Tastes like burning
Anyone else having troubles with the recent temperatures? I'm sure all of you are, unless you never leave your air conditioned home. In that case I hope you burn in the afterlife (which could come quicker than you might imagine if you leave me your address in the comments section). It's frickin' scorching outside! I can't even step outside for more than 30 seconds without sweating. Heck, I sweat while I'm sleeping on my bed with no covers. Dammit!
Of course, this is where I might mention that air conditioning does not exist in my house (a foolish oversight to be sure). As a matter of fact, temperatures on the main floor have been reaching in excess of 32 degrees Celsius and temperature in this room where I am blogging from been in excess of 34 degrees. Naturally, this also means the house the extremely humid on the ground floor and especially on the second floor. Did I mention that its hot? And humid? Freakin'! In order to make it marginally cooler we have employed the age-old strategy of opening windows such that a current of air flows through the house. Since the air outside is hot and humid, this usually has little to no affect, except to make the blinds bounce against the window every now and then.
The same method of cooling is also employed in my car, which also suffers from the same lack of air conditioning (it used to have it but my dad broke it sometime before the car was given to me). The windows at leat least do something here but I can't say that it helps all that much - by the time I drive off my street I'm already sweating.
To further the problem, I'm constantly tired due to sleeping late. This is really not a good thing when I'm on the road in 30+ degrees weather. Have you ever had the sun work its lulling magic on you... when you can feel the heat and your mind starts to get muddy and before you know it you are drifting off? Yeah? Yeah. So I need sleep, and now would probably be good. The rant will continue tomorrow. Good night.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
The cell phone saga
The story of a lone phone, and its journey home
**Warning: this is a long read, even moreso than usual.**
[Prelude]
As you may know, my cell phone was confiscated well over a month ago in an examination, in my ECO105 one on May 8, 2003 to be precise. I had accidentally worn it in since I was so accustomed to its weight on my belt. When it was taken from me, I was told that I would be contacted when my phone was ready for pickup after a through inspection by the Dean's Office. No such contact was ever made.
[Chapter I]
For over 4 weeks I was phoneless, largely since the University did not bother contacting me regarding the status of my cell phone like they said they would. I knew something had to be done; who knew what horrors my phone was being subjected to? After playing a bit of phone tag, I eventually got through to someone who knew something and I was given the whereabouts of my precious Nokia. I was overjoyed; my phone's liberation was at hand. Taking Wilmer "the Pole" with me (since I decided I might have use for brute force), I went downtown at around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday June 10, 2003 to bring my electronic friend home.
I had eventually located where I was supposed to go (after the various secretaries at Sid Smith directed me all over the place) and, surprise surprise, the lady I had to see was at a meeting. It was annoying the way the system was set up with only one person with access to the cell phones; she was the only one with the combination/key to the cabinet where they were kept. To kill time, the Pole and I walked around campus a bit and we ran into Courtney (my ex-suitemate) at lunchtime. We had a nice chat looking at some hilarious pics from RJ420 (the only pics sadly); my only complaint is that that girl really needs to learn to use COLOR film. *sigh* She couldn't stay long though (she had to go horse riding) so soon it was back to the waiting game at the Arts and Science office.
By 2:00 p.m. I was seriously considering using some Polish muscle; more frighteningly, Polish was seriously considering using some Polish muscle. Not wanting to be kicked out of University just yet, we continued to hang around but even at 2:30 I had no luck with the lady (the assistant registrar I believe) coming back. Wilmer and I tried to look like thugs hanging around the office (not hard with him in a wife-beater and me just glaring at people) but we eventually gave that up and settled for being just bums sitting in the hallway. At 3:00 p.m. I sent my accomplice off to get the car so we would leave as soon as I got my phone since I had to get back to Markham by 4:00; also we didn't exactly park legally so I wanted to get my car out as soon as possible. Every 2 minutes or so the assistant in the office assured me that she would be back "any minute now." It was a good thing the Pole wasn't around or he would have probably done something rash and deserving.
That minute turned out to be 3:14 p.m. - it turned out that she had finished her meeting at 2:30 but had decided to chat with some friends on the back patio. I didn't think that I could be anymore annoyed that I was then. She brushed me aside to talk to her assistant for a couple minutes and then finally ushered me into her office where she made me wait while she finished up some paperwork. Finally, she asked me what I wanted and when I informed that I was here to reclaim my cell phone she changed her tone. "Oh" she said, as if realising that one of those students. She retrieved my phone promptly but gave me a lecture about not bringing cell phones into examinations before letting me go away with it.
Her (with my phone in hand): So was that your first exam?
Me (eyeing my phone): No ma'am, it was my last one on-
Her (now holding my phone with both hands): -then you should have known better. Did you not see the signs? It was announced everywhere that cell phones were not to be brought into the writing area. Do you know why cell phones are prohibited?
Me (considering grabbing the phone and running for the door): Uhhh... I'd guess cheating? With text messages and such?
Her (lecturing): Precisely, it is our job to ensure a fair and equal environment for the students... (insert Charlie Brown teacher voice here)
Anyhow, I finally left WITH my battery-drained phone at around 3:22 and despite traffic on the Don Valley I made it back in good time. Wilmer made some comment about why I didn't just punch the lady and leave but I wasn't really listening. My phone was coming home! When I returned home I immediately plugged my phone into the charger and whistled happily to myself.
[Chapter II]
The next day I checked my now fully charged phone - I turned it on and I got the Nokia symbol etc. it was great! It was working, it was powered, and it was... off. For no reason my phone just turned off - then it turned back on. And off. And on. And it continued until I snapped out of my disbelief and turned it off myself. Broken! UofT broke my phone! I had no idea what to do; I didn't think that I'd be able to get kind of reimbursement from UofT since I had no proof that they broke it (and since screwing people does appear to be a part of their policy). Frustrated and angry, I called my dad and he had the idea that it might only be a small problem that could be easily fixed. So on Sunday June 15th we went to the Rogers store at Times Square in Richmond Hill to have them take a look at it.
I don't know why we bothered as the people there were obviously just salespeople and not phone technicians but I did find out that my phone was still covered on a 1-year warranty. They said they would send my phone to the factory for repairs and give me a loaner phone in the meanwhile (so I wouldn't lose anymore of the 5 weeks of paid cell services that was already wasted). Of course all this was pending my father's ability to procure a receipt. Assuring me that he had it somewhere at his place, my father dropped me off at home. Knowing him like I do, I groaned and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised when he called me at work on Tuesday letting me know he had found the original receipt. I arranged with him to get the proof of purchase I required and went to bed that night feeling good about my phone's future.
[Chapter III]
Today I went back to Times Square, receipt and broken cell phone in hand. My Nokia was disassembled and put into a bag and I was handed a used but functioning older Motorola phone. On a separate note, I must say that its weird dealing with Chinese shops. I spoke Cantonese with the sales representative at first but I hesitated at one point and used English to convey my point (something about my phone battery being drained at one point). From that point on, she spoke accented English to me despite the fact that I continued to use Chinese. It was really kind of odd. Mostly I think its either because of my slightly accented Chinese and that fact that I guess I didn't know the Chinese "lingo" (colloquial phrases) that she got the impression that I was uncomfortable speaking the language. *shrug* To be honest I was feeling a little uneasy, but I wanted to practice speaking. It's becoming harder and harder to get to speak Chinese regularly now that my grandmother no longer lives with me.
[Epilogue]
Anyway, I got home and charged the phone I had borrowed and yes, now I can once again be reached at my cell! However I don't have any of my old contacts; it's really very annoying as I haven't memorized any of my friend's cell numbers yet. I knew I should have saved my numbers on the SIM card - damn. Well at least for now I'm enjoying the change of cell phone games here... they have Bricks! In three weeks time though I should be using my own phone once again, and it will be the end of its long and arduous journey.
The story of a lone phone, and its journey home
**Warning: this is a long read, even moreso than usual.**
[Prelude]
As you may know, my cell phone was confiscated well over a month ago in an examination, in my ECO105 one on May 8, 2003 to be precise. I had accidentally worn it in since I was so accustomed to its weight on my belt. When it was taken from me, I was told that I would be contacted when my phone was ready for pickup after a through inspection by the Dean's Office. No such contact was ever made.
[Chapter I]
For over 4 weeks I was phoneless, largely since the University did not bother contacting me regarding the status of my cell phone like they said they would. I knew something had to be done; who knew what horrors my phone was being subjected to? After playing a bit of phone tag, I eventually got through to someone who knew something and I was given the whereabouts of my precious Nokia. I was overjoyed; my phone's liberation was at hand. Taking Wilmer "the Pole" with me (since I decided I might have use for brute force), I went downtown at around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday June 10, 2003 to bring my electronic friend home.
I had eventually located where I was supposed to go (after the various secretaries at Sid Smith directed me all over the place) and, surprise surprise, the lady I had to see was at a meeting. It was annoying the way the system was set up with only one person with access to the cell phones; she was the only one with the combination/key to the cabinet where they were kept. To kill time, the Pole and I walked around campus a bit and we ran into Courtney (my ex-suitemate) at lunchtime. We had a nice chat looking at some hilarious pics from RJ420 (the only pics sadly); my only complaint is that that girl really needs to learn to use COLOR film. *sigh* She couldn't stay long though (she had to go horse riding) so soon it was back to the waiting game at the Arts and Science office.
By 2:00 p.m. I was seriously considering using some Polish muscle; more frighteningly, Polish was seriously considering using some Polish muscle. Not wanting to be kicked out of University just yet, we continued to hang around but even at 2:30 I had no luck with the lady (the assistant registrar I believe) coming back. Wilmer and I tried to look like thugs hanging around the office (not hard with him in a wife-beater and me just glaring at people) but we eventually gave that up and settled for being just bums sitting in the hallway. At 3:00 p.m. I sent my accomplice off to get the car so we would leave as soon as I got my phone since I had to get back to Markham by 4:00; also we didn't exactly park legally so I wanted to get my car out as soon as possible. Every 2 minutes or so the assistant in the office assured me that she would be back "any minute now." It was a good thing the Pole wasn't around or he would have probably done something rash and deserving.
That minute turned out to be 3:14 p.m. - it turned out that she had finished her meeting at 2:30 but had decided to chat with some friends on the back patio. I didn't think that I could be anymore annoyed that I was then. She brushed me aside to talk to her assistant for a couple minutes and then finally ushered me into her office where she made me wait while she finished up some paperwork. Finally, she asked me what I wanted and when I informed that I was here to reclaim my cell phone she changed her tone. "Oh" she said, as if realising that one of those students. She retrieved my phone promptly but gave me a lecture about not bringing cell phones into examinations before letting me go away with it.
Her (with my phone in hand): So was that your first exam?
Me (eyeing my phone): No ma'am, it was my last one on-
Her (now holding my phone with both hands): -then you should have known better. Did you not see the signs? It was announced everywhere that cell phones were not to be brought into the writing area. Do you know why cell phones are prohibited?
Me (considering grabbing the phone and running for the door): Uhhh... I'd guess cheating? With text messages and such?
Her (lecturing): Precisely, it is our job to ensure a fair and equal environment for the students... (insert Charlie Brown teacher voice here)
Anyhow, I finally left WITH my battery-drained phone at around 3:22 and despite traffic on the Don Valley I made it back in good time. Wilmer made some comment about why I didn't just punch the lady and leave but I wasn't really listening. My phone was coming home! When I returned home I immediately plugged my phone into the charger and whistled happily to myself.
[Chapter II]
The next day I checked my now fully charged phone - I turned it on and I got the Nokia symbol etc. it was great! It was working, it was powered, and it was... off. For no reason my phone just turned off - then it turned back on. And off. And on. And it continued until I snapped out of my disbelief and turned it off myself. Broken! UofT broke my phone! I had no idea what to do; I didn't think that I'd be able to get kind of reimbursement from UofT since I had no proof that they broke it (and since screwing people does appear to be a part of their policy). Frustrated and angry, I called my dad and he had the idea that it might only be a small problem that could be easily fixed. So on Sunday June 15th we went to the Rogers store at Times Square in Richmond Hill to have them take a look at it.
I don't know why we bothered as the people there were obviously just salespeople and not phone technicians but I did find out that my phone was still covered on a 1-year warranty. They said they would send my phone to the factory for repairs and give me a loaner phone in the meanwhile (so I wouldn't lose anymore of the 5 weeks of paid cell services that was already wasted). Of course all this was pending my father's ability to procure a receipt. Assuring me that he had it somewhere at his place, my father dropped me off at home. Knowing him like I do, I groaned and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised when he called me at work on Tuesday letting me know he had found the original receipt. I arranged with him to get the proof of purchase I required and went to bed that night feeling good about my phone's future.
[Chapter III]
Today I went back to Times Square, receipt and broken cell phone in hand. My Nokia was disassembled and put into a bag and I was handed a used but functioning older Motorola phone. On a separate note, I must say that its weird dealing with Chinese shops. I spoke Cantonese with the sales representative at first but I hesitated at one point and used English to convey my point (something about my phone battery being drained at one point). From that point on, she spoke accented English to me despite the fact that I continued to use Chinese. It was really kind of odd. Mostly I think its either because of my slightly accented Chinese and that fact that I guess I didn't know the Chinese "lingo" (colloquial phrases) that she got the impression that I was uncomfortable speaking the language. *shrug* To be honest I was feeling a little uneasy, but I wanted to practice speaking. It's becoming harder and harder to get to speak Chinese regularly now that my grandmother no longer lives with me.
[Epilogue]
Anyway, I got home and charged the phone I had borrowed and yes, now I can once again be reached at my cell! However I don't have any of my old contacts; it's really very annoying as I haven't memorized any of my friend's cell numbers yet. I knew I should have saved my numbers on the SIM card - damn. Well at least for now I'm enjoying the change of cell phone games here... they have Bricks! In three weeks time though I should be using my own phone once again, and it will be the end of its long and arduous journey.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
MVMF
I still really want to continue the Gunslinger but there isn't too much reading time this week with the Markham Village Music Festival coming this Saturday. I just got back at 10:00 p.m. from a 7:00 committee meeting. I mean, it's all worth it I guess - with the entertainment lineup we've got going and the kinds of events that we'll have running. From a skateboard competition to a silent auction, there'll be something for everyone. The fact that its the people of Markham will have an opportunity to enjoy this almost makes days like this worth it. Almost. So come one, come all. Come on to the Music Festival!
Now for specific targetting... Come out and enjoy the talents of our local musicians. Support your community. Lots of food and fun, for everyone. The event is highly attended by attractive asian girls. Hmm.. I think that just about does it for appealing to my friends... you can guess which ones.
I still really want to continue the Gunslinger but there isn't too much reading time this week with the Markham Village Music Festival coming this Saturday. I just got back at 10:00 p.m. from a 7:00 committee meeting. I mean, it's all worth it I guess - with the entertainment lineup we've got going and the kinds of events that we'll have running. From a skateboard competition to a silent auction, there'll be something for everyone. The fact that its the people of Markham will have an opportunity to enjoy this almost makes days like this worth it. Almost. So come one, come all. Come on to the Music Festival!
Now for specific targetting... Come out and enjoy the talents of our local musicians. Support your community. Lots of food and fun, for everyone. The event is highly attended by attractive asian girls. Hmm.. I think that just about does it for appealing to my friends... you can guess which ones.
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Just the Road and I
What do I like to do when I've slept the day away? DRIVE!!! After work yesterday (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) I went home and collapsed into a nice dreamless sleep. When I woke up, the clock read 11:15. Man... well I had plenty of energy and I wanted to do something but obviously I couldn't find any of my friends who agreed with me (actually the Pole was good to go but I couldn't get a hold of him). I tried to entertain myself with the usual on the Internet (games, ICQ, news) but even that got boring soon, believe it or not. (if only there were people online to play Warcraft III with...). I was determined to go outside so that's what I did. I took care of the important things first... I drove over to Pizza Pizza for dinner. I made use of the 25 minutes that it took for my stuffed sandwich to be made (isn't that longer than they usually need? Damn pizzaman) by reading a book that was highly recommended to me (to the point that it was borrowed from the library for me therefore forcing me to read it). The Gunslinger by Stephen King... so far it seems to be a very interesting read, but we'll see. *grin*
After I left Pizza Pizza, it was around 2:00 a.m. Not entirely satisfied with my excursion quite yet, I wanted to have a goal. Then I remember something I had tried to do a month ago. Last summer, my friends and I occasionally went and hiked at some trail somewhere in the southeast area of Markham. I had tried to find it before but was unable to. Feeling charged with purpose, I revved off into the night.
Well, given that I couldn't find it in broad daylight I guess something should have clicked in my mind that trying to locate a small entrance in the side of the road in the pitch darkness of the night would be rather difficult. So I didn't find it, but I guess that wasn't the point. The driving and getting out there was the point. I find that for me driving alone on a road without street lights is really relaxing. Just turn off the radio, open the windows and drive( and its doesn't have to be fast, although I stayed near the maximum). No cars, no lights, no noise (other than my clugging vehicle) - just fresh air and that's it. Of course the little trip cost me almost a quarter of my fuel tank but still, it was worth it. My only advice would be to avoid the dirt road (I hit a few of those out in the boonies). And of course stay on the right side of the road; well try at least. =P
What do I like to do when I've slept the day away? DRIVE!!! After work yesterday (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) I went home and collapsed into a nice dreamless sleep. When I woke up, the clock read 11:15. Man... well I had plenty of energy and I wanted to do something but obviously I couldn't find any of my friends who agreed with me (actually the Pole was good to go but I couldn't get a hold of him). I tried to entertain myself with the usual on the Internet (games, ICQ, news) but even that got boring soon, believe it or not. (if only there were people online to play Warcraft III with...). I was determined to go outside so that's what I did. I took care of the important things first... I drove over to Pizza Pizza for dinner. I made use of the 25 minutes that it took for my stuffed sandwich to be made (isn't that longer than they usually need? Damn pizzaman) by reading a book that was highly recommended to me (to the point that it was borrowed from the library for me therefore forcing me to read it). The Gunslinger by Stephen King... so far it seems to be a very interesting read, but we'll see. *grin*
After I left Pizza Pizza, it was around 2:00 a.m. Not entirely satisfied with my excursion quite yet, I wanted to have a goal. Then I remember something I had tried to do a month ago. Last summer, my friends and I occasionally went and hiked at some trail somewhere in the southeast area of Markham. I had tried to find it before but was unable to. Feeling charged with purpose, I revved off into the night.
Well, given that I couldn't find it in broad daylight I guess something should have clicked in my mind that trying to locate a small entrance in the side of the road in the pitch darkness of the night would be rather difficult. So I didn't find it, but I guess that wasn't the point. The driving and getting out there was the point. I find that for me driving alone on a road without street lights is really relaxing. Just turn off the radio, open the windows and drive( and its doesn't have to be fast, although I stayed near the maximum). No cars, no lights, no noise (other than my clugging vehicle) - just fresh air and that's it. Of course the little trip cost me almost a quarter of my fuel tank but still, it was worth it. My only advice would be to avoid the dirt road (I hit a few of those out in the boonies). And of course stay on the right side of the road; well try at least. =P
Saturday, June 14, 2003
To the Banquet I say!
Music Banquet! Ah the good memories of years past, and the good memories made last night. There's not much to say, just that it was nice to see a lot of people I knew there, the food was exactly the same as it was each year (bad pasta, tasty salad, etc.) and the music was mediocre (What is with the music skipping every 30 seconds? It happened last year too, but I guess it WAS Paul in charge of it once again this year... and play some Savage Garden dammit!). Congratulations are in order to all the award winners, you all deserved it (esp. Tasha - silly girl).
Joyce - NO MORE HOT PEPPERS!!! But thanks for a great time once again. =)
I'm going to once again make an effort to post a bit more these days. Its hard now - so used I am to "blogging hour" at RJ420. *sigh* RJ420 - the name still makes me long for those days of laziness and nights of craziness. At least there was a constant then, now I don't even know what's what anymore.
Music Banquet! Ah the good memories of years past, and the good memories made last night. There's not much to say, just that it was nice to see a lot of people I knew there, the food was exactly the same as it was each year (bad pasta, tasty salad, etc.) and the music was mediocre (What is with the music skipping every 30 seconds? It happened last year too, but I guess it WAS Paul in charge of it once again this year... and play some Savage Garden dammit!). Congratulations are in order to all the award winners, you all deserved it (esp. Tasha - silly girl).
Joyce - NO MORE HOT PEPPERS!!! But thanks for a great time once again. =)
I'm going to once again make an effort to post a bit more these days. Its hard now - so used I am to "blogging hour" at RJ420. *sigh* RJ420 - the name still makes me long for those days of laziness and nights of craziness. At least there was a constant then, now I don't even know what's what anymore.