Day 27 - HQ - Kayak Sailing Kit Assembly for Jennifer and Michelle

Edwin Cheung
Today, I did not do much. I am getting board at what I do. This morning, The storm make us end our kayaking on beach in Cherry beach. This afternoon I support Jennifer and Michelle to make the sailing thing. I find out I did not do mush activited. basicly I do support for the rest of the week. I am getting board. So time it suck!!! Tomorrow, I am not going to kayaka sailing with the Jennifer and Jennifer friend. I don't know what I will do tonmorrow. I am getting board.

Jason Wang
Today is Sunday August 14, 2011. Well, today we spent the whole day at Monticle HQ because there was a tornado warning across the south of Ontario. Well, anyways today we watched couple movies at Billy's place and ate breakfast which consisted of sausages,spam, instant noodles and corn. It tasted so good! When we got to HQ we went and started to setop the sailing kits for the K2 kayaks. When Billy got us lunch we went and ate while watching a movie on how to kayak. Once that movie was finished we went back to finish setting the sailing kits and packing up for tomorrow. Well that's it for now.

Edwin Lo ☺
Yesterday, Billy said we will go to play the kayak at today, but in today morning we watched the news and we knew have a tornado warning near Toronto, so we could no go out to play the kayak. Then, I stay in Billy house and watched the good movies. After we finished the watch the movies, I went back to Monticle to build the K2 kayak, the first sail we use half hour. The second sail we use twenty min. After, we ate the lunch and we watch a movie for kayak. ☺

Michael
Unfortunately, the tornado warning was activated this morning. The sky was a bit hazy and probably might have thunderstorms and heavy rains coming soon, therefore we didn't go kayaking, but instead stayed at Billy's apartment to have movie-watching. We watched a Chinese movie named 'Let The Bullets Fly' (讓子彈飛), but as it was a quite complicated movie, and because of different culture for Canadians, therefore it was more suitable for the 'mind-contaminated' kids like HK and China kids. Canadians were a bit too pure and innocent, therefore most of us got confused at the half of the movie. Anyway, Billy offered us another movie named 'Miracle' - a Walt Disney product which based on a true story about the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team. Billy let us watch this because his teaching style is almost same alike the coach (Herb Brooks) of the team. Billy also wanted us to know that individualism will not work, and what you need is team spirit. (The coach's technique is almost the same as Billy's - to make the hockey players have the same and only enemy - the coach. The coach just kept making them do beep tests and drove them crazy, until the team captain spoke to the coach that each player played for USA, instead of their own college. As everyone recognized themselves playing for USA altogether, this means the coach finally got a team. I found it quite interesting that sport activities can always deliver meaningful messages and even settle arguments and disagreements. Hopefully, I could learn something meaningful from kayaking :).
For tomorrow, we are going to bring a K1 and K2 with sailing kit on. As we are sailing tomorrow, Jennifer and Michelle assembled the sailing kit onto the K2 today. That's what we did after watching the movies. After the sailing kit assembly getting done, we had our late lunch while watching a kayak video about paddling techniques. The featuring professional was just so skillful like he can make a 360-degree rotary turn with his eyes closed for 5 times continuously. Well, I don't think I can apply those freakin' skills tomorrow, but anyway I will do well tomorrow. :)
Hopefully, tomorrow the weather conditions will be nice for us and probably the girls could be able to enjoy the last day. :) (P.S.hopefully I could finish the Chinese movie too :) )

Michelle Tien
Today we couldn't go on the water due to a tornado warning. Instead, we stayed inside, watched movies and built the sail boat we're using tomorrow. Our breakfast was a huge bowl of instant noodles with corn and other unidentifiable objects. We couldn't finish our bowls, so we kept piling things into Michael's bowl when he was in another room. :D After breakfast we watched inspiring movies such as Let the Bullets Fly and Miracle. We only watched half of the first movie, which was in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles. I'm so proud that I didn't get lost...much. The second movie was about the US hockey team in 1980. I now appreciate the gold medals we won in 2010 a lot more.
We drove back to HQ and started setting up the sailing kits. We still didn't have a manual. Billy walked us through the first one and explained why each piece belonged where it belonged which involved a lot of common sense and some physics. Unfortunately, we were stuck on tightening a simple buckle. It probably took us more time to figure out the buckle than it took to put the whole kit together. We finally got it right when jenn and Billy found the manual on Billy's computer. Afterwards, Jenn and I were instructed to set up another sailing kit by ourselves with everybody and anybody around as support. Big Edwin kept asking us if we needed help but we were doing very well. However, when we needed help putting up the sail, no one was to be seen.
During lunch, we watched an educational video on how to kayak. For the past couple of days, everyone has been telling me it's really boring but it wasn't all that bad. I cringed every time the kayak was paddled close to rocks. After lunch we continued to set up the sail until evening. Hopefully tomorrow will be nice so we can go sailing!


Jennifer Wang
Today I woke up tired, aching and a bit confused. "Why confused?" you May ask, let me show you. As you all know we went kayaking yesterday, and it would be quite understandable if my arms were sore. However, this was not the case. Sure, my shoulders are a bit stiff, but what really aches are my legs. I feel like an old-timer...creaky joints, back pain and all! It's like I'm aging prematurely.
Anyway, we woke to yet another bright and beautiful day, but you know what they say - not everything is what it seems. And in truth, this so-called 'bright and beautiful day' sported a fanciful title of 'tornado warning'. As such, we didn't go out on the lake.
We had an ENORMOUS breakfast of insta-noodles courtesy of the sous chef Billy. And when I say 'ENORMOUS', I mean that there was so much food that we moved whatever we couldn't finish into Michael's bowl. :) We watched two movies - part of a Chinese movie called 'Let the Bullets Fly' and another one about the American Olympic Hockey team in 1980 called 'Miracle'.
Also because of the tornado warning, we headed down to Monticle HQ, and finally figured out how to set up the sail. We struggled with one of the buckles for a while, but eventually found the manual and assembled it! Then... we turned the other k2 into a sailboat as well.
We took a break for a really late lunch after giving Billy a vague request for 'something with tomatoes', which resulted in an extremely large and delicious take out box of rice and meat and vegetables - with a LOT of tomatoes! :) During lunch, to save time, we watched an instructional video on how to kayak; complete with tips, tricks and coaching advice. I was told that it would be boring, but I found it quite interesting. I mean, the man in the video was pretty pro - what with paddling extremely fast while in close proximity to rocks. I felt pretty lame after seeing his smooth and flawless turning and paddling techniques, but hopefully this will help me become better!
Oh, I believe that you should all know about wetsuit tans. They are better than flip-flop tans. It looks like I have gloves on my hands! And did I mention that my suncreen skills are...nix? I have sunburns in splendid red, indiscernable blobs of burnt skin on my hands, as well as a mask around my eyes because I forgot to apply sunscreen there. Let that be a lesson for all. Be awesome; apply sunscreen on ALL exposed skin! Sorry Michael! I tried to keep it short... er this time! ^__^"