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insaneray's page may be hazardous to your sanity |
i'm so popular4 May 2006 -- Thank goodness for junk mail filters. As I understand, Yahoo! keeps junk mail for a maximum of 30 days. Number of messages in my Yahoo! junk mail folder: 2421 and counting. fester 20 January 2006 -- The two gaboodles below had been hiding away for some time. Meanwhile, a year came and went, and earlier today it was 10 degrees celsius. Therefore, spaghetti is not purple. altering the course of history 05/11/3 22.15 (clie)-- When spotting someone in public that I recognise but don't really know, I've been the type that doesn't approach them and even tries to avoid an encounter. I figure it would really be meaningless to say hi, remember me, and then part ways, never to meet again. Or worse yet, hi, remember me, no, and then awkward silence. Now in the opposite seat, the fact that these familiar people have never approached me says that either(1) they don't recognise me, or (2) they're also apprehensive about these chance encounters of the inconsequential kind. Yet, now that I think on it, perhaps these shouldn't be so quickly brushed off as inconsequential. Granted, a random bumping-into will probably make little impact on the long-term non-relationship between near-strangers. But I (sometimes) believe there is an element of fate in all things, and surely there must be a reason for chance encounters? Perhaps by following fate and tapping identified persons on the shoulder, their outlook on that day could change for the better. Consequently they'd go home and put away their plans for world domination for at least one more day. On the other hand, perhaps initiating contact with this person would arouse some slumbering angst. Consequently they'd kick me in the groin, whereupon I'd go home and dig up my plans for world domination. Butterflies have wings, you know. piece of meat 05/10/21 22.17 (clie)-- I did a bad bad deed the other day. A young girl approached me at the subway station with money and asked me to purchase cigarettes for her. I complied, and with a smile. O morals, where have you gone? And though I received thanks, I know I was only being used. Used! Oh well. If not me, she would've found another sucker. What's a sucker to do? the city of light 19 Oct 2005 -- Paris. Risking further humiliation, I've posted yet more writing for nobody to read. As always, consider yourself warned. Photos too (album named Paris05). peeves 16 Oct 2005 -- Wind is a great annoyance. It is a hinderance to everything and anything one would be doing outdoors. Except, maybe, for flying a kite. But kites are annoying too. All that tangling of string and chasing after runaway kites when the string breaks. And if wind did not exist, then kites would not have been invented, and voila, that's two birds with one stone. Which is worth four in the bush. You know, I bet birds get pretty annoyed by wind too. stay tuned 24 September 2005 -- Well I've just recently returned from another vacation in Europe. Guess that means there'll be a boat load of pictures/stories coming here soon. mooooooooooooooo fancy 7 August 2005 -- Hey long time no see. How 'bout a burrito? corporate racism 05/6/2 18.49 (clie) -- Make no mistake, the YMCA corporate challenge is a white man's event. In a sport dominated by athletes of African descent, I do not recall that any of the winning teams had a single member from a visible minority group. Either these absent persons shunned the snobbish white collar corporate culture, or are shunned by the snobbish white collar culture. Whatever the reason, it's something you'd think Toronto, as the self-proclaimed most multicultural city in the world, would be better at. Food for thought. spidey sense 29 May 2005 -- Woe is me who has such an acute sense of smell. Of the five human senses, this is not the one you'd want to choose to be gifted in. Sure, when somebody peels an orange downstairs, I know immediately from my bedroom, and that's fine and dandy. But this also means that when, say, somebody's hockey equipment is not so fresh, it hits me like a cross-check to the head. I notice all sorts of body odours that often make me want to retch. Such odours include those due to lack of hygiene or over-zealous use of so-called "fragrances", or sickly habits like smoking or bathing in garlic. Alas the summer, o glorious summer -- during which garbage rots, farm fields are covered in manure, and stinky people perspire freely -- loses some of its lustre. the road less travelled 05/4/28 18.43 (clie) -- Yesterday I logged quite a few miles in traversing the same stretch of road no less than 5 times, using 4 "different" modes of transport. Episode #1, coming: home by jogging the last leg of my commute. Episode #2, going: on my bicycle to get my hair cut. Episode #3, coming: home again, though forced to walk because I had locked my bicycle to a railing but unknowingly left the key at home (it had managed to free itself from my key ring and was deposited in my fanny pack sometime during or immediately after Episode #1). Episode #4, going: by car to fetch the hopefully still-locked-up bicycle, this time possessing the necessary lock unlocking tool known as the key. Episode #5, the season finale, coming: home yet again, driving at a breakneck snail's pace with the hatch flopping around half-open, thanks to the albatross bicycle that proved not quite small enough and refused to ride wholly inside the car. seamstressing 26 April 2005 -- The subject of this anecdote is hemming. The anecdote is summarised as follows: good thing my pants are black, and good thing I'm not a tailor. The end. not quite the way i envisioned it 10 April 2005 -- The GeoCities hosting has some nice features, including detailed info about hits on your page. Some of the information I just noticed from my page stats is, well, rather unexpected. For instance, somebody has stumbled upon my first set of archived rants by using the search keywords "help stop flatulating". A presumably different person, using the keywords "how to deal with a messy slob", somehow found my second set of archived crap. Hmm, that really gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. sugar-free salt 9 April 2005 -- Enough with the low carbs already. I just saw a commercial for low-carb jello. Oh, now they tell me... I always thought I would get fat eating jello. My chewing gum is apparently "for carbohydrate-reduced diets". Please. Gum is not food. You do not eat it. Next up will likely be low carb water. Then low carb underwear. I can't wait. traffic counter 31 March 2005 -- Congratulations! You are approximately the first, or second, or maybe 12th visitor to this page. That is, this month... no wait this year. Sucker! eloquence 29 March 2005 -- Often when I am groggy or dazed or just out of it, my vocabulary eludes me and my brain can't do the good words to say my thing in the more better way. foreign content 19 March 2005 -- When you think about it, movies tend to be quite absurd when it comes to presenting foreign languague characters for an English audience. Think about how silly it is to have two KGB members conversing in English with faked Russian accents. A dubbed-over rendition of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was aired on television tonight. Many of the voices were done in mild British accents. I guess we are thus supposed to better grasp that the story takes place in a time long ago. There is a nice discussion on pyschology that could probably come from this, but I have neither the energy nor the degree in pyschology to elaborate. bad stuff bout the mets 05/3/11 18.59 (clie) -- Guys with long nails - gross. Generalisations are bad. baggedy baggedy 05/2/21 18.31 (clie) -- I seem to have quite a few bags. There's my backpack. The tote thing for work. Laundry bag (though I don't use it). Hockey bag. The bag in my trash can where I deposit all my used snot towlettes. Bags under my eyes. I haven't yet been called a douche-bag, though that may change any moment now. A bag full of marbles. As the owner of this vast collection, I have learned that carrying any of these bags around is generally not as fun as not carrying them (especially the ones you carry under your eyes), and so it is quite beyond me why women persist in their fascination with bags, often burdening themselves with two or more at a time. trends 05/2/18 18.33 (clie) -- I hate being fashionable. Soon as something becomes the trendy thing to do, that's all the reason I need to *not* do it. This is even if it's something I would otherwise like. Case in point: the yellow wristbands, brainchild of Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, in support of cancer research. I'm a cyclist and a cycling fan, and that's how I heard of this. I thought it would suit me to get one for myself. But as soon as I saw a couple of people sporting them at work, I became dead set against this particular accessory. I suppose I just have a need to feel unique, and to show others that I'm in fact not like them. Rather than be fearful of being labelled a non-conformist oddball, I relish it. about a doctor 05/1/11 18.11 (clie) -- My doctor is somebody I will always look up to, and not because he is a doctor. He seems to live for all the right reasons. You can see it in the way his eyes light up at the sight of each patient that comes in. You can see it in how he brings cheer into your day no matter if you're the first in the morning, if you're the last out at night, if it's your first visit in years, or if it's your second visit this week. Would that I could emulate that. nacho nacho man 04/12/30 0.04 (clie) -- I wanna be... Though this time I miqht have had one -- or five dozen -- too many. Them's the last nachos I be having for a while. My timing was most fortuitous though; being 2 days prior to New Year's day and all, most of my colleagues will not be at work with me tomorrow. Lucky them. Lucky indeed. blogger's block 04/12/16 18.42 (clie) -- Writer's block. Blocks of writing. Blogs for writing. Blogs in blocks. Block writing. Blocked blogging. Trix are for kids. think i'm winning 14 December 2004 -- Last night for a fleeting moment I experienced what it is like to have a normally functioning spine and back. Twas the culmination of one week of almost-daily 30+ minute stretching sessions (preceded by years of regular but less frequent sessions). Wow, so limber, almost Gumby-like. Then I promptly went to play hockey and shot it all to hell, and we're right back where we started. lame excuses 04/12/8 18.26 (clie)-- Don't tell me that you're not an "email person". I have never encountered anybody who is not an emailer yet is a letter-writer. Chances are that if you can't make time to type two lines, you sure as hell won't be writing me any Christmas cards. Next time, you should be honest in your excuse -- just say "I don't have time to keep in touch with you," or even better, "You're not important enouqh." common courtesy 04/12/7 18.42 (clie)-- Okay now how's this for courtesy.... Another commuting story. Heading out of the bus station to catch my bus, I took an extra moment to wait and hold open a door for a girl a bit behind me. I didn't mind that she didn't thank me, but I did mind that she used the opportunity to rush ahead and bud in line in front of me. I guess it's true -- nice guys get on the bus last. best behaviour 04/12/6 18.58 (clie)-- "How to behave in public" might be succinctly described by "behave as you would as my dinner guest". This means no throwing stuff on the ground or licking of furniture. Conversely, if you feel comfortable passing gas (through either end) at my dinner table, then I suppose it's okay in public. I think the logic is easy enough to grasp. And thus it quite disgusted me today to see a lady clipping and then filing her nails on the subway. She even set her purse on her lap to collect the clippings which later ended up on the ground. Then when she was done, so that there would be no doubt about her repulsiveness, she stood up and vigourously brushed all the debris off her jacket. I guess she's not coming to dinner anytime soon. staying sane 21 November 2004 -- After a brief outing Friday night, my thoughts returned to work during the subway ride home. Actually I got quite excited because I figured out something substantial in my head, and upon getting home I had to write it down and work through it immediately. This was at one o'clock in the morning. While it's nice that I can get excited about work, is it really necessary for me to be thinking about it at one in the morning? I wonder if it would be healthier for me to try and separate myself from my work when away from the office. But I don't know if I can; I guess it's just who I am. For me, the work is not just a job -- it's what I do, it's who I am. I compare it to how a musician often lives and breathes her music. Sometimes I just feel the need to delve deeper into problems, to find answers to my questions, and to satisfy my curiosity. This might mean I'm a geek -- I've never denied that -- and a dull dull person, but there's no running away from who I am. And it's probably too late to save my sanity anyway. 
disturbing14 November 2004 -- So I try to log on to Asian Avenue one day, and I find that they pasted my face on to a girl's picture (see photo, left). I'm like, what the hell!? What's going on here? If you want to see for yourself, use this link or goto the AA login page and hit refresh a couple of times to cycle through the different characters. Now I wonder if there is any way I can get in contact with this girl who bears my face. I also wonder if that would be such a good idea. yoga counts 04/11/9 18.52 (clie) -- Playing hockey last night, it seemed a few guys were having a bit of trouble getting over the boards during line changes. Many opted to take the long route and actually used the bench doors instead. Now, I wouldn't consider any of the guys substantially shorter than me, so it's weird to think that they can't make it over a waist-high board. The only explanation I can think of is that they can't lift their legs high enough or bend certain joints enough to gracefully get over the boards without falling off the other side like idiots. I guess it's a flexibility and agility thing. Not sure if this has implications in other more important aspects of the sport... the games we play 04/11/5 17.48 (clie) -- I don't appreciate it when fat, chunky, or bow-legged people squeeze into a seat beside me on public transit and much of their body oozes over into my seating space. Often I will try to give them some sort of subtle "punishment" in hope that it will motivate them to shrink back into their own space or change seats altogether. One method I employed was to ensure that my sizable collection of keys was pocketed and jutting into any of their leg flesh that crossed the imaginary divide. Another retaliatory/defensive act was to feign sleepinq and lean slightly in their direction, and/or start shaking my leg. Unfortunately none of these techniques had the desired effects often enough, though at least it made me feel slightly better to return some annoyance & discomfort to its originator. talk to me 7 November 2004 -- Not all chatter is idle. If done properly, we learn by talking and by listening. Thus we depend on these interactions for much of our wisdom, and I've decided that isolated men cannot be wise men. Of course, there are different kinds of wisdom, but wisdom in conventional life - conventional wisdom, so to speak - must be acquired in large part through conversing. inanity 4 November 2004 -- Recently out of curiosity I've spent a few minutes reading blogs of total strangers. And damn most of the stuff is so inane. If not that, then glaringly self-important, often smug. It also seems that blogs are a unique forum in that you can really gauge the author's maturity level. Ok now I think I've said too much for my own good... broadcasting in real time 2 November 2004 -- Hi Liz. Nice dog picture. a good night's sleep 19 October 2004 -- During the last two nights, I got about 5 hours of sleep each night. Monday, felt like crap. Tuesday, felt strangely rejuvenated. What was the difference? Well a number of things, but two marked departures from my normal behaviour Monday night were: (1) taking 2 oz. of Southern Comfort before bed, and (2) taking an antihistamine right before that. Could it be? beans, beans, are good for your heart. onions, on the other hand... 04/10/14 18.11 (clie) -- Don't try this at home... Last night I tried my hand at preparing a bean salad. It seemed simple enough: mixed beans, some oil, vinegar, garlic, and chopped onion. I presume, however, that you're not supposed to use the entire onion, as I did. So after consuming about half of this "salad", I had thus eaten about half a raw onion and just about burned my sinuses off. I could feel my airway swelling up. I'm still tasting onion today. There's an evolutionary reason why onions induce such sensations upon ingestion, and if we were meant to consume whole raw onions, well, then it would be an ice cream flavour. time wasters 5 October 2004 -- Ok it's done. One month after returning from my vacation, I've finally amassed a journal and online photo collection. Check it out, but don't say I didn't warn you. nothing better to do 3 October 2004 -- Almost one year to the day of my last reconstruction of this page, I've done it again. I've archived a whole year's worth of babble (linked on the right). And there's more additions coming. For now I'll leave you with a stupid photo. |
