Okay...so just when I couldn't feel any more like a loser, I go and injure myself while walking. Yeah yeah...how dumb am I? Basically, I just turned on my right ankle as I was walking to the car. Unfortunately, I was also wearing heels at the time. It's funny how fast falling happens. I mean, one second I was standing, the next second I was plummetting to the ground, and then in the next second I was on my hands and knees, with a very sharp pain in every part of my body that's touching the ground. Well...what else can happen?

"I'm falling forever, I've got to break through"

It's official. Today I received the letter from Estée Lauder that formally rejects my plea for employment. She did write the letter and mail it on the day that I returned from the West, so it wasn't like it was waiting for me when I got back. But that means my hopes are all shattered, and I've got to get back out there again. Ah well.

"I want a reason for the way things have to be, I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me"

Greetings, friends! I have returned! I touched down at Pearson at a little after 8pm on Monday night, and I must say that after 10 days of pretty much flawless weather, I was kind of disappointed to see how grey, wet, and relatively cool it was when we landed. If I ever have the chance, I'll have to be sure to tell the good people at Air Canada that it's not the best idea to remind the passengers where the emergency exits are when the plane is about to land. My dad and I looked at each other as the guy was explaining the different locations, and my mom kept asking me "What does this mean?? Why are they telling this to us??" The minor turbulence was a nice touch too.

But what am I doing telling the end of the story before the beginning? Well...it's a bit long, so I'll save the details for the website. All in all, it was a great trip, despite the things that I didn't get to do. I went to the Stampede but didn't see a rodeo. I went to Banff but didn't get to ski (not that I had the opportunity, but you know). I saw many a horse but never got to ride (and, surprisingly, saw more horses in BC than in Alberta). But no matter, it was still really fun.

Barkerville is way more interesting than I had imagined. Chinatown was more than just three shacks, and there were a lot of things to do and see there. Hanging out at the Lung Duck Tong (my aunt's restaurant) was always interesting, because I could see all the behind-the-scenes stuff, and listen to the customers talk about the food and the decor. Speaking of food...good eats! We ate almost all of our meals there, and even my brothers were happy eating Chinese food. The good news is that my aunt will most likely renew her contract next year, and so there will be a good chance that I can go and visit her there again, perhaps with other people in tow.

I can see why everyone who's ever been to Vancouver likes it there. Very laid-back city. Although, the traffic signals are a little challenging ("Flashing red?? What the hell does that mean??"). The best part of it was that my cousin Annie and her husband Michael did all the tour guiding for us, relieving me of that responsibility. We saw sights of the city that we probably never would have seen if I had relied on the CAA tourbook. And it was fun just hanging out with them and their kids.

I seriously can't wait to go back.

"Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air, the summer's out of reach"

So, about 12 hours from now, I'll be at the airport. It's been a long time since I've been able to go on a vacation and not have to change my currency. Actually, I'll be enjoying a lower tax rate, so woo hoo! Time for shopping.

Jocelyn, I'll be sure to say hello to the Stampede for you; Ada, I'll say hi to the sheep (?); and Boni, I'll give Alberta a shout out for you.

"Want to leave but I've got to stay, and I'm wondering more everyday"

So, I'm supposed to be doing some sort of preparation for my impending vacation, and what do I do?

I work on my website.

"Stranger than your sympathy, all these thoughts you stole from me"

Summer in the City:

In the ongoing struggle to redeem the reputation of Toronto, along comes the annual Toronto Street Festival. Always a good time to be had. Coolest thing we saw: an Australian troupe called Strange Fruit. Kind of bizarre watching six people standing 4 meters above the ground on bendy poles.

I attended my first housewarming party yesterday. A nice little townhouse in the Queen East district. Three stories with extremely easy access to the roof. There was even a little self-tour of the place, describing in some detail about things such as how there used to be an orange tree in the bathroom, or the large quantity of miscellaneous screws that were removed from the walls. I suppose the more interesting aspect of the party was the people. I knew a number of people from CUTC, so it wasn't too awkward. I was sitting in the kitchen as people were coming and going and I just happened to look up and see a very familiar girl walk by (Cassie Lee!). It turns out that she knew someone who knew one of the guys who lives at the house (Sean, to be exact; I know Kevin). We had a nice chat before the others started beating the crap out of a Spongebob Squarepants pinata. The other interesting person of the night was Jason Yuen, a guy I've known since....I guess we were about 4 years old. He breezed by me about five times without so much as looking at me. I discussed this with a friend (who also happens to be a guy) and he mentioned that guys have really really bad memories. That must be it. Of course, we hadn't really seen each other since Grade 2, but I was able to recognize him on sight...have I changed that much?

Lesson of the day: They make really good strawberry milkshakes at Spring Roll.

"All around, people looking half dead, walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head"

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Strange to be saying that on a Wednesday.

I attended my very first non-Chinese Chinese wedding on Saturday. That is to say, both the bride and groom are Chinese (I sort of know the groom), but the wedding banquet was at the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond Hill, and it was non-Chinese cuisine. Sort of like going to a formal, except with your parents. Food was pretty good, the music could have been better, and the games were a little bit unusual (instead of clinking the glassware, each table had the opportunity to go and pick a topic for Charades, and if they got the answer correct, the couple had to kiss). And of course, my brothers and cousins and I ended up at the "young persons' table". I felt sorry for the one girl, Vicky, who was here by herself and, while everyone else at the table had either graduated from university or was still in some post-secondary institution, she was slightly out of our age range (14, although she completely didn't look like it). But we all had a pretty good time. I have some bizarre photos of my parents shaking their groove thang that will probably haunt me for years to come.

Congratulations to Vancouver! Hopefully when I get there in a few weeks everyone will still be shiny and happy.

"Drive your car all night by just starlight to Canada"