Bashing Americans
Just got back around 2 hours ago after travelling on a Florida-bound road trip for more than 5000 km and visiting many different attractions along the way. I got a whole lot of pictures and souvenirs from all the different places and maybe I'll post up some pictures later on. On to my post topic: Americans. Holy crap.
Health:
Portions are too huge! They eat and eat and eat these gigantic portions of fatty foods and they don't exercise! They just drive everywhere! The only people I ever see walking are tourists and the heavily obese people are in electric wheelchairs because their tiny little legs can't support the metric tonne of their weight. The 1 in 3 Americans being obese is definitely true; especially for the kids, they're just little heart attacks waiting to happen. I find that the fast food that they eat is much more fatty than in the fast food restaurants here. The KFC chicken...REALLY greasy and the chicken was mostly half fat, pretty disgusting stuff.
Sanitation:
According to my dad, almost none of the workers wash their hands after going to the washroom before going back to work in restaurants. That's gross. It just seems like the people don't really have good hygeinic methods whatsoever. The women I find are a little bit better but a lot of them still leave the washroom without washing their hands. A lot of them are just too lazy or are in a hurry. Washing your hands takes half a minute, how much of a hurry can they be in?
On a different note, there is so much garbage in the states. In all of the theme parks and tourist places that we went to, almost none of them had recycling bins. It's all garbage! All of the newspapers and the plastic bottles all in the garbage. Toronto has it's share of horrible garbage but at least almost every home has a recycling bin and there are recycling bins in public areas also.
Manners:
A lot of the Americans have no manners whatsoever. They shove you, push you, hit you on the head with something. They just turn around and glare at you, like you were supposed to perceive them coming from behind you and so you should have moved for them. And for driving, they never signal and they tailgate on speeding highways. You know it's bad when they actually have plaques telling you how many people died on the highways every year. It's almost 1000 people per year! Yikes.
So all in all, my trip was a LOT of fun! Saw the Coca-cola museum again, and tasted 40 different coke products from all around the world. Wonderful stuff.
Other places I went to:
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland, Ohio
First KFC ever : Corbin, Kentucky
Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios/Disney's Animal Kingdon: Orlando, Florida
Kennedy Space Station: 45 minutes from Orlando, Florida
Georgia Aquarium/ The World of Coca-Cola Museum: Atlanta, Georgia
Stone Mountain (supposedly the southern Mount Rushmore, kinda disappointing cuz it was really dinky): Stone Mountain, Georgia
gym = heaven
Finally went to the gym on Tuesday and it felt amazing. It was really exhilirating to find yourself working out again after about a month of not going. The Pulse is actually a pretty nice place, and the new extension to it is going to give the Pulse a indoor track and having the equipment in the middle of it. Since it's the holidays, there weren't too many people at the gym so it got me to try out a lot of machines that I was too intimidated to try because of all those big, buff guys that are always using them. I love my weight-training gloves, they are working soooo well, and I was all matching too...because the gloves were silver/blue, my shorts were white/blue, my shirt was white/blue and even my headphones were white/blue. What a coinky-dink. I'm currently procrastinating from packing up for my trip and to go home. I think it's about time because I'm starting to forget all those rules that my parents have set for me. You know, the sleep-at-11pm/no-going-out-on-weekdays rule and it'll be nice to remember those so I'll feel more guilty when I do them and possibly help me get me back on track responsibility-wise. No more stealing For Sale signs for me that's for sure (by the way, the house across the street finally put a new sign up). Happy Holidays.
Random Things
1. I now have my very own shotglass that says: I tried to sniff coke once but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose.
2. Found a crack in my window so the press 'n seal I got from Frosh Week is finally coming in handy.
3. One more exam tomorrow and I'm home free for a week and a half!
4. My room is absolutely disgusting. So disgusting that I won't put my barefeet on it.
5. Going off to Florida on the 23rd, back on the 31st; will be visiting places along the way since it's a roadtrip.
6. Must plan something for New Years! Anybody got any ideas?
Breaking Point
The end is near. I can just taste the sweetness of educational freedom. By the end of today "technically" I will have finished all but one exam; and that exam is Calculus so I'm not too worried about it (knock on wood). Sidenote: is it true that if there's no wood around, you can just knock your head? I heard that somewhere...
Anyhoozles, the biology exam that was on the 12th kindof sucked because I didn't get too much sleep and was dozing off a little during the exam. It was interesting though that that exam was held in the gym. Of course with my luck, out of the hundreds of fold-out desks they had, I had to pick the annoyingly wobbly one. You know it's bad when you have to get a perfect on an impossible exam just to get an 80. I really have to step my biology up next year.
My chem exam was alright though. I had that exam in this building that reminded me of army residence places. It was like a cylinder on it's side and cut in half kindof thing if you can picture that. It's just one huge room and the desks they had there were really sweet. They had a big area to write on PLUS those fold-out side desks that universities have in big lecture halls. You know the ones that you can't even put a notebook on because it's so miniscule?
I'm really freaking out about algebra, which is why I'm taking a break and updating my blog. I was watching X-men on my laptop when I suddenly realized that it's been more than a week since my last update. It's not because time has been flying by so fast that I didn't have time to blog, time's seems to be going a lot slower this week (making exams so ever that much more excruciating), but the fact that nothing has really happened in this house. Yea, my life is boring what can I do?
It's just Jon and I in the house now...very quiet most of the time except for when Jon yells at me to wash the damn cups (which I proudly did today). I haven't really left my house except for exams or to meet up with Kyle for something (which didn't really happen this week I don't think because he was over here for most of the time). He was telling me some really interesting (and somewhat creepy) native superstitions and I got really into it at some points. I guess it's because he's native and native people tell really good stories. I still remember the native guy from my elementary school who told us a couple of stories that I remember to be very enthralled with. This got me thinking, are there any chinese superstitions out there? I know there has to be hundreds or even thousands, but I haven't really pinpointed one. If anyone has any, feel free to share with me because I want to know!
Great Timing
I hope you notice at the bottom of this post that I am currently writing this at 9:30 in the morning. Surprised? So am I! Why is it that when there are no more classes to go to anymore, I suddenly wake up at the appropriate times for class (I actually woke up at 8...even more surprised? so am I!). I'm kindof taking a break from studying biology (even though I haven't really started yet) to just blab about my oh-so-exciting life.
So first thing's first, here is my exam schedule:
Dec 12: Biology
Dec 15: Chemistry
Dec 17: Psychology AND Algebra **Note that this is ALSO a Saturday
Dec 20: Calculus
Dec 23: Family roadtrip down to Florida!
Ok, ok, I know that last date isn't part of my exam schedule but yes, I can't bottle the excitement of going down to Florida; this time with Abby in tow. It's going to take us two days to get down to the sunshine state (or America's wang), and we're going to be making a lot of stops along the way too (and back *cough* Coke Museum *cough*). My parents bought my sis and I passes to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure so I think it's going to be a blast. I don't know why my parents didn't buy passes for themselves, I guess the rides are too extreme for them or something. My dad used to be all up for it, but after this one spider-ride thing at the Ex he was never the same; and my mom..well, let's just say she went on Space Mountain the last time and never wants to do it again. The best part though is that the entire family is going to alternate driving down there, so yes even I get to drive! Woo, watch out highway patrol! Until my exams are over though, I shouldn't really be thinking about the trip so I can concentrate all my mindpower onto those blased aforementioned exams.
It's been pretty quiet around here for the past couple of days too. I've actually been studying (and watching tv still!) and I just have to keep with my schedule for when to study what. Kyle went home on Tuesday too so I haven't really had any reason to leave the house. I am going to try to finish my Christmas shopping today though and just get the whole damn thing over with!
On a completely different note, anyone watch America's Next Top Model last night? It was the season finale if you guys missed it! I'm happy that Nicole won just because she was consistent throughout the entire show (plus she was really pretty). But seriously, throughout the entire show, I wanted either Ashley (cut the first round), Kyle (sometime in the middle) or Jayla to win it. If you guys go to the ANTM link, look at all those cycle 5 girls. I mean, look at Lisa..she's hideous! Anyone trying out for Canada's s Next Top Model?
Speaking of modelling, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was on Tuesday night. Only the girls were in the house at that time, and everytime we got depressed from watching all those gorgeous women with their long legs strut down the catwalk, we switched to Extreme Makeover...made us feel a little bit better. But yea, the Fashion Show was hot! And it was Tyra's last catwalk ever! Ah well, she's like a gazillionaire by now with ANTM.
Anyone thinking of having a New Years Party? Because I couldn't afford the Breakaway tours thing and I don't want to be stuck at home! K bye!
Exams are Imminent!
Slowly freaking out about exams. The more I think about it, the worse I feel. I kind of just wish second term would start already, just so it'll be another couple of months before I have to think about final exams again. It's weird having two terms and everything since I didn't go to a semestered high school, so it makes it feel like this is the end of the school year already (end of 2005 though). The chance that I will make it out of first year alived and unscathed is pretty slim in my opinion. I'm so nervous that my head will just explode one day or that I'll break down and hide in my bed until the bad things go away.
On to more delightful news, I woke up at around 1 pm today (my mom let me sleep!) and we just lazed around. I really wanted to read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe because I haven't read it in a long time (plus the movie's coming out!). Went to Agincourt library, the one dependable library, and they didn't have it. Nor did they have Memoirs of a Geisha which I wanted to read last year but not. Very VERY disappointing.
After that, I went to dinner with my grandparents and on the way back from their apartment, my mom discovered she didn't have the car keys. We checked and checked but nothing! We went back up to the apartment and got grandpa to bring us a flashlight. The security dude from the gatehouse came up to us dangling a car key and asked us if it was ours. He was like "luckily, someone brought this up to me. and yea, I looked over and saw you guys searching for something near a car so I decided to come over." Were we THAT obvious?
I feel like making spongecake when I get back to Hamilton :).
Drinking on a Wednesday?!
Yup, for some reason I can't remember we decided to drink last night. Just the housemates though, not like a huge party or anything. (Correction: housemates + kyle). Props to Jon for mixing some pretty yummy drinks (except for the taquila and kahlua which just tasted weird but everyone finished anyways). The night started off decently with drinks all around (except for Katrina who didn't drink) and we were having a ball! Then we noticed that Morgan became very violent...all her actions involved kicking or slapping or something. I remember at one point during the night she punched be fairly hard on my head, I think I have a lump now. So yes, note to the house: Morgan is an angry drunk. I stayed pretty much the same, but there was this 30 minute interval where Morgan and I and most of the other housemates were just yelling and cussing at each other because SOMEONE threw my slipper sock into the cat puke (Yea, the cat puked, I missed it). That was kindof interesting but yea, my head really hurt afterwards from yelling too much.
When all the drinks were finished (or taken away), it resulted in just Morgan and I kindof falling or rolling all over the place. I was forced to drink water and eat bread (without cream cheese! but I spread some on anyways) and then some tylenol. I didn't wake up with a headache or anything this morning or should I say...at 2pm but I'm hard at work now trying to finish this blasted algebra.
I think there's still a piece of bread on the living room floor.
here are the girls!morgan, katrina and me. we havent even started yet...
Jon is finally coming out of the closet....to Kyle! *gasp* (jks jon, we know you're straight)
i'm not sure if kyle enjoyed it or not, his face seems to either express extreme embarrassment OR the face that girls get when they're giggling & edit : kyle DID NOT ENJOY IT WHATSOEVER!!!
me with my lovely coke cup filled with "chocolate milk"
me and morgan arm wrestling
jon and me ganging up on morgan after she cheats in arm wrestling...
morgan HATES bare feet (especially jon's hairy ones) 
Yup, the night was fun but hopefully it won't happen on a wednesday night again...
