Life has an unusual way of teasing you when the timing is most inappropriate, as if to show you what you'll be missing just before you leave. The cruel, cruel game life plays.

Isn't it so typical that you can have some of the bestest times just before leaving the country for good? Yesterday, I went to a friend's BBQ, coupled with some volleyball at the park literally just behind his backyard. From 3pm - 10pm, mostly playing vball, great weather -- AWESOME! It's sad to think that I'll never get a chance to enjoy the same company (and the same sport) when I move to Taiwan in just 3 weeks. The only thing that Taiwan may match is the same number of mosquito bites I received yesterday. :(

Jennifer Garner should be in North Vancouver just about now filming the movie "Elektra". Ian Mckellen and Alan Cumming (poor man) should also be around filming "Eighteen".

Much can be learnt about bin lang (the betel nut), and this educational page tells its story. This Taipei Times article is also rather insightful on the bin lang business. To find one's roots, one must look to the nut.

How to make a Kevin

Ingredients:
3 parts friendliness
1 part courage
5 parts ego

Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add curiosity to taste! Do not overindulge!

Name:

Kind
Exhausting
Valiant
Innocent
Neat

Name:

I'm not sure whether I should be happy with these results, but this goes to show you what name generators can get from my name.

Back and glad to be.

I visited an uncle I had never seen with my mom and all of his kids were there with their kids. A total of six grandchildren (5 boys, 1 girl), ages ranging from 1.5 - 11 years of age running around and making a racket. In Canada, I am never around kids and I was never sure whether I would know how to play with them. Turns out, it's not a problem for me at all. It was also the first time I was ever called "叔叔" ("uncle"), which was a joy. Even the 1.5 year old was able to make out the words.

I bought a CD a couple of days ago. 2 for 1 at $198nt ($8 CAD for 2 CDs, which I split with my cousin). It was a Norah Jones CD with some songs I hadn't heard before, not being too familiar with her songs anyway. When I got home, I noticed a few of the songs sounded a little... different. I compared them to the MP3s I had and there were, in fact, different. Norah didn't sound as raspy as she normally does, and it didn't quite make sense that she'd sing Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven nor one of Diana Krall's songs. Turns out, there are a lot of CDs released here and sold in legit CD stores not sung by the original artists. Burn.

There's a strange feeling in the air. Much has happened, and much more on its way. Something wicked this way comes.

">> Last call for flight 5 to San Francisco. <<"
"Well, I guess this is it."

Why do people in movies always get on planes at the last call? Why can't they get to the gate earlier? And what airport lets guests right into the gate? Don't they have to go through security checks? At YVR, passengers leave their loved ones some 60 minutes before boarding. How inaccurate...