Sleepy McSleepypants = random entry

I am Sleepy McSleepypants. Why? Well, I never get sleep on Sunday nights because I'm always planning for teaching on Monday. On Saturday tho, my sister got home close to 4am, so I was up till that time. At least she'll never keep her cell on silent again after that. My mom ended up waking up halfway thru the night and decided she would stay downstairs with me. Anyhoo, the whole point is that I have a headache and am very disoriented at the moment.

Guess who learned the 1,2 step? AHAHAHAHahahaah. I like to think I did. People who have seen me do it seem to disagree...what is up with that??

You know the scary thing is that I used to just PRETEND to dance weirdly...but I think now I really just dance that way normally. Hmmm...

I asked my sister today if I acted like Natalie Portman's character in Garden State, and she didn't answer. She laughed. I think that means yes. Except I'm not a liar. But I'm totally equally as weird and awkward. I'm pre-in-love Natalie Portman's character. She gets cooler once she's all in love. Ahahaha, I'm definitely not that suave.

You know what I really like? Thoughtful, clean, people. You know what annoys me? Unthoughtful, messy people who don't clean up after themselves. It's really NOT that hard. Why make life harder for the poor cleaning ppl??

Yay, 40 Days of Purpose campaign is over! It was fun times, but I'm glad that workload is finito. I can't believe people work so hard at our church. We still have those darn-tootin' bags of candy left!! We forgot to give them out.

Hey, relationship talk at CCC this THursday! It's really good! Wanna come?? Come! Apparently we can never talk about it enough!

I also learned to batik today, which is uber-fun. I forgot about how slow I am at art. I was dubbed "perfectionist" for taking too long. Excuuuuse me if I like my artwork to look good. Ahahahahaha. Oh man.

There's some bakery named Chocolat or something like that that sells the most DECADENT and DELISH chocolate cake. It was my host teacher's b-day yesterday, so she brought some in. Yay for sugar!

My sister gave me her free manicure so I'm going Friday...my first ever manicure ever! Doesn't it figure tho that the week I have a manicure, I keep snagging my nails, left, right and centre?! Man, having nice nails is WAY too high-maintenance.

That's it. Did I talk about enough topics randomly?

P.S. My car smelled like pizza yesterday. Eleven pizzas is a LOT of pizzas.
P.P.S. I think my weirdness level is correlated to lack of sleep...it's at an all-time high right now. Do you want to know me? Hahaha, I'm entertaining at least!
P.P.P.S. I am totally losing my voice, and this getting-better-from-a-cold-competition. Booo.

Snow jobbing fun

I got thrown in the snow twice again today. I put up a good fight. Or so I'd like to believe.

AHahahah, snow fights are the funnest! Commando in the snow is a close 2nd. I love my kids, they're so fun fun fun! Oh, and I'd like to report that my aim is getting better. Plan Snow Job Kevin 1.0 worked really well. He was covered! ;) I am also proud to say I smushed snow in Ken's hair as he dumped me in the snow.

Note to self: bulk up more to a) be heavier and harder to lift; b) be stronger to get other ppl in the snow.

On a more serious note, WHERE IS MY SISTER??? I feel like such a nag, calling her repeatedly on her cell. I would simply like to know where she is. This is what it's like to be a parent. I don't like not knowing where ppl are. She went down to see Mysteriously Yours (okay, PLEASE, SOMEONE, we HAVE to do this this summer before I leave!) dinner theatre, and came back on the FINCH BUS. They were supposed to get off at his stop and then he was going to drive her home...and that was a billion hours ago when I talked to her around 11pm. So where oh where has my sistaaaaaaaaaair gone, oh where oh where can she beeeeeeeee? I'm sure they're at some coffee shop talking or something, while I freak out at home. I'm SO tempted to wait up...shall I? I think I shall. Perhaps I'll pop in Garden State and wait.

Well, anyhoo, tune in tmw to see what happened!

A list of funny things that no one else will think is funny

Or the list I make when I'm procrastinating.

1. The phrase, "fire under its bum". Ex. Can't think of an example, but it made me laugh.
2. Wearing bunny ears in the car today. I really did. My sister's bf thinks I'm crazy. And I am.
3. Ryan Cabrera looks like a troll.
4. The word of the day is fart (because I really am in grade 5).
5. A funny joke I heard today:
A pastor is kneeling at the altar, praying. His son comes up to him and asks what he's doing every week when he kneels. The Pastor says, "I'm praying for my sermon today, that God will make it a good one." Then the child asks, "Then why doesn't He?" AHAHAHAHAHahaha. Oh man.
6. Joanne's blog entry with that little kid doing the Calvin impressions! (Kenj, you have to see it, you'll love it!)
7. Me saying "EWWWWWWWWWWW" in the library really loud when my friend said my sister touched her bf's arm. Ahahaha. Way to be mature, Michelle.

See, none of those things is REALLY funny. WHY do I laugh at EVERYTHING??

Finally found it!

I'm not really sure where I remember this poem from, although I have a sneaking suspicion it may have been in a Sweet Valley High book I read once, and I only ever remembered it said, "my sudden angel" in it. Anyway, I searched for it years ago, pre-google, but now it's found! Wasn't as great as I remember it, but still nice. I can't believe I remembered it all these years. Ahahaha, the things that stay with you from those Sweet Valley high books, hey?

Cold Mountain

Oh, sad chick flicks...aie. I didn't cry as much as I thought I would. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not exactly sure I enjoyed the plot line. I liked the cinematography and LOVED the soundtrack, and Renee Zellweger's character. But eh, not crazy about the plot. I think maybe because it was a darker movie.

Best part? Ruby complaining about hearing the two lovebirds go on about all their moments together being like a sack of diamonds. Ahahahaha.

In competition news, the snow is melting, so no more snowjob competitions, I think. Now it's "Who can get better from their cold the fastest" time. Ahahahaha. I'm going to bed early. I hope I win.

Reassuring words...

I Am, by Jill Phillips

Oh gently lay your head

Upon my chest

And I will comfort you

Like a mother while you rest

The tide can change so fast,

But I will stay

The same through the past,

The same in future, same today

I am constant;

I am near

I am peace that shatters all your secret fears

I am holy;

I am wise

I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires

Your heart's desires

Oh weary, tired and worn,

Let out your sighs

And drop that heavy load you hold

Cause Mine is light
I know you through and through;

There's no need to hide

I want to show you love

That is deep and high and wide

Oh gently lay your head

Upon my chest

And I will comfort you

Like a mother while you rest

a food-filled day

Yummy food. What I consumed today: some wraps, a sandwich, a slice or tiramisu, cheese, fruit, crackers, caramel apple cider from Starbucks (Yum, Carol!), Spicy Doritos, garlic shrimp, fried beef something or other, mango chicken. Yum, food!

I wore heels this entire day but am so much more tired than usual. I think walking around a mall will do it for ya. Yay for mom's foot massages!

I think today I really proved my klutziness. The proof:
1) at the funeral home, I was holding a cup of water and some books in one hand. I turned my hand to get a paper or something, and proceeded to tip my hand so the water fully spilled all over the carpet.
2) almost tripping over a girl in a stroller at the mall. I think I have tunnel vision.
3) almost knocking over a stack of shoeboxes in Sport Chek.
4) tripping slightly over a carpet in Harry Rosen.

I think I need to go to finishing school to learn to be a lady, all prim and proper, because I'm totally failing at the moment.

I also had dinner with my sister and her NEW BOYFRIEND. Yes, that's right. THis morning, she was taking so long to get ready, so I walked into her room and said, "What's going on, are you worried about impressing this boy? Is that why you're primping for so long?" to which she replies, "Yes," and I laugh. At the moment, she was wearing a t-shirt, sweatshirt and pants. And I said, "Yeah, it's probably good to look good cuz he's so preppy," and she freaked out and was like, "Is this outfit okay??" I told her it wasn't very preppy, so she panicked and went to change. She was like, "I never worried about how I looked till you brought it up!" AHahaha. Anyway, so later on, we went to dinner. He's a nice guy. Actually, he's quite funny, but I can't remember some of the funny things he said. But funniness is uber-important, so CHECK! And he held the door open for us, which is super-uber good. I enjoy when guys are chivalrous. So what's that, like 10 more points? Sure. Ahahhaah, as if it matters now.

Man, there's so much other stuff that happened today, but I will amuse you with the fact that Chika is the nose-blowing EXPERT. I'm not kidding. Need nose-blowing tips? Go to him. AHahaha.

Also, funny older ladies from church who live through younger ppl, I'm convinced ahahaha.

And, me talking to my nose (in my head) telling it to unclog. Hmm...but honestly, I feel like my nose is directly connected to my brain, and when it's plugged, my brain doesn't really function. Does that explain klutziness today?

And me liking dance music beats! I know, who would've thought...but David Crowder Band (Sunsets and Sushi album) is awesome! Mike, you should check it out, my dance-loving friend. I was totally head-bopping in the car today!

White Christian rapper, ahahahahaha.

Rach, I like Big Bibles and I cannot lie! Ahahahaha. This is dedicated to you and Laura.

So tired. Teaching's hard work.

Contemplation...

As I was driving home today, there was a big situation on the 401 by the DVP and it was just described as a "serious situation" on the radio. I really had no idea how serious. I'm so shocked at it all right now, I guess. Thank God the girl survived. It must have just happened when we passed...it's numbing hearing the news. I wonder what it must be like to have absolutely no hope, not to cherish life or have no reason for living...

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD , even as we put our hope in
you. -

Psalm 33:22
I'm not sure what else to say...

FINISHED!

No more popcorn, no more fairs,
No more packaging prize wares.

No more tables, no more signs,
No more setting up, no more lines.

WE ARE DONE! I'm tired. Thanks for being so awesome, Naomi!!!!! The Tyndale lady said she LOVED our missions fair, and I was like, "You DID?" So apparently it went okay. I'm just glad it's over. No more painting signs, wooooo hooo! And no more extreme setting up. I tend to go a little (yeah, just a LITTLE) loopy when cooped up at the JCCC for hours with too much sugar.

And to relieve all the built-up tension, there was a good shopping trip today to the mall. Crowded malls make me cranky and tired, though.

Yay for today's service! Nice job, metro-man, with the slideshow and worship. I know a couple people said they were really touched by the worship! :)

Sigh, funeral on Tuesday. The thing about death is that it makes you appreciate life.

I talk to myself a lot.

Me: Go straight, pretty turquoise bowling ball.
Bowling ball: NO!
Me: Come on, I got a spare last frame, I need a good one this time.
Bowling ball: NO!
etc....

And you know of course that bowling balls don't talk, so the above conversation was really just with myself. I did bowl over/near 100 3/4 of the time today. Be proud, I know! I was actually bowling STRAIGHT! It seems to be very key to be able to aim at the pins. Hmm.

Then later I talked to myself while filling up gas. "Why is it not accepting my CAA card? Do I have to prepay?" Except I talk out LOUD. I knocked in the window to ask Kenji his opinion on whether or not I should fill-up, and talked really loud through the window. Apparently lots of people turned to look at me. Note to self: Must stop being weird.

I had too much sugar today. There were some funny antics - Peter in a "hair net", trying to make up the missions cheer for tmw...along with the actions. And, me on too much sugar, which basically ends up being me laughing at everything. And finally, the creation of Metro-Man. He's metrosexual, fashionista, cook and smells good, too! His special power? He can stop fashion disasters from occurring in a single bound! What does he wear? A sheer shirt with sequin M. Guess who it is!!!

Songs I like right now, all based on recommendations: Michael Buble - Home, Jason Wade - You Belong to me (are you ready for a serenade, Naomi!?), Charlie Hall - Salvation, David Crowder Band - Open Skies

Oh, and I didn't tell you about my FANTASTIC shopping deals at Speelman's. Five CDs for $10 baby! I know, eat my money-saving dust! Plus, $3 Relient K CD, and $4 and $5 hardcover books!

MINUS 10 POINTS!!!!!!!!

He's down another 10 points. And it's not even wholly his fault. It's just the whole situation.

Let me explain. Guys, if you ever go out with a girl and her older sister has requested the car for a certain time, you'd better bust your butt to make her get home in time or you'll be hated by said older sister. And by older sister, I mean me. And by "Guys" I mean my sister's new man. She was 40 minutes late today, getting home. The best part was that she called me as she was driving and apologized and said, "Okay, I'm coming, I'm there." Now WHAT does "there" mean to you? "There" to me means, "I'm on the corner, and I'll be there in 2 seconds (i.e. less than a minute)." NOoooooooooo, "there" according to my sister's timing means 5 minutes away. That's SO NOT "THERE"!!! Anyway, so he loses points, but it's really my sister's fault.

Now, the unfortunate thing is that this whole situation would probably have been worth -5, had I not found out right before my sister was expected home that my Bible has probably been RECYCLED. This is a point of frustration in my life. Well, actually, a couple things are. 1) My dad's way of cleaning is to shove everything into a bag and stash it in my room or my sister's room; 2) My dad NEVER remembers where he put ANYTHING 3) My dad doesn't CARE where he put anything 4) He put my Bible in a paper bag by the newspaper recycling 5) Recycling went out Wed.

GAAaaaaaaah, it's not even being put to good use. It's just going out to be torn to shreds.

R.I.P. my Bible. :(

This is why I love teaching...

I marked some bridge tests today, and I wanted to post a classic comments:

"I would use a drawbridge (we're doing a bridge unit) because if a sail boat came through it the bridge would collapse the bridge killing millions of people."

Ahahaha, such exaggeration!!!

Also, one test I got was COVERED in eraser bits. Ahahahahaha.

In more food news, sausages and honey sounds weird, but tastes good.
And in more news, I'm so sneaky and I win.
And in further news, apparently, Quang should get extra super points for even risking to be near a girl who is sick. Apparently we get really whiney when we're sick, and it's TRUE, my sister is the BIGGEST suck. Ahahahahah. Okay, so I'll give him maybe 2 more points. But that's it. No more. Ahahahahah.

And what's this about being a beta tester for Subway sandwiches?? WHERE do I get jobs like this???

He's like a cyst!

You know how cysts grow on you?

This "Quang" character is growing on me. My sister's at home sick today and GUESS who comes by. Yep, him. He brought hot chocolate and soup and bagels for my poor sick sister. AW. I know. It's so funny how I'm always like, Nami, don't just be won over by that stuff. But really, ahahaha, I'M won over by it. Not completely, mind you. But at least he's a nice guy.

I'm going to start a point system. Food gets a lot of points. So let's say, 5 points for Quang. I wonder at which pointage I'll let him be my sister's boyfriend.

Gaaaaah, must stop being so overprotective!!!!

That's it for this up-to-the minute, live update from chez Michelle and Nami.

Oh, wait, 2 more points for having a good, firm handshake, and actually shaking my hand. Minus 2 points for not introducing himself to my mom. Plus one for being a good dresser and having a nice scarf and shoes.

And I think I'll make the quota a billion points. Once he hits a billion, then he can date my sister. AHahahahaha. I'm so silly.

Michelle's new favourite thing to do!

Call me the Proshow Pro. Go ahead. Doesn't it sound great? Ahahaahha. That's right, I made my very first slideshow-y thing today. I LOVED it. So many great transitions...you can zoom, rotate, pan! I'm annoyed because I couldn't change the speed of my video, but I LOVED EVERYTHING ELSE! It is my new favourite hobby. I'm a big fan of the fading between slides though. I used it for EVERY one. I tried different ones, but nope, it kept calling. "Michelle, Michelle, use me!" Oh, and in the making of it, I heard 2 new songs that I love. Yay Charlie Hall!

So here's my equation of the day: Michelle + Proshow = best friends forever=masterpiece slideshows. Ahahahahaha.

Celebrate everything!

My friend asked me today why we have Black History month, Gay Pride parades, etc. She wondered why we couldn't have heterosexual male and female day celebrations. Ahahahaha. She said her friend has decided to make next week hot guy week or something like that. Oh man.

My cardio instructor today was the most hyper little ball of energy ever, and she makes me very tired just looking at her. Anyway, she walked in today and told us this story. She said there was this cute boy at the gym that she works at, and one day he was showing her his vacation pictures. Fully knowing that it was him in the picture, she said, "Hey, who's that guy in this picture? He's cute!" to which he replies that it's him, and she gives him a wink. Ahahahaha, he's also not talking to her anymore. Ahahahaha. So funny how she shares all these experiences with us. She also described him to us in great detail and told us where we could find him if we were looking for "a brunette with blue eyes who was built like a hockey player." Crazy cardio woman.

Snow job Kevin 1.0

Okay, it was MY idea first to invent my evil plan to Snow Job Kevin 1.0. COPIER! So just for the record, it was MY idea first. MINE. THerefore, any recruiting to any kind of team should happen to MY team. I call dibs on Laura.

Second, Chika is my tax guru. WHAT would I do without my tax guru? Freak out more than I usually would. HOW do I buy RRSPs? Will I have to pay taxes this year? Does scholarship money count as income? Yadda yadda...

Third, Chika is also actually my encyclopaedia. Example: Chika, what's it mean when the umps do that signal? Chika, what's that thing on the car called? Chika, Chika, Chikaaaaaaa! Hahah.

Okay, you know, I think I need to cut down on blog entries, because frankly, I think they're starting to be boring. I'll try harder to be amusing.

One last amusing story though...or, well, I thought it was amusing, which does not necessarily mean other ppl will find it amusing.

So my sister and her gentleman friend talk on the phone a LOT, and he happened to call on her cell while we were in the car. So you know, I like to try to be annoying and proceed to say, "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" very loudly in the background. She gives me the evil eye, hisses at me to be quiet and tries to put her hand over my mouth. At this point, I decide to start shouting, "ABUSE! ABUSE!" (very mature, I know), and he apparently asks if he can call back (not because of me), at which my sister is VERY relieved and says, "YES, PLEASE call me back LATER." Ahahahahah. After she hung up, she asked why I felt I had to embarass her. I told her that if he couldn't take some funny older sister business, that he was too boring and uptight for her, anyway. So there.

And finally, I took the What Gender is your brain test and I am proud to say that I am 86.67% Female and 13.3% Male. Ahaha, because these quizzes are SOOOOOOOOOOO accurate. But anyway, it said,

You have the brain of a girly girl
Which isn't a bad thing at all
You're empathetic, caring, and in tune with emotions.
You're a good friend and give
great advice.

That's right, I'm empathetic and I give GREAT advice. That's right. ie. you should ALWAYS listen to me. My advice is that you should buy me a slushie. ;)

P.S. I'm the running man expert. Come to me and Laura for lessons. 100% satisfaction guaranteed, unless you're totally inept at the running man (YOU know who you are!).

I think this thing is broken...

This thing says I act like I'm 24. I'm 23. I actually act older than my age??? Hm. Did I tell you I've snow fought (ahaha, is that even a word??) a lot these past 2 days? And I like to think I won. But maybe not. I think the quiz is broken.

In other news, I have concluded that xanga is the new AA. COME ON, it's TOTALLY AA!!!!

Guess what?

This coming Saturday...guess what? MORE SIGNS. :O I think I'll pass out now. (how many, you ask? Eight. Just eight. That's so many.)

Oh, and more setting up. Soooooooooo who can I entice to come and help out?

Please just let the fairs be over already!

P.S. Bruises are forming on both my knees, and my bum/hips from falling. I'm a peach!

Crazy daisies

My life, summarized by Kenji:

you eat alot
you laugh alot
and you get laughed at alot

It's true, it's all true.

Today was a crazy daisy day. I didn't get to bed till late last night (yes, actually being productive), and today was an early morning. Fun worship, some funny out-of-tune-ness, Angie zippering her fly onstage, cotton candy craziness, getting thrown in the snow 3 times, throwing other ppl in the snow, tripping and falling while attempting to throw ppl in the snow, leaning on Laura, "We are not responsible for lost or stolen items" printed on the menu at a Chinese restaurant, Arabian love songs, AMAZING marshmallow and toothpick church building models, reminiscing about high school dances...hey, where did we leave the take-out? Hm...we didn't forget it in the restaurant this time...but where....?

Also, my sister went on a date yesterday. It's funny, my parents don't care as much, so I make up for it. I was all, "HOW am I supposed to SCREEN this guy if I'm not going to be home??" Now she's talking to him on the phone...she likes him. I told her to take it slow, and that ppl are always trying to impress each other on the first date. She insisted that they weren't going to, so then I said, "Oh yeah, are you going to tell him you play stuffed animals?" She shut up after that.

Oh, and would someone post an Oscar update? I missed the whole thing...was Chris Rock good/bad/blah, what, what?? Best dressed, worst dressed, no dressed, too dressed?

Song of the day: Take my life

Take my life and let it be consecrated
Lord to Thee
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee

Here am I, All of me
Take my life, it's all for Thee

Take my voice and let me sing
Always only for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee

Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry power as You choose

Take my will and make it Thine
It shall be no longer mine
Take my heart it is Thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne

Take my love my Lord I pour
At Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
Ever only all for Thee

Also, on a side note (that isn't that side note-y in my life), communication is important.

Good food (4 meals) + marker fumes + too much painting = long day o' fun

I think I do eat a lot. BUT, I think it's because I've started to work out. Back in first year when I used to work out everyday, I ate a LOT. Nancy and I were constantly scrounging for change to buy food after our workouts, it was pretty funny. We'd work out and then go eat a "healthy" hot dog. Once we tried the vegetarian dog in an effort to be more healthy, but who were we kidding, it tasted awful and veggie dogs aren't super-healthy or anything.

RIght, anyway, I'm so easily distracted, but I ate a LOT today. I woke up, had 2 slices of french toast, and then went out for yummy brunch for Carol's b-day (HAPPY B-DAY CAROL!!!) and had my meal, plus another slice of french toast from Jo's brekkie. Now, in my defense, after that, I didn't eat anything for 7 hours, but then I had pizza. And then I had a sub at midnight, for my second dinner. AHahaha. Can you say Oink oink?

Seeing high school friends was fun today, and we told some stories about great memories from high school. Hahaha, you guys are so smart and nerdy! ;) All those com-tech stories of writing a program that moves chess pieces, lasers that morse code, and ahahaha, a gun, was it, Cary? Congrats to the engineers on getting ring-ed this week, too! Ahahaha, I'm sure I'll be seeing those iron rings for the next billion years or so.

I also spent almost 9 hours at church today setting up for our ministry fair tomorrow. The most time-consuming part of it (Thanks SO MUCH, Kenji, my favourite used-to-work-out artist) was the signage. No more blue or orange paint for me, thanks. We used permanent marker to outline the words, and apparently the fumes were pretty strong, because there were some amusing moments tonight. Some highlights:

• Laura and I doing the running man (and this was before marker fumes...hmm...)
• Kevin attempting to do the running man
• cheap dollar store balloons not blowing up properly
• Thanks for letting me pay for pizza
• drawing faces on dollar store balloons that don't blow up properly
• riding a trolley cart thing
• watching Kenj and Adam play one-eyed balloon volleyball (no depth perception!!)
• finding out Kenji used to WORK OUT! ......I know, that's what I said!
• being meaner (I WIN!!!)

And my biggest biggest HUGEST thanks goes to Naomi who worked her butt off to plan the ministry fair! Thanks so much for all your hard work and organization! I told everyone how brilliant you were at last week's 40 DOP meeting, don't worry. :) If you need parties planned and you need someone, Naomi's great! She takes cheque, credit cards and cash. ;)

And Matt, it's okay, you're not the only one who writes long entries!

ANd thanks Kev and Angie for posting about random songs, because I'm SO out of the music loop. I'm totally listening to oldies (but goodies - Francis Lai's theme from love song!) right now because I just know no new songs!

Ah, memories...

"I'm a big, big, big girl, in a big, big world..." - Emilia (but she sings it slow)

I have such amusing memories of a talent show put on by students in East Asia when I was over there, and there was someone who sang Big Big world, only the version she lip-synched was faster and more fobby, of course. Picture cute asian gal in pig tails bouncing around singing Big Big World. Ahahahaha. That night was classic, including the look on John Hau's face as Cliff planted a fake kiss on his lips. Ahahahaha. Claaaaassic.

Allow us to be Frank

Westlife's newest CD is a whole bunch of old Frank Sinatra songs. Soooo great! I left my heart in San Francisco, The Way you Look Tonight, When I Fall in Love (quick trivia question...what chick flick is this song in?), etc. etc. etc. Soooo classic. I love old blue eyes! Or his songs, anyway.

My first post from in class

I'm in a computer lab listening to a technology in the classroom seminar. I would post my fantastic paint file that I made in Appleworks, but umm...I don't want you to feel bad about your art skills, yeah. That's it. Ahahaha. Quote of the seminar from the slightly balding speaker: "Get out of my hair. Oh, I guess it's, get out of my lack of hair."

I'm dead tired this morning. Learning lessons is good, but tough. Thank goodness for good friends!

The thing that keeps making me laugh right now: The Babysitter's Club. The movie. I loved those books. Ahahahaha.

I've been told twice this week that I eat a lot. I've had many awkward moments where I've thought people were walking up to me to talk to me and I've sorta like, paused, and then felt like a big geek when they were like, "What?" Yeah. I did weights for 2 hours and I died but complained a lot less.

I'm hoping to retain the dutch blitz crown tonight. I'm the defending champion. When you're at the top, the only way to go is down.

Trident citrus gum loses it's flavour and get's really tough. Have you ever chewed gum to the point where it disintegrated? It's disgusting.

Church on the Rock on Sunday...I had a good idea for a devo and now I forget it. Boooo. Oh, wait, I remember again. Ahahahaha.

And the above is a perfect example of why I shouldn't write blogs before 10am.

Michelle Idol and why I almost cried today

i·dol n.
1. An image used as an object of worship.
2. A false god.
3. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.

Who/what's your idol? Some questions that might tell you what your idol is...
Time - what or who are you spending the most time with?
Talk - what's the thing you talk about the most?
Thoughts - what do you spend the most time thinking about, or what do you rever to thinking about in your spare time?
Treasure - what do you spend the most money on?

We need to hold things with an open hand, and not cling to our idols with tight fists. I evaluated today, and there are so many things that are idols in my life...people, relationships. So many things that I prioritize over God. So many things that I need to loosen my grip on...

Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
- Jonah 2:8

As to why I almost cried today...you can ask me for more details, but I guess it was seeing my blessings in a new, fresh light.

Further randomness during procrastination station

First: Presbyterians is an anagram for Britney Spears. What does that mean?

Second: I had 2 very weird dreams during which I woke up. In the first one, I was a spy and I was at Woodbine Mall. All the bad guys wore suits and were walking around. I was trying to stake them out, for no reason, apparently, because I realized in my dream that once I got close to them, I didn't know what to do. Apparently my dream-spy self did not know how to take ppl down or plant tracking devices or anything. I'm such a boring dream-spy! Anyway, I ended up waking up because I had walked into a store in my dream and sat down on the couch. I then picked up some magazine (it was in Russian, I think) to try to look inconspicuous. Unfortunately, the bad guy spotted me and came over and was like, "YOU! You're one of them! You're one of those SPIES!" and proceeded to attack me. I then woke up. (I think this spy thing comes from Alias withdrawal. I quit the show. I know, the shock, the horror.)

My second dream, I was at school and walked into the science library chewing on my sandwich. Now, eating is NOT NOT NOT allowed in the library, and in my dream, there was some crazy food monitor person who went around staring at people's mouths to see if they were chewing or not. Unfortunately, he saw me and proceeded to SHOUT at me that I was NOT allowed to eat in the library. I stumbled a few words about how I was just chewing and that I had finished eating outside the library. He mocked me and got mad that I was talking back, so he put both his hands on my arms and picked me up, sorta squishy-like, and tried to make me leave. Then I woke up.

So some thoughts. First, why is there so much physical violence in my dreams? Second, why am I obsessed with spy things? Third. THere is no third. I'm going back to work.

In the interest of wasting time...

Okay, I just wanted to share that I have this orange shirt that I always wear at home and I swear I have put this thing on backwards at least 5 times this week. And it's a V-neck, too.
The wonderful world of Michelle.

3 stents and a couple days nearer to H-Day!

So after an angiogram and 3 stent insertions yesterday, my dad is now T-minus 2 days from coming HOME! :) The angiogram went really smoothly yesterday, and the stent insertions did, too. Thanks so much to everyone for all your prayers! I know God's hand was upon everything. It seems so easy to talk about now, but I am so so so so so so so so thankful that everything worked out the way it did. My dad even survived the criminal guy in the next bed (he was discharged this morning, so back to the jail for him)!

In other news...

I'm totally mooching this idea from Kenj. Thanks Kenj! Ahahahaha.

(cue French movie music...)

Michelle is a missionary.
Michelle likes playing Mission Impossible, eating Smartfood and running her fingers through clothing racks at retail stores to feel fabrics.
Michelle dislikes slow drivers, eye krispies and racoons that overturn her green bin every garbage day.

Plus...
I've discovered I'm a big whiner. I mean, Chika always used to tell me to stop complaining, but I never realized just HOW whiney I was till I started working out and having immense muscle pain after workouts.

Sample whininess:
"It's TOO heaaaaaaaaavy..."
"Do I haaaaaaave to do this much weight?"
"Owwwwwwww, my leg muscles hurt."
"Owwwwwwww, my arm muscles hurt."
"Owwwwwwww, muscles I didn't even know I had hurt."
"I can't DOOOOO that many sit-ups."
"I'm hungrrrrryyyyyy."
"How many moooooooore do I have to dooooooooooo?"
"I don't waaaaanna use the bench."
"I hate you."

Ahahahaha. Be thankful you're not my personal trainer. And if you're my personal trainer, thanks for putting up with the whining.

2 guards + handcuffs = ???!!!

My father's doing so so so much better!

But that means he got moved to another room in the hospital. Yes, so my sister, mother and I are tagging along while the guy wheels my dad up, and as we approach this room, I'm wondering why there are two uniformed guards sitting outside, reading their magazines. Now, I've seen enough ER episodes to know that they put guards outside the hospital rooms of CRIMINALS, so I'm a little weary. Sure enough, my sister reports that my dad's roommate has handcuffs on his ankles. AHahaha, I mean, it's half funny, but I'm slightly worried at the same time.

WHO would've thought. My dad, roommates with a criminal.

On the upswing :)

Thanks for all your prayers and support! :)

I visited my dad today, and he was much much better. Apparently in the couple days after a heart attack, you're more at risk for having another one, but apparently he's clear. They'll be sending him to another hospital for an angiogram in the next couple of days. Anyway, it's funny because my mom half sees all this as a good thing, because my dad never listened to us when we told him to take breaks. I guess it took a big intervention to get him to rest, so it's good. Yesterday he won the card game my sister and I were playing with him (yeah, Crib!) and I told him he won a vacation stay in a hospital. ;) Anyway, it sounds kinda morbid, but we had a good laugh. So yep, he's got lots more energy, so he's definitely on the upswing. We'll have to keep waiting for the surgery news though.

And in all things....

It has been such a crazy year. Not just in my life, either, but in the lives of my friends and family. As I reflect on everything, I'm glad I and everyone else made it through okay.

This past week, I was reflecting on worship, especially in terms of what that means in everyday life. Worshipping God in all your actions sounds like a straightforward thing at first, but I guess I didn't really stop to think about what it really meant. I think after last night, I have a much better understanding of what it means to have hope, and to have a deeper inner joy that comes from that hope. And in some way, last night was an answer to prayer...I did ask to learn how to worship Him more deeply. Sigh. But alac and alas, we always learn more in situations of pain and suffering than we do in okay times.

So to summarize...last night was harrowing, I cried, I was confused, dazed, shocked...I was helpless, and all I could do was trust God with everything, which I wasn't doing very well. I asked, "Why?" a lot, and I know there are so many answers...which don't really matter at the moment. I just need to stop worrying about things I can't control.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

House of Flying Daggers

Oh man, so my last Chinese class, we watched House of Flying Daggers. You know, I thought it was going okay until the end. Then it just became ridiculous. Warning, movie spoiler coming up:

So anyway, I'll recap my version of the ending.

Three characters in a field, in the fall. The chick, Mei, who's a part of the Flying Daggers, another guy who's part of the Flying Daggers who loves the chick, and then the government soldier captain man who also loves the chick. Anyway, at this point, Mei and the govt soldier guy are in love, but they've decided to go back to their respective sides. Then of course, they change their minds, so Mei gets on the horse (these horses seem to miraculously appear out of nowhere) and goes after him. Anyway, the Flying Daggers guy who loves her is in this field, and knocks her off her horse, and then blah blah, proceeds to say some stuff about, "How could you do this...blah blah, now I'm forced to kill you." It was the whole, if I can't have you, no one can, thing (insert eye roll here). Anyway, so he stabs her with a dagger, she dies. Enter soldier guy, cue bloody battle. And THEN, this is the best part right here...surprise! Mei isn't dead! The two men are in a stand-off, and Mei miraculously gets up (insert one eye roll after another here)! The soldier guy doesn't have weapon but the Flying Dagger guy does. He's about to kill the soldier guy, but Mei stands up and says that she'll kill Flying Dagger guy before he kills soldier guy. Soldier guy speaks up and says, "No! You'll bleed to death if you pull out the dagger!" Blah blah blah, you can see how this standoff could continue for a while. Anyway, finally, Flying Dagger guy decides to pretend to throw his dagger at soldier guy, after which Mei pulls the dagger out of her shoulder to throw and intercept the first dagger...so she dies. Flying Dagger guy limps off. Soldier guy goes to get Mei, holds her in his arms and cue waterworks. Oh, and I'm sorry, did I mention it miraculously becomes winter in the middle of all this? We're talking blizzard with LOTS of snow. Everything turns white. Oh man.

It was going so well. WHAT was with this ending?? Oh man.

I still haven't seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hope it's got a better ending than this!

I lift my eyes up

All I have to say is thank goodness I have hope in eternal things.

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

Secret competitions

Alright, so I'm coming out of the broom closet. I have secret competitions with people. For example, when I worked my gift wrapping job, I would have secret competitions with the other gift wrappers to see who could wrap faster. Another example: last week, we were addressing envelopes for a fellowship dinner, and I was racing the other people who were addressing. I went super-fast. Ahahaha. The best part about secret competitions, of course, is that you generally win because you're really the only one competing. Ahahaha. I WIN!

Where's James?

Youth leaders, minus James. Where is James? At school. He's always doing robotics. Nerd! Hehehe.

This is actually a pic from Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum that we went to in Niagara. So much fun! Another road trip next week to Hamilton! :)

"This isn't a Girl Scout camp..."

Stanley Yelnats has a no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. The Yelnats family is cursed because of his pig-stealing ways. Stanley is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and one day, when running shoes drop out of the sky, he thinks things are looking up. A couple minutes later, while running home with the shoes, he gets stopped by a police officer. "Where'd you get the shoes," he's asked. "They fell from the sky," he replies. Then he gets arrested. Poor Stanley Yelnats. Then he has to go dig holes at Camp Green Lake. Later, he eats tons of onions. He also almost dies in the desert and almost gets bitten by a yellow lizard (with black teeth and a white tongue). Stanley Yelnats is a neat name because it is the same backwards and forwards.

I LOVE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE! Ahahahaha. I was at the Steacie Library at York today, the science library, where everyone around me was studying a textbook of some sort. In the middle of it all, I pulled out my battered copy of the children's novel, Holes, and proceeded to read it. It is HILARIOUS! I think you have to read it though. I laughed out loud at a line today (the title of this blog entry) and shared it with my friend, but she didn't really think it was that funny. I think you have to read the whole thing to truly appreciate the subtleties of Holes. But yep, by Louis Sachar, go pick it up and re-capture your childhood! It's tons of fun, especially at university. AHahaha. I hope no one noticed how big the writing in my novel was. ;)

P.S. On a more serious note, the only way that someone who has hurt you in the past can keep hurting you is if you dwell on the situation and resent them for it. If you keep resenting them, the hurt just keeps going. We need to forgive and move on.

Working out craziness!

I thought I'd share with you faithful blog readers about my annual workout. That's right, annual. It seems after being a gym fiend first year, I've now become one of those ppl who is extremely unhealthy and sits at home watching TV. Well, that all changed when my sister ganged up on me. She keeps telling me to do cardio. "What if you're getting chased by a dog?" she says. She doesn't think I can run. I think if I had that much incentive to run, I could. But that's besides the point. Enter Cosma, my new personal trainer. They've both ganged up on me to make me healthy. So today, I went to the gym.

Anyway, the first mistake I made was thinking that I (the slowest eater and now also probably the slowest digester, too) could eat my lunch 30 minutes before intensive cardio and not get sick. Well, halfway through the class, just as it's getting more intense, I suddenly start feeling veeeeery queasy. I am also sweating up a storm at this point. Exit Michelle from cardio class. I proceed to go downstairs (practically lost with all the new renovations) and go into the gym. Immediately, I am frozen in complete shock, because they've expanded it, and I have information overload from trying to look at too many machines and ppl in the gym at one time. Anyway, being totally lost and out of it at this point, I stumble over to my faithful inner/outer abducter machines and proceed to work the thighs. Finally, my personal trainer walks in at our appointed time and shoos me away from MY favourite machines, and I proceed to do the most painful and intense workout of my entire life. Ahahahaha.

And actually, as I laugh, that pretty much summarizes a lot of it. It was a lot of laughing, pain, and me saying, "I hate you" a lot. Poor Cosma had to put up with it, and I do apologize. Actually, at one point, I think I was laughing too much, which seemed to make him think I wasn't doing enough weights, so he kept putting more on, and I proceeded to die from pain (actually, this happened a lot...this adding weight and me dying thing). My problem is that I lack concentration, and I also like to look as if I am not exerting myself to the point of dying. Also, I have very bad form. Some from being weirdly flexible. Mostly just from being weak. AHahahah.

To summarize my workout: Michelle is weak, Michelle works out, Michelle is now in pain. Cosma is my new personal trainer, and my mother is my new masseuse. I will start doing cardio and stop eating so close to class.

In other news, quiet Kevin is giving me attitude lately. Apparently he thinks he can school MOI in bowling. RIGHT. Keep dreaming, buddy. ;)

Also in further news, this is the FUNNIEST blog I have EVER read! http://booyahlicious.blogspot.com/ I feel like I think like this girl sometimes. Ahahaha.

Formaldehyde

Are they allowed to preserve food in formaldehyde? Seems pretty poisonous.

Well, today, my mom brought home this package of japanese noodle-type things from this lady at church, and I was so excited. It came with sauce and everything! Anyway, she got it all ready and I scooped some up to eat it when I caught a whiff of it. It was very chemical-smelling. I couldn't quite place the smell, so I took a big bite, and it tasted okay. Then I remembered what the smell was. It totally beyond any doubt smelled completely and totally like formaldehyde. The unfortunate thing was that the last time I smelled formaldehyde was at the funeral home I got to visit, in the embalming room. Blech! I can't even believe they package noodles in anything that even remotely resembles formaldehyde in it's smell. It was absolutely disgusting. No more of those silly noodles for me, thanks!

Things I have learned

1) Sometimes you just have to let things go, no matter how much they irk you, and no matter how much you think people are LYING!
2) Sometimes all you need is a good scrapbooking session to get you going.
3) Funny friends are priceless.
4) Smartfood makes everything okay.
5) Sometimes it's okay not to trust people.
6) We can't be responsible for other people's actions.
7) Being dehydrated makes me cranky.
8) Truth and initiative are good things.
9) Short phone calls can make my day.
10) When you don't know what else to do, you can laugh, and that'll make you laugh because you're laughing at nothing...and you'll be laughing!

The Mostest Bestest...

I have a new position in life. It's being the vice-president of the Mostest Bestest club. Membership is SO elite, that our recruiting procedures are top-secret, and very rigourous. I don't know if you guys would make it in.... Ahahahahaha. We are the mostest bestest Mostest Bestest Club! Wooo hoo-ie-hoo!

Jesus Week debrief!

So this past week at York, we had a whole bunch of seminars and a large event for people who wanted to know more about random things. For example, we had some seminars like:
1) Is the Bible anti-women?
2) Creation vs. Evolution
3) The Da Vinci Code
4) God and suffering (Why is there evil and suffering if God is supposed to be good?)
5) God and sports

And then, Wed. night, we had our big event (even made it on CTV!) called Jesus: Lord, Liar, Lunatic or Legend. Tony Costa came in to talk about the arguments that people have. Basically, some people don't believe that Jesus really existed, or some people believe he existed, but then think he was lying or just plain crazy when he said he was God, and then some people believe He is the Son of God. So yeah, it was neat, we had over 200 people come out to hear about it. The coolest thing was that a girl in my Chinese class came out, and now I get to talk to her about all this spiritual stuff. I love talking about spiritual things! Ahahahaha.

The weirdest part of the whole week actually happened before it, when we were handing out flyers to people about the events. I mean, I've been handing out flyers for events for 5 years, and this time, I wasn't even talking or anything. I was just standing there, with my arm outstretched with a flyer in it, trying to make eye-contact with people...and a girl walked by, looked at me, and SWORE at me! It was pretty un-nice, and frankly, really just rude, really. I was taken aback at first, but it didn't really upset me. I mean, some people get upset when there's talk about God, but people get REALLY upset when it's about Jesus. So yeah, I think that was to be expected, I guess. Still rude, though. But yeah, the great thing was that it made me think about what Jesus must have gone through. I mean, they wanted to CRUCIFY Him. How much did they hate him?! He must have heard some really hurtful things being said against Him, and yet He chose to endure all of that....wow.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

It IS OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!

I got an e-mail today saying that I am OFFICIALLY accepted to go on a STINT (Short-term international assignment) with Campus Crusade for Christ to East Asia. Who's excited??? I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll be mid-August that I'll be leaving for a year to go to a closed country in Asia...I am SO excited, because I know this is totally where God is calling me. SO SO excited. Oh man. Time to go to my excited dance! :)

(I'm excited, but I'll miss you all, too!)

"I will sing of the LORD's great love forever;

with my mouth I will make

your faithfulness known

through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself."

Psalm 89:1, 2

Snowy day posting...

I can't believe it snowed so much today. Only Canadians would go out in this kind of weather! And I did! I went to a bowling birthday party, and had such a fun time! I played 3 games. I suck at bowling. Ahahahaha. I won't recount my first 2 scores, except to say that my goal in those games was 50, and the average was slightly higher than that, and one frame I actually bowled into my leg (I'll let you know if I get a bruise), after which the bowling ball deflected and landed in the gutter. Ahahahaha. Oh man, I'm such a klutz. My last game, however, I was suddenly bowling much better, just out of the blue. I decided my goal would be to school Kevin, who was bowling really well but didn't do as well his 3rd game. Anyway, I'm very proud to say, I actually got 100. This is big news for me. I think I've only gotten over 100 once, ever. 100 is good for me! Wooo hooo. Except for bowling into my leg, I think I've mastered my bowling technique. :)

In more exciting news, I was totally encouraged by my friend Richard Chang yesterday. Ha, it's funny, because I don't think we've ever had an extended conversation ever, but yeah, it was neat to trade Asia stories (he taught English in China for a year). Anyway, he had actually heard about my plans for next year, and totally has a heart for Asia. He ended up giving me this great encouragement card with my first support cheque in it. This was so much more encouraging than words can say, because frankly, support-raising intimidates me quite a bit, but I felt like it was God, telling me not to worry about the support. Ahaha, I haven't even started formally support-raising, and I already have support! It's amazing!!! :) So yeah, I've had a good couple of days. :)

I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD ,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Isaiah 45:2,3

Type A Personality

So my sister told me a funny story that was shared by her prof in her class. This woman treats people (I think she's a psychologist), and she was explaining Type A personalities. Now, one of her patients was a man in his 40s who ended up having a severe heart attack. She hadn't seen him at this point, but he was referred to her. She walks into his hospital room, and he's on his cell phone with his fax and laptop setup by the bed. You're really not supposed to be operating electronic equipment in the hospital because it can interfere with the hospital equipment. Anyway, she walks in and immediately she's surprised, because this man has just had a severe heart attack but is immediately back to work. Clue # 1 that he's a Type A personality. Anyway, she decides to do a little more observation before she actually categorizes him, so she walks over and says the following.

Woman: "Hello." Long pause.

Woman: "My...name...is...__________. I'm....here....to....help....you..."

The man is looking at her at this point in frustration.

She keeps talking slightly slower than normal.

He freaks out because he can no longer take the slowness and needs to get to the point.

And then she decides he is indeed a Type A personality.

Ahahahaha, it was so funny, you really just have to say what the woman did out loud. But the thing is, even I would get frustrated if someone talked slow. Ahahahaha.

Amanda's sweet sixteen tmw! My sister keeps making fun of me because I still go to birthday parties and sleepovers. Ahahahah. She's just jealous.

Teary-eyed moment #1285

Did you know that in 1999, 164,000 people died for their faith, standing up for what they believed in?

Wow.

I'm BELLE??

Hahahah, so against my better judgement, I procrastinated and took this rather amusing Which Disney Princess are you? quiz online. Turns out I'm Belle, but I really think they just took that from the dark hair and stubborn thing. Am I adventurous? I really don't think I am.

Oooh, another good cell-phone-mishap-blonde-whatever-you-wanna-call-this-story story. My sister passed me her phone today to look at the pictures she took with it. Unfortunately, I accidentally exit the picture viewer, so I'm back to the main screen. I scroll through the menu options and don't see anything that relates to cameras (I guess for some reason I didn't think the camera was multimedia???). I go back to the main screen and OH, look, there's an option for browser! I think to myself, it must be the picture browser. I click on it. All of a sudden it says "Connecting to network" and I say to myself NO NO NO you do NOT want to surf the NET!!! I immediately hit the red button (guys, at least I know the red button cancels EVERYTHING!), except that for some reason, then it said, "Connecting to GPRS system". I proceed to keep hitting the red button so I won't have to pay for the minute I connect to this stupid internet via the dumb cell phone. But of course, apparently I connect. WHY do cell phones hate me SOOOOO??? After the whole fiasco (I just ended up turning the phone off...ahahaha, I'm such a spazz), I told my sister and she gave me this look like, "WHAT IS your PROBLEM. Learn to use a cell phone." I was rather sheepish after that.

But really, WHAT is the problem? WHY am I so incredibly inept at using cell phones??

In other exciting news, there was some huge incident at York today which required the use of 5 police cars, (I think) 2 unmarked police cars, and a helicopter. Someone said it was a protest, but honestly, is that not a little much to send that many cops to a protest? Most people I talked to said it was really peaceful. Who knows. York is CONSTANTLY having protests, especially between the Israeli and Palestinian student groups. But I've never seen them get overly ugly. I thought it was exciting today though, because there was a helicopter.

Just a quick update and I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing before reading my blog...I got new lenses for my glasses, which meant that I only had contacts for a week (I feel your pain, Matt!), which sucked because I don't wear them that much and they tire out my eyes SO much more. What else...my sister called me a grand total of 15 times on my cell phone today (this is really abuse), I cannot seem to stay up much past midnight anymore, I have way too much to do (what else is new?!), oh, and I have a hilarious Mandarin teacher.

Sample conversation:
Student raises hand to answer a question. Teacher picks on the student. Student decides not to answer the question.
Teacher (don't forget the Chinese accent!): Why do you raise your hand and not give an answer? I feel deceived. This class does not do enough work.

Ahahahaha, "I feel deceived"???? I don't know, maybe it's not funny. I can't tell. I'm noticing I think a lot of things are really funny, when they really aren't. But I think if you knew my teacher, you'd really think she was funny. It's scary in the class now though, because she knows my NAME. i.e. trouble, because she only calls on the ppl she knows the names of now. Okay that's it, but really, come visit me at York sometime and sit in on my Mandarin class. You'll learn a lot about EVERYTHING.

Funny quote of the day: It's okay to sit on the pity pot a while; just make sure you flush when you're done.

What are you waiting for??

If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

- Ecclesiastes 11:3,4

i.e. if you're always waiting for the perfect conditions to do something (plant, reap, ask for something, etc.), you'll never get anything done! Nike was right all along...Just do it.

Woo Ravi Zacharias!

Ravi's in Ontario! Woo hoo!

www.thewaytruthlife.com

Paranoid Androids...

It's funny how we really are shaped a lot by the experiences we have in our lives. It's all about learning, I guess. My interactions with people in the past shape how I view my interactions with people in the future. I think I feel like I need therapy. Ahahahahaha.

In other news, I saw Zoolander and Amelie again. Zoolander is absolutely the ONLY dumb funny movie I have liked (oh, except for Billy Madison, a long time ago). This movie is SO quotable! "I caught my reflection in the spoon...and then I thought, why don't I do something where I get paid to be this ridiculously good-looking?" or "Ferrari is a softer look. I use it for catalogue work and sometimes shoes" or "What is this? A school for ANTS?.................It has to be at LEAST........ THREE times bigger!" or "Whooo am I?" or "Hello, God?" AHahahahaah. Oh man. So funny. And Amelie is always quirky and fun. :) The little games she plays are fun, but the old man's right, she does it to avoid confrontation, which is not a good thing. Boo games.

Actually, I think games in general are bad (I'm not talking the board kind). People should just be honest with communication!! Clear communication is SO good.

Why do I laugh so much??

That's my question of the day. I honestly feel like I'm very emotional. I'm either laughing a lot, or lately, crying! I know, it's weird. Actually, I take that back. As I typed that, I remembered I prayed a while ago for more passion and more emotion. Ahhahaha. I know that sounds weird, but I felt really emotionally flat for a while, I think probably because of the stress. But here I am, back to emotional Michelle. I'm totally excited for my church's 40 Days of Purpose. I'm going to be part of the worship team every week, which is SO fun! I love it to pieces!

Hm, there was another thing I was going to say, but now I forget what it was. I feel like all this stuff happens in my life that's blog-worthy, but then I forget it by the time I get to the computer (perhaps not so blog-worthy after all?!). Now all I remember is the great boring parts of my day. For example, I skated to school pretty much. I have a prof this semester whose name makes me laugh because I think about My Big Fat Greek Wedding...it's Peter Papadogiannis. Not only is it an alliteration, his e-mail is peterpapa! Ahahahaa. See, it makes me laugh.

Oh, I remembered some exciting news from today. I bought my last textbook for the year. My last textbook for my undergraduate career. Woooo hooo! No more hundreds of dollars down the drain. I'm SO excited about graduating. Did I already talk about how most ppl tell you to cherish the university memories, but how I mean, not that I won't, but I totally think my future will be doubly exciting, so I do'nt think I'll look back and yearn for my unversity days.

I really have to apologize for this boring blog entry. Zzzzzzzzzzz

The Lord will guide you always. - Isaiah 58:11

This is one of my most favourite verses! :)

Stinky butt juice

I know this is probably TMI (too much information), but my cat has a problem with stinky butt juice. He just sat in my lap. And now I have a problem with my cat's stinky butt juice.

STINK!

Girly fun night!

Picture if you will, me, in curlers (really tacky curlers...plastic...ineffective), with a nose strip kinda thing across my nose...striped PJ nightshirt with VERY attractive forest green leggings. Are you picturing it? Now, picture me dressed like that, DRIVING around in PUBLIC.

Yes, folks, that was me last night. I arrived at tacky flannel night and had just finished getting tackified when I got a call to pick some people up at the subway station. So, instead of de-tackifying myself, I opted to go out in public with all this on. I met a woman and her daughter in the elevator, but managed to avoid all other public contact. Ahahahaha. I'm such a dork! There are some pictures of my tacky outfit floating around, but we'll see how it all goes in terms of whether those ever see the light of day.

We played some Spoons, Four on the Couch, the Mennonite Dice Game, and we had a devotion time. It was neat because we talked about how we as women search for significance in different things: appearance, approval...so many things. So many unsatisfactory things. The staff called us out on inappropriate clothing choices (yeah, the slight show of midriff when you bend over is even a little too much for some guys), doing things for approval. We talked about singleness NOT being a time of prep for being married, but as a time to cherish within itself. We need to trust that it IS God's best for us. And yeah, you're single until you're married. Some people call off the wedding seconds before...so really, until you've said the "I Do"s, you're single. We talked about the classic 1) Master; 2) Mission; and 3) Mate...this is the order our priorities should be in.

A lot of the gals stayed up to watch 13 going on 30, but I konked out with the oldies. We had an awesome breakfast this morning though...cinnamon buns, pancakes, oranges, bagels, eggs and cheese, bacon...MMMmmm bacon. It was a good girly-bonding time, and I'm glad we got to do it. I'm glad we got to talk about issues that affect woman in terms of our worldview, too. Goodness knows so much of the stuff we talked about is SO against the grain of everything society today tells us.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. - Romans 12:2

Do you have vision? Need a purpose?

I think something I lack a lot is a huge vision for what my life stands for...what do I want to see happen, and what am I excited that God will do through me? I think He helps me out a lot with vision, and one of the things that's given me an increasing passion for ministry is books! Right now, I'm reading The Heavenly Man, about Brother Yun, a Chinese Christian man who goes through so much persecution and suffering...and so recently, too. China tries to convince the world that they have religious freedom, but they don't. THEY DO NOT. Religious freedom doesn't mean having to confess to believing whatever the government tells you to.

The book is so terrific, I totally recommend it. I think it's a close favourite with Safely Home, but The Heavenly Man is even better because it's a true story!

Need a purpose? My church is doing a 40 Days of Purpose program, where we all go through Rick Warren's best-selling book, The Purpose-Driven Life. I invite you all to come out! I'm really excited for it. You don't have to be a Christian! Let me know!

So much to say...

It's funny, I keep starting all these really long blog entries, but not publishing them lately. I think I talk too much, so it seems it's translated to my blog life, too! I think what I've been thinking about lately boils down to this:

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted... 2 Timothy 3:12

I remember having a conversation about this verse with my friend a while ago, because he was doing a talk on persecution. This by no means we're supposed to go out and purposely seek out ways to be persecuted, but it makes you think doesn't it? I mean...are you being persecuted? Are you living a godly life?

I think persecution is so tough, but as James said, trials bring us to maturity. It tests our faith, and God proves faithful.

Borrow Mine - Bebo Norman

Take my hand
And walk with me awhile
Because it seems your smile
Has left you

And don't give in
When you fall apart
And your broken heart
Has failed you

I'll set a light up
On a hilltop
To show you my love
For this world to see

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
You can borrow mine
When you can't go on
Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine
You can borrow mine

And take my love
When all that you can see
Is the raging sea
All around us

And don't give up
Cause I'm not letting go
And the God we know
Will not fail us

We'll lay it all down
As we call out
Sweet Savior
Help our unbelief

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine

When you are weak
Unable to speak
You are not alone
God of us, save us
And never forsake us
He's coming to take us
Take us to our home

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine
You can borrow mine

Take my hand
Take my love
Don't give in, no
And don't give up

I think what is so great about friends and fellowship is that there are always people praying for you, supporting you, through trials and persecution. And best of all, we have Someone interceding on our behalf constantly!

GUESS WHAT?!

Steven Hayhoe is married. Yes, MARRIED. I know. I know. Who would've thought. But he is, or did, a couple days ago. Ahahaha, apparently, he was always a romantic. Crazy, hey? We're getting to that age.......when will the marriage pool come into effect?!

The scars and stars of Christmas

I had the slight mishap this morning of waking up at 11:15am, 15 minutes after my church service actually starts. Needless to say, I didn't make it, so I decided to catch a sermon on TV. Now, all TV sermon guys are NOT created equal, so I'm always slightly weary when I flip the stations. This morning, however, I stumbled upon a guy from Love Worth Finding, and he was doing a sermon on the scars and stars of Christmas. I think the thing that struck me most was his illustrations. One of the things I hear people say is that a good God cannot exist if there's so much pain and suffering in the world. What I found really clarified his point for me was when he talked about how we as humans survive. If something causes us pain, like a wound or something like that, we usually attempt to withdraw from the cause of pain. If we didn't FEEL that pain though, we wouldn't withdraw, or even know we were being hurt. Lepers are like that...they have no feeling in their legs, feet, arms, and they end up hurting themselves because they can't feel the pain. Pain is actually a good thing, because it will stop us from doing things to hurt ourselves or others. Therefore, pain is actually something God thought up to keep us from further injuring ourselves! I really like the leper illustration, because it's true...I saw a woman being interviewed on TV, and she said the worst thing about being a leper was that she couldn't feel anything and that she hurt herself so much. :(

He used the other illustration to explain why God came to earth as Jesus. He asked the parents to think about a situation where they were on a vacation in some paradise somewhere, and to imagine that their children got hurt in some way. He asked the parents whether they could stand to stay in that paradise vacationing while their children were hurt. My answer would definitely be NO! I'd fly home as fast as I could to be with my children. And the thing is, that's what God did. There He was, in heaven, seeing His children shooting themselves in the foot, and He wanted to be with them. So what did He do? He went to them. And because of Jesus, we can be with Him.

I thought it was a good reminder of the Christmas story, and I realized how much illustrations really clarify things for me. I had a good Christmas, but it wasn't as festive as other years. We had the traditional Japanese friends of the family dinner and I got to see my high school friends. It's weird though, because as we grow older, I can tell there is some drifting apart. It's neat how you can gather at Christmas though and just celebrate friendship.

To close, I wanted to ask you to keep a couple of my friends in your prayers. Carol's been diagnosed with colon cancer and it was caught early, so the doctors will be operating in January. My other friend's father is still in the hospital with brain injuries, so please pray for his healing too.

I'm praying you all have a meaningful, loving, refreshing Christmas season!

Meet the WHOS?

I went to see Meet the Fockers today, and it well, I guess it was okay. I haven't been to a silly movie in a while, so it was a nice break. Best line of the movie? Ahahaha, I'm TOTALLY laughing as I type this: "Hello my brother from another mother!" But even better, imagine DUSTIN HOFFMAN saying that! I think that'll be my new greeting. AHahahahaha. Oh, rib burp. Ahahahaha, the reason I'm laughing so much is I'm stuffed from all-you-can-eat ribs from Montanas. Eating till I'm really full makes me laugh uncontrollably. I'm laughing even still. Okay. Enough. I'm going to try and work off these ribs while laughing!

Believe it or not!

Oh la la! Such a long time since the last update! So what can I tell you about?

Friday was a fun day at my school with the gr. 5s, where we had our party. I'd like to declare that I am the eating-M&Ms-with-chopsticks champion of the class. :) Yes, that's right. First person to eat 10 M&Ms with a pair of chopsticks wins, and I WON! Woo hoo! Now, the thing is, I do have a good 10 more years experience than them in eating with chopsticks. I eat EVERYTHING with chopsticks. And once again, I'm overjoyed to win a competition where I compete against kids. Ahahahaha.

Saturday was an AWESOME trip to Niagara Falls with my church youth group. We started off at Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, where I saw many a 2-headed animal. I think the lowlight was watching the gross sword-swallowing video, which also included the drilling-int-the-nose segment! Blech! The highlights include getting sick walking through that spinning tunnel thing (they had it at the science centre once, too) and discovering that the mirror we were making faces in at the beginning of the museum was actually a 2-way mirror. Then we headed out and decided AGAINST MY WILL, that we would all go in a haunted house. Now, I should tell you something. These are basically like the ones at Screamers at the Ex during Halloween, and I should tell you about the one incident where, I think it was Diana, Aniko and I, we went through one of the houses, and I was first. I remember rushing through this thing until we caught up to the group in front of us, and I was honestly CLINGING to the jacket of this stranger in front of me. I just grabbed on, closed my eyes and followed. This was also the same house in which we went too fast and Aniko got left behind, which resulted in her crying. So anyway, I really don't like them, and no, I can't handle the people popping out of the walls and no no no I do NOT want to go into Frankenstein's Castle or whatever the heck it was called. Anyway, it ended up we could only get a group deal if we all went in, so we all went in. Needless to say, there was a LOT of clawing and grabbing on my part as I struggled NOT to be last in the group I was in. LAST means ppl CHASE YOU!!!!! Being in the front means people pop out at you first. I was clawing to be in the middle of the pack. The worst was 1/2-way through when I just was SO out of breath from screaming and just half-laughing and panicking. Ahahahahaa. And the problem is, screams are always a chain reaction. You don't even have to SEE what's popping out....if one person screams, we all scream. Okay, by "we" I mean the gals. So Kev really was not a great help at all in our group because he kept going, "AHHHH, what's THAT?!" AT NOTHING (!!!) after which I would scream and then Jess and Jen would scream. Ahahahaha. I was SO out of breath and SO sweaty by the end! It was funny looking back on it, but definitely not during the whole thing. I also half-pulled off Jessica's hood on her jacket in a moment of sheer panic. Dear oh dear.

After haunted screaming mansion, we walked around for a bit. Jen and I pretended to know things about WWE in the WWE store, which didn't last that long. I did, however, notice the Hulk Hogan stuffed dog thing, and was quite pleased with myself that I recognized SOMEONE in the store. Ahahahaha. We then had yummy dinner at Boston Pizza, although I kept thinking about the bug my sister found in her soup there once, and then we had a really good devo time afterwards. It's hard doing it with so many people, but we talked about Ephesians 5:8-20. We're going to be doing some studies on purity after our 40 days of Purpose in the new year, so we wanted to challenge them to walk in the light. That was good times.

Then, of course, we went to see the falls. It was warm, so it was SO muddy! Ahahahaha. I love my youth! I was SO tired by the end of the day. All I wanted to do was sleep on the way home, but I was shotgun, which means keeping the driver company (which means, STAYING AWAKE, Matt! Ahahahah!), but that wasn't that bad because I found someone else who has seen Mannequin. Ahahahaha, such a cheesy 80s (90s?) movie.

Sunday was fun because I got to see lots of old friends at our Christmas service. The Omuras are SO funny. Ahahahaha. I also got to have a yummy birthday dinner with Ava, for her Grammy's b-day. It was rather hilarious because I ended up talking to myself a lot of the night, because she was sick and was having trouble hearing me. I'd turn to her every once in a while and say something, and get absolutely no response. Ahahahahaha. I was just talking to myself. I also bonded with Gabrielle when we worked together to hide a bun thing from another guy who obviously doesn't CARE about the 10-second rule on food hitting the floor. Ahahahahaha. Oh man, good times.

Today was a good 7 hours of shopping at Fairview, Yorkdale, Orfus Road (HELLO good deals at ROOTS, SO much better than the Woodbridge one!) and Wal-mart. I'm so tired. But I got to hang out all day with my sister and my friend Dan, who now works in Cali, so I don't get to see him most of the time. He is SO funny, and so LOUD! AHahahaha. I kept seeing ppl I thought I knew, and he would keep yelling their names out SO loud. Everyone kept turning to look. Ahahahaha. Excellently fun times!

And finally, today, the most exciting news of all....there is a new version of Tontie!!!! Treasure chests....lasers, too, apparently! And bosses! So fun! And there's some new game, Pel Pet or something like that. It's a cute blob that moves. OH, AND there's an online DDR! It's called Flash FLash Revolution! AHahahahaha. It is SO funny. I have discovered that I have absolutely NO rhythm, and I remembered why I don't do DDR in public. AHahahaha.

Trivia question of the day: What Disney movie is Scrump in? (I know, I know, "WHO is SCRUMP?!" you say?)

Gunther?

So after spazzing over my cell phone for the first little while, I'm slowly beginning to appreciate it. Now, the big decision is, what do I name it now that it's grown on me so much? My friend, whom I will dub "Bad nicknamer" suggested the name Gunther. I absolutely refuse to name my phone Gunther. His next suggestion was Gertrude, which doesn't seem as bad. I know, where do I come from, thinking Gertrude isn't that bad?

Let me test it out...

"Hey, Gertrude's ringing!" "Oh, that's Gertrude!" "Gertrude's got a voice mail!"

Nah, I'm not feeling it. I need some better ideas. Any suggestions? I promise I won't dub you "bad nicknamer" (can't be any worse than Gunther, anyway!) ;)

What's Christmas all about?

Today, we had our annual service at the Momiji residential home for the oldies (but goodies!) and the Sunday school students did this cute play about the real meaning of Christmas. Basically, little Matthew is all confused about what Christmas is all about, so he asks his friends at school. One tells him it's about great gifts, another tells him it's about food (ahaha, but isn't it??), and then...classic answer, "Christmas is the birthday of someone very special! It's SANTA'S birthday!" Oh dear. That one was so funny though. But anyway, it does go into the real meaning of Christmas, and their teacher tells them that it's the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus and explains why he came to earth. Anyway, the girls in Chrysalis also sang, "Mary did you know", which I absolutely love.

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little boy
You’ve kissed the face of god

Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is lord of all creation?
Did you know
That your baby boy will one day rules the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
Is the great I am

It's amazing that 2000 years later, a lot of people still celebrate Christ's birth. And I keep thinking lately, how amazing would it be to see Jesus walking on water?

Is it over yet?

So I think it's all over. I really hope I won't have to call the cops again. It was a stressful month. I don't think I'd want to do it again. Too much fear, uncertainty, sadness, stress. No no no, back to the happy bubble once again for me.

My birthday was pretty funny (although not at the time). I spent all day teaching and got lots of nice cards and phone calls from lots of you guys and gals...thanks so much for helping me realize it's something to celebrate. I forget that a lot because it's in the middle of exams.

Anyway, I also got a cell phone last Friday, for not great reasons. Well, basically for safety, in case of an emergency. It is unlimited for the first 6 months tho, so perhaps I will be using it a lot. Or ahahaha, perhaps not. On Monday night, I get home and decide that instead of studying, I will mess around with more phone options. Like the security options. Well, I'm reading the manual that came with the phone, and not the SIM card one, so I don't realize the default PIN is 1234, and not 1111 like it says in the manual. I proceed to enter this PIN in like a billion times (okay, it only took 5), but of course, you know, as a safety feature, it locks the phone after 5 wrong PINs. AHahahahahaa. So now I have this absolutely USELESS phone! Ahahahaha. And I've only had it for 3 days. Anyway, so fine, I decide I will try to get help by calling customer service. Now, when the phone's locked, it asks for the PIN Unlocking Key (PUK), but there's also the SOS option. AHAhahahaha, so in my panicky-phone-is-locked-mindedness, (this is a good one guys...wait for it......) I hit the SOS. AHAhahahaha, next thing I hear is "Police, fire and ambulance emergency response, how can I help you?" I QUICKLY hit the hang up button. Now my phone is locked AND I've accidentally dialed 911. At least I know it works. Ahahahaha, but now I'm worried because you get fined if you crank call. Does that count as a crank call? How much do you get fined? I have no idea. So at this point, I'm aboslutely freaking out because I can't seem to do anything right. I ended up calling the nice customer service man who I had a good laugh with about locking my phone. Oh, but here comes blonde moment #2....I've managed to set the password for my phone so it won't turn on without the password. I had turned the phone off after the horrendous 911 moment, so when I turned it back on, it was asking for the phone password. Unfortunately, I was trying to enter in the PUK and it wasn't working. The scary thing is, if you enter the wrong PUK 10 times, the SIM card locks and you have to get a new one (BOO, lots of money). So here I am, trying to enter the PUK, and wondering why it's not working when I say, "I don't understand. It's asking for the phone password..." Click. And the light goes on. Ahahahaha, sheepishly, I enter my phone password and THEN enter the PUK. The customer service guy has a good chuckle at my blonde moment. My phone finally unlocks. I vow never to touch the security settings again.

And that was my birthday. I got a total of 4 long-distance phone calls, which was kinda neat! :) I love you, friends!

P.S. I feel much less blonde today. And I put up the Christmas tree. And watched too many hours of TV while celebrating my exam done-ness. Bring on the Christmas baking and crafts.

The most random conversation ever

So I have one friend with whom I have the MOST odd, MOST pointless and yet very much amusing conversations on MSN.
Sample (my comments in brackets were not in the MSN conversation):

For we cannot say enough about You says: your intergluteal cleft is SHOWING! (think about what THAT means!!!!!)
Ha Bumhug says: yes
For we cannot say enough about You says: Mahahahaha
Ha Bumhug says: hm, how'd you know
For we cannot say enough about You says: Hmmmmm...how DID I know?
For we cannot say enough about You says: You live on the first floor. (this is me trying to sound creepy and stalker-ish)
Ha Bumhug says: ah...true
For we cannot say enough about You says: Mm hmm.
For we cannot say enough about You says: And I know where you live. Big mistake #1. (still trying to sound creepy)
Ha Bumhug says: that is true. I have to be more careful
Ha Bumhug says: but i have mastered intergluteal cleft travel
For we cannot say enough about You says: hmmmmmm...THAT sounds sketchy.
Ha Bumhug says:...ya... pretend i didn't say anything
For we cannot say enough about You says: AHahahahahaha
Ha Bumhug says: what happens on MSN...stays on MSN

And there you have it. THis is how I spend precious hours of my time. :)

Juliet and Romeo and some rocks

Yesterday, I took my grade 5 class downtown to see Juliet and Romeo at what used to be called the Young People's Theatre. It was true to the original so it was a good thing my class had already studied most of it. Most of the class understood what was going on. What hit me as I was watching it was how DIRTY that old SHakespeare guy is. Honestly, the connotations of some of these lines is atrocious. All I thought to myself was, "Thank goodness this is in old English and the kids don't understand a thing." What they did understand was actions, so of COURSE we got the laughter and giggles everytime Romeo and Juliet kissed. There was a big, "EW!" when Mercutio smacked Benvolio on the lips, and also another "EW!" when Romeo spoke a little too vehemently and spit all over the Friar. There was also an audible gasp when Romeo came out from Juliet's room without, GASP, a shirt on. At that moment, I really really wished he would have just kept that darned shirt on so I wouldn't have to explain it. Thankfully, no one commented about that later.

Question of the trip: "Miss O, why were Romeo and Juliet always kissing?"
My response: "I think that's what couples do when they're in love."

It's just so funny to see the grade 5 reaction to it all!

Later on in the day, I had my grade 1 class draw some pictures of things or situations that made them feel a certain way. The first feeling they had to draw for was "hurt". As I walk around the class, I notice several of them have drawn lumps. I ask what the lumps are. The response? Rocks. AHAHAHAHahaha. Well, of COURSE rocks would make you feel hurt. AHahahaha. Oh man. The most hair-pulling part was seeing one of the girls who drew a happy face for EVERY situation. For hurt, for astonished, for irate and for cheerful. ALL happy faces. This is, of course, the girl that actually answers, "Happy" to every question I ask. Ex. "Who can tell me a synonym for the word LIVID?" (yes, my grade 1s REALLY know these words!) This girl's response: "Happy!" Oh man, this is why I only pick on her when the answer is SUPPOSED to be happy. Ahahahaha.

Most hilarious conversation

The best part is that this ACTUALLY happened.

Scene 1

Child lays sprawled across work table.

Adult: Okay, Billy, I'm going to count to 3, and you need to be off that table.....1......2......3.

Child doesn't move. Adult ignores child and works around him. Adult eventually tires and tries another strategy. Thinks to herself that she'll be leaving soon, so she doesn't mind lying to Billy.

Adult: So Billy....I've never told you this before........but I'm Santa's helper.

Child's eyes open wide.

Billy: Really?

Adult: Yes. ANd do you know what this week is, Billy?

Billy doesn't respond, trying to appear disinterested.

Adult: This week is when we report to Santa about all the children. I need to send a letter to Santa about you, Billy. And actually, the other day, he was JUST asking about you.

Billy still lays sprawled. Adult goes to bag to get a piece of paper and a marker.
Starts to write: "Dear Santa, I saw Billy this week."
Billy peeks over. Recognizes his name.

Billy: What does that say? What does that say?

They read it together. Billy finally gets down to work.

Suddenly, Billy stops working. Adult takes out marker and uncaps it very deliberately. Billy pauses and sees the marker poised over the letter. Goes back to work.

{fade to black}

Okay, WHO goes around telling misbehaving children that they are Santa's helper?! Ahahahahaa.

Big-time bubble popping

I lived in a big bubble. Now my bubble has popped and it sucks. I really liked my bubble. I used to trust people and I used to be really nice. Now, in my bubble-less world, I'm suspicious and cranky and grumpy and stressed out. I hate it. I want the bubble back. What's so bad about a bubble, anyhow.

1200 again??

Hm, so after being introduced to the world of anti-spyware via Matt and the computer-savvy police guy, I've been nuking these..whaddaya call 'em? Data miners and Malware thingys. Yeah. I've been zapping them right off my computer (okay, I've done it twice). This has actually been quite therapeutic for me, taking control of my computer. It seems it's hard to control other parts of my life these days. Anyway, the first scan I did turned up over 1200 critical whatchamacallums (yes, that's the technical term for it), and Matt was really surprised. Apparently that's really high. So, you know, I scanned last night so I was expecting you know, maybe less than 100 to appear today when I did it. My little eyes bulged when I saw 1200 AGAIN. Yeah. Is my computer a malware magnet? Well, I am running ME. Ahahaha, so there's problem number one. But otherwise, come ON, stop attacking my computer, will you sneaky things??! Honestly. It takes FOREVER to get these things off and away. Plus everytime I run ad-aware, my GMT crashes, whatever that is. I know, I'm probably going to find out it's like the most important thing ever. Sigh. Silly Windows ME. Who the heck thought of this version, anyway?!

Totally unrelated, but nice:

"Relationships gain strength when they are stretched to the breaking point and do not break." - Phillip Yancey

Cannot Say Enough

Cannot Say Enough - Mercy Me

What can we say to describe just a glimpse of Your Glory
How can our words portray but a thread of Your Majesty
But still we praise our Savior in Spirit and in Truth
For we cannot say enough about You

What can we say to describe just a glimpse of Your Glory
How can our words portray but a thread of Your Majesty
But still we praise our Savior in Spirit and in Truth
For we cannot say enough about You

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

But still we praise our Savior in Spirit and in Truth
For we cannot say enough about You

Oh we cannot say... enough about you
Ohhh we cannot say...

The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

He is the one that sustains me when everything falls apart at the seams. Thanks, Lord.

Absolutely Apalled

I was flipping through TV shows today when I came across the normally very tasteful Oprah. Shockingly, today's episode was about a topic that I view as quite Springer-esque. She was doing an episode about swingers, which was an eye-opener for me. I had NO idea what a swinger was, but I find it shocking and disgusting and so sad all at once. Basically, she had all these people on her show who go to clubs and have intercourse with OTHER couples. These are MARRIED people. I had no idea this happened, and I can't even believe it. The thing that saddened me most was that these people insisted that their sex lives were enhanced as a result. My jaw is just down to my KNEES. There is such a breakdown in marriage and family values nowadays...I'm frightened at how this next generation is growing up. I can't can't can't even believe it. At this rate, why should they even bother getting married anymore???

Teachers can be bullies, too

We've been talking a lot about bullying in my education class, and recently, we discussed the idea that a teacher can be a bully, too. Most students think about bullies as the kid who smokes or wears a leather jacket, etc., but in fact, I think most of us know that bullies come in all shapes and sizes. Which brings me to the focus of my blog: Teachers can totally and definitely be bullies, too. It's so MEAN! I semi-tutor this one guy from my church because he needs help in English. Unfortunately, he hasn't been doing well, so I had him go ask the teacher what he could do to improve his mark. She basically told him quite bluntly that he would never get 80%, and that 70% was also impossible. He said that he had always been a bad writer, and she basically agreed with him. Gee guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but somewhere along the way, teachers are, GASP, actually supposed to TEACH students. I mean, I know, some kids are slackers, and I'm not going to defend my kid any, but come on, she seems so MEAN! I totally and honestly think she's a bully. She totally belittled this kid and basically told him he sucked in English and that he'd never succeed. Way to empower the student. Sigh.

I'm glad we talked about teachers as bullies. It'll make me more careful not to be a bully to my students.

Mean bully teachers are so bad!

Is it too much to ask?

I've had a rough month, not only because of my school workload, but also because of some harassing phone calls and e-mails I've been getting. The creepy thing is that this guy seems to know certain details about me that I assume only someone that I'm at least acquainted with would know. Thus, I've decided not to do any one-on-one hanging with any guys. My problem is that I trust everyone....only most likely, this creepy person IS someone I know. Problem? Yes. If I make an exception for one of my guy friends, then I'm prone to make an exception for all of them, frankly because I don't really believe that it's any one of them.

Alac and alas, some people have taken offense. I'm sorry, but frankly, I'm not going to wait until I'm out with someone to find out that they're the stalker. What's the problem with hanging out in a small group, anyway? Sigh. But really, I do understand why you'd be pissed off. I'd also love if people could appreciate where I'm coming from, I guess.


In HILARIOUS news, I had my grade 5 students do an assignment for me. It was to make a poster depicting the services offered by ONE level of government. Now, I realized after getting the posters back that I really should have explained this further. Most students just picked a level of government and gave me information and pictures about it. The winner of the most unrelated and hilarious prize goes to Jenny, who made a poster about Provincial Servants. She has a picture of Dalton McGuinty and his wife. The funny thing is that well, first, she states that Dalton McGuinty is our Prime Minister (don't worry, she got it all straightened out by the test), but then she somehow felt she had to go on to prove that the woman he is holding hands with in the picture is his wife. First, she made a note that said, "Circle means example". Ahahahaah, which is when I noticed that she had circled 1) Dalton McGuinty's left hand and 2) The couple's hands clasped together. Then I read the notes: "Example 1 - The ring on Dalton McGuinty's left hand, second finger. Example 2 - They are holding hands." AHahahahahahahaahah. How unrelated is THAT?!?!!? Oh man. I still laugh when I think about it. It's just so absolutely unrelated. So Dalton's married. Ahahahahaha. Oh Jenny, Jenny.

Fountain of Youth

Kids have so much energy! I went to observe the D.D. class again at my school, this time for outdoor play time. It was great because they all just run around chasing each other. The most hilarious moment happened as we were gathering by the gate to head in. We all turned away for a second and when we turned back, the "Eww" kid (from last week) was leaning, peeing out the fence. All I could see was a kid with a stream propelling from him. He looked like a little fountain figure. Oh man. All I thought was, 'I am NEVER going to touch leaves on the ground again.' He was peeing into a whole pile of them. Ooooh man. Kids!

brainjims and ew

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to visit the developmentally delayed class at my school. It was amaaaaazing. I'm not sure exactly why some of the kids are in the class, but it was neat to see everything they do. I got to see circle time in the afternoon, where they do Brainjim, which is a CD song thing where they do different activities. THe point of the activities is to coordinate the two sides of their brains; thus, the name Brainjim. Or maybe it's Brainjam. The lady has a European accent. Anyway, the kids rubbed their earlobes, tapped opposite knees, etc. It was fun to watch. I think I'd love to work with them, but it would be so challenging! Anyway, towards the end, one of the little boys walked over to me and was staring at me. Then he said, "Eww." All the teachers were like, "Oh no." Apparently he said the same thing last week after he soiled his pants, and sure enough, he had. They kept telling him he had to tell them sooner, before the Ew. Gross, and yet really neat. So that was that. I had a good Monday, and on Friday, I'm visitng Queen's Park with my grade 5 class! Dalton McGuinty, here I come!