*

brb.

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:40:01 GMT

by jove, i think she's got it

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:07:07 GMT

every night for weeks now, i've been praying for not a solution, but for a problem to solve, a way to help, and i think i know now [ thank you scott harrison for the enlightenment and inspiration, see previous post for scott's story (: ].

i turn 22 this year on 11/11. and my birthday never fails to come and go without surprise phone calls, surprise cards, and surprise presents. however, i'm one of few to experience such luxury. each birthday i celebrate is a blessing, so this year i want to be that blessing for 22 children in 22 countries that share the same birthday as me. the more i think about it, the more and more tangible the details unravel themselves.

i want to send a birthday package to each of these children. 11 boys + 11 girls = 22 children (:

what i love more than presents on my birthday, are the cards. words inspire and transcend time like no material gift can, so the goal is to create 22 cards for each child, each card signed by a different person with a personalized greeting and wish for the little boy or girl. the rest of the package will contain flip flops...[insert details here].

project22. i think that's it. i really think that's it.

i don't want or need any gifts or surprises this year (ok fine, maybe a phone call or a hug). instead i want to share this infectious gift of giving to my friends and have them write a card for a child or two, help me pick up boxes, or come birthday gift shopping with me.

*deep breathe
thats my vision and i shall post public for you to keep me accountable please & thank you.

eatPRAYlove

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:14:27 GMT

note: im making an exception to my friends-only promise only because i find this way too important to hide from the world.

_____________________________

if you clear out all the space in your mind that you're using right now to obsess about this guy, you'll have a vacuum there, an open spot - a doorway. and guess what the universe will do with that doorway? it will rush in - God will rush in - and fill you with more love than you ever dreamed. so stop using david to block that door. let it go.

_____________________________

amen to that. amen.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:47:38 GMT

i keep thinking or wanting to make this journal friends-only but im such a slacker.

so so so. im gonna be in waterloo for zee summerations (: and i know waterloo ranks nowhere on the "coolness" scale compared to miss vancouver, mr seattle, and especially little miss nyc but waterloo = home, somewhat. and there's no place in the world that could bring me as much love as home can. yes, im a cheeseball. but its trueee. i haven't lived at home, on antelope, for TWO FRIKKEN YEARS now. and even though i wont be for at least another year, i can come home every weekend now, without schoolwork, or ottawa winters, or american borders, or 12 timezones to hold me back.

summer with the lovers_
mexican bulldogs with noelle.
rockband with janna.
fatty nights with victoria.
hillsongs.
jack johnson.
DC. i mean...uhhh... (: bahaha.

i should really be paying attention. bayesian schmeysian. i understandest not. ok.

another aeroplane
another sunny place
im lucky i know
but i wanna come home
mmm i wanna come home

second chances

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:39:53 GMT

second chances. how many do we deserve?

i wish there was a finite answer to this question. one wherein you have a running record and when you're getting close to your limit, there are warning signs going off everywhere, compelling you to stop. but its not like this and there is no finite answer. i just know that i've gotten way more than i deserve. even if i devoted every single day of my life from this day forward to repay the graciousness of each second chance that i've been given, it would be nowhere near enough. that is god's grace for you. for me. for the world. amazing, amazing grace.

_______________________

a thousand times i've failed, still Your mercy remains
should i stumble again, i'm caught in Your grace
EVERLASTING, Your light will shine when all else fades
NEVERENDING, Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
the art of losing myself in bringing You praise

my heart and my soul, i give You control
consume me from the inside out
let justice and praise become my embrace
to love You from the inside out

whooops

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:10:53 GMT

due to my lack of attentiveness and fatigue from a one hour walk home from pgp last night, i decided to take a break and shimmy over to arts for a hot coffee. upon my brisk stroll back, i slipped because its raining, spilling coffee all over myself and my white cardigan.

and now im sitting in the library coffee-stained but caffeinated with a bag of bbq kettle chips
(: the end

ugh

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:25:50 GMT

you'll never guess what i did today.
i cleaned cat doodoo.

YUCK, GROSS. but in the absence of my roommate, it had to be done.
i then continued to compulsively clean the kitchen. down on my hands and knees scrubbing that yack floor. im determined to make this place livable.

also today, i mailed out loverboy's long awaited and overdue card, picked out some impact speakers, and felt amazingly incompetent at work. oh wait, thats everyday.

note: as i am awesome and forgot my glasses in jersey, pls forgive the potential typos that i can not see.

ten
dix
10

(: be ready for me

twoOHthree

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 03:23:36 GMT

oh new haven. located 2h east of nyc and 2h southwest of boston. however, it is neither nyc nor boston. its a university town and thats pretty much it. think waterloo but only much more well-rounded (extremely wealthy) students academia-ing at an unbelievable campus. so yale is like hogwarts. its comprised of several gated colleges with spectacular greens in the middle and you get placed into a college like you do at hogwarts. for example, edwards is the 'slytherin.' they have an urban outfitters on-campus, wishlist (sells lacoste, sevens, etc.), and most importantly, a coldstone =) everyone runs. i swear. and everyone wears their yale gear. i've been witness to the preps who go to class business cas in blazers&jeans, or khaki skirts&striped dress shirts. i've also been witness to *sigh one asian yale boy with his 2 friends at koffee, carrying his yale bookstore purchases. as i walked further down the street, it struck me. im in withdrawal and completely jealousy of everyone i see. i wanted to walk around with my friends. i wanted to go on a mid-day run with the boy next door. heck, i even wanted to get textbooks from the bookstore.

work. probably the best thing going for me right now. my projects are super cool =) im ready to be super cryptogirl and save the world...or my world at least. my team consists of myself and 7 males (which took me a whole day to realize). 7 males including 1 who recently received his 100th patent, 1 mit grad, and 3 somewhat affiliated with canada.

lets recap;
friday: first friday in new haven. first friday to explore. as per some suggestions from reliable sources at work, brad and i opted to go out somewhere along crown st for the night. because apparently, thats where all the students go. so we decide on gotham city which, like most places on crown, are 18+ but 21+ to drink. brad gets a wristband which privileges him to drink and i look on, feeling completely restricted. but once we got in we realized how NOT strict this wristband policy was. gotham is so pretty inside =) and definitely a student spot. lots of ppl but no real attention-grabbers.
saturday: to zee beach. off to west haven on a gorgeous saturday morning to a pretty local beach. hung out, lounged around for a couple of hours, got dark. drank vitamin water, and waited around for my visitors =) went to margaritas for amazing mexican food and then to the hotel to hot tub and watch tv. ohhh.....tv =)
sunday: woke up for the most exquisite continental breakfast i've ever had. wandered yale. scoped out urban, again. ate some more. went to church and for the first time, was really IN church.

just keeping my eyes focused. thats all.

just a day

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:24:15 GMT

...just an ordinary day
just trying to get by

.

why is it not how it should be?

fourINfour

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 03:24:22 GMT

im burning up, yaa. and its electric.
but not tristan prettyman kinda electric.

status:
CS330; owned =)
STAT331; ... borderline pass
ECON102; GOT owned =|
CO351; aug08.4pm
CS234; aug10.12:30pm

thanks for making me feel even worse than i already did today.
NOT.

today, tonight, im gonna treat myself to six whole hours of sleep baby.
although i dont really deserve it...

im très fatigué and ultra emo
(: emo mo mo mo
homo?

coobiznatch?

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:51:36 GMT

its the best combination in the world
its the worst combination in the world
i should know, im in co

its yet another tick on our "firsts as (best) friends" list
another 7 days we get to spend together on top of the past 4 months
its for us lover girl

a baykayshun? in coobo. ay nako.
bakashon na tayo pare.
BAHAHAHAHA

no seriously. i want to eat all-you-can-eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with you, and walk on the beach barefoot in a lola dress and bikini with my flip flops in one hand and the other clinging onto yours and laugh as i ask you why there are so many houses in the cuban sky. i want to wear a yellow lifejacket and go banana boating, and catch nemo in my hands and scream my head off as i go rving in the mountains. i want to spy on cute brides getting married and tell you how big your wedding has to be. i want to take pictures in the airport and fill up your camera's memory and go to the dollar store and buy toys for the little spanish boys that will smile and say muchos garcias senorita.

(*: i want to go to cuba with my best friend lover

omg im having a VA

roadtrippin'

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:46:09 GMT

(*: thanks loverboys for taking a girl like me on your roadtrip
i had an amazingly amazing good time
mehehehehe GUNSHOT
____________________

BREAK IT DOWN
4 days. 3 nights.
2 girls, 2 boys.
waterloo to montreal to ottawa and back.

____________________

_friday
our plan to leave at noon was ... not even close to being executed. due to (1) the boys inability to find our place, (2) stephen's choice not to get insurance and (3) stephen being slow in general. after several pitstops at sobeys, the lcbo, our place, the insurance place, and harveys, we managed to get this show on the road at 3:30 because the native protest had been cleared up =)

with mr. 21-year-old driving, ad in the passenger seat and teri & bina in the back, we pop on the itrip and i got to play dj for awhile. so obviously, akon it is. i smile and play the old stuff and start singing. eh ehhh eh eh GUNSHOT eh ehh ehh ehh GUNSHOT. the car explodes in laughter at my extreme ghettoness but they're all secretly loving it =*) thats how i do. more akon, some timbaland, lots of driving. not too exciting. we stop in kingston around 7:30 for gas (where we couldnt open the gas thing) and quiznos. quiznos, where stephen in all his glory clearly left his wallet on the table when going to the bathroom so maria stole it and videotaped him struggling as he looked through his pockets and the garbage. oh stephen. drive drive. we make another stop and switch seats. maria moves up front and ad comes to the backseat with me. i get to lie down and spread out (but not like the REAL spread). ad is impact-ing away but really tired so we make a deal that if i fall asleep and wake up to him impact-ing then he drinks 5 extra shots. so i pass out and he does too for a bit. i feel him move and hear him clicking away on his blackberry but decide to let it go. i move a little and feel him put it away. loserface =P
ok 11:30PM, we finally make it into montreal where stephen almost almost runs a red light and kills us all =| and meet up with karen and peter la a la nouvelle residence at mcgill, room 937. we put the beds together and fight for "NO crack" while ad is in the bathroom. we change as fast as ever, predrink a bit down at 527 and head on out around 1:00 to LA BOOM. la boom which looks nothing at all like i remember it last time we were here. im slightly confused (not drunk) and really believe we're in a different club. we get in and there's .. no music but a guy yelling in french and girls in skimpy bikinis. we turn to see what everyone's yelling about and we see the girls, get this, MUD WRESTLING. thats right. mud wrestling. umm...raunchy to a new level. we all look at each other like what thee...? so we watch. stephen pushes people to get to the front to watch. but whatever. they start playing music and it's actually good. but it's incredibly hot in there. like temperature. there were a million and one guys and probably 150% of them were creepers. i used the boys as shields. seriously. so many creepers =| we danced with the boys to keep them away =P so we're all having a good time with good music, good friends. im dancing and all of a sudden this girl, this white girl who wasn't completely wasted, fully straddles my leg, throws her arms around me and starts talking into my ear. my body is frozen in shock. allo comment ....? i freeze, try to play it cool and bust out my 12 years of french immersion in a oh, je parle pas francais. she then busts out her english in a so what do you speak? english? she is completely holding me in a deathlock and im looking around at all my friends with desperation in my eyes but none of them budge. i make something up, push her off and she leaves. i hit ad so hard. damn.

we head to dunn's for some late night poutine and back to the hotel to pass out. even though i called "no crack," i end up in the middle with ad. ad who elbows me in the face several times in the middle of the night and doesnt wake up to his alarm.

and so begins our roadtrip...

TO BE CONTINUED

connectipore

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:00:36 GMT

the last 5 weeks of jobmine-ing and interviewing pretty much all comes down to today. the passion, the preparation, the planning all boils down to the anticipation opening jobmine at 1:00PM and finding one word: offered. its phenomenal how one word, just one 7-letter word can determine the next 4-month chapter in your life.

so what's my passion? crypto. preparation? crazy research on the privacy and security group of pitney bowes. planning? 4 months of connecticut as a cryptographic developer, nyc on the weekends, west coast for an american long weekend for some west coast love <3

BUT

what's His plan? im crossing my fingers hoping that its pitney bowes as well. but i had this feeling yesterday. something you want something so bad. you pray so hard, you dream what it would be like and think that maybe since you want it so bad, you'll get it. but it doesn't work like that. because sometimes what you want isn't exactly what He's planned. and so yesterday i had this feeling that im not getting pitney bowes. it made me sad a bit. or a lot. but what i can justify is that if God has a better plan for me, then that's what i have to look forward too. so its ok. its ok.

i also just got stood up by my exchange coordinator.

jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

EDIT (1:36PM)
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

(*: IM GOING TO CONNECTICUT

let it burn

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:18:45 GMT

burn burn burning out
and it hasnt even started

god help me get through the next 24h

edit (3:34am):
nap time before i go hardcore some more.
status:
interview prep (TBD)
stats assignment (DONE minus #5def)
co 351 midterm prep ( ... )

edit (7:54am):
here goes nothing
schedule?
8:30 ~~pitney bowes group interview~~ connecticutt is 1.5h from nyc
10:00 ~~microsoft~~ i want to work in a building thats purple and green inside
11:30 ~~pitney bowes~~ ... please please uconn. please. did i mention i really really want this job?
12:00 ~~stats due~~ thanks again to jmn* for saving me from my sleep-deprived self
7:00 ~~co351~~ omg #2 is exactly from the assignments..and so is #3 and #4

(: all prayers are welcome

edit (11:45pm):
praise god. that was one tuesday that i never want to go through again. it went well =)
and THANKS LOVERGIRLS for the redbean popsicles :*))) my roommates rock my world

all of the above

Sun, 27 May 2007 01:40:09 GMT

let the games begin

may23_first softball game; ( LOST )
may25_first midterm; ( OK? )
june05_first interview; (TBD)

____________

saviour i come, quiet my soul.
remember redemption's hill where your blood was spilled for my ransom.
everything i once held dear, i count it all as loss.

lead me to the cross where your love poured out
bring me to my knees, lord lay me down
rid me of my self, i belong to you
lead me, lead me to the cross

you were as i, tempted and tried. human.
the word became flesh, bore my sin in death, now you're risen.
to your heart, lead me to your heart.

planner please

Wed, 16 May 2007 03:22:38 GMT

man oh man
what did i get myself into?

class pool class pool pool class softball pool pool class
study?
GO OUT?
ha

so much for my summer of fun

DUNZO

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:51:26 GMT

i swear i just wrote a 'dunzo' entry. but it was 'im-done-exams'

i am not baleebing that its done.

noelle cometh not but its ok because the restaurant i was gonna take you to burned down =|
goodbye work stalker.
goodbye vanier.
goodbye 613.

all my bags are packed. im ready to go.

man down

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:31:54 GMT

after 16 weeks in ottawa, the fab4 lost one. nicole, you shall be missed!

after the most hardcore week ever consisting of government overtime and two 2AM nights, nicole stephen and i headed out on friday night for the grand finale. game plan? hava java, boko bakery, pho bo ga. due to hardcoreness, we only arrived at the first leg of the amazing race around 8PM. boko bakery on elgin. voted best bakery of 2003. amidst the individual pies, tarts, 0.65 macaroons and homemade cookies, nicole and i opt for one chocolate croissant and one almond log to satisfy the desire she developed that first night in january. we j-walk over to the second leg of the race, hava java (hehehe). after much deliberation, i get a chai latte and nicole finally decides on *drumrolllll.......NOTHING. stephen comes and entertains with his visions of stiuniversity. hahahahaha. stiuniversity. where he will be the king of campus. i decide i want vermicelli and we make a deal that of the 3 pitstops, each person can opt out of one. nicole had no hava java, stephen no boko bakery, and i didnt want pho. and in doing so, we prove that we all need each other to complete the race. each one is crucial. they didnt buy it. we take a nice stroll down somerset and get off once in pho bo ga land. we decide on 2. i open the menu. turn it over. turn back to the front again. where's the vermicelli? OMG they dont have any!! of allllll the pho bo ga's in ottawa, we just happened to pick the one without vermicelli. we also picked the one without any knives (hi-yaaaa). congratulatons, you are the first team to be whack enough to complete the amazing race ottawa. as your prize, you get to go home.

we first prize under our belt, we're feeling good and ready to brave tila's. may it be the first and last place we go out in ottawa. through some bruce lee (wataaaaa, whoppahh) jokes, we make it to stephen's and glam up extra nice due to the gorgeous 20+ degree weather. oh tila's. tila tila tila how we love you. the music was the same as before, not good. but whatever, it was so nice outside we didnt really mind. what we DID mind was creepy guy in the white =| whackboy in the bright green polo =| and yellow zip-up boy. white guy was the worst. even ANDREW moved away from him haha. the teeny tiny dance floor was packed and steaming hot. and thats when it all went crashing down. we take a quick water break where andrew runs into some friends of a friend who ask him to introduce us to them. flattering. you want to buy us drinks? aww...even more flattering but no thanks =P we slowly get introduced to their entire group of friends. hung(?) was like whats your nationality? im like filipino. he's like oh, so is HE *points to guy beside him and introduces me. oh, ha. ok. then JT comes on and we run onto the dance floor. when stephen catches up with us he bears news that d-nizzle is in da hizzouse. brupp. hahahaha. RANDOM. the crowd emptied out soon enough and we were almost, ALMOST on our way out when we're approached by yet another 2 randoms. "hey, do you go to waterloo?" =| oh no oh no oh no. this is not happening. not again. this cant.. it definitely happened again. what the heck? do we have like flashing signs all over us screaming waterloo? apparently so. i'd never ever seen these 2 guys in my life but apparently they recognized zahrah? bet it was from facebook. stalkers. so nicole's like omg, isnt that ad's friend from polar jam? *points. no nicole. that guy was much better looking. "no kris, that guy in the bl.." OMG IT IS. OMG. bahhhahahahhahahaa. unbelievable. we almost made it. almost. but no. waterloo is everywhere. we end of the night with philly cheesesteak and montreal smoked meat poutine at elgin st diner and crash.

im so amazingly tired but i dreamed that i got up and said bye to nicole because maybe subconsciously i didnt want to get up. my dream was so whack that i had to get up and tell her anyway. and in telling, she also gave me a card and photos =*) awwww nicools =*) oh and a bus pass =) i shower and get ready for the game. the first game in the most exciting round 1 playoff series. cb4 vs vc. raps up by 2, raps down by 10, raps down by 4 with 5 min left. in agony, i shut off the tv with a pulpitating heart because i had to go do my nls recert =( the EASIEST recert in the world. i should do all my recerts in ottawa. nls took 2h. thats whack. so i had extra time to shower and get ready for my coop social at grace o'malley's. we get there a bit after 8 and see james! my stomach is rumbling so we get a table and eat. more people come. neal brings his massive crew and it seems like they're good to go so we leave =P haha. we decide to go to stephen's and not go to heaven due to the trance/danceness of it =| instead we drive to kanata to amc 24 and watch reign over me. so much for being sad, it was so funny. i'll take one adult and one faggot. bahahahaha. then we wandered the market for dessert but couldnt find anything so back to sushi and noodles on elgin st. it was good enough =) crash.

i didnt go to church today =( my ride had a headache and i was supposed to give my testimony too =( so our plans for a day in the market got pushed up. we walked around in bermuda shorts and a summer dress, taking pictures and shopping. purchases were made quickly and really all i wanted to do was sit on a patio and just..thats it =) every patio was PACKED but we landed at district89 and shared yummmmmy pita dip. it was lauren heidi time. minus the..boy drama. and the rich parents. oh and LA. but other than that, we had it down =P i got my lois' homemade ice cream and used my fake id to get back home. we grab some blankets and books (CO 350) and head down to the river where we pass out but wake up because its cold down there. after just lying there and taking it all in, we decide to end this episode of the hills.

season finale coming up.
what a great weekend =)

neverending

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 04:08:49 GMT

random thoughts of the day;
// why did we get 10-15cm of snow on april 16th in ottawa?
// i really need to finish my work report
// the hills is getting amazingly amazing
// stormmmm *FIRE i cant stop laughing
// i stayed the latest i ever stayed at work today: 5:30. thats pathetic. thats government work
// thanks eric and mariano for the scotia contacts
// what if im in scarberia next term? oh gosh.
// im sleepy
// im going home in 13 days
// i'll be in waterloo in 14
// i want raps playoff tix
// HILLSONGS june 2

class act

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 03:24:35 GMT

14 days baby. 14 puppy. my ottawa checklist is slowly being obsolete.
this weekend called for a classy one. classy only because miss karen tsoi came up =) really she came for stephen, but i like to tell myself that she also came for me.

friday;
we havent gone out in ottawa since that cold january tila's mayhem. partly because we were scarred for life and partly because we've been anywhere BUT ottawa for the weekends. but tonight was our night. this called for night one of prettying up. two girls in leggings. one in a bra. three looking hot. haha. karen was only getting in around 12, so the vanier girls headed out to helsinki's first. we get out the cab and notice that there's no one lining up. nicole is semi hesitant to go in but because we're classy like that we decided to go in anyway and console ourselves with the thought that the people are INSIDE. duh. pay cover. get hands stamped. get coats checked. turn around to the dance flo... OMG. the dance floor is empty. now, we weren't exactly early (it was almost 12:00). i mean that's not too early. is it? YES IT IS. when i mean empty, im not exaggerating in the sense that there were big gaps between ppl and that you could count the number of ppl on the dance floor with your hands. NO. you couldnt count the number of ppl on the dance on your hands because there were none. zero. zip. null. none. so we do the most logical thing and get drinks and sit down through constant proclaimations of omg i cant believe this. a crazy 40-year-old birthday celebrant woman starts talking to us and then yelling that we're hot and we're going to be the leaders of tomorrow. umm right. so we wait it out for stephen and karen to come. and they do. stephen buys us all snowball shooters (white godiva liquer with whipped cream and a cherry on top). the catch: you can't use your hands. despite my anxiety that the cherry will slip down my throat causing my to choke, place our hands behind our backs and take the shot handless. because we're classy like that. the music was awesome but the crowd was nonexistant minus the asian hiphop dancers so we shimmy on over to tila's. tila's that closed their doors when we got there. great. shimmy shimmy over to zak's diner in an attempt to provide karen with the ultimate ottawa experience. a couple burgers, milkshakes and breakfasts later with shouting stephen and sober karen who clearly outdrank him and it was a night. well more like a morning. it was past 3am. we walk out the door with lei's from the girl bride-to-be in the next booth and say our goodbyes before taking our respective cabs home. cab stephen. get in the cab. where the heck are you taking karen? there are clearly 4 cabs in front of zaks so where are you going? he's walking here. classy.

saturday;
i am awaken from my slumber around 11:30 by zahrah's tapping on my door. i lie there not wanting to get up for awhile but then i work up the strength and head right for the shower. once im done i notice that the water is past my ankles. well of course our shower is clogged, we live in the ghetto. i was the only one who got to shower but somehow the other girls still managed to look amazing as we dolled up for high tea =P hehe. we dropped off nicole first at the chateau laurier as parking was ridiculous to find. zahrah and i had to park at the rideau centre and walk down the sketchiest sketch of a stairwell. yuck. we enter the chateau laurier and i smile. a castle fit for my princessness. hahaha. high ceiling, dark interior, big windows. pretty pretty. we make our way to zoe's where we are pleasantly welcomed and our coats are checked. we are escorted to our window-side table overlooking ottawa. words cannot describe the elegance i felt. deep-voiced ben comes over and explains the premise of high tea i will take care of your food and the tea lady will come around for with your tea. thanks benny =)

round one: peaches in tort wine with whipped cream. it sounds so simple yet so good. the sweet peaches contrasted by the slight bitterness in the wine. mmmm.

stephen (surrounded by 4 lovely ladies) decided to win some classy points and wanted to order for us. so we each told him what we wanted and his practiced in his head. amidst his effort to be classy and study our exact orders from the menu, he managed to slightly lower his menu onto his peaches, getting whipped cream on his menu. classy stephen. real classy. the tea lady came with her gourmet tea cart and the pressure was on. one by one, stephen impressively ordered for each of us, redeeming his classy-ness points. i opted for the kyoto cherry rose =)

round two: open-faced sandwiches(cream cheese w/fig, smoked salmon with capers, prosciutto(?) with mandarin, raspberry scones with jam and devonshire cream. 3 cheese platter with crackers. nanaimo bars and maple pastry.

WOW. my taste buds were illuminated and revived with every different appetizer. its deceivingly filling, it was so nice. to sit there and even just for 2h feel like we were somewhat baller. its a little taste of how we'll be feeling the rest of our lives. hopefully. fingers crossed* stephen and karen left for dinner at kunal's and the girls headed to the national arts centre (nac) to pick up tickets for scorched, the play that night. we head home for a quick rest and in no time we're back at the nac.

nicole and i knew stephen would be late so we just went in without them. but not without missing the first four minutes =( scorched. an epic tale of twins in search of the truth concerning their past. it tells a story of a graph theory phd student and a boxer who, upon their mothers death, discover the existence of a brother and father they never knew. it was sick and twisted but absolutely amazing. i sat in row cc with my hand cupping my mouth at the details unravelled. it makes you sick but makes you think. makes you scorched.

the play ended around 10:30 and we parted before deciding to meet again in the market to go out. we want to try our luck with tila's tonight but luck is never on our side. ever. we got there before 1 and it was insanely busy. of course they closed the doors while we were lining up. shimmy shimmy down the street in disbelief to suite 34. we're waiting in line, just talking. thats it. completely innocent when i see it. the warriors symbol on the guy's jacket standing in front of me. as tempted as i was to say something, i had to turn away in shock. you can take the warrior out of waterloo, but you cant seperate the warrior from other warriors. we get in and its PACKED. not only packed, but its also playing nelly furtado. sweet. so we quickly check our coats, and squish our way onto the dance floor underneath the discoball. for the 5min that stephen was not around, we got extremely massacred and creeped on by creepy white boy all up in our faces. he's like your smiling. and im like cuz you're funny. gross. creepers are not classy. good music. good times. i had my first jagerbomb(?) with nicole =) yay. twins mary-kate. a little akon, throw in some sean paul and finish off the night with some jt and we were extremely happppppy campers =) to finish off the night, we took karen to schawarma king just to add to the ottawa experience. we had 2 falafel plates and then were ready to crash. and crash we did.

thanks karen for coming up =) hope you had a good time because we sure did!
and the fab four strikes ottawa again.
where will they venture next time?

FLA

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:08:36 GMT

GATORSSSSSSS

the florida gators go down in history, winning two back-to-back ncaa championships with the same 5 starters.
but only one them them captured my heart, horbord <3 my hero.

sunshine lollipop

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:08:40 GMT

(= what a bee-yooo-tee-full day it was

i accomplished 2 of my goals in life:

1// wandered dalhousie and found my must-have article of clothing of spring; a white trenchcoat with black little horses =)) sounds ugly? i know. but i really dont care what anybody thinks. amuse, $225. please daddy please =))

2// i ate ethiopian food. in a moment of spontaneity, zahrah & i walked 15min to horn of africa and indulged in a mother of a meal

(= tomorrow marks my market adventure part II

spring bling

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:55:24 GMT

dear my livejournal,
congratulations, you are pretty again =)

_______________________________________

11th weekend in ottawa; chad visits
_FRIDAY
    birthday dinner chez allium where stephen a// was late b// cut the crabs cakes extremely ugly c// smudged the dessert menu. the meal was so extravagent i must list every detail. crab cakes and mushroom quesadillas to start. beef tenderloin for birthday boy, duck confit for duck girl, salmon fillet for special one, and a lamb duo for the beast-y =) after eating in silence due to our utter amazement, we head to dunn's for cheesecake. whats that stephen? you're dumb? you're done? way to ruin the surprise. so the pie of the day was blueberry. actually, the pie of everyday is blueberry. haha. guys, the cheesecake was THIS BIG. im LYING =P
_SATURDAY
    wake up a little extra early in order to hit the gym. yes, i am officially a gym whore. but it was necessary because we were off to sucrerie de la montagne for some sugar shacking. hey stephen, was chad supposed to take the 417? because he just got on the 174. stephen convinced me to remain slient because "retards are always wrong, no hope man." i shrug it off but 10 minutes later, I take the risk of looking absolutely foolish and uhh...chad? were you supposed to be on the 417? because i think you got on the 174. i look and stephen and he shakes his head disapprovingly. what? im just trying to make sure. nicole checks the map and "THANKS GUYS, why didnt you say something sooner?" because......im always wrong! and stephen told me not to! whatever. that opened doors for all special kids out there. *high five*
    we finally make it there and start with some tire sur la neige, pull stephen's stick out of his mouth, ride on the world's shortest horse-drawn ride, buy some maple butter at the gift shop, and head to the restaurant for an all-you-can-eat dinner. the atmosphere was something out of a country movie. long tables, country music, line-dancing, spoon-clicking. so we ate. and almost died. pea soup, peameal bacon, regular bacon, beans, mashed potatoes, tortiere, sausage, meatballs, sugar pie, and pancakes. yes, we're fatties.
    chad was a super driver through the blizzard and we all crash once back in vanier. i watch the heartbreaking memphis/texas game, zahrah passes out, stephen is on an "impact" call while playing games, and nicole & chad are chiling out relaxing. we finally pull it together and glam it up for e18hteen. glam it up because the place was definitely glamorous. definitely a baller place. mirrored ceilings, big wooden doors, seats covers, glass chandeliers. gorgeous =) we treat ourselves to a couple martinis-olive or twist? ummm...the martini please.-take a couple pictures, and crash again.
_SUNDAY
    went to church on a beautiful sunday morning. then came home since i couldnt get a hold of nicole. for some weird reason, i felt like just wandering the market by myself until she called. i didnt want to waste such a wonderful day =) i end up going home and begin the ucla/kansas game while zahrah was off secret-missioning. we went for a good 45min run along the pretty rideau river =) i like it like it =) and then back to the gym before heading home to realize we forgot our keys and returning to the gym to find nicole. after some grocery shopping, extreme makeover, picture uploading, and an actually nice phone conversation, i was ready to crash yet again.

a// i am so amazingly attractive. please refrain yourself.
b// sugar sugar. look what i madeeee
c// @ e18hteen all dressed up
d// kris & chad the birthday boy

guitar man-less

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:48:26 GMT

let the countdown begin: 25 workdays left in the workterm
that means i gotta get crackalackin' on this work reportizzle

sldkjflkcmvldkjtleirjlkdfglkfd i dont wannaaaa doooo ittttt
i never thought i'd come to the day where i would be writing my last work report

thank you zahrah for solving my insomniac-guitarman-ness

berlekamp-massey algorithm, i will tear you apart tomorrow.
or get torn apart by you......

check it out. 3EH, the term of hardcore.
the schedule might not be hardcore but i guaranee you that the classes will be. and i will be. *makes hardcore face

snow bunny

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:09:56 GMT

off the hook weekend #3: mont tremblant

edit: im only doing this for my own good

break it down...
~~friday~~
i probably stopped working around 10am, due to my excitement that maria was coming. as zahrah and i pulled in, i didnt see chad's car so i thought they weren't there yet. i burst through the door and see nicole. hmm. nicole? where's mariaaaa? i run to her room and found her =) ahh. let the adventures of teri and bina continue. upon the indulgence of mmm mmm crackers and peanut butter, stephen & andrew finally arrive. a ~~quick~~ stop at price chopper for groceries and we finally hit the road. 7:30. perfect. only an hour and a half behind schedule. yes, we're asian. minus chad i guess. nicole and i karaoke in andrew's car until my ipod dies and we're forced to actually talk to each other. we hit some twists and turns and finally arrive at le grand lodge around 10pm. we, being asian, sneak up to suite 233 as we are 2 people over the limit. as we are sneaking i look out the window and gasp =0 outdoor hottub! sweetttttttt. let me hit THAT tomorrow 233 is awesome blossom =) full kitchen. 3 beds. 2 showers. a balcony. nicole and i make saladless pasta and porkchops since we forgot the bag with salad dressing, KETCHUP, PEANUT BUTTER, etc. at home =\\ mannn. after modelling ski gear for the next morning and practicing how to ski, we all crash. well, i crashed. stephen was "impact-ing" all night =P

~~saturday~~
i force myself out of bed around 7:45am again, in anticipation of what the day will bring. i pull on my leggings, grey snowpants, orange goggles and im good to go. we had the quicked but best $5 breakfast, where maria & i mysteriously switched plates. poor chad forgot his gloves back at the lodge and finds us trying on our rental gear. the oh-so-cute and very french guy working at the rentals takes my form and hands me my boots for the day =) another not-as-cute man fixes my blue burton snowboard to goofy and its mine for the day! up the first gondola through the village and im in love. the village is super european. its like christmas year-round i swear. once thats done, we see the slopes dotted with many skiiers and less snowboarders. chad directs us to the gondola and we all naively follow him. i sit and squeal in excitement. excitement which turns to anxiety which turns to fear. after a 10min ride, my eyes are watering from how high up we are and i dreadfully see a sign that says elevation 875m. i crawl..literally to the first and only green we find and slowly make our descent. and heyy...this isnt so..*CRASH ugh. i like snowboard..*THUMP andrew teach me how to *PLOP. to make a long story short. i couldnt turn. my body took one amazing beating but it was so worth it =) even the walking 20min and fear of all the lifts being closed and pouting. it just made life intersting =) by the end andrew, myself, nicole and stephen had braved through several blues and greens and were pretty proficient i tell you. i fell in love all over again. with boarding. my aspirations of being a pig-tailed, checkered snowpant-ed, green snowboard-ed boarder girl have been revived.

dinner a la pizzateria in the village and then a walk through the beauty of it all. the boys load up at the SAQ while the girls stock up on maple stuff and cookies. maria, stephen and i opt for tire sur la neige while waiting. shhh, its a secret! back at the lodge, the gang pairs off. andrew & maria work work work, stephen & i are off to the outdoor hottub =DD and nicole & chad are meandering. 20min hottub, 20min pool where i hustled stephen so badly baaaahahhahaah. sorry. sorry for making you think that you could actually beat me. 20min gym. and we finished off with 20min outdoor hottub =) for my aching, bruised and battered body.

i pretty much pass out. bina gives me the best best massage ever. mmm. thanks bins =) and around 1? the games begin. through some more frog frog jump, stephen's gagging, andrew's babbling, chad's egging them on, nicole's photo documentation, and maria's bartending, and my...my random inputs, we make it oneee memorable night. a night that never ended i guess. after putting the bottles down. stephen, who seemed to have lost by a long shot, goes off for some more impact. and andrew...sits me down on a chair and starts playing philosipher with me. i smile politely until he tells me that we're gonna "be good friends and wait for stpehen" wait. im sorry. WHAT? =0 mannnnn..but stephen. stephen talks foreverr. 30min pass and im still on the chair with andrew holding me down and the door opens. never have i been so happy to see stephen before. we convince andrew to go to bed and he jumps into...MY BED. where maria is already sleeping. and by jumping i mean falling into the crack with his feet flailing. im too busy laughing to help him. but he makes his way right up against her and prompts me to turn off the lights. i shoot a glance at stephen and hesitantly follow his command with a grin on my face.

lights down low and i jump into my side of the murphy bed while stephen occupies the other side. and it starts. the outbursts of uncontrollable laughter. all i was thinking was how much maria was gonna kill me. i start taking deeps breaths but it doesnt help. i cannot stop laughing. my shoulders are shaking and im trying to muffle the cackles with the comforter. deep breathe. after shouts of kris stop laughing from the master bedroom, it passes. and i lie on the bed tired from the excessive energy i exerted laughing. i let my eyelids drop. ahhh kristina. bag bag bag. he's throwing up. slightly confused, i turn on the lights to see andrew lying across maria's helpless body, throwing up. i run to his side and look at the damage. he missed my purse by roughly 6inches. as he continues, maria slips out from underneath him and so begins my obligation to play babysitter as he helped me majorly on the slopes. it wasnt pretty, but someone had to do it. the boys manage to put him back in bed about an hour later. stephen masters chad in the master bedroom with nicole. and teri & bina once again crash side by side on the murphy for a solid 4 hours.

~~sunday~~
teri? how do you want your eggs done? mahhh...sunny side up bins. i wash up and help bina in a rather extravagent pancake, french toast and egg breakfast. a little clean up and we're headed home around 12:30. thats WITH the time change. there's no way in anything that andrew can drive so stephen takes charge. only...we cant see through the dirt on the windshield, cant find the windshield wiper fluid shooter, and can't make the hazards work =\ twists and turns and andrew's stomach is not feeling it. we stop in the middle of nowhere at a sketch gas station to buy some gatorade. it was something out of texas chainsaw massacre. completely barren in the store, no attendant. i finally find the non-english teenage drinking attendants and pull out my puis-j'acheter cette boisson? he strikes up a french conversation and elevates my notion of the super sketchiness of this place. a little justin timeberlake and akon and we make it back to otown. a little tired but smiles all around.

(: i want a green girly snowboard. NOW.
hit that. when im rolling and balling im gonna cop myself a tremblant ~~condo~~ mountain and board down it all day long.
thanks lovers once again for a spectacular weekend