My sister's in HK

She is on a three week business trip to Hong Kong, and for yet another year she has been away from home for her birthday. This time around, though, she seems slightly more irked about it than before ("I don't care it's my birthday, it's just another day blah") and on her blog (dirtbaginhk.blogspot.com) she kind of laments being even further away.

So she's getting a picture response from me, to have her look forward to a birthday something when she gets back:

O, T.O.

Gone for a while, eh? I'm still hiding from the real world in Toronto, at Eddie and Rebecca's place. I attended a wedding (second cousin's, if a godfamily even counts in the first place) and spent some time being driven crazy by my sister, mother, and brother all at the same time.

Also, I had spent a day with Davy and Stefan up in Chicoutimi before leaving for Toronto, but I won't talk about that much for the moment because I feel all of the following:

1. Bloated from the 9 day long EATASTICFEST called "meeting with family and gorging ourselves."


2. Bloated, having forgotten my running shoes at Jorgh's, and my mother forgetting to bring my running clothes after I told her to bring them.


3. Sleepy because it's fricking 2 a.m. after running around the EX all day and eating.


4. Irritated because I can't sleep.


5. I think my eye is infected because it's been very hard to not gouge it out from pain.

I'll be back in the province (at least) tomorrow, if weather, road conditions, car condition, driver condition, and hair condition permits. Meanwhile, VOTE FOR ME! VOTE pledge for me.

I'm finally home

I called up my sister on Wednesday, and the following conversation ensued:

E: Hi, it's me.
M: Oh. Hi.
E: What are you doing on Friday?
M: Why?
E: Well, I was wondering if you had already planned something, or whatever... So...
M: Why? What's happening on Friday?
E: Um... cuz it's your birthday?
M: ... Oh yeah... I forgot.

It's not typical that she would forget such things, unless there is something even more pressing on her mind that she deems more important. Like furniture shopping in Toronto this weekend. But she claims such days are nonsense or useless, in the sense that gift giving and celebration shouldn't have an artificial reason. (Like turning a year older, or because a certain religious icon was born on some random day in winter, for instance.) Nevertheless, I had a quick supper of Indian take-out at her house that evening, just before she took off with her boyfriend to Toronto.

Other events this March Break included making sushi for Lil V, Stephen, Jorghnassen and his brother. For this purpose, I had the distinct pleasure of walking to Parc and Mont-Royal with Jorgh, finding no fish store, hunting for the fish store up to St-Joseph and Parc, then walking back home, in the rain. Who would believe that just a week before, there was a pile of snow that fell on QC, when at that moment inches of rain ran wildly through the streets of Montreal? The raw tuna in the maki rolls made it all better.

Norm had recommended the fish store on Parc, although in his defence he didn't remember which intersection it was on. I would usually double check such things in the Yellow Pages (or the Telus Pages, their machiavellian rivals), but in our drooling haste we neglected to do so. Just the description of his fish excursion that he gave us earlier this week was enough to entice us in our own journey. It may have been part of his evil plans. Curses, you fiendish rapscallion!

On the subject of my odd writing styles of late, it is a plan to craft a fantasy novel with Jorgh. I have attempted to commence (read: slept and ate and avoided) personal projects that I have listed often. Draw, record, work on... Well, with Jorghnassen's collaboration, I think co-writing a novel would probably be the only one I could complete properly. If only it were that easy to start...

We thought that this week we could take some time to look for fantasy novels to inspire and guide us on our own attempts. Jorghnassen and I spent a day wafting through book stores and their sections of fantasy novels and titles only to come up with rather mediocre or stupid collections. Then he got tired of searching and asked me to order stuff online.

One of my career aspirations, forgotten long ago for more concrete goals, once had been to become a writer (of short stories, actually). It is exceedingly difficult, though, to believe that this person, having not cracked open a non-comical book in years, could become such a writer. I used to write in high school, but that sappy and nonsensical trite that I spewed could not have held much water in the cutthroat writers' world. In CEGEP, I was introduced to the deeper and more satisfying aspects of reading and writing, much different from the high school book report or recitations of Animal Farm.

But I had forgone the path of languages, due to the overwhelming pressure from without and within to pursue the sciences. Then I had no idea what to do with it (as such things happen often to us science students), so I became a teacher. On the other hand, I do appreciate being a teacher and spreading the merits of being scientifically literate. (So, why fantasy novels? I'm not sure... but I'm certain it's more fun to write.)

Another career aspiration was to become a math teacher. Indeed, I am.

And yet another career aspiration was to become a musician. My brother is now fulfilling this in my stead, so I don't feel so bad. On the other hand, he was rather upset that my mother is upset that he would prefer this than to return to regular studies, I imagine. And he called me while I was at Jorgh's place to loudly make his point.

But such are the pressures of a life where East meets West. Is it too much to make a career change when everything is uncertain?

Quebec City Online?

To sum up my community's internet world:

• Quebec's craigslist, which suffers from settling internet dust.


• Quebec Urbain - for the urbanist in all of us. I guess.


• Le Soleil - the only paper in Quebec City that doesn't suck. (Journal de Quebec, and Chronicle Telegraph. 'Nuf said.)

To find a job... huh... well, I'd have to go on the Education Canada network, that apparently hardly ever works (seeing as with the hundreds of listings for the rest of Canada, nobody ever seems to post from Quebec). Or the ever-so handy Emploi Quebec site that offers a wide range of jobs from dishwasher to telemarketer. Of course, as all else fails, I just went to the schools themselves to give my resume. And then I wait.

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<start of rant> My mum just came back yesterday, and among the very first things she said was, "DID YOU GET A JOB? NO? THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO MOVE TO ONTARIO!!!"
Among my protestations were: "WHAAAA?" "Are you on crack?" "Why the hell would I do that?!" and "What the hell do you know?!?"

Seriously, it's just a repeat of last year's crap, except she's even crazier now. I would probably attribute it to the fact that she thinks a person can't make a living working as a substitute or replacement (which one can't... if you're a single mother or a homeowner), and she thinks I don't worry enough about my own finances or situation (which I already worry about enough by myself, thank you very much, without some overbearing crazy woman screaming at me).

The Ontario bit... well, I think she figures that there are more jobs there (which there are... if you want to work in Thunder Bay) and they do pay marginally more. But the downside is that one has to join the Ontario Teachers' college, which is a completely separate entity to the union, and the hassle to join that plus the yearly fees makes it complete bullshit. (It doesn't guarantee that you'll be working or not - it just means that you're allowed to work as a teacher.)

I already thought about what I wanted to do this year. I figured that I could just stay in town for another year to supply teach and work as a tutor. It'd be a good opportunity for me to

• practice driving in a non-crazy driving city, when I do get my license,
• function en francais some more, and
• give me time to establish myself properly in town, to decide a long-term future.

If I were still in Montreal, I'd undoubtedly be more active and less cranky, but I would have the more painful guilt of not having been more of a caretaker to my family. (I'm already in doodoo for not going to Toronto a few weeks ago for Eddie and Rebecca's gramma in the hospital, because everyone else was there.) But I don't regret being in Quebec over the last year because I would not have been able to mess around my job and learn much more about myself and others. I would not have been as able to cope as well with the transition between university and work.

As much as I enjoy being with everyone in Montreal, I don't think I could have really advanced with my maturity as much as I would like. There's something about being alone for long periods of time that helps me be more decisive (while at the same time be even more insecure).

---

My sister is apparently house hunting in Montreal. That's a big step! She's apparently looking at one house around Jean-Talon, where she took my mum to look around. My mum then came back and said, "If she buys the house then I'm moving to Montreal."

The first thought that came across my mind was, "What the-!? She's really going to let you move in with her? No effing way!"

I can recall vividly the numerous times my sister exclaimed for everyone to hear, "I'm not letting you move in ever!" That was especially true when she was moving out to Montreal the first time around, while she was nearly frothing in the mouth at the detestable behaviour my mum was exhibiting towards her.

On the other hand, my sister let me live with her for about 8 months in the same apartment she is currently living in, the first year when I went to McGill. I was grateful for the futon and suitcase surface area, but I lacked the 3D volume and privacy that I suppose anyone would need when living out of the house.

So now my sister is buying a house, and letting my mum move in? If that's the case, then I wouldn't mind moving out finally on my own. It would probably still be in Quebec for now, as I made my own personal commitment to stay for another year. On the other hand, would I be able to afford it? (...*reality kicks in*...)

A Bunch of Posts!

Damn right!

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Vacation was good and bad in Alberta and TO.


The whole reason why we went to Calgary in the first place. Congratulations, Ilinca and Curtis!

Good: seeing my cousins in TO and Alberta, wedding meal, visiting Wesley, Banff and Lake Louise, Calgary Zoo (hence the sudden red panda craze), no heat wave (thank God), Aki and Betty's "vampire dog" Bobo after it calmed down.


One of four asian elephants at the Calgary Zoo. So cute!

Bad: how sad MH was, crazy urban planning in Cowtown, the misleading provincial-tax-lessness (because of more expensive goods), lack of any actual good chinese food in the two-block Chinatown, homeliness, homelessness, lack of humidity, lack of any plushie cows in the entire freaking city, driving back from MH (I thought I was going to *DIE*), Aki and Betty's "vampire dog" Bobo when it bit Michelle and Brian


Ugly photo of pretty mountains next to Banff. You should go there!

Funny: more pick-up trucks than SUVs in Montreal, "honour system" train, cowboy hats, Albertan accent, crazy freaky people roaming, Aki and betty's "vampire dog" Bobo.


Bobo the "Vampire Dog." Bad dog!

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Anyway, I thought I would just tell you some projects I am (attempting to start) working on.

Firstly, the webcomic is still stuck in limbo, since I had an idea what to do a long, long time ago before I started drawing the damn thing. Then I lazily forgot what was going to happen, which led to a terrible, terrible standstill. I have every intention to complete the project, but it's massive. (Following the BG1 storyline, without all the sidequests and idiotic backtracking.) So I'm contemplating on that while I'm working on finishing the game. No, I haven't finished the game. Not once. No. Dammit.

I posted those BG portraits some weeks ago, so you're always free to use for your own personal games, or just to stare at and worship, or something equally as hilarious. I am working on some more portraits as well, just to fill out the necessary roles. (Like the triple-classed whatnot... eh, who am I kidding. That one'll probably look like a freak.) What I can't do very well is everything having to do with non-person features. Clothes, weapons, props, backgrounds, etc. - these are the things I will be featuring more often in my drawings.

I have been reading many mangas online. This led me to recall a story years ago I wanted to work on in manga form, though I am afraid to start drawing and stop, due to forgetting the story *coughwebcomiccough* ... so I am writing the whole thing out before drawing. I'll present a draft of a few chapters here when I finish. Just to note, the writing is presented in pseudo-manga form, so don't expect an award-winning novel format.

That's all folks!

I drew this for my sister's birthday today. I didn't have much time to decide what colours to use or what her costume would be, so I call her "Gumby." The upside (downside?) is that she's got anime blue hair. 

No One Wants to Know What We Think.

Besides getting up and hearing that those votes were still being counted, I spent the last hour shivering in my room. Where's the heating, dammit?

A piece of good news; the Quebec buses are no longer on strike as of today. So I can technically go outside and enjoy the autumn in old city... but that would require 4.20$ and I need that money to go sub at DDO tomorrow. :) (On the other hand, the fact that the bus drivers are getting a 15% raise is not settling well in my poor-assed commuter belly.)

In other news, my brother and sister should have arrived in HK yesterday evening. I hope they bring back lots of pictures and things because I'm tired of being left behind. :(