"I'll add you to my travel partner list."

Halfway mark! Unfortunately this semester is much busier than the last, and I'm already worried about some of these courses from the first lecture. I'm also going to the lab in the mornings now so I'm actually taking the GO train. Not used to waking up so early again =_= However, it still feels better at the end of the day when compared to staying at the lab after classes until late. Hopefully my PI will give me a break this semester due to the workload and restricted lab resources...

This Christmas was such a needed break from everything. I tried to indulge in as much gaming as I could to clear some of the backlog before spring semester presents itself. Managed to get some Ogre Battle 64, Ouendan 2, Pokemon Rumble, Band Hero, and Nostalgia. Band Hero's subdued difficuly level is pretty good for GH/RB noobs like me who can only last on Hard difficulty, maybe eke out a few of the easier songs on Expert. Plus the songlist is less boring. Of course, I'm lucky the game supports the RB drum which is the one I had. Somehow I think the RB drums feel a lot better to play on compared to the GH drums.

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New Year's wasn't spent anywhere special, but was enjoyable nonetheless. Have a great 2010, a year which we can finally pronounce again as two two-digit numbers!

First thing eaten in 2010: Turtles chocolate (again, seems to be a theme)
First thing drunk in 2010: Some Chardonnay wine from Pelee Winery
First thing played with in 2010: Band Hero (I didn't manage to get drunk, probably would have been more fun that way)
First thing resumed in 2010 after celebrations: UTAMA foruming, I think

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Just today I finally found a frame for the piece of artwork I got many years ago from Epcot in Florida's Disney World. I think it's called Oriental Letter Art, where you can have someone's name or a message written out in fancy oriental characters which consist of various symbolic elements. They paint using this cool flat-tipped sponge and bright watercolours. I'm pretty sure this purchase was fueled by the tourist's souvenir frenzy but I don't mind having it around. They simply ask you for your name, then you go walk around the park while they paint your name and you can come back to see how it turned out later.

I thought the stand was personally run by the artist herself, but it turns out they have a website where you can even order art online.



There's the design. (Click for larger image) According to the brochure they handed out, the symbols mean:

Sun: hope, faith, and love

Dragonfly: dream

Bird: peace

Ship: perspective (K)

Rainbow: promise, love, hope, and peace

Crane: longevity and noble mindedness (E)

Cactus: patience and hope (I)

Mountain: perseverence and stoicism

Dragon: honour, credit, bravery and pride

I definitely like the birds and the mountain, and I like the Japanese-y vibe of the dragon. My sister actually got one of these done even longer back when we visited Victoria, BC. Her name sports other symbols like dolphins, lighthouse, shrimp (a rather ornate one at that), and some tangle of flowers which I think are orchids. Unfortunately she lost the symbol sheet so we can't know for sure what dolphins are supposed to stand for.

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I'm dismayed to find that BPT is still down for the count. In the meantime I've assembled a few quizzes on Sporcle, and I'm still trying to get some iSketch in whenever possible.

Secretariat

Santa recently decided to go Boxing Day shopping, and got himself a spiffy new GPS device.

Rudolph is now on welfare.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! / HAPPY POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!!!

Tamago

Boxing Day! The day to post after a strangely long hiatus.

As well as a lack of posting, there is also a lack of snow. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a little odd nonetheless. It's like being stuck in November.

Had the annual Christmas ritual at my cousins' house. There was food, Wii, and off-tune karaoke. (D:) Sadly for me, there were also two dogs and two cats. By the time I left I was already starting to have partial laryngospasms. Currently, one of my nostrils is defunct, resulting in my not being able to sleep, and the reason I'm posting this early anyway.

Finally got a new cellphone. Not bad, but then again almost anything is better than my old one.

Hopefully you all had a fun break so far and good luck with any of your ambitious holiday shopping endeavours. o_.

Edit: Blue!!!

Crispy...Danish...?

Today, I was browsing the internet and came upon a synonym of Santa Claus and Father Christmas: Kriss Kringle. Then it occured to me that I didn't know what Kriss Kringle meant, or where it came from. And that was alarming.

First I tried the direct approach: finding the definition of 'Kriss' and 'Kringle'. The easy part was 'Kringle'. I came upon many definitions, such as a thin Danish pastry, slang for boss, or triple looped, disulphide linked protein domains. 'Kriss' it appears, has no definition except as a slang for "crisp, cool" or a whore.

Wikipedia gave me no extra information, other than backing up a kringle as a Danish pastry with a proud Danish history. (Mmm...Weinerbrod dough...)

Finally Google informs me that it's just a crazy olde German dialect of sorts for "Christ child".

Are Jesus Christ and Santa Claus the same person? Conspiracy!? */blasphemous ignorance*

Happy Pre-New Year's!? <-- (Should be an interrobang)

Immaculate

Download this. Now. <-- Bolded

It's 3:15AM and I can't sleep yet. Silly Christmas parties...

And I'm too pissed off because some wanker took my Future Shop purchase. Out of my hands! So close! Ahhh retardddd *random whining* By which I mean this really happened online.

You better watch out...you better not cry...or else.

This dude came to my backyard and watched me for a few minutes.


His accomplice flew in and stared at us for a few minutes.


They came together to deliberate, and literally watched us for 15 minutes straight.

I have good reason to believe that they are robotic furry animal spies sent by Santa Claus to check up on us.

On a related note,
Merry Holidays!!! and such.

Bite-sized portions

During one dinner, [Queen Elizabeth] sat next to a rather deaf and very dull admiral who regaled the Queen with naval stories, with especial reference to the condition of an old ship which had broken down. In an attempt to change the subject, the Queen enquired, "How is your dear sister?" -a question that the admiral obviously didn't hear, because he continued in the same naval vein, saying "She'll be alright when we've turned her over and scraped the barnacles off her bottom." The Queen's shoulders shook helplessly with laughter as she buried her face in her napkin.

Educationalists often deplore the use of abbreviated or slang words, and one of the most common used is Xmas, in place of Christmas. Wicked atheists have been blamed for using an X in the place of the word Christ, and thus "taking the Christ out of Christmas." In fact, the reverse is true. The X has been used by theologians for hundreds of years to denote the Greek letter chi, the first letter in the Greek spelling of Christ. The X represents Christ and the cross upon which he was crucified.

Punishment for sexual misconduct in 17th-century America was strict, with fines or imprisonment for adulterers and fornicators, and worse for convicted rapists. However, one cannot help feeling a little sorry for the joker Ralph Earle, who was fined 20 shillings in October 1663 for "drawing his wife in an uncivil manner on the snow."

Courtesy of: History Bites by Judith Millidge.

Bits of Tid

Turkey turkey turkey. Because we didn't have it on Thanksgiving.

The X to the mas

Santa santa santa santa santa santa santa santa santa santa santa PRESENTS PRESENTS

But I Have a Gas Fireplace...

It's Christmas Eve!

Christmas Break is halfway through!

I'm sure those are both equally appealing.

Tonight you should leave Santa something nice to ingest. Like, instead a cup of skim milk and those old oatmeal cookies you found in the depths of your cupboard, try a fruit smoothie and fresh fruit salad. It's probably more healthy, and tastes a lot better. He might give you a second gift for some originality.

Yatta

Almost Christmas Day. Yay. All presents are done. Yay. Chris' partay was fun. Risk!

We're all a happy community on Maple Story. Except for that gayass who stole our ore. n00b.

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. -Jay Leno

Have some pelvic thrusting action.

Last day of school didn't really feel like school whatsoever. I got accompished my present giving-outings and got a few candy canes and chocolate! The assembly was pretty good for the most part. I mostly liked the music in most presentations. In class there was much Indian Rummy and Matrix.

Afterwards it was dashing through the asphalt to Jason's house. There we tried some Mario Party 6 which used a microphone, and were quite impressed, amused, and abused. Then came buffet and bloatingness ensues.

If you have not, all go to Jason's blog and download Grahbe Yahbalz. It should keep you amused for about 5 minutes. The title of this post is a quote from the song. *points up*. Yup.

Don we now our gay apparel

With the prospect of Christmas approaching in two weeks, it's lifing my mood. Only 10 more days of school. 10 more days of tests and quizzes every other day.

We're getting a new fake Christmas tree, which is good. The last two years we got real trees, which was actually very pleasant as they released a nice scent into the house. However the loading and unloading into the house was a little annoying, and involved half of the main floor covered with pine needles each time.

During Christmas there's always this dinner thing where my dad's side of the family makes us host a dinner. And we have to serve them Chinese food. Because that's what they eat. Sometimes we force turkey upon them.

Of course there's going to be this aftermath of Christmas where you realised you have to do exams soon. And that the PA Day that's supposed to be right after the exams isn't because our calendar is defunct.

Oh yeah..posting

P.A. Day Friday, yay!

Movie and Saturnalia next week Friday, yay!

Chemistry mark fixed itself, yay!

Right...

So.

Hm.

Nothing interesting in particular has happened. The weather is all boring too. Whenever you hear Christmas music on the radio you look out and wish it would change a little or something because I'm not getting any Christmas vibes.

Schooled

It's only funny because it's a real manga of the game.

There are lot of homework and tests coming up. It's sort of depressing thinking about it, so I'll just have to work it off slowly...

The holdays this year are really different. I think the P.A. Day we usually get after Jan exams is pushed ahead, making it redundant. Christmas holday is completely in December, and we go back to school in the beginning of January. Easter is in March...that shouldn't happen. They took away that special Friday we usually get with March Break. :(

~ R.I.P. Mr. Hicke ~