Mandarin Drapes and Mulan Selectivity

Alrighty, few cool thing to note.
1) I played my first Varsity Volleyball games last Friday, and I started. Neat.
2) My dorm has a George Forman grill. I can now do sausages and hamburgers with ease, while cutting the fat.
3) I cooked my first meal, and other than that undercooked mashed potatoes, it was pretty tasty. I did a nice chicken dish, but one downside is that my fingers still smell like garlic.
4)It's the weekend.
5)I can now play WoW with ease. How so you may ask? The ipod ladies and gentlemen. I go to the computers brand new, incredibly fast computers and I hook up. So nerdy, but so cool.
6) Family guy seasons on DVD. This is glorious anyway you look at it.
7) The Roswell television series on DVD. I'm hooked on this show about aliens, and this too is a good way to spend my time.
8) Printers that work, and work well. Brian dropped off a laserjet printer, series 6L, props to him.
9) Going to Canada's wonderland. That's what I'm doing tomorrow. Apparently it rox your sox...metaphorically speaking of course.
10) Lists of ten. Mmmmm, metric.

Asia Minor and the Problem with Progressive Civilizations

The walls in my room are covered. Whether that be with pictures, posters, or paint, there is no square inch that doesn't have something on it. Although the pictures add a lot more to the ambiance of the room than the off white paint does, they both serve a purpose, and in being honest, the paint probably serves more of a purpose than the pictures do in the long run.

I'm not sure what type of mood I'm in today. I wouldn't say I'm sad, but I'm not really happy either. Maybe the middle ground even is a bad explanation of where I am. The amount of bad news/ frustrating things maybe has put a damper on my day. My other cat died, which is fairly sad, but since I haven't been home, it's not hugely impacting. Secondly, the Redeemer network is so extremely slow that it seems like my internet is worse that dial-up. This inhibits my warcraft time with my friends, but life goes on. There are other things to that have added to my mood, and I don't think a nap or a heavy sigh can solve it. Time maybe......ooooo, how deep. I might just be lethargic, or it could be girls. I mean, with a 3:1 girl to guy ratio here, it's a plausible inquiry.

The Long Day is Over

The title of this blog has nothing to do with my current state, but rather by the music I'm listening to: Nora Jones. Mmmm. Oh Nora, why couldn't you have been Canadian, five years younger and lived in the lower mainland? I bet, with 10 to 1 odds that I would be dating her. Whatever the case, she is none of those, so I'll just have to listen to her music in the mean time.

As for an update, I made the varsity volleyball team. Woot. So far so good, and I'm pretty excited. I think my playing time will be less than last year, but I'm fine with that. The joy is that I will be playing, keeping some physical activity up, and of course watching one of the most exciting sports out there. School is also good, and I have yet to eat a box of Kraft Dinner. Oh, that orange glory, don't avoid me for too long, I shall come to you soon. Maybe a lazy afternoon. Speaking of lazy, naps are essential for everyday life. Why I didn't take naps regularly during high school is beyond me, but so far I've been napping 80% of the day's that I've been here. So good. OK, I'm going to end it off on this note, with how things "are."

So, when you get an email from someone, it's nice, and you feel good because that person thought to shoot you a message. So, I personally don't care if the email is long because one is talking about oneself for a few paragraphs. It's actually very nice. And, rambling on is good too. Some of the best things in writing come from rambling on. Check out Drew's blog if you don't believe me. Oh Drew, you are an amazing thundercat. Snarf.

Werd

Just to let you guys know, Adam's blog adress has changed, so you guys should update your link to him. It's now "wowyouarecool.blogspot.com". Woot.

The Madness Begins

So I went against everything that I said I would do back home...I tried out for a Redeemer varsity sports team. I was reluctant to go and try out for the volleyball team this past Wednesday, but with the nudging from a friend, I finally decided to go for it. What was the worst that could happen? Well, the try-out went pretty solid, and I was surprised with how well I did considering the form I'm in. It also got me excited to play sports again. Woot. I'll figure out if I make the team later on Saturday after our 8 a.m. morning practice. I'll keep you posted. Glory.

Nugget #2

And now comes the part about the University life. Hmmm, what to say. I came on Monday around 1ish and dumped my stuff into my room, then booked it over to the building to register, get my picture taken, and pay my fees. From there, I booked it back to my dorm, met my dormies Steve, Jacob, Dave, Jesse, and RA's Eric and Randal. It was very nice to have Adrienne here, I must admit. A familiar face does a lot for ones moral when he finds himself lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces. Michelle told me to take a risk (or something to that effect) so tomorrow I will make a firey effort to be more outgoing and wiggle into meeting the new people. I mean, with 1000 people I don't know, there's bound to be somebody to meet? Yes, that is logic, and logic is my friend in these foggy times. But it's not that type of fog in a scary movie, but instead a fog that is welcoming, asking you to run though it, breaking as you leave a clear path of freshness in your wake. Glory.

Things I Like
- That new computer smell
- Having a picture of your champion skiier dad in action on the slopes
- Mento's in a varitey of flavors (thank you Laura)
- The new Death Cab CD (thank you girls in Dorm 11 for letting me rip it)

The Spanish and German

Hokey Pete, I'm in university. Sick. Nuts. Generally pretty choice. And so it begins, I suppose. I've decided to do multiple blogs for the last weekend, because I don't want to write one extremely long blog that people will get half way through, then decide to get a drink and forget to come back. So instead, I will break it up into bite size nuggets of goodness. Yay! I'll start off with when I arrived, so I guess this blog will be about camping. Yes, camping...starting....NOW!

My flight over from the glory land was uneventful, consisting of watching a chick flick. I am not embarrassed in the slightest about watching it, because, secretly, I really enjoy chick flicks. The typical male "shoot em up" movies don't tickle my fancy as much as a well based plot line that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. I seriously need to get a girlfriend, so that I can have an excuse for watching such movies. Or maybe Stewie would want to watch them, but who's to say?

So I landed and Brian was there to pick me up. He surprised me with a computer, which I was tickled about, then we headed off from his house to the glorious Pinery provincial park on Lake Huron. Good times. Our days there consisted of sleeping, eating, reading, napping, eating and playing in the waves. Relaxing and delightful. We were blessed with the company of Brian's friends James, Jared, Michelle, and of course, Laura.

We left the Pinery early this morning and headed for what was to be my new residence. Glory.

Maxell Royal

A list of things I like:
1) Overcast skies drifting past dark mountains
2) Rain. All variations. A light drizzle or a heavy down-pour. Just as long as there is some sort of cover or method of being warm within thirty minutes of being soaked.
3) Waking up at 8, and not being tired, but staying in bed till 9.
4) Sleepy head
5) No stress
6) Knowing how to do laundry. Doing laundry would not be on this list, but I like knowing.
7) The word "woot"
8) Ocean life
9) The cello
10) Jello with fruit in it

Today I went hiking with Adam, his brother, and his brothers friend. This was a good time. Despite the fact that it was raining, the hike was challanging, the company was supurb, and the scenery was fan-flippen-tastic. The full plan was to hike up to the summit of Golden Ears, stay the night, then hoof it down the next morning. The hike is 12km up and down, and takes about 5 or 6 hours each way. We got to the 6km mark is about two hours, and we were feeling pretty good. But, at around the 6.5km mark, Adams bro was feeling a bit sick. He puked, and we chilled in a cliff overhang where it was dry for about 45 min until he was feeling a bit better. The rain and Sean's condition made us turn back, probably the way an alligator on the green of a Florida golf course would make some senior golfers go to the next hole and take a bogey. The 6.5km down was very pleasent, filled with good conversation. It was probably a good thing in the long run that Sean got sick at the halfway mark on the way up, because at that point we discoverd that we didn't have a pot to cook our food in. YAY!

Update

This past week, I've felt a bit like a cosine graph. Not the type of cosine graph that you translate up so that it initially seems more impressive, but more like a reciprocated sine graph, translated three to the right, flipped on the x-axis and then left to hang on the "y" to dry. I've been up and down in my excitement for my upcoming RUC life, and unlike the cosine function, I have a feeling that I will retain my position up on the graph. The reason I get down is I either see:
A) Some mountains, which make me think, "Oh, yeah...shoot. They don't have those in such large amounts out east.
B) Some friends leaving. This is two part though. When my friends leave, they're stoked for school, and, though I'm sad that their leaving, their excitement makes me happy.

But after a chat with my fellow RUC freshman Adrienne, I am fully looking forward to the adventure of ripping it up freestyle on my own. Metaphorically speaking of course.

LIST UPDATE:
1) Go to UBC research grounds at least 2 more time (possibly jump stump)- Done
2) Figure out the clothes I need to survive the harsh eastern winter. Sweater count as of now : 3. I love my mom, she buys me clothes and makes fashion so much easier. Not only do I now have a stylish black turtleneck (seriously, it doesn't look that bad), but I also have more that 1 style of jean, which breaks the record for my life.
3) Chill with my peeps from Ladner and New West. Possibly be done on Aug 28-29. - Done, and doing. This past week has be littered with farewell parties and good times, though hang-out time is not officially over till I leave.
4) See my good friend Stewart in Squamish. I really want to drive up there and see his habitat. - Done. I went on Friday, and his house and area is pretty sweet. The pictures he can take at sunset from his backyard are insane.
5) Get an epic item in Warcraft. - Done

Done

So, I've finished my last day of work, I've had a slurpee, and I'm generally in a good mood. I have two weeks of summer left before I take off on September 2, and I hope they go dreadfully slow, in a good way, so....maybe... take away the dreadful. WOOT! I just want to sit back and enjoy all that BC has to offer before I head off to the flat, brick filled Ontario. But all is good. I know who my RA is, the people who live in my dorm (their names at least), and I know that I shall have a good time indeed. Things on my to do list before leaving.
1) Go to UBC Reasearch grounds at least 2 more time (possibly jump stump)
2) Figure out the clothes I need to survive the harsh eastern winter. Sweater count as of now : 0
3) Chill with my peeps from Ladner and New West. Possibly be done on Aug 28-29.
4) See my good friend Stewart in Squamish. I really want to drive up there and see his habitat.
5) Get an epic item in Warcraft. This has been on my list for 3 months now, and nothing has materialized as of yet. However, my two weeks off will grant me more than enough time to make this happen, I hope.

Insert Good Title Here

Kids Camp is now over, and it was a fan-flippen-tastic good time. The 17 leaders I had the pleasure of running the camp with were all amazing, funny, and all around good people. Highlights include scaring kids at night while I pretended to be a bear. I was dressed in a "Life Size King Kong is Back!" suit. I'm sad it's over, although getting a full nights sleep was much appricieated on Saturday night. The end is in sight, I'm over the hump of summer, and all I have is four weeks until I'm out east. My exams marks were alright, but not what I was hoping entirely. I was 20 points off of getting $1000 from the government, which probably works out to be 1 or 2% higher on just one of my exams. Oh well, such is life. My spirits are up and I'm ready for the final stretch. Woot!

Six Weeks

So, Redeemer is only in six weeks, and I would give absolutely anything to be there right now. Work has improved slightly, although there are quick highs, and long sharp lows. This week will improve once I'm done helping Tony form the patios. Brian left this morning, and in the midst of my tiredness from being up to 3 this morning after a nice brotherly warcraft session, I was quite sad to see him go. Due to my lack of sleep, the rest of the morning was tough and I felt defeated, ready to through in the towel and getting ready to sleep in for the next six weeks, but after my nap, things have slightly gotten better. Kids camp is in a week, and wow, I can't wait. I will be absolutely wasted tired on the day I come back from camp, but not being at the job site will be worth every urge I have to sleep. Anyone have a time machine? It's not September yet...

Wish I Was There

And so it begins. My first day at Elim doing labour was less than what I hoped it would be. I don't mind doing work at all, in fact, work is good because it passes the time and you get paid. One thing I don't like about work (and hopefully my last bad experience will be at the end of August) is the people who are in the work place. I have heard that there are some good job sites out there where the people are friendly, but telling that to me is like me telling a blind person about a sunset. The people at Elim (save the other lackies like myself) are illtempered, impatient wieners who couldn't give an encouragement if at gunpoint. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but my day today sealed that stereotype for one person. His name is Tony, he's Croatian, he can almost speak English, and he's old. He is very impatient, and gives very little instruction for tasks he wants you to complete. My boss and the other workers said not to worry about Tony, for they all had their time working with him. My only problem is when the guy calls you a "fucker" for asking him to repeat a command he gave to you, heavy in accent, mumbled under his breath, and in the wrong verb tense. Where's the love? So, throughout the day, I was cursed at while trying to read this old mans mind. Lucky for me I only have 5 more patios to form and my boss tells me I'll be free of him. Let's hope so.
When work is over, I like to sit back, listen to Norah Jones, and read. Warcraft is losing its addictivness, and I'm starting to reflect more. This blog will be my journal until I have a real one. I'm also trying to get my relationship with God going again after a long time of slacking off on my part. Two more month till University, counting the days...

It is finished

After all my classes, my Monday to Friday, my English, biology and math routine, I stand where I am today. Yes, it is true, I have finished high school. All that is left to do is go to my ceremony, grab my certificate, pat Mr. Kim on the shoulder and stand on some stairs for an hour. It will be sad, seeing that my years at FVCH have been nothing but kind and loving towards me, but I'm glad I will be stepping into a new stage of my life blind. Most of my friends are going away come September, so by me going to Hamilton isn't going to be a big deal. My exams went well, and I feel a have a check from the government in the mail soon. As for my summer, labour at Elim...mmmmmmmmmm.

My Predictions

So the NBA finals are here and it seems to be a boring one. We have the defensively sound Detroit Pistons versus "the WNBA of the NBA" San Antonio Spurs. So, what happens when sound defense comes in contact with fundamentals of basketball? Low scoring, boring plays with pick and rolls, help side defense, and Tim Duncan doing hook shots in the lane. Had it been Steve Nash, Stodemire and Marrion against Shaq, Wade and the Joneses, I probably would have watched it (IF I had TSN). All I can say is that I'll probably be watching this for entertainment instead. With the lack of hockey this season, this is truly disappointing NBA final.

Leeroy Jenkins

So I had the boys over for some poker on Friday last week. I must say, it was classic, but the thing that topped it off was seeing the video that Adam was telling me about earlier that day. I thought, when he was telling me about it, that he was making fun of me because it was about warcraft (which always mean that you are getting made fun of) but it was true. Click here to see what all the hubbub is about. (Click the second "Mirror" on the left hand side of the page for it to play directly in your WMP.)
*Warning* There is some profanity is in this video, but, like in Good Will Hunting, I hope you see around it and grasp what is truely is about.

Starting Off

So, here is my blog which I will continue (hopefully) to keep updated during my next couple of years keeping those who are interested posted on what I'm doing and what I'm thinking. And, so is the last stretch of my year of Fraser Valley. I'm counting the days (four school days, Neil counts as 16 classes) till I'm finished high school and out to the grind of construction for two months...woot.