So-so-so. Solidarity!

it was fun being at the picket lines. went with two other undergrads, sadia and jacob, to the rexall picket. and went to the noon rally at the front gate. we had speakers from uoft and ryerson's student union and respective cupe chapters. we were advised not to attend the anti-strike rally, but saw them in passing by. there was about a hundred people. apparently their primary speaker was a conservative mp from richmond hill or something. someone said the admin were drinking coffee and attending the event whilst one of the concerns by them is that the yfs isn't being neutral. i went to pick up one of their petition letters to mcguinty about forcing cupe back to work (like ttc, which is funny because cupe is not an essential service and i doubt he will do that, nor should they) and one of the people behind the table told me they wanted signs without sticks. and i looked at them funny because they thought i was here to support them while clearly the sign i was carrying said "undergrads <3 cupe" and "living wages".

i also met a classmate that was in support of arbitration and against the strike and cupe. he said something like 80% of grad students in the science faculty didn't support it. i don't find that surprising as i don't find many science students involve or aware of social struggles in the first place and would totally not see the bigger picture that the gains/losses of cupe would have on other labour struggles and quality of education.

i also met ali, from saia and campus riot and he said he helped start the yu free press. i was thinking of submitting something in but had no idea to start on. i think i'll try to go on wednesday or thursday to the picket lines where the science t.a.s are and do some interviews. maybe i can find some material to write from that. i want to know their
- name, faculty, major
- what their working hours were like, how they live and manage school and t.a.ship
- if they voted for or against the strike
- what their stance is on the strike now, has it changed
- how many of their colleagues were for or against it
- if there was a predominant feeling against it, why is that so, did they think it had something to do with being a science academic
- if they had engage in other forms of social protest/demos before
- if they are involve in other community organizations
- how important being involved in social, political, and local community is to them and their development
- what message or advice they would like to give to their students and undergrad community

are there any other things do you think i should inquire about? i will probably bring my laptop as it would be easier to record their answers than writing it down. i'm slightly excited to see what they have to say.

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i went to go see my mom on yesterday. i really missed her. god that woman can cook. i swear, after i ate her home cooking, it made my eating habits for the past months feel like i've been on a mcdonald's diet, even though i've only been there like twice. she always loved cooking for the family, i think she feels that's the one thing she's good at and can do for us. i wish she could've worked the past few years, got into better shape, and hung out with friends. but she didn't partly because of my dad and partly because of herself.

i think i appreciate her a lot more now than when i lived with my dad. he was always demeaning her and getting into arguments. on the flip side, i do recognize my mom has some issues as depression, not listening to rational, and not taking initiative. i hope in ten years or so i can give her the choice to live with me if she wants. but for that to happen i have to finish at least my undergrad and have a stable job. sometimes i think about how my mom's life turned out, i feel really sad. she deserved better.

i guess my dad does too. he did bring the family to canada and participate in an important political struggle against the dictatorship. he had to leave his parents at the age of 8 to live with his mother's uncle. got bullied by the uncle and the uncle's family and lived almost like a servant just so he can get a better education. he tried to kill himself by drinking gasoline at like the age of 10 and got really sick. it took him six years to pass his final year, because he didn't know what to do with his life. he supported himself through highschool and university on his own. went to school during the day and work as a clerk at night until he got a stipend. when he married, my mom's side of the family didn't approve of him. he had to work for a year away from the family on a ship as a marine engineer. he trusted a family friend that kept my brother and sister in the country when he tried to leave. he was in jail for a few months in thailand after i was born. he never got to pursue a career in automotive engineering. he worked as a janitor here. he's always worked 12-hour day and night shifts work that makes his sleep irregular. finally, his side of the family got hit hard by the recent tsunami.

my sister and i both left home because of him, but he sees that as a betrayal of what he did for us. even though i feel sorry for him, i don't feel that any of that was my responsibility. he still had a level of independence and ownership of his life that he never gave to me and my sister. he gave some independence and trust to my brother because he was a male. he abhorrs the authoritarian nature of the military but he himself is authoritative to his family members. anyways, i'm not too worried about taking care of him, even though he thinks its all children's duty to look after their parents. i think my dad's pension and my brother can handle that. my mom unfortunately never worked long in canada so has no pension and i don't feel she can completely trust my dad to provide for her in her old age. i don't think my dad will cut her completely, but he is already threatening doing that because she wanted to go help my sister by babysitting. i hope i can offer her that choice and possibly make the last decades of her life content.

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Plans for the week

Tuesday:
- gym
- study
- babysitting sammie in the afternoon

Wednesday:
- (?)meet up with ahmad to get my textbook back
- go interview at picket lines

Thursday:
- gym
- study

Friday:
- study
- burlesque show in the evening

Saturday:
- modeling 3:30 to 8pm
- (?)newmindspace event: night lights, higher than the cn tower