Damn you $13.00 movie tickets!
Um. Yeah. So i'm a Scrooge around Christmas. I'm not averse to it. Really i'm not. I just hate the whole retail part of it. You know the malls, the nauseating music. On the other hand i love getting prezzies. Yeah, can the "Jesus is the reason for the season" schtick, He wasn't even BORN in December! Another thing that's great about Christmas time, the kick arse movies. Aiya and I go nuts. Recently we were saying how weird it'll be NOT to sit through 3 hours of Lord of the Rings while our gluts go numb and we make fun of the effeminate characters. However as I have noted to some of you already, a lot of my current boyfriends are in some really good movies. Not just eye candy folks, but QUALITY as well, and that's always good! Here's the shortlist:
The Assasination of Richard Nixon
The Aviator
Bad Education
Beyond the Sea
Bride and Prejudice
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Closer
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
House of Flying Daggers
I am David
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Meet the Fockers
The Merchant of Venice
Oceans 12
Ray
Sideways
A Very Long Engagement
Speaking of boyfriends and movies though. I watched The Sound of Music yesterday, and i remembered how great Christoper Plummer was in his youth! Come on ladies you have to admit, those girlie men like Jude Law et al (who are undoubtedly good looking nonetheless) are really nothing in comparison the men of old. They just don't make 'em like Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, or Robert Redford anymore.
What do you expect for 15 bucks!
Yeah. Uh. I got my haircut at WalMart. I told you fanners that i was going to live it up white trash styles this Christmas. Along with the haircut i have a full cupboard of KD, a fridge full of chicken weiners and other disgusting things that i would never normally eat. Aiya has just informed me that we will be partaking in a meal of Miss Vicki's jalapeno chips, KD, and vanilla coke. Pretty crappy Christmas eh? It feels like a total fast forward! To add to it, flipping Oliver decides to screw over my Christmas eve by EATING house plants and random intervals. This i'm not used to. He has his bouts of evilness, but i think this is the worst he's ever done in terms of destruction. There was potting soil all over the living room carpet, hopefully i can ground the dirt into it. That way my parents will be forced to get rid of it and we can have hardwood again!
Quips
Him: Niles, Copernicus called, he said you're not the centre of the universe
Her: Not only do i have a plan. I have a dress too!
Thathi and I talking politics
Him: It's terrible what happened to Viktor Yushenko isn't it?
Me: Yeah, it is. And he was pretty good looking too!
Him: Movie star good looks.
Me: umm.
Him: No. I'm the only every day man that has the looks of a movie star*
*side note* Aiya: "Yeah, a Tamil movie star"
Thorn and i discussing the merits of getting haircuts at WalMart
Her: What the hell did you do?!
Me: It was only 15 bucks! And i got what i expected
Her: Yeah. I learned a long time ago, it's best not to be cheap when it comes to personal appearance
Me: Amen!
Both: We're so superficial
Well Kiddies, MERRY CHRISTMAS and all that jazz. Remember 91.1 FM will be playing Christmas swing tomorrow so remember to listen! Hope to see you all on the 28th :)
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Ever Felt Dumped On?
Can it really be possible that I have run out track pants and oversized t-shirts? I mean COME ON now, how am I supposed to maintain my high standards of slovenliness during the Christmas holidays?! I had no intentions of doing laundry until I had to go back to school, but now i am forced to. So i'm free. My parents are leaving soon and i'm planning on having keggers and jams at my house. No. I swear. I will. Watch me. When i'm not inebriated and cleaning vomit off of the floor though I'm intending on doing some "pleasure reading." Because we all know that doesn't exist in a university student's vocabulary. I'm going to get under a blanket, curl up with Oliver, a good book and gain some crazy weight, so do not disturb! The first on my list is Shake Hands With the Devil, the book that Romeo Dallaire wrote on his experiences during Rwanda. Flipping amazing and i haven't even read 20 pages yet.
Pfft, Me? An indie snob? Never!
Thorn and I were discussing the other day the merits of being an indie snob. The sad reality is neither of us can truly achieve true indie snobbery because there just isn't enough damn time. We can't spend hours pouring over obscurity and going to concerts in seedier parts of town. But believe me, if we could we would so be there. See what's even sadder about our inability to be indie snobs is that when it comes to good music, we only have each other to talk to about it. What's that? Interpol, Broken Social Scene, Postal Service (who will, according to our hopefully incorrect speculations never make another album again), dntel, Death Cab etc. Yeah. Only got thorn *le sigh* We've gotta meet some more people eh? ;) With that said controller.controller totally worth your time! Not only are they from Toronto, but their frontwoman is brown and sri lankan. Is it possible that she will knock Gwen off of her current pedestal of cool in my mind? Even though Gwen can do no wrong in my eyes, i'm a bit disappointed with this whole "let's pretend to be Japanese" thing. First it was Indian, now Japanese, it would be interesting to see how she pulls off Saudi Arabian.In happier news though i'm waiting for the next Gorillaz album! My brit-pop boyfriend Damon Albarn + De La Soul + DJ Danger Mouse = a speechless me
Ever Felt Dumped On?
How wicked is the Oxfam, Make Trade Fair campaign "Ever Felt Dumped On?" which is trying to bring awareness about surplus food dumping. Interestingly enough, the other night i was snooping around the US Agency for International Development, and would you believe that they practice food dumping? Unbelievable isn't it? *snark* Well, there's some pretty amazing pictures on the site, so go check it out, and sign the petition!
Pfft, Me? An indie snob? Never!
Thorn and I were discussing the other day the merits of being an indie snob. The sad reality is neither of us can truly achieve true indie snobbery because there just isn't enough damn time. We can't spend hours pouring over obscurity and going to concerts in seedier parts of town. But believe me, if we could we would so be there. See what's even sadder about our inability to be indie snobs is that when it comes to good music, we only have each other to talk to about it. What's that? Interpol, Broken Social Scene, Postal Service (who will, according to our hopefully incorrect speculations never make another album again), dntel, Death Cab etc. Yeah. Only got thorn *le sigh* We've gotta meet some more people eh? ;) With that said controller.controller totally worth your time! Not only are they from Toronto, but their frontwoman is brown and sri lankan. Is it possible that she will knock Gwen off of her current pedestal of cool in my mind? Even though Gwen can do no wrong in my eyes, i'm a bit disappointed with this whole "let's pretend to be Japanese" thing. First it was Indian, now Japanese, it would be interesting to see how she pulls off Saudi Arabian.
Ever Felt Dumped On?
How wicked is the Oxfam, Make Trade Fair campaign "Ever Felt Dumped On?" which is trying to bring awareness about surplus food dumping. Interestingly enough, the other night i was snooping around the US Agency for International Development, and would you believe that they practice food dumping? Unbelievable isn't it? *snark* Well, there's some pretty amazing pictures on the site, so go check it out, and sign the petition!
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Karma police, I've given all I can!!
This is what you get
This is what you get
This is what you get when you mess with us*
Today was pure evil. I swear. It was like the karma police were after me! There was no escaping. It all started with the wet hair that i went to bed with last night. I woke up and my bangs looked like Cameron Diaz's from that scene in There's Something About Mary, hence the bobby pin action. I had a crap load of books that i had to schlep with me so i put them all in a nice big, sturdy, impenetrable Gap bag. As always the Brimley bus was late and I had to stand out in the pouring rain as it hurled itself at me. So i get on the bus and i'm about to sit down when it jerks, and the bottom of my Gap bag gives way and everything falls out! Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. My bag was made out of paper. The ONE DAY i decide to pack my lunch had to be today, because of course it was in the bag, and my little tangerine rolled across the floor like it was doomsday. I also probably should have worn a Bounty paper towel rolls on my feet today instead of shoes, because they sure do feel like 'the thicker picker upper' right now. The sad thing is, the day isn't even over yet. I'll stop whining. I all of a sudden feel Jewish and it's scaring me.
Not Now Magical Arctic Puffin!!
Speaking of Jewish people, if you want some mindless yet hillarious entertainment, go and rent the Hebrew Hammer. I can say no more. It was too good. I FINALLY saw Elf. The same night as when i watched the Hammer. I've said it before, but man, Will Ferrell=GENIUS! I liked Elf, but A Night at the Roxbury and Old School were better. I'm STILL waiting to see Anchorman though, that looks flipping funny. I know it says so much about me as a person doesn't it? ;)
"You know what the 'W' stands for right?"
So Dubya came to Canada. *woot*woot* (feel the sarcasm?) Funny thing is, a)He refused to address parliament and b)He didn't come to Toronto. What a wuss eh? If he had come to Toronto, the entire university would've shut down and we all would've been outside of the US Consulate. Bus loads of protestors went from U of T to Ottawa. So he played it safe and went to Halifax. I was watching the National last night, and they were taking a look at America's reaction to Canadian anti-Americans. It was so sad. One guy on Fox who was wearing a bow-tie said that Canadians don't like Americans because we 'feel inferior' to them. Yeah. That's it Pee Wee. You keep believing that. But really, what IS up with all the anti-Americanism that's going on? I think most Canadians are retards because they can't seem to separate Bush from America. I know it's pretty hard to, since the majority of Americans actually DO like him and that in itself is pretty scary. But still. Come on! Give it a break already.
The people have spoken
The Greatest Canadian? Tommy Douglas of course! I don't agree with anti-Americanism, but i don't agree with the people who say that Canada's an extension of the U.S either because clearly we're not. What other country would vote a Baptist Premier from out West who instituted universal healthcare as their greatest citizen? Canadians and their drugs eh?
Today's World AIDS Day, and I can't help but thinking about James Orbinski (instrumental in getting generic retroviral HIV/AIDS medication available, and also the president of MSF when they won the Nobel Peace Prize - note if you read the speech it was done in 1999, read what he has to say about the U.S' involvement in Sudan. Very interesting). I remember when he came in and spoke in one of my first year politics classes. He was such an inspiration! The only reason why Canada is such a leader in the fight against AIDS is because of people like him and Stephen Lewis. I think I agree with my boyfriend Bono when he said "The world needs more Canada."
*Karma Police - Radiohead
This is what you get
This is what you get when you mess with us*
Today was pure evil. I swear. It was like the karma police were after me! There was no escaping. It all started with the wet hair that i went to bed with last night. I woke up and my bangs looked like Cameron Diaz's from that scene in There's Something About Mary, hence the bobby pin action. I had a crap load of books that i had to schlep with me so i put them all in a nice big, sturdy, impenetrable Gap bag. As always the Brimley bus was late and I had to stand out in the pouring rain as it hurled itself at me. So i get on the bus and i'm about to sit down when it jerks, and the bottom of my Gap bag gives way and everything falls out! Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. My bag was made out of paper. The ONE DAY i decide to pack my lunch had to be today, because of course it was in the bag, and my little tangerine rolled across the floor like it was doomsday. I also probably should have worn a Bounty paper towel rolls on my feet today instead of shoes, because they sure do feel like 'the thicker picker upper' right now. The sad thing is, the day isn't even over yet. I'll stop whining. I all of a sudden feel Jewish and it's scaring me.
Not Now Magical Arctic Puffin!!
Speaking of Jewish people, if you want some mindless yet hillarious entertainment, go and rent the Hebrew Hammer. I can say no more. It was too good. I FINALLY saw Elf. The same night as when i watched the Hammer. I've said it before, but man, Will Ferrell=GENIUS! I liked Elf, but A Night at the Roxbury and Old School were better. I'm STILL waiting to see Anchorman though, that looks flipping funny. I know it says so much about me as a person doesn't it? ;)
"You know what the 'W' stands for right?"
So Dubya came to Canada. *woot*woot* (feel the sarcasm?) Funny thing is, a)He refused to address parliament and b)He didn't come to Toronto. What a wuss eh? If he had come to Toronto, the entire university would've shut down and we all would've been outside of the US Consulate. Bus loads of protestors went from U of T to Ottawa. So he played it safe and went to Halifax. I was watching the National last night, and they were taking a look at America's reaction to Canadian anti-Americans. It was so sad. One guy on Fox who was wearing a bow-tie said that Canadians don't like Americans because we 'feel inferior' to them. Yeah. That's it Pee Wee. You keep believing that. But really, what IS up with all the anti-Americanism that's going on? I think most Canadians are retards because they can't seem to separate Bush from America. I know it's pretty hard to, since the majority of Americans actually DO like him and that in itself is pretty scary. But still. Come on! Give it a break already.
The people have spoken
The Greatest Canadian? Tommy Douglas of course! I don't agree with anti-Americanism, but i don't agree with the people who say that Canada's an extension of the U.S either because clearly we're not. What other country would vote a Baptist Premier from out West who instituted universal healthcare as their greatest citizen? Canadians and their drugs eh?
Today's World AIDS Day, and I can't help but thinking about James Orbinski (instrumental in getting generic retroviral HIV/AIDS medication available, and also the president of MSF when they won the Nobel Peace Prize - note if you read the speech it was done in 1999, read what he has to say about the U.S' involvement in Sudan. Very interesting). I remember when he came in and spoke in one of my first year politics classes. He was such an inspiration! The only reason why Canada is such a leader in the fight against AIDS is because of people like him and Stephen Lewis. I think I agree with my boyfriend Bono when he said "The world needs more Canada."
*Karma Police - Radiohead
Thursday, November 11, 2004
In Flanders Field
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
It's Remembrance Day! Hopefully I won't lose my poppy like i do every other year before the day is out. There's so much to say about today and it's impossible to do without sounding trite. I'm not going to bother though, i'll leave that to the real writers. Suffice it to say today I will Remember. I'm good at trivializing things, so here goes! The other day i'm at the Queen subway station in that no man's land between the Bay and Eaton's Centre. There's a veteran there with his box of poppies and there's a homeless man there too. The homeless man was picking a fight with the veteran b/c the veteran was on his "turf" and was distracting people from giving him money. But the veteran was all like i'm a veteran and i have a permit. It was getting really REALLY heated. I didn't stick around to catch the rest of it, but neither of them were there when i was going home. Like you'd think that the homeless guy would've let the veteran sell his poppies! If it wasn't for the veteran the homeless guy wouldn't even have the freedom to panhandle there.
When i was a kid, Remembrance Day was such a HUGE deal for me. Invariably i'd get to read one of my poorly written poems (they were seriously hurting) during the school assembly every year. Our teachers used to make us memorize In Flanders Field, i still know it by heart. It's engraved there like the Lord's Prayer (which is embedded in French as well thanks to Mme McQuaid.) Then there were the songs that we used to sing as part of choir and the little movie that we'd watch. It was the same movie every year, but it still made me sad even in grade 6 (my last year in elementary school). What i used to love BEST about Remembrance Day was when my classmates' grandparents who were veterans used to come in and talk to us about the war, we'd all cram into the library and sit on the brown patchy carpet and i'd devour everything they sad. Michael's grandfather came every year until he died and so did Danny's (he was my dance partner in folk dancing lol) grandmother. I think that's what makes me the saddest about Remembrance Day is that I don't see as many veterans around anymore.
Lest we forget.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
It's Remembrance Day! Hopefully I won't lose my poppy like i do every other year before the day is out. There's so much to say about today and it's impossible to do without sounding trite. I'm not going to bother though, i'll leave that to the real writers. Suffice it to say today I will Remember. I'm good at trivializing things, so here goes! The other day i'm at the Queen subway station in that no man's land between the Bay and Eaton's Centre. There's a veteran there with his box of poppies and there's a homeless man there too. The homeless man was picking a fight with the veteran b/c the veteran was on his "turf" and was distracting people from giving him money. But the veteran was all like i'm a veteran and i have a permit. It was getting really REALLY heated. I didn't stick around to catch the rest of it, but neither of them were there when i was going home. Like you'd think that the homeless guy would've let the veteran sell his poppies! If it wasn't for the veteran the homeless guy wouldn't even have the freedom to panhandle there.
When i was a kid, Remembrance Day was such a HUGE deal for me. Invariably i'd get to read one of my poorly written poems (they were seriously hurting) during the school assembly every year. Our teachers used to make us memorize In Flanders Field, i still know it by heart. It's engraved there like the Lord's Prayer (which is embedded in French as well thanks to Mme McQuaid.) Then there were the songs that we used to sing as part of choir and the little movie that we'd watch. It was the same movie every year, but it still made me sad even in grade 6 (my last year in elementary school). What i used to love BEST about Remembrance Day was when my classmates' grandparents who were veterans used to come in and talk to us about the war, we'd all cram into the library and sit on the brown patchy carpet and i'd devour everything they sad. Michael's grandfather came every year until he died and so did Danny's (he was my dance partner in folk dancing lol) grandmother. I think that's what makes me the saddest about Remembrance Day is that I don't see as many veterans around anymore.
Lest we forget.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, Lord!
A public service announcement followed me home the other day,
I paid it never mind. Go away
.....
Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, Lord!
Count your blessings.
The papers wouldn't lie!
I sigh. Not one more
It's been a bad day
Please don't take a picture
It's been a bad day.
Please.
....
The lights went out
The oil ran dry
We blamed it on the other guy
Sure, all men are created equal*
What a week eh? The kind that makes you want to clear your head with some good music, a pint (of vanilla Coke!) and a good long bike ride. Weeks like this are good every once in awhile, reminds me of how small and insignificant i am in the larger scheme of things.
First off
Bush gets re-elected. Was not surprised in the least bit but still really disappointed. At least this time around his win was legit (yeah i'm being naive, whatever.) Am I scared? Yeah for sure! Ammi sent me a forward the other day written by a Christian lady, it was her take on the rise of the religious right in American. She had some interesting points (and some really bad ones too lol). It's worth a read though.
I was reading the headlines on the BBC yesterday and i caught sight of this
When i was in Senegal, i befriended some missionaries who had to evacuate from the Ivory Coast during the September 2002 uprising. They were seeking safe haven in Senegal while trying to tie up loose ends in Abidjan before leaving back to Montreal. M. Gaucher's son Emmanuel was the same age as Josh, (the little boy whose family i was staying with) they came down for a play date and M. Gaucher ended up getting stuck at our place b/c the Autoroute was closed down for the Telefonica Paris - Dakar rally race (it's really fascinating, and a whole other story really, it would take pages!) Anyways what resulted in that day was us having a 4 hour conversation about life in the Ivory Coast for the believers in their church during that horrific time. There is so much political unrest in the world, and it's sad that certain countries just want to add to it.
Well not everything was bad
Ollie and i raked an obcene amount of leaves last week but really to no avail. Thathi was supposed to mulch them but he never got around to doing that. Now all my time was wasted b/c he's getting the gardener to come and do it instead!
(leaves in my back yard)
(Ollie vamping for the camera)
My room is ugly. It was worse before we moved, but it needs an extreme makeover. So far we've stripped the walls of the hideous incandescent wallpaper, the evil carpet needs to GO. I won't be satisfied until i have hardwood in there. Well last week ammi made me a new bedspread (out of a burgundy Sari). She used my ancient Beauty and the Beast comforter as the base. I still remember when she and thathi got it for me. I was in grade two and was flipping through a Zellers catalogue with amammah (my grandmother on ammi's side) and i saw the comforter. I FLIPPED out, b/c i LOVED Beauty and the Beast. LOL Ammi went out and bought it THAT very day (i'm not spoilt. I swear.) She was so taken aback that i was interested in something remotely girly that she didn't want to waste the oppurtunity to go and get it for me. And that is how the Beauty and the Beast comforter makes its way lovingly back onto my bed (when i make it) 12 years after it first found its way there.
(l-r Ammi and Aiya; Ammi looking totally paked out, and Aiya just looking fat ;))
l-r Ammi and her assistant)
(Ammi's assistant couldn't handle the pressures of being a seamstress and eventually broke down)
Oliver graduated from his puppy class. I don't really know how he managed to, but he did. And he won a prize too!! He was the fastest dog in the class in the little race that they had (which was run to your owner, and you'd only win if you sat down first, and surprisingly he did!!)
(l-r Me, Oliver, Kristi (his teacher), Terror (a Vizsla's whose owner's name i don't remember), Toby (Golden retreiver, again the name is non-existant), Max (an English Springer Spaniel with his owner's daughter. Max didn't win anything, and he got in a LOT of crap from his owner. Poor guy)
(l-r Oliver, his prize and Thathi)
I watched Rick Mercer's Monday Report today and there was a little segment of him and Justin Trudeau together chilling out in Montreal. It's so sad that he's engaged!! There goes the only thinking Canadian woman's man! Here's hoping that eventually he'll run for office, he's a great speaker, remember the eulogy he gave at his father's funeral? Speaking of his dad, today thorn and i were wondering around the nether regions of UC after a morning spent chatting in Diabolos and we stumbled on the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies . Kind of scary b/c all the doors had pictures of Pierre's head floating on them b/c of his nomination as the greatest Canadian. But back to Justin, as Rick Mercer pointed out, how wicked would it be if he ran for office against Ben Mulroney who for the record, i can't freaking STAND. Let's not even start about his dad.
*http://www.retroweb.com/rem/lyrics/song_BadDay.html
I paid it never mind. Go away
.....
Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, Lord!
Count your blessings.
The papers wouldn't lie!
I sigh. Not one more
It's been a bad day
Please don't take a picture
It's been a bad day.
Please.
....
The lights went out
The oil ran dry
We blamed it on the other guy
Sure, all men are created equal*
What a week eh? The kind that makes you want to clear your head with some good music, a pint (of vanilla Coke!) and a good long bike ride. Weeks like this are good every once in awhile, reminds me of how small and insignificant i am in the larger scheme of things.
First off
Bush gets re-elected. Was not surprised in the least bit but still really disappointed. At least this time around his win was legit (yeah i'm being naive, whatever.) Am I scared? Yeah for sure! Ammi sent me a forward the other day written by a Christian lady, it was her take on the rise of the religious right in American. She had some interesting points (and some really bad ones too lol). It's worth a read though.
I was reading the headlines on the BBC yesterday and i caught sight of this
When i was in Senegal, i befriended some missionaries who had to evacuate from the Ivory Coast during the September 2002 uprising. They were seeking safe haven in Senegal while trying to tie up loose ends in Abidjan before leaving back to Montreal. M. Gaucher's son Emmanuel was the same age as Josh, (the little boy whose family i was staying with) they came down for a play date and M. Gaucher ended up getting stuck at our place b/c the Autoroute was closed down for the Telefonica Paris - Dakar rally race (it's really fascinating, and a whole other story really, it would take pages!) Anyways what resulted in that day was us having a 4 hour conversation about life in the Ivory Coast for the believers in their church during that horrific time. There is so much political unrest in the world, and it's sad that certain countries just want to add to it.
Well not everything was bad
Ollie and i raked an obcene amount of leaves last week but really to no avail. Thathi was supposed to mulch them but he never got around to doing that. Now all my time was wasted b/c he's getting the gardener to come and do it instead!
(leaves in my back yard)
(Ollie vamping for the camera)
My room is ugly. It was worse before we moved, but it needs an extreme makeover. So far we've stripped the walls of the hideous incandescent wallpaper, the evil carpet needs to GO. I won't be satisfied until i have hardwood in there. Well last week ammi made me a new bedspread (out of a burgundy Sari). She used my ancient Beauty and the Beast comforter as the base. I still remember when she and thathi got it for me. I was in grade two and was flipping through a Zellers catalogue with amammah (my grandmother on ammi's side) and i saw the comforter. I FLIPPED out, b/c i LOVED Beauty and the Beast. LOL Ammi went out and bought it THAT very day (i'm not spoilt. I swear.) She was so taken aback that i was interested in something remotely girly that she didn't want to waste the oppurtunity to go and get it for me. And that is how the Beauty and the Beast comforter makes its way lovingly back onto my bed (when i make it) 12 years after it first found its way there.
(l-r Ammi and Aiya; Ammi looking totally paked out, and Aiya just looking fat ;))
l-r Ammi and her assistant)
(Ammi's assistant couldn't handle the pressures of being a seamstress and eventually broke down)
Oliver graduated from his puppy class. I don't really know how he managed to, but he did. And he won a prize too!! He was the fastest dog in the class in the little race that they had (which was run to your owner, and you'd only win if you sat down first, and surprisingly he did!!)
(l-r Me, Oliver, Kristi (his teacher), Terror (a Vizsla's whose owner's name i don't remember), Toby (Golden retreiver, again the name is non-existant), Max (an English Springer Spaniel with his owner's daughter. Max didn't win anything, and he got in a LOT of crap from his owner. Poor guy)
(l-r Oliver, his prize and Thathi)
I watched Rick Mercer's Monday Report today and there was a little segment of him and Justin Trudeau together chilling out in Montreal. It's so sad that he's engaged!! There goes the only thinking Canadian woman's man! Here's hoping that eventually he'll run for office, he's a great speaker, remember the eulogy he gave at his father's funeral? Speaking of his dad, today thorn and i were wondering around the nether regions of UC after a morning spent chatting in Diabolos and we stumbled on the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies . Kind of scary b/c all the doors had pictures of Pierre's head floating on them b/c of his nomination as the greatest Canadian. But back to Justin, as Rick Mercer pointed out, how wicked would it be if he ran for office against Ben Mulroney who for the record, i can't freaking STAND. Let's not even start about his dad.
*http://www.retroweb.com/rem/lyrics/song_BadDay.html
Monday, November 01, 2004
Fermez - la Bush!*
So, tomorrow's the US Presidential election, the real halloween if you ask me. Just wanted to get my presidential prediction out in the open before the 2nd. I think that Bush will take it by a very small margin, and i'm praying that i'm totally WRONG about that. Osama might have scored a victory for his buddy Bush but resurfacing in videotape format and scaring the crap out of Americans right before the elections. But then again, Kerry is pretty greasey, and the yanks don't really have that much to choose from. Unfortunately for them kerry is the lesser of two evils. I really wish i could like Dubya, but it's so not working.
To my American friends, GO AND VOTE!!!
And remember, if Bush gets elected and you need a place to stay after he imposes mandatory conscriptions for all his pointless wars, you can always dodge the draft at our place, we can squeeze at least 26 people in. I wouldn't want your blood spilled for oil or daddy.
*fingers crossed* Here's hoping (for the first time in my life) that i'm wrong!
*for the anglophones: fermez-la bouche = shut up; like the little pun? First saw it at an anti-war rally outside of the US embassy, our Frenchies seem to really like it!
To my American friends, GO AND VOTE!!!
And remember, if Bush gets elected and you need a place to stay after he imposes mandatory conscriptions for all his pointless wars, you can always dodge the draft at our place, we can squeeze at least 26 people in. I wouldn't want your blood spilled for oil or daddy.
*fingers crossed* Here's hoping (for the first time in my life) that i'm wrong!
*for the anglophones: fermez-la bouche = shut up; like the little pun? First saw it at an anti-war rally outside of the US embassy, our Frenchies seem to really like it!
Friday, October 29, 2004
Do you think there's a cure for Dromomania?
So Sven came and went. We had a wicked time, go and see Diarious de Motocicleta (Motorcycle Diaries) you won't regret it. (Plus Gael GarcÃa Bernal is so pretty!!!) I've always wanted to go to Peru, but frig, after watching that movie i want to go even more! I know it's not just me, but this week has been nuts eh? At least it's starting to calm down a bit, and i shouldn't really be complaining b/c us artsies get off really easily. I feel sorry for you guys who had to do mid-terms! I just had a crap load of papers, i remember Kellen once said during his first year of university he had so many term papers coming out of his arse he could feel the paper cuts >_<.
I think that the dromomania is settling in once again folks. Leave me alone. I know. It comes every three months, and it seems only when things get really hectic. But honestly i do think it's an incurable disease. *sigh* i guess that is my lot in life. Right now i want to go to Morrocco really badly, even when i was in Senegal i wanted to go to Morrocco. I think that's because the only person who was relatively close to my age was part Morrocan and part French, he had a lot to say about it, and also because i read that book "A Street in Marrakesh," that really was a clincher. Fricking books. If i didn't read them life would be so much simpler. I'd never want to travel anywhere ;). And i want to go to these places b/c the names are so exotic. How can you not want to go to a place named Dar Es Salam, Khartoum, Addis Ababa, Lagos...
Well flying away to some exotic locale is not the only way to cheer up the mid-semester blues. Shopping always does the trick, so perhaps i will go on a spree tomorrow. Getting my haircut is also fun, and something that needs to be done *cough* after the self-cut bangs affair of September. I've also suddenly been seized with the desire to clean my entire room up. Yeah. I can't explain it either. Then of course there's looking for some place to volunteer. We all know i only volunteer for self-serving purposes. Pfft, i wasn't at War Child for the kids, i was there b/c i was bored!
Speaking of War Child
The other day when Aiya and i were heading downtown we bumped into one of his acquaintances on the subway. He looked really familiar, and i recognized him from the NGO Fair from the spring, LOL where i manned the War Child booth and he even remembered that i was squeezed between the two Oxfam nuts. He's taken a year off from Med School and he's heading out to Latin America, i was burning with envy. Here's a conclusion i have come to, and a huge broad biased generalization. (Damn it i'm tired of being politically correct ;)) Have you noticed that people who are a lot like me, meaning love to travel, want to go into international development, listen to kick ass music (no bias at all) have somewhat of a sense of adventure (I AM adventurous. Stop laughing. It's called "calculated risk" remember!) the people who are like that tend to be gross dirty hippies. This guy was no exception. Yeah usually people like this tend to be white (esp. the U of T folk) but this guy, he was brown, and DISGUSTING. Stupid Aiya got off at PAPE station, so i was stuck with this yobo until i got to campus b/c we were going the same way. I have all the luck i know
Sorry, this post was pointless. My brain is totally fried. I'll give you guys something better next time. Hopefully i'll have some good pictures of Oliver's graduation (Monday's his last class!!!).
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
I was swimmin' in the Carribean
Animals were hiding behind the rocks
Except the little fish
But they told me, he swears
Tryin' to talk to me to me to me
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
I think that the dromomania is settling in once again folks. Leave me alone. I know. It comes every three months, and it seems only when things get really hectic. But honestly i do think it's an incurable disease. *sigh* i guess that is my lot in life. Right now i want to go to Morrocco really badly, even when i was in Senegal i wanted to go to Morrocco. I think that's because the only person who was relatively close to my age was part Morrocan and part French, he had a lot to say about it, and also because i read that book "A Street in Marrakesh," that really was a clincher. Fricking books. If i didn't read them life would be so much simpler. I'd never want to travel anywhere ;). And i want to go to these places b/c the names are so exotic. How can you not want to go to a place named Dar Es Salam, Khartoum, Addis Ababa, Lagos...
Well flying away to some exotic locale is not the only way to cheer up the mid-semester blues. Shopping always does the trick, so perhaps i will go on a spree tomorrow. Getting my haircut is also fun, and something that needs to be done *cough* after the self-cut bangs affair of September. I've also suddenly been seized with the desire to clean my entire room up. Yeah. I can't explain it either. Then of course there's looking for some place to volunteer. We all know i only volunteer for self-serving purposes. Pfft, i wasn't at War Child for the kids, i was there b/c i was bored!
Speaking of War Child
The other day when Aiya and i were heading downtown we bumped into one of his acquaintances on the subway. He looked really familiar, and i recognized him from the NGO Fair from the spring, LOL where i manned the War Child booth and he even remembered that i was squeezed between the two Oxfam nuts. He's taken a year off from Med School and he's heading out to Latin America, i was burning with envy. Here's a conclusion i have come to, and a huge broad biased generalization. (Damn it i'm tired of being politically correct ;)) Have you noticed that people who are a lot like me, meaning love to travel, want to go into international development, listen to kick ass music (no bias at all) have somewhat of a sense of adventure (I AM adventurous. Stop laughing. It's called "calculated risk" remember!) the people who are like that tend to be gross dirty hippies. This guy was no exception. Yeah usually people like this tend to be white (esp. the U of T folk) but this guy, he was brown, and DISGUSTING. Stupid Aiya got off at PAPE station, so i was stuck with this yobo until i got to campus b/c we were going the same way. I have all the luck i know
Sorry, this post was pointless. My brain is totally fried. I'll give you guys something better next time. Hopefully i'll have some good pictures of Oliver's graduation (Monday's his last class!!!).
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
I was swimmin' in the Carribean
Animals were hiding behind the rocks
Except the little fish
But they told me, he swears
Tryin' to talk to me to me to me
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
What the Helen of Troy is that?!
So have i mentioned to you about how flipping excited i am about tomorrow??? Sven is BAAACK!!!
*cue nostalgia*
The last time he graced us with his presence was what? Like two years ago? I shall proceed to reminisce on our past high school days. When i was the editor of the school newspaper (lol) and he was on Student Council. Remember the "office" we shared together? AKA the janitor's closet that was painted and had chairs in it. We froze in the winter and boiled in the summer. But it was all good. Thank God for the karaoke machine! Mrs. Smith used to always bust us for being way too loud. Our peels of laughter used to reverberate through the hallway while we listened to CHUM and made fun of such dignitaries as Spammie and the Conster Monster. I'll stop now.
Random sightings
I bumped into a crap load of people from church. You know that is ALWAYS fun. As usual my first instinct is to run away and hide, most of the time I'm really succesful. Yesterday i was late for a class and couldn't find a suitable place to hide.
Person from church (PFC): Oh my goodness i totally did not recognize you
Me: Oh hi PFC *smiles awkwardly*
PFC: It's your clothes!
*side note*
We don't even need to go there. You've all seen the hurting church wardrobe that only sees the light of day on Sundays. Meanwhile PFC is dressed totally the same way as they would be at any church gathering
Me: Yeah, well you know how it is on Sunday mornings, no time at all to get properly dressed. I just roll out of bed and throw something on
PFC: You look better on Sundays.
Me: Hey look at the time, I'm late for class (jerk face)
I don't even know what to say to that. I nearly died laughing though that's for sure. Ah, the church wardrobe. It's not even a real wardrobe. It's more like a uniform. Same thing every Sunday. There's no pleasing some people eh? Speaking of which, i'm in the market for some new t-shirts because Black t-shirt + white dog = disaster.
Quips
Aiya talking to me last night after getting back from his camping trip
Aiya: Are Louis Vuitton wallets really expensive?
Me: Uh. Yeah.
Aiya: How expensive?
Me: More than even you or I would ever spend on a wallet
Aiya: Oh. So then I guess that the Louis Vuitton duffle bag is totally out of the question.
Typical Sven
Sven: This one's for Yaweh!
Me meeting an old acquaintance
Her: So are you seeing anyone?
Me: No, I've got to much stuff going on.
Her: Really? So I guess you don't have much fun then?
Me: What do you mean I "don't have much fun?"
Her: How can you have fun if you're not seeing someone?
*side note*
When I want to have fun, I go and see a movie. Not freaking date someone.
Ammi and I last night
Me: Hey did you know that the Sri Lankan national anthem is in Tamil too?
Her: *rolls eyes* Uh. YEAH.
Me: I don't think I've ever heard it in Tamil
*side note*
WORST thing to have possibly said to a tone deaf woman who enjoys singing
Her: *singing* Sri Lanka..
And one from the vault
Ammi: Shauna can you eat spicy things? Like salt and pepper?
*cue nostalgia*
The last time he graced us with his presence was what? Like two years ago? I shall proceed to reminisce on our past high school days. When i was the editor of the school newspaper (lol) and he was on Student Council. Remember the "office" we shared together? AKA the janitor's closet that was painted and had chairs in it. We froze in the winter and boiled in the summer. But it was all good. Thank God for the karaoke machine! Mrs. Smith used to always bust us for being way too loud. Our peels of laughter used to reverberate through the hallway while we listened to CHUM and made fun of such dignitaries as Spammie and the Conster Monster. I'll stop now.
Random sightings
I bumped into a crap load of people from church. You know that is ALWAYS fun. As usual my first instinct is to run away and hide, most of the time I'm really succesful. Yesterday i was late for a class and couldn't find a suitable place to hide.
Person from church (PFC): Oh my goodness i totally did not recognize you
Me: Oh hi PFC *smiles awkwardly*
PFC: It's your clothes!
*side note*
We don't even need to go there. You've all seen the hurting church wardrobe that only sees the light of day on Sundays. Meanwhile PFC is dressed totally the same way as they would be at any church gathering
Me: Yeah, well you know how it is on Sunday mornings, no time at all to get properly dressed. I just roll out of bed and throw something on
PFC: You look better on Sundays.
Me: Hey look at the time, I'm late for class (jerk face)
I don't even know what to say to that. I nearly died laughing though that's for sure. Ah, the church wardrobe. It's not even a real wardrobe. It's more like a uniform. Same thing every Sunday. There's no pleasing some people eh? Speaking of which, i'm in the market for some new t-shirts because Black t-shirt + white dog = disaster.
Quips
Aiya talking to me last night after getting back from his camping trip
Aiya: Are Louis Vuitton wallets really expensive?
Me: Uh. Yeah.
Aiya: How expensive?
Me: More than even you or I would ever spend on a wallet
Aiya: Oh. So then I guess that the Louis Vuitton duffle bag is totally out of the question.
Typical Sven
Sven: This one's for Yaweh!
Me meeting an old acquaintance
Her: So are you seeing anyone?
Me: No, I've got to much stuff going on.
Her: Really? So I guess you don't have much fun then?
Me: What do you mean I "don't have much fun?"
Her: How can you have fun if you're not seeing someone?
*side note*
When I want to have fun, I go and see a movie. Not freaking date someone.
Ammi and I last night
Me: Hey did you know that the Sri Lankan national anthem is in Tamil too?
Her: *rolls eyes* Uh. YEAH.
Me: I don't think I've ever heard it in Tamil
*side note*
WORST thing to have possibly said to a tone deaf woman who enjoys singing
Her: *singing* Sri Lanka..
And one from the vault
Ammi: Shauna can you eat spicy things? Like salt and pepper?
Monday, October 18, 2004
Sri Lanka matha, apa Sri Lanka namu namu namu namu matha, Sundara siri barini*
Last night I was watching CBC's "Greatest Canadian" special. They're out to find the greatest Canadian according to the regular population. It's really fascinating (no really, it is), last night they went through the top 50 nominees and some of the people that were on the list, were names I remember because they're considered "important" but that's about it. I was drawing a blank as to what their contributions were. There were the obvious ones, like Alexander Graham Bell. Sandford Fleming was on the list too, I had no clue who he was, the place where I had all my psych exams last year were in a building that had the same name, that's as far as my knowledge went on him though. Anyways, turns out he's the man who standardised time! Go figure eh?
(*sigh* remember Heritage Minutes? They're online now! You can WATCH them and relive the "Burnt Toast" moment as if you were still in grade 3! And you can learn more about Sandford Fleming too. It's win, win)
Internally Displaced
(- Feel free to skip this, I promise, it will make your eyes bleed and you will have sudden urges to stab yourself with small pointed objects. Trust me. I did.)
{This morning in my French class we had a laboratoire, and we had to listen to a thing about Mordecai Richler "L'héritage d'un grand écrivain." Yeah, who has time to think coherently on a Monday morning let alone in French. Anyways since Richler was a Jew who grew up in Montreal, he had this sense of duality. I think that's a trait that all "immigrant" kids feel. I'm not just a Canadian. And I'm not just a Sri Lankan. Canadians don't view me as a "real" Canadian, and Sri Lankans don't think I'm really Sri Lankan. It's almost as if I'm in limbo, living in a parallel "bizarro" world.** The best way to put it is that I sometimes feel like I'm an internally displaced person. I'm not the only one, and it's always interesting to meet other immigrant kids who feel the same way. I think we're the better for having those two distinct cultures and mindsets living in one body. At times yes, it's like a complex form of schizophrenia. But then again you can't have everything.
Sometimes I wonder where to draw the line. Our family isn't hardcore paked out, and I don't think it's b/c we "assimilated." Even back in the motherland we weren't hard core. The other day on my way home on the subway I was chatting to an acquaintance of mine who I went to Jr. High with. She's Sri Lankan too, but jebus, our families could be from two different planets. She was so surprised that we were not steeped in the whole arranged marriage culture. I told her that none of the people in my parents social circle had arranged marriages. I didn't think it was that much of a big deal. That whole issue of dealing with parents who are totally far out there (like hers) was never ever a problem with our parents. Even after they became Christians they're still really liberal minded, more liberally minded than some of the non-religious parents i know. I'm glad that my parents never forced us to go to Sinhala classes, one of the pluses of being a minority in a hugely Tamil Sri Lankan population. (Then again though they brought Piyo [my childhood nanny] to Canada to teach us Sinhala. We ended up teaching her English. What. She was a fast learner!) Sometimes i feel like a traitor because I can't speak it. When I went to Senegal i felt so guilty b/c I could speak French better than my own "mother tongue" (lol and my French SUCKS, Gina can back this up). I try to embrace as much of my "culture" as I can, but sometimes it feels so overwhelming. I don't try to run away from it like Salman Rushdie's Saladin Chamcha from The Satanic Verses or Michael Ondaatje's Anil Tissera from Anil's Ghost. (Both are amazing books! Go and read them.) I'm trying to juggle and walk in that middle ground all at the same time, where I can still listen to the music I like and wear the clothes that I like without being termed "white washed." Yeah we always joke around about how I am, but if I was more like my compatriots and listened to Hip Hop, R and B, dancehall, and wore clothes from Stitches, would I still be washed? Pfffft. (*shudder* i'm going cold just imagining that)}
Esto Perpetua
I like to see Sri Lankan people succeed and get recognition for their work. So what would that be? Me feeling patriotic or rooting for the underdog (like Greece at the EuroCup?) Who cares. I saw this article on the BBC and it made me happy. Home Truths For Sri Lankan Film. On the subject of Sri Lankans in general. I love Michael Ondaatje. Not only is he a Sri Lankan, but he also did some growing up here in Toronto. (Read some of his early poetry, there's a lot about the city in it.) He doesn't come across as someone who champions his roots, especially in interviews and stuff. But it's obvious that he is aware of them. (He wrote an entire book about it ;)) I wonder what he "does" to keep himself in check with Sri Lanka. He's burgher, so maybe he likes to berate people in Sinhala like my parents do (apparently it's the only way to successfully malign someone). I know for a that he doesn't take huge pride in his Alma Mater. He's an almunist of St. Thomas' College (if I had gone there, I wouldn't blame him from not participating, that many Sri Lankans in one place is just dangerous). Like Thathi and Aiya. Funny thing is I don't ever remember him showing up to the children's Christmas parties! He would have made a MUCH better Santa Clause than my bribed and humiliated brother. (Who was in the height of his rugby days, so he didn't even have the fat to pull it off unlike now.) And let's not forget that right of passage, the "Big Match" aka getting a chance to watch all our decrepit fathers take to the field for a game of cricket against their arch-rivals Royal College. If he came to that, the social secretary would probably have combusted. Good ol' Uncle Chicko. There is always hope that he might grace them with an appearance at the "Thomian Dance." LOL talk about trying to relive your youth. A bunch of past-their-prime old Sri Lankans getting together to relive their high school prom. It's hurting. Trust me. I'm glad that I left you with such a sweet mental image.
*First three lines of the Sri Lankan national anthem
Translation:
Mother Lanka - We salute thee!
Plenteous in prosperity, Thou,
Beautous in grace and love.
(Entire lyrics and translation)
**Remember that episode of Seinfeld with Bizarro Jerry? :)
(*sigh* remember Heritage Minutes? They're online now! You can WATCH them and relive the "Burnt Toast" moment as if you were still in grade 3! And you can learn more about Sandford Fleming too. It's win, win)
Internally Displaced
(- Feel free to skip this, I promise, it will make your eyes bleed and you will have sudden urges to stab yourself with small pointed objects. Trust me. I did.)
{This morning in my French class we had a laboratoire, and we had to listen to a thing about Mordecai Richler "L'héritage d'un grand écrivain." Yeah, who has time to think coherently on a Monday morning let alone in French. Anyways since Richler was a Jew who grew up in Montreal, he had this sense of duality. I think that's a trait that all "immigrant" kids feel. I'm not just a Canadian. And I'm not just a Sri Lankan. Canadians don't view me as a "real" Canadian, and Sri Lankans don't think I'm really Sri Lankan. It's almost as if I'm in limbo, living in a parallel "bizarro" world.** The best way to put it is that I sometimes feel like I'm an internally displaced person. I'm not the only one, and it's always interesting to meet other immigrant kids who feel the same way. I think we're the better for having those two distinct cultures and mindsets living in one body. At times yes, it's like a complex form of schizophrenia. But then again you can't have everything.
Sometimes I wonder where to draw the line. Our family isn't hardcore paked out, and I don't think it's b/c we "assimilated." Even back in the motherland we weren't hard core. The other day on my way home on the subway I was chatting to an acquaintance of mine who I went to Jr. High with. She's Sri Lankan too, but jebus, our families could be from two different planets. She was so surprised that we were not steeped in the whole arranged marriage culture. I told her that none of the people in my parents social circle had arranged marriages. I didn't think it was that much of a big deal. That whole issue of dealing with parents who are totally far out there (like hers) was never ever a problem with our parents. Even after they became Christians they're still really liberal minded, more liberally minded than some of the non-religious parents i know. I'm glad that my parents never forced us to go to Sinhala classes, one of the pluses of being a minority in a hugely Tamil Sri Lankan population. (Then again though they brought Piyo [my childhood nanny] to Canada to teach us Sinhala. We ended up teaching her English. What. She was a fast learner!) Sometimes i feel like a traitor because I can't speak it. When I went to Senegal i felt so guilty b/c I could speak French better than my own "mother tongue" (lol and my French SUCKS, Gina can back this up). I try to embrace as much of my "culture" as I can, but sometimes it feels so overwhelming. I don't try to run away from it like Salman Rushdie's Saladin Chamcha from The Satanic Verses or Michael Ondaatje's Anil Tissera from Anil's Ghost. (Both are amazing books! Go and read them.) I'm trying to juggle and walk in that middle ground all at the same time, where I can still listen to the music I like and wear the clothes that I like without being termed "white washed." Yeah we always joke around about how I am, but if I was more like my compatriots and listened to Hip Hop, R and B, dancehall, and wore clothes from Stitches, would I still be washed? Pfffft. (*shudder* i'm going cold just imagining that)}
Esto Perpetua
I like to see Sri Lankan people succeed and get recognition for their work. So what would that be? Me feeling patriotic or rooting for the underdog (like Greece at the EuroCup?) Who cares. I saw this article on the BBC and it made me happy. Home Truths For Sri Lankan Film. On the subject of Sri Lankans in general. I love Michael Ondaatje. Not only is he a Sri Lankan, but he also did some growing up here in Toronto. (Read some of his early poetry, there's a lot about the city in it.) He doesn't come across as someone who champions his roots, especially in interviews and stuff. But it's obvious that he is aware of them. (He wrote an entire book about it ;)) I wonder what he "does" to keep himself in check with Sri Lanka. He's burgher, so maybe he likes to berate people in Sinhala like my parents do (apparently it's the only way to successfully malign someone). I know for a that he doesn't take huge pride in his Alma Mater. He's an almunist of St. Thomas' College (if I had gone there, I wouldn't blame him from not participating, that many Sri Lankans in one place is just dangerous). Like Thathi and Aiya. Funny thing is I don't ever remember him showing up to the children's Christmas parties! He would have made a MUCH better Santa Clause than my bribed and humiliated brother. (Who was in the height of his rugby days, so he didn't even have the fat to pull it off unlike now.) And let's not forget that right of passage, the "Big Match" aka getting a chance to watch all our decrepit fathers take to the field for a game of cricket against their arch-rivals Royal College. If he came to that, the social secretary would probably have combusted. Good ol' Uncle Chicko. There is always hope that he might grace them with an appearance at the "Thomian Dance." LOL talk about trying to relive your youth. A bunch of past-their-prime old Sri Lankans getting together to relive their high school prom. It's hurting. Trust me. I'm glad that I left you with such a sweet mental image.
*First three lines of the Sri Lankan national anthem
Translation:
Mother Lanka - We salute thee!
Plenteous in prosperity, Thou,
Beautous in grace and love.
(Entire lyrics and translation)
**Remember that episode of Seinfeld with Bizarro Jerry? :)
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Friday, October 15, 2004
This is My United States of Whatever
I watched the Presidential debate last night. 1.5 hours of my life that I will never get back. I was so bored and tempted to just turn it off and walk away, but I forced myself to sit through it. Oilver was out COLD. (The same thing happened to him during the DNC, he slept right through Al Sharpton's speech. Usually he's a pretty good judge, if something sucks he sleeps through it. Let me tell you, he's got KILLER taste in music, his only downfall, he enjoys Britney Spears.) Anyways. *yawn* I'm falling asleep just talking about last night. I wonder though if they found another bulge in the President's jacket.
God Squad
Am I the only one who felt really uncomfortable with all the Christian references last night? I don't know man, but the whole collision of Church and state, it doesn't sit all that well with me. While on the subject though, I've always wondered about this. George W. Bush claims very voiciferously that he's a Christian etc. What he stands for seems to be in direct contradiction. He is a proponent of the death penalty, but he's against abortion b/c it's taking away someone else's life. He wants America to be the global leader in spreading peace and justice, but his closest allies in the "War on Terror" happen to be vehmently against that. *cough* Saudia Arabia *cough* torturing people *cough* Let's not get started with Guantanamo. It just makes me sad the things that politicians do to further their own agendas in the guise of noble things like justice and peace when in actuality it's done in self interest.
It was like a tripod
Aiya and I talking about dogs on Thanksgiving day.
Aiya - I saw this gorgeous dog the other day. It was a Husky.
Me - Oh yeah?
Aiya - Yeah, you know the kind that has like those cool coloured eyes. But it only had three legs. So it was actually more like a tripod. But a really weird shaped tripod.
Me - I wonder how it pees
Aiya - Yeah i thought about that too. See it's right front leg is missing, so if it holds up it's back left leg to pee then it'll be able to balance without falling over.
God Squad
Am I the only one who felt really uncomfortable with all the Christian references last night? I don't know man, but the whole collision of Church and state, it doesn't sit all that well with me. While on the subject though, I've always wondered about this. George W. Bush claims very voiciferously that he's a Christian etc. What he stands for seems to be in direct contradiction. He is a proponent of the death penalty, but he's against abortion b/c it's taking away someone else's life. He wants America to be the global leader in spreading peace and justice, but his closest allies in the "War on Terror" happen to be vehmently against that. *cough* Saudia Arabia *cough* torturing people *cough* Let's not get started with Guantanamo. It just makes me sad the things that politicians do to further their own agendas in the guise of noble things like justice and peace when in actuality it's done in self interest.
It was like a tripod
Aiya and I talking about dogs on Thanksgiving day.
Aiya - I saw this gorgeous dog the other day. It was a Husky.
Me - Oh yeah?
Aiya - Yeah, you know the kind that has like those cool coloured eyes. But it only had three legs. So it was actually more like a tripod. But a really weird shaped tripod.
Me - I wonder how it pees
Aiya - Yeah i thought about that too. See it's right front leg is missing, so if it holds up it's back left leg to pee then it'll be able to balance without falling over.
I've been updating pretty frequently. Just watch though. It'll all go to crap pretty soon.
*Special thanks goes out to aiya, for getting that song stuck in my head at an early juncture this evening.Wednesday, October 13, 2004
It's not brain surgery. It's a samosa
*Gobble*Gobble*Gobble*
What a Thanksgiving. It's been awhile since we've had sooo many people crammed into one house. *sigh* the Malvern days, Thanksgiving day lunch with all the family and adopted family = fun times. This year we had 26 people staying with us for our Church convention. It was NUTS. Abs' younger sister came from Montreal! That was definitely THE highlight of the weekend. Then of course our feuding Inuits, celebrity guests and droves of children. I'm not going to lie, it had the potential to turn into a billeting nightmare from hell but thank God it did not! Here's a rundown...
Gus??
Thathi took the day off on Thursday. We found ourselves in Malvern. We seemed to be drawn back to the ghetto almost instinctively. It's a phenomenon. I can't explain it. Somehow we ended up at No Frills of all places. No Frills AND Malvern. Now that's class. Can someone tell me when 'Steve and Brian's No Frills' became 'Gus' No Frills?!'
(Gus and his No Frills)
Inuit Smack Down
*YAY* Debs came on Friday. Luckily we were able to sneak back home after picking her up at the bus station before all the hordes of people came over. Tonite was the nite the fun started. We had a family of 9, they had 7 kids ranging from the ages of 11 months to 9. A bunch of people from Washington two guys from New York (the celebrities, the webmasters of a church-ish website called Blueradius) and the best guests ever. The Inuit ladies. Most of you have heard the story already so i won't bother retelling it to you. For those of you who haven't, here's a scintilating snippet from the end of one of their conversations "I'm not sleeping next to that piece of sh*t." Call me. I'll give you the details ;)
To the scholars who came home for Thanksgiving. I really wanted to call you on Friday night. Honest. I did. I was thinking about you guys all weekend. Guess it'll have to wait for December.
Ollie Got Served
Saturday was crazy. Especially Saturday afternoon. Finally Oliver got a taste of his own freaking medicine! David and Judith's 6 kids "played" with him in the afternoon for like 2 hours. He couldn't take it. You know how normally it doesn't matter WHAT you do to the loser he never gets tired. Now we know. Let him lose with 6 wild children for two hours and he'll be exhausted.
(David and Judith's Clan 'hiding' from Oliver l-r Elizabeth (6), Davey (4), Joey (8), Josh (9.5), Sarah (7), Mercy (3), missing: Caleb (11 months))
(As if they could remain on the ground like that, here they are again (same order))
I had Samosa duty on Saturday. I've come to the conclusion that i can never be in the service industry. People irritate me too much. It's really simple guys. You have two choices, a mild samosa, or a hot one. Pick one. For the love of God. Just pick one and keep walking. Thathi and I had clean up duty at the church. AKA Washing huge massive pots that you could cook children in, but without hot water or good sponges.
(The ladies making Tuna sandwiches l-r Debs, Aunty Lydia, Vindhiya and Pasha)
"Would you like stuffing with that?"
I had Turkey duty on Sunday. It was unpleasent. I was manning the stuffing. Sunday was the last day of the Convention. And i was kind of sad to see it end. I had a lot of fun this year. Mainly because the house was rammed with people and Debs came from Montreal. At the same time having so many people really did suck. Only because one of the (many) things that I look forward to about having strange people come and stay at our house is getting to know them. This was virtually impossible this year. But here are a few things our family managed to collectively glean from random conversations with our guests.
Sis Robin from Washington - Her son has a very uncommon name. They look African American mixed with something else. I don't want to butcher his name but it's really cool. Ammi asked her what it meant. Turns out his name is Polynesian for Charles, his father named him that b/c he himself is Polynesian!
Sis Susan half of the Inuit duo - Susan is the sweetest old lady EVER. She stayed with us one extra day so i got to spend a little time with her. She's 77 years old and man has she been through a LOT. In a nutshell: She was married to an Anglican priest who was sent to the North to establish a church. It took him an entire year to save up enough money to buy sled dogs to make the journey. She and her 12 children went along with him. Only 5 of her kids died, the other 7 died due to the severe weather conditions. Her husband also died early on, some lung ailment, but she continued on. Remember that "Transformations" video that Radford made us watch? The one with the world wide revivals on it? The Inuit community that they filmed, that's Susan's home! And the church that was there is the one that her husband built!
(Susan getting some loving from Oliver)
Sis Pia - She's an official translator! She gets hired by the CBC and stuff to do work from Inuktituk (sp?!) into English and vice versa.
Ben from Yonkers NY - Wants to go to Africa for a year. (Good choice btw ;))
Franklin from Yonkers NY - Was watching his carb intake. Refused an offer to have raisins picked out from his breakfast to lower the carb count. Pure madness.
Bro Andy from Washington DC - LOVED Oliver. But was also afraid of him. They'd play but Andy would get scared and jump away. And do the nervous laugh. The "i'm not scared, but i'm scared" laugh.
Here are some random pictures
Sparky, looking a lot like Anthony Hopkins in promotional posters for the Shining
Debs and Lou reunited again after leaving Vancouver
A present from Sarah on our Magnadoodle
Aiya and Sis Gail representin'...Punchy's just blurry :P
(Remember, if there's a name that doesn't look familiar to you check the brief lexicon :))
That's all for now!
What a Thanksgiving. It's been awhile since we've had sooo many people crammed into one house. *sigh* the Malvern days, Thanksgiving day lunch with all the family and adopted family = fun times. This year we had 26 people staying with us for our Church convention. It was NUTS. Abs' younger sister came from Montreal! That was definitely THE highlight of the weekend. Then of course our feuding Inuits, celebrity guests and droves of children. I'm not going to lie, it had the potential to turn into a billeting nightmare from hell but thank God it did not! Here's a rundown...
Gus??
Thathi took the day off on Thursday. We found ourselves in Malvern. We seemed to be drawn back to the ghetto almost instinctively. It's a phenomenon. I can't explain it. Somehow we ended up at No Frills of all places. No Frills AND Malvern. Now that's class. Can someone tell me when 'Steve and Brian's No Frills' became 'Gus' No Frills?!'
(Gus and his No Frills)
Inuit Smack Down
*YAY* Debs came on Friday. Luckily we were able to sneak back home after picking her up at the bus station before all the hordes of people came over. Tonite was the nite the fun started. We had a family of 9, they had 7 kids ranging from the ages of 11 months to 9. A bunch of people from Washington two guys from New York (the celebrities, the webmasters of a church-ish website called Blueradius) and the best guests ever. The Inuit ladies. Most of you have heard the story already so i won't bother retelling it to you. For those of you who haven't, here's a scintilating snippet from the end of one of their conversations "I'm not sleeping next to that piece of sh*t." Call me. I'll give you the details ;)
To the scholars who came home for Thanksgiving. I really wanted to call you on Friday night. Honest. I did. I was thinking about you guys all weekend. Guess it'll have to wait for December.
Ollie Got Served
Saturday was crazy. Especially Saturday afternoon. Finally Oliver got a taste of his own freaking medicine! David and Judith's 6 kids "played" with him in the afternoon for like 2 hours. He couldn't take it. You know how normally it doesn't matter WHAT you do to the loser he never gets tired. Now we know. Let him lose with 6 wild children for two hours and he'll be exhausted.
(David and Judith's Clan 'hiding' from Oliver l-r Elizabeth (6), Davey (4), Joey (8), Josh (9.5), Sarah (7), Mercy (3), missing: Caleb (11 months))
(As if they could remain on the ground like that, here they are again (same order))
I had Samosa duty on Saturday. I've come to the conclusion that i can never be in the service industry. People irritate me too much. It's really simple guys. You have two choices, a mild samosa, or a hot one. Pick one. For the love of God. Just pick one and keep walking. Thathi and I had clean up duty at the church. AKA Washing huge massive pots that you could cook children in, but without hot water or good sponges.
(The ladies making Tuna sandwiches l-r Debs, Aunty Lydia, Vindhiya and Pasha)
"Would you like stuffing with that?"
I had Turkey duty on Sunday. It was unpleasent. I was manning the stuffing. Sunday was the last day of the Convention. And i was kind of sad to see it end. I had a lot of fun this year. Mainly because the house was rammed with people and Debs came from Montreal. At the same time having so many people really did suck. Only because one of the (many) things that I look forward to about having strange people come and stay at our house is getting to know them. This was virtually impossible this year. But here are a few things our family managed to collectively glean from random conversations with our guests.
Sis Robin from Washington - Her son has a very uncommon name. They look African American mixed with something else. I don't want to butcher his name but it's really cool. Ammi asked her what it meant. Turns out his name is Polynesian for Charles, his father named him that b/c he himself is Polynesian!
Sis Susan half of the Inuit duo - Susan is the sweetest old lady EVER. She stayed with us one extra day so i got to spend a little time with her. She's 77 years old and man has she been through a LOT. In a nutshell: She was married to an Anglican priest who was sent to the North to establish a church. It took him an entire year to save up enough money to buy sled dogs to make the journey. She and her 12 children went along with him. Only 5 of her kids died, the other 7 died due to the severe weather conditions. Her husband also died early on, some lung ailment, but she continued on. Remember that "Transformations" video that Radford made us watch? The one with the world wide revivals on it? The Inuit community that they filmed, that's Susan's home! And the church that was there is the one that her husband built!
(Susan getting some loving from Oliver)
Sis Pia - She's an official translator! She gets hired by the CBC and stuff to do work from Inuktituk (sp?!) into English and vice versa.
Ben from Yonkers NY - Wants to go to Africa for a year. (Good choice btw ;))
Franklin from Yonkers NY - Was watching his carb intake. Refused an offer to have raisins picked out from his breakfast to lower the carb count. Pure madness.
Bro Andy from Washington DC - LOVED Oliver. But was also afraid of him. They'd play but Andy would get scared and jump away. And do the nervous laugh. The "i'm not scared, but i'm scared" laugh.
Here are some random pictures
Sparky, looking a lot like Anthony Hopkins in promotional posters for the Shining
Debs and Lou reunited again after leaving Vancouver
A present from Sarah on our Magnadoodle
Aiya and Sis Gail representin'...Punchy's just blurry :P
(Remember, if there's a name that doesn't look familiar to you check the brief lexicon :))
That's all for now!
Monday, October 04, 2004
It's, it's like a lava lamp!
OoOo lots of things to talk about!! I have been having lots of random fun.
But first
A lexicon of terms, for those who asked for clarification.
Ammi - Sinhalese, means mom
Thathi - Sinhalese, means dad
Aiya - Sinhalese, means older brother
Oliver - our Jack Russell Terrier
Punchy - Sinhalese for little, it's what we call my mom's younger sister
Ranjan Bappa - Punchy's husband
Vhindiya - My female cousin
Paul - My other female cousin
Bro/Sis - I go to a hardcore Pentecostal church, need i say more?
Alby, Copto, Genis/Gene/Tool, Labro etc - Friends from high school.
Thorn - University buddy
And now in no particular order a smattering of how i have been occupying myself
:) Slobo's Baby Shower - Baby Showers are fun. They're even more fun when they're for friends! Slobo's was great. The moment of the night had to have been the "Copto" revelation. Copto was demanding answers and no one could give him any! (Slobo holding up Genis' baby clothes!)
:) Meeting the Dutch hottie - Alby and I had loads of fun. Perhaps the best part of it all was watching Dirjk (the Dutch hottie) fold his massive 6 foot+ frame into ammi's tiny little Carolla. (l-r: Dutch cuties + Alby)
:P Going to the Blue Jays' Game - I hate baseball. I still had fun though. It all started off with a guy hitting on Alby, using the smooth pick up line of "Hi, were you at Spring Rolls on Sunday night? I saw you there, my name is Kelly" *extends creepy hand* Alby getting excited and hitting Sonic's hand and Sonic spilling Coke on her upper thigh. Labro "supposedly" getting asked for her phone number by Jays' starting pitcher 'Botista' none of us have a clue as to who the heck he is LOL. Being told we're not allowed to take pictures in the stadiuam b/c it's "distracting" to the players. Riight. So we took one anyway. (l-r: Sonic and Alby)
:) Shopping with Alby like it was 1999 - To make up for the lost summer Alby and i saw a tonne of movies after i finished work. The one that really sticks out the most though is the night we went to see Collateral (of course we had to assign real life characters, Alby was Jamie Foxx, and i was Tom Cruise i don't remember who was Jada Pinkett, but it was probably Genis as usual). We went shopping before the movie and came to this conclusion. It would be impossible for us to have a psychological disorder. We could never be anorexic b/c we don't have ANY self control...we must eat. And we can't be "cutters" either b/c neither of us would ever have the guts to cut ourselves :) Another more important conclusion. Shopping for jeans = robbing a chick of all self-esteem that they might have. Flipping jeans. The sad thing is. They really do. To make amends i bought a fetching purse for a fetching price.
:) Monet - So Thorn and i went to see the Impressionist exhibit that was going on at the AGO. Whistler, Monet, and Turner. Let me tell you. It kicked some serious arse. I had such a good time. We got our tickets for free b/c some lady didn't want to wait in the crazy long entrance line. I can't wait to go to Europe. I finally got a real taste of what it's like to see the work of artists that you admire up close. There was a certain thrill in looking at paintings that you're familiar with...seeing the individual brush strokes, looking at the signature and all the minute little details and knowing that you and a couple of hundred other people in the room are looking at a piece of history. *emo shudder.* This is also the day i cut my own bangs in the bathroom. They were getting too long! (Thorn at the crusty St. Patrick's Station hold up one of our FREE ticket stubs :))
:S People trying to be philosophical, when they shouldn't - I was on the subway and this was taped to the seat in front of me. I think the ridiculousness of it speaks for itself. I hope it's clear enough for you to read it. (Read me if you dare!)
:( It's, it's like a lava lamp! - I know low-rise, crotch dusting jeans are supposedly in style. I too hate wearing pants that are too high. BUT. Something about having your arse hang out of your pants everytime you bend over does not appeal to me either. PEOPLE. PLEASE. STOP. WITH. THE. OVER. EXPOSURE. So Thorn and I are walking on Bloor street b/c she wanted to go and check Aritzia out. Just ahead of us is a fat chick in low rise pants and a CROPPED vintage t-shirt two sizes too small. I'm not thin. I know that. But as i stated above, i don't wear those freaking ultra low rise pants. Her rolls were out for the entire world to see. There must have been a foot of exposure from the waist of her pants to the bottom of her shirt. I like to keep my rolls private. But really. They were mesmerizing. Thorn aptly pointed out that "it's, it's like a lava lamp."
More Recently
Fanners and I hit up H&M. I got a sweet men's hat :) After H&M we went to Old Navy. Where we tried on children's Halloween costumes. Fanners is freakishly small, and i have a freakishly small head and feet. We took these pictures in the mirror; hence the overall bad quality picture. I'm a mouse, and Fanner's is a fairy :P (l-r: Fanners et moi)
:D Olivier - He got a new collar. It's kind of like a muzzle. But not so evil and mean. He hates it as you can see here, here, and here lol. He started obedience school, and he's bad so he gets stuck with a "Gentle Leader" as it is called. For the Sri Lankan/Indians out there. When you were a kid did you ever use your dad's sarong/lungi as a swing? I used to do it ALL THE TIME. Oliver enjoys doing it too. Yeah, Thathi's wearing a Scotiabank t-shirt. (Thathi and Ollie at the kitchen table)
In other news
We might have 30 people staying with us for Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah it's that time of year again! Our church is having it's annual Thanksgiving Conference (which you are ALL most welcome to attend btw!! October 7-10) and they want to take advantage of all the space in our empty basement. We have 3.5 washrooms. Will this be a billeting nightmare(as in years past)? Or billeting fun time? Stay tuned to find out!
But first
A lexicon of terms, for those who asked for clarification.
Ammi - Sinhalese, means mom
Thathi - Sinhalese, means dad
Aiya - Sinhalese, means older brother
Oliver - our Jack Russell Terrier
Punchy - Sinhalese for little, it's what we call my mom's younger sister
Ranjan Bappa - Punchy's husband
Vhindiya - My female cousin
Paul - My other female cousin
Bro/Sis - I go to a hardcore Pentecostal church, need i say more?
Alby, Copto, Genis/Gene/Tool, Labro etc - Friends from high school.
Thorn - University buddy
And now in no particular order a smattering of how i have been occupying myself
:) Slobo's Baby Shower - Baby Showers are fun. They're even more fun when they're for friends! Slobo's was great. The moment of the night had to have been the "Copto" revelation. Copto was demanding answers and no one could give him any! (Slobo holding up Genis' baby clothes!)
:) Meeting the Dutch hottie - Alby and I had loads of fun. Perhaps the best part of it all was watching Dirjk (the Dutch hottie) fold his massive 6 foot+ frame into ammi's tiny little Carolla. (l-r: Dutch cuties + Alby)
:P Going to the Blue Jays' Game - I hate baseball. I still had fun though. It all started off with a guy hitting on Alby, using the smooth pick up line of "Hi, were you at Spring Rolls on Sunday night? I saw you there, my name is Kelly" *extends creepy hand* Alby getting excited and hitting Sonic's hand and Sonic spilling Coke on her upper thigh. Labro "supposedly" getting asked for her phone number by Jays' starting pitcher 'Botista' none of us have a clue as to who the heck he is LOL. Being told we're not allowed to take pictures in the stadiuam b/c it's "distracting" to the players. Riight. So we took one anyway. (l-r: Sonic and Alby)
:) Shopping with Alby like it was 1999 - To make up for the lost summer Alby and i saw a tonne of movies after i finished work. The one that really sticks out the most though is the night we went to see Collateral (of course we had to assign real life characters, Alby was Jamie Foxx, and i was Tom Cruise i don't remember who was Jada Pinkett, but it was probably Genis as usual). We went shopping before the movie and came to this conclusion. It would be impossible for us to have a psychological disorder. We could never be anorexic b/c we don't have ANY self control...we must eat. And we can't be "cutters" either b/c neither of us would ever have the guts to cut ourselves :) Another more important conclusion. Shopping for jeans = robbing a chick of all self-esteem that they might have. Flipping jeans. The sad thing is. They really do. To make amends i bought a fetching purse for a fetching price.
:) Monet - So Thorn and i went to see the Impressionist exhibit that was going on at the AGO. Whistler, Monet, and Turner. Let me tell you. It kicked some serious arse. I had such a good time. We got our tickets for free b/c some lady didn't want to wait in the crazy long entrance line. I can't wait to go to Europe. I finally got a real taste of what it's like to see the work of artists that you admire up close. There was a certain thrill in looking at paintings that you're familiar with...seeing the individual brush strokes, looking at the signature and all the minute little details and knowing that you and a couple of hundred other people in the room are looking at a piece of history. *emo shudder.* This is also the day i cut my own bangs in the bathroom. They were getting too long! (Thorn at the crusty St. Patrick's Station hold up one of our FREE ticket stubs :))
:S People trying to be philosophical, when they shouldn't - I was on the subway and this was taped to the seat in front of me. I think the ridiculousness of it speaks for itself. I hope it's clear enough for you to read it. (Read me if you dare!)
:( It's, it's like a lava lamp! - I know low-rise, crotch dusting jeans are supposedly in style. I too hate wearing pants that are too high. BUT. Something about having your arse hang out of your pants everytime you bend over does not appeal to me either. PEOPLE. PLEASE. STOP. WITH. THE. OVER. EXPOSURE. So Thorn and I are walking on Bloor street b/c she wanted to go and check Aritzia out. Just ahead of us is a fat chick in low rise pants and a CROPPED vintage t-shirt two sizes too small. I'm not thin. I know that. But as i stated above, i don't wear those freaking ultra low rise pants. Her rolls were out for the entire world to see. There must have been a foot of exposure from the waist of her pants to the bottom of her shirt. I like to keep my rolls private. But really. They were mesmerizing. Thorn aptly pointed out that "it's, it's like a lava lamp."
More Recently
Fanners and I hit up H&M. I got a sweet men's hat :) After H&M we went to Old Navy. Where we tried on children's Halloween costumes. Fanners is freakishly small, and i have a freakishly small head and feet. We took these pictures in the mirror; hence the overall bad quality picture. I'm a mouse, and Fanner's is a fairy :P (l-r: Fanners et moi)
:D Olivier - He got a new collar. It's kind of like a muzzle. But not so evil and mean. He hates it as you can see here, here, and here lol. He started obedience school, and he's bad so he gets stuck with a "Gentle Leader" as it is called. For the Sri Lankan/Indians out there. When you were a kid did you ever use your dad's sarong/lungi as a swing? I used to do it ALL THE TIME. Oliver enjoys doing it too. Yeah, Thathi's wearing a Scotiabank t-shirt. (Thathi and Ollie at the kitchen table)
In other news
We might have 30 people staying with us for Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah it's that time of year again! Our church is having it's annual Thanksgiving Conference (which you are ALL most welcome to attend btw!! October 7-10) and they want to take advantage of all the space in our empty basement. We have 3.5 washrooms. Will this be a billeting nightmare(as in years past)? Or billeting fun time? Stay tuned to find out!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Free at last *sigh*
Summer vacation has begun! Finished my last exam on Monday night, now I can be useless and do nothing with a pure conscious! Great feeling that is :)
Friday, August 13, 2004
I *heart* ZiZou
*singing like Weezer* "Say it ain't sOoOoOoOo...." can it really be that "Zinedine Zidane a annoncé sa retraite internationale ." *sob* yes it's true, he's retiring from international soccer. That blows. He's so amazing. Sure he's a bit bald, but come on, he's wicked on the field. Interestingly enough Nutmeg* and I were discussing ZiZou's skills one day during the Euro Cup Nutmeg is a HARDCORE English fan (wanker!) whereas I was rooting for les bleus. Anywho we got onto the topic of Beckham vs. Zinedine lol and it took the turn of "If you could hook up with either Becks or ZiZou would you chose?" Nutmeg of COURSE chose Becks b/c of the crazy cash he makes on endorsement deals and because he's so pretty, i know he's so superficial (Nutmeg that is)*tsk*tsk* I on the other hand chose ZiZou, and no not just because he's French and therefore infinitely cooler than Becks, but because of his skills. Come on he was paid 46 million Pounds to go to Real Madrid *cough* Nutmeg, which makes that a world record fee. Well Zizou I take my hat off to you and bid adieu! International soccer is just not going to be the same without you! It's a good thing you're still playing for Real though :)
*Nutmeg: (male)(although some might say female)friend from high school who bears an uncanny resemblance to a hamster. Shauna had a hamster named Nutmeg so now the nickname is stuck for LIFE.
It's Caper Time!!!
Speaking of people I admire I really like Quincy Jones. I like Zinedine Zidane. I like well made commercials. Which means I loved the whole Adidas "Road to Lisbon" (you need quicktime to see it) campaign. When I see things like that it makes me wonder what the hell i'm doing in Canada. Europe. Europeans are so much more creative than we are! *sigh* You can put on anything and carry it off with such flair, if only I too were gifted with an intriguing accent and impeccable clothing. They are just so much cooler than us North Americans. Their commercials.
Armchair Athletics
Currently I hold the Canadian Armchair Athlete's title. I can't play sports but I'll darn tootin' watch 'em on the tele! It is with GREAT joy I welcome the Olympics into my home tonight. The next 13 days for me mean PURE unadulterated sports watching, Triathalon, Discus, Hurdles yes...even Speed Walking *woot*woot* I'm stoked.
Bring it on!!!!!
*Nutmeg: (male)(although some might say female)friend from high school who bears an uncanny resemblance to a hamster. Shauna had a hamster named Nutmeg so now the nickname is stuck for LIFE.
It's Caper Time!!!
Speaking of people I admire I really like Quincy Jones. I like Zinedine Zidane. I like well made commercials. Which means I loved the whole Adidas "Road to Lisbon" (you need quicktime to see it) campaign. When I see things like that it makes me wonder what the hell i'm doing in Canada. Europe. Europeans are so much more creative than we are! *sigh* You can put on anything and carry it off with such flair, if only I too were gifted with an intriguing accent and impeccable clothing. They are just so much cooler than us North Americans. Their commercials.
Armchair Athletics
Currently I hold the Canadian Armchair Athlete's title. I can't play sports but I'll darn tootin' watch 'em on the tele! It is with GREAT joy I welcome the Olympics into my home tonight. The next 13 days for me mean PURE unadulterated sports watching, Triathalon, Discus, Hurdles yes...even Speed Walking *woot*woot* I'm stoked.
Bring it on!!!!!
Friday, August 06, 2004
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
I must confess I do like snow...well I like the first snowfall and that's about it. Snow after the first snowfall = dreary Canadian winters and we all know how great those are! Not that I should complain because those poor people in the prairies get it so MUCH worse than we do in Toronto with our stupid "Lake Effect snow." Snow however is only supposed to be outside when it's cold. NOT in August. Richmond Street was closed again yesterday for freaking Cindrella Man. Traffic was disgusting and the amount of humanity outside gawking was ridiculous. Why can't they shoot on a weekend is what I'd like to know. So why were all these people outside? Other than to see Russell Crowe, there was snow out!!!! The entire street was covered in snow, the Model T Fords, old fashioned trolleys, everything covered in snow. By the time it hit five though most of it had melted :(
The Warsaw Uprising
This past Sunday marked the 60th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. It's difficult for me to think about the uprising without thinking about the ordinary people, how they wanted to rise up against the opression and take a stand. Those individuals that wanted to make a change; they weren't alone in Poland all across Europe the underground resistance was working. It makes me think of modern day Iraq.
The Warsaw Uprising
This past Sunday marked the 60th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. It's difficult for me to think about the uprising without thinking about the ordinary people, how they wanted to rise up against the opression and take a stand. Those individuals that wanted to make a change; they weren't alone in Poland all across Europe the underground resistance was working. It makes me think of modern day Iraq.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Oh YES Wyoming!
(*sorry, but blogger's being stupid today, for some reason i can't post my links in properly...i'll try to fix it up when i get home!!)
This is old news, but I love the Seinfeld/Superman tag team action for those online commercials. *SIGH* I LOVE SEINFELD, his show is right up there in my list of fave TV shows (along with The Office, Blackadder, Monty Python's Flying Circus... the list can go on...) I haven't quiet decided on Curb Your Enthusiasm yet. It's almost like watching Seinfeld with a different character playing Jerry. I know Larry David was one of the creators, but the similarities are often eerie *shudder* Well back to those commercials. I think there should be a musical written about Toronto, just like for Wyoming. That way I could use lyrics from the musical as the title for this blog entry. What I would have really liked to say is "OH YES TORONTO."
OH YES TORONTO :)
I love Toronto (more than I love Jerry Seinfeld), but sometimes I wonder about this fair city I live in. It's hurting. Badly. Our city is full of beautiful people. Who can't dress. The other night on the Subway I saw a woman whose earrings were made out ofTOONIES . That's right. Toonies. There is no excuse for that. Last week in the morning on the way to work we got stuck between Victoria St and Bay on Richmond b/c there was no electricity in the street lights. Why? Because they were shooting Cinderella Man (the new Russel Crowe boxing flick) outside of the Bay and needed to use old fashioned street lamps. Thus I was delayed from getting to work on time AND was hit on my super gross techies with mullets who were old enough to be my dad *vomit.* Although I see this whole Hollywood North thing as Canada prostituting itself for some US bling I realize how much cash it brings into our cash strapped film economy...total conundrum if you ask me. Well I'm yet to see Russell Crowe but the set is pretty cool. They've turned the Bay into Madison Square Gardens, and it looks better as MSG than anything else so far. In other news it looks like I will not see Ja Rule either. Freaking guy was right across the street from me last week too for his court appearance!! And you guys KNOW how much i LOVE his music. Some people have all the luck
A Love/Hate Relationship with the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest
So it's already established that I'm a pretensious snob when it comes to cultural things. I'm sorry but I'm just not a Ribfest sort of person. Mullets scare me. The music of Twisted Sister gives me nightmares. The 80s must go away. It is however possible to find the 80s in its purest most concentrated form at certain social gatherings. Like NASCAR (Elspeth can attest to this), and the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest . At first I loved it, because it gave me the entire house to myself on Friday night, which was AMAZING. I don't remember the last time I had the house to myself, to sit around and do absolutely nothing with no one around. As opposed to sitting around and doing nothing with the entire family around. Refreshing. The however came Saturday. That's when I began to despise my liberator. The Ribfest had to go. I couldn't HANDLE the BAD 80s music interspersed with bad Country and Western. I love music from the 80s The Cure rock (and they're coming to town next week for their Curiosa Festival!) but not blared from Thompson Park and invading my afternoon nap time! Even Oliver was unimpressed, he felt threatened by a mini Pomeranian and went and hid on the front porch ;) All in all, Ribfest can take a hike next year. However, one highlight of Saturday. I rode my bike down St.Andrews by the old church just after the downpour. There's something about being outside after a heavy rainfall. I think it's the smell, you know that damp earthy smell...
The Interpreter
There are very few things that will make me seriously consider moving to the States, particularly New York city. Among the few: Having the Beastie Boys , Interpol AND the Strokes living within a close proximity and being available for summer BBQs whenever I want them to come; scoring that dream job with the UN . I'm not big into watching movies in theatres, mainly because I think it's highway robbery to force someone to pay upwards of $13.00 for a movie that would look just fine on a TV screen. Buuuut, I'm TOTALLY stoked for the Interpreter, because for now I'm going to have to live vicariously through Nicole Kidman until I actually score that dream job at the UN. It's the only movie that's ever been allowed to actually shoot inside the General Assembly. Which is pretty wicked if you ask me.
...Well it's the beginning of August, so that means I need to go on my magazine run at lunch!!! As Fez would say, "I say good day"
This is old news, but I love the Seinfeld/Superman tag team action for those online commercials. *SIGH* I LOVE SEINFELD, his show is right up there in my list of fave TV shows (along with The Office, Blackadder, Monty Python's Flying Circus... the list can go on...) I haven't quiet decided on Curb Your Enthusiasm yet. It's almost like watching Seinfeld with a different character playing Jerry. I know Larry David was one of the creators, but the similarities are often eerie *shudder* Well back to those commercials. I think there should be a musical written about Toronto, just like for Wyoming. That way I could use lyrics from the musical as the title for this blog entry. What I would have really liked to say is "OH YES TORONTO."
OH YES TORONTO :)
I love Toronto (more than I love Jerry Seinfeld), but sometimes I wonder about this fair city I live in. It's hurting. Badly. Our city is full of beautiful people. Who can't dress. The other night on the Subway I saw a woman whose earrings were made out of
A Love/Hate Relationship with the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest
So it's already established that I'm a pretensious snob when it comes to cultural things. I'm sorry but I'm just not a Ribfest sort of person. Mullets scare me. The music of Twisted Sister gives me nightmares. The 80s must go away. It is however possible to find the 80s in its purest most concentrated form at certain social gatherings. Like NASCAR (Elspeth can attest to this), and the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest . At first I loved it, because it gave me the entire house to myself on Friday night, which was AMAZING. I don't remember the last time I had the house to myself, to sit around and do absolutely nothing with no one around. As opposed to sitting around and doing nothing with the entire family around. Refreshing. The however came Saturday. That's when I began to despise my liberator. The Ribfest had to go. I couldn't HANDLE the BAD 80s music interspersed with bad Country and Western. I love music from the 80s The Cure rock (and they're coming to town next week for their Curiosa Festival!) but not blared from Thompson Park and invading my afternoon nap time! Even Oliver was unimpressed, he felt threatened by a mini Pomeranian and went and hid on the front porch ;) All in all, Ribfest can take a hike next year. However, one highlight of Saturday. I rode my bike down St.Andrews by the old church just after the downpour. There's something about being outside after a heavy rainfall. I think it's the smell, you know that damp earthy smell...
The Interpreter
There are very few things that will make me seriously consider moving to the States, particularly New York city. Among the few: Having the Beastie Boys , Interpol AND the Strokes living within a close proximity and being available for summer BBQs whenever I want them to come; scoring that dream job with the UN . I'm not big into watching movies in theatres, mainly because I think it's highway robbery to force someone to pay upwards of $13.00 for a movie that would look just fine on a TV screen. Buuuut, I'm TOTALLY stoked for the Interpreter, because for now I'm going to have to live vicariously through Nicole Kidman until I actually score that dream job at the UN. It's the only movie that's ever been allowed to actually shoot inside the General Assembly. Which is pretty wicked if you ask me.
...Well it's the beginning of August, so that means I need to go on my magazine run at lunch!!! As Fez would say, "I say good day"
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Calling All Pakis
Please let me introduce you to Kraftwerk, agruably the best synth group ever...here is their ode to le Tour de France.
Tour de France (Etapes 1, 2, et 3)
Tour de France
Radio Tour information
Transmission television
Reportage sur moto
Camera, video et photo
Les equipes presentees
Le depart est donne
Les etapes sont brulees
Et la course est lanceeTour de France
Les coureurs chronometres
Pour l'epreuve de verite
Subject: Casting Call - Lights, Camera, Action - I need your help
La montagne les vallees
Les grands cols les defiles
La flamme rouge depassee
Maillot Jaune a l'arrivee
Radio Tour information
Transmission television
Tour de France
For those of you who know French...sorry...I couldn't get any of the accents in!
Now for those of you who are unilingual...the translation:
Tour de France
Radio Tour information
Broadcast television
Reports on motor bikes
Video camera and photo
The teams are introduced
The start is given
The stages are burnt
And the race is underway
Tour de France
The timed riders
For the truth trial
The mountains, the valleys
The great cols, the defiles
The red flag is overtaken
Yellow jersey at the finish
Radio Tour information
Broadcast television
Tour de France
Good luck Lance!!!!
More news from the workforce! Here's an e-mail that I got today, which made me laugh. I'm thinking of putting this on the bulletin board at church ;)
Subject: Casting Call - Lights, Camera, Action - I need your help
State Farm has an immediate need to recruit culturally specific talent to appear in photos for some new marketing materials. We are seeking representatives from a variety of South Asian cultures, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to name a few, between the ages of 10-70
If you know anyone who is interested in being talent for State Farm print and video work please have them call or email me for more information and to book an appointment for the casting call.
We are holding casting calls next Tues and Wed between 10am and 8pm at 100 Consilum Place (State Farm building across Scarborough Town Centre). The appt will take approx 15 min - you can come in groups. We will take a head shot and do some videography.
We are holding casting calls next Tues and Wed between 10am and 8pm at 100 Consilum Place (State Farm building across Scarborough Town Centre). The appt will take approx 15 min - you can come in groups. We will take a head shot and do some videography.
The photoshoot will take place in Toronto from Aug 23 - 28, 2004. If you are selected, you will be compensated $20 US/hour for your time
Please pass this on to any of your friends and family that might be interested - especially children, parents and grandparents. Thanks for your support .
Cheers
Cheers
Email Address : rehana.damji.idcn@statefarm.com
Phone Number: 416.290.4324
Rehana Damji Canadian Zone Marketing Analyst State Farm ®
Phone Number: 416.290.4324
Rehana Damji Canadian Zone Marketing Analyst State Farm ®
If anyone's interested call her and let her know or hit me up. Labro you're still South Asian right? At least the last time I checked ;)
Bubbles?!
Yesterday I had to come home via the good old TTC. The Subway was disgusting because the car I was in had no airconditioning and I was wearing a black blazer which I couldn't take off due to the deoderant I got on the bottom of it in the morning. As usual I was a goner by the time we hit Castle Frank station. Things got a little more exciting on the bus ride home though. Long story short I saw a little girl who could have EASILY pass off as Bubble's daughter!! She had the same glasses, but her's were sparkly pink :D It was great, I couldn't stop staring at her, she was like 9 and was wearing all pink, but man...she would've made a great addition to the show b/c she belonged in a Trailer Park annnd she was super cute. To top it all off I had my favorite bus driver, she's so nice and always talks to me...the best part of it all is that she looks like Blondie, who I love :) I'm not alone on this either, ask Gina and she'll vouch for me.
I took Oliver to meet Rocky, our neighbor. We were in the backyard and Rocky chased him and he almost fell into the pool, luckily he stopped just in time. My heart was in my throat! On a lighter note, Aiya's back from Algonquin!! Which isn't really earth shattering because I most likely won't see him until Saturday anyways :P
In Your Eye Imperial Oil!!
So yesterday I'm at work and doing my thing when I get a request from a radio station in Calgary for the current Imperial Oil (aka ESSO) creative. Long story short, guess who managed to single handedly LOSE the ENTIRE mp3 library...yes the same library that contains EVERY SINGLE radio spot produced thus far this year for all our clients. Yup. It was I. After 7 minutes in a cold sweat I discovered that I had accidentally moved the mp3 library to a different file...my technological ineptness is really getting the better of me these days
Ollie...*barf* I know, but that's what my dad calls him
Olivier was very bad yesterday and that made me sad :( We took him to Ranjan Bappa's place and he was so good, he would come when we called him etc etc, but he attacked me in the car!!!! He's so small he doesn't know how to bark or growl, so on our way home he decided to try out growling AND biting...OoOoOoOo he felt my wrath, let's just say he won't be doing that again. LOL Ammi got so scared of him she refused to go near him the entire evening b/c she thought he'd attack her and Thathi wanted to give him lumps (which I would never let him do!) He was sad yesterday b/c Aiya has gone camping to Algonquin with K-OS and company and there was no one at home for him to give kisses to or take out for a midnight leak!
Comrade D...?
If I weren't a Christian I think I'd be a communist...well maybe not a hard core Chairman Mao communist but maybe a socialist (which contrary to popular belief I am not, *cough* yes Gloria I do believe in open markets lol). Actually come to think of it, probably a much more watered down version, and let's play it safe here and say NDP , I think I could give Olivia Chow AND Jack Layton a run for their money ;) Although it sometimes feels like I'm the only lefty drowning in a sea of right wing family members mumsy reminded me this morning of some key facts. Apparently grand-uncles on both sides of my family were commies! And not just commies either, but card carrying involved commies. Go figure, I guess it skips a generation, (like diabetes supposedly does). Speaking of communists, I saw a guy today outside at Nathan Phillips Square wearing a red KGB T-shirt complete with sickle. He was like 13, and probably doesn't have a clue as to what the significance of the KGB is...to add to the irony of it all there were little Polish girls and boys dancing on the mainstage!
On the topic of lefties and right wingers...Thanks to Roshan I have discovered an American conservative magazine that doesn't make me want to shove PaperMate pens in my eyes b/c of irritation. Say hello to the National Review. My preferred source of American politics is still Harpers but National Review is a decent alternative. (Although David Frum is a contributor *shudder* [Fanners and I had a BAD experience with him during a taping of Studio 2 he RUINED the discussion and talked out of his arse for most of the evening]) The other day I read an article called Sleepless in Suburbia which made me laugh because it was so true...even though the author is right wing ;) Here's an excerpt, but whenever the author says Lefty, or left replace it with right winger or right:
"Lefty friends. There are a number of people I am very fond of, who are Left. For reasons I don't completely understand, this troubles me. I suppose it is the tension between liking them as people, and thinking their opinions are silly. Short of converting them to my point of view, or vice versa neither of which, of course, ever happens there is no way to resolve this tension in their presence, so I take it to bed with me and it pops out at 3 A.M. like a hernia."
*sigh* I couldn't have put it better myself!! This one's for you Gloria, Roshan, Warren and pretty much everyone else I went to High School with ;) But don't fret, I don't lose any sleep over you guys. You just irritate me. Sometimes. No. Most of the time. I LOVE YOU.
PS:
Lotsa interesting tid-bits of news floating around today.
Prime Minister Martin has selected his cabinet members
Philippine President pulls out her soldiers from Iraq
It's the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Lunar Landing
The UN wants Isreal to scrap its version of the Berlin Wall
Ollie...*barf* I know, but that's what my dad calls him
Olivier was very bad yesterday and that made me sad :( We took him to Ranjan Bappa's place and he was so good, he would come when we called him etc etc, but he attacked me in the car!!!! He's so small he doesn't know how to bark or growl, so on our way home he decided to try out growling AND biting...OoOoOoOo he felt my wrath, let's just say he won't be doing that again. LOL Ammi got so scared of him she refused to go near him the entire evening b/c she thought he'd attack her and Thathi wanted to give him lumps (which I would never let him do!) He was sad yesterday b/c Aiya has gone camping to Algonquin with K-OS and company and there was no one at home for him to give kisses to or take out for a midnight leak!
Comrade D...?
If I weren't a Christian I think I'd be a communist...well maybe not a hard core Chairman Mao communist but maybe a socialist (which contrary to popular belief I am not, *cough* yes Gloria I do believe in open markets lol). Actually come to think of it, probably a much more watered down version, and let's play it safe here and say NDP , I think I could give Olivia Chow AND Jack Layton a run for their money ;) Although it sometimes feels like I'm the only lefty drowning in a sea of right wing family members mumsy reminded me this morning of some key facts. Apparently grand-uncles on both sides of my family were commies! And not just commies either, but card carrying involved commies. Go figure, I guess it skips a generation, (like diabetes supposedly does). Speaking of communists, I saw a guy today outside at Nathan Phillips Square wearing a red KGB T-shirt complete with sickle. He was like 13, and probably doesn't have a clue as to what the significance of the KGB is...to add to the irony of it all there were little Polish girls and boys dancing on the mainstage!
On the topic of lefties and right wingers...Thanks to Roshan I have discovered an American conservative magazine that doesn't make me want to shove PaperMate pens in my eyes b/c of irritation. Say hello to the National Review. My preferred source of American politics is still Harpers but National Review is a decent alternative. (Although David Frum is a contributor *shudder* [Fanners and I had a BAD experience with him during a taping of Studio 2 he RUINED the discussion and talked out of his arse for most of the evening]) The other day I read an article called Sleepless in Suburbia which made me laugh because it was so true...even though the author is right wing ;) Here's an excerpt, but whenever the author says Lefty, or left replace it with right winger or right:
"Lefty friends. There are a number of people I am very fond of, who are Left. For reasons I don't completely understand, this troubles me. I suppose it is the tension between liking them as people, and thinking their opinions are silly. Short of converting them to my point of view, or vice versa neither of which, of course, ever happens there is no way to resolve this tension in their presence, so I take it to bed with me and it pops out at 3 A.M. like a hernia."
*sigh* I couldn't have put it better myself!! This one's for you Gloria, Roshan, Warren and pretty much everyone else I went to High School with ;) But don't fret, I don't lose any sleep over you guys. You just irritate me. Sometimes. No. Most of the time. I LOVE YOU.
PS:
Lotsa interesting tid-bits of news floating around today.
Prime Minister Martin has selected his cabinet members
Philippine President pulls out her soldiers from Iraq
It's the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Lunar Landing
The UN wants Isreal to scrap its version of the Berlin Wall
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