Witnessing |05.29.2001|
Yaay! MJ is comin' to the Coffeehouse on Sat. So I did end up inviting someone afterall ;).Boy, it's sooooo cold over here. The weather has drastically changed from being warm to cold. There is even frost warning in the forecast. Windy, cold, and dreary--like Vancouver. I'm even cold just sitting here in my office.
I finally tried out the wings that Kevin H. keeps talking about at Local Heroes (think he went there for his birthday in Nov last year). Yeesh, are they ever big--and good. That place is sooo smokey though [cough, cough, hack, hack]. I already had dinner so I didn't eat much.
Side note: I've uploaded new photos--courtesy of Andy S. and/or Brian Y. Thanks :)
Witnessing |05.29.2001|
Saying grace before meals signifies a lot. I don't know MJ very well, but just by seeing him in the action of giving thanks (w his own free will) somehow encourages me (there's hope? :P) and wakes me up ("hello m, if he remembers to say grace, you should too!"). Firstly, I even have difficulty saying grace in front of people (well, non-Christians), and I even have said 3 sec prayers before or neglected it altogether :(. I also know that if I wasn't a Christian, or maybe just a semi-Christian, I would not say grace and would probably not even bow my head or close my eyes, because it would be weird. Perhaps it's easier to do so in the presence of Christian friends, but I really admire his respect for what we believe in. I hope he'll get outta bed in time for church more often =þ . . ."I think it's beginning to look like Christmas"--the leaves on the trees are starting to lose their green colour (red leaves now)! Yesterday's thunderstorm was really cool. Flashes of lightning zigzagged across the sky--including a purple one-- we felt the rumble too. Thankfully, it was sunny by the time we walked home.
Speaking of which, I've noticed lately that many residents in Ottawa are really well-off or just ... hmm. I dunno the proper adjective. It's not everyday that I walk in front of a Dodge Viper (yellow body, black racing stripes) as I cross the intersection. And just the other day, Josh (and I) saw his sister's fav car (and his?) the Chrysler Prowler. I don't see them a lot in Vancouver. They mostly have Z3s or Boxters or some other cars, and rarely any w stripes either. Okay, enough about cars. That's what you get when a girl hangs around w guys. =P
Anime. Wow, haven't seen anime or read any comics in awhile--especially not in Chinese. Maybe last time was HK TV cartoons in '93/'98. So anyhow, GTO is quite an entertaining series, except he is a lil too HS for my tastes :P I think I understand why my mom wasn't too pleased when I started reading Chinese anime books in Grade 8 or 9 (because Lao Fu Zhi was getting a lil too redundant [and easy--I wanted to learn to read more Chinese in the process] and I didn't have access to Ding Dong (Doramoen) books either).
Thank God for unlimited evenings and weekends. J says that we talked for 2.5 hours on a 4 way conference call yesterday. 2.5 hrs?! That's nuts. I haven't talked that long to even a girl for awhile now, but I guess if you divide 150 mins into 3, then you get approximately 50 mins per person ! 'Cept Marc wasn't saying too much. And J was half gone for awhile (not that I blame them or anything since I was ranting again).
Le Parc du Gatineau |05.27.2001|
My French is absolutely awful. I don't even know what Gatineau Park in Quebec is even called in proper French. Ah well :P. J thinks that he's a curse, but it didn't rain when we were there, so I don't think that there is a postive correlation of the weather with J's presence :). Gatineau was quite fun. Reminds me of the trails in BC. Ben Allen (since I can't say Ben A. or Ben C. since they're already taken, he'll be Ben Allen) wandered to the cliffs across from the lake (the place where I originally wanted to go), and so 4 of us (Hilman, Andy, J, et moi) ventured into private property and I mustered courage (after taking some convincing) jumped across short distances of water. Rest of 'em stayed behind 'cuz Yvonne had flip-flops on. I think the adventure was worth it b/c I finally got to see a real beaver swimming in the water :). We also got to climb cliffs. Not that they were very steep or anything, but it felt more "real" than wall/rock-climbing, and they had better foot/hand holds on the cliffs (no safety though). I hope the pictures turned out well =).Marc was supposed to meet up with us for dinner, but I guess the thunderstorm scared him away. I'd be 'fraid too, especially if the wind was enough to push shopping carts into cars. Ah well, no biggie since it was only a Saturn :þ
Aside: I will become very "small air" soon I think . . . have you ever seen/read/heard about Peter Pan? He has no shadow! Don'tcha think that's kinda cool--to walk around and ppl won't be able to detect your presence from your shadow. I wanna be just like him. But I do want to grow up eventually :).
Dial a Moment with Jesus Christ |05.27.2001|
Yes, that's right! For a good time, "dial a moment with Jesus Christ" @ 820-xxxx. I don't exactly remember the entire phone number, but that is just soooo wrong especially at the Salvation Army Temple (which I pass by every day to and from work). It makes Christianity, or their church, seem like a cult or something.Marc was telling me how girls were 'fraid of honey/bumblebees at CUAR. Well girls, you'd be pleased to hear that I literally saw a bumblebee be semi-instant roadkill the other day. Some bumblebee was whizzing around me and for some reason, it wandered into the street and suddenly, WHAM, a car hit it and it whipped to the cold and gray pavement. Shortly after, it tried to get up, but I'm assuming that my bus ran it over with it's heavy wheels. Ouch.
Jammin'@ Yao's (last time w him--*sniff-sniff* [*=his way of italicising/emphasis]--he's going away already, and I just met him!) went for awhile. For some reason, I became really tired by midnight, so I kinda made everyone else leave by my exit =|. I think I'm tired b/c I keep sleeping so late these days. Anyhow, this jam session was kinda funny, because midway, the landlord knocks on the door and tells Miranda off (well, in a kinder way) for just buzzing anyone in, and shortly after he leaves, he returns again. This time, we thought we were being too noisy and we thought that Bri and Lon might've been in trouble because he took them outside and they were gone for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, as we continued to jam, we were starting to get worried, but when they returned, they had been drinking! Apparently, the landlord was drunk, and grabbed them to share his alcohol with him and his friends--kinda amusing really.
Un Tour en Francais. ACK. 45 minutes of non-stop French is crazy! I only understood like maybe 30% or less. Why were we so stupid to go w a French tour? Well, the English one was not offered. Josh graciously took me out to the Canadian Mint and the Parliament Buildings today (Marc had to stay home and study/do chores, else I'd drag him out too), and we later met up with Marc for dinner and worshipped at the Met. The Art Gallery was on strike, but I didn't really want to go see it. I think God was having fun up there today. Whenever we went outside,it would pour (yeah, I got drenched) but whenever we'd be under shelter, it'd stopped :D. We also tried to visit Amy at the gelato place, but she wasn't working--I still have yet to meet her face-to-face :\ (but the passionfruit gelato was good anyhow!).
Citywide worship was really cool. Except I felt really squished. I had barely enough standing room but it was okay :). They did songs that I mostly knew, and the recurring pattern was Vineyard (I think BAC has gotten past that :P because whenever I go back, I learn new songs). The good thing about singing with Vineyard songs is that I was able to close my eyes and just shut out any distractions. Like about 5 feet in front of me, this couple was practically making out during the whole night. I empathise with Sponge's experience very well now. It was very distracting and uncomfortable for me, because it felt like I was a peeping Tom (or the girl version of Tom) without the intentions. I'm glad they've found each other, and if that's how they worship God, that's cool too . . . but it distracted me nevertheless . . .
We met up with everyone at McD's afterwards, and I think I was a lil too hyper tonight. Ah well, that's what I'm like at home, so too bad :).
OCTranspo|05.25.2001|
One other remark about the local buses here. Remember how it took me 1 hr and 10 mins to reach Carleton from my work place the other times? Well, on Wednesday, it only took me 25 mins! Why? Because I took the most efficient way (that no one told me b/c they are local ppl w cars :P).
Bananas and Guys |05.24.2001|
It's nice to be able to hang around Chinese (Cantonese) speaking people at last. Being away from UW (and TO), and in the city of French-speaking people, it takes some gettin' useta :). But, I'm reminded of CC, where Nat expressed that she feels so outta place: she's not really one or the other. Sometimes, I feel that way too. I'm not a "FOB", but yet, in comparison to some "jok sing"s I know, I'm not that either. I enjoy conversing/reading/writing in Chinese (and learning more as I go), listening to music (and singing--even watching Chinese TV or attending worship) in Chinese--including the CCF theme song :P I love most Chinese food, if not all, including Bitter Melon [yum!] :), and my ways of thinking are often so "Chinese" :\. Sometimes, even my English has a slight tinge of a Chinese accent or something in it (unintentionally). Yet, I'm not really that Chinese b/c I definitely lack the slang/jargon, and my Chinese has this horrible English accent to it! :( Anyhow, it's almost refreshing to be able to communicate in my mother tongue (as horrible as it is) again :).Recently, I one of my friends was sharing that she observed that all her close friends are girls. I took a look at my own life again, and unsurprisingly, I discovered that most of my close friends are guys--even in Ottawa! Within high school, all my friends were girls, but my friends from church consisted mostly of guys. I think the reason has something to do with upsetting childhood memories with mean girls, and a lack of girls my age at church (and still holds true to this very day). Often it seems that I can relate better with guys for some odd reason (I think one hindering factor is shopping (as mentioned in my earlier entries). I avoid it unless I haveta go or there is a really, really, really good sale). Another is computer-related stuff (excluding hardware). My sister is the complete opposite of me. She really hates the computer, and anything to do with programming, but if you stick me in front of a computer that has Internet access and graphic applications and such, I'd be very content. I learned most of my HTML/javascript/networking/UNIX/etc. (pinging, netstat, netbus/trojans/ip spoofing/tracing) from guys--I don't recall asking any girl . . . but I'm fine with it :).
Renee even pointed out that we were the only 2 girls that saw Shrek today. Actually, I didn't notice--that's how "normal" it is for me :). Yep, so that movie was very humorous =). I think it's one of the "cleaner" (in terms of content) comedys as done by Eddie Murphy/Mike Meyer(s)?.
Hmm, yesterday night I went to my second Business Law class. Yes, that's how "mo liu" I am. Did you know that you consume up to 12 lbs of insect particles a year and it's perfectly legal for companies to not specify them in such products as peanut butter, KD, jam, and all sorts of other food items? Mmm. Yum. How nutritious. Did you know that abortion, in the early 19th century, was done intentionally, often at home? Pregnant woman hit the stomaches with the top part of chairs, or they wore really tight corsages (not the flower, the clothing item) to physically force a miscarriage. Graphical. Our class also discussed the equality of women and men, and managed to get onto the topic of topless women. Highly interesting topic, but I won't get into that.
Aside: my computer works after this long --and many attempted to correct it by Marc, Dom, MJ, and Andy. Thanks guys! :)
Currently, I'm reading Ecclesiastes for my devotions. It's actually quite an interesting book but I wouldn't recommend it for depressed people (I like Chapter 3:1-8 and Chapter 12)--I especially like this verse in Chapter 12:12b (NIV):
"Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body."Often verses like these, and this whole book, can be taken out of context. I'll leave you to ponder on this verse =þ: "Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" (Ecclesiastes 4:11 NIV)
Ni Zai Zhe Li |05.21.2001|
You are here. That was the theme of Campus Challenge 2001 --but it seemed to have shifted to many other phrases throughout CC, such as 'are you here?' or 'why are you here?' or 'where are you?' Because many people raved about how good Campus Challenge ever since my first year at UW, I have had high expectations (even though I didn't want to) so it wasn't as good as everyone said it was.Here are a few highlights or things that stood out during my weekend at CC:
- Perth's KFC's has some really deformed (lopsided) forks
- Because of my late sleeping schedule lately, I missed every jam session in the evening and zonked out at 1 am (they passed out after 430 am)
- I am lactose intolerant and almost paid dearly for it (ice cream!), but I'm glad that God answered my prayer and took away any signs of a reaction by the time I went up as a panelist
- Because I had adequate amount of sleep, I made it to the last prayer meeting (I skipped the previous two because I couldn't wake up on time), no one from my small group was there!
- I had trouble staying awake for almost all of the talks =\
- The last session on self-reflection went into lunch so ppl's stomach's around me, and including mine, were growling. Not to mention that the section on "hope" wasn't that hopeful at all; it was rather depressing
- One of my friends said that I seemed to have matured in age since the end of April (maybe because I was thinking about the Sunday panel/forum),maybe I was in a group of people that I didn't know, or maybe I was just too tired
- Another friend commented that I dress differently these days. . .hmm strange
I guess my mind was constantly on Sunday night in what I was going to say (since I don't tend to enjoy sitting in front of large crowds and sharing) as a panelist, that I didn't get a chance to truly appreciate or enjoy all of the programs up until that time. One of the reasons why I ended up sharing to 180 people (a huge crowd!!), is because Natalie (a UWCCF alumni) asked me to last minute 1.5 weeks before this event to, and she said that if I didn't, then it would only be her and Stan. Well, imagine the pressure! I really was tempted to say "no" but the more I prayed about it, the less scared I was. So I tried my best. Because I'm a structured/organised person, I wrote everything out first and reviewed all the main points that I wanted to say in my head.
The funny part is that when I got up there, my legs couldn't hold still so I was actually shaking =P. But at the same time, it wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be. Hearing my voice over the speakers didn't seem distorted this time around (normally it does), and I usually hate using a microphone. However, maybe it was the way God planned it, but everyone sat toward the aisles so when I looked up, or was talking to the audience in a big auditorium, there was this big gap of empty seats, and that was rather comforting. :P People from my small group encouraged me by making funny faces, and I saw some others nodding at my points, indicating that they were actually agreeing/listening to what I had to say. I even managed to make some people laugh, which really helped me relax :).
The most encouraging thing of all, was that afterwards, people came up to me and thanked me for sharing, even though I wasn't expecting it; even ppl I didn't even know! It was funny, because one guy, Ian, comes up to me and all of a sudden says, "You're funny." (many times afterwards), and I was like, "oh. okay. I didn't know that, but thanks, and btw, what's your name?" Nat was concerned that what we had to say may not have reached the people's hearts, but from what they shared w me/what they learned, I definitely think God answered her/our prayers.
Our small group had a good time. It's too bad I missed most of their sharing because it went past 130 am, and I was asleep by then. But one passage that we thought was rather funny is found in 2 Kings 2:23-24 (NIV):
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"
He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.Hahah, we cracked up over that passage :P.
One thing that I really learned at CC (I'll save the best for last), or maybe truly realised at CC, is that during a bicultural symposium that I attended during my free-time, is that I really appreciate the CBCs who choose to adopt to the FOB style of dress, music, speech, culture, etc. I know that I would never be able to fully relate to "FOBs" because even though I really appreciate their unique style of everything, I cannot see myself dressed that way--ever (besides, a pair of gap-material ($20) pants for $80 is a lil steep for me). And well, my Chinese is definitely lacking. But who knows, I may change my mind after I go to HK this year. I know that when a CBC is often associated as being a "FOB" is often not a compliment, but I didn't see the advantage til this weekend. By being able to relate to the "HK" or whatever "FOB" culture, and forming a circle of friends, who may be considered as true "FOBs", it's SOOO much easier to reach out to them then any CBC ever could. Even though I will continue to make fun of a certain someone, I'm keeping that in mind =).
Transcript of what we shared: CC2001FinalQuestions.doc
w2k |05.18.2001|
Disadvantages of being computer literate: I'm not afraid of screwing up. However, when I do screw up, I've done it bad (ie. irreversible). Like not reading specific requirements and compatibility with certain hardware devices or installing something using via the unsmart way (w/o backing up or anything). I've had no problems w w2k at work or with my friend's computer before, but I didn't realise that my TV card would not be compatible with it. SIGH. Dom and MJ -- yes, I finally met the infamous MJ--tried to fix my many problems (many times the machine died on us). In the process, we reformatted my computer, but this morning, Andy reminded me that I forgot to backup some irreproducable files: certain pics, and computer-drawn graphics. Ah oh well, maybe I'll be able to draw better versions of the same thing again :). In the process of trying to fix everything, we think that my RAM might be defective as well. Great. Another faulty computer. It took us more than 3 hours, and my computer is still not fully functional. My sound card is still down, my TV card is inoperable, and yeah. Hopefully, we weren't keeping the landlord/lady up (:\) b/c on certain occasions we laughed a lot and well, guys' voices tend to carry.I also think I'm beginning to get useta sleeping past 2 AM and getting up at 7:30 AM in the morning. I didn't go to bed 'til 3 AM last night, and today I'm better than I was on Tuesday morning (Monday night was my first late weeknight and it went downhill from there).
Marc also told me that the company that sells the meat (er, whatever that stuff is) to McD's is called 100% Beef, that's why McD's can say there burgers are made w 100% Beef. I don't know if I believe him, but at the same time, that would be very smart of McD's/the company if there are no legalistic issues involved with naming a company 100% Beef.
Woohoo! I got my marks back. And I didn't fail the most important course! =). PHEW. Actually, I don't know how I did it. I think it was all God's doing because I certainly did not know what I was doing in the exam (worth 50%), AND I was going into the final exam with a 30% in the course (this is the course where I failed my second midterm--47% and it was worth 30%). If I take my final mark and calculate what I got on my final to pull it up, I realise that I somehow managed to get an A+ on my final exam. I'm baffled because I'm certain that it's impossible for me to get that (unless of course, he scaled the whole class, but I highly doubt it since some people in the course did very well to begin with). If it weren't for my Science courses that are pulling my cumulative average down, I'd be even happier =). The funnier thing is that I forgot about it for a while, and then I had a "nightmare" the other night that I had to retake it in the summer because I failed, and then I started panicking and really eager to know how badly I did. Thank God that this dream was unlike the others; the ones that came true.
CUAR. Hmm, the more that people talk about, the less stressful it sounds (and cheaper) as compared to CC. I think if I had to choose all over again, I'd probably pick CUAR. Dr. Miriam Charter is quite a dynamic speaker,and additionally, the place has rock/wall climbing facilities and kayaking (and probably canoeing too if they have kayaks. I don't kayak, but I canoe even though I can't swim at all). And for some reason, it feels like I won't be seeing my OCAC friends for a very long time (maybe cuz I've seen them everyday since Sat)--or more like, they'll be having fun w/o me and rubbing it in :Þ.
Aside: Josh started a weblog. His reflections are more like Sponge's. Worth reading. Actually, I wasn't going to post Sponge's link b/c of the language in his text, but I gotta be fair since there is some questionnable language in Josh's too.
Life as a Student |05.17.2001|
Yep, that's right. I decided to learn for free yesterday. Surprisingly, learning w/o pressure is quite fun. Maybe the prof wasn't boring--I dunno. I don't think I ever want to major in law though (so there for those who take my last name as an reference to my future career, you can stop now :P), because I don't like the idea of cases. However, the notion of getting paid from $300-$1000/hr is very appealing. Yeah, the shorten lecture was quite interesting partially of the topics that were raised and discussed: diamond rings, ppl who take advantage of you, and such. I think that the prof is the very first prof I know who addresses everyone as "ma'am" or "sir"--it's usually the other way around. This class actually reminds me of the Criminology (/sociology) I took last year where the prof quoted life examples. I probably wouldn't mind sitting in another class as strange as that may sound =). Besides, it gives me something to do right after work. And I got some stuff done for Campus Challenge--so I was actually productive in class!That's not the main reason why I decided to bus to Carleton again though. This time around, Dom and Marc wanted to eat dinner at Local Heroes, the place that Kevin H. kept talking about when he was here on work term. The pizza is soo good there on Wednesdays--'tis 1/2 price! =) Peon had dinner already so she didn't join us. I learned something else, I have been taking the LONG way to Carleton (on the bus)!!! On Monday, Josh told me to take the 85 to Hurdman, then take the 4 to Carleton. Well guess what I found out yesterday from Marc? I went in a circle! :P. He told me to take 85 to Bank and then either the 4 or 7 because the 4 takes you to Hurdman via Carleton and 7 takes you directly to Carleton. I didn't take the longest way this time, but I still could've just gotten off at Bronson and caught the 4 instead of having the 4 backtrack many blocks to where the 85 was! :D Hehehe. Oh well, at least I semi-recognise certain surroundings now unlike some ppl I know (eg. a certain student from Carleton that I met not too long ago) :).
Long weekend ahead of me: tonight is jam session, and long weekend is Campus Challenge. =). Ppl here will be having fun at CUAR instead--rock climbing, kayaking, and whatever else! ;)
J'ai visitée la province du Québec! |05.16.2001|
According to the map of Canada, yesterday was my first time that I've ventured that far east (in terms of province) in Canada. I walked to another province too! I never did that before. Hull, Quebec reminds me of HK and Hawaii at the same time! The traffic lights are horizontal (Hawaii), and the Museum of Civilization partially resembles the art gallery, or some auditorium in Tsim Sha Tsui in HK.The scenery in downtown, Ottawa (by the Ottawa River) is quite nice, especially when the sun is setting. I didn't bring my camera again. Sigh. Dinner was at a British Pub (Earl of Sussex) . . . hmm, I now realise that non-Chinese food is quite expensive. We tried to visit the ever-mysterious Amy (Sailor Moon girl), but she wasn't working at the gelato place that evening. Dom joined us (Andy, Marc, me) in Quebec and drove us back over to Byward Market. Andy left shortly after and Josh called, but my phone was dying, so he didn't end up joining us cuz well, Dom just kinda hung up on him when he called him instead . . . :|
Chilled at McD's and Tim Horton's . . . Sparks Street . . .now why does that street sound soooo strangely familiar?! I still don't know. I'm thinking maybe NY or something. Hmm, yeah, Dom was kind enough to drive me home (the West) even though they live in the East. I guess it was a guy's night out because all they talked about (but well, I was interested--so maybe not) was life in TO, and cell phones. :)
Sand! |05.15.2001|
What a lovely day. The bus system is soooo inefficient in the city though. And some bus drivers are extrememly sarcastic. Like I asked one if the 174 goes by (or more specifically, do you know where the 174 is? I didn't mean it literally obviously, I just meant to ask if it stopped at this stop--I didn't know that it did b/c of the night stop rules), and he looks in his pocket and says, "Nope, not here!" like I was stupid or something. Okay. Maybe I am. Considering I don't know Ottawa very well yet.Ah yeah, on the topic of lovely day. I was dying to do something outdoors and with people (getting stuck at home in front of my TV/computer is entertaining sure, but you can only have so much of that). So I decided to talk to Josh and Marc about it and Josh suggested we go to Hog's Back. The first time Vivian said it, I thought she meant Horseback--and then she got into an argument w someone about how the playground at Britannia Bay is nicer and cooler. I should go to that one some day. So anyhow, after work, I bused to Carleton U. -- my goodness, the buses are sooo slow; it took me 1 hour to get there! I met up w Josh (Marc decided to stay home in Orleans cuz he's lazy ;P) and had dinner (McD's) on a park bench beside the Rideau Canal gates. The scenery at Carleton is quite nice once you get out of the campus itself. Well, maybe with the exception of the dead floating squirrel in the canal. The dam kinda reminds me of Cleveland Dam in 'couver (where Dark Angel was filmed in the 1st or 2nd episode and we happened to be on the set one the same day). McD's is surprisingly good eating beside a canal. Vivan and Peon joined us not too long after and we headed to the dam part [haha. i just reread that...the "dam" part :P], and "climbed" some rocks.
Yaay! and we ended up at the mosquito infested beach (w sand!) and played on the kids playground =). So fun! That totally reminds me of home w Marie, Clarence, and Jasmine :P. I didn't get any more bites (I have one from the day we went rock/wall climbing). The bus ride home was amusing because I accidentally stepped on the wrong bus (well, right one but going opposite directions). I didn't realise it til the driver pulled out, then I thought why not ride the whole way since I would haveta wait at the stop for another half hour anyhow.
I got home to realise that my TV cable is up and running! woohoo! =) I have so many channels -- never in my life have I had the luxury of cable TV! =) I get to watch TV, e-mail, and ICQ and do whatever computer graphics/web page stuff all at the same time in the same place!
Ottawa would be more fun if the public transit was more efficient and faster, but right now, I'm getting by. I have successfully occupied myself with things to do during the many days the week. ;)
Coyote Rock Gym |05.13.2001|
My shoulders! My arms! Haha, I think I'm getting older. My body is not as agile as it used to be, and it was only last year when I rock/wall climbed last at SportsWorld in Kitchener (largest in Canada). I don't know how we managed to do 3 hours! The indoor rock climbing place here was kinda ghet --funny really, cuz it was in a warehouse! =).So, we did end up going rock climbing afterall because Ben C had to leave early--all we did w Ben C was go downtown and get me a free COWS ice cream and him one too. Too bad that I had to make some others wait =\. But my ice cream was good!
Ah yes. Vietnamese food for lunch again. Smaller portions that Ben Thanh but cheaper. Dinner at St. Hubert's--some French imitation of Swiss Chalet. It was w Vivian, Hilman, Andy, Josh, Roger, and myself. Marc went home because he was blessed to have a mother to spend Mother's Day with.
Bused home. Found out that Roger lives near us and that Rudolph (Rudy from UWCCF) is his brother! Small, small world. Wow, I realised that buses can give you a scenic tour of Ottawa for no price. But I think it must've been Josh's FOB/punk look and the fact that 5 chinese, along with 4 white people (3 we didn't know) that filed into the rear of the bus, caused everyone to give us stares the whole ride--not to mention that we talked like typical chinese (really loudly), and my phone rang midway (yeah, Roge says I'm a FOB but he doesn't drink bbltea, so I'm proud to be a FOB if nonFOBs don't drink bbltea).
Ah a good shower, and now I'm headed to bed. I think God answered my prayers. I feel like I've made some friends here quite quickly =)--almost to a point where even though I don't know them very well, it seems like I've known them almost forever. Gnite.
Small World |05.12.2001|
Sign #3 of a cold: slight irritation of the throat-->coughin spells.Busy day for me today. First it was Ed and Nat's wedding--a couple I met in Ottawa who drove me to church twice. The wedding was simple, but different--different music, customs, tradition. Even the bride seemed to shy away from the groom's kiss. =) The refreshments became my lunch. Brian decided to eat my share of the shrimp (and celery?), and we all had a ton of meatballs! Brian is soooo funny at times. His expressions and the way of doing things; one would almost say that he's "cute" cuz he holds a spoon like a 5-year old =P [I wonder if Bri would ever get around to reading this].
The odd part is I finally met the Ben Hu that everyone makes fun of (the last name). I took a look at him and instantly wondered if he was related to Sam Hu (person I know from BAC). I was thinking to myself, hmm, well he kinda resembles him . . . so finally, when I got a chance to, I asked him if he was related to a Sam Hu. Not to mention that I have this habit of asking everyone if they know Person X with the same last name. He responded, "You mean my cousin, Sam?" I didn't know if it was but I verified it w the SFU thing and all. . . =) That's kinda neat how I have connections in Ottawa from BC! Another fellow whom I haven't met by the name of James Kung knows almost everyone from Westside Calgary CAC that I know!
Spent the afternoon at the Ottawa Moutain Equipment Co-op store and felt really weird walking around in a outdoors store in a dress?! Then the rest of the afternoon at worship practice. Ah yeh, my second week involved as part of the fellowship worship. This week was a bit crazy. . .we kinda fell apart. Not to mention that most ppl on the team were newbies. =p ah well, a good learning experience I'm sure.
During this week, I learned to really appreciate my old housemate Shuk-ka, especially when it comes to doing the dishes (even if the majority of them were not hers). So if you, Shuk-ka, are reading this, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart! =)
Fellowship was interesting. The program that was planned tonight didn't happen because the co-ordinator didn't show up. But, we got to know each other anyhow through games that Vivian and Hilman initiated =). Ppl got bored after a while though, so we ended early and went to the ONLY place in Ottawa that has bubble tea. Tea was okay; better than Timeless in Waterloo, but atmosphere was a tad lacking. Probably because it's not owned by students or a younger generation. Variety of bblteas were limited though.
Anyhow, that pretty much sums up my day. I think my life is starting to pick up from here =). No rock climbing tm though cuz Ben C. is in town.
'Net Connection! |05.09.2001|
Yaaay! My computer and the cable network is up and running =)! There are still some kinks here and there that need to be adjusted, but other than that, I'm back in business . . .Oh yeah, remember how Ben, Sponge, and myself thought those brown things were beavers? Well, Euhan says that they're groundhogs! He agrees that there are wild beavers, but just not on the side of the highway. =)
Ottawa has weird weather. I could see the rain pour down from the clouds today (from a distance), but at the same time, it didn't rain on us 'til much later. It's a weird visual effect.
Did I ever tell you my first impressions of some people I've met here?
Danny: He must be very important to have been introduced to me 4 times unintentionally now. He reminds me of Big Jon in a way. :)
Dominic: Matrix boy. Someone who is seemingly cold and unfriendly. =P
Marc: he's cool, cuz he's the first to call me "Em" here--it's odd sometimes to hear your name being shortened because most ppl in Waterloo don't; only my friends back home do :P
Josh: FOB. (well, that's what I thought. I thought wrong ;P).
Hilman and Vivan: Very friendly and outgoing; makes you feel welcomed :).
Brian/Lon: they look alike w their black glasses and columbia jacket; irony: they live in the same place.
Tulips, or lack thereof |05.07.2001|
This weekend has been the highlight of my time here in Ottawa thus far, and by the time I tell you what I did, you'd think it's pretty pathetic too :P. But I woke up this morning with a sore throat (sign #2 that I am developing a cold). I think I might have gotten it from the contagious ppl at church (miranda, vivian, or josh).Friday: Jammed til 1 AM (woohoo, back to good ol' student days) at Brian Y's. Renee W., Nathan K, Andy S, Brian Y (of course), Euhan C, Tim C, Hilman S. were all there.
Saturday: Fellowship at Elijah.
There were only 20 or so present: Nathan, Dominic, Andy, Brian, Renee, Miranda, Vivian, Yvonne, Yvonne (visiting from Vancouver), Dorothy, Tim, Me, Stephanie (see Yvonne), Hilman, Josh, Ben (Chan), Marc, Danny, Dave (speaker), Emily, Peter, Chris, and Euhan.Sunday: Highlights of Ottawa.
Church was fairly good. Drums and more cooler/contemporary songs were done during worship. :). Pastor Dan talked about spiritual gifts, which complemented our Sunday School classes very well (but again, using the 4 Es from Rick Warren's Building a Purpose-Driven Ministry/Church).
Lunch at Vietnamese restaurant and spent afternoon at Dow's Lake enjoying the pre-tulip fest tulips (it's so not worth $22 but b/c it's "pre", it's "free"!) and taking pics! Then, everyone was either tired or left to watch the Raptors game (who won!), but I didn't want to be stuck at home again doing nothing on a sunny and mild weekend, so I decided to take Ben C's advice and get to know Dominic and the crew better.
Even though I didn't do too much, I had fun that night nevertheless. It felt like I was back at home--1 girl amongst a group of guy friends and it's Chinglish =P. But at the same time, I felt like I was with Sponge/Simon's crew. Dominic is quite a character. Him and Josh combined reminds me of Sponge (and Simon and whomever else they seem to have successfully corrupted)--actions/thoughts/speech. So, I guess there are ppl like Sponge/Simon afterall. :) Good ol' Sponge/Simon needs to wash their mouths/minds w soap. Dom's crew is cool though--and full of courteousy (at the appropriate times)! :)--so Ben C. was right (D will talk to you once he gets to know you).
Went to the driving range (I just sat and watched w Josh. I hit 3 balls and wasn't very good.). Dinner at Zak's (hmm so Ben A. and Sponge didn't pick a ghet place to eat afterall =Þ). Pool/arcades at Ottawa U. I played one game w another person who was about the same level as me (or else he was too nice that it seemed that way). Everyone I useta play against knew what they were doing so pool wasn't fun before.
So yeah, that's my weekend for you! Hope there will be more better ones to come--like rock-climbing next week! :) Can't wait!
Detergent?! |05.04.2001|
Blechie! I think I taste soap residue in my lunch box (or fork?). I guess I didn't rinse it well enough before I stuck my rice in. Ah well, I hope Sobey's brand is non-toxic! :|Yaay! I finally have a fully functional computer at home now (still working on the net connection tho)!
Specs:
Pentium III, 700 mhz processor
128 MB RAM
20 G HD space (that's the smallest HD they had!)
17" colour monitor
DVD/CD-ROM/floppy drive(s)
Matrox G400 Video
Soundblaster 16 Sound card (and soon--TV tuner for my free cable :P)Heeheh, and Yo roped me into serving for Elijah fellowship (OCAC) in doing worship (vocalist and possible pianist) for Saturday (my first day there).
Aside: please pronounce "pianist", "pee-ahn-nist", because the other version of it sounds a l'il um . . .strange.
It'll be weird but hey, these ppl seem okay =)Guess what? I received my very first wedding/banquet invitation this week! Thankfully I'm in Ontario this summer because I have a greater chance of making it to their wedding ceremony and reception =). I haven't been to a weddding/banquet yet where any of my relatives are not present. Well, but maybe one of them will be there. My uncle's brother could be officiating the wedding ceremony since he pastors MCAC (who's also my first piano teacher and who took care of me when I was less than 3 years old I think)! The funny thing is they addressed it to not only me, and to my Surrey address. :P
Housing. I sympathise with Sponge and whomever else with the whole housing situation. Wellesey Court has been trouble since Day 1.
Word of advice: Never involve yourself in the affairs of an educational institution, especially if you like independence.
Bugs |05.01.2001|
Yuckie! I think I'm coming down with a cold. I feel like sneezing all the time (first signs of a cold). I think either Sponge, Andy, Peter, or Ben somehow gave it to me directly or indirectly.Peter is guy living downstairs (who's not a loser as Sponge and Ben concluded from evidential evidence: snowboards, blades, has a motorcycle-like scooter, own place in basement :P). Ah yeah, and Steve (the landlord) is a mechanical engineer (not a carpenter as Sponge predicted).
Additionally, I don't know what's going on with my left jaw. The gap btwn the top and the bottow jaw hurts (mildy sore) when I open it all the way (like when I'm yawning). Oh well. Hopefully, it'll get better by itself.
Lessons in Ottawa |05.01.2001|
Few things I learned in the past couple of days:
1. Febreeze makes an excellent mosquito killer. Just squirt some on them and watch them die semi-instantly.
2. Clearnet (Telus) customer care centre lets you choose the type of music that you want to hear while you wait (to appease your emotions while they put you on hold for 15 mins or longer perhaps?!)
3. Cable TV isn't all that great these days (as you can see, I am so bored that I watch cable TV). People accept vulgar language (eg. "illegits", etc) as a part of everyday life (Simpsons, Friends, etc)! On top of that, sometimes theres even material that is very immodest (on a PG rated hour?!), as you can mildly say.BTW, not sure if it's in your city, but Baskin Robbins is offering a free scoop of ice-cream tomorrow (May 02, 2001) from 6 pm to 10 pm in US and in Ottawa! =) (Check out my announcements for the link!)
