just a few shots ...

because pictures are always a good way to share something without really saying anything.

I think BINGO is always good times ...

In mom's garden.

Tulip Festival!


When I was in Hamilton, I had to drive by the old house. And remember Barclay:

Sometimes

I remember the Kelly Family from way back. This song, however, I had never heard before.

bring on the sunshine!

i might be sick. and i might be feeling a combination of anger/frustration/stress/anxiety/depression as a result of writing my macroeconomics final. nonetheless the sun was shining and we went down to mooney's bay for the first tennis match of the season! good for my first sunburn of the season also.

but i say, bring on the sunshine!

i have been listening to coury palermo this week, and i have almost decided that he has the best voice i have heard all year. and he can also be heard here.

coury palermo -sunday black

I am studying, I swear!

i was surfing the internets and came across this band, and now i realize why neither the name or the faces are unfamiliar: we used to live around the corner from Arkell, and i used to see some of these guys at school all the time.

great song i thought, the lyrics probably don't sound all that unfamiliar either :P

sooooo not interested in macroeconomic theory ....
in fact i should be having a beer celebrating/mourning the last Senators game of the season! score is tied, 2-2, Go Sens Go for the last period of the season! UPDATE: stupid, stupid game.

neverending white lights (and scott andersen) - i hope your heart runs empty

because it ain't over until the fat lady sings ...

and that is why we went to overtime. and shootouts. and despite taking flack for being an unbelieving and disheartened fan, most senators fans do not bank on a win when the ice is being cleared for the shootout ... despite our history of you know winning the first shootout (if i know my history ... correctly?)

just a late night thought ...

... it was so much easier to stay up late to work on a project when everyone else was staying up late too.

it is 11:11 and all my roommates are sleeping-ish.

broken strings - james morrison and nelly furtado

Because it is not over until it is really over

So, as the hockey fan as I am, it has been rather disappointing that I have moved to Ottawa, and that I have not even gone to see the Senators play since I have been here. In fact, I have been more likely to see the team play when i lived far away ...

but that is coming to an end,

even though the season is almost done, the team has played their worst season since I have lived in Canada, I am finally going,

and I am super excited !

just thought I would share that.

Now I am going back to write 10 pages of what I would like to think is pure genius. Because maybe if I think it enough, it might magically be just that?

Numbers Game

since I am working with numbers, and more numbers these days, here is an interesting number to throw at you ...

this is from my itunes generated top 25 most played playlist ... so it does not count all the times I was at the computer lab and was streaming music online. you should also know that I downloaded the first song on march 23.

Yikes.

Talk

Songs I must remember:







and newest of all
Talk - Ross Copperman

Psalm 42:5

Maar de Heer zal uitkomst geven,
Hij, die ’s daags zijn gunst gebiedt.
‘k Zal in dit vertrouwen leven
en dat melden in mijn lied;
‘k zal zijn lof zelfs in den nacht
zingen, daar ik Hem verwacht,
en mijn hart, wat mij moog’ treffen,
tot den God mijns levens heffen.

I am neither agreeing or disagreeing ...

from catandgirl.com

Blof - Mooie Dag

Ik overdacht mijn zorgen en de wereld
En alle keren dat ik wakker lag
Ik besloot
Wat een mooie dag

because when you are from the countryside ....

.... you usually don't take a taxi.

So when I was the last one to be dropped off at home last night, I had to ask the cab driver if it was custom to give them a tip. The driver's eyes went wide open with surprise when I started my sentence with "This might be a funny question, but I have never taken a cab before and .... "

At least then I had keys to get into my apartment, unlike this morning .... which is a whole other story that won't be told until a later day ...

death cab for cutie - soul meets body

Ville de Montréal: ma première visite

Despite the driving, the getting lost, and the loads of work on my mind, Montreal was great! While we stayed on an island in Laval, we did make it (although with some difficulty) downtown, and Old Montreal.

Remnant of the Montreal 1967 Expo.

Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal - front of the chapel

St. Joseph's Oratory

On a whole other sidenote I came across this website, passiveaggressivenotes.com, I think if you have ever lived, not alone really, some of the stuff on this website might seem very relate-able. It makes me think of this note I left someone who kept parking in the parking spot ... it is not on the website, so I don't think it was taken very badly. Now if only the person that put their bumper into my car would have left me a note ....

A Starry Night

So because of the incoming weather I made a quick decision to drive home to Owen Sound yesterday afternoon. I made it home from school in about 15 minutes packed and ate in half an hour and hit the road. It was by far the most boring and tiring and painful trip I have undertaken. Painful only because I have a terribly sore knee. Given all that though it was also a beautiful night. It was dark and in the middle of Ontario I saw many many stars.

Now, even though I spend all my summers star-gazing, on the trampoline, on the beach, wherever really, I have never seen a falling star. Until last night. It is the middle of the winter, I was on the road, and there was the first falling star I ever seen.

Pretty cool!

the Quebec of Holland

I am working with some individual level data from the 2001 Census of Population, and I am very intrigued by the fact that all the guides to the census specify the group and language "Frisian" separately. Even though it is included under "Netherlandic" languages, I find it weird that it is even considered ... and why does Canada even care?

Out of the Shadows - Matthey Perryman Jones

Ps. Go Sens Go!

"You Gotta Love this City"

After the bus strike, the cold weather, and the drag of school I do now remember why I love this city so much. On saturdaynight we took a free bus to downtown to watch a free concert on the canal, followed by a light show and a walk by the ice sculptures. Despite the freezing cold there was a lot of people out, and we had a great time. Even though our dancing was probably a little sub-par given the boots and amount of clothing we were wearing, we managed to stay pretty warm. And despite the cold the artist and his band managed to stay pretty hot. Just sayin'.

Roch Voisine on stage

listen here (via youtube!)

***
a projection behind the stage

Happy Family Day!

Go Sens Go!

"can we walk this line together?"

I think once upon a time I wrote an ode to some delightfully scented laundry soap that I bought. Today I will replicate that thought ... well, it is a new lilac scented soap, and I love it. Thought you might want to know.

I should also write an ode to my classmates, without whom I would never make it through school. However, more on that when I graduate :D

2 days of classes until reading week ...

The Kin - Together

Slumdog Millionaire. Watch it.



Australia. Watch it.

"find the spark that is buried deep"

to understand how this can make me feel bad somehow ... you should know that in all of highschool the number of days I missed can be counted on one hand, and the number of classes I missed at Mac can be counted on half a hand, and the number of classes missed at Carleton need not be counted ... so when I went to the gym today for my spinning class, you can imagine I was pretty ticked that I pulled a skirt out of my gym bag instead of my shorts. and I could hardly go in my jeans, or the skirt. so I skipped. I know SHAME! (and not because I missed a class, more because I felt so bad about it ... maybe the best therapy for this worry I have should be skipping class for a week?)

matthew perryman jones - out of the shadows.

ps. go sens go?

all in a day ...

someone just told me today, "if you have to live with it, you might as well find ways to enjoy it" this is obviously referring to winter in Ottawa. now i am thinking of all places in Canada Ottawa is the one to be in in the winter. i mean, there is the canal, there is the canal, and there is the canal. and beaver tails. now, it is already almost february (eek!) and i still have not purchased skates, and despite a non-growing economy, and strict budgeting on my part, i should get some skates, at least i have to try find some second-hand ones. and i should get some people together to go tobogganing ...

now, today has been a long one! currently i am listening to some dutch music via youtube, studying macroeconomic models, and waiting for a movie to load, and carrying on a conversation via MSN, while also keeping an eye on the score of the senators - blues game. the score is 0-0 at this point. what also has been long is the time between my latest blog post and this one ... assuming that i remember to publish my post, or assuming that it is publish-worthy. or not for that matter. but i have been busy. busy procrastinating on life, ie. i have been doing some schoolwork, and i have been paying a lot of attention to the news, and to the latest budget news. definitely some interesting stuff.

today i opted to attend an optional, but recommended, class about DSGE modelling and Matlab. equally interesting stuff. kind of. not really. then i surprised myself by going to study at the library, which was precisely what needed to happen today.

i was about to update the score to 1-0 for Ottawa, but since I am so preoccupied with many things by the time i got around to typing this it is already 1-1. allright, so after the library i went home around 2 to beat rush hour traffic which starts at 2.30 in Ottawa (since the strike, which is finally over i just read on the news). i cleaned out my parking spot with a small shovel and did some groceries. i also picked up some socks for the LOVE Ottawa, a program initiated by our church here in Ottawa. this coming sunday we will be handing out soup and socks in the downtown area, and since my soup does not turn out here like it would back home, so socks it is! i also managed to spend some 70 dollars at the grocery store, and i even bought veggie burgers rather than real ones because for one, they are cheaper, and two, they are significantly more nutritious. no protein speech will make me change my mind about that.

i also watched two documentaries. one about teachers in thailand, and one about migrants from africa coming into yemen. i guess sometimes i am more interesting about learning anything other than economic theory. funny that.

anyways, since a lot of my friends have been completing 30 things about me lists, i am going to see if i can finish one over the weekend. after i complete a labour asssignment that is. still 1-1.

till later!

Virtual Greeting

Happy 23rd Anniversary Mom & Dad!

It is not the curse of Ottawa ...

Although this is not a hockey blog, since hockey is one of my favourite sports I am bound to feel like writing a blog post about it ...

Tonight I actually went to see the other Ottawa hockey team at the Civic Centre, where the Ottawa 67's played the Niagara Ice Dogs. Since I had only ever seen an OHL game in Owen Sound, I was not sure what to expect ... but I like what I saw! Certainly Owen Sound will always be my number one OHL team, but Ottawa will be a close second, and not only because I think their jerseys are awesome. Since the 67's record has not been too bad this season, and they managed a 6-2 win over Pietrangelo's team, I think that means we cannot blame the Senators' lack of a good season on the city, or the weather.

Our seats were also pretty good, right behind the opposing players bench, although it must be said those seats have two drawbacks. One, the stench. Two, the players always stand up when something exciting happens. Also, after seeing the Dance Team at Ricoh Coliseum, for the Toronto Marlies, I thought there couldn't be a worse dance team in sports, well yes there is. The choreography here in Ottawa consists of exactly two moves.

Anyways, the Civic Centre is a rather huge facility for an OHL team, and with more than 8,000 fans in attendance, that is already 4 times as much as Owen Sound has on a good day. And the fans are great. Really great. So I hate to say this, but now that the World Junior Hockey Championships are over, it is best to head over to the Civic Centre for some quality hockey rather than Scotiabank Place, until you know the problems there are sorted ....

Anyways, I think I am going to rank this as worth repeating.

I also learned that Second Cup carries a number of secret beverages, and that London Fog should not be confused with English fog. Although I am sure the waitress/barrista/coffee lady at Second Cup on Bank will remember for evermore my order ...

U2 - Kite

ps. Go Sens Go!

Lesson of the Day

When there is not a lot of snow at the beginning of the winter, and you are at Wal-Mart store, and you see a snow shovel, and you say to your roommate, "Hmmm .... maybe we should get a snow shovel, might be handy" and they say "Nah, we won't need it" then stand still for a second, and buy it!

Because trust me, you will need it, and you will wish you bought it.

Seriously, after Christmas, snow isn't so cute anymore. And neither is the strike.

Back to School Blues

I am back in the City! Back to school tomorrow morning at 8. There still are no buses running, but the canal is OPEN! And Canada still has a chance of winning the World Junior Championship (although I have decided that it might not be so bad, if Canada did not win).

Anyways, the holidays were as eventful as uneventful. But more about that to come!

Happy New Year Everyone!

"we have the answers ... but what are the questions"

i am pondering the all canadian question: to bring a hockey stick or not to bring a hockey stick?

full moon - black ghosts

"i've got nothing else to do, but waste this lazy afternoon"

i really wish that was true.

1 more final. 1 more paper. 1 more week. many more late nights, coffees and coffees.

"en dan zeg jij, dat je eenzaam bent"

I have been studying all day long, but the only article/exchange I read today was a good one.

"My hope is that we all seek to create a world where every life is seen as precious and where those who feel lost and lonely find themselves because they have been found" ~ Jean Vanier

op straat - guus meeuwis

"how do we sleep when our beds are burning"

this quote comes from the lyrics for the song "beds are burning" because i want to make a political post, and thought of the australian minister who quoted part of this song during question period in the australian parliament.

the department of finance has put together a nice little (that should say, long) statement on the state of the economy:
2008 economic statement.
(in case you are not bombarded with finals, and have not seen it yet, and are slightly interested ... )

i have been following the financial crisis and the government's response, as much as school lets me devote time to extra-curricular activities (which in this case is anything that is not studying). and for my study breaks i read the comments people make to headlines in the globe and mail regarding the government's response, and plans for the future. (no multi-billion dollar bailout for us). and i will applaud some of the comments, but many times i am outraged or utterly confused at some of the things people say, think, and suggest. i mean, even though textbooks rarely spew the truth, it might be good to catch up on some political science, public choice, and economic literature for some people.

12:48 am. bed time.

ps. sens win! sens win! sens win! sens win! sens win! sens win! sens win!

"take me back in time"

Leafs-SENS tonight.

i have seen the posters across campus, and i am really wishing i did not have a HUGE final on monday.

i am also wishing i could travel back in time, to the good, old barclay days. so we could eat pizza, drink beer, and throw hockey smalk talk back and forth.

instead: producer theory.

guus meeuwis - toen ik je zag

"laat me in mijn dromen geloven"

i used to love this song so much. listening to it again, paired with such a fabulous performance, just gives me goose bumps. if you have time, or need something to listen to while studying ... i recommend you look up some of the other songs from the symphonica in rosso concert (i am betting rosso means red ...). it is all dutch though.

"boots with the fur"

actually without the fur ...

... but after spending my morning downtown ottawa, catching bus to bus to bus, and waiting among endless puddles, i realized my leaking shoes are not going to get me through an Ottawa winter. so i splurged, and got some real boots. where real means, no pom poms. i will never wear pom poms.

bring on the freeze! figuratively. because i would not object to a mild winter.

on another note, one more week and i will never have to take a microeconomics course again!


guus meeuwis - tranen gelachen

"finding out along the way"

i could really go for lemon cheesecake frozen yogurt in a waffle cone from TCBY right about now. too bad there is not one right around the corner from here ...

bad company - ready for love (from this week's supernatural episode)

"lift up your head, wednesday"

we did not win the dodgeball championship, and instead of moving on in the playoffs had the chance to play trivia instead. there as a team, we won a free pitcher of beer, and a gift certificate, for which we bought more beer. i say that makes us champions anyways. and we can conclude we will always be students first, and athletes second.

on call - kings of leon

the next few weeks are going to be not pretty at all. and after reading this (from Drazen's book "Political Economy in Macroeconomics") i am thinking: how about it ... eh?

straight out of the history books

it is funny how i am thinking in terms of facebook statuses (status'?)

thus,

gesiena cannot believe that she just came across this song ....

sum of sums

again i will have to post a post of many posts to sum up the many sums of random thoughts i have accumulated over the last week, and have remembered today.

***

i love the show de lama's. it is so gut-wrenchingly funny. i say that, because that show makes me hurt from laughter. i am just looking up the meaning of gut-wrenching, and i am finding it might not really be the right word for this context. but i am choosing to keep it. i am also finding myself wanting to do some improv right now. just like we used to do in barclay for birthday parties.

***

i love sinterklaas. i love pepernoten and chocolate letters. just love it.

***

Jan Vayne and Armin van Buuren


***

I have also been revisiting some of my favourite childhood television shows: o.a. alfred j. kwak, peppi en kokki and pingu:


***

three losses in a row? that had better end tonight.

***

Serbian abortionist becomes pro-life activist

***

radiohead - on call

wednesday meddlings

i have finally made peace with a change in schedule and a change in my education timeline. i have also organized a schedule for the next few weeks to help me make it through. in the meantime i am counting down to christmas ... but the christmas music can wait a little longer, as for the snow and the cold weather.

although i have been finding it a PITA already, I would encourage everyone to vote for the NHL All Star Team. and even if you dont care to vote, the 14 day subscription to XM radio alone is worth it ... seriously. and then once you are on the site you might as well vote for all the senators candidates!

i am off to dodgeball. the last game of the regular season. and i vowed to catch every single ball. even though that is aiming a little high, with other people aiming really low. if you know what i mean ;-) bad pun ... i know!

and for a random note: if i were to make a roadmix today,
nice dream - radiohead
on call - kings of leon
use somebody - kings of leon
rest my chemistry - interpol
somehow - jason collett
danko/manuel - driveby truckers
decode - paramore
would have to appear on it.

to drop or not to drop?

DROP.

in all of highschool, and all of my undergraduate degree I have never dropped a course. ever.

now, after spending a few weeks in indecision i have decided about 40 minutes before the deadline to drop a course i have spend hours studying for, and even more than hours slaving over an assignment for. it is not that i was failing it, or hating it (not that i would ever post my mid-term grade on the fridge though), but simply a matter of logistics and stress levels. you see, the failing and hating is really directed to a couple of core courses that i simply cannot fail. but i might. thus, after hours upon hours of debate, my mom helped me decide to drop it. thanks mom!

now, since i can't help but feel a little bit like a failure, i need to blog about it, simply to deal with it. and since you are reading this right now, i can't help but share it with you. now, i know most people just drop it, and don't worry about taking an extra semester to finish ... i do. even though i will probably one of the youngest to graduate with my class anyways.

i could probably go on for quite a bit about the program, my frustrations and my failures, but i am going to reserve some of those for the letter i will be writing to the dean/administrator/head person of the program. now, on to finishing an assignment over the weekend.

on a happy note: i finally got my hair cut. fisher knows how to score again. the US presidential elections are over. and it is weekend! and it is good that i made a decision. i think it is much easier to live with a decision than to continually think about having to make it, because there is never enough 40 minute walks home from school to help me.

somehow - jason collett
"and what's worse, i always thought you were stronger"

Existence of God - Ravi Zacharias Lecture

It is definitely worth your time to watch the entire lecture. As a point of reference I have added some links to some of the material he speaks of during his lecture.

• The Parable of the Madman (1882)
• Below is a transcript of the discussion between a student at Nottingham and Ravi Zacharias about evil and morality.

Student: There is too much evil in this world; therefore, there cannot be a God!
Speaker: Would you mind if I asked you something? You said, “God cannot exist because there is too much evil.” If there is such a thing as evil, aren’t you assuming that there is such a thing as good?
Student: I guess so.
Speaker: If there is such a thing as good, you must affirm a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil.
Speaker: In a debate between the philosopher Frederick Copleston and the atheist Bertrand Russell, Copleston said, “Mr. Russell, you do believe in good and bad, don’t you?” Russell answered, “Yes, I do.” “How do you differentiate between good and bad?” challenged Copleston. Russell shrugged his shoulders and said, “On the basis of feeling – what else?” I must confess, Mr. Copleston was a kindlier gentleman than many others. The appropriate “logical kill” for the moment would have been, “Mr. Russell, in some cultures they love their neighbors; in other cultures they eat them, both on the basis of feeling. Do you have any preference?”
Speaker: When you say there is evil, aren’t you admitting there is good? When you accept the existence of goodness, you must affirm a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But when you admit to a moral law, you must posit a moral lawgiver. That, however, is
who you are trying to disprove and not prove. For if there is no moral lawgiver, there is no moral law. If there is no moral law, there is no good. If there is no good, there is no evil. What, then, is your question?
Student: What, then, am I asking you?

• Bertrand Russell
• King Crimson-Epitaph - "knowledge is a deadly friend, if no one sets the rules"
• John Wisdom - Parable of the Invisible Gardener
• Anthony Flew: 'Once upon a time two explorers came upon a clearing in the jungle. In the clearing were growing many flowers and many weeds. One explorer says, 'Some gardener must tend this plot'. The other disagrees, 'There is no gardener'. So they pitch their tents and set a watch. No gardener is ever seen. 'But perhaps he is an invisible gardener'. So they set up a barbed-wire fence. They electrify it. They patrol with bloodhounds. 1(For they remember how H. G. Wells's Tbe Invisible Man could be both smelt and touched though he could not be seen.) But no shrieks ever suggest that some intruder has received a shock. No movements of the wire ever betray an invisible climber. The bloodhounds never give cry. Yet still the Believer is not convinced. 'But there is a gardener, invisible, intangible, insensible to electric shocks, a gardener who has no scent and makes no sound, a gardener who comes secretly to look after the garden which he loves'. At last the Sceptic despairs, 'But what remains of your original assertion? just how does what you call an invisible, intangible, eternally elusive gardener differ from an imaginary gardener or even from no gardener at all? 2 "
• Francis Collins - director of the Human Genome Project. Below is an image of the Rose Window and DNA.

• The article in USA Today about a study on the existence of evil. Although I am not 100 percent sure this is the article he is speaking of, it does make for an interesting read.
• 10 million Indian girls eradicated.
• Article in the Houston Chronicle. "Boy, 11, fights for funeral for stillborn sister"
• "But purer, and higher, and greater will be, Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see" - lyrics of To God be the Glory. Note that this website also provides the sheet music for this song.
• "Search for four absolutes: evil, justice, love and forgiveness. Do you know of one event in the world where these four converged? they converged on the cross of Jesus Christ. Evil was seen for what it was. Justice was made out by a righteous and a holy God. Love was displayed unparalleled, to a point where he looks at a young man and says to him "take of her" she is now your mother. A cosmic drama was unfolding, and he cared for one woman who had so cared for him and nurtured him. Forgiveness, that He is willing to wipe your slate clean"

about time if you ask me ...

... you will now be charged for using a handheld device while driving
i really think that it was about time.

ta.

miscellaneous political commentary

i really regret needing to spend so much time on school, such that i really have not had much of a chance to follow either canadian or american politics. with regards to the latter however, i wanted to share this video. whatever anyone says or thinks about john mccain, i find his story around minute 7 very interesting.

"let me hit you with some knowledge"

it is friday at last.

this certainly felt like the longest week. and it is only the beginning of a very long weekend. and not that kind of long weekend, sadly. i have a microeconomic theory midterm on monday, and trust me: not fun. depressing to say the least. depressing seems to be a good word to describe the mood, i say this because i was just reading the financial post, and just finished listening to the ottawa-anaheim game. you can easily infer the connections there.

anyways, even though this was a pretty good week, with visitors, dodgeball, coldplay etc. i will conclude it by quoting dickens, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times ... "

now for some happy reading i will direct you to http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

and in preparation for tomorrow, i will say GO SENS GO. first game of the season against the leafs, usually i had a party planned for that evening months before ... but this year i will spend it in the halls of a dusty library, studying. i wanted to quote the textbook for a second, because you'll see how frustrating studying microeconomics is, "from this point on, we shall simply assume that x(p,y) is differentiable whenever we need it to be" ehh .... okay?

the grace - neverending white lights (because while i played this song the sens scored twice in an attempted comeback)

Viva la Vida

certainly between mid-terms and assignments worry, stress and frustration takes a hold of life, so what better than to forget it all with 13,000 other people, and an amazing band? so, here are some pictures from last night's show at scotiabank place. and just being at scotiabank place pumps me up pretty good. when's the next game?



after six hours the video i had meant to post, still has not finished uploading ... i put some up on facebook though!

"just because i am losing, doesn't mean i am lost, doesn't mean i'll stop ..."

http://www.oxfam.ca/

what are we thinking?

i did not kill it. it killed me.

the econometrics mid-term that is. now, what's next? more midterms and exams.

at least it is a game night ...

21:48 UPDATE: 6-3 Sens over the desert cats (picture from TSN.ca):

feels like summer ...

....

for one, because it actually feels like summer (unless you were so unfortunate to be in regina with thanksgiving)

for two, because there is such a long time between senators hockey games. thank you not nhl for this schedule.


jack savoretti - dreamers


back to my studies. today's topic: logrolling.

PRO-CRASTI-NATION

i am officially glued with my eyes to the elections tracker on cbc.ca. how the cbc can report members elected with less than half of the polls in is beyond me ... but i'll gladly follow. to the demise of my great plan to finish my taxation assignment.



like i said many times before, there is an interesting relationship between the number of posts i crank out in a week, and the number of assignments/tests i have due. maybe i should write a regression to specify it exactly.

brian mcfadden - real to me

happy belated thanksgiving

it is election night, but all i am going to post about is hockey moments from the weekend:

owen sound attack versus barrie colts (4-2). i think my oma would have loved to see this game for reasons below:




and ottawa senators versus detroit red wings (2-3)

note here:
1. minute 2.15 ish.
2. note not the end of the game
3. and may i just say how handsome picard is?

jet - are you gonna be my girl (not because i particularly like this song, but every time the owen sound attack players hit the ice they play this song ... for reasons i am not sure of)

gone south

that is where my plan for a productive day/evening has gone ...

in the meantime, my housies are watching north and south and it is so tempting move a room over and watch, because as you may know it is one of my favourite films. just as it is tempting to listen to the first hockey game since the games in Europe last weekend ... and ... well there are plenty of things i can think that i'd rather be doing than this taxation assignment. but we have all heard there are two things we can be certain of: death and taxes. so i am afraid that that subject won't be going anywhere ....

great lake swimmers - your rocky spine

game theory

after about the longest day yesterday .... which did at some point feature a kickass dodgeball game, which our team decisively won, and ended with marking at 1 in the morning ... there is tons of stuff for me to catch up on today. like a taxation assignment, and a public choice problem set. for the latter we refer to joseph conrad's typhoon (which does have online copy here).
in case you'd like to read the story, without me spoiling some of the story you should stop reading now.

so, basically what happens, or so i've heard, because i have not read it myself, Captain MacWhirr is on boat with a number of Chinese workers who are returning home from months of work overseas. they have all given him their earnings for safekeeping, the amounts of which he has carefully entered on a ledger. now, guessing from the title, they get hit by a typhoon. miraculously the workers and captain survive, the money is safe, but the ledger which stated who owned what, is missing. the Captain being an honest man wants to return the money to its rightful owner. but how?

there is some nice game theory for you. i am going to find a solution. i have to.

ps. 1 more day till i go home!
ps2. they are done with roof renos, so no more tar smell!

neverending white lights - distance

hate to say it: but i told you so

i was just reading the toronto star before going to bed, and i am reading with interest ... economists are forewarning worse than a recession, and stock markets are plummeting.

i can't help but think back to my history seminar class, where the discussion about the US sub-prime mortgage market led to Canada. some adamantly claimed it would never affect Canada. being the only economics student in the room the professor turned to me (as he had a habit of doing, much to my .... frustration) for my opinion. surely i must have some opinion or insight? well, put on the spot and turning red as beet, i forewarned a recession. and surely it has come.

i guess in this case i hate to be right.

now, while i am on the topic ... i find it kind of funny that when elections come around, all of the sudden everyone is an expert on the economy. well, i hate to say it, but when economists hardly understand it, it is likely you don't either. or maybe i am just speaking for myself?

UPDATE

worst things beautiful - ours

debate or debate?

debate.

I am currently streaming both debates, the Canadian Leader's Debate via CBC, and the US Vice Presidents Debate via CNN.

Now, over the last few weeks it has been easy to wonder: which election has been the bigger joke? Well, judging from the debate: I probably switched over to the American debate full time when the Canadians started talking about which health clinics they go to. I did not do it quite intently, it was just a minor decision between which to mute, and frankly the Canadians were not really engaging in a good debate.

I find it rather easy for the opposition to attack conservative policies, by pulling out idealistic ideas that are found in political science, philosophy, and economics textbooks. I'd rather like to see some more concreteness on how any of these ideas actually can be achieved. Emphasis on actually. Dion said something to the effects of "we support tax cuts for everyone," no kidding. Too bad, we also want to commit to more jobs, more programs, extended health care, better infrastructure and so on, and that all those things need to be paid for, by oil companies? Maybe it is because I am studying economics I tend to overthink the policies presented, but I can only imagine what anyone without any training in economic or public policy must think. It sounds so easy for politicians to crank out some statistics, calculate possible or potential tax bases etc. but dear oh dear. That is not easy. So yeah, I am a bit skeptical.
At the end Steve P., the facilitator, suggested that the Canadian debate was much better than that of the Americans. I am going to have to disagree.
I can appreciate the civility between the two candidates in the American debate. I can appreciate their controlled emotion and their appeal to American peoples. I even got a little teary-eyed when mr. biden talked about losing his wife. And overall, the debate was more organized, the questions more straigtforward and easier to follow when there aren't people talking through each other, raising their voices, and pulling eyebrows the whole time.

Since I have a microeconomic theory assignment due on monday, I better get back to school work. I just had to note down my quick impressions. But I do have to say this, it is an interesting time to learn more about economics and politics. Especially with the sub-prime mortgage market crisis in the US, the billion dollar bail-out plan, and panic on Bay Street. Interesting stuff. And I change my opinion on these matters on a daily basis ... and as a history students also, I am already wondering what the history textbooks in 50 years will say.

for some good measure:
Rob Thomas - All that I am
Go SENS Go!

"ik begrijp veel, maar daar snap ik niks van" - bassie

i blame my brother for showing me this Dutch commercial, because then I spend a couple of hours looking at videos of my childhood heroes on the net.

bert en ernie:

bassie en adriaan:

mumble jumble

phewww ... this day is almost over.

since i woke up late for classes, had to run out the door, and parked in the wrong parking lot, i was convinced this was going to be the third day in a row of a string of bad luck. but then, when i got back to the car, the parking meter attendant officer dude, was just a couple of cars away from me, which being two hours late was pretty lucky for me. so the tides had turned ... ?

not really, as I just went to school, pretty sure wednesday night being dodgeball night ... but alas it is raptors basketball camp. so I checked the intermural schedule, and check! no game tonight. so I forked over some cash for a parking pass ... for nothing. so, after trying to get a peek of the toronto raptors, without any luck, I opted for a jog along the river instead. that was nice I guess.

the extra time I could use to apply for jobs though ... it is ultra convenient to have assignments, job applications and social events all planned for the same weekend :)

augustana - twenty years

3 more days until official hockey starts! can I say GO SENS GO?

expanded family

while i have a ginormous econometrics assignment hanging over my head ... i do have the time to introduce you to my new friend, 'booh' he was a birthday gift from one of my new, and superbly awesome friends here in ottawa. i will take good care of him, and make sure that he will be an avid sens fan, which i am sure he will just learn from me by osmosis.

this weekend another friend made a comment about how people, in general, have a tendency to want to rush life (ie. can not wait for the weekend, can not wait to turn 19, to graduate from school etc.), and i have to agree with her. as such, i am now going to enjoy the next few hours before i go to bed .... sweet dreams!

and then you - greg laswell

a little bit wiser

"let’s go far away

see this world that God has made

and know our hearts are in his hand

this lovely one who counts the sands"

i have been playing this song a few times over, the last few days, because it is so simple, but poetic and well ... so good! since i have exhausted my playlist over the summer, and the first few weeks of school i am so excited to have full access to the internet and find new music to love. i also like downloading textbooks, which the bookstore so inconveniently does not carry, so i can study econometrics via the pc. it is econometrics that is creating a bit of a dark cloud, and a bit of rain over my birthday, but i guess signing up to do a master's degree means you are relinquishing your freedom of choice. so i won't be able to choose to take the day off tomorrow. and now that i am officially a bit wiser, i might be able to finish the assignment?

i better. when i have some more time i will actually fix my header. and my facebook wall. and install a curtain rod. and ...

since i don't actually have a lot of news. and i also am a little tired from the party we had tonight ... i might just call it a night. well, since it is night, that is not anything original, but you know, it is about time to hit the hay. sweet dreams!

matthew perryman jones - meghan's song

dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge

after an interesting night of playing dodgeball, for the first time, and well .... dodging for the most part, i am watching late night episodes of shortland street. i have no idea why, although i am thinking this long and difficult econometrics assignment may have something to do with it. and i have a pile of marking to finish over the weekend. i think i might have to skip on my own birthday.

and i better catch a few zzzzz's

robbie seay band - shine your light on us

smoke signals

hello!

i am still alive! once i get intertubes installed, or a wireless version without tubes, i will make a greater effort to update regularly. of course by that time, i will be officially busy times two. but it'll be okay.

since i am in the habit of listing a song i currently listen to at the end of my posts:
theo tams - sing

before september ends

on facebook i may have uttered a deep hatred for matrices. well, i want to take it back, and replace with a similar feeling towards differential equations.

18 more days until hockey unofficially starts. with a game against the rangers. more officially, hockey does not start for more than a month. enough time for me to get settled, and have found a really good bar to watch the game at. especially since i am pretty sure we won't be able to afford cable/satellite for any time soon.

also, 25 more days until my birthday!

and that is all i have to mention, especially because after a weekend of studying, and some more studying i don't have very many exciting stories to tell. although, i did go to manotick on saturday: such a lovely little town.

stealing cinderella - chuck wicks
and yay to september and the beginning of new television seasons.

convergence of the old and new ...

a country girl no more:

let me start off with some w(h)ine and dine:

so, Ottawa is where i am at these days. i know the city much better than i currently think i should, or than i really wished to have known at this point. basically i have been taking the long route (in other words the lost route) to get to school in the mornings. since i am living just outside of the city on, believe it or not, a farm i have been driving to school so far. and let's just say that i am uber glad to be anal about getting to places on time, because it means that if i get terribly lost, i might still make it to class on time. now, as for people in owen sound: you should know that when you are told in driver's ed that "if you can drive in owen sound, you can drive anywhere" it means only one thing: the instructor is from wiarton. then, hamiltonians, you may think that getting around in hamilton, the city of the one-way street is frustrating ... you might want to visit toronto or "pot-hole city" but in all seriousness, i think the prize for worst driving conditions should go to ottawa, which not only has pothole, after pothole, it seems that its roads don't even connect to each other. well, and for those who know ottawa quite well i am talking baseline/riverside/prince of whales/bronson area ....

anyways, that is the extent of my frustration. other than that, i am just hanging out in class and in the library for the coming few weeks. i have already handed in an assignment and am getting ready for an exam. in the meantime i am getting to know lots of new people, and finding new cafes on a daily basis. also, i am spending sometime doing nothing at all, and rereading tons of economics materials -> theory that is.

i can't help but try to compare between mac and carleton, almost constantly. for example, i can't believe that carleton only has one library. while i also can't believe how handy it is that everywhere there is plugs for computers and such in cafeterias etc. anyways, apparently mac and carleton are the only two universities in canada where you can get free transcripts: no wonder i had to come here. although, i will have to save my bus pass rant for another day.

i have also observed that i really feel like a tourist, and feel like i should take a picture when a bus passes by with ginormous ottawa senators advertising; when i remember that i will be seeing that bus everyday, and that well, everyone is a sens fan here. (except for my one roommate, and another large group of .... well [insert comment here])

i am calling it a day; i will be trying to find this apartment building that i will be living at later, with an actual address, which should make it much easier. otherwise, i might do what i have been getting pretty good at: drive around searching, doing u-turns etc.

back to my assignment ....

thursday's mutterings

time flies ... especially when you have a pile of files sitting on your desk that you need to finish before the end of the summer; and you know you will never get through them. i have noted this ability to always get my paper stuck in the holepunch ... i also walked into the door today, and managed to screw up all my printing. another reason why i know i was supposed to be born blond.

as for the olympics; i am still doing some moaning and groaning about the time difference. i love to watch most of the events (with the exception of boxing); and have been getting my cheer on. of course, if i was canadian i would have given up a while back; but i am not, so it has been considerably more fun. i have even been getting my anti-cheer on. the united states was always on my blacklist; but just as the rest of the world i have a tiny little crush on michael phelps, and have chosen the chinese to be on top of my blacklist instead. certainly they have built some really nice facilities; but come on, a 7 year old girl who is not pretty enough to appear on tv? seriously, who has got a good image now?

anyways, as i have to make daily decisions between watching the olympics, or Reba and Hope and Faith on CMT, i am plugging along pretty great, and looking back wondering where oh where the summer went.

i know. it went. it went. why would it went?

6.5 more days of work.

08 08 08

i am not sure if i am liking this whole olympics business in china. i had to miss the opening ceremony because of work at 8.30. and i love watching the opening ceremony. i believe that the olympics should be a two week international holiday.

in the meantime, i am extremely busy with getting packed up and ready to go to ottawa, while still working, and living the country life. with all that i am going to schedule in some studytime, the olympics, maybe some blogging about said olympics, shopping for wedding presents, parties, and i am going to marineland for a day.

and only this morning i realized what TGIF (which the finance lady puts in her e-mails at work) stands for. i am feeling a little bit blond right now.

Cheers to Friday.
Happy Birthday to Brett!

wednesday funny

it is the middle of the week; and i thought i better share some comic relief to deal with, well, the wednesday blues.

this is from this week's edition of the Ontario Farmer (its tailender column):

How to Properly Place NEW EMPLOYEES:
1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.
2. Put your new hires in the room and close the door.
3. Leave them
alone and come back after 6 hours.
4. Then analyze the situation:

a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting
Department.

b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.

c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in
Engineering.

d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in
Planning.

e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.

f. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.

g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information
Technology

h. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.

i. If they say they have tried different combinations, they are looking for
more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.

j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.

k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.

l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved,
congratulate them and put them in Top Management.

m. Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a
way
that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in Congress.

i am eating lunch now, and just wanted to say that ranch dressing is highly overrated.

baby, one more time

i just came across this quote that i had written down. i have no idea where i got it from, but i thought it was pretty interesting:

i believe that one ought to have as much market efficiency as one needs,
because everything that we value in human life is within the realm of
inefficiency - love, family attachment, community, culture, old habits,
comfortable old shoes

---edward luttwak

here and now

where, o where have you gone my sweet summer? with only 22 more days of work, and school in a month, i can't help but wonder what happened to the summer. i have not even spend a day at the beach yet!?! doc walker at holstein rodeo
holstein rodeo - bull riding
it was raining all afternoon ... but that did not stop anyone (from splashing us with mud that is ...)
corb lund and drummer at hamilton place

certainly corb did not disappoint with his rendition of the hockey song, and a 4th verse:

oh goodness me, fox tv where did you get your sight, can't you
keep track, the puck is black, thats why the ice is white. And that big red
glare you see up there, well we've seen that for years, for goodness sakes, all
it takes it a couple dozen beers"!!

chris daughtry - what about now

norah jones - the story

this last song from my blueberry nights is just fabulous, just as the film actually. i have never been a fan of jude law, but this film did not disappoint. together with my earlier post about stopless, i have to say i am glad my movie night fell through (that is the theatre was all sold out by the time we arrived), so that we had the chance to rent these films. i like!

once a nerd, always a nerd- i was pretty stoked today when i discovered the data analysis toolpack on excel. call it nerdy if you will, but it will save me a lot of time: it is just so cool! teehee!

anyways, see you at the baseball game!

exactly what i was wondering: winning or losing?

just over my lunch hour today i was doing some online reading, and came across this article, which basically answered some of my recent questions about the war on terror. it coincides with a conversation i had yesterday as we were watching stoploss, which addressed the issue, well as you can guess of America's stop-loss policy. it was basically a comment my mom made about how there were already so many movies out about the war in iraq, and the war on terror. well, it has been longer than ww1 or ww2. basically, i realized, that we are just plugging along, while there is still a war going on. sure, we remember our fallen soldiers as another CBC segment on the war is on, but really the distance is not only one in terms of kilometres and culture, but even more so in our minds. hardly ever do we hear anything concrete. actually no, let me rephrase: never do we hear anything concrete. and as much as technology supposedly makes the world smaller, imo, there has never been a time where the world has been so disconnected.

anyways, just thought i'd pass on the link.

workly wisdom

everyday at work there is a new quote posted on the company extranet. just thought i'd share:

"Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But choose them as your guides, and follow them until you reach your destiny."Carl Schurz

sunday best

in beeld

since we were driving for 7 hours straight, i turned to my camera to keep myself entertained. the one good thing that comes out of not stopping for so long, is the strength of our bladders, such that i am convinced we are more than ready for a road trip across canada.

while i take the next few days to fret over getting pictures loaded, i might as well give a basic summary of the trip, which pretty much involved hitting every possible red light.

this was taken at rockford, rather close to home, but yet again we hit the red light.

augustana - stars and boulevards

when it is all said and done

again, it certainly has been a while.

and again, a lot has happened. i am no longer unemployed. the red wings won the stanley cup. holland performed brilliantly, and then when it mattered most, completely unbrilliant. so now that i will be ridding the house of all the flags, i am going to prepare a little statement for everyone at work as to why i wont be driving around with my flags anymore.

:(

since my last update, i have also graduated. and have gone to see my new school in ottawa. if i could calculate my feelings in to percentages, i would probably say i am 40 per cent excited, and 60 per cent scared. little chicken that i am.

i also have tons of pictures to add, but since i am both lazy and busy, and alogether tired of this supposedly high-speed internet, i will do that at a later time.

till then.

long time no see

it certainly has been a while. and seeing that i have previously established a distinct pattern of blogging a lot when i am busy, and not very much when i am not so busy, it can be concluded that i have not been very busy. well, i have kept busy, but not really. the next few weeks look promising though, as there will be tons of visitors from holland, and much fun to be had.

ps. go red wings
ps. HUP holland HUP!

Ottawa: here I come!

goodbye Hamilton. hello Ottawa.
dear Ottawa though, you will have to wait about 4 months before I will grace you with my presence, as I will be making a pitstop in Owen Sound.

can I just say how excited I am?
also about how excited I am that I found a copy of Boyzone - by request for only a few dollars, same as Matchbox 20?

:-)

all i want to do ...

.... is laundry.

why?

because i know i have to study. and i can think of a million things i'd rather do.
coffee count: 3

augustana - stars and boulevards

"do you not know, have you not heard ..."

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

... He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

... the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall:
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

from Isaiah 40 (NIV)

What is it good for? Absolutely nothi...: eh. This one is for the memories

We may have tried hard ... to no avail. Or we may have been in a losing battle from the beginning. No matter how you look at it, it has been producing some embarrassment. Especially for the fans, who really cannot control anything, but how loud they are in the building. And CBC announcers being drowned out by the boos and cheers, taunts and praises, is sufficient evidence that the fans, have not failed our team. The other way around, is subject to enough debate as it is. But for how much it is worth, the senators produced some memorable moments, while the team of flightless birds, well, will be moving on, without any flash. So, this is why the series was not all bad:

5. the Gary Roberts pillow factor.

4. the anthem sung at SBP

3. the a-train putting the flight in flightless bird: hit on Crosby

2. Gerber save after Volchenkov gets puck in the face.

1. game 2, when the senators were down 3 goals, and caught up. the silence in pittsburgh and surrounding area, was definitely worth hearing. even though it did not last nearly long enough. this was also the game where we finally scored. yay!

goodbye 2007-8 season: hello, next year.

ensemble of ones

1 more exam

1 huge decision

1 more game?

Series: 0 - 3

foo fighters - home

|cc| mission control

still my superstars

0 - 2

please don't make me sing linkin park in the end ever again. please?

on another note: i am officially done classes. assignments. essays. tests. only one more exam, and hasta la vista 'too bad we never made too good of friends' mcmaster. now, there is only the future to (worry about) look forward to. and a calculus exam.

coffee and donuts

who needs energy drinks when you can just get yourself a good old-fashioned sugar high?

lupe fiasco (ft. matthew santos) - superstar

spring is here!

between the bushes i was able to take a snapshot of this beautiful creature on my walk to school this morning :)

matthew ryan - jane i still feel the same

4 more hours of econ classes, 2 more hours of calculus, and 1 more hour of history. one more presentation, one more essay, one more assignment, and one more final exam. wow!

and can i just say how much i am going to miss my history seminar class entitled the north american city. i know so much more about hamilton than i would ever really care to, but i also feel so much more enlightened about cities, space and its people.

surprises

i am listening to a mars volta song ... and i actually like it.

and the ninjas have been defeated. my army of cowboys and bunnies has redefined glory. (well that remains to be seen as i may not have written a very good paper on japan).


toothpastefordinner.com

my tune

i guess the credit is at the bottom of this picture, as i was far too lazy to edit it out.

change is not enough

Glance at the sun.

See the moon and the stars.

Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.

Now, think.

-Hildegard von Bingen-

two more weeks: monsters and jelly beans. no, chocolate. because chocolate is on sale.

"you are now in 3 dimensional space, congratulations" (this falls under the category of interesting statements made by mac educators, kind of like when the phrase "sexy topic" was used to announce taxation)
woohoo! me and my wonderfully advanced ability to visualize things are so excited. i am glad however to spend some time in calculus covering topics which i have studied for three years in economics. maybe one tiny thing in this course is going to be working out for me. unlike integration for example (created by sherry):
between now and tomorrow, i am going to be cranking out a paper. i can do it! i have to.

falling leafs [5] - sens with less [4]

well that was painful. entertaining. but terribly painful. i am pretty sure that the bad guys will not forget this affair as they look upon their bruises caused by a ride on the a-train. i like to blame the referees. and the giveaways.

still, another sad face in my agenda. le sigh.

can i tell you how much i like the powerwise commercial? it does not come close to the miller commercial, but it is so cute.

augustana - stars and boulevards

titleless

a couple of weeks ago i was on the bus and could not find one of my gloves. i thought i had lost it somewhere between waiting for the bus and getting on the bus. and surely the other day, a very rainy day (i might add), and a couple of weeks later it was just lying there, all wet and lonely on the curb in front of shoppers drug mart. and for some reason i felt so sad for it. like i was choosing to keep it lying there, so lonely and cold, after it had kept me so warm for much of the winter. now, i know that it is somewhat silly beyond belief, but i have been thinking about going back there and picking it up. i guess in some sense, someone swedish should appear on my screen and tell me "it is because you are crazy, it has no feelings." and if not that, this might just appear on your screen. thanks anna.

and can i impart to you how excited i am to receive a copy of the bbc drama north and south in the mail today? teehee.

keane - try again

the countdown is on ...

1 major seminar paper done, 2 more to go
1 major seminar presentation done, 2 more to go
no more midterms, ever.
2 more assignments.
1 more final exam.

perhaps the thought of having to carry all my books to the library and begging them to let me renew one more time is clouding over my happiness of almost finishing. for now anyways.

matt costa - these arms

that makes me most of us

"there are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. the choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back."

mumbles and rumbles: far away

i have been cheating on school with ross copperman. kind of like a ross copperman affair. i think i am in love with sweet melodies and poetic lyrics.

in the meantime: home this weekend. monday presentation and a midterm. followed by tuesday with a major, major paper due. and all i can think about is dad's surgery, and am asking everyone to pray for him and the doctors.

"change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass" steinbeck.

for blue skies - strays don't sleep

still procrastinating

a night sky by keane for warchild

aching

after this last snowstorm i am officially giving up on shoveling snow. i now have this excruciating pain in my back that makes painkillers my best friend, and leaves me unable to sit anywhere other than the couch (although i can't complain about being confined to the couch it is less than ideal). after having given it some thought i realized that i can neither expect any of my housemates to endure such pains, so maybe i should start googling for a mailorder husband from russia.

or you know ... we could just have no more snow for this season.

here is to hoping that this week >>>> last week

fine frenzy - ashes and wine

procrastinating

shadows by frozen flames. the day that i find their song "right here with you" i will pass it along. because when i do, that will make my day. in the meantime here is a preview of the band.

human after all

i am officially suffering from a case of the flu, aggrevated by the winter blues, insomnia, worry, and a tremendously heavy workload. i am hoping that admitting it is the first step to my recovery.

cue the music:

"everybody hurts some time" REM

"is there a chance, a fragment of light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to fight" a fine frenzy

"just trying to find my way the best that i know how" lifehouse

"when you try your best but you don't succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need, when you feel so tired but you can't sleep, stuck in reverse. and the tears come streaming down your face ..." coldplay

thanks for listening.

warning: not at all sensible.

allright mcmaster, if you are not going to call it a rain day. or a puddle day. at least warn students to wear their bathing suits to school, so they can swim to class. or you know, do something about the pathways/drainage/roads.

just so you know for next time.

and hamilton? don't even let me get started on you.