| 2003 - jan - feb - mar - apr - may - jun - jul - aug - sep - oct - nov - dec - 2005 |
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Nov 30.04 Walked all the way from campus to the Air Canada Centre and back, in a two hour slot, while carrying all my stuff from the Guelph trip. Reason: to pick up tickets for tomorrow's St. John's Maple Leafs game against the Binghampton Senators. I'm really excited even though I'm sure they're nosebleed seats since I've never actually been inside the ACC. Also, I got to use my debit card, which I'm so not used to. Dangerous. Watched a hot copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, realizing again how horrible the movies really are. The subtitles were hilariously off. As a taste: "Sirius Black" translates to "Sand Benedict", "Neville" translates to "George", "I broke the rules" translates to "I made the rules", "get the door" translates to "West horse west horse door horse west horse", and"Hermione" translates to "Card". Also "fuck" tended to pop up uncalled for throughout the movie, and I don't know why. Definitely, everyone should watch the bootlegged subtitled version of the third Harry Potter for ESL-training purposes. --------------- Nov 29.04 Had to wake up bright and early in the morning for my last chemistry lab. It was short and sweet, despite getting our second term tests back. I failed with flying colours. But cheers to Vangelis for being the best lab TA I've ever had. There was jazz band and I got to see my camera's work in action on posters for our upcoming concert, and I have to say I was impressed. A sloppy, mediocre picture had been cropped and blown up and turned into a nice looking poster. I was, dare I say, slightly homesick, so I did the late commute back after the rehearsal. Mostly I missed my cat. And good free food. I'm not going to go into all-out, massive bloody detail at the moment but I also had a heated debate on ethnoculture and identity consumption today. Of the three groups that I can identify with, being a Chinese, Canadian, and gay youth, I can't say that I like the direction that any of these cultural identities are taking. If I had to choose between archaic, stereotypical perceptions of culture and modern, mass-produced, meaningless and cultureless identities that can be applied to anyone, I'd have to pick the former. I'd rather people think I'm good at math than good with electronics. I'd rather people think I'm a lumberjack than a non-American. I'd rather people think I'm a sissy than a style guru. I don't agree with stereotypes, but I believe that all stereotypes are based on some element of truth, and history. And therefore a stereotype has more cultural significance than any modern identity that says "I'm not who you think I am" but doesn't say anything about what quality you actually do have that makes you different from someone else, and that couldn't have just as easily been made a part of that person's identity. History may have offended us by offering stereotypes of who we all are, but are there modern identities that can reflect our cultural significance without just denying the generalizations and picking up homogenous culture produced specifically for our consumption in this time of identity loss? If so, show me. --------------- Nov 28.04 After waking up, I was treated to a breakfast of eggnog (which I'd never tried before. It was yummy, like drinking butterscotch) with freshly made French toast. We headed out for the walk back to campus to catch a Daniel McIvor play by a Guelph drama students club, but when we got there we found out it had been cancelled due to copyright issues. Thusly rejected by the arts, we made a beeline for the sports bar where we ate hearty and watched some intramural hockey. Later, after trying to get into someone's room unsuccessfully, I took leave of my gracious host and imposed my presence on someone else. I used the computer and ate more chocolate while she worked. Eventually we tracked down the other friend and went out for dinner. At the sports bar again. By this time the night was coming to an end and we left for the bus. As we approached, I saw one leave the circle. Not a good thing. There was a while of brief panic, but another one came with just enough seats for me and the other two people waiting. The ride back was uncomfortable, squished as I was in between two other passengers next to the bathroom. And I had to walk back to my grandmother's house from the bus terminal, which had my shoulders and hands in pain after the whole weekend. But I sunk as best as I could into my hard bed and started plotting my next trip. --------------- Nov 27.04 Uncharacteristically, I got up late in the morning. I was awake early on, but I just couldn't think of any good reason to actually get off the floor so I stayed put. Around noon or so I freshened up and ate a bit. Lounging around for most of the 'morning' was nice, and time flew. My biggest achievement was getting a little bit of work done and hand-sewing the threads on my cross-stitched pattern shirt back in. Tedious but so rewarding. In the afternoon we met up with a friend (and got to visit the sweet townhouses) and walked to the mall. (I didn't want to attempt to take the bus again. Wasn't up for the aggravation). And say what you want about Guelph but the mall proves there is some level of development there. I give it about 9 years before Guelph is the new Brampton. By then Brampton will have been the new Vaughan for some time. Finishing up our shopping business, we walked back to campus. One among us had to get back to his residence to make an appearance at a party so he could get away to hisother pre-drinking party and then go barhopping. When we arrived back, at East Side Mario's. This was in the mall area, where we'd just walked back from. But since I love a brisk walk in the night, and since it was more quality time with the people I'd met last night (including Mr. Perfect), I was so game. This time we had a ride, which killed some of the masochistic fun. However, it was going to be a long wait for a table (excellent) so we went back to the mall and read magazines at Chapters. When we got back we only had to wait a few more minutes supposedly, which turned into about a half an hour. In the meantime, we entertained fantasies of ambushing children in the bathroom, eating babies, and living a life of sexual worship to Perfect. The service was bad but the food was tasty and plentiful. Afterward, the underaged (my girlfriend and I) got our stuff and walked to her house, where I'd be staying the night. Forget all that I said about housing in Guelph. Because it all meant nothing until I'd seen her house. It was clean and large and renovated and it had everything you could possibly need . The rent? A negligible $375/month. Words failed me. Since my brain was overloaded we watched movies and ate lots of junk food like good vegetables and caught up on oldmemories, good times and the anxiety of our generation. Somehow that translated into getting to sleep by 3am again. At which time a taxi was dropping off someone across the street. Good night, Guelph. --------------- Nov 26.04 Finally the week is over. It's been gloomy and boring and agonizingly long but I think that's because I've been counting down to this weekend for the past month and a bit. I donated blood with a friend today and learned that B- is the rarest blood type, not O- (that makes no sense). For the record, I'm A+, in case I ever get into an accident and someone needs to roll up their sleeves. I had a hard time getting the temperature to reach the minimum value of 35.8 degrees. It took about five tries and the nurse was getting desparate. It was amusing and troubling at the same time. I was a bit taken off guard by the "thanks for coming out" bit, but of course it was just a reminder of me doing my karmic (civic) duty. Apparently there are three sisters from some European country that all work at the downtown clinics, that I recognized from before when I first gave blood, so that made me feel like a regular. It's so great how these nurse types always size up the university student donors for their daughters and nieces and such. Meanwhile, I'm craning my neck lying on the cot so as to not wreck my hair and to get a better look at that hot security guard walking by. I stocked up on cookies for the trip before heading off to class. A weird thing happened before class when I was in the middle of an animated conversation and the girl behind me interrupted us to ask whether catecholamines were proteins or steroid hormones. Without missing a beat, I turned around and deadpanned, "Mm, I think catecholamines are amino acid derivatives." Then got right back into what I was saying before. That scared everyone around me, and then I wondered why my brain was apparently back from vacation even before it had started. I managed to catch the earlier bus to Guelph. The girl sitting beside me kept glancing at the gay newspaper I was reading, but then she was reading Lolita so whatever floats your boat. I munched cookies bought with my own precious blood and enjoyed the ride out of Toronto. The bus wasn't going into the University Loop so I got off somewhere on Gordon St. (where???) with the other students, blindly following two girls more clueless than myself. I got to the UC without too much trouble, relishing that feeling when the delusions of independence slip away and you need someone to come get you now. Not that I minded much. Vacation had begun so I didn't mind sitting around. But I figured I should find my tourguides/hosts so we could grab a bite to eat before the night's OHL game. Used a few payphones to try calling people (avoiding the $3.90 long-distance charge), then gave up after finding out they'd just left. At that point I found my friends standing outside the UC as if they'd been there the whole time. Those bastards. We tried to sneak me on the bus to downtown again, but it didn't work so I had to pay the hefty $2.00 fare. We had a hard time finding places to eat and eventually settled into a tiny little tea shop that was, literally, empty save us and the gracious owner. The place was cozy and eclectic. I didn't get anything, in the hopes of catching some carbs at cheese bread,but there wasn't any at the bakery either. Good thing I'd eaten all those cookies. Our seats for the game (Guelph Storm vs. Owen Sound Attack) were better this time around, and in more ways than one. We had an excellent view of the action and of the teams, and of the numerous hot guys in the stands and in uniform (I love Guelph). We lost, breaking my streak of not attending a losing game for two years, but since I hadn't seen live hockey since my last Guelph trip, I was satisfied. After the game, I attempted to skip fare again, and was caught by the driver. She wanted me to get off the bus. I offered to pay, but to no avail. And she said, and I quote: "I don't need this aggravation. I'm not here to play games." Was I aggravating her? If only I could be the type of person to cause a scene, because I wasn't being a hassle of any sort at all. If she wanted aggravation, I'm sure the situation could have got a lot more ugly. But that's not my style. So we all got off the bus and decided to walk back to campus instead of wait for the next bus. It was chilly and bitter, but enjoyable. Upon arrival back at the university grounds, some half an hour later, we checked out the art sculptures, which no one had ever seemed to notice until now. Got up all over the art, slippery and muddy and icy, and took pictures, like the drunken idiots that we should have been. But we didn't have any excuses, we were just having fun. Got back to my room for the night, where I triggered a fire alarm, and then stayed up chatting until about three in the morning. At this point, I'm starting to question whether there are *any* straight guys at Guelph. Because if there are, I haven't met any yet. Not that I mind very much. At the moment, I'm very much in love with the gay of the household. Perfect, flawless features, lovable personality. So very adorable. I'll stop there before I get even more enamoured. Which isn't good since I was very looking very dumpy at the time, and feeling vulnerable in my Ecuadorian pants and tight shirt (I was constantly sucking it in for about two hours). And apparently I ended looking like I was involved anyway. Which is a big d'oh. So let's leave it there before I get more enamoured. Had a mattress this time! My back rejoices. --------------- Nov 25.04 Made a visit to York University after school to catch some faculty of music jazz. I got to experience the other side of the subway line, heading up to Downsview. It's all very open and new and snazzy, though it's somehow more intimidating by being quiet and underpopulated. The ride took less than twenty minutes, yet the bus from Sheppard to Steeles took around twice the time somehow. Go express service. At York, I met up with my music buddies and enjoyed the high school student body and the mall/food court area. I'd eaten mostly chocolates and granola bars for the day so I declined when a friend whipped jars of baby food out of her pockets and offered them to me. Plus, everyone knows apple banana is the only good flavour anyway. Moved from the bitter cold (why is it always so frigid at York) into the sweltering heat of the residences, then down to the concert where there were tables and little candles and a small bar. I feel I should mention this right now: if you're looking for hot gay guys, you're not going to find them at York music. Gay, yes. Hot, no. (The rest of the student body isn't bad, although the overall style isn't high on my scale) The small groups were interesting, not as good as I'd expected from professional-level-studying musicians, but who am I to judge? Some had it together better than others for sure. The big jazz orchestra was awesome but mostly through the night I was struggling to stay interested, and munching more chocolate to replenish the short term sugar levels. And wondering really how different our own band would sound for next week's concert, for which I was dragging a few friends to campus to see. The night was still very young by 11pm and there was a possible two more hours of show to go, so I decided to leave -- which really means I hinted at my ride that I needed to pack for my trip to Guelph the next day. It was snowing (!!!) all over. Totally romantic. We drove through Vaughan into a new development area, proving again that Vaughan is the new Richmond Hill. But with cooler street names. They name them after artists and musicians: our dropoff was on the corner or Coltrane and Seurat. Almost makes me want to move to that area. --------------- Nov 24.04 the life of water It was a glum day, beginning from a frosty stasis, which melted into fog. Then came the drizzle which changed into rain. I was walking in the general direction of the quad sanctuary, passing under an arch (not the arch, but any of the other lovely arches all over campus) that leads to the path to the quad. Coming through, I saw one of those sights that draws your soul into it, from out of your body, where it lingers for a brief eternity and then gets sucked back into reality. There, before me, among the other bare, wet, skeletons of trees, was a shower of leaves the last to cling on to its dignity, half adorned with autumn foliage. But now it was crying, golden like straw at sunrise in the air and on the ground. The patter of the rain was soft and gentle, but it was also efficient and merciless, smothering the king's last weeping breaths. The rain turned to snow for a few minutes and everything was lovely. But then it devolved into wet falling ice. Watching from behind a pane of glass speeding through the sky, every once in a while vision would be obscured by the wounds. Little cuts, unnoticeable at first, and then slashes. Until it was hard to see from the trickling from each one. It would run down from above, quivering in the wind, drying away, and then flowing freely again at will. Mist in the night was the funeral of the day, only detectable in air under the sodium vapour. We arrive back, dry. As if nothing had ever happened. --------------- Nov 23.04 blank. --------------- Nov 22.04 With all the free time on my hands, there's golden opportunity to record my thoughts and preserve my current self (even though it's always at least one day retrospective). I think my body is going right on vacation while my brain is still in philosopher/work mode. Once the two fall into phase things around here will bounce right back up. --------------- Nov 21.04 In the car on the way home, I was pooped on by my cat, and then stabbed in the other leg. I do so love these trips to Alban. Pigged out on Japanese food once I got home and then ran the treadmill soon thereafter in anxiety over eating too much and losing work out time. --------------- Nov 20.04 As usual, not much going on up at the cottage except for eating and sleeping a lot. There's satlellite tv now but it's not much fun watching. Did stumble on this little gem of a movie called Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter though. Didn't watch the whole thing but I must find this at the video store. Go low budget Canadian satire. --------------- Nov 19.04 Went to the bus terminal to pick up my ticket for Guelph for next week. After class, headed back down to Bayview for the first annual Java Jive (& Pie) -- it's the concert that our generation could never pull together! Although let's give credit where credit is due: Mrs.Crosby did everything, really. It was great seeing all of the other music kids still at school outside of enrichment band and still be revered as a god. The performances were good, for small, sometimes undirected combos, and the food left something to be desired, but the set up and the atmosphere was something else. You wouldn't know it was held in the cafeteria if it weren't for the vending machines. The servers formed a great wall of China and I snapped pictures in an old-fashioned shootout with Horner and some other strange Chinese lady. I think I won. Special note: the night's real treat was seeing an old friend who had left Bayview shortly after we'd made friends, and had come back for her last year. Of course, this is the subject of one of my first little bits back when this space had confessions of the man of one line. Since they're inaccessible at the moment, I'll reprise my tribute here: Jan 23.03 > Today was the first day of my last exams of my last first semester in high school. > As I'm leaving to go home, I see this friend of mine. We exchange a few words and somehow she asks me for something back that I've borrowed from her for a few months -- that's as long as we've known each other. Actually, we'd've probably never talked to each other if it weren't for the fact that I needed to borrow this something from her. But the point is go back, I dunno how long ago, when somehow I overhear her mention that she may be leaving the school. > Boarding school, she says. > For sure? > I think so, she says. > And we both know that means yes but we leave it at that. And of course I remember how I still have that thing she lent me from way back when we met. And I suppose I'm going to have to give her the thing back. And I wonder what I'm going to do after I don't have it anymore. > And somehow, I figure, maybe I should get her something. > You know, like something to say thanks. > To say, it was really good of you. > I really appreciated it. > And wouldn't you know it, time goes on and every once in a while we see each other and smile and nod and talk every once in a while until today when I'm about to go home and we meet and exchange a few words and I have to give the thing back and I haven't got anything else for her. > And I guess I'll never see her again. > And then I give her thing back, and she says, thanks. > And I say thanks. > And she says, well, bye. > And I say, bye. > And that's that. > And she's walking out of my life with the bass clarinet mouthpiece that she's lent me for the few months that we've known each other. > And it was really great knowing you. --------------- Nov 18.04 Uncertainty, pressure, relief. That's how this week went, and it's been a bit extraordinary. Now I've got the next two and a half weeks or so for myself, so I can take some down time or maybe see what other fine little adventures I can get myself into. Lesson of the day: if you suspect you smell a bit off during the day, do not, under any circumstances, apply deoderants and/or colognes that you wouldn't normally. I learned this after radiating a pungent double whammy of body odor and spray-on scent for two hours in an overheated lecture hall. So next time I notice my smell, I'm not going to try to correct it (and make it worse for everyone). I'll just be extra fresh another day to make up for it. --------------- Nov 17.04 chicken little and the mythical monster Followed up on the other day's 'date'. And I'm feeling comfortable and uneasy at the same time. Well, maybe more of the second one. It's almost like I'm completely transparent to my every insecurity and that this guy is ultra-sensitive to that, which he mercilessly mines for comic relief, at my expense. And I laugh so hard and get unsettled at the same time. Can't be healthy. Was walking along, minding my own business, when I felt this sharp pain on the bridge of my nose. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of movement. A rock (or dead dried berry, or something) had just hit my in the face. Now, you can explain it away with a million different causes, but when that happens, I know the sky is falling. In the aftermath of a particularly bloody chemistry test (teary eyed blank face faced with test paper), I was trying to unwind on the commute back home. When I woke up, I found I didn't know where I was, and nearly alone on the bus. Apparently it was at the end of the extension of the route. Having learned my lesson from last time (jumping off the bus, orienting myself by asking random strangers and walking home in the frost), I stayed on and waited patiently to arrive at my regular stop. That's me -- always taking the long way home. --------------- Nov 16.04 I dunno what's up with me but I'm just feeling out of sorts. I'm kind of dizzy and listless, and I missed another class because I slept in through a nap. My twitching eye is really getting on my nerves at the moment. And it's too damn hot everywhere. Well, after tomorrow I'm going to be free (so to speak, see yesterday) up until exams (see also, nineteenth birthday). So maybe I'll get something productive done by then. --------------- Nov 15.04 Today was abnormally warm, like jackets off kind of weather. And for some reason the heat was turned up all the way in Hart House during our jazz rehearsal. I had to hang outside of the window during break, burning my shoes on the radiator but getting as much air as possible to cool off. I can't wait for real winter time to roll around. Supposedly we're to have snow by the end of November, but you can never trust the damn weather people. It's all a big sham, really. And I'm sort of avoiding discussing my own Freudian issues at the moment, but only because I spend all day being thinky thinky about it (and this being a journal, there's no reason at all to report with journalistic integrity about my overly-dwelled upon introspections). But I'm getting much ahead of myself. Back to the weather: Light and warm and pleasant, but feels like humid, dense, broody. Forecasting change in the not-too-distant future, but validity of resources used in predictions is questionable. --------------- Nov 14.04 Another quiet boring Sunday. On days like these I feel like I should be catching up on work and other stuff, and I honestly was trying to, but somehow I ended up spending most of the day vegetating. Sometimes I wonder if you can ever really relax on your downtime when your daily life just isn't that stressful. Some background level of stress is probably beneficial to normal function. I think I learned that in physiology. --------------- Nov 13.04 Went out bright and early to check out the new Vaughan Mills shopping mall. It's big and spacious and has a lot of interesting stores, but everything is almost too gigantic for it's own good (the Bass Pro shop comes to mind). The layout is simple and nice and the different areas of the mall are kind of cool (and Wendell Clark was there for an autograph session! but I didn't want to wait in line). After all that though, I actually wanted to shop in outrageously expensive little stores. I am becoming what I hate the most! (again.) So we went to hang out in some Chinese places and after all that, I needed a bit of a break. Later, went out for hotpot and a movie (The Incredibles - which was admittedly better than I'd expected, the only ad I'd seen being one for Tide laundry detergent). I spilled someone's drink all over myself early in the game and had to stand with my crotch up against the burning hand dryer but at least the problem was solved. Aside from slipping and breaking the eggshells upon which we all incessantly tread, the day of gluttony and frivolity was well spent. --------------- Nov 12.04 O, brave new world! Is it possible to meet someone for the first time more than once? In an interesting turn of events, I met someone online and then we realized it was all a deja vu from around this time last year. I figured, it would be kind of silly to be doing this all again next year so I met up with him for real, for lunch (along the way, I also ran into my cousin, on her way to school, which was kind of strange but nice). We went to a Chinese restaurant where I was mercilessly shown up on my (essentially, non-existant) Chinese speaking skills. Come to think of it, I was pretty much left in the dust on all my other language skills for most of the day too. If I had to pick, I kind of wish I'd said something stupid instead of just sitting there with a vacantly smiley face struggling to contribute something to the conversation. That helpless baby feeling does something for your self-confidence. But aside from that situation, the food was good and so was the value and the bathrooms were clean (drinking too much fluids resulted in a long amount of time spent staring at the bathroom environment). The service was good even though as the hour(s) wore on we caught some rolling of the eyes. And I honestly hadn't intended to miss my class (would I ever?) but I'm glad I did because my day was that much more fun and I learned a hell of a lot more anyway (about Thailand, religion, family, society and 60's French pop among other things). As the sun went down we walked around a bit (I was, again, struggling to keep up) and we waited for the streetcar to come around so I could get home. When it arrived, the thought hadn't yet occurred to me to do anything but say thanks and goodbye, at least until I was on and waiting the steps to pay my fare. But at I didn't look back. Took the streetcar blindly to get to the (never-before seen!) Bathurst subway station. Later at a transfer point I charged straight into a blind man in my distraction and haste. My body just wasn't handling things well and I desparately needed to find the little boy's room. --------------- Nov 11.04 Remembrance Day On the subway, I noticed that my compass points in the right direction when the train is at a constant velocity, but once it starts accelerating or decelerating, it goes haywire and flips. There must be some sort of physics reasoning for that. Coming out of Queen's Park station, we were the first ones on the escalator, so I couldn't resist running and skipping and screaming and enjoying the freedom having nothing standing in the way of the untouched, virgin path lay bare before me. I also busted the turnstile's cherry and ditto for the stairs out (though admittedly by the time I reached open air I was a bit out of breath for exertion). Today was Bishop's last day as our biochem prof and good riddance (anyone remember Miller from chm139? he sucked.) Just about the only thing he ever did for us was let us out early from his last class, which gave us enough time to go somewhere before the clock struck 11:00am. I was in Robarts library at the time, thinking about where I'd been last year: sitting in the UC quad, shivering a little and listening to the bells tolling, eating a McMuffin from McDonald's. When the time on the computer said 11:00am, I glanced around at the other library patrons. If anyone else had noticed the time, they didn't give any indication. Someone told me via instant message that the sound of cannons firing could be heard through the window at Gerstein library. All I heard was the clicking of fingers on keyboards and the beeping of the book checkout alarm. I wasn't wearing a poppy. --------------- Nov 10.04 Was walking across the King's College field today to get to my next class, minding my own business when I noticed a strange dust cloud. Looking both ways I realized that a fertilizing cart was heading right towards me. It seemed to aim into my path and I wasn't going to run so I turned my head and got pelted with a few hundred fertilizer BB's. The cart raced around the field, zooming straight at other people (I heard distant screams and coughs), and when I thought I'd made it across the field the cart came around for one more pass. Some people just want to get in other people's ways. In physiology, MacKay is gone and has been replaced by the deceivingly young looking and slightly ditzy Dr. Watt. My writer's cramp appreciates this. --------------- Nov 09.04 I've started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which is apparently around nine hundred pages long, so it looks like I'm gonna be pretty occupied in the literature department for a while. Also, having fallen to the level of auxiliary-percussion player uselessness in enrichment band, I've decided not to take a break from it for a while. Might drop by the senior jazz band for kicks but that's a whole other sad story. --------------- Nov 08.04 It was snowing for the briefest of moments in between classes and now I'm all excited. After all, the weather's getting all bitey. Without snow, winter just doesn't have that charm. Today's issues: how you think you're on a roll and you can do just about anything, and then get to a point where the anxiety catches up with you and it's too much to go on. And there can't be anything wrong with, I don't know, maybe, *not* charging blindly full speed ahead for no good reason. But at the same time it's the unpleasant taste of the dirt when you're grounded. No, you're not Superman. Mmm, crunchy. --------------- Nov 07.04 It seems to me like this joural is slipping into that dead sloughoff state where nothing of any real depth is said. I wonder if that has anything to do with how relatively ordinary and pleasant things are at the moment (though I hope that's not the whole story -- somehow this doesn't feel like the right time to be analyzing individual reflections of the human condition). On the treadmill at night I was starting to feel the rewards of about of month of semi-regular running, as time flew by and I kept on jacking up the speed without getting tired. Even though I'd eaten a lot over the weekend and was significantly bloated, I'm thinking probably with continued effort I'll be seeing results over the next month or so (not the sort of regular day-to-day five pound weight fluctuations that always come and go, but actual slimming). While I was trying to sleep I kept hearing voices and other strange noises in my head. Not in a realistic schizophrenic way, but more clear and noticeable. Maybe it was just the lightheadedness from overexertion. --------------- Nov 06.04 Spent most of the day lounging around and eating for no reason, wondering why I hadn't gone out when everyone else had. Took a few pictures and had a few drop-ins and that was about it. --------------- Nov 05.04 After class, met a friend from York to go hunting for books in the faculty of music library. Anything would do but we just needed to find something in English. Afterwards we ate at Salad King and then did some Christmas shopping at Eaton's Centre, which has since then got me in full holiday consumerism mode. Enjoying the mall sights and smells (you know, that smell). Am now itching to check out the newest York Region shopping mall. On the way home, rode in a sexy red Mustang in a rare encounter with aforementioned friend's parent, though the ride was a bit rocky on the manual transmission (coming from a non-driver that means something). Topped off the day reading Coupland's Souvenir of Canada 2, which was light and entertaining and artsy if not extremely insightful. --------------- Nov 04.04 Another bland day, but with cold rainy weather thrown into the mix. So I was photocopying music like a madman and the still warm from the press sheets got all warped and moist. Plus, I left my change of clothes at home, so I'll have to wear the same smelly, soggy outfit tomorrow. The tacky factor. Ugh. More hilarious revelations, by chance in a chat room. The world just keeps getting smaller. --------------- Nov 03.04 Nothing going on today, except for eating way too much (even by my new standards) and indulging in post-Hallowe'en candy. My sister gave me her bucket of chocolate, which is too tempting. I intend to bring most of it to school to hand out to friends, if I can must that kind of will-power. --------------- Nov 02.04 Finally got my last paycheque from Wonderland, so everything's all tidied up. I can now balance the books and figure out what to spend my surplus on. Currently considering: laptop/PC, film SLR system, new telescope, new wardrobe, trip. Also have to factor in future tuition, investment, wanting to move out. In other world news, the U.S. presidential election wrapped up tonight. Kerry or Bush? That's what we all want to know. Apparently it'll be some time before everything is officialized. We wait with baited breath. --------------- Nov 01.04 Running on only four hours of sleep, today was a pretty long day (not the kind of bloody strung out day -- more like a tired, but satisfyingly so feeling). Starting at with my lab early in the morning and then studying through my break for a test written in Convocation Hall, then onto classes and practicing for the sectional in jazz band at night. We got to use the new elevator at Hart House (albeit only going up one floor) to do our sectional in some stuffy hot room, but it was interesting and helped for some of the problem spots in the music. The band sounded spiffy afterward and I can say now that I really enjoy playing almost all of our songs (finally). Hey, if I can't be the best, I can always be the loudest. I learned that from Farhnud and Alastair Kay. --------------- |