July 26, 2006, part b
I ripped the info off my xanga. Might as well get more people in the know about the Audio A concert, if anyone still reads this blog.Audio Adrenaline Farewell Tour
Saturday, Nov 18, 2006 - 7:00pm
@ Canada Christian CollegePrices (General Admission):
Early Bird (Before Sept 1) $25 Advance, $20 Group
After Sept 1: $30 Advance, $25 GroupIf you're interested in going, MSN or e-mail me. If we get 10 people, then we can all enjoy the discount. :o)
Trust me, they are AWESOME in concert. Very energetic live shows. Get to know them by (I should be a concert promoter)...
- Listening to some clips from their final album Adios on their official site
- Downloading some free tracks off purevolume ("Ocean Floor," "Pierced," and "Speak To Me" - all excellent songs)
- Watching Mark Stuart prance on the stage with "Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus" on their myspace
Oh sweet. I'm looking forward to going to a concert this year FINALLY. :oD Then I don't have to watch crappy footage on youtube to fill the void (but then again, bands like Waking Ashland don't exactly come up to Canada all that often). Do watch the footage though, because everyone should discover their love for indie music. :oP
July 26, 2006, part a
After filling up on Audio Adrenaline (read xanga for more), here's some indie fare for you. I found some Waking Ashland videos on youtube, and here's a pretty good live clip of their song "Shades of Grey," which is one of my favourite songs by the band. I always admire people who can play piano and sing at the same time. Go Jonathan!Wow... I spent 3 hours looking at music stuff. I think I better go read my textbooks instead, lest I want to commit academic suicide. Cults... here I come again.
July 22, 2006
*Peels self off the ground after being rolled over the the Mac truck of lecture 11 of RS 206 titled "The Ethics of the Kingdom.*Well, I do suppose that I've heard about living in the Kingdom of God over and over, but not so succinctly and impactfully as I just heard from Prof. Yoder-Neufeld. Seriously, sermons need to be like lectures sometimes. Here are the things I learned.
One of the interesting points was about whether the Sermon on the Mount (not a real sermon, mind you, but a collection of saying from Jesus) is referring to present living or future living. And of course, the answer is both. We should strive to live in the way that Jesus prescribes, but its high standards remind us our desperate need for God's grace as we do so. And man, do I need His grace.
A funny thing that he mentioned was about one particular translation of the Bible which renders Jesus' Beatitudes from "blessed be the..." to "congratulations." Talk about removing the hand of God from the blessings. "Congratulations to you, the poor, for the kingdom of God is yours." So wrong. The prof didn't like it either.
Jesus "out-Phariseed the Pharisees." Nice.
Calling someone a "fool" is essentially social murder. Goes for other derogatory terms, of course.
Non-retaliation is a form of alternative resistance. Especially effectively understood in the volatile times of Roman occupation in the Palestianian world. BUT, our motive for engaging in such non-retaliation is not to humiliate the enemy (by outdoing their request), but to reflect our God as peacemaker.
Jesus viewed each brand new day as another day for the "enemies" to change their hearts. As followers of God, we need to embrace this fact. However, that also means the acceptance of hostilities that will also rise with the sun. To love your enemies is a choice to be made each day.
My favourite: the Law of Jubilee. One of the more elegant laws found in the Bible, I think. It's basically where every 7 years, slaves are freed, the land is given rest, and there is a general renewal of EVERYTHING. The prof mentioned about this law being applied to third world debts, or even personal debts. Having dealt with many people who've been enslaved by debts this past winter (I can tell you some heartbreaking stories if you ask), I can imagine the utter relief and jubilation that release from these bonds would bring.
Forgiveness is a process of renewal. It's integral to the jubilee to follow.
True treasure is heaped up in responding to human need, not in wealth.
Judgmentalism is one of the occupational hazards of ethical living. BUT, living in such accordance with the law of God impels us to reach out to the enemies � not to judge them.
A few things to chew on. And more imporatntly, to live out. If anyone is interested in listening to the lectures, I can lend you my MP3 CD. Just ask. :o)
SONG OF THE MOMENT
A couple of years and I'm a silhouette
My halo is broken now and I'm all that's left
I hate to disappoint but it's the way things went
I was bound to the things I did
And after what was said
Tie up these loose ends
These voices are calling me out
I've got the solution
You can feed me to something
That is leaving this doubtWhoa, I'm losing hope
There's a hole in my heart
That's been cut out of stone
Whoa, cold comes, cold goes
Could you fill this hole?
Cause I can't do it aloneA couple of tears and I'm a broken mess
The sadness has taken me far too deep in regret
So sing me a song about something good
My heart's on the thrashing floor
And I've done every single thing I could
I use to believe in
Some kind of feeling
That could change everything I thought I knew
But that door is closed and
My heart feels like it's frozen
If you hear me I can feel youThe coldest heart can be brought to life
When it's thrown into the fire of goodbyesI've got the coldest heart
Cause I can't do it alone"The Coldest Heart," The Classic Crime (from Albatross)
Awfully catchy and bouncy beat, and I'm particularly identifying with the line "the coldest heart can be brought to life" today. Get it free here (along with 30 other songs).July 20, 2006
Boo to not being able to access the newest chapter to Carikube's Entity. :o( Yay to T.A. who try hard to convince his class not to come of Friday ("Are you going to come?" "I think so." "Yeah, don't come. I'm not even gonna be there.") How cool is Ryan? I'll play the hermit tomorrow then. Sweet.So I watched Supernatural tonight (as I do every Thursday night), and it was the episode "Faith." I'd seen most of it before, and was really just in it to see a) Dean's healing scene, and b) the ending scene, where Dean's all like "I'm not much of a praying type, but I'll pray for you," to which Layla responds "well, there's a miracle right there." About the only faith-based thing that they got right in the episode. On a side note, I also enjoyed the whole "let's torture Dean's conscience" theme. But that's just what I like. :oP
Anyway, what's up with the gross distortions in the media to what the Christian life should be like? No wonder people think we're a bunch of Bible-thumping, hand-raising, always-praying (well... we should be) lunatics. I mean, take Layla's mother for example. What real Christian would go up to someone else and say "why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?" As if we deserve something for our faith in God or something ("I just can't pray any harder" - come on!). Also, I hated how the healings didn't occur until Roy (well, Sue Ann) heard something. God choose to heal without our pre-knowing. Anyway, I wish that the media offered something a little more realistic in terms of portraying the Church. No, Seventh Heaven does not cut the deal.
I've learned about healing a lot since I did Alpha last winter. I remember Nicky Gumble saying so clearly that if healing doesn't take place after prayer, it doesn't mean your faith is not "strong enough." God operates outside of our efforts. Of course, there was our little "pray for healing" session during the term's Alpha, which I think impacted a lot of us, since healing had always been a sort of scary subject where we actually test God.
Fast forward to now. I've been doing a lot of praying for all sorts of different healings of people in my own life this term. It's a little overwhelming (and tear-jerking) at times. I think we're scared to pray for healing, because it seems like we are demanding God to do something for us. The feeling of "this is completely ridiculous" still resounds in my heart, but I've learned that faith believes that God can heal. If we don't pray for healing, how are we to gain the trust in this aspect?
Maybe I'm a bit scared about what would happen if no healing takes place (especially if it means someone dying - the implications of that scare me). Would I be bitter about it? After some thought, I don't think so. But only time can tell what will happen. It would be darn cool to see someone healed, though. We'll see.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
Carelessness something I�ve read about
In a magazine, in a Journal of Medicine
For fever and rapid heart
For the younger set giving life a startAll the pain in dissent
All the freedom to climb
A thousand wishes I�ve missed for hanging onto thisWhen a moment brings hope for everything
Every time I walk away from this
Will the one who came to throw it all away ever get to see the end of this?Carelessness is something I recognize
When you�re fast asleep and I'm in the right
Taking in everything you ignore
My abrasiveness and your angel-coreMore minutes of life put away, set aside
Ever following things that I won�t findWon�t you climb high
And shower some correction on me
Don�t dare disguise your colourful predictions are clear"Carelessness," Fair (from The Best Worst-Case Scenario)
From the One Dark Summer download. It has a nice little catchy and haunting melody.July 15, 2006
Yesterday was enjoyable, despite the late arrivals of, oh, everyone. The coffeehouse caf� was an excellent idea (go Christy and Carson!), but it's too bad that acts were not the focus at times. The testimonies were all missed to catching up with people, and even some of the songs were missed. It was a fine first attempt though. I think it should be doing again. Of course, the JOY visit needs a mention. It was good times squishing in the booth at Williams, and that was one mean apple spice waffle I shared with Ceci. Thanks! And Marianne sure made a whirlwind tour of Waterloo this time. Good to see her again.Anyway, so Elliot lent me Casting Crown's Lifesong last night, and I gave it a spin. I liked the first few tracks, then it got a little too entrenched in Christian sentimentalism. The musicianship is decent, though not outstanding. I guess the reason I prefer listening to stuff like Switchfoot or Mae is that you need to look for God in their music, much like we have to search for God in our own lives.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7, NKJV).Spoon-feeding Christianity through the form of songs is generally an idea I don't like (or, well, in other areas). It just gets stuck in clich�s that get annoying routinized in church circles. (Haha, in the background is Jimmy Needham's "Fence Riders" in which he laments "can I sing about my maker and have you not roll your eyes?" This song I like.) The Christian music industry has already successfully churned out legions of young Christians who have grown up believing that feeling and emotion is key in their relationship with God. Talk about emo. However, it's good to see that there is a slight shift in songwriting nowadays, in worship songs like "Indescribable" which focus more on God's characteristics rather than personal emotional. But I still like my "non-worship" music more. There's a better balance of everyday life and "Sunday life" in albums like The Beautiful Letdown and such. Keeps you grounded.
Well, on the flip side, I was listening to some dcTalk tracks earlier. I always have this deep appreciation that bubbles up when I realize the fact that I didn't grow up on mainstream music, but on Christian rock. It was a bit hard when everyone else was listening to Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls while I filled up with stuff from Christian bands (mainly from "uhh, I dunno what you're talking about, and you sure won't know what I'm talking about" - it's still like that now). But kudos for dcTalk, Third Day, and other bands that kept their eyes focused on God while they rocked it out. Their songs speak of these truths that have been ingrained in me, and not only until I listen to these songs again that I see where I got it all from. Stuff like "As I approach the Son, I must consider this: offenses unresolved, they'll keep me from the throne; before I go to Him my wrong must be atoned" - I mean, how else would I have learned AND remembered without Toby McKeehan turning it into a song?
That's about it from me on this. On another note, not sure if I posted this yet, but Inpop Records is offering a free sampler of 12 songs, with Newsboys, Mat Kearney, Jimmy Needham (who wrote "Fence Riders" - he sounds much like Jason Mraz, but talks about God), and others. I recommend it. It's a pretty good mix.
Also, if you're more into hard rock, punk, alternative, screamo, or metal, my favourite label Tooth & Nail and their fellow Solid State folks have their free One Dark Summer sampler up for downloading. It includes Mae, Underoath, Anberlin, Thousand Foot Krutch, Hawk Nelson, and probably 28 other artists. It's pretty hard stuff, but some of it is excellent.
Gotta get back to cults. Fun.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
It�s like a pencil with erasers at both ends
I want it all but we�re dealing in percents
And these activities that you have engaged in
This is the politics of seeing you dance with him
We began with concluding remarks
Pick up the pieces and examine the parts
Your words always cut when they're clich�
But here�s my knife because I came for the buffetThis is the way it goes
With you a part of it
Nervously saying words
That oh-so-tightly fit
A mark beneath the chin
I�ve caught you once again
It�s in the way you sell every word and phrase
And leaving me to know how much the meaning weighs
Saying that but meaning this
Using hands for emphasisYou�d like to think that you�re the best part of me
But I confess there is nothing left of you here (nothing left of you here)
These parallels and silly games
Hide your face and say the name
Say the name (say the name)This is the way it goes
With you a part of it
Nervously saying words
That oh-so-tightly fit
A mark beneath the chin
And I�ve caught you once again
It�s in the way you sell every word and phrase
And leaving me to know how much the meaning weighs
Saying that but meaning this
Your tears for emphasisThere�s that smile again (there�s that smile again)
You fake it and I follow you right in
What a fool I've been to fall for it each time"Studying Politics," Emery (from The Question)
I first paid attention to this band on Sundown at 94.3 Faith FM, 1 in the morning, just before I hit the sack. I wish Mississauga had a regular Christian alternative radio show too. But anyway, the guy on the show was saying how this song was their first hit off the new album, and it is darn catchy. It also reminds me a heck of a lot of PSYCH 354, in the "termination" stage of relationships. And look, the writer threw in some equity theory, with the "we're dealing with percents" line. Good stuff. It's on the One Dark Summer sampler, in case you were wondering. The downloadable stuff on their purevolume page is good too.July 12, 2006
I soaked myself in articles on existential psychology today, in preparation for writing the paper on existentialism and schizophrenia. Richter was asking if that's hard, but it's not, since R.D. Laing merges the two for me. :oP Anyway, the last article I read was an existential-humanistic psychologists's account of his own descent and recovery from schizophrenia. Blew me away. I also rather enjoyed his little "literature that got me through the tough times" section in the paper. I think I'll look into some of the books he suggested when I get some free time.On a related note, I think Jon Foreman is somewhat of an existentialist. "Sooner or Later (Soren's Song)" kinda gave it away, but he tackles the themes of despair and hope a lot in his songwriting. Tr�s existential, je pense. I guess that makes me somewhat of an existentialist too, by way of Switchfoot. Anyway, time to write my paper. It's not like I can hand in my blog.
July 11, 2006
Wow. I'm actually digging this existentialism stuff, especially the European stream of it. The Americans try to butter it up a little too much. Reminds me of Dr. Phil or something. Of course, I don't agree with all of it, but a lot of it does ring true. I like R.D. Laing's existential-humanistic approach to therapy. It pays attention to the person as a person, rather than a problem to be fixed. Makes me sorta wanna rethink not continuing on in psychology. But only sorta.I guess my current life circumstance (well, more of the vicarious sort) is forcing me to think about the human condition a little more. I think there lies a point in everyone's life where we need to simmer with the disappointments and problems of life, but more importantly, to learn not to stay there. We need Sartre's "optimistic toughness" to search for meaning and hope of life despite the negativity.
Here is where I think God steps in. It's interesting how there are spiritual lessons learned every term. This term's lesson is most undoubtedly hope. There is hope for better, even when we feel our worst. I love the verse in Psalm 73:26, which says "My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." More comforting words, I have not heard of in a while. I wish everyone could discover this truth. This verse has gotten me through a few tough nights of despair. I'm realizing more and more of my human frailty, but also more and more how God comes in, swoops in, in fact, and cares for me so deeply. Utterly amazing.
Hope can be found. We just have to know where to look.
Goodness, I gotta read more about this in the fall. Pick me up some Kierkegaard, Sartre, maybe even Nietzsche, just to see how things went so wrong.
July 7, 2006
Holy smokin' - Ashley MacIsaac's "Wing-Stock" makes me pee in my pants. Best piece from his "Hi, How Are You Doing?" album - so naturally, I bought the sucker. This piece makes me fall in love with East Coast music all over again. *Love* the melacholy and the pentatonic scale they use. The song is a pure instrumental piece in which Ashley handles both the piano and the fiddle with equal efficiency. The coolest part is I liked the song a lot BEFORE seeing him perform it live on TV once. *insert bewildered look, complete with dropped jaw, wide-eyes, hair standing like while touching the static ball at the Science Centre... lasting five minutes* I was most impressed at the seamless transition from piano to fiddle - LIVE. Unimaginable! Crazy! Freakin' awesome! I dunno... maybe it's a requirement for East Coast musicians to be able to that, but I have never seen anyone able to do something so crazy (oh, well, maybe except Jamie Cullum stomping on the piano in a surprisingly musical way). I think maybe I'd like to pick up the fiddle sometime and achieve 1/10th of what he can do.I so miss making instrumental music... as in being a band geek. Those were AWESOME times. I miss my French horn. I really gotta hook it up with Pansy sometime and borrow her horn to play. One day...
Anyway, it was cool bumping into Amy on the bus to Conestoga Mall today. I was getting a new backpack, she was getting groceries. We had a good chat about leading Bible study this term. Then I ran into Sam at Zehr's, and he was gracious enough to give me a ride home. I'm pretty sure I made him late for work. :oP It was nice chatting about future plans with him. Of course, there was the bake-fest at Grace's (who fed me dinner... again!) where we made cookies for refreshments at CCF. And Bible study went well. Way over time (and we were in 2034 too! we held up the ENTIRE fellowship... sweet), but well. And now I'm gorging on "Wing-Stock" in the comforts of my home, where I really should be catching up with readings for PSYCH 354. I'll get around to it soon.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
She sold her Warlock and bought a drum machine
Fired her whole band because they hated 909 beats
She's got a loft space, takes the L train to Bedford
Runs with some cool kids that are actors but dress like nerdsAnd she plays pop music of the future
And no one will ever get to her
She's a shaker but not a mover
She plays pop music of the futureBack in the 80's she wanted to be in a hair band
Then in the 90's she only wore corduroy pants
And then there was emo but that was just a phase
Becuase it's all been downhill since Sunny Day Real Estate's first record"Pop Music of the Future," Say Hi To Your Mom (from Numbers and Mumbles)
I'm enjoying Numbers and Mumbles more than Discosadness. It's just more cohesive. And still as wacky as heck. This song opens the disc quite nicely. I shall continue my own pursuits of playing pop music of the future.July 6, 2006
Today, I offer you my "Under The Gun" playlist. Perfect for times when you are freaking out about how you're going to write 6 papers and study for 4 exams by the end of the term.Chem 6a - Switchfoot
"I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna study now, it's all wrong but it's alright" - the truest words that a student has ever heard, especially in times of stressUnder The Gun - Waking Ashland
"You put me UNDER THE GUUUUUUUUNNNN... the tension fills the room, we push ourselves away" - I've been put under many guns this term, folksLet's Talk About Spaceships - Say Hi To Your Mom
"Let's talk about spaceships or anything except you and me, okay?" and "I should have paid attention in algebra" - avoidance strategiesCollege Kids - Relient K
"Someone please save us, us college kids!" and "I'll take calligraphy and then I�ll make a fake degree" - getting desperate (and starting to engage in stupid procrastinatory behaviour)... call it torture or university!California - Hawk Nelson
"I'm so tired of everything here... let's pack up and move to California!" - at this point, why the heck not?Wasting My Time - Default
The title says it allTime Is Running Out - Muse
Ditto - well, and "I think I'm drowning, asphyxiated" or "You will be the death of me" or "I won't let you bury it, I won't let you smother it, I won't let you murder it" or "And our time is running out, you can't push it underground, you can't stop it screaming out, how did it come to this?" (take your morbid pick)Superman (It's Not Easy) - Five for Fighting
"It�s not easy to be me" - lamenting all your academic woes :oPBe My Escape - Relient K
"I�m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake, I gotta get outta here, and I�m begging You, I�m begging You, I�m begging You to be my escape" - anything to get these papers researched and written!Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
A better day to be had...You Don't Know What It's Like - Econoline Crush
This one goes out to the profs and TAs...Telescopes - Waking Ashland
"I said, 'hold on, child, hold on to me - I'll get you through this" - daybreak, and possibly a glimmer of hope that it'll all turn out?For You I Will (Confidence) - Teddy Geiger
"I'm gonna muster up all the confidence I have - for you I will" - the assignments better appreciate the serenade and hard work!My Sundown - Jimmy Eat World
"I need you to show me the way from crazy, I want to be so much more than this" and "With one hand high you'll show them your progress, you'll take your time, but no one cares" - yes, Vic needs the sad ending... it's an awful good song, though!July 2, 2006
There's someone firing off some fireworks outside the window. I guess they're either a day late or using up extras. Anyway, they're rather pretty. But I enjoyed looking at the painted skies this dusk more though. Something about natural beauty that beats man-made stuff any day.I feel like I've let my nation down or something - talk about an unpatriotic Canada Day weekend. Went cherry picking at Niette's, then watched the World Cup over dumplings and buns. Followed that by baking cherry squares, and then did the "kids program" at the Mandarin Fellowship in the evening. I haven't given so many piggy back rides in a while... :oP Sarah is incredibly adorable, however. Looks so much like her mom.
Today, I went to church (late...), then had some lunch at the patriotic establishment of McDonalds and took in the patriotic Superman Returns. Too bad it's patriotism for the wrong country. Anyway, Jason was a cutie, and so was his daddy, but it was all very anti-climatic or something. Underdeveloped, definitely. If only they milked the emotions a little more, that would've been nice. The ending was a little abrupt. Oh well, at least I got some kryptonite fight action. I think I'm gonna make up for the losses and read Oubliette. Not quite Superman, but farm boy Clark Kent in Smallville will do.
I should really fill in my weekend with some more CanCon. All I have right now is listening to Joni Mitchell and Dakona. Maybe I'll catch a bit of Whistler (I watch such *junk*!), if mom isn't hogging the TV for Dai Cheung Gum. :oP