Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you?

Have you ever been alone in a crowded room; well I'm here with you...

"Is this the famous Jon Wong?"
"Yup, that's him"
"'Famous' Jon Wong?"
"Yeah; all I ever hear in our house is 'Jon Wong this,' 'Jon Wong that!'"
-- Overheard at giant party on Friday

It's not narcissistic for me to feel good about overhearing that is it? I'm going to say no.

4 days still I arrive in New York... hopefully with my guitar still intact.

"I hate stalkers, psychos, perverts, pathetic ppl, annoying ppl, 2 faced ppl, copy cats or followers, n ppl who gossip"
-- the About Me section on a "friend's" facebook profile

So... basically, you hate everyone. That's quite the extensive list.

I'm thinking about this guitar-transportation business across the border on a plane thing and I have to say I'm not impressed with the guitar-catering services provided by most airlines (read: non-existent). It's basically too big to be considered carry-on baggage but checking it in means that it will get tossed around in a frenzied manner as it gets put into the plane, taken out of the plane, and dropped on various conveyor belts. I should have feigned ignorance at guitar-playing during my interview.

Why am I unable to find Grease in either Blockbuster OR Roger's Video. Please, it's not that obscure of a movie!

You know what I really don't like that I find keeps happening with increasing frequency these days due to my increasing number of naps? The phone ringing during a nap and me having to answer it. My cognitive processes are SO slow the minute I wake up that it is impossible for me to carry out an intelligent conversation with anyone on the other line. Twice today I have made an ass of myself due to picking up the phone straight out of my sleep (it doesn't help that the receiver is right next to my head) and talking to the other person on the line in my grogginess.

"You spin around me like a dream
We played out on this movie screen
And I said, 'Did you know I miss you?'"
-- Konstantine

Things to do before I depart:
1. Book my wisdom teeth removal appointment
2. Create camp lesson plans
3. Figure out how to get to camp
4. Label my clothes
5. Buy a new guitar case that isn't the fragile plastic thing I currently own
6. Romp

Cause you know... romping is key.

Caught up with the rest of the world and saw Spider-man 3 with mon pere today. It was a little slow at times. I honestly didn't think they'd resolve the Venom conflict within this movie. I thought it would have been about Peter Parker dealing with the symbiote, and using Venom as kind of lead into a Spider-man 4. The movie doesn't seem to suggest there will be an S4 and that's probably good. Sequels make me so nervous because as easy as it is to shoot a bad movie, it's even easier to shoot a bad sequel. Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter/Star Wars don't count because those stories are legitimately seperated. Still, I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. There were some stupid parts but what can you do?

Suicide rate > Females: 5.4 per 100,000 people
Suicide rate > Males: 21.5 per 100,000 people

Yo! Why are all the males in this country killing themselves at a rate 4 times that of the females?!

I was supposed to call Elaine at 11 but forgot. I also left my computer with an online status to grab a bag of popcorn, but got caught up in the baseball game and didn't return to my computer until 45 minutes later. Numerous people had messaged me and had gone offline since.

Wow, I failed in life today. Just a little bit.

But I also helped to ease someone's suffering (I hope). So maybe that made up for it. Who knows.

"This is a fantastic song" - Jon Wong
"Why do you like it?" - Jasmine
"..." - Jon Wong
"You just like it, right?" - Jasmine
"Yeah, pretty much" - Jon Wong

And there's the truth of it. I am usually unable to explain my aesthetic tastes or preferences beyond a general statement. Songs, films, literature, food, whatever. Jasmine picked up on it like lightening when she was picking my brain during her stay. I can rarely describe to you "why" I like a song, or "why" this film is good. They just are.

On the other hand, I'm better at breaking down why I *don't* like things. Somehow, it's easier that way.

Oh yeah, I also got my ears cleaned today. It's an interesting process.

I hate parting ways with my cousins. I always feel very lonely.

The fortunes in fortune cookies are getting better. There are still some pretty bad ones like "You will be surprised today" or some stupid generic thing like that but Jasmine and I got a pretty good one today:

"Blood is thicker than water - but it also boils quicker"

I'm bored out of my skull and she's only been gone for half an hour.

I think I enjoy the insanely busy life although the insanity that has been this past week has worn me so thin I'd disappear if you looked at me sideways. But if I may say so, it has been an immensely enjoyable experience. Besides, Jasmine has been good company... by the way, that's her name. I noted some time ago that I have almost always referred to her as "the cousin that's coming up from the States". Yeah, I do retarded things like that sometimes. I get caught up in referring to things a certain way and simply refer them as such for the remainder of their existence.

Anyhow, I started this post 2 hours ago and I've only gotten as far as that first paragraph. That's all you all really need to know about Jasmine... she's "the cousin that's come up from the States". She's a genius like Qiuwei (Yale graduate on scholarship anyone?), is Singaporean, and does Singaporean-like stuff. There is one defining feature about her that I feel I must mention to do her justice. She has the most amazingly beautiful pair of eyes I have ever seen in my life. I am not kidding.

She arrived Tuesday night and I spent most of it getting rid of my social retardation. Yes, my social retardation holds true for all family members not named Qiuwei regardless of their blood-connection. I do, however, tend to get over this social awkwardness much sooner/easier. So, for the sake of time, we went to the closest available "cool place" in Markham... Unionville main street no less. There, she refuses ice cream of all thing but good ice breaking takes place.

Wednesday, we head downtown for a large day of romping. We visit Casa Loma, the St. Lawrence Market, the CN Tower, and the Eaton's Centre.

Thursday, we head to Niagara Falls for another large day of romping. I visit the casino for the first time in my entire life! It's not actually that exciting. The idea of gambling away your life savings on a slot machine of pure luck seems like sheer lunacy to me but what do I know. Jasmine is tres impressed with the Falls. We go to East Side Mario's for dinner.

Friday, we head to Wonderland for yet another large day of romping... the romping was considerably more vigorous than previous days. Went to the only Singaporean restaurant in the area (score one for multi-culturalism). I head to Grant's place for a swim after sending Jasmine off to bed with cucumbers in her eyes.

Saturday, we head to Algonquin for further romping purposes. It was also the day of the Unionville Festival so we caught a bit of that plus the fireworks. Got slightly intoxicated at dinner. Head for further swimming, again after sending Jasmine off.

Today, change of plans and we ended up going up to some Mennonite village in Kitchener. It was actually considerably more interesting than I had imagined. Also visited the Waterloo campus.

Tomorrow, Jasmine takes off. And I think I'll take off too... take the week off that is! Good thing camp doesn't start for another 3 weeks. I've become deaf in one ear. I'm not kidding.