August 30, 2005
My summer in Waterloo is OVER! It was nicely capped off with Jasmine and Todd's wedding - some select photos are available for your enjoyment. The wedding was great - it had a casual feel, especially the reception part, which I thought fit the bride perfectly. I really enjoyed her and Todd's families putting on a fun show for us - I thought the Mama J and Papa Todd skit was great! And the venue - the Pedde farm - was awesome. The drive shed was beautifully decorated... I loved the homey feel, especially with the wall of photos. And I can't believe Jasmine is now MRS. DUCKWORTH!!! But I wish the happy couple all the best in the life together. :o)Today was spent at St. Jacob's and Waterloo (can't get away!) with Becca and Vivian. It was a good trip away from Mississauga, although really I hadn't even been back for 24 hours. :oP I enjoyed the Health Valley Trail, especially the sitting down by the river part. Walking around town was nice too, and of course, who can resist happy hour at Lucy's? I had the Jambalaya - it had heat, but not so much that it was torture. Don't think I'd get the entr���0�7e version of that though... mussles, escargot, and calamari were all great. :o) Can't wait to explore more Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener, and St. Jacob's stores in the fall!
When I got home today, a package was waiting for me. My Mae shirt arrived! Sweet! It's a green shirt with yellow lanterns which say "beauty" in Chinese ("mei"). Smart!
Oh... and Chicago is on. So I'm packing sometime today (it's 12:52am... so not now) and then getting on a bus the next day!
SONG OF THE MOMENT
I'll tell you flat out
It hurts so much to think of this
So from my thoughts I will exclude this very thing that
I hate more than everything is the way I'm powerless to dictate my own moodsI've thrown away so many things that could've been much more
And I just pray my problems go away if they're ignored
But that's not the way it works
No that's not the way it worksWhen I go down
I go down hard
And I take everything I've learned
And teach myself some disregard
When I go down
It hurts to hit the bottom
And of the things that got me there
I think, if only I had fought themIf and when I can clear myself of this clouded mind
I'll watch myself settle down into a place where peace can search me out and find
That I'm so ready to be foundI've thrown away the hope I had in friendships
I've thrown away so many things that could have been much more
I've thrown away the secret to find an end to this
And I just pray my problems go away if they're ignored
But that's not the way it works
No that's not the way it worksAny control I thought I had just slips right through my hands
While my ever-present conscience shakes its head and reprimands me
Reprimands me
Then and there
I confess
I'll blame all this on my selfishness
Yet you love me and that consumes me
And I'll stand up again and do so willinglyYou give me hope, and hope it gives me life
You touch my heavy heart, and when you do you make it light
As I exhale I hear your voice
And I answer you, though I heardly make a noise
And from my lips the words I choose to say
Seem pathetic, but it's fallen man's praise
Because I love you
Oh God, I love you
And life is now worth living
If only because of you
And when they say I'm dead and gone
It won't be further from the truthWhen I go down
I lift my eyes up to you
I won't look very far
Cause you'll be there with open arms to lift me up again
To lift me up again"When I Go Down," Relient K (from mmhmm)
An example of a lovely ballad from a punk band. I really like this song... I shall do my mini-review of the album when I get a chance.August 24, 2005
So the record between "excellent" and "outstanding" is now tied. I am quite pleased with the excellent for this work term... I was convinced that I would not quite make it to that this term. Kinda like the last term. But really, it's not me. It's God granted. So praise God! :o)Marianne left for Ottawa this morning, so I am now officially a loner at home. But not for much longer, so that's good. I shall occupy myself with card making and packing while blasting music in the echo-y common area. Sweet.
You know, I'm supposed to be planning Alpha for next term, but really, I just can't get myself to start. "Nothing but laziness," as the Switchfoot song goes. That's probably why God sent Noella for me to bump into so I can at least have one other person for sure who'd like to do this with me. Truth is though, I don't know if I'm up to the job. But God does tend to choose those who think they're not qualified to do the job. Hmm... but then again, last term's Alpha started much the same way, but it turned out absolutely beautiful. We'll see where God takes us this coming term.
Oh my goodness, Jasmine's getting *married* to Todd in 4 days! Craziness! Can't wait to see it all unfold...
August 22, 2005
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!! I love you lots... :o)There is officially no internet at B3-12 anymore, so updates will have to be done at work until I go home on the weekend. You should look at the apartment now... the common area is void of any furniture, save for the kitchen table. It really is a gigantic space, comparable to the family room at home, and then some. And it echooooooooooooooooooos when you do stuff in the kitchen. Marianne's temporarily living in Lucie's room until she leaves on Wednesday. Then it's me by my lonesome. :o( Oh well...
The weekend was interesting. After my dental appointment (made my dental hygienist happy!), my dad and I hung around Markham for a looooong while before we had dinner. We maybe walked around Pacific and Market Village for 45 minutes, in contrast to T&T where we spent 1 hour. :oP I like food more than clothes, what can I say? Then we settled for dinner at a random restaurant that my dad found in the paper, and had a plesant dinner with Angela and Joyce's families. It was fun playing with food, tilting pop cans, and making plans for Yorkdale. :o)
Sunday kicked off with a 2 1/2 hour joint baptismal service (kinda long... hmm... but at least it was in our own tank!), then I rushed around 'sauga trying to get a few items to take back with me to 'loo. Then the parentals drove me back (*sigh* I have great parents) to get my keys at the new place and get to work at the hockey camp at Columbia Ice Fields. They surprised me with hanging around 'loo to give me the camera and to have dinner. After they went home, I watched Anti-Trust with Marianne and Pearl (who's heading back to B.C. today... everyone's going back there nowadays...). The after movie camera time was... much enjoyed! :oD
Well, that's about. So I'm rolling through the first day of the last week at work for my 4th work term. I should roll back into it now!
August 13, 2005
As promised, the "more to come" has come! This is perhaps the biggest photo update yet! I had too much lying around... :oP So, if you have time, check out the pictures! There are 15 sparklin' new sections from yesterday and today, including goodies like bowling, BBQs, B3-12 and Eby 605, scenery stuff... just take a look at it, will ya? :oPAugust 11, 2005
New pics up in the photos section! Includes Paula's wedding (I know, quite delayed...), downtown Toronto excursion, and the Alpha reunion! More to come in the next few days...Oh yes, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for me and encouraged me for my G test. :o) I really, truly appreciate all of you!
August 10, 2005
And the verdict is... I passed the G test. :oD Even when they took me on the hard merger part...
Only by the grace of God I did this. Praise God!August 4, 2005
Updating at work today. It's lunch, so it's allowed... right? Anyway, this past weekend was filled with too much driving. So much so that I would puke, if I was a puke-y kinda girl. Truth be told, I am really freaked out about my G test. Mainly with the highway part. Dad and I practiced the parking stuff too, and I can pull a parallel parking no problem... back-ins have some tweaking, but in general, I'd rather pull a car to a stop than speed it up. :oP If I pass my G, it is by the grace of God, and the grace of God only. We'll see what happens.Yesterday, Lucie, Marianne, Megan, and I went to Princess to watch March of the Penguins. First, the venue. Definitely has an old timey feel, from the signage to the minimal A/C in the building that drove me to buy a coke. If only the coke came in a glass bottle, that would complete the trip back to the past. I'd definitely watch a movie there again, 'cause the place is just so quaint. Second, the movie. It was cute, but I'm still a human drama lover. But I appreciated, to a certain degree, learning about the mating season/life cycle process of penguins. It really helps that penguins are such cute creatures, and really tough, too! And yes, I admit that the baby penguins are the cutest little things. After the movie, we went to Second Cup for what was thought to be frrrozen hot chocolate day. They ran out, so we got other stuff. The chat about stars (as in the ones above), camping, bombings, passports, and other stuff was enjoyed. And to think that we're having this much fun while most other students in Waterloo are cramming crazy for exams. Poor students.
OH! And I finally watched the Lost season finale. Amazing. I'd like to know what's down in the hatch. I hope it's not Boone (or other dad plane crash victims), as much as I like him. I hope it's also not equipment to film their survival ? la The Truman Show. I hope it's not clones. Or hobbits. We'll see. And whatever happens to the raft people...? Hmm...
Well, that's the end of the lunch hour. Tune in next time for another fun-filled blog adventure with Vic!
SONG OF THE MOMENT
I watched the proverbial sunrise
Coming up over the Pacific
And you might think I'm losing my mind
But I will shy away from the specifics...'Cause I don't want you to know where I am
'Cause then you'll see my heart
In the saddest state it's ever been.This is no place to try and live my life
Stop right there
That's exactly where I lost it
See that line?
Well I never should have crossed it
Stop right there Well I never should have said
That it's the very moment that
I wish that I could take backI'm sorry for the person I became
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'Cause who I am hates who I've been
Who I am hates who I've beenI talk to absolutely no one
Couldn't keep to myself enough
And the things bottled inside have finally begun
To create so much pressure that I��ll soon blow upI heard the reverberating footsteps
Sinking up to the beating of my heart
And I was positive that unless I got myself together
I would watch me fall apartAnd I can't let that happen again
'Cause then you'll see my heart
In the saddest state it's ever beenThis is no place to try and live my life
Who I am hates who I've been
And who I am won't take the second chance you gave me
Who I am hates who I've been
'Cause who I've been only ever made meSo sorry for the person I became
So sorry that it took so long for me to change
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'Cause who I am hates who I've been
Who I am hates who I've been"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been," Relient K (from Mmhmm)
I really want to get this album! Eventually, this will happen. And can you BELIEVE Matt Thiessen is Canadian? Sweet! Such wonderful writing that I can relate to. Can't wait to own the album...