Oh Susie.

Theres this woman I know, who shalt not be named. Actually, lets call her Susie just to make things easier.

One day, Susie was on the computer. Susie often uses the computer to watch things on YouTube, usually How-To videos, like How To make a certain Indian dish (hint hint) or How To train your dog. If Susie isn't on YouTube, she is checking her hotmail account as she frequently recieves chain mail from her friends. On this particular day, Susie called out to me,

"Rakhee, what's your cell phone PIN? Its supposed to be 4 digits."

I started to think about it, because I couldn't remember, but then questioned why she was asking me for this information in the first place. I know she doesn't know how to check accounts online. She replied,

"Because, it says I won an iPad 2 and it's asking me for a cell phone number and PIN."

At this point, I run into her room to check the screen. Just as I had presumed, there was a pop-up ad, proclaiming that she had won an iPad 2 because she was the 2093828 person to visit the website.

"Susie, this is a pop up ad...have you already entered my phone number on this?"

"..Yes.."

4 minutes later I recieved my first spam text msg.

Thanks Susie.

Sisters

Rak (23): Get twitter asap or else you'll be behind your generation. Make sure Beiber is in your prof pic too or else, again, you'll be ridiculed.
Rup (17): Yeah I know.

dream diaries

I dreamt I was in Roots at my local mall and had to put a winter hat on hold at a different store because the lady in front of me had just bought the last one. When the stylist called the store on Bloor, she said they were apparently too busy to do it because they were prepping for the Royal Wedding. So I called back myself an hour later pretending to be Kate Middleton to speed up the process.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

people watching at the library

Yesterday, I was at the library doing some work and sat at a table next to a girl with her laptop open:
As I'm twiddling my thumbs, brainstorming and what not, I get distracted. She has ear buds in and I'm almost certain she is NOT listening to music... sounded more like a low rumble... sort of like some low rumbler guy is talking. So I think, meh maybe shes listening to language recordings or an audio book (man I miss those) and carry on with my people watching. Thing is, I can't help randomly glance in her direction because she keeps giggling to herself and tap tap typing away. I assumed shes on msn or whatever until I see her do this to her computer:
Not an odd gesture to see in the library.. but to shush one's computer? Thats a bit weird noh? AND THEN I hear the pst pst pst through her headphones of a guys voice again, and a giggle from her. She makes a face. And another. Giggle. Face. Oh Em Gee, is she VIDEO CHATTING with someone? One way video chat? You see me, you audibly talk to me, I type back? At the library? In a public SPACE? Anyways I find this all vaguely funny/strange and flash back to this time in uni when I was in a coffee shop attached to the library. I recall sitting down at a table and hearing a guy say, "Hi mom!" I looked up to find a guy gleefully chatting to his computer with his ear buds in. Thats all for now. Bye Mum.

I've got two sets of headphones and

My friend sent me this and it made me miss music so goddamn much. Headphones strapped on your head, walking home at night with clear skies and beautiful stars kinda music. (Shutup, I just walked my dog.)



I've sort of been going through this phase where I stopped listening to my ipod in public spaces because I felt it disconnected me too much from my surroundings. Sounds stupid and pretentious I know, but I hated that I kept missing these interactions with the people around me. And I know this is creepy --and that you aren't supposed to start a sentence with the word 'and'-- but I also find it really interesting to watch people. To listen to them too.

This doesn't go for everything because I really don't enjoy hearing girlfriends complain about how they 'don't care if their boyfriend calls them back, BUT don't SAY you're going to call then don't' OR young male teens going through a thug-esque identity crises who brag about smoking weed and effing people up.

However people with their phones n music are SO in there own worlds and I just wish they weren't. Perhaps its the same as looking out a window of the bus on the ride home and zoning out but I still think that with ipods and phones you are making a conscientious choice and a decision to cut yourself out of your environment.

I'm not saying everyone should stop listening to their music. In fact I've really begun to miss mine. But lets try and reduce situations where you can't casually say, "g'morning," to someone, without them looking at you blankly as they take an ear bud out, while you explain you were just saying good morning.

I am NOT a food blogger...and this might be why.

One day a couple weeks ago I decided to make a batch cupcakes. It was my friends birthday after all and what better way to celebrate one's birth than by spoiling them with baked goods.

I had made chocolate cheesecake cupcakes before, for another dear friends celebration and received wonderful reviews. I decided I would go with that recipe since it gives the illusion that a lot of effort has been put into making it..when really its quite simple.

How simple?

Cream cheese, confectioners sugar, chocolate chips and chocolate cake mix. All accessible ingredients at your neighborhood grocery store.

On this day, I realized I did not have chocolate chips and was without a car. I could walk over but then I would be wasting all that precious baking time and the cupcakes might not cool quickly enough. I decided to opt for hot chocolate powder mix. A decent substitute for the cream cheese part I thought, still chocolatey.. no chips but nonetheless, chocolate.

As I churned the cream cheese with the confectioners sugar and hot chocolate powder, I began to realize another mistake in my steps -- I did not wait for the cream cheese to go to room temperature. Despite my efforts with the electric mixer, this fatal flaw caused the cream cheese to lump up. Because these lumps were not properly mixed, they did not contain the chocolate powder, so the mixture turned out brown with white lumps..

I shrugged thinking when it baked it would maybe melt and probably be fine. So I carried on.

I started to spoon one part chocolate cake mix (followed the steps on the box) and then on top, 1/3 part cheesecake mix (cream cheese, confectioners sugar and hot chocolate powder).

I will admit, I got a little carried away, not accurately calculating how much of these mixes I was actually putting in. Only at the end, did I notice, I had not made the full 24 but instead 16 cupcakes. Oh well, so they'll be large! And with that, I popped them in the oven.

Exactly 23 minutes later I went to check on them only to find that they looked like this:

Over sized, mutant chocolate cupcakes with disgusting brown/white matter sinking through the chocolate cake. Whats more, is when I cut one down the middle of one, I realized that indeed the lumps had stayed to form and sort of to resemble vomit.

They tasted alright once you got past the visual aversion.

So I give you my vom-cupcakes. Apparently it is possible to mess up the most simple recipe in the world.

And I'm Like Forget You

So I've been watching American Idol for exactly 1 hour and that Ceelo song is on constantly, and might I add, super catchy. In fact every time I hear it I get secretly excited because I think I've learnt all the words. Anyways, I'm hanging out, judging the contestants, feeling like one myself and suddenly the phone rings. I take a quick look at the caller ID to see if the person on the line is worthy of my time. It says UWO, so I figure, its my lil sis!

Side Note:
When my sister and I talk on the phone, we often either, a) pretend to be someone else for the first minute (usually unsuccessfully), or, b) be complete idiots.

I pick up the phone deciding that I will probably belt out, "I see you drivin' round town with the guy I love and I'm like, FORGET YOU "
But then decide, I will probably be silent till she gets confused, wonders why someone isn't answering the phone, and then catch her off guard when she says, "Hello??"

So I wait...1...2....3......4.......5....6....7.... (silence...er why isn't she answering??!)...8...9...10...
I wait for 15 seconds to pass and decide, CLEARLY she needs a prompt, so I whisper, verrrrry in a creepy tone, "hello," WITH NO intonation of a question, just merely a statement, hello. As in, hello, I've been waiting for you.

LOW AND BEHOLD it was NOT my sister on the other line, it is, "A student from the University of Western Ontario, calling to notify..." BLARRRRRRRRRRGH. I hang up and die of embarrassment. Good thing I didn't start with the song!