2007!!!!!

Wow, how time flies by.
Wicked was an excellent play if I didn't mention before when I went for my birthday.
My first term of 2nd year was alright, hasn't been much action in my life other than a lot of work. My profs this term are alright; one of them is extremely Russian and doens't want to get e-mails from us at all, another is extremely French and teaches awesome animal behaviour, another who teaches organic chemistry that has boobies (it was the first thing I noticed!), and three who are alright. If you did the math, I have SIX courses this term, that's right, six. I screwed myself over.
I had three midterms last week and this week I have another three. And also during these two weeks, I have been trying to make appointments with profs to see if I can get a lab study course with one of them...even though people say they are "just human" and are easy to talk to, I only have one thought going through my head: they may be human, but they are humans with power fail me and kick me out of university :S. Yea, intimidating no?
Other than that...dragonboat pool practices have started again, haven't picked up a paddle in about 6 months so it felt a little funny...

It's That Time of the Year Again...

Yay to my birthday and boo to my midterms. I used to enjoy having my birthday in October because it was in Autumn, and Autumn is my favourite season. The leaves are changing colours, Hallowe'en just 2 weeks away and the brisk breeze that always keep you on your toes. But no, not today, on the best day of the year for me. It just HAD to be raining all day, and I just HAVE to have a midterm this Friday. Booo-urns I say! Now I wish my birthday was earlier in September instead of being smack-dab in the middle of midterms.
I'm having a few people over tonight but I don't think we're going to get too drunk. I brought over Twister too just in case we do get drunk and want to make total asses of ourselves. Of course Twister can do that even when you're sober, but everything is better when you're drunk right?
I'll tell you guys how it goes some other time.
***
I'm going home tomorrow night just to see Wicked with the family (and Kyle). I've been waiting to see this musical for a while, I hope it's as good as everyone else says it is. Plus I get to see Kyle dressed up, which is definitly a rarity. I'll also tell you guys how that goes.

Alright, that's it for my short update!
Toodles!

Tool Concert

Utterly amazing.
It was my first concert (where it wasn't city run) and I'm glad it was a rock concert. A very loud rock concert. We had really good seats at the Molson Amphitheatre, row 200 (meaning right behind the people who were standing right in front of the stage) and we got seats!
I knew that buying anything from the concert concession stand would be expensive, but I had no idea a ladies t-shirt would be $47. That way too much! So I opted out of that and bought myself a guy's t-shirt in size small with the cities on the tour on the back for $43. Kyle bought himself a t-shirt AND a HUGE poster (like 4 regular sized posters). At least there wasn't tax (whew!).
Since we had reserved tickets, we didn't have to wait in line or anything to get good seats. While lining up to get inside, these Amex people came up to us and asked us if we wanted to give us their e-mails and they would give us free VIP passes to the Amex Lounge next to the stage. So yea, I did it and we got in. We had free samples of the Rockstar energy drink and some fruit. We were told that we also got free drinks and free food.
The opening band was called Isis and I think they've been around for a while. They were alright but they never once had a gap between their songs, there was always one single tone that carried through. I don't even know how many songs they played.
During the little break between Isis and Tool, we went to the VIP Lounge to get some grub and found out it cost $17!!! And drinks cost at least $3.75. I felt so jipped, but maybe the free food and drink was only during the concert.
Once Tool started, everyone got on their feet and didn't sit down for the whole 2 and a half hours. It was so awesome! First they didn't have too many stage effects with the lights for the first song, and then they went crazy! There were lasers and fog and crazy animation. There were also these lights on the back wall of the stage that changed colour and were kindof in the shape of trees. I wish I brought my camera but I knew it was going to get confiscated. Luckily I had my new cellphone on me so I was able to take some decent pictures.
Throughout the entire show, security were telling people not to smoke since it was prohibited but once Tool started, they had no control over the crowd. I got a secondary high from all the people who were smoking ganja in front of me! I think these four guys lit up at least 4 times! Anyways, by the end of it, my stomach felt like it was going to turn inside out. Althought I did get the munchies once my mom picked us up. I gulfed down the muffins she had so fast, I nearly choked.
Here are the pictures! Some are from Kyle's friend who was also at the concert, although we didn't meet up with him at all that night.

This is the stage before the concert started.

The crowd minutes before Tool came on stage.

The stage, those are the lights that looked like trees. Maynard Keenan is playing the keyboard. Also there's Adam Jones (guitarist).

The lasers. Those two lasers were rotating and changing colours, coinciding with the songs.

This was at the end of one of their songs (don't remember which one) where they turned on ALL the lasers and they were all going at once, zooming everywhere and changing colours.

We had fun :). Happy anniversay Kyle!

I'm still alive!

It's been forever since the last time I posted but nothing too huge has happened. Frosh happened but I didn't participate, school started and I went so nothing new there either.
I'm only taking four courses this term so I don't really have a reason to not go to class this term, but next term I have six courses and I think I screwed myself over just a bit. I did my schedule for next term and I might just kill myself. Everyday I have at least three classes in a row between 10:30 to 1:30 which means I don't really have time to eat lunch when I usually eat lunch. On Fridays, I have (starting at 8:30am) 5 lectures in a row and then a 3 hour lab. On a FRIDAY! Not only does it mean I can't go back to Toronto early on Fridays but I also don't have time to study for midterms which are usually on Fridays. All I can say is - shit.
Next Saturday, Kyle and I are going to the Tool concert at the Molson Ampitheatre. That was my present to him for our first year anniversary (oh yea, that's something that happened since my last update..oops). So yea, I got him those, and he got me a coca-cola fridge! Oh yea baby, my own personal fridge that I can plug into the car for roadtrips...pretty sweeeet. He says he's going to get me rollerblades too but it's not rollerblade season anymore so there aren't any blades on sale that are my size.
I'm thinking of becoming a SOCS rep for next frosh week, looks like a lot of fun hahaha. I get to wear a bright orange jumpsuit and scream at the top of my lungs for a week. Then again, I have to take care of all the little first years and I don't know if I can do that.
Until then though I have to make sure I keep my marks up so I can get some money next year! *crosses fingers for awesome marks!*
***
Happy one year Kyle!

Non-Stop Weekend

Kyle came to visit with his family on Friday and I (including my parents and my sister) have done some kind of "event" with them. Here's what went down this weekend:

Friday:
Kyle calls around 7-ish to tell me he's arrived in Toronto, but I don't pick up my cell because I left it at home and I had to go to the airport to pick up my dad from Montreal.
Btw, the airport lost his luggage...so there was nothing to wash when we got home. We made dinner and my mom and I went to go pick up Kyle so he can sleep over Friday and Saturday night.
Kyle and I watch most of Man in the Iron Mask but John Malkovich was horrible so we stopped about halfway.

Saturday:
Kyle, me and Abby met up with his parents and one brother to go to the Ex. We parked at Finch and took the subway down (they haven't taken the subway in a while or ever). When we get there, we split up and Kyle and I decided to sign up for the Prison Break Challenge. The challenge consisted of going to 6 different tents around the CNE and answer a question about a random primetime Global tv show. There is a chance that you can be chosen to be an instant winner at any of the booths and claim a prize. It also consisted of a draw for $150,000 but you had to go to all 6 tents to be eligible. Well, just to let you know, we did go to all of them, and I was an instant winner at the first tent we went to. I got a 6 GB Sony mp3 player (model NW-A1000)...not sure how much it actually costs yet.
After the fun at the Ex, we met up with my parents at our house to go to a nice Chinese dinner. My dad was the one who really explained all the food to Kyle's parents and brother. I think they liked it which was pretty good. I think there was still a bit of a culture shock for them with the dinner.
After dinner, Kyle, his brother and I go to STC to watch Talladega Nights, it was pretty hilarious except I was already really exhausted from an entire day of walking (and I didn't have coffee to keep me going). I had to drive his brother back to his aunt's place (which was where his parents were staying) and she lived off the 401 a little bit past Yorkdale mall so it was a bit of a drive. On the way back, I find out the 401 ramp was closed for late night construction and I was totally bummed so we didn't get home until around 1:30 am. We both just died on the bed.

Sunday
Wake up early-ish and we head to Ikea to meet up with Kyle's family again to have some $1 breakfast. I bump into Dragonboat people during breakfast but not Kyle's family. We start walking around the displays and we finally meet up with Kyle's parents about 2 hours later. We split up again and meet up at the cash.
I end up buying a bookcase and a nice reading lamp.
I said goodbye to Kyle and his family and they went back up to Wiky.
After they left, the REAL shopping began. My mom, Abby and I went to Staples to do back to school shopping and then went to Pac mall where we got new cell phones for $0 a phone. I got a Sony Ericsson mp3 phone.
It was about 5:30 when we got home and half an hour later we drive off to have dinner with my grandparents. After that, my mom drives my sister back up to Waterloo along with her newly bought bookcase while my dad and I build his/my mom's new bed. Also did the laundry and caulked up this big gap in the living room that we think wasps keep coming into the house from.
My mom gets home around 11:30 and we finally get to sit down and talk.

I just realized I got 2 mp3 phones in 2 days for free (almost). Swweeeet!!1

Back to work tomorrow.

Natural Bargaining Skills

This past Monday my boss asked me to go across the parking lot from M&Ms and get a cheap boombox for under $40 (since that was how much money she gave me). I walk over and check out the Sears outlet mall and all I see there is garbage electronics. I step out of Sears and found The Source hidden away in a little corner of the mall.
I go inside and I seem to be the first customre of the day. The brown guy working at the time was friendly and asked me if I needed help. I told him I needed a cheap boombox for under $40 and he goes to show me a couple that were like $50...obviously not right for me. I kept telling him that I only had $40 and nothing more and I desperately needed one.
All of a sudden, the man climbed a ladder, grabbed a new box with a new stereo inside and tells me that he'll slash the price for it just for me.
The stereo was originally priced at $99.99 and he took off a certain amount and made the excuse on the computer that it was damaged and then went on to give me the employee discount. Therefore, I went off with a $100 stereo for only $45.
I have no idea how I did that and that will probably never happen to me again.
When I got back to the store, the other person working at the time asked me if he could give me $5 and get him an ipod.


On another note, Kyle's coming to visit this weekend with his family! Excited.

Pow Wow!!

So earlier this week I just got back from visiting Kyle for 7 days. I had such a blast! It was worth the uncomfortable 6 hour ride back and forth just to see him (mind you it HAS been more than a month).
We visited the Pow Wow that was going on (I got really tanned from that) and also went golfing. I didn't want to seem like such a tourist so I didn't buy a souvenir but Kyle did have to pay $2 for the Pow Wow brochure so I'll take that as my gift :). I guess in a way he kind of pampered me lol...but not really since he's making the big bucks working hard at the golf course.
Speaking of golf, we played a lot of that too! I brought up my golf clubs in my mom's handy-dandy squishy yet durable traveling bag and we played a couple of times, most of them with Kyle's relatives and family friends. It's kind of cool to meet some family friends since our family doesn't have that many. We are just kind of to our selves and there aren't like huge social gatherings like his....but then again he's native so I can't really compare.
One of Kyle's cousins recently got engaged and we had a little party to celebrate. It was really neat because everyone wrote their own personal advice to them and put it in this bag that they're not allowed to open until after their wedding day (which won't be for a year or two). The lady that the cousin is engaged to is in kind of a similar situation as me (but now much more serious because she's engaged). She was in a small family and when she first went up to visit his family and realized how huge it was she was kind of in shock. So now I know I'm not the only one that's going through it....but then again, she is part native while I'm 100% chinese (I think...). The engagement party was great, it was pretty interesting getting totally drunk with Kyle, his parents AND his grandma....I wish I could go get drunk with my parents and grandparents and still have a good time. But yea, we both drank too much and I need to find pictures of that night so I can piece what happened back together (I remember dancing with Kyle's grandma though....that was pretty fun!)
I loved the fresh air and seeing the stars and seeing my boyfriend. It was almost magical, I had just an amazing time and I can't wait to visit again. Probably not for a while though since school's about to start and I don't think my boss at M&Ms is going to give me more breaks off.
Kyle said he might come down in two weeks time with his parents but I dont think there is much we can do except play a round of golf and then eat dinner. That's ok though, I'll see him probably almost everyday when school starts (hopefully everyday if possible...not saying I'm clingy or anything).
When I got home, things went straight back to normal and it almost felt like I didn't go at all. I get that feeling every time I come back from a totally awesome and vigorating trip. I'm helping my parents with their huge backyard project to turn most of the grass into a nice stone patio-ish type thing. It's much better than what we had before because all the pine needles from our humungous pine tree isn't letting grass grow anyways so why not.
Time to go! Bye bye!