77. A Legal Roommate

My roommate finally turned legal (meaning nineteen over here in Raincouver). Because her midterms are coming up (aka. tomorrow!), we didn't invite friends over. But, I tried to spice up our already cute and homey little home for this special occasion with some stringed royal purple balloons.

Because of the lighting (as you can see smacked right in the center of the picture), it looks ever so slightly better in black and white. And you can see what our Hermit Hole looks like too!

I bought her a new backpack (it's Jansport's infamous "hipster" Right Pack in Viking Red) as she wished for, and made a birthday card with her two cute cat stuffed animal decoration as models.

76. I Just Got A Letter

If you read the title with the Blue's Clues tune in mind, then you are pretty awesome! I loved watching Blue's Clues when I was a kid (and still guilty now!). It was one of my favourite shows. But, I like the original Steve more than the new Steve.... Anyways, back to the main point! I received a letter today from the ever amazing Pumpkin! Thank you!! Here's some pictures to show you how amazing she is! (Unfortunately, I didn't have my digital camera on hand, so I took it with my phone camera)

She made the envelope herself and aside from the generic Canada Post stamp, she has an adorable Le Petit Prince stamp with a picture of a sheep on it! Isn't that the most adorable thing ever? And she also has cute kitten stamp on it as well, and a cute dog sticker at the back!

Aside from the envelope, she also made the letter herself. It is expandable, and it is amazing. She drew the kitten and cute heart on and it's so amazing I even thought it was a stamp at first!

She also included this cute mini envelope and post card set, which was the final arrow to the heart. There's a funny looking monkey to seal the envelope and once you get past that, there's a mini postcard of two red bike-motorcycles (bikecycles?) and a message on the back.

I just wanted to share how amazing Pumpkin's letter was and it really brightened up my day. Not only is she very crafty, she's also a great artist! You can check out her blog here and her Tumblr here! You will not be disappointed!

75. A Quick Update

Wow, I have not posted in a while now. Since school started, it's just been pretty busy everyday with endless assignments, readings, studying, club meetings, and basic household chores now that I'm living away from my parents. However, last night while skyping with Pumpkin, I discovered that my roommate has an amazing scanner that I can use to scan all my artworks. So, I've been doing that since breakfast and I am so happy because I don't have to go to the library to scan anymore when I can just scan at home! Here's some of my scans of my artwork from some time ago (the two journals). There are lots more on my Tumblr and I usually have more finished art on my Tumblr than here, where I post the artwork in-progress, and my thoughts on them.

Click on them to enlarge to see it more clearly!

74. First Week Back

Finally, the first week back at the University! It took me two days to completely move in at my new place that I'm renting together with a good friend, and we finally got Internet on the sixth day! I'm so glad I have Internet again so I can stay connected with both friends and school work!

My new place is pretty spacious and we're still decorating it. I really like my desk area because it is very me. It has (fake) flowers, polariods and photo booth pictures hanging on the string, a cute mini calendar, pictures and (empty, but to-be-filled) picture frames, and other random cute bits and pieces that really make the area invitable and welcoming, so I actually feel happy when I work (at least that's the plan).

Other than the decoration, cooking for myself proved to be a bit difficult. So far, I have either ate out, made simple Japanese styled chicken curry for some friends, or just tomatoes and egg (with mushrooms and bean sprouts) for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I have yet to use my own rice cooker, which I was actually really looking forward to. Oh well, maybe next week.

Besides living away from my parents, school is also kicking in. This whole first week I was just running around trying to get everything on my planner done. Unfortunately, not everything has gone according to plan. Fortunately, however, one thing after another has been cleared up (amidst a lot of stress and hair pulling).

I haven't taken any pictures with my camera yet, which I am regretting because the Raincouver weather is finally kicking in. I'll try to take as many pictures as I can on my Vivitar so I can get them printed out and scanned in. That also reminded me to scan in my sketchbook pages using the University's scanner, which I hope, is at least of some decent quality.

73. Rant of the Day

A new mall opened up near where I live today... or rather it was renovated. Apparently, a lot of money was invested into renovating this mall and now it's the biggest one in the area. So, a lot of the shops were doing promotions, but I only restocked on Clinque's Acne Solutions (clearing concealer) from Sephora. The price went up for it again... before it used to be $17 and today I bought it for $19 (not including tax). At least I got a free Sephora tote with it. After that, my mom and I just walked around the mall, looking for the food court because we left before eating anything. We got to the food court and because the stores were pressed for time, some of them weren't even open yet (like Fresh Slice and Qoola). However, there was KFC, except their light wasn't open yet, so I asked one of the employees for when they would open and they said around thirty minutes. After waiting for at least twenty minutes, I asked again and they said twenty to forty minutes. By now, all I ate was three pieces of cracker I brought along just in case for situations like these. So, we gave up waiting and KFC lost a lot of customers that day. A lot. Especially because it was opening day as well. Too bad for them. So, we headed off to Walmart because I remembered that usually at every Walmart there is McDonald's. And joy to the world, there was. I got in line, ordered my food (it was a pretty quick queue), and waited for it to arrive. The people that ordered after me got their food already and I was still waiting, so I asked an employee that I think my order might have been cancelled because I waited for a long time already. And this other girl overhears me talking and says that my order was on the OTHER SIDE of the cashier when usually (and for the other orders), it's placed on the side where I was waiting. Stupid customer service. I hate places with crappy customer service. It was a horrible way to end off the day. Although the mall is close by, some of the stores had really bad customer service. And you'll think they'll be at least somewhat decent considering it's now the biggest mall in the area and it was just renovated and on top of that, on opening day! But no. It's like they don't even want to keep their business open anymore.

72. Interrogation from the Police

Okay, it wasn't as dramatic as I made the title sound, but it was somewhat of an interrogation! Talking... quick chat... same thing. But, first things first, an important note to keep in mind is that both my parents are not fluent in English. My dad is alright (more like mumbles with Chinese and English mixed together) and my mom is just... barely passing. Anyways, I went to do a little back to school shopping at the Outlet in the States with my mom (my dad just drove us there and slept during the time we shopped) and on the way back, because of my dad's weak English, he couldn't say what he wanted to say properly so Customs Canada guard got suspicious and had us go inside.

Once inside, we were sat down outside with phones taken away. First, they called my dad in and asked him some questions. I could hear bits and pieces from outside and although his English was broken, they could somewhat understand him (or what I assume). Then, after around three minutes or so, they called me in.

I walk in pretty calmly because I know I have nothing to hide because I didn't do anything wrong. So, the guard lady (woman guard?) asked me to empty out my pockets and pull them out, and I followed her instructions. I asked her if I needed to show her my back pockets as well and she said no (I wanted to make sure). After that she asked for my little bag and I passed it to her to inspect. And of all things, the first things she pulls out is my little pouch where I keep my sanitary supplies. I was wide eyed and whispered "that's where I kept my pads" because right in front of us was a male guard!! Then, she said loudly "Oh, I'm not scared." Inside my head: "Obviously you wouldn't be. But, I'll be embarrassed!! Geez." Whatever. It's not like I'll be seeing them again and if I didn't, they probably wouldn't remember something like that (hopefully). But, basically, she was searching for receipts and when she asked me for the receipt for the new sunglasses I bought, I told her I threw it out. She asked me skeptically "you threw it out?" Well, obviously I would have. It's highly unlikely I'll drive this long way back just to return something that's final sale?! Of course I didn't say that so I just said "Yea". Then she confidently claimed "Well, these must have been at least $100." And I said "No, I remember they were less for that because I had gotten a 30% coupon from the store." And she retorted back saying "But you don't have the receipt to show that." Damn.

Then, she continued to ask my questions and asking me when I arrived. Well, if I wasn't sleeping, I would know. Of course, I just said "I was sleeping so I'm not sure." Then she checked my wallet and counted my money and just asked some really rhetorical questions. I don't even. Like, seriously? This is a waste of both her and my family's time. As well as the tax (which I also pay for like the rest of the hardworking Canadian citizens who expect it to be used accordingly for useful purposes) that goes into paying for the facility, the equipment, and their wage. But I didn't want to get hurt by their 150 pound bodies (no idea, just guessing) so I kept my mouth shut; I value my life and goodness knows what "right" they have that they can pull up to use against me. Anyways, the whole point of this little "interrogation" was to scare me a bit hoping I would reveal something. But alas, I was not scared. Maybe if I was in middle school or early high school and have not been exposed to the real world/working society, then this little scaring trick might have worked. Unfortunately for them, I kept my cool. I have had to break out of my shy shell many times while working, talking to strangers (mostly adults and elders) and of course I have had the chance to talk to those with authority because I have volunteered for the city I used to live in as part of the Youth Council (where we associated with the Mayor of the City, various people working for the Government, which includes the police force). So no lady, you did not scare me. She even tried the old "we can seize your vehicle at anytime, but we won't today. But just know that we can." Inside my head, I was just thinking "who would want our sad, little, old caravan??? What would be the point??? Your superior probably would have been very disappointed."

Either way, it was quite an experience and although more happened, it's mostly just the "nod your head and go with what they say". Oh, and my poor mother with her poor, poor English skills. I was in the room for what felt like more than five minutes (but definitely longer than both my parents because of my English skills and they could probably get more out of me than trying for two hours pulling out their hair with my parents) and my mom was in there for less than two. Truthfully, it was quite funny (my mother that is) and the experience itself is definitely rewarding and one that I'll be able to pass along to my children and their children.

I will do a haul on what I bought sometime soon!

71. Early Morning Ramblings

I couldn't sleep properly again last night... and this morning. Sometimes insomnia hits me, and although it happens more when University is in session, I experienced it today as well. I know I'm tired, as well as my body and eyes, but I just cannot sleep. So I just end up reading books and comics for the night. So last night, and early this morning (it is currently 6:15 am as I type this), I tried reading my "The Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm" and "A kiss before you go" by Danny Gregory I borrowed. It didn't really work. In fact, "A kiss before you go" got me near to tears because you can just feel his raw emotions through the handwritten art journals. Anyways, I also usually read some Garfield comics on my phone before I sleep, but it didn't work this time. So, in the end, I actually slept for about an hour and a half at the most so far today. I do have some melatonin pills that I could take, but I'll rather not because I took some menstrual crap pills earlier. I don't have enough chemistry knowledge to say for sure that mixing the two is safe so I'll rather be safe than sorry.

70. Vancouver Outing

I went out to good ol' Vancouver today, near Gastown and it seemed as if time just flew by. I went with Pumpkin and because last time we went on a Sunday, everywhere was closed. However, not today! We could finally go check out some of the really cool stores and boutiques, and although they're all so expensive, it was really cool being able to check out these places! We first went to a cafe called Lost + Found and had some quick brunch. I just ordered soup because I had some homegrown corn in the morning. I really liked the cafe because it was just a wide open space, somewhat like a studio. The decorations were really cool and here's just one little section of the cafe.

After that, we just walked around and checked out some of the boutiques. We went into one called Artemisia and it was like a mix of Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters in a Topshop setting. The clothes and home decoration pieces were beautiful and really antique-like, but alas, it was expensive (hence the Urban Outfitters and Topshop reference). Either way, it was fun walking through the store and checking the products and clothes out.

Then, we went to Opus where they sell legitimate art supplies (not like Michael's). We both bought a large roll of craft paper because it was on sale for $2.20!! I should have bought another roll. Oh well, maybe next time when I finish the roll up and they have another sale for it. There is so many things I can do with it, like make wrapping paper, or my own notebook, or cute envelopes aside from just drawing on it! I'm so excited to use it!

Our last stop of the day was to the Vancouver Public Library. I borrowed three art books. They're mostly drawings or sketches by other artists. I like flipping through the pages and looking at other people's art. It can really motivate me. I borrowed Danny Gregory's "A Kiss Before You Go", David Shrigley's "What the hell are you doing?", and "Sketchtravel", a compilation of art from various artists. So far, I finished David Shrigley's "What the hell are you doing?" and I must say, viewer discretion is definitely advised. It is not meant for weak hearts and people who can't take sarcasm well. A lot of the pages made me go "Oh what." or "Oh my goodness" and make big eyed expressions because they were really unexpected. But, some of the pages were quite interesting and made me think. But, it was still mostly pretty sad and gruesome.

Overall, I feel that I accomplished a lot today and had a lot of fun (and exercise)! Unfortunately, I took most of my pictures on my Vivitar so I can only show you pictures once I get the film processed and printed. I can't wait to see how they turned out!

11 / 52

Making up for last week 'cause it took me a while to choose my favourite place. At first, I thought about drawing Krause Berry Farm, but if I did, then I would have to draw it from pictures (which is something I'll rather not do because it won't seem as realistic). Then, I thought about my room, but that would be way too hard and I would have to clean up if I did, so I rejected that idea as well. So, just last night, I thought about some of my favourite places when I was a child, and I bet most kids (even today) has had this experience - playing with the TV box! Or any big box really. I remember getting all excited when my parents bought big appliances, because I could play with the box! A box is definitely where a child's imagination runs wild.

69. Dreams: Fruit Contest

Before I forget the dream that I just had, I am going to write it down to share with you all. The setting seemed to be in some kind of stadium and around us were people from different clubs, promoting themselves. I remember the club that went before us was an all Korean (mostly girls) Tae Kwon Do club and they were doing some simply punches and just shouting their club names. After that it was us. I think there were four of us and we had no idea what we were going to do. But suddenly, who I assume is our leader, gave me pre-chopped fruits and handed the others, including himself, a flat basket with some rim. When we got out "on stage" (basically just in the middle of the stadium with people staring down), he told me to place the fruits on each of the three baskets. The first fruit was watermelon. So I just one-by-one placed a watermelon slice on each of the basket until I was out of it. Next were the pineapples slices. Then the blueberries. At this point, it was getting harder and harder for the basket to hold the fruits so the blueberries kept falling off. But, I guess that's the whole point of the "game", to see how many fruits a basket can hold, and the person with the most fruits on his or her basket wins the game. While I was placing the fruits, I remember feeling anxious, and thinking who in the world would be interested in watching a slow game like this? But, as I looked up, I was proven wrong, for many people had left their seats to gather around us for a better look. Then, realizing it was just a dream, I woke up.