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Last Summer

-Walking out of an airport into sauna like conditions
-Drinking papaya milk while waiting for the bus
-not getting jet lag
-watching Inuyasha subs at 12am
-purchasing items without knowing the price
-having a hard time figuring out the air conditioner remote
-Pastry stores with 100 varieties
-washing my wrist because wearing two watches has made it sweaty
-Holding on for dear life on the back of motorcycles
-letting go while on the back of motorcycles
-Screaming at the top of my lungs on the back of motorcycles
-finding out previously purchased items of clothing were worth over $400
-7-11's at just about every street corner
-Drawing blanks while trying to list famous canadians
-Thin films of sweat covering every inch of my body
-Mist machines spraying from above
-fitted pants and on-the-spot tailoring
-Learning to play pool in 35 degree conditions
-Playing pool surrounded by roaring wind and rain
-side stepping stacks of books in manga stores
-Sleeping through four hour train rides
-Salty-style soy milk and hot meat buns for breakfast
-Takings pictures inside high-end restaurants
-Attempting to catch giant carps with bare hands
-Going through nearly ten plates of meat at sukiyaki restaurants
-Critiquing j-pop imitators
-Walking by open air-conditioned stores during the heat of noon
-Side walk overheads on rainy days
-automated card readers at transit stations
-Losing ten games in a row at chinese chess to grandpa
-Umbrella battling at the metro
-hundred varieties of juices, teas, coffees, milks and more for under $1 Cdn
-conversing in english when no one can understand you
-Talking about Canadian politics
-Laughing non stop over spilled cups of instant noodles
-Looking down on the world from 500 feet ferris wheels
-Playing word games inside cabs
-Pretending to sleep for two hours in efforts to avoid conversation with unfamiliar relatives
-Trying to scream while submerged under water
-waiting in line for nearly an hour while catching up on six years of life
-Fighting over fishing rod colours while playing fishing games
-crying for hours in the dark from an overdosage of nostalgia
-filming city life from moving cabs
-counting $1000 bills
-not eating complimentary icecream because it was so shitty
-Urges to throw up from too much food
-reading the mind of a cat because I'm into psychology
-transferring twenty something giant tortoises to a new environment
-making maltose candy from scratch
-nearly throwing up after ten plates at revolving sushi restaurants
-teaching false english
-Holding my breath beside maniacs behind the wheels
-two hour sessions at the dentist
-endo operation without anesthetics
-falling asleep in dentist chairs
-talking about canadian highschools
-Being on the 79th floor of 101 floor structures
-being kicked out of my old elementary school
-trying to climb my old tree
-playing tag on the field surrounded by a hundred classrooms
-taking hours to find my old elementary school due to a change in the structure
-hiding keyboards under pillows
-pressing random buttons while trying to play medieval china video games
-beating my cousin at medieval video game while pressing random buttons
-Running down streets in darkness while storms roars all around you
-drying under the sun after falling into the stream
-discovering that our old grass field has been overrun by rainforest vegetation
-swatting mosquitos while walking through temperate rainforests
-Not singing karoake due to my lack of musical talent
-stealing pads from my aunts room
-looking through photo albums at 3am under flashlights
-smelling incence at temples
-misordering at restaurants due to illiteracy
-carrying calculators while shopping in order to articulate price tags in a currency I understand
-being inside movie theatres with less than 10 viewers
-stifling laughter inside said movie theatres
-not being able to sleep in said movie theatres because air conditioners were on so strong
-playing with the dentist's pomeranian
-complaining about the heat
-Using the side of the stream as a driving range
-fishing for golf balls in the stream
-smiling at my grandma due to a lack of words because I don't speak her language
-sobbing in corners at night because it's so fucking hot
-Walking barefoot in water fountains
-taking pictures while experiencing night markets
-drinking sugar cane juice while shopping for cowboy boots
-Having staring contests with lizards
-going from the un airconditioned streets into an air conditioned store
-chatting with hebrew jewelry makers who speak poor mandarin and english
-Trying on $1000 dresses without purchasing them
-counting 7-11's during an hour long taxi rides
-forgetting to shake before drinking guava juice
-Not being able to see sunrises due to excessive smog
-battling with four year-olds with lego soldiers
-hotspring soaking with sisters, naked
-Playing bowling with empty diet coke cans
-Picnicking beside lakes where suicides have taken place
-battling with promotional balloons inside mall lobbies
-Talking about Canadian weather
-exchanging life stories while waiting in traffic
-practicing golf under national golf champion uncles
-playing tag inside uncles' four story properties with 20 year old cousins
-piggy-backing unconcious seven year old cousins whom I've just met for the first time in my life
-watching sitcom series on buses
-Winning six games in a row at Big Two
-talking about attractive males with 20 year old male cousins
-complaining about the lack of vocabulary for relatives in the english language
-Missing buses, and having the next bus arrive within three minutes
-playing "lights-out" games with cousins inside a crowded apartment
-Lying beside bookcases not reading Naruto in chinese
-nearly passing out after walking around campus for hours under the sun
-eating shaved ice after spending hours walking around under the sun
-massaging 24 year old cousins who claim they're only 23
-Spending hours in book stores reading picture books of my childhood
-seating seven passengers in a five passenger car
-playing the brand-name game while eating snow cones
-eating Tic-Tacs from Canada after a long day of snorkeling
-Counting down the days before I return to Canada
-Wishing that I hadn't let my chinese go to waste
-Recieving underserved praise for my achievements
-Having five year old cousins run from me because I'm nothing more than a foreigner to him
-Walking over paved roads that used to be wilderness in my youth
-Crying because six years has changed everything
-Wondering what I would say to my grandma if I could communicate with her
-Wishing for just one day back in my childhood
-Hating the existing barrier between certain cousins
-Feeling like I have betrayed my heritage
-Understanding full well that previous relationships with cousins are gone forever
-Not knowing when I will be back again
-Knowing that non of my friends at home can share or understand any of these feelings and experiences.

Mental Ability Challenge

This was a Mensa challenge I took when I was 12 years old. Difference here being that my exam paper had only consisted of 33 questions. In which I scored just under 60%.

26 L of the A

7 W of the W

1001 A.N

12 S of the Z

52 C in a D (WJ's)

9 P in the S.S

88 P.K

13 S on the A.F

18 H on a G.C

90 D in a R.A

100 C in a D

8 S on a S.S

4 Q in a G

24 H in a D

1 W on a U

6 D in a Z.C

101 D

1000 Y in a M

64 S on a C.B

13 C in a S

12 K on a R.T

66 B of the B

10 L.I

10 Y in a D

6 W of H the E

36 I in a Y

60 S in a M

5 T on a F

29 D in F in a L.Y

1000 W that a P is W

32 D.F at which W.F

200 D for P.G in M

4 H of the A

82 G in a N.H.L.S

7 D in a T.N (W.A.C)

7 C on the E

Kitty in Black and White

By SuloinenEnkeli

Waiting for a Drink

Killer Kat

In a Sunbeam

Her Prince

The King of the Tree

By Jean Fracois

Dreaming of Mice

What's for Dinner?

For The Birds

Cat Study by Kristen

Happy Cat Week!

Sandie has declared this week Cat Week, so Cat Week it shall be. In reality, this is just an excuse for Sandie to post alot of pictures of cats everyday.

RIP 2004

I got to end my last day of 2004 with an exclamation point. In fact, said exclamation point was so massive in all of its glory, it was accompanied by a maelstrom of shiney gold stars, and giant bunnies that clobbered me over the head.Hard.

Mr. Exclamation point was a kind of a bothersome house-guest, so emphatic and demanding that I decided that I've had enough exclamations for the year, and would stay put on this particular New Year's Eve. Oh but don't feel sorry for me, the exasperating guest wasn't too bad, I didn't have to alter my previous New Year's Eve plans to accommodate the new one.

Even though I am not typically one to partake in New Year's activities or traditions, just this once however, in good humour, I will create my very own list of resolutions for the new year:

1) Be good to your friends: For they are potential bail-fund providers and can also hide you in their basement until the paternity suit blows over.

2) Be good to your friends: They most likely have significant blackmail material on you.

3) Be nice to nerds: Because you may end up working for them some day.

4) Be kind to children: They are our future, and also act as snack and beverage retrievers during Hockey Night in Canada, or Desperate Housewives, whichever suits your fancy. (plus, some of them may grow up to be more successful than you, in a world where you must suck up to your former beverage-retriever to get that raise.)

5) Attain the date of Buy Nothing Day: Participating stores of Buy Nothing Day will give out free uncostly items and samplings of food.

6) Buy paint and art supplies: Because Mrs. John is getting preachy about the numerous acrylic brushes, conté crayons, and bottles of India ink disappearing from the classroom.

7) Get a job: It's the perfect excuse for my under achievments in school to tide my mom with.

Dear Wallet

Dear Wallet,
I bring you good news, recent anecdotes say that Sandie has lost her appetite for shopping.

Foood?

I was in my kitchen today. This is not a rare occurrence as I can often be found in my kitchen, but I do not grace the kitchen with my presence to achieve what many would consider the ultimate goal when entering a kitchen, and that is to prepare food.

No, I go into the kitchen to try and prepare food. You see, no matter how hard I try, however many attempts I make and however often I hold a particular container of food up to my face to peer eagerly at it's fine contents and nutritional value, to at least try to conjure an idea for what manner of a meal or snack I should make for this fine afternoon, I end up leaving the kitchen with an empty stomach, every time.

My attention wanders, you see. I think about anything - everything in fact, that has nothing to do with food. I can be happily staring into the space roughly half a metre past the jar of artichoke hearts I hold in my grasp while I think about the different brands of calculators, or cats, or cats with calculators glued to their backs, or alarm clocks that are friendly and talk to you in the morning. Nothing can distract me from this. Not even my sister, can wrench my gaze from whatever it is I'm not looking at to inform me that I've been standing there for roughly forty-five minutes with the fridge door open.

Today, for example, I went into the kitchen, I opened the fridge and peered at its fine content of slightly overripe fruits, bruised carrots, and assorted dairy products, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of anything but this -

In the Super Mario series of games, Mario somehow has the ability to pick things up without the use of his hands. Not even that, but he seems to offer no obvious method by which items are procured. Coins, power-up mushrooms, invincibility stars. All that these things require to be taken from their lofty perch atop an almost equally improbable floaty block is to be walked into.
What if this happened all the time in real life? Objects would randomly disappear upon collision with a human body, only to reappear as nothing more than a number in the corner of your vision, or a curious after effect - possibly causing the unfortunate victim to grow to the size of a large oak tree.

As I held the russet onion in my hand, I found myself perplexed by this. I tried touching the onion a few times to see if I could "pick it up", but alas, nothing happened. I placed the onion back into the fridge and walked out of the kitchen. I'd forgotten what I'd come in for.

Merry Crassmass

This year's Christmas was nice. I went to Ashley's house the day before Christmas eve to give each other presents. It was fun, and I got nice things. Eileen gave Sandie a nice belt, and a nice book. The book that Eileen got Sandie is called Nineteen-Eighty-Four, and it is by George Orwell. Lindy got Ashley a nice scarf and a black shirt and some makeup. I like makeup. We went to a restaurant to have lunch that day. It was nice. The restaurant was nice, and the food was nice. It was greek food. Greek food is nice. Then after lunch, me and Lindy went to Laurel and Kimberly's house. We went to the Burchells' house because Lindy said she was going to give Kimberly chocolate and a card. It was nice. At Laurel and Kimberly's house, Kimberly was sick. And so was their dog, Sheyla. Sheyla is fun, and Sheyla kept on trying to lick my face. Sheyla is very cute.

We went back to Ashley's house after giving Kimberly her card, and playing with Sheyla. We baked pie at Ashley's house. It was fun. Lindy and Ashley peeled and cut the apples, Sandie mixed the apples in sugar and cinnamon. Eileen was baking chocolate cookies. Aidan was there and Aidan played computer games while we made pie. We had alot of fun, and we watched some movies. We watched Sin City first. In the middle of Sin City Ashley's mom came home with sushi. We had sushi for dinner. After Sin City we watched TV. Then a little later we watched Le Marche de L'Empereur. Penguins are so cute, and after watching that movie Aidan said she wanted to have a pet penguin. I like penguins. Penguins are cute. Later Sandie and Eileen went upstairs to make coffee. Sandie went to go on the computer. Aidan came and we played a cool online game. When we went back downstairs, Lindy was watching Batman Begins. It looked really cool. But Sandie missed alot of the movie, so she didn't really get it. So Sandie ended up playing games with Eileen. Then we went to sleep. It was fun.

Movies that Will Make you Cry

Making a list like this makes me realize that I am quite the cry-baby... although I assure you, most (if not all of these movies) are more than tear-worthy.

Hotel Rwanda
Just finished this movie no more than half an hour ago. It's an eye-opener, this movie. Don Cheadle commanded the screen, he was nothing short of amazing. If you can sit through this movie without feeling the least bit of disturbance, there is something wrong with you.

The Pianist
A stunning movie about the Holocaust through the eyes of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Holocaust survivor, directed by Roman Polanski, another Holocaust survivor. Quite an unique point of view for a this type of film. Not once has this film become preachy. Adrien Brody's performance was excellent.

Big Fish
Crying over this movie may not be as justified as the previous two, but I couldn't help it. It hits you like a brick wall at the end of it all. An extremely bittersweet ending to a breathtakingly beautiful film. Still need convincing? Two words: Tim Burton.

The Green Mile
I watched this movie a few years ago, so my recollection of it is a bit rusty. But I remember it to be full of moving performances. I don't typically enjoy thoes films where the directors so blatantly try to manipulate the audience to feel. When it doesn't work, the movie entire movie suffers and has a fake feeling. But The Green Mile was executed so perfectly, I didn't hold back on the tears by the end of the film.


Honourable Mentions for Cry-worthy films: (All terrific movies)

Whale Rider
One of thoes eye-opening movies for me, that addresses the industrialization of the world, and the diminishing culture in smaller societies.

Billy Elliot
A prime example of a movie where emotional manipulation works beautifully. A very delicate story about a father-son relationship. In a class wayyy above it's fellow movies of a similar storyline.

Requiem for a Dream
Darren Aronofsky is a film-making genius. His brain definitely does not follow the typical conventions of film making, evident from this film. Highly disturbing. Requiem is a very difficult movie to sit through, but worth every moment of it. Be warned.

Le Marche de L'Empereur This movie review is not in accordance to my own review, since it reviews the English version, which in my humblest opionion is not nearly as worthy as the original French version. Stunning, stunning, documentary is all I can say. Luc Jacquet and his crew spent months in Antarctica, following the emperor penguins through the cycle of life. Some of the footages are simply unbelievable. Jacquet also took a very unique approach to this documentary. Instead of having the typical voice-over narration despicting the events happening on screen, Jacquet had a male and female voice actor(ess), personifying the male and female penguins. The choice of music is also extremely unique to documentary music history.

The Motorcycle DiariesA very simple coming-of-age story, told through the stunning experiences of two Argentinians. The thing that sets this movie apart from other coming-of-age stories is that the viewer can actually see the transformation of the two main characters on screen. Yet at the same time, the transformations happen subtly.

You Can Count on Me
My Dog Skip
The Last Samurai

Well, that's my list, I will elaborate on the last three films some other time.
As a last note, I'd like to say, WATCH THESE MOVIES!! Or else.