off (the movie is in Mandarin, and I can only catch several phrases here and there). As for recommendations - comparing this to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, CTHD wins by having a lot of martial arts moves, character development and having such a tragic plot ending. Although I would still watch the Curse of the Golden Flower, there doesn't seem to be much of a planned out plot to me.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
My first photo upload on blogger!
OH, I hate how "A Beautiful Mind" always makes me cry - especially near the ending! It's so good! I love it!
So, here's a preliminary photo view of my bike - this is how I lock it up:
Doesn't look too good without a seat. HAHA.
So, here's a preliminary photo view of my bike - this is how I lock it up:
Doesn't look too good without a seat. HAHA.
Friday, July 18, 2008
My Biking Needs Met!
Before I jump into my VERY excited speech about my biking needs, I want to talk about the weather. How 'boring' of me to talk about the weather, but really, I think it's an essential part of today. The Weather Network fore casted thunderstorms in Toronto... but, that is far from what we actually received this afternoon, up until 9.10pm. Anyways, I want to say (from my bright and bubbly point of view) that I thought today's gloomy, yet very warm and humid weather was just dandy!
Earlier this afternoon, I headed downtown (well, mid-town - Davisville/Eglinton and Yonge area), hoping that it wouldn't rain. We went to the Trek Bicycle Store to take a look at things, checked out a few bikes, gawked at the carbon-fibre $6,000CDN road bicycle. It was really nice, and light. Also checked out their hybrid and comfort bikes, took a seat on them and sort of pedaled it in the store. No, luckily I did not hit anything.
Decided to head to another store: Cyclepath, the one where Chris saw the Norco Plateau bike I posted before. And, I took the Bike out for a spin! We were out for quite a while. It was a nice ride, a very easy ride. So easy to pedal up hills. But, wow, was it springy! I rode over some grass, and bounced like a little yo-yo on a string, except I didn't roll back up the string. More like those po-go sticks. My little flaps of meat were flapping their wings - anyways, you get the picture. So, other than that 'springy' sensation, the bike was not bad!
Well, wanting to think about it and to take a Trek Bike out for a test-run, we went back to the Trek store (about 30meters away from Cyclepath). I decided to take the Navigator 2.0 WSD out for a spin. It's a step-through sort of bike, so I don't need to swing my other leg over to hop on, which means I can ride this wearing a skirt!!
After taking for a really good spin, which the sales person suggested so that I could see all it's potential, I really liked it. And, I mean really. I wanted to get it today! I don't think Chris was expecting me to get a bike today. Really, the biking is so smooth, you barely hear a thing when you're pedaling - except for the hum of the spin of the wheels, of course. The bike that I got has different colors than the bike that's linked above. THe guy said it's only been in th store for a week or so. No worries, I'll put up a picture of it when I get the chance to take a picture of it.
And, I got a nice helmet too! Gotta snap another picture of it for you to gawk at. There's hot pink on it. :P
First bike purchase!
Earlier this afternoon, I headed downtown (well, mid-town - Davisville/Eglinton and Yonge area), hoping that it wouldn't rain. We went to the Trek Bicycle Store to take a look at things, checked out a few bikes, gawked at the carbon-fibre $6,000CDN road bicycle. It was really nice, and light. Also checked out their hybrid and comfort bikes, took a seat on them and sort of pedaled it in the store. No, luckily I did not hit anything.
Decided to head to another store: Cyclepath, the one where Chris saw the Norco Plateau bike I posted before. And, I took the Bike out for a spin! We were out for quite a while. It was a nice ride, a very easy ride. So easy to pedal up hills. But, wow, was it springy! I rode over some grass, and bounced like a little yo-yo on a string, except I didn't roll back up the string. More like those po-go sticks. My little flaps of meat were flapping their wings - anyways, you get the picture. So, other than that 'springy' sensation, the bike was not bad!
Well, wanting to think about it and to take a Trek Bike out for a test-run, we went back to the Trek store (about 30meters away from Cyclepath). I decided to take the Navigator 2.0 WSD out for a spin. It's a step-through sort of bike, so I don't need to swing my other leg over to hop on, which means I can ride this wearing a skirt!!
After taking for a really good spin, which the sales person suggested so that I could see all it's potential, I really liked it. And, I mean really. I wanted to get it today! I don't think Chris was expecting me to get a bike today. Really, the biking is so smooth, you barely hear a thing when you're pedaling - except for the hum of the spin of the wheels, of course. The bike that I got has different colors than the bike that's linked above. THe guy said it's only been in th store for a week or so. No worries, I'll put up a picture of it when I get the chance to take a picture of it.
And, I got a nice helmet too! Gotta snap another picture of it for you to gawk at. There's hot pink on it. :P
First bike purchase!
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