Peg Warming: The Story Of My Life

Moved Out!

2006-09-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

I finally moved out of my parent's home! My room is bigger than my old room, and it feels so Ikea like! LOL

The Guess Entry

2006-08-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Operation complete. Now the time has come to put the cat back into its cave and close the door to the stairwell that leads to the tower in which it rests. As it stands, the cooperation of the elites have succeeded in transforming the brave beings into something which can be obtained by mere thought. Once this has been done, the owners can then prepare for the ultimate course of action to enlighten those who have once passed on their responsibilities to the newcomers that can expect to be shocked by such events.

- D

The Mysterious Flat Tire

2006-08-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

A month ago, I was having dinner with a friend. Afterwards, a nice lady pointed out that my tire was flat, so a couple days (!) later, I went to put some air into it.

A few weeks later, the tire was flat again...so I had to pump it up.

Well, I finally got it checked out and I found out that the problem was an 2 inch screw was stuck into my tire!

Well, they fixed the problem and now I have a new screw memento!

Happenstance

2006-07-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things have a freaky way of working themselves out.

Way back in 1993, DC Comics decided to kill off Superman. When it came time to collect that storyline into a graphic novel, I was one of the first in line to buy a copy. As it turned out, the entire storyline of Superman’s death and his return became a three-part arc with three different graphic novels released.

I had only purchased the first one: The Death of Superman.

A couple months ago, my best friend went to a conference in another city and visited a used bookstore. In this store, he bought a copy of a Superman graphic novel for me. It turned out to be the second book in the trilogy: A World Without A Superman.

I was pretty excited because it had been 13 years since I had bought the preceding chapter. Now I had the second part of the story. I was more than happy at that point.

Just yesterday, another friend of mine was getting ready to move to another country. Before she left, she gave me a graphic novel…a Superman graphic novel. It turned out to be none other than The Return of Superman, the final chapter of the trilogy.

In my mind I was shocked. These two friends did not know what the other one had given me before, and neither of them knew that I had only the first chapter of the storyline. Some of you might not find this particularly strange…but I did.

So now, after 13 years, all three books are lined up on my shelf. The trilogy is complete. The strange coincidences that occur in life… Thank you, my dear friends.

Distractions

2006-07-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would leave this blog for a bit again just to give myself time to process things, but it’s nice to able to write things out here and have a collection of my thoughts.

I was listening to songs all day yesterday as a way to distract myself. I was focusing on work as well. I would have gone crazy if I was just at home alone. At least a work, there are people around so I don’t have the chance to break down.

I got my new 60gb iPod recently so for the first time ever I had my entire music library with me. There are so many songs that I had forgotten that I loved. I was listening to Jann Arden’s “Happy?” album. I think it’s contains the most emotionally resonant songs I’ve heard. The lyrics are so fitting for how I feel….

I’ll give some excerpts:

Hangin; By A Thread
When I cry
When I am sad I think of every awful thing I ever did
Oh When I cry, there is no love,
No there is nothing that can comfort me enough
When I cry,
Cry, cry

The salt inside my body ruins everyone I come close to
My hands are barely holding up my head
I am so tired of looking at my feet
Or all the secrets that I keep

My heart is barely hangin' by a thread
Hangin' by a thread

Wishing That
And when I kissed you
You would almost always kiss me back
But I could tell your mind
was with someone else
Oh my hands are folded
neatly on my lap and I am
picturing your body as I ask myself if

You love me too
Wishing that you love me too
Wishing that

Ode To A Friend
I don't mind if you stay longer
You have not been any trouble
I don't want you to go home yet
can you stay just stay ten more minutes

You are my best friend
I don't know how I'd live
How I love you
every square inch
Love your brown eyes
your forgiveness

Don't go home now
It's past midnight
You can sleep here
we'll have breakfast
Yes

You are my greatest gift
I don't know how I'd live
You are my saving grace
You are by heart my true friend

I was just listening to these songs of hers all day. I don't know why when you're sad, you want to listen to sad music. I always thought people should listen to happy music to boost their spirits. But now, I think people listen to sad music to help them bring out those emotions they're afraid to face.

Things continue to change

2006-07-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am.

The reason that I haven’t been updating my blog is because I’ve been busy living a roller coaster of a relationship with a guy.

In between the space of the last and this posting, a relationship began and ended. It actually ended twice…

For the past 2 months, I had been involved with a guy who I met through a friend. We had a connection that I still think was special. We were able to be utterly honest with each other. But with totally honesty comes pain…mostly on my end.

In the beginning of the relationship, I had thought that I was the one keeping the distance. I didn’t want to get too involved with this person because I thought I wasn’t truly in love with them. It was my first relationship and thinking statistically, it wasn’t going to be my last. So with that utilitarian frame in mind, I thought I was just exploring and seeing where things went.

Turns out, I had underestimated how much that other person wanted to be with me. In the end, it was he who wanted to break up because he wasn’t sure he really loved me. The thing I really admired about our short-lived relationship was that we could be so honest and I was happy that he told me the truth as soon as he realized it. It was painful for me to hear him say it and it was totally unexpected how I felt about it. I had thought that I would be able to handle a break up, but in reality I had underestimated my own feelings towards him. I cried. I cried so much. He did too. Looking back on the whole roller coaster, I think I really did love him.

We tried being friends and all. I was actually determined not to become one of those people that says they want to be friends but never do. We had shared something special and if we were no longer together, I at least wanted to salvage the closeness and friendship we felt towards each other. It would have been a shame to lose that connection.

Our resulting “friendship” was complicated to say the least. We would still act like boyfriends but in the back of our minds we knew it couldn’t last. We were going to move on and meet other people.

Well, an hour ago, he called. He had gone on a date with a guy and went back to his apartment. I don’t really have to explain what happened next, but at least he was honest enough to tell me what had transpired.

I’m trying really hard to feel happy for him…I mean, if it means he’s happier with that other person, then that’s what I want for him. I want him to be happy. Of course there’s that side of me that's extremely upset and sad…but that makes me feel like I’m really selfish, so I try to push those thoughts out….

After he hung up, I was shivering. I didn’t really know why. It was like I was freezing, but I wasn’t cold at all. I think what I’m feeling right now is total isolation. There was this person that I was extremely close to and now there’s no one. I am alone. Before I got in this relationship, I didn’t mind being single…but now that I’ve experienced the closeness and comfort that a boyfriend can provide, I feel…cold.

So now it’s officially over. Only now do I understand why those couples that say they want to be friends don’t work out. It’s too painful to see someone that you once cared for so deeply to be in another person’s arms. It’s almost less painful not to see them at all.

Through all this pain, I don’t regret meeting him and getting involved. We shared many happy moments that I would not trade for anything.

I truly hope he finds happiness.

Things Change

2006-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy recently. One of my friends has been having a hard time financially. He had to move out of his apartment and has been crashing at friend's places this last week.

Work has been picking up constantly, so that's been keeping me very busy. It's good cause that means I'm getting more income coming in. hehe

Besides all that, apparently I'm dating some now...

Busy

2006-04-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

Work started to pick up these past weeks, so I haven't really had time to update this blog. I'm enjoying my job as it keeps me busy. Although, I do miss being able to vegg out most days.

A couple friends have had birthdays or are going to have them soon, so I've been going out at night a lot more than I really wanted. I'm not really a bar fly and would rather sit in a coffee shop taking it easy. I find it really stressful on the body to go out clubbing all the time. I usually need a day afterward to recover from the ordeal, so having to do that a lot more frequently these past weeks have been a difficult adjustment. Combine that with more work from my job and it's a bad combination.

I finally got some mileage from my webcam that I bought last month. My friend who moved to HK last year also has a webcam, so we've been catching up via webchat on MSN. It's pretty cool because I get to see and hear him which is a lot better than just typing to him on instant messenger.

Speaking of which, I've been finding myself on MSN a lot recently. Although the same reservations I had about MSN are still true (such as taking 2 hours to talk about something that could have been conveyed in 10 minutes on the phone), I find that since I've been going on MSN more frequently, I've also become closer to some friends which probably would not have occurred had it not been for late night chats on Messenger.

Anyway. It's late now. Time to sleep.

Wardrobe Faux Pas

2006-04-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. Work has been picking up speed recently, so haven't had much chance to sit down and write something for here.

Something funny happened the other day. I was in a hurry to get ready in the morning. Thinking about what to wear, I pulled out a new pair of jeans I got a while ago and decided to wear that. Since I was in a rush, I put the pants on before I started to take the labels off...That was stupid, because the later that night, my mother notices something on my pants. Apparently, I had forgotten to take off that little strip of label that stickered on the leg indicating the size. I had walked all over Vancouver, on the bus, walking up the escalator with this label still attached! LOL

People probably thought I had just stolen the pair of pants from the dressing room. haha

Very Cool!

2006-03-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Mystery Toy

2006-02-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning my room the other day and found this toy I bought from Hong Kong a couple years ago. Can you tell who is he? Well, he's famous in HK anyway ;-)

The Haircut

2006-02-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

I've been going to the same barber for about a year and a half. I love this guy. He does a quality cut at an incredibly low price of $9.

I went in for a hair cut in early January and he told me that he would be taking the entire February off. I thought to myself, "there's no way I can last till March without getting a haircut!" I usually get them about every 3 to 4 weeks. Waiting more that 6 weeks for a haircut would not be very nice.

What I ended up doing was scheduling my next appointment on January 31-the day before he left. Granted that was only a 2 1/2 week gap between my hair cuts, but I thought it would be better than waiting the aforementioned 6 weeks.

So I go in on the 31st for my cut and ask him to do the same as last time. What he ends up cutting was way shorting that what I usually get. I look like a kid that was recently discharged from the army and is trying to grow his hair out!

I wear glasses all the time. When he's cutting my hair, I take them off. This is why I couldn't tell how short it was until it was too late.

I guess he didn't want me to suffer in the final weeks with unmanageable long hair. Instead he lets me suffer in the initial weeks with incredibly short hair.

Isn't he nice?!

Despite this unfortunate incident, he's a great barber. The best I've ever had. It doesn't hurt that I have a little crush on him either...but that's another story I'll save for a rainy day.

Queer Cinema

2006-01-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Brokeback Mountain
TransAmerica
Imagine Me & You
Rent
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Capote
Breakfast on Pluto

These are all films that deal with queer issues and are in theatres now. It's amazing how many well made films that deal with queer subject matter have been appearing at the cineplex. I've seen all of the above except for Capote and Breakfast on Pluto. I've heard great things about Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in Capote.

I also saw a couple excellent gay-themed films on video recently:

Garcon Stupide (France/Switzerland)
Sommersturm (Germany)
Saving Face (USA)
Bishonen (Hong Kong)

All these films are highly recommended, especially Sommersturm.

My Room

2006-01-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

I really need to clean my room.

People who come into my room right now need to navigate a series of magazine and box piles before they can reach me. Take a wrong step and prepare for a nasty trip.

Clothes that are strewn around my room block my view from people at my door. My room resembles a messy walk-in closet more that a bedroom.

How did this happen?! The last time I cleaned my room, I said to myself that I would keep it clean...but alas, that did not happen.

I have no room at my desk to write unless I shift thing around, and even after doing that I only get a small patch of surface to scribble my thoughts down.

Is it a physical manifestation of my cluttered mind? Perhaps. Or perhaps I'm just a messy person. In any case...

I really need to clean my room.

The Laramie Project @ Lord Byng

2006-01-17T00:14:00.000-08:00

I recently saw the Laramie Project performed by the theatre troupe at Lord Byng Secondary in Vancouver. I had heard very positive things about this production so I was extremely excited to see it.

For those that don't know, the Laramie Project is a play about the death of Matthew Shepard, a gay teen in Laramie, Wyoming.

I was very moved. The friends I talked to who saw it earlier said they cried. I almost did the same. The girl who played the mom had an emotional speech near the end of the play that had my eyes watering. It's the first time I've seen a high school play that was so raw and brilliant.

Bareback Mountain

2005-12-28T02:48:00.000-08:00

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind...
Check it out HERE. Very Funny!

Credit goes to QueerClick for bringing this to my attention.

An Olive Branch

2005-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Being in the festive spirit, I've tried once again at extending an olive branch to my old mates from high school (whom I've had a falling out with) by sending them Christmas emails wishing them well. I know...it's a simple gesture, but after so many months of being incommunicado, these small steps are difficult already for both parties.

Whether or not a get a return is still up in the air, but the ball is in their court...once again.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Best Buy Sucks

2005-12-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today Best Buy and Futureshop had their annual online "Boxing Day" sale but their websites was sooooo slow that I didn't end up getting any of the door crasher items despite logging into the site the MINUTE the sale items went live.

I was able to put them into my cart with many of those items still "in-stock" according to the site, but when I tried to checkout and pay for the items, it took about 5 minutes for the page to refresh at which time, the site indicated that the items I had placed in my cart were sold out! What a scam!

My Favorite Toy

2005-11-28T23:52:00.000-08:00

Toys. I have a lot of them. When people see my room they're a little overwhelmed with how many toys I have. I'm not talking about electronic or computer toys. I mean toys as in action figures.

It's not like I went out one day and bought all my toys at once. They were accumulated over many, many years. It's just a little disconcerting if you see it all at once.

Just a couple minutes ago, I was sitting in my room thinking which of these little pieces of plastic was my favorite. I really didn't have to think long because I knew right away: my Freddy Krueger doll.

I can still remember buying it with my mother. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time. We were at the flea market and I saw this item at one of the tables. I had loved the Freddy movies (I still do) but I had never seen a doll of the guy until that moment.

It struck me as kind of odd that a company would produce a doll like this because it would have to be a very twisted parent to buy their kid a doll of a dead serial child killer. It was at that moment of realization that I felt I had to have this doll.

After some convincing by me, my mother agreed to buy him for me. I couldn't have been happier.

Years later, I found out that this doll had actually been in stores prior to me seeing it at the flea market. Apparently some parents complained about it and it was pulled off the shelves. That's why I never saw it in stores. I'm so glad to have found it that fateful day.

Thanks mom!

Remembrance Day

2005-11-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

I somehow missed out on donating this year and getting a poppy. I feel kind of upset at myself for not donating sooner.

The morning was pretty much spent sleeping because I had a rough night before. I've been feeling like I'm coming down with something so I thought it best that I got as much rest as I could.

The night was something entirely different. I had met up with a couple friends thinking that we would catch a movie or something, but instead we ended up going clubing. Now I'm not really into the club scene but it was a change of pace that I enjoy now and then. Where else can I really get to dance in my everyday life?

I actually had a pretty good time. We started the night by going to a pub that had male strippers and karaoke. I didn't sing or anything, but I did enjoy listening to the amateurs belt out a couple songs. The stippers weren't too shabby either...

A gay club was our next destination...in fact, it was a destination for many people that night. They were holding the "Smirnoff Ice Queen" contest and the club was packed! I've never seen a place so busy...there was hardly any room to walk. I have to admit that it was one of the more fun clubs that I've been to. They had a drag show and live rave music. For once, the music suited my dancing style.

Very Nice.

Laughing on the Bus

2005-11-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

I was listening to "Fox and the City" on the bus the other day. It's a podcast by Ragan Fox which is extremely funny. It was so hilarious that I almost started laughing in public. It was quite embarrassing because I've actually seem people start to giggle spontaneously in public, which just makes those people look insane. I've become one of those people.

Halloween Party Mayhem!

2005-10-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Fog machine: $40
Firemen responding to fire alarm triggered by fog machine: $60
Having to apologize to a building full of angry tenants: Priceless

For every else, there's Mastercard.

Happy Halloween!

Word of the Day

2005-10-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard a word that was so cool that you wanted to use it in a conversation? It doesn't even have to be a new word that you learned. It can just as well be one that you've haven't heard in a while. This happened to me a couple days ago. The word: Modus Operandi.

Google defines the word as: routine; an unvarying or habitual method or procedure.

Don't be surprised if I use the word in the future. The conversation might go something like this...

So what time did you leave you house?
Oh, around 7pm. I took a leak before I left. It's my modus operandi!

Just some food for thought...

Nostalgia & Batman DVD's

2005-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day for Batman on DVD. Not only did Batman Begins come out but the Batman Anthology as well. Suffice to say, all the films, new and old, are in my collection now.

I spend yesterday watching Begins again as well as mining the special features. Today I started in on the older Batman films. I still can't believe that it's been 16 years since the first Batman film came out. I still remember going to Capitol Six on Granville Street with my mom and brother to catch a matinee.

Did I mention that I also bought the video cassette of the original Batman film when it came out years ago. Back then, it was uncommon for new films to release their videos at "sell-though" prices. The majority of videos back then cost about $100. This was done in order to ensure that video rental places had a significant window of time to "rent" the films out to people. Since they were priced so high, people were discouraged from purchasing and instead rent. But Batman changed all that.

The video cost me $25 back then and I watched it soooo many time from then on. I still have it, though it's a little worse for wear. Now along with the invention of dvd's, new releases can be had for as little as $15 and be considerably more superior to their video cousins.

It brings back so many memories just rewatching these older batman films. Did I also mention that I saw Batman Forever in the theater about 8 times!? Well....I did. But it was way cheaper back then to see a movie, especially when you're a child and you catch an afternoon showing. I even saw it once at a dollar theatre on Granville. So many memories...Time to watch the special features!

Question

2005-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

What does it mean when an old friend from high school whom you haven't seen or talked to in many years sees you on the subway, but makes no attempt to talk to you? And does it make a difference that it seemed like he was with his girlfriend?

Laptop Voodoo

2005-10-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

My laptop hates me.

Yesterday I brought my laptop in to be serviced because the cd drive wasn't working properly. Some dvd's and some cd-roms wouldn't read so into the shop it went.

Today I get a call from the store telling me that they've been testing my machine and it works fine! This is so mind boggling because I just tested the computer before I brought it in to be fixed...

Now the store wants me to pick it up...but I have a feeling that once I get it back home, it's going to still have the same problems as before. The store probably thinks I'm crazy now...

My laptop hates me.

Being Safe or Just Paranoid?

2005-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've learned though experience that one should never be too trusting of people you meet on the street. But is there a point where this caution becomes paranoia?

Tonight, I was at the local supermarket with my mother and as we were leaving, an older gentleman comes up to us and asks me in Chinese whether I have jumper cables. Apparently, his car battery had died near a bus stop around the block.

I truly did not have jumper cables so I told him "no". He then asks whether I would be willing to ask others in the parking lot if they had cables because apparently he didn't speak English.

I suggested that he perhaps call a taxi, but he said he only had $9 and he lived pretty far away (Surrey to be exact). I then said maybe he should call relatives. He replied that all his relatives were in Seattle for a wedding. At this point, I noticed someone else driving into the lot who might be able to help. He went over to ask the other person and I told my mom to leave for the car.

The entire time I was suspicious of this man, perhaps he was trying to con money from me, perhaps he wanted to rob me. That was my gut feeling. If I had cables, I would need to move my car to where his car was, but that would require him getting in my car and driving over there together...something I seriously did not want to do. I don't let strangers into my car at night!

As me and my mom hurried into the car, the man follows us and continues to ask me to help him find someone with cables. I spend about 5 minutes flagging people down and asking them, but everyone says they don't have jumper cables...maybe it's just because these people don't want the trouble, which I can understand.

Finally, he says he'll just take a taxi and if I could spare $4 (I'm still not feeling comfortable with this guy...asking me for money really don't help). I didn't want to take my wallet out in the open, so I ask my mother, who was sitting in the car to get some change. While she was doing this I was standing at the door in case the gentlemen had any bright ideas....

While my mom was getting the change, he suggested that I get back in the car because I was pretty cold, but me being so paranoid, I interpreted his suggestion as a way to get me away from my mother's purse. I politely declined his suggestion.

All she had was less than $2 in change and I handed this to the man and said goodbye. He reluctantly left.

Was I too paranoid? Was this man simply having car trouble?

My instincts told me not to trust him, but my compassionate side feels sorry that I couldn't really help him. What if it was me in the same position? Is this what society has become...Everyone for himself?

Arithmetic

2005-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

(Me + 3 lesbians)(Lick Nightclub+Booze) = Hangover

New Superman Pic

2005-09-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Very nice...

Sand Sculptures

2005-09-22T00:42:00.002-07:00

Pictures from my trip to Harrison Hot Spring's Sandsculpture contest.

Fly in the Face

2005-09-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

Today I was walking outside when I felt something suddenly on my lips. I reach to grab it and it turns out to be a fruit fly which inadvertently gets squished in the process. I was totally grossed out. My lips felt funky and I kept wanting to spit for the next couple of minutes.

There's no point to this account. Just thought I'd share it with you all.

p.s. Just as I was sitting down to write this post out, a tiny mosquito flew around my head. It's dead now. Call me the "Bug-anator". That's really lame, I know.

Back to School for Some

2005-09-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've been talking with lot of 16 year olds recently who are getting ready to go back to school. Something that I can't help but notice is that kids today are dressing a whole lot more sophisticated then when I was going to high school.

Back then, there were still the popular kids that dressed really well, but nowadays every teen seems to have a great fashion sense. This got me thinking...what's changed?

Some things that popped into my mind are:

1. Marketers are more aggressively targeting the teen market compared 7 years ago.

2. This creates a more competitive market for teens that pushes clothing prices down.

3. Parents with lower incomes can still buy stylish clothes for very little money.

At Old Navy, you can find button-down shirts for as little as $9.99 and tee's for $1.99.

When I was in high school, there was the GAP but as I recall their clothing weren't very "fun"...preppie yes, but not fun. Over the years, I've noticed that their style has become more hip. The selection of stores have also exploded. Old Navy, American Eagle and Tristan & America are all new stores that didn't exist or weren't in Canada 7 years ago.

I was recently cleaning out my closet and found a whole bunch of my old clothes. I was shocked I actually wore some of that stuff. Some old jackets were so large that I still don't fit them properly. Even though the "baggy" look was in fashion back then, I cringe at how baggy my clothes actually were.

I never did this, but does anyone else remember when people were wearing their clothes backwards?! Jeans worn backwards, shirts worn backwards, hats worn backwards...Whoa, I feel really old now!

World's Ugliest Dog 2005

2005-08-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't he cute!

People Watching

2005-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was in Richmond today with my mother who was shopping for fabrics at a favorite haunt of hers. I waited in the car as usual, but it took her about 45 minutes till she actually left the store. As one can expect, I got a little bored and impatient.

I tried entertaining myself by observing the people as they passed by my car. There was a little child with his father walking by. The child was chasing a rather large bird which I think was a seagull. I was amused by this situation because I can recall doing the same thing so many years ago.

As I watched this event unfold, I noticed that the bird was having a rather difficult time running away. I wondered why it just didn't fly away, at that moment the bird flapped its wings and flew a few inches but quickly crash landed. It was then that I realized the bird was injured. As the child was scolded by the father for his behavior, my attention shifted completely to the bird. I felt sorry for the creature as I watched it cross the street. I was hoping that no cars would pass as the bird made its way across the intersection. Luckily no harm came to the creature. As it walked out of view, I felt a sense of helplessness. I hope it's okay.

Next, my attention was caught by a young man running with his shirt off. There was a woman trying to catch up with him. He stopped across the street from me as the women walked to his location. As she approached, I noticed that they were actually in the middle of an argument.

I was fascinated by their body language. He had his shirt in his hands and was continually swinging it, while she was standing very static. It was almost like he was using his shirt as a distraction from what she was trying to get across to him. At one point, the man started walking away while the woman called out his name.

My mom returned shortly and as I was about to leave I saw the woman snag the shirt out of the man's hands and hit him with it repeatedly. From the distance I was at, I could not hear what the argument was about, but just by observing their body language it was a fascinating display of the emotions common to all human relationships.

Hitter & Friends Shoutout!

2005-08-18T01:10:00.002-07:00

Hey, I got a mention on Hitter's podcast! Thanks man, you got my vote!

Canada vs. USA: The Candy Wars

2005-08-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I've been hooked on PEZ recently. I did some research on the company which turns out originated from Austria. When I found the refills at Toys R Us last week, I noticed that the candy was still made in Austria.

Well today my mother made a trip to Seattle. While there, she stopped at a Walmart and picked me up some PEZ refills. They only cost $1 USD for a pack of 10 compared to $3 CAD for a pack of 8 at TRU. When she handed them to me later in the day, I noticed that the packaging was different from the kind I had found at my local Canadian Toys R Us. It was more plain. Turns out the ones from the States were made in California, NOT Austria.

Upon a taste test, it turns out that the ones made in the US had a sweeter taste; the artificial flavors were more apparent. How strange that Canada would not import the American made PEZ but opt to import the traditional Austrian made variety, probably at a more significant cost. I'm glad they do this because I prefer the Austrian-made PEZ.

On a related note, I was listening to the Dawn & Drew show and they made mention that someone in the UK had sent them a dozen Kinder Surprises. Apparently these are not available in the States! This is surprising because they are readily available in Canada. If D&D had not mentioned this fact, I would have never known that American children were deprived of the ability to eat a chocolate egg filled with a toy.

I'm happy to be Canadian. Besides all the political reasons for why I love Canada, a new reason is added to the pile: Canada gets candy that's not available in America!

This Week's Addiction: PEZ

2005-08-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

This past week I have become addicted to pills. Pills of PEZ!

Ever since I bought a Batman PEZ dispenser at Virgin Records' going out of business sale for $1.50 have been eating way too much of these tiny addictive candy.

I actually went on a PEZ hunt to try and find the sweets. Almost everywhere sells the dispensers with 3 rolls of candy, but I bet you didn't know how difficult it was to find just the candy without the dispenser. I looked everywhere! Luckily, Toys R Us had them and I happily bought two packs, which contained 8 rolls each.

And I can't just eat them from the wrapper, I have to load them into the dispenser...my BATMAN dispenser...it's totally sick! haha

BBQ @ CMG

2005-08-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a BBQ at CMG's house. If you recall, CMG is the guy in my Masters program who I finally came out to in March.

He lives in the west end and he's got an apartment like an Ikea catelogue. I mean that as a complement. I've always planned to decorate my future pad like those pictures in the Ikea book, but he beat me to it! haha

Great night, great food. There were about ~15 people there so it got pretty busy. Since he lived so close to the beach, we were also able to catch the finale of the Fireworks.

I met a lot of great people, all of whom lead more exciting lives than me :-P
I need to get out more.

Jason Mraz: Mr. A-Z

2005-08-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

This week I've been listening to the new CD by Jason Mraz entitled "Mr. A-Z". Let me tell you, if you haven't listen to this record, you're really missing out on something special. I never even hear of Jason until 2 weeks ago when he appeared on Jay Leno performing "Wordplay" from this album. This song is really fun with tongue-tying lyrics. This intrigued me and compelled me to seek out his disc.

The album contains songs that are fun and upbeat and some that are more introspective and haunting. "Mr. Curiosity" and "Plane" are two of my favorite somber pieces. Everyone should check it out.

Vancouver Pride 2005

2005-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I stopped by briefly at the Vancouver Dyke March. It was really cool with live music by lesbian performers. It was at Grandview Park and there were so many cute dogs there! I have to admit, some of those lesbians really looked like guys...and cute guys at that! Hmm...since I found a woman sexually attractive, does that make me straight?! hahah

Yesterday I went to the Pride Parade and it was totally crazy! So many people were packed onto Denman Street. I waited through three PACKED buses at Granville before I could get on one going near the parade. So many tourists were there as well. I was grinding up to this larger woman on the bus, and with such a hot day yesterday, I felt every bead of sweat on her back! ahhhhh! haha

Trying to get free stuff was totally fun. I tried yelling the loudest as people with the swag were walking by in the parade. Some people from Ginch Gonch were there and they were throwing t-shirts! But unfortunately I wasn't destined to be so lucky :-(

I did manage to get a "mardi gras" bead necklace, a pack of playing cards, tattoos, and a Dr. Pepper! The Japanese girls next to me there a lot louder than me, so they got more stuff than me :-( haha

After the parade, I went to the festival at Sunset beach and got me a pride bracelet, a bag of chips and a button from the Centre. All cool stuff!

There was a tent set up for free sunscreen which I took advantage of. Unfortunately, I forgot to apply some onto the back of my neck and today I realized that I got a nasty sunburn there.

I went by the Lesbian and Gay Choir booth and met in person someone who I only met online previously. It kinda weird to see someone that you know but don't know in person. It was great to meet him for real. I also got a free CD of their past performances as well!

BBQ & Misquitoes!

2005-08-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Friday night I went to a BBQ. It was at Jericho Beach and as it got dark, the misquitoes came out to feast on my legs. Maybe I shouldn't have worn shorts?

There was a guy there who did a fire show. He was spinning these balls of fire on a chain all around and with the sun down, it was amazing!

What else...I had to piss in a bush!!! haha Apparently the park washrooms are padlocked after a certain hour. At 10pm I went to the washroom because I had drank 3 cans of ice tea, but it was locked! With nowhere to go, I ran behind a tree and the rest is history. Luckily it was really dark so hopefully no one saw me.

The next morning, my legs had about 5 swollen misquitoe bites. Yikes!!!

The Last Hurdle

2005-08-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning, I had my final thesis defense with my committee. Happy to report that I passed! This means that after I do some minor revisions I am officially finished my Masters program :-)

My presentation for the defense lasted about 20 minutes, after which there was a question period that lasted 40 minutes! Thankfully, all the questions were answered relatively smoothly.

After the presentation, I went home and took a nice deep nap.

I didn't really get much sleep the night before. In fact, Wednesday afternoon I didn't really spend practicing and going over my notes. The majority of Wednesday afternoon was spent at the youth group redecorating and spray painting their office walls.

Let me tell you something, when you're spray painting, the mist goes everywhere...especially your hair! It was all good fun that helped distract myself from the pessimistic thoughts that go through my mind prior to a presentation.

Hitter and Friends

2005-07-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Found a new podcast recently and it's really good!
Hitter and Friends is mainly about Mark or "Hitter" as his friends call him. He's just a guy trying to get by in the world. Topics on his show include trying to find a date (or lack of trying), being a gentlemen of leisure, and sex (of course!).

Friends include his roommate Ira, his gay best friend Mijo, and Mijo's sister Marisa. Lots of fun. Check it out!

Also read up on Hitter's live journal.

Hanged For Being Gay

2005-07-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto this news story that was making the rounds today. Two Iranian boys (16 and 18) were executed for being gay. I felt weak and nauseous when I read this story. A part of me wanted it to be a bad joke because it just sounded totally ridiculous.

But that was just wishful thinking. Perhaps it was just denial kicking in. In the back of my mind, I knew it was true. I'm horrified, saddened and angered. Those boys didn't deserve to die.

I met this guy a couple years ago who was working at UBC hospital. He was Iranian. He was thinking of going back to school to get his Ph.D in Psychology. We got to talking numerous times where he told me about his family and how some were still back in Iran. He said he wanted to go back to Iran to see his family again. At the time, this comment was taken for granted by me. Now that I think about it, I hope that he does get to see his family again, but I also hope that he gets back to Canada safely afterwards.

Read the story HERE.
More details can be found HERE as well as some message board reactions.

It's Now Official

2005-07-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Same-sex legislation now law in Canada"

During my crazy week, something of great importance occurred. The legislation got royal assent yesterday and officially became law in Canada. This makes Canada the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage following Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain.

What a CRAZY Week!

2005-07-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well, this past week has been pretty hectic for me. My life went from pretty calm to crazy all in one week!

Let's see, first there was the wasp incident on Tuesday. Turns out there were a total of 3 nests on my property. One was in the wall of the house, another under the sundeck, and finally there was another one under a tree in the yard. Turns out this one wasn't wasps, but bald hornets! Very nasty insects that not only sting but bite!

My parents finally hired an exterminator to get rid of all of them. It cost $180 but it was money well spent!

On Wednesday I went to my first gay youth meeting. It was pretty low key which I liked for my first meeting. We watching a Hollywood version of a Bollywood movie. It was called "Bride and Prejudice". It was ok, but not really something I would personally pick out to watch. It was fun nonetheless. I met some really nice people who made me feel welcomed.

On Friday, I went to my first Gay dance. Initially I was hesitant about going, but I'm glad I made the trip. They had auctions for charity, games, and selecting the King and Queen of the prom! The couple that got my vote didn't win (two hot lesbians who did a steamy kiss won instead).

On Sunday, I finally got the comments from my committee member which I been waiting for all week. There were EXTENSIVE. Luckily, after I stopped hyperventilating and went through them carefully, they weren't that bad. Most were just questions on clarification. It turns out that this member got confused about some points thus she misunderstood my tables.

I went to see my advisor on Monday to go over the comments. In that one day, I met my advisor, met the committee member who gave me comments, appointed a chair for my defense, and set a date for my presentation! After weeks of just sitting around waiting for my thesis comments, things got set into overdrive!

I spent the majority of Tuesday reworking my measures section of my thesis to give to my committee as well as redrafting a clean version for my new Chairperson. On the side, I was working on my powerpoint which I'll need by Monday so I can do a "dry-run" for my advisor.

If that wasn't enough, on Wednesday after I handed in my redraft to my advisor, I went to another group meeting where I took part in a video promo for next year's pride! Me and some of the other youth workers and people at the meeting basically yelled out "Happy Pride !" It was surreal! haha

After that we went to the beach to hang out, chat and play some charades...very briefly. A guy I met at the dance came to the group for the first time, so it was nice seeing him again.

Right now, it's Thursday and I'm continuing to work on my slides for Monday's dry run presentation. Well...I think we're all caught up by now, don't you think!?

Wasps!

2005-07-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, my neighbors and I noticed that both our properties has wasp nests. We stupidly tried to get rid of them but now the wasps has congregated in the attic of my home. They burrowed a small hole in the wall and this morning they began crawling out!

Creepy...like a scene in a horror movie, there were dozens of them. Apparently, if you kill one of them, they emit a pheromone that alerts other wasps to come to the rescue! I'm amazed at how smart they are.

I'm going to wait until dusk to tackle this problem because that's when they are less active and the majority of them are in their nest. Hopefully their new nest is near the hole that they made in the wall. If this is so, some wasp Raid in the hole should take care of the problem.

In the event that it should fail, I've already called an exterminator but he won't be able to come by for an estimate till Saturday. That's a long time to wait!

Wish me luck!

Doctor Who

2005-07-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

I've watch two episodes of the new Doctor Who. I think it's pretty good. Taken alone, it could be a little corny. But when you consider the show in the context of its 42 year history it becomes more than just a show. It becomes a part of history.

I remember watching a Doctor Who tv movie years ago. It was suppose to be an attempt at a relaunch of the franchise on American television, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Too bad, because I remember I really like that movie.

This new BRITISH television series is very true to the original show and is a great way for new viewers to be introduced to the world of Doctor Who.

I want a TARDIS!

Gay Bashings in Alberta

2005-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

I really hate to make this blog too political, but it breaks my heart when I hear news like this.

"Gay Marriage Debate Leads To Bashings"

It really is absurd that the people against same-sex marriage are using fear and violence to convince people while the people supporting gay marriage are using reason and peace.

Religious freedoms are not being bullied and threatened. The only ones being bullied and threatened are gays and lesbians.

Same-Sex Marriage in Spain

2005-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

"Spain became only the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday"

Congrats Spain!

Proud to be Canadian

2005-06-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Canada Day. A time to be proud of being Canadian. Unfortunately some feel differently after the recent political events.

I was reading the editorials in the paper today about same-sex marriage. A man stated that he used to be proud to be a Canadian, but after yesterday he is now ashamed to be Canadian.

It is unfortunate that this person feels ashamed when Canada recognizes the rights of minorities. I'm sure this person was also ashamed when segregation was eliminated.

Another opinion stated that they feared for their religious freedom (Despite the fact that religious freedoms will still be protected under the new changes). I don't believe that this is the real motivating factor for their opposition to same-sex marriage.

It is simply because they hate gays and lesbians. Unfortunately that piece of truth would not win them much support. They are only using the argument of religious freedom because it sound LESS absurd.

I don't know about you, but I'm proud to be Canadian.

Watching Wimbledon

2005-06-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not a sports fan. That being said, I found myself watching tennis today. Initially, I was drawn into it because Andy Roddick was playing. I was simply watching because I was attracted to this guy. But as I continued on and saw more of the match, I became fascinated by the game and was actually excited to see how it turned out (I was hoping Roddick would win though!).

After a while, I was more focused on the GAME rather than the guy. Although I still don't think I'll have a desire to watch tennis again unless Andy Roddick is playing :-)

Gay Marriage in Canada

2005-06-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Even though I don't have a boyfriend or see myself being married in the near future, I was extremely happy to see this piece of news yesterday night.

"Canada Commons Passes Gay Marriage Bill"

Hilton Family Bullshit

2005-06-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

I was flipping thought the channels tonight and I came across the show "I Want to be a Hilton". It's sort of like the Apprentice but with Kathy Hilton (Paris' mom) as host. A group of people compete for a chance to live the "high life".

The thing that bugged me was that it wasn't enough that this woman was flaunting her wealth and "so-called" knowledge of high society, but that she seemed to enjoy dangling a carrot in front of these contestants. The show made it seem like the only important things in life were dinner parties and fake smiles.

During the "elimination" segment, a contestant commented on another contestant's form of dress, saying she dressed too sexy. Kathy Hilton comments in a condescending tone that this girl needed to watch her sexuality. HELLO!? Has she met her own daughter? Maybe she should save that tone for Paris instead.

Brandon Routh

2005-06-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

I just received my copy of EW this week and WOW. The new Superman, Brandon Routh definitely looks the part. Nice biceps!

Oh...the girl who's going to play Lois looks good too :-)

Batman Truly Begins

2005-06-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to keep my mind off other matters, I went to see Batman Begins on Wednesday with EL. Finally, a Batman movie that takes it source material seriously.

The original Tim Burton Batman was good, but the director's style was just so overwhelming. This time, with director Christopher Nolan the story is centred on Bruce Wayne. A welcome change from the previous movies focus on the wacky villains.

In this film, characters have motivations that are explored. It's really a psychological film more than an summer action blockbuster (although it does have those thrilling moments).

If you haven't seen it yet, see it soon. I already saw it twice.

After one week...

2005-06-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a week since I tried apologizing to my friend. None of those guys I usually hang out with have called me in the past week. Similarly, as more time passes, I feel less inclined to call them as well. I really don't want our friendship to end this way, but I already offered my olive branch. If they don't want to accept it, then I'm not going to force them.

The thing that occurred to me last night was that if this is the reaction I get from those guys from a misunderstanding of anger, then how will they react when I truly get a little pissed at them in the future?! Friends will inevitably argue because we're all individuals with different opinions, but if their reaction is to simply cut me out of their lives, then I guess it proves that they weren't really good friends in the first place.

Fortunately, I have to give a thanks to EL who I met last Saturday. She's been extremely supportive and a much needed changed from my regular guy friends. EL's an awesome photographer from what I hear. She really has to show me some of her work very soon! ;-)

I've had many supportive emails this past week and I'm truly grateful. I don't know why it took me so long to reach out to the larger queer community in Vancouver. I hope to keep in contact with many of those people who offered me supportive words.

Tolerance vs. Acceptance?

2005-06-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently, one of my good friends told me that I've been acting very irritated recently, probably within the last few months. The only thing that I can think of that might have changed how I interact with my friends is in their reciprocal treatment of me.

They've known that I am gay for a couple years now. Initially, they accepted it but never really acknowledged it beyond little friendly jokes that I enjoyed as well. After all, I felt that at least with jokes, they showed some acknowledgement for me. But lately, I believe that I've become somewhat irritated at my friends. Every time we hang out, they talk about girls and who they would like to go out with...typical straight-guy talk. I'm fine with it and it's to be expected that a bunch of guys would talk about such things.

What gets me mad a little is that they don't want me to talk about who I find attractive and similar issues. I can understand their disinterest, but to silence me simply because I have different preferences is a point that I, up until recently, have begun to hate.

We were at the beach recently, when the friend I got in an argument with in the previous post said right off the bat, "If you see someone you think is hot, keep it to yourself". I laughed it off, but it actually really hurt me.

They "tolerate" me, but they don't really "accept" me. Then they have the nerve to get mad and me for being irritable in the oft occasion. Yep, those are my "friends".

Writing this all out is actually very therapeutic. My thoughts are so much clearer. I have to question why I still consider them my friends. Are they still "friends" in the true sense of the word?

p.s. Today I called the friend I argued with to apologize. I figured, I would just say I'm sorry and put this whole thing behind us. He basically stonewalled me. He kept saying, "is that it?" like he really wanted to get off the phone. Right now, I'm not sure whether he's still mad, or whether it his male bravado trying to hold back any signs of weakness by accepting my apology.

Why do straight males have to be so stubborn when it comes to expressing any sort of emotion besides anger?

I'll keep you posted on further developments.

The Trouble with Friends

2005-06-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes friends can really piss you off, more so than strangers ever will.

Case in point, I have this friend who I always feel like I'm walking on pins and needles when I'm with him. He's got a "foot up his ass" temper that can go off at any time.

Sometimes he would say something serious, but when he doesn't like our reactions, he says it was just a joke, and is mad that we couldn't tell the difference. Seriously, he can be totally happy, but suddenly be pissed with no obvious reason.

Tonight, he makes a remark-totally serious tone-we react and then he retracts it saying, "Couldn't you tell I was joking?!" All the while, he was pissed off that we could not distinguish it as a joke.... The problem is, NO we can't tell when you're joking! How the hell are we suppose to know when you act like you're fucking bi-polar!

I make a similar remark in the same vein tonight, and he goes and takes it like it's the most serious thing I ever said. I told him it was a joke, but no....he over reacts. Fine. Whatever. Do what you want. You're an adult. I'm just tired of all the bullshit.

Brandi's

2005-05-31T02:33:00.001-07:00

Some friends and I went to Brandi's in Vancouver tonight. It's a straight strip club. It was pretty funny because all the girls kept flirting with me in their attempts to get me to pay for a private dance. I have to give those dancers credit. They really need to have a fit body in order to do some of those amazing moves.

Unfortunately, it was kinda expensive. Cover was $9 and a glass of 7-up was $5.25. WTF?!

Luckily I wasn't totally bored as there was the cutest waiter I've ever seen working there. Every time he passed by our table, I would be totally staring at him. He was so hot. He wasn't really muscular, but tall with brown tousled hair. Very boyish and very adorable. He looked soooo much like the guy included in this post.

Gay for Pay or Just Gay?

2005-05-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

This has been on my mind for a while now. Every now and then I peruse the gay discussion forums and there are always talks about Str8 amateur sites such as "Sean Cody.com" and "Straight College Men.com". While I know that the guys on these sites are probably not str8, the arguments that some people put out as to WHY they're not straight seems flawed.

Hypothetically speaking, let's say some of these guys do consider themselves straight. Lots of people would argue that because these guys are willing to have sex with other men for money, they are GAY. "If you have sex with a guy, you're gay," is pretty much their line of thinking.

The problem is what if the situation were reversed? If someone offered me a ton of money to have sex with a girl I would probably do it. It would have to be a TON of money though, not because I am disgusted with girls, but because I don't want to be filmed. If we factor out the cameras and just focus on the sex, I would probably fuck a girl. I can actually see myself doing that one of these day, just to try it out.

Following the logic from the argument presented earlier, would that make me straight? I'm sure there are fags out there that have banged a chick. Would that make them straight? I don't think so. Just because a person is willing to have sex with a particular gender does not mean they would search out sex with that gender, be it men or women.

If a guy is willing to have sex with another guy for money, yet he only picks up women in his everyday life, I would still call that straight. similarly, if a guy is willing to have sex with a women for money, yet only searches out other men in his normal life, I would say he's gay.

A Day at the Beach & More Aaron Loftin

2005-05-29T00:59:00.001-07:00

A couple friends and I went to Kits Beach in Vancouver today. It was freaking hot and all the shirtless guys just made me feel like the temperature raised by 10 degrees!

Not that I'm complaining. I really should head to the beach more often!

All this excitement made me want to post some pictures of my favorite model on the beach: Aaron Loftin. Guys like him were all over the beach today!

Stereotypical Gay?

2005-05-29T00:29:00.000-07:00

I've been watching a lot of Sex and the City recently. I always liked the show, but I've just had a craving to rewatch a lot of the older episodes. They've held up pretty well. I find myself really enjoying the situations of the these four women.

This makes me wonder about my other interests...are they stereotypically gay?

Let's see, some of my favorite shows besides Sex and the City have been Desperate Housewives, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Alias....let's not forget that I've also been known to enjoy a musical or two. I wonder if straight men would have enjoyed Sex and the City as much as I have?

Do I enjoy these shows BECAUSE I'm gay or is it all a freaky coincidence? Perhaps straight guys are just too stuck up to enjoy these more "girly" shows. Luckly, metrosexuals give these straight guys some hope.

Missing ALIAS!

2005-05-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

My god! I set my VCR to record the 2 Alias episodes tonight because I was going out and what happens? Someone in my house shuts off the VCR after only 30 minutes! I'm soooo pissed right now. Not only did I miss the two penultimate episodes of the season, but apparently some very important events occurred!!!!! Why world, why!!!!!?????

Never trust your family to leave your shit alone!

The Bat-Man

2005-05-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

Love this picture.
This movie is going to ROCK!

Free Comic Book Day

2005-05-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

The week sure went by fast. Last Saturday was "Free Comic Book Day." Those who knew that (like me) hopefully made a trip to their local comic shop to score some free comics. This is the second year in a row that I participated in. It's always great fun and you get to meet some of the talent involved in those comics. I picked up like 10 free comics, some I knew I'd enjoy, others just to sample the genre. I love it!

Nothing much happened this past week. I procrastinated some more so didn't get much done on my thesis.

I did manage to go get a hair cut on Tuesday. I don't know what it is, but I think I'm getting a crush on my hairdresser. I never really paid attention to him before, but the last couple times, I find myself becoming more and more attracted to him. The strange thing is that it's not like a "lust" thing where I want to jump his bones, but it's like I just want to get to know him some more, on an emotional level. It was strange, but a pleasant feeling.

I got a friend flying in from Hong Kong next week. It'll be great to see him again. It's been about 7 months since I last saw him. I think he's coming back for good which is cool. I miss hanging out with him.

Strip Search

2005-05-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching a very powerful film called "Strip Search", directed by Sidney Lument. It's about the loss of freedom and rights in a post-September 11th world. Two parallel situations of an interrogation in China and the United States are contrasted with the exact same dialog. What made it so powerful was that there really was no difference between the two situations, but if they had been portrayed individually, Americans would probably say the Chinese authorities in the movie were being totally unfair. But the thing is, Americans are just as ruthless in their interrogation techniques.

Truly a film that makes you think.

Whiny Fanboys

2005-04-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

There's a ton of discussion around the new Superman and his suit. Most of it is negative whining from disgruntled fanboys saying that he looks nothing like Superman and that the suit sucks. I read though many of these posts on various forums, it was like looking at a train wreak. I just couldn't take my eyes away. It's amazing how riled up these people can get from just one picture.

I say reserve judgment until you actually see the movie, or at the very least, a trailer for the movie. Some people are saying that they should have cast a guy who's built like Arnold, and not some skinny kid. I don't know about you, but he doesn't look like a "skinny kid". And as for the idea of casting a bodybuilder or stuntman just cause he looks the part? Forget that, I'd rather have a cast of actors that can actually ACT! I don't want just action, but a real story. These fanboys are complaining about ALL the casting choices! What do they want? Just a mindless action movie like "Batman & Robin"??!!

Personally, I have my concerns about the suit, but as for casting choices, I'll reserve my judgment till AFTER I see the finished product.

I'm Just Lazy

2005-04-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? My blogs are becoming more and more infrequent. Nothing much went on this week. I supervised a couple tests last Thursday and Friday. Very uneventful as one can imagine. I stand around for 2 hours watching over students and answering the odd question. At least I get paid well.
I'm going to LF's wedding in June so I recently bought a suit. At first I got this nice pin-striped one, but it turned out to be a little too large. I exchanged it for a plain black suit. For anyone who's curious, I wear a 36 regular. It fits really nice and doesn't even need to be altered...except for the pants that is. The jacket is perfect. I was surprised that it fit so well since magazines and TV shows always say that suits off a rack need to be altered (at least a bit) to fit the particular person wearing it.

I guess I have the typical 36 regular body :-)

Now I'm on a quest to find a nice white dress shirt. I'm thinking of something with a little texture instead of the plain cotton white shirts. Since the suit is black, I figured that a little detail in the shirt is a must. I'm also shopping for a nice yellow tie. I think the combination of a black suit, white shirt and yellow tie is really cool for a wedding.

Superman Returns!

2005-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here a picture of the new Superman, Brandon Routh. I think he looks great, but the collar on the costume is a bit too high. Those are some impressive legs!

GinchGonch.com

2005-04-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

I love supporting local businesses. Here's a great example.

Ginch Gonch is a new underwear company that recently launched here in Vancouver. I really have to give kudos to their marketing people :-)

Check them out here.

Gas Shortage & Bed Head

2005-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just got back from filling up the car. It was crazy at that gas station! Prices have been hitting an all-time high recently at $1.05/litre. Well today my brother calls me up and says that the price has dropped to $0.94/litre. Well, I jump right into my car and head on down to the station. What awaited me was a line-up that backed all the way up into the street. I get into queue and let me tell you, skills at vehicle maneuvering were definitely a necessity! After I filled up, I had to leave the station by driving onto the sidewalk and bypassing all the other cars! From the looks of things, people would assume there's a gas drought or something.

Anyway, with the drama behind me I head on over to the local grocery store to pick up some milk and bananas. Being in a hurry to leave the house, I neglected to cure my affliction of bad hair. The last thing I would expect is to run into an old friend at the store. So there I am, bed head to the extreme, talking to a friend who I haven't seen in a couple years. Being the neurotic that I am, all I could think about is how stupid I must look with my hair up to the ceiling! It was nice seeing her though.

Urban Family Night!

2005-04-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

Just discovered this new, very funny podcast. UFN is just a bunch of friends sitting around talking, but it's the subject matter that really makes it hilarious!

Check it out. Don't miss the "Japanese schoolgirl" skit in episode 2!

Catch Up

2005-04-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. The past week went by very fast. I don't feel like I got any work done at all.

Let's see. I finally got that iPod Shuffle I've been drooling over. My decision had absolutely nothing to do with the previous post. Now that I've made the plunge, I can confidently say that this little device is very small and works like a charm. Despite the lack of an LCD screen, I find that it's very easy to navigate and the shuffle option is very cool. I'm contemplating on buying the sports case...damn Apple and their amazing marketing machine! haha

Hmm....what else happened this week? I went to dinner with LF and her sister on Thursday. It was nice to catch up with her, we don't get to do that very often now. Her sister and I are planning to drive down to Seattle for LF's wedding in June, which should be fun!

Yesterday my friend and I went to the Pacific International Carshow. I wished they had more concept cars cause that's what I really like seeing. It was cool that they let you sit in the majority of the cars that were on display. Not only were the cars cool, but I was amazed at how many hot guys were attending the show!

Sexiest Mp3 Player

2005-03-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about getting an mp3 player. For some reason, this pic make me what to get an ipod shuffle...

Check out more pictures here. For those so inclined, there are also girls.

Move over Mudflap Girl!

2005-03-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

That's right. Mudflap Girl has a brother! This guy can be now be found of t-shirts, hats and postcards. Very cool!

Check out Mudflap Boy's goods here. Available for both men and women.

Easter Weekend and Gay Chat!

2005-03-29T00:59:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that a week has gone by. I don't feel like I got much work done. I guess my subconscious wanted a break more than I thought! Nothing much written this weekend, but I did do some serious thinking for my discussion section of my thesis. Even though I got stuff done, because there's nothing written on paper, I feel kind of unproductive. I have to get past this kind of thinking.

Anyway, I did have a little fun this weekend. I tried my hand at gay chat rooms for the first time... It was an interesting experience. I met four guys who were really nice. I ended up chatting with them off and on for about 4 hours! It's amazing how many "tops" there are in those rooms. All the guys I chatted with were looking for a "bottom boy"...something that I guess I am curious about trying...though that doesn't mean I don't want to also top!

Glad to see that it was an interracial mix of people I met. Two were Chinese, one Japanese, and one was White. All were a little older than me (average about 29 yrs old) and all live in the Vancouver area.

Topics of conversations invariably shifted from gay lifestyle in general to gay sex. Pics were traded and they were all pretty good looking. I guess it wasn't all that surprising that they wanted to hook-up with me THAT night...

It feels pretty cool that there are actual good-looking people out there who want to get busy with ME! haha Kind of makes me feel a little less lonely. But I'm still holding out for that special someone...

Results DONE! sort of...

2005-03-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I've handed in a draft of my results section. So far so good! I can't believe how fast it's progressing after hitting a wall a couple of weeks ago. I'm very relieved that SOMETHING is down on paper.

Female "Fishy" Smell Mystery Solved!

2005-03-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

I'm always up for strange sexual proclivities...but this is really odd.
Check this girl out and you'll see why I'm glad I'm gay.

I guess this is where that "fishy" smell comes from!

Reefer Madness...Sort of

2005-03-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

I've always been curious about marijuana. Is it as trippy as the film "Reefer Madness" makes it out to be? Having never done any illegal drugs, never smoked, and rarely drank alcohol, I had absolutely nothing but what I had seen in movies to base my expectations on.

Totally of my free will, I tried it tonight with a friend (Don't be a victim to peer pressure kids!) and unlike Bill Clinton, I inhaled. The effects were less euphoric then I had hoped. I actually didn't feel much of anything...although I seemed to be more irritated, but that could have been due to something else.

The whole experience was kind of anti-climactic. I guess nothing could really live up to the hype I was giving it. It's like a highly anticipated blockbuster movie. Sometimes your hopes for a kick-ass flick make an actually pretty good flick seem more disappointing than if you went in without any preconceived notions. Maybe I was just expecting too much from "smoking weed" and this disappointment in effect jaded my experience.

In any case, I think this will be my first and final foray into recreational drugs. It's just not my cup of tea.

Funny Picture

2005-03-11T01:41:00.001-08:00

Read this out loud.
Took me a couple seconds to get this :-)

More Funny Pictures

2005-03-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture?

In a split second...

2005-03-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Does one embarrassing moment destroy all the coolness that a person has built up over the course of a relationship?

I've always acted professional with my advisor, presenting a cool exterior. Well, today all that hard work went down the toilet.

As I was leaving his office, I swung my rather heavy backback over my shoulder. As I was doing this, my cell phone that I had forgotten that I had placed on top of my bag flew to the ground. As I turn around to see what fell, I lost balance and pretty much fell on the chair. It was really embarrassing as anyone would be able to tell. It was at this moment that I felt I lost something in how I presented myself to my professors. It was a goofy mistake which I'm sure I'll laugh off in a couple days, but as I'm typing this post it's the most embarassing thing I've ever done!

Turn me on, dead man

2005-03-07T01:09:00.000-08:00

I have to thank deathball.net, the incredibly difficult internet puzzle. It brought my attention to a fascinating conspiracy theory involving the Beatles.

Apparently, some say that Paul McCartney is an impersonator. The "real" Paul died in 1966 from a car accident. Some spooky clues hinting at his death can apparently be found in Beatles album art and song lyrics. In particular, a song called "Revolution 9", that when played backwards has the lyrics "turn me on, dead man."

The whole story can be found here. A comprehensive website documenting the entire "Paul is Dead" conspiracy.

This made me laugh

2005-03-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

I was watching an old Simpsons episode today. It was about the kids getting with own news show and Bart doing puff pieces called "Bart's people." This one line from Lisa made me laugh out loud. She was jealous that Bart was getting so much attention that she decided to try doing similar "community profiles" stories.

"They want cheap sentiment? I'll pump 'em so full of sap they'll be blowing their nose with a pancake!"

Does anyone else find this line really hilarious?

Project Wideawake

2005-03-04T01:03:00.000-08:00

The recent New York ToyFair showcased some really cool figures that I desperately need to get my hands on. This 16-inch Sentinel from Marvel Legends has me drooling! It's sooo freaking sweet! You have to buy 7 individual 6-inch figures to get this big boy. Each figure comes with a chunk of the Sentinel which you assemble. Very Cool!

Fantastic Indeed!

2005-03-04T00:50:00.000-08:00

The new Fantastic Four movie looks great! I think this is going to be a definite "must see"! The costumes look pretty nice by the way ;-P

I won a contest! Again!

2005-03-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I entered a contest for a dvd prize back from a Canadian Television Channel. Well, today they gave me a ring to tell me I won! Yay!
It's a three-dvd package of:

Donnie Darko (director's cut)
The Good Girl
The Day After Tomorrow

As you can tell, all three movies star Jake Gyllenhaal, who many people think looks like Tobey Maguire. Anyway, the funny thing is they made me answer a skill-testing question. It was pretty simple, but I always wondered why they do this. Would they actually deny you the prize if you answered incorrectly?

According to Darrenbarefoot.com, it's a requirement of Canadian law having to do with lottery licenses. Interesting stuff. At least now I know.

I seem to have won quite a number of things over the years. Advance screening movie tickets from the local newspaper; cd's the the newspaper; and now DVD prize backs from television stations! HA!

I've even won GAY PORN dvds from websites! I won two times actually, plus I've even won a free month of access to a major porn website!

The thing to keep in mind is that whenever there is a contest, you should always put your name down. This will increase your chances of winning something at least (in the long run)!

Bit the Bullet

2005-03-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

So today after my meeting with my advisor, I stuck around campus in my attempt to "run into" my gay friend which I'll call CMG. We and a couple other friends chatted for half an hour about the Amazing Race and Wife Swap :-)

Anyway, about 5 minutes before his class I got him alone and told him I'm gay:

PW: "I want to tell you something."
CMG: "Sure!"
(5 seconds of silence)
CMG: "What is it? You're starting to scare me."
PW: "I don't know why I didn't tell you this sooner, but..."
CMG: "You are?"
PW: "Yes."
CMG: "That's cool."

It was as simple as that. I didn't even have to say the words. He knew exactly what I was trying desperately to spit out.

I don't know why I was so afraid to tell him. But now that I have, I feel a tremendous sense of freedom.

Social Etiquette

2005-03-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

Today I was taking the bus home from school. I sit down and notice that I'm facing someone a girl who I had a class with last term. I don't really know her outside of class but we shared a couple conversations before. Even now I can't seem to recall her name.

In all honesty, I didn't really want to talk to her, but I felt obligated to say "hi" because I didn't want to act like we never met. This was all on the assumption that she had also noticed me. I never really know what to do in these situations. If she's anything like me, all she wants to do is sit quietly on the bus and be left alone...but she's not me...

After a couple minutes, I pretended that I only noticed her at that moment and said hello. We talked for a couple minutes, but I didn't know whether I should have went back to reading. She was also reading prior to my interruption and I didn't want her to feel obligated to talk to me. We ended up talking till her stop (which luckily was not very long).

I hate situations like this. If it was a good friend, I would have no problems talking to them, but for passing acquaintances it's more difficult to judge. Does the other person even want to talk or do they just feel the same obligation to make chit-chat?

Man, I sound really neurotic right now.

Thanks for sharing your story

2005-02-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

I want to give a shout out to Secret Simon! I've been following his ordeal and I wish him the best. May this new stage of your life bring you peace and happiness.

Cash: Don't leave home without it

2005-02-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had lunch with LF after my meeting with my advisor. We end up at a little Japanese restaurant on Broadway near Cambie. After we ordered, I realized that I didn't have any cash on me. But I wasn't really worried cause I thought such a restaurant would probably take credit...or debit.

I ask LF, "Hey do you think they take credit here? I didn't bring any cash!" She looks around and says, "probably". Then she asks the waitress, "Do you only accept cash here?" to which the happy reply was "YES. Only cash." LF and I look at each other for a second, then we both scramble for our wallets to double check if we have enough cash. Luckily, she had $13 and some change, and I, being the gentleman that I am, chip in with $1 that I found hidden in the recesses of my wallet.

Suffice to say, we didn't have to wash any dishes. We had JUST enough. On a side note, the food was pretty good!

A needed kick in the ass!

2005-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I handed in a rough draft of a write-up describing how I'm constructing my dependent variable. I was relieved that there were no significant changes necessary from my advisor. The next step for this weekend is to do the same for my independent variables. He wants a similar write-up by monday. This means that I'll probably be working my ass off this weekend.

I don't really mind how he's pushing me to get this done. If it wasn't for him motivating me, I'd probably be dragging this project out.

Anyways, I'm on campus right now. Going to have lunch with LF and catch up. She's getting married soon and I couldn't be happier for her!

Aaron Loftin

2005-02-24T00:31:00.000-08:00

Alright. So I was surfing the net when I came across Aaron's pictures. I totally fell out of my seat! To say this guy is good looking is an understatement! I've always had a thing for Abercrombie guys. If my friends are reading this, too bad. What can I say. I'm gay, deal with it.

Check out more of Aaron @ aaronloftin.com and you can see an interview clip of him HERE.

Scared of my own shadow

2005-02-24T00:12:00.000-08:00

There's this guy in my program who's gay. Everyone knows he's gay and he's proud of it. The problem is, he thinks I'm straight. I guess I sort of led him to believe this, but I was still very much in the closet when I first met him, so you can't really blame me...Can you?

It's been two years since I've met this guy and yet I still can't get the balls to tell him I'm queer. Today was the perfect example. I had actually planned to tell him today, but chickened out at the last minute. I'm not sure what I'm scared of...it's not like he'll freak out or anything...I mean, he's gay as well! And it's not like I want to date him (I wouldn't mind, but I value his friendship more)...it's rather that I want him to show me the ropes...introduce me to people. Stuff like that.

Maybe I just don't know how to bring it up. "By the way, I'm not straight." Hmm...that's as good as way as any I guess. Maybe next week when I arrange to "accidentally" run into him.

Procrastination, No More!

2005-02-24T00:06:00.000-08:00

I had a fairly productive day. Went to see my advisor and he definitely advised me! I really respect this professor. He's the first authority figure who I really, truly respect and admire. In any case, I got my dependent variable in one of my data sets to conform to a normal distribution! I can't believe how happy this makes me.

I'm suppose to do a write-up by Friday. This gives me only a day and a half. Which is OK. I think I got the meat of it done tonight. So that leaves me an entire day tomorrow to finesse the rest of the assignment. I'm really moving on with my thesis! For a while there I felt I was in a holding pattern...but now I can feel this project moving forward!

Don't forget to lock your door!

2005-02-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

This is totally hilarious. The best example of what can happen if you don't double check that your door is locked! hahahah

Check it out. Thanks to Kontraband.com

Fast Metabolism: A Gift or a Curse?

2005-02-20T02:52:00.000-08:00

I'm a pretty slight guy. I'm about 6 feet tall but weight around 118 pounds. All the men in my family are similarly as thin. It's not like I eat healthy foods. I eat pizzas and hamburgers without a care in the world. Unfortunately, I don't gain a pound as a result of it. My brother eats a lot more than me, but he's just as skinny.

What's the problem here? I've recently been trying to gain some weight. It's always been something I'd like to do, but I've just never had the motivation to do it. But a couple weeks ago, something click in me. I had a strong desire and motivation to gain some weight. Perhaps it was seeing all these buff guys in the gym that finally pushed me over the edge. I always feel so embarrassed working out next to these muscular men. It's intimidating.

My routine for the past week and a half has been to supplement my meals with protein shakes. The amount of milk I've been drinking in a week has been more than I usually drink in a few months...and that's only after a week! I down about 2 litres in a day and a half! In the past, the carton would have lasted me at least 3 weeks.

I'm trying to think positively, but also realistically. I'm aiming to gain at least 5 pounds this month. That might not sound like much, but I found out that it's next to impossible for me to break the 120lb mark. I'm hoping that this time I'll be successful.

Wish me luck!

Shopping Withdrawal

2005-02-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Currently, I'm typing this from my bed. I've been incapacitated ever since this afternoon. I woke up this morning feeling a little light-headed. I'm not even sure now what brought this on. I'm guessing it's a head cold or something likely as insignificant.

This morning, not heeding the warnings my body was telling me, I drove down to The Comicshop on West 4th for their annual half-price sale. I was hoping to get some good deals on some figures that I had passed up for one reason or another. Unfortunately I left the store empty handed. Nothing really caught my eye. I was actually contemplating buying something just for the heck of it...after all, I did wake up early just to go to this thing. But my better judgment got the best of me and I placed the pity purchase back on the pegs.

Seeing as I drove all the way to the Westend with nothing to show for it, I figured I might as well drop off at Little Sisters to check if they had any new issues of Xodus or XY. I get down to Davie Street, which feels totally different when you're driving down it rather than walking, and pull into the store's parking lot. Not five minutes later, I leave the store with the same feeling of dissatisfaction.

While inside the store, I see two guys standing in the aisle that I need to get through. I pass by them and hear that they're speaking mandarin. As I leave the store I pass by the same couple again, but as I am about to pass them, they give me the strangest look. A look of resentment. I'm not exactly sure what I did to deserve this glare. Maybe it's because they feared I was listening in on their conversation. In all honesty, I had absolutely no idea what they were saying as I don't speak mandarin!

Anyway, I guess I should have just stayed home today and gotten some rest. Apparently I would not have missed much, and maybe I would not be feeling so dizzy right now...maybe it's because I didn't get my fix of shopping today. One can only take so much disappointment.

Japanese Sex Chair

2005-02-18T02:16:00.000-08:00

This link is for my friend. Apparently only the Japanese would invent such a contraption...and make a demonstration video for it as well!

Don't worry my straight brethren. This video features a woman.
Check it out here, courtesy of muchosucko.com.