October is drawing to an end in a couple of days. What have I learned so far? I learned that I am terrified of the cold, but fortunately discovered a route to get home from school that cuts down the time to just over an hour. I learned that if you suck at school, you're going to suck at school even if you study something you like. I learned that living with a family that isn't my own can be quite the challenge. I've learned that I am always hungry. Wait, I already knew that.
Anyways, really sketchy for me to be talking about this right now especially given my current state of life. And it's to no surprised that it's probably sprouted from my current situation. But I am developing some views on how families should be run - being very vague here. That probably includes parenting, how you manage a household, how you are to your spouse, etc. I am not one to say that I am someone who is "all-knowing" about any of this, but maybe it's because I am maturing in this aspect. L-O-L did I just say that I'm maturing? Even though I've never really thought about it, it's always been in the back of my mind once in a while where I think about how I'd be like if I get to be a dad. I know that that is thinking WAY ahead of myself because I haven't even done step one yet. But there's always the possibility of it happening, and I am always curious of how I'd do.
In the perfect world, if I can manage to be a fraction of what my parents are, I am probably pretty satisfied. I think that my parents are the perfect model parents for just about any new couples. However, I can't discount the fact that I also think there are some incredible parents that I know. The very first question I have for parents is this: how different are you in front of your kid(s) than your peers? You're not going to be the same person in the two situations; if you are, I feel for you. But the question is more of how big of a difference in character is there? I know that parents always want the best for their kids, so they're going to try to "feed" them the best that they have. This means that you probably do your best to hide your imperfections in front of your kids so they don't feed off of your flaws. Although this isn't a bad thing, how far are you willing to go? When does the whole quote of "do as I say, not as I do" come in? Everyone is a hypocrite to some extend in their own way, but where is the line that you have to draw?
I've been learning about different types of spiritualities this semester, and we touched on one that's called "classical spirituality". It's hard to have one solid definition of this term, but it's easily understandable. It is basically "see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil" to its most literal-ness. You won't sit or have a bar stool because it's a "bar" stool; in bars they do bad things, so you can't have any of that. Basically, anything that has even the slightest hint of potential evil is something you have to stay away from. It's a little extreme, I know, but I have witnessed it - maybe not to its full potential, but the general idea. The parents would almost completely indoctrinate the kids into nothing but God and Jesus, and the whole 9 yards. Yes, everything. Indoctrinate is a strong word, and I mean every bit of what the word is. From the posters and decorations on your dining room wall, to the music you listen to, to the TV shows you watch, to the vocabulary that you're allowed to have, to the clothes that you wear, to the activities that you do, it all has to be free from evil. Again, this is why it's so sketchy to be talking about. Because even if I'm in a completely different situation (living alone, or on res, or something else), the subject itself is already sketchy. Is this how you would treat your kids?
If you knew people like this, what would your opinion be? Now, if you take my character and who I am into play, how does that work? Like I said, there isn't really anything that is flat out wrong about living a classically spirited life, but my question is this: will you ever peak outside of your box to realize that there is a world that you live in? The whole idea of it seems kind of surreal. As a bit of a third party looking in, it almost seems as if the attitude is that they're too good for this place. Of course, this is getting rather specific to the particular people, but it seems that way. Try to picture if there is a king or queen that asked for some food. But when they see that there is a piece of meat that is a little under cooked, they won't even look at it. They have to have everything done one way, and one way only, and don't even realize that the only way you get to the imperfections of this world is by diving into it and not kind of picking at it with your thumb and index while you squint one eye and sitting on the edge of your seat ready to run away if something happened.
I don't know. I'm not even sure how I went from parenting to this. I think I'm more ranting than anything right now. I guess I've just been caught up in what some of the results would be depending on the way you teach your kids. Believe me, there are some horribly undisciplined kids or kids not disciplined properly, and they can be very close to over disciplined kids too. I know. I see it pretty frequently. But with the way the society is now, parents probably can't even look at their kids funny without their kids wanting to sue them. Again, insert me into the picture. Given the environment and circumstances, this is why I think I'm such a bad influence right now. I have knives, I do magic, I play guitar, I watch hockey, I watch videos on youtube, I listen to music with swears, I am a fan of Michael Jackson's Thriller video.. Oh noes, I'm trouble! In the end though, I think that this is going to be my job: dealing with so many different stories and views and all that fun stuff by taking both the classical and the "post-modern" era and bringing it all together.
I guess I just don't really like where this world is going and what it's trying to teach people. Like this one. If you tell your kids that Halloween is bad because it's the "devil's day", then why do you tell your kids that Santa is going to jump down the chimney and give you presents on Christmas?
/endrant.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Mercy Marks, Maybe?
I was told that my theology prof is a hard marker. He even told us himself that for some reason people did miserably on his final exams. So his way of making us do better is by splitting it into two and giving one as a midterm. If you ask me, it actually makes it harder because by splitting it, you now can make the first one as hard as your final, then there's the final itself that is probably the same difficulty.
I kind of got into the room and shuffled my way closer to the back because I didn't like being watched when writing an exam. The second I got my test, it dawned on me that I haven't written any midterm or final since April of 2009. And then I panic'd. I tried to make sure my name was nice and legible. I made sure to use a blue pen (but really, I should've brought a pencil) so it's easier to read than black ink. I tried to remember any test strategies that I have ever been taught. One of them was to make sure you skim the test first to make sure everything is fine. So I read the first question on the multiple choice, and I had a good idea of what the answer was. So I flipped over to the fill in the blanks part, took a skim, and knew right away that I am going to fail this test. Then I got to the short answer part. Seeing that the short answers are half of the tests worth in marks, and seeing the kinds of questions that it was asking, I kind of wanted to put my hand up and ask to be excused because I am feeling sick. After wiggling my way through the 15 multiple choice questions, I knew that I had probably 75% of those right for sure. If my fail-logic and guesses were good to me, maybe I'll get a few more. Then I got to the fill in the blanks and I wanted to die right there. I think that of the 10ish blanks, I filled in only 1 or 2 with confidence. For the rest of them, I just found a BS answer and slapped it in. There were still a few blanks, but I had absolutely zero idea of what the answers would be. So I flipped to the last section.
My, oh my. I kind of wished that I was writing the wrong midterm or went into the wrong room or something. But I looked up and thought, nope - these are my classmates. Other than maybe one question, I put down your typical church answers, hoping for some mercy marks maybe. When I did what I could for the ones that I could, I looked at the clock and only 20 or 25 minutes have passed. And usually, if there was a question that I didn't know right away, I'd leave it blank and come back later to think it through. So I went back to check to make sure I got the multiple choices that I wanted, I proceeded to write a bunch of irrelevance to fill up the rest of my test. I knew that I wouldn't be able to suddenly have a magical appearing light bulb moment and have the answers in my head, so sitting in class fiddling with my pen would be nothing more than what it is: wasting time. So after about 40-45 minutes, I decided that I would just GTFO. I handed in the test and hung my head when I walked out. When I walked up to the front of the room though, I saw a few people that had blanks on the same questions that I came up empty on. So is it that the test really was that hard? Or were they just waiting for the perfect worded answer and get bonus marks?
Whatever it is, I don't feel good about my chances of passing this test. If I manage a 40-50%, that is probably what I will be content with. I'm really only expecting a mark in the 30s. If I suddenly miraculously get a grade over 50, then it means that God really wants me to do well to the point that he will intervene.
So anyways, school has never been my thing, I've been a B student with a couple of As at the very best. But nonetheless, this was quite the face smacking experience telling me that I really need to step up my game. But it's definitely too late for the midterm I'm going to write in a couple hours because I haven't studied a whole lot for that one either.
Mercy?
I kind of got into the room and shuffled my way closer to the back because I didn't like being watched when writing an exam. The second I got my test, it dawned on me that I haven't written any midterm or final since April of 2009. And then I panic'd. I tried to make sure my name was nice and legible. I made sure to use a blue pen (but really, I should've brought a pencil) so it's easier to read than black ink. I tried to remember any test strategies that I have ever been taught. One of them was to make sure you skim the test first to make sure everything is fine. So I read the first question on the multiple choice, and I had a good idea of what the answer was. So I flipped over to the fill in the blanks part, took a skim, and knew right away that I am going to fail this test. Then I got to the short answer part. Seeing that the short answers are half of the tests worth in marks, and seeing the kinds of questions that it was asking, I kind of wanted to put my hand up and ask to be excused because I am feeling sick. After wiggling my way through the 15 multiple choice questions, I knew that I had probably 75% of those right for sure. If my fail-logic and guesses were good to me, maybe I'll get a few more. Then I got to the fill in the blanks and I wanted to die right there. I think that of the 10ish blanks, I filled in only 1 or 2 with confidence. For the rest of them, I just found a BS answer and slapped it in. There were still a few blanks, but I had absolutely zero idea of what the answers would be. So I flipped to the last section.
My, oh my. I kind of wished that I was writing the wrong midterm or went into the wrong room or something. But I looked up and thought, nope - these are my classmates. Other than maybe one question, I put down your typical church answers, hoping for some mercy marks maybe. When I did what I could for the ones that I could, I looked at the clock and only 20 or 25 minutes have passed. And usually, if there was a question that I didn't know right away, I'd leave it blank and come back later to think it through. So I went back to check to make sure I got the multiple choices that I wanted, I proceeded to write a bunch of irrelevance to fill up the rest of my test. I knew that I wouldn't be able to suddenly have a magical appearing light bulb moment and have the answers in my head, so sitting in class fiddling with my pen would be nothing more than what it is: wasting time. So after about 40-45 minutes, I decided that I would just GTFO. I handed in the test and hung my head when I walked out. When I walked up to the front of the room though, I saw a few people that had blanks on the same questions that I came up empty on. So is it that the test really was that hard? Or were they just waiting for the perfect worded answer and get bonus marks?
Whatever it is, I don't feel good about my chances of passing this test. If I manage a 40-50%, that is probably what I will be content with. I'm really only expecting a mark in the 30s. If I suddenly miraculously get a grade over 50, then it means that God really wants me to do well to the point that he will intervene.
So anyways, school has never been my thing, I've been a B student with a couple of As at the very best. But nonetheless, this was quite the face smacking experience telling me that I really need to step up my game. But it's definitely too late for the midterm I'm going to write in a couple hours because I haven't studied a whole lot for that one either.
Mercy?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Keep On
I had to literally find something to do in order to stop myself from doing my paper. So what did I decide to do? I took a shower and decided to blog! Hah! After all, I need to keep up with my pace of a post every three days. I was slow to start studying and do my paper, so I'm going to pay for it on Tuesday and Wednesday. But I feel that I needed to stop because my brain is all fried and mashed up. So I think if I kept on working on my paper, everything I write wouldn't be flowing very good. I'm very picky about how I write, so if there is something that's out of place, I get annoyed. And with the state that I am in now, that is more than likely to happen.
Although, I have to say that I've really enjoyed engaging and writing this paper that has to do with how heaven is related to earth. A lot of times, the profs only want to make sure that you understand the things and don't want you to give a brand new "never-before-thought-of" ideology. It's pretty hard to write from my brain and not from my heart. But I guess wanting to write from my heart is not entirely a bad thing because it lets me know that I'm doing theology for theology, and not religious studies. I've been warned before that I shouldn't treat my studies as studies, but rather a passion. After all, faith is what springs theology, so it's important that I'm not doing this like I used to do grade school or first year at the UofA. I know the profs probably feel the same because they're only supposed to tell you the truths and not let their colors out by going into preach mode. Nevertheless, I'm loving these assignments because it lets me get out what I feel have been bottled up inside of me for the last few years but never got to share them.
It always feels like people generally don't really have that interest to talk about a lot of things that do with God. Or I should say that people want to talk about God, they just don't have the right people to talk to. So they don't.
Anyways, I can't really remember what else I wanted to blog about. There was something, I just don't remember.
Oh yeah, many people have asked me if I get home sick or do I miss Edmonton. I'd be lying if I said I don't. I'm not, and never will be, one of those people from Edmonton that move to Vancouver and never look back. Whenever something exciting is happening up there, I do feel disappointed that I don't get to be part of it. A lot of times, it's not because I want to be part of that event, it's the people that I want to do it with. Lifelong relationships are called lifelong relationships for a reason, and nothing will ever change them. I've mentioned many times before that it sucks that I don't get to go through this Bible college thing with my family and friends. But at the same time, I've also said many times that I'm not going to be bitter and depressed about it; it's just not my thing. I think I've lived long enough to be able to know that nothing good ever comes out of being down in the dumps. All you do is look for more reasons to be depressed, and nothing more. I've been there and don't want to go back. So that's why I'm always going to choose to live life the way that I do.
Anyways, I'm curious. If you have an opinion, and you don't mind sharing with me, what is your view on how heaven relates to earth? Is earth the same as heaven since God is omnipresent and God is everything and everything is God. Or is heaven a completely different state of universe as earth because God is perfect, the world is not, and God can't comprehend sin, so he doesn't intervene? Or is it a bit of a hybrid?
Tell me what you think!
EDIT: I have more to add.
It seems that kids are the same no matter where I go. Case in point: the leg grabbing.
Although, I have to say that I've really enjoyed engaging and writing this paper that has to do with how heaven is related to earth. A lot of times, the profs only want to make sure that you understand the things and don't want you to give a brand new "never-before-thought-of" ideology. It's pretty hard to write from my brain and not from my heart. But I guess wanting to write from my heart is not entirely a bad thing because it lets me know that I'm doing theology for theology, and not religious studies. I've been warned before that I shouldn't treat my studies as studies, but rather a passion. After all, faith is what springs theology, so it's important that I'm not doing this like I used to do grade school or first year at the UofA. I know the profs probably feel the same because they're only supposed to tell you the truths and not let their colors out by going into preach mode. Nevertheless, I'm loving these assignments because it lets me get out what I feel have been bottled up inside of me for the last few years but never got to share them.
It always feels like people generally don't really have that interest to talk about a lot of things that do with God. Or I should say that people want to talk about God, they just don't have the right people to talk to. So they don't.
Anyways, I can't really remember what else I wanted to blog about. There was something, I just don't remember.
Oh yeah, many people have asked me if I get home sick or do I miss Edmonton. I'd be lying if I said I don't. I'm not, and never will be, one of those people from Edmonton that move to Vancouver and never look back. Whenever something exciting is happening up there, I do feel disappointed that I don't get to be part of it. A lot of times, it's not because I want to be part of that event, it's the people that I want to do it with. Lifelong relationships are called lifelong relationships for a reason, and nothing will ever change them. I've mentioned many times before that it sucks that I don't get to go through this Bible college thing with my family and friends. But at the same time, I've also said many times that I'm not going to be bitter and depressed about it; it's just not my thing. I think I've lived long enough to be able to know that nothing good ever comes out of being down in the dumps. All you do is look for more reasons to be depressed, and nothing more. I've been there and don't want to go back. So that's why I'm always going to choose to live life the way that I do.
Anyways, I'm curious. If you have an opinion, and you don't mind sharing with me, what is your view on how heaven relates to earth? Is earth the same as heaven since God is omnipresent and God is everything and everything is God. Or is heaven a completely different state of universe as earth because God is perfect, the world is not, and God can't comprehend sin, so he doesn't intervene? Or is it a bit of a hybrid?
Tell me what you think!
EDIT: I have more to add.
It seems that kids are the same no matter where I go. Case in point: the leg grabbing.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
When I'm Calm, I Feel Good
Today, I figured out why I've been a bit "angsty" lately. It's because I haven't had a good worship in a while. I normally take time out once every week or two to play guitar and sing a bunch of songs to clear my mind and just praise God. But I haven't done that more than once or twice since moving here. Why? I think I just haven't been able to do it without much distraction.
I think whoever came up with this "Spiritual Emphasis Day" at AUC was the smartest person to ever attend the school. Take two days off to put emphasis on your spirituality? I think so. What it really is, is just a tiny two day conference. One of the breakout sessions I went to today was a worship one. Even though there were only a handful people that showed up for the one I went to, it was really nice for me to forget about everything and sing some songs. There's a lot of times where I want to go to church and just worship. But I haven't been able to do that because I have to teach Sunday School every week. And once a month I do worship. As fun as leading worship is, I sometimes just want to be one of the members in the congregation and soak everything in. I had two communions this month. I don't know why I just said that, but I did. Anyhow, I have two midterms and a paper due next Tuesday and Wednesday. Finding that out yesterday made me a little uptight.
After coming out of that worship session thing, it felt so good. It felt good right up until I walked out the door of the gym and remembered that I have stuff to do. But that hour of where I just stood there and sang was really refreshing. Uptight people should be introduced to it. It makes you feel good. And when you feel good, you sing, because of the joy it brings. I didn't know a lot of the songs they sang, but just the fact that I got a chance to push everything aside was pretty sweet.
I had wondered why I felt like I had so much tension in me lately, but it's only because I haven't had a chance to worship. So it's all good now. I even feel a bit better about having to study for two midterms and writing a book analysis paper on a book that I haven't even finished half of. I am eating candy at 9:47pm, which probably isn't a very good idea, but I'm doing it anyway.
Uhh, anyway, I think that's about all I can say. What can you get out of this? I don't know, it's your call. Maybe, for the times when you feel like a dink, just take a chance to worship - it does wonders. Worship, and really mean it.
That is all.
I think whoever came up with this "Spiritual Emphasis Day" at AUC was the smartest person to ever attend the school. Take two days off to put emphasis on your spirituality? I think so. What it really is, is just a tiny two day conference. One of the breakout sessions I went to today was a worship one. Even though there were only a handful people that showed up for the one I went to, it was really nice for me to forget about everything and sing some songs. There's a lot of times where I want to go to church and just worship. But I haven't been able to do that because I have to teach Sunday School every week. And once a month I do worship. As fun as leading worship is, I sometimes just want to be one of the members in the congregation and soak everything in. I had two communions this month. I don't know why I just said that, but I did. Anyhow, I have two midterms and a paper due next Tuesday and Wednesday. Finding that out yesterday made me a little uptight.
After coming out of that worship session thing, it felt so good. It felt good right up until I walked out the door of the gym and remembered that I have stuff to do. But that hour of where I just stood there and sang was really refreshing. Uptight people should be introduced to it. It makes you feel good. And when you feel good, you sing, because of the joy it brings. I didn't know a lot of the songs they sang, but just the fact that I got a chance to push everything aside was pretty sweet.
I had wondered why I felt like I had so much tension in me lately, but it's only because I haven't had a chance to worship. So it's all good now. I even feel a bit better about having to study for two midterms and writing a book analysis paper on a book that I haven't even finished half of. I am eating candy at 9:47pm, which probably isn't a very good idea, but I'm doing it anyway.
Uhh, anyway, I think that's about all I can say. What can you get out of this? I don't know, it's your call. Maybe, for the times when you feel like a dink, just take a chance to worship - it does wonders. Worship, and really mean it.
That is all.
Friday, October 15, 2010
So Genius
I'm averaging a post every three days; I must have no life.
Today, it was the first really cold day where it hovered around freezing for most of the day. I am terrified of the cold. When I was going home, I thought it'd be smart if I bought a hot drink to keep myself warm for the ride home. I thought I was so genius for buying a hot drink. Little did I know that the ride from the point that I got the drink to when I get home is an hour long. So this whole time I'm sitting in the bus sipping away, I suddenly remembered that I have the world's smallest bladder. At about the halfway point, I started to need to go. Curses to the liquids that go right through me! Trust me, I've tested myself before; I can drink a cup of something, and within an hour, it's out of my body. When I got to the exchange point to switch buses, and depending on which one I get on, there are different amounts that I would have to walk to get home. Since it's a Friday, and everyone wants to get home fast, I just got on the first one that I saw - the one that required a longer walk, but shorter ride. When I got off the bus, I tried to walk as fast as I could to get home, because a) it was windy, and b) I really needed to go. The first rule for staying warm in the winter is to make sure you don't need to pee. A little bit of a science lesson: water has a really high heat capacity, so it can hold heat really well. Since pee is mostly water, it holds the heat inside your body making you feel colder. With the combination of the wind and the need to excrete, it was probably the worst 6 or 7 minute walk I ever took. Man, I thought I was so genius. But it's now safe to say that I got home without a malfunction in the junction.
Now that I wasted a few minutes of your time by making you read about urination, I will wrap it up. There were a few topics that I really wanted to talk about relating to the Christian life; but there's been so much information that's been shoved into my brain, I'm having a lot of trouble retaining all of it. After I review a bit, I will get to them.
I've also met two people at Ambrose that are from Dubai. Little is needed to know that there is a huge difference between +50 degrees and -50 degrees. Enough said; I kind of feel bad for them.
Today, it was the first really cold day where it hovered around freezing for most of the day. I am terrified of the cold. When I was going home, I thought it'd be smart if I bought a hot drink to keep myself warm for the ride home. I thought I was so genius for buying a hot drink. Little did I know that the ride from the point that I got the drink to when I get home is an hour long. So this whole time I'm sitting in the bus sipping away, I suddenly remembered that I have the world's smallest bladder. At about the halfway point, I started to need to go. Curses to the liquids that go right through me! Trust me, I've tested myself before; I can drink a cup of something, and within an hour, it's out of my body. When I got to the exchange point to switch buses, and depending on which one I get on, there are different amounts that I would have to walk to get home. Since it's a Friday, and everyone wants to get home fast, I just got on the first one that I saw - the one that required a longer walk, but shorter ride. When I got off the bus, I tried to walk as fast as I could to get home, because a) it was windy, and b) I really needed to go. The first rule for staying warm in the winter is to make sure you don't need to pee. A little bit of a science lesson: water has a really high heat capacity, so it can hold heat really well. Since pee is mostly water, it holds the heat inside your body making you feel colder. With the combination of the wind and the need to excrete, it was probably the worst 6 or 7 minute walk I ever took. Man, I thought I was so genius. But it's now safe to say that I got home without a malfunction in the junction.
Now that I wasted a few minutes of your time by making you read about urination, I will wrap it up. There were a few topics that I really wanted to talk about relating to the Christian life; but there's been so much information that's been shoved into my brain, I'm having a lot of trouble retaining all of it. After I review a bit, I will get to them.
I've also met two people at Ambrose that are from Dubai. Little is needed to know that there is a huge difference between +50 degrees and -50 degrees. Enough said; I kind of feel bad for them.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Before I Wake Up
Hmm, I wonder why I am blogging so insanely frequently recently. Oh well, it's better that I practice what I preach right? I think the difference of this entry will actually have some substance to it in regards to my situation.
When I moved down to Calgary, I had a bunch of boxes that carried all the stuff that I needed. I would say that I had about 4 or 5 boxes of things, and another box of just my shoes. Since having "settled in", all my stuff is still kind of just laying there. In an episode of Chuck a couple weeks ago, there was the conflict between Chuck and Sarah about why Sarah doesn't hang any of her clothes in the closet because she's never really had a "home", so she's never learned to settle in. I'm kind of that same way right now, to a lesser extent; obviously because I'm not a spy. But all my stuff is still kind of in their boxes and I haven't moved much more than my clothes out of them. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I don't really have a place I want to put them, or maybe I'm just too lazy. It's kind of like at a hotel where you try to take as little out as possible so you don't have to repack later. I'm guessing that it's because with just a month in, I haven't really been able to call Calgary home yet. I've tried, and I'm still trying; so it will probably come with time.
Well, with this Thanksgiving weekend, I came back up to Edmonton. And as of right now, I'm sitting in the spot where I always have had my laptop. To be honest, it feels really good. I can't think of a much better feeling than being in a place I know and see people I know. I'm going to be heading back to Calgary in a few hours, and it seems like it's all a dream. It almost seems as if all that Bible school stuff was a dream and this is where my life is. It felt so good to come back this weekend, and as I mentioned before, it's so nice to get to say hi to some of my siblings in Christ. Then it kind of hit me that, once again, I have to leave them behind and go back to doing what I'm doing. Although this Calgary experience has been pretty cool so far, the only thing I kind of wish is that I'd be able to go through this experience with everyone with me physically. I know that people are praying for me and all that kind of stuff, but since we're still on earth, there is always going to be that human desire for physicality - something of substance. So even knowing that people have my back, it's tough to not be able to just have that comfort level I get when I'm with the people that I've known all my life. So, yes, it kind of sucks that I'm not able to share, physically, with people about my experience. I think that's been the biggest difference so far. In the past, when we go to church and all that stuff, we're all able to share with each other about our week, our lives, etc., with complete comfortability, "letting our walls come down". I haven't been able to reach that comfort level right now. And I know it's early, but I hope that this will be able to be created over time. These are the results of lifelong relationships that have been created, and I am so glad that I have them. Some people move from place to place every couple of years, and they never really have a feeling of home. Maybe they're okay with it, but I guess it's mostly because they've never had it. You know what they say when you never know what you got 'til it's gone.
Almost time to wake up and get back to my school work! Should be an interesting couple of months for me. Next time: touchy subject of being called into ministry. (=
Happy Thanksgivin'!
When I moved down to Calgary, I had a bunch of boxes that carried all the stuff that I needed. I would say that I had about 4 or 5 boxes of things, and another box of just my shoes. Since having "settled in", all my stuff is still kind of just laying there. In an episode of Chuck a couple weeks ago, there was the conflict between Chuck and Sarah about why Sarah doesn't hang any of her clothes in the closet because she's never really had a "home", so she's never learned to settle in. I'm kind of that same way right now, to a lesser extent; obviously because I'm not a spy. But all my stuff is still kind of in their boxes and I haven't moved much more than my clothes out of them. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I don't really have a place I want to put them, or maybe I'm just too lazy. It's kind of like at a hotel where you try to take as little out as possible so you don't have to repack later. I'm guessing that it's because with just a month in, I haven't really been able to call Calgary home yet. I've tried, and I'm still trying; so it will probably come with time.
Well, with this Thanksgiving weekend, I came back up to Edmonton. And as of right now, I'm sitting in the spot where I always have had my laptop. To be honest, it feels really good. I can't think of a much better feeling than being in a place I know and see people I know. I'm going to be heading back to Calgary in a few hours, and it seems like it's all a dream. It almost seems as if all that Bible school stuff was a dream and this is where my life is. It felt so good to come back this weekend, and as I mentioned before, it's so nice to get to say hi to some of my siblings in Christ. Then it kind of hit me that, once again, I have to leave them behind and go back to doing what I'm doing. Although this Calgary experience has been pretty cool so far, the only thing I kind of wish is that I'd be able to go through this experience with everyone with me physically. I know that people are praying for me and all that kind of stuff, but since we're still on earth, there is always going to be that human desire for physicality - something of substance. So even knowing that people have my back, it's tough to not be able to just have that comfort level I get when I'm with the people that I've known all my life. So, yes, it kind of sucks that I'm not able to share, physically, with people about my experience. I think that's been the biggest difference so far. In the past, when we go to church and all that stuff, we're all able to share with each other about our week, our lives, etc., with complete comfortability, "letting our walls come down". I haven't been able to reach that comfort level right now. And I know it's early, but I hope that this will be able to be created over time. These are the results of lifelong relationships that have been created, and I am so glad that I have them. Some people move from place to place every couple of years, and they never really have a feeling of home. Maybe they're okay with it, but I guess it's mostly because they've never had it. You know what they say when you never know what you got 'til it's gone.
Almost time to wake up and get back to my school work! Should be an interesting couple of months for me. Next time: touchy subject of being called into ministry. (=
Happy Thanksgivin'!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Gracias
Does anyone else think it's pretty fitting that Thanksgiving is on 10.10.10? I know that a ton of people were trying to get married tomorrow because it's so special to say that you got married on October 10, 2010; in all honesty, I think it's just an excuse for the husband to not have to try hard to remember their wedding date.
This year, I am grateful for many things. First and foremost, the one that is obvious, would have to be starting Bible school. Whether I fail miserably or pass with flying colors, it's pretty sweet to say that I made it. Then, I'm thankful for being able to come back to Edmonton for this long weekend. It's so comforting and refreshing to see the people and places that I know. It's pretty cool how in just two visits to the church that some people went out of their way just to say hi to me when they saw. I think I also might have shafted a few people by not really replying to their hi because I was in another conversion or whatever.
I am grateful for hockey being back, and how exciting it is to watch the Oilers. I am grateful for the different experience of being an Oilers fan now that I live in Calgary. I am grateful for being grateful.
My back hasn't been good since the California trip, so now I am very thankful for the parts of my body that work - which is pretty much all of it. I'm thankful for good health; although for some reason, I have a slight cough at this second because some of that white chocolate mocha is stuck in my throat. I am thankful for the water that I will drink right now that may help me get rid of this cough.
As you can see, I am thankful for my entire life. Living a life of gratitude makes someone super cool to be around because they never take anything for granted. They're always able to be humble and put the world before themselves because we reside in this world.
Live high, and always be grateful.
This year, I am grateful for many things. First and foremost, the one that is obvious, would have to be starting Bible school. Whether I fail miserably or pass with flying colors, it's pretty sweet to say that I made it. Then, I'm thankful for being able to come back to Edmonton for this long weekend. It's so comforting and refreshing to see the people and places that I know. It's pretty cool how in just two visits to the church that some people went out of their way just to say hi to me when they saw. I think I also might have shafted a few people by not really replying to their hi because I was in another conversion or whatever.
I am grateful for hockey being back, and how exciting it is to watch the Oilers. I am grateful for the different experience of being an Oilers fan now that I live in Calgary. I am grateful for being grateful.
My back hasn't been good since the California trip, so now I am very thankful for the parts of my body that work - which is pretty much all of it. I'm thankful for good health; although for some reason, I have a slight cough at this second because some of that white chocolate mocha is stuck in my throat. I am thankful for the water that I will drink right now that may help me get rid of this cough.
As you can see, I am thankful for my entire life. Living a life of gratitude makes someone super cool to be around because they never take anything for granted. They're always able to be humble and put the world before themselves because we reside in this world.
Live high, and always be grateful.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Edmonton Oilers 2010-2011
You know I have to do this every year. If I don't, it goes against my nerdy nature. Feel free to ignore this blog post and scroll down to read about the power of a hurricane in my previous post.
I remember sitting in my seat, when I was still in Edmonton, and Steve Tambellini picked Taylor Hall. I think I was the only person in my family that let out a "YES!" It was Seguin vs. Hall for the longest time, and I wanted Hall. I believe that Seguin will be a better player than Hall in a few years, but Hall's dedication to hockey is unmatched by anyone.
As much as I am hoping for the Oilers to make the playoffs this year, it probably won't happen. I said probably. So I'm guessing that we'll finish in the bottom 10 in the league and end up with another top 10 pick next June.
So, instead of going through the entire team, I think I'm just going to take a wild guess at the lucky 13 players (top 9 forwards, top 4 defensemen) who should lead the Oilers in points. I should also say that this assumes the player plays a full 82 games; so that means Hemsky probably won't get to the number; but if he played all 82, that's what I'm expecting to see.
Name [Goals-Assists-Points]
Forwards
1. Hemsky [25-60-85]
2. Penner [30-30-60]
3. Horcoff [20-35-55]
4. Gagner [18-35-53]
5. Eberle [17-30-47]
6. Hall [19-25-44]
7. Brule [16-26-42]
8. Paajarvi [11-29-40]
9. Cogliano [14-25-39]
Defense
1. Whitney [11-32-43]
2. Gilbert [7-29-36]
3. Foster [10-25-35]
4. Vandermeer [3-20-23]
Hemsky has already broken out, so don't go asking when he's going to get to that elite status; he's just never had linemates to play with. I think Eberle will be the best rookie in the first chunk of the season because he already has the experience. And then, depending on how things go, he'll get passed by either Hall or MPS, making the gap in points really close. With his ability to exceed every single expectation, Eberle will then keep pace with whoever has exploded - because that's just what he's done his whole career. I honestly don't know if Cogliano will play more than half the season here. If our third line remains Brule, Paajarvi, and Cogliano, that line is going to struggle constantly. Then maybe Penner gets moved down to, bumping Hall up to play with Gagner and Hemsky, and MPS to play with Horcoff and Eberle.
On defense, I think Whitney should be leading in points, leaving Gilbert to battle Foster for second. Foster might edge out Gilbert because of his amazing shot on the powerplay.
Well, that's about it for my predictions. I think the Oilers will finish no higher than 11th in the Western Conference.
I remember sitting in my seat, when I was still in Edmonton, and Steve Tambellini picked Taylor Hall. I think I was the only person in my family that let out a "YES!" It was Seguin vs. Hall for the longest time, and I wanted Hall. I believe that Seguin will be a better player than Hall in a few years, but Hall's dedication to hockey is unmatched by anyone.
As much as I am hoping for the Oilers to make the playoffs this year, it probably won't happen. I said probably. So I'm guessing that we'll finish in the bottom 10 in the league and end up with another top 10 pick next June.
So, instead of going through the entire team, I think I'm just going to take a wild guess at the lucky 13 players (top 9 forwards, top 4 defensemen) who should lead the Oilers in points. I should also say that this assumes the player plays a full 82 games; so that means Hemsky probably won't get to the number; but if he played all 82, that's what I'm expecting to see.
Name [Goals-Assists-Points]
Forwards
1. Hemsky [25-60-85]
2. Penner [30-30-60]
3. Horcoff [20-35-55]
4. Gagner [18-35-53]
5. Eberle [17-30-47]
6. Hall [19-25-44]
7. Brule [16-26-42]
8. Paajarvi [11-29-40]
9. Cogliano [14-25-39]
Defense
1. Whitney [11-32-43]
2. Gilbert [7-29-36]
3. Foster [10-25-35]
4. Vandermeer [3-20-23]
Hemsky has already broken out, so don't go asking when he's going to get to that elite status; he's just never had linemates to play with. I think Eberle will be the best rookie in the first chunk of the season because he already has the experience. And then, depending on how things go, he'll get passed by either Hall or MPS, making the gap in points really close. With his ability to exceed every single expectation, Eberle will then keep pace with whoever has exploded - because that's just what he's done his whole career. I honestly don't know if Cogliano will play more than half the season here. If our third line remains Brule, Paajarvi, and Cogliano, that line is going to struggle constantly. Then maybe Penner gets moved down to, bumping Hall up to play with Gagner and Hemsky, and MPS to play with Horcoff and Eberle.
On defense, I think Whitney should be leading in points, leaving Gilbert to battle Foster for second. Foster might edge out Gilbert because of his amazing shot on the powerplay.
Well, that's about it for my predictions. I think the Oilers will finish no higher than 11th in the Western Conference.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
*Insert Evil Smiley Face*
The power of influence is a powerful thing. Wait, what? Yeah, that's what I meant to say. I love calling people out; maybe I should do it more often. Today, I read two blog updates that had no idea what they were talking about, and just went on listing off a bunch of things. Hilarious. It's been a crazy blog-athon over the last 24 hours. Beyond the personal blogs that I follow, the sports world has been blogging a crazy amount too. I just want to give a shout out to Roy Halladay for pitching a no hitter in his first ever playoff game. Good for you Doc, leaving Toronto was the best decision you've made.
Darn it. Now I forgot if I had anything else to say other than that.
Oh yes! Do you know anyone that has a really combustible laugh? The type that, when something funny is said, just suddenly explodes and scares the bijeebees out of you. Not only that, but there are little semi-spurts of lava that flow out too. Yeah, that's right; I'm talking about snorting. I can completely understand that some people don't have the biggest nasal cavity, so when they suck big time air through their nose, the pathway kind of closes and opens really fast due to the vibration, and causing that person to snort.
Well, everybody's favorite professor, Tim Moore, was at it again this morning. He thinks in pictures but the pictures in his mind don't translate to the hands. In class, we were discussing about how guys think in compartments and a girl's brain is like spaghetti in that it's all connected and intertwined. I won't get into any detail because why that was said is a completely different topic. So when he goes to try to explain what he's saying, he proceeds to the board to try to draw the head of a guy and girl with a side view. Out came probably two of the worst drawings of a guy and girl's head that anyone could ever imagine. The entire class starts laughing.
And in this sentence, you can insert what I wrote about the laughing. I don't want to be mean, but every time she does, a girl laughs exactly the way that I described two paragraphs ago. While everybody doesn't seem to mind, my laughter turns from the drawings to the girl. She is just having a masterful time using those laughing glands (which probably don't exist), and snorting with authority with every breath that she took. A month has passed and I still don't know who it is that does that, but I notice it every time and I can't help it. So while I'm still laughing, bothat with her and at the drawings, I'm starting to get scared by the snorting. It was so intense that it was almost contagious. It made me feel like snorting! So by now, I'm so scared that I'm gonna let one big snort out as well, so I do my best to contain my laughter; but it don't work so well. When I laugh, I laugh out loud.
To whoever the fearless girl is, if you ever in your life come across this blog post (which I doubt, but who knows), I am so terribly sorry. Please don't come at me with a knife or something. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just pointing you out because of your awesome uniqueness; and special people deserve to be known. I know I'm mean, which is probably why you have about a hundred billion more friends than I do.
Anyway, that's the random story of the day. Also, for anyone that hasn't, check out Jason Mraz's new EP entitled Life Is Good. It really makes life feel good when you listen to it.
Darn it. Now I forgot if I had anything else to say other than that.
Oh yes! Do you know anyone that has a really combustible laugh? The type that, when something funny is said, just suddenly explodes and scares the bijeebees out of you. Not only that, but there are little semi-spurts of lava that flow out too. Yeah, that's right; I'm talking about snorting. I can completely understand that some people don't have the biggest nasal cavity, so when they suck big time air through their nose, the pathway kind of closes and opens really fast due to the vibration, and causing that person to snort.
Well, everybody's favorite professor, Tim Moore, was at it again this morning. He thinks in pictures but the pictures in his mind don't translate to the hands. In class, we were discussing about how guys think in compartments and a girl's brain is like spaghetti in that it's all connected and intertwined. I won't get into any detail because why that was said is a completely different topic. So when he goes to try to explain what he's saying, he proceeds to the board to try to draw the head of a guy and girl with a side view. Out came probably two of the worst drawings of a guy and girl's head that anyone could ever imagine. The entire class starts laughing.
And in this sentence, you can insert what I wrote about the laughing. I don't want to be mean, but every time she does, a girl laughs exactly the way that I described two paragraphs ago. While everybody doesn't seem to mind, my laughter turns from the drawings to the girl. She is just having a masterful time using those laughing glands (which probably don't exist), and snorting with authority with every breath that she took. A month has passed and I still don't know who it is that does that, but I notice it every time and I can't help it. So while I'm still laughing, both
To whoever the fearless girl is, if you ever in your life come across this blog post (which I doubt, but who knows), I am so terribly sorry. Please don't come at me with a knife or something. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just pointing you out because of your awesome uniqueness; and special people deserve to be known. I know I'm mean, which is probably why you have about a hundred billion more friends than I do.
Anyway, that's the random story of the day. Also, for anyone that hasn't, check out Jason Mraz's new EP entitled Life Is Good. It really makes life feel good when you listen to it.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Fresh Air
First and foremost, what's with the lack of blogging recently? Yeah, that's right. I'm calling out everyone that I follow. Who do I follow? Just look to the right in the "where.else" column and you'll find out.
I have no idea why I am blogging, no idea what this entry is or will be about. Probably just going to be me blabbering about a bunch of random stuff. Hey cool, blabbering is a word!
School is picking up, as expected, and I think we'll get to see how badly I get owned by not keeping up. I've learned a lot about, pretty much, everything since starting. Mostly, I've learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about why Calgary is better than Edmonton. It's the strangest thing when my radio is on in the morning, and I hear the hosts raving about how the Calgary sports teams are so awesome. Yeah, sure the Stamps are fantastic this year, but the hockey season hasn't even began and they're drinking some Calgary 'lames kool-aid already. This is why, I am making it a mission that I will be buying Oilers t-shirts and wearing them in school whenever the Oilers play. So far, I have got my hands on - not literally, yet - on an Eberle shirt. I'm just waiting on a Hall and Paajarvi. Then we'll see how people respond to that. Of course I won't be wearing them in the streets when I'm by myself, or at least cover myself up because I don't want to get beat up; but, when I get the chance, I will expose my, uhh.. loyalties.
People say that you are what you eat; I'm going to take this a step further and say that I am what I study. Last night, or probably this morning, I had a dream about being a hockey player. I have no idea why, don't ask. So, as dreams would have it, something always goes wrong. I wake up into my dream and we're preparing for the final game held at the West Edmonton Mall rink. Our team was the big time underdogs against the big and heavy favorites. I forgot to bring my stick, skates, everything. For some reason, I was putting on a lot of snow clothes as if I was getting ready to go skiing. Then just as I'm about to go onto the ice after being freaked out at how big the opposing players were, I woke up. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to find out what happened. I have no idea how that has to do with being what I study, but maybe because it's hockey related, and that seems to be what my a big chunk of this entry is about.
Some people know that I follow hockey rather closely. And I get called a nerd a lot, most commonly by one called Jennifer Fung. I don't mind so much, because I find it funny that she'll go out of her way to let me know about it by sticking the word "nerd" somewhere that did not blend in to the rest of what she says. But I digress. I was thinking about how much time I've put into reading and learning about this game, and how if I never got into it, where would I be today. I sometimes try to make it less obvious that I'm a freak for the game by acting dumb and pretending like I don't know something happened. However, I primarily consider myself a soccer player first and foremost, then a floor hockey player. I've always been pretty good with my hands, so I've never had trouble picking up sports that required the hands (at least the basics of it). I've been better at soccer than hockey all my life, until I thought about it recently.
I play soccer a ton more than I play hockey, but to my recent memory, I remember being way better at making a difference when playing hockey than I do playing soccer. Maybe because when it comes to soccer, people are generally more competent - maybe not. But I remember after our May day hockey destroying of the Cantonese congregation in that game, my dad said that I can control the game way better in hockey than soccer. That caught my attention a bit, because I never thought it would be possible. So, after thinking about it, I realized that maybe it's because I am so emerged with the sports, a lot of the stuff in my brain translates to my hands. So, is it fair to say that if I followed soccer as close as I did hockey, that I'd be pretty darn good too? Probably not. I still prefer playing soccer to hockey, but I love the hockey game once in a while. Great, now I want to clobber the Chinese again. Haha.
Does anyone else find it dumb how a prof would go out of their way to slap something onto their course syllabus that has absolutely nothing to do with the course to try to get you to do something? I am bothered by the fact that my evangelism and missions professor made it a requirement to go to ministry chapels once a month. I am not saying that going to chapel is a bad thing, but it's really not necessary for the course. If it was my theology class, I would understand. But now, I have to go out of my way once a month to stay late at school just to pass a class. It's probably not the fact that I have to stay that bothers me, it's the fact that I have to find a way home afterwards, when it's dark, that aggravates me. Oh well, I'll suck it up.
I get to go home this next weekend for Thanksgiving and see my sister get baptized. I remember when I got baptized. It was fun. All the presents and attention that I got.. uhh, I mean, declaring my faith was so refreshing. It was after I got baptized that my life really started to change. So to anyone that says they're not ready to be baptized, you never will be. Just do it, and you won't regret it.
How's that for random?
I have no idea why I am blogging, no idea what this entry is or will be about. Probably just going to be me blabbering about a bunch of random stuff. Hey cool, blabbering is a word!
School is picking up, as expected, and I think we'll get to see how badly I get owned by not keeping up. I've learned a lot about, pretty much, everything since starting. Mostly, I've learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about why Calgary is better than Edmonton. It's the strangest thing when my radio is on in the morning, and I hear the hosts raving about how the Calgary sports teams are so awesome. Yeah, sure the Stamps are fantastic this year, but the hockey season hasn't even began and they're drinking some Calgary 'lames kool-aid already. This is why, I am making it a mission that I will be buying Oilers t-shirts and wearing them in school whenever the Oilers play. So far, I have got my hands on - not literally, yet - on an Eberle shirt. I'm just waiting on a Hall and Paajarvi. Then we'll see how people respond to that. Of course I won't be wearing them in the streets when I'm by myself, or at least cover myself up because I don't want to get beat up; but, when I get the chance, I will expose my, uhh.. loyalties.
People say that you are what you eat; I'm going to take this a step further and say that I am what I study. Last night, or probably this morning, I had a dream about being a hockey player. I have no idea why, don't ask. So, as dreams would have it, something always goes wrong. I wake up into my dream and we're preparing for the final game held at the West Edmonton Mall rink. Our team was the big time underdogs against the big and heavy favorites. I forgot to bring my stick, skates, everything. For some reason, I was putting on a lot of snow clothes as if I was getting ready to go skiing. Then just as I'm about to go onto the ice after being freaked out at how big the opposing players were, I woke up. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to find out what happened. I have no idea how that has to do with being what I study, but maybe because it's hockey related, and that seems to be what my a big chunk of this entry is about.
Some people know that I follow hockey rather closely. And I get called a nerd a lot, most commonly by one called Jennifer Fung. I don't mind so much, because I find it funny that she'll go out of her way to let me know about it by sticking the word "nerd" somewhere that did not blend in to the rest of what she says. But I digress. I was thinking about how much time I've put into reading and learning about this game, and how if I never got into it, where would I be today. I sometimes try to make it less obvious that I'm a freak for the game by acting dumb and pretending like I don't know something happened. However, I primarily consider myself a soccer player first and foremost, then a floor hockey player. I've always been pretty good with my hands, so I've never had trouble picking up sports that required the hands (at least the basics of it). I've been better at soccer than hockey all my life, until I thought about it recently.
I play soccer a ton more than I play hockey, but to my recent memory, I remember being way better at making a difference when playing hockey than I do playing soccer. Maybe because when it comes to soccer, people are generally more competent - maybe not. But I remember after our May day hockey destroying of the Cantonese congregation in that game, my dad said that I can control the game way better in hockey than soccer. That caught my attention a bit, because I never thought it would be possible. So, after thinking about it, I realized that maybe it's because I am so emerged with the sports, a lot of the stuff in my brain translates to my hands. So, is it fair to say that if I followed soccer as close as I did hockey, that I'd be pretty darn good too? Probably not. I still prefer playing soccer to hockey, but I love the hockey game once in a while. Great, now I want to clobber the Chinese again. Haha.
Does anyone else find it dumb how a prof would go out of their way to slap something onto their course syllabus that has absolutely nothing to do with the course to try to get you to do something? I am bothered by the fact that my evangelism and missions professor made it a requirement to go to ministry chapels once a month. I am not saying that going to chapel is a bad thing, but it's really not necessary for the course. If it was my theology class, I would understand. But now, I have to go out of my way once a month to stay late at school just to pass a class. It's probably not the fact that I have to stay that bothers me, it's the fact that I have to find a way home afterwards, when it's dark, that aggravates me. Oh well, I'll suck it up.
I get to go home this next weekend for Thanksgiving and see my sister get baptized. I remember when I got baptized. It was fun. All the presents and attention that I got.. uhh, I mean, declaring my faith was so refreshing. It was after I got baptized that my life really started to change. So to anyone that says they're not ready to be baptized, you never will be. Just do it, and you won't regret it.
How's that for random?
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