Father's Little Helper

I've already written on all the pages of my journal. To be eco-friendly, let's avoid using paper. ^^;;

2010-07-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

I need a confidant/pen pal. Felicity talks to her Sally. 0 = ) Someone already volunteered her services. It's just been a long time since we last spoke.

2010-07-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

I gotta rent the next seasons of Felicity. For now I have nothing to hide behind.

Two Lessons I Learned at Mass Yesterday
1. You must accept the way God made you.
2. Prayer is oxygen for the soul (so you gotta keep breathing!)

I have an SFC GA later. I'm looking forward to it. I just have to perfect my outfit. 0 = )

Samba Always Cheers Me Up

2010-07-23T06:58:00.001-07:00

Samba (the music of my early childhood) is so uplifting. :)

Yay!

2010-07-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Dad bought Special K* and Oatmeal Crisp. Yay! :D

I had Special K* and Rainier cherries for breakfast.

As I was eating my next door neighbour made a noise showing me what I'll sound like in about 20/30 years. XD At least I can still laugh.

It's gorgeous out. I was supposed to go shopping for baking supplies with Ate Mar today. We had to reschedule our baking day though. My ultimate team has a game tonight.

Everything seems better when I have a good meal. I now know exactly what to say to a wonderful guy who just got in touch with me.

Today can be a good day.

To Do

2010-07-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Find out where I can take first aid

Iron

Laundry (ie. hide my laundry from my parents so I can do it myself)

Clean (My room, the bathroom, everywhere)

Putting the dishes away

You see I need to be given very exact instructions on what to do otherwise I become very paralyzingly anxious. I know I'm supposed to do more around the house though I am unsure as to exactly what. Right now I feel as if I have to clean my whole house. I find that quite a daunting task. I may be updating this page with what I remember or learn.

I'm in that paranoid sleep-deprived state where I'll become very anxious and go nuts from lack of an exact task that needs to be accomplished. I may find out about something that I need to do, but it may not be enough. What I do might never be enough. I must do clean my house, find another job to supplement my current income, and finish driving lessons. That all seems too much (That's the depressed little me talking). Anyway, hope I can just be brave and get through this day.

I've been told I need to get out more so I'll be less sad and have a break from negativity.

When I'm doing well emotionally everything seems better. I'm a very emotional ("sensitive" - I answered yes to all ten of these questions: http://kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com/2010/07/10-questions-to-see-if-you-are-highly.html) person.

2010-07-19T18:38:00.001-07:00

I live in fear. That's how I've been taught to live.

My Current Job as my Mission (Being Brought Back to God)

2010-07-19T09:52:00.001-07:00

I just realized that my current (part-time) job brings me closer to God. I get very anxious having to call my department and doing my job as perfectly as I can. I have to pray a lot to get me through those situations. My job requires me to be compassionate and sensitive to the needs of my customers and to work with a team. It may be considered menial by some, but it is what I need right now. Aside from helping me pay bills and rent my job makes me rely on God when I so easily forget to acknowledge His presence. The skills and character I can build through my current job are valuable. As I search for another job to compliment my work week I must rely on and follow God more. Somehow everything's better when I just put God first.

Back to Web Design

2010-07-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

I've taken it upon myself to update the family website. Unfortunately I've forgotten exactly where I put the layout template and pages for the site before it switched servers. @_@ I remember I even got the family to join some fanlistings. Grawr.

Edit: I found the old URL for the family site. Alas, it has not been archived in The Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Since that old server shut down completely, I might have to restore everything from our older server (Geocities) by copying what was archived by The Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.

:)

2010-06-06T02:33:00.001-07:00

Upon Seeing a Cross Country Runner from Eritrea on TV

2010-04-10T12:33:00.001-07:00

I miss Fana.

Paralympic Memory

2010-04-06T02:53:00.000-07:00

On my last shift Brad dug up the rod that we stuck in the snow. He became our enthusiastic tour guide.

Memory from the Paralympics

2010-04-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Steve found a guy at our workforce party who looked like a Na'vi from Avatar. XD

VVL Workforce Party

2010-03-04T02:30:00.000-08:00

I got to the Village just in time to get all the food (and dessert ie. cake and strawberry ice cream) I wanted. We had goodbye hugs from everyone who left right after dinner. I got lotsa hugs from Robbie. He said he'll miss my cute little voice and said that I'm one of his favourites. Stephen gave a me a Team GB shirt :D , an "extra drink ticket" (he didn't take my drink ticket 'cause I "made everyone chuckle"), extra tea towels, and a Miga doll.

Stephen: *looking out from the shift gift area* Is Carmela still out there?
Me: *enthusiastically* Here I am! :D *waves and runs over*
Stephen: *hands me a Miga doll* Here you go.
Me: *big grin*
Stephen: Go on now, [go home,] bye.

Those of us who remained proceeded to The Sin Bin. We sat in the VIP Room with the Parking crew and got to watch the hockey game and listen to music. We introduced Monika to yam fries. She said if I need a reference letter I just have to email her. :D She said I can visit at VVL anytime I want during the Paralympics. I just have to let her know in advance. Will and I talked hockey e.g. about how I played like Jannik Hansen and about how Jannik Hansen was a fast skater and could be really good after another year of development. Will, Erin, and Collin were quite amused that I like the Red Wings. I told 'em I appreciate good, exciting, run-and-gun, fast-paced hockey. :) I told Will I loved the story of him and the woman he reunited with after 28 years. :D He and Erin were quite amused at how I looked up at them intently. I just wanted to a turn to say bye to Will. 0 = ) Will gave me a warm hug bye after we made sure we were covered (bill-wise). Erin generously paid for my food and drink despite my attempts to add bills to the pile 'cause "[I'm] a starving student."

Angela and I told Monika we like her Villages Team jacket with a heart on it. Monika and Erin gave me a hug bye. Roger told me to keep smiling and gave me a hug bye too.

I'll miss everyone from our Olympic Transportation team. We're gonna keep in touch via email. :D

Day 16 (Last Shift) at VVL

2010-03-01T02:12:00.000-08:00

Monika told us to go to Stephen after we checked in. I was the ceremony veteran. :) I was leading the team to the busses, explaining how we'd hold the numbers and load the athletes onto the busses similarly to how it was for the Opening Ceremonies. Jacquie let us watch the last few minutes of the 3rd Period of the hockey game before we had to begin transporting athletes again. One of the drivers watching with us took a video of us cheering and watching the game in the drivers' lounge. He said he was gonna go outside to see everyone celebrate when the game ended. Parise scored in the last few seconds of the 3rd Period. The only American driver in the room celebrated. We then had to go to Stephen. I got the clipboards for the numbers. Terrance and Stephen retrieved us from the other side of the gate so we didn't have to go through mag and bag again. Terrance said we were the crew who were gonna make it happen. :) I texted Vetter to ask what was going on. He gave a wee update that we were in overtime. The guys at the Airport Check-In area cheered. I then knew one of the teams won. The bus driver I was with was American. I found an Airport Check-In guy that Crosby scored the game winner. We started hearing people celebrating from Cambie Bridge. :) I gave some French guys directions (in French) to the Airport Check-In. :) An older French guy winked at me. I held #6 when we loaded athletes, coaches, and officials onto busses for to the Closing Ceremonies. They were counted before they got to us. I only had Stephen the host, a fellow volunteer, with me. He checked the athletes' passes. One of the coaches was creepy. Some of the athletes and coaches tried to take my clipboard or flip the number over. Perhaps #6 wasn't the best number to hold up. O well. I loaded Team Italy, Team Germany, Team China, the Dutch Team, Team Norway, Team USA, and Team Canada. I think I loaded Team Russia too. I saw Team Cayman Islands and Team India. :) A nice fellow workforce member gave me and T smoked salmon. She caught the fish herself. She was offering that smoked salmon to the athletes. T and I agreed that it was nummy. Monika gave me a Nature Valley bar. Brett from the Villages Team gave me a Starburst. :) We saw the Slovenian team and their nice outfits for the last time. A Canadian athlete gave me a pin. :D I had a convo with Alexandre Bilodeau en francais:

Me: Salut, ca va bien?
Alexandre Bilodau: Oui, ca va bien. Et toi, ca va bien?
Me: . . . Ouais ca va bien parce que tu es ici.
Me pulling a line in French on Alexandre Bilodeau. Who'da thunk? *drumbeat*

I told Matt Morison I was rooting for him, I loved him anyway and that we'd always love him. He said thanks and patted my head. :)

Notable Athlete/Coach Sightings:
Shirley Brown
Evan Lycasek
The little Italian speed skater girl
Alexandre Bilodeau
Michael Lambert (2x ~ he looked grumpy both times)
Dutch Long Track Speed Skating Coach (same one we'd seen many times going to the ROO van)
Pink-Haired American moguls girl
Grumpy Patrick Kane
The rest of the American hockey team aside from Ryan Miller coming home from their game during the Closing Ceremony

The ever-wonderful Stephen got us permission to watch the Closing Ceremonies backstage in the Salt Building aka the village Living Room. :) We quickly grabbed dinner. We got to watch the entire closing ceremonies. Our password to let other TRN Smurfs into the Salt Building was "Stephen sent us." :)

I got to use the two nice bathrooms in the Village and even called to get a toilet fixed. *superhero pose*

Monika repeatedly checked on me, smiled at me, gave me instructions, and said I was doing a good job. She said it's a pleasure working with me 'cause I'm always smiling/have a smile on my face. She thanked me. I thanked her too. :D

Anthony offered me his lightsabre, but he disappeared after I got back from the NOC washroom that I helped fix.

I gave an American guy directions to the American building.

We found glowsticks and Closing Ceremonies items that the bosses let us keep.

We took pictures together, danced to the athletes' great party music that was playing in the Salt Building, said our byes, and gave our hugs.

Stephen said we could go home. Stephen gave us hugs and said good job and thank you.

Monika said she'd make sure I get my watch on Wednesday 'cause I wouldn't be needed at the Village tomorrow and on Tuesday. I said I'd miss volunteering at the Village. Monika said it's a good thing she has the Paralympics otherwise she'd be in tears. She gave me my medal and pin at the office. I waved bye to the bosses. Tony helped me carry my gloves, vest, and Closing Ceremonies memorabilia. I told Tony I was quite relieved that the Games took up just the right span of time. Any more days and I'd be completely exhausted. Tony and I said bye to Gloria and Alan again. At the trailer he gave me postcards for Mom. He gave me a hug, said thanks, and said I was a sweetheart. :)

Today's Highlights:
"There's hope for you yet." - Stephen after Monika made a brilliant suggestion
T said it'd be great if I could lend her my Bottine Souriante CDs.
Tony dancing to "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne.
Watching the entire closing ceremonies at the back of the Salt Building
"Don't go running off eh." - Stephen
Convo with Stephen on empty busses: "All those other busses are empty."
"Eh?"
"All those other busses are empty."
"I know."

I am so used to volunteering at the Village that I am somewhat at a loss as to what I'll do tomorrow and on Tuesday before the workforce's Olympic goodbye to the Village on Wednesday. I must remember to get my last shift gift on Wednesday. XD

Glasses Shopping/Olympic Coolness

2010-03-01T02:01:00.000-08:00

Mom bought me nice new Olympic glasses: one pair with a funky red, white, and green design on the sides, and one pair with a dark frame with wave blue on the inside. :) I was able to watch the gold medal women's hockey game, Caroline Ouelette's post-medal interview, the Canadians in ski aerials, Joannie Rochette's bronze medal program, and an interview with the gold medal winning Canadian women's hockey team. :) I bought Mom a Sumi keychain for half price ($5) at London Drugs. I texted Ate Marge, Bunthai, and Ryan about it. I put Sumi on my backpack. Mom didn't freak out after. :) I stomped on the noisy forest planks downtown. :) It would be cool for someone to dance to fiddle music on them. :D

Day 15 at VVL

2010-02-27T02:06:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing so many famous people that it's dizzying. My nutrition and sleep is down. I'm not greeting everyone as I usually do. I've gotta have that radical hospitality again. Christine Nesbitt walked past me and I didn't greet her. I didn't congratulate Coach Davidson on getting another gold medal. I needed to go home early today. I needed the rest. I can't think straight. I now know that eating McDonalds is acceptable only in dire circumstances ie. when I forgot my lactaid. God showed me that I would've liked the veggie pasta and curry.

Notable Athlete Sightings:

Team Canada Men's Hockey (3x) ~ I said "Salut. Bon soir" to Martin Brodeur
Denny Morrisson (yesterday?)
Austrian men with their 2 bass-pumping SUV limos, girls, and booze.
Maelle Ricker
White and Davis
Virtue and Moir
Mirai Nagasu
married Chinese pairs couple who won gold
Mercedes from Over the Bolts and her friend
Zdeno Chara
Kipper
Jari Kurri
Christine Nesbitt
good-looking (and good-smelling) Italian male figure skater who I was behind in security a while back ("arrow shaped" cough drop man)
Tanith Belbin (she looked crabby) :S

Martin Gelinas and Alex Edler Day aka Day 14 at VVL

2010-02-26T02:01:00.000-08:00

Greeting Alexa Loo, spectating athletes, hockey players, and the Norwegian men's curling team, getting a Swedish flag from a driver, meeting the nice Newfie police officer, and getting hugs and greetings from Tamara and T = most memorable birthday yet. :D

Message from the CEO	English / Francais

Through your passion, energy and relentless commitment, you have proven to be the heart and soul of these Games. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games had volunteers at every touchpoint — some of you have been with us for years, some for only a brief time. No matter the length of time, your contribution has been critical to creating a transformational historic event for Canada. Your willingness to take part has made our nation better. To recognize your involvement, we present you with a Vancouver 2010 Winter Games participation certificate. This small token of appreciation honours your selfless spirit and your journey with the 2010 Winter Games. You were truly the best of the best and your country is proud of you. On behalf of Vancouver 2010, thank you for everything you have given to these Games. As you reflect on your experience from this moment forward, I trust you will feel that your personal contribution was as critical to the success of the Games as any other. To me, you are a genuine Canadian hero. Thank you. John Furlong Chief Executive Officer Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Request your certificate(s)

To thank you for the tireless hours of dedication you put in to staging an extraordinary Winter Olympic Games, we would like to present you with a Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Participation Certificate. This is not only a way to show our appreciation, but it will also be a commemorative piece of your Games journey as a member of Team 2010. To order your certificate, please enter your E-mail Address and Registration Number below, then follow the steps.

By completing this ordering process, you are letting us know that you would like to receive your certificate. Please note, if you do not complete your volunteer obligations, your certificate will not be sent. Only upon completion of your Games-time commitment, your certificate will be approved and mailed to the address you provide.

If you are a volunteer for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, you will be able to order both certificates at this time.

Thank you

Thank you for placing your certificate order. (100156)

The Games truly could not have happened without you. This certificate is a small token of our appreciation for your time and dedication to volunteering with Vancouver 2010. We hope that you will display it proudly for years and generations to come.

Transit update: It now takes 30 minutes to get to VVL according to TravelSmart2010. @_@

VVL Day 13

2010-02-25T01:58:00.000-08:00

I survived an entire shift without gloves. Wayne is my hero 'cause he photocopied the email contact list for me and will invite me to a workforce reunion in August. :) Deep called me after my shift to say that I can call him anytime especially when I need cheering up. :)

Notable People I Greeted:
Teemu Selanne
Bree Munro
Melody Davidson
Team China women's hockey team
Meryl Davis
Tessa Virtue
Scott Moir
Martina Sablikova (Czech gold medallist from women's long track speed skating)

VVL Day 12

2010-02-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

I saw:

Sinead Kerr
the Japanese male figure skater with the shoelace problem
the Japanese male figure skater with pretty eyebrows
Michael Lambert and his buddy Matthew Morison (we talked for quite a while about how he was enjoying his first Olympic experience in his home country, how he bought DVDs, has Blue Ray from LG, and I gave him directions to the DVD lounge). :)
Shani Davis
Michael Lambert's coach

Christo let us ride in the shuttle twice. He said Yoda scared him when he was little 'cause he thought Yoda was real. I told him, my fellow LZA, and the shuttle driver about my Star Wars poster from QD. Christo said he and his wife used to buy movies in England instead of watching movies 'cause going to the theatre was so expensive.

I survived the day. :D

The Czech people have a habit of finding me ridiculous. Perhaps I'm too cute and little to be taken seriously. >.< *growls*

My fellow LZA said I looked cute with my toque and liked my nails. :)

Michael Lambert seemed genuinely nice, not like the Czech athletes who laughed at me. >.<

I wish the nice athletes like John Napier, Matthew Morison and Michael Lambert the best. Ryan Miller was mean (snobbish/stuck up/full of himself) to Alex and Cat today. :(

I hung out with the friendly bus drivers today ie. the ones the Hillcrest and UBC busses and the nice blue-eyed one from Alabama. :) I told the one from Alabama that I'd pick him over Sidney Crosby (I really would). Haha. "What's he got that I don't?" - blue-eyed friendly bus driver from Alabama who treats us all as if we're princesses and calls us all Baby. :)

Final Shift at Archdiocesan Olympic Hospitality Centre

2010-02-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

Vetter stayed to watch ice dance with me, Ralph, and Ann. He and I played Video on Trial at the Stereos concert at Alberta House. He walked me to my bus stop. :) We saw Virtue and Moir win the gold. He took a picture of me with Megan celebrating the win on Robson. Megan held the flag and I held the medal board. We yelled that Canada won a 5th gold. :)

Day 11 at VVL

2010-02-22T01:45:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I saw Cherry, Alan, and Natalie at Stadium Station. :)

James and I sat together at the Victory Ceremony last night. Thank You God for helping me find my seat and sending Tasia, her fiancee, James, Roger, and Catherine to sit with me. :D Thank You for letting the Stereophonics perform wonderfully. Thank You for letting me have a good time. Thank You for letting me see Roger's pic with Wayne Gretzky and for letting me see Pauley at the ceremony. I'll always remember I was sitting in 452 MM ~110. XD

A Quebecois bus driver and a (Latvian?) athlete winked at me today. :D Sara ("Cera") and I got along fantastically. I saw Henrik Zetterberg and Alexander Semin tonight. Thank You Lord for letting Dad tell me what to do about my schedule. Thank You for letting the food at VVL be good. Thank You for letting me survive Mass and lunch afterwards. Thank You for letting my backpack work out. Thank You for letting me keep warm at the Village. Thank You for letting me greet Kalyna Roberge, the Korean medalists, the Chinese medalists (in particular the married couple who won gold in pairs figure skating), Rick Hansen and his children, and the dignitaries from out-of-town. Thank You for letting me hear the Canadian hockey fans cheer all around False Creek. Thank You for letting me see Mr. Holowka and a fellow friendly volunteer on the way home. Thank You for letting me walk to the skytrain station with kind billingue Jeff. Thank You for helping me not have any trouble recycling/composting all the food and drink containers I had today. Thank You for providing me with bathrooms. XD Thank You for keeping my feet warm. Thank You for helping me finish my apple juice before leaving the Village.

Someone in the meal tent kept whistling an 80s song.

Sara, Melanie(? I forget her name though she's very nice) and I watched Virtue and Moir's flamenco (original) skate together. They found Scott Moir manly.

2nd shift at RCAV Olympic Hospitality Centre

2010-02-20T01:44:00.000-08:00

I met a kind Knight, the other Peter, and discovered that Megan is Mike's sister. XD We watched Virtue and Moir skate. We met people from the Czech Republic. Archbishop Michael Miller waved to me. :D

I recorded a video for Dunk on Vetter's phone, walked him to the Blarney Stone, then met Chris Drury's brother, nieces and nephews in Gastown on the way back to Robson to buy soap. I ended up buying Live Clean soap from Shoppers. It has lavender and eucalyptus. Things worked out fine after all. :D I even said good night to Andre the Brazilian VANOC load zone attendant and bought a More Than Gold backpack to replace my broken Dakine one.

Day 10 at VVL

2010-02-19T01:40:00.000-08:00

Marco said that the cheese in poutine looks like poop. lol. He said it's good to laugh. He said if he knew I was working at this time he would've scheduled a different shift. He asked for the night shift.

JR Celski waved hi to me when I walked in to the Transport Mall after checking in. :D

I helped some figure skaters into their van before I swung by Bay 3 to hang with Marco and mes quebecoises preferes.

I helped at Bay 10 towards the end of my shift. The bus drivers were really nice. They chatted with us. They let us warm up in their busses.

Irene and I figured out how to use the handwarmers. We and Eunseon shared the handwarmers.

Irene, Catherine, Iris and I had dinner together. Karen and Momo joined us afterwards.

Terrance greeted me with, "Happy days." He still didn't remember what the show was. He said it wasn't Danger Mouse.

Iris hugged me after we took a picture.

Catherine and I will help each other speak our second languages. Catherine will practice her English while I practice my French. She says I just need to practice to improve my French. :D

"You know what we have to do? We have to have one of those leads like they have for a dog and tie it to the front of the bus so that we can yank on 'em." - Stephen (deadpan) upon my reporting that we had missing drivers earlier

Day 9 at VVL

2010-02-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

I got my shift gift today: a silver Birk's keychain in a lovely light turquoise box. :D

Celebrity Sightings:
Ryan Reynolds at the car wash on 2nd and Quebec :D
Ryan Miller
Ryan Kesler
Jarkko Ruutu
Olli Jokinen
Tim Thomas
Team USA Men's Ice Hockey
Patrick Kane ("Bonjour Mr. Kane" *grumpy wave from 20 Cent*)
Sergei Federov
Pavel Datsiuk!!! :D
the Latvian men's hockey team (arrived from Whistler. They smiled at me). :D
cute little French figure skater and her partner
kind French figure skaters and their coach :D ("Bon soir." "Bon soir.")
kind Swiss and French snowboarders & skiers :D ("Bon soir." "Bon soir.")
Ryan Miller again ("Good evening. :D" "Hey. :)")

Terrance says I'm like this little cartoon mouse who's smart, talks fast, carries books, and wears glasses (and earmuffs in the winter).

Tito Mon thinks he means Brain from Pinky and the Brain.

I think he means the little guy from The Great Mouse Detective, Theresa from The Secret of NIMH, Snoopy, Chip and Dale, or Woodstock.

I'm starting to think he means Gadget from Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers.

J'aime les conducteurs quebecois who call me Lady Marianne. :)

*Marco sings "Moon River"* lol.

*other driver hums un chanson francais*

*we stand between the busses*
me: There's Ryan Miller! Il est beau. :) I think he saw us! He'll be like, "That little girl was looking at me."
Marco: lol. He's very skinny. Maybe 'cause he's very tall.
me: He's 6'2"; 160. Actually he gained weight. He's now 170. XD
Marco: Yeah, he'll think, "That woman was looking at me." lol. Tu le trouve beau? lol!
me: Yup... He's quite good-looking. His face is weird. One side is lower than the other. There are better-looking guys around here.
Marco: You mean me? No... lol.
me: Bien sur. Tu est plus beau. :) His face is lopsided.
Marco: Tu es tres drole! lol!! *tells other driver* Elle est tres drole. *to me* You are very natural. You don't need to smoke to have fun. lol. He's very skinny. He's tall.
Other bus driver: I have a belly. *chuckles*
Marco: Guys can have a beer belly. It's more difficult to be a woman because you can't have a beer belly or poignes d'amour. Do you know what those are?
Me: I think so...
Marco: Those things like when you open a door...
Me: A doorknob... Oh! It's a direct translation from English: love handles. :)
Marco: I'm skinny so I can eat McDonalds.
Me: I don't like McDonalds. I always eat the real food.
Marco: That's good. :D You're healthy.

moi: I need to work here more often! Hang out with the drivers from Quebec. I love Quebec. :D
Marco: *amused* *to other driver* She says she should work here more often. Yeah! :D Have fun with Marianne. We have fun. :D
moi: I like hanging out with les canadiens.
Marco: No!
moi: What's the word? Les habitants!
Marco: lol. You're funny.

Marco and I talked about how I wanted to be a tour guide. He and his company do tours of old quebec. he told me to look him up. "comme marco polo." lol.

We talked about how there are only mountains in the north of quebec.

He told the other driver that I learned French in Trois-Rivieres. :D

I now have a favourite driver and a favourite bay. :D

I told Marco who the hockey players were. He said he doesn't really follow hockey.

driver to other drivers: Elle parle le francais. :D
moi: Un peu! Un 'ti peu!
other driver: Un peu est mieux que pas du tout. :)

*driver smacks Fana's clipboard*
moi: C'est mechant ca!
*other driver repeats what I said*

Archdiocesan Olympic Hospitality Centre Shift 1

2010-02-15T01:26:00.000-08:00

I saw one of the Ligocki brothers do his first snowboard cross run before I left for my shift. :)

I met the Fourcade brothers' Dad at the Archdiocesan Olympic Centre. I hung out with Celina Ramirez there.

Day 8 at VVL

2010-02-15T01:24:00.000-08:00

I helped a Chinese athlete try to go to Shopper's Drug Mart. She said she'd go another day. She thanked me for my kindness and gave me a hug. :)

Celebrity sightings:
Alexander Ovechkin
Scott Moir

Tuomo Ruutu and the Team Finland Men's Hockey Team
cute little Czech snowboarder

cute little Spanish snowboarder
Jari Kurri
Valtteri Filppula
Sergei Federov
the Lamoureux twins
Angela Ruggeiro
Charles Hamelin
the French figure skater
the Asian German figure skater

I met T and Scott.

VVL Day 7 (Opening Ceremonies)

2010-02-14T01:20:00.000-08:00

Athlete sightings: Apollo Anton Ohno, Julie Chu, Jaromir Jagr, Jennifer Heil, Clara Hughes, Marie-Philip Poulin, Jayna Hefford, the shy Polish boy (ski jumper?), the pink-haired American girl, Johnny Weir, Peter Forsberg...

I got to see the Living Room and the cafe. Watching the Opening Ceremonies with the bosses, fellow load zone attendants, and events staff was fun. I saw John march into the stadium with his American teammates. :D

Terrance said my American bobsledder isn't good enough for me. He said that at Closing Ceremonies I'll be the one moving the busses. He told me to watch Stephen. "He'll show [me] what to do."

Tony let me use a lightsabre. :D

Leaders of Cheer

2010-02-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Night: "Quatchi good?" lol.

I met the legendary Cameron and Scott. Gord the Stage Manager looked like John Shorthouse. XD I got along with frat boys and sorority girls for an entire hockey game (one of whom was a Leafs fan). :D

When I got home (promptly :D) I watched the women's freestyle in the living room. Jennifer Heil didn't win the gold, but she graciously accepted the silver. The pink-haired girl got bronze. The coach from Team Japan who found my cell phone was on TV. His athlete was competing in women's freestyle. :)

I remember seeing John Napier in the crowd supporting his teammate.

What to do at VVL if we can't say yes

2010-02-08T01:17:00.000-08:00

According to the Training CD-rom:

"Unfortunately I am unable to fulfill that request, but..."

"Unfortunately I am unable to fulfill that request because..."

Huzzah for agreeable Volunteer Info Centre Staff :)

2010-02-08T01:16:00.000-08:00

I've been told that I will receive my transfer pass for Leaders of Cheer from the Blue Crew/Sports Entertainment Limited.

My Vancouver 2010 account will be fixed asap by the tech guy.

I can ignore what my profile says about going to Whistler for U & A and Venue-Specific Training. I can sign up for Paralympic U & A in Vancouver once On Your Mark is working again. I will just have to show up on my first shift. Club 99 and the Olympic Bus Network will be up and running by then. :)

I will be able to have both my Paralympic and Olympic accreditation at once.

VVL Day 4: I really am in love with VVL. :D

2010-02-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

I officially wuv the 2 pm to 10:30 pm shift. It's invigorating and refreshing once you get over the cold.

There's an astounding amount of clarity in my life when I centre everything around the Olympics. I am able to prioritize and tell myself to stop if I am doing too much.

I'd love to work at Sochi. :D I really do love the Olympic games. I'd love to do work similar to what I do at the Olympic Village.

VVL Day 3

2010-02-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

I met a super nice young American Olympic speed skater, an American figure skater, and the American Olympic team members who just arrived by bus.

I got pins as a giftie.

I saw the slovakian women's hockey team. they were pretty and smelled good. XD

The Italian figure skaters and short-track speed skaters "ciaoed" at us.

A Japanese athlete responded to my "bonjour-allo" with a "bonju." :D

I greeted some russian athletes leaving the skytrain on my way to the bus stop. I felt bad for ignoring a homeless guy on the street especially in my vanoc uniform.

Stephen said hi and see you tomorrow. :D

Jackie didn't get mad at me for being late.

Will and I watched the end of the Canucks game together and talked serious Canucks hockey. :D

I met Kristie the firefighter.

Publish Post

Day 2 at VVL

2010-02-05T01:04:00.000-08:00

Stephen is a character straight out of a BBC comedy. XD Here are some of my favourite Stephenisms as I can remember them:

"Did the police officers break our telly again?"

"Never ever stand in the road to direct traffic . . . We can replace the Transport Supervisors, but we can't replace you."

"Now we don't need 15 different people helping the Canadian hockey players. And don't go tripping the American team."

"My daughter refused to use the loo anywhere aside from home. That used to fun on these 300-mile road trips. . . *crosses his legs imitating daughter's pee dance* "When are we getting to Gran's?' 'Do you wanna stop at a . . .' 'No!!' I used to stop in the [ugliest washrooms]. Women need to have pretty toilets."

"Now when you're addressing the police, call them Officer. Never call them Security. They're still getting used to this type of job. They're used to real police work (sitting and eating donuts)..."

I met Charmaine Crooks, a Dutch speed skating coach, an American speed skating coach, a Chinese skier and her coach, Bill the driver (^^)d, Marlena the Transport Supervisor, Pat, Patty, Danny, Jian, Alan, Martina, and Colin.

Hahaha!

2010-02-02T00:56:00.000-08:00

*imagines a video for "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof about the Vancouver Olympic Village* XD

*workforce rhythmically walking the village streets and singing "Tradtion... Tradition... Tradition!" lol

2010-01-17T00:52:00.000-08:00

Carmela Mendoza will be part of the promo team that will shoot t-shirts into the crowd and keep the fans rocking at an Olympic hockey game on February 13th. ^o^

Shiny! :)

2009-12-25T23:18:00.000-08:00

Ahahaha. Somehow I knew I'd get her. XD

Which Dollhouse character are you?

Carmela took the Which Dollhouse character are you? quiz and the result is Adelle DeWitt

Interested in power and control, you also take time to judge situations carefully. You don't make snap judgments, but you are clear about your boundaries. If someone ticks you off, you're likely to send him/her on a little errand... You are tough and practical.

2008-06-09T01:07:00.001-07:00

Which Female Action Hero Are You?
	You are Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You are outgoing, warm, and sociable. Your intelligence and intuition give you a strong sense of right and wrong; you may be soft, sweet, and a little air-headed at times, but you are fully capable of proving yourself more than a stereotype.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Which Disney Character Are You?
	You are Mickey Mouse. You are a born leader. You make most of the decisions and have most of the ideas. This is mainly because you are a great problem solver and aren't afraid to take the lead.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Which Scrubs Character Are You?
	You are JD. Your day is full of enlightenment and happiness. You take mishaps in stride and find a way to turn them around. You are totally involved with your friends and would do anything for them- and they would do the same for you. You can be a goof-ball at times, but you also have a sensitive heart. People feel joy when they see you and can't wait until you come back.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Cool! Wilson went to McGill and seems to be a film enthusiast! =D

2008-04-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

"In his office, Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) has posters from classic films Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) and Orson Welles's Touch of Evil (1958) . . .

From a promo picture for the show's fourth season, it was discovered that Dr. Wilson received his undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, QC. He'd been seen previously wearing a McGill sweater. He also received a degree from Columbia University's "School of Oncolgy" [sic]."

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412142/trivia

2008-02-20T23:30:00.001-08:00

Which House Md Character are you? Your Result: Allison Cameron Congrats, I guess. You're Dr. Cameron, the overemotional underling. You have strong moral beliefs and often have trouble seeing beyond them. Appearantly though, you still think it's ok to crush on someone twice your age...
Eric Foreman
Lisa Cuddy
Gregory House
Robert Chase
James Wilson
Which House Md Character are you? Make a Quiz

2008-02-03T23:46:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Derrial Book (Shepherd)

Derrial Book (Shepherd)		95%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		85%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		60%
Alliance		55%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		55%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		55%
River (Stowaway)		55%
Inara Serra (Companion)		40%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		25%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		20%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		10%

Even though you are holy
you have a mysterious past.

Click here to take the Serenity Firefly Personality Test

2007-02-11T15:39:00.001-08:00

I'm Eponine!
Spunky, resourceful, and fearless, I don't take a lot of guff from the world, and sometimes I'm kind of freaky. Secretly, though, I just want to be loved in spite of my attitude and my goofy hat. Which Les Miserables Character Are You?

My Big 5

2006-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Kuya J.C.

St. Michael

St. Philomena

St. Rita

St. Anthony

Thanks to them I finished my English rewrite.

Quotes from Star Wars: The New Jedi Order Book #13 (Traitor)

2006-08-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some wondriferous quotes from Traitor by Matthew Stover:

"'This has been attempted before,' Tsavong Lah growled. 'The
Jeedai Wurth Skidder, and the Jeedai Tahiri on Yavin
Four.'" (32)

"That's the trouble with fanatics, he thought. They're
easy to manipulate, but somehow they take everything five steps too
far." Nom Anor's thoughts on p. 36

"Well begun... is half done." - Vergere (37)

"Oh yes. Is this not what playgrounds are in the New Republic - a
place for children to learn the boundaries of behaviour? One
learns to fight in playground scuffles; one learns politics in
playground cliques. It is on the playground that one is initiated
into the madness of mobs, the insidious mire of peer pressure, and
the final, unthinkable, inarguable unfairness of existence -
that some are smarter, others stronger or faster, and no force at
your command can make you better than your gifts." - Vergere (47)

"What distinguishes a flower from a weed is only - and exactly -
this: the choice of the gardener." - Vergere (62)

"No one who can tell the dhuryam to blow itself out of an air
lock." - Jacen Solo (63)

"I guess you could say, Jacen thought, I taught the
dhuryam that sometimes partners are more useful than slaves."
- Jacen Solo (65)

"You can kill me, but you can't make me obey." - Jacen Solo (65)

"If I came of a species that had never had arms, I wouldn't
recognize a hammer - and I'd have no use for it, even if I somehow
guessed what it was. A hammer would have nothing to do with me at
all.

Like the Force has nothing to do with the Yuuzhan Vong." -
Jacen Solo (68)

"If a species that had always been blind met a species that had
always been deaf, how would they communicate? To Jacen, the answer
was obvious: they would have to improvise a language based on a
sense that they shared." (70)

"To create the emphatic bond, as he has done, requires each of them
to downplay their differences, and focus on all they have in
common. Yes: the second step is complete." - Vergere on Jacen
Solo's completion of the second step of the Jacen Solo Project. XD

Jacen is a healer & mobbed by the sick, like in Jesus Christ Superstar.

"There are no weeds here.

Every slave was a flower. Every life was precious. he would spend
the last erg of his strength to save every one of them." - Jacen
Solo's thoughts on p. 76

"I don't believe it for a nanoblip." - Nom Anor, who has learned
many Basic expressions. XD

"Warriors win battles without murdering the weak." - Jacen Solo, p.87

* Jacen used amphistaff armour. *

"Winning... is not the same as fighting." - Vergere (91)

"Vergere spoke without the faintest hint of irony. 'I tell you
this: though neither he nor they yet know it, he is the greatest of
all the Jedi. Jacen Solo is the living Jedi dream. Even without
the Force, he is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine." -
Vergere (91)

Jacen used a grenade! XD

"Have you not learned, Executor... that everything I tell you is
the truth?" - Vergere to Nom Anor (97)

"Ever the optimist... You assume that we will live out the hour."
- Vergere to Nom Anor (101)

"Does our avatar of the Twin seek only confusion and slaughter - or
does he produce confusion and slaughter as a diversion?" -
Vergere (102)

"'Jacen, no! Don't do it!'

He whirled, staggering, white-blind and gasping.

The voice had been his brother's.

'Anakin - ?'

'You can't kill this one, Jacen,' Anakin's voice said from beyond
the white. 'This one's your friend.'" - Anakin's ghost
talking to Jacen (108)

"Where in all nine Corellian hells am I?" - Jacen Solo (116)

"If the world is full of violence, savagery, and torture, this must
be how they want it.

Lots of things about the Yuuzhan Vong made sense to him now." -
Jacen Solo's ruminations on p. 120

"Out of control is just code for 'I don't want to admit I'm
the kind of person who would do such things.' It's a lie." -
Vergere to Jacen Solo (122)

"But everything you tell yourself should be the truth - or
as close to it as you can come. You did what you did because you
are who you are. Self-control, or its lack, had nothing to do with
it." - Vergere to Jacen Solo about his slaughter of Yuuzhan Vong in
the nursery. (123)

"Jacen shook his head. His family history was itself the ultimate
argument that the dark side is everybody's affair, but he
wasn't about to get into that." (124)

"Nobody could remake him into the Jacen Solo he remembered: the
cheerfully reckless Jacen, chasing Zekk into the downlevels; the
exasperated Jacen, trying one more time to make Tenel Ka crack a
smile; the Jedi apprentice Jacen, born to the Force, but still awed
not only by the legend of Uncle Luke but by the power his uncle's
teaching could draw out of him; the teenage Jacen who could wilt
under his mother's stern glare, but still exchange roguish winks
with his father and his sister the instant Mother turned away."
(128)

"Jacen reflected bitterly that a large part of growing up seemed to
involve watching everything change, and discovering that all
changes are permanent. That nothing ever changes back.

This was what the alien beauty of Yuuzhan'tar whispered constantly
in the back of his head: Nothing lasts forever. The only
permanence is death." (128-129)

"You are free to do, or not do, what you will. Do you understand
the difference between training and teaching? Between learning to
do and learning to be?" - Vergere to Jacen Solo
(129)

"I thought the danger of the dark side was that it is
natural: that's why it's easier than the light, yes?" - Vergere to
Jacen Solo (145)

"What you call the dark side is the raw, unrestrained Force
itself: you call the dark side what you find when you give
yourself wholly to the Force. To be a Jedi is to control your
passion . . . but Jedi control limits your power. Greatness -
true greatness of any kind - requires the surrender of
control. Passion that is guided, not walled away. Leave
your limits behind." - Vergere to Jacen Solo (168)

* "On a smog-blackened balcony jutting just below the far end of
the gangway, stood Anakin." (172)

"He'd been lost for hours when Anakin walked in." (183)

"Anakin shrugged. people are capable of rationalizing just
about anything." (190)

"everything's easy when you have no doubts. - Anakin Solo (190)

"better death than life bought with innocent blood." -
Anakin Solo (194)

"you could have killed them all. you had the power. and you
could have killed the cavern beast. you had power enough for that,
too, i bet. just like you could have killed vergere, and nom anor.
but you didn't kill anybody. instead, you used the power you'd
found to serve life. your dark side ain't all that dark, big
brother." - Anakin Solo to Jacen Solo (194)

** Jacen converses with Anakin kind of like Caulden and his
deceased younger brother Allie in The Catcher in the Rye.
**

"the force is one, jacen. it encompasses all opposites. truth
and lies, life and death, new republic and yuuzhan vong. light and
dark and good and evil. they're all each other, because each
living thing and everything is the same thing. the force is
one." - Anakin Solo to Jacen Solo (195)

"When you always know what is right, where is freedom? No one
chooses the wrong, Jacen Solo. Uncertainty sets you free."
- Vergere (197)

"The executor released the activation plate and knelt at Jacen's
feet. He lowered his head in obeisance, and offered up the
deactivated lightsabre to Jacen on outstretched palms.

Jacen recognized the handgrip's design.

It was Anakin's.

He looked at Vergere.

She returned his gaze steadily. 'Choose and act.'" (201)

"Jaina was making Ganner painfully aware that she was the
granddaughter of Darth Vader." (215)

"'Nobody's dead and nobody's hurt,' Ganner said coolly, voice as
even as his lightsabre's hum, 'but that can change. Anytime. It's
your call.'

The four Force-invisible white-robes, scattered the small chamber
off balance or off their feet entirely, hesitated. The middle-aged
man stood motionless.

Ganner couldn't restrain the hint of a smile. Not only am I
good at this, he thought reflexively, I do it with
style." (220)

**Ganner discovers that Jacen, thought to be MIA, is alive: "When
he could finally speak, the only word that could pass through his
nerveless mouth was 'Jacen . . .'

'Hi, Ganner,' Jacen said tiredly." (222) **

"[Jacen] wore a long, flowing robe of black so dark that its folds
vanished into formless night. Along his sleeves spidered an
intricate design that glowed with a light of its won, chased in
scarlet and viridian like a network of external arteries that
pulsed light instead of blood. Draped over his shoulders he wore a
surplice of shimmering white on which strange, unidentifiable
sigils wrote themselves in twists of shining gold.

[Ganner] opened his mouth to ask Jacen what kind of stupid masked
ball he was planning to crash in this ridiculous costume, but
before his drug-numbed lips could shape the words, he remembered:

Jacen Solo is a traitor." (231)

"They offer me a shadow of my due respect,' Jacen replied with
regal assurance. "The words mean 'Behold the avatar of the God.' "

"Tchurokk sen Jeedai Ganner! Tchurokk'tiz!"

"TCHUROKK!"

"And they, uh, like me too, huh?"

"They do not like you," Nom Anor interjected, as cheerfully
malicious as a well-fed Hutt. "No one likes you; they
merely honour your willing sacrifice to the True Gods."

"Yeah. My, uh, willing sacrifice. The True Gods. That's right.
So - what are we waiting for?"

"Nothing at all," Nom Anor said. "Let's get this show started,
shall we?" - Jacen, Ganner, and Nom Anor conversing. (244)

"When you start to become who you are, the first thing you learn is
that there is nothing to fear." - Jacen Solo to Ganner Rhysode
(260)

"'You know, I never liked you, Jacen. I thought you were soft.
Wishy-washy. An over-intellectual bleeding heart.'

'I never liked you either.' Ganner looked up to find Jacen
answering his grin with a gentle, knowing smile. 'I thought you
were nothing but a grandstander. A play-acting glory hunter, more
concerned with looking good than with doing good.'

Ganner laughed out loud. 'You were right.'

'So were you.' Jacen held out his hand. 'So: here's our chance to
show the Yuuzhan Vong what a grand-stander and a bleeding heart can
do.'

Ganner took Jacen's hand and gripped it fiercely. 'It'll be a show
they'll never forget.'" (261-262)

"'This is insane!' Nom Anor turned to the warrior commander
at his side. 'Can't you simply blow him up? Gas him?
Something?'" (266)

"Jacen reclined on a couch beast in the coralcraft's cargo stomach,
staring through the clear curve of a corneal port at the vast
noncolour of hyperspace. Vergere sat curled up in a feline repose
on the other side of the room. She might have been napping, but
Jacen doubted it.

He still hadn't seen her sleep.

Every time he looked at her, he remembered coming to the coralcraft
hidden below the Well, remembered finding Nom Anor tied up like a
field-dressed nerf. he remembered how the Yuuzhan Vong executor
had begged to be taken along. 'Leaving me here - that's the same
as murder!'

Jacen had turned his back and walked onto the coralcraft
stone-faced. 'Don't think of it as murder,' he'd said. 'Think of
it as your Blessed Release.'

Once Nom Anor had understood that no plea would help, his pleading
had turned to curses. He'd insisted that only his protection had
allowed either of them to live this long. 'Take her with you, yes,
you vile little traitor,' he spat at Jacen. 'One traitor deserves
another.'

Vergere had answered cheerfully, 'And what did you expect? How was
I to teach treason, had I not learned it already myself?'" (286)

"This is the most valuable lesson one can teach a fanatic: that
fanaticism is self-defeating." - Vergere (291)

"No lesson is truly learned until it has been purchased with pain."
- Vergere (291)

Quebec City

2006-07-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

Look! I found a Canadian flag in Quebec City! =)

The same Canadian flag from another angle.

The museum (the building on the left).

Walking to the Citadel, past the National Buildings.

The Plains of Abraham, as mentioned in our Social Studies/History textbooks. =)

The entrance to the Citadel. The words below the crest are "Je me souviens/I remember."

A bit of a closer look at the crest above the entrance to the Citadel.

The view from the Citadel.

Looking down at one of the museums and some old military weapons on display.

Where the Governor General lives.

The Governor General's house.

One of the many named doors/buildings in the Citadel. The plaque beside this door mentioned the French-Canadian Royal Vingt-Douze Regiment aka the "Vondoons."

The view from the Citadel.

The view from the Citadel.

Cannons!

A display inside one of the museums which mentioned how the men in the Royal 22nd Regiment used to play hockey, the sport of Quebec. =)

Commemorating the Canadians' victory at Vimy Ridge in World War I.

The Fortifications of Quebec.

The Fortifications of Quebec.

The Fortifications of Quebec.

The Fortifications of Quebec.

My "dream house" is the building on the right with blue and white windows and doors. =)

Walking to the crêperie.

Casse-Crêpe Breton, the best crêperie ever! =)

Me about to eat my delicious crêpe. =)

My other pictures can be found here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v451/carmie4xt/EIF%20at%20UQTR/

Photos from Trois-Rivieres

2006-06-19T01:26:00.000-07:00

Where I went to Mass with my friends.

That sign says Turco, like Marty Turco, goalie of the Dallas Stars.

The shower curtain that I installed in our bathroom.

2006-06-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

I went to my first CLP today! I like the two songs we sang: "We Will Magnify" and "Hosanna" (which I already knew from CFC-YFC). We had a talk by Cheryl, Kuya Charles' sister, who is one of my role models now. =) I did not like the icebreaker game too much, but hanging out after the nice talk, share, and discussion group was fun. It was cool hanging out with the leaders and feeling like their equals instead of seeing them as part of a "leader-clique." Enrico, Iris, Penny, Cathy and I went to Richmond to eat dessert... We ate at this kind of "hole-in-the-wall" place by Richmond Centre that served leche flan with shaved ice and condensed milk. Yum! I hadn't laughed so much in a long time ("There's a party in my mouth and everybody's throwing up." -Echo). I think I got abs from laughing so much with them. XD I'm really looking forward to next week's CLP. =D

Yours in Christ,
Carmela

The Lake House with Pat

2006-06-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch with Garrick when he got off work, then I picked up my French copy of The Da Vinci Code that I put on hold at the library, and went to a special screening of The Lake House with my father, aunts, and my dear Thai friend Pat. There were some free giveaways from places like Curves and Blenz, since it was a special screening. A girl from Z95 asked us Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock trivia questions before the movie started in order to give away a few prizes. I won a Blenz gift card for knowing how Keanu Reeves got the nickname "The Wall" (Thank you, IMDB!). XD The movie itself was quite odd (Enough reason to not make English versions of perfectly fine Korean movies). O well... It was a cute movie... Meh! And right afterwards, sweet lil Pat went to call her Thai guy friend who she really liked. Dad and I waited with her at the skytrain station until her Thai guy friend (turns out his name is Ben) picked her up. I'll miss Pat when she goes back home to Thailand this weekend. Hopefully I'll get to see her again soon. 0 = )

I'm Home!

2006-06-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is nice to be home, especially now that I can hang out with my brother and my boyfriend again. I really missed downtown Vancouver when I was in Quebec too... And Vancouver food! I really missed the good Asian food here. XD

What I Miss about the EIF at Trois-Rivières

2006-06-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

What I really miss from Trois-Rivères/the EIF (in no particular order) are speaking French, springtime weather in Quebec (the wind!), the animateurs, our activities at school, the Info-Weekends, my top-floor apartment (especially the shower and my dorm room... the bed and the bedsheets as weird as that sounds ...and having nothing but my bare essentials in my room), my roommates and friends, Sarah's cooking, having no TV and just watching movies on a laptop, having a regular sleeping pattern (I always slept at midnight and woke up at 7, in an effort to have a regular body clock upon my return to Vancouver), having motivation to get up in the morning (not wanting to be late for breakfast at the caf & my 8:30 class), eating balanced meals at the caf (though I must admit, the food was not for gourmet tastebuds, I had a way more balanced diet back at the caf than I do now), the hearty breakfasts at the caf (especially the breakfast specials; I hardly eat anything for breakfast here), the UQTR campus, eating with my friends (especially Phil and Clive - you guys are hilarious!), the city of Trois-Rivières, and not having to worry about course registration or money or anything aside from getting my homework done.

Bal Costumé Photos

2006-05-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Christina et moi

Christina et moi encore

Une troisième photo de Christina et moi.

Christina, Sarah et moi.

Les Expressions Idiomatiques

2006-05-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Manger sur le pouce:
Prendre son repas très rapidement.

Avoir un creux à l'estomac/Avoir une faim de loup:
Ressentir une grande faim.

Donner un coup de main:
Aider momentanément.

Être à trois pas d'ici:
Être très proche.

Ne pas être dans son assiette:
Se sentir mal physiquement ou moralement.

Aller comme un gant:
Convenir parfaitement.

Ne pas fiare dans la dentelle:
Manquer de délicatesse, de finesse.

Être au même diapason:
Partager la même idee, la même opinion.

Perdre les pédales:
Être hors de soi, être sans contrôle de soi.

Faire la part des choses:
Juger adéquatement.

Common Slips By Students in the Explore Program at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

2006-05-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

"Beparce..."

"Comme like..."

New Vocab:.

Volant: The object that you whack around with the rackets in a game of badminton.

Une Très Ado Blague

2006-05-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

«You know... Le bonheur... Le happiness?» - Quelqu'un dans l'histoire de Heather.

Expressions Quebecois

Avoir une crotte sure le coeur:
On a frustration apres il/elle a pardonné quelqu'un.

Passer quelqu'un au cash:
Yelling at someone during an argument and being dead meat after. XD

Mon chien est mort:
«J'ai une bonne idée (quand j'aime quelqu'un) et ce n'est pas possible.»

Tes Bébelles pis ta coeur:
«Je suis occupé, bye!»

L'affaire est ketchup:
Il n'y a pas de probleme.

Avoir du front tout le tour de la tête:
Exagerrer. Depasser la limite.

Chu/Chui:
Je suis.

Pis:
Puis/et ("you know").

Un beau pétard!
un beau garçon.

Ostine moi pas:
«Whoa!» (when you're trying to make someone stop bugging you).

Il est de bonne heure sul piton!
Quand quelqu'un se lever très tot le matin.

Ché pas!
«Je ne sais pas!»

Random themesong for the day: "Escape Through the Asteroid Belt" by John Williams from The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack.

Jeudi

2006-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Finalement! J'ai l'Internet à ma résidence!

Lundi

2006-05-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

So Christina and I did our grocery shopping at Dollarama yesterday... Just got some cutlery, a new shower curtain, some garbage cans... Dollarama is the East Coast twin of Dollar Giant. Everything's a buck! Wohoo! XD We saw our computer lab buddies Vivian and Jed there at the mall yesterday so we went to Loblaw's with them and bought a bag of apples that will hopefully last us till the end of the program. Christina really wanted parmesan cheese too... There was one kind that was for 14$... Kriffing hell!! It`s quite wierd how Loblaw's is the high-end grocery store in the East, while Superstore is cheap in the West. XD We bought the cheap parmesan. lol. Then we went back to our dorm... We agreed to meet back with Vivian and Jed at the computer lab after dinner... We just checked our email and left right away... We were wondering if our 2 other roommates would show up and lo and behold they arrived last night... Alix is from Saskatoon but goes to McGill & Sarah (Oilers fan... Boo!! j/p) is from Edmonton. Sarah`s engaged to a Flames fan... That should be interesting! XP We were pretty tired last night & slept quite early... I decorated my room last night too. I have pictures. =)

Today we got to the caf for breakfast at 7:45, just when they told us to come, but we waited in line until 8:40... What the kriff... Ooh Garrick, I saw Kathryn in line! But she was way ahead of me! We didn`t get to talk much, since I was walking to the back of the line with my roommates. XD Then we went to our welcome assembly... And we had our entrance test in this huge exam room with swivvely chairs. Sarah, Christina and I sat with the guys we met in line for breakfast, Joel and Mike... Alix woke up late, so we just saw her when we were walking to our seats in the exam hall. The first part of the exam was guided by this tape recording with a Texan accent. >.< Then it was written... I barely finished... I still had pretty much the whole vocab section left when the prof said «one minute left», so I just randomly pencilled in scantron circles and handed the test in to the teachers who were collecting them. There are so many people here! I've just stuck with my roommates and Vivian and Jed... Everyone's really nice here, though. We still haven't been busted for speaking english... Everyone's still speaking English here... Supposedly there`s a countdown then we'll start speaking French en tout temps (all the time).

My dormmates and I managed to avoid a long food lineup at lunch... We lined up with Kathryn and ate with her and the girls from her dorm. Kathryn arrived here yesterday afternoon and said she went to some place where you can get good sandwiches for dinner last night. I wonder where that is... *scratches head* Christina and I met up with Sarah and Lara, her friend from another dorm, by the entrance of the Albert-Tessier building (the equivalent of the SUB) after we had a snack at the caf. Then the 4 of us went to the mall together... I bought cough drops at Zellers and I got placemats for Sarah and Alix at Dollarama. Ooh we had ice cream from La Crémière (Did you go there, Tita Cyn?), since Christina kept mentioning it when we passed it in the mall... She and her Mom had ice cream there when they first arrived in Trois-Rivières and she said it was really good ice cream. I ordered Cabane a Sucre. It was delishy. La Crémière has frozen yogurt the same as Yogen Früz and fruit smoothies with jelly in them, almost like bubble tea, aside from ice cream. On our walk back to the dorm, Lara got a cart from one of these huge stores that we passed and used it to help carry her 2 heavy shopping bags and the huge pack of water that she bought at Zellers. We have pictures! Bwahaha! («I'm not stealing it yet!» - Lara upon acquiring the cart). We have an assembly tonight, where we`ll have a countdown to the time when we'll have to speak en Français en tout temps. I envy the kids who I saw at the mall... They have such lovely accents. Lara, Christina, Sarah and I all have costumes ready for le bal costumé (the costume ball) on Friday. Sarah`s gonna dress as Pippi Longstockings. That suits her coz she has lovely strawberry blonde hair. Christina's gonna dress like in 70s-inspired clothing. I brought my little black dress and heels of doom so I suppose I'll be Dana Tan (Terry/the new Batman's girlfriend) from Batman Beyond (That's right, Kat! Cosplay! Bwahaha! XD) or Lana Lang from Smallville... I prefer being Dana though... She could be Filipina. (You can see her picture here: http://www.mindeclipse.com/batmanbeyond/char/dana.htm ). Ooh at the mall I was delighted to hear Roch Voisine's «Delivre-Moi» («Deliver Me» in French! Bwahaha!). People here listen to the same music as we do in Vancouver, except for the French songs. XD I feel like listening to more Roch Voisine when I get back to the dorm. Bwahaha (That's right, Marz! I bought myself the good ol' CD with «La Bas Du L'hombre» on it)! >=)

<3 Carmela

PS. Garrick, Kitty has a new friend now! Moosey!!! I'll show you when I get home! XP

Dimanche

2006-05-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

hello everybody! the plane ride was great. this nice guy sitting next to me said he did the Explore program to learn English and that his daughter was gonna learn English through the Explore program in Nova Scotia this summer. =) He said he'd give me my first French lesson and told me what CEGEP meant. XD I locked myself out of my room this morning but I knew that I should call Security since that happens to Claire all the time. Then I had to explain my predicament to the guy who answered the phone in French. Now I know how ESL students feel. >.< They sent this nice lady to unlock the door for me and she spoke English! (Cue «Water Music» by Handel). My dear roommate Christina and i discovered that there`s no wireless internet at our dorm. *-_- i'm in the computer lab at UQTR now. there are many computer labs on campus, and they`re open 24 hours a day, so we're fortunate in that regard. we can still speak English here until tomorrow, then the Hitler/Stalin-esque Je parle français en tout temps et en tout lieu (I speak French at all times and in all places) rule is in effect. If you get caught speaking French, you get a carte rouge (red card) and have to memorize a French poem to get it taken back. XD Christina and I have are going to a tour of the campus at 13:00 (since in Quebecois French, you use army time), then we are gonna get our ID pictures taken & go grocery shopping. XD Fortunately, Christina knows Trois-Rivieres quite well, and there's supposedly a Looney/Tooney store nearby. =D Hopefully I'll be able to go to Mass today too... Christina's from Sudbury, so she drove in on Friday & got to go on a wee tour of the old churches around here. I haven`t gotten to call Fr. Bruyere yet, though I really do want to visit the shrine for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. I miss your music, Garrick! Ooh and Christina thinks Kitty is so cute! She brought a plushie raccoon and a My Little Pony doll! ^^ *lightbulb* You can find pictures of our dorm on the UQTR website (http://www.uqtr.ca). They`re the kind of pinky-red buildings with a payphone in front of them. XD

<3 Carmela

PS. Dad, I tried to call you just before I went to sleep last night & followed the instructions for making a call from my room phone using a calling card & the calling card number was busy.

2006-05-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

My celebrity smile style is Demure Like Charlize

What's Your Celebrity Smile Style?

Brought to you by Tickle

2006-04-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Physical Touch
with a secondary love language being
Words of Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		11
Words of Affirmation:		8
Acts of Service:		5
Quality Time:		3
Receiving Gifts:		3

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

2006-04-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

         My lucky charm is a Rabbit's Foot!

        What's Your Lucky Charm?
         Brought to you by Tickle

Prayer Before Studying ~ from Lifeteen.com

2006-02-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Holy Spirit, come. Lead me into your presence and into a greater understanding of this material I'm about to study. Please help me to comprehend concepts the first time through, and remember details with minimal effort. Help to see what I am supposed to see and not get bogged down by distracting thoughts. Help me to stay focused so I can get through quickly, but thoroughly.

Jesuit Prayer

2006-02-12T02:58:00.000-08:00

My Lord, teach me to be generous!
Teach me to serve You as You deserve:
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I am doing Your Will. Amen.

sigh

2006-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

I wonder when I'll be able to visit the Philippines again.

CCC Open House! =)

2006-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today was our open house. Yay, I didn't get bad allergies today even though I forgot to take my allergy medicine. *blushes* It was such a great experience volunteering for the event, and meeting all the prospective students. It was strange, realizing that I would be a Second Year student before long, that Stash & some of the current Second Years wouldn't be coming back to school next year, and that a whole new bunch of students would be going to school at CCC next year. We're supposedly going to expand to 200 students next year. We only have 80 students right now. I wonder how it'll be next year with so many students around the school. I only hope that the spirit of community in our school will never be lost. I hope that the students coming next year will be really nice. And I hope that I do not lose touch with all those CCC students who will not be returning next semester.

Argh

2006-02-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Bipolar, I seem.

Ou peut-être c'est SPM.

Heh.

Another Friday...

2006-02-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

No classes today, just Newman Club. :) I was late for our weekly Newman Club meeting, though that seemed to be another thread of God's lovely Plan. I got to bus to school with someone who graduated the year before me from my high school. =) The topic of the Newman Club meeting was Love and Relationships. =) I then heated up my food, played Settlers of Catan, then took a nap and went out for dinner. After dinner, I went to the library. Highlight of the day (aside from dinner): helping 2 people find their way around campus. 0 = )

Yay!

2006-02-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Thank You God for letting me have just enough money for dinner today. LOL, I had to pay $5.90 & all I had left in my wallet was $5 and 95 cents in coins! LOL!

Fr. Hughes' Homily =)

2005-12-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

What really struck me about Fr. Hughes' homily at Guardian Angels today:

* The story about the devout Catholic wife out in the Canadian prairies whose husband was not religious. She had to raise their children as Catholics herself, without her husband's help, and her husband didn't want to go to Mass with her and the kids. The husband's efforts to save some stubborn geese from a blizzard taught him that his wife and kids were showing him the way to Heaven the whole time. Jesus came to live with us and to show us the way.
* Being happy is to have had good days and bad days, but no regrets.
* Happy is different from joyful (feeling like everything's wonderful, nice and rosy). XD

Taste in Music

2005-11-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

You can really learn a lot about a person by looking at their taste in music. 0 = )

<3 Carmela

>>Smiling again! =D

Tada! My Colour Quiz results!

2005-11-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

Click here for my results.

Enjoy!

<3 Carmela

These Words Have Made Me Happier Than Any Other Words I've Ever Read In My Whole Life

2005-11-06T23:50:00.000-08:00

Garrick says:
yer a perfect example of what a christian should be :3
Garrick says:
and should i be converted back... it would be because of yer niceness XD

Praise the Lord! =)

Imaginary Casting For The New Jedi Order

2005-08-02T03:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I imagine

Larisa Oleynik or Jennifer Connelly as Jaina

River Phoenix as Jacen

Kevin Zegers as Anakin

Amy Allen, Famke Janssen, Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz, or Angelina Jolie as Mara Jade

Young Candice Bergen as teenage Tahiri Veila

Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, or Ben Barnes as Jagged Fel

Joaquin Phoenix as Kyp Durron

Welcome to my Blog

2005-06-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

This is just the humble wee blog of a studious young altarserver who loves serving God.

Just a wee word of warning, I rarely update/check comments on this page.

287	A clerk from Oxford was with us also,
288	Who'd turned to getting knowledge, long ago.
289	As meagre was his horse as is a rake,
290	Nor he himself too fat, I'll undertake,
291	But he looked hollow and went soberly.
292	Right threadbare was his overcoat; for he
293	Had got him yet no churchly benefice,
294	Nor was so worldly as to gain office.
295	For he would rather have at his bed's head
296	Some twenty books, all bound in black and red,
297	Of Aristotle and his philosophy
298	Than rich robes, fiddle, or gay psaltery.
299	Yet, and for all he was philosopher,
300	He had but little gold within his coffer;
301	But all that he might borrow from a friend
302	On books and learning he would swiftly spend,
303	And then he'd pray right busily for the souls
304	Of those who gave him wherewithal for schools.
305	Of study took he utmost care and heed.
306	Not one word spoke he more than was his need;
307	And that was said in fullest reverence
308	And short and quick and full of high good sense.
309	Pregnant of moral virtue was his speech;
310	And gladly would he learn and gladly teach.

- Excerpt from the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer about the Oxford Cleric, a character who's very similar to me. :)

Father's Little Helper

I've already written on all the pages of my journal. To be eco-friendly, let's avoid using paper. ^^;;

Samba Always Cheers Me Up

Yay!

To Do

My Current Job as my Mission (Being Brought Back to God)

Back to Web Design

:)

Upon Seeing a Cross Country Runner from Eritrea on TV

Paralympic Memory

Memory from the Paralympics

VVL Workforce Party

Day 16 (Last Shift) at VVL

Glasses Shopping/Olympic Coolness

Day 15 at VVL

Martin Gelinas and Alex Edler Day aka Day 14 at VVL

Greeting Alexa Loo, spectating athletes, hockey players, and the Norwegian men's curling team, getting a Swedish flag from a driver, meeting the nice Newfie police officer, and getting hugs and greetings from Tamara and T = most memorable birthday yet. :D

VVL Day 13

VVL Day 12

Final Shift at Archdiocesan Olympic Hospitality Centre

Day 11 at VVL

2nd shift at RCAV Olympic Hospitality Centre

Day 10 at VVL

Day 9 at VVL

Archdiocesan Olympic Hospitality Centre Shift 1

Day 8 at VVL

VVL Day 7 (Opening Ceremonies)

Leaders of Cheer

What to do at VVL if we can't say yes

Huzzah for agreeable Volunteer Info Centre Staff :)

VVL Day 4: I really am in love with VVL. :D

VVL Day 3

Day 2 at VVL

Hahaha!

Carmela Mendoza will be part of the promo team that will shoot t-shirts into the crowd and keep the fans rocking at an Olympic hockey game on February 13th. ^o^

Shiny! :)

Ahahaha. Somehow I knew I'd get her. XD

Which Female Action Hero Are You?

Which Disney Character Are You?

Which Scrubs Character Are You?

Cool! Wilson went to McGill and seems to be a film enthusiast! =D

My Big 5

Quotes from Star Wars: The New Jedi Order Book #13 (Traitor)

Quebec City

Photos from Trois-Rivieres

The Lake House with Pat

I'm Home!

What I Miss about the EIF at Trois-Rivières

Bal Costumé Photos

Les Expressions Idiomatiques

Common Slips By Students in the Explore Program at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

New Vocab:.

Une Très Ado Blague

Expressions Quebecois

Jeudi

Lundi

Dimanche

The Five Love Languages

Complete set of results

Information

Prayer Before Studying ~ from Lifeteen.com

Jesuit Prayer

*sigh*

CCC Open House! =)

Argh

Another Friday...

Yay!

Fr. Hughes' Homily =)

Taste in Music

Tada! My Colour Quiz results!

These Words Have Made Me Happier Than Any Other Words I've Ever Read In My Whole Life

Imaginary Casting For The New Jedi Order

Welcome to my Blog

sigh