Drawing The Line

December 18, 2007

I went out for coffee and cake one last time with Liza tonight at Second Cup. Ever since they redecorated, I've been more inclined to stay and enjoy my coffee there instead of bringing it home. It's also my location of choice when meeting up with people now. So anyway, Liza and I went to order our cakes and coffees and behind me in line was a middle-aged gentleman wearing a jacket with "SECURITY" written across the back. Normally, I wouldn't have noticed who was behind me except that when I received my piece of cake, he commented "That cake's taller than she is!" to the barista. I gave a half-laugh, picked up my cake and walked to our table.

I realized that I still didn't have my coffee so I went to check if it was waiting for me. Turns out the barista forgot to make it so I went back to my seat to wait. A little while later, I hear a voice over my shoulder saying "your coffee's ready". I turn to see the SECURITY man, who apparently walked from the front of the store, all the way to the back where I was sitting. I couldn't decide whether it was creepy that he was watching the coffee and knew it was mine, or if he was just a really nice guy. I think I'm going to go with the really nice guy option.

Free Rice

November 20, 2007

When I went into work today, my boss showed me this super-addictive site called Free Rice. Someone out there has developed a game that lets you learn vocabulary (or test your vocabulary skills. I know, really nerdy right?) while donating food to help end world hunger. For each word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program.

Nicole, my boss, says it's an excellent aid for anyone who needs to study for the GRE. She also mentioned that it's probably impossible for anyone to get to level 50. Apparently she played all weekend and the highest she's gotten is level 45 (but keep in mind she studied long and hard for the GREs). I challenge all you out there to see how high you can get and let me know! And even if you suck at it, at least you're donating food to hungry people!

Plastic Bag - Protector of the Land

November 8, 2007

I found this plastic bag a while ago sitting in a rental car. I thought it was hilarious but never got around to taking a picture. Now it's all wrinkled and just about ready to be tossed in the trash so it was now or never.

Forget the armed forces, we have THE BAG!

Creepers on Campus

September 28, 2007

Earlier this week, I went to Laurier to finish up some paperwork for my new job. One of the administrators told me about a working alone policy in which you're not allowed to work alone during certain hours. At first I thought this was ridiculous - where are you going to find someone who's willing to hang around at work the same time you're there?

I never realized how naïve I was about how creepy this world has become. I have a tendency to block out external stimuli, if you will, when I don't want to risk running into someone and having them talk to me (yes, I'm anti-social like that). I like walking around campus with an implied bubble around me - earphones in my ear, sunglasses on when possible... it gives a sense of protection.

But when I take all those things off, I hear about a friend being followed around and 'harassed' by a creepy old man. I hear about a girl who's being stalked by a random guy on Facebook, who reports to her where he's seen her on campus.

I, myself, have never been approached by people that creepy and I hope I never will be. But, I have experienced how uncomfortable it is for someone to randomly ask you questions on Facebook because of things they've read on the newsfeeds - conversations you're having with other people. And not only does said person 'eavesdrop' on conversations but this person has the audacity to come out and ask questions as if they have some right to know the intimate details of my life, despite the fact that they sound like a total stalker and that we never talked when we did see each other.

What happened to people having a sense of decency.. or at least pride? Aren't they embarrassed about their creeper tendencies?

Perpetual Cycle of Pain

September 20, 2007

It's a balance thing. There always has to be someone who's hurt. Even if you're the one trying to make something else not hurt. That's just the way it works. Like, this term, I'm training for the woman's soccer team. Obviously, there will be people getting hurt, and injuries that need to be fixed. For example, if someone needs a tape job, I'm the one to do it. Usually, after the tape job, they feel better (hopefully) and generally, my uncalloused fingers hurt from ripping the tape. Sometimes, if I have to massage a knot out, they end up feeling slightly better and my untoned fingers end up sore from exerting too much force.

If you let the cat out of the bag (because oh, maybe you feel sorry for the cat and you weren't thinking quite straight or something like that), you will get your face scratched off. That's just the way it is.

House Foes - Part 4

August 10, 2007

A lesson in communication.

Over the years, I have come to understand the general "rules" of communication. I also understand that people communicate in different ways. But the way my house foes communicate is just plain dysfunctional.

First of all, Tobermory. Not to be harsh or anything, but he's the stereotypical University of Waterloo Computer Science Nerd. He has the whole "play computer games all day, don't talk to anyone" deal going. Earlier in the term, we were having problems with the Internet and since both of them are in CS, I left the fixing up to them. Finally, it started working again. So, for his efforts, I went to thank Tobermory, y'know, as a nice gesture to start the term off right. This is how it went:

Bee: Hey, Tobermory.
Toby: *pause* Uhh.. yeah?
Bee: Thanks for fixing the internet!
Toby: *longer pause, not really knowing what to do* Uhh.. yeah.

One night, I couldn't get my internet to work and so I asked Tobermory if he could look into it for me. Without looking up from his laptop, he said "Yeah, I'm doing something right now. I'll look at it in an hour." Are you kidding me?! The guy was clearly just sitting there watching videos off the internet or playing his video games again. Would it have taken that much effort to restart the router again? Oh wait, I guess that would have messed up what you were doing. My apologies. I forgot you had so many important things to do, like research a paper or something.

Ajax, he isn't so bad with communication. He's actually a pretty friendly guy when you actually get a chance to talk to him. But sometimes, his responses are a little awkward.

*Running into each other at the door*
Ajax: Hey
Bee: Hi
Ajax: Just get back from class?
Bee: Yeah
Ajax: True

Umm, yes it's true. I'm not really going to lie to you about something like that.

Anyway, the final thing is about the internet bill (the only reason we still talk). Every month, I ask them to give me the money by Wednesday of a certain week. For me, if someone said that to me, I'd take the initiative to get the money to that person on that date and I think most of you would do the same. But with Ajax and Tobermory, I feel like a creditor. Every week, I have to remind them to give me the money on Monday. Then, on Wednesday, I have to ask again. Then, on Thursday, I ask again which is when I finally get the money. Goodness! Can't they do anything without someone nagging at them?!

A few more days and it's ALL OVER :)

House Foes - Part 3

July 27, 2007

Guys are slobs. Actually, let me correct that because I do know of a very few guys who are actually quite clean. These two guys are slobs. Apparently they don't mind living in their own filth.

In the previous terms I was living here, my house mates and I had a cleaning schedule. Every week, each of us would clean a certain part of the apartment and the place would sparkle (even though we didn't actually let it get that dirty in the first place). This term this agreement didn't occur, in part because communicating with Ajax and Tobermory is a chore and I just didn't feel like adding more stress to my life, and in part because these guys never seem to feel the need to initiate any action until I almost nag at them like I'm their mothers (those poor women).

The Common Area
Last term, I'd relax on the couch ever so often to watch TV. This term, I avoid it like the plague. Why? Do you ask? Because the sheets on it has either been messed up to the point where they only cover the cracks of the couch (a lot of good that does) or I remember that another member of the house has previously sat in it and I don't want to risk catching any diseases. On occasion, Ajax's clothing is strewn in various places throughout the common area, along with various other pieces of his belongings (i.e., wine bottles, beer bottle caps, cardboard boxes, etc.)

The Kitchen
It has come to the point where I no longer feel it is safe enough to cook a meal without getting poisoned. At times, the sink is piled so high with dishes it was impossible for me to wash my own without dirtying them by touching the other dishes. When those two cook, the pans are left there, unwashed, for days on end. When food is spilled, it is not cleaned up (I saw a bone on the ground the other day). When they take something out, it is not put away. My shelf in the fridge has been over-run by Ajax's food. Tobermory never takes out the garbage. (How do I know? His packages are always on the top of a very full garbage bag)

The Bathroom
Oh my gosh. Here's my philosophy: You go to the bathroom to clean yourself. In order for you to be clean, the bathroom also has to be clean. Here's the reality: I have to run the water in the shower for at least 5 minutes (sorry environment) before I can take a shower so all the leftover hairs and dust (why is there DUST left in the shower?!) is washed away. When I come out of the shower, I make sure that I don't touch the edge of the tub and my feet touch my flip flops (and ONLY my flip flops) because there is hair and dust all over the floor. Every time I use the toilet, I wipe the seat down as if it was a public bathroom.

I don't understand how guys can stand living under those conditions. I can't - which is why I'm never "home".

Now, to figure out how to make them clean (and keep the place clean) so we don't get fined.

House Foes - Part 2

July 23, 2007


I have a propensity towards taking note of obscure details that no one else could be bothered to pay attention to. For example, when I first moved in this term, I took a quick survey of the bathroom and noted the types and brands of products Ajax and Tobermory use. I also noted the amount that was left in each bottle, jar and tube, for no real reason other than the fact that I can't help but take note of these trivial things.

Now, three months after I moved in, I noticed that I look at the bathroom and see pretty much the same scene.

1. The same, less-than-half-left bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I don't actually know the brands but I'm pretty sure they haven't invented self-replenishing products yet, or ones that will keep the user clean for extensive amounts of time (in the range of days).
2. The same, thoroughly-squeezed tubes of toothpaste with just enough toothpaste to last the rest of the week still sit on the counter. Yes, that's right. It's likely that those tubes have been used three times, at most, over these three months. These are normal brands of toothpaste now (Crest, Colgate) so I know for sure that they don't have super cleaning powers.
3. The same, filthy, smelly towel sits on the rack beside the hand towel that I now avoid as if it were the plague. Think about it for a minute, would you? The point of taking a shower is to get clean (okay, maybe not so evident for Ajax and Tobermory). The idea of using a towel after is to dry your body off, while still keeping you clean. Now, if you use an obviously dirty towel after your shower, doesn't that make you dirty again? Not to mention, it makes the bathroom smell of mould and fungus for the next person.

What doesn't make sense to me is that they have all these products in the bathroom, indicating that on some level, they'd like to be clean. But, based on the unchanging amounts of product that still remains in the bathroom after three months, it doesn't seem that they act on this desire. Don't they feel dirty? At all? They obviously have a very high dirt-tolerance threshold or an uncanny neglect for hygiene.

Stay tuned for more to come on the current state of our unit...

UPDATE (July 25): based on the picture, how long do you think you would have been able to last with the amount of product there?

i'm

July 18, 2007

Has any one else noticed those little bubble letters "i'm" beside some of the names on their msn contact lists? I have. It stirred a little bit of curiosity in me but not enough to find out what it was all about. Then recently, in my conversation with a friend who happens to work at Microsoft, I finally found out (only because he had it in his name and usually he doesn't 'decorate' his name with nonsensical symbols).

Basically, "i'm" is a Microsoft initiative that shares some of the revenues they get from ads, with various charities. So as long as you have a certain tag in your name, for each message you send, Microsoft will donate a certain amount to the charity of your choice.

I figured this was a very easy way to help out a charity of my choice. I chose to support Komen for the Cure. Who will you support?

House Mates Foes

July 17, 2007

When I moved in at the beginning of the term, I thought I lived with a mute and a party animal. I now know that this is not true. I live with a quiet boy named Tobermory and a socially defective boy named Ajax.

Wait, let's back it up a little. When I first moved in, all these notions filled my head about how crazy my house mates could possibly be and the first night kind of confirmed these notions. But as time passed, things settled down and we grew to be able to live deal with each other with as little contact as possible (to the point where we communicate with notes).

Anyway, for the most part, I didn't let the things they do or the nasty habits they had bother me until today. Tonight, Ajax decided it was socially acceptable to pee... with the door open. After his long, dirty pee, he did not flush the toilet NOR did he wash his filthy hands. Like, what the heck?!

Sick.

summer book 1/5: The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
I was a little unsure when I picked up this book. I actually read this book while on vacation and it definitely was an excellent choice. The author offers a very refreshing perspective on what he calls "personal legends" - our life's purpose. Originally written in Brazilian, I think the cultural difference presented a very foreign, laid back philosophy very much needed in our fast-paced world. It wasn't full of get-rich-quick schemes or how to climb the corporate ladder and how to 'be the best you can be'. It was about finding out what your life's calling is and doing whatever it takes to achieve that - even if it means giving up your job, going on a journey not knowing where you'll end up.

Granted, it hasn't inspired me enough to cause me to drop out of university, pack my bags and take off into the world to see where the wind takes me (though sometimes, I really wish I could). But it's like a little ray of hope for all of us out there who feel pressured by the world to struggle and do well in school just so we can get that well-paying job so we can live a good life. That's not to say that we should just give up and not bother trying so hard because 'hey, what's the point? that's not what the purpose of my life is supposed to be' right? However, it has led me to give up on that empty dream of becoming a physiotherapist. I think deep down inside, I know I don't want that enough to really work hard for it. I think it just sounded really good to say 'oh I want to be a physiotherapist' but I suppose, if I don't have that kind of motivation to actually do it, it'll be too much of a struggle to achieve something that wasn't meant for me in the first place.

Anyway, on a side note to that, I've been reading this Aussie's blog recently and I've become obsessed with wanting her life. Seriously, I was disillusioned enough to believe, for a few days, that my life purpose was to become like her. Exactly like her. Then, I kind of came to and decided maybe what I'm really supposed to learn from her is that I need to be happy with my life as it is right now and enjoy the little moment (I know, cliche). I know I spend too much time thinking ahead, trying to plan my life out so I know where it's headed but I think it's time I loosen my vice-tight grip on the reins and let someone else have a go at it... maybe it's time I had a little bit of faith.