Feeling like a newbie again

Finally, my language class is advanced enough that we need to write short passage/paragraph. I feel so... grade one, lol. I still remember when I was younger our teacher always ask us to write a paragraph (within 50 words) and those are some fun fun time (am I the only one find those exercise fun???). Without further delay, here it is:

私は忙しい週末がありました。

私はは金曜日に晩に家内と車で友達の家に行きました。友達の家はパーチーがありました、友達は先月家を買いましたから。友達の家は新しくないです、でも、綺麗良いですね。

パーチーは食べ物と飲み物がたくさんありました、そしでとても面白かった楽しかったですね。

私は土曜日に家内と車でデパートで買い物をしました。デパートはバーゲンセールがありましたから、とてもにぎやかでした。私はオレンジかばんを買いました、とてもとても安かったですね。

私は土曜日の晩に家族とレストランで食事をしました、私たちは中華鍋料理は食べました。レストランの料理は美味しかったですね、でもちょっとたかかったです。

日曜日の天気は悪かったです。私は一人で車で仕事をしました。仕事はつまらなかったですね。私は日曜日の晩に家内と家でテレビを見ました、テレビもつまらなかったですね。

Translation (rough)

I have a busy weekend

Friday night I went with my wife by car to my friend's house. My friend has a party because he brought his house last month. My friend's house is not new, but it is good and pretty.

There are a lot of foods and drinks at the party, the party is very interesting and enjoyable.

Saturday my wife and I went to a department store by car. the department store had an bargain sales and because of that, it is very lively. I brought a orange bag and it is very very cheap.

Saturday night my friends and I went to an restaurant for a meal. We had Chinese hot pot. The food at the restaurant is very tasty but the price was a little bit expensive.

Sunday the weather was bad. I drive to work alone. Work was boring. Sunday night my wife and I watch TV at home. TV is also boring.



Sorry for the broken English translation, I just translate it directly from Japanese. FYI, I write the whole thing in Japanese. I am not as lame as writing the whole thing in English and translated in into Japanese for the homework.

Yes, I know, it blows, but hey, it is my grade one homework so what are you bitching about??


Chill

Juicy cook up

Two weeks ago was the Thanksgiving weekend. The magnificent one went to a retreat while I sat home alone cause I needed to work both on Sunday and Monday (I am not complaining, by the way). At the last minutes, however, I suddenly found myself did not need to work on Monday. I, therefore, decided that I will cook Thanksgiving dinner on Monday so that when she came out of the retreat (such an unbelievable great guy).

I am not cooking anything out of this world, just a turkey, some vegetables and I have brought a shrimp ring. And then I remembered a talk I have with one of my friend awhile ago.

First of all let me first say this, I am not a great cook or anything. But when I was young, my mom always ask me to help her out in the kitchen (being a full-time worker and full-time mom of 2 boys is not easy). So I can cook a little bit, nothing great but I think (and hope) they are at least edible.

Apparently, the friend of mine, which has not married yet, seldom cooks at all. And when I asked him what would he do if he gets marry and when his wife like him don’t know how to cook either, and he said that they will just have to dine out 7 days per week. At a matter of fact, I know I lot of people don’t cook much, and I know a lot of people don’t know how to cook at all. It is nothing wrong as different people know and like to do different things. It is their proactive. I think, however, it is very hard to believe that someone cannot cook at all.

Of course, most people don’t know what they are talking about when they say they do not know how to cook. I once have a great debate with my co-worker about if you can cook an instant noodle; it means that you can cook. Even if I agree with them as stuff like instant noodle, or any food that only need to “warm/cook” with microwave is not part of cooking. I am sure most of them can at least cook an egg, some form of pasta, BBQ...etc. As always, people don’t know what they are talking about. Or, they cooking skill is so low that they rather pretend they don’t know. Ignorant or deceiving, either way means they suck (yes, my talent is too put a negative in anything).

So, how is the turkey turn out? It was juicier than your weekly gossip magazine, lol. I give it a 90/100 (who says I am a discourager? Huh! Huh! Huh!).

Don't believe me? Take a look yourself (I need a sharper knife though).

Chill

Question and Answer for fools

People sometimes (almost never) ask me why I am so negative. First of all, I am usually not a negative person, but a realist. Secondly, it is usually not my problem; it is almost always other people’s problem. Let me give you two examples to illustrate my point.


Example 1

Co-worker A: “How do you call it in English for a meal that eat by kings and it is high class, elegant and stuff” (of course the question is not ask in English, if you have to ask, you are go straight onto my ignore list)

Me: “Royal Banquet?”

Co-worker A: “No, too British!”

Me: “……”

Example 2

Me: “What kind of things do you think people will ask me to help them with?”

Family member A: “Definitely not flowering, let me brain storm about it.”

Me: “……”

Am I being an a$$hole here? Or my expectation is too high that people will only fail me miserably? Do logically, normal, kind people really talk like this or I am just totally lost touch with the world.

These, of course give raise to 2 questions:

1) Am I the crazy one?
2) If I am normal and all who surround me is crazy doesn’t it means that I am the abnormal one?

Maybe either way I am the doomed.

So at the end of the day, life sucks, isn’t it?

LOL




Chill

Debut Blues

So, my debut has came and gone and my only command is it sucks.

3 simple songs, and I managed to wrack one of them, and the other two, I don’t think that I have adjusted to the singing speed so the whole thing was a little bit out of sync.

Guess that I should have practice way way more.

But it is very hard to play the same 3 songs over and over again for 2 weeks in a row.

Maybe I don’t have the blood of a musician?

Probably my basic technique is not good enough, if it is better, I don’t need to practice as much.

I don’t think I have a problem of practicing basic technique.

There are multiply ways to practice the same technique, and I can play different songs in practice.

It is the repetitiveness of the same 3 songs that get to me.

I can never listen to the same song over and over again like some people that I know.

But I will not say that I am one of those guys that need constant outside stimulation.

I guess that it is a perk of being an “introvert”.

Speaking of “introvert”, sometime I have a song in my mind but I cannot sing/hum/voice it out.

Is it because it is too wonderful of a song or is it because I lack the mental ability to translate what in my head and reproduce it using my sound-producing organ?

Sound-producing organ, hmmm, has a certain ring to it, I am not sure if it is a good or bad ring though.

Let me go back to the mental song thing, I surely have no trouble sing/hum/voice out a lot of song that I know.

But once in awhile, there are songs that in my mind I just cannot sing/hum/voice them out.
Anyway, not like there is anything interesting to talk about to start with.

My mind kind of go shut down recently, even though a lot of big events had happened and a lot more will happen.

I think, it is a form of involuntary defense mechanism to protect my mine form going crazy (or simply overreact).

There are a few times in my life that I experienced this sort of “calmness”.

Maybe “calmness” is not the best word, it is more like a state of “emotional detachment” without being total emotionless.

It feels sort of like when you stop on a red light when there is another car stop beside you with their music blasting on high.

You can feel the beat with your body, you recognize the situation, but you are not affected by the music at all.

Well, when reality finally hit me, I am sure I will be already numb from the sensation.

I am sure some people (if I explain to them) will find me a heartless, emotionless jerk.

She (not try to pinpoint a particular “she”, maybe borderline sexist though) who will not try to understand, will never understand.

And people say that I am stubborn, lol.

I guess that one thing that is scarier than a closed fist is a closed mind.

As I always said, Life sucks, isn’t it?

Have fun while you are at it.




Chill

Cook to stay alive

Recently I am very excited about couple of dishes that I get to cook (One is great and one is ok as they turned out). So, someone suggested that I should look for a job (which I am currently looking) that involve cooking. My answer is that when you combine what you like to do with your work, you would start losing interest in what you are interested in. The funny part of the story is that as I went to work the following day, a vacancy is open for a editor of the weekly gourmet magazine, lol, talk about timing, maybe this is my chance????

Few days past and yesterday I had lunch with a few friends and the topic was again turned to cooking. I don't want to sound arrogant so I keep my mouth shut but the whole conversation make me think about the whole cooking thing again, maybe doing what you like will make your work more enjoyable that the other way around????

Anyway, no like I will suddenly become a cook or something, let just wait and see what fate will bring forth next time.


Fun Fun

Yearly review in August

Once again it is August, it is time to reflex upon what I have done for the past year.

Guitar Learning

The more I play it, the most I think that guitar is not my kind of instrument. It does not embody what I am and who I am. It could, however, also mean that I am resenting the fact that I am not that good. Yah, don’t get me wrong, I am not gonna go all pessimistic and tell you I cannot play at all. I can for sure play a few chords, but the main problem (beside not trained enough) is that I can play songs but I cannot play music. This is partly due to the training factor for sure, but largely, I think, go back to the fact that I am not a musical inclined, and that may not have a cure at all.

Foreign language learning

So, I have take a few classes on some other language, it is almost exactly like I haven’t take those few classes. I can squeeze out a few words here or there, but all are about something that you probably never use in day to day conversation at all. “Learning” is such a big word anyway, I learn something, isn’t it all that’s count? I have to take at least 3 more semesters to get a certificate, WOW, big deal.

Sport Learning

I learn to fall asleep really really fast, which I cannot do before, can someone make it into a sport?

So basically a year past without significant upgrade, maybe it is a sign?



Some more chilling is in order

Wedding Attending Feeling

Once again, the wedding attending season is upon us and I have attended my first for this year last night. It inspired few thoughts within me and I would like to share them with nobody in mind in particular (and they are all not related to the wedding that I attended last night, so I am not in any way shape or form badmouthing it).

1) I find that nowadays I look forward the most in a wedding is the food. It probably due to the fact that I have already attended my fair share of wedding and they are more or less the same. I am not complaining that they are boring or un-inspiring, I guess everyone is looking for the same thing in their wedding that’s why the end product looks pretty much on the same track. Food, however, is a different story. First of all, there are different styles/ethnicity. Secondly, there are different menus. Thirdly, there are different restaurants/banquet halls. Let’s just said that most of the time you never know what you get until it is on the table.

2) I think a lot of people have this believe that wedding banquet is the best place to look at and meet girls that they don’t know before. I am not sure if I buy in to this believe completely. Looking back at all the banquets that I went, I don’t recall more than 5 people that I would consider “good looking”. Of course there is a chance that all the people that know the people that I know are not the most good looking people to start with, but I believe the chance of that happen is quite small to count this as a real factor. And even if you see someone that knock you off your feet, so what, there is probably someone stand right beside her that can knock you off your feet, break both of your leg, and tie your arms in a knot in record breaking time too. What I really finds worth looking for in a wedding or the banquet afterward are…… DRESSES. I can usually find at least a couple of beautiful dresses. Dresses that not only look good by itself but also make whoever wearing them like a star. One advice to all the girls out there, one complementing dress will make a guy go crazy just as much as not wearing anything at all (assuming you have a knock out body that is, if not, stick to those damn dresses).

3) POWER POINT PRESENTATION really should not be force feeds down your throat. I am not the most sentimental person on this whole wide world so maybe my feeling is not legit, but I really find most PPR boring and repetitive, especially when the married couple are around the same age as me. Trust me, if you cover up the bride and the gloom, I swear that all the pictures from all the weddings that I have ever attended are from the same album. So please show it at times like I am eating or waiting for my turn to take a picture with the newlywed, no like in the middle of the ceremony so I am forced to watch it, have a heart, would you? While I am at it, try to make it into one single file instead of after showing 5 pictures, we get to have extra bonus footage of “How to move the mouse in Window™ environment” or “How to load a slide show with Microsoft™ PowerPoint Presentation™”. The educational value is so great that my heart will not be able to take it.

I think I have insult enough people today, although most of them consist of people that THINK I have insulted them. Misunderstanding is just so ugly.

Marriage is such a beautiful thing, so keep it coming!!


Chill

Sometimes they stick

I was working hard and fast (would you actually believe that) on last Friday when suddenly Nature calls. Not wanted to make a scene, and being a hygienic Canadian Citizen myself, I quickly and silently went to my preferred stall and that is when I saw it – a stain on the toilet bowl.

The first moment that I laid my eyes on that stain, it shocked me so much that I could barely stand. The reason? It looks exactly like the stain I left behind at the exactly toilet on Wednesday. I know that this may contradict my usually hygienic Canadian Citizen image, but sometimes they do stick and there is nothing you can do about it without any equipment.
Dazed by the revelation, and urged by the Nature, I sat down to think about the whole situation while letting my unconscious mind took care of the business. While I was recovering from the whole scene something bugged me at the same time. Suddenly my mind recognize what was the cause of the discomfort, my lower part of my body (ok, ok, my butt) was trying desperately to tell me that THE SEAT IS DISGUSTINGLY WARM.

O MY GEORGE, I cannot tell you how disgusted I felt right at that moment. I understand that some of you might never feel what I felt cause you don’t “sit”, you “hover”. I always don’t understand how some people can “hover” for like 15 minutes plus without getting leg cram and fall straight into the “nutty chocolate abyss”. Maybe they “hover” like an alien mothership? They sort of standby with a semi-stand position and when it is go time, they “hover” down and instead of beam-up a helpless cow or some unfortunate bystander, they “beam-down” something hot and steamy and then go back up to the standby mode again until they are all done?

Anyway, after I quickly finish in record breaking time, I evaluate the whole situation and come up with some vital points?

1) Is it actually the same stain? Stain do look-a-like each other something.
2) Is it possible that (assuming it is the same stain) the stain last from Wednesday to Friday without disfigure, discolour or disgusting enough so that whoever clean the toilet will clean it?
3) Do someone actually clean the toilet of my workplace?
4) Even if no one cleans it, won’t the numerous flushing sort of clean it?
5) Can a human being produce something that can produce a stain that is immune to flushing?
6) May I special enough to produce any flush proof item?
7) If I am that special, can I be an X-man?
8) I wonder if Rouge™ will go out with me?
9) What happen if Gambit™ try to kill me?

I am getting all excited and stuff so when I went home I shared my founding and discovering, my worry and my concern to my “hovering” half. She, however, didn’t seems to be moved by my whole ordeal at all. WOW, I tell you, she is like ROCK SOLID, maybe she is an X-man already?

Best not to piss her off too much



Chill

One tracked mouth

Two consecutive days, someone (one and only one each day) tells me that they have read my blog, OMG OMG, does this mean I have *gasp* readers??? WOW, this gets me think of a few things.

My Prideful side told me: BOOOOOOOO, 2 more cursed soul have reach the deep of hell (in this case, the internet), and do I look like I care to start with? Huh Huh Huh???!!!?!?!

My Careful side told me: YES, I haven't been badmouthing anyone openly, so no one can come and slam on me about me bitching about them.

My Kickass side told me: DARN, should have badmouth some more people before people find out I am kicking their behind, GEEZ!!!

My Happy side (pea size) told me: YES YES YES, 2 more down, 1 more to go??????

My Sexy side *crack a whip a few times* told me: NOOOOOOO, I haven't write about my sex life yet *crack**crack* go get it done or *crack**crack**crack**crack*......

My Loving side told me: .......P.....ra..i..se.....s......om........p...pl.........................................

My Husband side told me: Hmmm, I still wonder does MRS figure it out yet??? Anyways, luckily I did not write about my sex life......yet.

My lazy side told me: Don't tell me I have to type some more.

My Gaming side told me: If you cut into my gaming time, I will cut into you.

My mouth told them: O really? Well *change topic*.......



Maybe I think too much?
Time to play PS2, I think my life depend on it, I think

Chill

Fool by the power of normal reasoning

One of my friends told me that he read my blog, hahaha, so finally I have one reader, should I be happy, or should I be sad, now that is the question.

I have a discussion with one of my friends about why people blog. His theory is that people blog because something "special" happen and they want to share to the world. If it is something that you will go out of your way to blog it down, it should be at least be something with some significant to some degree. And if they don't want to share with anyone, they will not be blogging it. (I hope that I did not misunderstand him, but even if I did, it does not change my point of view)

It is true that the topics that I write about have some sort of significant, even if the event itself is insignificant (assuming you can measure such a thing), but the virtue of I pick it as a topic (maybe for not reason at all), it becomes significant. (Am I making any sense?) My reason, for blogging it, is to help me remember what I felt / think. The reason I choose to blog, however, is quite lame. At this day and age, there is no way (and I am too lazy) to write it down physically. I choose to blog it down os that I can feel more "in", lol. I will feel like such a loser if I just type it down in my computer (I hope I did not offended anyone, I am only talking about me, I think it is cool that other people type down their thought in their computer, seriously.)

Do I really don't care if no one read it? I will be lying if I just say no, but I will say that I 90% write for my inner imaginative audience and 10% write for the mass unknown, well, suck to be them I guess???

Moral of the story? Never over estimate your friends, sometime they do things for the lamest reason, like me, hahahahaha!!!!!!! Guess I fool him/her by my usual handsomeness.

Beljacination Complex

I am going to make Nacho and BBQ wings with blue cheese dip tonight or tomorrow night, I am sooooo excited.

Speaking of cooking, ever since I watch Food Network (it is my default channel), I have developed some sort of mental disorder.

You see, nowadays, whenever I cook, there is this voice in my head that describes exactly what I am doing in a cooking kind of way. It is sort of like I am the host of some sort of cooking show telling the audience how to cook the meal. It is actually boat load of fun and weild as hell at the same time. I wonder if I go see a psychologist will they coin a clinical name after me, maybe the beljack syndrome, beljacook episode, or the beljacination complex . They probably just call it the Food Network syndrome, boring.

Let you know the result of my little cooking session next time.

Bits and Pieces

I have these friends that come over from Hong Kong to study some post-grad stuff. Some the first few weeks everything is fine as we help them settle down, look for a car and what not. But as soon as the school start, I seldom hear from them and their FB's status most of the time is like "I have five assignments due" or "pray for my presentation". First of all, let me say that I need move my lazy butt to call them or send them an email, so I probably don't have the right to judge. But (of course there is a but) I really feel like a bank machine you know. Whenever you need a prayer, you post your status and people will pray for you because they love you. Yeah, yeah, I know people must think that I am a jerk right now (before I fully explain) and they are probably right, but I am a jerk that they don't understand.

Someone suggested that I should learn violin instead of clarinet, maybe I should out some more thought on it. I always don't like wind instrument anyway (I like to talk, in case you don't know).

Suddenly lost all interest in anything, logging out.

Have a wonderful evening

One can never escape one's grave that dig by oneself

Recently I got a Clairnet and I have start playing around with it. The whole learning something about music thang has actually troubled me for quite sometime now.

As far as I know, I am never a music inclined person. Like most people, I listen to pop music when I turn teens. It always, however, is the lyrics that be able to affect me emotionally. I always dislike classical music (chinese or western) and I always fail music as a school subject. I still remembered that I fail my grade 3 0r 4 music exam because I cannot clap my hand to the given beats. And even to this day I cannot always sing from Do to Do (octave) perfectly.

However, these couple of years, learning music seems to be something that keep popping up in my mind, I wonder why.

1) First theory is that I have more exposure to music, so I come to appreciate music more, hence I want to learn more about it. But the problem is, if you don't care about something at 29, you probably are not gonna care about it at 30, you know what I mean?

2) Second theory is that learning new stuffs excite me (which is often true), and since music is one of the most unlearned aspect of my life (which I remember I declair a similiar statement about 10 years ago), it is only natural that I am attracted into learning something in the realm of music. Maybe, but if something is not exciting at 29, you know what I mean?

3) Third theory is that I am jealous about people that can do music (which is somewhat true) and finally I have enough, so I go out of my way to learn something about it. Possible, but same arguement apply that if I can swallow it for 10 years, why not 11?

4) Fourthly, I want to be cool too, you know, be a rock star, hahaha. Highly unlike and probably only when I am fantacizing.

5) Last but not least, I got myself I music lover as a wife......BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Once again, at the end, the "W" factor always show itself somewhere.

I am not saying it is bad, I am not saying anything, I just want to live and be able to sleep in a bed.

Good night to me *cross-finger*

Table Prize Frenzy

So as I have said last time, there is a little sub-plot going on at the wedding banquet.

Before going back to the banquet, we have to go back to Friday morning.
I have a pet Degus (used to be two but one is dead a long time ago) and when I woke up Friday morning, I found out that he passed away. I have a mix feeling toward his leaving. On one hand, I am kind of sad, I have him for almost six years already and the books/web-sites said that he could last as long as 10 years. On the other hand, he became quite troublesome as he got older. So we got less to worry about now that he is no longer with us.

Anyway, back to the banquet. So we walk to our assigned seat and BAM, there is a glass vase with a floating tea light and couple of gold fish swimming in it. At first, I do not put much thought to them, but as time goes by, and more “thoughtful” discussion by the two ladies (such as “Will the tea light kill the fish by heating the water right up?”), I start to feel sorry for the two fish. Judging from the companies, I don’t think they are interested in taking the two fish home. And as much as I heard a lot of good things about the bride and gloom (it is their wedding banquet, duh!), I don’t think they will collect all the unwanted fish. So at the end of the night, the probably will have a new home (or grave) in the sewer.

At the night went on, the thought of taking them back home become stronger and strong. Maybe they are godsend, maybe I am still affected by the death of my previous pet, maybe because of the “stimulation” from the two ladies, I have decided to take them home if I have the chance. But the problem is, they probably gonna be the table prize and there is no guarantee that my wife or I will win it.

So, we wait and wait and all the dishes is finished, even coffee and tea is served and there is still no sign of who gonna take the table prize. I start to wonder what should I do and it is already 10:30pm. The host does not seems to be announcing how or who will get the table prize anytime soon and the DJ seems to be preparing for the dance afterward. Lucky (or smart and handsome) for me I see that there is a gold red-pocket underneath the vase (glass vase, remember, knock knock) and that get my brain juice going. Just as I expected, the bride and the gloom will be having their first dance and all the lights go dim. When everybody’s attention are on the dance floor, I announce in a loud enough that you know that I talked but not loud enough to hear what I have said tone that I “Woooo, there is a red-pocket underneath the vase!”

Without waiting for any answer (not that they will stop me of anything like that) I take the red-pocket and open it. Much to my delight the paper only say congratulate the one who win the table prize instead of specify who win it. With part one of my plan done and there is nothing else to do at the moment, I put the paper back into the envelope and go enjoy the first dance of the newlywed.

So after the dance, I really am not surprise that it go straight to the dance, after observing the pattern of the banquet, letting people that leave probably never come across their mind. You know, it is Saturday night, half of the guests need to go to church on early Sunday morning that kind of stuff. They probably just gonna run the banquet like any other normal banquet, which means that they probably gonna announce the table prize at the end of the night. Since there is no solution to my little scheme, I feel kind of upset because I don’t know when I will be able to leave. Fortunately, the DJ is quite fun, and he drags every single one to dance by making everyone stand and dance around the table, which is kind of fun I guess. After the “table dance”, my wife and I go out to dance a little bit and when we to back to our table (which is like 5 minutes later), everyone is gone. Seizing the opportunity, I mumble to my wife “Let’s blow this joint” and we run straight to the car with the fish. We drive past Wal-Mart to get an air pump and set up a temporary home for our little friends. We get a bigger jar few days afterward and now they are comfortably living beside our kitchen window.

Moral of the story: Just because you are sitting at the pastor’s table, it does not mean you are not gonna have “fun”.

The more you open your mouth, the more you suck.

I attended a wedding banquet last night and it was very interesting and very distracting at the same time.

Let’s first talk about the interesting part, it is a Polish Gloom and a Chinese Bride, so there is a lot of fun and neat stuffs to see. They have both the Traditional Chinese Tea ceremony and the Traditional Bread Breaking ceremony, both sides of the families and their friends sang some traditional wedding song, the evening has a Medieval theme, and the DJ is definitely above average, all and all, a boat load of fun.

Now come my favorite part, the distracting part, or the bashing of the distracting part.
Since I am some sort of an outside friend from their social circle, I got to sit with a bunch of people that I don’t know (actually I only know 2 people from the banquet other than the couple). From my estimate, they are approximately 40-50 years old. Not than I have anything against Mid-aged woman in general, I really hope that they can just like shut up. It is okay that you don’t know a lot of stuff, have a very narrow viewpoint and extremely ethnocentric, you are who you are and I don’t know you, so I don’t care. But please shut up at a public setting, not only you are showing what kind of person, you are making your husband look bad, and one of them is the wife of a Reverence for cry out loud.

So when I left at the end of the night, I said to my wife“ I told you that you should go and learn some stuffs, or else you will be like them in 20 years.”She replied “At least I will keep my mouth shut when I don’t know something.”

Well, I guess so.

Moral of the story? If you don’t know something, either learn it or shut your trap.
There is also a side story from that night, I will talk about it next time.