Hmm, the things I'm gonna miss about Edmonton... gonna get me reminiscing before I even leave... I'm gonna miss my house, my family (specifically home cooked meals), my friends, my (dad's) car, kung fu, and of course the oilers. And the intangibles, like knowing if you ever got in trouble, there's family around to help you out.

I still don't know when I'm leaving, "end of August." I'll probably go to NY to visit my aunt before sch starts. I'm lookin forward to the housing clinic, gettin an apartment so there's one less thing to worry about.

I'm tryin to keep work to a minimum, just enough to curb boredom. I wanna enjoy my last summer in Edmonton.

Goin to all the little festivals in the city. Like "capital ex" formerly known as klondike days, I already got tickets to see All-American Rejects when they come out for that.
And Heritage Days held at hawrelak park where you can walk around and take in all the pseudo culture.
Street Performers and Taste of Edmonton, yum.

Family dynamics

Whether you like to admit it or not, your family plays such an important role in the development of your character. We're born naive; everything your parents tell you is truth. It never occurs to you that your parents could be anything but honest with you. Looking back at the lame lies that you were told, you wonder how you ever believed them; of course at the time there was something awkward/fishy about the whole situation but you shrugged it off because the source was your dad. It's always such a shock the first time you realize your mom lied to you, the first time you find out your dad doesn't know everything.

Imagine how different you would be if your parents had more children, less children. If you were the oldest, youngest, middle child... As the eldest, I was painfully aware of the impact I had on my little brother especially when we were younger. He thought I knew everything, all his questions were directed to me. The first time I told him "I don't know." He asked me the question over and over, at the time I thought he was just being an annoying brat. But it turns out it was because he thought I was lying, the possibility that I didn't know was nil in his mind.

I can't imagine my life as an only child. I'm sure I would hate it. But when I was growing up I wondered what it would be like to have an older brother to look out for me, an older brother to idealize.

I'm sure we've all asked ourselves hypothetical questions like what would I do if I could turn back time? What advice would I try to give to my eg. 10 yr old self?

Sometimes we look back and dwell on the mistakes we've made in life, the little things that we wish we'd done differently. There's no one particular day in my life that I wish I could change; if I could turn back time, I'd just live my entire life over starting from like grade 7. But if I had done everything according to plan, would I be the same person?

I remember when I was a kid, everyone always said somethin to the gist of "cherish your childhood." But every other sentence I uttered started with "When I grow up....." it felt like I was waiting for my life to begin. That's why I think if you did go back to tell your 10 yr old self something, they wouldn't listen.

I thought by the time I turned 20, I'd have everything figured out. 20 seemed so old then... there were daily protests when grandma tried to get us to settle down for a nap, some days I'd just stare at the clock for the mandatory half hour and rush back out to play. These days, I love naps and I miss childhood.

Being the eldest, I was always in such a hurry to grow up; but the things in life that have the most enjoyment are the little things that remind me of childhood. Saturday morning cartoons and playing with gummy bears before eating them. The biggest debate in your life was arguing with your friends over what to watch during lunch: looney tunes vs the flinstones. Jumping off swings to see who can land the farthest in the pee-soaked sand. Running so fast down the hill you think for a split second that you might actually fly this one time.

I really think that more is learned from a failure than a success, that the hardships in life build character. But then again, maybe that's just what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

I realize that I haven't been blogging nearly as much as in the past, but that's just because there's not much to vent/complain about anymore. My life is basically on track now that I've been accepted into optometry... I'm just trying to have fun this summer with my friends who I'll miss deeply once I move to Boston (aka bean town).

So my job in the psych department at U of A has been over for about a week now, I am gonna start working a retail job after the long weekend. Just part time so I'll have plenty of time to savour the summer.

Main focus will be kung fu and just generally being healthy and active this summer, but I'm not gonna spend all my time talking about my new lifestyle... for one, it's not that drastic of a change and two, it's just goddamn annoying, not to mention boring, to listen to someone preach about how they only eat turkey breast. (Like my god, do you want a goddamn nobel prize for not being a fat lard?)

Now let's talk about the truly important things in life, material posessions. I'm getting a laptop pretty soon... it's gonna be my computer when I move so it's gotta be super nice. I just found out that Stephen didn't pay for his laptop (my mom hasn't asked him to pay her since he put it on her credit card). Naturally, I now want a laptop just as good as his... before it was all fine and dandy that he had a better one since he was paying for it. I'm pretty much sure that I'll be gettin an apple, but not sure which one. Stay tuned for exciting developments.

Still on the subject of materialism, I want new flip flops.... I saw a really nice pair of lacoste ones on the website but when I actually saw them in a store I was sorely disappointed... they weren't even half as nice as on the website. And they were like $100 which even for a brandwhore like myself is ridiculous, I mean they're just flip flops!
Also, due to the scorching weather we've been having lately, I'm gonna need to stock up on summer clothes fast. I can't help it that the greater powers above want me to go shopping..... clearly, the weather is a sign...

To this day, I have not had a friend who stays just as close even after they get into a relationship. There's always that complaint that ppl just ignore their friends when they find a bf/gf and of course, there will be less time for them to allot to their friends but still.. it's a bit disappointing.

In music news, I think I really like Snow Patrol... I don't have their cd but I have a few of their songs, I should get around to listening to more of their songs...
I want to see Da Vinci Code, but more so I want to go to a goddamn Oiler game! Too bad ticketmaster hates me.

OILERS IN 6!!!!

Praise the hockey gods!