Valentine's Day aka Another Boring Day In The Life of Karl

Karl's Blog. Stardate Blah Blah Blah,



Another day passes, I glance outside at the gloomy weather and think to myself, "My what a glorious day to d . . . err . . . be alive!" Seriously, this day (as with most holidays/celebrations) means nothing to me. Perhaps one day it will. I won't be holding my breath mind you, but, weirder things have happened.



NBA Skills Competition



I actually found it kinda boring. Sure this maybe seen as blasphemy by some, but, I was not enthused by the event as a whole. They had the filler crap which served as filler crap to placate the crowd until the 2 main spectacles: 1) the 3-point contest; & 2) the slam dunk contest.



3-Point Contest:



Meh. It could have been cool if Peja had won it to be the third person to ever win it 3 consecutive times. He just was not able to sink them in the end. So there was drama. However, not enough.



Slam Dunk Contest:



It's a down period yet again. Perhaps next year or later than that there will be some excitement. Very bland for me.



A Duet?:



Nona Gaye singing the American National Anthem in a duet with her late father Marvin Gaye. Sure this has been done before, but, she was singing along to a TV. That and the fact she was merely singing backup and harmony to a TV. Not exactly a duet now was it?



Barbwire Fun



Friday was eventful. Woke up went to New West to get a ride to the farm. Normally I take skytrain all the way to Surrey, however, this time Dave was sleeping over at his girlfriend's so we met there. On a side note, to get a better understanding of where Barnston Island is, there is a depiction of it on the map inside the skytrain cars displaying the skytrain routes. Barnston Island is the island in the Fraser River between Pitt Meadows and Surrey.



We were able to finish stringing out the barbwire beads along the western fence line. All we have to do for that side is to ratchet the barbwire and attach the mesh. Then we have to finish laying the mesh for the eastern fence line, do the front fence line, and build a room for the generator.



Lindsay found a dead rodent and commenced displaying the rat to Dave and I. Yummy. Dave underwent an elaborate Klingong Death Ritual and discarded it in his neighbour's property to rejoin the Earth.



I also met the new guy. He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Every time I saw him attempt a task I kept hearing the Looney Tunes theme song playing in the background. He tried to cut down a tree with a chainsaw. He intended it to fall towards the pile of debris I gathered. The tree started to fall in the opposite direction towards the neighbour's property. I quickly ceased working within that vicinity. He also managed to get the big tractor stuck in the mud. If Dave is Eric Foreman and his father is Red, then that would make this guy Frank in the body of a bearded Bob.



I'm now cleaning my work gear. I will mend my jeans after soccer because they got shredded by the barbwire.



Other Friday Shenanigans



Baked Goodies:



HSA Bake Sale. I wasn't able to oversee the event, but, I was told it went well. But then Jason informed me of his estimate in sales and the amount of leftovers afterwards. I won't be able to confirm this until I get back to UBC and count the $$$. Did anyone walk by this thing? I'd like to know how it went.



BZZR of lack thereof:



Being at the farm all day required me to be absent from all the UBC Reading Break BZZR Garden madness. To miss the ANSO one and buck-a-beaker is one thing, but, to miss out on the RBF Kegger was depressing for me. Especially, since I would have known a few people in attendance and the fact it was free.



Elisa's B-Day Party:



At least I got to go to my friend Elisa's party. I was well prepared with my case of beer and bottle of JD. Chris hated the fact he couldn't drink because he had to teach later that evening. This was compounded by me displaying the JD right in front of him. Gotta respect a man who loves his fair share of alcohol. I think it's awesome he'll be going to Harvard for his masters program. Anyway back to the party at hand. There was free food. A plethora of sushi, sashimi, fried rice, and some sort of noodles. It was quite tasty and it aided in cushioning the alcohol I would consume. Elisa has some cool friends and we partook in some glaucoma medicine. It had been a while for me, but, greatly appreciated.



Soccer



The end of the regular season is close at hand. I believe today's game will be the second last game before play-offs begin. After defeating the #2 team in our division we went on a 2 game losing skid. We played pretty awful on both occasions and needed to concentrate for this last string of games. I believe Dave is really doing wonders as the GM and trying to make this team gel and not self-destruct.



Dave and I made a gesture to the team in accordance to how well we play and how far we reach in the play-offs. The deal being that if we reach the finals, Dave will shave his head. If we were then victorious, I shave my head and whoever scores the "winning goal" will get to shave my head. Yes, I have put my hair on the line. The very hair I have not cut in almost 3 years. The hair I have not cut since the WEEZER show in Vancouver. The hair I have been growing in hopes to get dreadlocks (bob marley Rastafarian dreads and not those pansy milli vanilli style dreads). My hair is on the line.



Last time I put my hair on the line was in grade 9. I bet that I would shave my head if for some ungodly reason I actually made the basketball team. Low and behold, the all-star center decided to play up in JV. That meant I got the final spot and off with my hair. Too bad the school passed a rule to ban shaved heads as part of the dress code at that precise time. I spent the remaining of the year hiding from the principal and vice-principals.



So, if we have a successful season, I'll be hairless. Considering my ability to lose bets most, if not all, of the time I'll be looking more like a monk than a hippy.



Alumni B-Ball



It is almost time for me to come out of retirement yet again to play in the Alumni Basketball Tourney @ VC. The tournament is pretty much for bragging rights among the alums. This is especially true for my grad year. A lot of them were pretty much lifers in this school and were embedded with a competitive streak. Unfortunately, this causes others in my grad class to want to play for another squad that does not take this tourney too serious because I dunno, we have lives. I mean nothing says alumni basketball like double-fisting on the bench. I can be quite competitive myself at times, but, there still has to be an element of fun. Last year, I found myself leaning towards a coaching capacity and instructing the other grads that didn't go through the system on what to do. Anyway, if anyone is interested in seeing my limited skillz and limited time on the floor, the tourney will be some time in March.



Internet Crapping Out



Am I the only one in Vancouver with internet connection problems with a Shaw account? This seriously pisses me off! I'll be in the middle of writing an e-mail or blog entry and when I try to send/post it I can't because I'll be offline. It is quite annoying. So now, I not only have to compete for computer time with my parents and siblings, I also have to contend with sporadic small windows to the internet.



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Anyway, I gotta get ready for soccer. Have a good reading break.



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Vaginas, Mmmmm . . . Vaginas

Karl's Blog. Stardate Blah Blah Blah,



Today was a relatively relaxing day. It went a little something like this:



- AUS Council Meeting

- ate a vagina

- explain protocol of reimbursement to HSA Grad Rep. Asst./Proxy

- bought alcohol

- bought a comic

- finally watched "Battle Royale" at grandparents' place

- prayed at said grandparents' place

- clean laundry again



Ate A Vagina



Yeah, you read correctly. I ate me some vagina today. Oh so sugary sweet. I actually ate it during the council meeting. It was a milk chocolate vagina that was being sold to promote the upcoming Vagina Monologues.



For some reason Jen just lost it as I ate the thing. I swear she was convulsing with fits of laughter. I guess I didn't help matters by playing it up and making it an event. I think the only other people that knew were Jen's immediate neighbours who asked her why she was behaving so.



AUS Council Meeting



Apparently the AUS passed a motion where we get to shun people who where ugly Kangol hats and faux trucker-style hats. I got to witness council protocol used to the most heinous degree of goofiness. However, it was done within the realm of proper conduct at council meetings. Watching all this gave me great ideas to mess with French club Exec meetings. I've already warned the French Club Treasurer about my plans to disrupt future meetings. He swore at me because these meetings are already a Gong Show, and he knew that I would/could do so.



Explain Protocol . . .



Had to clear up a few things regarding HSA projects and questions regarding the joint grad cruise venture. Basically, whatever is in SAC's domain is in their domain and for the Econ. Grad. Rep. (who pretty much took charge) to sort out. Also, to keep it easy for me, so that I can keep Ann (AUS VPF) less stressed about the History branch and its expenditures (programming the other members not to spend non-existing funds and not to ask for either a "simple" funds transfer to the account or for an emergency cheque). For some reason, I doing my job makes our club president's job easier for some reason.



Alcohol



Just restocking for Friday. I know there will be the Valentine's Beer Gardens in the MASS and Geo Lounge. Not to mention the mysterious RBF BZZR Garden being held at an undisclosed location. However, I may be working in Surrey as I will be doing until my work is done. That work being the setting a barbwire and wire mesh perimeter around my friend's family "herb" farm. The legal kind that is. Therefore, while there is light out, I'll be working and trying not to get permanently scarred by the barbwire, which means I'll miss the BZZR Gardens. But, that will be OK since I will attend a friend's birthday party that night. So I should be set.



Comics



Went to check if the latest issues of the 2 titles I was following were in ("Marvel 1602" & "JLA vs. The Avengers"). They weren't. However, I did pick up the last issue of "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2". I was following the reprints over the summer and then lost track due to an economic crunch and the mad scramble to deal with impending graduation. I try to restrict my comic spending or I'd be broke because I like reading these damn things. I should really utilize the comic collection available in the Vancouver Public Library catalogue. It is quite numerous, varied, and free. I should see what all the hype behind "Sandman" is and I think there maybe copies of "Lone Wolf & Cub" there as well. Plus I always have my online sources for my "Ultimate Universe" fix.



Battle Royale



I have been waiting a long time to watch this flick. I was supposed to watch this with my so called friends. I got a copy of it because I had access to it via a friend. And then I've tried to get everyone to watch it together. They were always busy or the whole thing had to get cancelled due to something coming up. So I wait and I wait for them. On a moment's notice I would have been there to bring the movie for all to watch. That was the plan. At least I thought it was the plan. What do they do? They get another copy for themselves, watch it, and not tell me. Fuckers. Fuckers sold me out. Not that I'm used to this or anything. Fuckers.



The only place I knew had an all regions DVD player was my grandparents' place in Richmond. I could easily drive there anytime, but, lately I've had no access to my van, didn't know the bus route there, had no time to walk there (roughly 2 hours to cross Knight Street Bridge onto Bridgeport Road and then an hour or so to their house), and I've been pretty busy. I finally had an opening when I could go and had the means to do so.



I enjoyed the film. My family may have been a bit horrified, but, they seemed to enjoy it.



Pray



After the film we had to pray. This was apparently their turn with whatever roaming relic Catholic families receive for use of intense praying. The thing came handy with rosaries and prayer guide books (over 20 pages worth). It had been a while since I had done that sort of praying. Still surprised I remembered most of the prayers (not really a surprise I guess, since I was a goodie goodie growin' up). But damn, my knees hurt like a mofo with all that kneeling.



Laundry



Still doin' laundry. Mainly my work clothes for the farm work. It's either that or wind up with a full load of muddy and barbwire tattered clothes.



Gonna need sleep for tomorrow's barbwire affiliated fun.



Later Days.



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Damn My Web Ineptitude

Karl's Blog. Stardate Blah Blah Blah,



I've been trying to change my template, but I suck at it. I'm having flashbacks of Computer Studies 10 when I had to program a randomized number sequence game using turboPascal. Oddly enough, the game we all had to design shared almost all the characteristics of a certain Vegas game called "Craps". The things I learn in an all boy Catholic high school.



Also, because my Shaw cable internet connection is being an asshole, the connection fails while in the middle of altering and futile attempts at tweaking my template.



Tabernacle!!!



Zut alors!!!



Merde, merde, merde!!!



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"Everybody's Working For The Weekend"

Karl's Blog. Stardate Blah Blah Blah,



Had a good weekend.



Friday:



I was expecting to put up more barbwire fencing on my friend's family herb farm in Barnston Island which lies in the middle of the Fraser River between Surrey and Pitt Meadows. I get a phone call to tell me it was cancelled. So I slept in and caught on some much needed sleep that I had been neglecting.



I had the van for the weekend. That meant a good day or so of recuperating it so that it won't die whilst I drive. That meant feeding the van properly since my brother neglects it like the horrible parent he is. So I had to get the basics: oil, gas, and engine coolant. I should have checked the brake and power steering fluid, but, had no time. This task just makes me poorer and poorer. All my knowledge (or lack there of) about the van is a result of various times the van broke down and my father yelling at me about how I should KNOW all this. Surprising, he never taught me this. He's doesn't really teach me things. Kinda like in basketball. He was a big shot in his Filipino Basketball Community League circle. A good player. Coached a championship team. I sucked in basketball. I was ok, but, never star caliber or even a decent sub. He never understood why. I only finally learned the fundamentals to play properly in grade 8 on the VC Grade 8 B-Team. The fact I was a 2-way starter and captain in football never impressed him. So basically I learned to doubt myself and keep to myself. Damn behavioural programming. So now I'm faced with the task of trying to inform my brother how to maintain the van. Too bad he is a reflection of my father, which to me means that I think he is an utter moron. They're so alike in temperament it makes me laugh.



Paid bills. I hate the mail distribution system at my house. Yay, let's please put the mail in some box and give it to the person on some arbitrary day. No one here relays messages for me to me. And when they do it is already too late. I swear to god I live with morons. At least, the ones that I happen to share a last name with that is.



Went to Hip Hop Night at the MASS. It was pretty fun. After clean-up went to The Pit meet-up with a few people. It was very Pit-iful . . . err . . . fun. Just hung out for a bit then left. Got home safe.



Saturday:



Paid more bills. Bloody ICBC.



Since I was attending the Arts County Fair sleep over, or as Vanessa termed it a "Pajammy Jam", and had to go straight to the DSBH soccer game the next day I had to pack up the van with my sleep over gear and soccer gear.



ACF Sleep-Over Gear: snacks, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries, jammy jams, and clothes for next day.



Soccer Gear: ladder, soccer balls, soccer net, tent pegs, hammer, corner flags, extra jerseys, practice jerseys, med kit, various tools, and video camera equipment.



Barkada Gathering:



Prior to my attendance at the ACF Sleepover, I first attended a get together for my "Barkada". I'm sure the proper spelling is "barcada", but, what it is or at least from what I decipher, the term is Filipino or Spanish in origin and is used to describe one's extended family. Even though we were all not blood-related, it was as if we were since we all grew up together. Over the years we have all grown up and have drifted further and further apart. If I were my friend Chew, I'd call them my "Childhood Posse", but, I'm not and if I were to ever seriously refer to them as such please smack me in the head hard. So now there have been attempts to bring everyone back together. A "truce" of sorts since there has always been bickering between various parties. I, like my mother used to do, just saw it as "drama" and chose not to side with anyone because it was stupid.



So we all convened at Lola (Filipino term for grandmother) Pinlac's. She was always regarded as the matriarch of the group. When my parents and all their friends first came here in the 1970's, Lola Pinlac acted as a mother figure for all of them since most of their families were still in the Philippines. Hence, when I and all my God-Siblings were born, Lola Pinlac was a grandmother figure to us. As I reflect upon these memories I find that perhaps my mother may have been the glue of this web of friends. Or at least, she was the link between my family and the group.



There have been a few deaths in the Barkada, but, as a whole the group was always able to stay intact. The only one's that come to mind as being significant to the group in their impact were Uncle Günter, Lolo Pinlac, and my mother.



Uncle Günter (pronounced "Goon-tare") was the first to pass away. He was always one of my favourite uncles. He was watching TV with my god-sister, fell asleep, and never woke up. After he died, one by one all the dads began to quit smoking. I think his death was significant because they now felt vulnerable. But everyone stayed intact if not closer.



Lolo Pinlac was the patriarch of the Barkada. He was very respected and adored by all. He had fallen ill, so his passing became a matter of time as his condition deteriorated. While his passing was expected, it did not make it that much easier. I still remember gathering for group prayers. If I wasn't accustomed with the rosary before, I sure was afterwards. Again, we were all still a tight knit community.



My mother's passing. Still fresh in my mind. Being as hard-headed as she was, her passing may have been a matter of time, but, she kept fighting till the end. Kinda like a certain line from a Dylan Thomas poem. After she died, I noticed that everyone would gather less and less. The group would splinter into subgroups or just hang with a different circle. Especially my father. I guess he's always regarded them as my mom's friends. I'm sure those with significant others will understand. Hence, I assumed the mantle as the representative of my family for these gatherings.



Even though I had to leave early, it was nice to see that there is an effort being made for us to be in each other's lives again.



ACF Sleepover:



This was hosted at Dave Claassen's place by Dave himself. My congrats. The evening was fun.



This was the first introduction to Arts County Fair for AUS Council Newbies (like me), and other volunteers. We were introduced to the ACF Exec, given a debriefing on positions and what to expect, and saw a video package on ACF.



We had time to hangout and do whatever afterwards.



I first participated in Trivial Pursuit. For the briefest moment I was actually second place. The other participants were Spencer, Dave, Quinn, and "Team Retarded" (Jayme, Matt, Scott, and later Shea). However, the eventual victor was Spencer Keys. I bow down to his intellectual prowess.



After I watched the competitive spectacle of 4-way Mario Kart Double Dash. The participants at the time were Chris "Doctor of Thuganomics" Payne, Aaron "Red-Headed Step Child" Strate, Quinn "Rock 'n' Roll" Omori, and Dave "Eleven-Toed" Claassen. The competition was fierce and the trash talking was even fiercer. While Dave won the majority of the races, it is always fun to "playa hate". This is especially true when the consistent champ fails to score another victory, which was the case near the end of the marathon console gaming session.



Fast Food break. Mmmmm . . . McDeath.



Risk. 5 players. One goal: World Domination. Whoever thought Imperialism could be so fun? The prospective world powers that be were Dave, Scott, Ian Kennedy, Quinn, and I. Dave and my forces were spread out. Ian had a stronghold in South America with heavily armed borders. Quinn had Europe. Scott had Australia as his base of operations. I was very uncharacteristic at first and went on the attack early and had 2 major footholds: North America and Ukraine. As my friend would say, "Ukraine is WEAK!!!" And eventually it fell. Dave and I were then on the run. Dave wanted to be killed-off early so he could view the cinema classic, "Bring It On". So I helped kill him off and got his cards. I then embarked on my tried and true tactic of "turtling". Amassing troops is fun. Every move I made got the common response of "Why?" and "What are you doing?". That left Ian and Scott as the 2 major powers. Quinn still had Europe and had colonies in Asia and Africa. I was pretty much America adopting a crazy isolationist approach. Everyone was scared to attack me since I was heavily armed. While everyone was trying to expand, I was slowly amassing troops. the dynamic changed when Ian had to retire early because he had an engagement of sorts early next day (Scott and I thought he had the best chance of winning if he were to stay.). So Dave returned to play for Ian. Dave was pretty miffed he was missing the car wash scene for Risk. And with that frustration Dave channeled towards the demise of Scott's empire. I then had a friendly border with Dave (North America-South America) and Quinn (Greenland-Iceland). This left me worrying about Alaska do to Scott's presence in Northern Asia. Dave, with help from Quinn, took out Scott. Quinn and Dave were now the super powers gunning for each other. I sat back and slowly spread the gospel of American capitalism throughout northern and eastern Asia. In the span of 6 hours I went from almost being wiped out, to taking over the world. "Excellent."



Sunday:



After 3 or so hours worth of sleeping I got up and prepared for DSBH vs. Richmond Old Boys in Talmey Field at noon. As much as I wanted to go to IHOP for breaky with everyone, I had to go to soccer. On a lighter note, Aaron hosted the Morning Zoo with Jen, while Sarah woke up with no penises (penii?) on her face. Uhmmmm . . . drawings of penii that is. Get your heads out of the gutter.



DSBH vs. Richmond Old Boys:



Excellent match. Tim scored a hat trick and Dom scored one in the end. We won 4-2. The game started off with good clean fun, but, then the other squad resorted to hard dirty play and to constant argumentation because we were better than they expected.



One of their fans threatened us to a fight. Jon seeing this as potentially dangerous, called the cavalry in the form of "Wego". When he arrived, all threats of fighting ceased from their end and we resumed our concentration on the game.



That's when broke away from our 2-2 tie to 4-2.



Thank goodness for the ref. he and his buddy the bald guy are by far the best refs in our division. They are used to ref'ing premier and division 1 games, so they take no shit from no one. He threatened to clear the sidelines of fans and walk out if the whining didn't stop. Its action like that that prevents the escalation of chippy play and other bullshit.



Apparently there will be a write-up regarding this game in the Richmond Review (or whatever the Richmond rag is nowadays). This is due to the fact that Richmond Old Boys is #2 in our division and has only lost once prior to this game this season.



This was indeed one of our better executed games.



Super Bowl:



I was watching it. I passed-out during the game though. I'm sure it was exciting and all, but, if it's not Da Bears or Oakland, then I really don't care that much. I usually like Boston-based franchises, but, I'm just indifferent towards the Patriots.



I was able to see the Janet Jackson peep show via news broadcasts though. My my my.



Survivor All-Stars:



I admit it. I watched the thing. I actually like the premise this time around. This is such a messed-up social experiment except everyone knows how everyone plays now.



I still keep thinking at a moments notice I'll see a pig's head on a stick and someone waving around the conch of power.



All I can say is they better learn to make fire before Mark Burnett has to add "Outlive" as one of their slogans.



Happy Groundhog's Day!



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