almost famous
almost famous is my all-time favorite movie. for awhile, i thought it was my #2 behind forrest gump, but each time i watch almost famous, the more i realize how much i like the movie. i have seen it about 3 times in the last couple of days.. i just watch it, over and over.. and i don't seem to get bored of it.
i still haven't heard from the nissan dealership concerning my car. i wonder if they having trouble finding it.. it's almost been a full week now.. it's kinda frustrating..
on saturday my grandparents are going to maryland to visit my uncle.. i can't wait!
today my boss pete left. he's leaving to get his master's in public administration. i don't know why but i was really sad today to see him go. is it weird to be sad when your boss goes away? i felt that pete played a big part in my development in the last 9 months. he was always encouraging me, giving me career advice, and acting like an older brother. i think i'm gonna miss him a lot. i feel that God put him in my life and i'm so grateful for it.
i found out that i'm still gonna get paid for the jury duty, which makes it a week vacation instead.. pretty sweet..
August 28, 2003
August 24, 2003
caught red-handed!
the funniest thing just happened. i just finished mopping the kitchen, took me awhile to clean up the grannies' mess, but i finally got it out. then I told them not to go into the kitchen because it was still wet.
anyway, then i went back to watch tv, and to my surprise my grandmother comes out to see me through the kitchen, so i reminded her i'd just cleaned up. so she went back to my room. out of curiosity, i went back to look at the kitchen floor. a clear set of prints, almost like someone had come out of sandbox!
so i went over to their room, and just then my grampa asked me, why is our kitchen floor always so dirty? they couldn't figure it out.. grandma blamed it on the fact that the kitchen floor is black so everything shows up on it, whereas in their room, it looks clean (hardwood). i told her it was probably her slippers that were dirty. she insisted it was just the color of the floor that was at fault.
so i pulled grampa aside and showed him the prints my grandma had made. i pointed out that she was the only person to walk in the kitchen since i had mopped. therefore, it had to be her slippers. so grampa waddles back to their bedroom and tells her. but she won't believe it. so i walk over and say, come and see the marks you made, you were the only one in the kitchen since i mopped. at that point she realized it must be her slippers, but because of her proud ways, she refused to get up, citing she was 'too tired'. LOL
i got her! hahahaha..
the funniest thing just happened. i just finished mopping the kitchen, took me awhile to clean up the grannies' mess, but i finally got it out. then I told them not to go into the kitchen because it was still wet.
anyway, then i went back to watch tv, and to my surprise my grandmother comes out to see me through the kitchen, so i reminded her i'd just cleaned up. so she went back to my room. out of curiosity, i went back to look at the kitchen floor. a clear set of prints, almost like someone had come out of sandbox!
so i went over to their room, and just then my grampa asked me, why is our kitchen floor always so dirty? they couldn't figure it out.. grandma blamed it on the fact that the kitchen floor is black so everything shows up on it, whereas in their room, it looks clean (hardwood). i told her it was probably her slippers that were dirty. she insisted it was just the color of the floor that was at fault.
so i pulled grampa aside and showed him the prints my grandma had made. i pointed out that she was the only person to walk in the kitchen since i had mopped. therefore, it had to be her slippers. so grampa waddles back to their bedroom and tells her. but she won't believe it. so i walk over and say, come and see the marks you made, you were the only one in the kitchen since i mopped. at that point she realized it must be her slippers, but because of her proud ways, she refused to get up, citing she was 'too tired'. LOL
i got her! hahahaha..
wedding(s)
kevin and melodie's wedding was a lot different from lon and yvonne. i think the biggest difference was that k&m have money. it was more your typical chinese wedding. they did it at tmccc (birchmount/sheppard) and it was pretty nice. i grew up in that church and it was still the same, but just seemed a lot smaller. pastor wesley did the wedding, his first. he's such a wacky pastor. he was cracking jokes and stuff in the middle of his sermon and all that.. it was pretty hilarious.. even at the banquet he ran all the games. the great thing about wes is he doesn't need a mic, because his voice is so loud!
the banquet was at new world palace, they really did up the place real nice, it was "pretty". as all traditional chinese banquets, the invitation says 6pm but the food doesn't come til 8pm. we had a pool to guess when the food would come out. i guess 7:45, kevh voted 7:50, eric guessed 7:41. frances got it the closest at 8pm. the food actually came at 7:56pm. when you're that hungry, everything tastes good, so i can't tell you how good the food was because if you asked me, i would tell you it was the best food i've eaten EVER.
in between the banquet and ceremony, i went with rudy to the nearest Nissan dealership and negotiated for a car. i got it. whee!
kevin and melodie's wedding was a lot different from lon and yvonne. i think the biggest difference was that k&m have money. it was more your typical chinese wedding. they did it at tmccc (birchmount/sheppard) and it was pretty nice. i grew up in that church and it was still the same, but just seemed a lot smaller. pastor wesley did the wedding, his first. he's such a wacky pastor. he was cracking jokes and stuff in the middle of his sermon and all that.. it was pretty hilarious.. even at the banquet he ran all the games. the great thing about wes is he doesn't need a mic, because his voice is so loud!
the banquet was at new world palace, they really did up the place real nice, it was "pretty". as all traditional chinese banquets, the invitation says 6pm but the food doesn't come til 8pm. we had a pool to guess when the food would come out. i guess 7:45, kevh voted 7:50, eric guessed 7:41. frances got it the closest at 8pm. the food actually came at 7:56pm. when you're that hungry, everything tastes good, so i can't tell you how good the food was because if you asked me, i would tell you it was the best food i've eaten EVER.
in between the banquet and ceremony, i went with rudy to the nearest Nissan dealership and negotiated for a car. i got it. whee!
september 10, 2003
mark this one down, boys and girls. on sept 10, 2003, mr. loquacious is going to court! that's right folks, after ducking behind my student status three times, i have finally been summoned to jury duty.
$40/day baby..
today at the loblaws they were selling a whole rabbit. thought that was a little gross. i lifted it and look at it, then found they were also selling half rabbits too. mmmm... rabbit....
mark this one down, boys and girls. on sept 10, 2003, mr. loquacious is going to court! that's right folks, after ducking behind my student status three times, i have finally been summoned to jury duty.
$40/day baby..
today at the loblaws they were selling a whole rabbit. thought that was a little gross. i lifted it and look at it, then found they were also selling half rabbits too. mmmm... rabbit....
August 23, 2003
busy busy busy
another weekend, another wedding..
i had wendy's today. waited until the grannies were asleep and then ran downstairs for food. i had the bacon mushroom melt combo. that burger is something else.. delicious!
i just had bbt with adam. it's so convenient, literally i step outside my buildnig and there it is. for some reason whenever i go for bubble tea i always feel like i need to try a new flavor. i tried kiwi green tea, which tasted nothing like kiwi. actually it was a little bitter.. but man, the waitress we got was really cute. when she came over to take our orders, i looked up right at her, not realizing how (wowee) she was and pretty much froze, unable to remember my order. so i just pulled out the menu and pointed and said "uhh.. kiwi.. green tea.. yes bubbles". wow.
anyway.. time for bed.
another weekend, another wedding..
i had wendy's today. waited until the grannies were asleep and then ran downstairs for food. i had the bacon mushroom melt combo. that burger is something else.. delicious!
i just had bbt with adam. it's so convenient, literally i step outside my buildnig and there it is. for some reason whenever i go for bubble tea i always feel like i need to try a new flavor. i tried kiwi green tea, which tasted nothing like kiwi. actually it was a little bitter.. but man, the waitress we got was really cute. when she came over to take our orders, i looked up right at her, not realizing how (wowee) she was and pretty much froze, unable to remember my order. so i just pulled out the menu and pointed and said "uhh.. kiwi.. green tea.. yes bubbles". wow.
anyway.. time for bed.
August 22, 2003
August 20, 2003
blah
it still bothers me that i have to use html tags to make the title because the blogger title thing doesn't work. why is it even there? that bugs me.
somehow i was invited to kev and mel's wedding banquet without knowing. the invitation didn't mention the banquet at all, so i just assumed i wasn't invited, but today kev called me to give me directions to the place. there's gonna be dancing afterwards.. dancing at weddings sucks, because i don't dance. so i just sit there and do nothing while people try to drag me over to the dance floor to prove to me that it's actually fun. okay. now i'm standing among people jumping up and down and side to side. am i having fun? no! i hope they have an open bar...
i've lost 8 pounds since my parents moved away.
i booked the flight for my grandparents to visit my uncle in the states. for a whole month, i'll be able to:
- cook for myself, thus eat food that i KNOW is not rotten
- eat food in dishes i KNOW was washed with soap
- live in a clean place
don't get me wrong, i love my grandparents, but it's like living with a couple of teenagers!
it still bothers me that i have to use html tags to make the title because the blogger title thing doesn't work. why is it even there? that bugs me.
somehow i was invited to kev and mel's wedding banquet without knowing. the invitation didn't mention the banquet at all, so i just assumed i wasn't invited, but today kev called me to give me directions to the place. there's gonna be dancing afterwards.. dancing at weddings sucks, because i don't dance. so i just sit there and do nothing while people try to drag me over to the dance floor to prove to me that it's actually fun. okay. now i'm standing among people jumping up and down and side to side. am i having fun? no! i hope they have an open bar...
i've lost 8 pounds since my parents moved away.
i booked the flight for my grandparents to visit my uncle in the states. for a whole month, i'll be able to:
- cook for myself, thus eat food that i KNOW is not rotten
- eat food in dishes i KNOW was washed with soap
- live in a clean place
don't get me wrong, i love my grandparents, but it's like living with a couple of teenagers!
August 19, 2003
length
do people read long posts? I find that I get much more responses when i post something short compared to when I post something short. in truth, i don't care if anyone reads this. for me it's the hosting of a log that i can go and look back on when i need to. i think it's pretty sweet that they've got stuff for me from years ago.
do people read long posts? I find that I get much more responses when i post something short compared to when I post something short. in truth, i don't care if anyone reads this. for me it's the hosting of a log that i can go and look back on when i need to. i think it's pretty sweet that they've got stuff for me from years ago.
hello
what a depressing song.
playground school bell rings again
rain clouds come to play again
has no one told you she's not breathing?
hello I’m your mind giving you someone to talk to
hello
if I smile and don't believe
soon I know I’ll wake from this dream
don't try to fix me I’m not broken
hello I’m the lie living for you so you can hide
don't cry
suddenly I know I’m not sleeping
hello I’m still here
all that's left of yesterday
i guess this is just more notes on the group evanescence. yeah, i know sometimes you can analyze something to death. but listening to their songs, it's odd to think they claim to no longer believe in Him when you look at their lyrics, the whole album is like one giant spiritual war.
Take a look at Going Under's first verse:
"Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming, Deceiving, and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me...
Going under
Don't want your hand this time
I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up the walls
Now tormented daily, defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom"
Then there's Tourniquet:
"I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
Screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved ?
Am I too lost ?
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
Do you remember me ?
Lost for so long.
Will you be on the other side ?
Will you forgive me ?"
And then there's Everybody's Fool:
"perfect by nature
icons of self-indulgence
just what we all need
more lies about a world that
never was and never will be
have you no shame don't you see me
you know you've got everybody fooled
look here she comes now
bow down and stare in wonder
oh how we love you
no flaws when you're pretending
but now I know she "
Other than the "she" part, this could be the group struggling with the feeling of betrayal by God. Maybe they went through a sufferous time in their lives. I dunno.
It just goes to show you, sometimes a band can truly come out of nowhere, just cuz they actually had something to sing about. Look at Alanis Morrissette, that first album was great, but afterwards, that passion was gone, and now she stinks.
Field of Innocence, confusing:
I still remember the world
From the eyes of a child
Slowly those feelings
Were clouded by what I know now
Where has my heart gone
An uneven trade for the real world
I want to go back to
Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all
I still remember the sun
Always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now
Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
I want to go back to
Believing in everything
what a depressing song.
playground school bell rings again
rain clouds come to play again
has no one told you she's not breathing?
hello I’m your mind giving you someone to talk to
hello
if I smile and don't believe
soon I know I’ll wake from this dream
don't try to fix me I’m not broken
hello I’m the lie living for you so you can hide
don't cry
suddenly I know I’m not sleeping
hello I’m still here
all that's left of yesterday
i guess this is just more notes on the group evanescence. yeah, i know sometimes you can analyze something to death. but listening to their songs, it's odd to think they claim to no longer believe in Him when you look at their lyrics, the whole album is like one giant spiritual war.
Take a look at Going Under's first verse:
"Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming, Deceiving, and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me...
Going under
Don't want your hand this time
I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up the walls
Now tormented daily, defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom"
Then there's Tourniquet:
"I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
Screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved ?
Am I too lost ?
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
Do you remember me ?
Lost for so long.
Will you be on the other side ?
Will you forgive me ?"
And then there's Everybody's Fool:
"perfect by nature
icons of self-indulgence
just what we all need
more lies about a world that
never was and never will be
have you no shame don't you see me
you know you've got everybody fooled
look here she comes now
bow down and stare in wonder
oh how we love you
no flaws when you're pretending
but now I know she "
Other than the "she" part, this could be the group struggling with the feeling of betrayal by God. Maybe they went through a sufferous time in their lives. I dunno.
It just goes to show you, sometimes a band can truly come out of nowhere, just cuz they actually had something to sing about. Look at Alanis Morrissette, that first album was great, but afterwards, that passion was gone, and now she stinks.
Field of Innocence, confusing:
I still remember the world
From the eyes of a child
Slowly those feelings
Were clouded by what I know now
Where has my heart gone
An uneven trade for the real world
I want to go back to
Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all
I still remember the sun
Always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now
Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
I want to go back to
Believing in everything
August 16, 2003
happy birthday to me
thursday was my birthday. i can honestly say that this was my best birthday ever. definitely most memorable.
hanki was gonna take me out for a sushi dinner. work was hectic, just the way i like it. i had manchu wok for lunch. telus sent me a birthday greeting through text messaging to my cell. my computer and the computer next to me was infected with the slammer virus, but we cleaned it out easily and we were fine.
things were going great. we were getting really close to home time. i was definitely looking forward to the sushi!
then, it happened.
my computer turned off. luckily i had saved recently, so no biggie. the lights were out too though, that was a bit annoying, but we have great sunlight from the windows. so we all sat there. then my co-worker's cell phone rang. it was his wife. hummingbird centre lost power too. then another cell rang.. it was my friends girlfriend in New York. power was down there too.. wow! so we all grabbed our things and headed down the stairs. we're on the 27th, so it was quite a trek. i noted that the washroom water wasn't running either.. interesting.
when we got downstairs, there were lots of people down there, all whispering about what had happened. no one knew about NY, so i told them about it. no one really believed me.
it was a HOT day. i don't usually have to go outside, because the subway is connected to both my office building and my condo. it was REALLY hot. i took off my shirt and changed to a T. still hot though.
we noticed that all the streetcars had stopped, and that all the buses were packed. some of them said "extra fare required". i got separated from my co-workers and started walking east towards Yonge street. when i got there, i found that tons of people were just walking up north, so i decided to join them. i didn't have a plan or anything. i tried calling some downtown friends just to make sure it wasn't the Rapture. then my signal died. i guess everyone was using their cells, so signals were getting mixed badly. sometimes it wouldn't dial, even with full reception. other times, the line would ring, but then it would stop ringing and no one picked up.
there were a bunch of black teens trying to sell calls from their cell phones (which apparently were working fine). "$2 per call!" they yelled. i just shook my head. dumb kids..
i was hot, but i have a pretty good thresh hold of heat. i actually enjoy hot intense humidity, believe it or not. but i passed many people who were clearly suffering from it. at first stores on yonge street were selling water, but the further uptown i got, the more i found stores just giving it away. i saw a few buses drive past me completely filled right to the front steps. it became more and more apparent to me that i would be walking home.
the distance from my work to home is about 15 km. where i live is considered 'uptown' compared to where i work which is 'downtown'. i'm not sure why it's up and down, but thursday i found it might have something to do with the incline. my walk home on thursday was all uphill.
i'm not sure which coffee shop i went to because i was just dried up and wasn't paying attention. anyway, i got an iced cappachino (no, it wasn't timmy's). that thing sure was refreshing, even though their ice machines were down, it was still pretty slushy. once i had the drink, was quite happy. i found myself singing out loud. first, it was I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, then it was Jesus, Lover of my Soul. I sang pretty loudly, although no one actually looked at me so maybe it wasn't THAT loud.
around rosedale or so (i go by the subway system, cuz i don't really know the streets), i ran into adeline, the girl who emcee'd lon's wedding banquet. she was with her bf andy. (i think it was andy). she didn't recognize me at first (what else is new). we walked together all the way til sheppard. that girl is a trooper.. she was walking fast and full of energy. didn't seem tired one bit, whereas i was lagging behind. i think at around eglinton we ran into andy's old roommate from university.
i think it's pretty interesting how we ran into people we knew. my feet were burning.. like hot burning. i thought the skin under my feet had grinded down to flesh.. that's how it felt. my legs were aching. yet, this girl adeline was just going, not one bit tired. she had running shoes on though.. i think that is an unfair advantage!
the whole time i kept trying to call home to make sure the grandparents were okay. they didn't pick up the phone though. i was worried they might have gone to china town. i prayed hard they were safe.
when i first ran into adeline, we saw a pickup truck with a bunch of people in the back. we ended up passing them on foot, but they caught up to us at around york mills. i think cars on the street must have lost so much gas from idling and waiting. there were some kind people who tried to help direct traffic only to be honked by the drivers. if only they thought for a moment what a huge difference these people were making.
anyway.. eventually we got to sheppard. adeline and andy parted from me at that point since they lived there. i walked a few more steps, crossed sheppard, and collapsed at the sheppard centre, right around the stairs.
when i came to, it was morning and i was naked. just kidding. i just took a break and when i looked up i saw my old childhood friend mike. he had me beat, he'd walked from front street. i discovered he lives in the same building as danny. what a small world! i called home again and finally they answered.. God really answers prayers.. they had gone out before the outtage, to go shopping then came back -- and the kicker -- our building had emergency power reserved for elevators, so they got home safely.
instead of sushi, i had peaches and lady fingers for dinner. i took a shower with a flashlight..
and that, in a nutshell, is the story of my 25th birthday.
oh.. another interesting thing i found out that adeline is actually hanki's cousin.. what a small world indeed!
thursday was my birthday. i can honestly say that this was my best birthday ever. definitely most memorable.
hanki was gonna take me out for a sushi dinner. work was hectic, just the way i like it. i had manchu wok for lunch. telus sent me a birthday greeting through text messaging to my cell. my computer and the computer next to me was infected with the slammer virus, but we cleaned it out easily and we were fine.
things were going great. we were getting really close to home time. i was definitely looking forward to the sushi!
then, it happened.
my computer turned off. luckily i had saved recently, so no biggie. the lights were out too though, that was a bit annoying, but we have great sunlight from the windows. so we all sat there. then my co-worker's cell phone rang. it was his wife. hummingbird centre lost power too. then another cell rang.. it was my friends girlfriend in New York. power was down there too.. wow! so we all grabbed our things and headed down the stairs. we're on the 27th, so it was quite a trek. i noted that the washroom water wasn't running either.. interesting.
when we got downstairs, there were lots of people down there, all whispering about what had happened. no one knew about NY, so i told them about it. no one really believed me.
it was a HOT day. i don't usually have to go outside, because the subway is connected to both my office building and my condo. it was REALLY hot. i took off my shirt and changed to a T. still hot though.
we noticed that all the streetcars had stopped, and that all the buses were packed. some of them said "extra fare required". i got separated from my co-workers and started walking east towards Yonge street. when i got there, i found that tons of people were just walking up north, so i decided to join them. i didn't have a plan or anything. i tried calling some downtown friends just to make sure it wasn't the Rapture. then my signal died. i guess everyone was using their cells, so signals were getting mixed badly. sometimes it wouldn't dial, even with full reception. other times, the line would ring, but then it would stop ringing and no one picked up.
there were a bunch of black teens trying to sell calls from their cell phones (which apparently were working fine). "$2 per call!" they yelled. i just shook my head. dumb kids..
i was hot, but i have a pretty good thresh hold of heat. i actually enjoy hot intense humidity, believe it or not. but i passed many people who were clearly suffering from it. at first stores on yonge street were selling water, but the further uptown i got, the more i found stores just giving it away. i saw a few buses drive past me completely filled right to the front steps. it became more and more apparent to me that i would be walking home.
the distance from my work to home is about 15 km. where i live is considered 'uptown' compared to where i work which is 'downtown'. i'm not sure why it's up and down, but thursday i found it might have something to do with the incline. my walk home on thursday was all uphill.
i'm not sure which coffee shop i went to because i was just dried up and wasn't paying attention. anyway, i got an iced cappachino (no, it wasn't timmy's). that thing sure was refreshing, even though their ice machines were down, it was still pretty slushy. once i had the drink, was quite happy. i found myself singing out loud. first, it was I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, then it was Jesus, Lover of my Soul. I sang pretty loudly, although no one actually looked at me so maybe it wasn't THAT loud.
around rosedale or so (i go by the subway system, cuz i don't really know the streets), i ran into adeline, the girl who emcee'd lon's wedding banquet. she was with her bf andy. (i think it was andy). she didn't recognize me at first (what else is new). we walked together all the way til sheppard. that girl is a trooper.. she was walking fast and full of energy. didn't seem tired one bit, whereas i was lagging behind. i think at around eglinton we ran into andy's old roommate from university.
i think it's pretty interesting how we ran into people we knew. my feet were burning.. like hot burning. i thought the skin under my feet had grinded down to flesh.. that's how it felt. my legs were aching. yet, this girl adeline was just going, not one bit tired. she had running shoes on though.. i think that is an unfair advantage!
the whole time i kept trying to call home to make sure the grandparents were okay. they didn't pick up the phone though. i was worried they might have gone to china town. i prayed hard they were safe.
when i first ran into adeline, we saw a pickup truck with a bunch of people in the back. we ended up passing them on foot, but they caught up to us at around york mills. i think cars on the street must have lost so much gas from idling and waiting. there were some kind people who tried to help direct traffic only to be honked by the drivers. if only they thought for a moment what a huge difference these people were making.
anyway.. eventually we got to sheppard. adeline and andy parted from me at that point since they lived there. i walked a few more steps, crossed sheppard, and collapsed at the sheppard centre, right around the stairs.
when i came to, it was morning and i was naked. just kidding. i just took a break and when i looked up i saw my old childhood friend mike. he had me beat, he'd walked from front street. i discovered he lives in the same building as danny. what a small world! i called home again and finally they answered.. God really answers prayers.. they had gone out before the outtage, to go shopping then came back -- and the kicker -- our building had emergency power reserved for elevators, so they got home safely.
instead of sushi, i had peaches and lady fingers for dinner. i took a shower with a flashlight..
and that, in a nutshell, is the story of my 25th birthday.
oh.. another interesting thing i found out that adeline is actually hanki's cousin.. what a small world indeed!
August 13, 2003
mikey
first off.. a congratulations to mikey bustos for doing so well in the canadian idol competition. mikey was eliminated from competition last night, but not before touching the hearts of many with his beautiful voice and emotion-filled performances. i'm sure it was an unbelievable experience for him and i hope that he is more thankful than upset. it is a huge accomplishment to make it just to the top 10, in canada -- a country that is just barely scratching the surface of embracing the hip-hop culture.. that's pretty fantastic.. keep your chin up, bro! (not to mention he got to meet mariah.. i'm so jealous!)
insurance
the insurance rates between the altima and the accord are almost identical. i guess the test drive will have to be the ultimate decision maker for me. bri: i think altima's are pretty reliable now, from what i've read. most people my age of suggested getting the accord, and the older people have said to go for the altima.
rent
if you know anyone who is looking for a place to live, i know of a condo for rent about 5 mins walking distance from north york subway station. it's a pretty upscale place. it comes with a parking space. laundry machines, oven, fridge etc all there. the rent is around 1400/month. send me off an email (brian_yao@yahoo.com) if you know anyone who'd be interested.
first off.. a congratulations to mikey bustos for doing so well in the canadian idol competition. mikey was eliminated from competition last night, but not before touching the hearts of many with his beautiful voice and emotion-filled performances. i'm sure it was an unbelievable experience for him and i hope that he is more thankful than upset. it is a huge accomplishment to make it just to the top 10, in canada -- a country that is just barely scratching the surface of embracing the hip-hop culture.. that's pretty fantastic.. keep your chin up, bro! (not to mention he got to meet mariah.. i'm so jealous!)
insurance
the insurance rates between the altima and the accord are almost identical. i guess the test drive will have to be the ultimate decision maker for me. bri: i think altima's are pretty reliable now, from what i've read. most people my age of suggested getting the accord, and the older people have said to go for the altima.
rent
if you know anyone who is looking for a place to live, i know of a condo for rent about 5 mins walking distance from north york subway station. it's a pretty upscale place. it comes with a parking space. laundry machines, oven, fridge etc all there. the rent is around 1400/month. send me off an email (brian_yao@yahoo.com) if you know anyone who'd be interested.
August 12, 2003
wedding
lon & yvonne's wedding was very nice. everything went as planned except for a tiny hitch just in the beginning, when the music for yvonne to come down started, she didn't. but eventually she came down and everything when smoothly. being a groomsman definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.
advantages are you get to be part of an amazing moment of your friends' lives. you get to wear a cool suit (and might i add, i looked pretty sharp in it) and have everyone stare at you. i was really happy that everyone seemed to liked my new haircut.
disadvantages are that everyone stares at you. and it's a lot of work.. very tiring standing around helping out lon or yvonne.
but it was a lot of fun and a total honor to be a part of.
highlights:
- seeing moments of pure joy in Lon's face at the wedding
- lon getting it all right -- he seemed pretty confused at rehearsal
- yvonne almost breaking down during her vows
- the bridesmaids -- very nice.. and i don't just mean kind and friendly!
- lon and yvonne's kiss at the end.. easily the best kiss i've seen at any christian wedding --- interesting tidbit, they hadn't kissed in over a year, and you could tell they missed it!
- walking up and down main street Unionville for wedding photo's -- i grew up in Unionville
- jon's (best man) toast
- the TSMA bit..
- jon almost breaking down during the end of his toast
- embarrassing games at the banquet
- the sound system failing in the middle of lon and yvonne's first dance
- yvonne's thank you to her dad (almost broke down again)
what can i say.. i love that emotional stuff.
the sound system was weird.. it kept cutting in and out. only about 15-20 songs were played in total out of the 100 i had picked. which is fine since i planned it that way. mikey's song didn't get played though (i had it on random, so it was just luck of the draw).
my final words are words of thanks to the bride and groom for letting me be a part of it all.
lon & yvonne's wedding was very nice. everything went as planned except for a tiny hitch just in the beginning, when the music for yvonne to come down started, she didn't. but eventually she came down and everything when smoothly. being a groomsman definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.
advantages are you get to be part of an amazing moment of your friends' lives. you get to wear a cool suit (and might i add, i looked pretty sharp in it) and have everyone stare at you. i was really happy that everyone seemed to liked my new haircut.
disadvantages are that everyone stares at you. and it's a lot of work.. very tiring standing around helping out lon or yvonne.
but it was a lot of fun and a total honor to be a part of.
highlights:
- seeing moments of pure joy in Lon's face at the wedding
- lon getting it all right -- he seemed pretty confused at rehearsal
- yvonne almost breaking down during her vows
- the bridesmaids -- very nice.. and i don't just mean kind and friendly!
- lon and yvonne's kiss at the end.. easily the best kiss i've seen at any christian wedding --- interesting tidbit, they hadn't kissed in over a year, and you could tell they missed it!
- walking up and down main street Unionville for wedding photo's -- i grew up in Unionville
- jon's (best man) toast
- the TSMA bit..
- jon almost breaking down during the end of his toast
- embarrassing games at the banquet
- the sound system failing in the middle of lon and yvonne's first dance
- yvonne's thank you to her dad (almost broke down again)
what can i say.. i love that emotional stuff.
the sound system was weird.. it kept cutting in and out. only about 15-20 songs were played in total out of the 100 i had picked. which is fine since i planned it that way. mikey's song didn't get played though (i had it on random, so it was just luck of the draw).
my final words are words of thanks to the bride and groom for letting me be a part of it all.
August 06, 2003
finished
the music list is done. finally. it doesn't fill a whole disc, but it's good enough. there's 7 hrs worth, and i even included mikey's song (i hope he doesn't mind..). i'm hoping someone will come up to me and ask 'hey, what song is that?' and i'll say 'why, you don't recognize the voice? it's none other than the infamous bustos and lam!'.. heheh
tomorrow i'm going to the mall to pick up the tux. that lady is gonna be so surprised, because when i first did the measurements, i sucked in my stomach, and since then i've gotten much fatter.. she's gonna be like.. "are you sure you're the right person??"
anyway i've been thinking more about the car. isn't an accord the second most stolen vehicle in north america, after the civic? now is that because of the sheer number of accords out there, or is it just a target? one of the major concerns for getting a car is also the "less headaches" the better..
the music list is done. finally. it doesn't fill a whole disc, but it's good enough. there's 7 hrs worth, and i even included mikey's song (i hope he doesn't mind..). i'm hoping someone will come up to me and ask 'hey, what song is that?' and i'll say 'why, you don't recognize the voice? it's none other than the infamous bustos and lam!'.. heheh
tomorrow i'm going to the mall to pick up the tux. that lady is gonna be so surprised, because when i first did the measurements, i sucked in my stomach, and since then i've gotten much fatter.. she's gonna be like.. "are you sure you're the right person??"
anyway i've been thinking more about the car. isn't an accord the second most stolen vehicle in north america, after the civic? now is that because of the sheer number of accords out there, or is it just a target? one of the major concerns for getting a car is also the "less headaches" the better..
August 05, 2003
vee-heh-cull
maybe someone here can help me with my latest quandry. i like the altima 2.5 sl. it's a nice car. however, the accord ex-l is equally impressive. i need a 4-door sedan so that my grandparents can get in and out without too much fuss. resale value doesn't apply either, i will drive this car til it dies.
i think the final decision will probably be decided by which one costs more for insurance..
i think the final decision will probably be decided by which one costs more for insurance..
hair-razing affair
i just got my very first ever "more than $10" haircut. downstairs there's a salon place, and i figured for sure they could not possibly screw up my hair. usually i go for the $10 cut, because well, who cares about hair right? but usually those things take about 2 weeks before you start looking normal again, because they don't know what the heck they're doing. so anyway, today i went to the salon place. it was $26+tax, so that was pretty expensive.
i can certainly see the difference though. at this place, he asked me what i wanted and i said 'what do you think?', and he said, (and i quote) "your look isn't really doing anything for you". Haha. so i told him to just do what he thinks would look good for me. i think it looks alright.. plus he took a lot more time making sure no extra strands of hair missed getting cut. i liked that close attention to detail. too many times i walk out of a $10 cut, come home, wash my hair, and when it's all dry, i find out they missed a whole patch. that really sucks.
also, when i go in there for the $10, they have no clue what i want or should have. i remember the last time i went to "first cuts", the lady asked me what number (for the buzz cut machine adapter size). duh.. who remembers that?
i can certainly see the difference though. at this place, he asked me what i wanted and i said 'what do you think?', and he said, (and i quote) "your look isn't really doing anything for you". Haha. so i told him to just do what he thinks would look good for me. i think it looks alright.. plus he took a lot more time making sure no extra strands of hair missed getting cut. i liked that close attention to detail. too many times i walk out of a $10 cut, come home, wash my hair, and when it's all dry, i find out they missed a whole patch. that really sucks.
also, when i go in there for the $10, they have no clue what i want or should have. i remember the last time i went to "first cuts", the lady asked me what number (for the buzz cut machine adapter size). duh.. who remembers that?
civic
yesterday was completely uneventful. i spent the whole day narrowing down my mp3s, from over 180 hours worth down to 12 hours. i need to bring this list down to 2 hours worth of nice, soothing wedding music.
i only saw mikey's performance, then i turned it off and continued making my song list. mikey sang quite well. zack werner claimed mikey is too too syrupy. you know what, mikey IS syrupy, but that's how he should be -- that's how r&b singers are supposed to be. look at usher, brian mcknight, maxwell, joe, eric benet, r.kelly. by definition, a male r&b singer has to 'syrupy', or a better word would be silky.
poor zack is looking for a rock star canadian idol. uhh.. newsflash.. check out today's top 30 songs and tell me how many of them are rock songs!
i only saw mikey's performance, then i turned it off and continued making my song list. mikey sang quite well. zack werner claimed mikey is too too syrupy. you know what, mikey IS syrupy, but that's how he should be -- that's how r&b singers are supposed to be. look at usher, brian mcknight, maxwell, joe, eric benet, r.kelly. by definition, a male r&b singer has to 'syrupy', or a better word would be silky.
poor zack is looking for a rock star canadian idol. uhh.. newsflash.. check out today's top 30 songs and tell me how many of them are rock songs!
August 03, 2003
american toilet bowl
tonight i saw the movie american wedding. at first i didn't really want to see it, but seeing it at fairview justified enough for me to go see it. (fairview charges 675 cents, even on a regular day). kev, char, anita, larry, mattmark, 'maxima' were there too.
i hafta say it wasn't your typical 'fellowship' type movie, like one of those movies you don't bring your kids to see, or your parents.
but it was a riot! there were parts in it that people were almost falling out of their chairs from laughing so hard! it's also not often people laugh so hard they are clapping, or almost standing.. it was really funny -- gross at times -- but funny.
in the beginning of the movie i kept thinking how immature it was and didn't find too many things funny, but after awhile the humour grows on you and you can't help but laugh at it. actually this movie was way better than american pie 2, and slightly funnier (but also dirtier) than the first one.
beefs..?
something that makes me wonder is what happened to that other guy, the football guy 'Oz'. Wasn't he a friend of jim's -- wouldn't he be invited to the wedding? and what about tara reid, is her acting career going so well that she didn't need to make an appearance? and this guy kevin.. his character serves absolutely no purpose. if you take him out of the movie, it's still the same exact movie. and... who names their kid 'january' ??
i hafta say it wasn't your typical 'fellowship' type movie, like one of those movies you don't bring your kids to see, or your parents.
but it was a riot! there were parts in it that people were almost falling out of their chairs from laughing so hard! it's also not often people laugh so hard they are clapping, or almost standing.. it was really funny -- gross at times -- but funny.
in the beginning of the movie i kept thinking how immature it was and didn't find too many things funny, but after awhile the humour grows on you and you can't help but laugh at it. actually this movie was way better than american pie 2, and slightly funnier (but also dirtier) than the first one.
beefs..?
something that makes me wonder is what happened to that other guy, the football guy 'Oz'. Wasn't he a friend of jim's -- wouldn't he be invited to the wedding? and what about tara reid, is her acting career going so well that she didn't need to make an appearance? and this guy kevin.. his character serves absolutely no purpose. if you take him out of the movie, it's still the same exact movie. and... who names their kid 'january' ??
August 01, 2003
score!
yesterday the guy finally came to pick up the fish tank. he brought with him 6 other guys, some of them were from his baseball team. (did i mention this guy's name was carlos delgado?). anyway, all the guys were pretty cool, they were pretty polite, even though i could smell they'd all come in from a bar.
they did a good job moving it, without scratching any of the walls. also, the guy gave me 150 bucks for the lawnmower. that was sweet. my dad said i could keep the money, so.. score! the guys invited me to go drinking with them, but i decided it's better that i didn't. even though they seemed like nice guys, they were big and figured when i had my 1 beer and couldn't take anymore, they'd probably make fun of me or something. plus i had to work today anyway.
i guess i'll use the money to buy mario kart: double dash, when it comes out in a couple months. and buy the evanescence cd once and for all.
they did a good job moving it, without scratching any of the walls. also, the guy gave me 150 bucks for the lawnmower. that was sweet. my dad said i could keep the money, so.. score! the guys invited me to go drinking with them, but i decided it's better that i didn't. even though they seemed like nice guys, they were big and figured when i had my 1 beer and couldn't take anymore, they'd probably make fun of me or something. plus i had to work today anyway.
i guess i'll use the money to buy mario kart: double dash, when it comes out in a couple months. and buy the evanescence cd once and for all.
going under
I was just reading an article about how the group Evanescence essentially decided to make their group completely secular, breaking all ties to their Christian roots. I really have a problem with this. Many groups switch between 'genres' in order to change their image (and ultimately try to make more money).
I remember once hearing Tarzan Dan saying he felt sorry for DC Talk for being labelled a christian group, back when they released that song to the secular world (i can't remember the name). U2 claims to be christian and in fact I've read Bono is a very strong christian, but they don't play christian music. Sixpence is another group that switches back and forth. Deliriou5 has released secular songs in the past.
For those reasons it doesn't bother me. I'm more concerned about whether they've truly denounced God, or if they're just doing it for their image/money. Whether they've decided to stop singing for the Christian genre or not doesn't affect whether I listen to them or not. It's really between them and God.
It brings us back to that 'you can't be saved twice, type of deal'. If they've been saved, and are now denouncing it, it's over for them. So for their sake, I hope it's just for ratings.
Regardless, Going Under is a pretty good song, though I had to listen to it 2-3 times before I started to like it.
I remember once hearing Tarzan Dan saying he felt sorry for DC Talk for being labelled a christian group, back when they released that song to the secular world (i can't remember the name). U2 claims to be christian and in fact I've read Bono is a very strong christian, but they don't play christian music. Sixpence is another group that switches back and forth. Deliriou5 has released secular songs in the past.
For those reasons it doesn't bother me. I'm more concerned about whether they've truly denounced God, or if they're just doing it for their image/money. Whether they've decided to stop singing for the Christian genre or not doesn't affect whether I listen to them or not. It's really between them and God.
It brings us back to that 'you can't be saved twice, type of deal'. If they've been saved, and are now denouncing it, it's over for them. So for their sake, I hope it's just for ratings.
Regardless, Going Under is a pretty good song, though I had to listen to it 2-3 times before I started to like it.
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