- Linkin Park, In the End

On the other hand, the Nokia 8890 is one sexy mutha. Black and white screen, but sleek and compact, a sliding cover phone with chromatic accents on a pure-titanium frame to ooze jaw-dropping sensuality. It's the ultimate status symbol. It elicits no questions, but longing stares and drool coming out of mouths of would-be gawkers.

So which one do I use?

Well technically, I should have no choice. Technically, I'm stuck with the 8890. But it's not like my mom has a SIM card to use the Z600 yet anyway. It was a gift from my uncle to my mom for Christmas, but since it's such a shame to have have it sitting around while my mom takes her sweet time before going out to get a SIM card, I took it. Hey - I don't feel guilty - I'm just putting a perfectly good phone to good use!

But now, half of me pines for the sexiness of the 8890. The other half of me loves the cool features of the Z600. I'm completely torn between the two loves of my life. These phones are an extension of my identity.

So who am I today? Cool, or sexy? =P

[sotm] Love's Divine by Seal.

Whoa.

[sotm] Nelly & Kelly Rowland - Dilemma...which is my new ringtone.

So for some reason I didn't get a notification that my guestbook has been signed. So I didn't check to approve entries to my guestbook for months, only to find a couple sitting there forever. My little cousin, Christine, only 9 years old, signed it a little while back...."What's on your mind? 'You.'" awwwwwwwwwww......she's so cute....I miss her! (side note...what's up with kids these days, they know how to use the internet at 9...i was still trying to learn how to play Nintendo when i was 9!) Anyway, make sure you sign the guestbook if you've got a chance. It's getting kinda lonely.

I'm so screwed for my mandarin midterm tomorrow. You stupid people sending me those surveys, keeping me distracted...especially Rems and Iris, since theirs arrived at the same time and pushed me over the edge of trying to resist filling one out...grrrr....

Anyone wanna be my "personal" mandarin tutor? *wink*

[sotm] Trapt - Made of Glass

For most restaurants, I didn't even make plans with anyone before booking them. But within hours of finishing my reservations, most open spots were already claimed. (I don't know if I should chalk that up to the pleasure of my company or the fact that most restaurants I had were normally next to impossible to get into....hahaha) But it's a good opportunity for me to get out more often and re-enter the social world, since I've been nothing but a hermit the past semester - and now I get to spend time with my fellow food aficionados, my metrosexual apprentices, and some self-proclaimed "hot dates" (cough..choke......shorty? ahem...) Definitely looking forward to it tho...counting down already - 3 weeks to go... =)

Man, today was just too cold. -25 Celcius? What happened to the +11 degrees of pure warmth and sunshine just last week? I blame it on Tianne. Right after she came back from HK, Toronto became oh so cold. Hell must have froze over, hahaha.....but yeah, I just ended staying in for most of the day - after spending forever trying to get my new health card, I was like, forget it, I'm not gonna bother going to CCF, I'd be late and it's just too damn cold. So I went home and took a 5 hour nap after dinner...man I'm developing a sleep disorder...so much for my new years resolution of sleeping at 1....

[sotm] Paul Oakenfold - Ready Steady Go.

Interesting.

So does this mean that I had a pseudo-flirty-could've-gone-out-with-her fling with every girl that's done that? I normally pass it off as girls being girls, happy they're with a new guy so much that they think about it all the time and just need to share it with someone. But Mike insists that 95% of the time, it's about the girl trying to get closure. If these girls need closure, that's certainly news to me. So I don't buy his theory at all. But it does make me wonder..........nahhhh. Can't be possible....that'd just be wrong. But I would feel bad if it meant I was unconsciously stringing a girl's feelings along, which is just something I wouldn't do.

Or maybe it's just a recent unusual phenomenon, because I'm so out of it when it comes to relationships these days, it takes me months, or even years, before I realize there's been a change in someone's status. Often it's a case of someone going out with someone, and then already breaking up, before I even know they were going out in the first place! Seeing how I've been labelled as the guy who's supposed to be always in the know, maybe girls are just trying to help me get back on track so I'll have a real answer instead of a shrug and a "how am I supposed to know?" look on my face every time someone asks me about someone else's relationship status. That's my best guess.

Opinions anyone?

[sotm] Hilary Duff - Come Clean (omg...i actually like a teenybop-manufactured song...haven't done that in years...sigh)

22 years. That's how long I've put up with her crap. She argues with everyone just for the sake of arguing, puts down anyone and everyone, and bitches about things that have nothing to do with anything. Nobody in the family likes her - her own brother, my grandpa, the nicest, most generous, patient, and kind-hearted man on the planet, bless him - doesn't even want to talk to her. Everybody in the family uses me as a messenger to talk to her cuz they don't want to deal with her, and vice versa - but what makes them think I want to deal with her? Just because I just put up with her crap, she's not scared of pushing me over the edge like she has with every single other person in the family? She's always pushed me to a new edge, but I always walk away before I turn violent. But I swear, there are days that I wish I actually was violent, that way she'd be scared of me too and she would pick on someone else, and stay silent the way she does when she's alone with my dad or grandpa.

She brings out the worst in me. She is the bane of my existence. I blame her for everything wrong with my family, as she is the one who causes everyone else to lose their temper. She blames everyone else for everything. She puts everyone not just in a bad mood, but in a really, really, really, pissed-off mood. Everything is about her all the time, she doesn't give a damn about anyone else. She says she always cooks for us and we don't appreciate her for it, but we told her not to cook, and we get a housemaid to cook for us - but she still forces herself on cooking, because ultimately, she can't stand not having anything to do.

She teased the family with the thought of moving out on her own in a new apartment at the New York towers. It's not far enough away from us, still 15 minute walking distance, but at least she's out of the house, right? Wrong. Fat chance just getting her to actually leave, even though she actually bought a place, disconnected her phone line here in the house, bought furniture and everything new for her place. I gladly brought her shopping at Ikea, since I thought it meant if I spend one day with her shopping for her furniture, I'd be rid of her forever.

Now she's come up with pathetic excuses not to move out, such as "oh, the unit is the furthest away from the subway" (which Eric pointed out that it made a difference of 10 SECONDS of walking), "I don't have a pillow" (which Tianne subsequently bought), "I don't have a chair" (which I subsequently bought), "I don't have a table" when she already has one. Now, she uses my phone line, picks up the phone and starts dialing, without even checking if I'm on the phone to begin with. Then, even after finding out that I'm on the phone, she keeps picking up every 2 minutes and dialing again, because she needs to use the phone. For what? She has her own cell phone now, we went out and bought it for her, and she disconnected her own phone line already. It's just making me more angry now because not only is she still in the house, but because she no longer has some of her own things (they're just sitting, unused, at her brand sparkling new condo), she's infiltrating my life even more by taking my things to use.

Some people have pointed out that I have a quick temper. I have to dispute that a bit. I'm not easily angered, but I'm easily annoyed. I think it takes quite a bit to actually get me angry. But the reason why I would be so easily annoyed is that I really firmly believe I have a relatively normal capacity to be patient, but Goo Paw takes up all of that capacity everyday, and more, so there's nothing left for anyone else. Notice whenever she's in Hong Kong, which doesn't happen often enough, all of a sudden my world is rosy and I'm this incredibly energetic and cheerful guy! I really am! When I was in HK in 2002 summer, I kept saying how I had the time of my life - it took me a while to realize a huge chunk of the reason why was because I didn't have to deal with the bitch.

This is another reason I'm looking forward to Winterlicious - I don't have to put up with her bitching at the dinner table. Even though Winterlicious is costing me a bundle, 2 weeks of not having to listen to her is worth its weight in gold.

See, I actually did use to have some sympathy for her. But when I try to point out why she's pissing everyone off, she blames everyone else for the problems, and that nothing's her fault, and she actually means it. I've tried everything, and I mean everything, to try to deal with her. I've tried listening, I've tried conversations, I've tried being funny, I've tried being sarcastic, I've tried prayer. They all don't work. The only alternative left is to turn violent, throw a tantrum and throw a few things around, smash a couple of plates, to scare her, but I refuse to let myself sink to that level. So now I just give one word answers and pretend as much as possible that she doesn't exist - it's the only way I can deal with her now. Another good way is by bringing my friends over. For some reason, she goes on her best behavior and is incredibly nice, by her standards (of course not ours) to my friends.

Many friends have said I'm being to mean to her. After all, she's family. My response is and always will be: YOU try living with her. I mean, I should be a saint for not losing my temper with her yet. Tianne can't even stand coming home every weekend and putting up with her. Tracy can't even stand coming up to visit from L.A. Tianne pointed out that we'll never get rid of her - she'll never move out (she's said it for years), and her bitching at everyone is what's keeping her blood pumping through her body. She's gonna be around for a looong time.

God help us all.

New Years was an absolute blast...everyone trying to chug down about 80 jello shots and an assortment of drinks was quite a sight to see....lol. I mean, the jello shots really don't have THAT much alcohol in there, but after quite a few of them, then having some drinks, will really get you out of your head since the jello takes time to kick in =) But it was really nice to spend a good solid....10+ hours (yes, from 7pm til 5:30am) full of laughs with everyone. Pics are posted in the gallery...sorry I didn't get a chance to take pics of everyone...that's what happens when half the time you don't even remember where you put your camera...and put it this way...when you're told to recite the alphabet backwards and you start saying "R-S-T-L-N-E"...you've got a pretty good excuse!

And of course, no gathering of friends is complete without stories to tell. Since James and Rick have blabbed THE story to just about everyone they've seen, I figure I'll set the record straight so there are absolutely NO misconceptions.

So here we were, James, Rick and I, just standing in line at Costco waiting to use the digital picture kiosk, when out of nowhere, a fat, bald guy, whom both James and Rick describe as "the typical pedophile-looking white guy", reaches out and rubs my shoulder, gives me a "hey, how you doing" with a wink, and walks on. Here's where the others' stories deviate from the truth. No, I did not even flinch at all. Yes, I did say, "hey". And this is why: because I'm so used to people I don't even recognize saying hi to me, that it's become my natural reaction just to say hi back - and let's face it, that's just being polite too. Although the rub on the shoulder DID stun me after. It just took a little while before I said, "uh, what just happened?"
Rick: "Yo man, don't you feel violated?"
James: "Dude, do you have some gay lover at Costco?"
Me: "I swear guys, I don't know the him! What the hell was that?!"
So contrary to what the other blabbing idiots may say, NO, I did NOT enjoy that! I may be metrosexual, but I do NOT have a secret gay costco lover! And it is with this confidence that I am being completely open about telling the truth and the story, the way it SHOULD BE TOLD. I've got nothing to hide! lol...

Anyway...spent Christmas in Montreal, the first time in years that I've been away from Toronto during Christmas. And I didn't regret the trip one bit. At first I was hesitant, because Boxing Day shopping at Yorkdale had become an annual tradition for Eric & I. But while Toronto was dull, dreary, and worst of all, a green Christmas, Montreal was gorgeous, elaborate, and most importantly, a White Christmas. Old Montreal is especially gorgeous late at night.

Yet another reason why I loved Montreal was the Boxing Day sales. Every year, we would have to wake up at 7am - a totally unheard of hour - so we could relatively beat the rush and get the best stuff or doorcrashers. This year, Barbara goes, "You don't have to wakeup so early - stores don't open until 1pm tomorrow." SWEET! Montrealers are so lazy, and the main benefactor of that was me! For the first time ever, I was able to shop on Boxing Day fully awake and alert, and best of all, not cranky and make irrational purchases due to lack of proper judgement. On top of that, the sales are just as good as Toronto, but the crowds are much more civilized and much less crowded. The best part was, I was able to go nuts in a store that Toronto doesn't have - Simons. I love the jeans there - I ended up buying 6 pairs of pants, all completely and finely hemmed within 30 minutes of my purchase. I would go back to Montreal just for Simons.

So that's my past couple of days. Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years, I certainly did.

[sotm] Groove Armada - Lovebox.