October 25, 2004
Sure has been a while since I've updated here. Life is going well, so praise God. :o) Here's a random list of things I've done since the last update:

• I tripped on the escalator at Kipling. Thank goodness it was a forward trip! Fulfilled my quota for escalator accidents this year! :oP I escaped break-free with a skinned pinky and leg. Praise God for protecting this clumsy-on-feet child!
• Made some really yummy energy bars... you should try them out too! It's a cross between rice crispy squares and granola bars. Mmm...
• Found an old tape I made when I was 6 years old, featuring piano and singing by yours truly. Indeed I was a child obsessed with recording things even at a young age! My family and I had a kick out of listening to it... I especially enjoy my rendition of "Night Flight" (err... rough translation of the title of a Chinese song) by Priscilla Chan
• Helped out with the landscaping this past Saturday at church... the shrubs seen as you pull up to the church from the front and the trees lining the parking lot? Oh yeah, I helped with that. ;o) Not too happy about the sore back, but it was worth it.
• It's study week at Seneca, so I took today off work and will have Friday off as well. Sweeeeeeeet!
• There'll also be Operation Christmas Child to look forward to this Friday with JOY. I hope it all goes smoothly...

Oh yes, did I ever mention my two favourite shows are Lost and Jack & Bobby? Anyway, I love the drama on Lost... all the people in peril! And of course there's Matthew Fox, who is awesome as ever. I really want to see an episode on the Korean couple! Jack & Bobby is just brilliant. It's got great storylines dealing with interesting and thought provoking subjects, and of course, I'm there because of the cast. Logan Lerman does an excellent job as Bobby - he's just so "good", as Jack says. Christine Lahti is really great as their mom, and Matt Long as Jack is great as well. I love the show so much that I copied down the Grace's speech for your enjoyment. I thought it was tr�s inspiring, and very truthful:

"Good evening. I want to welcome you tonight to... a renaissance.

For some of you this night marks a return to your college life, for some of you a new beginning. And so, upon the eve of the tremendous journey upon which you are all embarking, I'd like to offer you a thought to take with you. Listen carefully: you will fail here. All of you. College is not the culmination of your high school career. It is the beginning of your adult life. Only it is a slow sweet beginning that feels nothing like what life and all the attending obligations will eventually bring. So fail here... This is your chance.

Do things you know you can't do, or think you can't do but hope in your deepest most secret hidden heart that you can.

Be bad at things. Be embarrassed. Be vulnerable. Go out on a limb. Or two. Or twelve.

The harder you fall, the farther you'll rise. And the louder you fail, the clearer the distant bell of your future will ring. Failure is a gift. Welcome it. There are people who spend their lives wondering how they became the people they became, how certain chances passed them by and why they didn't take the road less traveled. Those people are not you.

You have the front-row seat to your own transformation. And in transforming yourself, you might just transform the world. Believe that, and embrace the new person you're becoming. This is your moment. Now. Not ten minutes from now, not tomorrow, really now. Know that, truly in your bones, and wake up each morning remembering it. And then keep going."

Grace McCallister, from the episode "Better Days"
Teleplay by Vanessa Taylor and story by Greg Berlanti & Vanessa Taylor (haha... citation is important!)
* It's been reposted. I think this is the full version written by the writers, but just slightly different from the one delivered.

I'm definitely a sucker for these things, especially when they are really well written. Greg Berlanti is awesome, and of course, so is Vanessa Taylor! I'd be lucky if I could churn out half of what they can.

Well, that's all for now. Have a wonderful week!

October 7, 2004
So excited for Slow Coming Day's "Farewell to the Familiar" CD I got yesterday in the mail. Indeed, it's another one of those Tooth and Nail artists that I've randomly downloaded from Purevolume.com (get SCD's "Captivated" - sweet track) over the years that I've deemed "pretty decent" and "purchasable". I've sampled all the tracks out of order - and the jury says it's very, *very* emo. The lyric content is minimal (3 sentences in some songs) and depressing at points, but the melodies are niiiice. I shall write a review sometime... hopefully...

Anyway, I shall be skipping small group tonight and eating out with the Seneca folks tonight at Mystic Lounge. Peter says it's a Caribbean/Chinese/Indian restaurant. Sounds exotic! Alright... back to actual work.

October 6, 2004
I'm at work early today. Dad had an appointment downtown, so we all piled in the car at 6:30 to get to our various destinations. At least there are computers here at Seneca to kill time with!

Work is getting busy, busy, busy! Especially because one of the English tutors found full time work elsewhere, so the remaining tutors are booked solid all week already. And since midterms are coming up, there is probably going to be very little breaks. Oh well. One thing to look forward to going to is Kelly's going away party tomorrow. That should be fun, with all the tutors and all!

On a random note, Kelly's parents know Emily Van Camp's parents (that's Amy from Everwood)! They work in Port Perry (Emily's hometown), which is actually a 1/2 hour drive from Markham. Emily's mom goes to their video rental store. Talk about six degrees of separation! Well... here, I'm separated from Emily by 4 degrees. And Greg by five. How exciting! I need a life...

Well, tune in next time to hear how Victoria is connected to the Barenaked Ladies! Until then - keep fit, and have fun!

October 2, 2004
The elephant in the room right now is the need for reconciliation in my home church. No one wanted to build this wall, and no one wanted to have to choose a side to be on. But what's done has been done, leaving hearts broken and souls dejected. In last Sunday's meeting, I kept thinking that we were one prime example of why humans need Jesus' blood, that we were truly a beautiful letdown - "the church of the drop outs, the losers, the sinners, the failures, and the fools." I was not without my own selfish thoughts. On the up side, this rift can be an time in which the entire church turns its attention back on God so that we could become a light in the community. I just hope that God will grant everyone healing and strength to pull through this dark time.

I think this situation is colouring all we do, and I think it will do so for a while longer. Nonetheless, it was great to have been able to have a pretty regular and happy fellowship meeting last night. And it was fun to have played Phase 10 with so many people! I wish we could've finished the game, but everyone wanted to go home anyway. I pray that it won't be tense of Sunday, but at the same time, I hope our troubles will not be shoved under the carpet.

Anyway, work is going well. Just finished my first week with appointments instead of doing drop-ins. I also had the second conversation club meeting - a full house of seven students! It's great working on idioms and slang with them... indeed I am a geek. Or maybe just a lover of words. My only complaint about work would be that I don't get enough sleep! I need my 8 hours, although I think 7 is okay for now.

Now to end off on the saddest of sad points, our family's new best friend is our brand spanking new Vita-Mix machine. We bought it upon the high recommendation of our family doctor (my mom works as a receptionist there...). It was pretty darn pricey, but this machine is so awesome cool! You can stick in an entire apple, stem, seed and all, and it will literally liquify the entire thing. So you end up drink all the nutrients and fibre. You can also throw in a bunch of ice, add some half and half along with your favourite ice cream ingredients and make ice cream! The coolest thing you can make with the Vita-Mix is soup! You literally just throw in fresh ingredients, including meat if you want, grind everything for 6 minutes, and out comes piping hot soup! The engine is so powerful (2 horse power, we've been told) that is heats up the liquid. I just had some cream of broccoli soup for lunch. Quite delicious. For you Chinese people, you can also make sweet black sesame soup and soy milk right from scratch in less than 10 minutes. I feel like a salesperson! But it really is cool. Maybe I'll invite some of you to have soup sometime!

Anyway, enough of this Vita-Mix thing. May God lift your spirits up, and may you have a wonderful weekend.