Had dinner with my sisters and brothers-in-law on Christmas Eve.

You know how people are all nostalgic for home cooking?

Well, I'm not.

But all the giving of useless gifts was heartwarming ("It warms the cockles of my heart!") and amusing. Let's see. My parents got (see, except for me, all the giving and receiving was done in pairs, based on the couple) ... a pair of glass winebottle stoppers and some perfume. Stella and Jonathan got... a belt that didn't fit Stella, a cookbook, and a pair of pink handblown glass Christmas ornaments. Maggie and Dong got... a belt for Maggie that she hasn't tried on yet, and some other random glass things (more bottle stoppers, I think? Maybe they were covers for something). I got a wooden jewelry box for jewelry I don't have, and Trivial Pursuit, which I have no one to play with.

None of this will actually be used.

Still. A nice thought.

The previous Magellan quote was on a t-shirt for sale at The Darwin Awards. I want it. But I seem to want everything.

I bought me some new shoes. They're beautiful. Worship them, mortals. I am easily made happy by material goods. Ahhhh. Luxury.

Today has been the day of belated revelations. Apparently, Chinese and Japanese are really close. 'Cute' in Mandarin is 'ke ai'. In Japanese, it's 'kawaii'. The sad thing is that I've known these two seperate pieces of knowledge for a long time, I just never bothered connecting them until now. Translating from Chinese is a bitch. Here's a poem translated literally by me, for your viewing pleasure.

Grape fine wine night light cup
Before drink piypa horse up blow
Drunk (something) sand field please refrain laugh
Ancient come war how many return?

Now. What the hell is that? Please?? GothJesus, I hope Chinese to English translators get paid more than I do. I'm proud of my translating work on this poem, actually. I can make it rhyme. Here goes. Meter is too much to be hoped for.

Fine grape wine, night's glow in a glass.
Before I drink the sound of a lute on horseback wafts.
Drunk on the sandy battlefield, please don't laugh
Of the ancient pitched battles, how many men come back?

Better, I should hope. Blegh. Cantonese pisses me off. I'm like the only one at school who speaks that dialect and isn't an immigrant from Singapore, except for Chris Lee. I need to change my blog template- it makes my posts look way too long. I'd do it, if I knew how to move my comments too.

Second revelation of the day. Nick S is a Discordian. Hence, Discordo.blogspot.com. And multiple references to Eris. god, I'm so stupid.