Casulo: Apartment in a Box

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it was a dark and stormy night...

on the way home last night, through the snow that was coming down steadily since 9 pm and about 2 minutes away from home, my front wheel on the passenger side dipped into a sneaky ditch that was pretending to be road thanks to the snow accumulation that made it level to the actual road. naturally, i tugged the wheel to the left just a touch to pull out of the ditch. of course i was going at about 52 km/hr, so that was enough of a differential in wheel velocities to throw the car into a spin.

not a fan of the spinning car on a snowy road at night (especially while i'm in it), i tried to turn out of the spin, succeeding in making the car spin harder. so i let go of the steering wheel and resigned myself to the immutable laws of Physics.

540 degrees and one rather large crunching sound later, i am submerged two-thirds into the same snow-filled ditch i dipped into earlier (86 m further down the road), leaning about 43 degrees on the driver's side and facing oncoming traffic. except that there was no traffic for a minute or two. if a car does a super spinout on an icy road, lands in a ditch and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?

thought #1: that was exciting.
thought #2: i wonder how i'm going to get to school tomorrow.
thought #3: perhaps i can shovel my way out.
thought #4: i should make some phone calls.

to make a long and boring story about standing around trying to get through to Roadside Assistance on a snowy night, making small talk with a police officer and spending almost $200 getting the car unditched by a tow truck, i got home about an hour later than expected -- without a scratch on car or person.

what do you call that?

how to have a good day

on a whim, i decided to have a good day today.

it was icy from the previous day's freezing rain, i had intended to wake up early and leave early. i woke up later than i wanted to. i left the house later because my mom thought i should have more lunch; you can never have too much lunch. i drove slower over the icy snowy patches of road. i decided to turn onto McNicoll from Middlefield because the usual route of Huntingwood to McCowan was likely treacherous. McNicoll was virtually ice-free, so i thought i could make up some time. though it was ice-free, it was not police-free and i fell into my first ever speed-trap and got my first ever speeding ticket. i felt like a real grownup =D

the officer was very courteous and professional, and i, in turn, was very nice and calmly contrite. he kindly lowered the noted speed from 18 km/hr to 10 km/hr above the 50 km/hr limit, setting me back only $40 and foregoing any issue with demerit points; i did not even have to ask. i highly recommend getting ticketed by this officer if you ever need to commit a minor infraction.

the remainder of the trip to McCowan station was uneventful and the RT made good time to Kennedy station. i picked the train with the most people in it, because when you see two trains at Kennedy, the one that has accrued more passengers is the one that has been there longer, and thus would be the one that leaves the station first. i stood there for an interval of time before the PA informed everyone that there was a train stoppage due to a track-level incident at Jarvis and that trains should start up again once that was cleared up, sorry for the delay and inconvenience. a couple of minutes later the PA informed everyone that there was a power outage at High Park due to a security breach and that they were sorry for the delay and inconvenience. as i contemplated whether or not to check the time while standing in a train that was starting to resemble a sardine can, the PA came on once more to inform us that trains would be turned around between Keele and High Park and between Kennedy and whatever station is next to High Park and that they were sorry for the delay and inconvenience. i thought it would be better if i didn't check the time.

the train ride was uncomfortably cramped, with most people standing precariously between handholds. i saw a woman fall into a girl's lap. i saw people squeezing into already cramped quarters and sucking in bellies to allow doors to close.

i hustled up to class and checked the time once i got into the room. it was 5 minutes past 8:30. after all that, i was only five minutes late and the class had not actually started yet.

after class, i sought to get some work done. i had brought my computer downtown so that i could do an assignment or two while waiting for my 3 o'clock class. there was an empty socket near a table and i snapped it up, brought out all my stuff, set up the computer to go and found that it was running off the battery. the socket was a dud and held no current. i packed everything back up and went up to the mezzanine floor (between 1st and 2nd) because there were individual study spaces up there that generally have sockets. i toured the entire floor; all the sockets were in either locked rooms or occupied rooms, i finally found one at the end of my circuit around the floor, right under a desk next to the stairwell door. beggers can't be choosers.

i did half an assignment and read a few chapters of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time (which is a really good book) and listened to Beethoven's 6th Symphony (which is a really good symphony). during that time, i briefly chatted with friends and colleagues that passed by. one had actually scheduled to meet me there through msn because she had missed yesterday's classes due to the ice.

i went to my 3 o'clock class at 2, because i like being early and i don't like being late. the room, which is noramlly filled with a 1 o'clock class, was empy. i decided to settle in to eat lunch and read some more. i was joined by another peer who had the same plan that i did. after awhile, i had to go pee. so i went to go pee.

by some inexplicable sequence of events, i bruised my left hand on the urinal.

when i returned to the classroom shortly thereafter, i chatted with the guy who was also there; he had tired of reading. after talking a bit about our respective placements, he tired of talking and took a nap. he was soon replaced by another student who felt much more inclined to chat and i repeated the same stories i told about my teaching placement that i had told about 17 times since tuesday.

after class dispersed at 5, i had to hustle to the station because i was slated to do an AV training at the church at 6, without incurring another ticket on the day. i arrived at about 6:03 to find that none of the trainees had arrived. as the wait progressed, it turned out most of the ones who were supposed to show up did not. due to the lower numbers (3), i was unable to do the cool illustrative games i had spent thursday night planning.

"dine and pray" was relaxing as usual, but it was only me and the LG, so we traded happy stories (i told some of this one) and then watched the pilot for Chuck.

after that i had dinner at the local fast food establishment, where we bumped into Dorcas and our mutual friend, whom i just had class with a few hours prior. i had a baconator and a baked potato, to which Yam kindly supplied a healthy dollop of chili.

in the Loo

there is a building that was built to look like a microchip. it's good to see educational institutions frivolously frittering away the money of its students on fanciful architecture. i would like to have a word with that whosit that signed that work order.

i visited Waterloo with the Ladies on saturday for what i thought was my first time. once we arrived at St. Jacob's Farmer's Market, i realized that i had been there with family before; it was more fun this time around. we shared a beef doner stuffed pita thingie, half a dozen perogies, a cabbage roll, two hot apple ciders and six apple fritters. it was like stepping off the curb and getting hit by a bus full of tasty. all three of us were in a seriously giddy mood even after a seriously giddy friday, so the subsequent road trip and tour of the city held some memorable bon mots.

alison and kevin graciously showed us around campus even though they had work to do. the library was as dichotomous as they described it. on one side were tables and chairs and a din of about 60 dB. just two columns of bookshelves over, there were batteries of study booths in which it was quiet enough for anyone to a) study; b) sleep; c) watch anime on a laptop, without being disturbed.

there was a science building with a mini museum/science centre in it. i was very psyched to see dinosaur fossils (though they were replicas); they had the usual suspects: tyrannosaurus, deinonychus, parasaurolophus and i think there was also a velociraptor model. there were also a slew of gems (mostly amethyst) and some ammonite shells. highlight of the tour, by far.

after the tour, we dropped off alison to work, and picked up jacqueline to go grocery shopping and have dinner with the main group of visitors (aletheians). good times.

North of Dupont

last night, i met up with a troupe of classmates from my Drama Strategies course to watch Hannah Moscovitch's "East of Berlin" at the Tarragon Theatre. it was an elaborate dramatic monologue of the son of a Nazi war-criminal trying to cope with the revelation of the atrocities his father committed. i have to write a review on the production and this is my sounding board.

it was a rainy night and far colder than i anticipated. i had to downgrade to a thinner jacket because it was far more waterproof than the slightly warmer one i went out the door with. i parked at mccowan and made the trip to Dupont station without any difficulty.

i had drawn myself a small map of the area with instructions on how to get from Dupont to Tarragon Theatre. i did not account for the lack of accuracy of the official Tarragon website's map. so when i thought i was to turn, i did and found myself on a road not mentioned on that map. so i doubled back and headed north on Spadina some more, to Davenport. then i headed west until i made it to another street i completely did not recognize. thus, i wandered midtown after sundown on a rainy and windy night for a good half hour before i decided to ask for directions. seeing as how i was supposed to meet my instructor at 7:30 for the tickets, i thought it'd be a good idea to be as not-late as possible.

as i turned about George Brown College campus for approachable faces, i saw a small, squat building with the word Tarragon fitted to the side with a dim light casting ominous shadows over the name. i made my way into the cramped foyer and found my classmates. i repeated "it's going great! how's yours?" about 13 times to everyone who asked how my placement coming along. inside the actual theatre was even less space, so i made my way to the back (the top) by the AV booth. lo and behold, the AV guy that squeezed past just before the show started was Kevin, from elementary school and high school. hoimin - 5 : Facebook - 0.

the play itself was well executed and at times uncomfortably intimate. the set was essentially a large stage-wide bookshelf that pushed its way halfway up the stage. i was quite glad to have been sitting in the last row. there was one character (out of three) in the play with the same name as me, so i heard people calling 'me' or referring to 'me' the whole night.

it was a fairly lengthy work for three people to perform, the bulk of it going to the main character. the humour was well-timed and tastefully understated, the dialogue was believable and often times truncated by very telling emotion. the themes and questions were grandiose and far-reaching, but also at times extremely personal. whole worlds would collide in the interactions of two characters, as each one carried personal and national baggage beyond their comprehension.

the main character was played superbly, unfortunately overshadowing the slightly above-average performances of the other two. the soundscape was chillingly authentic in its minimalism, complemented by the lighting. scene changes and props logistics were marvelously fluid and natural. that was my favourite part.

my foray into the urban jungle

i took a trip downtown today, as a result of laziness and circumstance.

i missed a deadline for handing in some required documentation to teacher's college. it was supposed to be mailed in on June 29th, the day before i headed out for Longlac. naturally, the whole thing completely slipped my mind until i decided to check on school stuff a few weeks after i came home. if i were a spazz, i would've spazzed. missing deadlines really sucks, especially if it's important.

fortunately, this deadline was softer than a cashmere kitten in a dryer full of cotton balls. my cohort supervisor recommended that i hand in the papers to the registrar's office personally. i thought i would take the opportunity to explore downtown in a little more detail.

i parked at fairview and subwayed down. since it was nearby, and since she asked, i visited Jacqueline at work. because the escalators to the Bloor line seemed to be congested with people, i thought it would be easier to just walk from Bloor and Yonge to Sherbourne station -- they looked pretty close on the subway map. it took me twenty minutes at my usual leisurely pace.

when i was introduced, the first thing one of her co-workers asked Jacqueline was, "is he your boyfriend?" to which we both laughed and snickered "no"s. it was expected, but i did not have the presence of mind to come up with a witty retort beforehand; opportunity squandered =(

after a brief lunch and sudoku at the Timothy's downstairs, i hiked to Bloor and St. George at my brisk pace, making it in 20 minutes. i did my business at the registrar's office and proceeded to explore the campus a bit. i padded to the library to use the computer. bumped into Dan P. from high school and we caught up a bit. since he is on Facebook, he had a bit of the inside scoop on the friends i haven't seen or talked to in forever. almost makes me want to get Facebook. almost.

i walked back to Yonge and Bloor after some 2 pm lunch, ducking into the new ROM gift shop to check it out. it is one ugly facade, like big giant disco-dice were chucked at, and embedded into the old museum. the rest of the day involved loafing around in malls and then hanging out with a lot of people and being sleepy.

what's the point of this post? i walked a lot and felt that everyone should know. i also act too much like a boyfriend. huzzah!

blue skies and blackflies

moreorless packed for Longlac now. it will be a two day (16 hr) drive to about the halfway point between Toronto and Winnepeg, as the crow flies.

couldn't find my sketch pencils (which i haven't used since i sketched a portrait for someone's birthday), so i will have to make do with two HB's, 3 blue pens, 1 Sharpie, 1 yellow highlighter and one mechanical Bic pencil. haven't really sketched or drawn anything for the longest time.

this trip is about reaching out to the children, youth, young adults and old adults of the adjacent native reserve; not to proselytize or thump the Book, but to continue building on the relationships that have been started by previous teams; not to show off how righteous and well-kempt we are, but to understand and empathize with their plights.

this trip is also about taking a good hard look at what is truly important in life, what my purpose for existing is and how i can live to benefit others. i am looking forward to the opportunity the road trip affords to get to know some people better.

Calgary 05

friday august 19: in T.O.
after work (12:30) i helped change ms. libby's flat tire. it was pleasantly sunny. went home shortly thereafter to chill and pack a little. then the rains came and continued. at 4 i headed out with my dad, he dropped himself off for work at birchmount and 14th and tasked me with picking up sherm. by this time flash flooding was well under way. a mitsubishi eclipse was the first casualty i saw, sunk in a puddle up and over its windshield wipers. i meandered for 2 hours, had a fun time wailing to josh groban and watching cars flounder in puddles. i passed the creek that runs across birchmount just north of sheppard. the water nearly crested the trees that lined the raised banks. at the day care, power was out, northside rooms were flooded and kids were fooling around in the gym or crying for their parents.
the ride to church was sweet as the 401 was significantly clearer than NS routes. nearly got killed as i turned left onto morningside by a nice blind driver who felt it was his right to ignore the four-way stop system imposed by the lack of traffic lights.
aletheia's program was cancelled, so we craniumed instead. stephen, kevin, melissa (and later eunice) vs. dan, kat, herman. needless to say, by the time i left, we were winning in dominant fashion.

saturday august 20: flight out to calgary
early wake up to finish packing for the 10:30 flight. saw dorcas and some of her family on their way to their edmonton flight's gate. uneventful flight. opted to not take the complimentary headphones, so i had to watch Monster In-Law silent style. the two old chinese ladies next to me missed their flight to saskatoon on account of friday's weather, so they were taking this flight to connect from calgary to wheat town. incidentally they also hailed from a chinese alliance church. fancy that.
back in calgary at long last, i was assigned as the navigator. apparently i don't know my roads in toronto, but once i'm in a new city i'm pro. sweet skill to have.
we stayed at the house of my mom's high school friend's mom. met up with said high school friend, auntie jessica's, family. and when i say auntie i don't mean a real auntie, but the way chinese people mean it. i just think it's more meaningful that way. after lunch and a slight reprieve, i went with her husband, uncle duncan, and my dad to fetch dinner food, as uncle duncan loved to grill. he blew $215 on t-bones and many other things. it was a huge meal.
as it was being prepared i got aquainted with their kids': Trent, Melissa, Chris, and their playstation two.

sunday august 21: waking up in calgary
yay! visiting a church! westminster presbyterian church. 1 hr. service. that's zoom zoom compared to what i'm used to. and the speaker looked like a christoper reeve, alive but gone south 'round the girdle. awesome! i also discovered that their playstation two was also stocked with soul calibur 2. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

monday august 22: skating at the olympic oval
on the very stretch of ice that olympians practiced and raced back in whatever year the Olympics were held in calgary, i slipped and skidded along on very, very dull rental skates. i hadn't skated since april and i had only just adjusted to my new skates' parabolic blades. so hopping back into dull straight blades was an adventure in and of itself. there was a group of japanese people there, early twenties. Chris, 11, took it upon himself, with goadings from his dad, to teach the prettier ones how to skate. one girl in particular was coached most readily and she was passed on to Trent, 15, for a period of time before being quickly dumped on me. poor, pretty, illiterate, visa student. she refused to stand on her own weight, insisted upon leaning on my hands for balance. never going to skate properly learning like that. she made about quarter of the track with me before she requested a break. Chris picked up the slack later on and got a picture taken with her. he likes older women. his dad helped him get her number. meanwhile, his own daughter, 13 year old melissa, was slightly ignored and left to her own devices. i taught her to skate with her head up so she won't get concussed like Lindros.

tuesday august 23: lake louise and banff
we set out for banff, planning to stay two nights at the red carpet inn. so we did. we stopped at lake louise first as it was on the way. pity about the drizzle and the overcast skies or else lake louise would've looked spectacular (just like in the postcards). after an understaffed lunch, i acquired a purse upgrade. i now have a sack, single cross-shoulder strap with two main pockets. it's spiffin' and great for holding things larger than what my purse can handle, i.e. bible, water bottles, rolled up jackets, in times when i'd prefer not to have a backpack to lug around. the price was way too steep for my liking, but my dad insisted. lifetime warranty should set it even after 60 years of use.
we rolled into banff at 4. after settling into the red carpet inn's room 203, my parents drove off to the hot springs for a soak. my brother stayed in the room to watch the jays game. i went out along banff avenue and trolled the shops for a single postcard. and perhaps shoes. and also to scout out the local eateries. we picked my first choice: Joe's Diner. roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy = hey super fun. roast beef was a bit disappointing. but the mashed potatoes were hey super fun indeed.
sherman insists upon sleeping diagonally on the shared bed. and he wondered why he kept waking up to the feeling of someone kicking him.

wednesday august 24: gondola, NOT gon-DOH-la
back to lake louise and a bit across to the massive skiing mountain. there was a huge log chalet where we sampled a very small, very unfilling buffet. but it cost about $4 per person so i wasn't about to complain. chalet was filled with a japanese tour group which was awesome. sherman, who is racist, felt very uncomfortable so i laughed at him. the main point of this trip was to take a gondola up the mountain 6000 something ft. and go on a wildlife hike up on the plateau. but it was rainy. and about 1 degree celcius. sherm and i opted for the ski lift as gondolas are supremely wussy. i was prepared by wearing one longsleeved tee, one t-shirt and a sweatshirt. about 4000 ft up it started to get stupid cold due to rain water, wind and lack of bodily movement. super. i took the gondola down. no animals sighted on the way up/down around. found out how porcupines mated (because i've ALWAYS been curious about that) and took a picture of the blurb so i could remember it forever.
food court dinner was tasty because japanese tappenyaki fried noodles are always better on styrofoam plates accompanied by iced cola in a tall, waxed paper cup.
insomnia was fun. i tried curling up in one of them tiny hotel chairs to no avail. made up for lost sleep in the car the next day.

thursday august 25: return to calgary and not having to share a bed
drove back to the house of the mom of the friend of my mom's. nice how we could see the lovely rockies on the way out, rather than on the two whole days we spent looking at them through fog and rain. after lunch the boys all went to the driving range with uncle duncan. sherm can drive rather well. i cannot. i didn't want to lose my softball swing. so i teed off happy gilmore style, with a slightly shorter run up and a much more feminine driver. the 'w' on the shaft told me so. as did the mauve colour. and the extremely light weight. i was using auntie jessica's set of clubs as she was the only rightswinger in the family. for 6 minutes i got the other guys to try to golf their balls high so that i could try and knock them out of the air with my special technique. failed miserably on all counts, but it was stupid good fun. Trent then lost his head - club head, that is - and sent it flying into the range, farther than the ball went. his dad coerced him into running onto the field to retrieve it. it was quite cool when sherm joked that someone should try to drive one at him and some kid next to him complied.

friday august 26: west edmonton mall
mm... 3 hr. drive to edmonton... 2.5 hr. shopping for nothing... 3 hr. drive back to calgary. time well wasted. upon getting back we were treated to some dang quesadillas that uncle duncan had grilled up since he didn't go to edmonton. they were huge and they were tasty. soul calibur was also tasty. mmm... talim.

saturday august 27: leaving on a jet plane...
2:30 flight left plenty of time to have shanghai dim sum beforehand. my second little dragon bun ripped and spilled its soup. flight home was much better with headphones. didn't sleep and had to really pee just before landing. i opted to wait it out. too bad we were sitting at the back and it takes forever for people to get up and file out.

sunday august 28: back to church!
i woke up in time for english service (9:00) but no one else was up on account for crazy jet lag and staying up until 2 am. so i went back to bed and arrived in time for sunday school. which quickly turned into all day breakfast at wimpy's diner. which turned into all-you-can-eat-omlettes for $7.99. as regualr omlette dishes were priced at $6.99, eating more than one would be a supreme bargain. so most of us lined up and watched one omlette guy work three pans at once. and the omlettes were huge. i could only muster the energy for 1.5. next time i'll be ready to do 3.

roadtrip

all times approximate

1000: picked up by arthur + perry
1018: picked up jacqueline
1023: sweet pea hand sanitizer
1030: picked up daniel
1120: edgewood!
1124: edgewood tour; pond!
1203: sup, pastor fred?
1241: guelph-bound
1326: wendy's lunch: jr. bacon cheeseburger(X2), biggie coke, leftover frosty
1415: university of guelph
1441: residence microwave finds a penny on its turn tray
1456: guelph bookstore
1514: toronto-bound
1539: wheeeeeeeeeee
1600: stuck in traffic
1615: perry dropped off
1624: home

comments:
- sweet pea = :)
- frosties make cokes bland
- a full car with 3/5 of the occupants fresh from eating chili nachos = :- arthur's girlfriend is NOT sandra :'( poor sandra.
- daniel was traumatized by children running across a street willy-nilly
- where is enrique's mole now?