6.27.07 :: It's short because I have OT tomorrow
I got the nicest surprise in the mail yesterday: a pretty malachite-coloured top from Cathy whom I met in Europe! She is still thinking about my luggage. What a thoughtful person. :o)

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6.25.07 :: Blogging on a hot day (31 degrees outside)
Work was okay. More BIOS programming. Fun. :oP At least I got to stay stationary and not move in the air conditionless conditions. But anyway.

Just a few random things of note...

one :: I very much agree with this quote:

"I'd like to tell the church to let people be human. I'd like them to leaern to enjoy humanity, both their own and others'. To enjoy and to accept humanity, with all its warts and weaknesses, without pulling away in fear and judgment - this is the one thing that the church doesn't know. Most churches, I think, are frightened of human beings." - Bob Kirk

Any thoughts?

two :: Check out this blog: 905arttalk

They say this: "Suburban art institution (Art Gallery of Mississauga) LIKES visitors, all mediums of visual art and open minds. DISLIKES culture drain to the 416. Since Mississauga is Canada's 6th largest city a wealth of culture should be found here. SEEKING companions for dialogue and lively discussions, sharing news about art and events. Hopes to build community in the suburbs and live happily, creatively ever after. Could you be the one?"

three :: Oooh, internship at United Nations: Spring 2008 United Nations Headquarters Internship, I/1 (New York)

Working at a factory makes me want to work at a non-profit organization again. We'll see. I'm praying.

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6.23.07 :: Denny's, 4am
Denny's, 4am
With friends, sharing the moment
Can't ask for better

So, with the encouragement of Steph, I finally fulfilled my dream of going to Denny's at 4am to eat. It's surprisingly busy at that hour of day! I considered eating French toast before settling for buffalo wings (the wings of a child?). My lips are still somewhat burning. Very strange. But that was well worth it. :o)

Except I realized that this item isn't on my 100 Things list! :o( So wrong. But as Hazel used to say, "too bad, so sad."

A few random things of note:

  • Not sure what I got myself into, working spontaneously in a micro electronics factory - when I sort my thoughts out better (and work there more than 1 day!), I'll write more
  • Just watched Half Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps - I love when movies explore the complexity of people (try a junior high history teacher with a severe drug problem figuring out how to influence his students)
  • I miss my time off - the job was too sudden!

That's all.

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6.19.07 :: Quote of the moment
"Go out and make regrets." - Zach Gehring

Thoughts?

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6.18.07 :: Hungry City
Did you know that clients who use the food bank often only have $6.61 on average left in their bank accounts after they pay for utilities and rent? It's a wonder that anyone can stand for such injustice in our society.

Hungry City is an initiative of the Daily Bread Food Bank which pushes for an appointment of a Minister for Social Inclusion among the Liberal, PC and NDP parties for the upcoming provincial elections. This minister would "orient policies in the areas of Children, Welfare & Work, People with Disabilities, Immigrants and Housing toward poverty reduction." This strategy has already worked in the United Kingdom which has seen a 23% reduction of child poverty. How awesome is that?

Why not sign on and be a part of the campaign?

Justice issues are always on the forefront of my mind. Like today, the whole notion of not seeing the farmers and other workers that provide the food in suburban supermarkets was floating in my brain as I shopped with my mom at Highland Farms. I decided to actually pay attention to where the fruits and vegetables in the produce aisle came from. I found out that most of it was imported from the United States and South America. I pointed all this out to my mom, who obligingly stayed away from non-local products as much as possible. But I wonder: Even if we choose local products in the supermarket, does it really make a difference?

My mom noted that I've been very socially aware lately (I forget her exact wording). I replied that since I'm still settling into my role as an adult, I might as well as experiment with living a just lifestyle. "And see if it works?," she went on. "I guess," I answered in a typically post-modern, who-knows-about-the-future kind of way. However, ultimately, I would like to live with justice (which I define as living in right relationship with God, people, and the environment) in mind for the rest of my life. I also want to live holistically. I don't think it would be too hard, but it would just take a lot of intentional effort (like not throwing away shampoo bottles, but taking the time to rinse them out and recycling them instead). This I still need to work on.

On another note, I just sent in my photo I.D. to Tyndale, and will mail off my tuition deposit very soon. I'm looking forward to the big package to come my way so I can start my journey at Tyndale soon!

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6.16.07 :: On the bottom of things, or, let's get history over with first
What a crazy kind of week it's been, and the fun hasn't stopped yet. But I figure I'll blog about what's happened since I left for Europe...

Europe
Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium What a history-filled place. I loved walking the streets where you can say, "hey, 200 years ago, so-and-so walked the same streets and looked at the same buildings". There's a certain groundedness (maybe from all that cobblestone that I adore) that you just don't get when you walk (or more likely, drive) around the streets of my cookie cutter suburbia. The place that most blew me away was Brussels, Belgium. I had never heard of Grand Place, and certainly did not expect the beautiful 16th century architecture that still has the "wow" factor that it was meant to inspire. My photos do it no justice.

In every parting there is an image of death - George Eliot Another common link between the European cities was their links to World Wars I and II. I am a WWI/II buff, so I marvelled at every nod made to that terrible time mentioned. There was the sign to Dunkerque from Dover, where the British Navy was saved from sure slaughter; there were the Hitler-built castle-like tunnels along the Rhine in Germany, so to protect vital transport lines from being bombed; there was the mere fact of visiting Holland, a country that still imports tulips to Canada as a thank you for sheltering their royal family and for liberating them during WWII; and of course, there was the spectacular Imperial War Museum in London, where we spent 2 afternoons and still didn't get to all the exhibits. You just don't live in this kind of history here in North America. That I very much envy.

The most memorable scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam from The Orangery And of course, there was the food. You really learn about a foreign culture by indulging in their food. Belgium and Germany fed people very, very well; the English provides a lot of comfort food; the Swiss serve their food somewhat lukewarm so that you don't have to wait for it to cool down to eat; and Hollanders certainly don't mind their raw herring and chocolate sprinkles (not together, thank goodness! Highlights in food for me include high tea at The Orangery located at Kensington Palace (scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam... ohhhhhhhh), moules frites (mussels and fries) in Brussels, and croque madame (ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top) in France. Looking up regional specialties for each area we visited was definitely well worth it! Praise God for food.

Am I going back? You bet. But I'm undecided as to whether I'd do the war tour (and really be able to walk the grounds at Vimy Ridge, instead drive by in a blur), Southeastern Europe (grouping Italy, Turkey, Greece), or Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Austria, among other places). I suppose I'll fret over that when I replenish my cash found.

Click here for more Europe photos.

Waterloo and Tyndale
Piece of paper? Check. So I'm done at Waterloo. It was good seeing some old friends again, but I was sad I didn't get a photo with Amy, Katie, Suzanne and others from my psych year! However, might I admit that getting my piece of paper was quite the non-event for me. I didn't even know the person I knelt before when I was hooded. I did enjoy seeing the throw-back to the 11th century, with all the hoods, caps, capes, and gowns. Interesting traditions that we keep around for kicks, I suppose.

And, yes, I've been accepted into Tyndale for an M.Div in Missions. Right now, the thing I'm most thankful for is that the bursaries and scholarships deadline have been extended! I'll get (quite a bit of) time to fill them out, which is an added bonus. I'm really looking forward to the course calendar that I'm assuming they'll send me, and to choosing courses. The course work is going to be so interesting!

I was imagining what life will be like when Marianne (who stayed over on Thursday night) and I are done our Masters degrees. Both of us have aspirations of seeking justice in the world - her with improving water quality of places that still require it, me with improving the lives of immigrants and refugees. I'm looking forward to the stories we'll share with each other about the work we're engaging in. It's good to have like-minded friends.

And the rest of it
JOY Fellowship has been especially sweet these past 2 weeks. The joint event between WAY and JOY was quite fun (and hazardous, with the balloon stomping and all!), and board games night was enjoyable! I especially enjoyed the part where two friends came back since a long absence. One friend shared his desire to plug back into community, and I just marvelled at the fact that others ache for community as much as I do. I pray we'll be able to build a loving community together, learning both to rejoice at the good times, and persevere through the bad. Agrarian vision... here we come!

I'm quite excited for the Spiritual Disciplines class that I'll be facilitating this term. I just hope I'll be able to instill the kind of excitement and longing for spiritual disciplines that I have in others. My prayer is that people will actually try out the disciplines throughout the week. Tomorrow is class two... hopefully more people will come out!

I'll get back to planning for class tomorrow then. Leave me a comment or two!

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6.12.07.b :: Online shopping

Not that you care, but these are my online purchases of this past week:

It looks like I officially have 3 green shirts as a result of my lost luggage. Go me. :o|

Okay, okay... I promise a more proper blog entry about more interesting stuff after I a) convocate on Thursday, b) go to JOY on Friday, c) serve drinks at Theresa and Oliver's wedding on Saturday, and d) plan the curriculum for Sunday school. In the meantime, someone go figure what you exactly do when you engage in "examen." Yeh.

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6.12.07.a :: Quickfire challenge
Actually, this is quickfire blogging. I guess I regret not watching Top Chef last night. This one goes out to the one or so person(s) that reads my blog. Heh.

  1. I'm back from Europe. Photos will be slowly displayed on the blog, but check Facebook in the meantime if you can.
  2. Yes, my luggage was lost on the trip. For those detail-hungry, it was lost on the day 4 of 16, and I survived by lots of borrowing and some buying. Thank God I'm low maintenance.
  3. I got into Tyndale Seminary for my masters degree!

That's it. After a day of photo naming and uploading, I am wiped. It's only 12:25am. So sad. More details of everything to (hopefully) follow.

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