Hey guys,

If I haven't already emailed you, I'm sorry! You're not on my gmail contact list...

My kung fu club is holding a fundraising BBQ. It's just $10/ticket, we're raising money for my brother Stephen's trip to Malaysia representing team canada in a worldwide tournament. (And also some other ppl from our kung fu club that you don't know...)

It's gonna be at BORDEN park, site 3. (The address is 112 ave and 73 st), on sunday, JULY 30th from 2pm - 5:30pm

RSVP asap so I know how many tickets to get from my instructor. I'm expecting a lot of you to come and show your support! It won't kill you to have some good ol' fashioned BBQ in your stomache. And every meal should be followed by a water balloon fight.

You can bring anyone you want, as long as they dish out the 10 bucks. In fact, I encourage everyone to bring at least one person I haven't met. That way we'll meet new ppl too!

Thanks.

This is the tale of a girl born and raised in Edmonton venturing into Boston to find an apartment all by her lonesome. Warning: this is very detailed so at times very boring.

My flight is at 2pm edm time, I get to the airport at abt 12:15. Since those damn terrorists have wreaked havoc on security policies, I have to check in 90 minutes before the flight. Finally it's time to board the plane and I start to think about when I leave at the end of the summer for roughly 4 months before I come back for christmas break as opposed to this 4 day trip. I get a little emotional at takeoff and think to myself, as some kids in the background say "wheee," jeez... there are seven yr olds on this plane that are handling themselves better than you. We land in Minneapolis where I am getting on the connecting flight. The aiport may as well be a mall... there's a roots, body shop, sunglass hut, etc, etc. On this flight, a nice lady sits down next to me, she's from a town next to Boston. She and her husband are coming back from a good ol' American vacation. They went to yellowstone, the grand canyon... and some other places I hadn't really heard of... It's an endearing experience, she's the nicest person I've met on a plane. I arrive in Boston 11pm local time, I'm mildy impressed that there is a line up for the cabs (very organized). I check into the hotel, they've given me a room with 2 twin beds instead of the one queen bed I reserved. I keep the room because it's $20/night cheaper, it indirectly reminds me that I am alone.... It's now midnight but still just 10pm back home so I can't quite fall asleep... I watch some bad tv and feel utterly alone. No one to share sarcastic comments with, laugh at stupid commercials with or even to just sit beside. I start to doubt my earlier decision to not have any roommates 1st yr. What a horrible feeling to go to sleep with....

Friday morning rolls around and I walk to the school to talk with the registrar about an I-20 form for a student visa. She's a total bitch, it's a shock because everyone else at the school is so nice. My paperwork is wrong but she gives me an extension because she's going on vacation so she won't be looking at it anytime soon anyway. I meet up with Tarra, a girl who's in my class to theoretically get a head start on the apartment search. Her first appointment is at 1pm... it's 9:45am..... we decide to walk into a realtor's office a few blocks from the school. The lady talks to us abt some price ranges but seems reluctant to show us anything. She says they will be at the housing clinic tomorrow... Tarra and I find a park, we sit and talk for a bit. Then we meet up with a girl whose name I've already forgotten and her mom. We all go to starbucks and when they head to their appointment, I ditch them because it's too far from the school for my liking.

I walk along newbury street (like whyte ave but exponentially superior) until it's time to meet up with Duy at 1:30 for lunch. Afterwards we head over to Beacon Realty for our 3pm appointment. They show us 6 units in 2 buildings. They all look basically the same to me, tiny dorm like apartments with a "kitchenette." They range from $900-1100/month. Duy and I walk over to the malls nearby and do some shopping in an air conditioned environment, then a little more in the scorching sun while walking along newbury. We head back to our respective hotels to drop off our purchases and for a very short rest before the dinner.

My feet hurt and I want to sit in the hotel room longer but it's time to head back to the school.. I'm relieved that I'm not under-dressed, everyone is very casual. Some random conversation occurs with ppl whose names I've forgotten. They give everyone a planner... yay! Turns out Kendall and her dad are staying in the same hotel as me, on the same floor. We all walk back together which is nice because it's now dark out and I'm not quite sure how dangerous Boston is.

We get to the school at abt 8am and I have a muffin. After hearing from the realtors, some students looking for roommates talk abt their places. I decide to check out an apartment that 3 girls are currently living in and looking for a 4th roommate. The place is pretty nice, its only flaw is that it only has 1.5 bathrooms. Call me crazy but I think the number of ppl living in an apartment should be no more than the number of bathrooms x 2. I still decide I want it because the 3 girls are taking up the bedrooms and leaving the living room to be lived in for only $600/month. But another girl wants it too and she asked first so I take it as a sign that I am not meant to have roommates 1st yr. Plus at least I am escaping some DRAMA later on.. cause you know with 4 girls in one apartment, there's bound to be plenty of that. I head back to Beacon Realty and sign a 1 yr lease with option to sub-lease so I can come back for the 3 month summer. My place is abt 2 blocks from the sch so I won't have to partake in too much public transport except maybe to buy groceries.

I feel relieved that I have an apartment for sept 1. And it's only like 1pm! While signing the lease, Darren is signing his also so we decide to have lunch together. He's from BC, and the canucks were 9th place in the west (thereby missing out on the playoffs while edmonton clinched the last spot). He's a bit of an oiler hater but tones it down so I don't feel the resentment I did when I spoke with him briefly during friday night dinner. I walk around for a while sort of shopping/killing time. Finally the blisters on my feet tell me it's time to head back to the hotel room, I watch some tv then head down to the McD's just down the street. I'm back with time to spare before the puck drops for game 6. Since I'm breaking the previous superstitions established including: sitting on the floor and watching the game on CBC, I feel compelled to wear my oilers hat. Clearly, the luck was enough to offset the superstitions since the oilers won 4-0 all because of my headwear.

Having a busy friday and saturday, meeting some of my classmates really helped me get over the homesickness I had thursday night. But I'm still glad to head to the airport early sunday morning. On the flight from Boston to Minneapolis, I meet a couple guys that seem to be around Stephen's age (high sch types) but get a little envious when they mention their trips to Italy, Greece, and other exotic places. Turns out they're writers, one is doing a little book of 100 interesting things/possible things to write a story about. I tell him abt the time I saw a dead bunny in the snow and the ensuing bunny nightmare I had, he says "well, that's number 36 right there." The guys were the most interesting ppl I've met on a plane.

While walking through the Minneapolis airport again, I'm dissapointed when I get to the gate and no one else is wearing any oiler garb (I'm wearing the hat now). Still I'm glad the trip is almost over since I'm just not good at flying.. headaches like crazy.

I get home and everything is just as I left it, I'm sure that won't be the case by the time I come back for christmas..... I think abt something a guy originally from edmonton, now going into his 2nd or 3rd yr at the sch said to me: It's an odd feeling when you live in a city that isn't your home for the better part of a yr. You get back to edm and some things have changed so it isn't home as you remember it.

Hey guys! Just to let you all know, my cousin's Marble Slab is NOW OPEN! It's in the north side so for all of you who live in that area... yay for you. It's at 165 ave and 97 st. Check it out, later days.

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there? Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town?
I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

The Graduation Song - Vitamin C


I thought that the one hit wonder by Vitamin C is totally relevant to my leaving for Boston.

I've been thinking about how music can affect us, how a song can remain forever attached to a certain feeling or event in your life. This all started cause I was looking for burnt cd's, ones worth so little that I wouldn't care if I forgot them at work. I found a couple from back in the day.. circa '99 and when I listened to them there were a few one hit wonders.... But it was just so crazy that upon hearing those songs your conscious mind had long forgotten, all the old memories are stirred up. That song you loved so much, you would listen to the radio the whole day just waiting for them to play it. That song you identified with cause you felt like you were goin through the exact same situation the lyrics were outlining.

Someday "Jo's Summer '06 Mix" will bring about reminiscent feelings...

Here's the songlist for "Jo's Mixed CD Y2K"
1. Silverchair - Anthem for the yr 2000
2. Blink 182 - Adam's song
3. Destiny's Child - Say my name
4. Gob - I hear you calling
5. Greenday - Time of your life
6. Lauryn Hill - Can't take my eyes off of you
7. Outkast - Ms. Jackson
8. Joe f/ Mystikal - Stutter
9. R. Kelly - I wish
10. Lit - Miserable
11. Our Lady Peace - Life
12. Papa Roach - Last resort
13. Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
14. All 4 One - I swear
15. SoulDecision - Let's do it right
16. Everclear - Wonderful

I think losing Roli has gotten nearly everyone in the city of Edmonton very emotional. But I'm gonna state now that I think he's gone, and holding your breath waiting for a game 3 miracle start to happen might prove dire. Of course I hope I'm wrong but I don't think I am.

Calling everyone a bandwagoner is not gonna make anything better. After all, who's to define "bandwagoner"? If it's someone who hasn't stuck with the oil the ENTIRE season, then I think a lot of us are guilty of being one. I'm not saying bandwagoners are my favourite people, they entice you into talking about the game only to utter some lame "oil sweep" comment; so now you've wasted several minutes of precious time tryin to actually talk about the game with what may as well be a doorknob. BUT I love the atmosphere it's created in the city, we all have a pseudo thing in common. I think it's wicked awesome that I can have a 5 minute conversation with an absolute stranger just because I said I liked the oilers pin on her jacket. Bandwagoner or not, we all want the oil to win so let's just stop with the "I'm a better oilers fan" insults.

If anybody has superhuman healer hands, now is the time to step forward. Roli needs your help. According to MacT, he won't be back for the series... Granted, he didn't play a great game but the chances of our copper and blue winning with Conklin or Markkanen is slim. What the oil needs now is a miracle. And Pronger's only one man.

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!

Can't wait till tuesday 12pm.... I'm pretty much empty on motivation. Wasted quite a bit of time today watchin the game, I had originally planned to just watch the last period but I of course wanted an excuse to take an even longer break from studyin so I thought "I'll watch the second period too... that's only an hour." Cut to overtime period 1... overtime period 2... and suddenly I wished I hadn't spent all that time for nothing.

Blah. Didn't help that it was all gloomy out either... luckily, knowing I'm gonna be in optometry in september keeps me from bein too depressed.

**Spoiler: Inside Man**

Again for those of you who frequent Bo's blog, although I agree that Inside Man was a letdown it wasn't THAT bad. Clive Owen steals from the Nazi guy because that way no one comes after him for the DIAMONDS (Nazi guy doesn't want people to know he's a Nazi therefore will not try to capture Clive Owen).

It really does suck that Clive Owen spends most of the movie masked... major flaws to this movie in no particular order:
1. too much Denzel, not enough Clive
2. Jodie Foster sucks, no blonde woman should be that cocky
3. falls apart at the end

Wow, what a relaxing saturday I had... probably the first whole day in a long time that I did not study at all. And it's not like I did anything exciting, it was just a nice break. Went for lunch, to kung fu, then to see V for Vendetta later that night.

For those of you who frequent Bo's blog, it wasn't all that she's cracked it up to be. A few cheesy moments are the least of this movie's problems. It was decent and I don't regret going to see it at all, just don't go into it expecting to get a new found vision on the world's political problems. It's not as revolutionary as some people would think. Boys: Natalie Portman was pretty good in it but they shaved her head halfway through then try to make up for it with big explosions and some blood. Girls: the guy's mask stays on throughout the whole movie so if you were hoping for some ridiculously hot guy unveiling, you are out of luck.

This friday night, I will be at school until 9pm because of my stupid statistics lab final. Bummer much? What I'm lookin forward to: cranium tournament either sat or sun. Loser-ish? Maybe. Fun? Absolutely.

So apparently some douche bags released bear mace in the mall yesterday. Then my brother saw a baby coughing followed by vomiting. Punks need to find something better to do.

These kinds of things are a testament to how messed up society is. We call this a 'civilization'....

If I haven't already called you to brag, I got into New England College of Optometry (Boston, MA)!!!

Life = AWESOME

In the great words of Jay-Z "I'm goin somewhere nice where no mosquitos at nigga"

Ok, so there probably will be mosquitos and I have no idea where I'm goin but I am already thinkin bout summer vacay.

April 25, ~12 noon

Just a quick post before I go back to cramming for stat midterm tomorrow. I'm back in snowy Edmonton, interview went well I think... cross your fingers for me to get accepted! Later days.

Here I am with my "little" brother Stephen at the Ging Wu Chinese New Yr Banquet. All growed up isn't he?

Me and Jay, what a goof. Stole my gun dance.

And here I am with Dennis.

Lastly, me and Gavin. Only boy to venture away from wearing all black, kudos.

Politics.... what a loaded topic. I think an uninformed vote is worse than no vote at all. I don't understand how people can have a party they always vote for. I'm losing faith in the political system and I've only been allowed to vote for 2 yrs now. I pretty much view it as voting for the party/candidate/leader you hate the least. For me, most emphasis is placed on the party.

The NDP is the only party that has an adequate (relative term I know) plan in terms of education funding which is near to my heart since I am a poor student. But of course the NDP can make these promises since they won't win. In all actuality, I am a liberal in the traditional definitions of the parties' viewpoints. However, these days the parties are basically all the same except on the gay marriages I really see no major differences.

So who did I vote for? I won't tell you but I will say that I am strongly anti-Conservative mainly because they are such hypocrites. I hate the way Canadian politics is becoming more like American politics with the slander ads; I loathe the Conservative ad that was an attack on the liberal slander ads. You know, the one where they have sound clips of Martin saying "I authorized those ads." Then making out Martin to be the devil incarnate while conveniently overlooking their own negative ads.

All hail the reign of the conservative party along with the head scratchers who voted for them.

Every once in a while, something happens to jolt your world. It defies the laws of the world. It makes you lose faith in a just world. (For example, you study your ass off for an exam and somehow bomb it.) You're not sure exactly why it upsets you but it does. It's because we all want to believe that when you deserve something, you get it. And those that don't deserve it, don't receive. This all makes it that much harder to understand when an event so utterly unfair occurs. When you are witness to someone else receiving something they do not deserve. Is it jealousy? I think not. I think it's merely your brain struggling to process something that doesn't fit with your preconceived notions.

happy birthday to me!!!

forever young, I want to be forever young!

No matter what you do, you cannot make everyone happy.

Case and point, bday plans are always a disaster. I usually don't do anythin for my bday but for some reason I decided that I should this year and surprise, it's a repeat of the last time I tried to plan somethin. People backin out left and right, tellin me they "might" come, complaining about the places I pick, and askin me "well, how am I gonna get there?" How bout a "happy bday, thanks for inviting me" is that too much to ask?

Well, here's the thing it's my bday. You're not sposed to come because you like the bar, you're sposed to come cause it's my bday.

Here's some pics of our christmas family dinner at my grandparents' house. Pics are of my brother Stephen, my lil cousin Joyce, me with Janice and Gordie (more lil cousins).

The emerging form of hegemonic metroflamer - a divergent branch of the present hegemonic masculinity

At this present time, it is unknown whether this variant form of the hegemonic masculine male is beneficial or detrimental. However, it is currently challenging the dominant form of hegemonic masculinity now culturally exalted.

The purpose of this article is not to pass judgement on the effectiveness of the hegemonic metroflamers, but rather bring their existence into recognition through power of definition.

Characteristics of the metroflamer include
1. Fundamental to the hegemonic metroflamer is accessorizing and overall cohesion of the outfit.
2. The hegemonic metroflamer is aware of and internally concerned with the brand and quality of their hygiene products.
3. Choice of clothing reflects form rather than function. The palate of colors is used to express individuality in the metroflamer realm.
4. The hegemonic metroflamer partakes in the viewing of programs in which emphasized femininity is central such as Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives.
5. Body type is typically lean, tight clothes are worn to draw attention to specific features.
6. The hegemonic metroflamer feels a greater level of social cohesion in a group of emphasized femininity rather than hegemonic masculinity. This is displayed by the larger proportion of their friends being of the female sex rather than the male sex.
7. Finally, the hegemonic metroflamer is commonly mistaken for a homosexual male based on maneurisms - false gender categorization.

It is our theory that the emergence of said hegemonic metroflamer is indeed a reaction formation to the culturally defined dominant masculinity. Society's restrictive definition of the hegemonic masculine results in suppression of expression of self and identity, thus manifesting in a "normally different" branch of the culturally stylized expression.

Recalling the uncertainty of the usefulness of the hegemonic metroflamer form, females are at times perplexed by the behavior of the hegemonic metroflamer, uncertain whether to treat them as the next step in the evolution of the heterosexual or the currently defined homosexual.

Although females have not yet perfected a complementary form of femininity to interact with this hegemonic metroflamer; there is a lack mirroring evident in the emphasized femininity pairing to hegemonic masculinity. We do appreciate the level of effort to putting forth an aesthetically pleasing, perceptual reality of the male form.

This dichotomy in the power of definition rests in the responsibilities of the female to categorize the hegemonic metroflamer in the typical category of a homosexual or a heterosexual male. This bifurcated conflict can only be resolved through analyses in the future.

A true friend wouldn't stay with a guy who's a jerk to all her friends.

Happy New Year.

Hope '06 brings you everything you desire.

Hey party people,

So if you didn't already know, my bday is Jan 17. I'll be turnin the big 20 and I'm still not sure what I wanna do yet. But I'm thinkin it'll be on

********Sat, Jan 14*******

Dinner and maybe clubbing. Keep the night open if you can, I'll post more details when I figure them out.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas List:

A hoody
A black toque that covers the ears
Slippers
A Darwin fish
40 year old virgin
A shower radio

Upcoming events:

Dec 20: my last exam
Dec 25: CHRISTMAS
Dec 26: boxing day - West Ed in the morning, E Centre in the afternoon

Jan 1: new years
Jan 17: my 20th bday

Happy Holidays!

MORE AND BETTER AID. TRADE JUSTICE. CANCEL THE DEBT. END CHILD POVERTY IN CANADA.

So I know wristbands are totally poser now but before they were unfortuneatly ruined, they had purpose. Amidst all the fake ones out there, a few are still authentic and for a good cause. This "makepovertyhistory" one is among them. Check out the website at www.makepovertyhistory.ca

"Are you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us? Do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter...or is that your thing, you come into a bar you read some obscure passage and pawn it off as your own idea to impress some girls." - Good Will Hunting

I am so sick of people tryin to speak and act as if they've got somethin totally intelligent and utterly original to say. Do not try to convince me that your life is harder than mine, that you're smarter than me or I'll have to prove you wrong.

Lately, I've been listening to Matchbox Twenty and Fall Out Boy... totally addicted and I think that's the name of Radioactive Man's sidekick in Simpsons, wonder if that's where they got the name?
Hmm, life seems a lot less hectic without an impeding oat... course I still have midterms so it's not all rainbows and lollipops.

Random thoughts include:
1. I can't wait for christmas! 3 weeks without school, it's gonna be awesome.

2. Also really excited for my 20th bday, I wanna do somethin really big... bungee jumping? Last yr, I thought I'd really dread turning 20 but now I'm lookin forward to it... could it be because I've been promised a really good present? I'm sure that's a factor and I hope I won't be disappointed.

3. Where should I go on vacation this summer? Hopefully I get some interviews to some optometry schools and while I'm there, I might as well make a vacay out of it. Applying for chicago, boston, new york, philadelphia and waterloo. I really want to go to boston but I really want an interview for new york... solely for vacation purposes and to visit my aunt and lil cousin Jessica (the cutest lil kid I've ever seen).

Wow, my thoughts are very future-oriented...

Wrote my oat.... 6-8 weeks for the results. As expected, I'm having mixed feelings of relief that it's over and anxiety about how I did. All I can do is wait though... in the mean time school will keep me occupied.

The nano is the most beautiful thing I've ever owned.

Yay! I bought the black nano today!
Boo! I'm writing my oat sat...

Hey party people. I'm sick =( I rarely get colds but when I get one, it's pretty bad. I just feel so weak and helpless right now. The weather is miserable/rainy and it really affects my mood. Another school year is underway and there's nothin special to mention... it's just typical. Couple birthdays in the month of september... We'll see if I remember them! Only time will tell.

Fix You - Coldplay

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

High up above or down below
when you're too in love to let it go
but if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

walking just seems so inadequate

Ok, so to elaborate on the short summaries.....

Basically all we did tues was drive to van, when we got there we got a room at the ramada for one night and headed over to pho hoa for dinner. Even though it's a franchise, it's much better in van than here.

The task at hand was to find another hotel, we got a room at days inn for 3 nights. On wed, we went to chinatown where we bought wushu shoes from a nice chinese man who gave us a discount because Stephen happened to be wearing his Ging Wu jacket. Then we set out to go to gastown and accidentally stumbled across pacific shopping centre... we went back to gastown to get a typical standing-by-the-steam-clock picture. For dinner, we had some really good chinese food.

Thurs, we went shopping on robson street and pacific centre. I bought a few items from AX since we don't have one here. We spent some time looking for the gucci store which surprisingly not a lot of locals knew the location of. For dinner, we had sushi which of course was better than edm sushi.

Being chinese, we went back to chinatown fri morning then to richmond. We shopped around a bit in parker place which is basically a small chinese mall. The food court is all chinese food and bubbletea. Had some really good taro bubbletea. We then headed over to the night market a bit early to beat the traffic.

On our last day in van, we went to metrotown shopping centre for a couple hours then hit the road for kelowna. Days inn overcharged us $10/night at checkout and claimed that they told us the price they were charging when in fact they had told us something different when we booked the room.... but we didn't let that ruin the trip and gave them a second chance by booking a room at their kelowna location for 2 nights....

We arrived in kelowna only to find that the hotel was overbooked and we didn't have a place to stay! What's the point of a reservation?!?!!? Jokes about trashing their lobby were thrown around to try not to get too angry.... Kelowna was mainly booked since it was a sat night, we had to go to a dinky hotel in a tiny town next to kelowna... felt like the middle of nowhere and the room smelled a little funky. We stayed there for one night and in the morning we went to the travelodge right next to the beach in kelowna to ask for a room for 2 nights... it was a nicer room and a little cheaper even. Go figure. It was a great location so I guess somethin good came out of days inn bein totally stupid.

On sunday, we went to a few wineries trying to find some apple wine but we had little luck. We went paddleboating for a bit. We had some really nasty "chinese" food that was really meant for white people so it sucked for us. Later, we had to have some bp's wings and dry ribs to tie us over.

Monday was the best part of the trip for me. We went parasailing and it was awesome! It sounds like a ripoff when I tell you it was almost $90 for a mere ten min of "flying" plus a t-shirt and photo, but when I was up there I felt like it was worth every penny. Some mediocre real chinese food was for dinner.

Tues morning, we were alberta bound. We had a deathly gloomy ride home. It rained quite a bit and I was wearing shorts because it was really nice in kelowna but by the time we got to edm... I looked like a fool. We headed directly to jumbo restaurant for yet another meal of chinese food and I ran into bowie who made fun of my attire.

Home sweet home... I guess.... the weather is just horrible! Anyway, I'm back from my vacation and I thought I'd give a day-by-day summary.

tues, 9th: drove to van city as fast as possible. went to pho hoa for dinner, much better than e-town pho

wed, 10th: went to chinatown. had really good chinese food

thurs, 11th: went shopping on robson st and around that area. had sushi for dinner

fri, 12th: went back to chinatown, then to richmond (had really good taro bubbletea). later, checked out the night-market

sat, 13th: went to metrotown, then drove to kelowna

sun, 14th: rented a paddleboat for a bit, then went to wineries tryin to track down some apple wine... no luck

mon, 15th: found apple wine. then went PARASAILING!

tues, 16th: gloomy drive back home

I'll probably give more in depth summaries of each day later. For those of you who are curious. And in a vain hope of tracing back what happened to all of my money!??!?!

Evenin ladies and gents. Only one month of summer left.... but that's ok cause I'm goin on vacation soon! Yay! I'll be in calgary this sat and sun for my cousin's wedding, back in edm on mon just to pack for van city! Leavin early tues morning; I should be back by the 18th or 19th... somewhere around that time, nothing's set in stone so I'll cya when I cya.

Wow, I've wasted half of my summer.... it would break my heart if I didn't have a trip to vancouver to look forward to. All I've been doing since my spring class ended is work, it really eats up a lot of my time. It's too good of an excuse for not studying for my o.a.t. so I think I'm gonna quit. I should really do the mature thing and focus on my future for once.... plus I don't wanna follow the new dress code.

KUNG FU STUFF (stop reading if uninterested)
July is actually a very busy month for lion dances. We're doing the opening ceremonies at the Wushu tournament on the 16-17th at grant macewan, I believe that's just on the sat morning. Then there's the world masters games which is a pretty big deal... so many formal practices actually put on by the event; the opening ceremonies will be on the 22nd. Finally, there's heritage days on the last day of the month, the 31st. We usually do shows at both the hong kong and china pavilions and this yr will be no diff. We'll actually be doing kung fu demo at heritage days in addition to lion dance, and if past yrs are indicative it'll be fun.

Later days.

Evenin ladies and gents. Hmm, not a whole lot has happened... almost half of my summer is over. If only I had the ability to manipulate time.. all in the world would be right.

So ya, my job is pretty lax even though I don't particularly enjoy the people I work with. I figure I'll quit before I go to calgary for my cousin's wedding then 2 days after I get back from that, I'll be goin to vancouver for fun. This way I don't have to ask for the days off.

This summer would be a total flop if not for the trip to vancouver. Had to take a spring class and gotta start studyin for my OAT soon....
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Morning all. I'm just sittin here at sch half reading psych... obviously half not because I'm blogging..... So the latest development in the story of me is I got a job at cap connection and I'll be starting on sat, hope they pay decent but if they don't I won't be terribly crushed since the job involves standing there and not much else. Went bowling on tues... and bowled an eighty-some! yay!
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In the name of Thor, God of thunder and disco, I hereby abdicate my position of corporate lackey to my boss, who happens to be bald.

Smiles and lollipops,
Cerveja Goose
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Murray: remember the time you invited me for coffee and I told you I had a hair appointment? I'm a puppet!!! my hair doesn't grow!!! I only told you that white lie so that you wouldn't be hurt

Galao: Murray, if people say nice things when they are lying, how do I tell when the nice things are the truth?

Murray: you poor fool, no one has anything nice to say to you

CIGARRO
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Greetings gentle readers. Just a quick recap of the last couple weeks... nothing too exciting to report as per usual. Basically trying to do some actual reading in my spring class and kung fu's back in the front seat since school sort of ended. We actually had a "fun night" after a lion dance last tuesday; went bowling and might I add that I have a serious deficit in skill for that activity.

And we went to red deer for a tournament, it was pretty fun even though they split my sparring division and I didn't get a chance for a rematch against the girl I lost to at the last tournament. I really thought I had a good chance to beat her this time around but I'm also glad I didn't spar her because she told me her knees are really screwed up and she already had surgery on one and is waiting for an MRI on the other.... frankly, I would've felt guilty for using that knowledge to my advantage so it probably worked out better that I didn't have to make that decision.

Side note, I'm probably going to look for a retail job sometime this coming week. Wish me luck and a decent wage.
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Afternoon. Just had my first day of spring class; prof didn't lecture, just went over the syllabus so yay!

Quick recap of the infamous GW tournament. It was a lot of fun in a tiring kind of way. First off, we did the drum demo in which I always feel like a freakin monkey bangin cymbals together; then the lion dance which did not go very smoothly at all. I will be blaming the fact that Corey dropped me earlier and I kinda messed up my right foot as a result.

Later on in the day, I competed in hand form as well as weapon form with my spear. Sadly, I didn't place in either. I thought my hand form was pretty good although the end was lacking energy. Spear didn't go as well... I'll accept what I did since it was the first time I competed with that weapon but it needs definite improvement.

For the finale of the day, I competed in sparring. The first two fights were not too difficult to be honest. However, when I fought the title fight (winner=gold, loser=silver), I faced a worthy opponent who I've often seen at tournaments. I lost to her... badly.... Now, I am the owner of a so-so silver medal. I haven't seen any tapes/footage of any of my competing so maybe after seeing something, I'll have more to say.
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Fighting is like a ballet except there's no music, no choreography and the dancers hit each other.
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DONE!
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No fun and tv make jo.... something... something....
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I realize I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd remedy that. There's really nothing exciting going on in my life at this point in time though, so this has all the makings of a really boring blog.

Really just looking forward to summer. Just about a month left of sch and I've definitely had quite enough, wish I could go ahead and retire already. Plans for the summer include volunteering at my mom's optical probably once a week to shadow the optometrist and hopefully getting a good reference letter, studying for OAT, and a couple road trips. Also, a couple of my cousins are gettin married..... not to each other... So far, not a lot planned for summer but that doesn't make me any less anxious to get to it. I'm sure I'll have to get some lameass job but that's ok.
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It's the friday night marking the start of reading week and all I wanna do is sleep.

The whirlwind that is chinese new year's demos/lion dances has begun. Yesterday was the infamous ging wu banquet and I guess the demo went pretty well. Although the dinner/dance didn't seem as much fun as past years probably because a lot of people left early. And, man oh man, did the music ever suck! Why did everyone think I was drunk? Just because I drank an obscene amount doesn't mean anything. I maintain that I drank the perfect amount yesterday at the perfect pace. Anyhoo, today we have a demo at wem by t&t. I wonder when I'll get home tonight and how much homework I'll get done...

I tried it, I couldn't find it
Now I just wanna get back to me

k-os

A year older and none the wiser. Of the ppl that actually remembered it was my bday today, many mistakingly thought I was turning 20! The "big two-O" as I like to refer to it. I'm pretty sure in a year, I'll be freakin out about bein so old. But for now, I'm gonna enjoy my last teen year. Later days.

stephen set my hair on fire, stupid pyro

happy new year

this place is so empty
my thoughts are so tempting
I don't know how it got so bad
sometimes it's so crazy
that nothing can save me

- sum 41

2005 is fast approaching, I'm lookin forward to it. To recap this yr... I had three resolutions: get better marks in sch, get back my once flat stomache, and get into less fights with the folks. I kept 2 outta 3, not too shabby. This means for the upcoming yr:

1. get back into shape
2. get even better marks in sch
3. become the "cool one" with the little kids at kung fu (should be easier to teach/babysit them if they like me)

I'm actually very proud of myself with the way I've handled things with my parents, for the most part. So I'll be sure to keep that up.

Merry Christmas

Finally wrote my last exam on monday. Went shopping and saw ocean's twelve afterwards; the shopping was a bit of a letdown considering I didn't really see anything worth buying, ocean's twelve wasn't as good as the original but still was not too shabby. Anyhoo, I guess I wanted to make a wish list. Here goes:

1. honda accord coupe v6 fully loaded (in about 2 1/2 yrs from my mom hopefully)
2. iBook (in about 1 yr from my dad)
3. iPod (to match the iBook)
4. samsung camera flip phone
5. small black wallet
6. dvd's: collateral, ocean's eleven, zoolander, american beauty, bourne identity, hero, pirates of the carribean... I'm sure there's more I can't think of right now..
7. cd's: gwen stefani, jay-z vs. linkin park
8. warm winter gloves (warm being the key word since mine are nice looking but the wind cuts right through them)
9. body shop lotions
10. digicam (maybe buyin on boxing day)

It's really not even practical for me to get an iPod since I have a perfectly good md walkman or the camera phone since I just bought my cell not even 5 months ago but ya, I had nothin else to put on the list. Fortunately.

I've never looked forward to a monday so much... it's gotten to the point where instead of wishin for more time to study, I just want to get it over with. I'm so ready to start my break.... the thing I've missed the most is spending several hours shopping. A luxury I can't afford during exams.

So I've basically given up on studying for today... bout to call it a night and go to sleep at a decent hour. For some reason, I've been stayin up till 2 or 3am the past few nights and I know messin up my sleep schedule like that cannot be a good thing. At least it'll all be over soon.. less than a week actually. The thing about bein up so late is there's this sense of peacefulness and loneliness intermingled. I'm tryin to combat the latter feeling by trying to get myself into the christmas spirit, but I just feel so .... solely responsible for my actions... it's depressing. I've just gotten to the point where it is so blatantly obvious to me that no one can help me. This probably doesn't make a lot of sense... I guess it's kinda like when I was younger, I would get sick and my mom would say she wished she could do it for me (be sick and miserable). Of course, it wasn't possible and the same thing applies now. You can have all these ppl surrounding you but they can't go through your struggles for you.

December is upon us and that can only mean two things.
1. finals
2. the sweet release of christmas break

A more detailed look at my schedule:
dec 2nd-4th: lab finals
8th: last day of classes
15th-20th: finals

All I live for is 12 noon on the 20th to come. Better days.

Hello loyal reader, not a whole lot to blog about.... startin to feel the stress for finals. I actually have my biol lab final this sat which is really not cool. I've developed some better study habits this term but in the process, I think I may have lost my ability to cram. Last yr, if my lab final was 3 days away, that's when I'd start... fast forward to present day and I'm thinkin I'm so screwed for sat, we'll see if I can push through.

I don't know what to make of today. I gave up my entire long weekend to study for biochem and it totally didn't pay off, I'm just stunned right now. I was convinced I aced that exam, I guess I have to go see it. I would probably chalk this whole day up to a loss if I hadn't seen The Incredibles. Amazing movie. Still, somehow it pales in comparison to my absolute disappointment.

As many of us use this four day long weekend to booze it up or, in the case of the nerds, to study it up we often lose sight of the importance of rememberance day. As more generations pass, we grow farther from the feeling of being linked to the veterans. I don't know if I should feel guilty about this... I did see something on a commercial for a vancouver news station about a woman who has been stealing poppy money from veterans so I guess I don't feel too guilty in comparison.. At any rate, regardless of how you utilize the "free" time, I feel it's in our best interests to try to keep in mind why it is we're getting a long weekend.

It occurs to me that many of us are not good with change or adaptation. Mainly what I want to talk about is how when you first get to know someone, that idea of who they are stays with you for a long time if not forever unaltered. This might account for why parents will always think of you as a helpless little baby who is at a loss without them. Basically, if you've ever had a long time friend who's gotten less and less like the kind of person you want to hang out with (the person they once were). Most likely, you're still friends just because you still remember how cool they used to be. It's a little warped but it definitely applies to me. For example, I had a crush on this guy when I first met him, he seemed like a really nice guy. Not a manslut, in good shape, smart. But over time, he's gotten so cocky it's ridiculous. It took me a while to realize that if I met him as he is now, there would be absolutely no attraction. Eventually, I had to let go of the crush cause he's just not that guy anymore. We all try to hold on to the person subconciously hoping they'll revert back to who you want them to be, never accepting that time has passed and change is inevitable.

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide

-Howie Day

this choice I made keeps playing in my head over and over again
- nelly ft. tim mgcraw

Well, it's gotten to that point in the term where I get all frustrated and start to lose interest as well as motivation. Funny how it always coincides with midterms....

Just wanna quickly say that I hate the curve. My psych mark would be .3 higher if I had gotten one more question right and if I had gotten one more question wrong, it'd still be at the same mark. Frixis. I'm so lucky my bioch is not on a curve otherwise my mark would be .3 lower so maybe the universe has a way of balancing out.... but I'm still pissed.

So to elaborate on my last post, I am now allowed to know the thing I know... which is that this girl I used to be friends with in high sch is pregnant, drama much? I first heard it from someone who was told specifically not to tell me but on my way to study on sat, I ran into this guy from my old high sch on the bus and he started the convo with "Hey! Did you know your ex is gonna be a father but is in denial about it?" to which I replied "Yes, I do know but I'm not supposed to." Basically now that I'm allowed to know and have gotten over the initial shock, I'm not gonna do anything about it. She's really not someone I wanna talk to again so I'm just gonna leave this whole soap opera mess alone. It seems she's still into her old patterns.. not learning from mistakes and making stupid decisions after the fact. Even if I wanted to help her and talk to her, I doubt she'd listen.... exactly why we're not friends anymore.

I really hate it when I know something I'm not supposed to.

live strong

i'd hear heaven - hedley

so close your eyes there's no suprise you'll realize they hear you
just hide your fear come closer dear it's hard when no one loves you
i'm on the soul of every role of every place your taking
until i'm done just stay for fun tomorrow's breaking even

too late never say tomorrow is another day
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say
inside i know the way she fell like fire i forgot to play
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say

we've lost our chance our one last dance them circumstances fail us
we'd wait too long they found our song it seems like time's against us
maybe it's me i'm overboard and singing for no reason
but life is light love like a fight today we're breaking even

too late never say tomorrow is another day
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say
inside i know the way she fell like fire i forgot to play
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say

everyone here thinks i'm crazy
seems like most of us love lazy
waiting round here is amazing
everyone runs like its hazy

too late never say tomorrow is another day
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say
inside i know the way she fell like fire i forgot to play
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say

true love never say tomorrow is another day
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say
inside i know the way she fell like fire i forgot to play
one love i'm one away i never thought that i'd hear heaven say

[kung fu post. do not read if not interested.]

Ever since I was in junior high, kung fu has been my hobby. I picked it because it was something that no other person at sch was doing, it was sort of a typical asian thing to do and let's not forget that song "everybody loves kung fu fighting." At the time, I lived about 5 blocks away from chiu lau kung fu and it seemed like the answer... after about two yrs and a sudden realization that all he did was take our money, I quit. I went half a yr without kung fu and was inevitably drawn back when my brother came up with the idea to join ging wu... almost 4 yrs later, I've got mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, I really love how involved in the community ging wu is. All the tournaments and demos have been great experiences but I'm sort of at a crossroads since I'm not technically advanced or intermediate... somewhere in the middle... I basically feel like they consider me advanced and expect me to help out with teaching when it's convenient for them. Another thing that has always given ging wu a bad rap is that quite a few of the advanced ppl are extremely cocky. Now behind this cockiness is an obvious (at least to me) fear, I've noticed that these same cocky individuals will not try new moves in front of everyone else because obviously when trying something new, there's a huge probability that you'll look like an idiot. This is a major reason for why these ppl end up focusing all their energy on one thing they're good at and neglecting other things.

I've gotten a bit caught up in this behaviour but no more. I'm sure the advanced ppl talk shit about me behind my back anyway so why not make a fool out of myself if it might make me better in the long run? I just need to take a step back from wanting so desparately to make sijea and let the hoggers hog the class, I don't need to teach. I definitely don't want to become a hogger. Who knows? Maybe becoming sijea is in my future, but if not that's ok too.

So I've been on a bit of a roll in terms of blogging and thought I'd keep it up. I now totally understand why some of my high sch friends (mainly the ones who don't go to the u) were so mad at me when I totally ignored them last yr during sch. In my defence, first yr was very scary. But that's neither here nor there... the point is it's not that said friend can't make time for you, they choose not to. Maybe in the grand scheme of things, having your teenage friends like you is not a big deal. I know a lot of ppl who don't think they'll remain friends after sch. I guess those ppl would opt to pick sch over friends. Remember that episode of the o.c. where oscar was tryin to steal marissa away from ryan and oscar said "don't mess up your life for some girl you're not gonna care about in 5 yrs"? Well, I guess that summarizes what might be the reasoning for why some ppl just disappear when sch is in. In conclusion, if someone ever tells you how sad they are that they don't get to see some of their friends every day even though this person knows full well exactly where those ppl are and chooses not to walk the extra 5 min to the next building (say from cab to hub) to see them... I don't know... smack them or somethin.... and smack me if I'm bein a hypocrite which is entirely possible in this case.

I've been ignoring my blog lately. I guess it's partly because life is pretty boring as per usual but mainly, I just don't really know how to express what I'm feeling. If you've ever seen the episode of undergrads where nitz has an identity crisis, then that's pretty close. For the most part, I like bein single but recently I've been goin through a period of really wishin I had someone. I'll get over it soon but till then, bleh. (It's a cycle, yay I'm single...... boo I'm single.. yay...... boo.. you get the point.) A major part of how I'm doin lately is the whole friends thing. Part of me really wishes I had more friends but I like the ones I have and I'm supremely bummed out that this yr, I haven't seen the same ppl I used to see every day last yr. Might be a factor in why this sch yr sucks.

Hey kiddies. Just a quick recap of what's been goin on, nothin terribly interesting though. No more work but sch this yr sucks more than last... not entirely sure why.

I don't have to work tomorrow so that means I can go to sleep later.

Chris has sort of pushed me to explain more of my last monday blog mainly for clarity sake for myself. Besides the obvious that some of the ppl I feel the least comfortable around are the ones I've known for the least amount of time, I've also semi discovered that I am very concerned about what impressions I leave. That is a huge part of this problem since I tried so hard to leave a good first impression that it's created a snowball effect where every time I see these ppl, I want to give them the person they first met or if I felt like I left a bad first, then I try to make up for it.
Another huge factor is I meet a lot of ppl through existing friends and however that friend views me is imparted on the new person. I just kinda fit into whatever description that friend gave to make things easier.
I'm gonna try to make the atmosphere around me more lax, gonna be more myself and let whoever decide for themselves.

So there you go ladies and gents, the three of you who read my blog had all made a comment about it and questioned what exactly I was tryin to say and I hope that clears it up a bit.

Quit my job. Last day is friday.

Lately I've been thinkin bout the ppl I know. I feel like I have a lot of acquaintances but very few friends. Then among the small group of ppl I consider my friends, there are the ones I feel fairly comfortable around and there are ones that I think I try too hard to impress. These are the ppl I feel I need to be entertaining and funny around. I'm gettin sick of puttin on this show.

Not too much to talk about.... my dad's leavin town tomorrow for 3 weeks. I sure am gonna miss him but his car will help ease the pain. Still flip flopping between whether or not to quit roots.

Locked my keys in the trunk monday, my dad had to come downtown and was not impressed. Not allowed to drive for an unspecified period of time. This whomps.

Hello. As we students all know, there is about a month of summer left...

I took in kdays on sat and was only there for about an hour and a half. Every yr, I get a little more bored a little faster... maybe I'm just too old for kdays. I am disappointed I didn't get to see the cirque show everyone told me about.

[martial arts stuff]
Yest my kung fu club had 3 demos at heritage days. The first two were at hong kong pavilion and I screwed up my hand form in the second show :( However, this yr no screwups with my weapon... aside from cutting myself but no one noticed. Still disappointed in the crowd at heritage which always seems to lack enthusiasm which I think is largely due to a lack of understanding with how much training goes into it.

Last show was china which was good since that pavilion was right next to borneo. I got to watch Kev and Noel lion dance in a demo setting for the first time and was totally impressed. Although the performance wasn't perfect I still really enjoyed the things that were attempted. I still think there is way too much poilitics involved... somehow a "rivalry" started between bcaa and ging wu. I clapped for bcaa even though some of my fellow ging wu members told me not to. I also noticed that some bcaa ppl started watchin our demo and I did not see them clap.

I can swallow my pride and say that I find bcaa's lion dance to be at a higher difficulty level than ours with the pedestals in their demo. But different ppl and even groups in this case have diff strengths and weaknesses based on where we place emphasis. In my defence, I'd have to say that ging wu has hand forms, weapon forms, as well as sparring to focus on besides lion dance. It was news to me that bcaa had recently started honing in on hand and weapon forms. By watching our demos, I think anyone would notice that bcaa's lion dance portion is the main event whereas ours is more the hand and weapon forms. Another thing I just want to point out is our styles of lion dancing are totally diff. I found bcaa's style to be more about endurance and showmanship whereas I would describe our lion dance to be shorter since the emphasis is placed more on power and sharp movements. I just hope that next yr and in yrs after that both groups clap as a show of support for the other.

Please note that none of this blog was meant to put anyone down, just my comparison and thoughts which is what a blog is all about. If something offends anyone, pls let me know since I'm sure it's just bad wording.
[end martial arts stuff]

Evenin all. Nothin too much to say... 'cept I got a new phone which is sorta cool. Work is lame and I'm tryin to decide if I wanna quit soon.

This blog is perhaps too sappy to post but I haven't blogged in a while so I'm just gonna put it out there. Enjoy!
 
So it's been almost two years since I've had a boyfriend and part of me is kinda bummed out but I'm mainly ok with it, surprisingly. I feel like I'm at a stage in my life where I don't know who I am or who I want to be. I do know I want to be better but other than that it's pretty open right now and I'm not sure I could really figure it out with someone. Maybe I'm kidding myself and I'm really miserable deep down but I don't feel that way. For the most part, I'm happy and really lookin forward to just being even happier.
 
p.s. There's nothing wrong with you that changing yourself completely won't fix. I know I've mentioned this before but I really thought it tied in with what a couple of my friends as well as myself are trying to accomplish in changing and bettering ourselves. Special good luck to Ranald since I think he's trying to do what I'm trying to except I don't have the guts to go places alone.

Since inventory on sunday was cancelled, I have to work till 11:30pm. I seriously doubt we'll be done by that time but whatevs, that's when I'm gonna leave. Also, I forgive my manager for not calling; she told me that she had taken the employee phone list with her but upon arriving home, her basement was flooded and the power was out. Better days!

4:30ish - left the house to go shopping before work.
5ish (half an hour later) - arrived at the mall after driving through a couple flooded streets. (a drive that usually takes 10 min). stuck in parking lot, cars barely moving.
6ish - time to go to work but mall is being evacuated.
6:30ish - got home.

The worst part of all this is I was stuck in the parking lot for an entire hour. A lot of the time was spent making phone calls to:

my dad - "traffic's bad"
security - "is the mall being evacuated?"
my dad - "I don't have to work, the mall's being evacuated. you're already on your way?"
my brother - "are you finished closing yet?"
my dad - "you want me to turn around and go home? I have stephen. you're in the mall?"
and work - no answer

So my parents had been on their way to pick up my brother but then I got to him first, called my dad who then found us and got in the car. I drove to my mom who was waiting at our other car in a parking lot about a block from the mall and we drove home.

I'm pretty pissed off that no one from work tried to call me to warn me not to go to work. I had to figure out that the mall was being evacuated from the swarms of ppl walkin out and the clearly flooded parking lot. If someone had called me at 5ish which was when my brother said they started evacuating the mall, then I could've turned out of the parking lot sooner. I ended up finding out at 5:30ish when I decided to call security.

I just never learn my lesson. NEVER SPEND TIME WITH PARENTS. Parents have the day off? Get the hell out of the house. What's so hard about that? I don't know but I can't seem to follow it no matter how much sense it makes. Anyhoo, I'm off to pull weeds now. This is fuckin retarded, we don't even have grass. What is the fuckin point?