March 23, 2006
It's that time of life to consider what to do after graduation. I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. I pretty much have a set area I want to head into, so now it's really choosing the smaller details. My choices for schools right now are Providence Seminary namely because I can major in TESOL, Tyndale Seminary because it's close by, and Trinity Western University because Intercultural Ministries sounds really attractive, and I've heard nothing but good things about the school.

Prov is drawing me lately, mainly because I'm really attracted to the idea of tentmaking (I've witnessed a bit of seminary bashing in recent times, and how ministers are trained to not be able to talk to people because people are turned off), and they offer the whole TESOL thing. I got a call from them back in January, then I got a postcard two days ago from the admissions counsellor (yeah, they do that in Christian schools, I guess). Today, I got an e-mail from them saying that they'll be at MissionFest. Who knew that Manitoba could be one of the places I'm headed?

Well, it's dinner time. Pork chops on fried rice in a pepper sauce. If my home wasn't food heaven, I don't know what is. Go mommy!

SONG OF THE MOMENT

Thank God I'm back in my car driving home, driving home
'Cause the air was thin and so cold back in there
It was my first time
Won't be my last time
And the questions rise
Expectations fall in light of it all
There aren't words to say
"Word's aren't remembered, but presence is," a good friend once told me
And he was there, he was there
But she wasn't there
And it's not fair, and it's not fair

What crimes have you commited, demanding such penance,
That couldn't wait for five more minutes and a cry for help?
'Cause this room is peaceful and this room is so quiet
And I hate the silence
And I can't walk the center aisle

Well, I've been here for over three hours behind the flowers
So beautiful and young
And so alive
And so in need of someone
Someone to talk to them
'Cause theirs are fragile lives

And I think about my brother
And how I just stood there
With my hands in my pockets and my heart in my throat

Thank God I'm back in my car driving home, driving home
But in that place I leave all my days of taking life for granted
And the words I wrote for her
And my best friend crying
And a young girl lying on all our hearts

And I hate the silence
And I can't walk the center aisle

"Center Aisle," Caedmon's Call (from their self-titled debut)
I've always loved this song. It's just a beautifully raw portrayal of dealing with death. Not that I'm dealing with death, or have had to deal with someone so tragic as what's depicted in the song, but still, this song speaks volumes. I love how the song flows out with honest thoughts, although stream-of-conscious-like. I can imagine how he might have stared at the flowers, trying to blank out what's going on, but his mind always returning to the haunting fact that a girl just committed suicide. This is probably the kind of songwriter I want to become - to be able to draw the listener so completely into the subject, and keep them in the moment even when the song has long ended.

March 22, 2006
Cool happenings happening to other people...

� Check out The Conscious Collective, Ceci and her design class' design show. I'm excited to see what four years at York/Sheridan has spawned...

� Elliot won passes to Kingdom Bound yesterday at a concert. Lucky ducky, I say! The lineup is not bad, but no Delirious yet. He points out that no Waterloo student can really go because a) you're likely in school in August and b) you're likely co-op-ing in August. Hopefully SOMEONE can go!

� A bunch of clients got money from our heating funding program. That's pretty cool, I think. Angelina is hussling Ava and I to use up the money before we leave. We'll see.

� Delirious will be coming to town, April 15th. They'll be performing at the freshwind conference. Tickets are $15, of which I don't know how to purchase (at the door, maybe?). Coolness. Need to get my yearly d:boys fix, but now is not the best time (no $$$, you know?).

And as for myself...

� I am hammering down my piano rendition "Giving It Away" by Mae. For no particular reason, other than the fact that there is a piano in the family room that usually gets abandoned if I don't use it. Which is a little strange, seeing that my sister is the one with more piano training than me. I have about, oh, a year's worth of piano training. Anyway.

� My crossword skills are improving, thanks to my daily 24. Which H�seiyn one day called "28." Perhaps he watches a certain Canadian satirical show with that number in it.

� I still need to finish reading a book. And writing a book. Right.

� Currently trying to finish the video for this Saturday's church anniversary celebrations. I threw in my usual song choice - Switchfoot. Heehee! Actually, the main song is not Switchfoot, but we'll keep an element of surprise in the video so y'all will come out to the celebrations.

Okay, really, now I'm just taking up cyberspace, so I'll leave and do something else now. Thanks for reading!

March 16, 2006
Woooow, 11 days without an update.

I enjoyed the talk on Perspectives on Tuesday. Very interesting to hear Craig Shugart's take on Christians and the environment, which is basically an issue not discussed in churches. At all. I'm a bit of a naturalist, so I enjoy taking in God's nature and worshipping Him that way. In fact, I went out for about 10 minutes (sad, yes) today to gaze at the beautiful stars above. God even blessed me with a shooting star. :o) Anyway, North Americans are contributing way too much pollution to the world, and churches here are no exception. Can we change our ways, and actually give a care about the environment that God so lovingly created?

I brought up the issue in small group the next day, and Mel suggested making a big pile of foam cups (I say add bulletins in the mix) to show just how much the church wastes. There must be ways of reducing our output! Our discussions shifted to the whole idea of ownership, and that spawned the idea of deaccumulation. Why do we feel that need to stock up on (dare I say) crap that we don't really, truly need? Being a very practical bunch of people, we've decided to pick through our closets and pick out items we don't need, and donate it to Open Door. Also, I think we were tossing around the idea of establishing a blog to swap things we don't have a use for anymore, and to catalogue the collections of whatever that we have and make it accessible to others (Mel's manga, my CDs, etc.). Things to work on.

Oh, and of course we studied Daniel, which time and time again has yielded the same take-home message in every chapter - hope in God, for He is still at work and has not abandoned you even if it appears so. It's kind of neat that way, since we had no real focus or angle we were studying Daniel from. It's been fun flipping through our 3 commentaries, finding answers to our questions, and sometimes left in the dark. It's all part of studying God's word.

Bake-a-thon number two will be at my place on Saturday. I'm looking forward to baking with the fellowship, and selling all our goods again! :oD

March 5, 2006
The bake-a-thon was great. We made a whole lot of yummy cakes and other delicious dessert goodies. I shall post photos sometime... when I get them uploaded and such. Anyway, I was quite pleased with how the Apple Tea Cake that Jeff and I made turned out. Just like the photo! And Vince did an excellent job of glazing the biscotti after I left. The glazing on the two bundt cakes were great too. Oh man, JOY is such a food fellowship group!

The bake sale was pure awesomeness! God really blessed our sale today! I think most of us figured that we wouldn't make the amount of money that we did. I had to ask, in an incredulous tone, for Cecilia to repeat the amount she had counted. :oD I pray it will bless Open Door in great ways. I'm really looking forward to the next bake sale... where we might have curry fish balls and other savoury goodies, as Joeie says. Haha, we should rename it "Chinese snack sale." I'm all for that!

Ahh... the first resurrection Sunday of Lent. It's good to hear some music again. Croon on, Martin Smith!

March 3, 2006
Happy belated birthdays to Cecilia and Fong Fong. :o)

Work has wound down somewhat. I would really like for Ava to be back on Monday, so I don't feel that truck run over me again! :oP

Lent has begun. Today's the third day. Quite a while to go! It's a little unsettling to think that I rely so much on the TV and in music to get myself through the day. I think it's just plain hard for most Christians to actually rely on God for the entire day. How odd, but how sadly true. No wonder people get burnt out so easily.

Well, Hazel beckons, and I shall see what she needs. Have a glorious time of "Bright Sadness."