For many years, and even in modern times as well, we find references to Freud's psychoanalysis. Many of us are familiar with the Ego, the Id and the Superego, but fewer may be familiar with Freud's theory of scopophilia. In his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, Freud describes scopophilia as a love of looking, and goes on to to say that it is based on a curiosity that seeks to complete a sexual object by revealing its hidden parts. The pleasure derived from looking is tied into our sexual desires without being directly related to the erogenous zones, yet it still produces erotic pleasure. Scopophilia is also associated with taking people as objects and subjecting them to a curious gaze.
Then tie this into Lacan's theory of the mirror stage, a stage of development in which the child begins to realize that there are elements around them that are not are not a part of it, the "other". Images and sense of the "self" becomes fragmented in this stage because the child does not have full control over its movements or body. The child develops a sense of identity versus subjectivity. But yet, the image viewed by the child is not the "me", rather it is a misrecognition, it is an image of the real self, and therefore this stage also forms the basis of the process of recognition and misrecognition of ourselves. The child begins to search for identification in an external image, and not in an internal sense of a separate whole identity.
You may wonder why I am bothering to give this history. It is because these psychoanalytic theories form the basis for one of the most compelling essays of the objectification of women that I have ever read. The essay is called Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema and is written by Laura Mulvey, a renowned artist in film. In her essay, Mulvey argues that there are two main contradictory aspects to the act of deriving pleasure from visual images placed on a screen. One is related to scopophilia, and the other is related our narcissistic need to identify with the figures on the screen. Scopophilia implies separation from the erotic object one is viewing, and narcissistic indentification demands identification with the on-screen object based on the spectator's fascination with the recognition of his or her own likeness.
In a patriarchal society where the male gaze is considered active and the female gaze is considered passive, we find an imbalance. Scopophilic tendencies lead the woman into the trap of being viewed solely as an object of sexual desire, and narcissistic tendencies place the woman into a role where she is the "other". She is left to take her place as the bearer and not the maker of meaning. Projections and fantasies of males are free to be imposed on female characters. This may not be simply done in the act of viewing a figure, these fantasies can then become imposed on to the representation of the figures placed on the screen.
If all representation is structured by male desire, then sexuality becomes integral in constructing the spectator's subjectivity. Not only does performance imply a gaze, it also brings in preconceived notions, and more often than not they come in the form of imposed gender lines. Therefore, in gendered relationships, the passivity of the woman's role in representation slips the "woman" into a position of non-subjectivity. She is not granted a voice. The female cannot enter into the realm of existence of who she really is while she lives in the male dominated world.
It is, therefore, THIS aspect of the representation that causes a problem. The fact that representation creates ideologies. For so long, art created in a patriarchal society has played in to the ideology that woman are meant to be passive, and merely the canvas upon which males desires are painted. Being aware of this causes us all to find a way to check how we relate to an object of art.
Consider again "Pieces of Me". This art was created with the intention of creating a subject to be considered first and foremost a person, and a person in the simplest terms. Depending on what context you find yourself in, you relate to the pictures in a unique way. They are in theatrical "conversation" with you. Now, the trick then is to ask yourself how you are relating to the object. Are you trying to take pleasure from the figure, or are you trying to find yourself in it? If you find yourself trying to do either, take a moment to allow for the operation of other variables such as age, class, race. How do these then affect what you see? By resisting the urge to go with you immediate instincts, you are forcing yourself into the position of a critical spectator, and spectator that can begin to see art based on art rather than art based on the objectification of the subject. You essentially give back a voice to the subject because rather than being a means of living out your fantasy, they are free to speak from their own.
Works consulted:
Dolan, Jill. The Feminist Spectator As Critic. London: UMI Research Press, 1988.
Dolan, Jill. Presence and Desire. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1993.
Mulvey, Laura. Visual and Other Pleasures. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1989.
http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/wyrick/debclass/fredu.htm
http://www.haberarts.com/mulvey.htm
http://www.colorado.edu/English/ENG2012Klages/lacan.html
http://www.rlc.dcccd.edu/annex/comm/english/mah8420/EyesofLauraMulvey.htm
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
"Adventures in workland" or "there and back again"
Talk about being on an adventure wagon today. Right in the middle of one of my calls today, I encountered a slight problem - I got something in my eye, or so I thought...I tried to push through and finish the call, but my eye was watering and it was messy. (You know how fussy mascara is, right ladies! ha!) It turned out that my left contact lens had actually ripped! I managed to pluck it out, but in two separate halves! Ugh!
Honestly, I was flabbergasted. I had no idea what to do because I had no supplies with me to deal with this seeing as it has never happened to me before! Yikes. I couldn't see anything at all! I had to leave work, take the TTC an hour all the way home, get new contact lenses (and reinforcements to put in my desk) and then hop on the TTC to come all the way back!
Oh, the adventures that my left eye has managed to cause this week! Sigh.
At least it's not purple.
Honestly, I was flabbergasted. I had no idea what to do because I had no supplies with me to deal with this seeing as it has never happened to me before! Yikes. I couldn't see anything at all! I had to leave work, take the TTC an hour all the way home, get new contact lenses (and reinforcements to put in my desk) and then hop on the TTC to come all the way back!
Oh, the adventures that my left eye has managed to cause this week! Sigh.
At least it's not purple.
Counterfeits
Sometimes I ponder just how easy it is to become a counterfeit in someone's life. I mean this in the sense that you are acting a role that may be friendly, but at the same time is has tendancies that lead towards being a replacement for the "real thing". Often I feel like I have directly placed myself in positions like this. I've allowed myself to use or be used by someone to boost my/their ego or to be a comfort in a most basic way. When I ponder this, I find myself feeling kind of ill. Mostly because true frienships should not be based on counterfeit situations. They should be based on love and trust, and most of all in respect. It's can be a hard line to draw at the best of times.
All I know is that I can't make a solid future investment when all I have is counterfeit currency in the bank.
All I know is that I can't make a solid future investment when all I have is counterfeit currency in the bank.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
When smart things happen to stupid people
I thought this story was very blog worthy. Slightly shameful, but blog worthy none the less.
Today when I was leaving church, I had a very classy moment. I was walking with my friends and walked straight into a metal pole. I know I was slightly distracted by thoughts, but I never imagined I would be that off my game. I walked right smack into the metal pole, and hit so hard that the sign was actually shaking. Of course then I recovered enough to laugh uncontrolably. But still. It kinda hurt.
I now have a red mark above my left eye. In fact, it's all an "egg" as my mom would call it - you know, one of those lovely hard bumps. Boy, is my face red, literally.
I'll keep you posted if it goes purple.
Today when I was leaving church, I had a very classy moment. I was walking with my friends and walked straight into a metal pole. I know I was slightly distracted by thoughts, but I never imagined I would be that off my game. I walked right smack into the metal pole, and hit so hard that the sign was actually shaking. Of course then I recovered enough to laugh uncontrolably. But still. It kinda hurt.
I now have a red mark above my left eye. In fact, it's all an "egg" as my mom would call it - you know, one of those lovely hard bumps. Boy, is my face red, literally.
I'll keep you posted if it goes purple.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
It's baaack!
Every now and then in my life I'll go through a period of time where I feel disconnect from my one true passion (besides my faith): Theatre. Yeat, it never fails, there is always something that brings me back to it. Right now I'm feeling that sense.
At first, I begin to feel this little inkling to go see some theatre. I just want to be in the audience again. I want to engage in live action. I go to engage in "the spark" - the live moment where action on stage just becomes fluid, and there is a sense that it just lives on it's own. And then I feel it - the pull from deep inside. The part of me that just screams to be a part of this! I find myself listening to musicals again, I find myself picturing blocking for these musicals in my head. I find myself thinking of other potential ideas for plays and for performance pieces. My mind wanders to what it would be like to pursue directing for real and I find myself wanting to be a part of a production again, and I find myself wanting to be a part of everything that is theatrical!
I wonder about finding money, and think, wow, if I could find a really cheap place to rehearse and a cheap place to use as an area, I could put up a show in just a few weeks! I mean, I just need to cover the cost of the rights, the theatre, I can beg borrow and steal the rest (figuratively).
I mean, Tuffy, you'd be in, right? Remember LOC Productions? Matt? Kate? Maddy? Chris? Shari? I mean, we could do this! Really do this! Here, now! Let's go! I'm game! If only I had my way now!
So, it's back. The passion is here. I've gotta get me a fix. Really, who's in?
At first, I begin to feel this little inkling to go see some theatre. I just want to be in the audience again. I want to engage in live action. I go to engage in "the spark" - the live moment where action on stage just becomes fluid, and there is a sense that it just lives on it's own. And then I feel it - the pull from deep inside. The part of me that just screams to be a part of this! I find myself listening to musicals again, I find myself picturing blocking for these musicals in my head. I find myself thinking of other potential ideas for plays and for performance pieces. My mind wanders to what it would be like to pursue directing for real and I find myself wanting to be a part of a production again, and I find myself wanting to be a part of everything that is theatrical!
I wonder about finding money, and think, wow, if I could find a really cheap place to rehearse and a cheap place to use as an area, I could put up a show in just a few weeks! I mean, I just need to cover the cost of the rights, the theatre, I can beg borrow and steal the rest (figuratively).
I mean, Tuffy, you'd be in, right? Remember LOC Productions? Matt? Kate? Maddy? Chris? Shari? I mean, we could do this! Really do this! Here, now! Let's go! I'm game! If only I had my way now!
So, it's back. The passion is here. I've gotta get me a fix. Really, who's in?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways
So, yes, figures. About 5 minutes after posting my last little rant, a girl walked up to me and offered to help me out as much as she could - just for 2 weeks, but that's a start. Ha! Serves me right.
The big "G" is tricky sometimes. (Looks up) Tricky!
The big "G" is tricky sometimes. (Looks up) Tricky!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Feeling frustrated
So, I'm really excited. I'm about to start on a new adventure in church, I've got a new Living Room. Wahoo. The merge should be great. But alas, I'm finding myself discouraged right now because it doesn't look like I'll be able to attend for the next little while due to circumstances beyond my control. I've got hope, but it lies in the hands of others, and therein lies the trouble.
I'm actually feeling very sad today - mostly because there is a lack of people who are willing to try and help me out of my predicament. In fact, it seems as though people are being downright rude about me asking for help. This frustrates me, because I'm almost positive that these people have been in the same boat as me at some point or another. Grr.
I guess I've just gotta breathe and remember it's not up to me, it's up to Him.
I'm actually feeling very sad today - mostly because there is a lack of people who are willing to try and help me out of my predicament. In fact, it seems as though people are being downright rude about me asking for help. This frustrates me, because I'm almost positive that these people have been in the same boat as me at some point or another. Grr.
I guess I've just gotta breathe and remember it's not up to me, it's up to Him.
Friday, January 27, 2006
The looming death of Joe Muggs
Today is a sad day.
I got up and got ready for work. During my routine, I began my daily ritual with Joe Muggs (my steel thermal mug bought almost 3 years ago at a coffee joint called Joe Muggs). Today, I found him sick and he couldn't come with me to work. Sigh.
Joe Muggs and I have had a relationship with for a while now. We first started our hot and sometimes steamy relationship when I was at camp. He would cheer me up with loving warmth in the cold mornings and it was lovely. He was there to keep things at just the right level - sometimes piping hot, other times luke warm. We've had a good handle on things over the years, always keeping a lid on it so nothing would come spilling out to hurt anyone.
This morning I found Joe was incontinent. He must be getting too old for regular outings. Oh Joe, I'm going to miss you.
I got up and got ready for work. During my routine, I began my daily ritual with Joe Muggs (my steel thermal mug bought almost 3 years ago at a coffee joint called Joe Muggs). Today, I found him sick and he couldn't come with me to work. Sigh.
Joe Muggs and I have had a relationship with for a while now. We first started our hot and sometimes steamy relationship when I was at camp. He would cheer me up with loving warmth in the cold mornings and it was lovely. He was there to keep things at just the right level - sometimes piping hot, other times luke warm. We've had a good handle on things over the years, always keeping a lid on it so nothing would come spilling out to hurt anyone.
This morning I found Joe was incontinent. He must be getting too old for regular outings. Oh Joe, I'm going to miss you.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Today I want to write something intelligent...
But alas, I went to bed at 2am because I was more content to put the pictures on my blog of myself that I was to go to sleep when I got home from seeing Memoirs of a Geisha with my friend Sharon. Now I'm tired and not feeling intelligent at all. Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
More great lessons from musical theatre
John and Jen (just for Tuffy)
book by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald lyrics by Tom Greenwald music by Andrew Lippa
- sometimes the past will catch up with you, other times it will haunt you, either way don't spend too much time clinging to old regrets because it will stop you from living life
- don't expect someone to be exactly the same as someone else you once knew
Cabaret
book by Joe Masteroff lyrics by Fred Ebb music by John Kander
- no matter how much you want to ignore the reality of life outside your personal bubble it will always catch up with you in the end
- there's no sense in living your life too morbidly because life has got to have some fun despite the bad, in other words "Life is a cabaret, old chum, and I love a cabaret!"
Chicago
book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb lyrics by Fred Ebb music by John Kander
- never underestimate the power of a good story and a little bit of sensationalism from the press
Hair
book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado music by Galt MacDermot
- if you were on drugs in the sixties this show might actually make sense
- putting a Shakespearean sonnet to music makes for a pretty great song
The Sound of Music
book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II music by Richard Rodgers
- the path you initially set out on in life might not be the path that you end up on in the end, either way with a little help (and some singing) you can climb every mountain you come across
Aida
book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang lyrics by Tim Rice music by Elton John
- time, place, race and status don't matter when it comes to love because in the end love is all that matters
- sometimes a dress can be your strongest suit
Little Shop of Horrors
book and lyrics by Howard Ashman Music by Alan Menken based on a film by Roger Corman screenplay by Charles Griffith
- don't let a man beat on you just because you're afraid to step out on your own, you don't know you own strength
- never trust a plant that sucks your blood
The Producers
book, lyrics and music by Mel Brooks
- old ladies might be willing to do just about anything for someone they like
- "Springtime for Hitler" - hahahaha! Enough said.
The Music Man
book, lyrics, and music by Meredith Willson
- don't' automatically believe that smooth-talking salesman doesn't have a conscience, he might just surprise you
- you CAN learn to play an instrument by the think system
- overly repetitive songs can wear on your nerves if they get stuck in your head for too long (Pick-a-little, talk-a-little-cheep-cheep-cheep...)
Funny Girl
book by Isobel Lennart lyrics by Bob Merrill music by Jule Styne
- never ever rain on a girl's parade, she's got a lot more going for her than you might think
- never count on a man to be your sole source of happiness
- Barbara Streisand really is "like buttah" in the movie musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
book by Hugh Wheeler lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim
- no matter how good a pie is remember that there might be something sketchy about the source of the meat
- revenge can get messy, maybe it's better to forgive before turning into a demon barber
- Stephen Sondheim is an amazing musical writer
Guys and Dolls
book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows lyrics and music by Frank Loesser
- there's always trouble when you decide to rock the boat, so "sit down, sit down, sit down!"
- men, don't leave an engaged woman hanging on for too long, she might just get sick of (or because of) the whole thing
Wicked
book by Winnie Holzman lyrics and music by Stephen Schwartz based on the book by Gregory McGuire
- there is always another side to a story, just ask Elphaba
Gypsy
book by Arthur Laurents lyrics by Stephen Sondheim music by Jule Styne
- you don't always have to listen to your mother, because sometimes even she might not have your best interests in mind all the time
- never let people tell you what you can and can't do because we all have hidden talents
- anyone can be "Moo-sical"
Into the Woods
book by James Lapine lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim
- really clever lyrics do exist!!!
The Pirates of Penzance
libretto by Sir William S. Gilbert music by Sir Arthur S. Sullivan
- even old school operettas can be very funny if you get the timing just right
- never underestimate the comedic power of an overextended coloratura moment
- trouble with orphans can happen "orph-ten"
Rent
book, lyrics and music by Jonathan Larson based on Puccini's opera La Bohème
- no matter how down and out, how sick, or how messed up you think you are, you can always find hope, love, and a good time when you open your eyes to the world
Urinetown
book by Greg Kotis lyrics by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann music by Mark Hollmann
- you CAN write a tongue-in-cheek Brechtian style music all about urine and still win Tony's
- "What kind of a musical is this anyway?"
West Side Story
book by Arthur Laurents music by Leonard Bernstein lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
- even though you might come from different backgrounds, you're more like your neighbour than you thought
- sometimes it's just nice to feel pretty, oh so pretty.
Songs for a New World
- "~ Listen to the song that I sing
book by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald lyrics by Tom Greenwald music by Andrew Lippa
- sometimes the past will catch up with you, other times it will haunt you, either way don't spend too much time clinging to old regrets because it will stop you from living life
- don't expect someone to be exactly the same as someone else you once knew
Cabaret
book by Joe Masteroff lyrics by Fred Ebb music by John Kander
- no matter how much you want to ignore the reality of life outside your personal bubble it will always catch up with you in the end
- there's no sense in living your life too morbidly because life has got to have some fun despite the bad, in other words "Life is a cabaret, old chum, and I love a cabaret!"
Chicago
book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb lyrics by Fred Ebb music by John Kander
- never underestimate the power of a good story and a little bit of sensationalism from the press
Hair
book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado music by Galt MacDermot
- if you were on drugs in the sixties this show might actually make sense
- putting a Shakespearean sonnet to music makes for a pretty great song
The Sound of Music
book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II music by Richard Rodgers
- the path you initially set out on in life might not be the path that you end up on in the end, either way with a little help (and some singing) you can climb every mountain you come across
Aida
book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang lyrics by Tim Rice music by Elton John
- time, place, race and status don't matter when it comes to love because in the end love is all that matters
- sometimes a dress can be your strongest suit
Little Shop of Horrors
book and lyrics by Howard Ashman Music by Alan Menken based on a film by Roger Corman screenplay by Charles Griffith
- don't let a man beat on you just because you're afraid to step out on your own, you don't know you own strength
- never trust a plant that sucks your blood
The Producers
book, lyrics and music by Mel Brooks
- old ladies might be willing to do just about anything for someone they like
- "Springtime for Hitler" - hahahaha! Enough said.
The Music Man
book, lyrics, and music by Meredith Willson
- don't' automatically believe that smooth-talking salesman doesn't have a conscience, he might just surprise you
- you CAN learn to play an instrument by the think system
- overly repetitive songs can wear on your nerves if they get stuck in your head for too long (Pick-a-little, talk-a-little-cheep-cheep-cheep...)
Funny Girl
book by Isobel Lennart lyrics by Bob Merrill music by Jule Styne
- never ever rain on a girl's parade, she's got a lot more going for her than you might think
- never count on a man to be your sole source of happiness
- Barbara Streisand really is "like buttah" in the movie musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
book by Hugh Wheeler lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim
- no matter how good a pie is remember that there might be something sketchy about the source of the meat
- revenge can get messy, maybe it's better to forgive before turning into a demon barber
- Stephen Sondheim is an amazing musical writer
Guys and Dolls
book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows lyrics and music by Frank Loesser
- there's always trouble when you decide to rock the boat, so "sit down, sit down, sit down!"
- men, don't leave an engaged woman hanging on for too long, she might just get sick of (or because of) the whole thing
Wicked
book by Winnie Holzman lyrics and music by Stephen Schwartz based on the book by Gregory McGuire
- there is always another side to a story, just ask Elphaba
Gypsy
book by Arthur Laurents lyrics by Stephen Sondheim music by Jule Styne
- you don't always have to listen to your mother, because sometimes even she might not have your best interests in mind all the time
- never let people tell you what you can and can't do because we all have hidden talents
- anyone can be "Moo-sical"
Into the Woods
book by James Lapine lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim
- really clever lyrics do exist!!!
The Pirates of Penzance
libretto by Sir William S. Gilbert music by Sir Arthur S. Sullivan
- even old school operettas can be very funny if you get the timing just right
- never underestimate the comedic power of an overextended coloratura moment
- trouble with orphans can happen "orph-ten"
Rent
book, lyrics and music by Jonathan Larson based on Puccini's opera La Bohème
- no matter how down and out, how sick, or how messed up you think you are, you can always find hope, love, and a good time when you open your eyes to the world
Urinetown
book by Greg Kotis lyrics by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann music by Mark Hollmann
- you CAN write a tongue-in-cheek Brechtian style music all about urine and still win Tony's
- "What kind of a musical is this anyway?"
West Side Story
book by Arthur Laurents music by Leonard Bernstein lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
- even though you might come from different backgrounds, you're more like your neighbour than you thought
- sometimes it's just nice to feel pretty, oh so pretty.
Songs for a New World
lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown
- you don't have to have a story to make a worthwhile musical theatre experience
- you don't have to have a story to make a worthwhile musical theatre experience
- "~ God knows it's easy to hide,
Easy to hide from the things that you feel
And harder to blindly trust
What you can't understand
~ God knows it's easy to run,
Easy to run from the people you love
And harder to stand and fight
For the things you believe"
- "~ Listen to the song that I sing
Listen to the words in my heart
Listen to the hope I can bring
And you'll start to grow
And shine
~ Listen to the song that I sing
And trust me
~ We'll be fine..."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Some of the greatest lessons I've learned from musical theatre
Five Guys Named Moe
book by Clarke Peters music and lyrics by Louis Jordan
- you can always have a funkybutt time at the funkybutt club
- drowning your sorrows in musical numbers works out far better than drowning your sorrows in drinking.
Les Miserables
book by Alain Boublil music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
- no matter how unappreciated it might seem, it is always beautiful to give your life to save someone you love
- never underestimate the blessings you'll get if you surrender yourself to God's will (and yes, you can come back from being "evil")
My Fair Lady
book by Alan Jay Lerner music by Frederick Loewe
- if you're going to change who you are and your position in life do it because you want to and not to please a man
Gigi
book by Alan Jay Lerner music by Frederick Loewe
- it's never right for an older man to impose his womanizing ways on a young impressionable girl
Lucky Stiff
book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens lyrics by Stephen Flaherty
- even diamonds in the rough can turn out to be courageous, funny and just a little bit charming
- ever nerd deserves a chance to shine
Bye Bye Birdie
book by Micheal Stewart lyrics by Lee Adams music Charles Strouse
- building someone up in your mind to be something they are not isn't a good thing, in other words gold lammé doesn't make the man
- never underestimate the power of Ed Sullivan
Newsies
music by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman
- standing up for what you believe in is never a bad thing
- even young people can start a revolution
- "Headlines don't seel paps, newsies sell paps!"
Bat Boy - The Musical
book and story by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe
- even a social outcast needs somewhere to call home
- never trust a slightly unhinged veterinarian
Crazy For You
book by Ken Ludwig lyrics by Ira Gershwin music by George Gershwin
- there is no use hiding your true self from the person you love, you don't want them falling in love with a completely different person do you?
A Chorus Line
book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante lyrics by Edward Kleban music by Marvin Hamlisch
- "Tits and ass won't get you jobs unless they're yours!"
The Rocky Horror Show
book, lyrics and music by Richard O'Brian
- don't ever go into a dark lonely house after dark, especially if it's owned by a a transsexual tranvestite with VERY loose morals
- a well timed "Brad!", "Janet!", "Dr.Scott!" routine will always be a great moment to watch
Annie
book by Thomas Meehan lyrics by Martin Charnin music by Charles Strouse
- having a bunch of friends who love you and who are just a little bit tough really makes a difference
- too much bathtub gin can make you go loopy
Blood Brothers
book, lyrics and music by Willy Russell
- regardless of your position in life the actions you choose are your own, take ownership of them and don't blame all your problems on your status in life
Grease
book, lyrics and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
- no matter how in love you are, changing yourself to become more racy with ensure that you secure your man's affection (HA!)
City of Angels
book by Larry Gelbart lyrics by David Zippel music by Cy Coleman
- somedays it would just be nice to be able to re-write moments in your life
- saying "good day" backwards is always funny - do it "yad doog"! ha!
book by Clarke Peters music and lyrics by Louis Jordan
- you can always have a funkybutt time at the funkybutt club
- drowning your sorrows in musical numbers works out far better than drowning your sorrows in drinking.
Les Miserables
book by Alain Boublil music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
- no matter how unappreciated it might seem, it is always beautiful to give your life to save someone you love
- never underestimate the blessings you'll get if you surrender yourself to God's will (and yes, you can come back from being "evil")
My Fair Lady
book by Alan Jay Lerner music by Frederick Loewe
- if you're going to change who you are and your position in life do it because you want to and not to please a man
Gigi
book by Alan Jay Lerner music by Frederick Loewe
- it's never right for an older man to impose his womanizing ways on a young impressionable girl
Lucky Stiff
book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens lyrics by Stephen Flaherty
- even diamonds in the rough can turn out to be courageous, funny and just a little bit charming
- ever nerd deserves a chance to shine
Bye Bye Birdie
book by Micheal Stewart lyrics by Lee Adams music Charles Strouse
- building someone up in your mind to be something they are not isn't a good thing, in other words gold lammé doesn't make the man
- never underestimate the power of Ed Sullivan
Newsies
music by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman
- standing up for what you believe in is never a bad thing
- even young people can start a revolution
- "Headlines don't seel paps, newsies sell paps!"
Bat Boy - The Musical
book and story by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe
- even a social outcast needs somewhere to call home
- never trust a slightly unhinged veterinarian
Crazy For You
book by Ken Ludwig lyrics by Ira Gershwin music by George Gershwin
- there is no use hiding your true self from the person you love, you don't want them falling in love with a completely different person do you?
A Chorus Line
book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante lyrics by Edward Kleban music by Marvin Hamlisch
- "Tits and ass won't get you jobs unless they're yours!"
The Rocky Horror Show
book, lyrics and music by Richard O'Brian
- don't ever go into a dark lonely house after dark, especially if it's owned by a a transsexual tranvestite with VERY loose morals
- a well timed "Brad!", "Janet!", "Dr.Scott!" routine will always be a great moment to watch
Annie
book by Thomas Meehan lyrics by Martin Charnin music by Charles Strouse
- having a bunch of friends who love you and who are just a little bit tough really makes a difference
- too much bathtub gin can make you go loopy
Blood Brothers
book, lyrics and music by Willy Russell
- regardless of your position in life the actions you choose are your own, take ownership of them and don't blame all your problems on your status in life
Grease
book, lyrics and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
- no matter how in love you are, changing yourself to become more racy with ensure that you secure your man's affection (HA!)
City of Angels
book by Larry Gelbart lyrics by David Zippel music by Cy Coleman
- somedays it would just be nice to be able to re-write moments in your life
- saying "good day" backwards is always funny - do it "yad doog"! ha!
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
My giant carpet bag
About two months ago, I bought a lovely carpet bag. It was just ten dollars at my friend Esther's store. I use it all the time to tote my stuff to and from work. It carries my lunch, my mug, my wallet, my journal, sometimes my Bible, my books, my lip gloss, my pens, my umbrella...I love it!
For some rea
son, today, my carpet bag reminded me of a few things. I thought about other famous carpet bags - well, famous to me at least because they are in some of my favourite childhood stories. One is Anne's bag in Anne of Green Gables. It's the very bag that Anne latches on to when she first comes to the Island. In it is everything that that little girl had. Everything. Then I thought of the magic carpet bag that Mary Poppins has. The bag that never seemed to have a bottom, the one from which Mary pulls her entire bedroom furnishings. In it, she had everything she needed. Everything.
So, as you can all guess, this carpet bagging (this being meant as a pun rather than the actual traditional meaning for carpetbagging found here) is going to lead to another set of musings by myself. Hope you're ready for it! ;)
It's funny to think about how much I like to put in my purses on a given day. It almost seems like carry about everything I own and I guess it's almost like a security blanket. Hmm. It made me stop today and think about what other baggage I tote around with me. And the truth is, like all of us, I'm carting around emotional baggage. Do I take comfort in that?
My initial response it to dig my heels in and scream "Heck, NO!". Nobody really wants emotional baggage, right? I know I'm sick of lugging around years of hurt and mistrust and shame and (insert adjective here). So then why am I still holding on to this crap?
Well, the truth is, I don't have an answer. I don't think any of us can really be sure why we find ourselves struggling with the past when we are looking towards the future. Maybe it comes down to the whole nature/nuture arguement, I don't know. All I do know is that we are all marred or at least marked in some way because our life experiences.
Maybe we're all viewing life through just too pessimistic a perspective. It's all too easy to remember the tough times, the times you were hurt and the times where you just scraped by. What about all those times when you beat the system? What about the times
of pure joy and elation? Don't you think that if we started carrying around these "positivities" that we would find our baggage light and easy to carry?
Hmm, and the Truth (with a capital "T" with rhymes with "G" which stands for God) is that we actually don't have to be burdened at all, because we a free in Him. This is a brilliant thing! Yes, we may always carry with us the lessons learned from the consequences on our actions, but we do not have to be brought down by them. Our sins have been forgiven, and our old selves will fall away in the new being we are in Jesus Christ. (Eph 4:22-24 - Props to Ryan for his comment). There is hope that we will become ever more Christ-like and comfortable enough with ourselves to only carry along the gifts given to us by Jesus, rather than the fleeting aspects this world.
Think about it. It's a glorious thing.
We do not have to sit and contemplate our navels, or beat ourselves up because of stupid actions and so on, because the past is not where we are meant to be living. We are meant to live for something more (well said Switchfoot). There is a whole other force working in us.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So, yeah, I say, "Jesus I'm gonna I put you in my carpet bag and take you with me always because you have everything I need! Everything!" And I'm sure He says "Amen to that!".
For some rea
son, today, my carpet bag reminded me of a few things. I thought about other famous carpet bags - well, famous to me at least because they are in some of my favourite childhood stories. One is Anne's bag in Anne of Green Gables. It's the very bag that Anne latches on to when she first comes to the Island. In it is everything that that little girl had. Everything. Then I thought of the magic carpet bag that Mary Poppins has. The bag that never seemed to have a bottom, the one from which Mary pulls her entire bedroom furnishings. In it, she had everything she needed. Everything.So, as you can all guess, this carpet bagging (this being meant as a pun rather than the actual traditional meaning for carpetbagging found here) is going to lead to another set of musings by myself. Hope you're ready for it! ;)
It's funny to think about how much I like to put in my purses on a given day. It almost seems like carry about everything I own and I guess it's almost like a security blanket. Hmm. It made me stop today and think about what other baggage I tote around with me. And the truth is, like all of us, I'm carting around emotional baggage. Do I take comfort in that?
My initial response it to dig my heels in and scream "Heck, NO!". Nobody really wants emotional baggage, right? I know I'm sick of lugging around years of hurt and mistrust and shame and (insert adjective here). So then why am I still holding on to this crap?
Well, the truth is, I don't have an answer. I don't think any of us can really be sure why we find ourselves struggling with the past when we are looking towards the future. Maybe it comes down to the whole nature/nuture arguement, I don't know. All I do know is that we are all marred or at least marked in some way because our life experiences.
Maybe we're all viewing life through just too pessimistic a perspective. It's all too easy to remember the tough times, the times you were hurt and the times where you just scraped by. What about all those times when you beat the system? What about the times
of pure joy and elation? Don't you think that if we started carrying around these "positivities" that we would find our baggage light and easy to carry? Hmm, and the Truth (with a capital "T" with rhymes with "G" which stands for God) is that we actually don't have to be burdened at all, because we a free in Him. This is a brilliant thing! Yes, we may always carry with us the lessons learned from the consequences on our actions, but we do not have to be brought down by them. Our sins have been forgiven, and our old selves will fall away in the new being we are in Jesus Christ. (Eph 4:22-24 - Props to Ryan for his comment). There is hope that we will become ever more Christ-like and comfortable enough with ourselves to only carry along the gifts given to us by Jesus, rather than the fleeting aspects this world.
Think about it. It's a glorious thing.
We do not have to sit and contemplate our navels, or beat ourselves up because of stupid actions and so on, because the past is not where we are meant to be living. We are meant to live for something more (well said Switchfoot). There is a whole other force working in us.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So, yeah, I say, "Jesus I'm gonna I put you in my carpet bag and take you with me always because you have everything I need! Everything!" And I'm sure He says "Amen to that!".
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The Book of Lists
Ok, I swear this books was written for me! hehehe. It's great. Love it! Where else can you find a compiled bunch of lists of crazy random facts?You can get your own on Amazon!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Parades, charades and facades
According to Mirriam-Webster:
Parade: a pompous show
Charade: an empty or deceptive act or pretense
Facade: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
You may be wondering why I'm thinking about these definitions. It comes about because of a little personal growth that's being nudged along in my life that's lead me to think about the way I portray myself to the outside world on a daily basis.
Lately, based on some conversations I've had with friends, I have been pondering my "selves". I say "selves" because the truth is, yes, I do have different facets of personality that come out at different times, and that are, in fact, so contrasting at times that I really can seem like I am more than one person.
I first began to notice my distinct selves within the last year, when I began to ponder how I was viewed when I was at school. I would have two different types of interactions for the most part. The first was with my Christian friends, the group of people that seemed to have it all together, the ones that were just right in their walk with God. And I wanted to be one of them, really, I wanted to be 110% Godly, and I wanted to seems like I was a good Christian girl, and I wanted...well, I wanted it too much to really feel it was possible. I found myself trying to pretend that I was so much more pious than I was really feeling so that I wouldn't feel like I was so much on the outs when it came to salvation. I became, in some ways, a fake Christian, one who pretends to be in tact...at least to the outside world.
My second personality that came about, and that can still come about, is what I like to call my wild streak. The part of me that just wants to rebel against everyone's view of me as a good little girl. It's the part of me that wants to be a bad ass. It's the part of me that will make inappropriate jokes, and flirt, and do things just for the sake of proving to others that I will do them. The wild steak often takes a hold when I'm with certain groups of people who are well, more relaxed in morality than some of my other friends, and it often gets me into sticky situations. Often after it takes a hold I've come out thinking that what just happened wasn't really me. The daring part was, yes, but the actions were just...off...
Over the past year, I've really tried to tie these two elements of myself together in such a way that I'm real. That means cutting away the crap, the fakeness, the parades, charades and facades that I want to hide behind. I try to consider my actions in a way that is Truthful. Luckily I've made some great friends this year who are really wanting to see me be the true person that I really am. I feel I'm doing better. I don't feel like I have a dual personality as much, although there are moments when both the pious and the wild seem to be in charge. I'm beginning to see how important it is to be consistent.
When you really think about it, it's just astounding how much we hide from the world. Whether it's by something superficial like makeup (yes, Karl, "the mask") and clothes or whether is in defensive mechanisms that have been built up because of many years of emotional baggage, the older we get, the more we want to conceal ourselves. Or rather, the better we get at our abilities to hide hurts deep down inside. In some senses, we teach ourselves to be less transparent, to keep the "realness" behind wall. But often this backfires, simply because the deeper we place ourselves in the middle of unreality the more transparent the falsness becomes.
Is there really any value in hiding?
I understand that there is a difference here in hiding versus guarding your heart. So just to be clear, I'm not talking about circumstances where it is necessary to protect your heart a little from evilness and hurtfulness desgined to cut you to the core, I'm talking about hard formed walls and masks that we wear so that to the outer world we seem whole, perfect and flawless. That's what hiding is. It's taking all of yourself and shoving into a neatly articulated and well groomed package. Or as I'm guitly of doing, placing yourself into easily adaptable and interchangeable facades that you can slip between depending on the moment. Facades that become second nature, facades that show just enough of who you are in a specific time and place, without showing what you think about in the truest parts of you, your inner-most self.
It's funny how these walls ended up hurting you rather than protecting you.
This week, as I've been writing this post in bits and pieces, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of troubles I've landed myself in by not being able to open myself up fully in a natural way. Wow, it's tough to think about. Really. But at the same time it's good to think about.
It's made me realize just how I've hurt myself more than I ever intended because I've have wanted to protect my deep self from being exposed to the world. I think about the way in which I've never really let someone love me because I couldn't share all of me. You never want to loose your whole self, that's just not safe, right? I think about the ways in which I played into certain roles in the attempts to make myself feel powerful, and in the end I just sold myself short. I exerted a part of me that was not whole, a self that was fake, and still that part was rejected. And that hurt way more because not only was I left feeling cheated, used and cheap, I also had to deal with my own anger towards myself for not being a person that I really wanted to be.
And it stings. Oh, how it stings.
My friend pointed out to me this week, that trying to walk around pretending to be perfect isn't natural. It's really not. Each of us has flaws, each of us has biases, and each one of us has emotional baggage. The best we can do is acknowledge this, keep on walking through life,and stepping up again after we stumble because of any of the above mentioned things. Really, what else can we do? If we build up a wall, a moat, or even a mountain of booby-traps around us, the more and more we're just going to find that we're being slowed down and separated from the life we want to live. All our strength will be placed into the upkeep of a peeling-off label instead of letting the whole and true product be maximized by love.
So, here's to keeping it real.
Parade: a pompous show
Charade: an empty or deceptive act or pretense
Facade: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
You may be wondering why I'm thinking about these definitions. It comes about because of a little personal growth that's being nudged along in my life that's lead me to think about the way I portray myself to the outside world on a daily basis.
Lately, based on some conversations I've had with friends, I have been pondering my "selves". I say "selves" because the truth is, yes, I do have different facets of personality that come out at different times, and that are, in fact, so contrasting at times that I really can seem like I am more than one person.
I first began to notice my distinct selves within the last year, when I began to ponder how I was viewed when I was at school. I would have two different types of interactions for the most part. The first was with my Christian friends, the group of people that seemed to have it all together, the ones that were just right in their walk with God. And I wanted to be one of them, really, I wanted to be 110% Godly, and I wanted to seems like I was a good Christian girl, and I wanted...well, I wanted it too much to really feel it was possible. I found myself trying to pretend that I was so much more pious than I was really feeling so that I wouldn't feel like I was so much on the outs when it came to salvation. I became, in some ways, a fake Christian, one who pretends to be in tact...at least to the outside world.
My second personality that came about, and that can still come about, is what I like to call my wild streak. The part of me that just wants to rebel against everyone's view of me as a good little girl. It's the part of me that wants to be a bad ass. It's the part of me that will make inappropriate jokes, and flirt, and do things just for the sake of proving to others that I will do them. The wild steak often takes a hold when I'm with certain groups of people who are well, more relaxed in morality than some of my other friends, and it often gets me into sticky situations. Often after it takes a hold I've come out thinking that what just happened wasn't really me. The daring part was, yes, but the actions were just...off...
Over the past year, I've really tried to tie these two elements of myself together in such a way that I'm real. That means cutting away the crap, the fakeness, the parades, charades and facades that I want to hide behind. I try to consider my actions in a way that is Truthful. Luckily I've made some great friends this year who are really wanting to see me be the true person that I really am. I feel I'm doing better. I don't feel like I have a dual personality as much, although there are moments when both the pious and the wild seem to be in charge. I'm beginning to see how important it is to be consistent.
When you really think about it, it's just astounding how much we hide from the world. Whether it's by something superficial like makeup (yes, Karl, "the mask") and clothes or whether is in defensive mechanisms that have been built up because of many years of emotional baggage, the older we get, the more we want to conceal ourselves. Or rather, the better we get at our abilities to hide hurts deep down inside. In some senses, we teach ourselves to be less transparent, to keep the "realness" behind wall. But often this backfires, simply because the deeper we place ourselves in the middle of unreality the more transparent the falsness becomes.
Is there really any value in hiding?
I understand that there is a difference here in hiding versus guarding your heart. So just to be clear, I'm not talking about circumstances where it is necessary to protect your heart a little from evilness and hurtfulness desgined to cut you to the core, I'm talking about hard formed walls and masks that we wear so that to the outer world we seem whole, perfect and flawless. That's what hiding is. It's taking all of yourself and shoving into a neatly articulated and well groomed package. Or as I'm guitly of doing, placing yourself into easily adaptable and interchangeable facades that you can slip between depending on the moment. Facades that become second nature, facades that show just enough of who you are in a specific time and place, without showing what you think about in the truest parts of you, your inner-most self.
It's funny how these walls ended up hurting you rather than protecting you.
This week, as I've been writing this post in bits and pieces, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of troubles I've landed myself in by not being able to open myself up fully in a natural way. Wow, it's tough to think about. Really. But at the same time it's good to think about.
It's made me realize just how I've hurt myself more than I ever intended because I've have wanted to protect my deep self from being exposed to the world. I think about the way in which I've never really let someone love me because I couldn't share all of me. You never want to loose your whole self, that's just not safe, right? I think about the ways in which I played into certain roles in the attempts to make myself feel powerful, and in the end I just sold myself short. I exerted a part of me that was not whole, a self that was fake, and still that part was rejected. And that hurt way more because not only was I left feeling cheated, used and cheap, I also had to deal with my own anger towards myself for not being a person that I really wanted to be.
And it stings. Oh, how it stings.
My friend pointed out to me this week, that trying to walk around pretending to be perfect isn't natural. It's really not. Each of us has flaws, each of us has biases, and each one of us has emotional baggage. The best we can do is acknowledge this, keep on walking through life,and stepping up again after we stumble because of any of the above mentioned things. Really, what else can we do? If we build up a wall, a moat, or even a mountain of booby-traps around us, the more and more we're just going to find that we're being slowed down and separated from the life we want to live. All our strength will be placed into the upkeep of a peeling-off label instead of letting the whole and true product be maximized by love.
So, here's to keeping it real.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
It's nice to know...
Today I got an excellent review from my supervisor at work. He was really impressed with my customer service skills! Sweet. It's just nice to know sometimes that you're doing a good job and that you're being appreciated for what you do.
Yay!
Yay!
CD shopping a-go-go!
Today after work I decided to stop by Sonic Boom and get me some new CDs. I just wanted to look around, get inspired, and I sort of did. In the end, I just scored some sweet used goods - all albums that I've been wanting for a while but didn't want to pay full price for, and then a couple of other choices.
The list is as follows:
1. Ben Folds ~ Rockin' the Suburbs
- a good solid choice to add to my Ben Folds collection. It's got my fave song "Annie Waits" on it, plus "The Luckiest", a song I want to play at my wedding...not to forget the great title track.
2. Ben Lee ~ Gamble Everything for Love
- a little collection of tunes by a great Australian singer. I was lucky enough to see him in concert this summer with Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright. I really like "Hellbent for Heaven", a great find in the end, which is nice when you take a chance.
3. Bloc Party ~ Silent Alarm
- just to have my own, really. I borrowed this CD from my friend Karl the other day, and well, didn't get enough time to give it a solid listen. Figured for $11 used I couldn't go wrong.
4. Feist ~ Let It Die
- SUPER SCORE! I've been meaning to buy this for a long time now. Love the album. Happy because it was just $11 used.
5. Metric ~ Live It Out
- the new Metric. Meh...I think I like the first a little better, probably because I really love the song Combat Baby, but I think there are some really solid songs on the album. I'm glad, seeing as this was a new purchase, and not used.
That is all.
The list is as follows:
1. Ben Folds ~ Rockin' the Suburbs
- a good solid choice to add to my Ben Folds collection. It's got my fave song "Annie Waits" on it, plus "The Luckiest", a song I want to play at my wedding...not to forget the great title track.
2. Ben Lee ~ Gamble Everything for Love
- a little collection of tunes by a great Australian singer. I was lucky enough to see him in concert this summer with Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright. I really like "Hellbent for Heaven", a great find in the end, which is nice when you take a chance.
3. Bloc Party ~ Silent Alarm
- just to have my own, really. I borrowed this CD from my friend Karl the other day, and well, didn't get enough time to give it a solid listen. Figured for $11 used I couldn't go wrong.
4. Feist ~ Let It Die
- SUPER SCORE! I've been meaning to buy this for a long time now. Love the album. Happy because it was just $11 used.
5. Metric ~ Live It Out
- the new Metric. Meh...I think I like the first a little better, probably because I really love the song Combat Baby, but I think there are some really solid songs on the album. I'm glad, seeing as this was a new purchase, and not used.
That is all.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Another poem
The Divine Image
by William Blake
To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
All pray in their distress;
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.
For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is God, our father dear,
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is Man, his child and care.
For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine,
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.
And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.
by William Blake
To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
All pray in their distress;
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.
For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is God, our father dear,
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is Man, his child and care.
For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine,
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.
And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.
Monday, January 09, 2006
A poem
Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
It's snow bunny's business (ugh...AWFUL, I know)
This past weekend I did it! Yep, I finally attempted the one thing that I have been wanting to do since high school! I tried snowboarding for the very first time! Wahoo!For any of you out there who know and love this sport, you know that it is not an easy sport to learn - you have to be prepared to basically get creamed in the process. I definately learned that! I tell you, I landed on my butt so many times, not to mention landing on my wrists and knees. I've got a few bruises that are still black! But it's definately worth it. Really.
It was really fun to go - myself and my friend Roshan got to learn together, so it was a bit of emotional support and it was someone to laugh with despite the aches. On top of which, two of my good friends were very patiently teaching us - I really felt like they were proud of us for trying as hard as we did. Thanks guys!
It's looks as if I'll be going again soon. Hopefully this time I'll improve!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
A whole new year experience
It's amazing, really, I can finally report that I did in fact have a very good New Year's Eve this year! (Well, not that it could get worse from last year - I was so sick coming off a JetsGo flight with a cold that I felt like I had been hit by a truck and I ended and a ruptured eardrum and off for a week. New Years consisted of me going to bed at 10:30 pm and staying in bed for almost 2 days).
New Year's Eve started out with me getting a chance to meet up with my best girlfriend Courtney for dinner. I met up with her in the east end at her mother-in-law's place. We had wine, we talked, we were girly. When I arrived, the girls were actually busy upstairs getting ready, so we got to talk and I got to share in the very lovely phenomenon that happens when a bunch of girls are getting ready to go out together. There was hair fixing and outfit choosing. Plus there was something really nice about Courtney asking me to do her eye make-up like I used to do when we were at Queen's. Sigh. So great! It was nice to meet a bunch of her friends that she hangs out with from home and Teacher's College, because it's not always easy to stay in touch about the every day with my girls, seeing as we don't live in the same place anymore. Plus, it's always a treat to talk with Craig, Coutney's husband. He's a really genuine person, and so very fantastic to hang with as well. It was a great start to the night!
Next stop was to visit my friends Coatesy and Ball, uptown. They were having a little shindig at their place and I wanted to stop by. It was great to hang around with some of my Queen's friends that have been spread out all over the place lately - some as far as England. We laughed, we talked, we took silly pictures. It was so fun. A highlight was seeing our friend Dougie getting a little tipsy in the kitchen, he's usually the model of restraint. Luckily it wasn't too messy. ;) Apparently I missed the crowning moment of the night, though, when one of the guys decided to challenge Coatesy to a one for one drinking competition - as expected, the challenger was drunk under the table by the Seaners, in fact, he lost so badly that he puked! Oh my...
But my final destination for the evening was to be with my Freedomize crew to ring in the midnight hour. We ate, we sipped wine, we talked - we even danced like crazy people in Luke's living room. It was so much fun! It was just great to be with these people that I consider to be my family here in Toronto - not that friends aren't good enough, but these are the people I live with and are with most of the time. It was nice to sit and talk - Andrew my best bud was there, my friend Anne Marie, and my friend...ok, this could take forever!
Another highlight of the night was getting a chance to sit and sing worship songs with Anne Marie - I was in a half-asleep kind of mode, and it was just calming to sit and listen to her play the guitar and praise God for the new year. The feeling actually continued on in church the next night - it's a brand new time to get things started and to learn more and to have adventures...it's a good time to be alive and to worship!
My wish now is that all of you out there had a great New Year's Eve as well, and are all feeling the hope of new things to come! Yeehaw 2006!
New Year's Eve started out with me getting a chance to meet up with my best girlfriend Courtney for dinner. I met up with her in the east end at her mother-in-law's place. We had wine, we talked, we were girly. When I arrived, the girls were actually busy upstairs getting ready, so we got to talk and I got to share in the very lovely phenomenon that happens when a bunch of girls are getting ready to go out together. There was hair fixing and outfit choosing. Plus there was something really nice about Courtney asking me to do her eye make-up like I used to do when we were at Queen's. Sigh. So great! It was nice to meet a bunch of her friends that she hangs out with from home and Teacher's College, because it's not always easy to stay in touch about the every day with my girls, seeing as we don't live in the same place anymore. Plus, it's always a treat to talk with Craig, Coutney's husband. He's a really genuine person, and so very fantastic to hang with as well. It was a great start to the night!
Next stop was to visit my friends Coatesy and Ball, uptown. They were having a little shindig at their place and I wanted to stop by. It was great to hang around with some of my Queen's friends that have been spread out all over the place lately - some as far as England. We laughed, we talked, we took silly pictures. It was so fun. A highlight was seeing our friend Dougie getting a little tipsy in the kitchen, he's usually the model of restraint. Luckily it wasn't too messy. ;) Apparently I missed the crowning moment of the night, though, when one of the guys decided to challenge Coatesy to a one for one drinking competition - as expected, the challenger was drunk under the table by the Seaners, in fact, he lost so badly that he puked! Oh my...
But my final destination for the evening was to be with my Freedomize crew to ring in the midnight hour. We ate, we sipped wine, we talked - we even danced like crazy people in Luke's living room. It was so much fun! It was just great to be with these people that I consider to be my family here in Toronto - not that friends aren't good enough, but these are the people I live with and are with most of the time. It was nice to sit and talk - Andrew my best bud was there, my friend Anne Marie, and my friend...ok, this could take forever!
Another highlight of the night was getting a chance to sit and sing worship songs with Anne Marie - I was in a half-asleep kind of mode, and it was just calming to sit and listen to her play the guitar and praise God for the new year. The feeling actually continued on in church the next night - it's a brand new time to get things started and to learn more and to have adventures...it's a good time to be alive and to worship!
My wish now is that all of you out there had a great New Year's Eve as well, and are all feeling the hope of new things to come! Yeehaw 2006!
Friday, December 30, 2005
An international New Years
The following was also found on FactMonster.
How to say "Happy New Year" in 33 languages:
How to say "Happy New Year" in 33 languages:
- Afrikaans - Voorspoedige nuwe jaar
- Arabic - Kul 'am wa antum bikhair
- Basque - Urte Berri on
- Bengali - Shuvo noboborsho
- Chinese (Cantonese) - Sun nien fai lok
- Chinese (Mandarin) - Xin nian yu kuai
- Czech Stastny - Novy Rok
- Dutch - Gelukkig nieuwjaar
- Esperanto - Bonan Novjaron
- Finnish - Onnellista uutta vuotta
- French - Bonne année
- German - Ein glückliches neues Jahr
- Greek - Eutychismenos o kainourgios chronos
- Hawaiian - Hauoli Makahiki hou
- Hebrew - Shana Tova
- Hungarian - Boldog uj evet
- Indonesian (Bahasa) - Selamat Tahun Baru
- Italian - Felice Anno Nuovo or Buon anno
- Japanese - Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu
- Korean - Sehe Bokmanee Bateuseyo
- Laotian (Hmong) - Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab
- Latin - Felix sit annus novus
- Nigerian (Hausa) - Barka da sabuwar shekara
- Norwegian - Godt Nytt Ã…r
- Philippines (Tagalog) - Manigong Bagong Taon
- Polish - Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
- Romanian - La Multi Ani si Un An Nou Fericit
- Samoan - Ia manuia le Tausaga Fou
- Spanish - Feliz año nuevo
- Swahili - Heri za Mwaka Mpya
- Swedish - Gott Nytt Ã…r
- Vietnamese - Chuc mung nam moi
- Welsh - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Oh the things you do...
Today, from my friend Anthony I got a new website to check out - it's called FactMonster. So much fun - it's got all sorts of neat quizzes and games (I've done most of the quizzes about Harry Potter already) and it's perfect for a little information junkie like myself. So, once again, I'm inspired to write out some fact that I've found.
Guess who else was born on my birthday? Fanny Brice - yup, the very person that the musical Funny Girl was based on. You can read some neat facts on the true Fanny Brice here, and if you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you do because it's a Barbara Streisand classic. I also share the same birthday as Richard Dreyfuss, everyone's favorite star from What About Bob? and Mr. Holland's Opus, as well as cleptomaniac Winona Ryder (nee Winona Horowitz, who's dad produced the original Batman series).
Guess what happened on my birthday in years past? In 1787, Mozart's Opera Don Giovanni debuted in Prague. In 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crashed on Black Tuesday, precipitating the Great Depression. And in 1998, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, returned to space at age 77.
Guess what happened the year I was born? The year of 1981 was full of adventure as it was the year that AIDS was first identified, the year that Pope John Paul II wounded by gunman and the year that Ronald Reagan became the 40th US President and then went on to nominate Judge Sandra Day O'Connor, 51, of Arizona, as first woman on the US Supreme Court.
Very random. Check out your birthday.
Guess who else was born on my birthday? Fanny Brice - yup, the very person that the musical Funny Girl was based on. You can read some neat facts on the true Fanny Brice here, and if you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you do because it's a Barbara Streisand classic. I also share the same birthday as Richard Dreyfuss, everyone's favorite star from What About Bob? and Mr. Holland's Opus, as well as cleptomaniac Winona Ryder (nee Winona Horowitz, who's dad produced the original Batman series).
Guess what happened on my birthday in years past? In 1787, Mozart's Opera Don Giovanni debuted in Prague. In 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crashed on Black Tuesday, precipitating the Great Depression. And in 1998, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, returned to space at age 77.
Guess what happened the year I was born? The year of 1981 was full of adventure as it was the year that AIDS was first identified, the year that Pope John Paul II wounded by gunman and the year that Ronald Reagan became the 40th US President and then went on to nominate Judge Sandra Day O'Connor, 51, of Arizona, as first woman on the US Supreme Court.
Very random. Check out your birthday.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
On finding a husband...
You can also click on the picture to see his website.
Like most ladies my age, yes, I occasionally think about marriage. I've never really been a sap about it (not that it's wrong to be romantic) but I do think about it. I guess things were brought about this week a little bit because now a second one of my best friends is heading down the aisle - the one who said she would never get married! (Yeah, right Al! We knew better!) So, I was surfing the internet for some solid advice on marriage - ok, truthfully, I was bored and wanted to see what would come up if I typed "on finding a husband" in Google, but that's just details...Ironically, the first site that came up was all about finding a husband in Christian context! ha! Nonetheless, there was some very solid advice some of which I will share with you.
Honesty and intentionality. It all comes down to this, people. So many of us are afraid to talk about the marriage factor because it's borderline taboo. I mean, who would want to admit that deep down they are longing to share themselves with another person for the rest of their life? God knows I'm petrified of this - admitting that I want it at least. No one wants to appear needy or lonely or whatever. We all want to appear strong, and all too often we fall into the trap of feeling like we're weak because we don't want to live our lives alone forever. Really, what's the big deal? There really isn't anything wrong with talking about marriage - it should be something we can converse about like politics or religion. We don't often shy away from having an opinion in these matters, so why should marriage be any different?
The other half of the equation is our need to be honest with ourselves. It's ok to want someone else around, it's ok to have needs, it's ok to have feelings and it's ok to be vulnerable. I can only speak for myself, and I know for a long time I have been, and still am in some ways, absolutely terrified of the commitment of marriage. I've pushed it aside saying I didn't want it for so long because the truth is that I just don't know how to fully open up to someone else. I judge myself far more than anyone else ever could, why would I let someone else in to have the potential to hurt me or judge me. Truth - real love shouldn't be about that. My fears prevent me from loving properly and allowing myself to be loved. Once I admitted to myself that I had a problem there, things began to change. I see I have the capacity to feel and give love - and it doesn't make me weak, it makes me stronger because I am braver now, and I see the risks are worth the taking.
Now where does the intentionality fall into play? It comes down to not being afraid to play the game of love for the sake of marriage. I'm constantly surprised by my Christian friends who really are in the dating scene to find a husband or wife. It's not easy to do, but really, it nice to cut the crap and just be direct - "No, I don't want your pretzels!" (inside joke, sorry). Personally, I find this concept fascinating and intimidating all at the same time - afterall, it's a choice, and it causes you to close many doors, but leaves you with one giant one open. But intentionality is more than just being ready to take a shot at finding "the one", it's about forming an opinion, creating standards and boundaries for interpersonal relationships, and most importantly, it's about BELIEVING MARRIAGE IS POSSIBLE and to be ready to do something about it!
We're all too often drifters when it comes to committed relationships - we're willing to settle for the com
fortable, we're willing to stand by and wait for someone to come to us... Well, you know what, sometimes it pays to be a little proactive. This doesn't mean running about trying to land yourself whomever falls into your path first, it just means you have to focus on the prize realistically and be ready to move forward if and when the time comes to show someone you think they are worth the effort. It also means guarding your own heart so that you aren't throwing away your affections carelessly and spreading yourself too thin. (Heaven knows, as a HUGE flirt, I know how this can get messy...)So, here comes the solid advice I found - what not to do in relationships...
1. Resist the counterfeits: -
This term can refer to many things, but it specifically is meant to address the tendancy that most of us singles have to want to fill in the void with bad habits. A first example is the "buddy". You know, the person that you refer to as just a friend who you don't really treat as just a friend...the someone who you don't dare to ask them about their intentions ...(gulp, guilty conscience here). A second may be pre-marital sex - you connect with someone physically and you then wonder why they aren't going towards marriage. A third may be spending all your time time in a single group, even after you've decided that there is not potential marriage candidate in the bunch.
Sure, these habits might cure loneliness short term, but in the end, they're just a temporary fix. What's worse, it that these habits may be causing you to be alone. (Gulp again!) The best cure is to start respecting youself by setting up high standards for your relationships. By creating boundaries, you're not only protecting your own heart, but those you interact with. Plus you can resist the temptation to spend your best self on counterfeits. Take it a step further, treat others the way you want to be treated. By approaching the opposite sex in a principled, respectful and intentional way, you eliminate the guess work and by treating others with kindness and honesty and by being direct you with show off just how great of a marriage candidate you are!
2. Retain sexual power: -
Ever heard the expression "Who's going to want to buy the ice-cream truck when you're giving out the popsicles for free?" Take it to heart. If you're playing into the idea that sexual acts will enhance your relationship, really, it's not true. You lose your sexual power and your ability to find the right person. Physical intimacy jump starts an emotional connection to someone too quickly, and though it can be great at the time, once the spark fades away, it seems that you've created a relationship on thin air. (Trust me on this - I have kissed on the first date. Tsk. Tsk). Sex will become an idol and will cloud your judgement causing you to make bad decisions.
Yes, unmet sexual longing is a rather powerful motivator - heaven knows it's caused quite a few quick engagements in the past. For those who have once had the desires met, it may be even harder to go without, but you just have to take encouragement from remembering that sex has been designed to sweeten the commitment of marriage and it should flow from a Godly relationship. Sometimes it pays to have your dessert last - and luckily, G
od is gracious enough to give all of us a chance at getting it right.3. Reassess your options: -
Sometimes we're too quick to put someone into the category of "just friends" because we're not attracted to them. Well, what's the harm in taking a moment to change your thinking - instead of basing everything on physical chemistry, look at your friends and think "Which one of these men would be a Godly husband, strong partner and good father?" You never know about those diamonds in the rough...Of course, this doesn't mean you have to "settle" too quickly, it just means that you can take a moment to see where God may be able to make love grow - a little prayer goes a long way. Plus, it helps you gain a non-objectifying sort of perspective - rather than boys being pieces of meat, they become pieces of men...(ugh, that was AWFUL).
4. Check your expectations: -
What are you looking for in a partner? Do you find yourself casually dating with one foot out the door? I sooo know I'm guilty of this. All to often we want to focus on finding a "soul mate", someone who knows us down to our very core and who loves us fully. The trouble is, this might be directly setting yourself up for failure. We can't expect that the people who love us will never ask us to change, especially when it comes to the turbulence of marriage. Relationships between humans will never be perfect, because we're not perfect creatures. So, don't kid yourself, if something gets tough, suck it up, and it something is great, then rejoice in it. Marriage is about commitment - till death do you part - but it you go into expecting highs and lows, a good marriage will make the lows all the easier to swallow.
5. Ask the people you know for help:-
This is probably one of the easiest and hardest things to do. Right now, the world's view on marriage is certainly not the hopeful one that it once was. Once it was a primary purpose in life, now it's optional. This means that there is less support out there culturally for marriage. So why not ask your friends for help? This can be two-fold. First, I would hope that we all have friends that love us enough to help us see where we have the need to improve on ourselves to become a more whole person, someone more ready for marriage. Talk to friends, ask them to help you with your brokeness, ask them to help you get rid of the emotional baggage from years of unsuccessful relationships. You'll be surprised at how much they'll want to help you out! I know my friends are really great that way...
Secondly, friends are a connection to a wealth of new people. If you only spend time with peers of the same age, who are all going through the same sort of period of life as you are, it's not surprising that nothing new and exciting is being brought into your life. Go out, meet your friends and their friends. You never know, right? Plus, if your friends are believers in marriage, their other friends may be too, in fact, they may be looking for the same things you are. Maybe this means you'll stumble across Mr. or Mrs. Right, maybe it just means you'll make a new friend, either way it doesn't hurt to make new allies!
Just to note, the above writing is my rendition of the advice from Candice Z. Watters (you can check out the article here). I may not agree with everything, and I may be taking a few liberties with what Candice has written, but overall, this little rant reflects my opinions too. I'm not writing
this to convince you of anything either. It's just think it's food for thought. You can't force marriage to come along, and there really isn't a formula for making two people fall madly in love and commit their lives to one another. Thinking about this stuff can put you in the direction towards marriage rather than down a somewhat-into-it-but-not-fully-committed-to-the-game kinda path. Every now and then you've got to purposefully change direction and to be made aware of where to go next - and the rest is up to Him.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Congrats Al and Scott!
What an awesome Christmas!
I just received the best news in the world! Alison (my best girl friend) and her boyfriend Scott got engaged last night! Congratulations to you both!
Can I be a bridesmaid? ;)
I just received the best news in the world! Alison (my best girl friend) and her boyfriend Scott got engaged last night! Congratulations to you both!
Can I be a bridesmaid? ;)
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Merry Christmas to all!
- I happen to think that Mariah Carey's "I Don't Want A Lot for Christmas" is great...one of my favs to sing along to! And if you haven't heard Weird Al's song "The Night Santa Went Crazy!" you've just gotta - it's hilarious!
- Two of my all time fav Christmas album are Dolly and Kenny's Once Upon A Christmas and John MecDermott's Christmas Memories.
- Elf and A Christmas Story are probably two of the funniest Christmas movies that I love to watch! National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is up there too!
- I miss my puppy - it's my first Christmas without her, and my first time home without her here too...
- Anglican church services are awesome!
- Family is family, you gotta love them!
- Christmas cookies are fantastic - mmm...so is brandy butter and the thoughts of true English Christmas pudding...
- I miss my family in Africa - wish I could see them.
- It's Christmas! The people that in darkness sat have seen a great light, and the Saviour of the World was born this very night! AMEN A THOUSAND FOLD! PRAISE GOD!
Merry Christmas to you all!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Expectations of a 40-yr old virgin - a movie review
Last night I was in a downright crooked mood - I just didn't want to deal with anything. So, I took myself to the movie store and rented "The 40-yr Old Virgin". I was expecting a funny movie, but what I wasn't expecting was a movie centred around a heart of gold.By no means am I suggesting to you folks out there that you have to agree with my general review of this movie, and I will state that I do have biases towards wanting to wait for the right person before having sex. I was really impressed with this movie, though. It may have had a too much swearing, and may have had some uneccesarily graphic scenes, but I did feel that it did have some exceptionally redeeming qualities.
For those of you who know the premise, the movie centres around Andy (Steve Carell) who is coasting by life as a loner, and as a virgin. He is quite happy to deal with his trouble himself, but things get thrown off course when three of his co-workers find out about his "plight" and seek to remedy this situation. Andy migrates through a few series of unfortunate blunders, but eventually finds himself in a very solid and loving relationship. As the movie progresses, Andy sees the complications that arise from not being honest, and from trying to force himself to do things that go against his character. In the end, everything works out just find, with a happy ending that is a little tongue-in-cheek without being too cliché or cheesy. You're left feeling satisfied - just as Andy finally is!
Steve Carell, the star and writer, portrays Andy is such a wonderful way. He is not fully a geek, but he is not fully suave either. He's believable, and well-rounded. This is why the movie seems all the more charming. You like the character of Andy, and he's genuine, so listen to his story makes it all the easier, and you never once a left feeling like the character is trying to heavy-handedly beat you into his point of view.
From a redemptive point of view, this movie has a lot of good messages. Corell's character shows that it is possible to be a fully functional man and still be waiting for the right relationship because sex should be special (in fact, Andy does get married before he gets laid for the first time!) The movie also makes a point to saying that porn is not all it's cracked up to be for men - it can be degrading and can lead to unecessary objectification of women. Also, there are some very brave views on love and relationships, showing it's not going to be easy and you have to work at it.
The movie isn't perfect though, you will have to sift through some blatant swearing and some scenes, although funny at times, that condone some not-so-admirable behaviour, but overall, it's a quality flick in my opinion.
Check it out yourself.
A new baby and a fab gift
Today has been slow again at work, but the office is all a buzz - one of the ladies I did my training with, Shelley, has had her baby! His name is Kai Mapp, and he was 5 pounds even at almost 3 months early. Congratulations! Both mother and son are doing fine.
Also, one of the girls here was very thoughtful - she bought me a book on the Clash that she found on the chuck-out bin at Chapters just because she knows I adore them! Wow, I barely know her, so it's just so sweet.
Merry Christmas to that!
Also, one of the girls here was very thoughtful - she bought me a book on the Clash that she found on the chuck-out bin at Chapters just because she knows I adore them! Wow, I barely know her, so it's just so sweet.
Merry Christmas to that!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Home for the holidays...
Most of us are on our way home for the holidays in some way or another - now whether this means we are actually leaving our current places of residence to go to our family place or residence, or whether we are simply going to a comforting place in our minds, it doesn't really matter - the fact remains, there is something about Christmas time that makes us long to be at home.But what does it mean to go home? They say home is where the heart is, but what happens when your heart checks out and you're left considering only a building?
I guess it's just a part of growing up - you move forward on your own path and you are no longer within the parameters of the home set up for you from your parents, and you become wiser, and it's easier to see the cracks in the surface when you do come home. Parents and siblings are not longer infalible, and the real world seeps in...
But you know what? I've been musing about this for a few days now, and really, all these questions just make me realize how happy I am to know that I will always have a home that is peaceful and bright that lies within the realm of heavenly grace. Amen to that.
A tattoo idea
So I've been surfing the net a little, checking out some potentially interesting tattoo ideas. I like this one, it would keep with my chinese character thing, and is meant to stand for Holy Son. Cool.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Oh Holy Night
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt it’s worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
The girls I know and love
Do any of you out there have a set of friends that you just adore? Come hell or highwater they are with you. They comfort you, they tease you, and they challenge you. They know you well enough that you don't have to say anything because they already know. They aren't afraid to tell you to "cut the crap!" and "to stop being a drama queen!" The kind of people who are willing to stand by you no matter what, even if you don't talk to them every day.
That is what I think of my best girl friends!
I never imagined that in my first year of university I would stumble upon such solid friends as I did. I was young, I was scared, and I was relatively out of my element as I had just moved from a completely different province. I didn't know what was in store for me. Yet, on that very first day I met a plucky blonde who had an uncanny resemblance to me named Courtney, and subsequently in the next few days I met Jennifer, Alison and Nushin. If you can believe it, we made such fast friends that we were barely into October before we knew we all wanted to live together when we left residence. Now, you'd think that would back-fire, but no, we did live together - in fact, we lived together for three years while at school in a fantastic little apartment on Bagot St in Kingston. We had a home, we were a family.
I love these ladies.
This past Monday, I had the treat of once again being able to get together with them to eat dinner, talk and exchange Christmas gift. It was us five plus Farah, Nushin's sister, who was an honourary member of our apartment (if you can believe it, she also lived on Bagot street!). I can't tell you how good I felt on Tuesday morning after having just spent an evening with my ladies! Thank God for friends like them.
(p.s. I hope to soon put up a pic of us here).
That is what I think of my best girl friends!
I never imagined that in my first year of university I would stumble upon such solid friends as I did. I was young, I was scared, and I was relatively out of my element as I had just moved from a completely different province. I didn't know what was in store for me. Yet, on that very first day I met a plucky blonde who had an uncanny resemblance to me named Courtney, and subsequently in the next few days I met Jennifer, Alison and Nushin. If you can believe it, we made such fast friends that we were barely into October before we knew we all wanted to live together when we left residence. Now, you'd think that would back-fire, but no, we did live together - in fact, we lived together for three years while at school in a fantastic little apartment on Bagot St in Kingston. We had a home, we were a family.
I love these ladies.
This past Monday, I had the treat of once again being able to get together with them to eat dinner, talk and exchange Christmas gift. It was us five plus Farah, Nushin's sister, who was an honourary member of our apartment (if you can believe it, she also lived on Bagot street!). I can't tell you how good I felt on Tuesday morning after having just spent an evening with my ladies! Thank God for friends like them.
(p.s. I hope to soon put up a pic of us here).
Monday, December 19, 2005
A really busy weekend
Today I feel like I need a day off after my weekend off. This weekend just zoomed by, leaving me feeling tired and with the sense that not much was accomplished, including sleeping properly. Don't get me wrong, this weekend was great fun, I just went full throttle and now, I've got a case of the Mondays. (Please reference Office Space).
On Friday, we had a good-bye celebration for two girls from my church, Rachel and Heidi, who have both been accepted to do an exchange program overseas for the next few months. I'm so excited for them! So, we had dinner and drinks, and then made our way to Supermarket (in Kensington) to dance the night away. We cut a rug, we danced up a storm...ugh, enough clichés. In fact, me and one of my friends actually danced right up until the last song - not bad considering I wasn't actually going to go dancing at all. It was just fun!
Going out dancing is such an interesting experience every time you go, but I'm finding it all the more interesting lately when I go out with my Christian friends. My first time I went, I didn't actually believe my friend Leslie when she said going dancing was Freedomizers was nuts because you've never seen a crazier bunch of dancers. Well, I know now that this is true - I've never seen a more wild bunch (have we met Luke Minaker???) and I've never seen a co-ed group go dancing while leaving so much space between them. (We leave room for the Holy Spirit! ha!)
This past Friday was an yet another interesting experience, in the sense that it shed a little light on my Freedomize boys. The boys we were with were quite offended by the club pick-up mentality of the guys dancing around the dance floor. I've gone out with protective friends before, but these boys seemed exeptionally apalled by the fact that there were boys just hovering near us girls. (Something girls HATE!) I've got to admit that it made me feel all the more appreciative of the non-overtly-sexualized way that boys and girls try to relate to each other in Christian terms. I mean, I can take care of myself in a club - in fact I get quite fiesty, but all the same, it was touching to know that my guy friends wanted nothing more than for us girls to have a fun time without feeling like we were a part of the meat market. Moral of the story: Props to you Freedomize boys!
Saturday flew by admist the stress of trying to get errands done - I felt terrible seeing as I couldn't even get everything done I wanted to. Before I knew it it was time to get prepped and beautied up for Handel's Messiah at Roy Thompson Hall. Talk about an amazing experience! I've never been to the Messiah before, and it's quite awesome to sit and hear almost a hundred and seventy voices singing words taken directly from the Bible - all of which tell the Truth. Wow! It was also really nice to spend an evening out with Freedomizers in a different context. We all got to dress up, dresses and suits, and have a good time. I definately looking forward next year. I can't past up an opportunity to get dolled up and hear amazing music. :)
Sunday was another full day - the morning was spent visiting Lorna and Kiwi (my dad's elderly second cousins and my closest relatives in Canada) having tea, which is always nice. I have been going to see Lorna and Kiwi in Toronto since before I can remember. In fact, they even have a picture of me when I first came to Canada at the age of about eighteen months old! After tea I rushed off to a choir practice with my friends to prepare for our debut at the service last night. Everything went relatively well - although we did flub a little, I think it sounded pretty damn good for a first go at things. I'll keep you all posted on more choir info. I was glad though that we did get a good reception, I really wanted nothing more than to share something I really love with the people of Freedomize!
I'm sad to say I find myself tired, and ready for bed...I really do need as rest after my weekend off...
On Friday, we had a good-bye celebration for two girls from my church, Rachel and Heidi, who have both been accepted to do an exchange program overseas for the next few months. I'm so excited for them! So, we had dinner and drinks, and then made our way to Supermarket (in Kensington) to dance the night away. We cut a rug, we danced up a storm...ugh, enough clichés. In fact, me and one of my friends actually danced right up until the last song - not bad considering I wasn't actually going to go dancing at all. It was just fun!
Going out dancing is such an interesting experience every time you go, but I'm finding it all the more interesting lately when I go out with my Christian friends. My first time I went, I didn't actually believe my friend Leslie when she said going dancing was Freedomizers was nuts because you've never seen a crazier bunch of dancers. Well, I know now that this is true - I've never seen a more wild bunch (have we met Luke Minaker???) and I've never seen a co-ed group go dancing while leaving so much space between them. (We leave room for the Holy Spirit! ha!)
This past Friday was an yet another interesting experience, in the sense that it shed a little light on my Freedomize boys. The boys we were with were quite offended by the club pick-up mentality of the guys dancing around the dance floor. I've gone out with protective friends before, but these boys seemed exeptionally apalled by the fact that there were boys just hovering near us girls. (Something girls HATE!) I've got to admit that it made me feel all the more appreciative of the non-overtly-sexualized way that boys and girls try to relate to each other in Christian terms. I mean, I can take care of myself in a club - in fact I get quite fiesty, but all the same, it was touching to know that my guy friends wanted nothing more than for us girls to have a fun time without feeling like we were a part of the meat market. Moral of the story: Props to you Freedomize boys!
Saturday flew by admist the stress of trying to get errands done - I felt terrible seeing as I couldn't even get everything done I wanted to. Before I knew it it was time to get prepped and beautied up for Handel's Messiah at Roy Thompson Hall. Talk about an amazing experience! I've never been to the Messiah before, and it's quite awesome to sit and hear almost a hundred and seventy voices singing words taken directly from the Bible - all of which tell the Truth. Wow! It was also really nice to spend an evening out with Freedomizers in a different context. We all got to dress up, dresses and suits, and have a good time. I definately looking forward next year. I can't past up an opportunity to get dolled up and hear amazing music. :)
Sunday was another full day - the morning was spent visiting Lorna and Kiwi (my dad's elderly second cousins and my closest relatives in Canada) having tea, which is always nice. I have been going to see Lorna and Kiwi in Toronto since before I can remember. In fact, they even have a picture of me when I first came to Canada at the age of about eighteen months old! After tea I rushed off to a choir practice with my friends to prepare for our debut at the service last night. Everything went relatively well - although we did flub a little, I think it sounded pretty damn good for a first go at things. I'll keep you all posted on more choir info. I was glad though that we did get a good reception, I really wanted nothing more than to share something I really love with the people of Freedomize!
I'm sad to say I find myself tired, and ready for bed...I really do need as rest after my weekend off...
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
All in song titles
This is something I used to do with my friend ages ago. We used to have whole conversations using solely song titles to convey the message (adding only minimal amounts of words necessary to string them together). For example, if I wanted to explain that I am tired and going to bed soon, I would write something like:
somebody told me sweet dreams call me to feel so different
where the higlighted words are song titles (The Killers, Eurythmics, Blondie, Sinead O'Connor). Make sense? I'm going to attempt something longer in the following post which tells the story of my encounter with a boy I was totally disinterested in on the weekend. You know, I hate to say it, but he was a Gino and I don't find that attractive...eww...(Oh, and challenge yourself to find the artists is you don't know the song - it's fun!)
This weekend I was a dancing queen dancing in the dark thinking I was getting to funkytown, when Iended up in more of a combat baby situation. A gent not born in the USA tried to mambo italiano with me. He said he said "I wanna hold your hand" and that I was just like honey. He talked about his heart of glass and I felt under pressure. He said "I need you tonight" but I felt he meant he wanted to bungle in the jungle in my love shack. Most guys want to do the wild thing or drop it like it's hot in da club because of my humps (or other girl's bits and pieces). He didn't make me feel like makin' love with his hungry heart because I believe in a thing called love not tainted love. He wasn't too shy and one way or another he was determined to kiss. I was thunderstruck and I thought "Is this love?" I assured him if ya getting down i'm not your holla back girl, so don't bother. Girls just wanna have fun, but the times they are a changing so it takes more than a feeling to say let's get it on. Boys who wanna sex you up is not a new phenomenon, but it takes the power of love so I'm still fighting it. Luckily I found an escape when I said to a friend take me out so I can go home for a rest. The moral is that another one bites the dust singing a song for the dumped. So men, if you want to see paradise by the dashboard light and you still haven't found what you're looking for, try and treat her right and you just might find some sexual healing in love and marriage.
Boy, I've got a lot of time on my hands..
somebody told me sweet dreams call me to feel so different
where the higlighted words are song titles (The Killers, Eurythmics, Blondie, Sinead O'Connor). Make sense? I'm going to attempt something longer in the following post which tells the story of my encounter with a boy I was totally disinterested in on the weekend. You know, I hate to say it, but he was a Gino and I don't find that attractive...eww...(Oh, and challenge yourself to find the artists is you don't know the song - it's fun!)
This weekend I was a dancing queen dancing in the dark thinking I was getting to funkytown, when Iended up in more of a combat baby situation. A gent not born in the USA tried to mambo italiano with me. He said he said "I wanna hold your hand" and that I was just like honey. He talked about his heart of glass and I felt under pressure. He said "I need you tonight" but I felt he meant he wanted to bungle in the jungle in my love shack. Most guys want to do the wild thing or drop it like it's hot in da club because of my humps (or other girl's bits and pieces). He didn't make me feel like makin' love with his hungry heart because I believe in a thing called love not tainted love. He wasn't too shy and one way or another he was determined to kiss. I was thunderstruck and I thought "Is this love?" I assured him if ya getting down i'm not your holla back girl, so don't bother. Girls just wanna have fun, but the times they are a changing so it takes more than a feeling to say let's get it on. Boys who wanna sex you up is not a new phenomenon, but it takes the power of love so I'm still fighting it. Luckily I found an escape when I said to a friend take me out so I can go home for a rest. The moral is that another one bites the dust singing a song for the dumped. So men, if you want to see paradise by the dashboard light and you still haven't found what you're looking for, try and treat her right and you just might find some sexual healing in love and marriage.
Boy, I've got a lot of time on my hands..
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Reflections on Christmas
I like Christmas time. Not only is it advent - a wonderful time to reflect on the upcoming celebrations of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it's also a time of Christmas movies, hot chocolate, and decorating. Sigh.
Honestly, some of the best memories that I have from my university career came about at Christmas time, when I was living with my best girlfriends. We all love Christmas, and seeing as exams were over part way through December and we wanted to maxmize decorating time, we woul
d put up decoration almost immediately after Halloween. Every girl would decorate outside their doors with lights, and we would often just leave them on so we had a Christmas-y hallway. We also started a tradition of breaking up the study time with Christmas movies - favourites that include White Christmas, the original Miracle on 34th Street, Mixed Nuts, National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, One Magic Christmas (but it only counts if Al cries) - so that at the end of each long day of hard work you could look forward to cuddling up on the couch with your fantastic friends to with hot chocolate and candy canes. Sigh. I miss that feeling. I love Christmas.
Then there is always the tradition of going to church on Christmas Eve with my family and then coming home to open the gifts sent from Africa. This was because we would all be up at the crack of dawn to call Africa for Christmas greetings, and you had to thank them for their gifts. (This year this tradition will be postponed seeing as we did the family Christmas thing in October, but the thought will be there!) Sigh. I just love that feeling of sitting next to the Christmas tree lights, tingling with anticipation or the feeling inspired by just sitting and staring at the lights and ornaments. I can't wait for Christmas!
This year, though, I think I've created a new tradition for myself - office Christmas parties. Although I didn't make it to the official Shindig for the GBCCC at Sunlife, I have managed to go two for two as "arm candy" to parties for my friends. My first venture was the party held at Wycliffe College at U of T. I went along with my friend Andrew, mostly because he (literally) asked me to be his arm candy for the night the day I returned to Canada from Africa. Somehow in my jet-lagged state I said "Sure!" Alas, it was fun - a good night of free food and drinks, plus the blessing of being amongst an Anglican church family even if just for a day. (Again, something that I grew up with, so it's something I cherish). Then this past Sunday I acted as a "date" to the Etobicoke Ikea party with my friend Enoch. So much fun! We ate tons of food and danced up a storm - trying, of course, to avoid the path of an overly friendly co-worker who was grinding with not just one, but about three different guys. (She hasn't read the Metro I take it - for weeks now they have been saying this is a no-no for office party etiquette. Tsk, tsk). Overall it was a lot of fun!
Maybe I should start renting my "arm candy" services. Um, no wait, that would give me a bad reputation. Maybe I'll just stick to being the invited girl, the random friend who will come along and have fun, but not too much so you are embarassed in front of your collegues. I figure this year has been a nice step into that direction. I'm batting two for two. Yay me! Yay people for inviting me!
p.s Below is a picture of Andrew and his arm candy. Aren't we cute?
Honestly, some of the best memories that I have from my university career came about at Christmas time, when I was living with my best girlfriends. We all love Christmas, and seeing as exams were over part way through December and we wanted to maxmize decorating time, we woul
d put up decoration almost immediately after Halloween. Every girl would decorate outside their doors with lights, and we would often just leave them on so we had a Christmas-y hallway. We also started a tradition of breaking up the study time with Christmas movies - favourites that include White Christmas, the original Miracle on 34th Street, Mixed Nuts, National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, One Magic Christmas (but it only counts if Al cries) - so that at the end of each long day of hard work you could look forward to cuddling up on the couch with your fantastic friends to with hot chocolate and candy canes. Sigh. I miss that feeling. I love Christmas.Then there is always the tradition of going to church on Christmas Eve with my family and then coming home to open the gifts sent from Africa. This was because we would all be up at the crack of dawn to call Africa for Christmas greetings, and you had to thank them for their gifts. (This year this tradition will be postponed seeing as we did the family Christmas thing in October, but the thought will be there!) Sigh. I just love that feeling of sitting next to the Christmas tree lights, tingling with anticipation or the feeling inspired by just sitting and staring at the lights and ornaments. I can't wait for Christmas!
This year, though, I think I've created a new tradition for myself - office Christmas parties. Although I didn't make it to the official Shindig for the GBCCC at Sunlife, I have managed to go two for two as "arm candy" to parties for my friends. My first venture was the party held at Wycliffe College at U of T. I went along with my friend Andrew, mostly because he (literally) asked me to be his arm candy for the night the day I returned to Canada from Africa. Somehow in my jet-lagged state I said "Sure!" Alas, it was fun - a good night of free food and drinks, plus the blessing of being amongst an Anglican church family even if just for a day. (Again, something that I grew up with, so it's something I cherish). Then this past Sunday I acted as a "date" to the Etobicoke Ikea party with my friend Enoch. So much fun! We ate tons of food and danced up a storm - trying, of course, to avoid the path of an overly friendly co-worker who was grinding with not just one, but about three different guys. (She hasn't read the Metro I take it - for weeks now they have been saying this is a no-no for office party etiquette. Tsk, tsk). Overall it was a lot of fun!
Maybe I should start renting my "arm candy" services. Um, no wait, that would give me a bad reputation. Maybe I'll just stick to being the invited girl, the random friend who will come along and have fun, but not too much so you are embarassed in front of your collegues. I figure this year has been a nice step into that direction. I'm batting two for two. Yay me! Yay people for inviting me!
p.s Below is a picture of Andrew and his arm candy. Aren't we cute?
Monday, December 05, 2005
Profound thoughts
None of these are mine, but sometimes it's just fun to collect random thought and quotes from other people. I particularly enjoy witticisms myself. Witticism of course simply being witty remarks. Here are a few fun ones that I came across lately:
"It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad books."
~ Voltaire ~
"The only way to amuse some people is to slip and fall on an icy pavement."
~ Edward Watson Howe ~
"Duct tape is like the Force. It has a dark side, it has a light side, and it holds the Universe together."
~ Carl Zwanig ~
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
~ Mark Twain ~
"Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognizea mistake when you make it again".
~ F. P. Jones ~
"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men."
~ Mae West ~
"It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly."
~ Oscar Wilde ~
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."
~ Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson) ~
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
~ Groucho Marx ~
"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain."
~ Lily Tomlin ~
"Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place."
~ Johnny Carson ~
"Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen andoxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vitalingredient in beer."
~ Dave Barry ~
"Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."
~ Fran Lebowitz ~
"Americans always try to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else."
~ Winston Churchill ~
"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house."
~ Zsa Zsa Gabor ~
"We should not permit prayer to be taken out of the schools;that's the only way most of us got through."
~ Sam Levenson ~
"I can resist everything except temptation."
~ Oscar Wilde ~
"It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad books."
~ Voltaire ~
"The only way to amuse some people is to slip and fall on an icy pavement."
~ Edward Watson Howe ~
"Duct tape is like the Force. It has a dark side, it has a light side, and it holds the Universe together."
~ Carl Zwanig ~
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
~ Mark Twain ~
"Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognizea mistake when you make it again".
~ F. P. Jones ~
"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men."
~ Mae West ~
"It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly."
~ Oscar Wilde ~
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."
~ Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson) ~
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
~ Groucho Marx ~
"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain."
~ Lily Tomlin ~
"Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place."
~ Johnny Carson ~
"Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen andoxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vitalingredient in beer."
~ Dave Barry ~
"Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."
~ Fran Lebowitz ~
"Americans always try to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else."
~ Winston Churchill ~
"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house."
~ Zsa Zsa Gabor ~
"We should not permit prayer to be taken out of the schools;that's the only way most of us got through."
~ Sam Levenson ~
"I can resist everything except temptation."
~ Oscar Wilde ~
Over the weekend...
Over the weekend I looked up my uncle's website for his artwork, it's now posted on the side. Please check it out! He's an amazing painter - all self taught. He also does wood work and he's a fantastic handyman. He's still going strong, even after he lost a thumb and forefinger in a carving accident.
For years I've been blessed to know his work, but I hadn't really seen much until I went to Africa. He has tons of work around the house. Below is my favourite picture, it hangs in the front hallway of 27 Vlei Rd, and I used to look at it every day while drinking my tea. Hope you like it too!
For years I've been blessed to know his work, but I hadn't really seen much until I went to Africa. He has tons of work around the house. Below is my favourite picture, it hangs in the front hallway of 27 Vlei Rd, and I used to look at it every day while drinking my tea. Hope you like it too!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Working hard or hardly working
Ok, so it looks like I can now say that my job is a job - in the sense that I am basically out of the training room, and onto my "training wheels". As of yesterday, I was give a bit more rein and was put out on to the phones.
It's day two of being on my own, and quite frankly, I think this is going well. I don't always have all the answers, and there are spaces of time when there isn't much going on, but I like what I do. I like helping people. Who knows how long this will last, right? ;)
Baby steps.
It's day two of being on my own, and quite frankly, I think this is going well. I don't always have all the answers, and there are spaces of time when there isn't much going on, but I like what I do. I like helping people. Who knows how long this will last, right? ;)
Baby steps.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
