Pre-Celebration Cleaning

Pre-celebration cleaning means redecorating.   The pre-celebration cleaning photo featured today was completed a few months ago.

I have nothing

I actually thought of a great post for today last night.  I was trying to remember what it was since this morning.

That's why when you have a great idea,  it's important to write it down.

I wonder if I'll ever remember what I wanted to post for today from yesterday.

Why I love public transit - part 3 - the parking lot

The parking lot of a Commuter Train Station with strict schedule is a funny place, especially during the evening rush hour.

At the same station, same time of a certain Station everyday,  one would see the same group of people rushing to the exit of the train, running to their cars, speeding out with their cars and, finally,  a line of cars slowly forming at every stop sign.

I enjoyed watching this everyday from my passenger seat on the commuter train.

What is an open letter?

Technology according to Collins Cobuild refers to methods,  systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes.

Open letter according to the author of this blog is something like the following ramble:

What's a letter? A letter is the content inside of an envelope.  (If you want a better written explanation to this question please check with Collins Cobuild)

What's an open letter?  The opposite of an unopened letter.

Unfortunatrly, my unopened open letter was returned to me.

Guess how heavy my boots are?

It's great seeing these guys fundraising again.  When is the next car wash?

Obviously a guy in uniform is way more attractive than a muddy Spartan!

Have a good week! :D

AROO... just because.

My Beautiful Yesterday!

Don't let this photo fool you.  I didn't struggle during this climb.  (That's why I had time to pose with my hand for 5 seconds! )

Spartan Race Day information!

Off to Spartan with Shania Twain!

You have no hobbies!

Everyone has hobbies.  You may not realize you have hobbies.

Playing the piano was not a hobby but it became one.   I feel inspired sometimes while playing or trying to play songs from scores.  Other times, I feel frustrated.

I felt inspired today that's why I was compelled to write.   As I was playing I started thinking something like:  at least I can somewhat play this song now and it sounds pretty good.  I'm glad I put in all those hours on the piano.  Once you've learned something,  you really never lose it.

I don't excel in anything but at least I can do many things.

I'm not doing the following excercise but I would suggest that my non-existent readers to write down a list of things they can do,  like now.

Canada 150

It's flyer Thursday, meaning I get to enjoy the weekly local newspaper and its inserts.   It used to be skinny Tuesday and gourmet Thursday (FYI, no more skinnys).  Tomorrow is garbage Friday, some of my neighbours are very diligent with getting rid of old news.

Anyhow,  my local community is gearing up for Canada 150.  You can just tell from the newspaper.

It's dreamy Thursday.  A real celebration would be Canada 365.  The entire nation take the whole year off.

Being Late for Spartan Race in Vancouver, BC

As you may know, I bought a season pass to attend all Spartan Race in Canada so far I've attended almost every single event officially and every event unofficially.  What does that mean?

Well, I arrived at 11:30 a.m. last last Sunday for Spartan Race held in Mount Seymour.  By the time I showed up, the registration staffs/volunteers were already picking up their registration equipment.  Basically, everything has been unplugged!  I was told by one staff/volunteer that the last heat went at 11:00 a.m.. I am a Spartan Race Season Pass Holder and I was pretty sure I was guaranteed a run for every event and I was pretty sure the last heat was 12:00 or something.  I also signed up for last last Sunday's Race, granted I signed up for a much earlier start time.  Seeing that all the registration equipment was packed up, I skipped the bag drop and just started sprinting off from the starting line.  I was a bit upset.  I had no timing chip, no bandanna so I just gave little to no efforts to obstacles that I hated because there was no time anyways!  Besides, I was tired from running almost the same course the day before.

I wanted to finish the course as soon as possible because I didn't want to become too much of a nuisance for the staff/volunteers that were prepared to leave and I had more plans for the remainder of the day anyways.  You see, I was going to do tourist things by myself.  I had all my information printed before I departed from Ontario.

Anyhow, although I felt sad and angry at the beginning, it was extremely nice to be the last one to run because there was no one blocking my way and I can just run, run, run, run, jump, jump, jump.  There was so much room to maneuver.  It's really unfortunate that I don't know how long it took me to complete the course :(.  Anyhow, this was my first Spartan Race where most of the course was covered by snow and ice.  I loved it!  I can slide down hills without being scared of rocks and mud and etc to scrape and hurt me.

After Spartan Race, I hiked down the mountain a little, hitched a ride to the community centre, walked to the bus station, rode the bus, visited Canada Place and surrounding areas and walked the entire outer shore of Stanley Park.  See map below for a small glimpse of where I visited!  I am proud to say that I visited every place I planned to visit and more.  Very productive weekend trip!

My beef with Social Media Platforms

Social Media Platforms like Facebook has been around for at least a decade now or maybe well known for a decade.   I don't use it much and I think the way it is being used hasn't changed much.

Extroverts gets energy when they socialize while introverts' energy get sucked away.

I consider myself more of an introvert than extrovert that's why I don't like social media technologies.   It tires me out.   On top of that,  I don't need a founder of a technology to say what I want or need.  For example,  a long time ago Facebook pushed out news feed and other new fearures.  Each time they push something "new", they would force it on their users and get a backlash.  Eventually,  people "love" the forced new feature.  Well, it's 2017 and I still hate newsfeed.

Please don't forget Facebook started out for some people as a platform to stalk their crush(es) at university classes.

I don't know what it is now but, to me, it's a pest I can't get rid of.

I am the official household crier

What is a household crier?  The person appointed by the head of household to make official household announcements.

I have been the household crier since the purchase of this bell.  I make announcements that meals are ready!

Perhaps a better title would be meal crier.  

Anyhow,  over the weekend I watched the town crier competition.   That's when I realized I've been a household/meal crier since the late 90s.

Why phantom of the opera is still playing

I've been practicing the piano for the Phantom of the Opera most of my life.   I still cannot play every song without making a mistake.  I've also seen the show twice,  the first time I saw it I was a little girl and hardly understood it and the second time I saw it was a few years ago.  I've also listened to the live recording of the original London cast many times.

For the longest time,  I didn't understand what they were saying at all.  English is my second language.   As I got older and as my English got better, I can finally understand the basics of it.

I think it's popular among entertainers/performers/artists and audiences because it's a fun, romantic portrayal of being an entertainer/performer/artist.  If you ignore phantom and Christine completely and listen carefully to the other characters,  you hear their stories too.

I think the lyricist for Music of the Night had a lot of fun writing that song.   I laugh sometimes while playing that song or singing it.

I dunno if I'm reading too much into my music book.

In summary,  it's a really smart show.

I'm Back!

But, I don't feel like writing.  Please enjoy this GIF.

IcY, COLD TerrainE!

Dear readers:

By the time you are reading this, I should be somewhere on the mountain.  I've been told that there's ice and that it's cold.  I'll report back on Tuesday to confirm if there's ice and if it's cold. Actually, maybe it's a hint that there will be an ice bucket challenge.

I cramped my leg on my first ice bucket challenge LOL. Don't do it too fast!

Adios! Chat later!

SimplyICED

Leisure Pace = no leg cramps

Dear my non-existent devoted readers:

I'll be off to Mount Seymour to my next Spartan Race soon.  The race itself should be leisurely but the travel to the destination is what makes me nervous.   Hopefully, I don't get lost on my way there.

I'm looking forward to the view at the top and all the fun stuff in between.  With my little over handful of experience I can now enjoy the course at a leisurely pace.

Less cramping to no cramping when you walk/jog/run/crawl at the right pace for you.

P.S.  If it's too heavy,  it won't get any lighter.  It will only get heavier.

Clear your Mind

I almost wrote about buffets yesterday.  If you are a follower of my blog, you should know by now that I blog a memory every Wednesday.  Hump Day is Memory Day on this blog.  It's nice to blog about happy memories but it's actually easier to blog about unhappy memories.

I write because it's hard to talk about difficult memories and it's even harder to find a willing listener that you want to talk to who won't dismiss your experience.  I usually want to write when I am dwelling on an unhappy memory.  Once I start writing, my thoughts venture into something else and I forget about something that has been upsetting me for the longest time.  The unhappy memory is in the past and I have moved on.  The sadness or anger about the situation comes back from time to time but there's nothing I want to do about it anymore.

So, what was this unhappy memory that triggered me to write this blog post?  It's very simple.  I was verbally bullied in High School which led to a chain of unfortunate events.  Basically, because I was called "fat, ugly, pimply, etc." I didn't want to stay in school during spare time at all.  Ugly doodles of me were passed around during class.  Once, this person said to this other person, "isn't simplycandee so ugly" right in front of my face.  The funny thing was, I was thinner than some of the people calling me fat and more attractive, relatively speaking.  I drifted away from all my friends after the teasing started.  I hated high school.  I looked forward to the next chapter of my life but four (4) years of hardly socializing leisurely probably rendered me incapable of hanging around in groups.

This morning I was thinking, when cell phone became popular, I had no need for it.  Now that my adult friends are growing up with jobs, wedding to plans, mortgages to pay or children to tend to, I feel like the same thing is happening again.  I honestly, don't need a cell phone.  I don't want to reach out to anyone and my friends have no time to spare.  Incoming calls are just sales calls.  Yes, I understand their priorities are changing and I am at the bottom of their totem pole as always. I'm used to being there.

The last few years, I've been wondering if people are becoming worse or if people has always been like this.  I am upset that things like Amanda Todd happened.  I also question photographs now because you can easily photoshop things in and out.

As a child, when I watched fantasy movies like Back to the Future, it was dreamy.  Now I am questioning what's real and what's fake.

Well, let's end with some facts that I believe are real:

1. We have landed on the moon a few times.
2. Planet of the Apes is, among other things,  a movie.
3. Some artists can draw so well that it is hard to determine if their drawing is a drawing or a black and white photograph.

P.S. I used to work too much.  I am reclaiming summer this year!  I lost at least 5 years of sunshine, literally.  I saw no sunlight on my way to work, no sunlight during work, and no sunlight on my way home from work.  I don't know how much Vitamin C my body is lacking after 5 years of hardly any sunshine.

When you can't keep up with technology 2

You buy things on sale that appears to be obsolete.

My TAPOUTxt set up.  Mats, gloves and sandals not included.   Inside the box is as seen on TV.  I recycled the outer box cover already which showed everything inside.

I did DAY one and it's good review for me.  I can correct my incorrect forms at my own pace and recover my injured body.

Sorry no before photo. You can look up 20770 for before photos.

Piano Teacher Selection 101

Your child wants to learn the piano?  Now what?  Buy a piano?  Buy a keyboard? Find a teacher?  Make your child promise you that he/she will keep playing?   Good luck.

I had three piano teachers.   My first piano teacher was probably not certified but taught me the basics.   My second piano teacher had many students and hosts annual performance.  My third piano teacher was also a piano examiner.

I hardly have any memories of my first piano teacher,  she might not even exist.  She rewarded me with little crafts she made with clay.

I didn't like my second piano teacher and she didn't like me either because I refused to go to her annual performance.  I went to one and it was so boring.   She was angry that I wouldn't go and said there was no point of me learning if I don't go.

I loved my third piano teacher.   I'm sure she loved the piano.   She taught me properly and encouraged me to attend other grading stuff for experience.   Her teachings stuck with me even now.   It's funny,  when I play the piano now,  I'm practicing the way she told me to.   When I was younger I just played.  Now, I see how the different ways in practicing helps you control your playing.   (Side note: try playing an entire song on staccato)

When buying a piano,  make sure your child is with you,  so that he/she knows how expensive the equipment is.   I played for so many years because the piano was so expensive.   The lessons add up too.  No one cared about my opinion during the piano selection.  I wanted a cheap one,  they opted for the more expensive one.

I don't even remember who wanted to learn the piano.   Anyways, I digress,  good luck suckering your child into something.

I'll post the benefits of learning how to read and play music another day.   Practicing may feels mundane but you can have more fun if you have more skills.

This morning

Rainy morning.

Where did the gladiators go?

My very first Spartan Race had gladiators.  A male one parading around and then a bunch of them blocking Spartans near the finish line.   Obviously I was too tiny to be noticed. 

I did not see any gladiators since 2013.  I have only sighted one female gladiator.   I loved her outfit!

Have I been traveling to the wrong locations? 

Chores with Pace

Leisure Friday is for easy chores that you enjoy at a good pace.  Followed by a beverage of your choice so you are ready to photobomb!

Common Childhood Dreams that are not so Common

1.  I have been cured now I want to be a doctor
2.  My so and so passed away now I want to be a doctor
3.  I am suffering from this disease so I am going to become a researcher to find a cure

I am scared of discussions because I am usually holding myself back from saying things like "what if there's no cure", "are you sure you've been cured?".

Ramble ensures..

Ends..