Thursday, July 31, 2003
Exile On Downsview (Part II)
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
sorry for not having blogged in a few days.... i've been going thru some thoughts and emotions that i don't really wanna share on here. and also lazy as well. hehe.
i've been listening to diana krall a lot and i must say that i really love her. :) her music sets the atmosphere and puts me in a certain dreamy kinda mood. i've also been playing freecell more often than usual. :P i used to play it a lot when i was in res and procrastinating from studying. hehehe.... but i'd think a lot when i played freecell cuz it's so mindless my thoughts would drift. and somehow it would make me think of things in my subconscious that i don't focus on normally. matthew used to laugh at me whenever i told him that. :P he used to ask me what i'm doing and i'd say - playing freecell! it makes me think! and he'd be like - yeah right, that's your excuse for procrastinating... lol. aaah... i miss good ol' matthew. :)
anyhow, the reason i decided to blog was cuz i found THIS. angee sent it to me cuz she didn't have the patience to get to it on dial up. :) it's so great!! it's a cartoon - diff short stories about God. and the christian life. lots of really great ways of showing things. and even if you're not a christian, it gives you good insight into how God sees us and in understanding how christians view things too. so i encourage you to check it out!! some of them are also really funny!! :)
Sunday, July 27, 2003
today was a great sat. :) ... cuz i had no plans or obligations to go out! except to go shopping with my sis, but that doesn't really count. :) i woke up sorta early (for me anyway) to go shopping with her for half an hour and we both got good stuff. all the things i bought were half price! i picked out a journal at hallmark that was on sale, so i'm ready to record all my adventures in europe! fruits & passion was having a half price sale on stuff, so i bought a gift i had forgotten to get b4. :)
wongs called and we planned out our itinerary for our trip to the balkans. things are rolling! :) i'm so excited that i finally get to go. :) i went thru lonely planet and typed up a list of things that sound interesting to see and do in every city we're going to. it'll be so interesting to see what all these diff places and cultures are like. for example, in mostar (in hercegovina), there's an invisible line btwn where the muslims live and where the croats live. and in sarajevo, certain parts of the city only get water during part of the day... so we gotta be careful when deciding where to stay. all of the cities are fairly small with populations of a couple hundred thousand to a few hundred thousand at most, with the exception of budapest which is a city of 2 million ppl. anyhow, next time i'm gonna read about the customs and history now that i'm done the places to see, places to stay, places to eat and entertainment sections. this is very educational! :P the only thing i'm missing is a backpack. does anyone have one that they would be willing to lend me to use for 4 wks in sept? i'll take very good care of it! :) pls let me know if you do!! i can't afford to buy one of my own.
Friday, July 25, 2003
since the last time i blogged about not having many regular friends, i've discovered a few good friends that i "forgot" are always there for me. :) i've been blessed with lotsa friends... i think it's just a matter of coming out of isolation and giving them a call more often and sharing my life with them.
every wondered what the diff is btwn ice cream and gelato? where HERE'S the answer. :) less cream, more milk, more eggs, less air. sounds like a healthier choice to me!! our small grp went out for gelato (for some reason i prefer the name "gelato" way more than "gelati"... so i will keep referring to it in the singular tense :P) to celebrate megs' bday. it was a place that cath had discovered in her travels... :) and had TONS of flavours!! that all sounded yumm... i had tiramisu... the only prob was that it gave me an ... allergic reaction!! >.< >.< horrible. that meant i was pretty much out for the nite. thanx to matt my driver who took me home... and then back again. hahahaha.
i had an interview with ei yesterday for my internship position. i think it went alright. not sure what my chances are cuz there were lotsa applicants. but i'll find out sometime early next wk. right now, i don't really have a preference btwn either internship (i.e. tanzania vs. nicaragua). they both sound like great experiences and each have their strengths. tanzania would mean the experience of living in a very rural community (with possibly no water/electricity), hands on, living and working right in the community, nutrition-focused, very missions/evangelistic-focused, and i'd learn swahili!! nicaragua would be in an urban setting, working in a very poor community in the slums in the capital city of managua - probably similar to nairobi, public health-focused, easier living envt, and i'd get to learn spanish!! anyhow, i guess i'll just hafta wait and find out... if i even get in to any. :)
saw "how to deal" with matt today. my sis was supposed to come too but she ditched us. :P mandy moore is so pretty!! she looks best in long hair, but she has such a pretty face she can pull short hair off too, no probs. :) anyhow, the movie was funny - lotsa cliches, not realistic at all, but overall fairly entertaining. :)
had dinner with ann tonight at toyko grill again. yummm!! never too often. :P ken just left for arizona today on missions, so she wanted to do something. after dinner, we looked over all her wedding pics while watching "a walk to remember" (it's a mandy moore movie day!), and her honeymoon pics... and my nairobi pics! i wanna have a tan now.... :P maybe it's time to do some gardening.. hahaha.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
happy belated birthdays to james dai (july 20th) and megan (july 21st)!!
and happy birthday to my dad TODAY! :)
it's been a couple days, so let me do some highlights.
SUN
all 4 of us (cath, megan, matt and i) made it to prayer meeting at 9! now that's a highlight. :) after service, we went out for lunch with a few new ppl from vancouver (and one from edmonton). they've been here all summer, coming to cpc on and off, but we finally had a chance to go out and chat. hopefully with the start of the univ/early career grp at cpc (we've had 2 planning meetings so far, will be having the first real fellowship meeting on aug 1st) we'll get to know other ppl our age who come to cpc and get to know them much more. looking forward to that. :) i'm sorta tired of surface chats/friendships and the lack of support/fellowship at church. it's about time! but still lots to work out... we'll see what happens and keep praying along the way.
oh, we went to mei heung choon which used to be this typical chinese restaurant, but now it's moved a couple doors over to this fancy new art deco place called "asian delight". it looks very much like spring rolls on yonge!! i wonder if the same interior designer designed it. gotta ask dana. :)
sus and i went to sobey's on sun night to finally do our grocery store tour!! we found some interesting stuff.... like A cut up apple in a plastic bag..... ONE apple. why cannot ppl buy a WHOLE apple if they want an apple?? single servings of apples in a plastic bag. so strange. we also found some new soy products, new veggies and spices we didn't know were available there and checked out the ice creams. :P she's got an interest in diabetes too, so she was checking all the sugars. i'll hafta go back another day - we didn't get to go thru the regular aisles even. we went to boston afterwards as usual and had a good chat about friendships and expectations.
MON
had a surprise prelim interview for my internship that morn... after talking to the lady at ccfc, i feel much more excited about this "public health promoter" position in nicaragua. oh, i guess i haven't explained for those other ppl out there that i don't talk to. :P i found this other position on the cida website that could possibly be a fit and so i applied. not too enthusiastically cuz i don't speak spanish and i don't have much of a heart for central/south america. but after talking to this lady, and finding out that it would be in an urban setting, similar to what i was working at in nairobi, then i started getting more excited about this. so we'll see what happens. i have my tanzania interview tmr.
had voice lessons and then met up with sarah for dinner cuz she's in town for the wk - marking ufe tests and counselling pwc accounting students. i picked her up at the royal york and i decided to go to tokyo grill for dinner cuz i had been craving. :) matt called and crashed our dinner. :P it was cool cuz i talk a lot about sarah to matt and matt to sarah, so glad they finally met each other. :)
afterwards i went to angee's to check her mail and pick up my car. found "opening soon", this show about brand new restaurants preparing to open and all the work that goes into it just b4 opening hour. it's on the foodnetwork mondays at 10:30 pm. so i decided to stay and watch. :) mon's show was about "brasserie arie", this restaurant on college in toronto. interesting stuff! i thought of debbie cuz she has ambitions to open up her own restaurant!
TUES
had lunch with donna (who's back!) and alan at this really tacky place near alan's work (ibm). it's called "fire & ice". "stir fry" and vegetables are on the roof of the place and the body break ppl (remember those commercials?) are all over the outside of the restaurant. lol. the food was pretty expensive too. sorta like mongolian grill where you choose all your veggies. except you choose what meat you want at the beginning and they make it for you (you don't get to take it yourself). but you can pile on the veggies. AND you've got salad! and soup and bread too. plus ice cream (it was ok) for dessert. :) dunno if i'll go back, but i guess it was alright. lotsa older working ppl there during their lunch hour. it seems like a pretty popular place.
went over to matt's afterwards to try to record, but wasn't in a singing mood. and had a raspy voice. so that didn't work. ended up looking at his new roll of pics and trying to figure out the cd cover designs i've been working on... (but having probs cuz i don't have/know how to use photoshop... grrr...).
went to dinner with the family for my dad's bday... this place underneath club 300 (bowling) on old kennedy. ok food, not so great. but good and quick service. we rented bourne identity and watched that afterwards cuz my dad's bday present to himself was a new tv and stand. so now the dvd player works... woohoo! great movie, i really enjoyed all the action. :)
anyhow, i think i'm off to bed now. after having played a few rounds of msn 6 games with richard. :) have you got msn 6 yet? you should! :)
Saturday, July 19, 2003
congrats to andrea & ryan!
i just came back from andrea & ryan's wedding today.... it was so beautiful! i think one of the most beautiful weddings i've been to so far. the church (kmb - kitchener mennonite brethren) was really sunny and bright, and the decorations fit well and added to the cheery atmosphere. andrea has a thing for daisies, so gerber daisies (i think that's what they're called) was the theme for the entire thing - the program, church decorations, guestbook, centrepieces, bouquets, etc. altogether, a beautiful day for a beautiful wedding! :)
my solo went alright... i think i'm improving each time. :) though i'm not planning on any more in the near future! hehe. unless anyone asks me again...... :) i wasn't shaking like a leaf this time! though i did rush in a couple places.. [sigh]... oh well, no one really noticed. hehe. phew. :P a big big big big big huge thanx to matt who pulled thru with the instrumental track of the song in 24 h!!!! even after he lost his entire audio drive.... O_o
eating on the tour de france
so since matt is so into the tour de france right now.... :P (i have no hobbies, so i just soak up his. lol.) ever wonder what those tour de france guys eat while they're doing the race? it's all HERE! with a great explanation of what happens in the body and why they need to eat lots and lots of FOOD! 6000-7000 calories per DAY!! yikes. :P now that's some energy expenditure for you... and look how skinny they are!!!! ok, not skinny - muscular!! but not big!! how fascinating this nutrition stuff is. :)
Thursday, July 17, 2003
the red tent
angee just finished reading "the red tent" by anita diamant. i was so intrigued by her description of it ("its really interesting to read a bible story with fictional subplots") that i went searching for it myself and here is what i found! the whole first chapter online!! at amazon.com, of course. :)
interesting that this book is written by a jew. what do you guys think of this? putting subplots and reasons behind biblical characters' actions and lives. do you think it's sacrilegious? angee was sorta traumatized (her word :P) by the character flaws in the biblical characters. i was too, but not quite as shocked as i would've thought i'd be. it's really quite interesting.... to bring to life the stories of the bible in this way. including the details and reasons behind the events that were recorded add so much more to the story. and although the character flaws are shocking at first, they really do bring out the fact that God can use us fallen, sinful humans. and he CHOOSES to use us in his plans for this world. what a privilege!
i think i can, i think i can
i'm getting back on the train!! slowly but surely....
after 3 wks (has it only been 3 wks?? it feels like forever!!) of bum-ism, i have discovered that it is not for me. :P i have incredible urges to be productive. but... i think i am on a downward spiral of unproductivity. or was, anyhow. when i was still working and busy busy, i was so looking forward to this time off to get stuff done and relax and reflect. after over a wk of bum-ism, i was in a completely relaxed state, and now after 3 wks, i feel like a sloth!!! but i'm slowly getting back on my feet and attacking that to-do list. there's something about having unlimited (or seemingly unlimited) time to do things that makes me do absolutely NOTHING. even though i feel like there is tons to do. sucks!! i think my problem is that i gotta start getting up b4 11 am.... can't seem to do it!! (except for sundays, of course :)
anyhow, our one and only tv of 12 yrs died yesterday. RIP. it really is so much more boring on the treadmill when there is no foodnetwork to watch. my dad bought a new tv already. lol.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
i gotta get back on the train........
i'm on a downward spiral........ help.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
i booked my ticket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
though i booked it for the wrong day.......... doh...
.... but... I BOOKED MY TICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
woohoo!!!! i'm going to holland, and germany... and the balkans!!!! :) in that order. :) :) :)
Friday, July 11, 2003
more food friends!
so i've been talking to alan about regular friends and we've come up with some new friend food names. they are so funny that i have to post them. :P
first, let's re-define the first friend category: ketchup.
ketchup = catch up. friends you meet up with every few months (or yrs) to chat about what you've been up to, how things are going and future plans. you used to hang out a lot, maybe you went to school together and now you're walking down different paths of life. you know each other pretty well, but over the years you've sort of grown apart. but still want to meet up every once in awhile to catch up. ketchup.
onto category #2: raisin.
raisin = risen. friends who know you, REALLY know you. you shared something special in the past, whether a crisis, struggles, or similar interests. through your time together, you have gotten to know each other very well and know that you are always there for each other. for eternity. you don't spend as much time with each other anymore, but you meet up every so often to catch up. and when you do, you share about the important stuff - the lessons learned, the joys, the struggles. these friends are raisin friends because they've weathered the test of time and are here to stay. but they are also risen! they know the lord and will be your friends for eternity... real eternity in heaven. not all raisin friends know christ.... so we've called these friends "grapes". and we continue to share our lives with these grape friends in hopes that one day they will know jesus and his unconditional love... so that they too may be risen raisins!
as everything else in life, friendships can't really be categorized so easily, so there are friends that are a bit of both categories...
and last, but not least - the final category of friends: fibre.
fibre = regular. friends that you talk to on a regular basis. those that you share joys and sorrows and thoughts with daily/weekly. friends you call up whenever you're free to hang out, catch a movie, play ball, study, go clubbing, watch tv or take a walk in the park. these friends are the ones that you see most often so they're like fibre - everyone should eat some fibre every day!! but they're also fibre friends cuz they keep you regular... i.e. sane!! they sustain you and encourage you and support you and listen to you and joke around with you. life would just not be the same without these friends. just like fibre. :)
so there you have it. fibre, ketchup and raisins! now here's to friendship!! :)
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
hollyholz, cath, matt and i went to pangaea tonight!! :) it was yummy and i really liked the atmosphere too - bright and cheerful. :) my favourite part was the dessert.... summer berries with whipped marscapone!! mmm..... :) (they had a fancier name, but i forget. :P)
you know what i just realized? i have very very very very very few regular friends. probably 95% of my friends are ketchup friends. it's not that i have a lack of friends. i just have a lack of regular friends. no wonder my mom was asking why i always hang out with a boy. :) my 2 other regular friends are in diff countries. :( hmm... so how does one go about acquiring regular friends? everyone already has their comfortable grp of regular friends... and i'm pretty comfortable myself. more regular friends would mean more time spent .... but i dunno if this is healthy! what a dilemna... :P
Monday, July 07, 2003
i've been having such a good time seeing old friends... still! this is the best part of being a bum.. having time to see all the ppl i've always wanted to see and not be constrained by tiredness or time!
we had dinner with relatives tonight and i had a chance to chat with jeremy for a long time. we never hung out much at all when we were growing up. even though we lived an hour away in kitchener, toronto always used to seem like this big forboding city that was far, far away. it was a big adventure to make the drive to toronto every time. so we didn't see our relatives really and i never got to know them. but there's something about relatives that is a bond unto itself. :) our immediate cousins were all in hk/england, so we never hung out with them when we were kids either, but there's no inhibitions when we do see each other! :) tonight was probably the first time i've ever talked to jeremy in such depth.... it was interesting to hear about his life, thoughts on parenting, where he is now, his friends and restaurant working experiences (something i wouldn't mind trying myself!), and to see the house he's lived in all his life. funny thing - even though the last and only time i ever was in his house i was 10 yrs old, i distinctly remember the staircase by the door. and tonight when we went over to visit, it was there exactly as i had remembered it - green carpet and all! :) and it's been 15 yrs! it was sorta like deja vu. :P
do not fear, i have not neglected blogger! :) it is still my first love. ;) still haven't decided what to do (or if i should do anything at all) with xanga. we'll see if i get creative... or desire to share more thoughts.
anyhow, let's do a 10 book challenge update.
books read
the purpose driven life
soul survivor
freedom of simplicity
currently reading
mini skirts, mothers and muslims
books to read
the essential writings of gustavo gutierrez
fast food nation
out of poverty
serving with the poor in latin america
prayer: finding the heart's true home
+ one more book... tbd.
not bad, but still lots to read! :) i have a habit of reading and not retaining, so i'm taking more time to think and digest each book and take some notes too. so it's going a little slower than usual. but well worth it!
Thursday, July 03, 2003
so THIS is where everyone has disappeared to!!! i'm HERE!
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
catching up
not much to blog about tonight - except that i met up with alan and we had a nice long chat at bubbles. :) we discovered that we hadn't talked talked in like 3 yrs! so there was lots to catch up on. it's interesting to hear about his new perspectives, experiences and plans for the future. and he has now joined the online journalling world in xanga! :) go check him out: SOUL CLAP
in the last wk, i've had the chance to catch up with quite a few ppl that i haven't talked to in ages - tim mak, brittany, tree, andrew (from nairobi!), jo, wayne, alan, fiona t, jack. and a few others that i see every so often but don't get to talk talk to - amy, ann & ken (back from their honeymoon!). i love talking to ppl and finding out what they've been up to and how God's been working in their lives. every person i get to talk to is full of stories. i know that i myself have gone thru so much in the last yr - i know that others have so much more to tell behind that "i'm doing good." response that they give in answer to the typical "how have you been?" greeting. it's been so great to be able to chat without time constraints or worrying about work that needs to be done still. catching up with ppl was one of the things on my "to do" list for this summer. there are still tons of ppl i'd love to get back in touch with.... but i'm really glad that i've been able to talk to so many already!
