My dear Liz (who I affirm is cool, by the way) tagged me just yesterday, even despite not being half done my tomorrow-due Economic Analyses assignment, I have the sudden urge to play this game.

Here we go.

Random Thing #1: I would like to be cremated
I feel like I really don't want to take up so much space, and I really don't want to live in a casket. Actually, it would be nice if I could be buried on a rooftop garden. I think that would be a great place to settle for eternity. Maybe on top of the TD Tower-- of course, it must be designated a heritage site first. I wouldn't want to be bulldozed.

Hey I will use my existence on the top of the TD Tower to force the City to designate the building as a heritage site. Then, my life would serve a greater purpose! Hail Mies van der Rohe!

This is when my grandmas will say, "CHOY!"
PS: CHOY is what Cantonese people say when you say "jinxing" things such as death. The English equivalent of "CHOY" is "Don't ever say these things!"

Random Thing #2: Chewing Communion?
Being the "true" Catholics that we are, our family never sits at the front of the church during mass. Last week, however, was an exception because there were no other seats available for us. Anyways, I took notice that people were chewing on the host.

I rememeber vividly in Grade Two, when we first received communion, Sister Edwards, our strict school principal, told us never to chew on the host, because symbolically, you would be chewing on Jesus. Instead, you're supposed to let the wafer get soggy on your tongue, and swallow it without ever using your teeth.

Sidenote: This topic almost sounds dirty.

Anyways, I've been thinking about this for quite a while, whether what Sister Edwards says is true. I'm going to go Google this when I have time, and I will get back to you. I refuse to ask the pastor, becuase I'm afraid of the consequences. Haha.

Random Thing #3: I want to molest frosh
I was pretty much in the lab for the entire duration where I didn't have class. There were a few folks in the lab who asked me how to add money on your FES printing account. Of course, being an elderly UW student that I am-- in which is quite depressing-- I was glad to help. He brought up the point that it was stupid how we get a print out about "Insufficient Funds", if we have insufficient funds. It totally reminded me when I was an innocent frosh, just like him.

Also today, I saw Planning frosh measuring the Modern Languages Courtyard for their first Urban Design project. That brought back so many wonderful memories of late nights in the REV and V1 Great Hall.

Anyways, some of the frosh are HOT! Some look like all innocent, while others simply don't even look like frosh. No matter which type you are, I'm ready to molest.

Random Thing #4: My roommates are the best
My roommates rock! I love the fact that my roommate Jacob is more particular about cleanliness than I am! In every house, I always delegate myself the task to clean the tub, whenever mildew and other grossness accumulates on the tub surface. Today, Jacob actually initiated the cleaning adventure himself!

He's also quite the sweet guy-- not to me but to his girlfriend. They are a great couple. Jacob placed a Post-It note on the fridge door today to remind me and, and my other roommate, Abhi "to be careful not to crush the flowers." He is giving it to his girlfriend on Friday.

Awwww.

Abhi is great too. He could definitely prepare some amazing lamb dishes and he is appropriately social. In other words, he socializes an appropriate amount that he a great person to have around, but not too social to the point that he's irritatingly having visitors.

Abhi is in Comp Eng, and Jacob is in Math/Biz.

Oh, did I mention that no dishes have yet to be accumulated on the sink? This is a living-away first for me!

Random Thing #5: Matt the UWATERLOO model
Since I've set foot in the University of Waterloo, I've longed to be in those happy multicultural photos in campus brouchures of students you see carrying out student activities around campus.

Anyways, my wish was finally granted this week. I was part of a photo session in the Winter term for CECS's newest co-op employment marketing strategy called "Employ. Ability." and the brochures were distributed this week. I was not featured in the ES pullout but for the Faculty of Science.

But whatever, I can cross one thing off my list. Woo!

Last weekend, I had the honour to take VIVA, York Region's newest rapid transit system. Bowie and I decided to drive to First Markham Place (given that we live in Milliken) and take VIVA Purple line (Town Centre Blvd. -> York University). Our destination was set for the Promenade in Thornhill.

Here are my brief thoughts (It's all about 'briefs' now):

VIVA is comfortable
The bus seats are very confortable and the seat's is high so that it supports my neck-- which is always a bonus.

VIVA is dependable
We took the VIVA on Sunday, and the bus came in less than 10 minutes. According to VIVA, bus frequencies will be at least every 15 minutes-- which is almost short of a miracle in the suburban world.

VIVA fare payments are easy
On VIVA, you pay before you board. At every VIVAstation, you can purchase validated fare tickets. You can purchase your ticket using cash or credit card.

Boarding VIVA is faster
Because your ticket is prepaid, you can skip the operator and you, like the subway, can use all available doors. Like the GO Train, the service is an honour system.

VIVA is high-tech
Using GPS, VIVA tells you when the bus arrives at your stop. Also, on the bus, VIVA automatically announces the next stop.

VIVA has no ads
The entire bus, inside and out, has no ads. I love it! No consumer distractions!

VIVA Drivers have nice uniforms
I swear, I wonder how I can get my hands on a VIVA tie? It would be so neat to go to work at PIR with a VIVA tie. "Eat your heart out, colleagues."

However, VIVA can't possibly be everything we'd hope for. Here are a few points.

VIVA is not (yet) competitive to the car
VIVA uses the sames lanes as the regular traffic, which means we get to be congested on Highway 7 around Highway 404. This is not good. We must wait for VIVA Phase II for dedicated transitways.

VIVA is not accessible in my community
VIVA currently runs along Highway 7 and Yonge Street. As I mentioned, we had to purposely drive to go to a Vivastation and ride it. The VIVA Green line (Markham Centre -> Don Mills Station) will start operations in October, but still, the stations are quite far from my place.

If you have nothing to do one day, I strongly suggest you to try VIVA. I again want to commend York for their strive for a more competitive mode of transportation in our region that we so critically need.

If only I could say the same about the Big Pipe issue-- but that's another story.

This past weekend was a Chinese holiday known as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar Calendar, and is pretty much the equivalent of Canada's Thanksgiving Day, where we celebrate our harvest.

It also celebrates about some Chinese myth about some lady that lived on the moon, but I forget. (No, not Sailor Moon)

Back to the topic, for those who aren't familiar with the Lunar calendar, the 15th day of each month is the day where the moon is its fullest. Particularly the 8th month, the moon is especially large, as it is closer to the earth.

Instead of the traditional turkey, Chinese people have moon cakes to recognise this holiday. If you enjoy really oily and really sweet things, moon cakes are your best bet. (By the way, my parents actually packed one for me coming back to Waterloo-- so Waterlooians, you can have some!). Aside from moon cakes, lighting lanterns is also a tradition during this time.

I remember when I was a little boy in Hong Kong, it was such a big deal-- presumably it still is today. Anyways, my parents would buy-- my sister, my cousins and me-- paper lanterns and we'd flock on the streets just doing what kids consider fun (e.g. running around chasing each other for no apparent reason). Anyways, one particular year is still vivid in my momory and I was probably four years of age. It was a really chilly night-- probably temperatures in the single digits-- which, by the way, is very cold considering Hong Kong's high humidity values.

I remember there was a little night market arrangement set up at the outdoor square next to our flat. While each of us was holding on to our paper lanterns, I admired some of those crazy lanterns that was lit by blubs-- ours were the "real" lanterns, lit by candles.

Of course, my parents would not spend money on such waste, and snubbed me off. I think the reason why I still remember this so vividly is because of what happened next.

As we were heading home, being the clumsy boy that I was (and still am), I carelessly jolted my lantern while I was playing, and it lit on fire. After my discovery, I alerted my dad-- with the expectation that he could save my lantern. But instead, he threw it to the ground and smothered for fire by stomping on it.

This is when I start crying and demanding that he get me another one.

Of course, he didn't. What's worse, my sister, nor my cousins, gave me theirs. Mind you, I'm the youngest of my sister and my cousins.

What happened to young kid always getting their own way? Obviously, this is a myth.

Anyways, the moral of this story is that Mid-Autumn Festival was definitely really fun, and I hope to go back to Hong Kong to experience that again-- well maybe not the lantern burning part.

Despite the large Chinese population in Toronto, we simply haven't carried our traditions with us in Canada. The only thing that we have carried on in Canada is the annoyance of dim sum restaurants nagging you to buy mooncakes. Oh gawd, it's so irritating after a while.

Mid-Autumn Festival - [wikiedpia.org]

Now that the bloody work report is done, my life in Waterloo can finally begin.

Every term, your beloved Matthew must hiberate for the first week of school and write this dreaded work report-- the ubiquitous work report that seriously adds no value to my education but to create some marketing for CECS that our students produce something tangible at the end of the work term. Oh, please.

Yes I'm bitter.

Instead, I've always wanted to write one of those reflection papers-- the ones that UW accountants write. I've always been great with writing reflection papers. You might recall the essays that discuss how my experiences, how I felt, what I've learned, and how it has enhanced my life. I've become such a pro at writing these papers from my four years of religion class at Fr. McGivney.

Oh, high school, I (sort of) miss thee.

This term, my creative report title this term is Engaging the Private Sector in Transit Capital Infrastructure. Writing this report is like pulling teeth-- no it's worse-- it's like pulling teeth and taking a Craftsman drill and making a nice crater in my new wound.

Once again, I've gone over the page limit: 4570 words (hush, hush). The maximum is 4000 words. This is considered good for me. I've typically gone much further than that. I don't understand why I always do this. Perhaps it's because I'm paranoid and very particular that I don't miss anything.

At work, I've been told by my boss that my briefing notes are sometimes overwritten. According to him, I've developed what he calls planning syndrome.

Don't worry, it's not contagious.

He explains that planning programs have, and I'm sure planners agree, have build an almost excessive foundation for writing comprehensive research reports. Consequently, this planning syndrome describes the difficulty for planners to transition from being comprehensive in reports to being concise. According to him, this term is readily used in the Ontario Public Service.

This long digression is not leading me anywhere. Essentially, my point I don't like work reports-- or any reports for that matter. I'm tired of it.

I should really let this go, but I thought I'd vent my troubles away.

I feel better now.

Dear Summer,

Why did you leave me so soon? We developed such a great relationship together for the past few months, and now you're gone and I'm bauling on my pillow, begging for your return.

As I'm typing this letter to you, I'm playing my compilation of gloomy love songs in your memory-- from Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, to Cher's Song for the Lonely.

Please come back to me. Bring back, bring back, oh, bring back my summer to me. I'm starting to get an impression that this term is going to be one of those agonizing 2A-kinda terms.

PS: Hopefully, I could post all the pictures of you and me really really soon.

Your Lov-ah,
Matt

I feel obliged to write something just to show my blog existence.

Things are going to an okay start here in Waterloo, except for utter craziness on campus. If students can avoid going to school in the Fall term, do so.

They might as well call this week, "Queue Week," the inevitable week after Frosh Week.

Line up for OSAP documents.
Line up for the WATcard office.
Line up at the Bookstore.
Line up at CIBC.
Line up at Tim Horton's.
Line up for Resnet tech support.
Line up for computer workstations.
Line up for the Planning admin ladies.

This is not an exhaustive list.

I'll be back when I need a distraction from my teeth-pulling work term report.