Quiet Time

I've decided to take the night off; I've rented 8 episodes of Scrubs, I have mini eggs, and I have a whole floor of my house, at least until my parents finish watching their latest BBC special. I am so excited. I had to get up at 6:30 am today, and then sit through class after class when I could have been watching storm the wall, and really, hanging out with J.D., Carla, Turk and Elliot sounds like the perfect night.

Ah, relaxation.

Oh, and Tessa wins the photo guessing contest. It's the bottom of a dasani bottle, through the top.

What Am I?

What Am I?, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

Alright people, guessing has begun; what is this? (Amanda, if you heard what it was in class, then you're not allowed to guess.) Oh, and there are more pictures if you click on the photo.

Closeup

Rearview, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

This has been my favourite subject thus far. It's the rearview mirror of an old truck that parks down my street. I love the colour contrast, and the texture of the rust up near the top. It reminds me that sometimes things are prettier when you look more closely.

So...

How is everyone? I have no idea what y'all have been up to, except Amanda, cause she's in my photography class (hi Amanda!). So tell me! I'll start:

Saturday I had formal, which was good times, and everyone looked very pretty. Also, I have gorgeous earrings, which I always find exciting. And I was voted most likely to succeed! Always a nice feeling.

Yesterday Peter Mansbridge of CBC came and gave a talk, which was fun. It was a good speech, not too preachy, or congratulatory. I found the number of Mansbridge-worshippers a little surprising. Seriously, some people were crazy about him. I had no idea.

Finally, I went to Roosters, a country-themed br, last night. It was fun, and I'll never turn down 5 cent chicken wings, but topless mechanical bull-riding? So, so unattractive. Listen, girls (none of my girls, thank god): there are many, many other things you could be doing needlessly topless, if you must, that would look far, far better. Yeesh.

Activity Headache

You know when you have one of those days that is so full that at the end, your head hurts, but in a good way? That was today. This morning I got up, ate a hearty breakfast to fortify myself, then muddled my way though makeup (now y'all know it was a big day), and sprinted down the street to catch a bus (which I managed to catch, thank goodness). Why was I in such a hurry? Why, to make it for lunch with this woman, who in addition to being incredibly intelligent and a pioneer of memory psychology, is also surprisingly personable and fun to talk with. It was such a nice lunch, and I'm so happy to have been able to attend (Thanks, L!).

After lunch, I had class for an hour and a half (that was my break).

Then, the aforementioned researcher gave a talk titled Illusions of Memory, which had the most heated question period I've ever experienced in a psychology talk, and then, finally, a reception with (tasty) canapes and mingling. And I know that it doesn't sound like that much when you read it here, but activity headache, people. It was big. And I need sleep. Adieu!

Still Alive

Hey y'all,

I'm still alive, just been busy. Oh, and I wrote my last midterm of my undergrad degree EVER! Be back later, need to sleep.

Not for the Squeamish.

Ladies and gentlemen, the toenail is leaving the building.

Yep, after over a month of strange colours and varying pain, it has officially started un-sealing itself from my toe, the sight of which is both fascinating (to people like me) and extremely unsettling. I do find it fascinating, because the...shedding? of the nail is completely painless, and yet my nail is falling off. So as I sit here, watching a repeat of Queer Eye (John K., cutest little old man ever) I take little breaks to look at my toe.

The one negative is that this means I won't have a toenail for my last formal, so...closed toe shoes it is! Heh, it's an annoyance, but a small one, and at least my "Sekke! I'm not going to have a toenail for formal!" was good for a laugh.

And no disparagig remarks about me looking at my toenail. You're just jealous you can't see it.

Conversations

In the car
N: Okay, so I'm just going to say it. I love Kelly Clarkson.
Jan: Oh, me too. I mean, I wasn't a fan of her early stuff.
N: I know, I totally thought she was crappy.
Jan: I know! And then I heard Since You've Been Gone, and never
N: turned back! I KNOW!
Jan: God I love her.
N: I know, she's my K.C.

On the phone
Jan: So what are you up to tonight?
Girly: I don't know, me and the boy might watch the movie we downloaded.
Jan: There you go squandering your money on useless luxuries again.
Girly: I know! Heh.

Playing Buddhism Jeopardy in class
Reader: The guy in the Heart Sutra, like higher than a man...
Guy: Bodhisattva?
Reader: Yes! But which one?
Silence
Jan: ...Av, Avalokitesvara?
Reader: YES!
Silence
Sekke: Seriously, Jan? What is wrong with you?
Jan: I have no idea.
Random: That's a two pointer, right there.

Sasha Cohen skates
Jan: You know, she annoys me sometimes, but damn can she act the skate. Too bad she fell.
Mom: I like her dress.
Jan: ...okay.

Shizuka Arakawa skates
Jan: Oooh, Ina Bauer.
Mom: Thats not a word!
Jan: It's a name, Mom. Ina Bauer
Mom: Oh. It's very pretty.

Irina Slutskaya
Jan: What the hell?!
Mom: What? She fell. Everyone's falling tonight.
Jan: But she never. falls. Never.
Mom: She did tonight.
Jan: Along with the rest of the world. This night of skating? Sucks.
Mom: I thought you liked the Japanese girl.
Jan: I did, she was beautiful. But this? This is crap. I miss Kurt Browning.
Mom: Kurt Browning is a man!
Jan: You miss him too.
Mom: I do.

Pop Quiz

ducky, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

What's the ducky saying? (Please select correct response)

a) Hi! I prove that you are in fact, Jan, and not some impostor trying to play Basketball on the sly.

b) You have a midterm tomorrow that you are NOT ready for!

c) I'm holding my hand up to show my jammed finger, and pointing at my black toenail with a pencil! Y'know, just 'cause.

d) I will never ever come off, even with dish detergent. No, really. It's been two days, and I'm still here. Okay, 'love ya!

e) All of the above.

Break is Over. Reading, Not So Much.

This is the end of Reading Break. Considering mine was so uneventful so as to cause swaths of it to be completely forgotten, I'd say it was a success! However, let's recap what I do remember, shall we?

Got hit on by a creepy old guy at work
Had coffee and dinner with Alex for Valentines
Went to a nice lunch with T
Had several chats over msn with Tessa (hi Tessa!)
Bought my plane ticket
Had a visit from Amanda at work (Hi Amanda! HUGE improvement over El Creepo)
Watched the skeleton races, and cringed for their entirety
Wrote one paper
talked with Girly on the phone

Yep! Definitely a success.

Paid!

I bought my plane ticket yesterday. Asia, here I come! In a few months. Which is good, because now I need to earn some money so I can afford to be in Asia. But whooo! Now I can start the planning in earnest! I currently have about 6 tour books, and I got some of those little post-it tabby things, so I can make a note of things that I want to see/could be important. Thus far, I've only really decided that I'm going to skip Varanasi; holy city though it may be, the stories I've heard about the creepiness of the men there has put me off. Plus, there's so much else to see, why bother?

And, slightly related to the post title, my mom and I watched Oprah today, about her new "Debt Diet", which...seems to be sorely needed. 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck? I was surprised, and I was expecting a high number. It can't be much lower here in Canada, either. The three families that were the focus on the show were astounding. $7000 a year on hair? $100 a day on takeout food? I know it happens, hell I've been cutting back on food spending at school, because it's so expensive, but one hundred dollars a day is insane. The whole thing got me a little scared about my finances, and I don't have problems (knock on wood).

It just amazes me that we can get so wrapped up in looking like we have money. If you don't have money, trust me, buying a new car is not the way to get it. Even less the way to get it? Buying your kid a new car. A teenager doesn't need a brand new car, get a used one! I don't know if my first car will be new, and I'm 22!

The sad thing is, I think all of us are at least a little guilty. I mean, I've been going to starbucks a bit lately. The bad part is that I got so many of their gift cards that it seems like liquid money. And then you get in the habit of going...Yep, starbucks and food out are going to be my date diet. I'm pretty sure I can live without 'em, though.

It's Got Me Convinced

I want a Magic Bullet.

Have you seen the infomercial? This couple that apparently collects moochers as a hobby goes through the amazing abilities of this tiny little blender system that can do everything from smoothies to salsa to soup to sorbet. And it even makes things that don't start with the letter "s"! More importantly, the couple uses ridiculously specific times in their commercials. It takes six seconds to make chocolate mousse. However, it takes eight seconds to make raspberry- mango sorbet. I also enjoy that the casting agent decided the male half of the couple would be Australian. This allows him to say things like "and just throw in some tomato, and one, two, three seconds, Bob's your Uncle, and you've got salsa!".

Who doesn't want a Magic Bullet?

(Note: I actually do want one. The ridiculous ad is just a bonus.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

pomegranate, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

Not a heart, but something red, and yummy.

I had a great Valentine's Day. I got flowers from the kids I tutor (white tulips), and met up with an old friend for coffee and dinner. It was beautiful outside, and we walked along the beach just chatting and catching up. It got to be pretty cold out though, so we decided to head back to the car, and then to dinner. Every florist we drove by (and there were several on our route) contained at least 5 or 6 guys who'd obviously left their shopping til late. With them in spirit were men walking down the streets with bags from BeautyBar, and Hope Unlimited. A girl walked by, having clearly just indulged in a shopping spree for herself. The restaurant was packed, full of old couples who were completely comfortable, and new couples who were nervous.

And now I am completely full, and am going to spoil myself with some hot tea and a good book.

Planning! Whoooo!

So trip planning has officially begun. Not the flights, that doesn't count. I'm talking about the real planning, the "what to do once I get there" planning. And let me tell you, India? Incredibly confusing, even just in the guidebooks. But hey, I'm going to India. Who cares what else is going on?

You think I'm talking about this lots now. You just wait til I'm within 3 months of actually leaving!

Now excuse me. I have more planning to do.

Low

I hate this feeling. It's nothing but melancholy, lonely tinged with sad. I don't know why it comes on; every once in a while, it creeps in, and even more occasionally, I won't manage to push it away, and I'll dwell in it, and it doesn't spiral. It just...settles, deep, like there's a place it fits just right, as if I've been in denial all those other times.

I wasn't in denial. There are other things that fit there too, and they don't hurt.

If I haven't found one by tomorrow, I'll let you know.

Restaurant Review: Banana Leaf

Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant - West Broadway Location

I went with Peek and T for an early dinner a couple of weeks back, and have to say, I was very impressed. It moved ito the location cleared by a restaurant my family loved, and while it redecorated a little, it didn't do too much, which is great because that place has an amazing internal structure.

As for the food, I had spring rolls (not bad) and coconut rice, which was exceptional, if a bit bland on it's own (which I should note is not how it's meant to be eaten. That was my decision, not the server's suggestion). Coconut rice in this case was like the Malaysian version of sticky rice at dimsum, but with less in it, and wrapped in a banana leaf. T and Peek had things that I could never hope to remember the names of, but trust me, they were good. I can't claim that Banana Leaf is super cheap, but it's definitely worth a visit.

Y'all Don't Even Know.

The past few days have been a trial.

Sunday was one of the most ludicrously busy days at work I've ever had the misfortune to experience. The kitchen was backed up 45 minutes (which, trust me, customers love), and in addition to this, my coworker had just been broken up with, and Ihad contracted a head-cold overnight. I got home, and pretty much went to bed at 9:30, after pretending to be awake enough to eat dinner.

On monday, basketball bit me again; everything was going just fine, and seven minutes before the final buzzer, I got my wedding finger jammed. It's now a lovely shade of green, swollen (but far less so than it was yesterday), and hurts. I still went to bed that night in a reasonably good mood, but...

I woke up at 6:03 am Tuesday, feeling...uncomfortable. Managed to doze of again, but at 7:25 am (I look at my clock a lot), I got up, ran into the bathroom, and hurled what little there was in my stomach. Violently. I then returned to bed, and dozed for another two hours, until it was necessary to haul myself to my first class to hand in an assignment, and then come back home for the day. Oh yeah, and in the meantime I dreamt that I was being forced to reorganize a closet, and was covertly stealing my books back from the evil lady who was making us do it.

Today, thank god, was better. My finger still looks ridiculous, and kinda hurts, but I registered for my photography class at the AMS minischool (yay!), and got some very nice letters from friends. And I can eat again, which is very nice. But I have an exam on Friday, and have just figured out that I'm missing a huge chunk of them, which is disconcerting. But happy letters! Whoooo!

Ow, it hurts to type. Bloody basketball.

Happy New Year!!!

I had a very Chinese New year day today; Celeste and I went to Aberdeen Centre, and basked in the glorious New Year celebrations. We visited Daiso (everything only $2!), which was even more fun than you can imagine. From the frivolity of cupcake holders with chess pieces on them, to the necessity of stationary with "Happy Circus!" all over it, this place has everything. Including my new favourite beverage, Peach Water. We wandered the store for well over an hour, oohing and aahing over the merchandise. It was beautiful, and I just now have realized the deprivation I've been living in.

After Daiso, we though we'd explore the mall a bit more, but got sidetracked 50 paces along the path by Dragon's Beard Candy, which was being made right there. If you ever get a chance to see this process, stop and watch; celeste and I stood, in fascinated silence, as the candymaker turned a lump of sugar into thousands and thousands of tiny strands.

After buying some of the candy (we definitely had to eat some, after seeing it be made), we left the mall, and after some initial car trouble, got home. My mom had made an incredible New Year's feast, including fish, hot pot, stuffed tofu puffs, and of course rice. After dinner we had tea, and the dragon's beard candy, which, as it turns out, is excellent. Crispy and sweet and light.

And now I am incredibly full. So, so full.

Happy New Year! May you have a wonderful year of the dog!

Meet Pretty

Me and Pretty, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour to present...the new, the amazing, the fantABULOUS...

Pretty D50!

Snow, Cousins and Growing

Sunpeaks was beautiful. Pure white everywhere, and falling from the sky. Because of the basketball game of death, I wasn't able to do anything but snowshoe, but it was great to have an actual weekend, and snowshoeing was beautiful. In addition I had a chance to use Pretty (that's Pretty D50, my camera), and try out the various functions.

I also got to hang out with Peek, and my cousins, Jackie (just 7) and Stephanie (8). We played dress-up, as well as several games of Sorry! (I won both), Cadoo (kid's Cranium), and between me and Peek a game I think is called Teacher's Question, which is the most politically incorrect children's game I've ever seen. Here are some examples:

Q: If you're an albino, what colour is your skin?
A: White

Q: Obese people are all _____.
A: Fat

Needless to say, we were laughing hysterically.

The two cousin units are ludicrously cute. As evidence, note this conversation I had with Jackie on the ride up to Sunpeaks.

Parents in the front: We want to take the girls to Disneyland, but Jackie is an inch too short for most of the rides. mumblemumblemumble.

Jackie: Janice?

Jan: Yes?

Jackie: I keep trying to eat lots and lots, but I just can't grow that inch!

Happily, we measured her over the weekend, and she now only needs half an inch! Way to go Jackie!

So cute.