TheAlterEgo

Beside You

2010-03-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

I’ve heard this song on the radio a few times and really fell in love with it; the melody and the lyrics are quite a good match. I just came across this video while procrastinating from my essay and I must say, this is almost the perfect package of a song.

Enjoy.

“When it gets too much, I'll be right beside you”

Thanks for reading!

Worse of two evils

2010-03-08T11:59:00.001-05:00

something has been playing over and over in my mind for the past month or so, and I can’t seem to comprehend the reasons why.

i can’t seem to answer this question…

what’s worse of the two: to have hurt someone and said sorry but the person becomes ignorant and stuck-up (but keep trying to reach out to them) or to just let the other person be and act like the other person doesn’t exist?

sometimes I just get so tired of trying to please people, I wish I could be stronger to ignore what everyone ELSE desires and wants from me. Sometimes I just want to be able to please myself without upsetting everyone else, is such an unfair request to ask for?

Of all the goals I’ve made for 2010, I think I will now begin to live for myself and what I believe in. For those of you who really aren’t worth my time, I’m sorry but you did this to yourself.

(this was somewhat of an upsetting blog? Sorry, better things will come in time!)

So I’ve been listening to this song non-stop (its quite a catchy song!), and I just found these two girls that covered t-swift and I must admit, these two teeny-boppers are pretty good. kudos.

Thanks for reading!

time

2010-03-05T02:16:00.001-05:00

Hi, friend.

how are you doing, today?

Not in Service

2010-02-25T04:06:00.001-05:00

I’ll be gone for a while, friends.

I’ll be back in due time.

Thanks for stickin’ by.

Thanks for reading!

Spek-ta-tor

2010-02-23T01:49:00.001-05:00

I almost forgot just how much I love listening to Regina Spektor. enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

home.

2010-02-21T22:34:00.001-05:00

come home,

back to where things are familiar.

where there is warmth and joy,

there’s a void where you used to be.

Wake Up With Me

2010-02-19T02:43:00.001-05:00

I was doing my usual youtube rounds this evening when I got home. Found myself a new youtube artist, Lan Li. I’m not sure yet just how much I like her style but her voice is definitely entrancing. listen for yourself, enjoy!

We had moments we had troubles but those troubles lose
All their meaning when I know that I cant help loving you

Thanks for reading!

Edge of Desire

2010-02-16T03:05:00.001-05:00

don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me. I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe
there I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me.

Thanks for reading!

happy Valentine’s Day!

2010-02-14T03:20:00.001-05:00

This is such a sweet song and video. hopefully everyone has someone they love to hold close to them this valentine’s day! lots of love, enjoy!

one more thing…

**happy chinese new year!**

and lastly…

heh. I got retweeted by The canadian museum of civilization (re: my tweet about Aritzia stealing aboriginal design) – r.i.p. alexander mcqueen

Thanks for reading!!

Beauty for Ashes

2010-02-10T02:08:00.001-05:00

Beautiful song. I’ve been listening to this all night; there’s something about the words and rhythm that really brings peace to an uneasy heart. Enjoy.

P.S. MY BLOG IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T LOOK RIGHT, DON’T WORRY – i’M ON IT!

Thanks for reading!

Already Gone

2010-02-02T04:04:00.001-05:00

On top of being one of the most successful American Idol winners, Kelly Clarkson really has talent to make good music! Enjoy.

You couldn't have loved me better
I want you to move on
…
I know that you'll find another
That doesn't always make you want to cry

Thanks for reading/watching!

A Touch of Awesome

2010-01-30T11:38:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I went shopping. Spent more money than I should have, but brought home so many goodies. I really should control my spending, but courtesy of my VISA I got a $100 SHOP card to Cadillac Fairview malls; hence I didn't spend all that much.

Now... on to my purchases (and some random facts).

I was finally able to pick up the two albums that I've been waiting to get for so long now:
1) Marie Digby; as many of you should know if you've been to my blog enough times that I'm an avid fan of hers since I had discovered her on Youtube (before she got famous). I have both her albums and I must say, the second one is more main-stream than the first but nonetheless it's good to the ears :)

2) Zee Avi; This artist is a personal favorite of mine of all the artists I've found on Youtube. She's got a beautiful raspy/jazz voice, this really adds to the personality of her music. She's not as big on the music market yet, but I am happy that she has produced her own album. If I could collaborate her style with another artists, I would probably say Jason Mraz.

3) Dresses! I need to stop buying so many dresses. In the past month I've purchased 3 dresses already (two of which from yesterday), you can ask me why but I wouldn't be able to provide you with any better answer than: I love dresses. No events and no occasions, I just buy them 'cause they're pretty :) There unfortunately won't be pictures of my dresses, simply because I like to leave my dresses/clothes that I purchase with an element of surprise and usually only the people I go out with will see these items.
Random fact about jenna: I never wear dresses more than twice; hence I waste a lot of money buying dresses.

4) Jewelery; I love buying jewelery as much as I love buying shoes and dresses. I think jewelery and shoes and make any outfit look stunning, you just need to know how to mix it well. I thought long and hard before I put my money down on this piece (only because it's so bold), but nevertheless I bought it with the intent to go bold. I normally wouldn't post pictures of my jewelery either, but this I must post. (Unfortunately I'm at work so I must use photos from their site to show you)
Random fact about jenna: I love to buy pretty jewelery, but I hate wearing jewelery. Especially rings, the feeling of something being between my fingers annoys me!

The rest of my purchases from yesterday were more personal items so I won't be sharing those. Hope you enjoyed my little (1 hour speed shopping) adventure from yesterday. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Thanks for reading!

BLYSS

2010-01-27T22:35:00.001-05:00

I love scouting Youtube for the newest, hottest and most unique artists. I can spend countless hours browsing artist pages and their videos to just find ONE song that I feel has good lyrics and melody.

I found this today while I was at Starbucks, even though it’s not written by these girls I love their cover. I’ve been following two of the four girls from this group on Youtube for a while now and I’m super excited that they’re collaborated to create the BLYSS group. Without further ado, enjoy the music!

“Baby let’s take this time let’s make new memories”

Today I decided to make an apple pie, tomorrow. Picked up all the ingredients and I’m super stoked to try my first apple pie; with a new baking experience comes a new photoblog! Coming soon. I also bought a magazine, while waiting in line to pay, called Mixing Bowl and it’s filled with delicious recipes that I’m dying to try. I think this year will be a year filled with many many tasty treats, yum :)

So, today the biggest buzz seemed to be around the new Apple iPad. I don’t think the buzz was so much around the actual tablet itself but more so around the name. There definitely could’ve been a more innovating name for this tablet, but for what it’s worth it sounds like a pretty awesome thing to have.

That’s all for now. Hope everyone has a very warm and eventful week!

Thanks for reading!

Eliot Chang

2010-01-26T22:53:00.001-05:00

Today has been a very, very long day.

However, while I was at the library (trying to study) Audrey showed me this clip of a (CHINESE) comedian who I should say is a bit crude, but nonetheless extremely funny. He’s pretty good looking too, heh.

(I love this)

Anyways, just wanted to share this with all of you. Enjoy!

Special thanks to AChan, for your constant support. Isaiah 40:28-31.

Thanks for reading!

Kindness

2010-01-25T23:10:00.001-05:00

I was browsing around Facebook earlier this evening and came across a very familiar quote by Plato: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle”. The beauty of this quote is that it doesn’t just take into the consideration of the self but also of others.

Kindness is contagious, and so are smiles. I think people should become more intentional with the way they interact with others. When we reflect on how we feel in the midst of others, and the way they treat us, we become more aware of how we start to treat them in return. Regardless of how busy (or not so busy) your life may be, don’t forget that this journey of life is shared by all with each other. Be kind and understanding always, because one day the one who fights the great battle may be you – so who will be there for you?

On a side note: I GOT MY PERSONALIZED STARBUCKS CARD IN THE MAIL TODAY! Yay!

(Bla. I hate webcam pictures, but I’m too lazy to grab my camera for a card)

Hope everyone had a beautiful day.

Thanks for reading!

It’s Not Gonna Be Easy…

2010-01-24T00:21:00.001-05:00

It’s been a while since I’ve really sat down with a good movie. With the 200+ collection of DVD’s I have in my basement, there’s one movie on my mind… The Notebook. The story of two completely opposite people who come together and share a life of the most beautiful and inspiring love; Nicholas Sparks is quite the romantic man. Anyways, this is probably one of my favorite (and many would agree) scenes in the movie, and I just wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy.

Allie: Stay with you? What for? Look at us, we are already fighting.

Noah: Well that's what we do. We fight. You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are being a pain in the ass. Which you are 99% of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a two second rebound rate and your back do doing the next pain in the ass thing.

Allie: So what.

Noah: So it's not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard. And we're going to have to work at this every day. But I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day.

Thanks for reading!

When You Say (Nine) - Gabe Bondoc

2010-01-20T18:48:00.002-05:00

Some ear candy for you all. It's simply, amazing.

I remember the first time
it's always playing in my mind
I've never felt like this before

Thanks for reading!

Oreo Cup-Cheesecakes!

2010-01-19T01:31:00.000-05:00

So this was actually the first time I’ve ever made cheesecake and it turned out a lot better than I thought it would! Yay. And per usual, when I bake something I consider (somewhat)successful I like to photo blog, so here’s my journey with my Cup-Cheesecakes! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: the pictures are REALLY BAD quality. I grabbed the closest thing I had, which happened to by my cell.

Ingredients:
- 2 Eggs
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 (250g) Cream Cheese pkgs
- 15 Oreo Cookes
- 1/4 cup sugar

mix your sugar and cream cheese together until well blended. this process is much easier and faster if you have an electric blender. I used a spoon, took FOREVER!
once you’re done mixing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

line the bottoms of your cups with a single Oreo cookie. once that is completed, fill the cups evenly with batter.

once your oven has reached 350 degrees, set a timer for 20 minutes.

now bake!

and voila! Let your cupcakes sit overnight (in the fridge) before decorating.

I unfortunately didn’t get a picture of the cookie crumbs, but here is the melted chocolate chips transferred into a bag for easy decorating!

this is your final product, or how it should look.

Now go and try your own Cup-Cheesecakes and let me know how it goes! Happy cooking!

Thanks for reading!

Been a while.

2010-01-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

It’s not much of a hiatus, but more of a lack of inspiration; but now I’m back bubbling with things to say.

I won’t start my return with a extended post, but instead with a post about myself. Vain, much?

I would disagree with you there. I do this not only for your reading pleasures to learn more about me, but I do this so I could personally learn more about myself and for you to learn with me!

Here we go!

Top 20 Things About Jenna (You may or may not have known)!

1. I am addicted to coffee, esp. the Americano at Starbucks! (more recently, as suggested by a friend, the Americano Misto is my go to cup).

2. I am a Lakers fan, and I will never allow myself to jump on the Raptors bandwagon.

3. I love dark chocolate.

4. I follow and watch infomercial commercials like there is no tomorrow, and then I will eventually succumb to purchasing their product.

5. I love to bake. Baking to me is like yoga to another, amazing de-stressing power.

6. I’ve had 10 different part-time jobs since I was 14.

7. I eat, A LOT.

8. I like making resolutions that I can’t keep.

9. I hate the cold, but I love winter because it brings people closer together (whether it’s at home or when you’re outside you keep each other warm with hugs… which brings me to my next point)

10. I am the biggest sucker for hugs.

11. I love dresses! Every time I go shopping, I come home with a dress.

12. In line with my last name (Hsu, pronounced like shoe), I love shoes.

13. I love watching Asian dramas (esp. Korean ones), cause they make me cry; and I love that feeling.

14. I am one of those obnoxious students that sit at the front of the class, aggressively writing down everything the prof says. Honest truth, I never really know what I’m writing.

15. My favorite flowers are Gerber Daisies.

16. I have lived in Canada since I was 5, and yet I still talk like a fob.

17. I have perfect 20/20 vision. When you see my wearing glasses they’re i) not prescriptioned, ii) for fashion and iii) for those days when I’m tired and not wearing a whole lot of makeup.

18. I know how to play the trumpet.

19. I’m super impatient. I need instant gratification!

20. I love to spend simple quality time with people. Complicated outings are a big turnoff.

That took a lot more effort than I expected it would. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Thanks for reading!

Sometimes

2009-11-30T14:11:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you have to run away, so you can see who will run after you.
Sometimes you have to talk quieter, just to see who's listening.
Sometimes you have to make a wrong decision, just to see who's there when it all falls down.
Sometimes you have to step up in a fight, just to see who's standing by your side.

Sometimes you just have to look up, and see that someone’s already there.

Thanks for reading!

HAPPY THREE YEARS

2009-11-27T00:00:00.004-05:00

Today is the 3-year anniversary of my blog!!
It's amazing how I've managed to talk and keep (some) people still coming back.
Thanks for being great readers and keeping me motivated to write.

I've held this blog longer than I've ever held a relationship. heh.

Thanks for reading!!

Love Cards

2009-10-26T17:33:00.001-04:00

The most difficult thing in any relationship (with a significant other or simple friendship) is the chances you have to take. Most of the time it’s like playing a card game, I’ll use 21 as an example. When you’re playing 21 you are trying to gain 21 points (or as close to as possible) with the cards you attain. You use phrases like “hit me” to gain more cards which could come to our advantage or quite literally hit us hard and would lead to a bust.

But is there a way to win or prevent ourselves from busting without taking chances?

Personally this is one of the most exciting and scary aspects of all my relationships, the fear of losing. Committing yourself to a person or a group of people could mean that you missed out on the other person or group that could’ve, might’ve, would’ve been better. I am a believer in taking chances and never really settling down until I’ve found something really good. But how can we find the stability if we never settle down for anything?

Lately I have been learning the lesson of working hard with what you already have until you have exhausted all your efforts and until you’ve realized that it would be better if you just walk the other way and let both lives be better. Still even after that separation you may find yourself right back into that card game. There isn’t such a thing as a mistake that we can’t learn from. Even after busting a few times, we can learn the tips and tricks on how to play the game better the next time until we feel satisfied and staying where we are.

To answer my previous question of whether we can actually prevent ourselves from busting, the answer is a clear no. However don’t ever prevent yourself from trying in fear of busting. So love and care for the ones around you unconditionally as if they were your first and last. Play the game safe and if you do bust and find that they are not your perfect match then move on and be thankful for the experiences and memories you’ve shared, and look forward to learning more tricks at how to play the game, of life.

For more reads on love & relationships, go to Wise Words of Love

Have a great week, everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Wise Words of Love

2009-10-23T00:16:00.001-04:00

Hi world, it’s me again.

I’m not suppose to be here but I had to direct this traffic flow I see elsewhere, where you can continue to be entertained daily. Please visit my friends site Wise Words Of Love, Dating and Relationships by clicking HERE. Please also feel free to refresh the page every so often while you’re on the page :)

Quick update:
1. School + work = DEATH
2. Volunteer + School + Work = DEATHx2!
3. Social Life + Volunteer + School + Work = … what’s a social life?

Due to the insane amount of work from school, I won’t really have the time to really stop to eat, sleep or think my own thoughts in these next few weeks until December, let alone write a blog post. But after I’m done I am really hoping to get started on my infomercial testing project, and I already have a ton of things piling up. Hopefully over the Christmas holidays I’ll get a chance to do that.

Speak of holidays it brings me to my next point… 63 days until Christmas!! Can’t wait to go on vacation to somewhere with warm and stable weather with my family!!

For now, good luck with everyone’s school/work.

Thanks for reading!

Make Up Artistry

2009-10-01T00:03:00.001-04:00

I had a few friends who asked me why I invest so much time and money on makeup and cosmetics, and the answer is simple: it’s my art.

Yes, there are people who may debate this issue saying things like “It’s fake and pretentious” but what artist wasn’t judged in one way or another? I’d like to continue being my own artist and creating my own masterpieces, because I believe that beauty is a talent; some may agree it’s natural and others may say it’s a creation, but either way it’s art. It’s no surprise why makeup is done with so many different types of brushes and canvases (i.e. the faces of different people).

What an artist considers beautiful may not necessarily be beautiful in the eyes of the public, but that’s the beauty of it all. As the common saying goes: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“I'm painting an idea not an ideal. Basically I'm trying to paint a structured painting full of controlled, and therefore potent, emotion.” – Euan Uglow

Thanks for reading!

It’s Cold!

2009-09-30T00:30:00.001-04:00

While I was walking from class to class, from bus stop to home and from school to bloorview I realized how insanely cold it’s been getting lately. The strong winds and cool breezes can only mean one thing… winter; well actually it means fall is coming, but after fall comes winter, respectively.

Anyways, just wanted to remind everyone to dress warm and treat yourself to a nice cup of hot tea or hot chocolate to warm up your insides :)

Cheers!

Thanks for reading!

OH and BTW. I have a brand new set of Quo brushes (half of which courtesy of AWen) and new cosmetic products also from Quo. That’s right, I binge shopped the cosmetic section at Shoppers Drug Mart! Now I feel guilty but highly satisfied :)

Music For Your Soul

2009-09-28T21:07:00.001-04:00

Isn’t it amazing the things music can do?

Background or foreground music has such a strong impact on our emotion; I guess you could say music plays with our emotions!

Often I find myself reacting to the various songs on my MP3 playlist, and it never fails to surprise me how much it really affects me. Music can bring about memories we want to suppress, fond memories that bring smiles to our faces, and my favourite the self motivating feelings. For example:

When I’m listening to this Justin Timberlake - Never Again, it always brings about sad memories of the past that I insist to be stored away for as long as possible. My mood changes from happy to sad and instantly I can feel the heaviness on my heart (I know I’m like super emotional right?). Then physiologically things start to change like my stance, my walking slows down and I start to stare into blank space contemplating… something.

But when I listen to something like this Lady Killer - Kreesha Turner, something to do with the beats and rhythm of the song but it just makes you feel so assertive of your own individuality. The bitterness and anger in this song would inadvertently make me feel upset about something and make me stand stronger and walk with more “independence”.

What about this one, I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas, it’s pretty self explanatory. When you hear this song regardless of where you are you can’t help be sing/dance to it; and when it reaches that part of the song where they say “Mazel Tov” for no reason you can’t help be want to shout it out with them. Oh yeah and this song makes you walk crazy fast, so if you’re ever late for class or work just play this song and you’ll be there in a jiffy!

It’s quite fascinating when you think about your emotions when you’ve got your MP3 in your ears. It’s no wonder why we listen to music and use music for so many different occasions; they bring about an emotion that you want to feel, the words and lyrics together make one heck of an assuring quality when you’re listening.

What’s your music telling you today?

(Swarovski Headphones. If I had a set I’d never take them off!)

Thanks for reading!

How To Be Smooth 1010 6.0 Section A

2009-09-25T01:19:00.001-04:00

**DISCLAIMER: This is a Parody of a course outline from York. Please do not take this seriously and please do not try to ENROL in this class; you will get a lot of people from administration office laughing at you.**

Fall/Winter 2009-10 Course Outline
AP/HUMA1790 6.0A : Term Y
How To Be Smooth

IMPORTANT LINKS
2009-2010 Undergraduate Calendar | Important Dates | Enrol Here
York Courses Web Site ( for Course Timetable / Schedule ) | Current Students Web Page

Course Instructor/Contact:
Dr. Jen Hsu M.A., Ph.D
(416)730-5940 ext. 20498
Email: jenhsu89@yorku.ca
Office: Rm. 355 Vari Hall
Office hours: available upon request

Course Teaching Assistants:
Dimitri McCreath MA Candidate
Email: everyonecallsmeD@yorku.ca
Office: Rm. 035 Vanier College
Office hours: Tues/Thurs 3:30-5:30

Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite:
This course is a critical interdisciplinary introduction to theories, methods and issues that constitute the field of being smooth. An examination of the origins of, and the interrelationships among, gender, male and female concepts and roles through myth, literature, art and artifacts from various Western cultures, past and present Note: This course has been approved in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies for general education credit. Course credit exclusions: None. PRIOR TO FALL 2008: Course credit exclusion: AK/HUMA 1830 6.00, AS/HUMA 1950 9.00, AK/AS/WMST 2600 6.00.

Required Course Text / Readings:
Dummy’s Guide to Being Smooth (4th Edition)
McGraw Hill 2008
ISBN: 203489320587983
This is a required Text

Organization of the Course:
5% Class Participation
25% Midterm
15% Quizzes
10% Assignment/Essay
15% Practicum
30% Final Exam

Course Learning Objectives:
The objective of this course is to help students develop the critical thinking skills necessary for interactions with someone of the opposite sex. Students are required to sign up for practicum's to signify to the teaching staff that they are fluent in the pick-up lines and ways to make someone of the opposite sex laugh. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be self-rewarded with the gift of being smooth and in the best situations a date with someone from the practicum. Good luck in this class.

Additional Information / Notes:
During the first class, students will be asked to take a shot of tequila to demonstrate what being not smooth is like. If there are objections to this activity for religious or personal reasons, please email the professor or someone on the teaching staff and let us know of your concern.

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION

The Senate Committee on Curriculum & Academic Standards (CCAS) provides a Student Information Sheet that includes:

York's Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures / Academic Integrity Web site
Access/Disability
Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants
Religious Observance Accommodation
Student Code of Conduct
Additional information:

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Alternate Exam and Test Scheduling
Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy
The Senate Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy stipulates that (a) the grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of assignments, essays, exams, etc.) be announced, and be available in writing, within the first two weeks of class, and that, (b) under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15% of the final grade for Fall, Winter or Summer Term, and 30% for ‘full year’ courses offered in the Fall/Winter Term be received by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a course without receiving a grade.
"20% Rule"
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to Program or Faculty grades distribution profiles.

From my own personal experience, I believe it would be extremely beneficial and fitting for the male (and sometimes female) population at York to understand how the concept of being smooth works. Heh. However these so called “un-smooth people” make my days at York all the more interesting, but you never know if someday down the road they may be someone who just plays a really important part of your life! Cherish those around you and accept the un-smooth, it did take a lot of gut to approach you.

Thanks for reading!

Nala

2009-09-12T23:08:00.001-04:00

I want to present the newest member of the family to you all. She’s an early birthday present from AWen to me. She sits at 34 inches and 26 ounces. Please welcome Nala :)

Don’t know how she performs yet, until I fully break her in. For now she will sit in her pouch until she can come out in the summer time. I’m so excited :)

Thanks for reading!

Unnecessary!

2009-09-12T02:28:00.001-04:00

So school’s started about 3 days ago and I’m swamped! The professors now are getting more and more demanding with the readings and whatnot, it’s almost humanly impossible to live a balanced life as a university student!

I should be studying now but I came across some things in my readings that bothered me, and it’s the issue of using unnecessary vocabulary. These doctors who write these books should have a wide enough vocabulary to not use words such as…

“Try the experiment of communicating, with fullness and accuracy, some experience to another, especially if it be somewhat complicated, and you will find your own attitude toward your experience changing; otherwise you resort to expletives and ejaculations.”

and words like…

“To avoid a split between what men consciously know because they are aware of having learned it by a specific job of learning, and what they unconsciously know because they have absorbed it in the formation of their characters by intercourse with others, becomes an increasingly delicate task with every development of special schooling.”

(and because I don’t want to even go down anywhere being accused of plagiarism here’s the link to the chapter: HERE)

However humorous it is to read at the time it is highly unnecessary to use such words, it makes me feel uncomfortable. But maybe that’s just me being me.

Anyways, I hope everyone has had a smooth transition back into the school life. I know I haven’t really but I especially want to encourage everyone to NOT slack off in the beginning of the year and get your assignments done a week before it’s due! Things will be much easier. Like my T.A. said: you don’t want to wait until the honeymoon phase has passed to find out that you’re in assignment hell.

Thanks for reading!

Comment Response
To: Andrea

Caster sugar will most commonly be found at the grocery store labelled as fruit sugar. It’s sugar but super fine grain.

Strawberry Swirls

2009-09-01T00:02:00.001-04:00

My Pear and Jasmine Tea sorbet did not turn out as I had planned, so I will need to mod that recipe before I post anything here.

Anyways, everyone loves cookies right? They are those easy snacks that you can grab and go with you. So today I wanted to try a cookie recipe called the Strawberry Swirl (adapted from Strawberry cookie from Marie Clare Seasonal Kitchen book). This recipemakes about 20 cookies

Here are the ingredients that you’ll need
- 250g (2 cups) plain all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 125g unsalted margarine, chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten|
- 100g (1/3 cup) strawberry jam
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- icing sugar to serve

Step 1: Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. If you don’t have a sifter, try to break the pieces yourself. Then add the sugar.

Step 2: Using your fingers, rub the cubes of margarine in with the flour mixture until all margarine is mixed in and the mixture looks like a bowl of breadcrumbs. Work the eggs in the mixture to make the dough more stiff.

Step 3: Roll the dough out on a baking sheet/wax paper into a rectangle (preferably 20 x 30 cm). Spread the jam evenly across the top of your dough and then sprinkle over the cinnamon (make sure you add a sufficient amount of jam/cinnamon or else your cookies will only taste like dough). Roll the dough up (Jelly-roll style) and wrap it up with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F or 325°F if using a Convection oven like mine). Cut your dough into 1cm slices and place on baking sheet/wax paper on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Remove from oven and place on rack to cool, then dust with icing sugar.

Step 6: Enjoy!!

Good luck with your own Strawberry Swirls. Happy cooking :)

Thanks for reading!

I’m Back!

2009-08-20T00:27:00.001-04:00

Wow that was the longest hiatus from my blog, my deepest apologies!

I’ve been doing pretty much nothing all summer and thus explains my lack of blogging/sharing with everyone what’s been up. However I will roughly breakdown the nothingness for you all:

- I’ve read two books since my summer officially started (Time Travellers Wife & My Sister’s Keeper). I know I was suppose to write book reviews about them but laziness got the better half of me so it never happened. I will highly recommend anyone who hasn’t read the books to read them but don’t watch the movie unless you absolutely need to.

- I’ve finished off one of the lab jobs at York and been working steadily at the lab at OISE/UT. It is quite a hassle for me to subway downtown 2-3 times a week for a few hours but at the end of the day being able to complete things is definitely most rewarding!

- Started a biking regime with my sister this past week. Everyday or at least every other day we would take a nice long bike ride to keep ourselves active, and if you know anything about Toronto it’s that it’s been really hot. One thing about working out I love is that I get to sweat a lot and then take a cold shower, AMAZING!

- I found a website online (www.ineedpopcorn.com) and it’s probably the largest database of free movies I’ve ever seen. After finding this website I have watched more movies in a week than I did in the past 6 months, ridonkulous!

(Click here to start popcorning!)

- INFOMERCIAL BUSTER! I’ve started a new blog where I will be doing reviews of various products that we commonly see on infomercials and the question of “Does that actually work?” come to mind. It will probably be once product review a month given that school will be starting soon I’ll need time to test it/record it/do some amateur editing on it, but it’s something that gets me excited to think about all the things I’ll get to try! There’s nothing on it now but you can start following here: http://infomercialbusters.tumblr.com/

- Lastly, this is something that also excites me, I have been cooking! Once or twice a week I have been making yummy desserts, from simple Jell-o desserts to Peach Tarts to Pear and Jasmine Tea Sorbet. They haven’t all come out successful as I had hoped but my plan is to start posting my cooking journal up here with pictures.

Hope that quick (long) recap wasn’t all that bad. I will be posting up one of my picture journals of my Pear and Jasmine Tea Sorbet: In the making soon times. Until then,

Thanks for reading!

The Gummy Bear Song

2009-07-20T23:59:00.001-04:00

As Rachel likes to say, “Laughter is contagious. Go make someone's day :)”, I am bringing my joy to you.

This is called the Gummy Bear Song, and if you’ve ever seen it you’ll understand when I say that it’s the most disturbingly cute thing ever. Enjoy.

Today was my first official day of summer and boy was it tiring! However now that summer is here I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do with myself besides church and softball and volunteering at a million and one places. I’ll start with cleaning my room, and then finishing my books, and then apply for some jobs. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has a blessed week :)

MJ Fever

2009-07-20T00:52:00.001-04:00

It seems that everywhere you turn these days, there’s something about Michael Jackson. While I was at Shoppers Drug Mart today I noticed that about 50% of the magazine rack had something about Michael Jackson on it. I can’t sing, I can’t write good articles about how inspirational he was because honestly he was a bit out of my generation, but I can honour him through recognizing that he writes some amazing music. Either that or I’ve been playing this nonstop while writing my essay so I need to get it out of my system. Enjoy.

I’m finally on my summer! Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Comment Responses

AGraham
There are four parts to the steel pans just like most instruments. Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses.

+sparkplug
I would love to teach you, but I need to know who you are first. And the Korean girl, she’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.

Anonymous
The guy is playing “air drums” because York failed to notice that they enrolled too many students in the class so some students had to share their pans. Hence the guy standing to the side playing on air drums.

Caribbean Ensemble

2009-07-16T02:26:00.001-04:00

Today was my last day of classes, finally!

Alan came to watch me perform in my Caribbean ensemble class. Unfortunately I told him the wrong room number so he missed 3/4 of the performance but still managed to capture my favourite song throughout the semester; it’s got the most amazing Caribana feel to it. Anyways, enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Comment Responses
To: Anonymous --

No, it isn’t my dog. I really wish I could 1) have a dog that cute and 2) be able to train it to give me that look. hah.

To: Wendy

You won’t even believe the terror I went through. The woman had THREE dogs, all of which barked at me. So much for friendly dogs!

He’s Friendly!

2009-07-14T15:55:00.001-04:00

A dog is a man’s best friend… or is he? When you’re strolling down the street, quite often you’ll encounter a dog or two. If you’re like me you would naturally bend down and want to pet the dog and let it emanate it’s cuteness onto you. Most of the time when you speak with the owner they would tell you something along the lines of “Oh, he/she’s friendly!” and try to command their dog to do something cute like give you a high five. The other day, however, while I was walking through the park to get to softball practice this situation happened exactly as I explained it but instead of the dog being cute and friendly it barked and stepped back as if to attack. Then it struck me:

Would owners ever tell people when their dogs really aren’t al that friendly?

I believe this is one common flaw of all humans, but it naturally makes sense to do it. We all like to make others think the best of us when we know that we’re not perfect in everyway. Don’t get me wrong, but there are times (i.e. interviews and first time meeting someone) that we must put our best foot forward, but how come these days I see it seep into my friendships? There are so many times we take our friendships for granted and when we look back 5 years down the road, we don’t understand what went wrong. I need to remind myself constantly now not to take for granted the care that friends have for each other; openness is key to a more trusting and happy friendship.

So next time when you are with the dog in your life, be honest with the people who come around.

Thanks for reading!

Some ear candy. Not one of her best songs/videos but good words. Enjoy.

Finish Line

2009-07-08T23:51:00.001-04:00

In exactly one week from today I will be free from the bondage of school, for a month and a half!

Summer school officially ends next Wednesday and I’m uber excited to feel what summer is like, heh. I know that many people give me the whole “you had a strike” speech but really which would you rather have a strike or a normal summer? Anyways I can finally get serious with my commitments (i.e. Softball, labs, and applying for jobs) and catch up on my rest (i.e. to heal the nasty wound on my knee).

I need accountability. I just recently picked up two books, Time Travellers Wife and My Sister’s Keeper, and I want to read them both before I watch the movie. Once I’m done reading and watched the movie I’ll book/movie review here so you know that I’ve done it. If I don’t get at least one of the books done by the end of the month, I’ll give you $5 for remember that I was suppose to finish one book.

That’s it for now. Enjoy your summer, go out and have fun in the sun!

Thanks for reading

THE WAY They Do It

2009-07-06T01:38:00.001-04:00

Today was a true display of teamwork and The Way spirit. I’m so proud of each player who showed so much dedication and effort on the field today. Let’s go Way Lightening!

All Heart.

Thanks for reading!

puppy Love & UP!

2009-07-03T01:44:00.001-04:00

There are two things on the top of my mind at the moment. I will try my best at these wee hours of the morning to express as much as I could, cause we all know if I wait ‘til the next day this post will most probably not happen.

I was thinking for a couple days now – what ever happened to puppy love? You know, the first crushes of our lives. The childhood sweethearts that just never seem to leave our hearts just because they were the first ones we ever caught our eyes on. Do you remember that feeling? The butterflies in your stomach every time you think about him/her, the cold sweats when they come closer, and the random things we do when they talk to us (it varies between people). And do you remember how “in love” you were, or at least thought you were? I think at some point of our puppy love stage we all thought that person we were dating was the one. But were we ever wrong. My point here is not to be pessimistic, however. My main point is actually a question to everyone: how come puppy love never lasts? It seems that we all love to imagine that we live in a world of fairytales and happy endings that we forget where our love originated from. From whom and from where we learned to care and “love” someone. It boggles me to think that the older we get, the more distracted we are from the central core of love. We occupy ourselves of worries about the other person and for some reason made ourselves believe that love should have responsibilities, as we got older. And because we get older we start to see the flaw in each person and thus begin to lose interest because they don’t fit in our “grand scheme of things”. I would like to return to that pure love one day. The kind of love that is uncomplicated and unobstructed by all these things the media puts in our head to worry about. Let love be love, and let responsibilities be responsibilities. Do not use love as an excuse to push responsibilities onto another person, you are responsible for yourself – just love.

Anyways, that’s that.

Today I finally got to watch the movie UP and I must say, it was stupendously amazing. It was one of the first films to break out the 3D in theatres and I can say with two thumbs up that it’s a MUST-SEE in theatres. It was a great mix of emotion, humour, and inspiration. Like people say that the ingredients of salt, sugar, and oil make some of the tastiest foods we know (i.e. McDonald’s Fries), emotion, humour and inspiration are the ingredients to some of the best movie’s we watch. If you haven’t seen it yet, GO WATCH IT NOW before it’s too late.

Busy week, but productive. Hope everyone’s doing well under the gloomy rainclouds. Until next time.

Thanks for reading!

and for some comic relief:

DB

2009-06-29T00:41:00.001-04:00

I have been blitzed out for the week.

This past weekend at my church’s annual summer conference and not only did we learn more and more about ourselves and each other but I learned something new, something that I know will stay with me for a long time. This new relationship of mine is known as the card game called Dutch Blitz. As Rob mentioned watching one of our games, simply put, it’s a huge chaos game of Spit and Solitaire.

Anyways, I haven’t slept much, if at all this entire weekend so I’m off to bed. But anyone who is interested in playing a couple rounds of DB with me is free to call me out, and I’ll be there in a jiffy (as soon as I get my own pack of cards).

Hope everyone had as good and awesome weekend as I had up at Redeemers College in Hamilton. From getting Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga songs stuck in our heads, to staying up late (to play DB or just to talk), to dressing up like fools, and to the better friendships built, it was definitely a weekend to remember. 103 in da hauss!

(photo credit goes to Dee)

Thanks for reading!

Random Things

2009-06-26T01:09:00.003-04:00

I’m going to be out of town for the weekend, here are some things to entertain you in the meantime

How well you know me quiz on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/quizdoyouknowme/take_quiz.jsp?q=14171103&key=LHE0

and of course, a toilet training video! Enjoy.

(credits go to Andrea for finding this!)

Thanks for reading!

Some Room, Please

2009-06-26T01:09:00.001-04:00

My summer has everything but relaxing. Let me break it down for you…

- 3 research assistant positions
- volunteering at the hospital
- two summer courses – one being a more demanding than a summer course should be
- softball (although I can’t say my attendance to practices is really good)

Normally, I would be okay with the busyness. I actually quite enjoy running around all the time just because it gives me a sense that I am doing something productive with my time. That is not the case recently, however. In the past couple weeks I’ve been hearing from many people that they haven’t seen me in ages but at the same time feeling as if I lacked the support I had expected from them. So as the work piled on I became suffocated, and sure enough after about 3 weeks into the start of my summer I feel like my breakdown is coming sooner than I had expected.

I’m sure many of you have experienced this, the overwhelming feeling of burdens on your back and being completely incapable of releasing it. Sometimes what we each really need is some room to breathe. It seems that these days everyone is so worried about losing time and not being able to accomplish things we begin to bombard our lives with all these things at once to reach our goal. For what though? I’m sure the pay off at the end of all the hell is really rewarding but isn’t it equally rewarding to separate everything? People in the 21st century need to learn where and how to go into that breathing room. Whether it’s balancing your busy schedule with an hour a day just for yourself, or whether it’s to play video games as you wind down the day, you need to find that vent through which your burdens can flow from.

I had received a comment from a friend of mine on my Facebook status: Jen Hsu needs room to breathe. The comment went something like this, open a window? go outside?. It did not hit me until now how much truth is behind that simple comment, it’s not just thinking about wanting to vent your stress but it’s about the actions you take to help yourself relieve that stress. From today on, I’m going to make a conscious decision to do one thing a day that would help me to breathe and gain some mental clarity for the crazy days that’s passed.

Well here’s to wishing for a good weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Knock You Down

2009-06-18T13:46:00.001-04:00

Here’s the story of my life: I’m a pushover.

Sometimes I feel as if I have I’m easy to push over stamped across my forehead. But I’m not really the typical pushover only because I really get “pushed over” by the people who I see a greater outcome as a result of my obedience. For example people who I work for and professors. Most people would probably refer to this as kissing up but I have a prime example of my incredible ability to get pushed over:

I’ve been in summer school for approximately two weeks now, and I’m really enjoying my courses. However, I’m starting to feel less in charge of my work and participation in the two classes. For my research methods course, I originally walked in knowing that I wanted to do my paper on ADHD and how to implement different educational methods to help them learn. But through discussion and people turning down the idea of ADHD children I’m researching on children with Asperger Syndrome and how to better their social interaction. The next course Caribbean Ensemble, for those who don’t know is a music class and I get to play steel pan drums. Generally the first day you walk in a you pick which drum you want to stay on for the rest of the semester. I’ve had four classes so far and I have learned four different types of steel pan drums. Now it does frustrate me a lot that I’m constantly moving around and not having a drum of my own, but at the same time I’m quite happy that I’m learning all the different levels of steel pans. But my happiness only lasted ‘til yesterday when I found out my midterm is next week. I spoke with the professor about this shifting and he told me, “I can see that you’re a strong player so I want to put you where the weaker students are”. Sometimes I think professors just say that to be nice, but whatever it was an ego boost.

As you can see generally I don’t like to speak up for what I really think is the best and sometimes just let people make decisions for me, most of the time because I’m afraid I might say something wrong. This just happens to be one of the worst traits to have, ever.

I think in the past year I found out just how important it is for people to learn to trust themselves and to be able to stand up for what they know is right. True, when people stand up it creates a whole bunch of debates and controversial discussions but if we never stand out we’ll never make a difference, and I’m for people standing out to make a difference. As an encouragement to both you and myself, whether it’s a big thing or little thing – make the difference you want to make. ‘Cause you never know where raising your voice will take you.

Now enjoy some music from one of my favorite YouTube artists, Cathy Nguyen.

Thanks for reading!

Randomness & Updates

2009-06-10T00:12:00.001-04:00

HELLO WORLD.

I’m actually alive! I just have a couple of updates and some things that I’ve wanted to blog about for a while.

1) SUMMER’S HERE! Except that really lasted me about a week and it happened to be one of the busiest weeks ever! I pretty much just ran errands, cleaned, did double the work (cause I held everything off during exams) for two separate labs, and just tried to get my life back on track. But unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

2) Summer school is officially now in session. I’m taking an intermediate research methods course with the best professor ever. Pretty much the class I’ve been looking for since I’ve entered university; small class of about 20-25 people and the professor just sits back and lets us to our own work, while he sits around and just “advises” us on what to do. No quizzes, no midterms, and NO FINALS! Sweet. The other course which I’m taking is almost as awesome as this one, except more fun. The second on is a Caribbean Ensemble course, simply put it’s a course where I get to learn how to play steel pan drums; I must say, those steel pans can really make the most amazing music ever. Now if playing steel pan drums isn’t amazing already this course is pretty much a guaranteed good mark. I love school.

3) NBA Playoffs. I’m honestly a bit tired of people who I call the Flip-Floppers. These are the kinds of people who don’t stick with a team of their own and tend to like to trash talk one team, then when that team they trashed made it into the finals of the playoffs they begin to cheer for that team. I believe in monogamy and only focussing on one thing/person/team at a time. And as I said at the beginning of this playoff season, Lakers will take this championship home!

4) The Hills is my life. I have started to watch The Hills from the first season and I’m about to start the fourth season now. I can’t say that it’s the most amazing show in the world, but their drama is just breathtaking. It’s like everyday of their lives in every aspect is so dramatic that you can’t help but wonder if it’s ever going to end.

So anyways, I was chatting with my sister on the car today and something interesting came up. You know those moments when you witness something so awkward and out of the blue that you begin to wonder whether anyone else had just witnessed the same thing? Sometimes you would be sitting at a traffic light when the guy beside you would just suddenly run the red or when you see a jaywalker cross the street on a red. Most of these times I would just wish that there was a cop watching somewhere to catch, generally there isn’t. Or like I mentioned in a previous post about the guy who talks to people, but people are never listening to him; how awkward must that feel to know that people were actually watching? I understand that many people aren’t afraid of embarrassment in public but personally I would rather play it safe than let someone go home and blog about some awkward thing I did.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

I really like this song of Taylor Swift’s. I’m not her biggest fan but her songs are getting more “mature”. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

STAND UP, For Cancer

2009-06-02T02:12:00.001-04:00

Some of you may or may not have received an email from me in the past two days asking for your support to fund me for Relay for Life. If not, please check your spam mail.

This year would be my second year participating in The Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life overnight relay. Not only do I believe that this event is a good chance for people to come together and fight for cancer research, it is also a good reminder for me of my own family history with cancer and how important it is to strive for a cure.

You can help me by making a small donation (of whatever amount you would like) towards cancer research today by clicking here. A Small donation goes a long way, help me achieve my goal of $100 to support cancer research!

The Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life is an overnight non-competitive relay that celebrates cancer survivors and pays tribute to the lives of loved ones. It involves teams of 10 people who take turns walking, running or strolling around a track to raise money to support the work of the Canadian Cancer Society. It's a night of fun, friendship and fundraising to beat cancer.

Funds raised through Relay For Life make a difference. They help the Canadian Cancer Society fund the most promising research projects in the country, provide information services and support programs in the community and advocate for public policies that prevent cancer and help those living with it. You can help make cancer history by pledging my participation in Relay For Life. It';s easier than ever - just click the link at the bottom of this message to view my personal page and look for the blue button to support me in this event. Online pledging is secure and it saves the Society money by reducing administrative costs. No amount is too small, or too big. And with a donation of $20 or more, you will receive a tax receipt immediately by e-mail.

Help save a life, today!

Thanks for reading!

“I Told You So”

2009-05-30T23:19:00.001-04:00

I can’t even count with the fingers on my hands how many people I told that Cleveland would lose, and they did.

This playoff season has been nothing but surprises but good things will remain, the L.A Lakers.

Lakers will crush those who believe in Magic.

Are you ready to witness what amazing means?

Where amazing happens.

YORKU Kills Animals!

2009-05-30T02:15:00.001-04:00

It’s late and I should be asleep to rest myself for another full day of studying, but I have to let everyone know. I’ll tell you the story:

Today I started my day nice and early around 10:30 at the library. I walked over to the Map Library inside Scott Library hoping for a seat, and luckily I find one right by the window out looking this pond – great view, I thought! So while I set myself down and started to memorize the last bits of information for my social psychology exam I gazed out the window at the glistening pond (the sun had come out by now). Shortly after I lost myself in blank space, something caught my eye. First I thought “oh, must be a leaf or garbage that someone threw into the pond”, but then soon after to my horror it was nothing close to garbage, it was a squirrel! I sat there bewildered by the sight of a dead (probably drowned to death) squirrel floating in front of me being separated by a glass window. I sat there for about 15 minutes just staring at this poor squirrel taking circles in the water in front of me. A couple minutes later another dark figure appeared in the water. It actually wasn’t me that pointed it out but instead the people behind me, “ew, it’s a mouse!” I was absolutely disgusted by these poor dead creatures just floating around as an exhibition for students.

I wanted to call animal services @ York but I don’t think we actually have one of those at our school, unfortunately. Hopefully it’ll be gone by tomorrow so I wouldn’t have to witness such horror again, ever. And because I just knew I was going to blog about it, I had to take some hard evidence of the crime scene:

(and thankfully this was the same squirrel. The mice was too small to capture)

Another thing that I found interesting which I was discussing with my friend the other day while at Scott (the library really can bring out some interesting conversations). We were laughing and joking about the vandalism that we see in study cubicles and washroom stalls, but in particular the washroom stalls. Isn’t it odd if you really think about it how people write those things in a stall?? I mean yes sometimes someone comes up with something utterly profound but do those thoughts only come to you while you’re doing your business? And after discussing with some friends, while we were watching the Lakers kill Nuggets in game 5, about the angle at which you should squat over a toilet just enough so you won’t touch it, I realized how hard it is to do anything else in the stall but to do your business. Another thing that amazed me about washroom vandalism is the fact that there are actually people that respond. I should try it sometime, but maybe instead of useless vandalism I should jot notes of what I’ve studied onto the stall door so people who come by may indulge in some useful knowledge.

Have you ever seen Central Square so empty? I haven’t, not for a while.

Thanks for reading!

Now enjoy some new PCD music.

[still the same skankalicious group pulling a retro faux pas (@3:00min)]

Tanks.

2009-05-28T16:53:00.003-04:00

It makes me so happy to see that people are still checking back regularly on my blog.

Just before I begin losing any readers I want to apologize for my absence and let everyone know that I'll be back and bloggin' by June 1st. These exams have gotten the better part of me and the last thing I would want you to read is some mumbo jumbo about nothing.

In the meantime, here's something to enjoy while I'm gone. I wrote a couple posts ago about how I don't endorse the FML website. A friend of mine actually found something that's even better, which always puts a smile on my face. The site is called My Life is Average and I suppose it's a spoof of FML, but nevertheless it's 100x better! Read it here

Today, my girlfriend said she wanted to talk. She wasn't pregnant, she wasn't leaving me. She just wanted to talk. MLIA

Thanks for reading!

Comment Response
To: Ling Re: Yellow
Yellow Fever!

Yellow

2009-05-24T00:58:00.001-04:00

Yellow is the color on my nails.

Yellow is the color that brightens.

Yellow brings joy, to everyone and everything.

Yellow is also the color of my favourite basketball team.

Yellow is the color of our softball season.

Are you ready for the yellow invasion this summer?

Pictures of my new haircut to come soon.

Thanks for reading!

Uh, Miss…

2009-05-22T18:19:00.001-04:00

I should totally be studying right now, but I’ve experienced some cognitive dissonance. I’ll tell you the situation and you tell me what you think.

I’ve been at Scott library since about 11:30 this morning. I’ve been on the 4th floor in the corner of the library in some cubicles. Aware of the fact that my friend would eventually come to study with me at the library I saved the cubicle beside me for her, I left my bag and some pens lying in her cubicle. So time passes and obviously I was on high alert to see if anyone would come by and try to snatch things from me. So time goes by, my friend comes and eventually had to leave to go write her exam. She left her wallet in my possession and in her cubicle left her bag, a folder and a water bottle. Approximately 2 hours later, I got a bit drowsy and wanted to get some shut-eye time so I put my head down. I sat up startled by some loud walking and what sounded like a person sitting in the cubicle beside me. As I turned around to check what it was, the person stuck their head out and had these books in his hand and quickly asked me, “Uh miss, do you know anything about these books?” “Um, no” I answered. After that little conversation of ours, he upped and left. I sat there a bit dumbfounded by what had just happened and then it occurred to me, HER PURSE! Luckily, the purse was still there. I eventually feeling very suspicious pulled her purse over to my cubicle and kept it in my view.

Now I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion to immediately think of how her purse might have gone missing, but maybe the guy really wanted to know if I knew the books? I doubt it. What’s your stance? I am not going to disclose the race of this particular individual, but I think most of you could see where my mind is. Should I have been as prejudiced as I was? Or should I just assume the best of everyone?

Hm. I might want to think again before I leave even my empty backpack on the seat when I need to go to the washroom.

Back to studying.

Thanks for reading!

Comment Response
To: Jason Re: Popeyes Video
The wonders of late night web surfing! I think someone sent me a youtube video and I came across this in the related videos section. Yay Youtube!

Four in the Morning

2009-05-21T04:06:00.001-04:00

It’s actually quite amazing how much procrastinating I do.

It’s four in the morning now, and I have an assignment due in 12 hours. I don’t understand the least bit of how to answer one question (and each question has like 12 subparts).

However even though I didn’t get a chance to completely finish my assignment (and will be heading to bed after I post this), I have found something else quite interesting.

Enjoy

I must be cursed

2009-05-20T23:43:00.001-04:00

I hate the TTC. Sure it may be convenient and travels to almost every corner of Toronto, but I think they have some sort of conspiracy against me.

Yesterday, I had an interview for a lab downtown and really wanted to make the best impression that I could. So I planned the time which I was to leave my house so there would be roughly 10-15 minutes of time which I left for leeway just in case something came up. I trotted from my house to the bus stop just outside my street at around 4:45; I saw two young kids also waiting for the bus. 10 minutes past and I was getting worried, my perfect timing was already off! 15 minutes past, still no bus in site. 20 minutes and I’m still hopeless. Around 25 minutes of waiting for a bus that’s suppose to come every 5 minutes I finally see a bus in site. Eager to jump on the bus and get down to my interview, I stood forward and pulled out my Metropass. The bus being packed as it usually is drives past me. Typically I would be okay with this since I saw 2 other buses in the distance, but not only did the second and third bus pass me so did the fourth, fifth, and sixth. If those kids weren’t standing beside me I would’ve probably swore and threw my shoe at the buses.
-- If I had lost my one chance at this lab, I would have boycotted the TTC. But I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t cause walking to school isn’t my idea of fun.

Today was my last day of classes. I was so happy and eager to go to finish my last class of second year. Once again I planned ahead of time when I would leave my house. I was at the bus stop at around 1:50PM thinking that at least if the bus comes at 2:00PM I will still make it to class on time. Little did I know, my wait at the bus stop would once again be this extended wait for 20 minutes. No buses passed me this time but some day I will no longer be nice to TTC drivers because they seem to show no concern whatsoever for others time and important engagements.

I just don’t understand how TTC drivers have the nerve to go around and strike for more money saying that they’re some really reliable form of transportation around Toronto, and we should appreciate them more with more money! I could hardly agree with TTC being reliable. If anything, I would say that the TTC has ruined all attempts at trying to plan ahead of time, all forms of travel comfort, and all integrity in what they promise to give to the travellers.

DOWN WITH THE TTC! – except I’ll still take it just because I have to, you know, out of convenience.

Well.

I hate to say this, but school’s finally coming to an end. So I’m sorry to everyone who enjoys so much mocking me about how York sucks and that we got screwed over. And I’m sorry that I will actually begin to start coming out to chill so you can stop making those phony excuses to why you don’t ask me to go out; I will hunt you down! keeding! ^_^

Anyways, I thought I just should let everyone know of some exciting news. I’m cutting my hair! I shouldn’t say cutting because that doesn’t fully define what I’m going to do. Let me rephrase, I’m CHOPPING my hair off! It’s quite a scary thought to me simply ‘cause I’ve never actually had short hair, ever. So I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll turn out well; it is a summer of changes.

I regrettably need to get back to studying and working on my stats assignment. Go outside and enjoy the weather y’all!

Thanks for reading!

My greatest achievement

2009-05-18T20:34:00.002-04:00

I’ve just paid off both my credit card debts. I feel the burden off my shoulder finally lightened.

I say lightened and not completely take away because I paid it off with my OSAP and still had about $1,000 left over for me to use. I like to see it this way, credit card debt is the worst kind of debt to have. As long as I’m a student I won’t have to pay interest on my OSAP even if I don’t ask for the OSAP. I can finally stop worrying about money now.

On the other hand, I would still like to find a job so that I could start paying off my OSAP and start going out and socializing again like a normal human being without being cheap.
(Yeah right. That’s going to take a whole other level of determination.)

I know I said yesterday that I would wouldn’t come on to blog until I've finished my exam on Saturday, but there are a couple things that I'm really looking forward to when I'm done my exam and I'd like to keep them somewhere so I remember. And we all know, this is just another reason for me to procrastinate.

Things I want to watch:
1. Angels & Demons
2. Marley & Me
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
4. Star Trek (only because everyone is raving about it)

Things I want to buy:
1. Zee Avi CD
2. Chris Cendena CD (If I could find it, apparently it's only available in the US)

Things I want to do:
1. Cut & color my hair
2. clean my room
3. Get a job

Thanks for reading!

PS. From now on, when someone has a question for me about something on the blog, I’ll post a response on my next post (As shown below). This way I won’t leave people with lingering uncertainties.

Comment Responses
To: Anonymous Re: FIFA Design
No, I actually didn’t design the FIFA image myself. I found it on Google images, I believe it’s the official logo/advertising for FIFA10. I wish I was actually that cool and talented.

Distortion of Reality

2009-05-18T01:04:00.001-04:00

I recently put this picture of myself up as a messenger display picture. I’ve been getting one comment over and over again and it’s that my display picture is very creative. I always kindly accept the compliment and just go on with my day.

While I was procrastinating from studying I thought I should do a little something to clear up this distortion of reality that people have, shown below:

As you can see from the picture, I’m actually not all that creative! Truth be told, as everyone should know, messenger does that thing where it cuts off your picture. It just happens that when it cut off my picture, it did it in some artistic way that I didn’t really intend for the picture to turn out like that. But I’ll still take the compliments if you’d still like to give them :)

And I have this handy The Weather Network application on my desktop, it’s very helpful when you’re just sitting in front of your laptop too lazy to get up to check the television, or that could just be me. But could anybody explain the meaning of this to me…
”Frost Warning”!?? I thought we were done with winter?

Lastly, did anyone see this?
why am I not at all surprised?
I mean, yeah they had their bad games, but in the end Lakers will dominate!

Okay, last thing I promise. But is it just me or is someone out there as excited about FIFA as I am? I know it’s pretty much like a year away, but I actually love soccer and get really excited about it; almost as excited as I get when I think about how the Lakers are going to take the home the playoff title this year.

Alright, that’s all the updates I have for today and for the rest of the week until I’m done my first exam on the 23rd; but to be completely honest, I’ll probably be back to blog about something that crosses my path tomorrow, or a few days, or even in 20 minutes. heh.

Thanks for reading!

Update!

2009-05-16T23:33:00.003-04:00

I've yet again changed the look of my blog!

I was totally suppose to be studying but knowing my amazing procrastination ability, I changed the layout of my blog AND I've added my comments box back. I've had a few people question and another few request that I put the comment box back, so here it is!

Now I will go study...

Thanks for reading!

PS. something that I found on a friend's blog. HILARIOUS.

AND

H1N1 For Free Trips!

2009-05-16T13:03:00.004-04:00

Everyone knows about the H1N1 virus, and how it was suppose to be this pandemic illness but somehow didn’t mutate well and kind of just slowed down. Well since the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, Mexico has not only been hit with death of hundreds but it’s been hit with a drought of tourists. There are discounts here and there from various tour groups to try and lure those sun-seeking travellers back to their beaches.

Last night while I was watching the news, I heard something that caught my attention. Read it here. If you don’t want to read it, I’ll give you a simple breakdown of what the article is talking about. Due to their loss of travellers in their main tourist locations, travel agencies and hotels are slashing prices so you would go to Mexico. They have a “flu-free” deal which is promoting their safe and clean vacation environment. However, if you do go to somewhere that offers this and you contract the H1N1 virus (and can prove it with your doctor), you’ll get three… that’s right three free trips BACK to Cancun.

Okay, so when I first heard this I thought that this must have been some bogus story but apparently it isn’t. If you search around on the web you could actually find this deal. It’s crazy how they thought this idea up. As if people who contract the H1N1 virus would actually want to return there, let alone give the tickets to someone else to go there? As hard as they may try, there is no way to make any place a “flu-free” environment.

Thanks for reading!

Lazy Lovers

2009-05-16T02:15:00.001-04:00

I never knew Theo Tams was on Canadian Idol. I guess I never took the time to appreciate Canadian talent as I did with Americans; just like I never take the time to appreciate enough the people around me. It's amazing how the most unsuspected people could make such an unpredicted influence in our lives.

"We won’t give into casualty
Give into human frailty
Won’t walk away from love when things get tough"

LALvsHOU Game 6

2009-05-15T02:59:00.001-04:00

Seriously Lakers, wth?

Another upsetting loss by the Lakers (95-80) against Houston. This is actually quite an uncomfortable playoff season for Lakers fans to watch; how do they expect to play against the Cavs? Or will they even make it that far? Gosh I hope so. Well all the best for game 7 on Sunday.

20,000 For Saskatchewan

2009-05-14T16:51:00.001-04:00

“Calling all recent graduates!”

Have you heard? Saskatchewan is awarding new grads $20,000 to move to their province.

The money sounds tempting.

Wouldn’t you just love this…
prairies to the north

prairies to the south

prairies to the east

and prairies to the west

On second thought.. the money doesn’t that tempting anymore. To read more on this $20,000 grant click here

Thanks for reading!

Interviews

2009-05-13T12:37:00.001-04:00

Recently, I’ve been going through a series of interviews (and some more in the next week) from various employers both on campus and off. Most of us dread this part of the application process because it would require us to go face to face with the person hiring us, answering their intimidating questions and trying not to sound like a completely weirdo. Sometimes I do wonder why they employers can’t look at the resume and hire based on that, but then I think on paper a person could sound very different than in person. For example you could really be a weirdo, or you don’t really even understand what the job entails.

So like I mentioned before, I’ve been getting quite a few interviews and I’m really good at that. However I have not been getting any offers from any of those employers (yet). This is my theory: I’m the type of person to sound good on paper (i.e. I know how to fix my resume and write a cover letter that will cater well to the job), however I am generally not the type of person that people like to hire because I’ve been so diversified with my previous job, they’re not sure if I can really understand what their position entails. That’s just my understand; maybe I’m a weirdo to them?

So there are a couple things that I could recommend to you from my experiences as someone who’s been interview too many times to count…

1) Dress Code
This is a key ingredient to start off your great first impression with your employer. Make sure you know what kind of position it is and how professional they are. In general, with a retail job I would probably recommend a business casual attire: A nice blouse, dress shirt with a vest, a pair of dark jeans, and darker shoes. Some people ask me why I would wear business causal to an interview with a retail store, and I’ll generally answer them this, “why would you want to look like everyone else if you could stand out just that much more?” If it’s something more for the office, it would probably be best if you walked in looking like you wanted to work in an office and not for a retail store: A dress shirt, a light blazer, dress pants, and dress shoes. Many people don’t understand how much the shoes can impact your whole attire, so make sure you get the right shoes!

2) Confidence
There’s one thing that employers like to see first right after their first visual impression of you and that’s confidence. Depending on the position sometimes I walk in slightly nervous because it’s something I’m either unsure of or really want. Employers are like dogs, they can sense your fear! Make yourself as personable as possible and show your employer that in fact you can work with that team of different people that you so boldly stated on your resume. Smile, nod, respond, and did I mention smile? However, be cautious that you don’t become to sound like the pain in the ass in the group, because no one wants to work with one of those.

3) Always be prepared
Even if your employer asks you to go into the interview bringing just yourself, you should always bring along with you a copy of your cover letter, resume, and whatever supporting documents that you may have. If they by chance ask for it, it does not look too good to the employer if you ask them to wait or print it out themselves. Another item that you need to prepare is the actual interview itself. The night before your interview, think of the questions and scenarios that they might potentially ask you during the interview and practice your answers! This not only gives you an idea of what you could expect during the interview but also helps to build that confidence. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Those are just a couple things that I’ve learned from my interview hopping experience. There is far more that I need to learn on top of those three things, but I thought I’d share the experience. Hope everyone has luck with finding a job for the summer.

This weather today, at 20 degrees is absolutely beautiful. If you haven’t gotten the chance to yet, open ~~some~~ all of your windows in your house and let some fresh air in!

Thanks for reading!

PS. Did anyone watch the Houston slaughter by the Lakers last night? I didn’t but I heard about it, and watched the highlights. They’re really quite an awesome team.

It’s that time again…

2009-05-10T23:42:00.001-04:00

Softball is right around the corner, which can mean only one thing… get back into shape time!

Today, I put in 30 minutes of good running time and I feel amazing.

On a random note for those of you who are curious about how York is ruining my life. I have one more week of classes, three weeks until I’m done my winter term finals, four weeks until summer school starts, can’t wait til summer starts

Thanks for reading!!

KOBElievable

2009-05-09T03:10:00.001-04:00

Why you should ask I titled this post KOBElievable? If you could fast forward to the 1:22 mark, you’ll very quickly learn that someone like Kobe Bryant will not be put down without a good fight from a worthy opponent. Bring it on LeBron.

Thanks for reading!

Done

2009-05-08T17:00:00.001-04:00

So for the past two weeks, the only two things that’s really been on my mind and schedule are school and application writing; and today, it is finished. For now, I can say goodbye to writing cover letters, editing and re-editing resumes, and long application packages!

I don’t really have anything to say today since I’m pretty brain dead from being over-worked this past week. And if you’re like me, then take the weekend to really relax and do something that you enjoy. Have a good weekend!

Thanks for reading!

Btw. I must share with you guys something I call the Strange Phenomenon. Yesterday during stats class, Audrey and I were in our usual routine of checking our phones every 5 minutes waiting to go on break and observing the behaviours of our TA, something strange happen. I wish I knew what had happened but the class just suddenly started to talk, loudly! And it wasn’t like some people in the class, it was literally the entire class. It was as if the professor had dismissed the class for break, but she didn’t! We both sat there confused and at the same time found it hilarious how this chatting suddenly erupted out of nowhere. Anyways, it may not sound as funny to you as reader than it was for us as the observers, but if you ever get a chance to experience the strange phenomenon, let me know!

Speaking of Genocide…

2009-05-08T03:03:00.001-04:00

I know genocide isn’t a topic to really joke about, but lately that’s what’s been happening at my house. The genocide of all unpleasant [edit] as I was typing that, I looked down and there literally was one of those small greyish looking bugs sitting there, watching as I wrote this post [/edit] x number legged creatures in this household. Within the past hour alone I had killed that small gray bug, the thousand legged thing (I call it a thing because I don’t consider something I kill and hit into pieces and still manage to stay alive, a bug), and a huge black spider (that wouldn’t squish so I picked it up with a broom and flushed it down the toilet).

I love spring, but I do not love the things it brings with it!

Nicotine Inhaler

2009-05-07T13:18:00.001-04:00

In attempt to bring forth another prevention program to stop smoking, the company’s Nicorette and Nicotrol has brought you a brand new era of nicotine patches. Except this time, it’s not a patch, it’s an inhaler!

Because when people smoke it becomes a behavioural thing and that’s why the Nicotine Patches and Nicotine Gums didn’t work. So both companies have jumped the bandwagon and created something to aid the behaviour and at the same time rid you of the nasty side effects – or do they? After looking around online I’ve found one site that gives a fairly thorough page of information about the effects of nicotine, you can read it here.

Aside from the side effects of nicotine, I guess the first step would be to rid them of the tobacco. But, I must add here that it isn’t always the most rewarding thing to be “smoking up inside” on your nicotine inhaler for a couple of reasons:
1. you lose the social interaction you had before,
2. you may easily over “smoke” your inhaler, and lastly
3. it looks like a tampon.

If I ever saw someone with this, I’d have a good laugh.

Thanks for reading!

Chicken A La Carte

2009-05-07T01:16:00.001-04:00

Some things are beyond my worlds, just watch.

Sometimes, those annoying emails my mom likes to send me don’t really seem all that annoying anymore.

Thanks for reading!

Akon’s Going International!

2009-05-05T23:35:00.001-04:00

I really wish I had found this first, but I have to pay homage to the one who did. Thanks WN.

So if you couldn’t tell by the title of this post, Akon’s hit the international scene! However I’m not very interested in the part Akon plays because even after going international, people still don’t want to see him (i.e. you never see his face throughout the entire video).

So I’ve heard of Will Pan, but have not really been the biggest fan. I must say though, I am very impressed with their collaboration and the Taiwanese people’s attempt at trying to incorporate western culture into their music. C’mon, I doubt Will Pan really knows the meaning of calling a girl B and calling himself a G. Anyways aside from the language they tried to incorporate into the MV, this video was definitely directed by a American producer, which I can’t completely say is a bad thing. Enjoy.

(don’t forget to turn off the music before you start :] And watch the video in HQ!)

(if you’d like to watch it in HQ, just click the video and it’ll link you to the original on YouTube)

Oh and while I was looking for the song online I realized that this was not an original song and actually is one of Akon’s new songs; it’s now my blog’s background music for your reference to compare the two.

Wilbur Pan + Akon = Wilakon
+
= (This is what I do when I get bored. And I must say, he’s quite a cutie)

Thanks for reading!

Picture Distortion

2009-05-05T16:59:00.001-04:00

Don’t you just hate people who seem to always have a camera at your worst moments? Those undeniably hideous candid shots? And the worst of it all is that they’ll post it up to facebook so you further be ridiculed for your unfortunate coincidence. But sometimes it really isn’t just a bad moment that you get caught in, but more like a bad hairstyle or fashion period of your life.

If you’ve spoken with me within the past two weeks about movies, especially X-Men Origins: Wolverine in particular, you would’ve heard me go on and on about how Daniel Henney and how utterly attractive he is (refer to exhibit A & B). However, on my sisters path to searching up a picture of Daniel Henney on Google Images, she found something that really did not do any justice to his attractiveness (refer to exhibit C). But given the ratio of bad to good pictures, he’s in the green for luck. I don’t quite have time to search up other unfortunate pictures of celebrities but I think you get my point.

Sometimes, I think we should feel very lucky not to be celebrities. I might just take the temporary ridicule on facebook among my network of friends (hopefully), than to have my picture broadcasted for any surfer of the worldwide web to see. But nevertheless, Daniel Henney is still number one on my A-List.

Exhibit A
Exhibit B

Exhibit C (what’s with the hair?!)

Hope you enjoyed some eye candy.

Thanks for reading!

Hotdocs

2009-05-04T22:10:00.003-04:00

I’m a huge fan of watching a good film – but I mean really, who isn’t?

Something that just recently started during the last week of April was something called Hotdocs. Hotdocs is a festival which features a collection of documentaries of different genres to bring awareness to people of the issues currently occurring both internationally and within Toronto. I haven’t had the chance to attend one of the showings just yet, but I plan to within this week. I’ve compiled a list of documentaries that I have found some interest in and also to give you a glimpse of what kind of films are featured during this event. I’ve included links for the trailers which also has a description of the documentary beside it. For the ones without trailers I’ve linked it directly to the hotdocs website. (Disclaimer: some of these are more graphic and may contain content that’s not suitable for everyone to see, these will be marked with an asterisk for your convenience)

Act of God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgTpXoYTXQE
Children of God
http://schedule.hotdocs.ca/index.php/2009/films/P36/
Clubland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVVvPD2Lgq4
Enjoy Poverty
http://schedule.hotdocs.ca/index.php/2009/film/enjoy_poverty
Graphic Sexual Horror *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPTtAHkRiI
H2Oil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9fjhJIS5A0
Let's Make Money
http://schedule.hotdocs.ca/index.php/2009/film/lets_make_money
Objectified
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k9IVhUJXQ
Paris 1919
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bQ0Aivwv2A
Rabbit A La Berlin
http://schedule.hotdocs.ca/index.php/2009/film/rabbit_a_la_berlin
The Tiger Next Door
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5LclTdIIdA

I hope you may find some time in your schedules to check out a film at the HotDocs film festival and indulge in some world knowledge.

Thanks for reading!

Dead and Gone

2009-05-02T13:01:00.003-04:00

I haven’t really heard good music in a while. Artists in today’s society rarely make music that make sense or have music video’s which ruin the song completely.

I’m sure if you listen to the radio, you would’ve heard this song at least 5 times within the last week. I for one can’t seem to get enough of this song just because it combines both 1)a good meaning and 2)a good video. Justin and T.I. have really got the best video of 2009 nomination from me,see for yourself:

Dead and Gone – T.I. ft. Justin Timberlake

“I turn my head to the east, I don't see nobody by my side.
I turn my head to the west, Still nobody in sight.
So I turn my head to the north, Swallow that pill that they call pride
The old me is dead and gone, the new me will be alright”

Have a good weekend everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Faces of Fear

2009-04-30T14:00:00.002-04:00

It really just struck me yesterday that we stand in oblivion sometimes. Oblivious of when goes on in the world around us, within our cities, in our neighbourhoods, and even in our friendships. Before I drag this post on long and emotional about our friendships, I want to come back to what I originally wanted to share here.

I read a lot of newspaper, but I don’t really enjoy watching news on TV (or any TV actually). Anyways, for me I feel more connected with international news through the newspaper. There is so much suffering going on around the world (i.e. wars, diseases, poverty, and etc.) that some of us are not aware of. Could it be 1) that we’re ignorant? Or 2) that we don’t “have time” to read about these things? Usually for some, these are both the case and we seem to avoid it well until it hits home. Just wanted to encourage everyone to pick up a Toronto Star or Globe and Mail and read through not just the comics, entertainment, fashion or sports section and enjoy all the other contents of the paper.

Okay, so the real reason that I wanted to post here today was because I had learned something new in my abnormal psychology class; out of the usual class material. There is far too much information about this group for me to type here, so I’ve found a fairly informational site for you to read and learn about this gang MS-13, click here.

…and now it hits home.

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -Noam Chomsky

Bring awareness, so we can learn to prevent it.

Thanks for reading.

Mop Head

2009-04-28T21:54:00.002-04:00

Pardon me if I look at bit messy, but I don’t brush my hair often – and I like it that way :]

I wish my hair looked like that [mop hair = love]

Back to studying. Updates coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Milgram’s Obedience Study

2009-04-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

So I found something while studying for my social psychology midterm,

50 years after Milgram initially created his experiment, it was reconstructed to study people and their obedience in today’s society. They briefly explain the study in the video, but if you would like to read more click here (I hate using Wiki, but it was the most convenient link)

Thanks for reading!

Creepy amazing sick

2009-04-26T01:50:00.002-04:00

So I’m up late, for the 50th million night in a row. I saw an email in my inbox which I was extremely hesitant to try ‘cause I’m really just not that big of a fan of forwards. However, I did give this one a try and I think you should too; ‘cause I actually took the time to transfer it to a word document and load it somewhere, so try it now!

link to => The Strange Test

Thanks for reading!

PS. I hate this weather and how terrified it makes me feel that a hydro pole is going to kill me. Indulge in some news => here. There is a lot of interesting news going on in Toronto and nationwide. If you do not feel like continuing browsing thestar.com after reading that storm article, I would suggest one last article to read that could cost your life if you don’t => here

Humidity

2009-04-24T13:05:00.002-04:00

I feel random. Studying tends to make me this way.

It’s 15°C outside, but I’m inside, trying to study.

miles is panting away his smelly hot doggy breath beside me.

i need to get outside.

I’m not quite sure what’s dawned over me in the past while, but i really love vintage.

goals for summer:
- get a job
- go shopping down at Kensington Market
- save money.

Have a good weekend everyone :]

Thanks for reading!

Student Life

2009-04-23T17:25:00.002-04:00

The most reoccurring activity in any students life is (or should be) studying.

You all know the ADIDAS brand name. And some of you should know that it could stand for things such as: All Day I Dream About Shoes; All Day I Dream About Sport; All Day I Dream About ____ (something that starts with ‘s’)

Well, I think students should have this ADIDAS mentality, that is All Day I Dream About Studying.

(click image for article)
I hate school.

Thanks for reading!

Awkward

2009-04-23T13:23:00.002-04:00

Have you even been in those situation when you witness something truly awkward?

Yesterday during one of my classes Audrey and I, as usual sitting in the front, witness awkwardness. There were groups in the front of the class getting ready and setting up for their presentations. Then there was this guy, all dressed up and looking very confident of himself, walks up to the TA (which I might add was not paying any attention to this guy) and says, “so you want to go home eh?” – or something along those lines. I must tell you, not only is it embarrassing for the poor guy cause the TA completely ignored him but it’s also double embarrassing for him because two other people saw this awkward encounter. I couldn’t help but laugh at this awkward sighting, which then triggered Audrey to laugh.

I then turned to Audrey and asked, “How do awkward people live in this world?” I will admit I could be awkward sometimes, but people need to start learning important social and communication cues (i.e. when someone is not turned towards you, save yourself embarrassment and walk the other way). You really had to be there to witness the full extent of awkwardness this guy possessed, even in his presentation, but I won’t go into that one. I love awkward moments and awkward people, they make me happy.

The weather is finally clearing up. Sunshine and blue skies. Go outside and appreciate earth and make everyday Earth Day.

Thanks for reading!

April Showers Day!

2009-04-21T15:18:00.002-04:00

Apparently today, coinciding with Earth Day this week, it’s April Showers day! It’s the one day of the year when there’s suppose to be sunshine and light rain at the same time to help water the flowers for springtime.

While I was getting out of class today, it did strike me as odd when there was sunshine when the weather channel forecasted that there’ll be rain. This is not only a strange coincidence, but a good sign of spring which is a good indicator of summer! I’m excited.

Now go outside and enjoy some rainshine!

Thanks for reading!

Rain, Rain

2009-04-20T20:05:00.002-04:00

I hate this weather. I wish it could just go away so we can really start our spring/summer months properly. However, as we all know and must learn to admit to ourselves, the rain is not going away anytime soon. So I’m going to propose some Rain Smarts for Rainy Days.

1. First thing’s first, to complete the equation of staying dry + rain = ________________ the answer would have to be an umbrella (duh!). Rainy days may be quite humorous for the few of us who do not experience the flip-flop. You all know what I mean; the umbrellas that can’t quite seem to decide whether it wants to stay put and protect us from the wind and rain, or whether it wants to humiliate us in front of a bus load of people. So the key instrument to have a on any given rainy day is a nice and sturdy umbrella. Unfortunately, the costs of umbrellas aren’t exactly the sunshine we see in the rain. The price of a wind-resistant and good coverage umbrella could cost up to $40-$50. The best kinds of umbrellas that you could probably buy are stick umbrellas.
(retail pricing about $20)

2. The next thing that interacts most with the wild weather would be your feet. To make a long story short, wet and cold feet make us miserable. Walking or waiting at bus stops, the last thing anyone really needs is to be drenched with dirty rainwater off the streets on our shoes or pants (rain falling from the sky onto your pants is unavoidable!). So invest in a pair of rain boots and stick to it for the rain season only! You don’t necessarily have to purchase an expensive one because hey, all plastic will protect you from water! The only downside to owning a pair of rain boots is the fact that plastic, is not feet friendly; it is hot and does not let air pass through, and it is not the most comfortable pair of boots you will own unless you purchase a pair of more expensive rain boots. Rain boots can vary in price ranges depending on the style and comfort you choose.

(L-R: Payless – $15; Hunters – $115(retail); Rainco - $45)

3. The last item on the list will be something that is entirely optional for the rainy days, but a key item to have. A waterproof jacket could be worn in pretty much any kind of weather, alone or with an umbrella. I don’t have much to say about the waterproof jackets, but they are a good idea when you would like to have a light jacket for those chilly windy days, or days with a light drizzle. Would not recommend waterproof jackets for heavy rain because you will get wet. I’m a big fan of the brand North Face and their gear, so I will promote their products. I’ve picked out what I think is best for the value and the price to give you an idea of what to look for.
(retail pricing $99)

I’d like to add as a final note that you should not opt out of buying yourself some rain gear – it’ll be a worthwhile investment. I hope you’ve found the rain tips helpful and effective in keeping you dry through this rainy season. Remember be rain smart for the rainy days!

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and I think the fact that people celebrate this “420” is stupid. That’s right, stupid. Have a problem? Well, Deal With It.

Pictures

2009-04-19T23:28:00.002-04:00

I've finally semi-updated my personal photo albums on Picasa, and also my amateur photography albums. Enjoy!

"It's not getting what you want, but wanting what you got" - Sheryl Crow

Pub Night

2009-04-17T16:06:00.002-04:00

Last night was my first time going to the infamous Pub Night at York, and I can’t agree with the idea that York university students know how to party – apparently I just went on a bad night? The music was good, the drinks were mediocre, the crowd was pretty conservative (surprisingly), but the crowd … was not very big.

(at 11:30)

I’m not fully giving Contact (name of the bar/club/whatever) the credit it deserves because around 12:00-12:30 it did fill up with students. But I might have to give a second thought to going to pub night again. Anyways, just wanted to share the experience with you guys.

(someone please remind me never to wear that shirt again)

So the weather is gorgeous outside. I think I’m going to sit outside and enjoy some sun with my boys.
The weekend will be warm also, so get outside and enjoy the weather (while it lasts)!! Have a good one.

Thanks for reading

Crafty

2009-04-15T00:45:00.002-04:00

I would like to first apologize for being so absent from my blog; school has been hectic. Nevertheless, I am back to share with you guys. I originally had in mind a post about TTC constable and how they’re completely incompetent; however I thought about karma and how I would be more than happy for them to help me if I ever get harassed on the TTC.

I don’t have anything particularly interesting to write about today because 1) I wrote my last midterm today and I’m extremely brain-dead, and 2) I cut my finger with a pair of scissors at the hospital so I’m in quite a bit of pain to be typing. With that being said, I’ve loaded pictures from my cell to show you guys how crafty we get at the hospital (Today we made pipecleaner animals for our pencils and pictureframes!). Also I’ll post some blast from the (recent) past pictures that I haven’t been able to get loaded to my computer.

The weather forecasts warm weathers this weekend, go out and play! Enjoy the pictures! (I know they’re like terrible quality, but I don’t often carry around my camera with me)

My disgusting scissor cut (sorry, it had to get this graphic)

(My boys; batman seaweed; giant chestnuts)

(TTC bus; my baby Harry; Fruits of the Spirit)

Regarding the TTC bus picture. I saw this bus fixture on one of the Eglinton buses. The driver had this door which resembled the fare booth operators window. I guess this is their new approach at safety. Personally, I don’t like it too much just because it takes away the individuality from the driver and puts a label of chauffer.

Also, regarding the picture of my baby Harry. He’s been sick for a couple of days now. He has eaten little to nothing some days and due to this has lost a substantial amount of weight. I’ve seen convulsions and this ‘surrendering’ life kind of behavior that animals commonly possess. I’ve put him in a hospitalized cage for him to recover but still don’t know what the cause of his sickness is. I’ve been giving him crushed/powered food and he’s taking it down little by little. I will be taking him to the vets tomorrow to see what’s been going on. Pray for Harry and his speedy recovery!

Have a good week everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Tripp’d

2009-04-12T21:33:00.002-04:00

You tell me your faith is strong,
yet I see you fall constantly.
You tell me that you want to be different,
yet you conform to their behaviors.
You tell me that you want to find someone different,
yet the people around you are the same.
You tell me you want to make a difference,
yet you can’t find the difference in yourself.
You tell me things that you want me to hear,
yet they’re not things you want others to know.
You tell me things in your heart,
… but your heart’s not really there.

What steps have you taken, and what are you going to take now to save yourself from tripping?

Constant reminder of the only unconditional love.

HAPPY EASTER

Benny Hinn “Money” Ministries

2009-04-11T00:37:00.002-04:00

(Disclaimer: I am a Christian and nothing I say is an attempt at trying to “bash” Christianity. Everything in the following post is my opinion and should not be used for your personal use – until you are able to do the real research on these things yourself. Thanks.)

Guys, I think Benny Hinn is whack.

So I’m guessing most people (either in or out of the Christian circle) should know about Benny Hinn and his ever so famous miracle healing ministries. I for one never believed in this ‘Benny Hinn’ figure – the healing ministries, I have another opinion on that. However tonight while I was watching TV (which I really don’t do often) and channel surfing I came across CTS and the Benny Hinn program was on. Stayed on the channel out of interest to see what’s new with this phony ministry of his. What struck me the most was not the increased level of phoniness that was on the program, but instead what he tried to sell! That’s right guys, now Benny Hinn isn’t only trying to sell his phoniness, he's got merchandise!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Item #1 on our list is the “Olive Tree Planting in the Holy Land (Israel)“
(it’s even got his picture on it! Talk about selling yourself)
This gift allows you to “plant your own olive tree – or at least get the certificate saying that they planted one for you”. Along with this, you will receive a booklet about olive oil which goes into detail how great olive oil is! BUT WAIT! For a limited time offer, you could also get this free bottle of olive oil! “It’s so thick and concentrated, you could hardly see through it!” – Benny Hinn
All this could be yours for the low price of… $200.00!!! (WHAT?!!!!?!?!?!!!!!) <—please, use that money to adopt something (or should I say someONE) who actually needs it.

The irony continues…

Item #2 on our list is the “Passion Medallion Necklace”
(i think this has his signature on it?)
This great 14k gold gift comes with a promise of the scripture from Isaiah 53:5, and a picture of Christ that’ll remind you of his sacrifice everywhere you go. It’s one of a kind so don’t let it slip!
This great offer could be yours for the catch price of…$2,500.00!! (Am I dreaming?!!?!!)
BUT WAIT!
If you’re a diamond lover, you could get this one instead (a rim studded with diamonds) for an amazing price of… $5,000!! (give me $5,000 and I’ll walk around with you everyday reciting that verse)

You can find these great steals and more at the Benny Hinn store online at www.bennyhinn.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seriously, Benny Hinn is a joke to me now. And those who believe him may have other standards to why they believe that he is a “chosen one”. I, however, do not believe that Benny Hinn’s ministry is glorifying anything but himself – and maybe his wallet.

Now, I understand that pastors and leaders in ministry may not always be making the most money compared to other occupations however I do believe that Benny Hinn is swimming in the money that the “poorer” pastors aren’t making. To make a statement such as “purchasing for ministry” or “fulfill your prophecies by purchasing” is very daring and almost asking for people to judge your bad character. I am quite outraged and appalled by the kind of programs that CTS allows sometimes on their channel, but then again, in the end it’s all a cycle of trying to make money isn’t it?

Thanks for reading!

Yellow

2009-04-09T13:49:00.002-04:00

This year's fashion will be yellow.

With the current recession depression that we’re currently going through right now, it’s time to whip out those bright yellow sundresses, jeans, t-shirts or even tights. People are sad with both recession and seasonal depression – yellow is sure to bring joy! If only temporarily, bring a yellow smile to someone’s face, today!

Thanks for reading!

Heart To Heart

2009-04-08T12:39:00.002-04:00

(something I had saved in my drafts)

Don't you just love a good talk – over the phone, face-to-face, or even on msn? Personally, I don’t have all the time (nor the patience, which is a flaw) to sit with someone and just chat about life and the troubles that’s on our hearts. The other day however, I did get a chance to do a little catch up with a friend of mine and through that I’ve gained some new perspectives. What I eventually learned after our conversation over the phone was the necessity (or the lack of) of drama/problems that we should create in our daily lives. But above all things, I learned more about love; for friends, family, and for ourselves.

I’m sure at some point of my blogging career, I’ve put a definition of love somewhere and concluded that there is no real definition for love. Just to add onto my amateur knowledge of love, I’ve learned that it’s a lesson, a journey if you will. As clichéd as this may be but we learn from our past mistakes. The many people we meet along our life journey teach us how to love deeper, love stronger, and love wiser – and each of those are a lesson in itself.

But all this is not to say we shouldn’t open our arms and expect some hurt and pain from people we meet, but we need to have discretion that love is not always nice and dainty. Love is painful. It should be or we would never learn. When it comes to choosing who we keep closest to our hearts it’s important to know that respect, trust, and endurance is important. If we don’t respect the person for their individuality we will not be able to hold trust to what they say or do, and when it comes to trying to sustain a relationship there will be no endurance. Cheese Alert! Finding someone who you love truly and someone who loves you back is one of the wonders of life. Find those who are willing to stick out the rainstorm with you. Find people who won’t use you and leave you for the better options. Most importantly, find those who help to bring out your best.

“Sometimes, cheese can be very yummy”

Thanks for reading!

Elevator Experiment

2009-04-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

A lot of people always ask me why I love psychology. The intensive readings and the application to almost everything around us… did I mention the intensive readings? But, as cruel as this sounds, I love research and experiments done on people. It’s the reactions that we get from people that humour and teach us the most. Here’s a little something my social psychology professor showed us in class, this one is a classic! Enjoy.

(might want to turn off the music before playing)

Thanks for reading!

Endurance

2009-04-07T01:32:00.002-04:00

You know what endurance means? It means to stick it out. To hang on when the times get tough. To keep going when you see no end. And to never give up on something that’s worth keeping, forever.

And for me this is endurance…

It’s the friendships that last a lifetime. Through the good times and the bad times, with or without each other. It’s those times when you could’ve spent even a couple hours with each other and went home feeling like it was just like the good old days.

Thanks for reading!

PS. I love Enrique Iglesias.

Factors

2009-04-06T22:47:00.002-04:00

PEOPLE NEED TO STOP ATTRIBUTING THINGS TO SITUATIONAL FACTORS AND UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE END, IT’S THOSE INTERNAL FACTORS WHICH MAKE ACTIONS COME TO LIFE.

I was looking around on a couple of my “pages” (i.e. friendster, my msn profile space, zuup. livejournal, etc.) the other day and I found something that struck me. I was surprised at myself that I even found such a thing.

"Never surrender, it`s all about the faith you got don`t ever stop,
just push it til you hit the top and if you drop, at least you know you gave your all,
be true to you, and that way you can never fall." – Tupac

Something like that was really encouraging for me and I just wanted to spread the love with you guys. Thing will get quite hectic on my end from now until the end of may; and I imagine the same for most of you since it should be finals time now. Someone special always says to me when I’m feeling super down: “Finish strong”. No matter where you are, and what goal / challenge you are trying to overcome, don’t give up on yourself and be confident that you were able to overcome & learn.

More updates to come soon…

Thanks for reading.

Heuristics

2009-03-30T22:06:00.001-04:00

What do you call a person who constantly lacks energy and falling asleep anywhere, hears their bones crack often (esp. the hips), and forgets things easily? Well according to the theory of heuristics (which really isn’t a theory, but anyway) you would probably call this person old. However like many theories that have been answered by the process of heuristics – you’d be wrong.

This is what I’ve been feeling and experiencing for the past couple days due to my midterms this week. Just wanted to let you all know I most likely, actually won’t be posting at all until Thursday when I’m done (if you do catch me blog, I’ll pay every single one of you $5 – but it’s not going to happen).

Have a good week everyone! It’s going to remain quite chilly this week, so put some decent clothes on!

Something that my Social Psychology professor gave to us on the first day of class click here to enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Hour For The Earth

2009-03-28T01:11:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow at 8:30PM it’s earth hour. Remember to shut off your power for 60 minutes to help conserve and save the planet – even for those mere 60 minutes. To read more, click here. If you’re protesting against earth hour because it limits the things you could do while in the dark, head down to Nathan Phillips Square for a good ol’ time! Guest appearances include: Suzie McNeil, Crash Parallel, Karl Wolf, and many more!

Midterms are kicking in and that means sleepless nights and odd blog posts here & there to recover me from fatigue. Bare with me for a bit. In the meantime, tomorrow will be 12°C; go outside and enjoy your weekend. Have a good one!

Thanks for reading!

Touching Story

2009-03-26T16:27:00.001-04:00

While I was working with my Abnormal Psychology group this morning on a project, a few of us began to feel fatigued and started to share our best youtube clips. This may not be your usual funny youtube clip that people search for, but I must say – it brought a tear to my eye.

Thanks for reading!

BTW if y’all didn’t know… Today York University turns 50!
I think all York students could agree with me, when it’s that time of year (York’s birthday) we all love the cheap foods and freebies! Because today was York’s 50th birthday, we had a few special things: 1) free cake, 2) loot bags if you wore red, 3) 50cent hot dogs! and 4) discounts all across campus! It was a good day at York. Let’s all cherish that cause really, good days don’t happen often when you’re at York U .

Riz Du Jour

2009-03-25T23:45:00.003-04:00

I usually consider myself a relatively good cook. Aside from the usual things that asians my age could make (ie. cup noodles, instant noodles, and maybe some form of fried rice), I usually like to experiment a little bit. Being asian, however, has a couple of expectations: 1) you eat a ton of fried foods, 2) your house often smells like fried foods, and 3) you can make rice.

Okay, so some of you maybe be wondering (and doing what we do for multiple choice questions - eliminate the odd) why cooking rice is an option. But if you're asian and you think that's not an option... you're not asian. I am generally very proud of the rice I make; the "moist-not-too-dry-and-not-too-congee-like" rice.

Today however, I have failed at life. I made wet congee-like rice! I wish you could've understood the horror in my eyes when I lifted the rice cooker lid. There it was, this pot of rice boiling and bubbling as if it were congee cooking on a stove - I almost cried.

But as I mentioned in my last post, I will keep climbing and keep aspiring to become yet again the best rice cooker I know! heh.

So today, the hydro people came. They came to my neighbourhood to fix and give us a new hydro pole. Now, I understand the concept of having to disconnect the power while they change the hydro box from one pole to another. But what I don't understand is their failure in notifying everyone in the neighbourhood that they're doing so!

While I was mid-way straightening my hair, my power was cut! I wasn't going to walk out of the house with half straightened hair though - I'd rather call it a sick day! So trying to use the last of the heat on my Chi, I soon realized it was no use because soon the ceramic iron only made my hair static-ky. Now it got frustrating: I had static filled hair and it was 1/3 curly, 1/3 bedhead, and 1/3 straightened. I eneded up trying to tug my hair straight and make some sense of the mess on my head, then headed off for school. Talk about an unfortunate case of the bad hair day!

People don't always wake up on the wrong side of the bed; sometimes it's the wrong timing to come out the right side.

Thanks for reading!

The Climb

2009-03-23T22:57:00.003-04:00

I do not like Miley Cyrus. I used to, but I now take back my admiration because she cannot sing. I don't like the fact that she's famous off her dad's name - this is not fame. However, I do like her song writers and to be specific I like this song. I'll start with something about me so you could understand why I love this song.

York has really screwed up this year. I originally started the school year with a bright and positive outlook on the 08-09 school year. There was always the tension of the unexpected (i.e., difficulty of the professor, an illness, or the people you'll meet), but this year was different -- the strike. A 3 month strike that seemed to drag on forever leaving all the students in the shadows, not knowing if they could finish the school year or for some even, to graduate. Since the return from the strike, I've been viciously trying to get back on track with the flow of school, attained two research assistant position (going for a third), got a job and quit within a day, and staying employed without actually getting any shifts. From all of this, the one thing that I've realized is: I can't do it all. I'm reaching my limit of being able to hold up my strength from day-to-day and being in one of the most competitive programs is not exactly helpful. Sometimes while I'm in class, I do feel as if I'm getting farther from my dream every intelligent question or answer someone in the class makes.

But, things are only impossible if you don't try. I've lived by the rule of learning through mistakes in many aspects of life. When you fall, you stand up stronger. When you have no strength to push, you pull yourself higher. When you have hit a dead end, you keep looking for that open door. We should never just settle with what we have and where we are. We should never give up on something just because it seems out of reach, but figure out an alternate way to get yourself there.

In terms of my trying to push myself to pull through, I need to make my personal mission statement for the rest of the school year: "To finish strong this school year, with knowledge that I've done my best and with the condifence that I did not give up. Regardless whether it's for RA, volunteering, studying, or finding a job I will give 110%."

So, What's yours?

The Climb - Miley Cyrus
I can almost see it
That dream
I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never
reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with
no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to
keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill
battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get
there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might
knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these
are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep
going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want
to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna
to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's
waiting on the other side
It's the climb

There's always going to be
another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going
to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about
how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's
the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith

Thanks for reading!

Summer’s Not Here..

2009-03-18T23:44:00.000-04:00

… so girls, please put some clothes on!

I can understand how eager everyone is to have summer come around so they could wear next to nothing down the streets and halls of campus, but really no one wants to see that stuff – unless they’re perverts. Also, people would probably come to a conclusion that you’re mentally ill to be wearing sandals, flip-flops and summer dresses when spring hasn’t even really arrived yet.

I could question the intelligence of university students.

I’ve been doing some reading for the past hour or so on The Toronto Star website about this case trial of a girlfriend convincing her boyfriend to kill his ex-girlfriend. I mean to some degree, we all hold a bit of jealously inside when our significant other mentions an ex – but to this extent? There’s a much longer story behind that, if interested Click Here. There is more to where that story came from. If you browse around the site, you can actually read other articles and even see the pictures of evidence and a picture of the victim.

The world’s story is a tragic one. Play safe and make good friends! Now go outside and enjoy the weather.

Thanks for reading!

PS. I now have embedded a Youtube player to the side of my page (to the left). She's probably my favourite Youtube vlogger. Hope you guys enjoy :)

The Virus

2009-03-17T22:43:00.001-04:00

Have you gotten one of these from a friend on MSN lately… “Quick question, did you see that Oprah episode on losing weight? I found the same goodies for 5 dollars and I lost 9 pounds already. See for yourself http://fadetear.com"?

I find these viruses and the way they try to spread themselves quite entertaining and revealing at the same time. Taking the one that I mentioned as an example, I find it interesting because the main topic of that paragraph is about weight loss. So you could most of the time immediately conclude that the person who is infected is interested in weight loss – might I add, FOR CHEAP! Silly minute things like this makes me laugh makes my days worthwhile.

Anyways, I’d like to direct your attention, if you haven’t been listening, to the song in the background. My Chinese music was getting to me since I was listening to it everyday and probably for most of you it’s foreign, so I won’t torture you anymore. Chris Cendana is an indie artist which I’ve been following for about a year now. I originally found him on Youtube and enjoyed very much listening to his songs. So his album is coming out soon (which I regret that I didn’t purchase the early bird signed copy) and I thought I’d give a preview here. For more originals Click Here.

So aside from my viral encounter today (which I do not have so don’t be afraid to talk to me on MSN) I have to reiterate the point that I made yesterday about the gorgeous weather! Today was even prettier than it was before, and it just simply made the day even more enjoyable (despite my fatigue due to 6 straight hours of class). Somewhat depressing was the discussion I had with two of the kids at the hospital and they like myself knew this beauty would not last. Oh well, let’s enjoy it while it still lasts.

Thanks for reading!

PS I found something cute yet disturbing while doing my daily surf on Sympatico / MSN features (located on the bottom of your Windows Live Messenger)

I’m pretty sure this isn’t normal for the dog and he should get some serious surgery.

Motivation

2009-03-16T23:26:00.001-04:00

I am enjoying school for two reasons 1) all my courses are now officially psychology courses, and 2) psychology humours me. :)

So I’m currently taking a course called Motivation, or motivational psychology as some would call it. This course has the same level of difficulty and crazy degree of note taking as all my other psychology courses, but the reading is was really gets me. It’s both tedious and comic at the same time. So the textbook is very much so sociology and biology based so the things it talks about are common themes and topics from those areas. Today however, I couldn’t help but to laugh while I was reading the textbook.

To be completely frank, the first part of the textbook is talking about sex and reproduction. To quote something from the book, “…primary motives such as hunger, thirst, sex, and the avoidance of pain, as well as numerous uniquely human motives such as the need for power, achievement, and so forth, serve to maintain and/or enhance life in order to increase the chances of reproduction.(Petri, 2004)” So that was the censored version of the text, pretty much all I’ve been trying to aggressively study and remember is about how everything we do is is driven from our need to make babies. I mean obviously there is more to this theory of humans or organisms reproducing, but isn’t it strange and funny at the same time how a course could be solely based on this?

There are also certain things which I read which are not as funny, such as theories on how genetics will automatically rule out the weak links in society by killing them young with illness and disease before they could reproduce (i.e. children with down syndrome).

Anyways, psychology is getting more and more interesting and at the same time more and more unethical in certain areas. This will most definitely be challenging in my studies. Nonetheless, better to be enjoying it than dreading it!

To leave you with a taste of something uncensored, “The pleasurable sensations produced by sexual behaviour provide a mean by which the chances of successful reproduction are increased; if the processes involved in conception were extremely painful, fewer people would engage in such behaviour and successful reproduction would be reduced. (Petri, 2004)”

To stray from psychology for a moment, I’d just like to say that the weather today was absolutely beautiful! And if you didn’t get to go outside, shame on you! Go outside sometime in the next few days and breathe in some of that crisp and fresh spring air :) cause it probably will be gone again by next week :(

Thanks for reading!

Windows Live Writer

2009-03-13T14:55:00.001-04:00

TGIF everyone! Well technically for me my Fridays start on Thursday, but really saying TGIT doesn’t quite evoke the same feeling.

So anyways, while I’m doing my Friday chores (i.e. sleeping in, cleaning the house, and making myself a nice little meal) I turned on my laptop and Messenger pops up this “Download the new Windows Messenger”. So naturally being the computer junkie that I am (obviously not), I downloaded it. Along with this new update came these new programs like this one that I’m using now!

If you’ve gotten a chance to see it, it’s called the windows live writer. What’s so cool about this program is that it actually connects with your blog online, so you don’t have to! This probably isn’t a problem for most people, but for me the email I use for my blog account is a different gmail account than the one I actually use. And when I have to log into my blog, I can no longer access my actual gmail account. So, BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE COMPLICATIONS!

Anyways, just really wanted to wish everyone a great weekend and please, go out to play and enjoy some sun!

Thanks for reading!

** Oh, and I just noticed: it’s Friday the 13th. I’m surprised another Friday the 13th movie didn’t come out cause it seems people just can’t get enough of those.

*** The more I use the new Windows Live Messenger, the more I like it!

Word Vomit

2009-03-11T20:30:00.002-04:00

I have a spelling problem. As many of you might know, I am a fob. But it's been a long standing issue of mine that I can't spell this particular word.

Because I cannot give a proper spelling of the word, I will describe it: runny poo.

So today, this issue really bothered me and I just had to google it (cause really, you can find everything on google!) and these are the results that I got... (it's a multiple choice question, see if you can get it right!)

1) Diaria
2) Diarrhoea
3) Diarrhea
4) Diorhea
5) Pdaeyowea (apparently the P is silent?) <-this person is on crack.

and

the

answer

is

...

(apparently) #2: Diarrhoea! Ironically, number two is also another polite way of saying "I need to poo".

So as strange as this all sounds, I don't think there is one person that would disagree with me when I say that there is a general confusion around how to spell this word. I think even after really finding this fact out I will probably still misspell the word and maybe even fool people to believe that Pdaeyowea is actually a word (this should teach you to never trust answers on sites such as wiki and yahoo answers).

sorry this is a long post...

Another thing that bothered me today, and found strangely humorous was the TTC bus driver on my way home. He was one of those "slow drivers", and by slow I mean slower than a bike that was riding on the sidewalk. After he had dropped me off, he parked at the stop in front of my street for a good 2 minutes (I kept watch as I was walking away). Sometimes, I wish all TTC drivers could just be alike so I could actually time my commute properly and not have to encounter these slow-poke drivers.

Lastly, SPRING'S COMING! The weathers warming up but the winter wind hasn't gone away just yet! Dress warm!

Thanks for reading!

When Water is Stuck In Your Ears

2009-03-11T12:24:00.003-04:00

Quick post, I have to get to class soon. So this is another something I read off my Why Do Me Have Nipples calender. I thought it was a useful tidbit of information for many people since we all shower and have trouble with drying our ears. (Especially the last sentence in parentheses)

When Water is Stuck In Your Ears, Where is it, And How Do You Get it Out?
People have this strange idea that if water gets in your ear, it will somehow find its way to the inside of your skill. but if your ear drum is intact, it will just get stuck in your outer ear canal, and create an environment where infections can develop. swimmer's ear, or oititis externa, is an infection of the lining of the external ear canal that begins when water gets stuck in the outer ear. There is also a condition called surfer's ear or exotosis of the external auditory canal, which is caused by repeated exposure to cold water and wind. This cooling of the ear canal causes bone growth that blocks the ear canal. If your ear is kept dry, it is unlikely to become infected. You can opt for earplugs or rely on the old jump-up-and-down-on-one-leg-and-bang-the-side-of-your-head trick. Other options include ear-drying drops to evaporate excess water, or a hair dryer to dry them out. There is even an ear dryer specially designed for this purpose. (Cotton swabs should be avoided because they can push material deep into the canal or scratch the skin and make infection more likely.)

Thanks for reading!

Ying Ye 3 + 1

2009-03-09T21:55:00.002-04:00

So right after my last exam the Friday before last, I being a drama fanatic, indulged myself in a drama. I must say that of all the Taiwanese dramas I have watched, this one is indeed the best I have seen. It's based on a Japanese manga I believe so their clothes and the scenarios in the drama are a bit over the top, but it makes it all the more enjoyable!

So for those looking for something new to watch, I highly recommend this one. It's a tear-jerker, a comedy, and a love story all in one; typical of Taiwanese dramas comparing with the pure tear-jerking Korean dramas. It's also compared to other Taiwanese dramas, very short with only 16 episodes, so you wouldn't need to worry about wasting too much time. Because I can't really give a really good synopsis, I've searched for one that wouldn't give the story away...

Xia Tian, Ah Jiang, Fang Wei, Bulu all four grew up on Westside Street together
and currently study in Ying Ye School. One month away from graduation.

Xia Tian's dad is a police officer in Westside Street and is retiring
tomorrow. But just on that day, they all had a fight with the Dinosaur gang in
the school and were almost expelled by the principal. Officer Xia went to settle
the conflict and not only did it not get settled, his gun got misplaced by the
principal too. Everyone thus discussed things over and decided that AJ they all
will remain in the school and they must find the gun within the one month of
graduation to let Officer Xia retire peacefully and happily. Jia Jiang, Fang Wei
and Bulu then can successfully graduate.

While finding the missing gun,
they discovered that a ex-convict Grey Wolf who escaped from prison is possibly
connected with the missing gun and even more surprisingly, the Grey Wolf is
actually having close communication and contact with students in Ying Ye.

Among the teenagers, they had to cooperate to find Officer Xia's missing
gun and this let AJ and XT who have since young been at loggerheads to develop
feelings for each other. FW who has always liked XT now becomes the love rival
of AJ. This love triangle will have what impact on AJ and FW's friendship? AJ
and XT who used to be as close as siblings, will their relationship change? Who
stole Officer Xia's gun? And how are they going to find it? What will be
discovered in their process? Let the four people use their own ways to bring you
this story in 2007's Summer. - Translated by minivicki @ asianfanatics.net

And if that's not enough to get you to watch, the leading male is a real hottie c(=

>> Click Here To Start Watching! << (Subtitles in English) The song playing in the background is also sang by the two leading actors in the drama.

So I actually have a something that I wanted to write and share with everyone, but unfortunately the pictures that go with my specific post were taken on my temp phone which uses a different memory card. I'll need to find some way to load my pictures than that post will come along shortly after my loading. Hope everyone has a great week!

Thanks for reading!

TheAlterEgo

Beside You

Worse of two evils

time

Not in Service

Spek-ta-tor

home.

Wake Up With Me

Edge of Desire

happy Valentine’s Day!

Beauty for Ashes

Already Gone

A Touch of Awesome

BLYSS

Eliot Chang

Kindness

It’s Not Gonna Be Easy…

When You Say (Nine) - Gabe Bondoc

Oreo Cup-Cheesecakes!

Been a while.

Sometimes

*HAPPY THREE YEARS*

Love Cards

Wise Words of Love

Make Up Artistry

It’s Cold!

Music For Your Soul

How To Be Smooth 1010 6.0 Section A

Nala

Unnecessary!

Strawberry Swirls

I’m Back!

The Gummy Bear Song

MJ Fever

Caribbean Ensemble

He’s Friendly!

Finish Line

THE WAY They Do It

puppy Love & UP!

DB

Random Things

Some Room, Please

Knock You Down

Randomness & Updates

STAND UP, For Cancer

“I Told You So”

YORKU Kills Animals!

Tanks.

Yellow

Uh, Miss…

Four in the Morning

I must be cursed

My greatest achievement

Distortion of Reality

Update!

H1N1 For Free Trips!

Lazy Lovers

LALvsHOU Game 6

20,000 For Saskatchewan

Interviews

It’s that time again…

KOBElievable

Done

Speaking of Genocide…

Nicotine Inhaler

Chicken A La Carte

Akon’s Going International!

Picture Distortion

Hotdocs

Dead and Gone

Faces of Fear

Mop Head

Milgram’s Obedience Study

Creepy amazing sick

Humidity

Student Life

Awkward

April Showers Day!

Rain, Rain

Pictures

HAPPY THREE YEARS