Quiet is the New Loud
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Billiards and Blizzard
The Indigo Yonge-Eglinton was so grateful to us who slogged over the holiday period that the managers organized an appreciation get-together at Spacco Billiards & Bar last night. It started at 8.30pm and my decision was to arrive fashionably late. It was branded as "Come-When-You-Can", so I suppose 'late' doesn't apply here.
It was the most enjoyable Indigo-related function I've attended so far, not to say I've been to many (including this, 3 fingers are sufficient). There were pool tables and people playing when I arrived, with plenty of food to go about and we each got to claim an alcoholic beverage from the bar. I joined the amateur lot with Des and Camelia to randomly aim for balls in the eight-ball game. Des got drunk, Camelia went off on a thank-you speech everytime she got one in the pocket. Co-workers came and left; some played cards, drank, ate and chatted, while some were on point with their game over at the professional tables. It was nice seeing everyone out of the store, wearing casual, comfortable clothes and footwear. I had to drag myself out of the buzzing place because rest was needed for an early Thursday morning for field work. I should have stayed on longer till the party fizzled even if it meant losing sleep.
Today started and ended early. We arrived at a different stream, a permanent, fast-flowing one located around the previous week's stream. The water level was shockingly a meter higher than usual, making it unsafe to get our water samples. As soon as I stepped into the stream to get some surface samples, I felt a piercing cold sensation: a leaking left boot! When we were at the car, I wrung out water from my layers of socks. I might have as well done my laundry. I couldn't wear my damp, icy socks and my foot was freezing in the open cold of a wind chill temperature of -18 degrees. I forced my foot into the shoe and felt stinging pain. Is this what being close to frostbites feels like?
It's going to be a freaky Friday tomorrow with a winter storm warning. Please, cancel classes! For now, I'm all warm and comfortable in my apartment. Blood is back in my foot and there's extra vigour in my pumping heart as Lost, the saviour of the current state of TV-land, is finally back on tonight!
It was the most enjoyable Indigo-related function I've attended so far, not to say I've been to many (including this, 3 fingers are sufficient). There were pool tables and people playing when I arrived, with plenty of food to go about and we each got to claim an alcoholic beverage from the bar. I joined the amateur lot with Des and Camelia to randomly aim for balls in the eight-ball game. Des got drunk, Camelia went off on a thank-you speech everytime she got one in the pocket. Co-workers came and left; some played cards, drank, ate and chatted, while some were on point with their game over at the professional tables. It was nice seeing everyone out of the store, wearing casual, comfortable clothes and footwear. I had to drag myself out of the buzzing place because rest was needed for an early Thursday morning for field work. I should have stayed on longer till the party fizzled even if it meant losing sleep.
Today started and ended early. We arrived at a different stream, a permanent, fast-flowing one located around the previous week's stream. The water level was shockingly a meter higher than usual, making it unsafe to get our water samples. As soon as I stepped into the stream to get some surface samples, I felt a piercing cold sensation: a leaking left boot! When we were at the car, I wrung out water from my layers of socks. I might have as well done my laundry. I couldn't wear my damp, icy socks and my foot was freezing in the open cold of a wind chill temperature of -18 degrees. I forced my foot into the shoe and felt stinging pain. Is this what being close to frostbites feels like?
It's going to be a freaky Friday tomorrow with a winter storm warning. Please, cancel classes! For now, I'm all warm and comfortable in my apartment. Blood is back in my foot and there's extra vigour in my pumping heart as Lost, the saviour of the current state of TV-land, is finally back on tonight!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Juno says, "Oscar loves me!"
Juno gets nominated in four categories for this year's Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Ellen Page. I got to catch an advance screening in mid-November last year, thanks to Sumaya. I'm glad this movie is getting the buzz it deserves for such a fantastic indie flick.
Michael Cera & Ellen Page - Anyone Else But You (originally by The Moldy Peaches)
And how proper, I've pictures of us exhibiting our Juno tees that we got from the screening. Team Juno tried, but we will do better in the Oscar race than in a game of badminton.
Rollo: So what's the prognosis, Fertile Myrtle? Minus or plus?
Juno MacGuff: There it is. The little pink plus sign is so unholy.
[shakes pregnancy tester]
Rollo: That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be undid, homeskillet.
In other news, holy doodoo Heath Ledger is dead?!? OMFG! And the Toronto Maple Leafs finally fire their GM after prolonging this decision. Too.. much.. to.. handle..
Michael Cera & Ellen Page - Anyone Else But You (originally by The Moldy Peaches)
And how proper, I've pictures of us exhibiting our Juno tees that we got from the screening. Team Juno tried, but we will do better in the Oscar race than in a game of badminton.
Rollo: So what's the prognosis, Fertile Myrtle? Minus or plus?
Juno MacGuff: There it is. The little pink plus sign is so unholy.
[shakes pregnancy tester]
Rollo: That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be undid, homeskillet.
In other news, holy doodoo Heath Ledger is dead?!? OMFG! And the Toronto Maple Leafs finally fire their GM after prolonging this decision. Too.. much.. to.. handle..
Monday, January 21, 2008
Celebrate, and don't freeze your toes
I went in to work today and guess what? The managers finally spelt my name correctly on the Day Sheet (where we see our day's schedule for breaks). About time, especially after 4 months? Even Ganga and EA were congratulating me. Somehow, they caught on with Chihoe-Ho-Ho-Ho nickname.. It feels like Christmas all over again!
Thursday saw me do my first field work with the Surface & Groundwater Ecology Research Group after spending the last semester in the lab. We drove all the way to the west of Toronto, a good two hours from campus. It felt weird being in the countryside on a school day, yet it was calming to see farms, horses, and cattle out in the open (in the cold and with the snow). Despite wearing the long, green, field boots, my toes were numb with pain from standing in the intermittent stream most of the time. At least I now know what's to come for the next trip out.
An essay time-bomb is ticking in front of my face, and yet I'm not motivated to work on it. I say, when the time comes..
Thursday saw me do my first field work with the Surface & Groundwater Ecology Research Group after spending the last semester in the lab. We drove all the way to the west of Toronto, a good two hours from campus. It felt weird being in the countryside on a school day, yet it was calming to see farms, horses, and cattle out in the open (in the cold and with the snow). Despite wearing the long, green, field boots, my toes were numb with pain from standing in the intermittent stream most of the time. At least I now know what's to come for the next trip out.
An essay time-bomb is ticking in front of my face, and yet I'm not motivated to work on it. I say, when the time comes..
Monday, January 07, 2008
And so begins a new term
This December break was too short to function as a proper breather this time round. The Winter '08 semester officially started today, but thankfully for me, I won't have any classes on Mondays and Thursdays with 4 courses in place this term.
I have been learning Japanese, slowly but surely. Practice does indeed makes perfect. I can have introductory sentence-exchanges with a Nihonjin, by spouting phrases like "How are you?" and "Do you understand English?" I am working hard on expanding my Japanese vocabulary, but the start of school will soon take its toil. How pessimistic!
I have been learning Japanese, slowly but surely. Practice does indeed makes perfect. I can have introductory sentence-exchanges with a Nihonjin, by spouting phrases like "How are you?" and "Do you understand English?" I am working hard on expanding my Japanese vocabulary, but the start of school will soon take its toil. How pessimistic!