Loquacious Silence

2007-02-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

Finished Super Gals! Season 2!

Weeks after I got the box set, I finally finished watching season 2 of Super Gals!

RightStuf did a bang-up job on the box set! It matches perfectly with my other one (from ADV) which is the type of thoughtfulness I really appreciate from a company!

Since I was one of the first 600 fans to pre-order the boxset, I also got my name on the fan tribute/thank you thing on the DVD from Right Stuf!!

^_^ Cool, ne?

Now that I'm not working, I'm hoping I can get through more of my anime series! I have been buying lots of cheap (re: on sale) boxsets from RightStuf, like Paranoia agent, Technolyze, etc. etc. but haven't been able to watch them!!

Onto the next series!

2007-01-29T23:16:00.000-05:00

Hopes Raised Then Crashed

So I was all excited to read the news on Anime on Dvd that one of Del Rey Manga's new solicitations is a title called "My Heavenly Hockey Club." I thought: "here it is, my two most ardent passions are finally being combined!"

But then I did a little more research and found out that the story is about a girls' field hockey and not ice hockey club.

*sigh*

Oh, my cruelly dashed hopes!

2006-09-16T23:34:00.000-04:00

"Geneon Bountiful Bargains"

Right Stuf has the most AMAZING sale from Geneon ever! You can pick up 25 assorted DVDs, CDs, or UMDs for only $100 (yes, $4 each!) or 10 for $50 ($5 each)!! Plus you get FREE SHIPPING (to Canada and the US). It's crazy! I ordered 25 at first, then went back and ordered another 10.

Of course, they're only offering select titles, and they're all individual releases (not boxes), but it's SO worth it! Oh, and you have to have exactly the right amount of titles in your cart and you can't buy more than one of a particular item, but it's really not that difficult.

I got complete series of "Adventures of the Mini Goddesses," "Gungrave," "Rumiko Takahashi Anthology," "Soultaker," and "Texhnolyze," plus a bunch of CDs! ^_^

If I didn't already have them, I would've wanted to get the Haibane Renmei, Last Exile, and Serial Experiments Lain series as well.

In all, I think I probably saved over $700!

2006-07-12T00:54:00.000-04:00

New Additions to Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Ah....For the English teacher in me, it's fun/interesting to see that "manga" (n.) and "google" (v.) are being added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary this year!!

For more info, see this AOL article.

2006-03-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

Birthday Wishlist

Eh, don't actually have much that I want that I haven't already gotten for myself, but I figured I'd post this anyway:

- anything off my Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.ca wishlists
- Fruits Basket manga v.18, 19
- Wolf's Rain DVD v.7: Final Encounters
- donations to Frontier College, International Justice Mission (Canada), Doctors Without Borders or Free the Children through CanadaHelps.org

2006-03-29T23:49:00.000-05:00

Best Mahou Shoujo

Ahhhh... I think Cardcaptor Sakura is my favourite mahou shoujo ("magical girl" shoujo) ever!! Even though I've read the manga four or five times over (at least!) I still get the urge at least a couple of times a year to re-read the series.

Plus I just got the Cardcaptor Sakura - Clow Book Set (DVDs 1-9), and have been watching them for the past couple of days. ^_^ I actually used to watch the English dub version on YTV (despite the annoying name changes like Tomoyo=Madison) and enjoyed the episodes that I watched, so I was thrilled to be watching the Japanese versions for the first time!!

Since I'm on a CCS kick, thought I'd do some personality quizzes!

Which Card Captor Sakura character are you? (Sakura, Tomoyo, Yukito, Touya, Shaoran, Meilin or Kero)

You are Tsukishiro Yukito/Yue!
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CardCaptor Sakura: What Card are you?

You're the Mirror card! You like to mimic people, which some dudes find irritating, so don't over-do it. By the way, thanks for re-asking all my questions. T_T
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Which Cardcaptor Sakura Character are you

You are Eriol - mischief is your life but you do care about the ones you hurt
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Which Cardcaptor Sakura Kid Are You?

You are Eriol!
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Which Cardcaptor Sakura character are you?

You are Sakura!!!! You are special to so many people, and although at times you can be naive, you make up for it by just being you, which is kind, thoughtful and polite! You are very sporty, and there is at least one or two sports that you enjoy, but the thing you like most is having your whole group of friends together.
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Which Cardcaptor Sakura Are You?

You Are...

Card Queen Sakura!

You've over come it all and have become the Cardmistress. Good for you!
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2005-11-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

Hockey vs Anime

Hockey-1, Anime-0

Remember the Fullmetal Alchemist movie dvd I was debating over in my last post? Well, I finally decided to email CD Japan to ask them to remove it from my order. Why? Because I dropped my 2002 NHL Al-Star (World) jersey off at the Hockey Hall of Fame to be customized to day, and seeing how it cost me $100 (plus tax), I figured I'd have to cut the spending somewhere else.

On the other hand, I did just go and spend $109 on graphic novels today, so it's not like I'm totally cutting off anime spending in favour of hockey.

*sigh* Being the type of spendthifty person that I am, having more than one passion is very hard on my wallet! Not only do I spend money on manga/anime, I also spend quite a bit on hockey and books! @_@ MUST learn to budget!!

In other news, I caught up on a couple of webcomics I haven't read in a while, so I thought I'd share the links here for anyone who's interested:

- Be Mine
- Directions of Destiny
- Fallen
- Fantasy Realms
- Wish³

All of them have solid artwork, characters, and stories, and, with the exception of "Be Mine," all of them are somewhat fantasy-based. ^_^ Check them out--I highly recommend!

2005-11-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

Beware the Limited Edition!

I've done something slightly crazy again: I pre-ordered the limited edition Fullmetal Alchemist - Shanbara wo Iku Mono - The Movie dvd from CD Japan. Why is this crazy? Well, I have only watched about half of the first episode of the series!! Considering that the story is part of the "Hagaren saga" and is supposed to take place 2 years after the Elric brothers have been separated means that I really will have no idea what's going on in the movie unless I manage to watch all of the series up to that point before the dvd arrives!! Clearly this is not going to happen given that I don't even have time to watch the various series I have already purchased, and, furthermore, Funimation will have only released 7 discs (28 episodes) of the series by January!

So yes, I should really email CD Japan and request that they remove the Fullmetal Movie dvd from my order. What's keeping me from doing the logical thing, however, is the description of the limited edition features: "Limited edition includes three discs packed full of special features (making-of footage and more). Deluxe illustrated box includes two booklets. *The limited edition comes with English Subtitles." As you know by now, I am a total sucker for special features. The idea of missing out on the special 3-disc. 2-booklet Japanese release has me hesitating to do the prudent thing.

*sigh* I really am a marketer's dream!

2005-10-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Dramacon!

I highly recommend Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova! The art is great--especially the facial expressions--and the story is well paced with a nice balance between comedy/romance (exactly how it's categorized on the back of the graphic novel!).

And not that this has any bearing whatsoever on the quality of the work, but I was totally thrilled when, after reading the first chapter on Takuhai Online, I discovered that the creator came from Russia to CANADA (at age 16) and that she also attended Sheridan College for classical animation!! ^_^ Woohoo for Canada!

Anyway, you can visit Svetlana's website at http://www.svetlania.com/.

2005-09-29T18:52:00.000-04:00

"How I Became a Shojo Manga Translator"

Tomo Kimura, a Japanese-to-English translator with Viz joins The AoD Staff & Industry Journal with "Translating in Tokyo." Her first post, entitled "How I Became a Shojo Manga Translator" recounts her unusual beginning as a translator.

As an English major and decidedly monolingual person--despite my having taken, at various times, Chinese, French, Japanese and even Czech language classes!--to me, English translation is an interesting, impressive and remarkable profession. I'm definitely going to follow this...column (for lack of a better word) and I look forward to reading her insights into the manga translation industry!

Oh! And another interesting "column" that also started recently is "Revolutionary Boy Tatara" (doesn't that make you think of Basara?) by Peter Tatara, assistant Marketing Manager at Central Park Media in New York. I'm sure he's also going to offer a lot of interesting insights into the anime industry! On a personal note, I am both amazed and dismayed to realize that he's the same age as me--22! Although I feel blessed to be able to pursue a career in a profession that I am passionate about and that I believe is necessary, valuable and rewarding--teaching--reading Peter's story makes me wonder what might've been if I'd been willing to pursue my anime/manga passion further.

2005-09-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

Thinpak Tradeoff

So I went to E.K. on Sunday for my usual pick-up and noticed that there was a copy of the ADV Thinpak release of Prétear. It was only $40!! (Well, for me, anyway; for other customers it would be $50--the advantage of being a regular! ^_~)

I've been seeing Thinpaks advertised for quite a while but apart from the thinner packaging and substantially lower price, I didn't know if there was any difference between the Thinpak release and the original boxset version.

Well, now I know. The Thinpak release has all of the episodes, yes, but it doesn't have most of the extras that come with the initial disc/boxset releases. With a series like Prétear, I don't really mind the lack of extras since it was a series I was only sort of interested in anyway (I prefer the manga version), but for series like Kodocha or Angelic Layer, I'm glad that I went ahead and got the more expensive single disc release versions (first disc with artbox, of course). (I wish I'd waited for the Thinpak version of Wolf's Rain, though. ^^;;)

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Prétear anime, but I didn't come away from it feeling as "attached" to the series as, say, Kodomo no Omocha, Fruits Basket, Angelic Layer, or Kenshin. I think Thinpak releases are great for series that you want to watch (and own, I suppose, rather than rent) but for really great series that are or have the potential to become favourites, I think the traditional disc+box/single disc or boxset releases are more satisfying.

2005-07-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

STUFF!!

Woohoo!! I finally got my stuff from CD Japan!! Nine items and a whopping $80.61 customs fee, but it was worth it!

1) Character Song Album "Hikaru no Go Hikaru Mirai e" CD
2) Fushigi Yuugi - Original Soundtrack [Limited Release] CD
3) Marmalade Boy Vol.1 [Limited Release] CD
4) Marmalade Boy Vol.2 [Limited Release] CD
5) Marmalade Boy Vol.6 [Limited Release] CD
6) Theatrical Feature Prince of Tennis Memorial Edition DVD
7) Theatrical Feature Price of Tennis Futari no Samurai The First Game / Atobe kara no Okurimono - Kimi ni Sasageru Tenipri Matsuri CD (First Press)
8) 15th Anniversary CD & DVD Box Clampazar [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] (First Press)
9) Tsubasa Chronicle - Original Soundtrack - Future Soundscape I [Limited Edition] CD

It was actually a pretty lucky thing that I was able to pick it up today. See, I got the delivery notice yesterday, and it said that my package would be available after 1:00pm. But of course at that time I would be at softball, and since the place closes at 6:00pm, I didn't figure I'd be able to make it in time after the last game. Actually, I was seriously considering skipping the last game so I could pick it up--I was that eager to get it. I didn't have to do that, though, becausse the first game ended was extremely fast and ended in about an hour (~1:40pm). I had plenty of time, then, to pick it up and drop it off at my house (so I wouldn't have to leave them in the car, in the heat). =D Thank you Saved By the Bell and Cworkz!!

So I now have 1171 frequent shopper points at CD Japan (equivalent to 1171 yen or ~$13 Cdn), but even though I said I would change my FFVII: Advent Children order from the Limited Package to the Limited Edition DVD, I've decided that I just can't do it. I mean, it's one thing to spend some three hundred dollars (US) on 9 items, but it's something else entirely to spend that same amount on a single item that just happens to have a lot of bonus items/features. *sigh* It's almost too bad that I came to that conclusion, though, since it really does look quite lovely.

2005-07-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

Wedding and Things

Warning! This is a mega-long entry!

Well, for those who don't know, I was in Philadelphia this past weekend to attend the wedding of my cousin (second cousin, actually). ^_^ It was quite a fun experience, and a rather lucky one in the sense that I only met this cousin last October when my parents and I went down to Philadelphia to visit my "aunt" (my mother's cousin).

We left Mississauga at about 10pm Thursday night and drove (well, my dad drove) through the night to reach their house at about 9:45am. The driving actually didn't take the full twelve hours--we stopped twice for about an hour each time so my dad could sleep a bit. Oh, and at the first rest stop I saw this van with what looked to be a giant Nemo on top of it!

After we got there, we hung out at my relatives' place until we could check into the hotel (~2pm) and then rested and got ready for the rehearsal/family dinner at 6. That was the end of Friday.

Saturday the wedding was at 10:30am, and was followed by a lunch reception at the church. Everything looked really nice!

Plus they didn't have organized photos right after the ceremony--or at all, in fact--so it didn't feel like the whole thing was dragging on and on.

Then too instead of a big Chinese banquet, all of the adults (family) went over to my relatives' house, while all the "kids" (singles/no kids, ~18-35) went out for to a very "posh" (as Kirstine described it) restaurant called Twenty21 in downtown Philadelphia with the bride and groom. They had a cocktail hour (hors d'ouevres and beer/wine for a little more than an hour) followed by a three course (soup/salad starter, entrée, dessert) dinner. Francine told me that they decided to go this route because she didn't really know a lot of the relatives, and she didn't want to spend her wedding day hanging out with a bunch of people she didn't know--which I think was a truly brilliant idea. If I ever got married (not that I'm planning to), I'd want to do the same thing! I found it a lot more enjoyable than the traditional Chinese banquet (although those can be fun too), and I'm sure Francine and Woo (her husband) found it more relaxing too. Especially since they didn't have to play any silly games for the amusement of their guests. =P

At the wedding I also ended up meeting a lot of second cousins I didn't even know existed! The bride, my cousin Francine, has two brothers who weren't home last October and whom I therefore met for the first time at the wedding. They're quite a lot of fun! The younger one, Albert, is my age and he just graduated with a degree in...business (?), and the older one, Ben, is a pediatrician in Dallas. Apparently Ben just got engaged in February, so I got to meet his fiancée, Jodi(e?). Along with them I also met two twin second cousins, Mark and Mikail (sp?) from Brunei, and another cousin, Kirstine who's currently in Perth, Australia (her family has moved a lot).

We had a good chunk of time to talk and get to know each other, and it was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be (considering my difficulties in socializing with new people). On Sunday night (after church and an extremely long lunch at The Cheesecake factory--which I'll take about later) Albert, Ben, Kirstine, Mike and I played Cranium, and that was a lot of fun. Somehow the three cousins from different countries (Kirstine, Mike and myself) were able to beat the two brothers. And that's no small accomplishment, considering that we weren't able to figure out one of the "humdingers" (guess the title of a hummed/whistled tune) because neither of them got Jeopardy in their countries! Actually, the funny thing was that Ben and Albert got quite a few "mindmelds" (write down three things in a category and try to get one matching answer) and they never managed to do it, even though you'd think they'd have some sort of sibling understanding/intuition!

But yeah, my point is that I enjoyed getting to know my cousins, and I wish I could have known them growing up, because I think they would've been a lot of fun.

Oh, and backtracking a bit, my Cheesecake Factory story: Steph and I wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory in Denver, but we were there on Valentine's Day, so the lineup was down the street and couldn't be bothered. So when my aunt suggested we try it, I was really excited. But we had a party of like 26 so it was impossible to get a table together. Even splitting us into two tables of 13, it took 45min for the first table to get seated, and then another half an hour for the rest of us. Everyone in the second group (all of us cousins, plus our parents) was getting pretty impatient already, and then our table's (we were further split into two tables--"kids" and parents) orders got messed up twice! First they missed our calamari appetizer (took 20-30 minutes for them to get that problem fixed) and then they misplaced Kirstine's hamburger (another 15-20 minutes wait since we were all polite and waited for her order to come before eating). Everyone else (i.e., not me) was so fed up of the place by the end of it, they just wanted to leave without dessert, so I didn't want to order cheesecake (the whole point of going there!) and hold them back.

But all's well that end's well. The parents ordered a white chocolate macademia cheesecake slice to share, so I got to finish that off for them, and later on I got a slice of their Godiva cheesecake to go. It was an $8 US slice of cheesecake, but it was SO worth it! =D I don't think my cousins are likely to go back, but I think that if I was in a party of 4-5 people or less, I would definitely go again!

After lunch, my mom, my aunts and I (the other cousins went home before the adults--except for me) stuck around the mall where the restaurant was located and shopped. I got a framed Ray Bourque 11x14 print for only $10 US!

We left on Monday morning and on the way back stopped at the Waterloo outlet mall between Syracuse and Rochester. We bought a bunch of polo shirts for my brother, and my mom went crazy at the Dress Barn! Out of the ~3 1/2 hours we spent there, I'd say that 2 1/2 of them were spent in that store! Oh well, I got two white shirts and a snazzy bag from there, so I'm not complaining.

Actually, I really love the bag! It's black and can be customized with 5/x7 photos! So of course yesterday after work (yes, I went to work--and did 2 1/2 hours of OT as well!) I spent my night going through photos and Photoshop-ing them for printing and pick-up today. I love it because, really, how else would I be able to get a hockey bag/purse? Right now I've got an Aebischer picture in it, but I printed out a bunch (special deal! 5x7s for only $0.99 at Futureshop!) so I'll be able to change the picture when the mood strikes me!

All the photos:

Unfortunately, to end off the trip, our return home was delayed by a 1-hour detour at the Lewiston (or one of them!) bridge! The border people didn't tell us anything, they just gestured at us to turn around and go back and we had to drive around looking for the way to another border crossing! It was a disappointing end to an otherwise good trip.

But wait! This post isn't done yet! I got to watch "The War of the Worlds" for work today! Instead of a company picnic or something, our group (TAG) rented out a theatre at the Paramount and got to see a 1:30 show. We also got popcorn and a drink. So today was a nice relaxing day after the crazy busy month-end work we had yesterday. :)

2005-06-22T00:12:00.000-04:00

SO Tempted!!

Argh!! CDJapan has the FFVII: Advent Children Limited Edition DVD available for pre-order, and I am SO tempted!!

According to the site: "Bonus features include a " Cloud + Fenrir" figure set, a script book (replica), a cap, a T-shirt, a key chain (serial-numbered), an extras DVD, and a PlayStation 2 game "Final Fantasy VII INTERNATIONAL" (compatible only with PlayStation 2 console sold in Japan)"

I don't really care too much about the cap, t-shirt, or key chain, but the figure, script book and extras dvd sound too good to resist!! Take a look, doesn't it seem beautiful?

Only problem is it's bloody expensive!! 29500yen, which works out to roughly $350 CAD at the typical credit card rate. Currently. And what happens if the exchange rate changes for the worse by the time it's released in September?

Anyway, what I've decided is that I'll wait until my current huge CDJapan order ships (shortly after July 6) and if it's still available for preorder, I'll redeem all of frequent shopper points that I can and order it at that time. If it's already sold out, then I'll take it as a sign that it wasn't meant to be. In the meantime I've placed the order for the "limited edition package" version, which is considerably cheaper (4800yen), but only comes with special packaging and these comparatively few special features: "Final Fantasy VII Digest," FFVII AC official trailer, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII trailer.

2005-06-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Marriage Proposals

After hearing about Oliver's proposal (to Theresa, of course!) and remembering the stories I've heard from other people (Ken and Bettina, Huston and Ivy, Dan and Su), I've started noticing a trend: they're made when couples go on trips together or out on special occasions.

I realize that's not exactly a startling revelation, but it did get me thinking about the type of proposal I'd like to receive. (Guess that shows I've got a girly/sentimental side to me after all, since I'm still 95% sure I'm not going to get married at all.) As lovely and thoughtful as all of the proposals I've heard about have sounded, personally, I think I'd like a proposal to come during an ordinary, maybe even mundane event/task.

See, if it came in the middle of something normal/routine, the ordinariness of the event/task would be transformed into something special. Just think, if you were proposed to in the middle of making, let's say, a salad, wouldn't you thereafter associate the happy memory of your engagement with making a salad? I think that would be a wonderful gift to have, on top of the proposal itself.

Another thing I noticed is that proposals are generally made when the couple is off alone somewhere together. It makes perfect sense, of course, but again, I think it'd be nice to be able to share the experience with family or close friends.

That idea I think I got from reading the Christie Miller series (by Robin Jones Gunn) in which Todd proposed to Christie while they and a whole group of friends were sitting in the cafe of a bookshop. Everyone was going through a bag of leftover candy hearts, making silly sentences with them &etc., and Todd pulled out three "Marry Me" hearts and placed them in front of Christie. He repeated something he'd told her before "Once it's spoken three times, it's established. Forever" and then got down on one knee and proposed. At first no one realized what was going on because they were involved in their own conversations and the candy hearts, but after they saw Todd kneeling and then the candy hearts, they figured things out.

I think that scene was really appealing to me because the proposal was both private and...communal, for lack of a better word. The two were surrounded by their friends during the proposal, so their friends were almost a part of it, in a way. But at the same time, only the two of them were involved and aware when he proposed, so it's not like he had the message flashed on the jumbotron at a game for all the world to spectate. My preference, I guess is to carve out that private, personal time in the midst of loved ones, rather than going away to be alone.

But of course, that's just what I'm thinking I'd prefer; I'm not saying against romantic getaway proposals at all--hearing about them is lovely. And I'm still planning on staying single anyway.

2005-05-29T19:54:00.000-04:00

Yakitate Japan! Cosplayers!

Woohoo! One of the highlights of Anime North 2005 for me (I was helping out at the dealer's tables for the store where I usually buy my anime/manga): Yakitate Japan cosplayers!! You can't really tell from the picture, but the girl dressed as Azuma also made the bangs sticking out from his headband!! ^__^

The other highlight for me (my best memory from the event) was that one guy actually asked if he could take my picture! And I wasn't even cosplaying!! The guy was from Quebec, so he wanted a photo of me in my Nordiques tee. =P

2005-05-26T22:23:00.000-04:00

Evolution!!

Woohoo! Here it is, the thrilling photo chronicle of the evolution of my room!! =P

May 9th:

May 21st:

May 23rd:

May 25th:

Now let's just see how long this lasts!! The reason I always take pictures when I clean my room is because it usually gets messed up as soon as I buy something! ^^;; And yes, the new bookshelf and cd/dvd shelves are indeed filled up with anime/manga--as well as my old bookcase!! The thing that I moved (last picture, with the stuffed animals in it) is actually my old dvd/cd shelf, and I expect that eventually I will have that filled with stuff as well. ^^;; Man, now my room REALLY looks like an anime/manga-book-sports collectible store!! ^_~

2005-05-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

Rurouni Kenshin Complete CD Box

It finally arrived on Wednesday!!!!!!!!! ^____^ So pretty!!! Take a look!

Definitely worth the two year wait!!

Need to brush up on my Japanese, though, because inside the booklet are six sections of "Message from the Staff" plus a couple pages of "Reportage from the Staff", so it'd be nice if I could actually read it!! =P

Ah, and even after my excesses (in purchasing the Kenshin CD Box), I still added more to my CD Japan order. ^^;; Yup, I really wanted the Tsubasa Chronicle - Original Soundtrack - Future Soundscape I [Limited Edition], so I tacked that onto my already hefty order. What can I say? The "limited edition" got me!!

2005-05-02T21:32:00.000-04:00

Disturbing

I just saw the most disturbing opening sequence ever. It's too hard to explain, but trust me when I say that the choice of animation (involving food arranged on a plate moving into different shapes) is the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Guess it makes sense, though, when you consider that it's the "Honey & Clover" (based on the manga by the same name--available as a scanlation from ShoujoMagic) anime, and it's produced by Gainax. =P

In other random reflections on fansubs, I'm very much enjoying Gakuen Alice (Naisho) and Tsubasa Chronicles (lots of groups are doing it, but I'm watching the Dattebayo/Live-Evil version). Gakuen Alice has the blend of zaniness and warmth/sweetness that I enjoyed in Kodocha (Mikan actually looks a bit like Sana, too!). For Tsubasa, I'm pleased with the fact that the story isn't exactly the same as the manga, which makes it a lot more interesting. ^_^

Ah, wonderful, wonderful fansubs!! I don't know what I'd do without them!

2005-04-29T16:39:00.000-04:00

Out of Control!

Okay, so much for limiting my spending!! @_@ I just added more to my CD Japan order! *sigh* Why am I so weak against the words "limited edition"?!? So, my order now looks something like this:

- Character Song Album "Hikaru no Go Hikaru Mirai e" (CD)
- Fushigi Yuugi - Original Soundtrack [Limited Release] (limited to 5,000 copies) (CD)
- Marmalade Boy Vol.1 [Limited Release] (limited to 5,000 copies) (CD)
- Marmalade Boy Vol.2 [Limited Release] (limited to 5,000 copies) (CD)
- Marmalade Boy Vol.6 [Limited Release] (limited to 5,000 copies) (CD)
- Theatrical Feature Prince of Tennis Memorial Edition (DVD)
- Theatrical Feature Price of Tennis Futari no Samurai The First Game / Atobe kara no Okurimono - Kimi ni Sasageru Tenipri Matsuri (CD) *First Press
- 15th Anniversary CD & DVD Box Clampazar [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] (CD) *First Press

Including EMS (Express Mail Service--usually delivered 3-6 after shipping, has online tracking and delivery signature confirmation) shipping--no way am I taking a chance with such a huge order!--the total comes to a whopping 33,281yen, or approx. $315.91 US. Oh, and did I mention that's with a 500yen coupon already? @_@

Man, if it wasn't for CD Japan, my anime cd collection would never grow...

And of course the Marmalade Boy cds that they decided to re-release would be the ones that I don't already have.

Oh, and I also ordered the "Rurouni Kenshin: Tales of the Meiji" empty artbox from Robert's Anime Cornerstore because there was a $1 coupon in my Shojobeat preview magazine.

I am the biggest sucker alive for any sort of promotion. Coupons and words like "limited edition", "first press edition", or "special edition" get me everytime!!! I am suck.

2005-04-23T01:41:00.000-04:00

I Did It!

Yes, I finally did it. I ordered my long-desired "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou hen COMPLETE CD-BOX"!! I suppose I should be feeling guilty for spending over $400 on cds, but I've wanted it since March 7, 2003, so I feel that I already showed quite a bit of restraint, waiting for it as long as I have.

At least I got double Airmiles on the purchase. =P

2005-04-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

Recents!

Okay, because I have a boring life, I'm just going to list off some of the manga/anime I've read/watched recently (in chronological order):

Manga:
- Forbidden Dance (many thanks to Nate for the early bday present!!)
- Tsubasa, Reservoir Chronicle (I can't believe I didn't have anything come into EK for me last week!)
- XXX-Holic (when you read Tsubasa, you have to read this too!)
- Magic Knight Rayearth (more Mokona!)

Fansubs:
- Mär
- Yakitate Japan!
- Tsubasa Chronicle
- Hunter X Hunter (TV series)

I got TWO notices from the post office to pick up parcels tomorrow!! That's the good news. The bad news is that I also have to pay customs fees for them. It's $43.20 for the two of them. Boo!! But at least I'll have anime!!! Woohoo!!

After I was totally demoralized by my Chinese history exam, I lost all of my (already meagre) desire to study for exams. I guess that's a good thing considering that I'm probably not going to be studying much anyway, once I get my anime!!! =P

2005-04-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

Avoiding Studying

So yeah, my Chinese history exam is tomorrow at 9am, and I probably haven't prepared enough, but oh well. It's kind of ironic though, that my reason for not studying is that I started studying early. See, I met up with a classmate last Friday to start preparing for the exam, and we wrote up a bunch of points about various significant events/people that might pop up as identificaiton questions. We also made a list of about 30 more people/events to prepare for today.

Me being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't start on my half of the list until today. So I went downtown early with my parents to get my stuff done before I met up with my friend (at 1:30pm). When we met, we made photocopies of each other's parts, talked about major themes from the course, and made a timeline of significant events. All in all I spent about seven hours downtown today studying Chinese history, so when I got home, I felt totally studied out--even though I know I don't actually remember very much. *sigh*

Yeah, so instead of studying I read the graphic novels--Forbidden Dance by Hinako Ashihara--my brother gave me (early b-day present--yay!), and re-read XXX-Holic and Magic Knight Rayearth (by Clamp). ^^;;

But NOW I'm starting to get nervous. Geh. Forget it, I'm going to attempt to sleep--although I doubt it'll be a good one, since I'm so worried--and I've set my alarm for a little after 5am, so I should have plenty of time (even after hitting snooze!) to do my last minute cram memorization! *sigh*

I don't know why I do this to myself.

Czech is going to be even worse, I know it.

2005-04-13T20:43:00.000-04:00

"One can never have enough..."

"One can never have enough socks"
- Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Yes indeed, with my birthday approaching, I thought I'd make life easier for friends and family by providing them (as usual) with a convenient list of things that I'd like to receive, but haven't already purchased for myself. =P The thing to remember, though, is that a simple "happy birthday" is really all that it takes to make me very happy (especially since it's Paula's wedding that day, and it'd be understandable if people forgot it)--anything else I can always buy for myself. ^_^

- Socks!! Indeed, with my mania for matching and my expanding range of wardrobe colours, I'd really appreciate some nice, plain, coloured socks--blue, grey, red, would be especially nice, and even yellow and (dark) green would also be good.

- "Forbidden Dance" (vol. 1-4) I've already mentioned this manga series (from Tokyopop) to Nathan, although I don't know if he actually intends to pick it up for me. =P

- "Tokyo Godfathers" and/or "Memories" (DVD) Although I've wanted to get these movies for a while, I haven't wanted them enough to spend the money on them instead of manga or other anime series/movies.

- Books!! I've got wishlists at Chapters.Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca under my Hotmail email address.

- Masterharper of Pern cd I actually found this item on a birthday wishlist I posted in 2003!

Speaking of old posts, interestingly, I seem to only post birthday wishlists every other year. =P

2005-04-08T17:31:00.000-04:00

No More Class!!

Woohoo! No more class, and just in time too!! It sucks for a lot of people that the TTC workers are striking, but I'm thankful that at least they held off, however unintentionally, until the end of school! I'll still have exams to get to, of course, but I've got a good pair of legs, and the walking will be good for me. ^_~

Anyway, after class I went around to drop off stuff at various buildings (only two, actually) to complete my registration at OISE!! =D Hooray!

Then after I came home, I went on a mini shopping spree!!! (Ironically, since that stewardship class about money, I've spent a lot more than usual on anime! ^^;;) I went to Comic Den and picked up "Wild Com." a collection of short stories by Yumi Tamura (of Legend of Basara fame), the CLAMP North Side and South Side artbooks, and the Fruits Basket "Memory for You" cd (which happened to be on sale for 25% off--nice!). =D Ah....There's just something about buying anime that makes me happy.

Oh, and on a rather random note, I felt a little bit embarrassed when I was at Comic Den because the guy (Terry, I think?) was like: "You haven't been around as often" and I kind of mumbled something about not having as much time anymore because of my school schedule... What could I say? Certainly not that I didn't go as often because they're more expensive than E.K. or One Million Comix. ^^;; See, in my last year of high school, I went to rent anime or to pick up stuff every one or two weeks. Even in my first couple of years in university I made it a point to reserve a couple of series of anime or manga to buy from them, just so I'd still be giving them business... It's weird I know, but I have this thing about customer loyalty/support--I even make cookies for E.K. and Comic Den for Christmas.

So anyway, I'm taking this weekend off completely!! No studying for exams, no cleaning my room (although it's in a near-dire condition), nothing!! I'm just going to read, watch anime, and otherwise relax!! Maybe I'll even finish "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which I've started watching (in Woodlands) but haven't completed twice now! =P

2005-04-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Anime, Anime, Anime!

Another update on what I've got on order, and what I'm hoping to order soon:

On Order:

RightStuf:
- Serial Experiments Lain DVD Boxset (yes, still!)
- Fruits Basket DVD Artbox (yes, still!)
- Marmalade Boy Ultimate Collection 3 DVD Boxset

AnimeNation:
- Witch Hunter Robin DVD 3 'Inquisition'
- Witch Hunter Robin DVD 5 'Determination'
- Wolf's Rain DVD 4 'Recollection'

AnimeOneStop:
- Chobits DVD 4 'Love Defined'
- Chobits DVD 7 'Chat Room'
- Voices of a Distant Star
- Witch Hunter Robin DVD 4 'Fugitive'
- Witch Hunter Robin DVD 6 'Vengeance'
- Wolf's Rain DVD 5 'War For the Soul'
- Wolf's Rain DVD 6 'Paradise and Poison'

CD Japan:
- 15th Anniversary CD & DVD Box Clampazar [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]CD *First Press
- Character Song Album "Hikaru no Go Hikaru Mirai e" CD
- Theatrical Feature Price of Tennis Futari no Samurai The First Game / Atobe kara no Okurimono - Kimi ni Sasageru Tenipri Matsuri CD *First Press

Ordering Soon:
- Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou hen COMPLETE CD-BOX

I'm especially excited about this Kenshin CD collection because I've wanted it since March 7th, 2003. ^_^ As soon as my tax return comes in, and I've got enough credit on my Visa card, I'm buying it!! I can't wait!!

2005-03-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Top Two Shoujo Manga

Just got vol. 8 of the Fruits Basket manga! ^_^ I'm very happy since this is where the story goes beyond what was in the anime! Ritsu is introduced, and so is Rin (although her actual appearance is only right at the end). *sigh* I love this series! At the heart of it, its a story about people learning how to care for each other and themselves, and that's what makes it so warm and wonderful! The intrigue of the zodiac curse and the comedy of the transformations are really just a nice bonus. It's definitely my favourite manga!

A very close second would be Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (aka Hana Kimi or For You in Full Blossoms). The story premise isn't the most unique--girl pretends to be a guy so she can attend the same high school as her high jump idol--but there's just something so lovely and sweet about Mizuki and Sano's relationship! Now that I tihnk of it, I guess there is one major similarity between Mizuki and Tohru's characters: they're both very caring people, always concerned about the feelings of others.

Ahh...Of course I picked an awful time to start re-reading HanaKimi, with all my papers and whatnot. But oh well. =P

2005-03-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

Incredible Easter Eggs!

I finally decided to check out the Incredibles DVD today, and man, is it ever full of Easter eggs!! They're on every menu screen that has the schematic stuff running in the background (hopefully you'll be able to figure out what I mean when you see it).

What you do is watch the title bar at the top, and wait until you see a little silhouette of an omni-droid appear, and select it! For example, on the main menu screen, if you watch the left sidebar type thing, it should appear around the time when you see the car specs (that particular one is a music video style compilation of buttons and doors and explosions, I believe).

My favourite was definitely Mach Kobayashi's sock puppet version of the film. ^_^ Although, the extra scene of exactly what Dash was doing when he put the tack on his teacher's chair was pretty good too. "See, I pretend to teach. *screech* You pretend to learn. *screech*" (With the *screech* being the screech of chalk on a chalkboard.) Very amusing! ^_^

So yes, definitely try it out and let me know if it works for you!

2005-03-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

Anime Updates

Recently Downloaded

Fansubs:
1. Yakitate Japan! (Anime-Empire)
2. Prince of Tennis (Anime-Otakus)
3. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - promos (various groups)
4. Bleach (Toriyama World and Naisho)
5. Gakuen Alice (Naisho)

Scanlations:
1. Mimi wo Sumaseba aka Whisper of the Heart (ShoujoMagic)
2. Never Give Up! (ShoujoMagic)
3. BxB Brothers (ShoujoMagic)
4. Gakuen Alice (ShoujoMagic and Dragon Voice)
5. Parfait Tic (MangaProject

Recently Purchased

Anime DVD:
1. Nausicaa by Miyazaki (Disney)
2. Porco Rosso by Miyazaki (Disney)
3. The Cat Returns by Studio Ghibli (Disney)
4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Manga Video/Bandai)
5. Boogiepop Phantom (Right Stuf)

Manga:
1. W-Juliet (Viz)
2. Girl Got Game aka Power (Tokyopop)
3. Bleach (Viz)
4. Imadoki (Viz)
5. Hana-Kimi (Viz)

Recently Shipped (from Right Stuf):
1. Refrain of Evangelion CD soundtrack
2. Slayers DVD Collection
3. Witch Hunter Robin DVD vol. 2
4. Fruits Basket Artbox
5. Serial Experiments Lain DVD Box Set

Recently Ordered (from CD Japan):
1. Character Song Album "Hikaru no Go Hikaru Mirai e"
2. 15th Anniversary CD & DVD Box Clampazar [w/DVD, Limited Edition]

2005-03-10T16:28:00.000-05:00

FFVII: Advent Children

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children looks totally amazing! I can't believe I've been so behind on things that I didn't even hear about it until yesterday (while doing some random web surfing). Apparently it's scheduled for a UMD (or is it DVD?) release in Japan sometime this fall, presumably with a US release to follow. Anyway, it looks so awesome I'm tempted to be a keener and to order the Japanese dvd when it comes out rather than waiting for the US release (of course I'd buy that as well.)

So yes, definitely check out the Official Site, and then hit AnimeSuki for links to torrents for the fansubbed promo videos! They will blow you away, they're so gorgeous!!! I can't wait!!

Another thing I'm very interested in--after reading about UMD discs and trying to figure out exactly what they are--is the PSP! The DigitalBackSpin review made it sound SO amazing, I really want one, even though I'm not much of a gamer!! If nothing else I could certainly use it as a portable movie player! (Heresy, I know!) =P

Ah...the wonders of technology!

2005-03-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

KODOCHA!!!! LICENSED!!

Woohoo!!! According to AnimeOnDVD (the most useful website ever!), FUNimation has licensed Kodocha and has it scheduled for release for June 28, 2005!!!!

o(^-^o)(o^-^)o o(^-^o)(o^-^)o

It's going to be a first disc plus box release, and even though I know that it's probably going to come out later as a much cheaper complete boxset, I'm probably just going to buy the discs as they come, because I'm SO excited!!! KODOCHA!!!

And if they maintain the standard they set with Fruits Basket, I'm sure FUNimation will do an excellent job with Kodocha!! I can't wait! Definitely I will continue posting here as I find out more information!!

2005-03-06T01:22:00.000-05:00

Anime Quizzes!

I started doing some personality quizzes for my Xanga site, so I thought I'd do an anime one for here as well!

What Rurouni Kenshin Character Are You?
Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.

Have I done this one before? Possibly, but it's always nice to get your favourite character! ^_^

2005-03-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tokyo Godfathers Limited Edition [UK]

I am SO tempted to order the Tokyo Godfathers Limited Edition Deluxe Boxset from Amazon.uk! It'd be really expensive with the conversion rate, but it's got CZECH subtitles!!! How cool is that? I can practice my Japanese and Czech simultaneously while watching anime! Either that or get totally confused! =P

2005-03-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

Ghibli-mania!

I've been on a bit of a Miyazaki/Ghibli kick recently. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Disney finally released the "Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind," "Porco Rosso," and "The Cat Returns" dvds last Tuesday (best deal so far: $24.99/ea at Zellers!). Naturally I bought all three, plus another three copies for gifts. =P

Anyway, I was looking at the list of Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, and related films on Nausicaa.net and I got interested in some of the pre-Ghibli, non-Ghibli, and unlicensed works they had listed. Since then I've been bittorrenting like mad! ^_^ Here's my list of some of the more obscure works, and where you can find them:

- Future Boy Conan [pre-Ghibli TV series] (1978) *sub*
- World Masterpiece Theatre: Anne of Green Gables (Akage no Anne) [pre-Ghibli TV series] (1979) *sub*

Availabe at Anime Suki

- Assorted commercials *raw*
- Ghibli ga Ippai *raw* (incl. assorted posters)
- Sora Iro no Tane [TV spot] (1992)*raw*
- Nandarou [TV spot] (1992)*raw*
- On Your Mark [Chage & Aska music video] (1995)*raw*
- Ghiblies, ep. 1 & 2 [TV short] (2000) *sub*

Available at BoxTorrents.com as "Rare Ghibli Stuff"

- Ocean Waves (Kimi ga Kikoeru) [TV movie] (1993) *sub*

Available at BoxTorrents.com

There are, of course, still other works which I haven't yet found online that I'd really like to see--Isao TAKAHATA's c.1987 "Yanagawa Horiwari Monogatari" and Katsuya KONDOU's c.2000 "Umi no Ourora"--but I'm quite satisfied with what I've found so far. Plus there are still five more works to be released from the Disney-Tokuma deal: "Tonari no Yamada-kun" (My Neighbors the Yamadas), "Omohide Poro Poro" (Only Yesterday), "Tonari no Totoro" (My Neighbor Totoro), "Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pom Poko" ((Heisei-era Raccoon War) Pom Poko),and "Mimi wo Sumaseba" (Whisper of the Heart). And let's not forget "Howl's Moving Castle" (based on the book by Dianna Wynne Jones)!!!

Ah... Studio Ghibli is the best!

2005-02-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

Everyone's Blogging

It's kind of weird to realize that even your Chaucer professor has a blog. ^^;; (I'm not kidding, you can see it here: http://allitera.tive.org. I guess I shouldn't be that weirded out since he's quite a young professor, but still, it's very odd to realize that your prof has a normal life outside of lectures, and even talks like you and everyone else on his blog.

Hmmm...I don't know if I'd keep up with his blog or not--it might just be too strange. Besides, I'd hate to read one day about the Chinese girl who so rudely keeps dozing off in his Chaucer class and hands in severely underlength essays! ^^;;

2005-02-20T23:42:00.000-05:00

Applying for "Neat"

One night while I was channel surfing (after Iron Chef, before I felt like going to sleep), I came across this show called "Neat" on HGTV. Basically what happens is the crew comes into your house and helps clean and organize a particularly messy room (or rooms, as the case may be.)

Anyway, I'd really like to get on the show, so I'm trying to figure out the best/most creative way to fill out the online form:

-*Describe the Style of your Home (50 Word Max)

-*Number of Rooms

-*Which rooms/ closets etc are most cluttered (200 Word Max)

- *How many people live in the space (please identify their relationship to you, their occupation, names and ages) (200 Word Max)

- *Describe your clutter issue in detail (200 Word Max)

- *How does your clutter affect your life (200 Word Max)

- Why do you need Hellen? (200 Word Max)

- Out of hundreds of applicants, why should we pick you to be on the show? (200 Word Max)

- What's interesting about your story? (200 Word Max)

- Why do you want to get rid of your clutter? (200 Word Max)

Anyone have any ideas? For the "style of your home" question, I was thinking of writing something along the lines of "storage space, collectible store, and pack-rat heaven." Any design students who've been to my house *cough*Grace*cough*Jen*cough*Cecilia* know of any more technical ways to describe my house? =P

Just to give you an idea of why I want to have "Neat" come in to do my room, here're some pics (as always, click for an enlargement):

The first picture is the view of my room from the door (which doesn't open all the way because my trash can and some other things are in the way). In the second you see the floor in front of the bookshelf (which is visible in the first picture on the right hand side). And the final picture is my desk area (unfortunately the tower of anime in the left top corner is cut off).

Oh yeah, and when they ask for number of rooms, are they asking for bedrooms, or eveything--bathrooms, living room, dining room, etc.?

2005-02-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

Skip Beat!

I discovered a "new" manga yesterday--"Skip Beat!" by Nakamura Yoshiki (of "Tokyo Crazy Paradise" fame). ^_^ It's about a girl, Mogami Kyouko, who sacrifices her life after middle school to help--earning money, keeping house, etc.--her childhood friend, Shou, achieve his dream of becoming the top idol. When she discovers that Shou has just been using her and doesn't actually care about her at all, she swears she'll get revenge by becoming an idol and beating him. The problem is, she isn't interested in singing, dancing, acting or playing music--all she's got is her perseverance and determination to surpass Shou.

Kyouko is a great character. She starts off as a paragon who's willing to put aside her own desires for Shou, but once she's been betrayed, she reveals an interesting/scary/funny "evil" side.

Unfortunately only three volumes have been scanlated (by AtlantisDream, Condensation, and Manga Downloads), and there aren't any groups currently still working on the series. =( You can download the second and third volumes from Sacred Tear, but the first volume is mainly available only on IRC.

2005-02-07T01:07:00.000-05:00

No More Paypal, and Russell Peters

I decided to close my Paypal. Even though it's extremely convenient for online, especially eBay, purchases, after reading through some of the info on paypalsucks.com, I thought it'd be a good idea. I realize that Paypal is more problematic for sellers/businesses or people who link it to accounts, rather than just using it for credit card payments, but nonetheless, I didn't want to support a company that has such bad business practices. Also, this is one of the first points listed on the paypalsucks.com site, and it's pretty scary, when you think about it:

1. According to PayPal accepting their ToS (Terms of Service) in effect means you waive your rights to credit card consumer protection laws if you want to use their service, and that you may not issue a chargeback for unauthorized use of your credit card and PayPal account, or if you do, then they have the right to limit your account. Is this legal? We don't know. But it's how Paypal operates.

I think overall the sense I got from the website is that Paypal works under the assumption that whenever anything goes wrong or is suspicious, regardless of who's really to blame, you're treated as if you're at fault, and you'll have a heck of a time getting things straightened out once that happens.

Besides, I realized that if I didn't have a Paypal account, I'd probably do a heck of a lot less eBaying, since it's rather inconvenient to have to get money orders for everything. =P So now I not only feel a bit more secure about my online accounts, but hopefully I'll start spending a bit less as well!!

In other news, I went to Russell Peters' show at Yuk Yuk's (Mississauga) and it was SO hilarious!! My face is sore from laughing so much!! It was amazing!! We were there pretty early--7:00pm for the 8:30pm show--so we were the second group in and ended up sitting right next to the stage. It was great. I'm sure he appreciated it too, since he was able to use our presence as a starting point for his Chinese/China jokes.

He asked us how we all knew each other, and after we answered "church," he asked which denomination...Well, he had a ball with the whole "Chinese Baptist" idea--it really does seem like an oxymoron to anyone who isn't. Anyway, most of his jokes can't really be translated properly into text, so I'm not going to try, but I just wanted to say that Sarah actually got him to sign my church bulletin, and he wrote: "God forgive me! - Russell Peters" which is so cool!!

We're now trying to decide what to do with the bulletin--maybe framing it and putting it on the WAY board? =P

2005-01-17T01:52:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Port Forwarding!

I FINALLY figured out how to forward ports on my router, and it makes downloading SO much easier! Not only can I now acess servers on IRC behind firewalls, but using bittorrent is SO much faster now!! Let me tell you, in the past two or three days since I figured it out, I've downloaded about thirty episodes of Prince of Tennis! Thirty episodes! It probably would've taken me at least two or three weeks to do that before! ^_^

Heh, and now that there's much less hockey (no NHL, just Swedish Elite Leage about once a week), I've been spending more time on anime again. It helps, of course, that so many of my favourite titles are starting to be released by North American companies!! Viz especially has been picking up a lot of good titles of late: Hana-Kimi (short for "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e", aka "For You in Full Blossoms"), W-Juliet, and Whistle! And of course I started to like Prince of Tennis after I bought the first graphic novel on a whim.

Speaking of Prince of Tennis, my favourite character is probably Fuji Syuusuke (see a few pictures on this fanlisting), because he reminds me of Kenshin!! The way he's depicted as using "Tsubame Gaeshi" especially makes it look like he's getting into a fighting stance--only using a tennis raquet instead of a sword. When he and Takashi are playing against the Fudomine doubles pair, and he, Fuji, decides that he needs to act decisively in order to win the game, his intensity and battle stance are so totally Kenshin!!! Not to mention, he looks a bit like Kenshin, with the way his hair falls around his face. Plus he's got that outwardly peaceful, funny exterior covering his intensity most of the time.

Another Rurouni Kenshin (the series) character similarity I noticed was between Kisarazu Atsushi, the second doubles player from St. Rudolph (see a picture of him here--you'll have to scroll down a bit), and Captain Sagara (see here, again, scroll down). It's purely superficial, though--just the red headband and haircut.

Anyway, if you haven't watched/read any Prince of Tennis, you're probably extremely confused, so I'll stop here!

2004-12-08T01:49:00.000-05:00

Doesn't Get Any Better

My schedule for the past couple of days has been a killer:

- Sunday: Up until ~6:00am writing a Chaucer essay that probably deserves 50% at best (the page limit was 6-8 pages, mine was 4)

- Monday: Missed the train by 10 seconds, thanks to general sluggishness from the all-nighter and the first day of snow. Had to take the 8:45am bus, which didn't arrive at Union until ~10:15am. I was supposed to have a term-test for Native North American Literature at 10:10am. X_x Luckily I have a nice prof, so I was able to write it during his office hours around 3pm instead. Stayed up until ~5:00am reading The Canterbury Tales.

- Tuesday: Woke up around 6:50am. Discovered I had a low-grade fever. Drove my parents to the Go Train just before 7:30am. Had some soup (on my dad's recommendation) and two daytime Tylenol Cold & Flu (expired July 2004, but oh well). Went to Woodlands for periods one and two (8:20am-11:00am). Skipped out on periods three and five classes to come home to study. Read Canterbury Tales until 12pm. So exhausted, I took a nap until 1:30pm. Woke up, continued ploughing through Canterbury Tales until ~3pm. Read/wrote notes for Tales until ~6pm. Sorted through my other school notes and started studying for 18th Century Literature in-class test. Dinner at 7:30pm. "Making the Cut" break from 8-9pm. More 18th c. Lit. until almost 11pm. Chinese history until 12:30am. Internet until 1am.

I am SO DEAD!!! My schedule for tomorrow almost couldn't be any better:

10:10am-11:00am - Native North American Literature
11:10am-12:00pm - Chaucer term test (20%)
12:10pm-1:00pm - 18th Century Literature in-class test (10%)
2:10pm-3:00pm - Chinese History term test (10%)
5:10pm-7:00pm - Czech
8:30pm-whenever - Preparation for teaching "Frankenstein" in Mod West on Thurs. @_@

After my nap this afternoon I felt a lot better, but now I'm definitely feeling the fever coming on again (stress-induced). @_@ I don't know how Steph has survived weeks of studying until the wee hours of the morning.

2004-12-06T04:16:00.000-05:00

Bad Essay Theory

My theory on writing bad essays is, if you're going to do it (write a bad essay), the least you can do is keep it short. Not only will this save you time writing it, but it will also lessen your teacher/prof's suffering in having to read it. Hopefully s/he will be more inclined to reward your efforts to reduce their torment by marking your paper more generously.

(Can you tell I just finished writing an extremely sucky paper?)

2004-11-24T01:34:00.000-05:00

He's a Lady

I've never really understood the whole reality tv thing. Sure I've been watching "Making the Cut" weekly, but that's because it's hockey. After watching "He's a Lady," however, I think I can see the appeal.

Last week my brother called me down to watch a show he'd randomly stumbled upon, a show about men playing the role of women for a quarter of a million dollars. Apparently they were initially told that they were going to be in an "all-American man" contest, and then were surprised with the real nature of the competition.

At first I was interested because it was really funny to see the guys dressed as women and struggling with housework and baking an apple pie. But what really hooked me was their stories, or the story of one contestant in particular. This guy David, he was a pretty big guy, and he really didn't look like a woman at all, but boy did he ever have heart. Hearing him talk about how he wanted to win the contest to help deal with his family's financial problems, and how the whole experience made him love and appreciate his wife so much more was just so sweet.

It's hard to explain, but even though the first episode I watched was the second last one, it was more than enough to get me planning to watch the finale. I really really wanted David to win, and I had to watch.

So today's episode. the finale, was a beauty paegant (coincidentally, Steph, Nate and I watched "Miss Congeniality" this weekend! =P). Poor David, the other two finalists got these very elegant, flattering, sexy (well, they would be sexy on women) dresses, and his was beautiful too, but it didn't make quite the same statement. As he put it, "you can put sugar on poop, but it's still poop." So in terms of the "beauty" part, he wasn't the most confident. Then there was the opening number, and he's a big guy, and you could totally tell that he wasn't all that comfortable doing the strut and dance stuff, even without his saying it.

Nonetheless, as the paegant coordinator said, he was the "sleeper" pick, because his heart just shone through. Each of the contestants had to prepare an answer to the question: "What did you, as a woman, learn about being a man?" David's answer made all of the judges and audience just tear up, it was really touching. He talked about how all the guys, because they were playing women, were able to put aside the machismo and bravado to reveal compassionate, caring people. And he talked about how through the experience he was able to realize how hurtful it could be for women when men placed so much emphasis on external beauty that they ignored inner character (remember, in terms of looks, he was a rather awful woman). "Inner beauty" sounds cliché, but the way he said it, it was totally sincere, and very moving.

So anyway, there's no way I can adequately express just how touching his answer was, or how quick and easy it was to feel for David and to want him to win, but I guess I just had to write about it. I used to think that reality tv was just a gimmicky stupid thing, but now I realize that the appeal, for some shows anyway, is not the silliness or outrageousness of the things the contestants have to do, it's their stories. Sure the situations are contrived, but the emotions and the goals and dream are very real. (Especially in the only two reality shows I've ever actually watched!)

2004-11-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

Final Whistle!

Woohoo! I finally finished watching the Whistle! anime. *sigh* It was so thrilling! I LOVE sports anime/manga! Too bad it was only 39 episodes long. (Why is it that the really long series just drag on and on until you wish they would end, but the series you wish would go on for longer stop too soon?)

Also, I don't know if it was my Media Player, or my computer or what, but the fansub was majorly out of sync! It was a good chance to practice my Japanese, I guess, though, since the sound was way ahead of both the animation and the subtitles. =P Besides, it's a sports anime, so a lot of the on-field action didn't really require too much translation.

But anyway, the point is, this series is awesome!! It's been a while since I finished a series feeling totally revved!! Even if you're not a soccer fan in particular (goodness knows I didn't know much more than the basics of the sport before I started watching) you should still be able to appreciate the series!!

I'm SO glad Viz picked up the manga and is publishing it as part of it's Shounen Jump "line" (for lack of a better word)! So far they've got 2 (out of 24) volumes out. But let me tell you, I've already read those two volumes at more than a couple of times over!! Soooooo good! *sigh*

Maybe part of the appeal for me is that soccer is probably the sport closest to hockey in terms of the teamwork involved and the speed and flow of the game (although hockey's probably a bit faster with the relatively small ice surface combined with the added speed of skating vs running). I just love sports that rely so much on teamwork.

Anyway, if you're interested in downloading the fansubs, they're available through Bittorrent at http://bt.downloadanime.org:6969/. Be prepared to leave it running for a while, though! It's split into two packs: episodes 1-20 (3.60GB) and episodes 21-39 (3.32GB). I can't even remember how many hours it took me to get it all--but it was worth it!

2004-10-23T23:28:00.000-04:00

Online in Print

Okay, really pathetic post title, but anyway... I got the MacHall book today. It's been out for a while, apparently, but I ordered it from E.K., which orders from Diamond, so it took a bit longer. Actually, I'd completely forgotten I'd ordered the thing and was thinking about ordering it from Amazon or something. ^^;;

Anyway, my point in all this is that I really like the fact that more and more webcomics are able to put out print versions. I like to see passion and hard work acknowledged, and in a day and age where we still elevate printed works over other media, to me, that's what publishing an online comic in book form symbolizes.

Plus I'm a bit of a bibliophile, so it makes me happy to be able to have comics like MacHall and MegaTokyo put in print so I can flip through them in bed and display them on my bookshelf. ^_^

2004-10-10T20:44:00.000-04:00

Let's not dance

My disdain for Hollywood remakes and knockoffs only increased after discovering that Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon would be in the North American remake of the 1996 Japanese film "Shall We Dance?"

Call me judgemental, but I say there's no way this movie could ever compare to the original. The subtlety and emotional nuances of the original film are very much tied to Japanese culture and society, and, IMO are not suited to the typical direction styles of mainstream North American filmmakers.

And the fact that it's got Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez further increases my prejudice against the film.

Yes, I do realize that everything I've written so far is totally biased and prejudiced. Now, I'm not saying that a successful North American remake is impossible; I'm just saying that given the actors and studio involved, I don't think this particular version will do the original any justice.

If the early reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are any sort of accurate indicator, I'd say that my opinions are probably justified--not the prejudice, the opinions.

Anyway, I for one am consciously boycotting this particular movie. I mean, I tend to not watch a lot of movies not by choice, but because I'm not aware of them, or I'm too lazy to go, or I don't have time, but this movie I'm making a conscious decision to avoid. But I'm not saying you should do the same. In fact, if you watch the movie, let me know what you think. And if you haven't watched the original, watch both versions and let me know what you think. I'd be interested to hear your opinions, even though I refuse to watch the movie myself.

2004-09-21T23:19:00.000-04:00

Marginally Less Sucky

School has really sucked so far this year, and considering that it's been less than two weeks so far, I can only assume it's going to get worse. This year I sacrificed classes I actually wanted for classes that would make up the timetable I wanted. Believe me when I say I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it in order to get two free days to volunteer at the Woodlands (and I need those hours for my teacher's college applications!).

My schedule goes like this:
Mon. & Wed.:
10-11am Native North American Literature
11-12pm Chaucer
12-1pm 18th Century Literature
2-3pm Modern China since 1800
5-7pm Intro to Czech
Fri:
10-11am Native North American Literature
11-12pm Chaucer
12-1pm 18th Century Literature

And of course Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm at The Woodlands all day (8:20am-2:50pm).

Now, Native North American literature is pretty interesting, but it's also quite difficult because as much as it's a literature course, it's also a course about the issues and concerns of indigenous peoples--something which I have no background in, and have never even had much interest in. So I'm finding it quite a challange to participate in class. Plus our prof doesn't really give very detailed instructions, and I'm the type of person who likes to have things all laid out with very clear instructions and expectations.

Chaucer just plain sucks. I hated it from the first day when I learned that our textbook is this 10 lb hardcover monstrosity called "The Riverside Chaucer." The fact that I was able to order a paperback edition of the book from Amazon UK (it's not available in North America) that is not only much lighter (see photo below for comparison) but also considerably cheaper--even with shipping--made things more bearable, but it still sucks. I can't read one page of the Canterbury Tales without falling asleep--and I actually found the Tales quite interesting in Major British Writers! Goodness knows what I'm going to do once we move onto Chaucer's other works. @_@

Left: Old textbook, Right: New textbook
Posted by Hello

Eighteenth century literature doesn't seem like it'll be too difficult, but it's located across Queen's Park and even though I have 10 minutes to get there, I feel compelled to kill myself everyday to make it there in 5 minutes so I can get a seat since we don't have as many seats as the stated capacity (and hence enrollment) of our class. It's really quite a bugger. Our prof seems nice enough, but he also puts me to sleep.

Modern China also puts me to sleep. And our prof keeps telling us to check the course website before class for the lecture outlines, but it's almost 12am on the day of class and there isn't an outline yet, so I really don't know who she expects to actually be able to get the handout before class.

Czech, I must admit, is the one class that I really wanted to take, and I'm glad I took it. Unfortunately, though, it's a helluva hard language to learn. They've got this one sound that doesn't exist in any other language, and I simply cannot pronounce it properly. Plus our prof is actually a grad student and it's her first time teaching Czech, so that doesn't make things any easier. (But she's really nice, so I'm not saying that in a really critical way or anything.)

Of course the biggest problem with such a compressed schedule is that all the assignments and evaluations come at the same time. December 6 I have a term paper or exam in my Native N.A. lit. class, followed by whichever one it wasn't (term exam or term paper) in my Chaucer class. Decemember 8 is even better, I have the term paper/exam in Native N.A. lit and Chaucer (whichever ones I didn't do, respectively, on the 6th), then an in-class test in 18th century lit., and a term test in Modern China. I haven't heard about Czech yet, but knowing my luck, the mid-term will also fall on that day. So yes, people probably shouldn't expect to talk to me or see me around the beginning of Decemeber, as I will be holed up in my room trying to prepare for the week of death.

*phew* Although I'm sorry to have complained so much, I'm glad I got that all off of my chest.

2004-09-02T22:22:00.000-04:00

One Week Vacation!

Woohoo!!! My last day of full-time work for this year was today, so I now have almost one full week of true summer vacation!! Hooray!!

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my job--for the most part I enjoy my coworkers, the pay is good, and I have quite a bit of scheduling flexibility--but it's nice to not have to leave the house at 6:30am and to return at 5:30pm every weekday. Plus, the timing couldn't be better with the World Cup of Hockey going into the elimination rounds!

I will miss being able to drop by the HHOF to visit Kevin and to browse through the Spirit of Hockey store practically everyday, though. And I'll also miss my downtime at the CBE place fountain.

Anyway, my coworkers were really sweet and they all pitched in to give me some money as a sort of farewll present. I say "sort of" because I haven't actually stopped working at the bank--I'm still going to be there part-time during the school year! But anyway, I really appreciated the thought (and the money of course--more hockey stuff for me!).

It's been five years since I started working at the bank, I think. Man, as much as I look forward to the end of work everyday and every summer, I can't imagine what it will be like when I actually stop working there for good.

2004-08-25T08:48:00.000-04:00

Hostage at Union

This is just too scary. Right now there's a hostage situation at the sidewalk in front of Union Station. Apparently the situation started at Wellington, in a concourse foodcourt where the guy fired some shots. A woman was taken to the hospital, possibly with head injuries--it's not known whether or not she was shot.

Right now he's on Front Street, between Bay and University, holding a gun to a woman's head.

SCARY.

Thank God I start work so early.

[Edit: The hostage situation has ended, and the woman seems to be okay. The man was shot by police, though.]

2004-08-18T20:25:00.000-04:00

Departure

Well, Syv went off to Vancouver yesterday, but it still hasn't really sunk in yet, I think. Maybe it'll hit me more this weekend when I'll be at the diamond and at church, but I won't see her there.

At any rate, I feel a lot more at ease in terms of our friendship with her going off to UBC for med school than I did when she went off to McMaster for first year. Sure things are going to change now that she's a five-hour flight rather than a forty-five minute drive away, but I know that we both care about our friendship, so it's not another one of those things that I'm just going to let slide.

So yeah, UBC med school. I'm so proud--Syv's our first med student!! ^_^ And now I have another reason to visit Vancouver! =P

2004-07-20T23:42:00.000-04:00

New Online Manga

Woohoo! Been a while since I posted something even remotely anime/manga related here, huh? Anyway, I discovered a newish (I think?) webmanga today from the Wish3 site: The 10K Commotion. It's about a DDR competition! =P I really like it so far! ^_^

Anyway, in other news, I just barely managed to maintain my Dean's List standing this year! The required GPA was 3.50, and I had 3.59--down from 3.69 last year. ^^;; It's really a good thing because I probably would've been totally cut off from hockey if I'd dropped off it as I expected.

*sigh* I just hope I can maintain it for one more year. It's really going to be tough though, seeing as I'm taking three English courses, 1 history, and intro to Czech, and with the exception of Czech, I'm not particularly jazzed about any of the courses. ^^;; I only took them because they fit the schedule I wanted. I would've had a better schedule except one of the courses I hoped to take to fulfil some of my major requirements had both sections that I could've taken cancelled, so I was forced to rearrange my entire schedule, and ended up not being able to take the English courses I was actually interested in. Woah. That was an incredibly long sentence. I wonder if anyone actually understood it?

But yes, my school schedule for next year is pretty good: Monday and Wednesdays I have class from 10am-1pm, 3pm-4pm, and 5pm-7pm. Fridays I'm only in school from 10am-1pm, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays I don't have any classes! ^_^ Well, I do have classes, but not at university. I'm going to be going back to my old high school to volunteer teach, so I can gain some more in-class experience for my teacher's college application. It's something I'm actually looking forward to, since I'm going to be working with two of the teacher's I've had classes with before! ^_^

2004-06-30T00:31:00.000-04:00

Great Minds...

First off, sorry I haven't really updated here in a while! ^^;; I've been updating my hockey blog quite frequently, and my HHOF Presents course blog weekly as well, so unfortunately LS and my devo blog have been getting the shaft.

Anyway, my topic for today is something that maybe should've been put on my hockey blog, but whatever... So yeah, I'm not sure if I mentioned it here before or not, but I'm something of a "teacher's pet" in my HHOF Presents course. ^^;; I'm not consciously trying to be, it's just that I'm so excited about the course and I admire and like my instructors so much, it just kind of works out that way.

Well, the big thing I guess is that since the third week or so of class I've been getting rides down to class with my instructors--usually Kevin, this week Phil. Then this week I also got a ride home with Phil.

Yes, so earlier on I tried to get Kevin to allow me to contribute to the parking and/or gas costs:

Ah, and I probably should have brought this up earlier, but would you allow me to help pay for the parking and/or gas costs? It's the least I can do considering that you're saving me the trouble and stress of waiting for the bus, watching for my stop, etc., and giving me company and discussion on the commute besides that. ^_^ I'd really like to, and I do have a full-time job, so it's not like I'm a starving student who needs to save every penny or anything.

Apparently my persuasion skills are quite lacking, as he rejected the idea very firmly: "No way will you contribute anything. I have to go anyway plus you are great company and helping us so much with the group. No discussion, but I appreciate the offer."

So then I thought I'd try another tack and came up with this: "*sigh* At least let me treat you and Phil to lunch or something one day when you're free?"

But even in that I failed: "Sounds good but we'll fight over the bill then. Maybe we'll let Phil win!"

Now, here's where the "great minds (think alike)" part comes in. Since I got a ride home with Phil this week, I sent him a thank you email this morning:

Thanks so much for the ride last night! I know you must've been tired, so I really appreciate the extra time you took to drop me off. Plus, it turns out that my dad was sick enough that he also had to take today off from work, so it really helped that he was able to stay home and rest last night, instead of picking me up.

Since Kevin has already firmly rejected my request to help pay for parking and/or gas, I would really appreciate it (as I've mentioned to Kevin already) if you guys would allow me to take you out to lunch or something as a thank you one day when you're both free! I'm guessing (well, not really guessing) you've got the busier/least flexible schedule, so if you'd like to pick a date/time and a place that's convenient for you guys, my schedule's almost completely flexible!

And his reply was eerily similar to Kevin's: "Thanks for the note.....but the pleasure was all mine! You don't owe us anything...as we are going that way anyway. I will tell you what, one day we can go for lunch...but we will buy,...okay Kevin will buy!"

LOL It's quite impressive how they both basically rejected my offer in the same way.

*sigh* I AM wondering though how to get them to accept my offer of lunch. Maybe I should try explaining that it's very insulting in Chinese culture when people don't accept an offer to be treated? (Is that even remontely close to true, or am I making it up? I don't even know "Chinese culture" yet I call myself Chinese!! ^^;;) I don't know. Good thing I already made plans for thank-you tokens they can't refuse, but still...

2004-06-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

High School Gathering

A bunch of us from high school got together today at Jack Darling park for a little potluck get together, and it was pretty fun and relaxing. Unfortunately I didn't count on the wind from the lake, so even with my jacket I was kind of cold, but it was still good. I came with my "nephews" Jon and Eric, so we were pretty late--it was supposed to go from 4:30-8:00pm, we got there around 7:30pm--but everyone was still there, so it was all good.

We left the park shortly after eight and (most of us) adjourned to a nearby pub for warmth, alcohol, and more food. =P I'm quite proud of myself, actually, because I shared a pitcher of Blue with the guys. And by shared, I mean I nursed half a glass while the other three cleaned everything up. Actually, they had another pitcher, but I was quite content with my half glass.

So yeah, I didn't talk a whole lot (as usual) but it was just good to see everyone again and to hang out. Hopefully we'll have another get together sometime this summer. ^_^

2004-06-10T18:25:00.000-04:00

Email Junkie!

First off, apologies for my lack of blogging! I haven't been dead or sick or anything, I was just deep into my hockey obsession, what with it being playoff time and all. So yes, I updated RHF almost everyday, and neglected all my other blogs. ^^;; Sorry!

So back to my subject line, I've just realized that I am a total email junkie! When it's not too busy at work, I'm frequently (I was going to say "constantly" but I do try to limit my internet time at work, because I'm supposed to be working!) checking my various email accounts, especially Gmail! And at home, I've started to just leave my Gmail open so I can always pop back to the page to see if I have a new message! I'm always a bit sad when I open an inbox and I don't have any new messages waiting for me--which happens quite often, since I'm always checking my mail. =P

In fact, I even took an email personality quiz, and this is what I got:

Email Addict
How did you cope before email? You're addicted! If only you could get your granny on line, you'd never have to put pen to paper again. Everything in your life is done by email - from office memos to planning a night on the town.
Keeping up with the 21st century is good - but have you taken it a bit too far? When was the last time you got in touch with a friend who isn't on email? Email's great, but pick up a phone or a pen once in a while too… at least until everyone you care about is on-line.

So now you know, if you want to tell me that you care, email me! Of course, presents are always nice too! ^_~ (/jks)

Seriously though, email is a wonderful thing for me. I mean, I've never really been fond of the phone, even before email days, and while I never had any trouble writing letters, I almost always postponed mailing them for so long they became so out-of-date I would end up just chucking them! Without email I don't think I would be nearly as communicative/open as I've become. Still, I guess I should transfer some of that communication, etc. to more personal contact type channels.

2004-05-15T15:56:00.000-04:00

G-Mail

I managed to get a G-Mail account thanks to a Blogger promotion type thing, and I've got to say, I think it's pretty good so far. The storage space is incredible (1000mb) and I like the fact that replies to emails are displayed as a "conversation". One thing that's a bit frustrating is that if you delete an earlier message in a conversation, all the following messages are automatically deleted as well, but it's still in the Beta phase, so hopefully they'll change that.

Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning this is because currently G-Mail isn't available for just anyone to sign up for. As a G-Mail user, however, I have the ability to invite up to 2 friends to try it out, so if you're interested, just email me. There's a lot of discussion going on about privacy issues with G-Mail and stuff though, so make sure you read up about it before you ask me to invite you.

In other news, I went to Pennsylvannia for four days and three nights, and it was fun! At one point there were eight of us there (my parents, my brother, Alan and his mom, Diana, Alfred and myself) but Diana and Alan's mom left on the Wednesday morning (we arrived Tuesday afternoon), so for most of the time it was just six of us. It was a lot of fun!

We played a lot of board and card games: Axis & Allies, Scrabble, Phase 10, Lunch Money, and mah jong. Lunch money especially is great! I can't really describe it, but the basic premise is that you "beat up" other players to make them lose their lunch money! So you have attack card and defense cards, and game play sounds something like this:

-"I'm going to Headbutt you!"
-"Oh yeah, well, while you're running with your head down, I'm going to Humiliate you by pulling your pants down, and then I'm going to Kick your bare butt!"

Headbutt, Humiliate, and Kick are all names of cards (hence the capitalization), just for your information. Part of the fun of the game is how you describe your actions. Alfred and Nathan were pretty good at that, but I sucked because I lack creativity. I usually just stated what I was doing. Alan was better at it than me, but he wasn't quite as good as Alfred. Alfred was the pro, I'd say. =P It sounds brutal, but it's a lot of fun!

What else? Oh yes, we went to Hershey, PA, which apparently isn't officially named Hershey. It's actually the Township of Derry, but every calls it Hershey since the town was basically built around the Hershey chocolate factory. We went on this trolley tour around the city which explained the history of the town and the factory, and it was quite informative and interesting. We also got a fair bit of free chocolate from it! =D They had a free ride inside Hershey Chocolate World that explained the chocolate making process, which was fun. And of course we bought a heck load of chocolate. We got an entire box of Hershey Special Dark bars, because you can't really find them here, and they're my favourite! Also we got special things like White Reese Peanut Butter Cups, and a mixed bag of mini white chocolate, dark chocolate, and regular Kit Kat bars. They also had some cool stuff that we didn't pick up, like ice cream flavoured Kisses (strawberry cream and double fudge, or something like that). It's a little bit insane how much chocolate we brought back!

We also did quite a bit of shopping! The Wal-Marts there are HUGE! They have full grocery sections that are open 24hrs, and the rest of the store is open until like 11pm! Crazy! I bought two pairs of shorts (it was really hot and humid there, and I hadn't thought to pack shorts), three pairs of jeans (the old pair I wore there developed a hole, so I had to throw it out, and I needed more pants anyway), a pair of running shoes (just because they were pretty!), and a swimsuit! I was really happy with the swimsuit because it's actually three separates--a bottom, shorts, and tank-top like top--so it's much more flattering than the traditional one piece! Basically the reason I haven't swam in years is because I didn't have a swimsuit I would want to wear to go swimming.

So yes, it was a very good trip! Relaxation and shopping (with someone else's money), what more could I ask for? ^_~

2004-05-06T23:27:00.000-04:00

New Favourite Restaurant!

This is a very similar post to my RHF post, but I just couldn't resist! So we (me, my parents, Nate, one of Nate's friends and Don and Kie) went out for dinner tonight to celebrate Nate's birthday. Kie suggested the Muddy Duck, since she had a coupon for a free entrée, and she'd been there before and liked it.

And a good thing she suggested it too! It's my new favourite restaurant! Good food, friendly service, and the most excellent taste in hockey players!

I wonder if someone in the place is a Kaberle fan? Or if Kaberle was the name they just picked as sounding the closest to a German name (since schnitzel is German)? Regardless, they've earned a customer for life with their impressive ability to appreciate Kaberle! ^______^ Next year I'm definitely going there at least once during the playoffs--wearing my Kaberle jersey, of course!! Who knows, I might even try drinking some of the Steam Whistle too! =P

So yes, today was a most excellent day. It's funny how such small things make me so very happy. And if you're wondering, yes, I did actually ask to take the insert (it was in one of those little stand things on the table) home--I'm such a nerd!

2004-04-28T22:53:00.000-04:00

Magic Number

The magic number for tomorrow's exam is 19.25--as in the percentage I need on the exam to pass Enlightenment Europe with 50% on the dot! *phew* I know it sounds horribly, but it's very reassuring to know that I can almost completely blow the exam and still pass. Not well--and it would totally kill my GPA--but at least I wouldn't have to take an extra course to make up for it.

*sigh* I studied for 12 hours today, breaking only for dinner and to go to the bathroom (I skipped lunch), and I'm still completely unprepared! I have probably 0 details memorized, and I can't really remember the readings either, even though that's basically all I did today--go over the readings.

Going downtown with my parents tomorrow so I can do some major last-minute studying at Robarts. Hopefully 3 hours should be enough to review my lecture notes, then 2 hours for hard core memorization, and 1 hour before the exam to freak out!! Maybe I should bring my Tonberry plushie with me? I brought him to all my exams in first year so that when I freaked out I could at least squeeze him and calm down a bit... AH!!! Why am I such an idiot to give myself so much stress? All I needed to do was stick to the plan and review one course reader on Mon., one on Tues., and leave today for lecture note review, but NO! I did half a reader on Monday, and NOTHING yesterday, so I had to finish off both readers and the notes today! Baka baka baka!!! And I complained about my poor Avs? Why can't I learn?

2004-04-26T18:47:00.000-04:00

DDR'd Out

Heh! Nate came back (for good) on Saturday, and brought his DDR home with him! =P So after Steph came home from her worship practice, we spent around 2 hours playing it! Isn't that crazy? It's hard for me to even believe myself that I played for so long, and had fun doing it!

Too bad I forgot to save right at the end, though. ^^;; Ah well. Steph and I managed to unlock a new mode and a new song though, and I DID save that. ^_^

Heh. Looks like I'm developing some sort of sense of rhythm thanks to DDR too! I'm still bad with the off beats, and slower stuff, but there's definitely a noticeable improvement from the first time I played. So yes, DDR will probably keep us occupied for at least a little while (definitely a better way of amusing ourselves than going off to Untouchables to buy cards!--well, cheaper at least)!

2004-04-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

4-Day Birthday! (Wed-Sat)

Just wanted to say thanks here to everyone who made me feel special and loved for my 21st birthday:

My aunts and uncles for all the cards and presents. ^_^

Rebecca, Cecilia, Victoria, Jeff, Gilbert, Steph, Lemonde, Richter and Jen for surprising me at small group on Wednesday with a cake and present! The pig you guys donated through World Vision for me was an absolutely brilliant idea! And the cake was hilarious!

Steph, for my Roy jersey card and "baby" Stevie Y card! You know me so well! (Notice I'm not mentioning the Salo? ^_~)

My co-workers for the birthday cakes! Yes, plural!

L. for the e-card and email! I know you're not on the internet much anymore, so I really appreciate that you made the effort to get online just to wish me happy birthday!

My parents for the early birthday dinner and bubble tea on Thursday! And for my Marmalade Boy boxset and the (early gift of) the trip to Denver!

Anthony for the Sakic bobblehead, and company during those depressing hockey games.

To Anna for "waking me up" on the day with a happy birthday call!

Silas, Jon, and Grace for the forum messages. And Ray for the email.

Mom for my birthday lunch and the shopping trip (anime, books and hockey stuff!).

Diana for the message on the answering machine.

Syv for the long distance call in the middle of studying for exams!

Jen for the much needed wallet and the card with the hockey-themed cupcake!

Alan for actually remembering and wishing me happy birthday! (My arm was a bit sore at first, but it didn't bruise! j/ks =P)

Naomi, Emily, and everyone else at fellowship who wished me happy birthday.

Arthur, Steph, Jen, Alice, Grace, and Hoyt for the birthday bubble tea!

Nate for the long distance call from Waterloo--sorry I wasn't actually home at the time!

The Morrisons for the Roots bag, which I love!

Lisa for the birthday pic and shared online hockey obsession!

Sam for the call and suggesting that we meet up sometime before she goes back to Ottawa.

Matthias for the email, which didn't take any prompting from me, unlike the opposite case. =P

So, in summary, thanks for all the love! You guys are the best!

2004-04-20T15:43:00.000-04:00

Survived!

Well, I made it through my first two exams! Woohoo! I won't say that I came through them very well, but they're done, and that's all that matters!!

I seriously think my Japanese history professor didn't bother to read my paper. It wasn't very good, but I got an 80% on it somehow anyway. The fact that my mark was written in pencil on the cover page, with not a comment on the paper really supports my theory. Still, I'm not complaining. I mean, maybe if I felt like I deserved an 80 and got a 60 I'd complain, but if he wants to give me more than I deserve...well, that's grace right?

Another miracle was that my crazy 3 hour Tale of Genji essay actually got 35/40!!! That means I have a shot at getting 90%, depending on my participation mark!!! THANK YOU GOD! You know, I went through most of my life wondering if God still did miracles, and I've got to say, I've definitely experienced my share of "minor" miracles this year! It's amazing. By rights I should probably be in the 60 range for marks this year--it's been that bad. So yeah, I'm pretty happy right now!

2004-04-18T01:43:00.000-04:00

Blame it on the Playoffs!

Yes, I know I haven't posted here in a while. Blame it on the playoffs. =P Anyway, I have posted some personal stuff on RHF if you want to check it out. Today I posted a clickable picture of my room, or one wall of it anyway. And on Thursday I posted before and after haircut photos.

Yup, that's right, on Thursday I went and got my hair cut! I chopped off eight inches to donate for making wigs for cancer patients, and I lost another couple of inches to get my new, very short hairstyle! I quite like it, especially since it means that my hair no longer obstructs the names on my jerseys!! ^_^ Woo hoo!

2004-04-11T01:17:00.000-04:00

The Prince & Me

Well, for reasons still unknown to me, I accepted Steph's invitation to accompany her, her Ottawa friend Kate, and Kate's boyfriend Al to see "The Prince & Me". I really don't know why I felt like going when I knew it wasn't my type of movie at all. Yes, the movie was exactly what you would expect it to be like from the title: a sappy romance that used just about every genre cliché it could work in. The characters were all stock characters, and the plot was completely predictable.

The best part of the movie for me was recognizing U of T's E.J. Pratt library, and Queen's Park in one of the scenes.

Okay, so it wasn't a completely awful film, but I don't think I'd ever feel a desire to watch it again either. Basically it was only the acting that raised it from a complete waste of time to a mediocre movie. I quite enjoyed the character of the roommate, and Julia Stiles wasn't all that bad either.

Of course, to be fair, I should mention that Steph and Kate really seemed to love the thing--which just goes to show that Steph and I don't have compatible movie tastes at all. So yes, unless you're the type of person who really loves every and any sappy romance flick, or who thinks Gigli was a good movie, &etc., you don't want to waste your money on The Prince & Me. If you really feel you should watch it, at least wait until it comes out on rental, or even better, wait 'til it gets played on cable.

2004-04-08T00:59:00.000-04:00

Essays!

Well, I got my English essay back today, and was very pleasantly surprised. I thought I would maybe get a 70-something, but I actually got an 85!!!!!!!! Woohoo! It was especially nice considering that I just handed in the worst essay ever in for my Tale of Genji class. =(

I was pretty upset about that because I thought I had a good outline, but I started trying to write around 4pm and nothing would come. So yeah, I just kept writing and re-writing the intro until around 5 or 6am, and then I knew I just had to finish it, so I just churned out whatever. It was pretty awful. I didn't even bother to re-read it.

So yeah, I finished it around 8:45am yesterday morning, meaning I've been up for more than 48 hours now. ^^;; Well, I did nap a bit on the subway on the way to school (not much though, because I was afraid I'd conk out and go all the way east), and a bit in the library (again, not much because I was afraid I'd sleep through and miss my Japanese oral test), but other than that, I've been up the entire time! Surprisingly I'm still feeling quite okay. It'll probably hit me tomorrow in my Enlightenment Europe class. =P

2004-04-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

Change of Plans

This is basically the same as my RHF post, but since I mentioned these jerseys in my wishlist, I thought I should post this here too. My original plan was to buy one, maybe two, or possibly even three (highly unlikely) jerseys with my tax return. Well, I knew it was a bit unrealistic before I even got the money, and now that I have it, I can see that there's really no way that's going to happen. So my new plan is that by the end of the summer--latest--I will have saved up enough money to buy three jerseys from River City Sports:

1. 2004 NHL All-Star Western Conference Youth L/XL Jersey
2. Team Czech Youth L Jersey
3. Team Sweden Youth L Jersey

The grand total, including tax and shipping, should be $353.02. I'm actually rather hopeful that I will be able to make the purchase by the end of May, since I'm putting $150 from my tax return into savings for the jerseys, and I will have started working full time by then. If I get a lot of birthday money, I may even be able to get them at the end of April, but I rather doubt that.

*sigh* I HATE waiting, but I'd like to think that I am intelligent enough to have learned my lesson from two months of extremely high Visa bills. Debt is NOT a fun thing. I spent enough on my HBC Visa card to singlehandedly propel my mother into Gold Membership status. @_@ So yes, I'm waiting and saving. And if my jerseys are gone by the time I have enough money, then I guess that'll be a sign that it wasn't meant to be. (Although that'd make me really sad.)

2004-03-31T23:47:00.000-05:00

That Time Again

Mwa ha ha ha!! It's been exactly one month, I believe, since my last post about "female stuff", so... I know some of you guys (literally guys) read on, even though I warned you, so maybe you'll take me seriously this time. =P I'm not going to talk about it nearly as much, or be quite so graphic, but yes, you have been warned. (I'm going to talk about other stuff afterwards, so feel free to skip ahead!)

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So yes, I've mentioned that this has been a year of bad firsts (my first 60-something on an essay, my first late essay), and that trend seems to have continued even into my period. I've never had cramps before, but today, along with the start of my period, I got them. They're not really serious, but they are pretty annoying. xP So that's all I'm going to say on that topic this month.

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In other news, our course calendars came out today, and next year looks like it's going to really suck! I need to take at least three English courses, and most of them are Monday, Wednesday, Friday courses, so no more long weekends!! =( On the bright side though, I think I'm going to be able to pull off my first ever 3-day schedule. AND, if I can get in, I'm planning on taking Intro to Czech (language)!!!! We don't have Swedish, so this is the next best thing!!! Unfortunately I can't, well, won't be continuing with Japanese because it conflicts with my English courses AND I'd have to come to school on Tuesday just for Japanese, and I don't really want to be doing that again.

What else? Oh, I got my tax return already!!! It seems like a lot of money when you're anticipating it, but now that I've transferred a good chunk to my savings account and have mentally subtracted my offering, it's not looking like a lot. ^^;; Steph has pretty much convinced me to buy only the Sakic All-Star jersey (if this was Japanese, I would've used shika for the "only"). I've got to admit, that about all I can afford anyway. I dont' want to be in dire financial straits again!!

Anyway, I said in the last post that my next list would be a list of blessings, so here we go!!! (It's going to be long! Oh, and they're not in any particular order either.)

- Steph living with us: It's just been so much fun this year! Plus she's been picking me up from Kipling and from the Go Train station after school, which has really helped to reduce my "dead time" waiting to come back home with my parents! Plus we have so much fun together!! ^_^

- my Sunday school class: I love my kids. They're so fun and bright! Even though they don't really discusss or answer questions when I teach, at least they're not rowdy or anything. Teaching them is a real joy.

- small group: Our topic this term has been money and giving, and it couldn't be more applicable or appropriate for me right now!! Just this past Monday we decided to put into practice what we've been learning, so we went out to Food Basic and bought a bunch of groceries to donate. I always love spending money, but it was especially satisfying that night.

- working at Scotia: The pay is good, the hours are flexible, and my coworkers are great! I couldn't ask for more from a part-time job!! As much as I'd love working for the ACC (Air Canada Centre) or HHOF (Hockey Hall of Fame), I'm 99% sure the experience wouldn't be nearly as relaxed as my job at the bank!

- parents: They've been really supportive of my hockey mania, even though they don't understand it. I mean, they paid for my flight to Vancouver and the games I watched there. And for Denver, they paid for the flight and hotel for Steph and I, and gave both of us spending money! (I paid for the game myself though). Also, they didn't complain too much about my shelling out $200 for the Avs @ Leafs game, even though I'm sure they didn't really think it was worth it.

- Nathan (my brother): I'm glad I've got to see a bit more of him this term than in past school terms! It was really fun when he came down for the weekend and ended up coming to the Roadrunners' game.

- car: Having free use of a car is just so convenient! I've really been quite spoiled in that respect--I've never really had to take the Mississauga Transit. And I don't even have to pay for my own gas, which is quite a big deal considering gas prices.

- classes with Prof. Arntzen: After next year she's leaving U of T, so I'm really fortunate that I was able to get into both of her half courses this year! She is such an amazing professor! I love her classes! Not just because the marks I've gotten in them are my only saving grace this year, but because I truly enjoy the material, and I really respect her as a professor.

- all the hockey games I've been able to go to this year: Last year I went to 1 game, this year I went to 5--only 2 of which were even in Toronto!! There're people who have been fans for all their lives (compared to my two years) who have never attended a game, so it's really a blessing that I've been able to see so many in such a short period of time!

- health: I've been pretty healthy this year, which is pretty amazing considering how many of my classmates were sick. And when I think about all the difficulties my mom's been having with her knees, I'm especially grateful that I'm able take myself wherever I want, at the speed I want, without any problems.

- friends: My friends at school have been really great. I've had to borrow notes SO many times, but they don't mind. Anna and Sam have been really sweet about letting me use their computers to complete my last minute English essays! I don't think I've appreciated it enough, but my church friends have really been solid for me in all the little things--asking how I'm doing with my essays, Sunday school, etc. , and commenting on my blogs and stuff. Oh, and I appreciate everyone humouring my hockey obsessiveness. I know it probably gets really boring, but they still put up with me.

- NHL Network: I really love the NHL Network!! It's great to know that I can always watch hockey related programming on tv whenever I feel like it! And it's the best thing for scores and highlights--SO convenient!

- hockey blogging gals! : Being in the pool with them has been a lot of fun this year! Plus I've been commenting more on their blogs, and they've been commenting more on mine, so I really feel like our friendships have been growing. ^_^

- L.: As always, she's been a constant source of love and encouragement for me. There have been so many "God things" in our relationship, whenver I think about it I just have to say a prayer of thanks to God for his amazing blessings in our friendship.

- HNIC Nights: Hockey's always more fun to watch with friends! Alex and Keith are our "regualrs". ^_^ Steph and I can always count on them to drop by and to stay for the late game! It's great! I can't wait until playoffs start!

- anime/manga industry growth: The industry's really grown since its Sailor Moon and Polémon days! There are so many titles licensed and available in English now that I thought would never be picked up! And the prices have been getting more and more reasonable!

Phew. Okay, I could go on much longer, but it's getting late, and I should be sleeping! ^_^

2004-03-29T10:24:00.000-05:00

April's Coming!

Thank goodness it's almost April!! April means the end of school, GST rebate, income tax refund, my birthday, and the start of the PLAYOFFS!!!!! I'm so excited! I really hope Colorado has a game on the 23rd so I can watch it after fellowship!! If the Leafs have a game that night, though, sad to say, I'd be highly tempted to ditch fellowship in favour of the game. ^^;; I just hope this year isn't anything like last year. My birthday present (very shortly after 12am on the day off) last year was Minnesota beating the Avs and knocking them out of the playoffs. I remember that I actually cried that night/day, and thinking about it still makes me sad. =*(

Anyway, after all the doom and gloom of my recent posts (talking about all the essays I have, my first late essay, etc. etc.), I figured I should post something a bit happier. Well, happier for me anyway. =P I always love thinking about all the ways I can spend money, so, here is yet another wishlist! In no particular order:

- WALLET: My old one is really quite dead. ^^;; I need to learn to carry less. All the cards that I carry around literally split one of the seams of my poor wallet! I can barely close the thing, too.

- SMALL-MID-SIZE BAG: The Gap bag Jen got me a couple years back is starting to show the wear. One corner has worn away and some plastic stuff sticks out. ^^;; It's too bad, because it's really the perfect size.

- NHL 2004, JOE SAKIC COVER!!! Best Buy's selling the PS2 version for something like $39.99!! So tempting, except I don't have a PS2 to call my own, of course. But Nate should be back for good soon, so that's not such a big problem. Anyway, I should probably wait until next year, when it'll be reduced to like $20 or something.

- WESTERN CONFERENCE JOE SAKIC ALL-STAR JERSEY: Yup, this is probably #1 on my tax refund purchase list. All I have to decide is whether I'd rather have an adult small or youth L/XL.

- TEAM CZECH YOUTH L JERSEY: #2 on my tax refund to-buy list. Unfortunately the only place I know that has it is River City Sports, and they're darn expensive, but I really want it, so I'm going to bite the bullet and do it probably!

- TEAM SWEDEN YOUTH L JERSEY: #3 on the aforementioned list, and unfortunately from River City Sports as well. ^^;; I really wanted to buy both international jerseys together, to hopefully save on the shipping, but I dont think my tax return is going to stretch that far, considering I need to replenish my savings accounts after the excesses of January/February. @_@

- COLORADO THIRD JERSEY: I'm not particularly fond of the design, but I want to have all of their jerseys, so... Unfortunately they show up only rarely on eBay, and once in a blue moon sized adult small, never mind youth L/XL, so I'm probably going to have to wait until I'm willing to pay full price on it. *sigh*

- BAP ALL-STAR GAME COLORADO AVALANCHE TEAM SET (CARDS): I was going to buy these in February, but I took a look at the Visa charges I'd already racked up, and thankfully refrained.

- BAP ALL-STAR GAME TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS TEAM SET (CARDS): Same story, except I didn't/don't want this set quite as badly as I do the Avs one.

- SPORTS NIGHT DVD BOX: *sigh* I've been wanting this forever, except now I don't know if I'm going to be able to find it. I didn't see it at Futureshop the other night when I went. =( Maybe there'll still be a copy in a Blockbuster's somewhere? I used to see them there too.

- NET WORTH DVD: This is more of a whimsy than anything else. I saw it at the HHOF and I figured I should buy it eventually just to increase the size of my hockey movie collection, which is currently limited to Slapshot 1 & 2 on dvd, and The Mighty Ducks 1 & 2 on tape. Speaking of which...

- MIGHTY DUCKS DVD SET: All three movies for only $27.99 at Best Buy!! Less than $10 a movie sounds pretty good to me! ^_^

- MYSTERY, ALASKA DVD: Again, just to improve my hockey movie collection.

- EL-HAZARD (THE MAGNIFICENT WORLD) OVA BOX SET: I really loved this series, and the box set has been out FOREVER, but I've never gotten around to picking it up. ^^;;

- PARKHURST JOSEPH/SUNDIN/KABERLE TRIPLE JERSEY CARD: This one's been eluding me for a while!! It's tough to get for the "right" price on eBay because I have to compete with Sundin/Leafs fans, which is not the usual case when I'm going to just Kaberle cards.

- KABERLE TIMELESS JERSEY: Either the magnet or the hanging one. *shrug* I know it's pretty useless, but it's Kaberle, and you know I just want anything Kaberle related!!

- RUROUNI KENSHIN COMPLETE LIMITED CD COLLECTION: They have it listed as a special order or something on Amazon.ca, for only $500-something. @_@ Whatever happened to my "expensive anime" fund? I don't know. Guess I should start it up again if I ever want to be able to afford the set!!

- LEAFS SEASON TICKETS: Yeah right...I'd have to win the lottery or marry someone rich for this one to happen. But hey, it's my wishlist, so what's wrong with a little wishful thinking?

- NHL CENTRE ICE (FOR NEXT YEAR): This one is also highly unlikely to happen. Even though I thought about saving up to pay for it myself, I doubt my parents would let me get it after my horrible marks this year. It's not entirely fair to blame the hockey (I would've found other ways to procrastinate anyway) but, like Alan said, my parents can only control what they see; they can't do anything about my lack of desire to work hard this year.

Phew....That's an incredibly long list, and I could probably add more to it if I thought a bit more... =P But yes, I think the next list will be a list of blessings!!! I don't want to be focusing on what I don't have when God has given me so much!!

2004-03-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

Bad Firsts

Well, this year has been a year of bad firsts--and they're all related to the same paper. I was exhausted on Sunday so I decided NOT to do the research for my Enlightenment Europe essay due tomorrow. That meant that I would basically be trying to complete a paper--reasearch to final copy--in one day. Well, that obviously wasn't a good idea, and leads me to my next first--the first time I'm going to hand in a paper late. @_@ Thank goodness the penalty is only 1% per day. Still, I've always prided myself on my ability to get things done on time, albeit last minute. So there goes that. I guess it's a good experience for me--humbling. This year, this course might be a writeoff, but hopefully I've learned my own limits and therefore will not be tempted to attempt something so stupid again.

*sigh* I just hope that I can get the essay done tomorrow at least. Right now my problem is that I have lots of information, but no idea how to put it all together. Actually, this seems to have been my problem all year--formulating a solid thesis. ARGH.

But I'm not as upset about this as you'd think I'd be. I mean, yeah, I'm certainly not proud of the fact that I'm going to hand in a paper late, but at the same time, I'm not all torn up about it. I wonder if that's just a sign of how sick of school I am right now? That's definitely not a good thing considering that for teacher's college, the marks they'll be looking at are my last ten completed courses, which haven't exactly been impressive. I've got a 68 from Major British Writers in there, what will probably be a 60-something in Enlightenment Europe from this year, and a bunch of 70s from other courses this year and last year. ^^;; I hope I don't have to take a fifth year to boost my marks!! Dang. I don't really have any plans other than teaching...

2004-03-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

The Hypocrisy

ARGH!!! This, THIS is why people hate politicians:

MPs quietly extend own benefits 'Sweetheart' bill tops up medical plan at 50, not 55

Tim Naumetz
CanWest News Service

Thursday, March 18, 2004

OTTAWA - Government and opposition MPs took only minutes last week to pass a bill that will extend Parliament's medical insurance plan to retired MPs five years earlier than it would otherwise be available.

The legislation will allow 50-year-old former MPs to receive topped-up medical and hospital benefits until they qualify for the normal parliamentary retirement plan that kicks in at age 55.

In a deal reached earlier in private, all parties agreed to treat the bill as though it had received first reading in the usual process, second reading, committee hearings, committee report stage, and third and final reading in only 15 minutes, according to the time notations in Hansard.

The bill did not leave the Commons floor and no committee hearings took place.

Only three MPs, government House leader Jacques Saada, former Conservative leader Joe Clark and Bloc Quebecois MP Benoit Sauvageau, spoke to the bill, all in support.

- National Post

This with Paul Martin making big talk about getting rid of government waste and excess.

It really peeves me off the way the government just passes through all the stuff involving their benefits and pay raises and stuff. This reminds of another article I read awhile back about how McGuinty was planning on pushing through a 2.7% pay raise for Ontario government workers or something, to "keep up with inflation costs". He made it sound like they were being all noble by taking just the 2.7 or whatever percent too, instead of the 12-something proposed by someone. Their base salary is like $85,000!!!! You want to talk about people who need to keep up with inflation? How about the people earning minimum wage? The people on welfare? It just makes me sick.

I think there should be a separate body to deal with government pay/benefits, because if you ask people whether or not they approve of increased pay/benefits, of COURSE they're going to approve, whether or not it's in the best interest of the budget/general public.

*seethes* This is why I'd never make a good politician. I'd probably want to speak up against such a bill, or, at the very least, the way in which it was being passed. Or I'd leak it to the press or something and get my butt fired. Disgusting. They take forever debating about things that concern us, but have no problem pushing through things that benefit them, right away. ARGH. Anyway, I suppose I should reserve judgement on the government as whole until the bill gets to the Senate. It'll probably get passed anyway, but if it doesn't the government will have redeemed itself in my eyes somewhat.

2004-03-17T23:07:00.000-05:00

One Down!

~~Mar. 17th: 20th Century Canadian Literature~~
Mar. 23rd: Enlightenment Europe
~~Mar. 24th: Tale of Genji~~
Mar. 26th: Modern Japanese Intellectual History
Apr. 7th: Tale of Genji - EXTENSION!

*sigh* Just three more to go! @_@ That English essay almost killed me! I skipped my two history classes on Tuesday and came straight home after Japanese class. After lunch I started on the essay, but by dinner I still only had a half-baked intro and the first body paragraph done or something. Major writer's block all night. I ended up taking a "nap" between 10pm and 11pm. By 3am I was only up to the third body paragraph (out of four) and the third one was pretty questionable. I took another "nap" upto 4am and tried to write again. No luck. My brain was totally fried so I just went to sleep. Got to school around 9am this morning, and luckily there was a computer available for word processing at Roberts, so by 10:30am I had basically rewritten that awful third body paragraph and had a decent start on the final body paragraph. Class from 11am to 2pm. Went to Innis and used Anna's computer to finish my essay (thank goodness for friends!). Finally finished it by 5pm. Handed it in in class at 6:10pm. PHEW! It was pretty bad--completely lacked my usual flow/coherence and the conclusion was an obvious rush job--but it's DONE! And that's the main thing.

Ah well, guess I should sleep so I'm awake tomorrow and ready to get started on the next one! @_@

2004-03-07T17:46:00.000-05:00

The Passion

"Did you like it?" is not a question should be asked of "The Passion of the Christ," because that would, to me, be reducing it to its entertainment appeal or aesthetic/artistic value when the "point" is the personal response it evokes. That is why this is not a review or analysis of "The Passion" but rather an attempt to express how I felt and feel about it.

But before I begin talking about the movie itself, I think I need to explain some of the things that were going on in my head and heart going into the theatre. I realized at the beginning of the week that I have difficulty accepting other people's love and care for me. In my devotional blog, I wrote this:

In most of my relationships I've never managed to erase that seed of doubt, never been able to stop thinking of myself as a mere friend of convenience, circumstances, similar interests, or sometimes even as a "project". And that little distance I reserve for myself, the belief that I'm not that important to a person is a great excuse. As lonely as it is, in some ways it's easier to believe that I don't mean much to people because if that's true, it won't matter as much when I let them down. I suck at being a friend. I get jealous and hurt easily, and distance myself. I'm self-centred and self-absorbed, and I don't make enough of an effort to keep up with people, to love them or to look after their needs.

I've always consoled myself with the fact that as far as I've fallen, as down and depressed as I've felt, I've never doubted God's love for me. But now I wonder. Oh, not at God's love, but my belief in it. Could I really feel as forlorn and alone if I believed that God loves me as much as he does? It seems rather improbable, and I only wonder how I managed to delude myself for so long. Geez. Two weeks ago in Denver I really thought I was ready to trust God enough to put him first, but now, I realize that I haven't been able to trust in him in the most important aspect, to trust in his love for me?

The one belief that had sustained me throughout all my other troubles was very badly shaken, and I felt very much bereft, lost and adrift. I prayed to God, that he would help me to believe, to fully accept his love, but I didn't know if that was something God could do for me. I mean, if I managed to believe that he died on the cross for me while still not accepting his love, what more could he do?

His answer to my prayer(s) was "The Passion." To me the film is not about Christ's death and suffering so much as his great love for us. His determination to lay down his life for ours is so apparent in the scenes of his torture, his carrying the cross, and his crucifixation.

During the first round of scourging, the pain forces Jesus to his knees, to rest against the stone. It seems like the whipping will stop. But then he looks into the crowd and sees his mother and John and Mary Magdalene and stands up. His standing seems to say that even though the pain is tremendous, he will endure, he will bear the torture for the salvation of those whom he loves, to atone for our sins. More than that, he will even submit himself to harsher punishment for our sakes, because he must know that standing will make those in charge of his punishment angry and therefore more harsh than they might have been otherwise.

And it is excruciating. They switch from slender rods/switches to flails, with barbs that sink in and tear into his flesh (I don't really know the names for any of the things they used, so correct me if I'm dead wrong). His back is completely shredded and he falls against the stone he is manacled to, unable to support himself. They release him and he lies there on his stomach until they turn him onto his back to work on his front. I cringe, just trying to imagine the pain of lying on that torn and bleeding flesh, the nerve endings screaming with his weight forcing the wounds open to be filled with dirt and rocks, nevermind the pain of the whipping on his frontside. As he lies there, being tortured, he looks at the blood spattered feet of his torturers and flashes back to when he washed the feet of his disciples, an act described in John 13:1 as "[showing] them the full extent of his love." And so he looks at the feet of his torturers, loving them, submitting himself to them, serving them even as they whip him mercilessly. He does not even once cry out, as if he is taking all of the pain, absorbing all of the punishments of sin meant for us, and carrying it deep within himself.

Then, when he takes up the cross, one of the robbers also going to be crucified yells at him: "you fool! why do your embrace your cross?" And I know that it is for me, for all of our sins. His determination to "embrace his cross" is portrayed in his every movement, his every expression. He staggers and falls from the weight of the cross, but forces his battered and bleeding body back to it. Again and again he pushes himself to return to it, to bear the cross that they will nail him to, that they will leave him hanging upon to die.

He falls yet again, and it is clear that he will not survive the journey to Golgotha without help. The Romans command a man standing nearby to carry the cross from him. His grudging agreement to the task--"Alright, I will do it, but I want everyone to remember that I am innocent man being forced to carry the cross of a condemned man"--seems a bitterly ironic echo of Pilate's futile claim to be "innocent of [Jesus'] blood" to me, for who can be considered innocent of Jesus' death when he paid for the sins of all?

Golgotha is near, but it seems impossible that Jesus will make it. Simon encourages him, saying "We are near. It's almost done." Who but a man determined to lay down his life for others would be encouraged knowing that he is approaching his death? Who but Jesus could draw strength and resolve from such words to take those final steps to his death? His strength is spent, but he still drags himself onto the cross, when it is finally laid down, ready, and willing to be nailed onto it, to die.

It was agonizing to watch. The tears flowed uncontrollably down my face and I did not even try to wipe them away. Nor did I try to turn my face away. I could not spare myself the pain of watching when he suffered so much more going through it all for our sakes. And I as watched, the one question kept screaming in my mind: "How? How?! How?!? How could he love me so much?!?!" But it was not really so much of a question as it was an acknowledgment, an affirmation that this, this is how much he loves me. What could I do but accept it? That last resistance, the final seed of doubt that kept me from accepting his love is cleared from my heart and mind by the images, the heightened understanding of Jesus' love for me in his suffering and death.

I leave the theatre in silence, not wanting anything to intrude on the communication between God and myself. Even though I had thought it necessary to debrief after the movie, to discuss it afterwards, I am loathe to talk about it. I don't want to talk about the symbolism, the portrayals of certain characters or anything so technical and objective when the movie has moved me, spoken to me in such an intensely personal way.

Even this post feels "off," too inadequate to describe all the things that went on in my heart and head during and after the movie. But I need the record, the remembrance, as incomplete as it may be, for the time when the emotions have faded.

And I suppose I need to share too. Not that my experience can be anyone elses, but maybe, hopefully it will foster the idea that "The Passion" is a film about Jesus' enduring and great love. Because I don't think the film has any meaning without the context of his love for all mankind.

2004-03-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

Extremely Anemic

Okay, a warning for any guys that may be reading this, this post is going to be about female stuff, and it'll be a lot more information than you'd probably want to know. So yes, you've been warned. Read on at your own risk.

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Okay, that was your last chance. I'm starting now.

I found out about periods from my brother. When I was young (way before sex ed started) he told me: "when you're older, you're going to bleed every month." I was appalled of course, especially when I asked him if guys had to bleed too and he told me no. "That's not fair!" I said, and I only get more convinced of how true that is the older I get. That's why it really peeves me off when guys make PMS jokes. In my opinion, only women are qualified to make such jokes, because only women understand just how much of a trial monthly menstrual cycles are. When guys make PMS jokes, it's like they're rubbing it in.

So yes, what got me started on this topic today in particular? Well, today I went through FOUR TAMPONS AND THREE PADS. That's three tampons for heavy days, one for regular, and the pads were all heavy, overnight. (Oh, and I looked at the tampon pamphlet, and that's 45g of blood right there, not even counting the pads and the toilet!!!) I usually start off with a couple of heavy days, but it's never been this bad before. I really don't know how people could deal with this on a regular basis, and I'm sure some do. It's a pretty lucky thing that I happened to have more feminine products with me than usual, because, today just had to be, of course, my long day at school. So yeah, I had a night class from 6-9pm, but I was falling asleep (who wouldn't be tired, with that amount of blood lost?). It didn't help that I was stupid and had a McChicken for lunch instead of beef either. Anyway, I left class early, when we took a break, because I wouldn't have surrvived the class.

ARGH. It SUCKS to be a girl! If tomorrow isn't a light day, I'm going to feel like ripping someone's head off!

2004-03-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

Just a Little Tight

My essay schedule for March is a thing of beauty (sarcastic):

Mar. 17th: 20th Century Canadian Literature
Mar. 23rd: Enlightenment Europe
Mar. 24th: Tale of Genji
Mar. 26th: Modern Japanese Intellectual History

Am I dead? Why yes, yes I am. And the kicker is, the last three are all RESEARCH essays. So yeah, I'm getting materials tomrrow--provided there are still any materials to be had less than a month from the due date. To be repetitive, I am SO dead. @_@

2004-02-25T00:35:00.000-05:00

Decision Making

Just a short one, since it's late and I need to sleep--mid-term tomorrow.

So yes, the good news is that I'm becoming a little bit more decisive in my decision making. The bad news is that I'm decisive about bad decisions. Today, for example, I told Steph I felt like opening hockey card packs, even though I knew that would mean that we would go and buy hockey cards when neither of us really has money. Then I decided to buy a blaster box of hockey cards (8 packs, $25) instead of just one or two single packs. And I followed that up by buying a pack of Private Stock Reserve Hobby ($23). To top it all off, I put it on my VISA--it's exactly this type of recklessness with the plastic that got me into so much trouble for this month's bill. ^^;; You'd think I'd learn.

But that's not the end of it, no. I came home and decided I'd watch just "one" disc of Escaflowne. Yeah right. I ended up finishing off the series (about 4 or 5 discs). I actually consciously decided that I would watch Escaflowne instead of studying for my Tale of Genji mid-term and take the consequences.

Really, I don't know what type of an idiot I am. Sure, the decision to NOT study doesn't sound so bad when you consider I've only had one full class since my quiz, for which I already prepared a lot anyway, but still....

Geh. Anyway, I suppose I can end the bad decision making for today by deciding to stop blogging and to go to sleep instead. Geez, I can be so dumb.

2004-02-18T01:12:00.000-05:00

Trip of a Lifetime

I don't remember if I mentioned it here, but from Feb. 14th-17th I was in Denver, Colorado to watch the Canucks @ Avalanche hockey game with my friend Steph.

Best. Trip. Ever.

Anyway, most of my thoughts on the trip are related to hockey, so I posted my commentary/description or whatever you want to call it, about the trip on my hockey blog, Rambling Hockey Fangirl. If you're interested, you can read about it here. It's pretty long, but you can skip to different days, so if you want the best part, you can just read about the last two days--that's when everything happened.

So yes, that was an excellent start to reading week. Unfortunately I know it's all downhill from now on, since I have SO MUCH homework to do! I'm going to have to do at least one, possibly two days of Japanese straight, not to mention studying for my Tale of Genji mid-term on Wednesday. ^^;; Still, I guess I shouldn't complain, since Steph's schedule is so much worse than mine.

Oh, and that reminds me, actually, Silas, UT St. George isn't that bad. Our marks were posted on ROSI starting from the 19th of December, or something like that, so I knew my final mark in Japanese poetry and fiction before Christmas, I think. In that at least, they're not too bad.

And Joeie, yes, I saw you picking up Raymond. Scary to think that you're driving now. I feel so old. =P

What else? I'm sure there's more to say, but it's getting late, and I did "lose" two hours coming from Denver, so I think it's about time for me to sleep. Gotta get cracking on the Japanese tomorrow! ^^;; For all my fellow Ontario university students, hope it's a good reading week for you all!

2004-02-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

Blonde Day
(no offense intended)

Yes, today was my ultimate blonde day, and all of my blonde moments were centred around the Go Transit. =P This morning I was supposed to take the 8:20am train. So I get to the station with about seven minutes to spare--no problem, or so I think. I dig into my pocket to get my ticket to punch, and it's not there. I was 87% sure I had put it there before going out of the house, but maybe I dropped it, so I got outside and retrace my steps. Nothing. I look into the front pocket of my backpack (where I usually keep it) as well, even though I'm sure I took it out. Also not there. So I call Steph back and check the van for it. Not there. Just when I complete my search, the train comes, so of course there's no way I can catch it. If it's not in my pocket, in the front pocket of my backpack, or in the van, so I must've dropped it on my way out or something. We drive back. I put my bag(s) down on the seat, turn back to close the van door and THERE IT IS!! Right in the mesh side pocket of my bag!! I've never put it there before. The only thing I can think of is that I must've taken it out of my pocket in preparation of leaving the car, and then unconsciously stuck it into the side pocket since I was holding the bag in my lap. How embarrassing. Luckily I wasn't in any sort of rush to get to school, and neither was Steph.

Then this afternoon, my dad was in a meeting and my mom needed to wait to talk to her boss, so I took the 4:30pm train home by myself. I stayed awake until about Kipling, reading, but then I got tired and dozed off. Now I'm usually pretty good with my timing, or I'm smart enough to set my cellphone alarm if I know I'm dead tired and am afraid of oversleeping, but today I was neither. I woke up just as the last call for Erindale came on and the doors closed. @_@ So I ended up getting off at Streetsville. Luckily when I arrived the bus going from Streetsville to Union had just arrived as well, and I asked the bus driver if the bus was going to stop at Erindale and I explained that I was supposed to get off at Erindale and had missed my stop. The bus driver was really nice. I was prepared to pay for my fare, but he just said it was fine for him to drop me off, since the bus was supposed to stop at the corner of Erindale anyway. ^_^ Thank goodness for that, since Steph wasn't going to be home early today and I didn't want to drag her away from her lab partners just to pick me up from Streetsville, and I didn't want to have to wait for the Mississauga transit either, because who knew how long that could take.

Anyway, my only excuse for today was the fact that I was drugged. =P Okay, so I only took one Tylenol Daytime Cold pill this morning, but I'm sure you can understand that I wasn't totally with it today, being sick and all. =P

2004-01-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

Just My Luck

Once again U of T shut down today AFTER 5PM!!! Stupid university. It was snowing pretty hard by the time I finished class, so it was a real pain getting back home, especially with an accident on the Streetsville tracks (which is just one stop further than me). xP So much for getting a day off school.

Not only that, but U of T is completely retarded! They KNOW that students are going to want to know whether class is still running or not, but they don't even bother to update the weather update website saying that classes are scheduled to proceed as normal. My PROFESSOR even logged on around 5am to see if he had to come in and, like everyone else, all he got was the information from last night that evening classes were cancelled. And of course the phone number that they gave to call for updates was busy. U of T is stupid. Of course, why should they care about making the lives of their students even a little bit easier? They've already got our money. Yes, I am pretty jaded/cynical about U of T.

Anyway, on the lighter side, I got a couple of fairly interesting/amusing emails today. One requires a little bit of background information. My mom bought a couple of McDonald's hockey cards one night and Steph and I split them. In one of her packs she got an insert for a gold Kovalchuk (jersey) patch card, which is pretty cool seeing as they're quite rare. So a couple of nights ago she decided to put it up for auction on eBay, and she decided to use my account since we were thinking about accepting Paypal and her Paypal account isn't valid since she didn't update it after her credit card expired. Anyway, the starting price was $9.99 CDN, and currently it's around $120 CDN, which is pretty good. So the email I got today was from someone asking if we'd trade the card for a Private Stock Kovalchuk rookie card, book value $350. I don't know why I found it so amusing, but I did. Oh, and we rejected the offer.

The other email I got was from the Harvard Law school, which I apparently emailed asking for some information about my application. Of course, my question was: when did I apply for law school? Again, I probably shouldn't have been amused as I was, but then again, I've always had a weird sense of humour.

Oh, another random thing, our house is pretty cold, especially when I wake up inthe middle of the night or in the morning, so last night I slept with THREE blankets. Maybe it was overkill, considering that I also wore sweat pants instead of shorts, but it seems to have worked out just right since I woke up around 6:30am and I felt well rested. It probably also helped that I slept around 11 something, maybe just a bit before 12. I don't remember the last time I've slept so early! Guess it had to do with me killing the time waiting for my parents after work by doing homework, so I didn't have to do it late at night when I finally remembered it. =P

2004-01-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Hopeful...

U of T shut down at 5pm today due to the snow storm. It's quite an impressive one, actually, the wind is really strong and even though it's powdery snow, there's LOTS of it. When my dad and I came back, there was more than a foot of it to shovel. Actually, in some places it was more like three feet thanks to the wind creating snow drifts. It doesn't help that we live right across from the park, so a lot of snow gets blown onto our driveway as well. So yes, shoveling was quite the chore. Several times the snow I dumped from my shovel blew right back into my face! At least my dad was out there with me (unlike the last two or three times I've shoveled), though, as it made the taks go a lot quicker. I don't actually mind shoveling, except for the fact that my fingers freeze after like five minutes out there. I wonder if those hand warmer things would be effective while shoveling?

Anyway, I've digressed a bit. What I'm hopeful about is that tomorrow the university will be shut down! According to the forecasts, there's "no end in sight" to the snow, so I'm hoping I can get a day off of class!!

In other news, Kei is back! ^_^ She shut down her blog for a while, but has decided to continue with it now as a means of venting, etc. Welcome back, Kei!

What else? Oh yes, I got the entire Gasaraki boxset (8 discs plus the box) for only $29.99 US!! Including shipping, conversion, and the customs I had to pay when it arrived, it still ended up as just under $60!! Thank you RightStuf! I believe the sale is still on, so now's the time to buy it!! ^_^ I love getting a deal! Too bad I don't foresee having time to watch it for a while. I mean, I still have to watch 6/7 discs of Noir, the Black Rose Saga of Utena, Millennium Actress, Blue Seed Beyond, discs five and six of Chobits, Love Hina Again and the Spring Movie, and the second Fushigi Yuugi OVA series. @_@ It's kind of sad when your buying outpaces your ability to watch a series. ^^;; Ah well. If *crosses fingers* school is cancelled tomorrow, I'm going to watch Millennium Actress at the very least!

2004-01-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

Belated New Year Post!

Happy new year! Yes, I realize it's now two weeks into 2004, but I figure better to say it later than never! =P

Actually, I think the lateness of this post is probably sets the tone of this year for me, which is unfortunate. I get the feeling that I'm going to be doing things a lot later than I should be (the evils of procrastination) and otherwise having lots of time management difficulties this year.

It's this foreboding that caused me to drop out of the Hockey Hall of Fame Presents course at Seneca, the day I received my confirmation of enrollment, and the day class began. Actually I already posted about this at RHF, but basically I realized that my act isn't together enough for me to take a sixth course for fun without it resulting in academic suicide. I'm pretty sad about it, actually, because the course sounded really interesting (a course on HOCKEY!!!), but it just would have been too much for me. Plus my mom didn't really want me to take it either, so...

Anyway, the good news for the new year is that I got all of my essays back in the first week of class, and with the exception of the very last essay I handed in (the Enlightenment Europe one), all of them were, surprisingly, A's. Even my Enlightenment Europe one wasn't so bad. I mean, considering that I was expecting to barely pass (50 on the dot, was my prediction), 65% is pretty generous. And the criticisms of my essay were on things I already knew were problems when I was writing the essay, so it's not a matter of incapability, it's just that I need to make sure I spend enough time doing research for the next one. =P

Japanese is about as much work as ever, but at least our first week we didn't have any quizzes, which was a relief. Oh, and I got my oral quiz mark back! 44/50!! Woohoo! That was the highest mark, apparently, but I don't know how many others got it as well. Not that it matters, I'm still extremely pleased. I really ought to thank everyone who went on the first day and gave us hints as to what type of situations they had to make dialogues for--it helped Celine and I to narrow our practice material down. ^_^

What else? Oh, this is just something that happened today. On Wednesdays I always go to the library in UC to do homework, use the computers and to sleep. For the homework and sleep part I like to go to the cubicle way in the back corner, because it's more isolated people are less likely to see me sleeping. Usually it's available, but when I got there today, there was a jacket on the chair and a paper on the desk. So I thought someone was sitting there and went to another desk. Then I turned around and looked more closely, and the guy sitting in the cubicle adjacent to it (the chairs are back to back, so people get into the cubicle the same way, but when they're seated, they're facing opposite directions, if that makes sense) wasn't wearing a jacket, and he didn't have one on his chair either. Considering that it's -20-something degrees, I don't think he would be walking around without one, so I guess that he was just sticking his jacket on the other chair. After observing for a while, I was pretty sure I was correct considering that no one came back to the desk, and the guy was putting stuff into his backpack, which was next to the chair with the jacket. How rude!! Grrr....I was thinking of going up to the guy and asking him to please move his jacket so I could sit there, but in the end I didn't. *sigh* I know it's trivial, but it always irritates me when I don't get "my" seat in the library!

The good thing that happened today in the library, though, is that when I got up to see if a computer was available, a girl was leaving right when I got there! I feel kind of guilty for using the computer for so long (I've been on since 4:00pm), but I'm waiting to bid on something on eBay.

Speaking of which, funnily enough, the thing I'm bidding on isn't for me, it's for my mother. She's been trying to complete her Zodiac stamp/coin collection (the Chinese Zodiac stuff put out by Canada Post), so she asked me to bid on a Dragon coin and stamp set for her. Maybe it's just me, but I find it rather amusing that I've even gotten my mother onto eBay now!! My father would say that they should be paying me, since I've now gotten two people (Steph and my mom) using eBay. Well, technically my mom isn't really using eBay herself, I'm doing the bidding and stuff for her, but she is checking it to buy stuff, so it's the same difference, right? =P

2003-12-31T23:05:00.000-05:00

Winter Fun in B.C.

I think there's something about my family in B.C. that brings the snow. Years ago when my mother visited with a friend, she got snowed in at the airport. Last year it snowed when my brother came. This year, it's been snowing almost everyday that I've been here!! Crazy, huh?

Anyway, it's been an eventful couple of days, so here's the recap:

Monday: Checked out Joe Sakic Way and took lots of pictures. While in Burnaby, stopped by Crystal Mall to visit Sakura Media and spent >$100 on anime-related stuff. ^^;; At least some of it was gifts, and it wasn't all for me. Watched the Canucks @ Avs game. Good game, but so sad that they lost in such an ugly way. At least it was Keane who scored the winning goal. Good for him. Had some mango gelato afterwards to cheer myself up. =P After the game, Steph and I went with one of her high school friends to Bread Garden, this café-type place. Then we went to visit Steph's church-school friend, Jessica in her UBC res. Some of their guy friends were there, so we snacked, watched some tv and played Phase 10 until almost 3am. Phase 10 is kind of like Uno, but more complicated. Everyone was distracted because we were watching the X-Men movie on tv while playing (Phase 10) so I managed to win. ^_~

Tuesday: Woke up pretty late. Leslie (Steph's sister) treated us to lunch at Boston Pizza. We left for BP around 2pm, but since service was kind of slow (plus we had an appetizer) we didn't leave until around 4 o'clock. Went back home and packed for "Fat Camp" a.k.a. a sleepover with Steph's church girls where all the food was supposed to conform to a certain calory minimum--no healthy snacks for us, fried chicken, cookies, ice cream and chips all the way! It had been snowing when we went out for BP, but it was getting worse, so it took quite a while to get there. Not to mention, we dropped off a violin to 20 pieces of Church's fried chicken along the way. Ate dinner while watching "Freaky Friday", which was actually pretty good. The Chinese people were so NOT Chinese acting, but other than that, it was a lot of fun and the acting was pretty darn impressive. It must've been fun to make that movie. Went through the extras. Laughed our heads off after watching the "deleted scenes" because we were expecting a bunch, but when we watched and there was only one, Steph was like "maybe it was a a deleted scene", and then we went back to the menu and it actually did say "deleted scene. =P (Had to be there) Played Dutch Blitz, a card game rather like speed/spit, but involving colours as well as numbers. Lost pretty badly, but it was fun. There was a lot of snow outside by this point, so most of the girls went outside, but I stayed in and just chilled, since I figured I'd see more than enough snow this winter. Besides, I didn't bring any gloves or my scarf with me to Vancouver, so I wasn't really equipped to play in the snow. When they came back, some of us played Phase 10. The game lasted forever. I think we played from like 1am to 3am. When it finally finished we stayed up talking for a bit, and ended up going to sleep around 5am.

Wednesday: Woke up around 10am because Cindy's (our hostess) sister, Dianne came back from a trip to Montreal-Toronto. Ate breakfast, which consisted of a chocolate muffin, mango and rainbow sherbet and a banana for me, and leftover noodles, rice, chicken and etc. for others. Cleaned and packed up. Went outside to play in the snow for a bit (it wasn't actually all that cold, since there wasn't any wind) and to take some group pictures. We said our goodbyes at least a dozen times since the car had been parked on the side of the road and we couldn't get out onto the centre of the road. It was like "goodbye", spin wheels, shovel away snow, "goodbye" again, spin wheels more, shovel more snow, repeat six or seven times. =P Dropped Leslie off at her place to check up on things while Steph and I went with another high school friend, Tracy (sp?) for bubble tea. Spent some time trying to find an open place in Richmond, and finally ended up going to Vancouver. Had a good chat, finished our bubble tea, and left to drop Tracy off, pick up Leslie and return home. On the way, however, the car suddenly died.

Luckily it was at a red light. Unfortunately we were in the left(but not turning) lane, so we caused quite a bit of trouble for the other cars. Called CAA, and found out it would take about an hour, hour and a half to get a tow truck sent to us (they recommended a tow truck rather than just a boost since it had died while we were driving, and it wasn't just a problem of getting the car started). Tracy called her dad to pick her up while Steph and I waited. We stayed in the car and slept. Thankfully the windows were all foggy, so it wasn't particularly embarrassing, since no one could see us. After about an hour, a policeman knocked on our window and asked if we could move our car out of the intersection since we causing traffic to back up. So he pushed us around the corner into the lot of a plaza. Unfortunately, he didn't really push us far enough in, so we were kind of blocking the entrance, although not completely. So after a little while, this guy came, knocked on our window and asked if we could move out of the way since we were kind of blocking the entrance, and pushed the car to a better location. Shortly after that, the tow truck arrived to take us to the garage Steph's family always goes to. Steph's dad picked us up from there, and that was the end of our little adventure. =P

Later on tonight I'm going with Steph to her high school (?) friend, Chelsea's place for the countdown and stuff. We should be leaving pretty early--maybe around 1am--however. I'm not exactly sure what's on tomorrow's agenda, but I know that Friday I'm going to be hanging around downtown, visiting Stanley Park, and of course, watching the Avs @ Canucks game! The Avs had better beat the Canucks!! And I'd better get a picture of Sakic! ^_^ Plus Friday/Saturday I should be buying pork jerky (made the real Singapore way) and Purdy's chocolates to bring home.

So yes, so far it's been fun, but I can't wait to get home! I especially want to see Jen and Syv! Fat Camp, a.k.a. the sleepover was really fun, but seeing the way Steph and her friends interacted just made me really miss Jen and Syv. =( Too bad the break's over, so Syv's probably going to be back at Mac before I get a chance to see her. Ah well, such is life for university students, I suppose. At least I'm still in the same province as both of them. After this break I can kind of see how difficult it must be for Steph to be at school so far away.

2003-12-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

Ramen!

After church I went with Steph's family (but not Steph, since she got called into work at 7:30am @_@) to a restaurant called Fu Ramen. Naturally I tried the ramen, even though they did have udon, sushi, etc. etc. It was pretty good, except that the one I ordered had a lot of ginger. ^^;; Luckily it was cut in thick slices, so I just pushed it all to one side and ignored it. Maybe it's different in Japan, but to me it was just high end instant noodles. =P Good, but still just noodles.

I also tried some onigiri, and it was really good! ^_^ I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I liked the onigiri more, considering that I've always liked rice more than noodles anyway.

Anyway, I'm off to Daiso, this $2 Japanese store that's really popular here right now. =P

2003-12-27T18:44:00.000-05:00

Made It!

Well, the trip to Vancouver was uneventful. There was one cool thing about the flight, though. While I was waiting at the gate, I saw this guy reading last week's Hockey News (the one with Owen Nolan on the cover). He didn't seem to have anyone with him, so I thought it'd be cool if we could sit together on the plane and maybe talk hockey.

So I got my seat on the plane, and I was at the window and this older lady was in the aisle. Then this guy (not the hockey one) came and sat down in the center seat, but he was looking around, obviously for a companion. Then he got up and went towards the front of the plane, and the hockey guy came back to sit with us! ^_^ Apparently the hockey guy had been sitting next to the other guy's girlfriend, and he could tell she was feeling a bit stressed, so he switched seats so the couple could be together. ^_^ Cool huh? But of course, me being me, I didn't really actually start much of a hockey conversation with the guy, but it was cool nonetheless. He seemed like a pretty nice guy though, kind of reminded me of my mom's former co-worker, Andrew.

Got to the airport about half an hour early, and Steph (who luckily checked the flight online on time) met me in the baggage claim, which is open, interestingly. We went to her brother's friend, Nathan's place and hung out until around one something--four in the morning Toronto time. @_@ Went to sleep around 3am, and that was my first day in B.C. ^_^

2003-12-25T17:15:00.000-05:00

Family's Still Best!

Well, it's 5pm right now, and I didn't actually wake up all that long ago. =P That's because this year's annual "eve" party at my house was yesterday, Christmas eve (last year was New Year's, I think). People started coming at 10pm, and the last group left at 3:30am! It was lots of fun! Our house was totally packed, and we still have lots of food leftover too.

Since I've been working all break, it didn't really feel like Christmas time until last night. Really, there's nothing like friends and family to make a holiday. Speaking of which, I just have to say, as wonderful as all the presents from my friends were (thanks so much, guys!), nothing beats my family for gift giving.

My brother got me one of those jumbo Avalanche garbage cans, plus an Avalanche stool!!! So cool!! I always look at these things and want to buy them, but they're too expensive for me to actually buy for myself!! What a great brother!! And my mom (and dad too, but I'm pretty sure my mom usually picks out most of the gifts) absolutely rules!! Every year she manages to get me the most perfect gifts. I don't know how she does it! I wish I could be as good as her at gift giving some day! She bought me the Millennium Actress dvd which is amazing because I really wanted it, but I never actually mentioned it to her! Then there was the Myth and Magic pewter Legolas figure. No, it doesn't look like Orlando Bloom, but I still llike it because Legolas is cool, not the actor in the movies. Once again she put cards in my stocking, and this year they were the Canadapost NHL All-Star stamp cards. They're really pretty! And I got a Bourque one, which made me very happy! She also got me the dvd boxset for the second season of Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon R), which I was planning on eventually getting, when I had enough money. But the clincher, the absolute clincher was the UPPER DECK SERIES ONE BOX!!!!!

I swear, when I opened it, I just sat there with my mouth open for a good two minutes!!!! She was all worried that I wouldn't like it, but of course, it's exactly what I wanted!! I had been planning on waiting until next year's Fall Expo to buy it (it's a lot cheaper to buy them when they're last year's series), but of course it's much more fun to get them when it's a recently released series!! My mom woke me up and we opened up the entire box together! See, there's nothing like opening hockey cards together for family bonding time! =P Anyway, I can smell the food downstairs, and my stomach is growling, so I'm off!

2003-12-17T00:51:00.000-05:00

Pre-Christmas Stuffing

Man oh man. It's a week before Christmas and already I can feel the need to invest in more pants with elastic waistbands!! Today I went the Hockey Hall of Fame with two friends, so we met up with three other friends who work downtown for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Then, to commemorate Steph's last day in Ontario for the year (she's spending the rest of the break back home in Vancouver), we went out for dinner at Applebee's. Not only was the meal quite filling, but we also had dessert since we had coupons for free dessert (with purchase of an entreé) that we wanted to use before they expired at the end of the month. And before that even had time to settle in our stomachs, Steph and I went out for bubble tea with some friends!! Even though I only had a small slushie--less filling than bubble tea--it still made me really full! @_@ Crazy day of eating. I think I can live off the fat from today for the next week or so at least. =P

Apparently it's going to be even worse when I go to Vancouver. I've already been invited to "fat camp"--a sleepover where everyone just keeps on eating the most fattening food possible: fried chicken, ice cream, cookies, chips, etc. etc. And Steph's already planning lots of places to take me to eat. Not to mention, Steph's mom likes to cook for people, so... I've already been warned that I'm going to have to buy new pants after this trip!!!

Ah well, it's Christmas time, so I guess I should've expected all this anyway.

Oh, in other news, I also went out with some friends last night for drinks to celebrate Steph's last exam. Usually when I go to bars and stuff I just get a Sprite, but this time I decided I'd actually try a drink. Emily suggested a fuzzy navel, since Steph told her I wanted the least alcohol-tasting drink possible, and it was actually okay with me in terms of taste. After the first couple of sips I could feel myself turning red, however. ^^;; How embarrassing, and so typically Chinese! =P I could even feel my ears heating up! And my hand, which are usually ice cold, were toasty warm and quite red as well. It was pretty interesting considering that at the Christmas dinner at church on Saturday, I showed people my hands and they were kind of a purpley-blue colour and freezing cold--quite the contrast. So yes, now I know that my limit is probably just one drink, which is fine because I'm not all that fond of alcohol and I'd rather spend the money elsewhere anyway. Designated driver all the way!!

2003-12-12T22:22:00.000-05:00

Warning: Wool Jacket!

On Wednesday my mom bought me a new wool jacket. It's almost perfect: mid-thigh length, hood, and zippered (not buttons). The only thing is that it's black, which is still good because black is very formal and classic, but I really wanted a burgundy one (which I've never seen before anywhere). Anyway, I do love my jacket--especially since it was more than 50% off, plus an additional 7% off as a no GST special--but after one day of wearing it, I've discovered how dangerous wool jackets can be.

Maybe it's because I have this habit of sliding out of cars, but basically everytime I've gotten out of the car wearing the jacket I've shocked myself closing the door or another part of the car. @_@ And this aren't little shocks either, you can really hear (and I feel) them!!

My mom was saying it's pretty dangerous for when I'm fuelling up, which is something I hadn't considered. That would be a pretty pathetic way to start a gasoline fire, don't you tihnk? Excessive static electricity starts fire at gas station. How embarrassing, not to mention painful. @_@

Back to the static problem though, it really doesn't help that I have long hair. I've been wanting to cut it for a while now, so maybe this is the incentive I need: less hair, less static!

2003-12-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

Practical Stuff

Hmm...I just realized that there is some practical stuff that I should probably buy at some point. In no particular order:

small wallet: so I can force myself to carry less junk around
travel money belt: since I'm paranoid about walking around with a bag and big wallet in Colorado =P
golf umbrella (preferably Avs or Leafs): good for rainy or extremely sunny softball days
rain jacket: I'm assuming I'm going to be visiting Vancouver more often now...
backpack for traveling: big enough to be practical for short 2-3 day trips but small enough to not be a pain, comfortable, and hopefully reasonably aesthetically pleasing

I wonder if I'm ever going to get around to buying any of this stuff? Probably not, considering that I seem to place a higher priority on completing my Kaberle card collection. =P

2003-12-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

Quizzes Again!

It's been a while since I've done personality quizzes, so, here I go!

What .hack//SIGN Character Are You?

Pretty accurate.

What Anime Art Style Are You?

^^;; Accurate, I'd say.

What Dragon-Half Character Are You?

A ditz? I don't think so! Well, I hope not. =P

What NERV Child Are You?

What an interesting picture...

What Shoujo Mascot Are You?

Fairly accurate, but where is this thing from?

Anyway, I also joined Ray's .hack//SIGN blog crew. ^_^ I'm Crim, just because he's cool and I didn't know who else to pick.

2003-12-08T17:52:00.000-05:00

What a Typo!

I've been having some difficulties with my iRewards membership. See, in October I renewed my membership in-store, but for some reason my renewal never actually got registered in the system. It's not a big deal for the stores, since I can show them the receipt and the expiry date on my card for the discount, but it's a pain for online orders. So I emailed customer service about it, and they emailed me back:

Thank you for contacting iREWARDS Customer Service.

[ . . .]

Again we do apologize for any incontinence this may have caused you.

If you have any more questions, please contact us at iREWARDS Customer Service.

The emphases, of course, are mine. ROFL. Incontinence!! *dies laughing*

2003-12-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

Buying Lists

I haven't done this in a while, so I thought it was about time for me to write out my various buying/wishlists again. Generally I do this so I can figure out my spending priorities and therefore (theoretically and hopefully) will work towards buying things I really want rather than wasting money on all those little purchases that really add up. So here we go! First off, my (planning on) buying list:

$341.99 US (+s/h) - Rurouni Kenshin Complete CD Box
$189.99 CDN (+tax, s/h) - 2002 Nike Team Czech Kaberle Replica Jersey Size Youth L
$140-$170 US (+s/h) - Escaflowne TV Series Limited Edition DVD Boxset (8-disc)

Okay, so that list is pretty small because it's only big ticket items. Things under $100 aren't on this list because I can generally swing such such things without having to save or think too much first beforehand. Kind of scary, isn't it? I used to have to think really hard before spending $20 or more, but now, I can shell out $100 or less for a single item without too much difficulty. Well, without too much difficulty until I get my Visa bill at any rate. ^^;;

Next is the "would like to buy eventually but probably won't get around to ever doing so" list:

$74.99 CDN (+tax) - Sports Night DVD Boxset
$54.57 CDN - 2yr subscription to "Goalies World"
$24.95 CDN (+tax) - Nike Team Sweden Baseball Cap (Spirit of Hockey Store)
$24.95 CDN (+tax) - Nike Team Czech Baseball Cap (Spirit of Hockey Store)
$59.95 CDN (+tax) - NHL Monopoly
$12.99 US (+s/h) - MegaTokyo Broken Miho Poster

Hmm...There's probably more, but I can't remember exactly what right now. =P Looking at these lists, it doesn't seem like a lot, but then again, it also doesn't even take into account all the things I've committed to buying (anime and manga), or the smaller things I'm planning on buying when I can (Avalanche Roots black poorboy hat--when I'm in Colorado). @_@ I really need to learn how to budget/save. This is pretty ridiculous, now that I think about it...

2003-12-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

Relief

Thank goodness! I only got one essay returned (today) before the Christmas break, and thankfully it received a good mark! Phew! If I hadn't done well on that, it might've marred my happiness at being done for the term!

It was my Japanese Poetry and Fiction essay that I got back, and I've got to admit, I'm quite proud that I managed to pull off a 90 on it!! So, even without counting participation, I've already got 81.5% in the course!! Woo hoo!! This might be my one and only A this year, so I'm savouring it.

Actually, that class was probably the best thing about the school year so far. The work load was reasonable; I enjoyed the readings; and for the most part the discussions weren't above my head (like in English ^^;;). Plus our prof told us that this is the last time she'll be teaching the course--she's taking off first term next year for research, and then she's taking an early retirement the following year--so I'm extra grateful that I was able to get into the course!

Anyway, things are looking pretty good right now that I'm almost done for the term! Now the only thing I have to worry about is working enough hours to cover my gi-normous Visa bill. ^^;;

2003-12-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

Full Holiday Mode

You know you're in full holiday mode when you're almost finished an essay and you KNOW that it's probably a C-paper at best and don't even care because you just want to get it finished! Yes, that's me! I was freaked out about the paper on Saturday, but after spending so much time trying to find research materials, I just got tired of the darn thing. So yes, that *splat* you hear is the sound of my GPA doing a freefall into the Grand Canyon.

Unfortunately my parents are probably going to blame hockey for this, which is really unfair since I think it has more to do with my general fatigue than anything else. I mean, since grade eleven I've done school-summer job-school-summer job non-stop, not to mention throwing in softball and a short term mission into the mix, so it makes sense that I'm going to get tired of doing stuff eventually, right? It just happened to be during the school year that I finally reached my limit--maybe it had to do with combining school AND work, I don't know.

So yeah, I know I'm not really an objective judge of this, but I suspect that my marks would have taken a nosedive this year even without hockey. I just don't care about school right now. Hopefully this situation will improve after a nice long Christmas break (during which I still need to study, ^^;;) but I don't know if even a sudden change in attitude would help my marks at this point.

*sigh* I just wish my parents could understand that I value my sanity and happiness more than my marks right now, and that it's not going to be the end of the world if I have one bad school year. It sounds bad to say this, but it's not like they went to university, so they can't really understand that for most people it's not as easy as just working really hard and getting good marks. Getting the marks in university requires some degree of sacrifice--unless you're a genius--and there are times when I simply don't have it in me to make those sacrifices.

Geez, I hate the fact that I'm sounding like I'm trying to justify laziness and procrastination. I guess I just wish my parents would cut me some slack. Sometimes it feels like all they care about is my marks, not how I'm feeling about school.

2003-11-29T00:56:00.000-05:00

Bust

I spent today downtown in various UT libraries trying to find sufficient materials for an essay on Scottish universities during the Enlightenment. When I got home, I made an honest survey of my books and concluded that I don't have enough material to cover the topic. Great.

So then I skipped fellowship (not unusual except that I had actually intended to go) to try to find sufficient online journal articles for another topic, and came up with nothing. *sigh* So today was a total waste of time.

Not to mention the essay's due Tuesday and I haven't a clue as to what I can possibly write this essay on. Well, I think I'm okay with the topic--to what extent was the Enlightenment a backlash against organized religion?--but I haven't figured out a slant/angle to pursue, so I can't really start the research until I do. I've got a pretty good feel for the subject, at least, but not having any idea for a thesis is really tough. I know it sounds backwards, but for me, the most efficient way to write an essay is to think up a possible thesis, then do the research and see if it matches. If it doesn't, I change the thesis, but at least starting with a thesis I can limit my research right from the get go.

Man. I've got a major (literal) headache right now. But, strangely enough, I'm not yet freaked out. *sigh* Hopefully I'll be inspired and a thesis/approach will come to me in the shower tomorrow--strangely enough, that's when I usually get my inspiration essays. =P

Ah well, off to sleep now! I've been sleep deprived all week, so maybe that's keeping me from being able to think properly!

2003-11-24T01:19:00.000-05:00

Break

Well, I've been writing my Japanese history essay like mad all day since I got back from church. Surprisingly it hasn't been nearly as much of a chore as my Japanese Poetry and Fiction essay, even though I had much less of an idea of what I wanted to say when I started this one than when I started that one. *shrug* It's not perfect, that's for sure, but at least it's almost done!

Yes, almost. I still have to finish off one body paragraph and the conclusion, but I'm quite hopeful that it's not going to take me all the way up to 6am (which was my original projection) to accomplish. Although, doing the citations might take that long. @_@ I hate history citations!

Anyway, it's kind of weird how I managed to stay focused for so long, but now that I'm almost done I have much less motivation to get it completed. As Steph said it's the "I have six hours to do one hour of work mentality". =P

2003-11-20T00:39:00.000-05:00

How well do you know me?

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

You might learn something new!

2003-11-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

As Much as Avs Tickets

I finally found it again!! The Rurouni Kenshin Complete Cd Box!!! I want it! I want it! I want it!!!

The scary thing is that it costs about as much as my Canucks @ Avalanche tickets, and that's not even including shipping or the inevitable customs tax I'm going to have to pay!! @_@ But I still want it!! *sigh* The problem is that I'm not even going to be able to start saving for it until after February (re: Colorado).

Geh. Here's the big problem with liking anime and hockey: both are money guzzlers!! *sigh* Okay, from now on, I've really got to cut my food budget!! No more buying Ice Caps when I'm dead tired and in danger of falling asleep at work! From now on, I'll just fall asleep! =P No more junk food, no more buying lunch at school!

Probably I should stop buying books too. ^^;; What else can I cut? Darn. If I had found this earlier I definitely wouldn't have bought those Leafs and Raptors' tickets. Darn darn darn! Ah! Why am I such a spendthrift?

What else can I do?? If I thought I had anything valuable, I'd eBay it, but I don't think that's going to really get me anywhere...I suppose I could use some of my tax return for this, instead of my Kaberle Team Czech jersey?

*sigh* Must start saving money!!

2003-11-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

Procrastinator!

The plan was that if I didn't have to work, I would come down here (to the UC library) and work on my Japanese Poetry and Fiction essay. But what am I doing? I'm on the computer, blogging! And before that I was sending out an evite, and before that I was checking up on my hockey pools, &etc. &etc. @_@ Why do I have no will power! Argh!!!

This thing is due on Wednesday, and I only have the vaguest idea what I'm going to be writing, but here I am. ^^;; I am suck.

*sigh* It's now lunchtime, and I didn't eat breakfast, so I should probably eat, but that'd mean still no work done! Okay, I'm off! Essay time!

...

...

Okay, okay, I'm going!

2003-11-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

Consumer Awareness

http://www.themeatrix.com

I suppose I've always kind of known the stuff they talk about in the "movie", but I never really thought too hard about it. The interesting thing now will be what I do about it, considering that I don't really buy meat (although I do buy groceries on occasion), and my parents often buy from Chinese supermarkets, which are cheap and convenient. When it comes to putting my money where my ideals are, can or will I do anything to change my household buying habits?

If none of what I just said makes sense, click the link! =P

In other news, I got the first Kenshin premium box!! I've read some not so good reviews about DVDsoon.com. but my first experience was definitely positive! Not only was the set extremely cheap on the preorder (only ~$100 CDN), but the shipping was fast! The release date is Nov. 18th or something. I actually paid for ExpressPost shipping, but apparently free shipping in Ontario is ExpressPost anyway, so if I order from there again, I'll definitely just get the free shipping (I only paid $4.95 for ExpressPost anyway--better safe than sorry). ^_^

2003-11-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

Municipal Elections

Well, I went and voted, but I don't know how useful my vote was. Since I couldn't be bothered to tune into any of the news/programming about the election--even though I knew the election was coming up--I didn't know what the..platforms (the word sounds rather pretentious in relation to municipal elections, doesn't it?) were for any of the candidates!

On the City of Mississauga site I was only able to find out the names and positions of the candidates for my my ward, there weren't any links to the candidates' websites or anything. I don't even know how many of them had websites! The only reason I knew of one at all (http://www.kaur.ca) was because I happened to see it on one of those lawn signs. A goggle search, restricted to Canadian sites, for each of the other candidates' names gave me basically nothing--although I did find out that Warren Kennedy (seeking re-election as English Public Trustee) was on the board of directors for the Peel HIV/AIDS Network in 2001-2002.

Searching the Mississauga News archives gave me one article about the people running for councillor in our ward, and one uninformative article which simply stated the names of the candidates running for English Public Trustee.

It was really quite frustrating! I mean, sure, it was my own fault for not trying to find any of this out before the day of the election, but still, the overall lack of available information is extremely disappointing. Am I really to believe that municpal elections are so unimportant, insignificant, and meaningless that no one, not even the candidates themselves, can be bothered to even try informing the public about who the candidates are and what they stand for? It's a disgrace.

2003-11-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Hitting the Wallet

I'm sure a lot of people are upset over McGuinty's breaking his promise to keep electricity prices capped, but I think that it's actually a good thing. Mind you, I don't support the fact that he's breaking a promise, I just support making consumers pay actual market price.

I know it means paying higher electricity bills, but I think that this is the only way people are going to wise up and start conserving energy. We probably all believe that wasting electricity is a bad thing in principal, but I'd say that very few people actually believe it in practice. So, the incentive to change our practice is, as usual, money. We might not change our lifestyles to match ideals, but we sure can and do when it saves money.

Personally, I know that I have a bad habit of leaving my computer on for hours to download stuff. Not just a couple of hours, but more like 5, 6, or more hours. Now I'm already pretty good about turning off lights and such, but as soon as I heard about the removal of the price cap, I started looking into energy efficient lightbulbs--which I wouldn't have bothered with otherwise.

There are some things I'd like to see big businesses doing too. I went to work on Saturday, and the BMO-tron and Scotia's stock update thing were all on, even though there wasn't really anyone around to look at them. I remember in the black out days how the banks and other companies downtown shut off all those things, and I think it'd be a good thing to maintain, on weekends at least. Not only that, but our building is WAY too warm! I mean, it's warm enough to be uncomfortable in anything more than a t-shirt, but who really wears t-shirts in the winter?

Guess the only thing I'm worried about in terms of the removal of the price cap is it's effect on low income families and small businesses. The removal of the price cap is good if it gets people to save energy, but if people have to freeze to death because of it... McGuinty says, I think, that he's going to work something out to deal with this, but I wonder if that's really going to happen? Anyway, I'll be initerested to see what the outcome of all this is.

2003-11-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

Bad Timing

Once again, I have managed to find out about a series just as it's getting licensed, meaning that I'm going to have to wait quite a while before I can watch it!! Argh. The same thing happened with Initial D (which I'm not even sure I'm going to bother buying considering all the stuff I've heard about Tokyopop's treatement of the series), and Kare Kano (which took at least a couple of years from the announcement to the first release)!! =*( Ah well, at least this time I still have the manga, if not the anime.

A couple of weeks ago--right when I was heading into quizzes and mid-terms, again, good timing--I decided I'd try reading Hajime no Ippo, a boxing manga. As seems to be the case with a lot of the sports manga I've read, I was hooked. I guess it's effect on me is rather like that of Whistle! Same basic plotline if you think about it: a young guy whose determination and perseverance enables him to overcome trials and hardships, and against all expectations, to succeed in a sport he loves. Bad summary, as usual, I know. Sorry. =P

Anyway, I've read all the manga scanlations by SnoopyCool, and managed to download three fansubbed episodes before Geneon (formerly Pioneer) announced their acquisition of Ippo. *sigh* It's scheduled for a mid 2004 release, which is actually pretty good, if you're not extremely impatient to get your hands on it, as I am! Not only that, but I'm trying to be a little bit more self-controlled and to only buy box sets--which almost always come out to haunt you if you're impatient and buy individual discs, like Ayashi no Ceres and Princess Nine. Geh. And I don't think Ippo is going to get the first disc + box treatment because it's not as recent or acclaimed a series. Although, I believe it does have quite a fanbase, so I suppose there's always the chance.

So yeah, I just finished watching the three episodes (even though I should've been studying for my Japanese quiz, or working on my Japanese Poetry and Fiction essay), and now I feel like reading the manga all over again! Of course I just had to pick the time when all my essays are creeping up--Nov. 19th, 21st, 26th, Dec. 2nd--and knowing that I have very little to no self-control when it comes to my series of the moment. Aiya. If only Steph would nag me as much as I nag her... =P

2003-10-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Continuation

Remember how I talked about needing a salve last Wednesday? Well, this is kind of the post script to that. I thought I was going to be lucky to pass the mid-term, but, well, I got it back yesterday, and guess what my mark was?

38/40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in shock when I saw that! The second essay question which I was so freaked out about? Well, I actually did better on that one than the first! I got 20/20 on the seond one, but "only" 18/20 on the first!! Isn't God amazing? He gave me comfort when I thought I was going to have a really bad mark, when it turned out that my worries were unnecessary anyway!

Oh, and as the second post script, I thought I was going to get my jersey on Friday, because I misinterpreted "expedited" as "express post" (they both have tracking numbers), but I actually got it today. =P It looks really good! Too bad I'm not going to wear it to the Nov. 24th game, because I "have to" wear my Kaberle one. ^_~ I mean, I'm not going to any other Leaf games this year, so I have to show my support for my Kaberle, right? Or maybe I can switch jerseys in between periods? Wear the Kaberle for the first and third, and the Mogilny for the second?

2003-10-30T19:43:00.000-05:00

Feathers in the Wind

Do you know the story about the bag of feathers? There are many versions of it, but here is just one version:

The story is told of a woman who had spread some false information about her neighbour. When confronted with the truth by her neighbour, she immediately asked for forgiveness. The neighbour agreed to forgive her if she accomplished one task for him. That task was to take a feather pillow to the top of the highest peak in the village and to release the feathers so they might fly freely in the wind. Quickly, she said, "Yes, I'll do anything, just forgive me!" The woman went to the highest peak and scattered the feathers.

After she had done this, she came back to him and reported, "I have done everything that you have asked. Now, please forgive me!"

The neighbour said, "I certainly will, but first complete the task I have for you. Go pick up all the feathers for have scattered."

"But that's impossible! She cried. "They're everywhere!" Only then did she realize how much harm she had done to her neighbour.

We cannot take our words back. Once they have been spoken, we will be accountable for them. Think about your words before you say them. Do not gossip. The Bible says, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)

Now, I wasn't gossiping, but I posted something on my hockey pool message board that was very well thought out, and as a result it was misinterpreted and became hurtful to one of the members in the pool (who also happens to be a friend). I'm extremely thankful that he emailed me and gave me a chance to clarify/explain my feelings. Even though I will have to deal with the regret for hurting him in the first place, at least having asked forgiveness for my thoughtlessness, I have the chance to be forgiven.

And I do still feel rather bad about it. As an English major, I, of all people, should be aware of the power of words and the need to use them carefully and prudently. I didn't. I dashed something off without even thinking about all the unintended negative connotations my words carried.

Even worse is that I wasn't totally innocent either. I was a little bit irritated with the trade (although I had intended the tone of my post to be light and amused) for purely selfish reasons: I had been too lazy to work a trade out the night before with the other person involved, so when the trade went through, I lost my chance. I in no way meant to convey any of that irritation, because I WAS mostly amused by the whole thing, but I can't help but wonder if my poorly chosen words were something like a Freudian slip.

I've apologized, but the feathers are out of the bag. Even though I may be forgiven, I still can't get them all back.