simple math still facinates me

tonight i went to my dad's third cousin(?)'s house for dinner (my paternal grandfather and her mom are first cousins..) or simply (what i call her) my aunt's house for dinner. on wednesdays, her two daughters go to an after-school math program that strengthens kids math skills. it's not like sylvain or other after school programs that help you improve your weak marks, this program specifically teaches kids, who are strong in math, shortcuts, mental math, and even advanced math.

my cousin who's in grade five knows what 5! means.. (5x4x3x2x1 - for those who don't remember :P) she doesn't necessarily understand the concept or the usefulness of it, but she knows what it means and how to solve a problem that contains it. my cousin in grade three can do problem solving with complex venn diagrams! VENN DIAGRAMS!

the last time i went to my aunt's house for dinner, she was showing me their workbooks and i was SO amazed! so she invited me to sit in on their class today since the school is on my way home from work. the grade 5 class was learning how to turn a repeating decimal into a fraction - something i don't even remember learning :S

i would LOVE to learn what they're learning even though i may not necessarily have use for it all, but it would still be interesting. my aunt suggested i take their training course to become an instructor. it's certainly tempting to apply..

the cashier thinks i'm CRAZY..

i have this big green monstrous of a bag that i keep in my car for grocery shopping. i was given it a month ago and i always forget to bring it into the store with me instead of taking plastic bags because i have this huge pile sitting in my cupboard. so to satisfy the tree hugger in me i usually ask for paper bags. today at a&p i forgot to bring in my green bag as usual, so i asked the cashier for paper bags..

cashier: pardon me?
me: paper bags please.
cashier: paper.. bags..?
me: yes, please.
cashier: you mean paper shopping bags..?
(this girl clearly doesn't understand the concept of a paper bag.)
me: yup. they're brown, look like paper lunch bags, but bigger.
cashier: (looking even more confused) umm..

the girl starts to look around nervously as if she's faced with a person in a ski-mask trying to rob her.. finally she tells me she they don't have any and they never had any for as long as she's worked there. i didn't have the heart to ask how long that was. it's not that i didn't believe they don't have paper bags, but.. the confusion on the girl's face was a little worrisome!

foundation confuses person with multiple personalities

shea is raising money for the heart and stroke foundation. so as i usually do for friends, i went ahead to donate. the form is very amusing! typically the title options are mr./mrs./ms./miss, but the heart and stroke foundation go a step (actually a leap) further! here's the list of titles:

• Admiral
• Ambass. & Mrs.
• Ambassador
• BGEN *
• Bishop
• Bishop and Mr.
• Bishop and Mrs.
• Brother
• c/o
• Cantor
• Cantor and Mr.
• Capt.
• Capt. and Mrs.
• CDR *
• Cdr. *
• Chap.
• Chaplain & Mrs.
• Cmdr.
• CMSGT *
• Col.
• Col. and Mrs.
• Commissioner
• CWO4 *
• Deacon
• Dr.
• Dr. & Rev.
• Dr. and Dr.
• Dr. and Mr.
• Dr. and Mrs.
• Dr. and Ms.
• Dr. and Rev.
• Drs.
• Elder
• Estate of
• Father
• Fr. *
• General
• H.R.H.
• Hon.
• Judge
• Lt.
• Lt. Cmdr.
• Lt. Col.
• Major
• Messrs.
• Miss
• Monsignor
• Mother
• Mr.
• Mr. and Mrs.
• Mr. and Ms.
• Mrs.
• Ms.
• MSG. *
• Mss.
• Prof.
• Prof. and Mr.
• Prof. and Mrs.
• Prof. and Ms.
• Rabbi
• Rabbi and Mr.
• Rabbi and Mrs.
• Rep. *
• Rev.
• Rev. and Mr.
• Rev. and Mrs.
• Rev. Dr.
• Rev. Dr. & Mrs.
• Rt. Rev. *
• Rt. Rev. & Mr.
• Rt. Rev. & Mrs.
• Senator
• Senator & Mrs.
• Sgt.
• Sister
• Sr.
• The
• The Hon.
• The Hon. & Mr.
• The Hon. & Mrs.
• The Rev. Deacon

cantor reena, commodore reena, mother reena.. THE reena! oh, i should so take that option.

by the way, the * indicates the titles i have no clue what they mean.. and i'm far too lazy to look them up at the moment.

reena's patented geek-o-meter

this whole idea of rating geeks fascinates me. i figured i should have started with a definition of a geek. on wikipedia, i don't completely agree with their definition, so i'm making up a mashup of my own.

geek: a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by technology.
nerd: someone who is devoted to intellectual pursuits. (thank you merriam-webster)

the rating system, most important part!

digital watch
one of the staples of geekdom. what kind of geek would you be without a digital watch?! this device has come a long way since the 70s, now available with a built in calculator, stopwatch, or even a computer, which demonstrates how ever-changing technology is. back in the day geeks were identified by their numerous pens and a slide rule hanging from their belt, but now they are identified by the various gadgets they carry. this will symbolize a geek who carries more than three electronic devices (digital camera, mp3 player, pda, cellphone, handheld game console, laptop, or digital watch).

glasses
i've met very few geeks who don't wear glasses; very, very few (and i'm proud to be one of those people!). glasses have always been associated with geeky and nerdy. (my mum always told me if i ever needed glasses that i was getting contacts.) so in honour of that, this will symbolize their unobliviousness, blind to those around them, basically their poor social skills.

suspenders
my introduction to suspenders being unfashionable occured pretty late in life. my dad used to wear them from time to time under suit jackets, so i was never really exposed to the geek-side of suspenders until i met my grade 5 & 6 teacher: monsieur gaudreault. he was my last non-science teacher that made learning fun through really interesting projects and games. every day he'd show up to school with a white dress shirt, black dress pants, black sneakers, a mullet, taped glasses, and suspenders. i kid you not. because of monsieur gaudreault, this will symbolize a lack of fashion sense.

broken lightbulb
i've met a few geeks who despise any kind of light unless it's coming from their monitor. there's one who was even tempted to duct tape tarp to ensure no light came into their room, hence the pastey white complexion. they're the ones who value solitude the most. to those who aren't very social in person and prefer to play video games 24/7, we give the broken lightbulb.

stickman
geeks are so involved with something technology related (usually video games) that they have a tendency to forget about eating. this diet, the envy of teenage girls everywhere, leads to a small, stick like frame. to symbolize an overly skinny physique, we have the stickman.

so to sum it all up..
digital watch --> carries more than three electronic devices
glasses --> poor social skills
suspenders --> lack of fashion sense
broken lightbulb --> prefers solitude, plays games ALL the time
stickman --> skinny physique

i think that's a pretty good rating system - five variables, like five stars. so how geeky are you?

as much as i love bananas..

the other day i walked into my boss' office and saw he was eating a banana. he saw me walk-in, so i said i'd come back in a bit when he wasn't busy. he insisted i come in for whatever the reason i was there to see him. oh dear.. i felt SO VERY uncomfortable. i can't watch someone eat a banana, let alone eat one myself.

i have issues eating a banana right from the peel. i always have to eat it in pieces, whether i break it with my fingers or cut it up with a knife. but i never can take bites out of a whole banana - it's just WEIRD!

i'll let you come to your own conclusions as to why that is. but it shouldn't be too difficult. i mean the connotations that are obviously implied..

i watch too much tv..

i got to partake in the "live version" of a commercial today.  a guy at work walked through the office carrying a little yellow packet.  as he got closer, i noticed it was an all-bran bar.  in shock i asked, "you eat all-bran bars?!" he replies, "yes, they're awesome!"  and then i laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more.

i've seen the all-bran commercials and always thought "who does that?"  i mean really, who in their right mind would laugh at the idea of eating an all-bran bar?!  well.. now we all know it's me..

my purse went on a field trip

on sunday, mum and dad flew off to england from toronto.  they're planning on heading to india for a couple of weeks to shop for my brother's wedding.  hooray, new outfits for me!

while we were getting ready to leave for the airport, i started searching high and low for my purse.  then i realised.. it's in the glove compartment of the suv.. which heren, my brother, is driving.. back home to ottawa.. ugh.  luckily, by that time he had only made it to pickering because of the crazy traffic on the 401.  so he turned around and headed to scarborough because dad's sister lives right off the 401.  since she and her family were with us in brampton, heren dropped off my purse at her neighbour's house.

now that my purse was on the other side of the city, how was i going to get it back?  even though my car keys were in my purse i had a spare set of keys at home.  so dharmesh, my cousin, drove my car, with my parents and i, to the airport.  from the airport, dharmesh and i drove to scarborough to our aunt's house.  GOT MY PURSE!  from scarborough, i drove to thornhill to drop dharmesh off at home.  from thornhill, i headed home to brampton.  *sigh* i got home at 10pm and felt shattered.  funny thing is, the entire time i was without my purse i felt kind of useless.. i had no access to my money since all my cards and cash were in my purse.  and well.. what can you do without money?!

i've learned my lesson though.  when someone suggests to take your purse in case you have to drive, i'll just take out my license and stick it in my phone's case.  this way i won't be pennyless if i happen to forget my phone and licence..