DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED

Late nights render me directionally challenged.

So, on Friday night I went out with my sister-in-law’s youngest and oldest sister (visiting from out of town).  We hit the Drake hotel, which has a lounge/restaurant on the ground level, a patio outside/upstairs and a little club down in the basement.  We tried to get into the patio, but that didn’t work after waiting for 45 minutes.  So, we went to the “Underground” in the basement where our names were on a list…I know, I felt really special.

The music was pumping.  I didn’t quite realize how pumping until I sat down about 8 feet from the speakers and my whole body started to shake from the bass.  I couldn’t hear myself think, and I had to shout when I talked. 

The music was great, we danced up a storm.  The DJ is a friend of the youngest sister, but it was just too loud and so we stayed for an hour and a half – we couldn’t take much more.  Once we left, we went down the street and stopped at a bar.  After the bar, we ended up at “Poutini’s House of Poutine” where we indulged in some, what else, poutine (for me, just fries and gravy hold the cheese) as our after 1am snack.

After eating we walked a bit and then we finally left for good.  I was pretty tired by then – haven’t had this much activity nor have I stayed up this late in a long time.  I’m used to quiet, chilled evenings with friends, this was not one of those nights.  Maybe this explains what happened next.

After dropping off one of the girls, I ended up..and I swear I drank only water….going the wrong direction on the Lakeshore trying to get onto the expressway.   That’s right – I went east on the westbound lanes.  A bit dangerous, but thankfully it was about 2am so there was no traffic (there was one car who graciously did not honk at me for being a dumbass)…otherwise I’m sure I’d be telling a different story.  I can only say in my defense that it was dark, it was late, I was tired, I only went a few meters east before realizing I was going the wrong way (I wasn’t that out of it) and I….was damn lucky there were no cops.

There is a reason why I don’t let myself out late at night. 😐

LAUGH FOR THE DAY

I was checking my Blackberry at the mall as both of my parents were in the washroom.  My dad comes out and he starts marveling at my new gadget.  Then my mom comes out and she notices it too.  I’ve had this thing for over two months now and they are just now noticing it…funny.

But, my laugh for the day came in the form of my mother asking me about the Blackberry:

Mom: Is that your new phone?
Me: Yeah
Mom: How long have you had it?
Me: Two months
Mom: Was it expensive?
Me: Yeah, it was.
(note most of the conversation is in Cantonese except for below where its mixed)
Mom: Is it a Blueberry?
Me: (laughing my ass off) Blueberry???!!!! You mean “Blackberry”?
Mom: (laughs) Oh…B l a c k b e r r y  (said with a Chinese accent)

Blueberry..that’s a first.  I may just have to call it that from now on instead of a crackberry.  Too funny.  God bless my Mom, I needed that chuckle.

RANDOM VANCOUVER PICS

I was walking down Nelson street in Vancouver and almost created a human pile-up cause I stopped so suddenly.  I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but no, here’s your proof (taken on my new crackberry storm – I’m weak, so sue me – it was handy while I was out of town):

Now, I’m not sure if I’d use this toilet, although it was tempting just to see the inside of it (I know, a toilet is a toilet, but outside in an urban downtown area?).  It was quite the sight.  I don’t think it was there before, but then again, I never walked downtown as much as I did this trip.  In any case, it gave me a good chuckle.

Then I went down Granville street and couldn’t resist taking a pic of it as well, because I know the next time I’m in town it won’t be the same.  I wanted to capture it’s essence before they try to clean this area for the 2010 Olympics.

Its a grungy part of the downtown core, but I love its character.  Anyways, these random pics of Vancouver shows you a bit of its character.  And below shows you how proud the city is of hosting the 2010 Olympics, they have a countdown clock at the VAG!  Note that at the time I was there the Olympics were: 351 days, 3 hours, 15 minutes and 28 seconds away.

GASSY FRIEND

This is what happens when you have a gassy friend:

I was at the jewellery counter at Target (spontaneous Buffalo trip this weekend) and as I was staring at this necklace, my friend, who was leaning against the counter a few feet away, suddenly let one rip…not once, not twice, that’s right, three times in succession.  Startled, I stopped looking at the necklace, quickly processed what just happened thinking “no way, she did not just fart while there’s another women a few feet from me!”. 

I slowly turned to her with this look of “what the hell, are you !$%^(&**# serious, you just farted in public, have you no shame?!!!”.  She looked totally nonchalant, like nothing happened, but then caught my look and knew she was busted.  It was when she looked at me I knew that if I didn’t walk away we’d be rolling on the floor laughing our asses off.  Thinking quickly, I looked over at the women beside me, noticed she was oblivious to what just happened and I started casually walking away.  My friend took my lead and went to the clothing section trying not to lose it.  I was by the cosmetics stifling my urge to laugh.  The women who was beside me walked by me and looked at me strangely (my stifling resulted in splutters of choked laughter).  When the coast was clear, I went over to my friend and we started laughing hysterically for minutes.  The type where you can’t breath, you start to cry and your stomach hurts.  People were looking at us like we’d gone insane.

So, my friend was laughing cause of the look on my face – apparently it was priceless (she didn’t realize there was a women beside me, therefore the farting – like that makes it any better), I was laughing cause, well, it was hilarious (I mean she looked so damn calm for a women who just farted in public!!).  She thought it was quiet enough that I wouldn’t notice therefore the calm demeanor (so as not to draw attention to herself…right).  Well, it wasn’t quiet (unless they’re the silent and deadly type, farts are rarely ever quiet) and the fact that she thought she could get away with it made me laugh harder.  She’s lucky there was a women beside me because I would have called her out big time – I saved her from public embarrassment.

Such unladylike behaviour.  But, she’s not known to hold in her gassy stomach.  She farted in a book store awhile back, thinking no one heard (why she would think in a quiet bookstore no one would hear her fart is beyond my comprehension) and my other friend, a couple aisles away, yelled out to her “don’t think I didn’t hear that” as a girl walked into the aisle my gassy friend was in.  You’d think she learn, eh?  I guess once a public farter, always a public farter.  😀

BRIDEZILLA

One of my close friends is getting married this year.  I’m really happy for her. 

So, on the weekend, the future bride, my friend and I went up to Barrie to visit our friends.  We were gathered in the living room of my friend’s cousin’s place and we started to talk about the wedding.  There was five of us, and one of our Barrie friends was giving the gears to my friend about her wedding.  My friend has very specific ideas of how she wants her wedding.  And, so she should, its her wedding, she can run around buck naked, karaoke her heart out all night or whatever she wants, its her day and she’ll have it the way she wants, you know?  I don’t have any right to tell her how her wedding should be and neither does anyone else to be honest.

Well, the future bride was getting annoyed by our friends insistence that she do things a certain way for her wedding.  The tone was “you have to!!!!”.  Then my friends cousin got into it, telling the future bride that she should have a tiara of some sort as her head piece.  It was getting rather dicey and I remained quiet for most of it, but when I saw how annoyed my friend was becoming, I came to her defense, as did my other friend, and we both told the two crazy women to take it down a notch. 

And, this is why if I ever get married I’m eloping, having it at city hall or having it at an exotic location where it’ll be a super small wedding party.  I mean, its annoying enough when you’re told what to do in general, but to be told how to conduct your wedding?  Beyond annoying.  I saw what my own brother went through to get married, no thanks.  The less drama, the better.

My poor friend, if she isn’t a bridezilla now, she’ll turn into one just to shut these people up.