i haven't blogged all this week because i wanted to let people respond and comment on monday's topic. thank you for all your responses! race/racism/ignorance/white privilege can be touchy subjects but that makes it all the more vital that we discuss them openly and honestly.
a lot has happened this week! first of all, thanks to mutton face, i am now a member of a dating website! i'm still not sure how it happened, but i am. it's all so new and actually quite hilarious - even if you're not looking for anyone i say join it for the entertainment value!
it was g's birthday yesterday and we ended up at a salsa club. i was looking quite hot if i do say so myself (g will back me up on this one!) but NO ONE asked me to dance because quite frankly, i don't know how to salsa! everyone there is so good, and they all want to dance with only those who dance well, so i stood there sipping my mohito for most of the evening. i didn't mind though, it was quite entertaining just watching others dance and show off their skills.
i had coffee today at my favourite coffee shop near spitalfield. the shop is all wood, small and cozy, and today there were two HIGHLY attractive guys running the shop. oh yes, HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE. the one guy in particular i have seen before - dark, slightly shaggy hair and BEAUTIFUL large brown eyes, like deep pools of yummy mocha gorgeousness. and when he takes your order he has a way of looking at you so directly, and holding your gaze so firm, that i just blatantly stare back and hope he feels my electric-signals-through-my-eyes zapping him. yeah, i am DEFINITELY going to that coffee shop more often.
SUE ARRIVES TOMORROW, WWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
have a great weekend everyone!
CET
Friday, March 31, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
response/brain food
thanks for all your comments guys, much appreciated! i think more explanation (and then debate) is needed. okay, these are my thoughts/theories:
"assumptions make an ass out of you" - i think this is SO true. when people look at me, why do they automatically assume i am of a particular culture? what if i am not? basically (for those that don't know me that read this blog) i am asian; when people see me they assume i fall into one of the three major groups: chinese, japanese or korean. i know of course there's vietnamese, philipino, malaysian, etc. etc. etc., but for the most part people think i am one of the "top three". once they assume that they blurt out the first chinese/japanese/korean phrase they know; most of the time it's either "ni how ma?" (mandarin) or "konnichiwa" (japanese):
a) chinese is not just "chinese" - there's mandarin, cantonese, taiwanese, hakka, etc. etc. etc., and yet people just assume chinese is chinese - they are either not educated enough or too ignorant to know the difference (i'll let you decide which one, though they might go hand in hand);
b) the young cashier said what he said i think because he wanted to be friendly and "connect" with me. he also told me that he spent six hours in hong kong while waiting for his visa into china. i think it's great that he has travelled to different countries which has (hopefully) expanded his horizons and world view; in this instance i did not feel all that offended, so i made small talk with him and informed him on the different languages/regional dialects that exist in the region, that he was getting confused with.
c) what really bugs me are not people like the cashier boy, but random strangers that walk by that blurt out chinese/japanese/korean phrases just to see my reaction. what the fuck? what is the point of that? i just don't get it. i don't go up to a white person and say "jolly good mate", "put a shrimp on the barbee" or "so you screw sheep?", just to see what reaction i get out of them; i don't look at a white person and automatically assume they are irish or scottish or british or german, so why is it okay for people to do the same to me?
d) as for the "multicultural-ness" of toronto compared to london, both cities are multicultural, yes, but (and if i'm biased because i was raised in t.o. then so be it) i've always found t.o. to be a more tolerant and accepting society towards people of colour as compared to london. with toronto there's a feeling that all people of colour are in this together; we are torontonians and this is our city and we're all trying to get along and make this city work, whereas with london i feel very much that everyone is only out for themselves, that it's more a matter of personal survival in this urban jungle than it is about establishing any sense of community. i'm sure i can have a lengthy debate about this with a born-and-bred londoner, but from my experience living in this city (almost three years in total and counting), i feel this to be the case.
an interesting article brought to my attention by mutton face emphasizes my point; published in the globe and mail (one of canada's national newspapers), it's about a journalist from calgary that swaps cities with a journalist from toronto; they write about their views on the respective city they visit. i like the article on toronto published by the calgarian journalist; his words capture the feeling and essence of toronto and torontonians that i am trying to explain; i'll let his words do the talking.
i think i'll ask my friend missruckus to contribute to this debate; she is very socially and politically aware and has had many debates on issues of colour and race, and i'd very much appreciate her opinion. in addition, she has also lived in london and toronto, so she's experienced for herself the "vibe" of both cities. who knows, maybe she'll disagree on my take of t.o. and london! missruckus if you're reading, send me a shout out!
CET
"assumptions make an ass out of you" - i think this is SO true. when people look at me, why do they automatically assume i am of a particular culture? what if i am not? basically (for those that don't know me that read this blog) i am asian; when people see me they assume i fall into one of the three major groups: chinese, japanese or korean. i know of course there's vietnamese, philipino, malaysian, etc. etc. etc., but for the most part people think i am one of the "top three". once they assume that they blurt out the first chinese/japanese/korean phrase they know; most of the time it's either "ni how ma?" (mandarin) or "konnichiwa" (japanese):
a) chinese is not just "chinese" - there's mandarin, cantonese, taiwanese, hakka, etc. etc. etc., and yet people just assume chinese is chinese - they are either not educated enough or too ignorant to know the difference (i'll let you decide which one, though they might go hand in hand);
b) the young cashier said what he said i think because he wanted to be friendly and "connect" with me. he also told me that he spent six hours in hong kong while waiting for his visa into china. i think it's great that he has travelled to different countries which has (hopefully) expanded his horizons and world view; in this instance i did not feel all that offended, so i made small talk with him and informed him on the different languages/regional dialects that exist in the region, that he was getting confused with.
c) what really bugs me are not people like the cashier boy, but random strangers that walk by that blurt out chinese/japanese/korean phrases just to see my reaction. what the fuck? what is the point of that? i just don't get it. i don't go up to a white person and say "jolly good mate", "put a shrimp on the barbee" or "so you screw sheep?", just to see what reaction i get out of them; i don't look at a white person and automatically assume they are irish or scottish or british or german, so why is it okay for people to do the same to me?
d) as for the "multicultural-ness" of toronto compared to london, both cities are multicultural, yes, but (and if i'm biased because i was raised in t.o. then so be it) i've always found t.o. to be a more tolerant and accepting society towards people of colour as compared to london. with toronto there's a feeling that all people of colour are in this together; we are torontonians and this is our city and we're all trying to get along and make this city work, whereas with london i feel very much that everyone is only out for themselves, that it's more a matter of personal survival in this urban jungle than it is about establishing any sense of community. i'm sure i can have a lengthy debate about this with a born-and-bred londoner, but from my experience living in this city (almost three years in total and counting), i feel this to be the case.
an interesting article brought to my attention by mutton face emphasizes my point; published in the globe and mail (one of canada's national newspapers), it's about a journalist from calgary that swaps cities with a journalist from toronto; they write about their views on the respective city they visit. i like the article on toronto published by the calgarian journalist; his words capture the feeling and essence of toronto and torontonians that i am trying to explain; i'll let his words do the talking.
i think i'll ask my friend missruckus to contribute to this debate; she is very socially and politically aware and has had many debates on issues of colour and race, and i'd very much appreciate her opinion. in addition, she has also lived in london and toronto, so she's experienced for herself the "vibe" of both cities. who knows, maybe she'll disagree on my take of t.o. and london! missruckus if you're reading, send me a shout out!
CET
Sunday, March 26, 2006
staring...
...at the computer all day...my eyes are starting to hurt...
i've been looking at the recent entries of my favourite blogs, msning with mutton face and e-mail (i miss you guys!), and just surfing in general. postsecret is my blog of choice at the moment; people send handmade postcards detailing their most personal secret, and a selection of these postcards are posted on the blog every sunday. this article in usa today will tell you more about it. needless to say it's a really creative concept and a compelling one at that, but i'll let you check it out and decide for yourselves.
check out this link too, and play the film entitled "yellow fever", by wong fu productions. it is HILARIOUS! this came to my attention courtesy of my ex-bf from university. also check out the bloopers reel they have as well, it was almost as funny as the film!
i saw "syriana" on friday and holy smokes, if even a tenth of that fictional film was true in real life, i can completely understand why the world hates the US.
i was in the grocery store on saturday, waiting in the check-out line, and when my turn came up the young, kinda cute, white british cashier looks at me for a while before blurting out the only phrase he knows in my mother tongue. this happens, A LOT. i don't know why people do this - is it to show they're cultured? that they "understand" me? depending on the situation i find this behaviour offensive at times, while at others i find it just mildly annoying. sometimes i tell them to "fuck off" as i know they do it just to be an ignorant dick, but other times i think it stems from something more genuine, like they're trying to "connect" with me, so i try to educate them in the few seconds where we interact. i also find this situation happens a lot over here in the uk and europe in general, whereas at home in T.O. it NEVER happens. why is this the case? i don't want to go so far as to say people on this side of the pond are more ignorant - perhaps this way of interaction is more accepted here? maybe they're less politically correct? - or perhaps it's just not as much of an issue at home as it is here. but why? comments are appreciated!
CET
i've been looking at the recent entries of my favourite blogs, msning with mutton face and e-mail (i miss you guys!), and just surfing in general. postsecret is my blog of choice at the moment; people send handmade postcards detailing their most personal secret, and a selection of these postcards are posted on the blog every sunday. this article in usa today will tell you more about it. needless to say it's a really creative concept and a compelling one at that, but i'll let you check it out and decide for yourselves.
check out this link too, and play the film entitled "yellow fever", by wong fu productions. it is HILARIOUS! this came to my attention courtesy of my ex-bf from university. also check out the bloopers reel they have as well, it was almost as funny as the film!
i saw "syriana" on friday and holy smokes, if even a tenth of that fictional film was true in real life, i can completely understand why the world hates the US.
i was in the grocery store on saturday, waiting in the check-out line, and when my turn came up the young, kinda cute, white british cashier looks at me for a while before blurting out the only phrase he knows in my mother tongue. this happens, A LOT. i don't know why people do this - is it to show they're cultured? that they "understand" me? depending on the situation i find this behaviour offensive at times, while at others i find it just mildly annoying. sometimes i tell them to "fuck off" as i know they do it just to be an ignorant dick, but other times i think it stems from something more genuine, like they're trying to "connect" with me, so i try to educate them in the few seconds where we interact. i also find this situation happens a lot over here in the uk and europe in general, whereas at home in T.O. it NEVER happens. why is this the case? i don't want to go so far as to say people on this side of the pond are more ignorant - perhaps this way of interaction is more accepted here? maybe they're less politically correct? - or perhaps it's just not as much of an issue at home as it is here. but why? comments are appreciated!
CET
Thursday, March 23, 2006
buddha reads my blog
buddha/god/allah/yaweh, whoever/whatever you want to call the omnipotent being upstairs, READS MY BLOG because today, finally, is a BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY!!!
bright sunshine, no bone-chilling wind - it was so nice that classmate T and i walked down to the embankment along the thames and had lunch in the park under the glorious sun. i didn't even have to wear my coat!
i'm done school for the day but am not letting this warm weather go to waste by heading straight home; i might sprawl out on the grass in the park and work on my sudoku puzzle book.
IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!
CET :o)
bright sunshine, no bone-chilling wind - it was so nice that classmate T and i walked down to the embankment along the thames and had lunch in the park under the glorious sun. i didn't even have to wear my coat!
i'm done school for the day but am not letting this warm weather go to waste by heading straight home; i might sprawl out on the grass in the park and work on my sudoku puzzle book.
IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!
CET :o)
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
twiddle twiddle
these past couple of weeks have been pretty ho-hum; go to school, come home, eat, watch tv, don't do homework, go to sleep, repeat. i think my brain has mentally shut down; it's already in "easter holiday" mode but the holiday hasn't started yet.
check out evil hypnotist's website, he's put up a showreel of scenes from all the projects he's done and you'll find me in there, though i won't tell you where in the reel i'm in and what i'm doing - you'll just have to watch it for yourself!
the weather here is still friggin'-ass cold, grey and dreary. BLAH! I HATE IT! my journal says "british summer time begins" this sunday, meaning i have to move my clock ahead one hour, but WHERE THE HELL IS THE SUMMER??? i feel like i'm still in the middle of a shitty english winter. BIG POO.
i'm going to bed now. i feel wind-blown.
CET
p.s. thanks to everyone for your support! to show that i'm a genuine geek and that i'm proud of myself (i.e. my moment to brag), i placed 6th out of 180 students in chemistry. it's so archaic (sp?) that they still rank you here! and damn skippy i'm a chemistry nerd, i didn't get no bsc in chem for nuthin'. i guess waterpoo was of some use, right mr. sillyhead? :o)
check out evil hypnotist's website, he's put up a showreel of scenes from all the projects he's done and you'll find me in there, though i won't tell you where in the reel i'm in and what i'm doing - you'll just have to watch it for yourself!
the weather here is still friggin'-ass cold, grey and dreary. BLAH! I HATE IT! my journal says "british summer time begins" this sunday, meaning i have to move my clock ahead one hour, but WHERE THE HELL IS THE SUMMER??? i feel like i'm still in the middle of a shitty english winter. BIG POO.
i'm going to bed now. i feel wind-blown.
CET
p.s. thanks to everyone for your support! to show that i'm a genuine geek and that i'm proud of myself (i.e. my moment to brag), i placed 6th out of 180 students in chemistry. it's so archaic (sp?) that they still rank you here! and damn skippy i'm a chemistry nerd, i didn't get no bsc in chem for nuthin'. i guess waterpoo was of some use, right mr. sillyhead? :o)
Monday, March 20, 2006
pass/fail
we finally got our marks from last term today. i knew the transcripts would be available in the registry, and made a mental note not to dash down there before class at 9am, but instead just saunter in sometime after tutorial.
no such luck.
as soon as i swung open the school doors, i was hit with a crowd of people around a tiny desk, the registry staff furiously handing out transcripts as names were called/shouted at them from all sides. the anticipation in the air was as thick as molasses; a surge of anxiety hit me as i made my way to the front of the desk.
i greeted the registry staff and said "uh-oh, judgement day. eeekkk!" they handed me my transcript (which was in an envelope) and i made my way through the crowd to find a patch of linoleum where i could stand and read my marks in peace.
my mind and eyes were a blur; i couldn't see anything on the paper except the word "PASS". whew. four marks, one of them passed. i quickly scanned the rest of the paper, looking for three more passes.
scan, scan, scan - PASS
scan, scan, scan - PASS
scan, scan, scan - PASS
WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!! a bubble of joy and sheer relief welled up inside me and i hugged the first person i saw in the crowd that i recognised. HALLELUJAH!!!
we of course then compared the nitty gritty marks, and (not to toot my own horn) i didn't do too shabbily. well, my pharmacology mark wasn't so hot (BUT I PASSED) and i thought i had done better in biochemistry (BUT I PASSED) so i didn't care, i was just happy.
classmate T and i celebrated by spending the next couple of hours at the british museum, where i checked out the lewis chessmen (i've always wanted to see them since seeing some of the pieces in edinburgh many years ago) and we had tea and cake in the fancy-schmancy cafe. there's nothing like rewarding one's hard work by taking in a little culture, he he he...
i also flirted with my professor during my afternoon lab. he's about thirty-something, kinda cute (nice arms), and is an excellent lecturer. again, if only he wasn't my teacher...i wonder if i was really obvious though? probably.
time for bed!
CET
no such luck.
as soon as i swung open the school doors, i was hit with a crowd of people around a tiny desk, the registry staff furiously handing out transcripts as names were called/shouted at them from all sides. the anticipation in the air was as thick as molasses; a surge of anxiety hit me as i made my way to the front of the desk.
i greeted the registry staff and said "uh-oh, judgement day. eeekkk!" they handed me my transcript (which was in an envelope) and i made my way through the crowd to find a patch of linoleum where i could stand and read my marks in peace.
my mind and eyes were a blur; i couldn't see anything on the paper except the word "PASS". whew. four marks, one of them passed. i quickly scanned the rest of the paper, looking for three more passes.
scan, scan, scan - PASS
scan, scan, scan - PASS
scan, scan, scan - PASS
WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!! a bubble of joy and sheer relief welled up inside me and i hugged the first person i saw in the crowd that i recognised. HALLELUJAH!!!
we of course then compared the nitty gritty marks, and (not to toot my own horn) i didn't do too shabbily. well, my pharmacology mark wasn't so hot (BUT I PASSED) and i thought i had done better in biochemistry (BUT I PASSED) so i didn't care, i was just happy.
classmate T and i celebrated by spending the next couple of hours at the british museum, where i checked out the lewis chessmen (i've always wanted to see them since seeing some of the pieces in edinburgh many years ago) and we had tea and cake in the fancy-schmancy cafe. there's nothing like rewarding one's hard work by taking in a little culture, he he he...
i also flirted with my professor during my afternoon lab. he's about thirty-something, kinda cute (nice arms), and is an excellent lecturer. again, if only he wasn't my teacher...i wonder if i was really obvious though? probably.
time for bed!
CET
Saturday, March 18, 2006
st paddy's day pseudo-date!
party people,
so st paddy's day was interesting...classmate T invited me to have drinks with her and A, and A's friend, 'tall guy'. it was no big deal, but as girls do, T and i made it a big deal! i mean, T brings a friend, A brings a friend, one's a girl, one's a boy, wouldn't it be obvious? and T kept smirking the ENTIRE night - you know you did T! - i couldn't look at her otherwise i would've started laughing, making it all the more obvious (as if it wasn't already). anyhoo...
we had drinks at a pish-poshy/poser bar in the business district called abacus. it wasn't too bad, though it was full of the after-work crowd. i was wearing T's shirt and funky cardigan, and A's belt, as my paul frank t-shirt with the mariachi band on the front wouldn't have fit in with the power suits and ties at the bar. then we headed for a sushi dinner, followed by another drink at a novelty bar decked out in spooky decor. the cool thing about the bar was that the bathrooms were hidden behind bookcases, like a secret passage! i couldn't for the life of me figure out where the bathrooms were, and had to ask the passing waitress. she pointed at the bookcase and said "push it", and lo and behold there was a bathroom on the other side. very cool.
i ended the evening back at T and A's flat and spent the night. today we lounged around until late in the afternoon; now i'm back home. i haven't been feeling well these past two days, my throat feels funny and i'm a bit achy. i'm waiting for the big bad flu to hit me but so far it's taking its time.
i am so UNBELIVEABLY excited about sue's trip here at the beginning of april! i feel like i might cry when i see her at the airport, as she represents a little bit of home. we are going to have a BLAST!
CET
p.s. so what did i think of 'tall guy'? he's nice, really tall (obviously) with a quirky sense of humour, the kind where he can say the most outrageous things but you believe him for a second because he says it with such a straight face and because you are that gullible. he was kind of quiet and reserved, and i don't know if i left such a good impression with my stories of chili shitting all over the floor and looking like a gay dog, but you know, SOMEONE has to make the conversation!
poor chili!
so st paddy's day was interesting...classmate T invited me to have drinks with her and A, and A's friend, 'tall guy'. it was no big deal, but as girls do, T and i made it a big deal! i mean, T brings a friend, A brings a friend, one's a girl, one's a boy, wouldn't it be obvious? and T kept smirking the ENTIRE night - you know you did T! - i couldn't look at her otherwise i would've started laughing, making it all the more obvious (as if it wasn't already). anyhoo...
we had drinks at a pish-poshy/poser bar in the business district called abacus. it wasn't too bad, though it was full of the after-work crowd. i was wearing T's shirt and funky cardigan, and A's belt, as my paul frank t-shirt with the mariachi band on the front wouldn't have fit in with the power suits and ties at the bar. then we headed for a sushi dinner, followed by another drink at a novelty bar decked out in spooky decor. the cool thing about the bar was that the bathrooms were hidden behind bookcases, like a secret passage! i couldn't for the life of me figure out where the bathrooms were, and had to ask the passing waitress. she pointed at the bookcase and said "push it", and lo and behold there was a bathroom on the other side. very cool.
i ended the evening back at T and A's flat and spent the night. today we lounged around until late in the afternoon; now i'm back home. i haven't been feeling well these past two days, my throat feels funny and i'm a bit achy. i'm waiting for the big bad flu to hit me but so far it's taking its time.
i am so UNBELIVEABLY excited about sue's trip here at the beginning of april! i feel like i might cry when i see her at the airport, as she represents a little bit of home. we are going to have a BLAST!
CET
p.s. so what did i think of 'tall guy'? he's nice, really tall (obviously) with a quirky sense of humour, the kind where he can say the most outrageous things but you believe him for a second because he says it with such a straight face and because you are that gullible. he was kind of quiet and reserved, and i don't know if i left such a good impression with my stories of chili shitting all over the floor and looking like a gay dog, but you know, SOMEONE has to make the conversation!
poor chili!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
up the bum...
...a suppository that is!
we learned about rectal drug delivery today in class. INTERESTING STUFF! to think there is so much science 'behind' shoving a torpedo-shaped, waxy pill up one's butt. and that's only one type of dosage form! there's creams, foams, suspensions, solutions - speaking of solutions, i then asked the prof "won't solutions leak out?" the class snickered and laughed. hell, i laughed too. all in all one of the more interesting lectures this term.
okay, okay, i'll switch topics!
well, that was basically the highlight of my day. went to work after class, came home, had dinner, and now i'm watching 'sleepless in seattle' while having tea and biscuits. they're like chocolate digestives only with a thin layer of caramel in the middle, mmm...
CET
we learned about rectal drug delivery today in class. INTERESTING STUFF! to think there is so much science 'behind' shoving a torpedo-shaped, waxy pill up one's butt. and that's only one type of dosage form! there's creams, foams, suspensions, solutions - speaking of solutions, i then asked the prof "won't solutions leak out?" the class snickered and laughed. hell, i laughed too. all in all one of the more interesting lectures this term.
okay, okay, i'll switch topics!
well, that was basically the highlight of my day. went to work after class, came home, had dinner, and now i'm watching 'sleepless in seattle' while having tea and biscuits. they're like chocolate digestives only with a thin layer of caramel in the middle, mmm...
CET
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
i want spring!
i wasn't going to post an entry today, as today was just one of those forgettable days; you wake up, go to school, come home from school, pig out on snacks and watch tv until it's pretty much time for bed, end of story. not exactly front-page news material - or blog material either! tomorrow's a pretty full work/school day though, so i thought i'd better punch out some thoughts on the keyboard before i get swept up in it all.
i'm listening to kt tunstall right now - by god, i must've listened to her album a million times over since buying it in december 2004, and yet neither my love nor interest for this album has waned. she is so damn cool. she's playing the isle of skye festival this summer, two days before i head back to t.o. - i'm seriously considering going. anyone wanna join me?
in other news, i don't know if i mentioned this at the beginning of the school year, but i volunteered to be one of the class reps for the first half of the course. geeky, yeah, i know. anyhoo, we had our course board meeting last friday with the course co-ordinator. i thought it would only take about an hour to talk about the course, the good and the bad, but in the end it was over two hours long! in those two hours i made sure i ranted and raved (in a diplomatic way of course) about the attitude of some of the lecturers. i'm pretty sure my tirade fell on deaf ears, as the co-ordinator is chummy-chummy with the prof i have the most problem with, but at least i got to speak my mind.
okay, bedtime.
CET
p.s. both t.o. and d.c. have gotten kick-ass spring weather this weekend, while we here in blighty are still wrapped up in hats and scarves. dammit!
i'm listening to kt tunstall right now - by god, i must've listened to her album a million times over since buying it in december 2004, and yet neither my love nor interest for this album has waned. she is so damn cool. she's playing the isle of skye festival this summer, two days before i head back to t.o. - i'm seriously considering going. anyone wanna join me?
in other news, i don't know if i mentioned this at the beginning of the school year, but i volunteered to be one of the class reps for the first half of the course. geeky, yeah, i know. anyhoo, we had our course board meeting last friday with the course co-ordinator. i thought it would only take about an hour to talk about the course, the good and the bad, but in the end it was over two hours long! in those two hours i made sure i ranted and raved (in a diplomatic way of course) about the attitude of some of the lecturers. i'm pretty sure my tirade fell on deaf ears, as the co-ordinator is chummy-chummy with the prof i have the most problem with, but at least i got to speak my mind.
okay, bedtime.
CET
p.s. both t.o. and d.c. have gotten kick-ass spring weather this weekend, while we here in blighty are still wrapped up in hats and scarves. dammit!
Monday, March 13, 2006
inspiring action and other thoughts
i went to see anita roddick (founder of the body shop) speak tonight at the british library, as part of their 'beautiful minds' series of lectures. wow. she is one inspirational lady! she makes you want to go out and join a protest. i went with kiwigirl and she asked me if i had ever protested anything before, and to my embarrassment and slight shame i realised i have never been part of a protest. i have signed petitions and have gone on walks/runs for good causes; on a personal note i have always protested injustice to myself and/or my immediate friends/co-workers/classmates, but i have never been a part of a political protest. i feel bad.
i remember the protests here in london a few years ago against the iraq war. mutton face and miss ruckus were visiting from t.o. and even DURING their vacation, jet-lagged and all, they joined the march. me? i was too lazy to leave my flat. well not anymore!
on another note, thanks be to styxxx for pointing out my obvious obsession with food! it's funny because i wrote that blog entry without even making the connection that i was talking about food for a good half of it. i guess that shows how much food is a part of my life and psyche, when it creeps into my sub-conscious and comes out in my blog!
speaking of food, i 'accidentally' had a full english breakfast today and boy was it good! in my opinion it's pretty easy to whip up an english breakfast, but it's difficult to make it GOOD. today's breakfast was just right; the eggs were runny but well-formed, the back bacon was tasty and cooked just so, with the right amount of crispiness, and the toast was perfectly buttered. the most important aspect of the meal was that everything was piping hot! mmm, perfection.
oh, and check out a couple of new links i've added on the side; my favourite blog at the moment is 'daily dose of imagery' by sam javanrouh - he's a photographer based in toronto. everyday he posts an image that he has shot himself; most of the pictures are of people and places in toronto, though he has done a photo series of oxford and london. i absolutely LOVE his pictures of toronto - he captures our city so beautifully, both the good and the bad; i get my daily t.o. 'fix' when i check out what he's posted for the day. he makes me love and miss home so much, in addition to my family, friends and chili dog of course!
CET
i remember the protests here in london a few years ago against the iraq war. mutton face and miss ruckus were visiting from t.o. and even DURING their vacation, jet-lagged and all, they joined the march. me? i was too lazy to leave my flat. well not anymore!
on another note, thanks be to styxxx for pointing out my obvious obsession with food! it's funny because i wrote that blog entry without even making the connection that i was talking about food for a good half of it. i guess that shows how much food is a part of my life and psyche, when it creeps into my sub-conscious and comes out in my blog!
speaking of food, i 'accidentally' had a full english breakfast today and boy was it good! in my opinion it's pretty easy to whip up an english breakfast, but it's difficult to make it GOOD. today's breakfast was just right; the eggs were runny but well-formed, the back bacon was tasty and cooked just so, with the right amount of crispiness, and the toast was perfectly buttered. the most important aspect of the meal was that everything was piping hot! mmm, perfection.
oh, and check out a couple of new links i've added on the side; my favourite blog at the moment is 'daily dose of imagery' by sam javanrouh - he's a photographer based in toronto. everyday he posts an image that he has shot himself; most of the pictures are of people and places in toronto, though he has done a photo series of oxford and london. i absolutely LOVE his pictures of toronto - he captures our city so beautifully, both the good and the bad; i get my daily t.o. 'fix' when i check out what he's posted for the day. he makes me love and miss home so much, in addition to my family, friends and chili dog of course!
CET
Sunday, March 12, 2006
kiss me i'm irish
so this weekend was supposed to be a weekend of nothing but puttering about the flat and perhaps doing some homework, but instead i've been busy schmoozing with 65-year-olds, and the irish!
i had COMPLETELY and UTTERLY forgot that i had a birthday party to go to on saturday; a former co-worker's husband turned 65 and was throwing a big bash. sounds like a killer evening, eh? well, it wasn't too bad! sure they weren't swinging from the chandeliers, but it was still a nice time. the party started at 7:30 and i didn't remember until 7:07. oops! anyhoo, all in all a good evening.
even though st. patrick's day isn't until this friday, they had a parade and festivities today in central london. i went down to watch the parade with classmate T and her boyfriend, A. in addition to the parade there were three stages set up in different parts of london, so after checking them out for a bit, we found an irish pub (in the middle of chinatown) to sit and have a pint of guinness. we watched the six nations rugby match (england vs. france) - i'm not a huge fan but i'm learning the rules - then headed to covent garden for the irish market. i bought a few chunks of fudge (because that's very irish), then A and i tried fresh oysters on sale for a pound. they shucked them right in front of you, and with a drop of tabasco sauce they went down a treat. whetted my appetite for japanese food afterwards, but perhaps another day. i took the bus home and made a pot full of chili with the lamb mince that had been defrosting. like you really needed to know that!
the most beautiful part of the day was when the mayor officially opened the festivities, and thousands of green, white and orange balloons were released into the air over trafalgar square. just that moment the sun broke through the clouds, and the hundreds of pigeons that were milling about the square flew into the sky. it was a gorgeous sight; words (nor my camera, which ran out of film) could do it justice. it's funny how moments like these fill you with such happiness. the best part was that they played U2's 'beautiful day' when the balloons were released; i felt like moshing!
CET
i had COMPLETELY and UTTERLY forgot that i had a birthday party to go to on saturday; a former co-worker's husband turned 65 and was throwing a big bash. sounds like a killer evening, eh? well, it wasn't too bad! sure they weren't swinging from the chandeliers, but it was still a nice time. the party started at 7:30 and i didn't remember until 7:07. oops! anyhoo, all in all a good evening.
even though st. patrick's day isn't until this friday, they had a parade and festivities today in central london. i went down to watch the parade with classmate T and her boyfriend, A. in addition to the parade there were three stages set up in different parts of london, so after checking them out for a bit, we found an irish pub (in the middle of chinatown) to sit and have a pint of guinness. we watched the six nations rugby match (england vs. france) - i'm not a huge fan but i'm learning the rules - then headed to covent garden for the irish market. i bought a few chunks of fudge (because that's very irish), then A and i tried fresh oysters on sale for a pound. they shucked them right in front of you, and with a drop of tabasco sauce they went down a treat. whetted my appetite for japanese food afterwards, but perhaps another day. i took the bus home and made a pot full of chili with the lamb mince that had been defrosting. like you really needed to know that!
the most beautiful part of the day was when the mayor officially opened the festivities, and thousands of green, white and orange balloons were released into the air over trafalgar square. just that moment the sun broke through the clouds, and the hundreds of pigeons that were milling about the square flew into the sky. it was a gorgeous sight; words (nor my camera, which ran out of film) could do it justice. it's funny how moments like these fill you with such happiness. the best part was that they played U2's 'beautiful day' when the balloons were released; i felt like moshing!
CET
Thursday, March 09, 2006
thursday ho-hum
the rain's gone today but it's still BLAH. blah weather = blah mood.
my lovely shoes were STILL wet this morning! they hadn't dried at all overnight. i put them near the radiator before i left the flat today, so hopefully that'll work.
thanks be to canuckian and styXXX for your thoughts and kind words about my shoe. yes, this does indeed mean an excursion for a new shoe, but right now i can't bring myself to spend the money, or come out of my denial that my lovely shoe really is dead. wet sock it is!
lately i've had two songs in constant rotation in my head. i don't know why, but here they are:
you are special you're the only one,
you're the only one like you!
there isn't another in the whole wide world
that can do the things you do...
because you're special! special!
everyone is special,
everyone in his or her own way!
because you're special! special!
everyone is special,
everyone in his or her own way!
cheesy, yes, but oh-so-cute; canuckian learned that song when working as a day camp counsellor at a centre for children with disabilities, many moons ago. it is such a sweet and happy song.
the other song is 'a nightingale sang in berkeley square', sung by harry connick jr on one of his early albums, but melody and lyrics by manning sherwin and eric maschwitz in 1915. there are many verses to this song, but the one that always plays in my mind is this:
The moon that lingered over London town,
Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown,
How could he know we two were so in love,
The whole darn world seemed upside down...
The streets of town were paved with stars,
It was such a romantic affair,
And as we kissed and said "good-night"
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square...
it's a lovely song and i think for obvious reasons, it reminds me of this city i'm living in. i'll need to look up berkeley square on the map and make a trip there one day.
CET
my lovely shoes were STILL wet this morning! they hadn't dried at all overnight. i put them near the radiator before i left the flat today, so hopefully that'll work.
thanks be to canuckian and styXXX for your thoughts and kind words about my shoe. yes, this does indeed mean an excursion for a new shoe, but right now i can't bring myself to spend the money, or come out of my denial that my lovely shoe really is dead. wet sock it is!
lately i've had two songs in constant rotation in my head. i don't know why, but here they are:
you are special you're the only one,
you're the only one like you!
there isn't another in the whole wide world
that can do the things you do...
because you're special! special!
everyone is special,
everyone in his or her own way!
because you're special! special!
everyone is special,
everyone in his or her own way!
cheesy, yes, but oh-so-cute; canuckian learned that song when working as a day camp counsellor at a centre for children with disabilities, many moons ago. it is such a sweet and happy song.
the other song is 'a nightingale sang in berkeley square', sung by harry connick jr on one of his early albums, but melody and lyrics by manning sherwin and eric maschwitz in 1915. there are many verses to this song, but the one that always plays in my mind is this:
The moon that lingered over London town,
Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown,
How could he know we two were so in love,
The whole darn world seemed upside down...
The streets of town were paved with stars,
It was such a romantic affair,
And as we kissed and said "good-night"
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square...
it's a lovely song and i think for obvious reasons, it reminds me of this city i'm living in. i'll need to look up berkeley square on the map and make a trip there one day.
CET
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
the death of a shoe
over the past couple of days it has been raining non-stop in londontown; spitting, drizzle, downpour, steady stream...you name it, it's been falling from the sky. it is because of this rain that i realised today that my favourite pair of shoes in the whole wide world is dead.
you must know what i'm talking about, the pair of shoes that you are so in love with, that you would sleep with it in bed if it didn't dirty your sheets; the type of shoes that fill you with a serene, happy feeling whenever you look at them, bordering on sublime joy...sigh...
my left shoe has a tiny crack in the bottom of the sole, and the constant flow of rainwater has infiltrated my lovely shoe and has left me with a wet, stinky left sock for two days now. oh the pain! the sadness! the despair!
i know for a fact that i can't get my unique pair of shoes anywhere anymore - the company that makes them has hit hard times, and no longer sells my style of shoe. what is a shoeless girl to do?
RIP my lovely shoe.
CET
you must know what i'm talking about, the pair of shoes that you are so in love with, that you would sleep with it in bed if it didn't dirty your sheets; the type of shoes that fill you with a serene, happy feeling whenever you look at them, bordering on sublime joy...sigh...
my left shoe has a tiny crack in the bottom of the sole, and the constant flow of rainwater has infiltrated my lovely shoe and has left me with a wet, stinky left sock for two days now. oh the pain! the sadness! the despair!
i know for a fact that i can't get my unique pair of shoes anywhere anymore - the company that makes them has hit hard times, and no longer sells my style of shoe. what is a shoeless girl to do?
RIP my lovely shoe.
CET
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
rainy day in londontown
this is where england gets a bad name: its weather!
woke up today to rain, rain and more rain. i went out, came back, took a nap, woke up, had dinner and am now blogging, and i don't think the rain has stopped even ONCE. i'm surprised i'm not swimming right now.
attempted to cook paneer tonight, and disappointingly it didn't turn out so well. eating it was like eating warm erasers. not the paneer's fault, my fault. must keep practising.
as for yesterday's blog drama, kiwigirl and i have patched things up and that is that, i am saying no more about it!
the flatmates are out tonight so i have the place to myself. sweet, sweet peace.
CET
woke up today to rain, rain and more rain. i went out, came back, took a nap, woke up, had dinner and am now blogging, and i don't think the rain has stopped even ONCE. i'm surprised i'm not swimming right now.
attempted to cook paneer tonight, and disappointingly it didn't turn out so well. eating it was like eating warm erasers. not the paneer's fault, my fault. must keep practising.
as for yesterday's blog drama, kiwigirl and i have patched things up and that is that, i am saying no more about it!
the flatmates are out tonight so i have the place to myself. sweet, sweet peace.
CET
Monday, March 06, 2006
just a few points...
- sillyhead, you are HIlarious with a capital HI. you make me laugh. thank goodness you are the way that you are, because you are AWESOME! don't ever let your creativity diminish.
- a little drama goes a long way, eh? i got more hits on my blog today than i think i've ever gotten before!
- blogs are essentially an oxymoron - a blog is a diary, and a diary, innately in my mind, is private. yet where is this diary? on the WORLD WIDE WEB.
- when does someone become liable for what they write on their blog? and i mean liable in a strictly legal sense. for example, i thought of this scenario today: say you're an employee at ACME Co. you are the best employee they've ever had - you get along great with everyone, and you're generally an honest, hard-working employee. however, on the world wide web you have a blog in which you write extremely offensive and racist things - they are your own personal thoughts, and you don't share them with anyone at work or outside of work - if someone at said workplace found your blog and found out it was you, would you be liable for it? would your blog be considered sufficient grounds for termination from ACME Co.? are there currently any laws when it comes to liability and blogging?
- was suppose to meet a friend for coffee tonight, but ended up having coffee and then dinner with another friend. it sucks when friends disappoint you.
time to start my lab report that's due tomorrow!
CET
- a little drama goes a long way, eh? i got more hits on my blog today than i think i've ever gotten before!
- blogs are essentially an oxymoron - a blog is a diary, and a diary, innately in my mind, is private. yet where is this diary? on the WORLD WIDE WEB.
- when does someone become liable for what they write on their blog? and i mean liable in a strictly legal sense. for example, i thought of this scenario today: say you're an employee at ACME Co. you are the best employee they've ever had - you get along great with everyone, and you're generally an honest, hard-working employee. however, on the world wide web you have a blog in which you write extremely offensive and racist things - they are your own personal thoughts, and you don't share them with anyone at work or outside of work - if someone at said workplace found your blog and found out it was you, would you be liable for it? would your blog be considered sufficient grounds for termination from ACME Co.? are there currently any laws when it comes to liability and blogging?
- was suppose to meet a friend for coffee tonight, but ended up having coffee and then dinner with another friend. it sucks when friends disappoint you.
time to start my lab report that's due tomorrow!
CET
explanation (yet again)
so it looks like i have to explain myself, after reading some of the comments received today. i will do them in point form as i'm in the library and we're not suppose to be using the computers for anything other than "study" purposes (yeah, whatever!):
- i was NOT offended! i found it amusing more than anything. i mean, let's face it - everyone's got favourite blogs they read, and each person's fav blog list is different from another's - that's the WHOLE point, all blogs are not going to appeal to all people, and i totally understand and respect that. so pt, no worries man, no need to apologise at all!
- why i think people read blogs: in terms of family and friends, obviously they read it to keep in touch with you (i think we can all agree with that), but for complete strangers that read someone's blog (mine, for example), it must be something interesting or compelling that makes them stay on my page to read what i write. these compelling reasons can be anything, for example, sex. i read grace chen's blog (gracechenvancouver.blogspot.com) because she's really blunt and cut-throat and has a lot of witty and dry quips about life; i read karen cheng's blog (karencheng.com.au) because she has funny and sweet stories about raising her two sons. i'm sure people (like my ex-bf, md) read kiwigirl's blog because he likes what she writes about and it grabs him, makes him want to stay (and keep coming back to) her page. so while sex is not the only reason, it is one of MANY reasons...
- i do not insinuate anything on my blog. what you read is what you get, just like if you ever met me, what you see is what you get. enough said.
CET
- i was NOT offended! i found it amusing more than anything. i mean, let's face it - everyone's got favourite blogs they read, and each person's fav blog list is different from another's - that's the WHOLE point, all blogs are not going to appeal to all people, and i totally understand and respect that. so pt, no worries man, no need to apologise at all!
- why i think people read blogs: in terms of family and friends, obviously they read it to keep in touch with you (i think we can all agree with that), but for complete strangers that read someone's blog (mine, for example), it must be something interesting or compelling that makes them stay on my page to read what i write. these compelling reasons can be anything, for example, sex. i read grace chen's blog (gracechenvancouver.blogspot.com) because she's really blunt and cut-throat and has a lot of witty and dry quips about life; i read karen cheng's blog (karencheng.com.au) because she has funny and sweet stories about raising her two sons. i'm sure people (like my ex-bf, md) read kiwigirl's blog because he likes what she writes about and it grabs him, makes him want to stay (and keep coming back to) her page. so while sex is not the only reason, it is one of MANY reasons...
- i do not insinuate anything on my blog. what you read is what you get, just like if you ever met me, what you see is what you get. enough said.
CET
Sunday, March 05, 2006
lazy day and a diss (sort of)...
saturday was a chill out day...bought groceries, fiddled about in my room, just "chillaxed" as the brown goddess would say...
today i had my first math tutoring session with my new tutee; ex T recommended me to her family. more money earned so that's good, plus i get to help a young person out! she is very sweet and just needs a bit of a confidence boost in her own abilities.
so, the 'diss': i met up with kiwigirl and her friends (some of which read my blog!). the subject of blogs came up and it was discovered that i am canuckian's evil twin (they didn't know that, even though they read it). one of them (i won't name any names) said how that while he reads kiwigirl's everyday, he only checked out my blog once or twice but doesn't read it because it's not as funny or interesting as kiwigirl's. ooo, diss! and this was the first time i met this person!
no offence to kiwigirl - i quite like her blog - but it's very sex/i-want-to-have-sex oriented. my blog is not. that's kiwigirl, and this is me. i know my blog is not everyone's cup of tea, but then again this blog isn't for everyone (which is funny given it's on the world wide web). it's for my family and friends to keep in the loop on the comings, goings, and general observations of CET. anyhoo, i thought that was slightly amusing so i thought i'd share.
moral of the story? sex sells.
i'm sat in front of the tv at the moment, watching the oscars pre-awards show. will i stay up late to watch the awards? wake up tired for my nine o'clock stats tutorial? exciting stuff, stay tuned...
CET :o)
today i had my first math tutoring session with my new tutee; ex T recommended me to her family. more money earned so that's good, plus i get to help a young person out! she is very sweet and just needs a bit of a confidence boost in her own abilities.
so, the 'diss': i met up with kiwigirl and her friends (some of which read my blog!). the subject of blogs came up and it was discovered that i am canuckian's evil twin (they didn't know that, even though they read it). one of them (i won't name any names) said how that while he reads kiwigirl's everyday, he only checked out my blog once or twice but doesn't read it because it's not as funny or interesting as kiwigirl's. ooo, diss! and this was the first time i met this person!
no offence to kiwigirl - i quite like her blog - but it's very sex/i-want-to-have-sex oriented. my blog is not. that's kiwigirl, and this is me. i know my blog is not everyone's cup of tea, but then again this blog isn't for everyone (which is funny given it's on the world wide web). it's for my family and friends to keep in the loop on the comings, goings, and general observations of CET. anyhoo, i thought that was slightly amusing so i thought i'd share.
moral of the story? sex sells.
i'm sat in front of the tv at the moment, watching the oscars pre-awards show. will i stay up late to watch the awards? wake up tired for my nine o'clock stats tutorial? exciting stuff, stay tuned...
CET :o)
Friday, March 03, 2006
lotions and potions
i had a really fun lab this afternoon, where we made three different ointments/emulsions/lotion; emulsifying ointment for dry skin, liquid paraffin oral emulsion to soften stool (i think), and calamine lotion. it was very enjoyable, like an afternoon cooking class only with chemicals and not food. i tried the ointment on my hands after i made it and it worked really well!
i was done in two and a half hours (the lab was four hours long); i must admit my time working at the pharmacy back home really helped, not to mention my chemistry degree - i've clocked enough hours working in a lab to be able to do things quickly, accurately and efficiently. i kind of wish pharmacists still made a lot of the medications today, as opposed to having everything pre-packaged. well, we still have to mix certain ointments, creams and suspensions, but it would be really fun if making medicines was my full-time job, not just dealing them.
today was the last day at work for my friend who works in the registry; she's travelling around europe for a month before heading back to virginia. we had wine and snacks and it was nice just hanging out with the registry crew again. adults, REAL adults - not a person under 20 in sight! ahhh...
am meeting kiwigirl and luce for dinner tonight. don't quite know what to do with myself this weekend - catch up on some homework perhaps? hehehe - but it will start with a long and deep sleep.
have a good one!
CET
i was done in two and a half hours (the lab was four hours long); i must admit my time working at the pharmacy back home really helped, not to mention my chemistry degree - i've clocked enough hours working in a lab to be able to do things quickly, accurately and efficiently. i kind of wish pharmacists still made a lot of the medications today, as opposed to having everything pre-packaged. well, we still have to mix certain ointments, creams and suspensions, but it would be really fun if making medicines was my full-time job, not just dealing them.
today was the last day at work for my friend who works in the registry; she's travelling around europe for a month before heading back to virginia. we had wine and snacks and it was nice just hanging out with the registry crew again. adults, REAL adults - not a person under 20 in sight! ahhh...
am meeting kiwigirl and luce for dinner tonight. don't quite know what to do with myself this weekend - catch up on some homework perhaps? hehehe - but it will start with a long and deep sleep.
have a good one!
CET
Thursday, March 02, 2006
angela chase
i caught a glimpse of myself in the train window the other day, and realised that with my haircut, now grown out a little, i look like angela chase from 'my so-called life'. remember that show? canuckian and i watched it religiously. the funny thing is that for the longest time (even now) i've wanted to dye my hair red. well, if i'm angela chase, then where's my jordan catilano? i hope he shows up soon, i'm looking forward to our make-out sessions in the boiler room of the school. :o)
i think it might be my hormones, but these last 48 hours have been depressing. i have been in the weirdest funk, even my classmate T noticed and commented that she had never seen me like this before. i don't know what it is, but i've been going through the day in a fog.
i feel like i'm back in high school. seriously. i go to class with a bunch of idiots who do nothing but talk during lecture. they're nothing but walking attitudes and they're not even all that smart as the admissions criteria would lead you to believe - i wouldn't trust them with tylenol, let alone any other drug. i know it sounds a bit harsh, but having to sit in class with them everyday makes me feel like i'm regressing instead of progressing in my degree. it got me thinking about whether i should even be here.
i know i shouldn't let stupid kids stop me from pursuing my dream, but i think about how long this degree will take and how much money i'm going to have to spend (and then spend the rest of my life paying back) and i don't know if i can do it. well, i know i can, but sometimes i just don't feel the will to. it's days like these that make me wish i could be happy at some regular 9-to-5 job, one where you don't really need to use your brain, and just be content to get off of work and relax. i think about being a hermit somewhere out in the country, perhaps raise llamas or something. i'm not saying raising llamas isn't hard work, it just that that kind of life seems simpler.
i ride the tube every morning to school, and i'm always looking around at people. i realise that i'm the only one that does so - everyone else is busy reading their paper/book, listening to their ipod, and generally not making eye contact with anyone. it's so sad to see a train full of human beings try their best not to connect with each other. sometimes london can be such a vibrant place, but other times it's just cold.
CET
i think it might be my hormones, but these last 48 hours have been depressing. i have been in the weirdest funk, even my classmate T noticed and commented that she had never seen me like this before. i don't know what it is, but i've been going through the day in a fog.
i feel like i'm back in high school. seriously. i go to class with a bunch of idiots who do nothing but talk during lecture. they're nothing but walking attitudes and they're not even all that smart as the admissions criteria would lead you to believe - i wouldn't trust them with tylenol, let alone any other drug. i know it sounds a bit harsh, but having to sit in class with them everyday makes me feel like i'm regressing instead of progressing in my degree. it got me thinking about whether i should even be here.
i know i shouldn't let stupid kids stop me from pursuing my dream, but i think about how long this degree will take and how much money i'm going to have to spend (and then spend the rest of my life paying back) and i don't know if i can do it. well, i know i can, but sometimes i just don't feel the will to. it's days like these that make me wish i could be happy at some regular 9-to-5 job, one where you don't really need to use your brain, and just be content to get off of work and relax. i think about being a hermit somewhere out in the country, perhaps raise llamas or something. i'm not saying raising llamas isn't hard work, it just that that kind of life seems simpler.
i ride the tube every morning to school, and i'm always looking around at people. i realise that i'm the only one that does so - everyone else is busy reading their paper/book, listening to their ipod, and generally not making eye contact with anyone. it's so sad to see a train full of human beings try their best not to connect with each other. sometimes london can be such a vibrant place, but other times it's just cold.
CET
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