May 22, 2005
Went to Spring Celebration yesterday at Wonderland with 12 other MCBC folks. I really enjoyed myself - nothing like rock concerts for a day! Well, half the day.

In terms of Wonderland, I finally got to ride on that Italian Job Stunt Track. It's not a bad ride, speeding through the track on Mini Coopers. It's a bit on the short side though, I think. Oh well. Sledge Hammer looked really, really spinny and freaky, but it was not that bad. Jeff, Cecilia and I had a pleasant conversation while being flung up and around. Well, okay, it was mostly screaming about where we were being flung and how we were going there, but anyway, good times... Oh, and Ceci and I got drenched on White Water Canyon. We had some good fun waddling around in wet pants. I sincerely apologize to the person who went after me on Mindbuster for their wet seat. Know that my pants were drier when I got off the ride! :oP

Of course, the highlight for me was definitely the concert. Or concerts, I should say. Performers were Lucerin Blue, Kutless, Deliriou5?, Audio Adrenaline, and Newsboys. I do enjoy being blasted by extremely loud music for 5 hours (seriously). It's even better when you know the bands. Four out of five is not bad. Well, here's what I thought of each band:

1. Lucerin Blue: The band I didn't know much about. Missed most of their act, but from what I could make of it, they are quite a screamo band. I like loud, but I don't like screaming. But screaming aside, they are not that bad. Very Tooth & Nail sounding (but I don't think they are T&N), and I like T&N. Felt sorry for them when they had to say "this is actually the end of our song" because no one was applauding. I wonder what their polished sound is like?
2. Kutless: They are slightly more well known. I liked their open profession of their faith in their music and in their sharings in between the songs. They have a good, solid sound too. I'll probably sample their stuff in the near future. Also, I enjoyed the song Strong Tower and the fact they played Better Is One Day.
3. Deliriou5?: I was surprised that the d:boys are smushed in the middle of the schedule. Nonetheless, it was good to see them again for the 3rd time, and even better that I got the closest pictures of them. They sang more of their new numbers, but I prefer the older stuff, mainly because of unfamiliarity of the new. I wanted to hear Deeper (c'mon now, standard crowd pleaser!) and King of Fools (Stu G's version, with the slide guitar), but no such luck. Majesty (Here I Am) and Rain Down were good, though. Their performance was too short, I think. It was made shorter because Ceci and Angela missed half of it, and we couldn't enjoy it together!
4. Audio Adrenaline: My favourite act of the night. They were so energetic and crowd pleasing, it's unbelievably awesome. That Mark Stuart reminds me of a preacher man, the way he stirs up the crowd. And I just love that raspy, squeaky voice of his. Just like in their song DC-10. :o) I also really enjoyed how Mark walked right into the crowd and picked out people to do stuff as part of their act, like sing their song (too bad I didn't know the words), or yell into the mic, or prance around the stage with the band. So cool! And of course, I loved Get Down and Big House. Hands And Feet and Ocean Floor were good too. I'd DEFINITELY see them again if they came around.
5. Newsboys: Another great band, and I'm glad I saw them. Some great fun songs, and some beautiful worship numbers. I enjoyed Shine and that song about how they don't serve breakfast in hell (is it called Breakfast? I think it's from their album Going Public, which the church library has... hmm...). They did Blessed Be Your Name, which is one of my favourite praise songs, so it was great. Their own praise numbers are great too. And of course, their ending was just brilliant. Basically, they had the audience singing and praising God as they quietly left the stage, with the music fading until it was just our voices joined into one. Beautiful.

So, in short, I really had fun yesterday. As for today, besides the intriguing Sunday School topic (household maintenance as part of our stewardship class - it's giving me a whole new impression of stewardship), it was good hanging out with Uncle MK and Auntie Clara. They are both good people to talk to, especially when it comes to university matters (he's a prof and she counsels students). And they are awful nice people. I'd love it if they immigrated to Canada. Along with their daughters Tania and Fong Fong. That would just be coolness. Dinner with them and Uncle Victor and Joyce was nice too - it was nice chatting with Joyce, since I don't get to do that too often.

Well, I'm gonna hit the sack and actually catch 8 hours of sleep. Take care!

May 13, 2005
Happy 20th birthday, TL!!! Mr. Sushi... here we come!

So, now I'm all hooked up with the 'net at home, but work and school has kept me super busy, so I've been ignoring this site. But anyway, here I am! :oD

Work has been interesting. I find it to be much more of a desk job than people say... I guess tutoring isn't exactly a desk job, and I like that more. Adjustment to the work flow and just being really, REALLY flexible is a challenge, but I'm getting better. Everyone at the lab is super nice, and I'm glad Dessy is a really sweet person, since I'll be working with her all term. I'm looking forward to working with people face to face during the interviews, switch things up a little. At the moment, I don't think I would return as a full time. I'm considering part time, if they'll take me. But this is only 2 weeks into the job, so we'll see.

School is rather boring. Lots of intriguing reading, so little time. I bought all 3 textbooks (all optional)... c'mon, who doesn't wanna read about Jack Layton talk about homelessness? The reason it's boring is that the teacher still reads them slides off. It's a struggle staying awake during class, especially after a full day at work. Oh well. Praise God for this course being just 2 months, with no exam! We did watch an intriguing video just last class on a family with 10 kids, living under the poverty line (The Things I Cannot Change). I shall write about it in my journal for the class. If I get a chance. :oP

Home living has been awesome. Marianne, Lucie and I got out of chores by organizing a weekly movie night. We watched Underworld and ridiculed it to pieces afterward. Oh well, it was a good, brainless flick. If you live at or around WCRI, come out to Weaver's Arms at 8pm on Thursdays! Check out our website for more details. Besides that, we've had tonnes of fun at home already. Watched some old shows from my collection (heh, heh), cooked together, had a wonderful journey to Conestoga Mall last weekend (right...). I hope we do more and more and more with each other!

Hmm... I think I should put a cap on CD purchases. In roughly 2 weeks, I bought 4 CDs (technically 6, as you shall see) - Keane's Hopes and Fears (excellent, excellent, excellent) and Third Day's debut album ($4.99! I know!) @ HMV's spring sale, and Lifehouse's latest self-titled album and Switchfoot's first 3 albums in a compilation from Amazon.ca. Haven't gotten the latter 2, but that's okay. They shall come shortly.

Anyway... my housemates are waiting to watch some accapella Nintendo video that Chung sent over, so I shall get going. Have an awesome day!

SONG OF THE MOMENT

Many's the time I ran with you down
The rainy roads of our old town
Many the lives we lived in each day
And buried altogether

Don't laugh at me
Don't look away
You'll follow me back
With the sun in your eyes
And on your own
Bedshaped and legs of stone
You'll knock on my door and up we'll go
In white light
I don't think so
But what do I know?
What do I know?
I know

I know you think I'm holding you down
And I've fallen by the wayside now
And I don't understand the same things as you
But I do

Don't laugh at me
Don't look away
You'll follow me back
With the sun in your eyes
And on your own
Bedshaped and legs of stone
You'll knock on my door and up we'll go
In white light
I don't think so
But what do I know?
What do I know?
I know

"Bedshaped," Keane (from Hopes and Dreams)
Dunno what it means, but it's a darn pretty song. Mmm... I know Keane has been compared with Coldplay, and I think Keane sounds better. Not as mellow, doesn't put me to sleep. :oP But I am looking forward to listening to more of Coldplay's new X & Y.

May 3, 2005
Quick update. No internet at home yet, so I'm doing this at work. The term has started... I can only say that I hope things will become better and better. They are...

I shall write something longer when I get the 'net at home.