"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!
End Transmission.
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!
End Transmission.
posted by Shockah Karl at 4:19 a.m.
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