Life in a Suitcase

Monday, July 23, 2007

Dead like ______

While I was only halfway through Harry Potter and my brother was finished, he joked about Harry dying. That's been the speculation for several books now, so it wasn't any sort of spoiler and in my head I was thinking that he'd be Buffy-dead. The way she died in that first Season - dead for a minute, then back to life to save the world. And indeed, that's what happened. Now I've just finished off Season 5 of Buffy and I'm thinking Buffy is now Harry-dead. I'm glad once more that I didn't watch these in realtime - it would have annoyed me a lot to wait an entire summer to find out what happens next.

What to say about Season 5? I wasn't overly pleased about the whole Riley leaving set-up. He was so passive-agressive in the end there. All that "you don't give me what I need, give me a reason to stay, you won't let me take care of you" bullshit. He didn't take any responsibility for himself or his emotions. The relegating of emotional health to a woman as her responsibility within a relationship isn't very feminist. He even tells her she throws like a girl! So, while this particular girl can beat him, girls in general can still be used as a put-down and synonomous with weakness. He replaced Xander in this season as my least favourite character. Xander wasn't so great in his speech to Buffy either about the whole running after Riley - suggesting that if she loved him, she should just forget the whole vampire-sucking/cheating and go get him back. The season redeems itself with the robo-girlfriend episode, which has Buffy realising that she doesn't "...need a guy right now. I need me."

There was another silent episode, the one about her mother's death. It's interesting how effectively the lack of noise can be used to create an emotional response. Because I've been watching the seasons so quickly, it was hard not to compare it with Hush, which has so far been one of my favourite episodes and the only one that has ever made me a little bit on the scared side (and I quite like being scared). I think the silence was more effective at creating fear in Hush than sadness here - in the death episode it worked for me for awhile, but then I found it stopped. I can think of some other shows that have used this technique effectively - an episode of ER comes to mind off hand. It got me thinking about whether or not I had ever seen the same technique used to portray happiness or love and I can't think of any examples.

Where is the damn musical episode? Everyone raves about it and I want to see it already!

And So It Ends

I've finished the last Harry Potter book. It was good. Not great. Basically, I found the first 350 pages or so to be a bit boring and then it finally got fun. The epilogue was a bit disappointing - it doesn't tell you much about anyone beyond Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. That is actually my main beef with the whole book - too little focus on the secondary characters.

I didn't love the first two Harry Potter books - they were fine but nothing too special. I didn't much love the last two either - they were a bit over long and a tad tedious. However, those three in the middle were fantastic. All in all, it's been a great series of books, one that appears to have engaged many children in reading (always a good thing) and rekindled my interest in reading children's literature as an adult (along with His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman). Not half bad for something started in a coffee shop just a couple of blocks away from where I once lived!

A Panda Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.

Dear John,

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy—will you let me be yours?

Gloria

- - - - - - - - - -

Dear John,

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours,
Gloria

- - - - - - - - - -

Robot, said its boss, is an idiot.

Robot said, "Its boss is an idiot."

I Kinda Hate Buffy

Look what they did to Tara!

The Best Laid Plans...

The idea was a disc of Buffy a day and now that I've finished the book I was reading, to read Harry Potter over a day or so. Knowing my brother stayed up all night reading it and listening to my mom and sister demanding to know what happens almost scuppered the plan - I was ready to skip my one disc of Buffy. But I didn't and the damn disc ended with Buffy's mom looking quite dead on a couch and Spike with plans to build a Buffybot. It's the middle of the damn night and I am not going to be able to resist watching another damn disc! And the Harry Potter reading is going right out the window!

I don't think I have an addictive personality but obsessive nails me right on the head.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Sweetness in a Small Package

"What's that?"

"Where are you going?"

"What are you doing?"

"A-pa!" (Grandpa-she can say it, she just chooses not to)

Emily talking is the cutest thing ever. She slurs everything together and hasn't got all the letter noises down pat yet. And she speaks in what are obviously full sentences, though many of the words are either nonsense or incomprehensible. Very cute.

Also cute is Chloe and her commando crawling.

For those who might not follow the comments...

I am deeply concerned that after reading my post about knickknacks you all may now be picturing me buying Precious Moments figurines. Not the kind of knickknacks I'm talking about.

I mean wooden Buddha heads and fancy Asian jewellery boxes and scrolls to put on the wall and enough fancy chopsticks to throw a banquet for a hundred or so. Lots of stuff with elephants on it. Asian style knickknacks.

So far my figurine range doesn't go past Buddhas, an elephant thingy, and one of those penis-head statues from Jejudo.

Perhaps I should have used a different word? Some of it is sort of in the range of art, but certainly not all. Some of it is maybe more in the area of handicrafts. Dunno.

It's here!

Lindsay just got home from work, so I know am well supplied with shaving cream in a lovely berry scent and have the final Harry Potter book. I also know two people who are already finished reading it! Crazyness.

The problem? I'm already reading two books. The Ethical Imagination by Margaret Somerville, which is very cool and non-fiction, which must be obvious from the title. It'll take me awhile because it's very thought-provoking. And Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes - total chick-lit but one of my fav authors for a relaxing read. I'm two-thirds through it and I am really enjoying it. Finish it before starting Harry? Dilemna.

And this is going to put a dent in my Buffy watching. Yesterday was bad enough - I had errands to run and went to see Hairspray, so I only got through a single disc! For me, that's not very impressive. Season 5 is gonna take me forever at this rate. Though the pressure's off - even if I have to leave soon, Samarra has my back :)

Friday, July 20, 2007

What is Written

An article has been written about a man who sent Austin manuscripts to publishers and got rejection slips for his trouble. I think I would recognise Pride and Prejudice but perhaps not her other novels. I've read a couple and I like them but I was never a huge enough fan to read them all.

Then there is this article which is all about the public aspects of Facebook, Myspace, and blogs and how they are used by journalists. It's interesting because while on my blog my life is being portrayed generally in a more well-rounded way, my Myspace in particular is not. It's a lot of joking by friends, a lot of funny references to evenings out, a lot of exaggeration, and some fairly carefully selected photos. It's a site I use for very particular purposes. My facebook is a bit better rounded, but again, since I don't blog there, it is far from a complete picture of my life or myself. And then, naturally, there are many things about my life that will never make it onto the internet. I wonder what journalists would make of me, simply from my online persona.

What gives a girl power and punch? Is it charm, is it poise?

No, it's Hairspray!

Another trip to the Bolton cinema, with Lindsay and Kari this time. I must admit, I didn't really want to see it, so I wasn't expecting much. I really liked it. I haven't seen the original, so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I liked all of the main characters - even John Travolta didn't do a half bad job. I'm not sure why the role is played by a man in drag, but it did get some titters out of the pre-teen small-town audience.

I googled to find out more about John Waters and found this article and this very amusing quote:

"Oh, honey, I'd be so happy if you turned nellie ... you could change! Queers are just better. I'd be so proud if you was a fag and had a nice beautician boyfriend. I'd never have to worry. I worry you'll work in an office, have children, celebrate wedding anniversaries. The world of a heterosexual is a sick and boring life!"

The more I read, the more I realise that this version of Hairspray is definitely not a John Waters film, in so many ways. I really must see the original because if I liked the remake this much, then it can only get better.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Timeline

The timeline for Buffy - when she went to school and started college - is close to my own. The clothing, music, even some of the slang reminds me strongly of growing up. I've enjoyed the forth season a lot. I no longer dislike Xander. I still see some of the negativeness around the use of the word slut (again Willow using it-against Faith-which I find a bit out of character for her.) And what was up with sex bringing on a poltergeist?

The issues of cheating and responsibility came up a lot. First there was Buffy and Parker, with the player storyline. Then Oz and Willow, which I didn't really like. Oz didn't take any responsibility for his cheating, really, just blamed it on his animal nature. Unless the running away was supposed to be him taking responsibility. Then Riley slept with Faith-inside-of-Buffy and later he was worried that Buffy had slept with Angel and turned him bad again.

I didn't think much of Angel's reappearances, but I think that to fully follow them I'd have to watch Angel as well. I briefly entertained the idea of starting Angel now and watching them together, but I think I am too interested in finishing Buffy first. I liked Riley well enough - especially as he tells Buffy: "No one giving you orders... I like it." I loved the way they handled the beginning of the relationship between Willow and Tara.

What was up with that last episode? I really wasn't a fan. Worst one I've seen so far.

Crush Alleigance

Mine has transfered from Angel (who, along with my geeky love of things about digging, is why I watch Bones) to Tara.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Marathon

The odd thing about watching Buffy so quickly is that I feel very connected to the characters. I haven't lost all touch with reality or anything, but it's been about two weeks or less and I'm halfway through the 4th season. I'll tell you one thing - some of it is really annoying after my DVD binge. I find the fight scenes really tedious and the theme song grates badly on my nerves.

The first scary episode - Hush, where no one could speak. Now, maybe it was that I was watching it in the dark, late at night, but it made me a bit jumpy. I've never found Buffy spooky before, but that was wiggy, as Buffy would say.

I'm waiting impatiently to get to discuss Buffy with people - so far I'm trying to avoid spoilers. But I liked some of the music and wanted to look it up, so I've done a bit of looking on the web (also to find quotes) and man, is the Buffy fan community intense. It's not a religion, folks! And it most certainly isn't above critical analysis.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Good Reading

Go check out As We Are Magazine. It's a really cool, feminist site made by a friend of mine.

As We Are is a new magazine for women. Read about issues and ideas that support the belief that you are good enough as you are right now! Visit www.aswearemagazine.com every day for new content including articles and podcasts!

By clicking through from this site, you are helping this blogger to win a cash prize!

Haiku

Each day forces us
to totter on planks we hope
will become bridges.

Kevin Hart, Australian poet

The 8 random things meme

I've been tagged by Kay.

The rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

Eight Random Facts:

1. I've had four passports in my life and I've had to self-guarantee two of them. The first because I was mugged in Italy and had to get an emergency passport in Rome and the second because I had it done in Hong Kong, less than a week after I arrived. I got my first passport not because I was travelling anywhere but in order to get into bars, since I wasn't getting my license and I needed ID. The mugging story is kinda funny - I got away with only losing a small amount of cash and a credit card I wasn't using anyway, as I had two pockets in my money belt and I only handed over one. Which included not only my passport, but also the photocopy of it that I travelled with in case the passport was lost or stolen. Not a very bright place to keep it. And then I had a bit of a time explaining why I had a Scottish sounding accent and lived in Edinburgh and had no proof I was Canadian, but was in need of a new Canadian passport.

2. My baby toes have toenails that grown vertically instead of horizontally. My grandfather had webbed feet apparently (although he had had both legs amputated by the time I was around) and so this was one of the first things my mother would look for as the 4 of us were born. I escaped the webbed toes gene but inherited my paternal grandmothers feet, which frankly aren't much prettier and don't have the added advantage of helping me swim faster.

3. As a child, I thought that everyone was able to stare at things off in the distance and see two of them. And that it was a very amusing game to play when lying in bed just after waking up in the morning. Turns out, I have double vision caused by too many eye muscles in one of my eyes. That isn't uncommon. What is is that I only have the problem at a distance, whereas most people would see double up close as well. The problem gets picked up in children when they have a hard time learning to read in school, which of course never happened to me. Back then, the problem could have been fixed with a pirate-like eyepatch. By the time I found out I needed surgery that involved sticking scalpels into my eye while I was awake. Not unsurprisingly, I turned it down. And no, I don't see 4 when I'm drunk. Though when drunk or very tired I lose my ability to force myself to see single. And it is hell in close up pictures.

4. Speaking of glasses - I lied for a couple of years before admitting I needed them. I couldn't see the blackboard to save my life, but I survived by copying off of people and getting very, very good at guessing what I was seeing. I finally caved and got glasses in grade 8, when our class had a trip planned to see Les Miserables and I knew we were going to have terrible seats. By then my vision was so bad, people would comment on some person in a crowd as being really good-looking and I wouldn't even be able to have picked out said person's gender at the same distance. I don't wear my glasses for anything up close (computer, reading, etc.) or when in my own house. In other people's house, including my parents, or whenever holding a conversation, I feel uncomfortable if they aren't on.

5. The first musical I ever saw was Cats. The first movie I can clearly remember seeing in the theatres was ET.

6. Speaking of early memories, one of the earliest clear ones I have is of visiting my grandfather in the hospital. What is clearest is a memory of walking down long, white corridors with lots of doors.

7. I love shopping for knickknacks when I travel to decorate with one day, when I have my own place. This is in spite of the fact that I can't, in a million years, actually imagine owning my own place. If you've recently bought a house and my response has been along the lines of comatose, it's because I haven't the slightest clue what to say. Things like house-ownership are so out of my lifestyle they leave me tongue-tied.

8. My book-buying obsession stems from working in a bank. I was always a fairly prolific book-buyer, but until then I basically only bought as many as I could read. Excluding textbooks. Naturally, I bought those and then perversely went off and read something else - related, but not what was on the list (the worst classes for that was ones that made you buy those photocopied collections of readings. There is no sensual pleasure to be gained from reading from that kind of material. I would just go out and buy normal, every day books on the same subjects and read them instead). However, I walked past 3 or 4 charity shops on my way home from work in Edinburgh and would be so depressed by my job that I would buy books to cheer me up. They made me feel that even though I wasn't required to use more than a couple of braincells at work, I was still using my brain. However, in two years I acquired about 400 books. I will have to retire early to ever catch up in my reading and I am these days known for my insanely large libraries, regardless of how short a time I have lived somewhere.

I tag Kristie, Sofiya, Thistle, MsP, lincolnzoe, gosling, Jenny, Sam.

Season 3 is at an End

It's 4am, I'm very tired, and there is a cricket hopping around my bedroom. Chester appears to have let some of his food escape. I'm not quite sure I understand when dogs and cats became passe and lizards became the pet du jour. (I haven't the slightest clue how to put in the required French accents.)

By the end of the season, I'm liking Xander a lot more. He seems to have become less annoying since his character was almost killed by Faith. And as for the evil duo of Faith and the Mayor - as spectacular as that last couple of episodes was, I won't miss them. I found them kind of tedious as villians. Since I know Spike comes back (and I assume Druscilla), I think the quality of the villians is about to go up. There was some fun foreshadowing with the Vampire Willow (I'd have had to have been living in a cave not to have heard the major spoiler about her) and I'm glad that the brief bit where Cordelia wasn't in as much seems to have ended. I must admit that I'm starting to find the fight scenes a bit tedious, due to the marathon watching. Though seeing this show one episode a week for seven years would have driven me batty!

But no more Angel! Okay, okay, Spike is funnier. But who is going to be all dark, sexy and brooding from now on? And that has got to have been the hottest Tai Chi ever to hit the screens. I'll be watching Angel and I don't care if it isn't supposed to be as good as Buffy. I liked him, in all his dark-tortured-ness.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Check out this game I found on Facebook! Careful though, because it is highly addictive.

So That's How It's Done!

While I was skimming O Magazine, I also had a look at Psychologies Magazine. I have a fondness for British magazines in general - I like the use of language, so different than North America.

What did I learn? Well, there was a whole article to tell you how to become more confident about your body for the summer season. Apparently the answer is using beauty products!

Great! Now that I've got that sorted out, I'm off to solve world peace through consumption too!

Oh No, O!

Being back in Canada for me means clothes shopping - since I don't exactly conform to the Korean ideal shape (or the North American one, but here I'm not quite so far off, I guess). Which also means lots of lovely afternoons drinking coffee and reading magazines in Indigo for free. I should start being a little more discriminating, perhaps, because I read O Magazine and I wasn't impressed.

July's issue is all about losing your inhibitions. All the women are writing about accepting and appreciating your body: "If you feel self-conscious without clothes, let a smile be your sarong" writes Amy Bloom. So why is Oprah letting Adam Glassman convey the exact opposite in his column?

Adam starts out by answering the question Is it worse to dress too boringly or too young?" His fabulous answer, that encourages love of differing body types and losing inhibitions?

It's off-putting to see a short, body-flaunting dress on a woman with an older face, even if she has a good shape...This season everything on the runway was very short, even landing at midthigh. Ignore this. A long, gauzy skirt is sexier.

First off, women should wear whatever they want. If we shouldn't call Buffy a slut for wearing revealing clothing (and we shouldn't), then we shouldn't tell older women that their bodies have to be hidden either.

Later in the article he tells us that his first law of summer is "nobody should go sleveless unless her arms are in good shape." Fantastic! So, if you don't look like a movie star, feel free to overheat this summer, while keeping those unsightly arms out of the public gaze. He tells us that elbows are "another body part I don't like to see flaunted unless it's smooth and well cared for." And since I browsed the website for links, I've additionally learned that my nude toenails are quite the affront to fashion.

So in the same episode that celebrates Sarah Jessica Parker's new line of clothing, which includes advertisements that use older models and comes in sizes 2-22, we have good, old Adam suggesting that these women be careful! After all, if Adam and other young, heterosexual males aren't going to be impressed with your body, maybe you should just keep it under wraps. Preferably long, gauzy wraps. Sarah Jessica Parker says that: "There are no laws about how to dress. Show your confidence and take some chances." Adam would presumably prefer to agree to disagree on that one.

O Magazine has those little pull out cards with quotes. Being one of those types who has several books full of quotes I have liked over the years written down, I'm usually a fan. This month she instructs us to:

"Place these inhibition-dissolving cards in your lingerie drawer, on a mirror, or by your bedside, as reminders to tune in, turn out, and set yourself wildly, transformingly free."

But the same magazines states that Speedos on a man should be illegal and when talking about nude beaches questions "why is it that the bodies we don't want to see naked are always the ones parading around?" Mixed messages, much?

What were you thinking Oprah?

I couldn't find all the quotes online. Adam Says was on page 92 of the July issue of O and the comment about nude beaches was on page 43.

Gingerbread

Well, that episode of Buffy will make eating a gingerbread house a different experience from now on... Granted, I can't recall the last time I made or ate a gingerbread house. And I guess the title didn't have that much to do with the episode.

It was interesting. A comment on the reactions in schools after school shootings - blame the "freaks."

Also an interesting comment on women and children. Save the children by punishing the bad girls. I think that is a statement worth reflecting on, as it applies to society.

Buffy Obsessed

So, I've now plowed through the last 10 episodes of Season 2 and the first 8 of Season 3 in a weekend. My brother and I were joking about how long it would take to watch the entire thing, saying that you could easily watch a disc a night, which is a season a week, so it'd be about two months, a bit more if you include Angel. Then I joked that 22 episodes at 40 minutes each were doable in a single day, if you started off well rested. Apparently that's exactly how he watches them.

So, did the Religious Right have anything to do with the script for Surprise & Innocence? Have premarital sex, make your boyfriend lose his soul! All kidding aside, I've been getting more and more engrossed. I have a mad crush on Angel, in his sensitive vampire state or his evil one. I like the developing complexity of the Slayer-Watcher relationship. I think that Spike is going to be hilarious. My favourite episode recently? The one where the grown-ups start acting like teenagers. Buffy's mom and Giles were hysterical.

I'm not very fond of Xander. And I think the show sends out some weird messages about sexuality. Xander tells Corelia "Wear something trashy...er." and refers to Buffy as a slut for wanting to date again. Willow calls Cordelia a skanky hoe when she finds out that Xander is seeing her. I just think this isn't acceptable. It shouldn't be such a blase thing to drag a girl's sexuality into the mud like that. And to do it because she got the boy you wanted? Ridiculous. Faith says that slaying makes her "hungry and horny" and Cordelia's response is to say eeewww. So, basically, it's ok to have the girls obsessing about getting a boyfriend and dressing to attract the male gaze, but we all know that it's looking sexy that is the point, not feeling sexual.

Beauty and the Beasts was a hard one to watch. I don't like the way the show portrayed the partner violence issues, but I can't seem to articulate why that is.

All these end-of-the-world plots had me wondering "who are the vamps going to eat if they kill all the people?" I'm glad one character in the show, Spike, seems to recognize the inherent stupidity of killing off all the food! And the plotline about being dumped on Valentine's Day made me flash back to Grade 7. I did, indeed, dump someone on Valentine's Day. It was an extremely unserious relationship - I don't think we had even kissed or been on anything approximating a date, even for seventh graders. And I had totally not even noticed it was the "Day of Love". But I felt mighty guilty when a carnation turned up for me after the fact. Oops! God, high school was cruel.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Snack Attack

It's 3am and I just made myself some mini-pizzas. Buffy should come with a surgeon general's warning. It's as addictive as crack.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

America's Funniest Home Videos

Emily eating dinner is her own AFHV show. She spills, she falls over while sitting down, she is hysterical!

Sometimes a lollipop is only a lollipop

And sometimes it's also Signund Freud's head in watermellon flavour.

If I don't get these for Christmas, I will be sad.

Thanks to Kay for the link. Go over and read her blog. It kicks ass.

Ditz Alert!

When I was taught about more than and less than signs, I was taught that it is like an alligator that eats the bigger number (we even drew cute pictures turning the signs into little alligator mouths). When I see > I still have the phrase "eats the bigger number" running through my head to this day. I need it to figure out which sign it is. Just like I still sometimes need to make an L with my hands to pick out with one is left.

This is on par with my legendary confusion with glass/cup/mug and with the idea that the word couple always means two and never a small number, like a few (its use in practice does not match the so-called definition, folks!).

What's up with blogger lately?

I went through a whole day where I couldn't give posts titles and now it's claiming to be publishing edits to posts but it isn't. At least my headache is gone.

"Do we have to be introspective now?"

-Giles, What's My Line, Part I

I criticize because I care.

Season 2 of Buffy is proving to be as good, if not better, than Season 1 (I'm only actually halfway through so far). The dialogue is fantastic! While chatting with Samarra (who may need therapy to get over my presumptuous challenging of the love of her TV-watching life), I told her that the thing is that this show does hold up to criticism far more than most. It is amazingly cool to see a young girl out patrolling in the dark by herself to keep everyone else safe. It's cool to see her kick ass.

The Halloween episode was interesting. Perhaps the most feminist of the episodes so far, in my opinion.

Buffy: Musta been wonderful. Put on some fantabulous gown and go to a ball like a princess, and have horses and servants, and yet more gowns.

Willow: Yeah. Still, I think I prefer being able to vote.

And the reason behind the dress choice was to impress Angel, but his response is not what Buffy expects - he likes her just the way she is:

Angel: I don't get it, Buffy. Why'd you think I'd like you better dressed that way?
Buffy: I just wanted to be a real girl for once. The kind of fancy girl you liked when you were my age.
Angel: Oh, ho.
Buffy: What?
Angel: I hated the girls back then. Especially the noble women.
Buffy: You did.
Angel: They were just incredibly dull. Simpering morons, the lot of them. I always wished I could meet someone... exciting. Interesting.

In my earlier comment about Buffy and Willow and their clothes choices, it wasn't Buffy I was thinking about. Samarra said: The thing about Buffy's outfits are that they are sexy. Yes, she does kind of dress a little too sexy for school. However. You can choose to be cynical and assume it's to attract the male viewers, or you can think of it as Buffy choosing to dress as she pleases, and not letting the whole "slut" thing stop her (derogatory comments about female sexuality). She's sexy and a woman and she's not afraid to show it. I agree with a lot of that. I mean, I'd be hard pressed to be commenting about Buffy's clothes choices, considering that the only time I'm not in a low-cut, cleavage-baring shirt is when I'm teaching, basically. I do think that her clothes are chosen to attract male viewers. I think the male gaze and its implications are as applicable to Buffy's clothing choice as they are to mine. It's an important issue to analyze, but it wasn't her wardrobe I was thinking about at all. It was Willow's.

Willow dresses exactly like a female geek "should". I should know, I was one. And in the Halloween episode, we have that requisite moment when Willow becomes "empowered" by dressing in clothes that are sexy. I don't personally think wearing sexy clothing translates as empowerment. Or as feminism. I am not judging when I say that. Women can choose to do whatever they want to do. However, every choice a woman makes isn't necessarily a feminist choice. Doesn't make it wrong to make a choice that isn't particularly feminist either. I can understand that there is a personal power that comes from being able to play the game and play it well. Learning to dress well, put on makeup well, do all these girly things - they are skills. But empowering feminist choices? To say that is to skim over an awful lot of looking at why and for whom. Those are important questions. It does nothing to examine the society that drives her to feel that she must look a certain way, that she is more valuable if she looks a certain way.

I'm not calling any the characters on the show a slut for their clothing choices or their actions. But Xander is.

Cordelia: I can't even believe you. You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?
Xander: That's what a lot of the guys say, but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind.

What we should make of that, I don't know. I like Zander's character in general. But I think that his character says and does an awful lot of unfeminist things. Can we think of a show as feminist in spirit if only the female characters reflect that? I think it would be nice to see male characters acting and speaking in ways that don't devalue women as well as seeing strong female characters. A show wouldn't be a-ok on the racism front with me if, for example, all the characters of colour were strong and empowered but all the white characters were making racist comments.

The characters seem fairly nicely split. There are the smart ones (Giles, Ms. Callender, Willow) and the ones made out to be a bit on the dumb side (Buffy, Zander, Cordelia.) So, the airhead is a girl. But her dialogue has obviously been done to make fun of her ditziness on purpose - and it seems to me that its making fun of the shallowness, but not necessarily the girl. She is ultimately portrayed as caring and concerned, when the shit hits the fan. But in amongst that great dialogue (kinda makes me think of the Gilmore Girls, the quick delivery and smart lines), are some very questionable attitudes. A fair amount of it seems done with that self-awareness, as a comment on the attitude itself (lots of Cordelia's lines, for example) but not always. Like Xander's quote later in the post.

I can see that Buffy and Giles' relationship is going to change already - there are hints of it in The Dark Age, where Buffy and the others have to take over the researching and planning for Giles and guide him to the solution. Also in the suggestions that he ignored the Slayer's Rulebook in order to work with Buffy's style and play to her strengths.

It's a great show. I am going to try and plow through as many of them as possible before I have to leave. And I'm enjoying them immensely. I'm also enjoying criticizing them, sure, but what makes that fun is that the show can take it.

There was one pesky question at the back of my mind while watching the two-parter with the job fair - what exactly is it that Angel does to keep himself in black leather jackets and bags of blood?

My head hurts... pout

I think it's the weather. My allergies have been remarkably mild so far this summer, so I've not been taking much for them. It could be them rearing their ugly heads, but neither my eyes or the insides of my ears itch. I'm not kidding either. The inside of my ears! So, I would guess maybe the weather causing some sort of sinus issue. Either way, my sinuses are not pleased - I have one of those really horrible sinus headaches where even the roots of my teeth ache. Time for some water, some advil, and one last episode of Buffy before bed.

ETA - Watching Buffy has some negative side effects. Kari bought Emily a wooden snake at the ROM, which while fetching my water in the dark, it made me jump a little. Also, it is disconcerting to look in your tylenol container and see all sorts of different coloured pills. I forgot I had merged all the tylenol types in one place when I moved!

Giles?!?

The Ripper? WTF?

Friday, July 13, 2007

Another Fence Photo

Every summer my mother's side of the family has a family picnic in our backyard. These started back before I was born, but on my father's side of the family. My grandmother and her sisters would all rent out some sort of picnic space in a park, there would be 3-legged races and potato sack races and games. From the first summer after I was born, I've got pictures of me at these things. Then, when I was older, my mom had the idea to start one up on her side of the family and have it at our place, which is complete with swimming pool. On my father's side the picnics stopped being organized, but my mom's side ones keep on going, though this year's felt smaller than usual. Not sure if that is because I am older or if there were less people. This tradition has been joined by the Kerr's annual Christmas party in Toronto, which I haven't attended since 2000, and a birthday party for my Nana and her twin in January here.

Family parties seems to always follow the same path. At the picnic, there are hamburgers and hotdogs barbequed by my father. At some point someone came up with the wonderful idea for sundaes, with tons of fun candy toppings. There is swimming. There is someone thrown into the pool with their clothing on (this year all we got was an attempt). At winter parties, there is always lasagna - regular, vegetarian, sausage/spinach. The deserts brought by the grandmothers are always the same too, and my father always scores some Nanimo bars. There are always those plates of veg, cheese, little pickles. They are reassuring in their continuity. The only different thing every year is trying to figure out which tall person was last year a short, younger cousin and how bald the uncles are this year.

This year, Daniel and I were doing rounds of Corona. The cousins all hung out in the family room, with poor Victoria's boyfriend being mocked for being so emo (looked like that guy in AFI) and Charlotte being teased. Basically, cousin Christopher is turning into an uncle. Amusing. But he had to be taken down a peg by reminding him of his proposals of marriage to both Ali and I when he was about 6. Andrew is the only one of the cousins (I use the word cousin very generally to encompass a rather wide selection of relatives) generation to have kids - Charlotte and Drew even rock-scissor-paper-ed to see which of them would have to reproduce to carry on their branch of the family. Apparently my lack of interest in kids is not out of place in my family. Though, aside from Ali and the twins (also childfree), I am the oldest by some years. Interesting when contrasted with the aunt/uncle generation, full of four child families.

World on Fire

How did I ever miss this video by Sarah McLachlan? It's fantastic!

Some info on the video.

Touristy Photo Essay Part II

Chloe plays with a helmet at the Royal Ontario Museum. There are so many hands-on activities there these days.

Emily holding a caterpillar. There were all stages of butterfly life on display.

The girls play at being archaeologists in the Incan exhibit.

Us in front of a replica Korean temple. We also did the traditional dinosaurs, mummies, and bat cave.

Emily was most fascinated with lights reflecting on the floor at the Hockey Hall of Fame. I had been to the old one many a time during the CNE, but never before to the new building.

My dad collected these. Dad and Andrew should have seen this together. Though I won at a round of hockey trivia (My thought process: hmmmm, that name is French and a lot of French people play hockey...)

Chloe and I with the Stanley Cup. I do love hockey, I just can't interest myself in a museum about it, apparently.

Emily looking at the sundail at Casa Loma. The most impressive part of this picture is that I managed to take it while holding her up, no small feat.

Andrew, Kari and the girls in front of Casa Loma. It was indeed a castle and a garden. (Bit of an inside joke, but thanks to all those who responded to my IM message asking "What is Casa Loma exactly?" My friends are as geeky as I am, apparently.)

Gotta Love the Number Seven

There has been some sort of internet voting for Seven New Wonders of the World. The Great Wall of China, Petra, the statue of Christ the Redeemer at Rio de Janeiro, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Coliseum, and the Taj Mahal.

I've only seen one - the Collesium. I wasn't even very impressed. I mean, it's cool from the outside and all, but the inside isn't terribly exciting. This doesn't do my travelling cred much good, does it?

The Ancient Seven are the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Only the Great Pyramid is still standing and I haven't seen that one either.

Then there are the other lists, of the medieval and modern worlds. Typically representative of the seven medieval wonders are Stonehenge, the Colosseum, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, the Great Wall of China, the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, Hagia Sophia, the Leaning Tower of Pisa but sometimes might include the Taj Mahal, Cairo Citadel, Ely Cathedral, and Cluny Abbey.

So, I've seen the Colosseum and Stonehenge. Here I start to sound like quite the idiot, because I wasn't overly impressed by Stonehenge either. I can't tell you if that is because you can't get anywhere near it these days or what. But I liked Callanish better.

The modern list was complied by some engineers. The CN Tower, Channel Tunnel, Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Itaipu Dam, Delta Works, Panama Canal.

Here I've been through the Channel Tunnel and up the CN Tower. The Channel Tunnel is very unexciting - just like a normal train trip, without any particularly great scenery even, with a dark bit in the middle. I quite like the CN Tower as tourist experiences go - that lovely glass floor makes me ill every time, the view is great, the gift shop always yields funny pictures, and I played my first and I think only game of Lazar Tag there with Lindsay (or maybe Daniel? or both?) years ago. We went because working in Wild Water Kingdom gave me free or reduced entrance to a ton of local attractions. Embarrassingly, I hadn't even heard of the Itaipu Dam or the Delta Works. Let's blame this on the fact that engineers are involved...

A charming man called Howard Hillman came up with some tourist travel wonders of the world. His man-made travel wonders of the world are: Great Pyramids of Giza, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Bali, Angkor Wat, Forbidden City, Bagan Temples & Pagodas, Karnak Temple, Teotihuacán .

I've been to Angkor Wat. It was incredible. Cambodia was incredible. I think this is perhaps the best trip I've taken so far, and it only lasted a week. But that might be good too - I didn't have time to get tired of travelling or overloaded on sights.

His natural travel wonders of the world are: Serengeti Migration, Galápagos Islands, Grand Canyon, Iguazu Falls, Amazon Rainforest, Ngorongoro Crater, Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls, Bora Bora, Cappadocia.

I haven't seen any!

The Natural wonders compiled by CNN: Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, Polar Aurora, Parícutin volcano, Victoria Falls. And the Underwater wonders: Palau, Belize Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Deep-Sea Vents, Galapagos Islands, Lake Baikal.

Not only haven't I seen any of these, some of them seem very unlikely future trips. And I can't scuba dive.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I went and saw it today, in Bolton's new movie theatre. Weird, Bolton having a movie theatre. It's something they've been talking about for years-I remember the days of watching movies in James Bolton School gym, put on by the PTA (so, my mom was involved!). And I seem to recall some sort of similar thing in the Courtyards (now jokingly called the Graveyards, since none of the stores seem to last, though the new Thai restaurant isn't bad, for Bolton). You can tell the place has only been open a week - all the kids working there are so s-l-o-w. I hadn't had breakfast, so I was going to grab some poutine from the New York Fries. After waiting 10 minutes, it turns out that they hadn't even cut the fries or something and they were going to take 50 minutes to make. So, I was offered a refund and free popcorn and chocolate. Not bad, I guess, though not exactly nutritionally the best breakfast ever.

The movie - it was good. There were some cool wizard battles, I loved Dumbledore's Army, the actors did well. But, as with all Harry Potter movies, I have two main problems. First, they are never going to be anywhere near as exciting as the books because I already know the end. I know how everything works out. Second, they aren't as exciting because nothing they can put in the movie is as scary as I had imagined it when reading the books. Things like the Dementors are bound to be disappointing.

Find out your Harry Potter personality at LiquidGeneration!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Buffy - Feminist?

After years of hearing from some of my favourite people (my brother, Sofiya, Samarra) about how wonderful Buffy the Vampire Slayer is, I have finally gotten around to watching it. I've just finished the first season. Back when Buffy came out, I recall thinking it was a guy thing. A scantily clad, good-looking young woman runs around fighting vampires? No surprise my brothers watch it! But since, I've been hearing rumours that it's feminist.

I really like Buffy. The dialogue is great, the characters funny. My favourite two episodes in the first season both had a lot to do with highschool - the mean kids turning into a pack of hyenas and the unpopular kid becoming invisible. It certainly has some interesting and spot-on things to say about the nature of highschool.

However, I am not so sure of its feminist credentials. So, on the surface, we've got this tough woman kicking ass and taking names. Which is great. Strong female character. She walks about after dark, secure in her ability to defend herself. But...

-There's the clothing. Compare Buffy to Willow. Then compare how "hot" they are meant to be.

-Older man teaches, younger woman learns. Giles provides the brains of the operation, Buffy the body. A female reduced to her body is nothing new in narrative.

-Then there is the fact that she has to sacrifice her own wants/life/goals to save others. She was born to do that. Sound anything like the construction of the idea that women were born to have babies and sacrifice themselves for their families?

-In "The Pack", Zander (who has always had a crush on Buffy) while possessed by the hyena spirits attempts to rape Buffy. Then, he pretends to have forgotten the whole incident-there's no remorse, no apologies. The response to attempted rape on his part? Embarrassment. Giles realises that Zander attacked Buffy and knows that Zander remembers it, but he too is happy to ignore the whole thing, pretend it didn't happen. Just as so often in real life sexual assaults are covered up, ignored, excused.

-In "The Puppet Show" the principal is very, very disturbing. Now, one of the funniest comments on the show so far came from him in this episode ("Kids are human beings. It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.") However, when Buffy is behind stage, searching for the kid with the dummy, he finds her and warns her off. He tells her the school isn't safe for a girl on her own. He's creepy and he's basically just used rape as a threat. I mean, that's what it means when people tell women it's not safe to go somewhere, to be somewhere. That threat of rape controls women's activities. I thought the episode would lead up to him being the demon, thus he'd be punished. However, he wasn't. He's just a really creepy man who uses the threat of rape to cement his authority over his female student.

-"Prophecy Girl" I've not worked out the implications of the symbols in this one yet in my mind, but there is some interesting stuff. First, there's the white dress. She goes to meet her fate looking a bit like a bride, like a virgin. Over top, she wears the black jacket given to her by Angel, a creature of the night. Then, she seems to have taken some additional strength from the Master, a male, through his killing her. Granted, this taking strength from your enemy is a regular theme (think Harry Potter and Voldemort), but it's just interesting that the slayer (Always female? Seems to be the implication) isn't born with sufficient power of her own, and seems to need to get more through a strong male character.

I'm sure this has all been written about and analyzed by people far more qualified than myself. And I'm sure the show continues to develop and grow-I've got quite a few more series to go through. I just found it interesting that I was expecting a feminist show and I don't really see that, aside from in a sort of surface way.

The Flight of the Conchords

It's on our Movies on Demand channel, so I get to see some HBO shows. I watched the first 4 episodes today and a half hour of the guys singing. So funny! I love it already! Enjoy the crossover hip-hop/folk song.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

Friday, July 06, 2007

No Way, No Mama

After teasing Candy for riding Jolee's junk (HK joke) and telling her how tired I was, she asked if I was still enjoying being an aunt after a week of touristyness.

My response? I love being an aunt and I'm ready to book an appointment to have my tubes tied.

But seriously - I don't think this mama business is for me. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future, natch, but I just don't see it. I like kids, I am good with kids, I have lots of opinions about how best to raise kids (that last one was a joke, kinda). But what I don't think I'd like for a second is to have my life involve kids of my own. I love my life. Love it! I don't want it to change in its broad outlines and kids are just so not compatible with the things in my life that I love.

And add that to my horror about even the idea of being pregnant and giving birth... I was gassed to have a cavity filled, folks. And I am hugely weirded out by the idea of the bits of my body that I presently use for fun being used for their natural purposes as pertains to childbirth/childcare. (Note, not by other people doing this, obviously. I think breastfeeding and childbirth as a general concept sound like the most wonderful, natural things in the world. But applied to me - ahhhh!)

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Woe is Dave's

Reading Dave's ESL Cafe Korean Forums seldom leads to much in the way of entertainment. Interestingly, a complaint about paying a fine led to me reading all about the grammatical debate on woe is I vs. woe is me. Article here.

And I ended up downloading a podcast called Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tricks for Better Writing.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Socks & Crocs

So, what is up with this whole Crocs thing? Are they really so comfortable that it cancels out the ugliness? Everybody and the president is wearing them.

Every time I come back to Canada, people are wearing something en masse that makes me do a double-take and think "WTF?" And yet, we have Canadians making fun of Koreans for those funny visors.

Until I Find the Energy to Blog Properly

A photo essay of sorts.

The girls, Cassie, and I at the zoo, on top of a Diego-style jeep.

Chloe and I. Those carrier things are the bomb, but she does get heavy!

Wading in a fountain - where Aunt Amanda proves to be very responsible and adult and just jumps in too ;)

The gift shop is half the fun at the CN Tower, where you can dress up in half the store. Emily is playing a flute, Sarah has a peace pipe, and I am sporting a lovely feather headband.

The girls looking through the glass floor at the CN Tower - it makes me feel ill.

Aunt Amanda is electrifying - at the Ontario Science Centre.

If Grade 9 Music Class Had Been Like This, I Would Have Had An A

Check out the names on the bottles...

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The Toronto Zoo is very big...

When you are chasing a two year old, trying to get sunscreen out of the eye of a five year old, and carrying a 9 month old in a sling.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Sofiya would be proud

I Scored a 100%!

Except that, while I can spell, I'm too lazy to type accurately or spell check and too bored to check that my grammar isn't atrocious. Ach, well.

Not bad, considering I've not studied science in 10 years or so.

Drat!

Rate Your Blog Here

What a surprise! ;)

It's not like I talk about vibrators and swear a lot...

64%

Happy 140th!

Happy Canada Day all.

Whenever I'm back in Canada, what I like is the diversity. The diversity of people, languages, food, culture. Toronto is an amazing place to live. Canada has a fantastic diversity of landscapes to view and travel through and a fantastic mix of urban and wild. I miss it when I'm gone.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

My cups runneth over...

I bought this shirt and it's quite the pain. It's not low cut (which is usually my problem) but it's got a square shape and the sides don't come over enough to cover my bra. Not just the straps - frankly I no longer concern myself with strap hiding in the slightest - but the top bit of the cup itself.

So, I tried on all my bras and found that the hot pink lacey one works. Plus hot pink straps showing is sexier than white. However, it's one of my "this doesn't quite fit but fuck it, nothing does" purchases. The underwire fits just fine, but it's one of those half-cup bras, which just never seems to cut it for boobs my size.

Let's just say I won't be running to catch any buses today!

Insect World

So, as if it wasn't odd enough to be staying in a room where they could film Arachnaphobia II, I woke up with that generalized-my-whole-body-itches feeling that means I slept with a mosquito in the room last night. And, since Chester the Bearded Dragon has moved into my little basement area, there are now crickets in the family room that make cricket noises all the time. It's a bit odd to feel reminded of a summer dusk at the cottage 24/7.

However, I'm escaping to the city for the next couple of days! Woo!

Friday, June 29, 2007

China? Ferry? Huh?

Has anyone taken a ferry to Beijing from Korea and wants to give me details?

Need Coffee

So, after a grand total of two hours sleep, I woke up to go downtown and drop off my passport at the Korean Embassy. Emily managed to get sticky hands on my shirt, so I have wandered around with an odd looking stain on my boob all day.

I started off productive and caffinated. By 12:30 I had dealt with the embassy, gone to the Toronto Reference Library to send off a quick and important email and gone off to meet Vanessa for lunch. My ankle was sore, so it was a long walk over.

It all went downhill after that. I need some sort of compact, lightweight jewellery organizer thingy. I went off in search of one, but at this point my brain stopped all functioning and instead I bought two new necklaces and three pairs of earrings. Very counter-productive.

Then I went to see Kari and the girls, we went out to dinner, planned a trip tomorrow to the CN Tower, and stopped by to chat with Shannon. By which time, in spite of intense exhaustion, I had gotten my second wind, which is why I am now surfing the net rather than sleeping. I am an idiot. A Canadian one. (Weird Al reference, folks.)

I have a funny pride week story to tell. Later though!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

On the Road Again...

Why we travel
It whirls you around, turns you upside down and stands everything you took for granted on its head.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Pico Iyer

March 18, 2000 | We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again -- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more. The beauty of this whole process was best described, perhaps, before people even took to frequent flying, by George Santayana in his lapidary essay, "The Philosophy of Travel." We "need sometimes," the Harvard philosopher wrote, "to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment at no matter what."

I like that stress on work, since never more than on the road are we shown how proportional our blessings are to the difficulty that precedes them; and I like the stress on a holiday that's "moral" since we fall into our ethical habits as easily as into our beds at night. Few of us ever forget the connection between "travel" and "travail," and I know that I travel in large part in search of hardship -- both my own, which I want to feel, and others', which I need to see. Travel in that sense guides us toward a better balance of wisdom and compassion -- of seeing the world clearly, and yet feeling it truly. For seeing without feeling can obviously be uncaring; while feeling without seeing can be blind.

Yet for me the first great joy of traveling is simply the luxury of leaving all my beliefs and certainties at home, and seeing everything I thought I knew in a different light, and from a crooked angle. In that regard, even a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet (in Beijing) or a scratchy revival showing of "Wild Orchids" (on the Champs-Elysees) can be both novelty and revelation: In China, after all, people will pay a whole week's wages to eat with Colonel Sanders, and in Paris, Mickey Rourke is regarded as the greatest actor since Jerry Lewis.

If a Mongolian restaurant seems exotic to us in Evanston, Ill., it only follows that a McDonald's would seem equally exotic in Ulan Bator -- or, at least, equally far from everything expected. Though it's fashionable nowadays to draw a distinction between the "tourist" and the "traveler," perhaps the real distinction lies between those who leave their assumptions at home, and those who don't: Among those who don't, a tourist is just someone who complains, "Nothing here is the way it is at home," while a traveler is one who grumbles, "Everything here is the same as it is in Cairo -- or Cuzco or Kathmandu." It's all very much the same.

But for the rest of us, the sovereign freedom of traveling comes from the fact that it whirls you around and turns you upside down, and stands everything you took for granted on its head. If a diploma can famously be a passport (to a journey through hard realism), a passport can be a diploma (for a crash course in cultural relativism). And the first lesson we learn on the road, whether we like it or not, is how provisional and provincial are the things we imagine to be universal. When you go to North Korea, for example, you really do feel as if you've landed on a different planet -- and the North Koreans doubtless feel that they're being visited by an extra-terrestrial, too (or else they simply assume that you, as they do, receive orders every morning from the Central Committee on what clothes to wear and what route to use when walking to work, and you, as they do, have loudspeakers in your bedroom broadcasting propaganda every morning at dawn, and you, as they do, have your radios fixed so as to receive only a single channel).

We travel, then, in part just to shake up our complacencies by seeing all the moral and political urgencies, the life-and-death dilemmas, that we seldom have to face at home. And we travel to fill in the gaps left by tomorrow's headlines: When you drive down the streets of Port-au-Prince, for example, where there is almost no paving and women relieve themselves next to mountains of trash, your notions of the Internet and a "one world order" grow usefully revised. Travel is the best way we have of rescuing the humanity of places, and saving them from abstraction and ideology.

I did NOT look like that in grade 8...

So, I'm on Facebook. I find it addicting in my present unemployed state. Today, on that lovely little newsfeed that is what makes Facebook akin to crack, I see pics posted by a cousin of mine. (Not an immediate one, but it's too much work at this time of the night for my brain to work out the exact relation. If you are around my age or younger, you are a cousin.)

They were pictures of her Grade 8 Graduation. At first I thought perhaps she had a younger sister who just graduated, but no. It's her. Based on her very adult looking profile picture I really had assumed she was either about to graduate high school or perhaps in university. To look at the rest of her pictures, which I hadn't, she looks far more her own age. But, my god.

I really did not look like that when I was in grade 8. As Candace noted, when did all the kids these days get all fashion-conscious and gorgeous? Where are all the bad perms, zits, and embarrassing flourescent outfits?

Zombie Spider

I killed a spider. I think it's the same damn one that ran over my toes last night. It was very mashed and mangled. BUT NOW IT ISN'T THERE! There is no need for the kleenex I just fetched because the dead spider has up and gone. Do you think maybe the cat ate it? It is a very odd cat, who makes weird noises and has a tail that lies flat along its back and sleeps under covers. My father is convinced it is crossed with something entirely uncat-like. I really, really hope the cat ate it because the only alternative I see is that a very mangled, very angry spider is now sharing this bedroom with me and it is likely very pissed off.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Ewwwwww

Also, I am sharing my room here in Bolton with far too many spiders. I've seen about 10 and last night one ran over my foot. I'm getting shivers up my spine thinking about it. And there is a mosquito in here that I just can't catch. I am covered in bites, though not as bad as after seeing the Big Buddha in Hong Kong, when I was totally rocking the chicken pox look.

Korea - What to Say?

So, in a couple of hours I will be off to advise some girl, who is somehow connected to my new Aunt, and reassure her mother about teaching English in Korea.

What in god's name am I going to say?

I mean, I love Korea, as evidenced by the fact that I'm off for my third contract. I have totally fallen in love with Seoul. There are so many reasons not to love Seoul, but I do anyway. The expat scene is a ton of fun and you meet some amazingly cool people. Dating is hysterically funny and random. There are cool touristy things to do and take fantastic photos of. There is the Konglish to admire and mock. There is the opportunity to get a little bit inside a very different culture and make some amazing Korean friends. Asia is incredible for travelling. And frankly, if you want to get drunk it will cost you a whole lot less than Toronto, especially on Thursdays!

Next, we have teaching. I happen to really like it. I think Candace's advice to avoid kindergarten is still good - in a first time contract, I'd be wary. If you turn out not to like teaching, then kindie kids might just put you over the edge. They are a lot of work and you will be tired. Also, teaching kindie often involves longer hours. I think it's wise to avoid that in a first time contract, but I also say this as someone who hasn't ever taken a contract that had kindie in it. So I'm mostly basing this on what I've heard and observed. Also, teaching is not a cakewalk, even if you are doing it in Korea. But it's not hard either. But then, I am sure this all depends on your personality and aptitudes. So, again, who knows. I seem to have advised one person rather badly on this particular set of points, as she certainly isn't liking it.

Then, there is the picking of a school. What to say about that? Basically, you look for warning signs and cross your fingers. There isn't much more to say. I didn't mind Poly, in fact I think they might be a very good first-time school. Again, my friend apparently disagrees quite strongly. But I would also only advise the evening shift. My second school I wouldn't recommend in a million years. All I've got to say is that they paid on time and fairly. The only part of the contract they really broke was the sick days. But then, you only get three. But you will need far more because the Korean cough is legendary and most people seem to get cold after cold after cold. I am a trend-breaker in that I prefer to get bronchitis. Gives me way more streetcred. The general rule is to avoid recruiters - but the market has changed remarkably since I first started job-hunting myself, and I'm trying out the recruiter thing this time. We'll see how that goes. They say to watch out for illegal stuff - like not paying pension, etc. Well, again, that might be a bad sign, it might not. It's very hard to tell. My policy with Poly was that they told me up front how they intended to fuck me over and indeed, everything else was fine. With Heritage, it was merely that my boss was a jerk. You are advised (and really should) email teachers at the school you are looking at. Problem is that there is only so much they can say because they know it might get back to the school and they have to work there. I personally think that the best sign ever is that a teacher has gone back for more than one contract.

Then, housing. It's small. Often it's just one room and a bathroom. You are very unlikely to have an oven - almost no one in Korea does. Microwaves, couches, dryers are also unlikely. Go dumpster diving for more furniture or hope the last teacher did. My first apartment had cockroaches and my experience with that is basically that you'd be surprised how quickly that sort of thing stops bothering you. And I'm generally quite squeamish about bugs. My second apartment had been on fire a week before I arrived - a lot of extra cleaning for me and damn was it bare. I had to do a lot of fighting with my boss trying to get the "furnished" part of my contract enforced. Not a great way to start off with one's boss, definitely. I never did get curtains, but since I happen to love sunlight and can sleep right on through it, that wasn't a problem.

So what do I tell this girl? Humourous travelling stories? All about the time I almost got killed shopping at Costco? Where the best bars are? All about teaching? Who knows?

Basically, I think both teaching and Korea are not for everyone. I was very lucky to skip culture shock - I had already lived overseas, I was fairly immune to most homesickness. And I have the ability to ignore the parts of Korean culture I don't like - my Zen bubble theory (except when it came to Mr. Joo. That man pissed me off just by existing.) I love living in big cities (and that is another wise piece of advice I was given - work in Seoul for your first contract. If you end up culture shocked, hating Korean food, unable to pick up the language, etc. you will want to be in the only city that has a lot of western luxuries.) If you tend to be the type of person who can roll with the punches, you will be fine. If you like to always understand the reasons for everything, you might not. And you want to try and avoid apply North American ideas of politeness to Korean culture. Yep, people will bud in front of you and shove you on the subway. It isn't really rude - everybody does it! But people will also do some extraordinarily nice things for you too, far above and beyond what people in North America would. Go with the flow and everything is good. And learn to use your elbows to take up more space and make it harder for people to push in front of you ;)

I read in some book somewhere that everything you do in a foreign country is more exhausting because you are always having to negotiate the culture and it simply is more work. You have to constantly make an effort to read body language because it isn't all the same as the body language in the culture you grew up in. You do a lot of guessing if you can't read/understand the langauge every time you leave the house. Friendships are more work as you have to do even more work at understanding the different cultural contexts you come from and act in. I think this is all very true, though I find my time in Korea more relaxing. I don't feel the same pressure to keep up with things - to read the newspaper and know all about current events, to have seen the latest film everyone is talking about, and so on. I also find that in general, I am quite chill. If plans don't work out, or I get lost looking for something, I find that whatever else happens instead is usually just as fun.

PS - for the moment, the plan to go private has been put on hold due to my extreme laziness. Since I am blogging so little, no reason to do that privately!

Monday, June 25, 2007

iTunes, inSight

So basically, you open your iTunes and the you use the first ten songs to answer these questions. No skipping!

How does the world see you? Do It To Me, Usher (hmmm....)

Will I have a happy life? Your Blue Room, U2 (this sounds sad, but since I love blue and am happiest when I have my own happy space to retreat to, I think this would be more optimistic.)

What do my friends really think of me? Happiness is a Warm Gun, U2 (uh huh...)

Do people secretly lust after me? Take Your Hand, Usher

How can I make myself happy? Cum on Feel the Noise, Bran Van 3000 (heh)

What should I do with my life? Show No Mercy, The Philosopher Kings

Will I ever have children? Paper Houses, Mull Historical Society (tell me that's a no, please!)

What is some good advice for me? Looking for You in Me, Hayden (cryptic)

How will I be remembered? Losing California, Sloan

What is my signature dancing song? Happy Now?, No Doubt

What do I think my current theme song is? Beautiful Day, U2

What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Dirt Off Your Shoulder, DJ Dangermouse

What song will play at my funeral? Songburst and Delirium, I Mother Earth

What type of men/women do you like? A Taste of Honey, The Beatles (Yum!)

What is my day going to be like? Brighter than Sunshine, Aqualung

I used the party mix function to do this. How come it picked out so much U2?

Friday, June 22, 2007

Kites!

This is sooooo cool!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Privacy

I've been doing a lot of thinking on any number of subjects lately. Many of them I have wanted to blog about but haven't, as I'm sure many people have noticed. I have been a lazy and impersonal blogger lately.

So... I've decided to take the blog private. I may revive my older blog as a public one later, perhaps. But, basically, I have come to the conclusion that the blog will serve me best if it is no longer public. It isn't a decision that I make lightly, as there are a lot of things about a public blog that I really, really like. I had been hoping that blogger might have started a function where I could have both public and private entries, but since that has failed to materialize, I have decided it is time.

That said, I have a fair number of readers per week who I don't have a clue who are and I am quite happy to extend the invitation to read the blog to you, you will just have to email me at chinook_wind@hotmail.com so that I can send the invite to you once I go private, which I will likely do in about a week. I certainly hope that many of you will continue to read as my intention is to start a more intense dialogue by going private. Sure, that dialogue is largely going to be with myself, but not exclusively so, I hope. The presence of an audience I do find helpful.

Oy-fuckin'-vey

Russell Peters is so fucking funny. So funny it's sexy as hell. I saw his Homecoming Tour at the Air Canada Centre tonight and man, there were a lot of people there. Very cool.

He didn't do this joke, but it has always been my fav:

Monday, June 18, 2007

Funny

The Lego Suicides

How to Survive a Zombie Epidemic

Funny Words

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. The winners are:

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3 . Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing just one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
9. Karmageddon (n): it's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
10. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
15. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:
16. Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an a**hole

Friday, June 15, 2007

Hungry?

What the World Eats

My thoughts:

**If the Mexican family is drinking that much Coke and beer in one week, I'm moving to Mexico.
**I'd least like to visit the Polish family for dinner. And if you visit the family from Chad, you'd better bring the sheep. (This comment is meant to convey what an eye-opener this photo was, but using my regular lack of any seriousness on my blog.)
**Westerners drink an awful lot of juice and pop and booze.
**Only the Mongolians eat less fresh fruit and veg than the Americans and considering the geography of their country they at least have an excuse.
**The British and the Americans eat so much junk food.

Thanks to Bomboniera for the link.

We are living in exponential times...

3000 books are published daily?!? Fuuuuuuuck. How am I ever gonna keep up?

I quite like the background music. Anyone know what it is?

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Sofiya may find this funny

Taylor Mali

On the Occassion of Reading Dave's ESL Cafe

There's an old saying that goes "You'll never defeat an ignorant person in an argument."

There's another one that goes "Don't feed the trolls."

Ah, the Korean Forums. I need to get out of Bolton. It isn't healthy to get bored enough to read them!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Interesting

After being lectured for not having a guarantor in a city I had only arrived in a week ago, I heartily agree... Though, weird that they reduce the requirements in an age of supposedly increased security...

Ottawa is simplifying the passport application process in an effort to ease delays for the travel document, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay announced Friday.

MacKay announced that it will no longer be necessary to have a guarantor or to provide proof of citizenship when renewing a passport.

For first-time applicants, the process will be simplified so that most citizens can act as guarantors.

Currently, only certain professionals, such as engineers and doctors, can do so.

Read the whole article here.

Employment

I wanna work here as well. Thanks to Lisa for the link.

But, I did just accept a job in Korea. 20 foreign teachers, nice central location, afternoon hours. I'm excited!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Well, I can't donate...

When I one day visit a friend in Iceland, I will be going to see the Phallus Museum. I have quite a thing for weird, small museums and this definitely qualifies.

And who knew this about iguanas? Makes me feel a bit odder for having shared a bed with one...

Thanks to Jenny for the links!

Another big surprise...

You fit in with:
Atheism

Your ideals mostly resemble those of an Atheist. You have very little faith and you are very focused on intellectual endeavors. You value objective proof over intuition or subjective thoughts. You enjoy talking about ideas and tend to have a lot of in depth conversations with people.

40% scientific.
80% reason-oriented.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Profile

Cities

Carpe Diem

1. Finish this frickin' list. In 1001 days, write a new one. (1/2)

Reading
2. Read 101 books. (124/101) (40/101)
3. Read 50 children's books. (57/50) (32/25)(0/25)
4. Finish reading War and Peace.
5. ~~Spend 30 days reading out of the house for at least one hour. (36/30)~~
6. Fail! Maintain the book ban (no books without trade-in credit) with 5 slips. (15/5) (5/5)(0/5)
7. ~~Go to a book club meeting.~~
8. Read all the magazines in my place.
9. Read Man Booker Prize and Pulizter Prize winning book from the year of my birth. (1/2)

Writing
10. Write a haiku.
11. Finish up all draft blog posts.
12. ~~Complete a month of posts each year (NaBloPoMo or other month.) (7/3)~~
13. Learn to write my name in 5 scripts. (0/5)
14. Send 60 handwritten letters or postcards. (24/60)
15. ~~Complete Postcrossings.~~
16. Send Christmas cards. (1/2)
17. Send flowers at random.

Smarts
18. Do something to put knowledge in, rather than spouting it out.
19. ~~Be able to label a map of Africa.~~
20. Be able to name 20 foreign leaders and their countries. (0/20)
21. Memorize a poem.
22. Stop saying THAT word (the one Martha doesn't like.)

It's All Fun and Games
23. ~~Win at any of the quiz nights.~~
24. ~~Participate in a scavenger hunt.~~
25. Play croquet or bocce.
26. ~~Learn to play a new game (Backgammon, Bridge, etc.)~~
27. ~~Play 5 board games. (5/5)~~
28. ~~Learn how to do Suduku. And how to spell it.~~
29. Complete a jigsaw puzzle.
30. Watch Gone With the Wind.
31. Only use candlelight for one full evening.

Being Creative
32. ~~Do something creative - paint a picture, throw a pot, etc.~~
33. Take pictures at one of those weird photo places in Hongdae.
34. ~~Take a photo every day for a month. (31/31)~~
35. ~~Take the good camera out once a month. (30/30)~~
36. Complete 26 Things.
37. Send a postcard to Postsecret.

Because You're Never Too Old
38. Color an entire coloring book.
39. Climb a tree.
40. Play with PlayDoh.
41. Rewatch the Princess Bride and reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. (0/2)
42. Do a cartwheel in the sun.
43. Make a snowman.

Yum!
44. Go on a picnic.
45. ~~Try making lasagna in a toaster oven.~~
46. Try 10 new foods. (7/10)
47. Make pancakes with my nieces twice. (0/2)
48. Bake a cake from scratch.
49. Make a curry dish from scratch.
50. Learn to make good cream sauce.
51. ~~Try a new kind of alcohol.~~
52. And a new kind of tea.
53. ~~Eat chicken wings in a bar for the first time.~~
54. Make and decorate cupcakes.
55. Make banana bread and once again make my poor mother mail me the recipe.
56. Have a banana split party.
57. Eat at 25 new restaurants. (29/25) (4/25)
58. ~~Make that chocolate/whip cream dessert from when I was a kid.~~
59. ~~Make popcorn on the stove.~~

The World is an Interesting Place, So Get Out in It
60. Visit a new continent (South America, Australia, Antarctica, ~~Africa~~.)
61. Visit 5 countries I've never been to. (2/5)
62. ~~Dip my toes into two oceans/seas. (2/2)~~
63. Visit 5 UNESCO Heritage Sites. (2/5)
64. ~~Visit a country from the Axis of Evil.~~
65. Go canoeing or kayaking again.
66. Participate in a winter sport that is not sledding.
67. Go zorbing/hot air ballooning/skydive or something along those lines.
68. Go to a ~~sporting event~~, a ~~play~~/opera/ballet,<>a museum, and ~~an art gallery.~~ (4/4)
69. ~~Take an odd form of trasportation (dog sledding, etc.)~~
70. Control one vehicle.
71. Encounter an interesting animal in its natural habitat.
72. Sleep in a tent.
73. Watch the sun ~~set~~ and rise. (1/2)

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
74. Take a series of pictures of the neighbourhood I live in.
75. Finally go to the National Museum, which I pass every day, and Seoul Tower, which I can see from my window. (0/2)
76. Take the subway to or from work once a week. (44/38) (42/42)
77. Walk into Itaewon to get coffee at least 15 times. (8/15)
78. ~~Buy a round for the bar.~~
79. ~~Let Shawn talk me into Hashing once.~~
80. Explore 12 new places in Seoul - one for each month. (3/12)

Because My Body is My Temple
81. Get a tattoo or a piercing.
82. ~~Go to the dentist.~~
83. ~~Buy a frickin' toothbrush.~~
84. ~~Finish all my multivitamins.~~
85. Be a vegetarian for a month.
86. Be a vegan for a week.
87. ~~Buy new glasses.~~
88. ~~And sunglasses.~~
89. ~~Buy a bathing suit.~~
90. ~~Go to bed by midnight thirty times. (30/30)~~
91. Start and stick to an exercise routine.
92. ~~Buy purple underwear.~~

Because It Needs to Be Done
93. Pay off half my credit card.
94. Then pay off the rest.
95. Make one day a month internet and TV free. (37/30)(0/18)
96. Clean up iTunes.
97. ~~Buy a new iPod.~~
98. ~~Buy another external harddrive~~ and have old harddrive fixed.
99. Find a charity I believe in and ~~donate~~/~~join a protest for a cause I believe in.~~
100. ~~Get my damn hair straightened already.~~ ~~cut!~~
101. ~~Wash Martha's dishes.~~

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

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