In which journalist Emily Claire Afan
takes great pleasure in sharing stories and other oddities
Latest Post
San Francisco for Game Developers Conference, March 4, 2012. Early morning. My friend Danielle and I are sharing a hotel room and we’re fast asleep in our respective beds…
…which suddenly begin to shake. A lot.
The rumbling lasted a solid 30 seconds, but I was so tired that I barely registered what was happening. I heard the rustling of Danielle’s bedsheets, followed by a loud whisper:
“I think that was an earthquake!”
Sandy: Lots of people have been successful with online dating, she should try that site Too Many Fish...
Me: ...It's Plenty Of Fish, Sandy.
Snapped in the men’s room at Ajisen Ramen in downtown Toronto. Matt came back from the washroom in mid-meal to alert me about the signs, at which point I decided it was imperative to see them for myself.
He stood guard while I snuck into the tiny (and yes, empty) men’s room to take these pictures. One was pasted to the paper towel dispenser and the other above a urinal.
After I had done my business — and not in that way — I made a quick escape, filled with a special kind of glee that only comes from encountering Engrish. Luck was on my side as the washrooms were down a level, so I was in and out and back at my seat before other patrons realized they needed to pee.
Oh, Engrish. How I love you so.
Snapped in the men’s room at Ajisen Ramen in downtown Toronto. Matt came back from the washroom in mid-meal to alert me about the signs, at which point I decided it was imperative to see them for myself.
He stood guard while I snuck into the tiny (and yes, empty) men’s room to take these pictures. One was pasted to the paper towel dispenser and the other above a urinal.
After I had done my business — and not in that way — I made a quick escape, filled with a special kind of glee that only comes from encountering Engrish. Luck was on my side as the washrooms were down a level, so I was in and out and back at my seat before other patrons realized they needed to pee.
Oh, Engrish. How I love you so.
This might be a weird question, but what does an authentic Chinese bicycle look like?
— A Fredericton cabbie to my cousin Kris when she was on a business trip in New Brunswick last week. Really? Really? The same cabbie also turned to her earlier and said very slowly, “Your English. VERY GOOD.”
Oh, come on. That’s not even trying.
Snapped at Queen and Spadina in downtown Toronto.
Because nothing says stress-free dentistry for humans like a dog with its very own earbuds…?
Snapped on a TTC subway car in Toronto.
It’s not the worst spelling of “karaoke” I’ve ever seen — that said, it’s still pretty bad. Someone get that bar a much-needed copy editor, and while that person is at it, make sure “daiquiri” is spelled correctly, too. So many bars and restaurants always get that one wrong.
In fact, I would not be lying if I said I carried a red pen in my bag for surreptitious menu copy editing. My friend Christina jokingly gave me a box full of red pens for my birthday several years ago. She probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I now only have about two of them left.
Snapped near Front and Jarvis in downtown Toronto.
With a website like that, nothing could possi-blye go wrong.
To quote my friend Evan, “I’m pretty sure there is some sort of subversive art happening within the mind boggling world of Yvette’s Bridal.”
And if you haven’t already clicked on the link in the title, I don’t know what else to tell you. Except that your eyes will probably know what they’re missing, but it’s fun to feed your curiosity, anyway.
He may be benign and who the hell knows if he actually exists, but Charlie the ghost can still scare the crap out of me.
A few entries ago, I mentioned my “dealings” with Charlie, concluding with “But if the day ever comes when Charlie finds a way to say hi back to me, then I think I’ll be allowed to be scared.”
Halloween calls for a true ghost story. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, there’s no denying that some strange occurrences are void of logical explanation. Here is the tale of my close encounter with the ghoulish kind.
